Somebody Stop the Pope – 82



Episode 82

25. Horseman

1.

As soon as I entered the quarantine area a quest appeared for the first time in a long time.

[A quest occurs.]

[plague]

●Type: Sub – DLC

●Description: An unknown plague is spreading where you are now. You can hear people groaning from the disease everywhere and many people have lost hope for the future.

Your Holiness please drive out the evil disease that has encroached upon this place and save those who suffer.

●Completion Conditions: Eliminate the <Source of the Plague>.

●Reward: <10000 Holy Points> <1 Holy Relic Point>

Since it was a quest that I had no reason not to accept I accepted it right away and closed the message window. Then I slowly looked around.

Containers installed everywhere and buildings that do not exceed three floors.

The coughs and groans heard incessantly in the meantime clearly reveal the misery of this place.

“When I see things like this I realize that Earth is truly an amazing world.”

“what?”

“Even if you look at Seoul where our religious order’s temple is located there are so many tall buildings and it is so developed that it cannot be compared to Eden. If you come down just a little bit it is so different. I thought that if civilization developed everyone would be able to live well but that is not the case.”

“That’s just how the world we live in is.”

“Well there is no such thing as a world where everyone is equal and happy. If that were possible there would be no need for religion.”

Sometimes you see Luna saying very cynical things.

It may be a trait she acquired while working tirelessly to support her younger siblings as a child.

“Still this place is a lot better than where I lived with my siblings. At least I won’t have to starve for a long time right?”

Luna said that and continued to move forward.

From the moment we entered this place many eyes were focused on us.

The combination of me wearing priestly attire and Luna wearing pure white armor was a combination that could not help but draw attention.

We headed to our first destination under those hot gazes.

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Because the plague was spreading very few people were out on the streets.

“Well according to the message that Director Kim sent it’s over there.”

Luna said looking at her smartphone skillfully.

Luna and Leo have been using their smartphones better than I have lately. That means they spend most of their free time on them.

“I see it over there.”

“hmm?”

“That’s called a cross. You can think of it as a symbol of Christianity. At one time you could see it anywhere in the country.”

I looked at the container with the cross on it.

Although it was not very large a faint divine power was felt from inside.

It’s probably the pastor that Director Kim told me about.

“Let’s go in and take a look.”

“yes.”

We went inside the container with Luna. Then a little boy holding a sharp iron skewer shouted at us from inside.

“Oh don’t come here! Not here!”

The boy’s face was filled with desperation as he glared at us. Judging from the way the iron skewer shook he seemed very nervous.

Luna looked back and forth between me and the boy then flicked her hand and blew the skewer back.

And she smiled while patting the boy’s head.

“Don’t worry. I’m here to help you.”

“Really?”

“Heemin! What’s going on….”

Then a middle-aged man ran out from inside the building.

The man had rolled up both sleeves of his dusty white shirt. He was holding a wet towel in his hand as if he had rushed out.

He made eye contact with us.

After 3 seconds like that.

“Kim… Siwoo?”

When he realized our identity his eyes widened and he dropped the towel he was holding.

I waved my hand at him and said hello.

“Originally we should have asked outside first and then come in but we are a bit impatient so we apologize. Would it be okay if we came in?”

“Oh God. Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Well we are the ones who serve Limen.”

“Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t realize it….”

Luna who was standing next to me at the sight of the man whispered quietly in my ear.

“You seem like a fun person don’t you?”

“What does it taste like?”

“What do you feel from Sungha? Hehe.”

Let’s ignore it.

I pushed Luna’s face away with my hand and said to him with a smile.

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“It’s okay. By the way this young guy here is brave. What happened?”

“This morning some of the patients barged in here. The children were almost seriously injured because of their extreme aggression. I think that’s why Hee-min is wary of outsiders. Hee-min should I apologize?”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I thought you were bad people because you came in so suddenly.”

“That was our fault. I’m sorry Hee-min. Next time I’ll make sure to knock before coming in.”

It was also our fault for coming in without knocking.

Even though it must have been scary the sight of him confronting them with an iron skewer was impressive.

Moreover the seeds of divine power felt in the boy’s body were equally impressive.

The only regret was that the seeds were not ours.

“While other children are suffering from unknown illnesses Hee-min is the only one who is doing well. Thanks to him I am receiving a lot of help. My name is Seong-shin Seo. I have been working here for two years.”

“This is Kim Si-woo. This is Luna.”

“I’m so embarrassed to meet in person people I’ve only heard about through rumors.”

Pastor Seo smiled and took the hand I offered him.

Wooooow-!

Pastor Seo’s pure divine power was transmitted through the clasped hands. As expected from a case of awakening with devout faith it was a divine power that was surprisingly pure. It was to the point where it would not be an exaggeration to call him a prophet.

With this level of divine power it seems that just holding hands would have greatly weakened the symptoms of the demonic disease.

“I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything.”

“Thank you for your welcome. If it’s not too much trouble may I take a look around the church?”

“Of course.”

Pastor Seo led us into a room inside the church.

There were six children lying there all of whom were in bad condition.

Judging by the black stains on his fingertips and toes it seemed clear that he had contracted the disease.

“These are children who lost their parents due to the epidemic. We want to send them to better facilities outside but there is nothing we can do right now due to the quarantine.”

“The children don’t look well.”

“In the case of other patients their condition improved when they came into contact with me but that was not the case for these children.”

Certainly even patients with mild cases of magic can improve just by coming into contact with the divine power of a prophet.

