"I, I see... Lord Elior was actually trying to persuade the brigade to help Lady Claire. I'm sorry, I jumped to conclusions. I apologize wholeheartedly... However, although Lady Claire's prophecy is not absolute, it does indicate a future with a high degree of possibility. Just because there is a possibility, we must be careful of this man's chastity. We must always be on our guard, lest we make a mistake and fall into his hands...!"
After some persistent talking... no, after some time spent talking, Sylvia somehow managed to calm down.
For some reason, her face is still red and she glares at me warily...but for now I'll just be happy that we're now able to communicate properly.
Up until just now, you were acting confused, as if you'd been sexually harassed by me...
Now, after everything had calmed down, we gathered again in Empress Stacey's office.
Our group is quite large: Alicia, Stacey, Liza, Sister Claire, Sylvia, and Kokoro, who is clinging to Pepe.
And at the center of the conversation amongst this large group was Sister Claire, who had been brought there after losing big at the gambling den.
As Claire takes a breather and drinks the tea she has been given, I confirm this unbelievable story once again.
"So, getting to the point... is it true that you are the
"...Hmm. I had originally planned to tell you this when I was reunited with you, but I wanted to tell you in a more dramatic way."
Sister Claire sighed in dissatisfaction.
But the next moment, she looked straight at me,
"Yes, I am the current Oracle Priestess of the Holy Kingdom of Romalia, Elizabeth Prometheus Romalia. Ah, but I can't just use my real name, and I like my alias, so please continue to call me Claire."
"""""""
When Claire replied in the affirmative, everyone in the room held their breath again.
The Romarian religion has a strong influence across the continent, and right before his eyes was the man who calls himself its supreme leader.
…Normally, it would be far too suspicious to believe that someone claiming to be the head of the church would show up at this time. Even though he was someone she had known before, it would be natural to think that he was some kind of second assassin after Kokoro.
Even if that wasn't the case, if a sister who drinks alcohol in the middle of the day and openly frequents gambling dens calls herself a "Priestess of Oracles," people would think she had gone crazy from drinking too much.
"Ha, haha. Ahhahahaha! I never thought I'd meet my top priority assassination target, the
Kokoro, who couldn't lie due to the influence of the
"I had heard rumors that the sick
"Holy Knight, Oracle Maiden, etc... my head feels like it's going to explode..."
After hearing the story, Stacey and Liza were overwhelmed with the information and had their heads in their hands. Alicia and I were also feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events that had followed since the attack on Kokoro.
(That Sister Claire who completely ignores the precepts is the
In some ways, this is more shocking than the fact that Kokoro, a Holy Knight, is involved in assassinations.
And just as we were being overwhelmed by Sister Claire's sudden visit and her true identity,
"So, then..."
Sister Claire's shoulders trembling, she pointed to Kokoro, who was clinging to Pepe in the corner of the room.
"I've been wondering about this for a while now... What is going on with the fact that one of the Thirteen Holy Swords is here, and yet he is obediently listening to what Lord Eliol has to say? That villain is not the type to remain quiet in front of a target for assassination, even if it's just an act."
"Ah, well, you see..."
For a moment, I was at a loss as to how to explain the situation.
But... Kokoro said.
The
In other words, they are in clear opposition to the current corrupt church.
Also, Claire-san was the one who entrusted me with the Akuma Crystal and encouraged me to go to the dungeon city. As the name suggests, the
Even without the constraints of a Master-Servant Contract, he was someone he could trust.
that's why,
"The truth is, Ally and I, no, Alicia..."
I told Claire and Sylvia everything.
As expected, I felt uncomfortable telling the Priestess of Prophecy in detail about the embarrassing, perverted skills of the Incubus, so I've been glossing over some of it but...I've told her everything up until now, about our origins, our Gifts, how I enslaved Kokoro who had tried to kill Alicia, and how I decided to protect Alicia even if it meant destroying the church.
After listening to the story for a long time, Claire nodded deeply.
"...Hmm, I see. It seems like it was quite a risky situation, but it seems the prophecy was correct that it would be best for you to gather your strength in the dungeon city."
And Claire said it clearly:
"Let's join hands."
Claire continues with a serious expression.
"When we first met, I said that I had fled the church in order to enjoy my freedom... but I also had another purpose. That was to find a future hero with the power to oppose the corrupt church - in other words, to meet you guys now."
"Actually, I'm not completely uninterested in women too!" Claire exclaimed, but now she was wearing a serious air that made it hard to believe she had been saying this, and she gazed upon us with the dignity befitting the supreme leader of the Romarian religion, the
For us, who wanted the cooperation of those in power in the church to guarantee the legitimacy of our opposition to the church, this was the most reliable reinforcement we could have hoped for.