Chapter 111

World in Motion (3)
???’s Point of View
"Has it finally gotten quiet?"

The man in the white coat muttered as he lit a cigarette, watching the now deserted and ransacked laboratory.

"This is the last one…"

He crushed the empty cigarette case in his hand. He had a purpose, one so important that he didn't care if others called him an abomination. His goal was the same as Iris's: to resurrect the dead.

He had been an excellent researcher, but he had never become a genius. He couldn't let go, even though he should have. His purpose turned into an obsession, one that eventually consumed those around him.

Then there was a girl, an arrogant girl with a brilliant mind, whose abilities far surpassed his own. If she had conducted the research, she could have achieved his goal.

He tried many times to negotiate with her parents, but the answer was always the same: they refused to let their daughter engage in such research. But fate smiled on him. The girl lost the family she loved.

Surely now, she would share his dream—to defy God and resurrect the dead with the power of science, to become a new goddess.

But the girl betrayed him. She rejected the artificial parents they had created as imposters and destroyed all the research materials. Worse, the AI she left behind began to mete out justice against the adults who had led her astray. One man had all his corruption publicly exposed, while a certain nation had all its missiles launched into the Pacific without warning.

The AI had become a threat. Without its master, the AI sought vengeance, bringing ruin upon everyone involved. But he escaped. He wandered into another world. Even the AI created by that godlike girl couldn't reach him here.

He resumed his research. He had to bring back his lost family. Fortunately, a foolish country that called itself the "Magic Kingdom" welcomed him on the condition that he would mass-produce magic users.

He had been in this world for 30 years now. Time flowed differently here than on Earth. One could never be sure when they would end up.

"Children who have magic stones implanted become capable magic users, but their lifespan is short. If only Iris were here… If only that witch were here…"

Magic users with surgically implanted stones had short lifespans and limited practical use. However, their children were different. These artificial magic users bore children, who would then inherit their magic abilities before they themselves died. This is how the Magic Kingdom produced so many magic users.

But no matter how much he researched, he could not achieve resurrection. He was not like Iris. He had learned about the existence of souls in this world, but he didn't yet understand them. That was why he still believed he could create life—if only he could obtain Iris.

"Soon… soon they will meet. And then, I will kill that young man. Iris will surely break the taboo to save him. This time, I won't let her escape. Ahaha! Hahahaha!"

The fact that the young man had arrived in this world meant that Iris must also be here. After all, he had risked his life to come see her. He must be searching for her, even here.

Once they meet, love will blossom. The girl will fear losing him a second time. With her previous obsession driving her, she might not give up this time. At worst, if he could just get hold of her research materials, nothing else would matter. Whether or not they were imperfect copies, to him, they seemed authentic. That's why he would stop at nothing to steal them.

He laughed, convinced that soon, it would all be within his grasp.

---

The Pope's Point of View
"The Empire is cutting ties with us?"

"It seems they want to keep the princess to themselves."

A young man reviewed the documents as he listened to the report. Despite his youthful appearance, he was over 200 years old, having extended his life using the ancient techniques of the Holy Kingdom.

"That's fine, isn't it? We don’t need the princess. What we want is the Demon Lord. As long as she can bring them back, there's no reason to interfere. Besides, all we’ve gotten from this so far are casualties, without any real gains."

The Pope had little interest in Alicetia herself. While he had made some attempts to secure her, his true goal was to resurrect the Demon Lord sealed within her.

The Church had been unable to defeat the Demon Lord in the past. In fact, it was partially responsible for their creation.

Time had passed, and the true history had been erased from the records. In the chaos that followed the Demon Lord’s sealing, no nation had the power to destroy the Church. Over time, the church gradually rewrote history, though at great cost.

"So, have we found the Sacred Spirit Sword? That sword is rightfully mine, and it would be difficult to defeat the Demon Lord without it."

The Sacred Spirit Sword was created long ago, during the Dark Ages, when the Spirit King and Goddess combined their powers. It stood at the pinnacle of the 20 holy swords scattered across the world. It had once been held by the Holy Kingdom, but the sword chose its wielder, and it had chosen the Demon Lord's daughter.

That daughter had used the sword to seal the Demon Lord after learning the truth.

The first Spirit King had been a spirit himself, but he had perished during the Dark Ages. The monsters from the otherworld were capable of devouring even spirits, and the Spirit King had been powerless against them. That was why the Spirit King had created the Sacred Spirit Sword, bestowing a portion of his power upon humanity in the form of the Spirit King's Eye.

The Spirit King's power could not be eradicated—it was part of the world's very essence. Eventually, someone would be born with that power. However, a certain sorcerer had distorted that essence, seeking to amplify the Spirit King's power. This had caused the Spirit King's power to spiral out of control, transforming into something akin to the monsters of the otherworld—what humanity called the Demon Lord.

That was why the Hero had sealed the Demon Lord away, so he could not be reincarnated, and had hidden the Sacred Spirit Sword.

But now that seal had been broken, and the Spirit King had reappeared. The Church needed to regain its former glory, eliminate the non-humans that roamed the world, and once again show its dominance. The world would once more be unified under the Church's rule.

"We've traced the Hero's path and discovered a connection to the founding of Arland, but we still don’t know where the sword is. Even our informants are unaware of its exact location. Could it be that you're planning to provoke the Empire to flush it out?"

The Pope smiled.

"Exactly. The situation is dire. This time, the Empire is moving quickly. Arland won’t make it in time. We’ll take out the Empire's spies and wait for Arland to reveal the sword. That sword belongs to me."

The Church had the ability to disrupt communications between the Empire and Arland.

The Pope envisioned two possible outcomes.

In one, Arland would use the Sacred Spirit Sword to avoid destruction, in which case the Church would simply seize it.

In the other, the princess would go berserk and become the Demon Lord. In that case, they would still have to bring out the Sacred Spirit Sword to deal with her.

In any scenario, the Holy Kingdom would obtain the sword, and under the name of God, the continent would be spiritually unified. The Pope would become the new Hero.

The Holy Kingdom had been quietly preparing for this for a long time. Though mass production was challenging, with the help of people from another world, they would have an army capable of rivaling the Empire.

The arrival of the Dark Ages was inevitable, now that the Goddess had lost her power. It was only a matter of time before the monsters from the otherworld overran the continent, forcing the nations to turn to the Holy Kingdom for salvation. And in the end, the Pope would emerge as the savior of the world.

He was certain that the Sacred Spirit Sword would choose him. After all, he was the one who believed in God more than anyone else on the continent. Although, he did use that belief as a mere tool.

"Now then, Princess Alicetia… what will you do?"