When the Pope Becomes Competent - Chapter 85



Only Noblemtl

◈85. I will stand on your side.

The oracle I received was to remove 10 Elcapists… that is, by clearing ’10 dungeons’.

But out of those 10 dungeons, it was Bliss who cleared one of them first, not me.

This made it necessary to check what would happen to the trust.

‘Surely the oracle didn’t fail because I cleared the dungeon on my own…?’

I took advantage of the brief silence between Cheonggwang and Bliss to open the oracle window.

[Eighth Main Trust – Defending Against the Returners’ Invasion (In Progress)]

Sub-Trust (1) – Eliminate the “Elcapists” who have begun to take root throughout the Empire! (2/10)

Sub-Trust (2) – Defeat or kill the ‘Cultivator’ who planted the Elcapist seeds! (1/1)

[List of Trust Completion Rewards]

-Karma +1000 points

– Lost fragments of memory

―The bones of the one who stole eternal life

‘Oh!’ I almost let out an exclamation without realizing it.

Clearly, I’ve only cleared one dungeon.

However, the oracle window said (2/10), indicating that two Elcapist dungeons had been cleared.

It seems that Bliss and I were tied together as party members within the game system.

So, the dungeons that the guy cleared were counted as mine.

‘Then, even if Luciana or Argelio clear it, it will all be considered as my clearing…? It seems like things might end faster than I thought.’

If you’re an A-rank Luciana, you should be able to clear C and B-rank dungeons without any trouble.

Where are some C-rank dungeons that I can leave to Luciana?

It was while I was thinking about it that Bliss brought up another topic.

“By the way, I’m worried. This time, the founding of the nation.”

“The founding of the nation… …?”

When I asked back, Bliss quickly nodded.

“Yes. Have you forgotten? The national foundation day is in a week. So we have a meeting scheduled for the afternoon to decide on that.”

If it’s the founding anniversary, it must mean the founding anniversary that the original Nickelus avoided every year.

According to the original procedure, the Pope should have demonstrated his power to the public on National Day.

But the original guy―

‘You said that you were always absent, hiding, because most of your skills were locked. I think you embarrassed yourself a lot because of that.’

The reason the original guy was called a loser and despised was probably because he ran away every time during the founding of the country.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“Ah. That was… a week later.”

“Yes. Considering the chaos caused by the dungeons that have sprung up all over the empire, it would be right to skip the Foundation Day this year―”

Bliss shook her head, her hair flowing.

“There will probably be opposition within the royal family and the religious community. There has never been a time in history when the founding of a country was omitted.”

“hmm…….”

“What is your opinion, Your Majesty? We will discuss it at the afternoon meeting anyway, so why don’t you tell me in advance?”

After hearing Bliss’ question, I became lost in thought.

But since it was a difficult problem, the answer didn’t come to me right away, so I asked Bliss instead.

“What does Your Majesty say?”

“The opinion is that we should hold it.”

“Hmm, why?”

“Because the people of the empire are anxious.”

I found Bliss’ answer surprising.

I thought Ernen would have carefully suggested that we postpone or omit it.

Bliss added to that.

“This is an event that has never been omitted or postponed. If something like this were to be postponed… it would feel like disaster was just around the corner for the people of the empire.”

“I see… … .”

“Since there is already a lot of commotion because of the dungeon, there may be a trend of people wanting to leave their beloved hometown and go to a foreign country. That is why Ernen is raising his voice in favor of holding it.”

When I heard it, it sounded plausible.

If it was an event that could have been easily postponed, it would have been omitted, but it had to be the founding anniversary of the country.

An event to commemorate how old the empire is, how great it is, and how it still stands strong today.

If this event had been omitted, as Bliss said, the people of the empire might have felt the fear that their country was truly collapsing.

“I agree with Your Majesty. Since it is the founding of the nation, we must protect it somehow. However―”

I took a deep breath and continued speaking carefully.

“Because it is an event where many people gather during a chaotic time, we have to be even more careful. So that no accidents occur.”

It would have been up to me and other strong awakened people to shoulder the responsibility and duty.

To prevent civilians from being injured during the event.

So that everyone can go back smiling… … .

“If the event can bring peace to the anxious people of the empire, then it is worth holding.”

“… … .”

“… …Why are you looking at me like that?”

I asked Bliss why she was just staring at me even after hearing everything I had to say.

The guy continued to stare at me, then abruptly answered.

“It is such an exemplary answer. I can’t believe it came from His Majesty’s mouth… … .”

“You still look at me like a dog―”

“Anyway, I fully understand Your Majesty’s intentions. Then I will proceed with the event as planned.”

The guy said that without giving me a chance to argue.

Until then, I didn’t know why Bliss had asked me that and why I had listened so carefully.

What I found out was that, as the guy said, there was a meeting in the afternoon regarding related matters.

As soon as I suggested at the meeting that we keep the event going, most of the bishops, who are below the high priests, opposed it as expected, to which Bliss responded as follows:

“The significance of the founding ceremony is to inform the people of the empire that the empire was, is, and will be strong… …. The reason His Majesty does not want to omit the founding ceremony even in the midst of chaos is because he understands its significance better than anyone else.”

It was said that Bliss was originally famous for rarely expressing opinions during meetings.

It was Bliss who spoke at such length and actively supported me.

Everyone was surprised and nodded in agreement at the same time.

There, Luciana, Argelio, and Delsi also supported me with their real voices without using items.

“The Holy Knights will fight tirelessly against threats to ensure that the event can proceed smoothly.”

