The Main Heroines are Trying to Kill Me
chapter-337

"Y-you bitch... How did you..."

As the man in the center of the shadows floating like holograms in the underground chamber trembled and opened his mouth, Ferloche began to speak with a bright smile.

"Your Holiness, so what's on the agenda for this meeting? A scheme to conquer the Empire? Accelerating declaration of excommunication’s plan?"

"You were supposed to be caught! How did you end up there..."

"Hmmm? You just witnessed this person exploding into pieces just now, though?"

Ferloche grabbed the reassembling bishop, shaking him as she continued speaking.

"Why are you so clueless?"

"Shut up!! How dare a puppet..."

"It’s funny to be called a puppet by a puppet."

Ferloche laughed heartily, yet her eyes showed no mirth.

The sight contrasted with the blood splattered all over her body, giving her an eerie appearance.

"L-look here! Immediately send an investigative team to the hideout!!"

As the faces of the executives began to worsen, the Pope, with a terrified expression, shouted.

"All executives in each branch, join forces and capture that wicked wench!!"

After giving the command, the Pope struck the armrest of the chair he sat on forcefully.

"...Eeeik."

However, perhaps not anticipating the hardness of the armrest, he soon began shaking his hand with tears streaming down his face.

"You shouldn't be in pain just because of that..."

Ferloche smirked and muttered as she watched the Pope act like a wuss.

"If you’re so weak like that, how can you endure it when you're beaten to death later."

"Iiikkk...!"

Hearing the threat, the Pope's face flushed red.

"Saintess, what in the world has happened?”

Someone quietly observing the situation from the far end spoke up, his eyes glowing.

"How did you enter this place?"

"I infiltrated the base!"

"Saintess, normally infiltration doesn't involve slaughtering the enemy and taking over their base."

As the man finished speaking, a silence began to settle in the room.

Instead of the Pope, the executives' gazes were now directed towards the man.

"His Eminence, Cardinal? What do you mean by that?"

"Slaughtering, you say?"

"No way... Are you saying that the headquarters over there has been completely razed to the ground?"

As shouts erupted from all directions, the person referred to as the Cardinal calmly looked at the Saintess and spoke.

"That’s right. I could only sense a few people there. They're probably hostages, if anything."

"O-oh my goodness..."

“So, are you saying that the headquarters was massacred by the Saintess on her own?"

"Well, since these are His Eminence's words, it's hard not to believe..."

The executives began to mutter nervously, breaking into a cold sweat upon hearing those words.

Seeing even a handful of executives in the Church instantly believing it without hesitation, it seemed like the Cardinal was quite a trusted figure.

"That’s strange! I haven't killed anyone!"

"What?"

"I just fed all their souls to Gugu, that's all!"

"..."

Ferloche spoke with a cheerful expression to him.

"Everyone is alive! They just turned into dolls, that's all."

"I-is that true?"

"Does the Saintess have that kind of ability...?"

As the Cardinal's gaze became darken at those words, the executives began to clamor, dripping with cold sweat.

"Lies."

In such a chaotic atmosphere, the Cardinal murmured with a cold gaze.

"There’s no way the Saintess could possibly have such an ability. If that were the case, I would have known."

While still fixedly looking at Ferloche, he whispered quietly.

"There must be reinforcements. I heard that the Imperial Princess and the Saintess are friends in the academy. It's highly probable that the imperial side was aware of the attack from the beginning."

"Ah..."

"Probably, the imperial army is waiting nearby. The Saintess is deliberately provoking us. This is a trap. If we rashly send troops, it will only be a loss for us."

Sitting huddled in a chair, the Cardinal delivered his hypothesis and slowly tilted his head.

Due to his small stature, he looked like a cute child in a long priest's robe.

"By the way, what was that power just now? Perhaps the ‘Blessing of the Sun God'?"

However, contrary to such appearances, a significant sophistication was evident in the words that popped out of his mouth, accompanied by a sharp expression.

"..."

"As expected, it's somewhat more believable if you are a bait."

With Ferloche not saying anything in response to his question, the Cardinal slightly smiled.

"However, the Blessing of the Sun God can only be activated on one person at a time, right?"

