The powerful and bizarre items discovered in dungeons and remote wilderness areas are called sacred relics by the Church of the Goddess, but from my perspective, they're just artifacts.
High-performance artifacts guaranteed to be at least Unique grade, no less.
There's no way I could resist something like that.
Even if I don't use it myself, just handing it over to the protagonist later would make for outstanding support.
"Hmm, a sacred relic..."
The Pope stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"It seems fitting as compensation for resolving the current situation. However, in exchange, you must fully revive Ferdio Hadim and extract the Demon King's fragment without issue. Does that sound acceptable?"
"P-Pope!?"
Sisili raised her voice in a scream-like cry.
And rightly so, for the Church of the Goddess treated sacred relics as remnants of the Goddess left on the earth.
Thus, the process of bringing them out or lending them to anyone was excruciatingly complex and stringent.
The procedure to even change the "owner" didn't exist at all.
All sacred relics were already the rightful property of the Goddess, so no being could claim ownership—that was their logic.
Therefore, even with the Pope's immense authority, this was an unprecedented concession.
"Hmm, are you serious?"
"Of course, transferring ownership is impossible. However, lending it out in the name of the Goddess's mercy is feasible. Roughly for about a century."
"Not bad."
I chuckled and nodded.
"Deal. The sacred relic I want is 'Footsteps of the Void'."
"...That one's not possible."
"What? That's not what we agreed."
"There are limits, you know. Taking that would cause massive disruptions to the church's operations."
'Footsteps of the Void' was a boot-shaped Legendary artifact that allowed opening gates to locations across the continent without any cost or penalty—a tremendously useful item.
In other words, with it, you could go anywhere, anytime.
The church was probably using it for troop and supply transport.
"Tch... Fine. What about the 'Infinite Pouch'?"
"Hahaha. That's not possible either."
"Nothing works, then. At this rate, I might have to rethink the deal from the start."
"What can't be done can't be done."
I frowned at the Pope's firm tone.
He valued the 'Infinite Pouch' more highly than Ferdio Hadim or the Demon King's fragment?
What a materialistic soul hidden behind that benevolent face.
The 'Infinite Pouch' was a Unique-grade artifact with literally infinite internal space.
Having it would make storing and retrieving various items and goods incredibly convenient, perfect for supporting the protagonist... but apparently, that wasn't happening either.
"I see... Then how about the 'Path Reaching the Stars'?"
"'Path Reaching the Stars'? Hmm... Sorry, we don't have an artifact by that name in our church."
"...You don't have it? For real?"
I glared at the Pope through the crystal orb.
But he calmly nodded.
"Yes. No matter how I think about it, there's no artifact with that name. Could you have misremembered?"
"Don't screw with me, old man... Wait a second."
Come to think of it, that was an artifact added in a later DLC, right? So it made sense if it didn't exist yet.
It had a long, complicated acquisition process anyway.
And it was dangerous too.
"Alright, you don't have it. Heh heh...!"
The thought that I might snag a highly useful Legendary artifact for free made laughter bubble up involuntarily.
"Ahem... Any other artifacts you desire?"
"Oh, sorry about that. Hmm, in that case... 'Invitation of the Forgotten Ones'?"
"...That one, I can lend you right now. But it's extremely dangerous. Over thirty holy knights have failed to return after using it."
"No problem. I'll take that as payment."
"Good. Then can I hear the solution right away? I'm pretending to be relaxed, but the situation is actually quite urgent."
"Hmm... You won't just take the info and run, will you?"
"Hahaha... This crystal orb I'm using has auto-recording and playback functions..."
"Impressive. Then we're good. Alright. There's a quick and simple method, or a slow and complex one. Which do you want?"
The quick and simple one used artifacts and divine power, while the slow and complex one was discovered by mages and alchemists.
"Two methods? Could you tell me both?"
"Then one 'Invitation of the Forgotten Ones' wouldn't cover it. Throw in another relic, and I'll consider it."
"...The quick and simple method, please."
"Alright. First..."
I explained the method.
It startled both the Pope and Sisili listening beside him, but after my additional explanation, they seemed to understand.
"...Thank you. Young Lord Starnassila Alzen."
"No problem. Good luck."
As I ended with a polite bow, a wry smile crossed the Pope's face.
After cutting the communication and pocketing the crystal orb, I saw off the hurriedly departing Sisili and Wendy.
