Saint Joan of Arc had disappeared.
As soon as this fact became known, the Papal Palace was thrown into chaos.
"We must find her at all costs!"
Following the pope's command, all exits to the outside from within the Papal Palace were sealed, and control over outsiders was intensified.
'Who could have done such a thing?'
The path to the underground of the Papal Palace is guarded by numerous soldiers and high-level barriers.
There are few capable of bypassing such tight security and taking her away.
And one of the people under suspicion is me.
"I didn't do it."
Cynthia looked at me with suspicion.
"Really?"
The four knights who accompanied her also didn't relax their vigilance toward me.
"Yes, and I have no reason to."
I leaned back in my chair, lifting my teacup with a relaxed expression.
"And I've been here the entire time. How could I know where she is?"
"..."
"You came here with me, didn't you? I haven't moved from here since then."
"Really."
"If you don't believe me, ask the staff."
She didn't ask the staff.
If she did so in my presence, it would break the trust between party members.
"I'll trust you. So you're saying the comrade you mentioned isn't her?"
"That's right."
"Then who is it?"
"I can't tell you yet. But I assure you, it isn't her."
Though Cynthia's suspicion was reasonable, in both my past and present life, Saint Joan of Arc had no connection with me, nor did I ever consider adding her to my party.
'Our ideals don't align.'
I nodded slowly as I sipped my tea.
The conversation ended there.
Cynthia, who had suspected me, left with the knights, and I smiled slightly as I watched them leave.
"Good."
Everything was going according to plan. Now, if the pope requests my help after failing to find Joan of Arc,
my goal here will be accomplished.
I gently stroked the insect inside my sleeve and whispered.
"Roks, begin."
The 'Impenetrable Wall' that had protected the Papal Palace for a hundred years without being breached by an enemy.
Today, I will take this place down and rescue my old comrade.
* * *
The bustling Papal Palace had quieted down.
Despite the search led by the papal knights, Joan's whereabouts remained unknown.
The pope believed there was only one way to find her.
'Strange.'
The descendant of Strange was here. Though it was uncertain, it was said he possessed the talent to face a dragon.
"Summon Sir Verdin here."
They had no other choice.
Though they preferred not to involve outsiders, given the situation, it was the best decision.
Moreover, Strange was an ally against Glazer, so they would surely help.
With this in mind, they requested Verdin's assistance.
And his response was straightforward.
"Of course, I'll help."
Verdin readily accepted the pope's request.
"Thank you, Sir Verdin."
"But I have one request."
"A request?"
"Yes, if I find the whereabouts of Joan of Arc."
I tapped the crest of the Strange family on my armor and continued.
"I would like the paladin order of the Papal Palace to assist us with a mission."
"A mission with Strange…?"
"Yes, I'm chasing a demon, and to catch it, I need the holy spells that only the paladins here can use."
This wasn't because I truly needed the help of the paladin order. It was a request to make future activities with Cynthia more legitimate.
The pope seemed to understand my intention and looked at Cynthia standing beside me before replying.
"So be it."
"Then shall we start by inspecting the place where Joan of Arc disappeared?"
"Yes, Archbishop Judah will guide you."
Judah clasped his hands in a prayerful gesture and bowed his head. I bowed in return and subtly asked.
"I would like to move quickly on this matter. Could you also assign a few knights to accompany me?"
Judah brought two knights standing behind him to my side.
"They will assist you."
"Thank you."
"Shall we go then?"
"Yes, the sooner we begin the search, the better."
With Archbishop Judah, Cynthia, and the two knights by my side, the conditions for my 'new comrade escape plan' were perfectly set.
The pope lightly tapped his forehead, chest, and shoulders in sequence.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
He spread his hands towards us with a warm smile.
"Amen."
* * *
We followed Archbishop Judah down a hidden staircase behind the prayer room of the Papal Palace, descending deep underground.
Clomp, clomp, clomp.
As the sound of footsteps grew louder in the quiet space,
"Please, save me. Please, save me!"
"I'm innocent… I swear… I'm not a heretic!"
"Mom? Sir, where is my mom? Mom?!"
Desperate screams and sobbing mixed with cries of despair echoed from below.
"Sir Verdin, Lady Cynthia, this is your first time here. Don't be surprised by what you're about to see."
Cynthia asked Judah with anxious eyes.
"What's down there?"
"…Heretics."
"Heretics?"
"Yes, those who have fallen to Satan's temptation and have not been saved by God. Very pitiable people."
"I see."
