When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 128



Only Noblemtl

128. Phoenix Slaying
2024.03.07.

Whoosh!

I simply swung my sword with all my heart.

The sword, which drew a line as if dancing, cut the Phoenix’s body into dozens of pieces.

So, in conclusion, I succeeded.

The third form, the sweeping crescent moon. I did it exactly the same way as when Grandma Black Moon demonstrated it.

Looking at the Phoenix that had turned into a piece of meat, I immediately activated my purification skill.

[The sacred and inviolable area has been summoned at your feet. It purifies and protects all creatures within that area with divine power.]

I had to hurry.

Even if it was torn to pieces right away, if I took too long, the Phoenix would resurrect.

I activated my sacred and inviolable pact skill and approached the torn Phoenix.

It had already gathered into one large mass as if it was about to resurrect, and I gently placed my hand on that mass.

[Shinsu, the corrupted Phoenix’s magic is purified before Lucid Miller’s dazzling power!]

A message appeared saying that the purification was successful.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was regaining its original form with the power of the resurrection skill.

Bliss, who was watching the situation, seemed to think it was dangerous and tried to cut it to pieces again.

I stopped Bliss and briefly explained to her.

“It’s okay, it’s already purified. Let it be resurrected.”

Bliss and the demons watched Phoenix’s resurrection with a slightly anxious look.

In our silence, Phoenix finally resurrected in its complete form—

뀻?

She looked at us strangely while making that cute sound.

The evil power that we had felt from Phoenix was no longer felt at all.

The purification was a complete success.

Was it corrupted by magic? In any case, Phoenix looked around bewildered as if it didn’t remember what had happened.

Then it flapped its wings and flew away to a distant place.

Watching the Phoenix flying away with a flash of brilliant flames, Bliss asked,

“Can we let it go?”

“Yes, since it’s been purified properly, it won’t attack people for no reason.”

“One thing is resolved. Then now—”

Bliss paused for a moment and looked around.

“I think we just need to clean up this mess.”

The forest was on fire because of the Phoenix’s rampage.

In fact, this wasn’t the time to just blankly admire the Phoenix flying by.

The combined demons giggled and answered.

【【I’ll summon the blue light. It’ll go out quickly if we just make it rain once.】】

“Yes, please.”

The demons flew up after hearing my request.

Then, they brought the ghost ship that had been far away.

Soon, rain poured down from the dark clouds brought by the power of the blue light.

Whoosh—!

As I was hit by the refreshing rain, I could finally feel that everything was over.

* * *

We then boarded the ghost ship and joined the party on the ship.

The party was terrified at the sight of my severed arm.

Luciana looked as if the world had collapsed. Petros

also stared at my severed arm with a blank expression, and Cheong-gwang completely fainted.

To calm them down, I tried to smile brightly and said,

– “It’s okay. I have one bottle of miracle potion left.”

It was fortunate that I had brought two bottles of elixir.

Even though I had used one on Petros the other day, I still had one left.

I drank it in front of the party, and soon my arm grew back fine.

Of course, I had to suffer from Luciana’s nagging for a while.

“If you come back with another arm missing, I will really lock you up!” Luciana said, and I had no choice but to hurriedly go to the captain’s room.

And currently, I was sitting in the captain’s room, holding up the Baekhwamyeongwoldo.

“Black Moon Grandmother? “Wake up. I have good news.”

Now I was used to talking to the sword.

So I whispered to the Black Moon Grandmother while standing in my familiar position.

But for some reason, there was no answer for a long time.

“Grandmother?”

I called again, but it was the same.

Did she just disappear? Or was she just being late like before?

I felt a slightly ominous feeling and called her with a slightly louder voice.

“Grandmother—!”

“Here I come, you punk.”

The moment I was about to shout out loud, Grandma Heukwol finally appeared.

Contrary to my worries that she might have disappeared, fortunately she was still in the sword. She

also seemed to have heard everything I said, and asked me as soon as she appeared.

“So, you have some good news?”

“Yes, I can finally use the Third Form properly… but more importantly, your body has become more transparent than before?”

I said, examining Grandma’s form that had become even more transparent than before.

Grandma nodded as if it was nothing.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s time.”

“… … .”

“Even if you don’t have to frown, what’s so bad about your body becoming transparent?”

Is it a bad thing to have your body become transparent… … .

While I was at a loss for words, Grandma began to list the advantages(?) of being transparent.

“It’s good for sneaking in and eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, and it’s also good for hiding and popping out to surprise others… … .”

“… … .”

“Just kidding. I don’t do that.”

It was fortunate that she didn’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations or suddenly show up to startle them, but… that wasn’t the important part.

“Are you really going to disappear?”

“That’s right. That’s right. Haven’t you endured for too long already?”

She chose the expression ‘endured’ instead of ‘lived’ to describe her life. She

had lived for so long that life had become something boring that she had to ‘endure’.

She let out a long sigh that revealed her hardships as she spoke to me.

“However, before that, I need to quickly teach you the Fourth Form.”

“The Fourth Form is… … .”

“The Quiet Wahyundal. That’s the Fourth Form.”

