ã€ŠThe Cult Leader in the Clergy Academyã€‹


 Chapter 1

    <h4>Chapter 1</h4>

    ¡°The holymunion is to start shortly. Will the seven freshmen representatives please report to the stage?¡± A voice echoed throughout the gathering hall.

    The seven representatives waiting at the edge of the stage walked up and stepped into line. Theirbined presence seemed to fill the stage to the brim.

    ¡°Archbishop Kim Chang-Won, the Chairman of Florence Academy, will lead the ceremony. Please remain silent throughout.¡±

    This request was hardly necessary, as it was already dead silent in the auditorium.

    Florence Academy, also known as F.A., was established to nurture uing clergy members to cleanse the world of demons, satanists, and cultists. Florence Academy was the most recognized among the clergy academies. Being the elite school that it was, all students were known for their devout obedience to the Romanican doctrine.

    <i>Plop-</i>

    A clear sound filled the room like a single water droplet falling into a peacefulke. Momentster, a pure white halo spilled forth from the Archbishop¡¯s hand, engulfing the Archbishop and the representatives. The blessing of the seven representatives had begun.

    Each representative was chosen to represent one of the seven heavenly virtues: humility, charity, kindness, patience, chastity, temperance, and diligence.

    I knew that most of us looking from the crowd were thinking the same thing.

    <i>¡®I wish I was up there with them.¡¯</i>

    The seven anointed with the holy names of heavenly virtue were eligible to be prtes. Prtes had ess to fame, fortune, and power unobtainable to the regr clergymen. Most students at F.A. wanted to be prtes. Because of this, most students looked at the seven representatives with adoration, envy, and jealousy.

    I, myself, wanted to be a prte. I would have cut off an arm for the Holy See if that let me be a prte. That was how desperate I was.

    Of course, everyone had their own reasons to want to be a prte, be it for fame, money or power, and so did I. But my reason was a little different from most.

    ***

    ¡°How much do you know about the Holy War?¡±

    An unannounced lecture was taking ce after the end of the blessing ceremony.

    The students looked nkly back at the lecturer. A few awkward seconds of silence filled the room.

    The lecturer smiled as if to hide her embarrassment.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure all of you F.A. students are familiar with the Holy War. It happened seven years ago between the Voodoo Cult and the Romanican Church.¡±

    <i>Click!</i>

    The screen changed with a flick of the lecturer¡¯s fingers. A simplified table detailing the timeline of the Holy War was disyed on the screen.

    The lecturer swung herser pointer as she started to exin.

    ¡°The war started off with the Voodoo Cult¡¯s protest. Originally, these protests were held to raise awareness of the discrimination towards Voodooists. However, they started getting out of hand and escted into a terror movement. So the Holy See sent out pdins to stop these people....¡±

    The rest of the lecture was obvious. One of the pdins had died trying to stop the terrorists. Unfortunately, the Voodooists did not stop their campaign despite the pdin''s death and continued terrorizing the public. The Holy See had no choice but to send the Holy Army and inquisitors to end the madness with brute force. That was how the Holy War had started.

    ¡°... The Holy War led to many casualties, caused by the Voodoo Cult Leader and the Prophet. They used the power of lesser demons called the ¡®Loa¡¯.¡±

    The lecturer¡¯s voice started to grow louder and louder.

    ¡°The Loa were strong enough to be called demonic catastrophes. The Voodoo Cult Leader and the Prophet harnessed their power to drive people to the brink of death. However, we Romanicans resisted their attacks till the very end.¡±

    The lecturer¡¯s face was flushed red as she passionately exploited the evils and wrongdoingsmitted by the Voodooists.

    By this time, I was asleep. I¡¯d heard this story repeatedly and deemed it not worth my time to listen to it again. I also nned to make up for myck of sleep because I had struggled to fall asleepst night.

    After resting my eyes, I found the lecturer no longer on the stage but amongst the students. In fact, she was standing in front of me, a smile on her face, staring into my eyes.

    ¡°And what¡¯s your name?¡± she asked, cing the mic next to my mouth.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were on me. I felt a little queasy. I somehow cleared my throat and opened my mouth.

    ¡°My name is Do Sun-Woo.¡±

    ¡°Sun-Woo! You seemed to be taking a good nap. Can you tell us about how the Holy War ended?¡± she asked with a grin. I could hear the muffled snickering of the students around me.

    I regretted dozing off. I would not have fallen asleep if I had known that I would be found out.

    ¡°After countless sacrifices, the Romanicans emerged victorious. The Second Cult Leader and Prophet were executed, the Voodooists became an official cult, and the Holy See is still looking for the Third Cult Leader, who they believe is out there. Am I right?¡±

    I was d that I could answer the lecturer''s question.

    The lecturer looked back at me with surprise. The snickering around me turned to surprised signs of admiration from the students.

    ¡°You are exactly right! I guess you were bored for a good reason!¡±

    The lecturer said jokingly as she made her way back up the stage.

    ¡°The Third Cult Leader is hiding, scheming, and implementing his evil ns. The Holy See is....¡±

    The lecturer continued her conspiracies about the Third Cult Leader and the Holy See.

    The lecture shortly after came to an end. Many students yawned as they got up, piling towards the auditorium''s exit. The opening ceremony concluded with the end of the lecture ¡®Developing Proper History Knowledge through Reviewing the Holy War.¡¯

    ***

    As I walked toward my home, I was greeted by a familiar alley. I saw broken trash bags at the foot of telephone poles and scribble-filled, vandalized walls. I slowly took in the unpleasant scenery as I walked by. This alley was a necessary stop on my way back home.

    As the blue sky was slowly painted red, I saw a man hunched over by a telephone pole, riddled with rubbish. I recognized him; he was the old cripple who regrly hung out around the area. I reached into my wallet and pulled out a ten thousand won bill, cing it into the can in front of him.

    ¡°Thank.... Thank you very much....¡± The crippled old man said as he bowed his head, almost touching the ground. I waved my hands to say it was nothing and quickly walked away.

    [You waste your money.]

    Far away, I saw two well-built men walking toward me. They were both wearing white clothes patterned with yellow crosses. From their looks, they seemed to be pdins responsible for peacekeeping in the surrounding area.

    The two spotted me and quickly approached me.

    The bigger and more intimidating one out of the two asked, ¡°Hey kid, do you walk through this alley often?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Is that so? Then have you seen who put up these flyers?¡± The pdin took out a piece of paper. On a rainbow background, a hard-to-read font said ¡®Come be a Voodooist and take home a Tablet PC.¡¯

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Yeah? Have you seen these flyers before?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯ve never seen them before. Are there still Voodooists around?¡± I asked with an innocent face.

    The pdin smiled knowingly.

    ¡°I want to say no, but seeing these flyers, I guess it¡¯s hard to say they are gone for good,¡± he said.

    ¡°I see,¡± I replied with a slight nod.

    The pdin scrutinized me through squinted eyes.

    ¡°Are you a student from F.A.?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I just enrolled,¡± I said.

    ¡°Ah, I see. I guess we might meet in the future, hahaha. Good luck with your studies.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I replied, bowing respectfully. The pdin still had his kind smile and waved.

    As the pdin''s back faded into the distance, I whipped out my handkerchief to wipe off my sweaty temples.

    [Perfect acting, as always. It¡¯s in your blood.]

    I brushed off the booming voice inside my head. But the voice got louder and louder the more I ignored it.

    [How long are you nning to ignore me?]

    [There were a lot of problems with the lecture at the opening ceremony. The Romanicans are the best when ites to fabricating lies. We have a lot to say about this.]

    ¡°...¡± I kept my silence and continued my walk home.

    A few momentster, I found myself in front of a dark, ck set of stairs that seemed to stretch into the void below. My housey below these stairs.

    As I passed through the darkness and slowly descended, I reached into my bag. I must have put it here somewhere...

    [There were four lies told in the lecture today.]

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I replied.

    Aha. I took out a mask from my bag and brushed the dust off. The mask was an off-white color, weathered by time. It gave off the characteristic smell of cleaned bone.

    [First of all, the Loa are not demons. We are noble Voodoo elementals.]

    I put on my mask and made sure it was secured fastly.

    [Second of all, the Voodooist Cult Leader and Prophet did not kill anyone.]

    [Thirdly¡ª]

    ¡°The Voodooist Cult leader died. But the Prophet is still alive and is being held hostage in the underground prison below the Holy See headquarters,¡± I said, finishing their sentence. I took off my uniform and put on my prepared clothes.

    I resumed walking down the stairs. After a while, I finally saw a door with slivers of light seeping out the side.

    [Lastly, the fourth lie.]

    I opened the door and stepped into the light.

    ¡°WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!¡±

    Immediately, an uproar of screams and cheers erupted. Of course, these cheers were for me.

    ¡°Our Leader has returned to enlighten us!¡±

    I took the microphone from the high priest, and I slowly warmed up my voice.

    [The Third Cult Leader has no evil ns, and he¡¯s not as bad as people think. No, he¡¯s a goodie two-shoes that feels bad for crippled beggars and even gives them money.]

    I brought the microphone close to my mouth.

    ¡°Hello, everyone. I hope you¡¯ve been well. It is I, your Leader.¡±

    ¡°WAAAAAAAAAA¡ª--!!!!¡±

    Another round of cheers rocked the air. It seemed loud enough to shake the foundations of the world.

    [However, he is crazy enough to enroll in F.A. while being a Cult Leader.] The voice stopped with thatment.

    The voices were the Loa. They were Voodoo elementals holding tremendous power, rivaling that of gods.

    My father had been the Second Cult Leader, and my mother was the Prophet who took care of the Loa.

    But my father had died, and my mother was in chains.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start the service.¡±

    I was the Third Cult Leader and the Prophet of the Loa.

    I was public enemy number one.

 Chapter 2

    <h4>Chapter 2</h4>

    <strong>In the chancel behind the underground chapel.</strong>

    ¡°Uncle, what did we say about handing out these things?¡± I asked after the service had concluded.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t do anything, we¡¯ll run out of money soon. Don¡¯t you know that our numbers are going down every day?¡± he said.

    ¡°If you¡¯re going to make flyers, at least make them look good. Why design them like this?¡±

    I picked up one of the many flyers on the ground. The flyer had a gradient rainbow background with words that were painfully hard to make out. It was a devastating design.

    ¡°What about it? Isn¡¯t it cool?¡±

    My uncle didn¡¯t seem to see the problem. I clenched my eyes and ced my hands on my throbbing head.

    Lee Jin-Sung was my maternal uncle and the high priest of the Voodoo Cult. He was the one who handed me the microphone earlier.

    He administrated most of the affairs in the cult and was also a capable information broker. However, although he was blessed with many talents, hecked, no, he was missing any traces of talent in the field of aesthetics.

    ¡°Change the design. Maybe it¡¯d be better to pick another person to oversee the marketing design altogether,¡± I said.

    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s going to pay for these new people? What¡¯s wrong with the rainbow background? Does it not have an elegant look?¡±

    ¡°You know what, never mind.¡±

    I had a feeling that talking to him would be a losing game. I shook my head as I walked past my uncle and entered a room. The room smelled of mold. I would have ventted it if it had any windows.

    Iy down on the bed next to a corner of the room. The nket was wet from all the built-up moisture.

    ¡°Urgh,¡± I groaned.

    [Can¡¯t be helped. We are underground.] The voice suddenly said as I made aint. It was the voice of the Loa that was residing in me.

    The Loa¡¯s name was Legba. They were the ruler of all Loa. Holding up to their name, Legba¡¯s power and voodoo magic were capable of doing unimaginable tasks. Or at least, that¡¯s what Legba imed.

    [I do not lie. Everything I say is true.]

    ¡°Yeah, I believe you,¡± I said, nodding.

    Of course, it must be the truth, although I haven¡¯t seen it.

    [I just can¡¯t show my full potential because we don¡¯t have the Altar.]

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, did I?¡± I replied.

    [You didn¡¯t seem convinced. Quitining and bring back our Altar.]

    Legba added with a displeased tone. Ignoring theirints, I stretched out my right hand and started drawing in the air. Not long after, a purple light started seeping out my fingertips. I used the light to draw many lines and squiggles to manifest a curse array in thin air. Thepleted magic array spewed an ominous purple mist. It was the curse of greater enchantment, a spell that tampered with the mind.

    The Romanicans used divine power, while the Voodooists used voodoo power.

    It was possible to cast a curse by drawing a curse array with voodoo magic as the core.

    [Spectacr.]

    Legba seemed impressed. I was the Voodoo Cult Leader, so I could easily draw a curse array using voodoo essence. I was number one in this business. The problem was I had almost no chance to put this talent to use.

    The world had framed the Voodooists as a harmful cult, and Voodooists could not escape immediate imprisonment upon getting found out. If this was how they treated regr attendees, imagine what they would do to me; the Romanicans would burn me alive as they had done with my father, the second Voodoo Cult Leader.

    [Do not fret. You just need not get caught. And you won¡¯t.]

    ¡°I was never worried,¡± I said. No one knew how I looked or my name, so I knew that my risk of getting caught was slim. That was why I couldn¡¯t use voodoo essence¡ªI would be immediately found out.

    I used my right hand to call off the curse array and used my left hand to draw another image in the air.

    My hands lit up again, but this time, with a white light. Instead of using voodoo essence, I was using divine power as I drew a lesser blessing of strength.

    [Pathetic.]

    Legba clicked their tongue in disappointment at my drawing.

    I agreed with them. The blessing array drawn with divine power paledpared to my curse array. The difference in skill was more apparent because the curse array I had just conjured was moreplex.

    [Don¡¯t be discouraged. It is a fantastic feat to harness both divine power and voodoo essence.]

    Legba tried tofort me, but it failed to lift my spirits. I plopped back onto my bed with a heavy heart.

    I couldn¡¯t utilize my strong skills in voodoo essence, yet I was talentless in using divine power. At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to graduate, let alone be a prte.

    [I don¡¯t think you have to be a prte. Living as the Voodoo Cult Leader doesn¡¯t seem bad at all.]

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want that,¡± I replied.

    [Plus, there¡¯s no guarantee that your mother is still alive.]

    ¡°No, she is alive.¡±

    My father died seven years ago during the Holy War, and my mother was thrown into the Holy See Headquarters underground prison. The only people who had ess to the prisoners were prtes with the rank of cardinal or higher.

    I had enrolled in F.A. to be a prte to meet my mother.

    ***

    I trudged to school the next day with heavy footsteps. I had taken a nap in the underground chapel and returned to my house during the night. My uncle had given me this house as a gift for sessfully enrolling into F.A. It would have been suspicious for me to constantly walk back and forth between our chapel and F.A. every day to go to school.

    Although the room was close to F.A., It felt hard to go to school because I found it quite lonely. I dragged on my heavy feet one step at a time and, soon after, was greeted by a mystical and magnificent scenery that never ceased to amaze me.

    Green trees and lively sprouts filled the walls. Behind those wallsy the numerous buildings stretching out from the main building, built in a Gothic style. The sun was high in the sky, and its rays seemed to bless the area it kissed. I was on the F.A. campus grounds.

    [Look at how good their facility looks when they¡¯re the reason why we breathe moldy air during our services.]

    I easily ignored Legba¡¯s grumbling. I slowly walked down the luscious pathway toward the first-year building.

    I finally reached my ssroom. On the front of the door was a doorte reading ¡®1st year, Charity.¡¯

    Without hesitation, I opened the door and walked into the ss. I sat in the empty seat in the back next to the windows.

    <i>Drrrk¡ª!</i>

    Soon after, someone opened the door firmly. The person walked in with an attendance folder and a beaming smile that radiated happiness. She walked towards the teacher¡¯s table at the front of the room.

    ¡°Good morning. It seems that everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    It looked like she was the homeroom teacher for the ss of Charity.

    <i>Tak, tak!</i>

    The teacher taped the stick in her right hand onto the desk. All students looked up from their books at once.

    ¡°Nice to meet everyone. My name is Ha Ye-Jin, and I am the homeroom teacher for the ss of Charity. I hope we have a great year together. Are any students nning to apply to the Department of Priests?¡±

    About a third of the students hesitantly raised their hands.

    ¡°I¡¯m d to see more of you than I expected. I teach ¡®Utilization of the Divine Power¡¯ and supervise the Department of Priests. I hope to see some of you in my sses,¡± Ha Ye-Jin said, her dimples deepening as her smile widened.

    ¡°Anyways, wee to F.A. Things will be different from middle school. You¡¯ll have harder content to learn and more practical sses as well. Although it¡¯ll be hard to adapt to the new environment, once you do, it¡¯ll be less stressful than you might think.¡± Ha Ye-Jin continued with a soft smile on her face.

    ¡°I understand that you¡¯ll feel nervous and excited. However, I want you to embrace that feeling. It is the privilege of being a freshman, after all.¡± Rather than scaring the students of the uing school year, Ha Ye-Jin encouraged them. She spoke with a smooth tone and was always smiling. She was gorgeous and made a great first impression. The year seemed like it would go smoothly with her as our homeroom teacher.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, I have some traits that I do not tolerate.¡± I was finishing myst thought when Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s face suddenly turned stoic. The sudden change in expression sent chills through my bones.

    ¡°These qualities include sphemy, not following the teachers¡¯ orders,mitting any of the seven deadly sins, idol worship, and believers in heresy. If I find anyone with these traits, I will take matters into my own hands and make sure they get expelled.¡± Ha Ye-Jin smiled as she finished herment.

    ¡°Of course, if this doesn¡¯t apply to you, I will always treat you with love. I hope no one disappoints me.¡±

    I gulped. Idol worship and believing in heresy? That was me.

    [Worshiping Idols? You worship the true god, us Loa.]

    That was precisely the problem. Believing and worshiping the Loa was idol worship and heresy. That¡¯s how it was after the Holy War. But, of course, our noble Legba would not understand.

    [Don¡¯t be sarcastic.]

    ¡°That concludes our homeroom meeting. Oh, and Bae Sung-Hyun?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± One male student answered as he got up from his seat.

    It was Bae Sung-Hyun, one of the seven student representatives and the holder of the Holy Name of Charity. He was tall and handsome, and without a blemish on his face.

    ¡°Sung-Hyun will be the ss president. In F.A., we give this position to those who hold the holy names. Therefore, the position will rarely be subject to change. Well then, I trust you will work hard for this ss,¡± Ha Ye-Jinmented.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Bae Sung-Hyun said as he bowed his head and sat back down.

    Ha Ye-Jin gave Bae Sung-Hyun a beaming smile and left the room with her attendance folder. The room started to stir up with life as soon as she left. Everyone was talking to their friends to relieve each other of the new semester anxiety.

    Everyone except me.

    I didn¡¯t have any friends. Some people walked around, trying to make new friends, but unfortunately, no one came to talk to me. Most of them went to talk to the ss president and holder of the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun.

    ¡°How did you get the Holy Name of Charity?¡± one of them asked.

    ¡°I did well on the entrance exam and had experience following my father around for charity work. I think that¡¯s what gave me the edge.¡±

    ¡°Dang...¡± the students said in awe as they adoringly looked at Bae Sung-Hyun.

    Bae Sung-Hyun had a smug look on his face from all the attention he was getting.

    Although I had not nned to eavesdrop, I overheard their conversations as I stooped over my desk. I pitied the state I was in, stooping low enough to listen to the discussion of others.

    [Don¡¯t feel lonely.] Legba said in constion.

    It didn¡¯t help. To be exact, I didn¡¯t need any constion. I wasn¡¯t sad that I didn¡¯t have friends. I rarely felt lonely. I was just d that I wasn¡¯t getting bullied.

    A student from my middle school crossed my mind. Their parents were Satanists who had been arrested and put in jail. The student had fallen victim to terrible bullying. Although a School Violence Countermeasure Committee was opened for their case, it ended with the antagonist being let off with a mild punishment while the victim had to change schools.

    If I hadn¡¯t hidden my identity, I knew I would share the same fate as that student. I was using a fake identity fabricated by my uncle; my mother was a pdin who had been a casualty of the Holy War, and my father was a clergyman dispatched overseas. Thanks to this identity, I could safely enroll in F.A. and avoid unwanted attention through guilt by association.

    I guess my problem with befriending friends was not because of my fake identity.

    [Not relevant.]

    As Legba said, it wasn¡¯t relevant.

    I hade to F.A. to be a prte to see my mother. I had no time or space to make friends to reach my goals. Using all my time to practice harnessing my divine power might not be enough to reach my goals.

    To be a prte, I would have to stand out from the crowd in the uing physical test.

    ***

    Most of the sses that day were orientations.

    The teachers were trying to gain the favor of the students in preparation for ¡®the day,¡¯ing in a month. They tried to avoid gaining resentment from the students by leading the first ss off with material. So, a teacher would have to be mad to start off the year with a full-fledged ss.

    At least, that was what I thought.

    ¡°Hello. My name is Kim Bok-Dong, and I am your teacher for Practical Physical Education. I am also one of the instructors in the Department of Pdins. Today we will start with some training exercises. I will not be taking anyints.¡±

    Surprisingly, such a mad teacher existed.

    The teacher who introduced himself as Kim Bok-Dong dragged everyone out to the field, even the ones who had yet to purchase the gym uniform.

    Amidst the dust-filled field, Kim Bok-Dong carried on his exnation.

    ¡°Practical Physical Education might sound like an unfamiliar course. You guys might have heard that clergymen do not have to pay attention to their generic degree of fitness. Or to be exact, they do not have to focus ¡®only¡¯ on their general fitness levels. Does anyone know why this is the case?¡±

    An awkward silence followed. Everyone, including myself, was gauging the room and avoided answering the question.

    A few momentster, a tall male student confidently raised his hands.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± asked the teacher.

    ¡°It¡¯s Bae Sung-Hyun,¡± he replied.

    It was Bae Sung-Hyun, the holder of the Holy Name of Charity.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you can use different body-enhancing blessings to increase the physical capabilities of the body briefly,¡± he answered.

    ¡°You are correct. Most clergymen can enhance their physical capabilities through blessings. So, does this mean they do not have to focus on improving their general fitness?¡±

    I shook my head. It was more important to exercise because they were clergymen.

    Kim Bok-Dong picked up one of the kettlebell-shaped weights off the ground.

    ¡°The answer is no. You have to focus more on physical training to maximize the efficiency of the blessings,¡± Kim Bok-Dong said, throwing the weight with ease. The term ¡®flying¡¯ was the most urate word to describe the path of the weight.

    <i>Bang¡ª-!</i>

    The weightnded in the middle of the field. White dust sprung up and clouded around the center of impact.

    The distance traveled by the weight looked over two hundred meters. Itnded so far away that it was hard to gauge correctly.

    ¡°Just now, I threw a weight with my physical strength without any blessings. It seems to have gone around 250 meters. What do you think would happen if I used blessings this time?¡± Kim Bok-Dong asked.

    Kim Bok-Dong expelled some divine power and drew an array for a lesser blessing of strength.

    Light spilled from the blessing array and wrapped around Kim Bok-Dong''s right arm. He threw the weight once again. This time, the weight did notnd on the field. Instead, it sailed through the air and over the school walls. I was awestruck watching the scene fold in front of my eyes. Kim Bok-Dong was a monster.

    ¡°The lesser blessing of strength increases the user''s strength by fifty percent. However, through training, you can increase this multiplier threefold. This is why you have to train in practical physical skills. It will also help in increasing the mastery of your blessings.¡± Kim Bok-Dong exined as he picked up another weight from the ground.

    ¡°It seems I have talked too much. Today we will test your strength through a general fitness test. The student who throws the weight the farthest will score the most points. The person who gets the second longest distance will score lower than the first, and so forth. You are free to use whatever blessing you want. Any questions?¡±

    A student raised his hand. As expected, it was Bae Sung-Hyun.

    ¡°Forgive me if I¡¯m wrong, but I heard there is a way to get full marks regardless of the distance thrown?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Ah yes, I forgot. There probably aren¡¯t any of you who can aplish it, but I guess there is no harm in exining,¡± Kim Bok-Dong said as he tapped his finger on the weight he was holding.

    Some students'' eyes lit up at the mention of full marks.

    ¡°First, throw the weight past the fifty-meter mark. Then estimate thending point of the weight and catch it. If you can do this, I will give you full marks regardless of the distance traveled by the weight. I guess you could call it a special case.¡±

    The lit-up eyes of the students quickly turned to despair.

    It was hard enough to throw the weight fifty meters to begin with, let alone catch it with one¡¯s own hands. One would need the strength to throw the weight fifty meters and the agility to run at least fifty meters in two to three seconds.

    I don¡¯t know about anyone else, but I was sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to do it. At least without ¡®their¡¯ help.

    ¡°With that said, let''s start the test. First up is the holder of the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun.¡±

    Bae Sung Hyun stepped forward.

    He stood in front of the start line, took some deep breaths, and expelled divine power through his fingertips.

    [Moderate blessing of strength, lesser blessing of the musculoskeletal system, lesser blessing of recovery... I can¡¯t tell the rest.]

    Each one of Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s blessings boasted high difficulty to cast.

    Channeling all his blessings into his right hand, Bae Sung-Hyun threw his weight.

    <i>Zoom¡ª!</i>

    The weight flew into the air...

    <i>Bam¡ª!</i>

    And itnded with a disastrous thud.

    ¡°212 meters for Bae Sung-Hyun!¡± Kim Bok-Dong announced. Everyone was speechless at Bae Sung-Hyun''s unbelievable record.

    The holder of the Holy Name of Charity received a ¡®blessing of superhuman strength¡¯ from the Pope. This unique blessing gave the blessed superhuman strength and the ability to share this strength with someone else. It was a blessing well-fitted for the holder of the Holy Name of Charity.

    Bae Sung Hyun¡¯s tremendous strength came from this blessing.

    ¡°Bae-Sung Hyun.¡± Kim Bok-Dong called out.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Kim Bok-Dong had a smile on his face.

    ¡°Not only was your basic strength admirable, but I can¡¯t help but apud your skillful utilization of blessings. You used the blessing of recovery to minimize the possibility of injury, allowing you to use the moderate blessing of strength to its full potential. Outstanding work. I hope you all can learn from this if you can,¡± he said.

    Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s lips were shaking as if trying to stifle his happiness.

    ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±

    ¡°No worries, return to your position.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun walked back toward the waiting group of ssmates. The students gazed at him with eyes filled with jealousy and awe. Bae Sung-Hyun seemed to enjoy this attention.

    ¡°Next, Koo Jun-Hyuk.¡±

    Kim Bok-Dong continued to call forth students.

    Many students stepped up to throw their weights, only to step down with faces filled with disappointment. Most were not able to pass the fifty-meter line. However, there were a few students that showcased their talents.

    Toward the end of the test, with no surprise, first ce was Bae Sung-Hyun, second was Koo Jun-Hyuk at 162 meters, and third ce was Jung In-Ah at 143 meters.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo.¡±

    I was thest student called up.

    At this point, no one was paying attention to me. Instead, everyone wasining about their injured shoulder or lying down from the drawbacks of using too much divine power.

    The light seeping from my lesser blessing of strength wrapped around my arm. Then, without anybody noticing, I called forth the power of the Loa.

    As I positioned myself for my throw, Kim Bok-Dong shook his head skeptically.

    ¡°Is that all you are going to do to prepare?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I said you can use any blessing you want. So why are you only using the lesser blessing of strength?¡±

    ¡°Uh...¡± I hesitate. Do I have to tell him? I was embarrassed.

    ¡°This is the only blessing I can use.¡±

    Kim Bok-Dong gave me an understanding nod.

    <i>Pfthahah.</i>

    I heard the sounds of students making fun of me throughout the crowd. I knew this would happen!

    ¡°Alright, resume with your attempt,¡± Kim Bok-Dong muttered as he stared at me. His arms were across his chest, and he looked at me with low expectations.

    I lifted the weight above my shoulders. The 10.25 kg weight wasn¡¯t heavy but seemed rather light. Both the blessing and power from the Loa helped with the weight, but the Loa¡¯s power seemed to help more.

    [Loa Bossou responds to the call of the Prophet.]

    Legends say Bossou killed a thousand enemies with their bare hands when they walked the earth. Their symbol was a bull, and living up to his symbol, their power was ¡®superhuman strength.¡¯ It was a miraculous strength that surpassed the mere capabilities of man.

    <i>Zoom¡ª-!</i>

    I threw the weight. It had slipped at the tip of my fingers, so it seemed it would fall short of Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s record of 212 meters.

    That didn¡¯t matter because my goal wasn¡¯t to overtake his record.

    <i>Scrruunch.</i>

    I lowered my stance and flexed my legs. Bossou¡¯s superhuman strength coursed through my legs, eliciting an eerie sound from my knee joints.

    <i>Swoosh¡ª!</i>

    I propelled myself forward as I broke into a run. The sound of the wind filled my ears as my body sailed through the dusty wind with explosive power. My goal had been this from the start. I would catch my weight and get full marks.

    As I said earlier, Bossou¡¯s symbol was the bull.

    And charging was what bulls did best.

 Chapter 3

    <h4>Chapter 3</h4>

    My muscles had already exceeded their limits. My knee joints were screaming in pain, and I was panting for air. It wouldn¡¯t have been weird if I had fallen at any moment, but I continued to run. Even if all my joints were broken, even if my muscles were torn into shreds, I would not stop charging.

    My eyes were set on only one thing: the weight I had thrown. The weight had drawn a parab in the sky and was falling at an rming rate. I raced toward the estimatednding spot.

    I could do this. At my pace, I could easily catch the weight. I was sure of it.

    <i>Paaap¡ª!</i>

    I caught the weight initially, but the moment I caught it, I felt all strength leaving my body. I fumbled and lost my grasp. The reason for this was simple: the effect of Bossou¡¯s power, superhuman strength, was gone.

    ¡°...Oh.¡±

    [Sorry. I haven¡¯t had a pleasing sacrifice in half a year. I don¡¯t have the strength.] Bossou apologized with a low-spirited voice. Their voice and superhuman strength slowly faded away from my body.

    Then the pain came. It flooded my system. It hurt to move my legs, and my joints were aching like they were broken. I couldn¡¯t breathe, and I could feel my consciousness fading.

    [The side effects are immense now without the Altar. If you feel like this is unfair, find it and bring it back.] Legba¡¯s tone was mocking, but I couldn¡¯t respond. I was busy tossing and turning around in the sand.

    Damn it. Why did we have to lose the Altar? Why did that person steal the Altar, of all things? Who stole the Altar? I would kill them if I found out.

    With thoughts of pointless regret and resentment, I cked out.

    ***

    Everyone had different desires in life, be it money, fame, or power. All these desires stemmed from the same emotion.

    Superiority.

    Superiority was the best word to describe Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s life.

    He had lived a life of many victories and exercised the right of the victorious; he took what he wanted and stepped over people whom he deemed lowly while looking at them with contempt. Superiority sustained him, and he expected it to stay that way.

    ¡°I can¡¯t help but apud your skillful utilization of blessings. You used the blessing of recovery to minimize the possibility of injury...¡±

    When Bae Sung-Hyun returned from his throw, Kim Bok-Dong praised him for many reasons.

    Bae Sung-Hyun didn¡¯t listen to most of the things that Kim Bok-Dong said. Instead, he returned the gazes of his ssmates looking up at him.

    <i>¡®Praise me more! Admire me more!¡¯ </i>Bae Sung-Hyun thought as he hid his sly grin.

    There was nothing to see after that. No one came close to beating his record. Most students¡¯ throws didn¡¯t even make it past the fifty-meter line, and even the more talented students couldn¡¯t throw past two hundred meters. No student posed a threat to Bae Sung-Hyun.

    Except for one.

    ¡°This is the only blessing I can use.¡±

    At first, he had thought that the student was a nobody, someone who had enrolled in F.A. by luck and had no right to be here. The student was the same¡ªno, even inferior to themon folk.

    However, Bae Sung-Hyun changed his mind when he saw the boy running after his tossed weight. The boy looked like a bull, charging crazily toward his target. No, maybe more like a cheetah. Do Sun-Woo had almost gotten full marks by catching his weight. Of course, he had unfortunately made a mistake and failed.

    <i>¡®No, not unfortunately.¡¯</i> For Bae Sung-Hyun, it was a <i>fortunate</i> event.

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s fainted.¡±

    Kim Bok-Dong ran toward Do Sun-Woo, who was lying down in the middle of the field. Everyone else snickered and chatted in the absence of Kim Bok-Dong.

    ¡°Why try to do the impossible?¡±

    ¡°I know, right? If he had thrown the weight normally, he would have easily made it to fifth ce.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s either stupid, or he believes in himself too much.¡±

    As he listened to this conversation, Bae Sung-Hyun could feel a flurry of emotions stirring within him.

    Do Sun-Woo would have caught the weight if it hadn¡¯t been for his mistake. Therefore, Bae Sung-Hyun would have been pushed to second ce. To Bae Sung-Hyun, it was clear what this meant.

    <i>¡®I could lose next time.¡¯</i>

    Luckily, Do Sun-Woo had made a mistake this time. However, there was no guarantee that this would happen again. He could lose in the next physical test. No, he would lose for sure.

    From an objective viewpoint, Do Sun-Woo¡¯s strength was greater than his. As that thought popped up, an emotion that Bae Sung-Hyun had long forgotten started to slowly creep into his mind. It was the feeling of inferiority.

    Inferiority was an emotion that had been hidden away in Bae Sung-Hyun. It lurked behind the shadow of superiority. It was the emotion that Bae Sung-Hyun detested and also one that he thought he would not feel again.

    ***

    Kim Bok-Dong approached the sprawled-out Do Sun-Woo in the middle of the field. Do Sun-Woo was moaning with pain as hey down on the field. Fortunately, he seemed to be conscious.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kim Bok-Dong asked.

    ¡°Ah, urgh.... Yes, sir, I¡¯m fine.¡± Do Sun-Woo responded as he forcefully sat up with his shaking body. At a nce, it was apparent that he had sustained injuries everywhere.

    Some of his muscles were torn to the point of bruising, and his knee joint seemed to be twisted at an awkward angle. It was an injury that would cause most people to have a hard time getting up. Kim Bok-Dong drew a blessing array to help Do Sun-Woo.

    ¡°This moderate blessing of healing won¡¯t heal youpletely, but it should help with the pain.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Do Sun-Woo said.

    ¡°Your record is eighty-three meters, and you are in twelfth ce. Do you have any objections?¡±

    ¡°No, sir,¡± Do Sun-Woo replied.

    ¡°Alright, go to the nurse¡¯s office.¡± Kim Bok-Dong instructed.

    Do Sun-Woo slowly trudged away, his face filled with disappointment.

    Kim Bok-Dong stared at Do Sun-Woo moving into the distance. It was amazing that he could prop himself up after the injury, but something else really amazed him.

    <i>¡®He almost seeded.¡¯</i>

    In the entire history of F.A., only two had passed the physical test by satisfying the special conditions. One was the son of the Pope, and the other was Kim Bok-Dong himself. Back when Kim Bok-Dong was a student at F.A., he used all the blessings he could to pass the physical test while satisfying the special conditions.

    However, Do Sun-Woo had almost seeded with just the aid of his lesser blessing of strength. This meant that although he did not seem to be talented in blessings, his physical capabilities exceeded those of normal students. No, Do Sun-Woo¡¯s body could only be described as ¡®blessed by god.¡¯

    ¡°That concludes the physical test. First ce goes to Bae Sung-Hyun, in second ce is Koo Jun-Hyuk, and in third ce is Jung In-Ah. Everyone else, find out what ce you came in by yourselves. You will be graded based on your ranking. You are dismissed. Head back to your ssroom.¡±

    Amidst the flying dust, everyone in the ss of charity was thinking the same thinking. Bae Sung Hyun could grab first ce through his talents, Koo Jun-Hyuk took second ce with ease, and Jung In-Ah used her talented blessing to ovee herck of physical strength. Everyone was talented and had their strengths...

    But it was Do Sun-Woo who was engraved in Kim Bok-Dong¡¯s memory.

    ***

    ¡°Did you trip on the stairs? Or did you fall from the roof?¡±

    ¡°No, I was taking the physical exam.¡±

    ¡°Physical exam? Ha, no one would be fooled by that lie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, alright. I¡¯ve taken care of your injuries, but make sure you don¡¯t partake in any strenuous exercise, okay?¡±

    It felt like the nurse didn¡¯t believe in the whereabouts of my injuries but pretended she believed me. However, she had healed me, so I had noints.

    On my way back to my ssroom, Legba spoke to me again after being silent for a while.

    [Think of your body before you use any powers. You must be more careful now that we don¡¯t have our Altar.]

    Their words were blunt. It was Legba¡¯s way of showing that they cared.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do it again next time.¡±

    [If you do, your body will be broken beyond repair. Do you want to die before your 20th birthday?]

    ¡°Meh, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    The Loa¡¯s powers were so great that they came with severe side effects. Bossou¡¯s powers were among the ones that had a rtively minor disadvantage. Other Loa powers were more widely applicable, stronger, and had stronger side effects. One could use the Altar to minimize the bacsh or increase the scope of power. However, it was useless at the moment because the Altar was lost.

    I finally arrived at the ssroom. The ss seemed to be in the middle of the daily closing announcement.

    ¡°Ah, I see you¡¯ve made it. ss President, let Do Sun-Woo know what I said and tell him how numerous kidnappings have been happening around the area. Everyone, get home safe, and don¡¯t y toote into the night, okay?¡± The ss teacher, Ha Ye-Jin, walked out of the room shortly after making the announcement.

    All the students followed suit, packed their bags, and made their way home.

    Bae Sung-Hyun came over with the announcement papers.

    ¡°See for yourself,¡± Bae Sung-Hyun said. He passingly threw the papers onto my desk and made his way out of the ssroom. He had been smiling, but it was fake, and his voice wasced with hostility.

    [Why did he do that?]

    ¡°...¡±

    That was a good question.

    ***

    As I made my way toward my house, I was greeted by a familiar, gloomy, and ominous alleyway.

    It was not long before I saw the old crippled man. Right away, I took out my wallet and took out a ten-thousand won bill, cing it into the man¡¯s tin can.

    [Oh, you have money to spare?]

    ¡°This much should be fine.¡±

    [Good life.] Legba said brusquely. I justughed.

    I indeed did not have that much money. However, I was not poor enough to be stingy about that much money doing a good deed.

    ¡°Everyone else doing okay?¡±

    [Ah, now that you mention it, that bastard Baron Samedi.... Oh, no.]

    Legba suddenly dropped dead silent. This had to be one of two cases. Either Legba suddenly was in a bad mood, or there was someone nearby.

    I looked around. As I expected, a girl was gazing at me from the opposite sidewalk. Her curly hair glistened in the sunlight. She was wearing the F.A. uniform, and on her chest was a nametag that said ¡®Jung In-Ah.¡¯

    The girl was Jung In-Ah; she had made it to third ce during our physical test.

    ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Jung In-Ah asked with a smile as she made her way toward me.

    I felt goosebumps all over my body.

    Most people who witnessed my conversations with Legba thought I was crazy. For some, it didn¡¯t stop there. It could lead to gossip talking about how I talked into thin air. If this happened, I knew my school life would be done for. I knew I needed to be careful with my words to stop any weird rumors.

    ¡°Uh, I was praying.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Was I disturbing you?¡± Jung In-Ah said with an apologetic face.

    Thanks to Korea dering Romanicanism as the official national religion, it was easy to use praying and holy book reciting as an excuse to escape these situations. I had gained this wisdom through many years of practice by fabricating lies and excuses.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be praying. I¡¯ve never seen a person pray while walking,¡± Jung In-Ah said as she bowed her head down in guilt. Luckily, it seemed she was buying the story.

    It was just an assumption, but she seemed very naive, seeing how she was easily persuaded by a lie made up on the spot.

    ¡°Is this the way toward your house?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Hey, we live in the same direction. Mind if I join you?¡± she said as she smoothly made her way next to me. Before I knew it, I was walking alongside her.

    There was an awkward pause. Although we were ssmates, it was the same as just meeting her, so I guess that was standard.

    ¡°Hey, why did you give money to that person?¡± Jung In-Ah asked, breaking the silence.

    ¡°That person? ...Oh, are you talking about the old man?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    I pondered for a bit.

    ¡°I felt bad for him, and I thought it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to give him a ten-thousand won bill,¡± I replied.

    ¡°But he isn¡¯t disabled. I¡¯ve seen him get up after getting his day¡¯s worth of donations. I¡¯ve even seen him getting on the bus.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± I answered nonchntly.

    ¡°...Do you still feel bad for him?¡±

    ¡°He must have his reasons.¡±

    I didn¡¯t care if he was disabled or was acting disabled. I couldn¡¯t help but think about how desperate he had to be to sumb to such standards.

    ¡°I bet you¡¯ve heard that you are a pushover... no, that you¡¯re kind-hearted.¡±

    ¡°A pushover?¡±

    ¡°Ah, no, I meant¡ªanyways.¡± Jung In-Ah fumbled as she tried to recover from her mistake.

    ¡°Uh, the physical test! I was amazed,¡± she said as she tried to change the subject.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh. I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d be a person who would go for the special condition. It¡¯s crazy to think that someone in their right mind would attempt to catch their own weight.¡±

    ¡°It was crazy, and I ended up failing.¡± I tried to continue the conversation.

    ¡°You almost seeded, though. I couldn¡¯t even get myself to try. I¡¯m not good with physical stuff.¡±

    ¡°Third ce is still pretty good,¡± I said. Even with the smallpliment, Jung In-Ah had an embarrassed blush on her face.

    ¡°... Thanks!¡± she said with a smile. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t used to getting praised.

    She was very transparent; observing her facial expressions made it easy to figure out her feelings. A brief period of silence followed. Once again, Jung In-Ah broke the silence. It appeared that she could not bear awkward situations.

    ¡°Hmmm, I have a question. Why did youe to F.A.? It seems that you would have done well as a mercenary. You have the strength of one.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    Mercenaries. They were simr to clergymen since they also fought demons, but they were different in how they were rewarded for their efforts. Clergymen got paid monthly by the Holy See, while mercenaries were paid per case by their employer.

    Most people who were physically strong but had no talent for divine power abilities usually enrolled in a mercenary academy. However, my purpose was to be a prte and meet my mother. To do that, I had to be a clergyman, not a mercenary.

    Nheless, I had no intention of telling her the truth.

    ¡°I guess my parents influenced me,¡± I replied instead.

    ¡°Oh, both your parents are clergymen?¡±

    ¡°One passed away during the Holy War.¡± If one thought about it, I wasn¡¯t lying.

    The sudden turn of conversation into my family affairs seemed to catch Jung In-Ah off guard. ¡°Oh.... Are you sure you want to tell me this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not something I¡¯m ashamed about.¡±

    ¡°No, I get it, but still...¡±

    Having martyred parents was not something to be ashamed of, but rather proud of. Not only that, but it also helped me enroll in F.A. As the son of a martyr, I was given special leeway and could make it into the school even with my poor entrance exam marks.

    Anyway, it wasn¡¯t a problem to talk about it with others.

    ¡°Why did you enroll in F.A.?¡± I asked out of politeness.

    Jung In-Ah seemed to murmur something under her breath. Atst, she looked up with a determined face.

    ¡°Um. For me... my younger sibling was kidnapped by a cult and is still missing. I was hoping I could find them if I became a clergywoman,¡± she said with a sad face.

    Her reason was a lot deeper than I expected. I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. Our religion was technically a cult, although we didn¡¯t participate in crimes like kidnapping.

    ¡°Cult? What kind of cult? There are a lot of them out there, right?¡± I asked, just to be sure.

    ¡°Yeah... they¡¯re famous for being ruthless and vicious,¡± Jung In-Ah said through gritted teeth. Her fragile neck was tense enough to see a vein. Just thinking about the cult that had taken her sibling from her seemed to drive her mad.

    After a few moments, she took a deep breath and calmed herself. She put up a smile as if to say that nothing had happened. The contrast in emotions and that smile seemed to be a raw expression of her rage.

    ¡°Have you heard about... the Voodooists?¡± she said with a smile.

    I couldn¡¯t return the smile.

 Chapter 4

    <h4>Chapter 4</h4>

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯ve heard of the Voodooists,¡± I said. I bet I knew more about them than anyone else.

    ¡°Really? Some people haven¡¯t heard of them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard not to know them.... If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what is the name of your younger sibling?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°Jung Yoon-Ah. They''re a year younger than me.¡±

    ¡°How long have they been missing?¡±

    ¡°Around eight or nine months? I¡¯m not too sure. At this point, I just hope they¡¯re alive.¡± Jung In-Ah answered with a strained voice. Talking about her sibling seemed to take a lot out of her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that most of the kidnappings are done by the Voodooists,¡± Jung In Ah said. ¡°You should be careful as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.... You¡¯re right. I should be careful,¡± I replied.

    Jung In-Ah spoke ill about the Voodooists and the different kidnapping incidents. I yed along, and before I knew it, we were in front of my house.

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± Jung In-Ah waved goodbye. I smiled in return and stepped into my house.

    I couldn¡¯t feel my arms or legs. I plopped on my bed and drew my nket up to my chin. I wanted to take a nap, but I just couldn¡¯t sleep.

    [...]

    Legba was uncharacteristically quiet that day.

    ***

    ¡°So their name is Jung Yoon-Ah, and they¡¯re sixteen, right?¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t find them anywhere.¡±

    I headed straight to the underground chapel after a simple dinner. I had asked my uncle Lee Jin-Sung to see if we had a member named Jung Yoon-Ah.

    My uncle shook his head. ¡°I think that it¡¯s a groundless usation. Even if we¡¯ve been branded as a cult by the public, we haven¡¯t resorted to means like kidnapping, right?¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re right, but...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it so much. It might be the jobs of Satanists or other cults that use us as a cover-up,¡± my uncle said nonchntly.

    The Voodooist doctrine shared many simrities with the Romanicans. Both valued love and respect and sought to understand what it meant to be good. Obviously, both religions frowned upon crimes like kidnapping. Jung In-Ah¡¯s sibling was probably kidnapped by another cult impersonating us. No, it had to be imposters.

    I tried to think of it that way, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling pangs of guilt and mise at the back of my mind.

    [Lee Jin-Sung is right. There¡¯s no need to worry about it. Even if our cult did y a role in kidnapping her sibling, it¡¯s not your fault.]

    ¡°Of course it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯m the Cult Leader.¡±

    [Um, that¡¯s a sound argument.]

    Legba¡¯s pointless answer made me drop my head. My chest tightened, and my shoulders felt heavy. If our cult yed a part in the kidnapping of Jung In-Ah¡¯s sibling, then I was ountable since I was the Cult Leader.

    ¡°Hey, Sun-Woo, are you free this Saturday?¡± It was my uncle that had cut through the rambling thoughts inside my head.

    ¡°Saturday? Sure, I¡¯m free. What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°We got a request for help. Should we take it or not?¡±

    ¡°Request? From whom?¡±

    My uncle took a better look at his phone. ¡°¡®It¡¯s dPB¡¯s Corporate Chairman.¡±

    ¡°dPB?¡±

    dPB was apany that sold and manufactured holy artifacts. It was not an exaggeration to say that eighty percent of the holy artifacts used in Korea were created and distributed by dPB. Their market cap was valued at around ten quadrillion won.

    ¡°What does their chairman want to do with us?¡± I asked.

    ¡°His wife¡¯s got an incurable disease.¡±

    ¡°Then he should go to a priest.¡±

    ¡°The priest couldn¡¯t do anything to improve her state. He even went to soothsayers and fortune tellers, but they couldn¡¯t help her either. He¡¯s desperate, and we¡¯re hisst resort.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    It was illegal to go to a soothsayer or a fortune teller in an attempt to see the future. If a chairman of such a bigpany resorted to such illegal means, it probably meant that the situation was dire, and he was extremely desperate.

    [Take it. You¡¯ve been saying how you¡¯re running low on funds.]

    There weren''t a lot of Voodooists, so it was impossible to keep the cult running with just the offerings from the members. Therefore, we took in requests like these topensate for theck of money.

    Because of our poor financial situation, it was logical to think that this was an excellent time to take in a request. But... there was something that I couldn¡¯t shrug off.

    ¡°You think we should do it?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve lost the Altar, and it¡¯s been a while since ourst request. What if I¡¯ve lost my touch?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. We can try, and if it doesn''t work, we apologize and walk out.¡± My uncleughed as if it was nothing serious. ¡°Our numbers and offerings have been decreasing, and our finances are in bad shape. We have to take in these requests.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    ¡°So, are you up for it or not?¡± my uncle asked.

    There really wasn¡¯t a choice. The cult would copse if I didn¡¯t take in requests like these.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You said Saturday?¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make the appointment.¡± I could see my uncle¡¯s finger dart on his phone to send a text.

    ***

    I went to school a bit earlier the next day. Although the official start of the day at F.A. was at 8:15, most students arrived at school around 7:30 and spent around forty-five minutes practicing their healing and blessing skills or going over their course material.

    I happened to wake up early, so I made my way to school and got there around 7:30. Half of the ss was already present by the time I got there. Students were either studying or chatting with each other. I didn¡¯t have any friends to talk to, so I quietly sat down to start studying.

    I found someone already sitting in my seat. I first thought I had made a mistake, but upon rechecking it, I was sure it was my seat. Someone else was sitting there.

    ¡°That¡¯s my seat.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, sorry.¡±

    It seemed he didn¡¯t have any ill intent. He got up from my desk immediately. I sat down and took out some books from my bag. One was the Holy Book, and the other was a Romanican history textbook. I wanted to make up for my poor scores in the physical exam by studying for other exams. As I opened my textbook to study, I could feel someone¡¯s gaze on me.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± The guy who had been sitting in my seat was staring at me from the desk next to me. It made me feel incredibly ufortable.

    <i>¡®He¡¯ll walk away if I ignore him.¡¯ </i>

    I focused on studying, but even after a few minutes, the person didn¡¯t budge.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who fell during the physical exam yesterday, right?¡±

    Not only did he not budge, but he started asking me questions. Who did he think he was? I looked at his face with difort. His face did not stand out, and had a very vague impression of him. I noticed a name tag on his chest that read ¡®Koo Jun-Hyuk.¡¯

    Hmm, Koo Jun-Hyuk...

    This guy was the one who had made it to second ce during the physical exam.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± I answered.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you do that? Trying to satisfy the special conditions, I mean.¡±

    ¡°Just because.¡±

    ¡°Did you think you were going to make it? Or did you think you weren¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°I dunno.¡±

    They weren¡¯t questions worth answering, so I just answered them passingly. Any other person would have lost interest by now, but not Koo Jun-Hyuk. He kept asking questions, to which I answered dryly. His questions went into one ear and out the other. Koo Jun-Hyuk ignored that and persisted with his inquiry, disturbing my studying.

    ¡°Hey, I have to study. Can you please go somewhere else?¡± I said as politely as possible. I had had enough.

    ¡°Oh, my bad. I just wanted to be closer to you. See, you¡¯re famous. I guess I¡¯ll leave now.¡±

    Now, he had said something that caught my attention.

    ¡°What? Famous?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You didn¡¯t know?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said, sitting back down.

    ¡°You were sleeping during the opening ceremony, right?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I¡¯d be surprised if you weren¡¯t famous. I bet everyone has seen you, even if they don¡¯t know your name.¡±

    Thinking back, I¡¯d done many things that would have attracted attention. I wanted to leave my mark out there since it would help me be a prte, but this... I didn¡¯t want to be famous this way.

    ¡°Just saying, you¡¯re probably¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey, you guys.¡±

    It was none other than Bae Sung-Hyun. He had been talking to his group of friends just earlier, and he now interrupted Koo Jun-Hyuk.

    ¡°Can you keep it down? Everyone else is trying to study here.¡±

    ¡°Oh~ isn¡¯t it our ss president? My apologies, sir~¡±

    ¡°Tssk.¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk handled the situation with a cheeky attitude. Bae Sung-Hyun clicked his tongue in annoyance, even though he had been talking to his friends as well.

    There was a saying that fit this situation perfectly. What was it again?

    ¡°Pot calling the kettle ck¡ªthe man¡¯s crazy,¡± he said, lowering his voice so Bae Sung-Hyun couldn¡¯t hear.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk had said the exact words that were on the tip of my tongue.

    ¡°It seemed like Bae Sung-Hyun dislikes you. Be careful. He¡¯s kinda famous,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk continued in his hushed voice.

    ¡°Of course, he is famous. He¡¯s the holder of the holy name of charity.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Uh, how do I say this? Urgh. I¡¯ll tell youter.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun was intensely staring at us. Koo Jun-Hyuk stood up, quickly wrapped up his sentence, and returned to his seat.

    I finished studying but couldn¡¯t concentrate; it was hard to shake off Koo Jun-Hyuk¡¯s words. The words in the book seemed to disperse into thin air before they made it to my eyes.

    [You¡¯re famous! That¡¯s great! You¡¯re one step closer to your goal.]

    However, this wasn¡¯t a good situation.

    This wasn¡¯t the time to talk back to Legba.

    So, I quietly resumed my studies.

 Chapter 5

    <h4>Chapter 5</h4>

    After our morning sses, everyone except me hurried toward the school cafeteria. I knew it would be too busy to join the crowd, so I stayed back to study. As I got ready, Jung In-Ah approached me.

    ¡°You¡¯re not eating lunch?¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    ¡°Thene on, let¡¯s go.¡± We had agreed beforehand that we would eat lunch together.

    This was unexpected. We made our way out of the ssroom and headed to the cafeteria. Jung In-Ah waved at everyone she knew she bumped into. I constantly turned away awkwardly, pretending not to be part of the interaction.

    Jung In-Ah had a lot of friends, guys and girls alike. I counted tens of them just by observing the ones we had met in the hallways. Jung In-Ah didn¡¯t seem tired at all, even though she had exchanged greetings with everyone. She was very different from me.

    ¡°Every time I see this ce, I¡¯m shocked by how many trees there are,¡± Jung In-Ah remarked as we crossed the field to get to the cafeteria.

    As she had said, there were a lot of trees. It seemed that the ground left over after the buildings were built was used to grow trees. The air was always fresh, thanks to the vast number of trees.

    ¡°Is that a pine tree? Look at that Japanese Wisteria over there. And... do you know what kind of tree that one is?¡± Jung In-Ah asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s a king cherry tree,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a cherry tree. I¡¯ve never seen them without the flowers.¡± Jung In Ah smiled as if she were embarrassed.

    Flower buds filled the flowerless cherry tree.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the difference between a king cherry tree and a regr cherry tree?¡± Jung In-Ah asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s not that big of a difference. The flower petals are a different color.¡±

    ¡°... Do you want to be a botanist when you grow up? I¡¯m amazed by your knowledge.¡±

    I smiled without saying a word. One of the Loa was highly rted to nts. The Loa was very graceful, and their power could be used to grow seedlings into giant trees in a sh. Of course, their power came with an extreme consequence.

    Thanks to them, I had a lot of nt knowledge.

    ¡°I wonder when the cherry blossoms will bloom this year,¡± Jung In-Ah said suddenly, staring at the sky. Although it seemed like a harmless thought spoken out loud, her eyes seemed to stare at something in the distance, or something in the past. Her eyes were drooping, and she sped her lips.

    It was a sad expression. ¡°Why do you want to go see the flowers?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to go this year. I think I¡¯ll be too busy.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean you used to go every year?¡±

    [Using what you¡¯ve learned from your dad, I see.]

    Before he passed away, my father trained me in many fields, including psychology and speech. He believed that a religious man ought to be good with his words and excel in figuring out what different people were thinking.

    His lessons were filled with hard terms like backtracking and regression, but I powered through and absorbed his teachings. I had almost no experience talking with women, yet here I was, talking to Jung In-Ah without fault. My ability to talk to Jung In-Ah without any prior experience talking to women was all thanks to my dad.

    ¡°Yeah. I used to go there every year. I love cherry blossoms.¡±

    ¡°Really? Where¡¯s your go-to ce?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I go to the ce by the Han River. Have you seen the small river in front of the school? The walkway next to it is good too.¡±

    I responded appropriately and sometimes dropped a few questions to further the conversation. As we continued talking, Jung In-Ah¡¯s sad face lit up, and her sadness was less visible. I continued using the conversation skills I had learned from my father.

    ¡°You must have gone therest year as well.¡±

    ¡°Last year? Yeah, I went with my sibling. Back then, they were still with me.¡±

    s, her face suddenly turned dark. She still had a smile, but it was clearly forced.

    ¡°Ah... I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    I had used my father¡¯s techniques to lighten the mood, but it seemed that I had just made matters worse.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sorry! My sibling isn¡¯t dead, and I¡¯ll find them soon.¡±

    Jung In-Ah¡¯s forced smile reminded me that I might be responsible for her sibling¡¯s kidnapping. That thought made me feel uneasy.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. They¡¯ll be back soon.¡±

    I could only offer her nd words of constion. As I was talking with Jung In-Ah, someone waiting in front of the line started to wave their hands while making their way toward us.

    ¡°This is a newbination. Are you guys eating together?¡±

    ¡°Eh, why are you acting all friendly suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Why, I can¡¯t even talk to you guys?¡±

    Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk fussed with me in the middle. Their conversations weren¡¯t awkward at all¡ªthey seemed to know each other from before high school.

    ¡°Why eat with us? Don¡¯t you have other friends to eat with?¡± Koo Jun-Hyukughed cheekily at Jung In-Ah¡¯s blunt question.

    ¡°Eh, whatever. I bet me eating with you guys would be better than eating with each other.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Jung In-Ah furrowed her eyebrows.

    I understood what Koo Jun-Hyuk meant right away, but it seemed like Jun In-Ah didn¡¯t understand. He was right. It would look more natural for him to eat with us than if it was just me and Jung In-Ah. After all, people my age could fret over anything.

    ¡°Today¡¯s lunch is nice,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said as he ate.

    The food at F.A. was delicious. Expensive private schools sure did their money¡¯s worth with the exquisite cafeteria food quality. It was to the extent that it made all the food I had from other schools feel like animal feed. After lunch, Koo Jun-Hyuk took a big stretch as he got up.

    ¡°Ha~ Why is there a test when we¡¯re only three days into the school year? Kinda pisses me off.¡±

    ¡°Why, you didn¡¯t study for it?¡± Jung In-Ah smirked.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m not the studious type, you know?¡±

    ¡°Wow, good for you.¡±

    Their conversation confused me. Test? What test? Wait, I did remember a test that was set at the beginning of the semester. I hadpletely forgotten.

    ¡°Did you study Do Sun-Woo? You seemed to be pretty studious this morning,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk asked tantly.

    ¡°Uh, what test was it again?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wait, you didn¡¯t know we had a test? Dang, I can¡¯t believe there was a person in a worse situation than me!¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk beamed. Hisughs seemed to stem from relief rather than to make fun of me.

    Jung In-Ah looked at me with worried eyes. ¡°We have the freshmen evaluations today. You didn¡¯t know? The lecturer talked about it on the day of the entrance ceremony.¡±

    ¡°This guy took a nap, remember?¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Jung In-Ah sighed. She seemed to feel bad for me.

    How could I have forgotten about the freshman evaluations?

    I felt my mind go nk while my vision started to darken. My paradoxical state seemed to show just how much shock I was in.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry about it too much. It¡¯s not like your life depends on it or anything,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said. Hisment just further ruined my mood.

    ***

    The freshmen evaluations were a traditional test taken every year. It had no ¡®direct¡¯ effect on grades, but this meant it could have an ¡®indirect¡¯ effect on the school year.

    The test results would be disyed on a poster in front of the main building. The teachers used the test results to gauge the skill levels of the freshmen. They also used the information to silently support the students with higher marks by funneling school awards to them.

    Getting good marks on the evaluations would better my chances of bing a prte, so I was going to try my best. I didn¡¯t know how well I would fare, given that I hadn¡¯t studied.

    ¡°Yo, what letter are you going to guess for the answers? I¡¯m guessing B.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not guessing any questions,¡± I said.

    ¡°Nah, bro, you should guess. If you guess the same choice throughout the test, you¡¯ll get at least a fifth of them right.¡± Koo Jun-Hyukughed.

    ¡°Good luck with the evaluation!¡± Jung In-Ah said in encouragement. It was out of courtesy, but it helped. We said goodbye and parted ways.

    The evaluations took ce in the grand auditorium. It seemed like ¡®grand¡¯ was ced in front of the name for a reason; the auditorium was big enough to hold a thousand people.

    All seven sses were named after the seven holy virtues assembled in the auditorium. Hundreds of people were in the same ce, so the auditorium was very noisy and chaotic. I was wondering if we could take a test here.

    Out of the many desks stretched along the auditorium, I found the desk that had my number and name. There were still five minutes before the test, and I used that time to make sure I had all my stationery and to cram in somest-minute studying.

    At that moment, I saw someone with a distinguished look walking toward me from far away. I couldn¡¯t help but stare.

    [I advise you to stop staring. She¡¯s nothing but trouble.] Legba said in a low voice, but my eyes were still glued to her.

    The saying ¡®white as snow'' was not enough to describe her wless skin. Her pure white hair hung down to her waist while her eyes were a deep dark ck. The contrast between her features seemed to orchestrate a mystical atmosphere. Her beauty awed and attracted the attention of everyone.

    Sung Ha-Yeon.

    She was one of the seven freshman representatives, the holder of the Holy Name of Chastity. She was very popr because of her mesmerizing looks.

    I, on the other hand, hated her. I couldn¡¯t like her if I tried. There were two reasons why I couldn¡¯t stand her.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    First of all, she had a bad attitude.

    As she was walking, she tripped over a chair and fell. She bumped into me while she was falling. Then, after letting out a single shout, she got up and dusted off her knees, and made eye contact with me. Her eyes were furrowed as she looked down.

    ¡°Ah, oops.¡± She left with an insincere apology. Her disgust looked as if she didn¡¯t want to spend even a second with the likes of me.

    She was diagnosed with albinism. Maybe it was because of her illness, but she had a severe case of mysophobia and a very cold-hearted attitude. She also hated talking to men.

    Secondly, her dad was an inquisitor. An inquisitor was a cardinal-level clergyman, a high prte everyone revered. Sung Ha-Yeon grew up under her inquisitor father without wanting for anything. What was important was that her father was the person that was responsible for my parent''s death.

    He was one of the leaders of the Holy War, the one who had burned my father alive, and the one who had put my mother in the Holy See headquarters underground jail. He was an enemy of the Voodooists, someone we could not forgive. And Sung Ha-Yeon was his daughter.

    Although I knew her father had done wrong, and she wasn¡¯t to me, I couldn¡¯t get myself to like her.

    [You should stop. Focus on studying.]

    Legba helped me wake up from the thoughts of rage. Finally, I returned to my senses and focused on my studying.

    As I studied, I was reminded of the unpleasant memories with her from middle school. I shook my head in an attempt to shake off the thoughts.

    ¡°We will start handing out the test sheets shortly. Please remove your Holy Books and textbooks from the desk and put them into your bags. You will be given sixty minutes to solve forty questions. All forty questions test your understanding of the holy book. We warn that anyone caught in academic dishonesty will be given a zero.¡±

    The test supervisor¡¯s exnation echoed throughout the speakers. As soon as instructors handed out the test sheets, everyone went into aser focus. We all knew that this test would have a significant impact on our life.

    I started solving my questions, my pen moving at a vigorous pace. The first question was not just pretty hard, but was dreadfully difficult.

    Question: In the following passage, we see a conversation between students about ¡®this person.¡¯ Choose the correct answer that rtes to ¡®this person.¡¯ However, one of the students is telling a lie.

    Ga-Young: He was born as a Nazirite and became a judge.

    Na-Ru: He did not have a good rtionship with the Philistines, but he fell in love with a Philistine woman.

    Da-Jun: He made a boat out of fir and saved the people from the flood.

    It was a nerve-cringingly tricky question. On most tests, the first question would be an easy problem that could be solved withmon sense, but not in F.A.

    I tried to harness my shaken mind and continued to solve the questions. Finally, after four minutes of intense thinking, I concluded that the answer was B.

    [Khmm, oh, D, hmm, ark, D, hmm...]

    I changed my answer to D.

    Legba was well-versed in the study of history and religious studies. Not only did he have the Holy Book of Voodooists memorized, but he knew all the Holy Books of other religions by heart. He also knew most of humanity''s history since the rise of civilization.

    If he said the answer was D, then the answer was probably D.

    [Oooh, I feel a connection with E, but don¡¯t worry about me.]

    [Ah, ah, CHOICE C! Oh my, what a weird sneeze.]

    I solved all the questions till number 30 with Legba¡¯s aid.

    I would get full marks if this continued, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty. This was cheating.

    [What is there to feel guilty about? It is your talent to harness the Loa and get their help.]

    Legba tried to ease my guilt, but I couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling. With an ufortable feeling in my gut, I diverted my attention to the Question 31 on my test sheet.

    Question 31.) Seven years ago, there was a Holy War between the Voodooists and the Romanicans. Select the following that is not true.

    The difficulty of the questions had dropped from the ones from before.

    Questions 1 through 30 required high levels of memorization and critical thinking, but the questions from number 31 onward were so easy that anyone who could read could get it right. To be more precise, anyone who thought like a Romanican could solve the questions with ease.

    In other words, the questions were hard to solve for someone with a Voodooist philosophy like Legba.

    [Why is the answer D? That needs a sound argument to back it up.]

    [No, no. The Voodooists did not kill that person. The ident was tampered by the Holy See to look that way.]

    [The answer is B. Why on earth would you select C as the answer?]

    Legba sounded exasperated. I ignored their mor and resumed solving the questions while thinking like a Romanican. I felt uneasy solving questions obviously filled with information that favored the Romanicans, but this was not the time to argue about these things.

    ***

    The next day, the evaluation results were disyed in front of the main building.

    All seven hundred freshmen came over to check their exam marks. Students were sitting on dirt, dismayed by their scores, and some headed to the school staff toin about their results. All the teachers tried to calm the uproar, but it was impossible to control all seven hundred students at once.

    Unfortunately, a student put an end to the chaos.

    ¡°Ha-Yeon, did you do well on the test?¡±

    ¡°I would have gotten everything right because I knew everything.¡±

    It was like seeing the miracle of Moses. The sea of students parted as Sung Ha-Yeon crossed the crowd. Sung Ha-Yeon walked through the paved path with a pompous and elegant attitude that seemed to be engraved in her.

    ¡°That¡¯s the inquisitor¡¯s daughter, right? The one who¡¯s part of the House of Purification.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she ced first in the written entrance exam.¡±

    The students were gossiping about Sung Ha-Yeon. They whispered about the stories of her father, her bloodline, and her scores. Some people looked up to her while some people were jealous of her. However, if there was one thing that these people shared, it was the fact that Sung Ha-Yeon had no interest in any of them.

    The only thing she was interested in was the results of her evaluation.

    Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s face seemed stiff as soon as she saw her marks on the poster.

    Sung Ha-Yeon (195.8/200)

    She thought she had gotten a perfect score. However, she had gotten one question wrong.

    ¡°Woah, you only got one question wrong? Wow, that¡¯s amazing!¡±

    ¡°I thought I had gotten all of them right. That¡¯s a shame.¡±

    ¡°Regardless, doesn¡¯t this mean you¡¯re in the first ce? What are your secrets to studying? Hm?¡±

    Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s friends were fangirling. Although she seemed ashamed of her score, 195.8 points were more than enough to secure first ce.

    ¡°I just tried a bit more than most,¡± she said casually to her friends asking for study tips. It was an arrogant answer, but no one objected. Sung Ha-Yeon could back up her arrogance with results.

    However, Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s face suddenly turned to stone.

    Second ce¡ªSung Ha-Yeon

    She was not in first ce, but rather second ce.

    First ce¡ªDo Sun-Woo

    She thought she was obviously going to get first ce, but there was a name she had never heard before.

    Do Sun-Woo? Who in the world was he?

    Amidst the buzzing crowd, a low and gruff voice filled the square in front of the main building.

    ¡°Wait, Do Sun-Woo, why are you in first ce? Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t study?!¡±

    As soon as the crowd heard the name Do Sun-Woo, they turned their heads in the direction of the voice. At the source of the voice stood Koo Jun-Hyuk and Do Sun-Woo. The low and gruff voice was Koo Jun-Hyuk¡¯s.

    Sung Ha-Yeon eyed Do Sun-Woo. The name was unfamiliar to her, but she recognized his face. He was the person who had fallen asleep during the lecture during the entrance ceremony. She remembered his face because of how stupid he looked.

    Yet, that dimwit took first ce? Was it aputational error? She could not¡ªno, she would not believe it. What drove the confused Sung Ha-Yeon crazy were the words that came out of Do Sun-Woo¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°I was lucky, I guess.¡±

    He showed humility by ounting his score to luck. The overboard humility made him seem arrogant, but he could back up his arrogance with results. So, Sung Ha-Yeon stayed silent.

 Chapter 6

    <h4>Chapter 6</h4>

    Do Sun-Woo (200/200)

    I was easily first. Following me was Sung Ha-Yeon, in third ce Bae Sung-Hyun, and the rest of the students in fourth to seventh were the remaining six members of the freshman representatives.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t study? I thought we agreed we were going to guess B for everything!¡±

    ¡°I told you that I was going to solve the questions. I was just really lucky, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Wow. But still, perfect marks? Huh.¡± Koo Jun-Hyukughed as if he was dumbfounded.

    Even though he said that, Koo Jun-Hyuk did pretty well, he was still at a rtively high ce. It looked like he tried, even after all thatmotion about marking B as all of his answers.

    If Legba had not given me a hand, my score would be lower than Koo Jun-Hyuk''s. I was ashamed that I had gotten first ce with Legba¡¯s help, or in other words, by cheating. I didn¡¯t have the qualifications nor the skill to get first ce.

    ¡°Ah, there you are. I was looking for you.¡±

    Amongst my reflection and remorse, Jung In-Ah approached us. She had a big, happy smile on her face. As soon as Koo Jun-Hyuk saw her, he scowled.

    ¡°Why do you look so happy? It makes me ufortable.¡±

    ¡°Be quiet. How¡¯d you guys do on the evaluations?¡± Jung In-Ah swiftly cut off Koo Jun-Hyuk¡¯s remark and smiled. She seemed to be very happy.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk continued to talk as if he was still ufortable. ¡°I made it to twenty-ninth ce.¡±

    ¡°Woah, not bad!¡±

    ¡°How about you? What ce did you get?¡±

    ¡°Twelfth! I did better than I thought. I was fortunate.¡± Twelfth ce was a top-tier grade.

    ¡°What about you, Do Sun-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Meh, nothing too fancy.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you didn¡¯t know we had the evaluation till the day of, right?¡±

    Although I had gotten first ce, I wasn¡¯t too proud of my methods. I tried to gloss over my marks, but Koo Jun-Hyuk scoffed as if he had heard something outrageous.

    ¡°Yo, this guy got first ce when he said he didn¡¯t study.¡±

    ¡°Wow, first ce!... Wait, WHAT?¡± Jung In-Ah looked toward the poster as if she didn¡¯t believe what she had just heard. The words ¡®First ce¡ªDo Sun-Woo¡¯ were printed on the poster.

    I felt embarrassed and hung my head. Jung In-Ah¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground.

    ¡°You know what this guy had to say about his score? He was lucky.¡±

    ¡°Ah, luck getting you first ce... Hm...¡± She was still staring at the poster. It seemed like her soul had left her body.

    ¡°H-how could you do this?¡± She looked back at me with a look of betrayal.

    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t study! FIRST PLACE? Let alone PERFECT MARKS?¡±

    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t understand. I was just really lucky.¡±

    ¡°Ha, lucky my ass.¡± Jung In-Ah fumed jokingly. Koo Jun-Hyuk looked at us as if we were entertainment. Not only Koo Jun-Hyuk, but other students were looking as well. I could see their eyes filled with many different looks of adoration, envy, and jealousy.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to our ss first.¡±

    I felt as if nothing good could happen if we stayed in the open. The attention made me self-conscious.

    ***

    ¡°How did the evaluations go? I saw that our ss did exceptionally well. We have the first, third, and twelfth ce, three top tier-ranked students in our ss. I am proud of you all!¡±

    Shortly after we returned to our ssroom, Ha Ye-Jin started homeroom. She talked about the evaluations and announcements and quickly left the room.

    The ss erupted as soon as the homeroom teacher left the ss. The reason for the eruption was, of course, Bae Sung-Hyun. Encircling him, Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s friends, or rather, his gang, screamed andughed maniacally, disrupting the ssroom atmosphere.

    Everyone, including me, felt ufortable because of them, but no one raised any objections.

    ¡°Ugh, so loud.¡± Jung In-Ah looked up from her studies and red at Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s gang. She seemed fed up. I barely stopped her from shouting to them after she abruptly got up.

    ¡°Just ignore them.¡±

    It was not ideal to have any type of interaction with those people. Therefore, ignoring them and focusing on studying was the logical choice.

    ¡°Alright, ha.¡± Jung In-Ah let out a deep sigh and cooled off her anger.

    ***

    <strong>After school, in a dark, creepy alley. </strong>

    A group of buff people were squatting with one hand in their pockets and another holding their cigarettes that they were smoking vigorously. Bae Sung-Hyun was in the middle of the group, sitting on an AC unit. He puffed out some smoke with aplicated expression on his face.

    ¡°Ha.¡± He seemed to be in a bad mood.

    ¡°Why, wassup? Things didn¡¯t work out with that girl?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? I already smashed her, and I¡¯m done with her now.¡±

    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s only been a week, though. Pass her my way. Let me hit that.¡±

    ¡°You think you can pull her with your face?¡±

    His gang watched Bae Sung Hyun¡¯s mood and made vulgar jokes.

    Bae Sung-Hyun, who usually would have been snickering along in the vulgar conversation, was smoking with a dark face instead. He looked distraught.

    The gang looked at Bae Sung-Hyun and thought, ¡®We can¡¯t get on his bad side today.¡¯

    ¡°Bae Sung-Hyun, you like the punch machine right? You up for it?¡±

    So, the gang racked their brains trying to lift his spirit. In the end, they came up with the solution of giving Bae Sung-Hyun the punch machine. To test it out, one of the gang members swung at the punch machine¡¯s sternum.

    <i>Puk!</i>

    Following the dull sound, a gasp of air escaped the punch machine. Clutching their sternum, the punch machine fell to their knees, slipping down as if the floor had suddenly turned to ice.

    ¡°Hey, did this break? Why isn¡¯t my scoreing out?¡±

    ¡°Heek...! It¡¯s eigh... eighty-nine points.¡±

    ¡°Yo, eighty-nine points isn¡¯t bad.¡±

    <i>Hahaha¨C!</i>

    The gang maniacallyughed as they tapped the punch machine¡¯s stomach.

    The poor soul who had taken the role of a punch machine was on the floor, curled up into a ball. He was the only one notughing in the noisyughter-filled alleyway.

    <i>¡®I hope this can stop here and now.¡¯</i>

    The gang¡¯s punches were nothing to be afraid of, as they paled inparison to Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s punches. Bae Sung-Hyun was the problem. On the days Bae Sung-Hyun hit him, it hurt even to eat.

    The student slowly got up, thinking about how Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s strikes would lead him to vomit all over the floor.

    ¡°Hey, get that out of my face. I¡¯m not in the mood today.¡± Hearing Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s statement, the student¡¯s face lit up. It seemed Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s mood was low enough not to want to hit the punch machine. This was great news. Oh, if only it was like this every day!

    As that thought passed the student¡¯s head, Bae Sung-Hyun abruptly got up from the air condition unit.

    ¡°Ah, uh, I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± The student apologized reflexively. However, Bae Sung-Hyun didn¡¯t seem to care.

    Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s eyes were glued beyond the alleyway to the three students walking past with F.A. uniforms.

    ¡°Hey, you guys. Come here.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun called the students over with a cold and sinister smile.

    Do Sun-Woo, Jung In-Ah, and Koo Jun-Hyuk, who had been walking back home, hesitantly made their way into the smoke-filled alleyway. Jung In-Ah started coughing because of the cigarette smoke.

    Bae Sung-Hyun grinned as he saw them. He had one of those fake, hypocritical smiles that would make one gag just by looking.

    ¡°You guys are from my ss, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. What do you want?¡± Jung In-Ah pinched her nose with her fingers. Her voice was muffled and nasally as it escaped her pinched nose. Koo Jun-Hyuk red at Bae Sung-Hyun as he cautiously looked him up and down.

    Do Sun-Woo was just watching the interaction, standing silent as if he had nothing to do with it.

    Bae Sung-Hyun stuck his hand out for a handshake to the group of friends. To be exact, he offered his hand to Do Sun-Woo.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo, right? I didn¡¯t call you over to pick a fight. I just wanted to get to know you better.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s favorite saying as a sessful businessman¡¯s son was ¡®keep your friends close but your enemies closer.¡¯

    Do Sun-Woo had the potential to pose a threat to his position eventually. Do Sun-Woo¡¯s physical skills showed that he was highly talented.

    Although Bae Sung-Hyun had also been called a genius, his level of talent was iparable to that of Do Sun-Woo. That meant there was no use in keeping him in check. Talented geniuses were called geniuses because they withstood numerous hardships and restraints and finally emerged at the top.

    Bae Sung-Hyun wanted to befriend Do Sun-Woo rather than keep him in check. To be exact, he wanted to take him under his wing before Do Sun-Woo¡¯s talent blossomed to its full extent.

    ¡°Oh yeah? d to hear that.¡±

    Fortunately, Do Sun-Woo epted the handshake. His grip was intense enough to overpower Bae Sung-Hyun, who had the blessing of superhuman strength.

    ¡°But what is he doing there? Is he okay?¡± Do Sun-Woo said after the handshake. He was looking at the student sprawled on the ground.

    The student was still lying down, curled in a ball and shivering intensely. Bae Sung-Hyun tapped the student¡¯s head with his shoe.

    ¡°He¡¯s my buddy. Do you want to y with us? This guy has a mad talent.¡± As Bae Sung-Hyun gave the student a sign with his eyes, the student immediately started to walk on all fours and bark like a dog. It was an amazing mimicry and sounded just like a natural dog.

    Jung In-Ah took two steps back in shock and Koo-Jun Hyuk frowned with displeasure.

    ¡°See? Isn¡¯t he just like a dog?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you''re right, but...¡± Do Sun-Woo seemed unfazed by the situation that had folded out in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s so cringe that you still y like this. You look childish and pathetic. Just saying,¡± Do Sun-Woo said with aposed smile.

    Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s face immediately turned to stone. ¡®Childish? Pathetic? Me?¡¯

    Bae Sung-Hyun tried to smile, but his lips only quivered in the attempt. Then, noticing the change in his expression, Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s gang started to approach Do Sun-Woo with red posture and menace.

    ¡°Pathetic? Are you crazy?¡±

    ¡°This guy is fucking trying to save face in front of his girl.¡±

    It seemed a fight was inevitable. Yet, even in this vtile state, Do Sun-Woo¡¯s calm smile never left his face.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun stopped the fight.

    <i>¡®Even if I could take on Koo Jun-Hyuk, I can¡¯t deal with Do Sun-Woo. Just by his handshake earlier...¡¯</i>

    He could still feel his hand throbbing from shaking Do Sun Woo¡¯s hand. On top of that, Do Sun-Woo¡¯s smile meant he was confident in winning if a fight ever broke out.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we stopped you guys on your way back home. I¡¯ll see you at school.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m d you realized your mistake. Oh, by the way, you know smoking is bad for you, right?¡±

    ¡°...Of course. I¡¯m going to quit.¡±

    Do Sun-Woo drove Bae Sung-Hyun crazy with his pure, innocent face. The fact that thement sounded genuine added fuel to Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s anger and frustration.

    As the three left the alleyway, Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s gang approached him.

    ¡°Who are those kids? Who are they calling childish? Fuck them for getting on my nerves.¡±

    ¡°What are they even on? They look so weak. I could knock them all out.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun had been quietly listening to his gang talk until the vein on his forehead was twisting and bulging.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    As Bae Sung-Hyun spoke, the gang fell silent. Finally, Bae Sung-Hyun let out a big sigh. ¡°Ha... I want to kill that motherfucker...¡±

    Not only had he intimidated Bae Sung-Hyun during the physical exam, but he had gotten first ce during evaluations and showed a sense of justice and caring for others.

    <i>¡®I¡¯m jealous.¡¯</i>

    Do Sun-Woo showed his confidence by courageously standing up to Bae Sung-Hyun without backing down and not sumbing to brute force. He was jealous that Do Sun-Woo had these traits, and he wished he would be able to be like him one day.

 Chapter 7

    <h4>Chapter 7</h4>

    ¡°Phew,¡± I sighed in relief as I walked out of the alley. My heart was racing like crazy. I knew Bae Sung-Hyun had a bad personality, but I didn¡¯t realize it was to this extent.

    [Bossou is tired. Tired. Tired... Very tired... Sacrifice, sacrifice!]

    I sensed a fighting and activated Bossou¡¯s power. However, Bossou was not in their best shape, so I refrained from using their power except when I shook Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s hand. I would have been in big trouble if a fight had broken out.

    It was weird to be pondering about this in the first ce. I was confused as to why Bae Sung-Hyun had been chosen as one of the student representatives. A conspiracy theory around the school imed that ¡®F.A. puts skill and money first, rather than faith and character.¡¯

    I thought it was a rumor and brushed it off, but looking at Bae Sung-Hyun, I was more convinced that it was closer to fact.

    ¡°Hey, you were cool back there. ¡®You look childish and pathetic.¡¯ Woah, I get chills from that line.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t copy me.¡±

    ¡°Wow, ¡®don¡¯t copy me¡¯? Even that¡¯s cool.¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk was making fun of me by copying what I was saying. He would not stop even when I asked him to. Eventually, I gave up. While we were monkeying around, Jung In-Ah¡¯s head hung low as if she was pondering about something.

    ¡°Jung In-Ah.¡±

    ¡°...Oh! Huh? Yeah?¡± She looked up, startled by my calling her name.

    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing... Remember the student lying on the ground? I was just worried for him.¡± It seemed like she was thinking about the student that Bae Sung-Hyun and his gang were bullying. She looked guilty that she hadn¡¯t been able to save him.

    ¡°I bet he would have been hit more if we had tried to help him. It¡¯s important not to do anything in situations like these,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said as he continued miming my speech. It was a surprisingly sound argument, considering it came from Koo Jun-Hyuk.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡± We could hear the slight bitterness in Jung In-Ah¡¯s response.

    After a few moments, we reached Jung In-Ah¡¯s ce. Her house had multiple floors, an attic, and a front yard. Although she seemed unsatisfied with her house, it was much better than my shabby house.

    ¡°See you tomorrow!¡± Jung In-Ah walked into her house and said goodbye.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk and I made small talk as we walked. Finally, after five minutes, we arrived in front of my vi. Right before I went inside, a question popped into my head.

    ¡°Koo Jun-Hyuk.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Where do you live?¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk scratched his head as if he had been asked a difficult question.

    ¡°Eh, somewhere nearby.¡± He smiled awkwardly.

    <i>¡®Hm, he must have his reasons that he finds hard to discuss. After all, everyone has their own secrets, like me.¡¯ </i> I walked to my house, shrugging off the thought.

    ***

    After a few uneventful days, the weekend arrived. The morning of the weekend almost tasted sweet¡ªwarm sunlight gleamed through the window, and the breeze was refreshing.

    It was a great day to go on a date. That is, if I had a girlfriend. Just saying.

    Anyway, I woke up at around nine and headed out of my room with my mask and clothes. Uncle Lee Jin-Sung¡¯s car was parked in front of my house.

    <i>Beep beep!</i>

    My uncle honked as I drew closer as if to greet me. I jumped in the shotgun seat and fastened my seat belt. My uncle was inputting directions into the navigation when he suddenly asked, ¡°Hey, did you bring it?¡±

    My uncle had been using the word <i>it</i> to describe almost everything recently. His age might be getting there.

    ¡°What do you mean by <i>it</i>?¡±

    ¡°You know, that, that, oh! The mask. You got it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah. It¡¯s in my bag.¡± I tapped on my bag with my fingers. A slightly dry tter came from my bag.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Driving was one of the many talents that my uncle had.

    I stared through the car window at the constantly changing scenery outside. I was nervous.

    [There is nothing to be nervous about. Have faith in me.] Legba''s voice brimmed with confidence.

    ¡°Uh, sure.¡± Even Legba¡¯s confident words couldn''t help calm my nerves.

    We were heading to a dBP-affiliated hospital to wake up the dBP chairman¡¯s wife, who was in aa. I wasn¡¯t sure if I couldplete my job as the Loa¡¯s power was significantly lower with the altar gone.

    ¡°I see that your phone¡¯s constantly ringing. Is it a friend?¡± My uncle snuck in a question as he was driving. I looked at the stacked, unread messages.

    There were a few messages from Jung In-Ah, some from Koo Jun-Hyuk, and several spam messages.

    ¡°Yup. Friends.¡± Some of the messages had been from Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah, so I exined that they were friends.

    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve adjusted pretty well, making friends already. How are they?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both kind. Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re at a clergy academy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? So I¡¯m guessing nothing is going on in school that I should be concerned about? Back in my day, we had a lot of bullying. Hmm, but maybe I¡¯m worrying too much. After all, you are in F.A.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun popped up in my head, but I chose not to bring him up.

    ¡°Oh, Uncle?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you invested some stocks in dBP?¡±

    My uncle pondered a bit with his hands on the steering wheel. ¡°Yeah. I bought them some time ago. They are a blue chip stock, after all.¡±

    ¡°Sell all of that in a week.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°I have a feeling they¡¯re going to depreciate soon.¡±

    My uncle tilted his head in response. ¡°Why? Is there a reason?¡±

    ¡°There is, but for the most part, it¡¯s just a feeling I have.¡±

    ¡°Who invests with their gut? I¡¯m going to pretend I didn¡¯t hear that.¡± My advice went through one of my uncle¡¯s ears and out the other. I wasn¡¯t going to pressure him to sell his shares if he didn¡¯t want to. It would be his loss, after all.

    I turned my attention to the window to observe the world passing by. I closed my eyes briefly, and before I knew it, our car had arrived at our destination.

    The dBP Hospital building, or the hospital officially associated with dBP, stood tall in the middle of the city. We got out of our car and got on the special VIP elevator. I took out my mask from my bag and put it on.

    <i>Ding¨C!</i>

    The elevator opened on the top floor with a clear sound. As the doors opened, two towering men stood before our paths as if they had been expecting us.

    ¡°Names, please.¡±

    ¡°Please tell the chairman that Kim Sung-Jin hase to see him.¡±

    ¡°Please wait for a moment.¡± The two men swiftly disappeared and reappeared secondster.

    ¡°My apologies. Please follow us.¡± The giants led us down the hallway. We followed them closely and passed by posh aquariums and flower pots before finally arriving in front of a room.

    The room wretched of the characteristic smell of disinfectants, and the lights were dimly lit and dull. Someone who looked like the dBP chairman sat in the middle of the room.

    ¡°You two, stay outside.¡± Responding to the chairman¡¯s order, the two guards bowed and exited the room.

    The chairman weakly got up from his seat, walked toward us, and extended his painfully thin arm toward us for a handshake. ¡°I¡¯m Bae Jung-Hwan, the one who asked for the request. Mr. Kim Sung-Jin, I presume?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, my name is Kim Sung-Jin,¡± my uncle said as he reached for a handshake, his back straight as a stick. ¡®Kim Sung-Jin¡¯ was my uncle''s alias whenever he took in requests.

    ¡°Then, who is this man next to you?¡± Ending the handshake, Bae Jung-Hwan diverted his attention to me. He seemed to find me odd, as I was a silent man with a white-bone mask.

    ¡°This is our cult leader that I¡¯ve told you about. He will be performing all of our rituals.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, the cult leader. I understand.¡± Bae Jung-Hwan nodded slowly. I had no reason to speak, as we had decided prior that my uncle would do all the talking.

    ¡°Now, Mr. Chairman, shall we get right to business? Or would you like to discuss some things over tea?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to business.¡±

    ¡°Then, would it be okay to turn on the lights? We need to inspect the state of our patient.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

    As my uncle flipped the switch, the room lit up with a <i>tack.</i>

    Bae Jung-Hwan''s jagged wrinkles were more apparent under the bright light. Along with his face, the appearance of many security guards in ck attire came into view.

    ¡°Wow, Mr. Chairman, what is this? The circumstances seem to be different from what we said earlier?¡± My uncle questioned as if he was terrified of the guards.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them. I have them here just in case things go south. You can¡¯t trust anyone, especially with so many people out for my money.¡±

    ¡°Aha, and can I ask where these people end up?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the fish tank on your way here? The big one?¡± Bae Jung-Hwan let out a vileugh. ¡°I give them to the fish. Ground to paste.¡±

    ¡°Oh, <i>cough, cough, wow</i>, haha. Well, we¡¯re not scammers, so don¡¯t worry about us. We¡¯ll definitely bring your wife back to life.¡±

    ¡°Of course. For both of our sakes. Correct?¡±

    ¡°Haha, yes, sir.¡± My uncle patted the sweat off his temples. I grew more anxious. The reassuring thought that it would be okay to fail quickly vanished.

    Failure meant death. I had to seed.

    With heavy footsteps, I made my way to the patient''s bed. The patient¡¯s face was pale, and their breathing was weak. Their arm was so thin it resembled a dry wilting tree branch. A repetitive <i>beep¡ª- beep¡ª-</i> sound came from the patient¡¯s heart rate monitor.

    Only when I checked the patient¡¯s state with my own eyes did my throbbing heart finally start to calm down.

    [They''re not in that bad of a state.] As Legba had said, they weren¡¯t doing that bad. It seemed like we were not going to end up as paste today.

    I put my hand on the patient''s head to initiate the ritual. As soon as I did, Bae Jung-Hwan flinched and got up, his body shaking.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s part of the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Bae Jung-Hwan chewed on his lips in what seemed like anxiety. He still didn¡¯t seem to have much faith in us.

    I ignored Bae Jung-Hwan and channeled all my attention toward performing the ritual. I released my voodoo magic into the air, drawing five arrays. Legba¡¯s voice boomed inside my head.

    [©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤.]

    I wasn¡¯t entirely sure about what they were saying, but their sentence seemed to contain words about life and death. Momentster, Legba''s chanting started to speed up.

    Soul, afterlife, resurrection, cirction... The sentences were getting longer, and more difficult words were incorporated into the chant.

    As the ritual was drawing to an end...

    <i>Charrrrr¡ª!</i>

    Purple bandages spewed forth from the arrays I had conjured. To be exact, they were ¡®something that resembled bandages.¡¯ The bandages wrapped around the patient¡¯s entire body, leaving no gaps.

    <i>Beep¡ª Beep¡ª</i>

    At the same time, the beeping sounding from the patient¡¯s EKG monitor started to slow down. The patient¡¯s breathing slowly thinned out. She seemed to be in critical condition and could lose her life at any moment.

    Bae Jung-Hwan not only chewed on his lips, but he also bit off his fingernails to the point where he was bleeding.

    [©¤©¤©¤, ©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤.] Finally, Legba¡¯s voice came to a halt.

    <i>Bee¡ª-------</i>

    And so did the electrocardiogram. This meant that the patient was going through cardiac arrest. The room fell dead silent.

    ¡°Ha, haha. Hahahaha. Ha¡ªhmph.¡± It was Bae Jung-Hwan who broke the silence. Afterughing crazily, he icily ordered his guards, ¡°Get them.¡±

    ¡°Wa-wait! Give us thirty seconds, no, just one minute¨C!¡±

    ¡°Shut up. It¡¯s my fault for trusting scammers like you. My fault. All my fault....¡± The guards captured and tightly secured my uncle, who had tried to flee. Then, after using their prepared cable ties to restrict miy uncle¡¯s wrists and ankles in an ugly fashion, they inched their way toward me.

    I quickly searched the room for an escape route. Unfortunately, my effort was in vain, as there were no escape routes in sight.

    [Did I mess up? I don¡¯t think so. The ritual went perfectly! Hm. I don¡¯t understand.]

    ¡°I told you I had a bad feeling about this!¡±

    Legba remained calm throughout the whole situation. While I continued ming them, I released the voodoo magic through my fingertips. I couldn¡¯t die here, not like this. I was nning to fight back.

    As I was halfway through drawing the superior curse of enchantment¡ª

    ¡°Darling, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    A clean timbre came from the hospital bed and cut through the room, relieving the chaos. Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s wife woke up from hera.

    ¡°Urgh, my head. How long have I been asleep? Where am I?¡±

    ¡°D-Dear.¡±

    Color reced the despair and anger on Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s face. No, it was not color alone that had returned, but emotions that were tooplex to describe. The emotional cocktail of happiness, sadness, surprise, relief, and feelings that had sprung from deep down had turned into tears that flooded his cheeks.

    ¡°Ah...who are all these men? And what time is it? It feels like I¡¯ve been asleep for so long.¡±

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long. Let''s just think... that you¡¯ve woken up from a long nap.¡±

    ¡°Why are you crying all of a sudden? And when did you get so old, darling?¡±

    Everyone in the room held their breath as they watched the moving reunion. It was a tear-jerking sight. As for myself, I usually don¡¯t cry, and I wasn¡¯t crying then either. I was just relieved that I was alive.

    There were many ups and downs, but the ritual was a sess.

    ¡°Uh, cult leader? Quick, can you untie these bands?¡± During the reunion, my uncle squirmed around like a caterpir, with his wrists and ankles tied. I released him from his bond by using a saw from one of the guards. But,e to think of it, why did he have a saw? Were they nning to cut our bodies into pork chop? The thought sent shivers down my spine.

    ¡°Phew, I thought we were dead meat.¡± My uncle stood up and fixed his clothes. With that, he nced at the guards as he slowly approached Bae Jung-Hwan.

    ¡°Hm, Mr. Chairman. You must be overjoyed, but don¡¯t we have unfinished business?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes! Of course. Look at my manners. I¡¯m so sorry you had to see that.¡± Bae Jung-Hwan wiped his tears with a handkerchief. His mannerism had changed. He now treated us with the utmost respect even though he had looked down on us earlier.

    Bae Jung-Hwan quickly wrapped up his emotional reunion with his wife and escorted us to a guest room, constantly bowing down and expressing his gratitude. I felt strange looking at Bae Jung-Hwan.

    [He is your friend¡¯s father, after all.]

    Friends? It¡¯s a bit moreplicated than that, but whatever.

    Bae Jung-Hwan was many things. He was the dBP chairman, a hopeless romantic for his wife, and Bae Sung-Hyun''s father.

 Chapter 8

    <h4>Chapter 8</h4>

    ¡°Ah~ What do you know, I was actually suffering with pain in my wrist. What a disgrace this is, eh?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. We at dBP will take full responsibility and ensure your injuries are handled appropriately. If you want, I can grind up the guards and leave them to the fish.¡±

    ¡°Huh? No, that would be unnecessary. I¡¯m fine with just thepensation.¡± My uncle scratched his head as if he was embarrassed. ¡°Anyhow, should we get back to the contract details?¡±

    My uncle joyfully took out the contract and handed it to Bae Jung-Hwan. Bae Jung-Hwan made a big fuss when he received the contract and acted as if it was made of gold.

    ¡°First, dBP will sponsor three high-quality holy artifacts to the Voodooists.¡± My uncle started reading the contract details. His demeanor resembled that of a creditor in front of a debtor. One would have thought he was a loan shark if one heard his voice and looked at his face.

    ¡°Second, all the money mentioned in the contract will be paid in full in cash. We can''t afford to leave any evidence behind.¡±

    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and you mustn¡¯t ry any information about the Voodooists. Any harm to the cult leader could potentially trante to your wife.¡±

    ¡°Of course. How could I betray my benefactor?¡± Bae Jung-Hwan was ready to give us anything we asked for. It was pretty obvious why: we had saved his wife and brought her back from aa. We were as good as gods to him.

    ¡°Hm, I think that¡¯s enough. You can give us the offerings during the next service you participate in, and we¡¯ll n a day where you can sponsor us with the holy artifacts.¡± My uncle stood up. I grabbed him and sat him back down. I had a few things to say about Bae Jung-Hwan''s son, Bae Sung-Hyun.

    ¡°Your son goes to F.A., right?¡±

    Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. Soon, his eyes and lips started to shake like crazy. He looked afraid. ¡°Yes, he does.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t your sone back homete at night?¡±

    ¡°How, how do you know that..?!¡± The fear in Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s eyes seemed to grow stronger.

    ¡°Haha, our cult leader can see right through us sometimes.¡± My uncle lied without flinching.

    I had no talent in reading people¡¯s minds. I just knew what Bae Sung-Hyun was usually up to. I went to school with him, after all. But that wasn¡¯t important.

    ¡°It would be helpful if you decrease the money you spend on your son. For example, the money spent on his allowance or the money you donate to F.A.¡±

    ¡°Money? Would it be possible to know why?¡±

    ¡°The money you are giving to your son is leading him down the road of a delinquent. It would be beneficial to decrease the financial support you give him for the sake of his future. It might also be good to give him a good scolding.¡±

    ¡°Our cult leader sometimes even reads the future, hahaha.¡± My uncle quickly added to my suggestion. Huh, read the future? Ha, as if. I couldn¡¯t even see my future. Why¡¯d he have to make up such fancy lies?

    However, it seemed like Bae Jung-Hwan was buying it. His eyes twinkled with faith and belief. After all, people who fell into the grasp of religion tended to believe whatever they wanted to. It was weirding from me since I was a leader of a cult myself.

    ¡°This is not an intrusion, but merely advice about what¡¯s best for your son,¡± I said, ring at my calm, lying uncle.

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know how to say how thankful I am. Not only did you save my wife, but you¡¯re caring for my son too.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. We will be going then.¡± With that, I got up from my seat.

    As I took off my mask behind the closed elevator doors, my uncle spoke up as if he had been waiting to talk. ¡°Hey, why did you talk about his son?¡±

    ¡°Just cause. His son is weird.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is he bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Not me. But he bothers other kids.¡±

    ¡°Huh? He must be loaded if he¡¯s the son of the chairman. Why is he like that?¡± My uncle grimaced as if he didn¡¯t understand.

    Even I couldn''t understand why Bae Sung-Hyun would do such a thing when he grew up with everything he ever needed. I had said the meaninglessst part of the conversation in hopes that Bae Sung-Hyun would change his ways and refrain from acting so brashly. I left the dBP building without putting too much thought into what would happen and got into my uncle¡¯s car in the parking lot. As Bae Jung-Hwan had promised, the CCTV records from today would be wiped out.

    ***

    After finishing Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s request, I spent the rest of the weekend practicing conjuring arrays using divine power. I was sessful in conjuring a lesser array but was not at all sessful in conjuring moderate ones. To give some context, all students in F.A. could use moderate arrays. That is, excluding me. This meant that I wasgging whenpared to everyone else.

    As I spent time focusing on drawing moderate blessing arrays¡ª

    ¡°Yes!¡± I was finally able to draw one sessfully.

    [What do you mean yes? You failed.]

    However, no light of blessing came out of my blessing array. Soon after, my suspended blessing array lost its color and turned to dust, and with it, so did my hope-filled heart. I let out a big sigh and drew a curse array with voodoo magic, just for the sake of it.

    Not only was it incredibly easy to draw moderate curse arrays, but it was easy to draw greater curse arrays as well. The drawn curse array glowed brilliantly and emitted a mystical purple mist.

    Why was it so easy to use voodoo magic and so hard to use divine power? Why was I so inept in using divine power? How would I be a prte if I had no talent in using divine power, and how would I graduate? The anxiety and despair hiding in the corner of my heart slowly creeped out.

    [It¡¯s okay. Remember, your exceptional talent is in voodoo magic!] Legba spoke amidst me drowning in despair. As always, they were not helping. It just increased the void inside of me.

    I needed to conjure a moderate blessing array in preparation for <i>¡®that ss¡¯ </i>tomorrow. But at this rate, I couldn¡¯t see myself seeding. It just seemed like I would just keep failing.

    [Again!!] Whenever I felt discouraged from the repetitive failures, Legba¡¯s voice would help me pull myself together. I pressed on, telling myself that whenever there was a will there was a way.

    ***

    The sun came up the next day, and my head was spinning, seemingly because of theck of sleep. My steps toward school felt like lumps of lead. I¡¯d probably fall to my knees if I lost concentration, even for a bit.

    The leading cause of this was the all-nighter I pulled trying to draw a moderate blessing array. Somehow, I arrived on time, and homeroom ss zipped by as I wasn¡¯t fully conscious of what was happening. Finally, it was time for <i>that ss.</i>

    ¡°Hello, everyone~ We greeted each other during homeroom, so let¡¯s get straight to ss, shall we?¡± Ha Ye-Jin announced the start of ss with a cheery voice. She held up a chalk and started writing something on the ckboard.

    <Utilization and understanding of divine power>

    It was the name of this ss. As the name suggested, this ss was focused on learning about divine power. This was why I had stayed up the whole night drawing blessing arrays.

    ¡°It¡¯s our first ss together. Anyway, in this ss, as everyone knows, we will learn about blessings and the three ways to utilize divine power.¡± As she spoke, Ha Ye-Jin expelled her divine power and drew two blessing arrays. Her divine power boasted a quality iparable to that of a mere student. What was more impressive was that it took her less than three seconds toplete the two blessing arrays.

    <i>¡®</i><i>F.A. teachers are on another level</i><i>.¡¯</i> I thought in admiration.

    ¡°I¡¯ve just drawn two different blessing arrays. At first nce, the two arrays look alike. However, they are overtly different types of blessing arrays, especially fundamentally.¡± Ha Ye-Jin added to her exnation. ¡°Now, here¡¯s a question for you all. How can we distinguish one from the other? Can anyone exin?¡±

    Ha Ye-Jin looked around at the students with a beaming smile.

    Without exceptions, everyone avoided eye contact. A bleak silence filled the ssroom.

    Just before Ha Ye-Jin''s face hardened with disappointment at the poor ssroom participation, someone spoke up.

    ¡°I think I know the answer,¡± someone said, raising their hand. Everyone looked at her with surprise. Jung In-Ah said with a slight smile, ¡°It looks like the cores of the blessings are a little different from each other.¡±

    ¡°Would you be able to borate and give a more detailed and urate exnation?¡± Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s face, almost hardened with disappointment, started to light up.

    ¡°To start with the shape of the core, one is spherical while the other is more elliptical, uh, um, and...¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes. Is there anything else?¡±

    Jung In-Ah¡¯s face was noticeably red as she continued exining. It seemed like she started to feel shy from all the attention she was getting. Oblivious to Jung In-Ah¡¯s feelings, Ha Ye-Jin pressed on.

    ¡°Looking at the cores, the one with a spherical core is a blessing array, while the other seems to be a healing array... I¡¯m not sure, but that¡¯s what it seems like.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Ha Ye-Jinughed whole-heartedly and pped. The students in the ss followed suit, pping reluctantly. Jung In-Ah shyly sat down amidst the apuse for her.

    ¡°These two blessing arrays may look like they have the same shape, but their cores are slightly different. Just by adjusting the shape of the core, one can change the nature of the blessing array itself. I would think that up until now, everyone has been drawing their blessing arrays by relying on their instincts to guide them. But, if you utilize the concept of the core of the array, you will be able toplete more precise and high-quality blessing arrays.¡± Ha Ye-Jin excitedly exined. To summarize, this meant that one would have an easier time drawing blessing arrays if one paid attention to the shape of the core.

    This was important information for someone like me, since I could not draw a proper moderate blessing array. I jotted down Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s advice in my notebook.

    ¡°As you can see, divine power can be utilized through drawing blessing arrays of healing arrays! Now, onto the next question!¡± Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s quizzing time had returned. The students hung their heads low even before she asked her question.

    ¡°Is there another way to use divine power without the help of blessing arrays and healing arrays?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer.¡± This time, Bae Sung-Hyun answered.

    ¡°Oh, please do.¡±

    ¡°Other than using blessing and healing arrays, you can also use divine power through a method called ¡®miracles.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Correct, well done.¡± Ha Ye-Jin smiled as if she was satisfied. However, there was no pping like before. This didn¡¯t seem to sit right with Bae Sung-Hyun, as he scowled and sat back down.

    ¡°Although you can only use blessing arrays and healing arrays at the moment, you can use ¡®miracles¡¯ as you improve your skill level. Showing you would be easier.¡± Ha Ye-Jin quietly and calmly sped her hands in front of her chest. As she closed her eyes and mumbled a prayer, divine power started to emit out of her.

    The divine power soon formed a ck, murky cloud. It seemed dense as if it was holding in a lot of precipitation. It was a rain cloud. The rain cloud eventually grew and filled the entire room.

    <i>Swaaaaaa¡ª! </i>Soon, it started to rain.

    ¡°As you can see, we can replicate the miracles previously performed by saints and the glorious ones in the heavens. We call this miracle replication, or miracle for short. Woah, the rainfall is stronger than I thought.¡±

    Once again, Ha Ye-Jin sped her hands together near her chest. Her body emitted divine power, and the divine power took the shape of a small sun shining brightly onto us.

    The sunlight warmed up our bodies which were drenched by the rain.

    ¡°You will not be able to use miracles yet. However, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. It¡¯s normal not to be able to use miracles at your age. With practice, you will be able to perform miracles yourself.¡± Ha Ye-Jin continued with a smile.

    ¡°Well, sometimes you aren¡¯t able to perform miracles if you don¡¯t have the talent to do so. Anyway! Shall we rest to dry ourselves? Take a minute!¡± The passionately teaching Han Ye-Jin offered a break. Her ss went by too fast, and it felt draining to listen to her. Ipletely understood why she wanted a break. It must have been hard for Ha Ye-Jin herself if it was this hard for us.

    After one minute, Ha Ye-Jin recovered and started ss once again. She had an awesome recovery. When it came to teaching, ?she was almost always filled with energy. ¡°I am going to need two volunteers well versed in divine power. Hmmm. Who to pick?¡±

    Ha Ye-Jin scanned the ss with sharp eyes. I looked outside the windows, pretending not to pay attention. I then looked up and locked eyes with her for a split second. Her eyes lit up.

    I had a bad feeling.

    ¡°It seems only fit that we have the two individuals with the highest grades in the evaluation.¡±

    And my intuition never fails me.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo and Bae Sung-Hyun, please join me in front of the ss.¡±

 Chapter 9

    <h4>Chapter 9</h4>

    Bae Sung-Hyun and I walked with long strides toward the front of the ss. Ha Ye-Jin greeted us with a smile.

    ¡°You both know how to use blessings, correct?¡± Bae Sung-Hyun and I weren''t that close to each other to say we were pair.

    ¡°Then, shall we try using the intermediate blessing of strength?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Hm, is there something wrong, Do Sun-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Oh no. An intermediate blessing when the best I could do was a lesser blessing? I felt the world going dark. Maybe it was because I was nervous, but my forehead started to break out in a sweat and my fingertips started to tremble.

    As I was dealing with my anxiety, Bae Sung-Hyunpleted his blessing array with outstanding skill. It was undoubtedly a perfect intermediate blessing of strength. His array gleamed with brilliance as if to boast his sess.

    ¡°Bae Sung-Hyun did a great job. Now please, Do Sun-Woo, draw the blessing array for us.¡± Ha Ye-Jin pressed me on. I took my shaking fingers and drew the array of the intermediate blessing of strength.

    As expected, I failed. The array lost its light and crumbled into ashes. I felt my heart crumble with it as well.

    Ha Ye-Jin seemed to be caught off guard and looked at me with a puzzled look. ¡°Um, was that because you were nervous? Try again.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± I gave up. My body shook, and my heart broke; I couldn¡¯t bear to try again.

    Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s face hardened. ¡°And why is that?¡±

    ¡°I can only conjure lesser-level blessings.¡± Ha Ye Jin¡¯s hardened face turned slightly softer as I told her the truth.

    ¡°Hm~ Okay, I understand. I can call someone else, but why don¡¯t we try onest time?¡±

    I spent the whole night yesterday attempting intermediate blessing arrays, but not once was I sessful. I knew I would get the same result even if I tried again. However, Ha Ye-Jin told me to give it one more shot, and I could see a glint of hope in her eyes. She saw the possibility in me.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I decided to try to make it up to Ha Ye-Jin. Although I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to seed, I decided to put my faith in her.

    I soothed my fretting heart and steadily started drawing the blessing array. I inserted the core made with divine power into theplex array woven with dozens of straight and curved lines.

    Right afterward, a brilliant, ecstatic light spewed forth from the blessing array. It was the light of the blessing. This meant that I had seeded in drawing aplete blessing array.

    ¡°I-I did i¨C!¡± But it was a short-lived moment. The brilliant light of blessing faded away and left a dull blessing array stranded in the air. I had failed yet again.

    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± I hung my head down. I couldn¡¯t face her, and I was embarrassed that I had celebrated thinking that I had seeded. It was a disaster.

    However, Ha Ye-Jin did not look disappointed. No, she looked surprised.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo, where did you learn to draw your blessing arrays? Was it at an after-school academy? Or maybe by your parents?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I learned by watching videos.¡±

    ¡°Videos? Are you talking about online lectures?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about... YouTube.¡± The ss erupted with giggles. Someughed because they were making fun of me, while others found me genuinely funny. They must have thought that I was joking, but I wasn¡¯t.

    I learned how to draw blessing arrays through YouTube because no one around me knew how to use divine power. I hadn¡¯t been to any of the popr after school academies either.

    ¡°So you¡¯ve never been to an after-school academy? And your parents didn¡¯t teach you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. My situation, uh, didn¡¯t permit that.¡±

    ¡°I see. You have some bad habits when ites to divine power. Here, why don¡¯t you try releasing some divine power?¡±

    I did as I was told, releasing some divine power from my fingertips. Ha Ye-Jin suddenly grabbed my hand and used it as a brush to draw a blessing array in thin air. Unlike mine, this blessing array was perfect, without any faults.

    ¡°Your first bad habit is the direction you draw your array. I noticed that you drew in the counterclockwise direction when most people draw in the clockwise direction.¡±

    ¡°Oh, huh.¡± It wasmon practice to draw circles in the counterclockwise direction in voodooism. It seemed that my habits had carried on my drawing of blessing arrays.

    ¡°Your second bad habit is in the process of you creating your core. You have a nasty habit of¡ª¡±

    <i>Ding dong dang dong~</i>

    Before Ha Ye-Jin got a chance to finish her sentence, the bell rang.

    ¡°Whoops, we¡¯ll pick up where we left off next ss. It¡¯s my first ss, so I didn¡¯t manage my time well. I apologize!¡± Ha Ye-Jin smiled as if to say she was sorry. As if waiting to hear that, the students started stretching their limbs. Bae Sung Hyun, who had been forgotten since I had been in the spotlight, had a dissatisfied expression. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and left the ssroom.

    Ha Ye-Jin smiled at the ss and turned her head toward me. ¡°To continue with our conversation, your method of creating your core is fundamentally incorrect. Hm, to be exact, it¡¯s not incorrect, but your approach is problematic.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Try to figure it out.¡± Ha Ye-Jin left the room on that confusing note.

    ***

    As Ha Ye-Jin walked toward the teacher¡¯s office, she pondered what had happened in ss. There were a lot of talented students in her homeroom ss, the ss of Charity. But three of the students caught her eye.

    First of all, there was Bae Sung-Hyun. He had tremendous talent, as showcased in his ability toplete the array of the intermediate blessing of strength in under ten seconds. He was clearly above the average.

    The second was Jung In-Ah. She had an eye for analyzing blessing arrays. Her analyzing ability wasparable to any regr teacher. However, her skills were not on par with her analytic abilities. That was unfortunate, but it could be fixed with practice.

    Lastly, there was Do Sun-Woo. He scored a perfect mark on the evaluation. His talent for religious studies and history was unmatched. However, he was not used to using divine power.

    ¡®No, it wasn¡¯t that he was not used to it... It was more like....¡¯ To be honest, Ha Ye-Jin could not clearly gauge Do Sun-Woo¡¯s skill level. Way too many things were off in Do Sun-Woo¡¯s blessing array to the extent that she was wondering how this was logically possible.

    ¡°Mrs. Ye-Jin, what are you thinking so hard about?¡± a fellow teacher asked Ha Ye-Jin, who was deep in thought. Ha Ye-Jin was bewildered and looked around. She was in the teacher¡¯s office.

    She had been so deep in thought that she hadn¡¯t noticed that her surroundings had changed and had made it to the teacher¡¯s office. Ha Ye-Jinughed innocently. ¡°I just had a very impressive ss.¡±

    ¡°Why, did a student cause trouble?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡±

    Ha Ye-Jin looked down and thought for a few seconds.

    ¡°Hey, is it possible for the core of a blessing array to have the shape of something other than a sphere or an ellipsoid?¡±

    ¡°Huh? From what I know, that¡¯s impossible. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Just out of curiosity, what happens when the core is not a sphere or an ellipsoid?¡±

    ¡°Hm, I¡¯ve never thought about it. I¡¯m not sure, but wouldn¡¯t the array fall into pieces?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s supposed to happen, right?¡± Ha Ye-Jin nodded with a dark expression and looked down again.

    ¡°Why do you ask? I¡¯m curious now.¡±

    Ha Ye-Jin responded with a bright grin to the question that her fellow teacher asked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Hey. You always lead people on, make them wonder, and stop talking.¡± The fellow teacher jokingly pretended to pout. Throughout the conversation, the only thing on Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s mind was Do Sun-Woo. To be more specific, it was the blessing array that Do Sun-Woo had drawn.

