I was sprawled out on the living room sofa.
“Ugh, I’m dying…”
Even after resting for about ten minutes, my condition hadn’t improved. The nausea just wouldn’t go away, and I felt like I was about to die.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have prepared ahead of time. I never expected to feel this seasick.
“Are you okay?”
Seo-yoon, who was looking at me with concern, handed me a cup of water. It was filled with ice water.
I took it and gulped it down, and the chill snapped me back to reality.
Still, my stomach was still churning, but at least I was able to sit up.
“I feel a little better. Thank you.”
I slowly propped myself up and leaned back against the sofa.
Then, Liam, who was watching while holding Rohan, spoke up.
“This reminds me of the old days. Remember when we used to ride in the carriage? I kept vomiting everything in my stomach.”
“…Thanks for bringing back those great memories.”
In my days as a Saint, I always got carsick the moment I got on any moving vehicle. I was truly weak back then.
However, ever since I became Pope, regular exercise and blessings had strengthened my body. So, I wasn’t the frail person I used to be.
That’s why it was surprising.
“I got too comfortable. The latest games really are something else.”
I muttered quietly, lost in thought for a moment before getting up from the sofa.
“Well, I’ll go back in.”
“Are you really going to do it? If you say you can’t handle Mr. Havant or whatever, I’ll let you off the hook.”
For once, Liam made a reasonable suggestion. Honestly, I was a bit shocked. It seemed like today was one of those rare days when he turned into ‘Rational Liam.’
“Just go in and sleep today. I’ll continue the broadcast.”
“…No thanks.”
But no matter how rational he was, I couldn’t let Liam handle the broadcast. If I did, it wouldn’t be long before the stream got shut down.
I shook my head resolutely at him.
“Liam, do you not know who I am? I’m someone who wasn’t scared even before the Demon King.”
If I were someone who could be brought down by a mere game, I would have been dead by now, after enduring countless hardships and trials.
“Just watch quietly. I have no intention of giving up here.”
If I never give up, someday the sunlight will break through. It was a lesson I learned from the Goddess.
And it was also a kind of affirmation and belief. No matter how difficult it gets, I was determined not to back down.
“…”
Did my feelings get through? Eventually, the worry faded from Liam’s handsome face.
In its place, a bright smile appeared. His lively demeanor made me smile as well.
“I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
We exchanged goodbyes and headed to our respective places, not looking back. After all, we’d surely meet again.
“…Why does it feel so serious? It’s just a game.”
I ignored Seo-yoon’s small remark. After all, one should never engage in conversation with someone who doesn’t appreciate romance.
Once in my room, I sat down in front of my computer.
As soon as I returned from quitting the game, there was no dizzying incident that occurred.
“Everyone, I’m back.”
I spoke solemnly, straightening my posture, and surprisingly, the viewers seemed genuinely concerned.
– Just take it easy, ma’am.
– I bet she’ll conk out in five minutes.
– Don’t overdo it. You should consider your age.
– Games are for kids.
Wait, upon closer inspection, they were just pretending to be worried while teasing me. It seemed like the situation wasn’t serious at all, and everyone was having a great time making fun of me.
The chat was filled with no respect or reverence for the Pope. Leaving it alone only made it worse.
It seemed like I needed to prove just how amazing I really was this time.
“You all seem quite playful.”
I said nonchalantly as I gathered my holy power around my head.
Focusing my will on the assembled sacred energy, I closed my eyes slowly. Then, I brought both hands together in front of my chest and prayed.
“O Glorious Sun, please grant me your radiant light that will clear away the dark clouds and storms before me.”
I recited a formal prayer instead of the usual casual one. It had to sound impressive.
Shooosh!
Soon, I began to feel a warm energy coming from behind my head.
I slowly opened my eyes and smiled. A soft glow, unlike anything I had before, was spreading out in all directions from behind my head.
Sacred Spell, Gentle Spring Sunshine.
In simpler terms, it was just a halo. However, it wasn’t an ordinary light.
“This is a level 0 Sacred Spell that prevents all kinds of abnormal statuses and mental invasions. I will use this while playing the game.”
Although it consumed a considerable amount of holy energy and I hardly used it on a regular basis, this was the time to mobilize it.
– Isn’t level 0 the highest?
– What the hell, lol.
– Ma’am, are you going to slay monsters?
– It’s blinding.
“If anyone finds it too bright, please look away. But don’t worry, staring at it won’t damage your sight.”
After sharing a simple warning, I took the mouse and launched ‘Solar Scepter.’
After a variety of screens with the company logo flashed by, the main screen appeared. A mysterious woman was looking up at the sky with a red staff in her hand.
When I first launched the game, I was so excited that I quickly skipped over this, but somehow her face looked familiar.
I leaned in closer to the monitor to see who she was. Flowing blonde hair and shimmering golden eyes.
‘…Huh?’
As soon as I observed her for a moment, I quickly remembered who she was.
