After reducing the number of people accompanying him, Aiwass's maneuvering speed has been significantly improved.
Although Cardinal Galatea is very heavy, which is very different from her slender appearance... But even if it is twice as heavy as the Pegasus that Helechen transformed into, it can easily carry it.
"Thank you for your hard work, Galatea."
Aiwass sighed: "I know you want to retire...or, a long enough vacation. But as far as the current situation is concerned, I will need you for a while.
"I'm afraid I have to wait at least until the Fallen Sky Division is defeated and annihilated before I can let you go home."
Part of the reason why he came to Cardinal Galatea alone was because he had something to say to her alone.
Otherwise, Aiwass and Helechin are actually enough.
"It doesn't matter from my side, Your Majesty the Pope."
Galatea spoke softly, with a voice as clean and as cold as a spring: "I have been waiting for thousands of years, and it is not less than these few months. Besides, I can't let go of things here... No matter how tired I am,
, and it is impossible to let others suffer and just leave willfully."
She sat behind Aiwass and put her hands around Aiwass's waist.
"Uh-huh..."
But at this moment, Aiwass suddenly felt a huge force coming from his waist - Galatea tightened her arms slightly, and Aiwass felt as if he had been squeezed flat by a hydraulic press.
"I have something to say first, Your Majesty the Pope - there is something I need to clear up right now."
Galatea asked seriously: "How many people do you plan to take with you?"
Aiwass raised his eyebrows and said casually: "Bring as much as possible, at least all the ziggurats - this was agreed in advance. They were originally going to Avalon, but now they are stopped
That’s all.”
"Besides the ziggurat?"
Galatea asked: "Where are the other civilians?"
"I intend to make a call, and this was already laid out when I was pope."
Aiwass said immediately, obviously having already thought of a solution: "The Narcissus Principality is already short of people, and the Theocracy can also accommodate a lot of people. If I make a call in the name of the Theocracy, no matter whether it is Black Eagle
Or Iris should be willing to take in some refugees... Regarding this, I have already contacted everyone who needs to be contacted.
"In addition, Avalon can also accommodate a group of refugees... If that's not enough, I still have contact with the troll tribe in the southern continent. It just so happens that Avalon is planning to reclaim the southern continent recently and needs manpower. We can also hire some with high salaries.
The Star Antimony Transcendents went to the Southern Continent to build infrastructure—this is exactly what Avalon is hard to come up with.”
"...It seems that you have been prepared for a long time."
"Of course," Aiwass's voice was clear and full of energy, "because even without the Fallen Sky Division, Star Antimony has already fallen into an economic crisis. At the same time, there is also the undead natural disaster caused by the undead Valentine VII... Now
The Star Antimony military department is divided, the queen is in power, and even the security forces cannot pay their wages. Today, the Star Antimony Kingdom is in name only.
"There is another detail here - many Star Antimonians have enmity with goblins. And goblins have enmity with trolls. Now the largest troll tribe has come to me, and I pushed them to Avalon...
...In other words, the goblins and I are now on opposite sides.
"Although Avalon's railway is also sponsored by the Goblin Chamber of Commerce, the money has been obtained anyway. And the original purpose of the Goblin Chamber of Commerce has been achieved long ago... which is to completely collapse Star Antimony's economy.
"The investment they gave to Avalon was money to buy 'ministers regardless of the ministry'. Now that I am the Pope, this price is far from enough - that is a price they cannot give, and it is impossible to give it."
price.
"I received the money, and I had to do something. But after I did something, I also had to end it - send those people who harbor hatred towards the goblins to the goblins' hometown, and then give them the Theocracy - originally Avalon -
- support and give them the opportunity to revenge and restore their country...this was my initial arrangement for them.
"...In other words, Xing Antimony will face the current situation, and I am actually partly responsible for it. Therefore, part of the escape route I prepared for the people of Xing Antimony is to end my own plan... But now the Fallen Heaven Division has arrived
, so this evacuation plan is used in other places."
Aiwass turned his head slightly, looked at the silent Galatea, and asked humbly: "How about it, Cardinal Galatea? Will it make me look too evil?"
"—On the contrary, Your Majesty the Pope."
Galatea's voice was cold: "I think you are too compassionate."
"...Don't yang-yang me," Aiwass felt helpless, "I also know this is not good..."
"No, what I said is literal - you are too merciful. This is not a good thing."
Galatea said seriously: "If you are wearing the Holy Crown now, I will never have any objection to your decision. Even if all the elves are burned up, they will eventually illuminate the direction you are pointing.
However, you are not officially the Pope now, so I dare to explain it to you...
"It's just like the rules you just mentioned - the demons don't care about their evacuation because you are taking away troublesome people that they need to risk their lives to defeat. And their appearance rules are different from usual. Die here.
If he died, he would really die. So they chose to stand by and watch.
