When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 122



Only Noblemtl

122. Siren Extermination
2024.03.01.

The Baronial domain of Deloch was small.

The number of residents was also small, so the fact that 13 people had gone missing seemed to have shocked the Baron greatly.

He couldn’t hide his embarrassment and his goatee fluttered.

I made a gesture with my hand to calm him down, as he had already entered my bedroom.

“Calm down for now. Any witnesses?”

“There is one. He is a boy. He said that he saw 13 villagers heading somewhere in the morning. However, he was too scared to stop them.”

“Ah… … .”

Suddenly, something came to mind and I asked Baron Deloch.

“Did that witness boy testify like this? That the people were ‘dazed, as if possessed’ and headed somewhere?”

“Yes! That’s right! He said exactly that. He said that they seemed possessed… … .”

It was as expected.

Last night, when I chased Luciana’s illusion, Petros had said the same thing to me. He said that

he was walking as if possessed by something.

‘Judging by the similar symptoms, the people of the territory must have seen illusions like me… … .’

Just as I absentmindedly chased Luciana’s illusion, they must have been chasing the illusions of their acquaintances.

And I had a quick guess as to what could cause such a strange phenomenon.

“It must be the work of a monster. Some monsters have a mental skill that lures people.”

I remembered hearing an unidentified singing voice when I saw Luciana’s illusion.

Was it perhaps a skill that allows you to see illusions when you hear the singing voice?

I searched my memory to find out if there was a monster with such a skill.

In the meantime, Baron Delorche asked in a frightened voice.

“What should we do…?”

“We have no choice but to exterminate it.”

I said simply, and at the same time made a request to the Baron.

“I’m going to hunt monsters, so there are a few things I’d like you to prepare for me.”

* * *

After asking Baron Deloch to prepare a few items, I woke up Petros.

When I explained the situation to Petros, who was sleeping late, he reacted like this.

“Ugh, a monster that bewitches people with its skills… … ? Oh, those are hard to catch… … .”

“It’s not just difficult, it’s freaking difficult. Considering that it bewitched and took 13 people at once, it must have been a powerful monster. It might have been the boss monster of a dungeon.”

“Whew… … .”

“Anyway, I can’t just leave it alone and not catch it. So, do you know anything about that monster?”

After asking that, I continued to talk to him.

“What is that… You have that skill too. The Dictionary of Gods skill.”

“… … ?!”

Petros flinched when I mentioned his own skill.

Of course.

One of his skills, the “Dictionary of Gods.”

Petros had never used that skill in front of us before.

He must have been curious as he didn’t know about my ability to check information windows.

How could I know about a skill he had never shown me?

“How did you know? That I have that skill.”

“Just like the skill you have, I have a similar power. The power to see through people’s skill information.”

I explained the ability to check information windows vaguely, just like I did to Bliss.

Fortunately, he seemed to understand.

“Well, he’s the Pope… …” I muttered.

While he was understanding, I brought up the original topic again.

“Your skill… It’s a skill to check information on monsters or items, right?”

“Yes. It’s a skill that summons a dictionary filled with knowledge of the world and lets you read it… Should I say it?”

“Yes, look up some information with that. Information about a monster that charms people with its singing voice.”

He nodded at my words.

Then I activated the skill.

Soon, something seemed to have been summoned in front of him.

I couldn’t see anything, but the guy kept rolling his eyes in the air as if a giant book was open in front of me.

Then he suddenly said,

“Ah, I found it. Here.”

He pointed to the dictionary that only I could see with his hand and explained.

“There’s a monster called a siren. It’s a monster that charms people with its singing

.” “Ah, siren… … That monster existed.”

The Earth I lived on and this world had many similarities.

Cultural styles, the appearance of people, and even plants and animals.

So, the monsters in Earth’s mythology… for example, vampires, gnomes, dragons, etc., existed here as well.

Of course, there was a difference in

that they were nothing more than mythical beings on Earth, but they existed here as real monsters. Anyway, sirens were an example of this. They were imaginary beings on Earth, but they existed here as real monsters.

I spoke to Petros, using my knowledge.

“They’re half-human, half-bird monsters, right? They lure people in with their beautiful songs… … .”

Petros nodded in agreement and continued to explain.

“Yes, and if you hear their songs, you’ll see hallucinations. Their habitats aren’t particularly fixed.”

“Really?”

After all, the sirens on Earth and the sirens on this world were a little different.

The sirens on Earth mostly lived in the ocean, and they only lured people in with their songs, not showing them hallucinations.

“Okay. Now all that’s left is to go catch them. “I told the Baron to prepare the necessary items in advance.”

Now, all that was left for the Baron to do was prepare them.

We could go hunting monsters right away.

* * *

The Baron prepared the items faster than I expected.

Thanks to this, we were able to take action the very next night after the 13 people went missing.

Before we started hunting in earnest, I looked over the items the Baron had prepared in advance.

‘Two sound-blocking items… and one knight… … . Everything was prepared properly.’

The two sound-blocking items the Baron had prepared were for Petros and I.

We needed to use the items to block out the sound so that we wouldn’t be entranced by the Siren’s song and see hallucinations.

And one knight—

‘I feel bad using a stranger as bait, but I can’t help it.’

He was literally bait.

Bait to find out the Siren’s location.

I opened my mouth while looking at Petros and the bait knight… Mark, I think his name was?