"If you have any questions, come find me. I'll tell you pretty much anything."
"Hah! As if! I never want to see you again!"
Seemed like I'd thoroughly gotten under her skin.
She glared at me with axe-like eyes and a pouty expression but still bowed politely before storming out of the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Church of the Goddess Papal Headquarters.
In a secret chamber isolated from the surroundings, the gathered figures let out groans.
"Your Holiness. Will that method really work?"
"Starnassila Alzen is that famous wastrel, isn't he? Even if he shone in the war and wild rumors swirl... Sending the Saintess on his word alone?"
The cardinals' rebukes only drew a troubled smile and headshake from the Pope.
"We're not in a position to nitpick right now. Time is of the essence. And now we have the method, don't we?"
"That method involves decapitating Ferdio Hadim. Can we really trust it?"
"It's not just decapitating. You all think it's viable enough to gather here, right?"
"True, but... it feels too crude."
"Um, excuse me..."
Then, a small hand timidly rose among the adults.
"I think we can trust him."
It was Sisili.
The cardinals facing her clear, unwavering eyes looked puzzled.
"Do you have any basis for that?"
"Just my intuition."
"Intuition..."
"We can't ignore the Saintess's intuition."
"Besides... that's not all. Could everyone look into my eyes?"
"Your eyes? Why suddenly the ey—Gasp!?"
"What's wrong? Is there something off with the Saintess's eyes—Hmph!?"
All who looked into the Saintess's eyes froze in place.
Her golden irises overlapped with something that defied space.
It looked like simple light, or a round hole, or an afterimage.
Undeniably bizarre and alien, yet they knelt in unison, showing utmost reverence.
Even the Pope.
A sublime presence dwelled in those eyes, one they couldn't help but recognize.
A familiar, profoundly revered greatness.
"You've all seen it and felt it... Yes. The Goddess is watching over this place right now."
"No way...!"
"Is it that grave a matter...!"
"Has the Goddess spoken!?"
"Regrettably, no words. But all my senses are screaming it: trust Starnassila Alzen. It must be a sign from the Goddess."
"Then we have no choice but to believe..."
"With the Goddess among us, what greater honor...!"
At that moment, a grotesque sound erupted from their midst.
Like metal scraping, insects crushed, or pus bursting from swollen flesh.
A sound too alien and horrific for a human throat.
Drawn by it, the cardinals, holy knights, and Pope turned to the elderly man lying in the center.
His tiger-like robust features boasted muscles like boulders stacked upon him.
But their gazes were stolen by the horns sprouting from his head and the blackening skin spreading across his face.
Demonic energy poured from those unmistakably inhuman features.
"Mm..."
"Ahem..."
Even after seeing it multiple times, they could only groan in mingled rage, shock, and fear.
A human turning into a demon was unbelievable enough; that it was a cardinal of immense divine power made it worse.
They didn't want to believe it, and it shouldn't be possible.
"What in the world is this Demon King...?"
"Goddess..."
For those who devoted their lives to the Goddess, it struck at the root of their faith with profound shock and terror.
Even with such devout belief, could one fall?
Even with divine power—the Goddess's mercy—enveloping the body, could demonhood and evil invade at will?
Could faith in the Goddess and her teachings be so easily denied?
"...Let's begin. If the body deteriorates further, we'll have to divide it into more fragments."
"Hoo, very well. We can't shame ourselves before the Goddess."
"Goddess, look upon us and grant your glorious power and light..."
Yet they gritted their teeth and stepped forward.
Overcoming temptation, illusion, anxiety, and fear was routine for these ascetics, but more importantly, the act they were about to perform was hope itself for eradicating the fear's source.
Even the Goddess watched through the Saintess's eyes as that hope was born—they had no choice but to proceed.
"Even if hardship and trials block the way, even if despair and frustration clutch the heart, advancing with a single ray of hope is called courage..."
Murmuring the Goddess's teachings, they slowly emanated divine power, filling the modest room with blinding radiance.
"We'll use the relic."
"Mm."
One cardinal activated a relic, elevating the already divine-power-saturated room to a holier realm.
A temporary sanctuary unfolded via the relic.
"Next relic, activating."
"Mm. Please do. Knight Order Commander."
The Knight Order Commander lifted a massive stake and pressed it to Ferdio Hadim's chest.
