Somebody Stop the Pope – 136



Episode 136

3.

“Worse than an animal… No if you say that I feel bad for the animals. At least the beasts don’t do things like this.”

I frowned as I looked at the survivors inside the cave including the unconscious man in front of me.

Their condition was so bad that it was hard to bear to look at.

Not only were their bodies rotting away but each of them had similar wounds on their necks.

I could tell what the wound was even without looking closely.

“They all have their vocal cords cut off. Right?”

The dark elf who had been trembling in front of me nodded at my question.

“To make it easier to manage the prisoners… the prisoners…”

“I didn’t ask why. It’s obvious what you guys do. But you have a reason. In Eden you used to kill humans for fun. Is it because you’re not Dark Elves from Eden?”

These scouts that Leo and Luna had captured were nothing more than pyramids at best.

So that’s why I didn’t have much information. The only useful information I got from them was the world they originally lived in.

These guys are said to have come from a world called ‘Dain’ unlike the dark elves I know.

The humans of Eden and the humans of Earth are so different yet the dark elves seem similar no matter what world they come from.

“Tsk.”

I frowned as I looked at the corpses of the dark elves strewn across the cave floor.

Srrrrrr.

As they lost their lives the magic energy that escaped from their bodies began to writhe in all directions.

It was as if they were looking for a new target to parasitize on.

“That won’t do.”

Hururuk.

I burned away the magic with the Holy Fire and looked at the dark elf who was kneeling.

“The information you provided was useful. I’ll give it my due.”

Then the dark elf looked at me with longing eyes.

The eyes of the guy who resembled obsidian shook.

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“Is that so? If so then at least my life….”

“Oh that’s right. I’ll end your life cleanly.”

The dark elf froze on his knees as soon as he heard my immediate answer.

And soon a trembling voice came out of the guy’s mouth.

“I definitely didn’t want to see you in such a rough state earlier….”

“Oh that? Didn’t you say you’d spare me if I didn’t let you see me in such a bad way?”

“Please!”

“don’t worry.”

Kwajik- thud.

The body of a dark elf with its head blown off fell to the ground. I killed it especially cleanly because it was the one who brought me here.

I nodded as I burned the blood on my gauntlet with the holy fire.

“It’s a relief since I went without any pain.”

The pain of dying by fire is one of the most horrific sufferings a living being can experience.

This is especially true for those who possess magic and are burned to death by the Holy Fire.

Holy fire does not only burn bodies that are tainted with magic.

It burns every single soul that is tainted by magic without leaving a single trace.

The terrible pain that comes from burning both body and soul at the same time is something that no being can endure.

Wouldn’t it be a blessing if you could die in one breath without suffering such pain?

I guess I was being considerate to this guy who provided me with honest information.

I glanced at the corpse of the dark elf that had fallen limply then waved my hand lightly.

Then the flames rising from the gauntlet quickly devoured the corpse of the man as well as the corpses of the other dark elves in the cave.

It was a matter of seconds before the corpses were reduced to ashes by the Holy Fire.

After cleaning up the scene so neatly I immediately approached the unconscious survivors.

Despite all this chaos most of the survivors didn’t even open their eyes except for one man who had just looked at me.

“I’m sorry everyone.”

If I had gotten here a little sooner wouldn’t things have been a little better?

The thought of it made my mouth water.

But I couldn’t continue to regret it because there were still many survivors that needed to be saved.

I nodded slightly and took a thumb-sized top-grade sacred stone from my pocket. I then immediately planted it in the ground.

Woooooooooo-

The divine power that poured out from the sacred stone quickly filled the entire cave and soon penetrated into the bodies of the survivors.

The power to purify magic and maximize the body’s ability to recover.

Because what they needed right now was recovery.

[Cast the active skill <Divine Barrier Lv. Max>.]

I’ve set up a sacred barrier centered around the highest-grade sacred stone so you should be safe until I return after taking care of the situation.

Information extracted from the Dark Elf scouts even included information about the center of the Dark Elf tribe that had settled here.

Where most survivors are being held.

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The dark elves you see on the way here are probably still figuring out the situation since the dark elves have quietly killed themselves.

We had to push them in before they could even figure out what was going on.

That way unnecessary sacrifices will be reduced.

Just as I was about to leave the cave

“Thank you. Thank you.”

The man who had fainted a moment ago came to his senses and spoke to me.

His voice cracked at the end perhaps because he hadn’t used his vocal cords in a long time. He must have been an awakened person because his recovery through divine power was very fast. Still the sincerity contained in his voice was conveyed to me accurately.

Even if divine power helps them recover it takes tremendous mental strength to get up right away.

In that sense that man’s mental strength was certainly remarkable.

I smiled faintly at him as he shed tears toward me.

“What is your name?”

“Lee Eun-taek… This is Lee Eun-taek.”

“Lee Eun-taek. That’s a nice name. Mr. Lee Eun-taek. I don’t know if you know but my work isn’t finished yet. Can Mr. Lee Eun-taek guard this place?”

At my question Eun-taek Lee struggled to get up from his seat. Then he grabbed the dark elf sword that was lying on the floor with his hand and nodded with a solemn expression.

“Yes. I will protect you even if I die.”

I wonder if he’s speaking in dialect because the shape of his mouth and the words coming into my head are slightly different.

