**#255. Faith and Belief (2)**
—
The garden located at the center of the grand cathedral.
Clatter— Clatter—
The gentle sound of dishes being handled echoed from a small pavilion.
“I ask for your understanding in having this meal here. I have too much work to leave my office and go far.”
The Pope smiled kindly.
Solite, sitting across the table, responded in a startled voice.
“The location doesn’t matter at all. It’s a great honor just to share a table with Your Holiness.”
“Haha, thank you for understanding.”
The meal resumed, and Solite watched the Pope with a tense expression.
‘…So this is what it feels like to be overwhelmed by someone’s presence.’
A private audience with the Pope.
It felt completely different from seeing him with others in the audience chamber.
Understandable, really.
Even if age had somewhat weakened him, this was the highest authority of the Church, a man considered close to the 5th Circle.
An aura this distinct might even be expected.
Solite parted his lips slightly.
‘The Church is currently being eroded by an external group called the Azure Dawn.’
Where to begin this shocking revelation?
He kept looking for the right moment, but the words wouldn’t come easily.
Just then, the Pope spoke.
“Time really does fly. It feels like only yesterday that I saw you complaining about side dishes in the dining hall and getting scolded by Bishop Phelin. And now here we are, awaiting the Day of the Sun together.”
“*Cough!*”
Solite, mid-sip of water, choked in surprise.
He hadn’t expected the Pope to know who he was—let alone remember something from over ten years ago.
Solite quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth and said,
“You… knew about me?”
“Of course. I first saw you when I visited the training center’s dining hall during an inspection. Today is the second time. So, do you eat carrots well now?”
“…It’s an embarrassing memory, but I no longer pick and choose what I eat.”
At his reply, the Pope let out a hearty laugh and added,
“Not just you—I’ve memorized the faces and names of all the Church’s priests, regardless of rank or age.”
“That’s amazing. There must be hundreds of them.”
“Not at all. It’s only natural that a Pope feels affection and responsibility toward the Church.”
The Pope, mid-conversation, turned his gaze outside the pavilion.
“Anyway, I’ve recently come to truly feel how quickly time passes. That garden you see out there—it was barren land just a few years ago. It’s the result of long, loving care. Light from the sky is limited, and it had to be protected from the black rain. A great deal of effort went into it.”
His voice carried the weight of many emotions.
But then he turned back to Solite.
“But the event that made me feel the passage of time the most… was something else. It was the moment we finally discovered the Saintess, after so many years of searching.”
He continued,
“When the new sun rises, we won’t need to put so much effort into cultivating landscapes like this garden anymore. Bright light will illuminate the world, driving away the black clouds. The Church’s long-cherished wish will be fulfilled.”
A long-cherished wish.
Solite knew now was the time to speak.
“Your Holiness, if there are those who not only obstruct the Church’s wish but seek to exploit it… what would you do?”
Clink—
The sound of cutlery came to a stop.
The Pope looked directly at Solite, maintaining a long silence before speaking.
“That’s why you wanted to meet me today, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Speak freely. I’m ready to listen.”
*Hoo.*
Solite took a deep breath.
He began to explain in detail the current state of the Church and the threat posed by the Azure Dawn.
“The Azure Dawn… I’ve never heard of such a group. So you’re saying the Church has been infiltrated by those with impure intentions. Solite, can you fully take responsibility for what you’ve just said?”
For the first time, a sharp light gleamed in the Pope’s eyes.
Solite flinched for a moment but answered firmly.
“I can take full responsibility.”
“……”
There was a moment of silence.
The Pope, still gazing at Solite, gave a small nod.
“I know you’re not the kind of man to speak recklessly or without conviction. But with age comes caution. Without clear evidence, it’s difficult to take action.”
It was a reasonable stance, especially considering the gravity of accusing Church members of betrayal.
Solite pulled a small tape from his pocket and inserted it into a device for playback.
『Why did you infiltrate the Church and corrupt the bishops and priests?』
『…To make the execution of our plan easier. And, under the guise of the Dawn’s ideology, to reform the Church.』
The voices of Ray and Jacob from their meeting played out clearly.
After stopping the recording, Solite said,
“You might think it’s fabricated, but this is the only evidence I can present right now. However, if you investigate the activities of high-ranking officials in the main office, I believe you’ll uncover suspicious patterns.”
He took a breath and continued.
“For something this extensive to have happened without Your Holiness noticing, it’s highly likely that there was a collaborator from the start.”
And then,
“I suspect that collaborator is Archbishop Luteran.”
The Pope’s eyebrows twitched.
Archbishop Luteran was the Pope’s longtime friend and effectively the Church’s second-in-command.
There was a tinge of anger in the Pope’s voice.
“You sound very sure. You’re not just suspecting Archbishop Luteran—you’re accusing him.”
“I’ve already identified most of the traitors. According to my data, Archbishop Luteran possesses the tainted circle of the defectors and was likely the first to cooperate with the Dawn.”
The Pope extended his hand toward a building at the edge of the garden.
*Creak!*
The office window opened on its own, and a small stone flew out.
*Tap!*
He placed the caught stone on the table.
“It’s the Stone of Oath. A magical artifact from ancient ruins. If you lie while holding it, your mana circle will lock. We still haven’t found a way to unlock it.”
The two men stared into each other’s eyes.
The Pope spoke solemnly.
“Hold this stone and repeat what you said in a clear, declarative form.”
The arrow had already been nocked.
Without hesitation, Solite took the stone and complied.
