Chapter 185. The Care of Light
Standing by the window of a room filled with bright light, a middle-aged man offered a prayer beneath the intense sunlight.
Then he let out a sigh filled with worry.
“...Why will You not answer us...?”
The Church of Light possessed considerable strength, yet they were reluctant to reveal themselves openly.
Perhaps because the gate leading to the legendary Road of Trials had been blocked, their influence had gradually weakened over time.
And as the Church’s power declined, the power of Darkness inevitably grew.
That was why their worries never disappeared.
To make matters worse, the Demon King of Madness, one blessed by Darkness, had now appeared.
Yet Light still refused to answer their calls.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
A man entered.
“Your Holiness, an envoy from Ingwang Kingdom has just arrived.”
The Pope frowned.
“An envoy? How did they... No, I suppose it makes sense. Their ruler is blessed by Darkness.”
There was only one hope the Church still held.
The angel who had appeared in the Empire.
Mallyangi.
She had appeared in a form resembling an angel and radiated a light similar to that of the Pope, who was currently considered the person closest to Light.
She was surely an agent sent down by Light.
In other words...
An existence no different from a Saint.
“They should already know there is no room for negotiation.”
The Pope spoke coldly.
“Unless they intend to return her, send the envoy back.”
The man hesitated.
“The problem is... our side failed to properly communicate what we wanted.”
“They probably don’t even know what our true purpose is.”
He lowered his head.
“Shouldn’t we at least give them a proper explanation?”
“...Haa.”
The Pope sighed.
“How did the Church ever fall this far...?”
One missionary had maintained an uncompromising attitude, claiming there was no value in speaking with someone blessed by Darkness.
Yet she had failed to properly say what she was actually supposed to say.
Thanks to that, there was now more work to do.
Perhaps she was a poor fit for a Church that preached love, acceptance, and understanding.
I valued her strong personality, which was why I sent her to that monster nation...
It seems her pride has simply grown too large.
The Pope waited to see who the envoy would be.
And what appeared was—
“Hello!”
A tiny slime about the size of a human head.
The Pope almost laughed.
He knew it was a nation of monsters.
But he had never imagined they would send a slime as their representative for something this important.
Are they playing with me...?
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Pope... sir?”
The Pope sighed.
“...Just speak comfortably, slime.”
“Okay, I will.”
Mallyangi slowly moved her droplet-like body across the floor and approached the Pope.
Shhk!
Immediately, the Holy Knights standing on either side of him aimed their spears at her with expressions full of contempt.
“Do not come any closer, monster.”
Mallyangi paused.
“Oh... I see?”
She gave an awkward, bitter smile and moved back slightly.
Hm?
A bitter smile?
The Pope wondered if his senses had gone strange.
She didn’t even have a face.
How did he know she had smiled?
Beyond that confusion, Mallyangi herself felt slightly disappointed.
Ingwang had told her the Church probably already knew that she was a slime.
He had even predicted the Church’s current situation and figured out what they wanted before sending her.
That made the disappointment even greater.
Haa... I used to belong to this Church too...
I suppose even a few years can change things this much....
Considering how easily outsiders had infiltrated the Church before, and how poorly they had responded to that intrusion...
Perhaps their current condition was inevitable.
Still, everyone here is strong!
Every single one of them gives off an unusual presence...!
The Holy Knights protecting the Pope were powerful.
And the Pope himself was clearly an existence comparable to a Demon King.
Mm! Comparing the Pope to a Demon King...
I truly have become a fallen Sister. Hehe.
The Pope stared at her.
“Are you truly the envoy Ingwang Kingdom sent to us?”
“Yes.”
“...What message do you bring?”
Ingwang had only given her one message.
Don’t bother me.
It was unbelievably arrogant.
A statement perfectly suited to someone called a Demon King.
But if she delivered it exactly like that, there was no doubt it would cause even more troublesome problems.
Ingwang was maintaining his composure in his own way.
But he was more sensitive and angry than Mallyangi had ever seen him.
If things failed to proceed smoothly...
She couldn’t even imagine what might happen.
Would he get angry if I made a decision on my own?
