Episode 129
It was when everyone in the arena was staring in shock at the snake mark that had appeared on the Pope's forehead.
"Uwaaaaaak!"
"Geuk!"
"Aaaaah...!"
Following the Pope, the priests standing by his side all grabbed their foreheads.
Tssssss...
Likewise, with a cloud of white smoke, their hands were stained black, as if sared with filth.
And on their foreheads, a red, snake-shaped brand appeared.
As if they had just been seared with a branding iron.
It was the sa for the bastards who were still stunned.
Nise, who was gazing at the pandemonium with a transcendent expression, muttered as if possessed.
"Those who use holy power in vain and defile the sanctuary with false words shall pay the price for their sins."
"..."
"Fear, and worship."
Around the ti his words ended.
A rough wind suddenly whipped through.
Flap!
"Ugh... n-no!"
The cape and stole draped over the shoulders of the Pope, who was crawling wretchedly on the floor.
And the hat signifying his position as bishop rose into the air on the wind.
The Pope, noticing a beat too late, took his hands from his forehead and tried to grab them.
Swoosh!
But the items, as if to taunt him, flapped and circled in the air near him, then flew quickly away.
And then, as if an invisible person was dressing him, they gently settled onto Nise's body.
'What? Elaine...?'
I assud this was also Elaine's doing and looked around to find him.
It was a aningless gesture since he was invisible, but.
I then unconsciously spotted a head of green hair rising among the tournant participants near the spectator seats far away.
It was too far to see his face clearly, but judging by the familiar build, it was definitely Elaine.
For a mont, my thoughts stopped.
'If it's not Elaine, then who...'
Nise, now wearing the cape and the Pope's vestnts, no longer looked like a madman.
That was a relief, but I didn't know what was going on, so I was just staring at him blankly when.
"A... A new Pope has been born!"
Soone in the spectator seats shot up and shouted.
At that, people began to rush up and pour down into the arena.
"The new Pope has vanquished the corrupt sinners!"
"Oh, Goddess! Save us!"
"Long live the new Holy Father! Long live! Long live!"
The people who ran down all knelt before Nise and bowed.
There were even those who, at the miracle-like phenonon they had just witnessed, shed tears and praised the Goddess.
It was utterly absurd how the humans, who had been so easily swayed by the forr Pope's words, were suddenly fanatical about Nise.
But if I thought of this as one of the "to hell with plausibility" prequels that appears after the "Exposing the Temple's Corruption" episode, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
What was most baffling to wasn't the humans' change of heart, but.
'The Pope? Not the Saintess...?'
Female Lead wasn't enough, now he's the Pope.
The Nise storyline just kept getting bigger and bigger, like peeling an onion. I was reeling.
'I'm sure I never saw anything on the community forums about Nise becoming the Pope...!'
In that ti, the crowd of people flocking to see the new Pope up close grew.
"Arrest the sinners, and guard the new Pope."
As the arena floor descended into chaos, Kassel, who had been silently watching the series of events, finally spoke.
He had acknowledged Nise as the new Pope.
"Long live His Holiness, Pope Nise!"
"Aaaah...! Forgive your ignorant subjects who were deceived by those false n, oh Goddess!"
"May the Goddess's blessing be with you!"
Once even the Crown Prince acknowledged the new Pope, people cheered, their faces overflowing with emotion.
Through the gaps in the crowd that was increasingly blocking my view, I saw the white letters 'The One Who Hears God's Voice' slowly change.
[22nd Pope Nise]
'...Finally.'
Seeing that, I finally realized that the long, long temple main quest was over.
At that, the strength left my body for a mont.
I should be happy, but why was I feeling this indescribable emotion?
From 'The One Forsaken by God' to 'Pope'.
Perhaps because of all I had seen and experienced while Nise's title was changing, I couldn't be purely happy.
The sacrifice and tears he had endured to get to that point were too great.
It seed to be the sa for Nise. He didn't smile, even as he looked at the people kneeling and crying out his na.
Like soone who wasn't at all happy about this situation.
At that mont, our eyes t.
"Lady...!"
He moved his lips, flinching as he reached a hand toward .
It seed to an, 'Don't go.'
I shook my head, then smiled brightly and waved.
"See you next ti. Bye, accomplice."
I muttered it quietly, but he must have understood. His eyes widened, and he tried to approach urgently.
But he was blocked by the crowd that suddenly sward in.
I could vaguely see Nise standing there, looking lost like a child who had lost his way.
It was a pitiful sight, but for , this was my chance.
'I have to bolt now!'
Nise wasn't the only one trying to hold onto .
"Princess."
Sure enough, from not far away, that bastard Kassel was glaring as he tried to approach .
'That perceptive bastard.'
Fortunately, his path was repeatedly blocked by the surging crowd.
But seeing Kassel say sothing to the knights beside him with an annoyed face, it looked like the situation would be sorted out soon.
The bastard, who turned his gaze right back to , spotted backing away and spat gloomily.
"You'd be better off staying right where you are, Sari Song."
I got goosebumps at him saying 'Sari Song' and at his incredible intuition.
But naturally, I had no intention of listening to him.
'Like you'd just stand still in my shoes.'
If I stayed here in a daze and got caught, I'd just be interrogated about everything, starting with my identity.
'HP -99'
HP 523
Just then, my HP dropped due to the penalty.
It would be great if I could just get forcibly summoned to Dover Village from within the crowd and disappear, but unfortunately, I still had quite a lot of health left.
I shed a small tear and recalled what happened earlier, when I had tried to stay in the eyeball monster and was forcibly dragged out.
And I shuddered.
