"Indeed, though I am afraid the news is a lot complicated than that." Lyle replied as he took a bite of the biscuit.
"Then again, considering the stakes at question, I feel those guys would probably overlook it for a while if they could find a scapegoat for the theft."
...
"I am ashamed to say you are correct. Oh dear…" The pope merely shook his head in disbelief. "Regarding the news, is it true that Galilei is currently behind bars?"
"It is, Your Holiness. Due to his ties with the Grigori and the subsequent robbery of the Excalibur Shards, the Devil faction are not too trusting of the two being able to guard such an individual. Currently he is under the care of the devils and alive. For the moment at least." Lyle answered before mumbling that last part with a bit of heat.
"Hmm, I would imagine that a lot of people would prefer him elsewhere other than a jail cell, and likely in a state aside from him being alive. What with all the information he has on all of us."
"This is the reason they decided to keep him alive. Like it or not, he does hold valuable information regarding the three factions, and in some ways, the devils would want to ensure that whatever secret he may have on them stays put. As for the other factions, that would likely be one of the leverages they have if they ever call for a meeting." Lyle agreed with the pope's sentiment.
"Yes, I have just received word regarding their arguments. There is a high possibility of that meeting actually taking place, we should consider choosing someone as the envoy to go with the angels." The pope thoughtfully fiddled with his cup as he considered the people suitable for the occasion before he paused for a moment and gave out a smile that somehow raised alarm bells in Lyle's head. "How about Griselda?"
"URGH!" Lyle groaned and accidently knocked the teacup against the plate. "By chance, you knew about that?"
"I only got the news recently, and I must admit, some of the tactics used by both of you were a little much." The pope commented with a raised eyebrow. "I am still wondering why the two of you are so extreme with your methods when you only met two times before."
"… She might have a different reason, but I feel that if I don't give it my all, she would definitely beat me." Lyle admitted as he lightly swirled the tea in his cup. "Considering the high stakes of this mission, I had to make sure that she cannot interfere with the operation too much."
"Honestly, the two of you are just reckless children." The pope shook his head in slight amusement. "There is something I would like to ask. Something seemed to have happened to the Excalibur Shards but no one seems to know anything about them, and Griselda had requested a private meeting with me regarding that together with some witness statements from her apprentices and the devils. Don't suppose you know about it?"
"Ah, so you have not been informed yet." Lyle paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before looking at the pope. "You know of my wish, don't you?"
"To witness with your own eyes the next natural user of Excalibur." The pope answered before his eyes widen. "Wait, you don't mean!"
"Griselda will likely tell you during the meeting, but I will say it now just to avoid any confusion and the possibility of eavesdroppers for your private meeting." Lyle took a deep breath before letting it out. "I have found him, the one who is able to unite all the shards into one form, the one who could be considered as the true user of Excalibur. He is 'The One'."
Silence descend on the room, the sound of burning firewood and charcoal being the only source that broke it. Then the pope slowly placed his cup on the table and sat down heavily on the chair behind him, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
"Continue." The old man spoke one word with a tone that Lyle recognized. Right now this was not the old man who had picked him up from the collapse of Galilei's experiments; this was the Pope talking to him. Lyle collected his thoughts while setting his tea down. Where to begin?
… Best to start from the beginning then, when they first hatched the plan.
For the next hour, Lyle gave his report about the activities that brought them to the town and the area they were to perform the ritual. Then he relayed the information about the Japanese wizard that lived in the area, emphasizing the bit that he was not truly an ally to the Devils, merely a neutral party caught up in their mess. He then spoke of the shards' unusual reaction towards the person in question, how they would react in occasional violent manners to get to him. Finally he talked of the final fight, where the shards seemed to have merged together using some template conjured by the magician, combing the shards into the proper and ideal form of the sword, and with it, dispatched Kokabiel.
On the Pope's side, he was silent for most of the conversation, occasionally pausing Lyle to either ask a question or to retell one portion with greater detail, all the while maintaining a neutral expression that betrayed none of his thoughts. After Lyle had finished, the pope stayed silent for quite a while as he digested the information. Then with a slow motion, he got up from his seat and made his way to the fire, placing a hand on the mantelpiece and stared at the flames, the light reflecting off his dark eyes and his face giving him the look of a man who was to make a very big decision in the future.
