Chapter 431
Now that I know, I have to act.
"You're still here, aren't you!?"
"Ah, Trades came."
"Huh? Why is Lady Mimosa here?"
Just as I was worrying about what to do, the bishop came running back at full speed.
When I greeted him alongside Mimosa, he blinked his eyes and tilted his head in confusion.
"Geez! Trades is the one who abandoned the lesson! I came to look for Trades!"
"Ah, I apologize for that. An urgent matter came up."
The sight of the bishop bowing to the girl made me feel the high status of the barrier priestess. But at what Mimosa said, he gasped and started bowing repeatedly.
That urgent matter was me, so I felt a bit apologetic.
"Mimosa, the urgent matter Bishop Trades mentioned was me."
"Liberta's?"
"Yes, I cleared the trial, so Bishop Trades came to guide me."
"Is that so?"
So, I threw her a lifeline here.
It wasn't my responsibility, but I was part of the cause.
"That's correct. But it's also true that I neglected Lady Mimosa during her lesson. I'm truly sorry."
"Okay."
It wasn't awkward, but this should be fine for now.
Just as I thought that, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps again.
"Bishop Trades! This is terrible!"
"What happened?"
From the sound of the footsteps, I could tell they were wearing knight armor.
So, I wasn't surprised when a temple knight appeared.
"There's a terrorist attack in Areiya! The Heretic Church has struck!"
"What!?"
"!"
At those words, my eyes widened.
The development was too fast.
No, had they already made preparations before we arrived?
Or had a different incident occurred?
While torn between the possibilities of an unknown incident or the one I knew about, I first took a deep breath to calm down and listened to the conversation between the temple knight and Bishop Trades.
Mimosa understood that something had happened, but not the details.
However, perhaps sensing that something bad was occurring, she tightly gripped the hem of her clothes to suppress her anxiety.
"What are the damages?"
"Details are unknown, but reports indicate multiple Heretic Church terrorists have infiltrated the city of Areiya and are engaging in sporadic acts of destruction... Some have taken citizens hostage and are barricaded, while others are going around destroying buildings. The damage is spreading. The Grand Temple has ordered strict vigilance, as we ourselves may be attacked."
Either way, the fact was that we were behind.
In this state, there was a limit to what I could do.
"We have no choice but to do that. Lady Priestess, please maintain the divine mountain's barrier. Knights, issue an emergency recall even for those off-duty."
"Yes, sir! What about the climbers? Pilgrims and others might be harmed."
"...We'll shelter them in the temple's great hall. Secure the entrances strictly and protect the evacuees!"
"Understood!"
Without any official position, I was merely someone who had cleared a trial.
Not entirely unrelated to the temple, but with such a weak connection, I couldn't interfere here.
On top of that, my equipment consisted only of what I obtained in the trial, all ill-suited for the situation.
However.
"You might want to hold off on that."
Sensing that warning them about their otherwise reasonable actions would lead to trouble, I scratched my head and, with a preface of apology, joined the conversation.
"There's no doubt that among the climbers are members of the Heretic Church. The ones rampaging below are likely the decoy, but I think the main target is here."
The temple knight who came to report shot me a "Who are you?" look, which Bishop Trades stopped with a hand.
Speculation based on knowledge—in a way, it's a double-edged sword.
Having knowledge leads to preconceptions, and you end up proceeding based on that knowledge.
That's why, when speculating, you have to be careful not to let preconceptions cloud your vision.
"Lord Liberta, that possibility is low. To climb this mountain, even casually, one must enter into a contract. Included in that is a clause prohibiting harmful acts against this temple. Breaking that would incur the gods' wrath and divine punishment."
I needed to spin my thoughts at full speed to check for any oversights, one by one, and break through their common sense.
"That would be the case if they took the official route. But can you cover this entire vast divine mountain?"
"The divine mountain is entirely covered by a barrier. Attempting to enter through unofficial routes would be repelled by it."
They blindly trust the barrier and are convinced of their safety due to the divine contract.
Indeed, those two things create a strong defense.
That is a fact.
But it is not absolute.
"It really is perfect, isn't it?"
"...It is precisely because you are an apostle of the Goddess of Wisdom that I am listening to your comments regarding this divine mountain's defenses. If you are only going to doubt, I apologize, but time is precious, so please take shelter as well, Lord Liberta."
There are actually records of the temple being breached in the past.
That past incident is occurring here and now.
"Then, please judge whether this possibility is feasible."
There's no time to argue back and forth to reduce casualties.
Fortunately, my position as an apostle of the Goddess of Wisdom carries weight with temple personnel, and the achievement of clearing the trial imposed by the gods and bringing back a massive number of God Fragments gave me the value of being worth listening to.
"This divine mountain's barrier is extremely capable. It's not an obstinate barrier that repels everything. It allows necessary things for living, like the atmosphere and rain from the natural environment, to pass through, while selectively repelling entities with malicious intent, like monsters or the Heretic Church. Is that correct so far?"