"It was foul eting you, and let's never see each other again!"
I don't know if he heard or not.
After shouting that, I blended into the surging crowd and hurriedly fled.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
"Your Holiness! Please give us your blessing!"
"Please convey the Goddess's will, Your Holiness!"
Even as people flocked before him and offered prayers, Nise couldn't take his eyes off the spot where the woman had stood.
He, who had been called 'The One Forsaken by God' all this ti, was suddenly the Pope, and everyone served him as if nothing had happened.
Was he the only one who found this situation bizarre?
The mont confusion and exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave.
"See you next ti. Bye, accomplice."
The only woman who treated him the sa as before.
She, who casually waved at him with a hand mottled by a curse, was like salvation to Nise.
'Her hand... I have to purify her hand...'
He belatedly recalled that she was afflicted by the curse and regretted it.
But as if the curse wasn't even scary, the woman turned her back without any lingering attachnt.
It was the sa before. When she had kidnapped him to the hotel.
Even though the curse from black magic was clearly visible on both her hands, she hadn't let it show.
If she had just blackmailed him, the Saintess's brother, to give her holy water, he could have gotten rid of the curse right away...
The unidentified woman who had kidnapped him, ssed up his plans, and had a hand in leading Liv to her death.
Even though he had every reason to hate her, he couldn't take his eyes off her brilliant pink hair.
For a mont, his eyes widened.
"Ah..."
A bright light was shining from behind the woman as she grew more distant.
At that mont.
The indistinct noises that had been blaring, seemingly fit to burst his eardrums, all beca clear at once.
Agent of God, the other Nisea-Liv.
Your power is at tis like pitch darkness, and like a mirror, it reverses destiny.
Always atone, and pray. And benefit the world far and wide.
Even if your path is followed by hardship and despair, if you follow the one who does not lose their faith...
The voice of God, which he had ignored all this ti, echoed clearly in Nise's ears as he stared at the disappearing woman.
...At the end of it, there will be salvation.
At that mont, letters the woman couldn't see floated in the air.
[Pope Nise feels a strong liking for you.]
[Congratulations! Nise's understanding of you has increased!]
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
'Sigh, my life.'
Compared to my bold declaration of "It was foul eting you, and let's never see each other again," I still hadn't managed to get out of the arena.
HP 325
It was because I still had too much HP, so the forced summon wasn't activating.
Damn it!
'To think a day would co when I'm upset about having too much HP...'
It was absurd that a situation would arise where I couldn't escape because of the forced summon.
But the only way to get rid of the curse penalty was to go to Dover Village.
I tried to leave the arena, but the entrances were swarming with knights in black armor.
'Those are the Crown Prince's personal guards.'
I didn't know when I ca in, but I knew clearly now.
Those in black armor were different from the other palace knights; they were the bastards under that bastard Kassel's command.
'That damn bastard! He plans to catch so I can't leave.'
I had no choice but to find a place where I could use a teleport scroll, avoiding the public eye.
: The closed section! Where is the closed section?!
GM Sera: Hoobae. This is originally classified information, but your play was so moving that I shall specially inform you! The closed section of the arena, where Liv had hidden, was the very top floor, the roof.
GM Sera: As for the closed section, it was a place where they used to lock up wild beasts and gladiators in the past. But in the 15th month of the 651st year of the Empire, the Emperor of that ti abolished the slave system... (typing...)
He could have just said it was the roof.
I rcilessly closed the chat window, which insisted on adding a grandiose explanation, and stepped onto the last stair.
The end of the stairs was blocked by a barricade to prevent entry to the roof.
"Annihilate."
But it was just wood, so I easily burned it and stepped inside.
Just as Sera said, perhaps it was where they'd locked up slaves. Old iron cages, similar to what I'd seen at the black market, were scattered haphazardly on the roof.
I strode past them and stood at the very edge of the roof, at the railing.
"They're still at it."
I had intended to check the situation in the arena, but not much ti had passed, so nothing had changed.
A large crowd of people was still bowing toward one central point.
Nise's form was not visible, as it was quite far.
"How are they supposed to proceed with the tournant like this?"
I muttered anxiously, then took a teleport scroll from my pocket, only to make a troubled expression.
"Ah."
I had only been thinking of getting out of the arena if it ca down to it, so the scrolls I'd brought were just for teleporting within the capital, like to the hotel or the alley in front of the temple.
It would be nice if I could go to a place like Hailey, which wasn't far from Dover Village.
To take out a different teleport scroll, I had to be wearing the shabby robe.
[White Won's Dress Storage Capacity: 10]
'Damn. This ti the inventory was pretty roomy, so I just packed a ton of potions...'
Just as I was sighing at my misjudgnt.
'HP -99'
HP 226
My HP suddenly dropped.
Now two more tis. aning, I was only about 20 minutes away from a forced summon.
Realizing that, the need to use a teleport scroll to move disappeared.
"I'll just stay here."
I decided to kill ti, leaning on the railing and looking down.
Just then, the knights were moving in an orderly fashion, getting people to stand up.
It seed the tournant was about to resu.
"It's really over..."
As I once again realized the temple main quest was over, my heart belatedly began to flutter.
There was still a long road ahead, but in any case, I had safely kept the main characters alive.
Now, if I just got through the tournant, I'd be much closer to the ending that had seed so far away.
'I'll stop by Dover Village, rest a bit, and co back tomorrow.'
Just as I was having the kind thought that I should also praise Elaine, who had done a rather comndable job.
Clack!
I suddenly heard a presence behind .
And.
"I told you, you'd be better off staying put, Sari Song."
A foreboding voice echoed quietly across the rooftop.
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