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Wake Not a Sleeping Lion – Part 02

Not healing the Pope was the same as killing him with his own hands. The thought made him nauseous, so he tried to avoid dwelling on it.

Now, he faced an unprecedented national crisis—the looming threat of the Confederacy of Einbiest’s Beastman army and the Quinbrand Empire’s invasion.

Luvain had no one to rely on. The archpriests might have been experts at accumulating fat around their bellies, but they lacked experience in warfare and diplomacy. They all shifted their burdens onto others and, if those individuals failed, threw them under the bus to save their own skin. In essence, they were parasites who thrived within the Tower.

The former Pope had harbored an abnormal disdain for Beastmen, but he was overall wise. Luvain had to surpass him. Otherwise, what was the point of taking his life?

“Ugh.”

A wave of nausea surged, momentarily interrupting his thoughts. He didn’t come to the Pope’s chamber to confess his sins.

“There must be some records left here.”

The nausea subsided, and Luvain began searching the room.

In Luvain’s eyes, the former Pope was obsessed with Ranna, a female Man Gnome—a demi-human, just like the Beastmen. He had carefully safeguarded her. There had to be a reason for such treatment, and he hoped to find some written clue to explain it. He also suspected that the former Pope might have been aware of the corruption among the archpriests. Lastly, he wondered why the former Pope had abruptly initiated such irrational diplomacy.

To seek answers to these three questions, Luvain had ventured into the former Pope’s private chamber in search of diaries and records.

“Could this be it?”

The desk drawer had a false bottom that contained what seemed like a diary. It was filled with entries penned in the distinct handwriting of the former Pope, detailing various matters.

Truth be told, Luvain’s body was screaming. He had healed citizens with his magic, met Silver Face to learn about the enhanced Accursed Toxin, and then immediately put the treatment method into practice. Upon his return to the Tower, he found the Pope on the brink of death and had to give him hope. In addition, he had all the archpriests arrested. All in all, it had been an incredibly hectic day.

It was almost midnight now, and he was reading.

“I want to sleep… but time is of the essence.”

The Quinbrand Empire’s army had already made it through the Kingdom of Ponsonia and clashed with the Knight Templars at the Theocracy of Bios’ fortress. While they had the option to simply withdraw from Einbiest, Luvain was also considering the worst-case scenario—the holy city being set ablaze.

“Hmm…”

As Luvain scanned the Pope’s diary, his drowsy eyes immediately widened.

“Gods above!”

The revelation he stumbled upon eclipsed any evidence of corruption among the archpriests.

---

“Are you sure you should be eating that much?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m actually quite hungry.”

“I think it’s better to eat stuff that’s easy to digest.”

“I’m chewing properly.”

“Do you want something to drink?”

“…”

“Oh, right. I can peel some fruit.”

“Hikaru… I’m okay.”

“…Okay.”

Observing Hikaru’s restlessness, Lavia let out a sigh. Normally, she would appreciate how this calm and collected boy was flustered and worried about her. But that didn’t mean she wanted to be treated like a child. It was complicated.

Lavia had awoken yesterday and was able to move around normally. Although she claimed to be completely fine, she wasn’t ready for adventures just yet.

After breakfast, they headed outside.

“I want to see Paula as soon as possible,” Hikaru said.

“Yeah, she’s probably feeling lonely… But thanks to her, the epidemic in Quinbrand has subsided, right?”

“Unken said that Paula and Sophie did great. There are even talks in the Empire about giving them awards.”

“What’s the point of wearing those masks if they’re getting awards?”

Hikaru laughed. “That’s true.”

They strolled along the streets, chatting. The Theocracy of Bios’s capital, Agiapole, was cleaner and more orderly than any other city they had visited. The walls were white, and there were no bumps or holes on the stone pavement. The cost of living was high, but the residents looked well-dressed. Although he hadn’t asked around about it, Hikaru had a feeling that there were less crimes here.

“Is this the way to the Church library?” they asked a passerby.

“Yes, but it’s closed today.”

“Is that so? Maybe it’s a day off?”

“No, it’s just… keep this to yourself…” The passerby lowered their voice. “The archpriest who manages the library has been arrested.”

