"The Croce di Pietro…we call it the St Peter's Cross. Really, what's going on?"
After receiving the report from his phone, Stiyl Magnus muttered these words.
It was an open-air coffee shop near the auto-bus depot. There were ten tables with umbrellas, and Stiyl had taken one of them. Seated in the other seats were Kamijou Touma and Tsuchimikado Motoharu, who was finally awake after having been hit by the sleeping spell that Oriana had used.
There was nothing on the table. They were not waiting to order anything, as no one was in the mood to eat or drink.
"Oi, what's that St Peter's Cross about? Is it a Cross that's made of some incredible material called Peter?"
"Peter's the name of a person, idiot. He's one of the Twelve Apostles, and legend has it that he has the key to Heaven. But right now, we're not going to talk about that myth, but rather about some other heritage."
"Other?"
Kamijou asked again. Tsuchimikado, who hadn't recovered his strength, said,
"This man called Peter is that…owner of the Holy Vatican. No, strictly speaking, the Holy Vatican was established on the large piece of land that Peter left behind—"
"The Vatican…it's that smallest country in the world?"
Kamijou tilted his head sideways and asked. Stiyl irritatedly puffed out some smoke.
"This name, the 'Vatican City State,' was decided in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty. In the past, it was called the land of the 'Vatican.' Also, that place wasn't that small to begin with. The land differs in size according to time, and at its peak, occupied even Rome, in the centre of Italy, a land that's 47,000 square kilometres in size. Italy was like the Sengoku era in Japan, because of internal strife, the Vatican shrunk as the unity of Italy became weaker."
"The question is, how did they establish the Vatican. On the land that Peter left behind, what were the Roman Catholics doing in the first place?"
Kamijou raised a voice of doubt.
Maybe everyone was farming on the wasteland, he wildly thought.
"They built a tomb. By burying Peter's corpse, and erecting a Cross."
Kamijou was shocked.
The St Peter's Cross referred to the Cross that was set up on Peter's grave.
Kamijou didn't look so good, but Tsuchimikado just ignored him and continued,
"The view of the Roman Catholic Church is that since that place is where Peter's buried, the Church didn't want anyone to disturb him, so they wanted to do their best in maintaining his heritage. At first, it was Emperor Augustine who paid his respects and built a Church. During the Renaissance, there was a pleasant large scale revolution. The St Peter's Basilica that's designed by Michelangelo—truly the world's largest Church—is built on the domain of this dead Saint."
Peter died in A.D. 1st century, and the Old St Peter's Basilica was built in the 4th century, while the king of the Lombards handed over power to the Vatican in the 8th century. Actually, there's quite a bit of time difference, but the first turning point was Peter's death and the building of his tomb.
Hearing this explanation, Kamijou was still unclear of what was going on.
"Ugh…is it that…kind of place where you offer sacrifices to those great people?"
"Well, you can say that nya. However, if you think of it another way, it's like 'building one's authority by using the dead body of a Saint.'"
If so, were they really trying to let the deceased rest, or were they using the tomb as a tourist attraction? One couldn't really decide.
"I always felt that…though I don't still know after hearing about this. Are the Roman Catholics a bunch of people who would do something like this?"
"What? There are people who'll do all these sorts of things. Like in England, there's an Archbishop named Thomas Becket (Note: Thomas Becket was appointed to be the Archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral by King Henry II, and for he went against King Henry II, he was assassinated. His exploits were documented in a film 'Becket' made in 1964). This man was assassinated in 29th December 1170 in a certain Church by the 'Royal Family'. This church is Canterbury Cathedral, the main base of the Anglican Church." Tsuchimikado finished speaking, and paused for a while.
Then he smiled,
"The Canterbury Cathedral was a Cathedral that was located far away from the capital, London…but because of the death of a great person, it became the main base straight away. The situation when Archbishop Becket got assassinated ended up triggering an offense against the 'Royal Family', resulting in the 'Royal Family' having to recognize the independence of the Church — this place is also known as the birthplace of Anglicanism. Just having 'the land of a sleeping Saint' has a large effect, Kami-yan."
Though Kamijou didn't understand, he knew that no matter what, any Church that had any link with a Great would have its value multiplied exponentially.
"…Also, the thing that Oriana's carrying around isn't the 'Stab Sword', but rather that 'Croce whatever,' huh? Is that a dangerous thing as well? Or is it like an art piece that has a strange and rare value?"
"Both. But we're focusing on the former."
Stiyl impatiently puffed out some smoke.
"Didn't I say this before? This huge piece of land inside the Vatican — or strictly speaking, the place where 'Christianity' was established. If so, on the other hand…"
"In other words?"