I need to use this opportunity.
Every moment, damage is occurring, and even as we speak, the Heretic Church continues its actions.
You might think there's no time to confirm common understanding, but neglecting this confirmation and voicing a mistaken idea would be more dangerous later.
"No mistakes. We don't have time for fine corrections, so that general understanding is acceptable."
"Thank you. Building on that, there are ways to overcome this barrier while retaining malicious intent."
Whether understanding this, Bishop Trades nodded in affirmation without rushing me.
"What!?"
"Impossible! There can't be such a means!"
So, without hiding or being dramatic, I honestly conveyed it.
Bishop Trades was surprised, but the seemingly stubborn temple knight tried to deny my words, claiming it was impossible.
Again stopped by Bishop Trades, he fell silent, but his eyes blazed with anger at having the barrier he was absolutely confident in denied.
"Would you enlighten us?"
"Yes. One is using a Spirit Passage. Even if physically strong, against a Spirit Passage entering through a different dimension, it would be meaningless."
"Indeed, that's true, but spirits have close relationships with the gods and are sensitive to malice. I can't imagine they would cooperate."
"Are you saying the Heretic Church has no means to force cooperation?"
"...True. They would certainly force them to obey. But spirits have strong lateral connections; there would surely be retaliation from other spirits."
"However, they could use that method just once. For a group willing to sacrifice their lives, uncertain of the outcome, once would be enough."
That anger dissipated, his eyes widening as he listened to my explanation.
Impossible things are impossible.
That's common sense in FBO.
Obtaining a spirit's cooperation is difficult, but it's a possible method.
What I'm calmly explaining is a modus operandi for the past incident, proposed as a hypothesis even in FBO.
The truth remains in darkness, but like deciphering a mystery novel, various inferences were created.
"...You mentioned one, but are there others?"
The method using a Spirit Passage, I'd estimate, has about a thirty percent chance.
"Two more. The second is a low-probability one, but something to keep in mind."
Next, I talk about a method discovered by a certain player seeking ways to breach the divine mountain's barrier at a low level.
"Causing multiple stampedes and overwhelming the divine mountain barrier's capacity limit with sheer quantity beyond its tolerance."
"That's impossible! Our temple knights patrol not just around this divine mountain but the entire surrounding area. There's no way we'd leave dungeons unattended!"
No matter how strong the divine mountain's barrier, faced with overwhelming quantity, it would be nullified.
Doing this would require preparing five to ten times the number of monsters used in the royal capital stampede.
To cause a dungeon stampede, one would need to slip past the temple knights' patrols, which constantly watch the area around the divine mountain.
"Yes, so I think this forceful method has less than a one percent chance. Doing something like this would dwarf the commotion in Areiya. I also consider it low probability. However, currently, the temple's attention is focused on the attack. The possibility of preparations being made at such a time is not zero."
"!"
The messenger knight probably got angry at the implication of negligence in their duties.
I understand that feeling.
But considering it impossible based on that emotion is dangerous, so I continued explaining, driving the point home.
"Calm down. I know you are dedicated to your duties here. But what Lord Liberta says is also a possibility."
Diligent in their duties, earnest, with a strong sense of justice and inflexibility.
These types are the easiest prey for the Heretic Church.
They don't become a problem because there are people like Bishop Trades who admonish them.
"So, Lord Liberta, what is the third means you have in mind?"
"The Cup of Apostasy."
There's no time to correct that mindset now.
So, among the methods I considered for breaching this barrier, retaining malice, and attacking this temple, this is the one I deem most likely.
"!? That is—"
"That reaction, Bishop Trades, you know of it?"
In FBO, there exist items with flavor text that feel morally repugnant.
Bishop Trades seemed to know, but the temple knight beside him appeared unaware.
Whether due to insufficient study or it being kept secret.
This item is one for which player creation is not allowed, judged that a sense of ethics must function.
"Its appearance can be disguised as a simple canteen. Furthermore, by sealing its contents, it can be passed off as an ordinary item. To make it requires the lives of 666 people."
An item that dehumanizes people.
"And a human sacrifice using those lives as sustenance. An artificial demon born from that."
The Cup of Apostasy is an aberrant item that processes a person with a strong mind, devoted to an evil demon, into a liquefied demon soul by sacrificing the lives of many people.
"Any being that ingests the liquid from that cup has their body taken over by the liquefied demon and becomes a monster that wields its power until their body collapses."
Aside from the large number of sacrificial victims, finding a human with a strong enough mind to bear that demon soul is difficult, so mass production is impossible. However, they never stop making them for times of need.
To make this, the Heretic Church destroys an entire village.
Such side stories exist.
"There's no way someone who drinks something like that could enter the divine mountain!!"
"Yes, normally they couldn't enter. But what if they didn't know? What if it was mixed into something sold as ordinary water?"
This young temple knight doesn't know that darkness.