Whenever it involved worrying about her, Ingwang would get angry.
But she had never seen him scold her harshly.
Strangely...
She almost wanted to see it.
She decided to save that for another time.
For now, Mallyangi resolved to do her best.
“The King of Ingwang Kingdom does not wish for conflict with the Church of Light.”
The Pope immediately replied.
“Then return the woman who once went missing because of Corruption.”
“She originally belonged to this Church.”
Mallyangi’s tone sharpened.
“She isn’t someone’s possession.”
“You can’t simply ‘return’ her!”
The Pope fell silent for a moment.
Then he sighed.
“...I chose my words poorly.”
He corrected himself.
“Then arrange a meeting between us and her.”
“The Church currently needs her power.”
Mallyangi tilted her body.
“Why?”
The Pope hesitated.
At first, he had felt distant from this slime.
But now he found himself feeling an odd sense of affection toward her.
After some thought, he decided to speak honestly.
“The truth is...”
“The Church is not what it once was.”
His expression became tired.
“We are declining.”
“Little by little.”
“Just like me.”
One of the clergy exclaimed.
“Your Holiness! How can you say such a thing!”
The Pope gave a bitter smile.
“It is not incorrect.”
“From my childhood until now, the Church has continued to weaken.”
He looked around.
“By the time I became Pope and tried to revive it, we had already been reduced to hiding in a remote place like this.”
“It is embarrassing to call ourselves Children of Light.”
Long ago...
Light had supposedly bestowed a blessing upon the Great Hero of Hope.
That had been the last time Light ever appeared in recorded history.
The Church of Light followed the same path.
For four hundred years, it had barely been mentioned.
Slowly...
It was forgotten.
The aggressive missionary activities of newer religions had pushed them aside as well.
But for a Church that preached love, it was difficult to imitate such harsh methods.
And the Church had already fallen all the way to the bottom once.
The Pope continued.
“Still, even when a rich family falls, its wealth can last three generations.”
“We have survived somehow.”
He lowered his eyes.
“But those of us inside the Church can feel it.”
“The end is gradually approaching.”
What would happen if that truly came to pass?
What if they could no longer deliver the words of Light?
The Pope imagined the many religions born from roots blessed by Darkness slowly spreading their influence and devouring the world.
A world where Light vanished completely and only Darkness remained.
For living humans, it would undoubtedly be a terrifying world.
Especially now that Demon Kings and Great Demon Kings had regained power and begun appearing again.
“So tell your king this.”
The Pope looked at Mallyangi.
“Without Light, Darkness will also lose its meaning.”
“In the end, all things will simply move toward nothingness.”
Mallyangi thought for a moment.
Then answered quietly.
“What meaning does that have for humans who live such short lives?”
The Pope’s eyes widened slightly.
“At the very least, while that person is alive, traces of Light will remain.”
“Until then, Darkness will continue to have meaning as Darkness.”
The Pope looked saddened.
“That is a sorrowful thing to say.”
“Are those the words of the Demon King, delivered by the envoy of Ingwang Kingdom?”
If you heard what he actually wanted me to say, you might cry....
Mallyangi did not want the Church of Light to disappear.
No matter what.
She thought desperately about whether there was another way.
Then—
“What if I...”
She gathered her courage.
“Could open the path to the Road of Trials for you?!”
For Mallyangi, this was an enormous decision.
One Ingwang might even scold her for.
The entrance to the Road of Trials was currently guarded by Ingwang.
And to Ingwang, the Abandoned District was something like a final stronghold.
The Pope stiffened.
“You can open the way to the Road of Trials?”
Then his eyes sharpened.
“Yes...”
“The Demon King was blessed by Darkness.”
“Then does that mean the one guarding that place now is the Demon King?”
Mallyangi nodded proudly.
“Yes.”
“Our king is definitely protecting the Road of Trials!”
“And you can open the gate?”
“...Probably!”
She couldn’t guarantee it.
Ingwang had flatly refused even requests from Jin, whom he treated like a family elder.
And Game-Dori, whom he now practically treated like his own mother, had also failed to change his mind.