As I smiled in delight, donations started pouring in. It was again Mr. Havant.
[havant donated 10,000 won]
– She’s one of the key NPCs.
“Oh, she was an important character.”
I nodded and moved the mouse again.
“Then everyone knows this person is a Dragon, right?”
As I casually said while clicking on the server where my character was created, the chat suddenly sped up dramatically.
Wondering what was happening, I scanned the chat with my eyes, and at that moment, a wave of massive bewilderment hit me, making a second feel like an hour.
– ????
– A Dragon?
– Ah, spoiler alert.
– This is supposed to be revealed as part of the story!
– Breaking news: Philseong has fainted.
– Was she a Dragon all along?
– Main story just evaporated, lol.
‘…Was that a secret?’
I accidentally revealed the hidden identity of a key NPC. It seemed like I had caused a major incident.
Even my hand froze over the mouse, and cold sweat began to trickle down my back. For the first time since becoming Pope, I wanted to hide somewhere.
I instinctively checked the separate chat for those under special monitoring.
[Glorious Sun: Ah, lol, good luck!]
Sadly, it wasn’t any helpful encouragement at all.
It seemed I had to solve this crisis with my own strength.
Fortunately, as I managed to stay somewhat composed amidst it all, I quickly devised a plan.
Calmly rising from my seat, I respectfully bowed halfway.
“I apologize to the director and to the viewers who love Solar Scepter…”
At times like this, there was no option but to make myself as low as possible.
“I’ll give you my radiant smile, so please spare me just one more look.”
I lifted the corners of my mouth. After all, people wouldn’t spit on a smiling face.
As I held my smile for a moment, Havant made another donation, but this time it was for 1,000 won.
[havant donated 1,000 won]
– Teacher!
Just three letters, but I understood perfectly.
‘He’s furious.’
The chairman was definitely very angry.
*
Unfortunately, I had never played a high-spec game like ‘Solar Scepter’ before.
It wasn’t a matter of taste. I simply couldn’t play anything other than low-spec games on the second-hand laptop I bought because I didn’t have any money.
So, this was the first time I got to enjoy a game with high graphics, but… all the excitement had just fizzled out.
“I’ll explain it well to the director.”
I recalled Philseong’s kind face and hurriedly set out to remedy the situation.
“As you might have seen on iTube or the news, I recently met him and we’ve developed a friendship. So, I hope you can understand.”
Honestly, I didn’t know if they would actually understand, but I said it anyway. The Pope shouldn’t ever appear flustered at any time.
Now was the time for the tireless practice of facial expression management to kick in.
“Well then, I’ll continue.”
I smoothly transitioned the topic and entered the server where I had created my character.
In the character selection screen, decorated like a tavern, sat a woman. It was the character I had created earlier.
[Young Eluke Pope]
-Lv.1/Star Priest
My avatar, ‘Young Eluke Pope,’ was, of course, a beautiful woman with pink hair and eyes.
I hadn’t put much effort into customizing her, but she turned out decently well. I thought maybe this was what Erina and Ibailla would look like as adults.
[Gargalbi donated 1,000 won]
– Unconscious name…
Ignoring the nonsensical remark in the donation, I clicked ‘Start Game.’
As I did so, I offered a quick critique.
“The fact is, the profession of ‘Star Priest’ is itself heretical. How can one follow the starlight instead of the sunlight?”
The class I chose, Star Priest, served the goddess of stars and the night sky.
For me, it was undoubtedly offensive as a heretic. However, since there was only one class that corresponded to priest, I had no choice.
– Heretic, lol.
– Why follow the stars instead of the sun, right?
– Should we send a heresy inquisitor to Philseong?
Why had the priests serving the Sun not been chosen as a class yet? I wanted to ask them to patch it already, but morally, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
As I thought about this, a bright and mystical-looking temple appeared on the screen.
[Temple of Starlight]
“This is a historical error. When I lived in that world, temples were hardly used, and we mainly used cathedrals. But this is set in the future, so things might be different.”
I briefly noted that as I attempted to proceed with the game, but then I became concerned about the character’s outfit.
It looked like a cheongsam, exposing her thighs entirely. There was no trace of reverence, and I furrowed my brow in disapproval.
“This is indecent… Isn’t this too revealing?!”
I immediately opened my inventory. Fortunately, there were regular clothes available, so I dressed her in those.
Only then did it finally look somewhat okay. A wholesome outfit with no exposure at all. I was very satisfied with the appearance.
“Everyone, look at this. This is how a priestess should be: modest and demure.”
As I smiled with pride, an unexpected thought came to mind.
“In fact, the young priestesses in that world also had a tendency to dress more revealingly. Every time they got noticed, I would scold them harshly, yet when I wasn’t around, they sneakily wore them. These young folks nowadays really…”
As I continued speaking, the donation alert chimed in abruptly. It was Havant once more.
[havant donated 1,000 won]
– Old timer, lady.
“…”
It seemed I had to find a way to ease the chairman’s anger.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