I slowly approached the children while listening to Pastor Seo’s words.

I could sense quite a strong magic energy from the children.

“I wish I could do something more but…”

“I understand that you have done everything you could. In fact this is not something Pastor Seo can do more about.”

Even if this person was born with divine powers comparable to those of a prophet for now all he can do is emit divine powers.

It was a half-baked situation as skills like blessing or consecration could not be used.

Of course he had the absurd potential to cure most magicians just by releasing his divine power but there was a reason why his divine power did not work on these children.

I said to Pastor Seo as I placed my hands on the children’s bodies.

“Have you ever been out since your children got sick?”

“Not at all. I had no energy at all so I just lay down.”

“is it so?”

[The curse <Mark of Gluttony> has been removed.]

Saegun-.

The condition of the children who had been gasping for breath just a moment ago returned to normal and the expressions of the children who had been suffering as if having a nightmare changed to comfort.

Pastor Seo opened his eyes wide as he looked at the children who had become much more comfortable.

“The children…..”

“The problem has been solved.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I was worried that something might go wrong with the kids….”

“Before that Pastor Seo.”

I slowly got up from my seat and approached Pastor Seo.

And she spoke to him in a quiet voice.

“Is there another outsider who has been in and out of this place? Please answer honestly.”

It seemed that there was no need to look far for the source of the disease.

2.

“There is a deacon who usually comes to our church to worship. He has been helping with the children’s care since the day before yesterday. He has not shown any signs of illness perhaps because he has immunity like us.”

According to Pastor Seo a deaconess named Lee Hye-seon came to the church two days ago to take care of the children and then left.

Considering that she remained unharmed even as the disease spread it is presumed that she had also developed immunity to the disease.

But there is one thing that must be made clear here.

Unless you’re a player having any resistance to cavalry is close to a miracle.

The case of Hee-min who had pointed an iron skewer at us earlier was a very special case. He was free from the demonic spirits because he possessed the seed of divine power and his innate resistance was monstrous.

Unless it’s a special case like Hee-min’s there’s only one possibility left.

If you are familiar with Magi.

That is if you are a magic user.

“Luna.”

“Yes go ahead.”

“What do you think?”

“Of course she’s a bad girl. I don’t know if she’s the source of the demon disease but she’s definitely related to it. The only suspect who could put a curse on the kids is her. Even if they knew each other from the beginning there are so many cases where demons take on human skins.”

Pastor Seo did not even suspect the deaconess named Lee Hye-seon.

The reason is that they knew each other before the current situation occurred.

It seemed like there was more trust built up than we thought as we didn’t easily believe her when we told her that she might be the culprit.

“Sometimes I see that Sungha has a soft side. If it were me I would have gone to that girl right away and ripped her head off without even trusting her.”

“…Not the hair but the head?”

“If you tear off the head the hair is a bonus right?”

Is that really what a knight who follows God’s will would say?

Anyway we decided to grant Pastor Seo’s request to give us just one more chance to check.

If it had taken a long time I would have moved right away but since the deacon was about to arrive at the church I waited for a moment.

And just as he said not long after Luna and I started waiting that person named Deaconess Lee Hye-seon appeared.

“Pastor I’m here.”

A smiling middle-aged woman entered the church and Pastor Seo greeted her with a forced smile.

“Are you here butler?”

“Nothing happened to the kids?”

“The fever won’t go down. But it’s gotten a little better.”

“I brought whatever fever reducer I had at home. It should help.”

Luna and I were hiding behind a thin membrane created by divine power.

A kind of camouflage.

Unless someone possessed as much divine power as I did they would not easily notice our presence.

Pastor Seo and a woman named Deacon Lee headed into the room where the children were lying.

And then a crack appeared on the butler’s face which had been smiling faintly.

Impatience replaces the smile that once was.

Pastor Seo looked at her and spoke in a low voice.

“The children’s condition has finally improved. It seems like they are gradually overcoming their illness.”

“…Is that so? That’s fortunate.”

She seemed to have noticed that the mark had been erased and quickly tried to approach the children.

But it was Pastor Seo who stopped it.

“Butler.”

“The children’s clothes are soaked with sweat. I brought a few changes of clothes for them to change so I’ll change them for them myself.”

Pastor Seo did not budge despite her words. Instead he spoke to her in a firm tone.

“I’m sorry but I would like you to just go back today. The kids are just getting better…”

“There wasn’t much left! There wasn’t much left!”

That was when.

A black tentacle emerged from the butler’s body and struck Pastor Seo’s body hard.

Pastor Seo’s shocked body bounced off the wall with shocking ease.

And at that moment Luna who had walked out of the camouflage said as she received the unconscious body of Pastor Seo.

“What are you going to do Your Majesty? It doesn’t look like it’s the source of the disease. It’s just a minor illness.”

“Still it seems like it could be useful. If we follow the magic flowing out of that guy’s body we’ll be able to easily find the source.”

Luna carefully placed Pastor Seo’s body on the floor. Then she smiled even more deeply as she pulled out the hammer from the air.

“Good. Can I indulge myself for once?”

“Just leave the head alone. Be careful the children are sleeping.”

“What a pity. Those demons need their heads smashed to enjoy it… but you get to eat the best part last.”

I covered the eyes of the child named Hee-min who had been hiding behind me for a while with both hands. Then I spoke in a quiet voice.

“Heemin cover your ears with your hands.”

“yes yes.”

“It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”

Luna’s murderous divine power began to fill the small church.

Our Pope please stop this