When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 44



Only Noblemtl

◈44. Bliss? Why are you here?

“Come on in. I’ll wake you up.”

I paused for a moment, lost in thought, when the guild leader urged me on.

I nodded and glanced at my men one last time.

Among them, he said this while looking at Cheongun in particular.

“Then let’s go in. You guys just wait ‘quietly.’”

Of course, telling me to wait quietly was sarcasm, and as soon as I entered the cabin, Cheongwoon would activate his skill here as ordered.

The skill she will activate is “Black Cohabitant (A)”

This was literally our little roommate with a black body… the skill to possess a cockroach.

‘Cockroaches and bedbugs are too conspicuous. Cockroaches are the best insects for espionage.’

It’s fast, colorless, and can fit through gaps the size of a fingernail.

This skill was perfect for secretly investigating this place.

When Cheongun’s soul takes possession of a cockroach, its original body falls into a deep sleep, so the guild members may find it a little suspicious… but that’s all.

‘You would never have imagined that someone would be possessed by a cockroach and search the cabin. I never imagined that I would have such skills.’

I finally entered the reception room, praying that Cockroach Cheongun would find something that could be a clue on board.

And there I could finally see the first emperor.

The guy was sitting calmly at his desk with a face that resembled Bliss’s.

Even her expression was relaxed, as if she was still half asleep, like Bliss.

I tried to shake off the thought, ‘What strong genes…’ and started crying first.

“I don’t have the hobby of wasting time exchanging greetings, so let me get to the point. I came to ask for your cooperation.”

“… … .”

“Since you guys came, this town has been―”

“His Holiness.”

“… … !?”

I tried to tell him to cooperate with the epidemic investigation.

But all those plans were wiped out by a single word from the mouth of the first emperor.

“Wait a minute, what did you just say… … ?”

“Your Holiness Pope Nickellus. Is that right?”

The first emperor knows my identity.

The being in the dream knew me, Nickelus, from outside the dream.

It was a time when my head was becoming a jumbled mess.

He slipped a note towards me.

“This is… … ?”

“When I showed my back to His Majesty and fainted, and woke up here, that note was lying next to me.”

You showed your back? Could this guy be Bliss?

I opened the folded note, feeling confused.

┼─ ─┼

—To Bliss Van Wieselev. (A guide for those who are confused.)

1. This is someone’s dream.

2. You take on the role of ‘First Emperor’ here.

3. Nickelus Van Lucidmiller plays the role of ‘Head of the Black Moon Party’ here.

4. If you wait, the leader of the Black Moon Party will come to you soon.

5. Work together with her/him to overcome adversity!

-From Elodie and Dionique.

┼─ ─┼

After reading all five items, I looked up again.

Then he asked the first emperor… no, ‘Bliss, who took on the role of the first emperor.’

“… … What is this? Are you really Bliss? Are you possessed with me?”

“I think so. I don’t know how it came to this, though.”

When I heard Bliss’ words, my eyes distorted.

‘Why are the sleepwalkers doing this… … . Another pitiful prank?’

He spoke to Bliss, running one hand through his messy hair.

“Tell me exactly what happened until you woke up here.”

After listening to Bliss, it seemed like he had been possessed here on the same day as me.

That day, I looked at the guy’s back and said, ‘I’m going to lightly touch the curse from now on, so if he faints, wake him up.’

… after saying that, I actually lost consciousness and collapsed.

So I hit her in the face a few times to wake her up, and then Bliss herself lost consciousness.

He said that when he opened his eyes, he was already here.

In reality, it probably looked like we both fell side by side.

Luciana seemed quite surprised.

‘Yes, it’s definitely a prank. Judging from the fact that he even wrote a note like this and left it behind.’

Looking at the note the demons wrote themselves, it was absolutely not a mistake that they possessed Bliss.

The content of the note is too light to be considered a mistake.

I could clearly see that he was giggling when he referred to me as ‘her (him)’ in item 5.

‘It’s better. It’s better to have this guy here than to solve cases by myself.’

Moreover, he wasn’t a regular guild member, but rather the guild leader, the ‘First Emperor’.

This was a good thing, since it would be easier to investigate each guild member one by one with his help. Probably.

“Okay, then I’ll explain my side of the situation. Don’t miss anything and listen carefully.”

After that I told him everything.

Everything about how I came to be here and the situation in this town.

Immediately after hearing the end of the story, Bliss asked quietly.

“So, if I release the grudge of that person here, the imperial curse will be lifted? Is that why you were here like that?”

“yes.”

Bliss’s gaze lingered on me.

Just three seconds or so… He only looked at me for just three seconds longer than usual.

That’s why I too could have just let it go without feeling anything.

If only the message hadn’t popped up.

[Klaus Van Frisk’s favorability towards you has slightly increased.]

‘Huh?’ I rubbed my eyes and read the message again.

Because I couldn’t believe it even after seeing it.

Although he appeared in the name of the first emperor while in a state of possession, what was now in his body was Bliss.

So this is a message that reveals Bliss’s psychology…

‘Was he capable of feeling affection for another human besides his own younger brother? …? I guess he must have looked upon it favorably because I was trying to lift the royal curse and save his younger brother’s life… But it’s still so amazing.’

I continued speaking as if I hadn’t seen the message.

