Humanity Itself is Strong - Chapter 51

When his eyes got used to the intense light, he confronted an unexpected sight.

“This place is…..”

What they saw beyond the stone gate was astonishing.

The blue sky and the dazzling morning sunlight poured down on them as they opened the gate.

It was not the damp, fishy air that greeted them beyond the gate, but a fresh breeze carrying the smell of baked bread.

Lee Yeo-jin was lost for words.

“….Wow.”

The first thing that caught their eyes was the Obelisk, erected at the center of the huge square.

It was a structure carved from a single huge stone, and the cross-section became thinner as it went up, and the end was pyramid-shaped. At the top of the pyramid was a bronze cross.

“…..This place is…. No way….!”

Lee Yeo-jin hurriedly ran across the square.

There was the Grand Gallery, which surrounded the center of the square where the Obelisk stood, and the Cathedral, which was seen behind the Obelisk, was 140 meters high, resembling a splendid papal tiara of the Pope.

Lee Yeo-jin, shouted at Jin-seong as she pointed to the Cathedral in excitement.

“…..Is, is that Peter’s Cathedral?!”

They were at the Vatican.

“Hmm…..”

Jin-seong’s blue eyes stared at the key that allowed them to open the gate.

“….How….?”

At first, he thought it was a hallucination. So, using his clairvoyance to the maximum, he thoroughly looked around the area.

However,

Everything here was real.

Tiring!

[You have found a use for the Mystery Key!]

[The key reveals its identity!]

Chess…..!

Just then, the rust on the key shattered into pieces and began to fall off. The key glittered in silver, and a gleaming emerald began to appear on the key.

[You have obtained the ‘Key of Stone!]

[From now on, you can use this key to access this ‘St. Peter’s Square’ from anywhere! Also, if you use it in St. Peter’s Square, you can return to where you last used the key.]

“…..Oh wow….”

Jin-seong blinked at the amazing function.

“Good…. This will be useful…..”

The presbytery on the side of the dead was trying to use the Holy Kingdom to cause trouble, but with this key, he can now meet with the Holy Kingdom’s Pope right away without having to deal with Philip.

‘I suddenly have so many options to choose from.’

Jin-seong closed the stone gate and opened it again.

Then, the place that was in the dungeon had turned into an ordinary entrance to the building.

‘If I use the key and close the gate, the connection is lost.’

This meant that if he used the key within the Vatican, he could return to Korea whenever he wanted.

Jin-seong then looked for Lee Yeo-jin.

“……”

Lee Yeo-jin was already standing in front of the crowded Obelisk. The people that made up the crowd were not just native people living in this country but a lot of tourists of various races.

Jin-seong also made his way to the front of the crowd and stood beside Lee Yeo-jin.

Lee Yeo-jin was looking up at the Obelisk that was about 40m tall.

“What are you looking at?”

At his question, she quietly read him the Latin words written on the base of the Obelisk.

“The Obelisk of the Vatican, once dedicated to blasphemous superstitions, was moved after many hardships by Pope Sixtus V in front of the 12 apostles. Second-year of papal reign, 1586….”

Then, she turned to Jin-seong and smiled.

“Coincidentally, it looks like the 16th century now.”

Yeo-jin spoke with an excited face.

“Yeo-jin, there’s something you need to look at.”

“What is it?”

Jin-seong looked around. Then, he pointed to an outdoor terrace not far away.

“Should we talk about it while having brunch?”

Yeo-jin smiled brightly at Jin-seong’s request.

After exchanging money they have from Won to Euro, they went to an outdoor restaurant not far from the square.

On the table, there was a silver key that Jin-seong obtained a while ago.

Name: The Key of Stone

Rating: Myth

Effect: You can go to the Vatican from anywhere if you use this key. Outside the Vatican, you can open any door with this key and enter ‘St. Peter’s Square’. If you open the door with this key anywhere you are, you can return to the place where you last used this key.

Description: The second key of Peter’s twin. If you collect all the keys, you may be able to open the gates of heaven.

?? : ??

?? : ??

+

After hearing the description of the key, Yeo-jin spoke.

“This is one of the keys of Peter’s twin.”

“Key of Peter’s twin?”

Lee Yeo-jin quietly continued her words.

“…..I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s part of the passages in the Gospel of Matthew. I thought it was meant to be a metaphor, but after listening to the description of the key, it’s not a metaphor, it’s real.”

Hearing that, Jin-seong asked.

“Then, where would be the other key?”

“Hmm… I don’t know actually…. It’s something I’ve never thought of before…..”

Lee Yeo-jin thought for a moment, and she spoke hesitantly.

“It’s….possible that the Pope has it. The Pope is the one succeeding Peter’s will, so maybe he has the other key or knows its whereabouts.”

“….Hmm…. I see.”

Yeo-jin added.

“Just telling you but the Papal armorial always has the drawing of two keys.”

The Papal armorial is like a symbol of the Pope, and there is always the papal tiara and two keys drawn together.

