Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord
Chapter 233: The Pope Joined the Group Chat

"Your Holiness, please sign here."

Beatrice numbly picked up the pen and signed her name in the corner of the document.

She had been the Pope for several days now.

Everything had gone unexpectedly smoothly. Unlike what she had imagined, there was no bloodshed—at least none that had involved her in the slightest.

That day, in front of the palace, she encountered the Candlelight Emblem’s army. From Hela—the nun veiled in black—she received the triple crown and became the Pope of the Candlelight Emblem.

The "Prince" had assassinated the Empress and then fled, breaking through the palace guards and church forces. Yet, Beatrice clearly remembered that he was supposed to be just an ordinary person.

And so, the throne remained empty.

The nobles of Rhine settled down. The noble council, which used to argue over the smallest matters, was now as quiet as a chicken, leaving the throne vacant without anyone daring to comment on it.

But outside of Rhine, the empire’s dukes were not as peaceful.

Beatrice had recently signed off on many documents, most of which were harsh accusations directed at several lords within the empire—so severe that even she was surprised by the wording.

Perhaps the empire would soon fall into chaos—or rather, it had already fallen into chaos. She just hadn’t felt it, confined as she was within the church in Rhine.

"Lady Joanne, thank you for your hard work." Hela pulled the signed document from the table and prepared to leave.

"Hela, what about the matter I asked you about earlier?"

Beatrice asked with some unease.

She knew perfectly well that she was merely a nominal Pope, but she still tried to make a few reasonable requests—such as investigating what had happened in Castel. It was both a test and a personal wish.

Neither the Corridor of Truth nor the Sea of Unawareness had any traces of Castel, which was highly unusual.

"Your Holiness, the Pope is currently in a state of withdrawal. We do not have the strength to extend our reach to the Storm Ocean. Please be patient." Hela’s voice was as steady as ever. Her tone was calm and her words precise. Thinking of the mechanical gears beneath the black veil covering Hela’s face, Beatrice felt an inexplicable fear.

It was as if she were facing a machine disguised as a human.

Hela tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled.

"I understand."

Beatrice took a deep breath and numbly sat back in her chair. Hela left, and she sat alone in the quiet room.

She... truly had no way out.

Investigators were a powerful extraordinary path. They could enter the Corridor of Truth under almost any circumstances and, even with no clues, could pull fragments of history to force a way forward.

Yet, within this church—no, at least within this room—she felt like an ordinary person, completely powerless.

Here, everything seemed blank. History was blank. The Sea of Unawareness was blank. The past and future were blank. No matter how she used her abilities, she received no response.

Within this church—no, within this room—she was completely unable to use her extraordinary powers.

This was her cage of despair.

It made sense. The Candlelight Emblem certainly knew she was an investigator and was fully aware of her abilities. Any struggle she attempted would have already been anticipated by the church.

She was the Pope, and she could only be the Pope.

Her gaze gradually turned hollow. But suddenly, her body trembled.

『Gwen, are you still there?』

An inexplicable voice rose from the depths of her mind. Beatrice tensed every muscle in her body, struggling not to react outwardly.

A hallucination? No. She had not experienced any hallucinations since entering this room. Then… what was this voice?

『Gwen?』

Who was Gwen?

Before she could think further, a humming noise suddenly echoed in her mind.

Buzz!

Like a burst of light within her skull, it instantly illuminated the connection between several individuals. In that moment, Beatrice instinctively understood that there were four people in this connection. The investigator’s extraordinary power mysteriously activated, allowing her to vaguely sense the locations of the others.

One seemed to be in the Northern Frontier, while the other two were at sea?

『Wait, someone new just joined!?』

『Hello, my name is Fries. This here is the Captain. Never mind the introductions for now—do you have any way to help Gwen?』

Beatrice took a deep breath, feeling her pupils tremble.

She glanced around. She was still in the church’s room in Rhine, inside the headquarters of the Candlelight Emblem. As an extraordinary being, she couldn’t even reach the Sea of Unawareness, yet somehow, someone was speaking directly into her mind?

Mind communication was an extraordinary ability. She had heard of certain paths possessing such strange powers. But… wasn’t this place supposed to block all extraordinary abilities?

Beatrice forced herself to calm down. She attempted to gather her extraordinary power and push beyond the walls of reality—but in just a moment, she knew she had failed.

The reality of this place was as solid as a fortress, an insurmountable chasm for her.

『Hello, can you hear me?』

Beatrice remained silent for a moment before replying in her mind: 『Yes.』

『May I ask how to address you? Oh, you can use a pseudonym. For example, I’m Fries. Over here is the Captain. And Gwen… well, she seems to be in big trouble.』

A pseudonym?

Beatrice hesitated only briefly before choosing a name.

『…Scepter.』

『Scepter? That’s an odd name. Alright, let’s not dwell on that. We need to figure out a way to help Miss Gwen…』

Beatrice quietly listened to Fries’ somewhat anxious explanation. After a while, she pondered before saying:

『Miss Gwen should be in the Northern Frontier. Daylight arrives later there, so you needn’t be too anxious. She may still be asleep.』

『Daylight arrives later? What do you mean?』 Fries asked curiously.

『The farther north you go, the later the sun rises. In the White Raven Principality, the Forgotten Sanctum even has dedicated night watchers who reside in the extreme north, where daylight never comes and the world is plunged into eternal darkness.』

Beatrice recalled.

This was basic geographical knowledge. Her former tutor had been very interested in such topics and had told her many similar stories.

On the ship, Jeremiah and Kenn exchanged surprised glances. Kenn spoke with amazement, "Mr. Jeremiah, is what she’s saying true? Have you been to the Northern Frontier?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "I have been to the Northern Frontier, but the location Scepter mentioned is in the extreme north, where the sea is frozen. It’s said that even ships cannot pass through. I’ve only been to the White Raven Principality’s port."

Fries: 『Alright, that’s quite the phenomenon. So, when will daylight arrive for her?』

Scepter: 『Very soon. Given her location, there isn’t a significant time difference.』

Suddenly, a deep voice joined the discussion. Jeremiah, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

Captain: 『You can determine her location?』

Scepter: 『Yes. And I also know that you two are currently at sea, near Castel.』