“The ‘Flame of Judgment’ is a very useful sacred spell, but it has the problem of burning everything without distinguishing between good and evil.”
Especially when used in a closed room, this downside becomes even more apparent. I was currently experiencing this flaw vividly.
“It’s hot….”
In the largest room of the underground bunker, I was slouched on a half-burned sofa, fervently fanning myself with my hand.
As expected, using my hand only had so much effect, so I got four relatively intact A4 sheets from a stack of documents on a nearby desk and used those to create some airflow.
This made things a bit more bearable. Although the difference was minimal, it was certainly a hundred times better than using my hands.
While I was idly resting, my previously heated anger began to cool slightly.
Only then did I realize how reckless I had been just moments ago.
“I injected too much sacred power.”
Thinking I had to punish them, I unconsciously overdid the firepower.
Thanks to that, the toxic gases released from burning bunker facilities and various furnishings, along with the heat from the flames, enveloped me too.
Even with the ventilation system here, it seemed ill-equipped to dispel the awful gas and fierce heat generated by the flames.
Next time, I need to pay more attention to controlling my power. After all, the ‘Flame of Judgment’ consumes an awful lot of sacred power, so I can’t use it frequently anyway.
“Ugh….”
Just then, as I struggled against the heat and got lost in my thoughts, the middle-aged man sprawled beside the sofa groaned.
It was Hwang In-goo, who had been suffering from burn pain and had rapidly weakened.
He wasn’t the only one.
“Ugh….”
“It hurts…”
“Master…”
The members of the Burning Association, whom I had shoved into a corner, were still in agony, even though the holy flames had already extinguished.
Could they be feeling phantom pain? They had tasted pain as if they had fallen into hell, so it would be strange if they calmed down easily.
“Everyone, shut up.”
I coldly said as I approached the members.
While focusing on moving them, I hadn’t noticed, but there were a total of thirty-two of them, with about twenty-three being Chinese.
It was very easy to distinguish the two nationalities, not because of their appearances, but because of the tattoos on the backs of their hands.
[火刑]
[Burning]
Someone had made sure to tattoo the word ‘burning’ boldly. They even exhibited a foolish meticulousness by writing it differently depending on nationality.
Aren’t they ashamed to walk around like this?
While I clicked my tongue in disdain, all the members turned their gaze toward me at once.
Even in their suffering, their eyes were filled with venom. Quite fierce, but not at all scary. After all, weren’t they just small fries easily subdued?
With my arms crossed behind my back, I looked around at the members and said coldly.
“How does it feel to punish others with burning only to find yourselves on fire?”
This should make them pretty angry. I wore a blatant smirk on my face, hoping to provoke more rage.
“…….”
For some reason, everyone showed no reaction. More accurately, only the small group of Koreans were gritting their teeth.
“Oh, they can’t understand.”
What a shame. I tried to sound cool but was stopped by the language barrier….
It was embarrassing, but I maintained my composure and turned around as if it didn’t matter whether they understood me or not.
Then I sat back on the sofa beside the fallen Hwang In-goo, lost in thought.
“They are better quality than I expected.”
From the atmosphere, those gathered here seemed to be zealous burning association cultists, deeply immersed in their beliefs regardless of nationality.
Instead of keeping such devoted followers by their side, they sent them to Korea? That was not an ordinary matter.
In addition, the leader had sent someone with enough power to engage in combat with Liam, giving evidence of great investment in this endeavor.
“That bastard….”
The Burning Association’s leader, Haoran.
That guy is trying to tarnish my reputation.
While it’s an attempt to expand their influence in Korea, I had a gut feeling it wasn’t the only motive.
“Get up.”
I grabbed Hwang In-goo by the collar and nudged him a little. The middle-aged man, with his eyes dimmed, stayed silent for a while, merely twitching his dry lips before finally speaking.
“P-Please show mercy….”
He had been so haughty earlier, but now his tone was quite meek. It seemed the lessons through the flames had a significant effect.
Moreover, unlike the other members, he didn’t show blind faith toward the leader.
“Maybe I burned him too hard.”
In fact, Hwang In-goo had committed the triple wrong of defamation, false accusation, and contempt, so I had burned him hotter than the others.
So it seemed his deranged mindset had been ‘fixed’. That wasn’t a bad thing for me.
“I will decide whether or not to burn you again based on what you do from here on.”
I felt sufficiently relieved to not want to burn him more, but I pretended to be still angry. That way, he would be more compliant.
Whether my intention hit the mark or not, Hwang In-goo obediently answered all my questions.
“So, your leader wants to expand the church in Korea?”
“That’s correct. This incident was all part of a bigger picture to penetrate Korea. First of all, we wanted to dethrone the Pope’s authority. He’s the most influential clergy in Korea right now.”
This was expected.
The primary objective of the leader, Haoran, is church expansion. It was not much different from the secular control often seen in that world.
I nodded thoughtfully and asked again.
“But why target Korea instead of the vast land of China?”
“That… I don’t know in detail. The leader always acts according to his whims, making it hard to grasp his psychology.”
Hwang In-goo gulped down, listing one by one the misdeeds Haoran had committed so far.
Murder, rape, arson, and extrajudicial executions.
