The Pope Who Returned After Having Three Children
Heat radiated like a hammer striking the ground.
The summer sun blazed with unrelenting fury across a cloudless sky, turning the earth into an oven. A typical summer day in Korea.
It’s hot.
Even in a thin sundress my skin was drenched in sweat. As someone who had grown up in this climate I still found it nearly unbearable to stand still.
Flap flap.
I strolled along the beach waving my fan lightly, taking care not to let the sand slip between my slippers and soles.
As I walked with my eyes lifted to the sky the sea breeze swept in, fluttering my hair. The invigorating touch of the wind and the salty freshness unique to the shoreline filled my senses.
This is it. This is exactly what I wanted.
I smiled happily and sank onto the sunbed placed in the middle of the sand.
Lying back and gazing straight ahead, the clear ocean unfolded in every direction, sparkling under the sunlight.
How could water be so blue and beautiful?
The endless horizon, the sunlight dancing on the waves, fish leaping out of the water at intervals. Every detail looked like a scene pulled straight from a masterpiece.
I savored the view for a moment, then murmured quietly.
“Truly magnificent, Yong-yong-i-nim.”
“Isn’t it?”
The moment I spoke, a dragon appeared in mid-air.
Scales as dark as the night sky, enormous wings, sharp pupils, and teeth sprouting proudly. Even a modest belly from overeating snacks.
This body has no need for such trifles!
Our sect’s guardian dragon, Hecatrite, flapped her tiny wings proudly.
“Such a welcoming spell is basic magic! If not for the constraints you placed on this body, this beach could have been hundreds of times more beautiful!”
This was no real beach. It wasn’t even a real place.
It was a virtual space created by distorting reality with magic to fool the senses. In truth I was just at home, but the feeling was that of a vacation resort.
Liam could probably do something similar, but his magic skill was on another level. The space he created was far more refined and stable.
“Thank you. With so many things weighing on me lately, I was struggling to relax. Now I can rest with peace of mind.”
“No gratitude is necessary. Are you proud of killing such a tiny insect? Compared to my skill, even this is nothing but a trivial chore.”
It was arrogant, bordering on conceit, yet a smile naturally formed on my face. Unlike the words, it was because of the sparkling eyes that looked almost pleading.
She’s ridiculously adorable.
I stared quietly into those clear eyes, and Hecatrite tilted her head in return, looking at me like a puppy puzzled by its master’s actions.
The kids will love this.
Lately Erina and Evaila had become obsessed with playing with our pet dragon, Yong-yong-i. They had even stopped watching their usual boisterous idol animations.
From what the girls told me together, they just found Yong-yong-i’s very existence fun.
Probably the mysterious mix of her cute appearance and arrogant attitude hooked the little ones.
Even Rohan didn’t cry or act spoiled when near our guardian dragon. He just stared at the strange toy with wide eyes and showed perfect obedience.
“Since I’ve proven my stability, I’d like to show my children as well. They’ll definitely love it!”
Hecatrite herself seemed to have no issue with kids, which was a relief in many ways.
Yong-yong-i was truly the best nanny.
“Yong-yong-i-nim, I’m always in awe of your magnificent magic skill.”
Controlling it was easy.
“Even compared to Liam’s magical talent you’re far superior. It’s like an eagle versus a chick.”
With a wink she spoke softly, and Hecatrite laughed widely.
“Hahaha! Don’t say such obvious things, Pope! To me magic is like breathing or sleeping! It’s an inseparable part of life. So it’s only natural that I possess a ‘transdimensional explosive magical talent’ that no one can surpass!”
Transdimensional… What did that even mean? It sounded like she was boasting about herself.
I watched the excited dragon silently, then opened my mouth.
“Please protect our children well from now on. Using magic you could handle something like that easily, right?”
It was a simple strategy—rewarding her with a plane ride and then pushing her off—but the effect had been tremendous.
“Of course! I’ll provide special service by playing with the kids for as long as you like!”
Our guardian dragon nodded quickly and accepted the offer. The reaction was exactly as expected.
So this is what an evil dragon is like?
I had been cautious about bringing her home because I worried she might rebel, but that worry was unnecessary.
The evil dragon that once plunged a world into chaos and death was surprisingly mild.
At first she had been violent.
But Yong-yong-i gradually calmed down and accepted the lessons needed to become a guardian dragon.
She was now basically a winged magic beast that could speak.
Had the good heart that chose to become an evil dragon to save the world been hidden deep inside her?
“Ah, Pope. Would it be all right if I taught your children the aesthetics of destruction and corruption?”
“…No.”
She clearly wasn’t being sincere.
“Tch. So like a saint!”
I couldn’t afford to be careless. She had calmed down, but her core was still an evil dragon.
Maybe her innocent appearance was just an act. Quick Eagle had warned me again and again to be careful of the “treacherous lizard.”
