The place the Archbishop took Presepe was a separate room inside the church.
He left the place, leaving Presepe alone, saying he would go meet the guards and priests.
"..."
Presepe, sitting on a chair in an awkward posture, looked around with a timid look.
Could this be the place where the Archbishop stays before worship? Seeing how luxurious and spacious it was for a room in a church, it seemed highly likely.
"Lady Presepe."
The Archbishop returned to his room after finishing the conversation, his face still stiff. In a way, it was only natural. After all, such an incident had occurred in broad daylight, not at night.
However, Presepe felt wronged.
"There are a few things I would like to ask Lady Presepe directly."
"I can answer your question, but I have no connection to this matter."
Presepe hurriedly parted his lips.
"Today is my first time visiting the church, and besides, there is no reason to do such a thing..."
"Yes, I suppose so."
The Archbishop interrupted Presepe.
"First, the first witness is Lady Presepe. I do not know what happened, but Lady Presepe is the only one I can turn to."
"..."
"Ugh. Didn't you see something that was bothering you?"
Of course I saw it.
At this very moment, only one thing came to mind.
[Illustration.]
That man.
Presepe let out a sigh, just as the Archbishop had, and slowly pursed his lips.
"I will tell you in order. First, I came out of the tower about 10 minutes ago. It took exactly that long to walk. I was accompanied by my handmaiden, Ella."
"And?"
"After arriving at the church, I asked Ella to wait for me outside. I told her I wanted to pray alone. Then I went straight into the church, but..."
"..."
"I ran into a strange man."
"What do you mean by a strange man? What do you mean?"
"I don't know who that person is either. I just thought he might be a member of the Knights. His attire was different from that of a priest."
"So, did you see that man smashing the stone statue?"
Presepe shook his head.
"We just ran into each other. We bumped into each other, and I fell, and the man helped me up. Then he left the church right away. That's all."
The Archbishop was silent for a moment. Just when it seemed he would remain silent, he soon contorted his face and pursed his lips again.
"But doesn't that make no sense?"
"Yes?"
"I asked the guards as well, but no one saw anyone suspicious. Furthermore, when I asked the priest who was last at the church when he left, he said it was just before Lady Presepe arrived."
"..."
"But if what you said is true, Lady Presepe, doesn't that mean something like this happened in that brief moment... in less than five minutes at most?"
Just by looking at the fragments of the statue scattered on the floor, she could roughly guess how big it originally was.
To be honest, the Archbishop was right. Besides, it wasn't a glass statue, but a marble one, so there was no way it could have been completely shattered in such a short time.
'Come to think of it, he wasn't holding anything in his hand...'
You can even do that with bare hands?
This was impossible for humans.
However, Presepe had absolutely no intention of getting further entangled in this exhausting affair. She felt a sense of injustice, having done nothing wrong. As the saying goes, "the day you go is the day of the market"—why did something like this have to happen on the very day I came to church?
"Archbishop, shouldn't you take that to the security guards, not me?"
Presepe asked back.
"Anyway, I really don't know anything about it. All I saw was that suspicious man and the completely broken stone statue. So what more can I tell you?"
"I understand what you mean, but I ask for your understanding anyway. After all, given the nature of the matter."
"..."
"Please describe the man's appearance. As detailed as possible."
"It was a face I had never seen before, and he was wearing black casual clothes. He had blonde hair and blue eyes."
Unfortunately, people with blonde hair and blue eyes were not rare. So, it wouldn't be a particularly helpful description.
Presepe had such thoughts, but for some reason, the Archbishop had a much more stern expression than before.
"Blonde hair and blue eyes...?"
"...Archbishop?"
“No, it’s nothing.”
"..."
"First, I guess I'll have to find everyone who has entered and exited the Imperial Palace according to that description."
The archbishop looked very troubled.
It wasn't that she didn't understand how he felt, but she wasn't in a position to worry about him. After all, Presepe had also ended up getting dragged into a pointless mess without gaining a single thing.
She couldn't go back like this.
"That stone statue..."
Presepe hesitated for a moment, then parted her lips again in a very cautious voice.
"What kind of stone statue was it?"
It must have been a very important statue. Usually, no statue erected in a religious building like this is without significance. And since it was placed right in the middle of that vast building, there was no need to say more.
"...Come to think of it, you might not know. Since you said it was your first time visiting the church."
As if he had decided that it would be fine to say this much, the Archbishop looked at Presepe and began to speak.
"There is a myth in Ateloia that has been passed down through generations. You must be aware of that, right? It is the first thing even commoners learn when they attend school."
"...No."
Presepe shook her head.
"The only time I received a proper education was when I was very young, so I don't really remember that time."
After her mother's infidelity was exposed—that is, as soon as it was revealed that Presepe was not actually of the Emperor's blood—she was banished. Her mother was executed.
Of course, she might have received an education even after being kicked out. However, that wasn't a crucial part of the game's progression, so it didn't appear in the tutorial. Therefore, the best option was to just make up an excuse.
The Archbishop cleared his throat briefly, then continued speaking.
"A very long time ago, an ominous being lived to the west of Ateloia. Long before we even lived and breathed on this land."
...An ominous presence?
"It brought plague, poured out curses as naturally as breathing, and killed people like worms. Its very nature was truly ominous beyond measure. Thus, the empires that existed before Ateloia, and even those that existed much earlier, strove to eliminate it. Thousands of heroes and warriors, and tens of thousands of knights, ceaselessly attempted to subdue it."
"..."
"Then, a brave one appeared, having received the will of God. However, it is said that the being was so powerful that they dared not destroy it. Therefore, putting it to sleep was the best option."
Presepe looked at the Archbishop without saying a word.
"Although it happened before Ateloia was even born, I thought everyone should remember that ominous presence and not forget it. Since it has not died or disappeared, there is always the possibility that it could return."
...Was the world of this crappy game really this big?
"The reason Ateloia devotes more effort to the Knights than other empires is the same. The annual subjugation festival is also along the same lines."
The Subjugation Festival was an event that Presepe was well aware of. After all, it was a fixed in-game event that had to be completed regardless of who you defeated.
While other empires held hunting festivals, Ateloia held the Subjugation Festival. Well, the meaning is similar. The only difference is that they hunted monsters instead of animals.
"The stone statue was also related to it. It depicted the image of a nameless brave man who fought against it and emerged victorious."
"What was that being? What was it that you went to such lengths..."
"Well, there are many opinions regarding it. However, neither its name nor its identity is known. There is, however, a name for it."
"..."
"The Demon King."
Ah, so that's why.
Suddenly, a fragment of a stone statue bearing the words "Demon King" flashed through her mind.
"Anyway... I have sent that lady-in-waiting, Ella, to His Majesty, so he should be notified soon."
Looks like she's about to suffer a much worse fate before being imprisoned in the ice prison.
Since this was the first time something like this had happened, she didn't know what Dietrich would do, but it was clear he wouldn't leave Presepe alone.
Who knows? That lunatic might speculate that she was trying to leave the palace with an intruder.
It was the moment Presepe let out a sigh to herself.
"Ah. There she is."
She looked up and saw Ella's face, wearing a somewhat enigmatic expression.
"What did His Majesty say? I thought he would come right away..."
Even the Archbishop couldn't possibly be unaware of Dietrich's insane personality and his obsession with Presepe.
However, the words that came out of Ella's mouth were something that neither Presepe nor the Archbishop had anticipated.
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