Chapter 590
Quai congratulated him.
“Congratulations, new Pope. I sincerely hope everything you wish to do goes well.”
“That would be nice. But... Lord Quai, aren’t you going to bet on me?”
“Bet?”
“Yes. Usually, when the Constellations I’ve met so far gave me this much power, they all bet on me. In that sense, haven’t you also been watching me for a long time, Lord Quai?”
“Power...”
At those words, Quai smiled.
“I suppose you could think of it that way. But I am fine. To begin with, I am not a Player, and I am an existence like a ghost of the Pantheon.”
“A ghost of the Pantheon...”
It sounded like he had once been a Demi-Constellation.
So Su-ho decided not to ask further.
He had no intention of persuading him either.
Instead, Quai said,
“And strictly speaking, I have not yet given you any proper power.”
“What do you mean?”
“You have completed the class quest through formality and procedure, but can that truly be considered the real power possessed by the Pope of the Pantheon?”
“......?”
What is he talking about now?
When Su-ho made a face that showed he did not understand, Quai spoke with that same good-natured smile.
“What kind of existence do you think the Pope is, new Pope?”
“To be honest, the Pope I know is a position that receives everyone’s respect.”
“That is correct. That is why the Cardinals’ vote was necessary. But you, Pope, come from the Rage Crusader line, which everyone rejects. According to your own words, can the current Pope truly be called Pope in the true sense?”
“......No? But is that important?”
“It is important. Especially for someone like you, Pope, who values power.”
A sudden uneasiness came over him.
“Are you saying that to obtain the true power, I need to know how to receive everyone’s respect? Something like that? And that there’s a separate process to earn that respect?”
Instead of answering, Quai only smiled.
“Ah.”
No wonder.
He had thought it was strange that they handed him the Pope’s seat so readily after he had only caught three Cardinals.
As Su-ho fell into despair, Quai continued, still wearing that smile.
“Haha, even so, I truly am doing this for your sake, Pope.”
“Yes, well, of course you are.”
“Hoho. In that sense, to explain a little further... as the Pope is respected by all priests, he is an existence who encompasses all of them. Usually, for systemic reasons, people choose Healer and become Clerics or Paladins, but from the stage beyond that, they are influenced by the Pantheon. In other words, once one reaches the level of Pope, one gains the qualification to use all those powers.”
Su-ho’s ears perked at the last words.
“All powers?”
“Yes, all powers.”
“......!”
When Su-ho’s eyes widened, Quai’s smile deepened even more.
“As a ghost who protects the Pantheon, I have a duty to assist the leader of the Pantheon. In that sense, for this Pope, it seems the greatest support I can offer is to make you stronger than anything else.”
“You have seen correctly.”
“Well, rather than saying my insight is good, it is because your name itself is Black Pope.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Popes throughout the Pantheon’s history each had colors attached before their names like epithets, colors that symbolized their identities. But in the history of the Pantheon, this is the first time an epithet related to black has been attached. Previously, you were the Blood Cardinal, and now you have become the Black Pope. A black priest who craves blood and power. There is no color that expresses you better than that.”
“That’s not exactly wrong, but the more I hear, the more I feel like I’ve become a monster.”
“Surely not. Then, from now on, I would like to present you with a path by which you can become stronger. It may be a trial, or it may be a test.”
“I’ll accept it, whatever it is. As long as I can become stronger.”
“Understood. Then from now on, Pope, you will meet the Masters among the many who protected the Pantheon, the Masters most suited to you, and receive their teachings.”
“Are Masters somehow different from ordinary Cardinals?”
“Yes, they are different. Master is a position obtained by priests who once served as Pope after they retire.”
“Uh, so they’re incredibly impressive people?”
“Yes. That is why being acknowledged by them is no different from receiving everyone’s respect. And through their acknowledgment, you, Pope, will be able to be reborn not as a Pope in shell only, but as a Pope in the true sense.”
Not a shell, but a true Pope.
Su-ho nodded.
“Understood. I’ll receive their teachings immediately.”
“Good. Then shall we begin at once?”
Announcing the beginning, Quai clapped his hands together as if in prayer.
Then holy energy began to swirl between Quai and Su-ho, and soon, the bookshelves all around them trembled as dozens of books were pulled out and opened with a flutter.
[ The guardian of the Pantheon wishes for you to grow even stronger. ]
[ As the method, he has presented several paths, and you have decided to walk the path of the Paladin in order to become a better Pope. ]
[ The stories of countless priests recorded in the history of the Pantheon are passed down to you. ]
Hwaaa!
Light poured out.
