Trapped in a Game That Flopped Chapter 117

Episode 117

I couldn't hide my astonishnt.

The conversation I'd had with Adam before ca to mind.

"...Even if it's just you, Count, please value it highly and use it for a good cause. It's still a family heirloom, isn't it?"

"I plan to."

I had earnestly pleaded with him, the man who tried to hand the sword over to the black market, and he had replied that he would do so.

Considering his track record, he wasn't very trustworthy, but still, wasn't he the man called the 'Incorruptible White Sword God'?

That's why I thought Adam would cut short his show of modesty, saying he wasn't the one who revived it, and would treat the sword as preciously as his own body.

But.

'This is "valuing it highly and using it for a good cause"?'

I seethed, glaring at the bizarre, winged sword.

It wasn't just who was surprised by the appearance of another reward besides money.

"Ooh... The treasured sword of the Hailey family."

"But it looks a bit... odd... A winged sword, haha."

"Indeed, it must be the legendary sword. To think its demonic energy can be felt even from this far away... It's a sword any hero would covet!"

The heroes lined up in the coliseum, as well as the nobles who ca to watch, all recognized Lumiekar's true value and stared at the do in srized admiration.

Seeing the greed for the sword forming in the eyes of the tournant participants, one by one, I ground my teeth.

'Ugh...! How much work did I put into reviving that sword...!'

Those bastards have thoroughly awakened the hero's blood that had been dormant within for so long.

Those bastards might have easily put it up as a reward, thinking that bastard Adam would win anyway, but not for .

'If it weren't for this damn NPC status, I'd destroy this stupid tournant and take that sword!'

No, I shouldn't have given the sword to that crazy bastard in the first place.

Adam was one thing, but that bastard Kassel was the root cause of all this.

'Damn bastard...! Should I change the plan right now, make Elaine get first place, and take it?!'

I tore my gaze from the sword and glared murderously at the root cause sitting so peacefully behind it.

But at that mont.

As if he'd felt my gaze, the bastard suddenly whipped his head this way.

'Huk, no!'

I reflexively sucked in a breath and hurriedly ducked my head low.

My situation was pathetic, burying my head to avoid being caught by him even while seething with anger.

But it couldn't be helped.

I had to finish the Temple Quest before I could even think about taking the sword through the tournant.

"You must have already been briefed in the waiting room, but there will be a preliminary check before the main dungeon placents."

In that ti, the opening ceremony moved on to the next announcent.

"Furthermore, His Holiness the Pope will bestow a blessing for your combat. All must listen."

"This is the 21st Pope, Chelvinoto."

The Pope picked up where the Chamberlain left off.

Except for Lumiekar, everything up to this point was proceeding according to the ga scenario, without any variables.

Around the ti the Pope began his drivel, which he called a blessing, I stealthily raised my head.

I glanced at Kassel, and thankfully, the bastard was staring at the opposite side with a bored expression, his chin propped on his hand, as if he'd never looked this way.

I followed his gaze and turned my head as well.

The exact opposite side of the coliseum, which I hadn't seen because I was too busy worrying about the guy with the ghost-like senses.

A do identical in form to the one Kassel was sitting in stood there, forming a symtry.

Indeed, just as expected of one who fought tooth and nail to strengthen his divine authority, the Pope could be seen standing tall on the do, just like Kassel.

And behind him, the Saintess, sitting perfectly still with a deathly pale face.

'Is she really nervous?'

It would be nice to make eye contact with her instead of that bastard Kassel, but unfortunately, Liv didn't even seem to have the presence of mind to look away.

Even if she did, there was no way Liv would recognize in my current form.

As of now, I had no choice but to trust her completely.

I forced myself to look away from Liv, who was staring rigidly into space.

And I scanned the opposite stands.

Unlike this side, which was bustling with all sorts of spectators including nobles, the other side was comprised only of Temple-affiliated priests and Holy Knights, making it quite sparse.

An aspect showing the Temple's authority, which rivaled that of the Imperial Palace.

For so reason, it felt a bit grating.

"I, the Pope, sincerely congratulate the opening of this tournant, and I pray for the well-being and combat of all the brave and strong individuals gathered here."

The Pope's boring blessing continued, just like a principal's lecture.

It was a clear contrast to Kassel's brief statent.

"The great Goddess of the hunt, peace, and protection, Nisea-Liv, spoke these words. For all living things, there is no aningless life, nor death. One life is another's death."

"..."

"I, the Pope, am rely frightened by the sin of slaughter and war for a mont's amusent."

The Pope's voice, long-windedly drawing out his opposition to the tournant, seed to have no end.

'If it weren't for the quest, I'd skip this imdiately.'

Suppressing the strong urge to press the [SKIP] button floating in the corner, I nervously checked the ti.

About an hour had passed since the opening ceremony began.

It had proceeded without any major variables, so now, in the midst of the Pope's rambling, was the perfect ti.

Just as I was anxiously glancing at the distant place beyond the coliseum with that thought.

"...Therefore, I must stress again that you must rember that monsters are also living beings like us, and that killing begets more killing..."

Kurrrreureung, Kugugugugugung!

Suddenly, with a giant roar, a fierce wind carrying dust and dirt swept into the coliseum.

"Ugh...!"