    A core was not required toplete a lesser blessing array. However, any blessing array with a higher level than a moderate array needed a core when conjured. ording to well-established theory, these cores had to be in the shape of a sphere or an ellipsoid. Otherwise, the blessing array would lose its power and disintegrate.

    However, the core Do Sun-Woo had drawn was neither a sphere nor an ellipsoid. Instead, if one were to be exact, it looked more like a cube, or something resembling it. This was why Do Sun-Woo had repeatedly failed in drawing an intermediate blessing array.

    But, the question was, why had the blessing array emitted light?

    Although it was just a moment, Do Sun-Woo¡¯s blessing array had spewed out the light of blessing. This meant that Do Sun-Woo had managed to conjure aplete blessing array, although it onlysted seconds. And this feat was done with not even an ellipsoid core but a cubic core. He had strayed from the norm and drawn his rendition of a blessing array.

    <i>¡®What is this guy?¡¯</i>

    Ha Ye-Jin was intrigued by Do Sun-Woo. It was not only the interest of a teacher looking at her student but also the interest of a researcher of divine power.

    ***

    After Ha Ye-Jin¡¯s ss, the ssroom turned exceptionally noisy. Everyone''s faces were filled with excitement and anxiety. I could not tell what was causing all themotion. ¡°Why is everyone so excited?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because our next ss is a training ss. Everyone is hyped because it¡¯s our first actual training session.¡± I had just been talking to myself, but Koo Jun-Hyuk suddenly came out of nowhere and answered my question. I would find him next to me sometimes, then gone, and then back at my side again. Maybe it was because of this, but it felt like Koo-Jun Hyuk was always next to me and far away from me at the same time.

    ¡°Huh. Do we have training next ss? Where is it at?¡± As Koo Jun-Hyuk and I talked, Jung In-Ah appeared and naturally joined the conversation.

    ¡°It¡¯s on the hill thates up when you go down this path. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s called Eiden Hill?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah? Let¡¯s go then.¡± Jung In-Ah disyed her characteristic drive for action and dragged us out of the ssroom.

    So us three set off to Eiden Hill that was located behind F.A. The name seemed to pay homage to a specific ¡®garden.¡¯

    ¡°Hey, Do Sun-Woo. Howe you¡¯re so bad at drawing blessing arrays?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk yfully started picking a fight. At this point, it felt like something would be missing if he didn¡¯t cause conflict.

    ¡°And how good are you? He¡¯s pretty good for learning through videos online.¡±

    ¡°Who even does that? Learning how to do blessings through online tutorials is unheard of! Weren¡¯t you joking?¡±

    ¡®¡®Hey! You be quiet.¡± When Koo Jun-Hyuk picked a bone with me, Jung In-Ah defended me. I didn¡¯t have to say anything. Usually, this was how our conversations went. Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk argued back and forth and eventually looked at me to find me awkwardly smiling.

    ¡°If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I¡¯ll teach you.¡± It seemed like she thought I didn¡¯t get a chance to use blessings because of poor family circumstances. If one thought about it, she wasn¡¯t technically wrong, but I felt guilty. I was discreetly lying to her.

    Of course, this wasing from me, and my whole life was a lie.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it <i>nonsense</i> that the person who ced twelfth in evaluations is teaching first ce?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to be quiet?¡±

    ¡°Ack.¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk stressed the word nonsense as if to put extra emphasis on it. Jung In-Ah lightly kicked the shins of the provoking Koo Jun-Hyuk. I justughed while watching their interaction.

    [I realized a few things from ss. Two important things. It¡¯s urgent.] Legba suddenly spoke to me. I could hear the urgency in their voice.

    However, I couldn¡¯t answer Legba immediately because Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk were next to me. I looked around and spotted a public bathroom close by. F.A. was so big that they had constructed public restrooms for convenience.

    ¡°You guys go ahead. I¡¯m going to make a stop at the bathroom.¡±

    ¡°Huh, oh, okay.¡± I sent Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah off first and walked into the bathroom. It smelled foul, but there wasn¡¯t a better ce to talk to a Loa.

    [Okay. First of all, you have a bad habit when drawing your blessing arrays. Fix it.]

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem too important. Why didn¡¯t you tell meter? I thought it was something urgent.¡±

    [No, it is urgent. Usually, all blessing array cores take the shape of a sphere or an ellipsoid. However, you used a cubic core instead. Do you have any idea what this means?]

    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not too sure.¡±

    [Curse arrays use a cubic core. Your habits from drawing curse arrays are apparent through your blessing arrays. Since F.A. teachers aren¡¯t idiots, they¡¯ll have you found out if you carry on.]

    I gulped. I did not know I had such a habit.

    [When you draw your blessing array, make a spherical core. Then you¡¯ll be able to draw a blessing array sessfully.]

    ¡°Woah, are you serious?¡±

    I experimented by attempting an intermediate blessing of strength array. I ced the core made out of divine power into the center of the blessing array. The blessing array seemed to emit light for a moment, but then it lost its glow and quickly broke down. To no surprise, I had failed yet again.

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not working.¡±

    [Huh, as if it would work when you¡¯re still using a cubic core. Use a <i>spherical</i> core.]

    However, I could only conjure a cubic core no matter how hard I tried. I didn¡¯t know how to construct a spherical core in the first ce.

    [Make it a sphere!]

    ¡°What?¡±

    [A sphere!]

    ¡°How?¡±

    Legba sighed. [It¡¯s clear that you don¡¯t have any talent in using divine power.]

    It was impossible for someone like me, who had spent seventeen years drawing curse arrays, to conjure a good blessing array.

    [Ha. Okay. We can slowly learn how to conjure spherical corester on. But now, this is something very important. Listen carefully.] Legba paused dramatically, trying to scare me.

    I listened to what they had to say with a serious face¡ªwhile sitting on the toilet. Very seriously.

    [I smelled the stench of blood and sulfur. Just for a second.]

    ¡°...Huh?¡± I thought it would be unimportant, but it was quite the opposite. It was earth-shattering news.

    Blood and sulfur were the key ingredients that Satanists used during their rituals. These smells usually rubbed off on them. Legba had smelled blood and sulfur during ss. This could only mean one thing.

    [It seems that the Satanists have infiltrated F.A., although we don¡¯t know why.]

    A Satanist was hiding in F.A.

 Chapter 10

    <h4>Chapter 10</h4>

    The Satanists.

    Unlike the Romanicans who worshiped their one true god Adonai and went against Satan, the Satanists worshiped Satan and opposed Adonai. They were the main reason why the world was infested with demons and monsters.

    Their purpose was simple: bring Satan forth to this earth, use him to destroy the, and rule the broken world as kings. Their intentions and focus were enough to entitle them as the dark masterminds behind the scenes.

    [I think they¡¯re hiding their scent inside the school. I have no idea how they are so good at hiding it, though.]

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know who it is, right?¡±

    [I could only detect the smell for a moment. I couldn¡¯t identify who it wasing from.]

    The Voodooists were simr to the Satanists in that they both were cults. However, no one treated the Voodooists and Satanists as equal threats. That was because Satanists strove to bring forth ultimate and empirical evil. They performed acts of plundering, murdering, and raping others on the regr and believed that their actions were ¡®benevolent.¡¯

    [They are crazy sons of bitches.]

    Legba was totally correct. They were crazy sons of bitches.

    And now, one of those crazy sons of bitches had snuck their way into F.A., which meant that at any moment, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to see a monster appearing and ripping a student into pieces.

    [Of course, maybe they just wanted to go to school, like you. There is no need to be so hostile yet.] Legba made it sound easier than it was. I had no idea why they had infiltrated F.A., and so I had to be on the lookout for them.

    However, I didn¡¯t even know who the Satanist was and had no leads either. There was no point in pondering about the Satanist¡¯s identity without any evidence. I pushed my anxious feelings to the back of my mind as I walked toward the location of our training session: Aiden Hill.

    ***

    ¡°Nice to meet you all. My name is So Do-Jin. Today we¡¯ll have abined practice session between three sses; the ss of Charity, Chastity, and Patience.¡± He had dark circles that came down to his cheeks, nk eyes, bushy hair, a crooked neck, and a face so pretty that he could have been mistaken for a girl. He introduced himself as So Do-Jin and added no exnation. Maybe it was more appropriate to say he didn¡¯t need additional exnations.

    ¡°So Do-Jin? <i>The </i>So Do-Jin?¡±

    ¡°Wow, he looks even better in person.¡± Some students recognized So Do-Jin and began to whisper among themselves. Even a few female students blushed from the excitement of seeing him.

    So Do-Jin. He was a member of the famous Order of Trinitas. They boasted poprity that rivaled that of an idol group. He spent his time in the mornings teaching and the night hunting demons.

    Since he only slept three hours a day, he always looked tired and worn out. However, because he had the looks, his haggardness worked to his advantage, giving him an almost decadent vibe.

    ¡°Silence. In today¡¯s session, we will practice eradicating artificial monsters and demons. We call it ¡®demon extermination practice¡¯ for short. Based on your scores, we¡¯ll split you into teams of three. I will not take any objections.¡±

    So Do-Jin¡¯s words were sharp, seemingly due to hisck of sleep.

    ¡°When I call you, get together with your group. Okay, the first group....¡±

    So Do-Jin started calling out the groups. The people participating in this exterminating demon practice ss werebined between the sses of Charity, Chastity, and Patience. This meant that there were at least three hundred students currently at Aiden Hill, making the group calling process take as long as ten minutes.

    ¡°Lastly, for group 100, we have Kim Jin-Seo and Ko Jun-Min.¡± Finally, thest group was called up. The groups that So Do-Jin picked were all conversing within themselves. I stood in the middle, dumbfounded among the three hundred students chattering about. So Do-Jin had assigned everyone to a group except for me. He didn¡¯t even call my name even till the very end.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± I raised my hand, and So Do-Jin red at me with his nk eyes.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I think you missed my name. Could I ask what group I am in?¡± Even though I tried to be as polite as possible, So Do-Jin stared daggers at me. It was the first time I realized that someone could swear without saying anything.

    ¡°Are you Do Sun-Woo?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I purposefully didn''t call out your name because I had something to ask.¡± So Do-Jin lifted his water bottle up to drink. ¡°You handed in your cover letter when you enrolled, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°It seems you didn¡¯t write what department you wanted to be a part of. Is there a particr reason?¡±

    There were three different departments at F.A.: the Departments of Priests, Department of Pdins, and Department of Crusaders. In a cover letter, it was customary to indicate which department a student was interested in applying to. However, I had not done so. I only had my eyes on bing a prte. I couldn¡¯t decide what path to take yet.

    ¡°I have yet to choose a department.¡± I told him the truth.

    So Do-Jin smirked. ¡°Yeah? Do you even want to graduate?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Of course, sir.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I see,¡± So Do-Jin said as if to mock me. ¡°If you haven¡¯t decided on what department you want to apply for, that shows me how little you think in your everyday life. You think getting a good mark on your evaluations is everything?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t under¨C¡±

    ¡°Choose your department soon if you don¡¯t want to fall behind during the department selections happening in one month. Ah, and Do Sun-Woo? You¡¯re in group number 100. Find your group members and join them ordingly.¡±

    So Do-Jin said all he wanted to say without listening to what I had to say. He was the prime example of someone who was uptight and overbearing.

    Before I could address my frustration, So Do-Jin began shouting at the three hundred students.

    ¡°Alright, listen up. I¡¯ll exin the purpose and the rules of this practice session. I¡¯ll repeat this only once, so listen carefully.¡±

    ***

    Aiden Hill, a hill located behind the F.A. campus, was surprisingly huge considering it had the word hill in its name. In addition, there were rivers,kes, and waterfalls dotted all around the area.

    It was bizarre that such a ce existed within Seoul, but it was beautiful nheless.

    ¡°So, who wants to be the attacker?¡± In the middle of Aiden Hill, below a thick canopy of trees, group 100 was discussing tactics. Kim Jin-Seo was the one that had spoken first.

    She had a tall nose and a slender jawline. Herrge, sharp eyes gave her a cool but sharp demeanor. Her pitch-ck hair hung just below her shoulders. Although she was objectively beautiful, it was hard to see her that way because she was too intimidating. Additionally, she was one of the seven freshmen representatives and the one bestowed with the Holy Name of Patience.

    I don¡¯t know if it was because of that, but she was very soft-spoken, despite her sharp looks.

    ¡°Wo-wouldn¡¯t it be the best if you attacked?¡± A student named Ko Jun-Min answered Kim Jin-Seo. He had thick sses, a hunched back, and a turtle neck. He had a very gloomy impression and seemed to have a habit of stuttering. Luckily it wasn¡¯t so bad to the extent that one couldn¡¯t understand him.

    I nodded my head slightly to show that I agreed with Ko Jun-Min¡¯s opinion.

    ¡°Hm... You¡¯re not wrong.¡± Kim Jin-Seo didn¡¯t finish her sentence, and it felt like she wasn¡¯t too sure.

    There were two goals in today¡¯s training session. The first goal was to defeat the monsters and demons hiding on Aiden Hill and extract the cores located within their hearts.

    The second goal was to tote these extracted cores using a wagon and cross the finish line as soon as possible. When the wagon crossed the finish line, it had to be intact, and any detrimental damage done to the wagon would disqualify the respective team. The greater the number of cores in the wagon, the more bonus points a team would obtain.

    In other words, a team needed to defeat demons, obtain cores, and defend their wagons at the same time. A team could only get a high score if they could attack and defend well.

    Therefore, we were debating on who should take on the role of an attacker, someone who could defeat demons while also keeping other teams in check.

    ¡°Do you think you guys will be okay? If I go out as an attacker, that means that you guys have to defend the wagon by yourselves. I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t believe in you guys, but....¡± Kim Jin-Seo looked at us reluctantly.

    I didn¡¯t me her. In front of her, she had a delinquent being scrutinized by So Do-Jin, and an iffy person like Ko Jun-Min with no clear strengths.

    ¡°It¡¯ll-It¡¯ll be okay! I can do a good job! Believe in me!¡± Ko Jun-Min raised his voice as if to protest Kim Jin-Seo¡¯s doubt. I felt bad for Ko Jun-Min¡ªhe even clenched his fist to disy hismitment because he wasn¡¯t very convincing.

    ¡°...Okay! I¡¯m convinced!¡± Kim Jin-Seo forcefully raised the corners of her mouth. She still had a face that seemed to say that she didn¡¯t have faith in us. She said what she said out of courtesy. However, Ko Jun-Min was oblivious to Kim Jin-seo¡¯s real feelings. He simply smiled ear to ear after hearing Kim Jin-Seo¡¯s response.

    <i>Fweeeeet¡ª!</i>

    A sharp sounding from the wagons sliced through the air. It signaled the start of the training session.

    ¡°I¡¯m going toe back soon, so sit tight, okay?¡± With that simple request, she took off. Her movements seemed sharp yet so free. It was like watching a cat in action.

    Kim Jin-Seo had left. So, it was up to Ko-Jun Min and me to slowly move the wagon toward the finish line while also defending it.

    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m from the -ss of Patience. Same as Jin-Seo. What-what about you?¡± We exchanged small talk as we pushed the wagon together.

    ¡°I¡¯m part of the ss of Charity.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see, the ss that Bae Sung-Hyun is in.¡±

    I kept up the conversation as I pulled the wagon forward. Although there was nothing in the wagon, it was incredibly heavy. In just five minutes, my body was coated with sweat.

    As they say, an empty wagon makes the most noise. Wait. Maybe that isn¡¯t the right saying to use in this situation. Urgh, my mind isn¡¯t working straight from the physical strain.

    ¡°Did-did you see how J-J-Jin-Seo smiled at me?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh. Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think she likes me? I think she¡¯s so pretty whenever I see her.¡± Ko Jun-Min continued to praise Kim Jin-Seo as we trudged the cart along.

    Kim Jin-Seo was the only one who had the right to be a clergywoman. She was an angel sent from the heavens. Ko Jun-Min narrated stories along these lines. The praises were so extreme that even the recipient of these praises would have felt queasy and ufortable listening to them.

    He used his hands, feet, and face to shower Kim Jin-Seo with praise. While he was busy doing that, it was up to me to move the whole wagon. Carrying the full weight of the wagon was enough to stir up newfound annoyance, but I kept my emotions to myself. There could be no good in fighting with my group mate, so I deemed it better to hold in my annoyance.

    <i>Paaak!</i>

    As we walked on, we heard the sound of a broken branch. Looking at the time, it couldn¡¯t possibly be Kim Jin-Seo. Therefore, there was a high possibility that the sound wasing from the attackers with the purpose of vandalizing our wagon.

    ¡°Ko Jun-Min, it looks like attackers are here. You remember what we said earlier?¡± I calmly briefed him with the current situation and reiterated our n.

    If we ever ran into an attacker from another group, the rtively weak Ko Jun-Min would act as bait and buy time. During that time, I would use the power of Bossou and run away with the wagon. It was the most optimal n we coulde up with, considering that weckedbat strength.

    ¡°...¡± However, Ko Jun-Min didn¡¯t reply. To be more precise, he couldn¡¯t reply. He was lying in the dirt, dead asleep. He seemed so deeply asleep to the point that he wouldn¡¯t notice if someone came and dragged him away. Logically, it made no sense for him to fall asleep so suddenly during a training session unless he suffered from narcolepsy.

    ¡°Sweet dreams~¡± Before I could calm my nerves, I heard a voice beyond the bushes. Two people stood there. One was Sung Ha-Yeon, and the other was an unknown girl with gray hair.

    An unfamiliar blessing array was suspended in front of the gray-haired girl. It was not a lesser-level array since it had a core. Nor was it a moderate-level array since it was too big andplicated.

    [It¡¯s the array for the greater blessing of tranquility.] Legba revealed the identity of the array. Like it said in the name, the blessing of tranquility was a blessing that instilled peace within the hearts of the blessed. However, once the blessing was used at a greater level, it not only instilled tranquility but it also put the recipient to sleep.

    As soon as I realized this, a wave of severe drowsiness washed over me. My eyelids felt as if they had turned to lead. I couldn¡¯t bear to resist the sleepiness.

    Finally, I closed my eyes.

 Chapter 11

    <h4>Chapter 11</h4>

    The blessing of tranquility was the only blessing that the gray-haired Kim Ra-Hee could conjure. Kim Ra-Hee couldn¡¯t even conjure a blessing of strength that a three-year-old baby could do. So, she honed the blessing of tranquility to perfection. After grueling efforts, she could finally use the greater blessing of tranquility.

    Other than Sung Ha-Yeon, who possessed the ¡®blood of purification,¡¯ no one could bear to stand conscious under the influence of Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s blessing. Everyone would immediately fall asleep, and there were no exceptions.

    At least until now.

    ¡°Huff, huff<i>...</i>!¡± Kim Ra-Hee stared at the panting Do Sun-Woo. He kept his drowsiness at bay by taking deep breaths and did not fall asleep. Do Sun-Woo was the first case to be conscious after directly taking a hit by the greater blessing of tranquility.

    <i>¡®Did he hold on with just his mental strength? Is he crazy?¡¯ </i>When one was under the influence of the greater blessing of tranquility, they would be washed over by a wave of unbeatable drowsiness. The level of sleepiness would quite literally be unbeatable. To withstand the effects of the blessing, one had to have extremely high mental power or suffer from a severe mental disorder that prevented them from falling asleep. Either way, this meant that the person who survived the blessing was not someone to be taken lightly. Suddenly, Kim Ra-Hee felt an immense amount of fear toward the boy standing in front of her.

    ***

    The greater blessing of tranquility was cast by a gray-haired girl named Kim Ra-Hee, judging by the nametag on the right side of her chest.

    The blessing that Kim Ra-Hee used had a devastating effect. The drowsiness brought on by the greater blessing of tranquility was so intense and sweet. I almost lost consciousness. It was not something that someone could withstand just through sheer willpower. However, at a certain point, my eyes suddenly opened. My fuzzy consciousness cleared up, and I was able to breathe properly. I couldn¡¯t understand what and why this was happening.

    [The blessing that the girl used is more of a curse than a blessing. So, I absorbed it.] Legba exined what was happening.

    [As you know, you are housing multiple Loa in your body, and some of us hone the power of curses. Absorbing curses and blessings is a piece of cake, although it¡¯s not perfect at the moment because we don¡¯t have our Altar.]

    I wanted to thank Legba immediately, but I couldn¡¯t. Kim Ra-Hee and Sung Ha-Yeon were right in front of me. It was not the time to carefreely thank him. These people were attackers, and their goal was to destroy our wagon and eliminate us. I had to defend the wagon from them.

    Luckily, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. I could conjure the array of the lesser blessing of strength or use the power of Bossou to immobilize them through physical force. I probably could only use Bossou¡¯s power for a short period of time, but it would be enough to fend them off. If all else failed, I could always run away.

    But first, I drew the array of the lesser blessing of strength in the air. Light spilled forth from the blessing array and wrapped around my body. I felt stronger than before. With big strides, I approached Kim Ra-Hee and Sung Ha-Yeon. As I walked toward them, Kim Ra-Hee hastily backed off.

    ¡°Wa-wait! Don¡¯te near me. I said don¡¯te near me!¡±

    <i>St. </i>

    Fear struck Kim Ra-Hee, and she fell backward over a tree root. With a devastated look on her face, she begged, ¡°Can you just let us go...Please?¡±

    She looked up at me with twinkling eyes. She was obviously acting, trying to win me over by drawing out sympathy. As a master of lies and acting, I saw right through her.

    ¡°Why? Are you going to call your friend?¡± I said, stepping closer to Kim Ra-Hee.

    Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of letting her go. Nothing was worse if she was let go and brought her friends for revenge. We were lucky this time, but there was no guarantee that our luck would hold during our next encounter.

    That¡¯s why I chose to immobilize them. Something along the lines of tying them up with a vine. Normally this would have been impossible, but for some reason Kim Ra-Hee was afraid of me. It would have been hard if she had fought back, but immobilizing a foe who had lost their will to fight was not difficult.

    ¡°Uh, uh, uh a truce! How about we call for a truce and work together?¡± Right then, the cornered Kim Ra-Hee proposed an interesting suggestion.

    ¡°Truce?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, a truce. Aren¡¯t you guys a one-man team run by Kim Jin-Seo? That Ko Jun-Min or Oh Jum-Min guy over there [1] can¡¯t even get up. At this point, you guys will never get first ce. First ce in a training session at F.A. Now that¡¯s an amazing achievement. Don¡¯t you want that for yourself? Hm?¡±

    Thinking about it, Kim Ra-Hee had a point. Furthermore, I needed to be a prte. If I got first ce during this training session, I would be one step closer to my goal.

    ¡°And what makes you think we can get first ce if we work together?¡±

    ¡°Of course, we can get first ce! At worst, I''m sure you¡¯ll be able to secure third ce. I have a really good n.¡±

    Judging by her expression, it seemed like she was telling the truth and did have a n. I was highly interested in her proposal if what she said about getting at least third ce was true.

    ¡°How do I trust you?¡±

    However, I needed to set something straight before we held a truce. We needed to establish trust. I could not join forces with them before knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be able to betray us.

    ¡°We¡¯ll give you our core. Will you believe us then?¡±

    Just then, I heard a familiar voice from behind. It was Sung Ha-Yeon. She still had the same lofty and prideful tone from middle school. I guess some things never change.

    ¡°You¡¯ll give us your core? To us?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s for a truce, then we are prepared to give it to you.¡±

    The core was one of the victory conditions in this practice session. There was no reason to suspect them if they were willing to give up their core to our group. I smiled at them. I tried to look as naive and stupid as possible.

    ¡°Tell me the details of the n. We¡¯ll talk about making a truce afterward.¡±

    ¡°Phew, okay, okay.¡± Kim Ra-Hee got back up, dusting off the dirt and foliage that had dirtied her school uniform. She started to exin her n, and I stood there, listening silently.

    ¡°¡ªWhat do you think? Not a bad n at all, right?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll work together with you.¡±

    ¡°Okay, then from this moment forward, group 100 and 32 are in a truce. We can¡¯t betray or doubt each other. We are all in the same boat,¡± Kim Ra-Hee said with a straight face. I nodded, and Kim Ra-Hee reached into her pocket and handed me their core. I took the core and ced it into our wagon.

    ¡°Give us five minutes. We¡¯ll bring our group¡¯s wagon here.¡± With that, Kim Ra-Hee and Sung Ha-Yeon left. Watching them fade into the distance, I thought about Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s proposal.

    Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s n seemed perfect on paper. Getting first ce in the training sessions seemed achievable if everything worked out as nned. ounting for some variables, I was sure we would be able to get a good mark.

    However, there was a significant w in the n. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was intentional or not.

    Only time would tell.

    ***

    Five hundred meters before the finish line, Sung Ha-Yeon and Do Sun-Woo were dragging the wagon along. The two didn¡¯t talk to each other and were focused on doing their tasks.

    Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s n was simple. First, Do Sun-Woo and Sung Ha-Yeon would move the wagon toward the finish line. Then the other three truce members excluding Kim Jin-Seo would scatter to collect cores via any method possible. The more cores found, the better.

    Then, the three people woulde back with their cores and ce them into the wagon. The wagon would be brought past the finish line. The goal was to have group 100 and 32 end in first ce together.

    The main point of this n was to utilize the power of numbers. Properly defending the wagon and acquiring more cores would be easier with more people. Not only that, but having a lot of people on the team meant that it was possible to divide thebor and n out a very efficient route. This made it possible for them to reach the finish line faster than any other group.

    They had hidden our wagon in front of the finish line, between the bushes. That was the point where we would wait for our other team members.

    ¡°Now, we just need to wait here,¡± Sung Ha-Yeon said in a crooked and blunt fashion. Although it wasn¡¯t intentional, she seemed to gravitate to that way of talking.

    ¡°So we just need to sit here and wait?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You can rest, nap, or do whatever you want,¡± Sung Ha-Yeon replied dryly.

    Do Sun-Woo just nodded his head with a perfectly nk face. It seemed like he didn¡¯t have any doubts and wasn¡¯t suspicious of anything happening.

    And so time passed by. One minute turned into five, then to ten. Sung Ha-Yeon looked at her watch, waiting. Finally, after thirteen minutes and thirty seconds, a ck mist carried by the winds swept over Do Sun-Woo and Sung Ha-Yeon. The mist smelled of acrid ashes and iron. It was a mist imbued with demonic energy.

    There was one thing that So Do-Jin had forgotten to exin before the training session began. Specific locations were periodically infiltrated by mist imbued with demonic energy.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the real demonic energy, but it was artificially manufactured demonic energy made by F.A. However, it was still demonic energy, artificial or not. Upon inhaling the mist, one would start to feel weak and copse after losing consciousness.

    However, Sung Ha-Yeon was immune to the demonic energy since she had the blood of purification. In other words, only Do Sun-Woo would inhale the mist and fall unconscious.

    ¡°Wait, what is this? The mist, huh?¡± Beyond the thick mist came the panic-ridden voice of Do Sun-Woo. Sung Ha-Yeon covered her face with her hands and smiled slightly.

    The truce between group 100 and 32 was a fake one all along. The real n was to draw group 100 in with the sweet temptations of a truce and disqualify them by dragging Do Sun-Woo into the designated misty area.

    Although they hadid out words such as truce and were in the same boat, it was already decided from the start that group 32 would betray group 100.

    ¡°My apologies. I need to do well in this training session,¡± Sung Ha-Yeon muttered amidst the mist. She had not spoken to Do Sun-Woo, because he would have been rendered unconscious due to breathing in the mist. She had spoken to alleviate some of the guilt that she felt.

    With that, Sung Ha-Yeon was finished with her task. Now she just had to wait for Kim Ra-Hee to return.

    When the mist started to clear up soon after, Sung Ha-Yeon felt a gaze upon her. In the middle of the dispersing mist, someone was squatting down and staring at her.

    ¡°I was wondering why you brought me here. Figures.¡± The mist soon lost its density and dispersed more. With more and more mist disappearing, it became easier to make out the boy¡¯s figure. His eyes seemed tock depth, and he had a dark expression. Creepy was not a word strong enough to describe this boy.

    Sung Ha-Yeon felt goosebumps all over her body, and her eyesight went ck.

    ¡°So you were thinking about betraying us from the start.¡±

    ¡°Ah, <i>gasp...¡± </i> Surprise, fear, and many negative emotions stirred within Sung Ha-Yeon, making it hard to breathe. Her irregr breaths and heartbeat caused her consciousness to fade away. Finally, Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s eyes slowly closed. Through her closing eyelids, she saw Do Sun-Woo with a cold smile on his face.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    And just like that, she lost consciousness.

    1. Oh Jum means piss in Korean. Kim Ra-Hee is making a joke out of Ko Jun-Min¡¯s name. ?

 Chapter 12

    <h4>Chapter 12</h4>

    Bae Sung Hyun was walking around Aiden Hill, looking for monsters. However, there were no monsters to be found, only remains of what ¡®used to be¡¯ monsters. Someone had gotten to the monsters before Bae Sung-Hyun could get his hands on them. He had an idea of who might have been responsible since only one person could do such a feat.

    After walking around impatiently, Bae Sung Hyun finally found her.

    <i>Crack, snap, drrk!</i>

    She broke open the demon¡¯s ribcage with her bare hands, took out the heart, and dissected it to retrieve the core. She had a nk expression and looked unfazed even though she was covered head-to-toe with demon blood.

    ¡°Kim Jin-Seo.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun called out her name as she was exterminating, or rather, dissecting the monster.

    ¡°So you were the one following me?¡± Kim Jin-Seo immediately got into a battle stance once Bae Sung-Hyun entered her sight. Bae Sung-Hyun held up his hands as if to show that he was surrendering. There was no reason for Bae Sung-Hyun to fight. Even if he did, he was certain that the odds were against him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight. Lighten up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth. Why would I y a losing game? Anyway, I¡¯m just here to ask you some questions.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun looked around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. After checking that there was no one there, he asked, ¡°How many cores have you found so far?¡±

    ¡°Twelve.¡±

    ¡°Twelve?¡± Bae Sung-Hyun scoffed. He couldn¡¯t believe it. Twelve cores meant that Kim Jin-Seo had eliminated twelve artificial demons by herself. Even after all that, she didn¡¯t look winded at all.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing. Must be hard to carry all twelve cores.¡±

    ¡°Not really. What do you want?¡°

    ¡°Sell some cores to me. I¡¯ll give you a good price for them.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun brought up his main interest. He had yet to touch any cores because Kim Jin-Seo had monopolized them. Then there was only one way to get cores: to buy them from Kim Jin-Seo. He was prepared to give her any amount of money she wanted.

    ¡°Why should I?¡± However, Kim Jin-Seo declined without hesitation. She had more than enough money herself. She had no interest in handing over the cores, no matter how much money was rewarded.

    ¡°Do you need twelve? You should be set with just one.¡±

    ¡°Bonus marks.¡±

    ¡°Ah, bonus marks, right.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun scratched the back of his neck as if he felt awkward. It didn¡¯t seem like she was having any of it.

    Kim Jin-Seo hated cooperation and negotiation in the first ce. If one phrased it in a good way, she was independent. If one phrased it in a bad way, she had trust issues.

    ¡°Get going if you don¡¯t have anything to say. Or, if you want, you can fight and take them away from me. That¡¯s your specialty, right?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun let out a weakugh. He was extremely ufortable and could not do anything about it. Kim Jin-Seo was not someone he could beat in a fight. She was also in equal standing to him in wealth and connections.

    Bae Sung-Hyun let out a sigh and tried to calm his nerves. ¡°<i>Whew. </i>Okay. Who were your group mates again?¡±

    ¡°Why do you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they Ko Jun-Min and Do Sun-Woo?¡± Kim Jin-Seo flinched and stopped in the middle of turning away. Bae Sung-Hyun knew who the group members were for group 100. It was because, no, <i>thanks</i> to Do Sun-Woo.

    ¡°So you¡¯re looking for cores while they''re defending the wagon. You must be anxious and nervous, right?¡±

    ¡°...Why would I be anxious?¡±

    ¡°Well, because they aren¡¯t skilled and are incapable of doing anything. Are you sure you can trust them?¡± Bae Sung-Hyun had seen the true talent Do Sun-Woo possessed. However, Kim Jin-Seo knew Do Sun-Woo as a regr nobody in the middle-to-lower tier within the ranks. Bae Sung-Hyun attempted to use this gap in information to negotiate with her.

    ¡°Let me guess why you collected twelve cores. I¡¯ve given it some thought, and it seems like you have no faith in Ko Jun-Min and Do Sun-Woo. You knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to be ced in the top ranks. Aren¡¯t you collecting a lot of cores to at least get bonus marks?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re reading too far.¡±

    ¡°Hm, not a bad n, but there¡¯s no use in having all those cores if your wagon is broken. Think about it. Do you think that Ko Jun-Min and Do Sun-Woo can adequately defend your wagon? It might be broken already.¡±

    ¡°...¡± Kim Jin-Seo looked shaken up.

    ¡°You see? If you¡¯ll be disqualified anyway, why don¡¯t you just sell me those cores and make some allowance for yourself? What do you think? Nothing bad will happen to you. We can also be closer through this¡ª-¡±

    <i>Beeeep¡ª!</i>

    Just before Kim Jin-Seo gave in, a loud noise cut Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s words short.

    The sound came from the speakers located all over the hill to inform the students about the training session''s progress. [Group 100 has crossed the finish line. All group members head to the finish line and check your results.]

    Kim Jin-Seo¡¯s face turned to stone when she heard the announcement. Bae Sung-Hyun was taken aback for a moment, but he smiled widely after taking in the situation. Kim Jin-Seo had twelve cores. However, before she could unload said cores into her group¡¯s wagon, group 100 had crossed the finish line.

    Although they were the first to cross the finish line, the condition of carrying at least one core was not met. Therefore, they were disqualified. At the same time, this implied that the twelve cores in Kim Jin-Seo¡¯s possession were rendered useless.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? Do Sun-Woo and Ko Jun-Min are unreliable. So, what do you think? Do you want to sell me those cores?¡± Bae Sung-Hyun thought this was the perfect chance and started negotiating again.

    ¡°Huh? Hey, wait! Listen to me¡ª!¡± However, Kim Jin-Seo rushed toward the finish line before Bae Sung-Hyun finished talking. She moved quickly and nimbly like a cat.

    The left-alone Bae Sung-Hyun let out a big sigh as his efforts had been in vain.

    ¡°... That bitch. She wouldn¡¯t sell it to me in the end.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun swore toward Kim Jin-Seo¡¯s silhouette that faded into the distance.

    ***

    It took Kim Jin-Seo less than five minutes to get to the finish line. She had amazing speed. Kim Jin-Seo looked around as she panted for air. Finally, she found Do Sun-Woo. He was sitting down with a calm, or rather arrogant expression on his face. Ko Jun-Min was nowhere in sight.

    Kim Jin-Seo rushed to Do Sun-Woo at once and grabbed him by his necktie.

    ¡°I told you to stay put.¡± Do Sun-Woo showed no sign of surprise, even though he had just been grabbed by the neck out of nowhere. He just had a carefree smile on his face.

    ¡°Yeah, it just happened. My bad for not telling you before it happened.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Kim Jin-Seo scowled. Even getting down on his knees and begging for forgiveness would not have been enough, Do Sun-Woo was trying to shrug it off with a measly apology.

    Although Kim Jin-Seo was confident in hiding her feelings, she found it hard to do so right now. She could feel her anger frothing within herself.

    ¡°I told you to stay put! Now because of you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± So Do-Jin intervened and stopped Kim Jin-Seo before she couldsh out with her resentment.

    ¡°Stop shouting, you¡¯re making my head ring.¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry.¡± Kim Jin-Seo bowed her head down to So Do-Jin. Only then did she let go of Do Sun-Woo¡¯s necktie that had been in her hands.

    ¡°Are you Kim Jin-Seo from group 100?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Group 100 made it past the finish line at twenty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds. You are not to be awarded any bonus points since you only had one core. That¡¯s all. Head back to your ss and take a rest.¡±

    ¡°...sir?¡± Kim Jin-Seo asked, dumbfounded.

    ¡°Do you want to hear it again? You¡¯re in first ce. Head back and rest.¡± So Do-Jinshed out as if he was bothered and tired.

    ¡°Yes, s-sir.¡± Kim Jin-Seo said, visibly shaken. She looked at Do Sun-Woo. He was trying to fix the knot in his tie. He had been repetitively putting the tie together and taking it apart as he wasn¡¯t good at tying it.

    ¡°You... Where did you get the core?¡± Kim Jin-Seo said, stepping closer to Do Sun-Woo.

    ¡°I told you. It just happened to happen,¡± Do Sun-Woo said with a nk expression on his face. It seemed like he had no intention of disclosing how he had done it. Kim Jin-Seo realized it would be a waste of time pressing him on and gave up.

    ¡°Uh, your necktie.¡±

    ¡°Hm, what?¡±

    ¡°...Nevermind.¡±

    Kim Jin-Seo stopped in the middle of her sentence and started to make her way toward her ssroom. When she abruptly looked back, she saw Do Sun-Woo, still struggling to put on his tie. It seemed like he was screwing up more as he put more effort into it.

    ¡®<i>Maybe I should have helped him with it.¡¯ </i>Kim Jin-Seo thought on the entire way back to her ssroom. The thought made her ufortable.

    ***

    [Might as well take it off at this point. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re seventeen and cannot put on a tie properly. When I was your age, we were married, had kids¨C] Drowning out Legba¡¯s useless rambling, I was focused on fixing my tie. I had never tried wearing my tie without the help of a mirror, so it was bing more messed up the more time I put into fixing it.

    After what felt like three minutes, I managed to make something that roughly resembled a tie. I was not quite satisfied, but it was good enough to wear outside.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo.¡± Right before I started to walk off to my ssroom, So Do-Jin called for me. As always, I could see the tiredness on his face.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°It seemed like there was ack ofmunication between you and Kim Jin-Seo, am I right?¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Only I knew of the n to piggyback on Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s n, getting all the benefits and using their betrayal to my advantage to secure first ce. I had not conversed with my group mates and acted independently. My actions shed directly with the intentions of the group-based training session.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m d you know that you did something wrong. I¡¯ve seen many cases where people like you don¡¯t know what they¡¯ve done wrong.¡±

    Apologizing right away was the answer in this situation. Although I wasn¡¯t sorry, I tried apologizing before anything happened. Luckily, this seemed to loosen up So Do-Jin a bit.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy about your rank as first ce. The process is more important than the results. Next time, try to understand the purpose of the training and act ordingly. Don¡¯t try to weasel your way out using tricks.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll implement your suggestions.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Head back to your ss.¡±

    I silently made my way back to my ss. I had lied when I said I¡¯d implement his suggestions. I erased what So Do-Jin had said from my mind as soon as I set foot toward my ss.

    [That guy, he¡¯s totally <i>that.</i>]

    ¡°What do you mean by<i> that</i>?¡±

    [I don¡¯t remember the word for <i>that</i>. Back in my day, <i>that</i> word didn¡¯t exist, you see..]

    ¡°Oh, you mean boomer?¡±

    [Yeah! That¡¯s the word I was looking for.]

    <i>You also sound like a boomer though?</i>

    I kept that thought to myself without saying it out loud. I was afraid they might get upset.

 Chapter 13

    <h4>Chapter 13</h4>

    <Steps to Confessions>

    (Make the Sign of the Cross) ¡°In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,¡±

    ¡°It has been (state the specific amount of days since thest confession here) since myst confession.¡±

    Confess. And then say, ¡°And forgive me of all the sins I havemitted unknowingly.¡±

    (After listening to the Father¡¯s advice and words) ¡°Thank you.¡±

    In western Seoul, a man was carefully reading all the steps pasted on top of a confession booth. The man made the sign of the cross as he was told and started his confession.

    ¡°In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, this my first confession.¡± His voice sounded calm. ¡°I havemitted an unforgivable sin. I knew God would not grant me forgiveness, yet I have shamelessly made my way here.¡±

    ¡°I have killed ny-two animals, free of sin, six men, three clergymen, two archbishops, and one cardinal.¡±

    ¡°...My child? You should not lie during your confessions.¡± Beyond the window, the urgent voice of a priest could be heard. It was a voice that desperately hoped that the confession they had just heard was a lie or even a joke.

    The man continued, unfazed.

    ¡°And I will soon kill tens of men. Please, forgive me of all the sins that I willmit if you can do so.¡±

    <i>Drrk¡ª!</i>

    The priest opened the window and peeked inside in order to see the face of the man who had justmitted sacrilege. However, in the spot where the confessor should have been, there was instead a dead rabbit carcass.

    ¡°Oh, Lord....¡± The priest murmured under his breath as he shuddered with fear.

    ***

    ¡°Hey, you got first ce, eh? How¡¯d you do that?¡±

    ¡°It just happened.¡±

    On the following day of the demon exterminating training session, Koo Jun-Hyuk approached me while I was studying. I shrugged off the question he had asked about how I got first ce. I thought it would take too long to exin the details of the psychological war that I had waged against Sung Ha-Yeon and Kim Ra-Hee and how it ended up with a betrayal.

    ¡°Jung In-Ah says that you¡¯re so full of yourself. You want to know why?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°You got first ce during the evaluations because ¡®you were lucky,¡¯ and now you got first ce during the training session because ¡®it just happened.¡¯¡±

    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Aha. I can see why Jung In-Ah says you¡¯re full of yourself.¡±

    I was really lucky during the evaluations. If I didn''t have Legba¡¯s help, I would not have ced first, let alone obtain an average score. I also just happened to make it to first ce during the training session. Everything I said was the truth. Although it might have sounded like I was a bit full of myself to other people, I had my reasons. I just had to make my exnations vague because they were difficult reasons tomunicate with others.

    ¡°Why do youe out to study every day in the morning? Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk asked while I had silently gotten back to solving my questions.

    ¡°I do it anyway. It¡¯s like how you alwayse to school at seven-thirty.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I mean, I don¡¯te early to study.¡±

    Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen Koo Jun-Hyuk study.

    ¡°Why do youe early if you juste here to chat with others? Why not just take that time to sleep? You sleep during ss all the time.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it. My eyes automatically open when the sunes up, but I get so tired during sses. It¡¯s weird.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± It was an exnation that was not worth my time. I passively listened as I diverted my full attention to studying.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk, who would have bugged me on a regr day with his endless chattering, seemed oddly quiet today. Judging by his deep dark eyebags, it seemed like he hadn''t gotten much sleep.

    When it was a quarter after eight, an unfamiliar face entered the room.

    ¡°Hello. I am Yoo Jung-Hak. I¡¯m substituting for your teacher Ha Ye-Jin. We¡¯ll start with announcements.¡±

    Where was Ha Ye-Jin, and why was Yoo Jung-Hak here? Everyone else seemed to share my concern as they looked at Yoo Jung-Hak with the same look of confusion.

    ¡°Earlier this morning, a Satanist was reported in western Seoul. Some teachers, including Ha Ye-Jin, have been dispatched to the scene. So, I¡¯m taking her ce and running the announcements today. If she takes too long, I might be here tomorrow as well.¡± Yoo Jung-Hak exined. Only then did the kids in my ss nod their heads in understanding.

    ¡°Far too many teachers have been dispatched, so we will have reduced ss times today. I think that sses will end around eleven thirty. That is all.¡± Yoo Jung-Hak ended the solemn announcement and walked out of the ssroom.

    The atmosphere that he set up was very different from that of Ha Ye-Jin. He didn¡¯t add anypliments about the weather, precautions about looking out for the Satanist during the night, warnings about being careful about the kidnappings, or any small talk.

    It was nice that it was concise, but somehow, it didn¡¯t sit right.

    ¡°Urgh, what did the teacher say? I fell asleep...¡± As I took out my books again to study, a tired Jung In-Ah approached me, rubbing her eyes. Like Koo Jun-Hyuk, she also had not gotten a lot of sleep. Her eye bags were dark and vivid.

    ¡°We have shortened sses today. Seems like the school¡¯s going to end by eleven thirty.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s good news. I¡¯m so tired today... I guess I¡¯ll head back home and sleep. I feel so busy ever since I enrolled here...¡± she said weakly, yawning.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk had been listening to our conversation from afar, and he came closer. ¡°You didn¡¯t get enough sleep either? I slept at three yesterday. Only got four hours of sleep.¡±

    ¡°I only got three hours in.¡±

    ¡°What? You know that¡¯ll kill you. You need at least four hours.¡±

    I was silently listening to their conversation. Both of them seemed to be boasting of how sleep-deprived they were. Shouldn¡¯t they have gotten at least six hours of sleep? They¡¯re growing students, after all.

    However, I was not in a position to say much. I had only gotten four hours of sleep, thanks to insomnia I had developed four years ago. I was no different from them in that I was also sleep-deprived.

    ¡°If the sses are shortened, I will head back home and get some sleep... Wait, do you guys want to eat out for lunch?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk suddenly shifted the topic of the conversation.

    ¡°Eat out?¡±

    ¡°Well, the cafeteria isn¡¯t open today. I need to eat lunch before I get back home.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Jung In-Ah started to fidget with her hair. ¡°Sure, do you have any ce in mind?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a restaurant that just opened in front of the school. It specializes in Western cuisine. Apparently, it¡¯s really good. Plus, I heard it¡¯s cheap.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great! I wanted to go there anyway.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯reing too, right, Do Sun-Woo?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk suddenly mped shut the book I was reading. Clearly, he was asking me to stop studying and answer the question.

    Since I lived alone, I had nothing to do even if I went home early. The only options I had back at my ce were to read books or talk with Legba. Eating out seemed to be a good choicepared to my options.

    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it.¡±

    ¡°Alright, so are we splitting up right after food? Or do you guys want to hang out afterwards?¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk seemed to be excited from just the thought of it. The tiredness that he was showing moments ago seemed to have washed away. Like most students our age, Koo Jun-Hyuk seemed to enjoy having fun over studying.

    However, unlike Koo Jun-Hyuk, Jung In-Ah still seemed extremely tired. She finally spoke after numerous yawns.

    ¡°I¡¯m really tired today. Let¡¯s just split after food.¡±

    ¡°See, I told you that you need at least four hours of sleep. Alright, we can split up after lunch.¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk looked disappointed. We continued talking, and before we knew it, it was time for the first period.

    We had no training sessions that day. There were only theory or self-study sses. I used that time to squeeze in as much studying for the test as possible. On the other hand, Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah used that time to sleep.

    Soon after, as it was announced, sses came to an end at eleven thirty.

    ¡°sses will probably run normally for tomorrow. Everyone take a break and get some rest today. Don¡¯t bete for tomorrow¡¯s ss.¡±

    With the short and half-assed end-of-the-day announcements, all students packed their bags and flooded out of the ssroom.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah¡¯s tiredness that they had shown all day seemed to vanish right after school ended. They seemed to be rejuvenated. As if they had nned it out together, they started to make their way toward me.

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo. Let¡¯s get out and grab food.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°And stop studying. I¡¯m telling you, Jung In-Ah keeps telling me how full of yourself you are.¡±

    ¡°Hey, when did I ever say that? Do you want to die?¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah were jabbing at each other as always. I closed the book I was reading, put it into my bag, and got up from my seat. They continued their conversation as we went from the ssroom to the hallway.

    ¡°Hey, guys.¡± It was then that someone behind us stopped us. We turned around in unison. It was Bae Sung-Hyun. He and his gang wereughing and noisily talking with each other.

    ¡°You guys are grabbing food, right? Let¡¯s eat together.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Us and you guys? Why should we?¡± Jung In-Ah asked as if she sincerely did not understand why. Her words were more straightforward than usual. It seemed like her tiredness brought out her true feelings.

    Bae Sung-Hyun scowled briefly, but heter smiled as he said, ¡°Remember what I said before? I just want to be friends.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to go with you unless you¡¯re offering to pay for the food.¡± Jung In-Ah said, grimacing.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll pay for it. Something good happened to me recently anyway.¡± Bae Sung-Hyunughed as if she had just stated the obvious.

    ¡°...Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s there to think about? If he¡¯s buying it, then it¡¯s a no-brainer. Alright, let¡¯s go and get some food.¡±

    Jung In-Ah still seemed unsure as she tilted her head to the side. However, Koo Jun-Hyuk smiled at Bae Sung-Hyun with twinkling eyes, pressing him. Bae Sung-Hyun smiled, satisfied. He walked past us with his gang to lead the way.

    Regardless of what Bae Sung-Hyun was like regrly, there was no reason to turn him down on a free meal. Even if we had no intentions of getting closer to him, we could just eat the food and split up right after. Whatever choice we made, it was a win for us. I thought about this as we followed Bae-Sung-Hyun and his gang.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to choose some really expensive ce.¡± Meanwhile, Koo Jun-Hyuk muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t they get embarrassed herding around like that?¡± Jung In-Ah stared daggers at Bae Sung-Hyun and his gang.

    ***

    Finally, with Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s guidance, we arrived at a restaurant. Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk looked at the menu with stern faces as soon as they sat down. Their faces started to harden more as they examined the menu.

    ¡°Is there a glitch in the system? There seems to be an extra zero behind the prices,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said, stunned at the price of the food. Jung In-Ah just stared in shock with her jaw dropped. She seemed so surprised that she had forgotten how to speak.

    Bae Sung-Hyun had taken us to a fine dining restaurant located a bit far from F.A. The restaurant served Italian cuisine. The prices for one person started at two hundred thousand won and went over four hundred thousand won[1]. It was not a ce for students. We were only here because Bae Sung-Hyun was the son of the dBP chairman.

    ¡°It seems it¡¯s your first time at a ce like this. I¡¯ll order for you guys if you find it hard.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk and Jung In-Ah ended up relinquishing the choice of their menu to Bae Sung-Hyun, as they could not choose what they wanted. Bae Sung-Hyun called the waiter and skillfully ced the order. It was obvious that this wasn''t his first time here.

    ¡°Oh, Do Sun-Woo, I ordered your food as well. That¡¯s okay, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Right? You won¡¯t even know what to order anyway,¡± Bae Sung-Hyun said with a wide smile.

    <i>¡®You won¡¯t even know anyway.¡¯</i> It was apparent what he meant. I was unfazed. Even if he looked down on me, Bae Sung-Hyun would be paying the bill in the end. On top of that, I didn¡¯t know what to order.

    Soon, the dishes start toe out onto the table, one by one. The entr¨¦e, soup, fish, and the main menu were all terrific, not just in their taste, but they were also beautifully ted.

    Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk dejectedly picked at their food. Looking at them alone was enough to make me nauseous.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how you¡¯re supposed to eat it.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun pointed his knife at me during dessert.

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to eat it with the syrup, not mix it all. An Italian would p you if they saw you right now.¡±

    ¡°Aha. Thanks.¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun had pointed out myck of table manners. I smiled in response. So this was the reason why he had invited us over for food. He wanted to show off his wealth and feel superior by teaching us table manners. It was indeed a thought that would havee from Bae Sung-Hyun.

    I did as Bae Sung-Hyun instructed and ate the dessert with the syrup. It tasted the same either way.

    ¡°Why is he making such a big deal out of something irrelevant? You eat it how you want to eat it. I¡¯m lost for words. Did he bring us here to flex his wealth....¡± Jung In-Ah mumbled next to me. Her voice was so quiet that it did not reach Bae Sung-Hyun. It seemed like she wanted to say something but resorted to whispering it because she did not have the guts to say it to his face.

    After everyone left the table, Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk¡¯s expressions seemed dark.

    ¡°I feel worse than I did before.¡±

    ¡°Me too. At least the food was good,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk replied with a satisfied face. Jung In-Ah nced at him as if she found him unbelievable.

    Bae Sung-Hyun was paying at the register, and his gang was next to him, noisily messing around. Some employees gave them unpleasant looks, but the gang did not care. Right then, Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s face, filled with much confidence when he handed out his card, suddenly turned to stone.

    ¡°...My card has been declined?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Would you like to pay with another card?¡± the employee said with a professional smile. Bae Sung-Hyun hurriedly rummaged through his wallet. However, the only thing left in his wallet was a little cash and his student ID. There were no extra cards in sight.

    ¡°G-Give me a second.¡± Bae Sung-Hyun started calling someone. Although I hadn¡¯t seen the name of the person he had dialed, I could tell who was on the other side of the line. It must be Bae Jung-Hwan.

    ¡°Father, my card¡¯s been declined. What? I had shortened sses and wanted to celebrate Mother waking up by buying lunch. No, I wasn¡¯t spending recklessly. Just, no, I¡¯m not trying to talk back to you. <i>Ha... </i>Oh no, I didn¡¯t sigh. I was just catching my breath...¡± Although he had held his head up high in front of us, he was a mere child to his father. After trying very hard, Bae Sung-Hyun finally ended the call with a devastated face. It seemed as if Bae Jung-Hwan had abruptly ended the call.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Bae Sung-Hyung let out a sigh, his head hanging low. The atmosphere turned dark. Even the employee¡¯s smile turned into a cold re toward us. It seemed that we would be escorted to the police as thieves who had eaten food and refused to pay.

    ¡°Can I pay with this card, please?¡± There was nothing I could do but hand out my card. To be precise, it was someone else¡¯s card.

    The employee took my card, read it on the register, and her eyes lit up with surprise. ¡°Ah! We have sessfully received the payment. Do you need a parking ticket?¡±

    ¡°Huh? No, thank you.¡± I didn¡¯t have a car, let alone a license. There was no need for a parking ticket.

    ¡°Alright. Thank you for visiting, as always. We hope you have a safe trip back.¡± The employee bowed her head bluntly. On the other hand, the other kids stared at me as if they could not believe their eyes. No one dared to move.

    ¡°What are you guys doing? Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± I said to the frozen group. Everyone started to move, ncing at me as if something didn¡¯t sit right with them.

    As we left the restaurant, Jung In-Ah walked toward my side. She lowered her voice and had a worried look on her face. ¡°Hey, are you alright? The food was really expensive.¡±

    ¡°It should be fine.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean it should be? A-are you sure that you¡¯re okay?¡±

    Of course, I was fine. It wasn¡¯t my money anyway. I had simply used the card that Bae Jung-Hwan had given to me. Come to think of it, essentially, it would have been the same as Bae Sung-Hyun paying for the meal himself.

    ¡°Sung-Hyun, what¡¯s the magic word we should say to Do Sun-Woo?¡±

    ¡°...¡± Bae Sung-Hyun was walking helplessly with his head hanging down, and Koo Jun-Hyuk was making fun of him. It seemed that Bae Sung-Hyun wouldsh out at any moment, but he was surprisingly quiet. He seemed so shocked that his card had been declined that he couldn¡¯t muster the power to swing at Koo Jun-Hyuk.

    Come to think about it, I might have been the reason why Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s card got declined. I felt a little bad for him. Just a<i> little</i> bit.

    ***

    Returning to the dorms after ss was dismissed early, Sung Ha-Yeon looked back at what happened during the demon extermination training session yesterday. Group 100 ced first with a high lead, and group 32 ced neenth. It was not a bad score, but it was not good enough.

    The original n was to betray group 100 and get first ce. However, Do Sun-Woo had not lost consciousness inside the demonic mist, thwarting their ns. Instead, Sung Ha-Yeon fainted due to being shocked senseless by Do Sun-Woo emerging from the mist.

    <i>¡®How can a person look like that?¡¯</i> Sung Ha-Yeon visualized Do Sun-Woo¡¯s face that she had seen right before she lost consciousness. He was expressionless and had stared at her with his empty dark eyes. It was not the face of a human being, but that of a demon.

    ¡°Urgh.¡± The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Sung Ha-Yeon decided to focus on her hobbies to forget what had happened the day before.

    She reached into the third drawer shelf in the corner of her room and exposed the hiddenpartment, revealing a book. The book she had hidden using the hiddenpartment was no other than a rom manga.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Sung Ha-Yeon said in amazement as the male and female characters in the novel shared a secretive rendezvous. The male character was perfect, from his looks to his personality. The same could be said for the female character. Their love story was nothing but beautiful and fantastic. The difference between reality and the novel brought dissonance to her.

    <i>m! </i>Sung Ha-Yeon mmed the book shut and threw herself onto the bed. She buried her face in the nkets.

    <i>¡®Why does it have to be him?¡¯</i>

    Sung Ha-Yeon felt the strength leave her body. She was a member of the family of purification, and every child from the family was born with the blood of purification. Over generations, the family had served the Pope as prtes and umted heavenly wealth and fame.

    Some people bad-mouthed her family members, saying they were privileged and lived a good life all thanks to their family. However, the price of being a family member was not low.

    ¡°...¡± Sung Ha-Yeon opened the notebook that she always carried around with her. It was from her father. The title of the notebook read: The Definitions and Responsibilities of the Family of Purification

    Every member of the family of purification that holds thest name Sung is born with the blood of purification. These members are called ¡®n members.¡¯

    Anyone who possesses the blood of purification is immune to any immacte force. Some examples of these forces include but are not limited to magic power, curses, and voodoo magic.

    Very rarely, there are people born outside the family of purification who possess the blood of purification. These people are called ¡®destined ones.¡¯

    The only people who can be chosen as possible suitors for marrying into the family are the destined ones. All others are exempt from ever being considered as possible suitors.

    When a baby is born, they have to have the followingst name: Sung.

    The following uses are constructed to prevent the n members, who have long protected the Pope, from tainting and mingling their blood with the vulgar blood of another.

    ¡°Ha...¡± Sung Ha-Yeon let out a sigh after reading over the information written in the notebook. To summarize, Sung Ha-Yeon could not choose her spouse and could only date or marry a ¡®destined one.¡¯ She could not be with someone that she longed for, and her only choices were people she hadn¡¯t met in real life yet. The thought gave her the chills.

    However, the biggest concern that Sung Ha-Yeon had was that it seemed like Do Sun-Woo was a ¡¯destined one¡¯ with the blood of purification. This made her despair.

    Do Sun-Woo had not fallen victim to Kim Ra-Hee¡¯s blessing during the demon extermination training session, nor had he lost consciousness after breathing in the fumes of the mist imbued with demonic energy. These feats were not possible unless he possessed the blood of purification.

    ¡°Why, oh why.¡± Sung Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t help but let out her bubbling anger.

    She was the only n member of her generation and was to be married to a destined one to continue her lineage. And now, Do Sun-Woo happened to be a destined one. She had not expected a perfect man like a manga protagonist, but she had hoped for someone close.

    In Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s eyes, Do Sun-Woo was way under her cutline. He was neither handsome nor did he have a great personality.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Sung Ha-Yeon angrily threw her notebook to the ground. She had thought about giving it all up and living a single life, but she was afraid she would fall victim to persecution by her elders and rtives.

    ¡®Wait, but that doesn¡¯t mean I must meet him now, right?¡¯ An idea lit up in Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t have to date or get married at the moment. She would have to eventually, but that moment didn¡¯t have to be now.

    She had nothing to lose regarding her looks and personality, so she could probably get with anyone she wanted to at any moment. She could always meet with Do Sun-Woo if she felt really lonely or wanted a loyal servant. There was no way Do Sun-Woo could resist a perfect woman like her.

    Anyway, she had no intentions of marriage, let alone dating at the moment. She decided to postpone going out with Do Sun-Woo.

    ¡°Ha.¡±

    Just thinking about it dampened her mood. Sung Ha-Yeon opened her book back up and drifted off to her ideal and fantastical world.

    1. Think of 1,000 won as roughly $1US

 Chapter 14

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>

    "As I said yesterday, today will be a normal ss." The next morning, Yoo Jung-Hak, who was the substitute teacher for Ha Ye-Jin, exined to the ss.

    Yesterday, sses were shortened because the faculty members had been called out for an emergency situation. But today, the chaos had settled down, and sses could operate normally. In the morning, a practical training session with the ss of Patience was scheduled, and the academy was once again recruiting additional applicants for dormitories as usual.

    Jung-Hak delivered all the necessary information and left the ssroom without hesitation.

    "I already miss Ms. Ye-Jin," Koo Jun-Hyuk said after Jung-Hak left. Compared to Ye-Jin, Jung-Hak was too cold. It was clear that he didn''t seem to like students very much.

    Jung In-Ah nodded as if she agreed.

    While talking about this and that, In-ah asked while looking around, ¡°Didn¡¯t he say we have a practical training session in the morning? Shouldn¡¯t we go outside?¡±

    The other students were already heading toward the training grounds. We were the only ones chatting leisurely in the ssroom.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at the clock. "There''s still a lot of time left. I think we can goter."

    "Let¡¯s just go now. It''s better to go ahead of time," I said to Koo Jun-Hyuk, who was rxed and nonchnt. It was better to go about ten minutes early than to bete.

    As I got up from my seat and started to leave the ssroom, Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk chased after me.

    "But what kind of training are we going to do? Why is this school so unfriendly all the time?"

    Koo Jun-Hyuk grumbled.

    "It must be healing practice since they¡¯re asking us toe to the barn,¡± Jung In-Ah stated as if it were obvious. I listened silently.

    Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk naturally ended up exchanging remarks with each other.

    "Oh, I''m screwed. I''m really bad at healing."

    "Is that so? Rx. I''m good at healing."

    "So what if you¡¯re good? I¡¯m still bad at healing though?" Koo Jun-Hyuk said while ncing incredulously at Jung In-Ah. She shrugged her shoulders and provoked Koo Jun-Hyuk with her smug expression.

    Listening to the conversation between the two, I couldn''t help but let out augh.

    [Hang on. Stop by the bathroom before you go.] Then, Legba spoke to me in a low, cold tone. It seemed they wanted to talk about something.

    "You guys should go first. I need to go to the bathroom."

    "Why do you always go to the bathroom right before training? Do you get a stomach ache when you get nervous?"

    "Just ignore this guy and go. We''ll be waiting at the training grounds."

    Koo Jun-Hyuk gave me a solid scolding, and in exchange, Jung In-Ah gave Koo Jun-Hyuk a scolding. I told them I woulde back quickly before heading to the bathroom. There was no one in the bathroom. I spoke to Legba while fiddling with my hair in front of the bathroom mirror.

    "So, what''s up?"

    [<i>That guy</i> has something to say.]

    "Huh? <i>That guy</i>?" I asked back in surprise. It was obvious who Legba was referring to.

    That guy was a free spirit that couldn¡¯t be tamed. Even I, the cult leader, did not have the means to restrain him. At times, they were cheeky and, at times, frivolous because of their jokes and pranks, but their power and authority was strong enough to contend with Legba.

    [Yes, I came because I had something to say! But you don¡¯t seem to be very weing. I must be mistaken, right?]

    [Your frivolous personality is tarnishing Loa¡¯s glory. There¡¯s no way we would be weing.]

    [It¡¯s not that I¡¯m being frivolous, it¡¯s that you''re being too serious, Legba.]

    Two of Loa''s strongest beings were engaged in a conversation.

    As if indicating that they were fed up with <i>that guy¡¯s</i> yful personality, Legba shut their mouth.

    [Well, it looks like Legba''s upset. It should be fine if I give them some candyter though.]

    Along with their humorous voice, an image of <i>that guy</i> shed through my head like a fleeting illusion.

    A tuxedo, silk hat, and cigar.

    Gray and purple fog flowed out of a cigar. From <i>that guy¡¯s </i>eyes, a red gaze pierced through the fog.

    The one who oversaw life and death, and the one who was powerful enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Legba.

    It was ¡®Baron Samedi.¡¯

    [As Legba said, I want to tell you something.]

    As I have repeatedly said, Baron Samedi was a Loa with a free spirit that could not be tamed. Unlike other Loa, Samedi did not settle in my body. Instead, they existed in reality and wandered throughout the human world. They would asionally tell me the information they had collected throughout their travels in the human world.

    [You must be on your way to a training session.]

    "Yes."

    [There''s going to be a big incident during this training session. I suggest you don¡¯t avoid it and face it head-on instead. There will be some damage, but it may benefit you.]

    "...Yes."

    At Baron Samedi''s advice, I nodded my head with trepidation. The information that Baron Samedi gave me was not very useful. Baron Samedi''s information was always vague and roundabout. It was kind of like a ¡®today''s fortune is...¡¯ kind of feeling. But the difference between a fortune teller and Baron Samedi was that Baron Samedi''s information was always right.

    [Then I¡¯ll be off now. See ya.]

    "Please wait a second."

    I stopped Baron Samedi from trying to leave.

    The periods in which they settled in my body were very brief. Due to this, there were not many opportunities to ask them questions. I figured this was a good opportunity to ask them all the questions that were bugging me.

    ¡°Before you go, tell me who the Satanist that infiltrated Florence Academy is. Also, tell me where the Altar is located. Just tell me these two things before you go.¡±

    Baron Samedi collected information by wandering the human world. Sometimes they wandered in the form of a human body, sometimes in the form of a beast, and sometimes in the form of fog. Therefore, the amount of information they had was iparable to that of humans. It was safe to say that they knew almost everything.

    It was likely that Baron Samedi knew the identity of the Satanist that was hiding in F.A., and it was likely that they even knew where the lost Altar was located. When Baron Samedi heard the question, they just giggled instead of answering.

    [You don''t have to know at the moment. I''ll tell you when the timees!]

    "If you n on telling meter anyway, you should just tell me now."

    [Nope, you¡¯ll have to find outter.]

    "Why?"

    [Because that way, it will be more fun. Haha.] Baron Samediughed as if they were making fun of me before leaving my body.

    Purple-colored fog flowed through the bathroom window and into the sky. Baron Samedi left me in the form of fog.

    [Tsk tsk, that bastard. At least tell us the location of the Altar!] Legba cursed at Baron Samedi, who had already left. It was a curse that Baron Samedi couldn''t hear.

    Baron Samedi knew everything in the world, but they didn¡¯t share that information with me. The only exceptions were if I was in an unavoidable predicament or on the verge of death. Still, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to hate them because, in critical moments, they would give away important intel. But as Legba said, it was true that they were a bastard.

    "Ah."

    I then turned on my cell phone because I suddenly thought of something.

    There were three calls. Two calls from Jung In-Ah and one call from Koo Jun-Hyuk.

    There were also text messages. They were roughly asking what on earth I was doing and why I hadn¡¯t arrived at the training grounds yet.

    I checked the time. Practice started at 8:30 am. It was currently 8:34 am.

    [It''s fine even if you''re a littlete. This kind of thing is also something that is worth experiencing.]

    "Fine? Just how is this fine?!"

    Leaving the unsympathetic Legba behind, I left the bathroom and ran furiously toward the training grounds.

    ***

    F.A. wasn¡¯t justrge, but it also had many unique facilities. They had a barn, a gym, and a sacred training ground. They even had farnd.

    The location for today¡¯s practice session was the barn. The problem was that the barn was located very far from the main building, and the distance from the barn to the main building was about five hundred meters.

    That was not the exact distance. Perhaps it was a little more than that.

    "Ha, ha, aghh. Ha."

    And I had to run that distance. I was out of breath and had the urge to throw up. My legs were shaking¡ªmy calf muscles especially were twitching. Thankfully, I usually worked out. Otherwise, I would have copsed from exhaustion while running.

    "Student, what''s your name?"

    Upon arrival, the instructor approached me with an attendance book. I was just barely able to collect my breath and looked up.

    "Do... huff... It''s Do Sun-Woo..."

    "Do Sun-Woo. One penalty point for beingte."

    The instructor imposed a penalty on me without a hint of hesitation.

    ording to F.A. rules, umting ten penalty points resulted in expulsion. Even a single point was a significant blow.

    "Oh, wait a sec."

    "Yes~"

    "Can you just let me off the hook, just this once?¡±

    "Yes~ of course not!" replied the instructor. The cheerfulness of the instructor¡¯s tone made me even more speechless, but it was purely my fault that I waste, so I had nothing to say. There was no excuse or valid reason to bete, so I eventually resigned myself and epted the penalty.

    "Instructor?" At that moment, a clear and calm voice called out to the instructor.

    The instructor, who tried to impose a penalty on me by scribbling their pen on the attendance book, paused after hearing the voice.

    "Student Kim Jin-Seo? How can I help you?"

    "ording to my knowledge, that student returned after consulting with the chairman. It was about schrships."

    "Oh, really? So you were a schrship student?" At Kim Jin-Seo''s words, the instructor put away the pen. The instructor then proceeded to pat me on the back.

    ¡°If you had a reason for beingte, you should have told me earlier. I¡¯m not the kind of person to dish out penalty points without a thought. Anyway, I understand the situation. It looks like you had a hard time running all the way here.¡±

    "What?" I was not a schrship student and wasn¡¯tte because of a consultation with the chairman. In fact, I had never even greeted the chairman before, let alone been in a consultation with him.

    I was justte talking to Loa in the bathroom. It was just in and simple truancy with no valid reason. I looked at Kim Jin-Seo with a stupefied expression. She raised her index finger and put it on her lips. She was just telling me to let the situation pass like this quietly.

    I don¡¯t know why she helped me, but I didn¡¯t think about it too deeply and decided to be thankful that I was not receiving a penalty point. I headed to the area where the rest of the ss was lined up.

    As I joined the group, Jung In-Ah looked at me nervously while biting her nails.

    ¡°Hey! Why were you sote?¡±

    ¡°I got lost on the way.¡±

    "You have to make a usible excuse for me to believe it... Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s true?¡±

    "It¡¯s half true."

    "Half? No, then what about the other half?"

    Jung In-Ah frowned as if she didn''t understand me. Koo Jun-Hyuk slowly approached me with a stupid smile.

    ¡°And this is why it''s inevitable that you''ll be famous. You¡¯re really something special. It¡¯s an enviable talent,¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk said jokingly andughed.

    I wanted to respond, but the situation did not allow for it. This was because the teacher had begun to exin the training session.

    "Now that we''re all here let''s start the training session. As you all know, this is a practical training exercise with the ss of Patience and Charity. Now then, everyone, please look over here."

    The teacher raised his hand and pointed to the right of the barn.

    In the location that he was pointing to, there were a number of dogs. Each one of the dogs was making whining noises. Upon further examination, there were dogs with dislocated shoulders and those with limp legs. Those dogs had sustained some sort of injury.

    "These are military dogs used by the Pdin Order. All of them were injured during a mission."

    The kids who were listening to the exnation looked at the injured dogs with pity.

    "Each person will be given one injured dog. You will need to use healing arrays and blessing arrays to treat the injured dogs. Of course, the faster the dog recovers, the higher the score you will get."

    The teacher had the staff at the barn carry out the injured dogs. The staff members picked up the injured dogs and delivered them to the students. Thus, one injured dog was assigned per person. A limping dog that was whining in pain was ced in front of me.

    "Well, let¡¯s start now. If, for some reason, the injured dog¡¯s condition is critical, you are to report it to me immediately. If you do not report it to me and the dog happens to die, then you will immediately be disqualified. Also, there is no way this will happen, but if you fail to treat the dog in under fifteen minutes, you will also be disqualified.¡±

    With that, the practical training session began. The teacher simply recited the precautions and turned on the stopwatch. The students busily began to draw healing and blessing arrays.

    Meanwhile, I slowly sank into a deep, dark pit of despair. I had no idea how to create healing arrays, and I didn¡¯t know any blessing arrays that were rted to recovery. In other words, I had no way of treating a wounded dog.

    While the other kids were already treating the dogs with healing arrays, I could do nothing but stand there like an idiot.

    [Use restoration voodoo magic.]

    While I was at a loss for what to do, Legba quietly suggested a solution.

 Chapter 15

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>

    Restoration.

    Restoration was a Voodoo spell that was simr to divine-powered healing magic. As the name suggested, it was a spell that could fix a damaged body part by ¡®restoring¡¯ it to its original condition.

    Among the Voodoo spells, it had the highest difficulty. The curse array for restoration was several times moreplicated than other curse arrays. However, even the restoration spell wasn¡¯t too difficult for me.

    The real problem was that this was Florence Academy. If I used the restoration spell, the fact that I was a Voodoo Cult Leader would be discovered.

    [It should be fine if we use lesser restoration. If we do that, the chance of getting caught will be very low.]

    Indeed, if I used a lesser restoration spell, the chance of getting caught would significantly decrease.

    The words ¡®chance of getting caught will be very low¡¯ could also be reversed to mean ¡®a chance that we could get caught exists.¡¯

    Furthermore, there was an instructor here. If it were only students, it might have been fine, but if we factored in the instructor, the chance of getting caught would exponentially increase. I couldn''t risk using the restoration spell if there was even a slight chance of getting caught.

    [So what are you going to do? You¡¯re a guy who can¡¯t use healing arrays or blessing arrays. What sort of trick are you going to use to heal the injured dog then?]

    Legba began to speak curtly as if expressing his annoyance. Legba was absolutely right. At the moment, there was no way for me to cure the injured dog.

    Until now, I had never sessfully created a healing array. However, there was no guarantee that I couldn¡¯t create one right now. So I started to draw a healing array. It was my first time trying to draw a healing array.

    It was going more smoothly than I expected. Considering that it was my first time drawing a healing array, the result was surprisingly neat. This was all thanks to listening in ss without dozing off and spending my free time studying.

    Just as I was able to draw 30% of the healing array...

    "I¡¯m done."

    A clear tone tickled my ears. Kim Jin-Seo hadpleted the task in less than three minutes after starting. The injured dog she had treated gently wagged their tail, expressing its thanks to Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo swept awards in martial arts and sacred brawlpetitions from an early age. Thus, I was already aware that she had a natural talent for fighting. However, I had no idea that she had a talent for not only blessings but also for healing.

    This is just my two cents, but I couldn¡¯t help but think that God was unfair.

    "Phew, I¡¯m done!"

    "The treatment is done."

    "Instructor, the treatment isplete."

    And that wasn¡¯t the end of it. Starting with Jin-Seo, the other students also seeded in treating the dogs one after another. Of course, Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk were among them.

    Meanwhile, I had not evenpleted half of the healing array. My hands abruptly started shaking. My heart was beating like crazy, and cold sweat was forming on my forehead. I was getting impatient with the thought that I might be falling behind.

    The instructor walking about evaluated the students who finished the treatment and said, ¡°Five minutes left.¡±

    Unfortunately, time did not wait for me.

    [You should''ve just used restoration earlier. It''s toote now.] Legba reprimanded me.

    Including me, five students had not yet seeded in the treatment.

    All the students who finished the treatment were observing us five intently. It wasn¡¯t possible to use restoration with so many people watching us. If I was going to use restoration, I should have used it earlier.

    As a wave of meaningless regret washed over me, the healing array reached 75%pletion.

    ¡°Only one minute left. It¡¯s time to wrap up.¡±

    Progress was slow, and time passed quickly. Thepletion rate was 90%.

    "Thirty seconds left. You''re disqualified if you time out. Hurry up."

    100%.

    At longst, I was able to get light to flow out from the healing array, and I somehow managed toplete the healing array. However, it was far from perfect. It was because my hands had started shaking mid-way nervously.

    The light of healing soon enveloped the body of the injured dog. The injured dog¡¯s leg gradually recovered strength. Fortunately, I was able to heal the dog sessfully. I wiped the sweat off my face as I savored the moment. It was a lesser healing array at best, but that was enough.

    "I¡¯m done."

    "Yes, that student is thest one. Everyone else is disqualified."

    Just before reaching 15 minutes, at approximately 14 minutes 59 seconds, I was able to heal the dog sessfully.

    With that, the practical training session came to a close. The instructor wandered amongst the students with his score sheet to check the condition of the dogs. The teacher finished scoring the students and went to stand in front of Jin-Seo.

    ¡°Good job, everyone. Now then, shall we take a look at the injured dog that Jin-Seo treated first?¡±

    The teacher patted Jin-Seo¡¯s injured dog. The dog wagged its tail as it panted.

    ¡°Obviously, the faster the treatment, the better. It¡¯s best to finish healing before the injury bes more severe. However, the more impatient you are, the more likely you will miss the details. No matter how quickly you heal the dog, it¡¯s meaningless if you neglect the small details.¡±

    The instructorid the injured dog down. The dog exposed its stomach and wiggled around. The instructor caressed the injured dog¡¯s stomach.

    ¡°This doggy injured its legs, stomach, and airways while saving a citizen from a fire. The legs and the stomach are easy to heal because they are visible, but burns in the airways are not immediately visible. Jin-Seopletely healed all those small details. She¡¯s an excellent role model."

    The teacher listed a long string ofpliments. A few ps of apuse leaked out from the students, but it was not long before the apuse spread like a wave. Eventually, the students gave Jin-Seo a full-blown round of apuse.

    Regardless, there was no change in Jin-Seo''s expression. It was a dull face with no hints of delight, joy, or aplishment. Rather, it was a face that seemed to be filled with boredom.

    ¡°Right, the student who ced first in the freshman evaluations is in the ss of Charity. Who was it again? I''m looking forward to seeing their result."

    The teacher praised Jin-Seo extensively and looked for the student who ced first in the freshman evaluations.

    I had wanted this situation to pass by quietly. However, some students who knew me began to stare in my direction. Thus, I had no choice but to raise my hand.

    "That''s me..." Not only was Ite to the training session, but I had also just barely finished the treatment in under fifteen minutes. I felt embarrassed to raise my hand.

    ¡°Oh, um, well... Do Sun-Woo, right? Let''s also check Do Sun-Woo¡¯s injured dog.¡±

    The instructor examined my injured dog in detail. There were times when he gave a small nod. However, there were far more times when he frowned with dissatisfaction. I watched the entire process anxiously as if I were on pins and needles.

    ¡°It¡¯s not bad. The dislocated part has been attached properly, but some parts arecking. Did you use a lesser healing array by any chance?¡±

    "Yes," I answered weakly.

    It was practically a public execution.

    ¡°The tendons in the joints haven¡¯t healed properly, so there is a risk that it may dislocate again soon. This part was a little disappointing. Anyway, good job. Don¡¯t get too discouraged about this.¡±

    The teacher softened the blow with some words offort. However, there wasn¡¯t much respite because my mental state had already long since copsed into oblivion.

    Eventually, the teacher moved toward In-Ah to showcase the next exemr to the ss. The teacher exined how amazing and sophisticated In-Ah''s healing was, but I couldn¡¯t process anything they said.

    [Hang on, look at that.]

    I could hear Legba''s voice through the gaps of my shattered ego.

    [It''s not a blessing. It''s a Pentagram!]

    "Huh?"

    I came to my senses when the word Pentagram came out of Legba''s mouth. I frantically observed the area. As Legba said, someone was drawing a magic circle in the corner of the barn far away. It wasn''t a blessing array or a healing array, and it wasn¡¯t even a curse array.

    It was a ck magic array.

    A ck magic array was used for casting ck magic. ck magic arrays were always created with a pentagram shape as the base, so they weremonly referred to as Pentagrams. And the Satanists used ck magic.

    In other words, it meant that the man drawing the Pentagram in the corner of the barn was the Satanist who had infiltrated F.A.

    "Kyaaa!"

    Before I could even open my mouth, an ear-splitting scream resounded through the barn. A military dog was biting the arm of a female student from the ss of Patience. The military dog¡¯s eyes no longer contained the innocence they had before. There were only bloodshot eyes filled with madness and desire.

    "Oh, my God! Ahhhhhhhhh-!¡±

    ¡°Save me. Instructor, please save me...!¡±

    The screams did not end there. The military dogs had been turned into demonic beasts through the influence of ck magic that the Satanists had cast. Now, they were attacking the students in unison.

    The barn, which had previously been quiet with the familiar smell of dirt, was now filled with only screams and the strong smell of blood. The students with no practical experience could only helplessly copse in front of the might of two hundred demonic beasts.

    In front of the pandemonium, everyone lost theirposure. Except for three people.

    "Calm down. Let''s stick together for now. I¡¯ll deal with this situation somehow.¡±

    The first person was Jin-Seo. She pacified the terrified kids and gathered them in one ce. She faithfully followed the standard protocol, which stated that when facing demonic beasts, it was better to group up than to spread out. After gathering as many students as possible, she used a number of blessings, including the blessing of strength, to defend the students.

    The second person was me. The first thing I did was find In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk. My n was to eliminate the demonic beasts one at a time with the help of those two. As long as I acted calmly, it would be possible to deal with the situation.

    However, In-Ah had already lost herposure and was panicking. Fortunately, she was able to hide her body in a rtively safe ce, but it seemed like a stretch to ask her for help in this situation.

    Jun-Hyuk was different. He was calmly analyzing the situation. His eyes were unperturbed without the slightest hint of disturbance.

    "Koo Jun-Hyuk!" I yelled out Jun-Hyuk¡¯s name and asked him for help. "Stick with me. We have to reduce the numbers by dealing with them one at a time!¡±

    Jun-Hyuk listened to my words and looked at me with a sad face.

    "Sun-Woo, I''m sorryyyy-!"

    With that, he ran away like a madman.

    No matter how he looked at the situation, it must have looked like there was no chance of victory, so he must have made the choice to retreat and preserve his own life. It could be said to be a rational and logical decision. Of course, from Jun-Hyuk¡¯s perspective, this must have been the case. However, from my perspective...

    ¡°Hey, you bastard-!¡± He was nothing but a traitor.

    No matter how much I cursed and screamed, Jun-Hyuk didn''t look back and just ran. I had no idea that bastard was such a fast runner. When running away, his speed wasparable to an Olympic track and field athlete.

    Hence, the third person was Jun-Hyuk. And he made the logical decision to run away. I hate to admit it, but out of the three of us, he was probably the mostposed one.

    [This is too cruel. Just who the hell would do this, and for what reason?]

    I watched the situation from my current position.

    Jin-Seo fought by breaking the heads of the demonic beasts with her fists or kicking them. Since she had no weapons, the lethality of her blows was weak, and her stamina would gradually give out.

    A demonic beast had bitten off Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s ear. The bleeding and the pain were so severe that it was impossible for him to continue fighting. While healing the injured students, the healing instructor¡¯s ankle was bitten by demonic beasts. As a result, he was unable to walk.

    There was not a single person who was uninjured. On the other hand, there were still countless demonic beasts. As a rough estimate, there were still around 180 of them.

    Due to the Pentagram, the demonic beasts had thicker legs and sharper teeth. The beasts roamed the barn and tore at the students¡¯ flesh. The screams of terror and the sound of barking dogs mixed together into a cacophony.

    It was a tragedy.

    It seemed to be a tragedy filled with endless despair. Jun-Hyuk had run away, and everyone else could not fight due to panic or injury.

    I was the only one left still able to fight. However, I had no means to deal with hundreds of demonic beasts alone. If it were someone morepetent, they might have been able toe up with a solution. However, since I was the only one left, there was not even a ray of hope.

    The two hundred or so students gathered here would all be food for the demonic beasts and die a miserable death.

    [I wonder about that...] Legba murmured quietly as if he disagreed with my idea.

    [I understand how you feel, but do not lie to yourself.]

    "...Ha."

    I could onlyugh in despondency as Legba could read my heart.

    Truthfully, there was a way. It was just that I didn¡¯t want to use it. With that method, I could save the lives of the two hundred people here.

    And I would die. No, to be precise, I could die. I hesitated to save them because the risk was too high. However, it was a risk worth taking because there was no guarantee that I would ¡®absolutely¡¯ die.

    Within the chaos, I opened my mouth and called for Loa.

    "Granbwa."

    It was the Loa that oversaw nts, forests, and nature.

    [Granbwa answers the call.] With her power in motion, a brilliant green light shined from the tips of my five fingers.

    I spread my hand on the floor and listened to the sound beyond. I heard lush weeds, flowers, tree roots, and many other things within the barn, all screaming. I could hear them all with my power, and I could deliver my thoughts with my power.

    <i>Crack, creak!</i>

    The moment I activated my power, the earth distorted and cracked. Weeds and tree roots grew through the rifts and soared high into the sky. They moved as they were conscious and soon rushed toward the demonic creatures.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    One by one, weeds and tree roots trapped the demonic beasts that were running rampant. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn¡¯t escape. Biting and scratching had no effect, but the demonic beasts¡¯ meaningless resistance continued.

    The nts that grew rapidly with the power of Granbwa were not soft enough to be cut off by the ws of the demonic beasts. The scenery of the barn had changed. The demonic beasts were now all struggling while bound by the nts. The students just looked at the incapacitated demonic beasts with dumbfounded eyes.

    It was still a tragedy, but the difference was that now there was hope. Taking advantage of the brief respite, the students started fleeing one by one.

    "Cough!"

    While I was imprisoning the demons, my body was already at its limit.

    [If you continue like this, you¡¯re going to die! Prophet, stop! Stop it, please! Stop! Power, stop!]

    Granbwa urged me to stop, but I didn¡¯t. Just because I wanted it to stop didn¡¯t mean I could stop.

    I managed to stall the demonic creatures, even as blood poured out from my nose, flowed down from my eyes, and I vomited out blood. Meanwhile, most of the students had fled the barn. Even as blood poured out from every orifice in my body, I continued to use my power.

    No one recognized my sacrifice. After all, everyone was in a situation where they couldn¡¯t even take care of themselves. But this wasn¡¯t something I did for recognition in the first ce. I felt like I was going to copse and die right away, but I was satisfied that I could save them even if it meant that I had to sacrifice my life.

    "Ah..."

    There were less than forty people left in the barn.

    It was bing difficult to maintain my power while vomiting blood. I faded in and out of consciousness, and I could feel my body slowly leaning backward. I figured that this was enough. I wanted to lie down and rest, so I rxed my body and copsed onto the floor.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    However, my body did not touch the ground.

    "Good job."

    Someone supported my body andplimented me with a tired voice.

 Chapter 16

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>

    "I''m sorry guys, I''m sorry... I''m sorry...!¡± Koo Jun-Hyuk was running like crazy while muttering apologies.

    The smell of blood from the barn still lingered in his nose, and the screams still resounded in his ears. Whenever he heard the screams, Jun-Hyuk shuddered with guilt.

    Eventually, he arrived at none other than the teacher¡¯s office. The room was mostly empty because most of the teachers had been dispatched to the western part of Seoul. The few remaining teachers didn¡¯t seem like they would be of much help in a battle.

    "Ah..."

    Jun-Hyuk limply sank down like a wet noodle.

    The Satanist had appeared at a cathedral in western Seoul. As a result, the F.A. teachers were dispatched to the west. However, the Satanist happened to reappear at F.A., which was located in eastern Seoul.

    It didn¡¯t take long to realize that this situation was all part of the Satanists¡¯ n.

    "Why are you here? Isn''t the ss of Charity in the middle of practical training?" someone said to Jun-Hyuk, who had been drowning in despair.

    The terse tone and voice filled with exhaustion made it obvious who it was.

    It was So Do-Jin.

    ¡°Barn. Dogs, demonic beasts. During training. Quickly¡ª!¡± Jun-Hyuk attempted to exin the situation, but he was out of breath and in a hurry, so the words didn¡¯te out properly.

    Nevertheless, Do-Jin roughly understood what Jun-Hyuk said. Do-Jin''s expression hardened coldly.

    "You¡¯re saying demonic beasts appeared during training at the barn?"

    "Yes, yes!"

    ¡°Tell me exactly what kind of practice it was and exactly how many demonic beasts there were.¡±

    "It was a healing practice. We were treating wounded dogs. I think the number of dogs was 216, perhaps around 200."

    "Yes, I understand."

    Do-Jin went to his desk and took out an item that he cherished. It was a sword he used back when he served as a crusader. With this one sword, Do-Jin had cut down thousands of demonic beasts and yed hundreds of demons.

    <i>Schwing.</i>

    A frightening sound reverberated throughout the teacher¡¯s office as the sword was pulled out of the scabbard. The sword¡¯s de stood sharp. Glimmers of light reflected off the de¡¯s keen edge.

    "Jun-Hyuk, you should go to the nurse¡¯s office immediately and treat your leg injury."

    "What? Oh, yes!"

    Do-Jin pointed to the wound on Koo Jun-Hyuk''s thigh. Fortunately, the wound was not too deep, but there was quite a lot of bleeding. Jun-Hyuk limped toward the nurse¡¯s office. Do-Jin immediately left the teacher''s office and ran toward the barn.

    <i>¡®If it was healing practice, it should be in the second barn.¡¯</i>

    The first barn was where the healthy livestock was stored, and the second barn was where the injured livestock was gathered. As a result, healing practice was usually performed in the second barn.

    When Do-Jin reached the crossroads between the first and second barn, he immediately headed toward the second barn.

    <i>¡®The priests that specialize in healing are no use in battle. The students are all first years, so they are also useless in battle.¡¯</i>

    As he approached the second barn, the smell of blood intensified, and the screams grew louder.

    <i>''Looks like there could already be some casualties.''</i>

    Do-Jin''s pace sped up, and it was not long before he reached the second barn.

    The students were running away from the barn with frightened expressions. Do-Jin thought it was a relief, but at the same time, he felt it was strange. Many students were seriously injured, but no one had life-threatening injuries. The casualties were rtively light, considering the fact that two hundred demonic beasts had simultaneously appeared out of nowhere.

    After entering the barn, Do-Jin understood why this was the case.

    "Hggh, ha. Ha... Ha......!¡±

    Jin-Seo was breathing heavily as she fought against the demonic creatures. She was carrying all the injuries that the other students should have suffered in their stead. Her left middle finger had been ripped apart and was dangling, her right forearm was broken, and her left leg had a deep wound. There was not a single ce on her body that was free of injury.

    However, even those injuries seemed lightpared to Do Sun-Woo¡¯s injuries.

    Blood was scattered all around Sun-Woo¡¯s surroundings. It wasn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s blood. All that blood belonged to Sun-Woo. Do-Jin was surprised that Sun-Woo could maintain his consciousness even after losing that much blood. What was most surprising of all was the fact that Sun-Woo was controlling nts. He manipted the barn''s weeds, flowers, and tree roots to neutralize the demonic beasts. The reason why he had spilled so much blood appeared to be due to the bacsh of this.

    <i>¡®...Could it be miracle replication?¡¯</i>

    It was not at a level that a student could handle. However, when humans were cornered, they could asionally perform superhuman feats. Sun-Woo had been cornered and had performed a ¡®miracle¡¯ that surpassed his level. That¡¯s what Do-Jin thought because that was the exnation that seemed to make the most sense.

    "Good job."

    Soon after, So Do-Jin supported Sun-Woo, who had copsed after using up all his strength.

    As soon as Sun-Woo lost consciousness, the nts restraining the demonic beasts lost their strength one by one. The remaining students screamed and expressed their fear when they saw the demonic beasts being released.

    The demonic beasts growled and looked around. Soon, their sights were locked on Sun-Woo, and three beasts charged toward him.

    Do-Jin removed his sword from his waist.

    <i>sh.</i>

    That was all it took to dismember the beasts. Like an artist swinging their brush, a single, masterful sh divided the enemy into exactly two pieces.

    Immediately after the sh, So Do-Jin crouched until his head almost touched the ground. It was preparation for the next leap. Soon, a cloud of hazy light enveloped his body.

    It was the light of a blessing. As long as the blessing was rted to strengthening the physical body, Do-Jin could directly activate the blessing without having to draw the array. It was a talent that Do-Jin had and the secret to bing a first-ss crusader.

    <i>sh. sh-!</i>

    A frighteningly sharp sound reverberated throughout the barn. The bodies of the demonic creatures were split and torn apart, and blood and intestines spewed out. Do-Jin shed his sword like a nimble dancer in the storm of flesh and blood.

    Sun-Woo observed Do-Jin¡¯s movements with his half-closed eyes. Soon after, he lost consciousness.

    * * *

    At one end of the conference table, one of the vice-principals said, "First, let¡¯s close the academy down for one week."

    The day after the incident, an emergency faculty meeting was held. There were three issues on the agenda. The first was to decide on the length of the closure period for the academy, the second was the awardmendation, and the third was about the Satanist who had infiltrated Florence Academy.

    ¡°Will a week be enough?¡±

    ¡°A week should be enough. Other than two students, everyone else had rtively minor injuries."

    "Let¡¯s set it as a week for now. If that''s not long enough, we can extend itter.¡±

    One of the vice-principals rummaged through the papers. The principal and the chairman were absent due to personal reasons, so the two vice principals were in charge of the meeting.

    "The following is about the awardmendation. I think we can give it to about two to three people. Excuse me, Mr. So Do-Jin?"

    "Yes," Do-Jin answered the vice-principal¡¯s call sharply. So Do-Jin''s expression had not been good the entire time.

    "As the only person on the scene, do you have any opinions on the matter?"

    "Hasn¡¯t it been roughly decided already? Kim Jin-Seo from the ss of Patience and Do Sun-Woo from the ss of Charity."

    Kim Jin-Seo.

    She had gathered the panicking students in one ce and minimized the number of injuries. During the battle, she yed thirteen demonic beasts and calmly assisted with the evacuation of the students at the end.

    She was one of the seven freshman representatives and the one who had the Holy Name of Patience. She also had been given the ¡®Blessing of Iron-Will.¡¯ It was a blessing that allowed her to take away the pain of others through contact with her left hand and to transfer her pain to other people through contact with her right hand.

    It was a blessing rted to enduring pain, which suited the meaning of ¡®Patience.¡¯

    Through the blessing, Jin-Seo was able to take away the pain of the thirty people surrounding her. In other words, Jin-Seo endured the pain of thirty people all by herself. Everyone admired her spirit of sacrifice and courage, and no one could disagree with her receiving an award.

    ¡°I understand why Kim Jin-Seo should get an award, but I don¡¯t quite understand the need to give one to Do Sun-Woo as well. Compared to her, that student¡¯s aplishment is rtively...¡±

    However, there was the opinion that Sun-Woo should not receive a reward. Sun-Woo had blocked the movement of the demonic creatures by using nts. Teachers concluded that the mysterious phenomenon was a ''Miracle of God.''

    It was determined that he did not replicate the miracle himself, but rather it was believed that the Miracle of God itself was expressed through Sun-Woo.

    That¡¯s why Sun-Woo did not ¡®activate¡¯ the miracle, but he simply ¡®epted¡¯ the miracle, and it was determined that the one that sealed the movements of the demonic beasts was not Sun-Woo, but rather Adonai.

    Above all, they feared the repercussions of Sun-Woo''s handling of the ¡®miracle¡¯ and the staff''s insufficient response.

    "Haha... You¡¯re saying something interesting." After hearing the story, Do-Jinughed helplessly and continued talking. ¡°Just epting a miracle alone is already a great feat. There was arge amount of blood around Sun-Woo. It could be described as a pool of blood. He made such arge sacrifice and defended so many students, and you¡¯re saying it was all just luck?¡±

    Hints of anger appeared on Do-Jin¡¯s face. This was the first time an expression of anger appeared on the face of the man who always looked tired and lethargic.

    "Hm. Still,pared to Kim Jin-Seo''s achievements...¡± one of the teachers murmured disapprovingly.

    "Did you go on the dispatch mission yesterday? What did you do there?" Do-Jin stared at him sharply.

    ¡°I was on guard duty.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t just ying around? During an important moment, you people were nowhere to be seen, so how would you know whether Sun-Woo performed well or performed poorly during the crisis?¡±

    "ying around? What do you mean?" A cold atmosphere flowed between the teacher and Do-Jin. If things went wrong, the verbal fight could develop into a physical one.

    The teacher who was engaged in a war of nerves with Do-Jin was also a former crusader and had a very belligerent personality.

    "That''s enough. What are you both doing?" It was the vice principal who mediated the conflict.

    "Do we have any other opinions other than from Mr. Do-Jin? Even something very simple is fine. For example, anything about the usual behavior of Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo."

    "I''ll tell you." When a vice-principal asked, a teacher who had been sitting quietly in the corner raised his hand. He was a very big man with a low and heavy voice.

    It was Kim Bok-Dong, the physical education teacher and a teacher from the Department of Pdins.

    ¡°Among the people here, has anyone ever received the Miracle of God before?¡±

    At Bok-Dong''s words, everyone''s sight moved toward the floor.

    "As far as I know, the Miracle of God takes a great burden on the body just by epting it. You could die if things go wrong. However, Sun-Woo epted the miracle and miraculously saved the children. Luckily, he did not die as a result."

    "So you¡¯re saying that¡¯s all Sun-Woo¡¯s achievement?"

    When the vice principal asked, Bok-Dong nodded.

    "It is Sun-Woo¡¯s achievement to be able to endure the miracle itself. Having a body that can withstand miracles is also Sun-Woo¡¯s talent. Therefore, I think it¡¯s right to give him an award."

    Some of the faculty members nodded.

    So Do-Jin from the Department of Crusaders and Kim Bok-Dong from the Department of Pdins. Their remarks had been more influential than any of the other faculty members so far.

    ¡°Do you have an opinion, Miss Ha Ye-Jin?¡± Finally, the vice principal asked Ha Ye-Jin, a professor of the Department of Priests, for her opinion.

    ¡°Yes? Well, of course, I¡¯d be happy if Sun-Woo received an award. He¡¯s a student from my ss, after all,¡± Ha Ye-Jin smiled and said as if it were natural. Then, she continued to talk, looking at the faces of the teachers with a cold gaze.

    "And... to hide the ipetence of the faculty, isn¡¯t it advantageous to emphasize Do Sun-Woo¡¯s merits?"

    A hint of cold cynicism could be detected in her tone. It was a remark that implied many things, but everyone in the conference room could immediately grasp the meaning of her words. An ufortable, stifling silence settled into the room.

    It was a vice-principal who broke the silence.

    ¡°Looks like we have decided to give awards to both Kim Jin-Seo from the ss of Patience and Do Sun-Woo from the ss of Charity. Now let''s move on to the Satanist issue."

    While one of the vice-principals was looking at the documents, he tilted his head slightly and continued to speak as if he were contemting the issue.

    ¡°If the faculty tries to investigate the Satanists, then there is the possibility of creating fear and uncertainty amongst the students. So, I¡¯m thinking of leaving this issue to the student council.¡±

    Some teachers frowned at the vice principal''s words. It was apparent from their expressions that they did not understand what the vice-principal was thinking.

    "Are you saying you want to leave these important matters to students?"

    "They may be the student council, but they¡¯re still students...¡±

    "If students investigate the Satanists, I believe it¡¯s just going to create even more fear and uncertainty."

    The teachers protested in unison. The vice-principal simply smiled and said, "I will hand it over to the first-year student council."

    With that, the bacsh immediately stopped.

    In F.A., the seven freshman representatives automatically became student council members and had to serve for three years.

    There were exactly seven members from each grade. Therefore, between grades 1 to 3, there were ?twenty-one student council members in total.

    ¡°Well, there is<i> that student.</i>¡±

    Among them was one student with a ¡®unique¡¯ history amongst the first-year student council members. It was all because of that student that the teachers'' opposition stopped.

    "Well then, let''s hand it over to the first-year student council."

    The vice-principal grinned widely.

 Chapter 17

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>

    I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. I guess I must have died and ended up in the afterlife.

    "Are you awake?"

    "Ah, I¡¯m not dead yet."

    "What are you saying all of a sudden? Did you hurt your head?"

    Uncle Lee Jin-Sung was sitting on the chair next to the bed. Thanks to my uncle talking to me, I was able to regain my lost sense of reality. Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t dead yet, and it looked like I was currently in the hospital. There was the strong smell of disinfectant, and nurses were bustling about everywhere.

    "How long have I been out?"

    Uncle Lee Jin-Sung lowered his head and frowned as if he were in pain.

    "...Three years."

    "Huh?"

    [Bullshit. It''s only been two days.]

    Thanks to Legba telling me the truth, I could let out a sigh of relief. Lee Jin-Sung looked at me while holding in hisughter. Judging by how he was making fun of me even in this situation, it was clear that hecked empathy.

    "Honestly, I got you this time, right? How is it? Has my acting improved?"

    "Oh yeah, you''ve improved a lot."

    "Hahahaha."

    Uncle Jin-Sungughed his head off. But soon, theughter disappeared and he began talking with a straight face.

    "Well, it''s only been two days since you lost consciousness, and school is currently closed."

    "School is closed? Until when?"

    "Not sure. I don''t remember, but maybe a week."

    A week.

    The fact that F.A., which was infamous for being stingy in closing down the school, had issued a week-long closure meant that this incident was big. To be fair, even I had suffered severe enough injuries to lose consciousness for two days, so it made sense.

    However, considering I had been seriously injured, my body felt better than expected. asionally I felt a headache, but other than that, I didn¡¯t feel any pain at all. It didn''t even hurt when I moved my arms and legs around.

    "Is there anywhere that still hurts?"

    "No. I think it''s all better. How did I recover so quickly?"

    ¡°That¡¯s because there were many people that treated you. Not to mention, your recovery speed is quite quick to begin with.¡±

    Uncle Jin-Sung exined what had happened over the past two days.

    Currently, I was hospitalized at the dBP Hospital. Since Uncle requested help from Bae Jung-Hwan, several famous priests specializing in healing had visited the ward. I could recover quickly thanks to the priests who used advanced healing and recovery blessings.

    Originally, such treatment would have cost an astronomical amount of money, but thanks to Bae Jung-Hwan, all the expenses had been waived. He also said that Koo Jun-Hyuk visited the hospital for a while when I was hospitalized.

    ¡°Since you¡¯ve recovered already, they say it¡¯s fine even if you leave the hospital now. Considering that we dumped that much money into treatment, it wouldn¡¯t have made much sense if you still hadn¡¯t recovered. This is why money is great. You can always rely on money.¡±

    Uncle Jin-Sung''s bad habit of rambling on seemed to have gotten worse. He continued to praise the greatness of money for a while. I quietly listened to his babbling without responding. After all, what he said wasn¡¯tpletely incorrect.

    "By the way, Bae Jung-Hwan said he wants to see you today."

    "All of a sudden? Why?"

    "Remember the contents of the contract that we madest time? The artifact sponsorship."

    It was back when we cured Bae Jung-Hwan''s wife''s illness. The contract stated that Bae Jung-Hwan would sponsor artifacts to the Voodoo Cult Leader in exchange for sessfully curing his wife. He seemed to have asked for a meeting to talk about it.

    I had nned to rest today, but I figured I¡¯d just meet him today since my body had already recovered. After all, there wasn¡¯t much to do since school was closed anyway.

    "Then let¡¯s meet with him. What time is the meeting?"

    "It just so happens that Bae Jung-Hwan is at the dBP Hospital right now. Apparently, his son got hurt or something. Anyway, I think it¡¯s fine to meet him right now,¡± Uncle Jin-Sung said while looking at the text message he received from Bae Jung-Hwan.

    * * *

    I wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so I immediately went through the discharge process in the hospital, and then I went to the ce where I promised to meet Bae Jung-Hwan.

    After Uncle Jin-Sung drove for about ten minutes, we arrived at a rather extravagant and luxurious restaurant.

    "Oh, you''re here."

    When we arrived, Bae Jung-Hwan bowed politely and weed us. There was no one in the restaurant except us. It was because he had rented the entire restaurant for this meeting.

    I felt like his spending was excessively wasteful. But since he was the owner of a conglomerate, it was probably fine. There was no need to worry about billionaires and celebrities.

    "Did you rent the entire restaurant?"

    "Yes. I told them to turn off all CCTVs in case you might feel ufortable. Technically, ourpany more or less runs this restaurant, so it wasn¡¯t an issue. Please, take a seat for now.¡±

    As if they had been waiting for us, the appetizers came out as soon as we sat. It was a seafood dish that could be eaten in one bite. The waiter described this and that about the sauce and the seafood. Honestly, I had no idea what they were talking about, but I nodded and pretended to understand.

    "I had them prepare the best course. Please, help yourself."

    At Bae Jung-Hwan''s words, we started eating. The food was so delicious that it simply could not be described with words.

    "How is your wife doing?" my uncle asked while eating.

    "Oh, I was just about to talk about that. As you know, my wife had been bedridden for a long time¡ªI think it was about four or five years. She says the world has changed so much and is always nagging me to go outside with her. I¡¯m so exhausted I feel like I¡¯m going to die.¡±

    "Hahaha. I''m d she feels better. I feel relieved."

    Bae Jung-Hwan narrated a string of stories about his wife. He kept saying he feltzy and tired but kept smiling the entire time. It looked like he had gained some weight since we first saw him.

    "I heard your son got hurt. How is he?"

    Soon the story went from wife to son. The food transitioned from soup and fish and it was now time for the main dish.

    "He is almost all better now. They said that the ear was a little torn, but there are no issues with his hearing."

    "That''s a relief. You must have been very worried."

    "Initially, I was a little surprised, but his innate recovery is very good, so he¡¯spletely fine now."

    At the time of the incident, Bae Sung-Hyun''s ears were torn, but there were no other injuries. Compared to the other kids, his injuries were rather minor. In any case, there was no need to worry since they said the treatment was sessful.

    Eventually, the main dish came out. The employee exined something about Iberico and grapefruit sauce. Long story short, the food was expensive and tasty.

    "I think it¡¯s time we start to get to business."

    With the appearance of the main dish, the conversation moved onto the main subject.

    At Uncle¡¯s words, Bae Jung-Hwan picked up his phone and called someone. At the same time as the phone call, men in ck suits walked into the restaurant. They had suitcases and documents in their hands. The guys wearing suits handed the documents over to us. We quickly skimmed through the documents after receiving them.

    ¡°These documents summarize the artifacts that are produced and distributed by ourpany. If you specify the type and quantity, we will prepare the goods ording to your demands.¡±

    ¡°Aha.¡±

    Uncle¡¯s eyes twinkled as he read the documents. The meal waspletely on the back burner.

    It was understandable. The artifacts listed on the documents cost tens of millions of won at minimum, and some of the expensive artifacts cost hundreds of millions. Among them, the artifacts that caught my attention the most were the Baal¡¯s Maw and the Petrified Arkwood.

    "Is there an item that you¡¯ve taken a liking to?"

    "Phew, well, <i>cough</i>. There are too many items that we¡¯ve taken a liking to. It¡¯s hard to choose.¡±

    Uncle Jin-Sung took a deep breath and tried to hold back his smile. In front of his eyes, hundreds of millions of won were shing by. As a result, a smile naturally seemed to form on his face without him realizing it.

    "Ha ha, you can take your time choosing. There''s also the Thorn Crown of Judgement.¡±

    ¡°Thorn Crown, Thorn Crown... Ah, here it is."

    ¡°It¡¯s a masterpiece that was created in dBP using newly developed, state-of-the-art technology. It¡¯s a little embarrassing to say it myself.¡±

    "Oh, is the newly developed technology what I think it is?"

    "Yes. What you suspect is probably right. Ah, right, the information was supposed to be confidential, but all the investors already seemed to know about it.¡±

    "Of course they know. This was also the reason why dBP''s stock price soared."

    While I was eating, my uncle and Bae Jung-Hwan talked about this and that. Both of them looked very happy. They were obsessed with money, and since like minds attracted each other, they were hitting it off like best friends.

    "Right, I think we talked about this too much amongst ourselves. Does the Cult Leader have anything that they want? I¡¯m afraid the Cult Leader¡¯s opinion is the most important."

    Bae Jung-Hwan, who was excitedly talking about money, suddenly talked to me. A stifling silence arose as I put down my knife and fork to examine the documents briefly. After a quick scan, I found only two artifacts that I needed.

    "This, and this. I like these two the best."

    I pointed my finger at the artifacts I wanted to receive. Bae Jung-Hwan''s face hardened when he saw my choice.

    "...Ha ha ha. As expected of the Cult Leader. You know what''s good."

    "I just picked what I needed the most."

    "I''m telling you, it''s terrifying."

    Bae Jung-Hwan grinned slightly. I had chosen the artifacts that I thought would be the most useful for me in the future. It turned out that those artifacts happened to be the most expensive ones on the list.

    "So, can you give these to me?"

    "Of course, I can give them to you. It doesn¡¯t matter what it is. ording to the promise, as long as it¡¯s on the list, I will give it to you.¡±

    Bae Jung-Hwan continued with a bitter smile. "However, because of the price and rarity of the holy water that was chosen by the Cult Leader, there is currently no stock left. I¡¯m truly sorry to say this, but it looks like it will take two weeks for it to be restocked. Is that fine?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°Then, I shall visit you in two weeks with my staff."

    Thus, the deal was made. Bae Jung-Hwan had a wide smile as he requested a handshake. I epted the handshake. It was by a narrow margin, but the back of my hand was slightly above his. It was a trivial difference resulting from unconscious behavior, but it implicitly indicated the superior in the rtionship.

    * * *

    ¡°Well done. Are you going home right away?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to take a short walk before we go home.¡±

    Uncle Jin-Sung frowned as if he was dumbfounded. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be walking around. You just got out of the hospital.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s part of the rehabilitation process.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a smooth talker. Do you want me to pick you upter?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call you.¡±

    Uncle nodded and closed the car window. His car¡¯s engine let out a vibrant sound before leaving.

    I watched the car move further and further away. Only once the car waspletely out of sight did I start to walk.

    This ce was near the city hall. Wherever I looked was filled with tall skyscrapers. The sound of people, cars, buses, and subways filled the city center. It was noisier and more crowded than usual because it was currently rush hour.

    I walked around the area and thought about my father. This was the ce where my father had been burned alive. In the Seoul city center, my father endured the ridicule and insults that the citizens were throwing at him while he slowly turned to ashes.

    "Sun-Woo. No matter what happens in the future, don¡¯t even think about revenge. ¡±

    A week before he was arrested and executed by the Holy See, my father had told me so.

    Perhaps he had already foreseen his death at the time. I was still a child at the time, and I rememberughing at my father¡¯s words without even realizing that these words would eventually be his will. As I recollected each of my father¡¯s final moments one by one, my heart started to feel heavy. He left me all alone to fend for myself and only left me that kind of will. When I thought about that, I felt resentment bubble up inside of me.

    [You still learned a lot though, thanks to him.] Legba''s voice broke me out of my deep thoughts.

    "That''s true. I''m living like this because of my father."

    [As a dad, he was a failure. But as a teacher, he was pretty decent.]

    My father taught me various things. He taught me about the art of conversation, how to use Voodoo magic, how to utilize Loa''s powers, etc. Thanks to him, I was able to live as a human being.

    I would have starved to death a long time ago if it weren''t for him.

    I wandered around and lost track of time while reminiscing about the distant past. The area was filled with elegantly designed gothic-style architecture that had been reinterpreted in a modern way. This sort of design seemed to be trending these days. My father had been executed through immtion in such a fancy and beautiful location. That was the irrevocable truth.

    ¡°...Hgh, urgh, hggh...!¡±

    At that moment, I heard a strange sound from somewhere. It sort of sounded like crying, but it also sounded like someone groaning in pain. I held my breath and tried my best not to make any noise, but it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought.

    The sound came from a corner of the city center. It was from a narrow alley.

    [Just pass by.]

    I was going to check out the situation briefly, but Legba stopped me with a serious tone.

    "Why?"

    [It''s difficult to exin right now. Just pass by.]

    Legba told me not to go into the alleyway, which made me want to go in even more. It was because I had a defiant attitude. I ignored Legba¡¯s warnings and entered the alleyway to identify the origin of the noise.

    In the alleyway, a girl was crouching down and smoking. Her left hand was wrapped in bandages soaked in blood. She had a high nose, and her eyes were very sharp. Before I knew it, I couldn¡¯t help but think she was pretty. She looked more beautiful and mysterious within the cramped alleyway filled with smoke.

    ¡°Kim Jin-Seo?¡± It was a familiar face. It was the Holy Name of Patience, Kim Jin-Seo.

    When I subconsciously called out her name, she became startled and looked at me in surprise.

    Smoke swirled out from the cigarette in her right hand.

 Chapter 18

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>

    The moment Kim Jin-Seo saw me, she put out the fire and skillfully hid her cigarette. She hurriedly threw away the cigarette butt and left the area as if she was running away.

    ¡°Agh, ugh.¡±

    To be precise, she <i>tried</i> to run away. However, while doing so, she groaned while copsing on the spot. Looking closer, I saw that her leg was also wrapped in bandages. There was not a single spot on her body that wasn¡¯t injured.

    Even after copsing on the ground, Jin-Seo failed to get back up and continued to groan in pain. Her face was twisted, and there was cold sweat on her forehead. Anyone could tell that she was struggling with pain. It looked as if she was hurting so much that she would faint at any moment.

    The injuries were severe, but it seemed that the pain she was suffering was far worse.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡±

    It wasn¡¯t difficult to guess the reason.

    Jin-Seo had received the title of the Holy Name of Patience, and she could use the Blessing of Iron-Will. It was a blessing that allowed her to take away the pain of other people through her left hand, and she was able to transfer the pain she was suffering to others with her right hand.

    At the time of the incident, she had used the Blessing of Iron-Will to absorb the pain of thirty people. In a situation where it was difficult to even deal with one¡¯s own body, she had absorbed other people¡¯s pain.

    Some may call it a noble sacrifice, but from my perspective, it looked like stupidity. She didn¡¯t show it, but Jin-Seo was currently struggling under an immense amount of pain. The sweat on her forehead, quivering lips, and unfocused eyes proved it. The price of sacrifice was always terrible. That was why I disliked the word sacrifice, and I believed that those willing to sacrifice themselves were foolish.

    Why? Because my father was also like that.

    ¡°...Why¡¯d you do it if you knew this would happen?¡± I said while looking at Kim Jin-Seo, who was trembling in pain.

    This wasn''t something I should say to a patient, but Jin-Seo looked stupid to me. If she was going to struggle to deal with the pain so much, then she shouldn¡¯t have gone out of her way to sacrifice herself.

    [Hahaha. That¡¯s the funniest thing I¡¯ve heard in a while. That¡¯s not something you can say, is it?]

