I Became The Pope, Now What?

Sylvester had done it before to his spy enemies. Dissolving a body with low pH value acids such as hydrochloric acid was the easiest and the cleanest way to get rid of a body.

But, if the acid is not strong enough, it could lead to anything but death.

So, the fact that the woman was sitting in the acid silently meant that she had already screamed all she could. She had cried all she could and had already suffered through all the pain she could. Now, her flesh had been melted off, and the pain receptors were damaged. Or perhaps she was in such a shock that the pain wasn't even registering in her mind.

"You inhuman pests! Why do such to a completely innocent person?"

Sylvester quickly punched a few holes in the bottom of the metal container to let the acid flush out. Then, he used water manipulation to pour a soft stream of water all over her body in order to remove any remaining acid that may still be on her.

All the while, she didn't react and just kept staring at the sea, at nothingness.

Once Sylvester was done with cleaning, he took out some healing potions. One vial he forced fed her, and two vials he evenly put on her wounds. It was less effective on flesh wounds but could definitely save her.

After that, he focused on the little kid.

'Every single time, a mother protects her child with her life.' Sylvester muttered once he began to clean the boy's wounds. He was reminded of the moment he had found little Shane's body that time, under the burning rubble, in the melted arms of his mother.

He handed first aid to both of them but lacked clean bandages to cover their wounds. Thankfully, with the advent of advanced magical healing, flesh wounds were nothing to worry about. So the woman was going to get healed physically, though the scars of her mind would probably be hard to heal.

Still, he took the woman out of the metal container, laid her down on a torn sail, and covered her body. He also put the boy beside her and told her the situation to ease her subconscious mind.

"Don't worry, sister. I am Sylvester Maximilian, God's Favoured. You will be healed soon, and the heathens who harmed you shall lose their neck. Don't worry; your son is also fine, just mentally exhausted—You're a strong woman."

Sylvester didn't disturb her anymore and focused on the leftover sailor. First, he walked over to him and put one palm on his shoulder. Then, in one smooth move, he pushed him down with enough strength to shatter his weak kneecaps.

"Aaargh… M-My Lord… Mercy!"

Sylvester looked into his eyes with utter indifference. "You shall have mercy if you sing the song I demand. Tell me everything about the two Cardinals. Why was this woman targeted, and has this ever happened before?"

"T-This? Yes, my lord. B-But… I can't say, or they will… They will kill me."

Bam!

"Aaaa…!"

Sylvester showed no mercy and used a light blade to cut a chunk of the man's ear. "I know not your name, nor do I care who you bark for. This sea shall witness your end if you do not answer me."

"I… It's a service!" the sailor shouted. "Cardinal Cohn and Kenny need money, a lot of it recently. So they try to lure poor pilgrims, be it a man, woman or child, into serving some clients in various ways. There are a lot of clergymen in the holy land who want the pleasure of women, men and some… In return, the Cardinals get paid handsomely."

"Has this ever happened before? You throwing the bodies here?" Sylvester questioned.

"Y-Yes, my lord. I've seen it happen five times in the past, once with a young girl, three times with a woman and then with a man. All get thrown down with a stone tied… But in a box like this, never."

Sylvester smelled no lies, so he continued. "Are there other groups like yours? How many of you are there?"

"Hundreds, I reckon. But I'm not sure as we can't meet everyone. Various teams focus on luring, subjugating, and then supplying them to various people. I am part of the group that deals with the last step—erasure. We only target the poorest of the poorest."

Sylvester clenched his fist and tried his best not to hit the man and kill him. 'I am by no means a saint, but what I do is so I can achieve peace and power to bring peace. While these… they sin for pleasure, to entertain themselves—and play with the lives of such innocent children.'

"If you want to live, you better say all this in front of the judge. Remember, I am your best way of survival. The closer you stick to me, the higher your chances of survival." Sylvester coldly warned him.

The man clapped his hands and prayed. "I will forever be grateful for your mercy, my lord. I am Mathe…"

"I do not wish to know your name." Sylvester interrupted him and moved away. He looked towards the Holy Land and waited for Aurora to arrive.

He kept staring while his mind raged with a lot of thoughts. 'Such a huge underground operation was happening, and nobody did anything about it. They must have a lot of high-ranking clients for it to be ignored for so long… And the Pope did nothing? Is he just incompetent or simply ignoring the problem as he already has enough headaches?'

He walked to the boat's edge and looked at the blue water. He could see his half-naked body in it. But then he noticed something.

'What in the god's name is this?'

He looked at his stomach and noticed a huge, long, horizontal redness on his chest as if something brushed past his body and his skin reacted with it. 'Was it due to that creature? What was it?'

