Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 74

3.

Where there is light, there is inevitably darkness. It’s an undeniable law of nature.
Thus, a world without darkness does not exist.

Bright spots, bathed in light, are visible to everyone, but the shadows lurking behind them remain unnoticed unless you actively pay attention.

That’s why malicious beings hide in the shadows. Until they gain enough power to consume the light, they stay hidden, building their forces—just like now.

“Why… why are you doing this to me… AAAAAARGH!”

“If someone overhears, they might actually think I’m the villain here. Watch your voice. If you scream on your own again, I’ll rip your vocal cords out.”

“Mmghh.”

I looked coldly at Shin Hyung-seop, writhing beneath my feet, and spoke in an icy tone.

Shin Hyung-seop may have been a player, but he wasn’t a combat-specialized one.
He was a player skilled in establishing his own base of operations rather than fighting.

The unpleasant magical energies I’d sensed earlier all stemmed from the crude barrier this bastard had set up around the facility.

It wasn’t so much a spell as a form of shamanistic magic, seemingly designed more to conceal something than to defend against enemies.

“You’re making a mistake by doing this to me.”

“A mistake?”

“Do you think I was running this place all on my own?”

Shin Hyung-seop was even filthier than I’d anticipated.

Even with his legs broken to prevent escape, his mouth wouldn’t stop spewing nonsense, utterly shameless.

According to the information provided by the U.S., this facility wasn’t for childcare—it was for trafficking children.

They collected children who had lost their parents in various accidents and sold them to “buyers.” In simple terms, it was a hub for human trafficking.

Reality often proves to be far more horrific than any drama or movie.

The weakened government, crippled by the Dimension Opening, had created conditions favorable for trash like this to thrive.

If South Korea, with its relatively intact governmental structure, was like this, how much worse must it be elsewhere?

The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“When you set foot in this place earlier, I’d already called the police.”

“For a human trafficker, you seem to have a surprising amount of faith in law enforcement.”

“Even if you’re an irregular, do you think you can just accuse someone of being a trafficker without evidence? Maybe you don’t understand, having come from another world, but South Korea isn’t a place where brute strength gets you everything.”

The reason he was acting so smug, even in a situation where he might die, was obvious.

He believed he had someone powerful backing him.

Without much thought, I could already guess what kind of people were protecting him—high-ranking officials or politicians, most likely.

That’s why this human trafficker could confidently say he had called the police, spouting such ludicrous nonsense.

“I’ve never committed a crime in my life. To accuse me of human trafficking—”

Crunch.

His voice was silenced. I crushed his vocal cords, tired of hearing his drivel, and threw in a bonus by shattering his jaw.

Finally, Shin Hyung-seop shut up.

His face twisted in agony, but no screams escaped his lips.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. I didn’t come here to ask you for anything.”

I calmly crushed his functioning right arm under my foot and continued speaking.

“I came here to verify the truth with my own eyes. So why do you keep flapping your tongue? I never planned to ask you anything from the beginning.”

Most of the information this bastard could provide was already in the documents the U.S. had handed over.

His connection to the cult? There was no need to confirm it directly.

“If you were truly someone of importance, they’d have gone to great lengths to imbue you with dark energy.”

The Purifiers were an incredibly secretive organization, so much so that members from different branches didn’t even share the locations of their sanctuaries.

In such a closed system, there was no way a lowlife like this, devoid of even the mark of dark energy, would know anything critical.

At best, he might have sold children to one of the cult’s clients. That was likely the extent of his connection.

“Still, thanks to you, I’ve come to understand a few things clearly.”

First, the reliability of the information provided by the U.S. was higher than I’d expected.

Second, the internal rot in South Korea ran deeper than I’d thought.

It wasn’t time to focus on expanding the faith overseas.

“Cleaning up the domestic trash comes first.”

Limen always wished for her children to never ignore injustice.

Even in a world steeped in darkness, she wanted them to be lights that could illuminate it.

What would Limen say if she saw this situation now?

There was no need to think long about it.

Gripping Shin Hyung-seop, now a tattered mess, by the throat, I said quietly:

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

“Ughhhgh…”

“How could I kill someone with children happily playing just outside the window?”

I gestured toward the window with my chin, pointing at Aiden and the children playing together outside.

Although they’d initially watched us with wary eyes, the kids were now laughing brightly as they played with Aiden.

Despite his nearly 2-meter-tall frame, the children clung to him without fear, dangling from him like ornaments.

“If I let you go, you’d just badmouth me later. That would be a problem, you see. We religious folks also survive on our reputation, and maintaining a good image is crucial.”

Even amidst his agony, Shin Hyung-seop desperately shook his head. Drool dripped uncontrollably from his mouth due to his shattered jaw.

Watching his pitiful state, I let a twisted smile creep onto my face.

“Let’s compromise. I’ll just take one of your vertebrae. Better than dying, right? They say it’s better to live, even if you have to crawl through filth.”

4.
Shin Hyung-seop had waited eagerly for the police to arrive, but they only reached the scene after 30 minutes, and by then, there was nothing they could do.

This was because another group of officials arrived following the police.

These were members of the Department of Paranormal Management.

Given the gravity of the situation, an unexpected high-profile figure had arrived in person.

“I didn’t expect Minister Yoo to come here himself.”

“I have no excuse to offer.”

Minister Yoo Sun-ho, who should have been attending the Korea-Japan summit by now, had come directly to the site. Judging by how quickly he arrived after being contacted, he must have taken a helicopter to get here.