    ...Come to think of it, it was quite hypocritical of me to say this kind of thing. After all, I also almost died while using Granbwa¡¯s powers. I was also the type of person to sacrifice myself without any apparent benefit.

    <i>Cough.</i>

    I coughed to get rid of my embarrassment. Jin-Seo was still taking deep breaths and trying to suppress her pain. Her listless eyes eventuallynded on me.

    ¡°...Are you going to tell other people?¡±

    ¡°Tell what?"

    "About this."

    Jin-Seo pointed to the cigarette butts lying on the floor.

    ¡°So you''re asking whether I¡¯m going to tell other people you were smoking?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder.¡±

    That was what I said, but the thought of reporting her had never even crossed my mind in the first ce. I only felt pity for her. I wondered how much pain she must have suffered for her to rely on these kinds of things.

    Jin-Seo lowered her head after listening to me and said in a trembling voice, "It, ugh, hurts so much. Could you... let it go? If I get caught for this, I...¡± She desperately tried to hold back her tears. Her emotions seemed to be aggravated due to the pain.

    She was stuttering, but it wasn¡¯t difficult to understand what she was saying. She was asking me to close my eyes in response to her smoking.

    ¡°If it hurts that much, then all you have to do is hand it over to someone else.¡±

    ¡°...What?¡±

    ¡°The Blessing of Iron-Will. Can¡¯t you transfer pain to other people through your right hand?¡±

    To be exact, it was possible to transfer pain to a target by touching their forehead with her right hand. Conversely, it was possible to transfer pain away from a target by touching their forehead with her left hand. She could activate this ability regardless of the target¡¯s consent if the conditions were met.

    Jin-Seo looked up at me with her red, swollen eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. Who could I possibly transfer the pain to? I-ugh. I¡¯m not trash. Unlike you.¡±

    She said everything she had to say while groaning in pain. I said all that because I had been genuinely worried about her, but my fragile heart had gotten roasted by an insult in return.

    ¡°Just how am I trash?¡±

    ¡°If someone else is going to suffer...Hghh. It¡¯s better if I suffer that pain instead.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sure.¡±

    She sure was a moron.

    ¡°And, don¡¯t be... rude.¡±

    Jin-Seo''s voice was interrupted by the asional pain.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to be the one that takes the pain. Don¡¯t just, ugh, speak recklessly.¡±

    ¡°Then hand it over to me.¡±

    Her eyes opened wide in surprise at my retort. However, her eyes quickly changed to a deep look of skepticism and distrust.

    "Ha. I was wondering... what you... were talking about."

    She let out a dryugh as she gazed into the distance. She obviously didn¡¯t think much of what I had said. It looked like she was thinking that it was something I had just said out of courtesy. She didn¡¯t believe it was true at all.

    ¡°You have no intention of, mmh, epting the pain. It¡¯s easy to lie.¡±

    From the words that she had said so far, I could piece together a couple of things. The minds of those who lived a difficult life and couldn¡¯t rely on other people would eventually distort into two types of cases. The first case was ack of affection. In this case, one would try to rely on others excessively, and if one lost the person to rely on, one would fall into extreme depression.

    The second case was a distrust of humans. They were the type of people who would think that they were the only ones who were unfortunate, and they would think that other people''s misfortune was not that big of a deal. They would avoid relying on others, and they would secretly despise others. It could also develop into a hatred of humanity.

    It appeared that Jin-Seo was thetter. I didn¡¯t know what sort of life she had lived. I only heard rumors that she was the daughter of the F.A. chairman. I had no idea what she went through for her to distrust other people so much. In any case, it was clear that she lived a hard life.

    <i>¡°It¡¯s easy to proselytize these two types of people. These types of people have nothing to rely on. Thus, it¡¯s easy for them to rely on religion and God. If you see these types of people, you should proactively proselytize them.¡±</i>

    My father had taught me these sorts of things. Whenever he said those words, my mother would smack his back. I remember my father doing all the housework that day. Well, to be fair, my father usually did it every day anyway.

    Anyhow, I decided to take advantage of Jin-Seo''s psychological state. I strode up to her body which was lying on the floor.

    ¡°I can stand up, urgh. By myself. So... ah? What, what are you doing?¡±

    I put Jin-Seo''s right hand on my forehead. In a normal situation, it would have been impossible, but because of her pain or injuries, Jin-Seo could not resist.

    <i>Snap.</i>

    With the sound of something snapping, pain that was beyond my imagination poured into my body. My breathing stopped, and every single muscle in my body became stiff. My fingertips, lips, and eyelids trembled. It was unbelievably difficult for me to hold onto my consciousness. My brain viciously throbbed, and even a light breeze felt like a sharp stab.

    It was just a few seconds, but those few seconds had almost been enough to break my mind.

    Jin-Seo had endured this sort of pain for many days. I could now understand why her words and actions had been much more sensitive than usual. If one were in this much pain, it would be difficult to be considerate of other people. I dare say that the pain was enough to make even a saint curse out loud.

    I struggled with the pain for a brief period of time. It was not long before my body stopped trembling. My breathing gradually regained stability, and my whole body felt rxed and drowsy. The pain started to fade away.

    [Are you guys ying hot potato? I absorbed it for now. It stings quite a bit.]

    It was thanks to Legba absorbing the pain.

    The pain transferred through the Blessing of Iron-Will was treated as a kind of ''curse,¡¯ so it was possible to hand it over to Legba. This amount of pain was practically nothing to them, as they had lived for so many years that it was beyond humanprehension. To Legba, this was simply a little sting.

    "What are you doing?"

    Jin-Seo looked at me nkly. Since she had transferred all the pain over to me, she was no longer stuttering.

    "What did you do? Give it back. Quickly...!¡±

    She floundered and ced her left hand on my forehead. She seemed to intend to take the pain away again. However, it failed. It was because there was a bandage around her left hand. Jin-Seo looked at her bandaged hand with futility.

    "It''s alright. It''s bearable."

    I wasn¡¯t the one who was enduring the pain, but Legba. It was true that it was bearable anyway.

    "Don''t lie to me. What if you pass out like that, you idiot? What are you doing, seriously...!¡±

    However, Jin-Seo didn''t believe me. She stamped her feet and desperately ced her left hand on my forehead. It seemed like she was trying to take back the pain somehow, but it was futile. It was because the Blessing of Iron-Will would not activate when the bandages were in the way. In any case, I had seeded in taking away Jin-Seo''s pain. Now it was time to move on to the next action.

    <i>Ping-!</i>

    A thin, sharp sound rang through the alley. Along with that, Jin-Seo''s wounds were healed.

    To be exact, it was right to say it was ''restored.''

    [Your restoration skills are truly astonishing. The only problem is that you don¡¯t use it when I tell you to use it. Instead, you use it when I don¡¯t tell you to use it. ] Legba recited his appreciation of my Voodoo magic.

    What I used on Jin-Seo was the lesser restoration spell. I was a master at it, so I could cast the lesser restoration spell without drawing an array. This would have healed all the injuries that were littering her body, and it should havepletely restored her finger, which had been injured enough was almost about to fall off.

    ¡°What did you do this time?¡± Jin-Seo looked at me as if she was dumbfounded.

    "Heal. I''m sure your finger should be reattached now."

    It was actually ¡®restoration,¡¯ but it was the same in terms of treating the wound anyway.

    Jin-Seo''s face turned white when she heard me.

    "Y-you... Didn¡¯t you fail to heal during the practical training session?"

    ¡°What are you talking about? I seeded with the lesser healing spell, remember?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I mean! That was aplete failure!¡±

    It had been a huge sess by my standards... I felt depressed, but I tried not to show it. Jin-Seo clutched her bandaged left hand while letting out cold sweat. She was frowning in contemtion.

    ¡°The healing priest told me to heal this when it stabilizester because it will scar if you just heal it abruptly.¡±

    "Oh, really?"

    ¡°Why do you keep doing these unnecessary things? Just why? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re not going to take responsibility when it scars...!¡±

    Jin-Seo appeared to be worried about leaving a scar. However, like I said, I was a master of restoration magic. It was possible to reattach an amputated arm with just lesser restoration. There was no way I would leave a scar after only reattaching a single finger.

    "I''ll take responsibility if there''s any scar left. But there won¡¯t be a scar anyway."

    "It''s a lesser healing spell, so how can there not be a scar? It¡¯s easy to say...¡±

    Jin-Seo tried to vent her pent-up frustrations on me, but she stopped talking as if she suddenly remembered something. I had a rough idea of what she was thinking now. I wasn¡¯t just some smooth talker that was all talk and no show. I only talked when I was certain, just like I did before.

    "If you''re really worried, go home, remove the bandage, and check it out."

    ¡°...¡± Jin-Seo lowered her head without saying a word. Worry, anxiousness, and hints of anger could be seen in her eyes. She also expressed other negative emotions like helplessness and grief in her gaze. She remained silent for a while before tears started to roll down her cheeks. Within that awkward silence, we just stood there without saying anything to each other.

    <i>Vroom¡ª! </i>At that time, a car entered the entrance of the alley with a loud exhaust sound. It was a white car of a foreign make. An unfamiliar man poked his head out of the car window and alternatingly nced at Jin-Seo and me.

    "Miss?"

    Judging from his appearance and speech, he seemed to be Jin-Seo''s driver. The driver looked at the crying Jin-Seo, and he soon turned his eyes and looked at me. There was a clear hostility in his sharp eyes. It was a little unfair. It wasn¡¯t like I was the one who made Jin-Seo cry.

    [Technically, you were the one that made her cry, though,] Legba said. It urred to me that that might be the case.

    Just as my thoughts began to beplicated, Jin-Seo hopped into the car. The car drove out of the alley and went somewhere else. The only thing left was the acrid smell of cigarettes and car exhaust fumes.

    [You should''ve walked past when I told you to do so. What did you expect? Did you think that she would fall in love with you if you helped her?]

    ¡°Since she¡¯s the chairman''s daughter, I thought it might be useful in the future if we became close. I don¡¯t think it worked out, though.¡±

    [Get closer to her, my ass. You¡¯d be lucky if she doesn¡¯t start avoiding you. That¡¯s the way I see it.] Legba muttered spiteful remarks in a nonchnt tone, and I had nothing to say in response.

    [You have too much needless affection. And you¡¯re ashamed of it. And you cover up your shame by saying that helping them might be useful in the future.]

    ¡°Just stop. My head hurts.¡±

    [You also have a bad habit of trying to end the conversations when your true intentions are exposed. You should fix that.]

    ¡°Ah, okay,¡± I answered half-heartedly.

    * * *

    Jin-Seo threw herself on her bed andy down once she returned home. She felt depressed throughout the entire ride home. It was good that the pain was gone, but the problem was her finger.

    <i>''...I''m scared.'' </i>She was afraid to untie the bandage. Reattaching amputated body parts through lesser healing spells would always leave scars.

    There were even cases where the finger¡¯s shape would get strangely crooked due to reattaching it incorrectly. If that happened, she would have to live with a deformed finger for the rest of her life. She would rather die than have a deformed finger.

    <i>"I''ll take responsibility if there''s any scar left."</i>

    Suddenly, Sun-Woo''s words shed through her head. She had no idea where all his baseless confidence hade from. He was someone who struggled to even cast a lesser healing spell. He slept during the entrance ceremony because he didn¡¯t maintain a proper sleeping schedule. Furthermore, he even went rogue and did his own thing during the group training session...!

    Of course, thanks to him, they got first ce in the training session, but anyway...

    Jin-Seo stared aimlessly at the ceiling while resenting Sun-Woo. After a long period of heartache, she soon recovered and jumped out of bed.

    ¡°Please.¡±

    She sat down and slowly began to untie the bandage on her left hand. Her hand trembled. She felt like she was going to cry for no reason. Every time a portion of the bandage came off, the trembling of her hands increased in severity. Her middle finger, which had been almost amputated, came into view when all the bandages were removed.

    "Huh, ah? Ha. Wow!" Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t help but exim. She felt her eyes which had been wet with tears, dry up immediately.

    Her hand was perfectly fine. The reattached junction was clean without a scar. It was also attached really well. Jin-Seo moved her recovered fingers around and touched them. Both her sense of touch and the nerves in her fingers seemed to bepletely fine.

    ¡°...!¡±

    Jin-Seo jumped up and down while letting out a silent cheer. She had recovered enough to resume daily life starting tomorrow. No, it wasn¡¯t just daily life that she could resume. She could start exercising again.

    Jin-Seoughed at her previous self, who had been lost in pointless worries such as, ¡®What do I do if there is a scar?¡¯ or, ¡®Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m going to be discarded again?¡¯

    When Sun-Woo had said, ¡®There won¡¯t be a scar anyway,¡¯ he had been telling the truth.

    ...Sun-Woo was right. Now that she thought back, she realized she had behaved unsightly in front of Sun-Woo. Why had she done that?

    Writing it off as just being in a bad mood wasn''t right. She owed Sun-Woo too much for that.

    It is questionable how he, who had struggled to cast a lesser healing spell, was able to achieve such perfect healing. Before questioning him, the first thing she had to do was thank him.

 Chapter 19

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>

    I went to school the day after I met Kim Jin-Seo. There were no sses because the school had shut down. However, it was still possible to use the facilities avable at Florence Academy, so I was thinking of going to the gym.

    The school rmended not going out, but I didn¡¯t want to stay alone in my empty room with nothing to do. Today, I nned on doing some chest workouts with bench presses, but there was some guy who looked as if he was built like a monster on the bench. As a result, I decided to just work on my back instead.

    ¡°Phew.¡±

    40 kg, 10 reps, and 5 sets. I was working out my back hard by doing a standardt pulldown and then briefly took a breath. It was harder than usual since it had been a while since I¡¯d done this exercise.

    While I was taking a break, I looked around the surrounding area. Considering the school had shut down, there were quite a lot of people on campus. They were all students who wanted to be pdins and crusaders.

    Among them was Jin-Seo. She was doing a cardio workout on the treadmill. It looked like she had recovered pretty well. Her face looked better than usual.

    ¡°What the... Did you get discharged? When?¡±

    While I was looking at her like that, someone spoke to me. It was Koo Jun-Hyuk.

    ¡°Yesterday.¡±

    ¡°You should have told me if you got discharged, dude. Did you know that I went to see you at the hospital?¡±

    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s right. I heard it from my uncle. Thanks.¡±

    ¡°So you knew, but you still didn¡¯t contact me? You¡¯re so cruel.¡±

    ¡°I was really busy yesterday. There were lots of things to take care of.¡±

    There was the deal with Bae Jung-Hwan and the incident with Kim Jin-Seo. I was so tired that I went straight to bed when I got home. It was such a busy day that there was no time to contact anybody. Furthermore, there was no particr reason to contact Koo Jun-Hyuk anyway.

    ¡°Is it okay to start exercising right after being discharged from the hospital.... Huh? Look at this guy.¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk suddenly made a surprised expression.

    ¡°Do you like Jin-Seo?¡±

    ¡°What are you saying out of the blue?¡±

    He was talking nonsense.

    ¡°Wait, you were looking at Jin-Seo, weren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I just caught a glimpse of her. So what about it?¡±

    ¡°So you did look at her. You like her, right? Right? Do you like her?¡±

    ¡°No. I was just curious about how she recovered so quickly. You know she was also hurt badly.¡±

    I didn¡¯t feel the need to exin that I met Jin-Seo yesterday, so I just made up something. Jun-Hyuk looked at Jin-Seo, who was running hard, and nodded quietly.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right. How did she recover so quickly?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Does she have good recuperative powers? Hmm.¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk pretended to be in agony with his arms crossed, then smiled.

    ¡°She must have been treated at a good hospital. She is loaded with money, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I thought.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, keep exercising hard. I¡¯m going to go cause there¡¯s a crazy guy over here.¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk roughly wiped off his sweat with a towel and left the gym. His steps were rushed. Before my flow could get disturbed, I resumed my workout. I didn¡¯t have a moment to think about the crazy guy that Koo Jun-Hyuk mentioned. Ipleted moret pulldowns, pull-ups, and seated rows. By the time my back muscles were no longer functioning, I had moved on to bicep curls.

    ¡°RIGHT WAY! WHOO-!¡±

    While focusing on lifting the barbell, I heard a strange sound from the bench. It was a voice too wild to belong to a human. It was safe to say that it was the cry of a beast. Perfect arms, legs, chest, and back¡ªa giant man with an impable body was doing a bench press. Five 20 kg discs were on each side of the barbell. The giant guy was lifting a total weight of 220 kgs with ease.

    [Is that a human? It looks more like a bear that turned into a human.]

    Even Legba, who had experienced all of life¡¯s ups and downs, was surprised.

    ¡°COME ON! RIGHT WAY. EASY WAY! WHOOOO-!!¡±

    He was simply a madman. I ignored the madman''s shouts while listening to a song in my earphones. Nevertheless, his shouts asionally pierced through my earphones and entered my ears. His voice was so ridiculously loud that it was difficult to believe.

    The madman spoke to me when I was about to do myst set. ¡°Stop. You¡¯re gonna get hurt!¡±

    His huge voice pierced through my earphones with ease. "Fix your elbows! If you don''t, your joints will get destroyed."

    My elbow had been under significant pain, so I corrected my posture like he told me to. Then, the elbow pain magically disappeared, and I felt the stimtion concentrated on my biceps.

    "Great, Sun-Woo!"

    ¡°What! How do you know my name¡ª¡±

    "It''s great to see you working hard on your training even after the incident!" On the chest of his gym clothes, there was a name tag that read Kang Dae-Man. It was a familiar name.

    Of the seven freshmen representatives, he was the student who had been given the Holy Name of Diligence. During the freshman evaluations, he was also the only student not listed in the top ranks among the freshmen representatives.

    After saying that, Kang Dae-Man went to do his own exercise.

    ¡°RIGHT WAY-! WHOO-!¡±

    His intense shouting echoed throughout the gym.

    "Is that guy crazy?"

    [I think it¡¯s safe to say that he is.]

    Even when I concluded my exercise routine and left the gym, Dae-Man still continued his workout. He didn''t seem tired at all.

    ***

    One weekter¡ª

    The school closure period that appeared to stretch on forever eventually ended.

    My routine was always the same during that time. I exercised, practiced drawing blessing arrays and healing arrays, and practiced Voodoo magic from time to time. Uncle Lee Jin-Sung delivered some good news. It looked like he could find the Altar soon. Finally, on my way to school, the sky was clear today and my steps were light.

    This was my first enjoyablemute to school.

    [There will be an award ceremony at the morning mass. Do Sun-Woo, don''t bete ande early because you¡¯re getting an award.]

    It was thanks to a text message from Teacher Ha Ye-Jin that I receivedst night. The award was included in the academic achievement record, which greatly helped in bing a prte. I was one step closer to my goal.

    Before long, I arrived at the auditorium. As I was dozing off in the waiting seat for the award, the mass began.

    "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit¡ª"

    "It''s my fault, it''s my fault, it''s my great fault¡ª"

    The priests came out to conduct the ceremony. Mass proceeded quickly in ordance with the procedure. I spent most of that time dozing off. I had no reason to listen to mass in the first ce because I was not a Romanican believer.

    It was not long before the mass was over. The priest came down from the podium, and a teacher holding a microphone climbed onto the podium.

    "Ah, ah. Thank you for your hard work. Moving forward, there will be a brief announcement and an awardmendation ceremony."

    It was the beginning.

    "First of all, please do not spread groundless misinformation aboutst week''s demonic beast incident. There''s a crazy rumor going around that a Satanist has infiltrated Florence Academy. The teachers and school¡¯s pdins are investigating, so please refrain from discussing this topic as much as possible until the truth is revealed."

    Before the ceremony, the teacher made an announcement.

    It was a foregone conclusion that the Satanists infiltrated F.A. Nevertheless, there was a reason why teachers strongly denied it. This was because if rumors spread that Satanists infiltrated F.A., a prestigious private clergy academy, Florence''s reputation could be tarnished. The intention was obvious.

    "Next, there will be an award ceremony. Kim Jin-Seo, from the ss of Patience, and Do Sun-Woo, from the ss of Charity, pleasee to the front of the stage."

    Jin-Seo jumped out of her seat and steadily walked up to the podium. I followed suit. A bright light shone on us as we climbed onto the tform.

    "First-year ss of Patience, Kim Jin-Seo. The above student is recognized for her contribution in oveing the disastrous situation by exercising her wit and improving the honor of the Florence Academy by promoting safe evacuation. Presented by Kim Chang Won, chairman of the Florence Academy."

    Kim Jin-Seo bowed and received the award. Under the podium, students apuded like thunder.

    "Next, first-year ss of Charity, Do Sun-Woo. Here''s the same thing."

    I also bowed and received the award. The students apuded, but the sound was significantly lower than when Kim Jin-Seo received the citation. I understood how they felt, but this was a little too much discrimination.

    "Well, greet the audience."

    In keeping with the announcer''s words, we turned to the students and bowed. As expected, apuse erupted, but the apuse belonged to Jin-Seo. There was no apuse for me.

    It didn''t feel very pleasant, but I didn''t mind. The fact that I received the award itself was important to me. Getting closer to the goal of bing a prte was enough to rejoice. With the end of the award ceremony, the mass also concluded. I walked to the ssroom with my award in hand.

    The sky was a little gloomy. I didn''t know if it was just because of my mood.

    "Um, hey!"

    While feeling depressed for no reason, a clear and clean voice came from behind. I turned my head around and found Kim Jin-Seo. Her ck, medium to short-length hair was a little messy. Judging from her rough breathing, she seemed to have run here.

    ¡°Ah. You, has your finger recover¡ª¡±

    ¡°This.¡±

    Even before I could finish my sentence, Jin-Seo suddenly offered something.

    It was jelly.

    I heard that this kind of jelly was popr among students these days, but I¡¯d never tried it. It was also my first time seeing it in person.

    "I just wanted to thank you. I don''t think I said it back then. ...Ah, and my finger is fine now¡ª"

    "Yeah. ...Huh? Oh. You mean your finger is all better now, right? Is there a scar?¡±

    "Oh, a scar...There¡¯s no scar." Somehow something went horribly wrong, and the conversation drove itself off a cliff.

    When I tried to talk, Kim Jin-Seo cut me off, and when she tried to talk, I cut her off. The atmosphere felt more awkward for no reason. Kim Jin-Seo''s face, which was always full ofughter, was locked in a stiff and cold expression.

    "Anyway, I''ll go,¡± Kim Jin-Seo said before joining her group of friends. Then she took some more jellies out of her bag and gave them to her friends. It was the same kind that gave me.

    She had bought the jelly for her friends in the first ce. But she must have given some to me because she had leftovers.

    [I reattached her finger, and she barely gave you a bag of jelly in return! What a lucrative business,] Legba remarked sarcastically. If one weighed the advantages and disadvantages, it was an obvious loss.

    However, I didn''t do it for money in the first ce, so I didn''t feel like it was a loss at all. I just felt sorry for Jin-Seo. No, that wasn¡¯t right. The reason I helped her was because Jin-Seo was the chairman¡¯s daughter.

    It was a little disappointing that what I received in return was jelly, because I hated jelly. I was the type of person to eat anything without being picky, but jelly was the only thing I couldn¡¯t stand. To be honest, I didn''t even think of jelly as food.

    "Hey, why are you going alone? ...What is that? Jelly?"

    After walking for some time, Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk came in while walking side by side. In-Ah looked suspicious when she saw the jelly in my hand.

    "They don''t sell this near here. Where did you buy it?¡±

    "I didn''t buy it. I got it from Jin-Seo earlier."

    "Huh? Are you close to Jin-Seo?"

    In-Ah''s expression hardened a little bit. Just a tiny bit.

    "I''m not close with her, there was just some stuff that happened."

    Jun-Hyuk, who was listening next to us, stepped in.

    "What? Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the reason why you were peeking at her?"

    "Peeking at who? When?"

    ¡°That¡¯s right. You two were close enough to exchange jelly with each other, so it¡¯s hard to call it peeking. It must have been some sort of special signal that you exchanged with each other. It¡¯s safe to look at it that way¡ª.¡±

    <i>Smack.</i>

    In-Ah kicked Jun-Hyuk in the shin.

    It was quite refreshing. I was getting a bit annoyed with his rambling.

    "You be quiet now."

    "Oh, hey! Stop kicking my shins. It hurts like hell, you know? Should I hit you back?¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk grabbed his shin and hopped. After exchanging such trivial jokes, we had already arrived at the ssroom. We opened the back door and entered without too much thought.

    However, the students were looking at us in a strange manner. To be exact, they were looking at ¡®me¡¯ with a cold gaze. There was clear hostility in the eyes of the students. The hostility was all directed at me.

    "What the? What''s wrong with the atmosphere?"

    Koo Jun-Hyuk also noticed that the atmosphere was strange.

    <i>Ring!</i>

    It was then that a cheerful tone of text rang.

    It was a text message for In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk. I didn''t get a text message.

    "What is this?"

    Jung In-Ah looked at the text with a stiff expression.

 Chapter 20

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>

    [I raise allegations that the student with the surname of Do from the ss of Charity received a fraudulent award and that they aremitting school violence.

    I was bullied by a student with the surname Do, who received an award during the mass this morning. Back when I was in middle school, a student with the surname Do left a scar that I could never wash away, and I''m still struggling with the pain.

    It is true that the student with the surname Do used a miracle to bind the demonic beasts, but it is also questionable how the demonic beast appeared. To get straight to the point, I would like to raise suspicions that the student may have purposely released the demonic beasts to receive an award. To put it in other words, I believe it¡¯s a self-orchestrated¡ª]

    ***

    ¡°What kind of bullshit is this?¡±

    ¡°Ha, wow. Seriously?¡±

    Koo Jun-Hyuk swore while reading the message, and Jung In-Ah responded the same way. She just didn''t swear.

    Firstly, I was the only student in the ss of Charity with the surname Do. It was written with the intention of openly targeting me. Also, I had nevermitted school violence in middle school. Rather, I was usually the subject of such violence.

    To say that I released the demonic beasts to get an award waspletely ridiculous. I had no idea who wrote it, but whoever did must have had a special kind of talent to be able to conjure up such a nonsense story.

    "We¡¯ll begin homeroom. I''m d that you all recovered well. I definitely should be proud to have an award winner in the ss, but I can¡¯t feel good about it in this situation."

    While Ha Ye-Jin was starting homeroom, I could only read the text message. Ye-Jin''s voice did not enter my ears at all. I read the text message over and over again multiple times. I couldn''t stop, even though I knew I would only get angrier the more I read. It wasn''t until I felt nauseous and dizzy to the point where I couldn''t read the text that I put my cell phone down.

    The article was posted on an anonymousmunity called Grandce. Students shared the article through SNS, messenger apps, and text messages.

    It didn''t matter whether the content of the article was true or not. They just needed a story, and I had been targeted as the scapegoat. Even after the first ss began, I was still distracted.

    "Now, as you all know, Sacred Physical Science is¡ª"

    The first ss was <Research and Theory of Sacred Material Science and Artifacts I>.

    It wasmonly shortened to SM science.

    Some would say that it was simply an abbreviation of sacred material science, and others might say that it was such a boring subject that only sadists and masochists would take the subject [1]. In any case, it was clear that the ss was incredibly boring.

    Midway through the ss, I couldn¡¯t help but fall asleep as if I was cking out. I don¡¯t know if it was because of the stress I umted from the text message earlier or if it was because the ss was too boring.

    "Do Sun-Woo!"

    "Huh. Yeah? Yes?¡±

    The sacred material science teacher woke me up from my sleep. The other students were looking at me while snickering. The teacher¡¯s gaze that normally would not have fazed me was now making me feel terribly sick. It felt like everyone in the room wasughing and swearing at me.

    "You must be smart enough to graduate already, yeah? That¡¯s why you''re not paying attention, is that right?"

    "Ah, I''m sorry."

    "Well, then, since you''re up, I will ask you a question. You can sit down once you give me an answer."

    The sacred material science teacher continued while wiping the ckboard with an eraser. The teacher''s head was half bald, and the light reflecting off his head caused the bald part to shine. Some of the students were holding back theirughter at the sight. Personally, I had no idea what was so funny.

    "Divinium. It is the most basic substance in sacred material science. Describe three phenomena that ur when divinium and divine power react."

    Oh, this.

    I had already studied this a long time ago. I was fairly sure that when divinium reacted with divine power, it would cause <i>that</i> phenomenon to ur.

    That phenomenon, that phenomenon...

    What was that phenomenon again? I couldn¡¯t remember.

    All sorts of random thoughts chaotically bounced around in my head. The random thoughts pushed away my memories, making it impossible to remember anything or think of anything.

    [You just have to say the exact words I am about to say. Understand?]

    Someone''s voice leaked into my dazed mind.

    [The first phenomenon that urs is expansion or contraction. The second phenomenon that urs is heat dissipation of 40.1 degrees. The third phenomenon that urs is luminescence. Baldy said there are three phenomena, but there are actually four phenomena. In the case of supersaturated conditions, the fourth andst phenomenon that urs is an explosion.]

    "The first phenomenon that urs is expansion or contraction. The second phenomenon that urs is heat dissipation of 40.1 degrees. The third phenomenon that urs is luminescence. Baldy said there are three phenomena, but there are actually four phenomena. In the case of supersaturated conditions, the fourth andst phenomenon that urs is an explosion."

    ¡°...¡±

    Strangely, the atmosphere in the ssroom became frigid. I was sure I just did what I was told to do. What was it? Did I do something wrong? Why was everyone looking at me like that?

    [You weren¡¯t supposed to repeat the ¡®baldy¡¯ part! The bald guy''s face is red now because he is angry. He¡¯s be a boiled octopus.] Theyughed out loud.

    "Do Sun-Woo. You have a lot of guts to call me a baldy. I''d consider it going against the teacher¡¯s authority, but since the answer was perfect, I''ll let you off the hook just this once."

    Fortunately, the teacher forgave me with a generous heart. Still, his face was still red as if his anger had not yet been relieved. His face really looked like a boiled octopus.

    "Well, anyway. As he exined, when divinium reacts with divine power, it has four reactions depending on the situation. Number one¡ª"

    The teacher conducted the ss by adding an exnation to what I said. As expected, it was no fun. Looking at the bald teacher¡¯s head sparkle from the reflecting light was the most interesting part of the lecture.

    At that moment, I suddenly felt a strange sense of disharmony. Was the voice that rang in my head just now Legba? No, Legba was well versed in metaphysics, such as history and religion, while he was no better than an outsider in the sacred sciences, such as sacred material science and sacred dynamics.

    It was not Legba who was well-versed in physical science, but...

    Baron Samedi.

    The moment I remembered his name, his image shed through my mind.

    A suit, cigar, silk hat, rum, and purple smoke. And beyond the smoke, a glowing red eye could be seen.

    [I came today because I had something to say again. I¡¯m telling you this because I think you''re struggling too much. By the way, it will be helpful if you take note of this.]

    Samedi was usually yful, but today his tone was serious and solemn. I gulped down my saliva as I got nervous. Then I took out a notebook I didn''t use from my bag, opened it, and picked up a pen. It was necessary to take notes on Baron Samedi''s words.

    [At eight o¡¯clock, go to the city park. Be careful not to slip. Don''t bete. Don''t lose yourposure. And now, the most important thing.]

    Baron Samedi paused for a brief moment.

    [Be careful of fire.]

    After finishing the sentence, Baron Samedi disappeared. As usual, Samedi¡¯s advice was vague and roundabout.

    At the moment, I couldn''t exactly figure out what Baron Samedi¡¯s words meant. I would most likely find out if I went to the city park at 8 o''clock.

    * * *

    Jin-Seo was especially tired today after returning home from school.

    It was because of that hideous object located in the corner of the room. It was a huge box that was one meter by one meter in dimension.

    "When will I eat all that....¡± Jin-Seo sighed and put her hand in the box.

    There was a rustling sound of vinyl hitting her hand. She took a jelly packet from the box and looked at it with devastated eyes. The huge box was filled with jelly. It was the jelly she had given to Do Sun-Woo this morning. She had given one to Sun-Woo and distributed some to all her friends, but there were still so many left. There was no one else to give it to anymore.

    But to eat all that alone... She felt like she was going to gain weight.

    <i>¡®Should I just give it all to Sun-Woo?¡¯</i>

    She originally ordered the jelly to give to Sun-Woo. She was going to say thank you and give him a small gift, but she was kind of embarrassed to give it to only Sun-Woo. She thought the other students would get strange ideas.

    These days, many students would look at a man and woman talking and mistakenly draw the conclusion that they were flirting. The rumors would get even more absurdly exaggerated if she exchanged jellies with him.

    These were a bunch of seventeen-year-old prime pubescent high school students with dried-up love cells that were tired of their academic workload.

    Therefore, what Jin-Seo chose was the tactic of ¡®giving it to him as leftovers.¡¯

    Just like how there was an endless amount of jelly at home, suppose she gave jellies away as if the amount wouldn¡¯t get reduced even if she gave them out to anybody, anywhere. If she gave them to her friends, her teacher, and finally to Sun-Woo, then it was possible to naturally give them to Sun-Woo as a gift without arousing suspicion.

    As a bonus, she would be able to say thanks to him. Therefore, Jin-Seo asked her father to buy her some jelly.

    "But I didn¡¯t think he would buy an entire box."

    She thought he would buy a bunch, but as a man of great generosity, her father ordered an entire box. To make matters worse, it was an extrarge one-cubic meter box. At this point, even if she gave out the jelly to every single student at school, there would still be leftovers.

    <i>Buzzzz</i>.

    While thinking about how to deal with the hundreds of surplus jelly, her phone vibrated, alerting her of a messenger notification.

    [What are you doing?]

    It was Ko Jun-Min.

    He often contacted her after the demon extermination practice, and Jin-Seo replied to Jun-Min no matter how annoyed or tired she was.

    It was because if she did not reply, thousands or hundreds of text messages from Jun-Min would bother her. It was not because she liked replying to him.

    [I¡¯m not doing anything in particr.]

    [Did you order jelly?]

    The decision to give jelly to Sun-Woo was alsorgely influenced by Jun-Min. Jun-Min liked jelly so much and said if he got a gift, he¡¯d want to receive the jelly. She didn¡¯t know whether Sun-Woo liked jelly, though. She just hoped he liked it. Jin-Seo thought about this and that andter replied to Jun-Min.

    [Yes.]

    [I see.]

    The conversation with Jun-Min was always short. It was very painful and frustrating to have to keep sending replies even though she had nothing to say. Jin-Seo was starting to get afraid of Jun-Min contacting her. After that, she didn''t get any messages for a while. It felt peaceful. She even seemed to feel a sense of freedom.

    [Did you see this? It''s a post from Grandce.]

    [(Sent a picture)]

    However, the sense of freedom only existed for a moment as Jun-Min contacted her once again. The photo that Jun-Min sent showed a disclosure posted on an anonymousmunity called Grandce. Jin-Seo scrolled down and read it carefully.

    "...What is this?"

    Student in the ss of Charity with the surname Do. Only one person in the ss of Charity had the surname Do.

    Do Sun-Woo.

    The exposed article tantly referred to and criticized Sun-Woo. The usations were baseless, all but incitement. What was even more shocking was thements. There werements that threw around words like expulsion and death as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    There were even maliciousments that said, ¡®That guy¡¯s parents must be cultists.¡¯ By all ounts, thisment had gone too far.

    [I''m worried that you might get involved. These kinds of students should be expelled right away.]

    [By any chance, do you know Sun-Woo?]

    Jun-Min seemed to believe this nonsense. All in all, Sun-Woo was not a person who wouldmit evil acts such asmitting school violence or releasing his magic to receive an award. If one knew him at least a little bit, it was easy to see that this usation was a lie.

    [I know him.]

    [But he''s not that kind of person.]

    Jin-Seo courageously defended Sun-Woo. Jun-Min did not reply for a while, even after seeing the message. Jin-Seo suddenly felt fear.

    [How would you know whether he¡¯s that kind of person or not? You''re not defending the perpetrator, are you?]

    ¡°...¡±

    She felt suffocated. No matter what she said, she didn¡¯t think it would get through to him.

    Jin-Seo reread the captured copy of the article sent by Jun-Min.

    No matter how much she looked at it, the article was clearly written with a malicious purpose by someone with negative feelings for Sun-Woo. At least, Jin-Seo felt convinced that this was the case.

    After reading for a long time, she finally saw it. The ugly truth of this vain false usation. Jin-Seo picked up her cell phone without saying anything and texted Jun-Min.

    * * *

    I went to the city park in the evening, as Baron Samedi advised. There were still about ten minutes left until eight o''clock. The cold air of the evening grazed my nose. The park was very quiet. There was only silence.

    I sat on the park bench, rereading the false usations directed at me. I had already read it so many times that I had long since memorized it. Thus, I decided to read thements instead.

    There were hundreds ofments. Most of the maliciousments said, ¡®That guy¡¯s parents must be cultists.¡¯ Since my parents really were cultists, it didn¡¯t really hurt much.

    After reading thements, I was starting to get used to it. When I first read thements, my hands were shaking, and I couldn''t do anything because I was out of breath, but now I could read them with an empty smile.

    Eventually, eight o''clock arrived.

    In the distance, someone trudged into the park. Even though their face was not visible, their characteristics were clear, so I could recognize who it was at a nce.

    "Ha, I was wondering who it was."

    I got up from my seat with a sigh.

    1. In Korean, sacred material science is abbreviated to ??? (shin-mul-hak), which can mean vomit science. Basically, the ss is so boring that it makes you vomit. ?

 Chapter 21

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>

    "Now, look. You don¡¯t really seem to understand, but you and Jin-Seo are dating. Am I right?"

    "Ye-yes."

    "Didn¡¯t Jin-Seo meet another man during the school closure? What do you call this? It''s cheating, right?

    "N-no. Ji-Jin-Seo can''t be like that. No way."

    "Oh, you frustrating creature. Then shall I just report you?"

    "No! So-so-sorry."

    "Just get it through your thick skull, please."

    Ko Jun-Min shrank at Bae Sung-Hyun''s overbearing attitude.

    "Okay, again. You and Jin-Seo are going out... Oh, this is such bullshit that I don¡¯t even want to say it. Anyway, she¡¯s cheating. And she¡¯s cheating on you with Do Sun-Woo, right?¡±

    "Ye-yes."

    "Jin-Seo, that''s... No. She met a man other than you, right?¡±

    "Yes."

    "Well then, what should you do? Are you just going to sit idly by and let another guy take your girl? You don¡¯t want that, right?¡±

    "N-no."

    Sung-Hyun took Jun-Min''s cell phone. Then, he sent some photos from Jun-Min''s gallery to his cell phone.

    "Wha-what are you doing?! Give it back!¡±

    ¡°It''s a form of evidence that can be used as insurance.¡±

    ¡°Give it back! Give it back!¡±

    Jun-Min was 159 cm tall. Sung-Hyun was 187 cm tall. No matter how much Jun-Min jumped, he could not take away the cell phone in Sung-Hyun''s hand. In the meantime, Sung-Hyun sent various pieces of evidence to his cell phone, just in case Jun-Min betrayed him.

    "Here. I''ll give it to you, man. You''re acting like you''re gonna kill me for a cell phone."

    "Th-this, I hope you don''t do things like this."

    "Yes, yes. If you are obedient."

    Sung-Hyun continued with a cool smile. "Now, just do as I say. Okay? Then Jin-Seo will abandon him and like you again. Am I right, or am I wrong?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    "Answer me."

    "Tha-that''s right."

    ¡°Right. When is the best time?¡±

    ¡°Three days. Aw-award ceremony.¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    It was not that difficult to find out that there was going to be an award ceremony after the end of the school closure period. Finding out that Jin-Seo and Do Sun-Woo were scheduled to receive the awards was also not difficult. It might have been difficult for other people, but for Sung-Hyun, it was easy to obtain this information.

    ¡°So, have you finished writing the post?¡±

    ¡°Ye-yeah.¡±

    Jun-Min nodded in fear. Sung-Hyun smiled with satisfaction at Jun-Min, who became an obedientmb. If the situation went as nned, it would be a great opportunity to bury both Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo. Even if things went wrong, there would be no damage to Sung-Hyun.

    Since Jun-Min wasbeled as the figurehead, he would also be held responsible for all the repercussions. All Sung-Hyun had to do was sit back and watch the show.

    <i>''No matter how things go, this is going to be fun.''</i>

    Sung-Hyun didn''t really have a big reason why he was orchestrating this. He just thought it would be fun. If he seeded, it would be fun to watch Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo get screwed over. If he failed, it would be fun to watch Jun-Min get screwed over as well.

    No matter which side was screwed over, there would be no damage to Sung-Hyun.

    "Bu-but. If I do this, Ji-Ji-Ji-Jin-Seo will g-go out with m-me again, right?"

    "Of course~ If you do as I say, everything will be fine. I''m helping you with your rtionship."

    Sung-Hyun encouraged Jun-Min. His face was flushed and he was smiling.

    <i>¡®This guy is the most disgusting.¡¯</i>

    Jun-Min and Jin-Seo had nothing going on between each other. It was just a couple of text messages. Even those messages were purely business rted. However, as his delusions reached their peak, he came to believe that he was Jin-Seo''s boyfriend. Sung-Hyun calcted Jun-Min''s delusions in his n. Honestly, he was a little disgusting, but he was the perfect chess piece to manipte.

    * * *

    "Hello."

    There was no need to be hostile from the start. I greeted him lightly.

    "Oh, hi. But why are you here?"

    ¡°Me? Here to meet someone. Why?¡±

    ¡°Ah. I... I see.¡±

    He had an awkward tone, asional stutters, a turtle neck, round shoulders, and an uncharacterized face with weak arms and legs.

    It was Jun-Min.

    He sat down on the bench, pretending to be calm. Cold sweat flowed down his forehead, and his gaze wandered into the air. His hand, which had nowhere to go, awkwardly touched his nose.

    All those actions were evidence and signs of his anxiety.

    Jun-Min was most likely the writer of the post. That was probably why Baron Samedi told me toe here at 8 o''clock. However, there was no way of proving it. Even if I pressured him to confess, he didn''t seem to be the type of person to admit his wrongdoings willingly. In the first ce, it was unclear whether Jun-Min was the writer.

    Nothing was certain, and I only had countless faint suspicions that didn¡¯t reveal anything substantial. In order to demystify things filled with confusion and uncertainty, it was necessary to use the most distinct emotion that humans had.

    Anger.

    "Are you close to Jin-Seo?" I asked.

    "Jin-Seo?"

    Jun-Min must be close to Jin-Seo. No, rather than saying he was close to Jin-Seo, it was more urate to say that Jun-Min unterally imposed himself on Jin-Seo. In any case, it was clear that Jun-Min felt blind respect and favor toward her.

    To put it bluntly, it was a feeling that was no different from love, although it was a distorted form of love.

    "Are you close to Ji-Jin-Seo? Why do you call her without herst name?"

    "Huh? You call her without herst name as well. That¡¯s why I thought it would be alright."

    "It''s because I''m close to Ji-Ji-Jin-Seo. An ass-asshole like you¡ª!" Jun-Min screamed and raged while clenching his fists. His vague feelings gradually became easier to see as he got angrier.

    Distorted love was usually based on a desire for monopoly. Jun-Min wanted Jin-Seo to only look at him. He probably wanted to use the affectionate term ¡®Jin-Seo¡¯ for himself. So, when I disrupted his monopoly, he growled like a dog that had its toy stolen.

    "I''m close to <i>Jin-Seo</i> too. I''m here to meet <i>Jin-Seo</i> right now as well."

    I emphasized the word ¡®Jin-Seo¡¯ and constantly attempted to provoke Jun-Min.

    Jun-Min''s face turned red and then white. The rate at which his lips were quivering was impressive. Honestly, I thought that the method that I was using right now was a little childish. But it seemed to be effective.

    "You, you!"

    Jun-Min stared at me with his fist clenched tightly.

    It still wasn¡¯t enough. I still needed a decisive remark to aggravate Jun-Min''s feelings further.

    "Oh, and the jelly that I got from Jin-Seo was delicious. Did you get one too?"

    Jin-Seo was the type of person to not even talk to men, let alone give them presents. Giving me jelly was also a token of gratitude for attaching her finger. Jun-Min had no real connection to Jin-Seo, so the probability of him also receiving a jelly was virtually nonexistent.

    As expected, Jun-Min''s face began to distort little by little. His fists were trembling, and his lips vibrated furiously. His eyebrows twitched intermittently.

    It was a clear sign of anger.

    Jun-Min strode up to me while biting into his lips halfway. The gaze toward me was solid and unmoving. He was thinking of hitting me.

    "What are you doing?"

    At that moment, a crystal clear voice dispersed the umted tension. The voice was sharp but gentle. When I turned my head around, Jin-Seo was there.

    She did not have any makeup on, and she was dressed in a sweatshirt and training pants.

    "Ji-Ji-Ji, Ji-Ji-Jin-Seo?"

    Jun-Min''s face became stiff.

    ***

    Jin-Seo knew that Jun-Min was the author of the post. It was because the ¡®edit¡¯ and ¡®delete¡¯ buttons could be seen in the picture of the post that Jun-Min sent to Jin-Seo. Only the author had the authority to edit and delete the post. It meant that Jun-Min was the author.

    [At 8:15, can youe to the city park?]

    She also sent a text message, and Jun-Min agreed to meet her without batting an eyelid. She intended to ask Jun-Min to take the post down. It wasn''t just because of Sun-Woo.

    She had prepared roughly as she didn¡¯t have to look good in front of Jun-Min anyway. If Jun-Min saw her face without makeup, she hoped he would cut off contact with her on his own ord.

    As such, when she reached the city park, a shocking sight unfolded in front of her.

    "Ji-Ji-Ji-Jin-Seo?"

    Jun-Min was holding his fist as if he were trying to hit Sun-Woo. Even with his fist in front of him, Sun-Woo stood still without any signs of fear. Was it a fight? If so, why did it happen? Was it something that could only be resolved through a fight?

    Jin-Seo felt perplexed by her doubts.

    "Jun-Min... Let''s talk,¡± Jin-Seo said as she sat on a bench. She sent Sun-Woo away with an appropriate excuse. It was clear that Sun-Woo would be shocked if he found out that the writer of the post was Jun-Min.

    Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

    Jin-Seo remainedpletely silent the entire time in front of Jun-Min and opened her mouth when Sun-Woopletely disappeared from view.

    "You wrote it, right?"

    Jun-Min shivered at Jin-Seo''s words. ¡°Ah, no? What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°The picture you sent me.¡±

    Jin-Seo picked up her cell phone and showed the picture sent by Jun-Min. There was clear evidence that Jun-Min was the writer.

    Jun-Min shifted his eyes left and right. He seemed to be looking for a way to escape the situation somehow.

    Jun-Min remained silent for about ten seconds, but soon, he slowly apologized.

    "I''m sor-sorry."

    It was an apology that popped out of his mouth.

    "I¡¯m not the person you should be apologizing to. I''m fine, so let''s take the post down. What do you say?"

    "Po-post. Take it down?"

    Jun-Min agonized. He couldn¡¯t take the post down yet. He didn¡¯t know what Sung-Hyun would do to him if he took the post down. Jun-Min was afraid of Jin-Seo since she was questioning him, but he was more afraid of Sung-Hyun.

    "That, I c-can¡¯t.¡± Jun-Min lowered his head.

    Jin-Seo slowly resumed her persuasion while feeling frustrated inside but not losing her smile. Her patience remained strong.

    "Then why did you post that?"

    "Th-that¡¯s because you should have been the only one who received the reward. He was getting it with you. Something was fishy.¡±

    "The teachers are the ones who judge, and Sun-Woo¡¯s performances were sufficient¡ª"

    "An-and! He caught you smoking! I''m trying to he-help you, as a boyfriend!"

    Jun-Min iled about.

    Jin-Seo suddenly got goosebumps. Herplicated doubts tangled up and gave birth to new suspicions. How did he know that she smoked? What the hell did he mean by ¡®as a boyfriend?¡¯

    "Smoking? What do you mean? And what do you mean by boyfriend?"

    Jin-Seo''s face, which always had a smile, lost its cheer. Her eyes were cold, as if she were looking at something disgusting. It was a situation where she couldn''t manage her expression. It was not a situation where she wanted to manage her facial expression in the first ce.

    "I''m your boyfriend, aren''t I? Aren¡¯t I?¡±

    "What are you talking about? Why are you my boyfriend...?¡±

    Jun-Min''s eyes quivered.

    "Huh? Ah, no. I¡¯m your boyfriend, ri-right? Yes?¡±

    Jun-Min took out his cell phone from his pocket and showed it to Jin-Seo.

    "Look. We-we even took a picture together, didn''t we? As for the smo-smoking... During that time. I was talking about that time. Right?¡±

    Jin-Seo was on the phone screen. Jin-Seo was sitting down with her knees bent, and she was smoking with tears in her eyes. There was even the image of Sun-Woo passing by.

    They were pictures taken in secret.

    <i>¡®When did he take this? Was he stalking me? Why on earth would he do this?¡¯</i>

    Her hands shook. Fear, disgust, anger¡ªall kinds of negative emotions piled up and relentlessly overwhelmed her.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Jin-Seo forcibly snatched the cell phone from Jun-Min''s hand, and she erased the picture right away.

    "Huh...?¡±

    When she deleted the picture, the following picture was revealed.

    It was a picture of her leaving the gym while soaked with sweat.

    When she deleted it, the next picture popped up.

    It was a figure of herself entering her house. And then there was the next picture.

    It was glimpses of her face showing through the window in her house.

    Next.

    She was heading to the convenience store in shabby clothes.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    The cell phone fell from Jin-Seo''s hand. The cell phone that crashed onto the floor made a dull sound. The sound soon echoed in the park filled with silence.

    Jin-Seo just trembled while staring nkly into the air. Her body stiffened with fear, and she couldn''t even turn her head. Her mind was nk. She couldn''t think of anything.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Jun-Min''s voice was calmer than ever.

    Jin-Seo couldn''t help but wonder whether she should run away or call the police or a pdin. She was out of breath, and her vision was cking out.

    "Why are you so, af-afraid? Ji-Ji-Jinseo."

    Jun-Min reached out with his hand to Jin-Seo''s shoulder, but she instinctively swatted his hand away. With a dull thud, Jun-Min''s hand was thrown back.

    "Are you an-angry? Huh? You''re up-upset! Haha. My-my bad. We''re dating, right? Oh, you were just saying that we weren¡¯t because you were angry earlier, right?"

    Jin-Seo bit her lip until it bled. She felt nauseous and felt like throwing up at any moment. Her head was full of thoughts of wanting to get out of this position. She just wanted to get some rest. She wanted to go back to when she was lying in bed and rolling around without thinking.

    "Let''s talkter again. At the moment, I''m too, ah."

    Jin-Seo got up from the bench. Her legs were shaking. Her head was dizzy, and her vision was cking out.

    "Wa-wait a moment!"

    Jun-Min grabbed Jin-Seo''s arm with a nk expression Jin-Seo turned her head and looked at Jun-Min''s empty eyes. His eyes were so dark and eerie that it was impossible to gauge their depth.

    "Let me go, what are you...!¡±

    "What''s wrong with your ex-expression? Ah, no matter how angry you are, you shouldn''t do this to me. Right?¡±

    Jin-Seo''s face was stiff.

    She practiced smiling. She smiled when she was happy of course, but also when she was sad or angry. People thought she was a good girl because she smiled a lot. She knew how tough, but she didn''t know how to cry. The tears she couldn''t spill clogged up her heart, but she didn''t know how to release them. So she left them as they were. And now, Jin-Seo even forgot how to smile. There was nothing resembling an expression on her face. It was only distorted by disgust.

    "A-as much as I think of you. I wanted you to think of me, too. Huh? B-by the way, if you are hanging out with other guys. You thought I wouldn¡¯t know? Y-you shouldn¡¯t do this to me. Do you know how much I, uh, how much¡ª!"

    "Don''t delude yourself. There''s nothing between us. Let go. Let go!"

    Jin-Seo attempted to shake off his arm. However, Jun-Min did not let go.

    The force was strangely strong.

    "Ah, what do you mean nothing between us? Delude myself? I¡¯m not. What are you talking about? Huh?¡±

    At some point, Jun-Min stopped stuttering.

    "Ah, so that''s it. Transfer? So you¡¯ve switched? You¡¯ve switched to Sun-Woo. I¡¯ve been so nice to you. How can you do that to me?¡±

    "Huh? Ju-Jun-Min. Calm down and let go of me. What''s wrong with you all of a sudden...¡±

    Jin-Seo was in tears.

    "Shut up, you filthy!"

    <i>Rip. Crack. </i><i>Crunch. </i>

    Flesh was torn, and bones shattered. New flesh and bones sprouted in their ce. Jun-Min was discarding his human body and being reborn as a demon.

    In front of him, Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t do anything but stay still. Her body went cold. Her legs didn''t move.

    A demon.

    It was not a fake demon used for training. It was a real demon, like the one that tore her mother to death when she was young.

    <i>Flop.</i>

    Her legs gave out, and she sank down where she stood.

    Jun-Min''s body was torn apart and then mended itself, growingrger in the process.

    "Ah, <i>crunch, crunch, heh</i>. What, do, you, think? Do I look cool? If you apologize now, I''ll forgive you. Huh?"

    Jun-Min muttered iprehensible gibberish while his body continued to grow in size. He eventually grew into a monster. He had a bizarre form with ck flesh and bone fragments all over his body.

    The monster lifted Jin-Seo with his crude and dirty hands.

    "Ah, argh...!¡±

    Jin-Seo''s neck was being strangled by a ck and dirty hand. She struggled with pain, but no one could help her.

    <i>Boom.</i>

    As Jin-Seo''s consciousness drifted away, an explosion rang in the park. What exploded was Jun-Min''s forearm, which was holding Jin-Seo''s neck. The forearm was severed as if it was cut off by a piece of stone that came from somewhere.

    "Ugh."

    Sun-Woo was standing on the other side. He trembled as he saw Jun-Min, who had turned into a hideous monster.

 Chapter 22

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>

    Kim Jin-Seo told me to go back home. She said she had something to talk about with Ko Jun-Min. However, I was not the kind of person to listen. I hid in a nearby park and eavesdropped on their conversation.

    When I heard Jun-Min say something simr to a confession...

    [Do Sun-Woo! It¡¯s nearby. It¡¯s that guy, the Satanist!] Legba said urgently. There was no room for rxation in his way of speaking.

    That guy.

    It was the Satanist hiding in the F.A. ss of Charity.

    [Corner! The bench next to the streetmp that¡¯s turned off!]

    I turned to look at the location that Legba indicated. There was a man sitting on a bench located in a corner where the streetmp was turned off. His body was not that big, and his face was not visible because he wore a hat and a mask.

    In front of him was a magic circle painted in ck material. It was a Pentagram.

    [Follow him. He¡¯s running away!]

    The Satanist also spotted me and began to run away. He was incredibly fast.

    <i>Is he a track and field athlete?</i>

    Leaving my silly question behind, I ran after the Satanist.

    "Bossou!"

    [Bossou responds to the call. Tired. Offering!]

    There was a sharp pain that seemed to tear my whole body. I felt a boiling sense of strength in my body, but it wasn¡¯t at the level it used to be. It seemed to be because Bossou was in a tired state.

    <i>Damn it, if only I had the Altar!</i>

    It was meaningless to regret. I chased the Satanist through the grass and over the fence. The Satanist ran away while darting around in all directions like a slippery fish.

    "Huff Huff. Huff."

    <i>Rustle! Rustle!</i>

    Rough breathing, snapping branches, and dead leaves being trampled on the floor were the only sounds that resounded. There were no other sounds.

    The close chase continued for a few minutes. We soon entered a tree-lined path in the center of the park. There were many trees and fewer streetlights, so it was much darker than other ces.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Then, there was a sound that resembled a gunshot. It was the sound of the Satanist leaping. He jumped up andnded on top of a tree and continued to run away while moving between the trees. He was extremely fast¡ªI couldn''t keep up at this rate.

    It almost felt like a wild goose chase. He was so close, yet so far away. I decided to take advantage of the monstrous power that I got from Bossou.

    <i>Grind.</i>

    I clenched my teeth and contracted my body as much as I could. I put strength into my thighs and abdomen and maximized the sticity of my body. It was the same posture as preparing for a long jump.

    <i>Thump-!</i>

    With a dull sound, my body flew up into the air. I quickly shifted my view while midair and spotted a guy dressed in ck clothes. Perhaps it was thanks to the enhanced athletic abilities of Bossou¡¯s power, but my body moved exactly as I intended. Soon, the distance from the Satanist gradually decreased.

    Five meters, two meters, one meter. He was within reach. I could catch him. If I just reached out, I could catch him.

    "Huh?"

    However, I couldn''t reach out.

    <i>Crunch¡ª!</i>

    The leaves parted, and the branches broke. My outstretched hand could not catch the Satanist and could only hold on to a feeble branch. Waking up after a briefpse of consciousness from the impact of falling, I saw the Satanist looking down at me from the tree.

    "Heh."

    Heughed at me and resumed his escape.

    Did heugh at me? I wanted to twist his neck to kill him right away. But because I sprained my ankle whilending, I couldn¡¯t.

    <i>Snap!</i>

    I couldn''t just stay still. I broke the branch in my hand in half and started sharpening the end. It was crude, but it roughly resembled a spear. It was said that Bossou was a javelin soldier during his lifetime, which meant that he could throw the spear incredibly well.

    I used Bossou¡¯s power to throw the spear.

    <i>Smack</i><i>!</i>

    The spear hit him. No, it was more urate to say that the spear brushed by his body. The spear that brushed his head tore off his hood, and his back was revealed. His hair was not long, and there was a tattoo on the back of his neck. It was a goat tattoo.

    Unfortunately, I missed the Satanist. Still, I was able to gain some new information. I was d that I was at least able to find out that the Satanist had a goat tattoo on the back of his neck.

    [Are you not going to continue chasing?!] Bossou cried out with pity.

    However, the Satanist had already fled far away and disappeared. It was stupid to continue chasing after him. I immediately went back to where Jin-Seo and Jun-Min were, but the atmosphere was strange. When I was eavesdropping, Jin-Seo seemed to be interrogating Jun-Min, but now the situation was reversed. Rather than Jun-Min, it was Jin-Seo who was shaking.

    However, there was no particr reason for me to step up. I watched the situation while hiding behind the bushes. Suddenly, Jun-Min''s body made strange crunching sounds. His body repeatedly broke apart and recovered to form the shape of a monster.

    [Demon! The Satanist must have cast ck magic on him!] Bossou screamed while watching this.

    Demons.

    If ck magic was cast on a human instead of an animal, that person would be a monster acting ording to their desires, losing their self-control and gaining transcendental strength. People called this type of monster a demon. The problem was that a demon was much more dangerous and stronger than demonic beasts.

    "Ah, aggh......!¡±

    There was no time to spare. I immediately picked up some rocks that were lying on the floor. Bossou¡¯s power remained, so I aimed for Jun-Min¡¯s arm. He was now a demon, and he was holding Jin-Seo¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Bang.¡±

    The stone directly flew toward the demon''s arm and amputated it. Jin-Seo copsed onto the floor and let out dry coughs.

    Jun-Min stared at me with angry eyes.

    "Agh."

    Looking closer, it looked more disgusting than I thought. Originally, I was going to engage in hand-to-handbat, but I changed my mind. I thought it would be better to fight safely by throwing stones from afar.

    [Get closer to him! I''m going to rip him apart and kill him!]

    "Oh,e on. I don''t want to touch that." Bossou had lost his most cherished warrior to a demon. Thus, Bossou felt uncontroble anger whenever he saw a demon. He would go berserk at the mere sight of something resembling a demon, vowing to tear it apart and kill it.

    I first looked at Jun-Min''s appearance.

    His entire body was covered in something ck and eerie. As if he had a venereal disease, there were rough, scaly bumps scattered all over his body. There were also odd tentacle-like thingsing out of him.

    It was difficult to approach him because of his appearance.

    "Cough! Cough! Hgh, agh...!"

    Jin-Seo was coughing dryly and trying to alleviate her pain. I quickly approached her and used Voodoo magic¡ªintermediate enthrallment, curse of fainting on her.

    It was a spell that made the opponent faint for about four minutes. When the spell was activated, Jin-Seo forgot the pain and fell asleep with afortable expression.

    That eliminated the witness.

    "These, these, trashy bastards. How dare they underestimate me!"

    Jun-Min approached, mumbling a slew of iprehensible words. Every time he took a step, a sticky squelching sound echoed. It was horrible to have to fight against something like that in hand-to-handbat.

    Jun-Min suddenly came closer and threw his fist at me. Perhaps it was because one of its arms had been blown off, but his center of gravity shook precariously. His fist was so slow that I could see with my eyes and avoid it. I easily avoided Jun-Min''s slow fist and grabbed his arm with my left hand.

    I felt a sticky and unpleasant texture on my fingers, but I clenched my teeth and endured it. In that state, I drew a curse array.

    <i>tter, </i><i>c</i><itter¡ª!</i>

    Somethingrge and purple-shaded came out of the curse array. Depending on how one looked at it, it could have been a sword or an ax. But it was neither a sword nor an ax. It was so crude and huge that it would be better to call it a de.

    There were three kinds of Voodoo spells. There were enthrallment spells that could interfere with the opponent''s mind. The restoration spells could be used to heal wounds. Finally, there were replication spells that could recreate the tools used in ancient Voodoo as a form of Voodoo power.

    The spell I used was also a replication spell.

    The superior grade replication spell. Executioner¡¯s Sword.

    <i>Crack. Crack.</i>

    The Executioner¡¯s Sword that came out of the spell array shook eerily and made creepy sounds. The de of the Executioner¡¯s Sword was by no means sharp, and if one looked at it closely, it was blunt. It seemed difficult to even use it to cut pork, let alone decapitate someone.

    <i>Slice!</i>

    However, Jun-Min''s arm was cut off just by swinging the sword down. At a nce, it looked dull, but this was an Executioner¡¯s Sword replicated through the spell array.

    Thousands, even tens of thousands, of death row inmates were decapitated by the Executioner¡¯s Sword. Their deaths honed the sword, and as a result, the sword became sharper and deadlier than anything else.

    It seemed that Jun-Min was not even aware that his arm had been severed as he tried to punch me with his remaining arm. But a fist didn''tnd. He couldn''t possibly punch me with both his arms amputated.

    "Ugh! Ugh! Gr-grrrr!!¡± Jun-Min shouted after btedly realizing the absence of both his arms. It was such a bizarre voice that it was hard to call it human. A cry rang through the park.

    "Ah, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Ugh¡ª"

    <i>Slice.</i>

    However, the cry did notst long.

    It was because I sliced Jun-Min''s throat.

 Chapter 23

    <h4>Chapter 23</h4>

    The flesh was severed. It was as casual and natural as cutting meat in a butcher''s shop. The sensation of cutting could not be felt. It was because the formless power of voodoo magic created the Executioner¡¯s Sword.

    Despite the fact that I had never handled a sword before, I was able to wield the sword so skillfully because of the motor nerves inherent in Bossou¡¯s power. I also remembered the movements of So Do-Jin¡¯s de dance that he performed against the demonic beasts at the barn, so that helped a bit.

    <i>Slice!</i>

    An eerie sound resounded through the park.

    Eventually, the only things left in the area were Jun-Min¡¯s flesh which had split into countless pieces, and Jin-Seo, who was sleeping.

    "Croak. He-help me! Please...¡±

    Jun-Min continued to scream and try to survive even though his throat had been cut off. The flesh that had fallen from his body wriggled endlessly. The demonized flesh did not lose its desire even though it was separated from its owner. The flesh moved on its own lust and was instinctively crawling toward Jin-Seo.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    I stepped on a piece of flesh that was approaching Jin-Seo and destroyed it. The sound of a squashed bug resounded as thest vestiges of life faded away from the flesh. The flesh soon turned into smoke and dispersed into the sky.

    "Phew."

    The situation was slowly reaching its conclusion. I approached Jun-Min with the Executioner¡¯s Sword. He tried to take a step back while looking at me, but in his current state, with only his head remaining, he couldn''t even take a step back.

    [Are you going to kill him?]

    "Yes." At Legba''s question, I answered without hesitation.

    [Yeah. Killing him would certainly result in a cleaner aftermath.]

    Humans had to go through some kind of ''contract'' to be a demon. Through ck magic, Satanists proposed contracts to humans on whether they wanted to be a demon or not.

    If one refused, they would lose their intelligence and be a humanoid demonic creature.

    [On top of that, he became a demon by his own will.]

    However, if one epted it, one would be a demon like Jun-Min. In other words, Jun-Min abandoned the greater good and joined hands with Satanists for his immediate desire. He deserved to die.

    "Please, just, just once......!"

    <i>Slice.</i>

    I cut Jun-Min''s head in half. Soon, it split into dozens or hundreds of pieces and became wriggling flesh. The flesh instinctively chased Jin-Seo, but I was not the kind of person to leave it alone. I stepped on them like killing cockroaches crawling on the floor.

    <i>Crunch. Crunch.</i>

    The flesh exploded with an unpleasant sound. Some of them turned into smoke and vanished, and some split apart into smaller pieces. I carefully stomped on all of them to get rid of them. The flesh that turned into smoke disappeared without a trace and slowly withered away.

    <i>Gurgle. Gurgle.</i>

    I sensed an abnormality when I heard a bubbling sound. It was when I tried to take my foot off the ground in order to continue stepping on the flesh, but I felt that it was stuck to the ground due to some form of unknown adhesion.

    "Huh?"

    The ck flesh slowly climbed onto me. My feet and ankles were soon covered with the ck flesh. It felt cold and unpleasant.

    <i>Slice.</i>

    I tried to cut it off, but it felt like I was cutting water. The flesh clumped back together and then surrounded me again. It possessed a fluid-like quality, hence the fact that it couldn¡¯t be cut even with the Executioner¡¯s Sword.

    I tried tearing it apart with Bossou¡¯s power, but it was useless. Rather, it became more difficult because it stuck to my wrist. The voodoo spells did not do effective damage to the ck flesh. On the other hand, using divine power probably wouldn¡¯t work either.

    Since voodoo magic power didn''t work, divine power wouldn''t work either. Tearing it off forcefully didn¡¯t work either. It was a desperate situation that I couldn''t resolve. The ck flesh rose to my chest, making it hard to breathe. My vision went dark, and I was starting to feel panic.

    But strangely enough, there was no fear. It was sofortable that I started to think that I wanted to leave my body to the ck flesh.

    [Wake up! Wake up!]

    Bossou made a lot of noise, but I couldn''t answer because the flesh had already risen to my mouth. The flesh tried to dig into my lips and slowly tried to dominate my body. I held out with my mouth shut tight. Even if I died, I didn¡¯t want to die while eating this kind of thing. Soon, the flesh covered my facepletely. I couldn''t see ahead. My view was filled with darkness.

    Darkness.

    I stopped breathing. My mind had drifted away.

    ***

    "Ah, my head."

    Jin-Seo woke up and felt a strong headache. She held her head and grimaced, and she soon regained her senses. Then she looked around in a hurry.

    Jun-Min, who had been strangling her, was nowhere in sight. However, the ck flesh believed to be Jun-Min was wriggling around. The dirty, ck flesh was wrapping around someone and gnawing away at them.

    "...Do Sun-Woo."

    Sun-Woo was the one being eaten by the flesh. Jin-Seo quickly tried calling him, but there was no answer. The flesh was eating Sun-Woo''s eyes, which were filled with fear and pain.

    "Do Sun-Woo! Hey!"

    No matter how hard she tried, there was no answer.

    Do Sun-Woo''s eyes were consumed by the flesh, and eventually, the ck flesh covered his entire body. With a crackling sound, the flesh chewed and devoured.

    Jin-Seo recklessly rushed in and tried to remove the flesh. However, no matter how much she ripped it off, there was no sign that the flesh woulde off. Rather, the more impact was applied, the more it divided and repaired, digging into and making Sun-Woo''s body more sticky.

    "No, please.......¡±

    <i>Gurgle. Gurgle¡ª!</i>

    There was a strange sounding from Sun-Woo''s body. It was clear that something was going very wrong. She started to think that Sun-Woo might die like this. She couldn''t even say sorry to him.

    Even when she grabbed Sun-Woo''s tie and grabbed him by the cor in the demon eradication practice, when he used healing to attach her fingers and heal her wounds, Sun-Woo always cared for her, but Jin-Seo only spat out harsh words at him. Jin-Seo was the one who had to say sorry, but it was Sun-Woo who actually put the apology in his mouth.

    "Ugh!"

    <i>Bang.</i>

    The flesh wrapped around Sun-Woo''s body swirled and hit Jin-Seo''s stomach. She flew several meters and fell to the floor.

    Due to being hit directly in the pit of the stomach, she had difficulty breathing. Stomach acid churned in her empty stomach, but there was no time to groan in pain. "Dear Adonai, I beg you..." Jin-Seo recited the name of God.

    After that day, she decided not to use it again. But now she wasn''t in a situation where she had a choice. If she hesitated, Sun-Woo would die. She didn''t want to face anyone''s death again. After Jin-Seo steeled herself, she closed her eyes and focused her consciousness. And she had an earnest desire in her heart.

    <i>Ring¡ª.</i>

    At that moment, a clear and refreshing sound echoed like a droplet falling into ake. Divine power emanated from her body like a misty haze flowing out from a stream. The mist soon rose into the sky. Soon, the mist turned into a pir of fire and fell onto the ground.

    <i>sh!</i>

    The flesh that covered Sun-Woo''s body got burned by the pir of fire. The flesh that was resistant to hitting, tearing, and cutting started to distort, shrivel, and burn thanks to the pir of fire. As the ck flesh became ashes and disappeared, Sun-Woo¡¯s hidden body gradually appeared.

    It was a miracle.

    Miracle replication, to be precise.

    The pir of fire that led the people of God through the desert was replicated ording to Jin-Seo''s earnest desires. The miraculous pir of fire burned only the ck flesh, and there was not even a hint of soot on Sun-Woo''s body.

    <i>Flicker...</i>

    Soon, the miracle was over, and the pir of fire disappeared. All the ck flesh that ate Sun-Woo''s body was removed and burned away.

    "Ah."

    Sun-Woo also regained consciousness. There were wounds all over his body, but they weren''t too deep. It seemed that they could be easily treated with intermediate-level healing. But the problem wasn''t the wounds on his body.

    "Ah, ah, ah, <i>cough, cough</i>...!¡±

    Cold sweat formed on Sun-Woo''s forehead. His eyes were filled with tears that streamed down his cheeks. His breathing was unstable, and his vision was hazy. He seemed to be in a panic. No, the condition was more serious than just panic.

    "Oh, why, there...¡±

    The ashes left by burning ck flesh were scattered around Sun-Woo. He gathered the ashes desperately and held them, even as tears continued to drip from his eyes endlessly. The ashes soon became dust and flew into the sky. Sun-Woo watched the dust fly away with his nk eyes.

    "...Ah."

    Only then did the focus return to Sun-Woo''s eyes. After looking into the air while being mesmerized, he turned to Jin-Seo.

    "...I fainted for a moment. Are you all right?"

    Sun-Woo also fought against the demon. He also almost died while covered with ck flesh. Nevertheless, he smiled as if nothing had happened, and he worried about others. His way of doing things felt so stupid.

    "What about you?"

    "Me? Why?"

    "Are you alright?"

    "Of course I''m alright. I feel fine," Sun-Woo said as if it were not a big deal.

    It was a lie. Just before, he couldn''t breathe well. His whole body was shaking, and tears were pouring down. Yet, Sun-Woo was currently smiling and pretending to be okay. Sun-Woo''s expression felt so familiar that she started to feel depressed. Jin-Seo didn¡¯t know what kind of life he had been living. She only vaguely guessed his life by looking at the boy so used to making forced smiles.

    "Ah."

    When Jin-Seo grabbed Sun-Woo''s necktie, Sun-Woo took a step back as if he were embarrassed.

    "Stay still."

    "Oh, yes."

    Jin-Seo''s firm words made Sun-Woo speak formally without realizing it. She neatly corrected Sun-Woo''s loose tie. Sun-Woo was not used to wearing a tie, so the tie knot was always sloppy. That always bothered Jin-Seo.

    ¡°Oh, this is how you tie it.¡±

    ¡°...I''m sorry." Jin-Seo apologized quietly to Sun-Woo as he admired the neatly tied tie.

    "Huh? Sorry for what?" Sun-Woo asked back with an innocent and stupid face. His face was pure and innocent. He didn''t seem to realize at all why Jin-Seo was apologizing to him.

    "This and that."

    "What do you mean by... Oh, hey!"

    <i>Flop.</i>

    Jin-Seo, who finally apologized to Sun-Woo, slid down on the spot. Her legs were so weak that she couldn''t walk or stand anymore.

    Looking at Kim Jin-Seo, Do Sun-Woo''s face showed a slightly embarrassed expression. He also looked around restlessly as if he was anxious.

    "If you can''t get up, should I call 911?"

    "No, just."

    "Just what?"

    "Just stay."

    Jin-Seo tugged at Sun-Woo¡¯s clothes. Too much had happened in a short amount of time, and Jin-Seo was already exhausted. What she wanted was not 911 or anything, but just someone to be by her side.

    "Yes, let''s get some rest."

    As if Sun-Woo understood Jin-Seo, he silently waited until she could walk.

 Chapter 24

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>

    <i>Wee woo wee woo!</i>

    The ambnce sounded the siren. Residents passing by the road flocked to the park because of the disturbance.

    ¡°What about your legs? Can you get up?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I pulled Kim Jin-Seo''s hand up. Her legs were shaking a little, and she was struggling to get up. Still, she didn''t seem to have a problem standing or walking. Her recuperative abilities were good.

    "I''ll go first."

    While Jin-Seo was dusting off her clothes, I prepared to leave.

    "Go? Where?"

    "I''m going home. I have to go to school tomorrow."

    "What about the hospital? Pdins wille soon to investigate."

    As she said, pdins would soon arrive to investigate the case. The appearance of a demon in the middle of the city was never a small event. That was why I was thinking of leaving here.

    "I don¡¯t need to go to the hospital because I''m not hurt. Also, I don''t want to be investigated."

    "Ah..."

    Jin-Seo sighed and looked at the ash powder scattered all over the ce.

    "Let''s just say that you killed the demon by yourself."

    "You want me to lie?¡±

    "Please just exin it like that. Technically, it¡¯s not incorrect."

    Jin-Seo used a miracle to burn the flesh of a demon. It wasn''t wrong to say that she had killed a demon. There was only one reason to do this. I didn''t want to be investigated by pdins. There was nothing good about getting involved with them. Furthermore, as a voodoo cult leader, it was even more important for me to avoid pdins.

    "Please. I''ll trust you. Thank you."

    <i>Wee woo wee woo!</i>

    The siren gradually approached. After leaving those words to Jin-Seo, I left the park in a hurry. There was no time to spare, so the greeting was as short and concise as possible.

    I walked through the crowd and looked around the park. Pdins were pouring out of the ambnce that arrived, asking Jin-Seo this and that. Jin-Seo answered diligently, even though she was disorientated.

    I walked so quickly that I might as well have been running. Eventually, I was able to leave the parkpletely. The night breeze felt cold. I remembered the advice of Baron Samedi there.

    "Beware of fire."

    Jin-Seo used a ''miracle'' to recreate the pir of fire. The pir of fire burned the flesh that stuck to me and turned it into ashes.

    The pir of fire only burned the flesh of the demon and did no harm to me.

    Nevertheless, I felt a burning pain in the mes. It was because my father, who was burned at the stake seven years ago, suddenly came to mind. Then I sat down and cried and resented the ashes that were scattering away and disappearing.

    Even though seven years had passed, the memory of my father''s death was still vivid. Whenever I saw fire, I remembered that time and felt sad and painful. The emotions didn''t disappear and continued to boil inside me endlessly.

    [Go home and get some rest today. You look tired.]

    "Yes. I''m tired."

    [Yes. Trauma is something you can''t ovee easily. By the way, you did a great job avoiding the investigation. You¡¯ve done a wise thing for once.]

    "You could¡¯ve just said it without the ¡®for once¡¯ part"

    [You usually do so many silly things. It''s rare to see you do something clever.]

    I went back home while having a meaningless conversation with Legba. I had a lot of thoughts. Jun-Min died as a demon. Why did a Satanist turn him into a demon? As soon as Jin-Seo saw the demon, she was terrified and lost her fighting spirit. Why was she so afraid?

    [You seem to have a lot of interest in Jin-Seo.] Legba spoke as if he was teasing me.

    "I''m just curious. Not interested."

    [Isn''t that the same thing? Well, seventeen is when you should be very interested in women. It''s best not to get close to that child named Jin-Seo though.]

    "Why?"

    It¡¯s best not to get close to her? I couldn''t understand what Legba was saying. Jin-Seo was the daughter of the chairman of Florence Academy. If anyone discarded their personal feelings and looked at the situation rationally, there was clearly no harm in getting close to her.

    [I''ll exin when you get home.]

    "Oh, can''t you just tell me now?"

    [No. There are people nearby at the moment.]

    Legba was adamant. Someone was walking from across the street. I quickly passed by him and headed home. Due to my curiosity, I had no choice but to walk faster.

    ***

    "All the CCTVs in the area were smashed, so we had no choice but to rely on witness testimony. I am so sorry to keep you up thiste."

    "No, it¡¯s alright. Is the investigation over?"

    "Yes, you can go back now. Thank you very much for your sincere response."

    Jin-Seo left the pdin after giving her statement. She didn''t have any energy left.

    A student named Jun-Min, who was a Florence Academy ssmate, became a demon. While meeting and having a conversation with him because she had something to say to him privately, Jun-Min suddenly transformed into a demon. During the battle, a ''miracle'' was used to summon the pir of fire, and with it, the demon was destroyed. Jin-Seo told the pdin about the series of events.

    However, she did not talk about Do Sun-Woo at all. She didn''t want to lie to the pdin. But that didn''t mean that she could ignore Sun-Woo¡¯s request.

    <i>"I''ll trust you."</i>

    Sun-Woo''s voice fluttered in her ears. That was why Jin-Seo listened to Sun-Woo''s request and went as far as lying to the pdin.

    <i>¡®Why did he say that?¡¯</i>

    Jin-Seo grumbled inwardly. She had been put in such a difficult position because of those words, and Sun-Woo would probably never know that. It bothered her, but she didn''t quite dislike it either. She was just curious about why he needed to say that.

    <i>¡®Is he afraid of pdins?"¡¯</i>

    Sun-Woo seemed to be afraid of pdins. There was no reason to be afraid of pdins unless one was a criminal. Then, why was Sun-Woo afraid of the pdins? Was he a criminal or an ex-convict? The chances were low because ex-convicts couldn''t enter Florence Academy.

    Questions continued to stack up. Jin-Seo arrived home in no time. It was a big, wide, luxurious house, almost like a pce. Even though she had lived in it for years, she still couldn''t get used to it.

    "I''m here."

    When Jin-Seo awkwardly made her entrance, Kim Chang-Won, her father and Florence Academy''s chairman, ran out.

    "You''re here! Are you feeling alright? Did you get hurt?

    "No, I¡¯m all right."

    "I was really shocked... after I received a phone call. I thought something had happened to you. Are you sure you''re alright?"

    Chang-Won wiped away tears. He was a tender and warm-hearted man.

    "I¡¯m really alright. It wasn''t a big deal.¡±

    "I''m d to hear that... Ah, right, you must have been in shock, so get some rest in your room. I''m sorry, it seems that I''m getting tearier as I get older."

    "No, it¡¯s fine." Jin-Seo smiled.

    Jin-Seo downyed everything that happened¡ªhow Jun-Min had stalked and secretly took pictures of her, and how he had tried to kill her after turning into a demon. She knew how to act like she was okay even when she wasn''t.

    Kim Jin-Seo suddenly stopped before entering the room.

    "Um, Fa...ther."

    It was still awkward to call him Dad. She didn''t know how long it would take for her to get used to it.

    "What?"

    "You know the one who received the award with me? I think his name was Do Sun-Woo."

    Jin-Seo pretended to be unsure even though she clearly remembered the three characters of Do Sun-Woo¡¯s name.

    "I was wondering if there was anything unusual when he entered the school."

    In practice, he couldn''t even perform lesser healing properly, but at that time, he easily reattached her finger. Even after absorbing the pain of thirty people, he never showed any pain. He even defeated the demonized Jun-Min while she was unconscious.

    There were so many strange things about Sun-Woo. It seemed as if he was hiding his real skills. She couldn''t understand what his true intentions were.

    "Do Sun-Woo. Do Sun-Woo."

    Chang-Won rubbed his chin, lost in thought. It looked like he was struggling to recall something. Finally, he opened his eyes wide.

    "Ah! That student. He entered with special admission."

    "Special admission?"

    "He is a student who received special admission for the children of clergymen who died. I heard that his mother died during the holy war."

    "Ah..." Jin-Seo eximed. She felt like she had been hit in the head with a hammer.

    "I was worried a lot because his entrance examination scores were poor. I was worried that he might be discouraged. But now that he¡¯s received an award this time, I feel somewhat relieved."

    Jin-Seo nodded quietly.

    "Why are you asking about that student all of a sudden? Did he do anything to you?"

    "No, it¡¯s nothing. I''m really just curious."

    "If you have any other questions, you can ask me more. Even the trivial things."

    Chang-Won seemed to want to talk more.

    "That''s all right. I''m going in now."

    However, Jin-Seo entered her room after ending the conversation. Her mind wasplicated, and above all, she felt awkward. She was still not used to talking to her father.

    Jin-Seoy on the bed as if throwing herself and suddenly looked at the bracelet wrapped around her left wrist. The crude bracelet, woven with light yellow straps, seemed as though it could snap and unravel at any moment. It was a gift from her birth mother, whose face she couldn''t remember anymore.

    <i>''So that¡¯s why.''</i>

    Sun-Woo''s mother died during the holy war. She could now understand why Sun-Woo was so afraid of the pdins. She began to think that the reason why he was hiding his real skills in the academy was because of simr reasons.

    "You''re living a hard life, too,¡± she said to herself vaguely. No one was listening.

    * * *

    [That was twelve years ago. The article next to it is a rted article from five years ago. These days, informationes out easily just by moving your fingers. It sure is convenient.]

    Returning home, Legba showed me two articles. Each one said that Chang-Won and his wife adopted a girl twelve years ago and that a housewife died five years ago to a demon.

    [Jin-Seo is the child that the Chang-Won couple adopted twelve years ago. Jin-Seo''s mother was a housewife who was killed by a demon. She wasn¡¯t her biological mother though.]

    It was a rather shocking story. "When did you find out about this?"

    [Baron Samedi told me. He even collects useless information.]

    "Why does he keep investigating others?¡±

    [I don''t know. I don''t understand him either. He¡¯s a shady, gloomy fellow.]

    Legba spoke ill of Baron Samedi. The two seemed to be on good terms but were not actually on good terms.

    "So that¡¯s that, but what do you suggest I do?"

    Two pieces of information could be obtained bybining the contents of the article and Legba''s words. Jin-Seo grew up in an orphanage, and a demon killed her stepmother.

    It was understandable why Jin-Seo was afraid of the demon. However, no matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason not to get close to Jin-Seo.

    "Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want me to get close to her because she is an orphan, right?"

    [That''s part of the reason. However, that¡¯s not the only reason.]

    "I''m afraid to say this, but I''m an orphan, too."

    [That¡¯s why I told you that''s not the only reason.]

    "Yes, then please tell me."

    Legba coughed for a moment and opened his mouth as if he was upset.

    [Right below, look at the article from six years ago.]

    I looked at the article as Legba instructed. It was an article about a year before Jin-Seo''s stepmother died in an ident. It was about an eleven-year-old elementary school student who killed a demon beast by creating a miracle¡¯ Everyone praised the child for her talent and courage. The child''s name was Kim Jin-Seo.

    [Then, a yearter, a Satanist, fearing the child''s talent, attacked the child''s house. But the child wasn''t home. In the end, the foster mother died in ce of the child.]

    That was how Jin-Seo''s stepmother died.

    "She¡¯s a genius. Using ''miracle'' at the age of eleven."

    [It''s an amazing talent.]

    ¡®Miracle¡¯ was the most difficult usage of divine power. Some people used ¡®miracles¡¯ for the first time at thirty, and some people were unable to replicate ¡®miracles¡¯ their entire lives.

    Jin-Seo used it when she was eleven. Her talent was so great that it could not be described with words. Simply put, she had God-given talent.

    [However, in the end, that talent ended up bing poison.]

    Jin-Seo''s stepmother died because of her talent. If it had not been for talent, Satanists would not have looked at Jin-Seo, and her stepmother would not have died. However, when I thought about it, there were more than one or two things that felt out of ce.

    "...Why didn''t she use a miracle at that time?"

    When she was eleven, she used a miracle to kill a demon beast. That meant that she knew how to use miracles even now. She may have improved more than then.

    When every dog in the barn had turned into a demon, she didn''t use a miracle. If she had used a miracle to take care of the situation quickly, I wouldn''t have fainted after using Granbwa¡¯s powers.

    [That''s why I told you not to get close to her. Jin-Seo seems to be hiding her real skills.]

    "Real skills? Why?"

    [She must have thought that her family would be in danger if her talent became known to the public.]

    "Ah."

    Jin-Seo used a miracle at the age of eleven to drive out the demon beast. Now that she was seventeen, she once again used a miracle to kill a demon. She truly had overwhelming talent.

    If Satanists heard about this, they would bring in a bunch of demons to try to kill Jin-Seo again.

    Jin-Seo''s talent was brilliant enough to threaten all the Satanists in the future.

    If that happened, not only Jin-Seo but also her stepfather, Chang-Won, would also be in danger. That seemed to be the reason why Jin-Seo hid her true skills.

    [Jin-Seo has so many things to hide. Even if you get close, she''ll only try to hide, hide, and deceive. She''ll never show you her true self.]

    "So, that¡¯s why you told me not to get close to her?"

    [Yes. Don''t get involved at all.] Legba said firmly. Legba didn¡¯t even want me to get involved.

    "It doesn¡¯t need to be like that."

    [There''s no need to get close. If you go around with someone with a bad background, you will inevitably get caught up in trouble.]

    "But I don''t think I should avoid her."

    Jin-Seo would never show her true skills. Even if I got close to her, she would hide her inner feelings. To protect herself and her family, she might even try to deceive me.

    However, I also hide many things about myself. I also hide the fact that I am the leader of a Voodoo cult and that I know how to wield Voodoo magic.

    [There''s no turning back once you get close to her. Don''t get close to her in the first ce, and don''t even get involved. That¡¯s for the best.]

    "Well, still..."

    [Why are you ignoring my advice and helping her? Is it simply because she is pretty? Don''t be captivated by appearances. It''s foolish.]

    Legba continued to rant without taking a break. It was true that Kim Jin-Seo was pretty, but that didn''t mean I was obsessed with her appearance. I was not the type of person to help others for such a simple reason.

    "It''s not because of her appearance."

    [Then?]

    "It''s just... She seemed to be living a hard life too."

    Sympathy? Should I saypassion? It was aplicated and vague emotion, so it was difficult to express it urately.

    [It''s more like a sense of kinship.]

    "Oh, that sounds like it."

    [Do whatever you want. It''s not me who''s getting bothered, it''s you.]

    Legba''s tone was curt. He seemed a little upset.

 Chapter 25

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>

    The following morning, the school was noisy. It was because of the Ko Jun-Min incident.

    "I heard he secretly took 2,400 pictures."

    "2,400 pictures? Is he insane? Wow, that''s so dirty."

    The facts were all revealed in detail: the fact that Jun-Min became a demon, that Kim Jin-Seo used a miracle to kill Jun-Min, and that Jun-Min stalked Jin-Seo.

    The students were all busy talking about the incident.

    "But Jin-Seo is amazing, too."

    "I know, right? Isn''t she the only one who can use miracles in our year?"

    Thanks to this, Jin-Seo became a celebrity. It was a remarkable feat for a student to defeat a demon. On top of that impressive feat, Jin-Seo had also used a ¡®miracle¡¯ to defeat the demon. It would be strange not to be famous after such an achievement. Everyone praised Jin-Seo''s talent, envied her, and was jealous of her.

    "There are a lot of strange things going on these days. The incident with the demonic beast was one thing, and the revtion post was another.¡±

    "Hey, hey. He might hear us."

    "I don¡¯t care if he hears us. Why do we have to tip-toe around the perpetrator?"

    Public opinion about me had not changed since the incident. It was because of a false disclosure posted the other day. I had yet to be cleared of the unfair charge of being ¡®the perpetrator of school violence¡¯ because the fact that Jun-Min was the one who posted the article had not yet been revealed.

    Anyway, there was no way for me to exin the truth. Even if I exined it, people wouldn''t believe me. I could only drown in my crippling depression while listening to the students'' chatter.

    "Don''t listen to them," Jung In-Ah said.

    She was sitting in the seat in front of me while ring at the group of people talking about the rumors. There was venom in her gaze.

    The group talking about me clicked their tongues with a look of displeasure and left the ssroom.

    "Who are they to click their tongues? I''m dumbfounded," In-Ah murmured in a low voice. She was always on my side. She trusted me without being swayed by such false revtions. I was thankful.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk tapped me from behind and asked, "Were you really the perpetrator? It doesn''t seem like you at all.¡± He didn''t ask because he didn''t know¡ªhe simply asked such a question to make fun of me.

    "Of course not. What kind of question is that?"

    When I answered bluntly, Jun-Hyuk pointed his finger at my face. "Hm. I agree. No matter how I look at it, you don¡¯t look like the type of person to do such a thing."

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean, you don¡¯t look like the type of person to hit someone. Rather, you look like the type of person who gets hit by other people."

    I had no idea what he meant by, ¡®You look like the type of person who gets hit by other people.¡¯ In any case, it definitely wasn¡¯t apliment. It was a little unpleasant. Still, Jun-Hyuk was one of the few people who trusted me, like In-Ah. He wasn¡¯t particrly a likable person, but he was still somewhat loyal. Inwardly, I felt thankful.

    "Good morning."

    While we were chatting, Ha Ye-Jin came into the ssroom. It was already time for homeroom. I hardly studied today because I was chatting with Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah.

    "As everyone knows, there have been a lot of terrible incidents urring these days. Always be careful. If anything happens, call me or any of the other teachers immediately, okay?"

    "Yes~"

    The students answered in unison. Ye-Jin then proceeded to announce some minor notices. Apparently, kidnapping incidents were urring nearby, and the culprit had yet to be caught. Additionally, there was a chance that the culprit was not one person but rather an organized group such as a cult. Ye-Jin continued to exin simr details.

    "Everyone be really, really careful! Please don¡¯t ignore what I say, and don''t forget either!" Ye-Jin raised her voice and asked earnestly. She was a person who cared for her students very much.

    With that, homeroom concluded, and Ye-Jin left the ssroom. Jun-Hyuk quickly walked across the noisy ssroom and approached me.

    "Our homeroom ss is the only one that¡¯s long. The other sses say they finish in ten seconds." Jun-Hyukined.

    "She is worrying about us."

    "It''s good that she cares about us, but this is too much. We are not children."

    "From the teacher''s point of view, we all look like children. We''re actually young."

    I didn¡¯t want to say this myself, but it was true that we were kids. Seventeen was a very young age.

    Jun-Hyuk frowned at my words. "You sometimes talk like an old timer. Ah, are you that? Regression. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a regressor?"

    "Stop talking nonsense. And what¡¯s a regressor? Are you talking about regression analysis or something?¡±

    Regression analysis was a powerful statistical method that could be utilized topare two or more variables of interest. That was the only definition of regression that I knew. [1]

    "A regressor is someone who returns to the past. Don''t just study all the time and read some novels and manga from time to time. And why are you suddenly bringing up regression analysis? What is the rtionship between a regressor and regression analysis?¡±

    "You should read some books, please."

    Jun-Hyuk blinked. It was difficult talking to him. After all, we hadpletely different interests. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s a miracle that we got this close in the first ce.

    "Why are you guys ying without me?"

    In-Ah snuck up on me just as I was getting bored of the unproductive conversation I was having with Jun-Hyuk. She looked disappointed to be left out.

    "Ah, In-Ah! I''m d you''re here. What would you do if you could regress?"

    "Regress? Are you talking about regression analysis or going back to the past?"

    "Go back to the past. But why does regression analysis keeping out?"

    Jun-Hyuk naively asked the question, and In-Ah looked at him as if he were pathetic.

    "You should read some more books. Anyway, you were asking what I would do if I could return to the past, right?"

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    In-Ah tilted her head. Despite the fact that it was a thoughtless question from Jun-Hyuk, she seriously considered it.

    "Well, I... would probably y with my sister."

    "Ah, that makes sense."

    Jun-Hyuk nodded as if he understood. He also seemed to know that In-Ah''s younger sister was missing.

    The atmosphere became gloomy. In-Ah''s eyes were filled with a vague sense of regret.

    "Hey, why is everyone quiet all of a sudden? It¡¯s awkward. Anyway, let''s get out of here real quick. We''ll bete."

    In-Ahughed to revive the subdued atmosphere. Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes were still filled with sadness.

    We followed In-Ah out of the ssroom and walked down the hallway. The next session was a training session which would be held at the training center.

    "What kind of training did they say it will be again?"

    "I think it was self-defense training. I heard it was suddenly organized today." In-Ah answered the question. Judging from the abrupt self-defense training, the school seemed to be conscious of Jun-Min''s case.

    Since the victim of the incident was none other than Jin-Seo, it seemed like they quickly squeezed self-defense training into the schedule in order to cate the chairman.

    "Hey, but what if you were a regressor? What would you do if you could return to the past?" Jun-Hyuk asked while crossing the yground and heading to the training center.

    I looked up at the clear blue sky that did not have a single cloud as I pondered for a moment.

    If I could go back in time, I would make every effort to save my father and mother. But my father was already dead, and my mother was imprisoned. Going back in time was impossible, and it was meaningless to think about this in the first ce.

    "I wonder. Perhaps stocks or crypto?"

    I came up with a generic answer that anyone would be able to predict.

    "That''s realistic."

    "And you?"

    When asked again, Jun-Hyuk looked at the ground endlessly and agonized. It was rare to see him with a serious expression. His eyes were tooplicated to read. He sort of seemed sad, and he kind of seemed angry.

    "I want stocks or crypto, too. Ah, and I would do the lottery too."

    The answer that came out after much deliberation was surprisingly ordinary, contrary to my expectations.

    Jun-Hyuk''s smiling lips trembled slightly. His eyes looking down at the floor were empty.

    "Yes."

    I was a little curious, but I didn¡¯t bother to ask further. It wasn''t the right atmosphere to ask, and I didn''t think he would give me an answer even if I did.

    ***

    <i>Thud!</i>

    A dull sound resounded from the training center. The demonstration partner standing before Kim Bok-Dong fell onto the mat andy sprawled out.

    "The move I just showed is not difficult to perform. Above all, it is easy to use in practice."

    Bok-Dong, a self-defense training instructor, showed us a few skills that we could use to knock down or overpower an opponent. He performed those moves in a live demonstration because it was quicker to show it to us firsthand than to exin it in words. The techniques he showed us were primarily from judo or jiu-jitsu or some variation form of those two.

    ¡°So far, I have taught you a total of five different skills. You will now form groups of two and practice together. After practicing, you will demonstrate your self-defense techniques in front of me. I will evaluate the proficiency of your techniques and the quality of your demonstration and give scores ordingly."

    After exining, Bok-Dong immediately announced the group assignments.

    Filtering the groups such that they only contained people I knew produced the following result:

    "Group 2. Jung In-Ah, Seo Ha-Rin."

    "Group 12. Bae Sung-Hyun, Koo Jun-Hyuk."

    "Group 35. Do Sun-Woo, Oh Byung-Hoon."

    I was in the same group as a kid named Byung-Hoon. He had eyes that were nted, protruding front teeth, and half-shaved hair. He was in one of the groups who gossiped about me in the morning.

    We were given fifteen minutes of total practice time. Within that time, not only did we need to be proficient in the five techniques, but we also needed to be in sync with our partner. We barely had enough time.

    "Looks like we¡¯re in the same group. Let''s do well."

    Before the start of the practice session, Byung-Hoon proactively extended his hand for a handshake. His tone was amicable. Was this really the same guy who bad-mouthed me in the morning? He felt like apletely different person.

    "Yes, let''s make it happen."

    I epted the handshake. While shaking his hand, I felt significant pressure in my hand. Byung-Hoon was gripping my hand as if he was trying to crush it. There was a nonchnt smile on his face, but his jaw muscles were rigid.

    "Can you let go now?¡±

    "Oh, I''m sorry. I must have been a little too nervous. Ha ha."

    Only after I started indicating my difort did Byung-Hoon finally release my hand. My hand, which had been in his grip, was sore. There was a red mark on the back of my hand.

    It was a bit excessive to attribute it solely to intimidation. I was worried if we could practice properly like this.

    "I reckon the person who gets caught in the technique should rx their body. Also, the person executing the technique should properly support the back of the other person¡¯s head. Let''s do it like that."

    "Oh, sounds good."

    "After all, the purpose is to demonstrate the techniques, not to fight amongst ourselves."

    However, contrary to my worries, the practice went smoothly. Byung-Hoon was nicer than I thought, and we were in good harmony. We still had six minutes left, even after we finished the practice perfectly.

    Unlike us, Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk from Group 12 were still struggling.

    It was not long before the practice time was over. Each group started their demonstration after Bok-Dong called them.

    "Group 2. Jung In-Ah, Seo Ha-Rin."

    Group 2, the group that In-Ah belonged to, sessfullypleted the demonstration without any problems. To put it nicely, it was standard. To put it badly, it was in. In any case, In-Ah got a high score.

    "Group 12. Bae Sung-Hyun and Koo Jun-Hyuk."

    Group 12 seemed to be engaged in a duel rather than a demonstration. Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk tried their best to knock each other down.

    <i>Thud, bang, crash</i>. Dull sounds reverberated throughout the training center. By the time the demonstration ended, Sung-Hyun and Jun-Hyuk were groaning in pain while holding their backs.

    "Excellent."

    Bok-Dong apuded while saying that it was a rather thrilling demonstration. As a result, they both got high scores.

    "Group 35. Do Sun-Woo, Oh Byung-Hoon."

    Our turn soon arrived. With confident steps, we both stood in front of Bok-Dong. As we discussed in advance, the self-defense demonstration would begin with Byung-Hoon knocking me down.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    However, contrary to our n, Byung-Hoon threw me to the floor much more violently than anticipated. My head and my back started aching as a result.

    Byung-Hoon looked down at me with a grimace as if to say he was sorry.

    "Oh, man, I''m sorry. I was on edge.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s fine."

    Fortunately, it seemed like it was not intentional. I had a headache, so my consciousness was fuzzy, but I somehow managed to gather my senses.

    Next, it was my turn to knock down Byung-Hoon.

    "Hey, what are you doing?"

    But Byung-Hoon did not fall.

    ording to the n we discussed, Byung-Hoon was supposed to have rxed his body by now. Instead of rxing, his body was trembling due to the strength that he was exerting.

    [Looks like he was nning to screw you over from the beginning.]

    Legba was correct. Byung-Hoon seemed to have intended to screw me over from the beginning. As proof, he was smiling at me.

    "What''s going on? Do Sun-Woo, resume the demonstration."

    Bok-Dong was watching us with his arms crossed, and his words were adding insult to injury. Bok-Dong urged me to resume the demonstration. However, Byung-Hoon had no intention of cooperating with me. I¡¯d describe this situation as being stuck between a rock and a hard ce.

    Now that I was stuck in this situation, there was only one way out. I wanted to avoid using this method, but I had no other choice.

    ¡°Bossou,¡± I murmured. I spoke quietly so that no one else could hear.

    [Bossou says that ten seconds is the limit because there''s no Altar. Is that enough?]

    I nodded softly. Soon, I felt a painful burning sensation in my muscles. My blood boiled, and my whole body felt hot. So much strength had poured into my body that I felt like I was going to explode. I activated Bossou¡¯s power, ¡®superhuman strength,¡¯ and approached Byung-Hoon in that state.

    I was going to use this superhuman strength to knock him down forcibly. I didn''t even need ten seconds.

    Two seconds.

    Two seconds was enough.

    1. In Korean, regression can mean ¡®return home.¡¯ In the Korean localization, the main character thinks that Jun-Hyuk is talking about salmon returning home against the river during the spawning season when he says regressor. ?

 Chapter 26

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>

    If someone asked him about his middle school days, Oh Byung-Hoon would answer like this without hesitation: "It was just ordinary."

    Or, "I used to y around every day. I was immature.¡±

    Yet, his middle school life was far from ordinary. He would get beaten up, and his money would get stolen for no particr reason. There was a time when he fainted after being forced to bite a cigarette.

    One time, he even vomited for three days straight after forcing himself to drink alcohol mixed with all kinds of foreign substances. To be specific, the foreign substances included the perpetrators'' saliva, cigarette butts, cigarette ash, and leftover food.

    Even until graduation, the perpetrators never received punishment. Ultimately, Byung-Hoon could not take revenge on any of them and enrolled in Florence Academy as if he had fled.

    That had always been one of his greatest regrets.

    "Hey, I heard there was a bully in our school?¡±

    "The student Do from the ss of Charity? That¡¯s obviously Do Sun-Woo. They¡¯re just tantly attacking him at this point."

    "Huh? The guy from my ss? He doesn''t look like that."

    ording to the revtion, Sun-Woo was a school violence perpetrator in middle school. Sun-Woo simply denied the fact without a proper exnation. The perpetrators never remembered they did. It was always the victim who carried that memory and suffered from hellish nightmares as they tossed and turned every night.

    Byung-Hoon knew this better than anyone else. Why? Because he experienced it himself.

    Therefore, Sun-Woo also could not remember what he had done. So Byung-Hoon hated Sun-Woo even more. Whenever he saw Sun-Woo walking around shamelessly with his head raised despite being the perpetrator, he felt disgusted.

    Now, he had the perfect opportunity to screw Sun-Woo over.

    "Do Sun-Woo. Resume the demonstration." Bok-Dong urged. Sun-Woo couldn''t do anything but look at Byung-Hoon with a perplexed face.

    Sun-Woo tried to knock Byung-Hoon down using his technique, but Byung-Hoon had no intention of falling easily. Instead, he clenched his teeth and endured Sun-Woo''s technique.

    <i>¡®I''ve be strong.¡¯</i>

    He came to Florence Academy and trained so hard to the point of death. He exercised and practiced divine power every day. He also learned martial arts in his spare time.

    <i>''Now, I am no longer afraid of you guys.''</i>

    Byung-Hoon wanted to prove it. He wanted to prove that his weak self, who used to get bullied in middle school, had grown strong enough to not get intimidated by bullies after entering Florence Academy.

    In Byung-Hoon''s seventeen years of life, this was the biggest and most significant challenge he had ever faced.

    <i>¡®I will never fall to Sun-Woo. I¡¯ll hang in there and prove that I¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡¯</i>

    After such a promise, Byung-Hoon''s body fell to the floor.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The back of his head and his back ached.

    <i>¡®What just happened? Why am I lying down?¡¯</i>

    He didn''t understand the situation. Byung-Hoon''s sight was filled with only the white ceiling of the training center.

    "Oh. That was too strong."

    When Sun-Woo said so as if it was not a big deal, Byung-Hoon finally understood the situation.

    He had lost again.

    Sun-Woo¡¯s strength was beyond imagination. No matter how much power he put into his legs and held out, it was useless in front of Sun-Woo''s superhuman strength. Byung-Hoon had been determined never to lose, but the opponent¡¯s overwhelming strength overshadowed his determination, and he copsed.

    At the same time, Byung-Hoon''s heart also shattered into countless pieces.

    "Oh."

    Byung-Hoony stretched out on the mat as he sighed.

    Tears ran down his cheeks.

    * * *

    [It must have been so painful that he couldn¡¯t help but cry. You did throw him extremely hard, after all.]

    I mmed Byung-Hoon onto the floor with Bossou¡¯s power. Hey sprawled out on the mat while shedding tears. The students looked at him with pity.

    Bok-Dong rushed out and examined Byung-Hoon''s condition.

    "Byung-Hoon! Byung-Hoon! Are you okay? Did you hurt your back?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Byung-Hoon just shed tears without answering.

    [Refrain from using your power against students. One wrong move, and they might get hurt.]

    Legba was absolutely right. No matter how weakened it was because there was no Altar, Bossou¡¯s power was overkill against students. If it had been a bare floor rather than a mat, Byung-Hoon''s back would have been broken. I should be careful next time.

    "Your condition seems fine, but you should go to the infirmary just in case. Group 35¡¯s demonstration is over!"

    Bok-Dong called up a student to support Byung-Hoon. Byung-Hoon, who could barely stand up with another student''s help, wiped away his tears and left the training center.

    I expected him to have a rough personality because of his half-shaved hair and nted eyes, but he seemed to have a softer heart than I initially thought. I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him.

    [He was the one who picked a fight first.] Legba said so, but I still felt ufortable.

    Afterward, the demonstrations continued. Groups 36 to 50 allpleted their demonstrations without any problems. Bok-Dong stood up after writing something on the score sheet.

    "Everyone gave a brilliant demonstration. Although the training was suddenly organized today, all but a few very unsatisfactory groups will be given full marks. Good job, everyone. You may go back to the ssroom now."

    The students rushed out of the training center. He was probably referring to our group when he mentioned ¡®a few very unsatisfactory groups.¡¯ I swallowed my bitter feelings and stepped outside.

    "Wait. Do Sun-Woo, you stay."

    Then, Bok-Dong called me up. In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk, who were next to me, stared at me as if they were surprised.

    "You guys go ahead." I sent them away with a smile. After confirming that In-Ah and Jun-hyuk had left the training center, I went to Bok-Dong.

    Bok-Dong stared expressionlessly at me.

    "Do Sun-Woo," he said in a cold tone.

    "Yes?"

    "I¡¯m aware that Byung-Hoon did not cooperate during the demonstration."

    "Yes?"

    However, contrary to my expectations, Bok-Dong did not scold or criticize me.

    "I think it was inevitable that Byung-Hoon got hurt. The saying ''you reap what you sow'' describes it perfectly. As a teacher, I probably shouldn¡¯t be saying this, though."

    "Ah."

    "Anyway, what I mean is, I understand your feelings too,¡± Bok-Dongughed softly. This was the first time that Bok-Dong showed a smile. As far as I knew, he always had a stern, firm, and serious face.

    "I can¡¯t praise your behavior though."

    His smile disappeared.

    "Sun-Woo. You have much better talent than others. That''s why you have to endure it more than others. No matter how angry you are, you shouldn''t smash your friend onto the floor like that."

    "Ah, yes. I understand."

    "I hope you will use that talent for something worthwhile."

    Bok-Dong jumped out of his seat. Looking at him more closely, he looked muchrger than I thought.

    "I want you to be a pdin."

    "Huh?"

    "What I mean is, you should join the Department of Pdins. As far as I know, you haven''t decided on your desired specialization yet, isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    "Yes, that''s right, but..." I stuttered. I couldn''t speak well because of my shaky voice.

    Indeed, it was true that I hadn¡¯t decided on my desired specialization, but that didn''t mean I was considering joining the Department of Pdins. Pdins were famous for their low sries and poor benefits.

    Since the Holy See did not provide support, there were even rumors that people had to purchase equipment out of their own pockets.

    "Of course, pdins are underpaid, and the benefits are also bad. The Pdin Order is corrupt, and the pdins often neglect their duty. It''s a waste for a talent like you to enter the ranks there."

    Bok-Dongughed bitterly. Despite carrying out public duties in the name of God, there was a strong perception that the Pdin Order was a corrupt organization. This was because the pdins didn''t work and just yed around all the time.

    It was one of the reasons why I didn''t want to enter the Department of Pdins.

    "That''s why I want you to be a pdin. With your talent, you''ll be a role model for all the other pdins. You will be a stimulus for thezy pdins, and like holy water, your existence will purify the corrupt pdins."

    "I don''t think I¡¯m that great....¡±

    "It may sound a little daunting, but it''s true."

    It wasn¡¯t just a little daunting. It was very daunting. I had no talent for this kind of thing in the first ce. I only look talented, thanks to Bossou¡¯s powers.

    "I¡¯m not forcing you. It¡¯s just a rmendation. Take your time and think about it. You can go back to ss now."

    "Yes, sir."

    I bowed to him and left the training center. I was still in a bad mood. Despite having no intention of bing a pdin, I started contemting after listening to Bok-Dong¡¯s words. My steps felt heavy as various thoughts clouded my mind.

    When I exited the training center, In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk were waiting for me.

    "What¡¯d he say?" In-Ah asked as if she was worried.

    "He must have been scolded a lot. Look at his face. He looks like he aged ten years. To be fair, he already had an old man¡¯s face....¡±

    "You, can you speak nicely?!" In-Ah criticized Jun-Hyuk, who was joking around.

    "He didn¡¯t say much. He just said something along the lines of, be careful from now on,¡± I said with a smile as if indicating that it was not a big deal. I didn''t bother to say that I received a rmendation to join the Department of Pdins. It seemed unnecessary.

    "That''s a relief. Is it Byung-Hoon? Is it because of him?"

    "Yes."

    "You threw him too hard. It must have hurt a lot. Um, I¡¯m not saying that you were in the wrong, though."

    "It''s my fault. I''ll be careful from now on."

    If even In-Ah said something like this, I guess I must have gone too far this time. From now on, it seemed like a good idea to not use Bossou¡¯s power in practice or training until I got better at controlling my strength.

    "It was pretty satisfying. Byung-Hoon, that bastard held out so as not to fall."

    "What? You knew?"

    "I can see it all. Can you call me... God''s Eye, Koo Jun-Hyuk?"

    Jun-Hyuk pointed to his eyes and said some random nonsense. I knew he had good eyes, but I didn''t want to acknowledge it for some reason.

    "You''re crazy."

    "Is it apliment?"

    "Nope."

    When I spoke firmly, Jun-Hyuk chuckled. During the self-defense training demonstration earlier, Jun-Hyuk was able to knock Sung-Hyun over. Maybe that''s why he looked so delighted today.

    "Byung-Hoon held out so as not to fall? So that''s why... I''m sorry," In-Ah, who had been listening to the conversation next to us, apologized. Her face became gloomy. She seemed to have be depressed while listening to us.

    "Come on, there''s nothing to be sorry about."

    "Still, I just said all that without knowing anything."

    "It''s not like that."

    No matter how much I waved my hands and said no, In-Ah''s mood wouldn¡¯t seem to improve. Oftentimes, In-Ah would get quickly discouraged by a minor slip of the tongue. In this case, it wasn¡¯t really a slip of the tongue since it really was my fault. The truth of the matter was that I hurt Byung-Hoon because I couldn''t control my strength.

    "Hey, In-Ah. Apologize to me as well. My shin hurts because of you, and I couldn¡¯t sleep at allst night¡ª"

    "Hey, did you see Sun-Woo?"

    At that moment, the sound of someone¡¯s voice interrupted Jun-Hyuk. We all held our breath as if we had nned it. The voice seemed toe from the path located behind the training center.

    "I saw it. I felt sorry for Byung-Hoon."

    "He just savagely tossed him onto the floor. It was just a demonstration. Shouldn¡¯t he have controlled his strength?¡±

    "He has a habit of beating kids in middle school. That kind of habit is not just going to disappear, right? I reckon his old habits resurface whenever he gets a little upset."

    "I really dislike him. Why does he even attend F.A.? He should go somewhere else and extort money from people like he always does."

    It was gossip about me.

    "Those kids. They¡¯ve been doing that since this morning...!"

    "Let''s just go."

    I stopped In-Ah, who was about to run out.

    "Those students will talk more when you stay still. The students spread rumors without knowing anything. You have to go tell them yourself.¡±

    "It''s alright."

    "You always say it¡¯s alright! Aren''t you angry?" In-Ah asked as if she was frustrated. Her face was flushed red. The way she spoke was sharp, but she was only saying it for my sake.

    "Of course I''m angry," I answered calmly.

    "Then go and say something, or you could swear at them."

    "The rumors will only grow."

    "Then what are you going to do? Are you going to let them say whatever they want?"

    "Yes, I will."

    "...Why?"

    She looked at me with a face that indicated that she just didn''t understand.

    <i>¡®The best move is to stay still.¡¯</i>

    When my father was still alive, he would often say those words from time to time.

    Back when the Holy See was manipting the public¡¯s opinion, my father did not give an exnation to correct the situation. I could still vividly remember my father optimistically saying that everything would pass as long as we waited long enough.

    "If we wait long enough, it will calm down."

    "You, what? Ha..."

    In-Ah let out a bitterugh as if she was dumbfounded. She looked extremely frustrated.

    "It''s alright. It''ll calm down soon."

    As long as we wait, as long as we wait... My father waited like that and died during the Holy War.

    Therefore, the phrase ''the best move is to stay still'' was the phrase that I hated the most.

    I never stayed still. Instead, I was merely waiting for an opportunity. I was only waiting for the best time to quell the rumor. If I gave an exnation at an awkward moment like this, I would only end up fanning the mes of the rumors. They would say that I¡¯m brazen and that I don''t have proof.

    "Hey, Sun-Woo. You''re really amazing. I want you to vouch for meter."

    While I was trying to control my anger and calm my heart, Jun-Hyuk said something casual. Amidst all this, he was still trying to make fun of me.

