Chapter 730: Important Context.

Victoria Alberta looked no different from their previous meeting. Same haircut, same gray suit, same expression. That was one of the reasons Dante hadn’t anticipated her apologizing to him from the get-go, even though that was the main reason for their meeting.

Sitting in his chair, Dante stared at the gunmetal hair hiding that average yet unsettling face. Even though she had apologized, he was struggling to believe there was any remorse in her expression.

"We would have been in an entirely different world if apologies were enough to solve problems," Dante said. "Let’s hear your explanation first, then we will decide on the right reparations."

Once his guest sat down, Dante called in the server and had their food brought in. Not rushing things, he took his time tasting the steak that had been the reason for him choosing this specific restaurant. He washed it down with some wine, and as he placed the glass down, he turned his gaze to the female cyborg.

"Now then," He said. "You may begin."

Though she had been served the same dish as him, Victoria hadn’t touched hers and waited patiently. All she did was take a deep breath before meeting his gaze.

"I believe it would be for the best if I explained the current state of the church." She said.

"Does that have anything to do with what happened?"

"Yes. It provides an important context." Pausing as if to give him the opportunity to respond, she then continued when he said nothing. "The church of the Eternal Gear no longer has the power and influence it once had."

’No shit.’ Dante thought.

"The war against Eidolon and their Genomes has left us in a truly bad state, and most of the world seems to have turned its back on us. At this point, the only ones left in our ranks are those who truly believe in our mission, but that does not necessarily mean that all of us share the same opinion on how to go about achieving it."

A cult that had split into multiple factions, doubling the problems they have. Dante guessed that she would claim that one of those factions was the one that attacked him, and that the one she belongs to had nothing to do with it. Even if that were the case, it wouldn’t change the fact that the Cult was responsible. They couldn’t claim that the attack was carried out by extremists when that word describes the entire organization.

"One faction has been dedicated to the inhalation of the Genomes, choosing to wage war." Said Victoria. "The other is dedicated to the preparations of the singularity, the day when our lord descends."

As he was taking a sip from his glass, Dante almost spit out his wine. His bionic lung made choking impossible, so he was left stunned with a hand on his mouth.

"Y-your... lord?" He eventually asked. "You have one?"

"Of course we do." For the first time since their meeting, Victoria allowed herself to smile. "How else would we be considered a church?"

"A cult," Dante said.

"All religions can be considered to be cults." She said. "However, unlike many, we do in fact have proof of our lord’s existence." Casting her gaze down, she spoke in a low voice. "Or I should say we had."

As she embraced silence, Dante took a moment to reflect on what she said. He hated that a part of him didn’t find the idea ridiculous, and to make things worse, it felt like he had a very clear idea of where things were heading.

Resurfacing from the depths of her thoughts, Victoria once again looked into his eyes. Though clearly implants, they seemed to convey her emotions as she attempted to read him.

"Two years ago, something was stolen from us," she said. "Something very precious."

The silent pauses were starting to get uncomfortable. Was she truly hoping that he would break and confess something? Of course, Dante wasn’t about to say anything. No matter how close she got to the truth, it wouldn’t change much.

Seeing that he wasn’t showing any reaction, the female cyborg continued.

"The thing I’m referring to was the sole remnant of our lord." She said. "An artifact of such immense power, such technological complexity that centuries of advancements hadn’t brought us one step closer to understanding it."

’This is starting to sound familiar.’ Dante said internally.

[Indeed.] Volcan replied.

As the female cyborg continued, Dante found himself remembering a conversation he had with Larry a while back.

"The artifact I speak of has granted our church the power to fight back against the Genomes." She said. "Through it, we were able to elevate our technology beyond what is feasible using our current understanding of the world. I have seen it work with my very eyes, and I can say with utmost certainty that it is nothing if not divine."

Dante felt that it was difficult to feign disinterest at this point.

"I did hear some rumors." He said.

"I’m sure you did," Victoria responded. "The artifact had been mainly used to create the implants awarded to our high-ranking clerics. Only those who had devoted themselves to the path of the Eternal Gear receive such honor, so imagine our surprise when one day an outsider emerged, wielding bionic implants on the same level as our High Bishops."

"I see..." Heaving a sigh, Dante grabbed his glass and downed its contents. "And that is the reason you decided to attack me?"

"To be clear, we do not have proof that your implants had been made using our stolen artifact, so we wished to confirm it first before taking any drastic actions." She said. "Our first option had been to coerce you into joining our ranks, but when that failed," Letting a sigh escape her, she then added. "One of the High Bishops went against the wishes of the council and ordered the attack, hoping to bring you in by force."