Kamijou asked.
"Yes, any place that has the Croce di Pietro will be under the Roman Catholic Church's dominion. Even Academy City isn't exempted."
Wait wait…!? Kamijou was at a loss of words.
Tsuchimikado said in a bitter tone,
"The 'Stab Sword' was rumored to be 'a sword that can pierce a dragon and pin it onto the ground.'"
He paused, held his breath for a while, and continued,
"This large existence that has huge wings, that will either guard a treasure while asleep or desire for a massacre, such a 'dragon' has the hidden meaning of serving God's 'angels' or the fallen 'Devil' nya. 'Pinning the dragon' has the meaning of 'turning this place to Holy grounds by letting the angels protect this place' hidden in it…those bastards."
Kamijou sighed.
There were many doubts he wanted to ask about, but speech wasn't going to convey them properly.
"Wait a sec! What do you mean by 'dominion'? What are those guys intending to do here!?"
"This country called the Vatican is like a large Church inside. Kami-yan, that interior is rather strange. Over there, the balance between fortune and misfortune is distorted, no matter what one does, it'll be beneficial to the Roman Catholic Church."
Kamijou was still unable to understand Tsuchimikado's explanation.
Stiyl continued,
"Specifically, the area inside the Vatican is filled with magic that biased. Things that normally happen will turn out to be of the Roman Catholic Church's benefit. For example, it's like using a magnet to control a roulette in a casino, ignoring the original action of the bead to make it land inside the number that one wants."
Hearing this, Kamijou still didn't understand.
But, he knew that 'there was a magic spell that allowed the circumstances to be beneficial to some people.'
"So, it's like that guy, huh? Like that alchemist, who can materialize anything that he wishes for?"
The man named Aureolus Izzard.
The result of him developing his alchemist skills to the extreme, and creating his own spell of 'turning anything he wishes for into reality' was that because of it, he was defeated by his own 'doubt'…
"No, it's not like using human willpower to use Ars Magna. This is about 'making things advantageous for the Roman Catholic Church.' But, if such a thing was to be set up in Academy City, then what?"
"Now that you mention it…"
Would Academy City end up being beneficial to the Roman Catholic Church?
It was a blurry image, as Kamijou couldn't think of any specific thought. He just said out the thought that was on his mind.
"About that…it'll be beneficial to the Roman Catholic Church. Then if the Roman Catholics are to come over to Academy City, wouldn't they become very lucky?"
"That's right; you may regard it as such. What will happen if the effect of the Croce di Pietro acts like a document? It's not a bad thing, as any Roman Catholic who enters Academy City may lose a large sum of money when they gamble, but will end up winning money in the long run. Even if the building's bombed, there won't be any injury at all. This is unnatural. Also…"
Stiyl cynically twisted his lips.
"The Croce di Pietro will help anyone who isn't a Roman Catholic as well. If the Roman Catholics are to continue winning money through gambling, normally there would be losers as well. But the Croce di Pietro would create a nice losing situation. Even if a building is bombed and destroyed, nobody would be hurt. It creates a 'oh, nobody's hurt, that's good' kind of situation."
"???"
Kamijou tilted his head.
If what Stiyl said was true,
"If so, wouldn't everyone be happy? That shouldn't be a problem."
"That is where the problem is."
Stiyl mentions this,
"Listen, if one doesn't set up this thing known as the Croce di Pietro from the start, nobody would be losing money through gambling, and nobody will target Roman Catholics in their bombing attempts. On first glance, everyone's happy. But in actuality, the Croce di Pietro brings a huge burden to anyone around, and normally in situations where one cannot see."
Tsuchimikado, who had no strength left in his upper body, was sprawled on the table. He continued,
"Actually, in Christian history, the number of times this happiness was 'switched' is unexpectedly frequent. Like San Matorras, or as the Anglicans call him, San Martin. This guy has a very interesting story. When he went to evangelize Christianity, he once broke an ancient pagan temple, and even intended to cut a holy tree down. The non-believing farmers who didn't want to become Christians resisted till the end, and said, 'If there's a God protecting you, go ahead and cut down this tree. If you're really protected by God, you won't die.'"
To think that Tsuchimikado, who normally was just messing around, was able to say this Christian fairy tale so smoothly. To his classmate Kamijou, this was truly not a familiar sight.
"Hearing this, San Martin faced the holy tree that was falling on him, and drew a cross on his chest. Then, the unthinkable happened. The holy tree fell to the other side, and nearly crushed the farmers. The farmers were touched that there was really a miracle from God, and promptly accepted Christianity… Don't you find this strange nya? The one who used this inexplicable force to cause this holy tree to fall towards the farmers was San Martin himself. He could have allowed that tree to fall somewhere that's even safer. Come to think about it, he could have just cut the tree down easily nya? Why can he still receive this amount of thanks…?"
