NOVEL NEXT The previous broadcast, which successfully accomplished “preventing the apocalypse” for the first time in internet streaming history, ended in great success.
The peak viewer count reached a staggering 98,293. It was nearly 100,000!
Since I had not set up donations, I didn’t gain any tangible benefits, but I felt a sense of pride that was enough for me.
But Seo-yoon seemed to disagree.
“Honestly, it’s a shame.”
In the Pope’s Rest Area of the Sun Cathedral.
Lying on a plush, high-end bed, I was enjoying some comfort when Seo-yoon, who was taking care of me, suddenly expressed her disappointment.
“Why didn’t you just set it up so that donation notifications wouldn’t show? What was the point in not getting them?”
“Of course, there was a reason.”
I replied with a light smile.
“Had I made money during a serious situation with riots, people would have looked at me with disdain.”
“That’s true….”
“It takes constant effort to regain a damaged reputation, but money can always be earned again. So don’t be too disappointed.”
After all, I could cover my living and educational expenses just by continuing to stream like this.
Besides, the operation costs of the Order would grow on their own without much effort from me. It couldn’t be helped.
‘The impact was indeed significant.’
Our Order was currently receiving a lot of attention.
A group worshiping a truly existing God descended upon the ground.
Thanks to the Goddess consuming a substantial amount of my Sacred Power and coming down to Earth, the eyes of the world were on us.
When I uploaded the live broadcast video capturing that moment to iTube, it garnered over four million views in just one day.
And supposedly, it has surpassed ten million now? There were so many comments that it was hard to check them all.
I had hoped for such a reaction, but the overwhelming support caught me off guard.
Contrary to my expectations, the existing privileged religions didn’t come forward to accuse us of “fabrication,” and cynical atheists began to shed their previous attitudes and started worshiping the Sun, one by one.
This might be because the divinity of the Goddess instilled deep joy and inspiration in people’s hearts.
Surely, just watching the video was enough to lift anyone’s spirits. If I, the Pope, felt this way, ordinary people must have felt even more influenced.
Anyway.
Although everything was flowing smoothly, there was one problem.
“Ugh….”
A sudden headache contorted my face.
This had happened several times in the past two days. The cause was clear.
Exhaustion of Sacred Power.
As I had sustained the necessary Sacred Power for the Goddess’s descent with only my strength, I was plunged into a state of extreme fatigue.
The symptoms were varied.
Blood occasionally rising up my throat at unexpected times.
A feeling of lethargy that left me drained all day.
Occasional seizures and arm and leg paralysis occurring twice a day.
Many other symptoms appeared and vanished repeatedly. It was a serious state that made daily life impossible.
Thanks to my explosive increase in stamina from becoming a Demigod, I was barely holding up. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have lasted long.
“Are you okay?”
Seo-yoon asked cautiously, holding my hand.
I kept groaning before finally managing to speak.
“Please… give me some chocolate.”
“…Got it.”
Soon, a ‘Rocher’ rolled into my mouth. As I savored the comforting sweetness on my tongue, the intense dizziness lessened a bit.
Of course, it was probably just psychological, but it worked, so I decided to take it regularly. Seo-yoon, who was worried about my health, didn’t seem too pleased about it.
“I’m scared I might really be sick forever. How long will this exhaustion of Sacred Power last?”
“It will take a while for recovery since it has affected your soul as well.”
“…Sigh. If you save the world twice, you might as well become undead.”
Seo-yoon, who laughed bitterly, unwrapped the Rocher chocolate and placed it back in my mouth.
Even though my entire body ached terribly, the sweet taste that matched its high price made my tongue happy.
*
The members who had ventured into the Void returned to the Cathedral on the day they thwarted Abigail’s schemes.
However, even though they were all Demigods, they returned in tatters. No one was seriously injured, but everyone needed a few days of rest lying down.
How strong could the enemy have been for Demigods to struggle so much?
According to Liam, who explained it to me in my confusion, the amount of malice that Abigail had accumulated was nearly three times that of the Pacific Ocean.
An unimaginably vast scale.
Having secretly executed her plans in the Void until now, that amount had piled up.
Thus, Abigail’s arrangements to thwart the “Evil God Annihilation Ritual” had become nearly Evil God-level powerful, leaving the raid team with no choice but to despair.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“It was nothing.”
After resting for several days, Liam quietly responded when he finally came to the Pope’s Rest Area.
For some reason, he wasn’t looking at me with an expectant gaze for praise, instead wearing just a wry smile. It seemed my groaning drove him to feel that way.
“I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry.”
I forced out reassuring words despite feeling quite the opposite. It had no effect, of course.
“…Your face looks like half of it is gone; what do you mean you’re fine?”
“I’m actually happy to have lost some weight.”
“You’ve gotten so skinny it’s ugly; is that something to celebrate?”
“Ah, so you’re not worried about me, but rather that I have become ugly?”
Feigning a pout, Liam flinched and waved his hands.
“No, no! You’re still pretty….”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about how ugly I’ve become, go meet a beautiful woman. I’ll allow it just this once.”
“……”
After that, Liam spent quite a while trying to appease my sulky self.