“If you understand everything, then cooperate. First, let me tell you what I know about the purpose of the first emperor.”

“The purpose is… … . As you know, it seems that they came because they wanted to communicate. The voice of the first emperor that comes to mind now says so.”

After saying that, the guy signaled for him to be quiet for a moment.

Just as I was hearing the voice of the Black Moon, it seemed like he was hearing the voice of the first emperor.

I waited a bit and then when I thought he was done listening, I asked him a question.

“You really only wanted to communicate? What did you think of the sacred relics stored in this village temple? Did you perhaps covet them? Did you want them even if it meant killing the village believers… …”

“Are you curious as to whether the first emperor deliberately spread the disease in order to steal the holy relics of his followers?”

“Yes. We need to know that part for sure. In order to lift the curse of the sage, we need to know whether the real culprit is the first emperor or not.”

“I’ve searched the mind of the first emperor and it doesn’t seem to be that. It seems he never plotted such a scheme.”

The current Bliss is in a situation where she must cooperate with me 100% in order to lift the curse.

So what I just said must also be 100% true.

‘The first emperor… he would later steal the holy relics, but was he not interested in it right now?’

So then he is not really the culprit who spread the disease… … .

As my thoughts grew more complicated, Bliss said:

“But it seems like you know a lot about the Holy Relics. If you dig into it a little more… Ah.”

“Huh? Why?”

Bliss, who had been searching through the mind of the first emperor, suddenly stopped with a short exclamation of “Ah.”

All movement stopped and the pupils dilated.

It was as if buffering had occurred due to the overwhelming amount of information to process.

I waved my hand in front of the guy’s eyes, wondering if something was wrong.

“What, what’s going on all of a sudden? Is it broken?”

“… … It just came to me. About the deal I had with the seon-gwan regarding the relic.”

“… … ?”

“Without further ado―”

The guy stopped talking and put his index finger on my forehead.

“Come and see for yourself.”

At the same time, a message appeared before my eyes.

[The character “Klaus Van Frisk” would like to use the skill “Memories We Appreciate Together” on you. Do you accept?]

―Yes

―No

Since it is a memory that we enjoy together… I thought I knew what it was just by looking at the name. It is a memory sharing skill.

As I pressed Accept, a strange memory came to mind. It was the memory of the first emperor.

More precisely, the memory of when the first emperor and the eunuch first met and talked.

-“Sir Frisk… you said? What an interesting name, huh?”

The eunuch praised the name of the first emperor.

Then he turned his gaze and stared at the Morning Star.

She ran her fingertips over the surface of the huge ship anchored in the vacant lot.

-“Everything is so new. Your name, and this floating ship. Are these things common in foreign countries?”

-“It’s not something that’s widely available. This ship is a heirloom of our Frisk family, something that has been passed down from the distant past. It’s said that our family’s ancestors discovered it by chance at an ancient ruin.”

The whole time she was listening, she couldn’t take her eyes off the ship, and the first emperor asked her a question.

-“Would you like to try it? To commemorate the new exchange.”

-“Thank you, but I’m out. I can’t leave here.”

The sage added that if he moves a certain distance away from the temple of this village, the village barrier will be lifted and he will be gone.

This is because her barrier skills are only for honoring the temple god and maintaining the village.

After hearing that far, I finally understood everything.

‘That’s why we needed a flying ship to send out the believers… … .’

The barrier is broken as soon as the herald leaves the village.

What this meant was that in order to prevent even a single believer from dying from poison, the seon-gwan had to remain in the village until the very end and maintain the barrier.

For that reason, she needed a flying ship, since she herself could not walk out of the village ‘with the believers’ to protect them.

So I refused to go on board the ship myself―

-“But I wonder. How many people can board that ship?”

-“Hmm, I’ve never counted people that specifically before… … .”

-“Then please tell me at least the general outline. Is it possible for all the people in this village to board that ship?”

The attention of the missionaries toward the only rescue ship capable of escaping the believers was still hot.

However, the first emperor, unaware of her circumstances, smiled and expressed his despair.

-“Haha, of course that’s hard. The boat won’t even be able to sail.”

-“… … You’re saying it’s not possible on such a big ship? If I just take my body on board without any luggage… … .”

-“Even so, the power source is too small to handle that many people.”

-“Power source?”

The first emperor nodded and pointed to the bottom of the ship.

-“There is a huge power stone under the deck, and the ship is lifted by its power. Even though it is huge, it is difficult to handle that many people. It will also be difficult to load it in separate sections. If you load it in separate sections, you will have to move it several times, so the power will be quickly depleted, and it will not be able to go far and will crash.”

-“Sacred Stone… … Are you talking about a stone imbued with divine power?”

-“… … ? Yes, that’s right.”

-“If you do it, if you do it―”

In a shallow, trembling voice, the seon-gwan continued.

-“What if we add another power source? I have something that can be a power source… something with very strong divine power.”

The priest was desperate to save the believers he loved so much.

And because of that desperation, he ended up revealing the village’s treasures that he should not have told outsiders about.

-“Have you ever heard of something called the Immortal Egg?”

-“Isn’t it impossible?”

-“Some say it is immortal because it cannot be killed, and others say it can only be killed by fire, so it is called immortal. Either way, there is a divine beast called ‘immortal.’ This is its egg.”