    His consistentid-back manner made meugh.

    ***

    "Hey, what¡¯d you say? This fucker. Say it again. Say it again!"

    <i>Bash, smack, smack¡ª!</i>

    After school, a dull beating sound rang out in the dark, dirty alley.

    "Va-Van Gogh. It''s Van Gogh!"

    "You son of a...! You dare to open your mouth? Still?¡±

    Bae Sung-Hyun was furiouslynding a barrage of kicks on a child that was crouching on the floor. Nevertheless, the crouching child didn¡¯t get discouraged and spoke up firmly.

    Sung-Hyun injured his left ear during the demon beast incident. He was almost healed, but the scar still remained.

    The crouching child made fun of Sung-Hyun by calling him ¡®Van Gogh.¡¯ Vincent van Gogh was an unfortunate painter who was unable to resist madness and ended up cutting off one ear with a razor. He was famous for his self-portrait with a bandage on his ear.

    "You know what? Just don''t walk starting today. I''ll let you just crawl around. How about that, huh? Just like a dog."

    Sung-Hyun used the intermediate blessing of muscle strengthening. A light of blessing wrapped around his leg. He even used the blessing of superhuman strength at the same time. Then he kicked the wall of the alley as a test.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    With a loud noise, the surface of the wall caved in deeply. Cracks also formed in various ces. Sung-Hyun tried to crush the child''s knee with his power which contained a force that could easily break even concrete walls. A person''s knee joints would be crushed like a sheet of ice.

    If that happened, the crouching child might not be able to walk for the rest of their life. Even though he was in front of a defenseless child that was trembling with fear, Sung-Hyun did not stop. Anger clouded his reasoning.

    "S-stop!"

    Just before he could trample on the child''s knee, a voice from somewhere rang loudly in the alley.

    Sung-Hyun turned his head, revealing his face that was contorted in anger.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    The person had a half-shaved head, nted eyes, and protruding front teeth.

    It was Byung-Hoon.

    He was also in the ss of Charity, and because of his distinct appearance, Sung-Hyun had remembered his name.

    "What the fuck, is this a stop campaign or something? Stop shouting ¡®stop,¡¯ you dipshit." Sung-Hyun muttered curses.

    "Oh? Oh Byung-Shin? Isn''t it Oh Byung-Shin[1]?" A member of his gang suddenly broke into a happy expression. On the other hand, Byung-Hoon''s expression slowly distorted and turned foul. Even his pupils started to quake nervously.

    "Oh Byung-Shin? Oh Retard? What are you talking about?"

    "This guy¡¯s name is Byung-Hoon. So that¡¯s why we call him Oh Byung-Shin."

    When Sung-Hyun asked, the gang member answered excitedly. Sung-Hyun''s reasoning, which was paralyzed by anger, gradually returned to normal. Sung-Hyunughed bitterly after finishing a series of calctions.

    "Really? Then bring him too."

    "Our good old friend Oh Byung-Shin,e here."

    At Sung-Hyun''s orders, the gang member gestured toward Byung-Hoon, and he entered the alley. His legs quaked nervously, causing his gait to be unstable. His jaw trembled, and his teeth ttered. It was due to the psychological trauma that developed after being bullied for three years in middle school.

    Sung-Hyun stood in front of Byung-Hoon, who was nervously keeping his head down due to fear. Sung-Hyun violently stroked Byung-Hoon''s short hair. Byung-Hoon shuddered.

    "Wow, your hair feels good."

    "Oh Byung-Shin went into Florence and shaved his head? Is this for study?"

    <i>Whack.</i>

    The gang member hit Byung-Hoon on the head. Byung-Hoon''s body shook wildly. Fear loosened his legs, and he didn''t even have the strength to hold himself.

    Sung-Hyun kept smiling while looking at Byung-Hoon. He was scarier than when he was expressionless.

    "Byung-Hoon."

    Byung-Hoon was silent, with his gaze pointing to the floor.

    "Answer me, Byung-Hoon."

    "Ye... Yeah."

    "Yeah is informal, Byung-Hoon.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    When there was no answer, Sung-Hyun ced his hand on Byung-Hoon''s shoulder. Byung-Hoon tensed his body slightly.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Sung-Hyun''s palm struck Byung-Hoon''s cheek, making his body tilt. Sung-Hyun continued to p his face until Byung-Hoon''s cheeks were swollen.

    "Jun-Hyuk and this guy. Why are there so many annoying bastards today?"

    "S-stop...¡± Byung-Hoon said. As a result of his lips being cracked, his voice came out slurred.

    "Oh."

    Sung-Hyun stopped after a short exmation.

    There was a deep silence as if time hade to a stop.

    "I thought of something interesting. Now, Byung-Hoon. Stop!" Sung-Hyun said with a smile. Byung-Hoon stood still.

    "Now sit down."

    Byung-Hoon stood still. Sung-Hyun''s expression distorted.

    "I said, sit down."

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Sung-Hyun pped his face. Blood drops scattered from Byung-Hoon''s burst lips.

    "Sit down."

    While trembling, Byung-Hoon sat down.

    "I told you to stop."

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Another p on the cheek. Blood drops scattered once again.

    "Sit down. Stop. Huh? This guy keeps failing to understand what I''m saying."

    He would hit him if he sat down because he didn''t stop. He would hit him if he stopped because he didn¡¯t sit down.

    Whatever he did, Sung-Hyun pped Byung-Hoon on the cheek. Byung-Hoon was hit no matter what, and fear was imprinted into his brain. Byung-Hoon just trembled whenever Sung-Hyun opened his mouth.

    "Sit down."

    Byung-Hoon sat down. Sung-Hyunughed.

    "Yes. Now you seem to understand."

    Byung-Hoon was puzzled when Sung-Hyun suddenly showed mercy because Sung-Hyun kept hitting him no matter what he did.

    There was relief before humiliation and shame. He didn''t even have time to feel anger. He was just grateful that he didn''t have to be pped.

    That''s how Byung-Hoon became a dog. Sung-Hyun once turned five people into dogs in the same way.

    "Now, again, get up!"

    Satisfied, Sung-Hyun gave instructions once again.

    "Just sit down and rest. Don''t listen."

    Byung-Hoon was just about to get up when someone told him to sit down again.

    "Oh, what the¡ª"

    Sung-Hyun, who was turning his head and cursing, suddenly stopped talking.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    Sung-Hyun gritted his teeth as his face twisted in anger. His eyes were bloodshot. It was because he spotted the familiar face of an uninvited guest. He was the one who dug up and pulled out the inferiorityplex buried deep in Sung-Hyun''s heart.

    "You don''t know moderation."

    There was no expression on his face when he said so.

    1. Byung-Shin means retard. Basically, Byung-Hoon¡¯s name sounds like ¡®oh retard¡¯. ?

 Chapter 27

    <h4>Chapter 27</h4>

    Oh Byung-Hoon was d at first. He thought someone was here to save him, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    Do Sun-Woo had stopped Bae Sung-Hyun. He was no different from the perpetrators who bullied him when he was in middle school, and he was no different from Sung-Hyun, who was currently hitting him in the face.

    From Oh Byung-Hoon¡¯s perspective as the prey, there was only one more predator.

    "Well, well, if it isn¡¯t Do Sun-Woo."

    Sung-Hyun acted as if he was d that Sun-Woo was here. As expected, Sun-Woo and Sung-Hyun were close.

    Byung-Hoon fell into even deeper despair. With Sun-Woo¡¯s arrival, thest sliver of a chance to run away had disappeared. Then again, he hadn¡¯t intended to, nor did he have the strength to run away in the first ce.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Isn¡¯t it obvious? I''m just ying. Just being childish and pathetic." Sung-Hyun shrugged. He sounded sarcastic. Nevertheless, there was no change in Do Sun-Woo''s expression. He maintained a grim and expressionless face.

    "This is not at just a childish level. This is at a level that is worse than trash."

    "Trash, you say. But I saw the post about you, and it seems like you¡¯re not any better. I think it said that you used violence in middle school or something. At the very least, I''ve never used violence in school before."

    "I¡¯ve never done such a thing. As for you, it¡¯s not that you¡¯ve never used violence, it¡¯s that you''ve never been caught."

    "It¡¯s not a crime if you don¡¯t get caught after all. Am I right?"

    At Sung-Hyun''s question, the gang members all nodded.

    Byung-Hoon quietly listened to their conversation. The atmosphere was strange for some reason. It was at least apparent that Sun-Woo and Sung-Hyun did not get along well.

    "Anyway, it¡¯s toote to pretend to be a good guy. That¡¯s not going to wash away the past now. Let¡¯s just hang out together. Join in on the fun, and we can all be happy.¡±

    "I saw youst time, and you had a lot of strength and guts. Let''s get along."

    "Yeah, and you seem to have a lot of money too."

    The gang members gathered around and pretended to be close friends with Sun-Woo by cing their hands on his shoulders. Sun-Woo shook off their hands with disgust. His expressionless face seemed to deepen¡ªit was more rigid and ominous than before.

    "Do you want a cigarette? Going to school sucks these days, right? Because of that post."

    Sung-Hyun took out a cigarette and put it in Sun-Woo''s mouth.

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Sun-Woo hit Sung-Hyun''s hand. The cigarette rolled on the floor after it dropped. Sung-Hyun''s face contorted briefly, but a hypocritical smile soon resurfaced. His ability to control his facial muscles was so unbelievably phenomenal that it approached the realm of miraculousness.

    That said, it was still not at a level that wasparable to Sun-Woo, who was still expressionless. There was not even a single twitch in his facial muscles.

    "If you don''t like it, you don¡¯t have to smoke it. Why¡¯d you have to drop it? What a waste of a cig."

    "Oh, Sung-Hyun. Can I keep this one?"

    One of the gang members picked up the dropped cigarette with excitement. He then blew the dust off.

    "Sure."

    Sung-Hyun looked at him like he was pathetic.

    "Well, whatever. So you don''t like cigarettes, huh? Do whatever you want. If you hang out with us long enough, you¡¯ll naturally end up smoking anyway."

    "Why would I hang out with you guys?¡±

    "Why? It¡¯s nice to have more friends, don''t you think? Let''s just hang out. Then I''ll sort out the rumors for you."

    "Sort out the rumors? How?"

    ¡°If there is a will, there is a way. I have quite a lot of money, you see. Also, since Ko Jun-Min is dead, there are many ways to cover up the rumors," Sung-Hyun confidently said.

    A smile suddenly appeared on Sun-Woo''s face. It was a twisted and distorted smile. He smiled with his mouth, but his eyes were moist as if he could shed tears at any moment. It was eerie and bizarre in a different sense than the expressionless face he had shown so far.

    Byung-Hoon gulped without realizing it.

    "What does Jun-Min''s death have to do with the rumors?"

    "Obviously... Ah," Sung-Hyun seemed to have btedly realized his mistake and swallowed his words.

    Sun-Wooughed. "Was it you?"

    Sun-Woo continued tough for a long time. It sounded like he wasughing, but it also sounded like he was crying.

    It was impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad.

    ***

    Memories shed through my head like a panorama.

    There was the hatred and contempt in the eyes of the children looking at me. There was the exhausted Jin-Seo, who was shaking while breathing hard. I also saw myself slowly dying covered with ck flesh. Tears poured out of my eyes after having my trauma reignited from seeing the fire.

    It had all been part of Sung-Hyun¡¯s scheme. Or perhaps it was due to the ripples that resulted from his scheme¡ª the so-called butterfly effect.

    The moment I realized this, my heart felt strangely calm.

    [Always be calm. Never lose your head.]

    The advice from Legba was unnecessary because I was already calm. I was calmer than I had ever been in my life.

    "Why?"

    The first thing I had to do was ask for an exnation from Sung-Hyun, the mastermind behind these events. Just why in the world did he do all this? Why did he have to make my life so miserable?

    "Why? What do you mean why? I don¡¯t understand what you''re saying.¡±

    Sung-Hyun slowly took a step back. His tone and face showed signs of his agitation.

    "Did you ask Jun-Min to write the post?"

    "Hey, hey. What do you mean by that? I''m not such a bad person."

    Sung-Hyun btedly denied any wrongdoing, but it was toote. The name ¡®Ko Jun-Min¡¯ came out of his mouth, which likely meant that he was the main culprit of this incident.

    Even if he wasn¡¯t the root cause, at the very least, he was deeply involved in this incident. Either he asked Jun-Min to write the post or encouraged Jun-Min to write the post. It was one of the two, or it could be both. Otherwise, it didn¡¯t make sense for Jun-Min¡¯s name toe out of his mouth.

    Except for Jin-Seo and me, no one knew that Jun-Min wrote the post.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Sung-Hyun backed up and eventually his back hit the wall. There was no more room for further retreat¡ªcold sweat ran down his forehead. It was a rare sight to see him so flustered.

    But he wasn¡¯t flustered for long.

    "Ah, fuck. Now that I think about it, I''m getting angry.¡±

    Sung-Hyun soon showed his true character after he was backed into a corner. His flustered expression was nowhere to be found. Sung-Hyun looked down at me with a shameless face,

    <i>Spit. </i>

    He spat. The yellowish spitnded on my shoes.

    "I told Jun-Min to write a post targeting you. So what should I do now? Should I kneel down and repent for my sins?"

    "Why?"

    "What do you mean why? Stop repeating why. You sound like a broken record."

    "Why did you do that?"

    Sung-Hyun tilted his head in response to the repeated questioning. He was pretending to contemte, but that was just a facade.

    "That¡¯s a good question." Sung-Hyun smiled coldly.

    He had the grades, money, appearance, and talent. He grew up without a shortage of anything, so why on earth did he do such a thing? Did his parents abuse him? Or maybe he had a big ident as a child. For example, perhaps someone died when a car overturned during a family trip.

    [But that doesn¡¯t justify what he did.]

    I had no intention of justifying his actions. I just wanted to understand his motive. Perhaps there was an understandable reason why he bullied me so harshly.

    "I didn¡¯t like you and Jin-Seo, and I thought it would be fun. I think that¡¯s about it.¡±

    However, his motive was iprehensible. He only did all this because he thought it would be fun.

    It was rather a relief.

    Sung-Hyun smiled and added, "I didn''t know Jun-Min was a demon. This is the truth. It made it more interesting, though."

    I looked around. There was no CCTV. No ck box either.

    "Jin-Seo almost died because of that."

    I almost died as well.

    "Really? She didn''t die though, she even got an award."

    "Aren''t you sorry?"

    "Sorry? Sorry for what? She should thank me since she got an award."

    Sung-Hyun seemed to be unaware that he had done anything wrong. It was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help but let out augh.

    "Our way of thinking seems to bepletely different. Perhaps it¡¯s because of the way your parents educated you?"

    "Hey," one of the gang members interrupted me in a harsh tone.

    "Hold your horses, buddy. The sky is not the limit here. Just where the hell is all that confidenceing from?" the gang member said.

    ¡°Shut up. Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m in the middle of a conversation?¡± I replied.

    ¡°What? Ha, this guy¡¯s insane.¡±

    The gang let out augh and surrounded me. They cracked their knuckles and loosened their bodies. Maybe they were trying to act like mafia gang members from an action movie, but they weren¡¯t very threatening. They were just bluffing without any real substance.

    "You little fucker. I can''t believe¡ª"

    Then the gang member cursed while swinging his fist. However, his fist did not reach me.

    <i>Flop.</i>

    In an instant, the gang members fell unconscious and copsed onto the ground.

    "That¡¯s a little better." I looked around while reciting my impressions in a low voice.

    Not only the gang members, but also the child crouching on the floor and Byung-Hoon were unconscious. Unlike the gang members, they were not foaming at the mouth. Only Sung-Hyun and I remained conscious. There was no one else.

    "Huh? What the?" Sung-Hyun eximed as if he could not believe the scene unfolding in front of him.

    Of course. This is probably the first time he''s ever seen a voodoo spell with his own eyes.

    Intermediate spell of enthrallment, curse of fainting.

    Advanced spell of enthrallment, curse of nightmares.

    It was the fusion of two voodoo spells. The victims would immediately faint and experience an unimaginable nightmare. It would be hard to return to a sound state of mind for a while even after waking up. Nightmares would gue their minds, making them unable toe to their senses.

    Of course, I didn¡¯t use the curse of nightmares on the child or Byung-Hoon. I only used the curse of fainting on them to get rid of witnesses.

    The reason why I had to put them to sleep was because I needed to eliminate witnesses of ¡®that spell,¡¯ which would be used as the final nail in the coffin to finish off Sung-Hyun.

    Sung-Hyun stared into the air for a long time as if his soul had left his body. Eventually, he said with a trembling voice, "You, what have you done? This is not divine power, this is¨C!"

    "Indeed, it¡¯s voodoo sorcery. Well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll even remember it anyway."

    "Voodoo sorcery? Yo-you bastard, don¡¯t tell me!¡±

    Sung-Hyun quickly drew a blessing array in the air¡ª the intermediate blessing of strength. In addition, there were various blessings rted to physical strengthening. He even used the blessing of superhuman strength.

    Currently, Sung-Hyun had enormous power that could kill an ordinary person with a single punch. However, that wasn¡¯t going to change anything.

    "You were a Voodooist? No wonder I didn''t like everything you did. It was because you were a cultist. Ha ha. If I kill you, will I get an award like Jin-Seo? Right?¡± Sung-Hyun said while smiling slightly. It was a fake smile he used to hide his fear.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t just get an award from the academy, you would also get a medal of honor from the government. You see, I¡¯m not just some small fry but the cult leader.¡±

    However, the smile on my face was utterly genuine, without a hint of falsehood.

    "What? What are you¨C"

    <i>nk!</i>

    A sharp and crude sound of shing metal rang in the alley.

    "Huh...?¡±

    With a scream, Sung-Hyun copsed.

    It was a voodoo spell.

    Intermediate spell of enthrallment, curse of pain.

    Advanced spell of enthrallment, curse of contagion.

    And finally, superior spell of enthrallment, memory annihtion.

    "Ah, argh. You, this, what¨C!"

    Sung-Hyun rolled on the floor while trying to tear off his own hair.

    The pain started from the head. It was a tremendous headache that would make one''s skull feel like it would shatter at any moment. That immense pain would soon spread throughout the body through the power of the curse of contagion. First, there would be a stomachache, followed by arm and leg pain. Eventually, the pain would spread to even the fingertips and toes.

    His memory of the pain would be shattered. The pain would be forgotten as soon as he felt it. When he forgets the pain, the pain would quickly return. He would never get a chance to get ustomed to the pain¡ªin each moment in time, a fresh wave of unexpected pain would bombard his entire body.

    Memories of the suffering would be shattered, crushed, and eventually annihted without leaving a single fragment.

    [Sung-Hyun will forget all the memories of this moment, but the shattered memories will seep into his blood and be engraved as fear. Every time he sees you, that fear will return.] Legba whispered in a dreary voice.

    Even after the spell ended, it would be difficult for him to live a normal life. Every night, he would be reunited with this moment as a nightmare. But the nightmare would be forgotten in the morning, leaving only dim pain and fear. Sung-Hyun would suffer pain for the rest of his life, and would never be able to understand the reason why he was suffering.

    "Ah, argh. Agghhhhhhaaaa...!"

    His throat, which had screamed so loudly, could now only let out a raspy sound like metal scraping against metal.

    He repeatedly screamed in agony. He would repeat the cycle of shaking in pain, then he would forget the pain for a moment before getting assaulted by the pain once again. Tears of blood streamed out from his listless eyes while foam spewed from his mouth. I quietly ced something on top of Bae Sung-Hyun''s head and left the alley.

    [You¡¯re very thorough at times like this.] Legba said in a low voice. As I left the alley, Sung-Hyun''s scream continued to haunt my ears.

    However, I had no intention of ending it like this. The real nightmare was going to start tomorrow.

    No, he¡¯ll end up wishing it was just a nightmare.

 Chapter 28

    <h4>Chapter 28</h4>

    The next day, I went to school, and a normal day went by as usual. The only difference was that Sung-Hyun and Byung-Hoon were absent. After school, I stopped by the underground chapel first before going to my house. Fortunately, Uncle Jin-Sung was reading a book in his usual spot.

    I got straight to the point. "Uncle, I think you should sell your dBP stocks right now before it¡¯s toote."

    "No." Uncle Jin-Sung continued reading his book calmly as if he didn''t need to listen. His answer was half-hearted. It was unclear whether it was an actual answer or just an automatic response.

    "The stock price is going to crash for sure. This is not a gut feeling, but an absolute certainty.¡±

    "Shush. dBP is apany with a bright future."

    "Nope. The future of thepany is going to look dark soon. Please believe me."

    My uncle shook his head and sighed. "Hey, kid. The stock price is not just going up, it¡¯s pumping like crazy at the moment. It¡¯s still got a long way to go until it reaches the peak! I''d be stupid if I sold it right now.¡±

    "Just don''t regret itter."

    "Yes, Mr. Cult Leader. I will never regret it. I mean, you don¡¯t know jack about investing in the first ce, so I have no idea why you keep trying to act like a portfolio manager.¡±

    "That''s true... Ha."

    I was so frustrated that I couldn''t help but sigh. It seemed like it would take too long to exin everything about Sung-Hyun from start to finish.

    [Just don''t tell him.]

    While pondering about my current dilemma, Legba nonchntly proposed a solution. He continued to speak without giving me a chance to respond.

    [Let him lose his money.]

    "What?"

    [This is a good opportunity to teach him a lesson. He¡¯ll learn that ignoring the cult leader¡¯s advice will result in a world of pain.]

    "That¡¯s a little bit..."

    [You''re the cult leader, and Jin-Sung is a high priest, but he is ignoring you. It''s safe to call it insubordination.]

    What Legba was saying sounded somewhat reasonable, but Uncle Jin-Sung was family. It¡¯d be a little hard for me to watch him suffer significant financial losses right in front of my eyes.

    I couldn''t just let the money go away.

    "Uncle. I''ll say it again for thest time. You should sell."

    "Why do you keep telling me to sell? Is there a reason? Or is it your gut feeling again?¡±

    "The dBP stock price is going to tank no matter what. I''m going to make it so that it tanks.¡±

    "What talent do you have to manipte the stock price? That''s ridiculous."

    No matter how hard I tried to persuade my uncle, he wouldn''t listen. At this point, I was starting to get angry.

    "Ha... Do what you want then. Just remember that I tried to warn you."

    "Aww, sure thing, kiddo. Just don''t bother asking me to buy you stuffter."

    "Yes, yes."

    I guess I¡¯ll let him do what he wants. It¡¯s not like it was my money anyway. I¡¯ll just have to hope that he doesn¡¯t regret itter.

    I gave up and turned around. I decided to watch the news to get rid of my anger. Besides, I also had a reason to watch the news. I went into my room, which was located behind the underground chapel. A news report wasing from a small TV in the corner of the room.

    ording to the news report, the investigation into the recent series of kidnappings resulted in zero clues. There was also news that the director of the eastern branch of Seoul¡¯s Pdin Order resigned for corruption. Other than that, there was news about the inauguration of a new director and so on.

    There was not a single piece of good news. Well, then again, the news was always like this, so I wasn¡¯t surprised.

    [The world is a real mess right now.] Legbamented while watching the news with me.

    I stayed at the underground chapel and only watched the news until evening. I tried switching channels multiple times, but I was not able to find the news I wanted. At this point, I began to feel impatient.

    [There''s no need to be in a hurry. It may still be under investigation.]

    "Perhaps you¡¯re right."

    I nodded. As Legba said, the investigation was probably still underway. There was nothing to be impatient about. I just had to wait patiently with a calm heart. As long as I waited, everything would work out. I had manipted the situation so that everything would work out.

    <i>Buzzz¨C!</i>

    "Oh, that scared the crap out of me."

    I must have dozed off for a brief moment after watching the news for a while. I was startled awake by the sound of my vibrating phone. I checked my phone and saw a text message from In-Ah. As usual, I expected it to be a meaningless greeting message. I checked the contents without much thought.

    "What?"

    However, the content was more unusual than I thought.

    [It doesn¡¯t seem to be good news. I only saw the title, though, so I don¡¯t know for sure.]

    "Oh, please. Adonai."

    [What? You punk.]

    While reciting a prayer, I went to the address specified in the text message.

    <i>¡®Grandce.¡¯</i>

    It was the ce where the post using me of bullying was posted the other day.

    * * *

    The eastern branch of Seoul¡¯s Pdin Order was in charge of investigating this case. Han Dae-Ho, the director of the eastern branch, was newly inaugurated due to his predecessor''s corruption. The case he was currently working on was so overwhelming that it was giving him a splitting headache.

    "Not even a single piece of evidence? Seriously?"

    "Yes. Other than a piece of cloth thaty on Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s head, there is nothing else."

    His subordinate held out an envelope that contained evidence inside. It was a piece of cloth with a bizarre pattern on it. He had no idea what religion it was supposed to represent, but it obviously did not represent the Romanican faith.

    ¡°Did you show the evidence to the victims? What were their reactions?¡±

    ¡°The other students didn¡¯t respond much, but...¡±

    His subordinate hesitated and dragged out his words.

    "There¡¯s no need to hold back. Just say it.¡±

    "Yes, um. Student Sung-Hyun saw the evidence and had a seizure."

    "A seizure?"

    Han Dae-Ho got up from his seat in surprise.

    "Yes. His condition was not serious, but I think it might be difficult to continue the investigation¡ª¡±

    <i>Clink¡ª! Clink! Clink¡ª! </i>

    "Oh, sir. I''m sorry. There¡¯s a phone call."

    "What kind of ringtone is that... Never mind. Go ahead."

    His subordinate answered the phone and left the director¡¯s office.

    Left alone in the director¡¯s office, Han Dae-Ho murmured, "A seizure. A seizure, they say... There is something suspicious about this."

    There was surely a connection between the piece of cloth that had a strange pattern and Sung-Hyun, who had a seizure after looking at the pattern on the cloth.

    However, he had no idea what the connection was supposed to be. He had countless spections but nothing that could be considered substantial.

    "Director."

    Soon, his subordinate returned afterpleting his phone call and pulled Dae-Ho out of his reverie.

    "Oh, yes. What is it?"

    ¡°From the phone call that I had just now, I received information that this piece of cloth is likely a sacrificial item used in some form of cultist ritual.¡±

    "Cultists? Do you know what religion it is?"

    "Yes. We¡¯ve found it."

    Only then did a smile break out on Han Dae-Ho''s worried face. If they could identify the source of the piece of cloth, then they would be able to make some progress with the investigation. His subordinate looked through a few documents and grinned.

    ¡°Yes, the Voodooists©¤¡±

    ¡°Voodooists!¡±

    "¡ªand the Satanists, Sumerians, Semitists, and the believers of Druidism. Besides those, three other religions may have been the culprit."

    Han Dae-Ho''s expression was distorted.

    "You idiot. That means you don''t know anything!¡±

    "Hm? We were able to reduce it to eight suspects, though?"

    ¡°Whatever. It''s my fault for trusting you. What is Druidism? This isn¡¯t a video game," Han Dae-Ho let out a sigh.

    "It''s a religion that really exists. The official name is Celtic polytheism.¡±

    "Hey, punk. Instead of memorizing useless stuff like that, can¡¯t you spend that time working properly?¡±

    ¡°Sir, if I don¡¯t memorize religions for even a single day, I get antsy,¡± his subordinate said nonchntly. It wasn¡¯t a joke. He was a so-called religious otaku. Information about all religions in the world was in his head, from the Romanian Church, the national religion, to Satanism, the Voodoo Cult, and Druidism.

    ¡°<i>Sigh</i>. For now, let¡¯s proceed ording to protocol. Since we¡¯ve discovered sacrificial items that are rted to cultists, switch the victims'' statuses to potential suspects and start searching for the cults that may be involved.¡±

    "Yes, then we¡¯ll start with digital forensics."

    "Okay. If there''s anything strange, report it right away."

    The subordinate left the director¡¯s office. Now alone in his office, Han Dae-Ho sat down and wiped the drool on his face.

    ¡®¡¯<i>This is driving me crazy.</i>¡¯

    Dealing with the serial disappearances was already a lot on his te, but now he also had to deal with the eight students who fainted in an alleyway, the so-called ¡®Alleyway Group Fainting Incident.¡¯

    Moreover, among the victims of the Alleyway Group Fainting Incident was Sung-Hyun. He was the son of Bae Jung-Hwan, the chairman of dBP. Therefore, there was a lot of pressure from up top. And it wasn¡¯t just up top, this was <i>way</i> up top.

    If he could not find the culprit, then he would probably end up resigning as the director. It was frightening to think that he might have to resign right after his inauguration.

    <i>''I must find the culprit.¡¯</i>

    Therefore, Dae-Ho was desperate. He remembered that when his mother heard that he had been inaugurated as a director, she cried tears of joy. He felt like he was going to cry for no particr reason.

    "Ha...." Looking at the case files again, he let out another sigh. Suddenly, someone mmed opened the door into the director''s office.

    "Director!"

    It was the subordinate from earlier¡ªthe religion otaku.

    "What? Is the forensics reportpleted already?"

    "Sir? No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°What? Then why are you here?¡±

    "Please take a look at this."

    His subordinate pushed his phone forward and showed a picture. It was a photo of a high school girl smoking a cigarette. There were several simr pictures as well.

    Dae-Ho tilted his head.

    "What''s the problem? Were these pictures taken secretly? Whose phone is this?¡±

    "It''s Bae Sung-Hyun''s cell phone. But these aren¡¯t just photos that were taken secretly. Do you remember the incident that urredst time? The one with demons.¡±

    The moment the word ¡®demon¡¯ appeared in the conversation, Dae-Ho¡¯s eyes opened wide. Come to think of it, the photos were familiar. He remembered a boy named Ko Jun-Min who had turned into a demon. The photos were simr to the ones on Jun-Min¡¯s phone.

    It was obvious what this meant.

    "What about the rest of them? Was there anything suspicious in their phones?¡±

    "No, sir."

    ¡°Release the rest of them after a brief investigation. And change Sung-Hyun¡¯s status to a suspect. Investigate the possibility of him being a Satanist or being rted to a Satanist."

    "Yes, sir."

    The subordinate hurried out of the director''s office.

    <i>''Now I understand.¡¯</i>

    Han Dae-Ho smiled.

    Sung-Hyun was a Satanist or had a connection to a Satanist. He had tried to perform a Satanist ritual or had tried to assist in a Satanist ritual. However, due to an unforeseen ident, he must have fainted along with the seven other students.

    That would exin why he had a seizure after seeing the piece of cloth. He must have either been afraid of being exposed, or he might have acted like that to avoid having to give a testimony. He felt like all the puzzle pieces wereing together.

    "Director!"

    Half an hour passed, and the subordinate returned once again.

    "So, what''s the result of the investigation?"

    ¡°Sung-Hyun refuses to answer at all. So we are currently only investigating his phone at the moment.¡±

    "Exin what you¡¯ve found out."

    "Yes, sir. First¡ª"

    His subordinate began reporting the results of the investigation.

    Firstly, the pictures on Sung-Hyun''s phone were identical to those on Jun-Min''s phone. There were also records of him calling and texting Jun-Min.

    It was clear evidence that Sung-Hyun had been involved in the Jun-Min case.

    There were many other bizarre things on Sung-Hyun''s phone. There was a picture of a naked male student with their hands behind their back while exposing their private parts, and there was a torture video of him breaking a male student''s bones and repeatedly using healing to reattach the bones. Other than that, there were a few other videos with simr content.

    "Is it school violence?"

    "It seems to be the case."

    "Well, expose this as well."

    "Um, but sir..." the subordinate pdin mumbled.

    "What? What¡¯s the problem? Hurry up and tell me, don''t hesitate.¡±

    "Isn¡¯t the suspect in the case Bae Sung-Hyun, the only son of the chairman of the dBPpany?"

    "Correct. So?"

    "Bae Jung-Hwan, chairman of the dBPpany, ising here. He is expected to arrive in ten minutes."

    "What? No, what the fu..."

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Han Dae-Ho, who was about to curse, suddenly stopped talking. Cold sweat from his forehead flowed down his temples and down to his chin. A deep silence filled the director¡¯s office.

    "Is the director here? This is Bae Jung-Hwan.¡±

    Before Han Dae-Ho could answer, Bae Jung-Hwan opened the door and entered the director¡¯s office.

    "Nice to meet you. I said I''d be here in ten minutes, but I¡¯m a bit impatient, you see," Bae Jung-Hwan said with a smile. It was a gentle and warm smile, yet it also felt somewhat cold.

    When Bae Jung-Hwan slowly asked for a handshake, Han Dae-Ho hurriedly shook his hand.

    "Good morning. I¡¯m the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch director Han Dae Ho."

    "Yes, hello. You''re quite big. Hahaha."

    "Ah, yes. Haha...¡±

    Bae Jung-Hwan and Han Dae-Ho were bothughing, but the atmosphere was strangelypetitive.

    "I heard you were newly inaugurated this time. How''s your job? It''s really difficult, right?¡±

    "Not at all, thank you." Han Dae-Ho smiled awkwardly. Bae Jung-Hwan cleared his throat with a cough.

    ¡°Well, if the introductions get too long, it¡¯ll get boring. Let¡¯s get straight to the point.¡±

    "What?"

    "I heard that my son is being held as a victim. I don''t know the details, but please take good care of him."

    "Ah... Yes, of course,¡± Han Dae-Ho replied bitterly.

    Maintaining his subtle smile, Bae Jung-Hwan asked, "Right. I heard that the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branchcks a lot of artifacts, is that correct?¡±

    "We''re notcking that much. Just a little."

    "You''ll have plenty soon, as long as this situation works out well," Bae Jung-Hwan said while smiling coldly.

    <i>¡®Bribery.¡¯</i>

    Han Dae-Ho could easily guess the intentions behind what he was saying. Bae Jung-Hwan lifted his wrist and checked his watch.

    "Oh dear, looks like I spent too much time here. I must have interrupted your work. I''ll get going then."

    ¡°Haha, yes. Have a safe trip going back.¡±

    ¡°I look forward to the good news.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho repeatedly nodded toward Bae Jung-Hwan, who was leaving the director¡¯s office. Soon, after Bae Jung-Hwan had left the buildingpletely, Han Dae-Ho flopped down onto his chair like a deted balloon.

    "Haaaaaaaaaaaaa..." he sighed deeply. His face, which had already been filled with worries, seemed to age another ten years after meeting with Bae Jung-Hwan.

    His subordinate standing at the side approached Han Dae-Ho.

    "Sir, are you alright?"

    ¡°Do I look alright to you?¡±

    ¡°Ah, um. No.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho smirked.

    "So, sir, how do you intend to proceed with the investigation?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Han Dae-Ho remained quiet for a long time. There was silence in the director''s room. Before long, Han Dae-Ho broke into a smile. It was a smile that seemed to indicate that he was either insane or resigned to his fate.

    "How long has it been since I took office?"

    "Unofficially, it has been two weeks. Officially, it¡¯s been two days. It was reported today.¡±

    "Yes, it hasn''t been long."

    Han Dae-Ho dropped his head. His mother¡¯s delighted face came back to mind. It wasplicated.

    "It''s too early to resign, right?"

    "...Yes. No one will be able to me you."

    Han Dae-Ho sprang up from his seat.

    "Yes. This is natural. This is the right choice.¡±

    Then, he slowly nodded and started talking to himself.

    "I don''t even know what''s natural. This shitty situation....¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Han Dae-Ho''s sigh echoed in the director¡¯s room. There was no sound other than that.

 Chapter 29

    <h4>Chapter 29</h4>

    "Wow, man. Did you see the recent post?¡±

    "What post? Is it on Grandce?"

    "Oh, that post on Grandce. That usation post."

    "usation post? Someone besides Sun-Woo?"

    "No, no. It''s Sun-Woo again. But I think the content was a little different.¡±

    "Sun-Woo again? What the hell is he doing?"

    The school was unusually noisy because of the post on Grandce. It was an usation post, but it was also an appeal. The students read the contents of the post by sharing their phones with each other. All the students who read the text would react in the same way.

    "Uh... Is this real?"

    ¡°...Wow.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t even an opportunity for them to get angry¡ªthey just let out heavy breaths and sighed. It was because the contents of the usation post were too shocking. The students looked at each other with stunned expressions. No one opened their mouths, and silence filled the room.

    <i>Thump¨C!</i>

    Soon, the door opened.

    The main character of the usation post revealed himself and trudged into the room, but no one looked at him. No, perhaps it was more urate to say that they were unable to look at him.

    * * *

    I came to school early in the morning and studied. On any normal day, the ssroom would have been noisy with nasty gossip about me. However, it was quiet today. It was obvious why. The students were not even able to make eye contact with me.

    Eventually, when it reached a quarter past eight, Ye-Jin came into the ssroom.

    It was over. The children didn''t even want to make eye contact with me. Her face, which would normally have a smiling expression, was currently filled with apprehension.

    "I''ll start homeroom."

    Likewise, her voicecked strength.

    ¡°As I always say, kidnappings targeting middle and high school students are rampant these days, so please be careful. There is nothing else I can tell you. Byung-Hoon, pleasee on in.¡±

    Ye-Jin beckoned, and Byung-Hoon, who was waiting outside the ssroom, walked in. His face was filled with bruises as if he had gotten hit by someone, and he had bandages on one of his ears. Nheless, Byung-Hoon walked with dignity. I could see that his eyes were filled with determination.

    "Student Byung-Hoon is transferring to another school for health reasons. Byung-Hoon says he has onest thing to say to you all. Please listen carefully."

    Byung-Hoon cleared his throat, and he chuckled with a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯m on the spot, I can¡¯t think of anything to say. Thank you all, and please take care from now on.¡±

    That was the end of his final greeting. It was ridiculously short, but Byung-Hoon still looked relieved.

    ¡°Get ready for ss, everyone. That¡¯s it for homeroom.¡±

    Just like that, Ye-Jin exited the ss along with Byung-Hoon. As usual, the ssroom soon became noisy. There was no gloomy atmosphere at all. Rather, it was much more lively than usual.

    It was a matter of course. Out of the school''s countless students, only a single one was leaving. Other than the few students who were close to Byung-Hoon, no one cared. I wasn''t particrly close to Byung-Hoon, and in fact, we were closer to being enemies rather than friends. However, my heart still felt strangely ufortable. I felt quite stuffy and dizzy for no particr reason. The absurd reality seemed to make me sick.

    "Sigh."

    I told In-Ah I was going to the bathroom and exited the ssroom. After going outside and getting some fresh air, I finally started to feel a little better. I admired the scenery of Florence once again. Beyond the clear blue skies that had not a single cloud, I could see lush green mountains.

    <i>Rustle¡ª</i>

    The leaves rustled as a light breeze blew past, and the flowers that had bloomed in the garden were slightly shaking. The entire scenery felt alive, as if announcing that spring had arrived. It was a scenery that felt refreshing.

    ¡°Sun-Woo?¡±

    It was then that someone called me. It was Byung-Hoon. He was fiddling with his short hair in an awkward manner. It was not long before he smiled brightly and said, ¡°It looks like I¡¯m right. Isn¡¯t ss about to start soon? Why are you here?¡±

    "I''ll be there soon. What about you?" I asked nonchntly.

    Byung-Hoon quietly looked around without answering. He looked around very slowly as if to capture every inch of Florence Academy in his mind.

    ¡°I just wanted to take a look. I feel a little sad when I think about how I can¡¯te here anymore. I felt a bit attached.¡±

    ¡°You can go to another school and get along well,¡± I said without thinking. Byung-Hoon tilted his head as if he was wondering about something.

    And then, heughed out loud for a long time.

    I had no idea why he wasughing.

    ¡°Right, they said I was transferring. Truth is, I¡¯m not transferring, but I¡¯m dropping out,¡± Byung-Hoon said while maintaining his smile.

    "Huh? Dropping out?"

    ¡°The reason why I came to Florence Academy was so that I could be a pdin.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you dropping out after going through all that effort to enter this school?¡±

    ¡°One of my ears ispletely screwed up. I can¡¯t be a pdin with this kind of injury.¡±

    Byung-Hoon tapped his right ear with his finger, indicating that he had problems with his hearing. The reason was evident. That day, Sung-Hyun had repeatedly hit his ear.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why I decided to take a break for now, at least until I can fix my ear. I¡¯ll have to take the qualification examter.¡±

    ¡°...I see.¡±

    I simply nodded. I wanted to console him a little, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t formte the words. Perhaps there was no need to console him in the first ce.

    Byung-Hoon looked happier than ever.

    For a brief moment, there was silence. The wind carried the scent of grass.

    "I''m sorry."

    Byung-Hoon''s apology broke the silence, and the wind calmed down.

    "What¡¯s with the apology all of a sudden?"

    ¡°I swore at you behind your back, spread rumors, and that kind of thing. So yeah. Sorry for everything.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to apologize. Anyway, the post you wrote was well written.¡±

    In the first ce, there was no reason for Byung-Hoon to apologize to me. He had alreadypleted his apology in the post he had written.

    Last night, a post was uploaded onto Grandce.

    The post stated that Sun-Woo was not a perpetrator of school violence and that the true perpetrator was Sung-Hyun. It said that Sung-Hyun was the one who forced Go Jun-Min to upload false usations about Sun-Woo. It also said that Sung-Hyun was stillmitting school violence and that he was beating innocent students and extorting money.

    That was a rough summary of the contents of the post. Byung-Hoon was the author. He had not anonymously posted the message, but he had posted it with his real name in order to increase credibility.

    In addition, Jin-Seo wrote ament on Byung-Hoon¡¯s post, saying that she could testify that this was the truth. Thanks to this, the rumor that I was a school violence perpetrator had disappeared.

    To be exact, it hadn¡¯t disappeared, but it had calmed down. That was enough.

    "Well, it¡¯s not like it had any real effect.¡±

    However, the usation post that Byung-Hoon had bravely written had done no damage to Sung-Hyun.

    "I guess you could say that''s true."

    Still, that was enough.

    I nced at the sky and took a deep breath. The smell of grass filled my lungs. It was spring, but the air was still cool. A trace of winter still remained.

    "But don¡¯t you have to go? ss will start soon," Byung-Hoon asked. I checked the time on my phone. It was about time for me to go back to ss.

    "Looks like I¡¯ve got to go.¡±

    "Yes. I need to go now, too.¡±

    With that, wepleted our conversation and parted ways. I went toward the ssroom, and Byung-Hoon walked out of school.

    The wind felt cool but warm at the same time. It sounded strange, but it was the truth.

    Soon, I arrived at the ssroom. Two seats were empty. One of them was Byung-Hoon¡¯s seat, who had dropped out. The empty desk felt especially lonely.

    And the owner of the other desk was currently being investigated for intervention and maniption of the Jun-Min case. He had countless other charges, such as suspected collusion with Satanists, school violence, and extortion.

    The results of the trial had not yet been released, but based on the evidence and the circumstances, it was clear that he was guilty. Thus, it was determined that he would be stripped of his title of ¡®Holy Name of Charity¡¯ and that his qualifications as a proud student of Florence Academy would be revoked.

    In other words, he was going to lose his Holy Name of Charity, and he was going to get expelled. This was the punishment that was decided as a result of a meeting between faculty members. All this was posted in bold letters on the bulletin board in the front of the main building this morning.

    That was why Sung-Hyun''s seat was empty.

    I stared nkly at the empty seats.

    "Sun-Woo. They have something to say.¡±

    In-Ah approached me. Her tone and expression were cold. She stood proudly with her arms folded and her legs crossed as three students walked behind her. They were Byung-Hoon¡¯s friends who had previously gossiped about me. They were all unable to make eye contact with me.

    "Well, um."

    One kid who had been hesitating and fidgeting with their fingers was the first to speak up.

    "I saw the post. Sorry."

    "That¡¯s it?" In-Ah nced fiercely at the trio.

    "Is that really all you¡¯re going to say?" she added as she slowly stalked toward the trio. It looked so threatening that even I felt scared.

    "You talked so confidently behind our backs, but in front¡ª"

    ¡°In-Ah, I¡¯ll speak to them.¡±

    ¡°Ah? Oh, sure.¡±

    In-Ah, who had been criticizing in a cynical tone, quickly went quiet with my words. Nevertheless, her re at the trio was as sharp as ever. She seemed angrier than me for some reason as if she was trying to be angry in my stead.

    [That kid must have been frustrated by you, too.] Legba said in a low voice. Legba was correct.

    But it wasn¡¯t them who needed to apologize to me. It was Jun-Min who had posted the article and Sung-Hyun who had instigated him to post. Jun-Min was dead, and Sung-Hyun had been expelled, so there was no way that either of the two would ever apologize to me.

    "It''s alright, so go. ss is about to start." I sent them away with a smile. In-Ah looked at me like she couldn''t believe it.

    "Wait, what? Why did you send them away? You said you were going to speak to them?¡± In-Ah''s voice trembled. She seemed quite angry. Whenever In-Ah was angry, she would reveal her scary side. It looked like she was angrier than I had initially thought.

    "Just because. I''m just grateful that they even came to apologize.¡±

    "Ha. Seriously? Wow. You¡¯re really something... I can¡¯t believe this." In-Ah was speechless. She seemed to be so frustrated that she was struggling to form proper sentences.

    Eventually, she sighed deeply and spent a long time cooling off her anger. Nevertheless, her anger did notpletely subside, and she continued to mumbleints to herself.

    ¡°Idiot. Seriously, what an idiot. And I can¡¯t believe those guys are really leaving after he told them to leave. This is ridiculous¨C¡±

    It seemed like the only curse word in In-Ah¡¯s dictionary was the word ¡®idiot.¡¯ She continued to mumble to herself for a long period of time before eventually sighing deeply.

    "...Well, as long as you¡¯re satisfied with the result."

    It looked like she still couldn¡¯t quitee to terms with how things worked out, but it was far better than before.

    "I don''t see Jun-Hyuk."

    Seeing that her anger had somewhat cooled down, I used this opportunity to change the subject. Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t seen Jun-Hyuk since earlier. At first, I thought he was just arrivingte, but he still hadn¡¯t arrived even though ss was about to start.

    "Ah, that guy. He said he was sick and that he was resting at home today. I think he said he had a cold.¡±

    "Sick? That guy?"

    ¡°Honestly, I couldn¡¯t believe it either. I kind of think that he just lied so that he didn¡¯t have toe to school. I¡¯m not entirely sure, though.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t believe that Jun-Hyuk had caught a cold. That meant that the superstition that stupid people were immune to colds was just nonsense[1].

    ¡°I was annoyed when he was here, but now that he¡¯s not here, it feels kind of¨C¡±

    "I''m sorry!"

    At that moment, someone suddenly cut off my sentence. It was the trio from Byung-Hoon¡¯s friend group. It looked like they came back to apologize because their hearts did not feel at peace.

    There was really no need for an apology, though.

    "It¡¯s all good."

    ¡°Still. I¡¯m sorry I suspected you. It must have been hard for you...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also sorry for bbering without knowing anything. Um... I blindly believed the rumors without knowing the truth. Sorry...¡±

    After one person apologized, the others followed suit like a chain of dominos.

    Unlike his threatening appearance, Byung-Hoon was soft-hearted and nice. The trio had simr personalities. Since they were children who were always around Byung-Hoon, their personalities naturally became simr.

    The apologies felt like a burden, but I smiled and epted them.

    ¡°Right, Byung-Hoon told me that he¡¯s going to miss you guys. I saw him outside for a brief moment earlier.¡±

    "Oh, really? What else did he say?"

    "By any chance, do you know where he¡¯s transferring to?"

    When I mentioned Byung-Hoon, his friends asked me this and that with shining eyes.

    The truth was, Byung-Hoon never said anything like that. I lied to cleanse the awkward atmosphere.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either. He only told me to deliver that message to you guys.¡±

    ¡°Ah... Okay. Thanks for telling us.¡±

    Byung-Hoon¡¯s friends¡¯ expressions returned to that of disappointment. Actually, Byung-Hoon was dropping out instead of transferring, but I felt that it would be better not to tell them the truth.

    Watching the scene from the side, In-Ah said bluntly, ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to be friends with them.¡±

    "It¡¯s good to make friends.¡±

    "Oh,e on. Whenever I see those guys, it pisses me off so much that it drives me crazy.¡±

    "Pisses you off? Why?"

    ¡°It¡¯s because they swore behind your back, and they are only apologizing now. They¡¯re so brazen.¡±

    I could understand where she wasing from as well. Byung-Hoon¡¯s friends had spoken ill of me behind my back. They had blindly criticized me and had contributed to spreading the rumors. And they were only able to apologize after the truth had been revealed. From a third-party point of view, it was understandable that they might have appeared to be brazen.

    "At least they apologized."

    However, I was rather grateful to them foring to apologize, even if it waste.

    In-Ah''s eyebrows twitched. She looked at me with disapproval for a long period of time and then burst intoughter.

    ¡°Sometimes, you really seem like an idiot.¡±

    "If I''m stupid, then you¡¯re¨C"

    "Huh? I¡¯m what?"

    "Never mind."

    I hurriedly shut my mouth. I intuitively felt that I shouldn¡¯tplete my sentence.

    In-Ah tilted her head and looked at me. "What? Why did you stop talking? What were you going to say?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. When¡¯s the teachering? Is there no ss today?¡± I calmly changed the subject.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. I wonder why she¡¯s not here yet.¡± In-Ah expressed her puzzlement. Someone rushed into the room through the front door and shouted at that moment.

    ¡°Hey! Apparently, it¡¯s self-study for this ss¨C!¡±

    ¡°Oh, self-study.¡± I nodded.

    After hearing an apology from the trio and talking to In-Ah, I wondered why the teacher was noting. I thought it was strange, but after I heard that it was self-study, it made sense.

    * * *

    After school, I immediately went to the underground chapel. Uncle Jin-Sung was unable to take his eyes off the dBP corporation¡¯s stock price. His eyes were moist, and his nose was red.

    "Uncle, are you crying?¡±

    My uncle raised his head in surprise. Then a tear that had umted in the corner of his eye flowed down his cheek.

    ¡°Oh. Why am I crying...?¡±

    ¡°Now you¡¯re even mumbling nonsense. You should have just sold when I told you to sell.¡±

    My uncle wiped away his tears with a handkerchief. His eyes were still red. He must have been crying long before I arrived here. He didn¡¯t shed a single tear even when my father died. But now he¡¯s crying just because a single stock crashed. I didn¡¯t really want to say this about my uncle, but he looked like a madman.

    He was a madman who was obsessed with money.

    "Sun-Woo. What should we do now? We¡¯re seriously screwed...."

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®we?¡¯ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s my money.¡±

    ¡°It is ¡®we.¡¯ I¡¯m sorry....¡±

    My uncle dropped his head. There was no strength in his voice. For a moment, an ominous premonition shed through my head.

    No way. No way. No way. There was no way that he would do that, right?

    "You didn''t touch the donations or the Voodoo Cult management funds, did you?"

    ¡°...¡±

    My uncle didn''t answer. He just looked at me and smiled sadly.

    Ah.

    [You son of a bitch!]

    Beyond my hazy consciousness, I could hear Legba¡¯s voice. He sounded very angry. His voice echoed in my head so loudly that it hurt.

    [Repeat exactly what I say from now on. Now, exactly two weeks from today.]

    "Uncle, exactly two weeks from today."

    [If you¡¯re unable to make up for the loss, then.]

    ¡°If you¡¯re unable to make up for the loss, then.¡±

    [I¡¯ll turn you into a zombie and then sell you as a ve to make up for the loss.]

    ¡°I¡¯ll turn you into a zombie and then sell you as a ve to make up for the loss. That is what Legba said to you.¡±

    My uncle looked at me with despair in his eyes.

    ¡°Master Legba said all that?¡±

    ¡°Legba seems to be very angry at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Ah, what do I do? Seriously, ha...¡±

    My uncle tore at his hair andmented. Usually, my uncle was rational and calm, but he often lost his rationality in front of money, just like right now.

    "Uncle, aren¡¯t you really good at making money, though? Can''t you make up for the losses quickly?"

    "Well, ah."

    "How much did you lose?" I asked. My uncle lowered his voice to tell me how much he had lost.

    "What, really? No, don''t joke around."

    "How could I make a joke in this situation? Haaaaa...¡±

    It was such arge amount that I wanted to believe that it was a joke. I didn¡¯t think he would lose this much in my wildest imagination.

    ¡°Um, then how about just turning into a zombie? It¡¯s going to be impossible to make up for this.¡±

    I just said it honestly. My uncle''s face was contorted in despair.

    [Are there still ve traders in this day and age? Or at least something simr?]

    ¡°No, there are no ve traders. I think the closest thing is probably work for the ocean fishing business?¡±

    [It''s not a bad idea to sell him to an organ dealer.]

    ¡°That a bit... We¡¯re still family, though.¡±

    While I was talking to Legba, Uncle Jin-Sung was busy preparing something. He dressed himself up in a suit, waxed his hair, and put on gold-rimmed sses. It looked like he was thinking about going out.

    "Where are you going?"

    ¡°Sigh, two weeks. Legba said that I had to make up for the loss within two weeks, right?¡±

    I nodded. I couldn¡¯t think of a method to make up for the loss within two weeks. Even if he went to the casino and won the jackpot, it still probably wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    It was a desperate situation¡ªa truly desperate situation with not even a single ray of hope.

    Nevertheless, Uncle Jin-Sung was smiling. He seemed to have an idea.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to pick up the Altar soon, soe get it when I contact you.¡±

    My uncle quickly climbed upstairs and left the underground chapel. I stared at his back for a long time.

    Altar.

    Uncle definitely said that.

    1. Apparently, it¡¯s amon Japanese superstition as well. Perhaps it was bought over to Korea during the colonial era. ?

 Chapter 30

    <h4>Chapter 30</h4>

    <i>Thump-!</i>

    "I have descended."

    Although Jun-Hyuk was absent yesterday under the pretext of being sick, he came to school today in apletely fine state.

    Actually, he wasn¡¯t in apletely fine state.

    His face was covered with bandages and gauze. In the spots that were notpletely covered by bandages, wounds, and bruises could be seen.

    "Are you going around getting hit?¡±

    "What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden? Oh, is it because of this?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk stroked the wound on his cheek as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. It looked like the wounds didn¡¯t hurt.

    ¡°I got hit a bit while sparring. I go to the training center quite often, you see.¡±

    ¡°Training center?¡±

    "Because I want to join the Department of Crusaders.¡±

    Students aspiring to join the Department of Crusaders had to go to the training center and learn martial arts. Their routine consisted of boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, and others. It was because one of the entry requirements for joining the Department of Crusaders was to have mastery in at least one martial art.

    ¡°Should I just give up and be a priest?¡±

    ¡°Do you think anyone can just be a priest?¡±

    "True, but I don¡¯t really want to be a pdin either,¡± Jun-Hyuk said bitterly. He was checking his face with a mirror hanging in the corner of the ssroom. There was not a single spot on his face that waspletely fine. His entire face was a mess.

    Jun-Hyuk lowered his head and sighed. ¡°Ah, now that I reflect back on it... My handsome face is ruined.¡±

    "Handsome? Who? You?¡±

    <i>Bang-!</i>

    While Jun-Hyuk was talking nonsense, In-Ah stormed in through the ssroom door.

    "Oh, you''re here."

    Jun-Hyuk greeted her indifferently as if he were not interested at all. In-Ah stared at Jun-Hyuk''s face for a long time, then opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    "What the... Jun-Hyuk. What happened to your face?¡±

    "I got hit while sparring. My handsome face ispletely ruin¡ª"

    "Wow. It looks much better now that you¡¯re covering it. Can¡¯t you just always cover it?¡± In-Ah said with a yful smile. Jun-Hyuk''s face hardened grimly in response.

    "...I can¡¯t believe you just said that.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk let out a dryugh and red at In-Ah. She snorted in a scornful way and ignored his gaze.

    Afterward, the two bickered with each other. I treated their voices like background music and studied. Obviously, I was unable to focus properly because my head was filled with all sorts of thoughts.

    Sung-Hyun was expelled, and Byung-Hoon dropped out. Sung-Hyun¡¯s gang was disciplined for their involvement in school violence. All this happened in just three days.

    Nevertheless, the school carried on just as usual.

    In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk were still bickering. The students were studying or chatting with friends, and Ye-Jin continued to warn the students about the kidnappings at the start of each homeroom ss. The teachers proceeded with sses as usual.

    Sung-Hyun and Byung-Hoon.

    I repeated their names again. They felt strange and distant as if they were people that never existed in the first ce.

    "Aren''t you going to eat?"

    Soon lunchtime arrived, and Jun-Hyuk called me. Only then was I able to escape the swamp of misceneous thoughts. For some reason, my head was nk. I didn''t even have the energy to respond.

    Jun-Hyuk stared at me and said, ¡°You¡¯ve been spacing out since the morning. Ah, right, the sacred dynamics teacher asked you toe to the teacher''s office.¡±

    "Oh, really?"

    "No, it''s a lie."

    Jun-Hyuk lied without even lifting an eyebrow.

    "You¡¯re seriously insane."

    ¡°Nah, let¡¯s just hurry up and get out of here. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±

    I was unable to resist Jun-Hyuk''s urgings and ended up rising from my seat. For some reason, In-Ah was not next to Jun-Hyuk for once. She was sleeping deeply on her desk. There was no sign of her waking up any time soon.

    "Is something going on today? You both seem to be out of your minds."

    I went to In-Ah with Jun-Hyuk. Even though we were standing right in front of her, she showed no signs of waking up. She continued to breathe heavily as her shoulders rose and fell.

    "Are you going to wake her up?"

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to wake her up. Are you suggesting that we should leave her here?¡±

    ¡°She looks tired, though.¡±

    <i>Tap, tap. </i>I lightly tapped her shoulder. However, In-Ah showed no signs of waking up. It looked like she was really tired because she was sleeping like a log. It seemed like a good idea to just let her sleep instead of waking her up. Jun-Hyuk was also on the same page as me since he didn¡¯t bother to wake her up, either. Instead, he was stacking random things on top of her head and forming a tower. The primary construction materials were erasers, paper cups, and crushed cans.

    "Oh."

    Soon, I let out a sigh of admiration as an borate tower waspleted on top of In-Ah¡¯s head. The tower, which was roughly stacked with stationery and trash, was more artistic and symbolic than I expected. It looked like some form of instation art. As long as he gave it a proper name, it was good enough to disy in an art museum right away.

    "Pretty good." As I gave my review, Jun-Hyukughed with satisfaction.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I wasn¡¯t just born with a handsome face, but also artistic talent. Just look at this beautiful and brilliant tower¡ª"

    <i>Rumble.</i>

    The sound of the tower copsing interrupted Jun-Hyuk. In-Ah woke up and raised her head while blinking her eyes.

    "Urgh... What''s this.¡±

    In-Ah looked around, wiping the saliva that had collected around her mouth. Jun-Hyuk looked at the copsed tower with a stunned expression and slid down onto the floor like a wet noodle.

    "My masterpieceee¨C!"

    "What the? What''s wrong with him? Is it lunchtime already?¡± In-Ah asked while tidying up her hair. Her eyes were still half closed and listless.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s lunchtime."

    "Ah, agh. How long have I been asleep for....¡± In-Ah groaned and rose up from her seat.

    "You''ve been sleeping all morning. You must have been tired."

    "I don''t know. I just felt so sleepy. <i>Yawn.</i>"

    In-Ah yawned for a long time and stretched her body. Once In-Ah was finally able toe back to her senses, she looked strangely at Jun-Hyuk sitting on the floor.

    "What''s that thing?"

    She expressed her sentence in a dry and stiff manner, as if he were an object instead of a person.

    ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t know either."

    "Hey get up, we need to eat¨C"

    As In-Ah was about to help Jun-Hyuk up, she suddenly stopped talking. She looked at the trash scattered around her seat. Those were the so-called ¡®things that previously formed towers.¡¯

    Soon, In-Ah scowled.

    "Hey."

    ¡°....¡±

    At In-Ah¡¯s cold voice, Jun-Hyuk simply lowered his head without answering.

    "Clean it up."

    In-Ah red sharply at Jun-Hyuk. He picked up the garbage one by one.

    * * *

    I left the school cafeteria after finishing my meal, and I walked along the trail path with In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk. We always went on a walk after eating. There was no reason for doing this, we just happened to do so.

    While we were chatting about meaningless things, Jun-Hyuk suddenly asked, "Since Sung-Hyun was expelled from school, what happens to the Holy Name of Charity?¡±

    "The seat remains vacant since he¡¯s been expelled," In-Ah replied stiffly. She didn''t seem to like talking about Sung-Hyun very much.

    I listened quietly because I didn''t know anything.

    "Then is it going to remain vacant for three years?¡± Jun-Hyuk tilted his head.

    The seven freshman representatives were elected before admission. In other words, the student council members hardly changed unless there was a significant event. That was because Florence Academy specifically selected only qualified students.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean that there weren¡¯t any exceptions. For instance, there were situations where a student council member resigned or was stripped of their title, like Sung-Hyun.

    ¡°I think they will elect someone else. I think I heard that they were going to do a re-election test.¡±

    It was just as In-Ah said. At times like this, a student worthy of the Holy Name of Charity would be elected through a test.

    "Oh."

    Jun-Hyuk opened his mouth widely, forming a circle as he let out a cry of amazement.

    In-Ah looked at Jun-Hyuk, and she also opened her mouth widely in surprise at his appearance.

    ¡°Wow. That expression is <i>really</i> ugly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so what? You look even uglier,¡± Jun-Hyuk fired back childishly.<i> </i>

    Thus, a long and childish conversation on the subject of ¡®who was uglier¡¯ began. They sure were having fun.

    ¡°...Let¡¯s stop. I¡¯m tired.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Truce.¡±

    In-Ah offered a truce, and Jun-Hyuk epted it. The two stared at each other in silence for a long time and soon began to jabber back and forth as usual. The two often fought with each other, but they were just as quick to reconcile.

    ¡°Anyway, assuming that there is going to be a test to elect the next Holy Name of Charity, are you going to take the test?¡±

    Starting with Jun-Hyuk''s question, the subject of the conversation once again moved back to the topic of the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity.

    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to take the test,¡± In-Ah tilted her head and said. Jun-Hyuk looked at In-Ah as if he was surprised.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already overwhelmed by studying. If I add student council activities on top of that, then I don¡¯t think even two hours of sleep per day will be enough to deal with everything.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but since we have an opportunity, I think it¡¯s worth trying. I¡¯m going to take the test no matter what.¡± Jun-Hyuk turned his head and looked at me. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°Well, let me think about it.¡±

    I put off answering and contemted my options. If I get selected as the Holy Name of Charity, I could be a prte as long as I didn¡¯t lose the Holy Name midway like Sung-Hyun did. Then it was obviously a good idea to take the re-election test. If I could be a prte, then the chances of meeting my mother again would increase.

    However, In-Ah had a point. If I received the Holy Name of Charity, then the number of things that I would have to do would increase.

    Not only would I have to deal with studying and student council activities, but the bearer of the Holy Name of Charity also had to donate to the school. On top of all that, I would have to continue my religious activities as the cult leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Even if I somehow had 48 hours in a day, it probably wouldn¡¯t be enough time. Not to mention, my insomnia would only get worse as well. Before bing a prte, it was possible that I could die from overwork.

    While I was in the midst of a dilemma, Legba made a suggestion.

    [What is there to think about? Of course, you should apply.]

    [Don¡¯t you like being busy? You masochist.]

    ¡°...¡± I nodded quietly without answering. Legba knew me better than I did.

    When I imagined receiving the Holy Name of Charity and working harder than anyone else, I could feel my heart pounding. To be honest, I liked being busy. I knew it sounded masochistic, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. Whenever I stood still, my body felt itchy.

    ¡°So, are you doing it or not?¡± Jun-Hyuk asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it,¡± I replied confidently. Legba''s advice made up my mind.

    ¡°Really? Then it looks like we¡¯ll be rivals. Let¡¯s do well. I¡¯ll use you as a stepping stone.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk pulled out his hand for a handshake. I stared nkly at his hand.

    ¡°What makes you think we¡¯ll be rivals?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m also going to apply for the test? If we both take the test, then we¡¯ll be rivals.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you qualify to be a rival, though.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You punk, are you already trying to keep me in check?¡±

    ¡°I only keep tabs on rivals. Didn¡¯t I tell you that you don¡¯t qualify to be a rival?¡± I said with a yful smile. Jun-Hyuk huffed out a dryugh. He seemed to be angry even though he knew it was a joke.

    ¡°Alright. As expected of my rival, you already¡ª¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep trying tobel me as your rival?¡±

    ¡°¡ªArgh! Just wait until the test. I¡¯m going to seriously screw you over, ¡± Jun-Hyuk screamed while huffing and puffing. In-Ah burst intoughter while listening to the conversation.

    "Ahaha¡ª! That''s right. Jun-Hyuk, you''re not a rival. You¡¯re just a stepping stone and one that¡¯s located at the very bottom at that."

    "Wow, you guys have been verbally attacking me in pairs since earlier. I¡¯m so depressed, I¡¯m going to cry," Jun-Hyuk grumbled as if he was dumbfounded. "<i>Sigh</i>. Since I¡¯m kind, I¡¯ll put up with it.¡±

    ¡°Put up with what exactly? What¡¯s going to happen if you can¡¯t put up with it?¡±

    "Hey. If I hadn''t put up with it, you guys would have been..." Jun-Hyuk was trying to bluff with his chest puffed out when he suddenly shut his mouth. His face turned pale. His eyes trembled and shook precariously as if he was anxious.

    I shifted my gaze in the direction that Jun-Hyuk was looking. Far off in the distance, someone was charging toward us at a tremendous speed. Their running form was light and elegant, like a cat.

    No, based on their speed, it was more like a cheetah.

    She narrowed the distance in an instant and stood in front of me. Even though she had run all the way here in a single breath, there was no sign of fatigue.

    "Eat it."

    With a clear tone, Jin-Seo immediately handed me a jelly. It was the same jelly that I received as a token of gratitude when I previously healed her finger.

    ¡°You¡¯re giving me this? So suddenly?¡±

    ¡°Because I have some left.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    I nodded. Just likest time, it looked like she wanted to give some since she had some leftovers. I had no idea why she was going out of her way to give some to me. She could have just given them to her friends. After all, I didn¡¯t particrly like jelly.

    ¡°...Oh, In-Ah. Hi there.¡±

    ¡°Uh... Hi.¡±

    Jin-Seo btedly recognized the existence of In-Ah, who was next to me, and greeted her. She was smiling, but it wasn¡¯t a smile of joy. It was just a smile of formality. In-Ah returned her greeting with an awkward expression on her face.

    It looked like they knew each other, but they didn¡¯t seem to be particrly close.

    Jin-Seo gave me the jelly, nced menacingly at Jun-Hyuk for a brief moment, and ran off. We quietly looked at Jin-Seo¡¯s back as she ran away at a tremendous speed.

    "Phew."

    Soon, when she waspletely out of sight, Jun-Hyuk let out arge sigh as if he was relieved. He seemed to be afraid of Jin-Seo for some reason.

    "Are you not on good terms with Jin-Seo? Why are you shaking like that?" I asked as I lightly ced my hand on Jun-Hyuk¡¯s trembling shoulders. Jun-Hyuk shook his head.

    "She was my sparring partner yesterday..."

    "...Your sparring partner was Jin-Seo?" I repeated back in surprise.

    Jun-Hyuk''s face was literally a wreck. There were bruises and wounds here and there, and his eyelids were swollen. Jin-Seo''s face, on the other hand, was clean, without any scars. The difference between the two of them was just way too exaggerated.

    "Jin-Seo is a monster. I was continuously beaten up in all three rounds... I shouldn''t have provoked her....¡±

    "What in the world did you say to get hit that much?"

    Jin-Seo was nice, at least as far as I knew. She was not the type of person to beat someone up to this state without any reason. Either Jin-Seo was in a bad mood that day, or Jun-Hyuk had crossed the line. I thought it would be one of those two possibilities.

    "I talked about you. I shouldn''t have... I had no idea I would get hit this much.¡±

    ¡°...What are you talking about? You talked about me?¡±

    "If you''re curious, just hear it directly from Jin-Seo. Wow, I feel scared just thinking about it again. The look in her eyespletely changed when I talked about you.¡±

    Jun-Hyukughed as if he was insinuating something. I didn''t understand the situation. Jun-Hyuk told Jin-Seo something about me. When Jin-Seo heard it, she beat Jun-Hyuk ck and blue. Just what in the seven hells did he say?

    "Hey, why are you guys talking about something that only you guys know about?" In-Ah grumbled while listening to our conversation. Although she said it yfully, she pouted as if she was disappointed.

    "Hey, don''t stick out your lips. I¡¯m going to throw up."

    Instead offorting In-Ah, Jun-Hyuk only added fuel to the fire. In-Ah stared daggers at Jun-Hyuk before attempting to kick him in the shin.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    However, she failed. Jun-Hyuk had raised one leg to avoid her attack.

    "Ha ha! That''s my afterimage. I already know your trick¡ª"

    <i>Smack.</i>

    In-Ah kicked the opposite shin. Jun-Hyuk jumped up and down while clutching his shin. In-Ahughed as if she was refreshed. Her gaze turned to the bag of jelly in my hand.

    "You must be very close to her. She even gave you some jelly."

    "We''re not that close. I think she just gave this to me because she had some left over."

    ¡°...Is it normal to have leftover jelly? Whenever I have jelly at home, I always end up eating it all.¡±

    In-Ah looked at the bag of jelly with a look of curiosity. Jun-Hyuk had been jumping up and down for an extended period of time, and he eventually limped towards us.

    "But you always receive it and don''t eat it. If you''re going to do that, just give it to me. I''ll eat it," Jun-Hyuk said.

    Then, he tried to take the jelly. I quickly shoved the jelly into my pocket.

    "I won''t give it to you. Go away."

    "I thought you didn¡¯t like jelly? You always seem to leave it lying around somewhere without eating it.¡±

    He was absolutely right. I hated jelly. Even if someone delivered it into my mouth, I would probably still not eat it. But I had no intention of giving it to Jun-Hyuk. The reason was simple.

    "You¡¯re not being polite, so I¡¯m not giving it to you.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk clicked his tongue after hearing my answer.

    "Ah, yes. I can see why Jin-Seo was upset yesterday. So this was why."

    Jun-Hyuk nodded while walking past In-Ah and me. Perhaps I had hurt his feelings because his walking pace was exceedingly fast.

 Chapter 31

    <h4>Chapter 31</h4>

    Toward the end of lunchtime, the Seven Holy Names, named after the Seven Heavenly Virtues, were gathered in the student council room. They had gathered for a meeting on two issues, but the meeting had yet to begin.

    "Humility is absent. Charity is vacant. Patience said she woulde, but I don''t see her here. Why are there so many worthless people in our school year?¡±

    Yeo Min-Seo, Holy Name of Kindness,mented as she looked at the empty seats. There was no way they could proceed with the meeting because three out of seven people were not there. She continued to speak as she meaninglessly looked through the documents in her hand.

    ¡°At least Patience came to school, so there¡¯s that. But why in the world is Humility not evening to school?¡±

    ¡°Humility¡¯s father died, so they had to go to his funeral.¡±

    "This is already the third time I''ve heard the excuse about the funeral. Don¡¯t tell me he has three fathers. Does he think he¡¯s Lu Bu?[1]¡±

    Min-Seo crumpled up the documents she was holding. Her manner of speech did not match the title of Holy Name of Kindness at all. The atmosphere of the meeting was stifling.

    ¡°Well, if they¡¯re noting, let¡¯s just start without them. The first issue is¨C¡±

    <i>Thump¨C!</i>

    Just as the meeting was about to begin, the door opened. Jin-Seo slowly stepped into the student council room, gasping for breath. Min-Seo red sharply at Jin-Seo.

    ¡°You¡¯re here? You¡¯re quitete, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I had some business to take care of.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, you must have had a reason for being five minuteste. Anyone who arriveste will always have an excuse.¡±

    Jin-Seo''s eyebrows twitched for a moment, but that was it. Jin-Seo sat down and bit her lips to quench her inner anger.

    <i>Tap tap.</i>

    Min-Seo sat in the upper seat of the round table and straightened out the documents using the desk to organize them.

    ¡°Since everyone who needs toe hase, let¡¯s start the meeting.¡±

    Min-Seo rummaged through the papers. In principle, the meeting was supposed to be conducted by the Holy Name of Humility, but Humility had been absent for two weeks. As a result, Min-Seo, the Holy Name of Kindness, was the meeting¡¯s host.

    ¡°The first issue is about the Satanist who infiltrated Florence Academy. There is clear evidence that they have infiltrated the academy because of the ¡®barn demonic beast incident¡¯ and ¡®Jun-Min¡¯s case.¡¯ Thus, we¡¯ve been ordered to find the Satanist. Apparently, there is a high probability that the Satanist is among the first-year students. That¡¯s why the teachers have left the task to us.¡±

    The Holy Name of Diligence, Dae-Man, asked, "Is there a way to find them?"

    He looked like he was sitting, but in reality, he wasn''t. There was no chair in his seat. Instead, Dae-Man had formed an invisible chair with his legs by squatting at a perfect 90-degree angle even before the meeting had started.

    "Look at this first before we talk. It''s a picture from the time of the incident."

    Min-Seo unfolded the documents on the table. They were CCTV photos of the Florence barn. The photographs all had something inmon¡ªthey all showed a picture of a man wearing a ck hood and mask. He was drawing an unidentified magic circle.

    "Who is this ck guy? He seems to be drawing a blessing array, but the color is weird,¡± Dae-Man asked while looking at the pictures with narrowed eyes.

    "Isn¡¯t it obvious that it¡¯s the Satanist? Why don¡¯t you think before you ask a question?¡± Min-Seo replied angrily.

    "Is that so? Then what is this guy drawing? A blessing array?¡±

    "It''s not a blessing array, it''s a Pentagram. If you don''t know, I''d like you to stay quiet. Don''t ask useless questions."

    Dae-Man red at Min-Seo. She did not lose to him and red back at him. The eyes of the two parties crossed, and the sparks exploded. The atmosphere was violent. The other Holy Names stared at them without even thinking of intervening. It naturally turned into a situation where Dae-Man and Min-Seo would exchange barbs.

    "If we make use of the Holy Name of Humility, I think we can find the Satanist."

    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯ve been absent the whole time, and it''s not clear whether they will cooperate.¡±

    ¡°Aha... It feels like you¡¯ve only been criticizing everything I¡¯ve been saying since earlier. If you¡¯re going to refute, then shouldn¡¯t you suggest an alternative?¡±

    "Wow, that''s right. I must have lost my intelligence because you said so many stupid things. I''m sorry."

    Dae-Man jumped up from his invisible seat. Just as he was about to walk toward Min-Seo, a long arm blocked his path.

    "Stop. Don''t fight."

    It was the Holy Name of Temperance, Han Su-Ryeon. She continued while rummaging through the papers, "It looks like there''s only CCTV footage of the barn. Where was the Jun-Min incident?¡±

    ¡°Right in front of the school. Somewhere around the city park.¡±

    ¡°Ok. Don''t you have any CCTV footage from there?¡±

    "No. It''s all damaged. There is no evidence in rtion to the Jun-Min case¡ª"

    Min-Seo was about to answer Su-Ryeon''s question indifferently, but her eyes glittered as if she had thought of an amazing idea.

    "No,e to think of it, there is. Jin-Seo, the sole witness of the incident, is right here.¡±

    Jin-Seo''s shoulders trembled.

    Min-Seo looked at Jin-Seo with an eerie smile. There was madness in her eyes.

    ¡°Do you have any leads? Was there anything unusual about Jun-Min when he turned into a demon?¡±

    "...I don''t remember."

    "Don''t lie. Why don''t you cooperate?"

    Jin-Seo took a deep breath while looking down. Just thinking about what happened at that time made her suffocate. Just repeating the name Jun-Min made her chest feel tight.

    "Really. I don''t remember."

    She didn¡¯t even want to remember. In fact, she couldn''t remember well. Even if she could remember, she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    "Alright. If you don''t want to talk, then that¡¯s fine. Youete, and now you don''t cooperate. You¡¯re very helpful," Min-Seo said in a tantly sarcastic tone. Jin-Seo felt angry but didn''t say anything and just held it in.

    She didn¡¯t even want to talk to Min-Seo. It was because she would always lose when she quarreled with her.

    Su-Ryeon sat at the side and looked at the pictures. She btedly said, "I don''t think we can find them with just these pictures. Let''s talk when the Holy Name of Humilityes back. What do you think?"

    Min-Seo nodded.

    "Alright. Then the next agenda is Sung-Hyun. That retard was expelled from school for doing moronic things. As a result, the Holy Name of Charity is currently vacant. That¡¯s why we need to elect a new person.¡±

    ¡°Why is that on the agenda?¡± Dae-Man smirked.

    Min-Seo''s eyebrows creased. "...Alright. I''ll exin it from now on. Let¡¯s say they do the re-election test, and another fool gets elected. What are you going to do if they do a bunch of stupid things like Sung-Hyun did?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the problem? Then we just need to hold another re-election test¡ª¡±

    "This is why you shouldn''t give stupid people a chance to speak." Min-Seo interrupted Dae-Man. Beneath his tracksuit, Dae-Man¡¯s arm muscles twitched. His patience was slowly reaching its limit. Nevertheless, Min-Seo continued without a care.

    "It takes at least two weeks to n the re-election test. What do you think will happen if we do the re-election test twice? Then we¡¯ll have to spend a month nning. Then we¡¯ll essentially be wasting an entire month. We probably won¡¯t even have enough time to study.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t do pointless things like studying.¡±

    "I can tell, you stupid muscle pig."

    ¡°That¡¯s apliment in our industry. Thank you," Dae-Man replied with a smile. Min-Seo shook her head and sighed deeply.

    "Anyway. Let''s pick the right person this time and go smoothly for three years so that we don''t waste time. Let¡¯s not pick a retard like Sung-Hyun or an idiot like Dae-Man."

    Su-Ryeon asked, "But that''s not something we can decide. Is there a way?¡±

    "You know we can also be involved in the re-election test, right? I''m thinking of making good use of that opportunity to manipte the election."

    Election maniption.

    They were going to select a person to be elected in advance, and they were going to help that person obtain the highest score on the test. In other words, it was cheating.

    Dae-Man said with a questioning look, "By the way, why bother to manipte the election? If they have the ability, they¡¯ll naturally be elected."

    "Tests often depend on luck. What if a clumsy, ipetent brat is lucky enough to be chosen as the holder of the Holy Name of Charity? Then we¡¯ll end up in a sticky situation like what happened with Sung-Hyun. So let¡¯s manipte the election so that a person who canst a long time will be selected, and we can reduce the number of variables.¡±

    "That seems alright. Election maniption sounds good." Dae-Man agreed without much thought.

    Min-Seo sifted through some of the documents she was holding and spread out a few pages on the desk. The three documents contained the personal information of three individuals. This included their grades, family circumstances, self-introduction, etc. This was information that couldn¡¯t be obtained through legal routes.

    "There are three people thate to mind. Jung In-Ah and Koo Jun-Hyuk.¡±

    Min-Seo tilted her head at an angle as if contemting.

    "And it''s a little awkward, but also Do Sun-Woo."

    Sun-Woo.

    When his name was mentioned, three people responded in unison.

    ¡°Huh? That, that person is definitely no good!¡±

    Ha-Yeon, the Holy Name of Chastity, jumped out of her seat. It was the first sentence she had said since the start of the meeting. Ha-Yeon, who btedly realized that she had not acted in a dignified manner, blushed and sat down.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    During themotion Ha-Yeon caused, Jin-Seo suddenly hit her head on the desk. Because she was lowering her head, it was impossible to see her face, but her reddened ears could be seen through the gaps in her flowing hair.

    "¡ªUh."

    Now it felt strange just to hear the name ''Sun-Woo.'' It was because of what Jun-Hyuk told her at the training center yesterday. She was ashamed of herself for falling for such a childish provocation.

    "Yes, let''s go with Sun-Woo!" Meanwhile, Dae-Man shouted vigorously. The huge voice rumbled in the student council room.

    Min-Seo''s face distorted in a strange way. She was sensitive to sound, so Dae-Man''s loud voice always bothered her. This was also why she hated Dae-Man.

    "Sigh." Min-Seo sighed deeply and calmed down her anger. Then she added, ¡°I said Sun-Woo just for the heck of it. We can¡¯t pick him anyway. There¡¯s a reason why I said it was a bit awkward.¡±

    "What''s the reason?" Dae-Man asked disapprovingly.

    "First, his family situation is bad. If you''re chosen as the Holy Name of Charity, you''ll have to donate to Florence. Sun-Woo can''t even afford to donate. He barely has enough money to scrape by.¡±

    "Poverty is not a sin!"

    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not a sin. But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s a virtue either. Why do you think the Holy Name of Charity has the word ¡®Charity¡¯ in it?¡±

    Dae-Man blinked silently. He didn''t seem to understand Min-Seo''s words properly.

    Min-Seo shook her head andmented Dae-Man''s ignorance.

    "If you don''t understand, that''s fine. Secondly, the public perception of him is not very good. Did you see the post that appearedst time on Grandce? The one about him being the perpetrator of school bullying and all? There was chaos in the school because of that.¡±

    "Wait a minute." Jin-Seo, who was listening to Min-Seo while lying down on the table, immediately straightened her body. There was a clear red mark on her forehead from touching the table.

    "Byung-Hoon posted an exnation. It''s been a while since it¡¯s been determined as a rumor."

    "Rumor or not, that''s none of my business. It''s a fact that Sun-Woo''s image is not good, right?"

    "What¡¯s so important about his public image?¡±

    "It''s important. Come to think of it, the student council¡¯s image has also recently been ruined because of Sung-Hyun. If someone like Sun-Woo gets elected right after Sung-Hyun is kicked out, what do you think people will say?¡±

    "Sun-Woo¡¯s public image is really not that bad, though."

    "In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk¡¯s public images are better than Sun-Woo¡¯s, so why should we bother to choose Sun-Woo?" Min-Seo said sarcastically. Jin-Seo stared at Min-Seo in silence. It wasn¡¯t that she had nothing to say, but she closed her mouth because she thought she would lose the battle if she had an argument with Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo smiled and said, while being conscious of the gazes of the other student council members, "Come to think of it, you had a simr experience as Sun-Woo once, right?¡±

    "...What?"

    "I wondered why you only support Sun-Woo. Is it because of that experience? Do you feel the same way and sympathize with him?"

    Min-Seo and Jin-Seo were middle school alumni. Min-Seo dared to mention that experience even though she knew how much pain she went through because of that experience in middle school.

    The reason why Min-Seo was doing this was because Jin-Seo was being uncooperative.

    Jin-Seo''s expression clearly darkened. Her lips trembled.

    "Oh, did I hurt your feelings? It was a joke. Sorry~"

    Min-Seo smiled and offered an insincere apology after seeing Jin-Seo¡¯s change in expression. Jin-Seo couldn''t say anything and just lowered her head. She felt like tears woulde out if she opened her mouth. Maybe if it was someone else, it might have been fine, but at the very least, Jin-Seo didn''t want to cry in front of Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo smiled triumphantly. "Anyway, because of the reasons that I previously listed, we¡¯ll exclude Sun-Woo. We''ll choose the nominee between In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk. I think Jun-Hyuk would be better. Should we choose Jun-Hyuk?"

    <i>¡®What''s the point of holding a meeting if you''re just going to do as you please? You were going to decide on your own anyway.¡¯ </i>Jin-Seo grumbled. Of course, only internally.

    "If you''re going to do as you please, why did you hold a meeting?¡± But Dae-Man didn''t just think to himself. He had a personality where he had to express what came to his mind in order to relieve his pent-up emotions.

    Min-Seo''s eyebrows twitched at Dae-Man''s criticism.

    "Because what I think is usually right. If we collected everyone¡¯s opinions, including stupid guys like you, then the meeting would never end."

    "Aha! That''s very true. Do you want to get hit?"

    "Hit me, you retard. Do you have what it takes to deal with the consequences?"

    A chilly atmosphere settled between Min-Seo and Dae-Man, so much so that it was almost eerie. Dae-Man strode up to Min-Seo while cracking his fist. Min-Seo was preparing to draw a blessing array with divine power. It was an atmosphere where a fight could break out at any moment.

    "Stop."

    At that time, Su-Ryeon jumped up and mediated between them.

    "If you''re going to fight, go out and fight. Not here."

    If Min-Seo and Dae-Man truly fought with each other, the student council room would be ruined. That alone had to be stopped, and Su-Ryeon tried desperately to kick them out of the student council room. However, Min-Seo and Dae-Man were already angry. She wouldn¡¯t be able to stop them herself.

    However, there was no fight.

    "...No, let''s not fight. There''s nothing good that wille out of fighting." Min-Seo bowed down first. She sighed deeply and then smiled and looked at Dae-Man. "Alright then, what are you so unsatisfied about?¡±

    "I want Sun-Woo to be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity."

    "Why?"

    "Sun-Woo trains his stamina at the gym every day. He¡¯s very hard-working and diligent. That¡¯s the reason."

    ¡°What a stupid reason... No. I see, so that was your reason. It makes sense now.¡± Min-Seo sat down with a deep sigh. She almost had a temper tantrum for a moment, but she forced herself to suppress her boiling heart and swallowed her anger. ¡°We still can¡¯t choose Sun-Woo though.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    "I told you earlier. Let''s say that we overlook the fact that his public image is not very good afterpromising a hundred times over. But what about the donations? I told you that Sun-Woo is not going to be able to donate because he¡¯s poor.¡±

    Min-Seo''s tone became more and more incensed. "If you don''t make a donation, you can''t even be selected as the Holy Name of Charity in the first ce. That¡¯s why we can¡¯t choose Sun-Woo, do you understand, mister?¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me mister. And money can simply be earned.¡±

    "Oh,e on, you stupid pig! It''s not at a level that you can simply earn! The only reason you can say something as foolish as that is because you don¡¯t know how Florence Academy is structured.¡± Min-Seo shouted out loud in frustration. Her eyes were bloodshot.

    "<i>Sigh</i>. Alright, fine. Then let¡¯s vote with a show of hands on whether we want to go with Sun-Woo or Jun-Hyuk. There. Are you happy now? We¡¯ll follow thews of democracy to decide all this fair and square. Okay?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Dae-Man agreed. Min-Seo immediately held a show of hands vote.

    Dae-Man and Jin-Seo raised their hands on Sun-Woo''s side, and Min-Seo and Ha-Yeon raised their hands on Jun-Hyuk''s side.

    So, the result was a two-to-two tie.

    "Han Su-Ryeon. Why didn¡¯t you raise your hand?"

    "I¡¯ll pass. I don''t really care who it is."

    "What? Huh? No... Ha..." Min-Seo was so amazed that she grabbed the back of her own neck. She was barely able to hold back her anger. She let out a deep sigh as Su-Ryeon looked at her with a smile.

    "You can leave both Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo as nominees.¡±

    "What are you talking about? We only have one seat.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a rumor that in this re-election test, students are allowed to bring their own holy artifacts. I found out after I heard about it from somewhere.¡±

    Su-Ryeon suddenly talked about something that didn¡¯t seem to be rted to what they were currently discussing. Min-Seo tilted her head at an angle as if she didn''t understand.

    "So what are you suggesting?"

    "We can manipte the re-election test so that we have a one-on-one face-off between Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo."

    "...Ah," Min-Seo eximed as if she finally understood what Su-Ryeon was saying.

    Su-Ryeon continued, ¡°Let¡¯s say their skills are roughly simr. Then the battle will depend on who has the more expensive and better holy artifacts. Simply put, the one who has more money wins.¡±

    "So what you¡¯re saying is that we¡¯ll make it apetition between Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo, and leave the rest to their wealth?"

    "That¡¯s right. What do you say?"

    Su-Ryeon smiled. It was a clear smile that did not reflect a single hint of malice. On the other hand, Min-Seo''s mouth had formed an exceedingly evil smile.

    Jin-Seo, who was listening to their conversation, hurriedly quipped, "If you do that, Sun-Woo would be in too much of a disadvantageous situation.¡±

    "Why?"

    "Why, of course..." ording to the documents handed over by Min-Seo, Jun-Hyuk was the only son of a family of prtes.

    Sun-Woo, on the other hand, lost his mother during the Holy War, and his father was an ordinary clergyman that was on a business trip abroad.

    Just based onmon sense, it was obvious that Jun-Hyuk was more wealthy. If the fight came down to how much capital they each had, then Sun-Woo would be at a disadvantage.

    "Oh, so since Sun-Woocks capital, you¡¯re saying it''s disadvantageous to make it a one-on-one battle between him and Jun-Hyuk?"

    Jin-Seo hesitated to answer, so Min-Seo answered instead of her. Jin-Seo could only sit there and nod.

    "It can''t be helped. If you lose in a battle of wealth, it means that you¡¯re already not qualified for the title of the Holy Name of Charity.¡±

    ¡°What is that? Then we¡¯re not picking based on ability, we¡¯re just picking based on their parents¡¯ jobs.¡±

    ¡°Having good parents is also a talent. For the Holy Name of Charity, the parents¡¯ upations are also important. It''s because of aplicated mechanism at Florence Academy. Since your father is the chairman, you also roughly understand, don''t you?"

    The Holy Name of Charity contributed money to Florence Academy, and Florence Academy helped out the student council in return. The status of the student council depended on how much money the Holy Name of Charity contributed.

    For this reason, the Holy Name of Charity was elected based on capital rather than ability.

    "Let¡¯s be honest here. If we only looked at Sung-Hyun¡¯s skills, then he would just be a candidate with jack shit. He was picked purely out of his ability to donaterge amounts of money because his father is the president of dBP. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    "But still, this is so unfair¨C"

    "Unfair? Hey. You¡¯re also benefiting from that sort of unfairness, so what gives you the right toin?¡±

    Min-Seo backed Jin-Seo into a corner. Jin-Seo couldn''t say anything, so she just silently opened and closed her mouth and eventually lowered her head. Jin-Seo''s adoptive father was a Florence Academy¡¯s chairman. It was all thanks to his donations that she had lived such a good life. She was not in a position to argue about fairness or unfairness. It was because she was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this unfair world.

    "Other than her, we have no objections, right? Then it¡¯s decided. The meeting is over. Let''s go."

    The meeting ended with Min-Seo''s words. Jin-Seo''s heart felt heavy throughout the journey back to her ssroom.

    * * *

    After school, Uncle Jin-Sung contacted me. The news was that the Holy Artifact, which I had promised to receive from Bae Jung-Hwan the other day, had just arrived. When I went to the underground chapel with high expectations, the holy artifacts weed me with their beautiful appearance.

    "Wow. This is amazing."

    "Isn¡¯t that right? They¡¯ll definitely provide their money¡¯s worth.¡±

    [How mysterious. Back in my day, I couldn¡¯t even imagine things like this.]

    Thus, we began testing out the performance of the artifacts. Even though we called it a performance test, it was more urate to say that we were ying around with the artifacts.

    "Hey, you don''t have to carry a bag. You can just put it in here."

    "That''s right!"

    The underground chapel was full ofughter today.

    1. Lu Bu is a character from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms who had three fathers. ?

 Chapter 32

    <h4>Chapter 32</h4>

    There were two holy artifacts from Bae Jung-Hwan.

    One was Baal''s Maw.

    When infused with divine power, the mouth would open up. It was a storage type holy artifact that one could use to store various items by cing them into the mouth.

    Baal was a demon of insatiable appetite who devoured everything that touched his lips. True to his reputation, Baal''s Maw had almost infinite storage space. I heard that the internal storage space was close to one hundred cubic kilometers.

    "This would be convenient when you move houses. I think a refrigerator would fit in it too?"

    "Really? Then I would be able to fit in an elephant as well.¡±

    "Huh? Why would you put an elephant in there?"

    Weughed together as we had a silly conversation. Perhaps it was because the holy artifact had improved our mood, but weughed at even trivial things.

    Looking at Baal¡¯s Maw, my uncle whispered, "I think we¡¯d be able to carry people around with this.¡±

    I nodded. Baal''s Maw was as versatile as it was performant. As long as it was not toorge, anything could be put in and carried around inside, including items, people, and demonic beasts. Of course, there were also drawbacks. Every time something was put in or taken out, a saliva-like unidentified liquid would cover the user¡¯s arm.

    As it was a holy artifact made to resemble Baal''s ¡®Maw,¡¯ it seemed that even saliva was implemented. The excessive detail was rather unpleasant. Above all, the design was grotesque. It had a shape like a giant person''s lips, the color was dark and opaque, and there were hundreds of wrinkles on it. When divine power was injected, the mouth would open wide. It was too scary to watch.

    Still, the drawbacks were worth it when considering the performance.

    "The next is this one."

    As I was starting to get bored of ying with Baal''s Maw, my uncle took out the next holy artifact.<strong> </strong>It was a small horn about the size of a palm. It looked like a conch shell. I think people called this kind of thing a conch horn. Anyway, it was called the Fourth Angel''s Horn. When divine power was injected into it, the horn would make a sound. Those who heard the sound of the horn would lose their sight temporarily and would be trapped in darkness for about five to ten minutes.

    "It looks interesting. Try using it."

    "Really? Are you going to be okay?"

    "Huh? What do you mean I¡¯m going to be ok©¤"

    <i>Booooooooooo.</i>

    Before my uncle could finish his sentence, I injected a small amount of divine power into the horn. A sound that was so small that one would have to concentrate to hear it echo throughout the room.

    "Huh? Huh?" My uncle looked around as if he was bewildered. His eyes were open, but his pupils were unfocused. It seemed like he had lost his vision after listening to the sound of the horn.

    "Su-Sun-Woo. I can''t see anything."

    "Uh. It''s okay. That¡¯s normal."

    "Normal? What? No, I just said I can¡¯t see anything.¡±

    "Your eyesight wille back in around five minutes. Just wait a bit."

    ¡°Right. I¡¯m not going blind, right? My eyesight wille back soon, right?"

    Finally, Uncle let out a sigh of relief. The Fourth Angel''s Horn had a wide range of uses. Previously, in order to cast a voodoo spell, I would have to get rid of witnesses by using the curse of fainting. However, now that I had the horn, I no longer had to do so. I could take advantage of the witnesses'' blindness and quickly cast a spell. That''s why I chose the Fourth Angel''s Horn over other expensive holy artifacts like Petrified Arkwood or Nephilim''s Femur.

    [Wow, it looks like you nned it all out?]

    "Of course," I responded with a light smile as if it were obvious.

    Not to mention, there was something even more important. The two holy artifacts I received from Bae Jung-Hwan, Baal''s Maw and the Fourth Angel''s Horn, had something inmon. They were expensive. Incredibly expensive. So expensive that it was difficult toprehend. If I sold them, I could easily buy a house on the outskirts of Seoul.

    And it was all mine. I felt secure and rich just thinking about it. Is this what the taste of money felt like? I think I finally understood why my uncle was so obsessed with money.

    Having no money doesn''t necessarily mean you''re unhappy. Likewise, having money does not necessarily mean you are happy.

    However, if one had money, at least there was no unhappiness caused by theck of it.

    "Oh, Uncle, but didn''t you say something about the Altarst time?¡±

    After thinking about money for a while, I suddenly remembered our previous conversation. My uncle, who embezzled Voodoo Cult funds to invest in stocks and copsed, left the chapel with a bold step to make up for the loss.

    What did he say back then?

    "¡¯I''m going to go find the Altar, so answer when I call you...¡¯ Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    "Oh, that''s right. Come to think of it, I was going to talk about that today too."

    "Huh? What are you going to talk about? Is it about the Altar?"

    Fumbling on the floor with his fingertips, he said, "Stay. She''ll be here soon.¡±.

    Coming soon? Who? Without a moment to doubt, I could hear someoneing down the stairs. Soon the door opened with a squeak.

    "Hello, Cult Leader."

    With a stiff greeting, she strode toward us.

    "Huh?"

    I had never seen thedy¡¯s face before. My body stiffened with tension. I was wearing a school uniform and wasn''t even wearing a mask, yet she immediately recognized me as the Cult leader.

    Moreover, the chapel was a space that only my uncle and I could enter. The entrance was usually sealed using two or threeyers of locks except on regr service days. However, this woman stepped in here as if it was nothing, and that was enough reason to be cautious. I immediately prepared to draw a spell array using Voodoo magic.

    "Oh, the person I mentioned earlier is her."

    "...You should have told me earlier. I was surprised."

    Right before I activated the spell, my uncle''s words stopped me from activating the spell array. It was a close call.

    ¡°I mean, I was going to exin when she arrived. Anyway, this is the informant that I¡¯ve been raising.¡±

    "My name is Kang Ji-Ah. I¡¯ve been learning a lot from my master."

    "Master? You¡¯re embarrassing me." My uncle said so, but the corners of his mouth were raised as if he was in a good mood.

    I stared at Ji-Ah for no particr reason.

    She was very short. She was probably less than 140 cm. Her face looked young too. Just judging from her face, her age seemed to be somewhere in the upper grades of elementary school. She was around about twelve to thirteen years old, perhaps?

    Despite her appearance, her way of speaking was very mature. But there was a hint of childishness in her voice. Honestly, it was hard to believe that she was really an informant that my uncle raised. An elementary school student informant, really?

    As I was shaking my head in disbelief, my uncle spoke up.

    ¡°Anyway, I assigned her a task to find the Altar location about three weeks ago. Then she really found it.¡±

    "Huh? Really? This child, no, this person?" I nced at Ji-Ah in surprise.

    She kept her mouth shut with her head down. Ji-Ah''s face didn¡¯t give anything away. She just had apletely nk expression.

    "She''s a smart kid. She has a talent for collecting information. If I teach her one thing, she figures out ten things by herself."

    "You''re exaggerating."

    "It¡¯s not an exaggeration at all. She''s a genius, a genius."

    Uncle Jin-Sung blinked slowly as he spoke. His vision seemed to be gradually returning.

    Anyway, as my uncle said, Ji-Ah was a genius. Uncle was practically a pro in the field of information gathering. He was also the one who created our false identities, thus allowing us to even deceive the Holy See.

    Even he couldn''t find the location of the Altar. But Ji-Ah was able to find it, and in just three weeks, no less. Her talent was so brilliant that the word genius couldn¡¯t even begin to describe it. However, there was one thing that bothered me.

    "Isn''t she too young?"

    Ji-Ah was a genius. With her help, things would be much easier for us in the future. Her talent was essential for the Voodoo Cult.

    But still, hiring an elementary school student was a bit...

    "Uncle, when you said you raised her, you don¡¯t mean you brainwashed her since she was young or something, right?"

    "What nonsense. She actually followed me around and insisted on bing a capable informant so that she could help the Voodoo Cult. And she''s not as young as you think."

    "How old is she?"

    Ji-Ah, who had been quietly listening with her head down, raised her head and spoke.

    "I''m eighteen years old."

    "Aha... Ah? What?¡±

    "I''m a year older than you, Cult Leader."

    "Ah. Ah... So you are a nuna."

    A faint anger rose on Ji-Ah''s expressionless face. She looked so young, like an elementary school student, so I naturally thought she would be younger than me, but she was actually a year older than me.

    The embarrassment caused cold sweat to drip down my forehead.

    "Oh! You look so young, so I must have made a mistake...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I btedly came up with an excuse, but the result was disastrous. This time it wasn''t faint anger. Clear and distinct anger and shame were visible on Ji-Ah''s face. She seemed to dislike the word ¡®young.¡¯ It was a slip of the tongue on my part.

    "Well, let''s talk about the Altar first. We can be friendster."

    Uncle was the one who broke the awkward atmosphere. He had just regained his eyesight, so his eyes looked a bit swollen. Pressing both his eyes, he said, "Kang Ji-Ah located the Altar. So I''m going to pick it up soon. With you."

    "Why me? Can¡¯t you just find and bring it?"

    "Hey kid, there''s a reason for everything.¡±

    My uncle nced at Ji-Ah and gave her a signal. Upon receiving the signal, Ji-Ah took a step forward and said, "At present, the Altar is located on the fifth basement floor of the Laza-ro Central Shopping Center. It''s the headquarters of a cult. The name of the religion is ¡®Voodoo Revival Church.¡¯ It''s being called the ''Voodoo Cult'' by the public."

    "What?"

    For a moment, I was so dumbfounded that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    "Yes. The religion is stealing the Voodoo Cult''s name without permission. Above all, the things they are doing are despicable. They shortened the name of the religion to Zapduism for convenience.¡±

    Zapduism. What a great naming sense.

    Ji-Ah lightly collected her breath and continued, "First of all, the Zapduist cult leader is attracting believers through stimting performances that utilize fire. In particr, the ¡®human sacrifice ceremony,¡¯ in which humans are burned alive, and the ashes are sacrificed, is popr. It is said that they kidnap passersby and force them to join the religion.¡±

    "Fire? Can you tell me in a little more detail?"

    "ording to my research, it is said that they can freely handle fire as if they haveplete control over it. This is just spection, but perhaps they are using the Loa¡¯s power?¡± Ji-ah asked carefully.

    I nodded. Just as Ji-Ah spected, the Zapduist cult leader was probably using the Loa''s power. I had a rough idea about who it was.

    [It must be that guy.] Legba''s dreary voice rang through my head. He sounded a little angry, unlike usual. It was obvious who ¡®that guy¡¯ was referring to.

    During the Holy War, they refused to reside in my body, and ¡®that guy¡¯ chose to run away. No, since they betrayed me, it was better to refer to them as ¡®that bastard.¡¯

    "And there was talk that the Zapduist cult leader was dealing with spells that utilized voodoo magic. This is why he wants to apany you, Cult Leader." Ji-Ah added an exnation.

    If the Zapduist cult leader used the power of Loa and spells, it would be too difficult for uncle to recover the Altar by himself. Uncle was quick-witted, and he was good at making money, but he was not very good at casting voodoo spells. If I apanied him, it would be safer, and we would be able to retrieve the Altar more reliably.

    When she nodded and showed her eptance, Kang Ji-Ah continued, "We n to meet the Cult Leader''s schedule as much as possible for the Altar recovery date. When is the most convenient time for you?"

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with any time.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Then let¡¯s go tomorrow then,¡± Kang Ji-Ah said without any hesitation.

    "Tomorrow?"

    "Tomorrow is the regr service day for the Zapduists. It''s also the weekend. It''s the perfect opportunity."

    It felt like tomorrow was too early. I didn''t have anything on my schedule for tomorrow, but my heart was not prepared yet. I still needed time to be determined.

    "Tomorrow is a little... Why don''t we go on another day?"

    "Alright, then I''ll see you again in two months."

    "Oh, in two months?"

    "Yes. The Zapduists don¡¯t do regr services often. I have no choice but to go tomorrow or two monthster."

    Then there were two options¡ªtomorrow or two monthster. But tomorrow was too early, and two monthster was toote. The options were both extreme. I thought about it for a second.

    "Then let''s just go tomorrow."

    I didn¡¯t have to contemte for long. It was either going to be too early or toote. If I had to choose between the two, it was better to go early. At least, that was what I thought.

    "Alright. Then at six o''clock in the evening tomorrow, I''ll visit you again here."

    "Understood."

    Kang Ji-Ah then jumped up the stairs and exited the Underground Chapel. She even walked like an elementary school student. I couldn''t believe she was older than me.

    After she left, my uncle suddenly asked, "Isn''t tomorrow the weekend? You don''t have anything going on tomorrow?"

    "Anything going on tomorrow? No."

    "Do you have any friends?"

    "Yea... Yeah."

    ¡°If you have friends, then why do you not have anything going on tomorrow? You don¡¯t actually have friends, do you?¡±

    "What do you mean? Do you have to have an appointment every weekend? I can''t meet my friends often because they are busy studying."

    "Oh, it looks like you don''t have any friends."

    My uncle made fun of me. Even though I knew it was a joke, I felt angry for no reason. Honestly, it was true that I didn''t have many friends. I think I only had Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah. It was hard to call Jin-Seo a friend.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    At that time, a clear notification sound echoed in the silent underground chapel. It was a text notification. Upon hearing a sound that I hadn¡¯t heard in a while, I got excited for no reason. Even though it was probably just a spam message, I turned my phone on with hopeful anticipation.

    [We¡¯re going out to hang out tomorrow. Do you want toe? Jun-Hyuk ising.]

    It was a message from In-Ah. While I was grateful that it wasn''t spam, my heart sank for no reason.

    ¡°Uncle, I just got an appointment.¡±

    ¡°When? Tomorrow?¡±

    "Yeah, I shouldn''t go, right?"

    Tomorrow, I had to go to the headquarters of a cult to retrieve the Altar. Retrieving the Altar was more important than hanging with In-Ah, so it was right to reject In-Ah''s proposal. Yet, my heart kept leaning toward hanging out with In-Ah. I wanted to cool my head byughing and talking with my friends without thinking about anything. Come to think of it, I had never yed with people properly since I entered Florence Academy.

    Reason and emotion went to war in my head.

    "Why? Just go. You cane here at six o''clock after hanging out.¡±

    "Oh, that works too.¡±

    Thanks to my uncle''s wise words, the war ended peacefully.

 Chapter 33

    <h4>Chapter 33</h4>

    Saturday morning.

    The wind carried a subtle scent of flowers that stimted my nose. The sun was moderately warm, and the sky was blue without a single cloud in sight. The good weather seemed to improve my mood.

    "You''re here."

    Jun-Hyuk weed me when I arrived at the meeting ce. For some reason, I couldn¡¯t see In-Ah.

    "What about In-Ah?"

    "She went to the toilet. Oh, there she is."

    With his gaze, Jun-Hyuk pointed toward the direction of the station. In the distance, In-Ah could be seen approaching from the station entrance. It felt different to see her dressed in casual clothes rather than her usual school uniform. She was wearing light blue jeans, a white shirt, and a pink cardigan on top. Overall, her outfit was bright and fresh.

    <i>It looks good on her.</i>

    It was a thought that came up subconsciously.

    Soon, In-Ah pped her long, stretched-out cardigan sleeves as she approached us and said,

    "What? When did you get here?"

    "Just now."

    "Do you know that you¡¯re five minuteste?"

    "Sorry. I took the subway that took me in the wrong direction."

    Actually, the truth was that I overslept.

    "Let''s hurry up and go eat. I''m hungry."

    "Where are we going to eat?"

    "I decided all that yesterday! Follow me!" In-Ah walked ahead.

    <i>Shuffle, shuffle.</i>

    The sleeves of her cardigan fluttered as she walked.

    Her smile didn¡¯t leave her mouth, and her cheeks were faintly red with a flush. She seemed to be in a very good mood. Jun-Hyuk and I followed In-Ah.

    The way to the restaurant was hectic due to the busy streets full of people. The area was noisy with the sounds of conversation. asionally, I could hear the sound of car horns pierce through the sounds.

    In addition, every passing person nced at us. To be exact, they nced at Jun-Hyuk. The reason was not too hard to guess. It was because of Jun-Hyuk¡¯s fashion choice.

    "Why are your clothes all... ck?"

    Jun-Hyuk was all ck from head to toe today. He was wearing ck shoes, ck cks, a ck turtleneck, and a ck leather jacket. It was hard to say that it didn¡¯t look good. It actually looked rather good on him. However, Jun-Hyuk wasn¡¯t a person that gave off a particrly kind impression. His gaze was fierce, and he looked rather scary. On top of that, he was dressed in such a peculiar way...

    It was difficult to describe, but he looked a little evil. I looked at the back of Jun-Hyuk¡¯s neck. I didn¡¯t doubt him, but seeing Jun-Hyuk dressed in ck from head to toe made me want to check whether he was Satanist or not.

    As expected, I didn''t see anything resembling a goat tattoo, fortunately.

    "Why? Do I have something on me?" Jun-Hyuk said, fiddling with the back of his neck.

    "No? Just. You look good in your clothes." I changed the subject and avoided answering.

    "Oh, right. I think I go well with ck clothes," Jun-Hyukughed. He seemed to be in a good mood after hearing that it looked good on him.

    It was true that it actually looked good on him. The only problem was that the atmosphere was so dark that it unintentionally caught the eyes of passersby. We proceeded to follow In-Ah and arrived at a restaurant. It was a restaurant that sold a fusion of Western and Korean food.

    "Wa, wow. Holy. It looks so good."

    When the food came out, In-Ah eximed herments and took a picture. The fork that Jun-Hyuk was holding hovered in the air as he couldn¡¯t decide where to start.

    We ordered Minari Rose Pasta, Webfoot Octopus Pizza, and other simr dishes. They were somewhat bizarre dishes, but they were surprisingly delicious, so I ate them all in a hurry.

    "Wow. Whoa. So pretty."

    The next ce we went to was a cafe. As expected, In-Ah took a picture when the food came out. The spoon that Jun-Hyuk was holding lost its ce and hovered in the air. I felt a strange sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    "We''re here to y, right? Why do I feel like we¡¯re just eating?"

    Jun-Hyuk put the spoon down. There was a dry, ck sound. This was something that I found out just now, but Jun-Hyuk said before that he doesn¡¯t really like sweets. He eats them once in a while when he thinks about it.

    "Hm? Aren¡¯t they the same thing?" In-Ah said while frantically shoving a custard pudding down her throat. She was very fond of sweets. She says that when she eats sweets, her thoughts disappear.

    I realized once again that Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah had opposing personalities. We ate lunch, ate dessert at a cafe, and once we came out, we ate waffles again. Just as Jun-Hyuk said, we really only ate. It was hard to tell whether we came to y or to explore restaurants. We stopped eating when we were so full that we could no longer eat anymore.

    At Jun-Hyuk''s suggestion, we decided to walk in a nearby park to digest the food. When I checked the time on my cell phone, there were more than two hours left until six o''clock. There was still plenty of time left.

    "Arghh~, I''m so full. I can''t even walk."

    In-Ah stretched her body. Her stretched-out cardigan sleeves fluttered over her head.

    "Of course you¡¯re full. How can you eat so much?" Jun-Hyuk said while looking at In-Ah with a frown on his face. During lunch, he didn¡¯t finish most of his food, and in the cafe, he only nibbled at the pudding from time to time. Beyond that, he ate almost nothing else.

    His stature was sorge that he looked like he could chew through even steel. However, he unexpectedly didn¡¯t eat much.

    While Jun-Hyuk sighed andined as if trying to suppress his nausea, In-Ah was strolling through the park ahead of us with light steps. She had a bright smile on her face.

    "She¡¯s so excited," Jun-Hyuk looked at In-Ah and muttered in a small voice. The expression on his face wasplex as if it was a mixture of joy and sorrow. In-Ah''s expression was clear, so it was easy to guess how she felt, but Jun-Hyuk''s expression was always ambiguous, making it difficult to guess how he felt.

    "If you look at her closely, she has a very simple personality. She also trusts people easily."

    Jun-Hyuk''s tone was strangely quiet and calm. The atmosphere was quite different from usual, so I felt a sense of ipatibility.

    "Why so serious all of the sudden?" I asked yfully to dispel the atmosphere. Jun-Hyuk listened to me and had a serious face for a brief moment. It was a frighteningly stiff face.

    But soon, Jun-Hyuk''s yful smile returned to his lips as usual.

    "All of a sudden, I was just wondering how I ended up bing friends with her. I don¡¯t remember her being that violent in the past...."

    Jun-Hyukughed and touched his shin.

    "Come to think of it, since when did you guys get close?"

    I naturally continued the conversation.

    "I wonder... Was it in the second year of middle school? I think it was around two years ago, but, um, I don¡¯t remember that well. Before I knew it, I just happened to get close to her.¡±

    "If it¡¯s only been two years, then it hasn¡¯t been that long, right?"

    I thought Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah were childhood friends because they were so close.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at In-Ah with vague eyes. In-Ah was still running around the park.

    "Right. But In-Ah has such a good personality, so we got close quickly."

    "That''s true."

    In-Ah had a talent for making friends easily, even with people she had just met. The reason I became close with her was also because she approached me first. As I nodded along to what Jun-Hyuk was saying, I saw her walking toward us from afar, with her pink cardigan swaying like cherry blossom petals.

    "What are you guys talking about without me?!" In-Ah asked with a fluffy smile.

    "We were talking about you behind your back," Jun-Hyuk said as if it were natural.

    Normally, she would have kicked his shin right away, but maybe because she was in a good mood, In-Ah just smiled brightly.

    "Really? Let''s hear what you said."

    "Sun-Woo says you''re ugly."

    "Oh? Really?"

    In-Ah''s face turned slightly dark. I shook my head hastily and proved my innocence. "I didn''t. He''s lying."

    "What are you saying? You just said earlier that In-Ah looked like a dposed peach."

    "A dposed peach...?"

    In-Ah drooped her shoulders with a sullen face.

    "Ah, I really didn¡¯t say that. Hey, can you stop saying nonsense¨C"

    "Wow, Sun-Woo, you''re seriously giving me goosebumps. You shouldn¡¯t be in Florence Academy. Just go to college and pursue a career in acting. You¡¯ll be a legendary actor."

    "What? Seriously, no. I can¡¯t believe this."

    Jun-Hyuk was driving me crazy. It was him, not me, who needed to be an actor. He was lying without changing his facial expression, and it was so ridiculous and creepy that I was speechless.

    In-Ah took turns ncing at Jun-Hyuk and me and eventually asked with a puzzled face, "So, who¡¯s telling the truth? No, are you guys making fun of me?"

