When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 75



Only Noblemtl

◈75. The true power of the deification skill

The moment Cheong Gwang said ‘Kill me’, I was able to understand the situation.

It seemed like the guy was really being controlled by some force.

Like the gatekeeper we defeated at the Temple of Nerebloca before.

‘Damn… I feel uneasy about beating up an opponent like this… … .’

The ancient gatekeeper of the temple of Nerebloka had long been cursed and penanced for the crime of theft, so he did not feel particularly guilty when he was beaten.

Even if it was said that he had beaten it in words, it was closer to freeing a being that had been bound by a curse for a very long time through death.

However, the Cheonggwang in front of his eyes did not seem to have committed any particular sin, nor did it seem to have been bound by a curse since ancient times…

A feeling that was difficult to express was creeping in, and it was hard to just let it go.

【Kill me… … . Quickly, me… … .】

“… … .”

I remained silent as I watched a tear stream down from the corner of Cheong-gwang’s eye.

At that moment, the voices of the demons and knights were heard one after another from behind.

【【Brother! Skill ready!! Step back!!】】

“We have also prepared our skills, Your Majesty! Give us the signal and we will fire!”

If we just stood back and gave them a signal, this battle could be over.

If the knights attack first and the demons continue to use the skills they have prepared, the blue light will briefly fade away like before.

If you use a fire skill or something like that again in that state, you won’t be able to recover.

Yeah, so to end the fight, it would be right to give an attack signal quickly… … .

“No, wait a minute. Wait a minute.”

【【uh?】】

I instructed my group to wait and faced the light.

“It must be a bit unfair to live as a monster without having committed any crime, right?”

【… … .】

Cheong Gwang did not answer.

Just silently shedding tears like before.

So, now it’s clear what I have to do.

“Elodie! Dionique! Cancel your skills and come here!”

【【What!? Skill Cancel… …?!】】

“Come on! I have thought about it all!”

After hearing what I said, the Mongma siblings flew to where I was and Cheonggwang.

【【What are you trying to do? You can’t just use that skill whenever you want―】】

“Just stop this guy and fight him for a bit. Don’t injure him too badly.”

【【… … ??】】

The sleepwalkers looked puzzled at the words not to injure the monsters.

Still, it seemed like he decided to follow through for now, and blocked the attack with a moderate amount of blue light.

If it was the sleepwalkers, it would have been possible to buy some time.

I took advantage of the gap and fell back for a moment.

After that, he held the egg of the immortal tightly.

[The Immortal Egg pays attention to your wishes.]

The same message as before appeared.

But I couldn’t make expensive wishes like asking for an arrow to hit the target like before.

I had already made two wishes by feeding it 1000g of iron, so there was only so much I could do with this egg.

For example, asking for advice or something.

“Tell me how to save Cheonggwang.”

I prayed to the Egg of Immortality to tell me the way.

If you had prayed directly for the Blue Light, you would have had to feed a lot more metal to the Immortal Egg.

But if you were simply asking for advice, it would be cheaper.

… I thought so―

[The egg of the immortal shakes its head. The price paid is insufficient.]

– Amount of metal needed to fulfill this wish: 600g

-Currently paid metal amount: 540g

The egg of immortality denied the wish.

If I were just asking for advice, I would have thought it would be possible without having to feed it more metal.

It seems that the question itself was too broad and they calculated that it would not be feasible to use 540g of metal.

‘Damn, I don’t have any more metal to feed you right now.’

I clenched my teeth and grabbed the egg again.

This time, to ask a slightly cheaper… or, in other words, easier question.

[The Immortal Egg pays attention to your wishes.]

“Two skills I’m thinking of right now… Tell me if combining them will help me get Cheonggwang.”

I waited for an answer with an anxious heart.

Then, the long-awaited message came to mind.

[The Immortal Egg has accepted your wish!]

– Amount of metal needed to fulfill this wish: 300g

-Currently paid metal amount: 540g

– Remaining metal amount: 240g

Luckily, the wish I just made was a cheap one that could be granted with just 300g.

As soon as the wish was accepted, a new message came flying in from the Egg of the Immortal.

[The answer to the question just now is Yes.]

The answer is Yes.

That means that if I combine the two skills I’m currently thinking of, I can give Cheonggwang freedom.

I had already confirmed it with the Egg of Immortality, so there was no need to hesitate any longer.

I immediately activated the first skill I was thinking of.

[A sacred realm is summoned beneath your feet. All creatures within it are purified and protected by divine power.]

The Sacred Pact you just used was a purification skill that was suitable for use in situations like now where you need to drive out the ‘evil’ power that controls the Divine Beast.

However, the rank is only S-class.

If whatever power was controlling the blue light was great enough to control the divine beast, this skill was not enough.