Each one was a serious crime. He truly was a terrifying individual.
“To sum it up, the leader acted without regard for others. Because of that, those close to him, known as ‘the Lamp’, had a tough time cleaning up.”
“…….”
As I listened, it triggered an odd sense of déjà vu.
Acting arrogantly, recklessly, making those around him work hard to clean up the mess. It was something I had experienced quite a lot.
“It’s completely Liam, isn’t it?”
To be precise, it resembles the reckless hero I knew before he reformed.
Liam now is pretty well-behaved compared to Haoran, but… back then, he was the worst.
Of course, I was there, desperately supporting him, thus he didn’t commit serious crimes like Haoran.
Instead, he continuously caused minor offenses. That’s why I had to exhaust myself trying to manage things.
Comparing past memories with the current situation made me realize just how annoying and troublesome Haoran was.
“By the sun… it seems I’ve become the male genitalia.”
A miscreant like the old Liam, capable of murder and arson? And he has numerous followers?
I closed my eyes for a moment, dizzy, before opening them again.
No matter how hopeless it seemed, I couldn’t sit and do nothing. If I crumbled, that crazy cult causing havoc would also affect Korea.
What I had to do now was simple.
“O radiant sun, please shower down the flames of sunlight to incinerate the evils disrupting the world.”
The leader Haoran is a being that needs to be eliminated from this world.
A figure that must be removed for the peaceful daily lives of all. A calamity in living and moving form with whom there can be no peace or coexistence.
That’s why I needed to take action. If I let things be, it would harm not only me but also my fellow countrymen.
Additionally, eliminating the world’s darkness aligns with the goddess’s will, who hates all forms of evil. As Pope, I must follow the Sun’s intent.
“Liam, are you still far off?”
I first spoke to Liam, who was mentally connected with magic.
The response came immediately.
“Oh, just finished.”
“Seems later than expected.”
“It wasn’t easy. It’s still the beginning, but he’s an overhuman. Almost got into big trouble.”
He sounded somewhat verbose.
Moreover, his voice was calm, showing no signs of hurried breath, even oozing a sense of leisure.
If I hadn’t heard noises from fighting outside now and then, I might have mistaken him for someone who was just buzzing around.
“Were you really having a hard time? Are you not just lying to get praise?”
“Uh….”
I just poked, and either hit the nail or he was just flustered, as Liam quickly responded.
“I’ll take this guy there, so just wait a moment!”
Then there were loud banging and crashing sounds, and soon Liam appeared through the underground bunker.
He looked somewhat fresh, as if he hadn’t just been through a battle.
In contrast, the man Liam was holding was covered in burns and blood all over his body.
“Here!”
Liam set the man he had been holding in front of me. Then he started gazing at me intently.
He looked just like a cat bringing its prey to its owner, making me let out a hollow laugh.
‘…Adorable.’
Perhaps it was due to just discovering all the misdeeds Haoran had committed, but Liam’s antics felt trivial.
“You did well.”
Reluctantly patting Liam’s shoulder, I examined the appearance and essence of the man he captured.
He was either a returnee or someone emanating a tremendous energy, with a remarkably formidable presence. It was just that the opponent was weak; this man was strong enough.
‘Huh?’
While continuing to observe, I noticed something odd. The man’s hand didn’t have a tattoo on it.
What does this mean? Does it imply he isn’t affiliated with the Burning Association?
Just as curiosity peaked, Liam squatted down next to me and spoke.
“Hey, it’s true things weren’t easy.”
“Let’s say that.”
“I’m not lying. I got distracted because I noticed something about this guy, which made me unable to subdue him quickly.”
“What exactly distracted you?”
“Take a look.”
Liam moved his hand in a way that activated magic.
Silver magic circles formed in the air, swirling mana rapidly around, followed by transparent water pouring out from the magic circle, enveloping the guard’s body.
This was the magic ‘Stream of Truth’, created by the sage who was part of the hero party. Its effect is… to revert distorted space or appearances to their original state.
As the water covering the man disappeared, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Golden hair that shimmered and skin as fair as jade. And he was wearing a clearly otherworldly white robe.
Where the robust figure of a man once was, now stood a woman of dazzling beauty.
“See? No wonder it didn’t seem like the real deal, right?”
“…….”
How did he not get caught? I hadn’t noticed at all.
I felt a bit of my pride taking a hit. But to maintain my poise as a pope, I didn’t show it and examined the guard’s now revealed hand.
‘None.’
The fact that there wasn’t even a tattoo on her true form indicated she truly wasn’t part of the Burning Association. Then what was her connection to the leader?
“…Oh dear.”
At that moment, the guard, who had seemed unconscious, opened her eyes. As soon as she did, she checked her body and was taken aback.
With a benevolent pope smile, I spoke to her.
“Hello there. You don’t seem to be affiliated with the Burning Association, so if it’s not too much trouble, could you prove your innocence?”
“…….”
Silence. She wouldn’t even look me in the eye.
Did she perhaps not understand Korean? Just as I was about to ask Liam for a translation spell, the guard finally spoke.
“Haoran is a guy who has no father or mother.”
“…….”
Exchanging a glance with Liam for a moment, I gently stroked the guard’s back.
“You’re innocent.”
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