    "Did you find that out now?" Jun-Hyuk smirked and said. In-Ah had a face filled with anger as she tried to kick Jun-Hyuk in the shin.

    As if he had predicted this would happen, Jun-Hyuk was prepared to avoid it. It wasn¡¯t really a big deal, but there was a sense of tension.

    <i>Buzz¨C! Buzz¨C!</i>

    However, the situation that I was worried about did not happen. It was because the phone in In-Ah''s pocket let out a vibration sound. In-Ah stopped her kick midway and pulled out her phone. She was getting a call from an unknown number.

    "Hello?"

    In-Ah answered the phone without any suspicion. A low and deep voice came from the other end of the line. However, I couldn¡¯t understand exactly what they were saying.

    "Ah, yes. That''s right. Ah. Then on Monday, ah. Yes, yes. Alright. Yes."

    Throughout the call, In-Ah''s expression was seriously dark. She was short of breath, and her answering voice trembled faintly. I didn''t know what was going on, but I was at least sure that it wasn¡¯t a good thing.

    The phone call soon ended.

    In-Ah looked at us with a stunned expression. "Oh, hey. I..."

    "What''s the matter?" Jun-Hyuk asked in a cold tone. In-Ah hesitated to answer and kept turning her head as if she was anxious.

    Eventually, she sighed deeply and exined, "They said that they found my sister. On Monday evening, they said to go to the Seoul Eastern Pdin Branch."

    * * *

    Upon receiving the news that her missing sister had been found, In-Ah quickly returned home. It was because there were some things that she had to prepare for. Even if we continued to hang out like this, the situation with her sister would weigh on her mind too much for her for us to hang out properly. Without saying much, we apanied her to the station and sent her off.

    In the end, Jun-Hyuk and I were left alone. Jun-Hyuk asked me to go to a PC room, but unfortunately, I didn''t know how to y any games. There was nothing to do, so we just disbanded.

    So it was 5:47 p.m. when I arrived at the underground chapel. Uncle and Ji-Ah were waiting at the underground chapel earlier.

    "You''re here. Shall we go now?"

    At Ji-Ah''s firm words, we left the underground chapel and set out for our destination. Just in case, I brought Baal''s Maw and purchased some radish sprouts and lettuce seeds along the way.

    "Why are you buying all that all of a sudden?"

    "Just in case."

    "Ah, okay."

    Uncle nodded and epted as if he understood what I meant.

    Soon, the car started. Of course, my uncle sat in the driver''s seat, and Ji-Ah sat in the passenger''s seat. I sat in the back seat, looking vaguely at the world passing by through the car window. The sun was hanging on the horizon and throwing up a red sunset.

    "So, Uncle. How did you uh meet uh... nuna Ji-Ah... Madam Ji-Ah? Miss Ji-Ah?"

    "Rx, you can just call me Ji-Ah."

    While agonizing over what title I should call her by, Ji-Ah replied in a cold tone. No matter how young she looked, she was still older than me. I didn''t feelfortable just calling her ¡®Ji-Ah.¡¯

    "How did you meet Miss Ji-Ah?"

    Thus, I just decided to call her Miss Ji-Ah.

    "You know that the Voodoo Cult used to run an orphanage, right?"

    "I didn¡¯t know that."

    "Oh. Well, then again, you were young back then, too. Anyway, she¡¯s from there. It somehow turned out like this."

    The exnation was too ambiguous for me to understand the exact situation. Right now, he was busy driving, so my uncle didn''t seem to want to start a long exnation. It wasn''t anything important, and I wasn''t all that curious at the moment, so I decided to just ask next time.

    Soon we arrived at our destination: the Laza-ro Central Shopping Center.

    It was too ordinary of a shopping mall to be the headquarters of a cult. Rather, it was more cleanly managed than other shopping malls.

    "It¡¯s the fifth basement floor. Let''s take the elevator."

    I followed Ji-Ah''s guide and got into the elevator. As Ji-Ah exined the other day, the ''Zapduist'' underground chapel was located on the fifth basement floor, but the elevator button only went down to the third basement floor.

    ¡°We didn''te to the wrong ce, did we?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Ji-Ah spoke with conviction and pressed the buttons on the third basement floor and the second basement floor at the same time. The elevator then proceeded to go past the third basement floor to the fourth basement floor and eventually reached the fifth basement floor.

    <i>Ding. </i>

    With a clear sound, the elevator door opened. Two men in bizarre masks weed us. They were very tall but notrge, so they looked like scarecrows. The two men silently strode over and guided us into the deep darkness. After following them, we soon reached a huge, rough door.

    "We have about thirty minutes until the start of the service, so please sit down and wait while praying. Ah, also, before you enter the chapel, please make sure to wear this mask.¡±

    The two men handed us three masks. The fancy masks looked like they could be used at a ball. We silently epted the masks and put them on our faces.

    Then we opened the door.

    At the sight before me, I opened my mouth without realizing it.

    The ceiling was very high. Every corner of the underground chamber was covered with purple mist. There were so many seats in the spacious underground chapel that I dared not even count them. The congregation was sitting tightly packed in those seats and praying. Some prayed quietly with their hands together, while others rose from their seats and screamed like mad.

    Madness filled the underground chapel. It was a dangerous and blind madness.

    "Stop looking around. Let''s sit down."

    At Uncle Jin-Sung¡¯s words, I finally came to my senses. After finding a vacant seat, we sat down and pretended to pray like the other believers.

    Half an hour passed like that.

    <i>Tap. Tap. Tap.</i>

    In the center of the underground chapel, above the stage, the dry sound of shoes hitting the floor rang out clearly and distinctly.

    <i>¡®Voodoo Revival Church.¡¯</i>

    In other words, the ''Zapduist'' cult leader was about to appear.

 Chapter 34

    <h4>Chapter 34</h4>

    My uncle looked at the Zapudist Cult Leader and remarked, "Look at his clothes. He¡¯s wearing something nice.¡±

    There was some envy and jealousy in the way he spoke.

    The cult leader scanned the underground chapel filled with believers from the stage. Most of the believers stopped praying and looked up at the cult leader, but there were still some believers with their heads down who were still absorbed in their prayers. The cult leader held the microphone to his mouth and cleared his throat with a loud ¡®ahem.¡¯

    "Turbojak!"

    Then he uttered a bizarre greeting in an iprehensiblenguage. The cult leader¡¯s voice echoed throughout the underground chapel via the speakers. The believers absorbed in their prayers suddenly lifted their heads.

    "Turbojak! Turbojak! Turbojak!"

    "Whooooooooooa¨C!! Turbojaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak¨C!!"

    The believers screamed and reached out their hands toward the cult leader. Some were moved to tears, while others screamed so much that they even vomited out blood. It was truly a vortex of chaos and madness.

    [Which country''s greeting is that? I can''t believe it.] Legba said. I was dumbfounded too, but I was even more scared and horrified.

    Something unpleasant and sticky lurked like mist in the Zapduist underground chapel that could not be described in words.

    "Stop," said the cult leader. The underground chapel quickly became quiet. The believers who had been screaming like crazy sat down and quietly listened to the cult leader¡¯s words.

    The believers would scream if the cult leader told them to scream, and they would stop if he told them to stop. If he told them to die, they looked like they were at least prepared to pretend to die.

    ¡°Today, as usual, let us start the service with a ceremony of repentance to burn our sins. Everyone, are you all ready?¡±

    "Yes!" the believers roared.

    ¡°Are you truly ready? Are you ready to surrender yourself to the grace of God? Really?¡±

    "Yeeesssss!!"

    It was more of a sob than a roar.

    "Well, then, Turbojak!¡±

    <i>Ping-!</i>

    With the cult leader''s words, a clear sound rang through the underground chapel. Then there was silence. The believers rose up one by one and began to tremble on the spot. They either shed tears, or they drooled andughed as if they had gone mad. Soon, an exciting pop song erupted through the speakers installed all over the chapel. The believers trembled more intensely as if they were vibing to the beat of the music.

    "Ah, oh. Here ites. He''sing. I can see it. I can see it...!¡±

    ¡°The cult leader look¨Clooked at me. He looked at me? He looked at me! He, ha hu, ha, kek!¡±

    ¡°No! He looked at the ne around your neck! The ne is pretty! Pretty lines and dots.¡±

    "No! You saw the ne around your neck! The ne is pretty! Pretty lines and dots, shiver!"

    Everyone had gone insane. They either cried,ughed, were angry, or were delighted, and they incessantly rambled a bunch of iprehensible mumbo jumbo.

    ¡°What''s going on here? <i>Sigh</i>.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    My uncle sighed at the bizarre sight, and Ji-Ah just trembled without saying a word. I couldn''t see their faces because they were wearing masks, but they clearly felt fear. The reason why the Zapduist believers suddenly went crazy was because of a voodoo spell.

    Intermediate enthrallment spell, curse of intoxication.

    It was a spell that intoxicated the target with pleasure. In ancient times, it is said that it was often used to stimte the excitement of ancestral rites. However, in modern times, it had be a ¡®forbidden¡¯ spell.

    The reason for this was because of its unique addictiveness and dependence-inducing properties of the spell. Once a person had a taste of the curse of intoxication, they could no longer escape from the cycle of addiction for the rest of their lives, and they would literally be a ve to the curse of intoxication.

    Fortunately, my uncle, Ji-Ah, and I didn''t get affected by the spell. It was because I had cut off the ¡®essence¡¯ of the spell that was flowing in. If I hadn¡¯t apanied them, then Uncle and Ji-Ah would also have been affected by the curse of intoxication and would have been trapped in the cycle of addiction for the rest of their lives.

    ¡°Everyone, are you having fun? Are you happy? All this pleasure ising from your repentance. Through repentance, you are all receiving God¡¯s grace and experiencing happiness!¡±

    ¡°Aaack! Aaaargh!¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yesss. Yes."

    The cult leader''s powerful speech left the followers unable to give any proper responses, and they simply shuddered in pleasure. They were more or less no different from zombies.

    We just stared at them in a daze. None of us spoke hastily.

    ¡°Come, let us repent! Throw away your money! Discard your lingering feelings! Burn away all your world attachments and leap towards paradise!¡±

    The cult leader''s voice pierced through the gaps in all the chaos and turmoil. Soon after, several women dressed in obscene clothes and masks walked into the underground chapel.

    There was a box in their hands. It was a donation box. The women carried the donation box and went from seat to seat. The believers poured money into the donation box.

    Having lost their minds to pleasure, they smiled happily even after putting tens or millions of won into the donation box. Several of the believers groped the women¡¯s bodies with intoxicated faces, but the women continued to collect money without a care. The boundaries between right and wrong were blurred and tangled with desire and lust. Everything was vague, and only desire was clear.

    Soon, the women approached us and pushed the donation box toward us. Without hesitation, my uncle put a thick envelope of money into the donation box. I couldn¡¯t help but tilt my head questioningly.

    "What?"

    "Don''t worry. There''s only paper inside,¡± my uncle grinned and said. That¡¯s what I kind of thought, but it was as expected of my uncle.

    The collection of money came to an end, and dozens of donation boxes were stacked up like towers on top of the stage. The cult leader looked at the sight and spoke once again.

    "Everyone. Let''s all be quiet and reflect on ourselves. Do you see the lingering worldly desires that have been stacked up here?¡±

    There was silence. The atmosphere was solemn. Even the fanatics, who had been screaming at the top of their lungs, were now paying silent tribute with their hands together at this moment.

    "It is not money that you all threw away just now. You have abandoned your lingering feelings and have moved one step closer to paradise. You shouldn¡¯t feel any regret. You must put all your money into the ¡®Paradise Box.¡¯¡±

    Paradise Box, he said.

    It seemed like that was what they called the donation box. It was such a half-arsed name that I couldn¡¯t help but let out a snicker.

    The cult leader continued his speech.

    ¡°All these things do not have any value in paradise! They are scraps of cloth and paper! They are all distractions that tie you down to the mortal world and prevent you from reaching paradise! Let¡¯s burn it. Burn it all and send them all to the heavens.¡±

    The cult leader closed his eyes while doing certain actions, such as waving his hands in the air or stamping his feet on the ground. It looked like he was miming.

    I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what the intentions behind those movements were.

    ¡°These guys are really good at business. They are tying money and the afterlife like that? There seems to be more to learn than I thought.¡±

    My uncle observed the cult leader¡¯s ridiculous movements and analyzed the details of how the service was conducted from the viewpoint of a battle-hardened capitalist.

    [The one above the stage and the one next to you. They¡¯re more or less the same. The world seems to be going in the wrong direction. <i>Sigh</i>.] Legbamented. I didn''t want to me my uncle for being obsessed with money, but it was still a little too extreme.

    The cult leader had been dancing on the stage for a while now when he suddenly halted. Then he red at the donations piled up on the stage with a serious face.

    Sweat from cult leader''s forehead rolled down to his chin and dripped down onto the ground. His hair was so sweaty that it was sticking to his forehead.

    ¡°Come, let us repent! Let¡¯s burn it! Let¡¯s throw it away!¡± the cult leader shouted and extended his hand toward the donation box.

    <i>sh!</i>

    Then, a dragon fell down from the sky. It was a huge dragon that wasposed of fire. Soon, the dragon swallowed the donation box whole. The donation box filled with bundles of money made crackling sounds as they turned into ck ash.

    I quietly watched that scene for a while, but I soon closed my eyes when my breathing became unstable, and I could feel cold sweat forming.

    A small fire was fine, but a big fire was still hard to deal with. However, it was a relief that I didn¡¯t faint or see hallucinations like before.

    [It''s Marte''s power. I was wondering where he ran away and hid, but he was residing within another guy.] Legba''s low, insidious voice cut through the darkness.

    Marte was the Loa of Fire.

    With his power, one could control the size and shape of fires freely, and one could even control the temperature.

    [He probably only burned the donation boxes and not the actual money that is contained inside. With Marte¡¯s power, it¡¯s possible.] Legba said.

    Obviously, there was no need to burn that much money for no reason. By using this method, it was possible to increase the devotion of the believers and also collect money at the same time. For a cultist, his strategy was pretty good.

    "Huh? You¡¯re burning it? No, what are you doing? Are you crazy? Huh?¡±

    I could hear Uncle Jin-Sung''s voice. He sounded genuinely angry. I could vividly see my uncle screaming in agony with his bloodshot eyes. Since he had no idea about Marte¡¯s power, from his perspective, it would have looked like a catastrophe. It was understandable why he was at his wit¡¯s end.

    The cult leader continued to drone on as the donation boxes burned. The believers roared in response to his words. Numerous sounds mixed and tangled to form a cacophony. The noise continued to resound in my ears for a long period of time.

    "Now, all your lingering feelings have burned away. With this, we shall conclude the ceremony of repentance, and we shall move on to the benedictions.¡±

    Only after hearing that the ceremony had concluded did I finally open my eyes. The huge dragonposed of fire had disappeared, and all that was left were the donations that had been burned ck.

    My uncle was staring at the burned boxes with eyes that were filled with shock. His face was filled with anger and disbelief.

    ¡°All mighty Bongdiye who resides in the skies, you have opened the door that leads to paradise for us.¡±

    The cult leader began his benediction. Bongdiye was the name of the single god that the Voodoo Cult believed in. Although it was a cult that had branched off, it looked like the overall framework seemed to follow the form of the Voodoo Cult.

    "You have liberated us from greed, desire, and degradation."

    My uncle¡¯s gaze was still fixed on the donation box as he muttered, "Does burning money liberate you?"

    My uncle retorted back with a murmur to everything that the cult leader said. There was a clear sense of rage in his voice.

    "You have enlightened us who are ignorant with your scriptures that contain your will."

    ¡°Indeed, you¡¯re ignorant. You burned all that money that you received.¡±

    Beyond his mask, cult leader''s face was slightly distorted. It was such a minuscule change that my uncle did not notice it. Ji-Ah seemed to have noticed and gulped while standing next to my uncle.

    "Teacher, I can hear you."

    Ji-Ah stopped Uncle Jin-Sung, who was muttering. His face, which was always expressionless without any sign of movement, currently had hints of surprise.

    However, Uncle did not stop muttering despite Ji-Ah''s attempt at dissuasion. Instead, he smiled confidently and said, "It''s alright. I said it out loud on purpose so that he could hear.¡±

    He seemed to have some sort of n. Neither Ji-Ah nor I knew what the n was.

    The cult leader continued his benediction on the stage.

    ¡°I, along with all of us, shall follow Bongdiye¡¯s will¨C!¡±

    ¡°Why do cultists always spit out the same generic lines?¡±

    When Uncle Jin-Sung muttered, the cult leader halted his benediction. His ice-cold gaze locked onto our exact position. Beneath his mask, bloodshot eyes could be seen.

    There was a moment of silence in the underground chapel.

    Countless believers were all looking at us. Their faces were covered with masks, so their expressions could not be seen, but it was all the more sinister.

    Within the silence, the cult leader grabbed his microphone and cleared his throat again. With a cough, he once again opened his mouth and said, ¡°...I would like to apologize to my brothers and sisters that have gathered here in the chapel. Originally, I had nned to start with a benediction in order to deliver Bongdiye¡¯s message to you all.¡±

    The cult leader raised his hand and pointed toward us. His finger was quivering. His jaw muscles tightened intermittently, and the sound of his teeth clenching flowed through the microphone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s change the order of events and introduce our new brothers and sisters first. The three of you over there, could you pleasee up to the stage?¡±

    Before we could even get out of our seats, the believers around us took the lead and dragged us up the stage. Just like that, we were pushed onto the stage as if we had gotten swept away by a tidal wave.

    The bright lights directly illuminated us. It didn¡¯t just blind my eyes, but it was also painful.

    The cult leader whispered instructions to the women who had collected money with the donation boxes. The women moved in perfect order and brought strange items from somewhere.

    There was a tool used for binding that resembled either a leash or a cor, an unidentified water bottle containing faint purple liquid, and finally, the Altar. As all the items were ced on top of the stage, the cult leader smiled with satisfaction. It was a very dark and unpleasant smile.

    Soon, the cult leader turned his head like a robot and looked at us.

    ¡°Brother, do you doubt us?¡± the cult leader asked while looking directly at Uncle Jin-Sung. With a hint of panic, my uncle nodded half-heartedly while standing on one leg.

    "Yes."

    "Which part did you not like?"

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you burned the money that I saved up through hard work.¡±

    Uncle¡¯s manner of speech had the mysterious power to provoke the opponent. The cult leader''s face seemed to contort strangely, but soon he regained his bright smile.

    "Ha ha ha. I don''t think you understood the ceremony of our ''Voodoo Revival Church'' very well. Brothers and sisters?¡± the cult leader said while looking at the believers seated beneath the stage.

    "Yes, yes! Cult Leader!! Cult Leader!!"

    "Turbojak! Cult Leader!! Please look at me just once¨C!!!¡±

    The believers stretched out their hands toward the cult leader and screamed. The cult leader smiled with only the corner of his lips. The believers stretched out their hands and screamed at the cult leader. He smiled lightly, only raising the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask my brothers and sisters. Should we bail out these fools who don''t understand our Voodoo Revival Church?¡±

    "Noooooooooooo!! We must kill them right noooooooooo!!¡±

    "We must burn them with fire and send them to heaven, cough, cough!"

    In response to the cult leader''s question, the believers screamed at the top of their lungs, making the blood vessels in their necks bulge out. Everyone was crying out for us to be killed or burned as sacrifices right away.

    The cult leader smirked as if he expected this reaction.

    "Come now,e on. Stop. Our Voodoo Revival Church embraces even these foolish and stupidmbs. That is the virtue of ''mercy'' taught to us by Bongdiye!"

    "Waaaaaaaahh!" The believers roared. It was a deafening roar. The cult leader soon reached out to us. A purple glow flowed out from the tip of his finger. It was Voodoo magic.

    "Voodoo Revival Church''s spell, Turbojak! As soon as I call out Turbojak, these foolishmbs will be saved and will be our brothers and sisters!"

    "Whooooooooooooaaaaa¨C!"

    The believers responded and just screamed. They sounded like the cries of beasts. Humans who lost their reasoning and gave themselves up to pleasure and instinct were no different from beasts.

    "Now, stop. Quiet."

    With a single word from the cult leader, the shouting that seemed tost an eternity came to an abrupt end. The chapel was filled with silence, but beyond the deep silence, the shouts of the believers continued to echo.

    The cult leader¡¯s spell soon reachedpletion.

    "Turbojak!"

    With an iprehensible cry, murky mist flowed out from the cult leader¡¯s spell array and engulfed us. The stage was covered in mist, so it was impossible to see even an inch ahead. Only Uncle and Ji-Ah¡¯s silhouettes could be faintly seen.

    The mist soon cleared. Gradually, as visibility was slowly restored, the cult leader''s voice began to echo throughout the auditorium.

    "Now, do you see it? Do you see the bright and beautiful smiles blooming on their faces, which were full of doubts until just now!"

    The cult leader looked around at the believers that were beneath the stage with a wicked smile. But the reaction from the believers was somewhat unsatisfactory.

    At a time when they should have risen from their seats while pping and shouting, the believers were just nkly staring at us.

    "Brothers and sisters? It''s time for you to p."

    The cult leaderughed awkwardly. Nevertheless, the believers did not respond. In time, the cult leader''s expression hardened as he turned his head and looked at us.

    I, of course, was notughing, and my uncle and Ji-Ah were also notughing. No one wasughing. We were just staring at the cult leader with stiff expressions on our faces.

    The cult leader had used the ''curse of intoxication'' on us. However, it did not reach us.

    It was because I interfered with the cult leader''s Voodoo mMagic and had cut off the spell¡¯s ¡®essence.¡¯ As the real cult leader, there was no way that the spells of a fake cult leader would work on me.

    ¡°Ah, huh?¡± the cult leader muttered in confusion. He had a befuddled expression on his face.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Then, someone pushed me on the back. When I turned my head, Uncle Jin-Sung was looking at me with a smile.

    "I summon you, Do-Sun-Woo-Mon[1]! Show him what the dignity of a cult leader!¡±

    "What? You were going to do this from the beginning¨C"

    "Hurry up! Quickly! The Altar is right in front of you as well!¡± My uncle urged me. So that was why he had been muttering those provocations at the cult leader during the benediction. Only then did I understand my uncle''s n.

    It was slightly unpleasant that he seemed to treat me as a mere summon or some sort of object, but at this point, it was toote to back out.

    "Ha," I sighed heavily and trudged toward the Zapduist Cult Leader.

    1. Refers to Doraemon ?

 Chapter 35

    <h4>Chapter 35</h4>

    Humans were weak to pain, but they were even weaker to pleasure. It was much easier to instill faith through pleasure rather than to instill fear through pain. This was because people were usually wary of pain but not of pleasure.

    Intermediate enthrallment, curse of intoxication.

    With this spell, it was possible to inject pleasure and inspire faith in believers through a simple twitch of the finger. In the original Voodoo Cult, it was a spell that was considered forbidden, but this was of no concern. It was forbidden in the original Voodoo Cult, but not in the Voodoo Revival Church.

    <i>¡®Why did the Second Cult Leader make certain spells forbidden? What a fool.¡¯</i>

    The Zapduist Cult Leader couldn¡¯t help but remember the second-generation cult leader who died without even leaving a corpse. He also recalled the goal that he had set for himself when he founded the Voodoo Revival Church.

    He vowed never to hesitate to use any means and methods for the sake of achieving his goals. He vowed to continue to move forward and to destroy all the obstacles blocking his path.

    While reaffirming his resolve, he cast the Voodoo spell toward the trio. They were the trio that defamed the glory of the Voodoo Revival Church while showing an arrogant attitude.

    Soon, the purple mist from the spell array engulfed them.

    They would soon forget all their worries and sorrows, and then they wouldugh. They wouldugh foolishly, pitifully, and hysterically. And eventually, they would shed tears as their brains became addicted to the pleasure, just as he did seven years ago.

    "Ah, huh?"

    However, they did notugh. Rather, they stared at him with cold and emotionless eyes. The face that peeked through the mask looked strangely familiar. Soon, one of them began to trudge forward with bold steps. Voodoo magic flowed from their fingertips. Only then did he understand the situation.

    "It must be a Voodoo Cultist."

    Believers of the original Voodoo Cult hade to punish the Voodoo Revival Church. Then that would also exin why the spell didn''t work. Voodoo Cultists typically had stronger resistance to Voodoo spells than ordinary people.

    However, that was all. If their resistance to spells was strong, all one had to do was use a spell that was strong enough to ignore the resistance.

    Intermediate enthrallment, curse of fainting.

    The curse of fainting was much more difficult and powerful than the curse of intoxication. No matter how strong their spell resistance was, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist the curse of fainting.

    First and foremost, it was important to subdue them. He would think about how to dispose of themter. He could turn them into zombies, or he could tie them up and feed them to the dogs.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    However, the opponent did not faint. On the contrary, he continued to trudge forward with a look of indifference like before.

    <i>¡®Their resistance is this strong?¡¯</i>

    It was not a lesser but an intermediate enthrallment spell. The opponent¡¯s spell resistance was iparable to any of the random riff-raff small fry from the Voodoo Cult. He began to think that it was not an ordinary cultist but perhaps an executive. Executives had much stronger resistance to Voodoo spells than normal attendees. He himself had once been an executive of the Voodoo Cult, so he knew this fact better than anyone else.

    <i>''In that case, I need a stronger spell.¡¯</i>

    He had to use a spell that was too strong to resist, even if he had to drag out all the Voodoo magic power from his body.

    "Phew."

    It had been a long time since he had used a spell that was greater than an advanced spell. He took a breath and ejected purified Voodoo magic from his fingertips. Then he drew a spell array.

    Advanced enthrallment, curse of nightmares.

    A fog covered the opponent. However, there was no effect. The opponent simply pierced through the fog and continued to advance gradually.

    Advanced enthrallment, curse of anxiety.

    There was no effect. The opponent didn¡¯t stop and continued toe closer.

    Advanced enthrallment, curse of delusion.

    As expected, there was no effect.

    Only then did he realize that it was not that the opponent''s Voodoo spell resistance was strong. His own spell had not triggered in the first ce. The opponent had dismantled his spells and rendered them null and void with a single twitch of his finger.

    <i>¡®He¡¯s not an executive. He¡¯s...¡¯</i>

    An executive could not interfere with another person''s Voodoo spell array. It was because they didn¡¯t have the skill necessary to do so. Only one person in the world had the ability to dismantle a Voodoo spell array by interfering with Voodoo magic power, essentially nullifying the Voodoo spell.

    The Voodoo Leader.

    Do Sun-Woo, the son of the Second Cult Leader.

    He was the only one.

    Sun-Woo could not be overpowered by Voodoo spells. Not only was his basic resistance strong, but his understanding of Voodoo spells was on apletely different dimensionpared to normal attendees. If he hastily drew a spell, it would be dismantled before the spell would get a chance to activate.

    ¡°Marte!¡±

    The only option left was to use her power. He quickly called out to Marte.

    If someone not chosen by Loa used the power of Loa, there would be a strong bacsh. It was entirely possible to vomit out blood and die.

    But this was not the time to dwell on such matters. There was no time to hesitate. Immediately after calling for Marte, he reached out his hand and focused on the ritual. Yet, no matter how much he concentrated, he couldn¡¯t hear Marte¡¯s voice. The power of Loa had failed to activate. His outstretched hand wandered aimlessly through the air after losing its objective.

    "Marte! What are you doing? Hurry!"

    [Run, quick. Legba! Ah, Legba! Legba is!]

    In his desperation, he shouted Marte¡¯s name, but Marte was only able to repeatedly tell him to run away with a voice filled with fear. Just what the hell was going on?

    <i>sh¨C</i>

    At that moment, Sun-Woo stood in front of the Altar. He took out seeds from his pocket and poured them onto the Altar. Countless seeds glimmered bright green for a moment before turning into ash and disappearing. The meaning behind this was clear.

    A sacrifice had been made.

    The power of Loa, which had been weakened for an extended period of time, regained its original power.

    [Hurry, run!]

    "Ah, shi¨C"

    He btedly understood the situation and tried to run away, but it was already toote.

    ¡°Granbwa.¡±

    With a calm voice, Sun-Woo¡¯s fingertips sparkled green.

    <i>Crackle¨C!</i>

    When Sun-Woo touched the floor, there was a roar as if heaven and earth were being upturned. No, it wasn¡¯t urate to say ¡®as if¡¯ it were being upturned. The world had truly turned upside down.

    The floor of the chapel tilted and lost its horizontality while huge cracks formed on the walls and the ceiling. Through the cracks, massive tree roots surged and rampaged like tentacles. The sacrifice that Sun-Woo had made to Granbwa was neither the root of the Soul Tree nor the branch of an ancient tree. He didn¡¯t offer ripe fruits, nor were they green leaves that had absorbed the scent of spring.

    They were just seeds.

    They were just radish sprouts and lettuce seeds that he had bought with a measly eight thousand won at the mart along the way.

    But that was enough.

    Sun-Woo was the Loa''s chosen prophet. Compared to other people, the power that he was able to unleash was unparalleled.

    "Kehek...!"

    He couldn''t even move a single finger. It was because the tree roots had wrapped around his whole body tightly. Even breathing was difficult because the pressure weighed down on his lungs. He felt dizzy, and soon his eyes began to blur.

    Then, he lost consciousness.

    * * *

    "Ugh, ughhh¨C!¡±

    Due to getting tied up tightly by the tree roots, the cult leader foamed from his mouth and fainted.

    Actually, it would have been quicker and easier to suppress the cult leader if I had used Voodoo sorcery. Nheless, I went out of my way to use Granbwa¡¯s power. There was a reason for all this.

    [It must have been because you wanted to try it out.]

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re absolutely right.¡±

    The Altar was right in front of my eyes, and I also happened to have something that I could sacrifice. The Loa that resided in my head were all screaming for a sacrifice. It was a situation where using the power of Loa instead of Voodoo sorcery felt more natural.

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason why I used the power of Loa.

    ¡°Everyone, did you see?! The cult leader that you believed in is fake. This is the true Voodoo Cult, a miracle that can only be performed by the original Voodoo Cult Leader!¡±

    Uncle Jin-Sung stole the microphone that the cult leader had been holding and made a speech. The believers were all listening to Uncle. It seemed like Uncle intended to absorb all the Zapduist believers into the Voodoo Cult. Since I had disyed a shy performance by using the Loa¡¯s power instead of Voodoo sorcery, the persuasiveness of Uncle¡¯s words increased, and the promotional effect was magnified.

    It wasn¡¯t my original intention. However, it unexpectedly turned out well. While my uncle continued his speech, I picked up the loot from behind.

    "Altar, water bottle, and no need for the rope... A leash? Hmm."

    [Why do you need the leash? Throw it away. It''s impure.]

    "What''s impure?¡±

    [Of course, it''s impure.]

    "Huh?"

    [...If you don''t know, then that¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t take it.]

    I had no idea what was supposed to be so impure about it, but I decided not to take it for now. I stuffed the Altar, water bottle, and other misceneous loot into Baal''s Maw.

    Even after shoving all those items inside, the weight was still as light as ever, and the interior capacity was still spacious. It was the best dimensional storage item that I could ask for. Baal¡¯s Maw truly provided its money¡¯s worth.

    "Then, I''ll see you next time in the Voodoo Cult underground chapel!"

    By the time I had roughly finished organizing, Uncle Jin-Sung''s speech also came to an end. The believers rushed out of the underground chapel through the stairs. There were so many people that it took a few minutes for everyone to get out.

    The empty chapel was deste and at the same time, pitiful. Thanks to the tree roots that sprouted from the cracks in the chapel, the atmosphere was like an ancient ruin that had been left neglected for thousands of years.

    While admiring the greatness of Granbwa¡¯s power, I took a moment to look around and found that the scenery did not look as bad as I had initially thought.

    "Cough, cough! Urgh...¡±

    Before long, a cough cut through the silence. The unconscious Zapduist cult leader had juste back to his senses. With listless eyes, he looked around at the surroundings for a while and eventually lowered his head in despair as he saw the empty chapel.

    "Ha, haha. Damn it."

    Heughed like a madman. I approached him and removed his mask. The bare face that was exposed after removing the mask was strangely familiar. It was a face I had definitely seen when I was young.

    "Han Su-Yeop?"

    When I spoke the name that suddenly came to mind, he abruptly raised his head. My uncle, was quietly watching the scene with his arms crossed, and he raised his eyebrows.

    "Oh? You''re right. Isn¡¯t he Han Su-Yeop?"

    My uncle strode towards Han Su-Yeop, who was still wrapped around tree roots.

    A mixture of anger, betrayal, and joy shed across my uncle''s face. Han Su-Yeop smiled ruefully when he saw Uncle and croaked, "...d to see you, Jin-Sung."

    "d? Are you d that you ran away by yourself? You damned traitor. And don''t call me by name."

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Uncle struck Han Su-Yeop in the head really hard as he spoke.

    When the Holy War broke out seven years ago, there was an incident where the Voodoo Cult executives fled as a group. Han Su-Yeop was one of the executives who fled at the time. Unclebeled all the executives who ran away at the time as ¡®traitors.¡¯

    "Where are the other traitorous bastards?¡± Uncle asked while grabbing Han Su-Yeop''s hair and forcibly raising his head.

    "I don''t know."

    "Oh, you don''t know? Should I help you remember?¡±

    My uncle pulled out a pen from his pocket and grasped it tightly. The tip of the pen popped up with a clicking sound. Uncle brought it in front of Han Su-Yeop¡¯s eyes. Han Su-Yeop¡¯s pupils, which were facing the sharp tip of the pen, trembled with fear.

    "Again. Where are they?"

    It looked like he would stab him at any moment if he didn¡¯t answer. Ji-Ah gulped nervously as she watched the scene. As if scared out of his wits, Han Su-Yeop¡¯s lips trembled as if he was terrified as he barely opened his mouth.

    "I do¨Cdon¡¯t know. I really don''t know! I¨C I was also just barely able to hide. The rest of them all...!¡±

    "All... All what? What happened to all of them? Finish your sentence.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Han Su-Yeop shook his head without answering. My uncle was just about to poke him in the eye with the pen.

    "Uncle, don''t. There''s a lot to ask.¡±

    I stopped my uncle. There were still many things to ask Han Su-Yeop. I understood his anger, but there was nothing to be gained from gouging his eyes out right now. It would only make things moreplicated if he died or passed out.

    "Sigh, yes. There''s a lot to ask."

    Only then did it seem like Uncle regained hisposure. He put his pen back in his pocket and crossed his arms. His eyelids trembled intermittently as if his anger had notpletely cooled down. My uncle spent a while cooling off his anger before he sighed deeply.

    "Where''s all the money? There must be a ce where you collected the donations, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    "Oh? You punk? You have no right to remain silent. You can''t ask for awyer either. Where''s the money?¡±

    "I¨C I don¡¯t have it. I burned it all. You saw it earlier as well,¡± Han Su-Yeop calmly lied.

    I searched through the pile of donation boxes that had been burnt ck and took out a bundle of money from inside. As Legba said, the only thing that was burnt was the donation box, and all the money inside was fine. After seeing the bundle of money, my uncle''s face becameplicated.

    "You said you burned it, you punk."

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Uncle hit Han Su-Yeop''s head once more. Han Su-Yeop looked at the bundle of cash with a perplexed look on his face and then suddenly shook his head like a madman.

    ¡°Tha-that¡¯s all there is. It¡¯s the truth. I burned all the rest and sent them¨C¡±

    "You¡¯re still lying? Should I just poke your eye out? You have noints, right? Just ept it nicely."

    "Arggggh! Wait, wait!"

    Uncle took out a pen and unveiled the tip. Then he slowly pushed the pen tip toward Han Su-Yeop''s eye. Han Su-Yeop struggled frantically while being tied up.

    As the pen tip was just about to reach Han Su-Yeop''s pupil, Ji-Ah approached and tapped my shoulder.

    "Mr. Cult Leader, there seems to be a suspicious door over there.¡±

    She pointed to a corner of the chapel where there was a door. The paint on the door was so thick that it looked no different from the wall to the naked eye. It smelled suspicious.

    "Ah, no... Not there! Faaaggghhh¨C!¡±

    "Hey, no swearing."

    As I walked toward the door, Han Su-Yeop yelled and tried to stop me. In response, my uncle hit Han Su-Yeop in the head. It looked like he had a lot of grievances stacked up.

    I tried to ignore the sound of my uncle hitting Han Su-Yeop''s head mercilessly and continued to walk onwards. The door was standing in front of me. Ji-Ah was with me, and she gulped as if she was nervous.

    <i>Click.</i>

    I turned the handle. The door was not locked.

    <i>Creeeaaak...</i>

    Soon, the door opened, along with a rather sinister and dreary sound.

 Chapter 36

    <h4>Chapter 36</h4>

    "Oh, you look so good in it!" the clerk said, smiling softly.

    In-Ah looked at herself in the mirror and smiled shyly.

    "Then I''ll buy this, too!"

    ¡°Sure~ Would you like to look around more?¡±

    ¡°No! This is enough.¡± In-Ah shook her head.

    She thought that buying this much would be more than enough.

    "Alright, then I''ll help you with the bill."

    The clerk headed to the counter with the clothes that In-Ah chose. The barcode scanner continuously beeped with each item.

    "The total is 456,100 won. Would you like to earn points for your purchase?¡±

    ¡°No, no, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Would you like a receipt?¡±

    "Just throw it away, please!"

    "Yes~"

    The clerk put the clothes in a bag, and In-Ah picked it up.

    For In-Ah, 450,000 won was quite a big expense, but she didn''t think it was a waste at all. All the clothes she bought were gifts for her younger sister. Afterpleting her shopping, In-Ah left the department store. A breeze carried over the fresh smell of grass, and she could smell the scent of flowers here and there.

    The street was crowded with people. There were lovers holding hands and looking at each other with lovey-dovey eyes and families who were on an outing. There were also friends looking for fun ces to hang out.

    Everyone''s face was full ofughter. Everyone looked happy. In-Ah alsoughed profusely because she was happy.

    <i>Ring¡ª</i>

    In-Ah''s next stop was the ice cream shop. Her younger sister liked cakes very much, and her favorite cake was an ice cream cake.

    "Give me this one please."

    In-Ah pointed to the biggest and most delicious-looking cake on disy.

    "Yes, please wait a moment."

    While the clerk wrapped the cake, Jung In-Ah fiddled with her cell phone. She had received a few text messages from Jun-Hyuk. Other than that, she also received a few meaningless greetings from her other friends. Sun-Woo had not sent her anything. She had no idea what he was doing, but during the weekends, it would normally be difficult to get in touch with Sun-Woo.

    "Here is your ice cream cake."

    While scrolling up and down meaninglessly and looking through the text messages shared with Sun-Woo, the cake came out. In-Ah thanked the clerk and left the store after waving goodbye.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The bell on the door made a refreshing sound. She waddled home with her hands filled with cake, clothes, and various misceneous gifts. As she walked, her shoulders gradually hurt, so she decided to take a break at a nearby park.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    In-Ah plopped down on the bench after leaving her bag on the floor. Even though she hadn¡¯t walked that much, she had sweat a lot. It was because the weather had suddenly gotten warmer. The cold breeze was refreshing, and the sunlight was warm. It was clear that spring had arrived. She sat on the bench for a while and dried her body in the sunlight.

    She suddenly raised her head. She noticed that the flower buds, which had been tightly closed up until recently, were now opening shyly. The petals that protruded out of the opening were a clear pink color. Come to think of it, it would soon be time for cherry blossoms to bloom. It reminded her of early springst year.

    Last year, she had gone to Seokchon Lake with her younger sister. She recalled the cherry blossoms that had bloomed brilliantly there. The cherry blossom leaves poured out every time the wind blew.

    She remembered eating a lot of different things while wandering around, but she couldn¡¯t remember exactly what she had eaten. While reminiscing about the past, she couldn¡¯t help but grin. The memories she was reflecting on felt even more beautiful since they were blurred. At the time, it didn¡¯t feel like such a happy moment, but looking back, it was one of the happiest days of her life.

    "What a relief,¡± In-Ah said to herself in a low voice. It was a little difficult to exin, but she just felt relieved about everything.

    "Heehee."

    On her way home, In-Ah needlesslyughed. It was because there were spots of clouds that resembled footsteps that dotted the clear blue skies.

    The scenery she was used to seeing every day felt unfamiliar yet fun, and it also felt somewhat beautiful today.

    * * *

    Beyond the door, there was an endlessly long corridor. There was no light to speak of¡ªit was only filled with darkness.

    Ji-Ah and I walked cautiously down the hall. asionally, the silence was broken by the sound of ringing bells. There was also a rustling sound. It sounded like insects or rats crawling around. Whenever there was a sound, Ji-Ah trembled.

    "Mr. Cult Leader, I think it¡¯d be better if we go back and fetch something to light up the darkness with a shlight or a candle,¡± she said in a trembling voice. The hallway was dark, but it wasn''t to the point where I couldn''t see.

    "Since we''vee this far, let''s just keep going. "

    I was toozy to turn back now, and above all, I felt that it would be a waste of time. Ji-Ah chased me with somewhat ufortable steps and an expression of disapproval. Her shoulders were trembling slightly. After walking for a long time, Ji-Ah suggested, "Um, why don''t we at least light up the front with a cell phone shlight?"

    I turned on my cell phone. There was only two percent battery left.

    "I don''t have any battery."

    "Oh."

    Ji-Ah lowered her head as if she had be overwhelmed by despair.

    "Can''t you do it yourself?"

    "I left my cell phone earlier, you see..."

    "Then let''s just go."

    We resumed walking again. Ji-Ah followed right behind me while clinging to my back. Even though we had walked quite a bit, I couldn''t see the end of the hallway. I felt like we still had a long way to go. My legs were slowly starting to hurt.

    It didn¡¯t take long for Ji-Ah to speak again. "Mr. Cult Leader, as I said earlier, wouldn¡¯t it be better if we came back after bringing something to light up the front?¡±

    "Even if it''s dark, you can see ahead. I don''t think it''s necessary."

    "But it''s too dark. I think it''s too dangerous." Ji-Ah''s voice was still trembling.

    "Are you scared?"

    "No, sir.¡±

    "Tell me the truth. Then I''ll go back."

    "I¡¯m not scared at all. I just thought it could be dangerous¨C"

    <i>Rattle!</i>

    "Heeek...!"

    A loud, dry sound resounded through the darkness and echoed through the corridor. Ji-Ah flopped down on the spot without even getting a chance to scream. I could see tears at the edges of her eyes glistening through the darkness.

    "So you are scared."

    "...No, I¡¯m not."

    Ji-Ah continued to remain in denial, but no matter how I looked at it, she was obviously scared. It looked like I had no choice, so I drew a spell array by expelling Voodoo magic power. From the freshly drawn spell array, purple candles sprang out. The purple light from the candles extinguished the darkness of the hallway and revealed the scenery beyond.

    Lesser replication spell, candle of consciousness.

    Since it was a lesser replication spell, the light was not that strong. That said, it was still better than nothing. I trudged forward with the candle in hand. Ji-Ah stared at me with a dumbfounded expression from her seated position.

    "Why didn¡¯t you use that from the start...?¡±

    ¡°Because your reaction was funny. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Ji-Ah opened her mouth as if she was about to say something but soon closed it and followed behind me in resignation.

    "Mr. Cult Leader and Teacher share a lot of simrities."

    "That''s the first time I''ve heard anyone say something like that. In what way are we simr?¡±

    ¡°You''re both yful.¡±

    ¡°No way, I can¡¯tpare to Uncle. I¡¯m not even on the same tier as him.¡±

    "No... The way I see it, there is not much difference between the two of you.¡±

    We had a meaningless conversation as we strode through the hall. It was definitely easier to walk with the light. When we reached the end of the hallway, I saw a tightly closed iron door. There were threetches that sealed the door, and each grate was tightly locked with a padlock.

    "I''ll open it."

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Ji-Ah took out a pile of keys from her pocket. She unlocked thetches by inserting the keys one by one. I stood by her side and lit up the area with the candle.

    <i>Click.</i>

    It was not long before all the locks were released. While calming down my trembling heart, I pulled the door handle.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The rigid door opened with an eerie, grating sound. It almost sounded like the floor was getting scraped apart. Beyond the door was a vast room. Just like the corridor that we had walked through thus far, the room did not have a single ray of light and waspletely filled with darkness.

    I could hear a nging and creaking sound continuously resounding through the hallway. The room was filled with a putrid odor¡ªit was a sour smell mixed with filth and sweat. asionally, I could sense a presence, but it was unclear whether it belonged to Ji-Ah or someone else.

    "Please be careful. There may be something like a demonic beast," Ji-Ah cautioned. I lit up the front with a candle while moving slowly and examining every corner of the room.

    The first thing I saw was a vault. It was a vault that looked veryrge and sturdy. After locating the vault, Ji-Ah ran over to it and began to open it.

    <i>Rustle¨C!</i>

    In less than three minutes, the vault¡¯s door cracked open with a crisp sound. The inside of the vault was filled with bundles of fifty-thousand won bills, gold bars, and jewels. It looked like the money that had been umted through all the religious services Han Su-Yeop had done so far. There was so much cash andmodities that it was difficult to estimate the total value contained within the vault.

    "Let''s take it all," Ji-Ah said.

    I injected divine power into Baal''s Maw.

    <i>Rip¨C</i>

    Baal¡¯s Maw opened with a tearing sound. Ji-Ah shoved all the bundles of money, gold bars, and jewelry into Baal''s Maw. She looked just like a bank robber. Seeing her like this, it was clear that she was my uncle¡¯s disciple.

    "Then let¡¯s go back¡ª"

    <i>Rattle.</i>

    "Aaaaargh! Aargh!"

    "Kyaaaaa!"

    Ji-Ah was just about to stand up and go back when her foot kicked something. The sound of rattling metal bars resounded, and at the same, an unidentified creature began to scream like mad. Ji-Ah was surprised by the noise and also screamed in return.

    After screaming and shaking for a while, Ji-Ah eventually muttered in confusion, "Aggghhh... Agh... Ah... Huh?"

    Her face, which had always been expressionless up until now, formed an expression for the first time. It sort of looked like she was embarrassed, or stricken with fear, and it also kind of looked like she was revolted.

    "Mr. Cult... Leader. This."

    Ji-Ah pointed her finger beyond the metal bars. I approached her and turned the candle in the direction she indicated. The purple light illuminated the area behind the bars.

    "Aaaaaaaaaargh! Aaaaargh!"

    When the light illuminated the area, ''it'' began to scream like crazy again. The screams didn''t stop. Even as its voice went hoarse and its voice cracked, it continued to roar. It felt like it waspletely out of control. I slowly examined whatever it was that resided beyond the bars.

    Its brown hair was curly, and its limbs were thin. Its pale skin with visible blue veins was exposed through the cracks in its torn clothes, and bruises were scattered all over its body. Its brown eyes, which had a simr hue to its hair, had no focus.

    It was a zombie.

    "Aaaargh! Aaargh!"

    <i>Rattle. Rattle, rattle, rattle.</i>

    The zombie grabbed the iron bars and shook them¡ªa terrible sound that resembled scraping metal came out of its screaming mouth. Transparent saliva dripped from its wide-open mouth. It had a cor around its neck with a bell and a name tag attached to it.

    <i>Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle.</i>

    The zombie went on a rampage. As a result, the bell shook and made a dry, raspy sound.

    The name tag had a name on it. After confirming the name, I was so dumbfounded that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    "I found her..."

    While staring nkly at the name on the name tag, I slumped down andughed like a lunatic. Every time Iughed, my stomach churned as if the gastric acid contained inside was going through an upheaval, and my intestines twisted with pain as if they had been torn apart.

    "But why are you here..."

    Jung In-Ah''s missing sister, Jung Yoon-Ah. She was right in front of me right now. Trapped in a cage as a zombie.

 Chapter 37

    <h4>Chapter 37</h4>

    <i>¡®Zombification.¡¯</i>

    In the ancient Voodoo Cult, it was a punishment imposed on those whomitted serious crimes such as serial murder or child rape.

    By mixing tetrodotoxin and crushed datura flowers, it was possible to create a ¡®zombification drug.¡¯ When the drug was applied to the skin, it would cause the criminal to fall into aa-like state. Then, by casting enthrallment spells, the criminal would alternatingly suffer from pleasure and pain. After repeating this process five times, the brain, which would have gotten numb from the drugs and enthrallment spells, would degrade and lose its cognitive ability. Thus, the criminal would be a ¡®zombie.¡¯

    Since their brains had degraded from the extensive pain and pleasure, zombiescked intelligence and could not formte words. They were more or less no different from livestock or animals in the form of human beings.

    In the ancient Voodoo Cult, zombies created through this process were used as ves.

    [It was truly a barbaric punishment. It would have been better if it never existed.]

    As Legba said, zombification was too much of a barbaric punishment. Thus, the modern Voodoo Cult banned zombification andbeled it as a forbidden technique. The reason for this ban was not just because it was such a violent and barbaric technique, but the biggest reason was that it was possible to abuse this technique.

    "Haak! Haaaaaaaaaaak¨C!!!"

    I stared at Yoon-Ah, who had be a zombie, with eyes filled with despair. In front of my eyes was a tragedy created as a result of Han Su-Yeop using the forbidden technique.

    My chest felt so stuffed that I couldn¡¯t even let out a sigh. Even though I was biting my lips until they bled, for some reason, there was no pain. Only the bitter taste of blood lingered in my mouth.

    ¡°Mr. Cult Leader.¡± while I was wallowing in despair for a long time, Ji-Ah called out to me. Only then did I finallye back to my senses. I stood up and shook off the dust that had collected on my clothes. I tried to smile, but the corners of my mouth refused to go up. It was difficult to even stand up because my legs felt so shaky. It felt like my heart had sunk into the abyss.

    "I''ll help you."

    "It''s alright. I can walk by myself."

    I stopped Ji-Ah from trying to support me. Each step felt heavy, as if I was wading through a quagmire, but I somehow managed to continue walking forward. It wasn¡¯t at a level where I needed support. Moreover, Ji-Ah was so short that I didn''t think it would be of much help even if she supported me.

    "Can you open the cage door?" I said as I pointed to the cage where Yoon-Ah was trapped using the candle.

    ¡°Yes. I can open it.¡±

    ¡°Then please, please open it.¡±

    "But isn''t there a zombie in the cage?"

    "Yes. That''s why I''m asking you to open the cage. I¡¯m going to take her."

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re going to take the zombie?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Ji-Ah frowned and stared at me with a puzzled expression. It was understandable since there was no reason to take a zombie with us.

    "However, there is no reason to do¨C¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s someone I know.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    When I exined the situation to Ji-Ah, she hurriedly picked up the pile of keys and started opening the cage door. In less than a few seconds, the door opened with a snap.

    "Kaaaack¨C!"

    At that moment, Yoon-Ah rushed toward Ji-Ah. Ji-Ah was so shocked that she stiffened on the spot without even getting a chance to scream. I immediately unleashed Voodoo magic power and drew a spell array for the curse of fainting.

    <i>Plop.</i>

    A fog engulfed Yoon-Ah, and she copsed unconscious.

    Ji-Ah looked at the unconscious Yoon-Ah and collected her breath with a pale face. I took out Baal''s Maw, opened the mouth widely, and ced Yoon-Ah inside.

    I had thought that the mouth of Baal¡¯s Maw was probably big enough to fit a person inside, but I never even dreamed that I would actually end up putting a person inside.

    "Let''s go back."

    I helped up Ji-Ah, who had fallen down onto the floor. I ced Baal''s Maw back into my pocket and walked out of the room, and then back down the route that we came in. Ji-Ah followed closely behind me with short strides.

    * * *

    "Oh, you''re back?"

    After passing through the long hallway, we returned to the underground chapel. Uncle greeted us with a wave. Han Su-Yeop still remained tied to a tree root. His face was swollen, and blood was flowing out of his nose and mouth.

    While we were not here, Uncle seemed to have hit him quite a lot, but I didn¡¯t feel sorry for him at all. Even if that bastard got beaten even more, I still would have nothing to say. I approached Han Su-Yeop and lifted up his head by grabbing his hair.

    ¡°Argh... Kagh! Ha. Haa... Haa, ha. Hello there, Mr. Cult Leader. An important guest has arrived in such a shabby ce,¡± Han Su-Yeop said in a sarcastic tone. Saliva mixed with blood trickled out of his mouth.

    I stared him dead straight in the eyes. They were shameless eyes that showed no sign of remorse. I wanted to dig those eyes out right this instant, but it was not yet the right time to do so. There was still a lot to ask.

    "I''ll ask you a question. You only have to answer."

    "Yes, what is our Cult Leader so curious about?" Han Su-Yeop sarcastically retorted. He didn¡¯t show any signs of fear, even with death looming over him. It was either because of resignation or arrogance.

    I forcefully suppressed the anger that was bubbling up inside of me and stated, ¡°I found something strange in that room.¡±

    ¡°What? The room? Don''t tell me..." Han Su-Yeop''s rxed expression froze. He looked up at me with surprised eyes. His eyes looked to bepletely bloodshot.

    "You opened that door? How?"

    "I lockpicked it,¡± Ji-Ah said while taking out a bundle of keys and shaking them.

    Dozens of keys rattled around. Han Su-Yeop lowered his head in despair. I didn¡¯t like the way he looked, so I grabbed Han Su-Yeop''s hair tighter and lifted him up. Han Su-Yeop''s face was distorted in pain.

    ¡°Aghhh...! Fine. If you¡¯ve opened the door, then you must have taken all the money. What else is the problem¨C¡±

    <i>Snap.</i>

    The few remaining strands of hair on Han Su-Yeop''s head broke off one by one.

    "¡ªArgggh! Let go, let go! All my hair will be pulled out!"

    "Why the heck are you shouting like you¡¯re in the right or something?"

    "Argh. Fuck! What the hell did I do wrong then?"

    "Zombification."

    Han Su-Yeop''s face hardened.

    "There was a zombie in the room. That must mean you used ''zombification,'' which is a forbidden spell."

    "No, I''m¡ª"

    "Why did you make a zombie? What were you going to use it for?"

    Han Su-Yeop didn''t respond and just closed his eyes tightly. It was clear that he was determined not to give an answer. That meant that the only choice was to force him to answer.

    I ejected Voodoo magic and drew a spell array. I was going to torture him with a spell just like Han Su-Yeop did to Yoon-Ah.

    Before the spell could activate, Han Su-Yeop said, "...A sacrifice. I was going to use it as a sacrifice."

    I recalled the spell array. As expected, this was the most effective way to negotiate.

    "Keep talking."

    ¡°If any of the believers tried to run away or were disobedient, I would turn them into zombies and then sacrifice them.¡±

    "Where are all those zombies?¡±

    ¡°They all burned to death since they were offered as sacrifices. That girl you saw was going to be sacrificed today.¡±

    Han Su-Yeop spoke brazenly even as blood dripped from his mouth. I grabbed Han Su-Yeop''s hair and shook it.

    <i>Rip.</i>

    With a tearing sound, a bunch of hair was ripped off. It was not particrly a meaningful action, but I just wanted to vent my anger.

    ¡°Jung Yoon-Ah.¡±

    "Argh! What, what?"

    "She''s not just ¡®that girl.¡¯ Her name is Jung Yoon-Ah."

    I corrected Han Su-Yeop''s words. He looked absent-minded for a moment and soon smirked as if he understood the intent behind my words.

    ¡°So her name was Jung Yoon-Ah. I didn''t know that. I didn¡¯t need to know."

    ¡°This is something that I¡¯ve been confused about since before, but why are you so brazen right now?¡±

    "You''re going to kill me anyway, aren''t you?¡± Han Su-Yeop said while giggling scoffingly. One side of his mouth curled up and formed a smug grin. He had been acting strangely brazen and confident since earlier.

    It didn¡¯t look like he had a way out of this situation. He had simply given up and epted death. However, I had no intention of killing Han Su-Yeop sofortably.

    "I''ll kill you one day, but not now."

    "You¡¯re such a great saint. Don¡¯t you know that the reason why the Voodoo Cult fell was because of that weak mentality?¡±

    ¡°The reason why the Voodoo Cult fell is because of you guys who ran away.¡±

    ¡°Ran away? No. We didn''t run away. We made a choice."

    "A choice?"

    It was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    Han Su-Yeop continued, "It''s because you don''t know the situation at that time. For the survival of the Voodoo Cult, the sacrifice of a few was inevitable.¡±

    "Wasn¡¯t a bit too many to be considered a few?¡±

    Tens of thousands of innocent Voodoo Cultists died because of the ''choice'' that the executives made. It was by no means a few.

    "Whether it''s a few or many, that''s not very important. What¡¯s important is that the sacrifice was inevitable. The same goes for the many zombies I sacrificed. They were a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

    "Oh, I see."

    Han Su-Yeop had the idea that as long as it was for the greater good, the sacrifice of a few or even many was justified. I had no idea what this high and mighty ¡®greater good¡¯ was supposed to be, but I wasn¡¯t even curious. It didn¡¯t matter what grand goal he had, as it didn¡¯t change the fact that he didn¡¯t have the right to sacrifice others against their will.

    "A sacrifice for the greater good. I see what you mean."

    "Yeah. I guess I understand now¨C"

    ¡°So that means you don¡¯t mind if you sacrifice yourself for the sake of the greater good, right?¡±

    I activated my Voodoo magic and drew a spell array with it. I used over half the amount of Voodoo magic I had on hand. A massive spell array formed by linking abination of neen spell arrays in total was created.

    [Is it a fusion spell? You''ve improved a lot.] Legba eximed.

    Fusion spell.

    It was literally a spell made by fusing several spells together.

    Normal attendees found it difficult to cast even a single spell, and executives found it difficult to cast the most advanced ones. But as the Cult Leader, it was possible for me tobine and fuse a variety of different spells to create new ones.

    To put it simply, it was a spell that only I, the Cult Leader, could use.

    Of course, I couldn''t use it often, either. Although fusion spells were powerful, they consumedrge amounts of Voodoo magic power in return.

    Soon, fog flowed out from thepleted spell array. It was a purple-colored fog. The fog was so thick that, at first nce, it looked ck instead of purple.

    The fog soon hit Han Su-Yeop. "What are you doing? This is a fusion spe...!¡±

    Han Su-Yeop screamed inside the fog, but the sound was soon cut off. It was because the activated spell had taken over Han Su-Yeop''s mind.

    "Please sacrifice yourself for the sake of the greater good. It''s not like I don¡¯t do things for the greater good either."

    It¡¯s not like I enrolled in Florence Academy without any thought. Bing a prte and meeting my mother again was simply just a stepping stone for a bigger and more ambitious goal. Indeed, the ¡®greater good¡¯ that Han Su-Yeop loved so much was something that I also strived toward. And Han Su-Yeop was going to be the first victim of this cause.

    "Gaaaaaak! Gwaaaaaaaak!!¡± Han Su-Yeop screamed and vomited. Dozens of enthrallment spells, including the curse of pain, the curse of fainting, memory annihtion, and metastasis, gnawed at his brain.

    He was the one who said that sacrifices for the greater good were inevitable, but when he became a victim, he let out an ugly scream and begged for his life.

    I handed Baal''s Maw to my uncle, who was watching the scene from behind.

    "It''ll be quiet in five minutes or so. When the timees, put Han Su-Yeop in here too."

    ¡°Isn''t he dead?¡±

    After Han Su-Yeop vomited the residue left in his stomach, he vomited gastric juice because he had nothing to vomit, and he eventually started vomiting blood. His hands and feet were limp, and there was no focus in his eyes.

    At first nce, it seemed like he was dead. But he wasn''t dead.

    "He¡¯s alive. He¡¯s only alive, though."

    "He¡¯s <i>only alive</i>, you say. Oh, that¡¯s quite philosophical."

    My uncleughed for a moment after saying so, and then he observed Han Su-Yeop''s demise with a nk expression on his face. Ji-Ah also watched the scene with a pale face.

    As I approached, she shuddered and took a couple of steps back. Her face was full of fear.

    "What time is it?"

    Ji-Ah took out her watch and checked the time. It was a ck digital watch with a cute design.

    "It''s four minutes past ten."

    She spoke in a trembling voice. It was 10:04 p.m. I needed to go back and get some sleep. I didn¡¯t know if I would be able to sleep well, though.

 Chapter 38

    <h4>Chapter 38</h4>

    I returned to my house afterpleting my schedule for the day andy in bed. I closed my eyes and tossed around for two hours, but I couldn¡¯t sleep. Instead, it became harder to sleep as time passed.

    I went outside to get some fresh air, but it was colder than I thought, and there was nowhere to go. So I had no choice but to go to the underground chapel. It was about two in the morning at that time.

    ¡°What the? You¡¯re not sleeping?¡±

    My uncle was reading a book in his usual ce. I was wondering what kind of book it was, so I checked. As expected, it was a book about money. He was a very consistent person.

    "Is that another economic book? We have a lot of money now. What¡¯s the point of reading that?"

    ¡°That¡¯s not right. If we have money, we should think about putting that money to work.¡±

    ¡°What if you end up losing money again?¡±

    ¡°Would you not go fishing just because you¡¯re afraid of worms? There is always a risk to return.¡±

    His words were notpletely wrong. Uncle continued, "And you have to put money to work. If you leave it alone, it¡¯ll slowly lose value."

    "What are you talking about?"

    ¡°The amount of money remains the same, but prices go up every year.¡± Uncle shrugged his shoulders and said it as if it were an obvious fact. His exnation was not very clear, so I didn¡¯t know exactly what he was trying to say, but I vaguely understood.

    My uncle continued to drone on about money for a few minutes after that. It was some random rabble about supply and demand.

    ¡°¡ªThus, in conclusion! The source of the money can be obfuscated. In technical terms, it¡¯s called moneyundering.¡±

    His lecture initially started with macroeconomics and investment advice but eventually shifted toward moneyundering.

    I was a novice in this field, so I had no idea what techniques he employed. In any case, my uncle was an expert inundering illegally acquired funds so that the money could be used in the regr market.

    "The money confiscated from Han Su-Yeop is in the process of beingundered right now.¡±

    "How long does it take?"

    "It takes two days minimum and a week maximum."

    Apparently, the cash andmodities in Han Su-Yeop''s room were in the process of beingundered. When I carefully asked the amount, he said, "Even if I give up my religious life, three generations can y and eat for the rest of their lives."

    In any case, it meant that there was a ridiculous amount of money. It was an amount that easily covered the losses incurred from the stock investment fromst time.

    "Su-Yeop, get me some coffee."

    "Ugh...¡±

    With a groan, Han Su-Yeop went to make a cup of coffee. My uncle looked at Han Su-Yeop with a smug expression.

    As a result of the fusion spell that I cast, Han Su-Yeop more or less became a zombie. However, he had notpletely lost his intelligence, so it was possible to educate and train him. Thus, Han Su-Yeop became an errand boy for the underground chapel. The first thing that Uncle taught Han Su-Yeop was how to make coffee.

    Soon, Han Su-Yeop served up coffee. My uncle epted the cup and took a sip.

    "It''s a little nd. It''s definitely convenient, but it¡¯s a shame that he sucks at controlling the amount of water.¡±

    "Aghhh...¡± Han Su-Yeop made a sound as if he was repenting for making a mistake. My uncle continued reading his book with the cup in his hand.

    Although Han Su-Yeop had been punished, and I was able to take all his money, my heart still felt heavy. It was because Yoon-Ah became a zombie and was still wandering inside Baal''s Maw.

    I had no idea how to turn zombies back into humans. That meant that Yoon-Ah might have to live as a zombie for the rest of her life. When I thought about that, it felt like my vision was going dark.

    [Don''t worry about it. If you ask <i>that guy</i>, I¡¯m sure there will be a way.] Legba said as I was trying to relieve my mixed feelings with a sigh. <i>That guy</i> referred to Baron Samedi.

    "Surely, right?"

    [Of course. He knows everything. Although I hate to admit it.] Legba said as if it were natural. It was somewhatforting.

    Indeed, there was surely a way. Even if there wasn¡¯t a way, I would find a way.

    I reaffirmed my resolve and moved to the warehouse that was located in the corner of the underground chapel. As I opened the door to the underground chapel and went inside, I saw Ji-Ah sleeping on top of a mattress in the corner of the room.

    I had no idea why she was sleeping in there even though there was a bedroom and a lounge that was avable. I went past Ji-Ah and searched the warehouse. I was able to find the Altar that we stole from Han Su-Yeop, and I took it out. To be precise, we didn¡¯t steal it¡ªit was simply returned to its rightful owner.

    I ced Altar in a decent location and searched for something to sacrifice. The voices of Loa, who were excited at the thought of receiving a sacrifice, rang in my head.

    [Oh, finally! Is it finally a sacrifice? I''ve been so hungry that even my hair follicles have dried up at this point!]

    [Be quiet, please. Shouting like that is demeaning.]

    [You''re looking forward to it too. You speak as if you don¡¯t want a sacrifice, but your body is being honest.]

    [Sacrifice. Half a year. It¡¯s been! I, very looking forward to. I can¡¯t stopughing!]

    The Loa chatted noisily in their respective tones. I ignored them and focused on finding a sacrifice.

    Soon, I found a box of sacrifices for the Loa. Because it had been half a year since the box had been touched, dust was piled on top.

    "There''s not much."

    I opened the box and looked inside. There were not many sacrifices, and they were not particrly of high quality either. If I were to grade the sacrifices, I would say they were somewhere between lesser and intermediate.

    But there was nothing else I had to offer, so unfortunately, I could only offer these as sacrifices.

    Once the money confiscated from Han Su-Yeop that was currently going throughundering became avable, I would be able to buy high-quality sacrifices with that money. However, the priority at the moment was to put out the urgent fire.

    Using the Altar, I sacrificed the offerings that were inside the box.

    [Phew, Come at me. I am the [strongest] right now.]

    I gave the Horn of Bullfighting to Bossou.

    [Thank you! I¡¯ve satiated my hunger a little. I¡¯m sorry forst time.]

    I gave the Soil That Holds a Smile to Granbwa.

    Other than that, I gave other sacrifices, such as the Lightning Struck Tree Branch and the Shipwrecked Steering Wheel, to the respective Loa that matched the sacrifice¡¯s characteristics. The sacrifices were not very good, and above all, the number of sacrifices was far toocking. It was probably going to be hard to utilize one hundred percent of the power of the Loa.

    However, I should be able to use about twenty percent of the power of Loa, and the drawbacks should be much less severe than before.

    [I. Didn¡¯t. Get. A. Sacrifice. Why?]

    As I was offering sacrifices, the fire Loa ¡®Marte,¡¯ which I had taken back from Han Su-Yeop, whined.

    [Shut up, you traitorous bastard.]

    [Sorry. Unfortunate.]

    Legba''s voice and Marte''s frightened voice alternated in my head. As a price for betrayal, Marte was going to starve for months.

    There was no need to make offerings to Legba, Baron Samedi, and another one of the Loa. All three of them were so powerful that they didn''t particrly have a need for sacrifices.

    [Do Sun-Woo! You can have my power! Do Sun-Woo! You can have my power!]

    [Do Sun-Woo, is he a god? Do Sun-Woo, is he a god? Do Sun-Woo, is he a god?]

    When all the offerings were sacrificed, the Loa frantically devoured them and thanked me. Thepliments were so fierce that they felt burdensome.

    "sphemy. Difficult."

    I lightly raised my hands in satisfaction. It was something that I wouldn¡¯t be able to do in front of others, but it was fine since there was no one else in the warehouse.

    ¡°Mr. Cult Leader? What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Mycent thought was soon erased.

    Ji-Ah had been sleeping for a long time, but she stood up and looked at me. I had no idea when she had woken up. Her eyes were half closed as if she had woken up just now.

    My face turned red in embarrassment.

    "...I umm. I needed to talk to the Loa for a moment to make sacrifices."

    "Aha. But what exactly is supposed to be difficult? Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯ll go out now.¡±

    I hurried out of the warehouse without answering.

    * * *

    [If you''re going to do that, take a sleeping pill.]

    "I don''t want to."

    [You¡¯re so stubborn for no reason. Does it make sense that you haven''t slept for six hours in two days?]

    "It doesn''t make sense. It won¡¯t kill me, though." As I responded with a smile, Legba sighed deeply in my head. It was a deep sigh that contained the weight of the world.

    [Do what you want to do. The one who¡¯s tired is you, not me anyway.]

    "Yes, yes. I''ll do what I want to do."

    [You still suck at wearing your necktie.]

    Legba kept muttering inside my head. I ignored Legba and focused on wearing my school uniform. Wearing a tie was still awkward. I definitely remember Jin-Seo showing me how to do itst time, but strangely, I couldn''t remember how it was done.

    After wearing my school uniform, I left my house and went to school. My head ached, and my steps felt incredibly heavy. There was also dizziness as if the world was spinning. It was because I didn¡¯t sleep well for the past two days.

    When I closed my eyes to sleep, I remembered In-Ah, who was desperately looking for her younger sister, and Yoon-Ah, who became a zombie.

    For the brief period of time when I was able to fall asleep, I had nightmares. And the contents of the nightmares were, of course, about the two sisters: In-Ah and Yoon-Ah. Even if I wanted to sleep, I just wasn¡¯t able to do so.

    But I didn''t want to take sleeping pills either. It was because it was easy to get dependent on drugs. If I became addicted, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep without sleeping pills for the rest of my life. I¡¯d rather sleep less than end up in that situation.

    [I understand, but you don¡¯t have to go so far. Excessive restraint is foolish.] Legba clicked his tongue and said.

    I just walked to school without responding. I had absent-mindedly lost focus along the way, and when I came to my senses, I was already in the ssroom.

    "What in the world?"

    Perhaps I had acquired a teleportation skill.

    [You lost consciousness while walking. You stupid, asinine idiot.]

    "Aha."

    I must have been really tired if I had lost consciousness while walking. I sat down in my seat and slept for a while. Obviously, I couldn''t sleep well. I was only able to fall asleep and wake up repeatedly. Instead of relieving my fatigue, my headache only worsened.

    [Take a sleeping pill. Or you can ask that guy from back then. The one who uses the ¡®blessing of peacefulness,¡¯ or whatever it¡¯s called.] Legba subtly advised.

    During the demon eradication practical training, I definitely remember there being a student who could cast the advanced blessing of peacefulness. But I couldn¡¯t remember her name. I think her hair was gray. The girl that was always around Ha-Yeon. What was her name again?

    ¡°Woo hey!¡±

    While trying to remember, someone tapped me on the head. While lying on my desk, I rotated my head to face her. In-Ah was looking at me while smiling with a shopping bag in one hand. Her eyes shone brightly.

    "Aren¡¯t you going to study today?"

    "I''m tired. But what the heck is ''woo hey''?"

    ¡°Because your name is Sun-Woo. I took the Woo from your name and added hey.¡±

    I wanted to ask her where she left the ¡®Sun,¡¯ but I didn¡¯t have the energy to ask, so I just nodded.

    In-Ah sat in the seat in front of me and stared at me with her head turned around. For some reason, I avoided looking at her. I didn¡¯t have the confidence to be able to treat her as usual.

    "You look really tired today. Do you want to sleep a bit?" In-Ah said as if she was worried. She seemed to think that it was because I was tired. I shook my head and moved my gaze back to In-Ah. Even if I tried to sleep, I didn¡¯t think I would be able to anyway.

    "What''s that?" I said while pointing to the shopping bag that In-Ah was holding. She smiled with vigor and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her face was filled with anticipation and excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing my sister today. I was going to give her a gift.¡±

    "Oh, you¡¯re sister. They said that they found her...¡±

    "Yup! I''m going to do practical training in the morning and then leave early during lunchtime to go to the Pdin Order immediately."

    I felt my heart tighten for some reason. I lifted my head and silently gazed at In-Ah. Her brown hair was slightly curly. Her bright brown eyes were twinkling. It was something I only realized now, but her eyshes were long, and her double eyelids were quite thick.

    She looked so simr.

    When I looked In-Ah, Yoon-Ah came to mind and made me feel depressed. And when I looked at Yoon-Ah, In-Ah came to mind, and my heart would sink. In-Ah and Yoon-Ah looked too simr to each other. They were so simr that it felt cruel.

    "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?¡±

    Oblivious to how I was feeling, In-Ah smiled brightly. She took out a hand mirror and examined her face from different angles.

    "Huh? There''s nothing on my face. Why were you looking at me like that?¡±

    "Just because. You looked so happy."

    In-Ah looked out the window and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious! Of course, I would feel happy. That''s right, the cherry blossoms are slowly beginning to bloom too.¡±

    Outside the window, I could see buds that had formed on the branches. The sky was clear and blue, and fresh sunlight was shining down on the buds like a warm embrace. It was an exceptionally beautiful day, but that made my heart feel even worse.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Huh? What?" In-Ah tilted her head as if she didn''t understand.

    "You said that the Pdin Order found your sister. Are you sure?"

    "I won¡¯t know that until I go there. But wouldn''t it be almost certain?" In-Ah answered with a slight frown as if she wondering why she was being asked such a question. The atmosphere, which had been warm just a moment ago, now felt somewhat stiff and cold.

    "Right."

    I said no more and just nodded.

    "Why did you ask that?¡±

    There was still a smile on In-Ah''s mouth, but unlike before, it was a little forced. The wind flowing from the gap in the windows blew and shook her hair.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    A ringing noise came from somewhere. However, there were no bells nearby. The image of Yoon-Ah screaming in the damp Baal¡¯s Maw shed through my eyes and disappeared.

    "Just in case. I thought it would be better not to expect too much."

    The smile around In-Ah''s mouth gradually hardened and soon disappeared. Her shining eyes were already empty.

    Only then did I realize that I had made a mistake.

    ¡°Sorry, what I just said was¨C¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± Without even giving me a chance to apologize, In-Ah spoke to me icily.

    My heart felt numb as if it had frozen over. In-Ah gazed at me with empty eyes that were deeper than the abyss.

    ¡°You sure are saying some strange things.¡±

    ¡°It was a mistake.¡±

    ¡°You told me not to look forward to it. That¡¯s not something you say on ident.¡±

    She was absolutely right.

    I was already well aware that her sister had be a zombie. I also knew that she was endlessly screaming while trapped inside Baal''s Maw. I already knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to reunite with her sister even if she went to the Pdin Order today. I already knew that her expectations and excitement would soon be reced by grief.

    If expectations were high, then disappointment would also be high, so I had said so in the hopes that her mental stability would not copse. It was not something that I said by mistake¡ªit was something that I earnestly said from the bottom of my heart.

    "I''m sorry."

    "Can''t I look forward to it?"

    My bted apology was lost in the wind.

    ¡°The Pdin Order called me and said that they found my sister. Isn¡¯t it fine for me to look forward to it?¡±

    I lowered my head in silence.

    ¡°Why are you telling me whether I should look forward to it or not?¡±

    Her voice trembled as she asked, "...Just who do you think you are?"

    The silence was fleeting, but it felt like it would never end. In-Ah nced at me with empty eyes, and she soon got up from her seat and left the ssroom.

    <i>Smash.</i>

    The sound of the door closing was loud.

    <i>Ring, rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle.</i>

    The sound of the bell ringing and the sound of the iron bars shaking kept echoing in my head.

    <i>Slide¨C!</i>

    "Hey. In-Ah, why are you so mad? What the? What happened?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk came inte and made a fuss.

    His timing was truly masterful.

 Chapter 39

    <h4>Chapter 39</h4>

    "You know that there is practical training this morning, right? Work hard, and have a good day! Ah, In-Ah,e to the teacher''s office for a moment."

    At the end of Ye-Jin''s homeroom ss, In-Ah pushed her chair in and rose from her seat. She then exited the ssroom.

    Several students, including Jun-Hyuk and me, nced at In-Ah. Perhaps it was because of her mood, but everyone seemed to be scared of her.

    "So why did you guys fight?" Jun-Hyuk approached and asked nonchntly.

    "I said something wrong."

    "What did you say? I''ve never seen In-Ah that angry. This is a world record."

    "I don''t know. Get lost...¡±

    I was sleepy, so I had no energy, but above all, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk. I didn''t answer and justy face down on the desk. Nevertheless, Jun-Hyuk continued to talk without getting discouraged.

    He said things like, ¡°Why did you fight?¡± and ¡°If you touch her today, you''ll die,¡± and so on. They were all words that weren¡¯t particrly meaningful.

    "It looks like you¡¯re not telling me no matter what. Should I just ask In-Ah?¡±

    As I remained at my desk without responding, Jun-Hyuk gave up and got up from his desk. Then I left the ssroom.

    A few minutester, I heard a crashing sound from the hallway. Jun-Hyuk, who had left, came back in. He seemed to have gotten hit by In-Ah because he was limping.

    "You said you¡¯de back after asking In-Ah. Why did youe back after getting hit?"

    ¡°She didn¡¯t answer the question, so I kept asking her when she suddenly hit me. What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Jun-Hyuk grumbled and fiddled with his shins.

    Soon, In-Ah returned to the ssroom. When I looked at her face, she seemed to be very angry. I wondered whether her anger would be relieved by today. No, it was entirely possible that she would not just ignore me today but would continue to ignore me in the future. When I thought about that, I felt a little depressed, and my mind just felt confused.

    ¡°Look at her face. She looks like she could kill someone. What should we do? I think you¡¯re in big trouble.¡± Jun-Hyuk smiled while looking back and forth between In-Ah and me. There was no sign of concern, and he just looked like he was having fun in this situation.

    * * *

    There was a practical training session in the morning. The venue was the sacred training ground. I went along with Jun-Hyuk, and In-Ah went with her own friends. In-Ah had many friends besides Jun-Hyuk and me.

    Besides me, she had a lot of people she could hang out with, and even if I didn¡¯t exist, it probably wouldn¡¯t affect her too much.

    <i>"Just who do you think you are?¡±</i>

    Suddenly, In-Ah''s voice drifted through my ears.

    I was really nothing to her. To her, if I existed, then that was fine, and if I didn¡¯t exist, then that was more or less fine as well.

    While I was walking, Legba coughed loudly, [You don¡¯t have to be so pessimistic about it.]

    Legba continued to speak, [Rtionships are always like this. If you try to catch them, they will run away, and if you try to let go, they wille to you. That¡¯s what a person is like. Don¡¯t worry about it too much, and just do what you need to do.]

    My heavy heart felt somewhat lighter after hearing his words. But that didn¡¯t mean I felt any better about this entire situation.

    Soon, we arrived at the sacred training ground. It was bustling with lots of people. There seemed to be students from sses other than the ss of Charity. When the time came, Ye-Jin greeted everyone with a big smile.

    "Nice to meet you~ Today''s practical training will be jointly conducted with the ss of Chastity and the ss of Charity. Recently, a lot of faculty members have been sent out on missions, so there are lots of joint training sessions.¡±

    Ye-Jin rambled on about some rtively unimportant things.

    With the simultaneous outbreak of demons and demonic beasts across the country, several teachers were dispatched to support the workforce. Therefore, there was ack of teachers in the school, and the number of joint training sessions naturally increased as a result. That was more or less what the teacher was saying.

    "Why do Satanists keep releasing demonic beasts and demons? Do they have nothing else to do?" Jun-Hyuk said as if he was mumbling to himself while listening. It sounded like a rhetorical question, so I just sat still without answering. Ye-Jin continued to drone on for an extended period of time when she checked her watch and then gasped in surprise.

    ¡°Oh dear, I can''t dy this any longer. I¡¯m sorry, everyone! I¡¯ll start exining the instructions for the practical training right away. The reason why you¡¯re all gathered here today is to create a fusion blessing array.¡±

    Ye-Jin exined while drawing four blessing arrays in the air. Soon, the strokes of each blessing array began to get tangled with other blessing arrays, and the four blessing arrays became one.

    The light of blessing emanating was blindingly bright and brilliant.

    It was a fusion blessing.

    I was the only one who could cast Voodoo spells as the cult leader, while fusion blessings could be cast as long as the caster was a priest that reached the archbishop level.

    [That¡¯s because Voodoo spell arrays have a much higher level of difficulty than blessing arrays.] Legba said in a low voice.

    Voodoo spells were difficult to master because of their higher difficulty, so it was difficult to distribute to normal attendees. On the other hand, blessings were easier to master because of their lower difficulty. Thus, higher-tier techniques like fusion blessings could be distributed to normal attendees.

    This was also one of the reasons why the Voodoo Cult lost the Holy War.

    "It''s kind of like this. I¡¯ll just skip over details and trust that everyone understands what to do! Ah, right, this practical training will be done in groups. The groups will beposed of four people. Everyone will cooperate with their group to cast a fusion blessing array, and then they will present what they have learned! I will now tell you about your groups!¡±

    Ye-Jin was out of breath just from announcing the contents of the practical training to all of the students. She looked rather hectic today.

    After collecting her breath for a while, she pulled something out of her pocket. At first nce, it looked like aser pointer but was too big. It was also too small to be called a beam projector.

    Ye-Jin injected divine power into the unidentified object.

    <i>Pat!</i>

    Light gushed out of the object and formed a floating hologram in the air.

    Group 1

    Sung Ha-Yeon, Koo Jun-Hyuk, Han Jun-Seo, Yoo Chan

    Group 2

    Ha Yuri, Heo Jun-Gang, Go Jang-Su, Im Dan-Myong

    Group 3

    Seo Yo-Han......

    ...

    ......

    In the hologram, theposition of all the groups from Group 1 to Group 50 were all indicated.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing. Technology has advanced so far. In the past, we only hadbat-type artifacts, but these days¨C¡±

    The identity of the object she just used seemed to be an artifact. Ye-Jin expressed her admiration by starting a lecture about the development of technology.

    I ignored Ye-Jin¡¯s words and simply stared at the hologram window that had appeared in front of me.

    Group 46

    Han Dae-Soo, Yoon Woo-Jin, Jung In-Ah, Do Sun-Woo

    I happened to be in the same group as In-Ah, who I just fought earlier. Jun-Hyuk was watching the window next to me, and he patted me on the shoulder. He smiled and said, "I wish you all the best! Good luck!"

    Then, he bolted toward his group. I was left alone as I looked around my surroundings. In-Ah stood with her arms folded in disapproval. Her re was so sharp that it looked like it could cut. It was difficult to approach her, but not approaching her was also a problem.

    "You¡¯re Do Sun-Woo, right?"

    As I was hesitating for a while, two students from the ss of Chastity approached me. They each had a name tag on their chest that read ¡®Han Dae-Soo¡¯ and ¡®Yoon Woo-Jin,¡¯ respectively. They were both in the same group as me: Group 46.

    Han Dae-Soo had long hair and a very rough impression, while Yoon Woo-Jin had short hair and a clean impression. It was easy to distinguish between the two of them because they did not resemble each other at all.

    While Han Dae-Soo and Yoon Woo-Jin were exchanging brief greetings, Ye-Jin added further exnations as an after-statement. "Everyone¨C! The time limit is 150 minutes¨C! You can decide the presenter and the group leader amongst yourselves¨C! You can start now¨C!¡±

    Unlike Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin¡¯s voice was quiet, so some children couldn''t understand Ye-Jin properly and tilted their heads in confusion.

    Thus, Ye-Jin continued to shout for a long time. Eventually, her strength seemed to run out, and she lowered her head while gasping heavily. If she was going to do that, wouldn¡¯t it have been better just to use a microphone?

    "She''s an interesting person. She¡¯s your homeroom teacher, right?¡± Yoon Woo-Jin asked with a smile. The tone of his voice felt like he was making fun of the opponent, but it seemed more like a habit rather than something that he did intentionally.

    As I nodded, Yoon Woo-Jin grinned with only one corner of his mouth raised like before.

    "What about In-Ah? Where is the girl named In-Ah? Isn¡¯t she from your ss?" Han Dae-Soo asked while scanning the area with a perplexed look on his face. His messy, ubed hair swayed back and forth on both sides. His tone had a crude quality to it.

    Yoon Woo-Jin and Han Dae-Soo were pr opposites in every aspect, from their appearance to their manner of speech and their habits.

    Then, someone trudged up behind Han Dae-Soo.

    "I¡¯m here. Is there a problem?"

    It was an ice-cold tone. The atmosphere hadn¡¯t exactly been amicable, but it had been somewhat okay. However, after In-Ah¡¯s arrival, the atmosphere quickly went cold.

    In-Ah crossed his arms and nced over at the three of us one by one while leaning on one foot. In particr, the gaze that touched me was as cold and frosty as ever.

    "We don''t have time to chat, so let''s start right away," In-Ah said. We hurriedly finished our greetings and prepared to draw the fusion blessing array.

    * * *

    "I''ll be the captain and presenter. Is that fine?¡± Before starting to draw the fusion blessing array in earnest, In-Ah confidently led the group meeting.

    Obviously, the higher your understanding of normal blessings, the easier it was to handle fusion blessings. And out of everyone in the group, the one who had the best understanding of blessings was definitely In-Ah.

    Thus, none of us could refute In-Ah''s words.

    "The keywords will be ''AoE,'' ''recovery,'' and ''spirit.'' We will focus on practicality, and the framework is¡ª"

    She went on to exin everything. She said some stuff about the projection of the spell, some details about the array, and something about the sections of the array that would be fused. I had no way of understanding a single thing that she was saying.

    I just quietly listened by the side and pretended to understand by asionally nodding my head.

    "Then, Han Dae-Soo. Just informally draw a brief outline of the spell projection. Yoon Woo-Jin, you remember all the blessings that I stated earlier, right? You can help from the side. And Sun-Woo..."

    In-Ah had been assigning roles in an orderly manner when she said my name and stopped talking. Her eyes, which had been burning with enthusiasm, cooled for a moment.

    "...You can figure out what you need to do on your own.¡±

    Then she awkwardly turned her head away. Her tone itself was not very cold, but the contents of her sentence were. It seemed like her anger had easedpared to before, but it didn''t seem like she hadpletely cooled off yet.

    Thus, the role assigned to me was to ''figure out what I needed to do on my own.'' However, even without me, the members of the group constructed a fusion blessing, and there was nothing I had to do.

    "Wait. But how about writing a presentation outline? Do we not have to do that?¡± Han Dae-Soo asked in wonder while drawing a projection.

    "We don¡¯t need one. I''m the presenter anyway."

    In other words, she basically saying, ¡®Everything is in my head, so we don¡¯t need anything like a presentation outline.¡¯

    Since it was none other than what In-Ah was saying, none of the group members questioned her words. She had a remarkable understanding of blessings, and all the group members were aware of this fact.

    "Yoon Woo-Jin. Please draw one more lesser blessing."

    ¡°Han Dae-Soo? Please do cross-validation of the blessing array and the projection. Do a briefing if there''s a mistake."

    "Oh, this part is wrong. Yoon Woo-Jin, help me fix it."

    In-Ah gave all the instructions. Not only did she give out all the instructions, but she was also in charge of drawing the most important parts of the fusion blessing array. Our group was practically like an In-Ah one-man team. Angry In-Ah was full of charisma unlike usual and didn¡¯t show any signs of wavering. I felt ufortable just watching from the side without doing anything, so I decided to help Yoon Woo-Jin draw a blessing array.

    But it didn''t seem to help much. Rather, the more I intervened, the more the blessing array seemed to get distorted.

    "Sun-Woo, don''t touch that ce."

    Yoon Woo-Jin was unable to bear it and ended up warning me. There was still a sneering grin on his mouth.

    "Ah, sorry." I quietly withdrew.

    If one thought about it, this was the natural result. For someone like me who couldn¡¯t even handle a regr blessing array properly, it was a bit of a stretch for me to handle a fusion blessing array.

    Discouraged by Yoon Woo-Jin''s warning, I just stared nkly at the members of the group who were busily drawing a blessing array.

    Even without me, Group 46 smoothly drew a blessing array. No, perhaps it was because I was not contributing that the blessing array was being created more smoothly.

    I was ¡®dead weight,¡¯ so to speak. I was just there to make the numbers and was not really necessary.

    Rather than just hanging around and doing nothing like this, I thought it would be better to get out of the way.

    "I''ll go to the bathroom real quick."

    Everyone was so engrossed in drawing the fusion blessing array that they didn''t answer me, so I got up and headed toward the bathroom.

    Inside the bathroom was Jun-Hyuk. He was standing in front of the washbasin mirror while turning his head around and arranging his hair.

    "What are you doing?"

    Jun-Hyuk looked at me in surprise.

    "What? Why are you here... Oh, no way... Did you get ''exiled¡¯ too?"

    "Exiled? What are you talking about?"

    "If you do group practical training, students are usually divided into three types."

    Jun-Hyuk raised three fingers.

    "One. A leader who leads the group by sharing roles."

    Then he continued to exin by folding his fingers one by one.

    "Two. A worker who performs a given task ording to the role. And¡ª"

    Jun-Hyuk folded hisst finger.

    "Three. Unnecessary losers. You and I belong here."

    Even though it was definitely true, it was still hard to ept. At the same time, I felt perplexed.

    "You''re somewhat decent at blessings. So how¡¯d you get exiled?¡±

    As for me, I couldn¡¯t handle blessings properly, so it made sense that I would get exiled from my group. But Jun-Hyuk was pretty good at blessings. Within the ss of Charity, his skill level was just below In-Ah¡¯s.

    Jun-Hyuk smiled awkwardly and answered, "There was another level in my group. You know, the one dressed in white. Sung, Sung... Sung Myung-Jun?¡±

    ¡°Sung Ha-Yeon.¡±

    "Yeah, her. Anyway, she said that she¡¯ll just do it herself and she told everyone else not to interfere."

    I had no idea how he remembered Sung Ha-Yeon as Sung Myung-Jun. Jun-Hyuk seemed to have a slightly different way of remembering namespared to other people.

    "And then what did she say? I think she said something like, ¡®You''re all so stupid, so you probably can''t understand what I''m saying.¡¯ It was a bit annoying. I had no idea why she was using honorifics either~"[1]

    Jun-Hyuk copied Ha-Yeon''s tone and expression. It was a high-quality performance.

    "She''s been like that since middle school."

    "Oh, you were in the same middle school? It must have been tough."

    Jun-Hyuk shook his head. Ha-Yeon had always been consistently arrogant. However, it was a fact that her skills matched her arrogance. She would probably be able to deploy a fusion blessing on her own. It was safe to say that she deserved to be arrogant. Of course, I still hated Ha-Yeon. Whenever I saw her, I just felt a physiological rejection.

    ¡°As for you, it must be because of the awkwardness. In-Ah probably didn¡¯t assign you anything, so you must havee here. I can totally see that happening.¡±

    Everything that Jun-Hyuk said was absolutely correct. It was so urate that I began to wonder whether I had a hidden microphone or a surveince camera attached to my body.

    After smiling bitterly and finishing my business, I immediately tried to leave the bathroom.

    "Hey, just stay here. Even if you go back, you probably won¡¯t be of much help anyway.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk kept messing with his hair. He messed up the hair that he had gone through all that effort of tidying, and then he would once again fix up his hair. It looked like he had spent the entire practical training session repeating this same process.

    ¡°No one wants us in the group anyway. It¡¯s better to just kill time by fooling around here.¡±

    He was absolutely right. Even if I went back, I wouldn¡¯t be of any help, and none of my group members would wee me. However, that didn¡¯t mean I could stay cooped up in the bathroom the entire time.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like getting carried for free.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we¡¯re getting carried for free, it¡¯s that we don¡¯t have a license. If someone without a license tries to drive, then that¡¯s just going to cause an ident. We¡¯re helping them by staying still.¡±

    ¡°But doing nothing is still a bit...¡±

    ¡°Ah, if you go back, then I¡¯ll have nothing to do again,¡± Jun-Hyuk pouted in disappointment. I left him behind and exited the bathroom. I headed back to where my group members were.

    The group members were still absorbed in drawing the fusion blessing array. They didn''t seem to care much whether I hade back or not.

    "Oh, Sun-Woo. Help me connect this part here. This part just doesn¡¯t seem to work out for some reason."

    Sometimes Yoon Woo-Jin asked me for help. Every time, I helped them with all my might. However, it was very much ¡®sometimes.¡¯ Other than those ¡®sometimes,¡¯ no one really needed me here. Just like this, time passed by. Even though the amount of time that passed was only two hours, to me, it felt like an eternity.

    * * *

    "Everyone~ time''s up! Each group leader, pleasee out. I''ll decide the order of presentation now~"

    Soon, 150 minutes passed by, and it was presentation time.

    At Ye-Jin''s call, each group leader slowly came forward. The order of presentation was decided by pulling lots. It was a ssic but fair way.

    The lot number that In-Ah drew read ¡®24,¡¯ which meant that we were going to be the 24th group to present.

    "You picked well."

    "Indeed. We¡¯re right in the middle."

    Yoon Woo-Jin and Han Dae-Soo praised In-Ah''s lot-picking skills. The 24th slot was just right because it wasn''t too early or toote.

    Nevertheless, In-Ah''s face showed no signs of joy. While looking intently at the number ''24'' written on the lot, she murmured softly, "Who''s in front of us is important.¡±

    Before I had a chance to understand what she was saying, Ye-Jin''s voice came from behind.

    "The presentation time is one minute per group. After the presentation, the presenter will take questions for one minute. Depending on how well you answer your friends¡¯ questions, you may be given extra points or vice versa! Also, it is possible for other team members other than the presenter to answer the question!¡± Ye-Jin said with a microphone that she had brought from somewhere. She looked a lot morefortable than before. While smiling broadly, Ye-Jin added, "I should have used a microphone earlier~"

    "Then the first group should be... Group 49! Where''s the presenter for Group 49?¡± Ye-Jin asked while scanning the area. The presenter from Group 49 raised his hand with a bitter expression. Ye-Jin approached them and handed over the microphone.

    The face of the presenter turned pale as if he were nervous while grabbing the microphone. He sighed deeply, cleared his throat, and soon began to present.

    ¡°I am the pre¨Cpresenter for Group 49. My name is Jung Chan-Hee. The fusion blessing array we made uses¡ª¡±

    The presentation time was very short, only one minute. At first, I thought it would be nice and convenient since it was short, but looking at Group 49¡¯s presentation, my thoughts changed. Since the presentation time was short, presenters had to summarize the key points. Anyone who was not able to do so would go over time and lose marks. Of course, some people finished the presentation within a minute by speaking quickly or omitting some of the contents. One example was Group 3.

    However, they didn''t get a perfect score either.

    "Why was there a lesser blessing array on the bottom left? What was the intention behind that?"

    "Oh, that was a mistake in the process of making¨C"

    "The joints between the blessing arrays feel a bit loose. Was this intentional as well?"

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t intentional at all. It was the result of a minor mistake, however, if you look at the overall structure, it doesn¡¯t affect the¨C¡±

    ¡°Then is the fusion blessing array just a mistake from start to finish? Was there anything that you intentionally did?¡±

    After Group 3¡¯s presenter sessfullypleted the presentation and let out a sigh of relief, they panicked as a result of getting overwhelmed by a bombardment of questions. Ha-Yeon asked all the questions. She drove presenters into a corner by delivering urate and sharp feedback.

    "You couldn¡¯t answer the questions, so I think you¡¯ll get some points deducted. The quality of the responses to the questions was disappointing, but the presentation was good! Good job~"

    "Yes... Thank you..."

    In the end, Group 3¡¯s presenter could not answer Ha-Yeon''s questions.

    After the Q&A, Group 3¡¯s presenter nked out for a long time with a stunned face and then started to sob. Ha-Yeon looked at her as if she was looking at something shameful and ridiculed her.

    Thus, 22 groupspleted their presentations, but none of them received a perfect score. Either they lost marks for exceeding the time limit, or they lost marks due to failing to answer Ha-Yeon''s question. It was either one of the two.

    "Who''s next?"

    After the 22nd presentation, it was now the 23rd presentation. Our turn would be after that. In-Ah collected her breath while holding back her nervousness.

    When Ye-Jin asked for the next group, someone raised their hand and opened their mouth.

    "It''s our group."

    Their tone was calm, and their voice was small. Nevertheless, the voice was clear and distinct. Inside the sacred training ground, everyone''s eyes were on her.

    "Oh...."

    In-Ah was preparing for the presentation, and she sighed in despair as she looked at her.

    In-Ah¡¯s words of ¡°who''s in front of us is important¡± briefly lingered in my ears.

    1. In the original, she uses honorifics, which can¡¯t really be expressed in English. ?

 Chapter 40

    <h4>Chapter 40</h4>

    In-Ah just stared nkly at the fusion blessing array that Ha-Yeon had deployed. Ha-Yeon held the microphone and continued her presentation while pointing at various parts of the fusion blessing array with her hand.

    ¡°The lesser blessing arrays that connect the core blessing array, shown here, act as a ¡®bridge.¡¯ It is a device that prevents ¡®collisions¡¯ between blessing arrays from urring. Also¡ª¡±

    In-Ah was confident that she could handle blessings well. In reality, it was true that she was good at handling blessings, and her skills were so good that no one in the ss of Charity coulde close to rivaling her. However, that was only ¡®within the ss of Charity.''

    ¡°The blessings were not forcefullybined, but rather, blessings with simr characteristics naturally harmonized on their own, which helped reduce the loss of divine power and maximized efficiency. From a broad perspective, each blessing array was strategically ced to synergize with each other and to make up for each other''s shorings. I would like to add that¡ª¡±

    A few students tilted their heads as if they could notprehend Ha-Yeon''s words. In-Ah was just barely able to understand Ha-Yeon''s words, but she was literally only just barely able to do so. Ha-Yeon was literally a genius. However, she was not just a genius at manipting blessing arrays.

    <i>''58.41 seconds.''</i>

    When Ha-Yeon finished her presentation, Ye-Jin immediately turned off the timer and checked the time. Ha-Yeon''s presentation time was 58 seconds and 41 centiseconds. She made the most of the time given but did not exceed the time provided.

    In the first ce,pleting the presentation in under one minute was apletely nonsensical request. However, Ha-Yeon was able to exin everything that could be exined within that one minute.

    Even though the time for Q&A had arrived, the students were all silent. It was because there was nothing to ask. In the first ce, it was rare for students to perfectly understand Ha-Yeon''s presentation.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to ask a question!¡±

    Nheless, some people were persistent in asking questions. They were the presenters who unfairly had their points deducted because of Ha-Yeon''s question. Fueled purely out of spite for Ha-Yeon, they somehow found questions to ask and raised their hands.

    ¡°It looks like the joints are loose! Was that intentional?!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was intentional. If the distance between the arrays is too close, as I said before, a ¡®collision¡¯ phenomenon urs.¡±

    ¡°We-well, wouldn¡¯t that reduce efficiency?¡±

    ¡°I supplemented it by making the lesser blessing array act as a ¡®bridge¡¯ between the two. I already exined all this during the presentation. Did you not understand it properly?¡±

    "Um...! Th-then! What about that...!¡±

    A student exchanged a brief discussion with Ha-Yeon, but the result was disastrous. The student soon ran out of things to ask and sat back down. Just like her presentation, Ha-Yeon did a perfect job of answering her questions. She was undoubtedly getting a perfect score.

    <i>''She¡¯s amazing.''</i>

    Ye-Jin inwardly expressed her admiration and tried to give full marks to all the members of Group 1, to which Ha-Yeon belonged.

    ¡°Oh, and Teacher. I have something to tell you.¡±

    Ye-Jin''s hand stopped in the middle of scoring.

    ¡°Yes, go ahead, please.¡±

    ¡°I drew the fusion blessing array on my own, and I prepared the presentation by myself. I don''t want you to give marks to the other members,¡± she said in a cynical tone. Jun-Hyuk had been listening while dozing off, and he jumped up from his seat.

    ¡°What?! Hey. No, You told me to stay still and not interrupt¡ª¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to really stay still. Anyway, it¡¯s true that I did everything by myself, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Jun-Hyuk was about to protest, but he sat back down. It sucked, but it was true.

    Looking at them, Ye-Jin frowned slightly. If it was judged that there was ack ofmunication among the members, she was supposed to give them a deduction, but Ha-Yeon''s presentation was too perfect to give a deduction.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can give no points to them, but I take what you said into ount. Oh, student Ha-Yeon.¡±

    "Yes."

    ¡°The presentation was very good, so I thought I would use it as reference material for practical training in other sses. Could you please submit your presentation outline or cue cards?¡±

    "Ah. I''m sorry, but that may be difficult.¡± Ha-Yeon tly refused.

    Ye-Jin tilted her head. ¡°Is there a reason?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have an outline. I can write it for you now if you want.¡±

    "Aha... I understand~¡± Ye-Jin said calmly, but she felt fear deep inside her heart. It was because Ha-Yeon had made such a perfect presentation without any outlines or cue cards.

    She was still immature in many ways, but one day she would surely be a priest who would surpass her. That was how Ye-Jin evaluated Ha-Yeon.

    "Ah! Then next up, the 24th group is... Group 46? Who is the presenter of Group 46?¡±

    After looking at Ha-Yeon for a while, Ye-Jin btedly resumed the practical training session. Group 46¡¯s presenter, In-Ah, carefully raised her hand and took the microphone. Even after In-Ah had picked up the microphone, she couldn''t bring it to her mouth easily, and she took several breaths while standing. Her face was pale and blue.

    ¡°I¡¯m the presenter for Group 46, Jung In-Ah. I will begin... the presentation."

    Soon after, she started her presentation.

    ¡°First of all, the keywords of the convergence blessing array developed by our 46th group are ¡®area,¡¯ ¡®recovery,¡¯ and ¡®spirit¡¯¡ª¡±

    Once the presentation started, In-Ah, who had been trembling for a long time, spoke well with a clear flow. She properly utilized silence and emphasized certain words to increase the listener''s retention rate, and she helped the audience understand the difficult parts by giving examples.

    She said, ¡°Injuries sustained during battle can be quickly recovered through ¡®healing,¡¯ but mental fatigue can not. This is a blessing array that we conceived using this fact as a basis. Its focus is on practicality©¤¡±

    Looking at thepleteness of the fusion blessing array, it wasn¡¯t as good as Ha-Yeon¡¯s. However, the presentation was much more considerate to the listeners, and thus, the quality of In-Ah¡¯s presentation was superior. Overall, In-Ah¡¯s presentation wasparable to Ha-Yeon¡¯s presentation in terms of quality.

    ¡°Okay, that concludes the presentation. Thank you."

    Thus, In-Ah sessfullypleted her presentation without making a single mistake.

    Ye-Jin checked the timer. 56.13 seconds. The time management was also excellent.

    ¡°Yes. Everybody, if you have any questions for Group 46, you can ask them now~¡± Ye-Jin looked around and said. It was quiet. It was just like right after Ha-Yeon¡¯s presentation.

    Even Ha-Yeon, who used to bite her opponent like a hyena whenever it was time for Q&A, was quiet for now. There was silence for a moment on the sacred training ground.

    ¡°No questions? Then, the next group¡ª¡±

    ¡°I have a question.¡±

    Just as In-Ah was about to pull the microphone away from her mouth, Ha-Yeon, who had been sitting and tilting her head for a long time, raised her hand and asked a question.

    In-Ah had been breathing a sigh of relief, but she hupped in surprise.

    ¡°Ugh, yes. Please speak."

    ¡°The intermediate blessing of recovery in the upper right corner. And is that an intermediate... blessing of peacefulness? The junction of the two blessings seems a bit unique. Can you exin that part, please?¡±

    In-Ah nced over at her group¡¯s fusion blessing array. As Ha-Yeon said, the junction between the blessing arrays was a bit odd. However, In-Ah did not have the skills to exin it.

    ''What the¨C why is that...¡¯

    The reason for this was that the oddity had been entirely unintentional. In-Ah tilted her head and looked carefully at what Ha-Yeon had pointed out. Only that part of the array was particrlyplex and tightly connected. She didn¡¯t know exactly what this phenomenon was, but thanks to this, the blessing array was closely connected without ''conflict,'' and the efficiency seemed to be maximized.

    However, she couldn¡¯t exactly say, ¡®I¡¯m not entirely sure what this phenomenon is.¡¯

    ¡°Oh, that part.¡±

    It seemed better just to be honest and say it was unintentional. At least she wouldn¡¯t be embarrassed that way.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I intended¡ª¡±

    Ye-Jin interrupted In-Ah and chirped, ¡°That''s a really good question~ It''s safe to say that the core of the blessing array created by Group 46 is there! I was amazed by that part too. Oh sorry! Go ahead!¡±

    Ye-Jin was smiling radiantly. For some reason, the smile felt cruel to In-Ah. Because of Ye-Jin''s words, it became difficult to tell the truth. There was a long silence. In-Ah''s face gradually got redder until it was red like a beetroot. She had a tendency to blush quickly when she was in trouble.

    <i>''We¡¯re doomed....¡¯</i> In-Ah dropped her head. She would lower her head when she felt her face heat up. She did so to hide her blushing face.

    Meanwhile, Ha-Yeon, who had asked the question, snickered after seeing In-Ah''s expression. In Group 46¡¯s fusion blessing array, the quality of the joint section was far beyond the capabilities of a student.

    It looked artificial, but it also looked natural at the same time. Conversely, it looked natural, but it also looked artificial. Within that joint, there was a delicateness that narrowly toed the line between artificial and natural. She wondered if it was intentional, but it wasn''t.

    "You''re not going to tell me it wasn''t meant to be, are you? That part is the key.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon immediatelyunched an attack. In-Ah couldn''t answer, and she just stood there with her head hanging. She didn''t know what to say, and when she tried to say something, the words wouldn''te out. Her burning face showed no signs of cooling down. But that didn''t mean that she could continue to avoid answering forever.

    She decided not to drag it out and to just admit the truth and cleanly back out. She would get a small deduction, and it would be a little embarrassing, but she couldn¡¯t think of any other way of getting out of this situation.

    In-Ah brought her mic to her mouth. ¡°Sor¡ª¡±

    <i>Grasp.</i>

    ¡°...ry?"

    Then, Sun-Woo took In-Ah''s microphone. In-Ah stopped what she was saying and raised her head curiously. Her face, which had been flushed with embarrassment, cooled off in an instant.

    ¡°Allow me to exin.¡±

    Sun-Woo held onto the microphone and spoke confidently.

    ¡°Principal, axis. Ah. In the fusion array that Group 46 constructed, we designated this specific joint as the principal axis. Within this joint, we utilized the ''entanglement'' phenomenon, which is a sub-concept of the ''collision'' phenomenon. Thank you~¡±

    After a brief exnation, he returned to his seat as if nothing had happened. Everyone stared nkly at Sun-Woo with stunned expressions.

    Within the deafening silence, Ha-Yeon jumped up from her seat. Unlike usual, she seemed a little excited. ¡°Hang on, wait a minute. The exnation was not enough. How did you use the entanglement phenomenon?¡±

    ¡°If there is too much entanglement, then collisions ur, right? However, if it is not too excessive, it allows for a rather efficient convergence.¡±

    ¡°No, that is... Correct... but." Ha-Yeon stuttered as if she was flustered.

    What Sun-Woo said was theoretically correct. Competent high-ranking priests could exploit entanglement to more easily and efficiently deploy fusion blessing arrays. However, Sun-Woo was not a high priest. He wasn¡¯t even a high-ranking pdin or crusader either. There was no way he could have used the entanglement phenomenon.

    ¡°Then, are you saying that the entanglement was intentionally used? How?"

    ¡°First, I let the entanglement phenomena ur, and then I intentionally cut the strokes of the array to control the degree of entanglement.¡±

    ¡°Cut the strokes? Intentionally? What absolute nonsense.¡±

    Ha-Yeon reexamined Group 46¡¯s fusion blessing array, especially the junction she pointed out. As Sun-Woo said, the strokes were intentionally cut off. At that point, she had no choice but to admit it. She had no idea what trick he had used, but Sun-Woo had intentionally exploited the entanglement phenomenon.

    ¡°Then, then... What are the principles behind the entanglement phenomenon?¡± Thus, Ha-Yeon asked another question. It was a question that could never be answered by a student. It was a question with a malicious purpose.

    Sun-Woo tilted his head as if he were thinking for a moment, then he answered, "I do not know. That is all."

    His answer gave off a brazen and confident attitude. Ha-Yeon was dumbfounded, but a slight smile formed on her face. It was because she was delighted by the fact that she had found a loophole.

    ¡°Then, in the first ce, the fact that the entanglement phenomenon was intentionally caused¡ª¡±

    "Stop. Student Sun-Woo gave a very clear and concise answer!¡±

    Ye-Jin interrupted Ha-Yeon from continuing her onught of questions. Ye-Jin smiled while quietly ncing at Ha-Yeon and continued.

    ¡°The principles behind the entanglement have not yet been rified. That''s a question even I can''t answer. Student Ha-Yeon, please sit down.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±

    Ha-Yeon sat down with a grim face.

    ¡°Student Sun-Woo, how did youe up with the idea of using entanglement? Newtube[1] can¡¯t tell you about this.¡±

    "Ah yes. This kind of stuff doesn¡¯t show up on NewTube.¡±

    Sun-Woo also jokingly replied to what Ye-Jin¡¯s joke. He was unbelievably rxed at the moment.

    Sun-Woo grabbed the microphone and pointed at In-Ah. ¡°It was an order from the group leader, In-Ah.¡±

    "Yes?"

    Sun-Woo said it was In-Ah''s order, but she tilted her head. Ye-Jin looked at Sun-Woo and In-Ah alternately with a look of interest.

    "Hmm. I see. Yes, I got it. Both the presentation and Q&A were very good. Let¡¯s move on to the next presentation.¡±

    Ye-Jin nodded her head slightly while keeping her gaze fixed on Sun-Woo.

    No matter how one looked at it, it did not look like In-Ah had given Sun-Woo instructions. Utilizing the entanglement phenomenon to create a fusion blessing array appeared to be purely Sun-Woo¡¯s idea.

    But Sun-Woo gave all the credit to In-Ah.

    Why?

    She couldn''t possibly guess why.

    * * *

    Fusion blessings had different propertiespared to fusion Voodoo spells. However, the creation method and principles were simr.

    The entanglement phenomenon existed in Voodoo spell formations, and I would often use the entanglement phenomenon when deploying the fusion Voodoo spell.

    That''s why I was able to answer Ha-Yeon''s question.

    [You almost made a mistake. Be careful next time. You managed to get through it well with improvisation, though.]

    Due to that, I almost made a mistake while answering by confusing Voodoo arrays with blessing arrays. Legba rebuked me for that. It was a reasonable point, so I just nodded my head.

    In the meantime, the presentations continued, and the practical training ended after around two hours.

    [Forty minutes.]

    The practical training ended in not two hours but around forty minutes. It was so boring that I thought that at least two hours had passed by, but it had only been forty minutes.

    While agonizing over the reason why the speed of time felt different in different situations, Jun-Hyuk strode forward with furious steps.

    ¡°Is Ha-Yeon always like that? I really want to bitch p her...¡±

    It was aint mixed with anger. He had a brief argument with Ha-Yeon after the practical training, but judging from the look on his face, it didn¡¯t look like he had won. He had a very depressed and angry face.

    From my point of view, Ha-Yeon and Jun-Hyuk were more or less the same.

    Ha-Yeon tried to monopolize points after telling her teammates not to do anything while Jun-Hyuk did nothing and messed with his hair in the bathroom.

    Of course, I also didn''t do anything other than answer Ha-Yeon''s question. I was in no position to say anything to Jun-Hyuk. So I just listened quietly.

    ¡°I mean, if she¡¯s going to be like that, then why does she bother to use honorifics? She has absolutely no respect for the opponent. What''s the point of adding honorifics?"

    Jun-Hyuk continued toin about Ha-Yeon even after leaving the sacred training ground. He must have had a lot of anger stacked up inside.

    ¡°Even her expression looks like she views people as bugs¡ª¡±

    Jun-Hyuk''sints, which did not seem to end, soon came to an abrupt end. Right in front of the training ground, someone was looking at us with their arms crossed.

    "Ah! I suddenly feel like running today,¡± Jun-Hyuk said awkwardly. He scratched his head and assessed the situation before sprinting away at an insane speed like a maniac.

    <i>Tadadada</i>¡ª

    I stared at Jun-Hyuk''s back as he faded away into the distance. When he was running away, his running speed would be two or three times faster than usual.

    "Do... Sun."

    Within the silence, In-Ah called me out awkwardly with her arms crossed.

    Last time, she greeted me with only ¡®Woo,¡¯ but this time, it seemed that she decided to greet me with only ¡®Do Sun.¡¯ It was simr in some ways, but her tone waspletely different.

    I just nodded without answering. I had nothing in particr to say. Silence passed by, and as always, In-Ah was the first to speak.

    ¡°I never ordered you to do anything, so why did you lie?¡±

    Her voice trembled, and her manner of speech was awkward. It seemed she was trying to indicate that she was still angry.

    ¡°I just ¡®figured out what I needed to do on my own¡¯ like you told me to.¡±

    I tried to answer as if it was not a big deal, but the words came out awkwardly as well, perhaps because the atmosphere was so awkward. The silence was longer than the exchange of words. Rather than conversing, it felt like we were opening our mouths to break the asional silence.

    ¡°...It''s okay!" In-Ah said with a sharp and blunt tone while heading back to the ssroom.

    I don''t know what answer I had been hoping for. She didn''t look angry, but rather, she looked upset. I was d that she at least felt better than she did in the morning. When I returned to the ssroom btedly, In-Ah was not there, only Jun-Hyuk.

    Jun-Hyuk came over and said, ¡°She just went to the teacher¡¯s office to leave early. She is going to see her sister."

    Come to think of it, I remember she said that she was going to leave early after only doing practical training in the morning.