"If you make eye contact with them, ignore them. Those inside here are no different from beasts."
"..."
Cynthia nodded slightly.
Guided by the archbishop, we arrived at a place shrouded in pitch darkness, with torches placed at regular intervals along the walls.
In the dim light, shadows pointed to the rows of underground cells.
Clang!
Someone shouted from within the prison bars.
"Please save me! I truly know nothing!"
A man, his skin swollen from some disease, sobbed and begged.
The archbishop covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and waved his hand in the air. Following his gesture, a knight kicked the bars, silencing the man.
Clang!
"Shut up! How dare a heretic speak to the archbishop!"
The weeping man was thrown back by the impact, collapsing to the ground.
Thud.
A child who had been behind him cautiously approached, looking at Cynthia.
"Mom... Where is my mom... Where is she...?"
Cynthia's eyes wavered. She could only stare at the child's face, unable to say anything.
Judah lightly grasped her shoulder and gently pushed her forward, whispering softly.
"Please, move inside. Pay no mind to the whispers of those possessed by Satan."
Cynthia swallowed hard, then averted her gaze from the child and replied.
"Yes."
I shook my head as I watched their actions. What is it that this so-called God fears so much to imprison these people here?
If heretics are indeed the evil of this world, wouldn't it have been better to annihilate them through the holy knights?
Why go to the trouble of imprisoning them and causing suffering?
Even in my past life, no one could provide an answer to this question. When asked why they were imprisoned, they would only repeat that they were being punished for betraying God.
'Who or what is God?'
If the being that resurrected me is the same as the God they speak of, then I no longer wish to follow His will.
This visit reaffirmed the resolve I made in my past life.
"This is the place."
At the end of the underground prison, the archbishop tapped on the open iron bars with his finger.
Inside were about a dozen broken shackles and five shattered barriers on the floor.
'Judah, you're more impressive than I thought.'
Even with layered barriers made with at least 7-circle spells, everything had been broken through and taken away.
Such strong barriers are not easily broken even by me. Only a select few could accomplish such a feat without being detected by the guards.
'Well.'
There was one person among my former comrades who could do such a thing, but it wasn't the right time or order to recruit them.
"What time did Joan of Arc disappear?"
The platoon leader of the guards answered in place of the archbishop.
"It was dawn, but we couldn't determine the exact time."
"Was there anyone who entered the underground prison early in the morning?"
"No one entered."
"Were there any shift changes?"
"Shift changes? Are you referring to someone within our guard unit?"
"Yes."
The platoon leader showed signs of discomfort, his expression clearly questioning why I would ask such a thing.
The archbishop noticed his reaction and struck the ground with his staff.
Thud!
"Platoon leader, why aren't you answering?"
"Archbishop Judah, do you think there's a traitor among our ranks?"
"Enough! Platoon leader, answer the question. Were there any shift changes?"
"...There were."
I nodded slightly, making it clear for everyone to see, and then asked the platoon leader.
"Can you call all the guards who were on duty before and after the shift change here?"
"No, Sir Verdin. Isn't this too much? Are you suggesting that our guards released the criminal Joan of Arc? These are the people who have guarded this underground prison all along!"
Of course, they wouldn't.
The guards wouldn't have the power to do so, and even if they did plan such a thing, what would they gain?
'However.'
By planting suspicion, I was buying time to extract my old comrade who was here.
"Archbishop Judah, I think I should leave if assembling the soldiers is too difficult. How can we proceed if such a simple request can't be met?"
The archbishop glared at the platoon leader with a furious expression.
"Summon them immediately!"
Judah's shout echoed through the underground prison. The platoon leader trembled in fear and quickly saluted before leaving.
"Y-yes, understood!"
As he left, I discreetly dropped the insect hidden in my sleeve into the cell.
Plop.
No one noticed. The areas outside the torchlight were pitch black, and the insect moved silently, hiding in a corner.
'Perfect.'
If everyone here leaves the prison, my plan will be flawlessly executed.
"Archbishop."
"Yes?"
"We've gathered all the information we can here. Let's check the guards outside."
"Outside?"
"Yes, staying here with the heretics for too long is unpleasant."
"Ah! Understood, let's head out."
The archbishop smiled brightly and led us out of the underground prison. On the way out, the so-called heretics continued to beg for their lives, but we ignored them, heads down, and left.
'Wait.'
Soon, light will come to you all.
I left the underground prison of the Papal Palace and headed to the barracks where the guards were gathering at dawn.