⟨Underneath The Vatican, several days before Takuya awoke in Kilead⟩
A long, wooden table sat in the middle of a large meeting hall. Most of the seats were empty, but several were occupied by those attending this conference. Among them were Steel Umbrella's most trusted personnel, as well as a few much more esteemed individuals.
"We've confirmed his identity, as well as made preparations. Every test and simulation concluded that this is the only way." Said Vestiarina as sweat dripped from her brow. Being nervous is appropriate when everyone in your audience is of high social status, but Vestiarina was used to being around nobles and wasn't nervous due to that fact. She was nervous because those nobles were not easy to convince.
"What preparations have been made?" Asked the pope of the Roman Catholic Church. "Whether or not this young man is qualified to carry out this task is a separate matter. I already feel bad bringing an outsider into this regardless of his ability, so you need to make sure you set him up for success. This endeavor will take a lot of time. His, and ours, mustn't be wasted."
"Your Holiness. Proper arrangements have been made to bring him here. Accommodations have been set up ahead of time to ensure he is comfortable and able to assist us to the best of his ability. Everything has been prepared to grant him all the liberties we can afford to give, including as much privacy as possible, but we will monitor him as needed.
"I have a lot of trust in you, Vestiarina. I'll believe that you're more than adequately prepared for this." the pope said, her demeanor relaxed. "You have my approval."
"Thank you, your Holiness."
"So, what's he like? I gotta know if he and I could be good friends."
"Get your feet off the table! This is an important discussion, so behave yourself properly! Do you understand how serious the situation is?" Ranted the pope to the most informal person in the room.
"I'm taking this very seriously. Forcing myself to act prim and proper is a form of stress. My feet are on this table so I can be as relaxed as possible. When I'm relaxed, I can think as critically as possible about the situation before I make any decisions. If that's not taking this seriously then I don't know what is."
Cesarina Milano, the reckless daughter of the pope and commander of Kilead's military, is disliked by the majority of noble families in Kilead. This is due to Cesarina refusing to bend her attitude, demeanor, behavior, or appearance to appease the environment she's grown up in. The most fitting word to describe who she is would be 'delinquent', or how Takuya would more colloquially put it, 'gyaru'.
"We can discuss this at home, Cesarina. But the least you could have done is wear a dress. You should consider wearing something other than that crop top."
"I'll consider it." Cesarina retorted with a smug chuckle.
"Family drama does not belong here. That aside, are you sure this isn't a mistake, Vestiarina? I can't give my approval until you have absolute certainty that it's not."
Avrezia Flora, the most esteemed guest in attendance, and the queen of Kilead.
"There's no mistake about this. We've confirmed that he is the one."
"That's not what I meant. Are you certain that this will succeed? Are you certain that there isn't a better way? Once my approval is given, it will be as if the entire nation of Kilead is prostrating ourselves before him even if he doesn't realize it. Do you understand the significance of that?"
"I do, Your Majesty. The most trustworthy, intelligent, and talented advisors we have were consulted about every small detail of this operation. I understand your concern that the entire plan is centered on someone who can be considered a liability, but measures have been put in place to take care of that as well. As for the liability himself, Steel Umbrella aren't the only ones who have been watching him for a long time. Others can attest to his ability, one such person being our main supplier of information regarding this endeavor."
"And who might that be?" Asked Avrezia.
"Please try to remain calm, but they preferred to remain anonymous. However, we deemed this individual to be credible because everything we have been told so far was found to be true by our scouts. We don't have any leads on their identity, but they communicate with the alias 'XII'."
"It's concerning. But even as the queen, and even with the pride I have for this country, I admit that a miracle is what we need right now. Everyone in Kilead is in danger, and I'm desperate for anybody who can help. That's how it is. But as I said, the significance of bowing this country down to a kid and entrusting him with our future is heavy. I don't want to regret picking him, even if that's what happens."
"I fully understand, Your Majesty, as does the church, and Steel Umbrella. That is why everything has been carried out the way it has. If we hadn't absolute certainty, this meeting would not have been held."
"We've established that you're prepared, and now I know you understand the implications of this task. I approve."
"Representing Steel Umbrella, we are truly honored."
"I can't believe you two just agreed to this without knowing anything about him. Maybe I'm the one who's most serious about this." Cesarina interrupted.
"His identity doesn't affect his ability to be our saving grace. It would be nice to know more about him, but we are already judging him based on his capacity to rescue a nation without even knowing he's doing it. That alone is too much. We shouldn't judge this kid any further." Avrezia calmly responded.
"I get you, but don't forget that you need my approval as well."
"What's stopping you from giving it?" Asked Vestiarina.
"Tell me something. Does he come from a noble family?"
"No. He would be considered a commoner."
"Does he have any ties to royalty or aristocrats?"
"No."
"Then you have my approval."
"Wouldn't it be better if he was of nobility?"
"Social status and nobility don't mean a thing, Vestiarina. You know that, and so does everyone else in this room. Not all nobles are tainted by the idea that they're superior to others, but it's better to entrust this to somebody with no chance of that influence. We decided on this pretty hastily and with little information, which does concern me, but I know that things are looking pretty bad right now. Hopefully, this is actually what must be done. Seems like the meeting is adjourned at this point, so I'll be on my way."
Cesarina took her feet off the table, stood up, and left the room.
[I'm also sick of the upper-class environment. I can't admit to the queen, but every friendship I've been offered was with someone arrogant, corrupt, or blinded by wealth. I just want a normal person to hang out with.] She thought.
Each person present at the meeting had something unspoken on their mind.
Vestiarina, unsure of the others' confidence, was a little cocky in her own mind.
[Their concern is valid. In fact, they should be worried. We're facing a great crisis that you'd think impossible for one person to solve. But, even though I've never met him, I know there's nothing to worry about. I look forward to seeing the queen's expression when she lays her eyes upon what he can do. I myself look forward to seeing it in person as well. He's got unfathomable power, and I just need to bear witness to that. My heart jumps with joy knowing that there's someone who can rival that shitty goddess. This church does not align with my beliefs, but it hasn't forsaken me, so I won't forsake it. Unfortunately, it is ignorant of the endless amount of gods that exist in the world, but that might be for the best. It's only a distant dream that he challenges that goddess, but I will be content confirming with my own two eyes that he could.]
Queen Avrezia was deeply concerned for her nation's people despite keeping a prideful attitude.
[I truly have no right to complain about the help we get. The fact that we are getting any at all is a blessing. This kid, no, this young man has a lot counting on him, and he won't even know it. I can't help but think that it's truly evil deceiving him like this, but exposing the true nature of this operation must not happen under any circumstances. We're going to be putting him through so much. When I can, I'd at least like to make it up to him by paying him a visit, though I know I'm just being arrogant thinking my mere presence is enough to make up for what we are doing to him. I'm honestly still not sure how to feel that so much is riding on one person, but what else could we do? I hope he is as talented as Vestiarina says, and I hope we can do enough to help him see this through.]
The pope, though concerned for her nation's safety, was more concerned for the young man they were entrusting so much to.
[I hope he can forgive us for doing this to him. The Roman Catholic Church will fully support him, and I will personally do the same. It won't be nearly enough to make up for our actions, but we must do what we can. If we are shown kindness, we shall show it in return.]