When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 113



Only Noblemtl

113. Familiar Sword
2024.02.21.

The letters that Luciana found on the tip of the sword’s handle were ones I had engraved.

I had engraved ‘Lusianna’ into the leather handle with the heated iron when I arrived at the Marquis’ residence earlier.

However, since this world does not use English, the letters seemed unfamiliar to Luciana.

So I explained them with a few lies.

“It’s a letter used in a small country in ancient times. It means ‘Lusianna’.”

“Ah… … .”

In fact, I had intended to write it in this world’s letters, but I forgot and engraved it in the alphabet, the letters of the world I lived in… but I couldn’t explain it as it was.

Fortunately, Luciana didn’t dig too deeply into my half-assed lie.

She simply said this.

“This is the first time I’ve received a sword as a gift. I’ll treasure it.”

“Yes, yes. It’s an L-class item with special effects, so it’ll be very useful.”

“Special effects?”

I opened the sword’s information window to explain it to Luciana in more detail.

[Guardian of the Forest (L)]

― A sword made by melting steel buried deep in the forest with the fire from the oldest tree in the forest.

― The spirit of the forest spirit, “Mossy Wolf,” resides in it.

*Special Effects

― You can summon the forest spirit, “Mossy Wolf,” that resides in the sword.

― The Mossy Wolf follows the sword holder as a contract holder.

After reading all the special effects in the information window, I explained to Luciana.

“The sword has a spirit. This is a special effect that summons it.”

Luciana immediately grabbed the sword and closed her eyes after hearing what I said.

The summoning method seemed simple enough without me having to explain it to her.

Soon, a gust of wind blew around us, and the forest spirit that resided in the sword slowly revealed itself.

Krrrr.

The summoned spirit, “Mossy Wolf,” was, as its name suggests, a translucent wolf.

Its body was a deep green color like moss, and its eyes were golden.

Also, as the information window said, he seemed to regard Luciana as his contractor.

He was staring at her with gentle eyes.

When Luciana slowly reached out, the wolf slowly licked her hand in response.

A smile quickly appeared on Luciana’s face.

“It’s wonderful. It’s the coolest weapon I’ve ever had in my life, Your Majesty.”

“I’m glad you like it. The spirit will probably be of great help in battle. It’s not just a decorative spirit.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure to train it well so that it can be used in the dungeon.”

Luciana continued training with the spirit for a long time after that. As

I watched her, I suddenly thought,

‘But that sword… It looks familiar. Where have I seen it before…?’

I didn’t know when I first saw the sword, but when I saw Luciana holding it, I had a strange sense of foreboding.

I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere….

‘I don’t know. Anyway, if Luciana likes it, that’s fine.’

I put away my complicated thoughts and watched Luciana happily training the wolf.

* * *

After going around the training ground with the spirit a few times, Luciana returned to her room.

The room she had used as a child was exactly the same as if time had stopped.

The previous marquis had preserved the bedroom for Luciana when she returned.

She looked around the bedroom that reminded her of her childhood for a while, and then fell asleep. She

had successfully cleared the dungeon, was welcomed by her father and brothers, and received a sword as a gift from Nickelus.

She thought it was a perfect day.

If only it weren’t for the nightmare that suddenly came after she fell asleep.

– ‘Someone is chasing me… … !’

In that nightmare, Luciana was young and helpless.

So even though someone was chasing her, she couldn’t fight back and just ran away.

– ‘I have to run away… … !’

In her dream, the young Luciana ran and ran with her small legs.

However, she couldn’t shake off the ‘someone’ chasing her.

The one who had been chasing her soon began to spin around happily.

– “You can’t escape my grasp.”

He gradually got closer behind her.

The distance between them became close enough that they could touch if they stretched out their hands.

As he got closer, he whispered in Luciana’s ear.

– “I let you go that time… but this time, I will definitely catch you.”

“Ahhhh!!” Luciana woke up screaming.

She gasped for breath due to the nightmare and looked around.

Nothing that had been chasing her in her dream was there. All

she could see was the peaceful scenery of her bedroom as a child. Only

then did she realize that she had had a nightmare and let out a deep sigh of relief.

‘It was an ominous dream… ‘

Even after waking up from the dream, she could still clearly feel that ominous fear.

The helplessness of not being able to escape no matter how hard she ran.

The humiliation of becoming someone’s toy.

And when she was finally grabbed by the back of the neck by that someone…

‘It felt like a swarm of rats were gnawing at her insides. Just like when I had a fever as a child.’

The fever had long since passed,

but that horrible feeling from back then still tormented her.

So she couldn’t help but have doubts.

‘Was it really just a fever… ‘

It was just a fever that went up and down, but the aftereffects lasted too long.

And the fact that the illness completely disappeared after Nickelus visited once… Something was strange.

She kept feeling like there was some kind of backstory she didn’t know about.

‘If it wasn’t a fever… then what was it…?’

She wanted to know what she had been sick with.

However, she couldn’t ask Nickelus or her father, who remembered that time.

It was obvious that they would answer, as they always did, ‘You just had a fever.’

She needed someone else to tell her the truth.

Someone who would tell her the ‘real’ truth.

Someone who would restore the memories she couldn’t remember.

Luciana wondered if there was such a person, and soon someone came to mind.

‘That person might be able to tell me the answer.’

* * *

After resting for a night at the Marquis’ residence, the next morning,

I boarded the Morning Star’s Footsteps with my party and set off on our way back.

The previous Marquis was sorry that we were leaving so quickly, but there was nothing he could do.

There were still many dungeons left.

“It’s a good thing you got some rest. Isn’t it?”

