The Pope’s True Intentions

The outskirts of the Royal Capital.

The rural landscape spreading beneath the blue sky was overflowing with countless monsters.

Edgar made the eyes hidden beneath his messy black hair gleam as he defeated monsters by using kunai and ninja arts.

“There sure are a lot of them.”

When Edgar glanced toward the Royal Capital, the Royal Capital had deployed a defensive barrier and was preventing the monsters’ assault.

Magic, arrows, and bolts fired by the knights and adventurers struck down the monsters one after another.

The monsters were attacking the Royal Capital partly because it was close to where the subspace had been, but the biggest reason was that the entrances to Rubel’s and Kou’s dungeons were there. But the humans did not know that, nor did they notice it.

They simply recognized it as the monsters attacking the Royal Capital.

Amid that, the Demon King, in the form of a tanned man wearing shorts and an aloha shirt, began chanting movement magic as if it had nothing to do with him.

Edgar hurriedly approached and stopped him.

“Wait, Mao-san. Where are you going?”

“Hah! To the Demon King’s army, of course.”

“In that case, could you wait just a little longer?”

“Why?”

“Mao-san, you want to save your subordinates, right? Then wouldn’t it be better to return after obtaining information?”

“Information, you say?”

“The current situation seems to be caused by a dungeon battle. How about listening to Kou-chan first?”

At Edgar’s suggestion, the Demon King grimaced in annoyance.

“You are a quick-witted man. A man I would rather not oppose.”

“Thanks.”

“Very well. Then let us go at once.”

“Sorry, but after we reduce their numbers a little more—”

“Hmph—Plasma Detonation.”

Dooogooon!

The instant the Demon King casually thrust his right palm toward the monster swarm, a great explosion occurred. Within the giant white smoke rising upward, red flames and blue lightning exploded violently again and again.

In an instant, the monster horde vanished. A bit of the field vanished too.

The Demon King spoke to Edgar with an unconcerned face.

“This should be sufficient, no?”

“…As expected. This is the first time I’ve seen such advanced magic.”

“For me, who has mastered magic and even alchemy, it is nothing at all. Fwahahahaha!”

The Demon King bent back his chest and laughed loudly.

Edgar gave a wry smile and began walking.

“Then let’s recover the people who evacuated to the guardian forest and the people who were trapped in the subspace, then head to the Royal Capital.”

“I leave the guidance to you.”

The Demon King walked leisurely after Edgar, who moved swiftly.

After that, Edgar and the others collected the people and returned to the Royal Capital.

Edgar and the Demon King headed toward Alec’s shop.

Along the way, Edgar gave instructions to the children in his party.

“We’re splitting up from here. I want Edgar’s party to help defend the Royal Capital together with the knights and adventurers.”

“Understood!”

“We’ll do our best, Captain.”

“Leave it to us!”

“Take care, Mao-san.”

“Goodbye, Mao-san.”

The children answered energetically and ran toward the city’s outer wall.

Edgar looked at the children from behind and nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the Demon King.

“Then, Mao-san. This way.”

“Hmph. Hurry up.”

The Demon King spoke arrogantly without dropping his haughty attitude, but it did not match his flashy aloha-shirt appearance.

Kou’s dungeon.

Amid the flashing green light, Liricia, in angel form, was in the hall where Kou was. She was stroking and comforting the panicking Kou.

In the corner of the hall was Rāna, the Sacred White Dragon. She was dozing while eating bread with meat stuffed inside. Breadcrumbs spilled from the corner of her mouth.

It seemed flying at the speed of sound had tired her out.

The elf girl Teti entered the hall while swaying her blonde hair.

“Hey, Liricia-san.”

“Teti-chan. How was the situation outside?”

“I thought about evacuating the sacred beasts, but they seem pretty okay?”

“Is that so?”

“A lot of shadow monsters are coming, but when they enter the mansion garden, they seem to get blown away.”

“Ah, because it is operated by Master’s Holy Wave.”