Maybe this is a setup for a backstab.
Still, I wasn’t worried. With a demigod and a former villain turned guardian dragon around, no scheme could work.
Especially since I had already sealed her power with multiple restrictions on her body.
Having sorted my thoughts, I pulled out my smartphone from my pocket.
“Oh! It’s finally time to watch Itube!”
Yong-yong-i, who had been fluttering excitedly, flew over and landed on me as if waiting for the signal.
I stroked her smooth scales with one hand while controlling the screen with the other. The Itube app opened, and her tail began wagging wildly from side to side.
“Show me that parrot-like animal from yesterday! That little guy’s antics were surprisingly interesting!”
I thought she wanted a cute animal video. Wrong. The video I was about to play had nothing to do with cuteness.
KRRRRR!
A piercing, ferocious roar echoed through the speakers. Anyone with a weak heart would have been terrified and frozen in place.
On the screen a massive black dragon stood in mid-air, head thrown back, howling with crystal-clear quality.
“T-this… what is this…!”
Only now did she realize what the video was. Yong-yong-i’s tail stopped wagging and instead began trembling.
It was the natural reaction.
Defeating the Evil Dragon of a Transmigrated Villain
This was a promotional video of our sect featuring Liam defeating Hecatrite.
A blond handsome man who appeared out of nowhere to single-handedly take down a terrifying dragon. The sequence of the massive creature being subdued was edited with clean, professional precision.
At the end Liam posed triumphantly over Hecatrite and muttered,
“As long as the Nuset Church exists in this world, it will never fall into the hands of evil.”
Kyah.
My husband looked cool. With his handsome face it even looked noble.
While I was still admiring it, the caption Nuset Church protects everyone’s daily lives filled the screen and the video ended.
“How was it? It was completed yesterday. I wanted to show you too.”
“……”
Hecatrite turned her head toward me. Her expression mixed displeasure and anger.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…Because I don’t know! If this is shown, the humans of this world will watch my pathetic defeat!”
“Exactly. That was the point.”
It was a video designed to give people the impression that our sect could protect everyone from any threat.
Thanks to its vivid and gripping production the reaction had been good. Views were climbing rapidly.
Views: 520,000 · 4 hours ago
It had only been half a day since upload. We had already surpassed five hundred thousand. At this rate five hundred thousand would be easy. Maybe even a million?
“The promotional effect is quite good. This is thanks to your perfect timing in invading, Yong-yong-i-nim.”
“Uwaaaa! Disgraceful! Turn it off right now!”
“No.”
I replayed the video from the beginning.
“As long as the Nuset Church exists in this world, it will never fall into the hands of evil.”
Every time I watched Liam’s heroic actions I felt the same thrill. I kept replaying it because I liked it so much.
“Eeeek!”
Yong-yong-i thrashed around trying to snatch the phone, but her short body couldn’t reach.
Avoiding her flailing hands I kept replaying the video. Our guardian dragon finally collapsed onto my body, but she still grumbled.
“This is too much! At your age you can still act so childish?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh…!”
The fierce glare that shot at me was cuter than it was scary.
While I was about to record the kids when Hecatrite suddenly laughed.
“Heh. Pope. How many views did your ‘performance video’ get?”
“……”
Low and behold, digging up someone else’s embarrassing history…
“Give it here. I suddenly want to watch.”
While I was distracted thinking of my bad past, Yong-yong-i snatched the phone.
She then searched for a video she had secretly edited and uploaded with a grudgeful look.
Pope in His Thirties’ Secret Hobby Life ♡
Views: 2,660,000 · 3 days ago
Seoyun, you’re in for it.
Walking through a snowy world blanketed in snow.
Just the song made my hands and feet curl up, my breath catch, and my face burn. I quickly closed my eyes. An emergency measure for my mental health.
But closing my eyes wasn’t enough.
Today too, time flows alone and lonely.
How could she sing so heartbreakingly? If I heard any more my injury would worsen, so I raised both hands.
“Sorry….”
Haha! It’s already too late! I’m going to replay it ten times in a row! Brace yourself!
Yong-yong-i really played the “cursed video” ten times. She was a demon.
Exhausted from the visual and auditory torture I lay back and stared blankly at the sky.
“Pope.”
At that moment Yong-yong-i, who had been giggling while looking at other Itube videos, suddenly called me in a strangely serious voice.
“Why is that?”
“Watch this for a second. I think you have to see it.”
Even her usual arrogant attitude had become serious. What on earth could it be?
It felt ominous. My intuition, sharpened by becoming a demigod, rang alarm bells.
I cautiously sat up and leaned toward the smartphone screen Yong-yong-i held out.
Condemn the False Savior Pope Klytie Elluke
— Korean Branch of the Pyre Sect
…False savior? The Pyre Sect?
It was obviously suspicious.