Please Stop The Pope

‘We’re doomed!’

That was the first thought that came to my mind after seeing that branch.

There were countless precious sacred relics in the denomination’s sacred relic storage, and I remembered the sacred relics stored there.

But I had no memory of seeing this branch there.

In other words, it was a sacred relic that wasn’t in the Papal Office.

“What is this?”

It seemed Luna felt the same way.

Luna brought her face close to the branch and frowned.

“It seems to be a sacred relic based on the holy power I feel… Did you summon this, Your Holiness?”

“…For now.”

“There are many other things, why of all things… No, but since it’s Limen’s sacred relic, it should be fine, right?”

“I didn’t summon what I wanted.”

This is what I got from the draw.

Just as Luna and I were looking at the branch with serious expressions,

Leo also had a serious expression.

However, Leo’s seriousness was different from ours.

“How can this be!”

Unlike us who were bewildered, Leo’s face was filled with numerous emotions.

Leo, who usually didn’t show much emotion, was excited to the point that his face was flushed red.

“Your Holiness! Is this a dream!”

“Calm down, Leo.”

“How can I calm down? It’s the Branch of Beginning! The Branch of Beginning, the denomination’s sacred relic that disappeared 500 years ago!”

At those words, I widened my eyes.

A sacred relic that disappeared 500 years ago? That branch?

“In the distant past, when Limen first descended upon this land, promising a peaceful and prosperous future to mortals, she blessed a huge tree as proof. It was later called the Divine Tree.”

Leo continued the story in a more enthusiastic voice than ever.

“The Divine Tree was burned and destroyed by the Legion of Gluttony during the War of Hatred 500 years ago. One of those guarding the Divine Tree hastily broke off a branch and barely managed to escape, and that branch is this.”

I listened to Leo’s story and carefully brought my hand to the branch.

Then, an information window about the branch soon appeared before my eyes.

●Item Type: Sacred Relic – Limen Denomination

●Origin Dimension: Eden

●Description: A branch of the Divine Tree that once symbolized Limen’s promise. Although the Divine Tree was burned and destroyed by demons, the will and holy power that resided in the Divine Tree remain in the branch. It is also a seed left behind by the Divine Tree. According to the passed-down story, a divine beast guarding the Divine Tree is said to be slumbering.

●Usage Effect: When the branch is inserted into land filled with , it transforms into a .

“So that’s why they broke off a branch and escaped.”

I let out a small exclamation while looking at the usage effect of the sacred relic.

In other words, if I planted this branch, it would grow into that so-called Divine Tree.

“The Divine Tree makes the surrounding holy power purer and enriches the land. Also, just being near the Divine Tree can expect a high healing effect.”

“How the hell did you lose something so important?”

“…I’m not sure about that either. The historical records kept in the Papal Office only state that it was stolen in a mysterious raid.”

Just what kind of denomination was the Limen Denomination in the past?

If they were to the point of having sacred relics stolen, it seems they really hit rock bottom…

No, that’s not what’s important right now.

I looked at the branch again with a fresh expression. Until just now, I thought it was a dud sacred relic, but after hearing the story, it wasn’t a dud.

Perhaps,

“It’s a jackpot.”

“It’s a jackpot.”

“There is no greater fortune than this! All of this is the grace of Limen who watches over us!”

It could be that we hit the jackpot on a sacred relic that could be considered the top prize.

The Divine Tree, the denomination’s history that was lost 500 years ago.

Hearing about the effects of the Divine Tree, I could roughly understand why Leo was so excited.

I smiled and picked up the branch. And looking at Luna and Leo, I said,

“Without further ado, let’s plant it in the front garden.”

Leo nodded his head as if he had gained a great enlightenment at my words.

“Indeed, that’s right. There is no place on Earth as abundant in holy power as here, so it is truly a wise decision.”

“Shall I get a shovel?”

“When did you even buy a shovel?”

“This morning. You never know when you might need to bury something.”

What in the world is she planning to bury?

I shook my head to shake off the spiciness Luna was showing, and waving my hand, I replied,

“It’s just planting a branch, why do we need a shovel? Just follow me.”

“Okay.”