Anyway, Petros and Mark.

“I’ll explain the plan again, so listen carefully. First, we have to wait until Mark is entranced by the Siren’s song.” He

said and continued to explain.

“Sirens seem to lure people to their nests, so Mark will naturally walk toward the nest after being entranced by the song. Just like the 13 missing people yesterday.”

Those who disappeared after being entranced by the song early yesterday morning would have gone to the Siren’s food warehouse.

If the Siren’s stomach wasn’t full, she would probably use the song to feed them again today… She would entrance people and make them walk into her warehouse.

Our plan was to use that to our advantage and track the location of the Siren’s nest.

Just then, Petros pointed out the key to this plan.

“Then, Your Majesty and I will follow the entranced Mark, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Siren will lure Mark to the nest, so if we follow Mark, we will be able to find the location of the Siren’s nest.”

After saying that, I looked at Mark, who was acting as bait, and asked,

“Can you do it?”

“Of course you can. “For the sake of the people of the territory.”

Mark seemed ready to willingly cooperate in hunting monsters for the sake of the people of the territory.

If Petros or I were to be bait, the number of fighters to catch the Siren would decrease, so I had no choice but to assign the role of bait to the third party, Mark… I felt bad about that.

However, my heart felt a little lighter when he confidently replied that he could do the role well.

With our opinions in agreement, we each moved to our designated locations to carry out our respective roles.

First, Petros and I hid in a place where Mark could see us well and put sound-blocking items in our ears and waited.

Then Mark stood quietly on the side of the road where he could hear the singing well and waited for the sound to come.

Then it was around 3 AM.

Thump. Thump.

Mark started walking somewhere.

I tapped Petros, who was dozing off, to wake him up.

Then I mouthed

, “I think you’re possessed. Let’s follow.”

Mark was literally possessed, blankly heading somewhere.

We quietly followed Mark as he trudged along.

Fortunately, there were no other possessed people on the road besides Mark.

This was because we had told the people of the land the day before to cover their ears and sleep.

So Mark walked along the empty roadside, and soon left the village and headed toward the forest.

‘Was the Siren’s nest in the forest?’

I thought so as I followed Mark, who was leaving the village and entering the forest.

He must have made a nest deep in the forest.

‘This is a headache… ‘

I couldn’t help but think that way as I walked through the forest in the pitch-black dawn.

Still, we had no choice but to silently follow Mark.

Hoping that we would quickly reach the Siren’s nest.

Step. Step.

Step. Step.

Step. Step. I

could hear Mark’s footsteps in front of me and Petros and I, who were following him closely behind, in succession.

I tried not to take my eyes off Mark, even though I felt a little bored.

That was when an unexpected situation occurred.

– “Uh, uh… Isn’t that a cliff over there? We’re going towards the cliff?”

Petros spoke first.

After hearing him, I quickly looked in front of Mark.

Mark, entranced by the siren’s song, was walking towards the cliff.

Without thinking any further, I stopped following him and ran to Mark.

“It’s dangerous!!”

He immediately grabbed Mark by the back of his neck.

And safely threw him to the other side of the cliff.

* * *

In the pitch-black dawn.

Staring at the large castle with its lights on, Cheong-gwang asked Luciana.

“Is this the house where the wise man lives?”

Luciana nodded and explained.

“It’s the castle of ‘Count Balton’ to be exact. People all call him the wise man, so that title is more famous.”

Count Balton.

He was a relative of the royal family Bliss and Ernen, and the count who ruled the Balton County.

However, the people of the empire called him ‘the wise man’ more often than ‘Count Balton’.

It was because of the rumor that he would find a wise solution to any difficult or troubling problem.

That’s why Luciana and Cheong-gwang came here after defeating all the monsters that had appeared due to the dungeon break.

Since the wise man, who was known for everything, must have known something about ‘the one who stole the golden lily.’

Luciana made a determined face.

‘I’ll meet the sage and find out about the skill, and then I’ll go straight to help His Majesty.’

Fortunately, the dungeon that burst out of Balton County was only a B-class.

The monsters that flowed out of that B-class dungeon were also only B-class, so Cheong-gwang and Luciana had already cleaned it up.

They’d solved the dungeon break, so now that she just had to find out the identity of the Golden Lily skill, all she had to do would be done. She

would soon be able to go help Nickelus.

Luciana didn’t hesitate any longer and went through the gate with Cheong-gwang.

However, her eager steps could not help but stop before she even entered the castle.

“… …!! Why is there such a line at dawn… … .”

There was a long line of people from the castle’s main gate all the way across the garden.

As Luciana and Cheong-gwang were bewildered, a person who seemed to be the castle guide approached.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to see Count Balton… … .”

“Then please stand in line. There are many people who came to consult with the Count first.”

“… … .” She

had to stand in line to see the Sage.

Luciana couldn’t help but feel perplexed.

Even at this moment, the Erased Ones would be plotting something, and Nickelus would be struggling while hunting monsters.

So she had to find out about the Golden Lily skill right away and go to Nickelus, but she was told to stand in line… … .

Luciana shook her head and said to the guide.

“There is no time to be like this. This is urgent, so please guide me to the Sage… no, Count Balton right away.”

The guide shook his head.

“There can be no exceptions. Anyone who wants to see him must stand in line.”

“The peace of the world depends on it.”