Naofumi Iwatani was surprised, but in the end he said nothing.
As a fellow victim who'd been thoroughly screwed over by that "sellout princess," he didn't see anything wrong with what Kiriko had done.
While he'd been protecting Melty, she'd explained why—despite being the First Princess—Malty's place in the line of succession came after Melty, the Second Princess.
Since she was little, Malty had loved lying and playing with people's feelings. She even found it fun to frame others. So Malty and Melty's mother—the queen who ruled this country—had pushed Malty down the succession and placed Melty ahead of her.
Naofumi also knew why, with the kingdom in such turmoil, the queen still hadn't returned.
Melromarc had summoned the Four Cardinal Heroes without authorization, putting the entire country in an extremely precarious position. One wrong step could spark war with other nations. To prevent that, the queen was abroad, working tirelessly to keep the peace through diplomacy.
Of course, she hadn't simply abandoned the mess at home.
Before leaving, she'd appointed a noble from the Seaetto Territory as regent.
When she learned that noble had died after the First Wave, she immediately named another successor regent.
Beyond that, she'd sent the king more than one letter, demanding that he treat the Four Cardinal Heroes fairly and impartially.
When those letters didn't work, she sent the Second Princess, Melty, back to the kingdom—the daughter who had always stayed by her side.
But before Melty could even meet the king, her own sister nearly killed her. If not for Naofumi, Melty would've been dead already.
So if a bitch like Malty died, she died. Naofumi didn't feel a shred of regret.
Naofumi felt that way.
The others didn't.
Itsuki Kawasumi and Ren Amaki—and all their companions—stared at Kiriko as if they'd been struck by lightning.
"K-Kiriko-san… y-you… you killed Princess Malty?!"
Itsuki looked like something he'd believed in had just collapsed to dust.
Kiriko replied lightly.
"I didn't kill her. I just sent her to meet her god."
"So you really are the Heretic Witch!"
The armored knight thrashed wildly. If his limbs hadn't been tied down tight, he would've leapt up and attacked Kiriko on the spot.
"You dared to murder a member of the royal family. Just wait—justice's flames will burn you to ash!"
"Hey, old man," Kiriko said. "You're this old and still this chuuni—aren't you embarrassed? And sure, go ahead and play 'hero of justice' if you want. But instead of learning from Emiya Shirou, you're copying that twisted crap from Seryu. Isn't that disgusting?"
"You—!"
As the armored knight tried to bark back, a kindly voice drifted in from the distance.
"Unable to deal with a mere Shield Demon, Heretic Witch, and fake Spear Hero… as expected, the ones summoned by this ritual are all false Heroes."
Everyone jolted, then turned toward the source.
At least a thousand people stood in an open area several hundred meters away. Among them were guards holding halberds—but even more numerous were priests in white robes.
The one speaking stood at the head of the clergy.
He was an elderly man with benevolent features, wearing a tall fish-mouthed mitre and the ceremonial robes of the highest-ranking clergy.
But the most eye-catching thing of all was the holy emblem hanging on his chest—an insignia shaped from a sword, a bow, and a spear.
Kiriko didn't recognize him, but given the situation, his identity was obvious.
The Pope of the Three Hero Church.
"You rotten old man—who are you calling a false Hero?!" Itsuki snapped.
"Am I wrong?" the pope asked.
He didn't get angry at Itsuki's challenge. He kept the same kindly expression.
"Everything I've done has been for justice."
"Justice? How amusing. If my information is correct… Bow Hero, you once colluded with rebels in a northern country and carried out a coup. Isn't that right?"
"That was because the tyrant made the people suffer!"
"And do you know what became of that country afterward?"
"How would I know?" Itsuki said. "I, Itsuki Kawasumi the Bow Hero, always leave once the deed is done—hiding my merits and fame. But since the tyrant was overthrown, that country must have become more prosperous."
"Well said."
The pope clapped, as if praising him—but anyone with eyes could tell it wasn't praise. It was mockery.
"Since you do not know, I will tell you. With your help, the rebels became the new regime—yet the people's conditions did not improve in the slightest. Some even risked crossing into Melromarc to barter for food."
Itsuki's eyes widened.
"That… that can't be. What I did was supposed to be justice."
"That is because the country's suffering came from famine, not from a single ruler," the pope said gently. "So even if you replace the sovereign, nothing changes. In other words, Bow Hero—you struck down someone who should not have been struck down."
"H-how could…"
Itsuki's face drained. It looked as though everything he'd believed in had just shattered. He sank to the ground, unable to say another word.
The pope didn't bother wasting more words on him. He shifted his gaze to Ren.
Under that stare, Ren stiffened, suddenly and intensely uncomfortable.
"And then there is the Sword Hero," the pope continued. "You slaughtered recklessly along our eastern border, destroying the region's ecological balance. Most unforgivable of all—you killed a great dragon and did not see to its remains. The corpse triggered a plague. Countless people were stricken with disease and died in agony. All of it is your fault."
Ren couldn't help protesting.
"No. The villagers and adventurers there said they'd handle it, so I left it to them."
The pope smiled kindly, like he was humoring a stubborn child.
"Even a three-year-old knows corpses rot. Once they rot, they breed illness. Sword Hero, are you saying you are worse than a three-year-old?"
Ren choked on the words. No matter how unwilling he was, he didn't know how to refute that.
"Next, the Shield Demon—who impersonated the 'Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl,' brainwashed our citizens, kidnapped our princess, and now makes trouble in our towns. You deserve death a thousand times over."
Perhaps because he'd been framed so many times already, Naofumi was oddly calm—nothing like Itsuki and Ren, who were visibly shaken.
"And lastly, the Heretic Witch and the fake Spear Hero…"
Here, the pope paused. His face twisted like he'd tried and tried and still couldn't come up with a proper charge. In the end, he settled for—
"In any case, you're with the Shield Demon, so you should die too."
Kiriko couldn't even be bothered to argue. She simply raised a middle finger at the pope.
Motoyasu, meanwhile, looked delighted to be lumped together with Mother-in-law-sama, grinning from ear to ear.
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T/N: yayyy pope is gonna die too