If only there was just this one.

“after…….”

I let out a long sigh.

‘… … There’s no need to hesitate. I just received confirmation through the egg that you can obtain Cheonggwang if you use that skill as well.’

After reassuring myself like that, I then activated the second skill.

[Skill “Deification (L)” has been activated!]

[The effect of the skill “Deification (L)” causes a being of rank 1 to reside in your body!]

[The effect of the skill “Deification (L)” increases all your abilities, including your attack power!]

*Ability Increase Rate: ???

*Skill Duration: ???

As expected, this time too, power that was not mine overflowed.

After that―

【Nice to see you again.】

Doria appeared.

Maybe it was because of what happened before, but he seemed a little bit twisted.

Even if you could see it, it was just a round sphere of light, so there was no expression to speak of.

‘Don’t interrupt me this time. I don’t want to be forced to leave again like last time.’

【Of course. I already know that you are a pretty useful ant. From now on, I will only intervene as your advisor.】

‘Just relax and go away. I’m busy.’

【… … .】

Doria disappeared into thin air at my touch.

However, as before, the deification skill was still continuing.

The power of the god remained in my body as well.

The knights and demons shouted one after another as if they sensed the change that had occurred in me.

“Your Majesty!! That light is… …!!”

【【Ugh! What the heck!! That light is so uncomfortable!! A dirty power is flowing out of it!!】】

After that, the knights looked at me with their eyes wide open as if they were surprised, and the Mongma siblings ran away to a corner, leaving Cheonggwang behind.

After I made sure they had avoided it properly, I stared at the message window again.

My two skills overlapped, and a new message I had never received before was emerging.

[Your overall ability has increased due to the influence of the Deification skill!]

[The level of the Inviolable Pact skill has increased!]

*Current grade (L)

[The sacred realm expands!]

[The purification power within the sacred area increases!]

[Purifies and protects all creatures that enter the area, including demons, with divine power!]

At the same time, the area of ​​light that had been spread out beneath me expanded.

It was a skill that had a radius of only a few meters.

It began to purify a wide area, stretching out to almost 20 meters.

【【Don’t increase your skills any more!!】】

The sleepwalkers who had fled to the corner shouted―

“This power… … .”

“My body is getting warmer.”

“I feel comfortable and protected… … .”

The knights who entered the skill area each expressed their feelings in that way.

I too was feeling similarly ecstatic.

Currently, I am using the skill of deification, that is, ‘becoming a person with the status of a god’.

I could instinctively feel that my status was far higher than that of an ordinary human being.

‘Yes, that’s how it was originally written… … . Now, this was the real power of this skill.’

I wasn’t afraid of anything.

I was confident that I could purify anything.

I slowly approached the blue light with such strength in my body.

* * *

‘It’s strange… …. Why do I feel so uncomfortable since entering the dungeon?’

Luciana frowned and put her hand on her chest.

Something unpleasant was felt deep in my chest.

It wasn’t a new sensation.

It was definitely a feeling I had felt before.

She searched her memory to recall when she had felt this way.

‘When I was attending seminary… when I was seriously ill with a high fever… … .’

Several years ago, while she was attending seminary with Nickelus, she suffered from a fever.

I don’t remember much about that time.

Because of the fever, all my memories were blurred.

However, at the time, I heard from my father that his condition was so serious that he had to take a leave of absence from school.

‘I felt this unpleasant sensation back then too. I’m sure of it.’

The feeling of hundreds of rats gnawing at your insides… … .

It was horrible when I felt this sensation as a child, but it was okay thanks to Nickelus.

Because he heard that she was suffering from a fever and came to visit her in person.

When Luciana woke up from a fever, Nickelus was there beside her, stroking her forehead and saying this.

-“It’s okay. Everything will be okay now.”

I thought it was like magic.

As soon as his cool hand touched my fevered forehead, my heart became calm.

In fact, after Nickelus visited, she was freed from her fever.

I was no longer in pain, and I no longer felt any unpleasant or unfamiliar sensations.

For some reason, from then on, Nickelus became more and more violent… … .

If you think about it, it was around that time that Nickelus started being called a loser.

Anyway, Luciana couldn’t help but think of Nickelus because she still felt the same unfamiliar and unpleasant sensation as back then.

She stared blankly at the entrance to the second floor dungeon where Nickelus had disappeared, and at the same time wished.

‘Please come back safely. I’ll be waiting for you just like I did back then.’

* * *

When I took one step forward, Cheong Gwang took two steps back.

Then I took three steps forward.

Until the guy has nowhere else to retreat.

And then, at last, he entered the sacred and inviolable realm seething with powerful divine power.

[An evil curse has been detected in the sacred area! Attempt to purify it!]