“This is not just any other event, but a national foundation event. We need to think about the value this holds for the people of the empire.”

“I apologize in advance for not being able to speak at length due to my skills. I completely agree with Your Majesty.”

This was the first time that the opinions of the Pope and the high priests were unanimous.

As expected, no one came forward to raise an objection.

There is also a situation where Ernen wants to hold an event.

In the end, the foundation ceremony was prepared as usual this year as well.

* * *

“after…….”

After finishing the meeting, I went straight to the bedroom and let out a long sigh.

It was a killer schedule, having to have a meeting as soon as I got back here.

Anyway, that meeting was over, and now I wanted to finally take a break… but unfortunately there was still work left to do.

I opened my inventory and took out what looked like a piece of transparent crystal.

‘I can finally try this.’

‘Lost Memory Fragment’ received after completing the seventh main trust

Using this item allowed me to regain the memories of the original Nickelus guy, who was now erased.

I’ve been so out of it lately that I haven’t been able to write, but I’m finally getting around to writing it.

[Would you like to catch a glimpse of a lost memory?]

―Yes

―No

As I clutched the fragment of memory tightly, a familiar message appeared.

I swallowed my anticipation as I scanned the message.

‘What will it show us this time… … .’

When I used the memory fragments I received as the fifth main trust reward, I was able to catch a glimpse of the truth of the incident that occurred at Count Pilma’s residence.

Praying that I could see useful memories like that time, I chose Yes this time too.

Soon the vision began to blink.

Then, old memories unfolded before my eyes in the form of images.

*

The first place seen in the video is a quiet meeting room.

There, a middle-aged man suddenly asked Nickelus, who looked much younger than I do now.

-“Are you… no, are you the apostle chosen by Lucid Miller?”

The man who asked Nickelus the question was a man with black hair and blue eyes, and as soon as I saw him in the video, I immediately remembered who he was.

He was the late Marquis Lazar, Luciana’s father.

The Marquis asked Nickelus again, looking a little tired.

-“You were also my daughter’s friend?”

-“Yeah, we’ve been friends ever since I entered seminary. Of course, we’re still friends now.”

The Marquis frowned slightly as Nickelus answered in an impolite tone.

As if it were strange for a young orphan to speak to me like that.

But even so, the young Nickelus sitting in front of him was an apostle chosen by God.

That is, he was the child who would later become the next pope.

So the former Marquis got up from his seat without saying anything.

-“Follow me. I’ll show you my daughter’s condition. But… you might be a little surprised. As you already know, she’s in a lot of pain right now.”

Only then did I realize what was happening.

Yes, Luciana, who had been attending seminary with Nickelus, suddenly took a leave of absence at that time.

There were various rumors going around within the seminary about the reason, the most representative one being that she had an ‘unknown illness’.

But her close acquaintances knew that it was nothing more than a rumor.

―Luciana lost her ego because of someone’s cursed skill.―

That was the real reason for Luciana’s leave of absence, as known to her acquaintances.

That was why Nickelus came to see Luciana at the Marquis Lazar’s residence.

Nickelus, who had awakened his power by being chosen by Lucid Miller, wanted to personally heal Luciana with his divine power.

As I regained my memories, the steps of Marquis Lazar and Nickelus in the video stopped.

It was in front of a small room in a corner.

– “Here it is. My daughter is in this room.”

-“Luciana is here… … .”

-“Wait a minute. Before you go in, let me go over the precautions I told you about on the way here.”

The Marquis then bent down to be eye level with young Nickelus.

Then he warned me in a small, small voice.

-“No matter what condition the child is in… don’t be surprised. Also, don’t tell anyone what you saw inside.”

Don’t tell anyone about Luciana’s condition in the room.

The former Marquis Lazar gave such a stern warning and then continued speaking to Nickelus.

-“That child has changed a lot since being cursed with the psychic world. I’m telling you that she’s not the Luciana you knew.”

-“hmm…….”

-“He says strange things about fifteen times a day. He even screams that he feels like hundreds of rats are gnawing at his insides. So he never-”

-“Don’t worry. Just prepare some refreshments.”

The Marquis looked at Nickelus with a bewildered expression as he suddenly asked for refreshments.

-“Refreshments… please?”

-“No matter what condition Luciana is in, I will cure her. After that, we will have tea and chat together when Luciana is completely healed.”

“Ah.” The Marquis, who had been a little taken aback, finally nodded with a surprised expression.

-“I see… … . You’re confident.”

-“Of course. Do you think that God chooses just anyone?”

As he spoke in such an arrogant tone, Nickelus displayed divine powers throughout his body.

The Awakened Marquis Lazar also seemed to sense the signs.

I hesitated and stepped back in front of the strong energy.

Looking at that sight, I thought.

‘Was he like that even when he was young?’

The original Nickelus was just as strong as he was as a child.

They were equally arrogant and brimming with confidence.

But that arrogant confidence seemed to have brought a sense of relief to the Marquis at the time.

– “Okay, I will prepare some refreshments. Please, please free my daughter from the curse. I will trust you, Apostle.”

As he spoke, the Marquis began to unlock the doors.

Was it to prevent Luciana’s escape?

Or maybe to keep other people from seeing her strange appearance?

Whatever the reason, there were more than one or two locks in the room.

Only after unlocking all the numerous locks, starting from the top, did the door open.

Squeak-

The dark room was visible through the crack of the door that opened with the sound of old hinges.

And on the bed in that room, there she was.