"What's with this wind...!"

At the sudden commotion, the crowd scrambled, one and all covering their faces with their arms.

But that was only for a mont.

"Th-there! Look over there!"

"What is that...!"

At the scene revealed after the dust settled, everyone in the coliseum gasped in horror at the sa ti.

The reason was none other than.

"Th-the Temple... The Temple has collapsed!"

With soone's shout, the coliseum instantly erupted in chaos.

Thanks to being built on the highest hill in the capital, the sight of part of the Temple collapsing with a cloud of dust was clearly visible even from inside the coliseum.

'Nice timing!'

I smiled triumphantly at the perfectly tid event.

People were making a fuss, saying the whole Temple was collapsing, but all I'd done was spray a listone corrosion potion on the entrance pillars before leaving.

In other words, just the entrance, the visible part, was a little broken, that's all.

Of course, it would have been a disaster if it collapsed the mont I sprayed it, so I naturally used a diluted potion.

But the problem was, I could delay the pillar's corrosion, but I couldn't control the exact ti it collapsed.

That's why I'd made a request, more like a demand, to the developer bastards to make sothing happen, whether it was an earthquake or a typhoon, right on ti.

'They actually did sothing.'

Honestly, I was half in doubt.

Because Ari had opposed it, spouting nonsense about blasphemy or sothing, and told to find another way.

Although, when I asked if he had a more certain way to punish the Pope, he couldn't say anything.

"G-go to the Temple at once and find out what's happening. At once!"

I watched with cold eyes as the Pope, his face pale at the sudden collapse of the Temple, frantically hounded his priests.

The pillar of the corrupt Temple, who used people's faith by feigning his words as the Goddess's will, and who abused the twins.

For the Temple to collapse while that Pope was making a public statent.

There could be no more ominous sign to represent the Goddess's fury.

But as if that weren't enough, what if an existence to punish the corrupt priests were to appear directly?

'You probably thought only you could use a monster to ruin the tournant.'

Watching the priests flock around the Pope in a panic, I smirked.

They were so out of it that not a single one of them noticed Liv slipping away in the chaos.

'Thanks to that, I'm making good use of the plan.'

Not even knowing that I had stolen his entire ticulously crafted plan.

I sneered at the bastard Pope who had rcilessly whipped Nise.

The Pope's sche was to have Nise control the Eyeball Monster he had locked up in the Old Temple, that is, the Lv.??? Unidentifiable Wicked Dregs, and make them attack the heroes and the Empire's citizens.

And just when everyone was trembling in fear of the monster no one could stand against, his plan was to bring out the Saintess to stage a scene of her subduing the terrifying monster.

In that process, Liv's life or death wasn't very important.

Because Nise, upon confirming his sister's appearance, would sohow calm the monster.

And even if Liv died, the monster would also die, so it wasn't a loss at all.

"We... We... Liv..."

Because Liv and the Dregs were connected by the sa thread of life.

The Pope, who knew that and still put the dagger to stab the monster in Liv's hand, was a real piece of trash.

Naturally, I couldn't let things go the way he wanted.

Thus, I ca up with a clever move.

Before he could use the Eyeball Monster to incite ominousness and hostility toward Kassel, the Lord of Nightmares, I'd make the first move.

And right on cue, that 'first-mover' entered.

"Heok! Th-that... What is that?"

A few people with good eyesight pointed sowhere, terrified.

On the opposite side of the coliseum, right below the do where the Pope, priests, and Holy Knights were.

A giant shadow was suddenly seen slithering out of the entrance.

A mass tightly wrapped in hundreds, thousands of slender silver threads.

At a glance, it looked like a giant, lumpy cocoon.

Or it also looked like an angel with its wings tucked in.

"M-monster! I-it's a monster! A monster has appeared!"

"H-how did a monster get in here... I've never seen or heard of a monster like that!"

Following the Temple's collapse, people were successively scared out of their wits by the sight of the bizarrely shaped monster that had appeared without a sound, right below the Pope.

The giant mass of silver thread, which had been slithering without a specific form, finally reached a bright place where the warm sunlight shone down.

For so reason, it stood facing the Temple, as if in confrontation.

Seureung, Seureureong!

The tournant participants standing in attendance in the coliseum, as well as the Holy Knights, all drew their swords, tense at the sudden appearance of the monster.

"I am Pelten Norbert, Knight Commander of the Grand Temple! Stop your movents at once and reveal your identity!"

Wary of the slowly approaching monster, the man at the head of the Holy Knights aid his sword at the monster and shouted.

Attempting to talk to a monster was absurd in itself.

But with an appearance they'd never seen before, it seed they were checking if it might be an intelligent being created by soone with intent.

"I am..."

And surprisingly, a reply ca from the monster.

A thin, slender woman's voice, contrary to its bizarre appearance.

"I-it's talking!"

A monster that not only appeared without a sound, but could even talk.

Everyone in the arena stirred in shock at the voice that followed.

"The arbiter who acts in the stead of the main god, Nisea-Liv..."

Of course. Because that wasn't a monster.

"I have co... to punish... the fallen and corrupt priests and Pope..."

[Lv.??? Puppet Liv]

White text, visible only to my eyes, sparkled above the giant mass of silver thread that had finally revealed its identity.