“…Based on what I’ve observed, the group called the Dawn has nearly completely infiltrated the Church.”
There was no reaction from the stone.
It meant he was telling the truth.
The Pope exhaled slowly.
“This is a lot to take in. How did you come to know all this?”
“There’s someone who helped me. We’re working together to stop the Dawn.”
“Could I meet this person? The sooner, the better.”
“It won’t be difficult.”
Solite gathered mana on his hand and dispersed it into the air.
The amount was too faint to detect for most, but one person waiting outside the garden would surely sense it.
“The benefactor is quite young.”
“Well, they can’t be older than this old man. Are we talking thirties?”
“Younger.”
“Twenties?”
“Lower.”
“Just past adulthood?”
“No.”
“Sixteen.”
The last voice came from beside them.
A white-haired boy was suddenly seated at the table.
The Pope was more shocked than he had been in decades.
Invisibility magic?
Not even a speck of mana had been sensed. When had he gotten so close?
“This is the benefactor I spoke of. He’s a 4th Circle mage. His name is—”
“Ray.”
“—as you heard.”
A 16-year-old 4th Circle mage?
The Pope couldn’t hide his suspicion that a reclusive master might be using transformation magic.
But Solite said,
“Having spent time with him, I can confirm he really is 16.”
“……”
Realizing he had stayed silent too long, the Pope composed himself.
“Ah, for now, may I call you Ray? I am Betelgeuse. I hold the humble position of Pope within the Church.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
Ray’s calm greeting only deepened the Pope’s curiosity.
He wasn’t someone obsessed with rank, but most people showed surprise or reverence toward a Pope.
‘What a remarkably composed young man.’
Was he truly 4th Circle?
Did he have a master?
The Pope felt his long-dormant magical curiosity awaken.
Suppressing his interest, he got to the point.
“The situation is urgent, so let’s skip identity confirmation. What matters is that you’re helping Priest Solite. But I must ask—why are you helping the Church? What’s your purpose?”
A direct question.
Ray gave a brief answer.
“There’s someone in the Dawn I need to kill.”
A surge of fury.
Ray instantly suppressed the emotion, but red mana in the air had already begun to ripple like blades.
“Oh dear.”
“Ugh…!”
The sheer force of the mana’s surge was unmistakable to any mage.
Solite couldn’t withstand it and began to bleed from the nose. The Pope waved his hand through the air to calm the storm.
Once things quieted down, Ray said,
“Sorry. I tried to control it but was too late.”
“It’s alright. But it seems you hold a deep grudge against the person you mentioned.”
The Pope, speaking calmly, realized his palm was soaked with sweat.
He had focused his mind to withstand the force.
“…In any case, I understand your reason for helping the Church. Next, could you explain how you managed to detect the Dawn within the Church?”
Ray took the Stone of Oath and, holding it, said,
“I can see the color of mana. The Dawn has dark indigo circles.”
Understanding what he meant, the Pope spoke with a shocked expression.
“Good heavens… Are you saying mana has color? And you can actually see it…?”
“That’s right.”
The idea that mana possessed color—
It was truly absurd.
But with Ray holding the Oath Stone, they couldn’t dismiss it as a lie.
*If this becomes known in the magical world, it wouldn’t just cause a stir—it would trigger an upheaval.*
Though deeply shaken, the Pope now understood how they had identified the turncoats.
The discussion moved quickly after that.
“The first action we must take isn’t to confront the turncoats, but to inform the priests with pure circles about the existence of the Dawn Society and rally them together.”
“I agree with you, Sir Ray. Though the numbers are overwhelmingly against us, that’s the only way to slightly increase our chances of victory. By the way, Sir Ray, why are you moving the carrots from your plate to mine?”
After listening in silence and thinking deeply, the Pope spoke.
“Is there no way to persuade the turncoats and bring them back into the fold of faith? For instance, restoring the so-called mixed circles to their original state—?”
“That won’t be possible.”
Ray took a bundle of papers from inside his robe.
They were research documents on the mixed circles, obtained from the gathering hall.
“It says here that once the procedure is complete, mixed circles cannot be reverted to their original state. According to the documents, at least.”
As the Pope received the documents and examined them thoroughly, Solite spoke.
“I’ve already spoken at length with the turncoats. A deep, unconscious craving for power seeps from them. I don’t believe persuasion or coaxing will work. If we deal with them too leniently, we risk allowing a great evil to spread through the world.”
The Pope let out a sigh.
“To think we must eliminate those who were once like family with our own hands…”
“I’m also deeply pained by it, but we have no choice.”
“I understand the situation for now. Will you allow me time to investigate the actions of the high-ranking members, including Archbishop Luteran, and to gauge the mood within the Church?”
“Yes. The enemy plans to act on the day the sun rises, so we still have time.”
Everyone agreed that they should not make a premature move against the turncoats due to the disparity in strength.
“It would be best if we wait to take concrete action until we’ve finished analyzing the research documents. If we can identify a weakness in the mixed circles, we might be able to overturn the power imbalance. I’ll also give Your Holiness a copy of the documents.”
“Understood. And I’ll need the list of turncoats as well. The key will be conducting covert operations under their radar.”
The conversation once again proceeded rapidly.
“Have you ever heard the phrase ‘beyond the wall’?”
That was Ray’s question at the end of the discussion.
The Pope fell into brief contemplation, then slowly opened his mouth.
“Beyond the wall… beyond the wall… I believe that phrase appeared in the journal of the First Pope.”
