Chapter 425: Winner And Loser (1)
I had to revise the details, but it didn’t matter much if I would decide to go with the basic framework.
There were also other parts to be considered, but the rough foundation was already in place.
Lee Jihye and my lovely son, the museum manager, Max, had last checked out a few months ago, so it should be ready to open before Benignore’s stupidity could affect the continent.
I couldn’t help but move joyfully.
As I slowly opened the door, I felt the gazes of those pacing back and forth with anxious faces gathered instantly.
The first face I could see was Pope Basel’s.
Archbishop Jaina and the Director of Inquisition Helena were together, and the way they both came running and held my hands made me step back unconsciously.
Of course, I was feeling good at the same time. I could accept this situation to some extent.
“Honorary Cardinal! Did you hear… Benignore’s voice?”
‘Yes, I heard. That stupid bitch has decided to ruin everything here. Don’t believe in Benignore, Pope.’
I wanted to say that, but I couldn’t. It didn’t matter if I told the Church the general story.
“Yes. I definitely heard it. Actually, I don’t remember it well, but… I remember faintly communicating with her.”
“Is that true?”
“Yes. In fact… That’s the first time I have ever received trust in this way, and I am sorry to have kept you waiting, Pope Basel.”
“No, no. You were spending time with the Goddess, weren’t you? More importantly… What did she say? Is she okay?”
“In fact…”
“Ah, it must be bad news.”
“Yes. It’s definitely not good news.”
“Ho… Ho… Something happened to the Goddess, that’s what you mean?”
“It’s not enough to worry about. The Goddess is still safe. But she warned us of possible anomalies all over the continent, starting with this.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard that Benignore and the other continental gods are in a very weak state right now. As Pope Basel already knows, the reason behind it is that the power of demons rooted in the continent is already harming the continent’s vital force. The demonic minions, which have not yet disappeared, are taking their place across the continent and threatening this sacred land.”
“Those… those… those damn bastards…”
Watching Pope Basel tremble made me feel like he would lead the Holy Knights immediately and rush to exterminate the evil forces.
‘I guess it’s not all that bad.’
I knew Pope Basel trusted me, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent.
Perhaps the previous Goddess descent incident was a decisive factor towards that trust of his.
‘It’s not strange, though.’
I had proven that the Goddess Benignore had entered my body and communicated through Light Kiyoung. It would be strange for him not to believe I had a few conversations with her.
‘I can use this, too.’
Thinking about it, I realized there was no need to rush the museum.
Although most dungeons had been blocked, there were many heroic-grade and legendary-grade dungeons on the continent. The dungeons were where all the demon officials were hiding.
It was a place that had not been judged by the dungeon system, but what about it? Even if people killed humans, no, demons, their experience would still increase.
Rewards, experience, items, and fame, the Demon’s Spire, where the demon official Medilive resided, could still be considered a legendary-grade dungeon.
The number of people who could enter them was limited, and it was a place that must be raided with a party, not an army.
The same was true of the dungeon where many other demonic officials resided. Dozens, no, hundreds of dungeons per day could be created in the current continent.
All the gangsters that hindered humanity from becoming one were the ones called demons. This was a continuous holy war where each individual could fight for the gods they worshipped. I’d be able to get more divinity that way.
I thought that, at that level, Benignore and the other gods would also be able to rest comfortably.
‘Whew… it’s perfect. Perfect. Benignore, this is how you manage things.’
There were certainly some vague aspects, but the detailed parts could be dealt with later.
As I was looking at Pope Basel, I began to hear his voice once again.
“Do you know where they took root, Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung?”
“I haven’t heard about that yet… But I’ll do my best to locate it, Pope Basel.”
“It’s reassuring… Yes, it’s reassuring. Indeed, it’s Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung, after all. Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is truly a messenger of the Goddess Benignore. What’s the reason why you can stand even though you went on so many battlefields and fought against countless threats? If it were not for you, the Church wouldn’t have grown as vigorous as it does now. I am truly grateful to the Honorary Cardinal. I am very fortunate that someone like you is by the Goddess’s side. Indeed…”
“No, Pope Basel. Rather, Goddess Benignore…”
“…”
“Goddess Benignore is always watching you. She asked me to tell you that she’s grateful.”
“Huh…”
This was a bonus for the fool who only thought about Benignore. I said it as if it wasn’t a big deal, but I could feel my hand being held even more tightly.
How he looked after that was even more amusing.
“I-Is that true?”
“Yes.”
Tears had begun piling up in his eyes. It was certainly rare to see the old man in tears.
Even though this had been a lie, seeing him like that made me think that I did well in providing that kind of service.
“Goddess… Thank you. Thank you, Goddess Benignore.”
