Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 110

7.

“Still, it’s tea I served as a guest, so you should drink it all. Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue while looking at the half-finished chrysanthemum tea in my cup.

Li Jie left.

I really wanted to just knock it all over, but I held myself back for now, for the sake of later.

Patience is the virtue of a priest.

Besides, I didn’t want to finish this matter with just capturing some S-rank hunter.

The moment I heard that garbage proposal, I had already made up my mind.

That proposal wasn’t a proposal at all—it was more of an insult. I had already heard plenty about how China manages religions.

They claim there is freedom of religion on the surface.

But if you look deeper, it’s not true. It’s only “freedom of religion that doesn’t oppose the party.”

In exchange for converting 1.4 billion people, they would likely twist the order to suit their tastes.

It was a future that was painfully obvious.

A ridiculous proposal asking us to subjugate the order to one country in exchange for 1.4 billion followers.

“Please, calm yourself, Your Grace.”

“If it weren’t for Archbishop Rapart, those people would have probably barged into the shrine by now.”

“It’s my role to ensure that such things don’t happen.”

Archbishop Rapart said in a soft voice.

If a battle had broken out in front of the shrine earlier, it probably would have ended with Archbishop Rapart taking care of it.

However, Archbishop Rapart did not reveal his strength. He had simply stood at the entrance to the shrine.

“Everything that happens at the holy site can only be overseen by Your Grace, the Apostle of Limen. We are merely servants of Your Grace and Limen’s will.”

“What if they attacked first?”

“Why bother thinking about things that didn’t happen? Haha. But, Your Grace, what exactly did they say to make you so angry?”

At Archbishop Rapart’s question, I sat down in my chair and answered.

“They told me they would give us many followers, in exchange for us recognizing them as our masters.”

“It seems China is exactly as my informants described it.”

“What did they teach you?”

“They said that China isn’t quite big enough to be called a ‘great nation,’ but not small enough to be called a ‘small country’ either. Hence, they call it ‘China.'”

Looking at it this way, it is indeed an impressive country. I can’t understand how they keep having more to criticize no matter how much you dig into it.

“The collaboration of state and religion is likely what Limen most desires. That’s how this old man sees it.”

“That’s likely true.”

Both the scenario where the religion dominates the state and where the state controls the religion would not have looked good in the eyes of Limen.

The reason why our order didn’t form a state, even though we boasted great religious power right after the war in Eden, was also because of this.

“Imbalance is the mother of conflict. As it says in the Bible, Limen seeks balance. As children of Limen, we must follow Her will. You’ve done well, Your Grace.”

Archbishop Rapart nodded with a kind smile. It’s clear that having a significant elder in the sect makes a big difference.

If only Leo and Luna had been here…I’d probably be thinking about chasing them down and turning them to dust right now.

Looking back, I’m glad I brought Archbishop Rapart. This old man has an unusual personality, but at least he’s not uncontrollable.

He will continue to be a good mediator for us.

I let out a light breath as I looked at Archbishop Rapart.

I was angry, but since the ones who caused the anger were the Chinese, it was easy to come to terms with it quickly.

Rather, through this situation, I realized something clearly.

Those people wouldn’t come to their senses until we stepped on them properly.

Aside from the Purifiers moving secretly in their land, the country of China itself would certainly be an obstacle to the future of our order.

Therefore, there was no reason to hesitate in taking action.

“Has Park Ji-won gone home?”

“I wasn’t sure, so I had him temporarily take shelter in the underground prayer room. Ji-won will be able to leave work at 6 p.m. As you set it, Your Grace.”

“That’s a relief. Leo? Could you go get Park Ji-won for me?”

“Understood, Your Grace.”

I realized that this wasn’t just connected to South Korea’s situation but also the future of our order.

China would likely keep this attitude until a blade is at their neck. They won’t even think about correcting their posture on their own.

That’s why we had to correct their posture for them.

And we have the perfect excuse with the Northeast Asia Exchange, don’t we?

“If we send Leo and Luna to the Northeast Asia Cultural Exchange…I think it would be enough of a lesson.”

It seems I need to honor President Seo’s request.

Originally, I was thinking about considering it, but after the recent events, my mind quickly changed.

And since it’s come to this, I should also properly review what President Seo is offering to our sect.

It’s important to separate public from private affairs.

There’s no need to refuse what they’re offering, especially if we’ll end up doing it anyway.

Our business advisor, Park Ji-won, will surely pick the most practical benefits for us.

“By the way, Archbishop Rapart.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You said you called Luna, didn’t you? At this time, she should have already arrived. Is something wrong?”

“Could she have taken a different route?”

“A different route?”

If Archbishop Rapart had personally called her, that wouldn’t make sense, considering how afraid Luna is of him.

If it were the old Archbishop Rapart, he would have been furious by now.

But for some reason, he was just wearing an unknown smile.

“Heh.”

…What on earth is this old man thinking?

Sometimes I get scared of my own people.

But where exactly has Luna gone?

8.

A hotel located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Li Jie, who had barely survived from the tiger’s mouth, was in the middle of a phone call with her superior.

“The Limen Order has flatly rejected the proposal. It seems they have already decided to be hostile to us. I apologize, Director.”

-Li Jie. I heard that our personnel are circulating videos of kneeling. Wouldn’t it have been better to draw a sword instead of suffering such humiliation?

“……I absolutely, absolutely could not draw it.”