The light was warm.
Warm enough to make him think that if holiness had a temperature, it would feel like this.
Then, for an instant, his vision went dark.
Pat!
Su-ho disappeared.
In his place, a single book had fallen.
Astonishingly, Su-ho’s name was written on the book.
Quai picked up Su-ho’s book and sat in the chair.
“I look forward to your story.”
***
His vision returned.
When he opened his eyes, what he saw was a courtroom of the sort one might find in the Middle Ages.
In the seats where judges should have been, three figures in black clothes like Cardinals sat like modern judges, and the protagonist stood before them.
At Su-ho’s appearance, the one sitting in the middle, who looked to be of the highest status, acknowledged him.
“So it’s you. The bastard newly chosen as Pope this time.”
A man with rough speech.
Su-ho instinctively sensed that this man, too, was a Master.
“I greet the Master.”
“Hmph. Calling me Master when we’ve only just met... Enough. My name is Ruinberg. I am a Pope from the Paladin line, and from now on, you will undergo the test I give you. If you fail the test, I’ll drive you out immediately, so know that!”
So this is the concept?
Unbothered by his thoroughly blunt attitude, Su-ho decided to go along with the situation for now.
Whatever it was, if he passed that man’s test, he would be able to become stronger.
“Yes, Lord Ruinberg. So what should I do?”
“Before doing anything, I’ll ask you a question. Do you believe in God?”
“I don’t know what god you mean, but for now, I do not believe in God.”
“What?!”
Ruinberg was shocked by the statement that he did not believe in God.
Of course he was.
Who would not be shocked when the Pope said he did not believe in God?
When Ruinberg was so shocked, Su-ho became slightly flustered too.
‘Should I have just lied and said I did?’
Anyway, all I need is to get the power, right?
He thought that, then shook his head.
No. If I lie for no reason and get caught, that would be even more troublesome.
Let’s just push through with conviction.
Around the time he thought that, Ruinberg began pouring out venomous words.
“How truly lamentable...! As if it were not enough for one who does not believe in God to become a priest, you even forced your way into the sacred seat of Pope with brute force...! Lamentable. Truly lamentable...!”
Ruinberg’s face turned red and blotchy.
Su-ho was about to stay quiet, but then added,
“What can be done? If God truly existed, would a lamb like me have suffered? That is why I do not believe in God. Fate is something one carves out for oneself.”
“Then why did you become a priest!”
“I chose it out of necessity. And if we’re being precise, I didn’t even choose to become a priest. I only became a Healer because I needed healing ability among the options the system gave me.”
“This insane...!”
Ruinberg’s face grew even redder.
No, beyond red, he looked as if he would explode if someone so much as poked him.
Su-ho waited quietly until his excitement subsided.
Then, after a while, Ruinberg seemed to calm down somewhat and narrowed his eyes as he said,
“Hmph! But from now on, you will have to change your attitude. Every choice carries responsibility, and they say the scenery shapes the person. In any case, you became the Pope of the Pantheon, and you covet everyone’s power, do you not?”
“I do?”
“Then, whether you like it or not, in order to obtain everyone’s power, you must have faith and believe in God. In the Lord God who watches over the Pantheon!”
“I see. Then who is the Lord God of the Pantheon?”
“What?”
“Ah, no, I’m not trying to mock you. I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious. Thinking about it, I’ve never once heard what god the priests of the Pantheon serve.”
“No, what kind of...”
“I’m serious. No one ever told me. Though I wasn’t interested in the first place...”
“Look at this irreverent bastard...! To dare treat Lord Quai, the Great Lord God, in such a manner...!”
“No, I’m telling you, I’ve never heard of him, and I never had the chance to hear... Huh? Who?”
“Lord Quai! Lord Quai, I said! Have you truly never heard of him?”
“......!”
Su-ho’s eyes widened.
Quai?
Then the being who had guided me and spoken with me all this time wasn’t just a Constellation?
It was true.
Thinking about it, the pieces fit.
He had said he was the guardian god who watched over the Pantheon.
“Ha......!”
Why hadn’t he thought of that?
If the being had enough standing to invite him to the Pantheon in the first place, he should have realized it long ago.
But even if he learned that now, would anything particularly change?
No.
However, precisely because the being who had spoken with him until the end was Quai, Su-ho was instead able to gain certainty.
Not this fanatic-like Ruinberg standing before him, but when he thought about the way Quai had treated him, perhaps all these tests would end easily after all.
Su-ho asked calmly,
“So, what is the test I have to take?”
With even a slight ease at the corners of his mouth.