When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

◈55. Hungry Winter Tiger

At this point, I couldn’t help but feel disillusioned with the game system.

The name of this skill is ‘Noble’ Sacrifice.

Even if you kill someone by taking their life force and then give that life force to someone else, your karma points will still be maintained.

By the standards of this game, she was still a ‘good person’ with “313 karma points” despite having killed countless people.

‘What a crappy system there is.’

I wanted to curse more.

Unfortunately, that thought was the last thing on my mind.

* * *

It was a black and white night.

The sky was black, and the snow-covered ground was just white.

The winter trees were twisted and white, as if they had never been green… Bliss was standing alone in the middle of the forest they formed.

‘I was looking for medicine… … ?’

With that question as a starting point, he began to recall the events of earlier.

While looking for medicine for the fallen Nickelus… he suddenly fell asleep.

I thought I saw a suspicious smoke seeping in through the crack in the door.

When I opened my eyes again, I was here.

It was a completely unfamiliar winter forest, neither the Black Moon House nor the captain’s cabin on the Morning Star Footsteps.

“… … .”

Are you under the effect of a welcome skill? Or an item?

I was standing in the cold snow, assessing the situation, when I heard a strange sound.

―Grrrrr… … .

The sound of a wild beast that has become very hungry and ferocious due to not being able to find food during the winter.

Hearing that, Bliss made a decision.

‘Let’s move for now.’

He couldn’t be sure if what he had just heard was really the sound of a wild beast.

Maybe I misheard the wind.

However, it would be better to move at least to avoid this strong cold wind.

To a place full of trees or a narrow cave-like place.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

The sound of crunching snow followed his steps.

A cliff standing alone in a place filled only with snow. He was walking towards it.

Perhaps it was because he thought there might be a cave at the bottom of the cliff that would be suitable for hiding.

So I continued to step on the snow.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.

Facing the cold wind that blows―

Swoosh. Swoosh.

I kept walking.

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh!

“… … ?”

As the regular crunching sound of snow continued, suddenly an alien sound came from the ground.

It sounded like something had been stepped on and broken.

Bliss rummaged through the accumulated snow to see what she had stepped on.

‘……ashes?’

Roughly fitting the fragments together, they appeared to be the remains of a child.

Feeling puzzled, he continued walking, and the more he walked, the more often he discovered new bones.

‘Hunted victims… right?’

There was no reason why bones would be found.

They were probably the remains of those hunted by wild beasts somewhere.

Because I clearly thought I heard the roar of a beast earlier.

Meanwhile, the remains of the victims were truly diverse, including those of not only children but also many adults.

Some were the remains of old people, some were the remains of newborn babies.

The remains of young people, who appeared to be lovers, were also found in pairs.

And then, when we finally reached the cliff―

“… … .”

His lips were frozen.

It wasn’t because of the cold, but because of the tower of bones piled up in front of the cliff.

It wasn’t just a pile of bones left over after filling the stomach.

Looking at the bones stacked ‘orderly and neatly’, he was convinced.

‘Collection… … .’

These remains were a collection of wild beasts.

It was clear that he was proud of the death he had created and had collected them to commemorate it.

Looking at this, he could tell three things.

This beast was ferocious. It was cruel. And it was smart enough to understand the concept of a collectible.

And now the beast was rushing after him.

Whoosh.

Bliss dodged to the side.

Almost at the same time, the thick forepaws of a wild beast came crashing down on the spot where he had just been.

thud!

The beast that finally revealed itself was a tiger so huge that the entire ground shook just by landing on it.

More precisely, it was a being that was a tiger.

A beast that swallowed up the fear and awe of people for a long time and became close to gods with its power… aka ‘Shinsu’.

“… … .”

The gods were quiet.

It was so huge that it blocked the entire view, but it barely made a sound until it came crashing down on me.

Bliss knew that if it weren’t for the superhuman senses unique to S-class Awakened beings, she would have become one of those harmful beings.

And on top of that, this place just so happened to be his territory.

He would know the terrain like his own family.

Tch.

Bliss clicked her tongue as she watched the tiger hide in the shadows as if ready to attack again.

Afterwards, I took out the weapon, the guillotine blade, from my inventory.

Then―

Knock! Knock! Thud… … !

I quickly dodged the tiger that was charging at me again, roaring as if it was pressing me, and decided which skill to use.

The skills of the First Emperor that can be used instinctively after being possessed by him… … .

Among them, there was one skill that was passed down through the royal bloodline.

It was a skill that the first emperor had, and Bliss herself had it, so it was a skill she could use familiarly.

‘Help from the dead.’

As soon as I activated the skill, whitish corpses came into view.

Bliss hesitated as she tried to fight them by imbuing them with weapons as she had done before.

“… … ?”

The number of visible dead was strangely large.

Instead of the usual three or four, there were dozens… and it seemed like the number was increasing to close to hundreds.

There were children, there were old people, there were lovers.

Those who were eaten by tigers and remained in this world with a grudge were the spirits commonly called Chang-Gwi (倀鬼).

―Ahh… It hurts… … .

-I have to catch… … the tiger that ate my father…

―Is the delivery man here yet… … . Hurry up… Hurry up and bring him… … . Ah… My leg… My leg… … .

Hundreds of swindlers gathered, each saying a few words.

To be exact, they were gathering towards his weapon.

The weapon, filled with spirits, soon began to emit a strange and unfamiliar cold air.

