Above all, I need love advice from a master of romance.

I need to find a way to soothe the sulking Yuna, get closer to Yuri, and plan out the date course in advance to look forward to an exciting outing in the divine city.

I started to experience a gestalt collapse regarding how to even go about dating. It’s vague and difficult. The only thing I know about dating is that I must become my girlfriend’s baggage handler…

But surely it would be different with Bennett, right?

I had written a letter, slightly rotating it in case it got intercepted, but I didn’t think she wouldn’t understand its meaning. After all, by Bennett’s side was the fearsome observer, Niore.

I left various pieces of information beyond the content of the letter. The shape of the wax seal, the handwriting… Considering her keen eyes, I believed my sincerity would surely reach her. I held onto that belief.

Tara and Niore entered.

“I received your message, Bennett. The professor… is here too. It seems a bit noisy outside; is it because of that person?”

[They said it was the ship of Theseus. It sounds like an ideology to keep the cardinal faction in check; did Priest Dakiten expand the situation?]

“Both are correct. The concept proposed by the wizard was used as kindling by Priest Dakiten to spread it in the world.”

The runaway Pingbalez has returned.

“Where have you been leaving the kid alone?”

“I had to step out for a moment due to an urgent matter. I heard that the Second Prince… is visiting this city. I will provide more details later. And isn’t it wrong for the one who disobeyed the order to wait quietly in the corner?”

“That’s true.”

In this vast city, how could one casually run into Bennett? I could vividly picture the lazy demeanor of the mischievous deity, who had been acting so carelessly lately.

Even as the serious atmosphere of the meeting began to settle with more people gathering, I wasn’t worried.

I had no desire to film a hostage drama season 2 in front of Tara and Niore, so I had put temporary measures in place for the mischievous deity. Specifically, a chat ban and hiding the manual avatar.

“…What’s that sitting on the professor’s lap, wrapped in cloth? A cloth ghost?”

“Tara, don’t worry about it for now; it’ll get complicated if you do. Niore too. We’ll discuss this part later.”

In the letter, I made a deal with Bennett.

—

I will help you with your troubles, so please help me with mine. Even if you didn’t understand anything else, you must have noticed that part clearly since it was written explicitly.

So, I was believing that once the story was generally sorted out, you would listen to my tale and gift me with valid advice.

If, by any unfortunate chance, the meaning of the letter didn’t get conveyed properly, that’s fine too. I could just subtly ask Bennett when we are alone together.

Thus, I relaxed and slouched in my chair, entering observer mode.

However, the situation began to unfold in a direction slightly different from what I had anticipated.

——–

This was the secret hideout of the ‘Reformists.’ It looked like a shabby inn that wasn’t in operation, and in that light, it felt very much like a resistance.

The interior gave off a strong underdog vibe. It would fit perfectly if we were just passing around beer mugs.

The people gathered were as follows:

The Bennett party set belonging to the ‘Reformists,’ along with a military priest.

A mad wizard party set without Yuna, and a northern noblewoman.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s officially start the meeting. First, let’s discuss the situation the ‘Reformists’ are facing. You might already know this, but…”

“You intend to explain it to the wizard, I see. With that strange insight before entering… will that person join as the strategist for the Reformists?”

Bennett tried to organize himself and continue the conversation, but the military priest seemed quite interested (or perhaps suspicious) of me, asking Bennett.

From noble mtl dot come

There was a certain level of trust and understanding between me and the Bennett party, but he was not included in that, so it made sense he would be curious.

Bennett decisively separated the ‘Reformists’ from me.

“No. He must have his own plans. He is not someone who would fall under anyone else’s command; rather, it seems like a relationship where we use each other to achieve our goals… no, think of it more like a wind that pushes the sail.”

“That’s a difficult metaphor to understand. Are you saying it’s a loose alliance? Or does it mean he’s a behind-the-scenes supporter?”

“It’s better not to think too deeply about that wizard. No matter what scheme he concocts, in the end, it will be on the palm of the wizard. Consider it a natural phenomenon.”

“Hmm…”

The military priest looked at me with a mix of interest and wariness. He seemed to categorize me as someone of the same kind… that is, someone who makes politics and intrigue their main business.

I was about to refute Bennett’s characterization but simply smiled meaningfully and let it pass. After all, it was understandable from Bennett’s perspective.

If I were to say now, ‘I didn’t think much of it,’ it would seem out of place.

Also, I was a professor, after all. I wanted to appear somewhat impressive to the students if possible. So I often ponder how to deliver my lines when going out to teach.

So, isn’t it a good thing if they think of me as a cool schemer?

“According to what was announced by the Cardinal faction, the hero selection tournament is divided into two stages: the selection of hero candidates and the choice of the holy sword.”

