Before I fell into this world—back when this world was just a game—players thought there was no hope in this universe.

If you chose Stella and ascended to the throne, the demon possessing the Pope's body would prepare for war to plunge the world into chaos. If you chose Anastasia and ousted the Pope, then Stella's brother, who had become the Emperor, would seize power and prepare for war.

What if you chose a different character?

It wouldn't change much. The only difference would be who starts the war.

No matter what you did, the second war was inevitable.

But that was in the game.

What about now that it’s real? If the Pope is deposed and Stella becomes the Emperor, the war won't happen.

If the two of them each reach the highest position in their respective domains, they can continue to enjoy peaceful days.

That’s why I lied to Stella.

Saying I feel no guilt about lying would be a lie, but I had no other choice.

If the two don't cooperate and help each other, this fragile peace will crumble quickly.

It’s a lie told with good intentions.

"Teacher, I heard you were looking for me."

"You’ve come at the right time. Please, have a seat."

As soon as Stella left, I called for Anastasia.

I had told Stella to keep this a secret, but she’s in a precarious situation right now.

She might try to gauge the Observer's intentions.

No, she definitely will.

So, I needed to make sure the lie wouldn’t remain a lie.

"Would you like some tea? Or coffee?"

"I’ll have black tea, please."

"Alright. I’m not sure if it’s rare enough to suit your refined taste, though."

"The Church doesn’t encourage luxury. You don’t need to worry about that..."

"Is that so? It didn’t seem that way to me."

"···"

Anastasia’s lips pressed tightly together.

She probably didn’t know what to say.

Sure, the Church promotes frugality and discourages luxury, but it’s not like the Pope, who should be setting the example, is following that.

"That... well..."

"It’s alright. It happens."

"···"

Seeing Anastasia lower her head in silence, I couldn’t help but be a bit impressed.

How does she manage to walk such a fine line? Is it because she’s a demon after all?

"Are you ashamed of your father?"

"···Is that why you called me here?"

"No, not really. It just came up, so I asked."

The demon inside the Pope’s body had a simple goal.

To destroy the world as slowly and naturally as possible.

If it acted too brazenly, it would lose its precious host—the head of the Church.

It had taken over an old body, so it used the excuse of senility to gradually erode the Church from within, without completely destroying it.

If it went too far, people would become suspicious. If it acted too properly, there would be no point in possessing someone’s body.

The demon was a master at causing just enough trouble to satisfy its desires without raising suspicion.

And it didn’t stop there. It also kept Anastasia from giving up hope by providing just enough stimulus.

It was trash, to be sure, but I couldn’t help but admire its skill.

If it weren’t a demon, if its goal wasn’t to see the world burn, it would have been a highly competent individual.

"But he’s still my father. I believe that one day, everything will be alright."

"···Is that so?"

Anastasia’s reason for leaving the demon be was her desire to save her father.

She couldn’t let go of her hope for her father, so she kept quiet about the demon possessing him, especially since it seemed like the Pope wasn’t making any drastic moves.

But if she thought war might break out, she’d likely steel herself to deal with her father, even if it meant shedding tears.

She was a person torn between her love for her family and the need to destroy the demon that had taken over her father.

That was Anastasia.

And that’s exactly what I was counting on.

"In that case, I guess the rumors aren’t true after all!"

"What? Is there some bad rumor going around...?"

The fact that the Pope and the Observer were related was public knowledge.

Even as the Pope's reputation was steadily declining, he could hold onto his position thanks to Anastasia’s dedication.

In other words, Anastasia was cleaning up after the Pope’s messes.

"Oh, it’s nothing. Just some silly rumor. Forget about it."

"No, Teacher. Please tell me. Even if it’s just a rumor, I need to know the truth."

I expected her to ask me about the rumors if I mentioned them in passing.

She’s that kind of person.

Fortunately, my prediction was correct.

"Hmm... I really think it’s just a silly rumor. But, alright."

"···"

"Recently, there’s been a rumor about someone who looks like the Pope going around assaulting women."

"···Is that true?!"

"Like I said, it’s just a rumor. Who knows if it’s true?"

Anastasia asked me, looking distressed.

Even though she was shocked, it was clear she didn’t completely dismiss the possibility.

That’s what I expected.

Anastasia was someone who had seen the demon up close more than anyone.

She probably thought that if it was that demon, it wouldn’t be surprising if it did something like that.

"There was also something about conducting suspicious rituals with children."

"···"

"And there’s talk that he might be worshipping demons. But that’s probably just nonsense, right?"

"Th-That’s right... How could the head of the Church...?"

"Right? Don’t worry too much about it."

Anastasia was sweating bullets, clearly struggling with how to handle what I’d just told her.

She was probably wondering how to manage the situation.

...But it was all a lie!

There’s no way such rumors were spreading. Even though the Pope’s reputation was declining, he was still the Pope.

If such gossip were really going around, his position would already be in jeopardy.

The Church’s power might have weakened, but not to that extent.

But Anastasia had no way of knowing that.

Check if the rumors are true? How?

Asking the Pope directly was impossible. She loved her father, not the demon possessing his body.

It would just lead to an argument before she got any answers.

And she couldn’t ask anyone else either. Why would she spread rumors that she was trying to suppress?

...In other words, she had no choice but to believe the lies I’d just made up.

On top of that, she trusted me to some extent. She probably thought I had managed to soothe the demon inside her father.

She wouldn’t doubt the rumors coming from me.

"Oh, by the way, Princess Stella was looking for you."

"She was?"

"Yes. Something about having an important discussion regarding the Pope and the royal family..."

"Teacher, I’m sorry, but I have to go."

"Go ahead."

I smiled as I watched her rush out of the counseling room.

She was so flustered that she left without even asking why I had called her. ...Which was exactly what I wanted.

This was enough. With both of them keeping secrets, even if their conversations didn’t quite match up, they would misinterpret each other’s intentions on their own.

Even if by some miracle they realized their intentions didn’t align, it wouldn’t matter.

That’s what hypnosis is for.

"Perfect, perfect... This brings us one step closer to a path where everyone can be happy... Haha..."

...Oh, right. I shouldn’t laugh like that.

Lately, people have been saying I sound like some kind of villain, so I decided to change my laugh.

Giggling like that is the trademark of a mastermind-type character.

Maybe I should just smile.

"What are you doing, Teacher?"

"Oh, Eileen. Hello. I was just practicing my smile..."

"What? Why? Are you going on a date or something?"

"Well, lately people have been saying my laugh sounds suspicious."

"Suspicious...? Why? It’s pretty."

"R-Really?!"

"Of course."

Eileen, you angel...!

I looked at her with sparkling eyes, not hiding how touched I was.

The principal, Stella—they all said I was suspicious.

I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.

"Well, you can worry about that later. Let’s hang out today. I’ve got something fun."

"Th-This is...! Enteon’s masterpiece, Baldur Saga 3!"

"So, wanna play?"

"Yes! Let’s play! Let me join you!"

"That’s the spirit."

I was exhausted from all the scheming with those two.

Is Eileen a goddess? No, she is a goddess.

I spent the night playing games with her.