It shows that Peter’s keys are very important to the Pope.

“….So it would be the Pope who knows the best.”

Jin-seong silently stared at the key.

He realized again how great a relic he got as a reward for achieving the task of the magic swordsman.

“What would happen if I obtained the other key?”

“Um…. I’m not sure….”

Yeo-jin crossed her arms and looked at the square. She was lost in thoughts.

“……”

Jin-seong quietly waited for her to speak.

Yeo-jin’s long hair was waving in the soft wind.

“The angels.”

Yeo-jin turned her gaze back to Jin-seong.

“Won’t angels come down?”

“Angels?”

“….Don’t you remember? The angel of the saint said that on the day when the sky opens, the angels will come down.”

She smiled brightly.

“……Um.”

Jin-seong nodded, thinking that she was on point.

“But…it’s just my guess. It’s the Pope who knows more about this.”

Then, a waiter came to their table.

“Your order is ready.”

“Wow…..!”

Seafood rose pasta with mussels and shrimps was served in front of Yeo-jin, and a big burger and french fries were served in front of Jin-seong.

“Thank you.”

When Jin-seong was about to grab the burger,

“Wait!”

“…..?”

“Don’t we need to take photos since it’s our first time eating in the Vatican?!”

“Ah…..”

Looking at Yeo-jin who looked excited like a little child, Jin-seong smiled.

“Not a bad idea.”

After finishing brunch, Lee Yeo-jin was sitting, looking at the blue sky peacefully.

Then she laughed as she shook her head.

“Never knew that I’ll have a meal here…..”

Before she opened the gate, she was prepared to see something like a mummy spewing dust in the dark. She didn’t even imagine that an exotic landscape would greet her.

She rested her chin on her hand and watched the water fountain next to the Obelisk.

“…..This is not bad at all.”

For Yeo-jin, discovering and restoring the traces of a lost civilization and history is more enjoyable than anything else, but she realized that seeing such a lively and perfectly preserved Baroque landscape is also a great pleasure.

Suddenly, Yeo-jin remembered something she forgot to say before.

“Ah, I forgot to tell you this. It is said that Bernini built a cross-section of St. Peter’s Square in the shape of a keyhole. If you can look down from the sky, you’ll be able to see it.”

“Oh… really?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, I don’t think the Vatican has anything that isn’t connected with art.”

“Hmm…..”

Jin-seong nodded at her.

‘Should we return now?’

Jin-seong already checked the surroundings using his clairvoyance, so there wasn’t anything that he had left to do in the Vatican.

Just then,

“…..?”

A young blonde girl was staring at him. The child was blonde with big blue eyes, and she somehow looked familiar to him.

‘…..Wait that kid is’

While he was facing the girl, a woman’s face came to his mind in an instant.

“…..Is she?”

Jin-seong spontaneously got up from his seat. Yeo-jin asked.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

When Jin-seong got up from his seat, the child who was staring at him immediately ran into the crowd and disappeared.

Then, a tarot card appeared in front of Jin-seong.

Srrrr….

+

Currently, the next saint is in great danger. You must be prepared for the dangers that arise in the Vatican.

+

The tarot card, which appeared with letters, disappeared into the air, leaving the warning.

Jin-seong spoke calmly to Yeo-jin.

“I know…that kid.”

“….What? Who are you talking about…?”

Jin-seong stared at Yeo-jin, who was looking around, with a serious face.

“Ah….”

“Yeo-jin, if you have time, would you like to look around the city a bit more?”

Hearing Jin-seong’s request, she paused for a moment, then she smiled again as she responded.

“Sure!”

They were walking along the curved garden path behind St. Peter’s Cathedral.

“It really feels like a dream. Coming to a foreign country like this…”

Yeo-jin’s heart began to beat faster again.

Without passports or complicated procedures, she saw the beautiful scenery of the Vatican, enjoyed the afternoon sun, and, above all, she had brunch with Jin-seong.

Finishing the thought, she stopped walking and stood still.

‘Wait… we’re actually….out on a date?!’

As her thoughts expanded to that point, she suddenly became embarrassed seeing Jin-seong who was walking ahead.

‘Besides….why did he ask me to go for a walk?…. Does this mean that….’

Fortunately, her rationality put the brakes on the expansion of her thought.

‘No, no….! We just came here by chance while exploring the dungeon. We didn’t open that door for the purpose of going out on a date or something!’

Then, she slapped her cheeks.

But her imagination was taking over her rationality.

She thought as she rubbed both of her cheeks.

‘……But if not, why are we still here….? For what….?’

“…….”

Jin-seong, who planted the seed of imagination in Yeo-jin, was walking ahead without even explaining to her where he was going and why.

Jin-seong didn’t have time to think about Yeo-jin.

‘This place would be good.’

Jin-seong looked around.

There were quite a lot of people in the garden.

“Yeo-jin, should we take a seat for a while?”

“Ye, yes! Okay!”

