Somebody Stop the Pope – 40



Episode 40

13. Small Salvation

1.

At first I thought that I had accidentally heard a prayer as soon as I received the power from Limen.

But I quickly realized that it wasn’t a coincidence.

【Please save my father. Instead take someone like me…】

When I close my eyes I see a blurry image of a boy.

A boy praying fervently holding the hand of a man lying in a hospital bed in what appears to be the emergency room of a hospital.

The boy who looked to be around the same age as our Siyeon did not just ‘coincidentally’ pray at the same time that I was given the assignment.

【Our father… A miracle for our father too…】

The boy had been praying for a long time.

And now the boy’s earnest prayer has finally reached my ears.

I frowned and looked out the window quietly.

Thud-.

A light raindrop was tapping against the window.

“Originally Leo and I were planning to run together but thanks to you we can go comfortably. Thank you Team Leader Kim.”

“There was almost a sensational headline coming out tomorrow morning: ‘A strange creature threatening the nights of Seoul?’”

“Wouldn’t that be fun in its own way?”

“…I recently started losing my hair so I went to the hospital and they said it was stress-related hair loss. Haha….”

Our team leader Kim Dong-sik who now practically feels like my dedicated secretary said that he will only leave work after I get home.

Of course since I was at the temple late I couldn’t get off work and he decided to take us to our destination as we were about to set off at night.

Even if Team Leader Kim wasn’t there we planned to run to our destination.

The destination is the emergency room of a university hospital located in Suwon.

The moment I heard the boy’s earnest prayer I knew immediately where he was.

The effects of the power granted by Limen could only be described as tremendous.

“I guess I’ll have to go home early from now on. Team Leader Kim’s wife will really hate me.”

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“I am proud.”

“yes?”

“I’m very proud of helping Siwoo. Maybe it’s because my wife is also from the Department of Ability Management.”

Why does that make me feel strange?

I hesitated for a moment then leaned back against the back of the chair and said:

“If I have time I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“Thank you for your kind words Siwoo. We have arrived at our destination.”

“…You just got here.”

“It seems urgent so I’ll stop. I’ll park and follow you so you go in first.”

“You can leave work.”

“Don’t worry the overtime pay is pretty good.”

I nodded slightly at Team Leader Kim’s words and got out of the car with Leo.

Then soon the entrance of the university hospital came into view.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

As I entered the hospital I could smell the hospital’s signature disinfectant smell.

I’m not very familiar with hospitals past or present so I feel awkward.

Leo looked around as if he was curious about the hospital he was visiting for the first time but he didn’t show it.

So we quietly headed to the emergency room.

But after a while.

“You cannot enter unless you are a guardian.”

The hospital staff guarding the front of the emergency room stopped us.

…was a completely unexpected obstacle.

I said to the staff with an awkward smile.

“I came inside to see a patient.”

“What is the patient’s name?”

It was a one-sided affair.

How could I know your name? I just know your voice and appearance.

“therefore….”

As I hesitated to answer the employee looked at me suspiciously.

Judging from the way he puts his hand on the walkie-talkie on his waist it looks like he’ll call the security if necessary.

Let’s at least say something.

“We’re not bad people. We just wanted to see our brothers in the emergency room…”

“So what is that patient’s name?”

“Well does the name… matter?”

Despite my wit the employee mercilessly put the radio to his mouth.

“…Please send some security personnel to the emergency room. Strange outsiders are trying to enter the emergency room.”

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He really couldn’t be an employee who didn’t have a strong sense of professionalism.

At that very moment we were about to be arrested by the security guards.

“I came from the Department of Ability Management.”

Team leader Kim who had finished parking in an instant appeared and began to sort out the situation.

Team Leader Kim said as he skillfully took out his civil servant ID card from his bosom.

“We will verify their identities so please allow them to enter. This is an urgent matter.”

“Did the patient who came in bleeding earlier do something wrong?”

“It’s confidential so I can’t tell you. I would appreciate your cooperation.”

Although the Ability Management Department is said to be in a state of disarray it seems to be a pretty scary organization to the general public.

The employee who had been suspicious of us just a moment ago hurriedly moved away.

At the employee’s frightened expression I quietly whispered in Team Leader Kim’s ear.

“Isn’t this a complaint of abuse of power?”

“As long as Siwoo doesn’t get into an accident that’s fine.”

“…Oh yes.”

Still it was good that I came with Team Leader Kim.

If only Leo and I had come we would have been taken to the police station for trespassing in the emergency room.

I nodded slightly and slowly entered the emergency room.

“I see it over there.”

“What a pure and beautiful seed.”

The protagonist of the prayer was not so far away.

A hospital bed that you see as soon as you enter the emergency room.

A man was lying on a hospital bed with his eyes closed while a small boy was holding the man’s hand with his eyes closed.

I quietly approached the child.

And then he said gently placing his hand on the child’s head.

“hi?”

Then the boy slowly opened his eyes.

Her eyelids were swollen and her eyes were bloodshot as if she had been crying continuously.

How pitiful that sight was.

“…uh?”

The boy stared at me for a long time blinking and I patted his head and said.

“I came after hearing your prayers. I’m sorry I’m late.”

2.

Jin Seung Woo.

The name of the boy who kept praying was Jin Seung-woo.

The man Seungwoo was holding on to was Seungwoo’s father.

Seungwoo’s father was not in good condition.

There were sword wounds and magical marks all over his body proving that he had been damaged by magic.