Strike while the iron is hot, if the Divine Tree is that good, it’s right to plant it as soon as possible.

And so, the three of us immediately headed to the garden next to the temple.

The beautiful garden surrounding the temple.

“Wow! It’s the Pope!”

“Folder-jwa and Noona are here too!”

There were quite a lot of people walking slowly there.

They were mourners who had entered here through application.

We had decided to accept up to 1,500 people a day starting from last week, and I heard that the applications were closed within 30 seconds of opening.

That also meant there were that many people who had lost their loved ones here.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you so much for allowing us to mourn like this.”

Those who spotted us approached us and expressed their gratitude.

They also seemed to have a great interest in us like the people we met in the morning, but they didn’t actively talk to us like the people we met in the morning.

Perhaps it was because they came here not to see us, but to mourn.

I looked at the mourners with a gentle smile. And in a low voice, I said,

“Right now, you can only enter if you apply, but perhaps soon, you will be able to come and go freely.”

At my words, the mourners began to murmur a little.

“The purification work of this place, Seoul Ground Zero, is nearing completion. We would be grateful if you could wait a little longer.”

Not being able to freely come and mourn at the place where a loved one is resting is certainly an unfortunate thing.

I know that feeling better than anyone.

Because in Eden, I couldn’t go to the columbarium where our parents were enshrined.

With the authority the government had given us, we could have restricted entry to only our denomination members, but that wasn’t what Limen and I wanted.

A place open to everyone.

Just as the Limen Denomination in Eden was, the Limen Denomination on Earth will also move forward in that way.

“We will also strive to make it possible for all of you to come and go comfortably at any time. May Limen’s peace be with you and those who rest here.”

I bowed slightly to them in greeting, and following my lead, Leo and Luna also politely greeted them.

Clap clap clap.

And so, we slowly stepped aside, receiving applause from the mourners.

“Your Holiness.”

On the way to plant the branch, Luna approached me with a smile.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me.”

“Just now, you seemed a bit like a Pope. You usually don’t seem like a Pope, but at times like this, you really seem like a Pope.”

“Your Holiness always shows the appearance of a Pope, Archbishop Lebenthon.”

What does it mean to seem like a Pope?

When Luna saw that I had a dissatisfied expression, she smiled broadly once again and quietly whispered,

“May Limen always protect our beloved Pope until the end.”

“…How cheesy. Ah, we’re here.”

“Look at you changing the subject. How cute.”

Regardless of what Luna said, I looked ahead.

The place I thought of as soon as I heard we had to plant the branch.

It was a wide lawn located on one side of the garden.

Compared to other places, it felt a bit empty, so I was considering planting something there, but perhaps Limen had foreseen this far?

She has the power of foresight, after all.

I walked to the center of the lawn, took out the branch that I had carefully stored in my chest, and exhaled.

Then, two system message windows soon appeared before my eyes.

[The current location is abundant in .]

[You can use the sacred relic .]

Naturally, holy power had to be abundant because was placed in the underground of the temple.

“Well, shall we plant it?”

I carefully inserted the branch emitting a holy light into the lawn.

After a moment,

“Oh.”

The light flowing from the branch quickly spread in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, the branch grew to about the height of my waist.

It could no longer be called a ‘branch’.

“This is the Divine Tree sapling… Indeed, it is just as recorded in the scriptures. Even though it is a sapling, I can dare say it is sacred.”

“It is.”

As Leo said, it was a proper ‘sapling’. And strong holy power could also be felt from it.

“According to the scriptures, a divine beast, that is, a sacred beast, dwells within the Divine Tree.”

“Sacred beast?”

“Yes. But for some reason, the sacred beast doesn’t seem to be visible.”

That’s when it happened.

Woooong!

Light suddenly burst out from the sapling and soon formed the shape of something on the grass in front of the sapling.

This seems to be the sacred beast, the animal that Leo mentioned earlier, but judging from its small size and pointed ears sticking out…

“A cat?”

It looked just like a cat.

But Luna shook her head at my words and said,

“Nah, Your Holiness. It’s a sacred beast, a sacred beast. Something cool like a unicorn will appear…”

Meow!

“Kyaaa! It’s really a cat! Your Holiness! Look at this cutie!”