"——But if you try to take away civilians, will the demons really stand by and watch? I'm afraid not. That will only lead to more intense conflicts.
"Not only will the actions of the demons become more intense - residents who would not otherwise die will also be killed by the demons as they try to escape, as a warning. And those rebels who come to rescue will encounter more dangers
.The legion composed of high-level demons is unstoppable to most countries and is like a god-like existence.
"Although the Fallen Lord and the high-level demons directly summoned by him cannot leave the country bound by this ritual, they can create new high-level demons at any time.
"If you try to go to Star Antimony for rescue, you will only be blocked by the superior demon army and lose precious vitality; when they are attacked by the demons transformed by the residents of Star Antimony, they will not even be able to save their own country.
"——The burning of fire requires fuel. If you don't want to give up anything, you may not be able to preserve anything."
That is not unfounded worry.
It was a conclusion reached by Galatea through calm and ruthless logical deduction.
——I’m afraid that this twin-mirror voter is actually the one who least believes in romance and beauty.
"...You mean," Aiwass understood what she meant at this moment, "that I won't save them?"
He caught familiar traces from Galatea.
It was...controlled fire.
From the concept of Cardinal Loki, "necessary evil", the predecessor of "premature death".
This idea is really popular in the Theocracy... It seems that there are not just one or two cardinals who agree with Cardinal Loki's idea.
"It's just like the rules you said - as long as we secretly transfer those who are talented, sober, and not easily deceived by demons, the demons will never do anything too bad to other people. On the contrary, they will
Try to maintain a friendly attitude."
Galatea said calmly: "So we must not launch a large-scale rescue. Even if we want to rescue someone, we have to have a small number of people picked up by a small wave of elites as we do now - a small amount and many times. In this way
To delay the demons' action.
"In order to satisfy the devils, we can't even disclose the fact that we will gradually rescue people. It will make people have hope, and in order to destroy this slim hope, the devils will also punish these civilians more severely.
Hand. If this happens, it will be counterproductive——
"In other words, our goal is to eventually save more people. And for this purpose, the sacrifice of some people and the degradation of some people are necessary. Through the minimum number of sacrifices, we can win the longest peace.
, to save the most people without affecting the interests and security of other countries... This is the best way to contribute."
When Galatea said this, it was a little complicated: "If it were His Majesty the Pope before... I think he would think so too."
"...So he is not me."
Aiwass sighed: "Or, at least, it's not entirely me."
"Are you still planning to—?"
"Galatea," Aiwass interrupted the puppet cardinal, "Of all the things that can emit light or heat, what do you think I am more like?"
"……you……"
Galatea was silent for a while before giving the answer: "You are like the sun, giving light and heat to all things equally. Of all the popes I have ever seen, you are the most in line with the 'sun'
The word man.”
"...That's really a compliment."
"That's not the case," Galatea said coldly, "The light of the sun is too weak at some times, and too strong at other times. Some people will freeze to death, and some will die of heat... But at least the whole world
They all gained vitality because of this.
"But this light is so natural that people will even forget its existence, and even choose to shield themselves from the sun as a luxury. When someone needs help more, this light seems not enough; the sun cannot cover the world, and the more it makes the day
Light and darkness are more sinful. It just prevents those sins from appearing in the eyes of the sun.
"But as long as it is a fire, it needs fuel. Even the sun is no exception - Xi Tiansi burned himself to illuminate the earth. The same was true for the great sun of creation in the past... Presumably it was because he burned up
, then ushered in that peaceful death.
“Just like lighting a match, the light and heat emitted by a candle escape more and more the farther away it is... all that heat is wasted.
"And if you want to light up the whole world, there is an infinite amount of wasted heat. Those 'fires' could originally be used to change everything, create everything, and destroy everything, but now they are only used to make the world look prosperous..."
Galatea's voice was cold and her tone was calm, as if without any emotion.
But Aiwass felt that her words were full of emotion, even a little excited.
——Those are the most sincere words of the Scaled Ones who have survived from the era of the Second Sun to this day.
The sun cannot be seen on the bottom of the sea - they were not born because of the sun, so for their civilization, the sun does not represent everything in the beginning.
Rather...
——She is afraid of the sun.
In other words, she was afraid of Aiwass's idea of becoming the sun.
It could also be that...she is afraid of Fallen Sky Division.
For Galatea, who was just a freelance researcher in the past, Lucifer, who was once the master of the Tower of Babel, was so powerful that it was almost impossible to fight against her.
Even if she lost her heart and was left with only longing, the fear at that time had not yet dissipated.
Those who can't fight are those who can't fight - from the very beginning when she learned that Fallen Heaven Secretary had arrived in the material world, she felt a sense of frustration and decadence.
"Galatea," Aiwass said suddenly, "you must have experienced that lightless era.
"The second sun went out, and the sun god Mithras who was supposed to be born was not born. The earth was dark, and the coldness and hunger made everything despair... I am right."
"...Did you remember something?"
