When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 173



Only Noblemtl

173. You want to sacrifice yourself for me?
2024.04.21.

“Only people with a special constitution can receive the procedure?”

Yan nodded again at my question.

“Only people born with divine powers that are much stronger than average can endure this procedure.”

“… … .”

After hearing that, I quietly looked into the guy’s eyes.

To figure out if what he was saying was a lie or the truth.

However, in the end, I no longer needed to figure out his true feelings by looking into his eyes.

[Final Main Oracle – Defeat Romun (In Progress)]

Sub-Oracle (1) – Increase your Awakener level by receiving a new skill transplant!

Sub-Oracle (2) – Infiltrate the palace where Romun is!

Sub-Oracle (3) – Seal Romun and return safely to the cathedral!

The final main oracle that suddenly came to mind during my conversation with Yan.

Among them, Sub-Oracle (1) said to receive a skill transplant procedure.

‘The oracle’s timing is good… … Does this mean that I should accept the skill transplant without doubt?’

Judging from the fact that the oracle was telling me to receive the transplant, I thought that this procedure wouldn’t be harmful to me.

The oracle had never given me a harmful instruction before.

Thinking that far, I finally asked Jan.

“Only those with stronger divine power than the average person can receive the transplant, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Even if I say it like that, the stability of the procedure is uncertain, so the apostle might be a little skeptical—”

“I’ll receive it.”

Jan’s face blanked for a moment after hearing my firm answer, then he asked back.

“Yes?”

“I’ll receive the procedure.”

Jan still looked bewildered even after hearing my answer that he would receive the procedure.

It was understandable. People are usually reluctant to accept unfamiliar procedures that could lead to their deaths.

I didn’t think that he would readily accept the procedure.

To Jan, who was still looking at me in bewilderment, not knowing why, I simply told him,

“God just told me. It’s okay to receive the procedure.”

“God…?”

“Yes, God kindly tells His disciples this and that.”

Jan looked at me with an expression that said he didn’t understand, but he didn’t want to explain in detail.

So I said this as a final word.

“So, when that practitioner or whatever comes, prepare to receive the procedure right away. Let’s hurry as much as possible.”

* * *

After telling Jan that I would receive the procedure, I called my companions to the bedroom.

There, I explained briefly and clearly

why I needed to receive the procedure, what kind of procedure it was, and so on.

The companions’ expressions were stiff as I continued to talk, but as expected, as soon as I finished speaking, Dionik let out a hollow laugh and said,

“So you’re risking your life to receive a procedure that you don’t even know the details

of?” “In the worst case scenario, you’ll die.”

“Anyway, there’s a chance that you’ll die. What on earth were you thinking… Ha… … .”

Dionik let out a deep sigh as if he was frustrated and continued to speak.

“I’d rather receive it. The bodies of the demons are usually a bit stronger than those of humans. Even if my brother and I were S-rank, my physical endurance would be higher.”

“Oh, that can’t be. They said that only those with divine powers that were significantly higher than average could receive it.”

“… … .”

Dionik shut his mouth at those words. After all,

that guy was the one who was furthest from divine powers.

Instead, it was Elodie who spoke.

“I don’t believe it. We did decide to cooperate with the Fourth Moon, but… But that doesn’t mean we need to receive such an unsafe procedure.”

“It can’t be a scam. As I said before, an oracle told us to receive the procedure.”

According to the oracle, everyone in the group already knew that it would be convenient. Therefore,

when he said that it was something the oracle instructed him to do, no one raised an objection this time.

At least, no one ‘verbally’ raised an objection.

“Luciana? Where are you going all of a sudden?”

I suddenly got up from my seat and called out to Luciana, who was leaving the room.

Luciana hesitated for a moment, but eventually left the room without saying anything. In this situation

, the action of suddenly leaving the seat could be interpreted in a simple way. Luciana was against me receiving the procedure. ‘I guess this is how it’s going to turn out… ‘ I had expected it.

Luciana always prioritized my safety, and there was no way she would agree to undergoing a procedure that would risk her life.

However, it was a bit surprising that she just left without even saying anything against it.

“Nike, I think it would be better to follow.”

Rubin spoke as everyone in the group became quiet.

Cheong-gwang nodded.

“I think it would be better to follow and persuade her. Even if it’s hard to accept right away, if you calmly persuade her, she’ll eventually accept it.”

After hearing their words, I thought for a moment, then got up from my seat.

“Okay. I’ll follow you, so you all go back to your rooms.”

After saying that to the group, I went straight out of the dorm and searched for Luciana. She

walked so fast that by the time I came out, she had already left the dormitory hallway.

So I had no choice but to search for Luciana by searching the first floor.

“Apostle! Where are you going?”

While I was searching for Luciana, Karina found me and asked me that.

I was in a hurry, so I asked her in an urgent tone.

“I’m looking for Luciana because I have something to tell her. Have you seen her?”

“If you’re Luciana, you said you wanted to get some air and went outside the hideout earlier?”

“Outside the hideout?? Isn’t that dangerous??”

I thought she was wandering around the hideout, but she went outside.