"This is not quite what I had expected." Pope Francis spoke after a long time of staring into the flame. "It was a good idea to tell me this beforehand, this is a lot to take in."
"I figured you would need time to listen." Lyle sat down on the chair and focused on the elderly man. "I also felt that there might be some people that you probably do not want to know about him. Having a person being naturally tuned to a holy sword, let alone one Excalibur Shard, is quite a big deal. Having someone that is not only unanimously accepted by six of the seven not counting Arthur Pendragon's shard, but one able to combine all of them into one and recreate the sword? I don't even want to think about that mess to come."
"… It seems that I would need to have a word with the High Angels on this matter." The pope sighed heavily at the information he got. Lyle pursed his lips at that remark; now would be a good time to ask the question.
"Your Holiness, permission to ask a particularly sensitive question?" Lyle asked with a complicated expression.
"I think I know what question you wish to ask." The pope turned to him with a serious expression of his own. "You want to know about the 'Death of God'."
"So it is true? The original Christian God is gone?" Lyle clenched his fists tightly as an odd feeling started to build up inside him. "Tell me, how long?" Pope Francis could not help but feel slightly impressed that Lyle was able to maintain his voice without breaking, with the shaking of his clenched hand the only indicator of what Lyle was feeling.
"By that you mean how long I knew about it?" The pope let out a sad smile at him. "I had some suspicions during my time as a Bishop, but it was only after entering this office for more than six months that I got a house call from Archangel Michael and the other Seraphs to have a serious conversation. I was standing right where you are now when they told me that particular news. I will admit, I was both shocked and yet calm when they told me about it. I dare say the feeling you are having right now is similar."
Lyle looked at him for a moment before letting out a troubled sigh, the odd feeling leaving his body to be replaced with a reluctant acceptance. The pope was right again; his emotions were somewhat in turmoil and yet he was oddly calm about the news. Then again, when he thought about the different experiments and the different situations he had been in, it made sense. Considering how the lines between religions have been thinning for the past few centuries, it would seemed logical that the Christian God was dead; after all he was quite a hard-liner when it came to other religions. Not to mention some of the experiments were directed at the idea of combining concepts from other religions. There was no way some would have worked the way it did if he were alive.
"So what now?" Lyle asked after controlling himself.
"I have already gotten the letter from the Maou Faction asking for an explanation as to our incompetence to protect the Excalibur Relics, and in all likelihood, all three factions will be going to have a major talk about this situation." The pope straightened his back and straightened his clothing. "This might be the opportunity to propose something we have not had the chance to do."
"Considering what I know of the other factions and you, I can make a few guesses." Lyle let out a tired smile at him. "Peace being the foremost."
"Yes perhaps this is a chance to do that, and while we are at it, we can ask more about this individual called Shirou Emiya."
"… I see." Lyle drained his cup of tea, only realizing that it gotten cold during the time they talked. He settled for the biscuits as he tried to take his mind off other matters.
"My son, I know you are troubled, so speak it out." The pope looked at him with a knowing eye. At times like this, Lyle wondered if the pope had some ability to read minds.
"… It is just, seeing and meeting Shirou Emiya is an odd experience." Lyle started to speak while taking his turn to watch the flames. "I have met several users who were either augmented from the experiments or natural users for one sword like Xenovia Quarta, but he is the first one aside from me that has a reaction to the shards and compatible with other swords. Be it Holy Swords or Demonic Swords, he has the same affinity as me."
"I'm… I'm not alone anymore in that area, yet it feels weird."
"Hmm, I thought you would be glad for such a change." The pope replied with a raised eyebrow.
"That is the thing. I have done my research on him, and overheard the chatter from both the devil's and Creed's, and the way we fight, act or even speak seems to be very similar to the point that Creed even mentioned that we are like mirror reflections of each other. I should be happier about it perhaps, but I feel uneasy." Lyle flexed his fingers unconsciously as he thought about the magician.
...
A/N : The Story Needs More Power Stones ;)
PS : if we can reach 400 Stones by the end of the week, I will throw you an extra chapter
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