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Chapter 1: The One Who Devours the Twilight

“A pretender calling himself the Apostle of the Goddess. Step out to the temple and prove your innocence.”

“This? Just charging in like last time won’t work, right?”

“Do you really need to ask? Of course it won’t. It’s not just about taking down the Pope; we’ll have to fight the entire Pangrave afterwards… and more importantly, the temple’s defenses aren’t a walk in the park.”

“Ellie-senpai is right, Jonah. No matter how you slice it, storming the temple head-on is reckless. And…”

“And it doesn’t seem like the right course of action, does it? After all, they’re asking to talk, following the proper procedures. They didn’t just send an Inquisitor.”

Ellie, Lydia, and Benny wore expressions of distress. Normally, that would be the end of it, but today there was an additional guest.

“Fufu. As expected of you, Jonah. Such a bold plan. If you wish, you can proceed, and we shall handle the aftermath at the Elven Forest… It’s just that this Pope has been quite unruly. We need someone more devoted to the duties of a clergyman to be Pope.”

“Y-you mean Jonah said he’d stand in the sky, right?”

“Calm down, Jonah Lemon. That sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it? He said he’d stand above the temple, not the sky.”

Today, with an uncharacteristically suspicious and shadowy smile, Eve commented, “I’ve never liked them much anyway, so maybe I should use you all to replace the Pope this time.”

Lemon and Apple were as oblivious as always.

There were only a few who knew that within less than a day, I had been charged with heresy, and yet here they were, showing up on their own.

Ellie, of course, recognized that these people had to be on my side, so they were planning together like this.

Well, while their directions might differ too much…

“What the hell are you talking about, Eve? Even if it’s manageable, Jonah becoming a fugitive doesn’t change anything.”

“A fugitive? That’s a hurtful thing to say. Jonah is merely returning to where he belongs as the ruler of the Elven Forest. If Pangrave dares to target our king… well, then it’s war.”

Ellie was growling compellingly while Eve grinned coldly with narrowed eyes.

It was a sight that made my heart swell just from watching. Was this the so-called civil war?

After a moment of chuckling to myself, I spoke.

“First, both of you calm down. I didn’t mean what I said in earnest; I just said it out of frustration.”

“Oh my. I’m always sincere with you, Jonah… It’s a bit disappointing.”

“Aha! Living in the Elven Forest wouldn’t be too bad… but I still have to delve deeper into the labyrinth.”

I shook my head at Eve before turning to Lydia.

“And, Lydia.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think this is about politely attempting to initiate a proper conversation to draw me into their domain. It seems more like a trap.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Because…”

I took out the Goddess statue from my pouch and placed it on the desk.

*Thud!*

The statue shook intensely, practically vibrating with energy. The serene smile was rigid and the outstretched arms formed a decisive X.

It wasn’t giving off an aura of “I don’t want to go any further! I’ll break if I do…!”

It was clearly signaling danger with its whole being.

“See? The Goddess is warning us like this. So, the situation is a real deadlock. If you run, you’ll be hunted down for heresy, and if you recklessly storm the temple, you’ll be hanged in the square for heresy.”

“This is complicated. What do we do?”

“First, Lydia, please protect me. There’s no avoiding a confrontation, so that’s the most important thing.”

“Count on me.”

Lydia thumped her chest confidently. Truly a reliable size indeed.

Watching this proudly, Benny raised his hand to speak.

“Wait! Whether we run away or charge in headfirst, it just complicates things further. But I don’t think it’s wise to play along with what the opponent wants.”

“True.”

“We absolutely should not move as they wish. Given the scale difference, this must be the foundation of our actions.”

“That’s a valid point.”

“…So you have something in mind?”

“Well, it’s not that great. Just a manual of sorts.”

Shrugging, I began to explain what I had been thinking.

“First, we enter the temple as the Pope wants.”

“Okay.”

“He probably won’t suspect I’m the real Apostle just because I was born with a strong blessing. The Goddess hasn’t expressed any direct intentions for a thousand years, so it would be hard to comprehend that she suddenly sent down her representative.”

