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Chapter 326: Nego?tiation Table

As Frey slowly raised his fist, the Demon God inhabiting the body of the Youngest Paladin stepped back, sweating coldly.

"What’s wrong? Come here. Where are you going?"

"W-Why are you raising your fist..."

"Leaving now will only give you temporary respite, but the pain to come will be eternal, you know?"

"..."

However, upon hearing Frey\'s words, the Demon God cautiously glanced around before returning to her original position.

"That’s it. Good girl."

Frey ruffled her hair with an approving expression, but soon, he wore a cold smile and asked again.

"So, do you really not know them?"

"Uh, um..."

"They\'re your followers, aren\'t they? Didn\'t you instruct them to come here?"

Only then did the Demon God slowly turn her gaze to the side.

"..."

People dispatched from the Sun God\'s Church were looking at her with vacant stares.

She didn\'t know why, but some of them were looking at her with hostile eyes, and the executives in front were pale and sweating.

What the hell is going on?

Since she used too much power to intervene in the system window during the Erosion Incident, the Demon God had momentarily fallen into a state of slumber to recover her strength.

But when she opened her eyes, the situation was already like this.

"They’re yours, right?"

Until recently, Frey was the most delicious prey for her in the world. The despair and desolation that Frey harbored deep within his heart were so much better than anyone else\'s.

Such a person was now subtly threatening her, the Demon God.

What was even more absurd was that she found herself actually feeling fear when she looked at Frey, a mere mortal.

Even now, her legs felt wobbly when Frey placed his hand on her shoulder.

How? Why did this innocent boy, her greatest source of nourishment and most enjoyable pastime, suddenly seemed intimidating?

Although she suffered an accidental blow last time, she was still the Evil God of this world. There was no way she felt that traumatized by it.

This is strange.

The Demon God couldn’t help but think so as she made a dumbfounded expression.

Why is this happening?

Now that she thought about it, she realized she had been unknowingly trembling whenever she thought about him.

Whether it was when she meddled during the Third Ordeal and was humiliated by Serena, or when she tried to corrupt him by inhabiting this body, she had harbored such thoughts.

Moreover, since he attacked her soul, she had often dreamt of being beaten up by Frey whenever she tried to recover during her slumber.

No matter how much she thought about it, such events had never occurred.

It felt like… the fear itself was engraved on her very soul.

- Crack...

"Y-yeah. No, you\'re right."

Wearing a vacant expression and pondering such thoughts, she desperately nodded as Frey began to exert force in his grip on her shoulder.

...Why did I use honorifics?

And then came the ensuing shame.

Although it might have been due to just waking up from her slumber and still feeling a bit groggy, she unwittingly used honorifics to speak to a mere mortal. This was a complete disgrace to her egoistic and lofty goddess self.

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Hiiii..."

However, when Frey smiled and nodded in response to her words, the Demon God\'s whole body began to tremble, feeling more resentment than humiliation.

How is he doing this to me!

Of course, she was well aware of the Sun God\'s Church.

She knew very well about the nobles who were politically associated with the Church and their various sinister plans, even down to how many times the Bishops washed their hands and how many times the pope yawned.

As the supposed main deity and observer of this world, it was somewhat natural for her to know about them.

But they’re not my followers!

However, the Church had no real connection to her.

They weren\'t her subordinates, and they never received any orders from her.

The Church was an organization directly managed by ‘that person’.

So there was no need for her to interfere.

In fact, she would be lucky if she didn’t get scolded for trying to give an order or an instruction to them.

"What’s wrong?"

Thanks to this, she was filled with shame and shaking with resentment at the thought of someone like Frey intimidating her and pressured her to acknowledge a connection to something she had nothing to do with.

"Are you feeling indignant?"

Looking at her trembling form, Frey smiled gently and whispered.

"My whole life is stained with injustice and irrationality."

Upon hearing those words, the Demon God stopped shaking and wore a pale expression.

"Who is to blame? Who turned me, who did nothing wrong, into this mess?"

"..."

"Who crawled out like a bug and tried to forcibly start the Ordeal despite the warning? And who provided me with the opportunity to change my perspective? Who is that gracious person?"

As Frey spoke, his mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not smiling at all.

It was as if...