Saaaaa―

The more you imbue your weapon with the spirits of the dead through “the help of the dead,” the stronger and more powerful the weapon becomes.

Even so, while there were usually only three or four, now there were literally hundreds of spirits possessing the weapon.

Then, when exactly 583 spirits were possessed.

“… … !”

His blade emitted a white, pale light I had never seen before.

* * *

My lost consciousness has returned.

I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids.

When I opened my eyes, it was dark around me, so there wasn’t much difference from when I closed them.

‘… Where is it? It’s damp and dark. Is it a basement? Both legs are tied to the legs of a chair, and both arms are tied behind them. I can’t cast skills or open my inventory, so it looks like I’ve used a restraining item… ‘

Seeing how thoroughly I was restrained, I thought perhaps I had been kidnapped.

Baekmae and his gang of thugs must have done this while I was unconscious.

‘Let’s secure the field of vision first and then move. The ropes that are binding the limbs… can be cut off easily if we use ‘that method’.’

So I decided to wait for my eyes to get used to the darkness.

But there was no need for that, soon the sound of slow footsteps could be heard, and soon the surroundings became brighter.

It was Baekmae who came down to this underground space and lit the lantern.

“Are you awake, Black Moon?”

“Why are you turning on the light? Your eyes are… … anyway.”

“I turned it on for you. I don’t know, but you’d be uncomfortable without it.”

Baekmae called the light emitted by the lamp ‘this’.

As if he were someone who was not familiar with light itself.

I thought for a moment in silence.

‘You even turned on the light… I think you let your guard down. Should I release you now?’

I figured out how to break free from the bondage.

So, you could be released whenever you wanted.

but-

‘No, not yet. I have a lot to hear from Baekmae.’

If you suddenly let go of the rope and enter battle stance, you won’t be able to ask Baekmae the things you need to ask him.

So I decided to stay tied up for a little longer.

In that state, he asked Baekmae.

“Bliss… What happened to that outsider? And the sergeant?”

“The outsider is still in the picture.”

“… …Can I take it out on the road?”

“If he could survive and defeat the tiger spirit sealed inside, the man might be able to escape on his own. But he’s already dead, right?”

“… … .”

“It contains the spirit of a hungry tiger. A hungry tiger is very fierce and tenacious, and it never lets go of its lost prey. Have you ever seen a tiger?”

Perhaps relieved that he had me completely under control, Baek-mae answered every question I asked him obediently.

However, it was a light tone for a conversation about human life.

Don’t they treat outsiders as human beings like themselves?

Do you not show the same kindness and consideration to outsiders as you do to light a lamp for me?

So, I just glared at her, ignoring Baekmae’s question of whether I had ever seen a tiger.

“Where did you put that tiger painting? And what happened to the seon-gwan? You didn’t do anything bad to him, did you?”

“I just gave you some medicine to put you to sleep for a bit. I plan to take the foreigners by surprise and steal their ships before dawn, but if you stay awake, you will definitely get in the way.”

“You’re going to steal the Morning Star’s Footsteps… …?”

Now that I look at it, it seems that the surprise attack on some of the guild members before was also Baekmaedang’s doing.

I thought maybe they had kidnapped the crew to find out things about the ship.

If you were to take over a ship and actually use it, you would need at least one person who knew how to use it.

But anyway, that wasn’t the important point at the moment.

Besides the surprise attack on the guild members, there was another truly serious crime that Baekmae had committed.

‘… … I think I finally understand now. What happened before the Emperor Xian misunderstood and cursed the first emperor, how the misunderstanding arose… … It was all because of Baekmae… … !’

Even in the ‘real past’, not just in this dream, Baek Mae would have tried to steal the first emperor’s ship.

However, unlike now, the first emperor of the real past did not come to the Black Moon House, and was therefore not captured by Baekmae’s gang.

In reality, Baekmae would have attacked the Exploration Guild in that state, but would have been defeated because the first emperor, who was the commander-in-chief of the guild, was guarding the ship.

Afterwards, the surviving guild massacred the village’s believers in the name of revenge for the attack… Afterwards, they returned to the empire with the holy relics stored in the temple, but were cursed by the sage.

‘The first emperor didn’t unilaterally attack the village! He was just taken by surprise by Baekmae out of nowhere and took revenge on the village… …!’

The first emperor took just revenge.

But can we blame the sage who cursed him? That was not the case either.

As a seon-gwan who had no idea about what Baek-mae was up to, it must have seemed like the guild was massacring the believers for no reason.

It would have been impossible for them to misunderstand and resent the first emperor.

So the bottom line is… … .

‘It was all Baekmae’s fault. The fact that the believers died, the guild members were trembling in fear of a surprise attack, and the seon-gwan placed a curse on the imperial family… ‘

I don’t know why he tried to steal the Morning Star’s Footsteps, but in any case, Baekmae’s actions have caused many people to suffer throughout history.

Because many of those who were treasured by the royal family through the ages died due to the curse.

Moreover, Baek Mae himself would have died miserably at the hands of the first emperor without being able to take the ship… … .

When I thought about it that far, I got angry.

“What the hell are your fucking plans?”

“Fucking plans?”

“What grand plan did you have to kill so many people… villagers, ambushing guild members, and as if that wasn’t enough, trying to steal their ships?”

Baekmae didn’t respond for a while to the question that was asked with a mixture of disgust and disgust.

Instead, I slowly moved my hand and removed the blindfold that was covering my eyes.

The moment I saw the eyes that had been covered by the blindfold, I gasped.