A soldier rushed breathlessly through a gate towering dozens of meters high. As he pushed it open, an enormous ancient tree came into view—so vast it blotted out an entire stretch of sky.
From its roots to its crown, the tree emitted a gentle glow, as if welcoming the soldier.
Scattered around it lay tens of thousands of books, each radiating a soft, tranquil light.
"What is the matter, my child of the Lord?"
An old man with a long white beard and a tall papal mitre emerged from behind the ancient tree. Though his figure was small, he exuded a rare and overwhelming benevolence.
"Your Holiness, forgive my sudden and improper intrusion, but I have received urgent news. The five esteemed dukes were… attacked several hours ago, and all of them are now dead."
The Pope frowned slightly, then knelt and prayed before the tree. The soldier watched, unfazed, as if this were routine.
"The Lord has already seen this," the Pope said softly. "Their sacrifice has been acknowledged, and it is a grief without measure. However, this is a day of celebration. On one hand, find those who sent them back to the Lord. On the other—do not announce their deaths to the public."
"Understood!"
"One more thing. Where is Sophia Edwarn? I ordered that she be brought here."
"I'm sorry, but…"
…
The soldier bowed and quietly withdrew.
The Pope watched his retreating figure, then spoke calmly.
"I believe you should leave the sanctuary. You do not belong here."
He sighed and looked up into the tree's canopy, where a figure sat perched among the branches.
"Phelion."
"An old man like you shouldn't be ruling or teaching others anymore," Phelion said as he leapt down, his white hair blending into the tree's glow.
"Why have you come here?" the Pope asked, gazing at him like a father confronting a wayward child. "Do you not realize how many people have suffered because of the game you set in motion?"
"So murder and city-scale terror are just a game to you?" Phelion replied coldly."You know how people dismiss children's destruction as mere play."
"Is that so?" Phelion scoffed. "Then I suppose I should thank you for the gift you gave me—the one that required you to drive him into madness just to peer into his mind."
He walked to the tree's base, picked up a book, and set it ablaze with a lighter.
"And what about you?" he continued. "You've been planning this for a long time, haven't you? Sacrificing an entire city for your own lust, for the whispers of some wretched demon—"
"Blasphemy!"The Pope glared.
"Everything I have done is by His commandments—His guidance, His teachings! This is the Lord's will, not the manipulation of any demon!"
"Then why create the Wave?" Phelion shot back."You intend to drown this entire city in a monstrous migration. You deliberately used this cursed tree as a beacon to attract millions of monsters. Was it all to conceal your attempt to awaken the Demon King?"
Phelion inhaled deeply.
"You've gone mad with power. Holy wars, drugs—and now you want to use us to kill the Five Fingers?"
"You were going to target them anyway, and I—"
"I'm targeting you as well."
Phelion brought the lighter close to the tree, right before the Pope's eyes.
"You're even crazier than I thought. Truly insane. Using a barely grown girl from the Edwarn family—one who possesses Love Mana—to forcibly awaken the Demon King?"
"And someone like you, Phelion," the Pope sneered, "dares to call others mad?"
"…"
"Sophia Edwarn is a pitiful girl. She lost her emotions long ago as a consequence of sexual abuse. Compared to others who awakened Love Mana through indulgence, she is the only one still alive—who has neither committed suicide nor died from emotional shock. She will eventually feel again, and she will die regardless. So why not let her accomplish something before that happens? She is of the perfect age, with a flawless core. She will be remembered as a heroine."
The Pope spoke without pause.
Phelion, drenched in sweat, stared at him.
"You're insane. You truly made a pact with the Demon King."
"I DID NOT!"
The Pope shouted, finally losing his composure.Phelion's eyes burned as he stared back.
Click.WHOOSH.
The flame ignited.
…
TOO—TOO—
The sound of a train whistle echoed everywhere, though this world had never known trains.
The sound came from a dark alley in Lebem, where an old man and a young girl lay on the ground.
Oxeiburt clawed at himself in madness, unable to endure the unbearable pain surging through his body.
He recalled his own words during the meeting against the Five Fingers and the Pope:
"On that day, no matter what happens, demons will be summoned from the living. However, there is a way to counter it—and I will be the one to lead."
Oxeiburt crawled to his daughter, Sophia. He reached for her chest and drove a finger straight into her heart.
TOO—TOO—
The train whistle grew louder, yet it was drowned out by the laughter and revelry of the citizens.