“…It’s a munchkin.”

Before we knew it, a baby munchkin with snow-white fur was standing in front of us.

It stared at us blankly and then ran up to me and started rubbing its head vigorously against my leg.

[The recognizes you as its master.]

[The grows together with the . The more the grows, the more various effects it will grant to your denomination.]

[The growth of the is achieved through the good deeds accumulated by the denomination’s believers and the main quests.]

In other words, the more you grow it, the better it will become.

I closed the message window, stroked the head of the sacred beast that had somehow snuggled into my arms, and smiled.

Although it was quite different from the expected image, it was satisfying just to have the possibility of growth open.

And above all,

“It’s cute.”

Fatally cute.

So cute that you might wonder if it’s even allowed to be this cute.

“I wonder if I can take it home?”

I heard from Inwook that Si-yeon has been wanting to keep a cat lately.

Si-yeon has a cat allergy, so we couldn’t adopt one, but wouldn’t it be okay if it’s a sacred beast?

“It will probably be possible. Since the sacred beast and the Divine Tree are connected as souls. But they need to be close to each other to share the holy power, so you shouldn’t keep them apart for too long.”

“Leo. You saw the Divine Tree for the first time today too, so how do you know that?”

To that question, Leo raised the scriptures he was holding in his left hand and replied,

“All truths are contained in the scriptures.”

“It feels like you studied from a textbook.”

I’m not sure because I never properly read the scriptures even once during my 10 years in Eden.

Luna was the same.

“I didn’t know either.”

“That’s because Archbishop Lebenthon didn’t keep the scriptures close either.”

“Hey, I’m a saint, so it’s okay. Limen will understand that much.”

…Sometimes I really doubt if Luna is truly a saint.

I got up from my seat, holding the purring sacred beast in my arms. And looking at Leo and Luna, I said,

“I’m leaving work early.”

I want to go home quickly and show the sacred beast to Si-yeon. And I need to give it a name too. Constantly calling it a sacred beast feels impersonal.

“What about us?”

“You two stay and guard the temple. I also built the monastery and the holy knights’ headquarters, so go and set things up in advance. Ah, and if Seung-woo’s father is being discharged today, Leo, go and escort him.”

“Then what about you, Your Holiness?”

“Grandma is returning to the country tomorrow. I need to go home and clean up in advance, and give a name to our sacred beast. There’s too much to do.”

The two soon looked at me with dissatisfaction.

Their faces were full of discontent with my order.

So I confidently looked at them and said,

“If you don’t like it, then you become the Pope. Right?”

Meow-.

The sacred beast in my arms made a sound while rubbing its head against my chest.

Is it because it’s a sacred beast?

Seeing that it understands human speech, it’s a very smart fellow.

Anyway.

Now that the foundation work is roughly done, let’s go home. But why does my ear feel so itchy?

Is someone talking about me?

At the same time.

*****

At the new Blue House located in Sejong Special Self-Governing City.

“Well then, shall we begin the meeting? Minister Yoo Seon-ho. What did the United States and Japan request?”

At the President’s question, Minister Yoo Seon-ho let out a deep sigh. And in a low voice, he replied,

“They requested the dispatch of South Korean awakeners for the subjugation operation against Yamata no Orochi, a national crisis-level demonic beast that appeared near Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.”

“A national crisis-level demonic beast… It’s the second-highest grade, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. It occupies the second place in the international demonic beast grading system.”

“Even so, it’s unusual for them to ask us for help. But it seems that’s not all… Are there additional conditions attached?”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“The United States strongly demands the inclusion of the awakener Kim Shi Yu in the dispatch team.”

“Hmm. Minister Yoo Seon-ho, why do you think they made such a request?”

The smile disappeared from the President’s face at Minister Yoo Seon-ho’s words.

And Minister Yoo Seon-ho spoke to the President in a low voice.

“The dispatch list from the United States includes their irregular, Aiden Howard, also known as the Barbarian.”

“The Barbarian? You don’t mean… that Barbarian, do you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Minister Yoo Seon-ho paused for a moment, then concluded with a slightly distorted expression.

“It seems they want to test South Korea’s first irregular.”