The Popes and the Priests.
Having neutralized most of the priests, Dirk, a man I didn’t know, and three popes arrived.
“Rosarin, what are you doing!?”
“Retaliation with the use of the power of Gods!"
“”..................””
Dirk froze, and I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
“Yuki! Yuki, Yuki, Yuki!! Are you hurt!? Are you in pain!? Were you lonely!? Are you okay!?”
“Noisy!”
I guess the young man running around Yukihime like a doggy… was Yuro-san. He was too noisy and was immediately punched by Yukihime. He probably was a half-beastman, as his ears were changing, and his fluffy tail was sticking out and wagging.
“I’m glad to see you in good health… have you slimmed down a little? Yuki, Yuki… I missed you… Yuki…”
Yukihime was pampered by Yuro-san. Because of the difference in size, Yuro-san hugged Yukihime snugly and rubbed against her cheeks.
“... I missed you, too! Stupid dog! You should have gotten your ass over to me and help! Stupid, stupid, stupid! I've been waiting for you for a long, long time! Thank goodness you're all right...!"
Perhaps relieved, Yukihime hugged Yuro-san back and began to cry. Yuro-san licked Yukihime’s tears.
“Yuki, I’m sorry, Yuki. Yuki, I love you…… I won’t leave you ever again.”
Yukihime was relieved and dozed off. She must have calmed down.
I judged that Yukihime was alright and directed my gaze to the three Popes.
“””We are truly sorry!!”””
As soon as our eyes met, the three Popes gave me such beautiful prostrations that I wanted to learn from them.
“What is that apology for? What I demand of you is that you see this through. Think about how this could have been prevented, as you watch those who are being punished.”
They watched the punished in silence. Some asked for help, some cried out, some blamed others for obeying the Pope, and some reiterated that they were serving the Gods, so what was wrong with what they did… there were all kinds of people.
In the midst of all this, a weak-looking man came running over.
“You… demon pretending to be a Hero! I will destroy you!"
The Knowledge Pope shook with rage. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with hatred. The thing in his hand must be the legacy of my sister that I have been looking for. A powerful magic tool and a sword. It affirmed my prediction and it was necessary for what I want to do.
The Pope slashed at me, clad in a hideous magic power.
I told Kurarin and Sabo☆Angels to stay back. Well, I need to be wary of the weapon, but with a skill as good as this man's, it should be no problem.
Just as I was about to take one more step into range, the Knowledge Pope disappeared from my sight. No way, teleportation!? I let him think that my physical abilities were so poor earlier, so I was expecting him to come at me from the front. Nervous, I searched for signs.
The Knowledge Pope was down on the ground. Buried in it.
And then he was kicked in the leg. By My Darling, who’s tail was standing tall.
The Knowledge Pope was apparently killed instantly by Dirk just before he got into my range. What the hell, I was so nervous that I didn’t see it happen.
“What the hell were you trying to do to my wife?"
My Darling was furious. There were priests who were having difficulty breathing due to Dirk's anger and murderous spirit, so I quickly evacuated them.
The priests, who had their butts naked, were also paralyzed or fainted because of his coercion.
“Ojousamaaa!! Please stop Dirk-sama already!”
Rabisha-chan’s teeth were clattering. No, yeah. I'm scared too, so let me prepare myself. The normally mild-mannered people are the scariest when they lose their temper.
“... I won’t understand you if you don’t speak up! I’m asking you, what were you trying to do to my Rosarin!?”
“Gufu!”
Impatiently, Dirk stomped on the Knowledge Pope. Ah, he broke his ribs. He seems to be calm enough not to kill him.
But, the Pope can't say he tried to kill his wife in this situation. If he could, he would be either a strong man or a fool. It seems that his heart was broken, and the Knowledge Pope was frightened.
No, it's scary. I have never seen Dirk-sama so expressionless. But go for it, Rosarin! I am the only one who can stop the raging Great Monster Dirk now! Be brave! Put on your glass mask! Yes! Become an actress!
“Alright, inheritance obtained~”
I picked up the sword in as light a tone as possible. I quickly put the sword in my hidden pouch and hugged Dirk.
“Dirk, Dirk! Thank you for saving me! As I thought, Dirk will always be there for me!”
Dirk turned bright red when I kissed him.
“Stop it, not in front of people…”
“Here, do it for me too?”
“............... Mm.”
I love Dirk, who will give me a kiss if I beg, even if it's in public! And his anger seems to have subsided completely. Good, good.
Now, I'm sure this person is the ringleader. I decided to confront him with the truth. Then, I applied more extensive purification and de-brainwashing, and made sure that all humans could hear my voice with a loudspeaker.
“... I am here at the request of the Four Gods. To condemn you.”
“Why… cough…… just why!? Since I was a child, I have always worked harder than anyone else, and I have never missed a prayer! All my life, I have lived as a priest and spread the Gods’ teachings. I have done nothing wrong! I have only tried to use Gods’ gifts correctly!!”
“... Really?”
“Hah?”
“Are you really sure you did nothing wrong?”
“I did not do anything wrong! Guh…”
It hurts your ribs when you yell loudly, right? I don't want to heal it, so I won't, though.
“Beneficiaries are not gifts. They are human beings. You destroyed their wills and used them. You sound more like a demon, rather than a priest serving the Gods.”
“Moreover, you spent the offerings, other people’s hard-earned money on art and other extravagances~”
The other priests were disturbed by Rabisha-chan's comment, and the three Popes also turned pale.
“Nonsense!”
“I brought the account book from your room. It was not easy to get inside Saintya, so I got the information from the merchants first. There’s no doubt about it.”
“S, stop lying! You demon!”
The people around turned their cold gazes toward the Knowledge Pope. It was obvious who was lying.
“For now, I would like you to experience the mental and physical pain of the Beneficiaries in digest form.”
“S, stooooop!!”
The Knowledge Pope fell asleep. The three Popes had been manipulated, but the Magic Pope in particular seemed to be less suggestible as he retained his consciousness.
“I think that in some way, I agreed with the Knowledge Pope. With money, children can be fed... so some sacrifices are inevitable… Hero, please punish me!"
“M, me too!”
“Me as well!”
“I, too, followed him, even though I thought it was strange.”
Surrounded by decent priests who wanted me to punish them, I was rather awestruck. Serious people are such a pain in the ass!
What do you think about this chapter?