"...Here goes."
Without waiting for a reply, the Commander drove it in with his full weight.
Kududuk!
A gruesome crack of shattering sternum echoed with the tear of tough flesh.
A fatal wound piercing straight to the heart—no need to check.
Yet, bizarrely, not a drop of blood flowed.
"Cardinals! Keep Ferdio Hadim's life clinging on at all costs!"
"Yes!"
"Huuuup!"
Immediately, all cardinals channeled divine power, refined it into efficient holy spells, and poured it into Ferdio Hadim.
His robust body, run through the heart and due to die any second, bizarrely circulated blood and breath.
But that wasn't all.
A pale, translucent something rippling across his entire body began gathering around the stake.
"It's working! The soul is coalescing around the stake! Knight Order Commander!"
"Yes! Beginning now! Everyone, prepare!"
The Knight Order Commander drew his sword without hesitation and swung it in a short, precise arc.
Srrek.
The cardinals and Pope couldn't even properly see the swing.
They only knew from the thin line across Ferdio Hadim's neck.
"Huuuup!"
The Pope swiftly grabbed and lifted the severed head.
Head and body separated in one go.
"Goddess! Hear the repentance of the irreverent and deliver the spear of judgment upon the fallen!"
The Pope's vast divine power erupted, forming a rigid barrier.
It became a small, flawless prison enclosing only Ferdio Hadim's head.
—Kkiiiiiiek! Kkigaaaaah!
Just in time, the Demon King's fragment sensed the anomaly and began thrashing.
The severed head's eyes bulged, mouth gaped, and tentacles and flesh bubbled from the neck stump.
Demonic energy swelled explosively.
"Nngh, ugh...!"
The Pope's face drenched in cold sweat in an instant.
But the others couldn't assist.
Equally critical work remained on the Demon King's fragment.
"Knight Order Commander!"
"Haaap!"
At the Saintess's cry, the Commander yanked the stake from the headless body.
Then, the soul crumpled around the stake began unfolding to fit its fleshly vessel.
"Ssup, haa... Goddess, hear my prayer."
Before it fully spread, the Saintess's clasped hands triggered a miracle through prayer.
Astoundingly, the heart and head began regenerating in a flash.
Ferdio Hadim's soul settled unharmed into the new head and heart, unaware of any anomaly.
"U, ugh. Cough! Hack...!?"
"It worked! He's alive!"
"I thought it might, but to think it actually...!"
"Flesh is the soul's vessel! Soul is the flesh's identity! A death the soul doesn't notice isn't death! To prove that hypothesis here!"
"That's not the point! We must seal the Demon King's fragment! Everyone, aid the Pope!"
Witnessing Ferdio Hadim revive and cough violently, they rushed to the Pope, pouring concentrated divine power.
—Kkiiieeeek...! Kkiii...!
Be it from the Demon King or not, a mere fragment couldn't withstand the tidal holy power surging in the sanctuary. The corrupted flesh and bones purified, melting away until only a fist-sized orb remained.
"Kruuuuup...! Goddess, look upon this fool and grant mercy, with radiant light...!"
"Here stands your servant. Light to brighten darkened eyes, light to move fear-trembling legs...!"
"We beseech the mother of all: light to repel the fallen, unwavering spirit..."
With their prayers, divine power blazed once more.
The fragment battered the barrier futilely, shrinking under compression until it halted as a nail-sized speck.
"Hah, hah...! I-It worked!"
"Finally...!"
"We have the Demon King's fragment!"
"Cough! Ugh... What the hell is going on...?"
"Ooh! Hadim! You're finally coming to! If you knew what we did for you, you'd faint!"
"Puhahaha! That's a story best heard with a drink!"
Thus, humanity obtained its first clue about the Demon King.
It was undoubtedly a great step forward.
"Success. I'm proud."
The Goddess herself praised their success.
"Ah..."
As the Goddess's presence left her body, Sisili felt immense loss and collapsed on the spot.
"Ah...! Goddess...!"
"We succeeded thanks to the Goddess's guidance!"
"What an honored moment...! To hear the Goddess's voice directly!"
Plunged into joy and emotion, they embraced and wept and laughed for a long while, oblivious to time.
"...What's all this commotion?"
Only the newly awakened Ferdio Hadim tilted his head in bewilderment.