"Ultimately, aren\'t you the culprit behind everything?"

"..."

Frey whispered as he locked eyes with the Demon God’s trembling eyes. But as Frey turned his gaze forward, the Demon God regained her senses and quickly began to scheme.

Right now, the body I\'m inhabiting is that of a paladin. Then... I\'ll first request assistance from the Church.

She had to admit it.

The current Frey was quite dangerous.

If she continued on while inhabiting the body of a mortal with only a fraction of her power, it was quite obvious what her fate would be.

Moreover, this bastard definitely had evil intentions towards her. Now that she looked at him properly, it seemed he had gone absolutely mental.

So, for now, she would request protection from the Church, who was on the same side as the owner of this body, and get away from Frey.

To do that...

"Hey!!"

"Hmm."

As the Demon God quietly observed Frey, she forcefully pushed his hand away and started running towards the Church. Frey simply smiled bemusedly as he watched her retreating back.

"You fool. It seems she has gone frantic. Despite her silver tongue, her judgment seems lacking."

The Demon God turned her head to look at Frey, who was mumbling with a mocking sneer on his face.

"...Hmm?"

She tilted her head at the chill that she suddenly felt.

"..."

For some reason, the expressions of the Church members watching her as she ran with all her might seemed very strange.

- Sringgg...

Some were drawing their swords, and some even wore wicked smiles.

No matter how she looked at it, those expressions and gazes were not meant to be directed at those who were supposed to be on the same side.

“Hey everyone from the armed puppet organization! Do you all remember the revelation made by the Youngest Paladin during the Academy Erosion Incident!?

"What?"

The Demon God stopped in her tracks as she felt that eerie chill again. She turned her head with a dazed expression on her face when Frey shouted from behind her.

"The speech from the Youngest Paladin has already caused a stir worldwide, hasn\'t it?"

"What\'s that supposed to mean..."

"Aren’t you all the mastermind behind the \'Erosion Incident’ that happened worldwide?"

Frey still gazed at her with that chilling gaze and continued to shout.

“Even now, she’s still furious that she was tempted to personally cut all of you down! Yet you shameless bastard is still trying to pretend not to know anything?”

"What are you..."

"Regardless, Ms. Paladin, please come back here. It\'s too dangerous."

With that, he slowly began to move forward.

"Just like you said, they are a very hideous and dangerous organization. If you get caught, you will suffer horrific torture and sexual abuse, you know?"

"..."

After finishing his speech, Frey lowered his head and whispered quietly in her ear.

"What’s wrong? Why don’t you keep moving?"

"Uh, uh..."

Frey smiled brightly as he stroked her head. The affectionate gesture only made her drenched in cold sweat.

Then he looked at the Church members.

"Anyway, our imperial family has no intention of being manipulated by you people."

"..."

"I have no intention of being acknowledged by the leaders of a world\'s criminal organization either."

With that declaration, Frey drew his sword and flared his killing intent.

"So, all of you, scram."

A deafening silence descended.

"Ahem."

Among the frozen Church members under Frey\'s killing intent, someone stroked his beard before stepping forward.

"You are, indeed, a heretic. Frey."

As bishop Easter, who attended as the Church\'s representative, spoke in a chilling voice, the frozen expressions of the journalists began to melt away.

"What? Do you want to get punched?"

In response, Frey just scratched his tilted head.

“I’m also very suspicious of the Princess having someone like you as her commander.”

Bishop Easter glared fiercely at him, and whispered in a low voice.

"Right now, in place of the Pope, I have the authority to designate you as a heretic."

"Hmm."

"And if that happens, within a few hours, His Holiness, the Pope, will declare your ‘Excommunication’ to the entire world."

With that declaration, the Bishop raised his mouth with a smirk.

"You understand what that means, don\'t you?"

"..."

"The ‘Excommunication’ of His Holiness the Pope carries a divine power akin to edicts or vow. It doesn\'t matter how powerful you are. Did you say our church is not divine? Will you still say that after you are subjected to excommunication?”

And then, the long silence resumed.

"...Pfft."

Amidst the silence, Frey suddenly burst into laughter.

"Pfft, hahaha..."

At his laughter, the Bishop frowned, and the journalists shivered.

...Should I just run away to that side?