"Yes, that's right, so?"

"Considering your limitations, the 12 executives... now 11 executives, anyway. Do you think you can handle all the executives and His Holiness the Pope?"

When Ferloche closed her mouth in response to his sharp remarks, the eyes of the executives began to grow fierce.

The atmosphere of fear among the audience quickly shifted to the Cardinal's face.

"Of course, I know that the Imperial side has Lady Isolet and Frey, but on our side, we have executives with special abilities and the Paladin Commander. Also, there is the Pope's declaration of excommunication."

"..."

"Above all, with the True Sun on our side, what is there to be afraid of, everyone?"

"T-that’s right! Haha!"

"You're absolutely right, His Eminence!!"

After he finished speaking, everyone echoed his words with enthusiastic expressions.

"W-w-well said. The true Sun is on our side. Ha-haha."

Even the Pope, who had been trembling with fear while looking at Ferloche, felt the same.

"...Tsk."

Giving her a momentary chilling gaze, the Cardinal stood up and said.

"Since an intruder has entered this space, the meeting should be suspended. I declare the meeting ended as of now."

"Th-that declaration should be made by me..."

"Even so, it doesn’t matter, right? Your Holiness?"

"Y-yes, of course."

When the Pope flinched and trembled before nodding, the Cardinal sighed and spoke.

"Then, I will disconnect the souls."

And silence began to flow in the basement.

- Hizzz...

The dolls representing the Cardinal and the Pope turned into soil and collapsed.

It seemed as if their souls were escaping from them.

- Sift…

"No matter how many times I see this, it's still impressive."

"That's right. How could such a mysterious thing be possible? It's like a miracle."

"It must be a miracle since His Eminence did it."

Watching the scene with an amazed expression, the executives slowly turned into soil and disappeared.

"...!?"

However, a problem arose at the moment after six of the executives disappeared.

"W-why did it stop midway?"

"W-What happened?"

The disconnection of the remaining executives suddenly got stuck.

"Y-Your Eminence? There's a problem! Your Eminence!!"

"Wh-what's happening?"

As a result, the executives, wearing pale expressions, began shouting loudly at the Cardinal, who had already turned into scattered soil.

Since it had never happened before, there was also a concern that they might somehow get trapped in the dolls.

"Hehe, hehehe..."

It was also because Ferloche, who had been sitting somewhat behind them, had been laughing loudly while tearing the bishop apart.

No matter how insensitive someone was, at this point, they couldn't help but feel fear subconsciously.

Moreover, ever since Ferloche burst the bishop at the beginning, the five remaining people had been overwhelmed to the point of nausea.

In fact, Ferloche deliberately left those scared five out here.

"Even if the Cardinal is good at everything..."

After laughing for a while, Ferloche, with a chilling expression, stood up from her.

"...he’s still not chosen by the gods."

"H-hold on a moment."

"S-Saintess, we just..."

"That little brat, there's no way he can handle souls better than me, right?"

Seeing the doll executives make blank expressions at her words, Ferloche smiled widely, opened her arms, and spoke.

"I'll spare only one of you."

As the executives looked at her blankly, Ferloche spoke again with eyes full of expectation.

"Now, kill each other."

Shortly after, a commotion began to be heard in the basement.

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Meanwhile, at that moment.

"Sigh."

'The sixth-rank Executive,' who had just awakened in her base after disconnecting her soul, sighed and opened her eyes.

"So annoying."

Then, she immediately began muttering while frowning hard.

"As if I didn't have enough to deal with, now there's one more variable."

"Variable... What do you mean?"

The Paladin Commander, standing next to her, tilted his head and threw a question.

"That pig who spread rumors about capturing the Saintess as a hostage got a taste of his own medicine."

"What?"

"The Saintess captured him as a hostage. The Imperial Army is probably stationed nearby that base."

"Then, what should we do?"

In response, she quietly looked at the Paladin Commander and said.

"Well, you have to take action."

"Me?"

Hearing this, the Paladin Commander widened his eyes.

"A Saintess who has the Blessing of the Sun God can't be ignored. Unless it's someone as skilled as you, dealing with her will be challenging."

"It shouldn't be that challenging."

