When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 66



Only Noblemtl

◈66. Functions of Hidden Pieces

The light streaming from the ring was familiar.

Because it was exactly the same light as when I first used the ring.

Equally bright, equally strange light… … .

But the messages that came to mind were slightly different from what I had seen at the time.

[Hidden Piece “Ring with the Mercy of the Goddess” delights in your gaze!]

[I have been waiting for the moment when the hidden piece “Ring with the Mercy of the Goddess” will come into play!]

[Hidden Piece “Ring of the Goddess’ Mercy” activates its special skill “Return” once!]

– Number of uses remaining (1/3)

Unlike the first time I used it, this time the ring didn’t randomly place me in a world 1000 years ago.

Instead, he asked me for my opinion.

[What point in the past would you like to go back to?]

“23 minutes ago.”

[Your time goes back 23 minutes!]

I remembered Doria saying earlier that it would be appropriate to go back 23 minutes, so I set the time accordingly.

What happened after that was the same as when the ring was first used.

My vision went completely black, and I was enveloped in darkness for a long time.

Then when the surroundings became bright again―

“You boasted that you could prove it, but aren’t you at a loss when you actually try to prove it in front of so many people? That’s probably why you didn’t attend the founding ceremony… I mean, you’re making a fuss like this now in an attempt to avoid the situation.”

The barrel guy that Timor hired was talking to me like that.

And I had that Timorese bastard by the collar in my hands.

I clearly saw with my own eyes that he was impaled on a tree and died.

Timor, which used to be like that, is now alive and well and in my hands.

With this, I became confident.

‘I went back 23 minutes ago.’

23 minutes ago… … . I went back to the moment when I grabbed Timor by the collar and that guy Barrel came up to me and started a fight.

Others were also muttering the same thing behind the scenes as they had 23 minutes ago.

“Is what Barrel said true?”

“Are you really making a fuss because His Majesty finds it difficult to demonstrate his abilities?”

“Shh, Delilah. Be quiet.”

If we leave them like this, they’ll all end up impaled on a tree and die.

I personally hate them talking about me like that, but I moved towards the box anyway.

bang-!!

Just then a loud noise came from the box.

Only then did people begin to feel a sense of crisis and move further away from the box.

Thanks to this, I was able to approach it with ease.

Then―

Boom! Boom bang!! Boom bang bang bang!!

The seeds trapped inside the box are struggling more and more.

As if he could sense me coming closer.

And as the tantrum got worse, it happened faster.

※warning※

I wanted to break it before it fully sprouted, but for some reason it was faster than the first time.

Crash!! People screamed as they saw branches sprouting out after the box was destroyed.

“Whoaaah!!”

“What, what is it!!”

“Your Majesty the Duke?! That strange tree… …!”

The same resounding screams and the same resounding groans.

But there was one thing that had changed decisively.

‘The power of a first-class fighter still remains in his body.’

The powerful force that had been creepy just from being in the body of the seon-gwan was now wrapped around my body.

Thanks to this, I was able to clearly understand why Doria had earlier compared humans to ants.

Compared to this great power that now resides within the body, humans are truly like ants.

Gggggg… Ggggg… … .

The branches quickly stretched out, making a strange noise.

It was towards the child whom I had personally raised… but who ended up being pierced.

A child who died once. But that death never happened again.

Kwajik!!

The branches burst apart before they could even pierce the small body.

I wasn’t using a weapon.

He just clenched his hands as if he was grabbing something out of thin air.

Then, the divine powers that moved according to the gesture burst the branches.

The child was able to escape safely.

Not only that, but the husband of a woman who had died earlier, an old gentleman, and many other people did not die this time.

That… That… That… That… ?

The tree branches trembled strangely as the blood that should have flowed did not flow.

The roots spread out in all directions as if looking for the cause.

Soon, the end of the thing came crawling closer to my feet.

‘I have to finish it.’

I gathered strength at my fingertips.

The light and power that had been softly radiating from my entire body were condensed at the tip of my index finger.

I took the utmost care to make sure it wasn’t excessive.

If I had just gathered all my strength and fired without careful control, I could have ended up killing the people I had saved with my own hands.

And with my fingers so concentrated in power, I drew the sign of the cross in the air.

Once. Twice.

As the finger slid horizontally across the air, the tree was split in two.

Then, when I scraped it vertically and passed over it, the tree that had already been cut in two was cut vertically in half again.

That was the end of it.

The tree was cut into four pieces by the energy that shot out from my fingertips, and immediately turned to ash and scattered into the air.

“Oh, the tree… … .”

“… … What just happened?”

“That strange tree just disappeared… … ?”

Is it because it was organized so quietly?

Everyone was still confused and searched for the tree, not realizing what had happened.

Without knowing that the ash they saw before their eyes was that thing.

While everyone was confused, someone shouted.

“I just saw it! His Majesty drew a line in the air and the tree was cut down!”

It just so happened that someone saw me sorting out the situation.

Only then did people take turns looking at the ashes scattered into four parts and at me.

Everyone looked surprised, so I wanted to say something to calm them down, but… … .

“His Holiness?!”

“His Majesty has fallen!”

“Get a therapist! Now!”

People are astonished.

And the high priests who run towards me, ridiculing such people.

The high priests who came running soon picked me up from the ground.

After that, as we all left the banquet hall, my consciousness completely disappeared.

* * *

I thought that perhaps he lost consciousness because he used a force that was too powerful for a human body to handle.