“I thought it might be safer to have the sacred beasts stay in the stable or the mansion rather than evacuating them into the dungeon.”

Liricia, who had been leaning against Kou’s round surface, put a finger to her chin and sank into thought.

“That may indeed be better. Eventually, the enemy dungeon will directly invade us, and in that case, the room just before the hall will become the battlefield.”

“Right? I told Milene-san, ‘Come evacuate anytime, okay?’”

Milene was the Pegasus’ mother. Somehow, she had become the coordinator of the sacred beasts.

Liricia nodded.

“For now, it seems the Forest Mansion side is all right. What about the shop in the Royal Capital?”

When she casually turned her eyes toward the passage, Sophia entered, making her white clerical robes sway.

“The Royal Capital side is all right. A defensive barrier has been deployed, and everyone is fighting. —Also, there are guests.”

She had two people behind her. A tall man with messy hair and a flashy man wearing an aloha shirt.

They were Edgar and the Demon King.

Edgar raised one hand and casually greeted them.

“Yo. Long time no see.”

“Edgar-san, you were safe! Thank goodness.”

Liricia stood up and smiled.

Edgar scratched his head in embarrassment.

“We were saved because the subspace disappeared.”

“The children?”

“They’re all safe, of course. I had them join the Royal Capital defense.”

“Thank goodness.”

Liricia placed a hand on her chest and looked truly relieved.

The Demon King looked around and snorted.

“Hmph. To think that Alec was a dungeon master. Just standing here makes me feel ill.”

“Demon King-san, why are you here!?” “President-san!?”

When Liricia and Teti were surprised, Edgar scratched his head and explained.

“I thought we should share information. To protect this world.”

“And where is the essential Alec?”

“That is…”

Liricia hesitated at the Demon King’s question. She looked around.

Teti and Sophia looked anxious. Kou was in a state of panic, muttering things like “awawa” and “hiee.” Edgar shrugged with an easygoing expression.

Liricia clenched her fist tightly in front of her chest and looked back at the Demon King.

“Master fell into the Holy Papal State’s trap and was sent to another world.”

“What!?”

Then Liricia told him everything that had happened. About the subspace, about trying to raise the Sacred White Dragon, about the exchange in the Holy Papal State. And about the Dungeon World War.

Even the Demon King could not hide his surprise at first, but once he had heard everything, he bent back his chest and laughed loudly.

“Fwahahahaha! The thorn in my side has vanished! Now I can conquer the world without worry!”

“P-please wait, Demon King-san! Were you not going to lend us your power to save Master!?”

“Why must I aid my enemy? This world is mine. Fwahahahaha!”

“What! President Mao was the Demon King!?”

Teti was only now surprised.

The Demon King placed one hand against his face and laughed, making his jagged teeth shine.

“Kukuku! You finally realized, little girl Teti! —At times, I am Mao the novelist. At times, I am Mao Mao, president of a bookstore chain! —But my true identity is! The Demon King-sama, who shall dye this world in fear! Fwahahahaha!”

“Kyaa, so cool!”

Teti clapped with her eyes sparkling. Apparently, she truly thought the Demon King was cool.

“As expected of a little elf girl once called a sage of the forest! It seems you have eyes that can see the truth. Fwahahahaha!”

Edgar stepped forward, making his messy black hair sway.

“But Mao-san. Isn’t it bad that another world is taking advantage of the Dungeon World War to trample this world?”

“Mm. It is true that my company also uses dungeons as warehouses and has built secret printing factories. But no matter what happens in the battles between dungeons, it has nothing to do with us, does it?”

“Listening to what Liricia-san said just now, the Pope’s movements are strange.”

“The Pope is probably in league with the enemy, no? By sending Alec away, this world will lose. Through that, he will simply obtain some reward. For example, only Luktia believers will have their lives spared, or the Pope will gain the right to appoint the kings of each nation.”

Liricia spoke with an uneasy expression.