I heard that the Northeastern dialect is very strong and through <Blessing of Language> even the dialect was being interpreted.

But his sincerity is conveyed without any exaggeration.

“This time… this time I will definitely keep it. I will never make the same mistake again….”

“Okay Mr. Lee Eun-taek. Then I’ll leave this place to you for a moment. It won’t take too long.”

I looked at Lee Eun-taek who was standing on his own two feet.

His legs were shaking due to lack of strength and his body was so skinny that he couldn’t eat properly. But these things weren’t enough to break the man’s will.

There was a look of determination in his eyes.

I don’t know what the story was but his expression conveyed his determination never to back down again.

His story was worth hearing after the situation was over.

“Please take good care of me Mr. Eun-taek Lee.”

“I just want to ask you one thing… just one thing.”

“Um what is it?”

“The name of your benefactor. I want to hear your name.”

What a strange person.

It wasn’t a difficult question so I obediently told him my name.

“Kim Si-woo. He is lacking but he is leading the Limen sect.”

“Kim Si-woo… Limen Church… Thank you for speaking to me.”

Is it because of my mood?

Somehow I had a feeling that I might be seeing this man often in the future.

“See you again soon.”

I smiled again as I looked at Lee Eun-taek repeating my name.

4.

After sealing the cave where the survivors remained perfectly with a sacred barrier they immediately moved forward.

There was no need for a guide anymore.

Because the main residence of the dark elves has already been determined.

Among the trees in this bizarre forest filled with magical energy there is one giant tree that emits the most powerful magical energy.

According to the testimony of the dark elf scouts that was the main residence of the dark elves.

And those words were the truth without a single lie.

“It’s a very grand welcome party. I like it.”

I raised a corner of my mouth as I looked at the trees and thorns blocking my way.

Anyone can see that it is an artificial obstacle.

Between the trees blocking the way on all sides dark elves were already aiming at me with poisoned arrows.

but.

It was the same when we landed earlier and now that we’re clearing out the forest it’d be even stranger for us to stay still.

Still it seems like they are somewhat perceptive.

“Don’t you know that the moment the arrow leaves the protest it’s over?”

I smirked at the dark elves who were shaking their arms while pulling the trigger.

Dark elves are a race that was created when elves were corrupted by magic so they are naturally skilled in archery.

Perhaps in archery alone they are superior to the elves who are their origin.

Unlike the elves who fight using the spirits freely the dark elves who have been abandoned by the spirits use poison as their weapon of choice.

And the weapon that could most effectively use that poison was that arrow.

“There must be something about your personality that doesn’t immediately strike me right?”

I walked forward slowly taunting the guys.

One step two steps.

Even though I was walking openly the dark elves did not attack me.

For a group of people who commit fratricide every now and then they seemed quite cautious.

And I soon discovered where that caution came from.

Kkudddddddd.

The trees and thorns blocking my path quickly parted to the left and right and soon a dark elf walked out from within.

A dark elf who appears to be of high rank at first glance.

The guy was wearing a robe adorned with gold thread and had quite a large amount of magical energy stored within his body.

“I didn’t know such a distinguished guest would come. I am the elder who leads the clan here…”

“I don’t care about your name just tell me what’s going on. I’ll give you 10 seconds.”

“I will hand over the human prisoners. Didn’t you come here to rescue them yourself Pope of Eden?”

He was an interesting kid.

The other dark elves seemed unaware of me but this one seemed to know my identity.

I’m sure I heard the story from someone.

“Did that just give you an extra minute of life? That’s it.

“You are a kind person just as I have heard.”

“Who told you my story?”

“I don’t know much about him. I just know that he is the one who led us to this world.”

A vague answer.

I frowned as soon as I heard that answer.

“30 seconds off. 25 seconds left.”

“You came to rescue human prisoners but do you think the prisoners should die? The warriors of the clan are currently in the place where the prisoners are being held. You may kill me but the moment I die the prisoners will die as well.”

“So you’re saying you’re going to end up taking hostages? That suits you.”

He came out prepared to die and now he says it’s a hostage situation.

Those guys wouldn’t have the guts to do something like a simple hostage situation and it seemed like they had something else planned.

“What else have you prepared?”

“Our clan has been casting black magic over the entire forest since we first settled here. With a simple spell the entire forest will explode. We will die but you must think about your men and other humans. Will the strange flying object you rode here be free from the explosion?”

The men took hostage not only the survivors on this land.

My group landed here.

They were all taken hostage.

It’s pretty believable that the Dark Elves are talking about self-destruction. They’re the kind of people who would do something like that.

“I think it would be better for us to both take a step back rather than perish here. Don’t you think so?”

I understood why this elder had so much guts.

After all this guy was betting the lives of my group.

It’s like threatening someone with a gas can and a lighter.

Originally such threats worked very well on those who had a lot to lose. It was a trick and a last-ditch effort by the one who had no more cards to lose.

in other words.

“I guess there’s no other way than that?”

It means that they admit that they are in a disadvantageous position.

I nodded with a smile and slowly walked towards the elder and said.

“I won’t kill you as you wish. But promise me one thing. Don’t beg me to kill you later. Okay?”

This time there were no plans to negotiate with the terrorists.

Our Pope please stop this