I Became the Hero Who Banished the Protagonist chapter 84

84. plans and plans (3)

“I am anxious, but we are not trembling. There is no need to be afraid.”

The priest who guided us all the way to see the Pope was talking nonstop. I listened to it with one ear and let it flow through the other. White-clad priests who appeared to be high-ranking priests passed by me and bowed lightly. Some of them were trash in the original.

“Because we know that God will take care of us. From all the catastrophes that have hit the world so far, mankind has been able to survive.”

Indeed, I wonder if you can survive if I tell the people of Baktins that. I kept a calm expression, hiding the desire to snort. Perhaps that is also close to self-talk to soothe one’s anxiety.

“Of course, all of that is thanks to the hero who brilliantly prevented the third and fourth plagues. I think that’s what God’s care was with us.”

“[You did a good job, what kind of god are you talking about? You can feel bad, Illroy.]”

The holy sword laughed in my head. The priest who knew nothing was nodding his head to himself.

“Anyway, thank you for stepping out like this again, hero. It’s a move not just for the holy nation, but for all of humanity. Sometimes I get envious of Marianne.”

Marianne gave her a glance, then turned her head again. The priest guided us regardless of whether my words were ignored or not.

“Here it is. The Holy Father will be waiting inside.”

The door to the reception room was guarded by two paladins wearing cumbersome-looking armor. They didn’t move or speak. Just looking at it made me wonder if it was a statue.

“Hero, may the grace of God be with you.”

The priest said that to the end and then withdrew. When the gatekeepers showed no signs of moving, I approached the door. The door opened wide as if it had never been closed, and I passed the gatekeepers and entered the white marble waiting room.

The Pope sat at the end of the room. He said that he had a nasty impression, far from being a gentle priest, and that was exactly what he said. The hair that was all white. The eyes that lurked under the light eyebrows were sharp, and dark circles hung thickly under them. The sharply curved hooked nose next to the dark circles was disgusting. It seems that there is a lot of work to be done.

“Nice to meet you, warrior.”

The pope’s voice was harsh. I looked at the Pope as I bowed politely. The pope sighed and pointed to a chair.

“Sit down. First of all, thank you so much for coming here.”

After greeting all the party members, the Pope came and sat down at my table. Although he was not dignified to be the monarch of a country, the pope’s spirit showed that he was a person who could never be ignored.

“Seongguk is quite busy these days, so please forgive me for facing you in such an ugly appearance.”

“It’s cheesy, that’s outrageous.”

It seems that the pope has been on business until just now. The pope, who had glanced at me as if he was concerned about it, soon cast aside his lingering feelings and turned his head to me.

“A disaster has appeared on the mainland of the Holy Kingdom, and it is a situation where you don’t even know what the devil worshipers are plotting. This is not a very good situation. It must be when the warrior is also very busy.”

Well, I didn’t hate the pope’s casual attitude. At least I didn’t set out to test me like anyone else up north.

“Hasn’t Bishop Andrew been a nuisance before? The one who asked to put Marianne in the hero’s party was that idiot bird… , No, because the bishop arbitrarily enforced it and reported it to me. I don’t know if I haven’t bothered the hero since then.”

“… Nope. Thanks a lot for your help. So is Marianne.”

“Then I’m glad. Please, tell me if that person has an accident. Now that I’m rolling my eyes again, I’m going around here and there to catch evil spirit worshippers.”

Well. I have a rough idea of what kind of existence Bishop Andre is in the Holy Land. It might be taking up about 10% of the Pope’s share of dark circles.

“Well, wouldn’t it be better to put the ostentation aside and tell you straight-forward what’s going on? We need to deal with it as soon as possible.”

The Pope was also a surprisingly quick and reasonable person.

“I don’t know when it started. That ‘mist’ is still lurking, swallowing half of the Holy Kingdom. I’ve passed on the remaining people, but since I don’t know when or how it might approach, I have guards attached. At present, it seems to be in a state of silence, not moving forward.”

The Pope glanced out the window.

“Contact with the fog was strictly forbidden. We don’t know how far that fog extends, and we don’t know how wide it might be. We don’t know the characteristics or what’s going on in there. I hate to imagine what is going on in half the land eaten by the fog.”

After saying that, the pope raised a cup and sipped the tea.

“To be honest, I have no idea how to prepare. For now, I can only hope that the fog doesn’t come all of a sudden. It’s unfortunate or fortunate that there are no monsters… .”

“You did your best. I couldn’t have handled it better than that.”

How to deal with fog? Hitting a wall doesn’t mean the fog can’t come over, and it’s not like shooting magic to dispel it. The only way to deal with this catastrophe is to induce the magical energy that maintains the fog to run out. The fog will dissipate and disappear on its own if you do everything in your power.

“Is there a way the hero thought of it?”

“Not at all.”

I stopped talking. However, this also induces horses to drain their mana, and when the mist comes into contact with people, it will drain their mana and use it as fuel. So, it means that the people in the fog are slowly dying, most likely not dead yet.

“Before I tell you how, may I go and see the situation?”