    ¡°She seemed to be in a better mood. I think she will be back to normal tomorrow?"

    "That¡¯s a relief."

    ¡°Usually, she gets angry quickly, and she gets better quickly. Let¡¯s go get some food,¡± Jun-Hyuk said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. We ate lunch as usual. We didn''t go for a walk, and we went straight to the ssroom and took the afternoon ss.

    Today, Jun-Hyuk was quieter than usual. I don''t know if it was because In-Ah wasn¡¯t here, but he didn''t open his mouth except for when he was pulling the asional prank on me.

    The next day, In-Ah didn''te to school.

    1. Fictional clone of Youtube. ?

 Chapter 41

    <h4>Chapter 41</h4>

    ¡°I got a call from In-Ah saying that she is taking a break again today because she is sick. It¡¯s almost time for the test, so take good care of yourselves, and also the kidnapping! The kidnapping case. I always say this, but be careful because another person is said to have gone missing due to abduction this time¡ª¡±

    Ye-Jin''s homeroom ss was longer than usual today. As can be seen from the word ¡®again today,¡¯ In-Ah had note to school for the past two days.

    I texted her and even called her yesterday, but she never replied. She seemed to be in contact with Ye-Jin, so it didn''t seem like she was unable to respond. So that meant that she was intentionally avoiding contact with us, but I couldn''t figure out why.

    ¡°¡ªAs you all know, the Holy Name of Charity has been vacant due to an unfortunate incident, so there will be a re-election exam soon! We n to select candidates based on test scores and daily conduct. An exact schedule has not been set yet, but keep it in mind for now. Have a nice day then~¡±

    After saying all that, Ye-Jin left the ssroom. Jun-Hyuk slept the whole time in homeroom and woke up while doing stretches the moment Ye-Jin left. He then stumbled toward me with unsteady steps.

    ¡°What did the teacher say? I didn¡¯t hear it because I was sleeping."

    Jun-Hyuk would always sleep during homeroom, so he would always miss out on the announcements.

    ¡°The kidnapping case and the re-election of the Holy Name of Charity.¡±

    ¡°Re-elected? Or are they going to re-elect?¡±

    ¡°They are going to re-elect. They are going to take the test results and the candidate¡¯s usual conduct into consideration.¡±

    "Aha. Huh?" Although Jun-Hyuk had been yawning and nodding his head as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, he suddenly muttered in confusion.

    ¡°They will take the candidate¡¯s usual behavior into consideration? Why?"

    ¡°It must be because of Sung-Hyun. He was expelled because of a personality problem.¡±

    ¡°Wow, Sung-Hyun, you son of a bitch...¡± Jun-Hyuk said. He then cried while pulling apart his hair.

    Jun-Hyuk slept during every ss, never did homework, and joked back at the teacher whenever he was scolded. He had a bad reputation among teachers. If they only graded based on the candidate¡¯s usual behavior, Jun-Hyuk would probably get the lowest or second-lowest score.

    ¡°Should I just give up? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a chance.¡±

    ¡°I agree. The way I see it, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any hope for you at all.¡±

    ¡°You little punk. When a friend is in distress, you''re supposed to console them, even if you don¡¯t mean it.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk''s usual behavior was so much of a lost cause that it was impossible to console him, even with empty words. The chances of Jun-Hyuk bing the Holy Name of Charity were practically non-existent unless he did exceptionally well on the test.

    Of course, if he did really well on the test, his usual behavior wouldn¡¯t matter at all because Florence Academy had a strong tendency to value ability rather than personality.

    I wondered whether the statement that they would check the usual behavior of a candidate was just an excuse to add the teachers¡¯ subjectivity to the selection process. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but it was just spection.

    [It''s strange.] In the midst of talking about the re-election exam, Legba muttered to himself.

    I wondered what was so strange. If he was saying that the structure of Florence Academy, where skill was more important than faith, was strange, then I agreed with him.

    Florence Academy tabooed religious beliefs to the extent that was beyond strange, and it approached the realm of being bizarre.

    [Not that. Why did another person go missing again?]

    "Ah."

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you, all of a sudden?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk looked at me curiously, but I had no time to pay attention to Jun-Hyuk. It was because I had understood Legba''s words.

    The Zapduists kidnapped people to rally believers. The perpetrator of the recent kidnapping cases was also the Zapduists. This was a fact that Han Su-Yeop himself confessed, so it was certain. If that was the case, then the kidnappings should have stopped urring. The Zapduist Cult had copsed, and Cult Leader Han Su-Yeop had been reduced to a zombie servant.

    But why did another person go missing?

    <i>©¤p!</i>

    ¡°Ah, what the¡ªthat surprised me."

    The chain of thoughts that had been revolving inside my head was suddenly cut off. It was because Jun-Hyuk had pped right in front of my face.

    Jun-Hyuk was staring down at me in amazement. ¡°You¡¯re totally spacing out. Let¡¯s go out?¡±

    ¡°Why are we leaving? Do we have practical training today?¡±

    "No? It''s a ss, but it''s an outdoor ss on Eiden Hill. I wonder if it involves mountain hiking.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk almost dragged me out of the ssroom. I had no choice but to be pulled along by him. The thoughts in my mind were stillplicated.

    Why didn''t In-Ahe to school? Why was another person missing? Why was the ss suddenly taking ce in the mountains? Just what kind of ss was this? All sorts of thoughts and questions were running through my head. My mind became clouded and my thoughts became distant. It was like my brain had stopped functioning correctly all of a sudden.

    For a long time, it seemed like I was just following Jun-Hyuk in a daze.

    [Don''t think about it, just leave your body to the flow. Today, and just as always, watch out for fire!]

    I woke up to a sudden voice. I shook my head twice. Thendscape was unfamiliar. Before I knew it, I had arrived at Eiden Hill.

    Purple fog enveloped the area and danced through thendscape as if greeting me. The fog was soon carried into the sky by the wind.

    * * *

    ¡°Damn it. I''m so sleepy. I think I will die out of sleepiness,¡± Do-Jin said while holding an Americano in one hand. Beside him were Bok-Dong and Ye-Jin side by side. It was like all the professors from each department had gathered together.

    They were all walking somewhere while talking about various topics.

    "It''s because you didn¡¯t sleep enough. Lack of sleep leads to a reduction inbat effectiveness. Cut down on the caffeine too. Too much is poison.¡±

    Bok-Dong rebuked Do-Jin. Bok-Dong had a protein shake in his hand.

    ¡°Just let him be. He says that he wants to die young,¡± Ye-Jin said with a wide grin. Compared to her gentle impression, her manner of speaking was a bit rough. While vigorously walking, she asionally sipped on the cup of hot chocte that she was holding.

    Do-Jin looked at Bok-Dong with a disgruntled face andined, ¡°Why did they assign this task to us? It seems like a waste of manpower.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t ask the elders to do chores like this!¡±

    ¡°But why are they making us do the chores? Also, do we really need three people for this task in the first ce?¡±

    ¡°There must be a deep meaning behind all this.¡±

    ¡°Deep meaning, my ass.¡±

    After Do-Jin drank the rest of the Americano in one gulp, he carelessly crushed the empty cup and tossed it onto the floor. A hollow, dry sound echoed around the area as the cup bounced across the floor.

    Ye-Jin widened her eyes in surprise.

    ¡°Pick it up! Littering is illegal.¡±

    "I can¡¯t be bothered...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t be bothered?! Pick it up quickly!¡±

    Do-Jin reluctantly picked up the discarded cup again. He then tossed it into a nearby trash can. Only then did Ye-Jin smile in satisfaction.

    "There you go. As a teacher, we have to set an example!¡±

    ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re giving me a headache.¡±

    Do-Jin put a hand on his temple and pressed it hard. It was a headache caused by ack of sleep. He had only slept for two hours yesterday as well. He was so sleepy, but Ye-Jin kept getting on his nerves. It felt like Ye-Jin hadn''t changed at all from her high school days.

    ¡°With the three of us here, this reminds me of our time in Florence Academy.¡±

    While walking for a while, Bok-Dong suddenly became lost in reminiscing. Do-Jin frowned at him in disgust.

    ¡°Keep your shbacks to yourself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good. The more you share the memories, the more fun it is.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s as big as a bear but needlessly sentimental. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Ye-Jin said while shaking her head as if she was also disgusted.

    "Tell me about it," Do-Jin said while nodding in agreement.

    All three of them were Florence Academy graduates and were ssmates. The three had been close enough to die for each other during their school days, but after graduation, they became distant for a while and soon met again as teachers in Florence. It was a coincidence that was close to a miracle.

    ¡°Bok-Dong.¡± Do-Jin called out to Bok-Dong, who was lost in recollection for a long time. Bok-Dong''s distant eyes gradually regained focus.

    "Yes. What is it?"

    ¡°Are you still doing that? That special condition or something... That nonsense.¡±

    ¡°If you are talking about the physical test, of course. The special conditions still remain.¡±

    ¡°Did anyone satisfy the special conditions?¡±

    ¡°Only Dae-Man. Other than him, no one even tried. Ah, Sun-Woo almost did,¡± Bok-Dong said while fiddling with his scruffy beard. Do-Jin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

    ¡°Sun-Woo dared to try it?¡±

    "Yes. Did you just use alliteration on purpose?¡± [1]

    Bok-Dongughed heartily. Do-Jin frowned. He still had a hard time dealing with Bok-Dong''s jokes.

    Ye-Jin listened and sipped her hot chocte. Then she said, ¡°Sun-Woo, he seems a bit peculiar.¡±

    ¡°What about him is peculiar?¡±

    ¡°He hardly knows how to handle blessing arrays, but there are times when he stands out in strange ces?¡±

    ¡°I think I know what you mean. He has a unique side,¡± Bok-Dong nodded.

    Do-Jin tilted his head and said, "Well. I don''t know.¡±

    Do-Jin stared absent-mindedly at the sky.

    Like they said, there was a unique side to Sun-Woo. However, because there were so many students with exceptional talent this year, it was difficult to see Sun-Woo''s talent as exceptional.

    For example¡ª

    ¡°Su-Ryeon or Jin-Seo. Or what, Jun-Hyuk? These kids are much better.¡±

    ¡°You say that, but during thest meeting, didn¡¯t you really take his side?¡± Ye-Jin smiled and said teasingly. Do-Jin''s eyebrows twisted in displeasure.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t take sides, but those stupid teachers kept saying nonsensical things, so I pointed out the truth.¡±

    "You can¡¯t call them stupid teachers! We are also teachers, you know?¡±

    ¡°We are different from them. I am ashamed to be in the same faculty as them,¡± Do-Jin grumbled with a sharp tone. Because he was tired, he was on edge. The trio continued to chat casually while slowly walking forward.

    In the distance, the first barn building appeared from the periphery. Ye-Jin narrowed her brows and sniffed.

    ¡°There¡¯s a strange smell.¡±

    "Smell?"

    Bok-Dong sniffed as well, but he couldn''t smell anything.

    Ye-Jin¡¯s smile disappeared as she continued sniffing. The more she sniffed, the deeper the fear became in her eyes.

    ¡°...Dead body?" Ye-Jin wondered. Ye-Jin had a good nose and was particrly good at distinguishing smells. If she smelled a corpse, it meant that there was definitely a corpse nearby.

    Do-Jin and Bok-Dong''s expressions hardened. They hurried their steps toward the first barn. Not a single word of conversation was exchanged during this time.

    When they eventually arrived at the barn, the sight they encountered was shocking.

    ¡°Belch. I''m sorry, hold on...!¡±

    Ye-Jin couldn''t bear to face it, so she turned around and vomited. After regurgitating all the hot chocte she had consumed, Ye-Jin managed to lift her head. The feeling of nausea continued to creep in even as she collected her breath.

    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± Bok-Dong sighed briefly. Even he, who did not know fear, was horrified by the sight before his eyes.

    ¡°What the fuck... That''s why they sent us here. There really was a deep meaning behind all this,¡± Do-Jin cursed and said sarcastically.

    Last night, all the CCTVs illuminating the first barn broke. At the same time, a ¡®certain phenomenon¡¯ began to ur in the first barn.

    Therefore, the elders passed the mission to Do-Jin, Ye-Jin, and Bok-Dong during a meeting. It was to check the status of the CCTVs and to investigate a ¡®certain phenomenon¡¯ that urred in the first barn.

    Now, in front of their eyes, that ¡®certain phenomenon¡¯ was happening in real-time.

    "It''s very simr to the taxidermy incident that happened two years ago."

    ¡°The scale is different. Back then, it was one or two at most. Now...¡± Do-Jin trailed off at the end of his sentence.

    ¡®A certain phenomenon¡¯ referred to demonification, and group demonification at that. All the livestock in the barn had be demonic beasts, and they were running amok with their sharp teeth exposed.

    Fortunately, the demonic beasts did not break through the fence. The only shocking thing was that ¡®tower.¡¯ In the center of the first barn, there was a tower made out of stacked human corpses. The naked corpses were holding each other''s hands, forming a human tower like an acrobatic troupe.

    The tower leaned slightly towards the south. However, it stood firm and did not fall. A Pentagram was drawn around the tower. It radiated ck demonic energy by feeding on the flesh and blood of the corpses. The ck magic spell was still active.

    ¡°Could that be... the Leaning Tower of Pisa? This is ridiculous.¡± Do-Jin whispered as he looked at the leaning tower. He immediately drew his sword from his waist and bowed his head in preparation for a leap. He intended to stop the activation of ck magic by destroying the tower of corpses.

    "Don¡¯t." Just as he was able to leap up and swing his sword, Bok-Dong stopped him. Bok-Dong¡¯s fingertips were trembling slightly. ¡°The ck magic is still active. If you approach this situation prematurely, it could be a humanoid demonic beast.¡±

    ¡°Then you want to leave it like this?¡±

    ¡°No. We should leave it to the expert.¡±

    Bok-Dong looked at Ye-Jin. She was muttering prayers with her hands sped together. Before long, divine power poured out of her body. The divine power became a cloud and flew over the tower of corpses.

    It was a miracle replication spell.

    <i>Smack, smack.</i>

    Hailstones the size of baseballs fell from the clouds and hit the tower one by one.

    <i>Craaaack¡ª!</i>

    Soon, dozens of hailstones rained down. Countless hailstones hit the tower without rest. The tower, which was already leaning, gradually started copsing after being hit by hailstones. Later, it was covered by hailstones, making it impossible to see whether the tower had copsed or not.

    Soon the hailstones stopped. A cloud of dust enveloped the barn like fog.

    The cry of the demonic beast resounded. Other than that, there was no sound, and the fog soon lifted.

    ¡°Eh. It didn¡¯t seem to work.¡±

    The tower did not copse. Ye-Jin dropped her head in dejection.

    Do-Jin grabbed his sword and bowed his head again. Then he said, ¡°Whether I be a demonic beast or not, I¡¯ll first destroy the Pentagram. If I¡¯m lucky, then I won¡¯t be a demonic beast, and if I¡¯m unlucky, then all you have to do is kill me.¡±

    "You can¡¯t do that."

    It was Bok-Dong this time who stopped Do-Jin.

    "Why? If it''s friendship or something emotional¡ª"

    ¡°It¡¯s an impossible n in the first ce. You''re an active-duty crusader, and I am a retired geezer. I can''t beat you, and I can''t subdue you. Even if I join forces with Ye-Jin, there is no way of guaranteeing the oue.¡±

    Do-Jin was speechless and stared nkly at Bok-Dong.

    ¡°Don''t let your ego get in the way and judge the situation rationally. Even Ye-Jin''s miracle couldn''t bring it down. It is only right to retreat and report now.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Do-Jin returned his sword back to his sheath. Bok-Dong was right. Now was not the time to let ego get in the way. The more urgent and hopeless the situation, the more calmly and rationally that judgments had to be made. Do-Jin calmed his emotions, steadied his breathing, and looked around. He had to find some sort of clue or something that could be used as a key.

    Do-Jin''s eyes, which had been scanning the area, stopped at a certain point. His pupils trembled slightly.

    ¡°Hey, Bok-Dong. What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking¨Cah?¡±

    Do-Jin and Bok-Dong¡¯s gazes both focused on the same point.

    To be specific, they were looking at the corner of the barn, at a cage. It was a space used to raise ornamental birds such as parrots and finches. At most, it was a ce where birds the size of a fist were raised, so instead of a fence, a thin iron was installed.

    That thin iron mantle was being torn apart by the birds that had be demonic beasts. The new demonic beasts fluttered their wings and then quickly escaped through the cracks.

    Eagles, or evenrger birds, flew in the direction of Eiden Hill.

    <i>Rustle¡ª</i>

    The wind from the bird¡¯s pping wings brushed the branches. Ye-Jin looked at the scattering leaves with a dazed face, then she said with a terrified expression, ¡°I¨CI have a ss today at Eiden Hill. In the morning... My ss is there too. It¡¯s a joint ss.¡±

    Her voice was cut off in awkward ces, and her words were incoherent.

    "What? It¡¯s not a training session, so what kind of sses are you doing on Eiden Hill?¡±

    ¡°They told me to take care of the student¡¯s mentality. I think they said that it was to admire thendscape or something strange like that...¡±

    Her lips were quivering. Do-Jin frowned.

    The students were going to Eiden Hill for a nonsensical ss calledndscape viewing, and the birds that became demonic beasts were riding the wind and flying to Eiden Hill. The students and the demonic beasts were going to the same ce.

    The bird demonic beasts wererge because they had been exposed to ck magic for an extended period of time. The smallest was a hawk, and the biggest one wasparable to an eagle. These were not demonic beasts that students could deal with.

    ¡°Oh, no way fucking way. Ha...¡± Do-Jin cursed and closed his eyes. Soon, the light of a blessing enveloped Do-Jin''s entire body. Before long, Do-Jin burst out towards Eiden Hill. The expression ¡®burst out towards¡¯ was appropriate because his speed was no different from that of a cannonball.

    Bok-Dong followed suit. His speed wasparable to Do-Jin¡¯s.

    "Huh? Wait. We can''t go in now. Hey! Wait¡ª!¡±

    The two disappeared in an instant. It was an unbelievable speed for a human being, and Ye-Jin''s cries did not reach them. She stared nkly at the afterimages they left behind.

    ¡°Ah, really! These idiots!¡± she grumbled and ran in the opposite direction.

    Dark clouds were gathering over Eiden Hill.

    1. In the original, it¡¯s supposed to rhyme, but after tranting it, it no longer rhymes. ?

 Chapter 42

    <h4>Chapter 42</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of these useless sses?¡±

    ¡°You heard about it just now. The ss is about the mental health of the students or something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that¡¯s ridiculous. How the hell is this different from a Wee ss[1]?¡± Jun-Hyuk grumbled.

    All sses in the morning today were reced with an unidentified ss called Landscape Viewing and Nature Observation.

    They said it was for students'' mental health welfare, depression prevention, etc., but I didn''t listen to it properly, so I couldn''t remember the exact details. If the purpose was to prevent depression, I''d rather they let us rest at home. I had no idea why they dragged us all the way to Eiden Hill and forced us to hike.

    ¡°Wow~ Seeing the trees justforts me. It feels like seeing the suicide prevention sign on Mapo Bridge.¡± Jun-Hyuk said with a bright smile. His tone was openly sarcastic.

    Jun-Hyuk''s words went through one ear and out the other ear as I admired thendscape of Eiden Hill. When I cleared my mind and observed the scenery, it was reasonably good. I wasn¡¯t really sure if it helped prevent depression, though.

    I walked through the hill while thinking about this and that. Various children wereining while hiking up the hill, just like us. Among them, there were also faces I had never seen before.

    ¡°Are they students from another ss?¡± I asked while ncing at the students passing by. Since there were so many students, even if they were in the same grade, if they were from a different ss, it wasmon not to know each other.

    "Uh. He¡¯s from the ss of Patience. That guy is from the ss of Patience too. Ah, the kid who just passed by is from the ss of Kindness.¡±

    ¡°Three sses are doing this together? Really?¡±

    "Yup. Our ss, ss of Patience and ss of Kindness. A grand total of three sses! Almost three hundred students are wasting their time here!¡± Jun-Hyuk sarcastically remarked with a raised voice as if he was dumbfounded. It seemed like he did not like this ss very much.

    Of course, I also had the same thoughts as Jun-Hyuk at first. However, as I walked across the hill while observing thendscape, it felt like myplicated thoughts were being sorted out. That meant that it really did have a positive effect.

    While staring nkly at the stones that were rolling down the hill, Jun-Hyuk asked, ¡°By the way, did you ask about that?¡±

    ¡°Ask about what?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk often tried to express everything with a single pronoun, ¡®that.¡¯ It was the same habit as Uncle Jin-Sung. He wasn¡¯t even that old, so why was he like this already?

    ¡°That thing fromst time. You know, the thing that I said to ask Jin-Seo.¡±

    I roughly knew what he was referring to. He seemed to be referring to that day when Jin-Seo hit Jun-Hyuk¡¯s face until it got swollen.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked yet. I haven''t talked to hertely.¡±

    It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t talked to her, it¡¯s that I haven''t encountered Jin-Seo recently. Although, I didn¡¯t really remember well in the first ce.

    "Really? If you ask her, the reaction will be staggering¡ª"

    ¡°Ask what?¡±

    A clear voice rang out from nowhere and caused Jun-Hyuk to abandon the rest of his sentence. Just like that, Jun-Hyuk became a vegetable. Countless beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The exceptionally exaggerated sound of gulping and swallowing could be heard. Jun-Hyuk eventually turned his stiff neck as if he was forcibly twisting his head and smiled brightly.

    "Haha. What brings you here...¡±

    His face was pale, and a forced smile was stered on his mouth. It was a very bizarre expression.

    ¡°Ask what?¡± Jin-Seo stared at us with an empty expression on her face and repeated the same question.

    Just like that, she strode straight toward us. There was no sound in her steps and no change in her expression. In that single moment, it felt like time hade to aplete stop.

    ¡°Huh? Hey! Below your feet!¡± Jun-Hyuk immediately pointed below Jin-Seo''s feet and shouted. Jin-Seo stiffly halted on the spot.

    There was nothing beneath her feet.

    "Okay. Don''te any closer. Let''s talk from here.¡±

    ¡°...So, ask what?¡±

    It was Jun-Hyuk''s ploy to widen the distance, but it seemed to only anger Jin-Seo. The wind was chilly.

    ¡°I heard that Jun-Hyuk said something about me at the training center,¡± I intervened before the atmosphere got any worse.

    Jun-Hyuk''s and Jin-Seo''s faces hardened at the same time. However, the way they hardened was different. Jun-Hyuk¡¯s face felt like it had hardened due to fear and a feeling of betrayal. And as for Jin-Seo... Her expression was difficult to pinpoint and exin.

    ¡°Did Jun-Hyuk really do that?¡± I asked.

    "Yes. He said that if you asked, the reaction would be fun,¡± she said.

    "Is that right?" I responded.

    Jin-Seo nced at Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk¡¯s shoulders trembled.

    ¡°Are youing to the training center today?¡± she asked.

    "No? Starting from yesterday, I decided to go somewhere else,¡± Jun-Hyuk answered.

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, ¡± sheughed. Jun-Hyuk alsoughed along, but it was somewhat of an uneasyugh.

    Somehow my intervention seemed to make the situation moreplicated.

    Jun-Hyuk rushed over to me and hurriedly whispered, ¡°You crazy bastard...! You have to ask her when I''m not here...!¡±

    "Why? This is more fun.¡±

    ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe I called you a friend...!¡±

    For Jun-Hyuk''s safety, it was right to ask in his absence. But I thought it would be much more fun to just ask here. The reality was that it really did create a more interesting situation. I was satisfied with this.

    Behind Jun-Hyuk, who was franticallyining with his eyes wide open, Jin-Seo was staring intently at me. When I looked at her, she quickly turned her head to avoid eye contact.

    ¡°So, what exactly did you say?¡±

    I had no idea what he must have said for her to react like this. In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to find out what Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo had talked about. Even when I asked again, Jun-Hyuk just pretended to be ignorant, and Jin-Seo just avoided catching my eyes.

    * * *

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    The waterfall drowned out all sounds. There was no chirping of mountain birds or the cries of branches blowing in the wind. Only the sound of the waterfall could be heard.

    The Holy Name of Kindness, Min-Seo, activated a blessing array while apanied by the sound of the waterfall. First, it was one. Then it became two, and then three. The blessing arrays that were stacked on top of each other united and became a fusion blessing array. The sound of the waterfall, which was loud enough to deafen ears, faded and disappeared. In such a state ofplete concentration, Min-Seo quietly drew the blessing array. Just like that, she put together a total of eight blessing arrays to form a fusion array.

    ©¤©¤©¤!

    However, before long, the air unstably vibrated, and an explosion urred. A collision phenomenon had urred between the blessing arrays.

    She had failed again because of the damned collision phenomenon.

    ¡°¡ª¡ª! ©¤©¤©¤!!!¡±

    Pissed off by this, Min-Seo kicked and spat out swear words that were so heinous that they couldn¡¯t be revealed to the world. The branches, leaves, and stones trodden by her feet crumbled with a mournful sound.

    ording to the rumors, Ha-Yeon was able to cast a fusion blessing by herself. However, Min-Seo was not able to do so. That made her so angry. She wanted to destroy everything in sight, and in fact, she really did destroy everything that was in sight. It was fury that approached madness.

    ¡°...¡±

    The anger soon subsided. Min-Seo let out a deep sigh, sat down, closed her eyes, and began meditating. If she leveraged her inferiority, it could boost her willpower and her desire to improve. On the other hand, if she let her inferiority overwhelm her, then she would fall into despair and depression. It wasn¡¯t just inferiority. All emotions could have a beneficial effect when used properly, but if one were to get swayed by the emotions, the emotions would be poison. As a result, Min-Seo often meditated to avoid being swayed by her emotions. Beyond the darkness, the sound of the waterfall gradually faded.

    Silence.

    She saw nothing and heard nothing. In the void, Min-Seo felt peaceful.

    She then opened her eyes.

    ¡°©¤©¤?¡±

    There was something in front of her eyes. It had wings and a beak. It was a bird, but at the same time, it was not a bird. It was too big to be called a bird.

    Its fur was pitch ck, its eyes pure white, and its beak was as sharp as a de.

    A demonic beast.

    And they were giant demonic beasts that wereparable to ¡®Baphomet Two¡¯ at that.

    ¡°©¤©¤. ©¤©¤©¤!!¡±

    Min-Seo cursed and took a couple of steps back. The demonic beast tilted its head or trimmed its wings with its beak and looked at Min-Seo. The demonic beast''s hazy eyes were out of focus.

    <i>©¤©¤©¤!</i>

    The demonic beast pped its wings. It seemed to be preparing for an attack. Min-Seo immediately deployed a blessing array, but she didn''t draw as well as she had hoped. The demonic beast pped its huge wings and rushed toward Min-Seo. Death was right around the corner.

    <i>¡®This was not the death that I had nned.¡¯ </i>While thinking so, Min-Seo twisted her body. The de-like beak grazed her clothes. Even though the beak had only brushed past her, the hem of her dress waspletely ripped. If she hadn''t dodged it, her head would have been ripped off, not her clothes.

    ¡°©¤©¤.¡±

    Min-Seo spat out curses in a low voice. Even a ncing blow would cause a fatal wound, no, instant death. Soon the demonic beast spread its wings and prepared for the next attack.

    Left arm? No, right leg. It also looked like it might be aiming directly for the head. She couldn¡¯t read the attack.

    She was able to somehow luckily dodge the first attack. But this time, she may not be able to avoid it. If she failed to dodge, she would die. Min-Seo focused her consciousness on the movements of the demonic beast. She might not be able to avoid it, but she would definitely fail to avoid it if she just stood still. Now was the time to make a gamble that would decide life and death.

    ¡°Caaaw...¡±

    Min-Seo devoted her sight and hearing to the demonic beast. The loud sound of the waterfall gradually faded away.

    What remained was silence and stillness.

    <i>sh.</i>

    Suddenly, something shed in front of her eyes. A sh of light that was simr to a lightning strike. Min-Seo grimaced. Her concentration was broken, and the sound of the waterfall once again crept back in. In that instant, the demonic beast charged.

    However, the demonic beast wasn¡¯t aiming for Min-Seo. The demonic beast passed by Min-Seo and disappeared somewhere.

    ¡°...?¡±

    Min-Seo looked up into the sky in befuddlement. The demonic beast pped its huge wings and used the wind to fly off into the distance. Min-Seo stepped toward the direction where the demonic beast had flown as if she was possessed.

    * * *

    Jin-Seo was following us from a couple of paces behind. It seemed like she was monitoring Jun-Hyuk in order to prevent him from spouting nonsense.

    ¡°By the way, do you know about that? Ghosts sometimes appear here.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk nced back at Jin-Seo to check the situation and then suddenly started talking about ghosts out of the blue.

    A ghost at Florence Academy? This was the first time I heard about something like that. In the first ce, did it make any sense for ghosts to appear in a clergy academy? Still, since I was bored, I decided to listen to his story. It seemed like it could be fun to listen to.

    ¡°The students who studyte at night sometimese here to test their courage, and they say that a devil with horns wanders around. That devil is eight feet tall, and you can see its head above the trees.¡±

    ¡°How tall is eight feet?¡±

    ¡°Since one foot is approximately 30.4 centimeters, it is around 2.4 meters?¡±

    ¡°Wow. Maybe it was just Dae-Man?¡±

    From what I could tell, Dae-Man was a little over two meters tall. It was not improbable for people to mistake him for a devil.

    Jun-Hyuk shook his head. ¡°No, they say that it had horns. And there is a theory that it is a devil.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that a devil is wandering around in the middle of a clergy academy?¡±

    ¡°Ah... You¡¯re right. Are devils part of the Romanican doctrine?¡±

    As is often the case with ghost stories, if one started thinking about it logically, they were imusible. But that was also why they were fun.

    ¡°Well, in any case, whether it¡¯s a ghost or a devil, they say that if you look at that thing, your grades will go up. There is also another anecdote rted to this.¡±

    "Go on."

    ¡°The three kids did the test of courage to see the devil after ate-night study session that ended at 10 p.m.¡± Jun-Hyuk lowered his head and made an eerie expression to set the mood. ¡°You usually can¡¯t see even after nine o¡¯clock because it¡¯s so dark, right? They say it¡¯s a hill, but it¡¯s more or less in the mountains.¡±

    "Right."

    ¡°You can¡¯t see anything ahead, and strange noises can be heard everywhere. So the three stuck together and talked to each other because they were scared. They talked about funny things, and they also talked about who they liked.¡±

    I listened quietly without answering. As I turned my head to nce at Jin-Seo, her body trembled. It seemed like Jin-Seo was listening to Jun-Hyuk''s story while pretending not to be interested.

    ¡°But then suddenly, the three voices became four.¡±

    <i>sh.</i>

    At that time, light filled my vision. It was as if lighting hadnded right in front of us and released a sh of light. The sh seemed to work as a directing technique as part of Jun-Hyuk''s y. That¡¯s how perfect the timing was. A short scream came from behind.

    ¡°So one of them said, ¡®Hey, who just said that?¡¯ And then there was no answer.¡±

    "Holy... That¡¯s scary!"

    ¡°Right? They were also suddenly scared too, so they all just ran towards the school. But the voice they heard from behind kept screaming and chasing after them. Do you know what the voice said?¡±

    "Come y with me!"

    "Huh? Have you heard this story before? Hey man, then you should have told me. I¡¯ve wasted my breath for nothing.¡±

    It was the first time I had heard of this story.

    Jun-Hyuk had been talking excitedly when his face suddenly hardened. ¡°...Who just said that?¡±

    He looked around nervously. At first, I thought it was Jin-Seo, but no matter how much I thought about it, it didn¡¯t match her tone.

    Jin-Seo, like me, was looking around her as if something was odd. There was a little fear in her eyes.

    Jun-Hyuk was fiddling with his arm as if he was getting goosebumps, and he opened his mouth with a heartyugh.

    "Ha ha ha. You¡¯re pulling a prank, right? I just got goosebumps¨C¡±

    "Come y with me!"

    A voice could be heard. It was a voice that was as innocent as that of a child. The faint smile that remained on Jun-Hyuk''s lipspletely disappeared.

    <i>Let''s y, let''s y, let''s y...</i>

    The voice echoed and filled the area. The sound wasing from above.

    I slowly raised my head up.

    Two birds were sitting on top of a branch.

    One was a parrot. It was a parrot only in appearance, but in terms of size, it was no different from an eagle. Its beak was sharp like a de. It seemed like the sound was from the parrot.

    The other was a finch. It was also the size of an eagle. No, it seemed bigger than an eagle. The beak was stubby and pointed and was stained red with blood.

    Both had ck feathers and pure white eyes. The birds looked at us and tilted their heads for a while, then spread out their huge wings as they wanted to show them off. Then, it sharpened its beak andunched itself us.

    <i>Swoosh¨C!</i>

    Its sharp, pointy beak rushed at Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk in an instant. There was no time to resist or escape. The birds were too fast. It was to the extent that it was difficult to follow with the eyes.

    <i>Snatch.</i>

    ¡°Ohhhh?!¡±

    "Oh."

    The birds that were rushing forwardnded softly in front of them and bit their cors like tigers carrying their young. Just like that, the birds kidnapped Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo and lifted them into the sky.

    "Ah."

    They were getting further and further away as the birds¡¯ beaks held them up by their clothes. All I could do was watch as I let out a stupefied sigh.

    It didn¡¯t feel real. It felt like the sight in front of my eyes was all a dream. It would be more appropriate to say that I wished it was a dream.

    The appearance of giant bird-type demonic beasts.

    The kidnapping of Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo.

    All of this happened so suddenly, basically in an instant.

    The dark clouds that were starting to form were half-obscuring the sun, causing darkness to permeate the forest. The darkness was piling up everywhere.

    "Hey!"

    Then, through the darkness, a sharp, gruff voice leaked out. Someone was running this way. I couldn''t see who it was because they were covered in darkness.

    To be precise, I couldn''t tell who it was because my consciousness was hazy. I still hadn''te to my senses yet.

    [Are you just going to watch? If you don''t do anything now, it will be difficultter.] Legba said calmly. His tone was so dry and stark that I couldn''t feel any emotion. It felt like he was speaking not because he was worried about me but rather it was like he was just reciting his feelings in a third-person perspective.

    It woke up my mind. It didn''t matter who was running towards me or what the weather was like. All I had to do was find the best choice to make in this situation.

    There were many choices, but there was only one correct answer.

    ¡°Bossou.¡±

    1. Refers to some sort of mental health counseling program in Korea: <u>https://.wee.go.kr/eng/cms/cmsCont.dotnts_sn=123</u>.</a> </a>

 Chapter 43

    <h4>Chapter 43</h4>

    "Hey!" Min-Seo shouted at Sun-Woo. She was out of breath because she had been chasing after the demonic beast. After shouting, she sat down to catch her breath for a moment. Whenever she fell behind in pursuit of the demonic beast, she used a blessing to increase her speed. Whenever she was tired, she used healing to force her body to continue. It wasn¡¯t exactly because of the determination to save the other children. Rather, it was just to prove a hypothesis that popped up in her head.

    "Hey, you. <i>Wheeze</i>. shlight, no. Cell phone. Do you have a cell phone or aser pointer?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Sun-Woo didn''t listen to Min-Seo. He just stared nkly at the flying demonic beasts. The focus in his eyes looked to be blurred yet clear. It was impossible to figure out what he was thinking. Min-Seo frowned at Sun-Woo, who seemed to be ignoring whatever she was saying.

    ¡°Do you have a cell phone? You deaf id¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is wrong with this crazy bastard... What are you doing?"

    Min-Seo stared nkly at Sun-Woo as if she was dumbfounded. With his gaze fixed on the demonic beast, Sun-Woo picked up a stone on the ground. The stone was about the size of a fist. Sun-Woo held the stone firmly in his right hand and took a pitching stance. It seemed like he was going to throw a stone to hit the demonic beast. It was a stupid decision that was beyond recklessness. There was no way he could hit a demonic beast that had already risen tens of meters into the sky with a crude stone like that.

    ¡°You retard, do you really think that¡¯s going to...¡±

    Rumors were usually nonsense. That was why she thought that all the rumors about Sun-Woo were either exaggerated or false. However, this guy was more stupid and idiotic than in the rumors. Min-Seo shook her head and let out a deep sigh. Sun-Woo ignored her and threw the stone.

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Immediately after, a dull st sound echoed through the sky. Min-Seo wasmenting Sun-Woo¡¯s ipetence while revising her n when she raised her head. That sound hade from the stone that Sun-Woo had thrown and pierced the demonic beast''s heart.

    Sun-Woo immediately picked up the next stone and threw it again.

    <i>Smack.</i>

    The same sound rang out. The two demonic beasts that lost their hearts soon lost their strength and stopped pping their wings. Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk, who were dangling from the mouths of the demonic beasts, fell violently to the ground.

    Sun-Woo was getting ready to run by lowering his stance. It looked like he intended to catch them directly with his body. This was a really reckless idea. No matter how fast he was, it was impossible to catch two people with one body. Even if he caught them, it was clear that he would be seriously injured.

    Min-Seo fired divine power almost instinctively without even thinking. Now was not the time for her to insist on proving her hypotheses. She had already depleted most of her divine power from chasing the demonic beast, but she had enough left to draw two blessing arrays.

    <i>''Now.''</i>

    Min-Seo counted the seconds inwardly, and when the time was right, she unleashed the blessing arrays. Min-Seo fused the intermediate blessing of peacefulness and the intermediate blessing of solitary yang.

    The two ipatible blessing arrays, peacefulness and solitary yang, intertwined. The strokes she drew twisted and distorted together. The blessing array eventually lost its original shape and directly emitted the energy of the divine power itself rather than the light of a blessing.

    <i>Boom-!</i>

    An explosion urred. With an explosion that was loud enough to ring in the ears, Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo¡¯s falling bodies floated in the air for a brief moment. The shockwave generated by the explosion stopped them from falling. It would hurt a little, but it was better than dying.

    ¡°Fusion doesn¡¯t work, but the collision works insanely well. How annoying,¡± Min-Seo muttered to herself whileughing self-deprecatingly.

    Sun-Woo seemed a little taken aback by the sudden explosion, but he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seonded mostly unscathed.

    Min-Seo looked at Sun-Woo in amazement.

    "Hey."

    Before Sun-Woo could answer her, she immediately spat, ¡°What the heck are you doing? What were you thinking to be doing something as stupid as that? What if the students got hit?¡±

    Sun-Woo seemed a little taken aback by the bold reproach, but he soon spoke with a calm expression.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t get hit.¡±

    His tone of voice expressed his shamelessness as if he hadn''t considered the possibility that the stone he threw would miss. His shamelessness was so excessive that it appeared to reach the level of confidence. Min-Seo absent-mindedly stared at Sun-Woo and let out a dryugh.

    <i>¡®What a totally crazy bastard,¡¯ </i>she thought.

    * * *

    ¡°¡ªWhat were you thinking to be doing something as stupid as that? What if the students got hit?¡± Min-Seo asked harshly. The sound was faint. Only the sounds of her heartbeat and breathing were clear. My whole body was hot, as if my blood was boiling, and my muscles tickled and ached.

    It was because of Bossou''s power. Bossou''s power, which was restored after offering a sacrifice, was strong enough to far exceed my expectations.

    ¡°They didn¡¯t get hit.¡±

    My eyes were only chasing the demonic beast, and the stone I threw precisely pierced its heart. I believed in Bossou, and I believed in his power, so I didn''t think I would miss my shots in the first ce.

    The only thing I wasn¡¯t sure about was the explosion that urred right after. The shockwave created by the explosion stopped Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo from falling, allowing both of them tond without serious injuries.

    However, I still didn¡¯t know why the explosion had urred. Well, the truth was, I had an idea of who was behind it

    ¡°Min-Seo.¡±

    "What."

    ¡°How did you do it?¡±

    The Holy Name of Kindness, Min-Seo. She deployed two blessing arrays just before Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk hit the ground. And she forcibly fused them together. A collision phenomenon urred, which resulted in an explosion. Min-Seo intentionally caused an explosion by utilizing the collision phenomenon.

    [It was a gamble with her life as coteral.]

    If there was even a slight error in the calctions during the process of creating the explosion, then not only Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo, but Min-Seo herself would have perished after getting caught in the explosion. It was a gamble with the lives of three people at stake.

    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®How did I do it?¡¯ I just did it.¡± Min-Seo answered as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Considering the fact that she had just risked the lives of three people, including herself, she was too calm and unconcerned.

    ¡°What if everyone got caught up in it?¡±

    ¡°How did you... What if... You¡¯ve been bugging me about this shit since earlier. Look at the results. Everything worked out.¡±

    Min-Seo frowned and cursed at me. She was definitely the Holy Name of Kindness, but her way of speaking was very unkind.

    She twisted her lips and smiled eerily as she added, ¡°And if it weren¡¯t for me, they¡¯d all be dead. Shouldn¡¯t you thank me first?¡±

    ¡°Even if you weren¡¯t there, I would have figured it out on my own.¡±

    ¡°What a load of bullshit, seriously...¡± Min-Seo cynically remarked.

    It was true that it made things a little easier, but even if Min-Seo hadn¡¯t been here, I would have taken care of everything on my own.

    Leaving behind Min-Seo muttering a string of curses, I walked toward Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk got up on his own and brushed away the dust and leaves on his body. His body was tough, so it didn¡¯t look like I had to worry about him.

    The problem was Jin-Seo. Perhaps she had seriously injured herself somewhere because she couldn¡¯t get up easily.

    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± I asked as I reached out my hand to Jin-Seo. She grabbed my hand as if she had been waiting for this and quickly got up from the ground.

    Looking at her now, she waspletely fine with no injuries. It seemed like I didn''t even need to give her a hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m not hurt.¡±

    ¡°So why weren¡¯t you getting up?¡±

    ¡°...I¡¯m not so sure," Jin-Seo said resignedly as she brushed off the dust from her clothes. Unlike usual, the corners of her eyes were drooping slightly. Her face looked slightly sullen.

    Looking closely at her, I noticed that the bracelet she always wore on her wrist was broken. It seemed like the shock of her fall had broken it. She clenched it dearly with her left hand. As I tantly stared at her hand, Jin-Seo hid her left hand behind her back as if she was shy. And she pursed her lips for a while.

    Eventually, she opened her mouth. ¡°This¨C¡±

    <i>sh.</i>

    At that moment, a sh of light cut her off. I lifted my head and looked at the sky. New demonic beasts were circling above our heads and flying as if they were threatening us. A thin ray of sunlight shone weakly through the cracks in the dark clouds¡ªthat was the only ray of light.

    I carefully picked up a stone that had fallen on the ground. I aimed to shoot down the birds by throwing stones, just like before.

    <i>sh.</i>

    Before I could even grab a stone, a sh urred again. Along with the sh, a demonic beast suddenly changed its orbit. Then, through the pitch-ck darkness, the beast descended at a tremendous speed. The sharply erect demonic beast''s beak was pointing directly at me.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    However, the beak only hit a small rock. Just like that, the rock crumbled and turned into powder. If Jin-Seo hadn''t pulled on my wrist, I would have been shattered instead of the rock. It looked like it was going to be impossible to hit the demonic beast by throwing stones like before.

    "Are you okay?" she asked while crushing my wrist. It hurt a little.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, could you please let go?¡±

    "Oh, sorry."

    She hastily released my wrist. I checked for a while to see if my wrist was still attached and then looked at Jin-Seo. She was sharply ring at the demonic beasts flying high in the sky.

    "Do you see them?"

    Dark clouds covered the sun. Even though light was leaking through the cracks, it was still dark. Within the darkness, Jin-Seo grabbed my wrist and helped me avoid a demonic beast''s attack. That meant that she was able to see and read the movements of the demonic beasts within the darkness.

    ¡°If I focus,¡± she said while nodding her head. Her dynamic visual acuity was unbelievable¡ªher eyes were still chasing the demonic beast.

    Immediately after descending, the demonic beast glided up and ascended into the sky. Just like before, it flew around in the sky. The sight of it pping its huge wings resembled a dragon instead of a bird. For a while, the demonic beasts continued to only fly above us.

    ¡°What the hell is this situation?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk approached me from a distance while touching his shoulder. He looked at the vast number of demonic beasts flying in the sky andmented, ¡°It looks like some dragons are flying¡ª¡±

    <i>sh.</i>

    Jun-Hyuk was not able toplete his sentence. There was a sh, and a new demonic beast descended with its beak aimed at Jun-Hyuk''s head. The beast was so fast that it was hard to follow with the naked eye.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    "Ack... Huh? What the..."

    Luckily, Jun-Hyuk was able to avoid the demonic beast''s attack. The moment the demonic beast descended, Jun-Hyuk tripped on a jagged stone. Thanks to this, the demonic beast''s beak struck an innocent rock again. The rock crumbled and turned into powder.

    It was a stroke of luck so great that it could be called a miracle.

    ¡°Wow, what the? Did I almost die just now? Oh my god."

    Jun-Hyuk put his hand on his chest and took a deep breath. Even in the midst of this crisis, Jun-Hyuk didn''t know how to be serious. His behavior could be described as consistent, but perhaps it was more appropriate to describe him as an idiot.

    ¡°No. Come to think of it, I almost died from the moment the demonic beast carried me away¨C¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    As Jun-Hyuk approached us and was about to mutter something meaningless, Min-Seo''s gruff voice could be heard.

    Jun-Hyuk instinctively stopped.

    ¡°Nobody move,¡± Min-Seo said in a somewhat serious tone. Jun-Hyuk, Jin-Seo, and I all listened to Min-Seo.

    Nobody moved, and nobody said a word.

    <i>sh.</i>

    And then, the light shed again. However, the demonic beasts did not descend. Just like before, they were just spinning around in the sky.

    At that moment, I caught a glimpse of Min-Seo''s face. She was smiling¡ªit was an eerie, bizarre smile as if her mouth had been torn on both sides. Delight could be seen in her shining eyes.

    ¡°...I found it."

    When Min-Seo said that, her face was clearly filled with madness.

 Chapter 44

    <h4>Chapter 44</h4>

    ¡°Find what exactly? Don¡¯t tell me... Is that Min-Seo?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk looked at Min-Seo with disgust as if he was looking at a monster. Jin-Seo didn''t say anything, but she cowered as if she was frightened by Min-Seo''s madness.

    I quietly stared at Min-Seo''s smiling face.

    ¡°...¡±

    <i>¡®I found it,¡¯</i> was what Min-Seo had said. What did she find exactly?

    Suddenly, the words Min-Seo spat out to me earlier echoed in my ears.

    <i>¡®shlight, no. Cell phone. Do you have a cell phone or aser pointer?''</i>

    Cell phone orser pointer. In a situation where bird-type demonic beasts had taken over Eiden Hill, Min-Seo had suddenly looked for these items. Looking for silver bullets and silver swords wouldn¡¯t be enough to deal with this situation, let alone cell phones andser pointers.

    The bird-type demonic beasts would only attack when light shed. This was a fact that anyone could figure out if they had an eye for it. However, it is not clear ¡®who¡¯ was being attacked when the light shed. First, it attacked me, then Jun-Hyuk. At first nce, it appeared to attack random targets.

    <i>''Nobody move.''</i>

    However, when Min-Seo dered that no one should move, no one moved. Everyone just stood still and kept silent. It was only that time that, despite the sh of light, the demonic beasts did not attack.

    What Min-Seo was looking for, the thing that she was trying so hard to prove...

    ¡°Hey, you guys. You know the game Red Light, Green Light? It''s the same as that game. The demonic beasts only attack moving targets when the light shes.¡± [1]

    It was a rule about ¡®who¡¯ the demonic beast attacked when the light shed.

    ¡°What kind of bullshit is that all of a sudden? Why are you suddenly talking about traffic lights?¡± Jun-Hyuk said with augh as if he had heard something absurd. Why are you suddenly talking about traffic lights? In this world, was there anyone other than Jun-Hyuk who could ask such a question?

    Min-Seo opened her mouth as if she was speaking to an inferior existence while maintaining a twisted smile. ¡°I think everyone else understands except you.¡±

    Min-Seo was absolutely right. Jin-Seo nodded as if she understood Min-Seo''s words as well. Jun-Hyuk finally realized that he was the only one left out of the loop and scratched the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner.

    ¡°Well, I think I know what you mean.¡± Jun-Hyuk btedly pretended to understand.

    Min-Seo said with a light sneer, ¡°Also, demonic beast attacks have priorities. Rather than just attacking people that are moving, they tend to preemptively attack people who are trying to fight back.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°When Sun-Woo tried to throw a stone earlier, the demonic beast overlooked everyone else and attacked Sun-Woo first.¡±

    "Aha." Jun-Hyuk nodded his head. He didn''t seem to understand what she was saying. It looked like he was just roughly pretending to understand.

    ¡°Also, the boss is over there, that one.¡± Min-Seo pointed at something in the sky with her finger. A set of hazy eyes were staring down at us from the dark sky as if they were observing us.

    ¡°That¡¯s the one that¡¯s been watching us all along and is also probably the one that¡¯s deciding the attack priority. It¡¯s the one that¡¯s been emitting light as a signal to attack as well.¡±

    ¡°Emit light? The demonic beast did that?¡±

    ¡°I saw it earlier, and it seemed like the light wasing out from its eyes. I don''t know the theory behind it, but that seems to be the case. It also seems to have a significant amount of intelligence,¡± Min-Seo continued to exin.

    Jun-Hyuk was tilting his head through the entire exnation as if he didn''t understand. Jin-Seo had been watching the demonic beast¡¯s movements for a while, and she muttered in a small voice, ¡°...Their altitude has decreased.¡±

    I nced up at the sky. The demonic beasts were gradually lowering their flight altitude and approaching us. With a sluggish nod, Min-Seo slowly said, ¡°If ites down to the ground, then its intention must be to kill us all... Or something like that.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why bother?"

    ¡°They must be nning something big, or they might just be ying around with us. Looking at what they are doing, it looks like they are Baphomet three,¡± said Min-Seo. Baphomet was a word that was used to indicate the danger level of demonic beasts. The higher the number, the more dangerous a demonic beast was. Baphomet three referred to a demonic beast with intelligenceparable to that of a human.

    A demonic beast with such intelligence would often y around with humans as toys.

    ¡°We probably can¡¯t just sit around and wait for rescue,¡± I said while watching the approaching demonic beasts.

    "You¡¯re right. We don¡¯t know when help will arrive, after all.¡± Min-Seo nodded her head. I was lost in thought for a moment.

    Throwing a stone at them was impossible. It was because the demonic beasts would attack before I could get into position for a throw. However, I couldn¡¯t use Granbwa''s power either. The demonic beasts were flying, and Granbwa''s power was not suitable for dealing with flying enemies.

    [Since the weather is like this, I think that one would be the most suitable one. However, it¡¯s a bit ambiguous because we¡¯re in the mountains.] Legba¡¯s voice rang in my head.

    I also thought of ''that being.'' Against flying demonic beasts, they were the most effective countermeasure. The weather was also just right¡ªa cloudy sky.

    However, this was a mountain.

    If I used that being''s power incorrectly, it was possible for us to sink into an even more dangerous situation. Above all, I had no confidence in controlling that being¡¯s power.

    ¡°So what are you suggesting? We can¡¯t move, we can¡¯t counterattack, and you¡¯re saying that we can¡¯t sit still either? What the fuck,¡± Jun-Hyuk grumbled next to me while I was wondering whether there was a way of handling this situation. Min-Seo was touching her chin while staring into the air. She looked like she was thinking hard about something.

    Soon, she smiled widely. Her smile always had a creepy edge to it. ¡°I think it would be better if only one of us died than all four. How does that sound?"

    With her ominous opening statement, Min-Seo recited her n with a creepy smile on her face. Meanwhile, our faces gradually hardened.

    * * *

    ¡°Oh, by the way, I don¡¯t want to be the sacrifice. Choose amongst the three of you.¡±

    "What? That¡¯s not fair¡ª¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who came up with the n,¡± Min-Seo dered without raising an eyebrow. It seemed like a natural thing to say.

    Jun-Hyuk let out a dryugh as if he was dumbfounded. However, he didn''t have any way of retorting, so he just stayed quiet. Jin-Seo looked up at the sky. The demonic beasts were getting closer. They had approached so close that the wind generated by the pping of the demonic beasts¡¯ wings was blowing onto their heads.

    The remaining time was probably around five minutes. If we could not make a decision before then, all four of us were going to die here.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Min-Seo asked while looking around the surrounding area. It looked like Jun-Hyuk didn''t like Min-Seo''s attitude as he was muttering something with a wrinkled face.

    Sun-Woo also just looked up at the sky with a nk face without listening to her.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo hung her head as she recalled Min-Seo''s strategy.

    <i>¡®Whether it¡¯s by throwing stones or by running around like a screaming madman, one person bes the bait and draws the attention of the demonic beasts. In the meantime, the rest of us can run away. Isn''t it simple?''</i>

    If they followed Min-Seo''s strategy, there was a high probability that three of them would be able to escape. ording to the rule, ¡®The demonic beasts attack the target that counter attacks first,¡¯ the demonic beasts¡¯ attack would be concentrated on the bait. However, the bait would almost certainly die.

    ''So, I say that it''s better for one person to die than for all four of us to die.''

    It was a cruel and cold operation that did have a single touch of humaneness to it. However, as Min-Seo said, it was better for one person to die than for all four of us to die. It was cruel, but logically speaking, there was no strategy as rational as this one.

    The problem was, who would be the bait?

    ¡°Why are you still undecided? Someone gather their courage and step up.¡±

    The problem remained unresolved for a long time.

    Within the forest that was filled with silence, Min-Seo had boldly made her statement. In response, Jun-Hyuk twisted his mouth violently.

    ¡°Then you do it. You¡¯ve just been bbering on since earlier.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t. If I die, it will be a big loss for Florence Academy.¡±

    ¡°What? What about me, then? Are you saying that it''s fine if I die?¡± Jun-Hyukined.

    "Even if someone like you were to die... Nevermind. Anyway, decide for yourselves quickly.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk touched the back of his neck.

    ¡°Wow, I feel like I¡¯m about to die of anger. Should we all just die together? Huh?"

    ¡°Not bad. I don''t mind either way,¡± Min-Seo replied confidently. Not only was she someone who took the lives of others lightly, but she also took her own life lightly.

    Jun-Hyuk must have been speechless at her brazen attitude, as he could only let out choking noises. He was on the verge of fainting. Afterward, there were some altercations, but no one was quick to step forward.

    Obviously, life was not something that could be thrown away so easily.

    ¡°Do I just have to draw their attention?¡±

    Then, Jin-Seo¡¯s voice quieted themotion. For a moment, there was silence in the forest.

    Jun-Hyuk blinked his eyes and looked nkly at Jin-Seo. Min-Seo smiled and nodded. ¡°I was wondering when someone would volunteer. That¡¯s right. You just need to grab their attention for a moment. About five seconds?¡±

    Based on her tone of voice, it felt like she already knew that Jin-Seo would im to be bait from the start.

    Jun-Hyuk bbered while furrowing his eyebrows as if he did not understand, ¡°What, what, really? But why?"

    ¡°She has the highest chance of surviving even if she bes bait. As expected of Jin-Seo. She is smart,¡± Min-Seo sarcastically replied in her stead.

    Jin-Seo was roughly able to read the movements of the demonic beasts. Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and Min-Seo would all die with a hundred percent chance if they became the bait. However, if Jin-Seo became the bait, that probability would be reduced to around eighty percent. In other words, there was a chance that she would be able to survive.

    ¡°No, isn¡¯t itmon sense that the person who originally came up with the idea should also sacrifice themselves? Min-Seo should be the bait.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk still looked like he didn''t understand, but Jin-Seo had already made up her mind. No matter what Jun-Hyuk said, he couldn''t shake her resolution.

    "Okay. Then, when the decoy gives the signal, we all run away. Understood?¡±

    ¡°No, what the heck? You''re insane¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Ah~ yes. I apud Miss Jin-Seo¡¯s courage in volunteering to be the bait!¡±

    Jun-Hyuk was about to spit out a swear word when suddenly paused and stared nkly at Min-Seo. Even in this situation, Min-Seo was smiling brightly like a child. Her attitude was goosebumps-inducing. There seemed to be no concept of human dignity or respect for life in her head.

    "It¡¯s okay. Because I won''t die," Jin-Seo said with a clear smile. She looked resigned, as if she was prepared for death.

    She questioned herself.

    Would the life obtained at the cost of the lives of others be truly happy?

    The life she had now had also been acquired at the cost of her adoptive mother''s life. Misfortune always blew through her life like a storm and would always take away precious people around her. In the ce where the storm passed, only ruins remained. She had been wandering through ruins ever since five years ago. It was a lonely and deste ce where no one resided. She imagined a life that was obtained at the cost of Sun-Woo¡¯s or Jun-Hyuk¡¯s life.

    That wasn¡¯t life. It was death disguised as life or a life that was harsher than death.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo looked up at the sky again. The approaching dark clouds hadpletely swallowed the sun and covered the entire sky. The sound of the demonic beasts¡¯ wings resounded ominously through the pitch-ck darkness.

    Somehow, the sounds seemed closer than before.

    When she nced at Sun-Woo, she saw that he was still staring nkly at the sky. He had apletely calm face, as if the fact that she was about to be bait was none of his business.

    Jin-Seo¡¯s heart started to feelplicated. But that wasn¡¯t enough to shake her resolution.

    Within the darkness, she felt the touch of her bracelet on her left hand. It was no longer a bracelet due to snapping from the impact of the fall. It was just a crudely woven string. When she realized that, her heart felt a little peaceful.

    Jin-Seo took a few steps forward.

    "No."

    Then, a voice came from within the darkness. It felt like amand or perhaps a scolding. Jin-Seo unconsciously stopped her steps at the firm tone.

    Silence arose.

    Nothing could be seen or heard. Everything was covered and blurred by a pitch-ck abyss. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped.

    <i>sh.</i>

    At that moment, a sh of light drove away the darkness. In that fleeting moment, Jin-Seo saw him. She saw his back as he stepped forward confidently. However, the darkness once again came and covered her vision, causing his figure to disappear.

    ©¤©¤©¤©¤!!

    The darkness did notst too long. Lightning split the sky in half and drove away the darkness. The sound of thunder reverberated in the ears. At the same time, one of the demonic beasts turned to ashes and fell powerlessly onto the ground.

    ©¤©¤©¤!! ©¤©¤©¤!!!

    The thunderbolts continued to strike without rest, shattering the darkness in the sky into dozens of pieces. Darkness and light crossed hundreds of times before their eyes.

    The shattered sky spewed out thunder as if screaming. Several demonic beasts dropped down from the sky like rain. It looked as if a storm was raging. Within the center of the storm, the silhouette of his back was lit up.

    ¡°©¤©¤©¤.¡±

    He turned his head halfway to look at her and spoke to her. His voice was not audible because of the thunder. Only a faint echo was barely transmitted.

    <i>...''Please?''</i>

    Jin-Seo tried to decipher the meaning through lip reading, but she was unable to guess the meaning from the shape of his mouth alone.

    Meanwhile, the storm, which was a mixture of thunder and thunderbolts, still raged in the sky. The demonic beast corpses piled up one after another, and her hair blew gently from the resulting wind.

    It took a long time for the storm to stop, but eventually, it did.

    In the ce where the storm had passed, in the ruins with nothing left...

    There, he remained.

    1. It¡¯s not actually ¡®Red Light, Green Light,¡¯ but I tranted ¡®??? ?? ?????¡¯ in a simr way to what they did in Squid Game. ?

 Chapter 45

    <h4>Chapter 45</h4>

    After Min-Seo suggested her strategy and while the trio was bickering amongst each other about who would be the bait, I simply stared nkly at the sky. The boss of the demonic beasts gazed down at us with hazy eyes.

    A sticky and unpleasant feeling arose within me. What in the world did they want? Baphomet 3 ss demonic beasts often performed entricities that human minds could notprehend. They would do strange things, such as treating humans as toys and ying around with them or carving out the bones of humans to build houses or nests.

    However, even taking that into ount, their behavior was iprehensible.

    The demonic beasts would attack the target that was moving whenever there was a sh. If two or more people moved during the sh, then they would attack the person with the greater movement. That meant that they would not attack two or more people simultaneously.

    It was as if they were trying to imply that ''if one person bes the bait, the other three can survive.'' At the same time, it felt like they were trying to test our morality. If that was the case, then another question would arise.

    What on earth were the demonic beasts doing such a thing for?

    [This is something that not even I understand. It is said that Satan often tests humans... But to think that a mere demonic beast is trying to test humans...]

    ¡°...¡±

    I just quietly stared at the sky silently. The dark clouds soonpletely covered the skies. The bird-type demonic beasts slowly lowered their altitude and flew around us as if they were threatening us.

    The other kids were talking about something without me, but I couldn¡¯t hear the exact details because I was thinking about something else. It seemed like they were debating who to designate as the bait.

    [In any case, that woman''s n to save three by sacrificing one seems usible. You should be the bait, and after they run away, use your power, and you¡¯re done¡ª]

    [The weather is so nice today!]

    A voice abruptly interrupted Legba. The tone of the voice was so flippant that it felt like their voice would fly away with the wind. It perfectly juxtaposed Legba''s calm and grave tone.

    The dark cloud that covered the skies collided with each other, causing sparks to fly.

    [I can¡¯t help myself in this sort of weather!]

    [We¡¯re in the mountains right now. Be patient, you thoughtless bastard.] Legba scolded him.

    [There is no such thing as patience when ites to lightning!]

    But he just giggled and ignored Legba¡¯s words.

    Sobo.

    Loa of lightning and thunder.

    There was a proverb that said, ¡®A saint will be struck by lightning.¡¯ There was also a proverb that said, ¡®A vague person will be struck by lightning.¡¯ And finally, there was a proverb that said, ¡®If you are next to a bad person, you will be struck by lightning.¡¯

    If one pieced all these proverbs together, it didn¡¯t matter if one was a good person, bad person, or even a normal person. All humans would impartially get struck by lightning. Lightning did not discriminate and was also fickle.

    Since Sobo was the Loa of Lightning, their personality was just as fickle as that of lightning strikes. Especially on days such as today when dark cloudspletely covered the skies, Sobo would appear regardless of my will. He would then summon lightning bolts out of nowhere, and then he would disappear just as quickly as he came.

    [There are countless things to be struck by lightning in the sky.] Sobo muttered. His tone was frivolous, but there was also a slight chilliness to it. Ever since earlier, there was not a single ray of light in the sky covered by dark clouds.

    It seemed like he was nning to call in lightning bolts again.

    ¡°...Don¡¯t,¡± I hurriedly ordered Sobo.

    If lightning were to strike in the mountains like this, it would definitely start a forest fire. And it wouldn¡¯t just be any old fire, it would be massive enough topletely incinerate Eiden Hill to kingdome. It was like burning down one¡¯s house to catch a snake. In this case, it wasn¡¯t a snake but rather a group of demonic beasts, and instead of a house, it was Eiden Hill. Either way, the context was more or less the same.

    [Don¡¯t? Since you said don¡¯t, then I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I will just go back.]

    Fortunately, Sobo seemed to obediently follow my orders... However...

    [Of course, that¡¯s a lie! ¡¸Divine Retribution¡¹]

    ©¤©¤©¤!!

    However, as expected, the whims of lightning were unpredictable. When Sobo said ¡®Divine Retribution¡¯ as if he was shouting out the name of a skill, there was a sudden sh. A bolt of lightning rained down, split the sky, and was immediately followed by the ringing of thunder.

    [¡¸Lightning Bolt¡¹]

    [¡¸Lightning Arrow¡¹]

    [¡¸Thunder Storm¡¹]

    ¡°What game are you ying right now? This is ridiculous.¡±

    [It¡¯s because the power of lightning bes stronger when I do a chant!]

    It was utter nonsense. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. If there was consistency, it would be worth listening to, but sometimes he used English, and other times he used Chinese, so it was difficult to take him seriously. [1]

    The sky was filled with darkness and then filled with light in an alternating fashion. Demonic beasts that were hit by lightningnded on the ground one by one.

    A tree that was struck by lightning was split in half, and a fire broke out. The fire eventually spread in all directions and wrapped around the surrounding area as if besieging us. I took a step forward while listening to Sobo''s ¡®nonsensical drivel disguised as chanting.¡¯ I looked around the surrounding area by turning my head.

    It would be toote after the fire spread, so I was trying to secure an escape route in advance.

    [It''s not fun anymore since I¡¯ve been doing this for a while now. I¡¯m going to go now! This time it''s for real...]

    After conjuring a storm by summoning thunder and lightning for a while, Sobo left with a yawn as if he had already be bored. Sobo¡¯s frivolous voice faded from my mind, and Legba''s serious voice returned.

    [Baron Samedi and Sobo. Those two are the ones that I cannot understand the most. I have no idea what goes on in their heads.] Legba murmured lightly as if he wasmenting.

    I nodded. Baron Samedi also had a slightly unique personality, butpared to Sobo¡¯s, it was nothing. Sobo''s personality was beyond unique and could only be described as entric.

    I drove off my stray thoughts by shaking my head and quickly looked around.

    Everyone''s reaction was bizarre. Min-Seo was smiling wryly, Jun-Hyuk was staring at me with a serious expression on his face, and Jin-Seo was gazing nkly at the sky with a bewitched face. It was clear that everyone was not in their right mind. Now was not the time to be standing around. Although the lightning had killed off all of the demonic beasts, there was still a greater threat that was slowly suffocating us.

    "Hey! Wake up. We have to run away,¡± I screamed into the air. All three students looked at me at the same time with surprised expressions. I pointed to the fire spreading in the distance.

    Jun-Hyuk was the first toe to his senses.

    "What. What! What the fuck happened?¡±

    He smiled brightly like a child. The tone of his voice was also exceedingly high. It seemed like he couldn''t control his excitement. It looked like Jun-Hyuk loved things like lightning and thunder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were the one who did that? Are you for real?¡±

    "Nah, no way. Let¡¯s get out of here quickly. Once the fire spreads, we won¡¯t be able to get out."

    The fire, which had been far away just a moment ago, was already right in front of us. It was a mountain, so there was a lot to burn. Thus, the speed at which the mes spread was incredibly quick.

    ¡°Oh my god, look at the smoke. It''s kind of scary.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk stared nkly at the smoke billowing up into the sky. The rising ck smoke was thick enough to cover the sky. Smoke was added to the dark clouds, and as a result, the skies turned even darker. It was like pouring pitch-ck paint on ck paper.

    Jun-Hyuk had been staring at the smoke for a while when he suddenly looked back with aplex expression on his face. It looked like a subtle mixture of shock and anger.

    ¡°Damn it. Min-Seo.¡±

    Come to think of it, Min-Seo was not there. It appeared that she had fled by herself as soon as the situation had calmed down. It was a bit of a selfish judgment, but it was bad enough to curse at. It was better for at least one person to quickly escape and call for help or secure an escape route than for all four of them to end up getting caught up in the mes.

    ¡°Jin-Seo.¡±

    More than anything, now was not the time to be thinking about that. I went straight to Jin-Seo. She was staring into the air with a nk face, but as I approached, she came to her senses.

    "Ah, oh. Yes."

    Jin-Seo responded, but then she continued to stand there and stare at me nkly. She had a bewildered face. It seemed like she hadn''te to her senses yet.

    I pulled her by the wrist and quickly got out of there. For a while, we just ran without speaking a word. The mes were fiercely pursuing us. It was to the extent that I could feel the heat on my back.

    [Sobo, that guy is so irresponsible. The nts, the nts! The nts are screaming!]

    [You¡¯re right.]

    [Don''t just say that I¡¯m right all the time!]

    Within my head, I could hear Granbwa talking to Legba. I already had a headache because of the smoke, but the pain seemed to intensify as Granbwa jabbered out a string ofints.

    As Granbwa''s voice faded away, Legba opened their mouth with a click of their tongue.

    [Is this my fault? I have no idea why she¡¯s angry with me. This is ridiculous.]

    I just ran without answering. I couldn''t see well because of the darkness, but it was easy to find my way because I had nned out an escape route beforehand.

    Jin-Seo seemed to havee to her senses, as she was running faster than me. At first, it was as if I was pulling her along, but now it was as if I was getting pulled along by her. I didn¡¯t particrly see a need to continue holding her wrist, so I released my grip. However, after doing so, she grabbed my wrist instead.

    "Just because."

    The exnation ended with that.

    <i>''Just because.''</i>

    I didn''t know what ¡®just because¡¯ meant, but I didn''t really have time to ask, so I decided to just continue running like this. I didn''t have the strength to shake off her grip in the first ce unless I borrowed Bossou''s powers.

    I nced at her wrist, which was gripping mine. Aside from her pale skin, her wrists were surprisingly thin.

    [I don''t think you''ll be able to catch up with that kid even if you exercise all your life. Her physical ability seems to be innate.]

    ¡°...¡±

    I was surprised that such a thin wrist could produce such a grip, but I also needlessly started to feel depressed. It was because I couldn''t think of any words to refute Legba. It looked like I needed to exercise harder in the future. With a newfound determination, I ran hard.

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk, who was running ahead, suddenly stopped.

    ¡°We¡¯re fucked,¡± Jun-Hyuk muttered as he looked at the scene in front of him. The front was blocked by fire, and the fire was still spreading from behind and catching up to us. We were in a quandary. I felt dizzy.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way there¡¯s a blessing array that blocks fire... Actually,e to think of it... Hey, you guys¡ª"

    Jun-Hyuk swiftly rotated his head and looked at me. Then, he stopped talking. His gaze slowly shifted from me to Jin-Seo''s hand, which was holding onto my hand, and then onto Jin-Seo.

    "Oh, my, god."

    It was a mixture of resignation and disbelief. Only then did Jin-Seo finally let go of my wrist. Judging by the expression on her face, it seemed that she had been holding on to my wrist without realizing it.

    "Well, you didn¡¯t really have to let it go, but anyway, what should we do about this?" Jun-Hyuk said while looking at the mes blocking our path. No matter how one looked at it, it wasn¡¯t possible to pass through without any protection.

    I thought about throwing Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo over the mes with Bossou''s power, but that was too much of a gamble. While I was contemting a solution to this dilemma, the mes spread all the way to our current location. The heat could be felt in all directions. There was nowhere to go and nowhere to retreat.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, Jin-Seo gave a low sigh. No, it wasn''t a sigh but an exmation. She gazed in amazement at the figure appearing through the mes. Something had prated through the wall of fire and wasing our way.

    It was a bear.

    To be precise, it was a man that was the size of a bear, but it was impossible to tell who it was because his whole body was zing with fire.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at the sight with vacant eyes as if he had no energy to think anymore.

    ¡°Is it a brown bear?¡± [2]

    It was a bear that had been charred brown by the fire, so a brown bear.... It was a usible statement. Soon, heavy rain began to fall as if water were pouring from the sky. The fire on the bear''s body was gradually extinguished, revealing their face.

    1. ¡¸Lightning Bolt¡¹and¡¸Thunder Storm¡¹were in English. ?

    2. Brown bear is a synonym for fire bear in Korean. ?

 Chapter 46

    <h4>Chapter 46</h4>

    "Sorry, I¡¯mte.¡±

    The mes that covered the bear went out, and the bear¡¯s face was revealed. It was Bok-Dong. Bok-Dong seemed to be ming himself for beingte, but we were just thankful that he hade. If it hadn''t been for him, we would have inhaled the smoke and died slowly, or the oing fire would have consumed us.

    Bok-Dong led us through the fire withrge strides. After exiting the mes, we arrived in front of Ye-Jin. Divine power was pouring out from her body into her surroundings. It was a formidable amount of divine power. The rain that had extinguished the mes seemed to havee from a miracle replication spell that she had cast.

    ¡°Was it scary? Quick, get on board! These are good kids! They are not demonic beasts!¡±

    Two huge dogs stood behind her. They had muzzles covering their mouths and saddles on their backs. There was a soft light flowing around their bodies. They were from the lights of blessings.

    Jun-Hyuk tilted his head and said, "Eh. There are only two of them though?¡±

    "Oh no! We are in trouble! Wait a second, we can fit two people on one of the dogs! They are strong dogs!¡± Ye-Jin eximed frantically.

    While she was casting her miracle replication spell, she simultaneously drew a blessing array and a healing array with both her hands. Just like that, she drew dozens of blessing arrays. It was chaotic enough to make people dizzy.

    Jun-Hyuk looked back and forth between Jin-Seo and me.

    ¡°Well, I will ride alone. I have erm dog... dog sickness,¡± Jun-Hyuk smiled awkwardly and got on the dog''s back alone.

    It was a ridiculous excuse. It¡¯s not like it was seasickness, but dog sickness? And what did this have to do with motion sickness in the first ce?

    But there was no time to think. The fire was spreading with the wind. Jin-Seo and I rode the same dog. There was plenty of space. Confirming that we were all on the dogs, Ye-Jin strode forward.

    ¡°Good boy, let¡¯s go back~¡±

    <i>Woof!</i>

    Ye-Jin caressed her dog''s scruff with her right hand, and in response, the dogs barked in unison. The dogs carried us through the mountain roads.

    Soon after, the darkness was lifted, and light from the Florence campus shined from the distance. The dogs were quick, and the ride was veryfortable. Even though we were going down such a steep mountain road, there was little shaking.

    <i>Grab.</i>

    Jin-Seo grabbed my shirt from behind. I was startled and looked back. She was gazing at me with aposed face.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to fall.¡±

    ¡°...Who?"

    "Me." She turned her head away as if she was stating something obvious. Since the wind was blowing her hair, it was hard to see her face.

    The dog was still running, however, as I stated before, the ride was veryfortable, as there was very little shaking.

    Maybe Jin-Seo was suffering from what Jun-Hyuk called ¡®dog sickness.¡¯ If I could alleviate her motion sickness with just my shirt, I could give it away as much as she wanted. But was there really such a thing as dog sickness?

    [Well... I guess this is what you can expect from someone who learned wed psychology.] Legba murmured.

    However, it wasn¡¯t the right situation to respond to Legba¡¯s statement, and there wasn¡¯t any time to respond either. It was because the dogs hade out of the mountain and had arrived in front of the Florence Academy Main Building.

    The dogs vigorously shook their bodies as if they had just taken a shower. We dismounted by sliding off the dog¡¯s back.

    <i>Woof!</i>

    The dogs barked as if they were addressing us, and then they went back the way they came. I couldn¡¯t help but think that they were incredibly fast. Just like that, the dogs disappeared into the darkness.

    In front of the old-fashioned Main Building, the three of us just stared nkly at each other without saying anything. Within the silence, Jun-Hyuk opened his mouth.

    ¡°What the heck? What are we supposed to do now? Don¡¯t tell me we have to just go back to ss like this¡ª"

    <i>Bang.</i>

    Then, someone fell from the sky like a meteorite. Jun-Hyuk stopped talking and let out an exmation simr to a scream.

    The person who had fallen from the sky was Do-Jin. The ck blood of the demonic beasts was smeared on the de of the sword he was holding, and the light of a blessing flowed softly from his legs. He put his sword back into his scabbard and said, ¡°There is no ss today, so go home. Get some rest ande back tomorrow.¡±

    "Oh. Hell yeah.¡± When Jun-Hyuk responded with a smile, Do-Jin frowned.

    ¡°You have to take supplementary sses instead.¡±

    "Ah," Jun-Hyuk sighed. I stared vacantly at Do-Jin.

    Then Do-Jin nced back, and our eyes met. His eyes, which were always tired and nk, were strangely clear at the moment. There was something resembling a glimmer of tenacity within his eyes.

    ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t go anywhere else. Go home right now. If you get caught wandering around, it''ll be a penalty point.¡±

    <i>Bang.</i>

    Shortly thereafter, Do-Jin disappeared. To be precise, he ascended the mountain at an extremely fast speed, but it seemed as if he had disappeared because my eyes could not follow him.

    When looking at the professors in charge of each department in Florence, there were times when I wondered whether they were really human beings. Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin, and Do-Jin were all like that.

    Among them, the one that caught my eye was Do-Jin.

    The light of blessing flowing through his body felt somewhat disparate. It didn''te from a blessing array. Instead, it looked like the light was manifesting from inside his body. It was difficult to exin it clearly at the moment. However, I could vaguely guess that Do-Jin was something different.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to do even when I arrive home. Ah, I can go to the training center.¡±

    It was Jun-Hyuk who broke the brief silence. Even in the midst of such a disaster, Jun-Hyuk wasn¡¯t serious at all and was actually smiling like an idiot.

    Jin-Seo looked at him in a dumbfounded manner and said, ¡°I thought you said you decided not to go there since yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Hey,e on,¡± Jun-Hyuk whined while ncing at me with a strained smile. ¡°Just let it slide! Yeah? I helped you earlier, remember?¡±

    I couldn''t understand their conversation at all. Perhaps it was more appropriate to say that I couldn''t keep up with the context.

    Jin-Seo listened to Jun-Hyuk and turned her head to look at me. As always, there was no expression on her face, so I couldn''t guess what she was thinking.

    ¡°...Okay. Only this time,¡± Jin-Seo said with a small nod.

    What did Jun-Hyuk help with, and why did Jin-Seo agree? I was the only one who was out of the loop.

    ¡°They are talking about something that only they know again...¡± I muttered to myself while feeling a sense of alienation.

    * * *

    ¡°Do-Jin! Do you see anything?¡±

    ¡°Three to the southeast, one to the north.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation like?!¡±

    ¡°Looks fine. I don¡¯t think they know that there was a forest fire, and you¡¯ve dealt with all the demonic beasts, anyway.¡±

    Do-Jin looked around Eiden Hill with bleary eyes from the top of a tree. The light of a blessing was radiating from his eyes. Do-Jin had been gazing at the hill for a long time, and he almost stumbled down from the tree. It was due to the dizziness he was experiencing as a result of overwork.

    "Sigh," Do-Jin sighed while touching his forehead. He then asked, ¡°How many people have you evacuated so far?¡±

    ¡°283 people!¡±

    ¡°How many people are there in total?¡±

    ¡°287 people! As long as we save the remaining four, we should be good!¡± Bok-Dong shouted in a booming voice from under the tree. Do-Jin frowned.

    ¡°Speak a little quietly. I can hear you clearly.¡±

    "What?!"

    ¡°I said it¡¯s okay to speak quietly!¡±

    "Ah! I got it!!"

    Bok-Dong seemed to have no intention of lowering his voice.

    Do-Jin shook his head in resignation and moved the light of blessing from his pupils to his legs.

    ¡°I will be right back. Put four dogs on standby,¡± he then said as if he were ordering Ye-Jin. Ye-Jin scowled while extinguishing the fire with a miracle replication spell.

    ¡°What the? Am I your subordinate? Fix your tone.¡±

    ¡°...Put them on standby, please. Thanks."

    "Sure. Pleasee back quickly,¡± Ye-Jin replied bluntly.

    Do-Jin bent his body as if he was trying topress it and then leaped southeast like a projectile beingunched. Ye-Jin watched him while clicking her tongue.

    Bok-Dong strode toward Ye-Jin.

    ¡°Ye-Jin. Good job.¡±

    ¡°As long as you idiots are aware. Think before you move.¡±

    "Hmm. I will heed your advice.¡±

    Bok-Dong nodded. Ye-Jin turned her head away with a disapproving expression on her face.

    When Bok-Dong and Do-Jin thoughtlessly stormed off to Eiden Hill, Ye-Jin immediately went to the Pdin Order in front of Florence to borrow military dogs. As an enhanced species, they were veryrge, and their receptivity to blessings was good.

    Thanks to this, all the students were rescued without injury, and the time required for rescue was drastically reduced. It was for this reason that Bok-Dong and Do-Jin could not refute Ye-Jin''s words.

    "By the way, why aren''t reinforcementsing from the Pdin Order?"

    ¡°Have you ever seen them arrive on time? I never expected anything from them in the first ce.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re being quite harsh here. Can¡¯t you see that there is a former pdin right in front of you?¡±

    ¡°Whatever. You¡¯re not even a pdin anymore, so why does it matter?¡±

    At Ye-Jin''s words, Bok-Dong awkwardlyughed out loud.

    <i>Woof, woof!</i>

    At that time, the military dogs who had gone down the mountain with the students returned. The dogs painted with their tongues out, waiting for Ye-Jin''s praise. Ye-Jin smiled and approached the dogs. She then caressed their necks.

    "Good job. Well done~¡± The dogs rolled over and exposed their stomachs on the dirt.

    Although the dogs wererger in size due to selective breeding, they were just ordinary puppies with docile personalities, except when dealing with demonic beasts. Ye-Jin was startled and tried to lift the military dogs back up, but they were too heavy for her to lift.

    ¡°No, boys! It''s dirty. Get up quickly. Come on!"

    ¡°The puppies are really cute.¡±

    ¡°Please help me! Don''t just watch!¡± Ye-Jin shouted in a shrill voice. Only then did Bok-Dong help Ye-Jin lift the dogs.

    ¡°The priests must have had a hard time. They had to train the military dogs, after all.¡±

    Since priests had weaker physical bodiespared to pdins or crusaders, they used livestock with good receptivity to blessings in fights. There was also a section in the Department of Priests training curriculum where students would learn how to train their personal military dogs.

    "Of course. We have a lot more to do than pdins. We also have to do research on a lot of different things as well.¡±

    ¡°...Please refrain from makingments that demean other people¡¯s jobs.¡±

    "It''s not a disparagement, it''s the truth," Ye-Jin teased. Bok-Dongughed wryly. He had no way of refuting.

    Pdins had a brief golden age about nine years ago, but ever since then, it had been an unfortunate profession that has continued to decline to this day.

    Do-Jin flew in andnded behind Bok-Dong, who had beenmenting the fate of the pdins. He had four students in total, with two in each hand. It looked like he was carrying food waste.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    ¡°Mr. Do-Jin... You can let go now...¡±

    The students moaned with pale, zombie-like faces. Do-Jin handed the students who were near fainting over to Bok-Dong. Bok-Dong put them on the back of a dog.

    The military dog barked and went down the mountain. Bok-Dong then smiled proudly as he ced his hand on his waist.

    ¡°With this, all 287 members were rescued. As for the forest fire extinguishing¡ª¡±

    ¡°The extinguishing isplete. No reinforcements came from the Pdin Order even until the end,¡± Ye-Jin said after interrupting Bok-Dong¡¯s sentence. Do-Jin stood next to Bok-Dong and furrowed his eyebrows.

    ¡°Have you ever seen them arrive on time? I never expected anything from them in the first ce.¡±

    "Oh, my god. I just said the same thing. We¡¯re in sync.¡±

    "Okay? So what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, you have a habit of questioning everything...¡± Ye-Jin clicked her tongue and continued.

    ¡°Are the number of birds correct?¡±

    Do-Jin tilted her head and pretended to think for a moment.

    ¡°Well, I killed a total of seven demonic beasts. Bok-Dong, what about you?¡±

    ¡°I killed six.¡±

    ¡°Then the total is thirteen. There are twenty-one birds in the barn, so we¡¯re eight short.¡±

    "Okay? Then the rest will be over there,¡± Do-Jin said while pointing with his chin at the far darkness beyond the forest that had been reduced to ashes.

    Without anyone saying first, the three of them started walking toward it almost at the same time. Rain-soaked ashes clung to their feet.

    "Eww."

    Ye-Jin was disgusted by the unpleasant feeling on her shoes. Do-Jin also seemed very displeased, but he only frowned and didn''t show any other reaction. Bok-Dong, on the other hand, was moving forward with big strides as if he was ustomed to this feeling. They walked for a while, and eventually, in the distance, they could see something that had turned to ashes piled up like a tower.

    Do-Jin paused and frowned. Then, he stopped Ye-Jin, who was following him.

    ¡°Wait here for a second.¡±

    "What? Why!"

    "Just."

    Ye-Jin mumbled something behind him, but Do-Jin didn''t care.

    Do-Jin stopped her for one reason. It was because, like the ¡®Tower of Corpses¡¯ he saw earlier, there was a possibility that the ashes in front of them were also made of human corpses. Do-Jin didn''t want to see Ye-Jin vomit again.

    Bok-Dong fearlessly strode toward the pile of ashes and examined it. Then he raised his eyebrows as if he had found something odd.

    ¡°It is not the corpses of humans but demonic beasts. They must have died from being struck by lightning.¡±

    Some of the feathers hadpletely burned away, leaving bright red scars on the exposed skin. At first nce, the scar resembled a Lichtenberg shape. It meant that the deaths of demonic beasts were caused by lightning. Bok-Dong counted the number of dead demonic beasts one by one and inspected their bodies.

    ¡°All seven were struck by lightning and died. Two of them... were they shot?¡±

    Seven died from being struck by lightning, and two died because of a hole in the heart. It seemed that they had been shot with a rifle or something.

    So, there were a total of nine demonic beast corpses here.

    ¡°...Nine bodies?¡±

    ¡°Nine bodies? Why are there nine bodies?¡±

    "Get out of the way!"

    <i>p!</i>

    A bird-type demonic beast they thought was dead pped its wings and tried to take flight.

    Do-Jin hurriedly drew his sword and took a stance, but Bok-Dong did not back down. He was looking at ''it'' with curious, no, fearful eyes.

    ¡°That''s a taxidermied creature.¡±

    Cotton and sawdust were pouring out of the demonic beast''s broken wings. The blurry eyes of the demonic beast shed and let out a beam.

    Bok-Dong clenched his fist and, without hesitation, struck down the demonic beast''s head. The demonic beast''s head exploded with a p. A mysterious, machine-like object came out of it. Bok-Dong picked up the machine. The shes had beening out from the machine.

    ¡°The technique used is exactly the same as that case two years ago,¡± Bok-Dong said. His eyes were trembling with fear, and they were unfocused. He was reminiscing about the tragedy of that time two years ago¡ªthe day when dozens of taxidermied creatures ran amok in Incheon.

    <i>Weee wooo weee¡ª!</i>

    The sound of sirens broke the silence. The Pdin Order had arrived.

 Chapter 47

    <h4>Chapter 47</h4>

    ¡°You¡¯re saying there was no supervising teacher?¡±

    "No. It was a ss only in words, but it was actually life guidance...¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m speechless. And you called the students because of that reason? What would they know?¡±

    The meeting hadn''t even started yet, but the meeting room was already noisy. Do-Jin furrowed his brows as he saw the teachers chattering among themselves. ¡°You guys talk a lot. While those guys were sleeping in the teacher¡¯s office¡ª¡±

    ¡°Shush! Be careful with your words.¡±

    Next to him, Ye-Jin cautioned Do-Jin. He let out a hollowugh as if he was dumbfounded.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡±

    ¡°If you only say the right things, you won¡¯t live long.¡±

    It looked like Do-Jin found the situation a little hard to ept, but he nodded and shut his mouth. Bok-Dong also nodded softly and agreed with Ye-Jin''s words.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    At that moment, the door opened, and the vice principal entered. The noisy conference room became quiet in an instant. The reason for the silence was because of the gray-haired old man who was following behind the vice-principal.

    The old man was one of the three elders on the Florence Elder Council¡ªhe was baptized as Gabriel by the Pope. He was one of the individuals who held real authority over Florence Academy along with the chairman.

    ¡°Elder Gabriel will conduct today¡¯s meeting,¡± said the vice-principal. Gabriel greeted everyone by raising his hand, and the teachers solemnly bowed their heads and saluted him.

    After a long silence, Gabriel brushed his white hair and said, ¡°Let¡¯s proceed quickly... Where are the three professors who investigated the Tower of Corpses and rescued the students?¡±

    Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin, and Do-Jin raised their hands in turn. Gabriel quickly scanned their faces with his eyes. His speech and actions were slow, and only the movement of his eyes was quick.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that around the tower... there were Pentagrams installed?¡±

    Gabriel always divided a sentence into two parts. It was either a habit or because he was too old and always out of breath. It was either one of those two cases or both.

    ¡°Yes, that''s correct,¡± Bok-Dong answered.

    ¡°Have you figured out... The whereabouts of the Pentagram?¡±

    ¡°Two of the six Pentagrams have been roughly identified. They are ¡®demonification¡¯ and ¡®contract.¡¯¡±

    ¡°What about... The other four?¡±

    ¡°The ¡®contract¡¯ ck magic is still in effect, so essing is not possible, and as a result, we are having difficulties figuring it out.¡±

    Those affected by ¡®contract¡¯ ck magic would be humanoid demonic beasts or demons. Therefore, except for some bloodlines with special blood, it was impossible to even approach the Pentagram.

    Bok-Dong continued immediately, ¡°First of all, I called Cardinal Sung Yu-Da, no, the former Inquisitor, and asked for their cooperation.¡±

    ¡°Did they say... that they wereing?¡±

    ¡°There was no answer.¡±

    ¡°That guy always... respondste.¡±

    Gabriel furrowed his brows and rummaged through the papers. Then he raised his eyebrows as if he had found something interesting. ¡°Seven of the twenty demonic beasts... were electrocuted by lightning strikes?¡±

    "Yes."

    ¡°Was the lightning strike... a ¡®natural¡¯ one?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you, could you say it again?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just asking whether there is a possibility... that it was a lightning strike caused by a Cult Demon.¡±

    Bok-Dong loudly gulped.

    Cult Demon.

    He was asking whether the Voodoo Cult''s Prophet used devils called ''Loa'' to wield the power of lightning.

    Seven years ago, in the Holy War, the Voodoo Cult Prophet terrified countless clergymen with the power of lightning. There were countless clergymen still reeling from the trauma from back then. They would panic and faint whenever lightning struck.

    After thinking for a while, Bok-Dong shook his head and stated, ¡°The odds are low.¡±

    ¡°Can I ask... why?¡±

    ¡°The scale is too smallpared to that time.¡±

    Bok-Dong suddenly remembered that time. On the night of a new moon, dark clouds rolled in and obscured the starlight, and the skies were filled with endless darkness. It was then that the Prophet caused lightning to split the sky.

    No, to say that they had split the skies was an understatement. It was more urate to say that the sky waspletely covered by shes of lightning. It was a devastating, apocalyptic sight as if heaven and earth were copsing. If the lightning at that time was a tiger, today''s lightning was just a puppy. It was unlikely that the lightning strike was caused by the Voodoo Cult''s Prophet.

    ¡°Also, there is no reason for the Voodoo Cult Leader to save Florence''s students.¡±

    ¡°That, too... is correct.¡± Gabriel nodded.

    The Third Voodoo Cult Leader. He was the one who inherited the blood of the Second Cult Leader and the power of the Prophet. It was said that he was evil and cunning and that he was plotting evil ns to overthrow the Romanican Church. At least, that was how it was known to the public. There was no reason for him to save the students of Florence Academy.

    ¡°But it¡¯s hard to say... that it was a natural lightning strike...¡± Gabriel murmured incredulously.

    If it wasn¡¯t the cult¡¯s magic, that is, the power of Loa, it would mean that naturally urring lightning strikes had killed seven of the demonic beasts. It wasn¡¯t impossible, but the probability was very unlikely.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it happened naturally. I''m guessing it was a miracle replication spell.¡±

    The answer this time was Ye-Jin¡ªseveral faculty members tilted their heads while listening.

    ¡°Weren''t students on Eiden Hill first-years? To say that they used a miracle replication spell is a bit of a stretch.¡±

    ¡°Among the children at the site, there was a student named Kim Jin-Seo.¡±

    When the name ¡®Kim Jin-Seo¡¯ was mentioned, the teachers nodded in agreement immediately. Since Jin-Seo had previously cast a miracle replication spell, everyone believed that it was highly likely that she was the one responsible for the miracle replication spell.

    ¡°Of course, this is just spection at the moment. You have to listen to the students and judge for yourself.¡±

    However, it was all spection at the moment. There was a high possibility that Jin-Seo was responsible for the miracle, but there were no guarantees. Beyond that, there were so many other unknown things about this case. This was something that could be guessed step by step by synthesizing the testimonies of the four students who would soone to the conference room.

    ¡°When will the children... you callede?¡± Gabriel said while fiddling with his eyebrows with his little finger.

    Ye-Jin checked her watch. ¡°They will be here soon.¡±

    * * *

    A total of four kids had been called over. They were Jun-Hyuk, Min-Seo, Sun-Woo, and Jin-Seo. They were ordered toe at 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, and 4:30, respectively.

    The first toe was Jun-Hyuk. He came at 3:15 pm. He was fifteen minuteste.

    ¡°I¡¯mte~ I¡¯m sorry~¡± Jun-Hyuk entered the conference room with a casual greeting. Several teachers clicked their tongues in disapproval.

    ¡°Jun-Hyuk. I told you toe at 3.¡±

    "Haa... I definitely set my rm before I slept, but the rm didn¡¯t go off for some reason. Perhaps it¡¯s time to change my phone.¡±

    "Why don¡¯t you just sit down,¡± Ye-Jin said coldly.

    Jun-Hyuk sat down while scratching the back of his neck with an apologetic look on his face. His shoulders were stiff. It was because the atmosphere in the meeting room was so brutal that he became nervous before he even realized it.

    Jun-Hyuk looked around the room and asked, ¡°Am I being investigated? I didn''t do anything wrong, right?"

    ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. We will just ask you two questions and send you away,¡± Ye-Jin said with a bright smile. Jun-Hyuk let out a deep sigh as if he was finally relieved.

    Ye-Jin meaninglessly rummaged through the papers containing the list of questions before asking, ¡°Student Jun-Hyuk was surrounded by nine demonic beasts at the time of the incident, right?¡±

    "Yes. I almost died.¡±

    ¡°Seven of them were electrocuted by lightning. Do you have any guesses?¡±

    ¡°Guesses? Guess what?¡± Jun-Hyuk asked back with an exceedingly naive expression on his face. His expression looked so naive that it was stupid. The intention of the question was to ask the cause of the lightning strike, but Jun-Hyuk did not seem to grasp the intention at all.

    "I''m asking if someone caused the lightning through miracle replication."

    ¡°Ah~ aah. Yes! I understand now. Hmm... Ah!" Jun-Hyuk smacked his knee with his hand and eximed. His face was filled with confidence, as if he knew something. A thin smile formed at the corners of his mouth.

    "I do not know! Ha ha ha, sorry.¡±

    However, the answer that followed was not meaningful at all. Jun-Hyuk smiled shyly as if he were embarrassed.

    "Ah, yes." Ye-Jin sighed in disappointment and moved on to the next question. She ced a small, unknown machine on the table. It was the machine that emerged from the head of the stuffed demonic beast.

    ¡°What do you think this is?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the machine for a long time. It appeared as if he couldn''t guess what it was no matter how much he looked at it. Thus, Jun-Hyuk tilted his head and asked, "Hmm. Is it a camera?¡±

    ¡°Alright~ well done. You may go now.¡±

    "Huh? Is it over? Already?"

    "Yes. Thank you for your sincere answer~¡±

    Jun-Hyuk scratched the back of his neck nervously, got up from his seat, and immediately left the conference room.

    Eventually, it was 3:30 pm, and Min-Seo opened the door and came in as if she had been waiting.

    "Yes. I believe you said you had something to ask me?¡±

    She sat down at a random empty seat and opened her mouth with an unkind tone. Ye-Jin furrowed her eyebrows slightly. But she couldn''t frown openly in front of the students, so she forced a smile and said, ¡°At the time of the incident, Student Min-Seo was attacked by nine demonic beasts¡ª¡±

    The question was the same as Jun-Hyuk¡¯s. The first question was about the cause of death of the demonic beast, and the second question was about the machine that came out of the demonic beast¡¯s head.

    Sun-Woo and Jin-Seo would be asked the same questions.

    Min-Seo tilted her head in response to the first question and scanned the faces of the teachers in the conference room. Then she smiled brightly like a child andmented, ¡°Mr. Elder seems to be here.¡±

    ¡°Student Min-Seo, answer the question first¡ª¡±

    "Ah, yes. But you seem to be adding a lot of fluff to the question. Can¡¯t you just get straight to the point and ask me who caused the lightning strike?¡± Min-Seo asked calmly. She was very quick-witted.

    Ye-Jin felt difort and slight fear at the same time. Min-Seo¡¯s t, empty eyes looked like they were trying to deconstruct every single detail on her face.

    ¡°Anyway... I don¡¯t have any guesses about the cause of the lightning.¡±

    After staring at Ye-Jin''s face for a while, Min-Seo gave her answer. Bok-Dong tilted his head in response..

    Min-Seo had said that she had no guesses about ¡®the lightning strikes.¡¯ Based on her manner of speech, she seemed to have some guesses about some other things that were unrted to the lightning.

    ¡°Wait, let me ask one more question. There were two demonic beasts with piercing wounds in the heart. They looked like gunshot wounds. Do you know anything about it?¡± Bok-Dong immediately asked Min-Seo a question.

    Min-Seo tilted her head for a moment as if trying to understand the intention of his question, thenughed madly. For some reason, Bok-Dong felt an eerie chill run down his spine.

    Afterughing for a while, Min-Seo finally managed to stop herughter and catch her breath.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. I thought of something funny.¡±

    ¡°Can you answer the question first?¡± Bok-Dong asked solemnly. Min-Seo wiped theughter from her face. Then she lightly stroked her neck.

    "To give you the conclusion, Sun-Woo did it.¡±

    ¡°What? Tell me more. What did Sun-Woo do?¡±

    ¡°I don''t remember very well. It¡¯d be better if you asked him directly.¡± She evaded the question with a vague answer.

    She was speaking as if she knew everything before, but now she was saying that she didn¡¯t remember. Min-Seo seemed to know something but had no intention of telling the teachers about it. It seemed that it would be difficult to expect an answer from her even if she was asked further. Thus, Ye-Jin resigned herself and moved on to the next question.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Ye-Jin put the machine on the table. ¡°What do you think this is?¡±

    ¡°It looks ominous. Is it something from the Satanists?¡± Min-Seo answered right away without thinking.

    At her unexpected reply, Ye-Jin hesitated, forgetting her words. As a result, Bok-Dong took her ce and continued the questioning.

    ¡°You, what are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Do you suspect us of being Satanists?¡± Min-Seo said after interrupting Bok-Dong.

    Bok-Dong stared at Min-Seo for a moment with a bewildered expression. There was no sign of tension or nervousness on her face. She actually seemed ratherid-back.

    ¡°The mechanism is something Satanist-rted or something like that. That thing must havee from where we were. So you guessed that there must be a Satanist among us?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, but Satanists aren''t that stupid. You can¡¯t catch them the old-fashioned way,¡± Min-Seo said as if she was stating the obvious.

    The machine from the head of a stuffed demonic beast appeared to sh intermittently, but in reality, it did not. It was designed to light up in response to a certain ¡®signal.¡¯ In other words, Satanists had watched the situation on Eiden Hill and had delivered a ¡®signal¡¯ to the machine to control the demonic beast.

    Thus, the Satanist was a student in the ss of Charity, Patience, or Kindness at Eiden Hill at the time of the incident. Among them, four were specifically close to a stuffed demonic beast with a machine attached to it. Jun-Hyuk, Min-Seo, Sun-Woo, or Jin-Seo was most likely a Satanist.

    This was what the teachers were specting, but Min-Seo''s thoughts were a little different.

    ¡°There is a high probability that the machine was deliberately left where we were in order to make the teachers suspect the students.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Do-Jin asked sharply. His eyes were cold. Still, Min-Seo continued speaking without a hint of fear.

    "It''s a Satanist trick to confuse the teachers."

    Looking at what they had done so far, Satanists were pretty smart people. One could say that they were good at mind games. There was no way that people like that would have taken care of the aftermath so sloppily. They were likely trying to confuse and mislead the teachers by intentionally leaving evidence.

    "Well, you look like a Satanist to me,¡± Do-Jin said quietly. Min-Seo smiled broadly.

    ¡°If I were a Satanist, would I say something like this? I would have beenughing like a ret¡ªI mean, a stupid person. I would be pretending not to know anything.¡±

    ¡°...Okay, let''s assume you''re right. The Satanist put the machine there ''on purpose'' to interfere with the investigation. Could they be doing a double interference?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but the probability is low. Because double interference is risky. And if you think of all those possibilities, then there is no end to it.¡±

    "Hmm."

    Do-Jin gave a small nod. What she was saying made sense, but Do-Jin still had doubts about Min-Seo. Even in this situation, Min-Seo was too calm. There was no other evidence against her, but her attitude was suspicious. More than anything, Min-Seo seemed to be trying to obliterate all the evidence found so far by saying that it was all a ploy devised by the Satanists. However, doubt was only doubt. Without definitive proof, he couldn''t be sure of anything.

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve helped enough with this. Can I go now? I don''t have much time.¡±

    "Yes... You can go now.¡±

    Min-Seo bowed vigorously to her teachers and left her conference room with a cheerful smile on her lips.

    For a while, a chilly silence hung over the meeting room.

    ¡°What kind of kid is that?¡± Do-Jin muttered to himself.

    ¡°She is smart, but something annoys me...¡±

    Ye-Jin nodded in agreement with Do-Jin.

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    Not long after, a knock was heard. Bok-Dong checked the time on his phone.

    4:02 pm. It was time for Sun-Woo toe.

 Chapter 48

    <h4>Chapter 48</h4>

    ¡°Sit there.¡± Ye-Jin pointed to an empty seat with her chin.

    Sun-Woo bowed his head and silently sat down. He was much more respectful and polite than Min-Seo. A smile formed on Ye-Jin''s face. Perhaps it was because it was right after meeting Min-Seo, but even insignificant actions gave her a favorable impression. The first question was, of course, about the cause of death of the demonic beasts. Sun-Woo listened to the question and tilted his head for a long time. His reaction was simr to Jun-Hyuk¡¯s.

    "I do not know. I was so out of my mind at the time.¡±

    "Is that so... Did you notice anything different before the lightning strike? For example, did you see any divine power?¡±

    It was a rather frank question. Sun-Woo tilted his head and closed his eyes tightly. It was as if he was trying to recall memories of that time. Then he opened his eyes and eximed, "Ah! I think I remember briefly seeing divine power around Jin-Seo. Or maybe not? I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Even if it¡¯s not necessarily divine power, it could be something like light flickering. Did you see anything like that?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. I think I saw something like that,¡± Sun-Woo said with his brows furrowed. It seemed like his memory was not clear.

    Since it was a situation where life and death were on the line, it was unreasonable to expect him to remember every detail. All he could do was forcefully pull out vague memories.

    Ye-Jin gave a small nod and moved on to the next question. ¡°Yes, then what do you think this is¡ª¡±

    "Wait a minute. I have one more question for you.¡±

    Ye-Jin''s hand, which was about to take out the machine and ce it on the table, stopped. It was because Bok-Dong had interrupted her sentence. Bok-Dong stared at Sun-Woo with a frown. He hardened his face, trying to make it look more rugged than usual.

    ¡°Two demonic beasts with piercing wounds to the heart were found at the scene. Min-Seo said you did it?¡±

    "Really? Hmm...¡±

    Sun-Woo ced his hand on his temple as if he was searching his memory.

    ¡°Yes, I was the one who did that.¡±

    ¡°It looked like prating wounds as a result of using firearms. Am I right?"

    "Hm? Firearms? How would I be able to obtain firearms?¡±

    Sun-Woo widened his eyes as if this was the first time he had thought of such a thing. He wasn''t lying or acting.

    Bok-Dong tilted his head. If he didn¡¯t use firearms to defeat the demonic beasts, what on earth did he use?

    ¡°No, wait. This is...¡±

    Come to think of it, it was hard to say that it was a prating wound from a firearm because the first-years hadn¡¯t received firearm training yet. The firearm training session was a training session that started in the second semester of the first year, and it was only for those who were aiming to apply for the Department of Crusaders. Furthermore, even after years of training, crusaders could not urately hit the hearts of a flying target.

    Therefore, there was no way that a first-year who had not taken a training session could have done that. And it wasn¡¯t a flying target¡ªit was an actual demonic beast at that. Thinking about it a little further, he had already concluded from the beginning that the wound was due to a firearm. Everything was based on this assumption. Bok-Dong suddenly thought of the term ¡®confirmation bias.¡¯

    ¡°Then how did you do it?¡±

    Eventually, he modified the question. Sun-Woo seemed to think for a moment, but then he immediately answered, ¡°I threw stones. Um... yeah."

    As if he were embarrassed to say more, Sun-Woo trailed off.

    Bok-Dong let out a dumbfoundedugh. He was saying that he did something that was difficult, even with firearms, by only throwing stones.

    Do-Jin had the same reaction. He stared at Sun-Woo with tired eyes and said, ¡°...Does that make sense to you? Even King David[1] would not be able to do that.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How many times do I have to tell you to be careful with your words!¡± Ye-Jin said. She pped Do-Jin¡¯s mouth. It wasn''t sphemy, but it was a dangerous statement.

    Do-Jin bowed his head and apologized to the other teachers and elders. It wasn''t a particrly apologetic look.

    Bok-Dong remained silent for a long time. Then, after organizing his confused mind, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next question.¡±

    He had a puzzled expression on his face. As if she had been waiting, Ye-Jin took out a machine and ced it on the table.

    ¡°What do you think this might be?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know... Perhaps a camera?"

    ¡°Uh, um.¡±

    Did he n something with Jun-Hyuk? Ye-Jin was a little taken aback.

    ¡°Yes, you can go. You can go home right away.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I left my book in the ssroom. Can I get my book before I go home?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, of course,¡± Ye-Jin said with a bright smile.

    Sun-Woo did a lot of pleasant things at times. She liked him even more because he didn''t do it on purpose to look good but because it felt as if his actions were sincere out of habit. Even when he left, he bowed his head several times toward the teachers and before leaving the conference room. Indeed, he really was polite.

    ¡°By throwing stones... Haha," Bok-Dong muttered to himself andughed as if he had lost his mind.

    It wasn''t just Bok-Dong. Everyone in the conference room wasughing at Sun-Woo''s remarks. Only Gabriel did notugh. He looked like he was thinking hard about something.

    It was 4:20 pm when Jin-Seo arrived at the conference room. Ye-Jin didn''t hesitate and immediately asked her a question. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re the one who caused the lightning strike with the miracle replication spell?¡±

    A lot had already been confirmed by the testimonies of the previous three people. In particr, thanks to Sun-Woo''s remark, it was almost an established fact that Jin-Seo had caused a lightning strike by replicating a miracle. As long as Jin-Seo herself admitted it, all the credit for defeating the demonic beasts would go to her.

    Jin-Seo pursed her lips for a long time as if disapproving of something and finally said, ¡°...Who said that?¡±

    A deadpan expression. It was a face that was no different from usual, but it was a little chillier and colder than usual.

    Ye-Jin fiddled with her hair in puzzlement.

    ¡°As well as student Sun-Woo.... We put together the opinions of several students.¡±

    "Ah, yes."

    Jin-Seo dropped her bleary gaze to the floor. Somehow, she seemed a little angry.

    * * *

    [Are you pretending to be stupid on purpose?]

    Immediately after leaving the conference room, Legba asked me if I was feigning ignorance. I nodded and continued to walk forward silently. Sometimes it was convenient to y dumb as if I didn¡¯t know anything. Rather than an overly smart student trying to always climb up, a submissive student always trying to learn would be better to see from the teacher''s point of view.

    [It seems like they believe that it was the child named Jin-Seo who caused the lightning strike.]

    "Yes."

    [But in reality, you were the one behind the lightning strike. To be more precise, it was Sobo.]

    ¡°...¡±

    [I thought you wanted to be a prte?] Legba fired off an onught of rebuttals. I was the one behind the lightning strike and eliminated the demonic beasts, so Legba was wondering why I was passing on the credit to someone else.

    Of course, if I said that I cast a miracle replication spell and caused a thunderbolt, <i>and</i> I got rid of a demonic beast, I would be famous right away. I might bebeled as a genius and get the title of ¡®first-year who cast a miracle replication spell.¡¯ I would be able to hear so manypliments that I would get sick of them, just like Jin-Seo did.

    Of course, I wanted that to happen too, but I couldn''t.

    ¡°Min-Seo was looking at me.¡±

    In a situation where it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that everyone was right at the doorstep of their death, Min-Seo had been staring at me with her ferocious eyes. She must also know that this lightning strike did not ur through miracle replication. If I said that I caused the lightning strike, I might gain a little bit of fame, but it was unclear how Min-Seo would react.

    She might leverage this information to ckmail me, or she might try to investigate my background. If it was anyone else, it might have been fine, but Min-Seo definitely had the capability to do so. That''s why, if nothing else, I couldn''t say that I caused the lightning strike. I felt sorry for Jin-Seo, but for now, it was best to give her the credit.

    [Best? Wouldn''t it be better to say that you don¡¯t know at all or that it¡¯s a natural lightning strike?]

    ¡°It¡¯s too unnatural to call it a natural lightning strike. Before they dig any deeper, it¡¯s much better if they conclude that Jin-Seo caused the lightning strike.¡±

    [You think too much. I don¡¯t really think that it¡¯s necessary to consider those things.]

    ¡°There is nothing wrong with considering those things, after all.¡±

    [I wonder... I wonder if what you did was correct.] Legba disappeared after leaving words filled with profound meaning.

    I walked toward my destination with my mouth shut. The entrance to Eiden Hill was blocked by a tape that said ¡®no entry.¡¯

    I turned my head and looked around. All the students had gone home, and all the teachers were in the conference room, so there were no witnesses. CCTVs were also not installed on this street corner.

    Holding my breath, I crossed the tape and strode into Eiden Hill. It was not yet sunset, but it was still dark on Eiden Hill. It was because of the demonic energy that was floating around. The demonic energy became a mist that was pushed by the wind and was slowly swallowing Eiden Hill.

    ¡°Granbwa.¡±

    I bowed my head and summoned Granbwa. With my fingertips on the ground, I used her power. Soon, my eyes darkened. It was a deep darkness where not even the slightest light could prate. It was like curtains were covering the world.

    Eventually, the curtains lifted, and a new view opened up in front of me. It was literally a ''new'' view that was invisible to the human eye. It was the world that only nts could see. I was now sharing my senses with the many nts on Eiden Hill.

    [Don''t do it for too long because it will be a big burden.] Granbwa warned. It was natural that the burden would be high because I wasn¡¯t just using the power¡ªI was utilizing it.

    However, I was prepared to take this level of risk. I grasped the situation in Eiden Hill by shifting my vision from the grass to flowers and from the flowers to trees. Roughly half of Eiden Hill seemed to have been consumed by demonic energy. The situation was more serious than I expected.

    I shifted my sights underground, and I saw something shining underneath. It was a mysterious box buried deep underground in Eiden Hill. It was a huge box that could easily fit five people. Concentrating my consciousness, I inspected the box''s appearance. There was a lot of something like glowing oil which was smeared on the surface of the box....

    ¡°Cough, ah. Oh my."

    At that moment, my consciousness was interrupted, and pain as if my intestines were entangled overwhelmed me.

    [I told you not to do it for a long time!]

    ¡°No, it hasn''t been that long...¡± I replied, discouraged.

    The drawbacks did note from excessive use of power. For an unknown reason, the power had been forcibly cut off. The cause was probably the shiny oil smeared around the box. To be honest, it happened so suddenly that I don''t know exactly what caused it. The throbbing pain still lingered in my lower abdomen.

    [What did you see?] Legba asked. I collected my breath and forced the pain down. I sat down and collected my breath for what felt like several minutes.

    When the pain subsided, I replied, ¡°Something strange was buried under the hill.¡±

    [How am I supposed to know what it is if you just refer to it as something strange?]

    ¡°A box. I don''t know what it was exactly. I almost died, sigh.¡±

    [Is that the Satanist''s objective?]

    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. It almost seems like that, but...¡±

    Until now, whenever a Satanist did something, I was busy btedly fixing it.

    However, from now on, I n to prepare by predicting the Satanists¡¯ actions. There have been no casualties so far, but there was no guarantee that this would happen in the future.

    Most of the Satanist incidents took ce near Eiden Hill. I judged that the target was in Eiden Hill, or at least rted to Eiden Hill. The reason I lied to Ye-Jin and came to Eiden Hill was to figure out their purpose. It was not too difficult to predict their future behavior once their goals were identified.

    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought.¡±

    [Indeed, that¡¯s often the case for everything.]

    I found out that there was a box buried deep within Eiden Hill. But other than that, I couldn''t find anything. It was unknown what was inside the box. The oil smeared on the surface of the box was also unknown. It was even unknown whether the box was the Satanist¡¯s objective. In fact, it was safe to say that I had found out nothing. In the end, I couldn''t uncover the Satanist¡¯s objective, and the information I discovered was all unclear.

    [This is still the first step. If it was so easy to find out, we would have found out a long time ago.]

    ¡°I guess so.¡±

    [Let¡¯s get out of here. No matter how small the amount is, demonic energy is not good for your health.]

    I got up from my seat, brushed off the dust, and walked down the hill. The sun was slowly disappearing over the mountain peaks. The sky, which had been bright before, was now quite dark.

    I left the hill the same way I entered.

    My steps felt very heavy, perhaps because I had vomited blood earlier. It felt like my feet were sinking. My hands and feet felt cold, I had no energy, and my body felt freezing cold as well. I wanted to quickly go home and rest. Possibly get some sleep if possible.

    ¡°...Huh?"

    At that moment, someone''s voice was heard.

