"Revolution…?"

"Yes, a revolution."

Under normal circumstances, Anastasia would have clung to the hope for her father, not willing to let go unless the church’s corruption had reached its peak. Despite feeling guilt over the actions her father committed, she couldn’t bring herself to bring him down, driven by a desire to save him. Although she held the title of Watcher, in reality, she did nothing but observe from the sidelines.

I had been pondering how to shatter that hope and bring her back to reality. Unexpectedly, her guilt had been deeply triggered by something that hadn’t crossed my mind before. Naturally, due to her high rank as the Watcher, Anastasia had never had a friend on equal terms. The students here were her first true friends.

Realizing that the demon she had been passively observing had killed the parents and families of her friends, she now desperately wanted to rid herself of that demon, who had taken on her father’s form. If that was the case, I had to suggest the most efficient method.

"But, but what about legitimacy! We don’t have a justification."

"Why wouldn’t we? We’ll just tell everyone that the Pope was possessed by a demon. There will be plenty of people who’ll believe it."

"That’s true. Honestly, Anya, even people outside of our group will easily believe it. People have been deeply disappointed in him."

"And this method will cause the least amount of chaos."

"Won’t it do the opposite? If it’s revealed that the Pope was possessed by a demon, the church’s credibility will plummet."

"That’s not necessarily the case…"

The fact that the leader of a demon-hating group had been possessed by a demon was certainly a huge scandal. It would undoubtedly cause significant upheaval… But that’s exactly why it was the most moderate approach.

"The church is currently corrupt. No one can deny that."

"…"

"But miraculously, the only clean person in the church is right here—Anastasia."

"…I see. That’s true."

"Yes, it is."

Of course, in reality, Anastasia wasn’t entirely clean since she had turned a blind eye to the demon. But that was something only we knew. As long as it wasn’t discovered, it didn’t matter.

"…I don’t really understand what you’re saying."

"It’s simple. We’ll remove the symbol of the old church, the Pope, and start anew."

"Oh."

Historically, when an organization became so corrupt that it was beyond repair, it was often overthrown from within. Sometimes, it was quicker to tear everything down and rebuild from scratch than to fix it piece by piece.

By blaming the previous church’s corruption and broken trust entirely on the Pope, and having Anastasia lead the new church, we could minimize the chaos.

"This is a unique opportunity to purge the church of its impurities and restore it to normalcy. What will you do?"

After a moment of contemplation, Anastasia finally accepted in a barely audible voice.

"…Alright. I’ll do it."

"Great! Let’s start by changing that voice of yours."

"Eh?"

"It’s fine. I’ll give you a script and even guide your gestures. Just trust your teacher!"

We couldn’t have the voice of a revolutionary leader sounding so uncertain. Even though she was still conflicted internally, she couldn’t show that while delivering a speech.

"So, I’m sorry, but… Could everyone else leave the room for a bit?"

"Sure."

"Now, Miss Watcher, take a seat. This will be a special lecture you won’t hear anywhere else."

This will be an unforgettable legendary crash course. Get ready to have it drilled directly into your mind. Open wide—knowledge and mindset are coming your way!

"Good day, Sister."

"Watcher, it’s been a while."

"There’s no need to be so formal. It’s a bit overwhelming."

"I can’t do that. You’re the one closest to God after all."

The nun’s expression, someone Anastasia had known since she was a child, was laced with a subtle fear. Although she knew nothing would happen, there was still an air of discomfort. Seeing this made Anastasia’s mouth feel bitter.

…It wasn’t always like this. There was a time when they would play in the dirt together, calling each other sister. But that demon, wielding its influence through her father’s form, had created a thin wall between her and the people of the church. What once were just superficial ranks had become barriers.

"…"

To be honest, Anastasia still harbored doubts in her heart. As a servant of God, overthrowing the church was one thing, but the demon she needed to destroy was wearing the skin of her beloved father. Unlike the other family members she could never see again, he was the only blood relative she could still hope to reunite with.

If she could coexist with the demon in the same way that Orca’s demon did… perhaps, just maybe, her father could stroke her hair with those warm hands like he used to when she was a child.

It was this hope that had led her to tolerate the demon’s presence until now.

"Watcher?"

But today would mark the end of that. She couldn’t continue to stand by any longer. The sins of allowing that demon to roam free were far too great to abandon the plan now, all because of her tiny lingering hopes.

Her hand trembled as she realized she would have to end her own father, even if it was just a shell of him.

"Sister, can you gather all the believers in the church to the main hall?"

"Everyone…?"

"Yes, including the Pope. There’s something that needs to be said."

But just because her hands were trembling, she couldn’t stop. Her reckless behavior had led to the destruction of those she considered friends.

To think that after turning a blind eye to countless unseen sacrifices, she was only now feeling conflicted because those sacrifices had hit close to home. She was disgusted with her own lack of resolve.

If her teacher and the others knew how weak-willed she was, they would surely hate her.

"Um, Watcher."

"Yes? Is there something you’d like to say…?"

"I heard you went on a trip with some friends. Did you enjoy your trip?"

"…Yes. It was enjoyable."

But it wasn’t the kind of trip the nun imagined. It was just a brief outing to achieve a goal, disguised as a club activity, which they called a trip.

But still, she had enjoyed it.

Having lived in the church her whole life, she had never seen such sights. Even though the teacher was bored and restless, Anastasia couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery outside the carriage for even a moment.

"I’m glad. You seemed so tired recently, but your face looks much better."

"Really?"

"Yes. …I was worried about you. Even though we’re not related by blood, I’m still your sister."

Anastasia stared blankly at the nun’s warm smile.

She thought their relationship had grown distant, but the nun had still been watching over her. Even though their titles had changed and the way she was treated had changed, the nun still cared about her.

"Then, please wait a moment. I’ll gather everyone."

"…Thank you."

Anastasia decided to be brave.

To gather the courage to bring down her father so that no one else would have to endure the kind of painful past her friends had experienced.

"Inhale… exhale…"

But gathering that courage was not as easy as she had thought.

She had spent her entire life trying to save her father, and now she had to suddenly decide to end him. Until now, she had justified every vile act the demon committed by telling herself it was all to save her father.

It’s okay, it’s not that bad.

It’s okay, the victim was a bad person.

It’s okay, it was already a situation where many people would have been harmed. So, it’s okay.

It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.

She had wrapped her conscience in countless reassurances.

But now that she had to personally destroy her father, that wrapping was being torn away, and the countless situations she had ignored were pricking at her conscience.

"Teacher…"

Anastasia suddenly remembered the things her teacher had told her in the cave.

The gestures and tones to use to captivate an audience. How to expose the Pope’s dark secrets. …And how to calm her nerves when she felt overwhelmed.

Swallowing hard, Anastasia closed her eyes and whispered the chant her teacher had taught her.

"I can do this, I am capable…!"

She wasn’t sure how much this would help.

But if the teacher said it would, then it must be effective.

Feeling a surge of confidence, she raised her head and looked at the church’s doors.

Out there, her teacher and friends were waiting.

If chaos erupted in the church, they would burst through those doors to help her.

Even if she failed, they would be there for her.

"What are you doing, Anastasia?"

"…"

And so, she was no longer afraid.

As if the words "fear" and "worry" had been erased from her mind, the girl stared directly at the demon.