The Quiet Wahyundal.

It didn’t seem like a particularly flashy form based on the name alone, but after hearing Grandma Heukwol’s explanation, it seemed like she had guessed correctly.

“Unlike the noisy Forms 1–3, the Fourth Form is a quiet form. In an instant, without the opponent even noticing, you can cut off their head.』

“Quiet style… … ?”

『I’ll demonstrate this time too. Look carefully at that table.』

Soon, just like before, Grandmother Heukwol began to control my body.

Since I had experienced this several times, I relaxed my body as much as possible.

That way, I could remember Grandmother Heukwol’s demonstration more accurately.

Grandmother Heukwol used the muscles in my arms and legs to get into a stance.

Then—

bang!

She moved forward at a very fast speed.

I was clearly standing on the couch.

But then, as if I had teleported, I moved in an instant and stood in front of the table.

But that was all.

My body moved quickly, but I didn’t draw my sword.

As I had expected Grandmother Heukwol to draw her sword and demonstrate the fourth style, it was a bit absurd.

『Alright. Did you see it well?』

“… … ? You didn’t even draw your sword.”

『No, I definitely pulled out the sword. Try touching the table that I told you to watch.』

I went to the table next to the couch and touched it lightly.

Then it split in half and fell over.

It looked fine, but it was already cut.

Grandma Heukwol added an explanation.

『Very quickly… You moved your arm so fast that even you, who was swinging the sword, couldn’t recognize it, and cut the table.』

Just as Grandma said, I definitely felt my arm move

. My arm was slightly tingling.

However, the moment I moved my arm and cut the table… It was so instantaneous that even I didn’t recognize it.

I muttered in confusion.

“This is… … .”

『Yes, it’s something that only a superhuman can do. But you can do it. Just like you’ve done so far.』

“… … Please show me one more demonstration.”

If I saw the demonstration one more time, I might be able to recognize the moment when I swung the sword.

When I asked her to demonstrate, Grandma moved my body again and demonstrated several more times.

At first, I didn’t even recognize it, but after watching it twice, I could feel the movement a little.

After watching it a third time, I could clearly tell when she drew and put the sword away. As

I gradually caught up with her, Grandma Heukwol nodded and said,

“You’ll learn the movement quickly. If you do, then this time, what you have to learn is how to put your heart into it.”

“With what kind of heart should I swing my sword this time?”

Up until now, I have tried to put feelings like regret and longing into my sword in order to learn the first to third forms.

Since I would definitely have to put my heart into it this time as well, I asked. What kind of

heart should I put into the fourth form?

Grandma Heukwol seemed to be thinking for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Put in your heart a heart that does not give up. Put in your sword a tenacious heart that does not give up on a relationship that has

already been lost and pursues it without fail.” A heart that ceaselessly desires and pursues a relationship that has already been lost.

That was the heart needed to unfold a quiet waning moon.

* * *

We were able to arrive at the cathedral safely.

When we arrived, Delsi greeted us with her usual smiling face.

Argel also came out to greet us with a healthy face.

To my dismay, he said that there had been no particular problems.

So we took a long-awaited rest. We

read books, took a bath, and so on. Peacefully.

Of course, there were still two dungeons left that I hadn’t cleared yet.

However, we weren’t machines, and it would have been difficult to go on another business trip right after returning from a business trip.

So I just rested for two days without thinking about anything.

Then on the third day, Bliss, who was playing chess with me, suddenly said,

“That guy Micheln is quiet.”

“That’s right. Well, it’s good for us, but—”

I moved my chess piece and continued the interrupted sentence.

“I feel uneasy. It’s unsettling because it’s quiet. It’s like the calm before a storm.”

Bliss nodded while looking at the chess board after hearing what I said.

He thought for a moment, then moved his bishop.

I tried to gauge his intentions and shook my head.

When I first found out that there was a game called chess in this world, I immediately asked Bliss to play a game.

Chess was something I was quite confident in.

It was unexpected that he would be good at chess as well as fighting.

“Hmm… …”

Unable to read the guy’s intentions, I stared at the innocent chessboard and moved the queen.

Bliss, who had been watching me move the queen, suddenly called out to me.

“Your Majesty.”

“Huh?”

“If I move like this—”

Bliss moved his knight as he said that.

Then he continued.

“Checkmate.”

“Huh?!”

That’s ridiculous.

I stared at the chessboard again with eyes of disbelief.

My king was in a position where he could be eaten by his knight at any time.

I tried to move my king anywhere, but… Bliss was right.

“Damn, I lost again.”

He smiled at me, who was disappointed by my defeat, and said,

“You have to protect your king well.”

“Who doesn’t know that… … .”

In chess, you lose the moment you lose your king.

Of course I knew that. Even

if you know that, there are situations where you can’t protect it, so that’s the problem.

“Let’s play again. This time, I’ll protect it properly like you said.”

I confidently declared that I would protect my king and asked him to rematch.

Yes, as I said, I was confident that I could protect my king.

I don’t know about the game, but at least in reality, I was.

I thought that I would never lose my king… Ernen.

And it only took exactly one day for my confidence to crumble.