Every time I cut down a tree with the remaining power of the god, I felt as if each and every cell in it was bursting.

I felt like if I used more force than that, it would really break.

Fortunately, we had an elixir, a specialty of our church, so we were able to recover quickly afterwards.

[It was dangerous, ugh!]

It was dangerous, just like Delsey, who was sitting next to my bed right now, getting all angry, said.

No matter how great an elixir is that can regenerate severed limbs, it cannot bring back someone who is already dead.

I asked Delsey, determined to be more careful in the future.

“What happened to everyone after I passed out?”

[Everyone is safe, kk. A few people fell and got hurt while running away, but they only suffered minor scratches.]

“then-”

I let out a sigh and tried to say the awkward name.

“What about the Duke of Freeburn?”

[… … .]

“You should be properly investigated. You brought something so dangerous.”

If I didn’t have the Deification skill, most of the people there would have died.

However, since I turned back time, no one would know about it, so I was worried that the Duke would avoid punishment.

Even though he committed murder… I don’t think he’ll just get away with a slap on the wrist because no one died thanks to me, right… …?

While I was worrying like that, Delsey said something I never would have imagined.

“The Duke of Freeburn is dead.”

He did so with his own voice, without using any items. He died.

It seemed as if he had spoken out loud himself to properly commemorate the death of the deceased.

What that means is that the news just now wasn’t a joke…

“What? Wait, didn’t anyone die because of the tree?”

[He didn’t die from that. The royal family was investigating the case while he was under arrest – kkuk kkuk, in the meantime, he was assassinated by someone.]

I was confused.

He had to pay the price, but he had to pay it through proper procedure.

‘Assassination… … ‘

Did someone who hated him send an assassin because he thought this was the moment?

That may be the most reasonable inference, but there was still something I didn’t understand.

How on earth did an assassin manage to get through the tight imperial security and kill someone?

First of all, I thought that he might not be an ordinary person.

[So, Lord Argelio hurriedly went down to the dukedom. He had to deal with the sudden disappearance of the head of the household. And this is―]

As Delsey continued speaking, she took out a letter from her bosom and handed it to him.

[This is a letter that the King left for His Majesty, kkuk kkuk. He asked me to deliver it to His Majesty when he came to his senses.]

A letter Argelio left for me.

I ripped it out of the box and read it straight away.

┼─ ─┼

-Oh, this is so embarrassing.

I was trying to set the mood and told His Majesty about my family problems, but as soon as I did, he ran away… … .

┼─ ─┼

The letter began with a rather shocking statement: “I’m done.”

I read through the letter, realizing anew what kind of feelings Argel had for Timor.

┼─ ─┼

-Anyway, things turned out that way, so I ended up getting busy.

First, I plan to go down to my parents’ house and find the records of the bastard framing me.

There are more than one or two false accusations against him, so he can’t just go away overnight.

┼─ ─┼

I nodded.

It’ll probably be okay to leave the place for a few days.

I heard that Argel was taking care of the church’s finances, but I don’t think he did anything about it.

‘But it would be a problem if I didn’t come back for too long.’

… I was terrified to think that the letters continued to talk about him.

┼─ ─┼

-Don’t worry too much about that.

I have no intention of pressing on here.

Anyway, I had no desire for the main position, and I was only interested in owning the top.

So I’m expecting it to take about a week, but maybe a little longer.

Clearing my name and stabilizing my family… … There are other things I need to look into as well.

┼─ ─┼

Are you going to do some research?

I read more intently because I felt like something important was going to happen.

┼─ ─┼

-I once took lessons on family succession from a Timorese guy.

At that time, you will also hear all about the valuable books and heirlooms kept in the family.

But as far as I remember… I don’t remember hearing anything about the box that Timorese guy brought.

┼─ ─┼

I wondered what this meant.

Because when Timor was explaining about the box, he said it was a ‘cursed item passed down through the family.’

But Argelio, who also knows the Duke’s fortune, doesn’t know what it is…

Then where on earth did that thing come from?

It seemed like Argel felt the same way as I did.

┼─ ─┼

―Of course, since it was something that the family kept as a ‘top secret’, it is possible that only Timor, who became the head of the family, secretly knew about it.

But if that was really the case, he wouldn’t have revealed it to people.

He may be unlucky, but he’s not that stupid.

So, I suspect that there is another motive behind this incident.

Someone may have approached him, handed him the item, and encouraged him to take it to the banquet hall.

As soon as we finish investigating this, we will return to the cathedral.

Even if you tell him not to, he will know how to do well, but until then, please take care of yourself.

┼─ ─┼

I put the letter neatly in my bosom.

Delsey, who had been silent until the letter was finished reading, asked quietly.

[Your complexion has darkened. Was there something serious written there, huh?]

“Well, there wasn’t anything serious written, but I just had a slightly ominous feeling—”

Smart. While I was talking, a knock came in.

I straightened my upper body and spoke toward the door.

“who?”

“I’m Thomas. His… His Majesty the Emperor has come to visit me… … .”

Emperor… That is, the story was that Ernen had arrived.

I had a strange feeling of intimidation from the moment I heard the knock, and now I think I know why.

Even though he was the Pope’s aide, Thomas must have felt different when he met the Emperor in person.

Thomas spoke again, stammering.

“Oh, how should I tell you? By the way, as a gift for visiting me in the hospital, I heard that you brought me an egg with a unique name, something like a firefly… a firefly? a firefly? a unique fish?”