This demonstrated how seriously Minister Yoo was taking the current situation.

It was natural for his expression to appear grave. The fact that such heinous crimes were taking place in a location not monitored by the Department of Paranormal Management was, in other words, a direct indictment of the department’s incompetence.

Moreover, the real problem was that this orphanage was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Here are the documents provided to me by the U.S. They contain a list of individuals who are likely connected to this case.”

Minister Yoo silently read through the documents I handed over for about 10 minutes.

The information from the U.S. included a list of companies, officials, and politicians involved in this matter.

As Minister Yoo read the documents, his hands began to tremble.

For a man who always maintained a poker face, his expression quickly flickered with feelings of humiliation and anger.

Even after finishing the documents, his anger did not dissipate easily. He stared out the window, trying to compose himself, then quietly addressed Aiden, who was standing beside me.

“We sincerely thank the United States for its assistance.”

His words contained no resentment over why this information had been shared so late.

This was likely because Minister Yoo had grasped the true nature of the situation.

“Minister Yoo Sun-ho, the U.S. recognizes your excellence as a public official. However, this is a separate matter. Korea is not free from villains. They are already deeply intertwined with the awakened society here.”

Speaking in a polite tone, Aiden continued in the same manner he had when conversing with the Japanese Prime Minister.

“The U.S. has long believed that Korea would be unable to address this issue on its own. Since this could easily escalate into interference in domestic affairs, we had to tread carefully.”

“I fully understand.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Minister Yoo.”

The cunning barbarian in the guise of a bear turned to look at me.

“But Korea now has the sharpest blade in its hands, more than capable of cutting out the cancerous parts. That blade also seeks to follow the right path. What greater fortune could there be for the Korea-U.S. alliance?”

The sharp blade he referred to was, of course, me.

I let out a small sigh as I gazed at Aiden’s sly smile.

Wrapped in polite words, Aiden’s message boiled down to one point, which coincided with what I wanted to tell Minister Yoo.

“There’s a saying in the East: new wine must be put into new wineskins. Isn’t that a great proverb?”

Minister Yoo responded with a bitter smile and nodded. He then turned to me and asked,

“I now realize that the Korea-Japan summit was not the urgent matter. I am deeply ashamed of my incompetence. My apologies, Siwoo.”

“This is not something for you to apologize for, Minister.”

The limits of the Department of Paranormal Management’s capabilities had been evident for quite some time.

When the government loses its ability to maintain control, parasitic entities are bound to grow.

To witness such a crime scene with my own eyes made me reconsider our approach.

We needed to redefine the direction the church should take.

If we remained passive, nothing would change. Therefore, the actions we must take for Limen were already clear.

“From now on, I’m going to start meddling a bit.”

Minister Yoo closed his eyes, understanding the meaning behind my words, and let out a faint sigh.

In a melancholy tone, he replied,

“I’ll begin serious discussions with the President as soon as I return. It won’t take long.”

Surprisingly, Minister Yoo’s expression remained composed, as if he had anticipated this outcome.

I simply nodded silently as I watched him.

5.

~The new presidential office in Sejong Special Autonomous City~

After steadying his breath, Minister Yoo knocked on the door of the President’s office.

“Mr. President, this is Minister Yoo Sun-ho.”

“Come in.”

As he entered, the weary figure of President Seo Shin-woo came into view.

After bowing to the President, Minister Yoo quietly approached him.

“I’ve received the report. Is the information provided by the U.S. reliable?”

“It is highly unlikely that the U.S. would give us false information.”

“It’s truly shameful that we were unaware of this. I can’t bear to show my face. I never imagined corruption would be this rampant… Sigh.”

President Seo removed his glasses and placed them on his desk, rubbing his face with his hands.

“What exactly does Awakened Kim Siwoo want?”

“He wants to be able to actively intervene in social issues. For instance, in cases like this orphanage incident, he’s requesting the authority to directly punish villains.”

“What’s your opinion, Minister Yoo?”

Without hesitation, Minister Yoo replied,

“Considering the precedents in Europe and the U.S., I think it’s feasible. In the U.S., Irregulars are granted privileges akin to immunity from prosecution. We could also legislate under the Paranormal Special Act.”

“That’s an enormous privilege. Innocent people might end up as victims.”

“Irregulars are inherently such beings. The U.S. has thoroughly crushed villains by leveraging its Irregulars. From this perspective, having Awakened Kim Siwoo as our Irregular is a significant advantage. He already leads the Limen Church. Even if granted authority, he’s unlikely to abuse it recklessly.”

People with much to lose cannot act carelessly.

President Seo slowly nodded in agreement with Minister Yoo’s straightforward reasoning.

He thought of Kim Siwoo. Setting aside religious aspects, Kim Siwoo had shown great sensitivity to public opinion. He was also acutely aware of the impact of his actions and words on the public.

Great power comes with great responsibility, and Kim Siwoo wasn’t foolish enough to be unaware of this.

‘With proper coordination…’

It might be possible to not only eradicate deeply rooted corruption but also completely reshape domestic affairs.

After finishing his calculations, President Seo nodded again and issued instructions through the intercom on his desk.

“Tell the ruling party leader and the main opposition leader to come to the presidential office immediately.”

It didn’t take long for him to make his decision.

Ending the short call, President Seo let out a deep sigh.

Though he felt like he was riding a tiger, he had no intention of stopping.