When I asked that in shock, Karina shook her head.

“As you saw when you came in, the hideout entrance is in a very secluded place. It’s okay to go out and walk around a little. However—”

“However?”

Karina hesitated as if she was wondering whether she should tell me something or not, and then opened her mouth.

“It might be dangerous if you go any further. There’s a wanted notice.”

“What?! A wanted notice?!”

“Yes, because the imperial army sent by Romun chased the apostles and lost them. I heard that they’ve put out a wanted notice throughout the empire to look for the apostles.”

“… … .”

Well, it was only natural when I thought about it.

With the help of the fourth moon, we were able to evade the pursuit of the imperial army, so they must have been really excited to find us somehow.

When I hardened my expression in anxiety, Karina comforted me.

“It’s okay. As long as Miss Luciana doesn’t go too far, there’s no danger… Apostle?”

I ignored Karina’s call coming from behind me and ran toward the entrance of the hideout.

Luciana wasn’t the type of fool to go so far without thinking, but I didn’t know.

I might have walked recklessly in a fit of anger and ended up far from the hideout without realizing it.

So I quickly left the hideout and ran straight to find Lucia… but then stopped.

‘Now that I think about it, which direction should I go? I was surprised and just ran out.’ I

had no idea where Luciana was headed.

Since I had no clues, I could only stand blankly at the entrance of the hideout.

‘Where would I have gone if I were Luciana… . . ’ I stood there

blankly, thinking like that.

Then suddenly, a thought occurred to me. A place Luciana could go.

Without hesitation, I headed straight there.

* * *

On top of a large tree with a clear view of the sky.

Luciana sat on the tree’s branch and quietly looked up at the stars.

There were as many stars embroidered in the sky as there were worries she had.

Needing a way to calm her mind, she began counting the stars one by one.

One, two, three… … .

When she had counted exactly seventeen stars, a small noise was heard from the bushes.

Rustling.

“… …!”

It was a place with few people.

There was a rustling sound from the bushes under the tree as if something had brushed against it.

Was it a wild animal or a monster?

Or was it the imperial troops patrolling nearby?

Luciana tensely looked in the direction the sound came from.

Rustling, rustling.

The sound was getting closer.

As it got closer, she could tell more clearly. The thing approaching was a ‘person’.

She took out her sword from her inventory, thinking it might be an imperial soldier patrolling nearby.

And she tensed her body so that she could use her skill to attack at any time.

However, contrary to her expectations, the one who walked out of the bushes was not an imperial soldier.

“You were here after all.”

“Your Majesty… … ? How did you come here?”

Nickelus, who had just emerged from the bushes, answered Luciana’s question with a grin.

“Whenever you had a problem, you always went to a high place where you could see the stars. You’ve been doing that since you were little. That’s why you came to the tallest tree nearby.”

“… … I’ll go down.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll go up there.”

Nickelus then leaped once and reached the lowest branch. He

then leaped twice and three times until he reached the highest branch where Luciana was sitting.

Nickelus, who had grabbed onto the branch and sat down next to Luciana, blurted out.

“I’m sorry.”

“… … .”

“For always risking your life. For so easily risking what you’re trying to protect.”

Luciana quietly lowered her head after hearing Nickelus’ apology.

Then she replied in a somewhat suppressed voice.

“No, this is not something Your Majesty needs to apologize to me for. I heard the oracle come down. Then you should follow me as an apostle.”

“Then why did you suddenly run away?”

“I didn’t run away out of the blue because I was angry at Your Holiness—”

Luciana took a deep breath and continued as if letting out a sigh.

“This time, I was angry at myself again. I was angry at myself for not being able to do anything even in a situation where Your Holiness had to risk his life to receive the treatment.”

“At yourself… …?”

“Yes, if my Awakened rank was just one level higher, and if my innate divine power was stronger… I could have received the treatment instead of Your Holiness. But I couldn’t.”

“… … It’s not something you should blame yourself for.”

Luciana quietly smiled and countered Nickelus’s words, then continued.

“I don’t know. I wonder if there will ever be a day when I can be of help to Your Holiness.”

“Don’t say that. You’ve already—”

“I don’t want to be your assistant like I have been. I want to be a little more… special to you.”

Special. Before Nickelus could ask what that meant, Luciana spoke first.

“I’d be willing to lose a limb to save you, and if I had to lose my life, that would be even better. That’s what a sword is, and that’s what a knight is.”

Nickelus remembered that Luciana had said something similar before.

Since then, she had always wanted to become Nickelus’s sword, and she had always wanted to sacrifice herself for Nickelus.

No matter how many times Nickelus told her not to, she hadn’t changed.

“Luciana. Do you really want to sacrifice yourself for me that much? Is that your wish?”

“Yes. If the opportunity to sacrifice came, I would throw myself down without hesitation.”

“… … I see. Then you’d better find another wish sooner.”

“… … Yes?”

Luciana asked back with a bewildered expression she had never shown before.

Nickelus looked straight into her face and nailed it in a firm voice.

“Because that wish of yours will never come true in your lifetime.”