    1. Refers to David from the Bible, who yed Goliath by flinging a stone using a sling. ?

 Chapter 49

    <h4>Chapter 49</h4>

    I just left Eiden Hill, which was a ''no-entry zone,'' and someone saw me. I couldn''t tell who it was from just their voice alone, but it was clearly a female voice. If it was a student, then that would be somewhat fortunate, but if it was a teacher, then that would be a problem.

    I would be referred to the disciplinarymittee for viting school rules and would be disciplined without mercy. The Florence Disciplinary Commission had a reputation for being inflexible. However, if it was Ye-Jin, then it might be possible to convince her. If I persuaded her well, she might forgive me somehow. In the worst-case scenario, it could be Min-Seo instead of Ye-Jin. Then, in one way or another, the future of my school life would be tiring. If things went wrong, I decided to cast the curse of fainting and run away.

    These were the thoughts that passed through my mind in the span of a second. I resigned myself to my fate and turned my head to identify the owner of the voice.

    "Oh."

    Fortunately, it was neither Ye-Jin nor Min-Seo. My stiff facial muscles rxed, and a smile automatically formed on my face. I couldn''t be any happier to see her face.

    ¡°Ah, it was... you,¡± Jin-Seo said after seeing my face as if she was relieved.

    Then she brought the cigarette wedged between her fingers to her mouth and deeply inhaled a breath of smoke. The series of actions that took ce felt so obvious and natural. I wasn¡¯t particrly a goody two shoes myself, but wasn¡¯t she a bit too brazen?

    ¡°You don¡¯t even put it out anymore.¡±

    It felt like Jin-Seo was ncing at me, but she quickly turned her head and continued to burn her cigarette. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but it seemed like she was a little angry. Jin-Seo was the type of person that didn¡¯t show her feelings on her face, so it was difficult to tell.

    The smoke she exhaled was blown away by the wind. The smoke smelled like fragrant coffee. Come to think of it, there was always the faint scent of coffee on her. I quietly watched her smoke. Only after the cigarette was burnt out, and once only the butt of the cigarette remained, was I barely able to open my mouth to speak.

    ¡°Why are you¡ª¡±

    <i>Flick.</i>

    Jin-Seo took out another cigarette, put it in her mouth, and lit the cigarette using the lighter. The words that I was about to say faded into oblivion. It seemed like she waspletely uninterested in listening to what I had to say. I also didn¡¯t want to talk to someone who didn¡¯t want to listen. I just looked around as I soothed my heart. There was a crackling sound from flying insects hitting the streetmp, and ants were crawling on the ground while carrying various things.

    This was a very remote ce in Florence Academy, so no one was here.

    <i>¡®Oh, but isn¡¯t that...¡¯</i>

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Teacher Ye-Jin?¡±

    ¡°Cough! Ugh... What?" Jin-Seo let out a shrill cough, and she quickly threw her cigarette down the drain. Her movements were very swift. Then she nced around her surroundings. Her eyes, which widened in surprise, soon narrowed.

    "Where?"

    "Right there. She¡¯sing.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see her.¡±

    "Of course. It was a lie."

    Jin-Seo looked at me nkly. It was a dumbfounded expression.

    "What are you doing?"

    ¡°Why do you keep smoking that stuff when it¡¯s bad for you?¡± I said with the kindest smile I could muster.

    In situations like this, it was best to smile and see how things would y out. After all, there was a saying that one couldn¡¯t spit on a smiling face.

    ¡°...¡±

    As expected, she put the pack of cigarettes back into her pocket in silence. If possible, I would have liked to confiscate it entirely, but there was no justification for doing so, and I was not in a position to do so either. I was not a teacher, after all.

    ¡°Smoking on campus results in expulsion.¡±

    That was why I mentioned the school rules. Jin-Seo didn''t show any signs of fluster and said right away, ¡°Entering a prohibited zone also results in expulsion.¡±

    "Is that so? I didn''t know.¡±

    I knew that the school rules were strict, but I had no idea that someone could get expelled from school just by entering a prohibited area.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s just ignore each other¡¯s transgressions. Why are you here?¡±

    I quickly changed the topic. If I continued to talk about the school rules, it would be my loss. No matter how inflexible the Florence Disciplinary Committee was, it wouldn¡¯t be inflexible to even Jin-Seo, the chairman¡¯s daughter. She lowered her gaze to the drain where she had dumped the cigarette butt.

    ¡°I dropped my phone, you see.¡±

    I nced inside the sewer. I couldn''t see anything because it was too dark. With the naked eye, it was impossible to tell whether there was a phone down there or not. It seemed that it would be difficult to lift the drainage lid and take out the phone. I couldn''t even see her phone in the first ce, and I didn''t even know how deep the sewer was.

    ¡°Is that why you were standing around here?¡±

    "Yeah." Jin-Seo nodded.

    If her phone had fallen down the drain, then all she had to do was go home and ask her dad to buy her a new one. Why was she just sitting here while smoking a cigarette? Sometimes she did things I couldn¡¯t understand. Perhaps it would be urate to say that she did things that were asinine.

    ¡°So, do you mind if you lend me your phone?¡± Jin-Seo asked while reaching out to me. I was surprised, so I retreated backward a little.

    ¡°My phone? Why?"

    ¡°I have to call home right now."

    "Now?"

    "Now."

    Her tone was firm. Her face was expressionless as always, but there also seemed to be hints of anxiousness. It looked like her saying that she needed to call home was not a lie. I readily handed my phone over to her. All information rted to the Voodoo Cult was hidden and locked, so there was nothing to worry about.

    Jin-Seo used my phone to call someone.

    <i>Buzz buzz¨C!</i>

    Then, a vibrating sound came out from somewhere. Jin-Seo took her phone out of her pocket with a nonchnt expression. Then she hung up on her iing call.

    She had called her own phone number with my phone.

    Jin-Seo returned my phone to me.

    ¡°My number.¡±

    I was speechless.

    "You... No, earlier... You said your phone fell down the drain.¡±

    ¡°That was a lie.¡±

    ¡°You said you had to call home.¡±

    ¡°That was a lie too.¡±

    I bitterly picked up the phone. Even after picking up the phone, I was unable to formte any words for a while. It felt like I had been stabbed in the back.

    ¡°You¡¯re lying a bit too much, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°You did it earlier too.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t wrong. I stared at her face. As always, she was staring at me with her transparent eyes that showed no emotion. It smelled a little like coffee.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s just ignore each other¡¯s transgressions. Right?"

    "Huh?"

    When Jin-Seo said that, she had a smile that was as clear as the azure skies. This was the first time she had looked at me in the face and smiled. I didn''t know if it was actually the first time, but at the very least, it felt like this was the first time.

    The sun was setting, and her smile was slowly tinged with the sunset.

    ¡°Revenge,¡± she said.

    I had no way ofprehending the meaning behind those words.

    * * *

    I returned home straight away. I felt weird for some reason. It was a strange feeling, like my mind was floating.

    [She got you.] Legba said as if he was making fun of me. I felt offended by the way he was speaking to me.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    [Just admit it. Are you still trying to salvage your self-esteem?]

    ¡°No, I mean, what in the world do you want me to admit?¡±

    [Oh, look at the temper.]

    I ignored Legba''s words and ejected voodoo magic from my fingertips.

    I was nning to organize my thoughts by roughly drawing any spell array, but somehow it didn''te out well. It was because my head was cluttered with thoughts. So many things happened in just one day. What could have taken weeks to happen happened in a single day. It would be strange if I wasn''t tired. Iy down on the bed and closed my eyes, but sleep still did note. I tossed and turned like that for several minutes.

    [If you don''t like sleeping pills, how about sleep inducers?] Legba subtly suggested. I shook my head. They were both simr stuff, anyway.

    [Alright. Sleep when you die, then. I can¡¯t believe this guy.] Legba clicked his tongue. It was not because I didn¡¯t want to sleep. I just didn¡¯t want to depend on drugs.

    Then, a brilliant idea urred to me¡ªcasting a voodoo spell on myself.

    If I used the curse of fainting on myself, then I would be able to wake up after passing out for thirty minutes. Then I wouldn¡¯t have to suffer from ack of sleep. Whenever I was tired, I could cast a voodoo spell on myself. It was almost like taking a nap.

    ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t I think of this before?¡±

    [Because it doesn¡¯t make sense. Fainting and sleeping are distinctly different concepts.]

    "Is that so?"

    It was a little regretful. I thought it was a pretty good idea.

    [For your information, it is possible to cast a voodoo spell on yourself. Although it is not very useful to do so.]

    While I was thinking about things in a daze, Legba''s voice leaked through. This was the first time hearing that I could cast a spell on myself. It was also information that I hadn''t been curious about in the first ce. After all, there was no reason to cast a spell on myself.

    [Indeed. That''s why it''s useless.]

    ¡°Then why did you tell me all that?¡±

    [The teacher that you saw during the day. I think his name was Do-Jin, the guy with dark circles under his eyes who carries around a de.] Legba muttered as if searching for his memory.

    Do-Jin was the only one with dark circles who carried around a de. I nodded.

    "Yes. Why are you talking about him all of a sudden?¡±

    [He seemed to be able to use blessings without drawing blessing arrays. Am I right?]

    I searched my memory.

    Come to think of it, I had never seen Do-Jin draw a blessing array. Nevertheless, he was always able to maintain excellent physical abilities. It was as if the blessings were permanently active.

    "That''s right."

    [Casting a spell on oneself. If you are able to learn that skill, you can constantly maintain the voodoo spells throughout your body at all times, just like Do-Jin. If you can understand it properly, you can use that skill for blessings as well.] Legba said calmly.

    ¡°...Really?" I asked, trembling. I couldn''t quite understand what he was saying.

    Since I was tilting my head for a while, Legba spoke first as if he was frustrated.

    [What I mean is that you can use Do-Jin''s tricks too.]

 Chapter 50

    <h4>Chapter 50</h4>

    ¡°Please exin in detail,¡± I asked as I unleashed Voodoo Magic to draw a spell array into the air. The spell array, which was messy and chaotic only seconds ago, was now drawn perfectly. My fogged-up mind became clear again.

    [There''s no need for a detailed exnation. You have already been using Do-Jin¡¯s secret technique unknowingly.] Legba said. His tone was calm as usual. There was no noticeable emotion in his dry voice.

    ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡±

    [Hm, I would have thought this would be enough to enlighten you. Do you bother drawing a spell array when using a lesser restoration spell?]

    I pped my forehead. Come to think of it, I had never drawn a spell array when using the lesser restoration spell because I knew how to trigger the spell without drawing one.

    [Don''t you understand?]

    I happened to have a small scratch on my ankle from my escape from the wildfire at Eiden Hill. I had used the lesser restoration spell. When I focused on my fingertips, a faint mist, too thin for the eye to see, spilled forth. The fog flowed slowly toward my injury. When it made contact with the wound, the wound vanished. I felt like I was on to something.

    [As much as it pains me to say, you''ve been using the lesser restoration spell frequently ever since the Holy War.]

    ¡°Well... You¡¯re not wrong.¡±

    [Exactly. You have acquired the spell through repeated training.]

    I didn''t fully understand, but I nodded anyway.

    [If you don''t understand, just say so.]

    ¡°Yeah, I don''t understand.¡±

    [Then let me break it down for you. First, to cast a spell, one must follow three steps.] Legba continued to exin.

    To cast a spell, one had toplete three steps. First, unleash Voodoo Magic. Second, draw a spell array with Voodoo Magic. Third, designate the target of the spell and activate it. These steps were called ¡®Projection¡¯ ''Realization,'' and ''Activation,'' respectively.

    ¡°Who came up with these names? They sound corny.¡±

    [Your father did.]

    ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t sound that corny at all. Hm, no, the names are quite self-exnatory.¡±

    [I¡¯ll continue. If you recite it using the spell and reach a state of acquirement, you can skip the ''Projection'' and ''Realization'' stages.]

    Additionally, there existed a state called acquirement. By repeatedly casting a spell on oneself, it was possible to reach a state where the mist of the spell ''seeped'' into the body. This state wasbeled Acquirement. Once a spell was acquired, one could activate the spell without having to draw a spell array.

    I nodded, but something was bugging me. Setting aside whether the mist could seep into the body or not, it didn¡¯t make sense that someone could skip the Projection and Realization stages by the ¡®acquisition¡¯ of a said spell. Moreover, what was the principle behind it?

    [I don''t know either.]

    I couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter at Legba¡¯s response. "You don''t know?"

    [This was not my finding but your father¡¯s. Of course, I don¡¯t fully grasp the principle behind it.] Legba continued.

    My father had dedicated his entire life to researching Voodoo Magic, and Legba had only watched his work from the sidelines. That¡¯s why he knew the fruits of the research but did not understand why it worked. I asked where my father''s research records, such as articles, were, but he said that he was oblivious to this as well.

    [They must be somewhere. I just don''t know where.]

    "Any guesses?"

    [It might be in one of the keepsakes,]

    I nced briefly toward the top of the dresser where I stored my father''s keepsakes. There were only two items: one was a small wooden box the size of a palm, and the other, a simple urn ring. There were no research records.

    [It could be in the box.] Legba said.

    "That seems unlikely." The wooden box seemed too small to store any research papers.

    [The research doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be recorded on paper.]

    "What other ways are there to record research other than that?¡±

    [Your father once said, ¡®There are multiple ways of recording.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t have recorded his research on paper like everyone else. I think he might have used a unique method.] Legba muttered.

    I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around his words. What other way was there to record research besides on paper? No matter how hard I thought, It was hard toe up with an alternative method.

    "Maybe he saved it on a USB or something."

    [That could be possible.]

    "But my father was aputer illiterate."

    [Also true.] Legba just agreed with me and did not provide any help.

    I gave up and put the box back in its ce. I wanted to open the box and see what was inside, but I couldn''t.

    "Open the box when you be an adult."

    As if he had felt his ending, my father had said those words a week before he died. I didn''t understand why, but I kept the promise as it was one of hisst wishes.

    [You¡¯ll understand when the timees. Right now, you should focus on what I¡¯ve told you.]

    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Acquirement, right?¡±

    [Yes. For now, try applying it to spells other than the restoration spell. If you figure something out, then try to apply it by using it on blessings.]

    I silently focused on drawing enthrallment spell arrays. I used multiple spells on myself, ranging from different levels, lesser to superior, and from a wide variety, such as the ¡®curse of fainting,¡¯ ¡®curse of nightmares,¡¯ and ¡®curse of intoxication.¡¯

    Fog wrapped around me, and I felt a pang of dizziness as the world seemed to spin underneath my feet. However, the dizziness was short-lived. Although I experienced the asional headaches and dizziness, I never fainted or lost consciousness, nor did I fall into the curse of nightmares or lose my sanity by being overwhelmed by excessive pleasure. Although the spells would activate, they did not affect me.

    [Your resistance is stronger than the power of the spell.]

    I knew that individuals varied in their spell resistance. However, even the superior enthrallment spell did not affect me. Something was off.

    "Is my resistance too strong? Or am I just bad at handling the spells?"

    [Your resistance is extreme because you are the Cult Leader. However, you are not as skilled at handling spells as the previous Cult Leaders. So, both of your statements hold truth.]

    "Am I not somewhat skilled myself?"

    [Yes, butpared to your father, you fall far short.] Legba said.

    My father had refrained from using spells other than the ones he would cast to teach me, so I didn¡¯t know how good he was at handling spells. And I never would either since he was dead.

    I put aside my doubts and focused my attention on drawing spell arrays.

    Unaware of the passage of time, I continually repeated my efforts but couldn''t reach the state of Acquirement. However, I wasn''t disappointed. It would be greedy of me to hope for results in just one day. I believed that if I continued to make steady efforts, I would eventually reach my goal. With that thought, I stood up from my seat.

    "Ack." However, I sat back down immediately due to my legs going numb.

    [You''ve been sitting for two hours. No wonder your legs went numb.]

    "Two hours?" Surprised, I looked out the window and realized that the sky had turned dark.

    I hadn''t noticed before, but I realized I was famished. I had been soser-focused that I even discarded my hunger. I didn''t know my concentration was this strong.

    [You should have dinner soon. Nutritional intake is vital for growth.]

    "I think I''m already done with growing."

    [Don''t talk back to me.]

    ¡®Old-fashioned,¡¯ I thought to myself.

    As my legs no longer feltced with electricity, I quickly got up and headed toward the refrigerator. I wanted to see what there was to eat, but surprisingly, I could not find anything for myself. The only things I had were expired milk, eggs that had turned ck and rotten, and moldy bread. I searched through the pantry, but again to my surprise, I had run out of rice. The only somewhat edible thing...

    "We have cat food."

    [The roles have been reversed. There is no food for humans, but we have food for livestock.]

    "I know, right."

    Swoosh!

    I went out to the terrace with the bag of cat food. Although the tiles had faded to a yellowish color, and there were patches of mold here and there, the house came with a terrace. It was an embarrassment to call it one, but I called it a terrace anyways.

    Meow.

    As I shook the bag of cat food, a cat swiftly made its way up a tree and onto the terrace. I filled the bowl with food and offered it, which the cat eagerly ate out of.

    Crunch, crunch.

    [It''s devouring it.]

    As I reached out with my hand, the cat nudged its head against me as if it was asking for pets.

    [It is adorable.]

    ¡°I know, right.¡±

    In these busy days came moments when it felt like there was no time to breathe or think. During these times, the cat broughtfort to my heart. I didn''t name the cat. There was no reason to create a reason to be attached when I would not raise it, so I just decided to call it cat.

    After finishing its meal, the cat licked its lips. I continued to pet it. The cat turned its belly to the sky and wriggled around, stretching its limbs. Its eyes were already half closed with contentment. I couldn''t help but let a smile creep up my face as I watched the scene unfold.

    [It seems to be that you¡¯ve already grown fond of it.]

    "How can¡¯t I? It¡¯s so cute."

    No matter how much I promised myself not to get attached to it, I found myself unconsciously giving my heart to this little stray cat on days when I was exhausted from dealing with overwhelming incidents and people.

    Although one could not fathom the true heart of others, there was no need to fathom the heart of a stray cat. That was why I sometimes thought that it felt like we relied more on animals than on people. It was because animals were always there for us.

    When I had grown tired of petting the cat, I got up. The cat, startled, swiftly jumped over the terrace wall and made its way down by using the tree. I could see the steady green light from the cat¡¯s eyes as it stared at me. Soon after, the green glow vanished.

    [Cats are cute, but theyck manners.]

    "That''s what makes them charming." I turned off the lights and left the house. I could barely feel my legs, and they buckled beneath me as I descended the stairs. It was partly because I was hungry, partially because I had recklessly drawn spell arrays earlier, and partly because I had leg day the day before.

    "A true trifecta..."

    [Stop talking nonsense and go shopping. I''ll tell you what to buy.]

    "Sounds good."

    Having Legba was convenient, as I didn''t need to make a grocery shopping list. Instead, Legba would simply tell me what I needed.

    ***

    [You didn¡¯t have scallions or garlic.]

    [It''s good to buy fruits. You''ll eventually eat them.]

    [Buying chicken breast wouldn''t be a bad idea. Your diet, overall,cks protein.]

    Following Legba''s suggestions, I picked up the ingredients and ced them in the shopping cart. It was an excessive amount for one person, but that was fine since I wasn''t nning to eat alone.

    I went to the mart not only to buy ingredients for myself but also to buy food for Yoon-Ah. The cart soon became full as I loaded it up with various items. At a nce, it seemed like the total would tally to be a considerable amount. Luckily, I had enough money thanks to my uncle, who had sent me a portion of the money afterpleting the first round of moneyundering. After paying, I left the mart. The shopping bags in both of my hands felt crazy heavy.

    [How about using Bossou¡¯s power? ]

    "Nah."

    Legba suggested calling forth Bossou¡¯s power, but it would be a waste to use it just for carrying the baskets. It wasn''t like I had any sacrifices lying about. Although it felt like my shoulders would give out from the weight, I could bear it if I considered it a form of exercise.

    "Ah."

    At that moment, someone approaching me from a distance let out a sigh as they spotted me. They wore a ck hoodie, ck mask, and ck cks. They were even wearing ck slippers¡ªmaking them ck from head to toe. I tensed up and narrowed my eyes, staring the stranger down. They looked familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. It felt like I had seen them somewhere before, but I also seemed like a stranger.

    After they stared at me for a while, they, or rather, she, suddenly pressed down her hood and covered her face.

    Tadadada.

    Then, she turned around and, with quick steps, ran away from me. Instinctively, I chased after her. I didn''t know who she was, but for some reason, it felt like I had to pursue her. It could be the Satanist I had encountered before. After all, she had no reason to run away upon seeing me. However, it was challenging to engage in a chase with the heavy shopping baskets in my hands.

    "Bossou-ey?"

    Thud.

    As I was about to use Bossou''s power, she slipped and fell with a loud thud. She remained lying there motionless for a while. She didn¡¯t move a muscle, and her arms were limp. Passersby looked at her with shocked expressions.

    ...Was she dead?

 Chapter 51

    <h4>Chapter 51</h4>

    Three days ago, In-Ah had requested an early leave from school and came home. She checked to see if the ice cream cake, clothes, and misceneous gifts she had bought yesterday were still there. It wasn¡¯t like the items would suddenly grow legs and walk away, but she checked just to make sure.

    ¡°All right." In-Ah nodded and muttered to herself.

    Fortunately, everything was still there. Lately, she found herself talking to herself more often, though she didn''t know why. Without changing out of her school uniform, she immediately left the house and hailed a taxi nearby.

    "Seoul Eastern Branch, uhh."

    "The Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch?¡±

    ¡°Just a moment.¡± In-Ah was about to mention her destination when she hurriedly checked her phone to look at her messages. Although she had read the message repeatedly over the weekend, she just wanted to double check just to be safe.

    [Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch Missing Persons Investigation Team... Currently, the missing person Yoon-Ah is under protection. Please make an appearance on 3/22 (Monday)...]

    In-Ah couldn¡¯t look at the details that included which floor the Missing Persons Investigation Team was in the main building or which investigators were in charge of the case.

    Instead, she focused solely on the words "Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch" and "3/22 (Monday)." Monday, March 22nd. Today was the day, and the location was also at the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch. In-Ah nodded.

    "Yes, please take me to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch."

    The taxi started moving. A strong scented air freshener overpowered the lingering smell of cigarettes inside the car. In-Ah did not enjoy smelling the smell of air freshener or the cigarettes. Feeling a little dizzy from the smell, In-Ah opened the window.

    The wind rushed alongside them, creating a loud roaring sound. Her eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed at which the scenery was changing beyond the window. Since it was lunchtime, the roads were empty; buses and taxis were scarcely seen.

    "..."

    The world was so quiet that it felt like she had been dropped into a world with no one else in it. Familiarndscapes suddenly seemed unfamiliar and that made her more excited.

    "Please stop here."

    They arrived at their destination quickly. After getting out of the taxi, In-Ah took a deep breath. She felt it hard to breathe and was slightly dizzy. She shook her body in an effort to shake off the strong scent of the air freshener from the car. Of course, her efforts were in vain.

    The Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch building was imposingly massive. Although it wasn''t as grand as F.A., it seemed thergest among the Pdin Orders she had seen. In-Ah gulped nervously and headed into the building.

    "What is your business here?"

    The first person to greet her was a slightly mean-looking male pdin. His tone matched his appearance, and he seemed to find everything bothersome.

    "Well... I''ve been here a few times before. My sister had gone missing, but I received a call over the weekend. A call that said that they found her...¡±

    In-Ah lifted her phone up to show the message. Her heart was racing like crazy, either from nervousness or from anticipation. She managed to utter short fragmented sentences, each breaking off to the pounding sound of her heart. Her head felt numb, and as a result, hernguage abilities seemed to have deteriorated.

    "Oh, I see you are that student. Please take a seat," the pdin said indifferently.

    In-Ah obediently sat down and waited. Although only a few minutes had passed, it felt like hours and days had gone by.

    "In-Ah, right?"

    "Yes? Oh, yes."

    "For identity verification, please provide your ID..."

    "Yes, I brought it. Here." The message mentioned bringing an ID, so In-Ah brought her student ID with her.

    The pdin carefully examined the ID, squinting his eyes. Even this short period of time felt excruciatingly long to In-Ah.

    "Alright, follow me."

    Handing In-Ah back her ID, the pdin briskly walked toward the corridor. In-Ah followed closely behind with hurried steps. The corridor seemed barren as there was nothing in sight. Here and there, paint was peeling off from the walls, creating a deste atmosphere. The air was dry. In-Ah suppressed the urge to cough. The footsteps of the pdin ahead stopped in front of a door. In-Ah gulped as she made out the inscription on the que.

    "Uh... Why...the interrogation room?" Her eyes trembled, confused.

    "Oh, someone is using the guest room, so we had no choice...¡±

    The exnation was bleak. The guest room was preupied, and they coincidentally had to use the interrogational room instead. They asked for understanding. Although In-Ah wasn¡¯t happy about it, she tried to understand.

    After all, she wouldn''t be staying long. She would take her sister home immediately and have a party riddled with her sister¡¯s favorite ice cream cake and various gifts. With that thought in mind, it didn''t matter to her whether the room was for interrogation or guests.

    <i>Creeeeek¡ª</i>

    With a somewhat gloomy sound, the door opened, revealing the inside of the chamber. Excitement and anticipation swelled up to the point that it felt like it would burst inside of In-Ah. She couldn¡¯t help but smile at the thought that she would finally be able to see her sister with just a few more steps. Her heart pounded so fiercely that it felt as if her heart would jump out of her mouth. Her eyes trembled as if she were on the verge of tears, and her throat felt tight.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    With each step she took, her pounding heart seemed to grow louder.

    "Is this your sister?" The pdin pointed to the child sitting in the corner of the chamber.

    The child bowed her head, making it hard to identify their face. Her arms and legs were as thin as sticks, and her hair was jet ck.

    "Wait... I need to see her face...." The child suddenly lifted their face up.

    Like her hair, her pupils were pitch ck, devoid of focus. Her sunken, thin cheeks seemed to attenuate her sharp cheekbones and jawline.

    Six months was not a short period of time. It was a long enough time to make changes. It was enough time to change the shape of one''s face and the color of the hair as well as the eyes. It was enough time for a birthmark that was once beneath the lips to have disappeared or moved to the left cheek. Despite her efforts to keep an optimistic view, In-Ah''s face slowly hardened.

    "N-no. It''s not her. It ca-can¡¯t be. There must be a mistake. I think you¡¯ve brought the wrong person."

    The child in front of her was not her sister. She couldn¡¯t find a single resemnce to her sister. The pdin looked puzzled and started to shuffle through some papers.

    "Mistake... Not everything seems to be in order. I''m sorry, but could you just take another look...? " the pdin said, his confusion evident.

    "No, I''m telling you. It''s not Yoon-Ah,"

    "Can you check again just to be sure? Ah," The pdin stole a nce at In-Ah. Tears were flowing down In-Ah¡¯s face. It was not tears of joy, but despair that she wept. Her bursting excitement and anticipation had shattered into pieces, cutting through her furiously.

    "It¡¯s not her. I¡¯m telling you, it''s not her. I couldn¡¯t possibly mistake Yoon-Ah''s face. I told you it wasn¡¯t her..." In-Ah said.

    "Please, calm down a little," the pdin said awkwardly, touching the back of his neck. He then left the room and returned with another pdin.

    The two pdins exchanged a conversation in front of In-Ah, but none of their words reached her. She was not in the state toprehend any words. After finishing their conversation, the two pdins looked back at In-Ah with perplexed expressions.

    The pdin that hade inter asked shamelessly, "Damn, why are you saying it''s not her? Are you sure she''s not the one? Did you have a good look at her?¡±

    "..." In-Ah stared at the pdin with reddened eyes.

    The pdin seemed to just be bothered by the situation. In-Ah reminisced about how she had spent the past few days, worrying and nning about what to do, what to eat, and where to go after she met her sister. She thought of the many nights that she had spent, unable to go to sleep because her excitement had kept her awake. She couldn¡¯t breathe, felt pitiful and stupid.

    "Why aren''t you answering? Are you sure she''s not the one¡ª"

    <i>Thwap.</i>

    In-Ah, who had been staring at the pdin through her red blurry eyes, suddenly grabbed him by the cor. The pdin threw his head back in shock.

    "W-What''s going on? Let go! What are you doing...!"

    "I''m telling you, it''s not her! How many times do I have to say it...? If only the investigation had been conducted properly...!" Trembling, In-Ah''s seemed to be on the verge of erupting.

    The pdin scrunched his face up in distaste and pped away In-Ah¡¯s hands that were gripping their cor.

    "If it''s not her, then it¡¯s not her. What the fuck are you grabbing me for? Uhh!... Hey, get her off of me!" the pdin instructed his junior, flustered.

    ¡°Uh, okay. Ms. In-Ah? Pleasee with me," the junior pdin said.

    In-Ah followed him as if she was being dragged along. There was no strength in not only her steps, but her body as well. She followed, like she was being swept by a fast current, not knowing where she was heading to.

    They soon arrived at a counseling room. In-Ah copsed into a chair, and the pdin sitting across from her began to start speaking. His words did not make it to her ears.

    <i>Beee...</i>

    Only a dry and thin ringing echoed in her ears. In-Ah pretended to listen, and the pdin continued exining, as if they were seizing In-Ah¡¯s confused state as a chance.

    "Lately, the number of voluntary disappearances have increased due to cults, and typically we conclude missing person cases within six months of investigation. We''ve been investigating for about eight months now, and not finding anything. It seems¡ª"

    To summarize, the Pdin Order had done everything in their power. There was no evidence that Yoon-Ah was kidnapped by the ''Voodoo Revival Church,'' and they should consider the possibility that Yoon-Ah had joined voluntarily. Therefore, further investigation seemed difficult. In-Ah neither nodded nor shook her head; she just stared nkly into space. She didn''t even have the strength to speak. That was the jist of what they had to say.

    In-Ah neither nodded nor shook her head. She merely stared into nothingness. She did not have the strength to speak. She left the Pdin Order, hailed a taxi, returned home, and went to sleep.

    "Ah..." When she woke up and checked the time, it was 8 a.m. She had fallen asleep yesterday at 2 p.m., so she had slept for eighteen hours straight.

    Her head throbbed, and she felt woozy to the point that she couldn''t even get up. Her stomach churned. Her jaw ached, supposedly from grinding her teeth all night.

    "Oh, Teacher. Yes. I''m not feeling well. I¡¯m going to go to the hospital... Yes."

    Since she would bete for school even if she started to prepare herself for school immediately, she decided to go to the hospital and take a leave from ss. She felt that she was in too poor of a condition to be able to focus on ss.

    Her head was spinning, and her stomach felt both empty and nauseous at the same time. She copsed andid down on her bed again, trying to get more sleep.

    <i>Beep, beep, beep, beep...!</i>

    But then she heard a sharp ringing sound, waking up from her sleep. It was her mother. In-Ah tried to settle down her aching insides, cleared her dry throat, and answered the phone.

    "Hi, Mom."

    ¡ªAre you at school?

    "I''m taking a rest today because I''m not feeling well. My stomach..."

    ¡ªIs that so? Are you in a lot of pain? Have you been to the hospital?

    "No, no. I''ll goter..."

    In-Ah looked at the clock. It was 4 p.m. It seemed that she would need to leave soon before it gotter.

    "Well, I''m going now."

    ¡ªAlright. Get some medicine. By the way, did you visit the Pdin Order yesterday? How is Yoon-Ah doing?

    "Ah... Yesterday, about that. Not yesterday, today... Tomorrow. They told me toe tomorrow," In-Ah lied.

    ¡ªWell, that''s convenient. I was nning to visit tomorrow. I''ve been busytely, and we haven''t gotten to see much of you either...

    "Oh? No, it''s fine. You don''t have toe if you''re busy."

    ¡ªI have to see both of your faces even if I¡¯m busy. What time did they say to go to the pdin branch?"

    "Um... I¡¯m not sure. Maybe two, or... was it three o¡¯clock? I can''t remember. But Mom, don¡¯t get your hopes up. The pdin order said it might not be Yoon-Ah."

    In-Ah¡¯s voice was definitely trembling. She couldn¡¯t bear to tell the truth and lied instead. In-Ah felt immense pain as if her heart was hardening up. She held in her tears.

    ¡ªWhat? If they¡¯ve found her, then they¡¯ve found her. If not, they haven¡¯t. Which branch are they from, the Seoul Eastern Branch?

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I can¡¯t remember. If it is her I¡¯ll give you a call tomorrow.¡±

    -You don¡¯t have to put it all on yourself... Okay, then I¡¯ll make ns to visit when you¡¯ve given me a call. Make sure to go to the hospital today.

    "Okay. I''ll... go to the hospital now." In-Ah abruptly stood up from her seat.

    Suddenly, her vision went pitch ck. Her stomach acid surged, and cold sweat dripped down, sticking to her hair. Her ears felt clogged, and her steps trembled due to ack of strength in her legs.

    ¡ªIn-Ah.

    In-Ah was preparing to hang up when she was startled by her mother''s voiceing through the receiver.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    ¡ªIf you want to see me or Dad, let me know. We¡¯ll be there right away. Tell me if anything happens, okay?"

    "...I understand. I¡¯m not a kid anymore, Mom. Seriously, there¡¯s nothing wrong. We¡¯ll be able to see Yoon-Ah tomorrow anyways. Alright, I''ll hang up now. I have to go to the hospital quickly."

    In-Ah quickly hung up the phone. She was parched, so she took out cold water from the refrigerator and gulped it down. Shortly after, she threw up everything.

    The wind blowing in through the window was undoubtedly a warm spring breeze, but it felt as cold as the winter wind. In-Ah wrapped herself in threeyers of clothing, but she still felt cold. It felt like her body temperature, rather than the outside temperature, was low.

    At the hospital, she was diagnosed with stress-induced gastritis.

    The doctor advised her to fast today and start eating soft or liquid food tomorrow. They used a lesser healing array to ease the pain and prescribed her medication.

    "Since the pain is only temporarily relieved, you should be careful of what you eat. In addition, there could be a rpse, so for approximately three days, you must take an absolute rest..."

    Although healing arrays were as effective as surgical treatments, they weren¡¯t as effective for internal medicine. Moreover, the pain wasn''t gonepletely because it was a lesser healing array. Although she felt better than before, her stomach still felt diforted and in pain.

    She returned home and continued a cycle of sleeping, drinking water, and vomiting. She had forgotten to buy porridge and attempted to cook it herself, but she ended up vomiting that up as well. It wasn''t just because her stomach felt unwell but also because it tasted bad.

    "Teacher, today, I..."

    "I''m really sorry, but my condition is still not good..."

    She took another day off, followed by an additional day, resulting in a total absence of two days. Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and other friends had sent her several messages, but she didn''t reply. She didn''t even answer the phone calls.

    There wasn''t any particr reason. She simply didn''t feel like responding.

    She spent most of her time sleeping and barely ate. She intended to cook porridge whenever she had time but ended up discarding the idea as she found it so bothersome.

    <i>¡®What was the point in putting the time and effort into creating a dish when it would taste so bad?¡¯</i> she thought. But she couldn¡¯t just not eat because she was starving.

    "...Hm I¡¯ll just buy it." In the end, she made up her mind to head outside. Her goal was to go to the grocery store and buy porridge, probably enough tost her for two days. Judging from her condition, it didn''t seem like she would get better today, and she felt that she should eat porridge for at least two days.

    "Ah."

    As she was about to enter the mart, she ran into Sun-Woo. He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes when he heard her sigh unconsciously.

    In-Ah instinctively turned around, attempting to run away. She was afraid of bumping into him, especially since she had been dodging his calls, not to mention, they had fought on Monday.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Then she fell down.

    She couldn¡¯t bring herself back up not only from the pain but also because of the embarrassment. As she was contemting on whether she should y dead, someone approached from a distance and lightly tapped her shoulder.

    "Are you okay?"

    There was no need to see his face. She could tell who he was just from the sound of his voice. She wished she could just lie there and die. Her face was already bright red.

 Chapter 52

    <h4>Chapter 52</h4>

    Satanists were fast. They hadrge builds and moved without any unnecessary movements. They were at least agile enough to not fall in public either. Usually, they were also around my size. But the woman in front of me was much smaller, slow at running, and sloppy overall.

    It was only then that I was convinced that she was not a Satanist. I reached out my hand because I couldn¡¯t just ignore her and pass by. However, she remained lying down on the ground, not even flinching.

    "Hello?" I called out to her again, but there was no response. Passersby murmured as they looked at the fallen woman.

    ¡°Oh no, what should we do? Is she unconscious? Should I call emergency services?¡±

    Faint voices of concern for the woman could be heard all around.

    [She doesn''t seem to be dead. She¡¯s breathing.]

    "Can you stand up?"

    She didn''t appear dead to me either. She seemed to lie there because she was embarrassed, but that wasn¡¯t a good choice, because more people were gathering by the second. Some of them were genuinely contemting calling 911. Fortunately, she seemed to sense that the situation was getting out of hand and got up and brushed off her knees.

    "Oh, I''m not hurt. I''m fine. Thank you anyway." She tightly pressed down her disheveled hood and slightly lowered her head.

    I caught a glimpse of brown hair. Her voice also sounded somewhat familiar. In fact, it didn''t just sound familiar, but it was a voice that I had heard so much to the point that it felt engraved in my ear.

    "In-Ah?"

    "Huh? Uh, nope, that¡¯s not me,¡± she replied.

    Her voice was a bit huskier than before. It seemed like she was lowering her voice in an effort to try and not be recognized. One could change the pitch of their voice, but that wouldn¡¯t mask their natural tone. Her voice had the exact tone and mannerisms characteristic of In-Ah.

    "What do you mean it¡¯s not you? Did youe to do some shopping?" I casually asked, or rather, pretended to be casual.

    When I looked at In-Ah, I couldn''t help but think of Yoon-Ah, who had turned into a zombie. The sound of chimes and the rattling of iron bars echoed in my ears. My chest felt heavy as if someone had ced a heavy stone on it. One could have called it feeling guilty, but the feeling that I felt was something heavier and stickier. Nevertheless, I didn''t show it. Keeping my emotions hidden from facial expressions and speech was my specialty.

    "Oh, yeah. Shopping. But there''s nothing to buy, so I''m thinking of just... going back home.¡±In-Ah slightly lifted her hood up and lowered her mask below her chin.

    I was worried that she would continue to pretend that she didn¡¯t recognize me or try running away. Thankfully, that didn¡¯t seem like the case.

    Overall, her face behind the mask seemed lifeless. There was a slight flush on her cheeks, she had tired eyes, and her lips were dry and parched. Her cheeks were also gaunt. She was already thin, but it seemed like she had grown even thinner in the past two days. As I continued to stare at her, In-Ah quickly raised her mask to cover her face. The flush that had stayed around her cheeks had made its way around her eyes. She seemed embarrassed.

    "What... What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

    "Nothing.. if you''re going home, want to walk home together?"

    Since we were heading in the same direction anyway, I thought it would be better to walk there together than walk by myself. There was that, and I also had something to tell her. It wasn''t anything important, more trivial than anything.

    "Well, um, uh. Sure...?" However, In-Ah seemed to feel uneasy about it.

    I could see from her perspective and understood how she would feel ufortable around me. I understood because although I didn¡¯t show it, I had a hard time treating her with ease as well. Logically, I understood wehre she wasing from, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little hurt. In-Ah was very hesitant and seemed to not be able to decide what to do. I spoke up first to break the silence.

    "If you don''t want to or feel ufortable, we don¡¯t have to go together."

    "Uh... Uh? No, I don¡¯t not... I don''t dislike it. Let''s go together." In-Ah seemed flustered. Her words felt more incoherent today.

    Her gaze was clear most of the time, but asionally it would go out of focus. She would also get tongue tied here and there, making her seem unsettled. I had a guess as to why. It must be because of her sister.

    "Well, that''s a relief. Anyway, let''s go." I said, struggling to push down myplicated emotions. The shopping bags in my hands felt so heavy that I felt like I would suddenly sink into the ground beneath me.

    ***

    The sky was intensely dark due to clouds obscuring the moonlight. The only source of light in the alley were the sporadic streetlights. We walked along the alley, as if chasing the closest light ahead. As always, the alley was deste.

    "..."

    Unlike her usual self, In-Ah didn''t say a word today. Judging from her expression, she seemed to be deep in thought and had no thoughts at all at the same time. Her steps were unusually slow as well.

    I adjusted my pace to match hers, walking at least two or three times slower.

    "What were you going to buy?"

    In-Ah wouldn''t say anything unless I initiated the conversation. The heavy silence and awkwardness were suffocating, so I opened my mouth first to break the stillness.

    Usually, In-Ah spoke first during moments like this, but this time the roles were reversed. In-Ah continued walking, and it was unclear whether she had heard me or not.

    "Are you listening?"

    "Uh? Oh. Um... What did you say?"

    "I was asking what you were looking for to buy at the mart."

    "Oh..." In-Ah dropped her head and looked at the ground. I followed her gaze instinctively. There was nothing on the ground. The streetlights illuminated the street, but the charcoal asphalt remained as ck as ever.

    "To buy...por... por... pork chops?" Her gaze wavered and her shoulders stiffened whenever she lied.

    In any case, she probably went to the mart to buy porridge, not pork chops. I wasn''t sure why she would lie to me.

    "Yeah. Pork chops," she repeated.

    "Did the hospital tell you to have porridge? Is it for gastritis?"

    "Yeah... Huh? No, I don¡¯t have gastritis." In-Ah looked at me with surprised eyes and lightly shook her hand. Her eyes were still trembling. Once again, a lie. I could easily see through the lie, but she seemed to be persuaded that she was doing a good job of deceiving me.

    "Oh yeah? Then what did the hospital say?"

    "...I have a cold? And I''m not sick. I pretended to be sick because I didn''t want to go to school."

    "Did you eat?"

    "Yup."

    Another lie.

    "And you had food yesterday?"

    "Of course."

    "You haven''t eaten anything since yesterday?"

    "No, I¡¯m telling you that I did!"

    No wonder her face looked pale, and her arms so thin. It seemed like she hadn''t eaten anything for the past two days. If she had gastritis, she wouldn''t be able to keep down even water, further discouraging her from having anything.

    "You should eat even if you''re sick."

    "What am I supposed to do when I vomit everything up... Ah, no. I mean, I keep telling you this, but I ate!"

    "I wonder why you keep lying."

    As I stared at her intently, she quickly turned her head and avoided eye contact. In-Ah had a habit of avoiding eye contact when she felt found out.

    "...How about you? What¡¯s all this stuff you bought?" In-Ah asked, turning her head to my bags after looking away from me for a while.

    "It¡¯s all food."

    "All of this? It''s all for eating?"

    "It¡¯ll be gone quickly."

    I tend to eat a lot, but I needed to buy at least this much if I wanted to take care of Yoon-Ah. In-Ah looked slightly puzzled, then shifted her gaze to the bags and extended her hand.

    "Give me one." She offered one to hold one of the bags.

    "It¡¯s going to be heavy."

    "It''s okay. I can handle it."

    "If you can''t, give it back."

    I willingly handed her the bag. In-Ah grumbled, struggling to keep the bag above the ground, and let the grocery bag down after five seconds. She seemed to want to try carrying it again, but she couldn''t because shecked strength. The bag seemed to be glued to the ground.

    "I told you it was heavy."

    "I-I can carry it. It''s not heavy."

    "Just give it to me."

    I lifted both bags again, one in each hand. They were still heavy, but it was manageable. We walked in silence for a long time. The dim light from the streetmp seemed to form a thin barrier between us and silence hung in the air.

    "Did you visit the Pdin Order?"

    Once again, I was the one who spoke first. The bag in my hands was heavy, and the air was thick, making it difficult to breathe. Everything around me felt heavy and seemed too sticky to me. It felt heavier when I kept my mouth shut, so I wanted to say something, anything.

    Looking at In-Ah¡¯s eyes slowly losing focus, with her head dropped down, was when I realized that I had screwed up. Even though I regretted what I had said, it was not like I could take back my words.

    "I went, but my sister wasn''t there... I wish I hadn''t had hope in the first ce."

    "I''m sorry."

    Her eyes lit up with surprise at my sudden apology. She took off her mask and put it in her pocket. Then she smiled. It was a weak smile, but it wasn¡¯t bitter.

    "Why are you sorry? I was the one that got too ahead of myself."

    "Still."

    "It''s fine. Why do you beat yourself too much on it? Friendships can have hups.¡± In-Ah awkwardly smiled and spoke.

    It seemed like she hadn¡¯t smiled in a long time and couldn''t raise the corners of her mouth as easily as before. I quietly gazed at her face. The phrase, "Friendships can have hups," sounded strange to my ears.

    "Friendships?"

    "Yeah, friends. ...Why? What are we if not friends?¡±

    In-Ah spoke irritably as if she were annoyed, but she wasn¡¯t. It was another one of her habits that came out when she was trying to hide something, or when things got awkward. I silently stared at In-Ah.

    My heart fluttered. I heard the sound of the bells and the rattling of bars, and Yoon-Ah''s screaming face flickered in my mind. A stickier, grimier feeling than guilt slowly engulfed my body. It felt like it was choking me.

    Whenever I stood in front of her, my heart would ache with indescribable emotions. I felt like a criminal standing in front of a prosecutor. In-Ah was the judge, and I was the criminal. It was too deformed of a rtionship tobel as a friendship.

    "We must be friends.¡±

    "Yeah! ...Not must be, but <i>we are.</i>"

    "Alright, I got it, I got it."

    I tried to baby In-Ah, who was staring daggers at me. Once again, silence hung in the air, but the atmosphere wasn¡¯t awkward. There were different kinds of silences, and among them, natural silences existed.

    In-Ah''s house came into view from a distance. The house always looked nice. Although it was small, it had a whole front yard, and it had a whole second floor. I wondered how much a house like that would cost.

    "You¡¯ll find your sister soon," I said, looking at her house.

    In-Ah looked at me with confusion, then lowered her head as if she had given up. She had been lowering her head frequently today to the point that it looked like her neck was struggling to muster the strength to keep her head upright.

    "...What if she¡¯s dead?" she mumbled in a small voice. "It''s been six months already, I¡¯ve had no contact, and there has been no progress in the investigation... She must be dead. How dumb of me to wait¡ª"

    "She''s alive."

    "Huh?"

    "She''ll be found soon."

    I said ''soon,'' but I didn''t know exactly when. Someday, without fail, In-Ah would meet Yoon-Ah. I would make sure of it. I would do anything to make it happen. I just hoped that In-Ah''s heart would hang in there before that time came.

    "Thanks."

    She smiled. It was still a weak, feeble smile, but at least it wasn¡¯t a sad smile.

    I raised my head. The house that seemed far away just a moment ago was already right before us.

    Before she entered her house, I asked, "Will youe tomorrow?"

    "Ah, school? Um..." In-Ah pretended to stroke her chin and acted as if she was contemting. "I have to go. I need to catch up on all the material I¡¯ve missed in thest three days."

    "Then, see you tomorrow. Go in, have some food, and rest."

    "Hey, I¡¯m not a kid you know? Why are you treating¡ª"

    <i>Creak.</i>

    The sound of bars rattling.

    A chill ran down my spine, sending a shiver all the way from the base of my neck to the apex of my head. My whole body felt like it was covered in goosebumps. My heart sank, making a dry sound. My peripheries started darkening so I leaned forward and caught my breath. I regainedposure and lifted my head.

    "Hey, why are you acting like that?"

    To my surprise, In-Ah had fallen to the ground. It seemed like she had tripped on the doorstep.

    "Get up. Don''t just keep lying there," I said, giving her a hand.

    Once again, it seemed like she was too embarrassed to get up. However, she didn¡¯t answer. I inched closer and checked her condition. She seemed to be breathing, but she was unconscious.

    ¡°Don¡¯t y games with me, In-Ah. Hey! HEY!¡± I shouted but got no response. This time, she had actually fainted.

 Chapter 53

    <h4>Chapter 53</h4>

    [Bossou is a porter today. Today is a sad day.]

    "I''m sorry."

    Using Bossou''s power, I moved the grocery bags as well as the unconscious In-Ah to the front door and pressed the doorbell. There was no response. I pressed it five more times but still got no answer. ncing at the window, I noticed that the lights were all off. It seemed like there was no one in her house.

    "In-Ah."

    "Huh...?"

    "Can you get in by yourself?"

    "Huh..."

    In-Ah repeated the same response in a drowsy voice, and it was hard to tell if she was conscious.

    I couldn''t just wait here until she woke up. I had done everything I could by bringing her to the front door. However, leaving her alone made me feel uneasy. The biggest problem was that I wasn¡¯t sure when In-Ah would wake up. It would be fine if she woke up soon, but it would be dangerous if she slept like this. Although it was spring, the night breeze was still cold, and there was also a risk of being a victim of crime.

    "Ah, screw it."

    I decided to stick around until I saw In-Ah pick herself up and walk into the house. Even though it wasn¡¯t like I had much free time, I couldn''t leave her like that either.

    A few momentster, she suddenly opened her eyes. She didn¡¯t seem fully conscious, though, as her eyes were out of focus and only halfway open. In the most basic sense, she was awake, but it seemed like she had a long way to go before she could prop herself up again.

    "When will your parentse?"

    "They¡¯re noting...¡± In-Ah said with difficulty as she blinked.

    "Then when will you go in? Are you going to sleep out here?"

    "Yeah..."

    "You respond well. You¡¯re actually conscious, right?"

    "..."

    She seemed to be fully conscious now. At least, it seemed that she had enough strength to respond. I reached out my hand to her again.

    "Get up. Let''s go inside."

    In-Ah held my hand and barely managed to get up with her shaking legs her legs. She seemed unstable and looked like she would copse again at any moment. In-Ah headed for the entrance, and with trembling fingertips, she entered the password and opened the door.

    "Go in and get some rest. Eat something. Don''t skip meals just because you don¡¯t feel like it.¡±

    She didn''t answer and just stared at me nkly.

    "Are you listening?"

    "...Ah, huh? Yeah."

    "And what did I say?"

    In-Ah tilted her head as if she was thinking.

    "... ¡®See you tomorrow?¡¯"

    "You didn''t listen. I said to eat up and rest."

    "Ah, yeah." In-Ah nodded slightly. This time, she seemed to understand.

    I was about to turn and leave with my bags, but In-Ah grabbed my wrist. Her grip was weak, and it was a stretch to say she was pulling me in. It was more like she was holding onto it.

    After holding my wrist for a while, she suddenly said, "I can''t eat."

    "Why? Is your stomach upset?"

    "I have nothing to eat. I can''t cook."

    "You don¡¯t have to cook anything fancy. Just make something simple like porridge and eat it.¡±

    In-Ah looked down. The corners of her mouth dropped.

    "I don''t want to eat alone..." She spoke in a trembling voice, almost on the verge of tears, and pulled my wrist toward her.

    Strangely, seeing In-Ah like this made my head hurt, and my hands and feet turned cold. My heart started to creak like a malfunctioning machine.

    I forced myself to speak.

    "But we can''t eat together."

    "Why not?"

    "You want me toe in to watch you eat?"

    "I don¡¯t mind,¡± In-Ah said nonchntly.

    She had a vacant look in her eyes, and it looked as if she had lost her judgment, but she wouldn¡¯t let go of my wrist.

    I could have easily shaken off her grip if I wanted to, but there was no need to, and I didn''t want to.

    "Come in."

    ***

    I hastily entered In-Ah''s house. The whole house looked extremely sacred; it was very spacious, and sacred paintings and statues were disyed all over. It seemed like ghosts wouldn''t dare to approach the house.

    [I don¡¯t feel too good.] Legba expressed difort, but that wasn''t my problem. It was Legba who was ufortable, not me.

    While I cautiously wandered inside the house, In-Ah slumped on the sofa, almost as if she was melting into it. Then she quickly closed her eyes as if she had fallen asleep.

    "In-Ah."

    "Wha-? Oh, yeah."

    In-Ah eyes shot open in surprise. She seemed to have fallen asleep in that slight second. I sat down next to her on the sofa.

    "What about food? Aren¡¯t you going to have something?"

    "I will."

    "Then howe you¡¯re lying down like that?"

    In-Ah blinked as if she had forgotten what to say, then closed her eyes again.

    "I¡¯m tired... Can''t I just not eat?"

    "I told you earlier. You have to eat, even if you¡¯re not in the mood. Get up. Come on."

    "It won¡¯t taste good if I make it. I feel like I get more sick if I eat my own cooking..."

    "If I cook, will you eat?"

    In-Ah nodded without saying a word.

    I rummaged through my bags and searched for ingredients. I nned to use the ingredients I had bought earlier to make something simple, like a rice porridge or a mild broth.

    I could have also given In-Ah the ingredients and let her cook her own meal, but I didn''t want to force a sick person to cook. It was bound to be a catastrophic disaster if she copsed again while handling a knife or dealing with fire. I would rather take matters into my own hands.

    <i>Shaaa¡ª</i>

    I started to cook. I microwaved the instant rice, and while that was going, I prepared the vegetables. It seemed that she wouldn''t be able to eat the porridge in her current state, but making a vorful broth sounded challenging as well. So, I nned to make something in between, which was a dish that was a mixture of porridge and soup.

    I cut the carrots and zhini as small as possible and minced the ground beef a bit more. While stir-frying the prepared ingredients in a pot, I mashed the rice. When the ingredients were halfway cooked, I added the rice and water at the right moment. I just had to wait for it to simmer until the consistency was right, and my dish would beplete.

    "Hey, wake up."

    I woke up In-Ah, who was lying down again. She barely managed to get up, rubbing her dazed eyes.

    "I feel dizzy."

    I poured some warm water from the dispenser and handed it to her. Dizziness was often caused by dehydration. Moreover, it was important to replenish fluids regrly when suffering from gastritis. She received the cup with both hands but stared at the water instead of drinking it.

    "Drink it slowly."

    "Mm."

    In-Ah nodded as she drank the water. She drank it really slowly as if she was savoring every sip.

    I washed the cup she had used and put it back in its ce. Then, I checked on the porridge and saw that it was almost ready. I transferred the porridge to a bowl to let it cool, and waited. Once it had cooled down enough, I handed the porridge to In-Ah.

    "It might be hot."

    "Wow, you''re good at cooking."

    I just stared at In-Ah without responding.

    Before putting the porridge in her mouth, she suddenly stopped and looked at me. Our eyes met.

    "You¡¯re not going to have some?"

    "Oh, I already had dinner."

    It was a lie. I was nning to eat alone at home. I didn''t want to risk getting indigestion by eating at someone else''s home. In-Ah nodded and silently ate the porridge. I kept watching her.

    Considering how well she was eating, she must have been hungry. However, she was still not eating as fast as normal, so she probably wouldn¡¯t upset her stomach. I continued to watch her for a while.

    In-Ah raised her head again.

    "What is it? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

    "Because you''re ugly," I said jokingly.

    In-Ah squinted at me, betrayal imminent in her eyes.

    "You''re ugly too. Dummy. Stupid. Stupid dummy."

    "It''s just a joke. Eat up."

    "You always say it''s a joke," she said matter-of-factly and finished eating the porridge.

    "Was it good?"

    "No, it was horrible."

    "Even when you ate everyst bit of it?"

    "I don''t know. It was terrible."

    Her eyes wavered, and her shoulders stiffened. It was clear that she was lying.

    Perhaps she was annoyed because I had called her ugly earlier. Anyway, I was relieved because she seemed like she had enjoyed the meal. Gradually, color returned to her pale, lifeless face.

    When I looked at the clock, it was already around 9 p.m. In-Ah had regained consciousness, eaten the food I had cooked her, and it was gettingte. I decided it was time to head back. It was a bit strange to be alone with In-Ah at night.

    I helped with the cleaning, did the dishes, and prepared to leave.

    "Are you leaving?"

    In-Ah stood up. Her legs were still trembling, but she didn''t seem as precarious as before. She seemed to be the type to recover quickly, both physically and mentally.

    "I should. It''s exam season, and I used all of my time cooking for you."

    "Well, if you say it like that..."

    "I''m just kidding. I don''t study anyway," I said,ughing.

    "It¡¯s usually the people with good grades that say that. You¡¯re so annoying."

    "But I¡¯m not good at studying."

    In-Ah frowned as if she couldn''t believe what she was hearing. I replied with a smile, and her face brightened up, and she joined in byughing as well.

    "Seriously, you..."

    Although it was merely a chuckle that hade out in disbelief, it was a brightugh. I kneeled down to tie my shoces. I wasn''t sure when they hade undone. I tied them tightly so they wouldn''te undone again.

    "Sun-Woo."

    Just as I was about halfway out the front door, In-Ah called out to me. She was brushing her disheveled brown hair with her hand, trying to tidy it up as she spoke.

    "That porridge, or soup, whatever it was¡ªit was delicious."

    "Of course, it''s delicious. I made it myself."

    "How humble of you... Well, I''ll call you again if I get sick for porridge delivery."

    "Sure, but next time, I''ll charge you."

    In-Ah''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "What? But it was free today."

    "Today was just a sample. Next time, it''ll cost thirty thousand won."

    "Thirty thousand? What a scam¡ª¡±

    "That''s why you shouldn¡¯t get sick."

    I adjusted the back of my shoes and straightened my clothes. In-Ah stood there, staring at me nkly, until I opened the door and stepped outside.

    "Make sure toe to school tomorrow."

    Instead of saying goodbye, I asked her toe to school and left.

    ***

    On the way home, I walked with a basket in each hand, swaying back and forth. I was having a conversation with Legba.

    [It seems like she¡¯s desperately searching for her sister. How about just handing her over as a zombie?]

    "That¡¯s a really selfish thought."

    [What''s so selfish about it? She should be grateful that we found her sister.]

    In reality, it was more of a debate than a conversation¡ªno, it was more of an argument. Legba was my reliable ally and advisor, but there were times like this when our opinions didn''t align. Especially when it came to discussing morals, Legba was often too apathetic. To put it nicely, he was rational, but to put it harshly, hecked empathy and was insensitive.

    "Just imagine, how would you think she would feel if she was reunited with her sister after all this time only to find her as a zombie?¡±

    [What do you mean, how would she feel? She would feel relieved to find her regardless if she was a human or zombie because it¡¯s her sister.]

    ¡°Think of it this way. Let¡¯s pretend I find my mother and her brain ispletely shriveled up. She¡¯s unable to say a word, and she¡¯s turned into a screaming monster. How would I feel then?"

    [Oh, that would be unfortunate.]

    "Yes, exactly."

    Finally, I seeded in making Legba understand. I''m not sure if it was an appropriate analogy, but as long as Legba understood, it was enough.

    [Okay, even if that''s the case, you have excessive guilt towards that woman. It''s not your fault.]

    "It is my fault."

    "That woman''s sister turned into a zombie because of Han Su-Yeop, not because of you. You have no reason to feel guilty."

    "Han Su-Yeop was a high-ranking member of the Voodoo Cult, and I am the Voodoo Cult Leader."

    [What does that have to do with anything?] Legba questioned in disbelief.

    "A leader should take responsibility for the matter if their subordinates mess up."

    [Why does that even matter?]

    ''Why does that even matter?'' Whether it was intentional or not, Legba¡¯s wordy made my head spin.[1]

    I chuckled. "You used to stress about upholding the dignity of a cult leader, and now you''re saying this? It doesn''t add up."

    [Right, a cult leader should uphold their dignity, but they shouldn¡¯t have to take responsibility for the sinsmitted by a high-ranking member. And there''s less reason to feel guilty.]

    "If a leader doesn''t take that responsibility, then what do they get their dignity from?¡±

    Hearing my question, Legba fell silent.

    [Dignityes from strength. And you are strong.]

    "You cannot force everything with mere strength. That''s not a leader, but a dictator."

    [Cult leaders sometimes need to act like dictators. They shouldn¡¯t have to take responsibility for everything.]

    "But that''s not the case now. As a cult leader, if I enjoy the benefits and shy away from the responsibilities, how am I different from a chatan?"

    Legba chuckled briefly. [That''s quite a funny statement. The world already considers the Voodoo Cult as <i>that </i>kind of cult.]

    "Because the Holy See has defined it as such."

    The Voodoo Cult was considered the ¡®deviant¡¯ kind of cult rather than the ¡®solemn ritual¡¯ kind, and I was the third-generation Cult Leader of the chatan group. That was what the world considered us.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean it was alright to act like an actual cult. Otherwise, the Voodoo Cult would be admitting to being nothing more than a sham.

    "But just because it was defined that way, it doesn''t mean we automatically be real chatans, right?"

    Legba remained silent for a while after listening to my words.

    I had be the cult leader at a much younger age than my father, but that didn¡¯t mean I could evade the responsibilities of a cult leader. Youthfulness was not an excuse. Whether I was three years old or seventy, what mattered was the fact that I was the cult leader.

    That was why I considered Han Su-Yeop''s wrongdoing as my responsibility, I felt guilty towards In-Ah, and I strived to restore Yoon-Ah to being human.

    [Seems like you''ve be more eloquent.]

    "And you, Legba, have be less proficient."

    [Haha, but your audacity stays the same. It¡¯s times like this when I see that you are your mother¡¯s son.] Legbaughed heartily.

    I alsoughed along while walking through the empty alley.

    Each bag in my hand and step I took felt heavy. Even the air felt dense and murky, as if it could crush me. It almost felt like I would sink down into the asphalt. But I continued to walk resolutely. Each step was sluggish, and I strained with effort, but it was manageable.

    "Oh, you can''te this way. Please take the side street."

    A pdin blocked my path when I was less than fifty meters away from home,

    I was slightly taken aback. Why was I being stopped with no exnation?

    "What''s going on?"

    "There''s a fire. It''s not fully extinguished yet, so I suggest you turn back."

    "A fire?"

    I looked at a building in the distance. Unquenched mes illuminated the surroundings. Thick smoke rose up to obscure the moon, and ashes scattered everywhere. The air was filled with a pungent smell of smoke.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    There was the sound of something breaking in the falling grocery bag. Maybe it was an egg.

    <i>[Be careful of fire.]</i>

    Baron Samedi''s cheerful and mischievous voice echoed in my ears. The fire he warned me about wasn''t the wildfire on Eiden Hill or Jin-Seo''s cigarette.

    "Our... our house. That''s our house... on fire?"

    Our house was burning.

    1. The Korean sentence was [? ??? ?? ??.] The wordyes with the word ?? which can mean both ¡°leader¡± and ¡°care/matter¡±¡ªalong the lines of ¡°what''s it matter to you/why do you care?¡± Legba is mocking Sun-Woo''s usage of ¡°leader,¡± so he¡¯s saying ¡°why do you care?¡± and ¡°you, a leader?¡± at the same time. ?

 Chapter 54

    <h4>Chapter 54</h4>

    "How are the rescuees?"

    "They are all safe and sound. However, the suppression..."

    "When are those damn reinforcementsing?"

    "They said they''re on their way, but we don¡¯t know when they¡¯ll arrive¨C¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Han Dae-Ho kicked the wall with his foot. The innocent wall cracked; he had broken it without using any blessings but only with his physical strength.

    The subordinate pdin trembled at this sight.

    "What. You¡¯re scared?"

    Han Dae-Ho bore coldly into the subordinate pdin. The pdin flinched under his gaze and shook his head. While Han Dae-Ho was usually gentle, his temperament was known to be bad-tempered at the scene of a fire. Another pdin, standing at a distance, ran towards Han Dae-Ho with a walkie-talkie in hand.

    "Director! The support team ising in five minutes¡ª"

    "Five? Five, five... Alright, they said they¡¯ll be here in five?"

    "Well, not exactly. Within five minutes..."

    "Are you saying that during those five minutes, we should just watch that building burn and have a campfire or something? Is that it? Huh?" Han Dae-Ho shouted angrily, his voice echoing through the alley.

    The pdin holding the phone stiffened. Han Dae-Ho''s presence had the same overwhelming effect as a tiger¡¯s roar.

    A buzz came through the phone held by the pdin.

    "Is that the support team? Give it to me."

    "What? Well, Director, that''s..."

    "''Excuse me?"

    "N-Nothing, sir. Here it is." The pdin hurriedly handed over the phone. Han Dae-Ho received it, his face filled with heavy creases.

    -Reporting in sir.

    "Reporting in my ass. How long will you take?"

    - The traffic is heavy, so about seven minutes...

    "Three minutes. I don¡¯t care if you have to fly or run here. Get here in three.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho hung up the call. He was about to bash the mobile phone on the ground in frustration, but the subordinate pdin stopped him.

    "D-Director, that¡¯s my phone."

    "Ah, right. Sorry."

    Han Dae-Ho returned the phone to the pdin and dropped to sit on the ground. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face. The ashes that had caked his hands from the rescue were smeared onto his face.

    "Why the fuck did I do that?"

    During the Sung-Hyun incident, Bae Jung-Hwan and another heavily high authority figure had ordered him to dismiss the allegations. However, Han Dae-Ho defied the order and handled everything ording to the procedure. In the end, Sung-Hyun faced the hammer of justice.

    After that, the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch had, quite literally, fallen apart. Support from dBP Corporation and the Central Pdin Order, including support for holy artifacts and personnel, hade to aplete stop. The existing staff members were also transferred for ''unknown reasons.''

    The Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch was currently struggling with equipment and personnel shortages and budget constraints. All this was the result of not sumbing to external pressure and following through with their conscience.

    "Who would have thought I would end up in fire suppression like in my apprentice days..."

    Even though he had been on the investigation team before bing a director, he was at the fire scene because of the limited number of staff. The fact that the director was assigned to a firefighting mission that was not under his jurisdiction was truly absurd. It showed how understaffed the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern branch was.

    Han Dae-Ho, who had beenmenting for a while, looked up. Someone was jumping into the vi, and that person was running incredibly fast.

    "What the... Did we have someone in our squad who runs that fast?"

    "I¡¯m shocked as well. Uh, but..."

    Han Dae-Ho narrowed his eyes. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the person''s clothes were different from the other pdins. While the other pdins were all wearing firefighting suits, this guy...

    "It looks like he''s wearing a school uniform."

    "A school uniform... Damn, he''s not a pdin! Hey! Stop that runt!"

    Han Dae-Ho abruptly stood up. Although the pdins hurriedly tried to stop the student, the student was so strong that they were all knocked back. Even though they had not been able to cast blessings because they had panicked, how could pdins be outmatched by a single student?

    Han Dae-Ho sighed at the ipetence of his subordinates, put on a gas mask, and cast a blessing.

    "I''ll be back soon. Get the support team ready for suppression as soon as they arrive."

    ¡°Are you going in there yourself? D-director!"

    Ignoring his subordinate''s words, Han Dae-Ho immediately followed the student inside the building.

    ***

    <i>Thwack, thwack, thwack...</i>

    My racing heart started making strange noises. The pdins had tried to stop me and shouted loudly, but they were all blown away like paper in the wind. It was thanks to Bossou''s power.

    [Today, I had to do a lot of work. I am starting to get hungry.] Bossou grumbled.

    I used Bossou''s power three times just today. Soon, I would have to buy new sacrifices to offer, but that was something to worry aboutter.

    The important fact to focus on was that my house was on fire. It wasn''t just any house; it was <i>my house.</i>

    I entered the house and quickly ascended the stairs that were half destroyed, scorched by the mes. The sound of my heavy breathing echoed in my head. My body felt hot. I wasn''t sure if it was because of Bossou''s power or the mes trying to engulf me. There was no time to think.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The doorknob was hot, so I smashed the door and entered. The room my uncle had found for me was in shambles. The ceiling was burning and copsing, and all wooden objects, including drawers and desks, were on fire. From the outside, the fire didn''t seem that big, but once I entered, I realized the situation was dire.

    [It seems like this is the origin ofbustion. The fire is unusually intense here.]

    [The origin ofbustion? What''s that?]

    [Shut up, Bossou.] Legba cut Bossou''s innocent question short. There was no time to listen to their banter. I cautiously stepped through the mes.

    I didn''t care if everything else burned down. But the keepsake, my father¡¯s keepsake, I had to retrieve. A small box the size of a palm with unknown contents and an urn ring of an unidentified someone were the entirety of the keepsake my father had left.

    [Don''t go any further. It''s dangerous.] Legba tried to stop me while I was making my way toward the drawer where the keepsake was.

    I pretended to not hear him. Instead, I walked forward, paying no attention to the raging fire that seemed ready to consume me. It felt like my skin was baking.

    "Legba. Please call Dan W¨¦do for me."

    [You¡¯ll die. You are not in the best condition. You''ll only copse due to dehydration.]

    "Just do it."

    [That''s no different from self-harm, no, from suicide.]

    Legba tried his best to persuade me, his opinion unwavering. Meanwhile, the fire was growing stronger and stronger. If we waited any longer, everything, including the keepsake, would be burnt to ashes.

    "Please, I''m begging you." With my eyes tightly closed, I pleaded to Legba.

    I didn''t have a picture of my father, nor did I have one of my mother.

    But I vividly remember their faces. Although seven years was enough time to have forgotten them, their faces were still engraved clearly in my mind. Every time their faces started to fade, I brought out the keepsake to refresh my memory. But if the keepsake was burned and got destroyed, I might end up forgetting what my parents looked like. I might even forget the sound of their voices. The keepsake held such significance for me because it was a fragment of the past that I did not want to lose.

    [It''s your choice, so don''t me me.] Legba''s worried voice faded, reced by Dan W¨¦do''s voice, which grew closer.

    I could sense he was saying something, but his voice was faint, and his words were unclear, making it impossible to understand the meaning.

    Gradually, Dan W¨¦do¡¯s murmurs filled my mind.

    "Dan W¨¦do. Water."

    [Dan We... Command... Water...]

    I could only hear fragments of words and was unable to decipher their meaning. Of course, theck ofmunication was not a problem. I just needed to utilize his power.

    He was the Loa of water. More precisely, a Loa associated with water, but that was not important. If I could temporarily diminish the raging fire in front of me through his power, I would be satisfied. Using his power could lead to dehydration, and in severe cases, I could even faint or die.

    But that was something to considerter.

    "Quickly, water!"

    [Ugh...]

    As I urged him on, a purple mist gradually rose, covering the sky.

    <i>Shaaaaah©¤! </i>

    Water poured out through the mist. The pour was too thick to call rain but too thin to be called a waterfall. Regardless, it was enough water to momentarily suppress the fire in front of me. It wouldn¡¯tpletely extinguish the mes, but at least the heat subsided.

    I continued moving forward and reached my arm towards the drawer, which looked like a wet piece of charcoal due to the rain.

    I grabbed both keepsakes left by my father, the ring and the box, with my hands. After holding them close in my arms, I rummaged through the drawer and took Baal''s Maw and the Fourth Angel''s Horn.

    Legbaughed, seemingly astonished. [Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t care if everything else burned down?]

    "It''s okay if the rest burns, but still©¤"

    <i>Thud</i>

    I couldn''t finish my sentence and copsed in that spot. I was severely dehydrated. My mouth and throat were painfully dry, and I experienced a headache and dizziness at the same time. I forced my crumbling body up. Although the fire wasn''t attacking me at the moment, staying still would lead to my death.

    [I told you that you¡¯d be dehydrated.]

    "No, I, uh, will,ter. I''ll talk to youter."

    My mouth waspletely dry, making it difficult for my tongue to move. I felt dizzy, was unable to think straight, and couldn¡¯t talk. Despite recently offering sacrifices at the Altar, I was still experiencing this. If I hadn''t found the Altar yet... just the thought sent shivers down my spine.

    [Now leave. If you continue inhaling the smoke, you might faint or even die¡ª]

    <i>Hissss!</i>

    This time, Legba was interrupted. A screech echoed from somewhere. It wasn''t human but was too bizarre and eerie to have been made by an animal.

    When I turned my head, there was a cat.

    <i>Hisss, kyaaaa...</i>

    To be precise, it was a cat demon. It was two to three timesrger than an average cat. Although it resembled a leopard cat or a fox at first nce, patches of its fur had been corrupted by demonic energy, turning it ck showed that it was undoubtedly a demonic beast.

    Its eyes were green.

    [...Ignore it and leave.]

    The green eyes and yellow fur spotted around its coat were proof that this was the same cat that I had fed before leaving the house today. There was a brand on the forehead of the cat. It was a goat-shaped symbol, simr to a tattoo found on the back of the Satanist. The belly of the cat had burst open, and something dark and murky was flopping about. It seemed to be its internal organs.

    I felt nauseous.

    [It was wise not to give it a name.]

    "..."

    I turned my head and closed my eyes. I tried to leave, but my feet seemed to be glued to the floor. It wasn''t because I had developed feelings for a mere street cat. It was simply because I felt dizzy and nauseous, making my steps feel too heavy.

    The fire Dan W¨¦do''s water had quenched had reignited. The smoke suffocated me as the mes approached me bit by bit, slowly cornering me by engulfing my surroundings.

    I didn''t feel as dizzy as before. It seemed like another trauma had overpowered my trauma of the fire.

    [Walk. You have to leave. You will die.] Legba said, and I walked in silence.

    <i>Thud, ng...</i>

    The things that had turned into ashes from the fire were crumbling down as they slowly became soaked in water. The ceiling copsed, and the floor sank. The heated air wavered, and acrid smoke entered my nostrils. My throat hurt, but I didn¡¯t have the strength to even cough. It might have been because I had used too much of Loa''s power, or maybe it was for another reason.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    At that moment, something shattered the window and made its way in. He pushed through the mes and strode over. His expression was hidden behind a fire-resistant mask, but he was enormously broad.

    "<i>Huff, huff. </i>Damn, crazy bastard. What made you think it was a smart idea to charge into a copsing home? And fuuuck, can you run fast. Damn."

    He seemed like a pdin. He wore firefighting gear over his uniform, making it impossible to guess his rank. But he was definitely a pdin, whether he was superior or subordinate.

    "Ah."

    I instantly copsed and closed my eyes. My consciousness drifted off as a single thought urred. I was saved.

    "Which school are you from, huh? Hey! This damn kid¡ª" The pdin''s shout echoed from beyond the darkness and everything suddenly fell silent.

 Chapter 55

    <h4>Chapter 55</h4>

    "Ah, ah. Wait a minute. You¡¯re actually going to hit my bones. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d let me off the hook¨C"

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Jin-Seo''s fist smashed Jun-Hyuk''s chin, and as a result, Jun-Hyuk copsed onto the ground like a wet noodle. He didn''t lose consciousness, but it looked like his legs had lost their strength, seeing as how they were shaking. Thus, the spar concluded in Jin-Seo¡¯s victory. It was a victory that was achieved without submission and through only brute force.

    "Oh, wow. I almost bit my tongue. This is attempted murder, you know?¡±

    ¡°You said you wouldn''t use a mouthpiece.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did I?¡±

    As a provocation, Jun-Hyuk said he would not wear a mouthpiece. Likewise, for the same reason, he didn¡¯t wear headgear either. Thus, he was beaten more painfully.

    Jun-Hyukughed dryly while lying sprawled out in the middle of the ring. "Ah, this is driving me crazy. My skills aren''t improving at all.¡±

    "You''ve improved. At leastpared to before,¡± Jin-Seo nonchntly said as she unwrapped the bandages wrapped around her hand. As she was doing so, Jun-Hyuk looked up at her with vacant eyes.

    "How much more do I have to practice in order to win? It feels like there¡¯s no light at the end of the tunnel.¡±

    "Three years."

    ¡°Oh? It¡¯s not as bad as I thought.¡±

    ¡°No, fifteen years.¡±

    "Fifteen years? That''s a bit... No, maybe even fifteen years is too short?"

    Jun-Hyuk scratched the back of his neck and jumped up from the floor. Since Jin-Seo had directly hit his chin numerous times, his head spun, and his legs quivered. His hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead. The supervisor watching the spar from afar walked forward with their arms crossed.

    "Are you okay, Jun-Hyuk? That¡¯s why I told you to just wear the headgear. You¡¯re so ridiculously stubborn."

    "You¡¯re right. I should''ve just put on headgear. My jaw is shaking."

    ¡°You got hit so many times, no wonder your jaw is shaking. Also, Jin-Seo, you should go easy when you spar. You¡¯re going to end up killing him."

    Jin-Seo was wiping off the small amount of sweat that she had umted, and she nodded silently. The supervisor looked proudly at Jin-Seo. Jun-Hyuk was one of the most skilled fighters in the training center, and yet Jin-Seo beat him down as if it was child''s y. The supervisor was grateful that such a genius had signed up for their training center.

    "Jin-Seo, there will be a contest soon. Do you want to join or not?"

    "What kind ofpetition is it?¡±

    ¡°All thepetitions are more or less the same. Do you want to participate? If you reach a high rank, you can put it on your academic achievement record."

    Upon hearing the words ¡®academic achievement record,¡¯ Jin-Seo''s eyes shone briefly.

    "Yes, I want to participate."

    "Okay. Then I''ll apply for you."

    The supervisor took a pen out of their pocket and scribbled something in their notebook. They scribbled with their pen in the notebook for a while, but then they raised their eyebrows and opened their mouth as if they remembered something.

    ¡°Ah, also, Jin-Seo, if you want to participate in thepetition, you should quit smok¡ª"

    "Ah, sir."

    Jin-Seo hurriedly cut off the supervisor''s words. The supervisor nodded as if they understood and readjusted their sentence.

    "...Well, anyway. I''m telling you to take good care of your health."

    "What? Jin-Seo, you smoke too?" Jun-Hyuk asked with eyes widened in surprise. As a result of his loud voice, the gazes of all the people in the training center focused on Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo red at Jun-Hyuk with cold eyes. "I don''t smoke."

    "Then what was that just now? Didn''t the instructor tell you to quit something?¡±

    "I don''t know," Jin-Seo said while ring at Jun-Hyuk. She was expressionless, and her speech was dry, but ?he could feel that she was angry.

    "Really? If you¡¯re not, then you¡¯re not. Why the heck are you staring at me as if you¡¯re going to kill me?¡±

    "Shall we spar one more time?" Jin-Seo asked with a smile. Jun-Hyuk was frightened by her smile and retreated backward.

    "Um... Ah! Something happened at home. I have to go. I''ll spar with you next time~"

    Jun-Hyuk left the training center as if he was running away.

    Jin-Seo immediately resumed her exercise routine. She did some jump ropes, shadowboxing, sandbag punching, and hitting mitts. Several members asked her for a spar, but they all fainted before the end of the first round. No one was good enough to be Jin-Seo''s opponent.

    After working out for nearly four hours, she washed up and left the training center.

    It was around a fifty-minute walk from the training center to her house. It was normal to take the bus, but Jin-Seo insisted on running. She went for a run, not only to increase her stamina but also to clear her head of misceneous thoughts.

    "Ah."

    Then she spotted the back of a familiar person. In the dark, only his back could be clearly distinguished. Come to think of it, he was always facing the darkness while she was standing in the back. It was like that back then, and it was like now.

    "Do Sun... Um."

    Jin-Seo was about to call out to him without much thought, but her words soon faded away.

    Based on what she heard from Jun-Hyuk the other day, Sun-Woo lived on his own in a vi. However, the house he came out of just now was not a vi.

    Was he returning from his friend''s house after partying all night? Or perhaps a rtive''s house? Many spections shed through her head, but she couldn¡¯t be sure of anything. However, it was also awkward to ask him about it. If she bought up the subject, it was possible for him to mistakenly think that she was stalking him.

    ¡°...¡±

    While she was lost in her thoughts, Sun-Woo walked further away. Now it was toote to ask him. Jin-Seo turned around and started running the other way.

    After fifteen minutes of running, she felt a sharp pain in her chest because she was out of breath. In the past, even if she ran for thirty minutes, she wouldn¡¯t get tired at all. However, these days, her stamina had gotten worse. At the very least, it was definitely clear that her cardiopulmonary endurance had deteriorated.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    As she was bending over and catching her breath, a pack of cigarettes that she had ced in her inner pocket fell out. For a moment, she contemted whether she should pick it up or leave it there, but she eventually decided to pick it up and put it in her pocket.

    Then, she started running again. No matter how much she ran, the arbitrary thoughts clouding her mind were difficult to clear up.

    Later, she felt as if she was suffocating, and her heart was pounding, but she didn¡¯t stop. It was no different from self-torture. She didn''t even know what sort of arbitrary thoughts she could shake off by running so hard.

    <i> </i> *

    <i>p.</i>

    Someone pped me in the face, and I immediately came back to my senses. I tried to get up, but I couldn''t because my body ached and hurt. With a feeble groan, Iy back down.

    In front of me was a giant gazing down at me.

    "You up, crazy bastard?¡±

    I was slightly offended by his sudden swearing, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do to retaliate. I decided just to lie still.

    I tried letting out a sound to see if my vocal cords were still functional, and my voice was surprisingly fine. My lips, which previously felt like they would shrivel up and fall apart because they were so dry, were now moist.

    The giant let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°Hey, you. Why in the world did you charge into there?¡±

    Instead of answering, I looked around the room and assessed the situation.

    I was currently lying on top of a hospital bed. I had no idea what hospital it was, nor did I know how much time had passed. There was an IV tube attached to my right arm, and for some reason, it felt like my hands were strangely empty.

    ¡°Ah, oh. What... Where is it...?¡±

    The keepsake, Baal''s Maw, and the Fourth Angel¡¯s Horn were all missing.

    Even after I searched every pocket, including my inner pockets and the pockets in my pants, I couldn¡¯t find anything. My heart shuddered like a deted balloon.

    "What are you looking for? This?¡±

    It was then that the giant revealed something within his grasp. They were the relics and holy artifacts I was looking for. Suddenly, I felt dizzy and out of breath. The giant examined the artifacts as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, and then he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the reason you charged in there was because of these¨C¡±

    <i>Snatch!</i>

    I snatched the items away from the giant and held them within my grasp. My heart was beating like crazy.

    ¡°Did you open it?¡±

    The holy artifacts were important, but losing them wasn¡¯t the end of the world. On the other hand, the keepsake absolutely could not be exposed to other people.

    As if he was dumbfounded, the giant spat out a dryugh and replied, "I haven''t opened it, man. What the heck is it?"

    "...¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then so be it. I¡¯ve lived a long life, but I still can¡¯t believe I have to deal with another crazy bastard like you.¡±

    It bothered me that he said ¡®another¡¯ crazy bastard, but I decided not to ask. Fortunately, it looked like he hadn¡¯t opened the box. I tried to check the time using my phone, but it didn¡¯t turn on. Perhaps it was because it had run out of battery. I also noticed that there was a slight crack in the corner of the screen.

    "What time is it now?" I asked the giant. The giant, who was about to stand up from his seat, looked at his watch in an awkward posture.

    "It''s a little past eleven. Why? Do you have an appointment?"

    Eleven o''clock. It was around nine o''clock when I left In-Ah''s house, which meant that I had fainted for around two hours. Considering the fact that I jumped into a burning building, I recovered consciousness rtively fast.

    I slowly raised my sore body. I felt pain all over my body, but it was still possible for me to walk. Since my house had burned down, I had to sleep in the underground chapel today. With those thoughts in my head, I was just about to walk out of the room when the giant stretched out his arm and blocked my path.

    ¡°Oh? Where do you think you¡¯re going with the current state of your body? If you have any appointments, just cancel them. You¡¯re not fully recovered yet.¡±

    "It''s alright."

    ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself. Walking with that kind of body is... Huh, I guess you can walk.¡±

    <i>Tap.</i>

    I pulled out the IV tube from my arm and strode out of the hospital room. My walking speed was clearly slower than normal, but it was good enough. Back when I didn¡¯t have the Altar, I twisted my joints after using Bossou''s power and vomited blood for half a day after using Granbwa''s power. Compared to that, my current situation was rtively minor.

    "Hey! I''m not going to stop you, but at least take this."

    As I was focusing on walking, a loud shout came out from behind me. The giant man ran toward me while making a thudding sound with every step. In his hand was a business card.

    "If you have something wrong with your body, don''t hold out ande to the hospital right away."

    "Okay."

    ¡°Bastard, if you just ignore my advice, you might end up dying an early death. If you feel even slightly sick, call me right away. I¡¯ll cover the expenses.¡±

    I took the business card.

    ¡®Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch Director Han Dae-Ho.¡¯ Below his position and name was a phone number. The design was very simple. It was just ck letters on white paper, along with the Pdin Order logo. There were no other decorations other than that.

    While I was looking at the business card and trying to remember the phone number, Director Han Dae-Ho asked, "But what¡¯s with the box?"

    "A keep... Hm."

    I was just about to say that it was a keepsake, but I hesitated. I wondered whether it would be okay to tell him that it was a keepsake. I hesitated because I thought that it might stow suspicion.

    "Keep? Keep what?"

    "It''s my mother''s keepsake," I said as I pretended to contemte indifferently. In reality, it was my father¡¯s keepsake, but considering my fake identity, it was more natural to say that it was my mother¡¯s keepsake.The fact that I had to lie, even when exining the keepsake, made me feel miserable.

    ¡°Ah... Alright, go. If you¡¯re sick, make sure to contact me.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho looked at me for a moment with pity and turned his head awkwardly. I deeply bowed my head and left the hospital. The alley, which didn¡¯t have many streetlights, was filled with darkness. It felt like my knees would give out regardless of my will, but I managed to hold out.

    <i>Rip.</i>

    I tore up Han Dae-Ho''s business card and threw it on the floor.

    [He went through all that effort to give it to you.] Legba asked in a questioning manner.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to contact him anyway.¡±

    [There might be a day we need it. Just like that person said, you might really have to go to the hospital.]

    "I memorized the number just in case, but I should recover from this as long as I rest."

    [You¡¯recent, but what you say is true.]

    I smiled brightly and walked down the empty alley that was void of people.

    <strong>TLN: </strong>I wonder if Jin-Seo has lung cancer. I wonder what happens if someone gets cancer in this world. Can they cure it with a blessing of healing or perhaps a restoration spell? They have sleeping pills, so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they had chemotherapy as well. I wonder if they can do chemotherapy in conjunction with a blessing of healing to negate the side effects.

 Chapter 56

    <h4>Chapter 56</h4>

    "Oh, hey! Why is your phone off? Do you want to die?"

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if the battery is dead or if the phone is broken. In any case, that¡¯s why my phone¡¯s off.¡±

    When I arrived at the underground chapel, Uncle Jin-Sung immediately came running toward me in a flurry. Ji-Ah followed along right behind him. Both had eyes that seemed half-asleep, but they were still dressed. They seemed to be getting ready to go out.

    ¡°What the? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Ain¡¯t it obvious? We were getting ready to go out so we could check whether you were okay or not.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I was a little flustered. It was because my uncle¡¯s reaction was different from what I expected.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, but my house burned down. Is that fine?¡±

    Obviously, the house that my uncle gifted me was worth a significant amount of money. If it was my uncle, I thought that he would worry more about the house than me.

    It might seem like there¡¯s no way that anyone would think like that, but uncle was definitely that sort of person.

    "What are you talking about? Why are you talking about the house all of a sudden? As long as you''re alright, then it¡¯s all good."

    ¡°...Did Jin-Sung get reced by an imposter? You¡¯re different from usual.¡±

    For a moment, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether I was hallucinating. That¡¯s how unreal the situation felt. My uncle was a person who believed that the value of anything except money was a meaningless illusion. I couldn¡¯t believe that my uncle was genuinely worried about me. This sounded a little harsh, but rather than feeling touched, I felt more suspicious.

    Ji-Ah was twiddling her fingers in the back of the room. She asked, "Are you alright, Cult Leader?"

    "Yes. I think I feelpletely fine? Well, notpletely fine, but I feel moderately fine."

    "Then that¡¯s a relief, but do you need to go to the hospital..."

    "It''s alright. I don''t have to go."

    After saying so, I threw the keepsake and holy artifacts I was holding onto the desk, took off my jacket, and roughly hung it on the chair. My body was so tired that I didn¡¯t even have the strength to have a short conversation. It seemed like I would have to sleep earlier than usual today.

    My uncle looked at the keepsake and the holy artifacts with narrowed eyes. ¡°What is this? My brother-inw¡¯s keepsake? The thing that he told you to open when you be an adult?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I brought it earlier.¡±

    ¡°What the heck are you talking about? How did you bring this here?¡±

    ¡°I just went into the house for a brief moment and grabbed it.¡±

    My uncle furrowed his eyebrows.

    "You went into the house that was on fire and grabbed it? For a brief moment? No. That doesn''t make sense."

    "Why? What you said is correct."

    "I¡¯m right?"

    My uncle chewed his lips with a look of disbelief and spoke once again. "Ah, you crazy bastard! Value your life a little more, please. Like father, like son, I suppose.¡±

    My uncle yelled and scolded me in a frenzy.

    I couldn¡¯t clearly understand the meaning behind his words. My ears felt like they were blocked, and it felt like my uncle¡¯s words were all bouncing off my eardrums. Thus, the words ended up floating in the ear without delivering their message.

    I shook my head, almost as if I was clearing the air, and entered a room.

    Iy down on a damp bed and closed my eyes. The countless things that urred today passed through my head, but there was not a single thing that remained clearly within my mind. It felt like everything that happened was a dream.

    Sleep came quickly, but a sudden thought urred to me, and I jumped out of the bed.

    "Ji-Ah noo... I mean, Miss Ji-Ah."

    "Yes, Mr. Cult Leader."

    I called out to Ji-Ah and handed her Baal''s Maw. Ji-Ah blinked in a questioning manner while cing Baal''s Maw on her small palm.

    "What are you...?"

    "You know the zombie fromst time? Back when we robbed the Zapduists."

    "Ah, yes."

    ¡°I tried to take care of her myself, but there were some problems that cropped up here and there. I was wondering if you could take care of her for me...¡±

    In-Ah¡¯s sister had turned into a zombie, but that didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t still a human. If she was not fed, she would starve to death, and if she wasn¡¯t cleaned, then she would catch diseases.

    I could feed her, but I wasn¡¯t able to wash her. Thus, I decided to leave it to Ji-Ah.

    "Oh, I understand. If that''s the case, of course, I can take care of her.¡±

    ¡°Butst time, it seemed like you were scared of her. Are you going to be okay?¡±

    Ji-Ah was very easily scared. I wondered whether she would be able to take care Yoon-Ah properly.

    Ji-Ah¡¯s eyebrows twitched. It was a rare facial expression change.

    "I can do it."

    "Yes. Thank you."

    "And I''m not a coward. At that time, I was just surprised," Ji-Ah said with a firm face. It seemed like her pride had been damaged because of that incident.

    She was older than me, but she acted so childishly that I could help but let out a smirk. It wasn¡¯t like I was not a child either but in any case...

    "Ah. I see," I reluctantly nodded and said.

    "It''s true."

    "Yes, I understand."

    I quickly entered the room with a nod. Ji-Ah was a calm person, but she was also quite persistent, so if I didn¡¯t leave quickly, it felt like the conversation would drag on.

    I quickly changed my clothes andy down as if I was throwing my body onto the bed. Insomnia was a disease of thought. It was a mischievous disease where if I closed my eyes to sleep, thoughts would rush in and prevent me from sleeping. Today, however, I was so tired that I didn¡¯t even have time to think. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep as if I had fainted.

    <i> </i> *

    It was the first time I felt refreshed in the morning for a long time. My uncle had already woken up and was sitting in his usual spot while reading his book and surfing the inte for news.

    ¡°You wake up really early,¡± I rubbed my sleepy eyes and said. My uncle turned his head and nced at me.

    "When you get older, you sleep less."

    "You''re not old enough to say that yet.¡±

    "Hmm, that''s true. But I¡¯ve always been a light sleeper.¡±

    My uncle seemed to be in a good mood, so he continued watching the news with a bright smile. Looking from the side, it seemed to be a report of yesterday''s fire. I read it together next to him.

    In summary, there were no casualties thanks to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch¡¯s good initial response, and only a few people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Although the suppression of the fire was dyed because the support team waste, Han Dae-Ho replicated a miracle and summoned a spray of water to contain the fire and prevent it from developing into arger ze.

    The director himself denied he performed the miracle replication, but whether he denied it or not, there was a high probability that it was a feat that he performed. In conclusion, he was the one who cast the miracle replication spell.

    ¡°Well, since there were no casualties, I suppose it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m a little upset that the house burned down, though,¡± my uncle said calmly as he read the news.

    I read the entire news article and then read thements. It was full of praise for the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch, and there were some that criticized the support team''s ipetence. While the public praised the pdins for their wonderful rescue, they did not care about the victims who had lost their homes in the fire. The result was obvious, and I didn¡¯t mean to say that the public was stupid, but for some reason, it felt like my heart was empty.

    "Are you going to go to school? But is your school uniform okay? Doesn¡¯t it smell like smoke?"

    ¡°I washed it, so it should be fine, right?¡±

    ¡°Really? Well, do as you please then.¡±

    My uncle stopped reading the new report about the fire and moved on to the news about economics. He started reading the news with a level of concentration that was iparable to his previous level of focus.

    Uncle muttered about some mumbo jumbo, such as crypto being doomed and the water temperature of the Han River set at 36.5 degrees. I left my uncle behind while he talked to himself and began preparing for school.

    "Hm."

    Today, I was able to sessfully tie my necktie. I nodded in satisfaction while tidying up and fixing up my hair.

    Just as I was on my way out, Uncle Jin-Sung jumped out of his seat.

    "Sun-Woo. I meant what I said yesterday. Take care of yourself.¡±

    "Huh? What is this all of a sudden?"

    Looking at my uncle, who was speaking as if he was worried, I slowly crept away. I felt such a strong sense of discontinuity that it felt ufortable. I wondered whether my uncle was about to die or something. However, thinking about it a little more deeply, just like me, my uncle had also lost family members during the Holy War. It was natural for him not to want to lose one of hisst remaining family members.

    Perhaps I was thinking of my uncle as too much of a piece of money-obsessed trash. Perhaps I had been looking at my uncle with tinted sses the entire time... While internally regretting the way I had thought about my uncle, I reassured him. "It''s okay because it¡¯ll take a lot to kill me. You don''t have to worry.¡±

    "I know that, but I¡¯m just telling you to be careful. Just in case."

    "I told you, I get it. Why are you suddenly so worried about me, anyway? I thought you were only obsessed with money.¡±

    I smiled and got ready to go out. My uncle stroked his chin with a frown on his face and then said with a serious expression, "In terms of value, you¡¯re more valuable than a house. Do you know about the goose thatys golden eggs?"

    "Oh, yes."

    I ignored him and left the underground chapel. I retracted the internal regret that I had earlier.

    <i> </i> *

    I felt better than I did yesterday, but I could still feel pain in my body. I didn''t realize this when I was preparing to go to school in the underground chapel, but when I walked, I felt a wave of pain. I was just barely able to drag my heavy body to school.

    Before I entered the ssroom, the sound of students talking was loud enough to ring in the hallway. Yet as soon as I entered the ssroom, they became quiet, as if someone had poured cold water over them. All the students'' eyes focused on me.

    "...What is it this time?"

    For some reason, I think I experienced a simr situationst time. A headache was forming already.

    As I sat down and wiped off the cold sweat that was dripping down my forehead, In-Ah turned her head from afar and looked at me. She ditched the friends surrounding her and sat down right in front of me. Somehow, her expression was dark.

    ¡°Hey, you. I heard that your house caught on fire yesterday.¡± She continued in a trembling voice, "Are you okay? I received a disaster message yesterday, and I was surprised, so I called you. You didn''t answer, so I was wondering if something happened...¡±

    "I¡¯m alright. If I wasn¡¯t alright, then I wouldn''t havee to school in the first ce."

    "Well, that''s true.¡± In-Ah nodded in agreement. I liked how she was quick to understand what I was saying.

    Soon after, Jun-Hyuk appeared. As soon as he saw me, he widened his eyes as if he were surprised.

    "Hey! There was another fire yesterday. Wasn¡¯t it your house?"

    "Yup," I answered casually. There was nothing more tiring than answering the same question twice.

    "Are you alright? Is it fine for you toe to school? But from what I can tell, you do look alright."

    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t alright, then I wouldn''t havee to school in the first ce."

    ¡°Well, that makes sense.¡± Jun-Hyuk nodded. Just like In-Ah, he was quick to understand.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at In-Ah sitting in the seat in front of me, and widened his eyes even further as if he was even more surprised. At this rate, his eyes would pop out of his skull.

    "No, what! In-Ah, you¡¯re here? Why are you here?"

    "Why am I here? Shouldn¡¯t you ask why I didn¡¯te?"

    "Huh? Oh, you''re right. Well, anyway, as long as you understood what I was saying, then it¡¯s all good."

    ¡°I never understood what you were saying in the first ce. What a load of bull... Hm.¡±

    In-Ah was about to raise her voice, but she stopped talking. Jun-Hyuk was preparing for the shin attack, and he pouted as if he was encountering an unexpected situation.

    "Oh, what''s wrong with In-Ah? Did she break while she was away?"

    ¡°Break? I¡¯m not a machine, what... No. I decided to reduce my anger, you see. Could you please cooperate?¡± In-Ah red at Jun-Hyuk and said forcefully. Her tone was rather aggressive, considering that she had decided to reduce her anger.

    Still, seeing that Jun-Hyuk''s shin was still intact, she seemed to have resolved herself.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at me with a smirk. "Do you want to bet how long shests? I bet twenty thousand won that she''ll return to normal in two days."

    "Oh,e on, I told you to cooperate."

    "Then I''ll bet twenty thousand won that she won¡¯t."

    In-Ah was about to berate Jun-Hyuk, but she stopped talking and stared at me. She looked very upset. "You, you too. Wow, you guys...!¡±

    Sheined with her mouth open as if she were dumbfounded. Jun-Hyukughed at In-Ah¡¯s stupid expression. Obviously, In-Ah¡¯s reactions were very interesting, so it was fun to tease her. After mucking around like that for a long time, Ye-Jin opened the ssroom door and came in.

    "Hi~ Good morning~"

    Ye-Jin greeted the ss energetically, and the noisy ssroom quickly became quiet. Ye-Jin immediately called attendance and started homeroom.

    "Yesterday, there was a big forest fire, so you had to leave school early, right? ording to the regtions, we are supposed to close down the school, but since it¡¯s almost exam period, we decided to leave the school open as normal!¡±

    Some students sighed deeply. It seemed like their hearts were getting heavy after hearing that the exam period was approaching. Just like them, my heart also felt heavy.

    "By the way, you absolutely must not approach Eiden Hill. There¡¯s still a lot that we still have to deal with. Simrly, you must not approach the first barn either! That¡¯s an absolute no-no!¡±

    It seemed like they had no intention of informing the students that Eiden Hill was covered in demonic energy. They were probably nning to take care of it quietly without the students knowing. That was probably how Florence was going to handle this incident.

    "It seems like the Holy Name of Charity¡¯s re-election test will be next week. They will probably ept applicants starting next week as well. Those who need to get ready, get ready~ Okay. I think that¡¯s it for today!"

    ording to the teacher, the re-election test would be held sometime next week. The contents of the test would not be disclosed until the day of the test. Of course, regardless of the contents of the test, I was nning to apply. It was because this was the fastest way to be a prte.

    "Ah, Sun-Woo, follow me for a second."

    Then Ye-Jin called me. Judging from her tone, I didn¡¯t think that I was in trouble. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong in the first ce, but I couldn¡¯t help but get nervous when the teacher told me to follow her. I followed Ye-Jin out of the ssroom while receiving the students'' questioning gazes. Then we headed straight to the teacher''s office.

    Ye-Jin rummaged through the drawers for a long time. She took out a piece of paper and handed it to me. The way she spoke was quite serious.

    "Read it and make your decision."

    What Ye-Jin handed me was some sort of document.

 Chapter 57

    <h4>Chapter 57</h4>

    "Dormitory... Dormitory? Can we still apply for the dormitory?¡± I asked.

    "Didn''t I tell you before? We''re recruiting additional applicants because we have a few rooms avable," Miss Ye-Jin responded.

    "Oh."

    "It seems like you don''t listen to me during homeroom at all." Ye-Jin red at me with narrowed eyes. Beneath her joyous demeanor, there was a hint of coldness. Ye-Jin always hid her inner thoughts withughter. At least, that''s what it felt like to me.

    "I listened, but I didn¡¯t pay too much attention. I''m sorry." I tried to make an excuse, but I thought it wasme, so I just apologized right away.

    Ye-Jin just maintained a smiley face without any changes to her facial expression.

    "There''s nothing to be sorry about. I know that a lot of people don''t listen to me. Anyway, if you''re going to join the dormitory, I''ll write you a rmendation letter and other documents¨C" Ye-Jin continued to exin. Considering family circumstances, the fire, and various other factors, I was given top priority for getting a spot in the dormitory. Apparently, as long as I had a rmendation letter from the homeroom teacher, I could join the dormitory immediately.

    Of course, if I didn¡¯t want to, I didn¡¯t have to join the dormitory. The teacher stated formal information such as this.

    ¡°Think about it, and ask your father too. By the way, is your body alright?¡± Ye-Jin asked as if it had suddenlye to mind after talking about stiff topics.

    "Yes. I was outside when the fire happened."

    "What were you doing outside at that time?¡±

    "I was in the library."

    I lied nonchntly.

    "Aha. Anyway, if you¡¯re fine, then that¡¯s a relief. Then, go back to ss. Once you decide, you cane to visit me.¡±

    "Yes, thank you for your concern."

    "Oh, also."

    I bowed my head and tried to get out of the teacher''s office quickly, but Ye-Jin stopped me. She moved her lips with a ratherplex expression and finally said, ¡°Don''t feel too much resentment.¡±

    ¡°What? Ah... yes. Thank you."

    I understood the meaning of her words a littlete and nodded.

    "If you''re having a hard time, tell me. Florence Academy has better welfare than you might think, such as schrships or counseling."

    I answered by bowing my head again and left the teacher''s office.

    Florence Academy had better welfare than I had thought. The reason why I was able to enter Florence was because of its welfare.

    Resentment...

    While walking down the hall, I brooded over Ye-Jin''s words. She probably wanted to tell me not to resent God even if reality was hard. Of course, I didn¡¯t resent God, and I didn¡¯t intend to do so, no matter what happened in the future. It was cowardly to attribute the cause of misfortune to others, much less to the machinations of God.

    To believe that misfortunes were given by God and that happiness was earned by one¡¯s self was an exceedingly arrogant and cowardly mindset. When I entered the ssroom, In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk weed me. In-Ah had a worried expression, while Jun-Hyuk¡¯s was mixed for some reason.

    "What did the teacher say? What''s going on?"

    "She said that if I wanted to apply for a dormitory, then I could go for it. The rest was a bunch of small talk."

    "Ah... That''s a relief. I thought you were in trouble."

    "What could I have possibly done wrong?"

    "Oh, that''s true. I mistook you for Jun-Hyuk." In-Ah breathed a sigh of relief and understood.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at In-Ah as if he was baffled. "Why are you talking about me all of a sudden? You''re being ridiculous, you know that?¡±

    "You don''t have a reason to go to the teacher''s office other than to get scolded,¡± In-Ah said nonchntly.

    "No, that... It¡¯s not to that extent. Sometimes I go because of other reasons.¡±

    "What other reasons?"

    "Oh, well, you know. Cleaning?"

    When Jun-Hyuk spoke bitterly, In-Ahughed as if she knew that this would happen. Jun-Hyuk frowned deeply.

    "Hey, don''tugh. I feel offended because it feels like you''re making fun of me."

    ¡°I am making fun of you, though? You''re right.¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that right?¡±

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Jun-Hyuk twisted one of In-Ah''s hair strands and pulled it out. In-Ah lightly shrieked and wrapped her head with both her hands.

    ¡°You crazy...! No, what are you doing!¡±

    Jun-Hyuk shook the strand of hair that he pulled out and barked, ¡°Huh? Didn''t you just curse at me?¡±

    In-Ah''s face convulsed and alternated between a smile and a serious face. It seemed as if she was so angry that she couldn''t even maintain her expression properly. Jun-Hyuk continued to just smile.

    Thus, the two ended up staring daggers at each other. Both were silent, and whether it was intentional or not, their eyes showed bloodlust.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna end up fighting again. Why are you guys like this so early in the morning?¡±

    I quickly stopped them before a fight could break out. When the two of them fought, I would suffer the most because I would be the one stuck in the middle of the conflict.

    In-Ah looked at Jun-Hyuk and me and then sighed deeply while lowering her head. "Sigh, alright. Let''s not fight."

    "Okay. Ceasefire! But looking at you from above, the top of your head seems a bit empty. Are you balding?"

    "Ah... Hey. Youe here."

    In-Ah jumped out of her seat and strode toward Jun-Hyuk. He backed away from her.

    "Thanks, but no thanks~ Did you think that I woulde towards you just because you said so?"

    Rather than apologizing, Jun-Hyuk continued to provoke In-Ah. She hardened her face without saying a word and approached him.

    "Hey guys... Give it a break already."

    There seemed to be no sign of stopping, even if I tried to stop them again. I gave up and decided just to sit and watch. I didn''t think they would listen to me even if I tried to stop them, and most of all, intervening between the two was too embarrassing.

    When In-Ah approached, Jun-Hyuk drifted away. The two started a silent chase.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The reason why the duo¡¯s movements stopped at once was because of Jin-Seo, who suddenly appeared. Jin-Seo mmed the door open so hard that it seemed like she was going to make it shatter, and she slowly strode toward me.

    "Come out."

    "Huh? What is it all of a sudden¨C"

    She snatched me by the wrist and took me out to the hallway.

    The noisy ssroom soon became quiet after Jin-Seo¡¯s appearance. Everyone was looking at me, but without having time to be conscious of their gazes, I was dragged out of the ssroom.

    "Was it your house that caught on fire?¡±

    Her expression was stiff, and she narrowed her eyes so sharply that it looked like they could cut. Her eyes were a little red as if she was tired, and it looked like she had dark circles under her eyes. I was just barely able to nod.

    "Yeah. Why?¡±

    "Why didn''t you pick up your phone?"

    ¡°It turned off because I ran out of battery.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    Jin-Seo shifted her eyes left and right. She must have called me while my phone was off. I didn''t know that she called because calls were not recorded while the phone¡¯s power was off. I didn''t know about other phones, but at least this was the case for my model. It was an old phone.

    "What about the hospital?"

    "I don''t have to go. I was outside when the fire broke out.¡±

    Jin-Seo nodded slightly as if she was relieved to hear my answer, but her face was still stiff.

    "...Outside, where?" she asked carefully. She was tilting her head at an angle as if she were looking away, but her eyes were staring at me.

    "I was in the library."

    I repeated the same lie I told Ye-Jin. It also happened to be the exam period, so most people would understand if I said that I went to the study room.

    "Which library?"

    ¡°The one in front of my house. The one next to the park.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Jin-Seo shut her mouth and remained silent for a moment.

    Her face was still expressionless. Unlike when she smiled, she looked a little scary when she was serious. She had an aura that made me feel scared even though she didn¡¯t pose a threat. She seemed to be particrly serious in front of me.

    A moment of silence passed by, and then she grinned and opened her mouth.

    "I must have seen the wrong person."

    She walked away from me at a brisk pace and soon disappeared. Her pace was so fast that it wasparable to the running speed of most people. I wasn¡¯t really sure, but it seemed like she was angry for some reason. It wasn¡¯t obvious because it wasn¡¯t apparent from her expression.

    Jun-Hyuk had been watching the situation from behind, and he came up to me while covering up his teasing smile.

    ¡°What happened? Did you do something wrong?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know,¡± I said with an emptyugh.

    What did it mean when she said that she saw the wrong person, and why was Jin-Seo angry again? I thought we had gotten close, but was it just my misunderstanding? Various thoughts went through my mind.

    "Perhaps she just doesn¡¯t like me?"

    It was not an unlikely conjecture. Jun-Hyuk tilted his head as if he didn''t understand. His face was strangely wrinkled. I was wondering how on earth he could make such a weird expression when he said, "What kind of reta¨C, <i>sigh</i>. If she didn¡¯t like you, why would she bother toe all the way to the ssroom to see you?¡±

    ¡°Then why is she like that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. Anyway, treat her nicely. If you keep acting like this, I can''t go to the training center."

    "What? What has that got to do with this?"

    Jun-Hyuk touched the hair on the back of his head and shifted his eyes around the room. He looked like he was contemting something. I had no idea what was troubling him.

    ¡°Well, I wonder. It has to do with veryplex and profoundly interwoven human rtionships¡ªargh!¡±

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk stopped talking and copsed onto the floor. In-Ah stared at Jun-Hyuk, who had fallen down, with a furious face.

    "Hey. I told you toe."

    "Oh, wait a minute. This isn''t right. How can you kick the back of my knee?"

    ¡°Then what about you plucking my hair?¡±

    "What am I supposed to do about your balding head?"

    <i>Smack.</i>

    In-Ah kicked Jun-Hyuk''s leg once more without listening to him. The sound was more destructive than normal. The two of them continued to fight for a long time. I was too ashamed to be with them, so I quickly left the area.

    *

    "The Book of Revtion consists of 22 chapters and 404 verses. You have to be particrly careful in interpreting this part of the¡ª"

    Just before lunchtime, we had ourst morning ss. The subject was ¡®Understanding the Holy Books,¡¯ and we were currently studying the ¡®Interpretation of the Book of Revtion¡¯ module of the course. Perhaps because it was right before lunchtime, but the overall level of concentration in the room was quite low.

    "Then let me present two perspectives on interpreting the Book of Revtion... What? Why are these kids sleeping during ss? Where''s the ss president?¡±

    "There''s no ss president yet, sir."

    "There''s no ss president? Ah... It''s the ss of Charity. My bad.¡±

    The ss of Charity did not have a ss president yet since former ss president Sung-Hyun lost his qualifications and was expelled. The teacher swept his bangs back as if he was in a dilemma.

    "Wasn¡¯t this year''s evaluation subject Understanding the Holy Book? Am I right?¡±

    The teacher frowned and tried to recall the details. In Florence Academy, the evaluation subject changed year by year, and this year it was Understanding the Holy Book.

    If it was a natural subject such as sacred dynamics instead of Understanding the Holy Book, it would have been difficult for me to even ce 300th, let alone first ce. It was purely because of Legba that I could achieve first ce. Legba may be good at history, but he was weak in natural subjects.

    "It''s kind of bad to mention evaluations right now. Anyway, the person who scored first ce on the evaluations is in this ss, right? Get up."

    Of course, this was not what was important. I sensed a bad premonition from the moment he started talking about the evaluations, and as expected, the teacher called me up. I raised my hand and rose carefully from my seat.

    "What''s your name, student?¡±

    "My name¡¯s Do Sun-Woo."

    "Ah yes, that''s right. Do Sun-Woo. I remembered that yourst name was Do, but I couldn¡¯t remember your name. Anyway, there are two main perspectives on interpreting the Book of Revtions. What are they?¡±

    Fortunately, I knew what the teacher was asking for.

    "They are the world-centered perspective and the church-centered perspective."

    "Yes. Could you exin the difference between the two viewpoints?¡±

    "First of all, the world-centered perspective is¨C"

    I wanted to exin it as briefly as possible and sit back down, but when I opened my mouth, my sentences got longer.

    ¡°The world-centered perspective is when you consider the Book of Revtions as a direct prophecy without considering the historical background, and the church-centered perspective is when you consider the historical background, and h, h, h....¡±

    "Uh, you can stop there."

    When the presentation reached its climax, the teacher interrupted me. The teacher said with a satisfied expression on his face, "You said your name was Do Sun-Woo, right? You¡¯re going to teach the ss that I¡¯m supposed to teach at this rate."

    "What? Ah... I''m sorry."

    "What do you mean sorry, my friend? It¡¯s a win for me because I can spend less time teaching the ss. Good work, you can sit back down now.¡±

    The teacher for Understanding the Holy Book was famous for hisck of praise, so this was avishpliment in his own way. I bowed deeply and sat down.

    I lifted my pen and wrote down all the words that came to mind when thinking about the Holy Book. Words such as prophecy, interpretation, method, perspective, etc. And then, bybining the words, I organized the ideas floating around in my head.

    "Sometimes, there are kids who only know about SD or SM, and they don''t bother with the Holy Book. Technically, the miracle replication spells that you all like so much alle from understanding the Holy Book¡ª¡±

    SD referred to Sacred Dynamics, and SM was the acronym for Sacred Material Science.

    The teacher continued the ss,menting the attitudes of students who only dug into the natural subjects and neglected the humanities subjects. Meanwhile, I focused only on organizing my ideas.

    Prophecy.

    I was organizing the ideas that came to mind from the word prophecy.

    Baron Samedi''s words were predictions, too. It was not as grand as the Romanican Church''s Book of Revtions, so it was closer to a fortune teller¡¯s ramblings. It could be said to be a short and simple prediction. However, that prophecy didn''t help much. It was because Baron Samedi''s predictions were always vague and fuzzy.

    "As you all know, the prophecy contained in the Book of Revtions is very ambiguous. Schrs say it''s a metaphor and all that, but I don''t know¡ª¡±

    However, to say that the prophecy of the Book of Revtions was clear was also not true. In fact, the prophecies contained in the Book of Revtions were even more vague and fuzzy than Baron Samedi''s prophecies. It was not an exaggeration to say that all sentences and words were made up of metaphors. Nevertheless, the hermeneutics could still interpret it.

    If so, Baron Samedi''s predictions could be sufficiently interpreted. No, perhaps Baron Samedi¡¯s predictions were hundreds of times easier to interpret than the Book of Revtions. No matter how vague Baron Samedi''s prophecy was, it was intuitivepared to the Book of Revtions.