In truth, I was completely unbothered, but I pretended to be sullen to lighten the atmosphere. Thankfully, it worked quite well.
“Got it. I won’t ever do it again.”
On Liam’s face, which had somehow regained vigor and ease, a heart-fluttering delightful smile bloomed.
Indeed, our former hero should always wear a smile. That way, his handsome looks would stand out even more.
“I understand. Then I’ll let it slide this one time.”
“Thank you. Should I give you a kiss as a reward?”
“No, thanks.”
“Why not?”
“I’m tired of it from too many.”
As we exchanged such trivial talk and shared laughs, Liam suddenly stood up, bringing a smile to my face.
“Oh right.”
“What is it?”
“I heard that a subordinate of the Black Sun regained consciousness earlier. Should I bring them in?”
It seemed that Icle, whom Liam and the members had rescued, had regained her senses.
However, I didn’t particularly feel like meeting her.
I was sore all over and didn’t feel the need since we weren’t particularly close.
Still, for the sake of courtesy, it might be good to have at least one conversation.
After all, I had resolved to lead a life that rehabilitates evil as the Pope, so I should pay as much attention as possible. Even if the person in question rejects it.
“Liam, please respectfully bring Icle here.”
“Understood.”
A short while later.
Liam brought in a slender girl. She looked more like a “scout” than a “subordinate.”
“I’ll leave now.”
Creeeak, the sound of the door closing left just Icle and me in the Pope’s Rest Area.
Now that I think about it, this was the first time we were alone together.
How should I start the conversation?
Just as I was pondering, Icle spoke first.
“Pope. The husband you sent and the members saved me. Th-th-thank you….”
Stumbling over her words.
Just a simple thank you, but she kept stammering. She couldn’t even finish properly.
Still, I wanted to praise her.
Being a subordinate of an Evil God, how many times in her life could she have had the chance to express gratitude to others? It was commendable that she was even trying.
With a faint smile, I shook my head.
“It’s fine. I just saved you while I was at it, in the process of saving the world.”
“You’re trying to lessen the burden on my heart by saying that, right? That’s kind of sweet.”
“No, it’s sincere.”
“…Really?”
“Why are you so naive?”
“Ah.”
Icle’s eyes widened like she had just been hit, but then she gradually curled her lips into a smirk.
“Anyway, thank you so much. Please pass on my thanks to those who saved me. I feel shy saying it myself.”
“Understood.”
“Can I go now?”
“Please wait a moment.”
I had a question I wanted to ask before sending her back.
“Why did the Black Sun not try to rescue you?”
“……”
The Black Sun, Icle’s master, had done nothing in this incident.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
Given that Icle was taken hostage and her impersonator Abigail had shown herself, I thought he would intervene actively. Instead, he just remained silent, watching the situation unfold.
It was absurd that he would show anger towards the impersonator but stay quiet at a crucial moment.
“Did they just leave you be? That’s truly harsh.”
“…Hmm.”
Perhaps not wanting to speak ill of her master, Icle avoided my gaze and only rubbed her neck.
Then she cautiously spoke up.
“It’s me.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m the Black Sun.”
“……”
What did I just hear?
As I looked at her with incredulous eyes, Icle awkwardly shrugged her shoulders.
“I went to confront the impersonator directly, but I ended up getting caught instead. What an embarrassing sight.”
“…Is that really the Black Sun? You sound too weak and underwhelming for that.”
“My divinity’s foundation is malice. When that gets sucked away, naturally, I weaken.”
Icle… the Black Sun clicked her tongue and grimaced.
“I already lost so much power after being struck down by your Goddess and trying to resurrect myself, but weakening further like this has resulted in my current state. Right now, I’m just a minor deity.”
So that’s how it was.
I didn’t feel deceived; instead, I simply chuckled.
No wonder she seemed too audacious and composed to be just a follower of an Evil God. There was a reason for that.
Nodding, I suddenly squinted. The Black Sun was smugly opening the window.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m planning to leave now. You’d want me to get as far away from you as possible, right?”
Calmly stating that while stepping onto the window ledge, the Black Sun waved goodbye.
“Take care. I won’t ever show myself in front of you again….”
“Stop.”
“…Huh?”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
If it had been before, I would have just let her go, but it was different now. The enlightenment I gained from facing Abigail taught me the mission I needed to fulfill as Pope.
“Black Sun. Starting tomorrow, you will attend Kelaout’s lectures every day.”
“…Why?”
“Because I want to guide you.”
Even if she were a hopeless Evil God.
By consistently teaching goodwill and kindness, I believed I could eventually lead her down the right path.
“And didn’t you express a desire to become my Goddess’s sister? In order to do that, you need to cultivate character and dignity from now on.”
“No, I just….”
“Liam.”
Seeing her attempt to sneak away, I interrupted sternly and called the all-purpose solution person’s name. Liam quickly came inside and shouted.
“I’ll catch her and hand her over to old man Kelaout!”
“Ahhhh!”
The Black Sun hurriedly leaped out the window.
I couldn’t help but break into a smirk at that sight.
‘It looks like I can reform her pretty quickly.’
The outlook seemed very bright.