“The selection of hero candidates will be conducted as a tournament. Those who pass the preliminaries will compete against each other to select several candidates. They will then be given the opportunity to draw the holy sword.”

“And among those, the one chosen by the holy sword will be selected as the hero of this era. Any questions?”

So in the ‘hero candidate selection’ tournament, how many candidates will be chosen? And if they are choosing ten, will they keep having unlimited matches until ten remain?

“I heard it’s divided into your groups, selecting 2 each.”

“By the way, the four groups were created based on the four core values of the Goddess Church: ‘Courage’, ‘Faithfulness’, ‘Constancy’, and ‘Obedience.'”

I understood.

So, they are selecting a total of eight people to give them the opportunity to draw the Holy Sword… It sounds like not just anyone can pull it out.

“Since the last hero passed away a hundred years ago, the Holy Sword has not chosen another hero. It has been deeply asleep, stuck in the rock in front of the statue of the Goddess, and no one has been able to pull it out since.”

“I had the chance to touch it after I became the Saintess. Really, it didn’t move at all, as if it had become one with the rock.”

Excalibur, huh.

[So, this hero selection tournament is meant to pick people who might be favored by the Holy Sword…?]

“Surely, it can’t be that pure of an intention. There must be some sort of scheme at play, definitely.”

Tara ground her teeth. She believed that the higher-ups of the Goddess Church—the Cardinal faction—had a clear intention behind organizing this event.

And the ‘hero’ who draws this Holy Sword would gain power over the Saintess Tara. That’s the situation.

There is something strange about this story.

The Cardinal faction appears to be a classic group of corrupted religious figures. It doesn’t make sense that they would hold a tournament and offer the chance to draw the Holy Sword for free.

If a day comes when Bennett becomes the hero, the hero’s lofty authority would surely slice through the Cardinal faction.

Even if it’s not Bennett, it would still be a problem. For example, if a knight loyal to the royal family becomes the hero, it would also become difficult to maintain their religious power.

So, simply put, the Cardinal faction must have confidence that they can make their chosen candidate a hero 100% of the time.

“There will be traps in the tournament. Perhaps they’ll bribe all the participants?!”

[That’s not a reasonable method. It would require an enormous amount of money, and there would be many people who can’t be bribed in the first place. After all, it’s a position at stake for a hero!]

“If the candidate the Cardinal faction is pushing, Benjamin, is a transcendent-level powerhouse, then everything makes sense. But I don’t think that kind of guy has reached that level.”

They believe that manipulation will occur during the hero candidate selection phase.

Of course. Choosing a hero with the Holy Sword is the work of the great Goddess in the heavens. They can’t imagine that humans could deceive divine matters.

But don’t I know? That the Goddess is close to a large mechanical device, and that her damage rate is gradually increasing—and the possibility of factions using her.

If the Cardinal faction is interfering with the Goddess, then the puzzle fits together.

They can present eight candidates while pretending it’s a fair game. If they can definitively choose and appoint a hero, the bigger the stage, the better.

In fact, they need to enlarge the stage. A hero born in a place that attracts the attention of the whole world, blessed by many, will hold significant authority, even without notable achievements.

I opened my mouth.

“I have one question, Priest.”

“…Yes. I will answer to the best of my ability within my knowledge. What are you curious about?”

“You mentioned you were a Cardinal. Is there perhaps something very precious, like a divine artifact, passed down among the ruling class of the Goddess Church? There might be a phrase like, ‘Using this will allow communication with the Goddess.'”

“…How do you know that?”

The eyes of the priest, who was with the troops, flared up with confusion and suspicion. Since I knew something I shouldn’t, it seemed he began to think that I might be a spy for the Cardinal faction.

Bennett placed a hand on the shoulder of the priest, as if to say he understood everything.

“I told you, Priest Dakiten. Consider it a natural phenomenon.”

“But this shouldn’t be known to the outside world──.”

“Is it okay to speak, Wizard?”

What do you mean by that? I told him to go ahead. Then Bennett, as if conveying a crucial secret of the world, shared the astonishing truth with a serious and careful demeanor.

“He is a master of dimensional magic and is closely collaborating with a goddess from another dimension. In a way, he is an apostle of the gods, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to uncover divine secrets.”

“Dimensional magic, and, a hero from another dimension… is that correct?”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

The facial muscles of Pingbalez, who knew all the truths, twitched slightly. To others, it might have been an imperceptible change, but to me, who had known him for a long time, it was clear. He was holding back a laugh.

The demon god, wrapped in a cloth and sitting on my lap, suddenly switched to a polite mode. I could feel a trembling vibration.

I quietly slipped my hand into the cloth. Pingbalez might not know, but you better not laugh, you little brat. As I poked around haphazardly, the polite mode turned off.