"That blessing can only be used in a one-on-one situation. My older brother said it can't be used when facing multiple attackers. Didn't you hear that?"

"I'm not an executive... So, I’ll reject it. You don't necessarily need to send me, do you? You could send some more suitable executives..."

As the Paladin Commander continued to object, she responded with an irritated voice.

"Executives from the seventh to the eleventh are all out of contact. I didn't do this because I wanted to."

"Hmm..."

"And it's not something that must be done for sure. The Saintess is an important presence that must be secured without fail. Even if the ‘Artificial Saintess’ falls into their hands, we must secure the true Saintess to let the True Sun descend."

"...Understood."

"Go and buy us some time until the large force arrives. I'll generously reward you for it."

The Paladin Commander, who quietly nodded at the girl's words, raised his head slightly and asked a question.

"...If I manage to secure her, can I do as I please?"

"If you touch her, and she loses her power, you'll face excommunication. But if you're okay with that, go ahead."

"Tch."

The Paladin’s Commander clicked his tongue and turned his back.

This arrogant brat... how dare she treat me like this, yet she said that she only trusts her Cardinal brother...?

"Alright, I'll go with you. If I do so, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"Oh, really? In that case, I’ll gladly accept it."

The Paladin Commander, who had been muttering quietly inside, raised the corners of his mouth at the girl’s words and turned his back again.

"When will we go?"

"Right now."

"Oh, you're so impatient. Then, I'll get ready."

In a harmonious atmosphere different from before, the Paladin Commander, who was smiling cheerfully, murmured quietly to himself.

The Pope said he'd grant me a ritual if I killed the Cardinal or his sibling. Is this finally my chance to become an executive?

On the other hand, the girl, who was licking a candy while looking at him, also muttered quietly.

As long as this punk is gone, there's no one else to protect the Pope. All the other executives are already on my brother's side.

Then, she stood up from her seat.

Rather than an incompetent pope, my brother would be better suited by the side of the True Sun.

Instead of that little brat, even a passing ant would be a better cardinal.

At the same time, the complex power struggles that were quietly unfolding within the Church slowly began to surface.

"Let’s go. However, can you even ride a horse?"

"I am the sixth-rank executive of the Church. If it's just a horse, of course, I can ride it."

"If you fall down, I won't take responsibility."

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Several hours later.

"..."

The two individuals were staring ahead with blank expressions.

"Y-you said you would spare me!! You said you would spare one person!!!"

The screams of the bishop, who was the twelfth ranked executive, echoed from the headquarters occupied by Ferloche.

"I never said I wouldn't hit you!!! I've never said I wouldn't tear your souls apart!!!"

"Kkkeeeeek!!"

"By the way, your infinite regeneration ability is quite a scam! To win in an executive's battle without even doing anything!!"

Ferloche grabbed the legs of the twelfth-rank executive and enthusiastically swung him around.

"..."

Behind her, for some reason, the rest of the lower rank executives were sitting down, defeated, with vacant expressions on their face.

The two people that just arrived were looking at that ridiculous scene blankly, but suddenly they shifted their gaze towards an unfamiliar voice.

"Lord Frey, do you know? You can't just break things recklessly! After breaking them, you have to fix them again. That way, they would always feel the pain again, as if it's their first time experiencing it!"

"Hey, Ferloche."

"And, you should already know that each executive, like this bishop's infinite regeneration, has a special ability! The Pope and the Cardinal are the same!"

"Look here for–"

"So please pay attention..."

Finally, Ferloche, who was enthusiastically beating the bishop, slowly turned her gaze to them.

"W-why is Frey here? If it's him, I can't win against that one either."

"..."

"Moreover, why is the Hero here, too? And why is she in that state?"

"I-I don't know."

Ferloche, whose power far surpassed expectations, Frey who was kneeling beside her, and for some reason, the battered hero Ruby.

“I finally found a good practice partner!!”

In response to Ferloche's enthusiastic voice, the attention of the two quietly focused on her.

As a result, cold sweat began to flow from the girl and the Paladin Commander's foreheads.

"...Should we run away?"

"Uh, yeah."

Before they knew it, they had completely forgotten all thoughts of killing each other and were clinging closely together.