Creating an Apostle demands a far greater toll than simply delivering a few brief revelations.

If you think about it, the difference is stark—connecting once briefly versus maintaining a continuous link.

“But I’m the real Apostle, you know?”

The moment I received the power of the Avatar of Love, I realized this was something only bestowed upon her true Apostle.

Despite the Goddess lacking the leisure for a proper Gacha setup for support, the crucial point is that I can receive some backup.

“The temple is the Pope’s domain, yes, but before that, it is the Goddess’s domain. And I am her most favored child. Perhaps in the end, I might even swallow the Pope’s power.”

Uuumm? Uuummm…

The Goddess statue quivered with what seemed like self-doubt, but it looked like it was trying its best to radiate energy. The aura seemed to flicker too.

After tucking the statue back into my pouch, I playfully flicked my finger at my rear, releasing a burst of divine power.

*Whoosh!*

The sudden divine power shower startled my party, but as the Goddess statue went back into my possession, all the energy faded as if it had never existed, leading to admiring gasps.

“Are you saying that we’ll quietly enter, acting as if it’s no big deal, and then—BAM!—hit them when it matters?”

“Correct, Ellie. If all goes well, the Pope’s power won’t surpass mine… if all goes well, that is.”

“That makes me uneasy.”

“Well, that’s because the Goddess can’t fully utilize her true power, and I’m still not completely awakened as an Apostle. On the other hand, Claudia III has been cultivating divine power for over a century and knows how to wield it.”

“A hundred… years… heavyweight…?”

For some reason, Eve looked despondent, but I figured that wasn’t something to worry about.

I continued nonchalantly, acting as if I hadn’t noticed Eve’s reaction.

“If we can utilize the advantage of the temple to absorb divine power and dominate the followers, that would be the best outcome. We’d defeat Claudia and clear my name too. But, as mentioned earlier, the chances of failure are quite high… So we need a backup plan.”

Defeating Claudia might be tough, but it could be managed. Each of us gathered here is among the most capable in Pangrave.

However, as Ellie pointed out, the real trouble comes afterward.

The guild has many high-ranking adventurers, and if they begin hunting us down, things won’t bode well.

“So if things go south, we’ll escape into the labyrinth.”

“…Huh?”

“Come on, we clear the Seventh Floor… and maybe the Eighth Floor just to be safe, right? A dozen high-ranking adventurers? A few playful taps on their heads, and they’d calm down.”

“……”

“……”

My party was dumbfounded by my words. Why? Why were they looking at me like that?

If we lack the power, just gaining more should solve the issue!

“Oh! If you’re suggesting that we ignore the summons, hide in the labyrinth to grind our power, and then hit the temple, that’s true. But this plan would certainly lead to the sacrifice of some devoted followers, which is a bit…”

“No, you’re missing the point saying we should dive in and hide in the labyrinth to gain power and come back for another round. That’s ridiculous, isn’t it?! How’s that any different from the One Who Devours the Twilight?!”

“I’m the real deal! They’re just fakes!”

There’s no straightforward authenticity label like that, but the difference between the two is enormous.

However, my protest seemed to fail to resonate with others.

“As expected, it’s classic Kassaping…”

“It’s not just any Kassaping. I’m of a noble lineage, making me Royal Kassaping…”

Lemon and Apple whispered to each other. I pinched their cheeks harshly to correct them.

Since they’d only just reached the Third Floor, they were tough enough that it was okay to be a little rough.

“Whew… ah! This doesn’t seem too bad!”

“It hurts. I don’t enjoy pain like Lemon, so please stop immediately, Jonah.”

Of course, I didn’t heed their petty complaints.

After tormenting them for a while to instill a clear hierarchy, I turned around and smiled.

“Well. Any better plans? If not, I think this broad outline should work.”

“Is this right? I don’t think I’ve raised Jonah like this.”

“Umm, I just need to protect Jonah.”

“Kassaping again…”

“Hu, hehe…”

Despite my group lamenting in their own ways, no one strongly opposed me.

“Alright then. Let’s start crafting the details of the plan!”

The date when I received the summons to the temple is tomorrow. Time is of the essence.

 

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