Chapter 439: Confessional Hearing [2]

Chapter 439: Confessional Hearing [2]



A lump formed in my throat.

It kept me rooted on the spot.

"...I,it's you isn't it?"

His murky eyes flickered, gaining a certain clarity that made every hair on my body rise. His presence was undeniable.

Although he looked old, he felt extremely powerful.

'Who is he...?'

No, I could guess who he was.

But... Why? Why was he here?

It was then that I recalled the first few words he spoke, and my expression tightened.

'I knew I'd see you... My g-god.'

I took a step back.

Impossible!

How did he know? It makes no-

"My L,lord...?"

Standing up, the man smiled. His hands continued to shake as he approached me. I wanted to move away and run away from this place, but I found myself stuck once more. I couldn't move my body at all.

He eventually appeared before me, and his entire body shook.

"Yes, yes, it's you..."

Drip! Drip..!

Tears traced down his cheeks as he looked at me.

"Oh, Seer. It's y-ou. Y-you've graced this one with your presence."

His aged hands touched my cheeks.

My stomach churned and my toes curled, however, I kept my composure.

'Right, this isn't the time for me to panic.'

The fact that he knew my identity was quite shocking, however, seeing the craze in his eyes, I knew that I couldn't act out of line. I first needed to get more information from him.

And to do that...

I needed to acknowledge my identity.

That of Oracleus.

"Back off."

Finally opening my mouth, my voice came out rather detached.

Immediatly, the Pope snapped out of it.

"A-ah, how could I?"

His expression turned into one of shock and his body trembled as he took a few steps back.

"What have I..."

"What is your identity?"

I didn't let him wander into his own mind and directly asked him a question. His body immediately froze.

"W,who I am...? My Lord do you..."

"I do not."

"Ah."

His face immediately deflated while he started to mumble, 'How could it be? I'm...' Looking around the room, I secretly swallowed my saliva before heading for the chair where he previously sat. Seeing that he didn't move at all, I sighed in relief and sat down.

It was only then that I spoke again.

"Are you the current Pope?"

The Pope's head flicked up.

"Yes, I am!"

He immediately looked rejuvenated.

"I am indeed the current Pope. So you do know..."

Tears welled up in his eyes once more.

Honestly, I had no idea how he was so convinced that I was Oracleus. But the fact that someone of his strength didn't restrain me, despite the clear gap in power, made it clear he was almost certain.

That was what made me curious. Just what made him so certain?

"It's not hard to figure out given your clothing."

"Ah."

The Pope's face deflated once more.

It was weird. Seeing someone so old acting like this. Then again, he was meeting his so-called 'god'. One could say this was to be the expected reaction.

"Tell me... How did you know?"

I placed my desk on the armrest next to me and propped my chin on my fist.

"How did you know about my identity."

"...How?"

The Pope's clouded white eyes flickered briefly. Then, regaining his composure, he raised a hand, revealing an old, weathered book.

"With the Old Testament, of course "

He flicked the book open, flipping through the worn-out pages and turning towards a certain page which he immediately showed me.

His excitement grew as he pointed at the image displayed in the book.

"See? This is you!"

"This..."

My expression almost faltered.

In spite of my best attempts, my mouth couldn't help but tremble at the sight that greeted

me. But how could I remain composed?

After all, the image displayed in the text differed from what I had expected.

Not Emmet, but Julien.

'How is this possible?'

How could...

'Wait, could it be?'

Holding his hand forward, the Pope stopped me from approaching. No, it wasn't just a gesture

to stop me from approaching-it felt like he had sealed the space around me.

I was suddenly stuck in place, unable to move.

"Cough!"

His rough coughing echoed for several minutes before it finally subsided, leaving him slightly

hunched over.

"Haa... Haa..."

His breath was rough and when I looked at him again, he looked to have aged a few years. The

sight threw me off.

'Is he sick or something...?'

"Are you "

I was just about to ask him when he laughed.

"H-he, he... It looks like I don't have much time left."

My brow raised.

"...M-my Lord."

The Pope raised his head, his eyes even murkier than before. Seeing the look on his face, I held

the words that I was about to say back.

"M,my lord... D-do you know the other reason why I'm so sure you're Oracleus?"

Forcing a smile, the Pope took a few deep breaths before saying,

"Because the blood isn't killing you."

"?"

"T-to us mortals, the blood is like a poison."

The Pope lowered his head, eyes fixed on his blood-stained hands, and coughed a few more

times, each cough sounding more haggard than the last.

"...D-do you know the average lifespan of a Pope?"

He didn't wait for me to answer before speaking.

"It's five years. F-five years. T-that's how long we have of our life right after your blood is

transfused into us. But look at you."

Holding his hand up once more, the Pope's entire body trembled.

"I can feel the blood in you. And yet... Y-you look unharmed. W, when I t-took it, my eyes

turned like this. Wrinkles formed everywhere, and... Cough!"

Blood splattered onto the floor as the Pope struggled to stay upright, barely managing to

keep himself from collapsing face-first. My heart sank at the sight of him.

Not because I felt sorry for him, but because I could tell what was going to happen next.

"Kh."

Weakly moving his hand forward, the Pope's face trembled.

He looked straight at me with his mouth open. It seemed like he had more to say but his body

refused to listen to him.

Resignation flashed across his face after realizing that he didn't have much time left. I then watched as his murky white eyes cleared up all of a sudden and he stood up. When I looked at him, he looked completely different from before.

His eyes were clear, the wrinkles on his face were fading, and his hair was turning black.

What in the...

The sight shocked me, but before I could understand what was happening, he moved closer to

me and slit his wrist.

Spurt!

Blood splurted all over me and a powerful burning sensation flooded my mind.

"Urkh!"

Tzzz! Tzzz!

Steam rose from my skin the moment the blood touched it, hissing softly as it sizzled on

contact. I tried to move but as though I was rooted in place, all I could do was watch as the blood continued to drip onto me. The Pope's voice responded in my ear shortly after.

Unlike before, it was clear and devoid of any weakness.

"Each generation passes down the blood-Your blood-through this method. Before each

Pope is about to die, we carry on this ceremony. I may be dying, but there's nothing more

fulfilling than returning what belongs to you, My Lord."

As the burning sensation grew, a strange sensation washed over my mind. Power coursed

through my body and a powerful glow manifested over the four clover leaf.

I wished I could concentrate more on it but the pain was preventing me from doing so. It was a

pain reminiscent of the first time I came into this world.

When I appeared in that unfamiliar room...

It was overwhelming.

Thump!

What truly brought me out of it all was a large 'thumping' sound.

Struggling to keep my eyes open, I looked down at the Pope's body. He appeared gaunt,

almost skeletal, as though every drop of life had been drained from him.

It was a sight that drew the air out of my body.

"....Ah."

And the surroundings turned quiet.

The only sound that entered my mind was the sound of a notification and a few words I had

once heard.

No, spoke...

'..Didn't do it. He did...'

I pressed my lips together, letting the silence envelop me entirely.

"Fuck."