“…”
“My past years of serving only Goddess Benignore have never been wrong.”
“Yes. She must have been watching all this time. She’s always with us, after all.”
Of course, I didn’t know if she was actually watching over us, but if Pope Basel was happy, that was enough for me. The people watched in the back as they nodded at his warm appearance.
Perhaps the high ranks of the Church were happier than I was.
It must’ve been difficult for them to deal with Pope Basel’s anger throughout all those years.
There had even been a guy who even gave me a grateful look for putting him in a good mood.
“I-I’ll go in first, Honorary Cardinal. I wanted to spend time with you, but today I have to pray to the Goddess all day long.”
“That’s a very good decision, Pope.”
“And, as soon as you identify the whereabouts of those dirty demon minions rooted in the continent, please let the Church know. I will send the Holy Knights in myself.”
“Yes.”
“Do they dare to harm the Goddess, Director of Inquisition Helena?”
“Yes.”
“You are going to start interrogating other informants spread across the continent from Demon Summoner Jin Qing today. I can’t stay still for even one moment.”
“Yes, your Holiness.”
‘Ah. Jin Qing bastard… You’re going to have a hard time.’
I hadn’t expected Jin Qing to suffer.
The trial was coming soon, and it was a relatively relaxing time, but I had to remain silent for the guy who would soon be subjected to unexpected and harsh torture.
As far as I was concerned, it was convenient for the demons’ whereabouts to come out of Jin Qing’s mouth.
I thought it wouldn’t be that bad to try to meet with him once. There should be a relatively cumbersome negotiation process, but it didn’t matter.
Who was strong and who was weak had already been decided. If I offered something, the other side had no choice but to accept it.
‘They say it’s better to strike while the iron is hot.’
It didn’t sound much like an irrational plan.
“I’ll go there myself, Pope Basel.”
“Will you do that?”
“Yes. I, too, can’t stand it because I’m worried about Goddess Benignore. I don’t know if it will help, but let me convince him.”
“If the Honorary Cardinal Lee Kiyoung is coming, then that’s reassuring. Yes!”
“I just do my best for the Goddess.”
“I trust only in you.”
‘Okay. I’ll also trust only you.’
When I saw Pope Basel moving away after a hug, I began to smile. When I realized that finally, the work was over, Jung Hayan, who had been walking around at a reasonable distance, rushed in.
Cho Hyejin and Yuno Kasugano slowly approached us as they talked, and Elena was still watching out for others.
The people I brought in to be prepared if anything happened had become surplus power. Of course, it would be better to think of it as a form of vacation, but the problem was that I could cut the tension with a knife.
I thought Hee-ra would also come towards me quickly, but she seemed curious about something else.
“Honey.”
“Yes”
“Benignore’s voice… Did you really hear it?”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Since you lie around a lot… Well, it’s your karma.”
“…”
“…”
“It’s true, Hee-ra. Honestly, I didn’t think I could hear it, but things worked out well. Maybe I had answered all the questions in my mind that you would be curious about… I’ll tell you more about it later. There are more important issues than that. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to hear it.”
“What is it?”
“Quest creation will stop for a while across the entire continent. Of course, there will be differences in each region, but there are no other quests except class-related or tutorial dungeons.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Access to dungeons above the legendary-grade level will be restricted. It seems it was true that something happened up there.”
“That’s… not good news. But that’s quite amazing… Honey, are you really communing with the gods?”
“I only just got lucky.”
“Anyway… it will get quite noisy… Can you fix this? No, how long will that even take?”
“Three years. Of course, if we try to reduce it, we can probably lessen it. I’m thinking about how to do it in my mind. That’s why I’ll visit Jin Qing. I didn’t really want to see his face, but I have no choice.”
“Hmm.”
“I-I don’t like him very much.”
“Me too, Hayan. But what can I do? I need to. Oh, and you don’t have to follow me from here on out. I think everyone should just rest in a suitable place. Let’s eat dinner together after work.”
“Okay. Well, I had something to do in the capital anyway.”
“Okay…”
“Will you be okay?”
“Yes. I’m only going to have a quick conversation with the Demon Summoner.”
Jung Hayan had appealed with her eyes, as if asking me to take her too, but if I were to take one, I would’ve needed to take all of them.
Since it wouldn’t take much time, it wouldn’t be bad if I went back and forth alone.
‘Is he doing well…?’
Actually, that was a little late.
Since he was put in jail, I couldn’t even see his nose.
“That bastard’s life span is way too long.”
As I moved to the underground interrogation room located within the Church, the dark and damp interior greeted me immediately.
The entire place didn’t fit someone as holy as Light Kiyoung.