“As much as you like.”

The Pope jumped up from his seat with his eyes shining as if he was pleased with my words. Rather than making her eyes shine, would it be more appropriate to say that she sighs?

“Let’s go see it together. Maybe it would be better for me to tell you myself.”

The pope left the audience room earlier. An escort knight followed right behind the pope.

“Where are you going, His Holiness the Pope?”

“I’m going to check the condition of the fog. The hero will have to see it too.”

Are they excited to hear that there is a way, or are they simply happy to be able to escape from the heavy workload for a while? The Pope’s steps were faster than I thought.

“Behind the Holy See… where our eyes cannot reach. It is a place called the lamp of the church.”

Every time the pope spoke, breath gushed out. We came to a place where only a bare white sidewalk block was left. Beyond that, I felt a very familiar presence. Terrifyingly ominous, powerful magic. Without realizing it, I grabbed the hilt of the holy sword.

“… Beyond that was a village. It was mainly an alley where priests lived. In addition to the clergy, there were also a few ordinary believers living there. It was also a land with small farmland or pastures.”

said the pope in a dark voice.

“I hate to think they are all dead. I can’t imagine how wide the fog is. What happened to all the kingdoms and principalities beyond the Holy Kingdom?”

Fog stood in front of us like a wall. From the ground to the sky, it felt like looking at a more strengthened ‘limit line’. Pure white, deep, cloudy smoke that doesn’t allow you to look ahead. Like a whirlpool, the fog kept changing its shape in place.

We moved a little closer to the fog.

“this… Fog.”

Daphne looked at the fog with a fearful expression, then tried to poke her hand into the fog. As soon as I saw him, I was frightened and raised the mana of my body and fired the new model.

“Don’t touch me!!”

Daphne was staring at me with startled eyes as she held my wrist. Fortunately, Daphne was rescued before contact with the fog. I said as I dragged Daphne back out of the fog.

“The moment you make contact, you will disappear into the mist. The fog will recognize you right away and eat you up. If that happens, there will be no way to find you.”

I lowered my voice and warned.

“Never get more than one step closer to the fog. So does everyone else.”

Daphne nodded with a blank expression. I let out a sigh of relief and let go of Daphne’s wrist. Did I hold on too hard? Daphne was rubbing her wrists inconspicuously.

“… sorry. I couldn’t help but stop you from reaching there.”

“it’s okay. I’m really sorry, Illroy… .”

The Pope was looking at me with surprised eyes.

“… You seem to know quite a bit about that, hero.”

“Somehow I found out. If the Pope has seen that, you can guess what’s going on.”

Daphne opened her mouth carefully from the side.

“I couldn’t read the flow of magic at all. The fog was refusing to penetrate my magical power. Outside of this, I have no idea what’s going on inside. It seems to be a completely different world from the outside in the fog.”

The pope nodded nervously, then opened his mouth.

“Isn’t it okay to tie someone up with a thread and let them in? In case of an emergency, you can pull the thread or string right away.”

Daphne shook her head.

“At that moment, everything connected to the string will be sucked into the mist together. An isolated world cannot escape such tricks. There is no way to do that from the outside.”

“… Oh God.”

The Pope sighed. The fog seemed to be approaching us at any moment.

“Is there really a way to do that?”

The Pope looked at me and asked, and I nodded. I can’t say it’s a confident nod. It’s true that there is a way to knock it down.

“Yes. You can do it.”

The Pope looked at me blankly, then let out a short sigh as if he had made up his mind.

“… I’ve been reluctant to say anything since the crown incident, but let’s go together to the relic storage. Perhaps there is a holy relic that the warrior might find useful.”

I shook my head. The Pope raised his eyebrows in surprise, and the party members around me looked at me strangely.

“I am okay.”

I looked at my colleagues behind me. I’ve already crossed the line of being strong with a relic. There are holy swords, crowns, and even veils. Her body became strong enough to withstand the blows of a giant. Even if there are relics that will help me, the relics that will be of great help to me in this Mist Battle will probably not exist in this world.

so,

“I would really appreciate it if you lend one of the holy relics to your colleagues instead of me.”

“Illroy.”

Georg and Daphne called me out in surprise, and I shrugged and raised one corner of my mouth. It’s about time you guys definitely need a power boost.

“There is no power that I think will help us as surely as the Archduke in the fight against the fog. we must be strong it’s not like that?”

At my words, Georg smiled bitterly and nodded.

“… yes. There’s nothing wrong with us being stronger.”

I turned and looked at Marianne. As always, she was staring at me with an expression without much emotion. I nodded to her as well and looked at the Pope again.

“Are you all right, His Holiness the Pope?”

The Pope raised his eyebrows and looked me in the eye. Then, he lowered his eyes and nodded slowly.

“Sure, I will. Well, whether I lend you three or four, it won’t make much of a difference, so don’t hesitate and take a look around.”

When I opened my eyes again, the pope’s eyes seemed to be looking right through me. I still met his gaze, and the Pope shook his head again as if he couldn’t win.

“Follow me. We will guide you right away.”