"111: The Magic of God’s Right Seat"

Hearing Fiamma of the Right's words, Pope Matthai Reese's expression darkened. "Fiamma of the Right, what exactly do you intend to do? The Index Librorum Prohibitorum is a key asset of the Anglican Church. If we act recklessly, it could provoke hostility between our Roman Catholic Church and theirs. Do you truly want to see war break out between us?"

The Pope tried to dissuade him by emphasizing the potential for conflict. However, Fiamma of the Right merely sneered inwardly. War with the Anglican Church? So what? If he could spark a third world war, that would be even better in his eyes. What the Pope feared and sought to avoid, Fiamma of the Right longed for. If not for the timing being off, he would have gladly ignited a global war right then and there. Naturally, he wasn't going to reveal these thoughts at the moment.

Thinking for a moment, Fiamma of the Right casually replied, "This incident occurred within Academy City—an aberrant city of science. The ones targeting Index are Academy City's own espers. What does any of that have to do with us Roman Catholics?"

Su Mo's identity as their embedded agent presented the perfect narrative. An esper targeting Index would only serve to drive a wedge between Academy City and the Anglican Church. And what involvement would the Roman Catholic Church have in any of that? As for Su Mo's undercover status—neither Fiamma of the Right nor the Pope believed anyone could uncover it. Who would ever suspect that a Level 5 esper was secretly a magician? Moreover, given Su Mo's usual caution and intelligence, there was no chance he would expose himself.

"Hmm... you have a point." Though the Pope wanted to argue, the more he thought about it, the more reasonable Fiamma of the Right's argument seemed. If Su Mo truly went after Index, the benefits would be considerable. Beyond the immense value of the 103,000 grimoires themselves, an esper attacking Index could seriously destabilize the fragile alliance between Academy City and the Anglican Church. Unlike the shaky alliance between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church—which at least both belonged to the Magic Side—Academy City and the Anglican Church had always shared a precarious partnership. Such an incident could easily erode that trust.

If Academy City lost its only ally, the entire global balance of power would shift, giving the Roman Catholic Church a significant strategic advantage. Whether Su Mo succeeded or failed, the very act of targeting Index would deepen the rift between the two factions. The Roman Catholic Church could simply sit back and profit from the chaos. Only in the extremely unlikely scenario that Su Mo's identity as a Roman Catholic spy was exposed would any real trouble fall upon them. But that possibility was remote.

"Unless Su Mo deliberately exposes himself, there's absolutely no way anyone would suspect him of being one of our magicians," Matthai Reese concluded, his resolve clearly strengthening.

"It's impossible. While Su Mo's loyalty to the Church may be... debatable, one thing is certain—he's no fool. He would never do something so reckless as to expose himself," the Pope added with certainty.

Fiamma of the Right nodded in agreement. He was well-informed about this highly valuable agent they had placed within the Science Side. Though Su Mo sometimes leveraged his position to request important magical information, the knowledge he received was insignificant compared to the value he provided. "In that case, let him proceed at once," Fiamma of the Right said with a smirk. Seeing that the Pope's hesitation had finally been overcome, he handed the notebook back.

The Pope took the notebook, reviewed everything once more, and, having confirmed that this course of action would indeed benefit the Roman Catholic Church, finally wrote his reply:

[I approve your capture plan. Index Librorum Prohibitorum holds great value for the Church.]

[Although you likely don't need this reminder, I must still emphasize: absolutely do not expose your identity.]

Better safe than sorry. Though the Pope believed Su Mo would never make such a rookie mistake, it was still necessary to leave the warning.

Soon, within Academy City, Su Mo received the Pope's reply. When she saw that the Pope had officially authorized Su Mo to capture her, Index instinctively grew a little nervous. But when she read the part about not exposing his identity, she nearly burst out laughing.

Don't expose his identity? Su Mo had already revealed everything to her from the very start!

