The Water Magician

Chapter Seven: The Vanished Mage

Starting today, a new chapter, "Chapter Seven: The Vanished Mage," begins.

The day after Ryo and the six people from Room 10 and Room 11 returned to the Holy Capital.

It was the day after the information arrived that Emperor Helmut the Eighth had been defeated in the far-off Central Nations.

Early in the morning, Hugh McGrath had come to the Holy See.

Beside him was, for some reason, a water attribute mage.

"Hey, Ryo. You fought against the 'Four Bishops of the Pope,' right? Isn't it dangerous to come to the Holy See?"

"I'm fine. I don't think magic nullification can happen inside the Holy See. If it did, it would cause problems for the other clergy. In that case, I can fight just fine."

Hugh expressed his concerns, and Ryo alleviated them.

Of course, Hugh felt that something was off... but he didn’t send Ryo away.

He thought that having Ryo around might come in handy.

The two were led to Cardinal Graham's room.

"Welcome. Ryo-san, it’s been a while.”

As usual, Graham greeted them with a cheerful smile.

After the usual greetings, Hugh began speaking, saying, "Please don’t get angry, but I want to talk about something."

He spoke about the existence of demons, the fragments of God, and the fall from grace.

The fallen beings might have been once like former angels.

And about the sacrifices as well.

He explained the reason for the delegation from the Central Nations being summoned, linking it to the fall from grace and the sacrifices.

And finally...

"There is a possibility that the Pope is related to all of this."

Even after those last words, Graham did not change his expression, remaining cheerful as he listened.

That smiling facade was, to Hugh's surprise, perfect.

On the surface, he appeared very cheerful, having listened to everything.

Graham took a sip of coffee, set the cup down, and then spoke.

"Master McGrath, I have no grounds to deny what you just said."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"In other words, what you said is highly likely to be true."

"Hey... I mean, is it really okay for a cardinal to say something like that?"

Hugh became anxious instead by Graham's words.

"There is no problem. Believing in the doctrines of the church and acknowledging what Master McGrath has said does not contradict at all. On the contrary..."

For the first time, Graham broke his expression, slightly frowning as he continued.

"I have felt that the new Holy Father might not be human."

"What do you mean...?"

Hugh was at a loss for words at Graham's statement.

Ryo, who was listening beside them, was also shocked.

The possibility that the Pope is not human...

"No, I don’t believe that the fallen being is the Holy Father. That being is likely behind the scenes. It’s just that the Holy Father... how should I put it, feels like there’s nothing inside... like a golem or something."

"A doll...?"

Graham said, and Hugh bluntly stated his thoughts.

"It was different before. Back when the Holy Father was still an archbishop, I remember studying the sacrament of founder Nyu-sama with him several times. He was very intelligent, and I felt impressed by the innovative theories he presented. Compared to that memory, now..."

As Graham said this, he shook his head slightly.

For Graham, who knew the former appearance, the difference from now might be too stark.

"We will look into the sacrifices as well. If they are trying to extract something from people on such a large scale, they must be preparing accordingly... using magic circles and alchemy. We might be able to grasp something."

"Ah, please do."

Graham said, and Hugh bowed his head.

Of course, Ryo did as well.

"By the way, Ryo... didn’t you come with me because you wanted to ask something?"

Hugh finally turned the conversation to Ryo.

"Yes. Actually, it’s about this..."

Ryo said as he took out a cylindrical box, about the size of a 350-milliliter can, from his bag and placed it on the desk.

The moment Graham saw it, his eyes narrowed sharply.

Graham, who had not changed his expression at all during Hugh's talk.