THHAAWMF

Chapter 108

The Aedalium, the largest temple to God in the Empire, stood in the capital of the Argentime Empire.

It was there that Pope Illuid, hearing about the state of the Empire, frowned.

Successive popes had not been fond of magic. They viewed it as a foul trick of the godless.

It was bad enough that the empire had tried to make contact with the tower, but each time it had failed.

"I never thought they'd actually get through to them..."

Moreover, it was the Crown Prince.

The Pope didn't like the Crown Prince either.

Every single person who had ever been cursed by the Evil Dragon had come to the Holy Temple for a purification ritual. As a result, the imperial family always seemed to rely on the temple.

For some reason, however, Reynos had never visited the temple.

He wondered if he was cursed and despairing that he wouldn't be able to meet with the purifying powers of Lady Puritina, but the way he had been acting lately, he was guessing that was not the case either, and it was a shame.

It was if he was trying to show that he could live well without a temple.

'And now he's trying to work with the Magic Tower.'

The more he thought about it, the more impolite it was. The Pope drummed his fingers on the armrests of his chair in annoyance. It was then that the long full-length mirror on the wall spoke to him.

「You look troubled.」

The voice seemed to echo in a cave.

"Oooh, Knox, at last!"

The Pope's face widened as he realized the authenticity of the sound.

He scrambled to his feet and approached the mirror.

The reflection was, curiously, not of the Pope, but of someone else: a man with dark navy blue hair and intense red eyes who bore an uncanny resemblance to Ciella.

「Tell me what is going on, and I will share my wisdom.」

Knox bowed slightly in a polite greeting.

Knox was a talking mirror, a treasure of the Holy Temple, a holy object said to have existed since before the founding of the Empire.

It had a reputation for appearing out of thin air to solve the problems of successive popes whenever they faced great difficulties.

It was Knox who granted Lavirins, Justice, and Puritina their powers during the great battle against the Evil Dragon.

But Knox had one drawback: He didn't just appear when his master called him.

He was a much-desired mirror, appearing only when he wanted to. This was the first time the Pope had ever seen Knox, and now that he was here, he must have saved face.

With that thought, the Pope regained his strength and spoke his mind.

"A man cursed by an evil dragon is about to do something outrageous. How can he work with the Magic Tower to bring such lowlifes into the Empire."

「Why don't you try Puritina?」

As if waiting for a response, he replied.

「Those cursed by the evil dragon listen to her more than anyone else, don't they?」

"Oddly enough, he's not interested in that."

「...?」

Knox's eyes narrowed uncharacteristically, and the Pope, not noticing the change, continued.