"No, no. That's just information that can be deduced."
Aiwass shook his head and spoke softly: "You said...'all that heat was wasted,' but I don't think that's the case.
"The world at that time was much colder than it is now. Without the light of the sun, everything lost its vitality.
"That 'heat' is never wasted. It only changes the most basic environment and changes the world in the most invisible way.
"Thank you, Galatea. You were able to compare me to the sun - and I want to be like the sun."
Aiwass smiled and said: "Do you know why Xi Tiansi became the third sun?"
Galatea reasoned calmly: "According to the secrets we saw from the ruins of the Tower of Babel, the fragments of the sun fell into the sea. That was the birth of the Beast Lord - the Beast Lord was the son of the Taboo, before he gained the ability to evolve.
, He is a sea monster on the bottom of the sea. It is precisely because of the power of creation that there are hundreds of species of beasts on the earth.
"And the beast master and the eternal self have two sides. As the son of the eternal self and the eternal self, Xitiansi has the remnant of the second sun that was expelled by the eternal self. It is also the power of creation controlled by the beast master.
…”
"No, that's not what I'm talking about."
But Aiwass shook his head: "He will ignite himself under Sand Clock's persuasion and become the third sun - precisely because people have seen the sun.
"Although people today are afraid of the dark night, they are not desperate. Because people know that the sun will rise tomorrow... and it was the same back then.
"People know that there was a sun in this world, and they still remember the scene when the sun shone on the earth. It was beautiful and worth remembering. It was for this reason that Xi Tiansi chose to sacrifice... to light the fire that burned himself."
Aiwass thought of the vision he saw while reading the Morning Crow Tantra.
It's painful for Xi Tiansi to set himself on fire.
He works sleeplessly, and sometimes even suddenly falls asleep, plunging an area into eternal daylight and drought, and forgets to bring light to the darkness on the other side.
- But He would rather burn for it.
That is to bring light back to the world.
"Despair kills, Galatea. If you don't bring hope to people, but make them realize that they are the abandoned side, when the demons are repelled, they will become new demons... with a
Despair and anger, hating everything. If even the Holy Theocracy has given up on them, then what should they live for?
"Give people hope! Let them know that the sun will rise after it sets; let them know that after the light has gone, it will come again..."
Aiwass said calmly: "This is not just for the Star Antimony people to see. It is also for other people to see - only through struggle can there be a way to survive. This will not be the only time when Tiansi comes. It is preserved through 'compromise'
Population is just a credit for the future."
Galatea couldn't understand: "Then what if the demons take radical measures?"
"Then fight them, and I will lead the way."
Aiwass shook his head: "Galatea, if you fall into the trap of 'premature death' and 'necessary evil', you will not be able to save the world.
"When disaster really strikes, you don't have to give up just once. You always give up a few people for the sake of the many people, retreating again and again... That can't be called salvation at all - at most it can only be regarded as stopping losses."
"...But what if sacrifice is necessary? If one party must sacrifice...it is better to let a few people sacrifice and save more people than to let more people die. This is how [civilization] has continued in this world since ancient times.
Come down."
Galatea's ideals remain strong.
Because in her understanding - precisely because of this, the concept of the source of civilization is dedication.
Sacrifice individuals and continue civilization.
Even though the subject of today's civilization is no longer the civilization of the past, just like she is no longer a scaled person... but civilization still continues.
"——You have all made a mistake. It is not a 'must', but a 'helplessness'... It is because of lack of ability that there are 'sacrifice'. It is not because of their sacrifice that civilization exists."
Aiwass said categorically - he was aroused by Cardinal Galatea's pessimistic remarks: "Just like because the fire is not hot enough, someone must bear the cold. Rather than someone having to bear the cold, others must bear the cold."
Only in this way can you get warmth. When you encounter problems, solve them, this should be the right way!
"Even if someone is willing to sacrifice, they can only die under the destruction of the enemy, not at the sacrifice of one of our own. Dedication should be voluntary, brave, and fearless... and should not be cold-blooded or ruthless.
Rational. I think you are on the wrong track - I am the Pope, I am the son of the Archbishop, so listen to me.
"I'm here to show you - it's just the Fallen Heavenly Division, we can defeat it! If even the mere Fallen Heavenly Division can't defeat..."
——Then how to fight against the end of the world?
Aiwass said this and swallowed the second half of the sentence.
He sighed and asked Herchin to stop.
Aiwass turned back and looked at Galatea who was completely silent - she obviously still had an unforgettable fear of the Fallen Sky Division.
She was not persuaded by Aiwass, but just no longer confronted Aiwass.
He reached out and touched Galatea's head.
This girl, who was as cold as a doll, raised her head in confusion.
Perhaps only at this time would it appear that she was just a girl who died before adulthood, rather than a powerful cardinal.
And Aiwass whispered in her ear: "If the fire is not hot enough, then burn me first."