The Demon God was seriously considering such a thought.

This is good enough.

And as he watched her, Frey muttered inwardly.

System Notification

[Main Quest (Hidden Scenario) - All-out war against the Church]

Destroy the corrupt Church.

I won.

As soon as he finished the first hidden scenario, Frey successfully unlocked the second hidden scenario.

.

.

.

.

.

"Furthermore, there are many suspicious aspects to the revelations made by the Youngest Paladin."

The Bishop said as he looked at the still chuckling Frey with a strange expression. Then he turned to the journalists to address them.

"Although an official statement has already been made, allow me to raise doubts again here. Was the revelation made by the \'Youngest Paladin\' truly voluntary?"

As he finished speaking, some journalists subtly raised their magic tools, observing Frey\'s reactions keenly.

Although they were very scared, they wanted to get the scoop.

"Even at this moment, the Youngest Paladin\'s expression appears considerably subdued and fearful. The same was observed during the revelation of the Academy Erosion Incident."

With those words, the Bishop quietly shifted his gaze.

"Each time Frey put his arm and hand on her shoulder and whispered something unknown, her expression froze. That scene was surely captured vividly by the journalists\' magical video recording device."

Some of the journalists, upon hearing this, began to tilt their head as they reviewed their recordings.

"Frey is known to frequent the back alleys, and he dabbles in black magic, and has even joined the Demon King Army before. There is a high possibility that he is threatening the Youngest Paladin or manipulating her with some form of hypnosis."

The bishop concluded his remarks with a satisfied smile.

"Isn’t that so, \'heretic\' Frey?"

"...Urgh."

"It seems we may need some time to discuss."

As Frey glanced at him and grabbed the back of the Demon God who was about to run towards the Church, he spoke.

"Let\'s open the negotiation table."

"You should have come out like that earlier."

Only then did Bishop Easter raise the corners of his mouth.

"Then, please follow me."

"Hoho… Please wait. I need to contact His Holiness first."

Having said that and glanced at Frey, the Bishop slowly took his steps.

"...I\'ll give you some time. So make a lavish preparation for a grand reception now."

Then, standing next to him, the Bishop muttered softly.

"If you don\'t want to be excommunicated, then you should behave yourself, Frey."

With those words, the Bishop, wearing a satisfied smile, walked back towards the Church side.

How dare he defy the will of the Church. Such a disgrace.

As the Bishop thought quietly to himself, he began to murmur softly.

Not divine? Armed puppet organization? That little brat spouting nonsense.

That statement alone could have immediately branded Frey as a heretic. However, their first goal today was to bring down the ‘Imperial Family’.

That was why the Bishop threatened Frey with \'excommunication\' so he could die slowly, but he still didn\'t feel good because he heard those words from a kid who was still wet behind the ears.

Even the Princess will have to at least kneel in front of me.

Therefore, he decided to use this opportunity to sow chaos as much as possible.

The Imperial Family changed its Emperor through a rebellion. They would never want to be \'excommunicated\' in such a situation.

Wasn’t ‘excommunication’ the reason why the Imperial Family couldn’t mess with the Church in the first place? If he played his card right, not even the Princess could mistreat him.

"Bishop, please follow me."

"Hmm?"

Thinking such thoughts and smiling sardonically, the Bishop was approached by the royal attendant. Unable to suppress his laughter, he muttered.

“There’s no way the preparations have already been completed in such a short amount of time. You must’ve finished the preparations long before we came here, right? How astonishing.”

"...It\'s not reception, it\'s negotiation."

"What happened earlier must be Frey’s whimsical decision, correct? That impetuous youngster must have lost his mind."

"..."

"So, you must have prepared for the reception already, right?"

With an arrogant expression, the Bishop tapped the attendant\'s shoulder, then whispered in a low voice.

"Please follow me."

"It\'s rather chilly."

However, as the attendant guided him expressionlessly, the Bishop chuckled and followed slowly behind the attendant.

I\'ll make you regret it, Frey.

Quietly, he murmured to himself.

.

.

.

.

.

"We have arrived."

"Everything seems to be properly prepared."

Accompanied by several high-ranking priests, elite paladins, and the Vice-Commander, the Bishop followed the attendant with a smile on his face.