“Is that truly the case? It seems there is some other objective… Kou-chan, what do you think?”

Kou, who was confused by the situation of dungeons disappearing from the world one after another, only answered with “awawa” and “hiee.”

Liricia slapped the surface of spherical Kou.

“Honestly, Kou-chan! Please get a hold of yourself!”

Kou ran bluish-white light across the surface of his sphere and came back to his senses.

“Oyoyo!? —Newlyweds, come on in!”

“This is not the time to play dumb. If we lose this battle, what will happen to this world?”

To Liricia’s question, Kou answered in a blank voice.

“Huh? We won’t lose? In the end, the Pope-san’s dungeon will win?”

“From this state!? How?”

“Right now, Luktia’s dungeon has become Tier 50 with 120 cores. It has started mass-producing Holy Death Knights and Holy Hell Liches. They have special effectiveness against dark monsters and shadow monsters.”

The Demon King twisted his face bitterly and said,

“In other words, they are opponents he can absolutely defeat.”

“Surely, the Pope-san intends to become God.”

“What!?”

“A god!?”

“What did you say!?”

“If a dungeon wins seven consecutive dungeon battles, the strongest dungeon in that world can go to the next stage. It can become the god of the new world. And since this world’s god is apparently absent right now, he will probably become the god of this world.”

“Huh, really!?”

“Really. I thought this world had won three consecutive times, but apparently it had also won three consecutive times before I was born. Rubel-san told me.”

“So he has other dungeons destroyed and keeps only his own dungeon as the strongest. Is that it?”

“The dungeon in western Westaria was destroyed and its core was taken. The other dungeons are being destroyed one after another too. It is already over.”

“I do not like the Pope winning. It seems likely he will create a terrible world based on the teachings of the Luktia Church.”

The Demon King clicked his tongue and tried to leave the hall.

Edgar casually asked,

“Mao-san, where are you going?”

“I am going to order my subordinates to protect dungeons all over the world. You people should do something about Alec quickly.”

The Demon King left the hall.

Edgar shrugged.

“Do something, he says. That seems like the hardest part… Kou-chan, you can tell where the sub-device is, right?”

“It is not in this world. That is all I know.”

With a sad expression, Liricia looked at Rāna, who was sleeping in the corner of the hall.

“If we do not know the location, we cannot go pick him up either.”

“If it is another world, that is still better? If he was sent to a gap between worlds, something like a dimensional rift, there would be no air, and he would die instantly?”

“No! There must be some way—”

At that moment, Kou shouted.

“Something appeared! It is the enemy dungeon! It is super strong!”

“Where is it!?”

“Where the subspace was! Awawawawa!”

Liricia raised the ends of her eyebrows and gave instructions with a determined expression.

“Teti-chan, protect the mansion side together with Fenrir-san! Sophia-san, protect the shop side. Rāna-chan and I will protect this place. Please send several wolf-san over here.”

“Got it!”

“Yes.”

“Understood!”

As everyone began moving, Edgar stood there blankly.

“Should I also protect this place?”

“No, Edgar-san, you are strong on your own, so please fight the enemy while gathering information on their weaknesses, objectives, and so on!”

“Understood.”

The instant he answered, Edgar’s figure vanished. It seemed he had headed somewhere.

Liricia readied her silver flail and called out to Rāna.

“Rāna-chan, please wake up soon.”

“Kyaa?”

Rāna woke up while rubbing her eyes.

“Rāna-chan, enemies are coming—ah, owowow!”

Liricia suddenly crouched while holding her stomach.

Rāna opened her eyes wide and jumped up.

“Kyaa!? Liricia!?”

“It hurts, owow—Heal. It hurts!”

“What happened, Liricia!? Are you okay? Liricia!”

“What happened!? Heal is not working!? Ah, Puchi Elixir! Sophia-san, a Puchi Elixir!”

Kou’s voice echoed through the dungeon hall.

Rāna worriedly stroked Liricia’s back as she crouched while holding her stomach.