"Anyway, the result is that, the holy tree that fell the other way didn't kill the non-believers. Because this was the mercy that God gave, every farmer rejoiced at having the chance to change their religion. No matter whether this outcome is good or bad, their history, traditions and spiritual culture were completely erased."
Kamijou thought, so what.
This indeed could bring about happiness, but not because of 'something that happened that brings about happiness,' but rather 'happiness that was brought about no matter what happens.'
Tsuchimikado lifted his head, and said,
"The effects of this method had gotten some recognition in psychology nya. First, satisfy a condition 'A' that cannot be fulfilled. When the other party begs and cries, saying that he can't do it, force him to do the original condition 'B' that one wants. In this case, it'll be easier to succeed than to offer condition 'B' right from the start. Just like how 'Compared to 'A', 'B' is so much better, we're really lucky' nya. By manipulating the specific order, manipulating the balance between one negative effect versus another, one can reduce the relative value required for happiness."
Stiyl twitched the cigarette in his mouth up and down, and continued,
"The Croce di Pietro uses the psychological effects of this myth. No matter what happens, the situation will end up benefiting the Roman Catholic Church. When people are given unrealistic proposals, they'll agree for some unknown reason…to the Roman Catholic Church, wouldn't this place be the most comfortable and enjoyable 'Holy Land'?"
The magicians' words gradually sunk into Kamijou's head.
A long time was needed for one to slowly understand such a large scale issue.
"Wait a sec, Stiyl. About the deal of that Croce di Pietro, what is Oriana and company going to do exactly?"
"If this world is split into two, one can classify them as the science side and the magic side. Right now, it's on a delicate balance."
Stiyl simply replied.
"Among them, the leader of the science side is Academy City. If this Academy City ends up being under the dominion of the Roman Catholic Church, what do you think will happen to the balance of this world?"
Ah! Kamijou finally realized it.
If the science side, which occupied half of the world, ended up being 'some random group' of a magic sect, then with 'the science side that occupied the world plus one's own magic sect,' that sect could control more than 50% of the world. Then, they just needed to do the simple thing of a majority resolution in order to control the world at will.
Moreover.
If that sect was the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian sect in the world.
"If any sect is attacked by both the magic side and science side, organisations that are of a 'single world' will be unable to resist; it's like being attacked in front and behind. The balance of world power will be entirely concentrated on the Roman Catholic Church."
The Roman Catholic Church didn't need to consider 'what they had to do in order to conquer Academy City.' By planting the Croce di Pietro in Academy City, Academy City would do anything that'd be 'beneficial to the Roman Catholic Church' after that.
Specifically, what would happen?
Would the board of directors suddenly decide to seek asylum under the Roman Catholic Church?
Or would Academy City sink into bad management, and end up receiving funding from the Roman Catholic Church?
Or would Academy City itself be reduced to ash, and end up being rebuilt by the high-ranking Roman Catholics, and not the Japanese government?
Though he didn't know how, Kamijou knew that no matter what, the situation would end up being 'most beneficial' to the Roman Catholic Church.
And the people of Academy City, nobody would question the outcome.
No matter whether it was an unreasonable request, no matter how heavy the burden that they had to carry.
It was a world where everyone had happiness.
"Then the deal that Oriana…"
"Yeah. It's not a simple deal of the spiritual item Stab Sword or the Croce di Pietro, but rather, the deal is about the 'benefit to the Roman Catholic Church's dominance' — Academy City, and the world."
Stiyl Magnus inhaled deeply.
As the cigarette in his mouth received oxygen, it started to give an orangish-red glow.
"The courier, Oriana Thomson, and the trader, Lidvia Lorenzetti. Besides them, there's no receiver on the other end — this deal just doesn't involve anyone else at all. The suspicion that it's the Russian Orthodox Church is a fake, because this is something that the Roman Catholic Church wants to send to themselves."
He paused, and said a last sentence,
"We have to prevent this deal from taking place. Otherwise, it'll end up being even worse than the destruction of the world."
Kamijou Touma and Tsuchimikado Motoharu nodded their heads.
But nobody knew what the three of them could do.
There was no guarantee that they could beat Oriana Thomson and the person behind her, Lidvia Lorenzetti.
Even so.
Those two thought that by forcing thoughts that were beneficial to themselves onto the people of Academy City, the Roman Catholic Church would gain world domination.
—He had to use this hand of his to destroy this illusion.