After looking at the statue of the saint, we headed to the small church where I was staying.
Rome is home to the Papal States, the headquarters of the Catholic Church, but that doesn't mean there aren't other churches.
In a city as large as Rome, there were ordinary churches for proselytizing and churches for people of unclear status, like me.
The church I was at was an 'organization' that raised people to be used in the underworld.
But it wasn't much of a system; they just brought in anyone with potential and raised them as they saw fit.
My master was an Executor, so he received a lot of money in the name of grants.
He wouldn't refuse to let Johan stay.
Probably.
"Well now. This brat has lost his mind."
My master frowned the moment he saw us.
"I told you to go catch a lion, and you brought back a spouse. Your taste isn't bad... but isn't she a Sister? Are you planning on some forbidden love?"
"What? A spouse? What are you talking about?"
"...Hic!"
Johan. No, Johanna was, absurdly enough, a real woman.
It wasn't that her voice or hands were delicate like a woman's; it was because she was a woman.
"...Is it true, Johan?"
"...Yes. I'm sorry for deceiving you."
My master let out a deep sigh and promised to keep it a secret.
"You must have your reasons for coming all the way to the Papal States. I will keep my mouth shut, but you must be careful not to get caught."
"Thank you for your consideration, Executor."
"No need to use honorifics with a retired old man, Sister."
His tone was completely different from when he talked to me.
Both of them, in fact.
"It's a good thing you were disguised as a man. Otherwise, I would have had to stone you to death."
"Don't say such terrifying things."
It was terrifying because he could actually do it.
He says he's old, but he's still stronger than me. If we fought seriously, I would lose 90% of the time.
If I fought with the resolve to die, I could probably take him with me.
But what would be the point if we both died….
After lending Johanna a room, my master called me aside.
"Tsk. Did you do the job properly? Tell me how things were at the church in Naples."
"There's something I need to report on that matter. The church in Naples has been destroyed. All the priests are dead, and I found a demon summoning circle written in blood."
My master treated me like a madman.
Ignoring his gaze, which was like he was looking at a street jester, I said it again.
"A demon was summoned, and it escaped somewhere. Without leaving a single trace."
"That's troublesome. A low-class demon would have left a trace... but if it's a high-class demon…"
"Or it could be an Archdemon."
"An Archdemon isn't something you can summon so easily."
He added that you only get a 'possibility' of summoning an Archdemon by sacrificing an entire city.
"Saying it out loud makes it clearer. It must be a high-class demon. Did you draw the summoning circle?"
"I'll draw it from memory."
"Draw it on the ground in the garden. I need to get some texts from the archives."
As instructed, I went to the garden and drew the demon summoning circle on the dirt ground.
A few minutes later, my master came out with Johanna, holding a parchment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Since I'm indebted to you, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help~"
"I'm the one who called her, so don't you worry about it. Or are you concerned because she's your spouse?"
Johanna's face flushed at our master's mischievous joke.
"That's enough. You can see Johanna doesn't like it."
"Foolish boy. You'll end up like me, never marrying your whole life."
A curse from a retired Executor carried a different kind of weight.
Even though I knew it was nonsense, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.
"Executors can't get married anyway, can they?"
"Who told you that? The lot known as Executors get married just fine."
My master unrolled the parchment. Since I was standing opposite him, I couldn't see what was written on it.
However, the way Johanna's face instantly stiffened as she looked at it told me it wasn't anything ordinary.
My master tilted his head.
"This is strange. It's a new summoning circle, one that's not in my memory, nor is it recorded in this copy of demonic records."
"Could it be a new demon? If it's a demon not recorded in the scriptures…"
"As that boy said, there's a possibility it's an Archdemon, Sister."
An Archdemon.
A name that sent a chill down to the bone.
"We must report this to the Papal States."
"They're in the middle of a war with the Saracen pirates. Even if we make a report, there's no one to send."
My master was pessimistic.
"The church in Naples was destroyed. Isn't that reason enough to act?"
"There's no need to chase an Archdemon that's left no trail. Executors are valuable personnel. I doubt they'd waste them on something like this."
Johanna raised her hand.
My master and I turned to her at the same time. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
"I will... go and speak to them."
"You, Sister? I wouldn't recommend it. Do you know how conservative the Papal States are? Why would they believe someone from Athens?"
Johanna lowered her head slightly. Her voice was quiet, but her pronunciation was clear.
"What good is it to say you have faith if you have no deeds? Such faith cannot save anyone. To show your love, good deeds must follow."
"The words from the Epistle of James."
"Even if we feel sorrow at the deaths of our brothers and sisters in Naples, it is a sin to offer no aid. I believe the Papal States is not an organization that commits sin."
My master applauded.
"Well said. You've given this old man a lesson."
Johanna's face, which had been set in earnest passion, turned red again.
"N-No. I just... recited a passage."
"Inspiring change in people is another matter entirely. Lady Johanna, you have such a power. The Papal States will surely be moved."
The master, who had been smiling benevolently, suddenly grabbed me by the collar.
"If you understand, then hurry up and take Lady Johanna to the Papal States. They know your face, so just create an opportunity for her to speak."
"I have to wonder when you became such a fervent supporter of Johanna's."
"My judgment of character is accurate. And that woman is no ordinary person."
Her eyes are different, my master said.
Well, I just thought her greenish eyes were pretty.
A nice voice, a pretty face….
"Stop thinking strange thoughts and get going. And take this letter, just in case."
"What's this now?"
"Open it right before you die. Not a moment sooner."
He repeated his warning so earnestly that I said, "I understand," three times.
I took Johanna and went straight to the Papal States.
A priest who knew me soon sent us up to the official meeting hall.
The Pope wasn't present, but it was an authoritative diocesan council chamber, where the cardinals, bishops, and priests under him were seated.
However, since they were discussing matters of the underworld, there were several empty seats.
I helped Johanna onto the dais.
"Well then…"
Up there, Johanna shone with a dazzling light.
Her firm and deeply compelling voice completely captivated the people who had been looking on indifferently, as if to ask what some country bumpkin was doing there.
The cardinals, who had been resting their chins on their hands with skeptical expressions, straightened their backs,
And the bishops who had been about to object adopted a more humble attitude.
Johanna used her vast knowledge to refute every counterargument, and in the end, the stage became hers alone.
Everyone listened intently to her words, and among them were even some who shed tears in admiration.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
"Hearing your words, brother, it feels as if my eyes have finally been opened...!"
"I will arrange for volunteers and donations at once!"
Johanna's dignified and commanding presence made me doubt for a moment if this was the same girl I knew.
Are we really the same age?
Glimmering in the light, she seemed like a completely different type of person from me, one who operated in the shadows.
Just as she was starting to feel like a stranger,
she came down from the dais and ran straight to me.
In a place where no one was watching, a place with just me and Johanna, she let out a huge sigh.
"That was so~ scary! What was that? I only asked for help, why did I have to get into a serious theological debate about the scriptures!"
"Uh... that must have been tough."
"They could just give some donations! Is it always like this?"
A light tone, full of complaints, with none of the earlier gravity.
Only then did it feel like the Johanna I knew had returned.
"I'm so~ ti~red!"
"Still, the way you spoke so clearly without a single hesitation was really amazing."
"D-Don't joke."
"No, it's true. You were the only one shining."
Ehehe. As she let out a silly laugh, she was definitely,
a delicate girl in need of protection.