“By the time we got here the situation was already difficult to improve. We took emergency surgical measures such as hemostasis but the damage caused by the magic was so severe that no additional measures could be taken.”

The doctor was briefing us on the patient’s condition having heard the news from the Department of Abilities Management.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

Team Leader Kim who had been quietly listening to the doctor’s briefing frowned and asked the doctor.

“I understand that medical institutions above the level of general hospitals must possess the equipment necessary for magical detoxification so why haven’t they taken action?”

The doctor answered Team Leader Kim’s question with an embarrassed expression.

“Of course our hospital has it too. But….”

“It’s because of the medical expenses.”

“…I apologize. As you know the elixirs used to detoxify magic are extremely expensive so we cannot take action without permission from our superiors or advance payment of the treatment costs.”

“her.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at those words.

Maybe I’ve only seen the surface of society since I returned.

A situation where treatment is not available even though it can be done.

However we couldn’t just blame the hospital.

“Furthermore we had no choice because patient Jin Seo-jun still had a significant amount of unpaid medical expenses.”

“Treatment fees you couldn’t pay?”

“It’s because of me.”

The one who heard the doctor’s words was none other than Seungwoo.

Seungwoo continued speaking with difficulty his head bowed low.

“Because I was sick Dad worked tirelessly. It’s all my fault. Dad….”

A voice soaked with moisture.

At that voice I just smiled bitterly and patted the guy’s head again.

“Everything will be okay.”

“Siwoo we will take care of the cost so how about you go into surgery right away?”

At Team Leader Kim’s words I waved my hand and said.

“I can’t afford to cause that much trouble.”

“But if we don’t take action now this patient….”

Team Leader Kim trailed off as he looked at Seungwoo.

I know that too.

If the magic spreads to his internal organs Seungwoo’s father will have no choice but to die.

“If the Ability Management Department wishes we will report to the higher-ups and take action immediately.”

The doctor who was listening to our conversation said.

I answered him with a sly smile.

“Was this a problem that could be solved so easily?”

“Siu-nim. It is not easy to heal magic damage on Earth.”

At Team Leader Kim’s words I raised the corners of my lips weakly and said.

“Every time I see something like this I feel like this is Earth.”

It seems that only the superficial appearance of society has changed and the essence has not changed.

Honestly I’m not really interested in social structure or welfare or anything like that.

Because even before crossing over to Eden we were busy trying to make a living.

but.

“It just bothers me. It makes my mouth taste bitter.”

I just felt bad thinking that quite a few people might have died this way.

The doctor who heard me opened his mouth carefully.

“We will begin treatment immediately.”

“You guys just stay still like you have been doing until now. Even if you had stepped in you wouldn’t have been able to completely cure him anyway.”

The doctor frowned perhaps with hurt pride.

“Our hospital’s treatment for magic addiction is well-known even in Korea.”

“Can I take that to mean that you were watching people die at that level of understanding?”

“…that.”

“Leo. I’m going to finish this right away so keep people away.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

Leo nodded slightly and made the rest of the group including Seungwoo move away from the hospital bed.

“What are you doing now!”

“What are you doing? Something you can’t do.”

The divine white light that flowed from my hand seeped into Seungwoo’s father’s body.

Magical injuries were relatively common injuries in Eden.

Surgical procedures were obviously inferior to those on Earth but it is true that they were far superior to Earth in terms of magical injuries.

I don’t know how much medicine has advanced on Earth since the opening of Dimension but at least in Eden the injuries that Seungwoo’s father suffered were easily treatable.

Woooooooooo-!

Divine power quickly moves through Seungwoo’s father’s body as he lies in bed.

Trauma is a problem that can be resolved by simply increasing natural recovery power as appropriate measures have already been taken at the hospital.

And the remnants of magical power remaining here and there will also quickly fade away due to divine power.

But what I was looking for was something else.

The unpleasant and gloomy atmosphere that I had been feeling since a while ago.

“…found it.”

[Evil magic detected.]

It was clearly magic.

Magi that was hiding its presence among the sword wounds and magical vibrations.

The magic that sensed divine power burst out from the wound and quickly spread in all directions.

Whoosh whoosh-!

Magi was soon burned away without a trace by my divine power.

“Your Holiness. This is…..”

“I think I was attacked by magic users.”

There is only one case in which another’s magic energy infiltrates a human body.

Whether it’s magic or a sword.

When exposed to attacks from magic users.

In this case the wound was clearly visible so it was likely caused by a player who used a sword as their main weapon.

Then suddenly the content of the prayer Seungwoo had prayed earlier came to mind.

I asked that those who did this to my father be made to pay for their crimes.

And in a voice full of evil not like that of a child.

“Seungwoo.”

Seungwoo answered my call while holding his father’s hand tightly.

“…yes.”

“Your father will be okay now. So tell us your story. I heard a prayer asking someone to pay for his sins.”

Did you take my question differently?

Seungwoo said lowering his head.

“Actually… if it’s okay with Dad I can forgive you.”

“Our Seungwoo is so smart. Where did you learn to forgive?”

“I learned this when I used to go to church with my mom. That even sinners should be forgiven.”

“Well our church does teach forgiveness but there is a doctrine that we learn before that.”

I pulled up a chair and sat in front of Seungwoo.

And he said in a low voice.

“Do not turn a blind eye to evil for inaction is also the path to evil.”

How could you just pass by after seeing Magi?

And the moment I heard this small and kind boy praying so desperately I had no intention of just passing it by.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Our Pope please stop this