“I see. In that case, Bennett, your peculiar trust in that wizard… and your optimistic attitude make sense. Since you seem to know, I’ll tell you.”

“Um.”

“In the Goddess Church, there is a sacred artifact known as the ‘Glass Tablet.’ It is said that this item, crafted directly by the goddess, has the ability to communicate directly with the heavens. Only the Pope, the Saint, and the Hero can handle it.”

“⋯⋯That had such a function?! No one told me!”

In the meantime, the Saint, who was a noblewoman, widened her eyes in surprise.

That’s it.

It seems to be some sort of control panel that can manipulate the goddess.

The ones granted access are the Pope, the Saint, and the Hero. They are like… administrators. The Saint is here, and the Hero has yet to be born. That leaves only the Pope.

If that’s the case, then the culprit behind the 24% damage rate is the Pope. I’ve found the culprit.

As I smiled with satisfaction at the feeling of the puzzle clicking into place, the Bennett party chimed in.

“Of course, you came knowing everything again.”

“See, Niole? They came all prepared, so how could it be a love letter? Bennett, I got it right. You know very well that this information can only be obtained by accessing the core of the Goddess Church.”

[Hmm, did I misread it…? I was sure it was such a letter.]

Oh.

“So, what’s next? What kind of web are you weaving this time, Wizard?”

“Stop spinning around and just tell me, Professor. So what was the story about the goddess that was written in that letter?!”

Uh…

“The Hero’s scheme… I am quite looking forward to it. The ‘Reformists’ seem to be opposing the Cardinal faction, but in reality, they are at a disadvantage. They are barely holding on, swaying. Is there a trump card to break through this crisis…?”

“Then perhaps, it was you who wandered the remote forest path, dealt with the strange knight, and saved me…?”

Um…?

It feels a bit like there are excessive expectations being placed on me.

It’s not that I lack ability or information, but it just feels a bit off. I came here to lend a hand to Bennett a little and spend the rest of the time hanging out with Yunayuri.

It’s a situation ripe for misunderstanding, and while I could do it if I wanted to, if I go down that path, I won’t get to enjoy any dates. Plus, getting relationship advice from Bennett feels a bit strange too…?

I was thinking of just watching the tournament and casually throwing in a few comments from the sidelines.

Shouldn’t I clarify my purpose right now? I came here to have fun, please refrain from work-related contact during my vacation, something like that.

I shot a pleading glance at Pingvalez. Please stop this excessive expectation.

Then, Pingvalez leaned in close and whispered to me.

“…Crazy wizard, I’m a little disappointed. I thought you came here on vacation and was looking forward to it. With the arm incident and the letter, you came here fully intending to work, didn’t you?”

“…Huh? Ah, no. That’s not it.”

“Still, it’s fine. Your work ethic is… impressive. Just make sure to set aside proper time for me afterward. And for the lord of the magic tower as well.”

No, no! That’s not it!

I did come here to have fun…!

The arm incident, well, you know. I thought it was a precious opportunity, that’s why I did that.

The letter I sent to Bennett was to ask for relationship advice so I could get along well with you guys…!

Bang──!!

Pingvalez slammed the table down hard. Instantly, the commotion quieted, and all eyes turned to us.

Yuri Lanster, radiating the charisma of his time as an extermination squad member, spoke clearly and firmly.

“Silence.”

“…”

“Lady Mima, please speak. About the plan you are concocting.”

I felt my mind short-circuit at Pingvalez’s ‘Hey, Mima has something to say.’

What should I do? In this situation, if I say… well, I just said that, and I don’t have any plans or anything… it would be really uncool, right…?

It’s a no-go. I quickly started brainstorming. Let’s come up with a plan. Something plausible… something decent I can create by synthesizing the information I’ve gathered so far.

“So, we…”

“…”

Everyone is eyeing the hero position. Many people are coming to the holy city, including the northern duke, Irid, and the Red Flavor Duke.

The tournament is held in a tournament format, and the selected eight will get a chance to draw the holy sword. The cardinal faction, a potential adversarial force, has a goddess controller, and they have their own candidates for the hero they are pushing.

In the end── even if the cardinal faction holds the decision-making power over whether or not to draw the holy sword, if you fall out of the candidate list, you won’t be able to do anything.

Yes, indeed.

“Unite all forces except for the cardinal faction, combine our strength, and eliminate all the hero candidates they support.”

“⋯⋯Is that really a feasible ideal? There are so many conflicting interests, and the fruit of being a hero is far too sweet. Cooperation is unlikely to happen properly⋯⋯?”

But surprisingly, it can be done. Because all the large factions gathering here⋯⋯ have a close relationship with me through a mutual connection!

⋯⋯What’s the big deal? I can just pull out another heart in front of the Northern Duke!