I asked Bliss on the way back to the cathedral.

No matter how I looked at it, the guy’s face didn’t look like someone who was ‘well rested’,

but… it didn’t matter. I had asked him to tease him anyway.

Bliss then slowly asked me,

“I drank too much, so I don’t remember what happened yesterday… Who did I hug?”

“Oh, how did you know? You hugged Dionik for five minutes yesterday.”

“Oh no… … .”

I chuckled because it was funny to see the guy flustered.

The guy looked at me and grinned.

“You must have felt bad. Next time, I’ll hug His Majesty.”

“… … .”

In any case, he was a guy you couldn’t tease.

How could he fight back like that right after teasing me once?

I slowly backed away from him and returned to the cabin.

I knew that teasing him any longer would only lead me to be manipulated.

And more than anything, I had something to do now.

“Grandma Black Moon?”

As I held up the Baekhwamyeongwoldo and called out like that, Grandmother Heukwol soon appeared.

“Did you call?”

“Yes, Grandmother. Now I’m going to start learning the second form of the Wolyeonggeombeop.”

“Hmm, yes. Now that I’ve learned the first form, I should learn the second form. Before that—”

Grandmother Heukwol paused for a moment and stared at me.

Then, she suddenly asked an awkward question.

“Have you finished the homework I gave you?”

“… … .”

The night before she taught me the Sharp Crescent Moon, Grandmother Heukwol had given me a homework assignment.

It was to practice the Sharp Crescent Moon 10,000 times.

Swinging a sword 10,000 times was not an easy task, and no matter how quickly I hurried, it would take at least several months.

That’s why I couldn’t even think of finishing the homework assignment, and decided to count it as ‘done.’

“I did… the homework.”

“… … .”

“I really did.” “…

… .』

Anyway, whether I did it or not, Grandma Heukwol wouldn’t know unless I said it myself.

So I tried to cover it up

until the end, but Grandma Heukwol’s eyes were unusual. Should I say that her eyes were so sharp that they seemed to pierce my soul?

I couldn’t continue lying in front of those eyes, so I ended up confessing the truth.

“… … Actually, I couldn’t. I didn’t have time because I was busy hunting dungeon monsters… no, monsters… … .”

『Tsk tsk tsk… … . I knew you would do that. You can tell by looking at me, you’re not the type to finish your homework on time. I knew you wouldn’t do it.』

A reward for not doing your homework? Is there such a reward?

Anyway, I felt a little wronged.

“It’s not that I didn’t do it because I was playing… … .”

『I didn’t do it, after all.』

“But I think I did it around 5,000 times. I swung my sword many times while hunting monsters.”

Actually, I don’t think it was 5,000 times, but I felt embarrassed to say I only swung it a little, so I exaggerated it a little.

『Phew… … . That’s right, it’s my fault for taking such a sloppy kid as my disciple… … . I’ll teach you the second form. I’ll demonstrate first, so learn it well.』

“Yes!”

Soon, the spirit of Grandma Heukmoon moved my body.

Just like when she had shown me the Sharp Crescent Moon before, she was directly controlling my body. She

demonstrated the second form through my body.

‘Stabbing posture…?’

My body changed into a stabbing posture.

I tried my best to learn the movements of my muscles and the direction of my gaze in that state.

Soon, I felt strength in my fingers.

I thought that she would soon thrust her sword forward, and at that moment―

bang―!!

The stabbing attack was carried out as expected.

Of course, it was not a simple stabbing.

The divine power released from the tip of the sword shot out in a straight line like a giant bullet, creating a large hole in the cabin wall.

I was amazed as I looked at the neat, garden-like hole.

“This is… …” ”

The second form. It is the ‘Penetrating Full Moon.’”

After demonstrating it, Grandmother Heukwol explained it to me as she withdrew from my body.

“It is a form created with the belief that I will pierce through all the obstacles blocking me and my loved ones. “Have you memorized the movements?”

“Yes. Should we follow along?”

“Not now, but this time, let’s look at the moon, pray, and then practice. That’ll probably be better. Until then, practice the first form as much as you can.”

Black Moon Grandmother disappeared, saying she would sleep for a while until then, and I gripped my sword tightly to practice.

* * *

While Elodie and Dionique were chatting like any other day,

someone approached her with regular footsteps.

“Elodie, give me a moment.”

Elodie, who was sitting on the railing, raised her head to look at the person who had spoken to her.

It was Luciana.

Since this was the first time Luciana had approached her with such an ulterior motive, Elodie asked in a slightly surprised tone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Please… … .”

Elodie hesitated for a moment, then straightened up.

They had been a bit awkward before, but this time, as they cleared the dungeon together, the two had come to trust each other to some extent.

That’s why Elodie got up from her seat without much suspicion, and Luciana took Elodie to a secluded cabin.

Only after they arrived at a cabin where no one had set foot on, did Elodie speak first.

“Since you’ve come this far, I guess it’s a story that others shouldn’t hear.”

“It’s personal… … . I especially want you to keep it a secret from His Holiness.”

“And Nickelus? What on earth do you want?”

Luciana slowly opened her mouth in response to Elodie’s question.

“When I was young, I was sick for a while. I was so sick that I couldn’t even go to seminary. My father and Nickelus said that I was sick with a fever, and I believed that all along.”

“I believed that all along… … .”

“Yeah, I don’t remember what happened that day. I had no choice but to believe what they told me. But―”

Luciana continued, biting her lips tightly once.

“I keep thinking that what I had back then might not have been a simple fever.”

“Then?”

“I… might have been under someone’s curse skill back then.”