Maybe I really am a Villian

After Eldric said this, he didn’t say anything further, and neither did the other two Saints. The room remained silent for a few moments, with none of them willing to speak first.

Then it was the Pope who finally broke the silence.

"Doesn’t it just mean that he is saying that he won’t do shit in this matter, and we will have to take care of him? He will just watch from afar without doing anything."

His tone had a clear hint of ridicule in it, as if he found the Dragon’s decision somewhat amusing.

Eldric didn’t respond to this and simply remained silent. His silence itself was enough of an answer.

The Lightning Saint then spoke.

"That Lizard probably already made a deal with him. Whatever that person is going to do, he will most likely do it here on the Human Continent, meaning the most damage will be done to us, not him. That was probably the deal they made—that they wouldn’t interfere with each other as long as he doesn’t perform that thing on his continent."

The Lightning Saint paused for a moment before suddenly laughing. There was a trace of anger in his laughter, and when he continued speaking, his expression had become noticeably colder.

"He sold us off as the bait and meat shield against him. He wants to sacrifice us and stay unharmed for as long as he possibly can."

Eldric still maintained his silence, not saying anything further.

Then it was the Pope who spoke again.

"There is no way he will remain silent forever. If that guy really succeeds, there would hardly be anyone who would remain unaffected by it. He must be planning to act at the very end. He is probably using us as cannon fodder first, and then he will attack us and the Demons at the same time. By doing that, he can keep both sides under control without suffering much damage himself."

No one said anything after that, but all three of them knew that this was probably true.

Everyone was playing a game of tricks with each other. The Dragon had made his position unclear, the Demons had their own plans, and the Human forces were trying to understand what was happening while protecting themselves from every possible threat.

And yet, the person who had caused this entire mess was still playing hide-and-seek with them.

He would only appear when the time was optimal for him.

After another brief silence, the Pope and the Lightning Saint both looked toward Eldric. Then, at the same time, they spoke in an imposing voice.

"So, Eldric, what will you be doing in this war? Which side are you on?"

Eldric remained silent for a moment.

He looked at the two Saints calmly before finally answering in a firm tone.

"Of course, I am with humanity. I also have a family and a place to protect, you know. So, of course, I will fight as well."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Why do you two have doubts that I will betray you? There is nothing for me to gain by betraying you and the whole of humanity."

Both Saints remained silent.

It was apparent from their expressions that they didn’t completely believe Eldric. However, there was also a certain logic behind his words.

Even if Eldric betrayed humanity, what would he gain from it?

If their enemy succeeded, Eldric’s fate would eventually fall into the enemy’s hands as well. His family, his Academy, and everything he had spent his life protecting would also be at risk.

So, regardless of whether they trusted him or not, they couldn’t find a convincing reason for him to betray them.

The silence continued, but none of the three Saints lowered their guard.

In a situation like this, trust was nothing more than another weapon.

And none of them knew who would use it first.

And then there was silence again as all three of them began doing their own calculations in their heads. None of them spoke for a while, each one thinking about the situation and trying to figure out what their next move should be.

Finally, it was the Pope who broke the silence.

"So, what are we supposed to do now? Does that Lizard have any way to track that being that we can use to hunt him down right now?"

Eldric let out a small sigh before answering.

"It is useless. Even if we know his location, he will simply escape, and then he might end up wrecking havoc somewhere else. Knowing where he is doesn’t mean we can actually stop him."

The Lightning Saint frowned after hearing this.

"So, we are supposed to just wait here until he acts himself and attacks us? And then we are supposed to wait for him to perform whatever he is planning, and only then can we kill him?"

His tone became slightly louder as his frustration grew.

"How are we even supposed to know if that is really his last Vessel? What if he is hiding another one somewhere? What if the one we fight is nothing more than a sacrifice while another Vessel remains hidden? How will we know that we have actually killed the last one?"

The question remained hanging in the air.

The Pope also nodded, since he had the same concern. They could not simply assume that the Vessel they eventually encountered would be the final one. Asher had already proven that he could move between different Vessels, making it nearly impossible to determine how many of them were actually left.

There was also the possibility that he had intentionally left one hidden somewhere just for this exact situation.

Eldric looked at both of them before finally answering.

"We will know soon."

Both Saints looked toward him.

"We have someone who will tell us where his Vessels are and how many of them remain as he becomes stronger. You must be wondering who that person is, but both of you already know her."

Eldric paused for a moment before continuing.