Sylvester, in silence, looked at the mysterious deep water. A part of the world more mysterious than what was on the land. He wasn't scared of anything, nor was he a wuss, but for a fact, he had learned in School of Dawn that there existed some horrifying creatures in the sea.

From Hydra to Sea Dragons, from maneater giant squids to a hundred-meter-long eel. Not to mention, some massive sharks and whales could swallow an entire three-mast ship like it was a pebble. Of course, such creatures don't come near the shore, but looking at the water was still somewhat unsettling.

'I wonder if a Supreme Wizard also fears the sea. They're like gods on earth, after all.'

"Hey! Sylvester!"

"Max!"

"Meow!"

"..."

Sylvester held his laughter as he saw many heads turn on the incoming ship, looking for the cat that had snuck on the ship. But, sadly, Chonky was the sneaky boy, and no one could defeat him.

Thud!

Lady Aurora leapt from her ship when it was a hundred metres away and landed beside Sylvester. She noticed the bloody carnage of chopped-up bodies, one alive scared man, and the woman with her child on the deck. "What's the status?"

"Worse than you can imagine. The Cardinals are involved, and this isn't their first victim. Let's return to the Holy Land. I will brief you all along the way. I'm afraid I will have to speak to the Holy Father directly about this."

Sylvester waited until the main ship arrived. It belonged to the Inquisitors, so a lot of help was readily available. The woman and her child were quickly given essential treatment, and for the rest of their time in the Holy Land, they would be kept inside the Inquisitor camp—In Lady Aurora's tent, which was one of the most secure spots.

On the way back, he told Aurora, Felix, Gabriel, Sir Dolorem and Elyon about what had occurred. It enraged them, but Sylvester calmed them down as the task was merely half done. Because a big purge was incoming, and it was going to cleanse the Holy Land.

"Keep all three of them in front of your eyes at all times. Remember, if they die, all this will be for nothing." Sylvester ordered his friends.

Sir Dolorem and Lady Aurora quickly appointed their most loyal soldiers for security and created an encirclement around the protected area. After all, nobody knew if there were inquisitors involved in the dealings too.

Before taking a horse to the Pope's Palace, Sylvester fixed his clergyman robes, cleaned his face and combed his hair first. He was tired as he'd been exerting his body for more than twenty hours now, but the prospect of what was about to happen was too exciting.

'If the Pope is truly a man who wants the best for the Holy Land and me, then he has to agree with me as the prospect of my success outweighs doing nothing.' He muttered to himself and arrived at the giant ethereal palace.

"Chonky, do not mess around no matter what. Sit on my shoulder and breathe slowly." He ordered Chonky before entering the palace.

"Aye, Aye, Maxy. But what's the plan?"

"You'll know soon," Sylvester replied and arrived outside the Pope's office.

Thankfully, he was given instant permission to enter as the old man was in there. They had not met each other since the Pope cried in front of Sylvester in that shack. It must have been very embarrassing, Sylvester reckoned.

"May the Holy Light enlighten us!" Sylvester saluted stiffly.

But the Pope was not in front of him on the chair. So he turned left and noticed he was standing in front of a painting.

"Son, come here and tell me what you think about this. A famous Cardinal made this painting in the past. It depicts the murder of Pope Jarl Desmond by those heathens in the Beastaria—The moment that started the thousand-year war."

Sylvester stood beside the Pope, proudly as he was nearly the same height now. "Honestly, it means nothing to me."

"What?!"

Sylvester elaborated. "This happened a thousand years ago, and I live in the present. What was the reality of that time is our history. What I do today will decide my tomorrow. I want peace, and I shall have it one day—No matter what, I won't let my will sway.

"So, this story is inspiring, but it's a mark of shame in my eyes—The mark of our loss, the lowest point of the faith. Hence, rather than romanticising, I'd look at it as a reminder of what must be done—A reminder of the war that anytime can begin."

The Pope looked at Sylvester with shining eyes. He was, of course, proud. So he patted his shoulder. "Son, you give me the strength and hope that if I can't, then you shall truly end the mindless war for good. Now, tell me, why did you come here? Is this for your subordinate Knight?"

Sylvester smiled schemingly and showed a parchment holder, but he didn't hand it over first. "Your holiness, as you said that day in Soul Peninsula, you are worried about the Masan and Beastaria, so you can't focus on the cancer brewing within our blessed home?"

"That is correct."

Sylvester continued. "What if I offered you majority control of the Supreme Council of 32?"

The Pope was speechless for a moment. "I can't see how you can do it without causing a mutiny."

"Oh, but mutiny has already begun. Please read this."

Sylvester let him read while he nervously awaited a decision. 'Come on, just agree to it, old man. Let me place my guys on the Council too. Let me taste that sweet honey of that special authority.'

________________________

500 GT = 1 Bonus chapter.

1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.

Ape Together Strong