Hikaru and Lavia exchanged glances. They had planned to check the library’s collection and then leave Agiapole. What on earth was happening?

Does it have something to do with the Man Gnome scientist, Ranna, who is currently on the run? No, that can’t be.

Perplexed, they decided to visit the Adventurers Guild to look for Unken, who might know what was going on. When coming here, they wore disguises with Silver Face and Star Face masks.

“Guildmaster.”

“What?! Oh, S-Silver Face. Don’t scare me like that.”

Previously, there were about three adventurers lingering around the guild, keeping a watchful eye. But today, the guild was completely deserted, with no one in sight. The guildmaster, a man appearing to be in his early thirties, had unremarkable, plain features, but he was nevertheless competent at his job.

Although surprised by Hikaru and Lavia’s visit, he immediately ushered them to the soundproofed room.

“How much do you know?”

While serving tea, the guildmaster got straight to the point.

“What do you mean?”

Hikaru’s knowledge was limited to the history between the Man Gnomes and Agiapole that he had heard from Unken, as well as what he knew about Ranna. Additionally, he told Luvain about the Spellbreak Antidote, a spell that could cure the enhanced version of the Accursed Toxin.

“Actually, there’s a major upheaval happening inside the Tower,” the guildmaster explained. “Most of the archpriests have been arrested, and evidence of corruption is being revealed one after another. As a result, most of the church-related facilities are closed.”

“I didn’t know about that.”

Hikaru truly had no knowledge of this. He had never considered, nor expected this to happen.

“There are even rumors that His Holiness the Pope has passed away.”

A shiver ran down Hikaru’s spine. The Pope might be dead—could it be because of the Accursed Toxin?

In other words, the poison he had administered himself.

“Guildmaster, I’ll go gather information.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Please contact Unken. I’ll be back late tonight.”

“Understood.” He glanced at the clock. “Feel free to return anytime. I’ll be here all—”

By the time he turned his gaze back, he was no longer able to perceive Silver Face.

“What an extraordinary person.”

The guildmaster was left flabbergasted.

---

Hikaru and Lavia waited for night to fall. Lavia wanted to go as well, but Hikaru didn’t want her to accompany him as she had just recovered from the poison. He managed to convince her to stay at the hotel.

Infiltrating the Tower turned out to be surprisingly easy. The Knights Templar were away fighting the imperial army, resulting in a somewhat lax security. By somewhat lax, it was more like the security had returned to its normal state.

“…Hmm?”

Creeping in through the shadows, Hikaru noticed that one of the mana signatures he had detected with Mana Detection had just disappeared. This meant that someone had died.

As he hurried on, another signature vanished. Something big was going on. These mana signatures were disappearing at the center of the Tower—specifically, at the residence of the Pope.

In that underground area, several individuals closed in on one person, and then another signature disappeared.

“We have gathered all the evidence of their corruption. The priest has just confessed to his transgressions in your presence.”

“Unh! Unh!”

There was a prison underneath. When Hikaru stepped inside, his nose caught the thick smell of blood.

“There don’t seem to be any objections. Execute him.”

“Sir.”

Hikaru couldn’t believe his eyes. There stood Luvain, the same Luvain he had sought help from, the one he had used the Soul Board on to increase his Healing Magic stat so he could cast Spellbreak Antidote on Lavia.

However, the Luvain in front of him now was completely different from the one he had seen a few days ago. His face was blank, as if he was wearing a mask, his eyes devoid of any emotions. In comparison, the temple guards thrusting their swords into the obese archpriest were as pale as a sheet, trembling.

“Is that everyone?”

“Yes…”

“Please announce their deaths as follows: ‘They bravely took on the task of treating His Holiness the Pope, who was battling an unknown illness, and tragically succumbed to the infection themselves.’ We’ll make the announcement along with the news of His Holiness’s death tomorrow.”

“What about your becoming the Pope?”

“That will be in ten days. We need to observe a period of mourning,” Luvain said, before leaving.

It was here that Hikaru first learned about the death of the Pope and the murder of the archpriests. No, Luvain had the power to heal the Pope.

The Pope was also killed.