If she had drawn it, she would have died.

Li Jie recalled the sticky murderous intent she had felt from Kim Siwoo earlier.

He was more suited to be a yaksha than a pope.

If she had drawn the sword, she would probably have left this world by now.

However, she could not reveal her true feelings in front of her superior. She did not want to provoke her superior’s mood by bringing up that matter.

-I hoped you would at least find out how that guy fights, but have I overestimated you all this time?

“I have nothing to say even if I had a hundred mouths.”

-How dare a pseudo-cult leader of a small country reject the mercy of a great country…You’re much more foolish than I thought. Truly a typical judgment. Didn’t you just throw away the opportunity to spread your wings in a great country?

There were only four people in China who could ignore a foreign irregular so thoroughly. And the man talking to Li Jie right now was notorious for having an especially high self-esteem among them.

Gui Wang Wei.

A transcendent in charge of the Northern Theater.

In China, they would use the term “transcendent” for their own irregulars. It meant beings that had gone beyond humans.

-A guy who has kicked away his own fortune is no longer important. Just end your life as a mistake in this exchange, pretending it was an error. Li Jie. You still have many missions left, so I’ll let this slide this time.

“Thank you!”

-It’s too early to be thankful. I believe the remaining missions will be successful. If additional support is needed, request it immediately. We will employ talents even from a small country. That is the current policy of our home country. Do you understand?

“Yes. I will keep it in mind.”

Thud.

As soon as the call with Wang Wei ended, Li Jie threw her phone onto the bed.

And while loosening her tightly fastened necktie, she exhaled deeply.

“Whew.”

She did not think this trip to Korea would be easy. But she never dreamed she would be in such a situation from the first day.

Her mistake was vaguely thinking of Kim Siwoo as someone like Wang Wei.

A man intoxicated by power, burning with a lust for authority.

She thought Kim Siwoo would be like that as well. Since he was even called the hope of this small country called Korea, she judged that he would be intoxicated with himself.

‘A person who cannot be persuaded.’

To persuade someone full of conviction, one must first break their conviction. If unable to break their conviction? Persuasion is impossible from the start.

“Ah.”

She could not catch a train that had already passed. More than disappointment at failing to persuade Kim Siwoo, she felt relief at having survived him.

After taking a deep sigh, Li Jie took out documents from her briefcase.

The documents contained information about Korean S-class hunters she was to meet tomorrow.

There was a woman boasting exceptional beauty, and a red asterisk was marked next to her name.

It meant she was personally selected by Wang Wei.

“Baek Seolhwa…an S-class hunter who uses ice magic.”

A unique point was that she operates a MyTube channel. Wang Wei seemed more interested in her appearance than her abilities.

‘I must persuade at least three of them tomorrow.’

Her most important mission was to bring the talents of this small country to China.

Through this Northeast Asian Exchange, the world would clearly know who would be the winner of Northeast Asia. Once that happened, the talents of this small country would realize where they could truly spread their wings.

Preparing for that moment through preliminary contact was Li Jie’s most crucial mission.

“I should sleep quickly.”

She had many people to meet tomorrow.

She quickly skimmed through the documents.

How much time had passed?

When her neck muscles were slightly stiff, Li Jie felt something was going wrong.

‘…I can’t sense my team’s presence.’

In front of the hotel suite where she was staying, her subordinate staff were thoroughly on guard but from some point, she could not feel their presence.

It might be because her senses were shocked by Kim Siwoo earlier in the day.

Li Jie put down the documents she was holding and carefully gripped the dagger she had hidden under the bed.

Then.

Kwajigiii.

“Shhhhh.”

“Ugh!”

A mysterious figure that appeared from nowhere behind her grabbed her neck, and Li Jie collapsed to the floor without a chance to resist. She tried to swing her dagger, but could not even do that.

This was because the figure had crushed both of her shoulders at the moment she fell.

A familiar horror began to consume her body.

The fear she had felt during the day was raising its head again, gnawing at her from the bottom up.

Li Jie turned her head to look at the mysterious figure.

Blue jeans and a rider jacket.

The rider jacket could not hide the figure’s volume. The assailant was clearly a woman, and she seemed to have no intention of hiding her voice.

“So you’re the bitch who messed with our grandpa? He told me to take care of some business for him, so I came to check, and you dared to challenge that old man with this level of skill? What a nerve. If that grandpa was 20 years younger, you would have died right there.”

A husky female voice pierced Li Jie’s ear.

“The guys outside have been taken care of in advance so no one can enter here. Don’t worry. No one can come in.”

The assailant lifted Li Jie’s body with her left hand and slowly walked toward the bed.

Then she soon discovered the documents spread on the bed.

“Hmm?”

Seeming to recognize a familiar face, the assailant picked up a document with her right hand.

“Seolhwa? You interested in our sunshine? That’s a problem. She already has someone she likes.”

“Ugh… Please… please spare me. Okay?”

“Come on now. I’m a holy knight, you know. I don’t just kill people. Don’t worry.”

After whispering in a husky voice next to Li Jie’s ear, she sat her in a chair next to the bed.

Li Jie’s will to resist was already broken.

The assailant, Luna, knew this very well.

“Well now.”

Luna pulled up a chair and sat in front of Li Jie. Then she threw her face covering on the floor and smiled broadly, saying:

“From now on, just answer my questions well. Then nothing will happen. Understand?”