Jin-seong pointed to the bench on the street.

Lee Yeo-jin nodded as she swallowed nervously.

Jin-seong sat down on the bench first and closed his eyes.

“Uh….Um….”

Lee Yeo-jin sat right beside Jin-seong.

She thought that getting a love confession in a foreign country was also very romantic.

“Yeo-jin.”

“….Yes?”

Yeo-jin prepared herself.

Just then, Jin-seong, with his eyes half-opened, stared at Yeo-jin.

Yeo-jin couldn’t help but drop her head.

“I, I’m…..”

Yeo-jin murmured. Yeo-in had never dated a man until now, as she was into studying archeology. Most of the archaeologists who worked with her were much older than her, so she never had a chance to meet a man at her age.

Yeo-jin’s heart was about to explode.

She was ready to say yes to Jin-seong’s love confession.

He opened his mouth.

“I need to use clairvoyance right now. Can you look after me for a while?”

“Sure…..?”

Yeo-jin, who responded immediately, belatedly realized the situation.

She lifted her head and turned to Jin-seong.

“…..What did you say?”

“…..”

However, Jin-seong, who was already sitting with his back straight and eyes closed, did not move.

“….Jin-seong….? Hello…..?”

Jin-seong, who she thought would confess to her, was using clairvoyance to look around the area.

Jin-seong was searching for the first saint using clairvoyance.

‘What could that warning be?’

Jin-seong had to meet the first saint to find out about the danger that the tarot card warned him about.

In the Vatican, the only person who can help Jin-seong was the first saint. He started to look around the Mother convent, where the previous saint should be staying.

Jin-seong’s consciousness approached the scene of the convent from above.

He listened to the voices of the nuns that overlapped by distinguishing them by the sound waves.

-The abbess is very ill…

-Don’t let this leak out…

-In particular, the Commissioner of the Royal Palace should not know of this…

‘…..The previous saint is ill?’

After that, Jin-seong’s consciousness followed one of the nuns.

It was when his consciousness was passing the hall of the rooms.

-It’s here, Professor Lee.

Someone talked to him through Jin-seong’s consciousness that was passing the hallway.

He wondered about the voice that was calling but soon, he concentrated on following the source of the voice and arrived at a room.

Dukuong!

‘Keuk?!’

Suddenly, with a loud noise that sounded like hitting a drum, Jin-seong’s consciousness fell down to the floor.

Jin-seong opened his eyes.

“…..This place.”

In the small room, there was one old bed, table, and a chair, and an old woman, wearing a habit, was looking at Jin-seong with a smile on her face.

“……You’re finally here.”

Facing her blue eyes, Jin-seong asked.

“….Can you see me?”

At Jin-seong’s question, Agnes, who’s the first saint and the abbess, spoke calmly.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“For me?”

Agnes smiled.

“The darker the darkness is, the brighter the light… The moment you arrived at the Vatican, I could read your light.”

“……”

Jin-seong silently stared at the first saint.

She spoke quietly.

“The Holy Kingdom is on the road to destruction… There’s only pride and greed left in this land.”

“…..Did the angel abandon this country?”

Agnes nodded.

“Soon…..there will be a punishment.”

Angel’s punishment meant the end of the Holy Kingdom.

‘But…. isn’t this supposed to happen 3 years from now?’

Agnes continued her words.

“I’m relieved to see you, a young, strong warrior.”

“….What are you going to do?”

The first saint smiled again.

“There’s not much time left for me to stop the angel… I know I’m asking for too much, but please take care of this for me.”

Agnes handed something to Jin-seong.

“….This is…?”

It was a necklace called a locket, in which one can keep a picture inside.

Holding the necklace, Jin-seong asked spontaneously.

“Do you know about Yushin?”

Surprisingly, he could see the sorrow in her eyes when he mentioned the name Yushin.

“He’s a man with lots of burdens…. I know it won’t be easy…. But please don’t hate him.”

“….Did you meet Yushin? How do you-”

Chiiiing!

“Keuk?!”

Jin-seong’s consciousness began to shake. Agnes looked at him in sad eyes.

“I think this is my limit. If we were living in a peaceful era, I would’ve officially invited you to come…..”

“May God be with you.”

“Ah?!”

As if bouncing on a taut rubber band, his consciousness soared high into the sky. As if looking down at the world through a drone’s camera, he was looking down at the keyhole-shaped St. Peter’s Square from a height of several hundred meters.

Beside Jinseong, something translucent, huge and pure white, stood tall.

‘Is this….?’

It was a huge stone statue made out of gypsum. It was the shape of an angel crying, covering her face with both hands, like a person who could not overcome her sorrow.

The huge stone statue lifted one hand, revealing an expressionless face. Red tears of sorrow were flowing from those white eyes.

Krrrrrr….!

Reaching out one hand, she pointed to a hill located south of Obelisk.

Boom!!

Then, a dazzling explosion blew up the building on top of the mountain.