Being quite sharp herself, Index quickly understood the Pope's true meaning. As long as Su Mo didn't expose himself as a Roman Catholic spy, no matter what kind of chaos unfolded, it would remain an internal matter between Academy City and the Anglican Church. The Roman Catholic Church could simply sit on the sidelines, unaffected.

Yet Su Mo had already confessed everything from the very beginning.

In other words, even though Su Mo was a Roman Catholic spy, he was still on her side. Realizing this brought Index a deep sense of reassurance and security.

Meanwhile, Su Mo swiftly composed his reply. When Index read what he had written, she was completely dumbfounded. This was the first time she had ever seen a magician bargaining so openly with his superiors.

At the Vatican, the Pope received Su Mo's message not long after. Upon reading it, a complex expression spread across his face. "This guy…" he muttered, clearly at a loss for words. Even knowing he was dealing with the Pope, Su Mo showed not the slightest hint of deference and had begun bargaining without any restraint.

Noticing the Pope's strange expression, Fiamma of the Right grew curious. He had seen the Pope lose face many times before, but this particular look was quite rare. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Without responding, the Pope silently handed over the notebook. As Fiamma of the Right read the contents, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Interesting! So he's asking for the God's Right Seat's angelic formulas? No wonder you're hesitating so much! Hahaha!"

Su Mo had seized the opportunity to make a bold request: access to the secret formulas of the God's Right Seat, claiming it was necessary for dealing with Index.

The God's Right Seat was originally established as a council of advisors to the Pope—a kind of strategic council meant to assist him. It always maintained four members, each corresponding to one of the Four Archangels: Acqua of the Back (Gabriel), Vento of the Front (Uriel), Terra of the Left (Raphael), and Fiamma of the Right (Michael). Through special formulas that purged original sin, these individuals had inherited the aspects of the Four Archangels, allowing them to wield angelic magic of incredible power, surpassing even the highest-ranked magicians.

What Su Mo had requested were these very formulas—the ones used by the members of the God's Right Seat. Technically, these formulas were preserved both within the God's Right Seat and under the Pope's control. Both the Pope and Fiamma of the Right could grant them if they wished. But that wasn't the real issue.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

The power of the God's Right Seat was a double-edged sword. If any one member grew too powerful, they could end up challenging the Pope's authority—just as was happening with the current God's Right Seat. The organization's influence had already grown to the point of undermining the Pope's own command. Given this imbalance of power, the Pope was understandably hesitant about handing over the formulas to Su Mo, especially since he was technically an undercover agent and not even officially part of the God's Right Seat.

Seeing the Pope's hesitation, Fiamma of the Right simply waved his hand dismissively. "If he wants them, give them to him. Compared to the mission he's about to undertake, this reward is nothing. Besides, not just anyone can wield the formulas of the God's Right Seat."

Indeed, while the formulas themselves were extremely potent, mastering them required more than just study—it required innate compatibility. Only those born with the proper alignment could harness the powers of the angelic formulas. This was the highest barrier of entry. Even Fiamma of the Right himself could only wield the formula corresponding to Michael. He lacked the compatibility for the other three. The same applied to the rest of the God's Right Seat.

So even if Su Mo possessed extraordinary talent, at most, he might be able to master one formula. And there was a very real chance that he might not be compatible with any of them at all. In fact, throughout the entire Roman Catholic Church, very few individuals had ever qualified. Otherwise, Fiamma of the Right wouldn't have accepted recruits like Acqua of the Back, who had essentially joined midway with only partial compatibility.

"If he really does have the compatibility, then that wouldn't be a bad thing either," Fiamma of the Right added with a smile. "While the current God's Right Seat is full, accidents can always happen. It's never a bad idea to have a candidate waiting in the wings."

The Pope's face darkened. This generation of God's Right Seat was already difficult enough to manage, and now Fiamma of the Right was talking about grooming the next generation? Was he planning to turn the God's Right Seat into some kind of hereditary system? His ambition was far too great!