Before him lay the underground chamber that had long been used as a reception space in the palace.

It was a famous place in high societies that he also visited several times during his life as a bishop.

"If only you had come out like this from the beginning. Ruined by such petty pride. Tsk, tsk."

However, the Bishop, still angry, muttered to himself with a sinister expression.

Should I make the Princess crawl under me like a dog in front of Frey?

No matter how he thought about it, he should at least do that much in order to relieve some of his anger.

A princess crawling around and barking like a dog. That would be quite amusing indeed.

"Bishop."

"Hmm?"

He turned his gaze to the Vice Commander, who had spoken in a low voice beside him.

“Wouldn’t it be dangerous?”

"What do you mean?"

"Frey is powerful. I only saw a glimpse of it earlier, and even I couldn\'t even measure his strength."

The Vice Commander spoke nervously.

"Before we enter, it might be wise to prepare for escape if things go wrong..."

"It\'s fine. We\'re fine."

However, the Bishop just dismissed her concerns, then he smiled.

"As long as we play the excommunication card, they can\'t touch us."

"But what if..."

"There are no ‘what ifs\'."

"Pardon?"

"...’That person’s’ instructions have always been correct."

Saying so, the Bishop became completely serious.

"That person has never been wrong, even once."

"Hmm..."

"Surely... you\'re not doubting ‘that person’ now, are you, Vice Commander?"

"N-No, of course not!"

As she replied with a pale face to the Bishop\'s sudden inquiry, he narrowed his eyes and whispered.

"Take care, Vice Commander. Doubting the true sun is a sin in itself."

His expression as he spoke was eerily calm and serene.

"Understood."

"Very well, let\'s proceed."

As the overwhelmed Vice Commander nodded, sweating coldly, the Bishop, once again assuming a benevolent expression, grasped the door handle.

...I should probably conduct a ritual for the Vice Commander soon.

- Squirm, squirm...

While muttering to himself, his left arm quietly squirmed.

"Well then, let\'s see how well-prepared..."

With a smile, the Bishop stepped inside without a care in the world.

"..."

However, he froze along with the paladins who followed him inside.

"Oh! Have you arrived?"

"Gah... Gehack..."

Frey greeted them cheerfully from inside the room.

"Stop... Stoopp."

And there hung the Youngest Paladin, tied by both wrists to the deeply embedded scabbard in the wall of the grim room. Her body limply swayed back and forth. For some reason, saliva, and bile spewing from her mouth.

"What is… the meaning of this.”

"To be honest, I was surprised when you brought up the Youngest Paladin\'s revelation earlier!"

The bishop, unable to grasp the situation, asked, and Frey smiled in response.

"It was indeed me who forced her to testify! How did you know? As expected, the Church is still the Church after all."

- Whack...!!!

"Gyah!"

With a clenched fist, Frey punched the Youngest Paladin hanging from the wall with all his might.

"Uweh... Uwek..."

"Don\'t worry. I\'m only striking the soul within this body, so there will be no damage to the physical body!"

Frey, who had been speaking excitedly to the Bishop, wiped the Youngest Paladin\'s stomach, revealing the smooth and clean stomach, just as he said.

"S-Save me... Keuheok!"

"Gugu~!"

Frey patted the Youngest Paladin’s stomach for a while, then, as if to prove a point, he struck her stomach once more. Meanwhile, Gugu, who was perched on his shoulder with a dumb expression, waved his wings at the Bishop as if he was happy to see him.

“So why are you resisting? If you don’t know, you should say you don’t know.”

"I-I don\'t know. I really don\'t know..."

"If you don\'t know, you deserve a beating."

"You son of a... Keh..."

Just like that, Frey punched the trembling Demon God again.

"D-Didn\'t you say we were going to set up the negotiation table?"

"Oh."

Hearing the Bishop\'s words as he retreated with his paladins, Frey turned around with a bright smile.

- Clatter...

And then, Frey picked up the folding table from the corner of the room.

- Clack...!

"The negotiation table is set."

With a cheerful expression, Frey charged at them and began to swing the table wildly.

"Nego? Tiation!"

“H-his words are technically correct…”

"For heaven\'s sake, be quiet."

Cold sweat began to flow from the Bishop\'s bald /genesisforsaken