    Satanists had directlye to our house and burned it down. It was time to not only ept prophecies but to interpret and utilize them. If I just idly sat by and continued to watch the show, I would end up dying at the hands of Satanists before I could even try anything.

    [Just because interpretation is possible, does that mean that there is any point? Baron Samedi isn''t the kind of convenient guy whoes over when you want them to. I''m sure you know that.] Legba said.

    Of course, Baron Samedi''s predictions were not something I could listen to whenever I wanted to. Baron Samedi was the type of fickle Loa toe over when I didn¡¯t want them to and not when I wanted them to.

    However, there was still plenty of room for utilization. With the right amount ofmunication skills, I could take advantage of the rtionship between the Prophet and the Loa. I could ce little shackles on the free-spirited Baron Samedi''s ankles.

    "¡ªThat''s all. Today¡¯s ss was about the Book of Revtions, and the next ss is going to be a review of Genesis. Bring a Holy Book. You can rx for the remaining time~"

    While I was organizing my thoughts, the ss ended, and it was lunchtime. In-Ah, who was slowly dozing off, and Jun-Hyuk, who was just openly sleeping, opened their eyes. The two got up at almost the same time and staggered out of the ssroom. The way they walked resembled zombies.

    "Hey, guys. Wake up. Wakey, wakey."

    I don¡¯t know about Jun-Hyuk, but watching In-Ah walk like that made me feel anxious for some reason, so I quickly woke them up.

 Chapter 58

    <h4>Chapter 58</h4>

    <i>Slice.</i>

    He cut his palm with a sharp dagger and let the blood flow onto the blessing array. As a result, the blessing array emitted a brilliant light and gradually lost its shape before it was reborn into a new form as if it were going through metamorphosis.

    The light flowing from the blessing array expelled the demonic energy that filled the barn. The dense demonic energy that was thick enough topletely impede the vision of anyone inside the barn was slowly being purified by the blessing array. The pentagram located near the Tower of Corpses also stopped operating. It was a truly miraculous, magnificent, and beautiful scene that left all the teachers stunned and filled them with admiration.

    "...What in the world? How does he do that?"

    Ye-Jin tried to visually analyze the blessing array, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn''t figure out how it worked. It was a blessing array that was so insanely sophisticated that she couldn¡¯t analyze it with her current knowledge. While Ye-Jin stared nkly at the blessing array with a dazed expression, the person who drew the blessing array had a calm face.

    "The demonic energy will be purified within ten minutes. Pdin ss teachers should measure the concentration of demonic energy. Once it drops below the threshold, you may advance into the area and dismantle the tower.¡±

    "Understood, sir. What about identifying the victims¡¯ identities¨C"

    "Do you call that a question? Identify the victims¡¯ identities while dismantling the tower."

    "Yes, understood!" Bok-Dong answered enthusiastically with a straight posture. His military discipline was top-notch.

    "Well then, my work at the barn is finished. Next is... the sacred training ground. Where is it?"

    "Yes, sir. Shall I guide you there?"

    "Please do."

    Bok-Dong led the way with firm steps and led the person to the sacred training ground. The person followed along with haughty steps. Bok-Dong was considered a bishop-level clergyman within the church, but in front of Sung Yu-Da, who was a cardinal and a former inquisitor, he was in a situation where he couldn''t even freely lift his head.

    Meanwhile, a priest who specialized in healing bit her nails anxiously as if she was apprehensive while following Sung Yu-Da. Ye-Jin looked at her with curiosity.

    "What''s the problem?"

    "Um, there is a wound on Sir Sung Yu-Da¡¯s hand."

    "Wouldn¡¯t he be able to take care of it himself?"

    "But still..."

    The priest¡¯s gaze was fixed on the wound on Sung Yu-Da''s palm. Many of the priests who specialized in healing had obsessivepulsive disorder. They felt apulsive desire to heal every wound they saw. It wasn¡¯t a stretch to call it an upational disease.

    "Oh... This won''t work. I really won''t be able to sleep if it''s left like this."

    In the end, the priest could not ovee her anxiety and approached Sung Yu-Da. "Sir Sung Yu-Da, the wound is deep. If you need healing, I can..."

    "It''s okay. Please don''te any closer than that."

    As the priest released divine power and attempted to approach Sung Yu-Da, he stopped her and his face contorted in a scowl of contempt. The priest was momentarily taken aback and stopped walking, but she seemed unable to ovee her anxiety as she once again continued to approach Sung Yu-Da.

    "If I don''t heal you now, the bleeding will¡ª"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The priest drawing a healing array, copsed onto the ground before she could finish her sentence. Her pupils were unfocused, and froth bubbled out from her mouth.

    "I''m sure I told you not toe any closer."

    Sung Yu-Da furrowed his eyebrows as if he was disgusted as he scrutinized the priest who had copsed onto the ground.

    Ye-Jin was surprised, and she ran up to examine the state of the priest. She seemed to have fainted. Ye-Jin looked up at Sung Yu-Da with a cold gaze.

    "What did you do just now?"

    "It wasn''t me. She was poisoned by the residual demonic energy on my clothes. That''s why I told her not toe, but these priest folk are really..."

    Priest folk...?

    "You should have said that from the beginning¡ª!"

    "Sir, may I ask how to deal with demonic energy poisoning?"

    Just as Ye-Jin was about to say something in anger, Bok-Dong interrupted her. Bok-Dong¡¯s military discipline was top-notch, and his lips formed an awkward smile. It was a professional smile.

    "...Anyway, since it''s diluted demonic energy, she¡¯ll wake up on her own in half a day. If you''re really worried, then you can cast a blessing of recovery on her."

    "I understand, sir. May I exin it to the other teachers first before I continue guiding you?"

    "Don''t bother asking permission for everything. It''s annoying."

    "Yes, understood."

    Bok-Dong passed on Sung Yu-Da''s words to the other teachers who were following from behind. Bok-Dong exined that the priest had been poisoned by the demonic energy that was on Sung Yu-Da''s clothes. He told them that since it was diluted demonic energy, she would wake up in about half a day, so there was no need for worry. He also told them to transfer her to the nurse''s office and toy her down on a bed.

    While the teachers carried the priest away to the nurse¡¯s office, Bok-Dong whispered in Ye-Jin¡¯s ear. Ye-Jin cringed as if her feelings were hurt.

    ¡°...Why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll exinter. For now, just do as I say.¡±

    Ye-Jin reluctantly nodded her head.

    After entrusting the unconscious priest to the other teachers, Bok-Dong immediately resumed guiding the group. Ye-Jin had a displeased expression on her face while ring daggers at the back of Sung Yu-Da''s head.

    <i>¡®Don¡¯t provoke him?¡¯</i>

    It was a phrase that she had heard quite a lot when she was a student, or rather, even after bing an adult. But she never expected to hear those words as a teacher. Anger bubbled inside of her, and she had the immediate urge to shout at Sung Yu-Da, but she held it in. It was because when Bok-Dong uttered his warning, his face had been more serious than it had ever been before.

    "Sir, this is the ce."

    Before they knew it, they had arrived at the sacred training ground. Sung Yu-Da scanned the surroundings and eventually furrowed his brows.

    "There are students here," Sung Yu-Da said.

    "Oh, yes. This ss is for practical training..." Bok-Dong trailed off with a troubled look on his face. On the sacred training ground, students from the ss of Charity, Kindness, and Patience were gathered, and in front of the crowd of students, Do-Jin was exining the rules of the practical training with a weary voice.

    "By any chance, is the blessing array you asked me to draw for practical training?" Sung Yu-Da said while ncing at Bok-Dong with sharp eyes. Cold sweat poured down Bok-Dong¡¯s face as he just barely managed to open his mouth.

    "It is intended for practical training, but due to the recent series of incidents, it was deemed necessary to train teachers and security personnel..."

    "So, you called me here ''just'' for the sake of practical experience and training."

    Sung Yu-Da''s face was no longer frowning. His expression was just stern and empty.

    Suddenly, Bok-Dong felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment as he felt a dizzying sense of danger. His eyes darted around as he quickly searched for an excuse.

    "Also, also! I thought it would be a good lesson for your daughter. While analyzing sir''s blessing array, I thought she might be able to gain some insights..."

    "Hmm."

    Sung Yu-Da had been looking down at Bok-Dong with cold eyes for a long time. After hearing his excuse, Sung Yu-Da finally smiled slightly and nodded as if he was satisfied.

    "That''s a good idea. Since entering the dormitory, I haven''t had many opportunities to teach her."

    Sung Yu-Da expelled divine power from his fingertips. The divine power immediately turned into a blessing array. Eventually, a huge fusion blessing arrayposed of dozens of blessing arrays was formed. Recovery, healing, damage reduction... Ye-Jin attempted to analyze it, but because the blessing array was too huge andplex, it was a hopeless endeavor.

    "I guess that should be enough. I''ll be going now."

    After deploying the blessing array, Sung Yu-Da left the sacred training ground without looking back. Bok-Dong followed behind him.

    "I''ll guide you outside."

    "No need. I''ve already memorized the way." Sung Yu-Da firmly refused Bok-Dong''s offer.

    Bok-Dong nodded. Just as he was about to return to the teacher¡¯s office, he noticed that Ye-Jin was following Sung Yu-Da with short and quick steps and a face full of dissatisfaction.

    "Sir Sung Yu-Da, Eiden Hill has also been enveloped in demonic energy. It needs to be purified,¡± Ye-Jin said boldly.

    Sung Yu-Da slowly turned his stiffly aligned head and looked down at Ye-Jin. "I only came here to purify the ''origin of the demonic energy'' and to deploy a blessing array on the sacred training ground. I never received a request to purify the demonic energy that had spread through Eiden Hill."

    "But there is still a lot of demonic energy left in the mountain. If it''s not purified, it will affect the students'' bodies¨C"

    "Do I have an obligation to do that?" Sung Yu-Da asked while staring at Ye-Jin. Like a pitch-ck abyss, his pupils were exceedingly empty and t.

    Ye-Jin gulped down her saliva and forcibly opened her mouth with her herculean willpower.

    "As a clergyman, this is an obvious¡ª"

    "I am no longer a clergyman. I am retired. It''s up to you clergymen to purify the demonic energy that has spread throughout the mountain."

    Sung Yu-Da remained expressionless as if he didn''t feel even a hint of remorse or responsibility.

    Ye-Jin trembled in disbelief at his audacity, but she had no way of refuting Sung Yu-Da''s words. It was true that Sung Yu-Da had retired and that he was no longer a clergyman.

    Sung Yu-Da spoke to Ye-Jin with a gaze filled with revulsion, as if he were looking at an insect, "And I am not a tool to purify demonic energy."

    "...."

    "Also, I am not in a position to take orders from you. If anything, I should be the one giving orders. Please know your ce¨C Cough!"

    <i>Flop.</i>

    Suddenly, Sung Yu-Da let out a scream. Ye-Jin had been silently biting her lips and bowing her head when she looked up in surprise.

    Sung Yu-Da had fallen down onto the dirt floor, and in front of him was a male student that was looking at him with a stunned expression as if he was unsure of what to do.

    "What do you think... you¡¯re doing?" Sung Yu-Da said.

    "Ah, sorry. I was runningte for practical training and didn''t see where I was going. Shall I help you up?"

    The student reached out his hand to Sung Yu-Da. He was close. He was close enough to be affected by any remaining demonic energy.

    But the student smiled as if he waspletely unaffected. It was as if he waspletely immune to the demonic energy.

    "...No, it''s alright. If you''re runningte, you should hurry up."

    The student bowed lightly and then quickly ran off to the sacred training ground. He had apologized, but he didn''t look to be apologetic at all.

    Ye-Jin stared at the back of the familiar male student with a nk face. Suddenly, she came back to her senses and shouted, "Wait, that''s Do Sun-Woo! I''ve told him so many times not to bete for ss!"

    Ye-Jin yelled at Sun-Woo, who was running away.

    Sung Yu-Da approached Ye-Jin and sternly asked, "The student''s name is Do Sun-Woo?"

    Surprised by Sung Yu-Da''s sudden approach, Ye-Jin took two steps back. It was because she wanted to avoid being affected by any residual demonic energy.

    "Y-yes, why?"

    ¡°Do Sun-Woo... Do Sun-Woo, hmm....¡±

    Sung Yu-Da nodded his head and looked toward the sacred training ground. It seemed as if he was following the traces of Sun-Woo, who had disappeared after entering the sacred training ground earlier.

    "Two in one generation... Is that good luck or bad luck?"

    "What?"

    "...Nevermind. I¡¯ll go now."

    Sung Yu-Da muttered iprehensible words before walking away with graceful steps. Ye-Jin¡¯s face twisted in anger as she watched him go.

    "What''s with the sudden muttering? Is he going senile?"

    It was a bted outburst that Sung Yu-Da could not hear.

    <i> </i> *

    "I''m sorry. I''mte."

    As soon as I entered the sacred training ground, I apologized for beingte. Thanks to using Bossou''s power to run, I wasn''t toote, but I was stillte. Do-Jin was in the midst of exining the details of the practical training, and he looked at me with a nk stare.

    "Why are youte?"

    "There is no reason," I said confidently. I had no excuse for why I waste.

    I waste because I had been listening to the ¡®prophecy¡¯ from Baron Samedi, who had spontaneously appeared. The excuse that I came back after going to the bathroom was not going to work. It was better to just admit my mistakes quickly.

    ¡°You have no reason for beingte, you say.¡±

    Do-Jin didn¡¯t show any signs of anger. Instead, he nodded his head with aposed expression on his face and said, "Well then. Do you think I''m going to give you a demerit or not?"

    "I think you will."

    "Oh, you think so? Why is that?"

    "Because I waste for ss."

    "Ah, that''s the right answer. Come, join the ss."

    I joined the area where the ss of Charity was lined up. I knew that I was going to get a demerit no matter what I said, so I had no idea why he asked me that question.

    However, when I thought about it, the reason why I waste was really my fault. Perhaps it was because I had unexpectedly run into Sung Yu-Da, but my thoughts had been constantly going in a negative and aggressive direction.

    Meeting Sung Yu-Da really was a coincidence. As usual, Baron Samedi had said, "There will be an unexpected encounter today," but I had no idea that it was referring to a meeting with Sung Yu-Da.

    [Was colliding with him also a coincidence?] Legba asked.

    I shook my head.

    Coincidence? Of course, that wasn''t a coincidence. I encountered him while I was running hard toward the sacred training ground, and I was surprised.

    My surprise turned into anger, and my anger turned into an indescribablyplex emotion. It felt as if my airways were getting twisted, and every time I breathed, I felt a stinging sensation within my body. It was a painful and stuffy feeling.

    So I purposely ran into him. There was nothing else I could do right now besides this. It was childish, but I felt like I would regret itter if I didn''t do something like this.

    "Dang, bro, you¡¯re just built different. Look, the students are all staring at you. That was so cool."

    Jun-Hyuk came up and teased me. When I scanned my surroundings, I noticed that the students were staring at me with confused expressions as if they were looking at an outcast.

    "I don''t think they''re looking at me because they think I¡¯m cool."

    "That''s true. So why were youte? It wasn''t because you went to the bathroom, right?"

    "That''s true."

    "Come up with a more creative excuse. If you keep saying you werete because you went to the bathroom©¤"

    At that moment, Do-Jin threw something. It was a pen.

    The pen struck Jun-Hyuk''s forehead, and as a result, Jun-Hyuk copsed onto the ground. Luckily, the pen¡¯s tip was retracted, and it wasn''t thrown very hard, so he wasn''t hurt.

    "Jun-Hyuk, don''t chatter," Do-Jin said before continuing to exin the practical training. Jun-Hyuk massaged his forehead and pouted his lips as he was being treated unjustly as he stood up from his seat.

    "Why am I the only one who gets called out for that? You were also chatting."

    "Your voice was too loud."

    "Hmm, okay." Jun-Hyuk nodded as if he agreed with my exnation.

    Do-Jin continued his exnation. I heard some random terms such as ¡®sparring¡¯ and ¡®tournament bracket.¡¯ Based on that, I was able to deduce that today''s practical training was going to consist of one-on-one matches. It was very unusual because Florence rarely held practical sparring matches.

    There were two reasons for this. Firstly, there was the risk of injury. There was no need for me to exin this. It wouldn''t make sense for a school of clergymen to let their students get hurt. Secondly, there was the issue of efficiency. The enemies of the Romanican Church could be divided into three major categories: demonic beasts, demons, and Satanists. Demonic beasts and demons were not human, and it was difficult to see Satanists, who used the power of the devil to transform their bodies, as humans.

    Therefore, there was no reason to teach one-on-onebat. There was even less of a reason to hold practical training matches. It would be much more efficient for students to spend that time learning the characteristics of demonic beasts and demons and how to fight them. Despite these reasons, they were still holding practical sparring matches. The reason for this was probably...

    "Up until now, demonic beasts and demons were our enemies," Do-Jin said with a somewhatplicated expression on his face.

    "Satanists typically do not expose themselves, so you didn¡¯t have much of a chance to encounter them. It''s hard to think of them as ''enemies'' when we don¡¯t encounter them, even though we know that the origin of demonic beasts and demons lie with the Satanists."

    Do-Jin drew his sword and lifted it up.

    "Until now, things have been like this, but the situation has changed. Satanists have started to act in earnest. We don''t know when, but a Holy War may break out someday. And then you all will be holy warriors."

    His sword shone under the light.

    "Not demonic beasts or demons, but humans. There maye a day when you have to cut down a Satanist that wears the skin of a human.¡±

    As expected. I was wondering why we were suddenly doing practical sparring matches. It seemed that the church was aware of the presence of the Satanist who infiltrated Florence Academy. It could be because they were conscious of the ''Tower of Corpses'' case that was reported on the front pages of the newspapers recently.

    In any case, it was clear that the church felt a sense of crisis.

    "Therefore, today''s practical training is preparation for that. You¡¯re free to use whatever blessings or weapons you want. The victory condition is to kill your opponent.¡±

    To simte a real battle as much as possible, the victory condition was not neutralization but elimination. However, there was no way that Florence Academy would really let the students die. If that was the case, then the functionality of the blessing array radiating brilliant light in the corner of the sacred training ground was obvious.

    "Don''t worry. There won''t be any real deaths. You won''t even get a single scratch. It may hurt a little, but it will only be temporary pain,¡± Do-Jin said.

    The role of the fusion blessing matrix was to prevent the students from getting hurt during the training. In other words, it was like insurance.

    "I will put up a tournament bracket. It was not decided fairly, but it was constructed purely randomly. I will not ept anyints," Do-Jin said as he infused divine power into the holy artifact.

    With a sh, a tournament bracket appeared in front of us.

 Chapter 59

    <h4>Chapter 59</h4>

    "Well, this is certainly convenient,¡± Do-Jin said while looking down at the holy artifact in his hands.

    He was borrowing the same artifact that Ye-Jin had used to form the groups during the group practical training for fusion blessing arrays the other day. Some of the students looking at the match list raised their hands as if they were confused.

    "Sir, my name is missing."

    "Oh, me too...¡±

    There were quite a few students whose names weren¡¯t on the match list. At first nce, it seemed like over half the names were missing. Among them was In-Ah.

    Do-Jin stared into the air with empty eyes for a moment as if he was sleepy and then babbled, "Oh, the students applying for the priest specialization were taken off the list."

    "What? Then we''ll..."

    "You can go to the fusion blessing array in the corner, analyze the blessing array, and then write a report. It¡¯s a blessing array developed by former Inquisitor Sung Yu-Da, so you will have a lot to learn."

    After hearing Do-Jin¡¯s words, the students from the priest specialization, who were just about to spew outints, breathed out sighs of relief and rushed toward the fusion blessing array.

    It was the right choice. Priests didn¡¯t do hand-to-handbat. Instead, they assisted in battles from the rear. Due to this fact, there was no particr need for them to participate in the sparring matches.

    Leaving out the students applying for the priest specialization meant that students that were applying for the pdin and crusader specializations remained. There were only about a hundred people left. It was a very small numberpared to before.

    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll start the practical training¡ª¡±

    ¡°Teacher.¡±

    Just before Do-Jin was about to proceed with the practical training, I raised my hand. I had searched through the match list, but no matter how many times I looked through it, I couldn¡¯t find my name.

    I felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. It felt like something simr happened to mest time.

    "Oh,e to think of it, your name is missing as well. Are you perhaps nning to apply for the priest specialization?"

    "No, sir.¡±

    "Then what specialization are you nning to apply for?"

    "I was thinking of applying to be either a pdin or a crusader."

    Not all priests were good at controlling their divine power. Usually, only students who were rtively good at controlling their divine power would apply for the Department of Priests. Since I was not good at dealing with divine power, I decided to choose either the Department of Pdins or the Department of Crusaders.

    "Really? In any case, that means you''re not nning to join the priest specialization, right? Hold on a second."

    Do-Jin fiddled with the holy artifact. The holographic window from the holy artifact shook while letting out a zapping noise. Soon, my name was added to the corner of the match list.

    "I added your name in, so check it out."

    I double-checked the match list. At first nce, it looked like a tournament, but it wasn¡¯t in a tournament format.

    A one-on-one battle would be held between three randomly selected students. Thus, a total of three matches would be held per person. The final score would be determined based on whether the student won or lost the match.

    ¡°The scoring criteria are as follows¡ªthree points for victory, two points for a tie, and one point for a defeat. Obviously, the higher your score, the higher your grade for the practical training. I¡¯m toozy, so I¡¯ll skip over the questions.¡±

    Three wins and zero losses would result in nine points. Two wins and one loss would result in seven points. Zero wins and three losses would result in three points. The scores were set in such a way. It meant that if someone was lucky with the match-up, they¡¯d be able to get a higher score.

    ¡°Well then, we will begin the practical training starting from now. The time limit is three minutes. Students whose names I¡¯ve called out, please enter the ring.¡±

    With Do-Jin''s rather unkind exnation, the practical training began. I repeatedly checked the list of matches numerous times. Even after rubbing my eyes and looking at the match list again, the reality did not change.

    "Teacher, this match list... It was decided randomly, right?¡±

    "Yeah. It''s totally random, why?" Do-Jin nced at the match list.

    Then, just like me, he rubbed his eyes multiple times as if he couldn''t believe it. Eventually, he let out a dryugh. "Well, what can you do? It''s all about your luck. Anyway, try your best.¡±

    "Oh, yes...."

    My first opponent was Jun-Hyuk. My second opponent was Jin-Seo, and my third opponent was Min-Seo.

    The luck for my matchups was really bad. It was as if the match list had been manipted.

    <i> </i> *

    The ring on the training ground was surrounded by quite arge and sturdy cage. The students entering the ring each put on a shock detection device before starting their match. It was a machine that automatically let out a sound when a certain amount of physical trauma was applied to the body. In other words, once a lethal blownded on the opponent, the device would y a sound.

    <i>Beep!</i>

    "Ha-Rin is unable to fight. The winner is Jin-Seo.¡±

    "Well done."

    The matches were carried out quickly, and without a doubt, the most unrivaled student was Jin-Seo. With her gifted physical abilities and her excellent use of blessings, she overpowered her opponent and achieved victory in an instant. It happened in just ten seconds. There was not even a slither of mercy.

    "She seems a little angry,¡± I said while nkly staring at Jin-Seo.

    "And whose fault do you think that is?" Jun-Hyuk rebuked. It was as if he was implying that it was my fault.

    "Who¡¯s fault is it? Mine?¡±

    I didn¡¯t remember doing anything wrong, though. As I tilted my head in confusion, Do-Jin stabbed the floor with the tip of his de.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    A dull sound filled the sacred training ground.

    "Next is Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo. Stop chatting ande out."

    "Oh, it''s our turn already?" Jun-Hyuk asked innocently. Do-Jin''s face crumpled up.

    "Shut up and enter the ring," Do-Jin said harshly.

    "Yes~," Jun-Hyuk said as he finally entered the ring.

    I stood opposite him and put on a shock detection device. With that, my preparations wereplete.<strong> </strong>I could pick and use a practice weapon if I wanted to¡ªthere were no weapons that I knew how to handle.

    "Well, oh, this is fine.¡±

    On the other hand, Jun-Hyuk took up arms. The weapon he chose was quite unique. Aspiring pdin candidates usually chose an expandable baton or a shield as their weapon of choice because they were versatile enough to be used for both defense and offense. Aspiring crusaders would usually select a gun as their weapon of choice. But if they could not equip a gun, then they would often choose to carry a sword or a spear instead.

    Jun-Hyuk said he wanted to be a crusader, so I thought he would choose a sword or a spear.

    "Sun-Woo is unarmed and... Jun-Hyuk. Do you call that a weapon?¡±

    "Huh? What? Are you telling me this isn¡¯t a weapon? I selected it because I thought it was,¡± Jun-Hyuk asked while flinging the thing that he was holding around.

    "That''s not a weapon, that¡¯s a... Ah, never mind. Just do as you please," Do-Jin sighed and said as if he had given up.

    The students stared at the weapon that was Jun-Hyuk¡¯s hand in confusion. The weapon that he had selected was a string. It was a thin string that was used to tie the practice weapons together. Jun-Hyuk thought it was a weapon and brought it into the ring. Several studentsughed out loud and made fun of Jun-Hyuk, but Jun-Hyuk had a serious look on his face.

    "Hey, let¡¯s not go easy on each other. And no resenting each other, no matter who loses. No hard feelings. You cool with that?¡±

    "Yeah. Whatever floats your boat.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t nning on resenting anyone because I wasn¡¯t nning on losing in the first ce. My next opponents were going to be Jin-Seo and Min-Seo. Even with Bossou''s power, I wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee victory against those opponents.<strong> </strong>Jin-Seo¡¯s movements were so fast and diverse that they introduced many variables, and Min-Seo''s existence itself was a variable. That''s why I was nning to obtain at least one victory against Jun-Hyuk. That way, I would be able to at least avoid a 0-3 humiliation.

    "Well then, let¡¯s start the match.¡±

    <i>Ding¨C!</i>

    Along with Do-Jin''s words, a gong rang.

    I kept my distance and calmly read Jun-Hyuk''s movements. Unexpectedly, Jun-Hyuk didn¡¯t rush in to engage. He simply maintained the activation of a blessing array and checked the condition of the string that he was holding on to.

    "Phew. I''ll teach you the essence of the ''binding y'' I train with every night."

    Within the tense atmosphere, Jun-Hyuk pompously spouted out a bunch of nonsense. For a moment, cold sweat ran down my forehead. I was typically unfazed by even the most terrifying events, but this time, I felt fear from the inner depths of my soul. It was an instinctive sense of fear.

    "What shenanigans are you doing at night, you crazy¨C"

    <i>Whip!</i>

    I could not finish my sentence. It was because Jun-Hyuk had arrived right in front of me and was flinging his string at me. I managed to duck my head and avoid his attack. Jun-Hyuk''s face was more serious than ever.

    "Hey! If you make fun of me, I''m going to bind you!"

    With such a serious expression on his face, Jun-Hyuk continued to spout nonsense. For some reason, it was hard to concentrate. Every time Jun-Hyuk opened his mouth, my concentration was disrupted.

    "Shut up, please!"

    I widened the distance between us and dodged Jun-Hyuk''s attacks. The string that Jun-Hyuk wielded tried to coil around my arms and legs like a living snake. He was very good at handling the string. It seemed that his remark about training every night was not just nonsense.

    "One minute has passed. Two minutes are left," Do-Jin said calmly.

    I thought that well over two minutes had gone by, but in reality, only one minute had passed. Perhaps because of the psychological pressure of other students watching me, I was already out of breath.

    "Hey! Are you tired?! Should have done some more cardio, yeah?" Jun-Hyuk said while whirling the string around as if he was making fun of me.

    "Shut up!"

    Unlike me, he didn''t show any signs of hardship. Rtive to Jun-Hyuk, Icked stamina, so in an extended match, it would be obvious that I would be at a disadvantage. I had to end this as quickly as possible.

    Bossou.

    I had decided not to use Bossou''s power against other students, but there was no other way to win in this situation. At first, I foolishly thought I would be able tofortably win against Jun-Hyuk without using the power of the Loa. However, in terms of grades, Jun-Hyuk was at the top of the list. It was only because he had a weird personality that it felt like he was easy to deal with.

    [Bossou is getting hungry. I¡¯m thinking that there is ack of offerings.]

    I hadn''t been in good shapetely because I''d been overusing Bossou''s power, but it should be enough to deal with Jun-Hyuk. I kicked off the ground with my leg, which was loaded with Bossou¡¯s power, and quickly narrowed the distance between Jun-Hyuk and me.

    His face, which had stiffened up as if flustered, was right in front of me.

    "Ah...!"

    Jun-Hyuk let out a scream. I grabbed his cor and transferred weight over to my foot. I was going to throw Jun-Hyuk to the floor using the self-defense techniques I learned from Bok-Dong.

    <i>Thump!</i>

    However, I fell over instead of Jun-Hyuk. I thought I had fallen over due to messing up my footwork while executing the technique, but that wasn''t the case. Both my ankles were tied with a string.

    ¡°Secret technique, ¡¸Tying Up the Chicken¡¹. Phew... I didn''t expect to bring this technique up.¡±

    "Hey, you fu¡ª, huh?"

    I hurriedly tried to get back up, but I couldn¡¯t. No, rather, I just couldn¡¯t move my entire body. I couldn¡¯t move anything, including my hands and legs. In this short span of time, both my wrists and ankles had been tied up. Jun-Hyuk looked down at me with a smirk.

    "Ah- this is a secret technique called ¡¸Quickly Tying Up¡¹.¡±

    "Can you stop repeating secret technique, secret technique over and over again? You sound like a broken record."

    "Even if you try to threaten me while you¡¯re tied up, it doesn¡¯t scare me at all, you know?"

    Jun-Hyuk was now deliberately teasing me with a tone of speech that I hated. He really was truly a grand master at provoking people. It was at this moment that I finally understood why Jin-Seo beat Jun-Hyuk down till he was half-dead during every spar.

    Jun-Hyuk came behind me while I was struggling and wrapped a string around my neck. "Rx, it will be over soon. It¡¯s not a big deal~¡±

    "...This is fascinating. How did you do it?" I asked with a smile.

    It was really fascinating. I couldn''t believe that he could perfectly bind a person with such a thin string. Jun-Hyuk was just about to finish me off by pulling the string when he stopped moving his hand.

    "It''s a secret from the industry~ Anyway, we decided not to resent each other, so let¡¯s end this cleanly."

    Jun-Hyuk slowly pulled the string. The string prated my flesh and tightened around my neck. My breathing stopped, and my vision slowly ckened.

    <i>Snap.</i>

    I heard something break off. Of course, it wasn''t the sound of my consciousness breaking off. It was the sound of the cord breaking.

    With Bossou''s strength, I forcefully broke off the string tied around my hands and feet. The method was quite brutal, but what was strength used for in the first ce? Strength was meant to be used to resolve problems through brute force.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at the broken string with a stupefied expression on his face and then looked at me, who had stood up from the ground.

    "Hey, isn''t this too unconscionable?" Jun-Hyuk said after letting out an empty chuckle.

    "If it were a rope, I would have lost. I was just barely able to snap it because it was a string."

    "Oh, this feels like dog shit. Due to equipment differences..."

    <i>Bang.</i>

    I threw Jun-Hyuk onto the floor.

    <i>Beep¨C!</i>

    A sharp noise rang out from the shock detector attached to his body.

 Chapter 60

    <h4>Chapter 60</h4>

    "Jun-Hyuk is unable to fight. Sun-Woo wins," Do-Jin announced. It was my victory.

    As if he had fainted for a moment, Jun-Hyuky t on the floor with his eyes closed. Yet, three secondster, he jumped back up and touched his waist as if he was genuinely confused.

    "What? I thought it was disconnected, but it seems fine?"

    "As long as the blessing array is operational, you absolutely can not get hurt."

    ¡°Huh? How does that make sense?¡± Jun-Hyuk said while picking up the strands of the snapped string scattered in the ring.

    Do-Jin smirked and said, "It doesn''t make sense. But there''s someone who can make it make sense.¡±

    ¡°Oh... that''s quite philosophical.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, next is¡ª¡±

    Do-Jin ignored Jun-Hyuk''s drivel and resumed the practical training session. Countless students went up to the ring andpleted their spar, and victory or defeat was determined.

    In the midst of all this, not a single person was injured. Let alone injuries, not a single student let out any signs of pain. It was because Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array offset not only the shock but also the pain.

    I nced at Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array. Out of the countless blessing arrays that I had seen throughout my life, it was the most perfect blessing I had ever seen. It was so perfect that I even thought that it was beautiful.

    [His skills seem to have improvedpared to back then.] Legbah said bitterly.

    ¡®Back then¡¯ probably referred to the Holy War that took ce seven years ago.

    During the Holy War, Sung Yu-Da participated in, no, he took the lead in the ughtering of the Voodoo Cult members. As an inquisitor, he took the lead in arresting innocent Voodoo Cult members and executed them if they resisted.

    Eventually, he killed my father and arrested my mother, and put her in an underground prison.

    I clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw muscles shuddered. But I didn¡¯t feel that much of a desire for revenge. No, perhaps it would be more urate to say that there was such an overwhelming gap between us that I was unable to muster up the desire for revenge.

    Right now, I didn''t have the ability to achieve revenge. In the first ce, including Sung Yu-Da, every one of those damned n members with the Blood of Purification countered my skill set.

    ¡°Next is Kim Jin-Seo and Yeo Min-Seo.¡±

    Meanwhile, time passed by. The next battle was a confrontation between Jin-Seo, the head of the ss of Patience, and Min-Seo, the head of the ss of Kindness. It was the moment when the intensity of the practical training reached its peak.

    "Jin-Seo is going to win for sure. Didn''t you see that sub-ten-second battle earlier?¡±

    "That¡¯s enough bullshit~ Up until now, Min-Seo has never lost in a battle."

    "That''s because she hasn¡¯t battled Jin-Seo before."

    "Nope~ Back in middle school, Min-seo won."

    The students bickered over who would obtain victory and who would suffer defeat. There was even a student who was betting money on the fight.

    "Hey. Who do you think will win?¡± Jun-Hyuk asked with a grin.

    I looked at the ring. Jin-Seo was wrapping bandages over her hand, and Min-Seo was leaning against the cage and staring at Jin-Seo with vacant eyes. Neither was armed. I was unable to guess who would win.

    "I don''t know. Wouldn¡¯t Jin-Seo win?"

    If I usedmon sense to think about it, then I believed that the probability of Jin-Seo winning was high. It was because Min-Seo didn¡¯t particrly look like she would be good at fighting. She seemed like the type of person who had a special skillset aimed toward a battle of words rather than a battle of fists.

    "I wonder... I think so too, but the rumors seem to indicate otherwise."

    "What rumors?"

    "Oh, you don''t know? It''s a famous rumor," Jun-Hyuk continued to exin.

    Jin-Seo and Min-Seo were middle school alumni, and the two had a total of three spars. In all three of those spars, Min-Seo won. And she won by an overwhelming margin at that.

    "Does it make sense?"

    It was an unbelievable story. People who exercised and those who did not exercise hadpletely different physiques. Jin-Seo was the former, and Min-Seo was thetter. To hear that Jin-Seo lost to Min-Seo three times, regardless of that difference, felt unbelievable to me.

    "By the way, how did they create the matchups? The matchups are very entertaining."

    "I heard that the matchups were random."

    "Oh? Really? It''s random, but it became like this?"

    Jun-Hyuk tilted his head for a long time as if he was baffled. One of his eyebrows wriggled around freely like a worm.

    "...It''s a little strange. It feels like they might have manipted it."

    I also had the same suspicion. The matchups had a contrived feeling to them that couldn¡¯t be exined unless they had been manipted.

    However, Do-Jin himself had exined that the matchups were constructed randomly, and Do-Jin had a befuddled expression on his face when he looked at the matchups. Thus, it was likely to have been arranged randomly.

    After thinking for a long time, Jun-Hyuk nodded as if he had just barely managed to convince himself.

    ¡°Come to think of it, there isn¡¯t really a reason to manipte it. Perhaps it really is a coincidence.¡±

    It looked like he was just rambling to himself instead of saying something for me to hear, so I didn¡¯t respond to his words.

    <i>Ding¨C!</i>

    Then, the gong rang.

    In the ring, Jin-Seo and Min-Seo''s sharp gazes crossed each other.

    *

    Long after the gong had rung, Jin-Seo quietly stood still while observing Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo was quickly developing blessing arrays by moving her hands. Most of them were physical body enhancement blessings that were above the intermediate tier.

    "Hey. Aren''t you going to attack? Are you just going to watch me for three minutes?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Min-Seo spoke provocatively toward Jin-Seo, but Jin-Seo did not respond. She didn''t even draw a blessing array. She just continued staring at Min-Seo. Her goal was to aim for an opening, but no matter how hard she looked, there were no openings. To be honest, she didn¡¯t think that she would be able to win.

    In the meantime, Min-Seopleted the deployment of her blessing arrays. The light from the blessings covered Min-Seo''s whole body.

    "Jin-Seo, shall we make a bet? What do you think?"

    Jin-Seo continued not to respond. Min-Seo continued to speak while smiling widely.

    "If I lose this spar, then I''ll immediately pick up a dropout form and go to the principal''s office.¡±

    It was an obvious provocation. Kim Jin-Seo did not fall for her shallow provocations. Honestly, she felt a little angry, but it was nothingpared to Jun-Hyuk''s provocations.

    "Instead, if I win¡ª"

    <i>Clench.</i>

    She saw an opening. Jin-Seo clenched her teeth and rushed in toward Min-Seo. She was going to narrow the distance first, and if she saw an opportunity, then she would throw a kick at her temple. If she didn¡¯t finish the battle in one blow, then there was no chance of her winning.

    <i>Bam.</i>

    She threw a kick with all her might, but there was no sensation of a solid impact. Min-Seo was holding off Jin-Seo''s kick with one hand whileughing as if she was dealing with a child. Just like that, Min-Seo grabbed Jin-Seo''s ankle and threw her lightly as if she was throwing a doll.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "¡ªUgh."

    Jin-Seo hit the back of her head on the cage. She felt a little dizzy.

    Min-Seo slowly approached Jin-Seo with slow, leisurely steps. Jin-Seo looked up at Min-Seo with a sharp gaze.

    ¡°Just because the other students be scared shitless when you look at them like that, did you think that I would end up the same way? Why are you lying there like that? Get up. Quickly.¡±

    Min-Seo did notunch an attack. Rather, she gently roasted Jin-Seo with her words. Jin-Seo bit her lips and managed to get up. She was so dizzy that she couldn¡¯t maintain her bnce well. There was no pain, but the shock remained.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use a blessing?¡± Min-Seo asked with a forceful tone. If she used a blessing, then defeat would be all but ensured.

    Right now, she had to find a way to beat Min-Seo without using a blessing and only her physical abilities. Jin-Seo shook her head to shake away her stray thoughts and got back into position. Strands of hair clung to her lips. Min-Seo grinned while looking at her pitiful state. She seemed to beughing at her.

    ¡°You''re giving me the motivation that I didn¡¯t have.¡±

    Jin-Seo rushed in. She wasn¡¯t particrly aiming for an opening. It didn¡¯t seem like there would be an opening even if she waited. Thus, she thought it would be better if she just created an opening herself. Jin-Seo, who had been running, suddenly stopped and shifted her weight to her foot. It looked like she was aiming to kick her in the temple, just like before.

    "You need to learn¡ª"

    <i>Flutter.</i>

    At that instant, Jin-Seo''s bodypleted one rotation. Her clothes fluttered along with her body.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    She shifted all her body weight and rotational power to her elbow and then hit Min-Seo precisely on the chin. She had deceived Min-Seo by making it appear as if she was going for another kick. Just like that, Jin-Seo created an opening and stabbed Min-Seo''s weak point.

    "...Oh, what?¡±

    However, Min-Seo''s shock detection device did not sound. Min-Seo showed no signs of pain, even though Jin-Seo¡¯s elbow had hit her jaw. Instead, there was a queer smile on Min-Seo¡¯s face.

    ¡°So this a brawl. People who have trained are truly different.¡±

    Even though it was a blow that contained all her might, there was no effect. No matter how excellent Jin-Seo¡¯s physical ability was, the difference between a body that was enhanced using a blessing and a body that was not enhanced was tremendous. A body that was not enhanced by blessings could never beat a body that was enhanced by blessings.

    "One minute has passed."

    Two minutes left. Jin-Seo''s mind grew impatient. If she didn¡¯t use a blessing, then she would absolutely lose. But if she used a blessing, then she would also lose. No matter what choice she made, the fact that she would lose seemed to be inevitable.

    How would she be able to win? How on earth would she be able to win? Just how...

    Whenever she fought against Min-Seo, Jin-Seo felt like she was at a loss for what to do. It was like she was faced with an insurmountable, tall wall that she had no idea how to cross.

    "Phew."

    Jin-Seo pulled herself together. Perhaps it was because of the psychological pressure, but she was already out of breath. Although her physical ability had improved through training, her mental strength had remained stagnant. While keeping her distance, Min-Seo nced at Jin-Seo with a calm look. Jin-Seo also red at Min-Seo. The brutal confrontation urred within the silence.

    ¡°What¡¯s next? Are you going to pretend to kick, and then pretend to hit with your elbow, and then kick again? Well, that certainly would be fancy.¡±

    Min-Seo broke the silence. There was a sense of rxation in the way she spoke. Her tone of voice was ridiculously arrogant, as if the possibility of her losing the spar had never even crossed her mind.

    Jin-Seo smirked. It almost looked like a deranged smile.

    ¡°If you lose, then you need to follow your promise to drop out.¡±

    ¡°You say that kind of thing only after you win¨C¡±

    Even before Min-Seo finished speaking, Jin-Seo lowered her posture and rushed in again. Min-Seo calmly observed her movements.

    What kind of attack woulde at this time? A kick? Or perhaps she would give up on inflicting a hit and would aim for her joint instead. Either way, Min-Seo was confident that she would be able to deal with it.

    <i>Whip!</i>

    As if all her thoughts had been meaningless, Jin-Seo simply executed a normal kick. Min-Seo bowed her head and easily avoided the kick. In that instant, Min-Seo saw Jin-Seo''s fingertips that passed by. Divine power was flowing from her fingertips.

    "...Aha."

    She was pretending to attack in order to divert Min-Seo''s attention while she was secretly creating a blessing array. It was a pretty good strategy. However, it was too clumsy to deceive Min-Seo¡¯s eyes. As if retaliating, she unleashed divine power and swiftly drew a blessing array. Then, she threw the array at the array that Jin-Seo was drawing.

    <i>Crack. Crack.</i>

    There was an eerie and sharp sound as if two disjointed cogs had been forcibly mashed together. The two blessing arrays intertwined together, and the blessing array soon began to flicker irregrly. It was a precursor of the collision phenomenon.

    "This time was quite novel. I was a little surprised."

    <i>Bang¨C!</i>

    At the end of Min-Seo''s words, there was a huge explosion. The tangled blessing arrays had finally smashed together and caused an explosion. Jin-Seo''s body, caught in an explosion at close range, flew into the sky and soon fell. Her whole body hurt as if it were broken, perhaps because shended incorrectly.

    Min-Seo watched all this happen with her arms folded in a rxed posture.

    <i>Beep¨C!!</i>

    Jin-Seo forcibly stood up while suppressing the wave of pain that she was suffering. But the moment she did so, the shock detection device attached to her body let out a loud noise.

    "Jin-Seo is unable to fight. Min-Seo wins."

    "Oh, it''s over. What do they typically say? Thank you for the battle?"

    While smiling at Jin-Seo, Min-Seo came down from the ring with light steps. Jin-Seo slumped on the spot while leaning back against the cage. If she didn''t use a blessing, then shecked the physical ability to win. However, if she used a blessing, Min-Seo would forcefully trigger the collision phenomenon to cause an explosion.

    She would lose no matter what she did. There was no way for her to win. Jin-Seoy there for a long time while staring nkly into the air.

    "Jin-Seo. Come down. The next battle will soon take ce."

    Do-Jin climbed onto the ring and reached out his hand to Jin-Seo. She didn¡¯t grab his hand and instead stood up through her own strength. Then she smiled bitterly and lowered her head.

    "I''ll just abstain.¡±

    *

    Jin-Seo withdrew and went straight out of the sacred training ground. Apparently, she was leaving early because she did not feel well. Thanks to that, I was able to obtain a free win, but I didn¡¯t feel happy about it for some reason. Instead, it felt ufortable.

    If I were to describe the spar between Min-Seo and Jin-Seo with one term, then I would describe it as ¡®child¡¯s y.¡¯ Min-Seo yed around with Jin-Seo as if she were mucking around with a toy. I felt sorry for Jin-Seo, but that was what it looked like from my perspective. In the first ce, Min-Seo was freely able to use blessings, but Jin-Seo was not able to do so. It was because Min-Seo would trigger the collision phenomenon if Jin-Seo made an attempt.

    Frankly, I thought it was a little unfair.

    [No, it wasn''t an unfair fight. Min-Seo was just able to utilize her talent properly.] Legbah retorted. I didn''t nod, nor did I shake my head.

    "Next, Min-Seo and Sun-Woo. Jin-Seo abstained, so the order changed. Both of youe up,¡± Do-Jin said with a bored voice.

    I went up onto the ring with my head down. Min-Seo was staring at me from the other side with an unpleasant smile.

    "What''s wrong with your face? Did someone die?¡± Min-Seo asked. It was an obvious provocation. However,pared to Jun-Hyuk''s provocations, it was nothing.

    "Why do you dislike her anyway?"

    "Who? Jin-Seo?"

    Min-Seo leaned back against the cage and rolled her eyes as if she was lost in contemtion. After a moment of silence, Min-Seo argued, "Well... Do you need a reason to hate people? It¡¯s not like you need a reason to like people, right? The logic is simr."

    I nodded softly. That was enough of an answer.

    The fact of the matter was that I wasn''t really in a good position to speak to anyone about fairness. So far, I had achieved high grades, not with my own ability, but with the help of the Loa. This was the case for the evaluations, and this was also the case for the practical training sessions.

    The ability to interfere with the opponent¡¯s blessing array was Min-Seo¡¯s talent. She took advantage of her talent, and she didn¡¯tmit underhanded tactics. Thinking about it, rather than Min-Seo, I was the one being unfair.

    <i>Ding¨C!</i>

    The clear sound from the gong indicated the beginning of the spar.

    "Phew."

    I collected my breath. I had no intention of lecturing people over fairness at this point in time. In fact, right now, I nned to defeat Min-Seo, even if I had to be a little unfair.

    Like Min-Seo said, there wasn¡¯t a particr reason for doing so.

 Chapter 61

    <h4>Chapter 61</h4>

    My current record was 2 wins and 0 losses. Even if I lost to Min-Seo, I would have a 2-1 win-to-lose ratio. It would be great if I won, but I would still get a mid-to-upper rank even if I lost. In fact, I didn''t think I would win until Jin-Seo forfeited and left early. To be more precise, I had no intention of taking the fight seriously.

    [I''m hungry. This is exploitation. How much are you exploiting me with a single sacrifice? I think we need to sign a contract. This is not fair.]

    It was because Bossou was slowly having a mental breakdown at the moment. The sacrifice I offered to Bossou was just a single Horn of Bullfighting. It was a mass-produced sacrifice that was widely avable on the market, so it would have been far from enough to fill Bossou''s stomach as he had been starving for half a year.

    Even though I knew this, I still decided to abuse Bossou¡¯s power when I killed the bird-type demonic beast by throwing a stone, when I moved In-Ah, who had fainted, to the front of my house, and when I fought with Jun-Hyuk just now. I had used Bossou¡¯s power in situations where it wasn''t strictly necessary. Indeed, just like Bossou said, I had ¡®exploited¡¯ his power.

    [The method of dealing with exploitation is to go on a strike! I learned it from Legba. Bossou goes on strike if he gets upset. I will try to resist the evil cult leader.]

    "Hmm."

    Legba seemed to have taught him a very bad thing. Looking at his condition, it seemed that there was a possibility that Bossou''s power would be cut off while fighting with Min-Seo.

    This was something that I¡¯d always felt, but the Loa really were fussy beings. If they didn¡¯t receive sacrifices, they whined about being hungry; if they received sacrifices, they ran wild. If I thought about it, my mother really was an amazing woman. She was able to freely control these fickle and fussy Loa. Even Sobo and Baron Samedi couldn''t do anything in front of my mother.

    This probably goes without saying, but I still have a lot to learn as a cult leader and prophet. In order to catch up to my father and mother, I still have a long way to go.

    "Hey. Sun-Woo."

    While I was lost in thought, Min-Seo leaned against the cage and looked at me with a crooked gaze. For some reason, that gaze felt very unpleasant.

    "What."

    "Wanna bet? What do you think?"

    "Why would I?"

    It was the same cheap provocation she had used on Jin-Seo. Iughed back with a smile. Whether I had something to rely on or whether I didn¡¯t, it was best to act rxed when I could. It was to gain psychological superiority.

    Min-Seoughed and stared at me with her characteristic empty eyes.

    "It''s more fun this way."

    "It¡¯s not very fun. You don¡¯t think you''re a fun person by any chance, do you?"

    "...What?"

    The shape of the blessing array that Min-Seo was drawing was slightly distorted. She was either surprised or angry. In any case, it meant that she was agitated. I didn''t miss that opportunity.

    Bossou.

    I immediately used my power, and I tightly held the weapon I chose before going up onto the ring. The weapon I chose was a mace. It had a metal ball at the end and an overall shape that was simr to a club.

    I chose a mace for two reasons.

    Firstly, the performance of a mace was quite good, even if someone didn¡¯t have the skills to wield it. Just swinging it was enough to unlock a lot of the mace¡¯s potential. I didn''t know how to use any weapons, so a mace was perfect for me. I didn''t use a weapon when I fought Jun-Hyuk, but I was absolutely determined to win against Min-Seo, so I decided to use a weapon.

    Secondly, clergymen seemed to fit well with maces. Perhaps it was a bit of a preconception of mine, but it just... It seemed like a mace went well with a clergyman. That''s what it felt like to me.

    I shook off my stray thoughts and rushed toward Min-Seo. I then swung the mace I was holding right at Min-Seo''s face.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    A refreshing sound resounded. However, I didn¡¯t feel any impact. Min-Seo blocked my attack by crossing her arms together. Even from my perspective, it seemed like a crude attack that didn¡¯t even have a speck of technique, so this was the natural result. If I knew this was going to happen, I would have properly learned some weapon techniques.

    "...You, blessing, no. What is this?¡± Min-Seo said. Her voice was trembling a little.

    I peeked at her face, which was covered by both her arms. Her face, which was normally filled with rxation and arrogance, had a hint of surprise.

    The blessings that Min-Seo had cast were all high-level blessings that were between the intermediate and advanced tiers. It was clear that the title of Holy Name of Kindness was not for show, as her ability to manipte blessings was excellent.

    However, if wepared Bossou¡¯s power with the power of blessings, it was obvious that Bossou¡¯s power was stronger. The difference was so vast that I felt sorry to evenpare blessings with Bossou¡¯s power.

    [Bossou is about to go on a strike. Bossou says no to exploitation!]

    But I had no intention of letting my guard down. I had to settle this quickly before Bossou went on a strike. I swung my mace at Min-Seo¡¯s surprised face once again. Min-Seo just barely managed to fend off the attack. I continued my onught of attacks.

    <i>Smack! Bash!</i>

    The exchange of blows continued for a while. To be more precise, it was more like a one-sided beatdown where I would continuously attack, and Min-Seo would continuously defend. At first nce, it looked like I was backing Min-Seo into a corner, but the one who was getting impatient was me. Min-Seo¡¯s defenses were irond, and my crude swings were insufficient to prate.

    If time continued to flow by and Bossou started his strike, then I would be helplessly defeated by Min-Seo. Simrly, Min-Seo was also getting impatient, but she didn¡¯t know that I was getting impatient. I was nning to take advantage of that psychological advantage. By doing so, I would manipte Min-Seo into making a ¡®certain maneuver.¡¯

    If things went ording to n, then I would be able to win.

    No, I would definitely be able to win.

    *

    "One minute has passed. Two minutes are left."

    Cold sweat that flowed down from her forehead umted at her chin. Her mouth waspletely dry. Currently, Min-Seo was feeling surprised to see Sun-Woo fiercely attacking her.

    No, it was past the point of surprise, and now she felt fear.

    ¡®When did he use a blessing? Did he even use a blessing in the first ce?¡¯

    Sun-Woo''s power was strong. He had overwhelming power to the point where the word ¡®strong¡¯ was an understatement. Furthermore, the light of a blessing wasn¡¯t flowing through his body. This wasn¡¯t ¡®temporary strength¡¯ obtained through the help of blessing, but rather, it was ¡®natural strength¡¯ derived from pure physical ability. Ever since she saw him shoot down the bird-type demonic beast with a mere stone throw, she had somewhat expected this, but this was still too much.

    Unfairness.

    Min-Seo recalled a word that she had been turning a blind eye to all her life.

    <i>Smack, bash!</i>

    The exchange of blows continued. The rough and dull sound of impacts was the only sound that resounded on top of the ring. There was no sound of speech. The spectators who were observing the battle were all silent.

    Min-Seo red at Sun-Woo with her guard up. He didn¡¯t look tired at all. On the contrary, his face looked rather rxed. Meanwhile, Sun-Woo¡¯s onught had no signs of stopping.

    ''My arms...''

    Compared to Jin-Seo¡¯s attacks, Sun-Woo''s attacks were so monotonous that they felt childish. Thus, Min-Seo was able to block all the attacks without difficulty.

    In the first ce, the weapon that he chose was a mace. Even amongst clergymen, it was a weapon chosen by those whocked talent in weapon techniques. However, she was approaching her limit in blocking the attacks. She was losing strength in her arms.

    Those whocked talent in weapon techniques would use a mace, but it was a different story if people with great strength, such as Sun-Woo, wielded it. In fact, if someone had strength that was as great as Sun-Woo¡¯s, any weapon would be threatening.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    Min-Seo quickly sidestepped and escaped from the corner. Sun-Woo¡¯s onught paused for a brief moment.

    When Sun-Woo approached, Min-Seo once again went sideways and widened the distance. Just like that, the confrontation continued for a long time.

    ¡°Ha.¡± Min-Seo let out a dryugh and caught her breath.

    When she took a step back, Sun-Woo took two steps forward. Usually, if one was strong, one would typically be slow, but Sun-Woo was strong and fast at the same time. His physical ability was overwhelming to the extent that it bbergasted her. She could help but let out cold sweat.

    "Two minutes have passed."

    Meanwhile, time passed. Only one minute remained. Within one minute, no, within thirty seconds, she had to settle this. If she could not win within that timeframe, her stamina would run out, and she would eventually lose. And Min-Seo did not want to lose.

    ¡°...It is a bit of a gamble,¡± Min-Seo said to herself while helplesslyughing out loud.

    Soon after, the divine power she unleashed formed two blessings arrays in the air. Then, she forcefully fused the two blessing arrays together. She was intending to cause an explosion by utilizing the collision phenomenon.

    If she wasn¡¯t careful, she might also get hit by the explosion. However, if she just idly sat by and continued to defend while letting Sun-Woo beat her down, then she would ¡®absolutely¡¯ lose. Now was the time to gamble. Even if it ended up as a draw or as a loss due to the explosion, she believed that now was the time to roll the dice.

    Min-Seo''s two blessing arrays intertwined and fused together and then soon began to distort. It was the prelude to a collision phenomenon. Within that short span of time, Min-Seo calcted the time left until the explosion.

    ''Explosion in one second. The amount of damage that I take... is none.''

    Looking at the form of the distorted blessing array, it was clear that the explosion would ur on Sun-Woo¡¯s side. She would take no harm.

    Min-Seo was confident of victory. Her gamble was a sess. Lady Fortune was smiling down on her, and even the heavens were on her side. Min-Seo smiled brightly at Sun-Woo. It was a smile of triumph.

    "...Huh?"

    However, the smile soon became distorted. There was no explosion.

    One more blessing array had been drawn between the two blessing arrays that she had drawn. As a result, the blessing arrays that should not have fused had fused together. Obviously, as a result, the collision phenomenon did not ur.

    The explosion was blocked?

    Min-seo''s eyes were wide open at the sight. When she nced at Sun-Woo, she saw that he was smiling in triumph. Sun-Woo was returning the exact same smile that she had made.

    "That was close."

    Sun-Woo muttered words that she didn¡¯t understand to himself and charged toward Min-Seo. There was no time for resistance.

    <i>Smack¡ª!</i>

    "Urgh..!"

    Sun-Woo''s mace smashed into Min-Seo''s side. She let out a grotesque scream and tumbled down onto the floor. With the painful ache as if she had broken a rib, Min-Seo¡¯s consciousness slowly dimmed.

    *

    There were two tactics that I employed in order to beat Min-Seo.

    The first tactic was to never use blessings and to use only Bossou''s power to back Min-Seo into a corner. By doing so, I made Min-Seo feel psychological pressure. That was also the reason why I had gone out of my way to select a weapon. It wasn¡¯t just a weapon, but a mace at that. It was because I believed that a mace would apply more psychological pressure than my fists.

    The second tactic was to drive Min-Seo into a corner and to create a situation where she had no choice but to ¡®gamble.¡¯ I manipted Min-Seo so that she would gamble and forcefully fuse blessing arrays together to invoke the collision phenomenon when she was backed into a corner.

    I already knew how to prevent the collision phenomenon from urring. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but it was an idea that I got after watching Sung Ha-Yeon¡¯s presentation during the practical training session the other day.

    The idea was to draw a blessing array that acted as a ¡®bridge¡¯ between two blessing arrays that were fusing together. By doing so, the probability of the collision phenomenon urring would be greatly reduced. Through this, I would be able to thwart Min-Seo¡¯s gamble and win. That was my n. However, there was a variable that I forgot to ount for in my calctions.

    "...Hey, not yet. It''s not over.¡±

    I turned my head to the chilly voice that came from behind me. Min-Seo was forcefully maintaining her faint consciousness and was just barely able to stand back up. Her eyes were nk and unfocused.

    "The shock detection device. It didn''t sound."

    Thest variable.

    I hadn¡¯t ounted for the possibility that Min-Seo''s shock detection device would not make a sound even with thest blow. I had assumed that afternding a critical hit, I would be able to win. In other words, I had been arrogant.

    [Bossou is on strike now! I¡¯m rebelling against the abusive Cult Leader! Give me a sacrifice!]

    To make matters worse, Bossou started a strike. My blood, which had been boiling hot, had now cooled down. Bossou¡¯s power disappeared, and all that remained in my body was a deep sense of helplessness. As if I had be a deted balloon, my body slumped down. I had no strength left. I hesitantly widened the gap between Min-Seo and me by slowly shifting backward. There was no way to win now. Bossou''s power was gone, but that didn¡¯t mean I could use blessings either.

    It was impossible to use blessings in front of Min-Seo in the first ce. I wouldn¡¯t be able to use blessings in front of her unless I mastered the method of using blessings without unleashing divine power. That was the technique that Legba called ¡®Acquirement.¡¯

    I raised my hand toward Do-Jin. He raised his eyebrows as if was confused.

    "Why?"

    I had used up all the cards I could use. There were no more cards avable.

    It was clear that I would lose if the fight continued. I wouldn¡¯t just lose, I would wind up in a wretched state that would be worse than Jin-Seo¡¯s, and I would suffer a miserable defeat. Rather than end up bing Min-Seo¡¯s toy after struggling to win, I thought it would be a better idea to just quickly abstain.

    It wasn''t that I didn''t want to win. There was just no way to win.

    ¡°...¡±

    But I couldn''t open my mouth. It was so difficult to say, ¡®I abstain.¡¯ It was because of a sudden thought. Now that Bossou''s power was unavable, there was no chance of winning against Min-Seo. It was obviously an ''unwinnable fight.'' Then, in the countless fights I would encounter in the future, did that mean I would have to give up whenever I faced an ¡®unwinnable fight?¡¯

    How much would I give up, and what would I give up?

    The reunion with my mother, revenge for my father, and a peaceful life. Would I be able to give up on all those things just because I was faced with an ¡®unwinnable fight?¡¯

    "What... are you doing? I told you... It''s not over yet," Min-Seo scowled. She grimaced as if trying to relieve the pain while slowly shifting toward me.

    Sometimes, there were times when one had to fight an unwinnable fight. Ever since I decided to be enemies with the Romanican Church, every instant of time was an unwinnable fight. If I gave up every time I faced an unwinnable fight, I would have to give up on too many things. However, dragging out a fight that could not be won was foolish. With only the desire to not give up, there was nothing that could be changed.

    "Am I allowed to give up?" I asked Do-Jin. He frowned in surprise and disapproval.

    It was an unwinnable battle.

    However, I would turn it into a winning battle.

    If there was no chance of victory, then I would find a way to ovee the situation, even if it meant that I had to carve out a path to victory myself. There were fights that could not be won and fights that could be won, and there were fights that had to be won, regardless of whether they could or could not be won.

    "...What are you doing? You bastard?¡± Min-Seo said while she red at me. There were no interruptions in her voice.

    Either Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array had cured all the pain, or perhaps she forgot her pain due to her temper. It was one of the two cases. It didn''t matter either way. Min-Seo''s way of speaking was rough, but she had never been genuinely angry. However, currently, her eyes were clearly filled with anger.

    Beyond that anger, I was able to just barely glimpse into her hidden psychology. I threw the bait, and Min-Seo thankfully fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

    I created a chance of winning.

 Chapter 62

    <h4>Chapter 62</h4>

    ¡°Are you doing this on purpose to make me feel like shit?¡±

    Min-Seo¡¯s voice was like a sharp knife. My body unconsciously shrank back at her threatening tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m out of strength.¡±

    However, I didn¡¯t have time to rx. The moment I lost my psychological advantage, the chance of victory I had painstakingly created would disappear.

    ¡°You¡¯re out of strength? Look at who you¡¯re speaking to before you spout out retarded nonsense. Do you really want to die?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really sensitive. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die just because I lost this farce of a match.¡±

    ¡®Farce of a match¡¯ and ¡®sensitive.¡¯

    For each word that I spat out, Min-Seo¡¯s eyebrows increasingly twisted into a distorted fashion. It looked like I didn¡¯t just touch a nerve. Based on her reaction, it looked as if the words themselves were gravely offensive to her. It didn¡¯t deviate from my expectations. I seemed to have urately predicted her mental state.

    ¡°...Ah, yeah. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to die if you lose. Sure, I understand why you¡¯re tired.¡±

    Min-Seo continued to mutter to herself while looking at me withpletely empty eyes. In the next instant, she unleashed divine power and swiftly drew a blessing array.

    She then threw her array at Sung Yu-Da¡¯s blessing array.

    Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array became entangled and intertwined with Min-Seo''s blessing array, causing it to distort and warp.

    <i>Boom¨C!</i>

    There was the ensuing sound of an explosion.

    Sung Yu-Da¡¯s blessing array ended up exploding.

    The students absorbed in analyzing Sung Yu-Da¡¯s blessing array flopped down onto the ground after getting startled. A few of the students screamed and urgently ran away. They were fairly light, but some students even suffered injuries.

    ¡°Now do you feel a little more motivated?¡±

    Min-Seo approached me and the light of blessing continued to flow through her body. On the other hand, I had absolutely nothing. I had no light of blessing nor the power of Bossou flowing through my body.

    But that didn¡¯t mean I could just sit still.

    I flung my mace at Min-Seo. I didn¡¯t aim for her head. It was because if I carelessly smashed her head with the mace, it was possible that she might die.

    <i>Crumble.</i>

    However, when Min-Seo effortlessly grabbed my mace and smashed it into pieces, I realized that I wasn¡¯t in a situation to go easy on her.

    ¡°Are you going easy on me right now? I¡¯m astounded, you son of bitch.¡±

    It was not that I had gone easy on her¡ªit was that my strength had be astoundingly weaker after Bossou¡¯s power had run out. However, Min-Seo seemed to believe that I had gone easier on her. Blood-red veins could be seen from the sclera of her eyes. It looked like she was extremely angry.

    Soon, her fist shed toward my face.

    <i>ng!</i>

    I dodged the attack by ducking my head. Her fist narrowly went over my head and hit the cage. The cage had a fist-shaped mark on it. It was a terrifying amount of strength. No, perhaps it would be urate to say that the power of the blessings was terrifying.

    I had no time to admire Min-Seo¡¯s handiwork before another flurry of attacks flooded in. This time, it wasn¡¯t her fist but a knee kick. I¡¯d definitely get a fracture if I received a knee kick while my head was down. If I unluckily got hit in the eyes, then I could potentially go blind or die.

    Currently, Min-Seo was fighting me with the intention of killing me.

    <i>©¤©¤!</i>

    I couldn¡¯t dodge. I couldn¡¯t even hear the sound of the impact. My ears rang the moment I got hit, and my vision went dark.

    The body part that got hit was my nose, which was somewhat of a relief. If I had gotten hit in the eye, my eyeball would have exploded right then and there. However, I was in so much pain that it was difficult to say that it was a relief. I either had a broken nose, a dislocated nose, or apletely crumpled nose. It seemed to be one of those three cases. It hurt so much that I couldn¡¯t even scream.

    I had to avoid getting hit by another one of these kinds of attacks again.

    While holding my nose, which was pouring out blood, I read Min-Seo¡¯s next move with my eyes. However, Min-Seo¡¯s attacks were too fast to track. She raised her elbow and swung it toward the back of my head. If I got hit by that, I would die for sure.

    <i>Crack! </i>An ominous sound resounded through the sacred training ground.

    However, the one who copsed wasn¡¯t me but Min-Seo.

    Behind the fallen and unconscious Min-Seo, Do-Jin stood with one leg raised. His eyes were dropping from fatigue, but the glint in his eyes, which were observing Min-Seo, was crystal clear.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that you use whatever means necessary to win, but don¡¯t cross the line,¡± Do-Jin said as he returned his sword to his sheath. However, his warning was inaudible to Min-Seo as she had already fainted.

    It was so fast that I couldn¡¯t see clearly, but it appeared as if he had hit Min-Seo¡¯s head with the sword¡¯s pommel. I wondered whether it was okay for a teacher to hit a student like that, but I wasn¡¯t the one who got hit, so I guess it wasn¡¯t a problem.

    "Min-Seo is disqualified, and Sun-Woo wins. You cane down now. Do you need treatment?" Do-Jin asked dryly. He didn''t sound worried.

    "It''s alright¨C argh, ah."

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    The blood pouring out of my nose soaked the floor. It wasn¡¯t wet blood, but the blood came out in chunks. After seeing the blood, the pain seemed to intensify for no particr reason.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re alright? You might ruin your nose at this rate.¡±

    "Sniff, ah."

    ¡°I¡¯ll apply emergency first aid for now. Go to the hospital right away.¡±

    Do-Jin unleashed divine power and drew a blessing array. Ah, it wasn¡¯t a blessing array but a healing array. In any case, the light from the healing array flowed out and enveloped my nose. Nevertheless, the pain did not recede. It hurt as if my nose had been entirely ripped off.

    ¡°You treated it right? It still hurts though.¡±

    ¡°...Healing is not my specialty. Stop the jibber jabber and go. And stop the bleeding with this for now,¡± Do-Jin said as if he was embarrassed while handing me a towel.

    I epted the towel and stemmed the bleeding while looking around my surroundings. In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk looked at me anxiously, and Do-Jin was calming down the panicking students. Min-Seo stood up while clutching the back of her head while saliva dripped down from her mouth.

    Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array, which had exploded due to the collision phenomenon, was operating again as if it had never malfunctioned in the first ce. Even Min-Seo, who acted like a noble staring down a bunch of peasants, could notpletely destroy Sung Yu-Da¡¯s blessing array. All she could do was temporarily disable it.

    While covering my bloody nose with a towel, I strode out of the sacred training ground.

    I had definitely won, but I felt like I had somewhat lost.

    * * *

    Instead of going to the hospital, I went straight to the underground chapel. I couldn¡¯t really breathe that well along the way. Once in a while, it felt like a glob of blood was sliding down my throat. It was unpleasant.

    [Who else can you me? You brought it on yourself.]

    "Oh, please."

    [Why did you do such a reckless thing?]

    "It¡¯s not reckless. Ah. It hurts, so stop.¡±

    What I was trying to say was that it hurt a lot, so please stop talking to me. Legba had said it was reckless, but it wasn¡¯t entirely reckless. I had read Min-Seo¡¯s inner thoughts by looking into her eyes. Min-Seo was obsessed with ¡®proving¡¯ herself. She was hell-bent on proving her thoughts, theories, and skills in front of other people.

    However, if I had abstained, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to prove her skills in the spar. I was confident that Min-Seo wouldn¡¯t ept a half-arsed victory because she was so obsessed with proving herself. That said, I didn¡¯t expect her to go so far as to break Sung Yu-Da¡¯s blessing array. Regardless, things had worked out in my favor due to that.

    Min-Seo was disqualified for rogue-like behavior, and as a result, I won the spar.

    All things considered, I won.

    [The whole thing was a giant gamble. From the beginning to the end.] Legba seemed to be very upset.

    I did not respond. It was all because my nose hurt way too much whenever I spoke. Thus, instead of answering, I nodded.

    [Also, you didn¡¯t have to take that damage, all for the sake of winning a single match.]

    ¡°...¡±

    What Legba said was correct, so I nodded my head. But Legba was only correct to a certain extent. Indeed, it was only a single match, but it was a meaningful fight for me. Regardless of everything else, it was because I had won an ¡®unwinnable fight.¡¯ Moreover, in order to win an unwinnable fight, it was necessary to be prepared to make sacrifices. This time, that sacrifice just happened to be my nose. It hurt tremendously, but this was a level that could be cured with a lesser restoration spell.

    "Argh."

    Upon experiencing another abrupt wave of pain, I pressed my nose with the towel in order to stem the blood as I walked. The towel, which had been white, was now stained red with blood.

    The passersby nced at me. The gazes felt ufortable, so I lowered my head, even though it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Before I knew it, I arrived at the underground chapel. Uncle seemed to be out, and Ji-Ah was making coffee with sleepy eyes as if she had just woken up.

    "You came early today, huh? What¡¯s up with your nose?" Ji-Ah said.

    "I got hurt during a spar at school,¡± I replied.

    "You seem to get hurt every day," Ji-Ah said.

    "I know, right? I feel like I¡¯m getting hurt a lot these days,¡± I said whileughing casually. I then headed toward the bathroom.

    I carelessly threw away the blood-stained towel into the trash and looked into the mirror. My nose waspletely shattered.

    I healed it with a lesser restoration spell.

    "It hurts like hell."

    The wound healed cleanly since it was a restoration spell instead of a healing spell, but the pain still remained. I wiped the blood off with water and looked in the mirror.

    "I think I look uglier."

    For some reason, it felt like my nose was a little crooked.

    [You¡¯ve always looked like that.]

    "Really? That''s shocking."

    While feeling needlessly dismayed by the appearance of my face, I left the bathroom. Ji-Ah was sipping coffee and looking at me anxiously.

    "Does it not hurt?"

    "It hurts a little, but it''s not terrible."

    It was a tolerable level of pain. It was partly because I had a constitution that was quite insensitive to pain. I left Ji-Ah behind and searched the cupboard for something. I think I left those things somewhere here, but I couldn''t find them when I tried to find them.

    "Where did you put the keepsake and the ring?"

    "Maybe in the warehouse... No, it should be in the drawer of Mr. Cult Leader''s room," Ji-Ah said after shifting her eyes around here and there as if she was lost in contemtion.

    I was walking toward my room when I abruptly stopped and looked at Ji-Ah.

    ¡°Ji-Ah... Um," I said. I still struggled to find the correct way to address her. Ji-Ah put her cup of coffee on the table and looked at me with her hands slightly gathered together.

    "As I told youst time, you can address mefortably. You can also say, ¡®excuse me¡¯ if you want to.¡±

    "That''s too stiff. Should I just call you nuna?¡±

    "If it''s convenient for you, Mr. Cult Leader, you can call me that."

    "Yes, then that¡¯s how I¡¯ll address you. Anyway, please don''te into my room for an hour from now on."

    "May I ask for what reason... Ah."

    Ji-Ah stopped her sentence midway as she realized she had btedly realized something. Her eyes were trembling with agitation. It also looked like her face was slightly blushing. Ji-Ah''s facial expression was clear when she was unsettled or scared.

    "Uh, don''t mind me and rx. Yes, I''ll absolutely not go inside," she finally said.

    "What? I wasn¡¯t going to mind you anyway... In case, it¡¯s good that you understand. But seriously, you really shouldn''te in."

    I begged Ji-Ah not toe into my room. Ji-Ah''s expression was somewhat strange, but that wasn''t important at the moment. When I searched the drawer, I found the box and the ring that were my father''s keepsakes. I ced them on the floor, and then I used a spell.

    Lesser replication spell, Candle of Consciousness.

    Fog emerged from the candle fire that had been created through the replication spell. It was purple fog, which symbolized voodooism. I ced the candle on the floor and put out the fire. Within the deep darkness, only the purple lights of the candle and the fog could be seen.

    "Phew."

    I lightly collected my breath. This was not the first time, but it wasn¡¯t something that I did too frequently, so I was a little nervous. I knelt down in front of the candle and poked my finger with a needle to let out some blood.

    "Argh."

    It hurt. I spilled the blood onto the candle. The candle''s light touched the blood and gradually became a thicker and deeper purple. While looking at the flickering light, I recited, "Death and Life and Resurrection¡¯s Gede, the ruler of all Loa, Baron Samedi, the leader of the Voodoo Cult wishes to meet you."

    The Ritual of Desires.

    Besides the time when I first epted the Loa, it was a ritual I had never done. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have to do it except when first epting the Loa. After epting the Loa through the first Ritual of Desires, the Loa would reside in the body. After that, I would be able to call out the Loa without having to go through the ritual.

    The situation with Baron Samedi was different. This was because Baron Samedi was a so-called Wandering Loa who traveled around the world and did not belong to me. In order to meet Baron Samedi, I either had to wait for him to reside in my body, or I had to ''force'' him to be in my body through a Ritual of Desires.

    [I wonder if he''ll answer the call.] Legba murmured in a subtle voice.

    Baron Samedi had a fussy personality that was beyondparison with any other Loa. Although I said that I would forcefully summon him through the Ritual of Desires, it was unclear whether he would respond to the call. In the first ce, Baron Samedi was not the type of Loa that could be ¡®forced¡¯ to do something. Purple-colored fog and light shone through the darkness. Within the stifling silence, I continued to wait for him with my eyes closed.

    ¡°...¡±

    <i>Tap, tap, tap.</i>

    In time, the weing sound of boots resounding through the darkness could be heard.

    However, I did not open my eyes. I simply focused on the sound of boots tapping on the ground. His presence, which felt distant, was soon right in front of me. Even without opening my eyes, I could clearly feel Baron Samedi''s gaze staring at me. I suddenly felt goosebumps on my back.

    After a span of time that felt like an instant, yet also felt like an eternity, I said, "I have a long request to make."

 Chapter 63

    <h4>Chapter 63</h4>

    "Open your eyes."

    It was Baron Samedi¡¯s voice. His voice was not ringing from inside my head. Baron Samedi was not residing inside my body at the moment.

    He was not in the form of a spirit but was in front of me as a distinct living creature with a physical body.

    ¡°Can I really open my eyes?¡±

    ¡°Open them. No need to worry about pointless things like courtesy between us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll seriously open them?¡±

    ¡°I told you to open them already.¡±

    I opened my eyes.

    The room had already been filled with purple fog. I looked at Baron Samedi¡¯s form through the faint candlelight.

    He had a neat tuxedo and a silk hat. Through the darkness, red light that was as eerie as it was distinct was shining out of his eyes. He was very tall and thin.

    That was the physical manifestation of Baron Samedi. It¡¯s been a long time since Ist saw his physical form. I think thest time I saw it was around seven years ago.

    <i>Flicker.</i>

    In that instant, the candle went out. The light that was driving out the darkness disappearedpletely, and the room was filled with dense darkness.

    Baron Samedi''s red eyes could still be clearly seen.

    "What are you staring at? It¡¯s embarrassing. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems conversing in this form, right?¡±

    "Yes, there are no problems. It''ll be over soon anyway."

    Baron Samedi nodded.

    "Yes, so something that you want to request from me. What did you call me here to request? I¡¯m very busy, you see. I was doing something very important just now as well."

    "Really? I thought you would be seducing a girl."

    "Hmph. Refrain from insulting me with such vulgar expressions."

    "So you were seducing a woman. Well, anyway, there are three things I want to request."

    Baron Samedi was capable of taking the physical form of animals, humans, fog, and practically anything.

    Obviously, it was possible for him to change his face as well. As his main profession, he would go around seducing girls with his shy looks.

    It was a horrible hobby, but it didn¡¯t look like he felt guilty about doing it at all.

    That said, I didn¡¯t have any intention of stopping him. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t the type of person to stop just because I told him to do so. I went straight to the point.

    "My first request is for you to visit at regr intervals. It can be once every three days or once every four days. Something like that.¡±

    I was going to decipher Baron Samedi¡¯s prophecies. And by doing so, I would be able to glimpse into the future and prepare for impending crises in advance.

    So far, I have been busy trying to resolve incidents only after they broke out. But from now on, it was going to be different.

    Instead of getting wrapped up in incidents and dealing with them toote, I was going to preemptively deal with and control the incidents.

    Thus, my first request was toy the groundwork for this. Through a regr meeting with Baron Samedi, I could increase the number of ¡®prophecies¡¯ I would be exposed to.

    ¡°Don¡¯t want to. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±

    ¡°If you leave now, you¡¯ll regret it.¡±

    Baron Samedi coldly refused my request and tried to leave. However, before he could do so, I provoked Baron Samedi with a rather insolent tone.

    Baron Samedi sharply red at me as if he was trying to prate my face.

    "Regret? Did you say regret? I''m sorry, but I''m not human. Regret is something that only foolish humans do. Realize your situation. You are in a position to serve me, not the other way around."

    "If you don''t do this much, then I have no reason to serve you, either."

    "Really? Then don''t serve me. Who do you think you have to thank for still being alive today?¡±

    Unlike usual, Baron Samedi''s way of speaking was serious. He looked very angry. His red eyes glowed threateningly as if trying to pierce through my heart.

    ¡°If I just twitch my finger, you will disappear without a trace and die. Even your soul will lose its way and wander around the world before you eventually be a ghost. Is that what you wish?¡±

    ¡°If you want.¡±

    ¡°...Seriously?¡±

    "Yes."

    I confidently nodded my head. Baron Samedi''s glowing eyes shook a little. It was very slight, but he seemed a bit surprised.

    I distinctly stared into Baron Samedi¡¯s eyes. I wasn¡¯t scared at all.

    I couldn''t be scared. It was because, at this moment, I was in a simr position to that of Baron Samedi.

    "Are you serious?"

    "I¡¯m serious."

    "There is no man who is not afraid of death. Of the countless souls I have acquired, I could not find one that was not afraid of death."

    "Of course, I don''t want to die either."

    Baron Samedi smirked.

    "Well then, does that mean that what you said just now was a mere bluff?¡±

    "I said it because I knew you wouldn''t be able to kill me."

    ¡°...¡±

    Baron Samedi shut his mouth for a moment. He seemed to have forgotten what to say.

    Inside my room, darkness and silence intertwined, much like the afterlife, as I continued to speak.

    ¡°Just like I need you, you also need me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    There was no response. His red eyes were simply gazing nkly at me.

    I could borrow the power of the Loa. Through Bossou¡¯s power, I could borrow immense strength, through Granbwa¡¯s power, I could control nts, and through Sobo¡¯s power, I could control lightning. The power of the Loa was iparable to anything else.

    But why did the Loa lend me their power?

    The answer is rather simple. It was because I was born with the power of a Prophet and because I inherited the blood of the previous Cult Leader.

    More than anyone else, I have the most optimal body to ept the Loa.

    If the Loa did not reside inside me, they would not be able to exert most of their power, and they would not feel satisfied.

    In other words, it was not a ¡®parasitic¡¯ rtionship where I just leeched off the Loa. The Loa would lend me their power, and I would lend my body to the Loa.

    It was more appropriate to describe it as a ¡®symbiotic¡¯ or ¡®contractual¡¯ rtionship where we would mutually exchange benefits.

    ¡°Hahaha, haha! Ha, ha, ha!¡±

    At that moment, Baron Samedi suddenly startedughing like crazy. It felt as if the darkness that filled the room wasughing out loud.

    I suddenly felt a sense of alienation and creepiness. The red eyes continued to gaze down at me.

    ¡°Indeed, we do need a body, in other words, a ¡®container¡¯ to reside in. However, this ¡®container¡¯ doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be you.¡±

    "Aha. Really?"

    "We simply need a container. Whether it''s a container made of stone or gold, that''s none of our business."

    "If you''re going to reside in a container, wouldn''t it be better if it¡¯s made out of gold?"

    Baron Samedi pondered for a moment.

    "I wonder. Rather than a picky golden container, I¡¯d prefer an obedient stone container.¡±

    "Then go with the obedient stone container and hurry up and break the picky gold container," I said.

    "There is no need to go so far as to say that," Samedi said.

    "It will be difficult for you to seduce women if you reside within someone else.¡±

    Baron Samedi could shift into various forms. These forms included fog, animals, and people.

    However, if Baron Samedi resided in someone other than me, it may be possible to shift into fog or animals, but it would certainly be difficult for him to shift into a human form. The difference in containers was just that significant.

    Baron Samedi shut his mouth and contemted for a long time. I knelt before him and stared at his glowing red eyes.

    "...Five days."

    "What?"

    "Once every three or four days is too difficult. Let''s say Ie once every five days."

    I pretended to think for a moment. Once every five days. This was a moderate cycle, it was not too frequent and not too rare.

    Moreover, I still had two things left to request from Baron Samedi. Right now, it was better to ept Baron Samedi¡¯s offer rather than to continue haggling.

    It was right to respect Dee''s opinion.

    "Once every five days. Sounds good to me. Alright, then the next request¨C"

    "Wait, wait. Wait a second."

    Baron Samedi cut me off in a hurry.

    "Is this really a request? Rather than a request, it feels more like a negotiation or a threat."

    "It doesn¡¯t sound right to call it a threat, so let¡¯s call it a negotiation.¡±

    "You rotten bastard... Yeah, so what are you going to negotiate next? Ah, seriously, I can¡¯t believe that the day I negotiate with a human being has arrived. If you live long enough, you really do see it all.¡±

    Baron Samedi whined. He sounded frustrated, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to his words.

    Right now, I had to take a tough stance so that Baron Samedi wouldply, no, would have no choice but toply with my requests.

    ¡°This is my second request. Tell me the method of returning In-Ah''s sister, Yoon-Ah, back to a person, and tell me about the Satanist who is hiding in the Florence Academy."

    ¡°I will answer the first part of the question first. A method for returning Yoon-Ah to a person ¡®exists.¡¯ And you will be able to find out that method in the ¡®near future.¡¯ However, I can not tell you any more than that.¡±

    "Can''t you just tell me?"

    "No. If I tell you any more than that, there will be a big problem with causation."

    "Ah, yes."

    I reluctantly nodded.

    For now, I discovered that there was a method to turn Yoon-Ah back into a person, and I found out that I would figure out that method in the near future. That alone was already hopeful enough.

    I would have no idea whether this was real hope or hope torture until I reached that pointter.

    "Then can you answer the second part of the question too?¡±

    "The second question is too vague. If you tell me exactly what you''re curious about, I''ll give you an answer on only that exact part."

    "Do you have any intention of answering the question?"

    "Do I look like such a petty Loa? If it¡¯s this sort of question, I can answer as many as you want.¡±

    Honestly, I thought he was a little petty, but I did not need to say that out loud. I continued to speak, "Then specifically, what is the name of the Satanist that is hidden in Florence Academy?¡±

    "I can not mention their name."

    "Why?"

    Earlier, he told me to be more specific, but when I specifically asked him what I wanted to know, he refused to answer the question. I was dumbfounded.

    While quietly observing me, Baron Samedi opened his mouth, "If I tell you, then your death will be near. One is bound to mess things up whenever one rushes into anything."

    It was a vague remark. In any case, he didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of mentioning the Satanist¡¯s name.

    However, Baron Samedi said that he could not mention their name. It sounded like he was saying he was willing to give me other clues other than the name.

    "Then, can you give me some other clue other than their name?"

    Baron Samedi smiled quietly at my words as if he had been waiting for me to say that.

    "A clue. A clue is dangerous, but... If I were to give you a clue, then I would say to be wary of the people around you. Be especially wary of people who are simr to you."

    "Someone who is simr to me? There¡¯s no one like that.¡±

    Was there someone who was simr to me? If I had to pick someone, I would say that I looked the most simr to my uncle, with whom I was most closely rted by blood. But there was no way that uncle was a Satanist.

    ¡°Not simr in appearance, but simr in habit,'' continued Baron Samedi.

    "Like the Satanist, you are also in a position of hiding. Since you are both in the same position, you will inevitably have some things inmon in your manner of speech and habits."

    "Simr in habits... Simr in habits, you say.¡±

    Considering that it was from Baron Samedi, this was a considerably kind exnation, but I still had no idea. There was no one simr to me in their manner of speech and habits.

    Not In-Ah, not Jun-Hyuk, not Jin-Seo, no one was simr.

    No conclusion was reached even after thinking things through once again, so I just stared nkly into Baron Samedi''s eyes. He sighed in frustration and opened his mouth.

    "I''ll tell you one more thing. Do you know the characteristics of an arrogant person?"

    "How the heck would I know that?"

    ¡°Bastard, speak with some more respect. Well, in any case, if you don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±

    Baron Samedi cleared his throat and continued, "The arrogant are usually envious of someone. They wear a mask of arrogance in order to hide their envy.¡±

    "...What has that got to do with the Satanist?"

    ¡°Some day, you¡¯ll p your knee and say, ¡®Ah! So that¡¯s what the great Baron Samedi meant!¡¯ There wille a day when you say that~ Mark my words.¡±

    Before I knew it, my face had twisted into a frown.

    "There''s no way I''d say that."

    "I¡¯m saying there wille a moment when you have no choice but to say that. My prophecies have never been wrong."

    Baron Samediughed while bragging. While staring into the deep darkness, I mused over Baron Samedi''s words.

    Be wary of people that are simr to you. The Satanists are also in a simr position as you as they are hiding, so they will inevitably have some things inmon in your manner of speech and habits. They wear a mask of arrogance in order to hide their envy...

    No matter how much I pondered and agonized over it, I couldn¡¯t figure out who the Satanist was. My head began to throb viciously. It was because I thought about it too much.

    "...Can I ask you one more question?¡±

    "I¡¯ll listen to the question ande to a decision."

    "There was a box or something buried in Eiden Hill. Was that the objective the Satanists aimed for by any chance?"

    I was referring to the box that I saw the other day using Granbwa''s power. The box had been buried deep within Eiden Hill and was covered with glowing oil on the surface.

    I wanted to know for sure whether the box was rted to the Satanist''s objective.

    Baron Samedi looked at me with bleary eyes as if pondering an answer for a moment.

    "You, do you know about the elders?"

    "I¡¯ve only heard of the name."

    Elder.

    Along with the chairman, they were the ones that held authority at Florence Academy. I don¡¯t know why they had authority and had no idea what they did. I just vaguely understood that there were people called elders within Florence Academy.

    "That box is the objective of the Satanists and also the objective of the Elders. I can''t exin anymore."

    "...I understand for now."

    Since he had clearly stated that he couldn¡¯t exin any more than that, that meant that he was absolutely not going to open his mouth to exin. It was difficult to expect to get any more answers by asking more questions.

    "Well, then, I will make my final request."

    I immediately moved on to my next request. The previous two requests were actually just side dishes.

    It was safe to say that this request was the real purpose of calling out Baron Samedi.

    I calmed my trembling heart and collected my breath. And then I just barely managed to open my mouth, "Please be my insurance."

    "Insurance? I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    Baron Samedi yed dumb and replied. He was obviously pretending not to know.

    I bit my lips and steadied my heart. In order to win an unwinnable battle, I had to be prepared to make sacrifices.

    "We will form the ''Contract of the Dead.''"

 Chapter 64

    <h4>Chapter 64</h4>

    Afterpleting the practical sparring match in the sacred training ground.

    ¡°Yeo Min-Seo.¡±

    Do-Jin called out Min-Seo''s name with a cold voice. Min-Seo looked down at the floor without answering.

    She looked as if she was analyzing the structure of the floor tiles in the sacred training ground.

    ¡°I will leave the decision regarding your actions to the disciplinarymittee. I assume you have no objections?¡±

    ¡°...Is this incident severe enough to leave it to the disciplinarymittee?¡±

    "You did notply with the instructions of the teacher during this practical training, and you also injured four students, including Sun-Woo, in an unexpected act, and so on. There were so many incursions that I¡¯m toozy to list them all.¡±

    ¡°Ha. Yes, sir.¡±

    Min-Seo reluctantly nodded her head and turned around.

    Her attitude was very uncooperative.

    Do-Jin''s brows wrinkled.

    ¡°Hey, Min-Seo.¡±

    Min-Seo turned her head in the direction of the teacher¡¯s voice.

    "What?"

    "Answer me again."

    "Ah, yes. I''m sorry."

    Min-seo bowed her head. She apologized, but her attitude was still ridiculously uncooperative. Do-Jin stared at Min-Seo with cold eyes.

    "Do it again."

    "Yes. I''m sorry."

    There was still no change in attitude.

    "Again."

    "...I''m sorry, sir."

    It was only then that Do-Jin let Min-Seo go. It still wasn¡¯t very satisfactory, but just having Min-Seo say ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ was already a grand achievement. Min-Seo forced down her boiling anger and stepped out of the sacred training with infuriated steps.

    "Wow, I feel so refreshed~"

    <i>Triggered.</i>

    At Jun-Hyuk''s teasing voice, Min-Seo looked back. It was unknown whether it was because she was angry or whether it was because she was upset, but her eyes were red.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at Min-Seo and swept his chest as if he was refreshed.

    *

    Jun-Hyuk went straight to the training center after school. His match record was two wins and one loss. Except for his confrontation with Sun-Woo, he had won all his matches. Jun-Hyuk picked up a jump rope and was just about to do some jumping in order to warm up his body when he encountered a familiar face.

    "What? Well, if it isn¡¯t Miss Jin-Seo who left early because she was sick. Why are you here?"

    Jin-Seo was sitting on the edge of the ring while holding her breath. The bandages that were wrapped around her hand were stained red with blood. Her fists seemed to have torn. There were often cases when the fist would tear up and bleed when hitting sandbags and mitts. However, in this case, it was bleeding too much. Her hands werepletely covered in blood.

    ¡°Wow, what happened to your hands? How many people did you beat up?¡±

    "I didn''t spar today."

    ¡°Why? Is it because you got wasted by Min-Seo?¡±

    Jin-Seo narrowed her eyes. Jun-Hyuk smiled brightly and backed away.

    "It was just a joke~¡±

    "What do you mean it was just just a joke? You''re absolutely right," Jin-Seo said as if she had epted reality while jumping up from her seat. When she unwrapped the bandages that were covering her hands, her hands, which had bepletely messed up, were revealed.

    Jun-Hyuk looked at the sight and gulped. Just how much did she work out for her hands to end up like that?

    As she searched the cab, Jun-Hyuk approached her.

    "What are you looking for?"

    "Hand wrap."

    "Huh? Why are you looking for that? Are you going to continue working out today? With your hand in that state?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo nced at Jun-Hyuk. Her gaze was fierce. Based on Jun-Hyuk¡¯s deductions, the look in her eyes meant that she didn¡¯t want him to talk to her anymore.

    "Hey, let me ask you one thing."

    If he continued to talk to her, it was possible for him to get hit by her, but he wasn¡¯t able to keep his mouth shut. There was no particr reason for this. If he had to state a reason, he would have to say that it was because he was born with a tendency to not be able to keep his mouth shut.

    Jin-Seo rummaged through the cab for a while before stopping. She then looked at Jun-Hyuk. Her eyes werepletely empty and without focus. Jun-Hyuk felt an indescribable fear, and he instinctively shrank back.

    "Hey."

    Jin-Seo stared at Jun-Hyuk with unfocused eyes.

    "You¡¯re annoying, so it would be great if you could piss off."

    "Ah, hahaha. Oh~ that was a little scary. I almost pissed myself."

    "I''m not kidding."

    Jin-Seo was still staring at Jun-Hyuk.

    A cold sweat ran down the back of Jun-Hyuk''s neck. This wasn¡¯t a joke. He was seriously scared. Jun-Hyuk desperately suppressed his fear and barely managed to croak, "You really don''t want to listen? It''s rted to Sun-Woo though."

    Jin-Seo turned a deaf ear and continued to silently search the cab. Jun-Hyuk felt awkward for no particr reason, and so he fiddled with his hair.

    Even after a long period of time had passed, Jin-Seo didn¡¯t respond. A heavy silence filled the room.

    "If you''re not going to listen, then that¡¯s fine~ I was nning to tell you something really important as well."

    Jun-Hyuk soon gave up and turned around.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    At that moment, Jin-Seo roughly closed the cab. Startled, Jun-Hyuk looked back.

    While wrapping the bandages around her hand, Jin-Seo strode toward him. Her gaze was still fierce.

    "...What is it?"

    However, at the words that came out of her mouth, Jun-Hyuk burst intoughter. She pretended not to be curious, but it looked like she had been secretly curious on the inside.

    Jun-Hyuk tried to hold back hisughter and asked a question, "Why did you fight with Sun-Woo in the morning?"

    ¡°We didn''t fight."

    "Really? If you didn¡¯t fight, does that mean that you just got angry by yourself?¡±

    ¡°I never got angry.¡±

    "Hey, tell me the truth. Why were you angry?¡±

    Jin-Seo dropped her gaze down to the floor. She seemed to hesitate to answer.

    ¡°He lied to me, but...¡±

    After saying it out loud, it didn¡¯t seem like that big of a deal. She started to feel that maybe she was a bit of a petty person and felt ashamed of herself. Thinking about it, it didn¡¯t really make sense for her to get angry over something like this. After all, Sun-Woo was someone that had saved her life twice. No, but that didn¡¯t mean that the fact that he lied went away. But was lying such a big mistake? She felt like she had reacted too insensitively, but still...

    She suddenly felt a headache, so she stopped thinking. While nonchntly picking his ear with his finger, Jun-Hyuk said, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not really all that important. I¡¯m just saying for you guys to get along with each other. You two are interested in each other, but you both pretend not to be interested, and things just keep going in the wrong direction. Wherever I see you guys interact, I feel so frustrated that it¡¯s driving me crazy.¡±

    "Each other?" Jin-Seo asked as if she had heard something odd. As if Jun-Hyuk had waited for that response, smiled confidently.

    ¡°Yup, each other. Hey, do you know how many wins and losses Min-Seo had during today¡¯s practical training session?¡±

    "It should be 3 wins and 0 losses."

    "Wrong~ It''s 2 wins and 1 loss~!" Jun-Hyuk said with a smile as if he was delighted. Jin-Seo''s eyes grew a little wider.

    "Why is it 2 wins and 1 loss? Who did she lose to?¡±

    "Sun-Woo. For your information, Sun-Woo had a win-loss ratio of 3-0."

    "Huh...?"

    Jin-Seo nkly opened her mouth and made a weird noise. Her reaction seemed to indicate that she couldn¡¯t believe it.

    Then again, it was a reasonable reaction. Sun-Woo didn¡¯t have the skills to beat Min-Seo. Not just Sun-Woo, but no first-year Florence Academy student had ever been able to beat Min-Seo in a spar. However, Sun-Woo beat Min-Seo. She wasn¡¯t belittling Sun-Woo¡¯s power, but it was still hard to believe.

    As if he had anticipated such a reaction, Jun-Hyuk grinned and opened his mouth.

    "To exin! After you lost to Min-Seo and left early after moping in your crippling depression¨C¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°...Anyway, after you left the school early, Min-Seo and Sun-Woopeted, right? But for some reason, Sun-Woo was ridiculously angry for some reason. Do you know what I mean? Ah~ you should have seen it with your own eyes. Anyway¡ª¡±

    Jun-Hyuk chanted out oohs and ahhs like a jester as he continued his narrative. Sun-Woo was very angry for some reason and beat down Min-Seo with the mace of justice. And that was how he won the spar, and that¡¯s how Min-Seo ended up going to the disciplinarymittee. That was the general gist of the story.

    In Jun-Hyuk''s epic tale, Sun-Woo was portrayed as a hero.

    "Why is she suddenly going to the disciplinarymittee?"

    "...Well, Min-Seo usuallymits a lot of crimes."

    "What are you even¡ª"

    ¡°But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important~ I¡¯m telling you, Sun-Woo became really angry. Why do you think he got angry? Huh?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk interrupted Jin-Seo. His epic tale had many suspicious parts to it, but now was not the time to question him about those things.

    Why was Sun-Woo angry?

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like Min-Seo either. That''s probably why."

    Min-Seo despised her opponent if they were weaker than her and acted impudent if they were stronger than her. As an analogy, if we were topare her with a dog breed, it could be said that she had a chihuahua-like personality. It was safe to say that out of the entirety of Florence Academy freshmen, almost no one liked Min-Seo.

    ¡®Fold over if you don¡¯t like Min-Seo. Thus, the entirety of the Republic of Korea folded in half, and that was the origin of the 38th parallel...¡¯ Such baseless jokes even sprang up and openly circted amongst the Florence Academy freshmen.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s that reason too. But, I¡¯m telling you, the timing in which he got angry was straight after you left early after losing to Min-Seo! Right after that, his face wentpletely stiff, I¡¯m telling you.¡±

    ¡°So what?¡±

    "If he wasn''t interested in you, why would he be like that~? That¡¯s what I''m saying.¡±

    Jin-Seo tightly shut her lips and dropped her gaze down to the floor. Her heart was beating strangely, as if it was throbbing. Perhaps it was because of the aftermath of exercising too much or because of some other reason. Jin-Seo herself didn¡¯t know exactly why she was feeling this way. Thoughts that were close to delusions festered and revolved around inside her head. She shook her head to forcefully shake off those thoughts.

    "That¡¯s just spec¨Cspection."

    "Spec¨Cspection? Not just spection, but spec¨Cspection? What the heck is that?"

    Jin-Seo red at Jun-Hyuk with fierce eyes.

    ¡°Hey, why are you looking at people in such a scary way just because they fooled around a little? It¡¯s so stifling that it¡¯s making it hard for me to talk.¡±

    ¡°I never looked at anyone in a scary way.¡±

    "Yes, yes~"

    Jun-Hyuk continued to talk with his chin jutting out as if to tease her.

    ¡°Well, anyway, just try a bit harder. If Sun-Woo lied, then just directly ask him why he lied.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If you always have your mouth shut like that, how is Sun-Woo supposed to know how you feel?¡±

    He hit the nail on the head. Even if Jin-Seo was feeling bad or if something upset her, she would never express her feelings through her words. If she let it out, nothing would change. So she thought it would be better if she was the only one that suffered and went through a hard time. When Jin-Seo dropped her head without answering, Jun-Hyuk quickly opened his mouth as if even that brief silence was painful for him.

    ¡°What bullshit did Sun-Woo say? He doesn¡¯t lie, right?¡±

    Honestly, he wasn¡¯t really all that curious. It was simply a question he asked so that he could break the silence. Jin-Seo pondered for a brief moment before opening her mouth.

    ¡°When his house caught on fire, I asked where he was, and he said that he was in the library.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why is that a lie?¡±

    Jin-Seo exined that when she was on her way home from the training center, she witnessed Sun-Wooing out of a certain house. Jun-Hyuk listened to her story and quietly nodded his head. In other words, Sun-Woo was not in the library, and he was somewhere else, but he had lied and said that he was in the library. That lie had hurt Jin-Seo¡¯s feelings. Only then did Jun-Hyuk roughly understand the situation. Jun-Hyuk had been listening to the story for a while, but raised one eyebrow as if he had found something odd.

    "...But where exactly did Sun-Wooe from?"

    ¡°He came out of a Western-style house located in the middle of an alleyway near the school.¡±

    There was only one alleyway near the school. She was referring to the alleyway that Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and In-Ah used on theirmute to school. If it was a Western-style house located in the middle of that ce...

    "Isn''t that the house where In-Ah lives?"

    "...¡±

    ¡°Ah! Come to think of it, no, that¡¯s not right. Or maybe? Maybe I¡¯m right? There¡¯s only one Western-style house in that ce.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk saw Jin-Seo''s expression darken and tried to btedly patch up the situation, but it was toote. Jin-Seo passed Jun-Hyuk without a word and left the training center with a dumbstruck expression on her face. She walked so fast that he didn''t even dare to chase her. Not that there was any reason to chase her in the first ce.

    "Oh, this is bad."

    Jun-Hyuk squatted on the spot and pulled at his own hair strands.

    "This is fucking bad...¡± Jun-Hyuk mumbled. Rather than despair, a distinct expression of anger could be seen more clearly on his face.

    *

    "The contract has been established."

    Baron Samedi''s dreary voice rang through the room. My head naturally tilted in wonder.

    "...Is it supposed to end this quickly?¡±

    "A contract is supposed to bepleted swiftly. What if the contractee¡¯s mind changes during the process?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you typically have to pay a price in exchange for forming the Contract of the Dead.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be. However, just this time, I¡¯m thinking of epting ate payment. What do you think?¡± Baron Samedi said whileughing cheerfully. The price of the contract was supposed to be prepaid. However, he said that he was allowing ate payment, just this once.

    ¡°Sounds good to me. Let¡¯s go with that, then.¡±

    I had no idea what ulterior motive Baron Samedi had, but it wasn¡¯t a suggestion that was bad for me, so I dly epted it. Theter I paid thepensation, the better.

    In any case, the contract was established.

    This contract was a precautionary measure in case I found myself in a desperate crisis in the future. Even if I prepared for crises by interpreting Baron Samedi¡¯s prophecies, perfect preparation was impossible. It was safe to have at least one insurance.

    ¡°I have no more requests.¡±

    With this, the negotiations that were under the guise of requests wereplete. I saw Baron Samedi¡¯s eyes shimmering beyond the darkness. His eyes were blurry, as if he was deeply contemting something.

    "...What are you doing?"

    ¡°Hmm. Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out somehow. Have courage, Cult Leader. May your future be filled with peace! I¡¯ll be off now!¡±

    After leaving meaningful remarks, Baron Samedi immediately turned into fog and disappeared. The room was filled with the scent of death left by Baron Samedi, along with the scent of the purple fog that had flowed out from the candle. There was no airflow in the cer, so the fog did not disperse and simply remained.

    [The high and mighty Baron Samedi unexpectedly readily epted your propositions.] Legba said. He sounded rather surprised.

    "Because I took advantage of the characteristics of the Loa."

    [Yes, it was very refreshing. You definitely resemble your mother for sure. Baron Samedi also couldn¡¯t go against your mother¡¯s wishes.]

    "But I still have a long way to go if I want to be able to catch up to her," I said with a self-deprecating smile.

    Although the negotiations with Baron Samedi were sessful, I had only seeded in negotiations. I still wasn¡¯t able to take full control over conversations in front of Baron Samedi like my mother had been able to.

    <i>Click.</i>

    I turned on the lights. The light was so blinding that I thought that I lost my vision for a moment. My eyes, which were ustomed to darkness, could not easily take in the light. I stood there for a long time and waited for my eyes to adjust to the light.

    When the blinding light finally subsided, I noticed my father¡¯s keepsakeid out in the middle of the room. There was a box and a ring. The box was securely locked with a padlock.

    ¡°...¡±

    My father absolutely insisted that I open the box only after bing an adult. And I intended to honor his will. On the other hand, I was truly curious about what was inside.

    The key to unlocking the box was the ring. It was designed so that once the memorial gem that was embedded in the ring fit into the groove of the lock, the box would open.

    I had a faint memory of my father exining how it worked.

    In other words, I could open the box right now if I wanted to. To be honest, I felt the urge to open the box immediately and to see its contents.

    [Then open it.]

    While I was lost in deep contemtion, Legba spoke as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    [You have too many uncertainties in your life. If you stubbornly persist, you might end up dying without even knowing what¡¯s inside the box. It¡¯s better if you just open the box right now.]

    "But it¡¯s part of the will that my father left behind. It''s better to respect hisst wishes."

    [Then are you really going to wait until you be an adult?]

    In response to Legba''s question, I decisively shook my head.

    As I said earlier, I will respect my father¡¯s will. However, if I was faced with a situation where I couldn¡¯t keep following his will, then I intended to open the box without hesitation. For example, if I was in a life-threatening situation before even getting the chance to open the box as an adult.

    Ideally, I had to hope that such a situation would never ur. However, just in case such a situation urred, I intended to carry the box and the ring with me at all times from now on so that I would be able to check the contents of the box wherever and whenever I desired, even if I was on the brink of imminent death.

    I would keep the box inside my bag or inside Baal¡¯s Maw, and I would take it out when I needed it. The ring was small, and there was a high possibility of losing it, so I figured that wearing it on my finger would be for the best.

    I tried the ring on my finger. First, I tried the index finger.

    "It doesn''t fit."

    The size was too small to fit the ring on my index finger. Next, I tried the middle finger. It didn¡¯t fit. My thumb would obviously not fit, and it also didn¡¯t fit on my rtively thin ring finger.

    The only finger that the ring fit in was my smallest finger, in other words, my pinky.

    "...Were my father''s hands this small?" I muttered to myself and reluctantly put the ring on my left pinky.

    It fit perfectly. It seemed like the ring had been designed to be worn on the pinky finger from the beginning. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have made any sense for it to be this small.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    At that moment, a crack formed on the memorial gem embedded into the ring.

    "Huh...?¡±

    Between the cracks, a thin mist slowly seeped out. The mist was so delicate and elusive that it seemed like it could disappear with a single breath. The color was a familiar shade of purple.

    The mist of a voodoo spell.

    Was there a voodoo spell contained within the gem? Was a spell infused into an object? How was this possible?

    I had no time to wonder. The mist engulfed me. My consciousness faded away.

    My consciousness, which had been unaffected by even advanced voodoo spells, had copsed by only this thin strand of mist.

    <i>Plop.</i>

    My body rxed. My eyes closed, and I was greeted by a thick and endless darkness.

 Chapter 65

    <h4>Chapter 65</h4>

    "What''s with the ring? You got a new girl?"

    "No, it''s my father''s urn ring."

    "...What? Why would you make a ring out of your father''s remains?"

    "That''s how we do it in the Voodoo Cult."

    I looked up at the sky. It was a moonlit night, and I could feel the cool breeze. Come to think of it, winter was approaching. I sighed, and a white puff escaped my mouth.

    "We preserve death as an object and hold on to it."

    "So, you believe your father''s soul is inside that ring?"

    "No, my father''s soul is currently traveling through the <i>unseen world.</i>"

    "...I have no idea what you¡¯re saying. You guys are really confusing...but then again, it¡¯s not like I really want to understand either.

    The young man in front of me stretched and yawned. He seemed to be around seventeen to eighteen years old, at the oldest, neen. He seemed to be around my age. For some reason, he looked familiar.

    I smiled. "I have to pass this ring down if I ever have children."

    ¡°Having children, ey? You should be worrying about the step before that. You think you can get married?"

    "Marriage, huh... I''m not sure."

    I looked at the ring on my left pinkie. The memorial gem embedded in the center glistened in the moonlight.

    Somehow, it felt like there was someone gazing through the other side of the gem.

    I stared straight at it, and felt the gaze stare back. Our eyes met.

    "I''ll figure it out somehow."

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Suddenly, a crack appeared on the gem, and darkness seeped out of it. The darkness, in turn, turned into more fissures, spewing more darkness, which turned into more cracks. Just like that, the word shattered into tens, or rather, hundreds of pieces.

    Eventually, the world turned to dust and disappeared. Behind the shattered world, pitch-ck darkness greeted me.

    <i> </i> *

    "<i>Cough!</i> Ugh...!"

    I opened my eyes. My head throbbed painfully. My heart beat weakly. I felt nauseous. I groaned and pressed my forehead against the ground, retching for a while. Tears flowed uncontrobly, streaming down my cheeks and dripping to the floor.

    "Ha... Haa... Whew..."

    [What happened? You suddenly copsed, and now you''re retching.]

    "Legba. Did you see that hallucin-hallucination? Wait, it wasn¡¯t a hallucination spell. What the hell..."

    [Let¡¯s calm down your breathing first. You''re breathing too heavily.]

    ck dots floated and danced in my field of vision. I felt like I would pass out from the dizziness. I did as Legba advised and took a deep breath. The ck dots that were clouding my vision slowly disappeared, and my vision returned to normal.

    "Phew..."

    After barely regaining myposure, I wiped away the sweat on my forehead. Not only was my forehead drenched in cold sweat, but so was my whole body. However, I didn¡¯t even have the strength to wipe away my sweat. An overwhelming fatigue had swept over my body and had left me strengthless; I could not move a single limb.

    "Legba." I mustered some strength to talk.

    [Before you talk, take a drink. You''ve perspired too much. You¡¯re too dehyrated and might go into shock.]

    "I''ll drinkter. How long was I out?"

    [Well, it was too short of a time to judge. You were out for around two seconds.]

    Two seconds. I burst into a hollowugh. I couldn¡¯t believe it, but that wasn¡¯t of importance. I had felt the wind bringing a chilling sensation to my fingertips. I had seen the moon shining bright and white puffs of breaths that had floated through the night sky. I had smelled the characteristic musky but cool smell of autumn. Every sensation I had felt remained vividly etched in my body.

    "It was not a hallucination."

    As the memorial gem embedded in the ring cracked, a spell flew out from the fractures taking the form of mist, knocking me unconscious, and sending me into a dream. The dream was both surreal and vivid, and it felt as if I was peering into someone else''s memories.

    "It''s a ''memory imntation'' spell."

    Simply put, it was highly likely that I had been ensnared by a memory imntation spell, an enthrallment spell. Through that spell, I had seen a glimpse of my father''s memories. My father must have imbued the spell so that it would activate when I put on the ring.

    "...Ha-ha."

    Although I had never shown signs of wavering even under the influence of advanced spells, I had fallen prey to a mere wisp of mist. It only made sense that my father was responsible for the spell I had fallen to.

    Even Legba had called him the "monster of spells," showing how adept my father was in spells and Voodoo magic. Despite my strong resistance against spells, I couldn''t resist my father''s spell. In other words, only my father possessed the skills to cast a spell that could prate my spell resistance.

    [You seem like you¡¯re going down the road of bing a madman, muttering to yourself andughing all of a sudden. What did you see that made you like this?]

    "I think I saw my father''s memories."

    [Do Myung-Jun? You¡¯ve glimpsed at his memories?]

    My father''s name was Do Myung-Jun.

    I nodded. "The ring was enchanted with a memory imntation spell."

    [Memory imntation... So you''re saying he was able to infuse a spell into an object? It seems like he was more talented than I had imagined.]

    Memory imntation was an enthrallment spell, but it wasn¡¯t ssified as a lesser, intermediate, advanced, or superior. Since it was a spell that only my father could use, there was no point in assigning it a level. Hence, it was categorized as a spell outside the grading system. It was my father who originally ssified spells, but that was beside the point. There was something else that was more important.

    "Why?"

    I was thinking about the man I had glimpsed beyond my father''s memories. The man appeared to be a close friend of my father. He had jet-ck hair as dark as night and deathly pale skin.

    It was Sung Yu-Da.

    Inside my father''s memories, the man who had been my father''s friend was undoubtedly Sung Yu-Da, the former inquisitor, current cardinal, and father of Ha-Yeon. The word enemy could not hold the amount of hatred I felt for this man. No, he was my archnemesis.

    "How could you do that to your friend... That bastard...!"

    ording to what I had seen, Sung Yu-Da had personally poured oil, set fire, and ultimately killed my father, his ¡®friend.¡¯ While I had long been aware that he was responsible for massacring tens of thousands of Voodoo cultists, I had no idea he was a betrayer who personally killed his friend. I had thought he was just a simple bastard, but upon closer inspection, he was an unsalvageable piece of shit.

    "Ha."

    I let out a deep sigh and rose from my seat. For a moment, it felt as if the room was spinning under my feet. Perhaps it was due to dehydration or various psychological factors, but I felt dizzy. I steadied myself against the wall with my left hand and barely made it out of the room. Ji-Ah looked surprised at the sight of me and took a few steps back.

    "Cult Leader, have you taken care of your business?"

    "Not yet. I, uh, where''s the refrigerator? I want to drink some water."

    "Oh, I¡¯ll, I''ll bring it to you."

    Ji-Ah hurriedly walked to the refrigerator, soon returning with a ss of water.

    I took the ss from her and downed it. I felt better after I drank the water. The dizziness that had been tormenting me for a while subsided.

    "Thank you."

    "You''re wee. Um... you¡¯ve been going at it for a long time. It''s already been an hour," she said out of nowhere as I handed her the empty ss.

    For some reason, her face seemed incredibly bewildered. It was the first time Ji-Ah had made a face so apparent with emotion.

    Puzzled, I tilted my head and said, "It¡¯s usually a process that takes a long time."

    "Well, of course. I¡¯ve heard it takes different amounts of time for different people, but I was worried you were pushing yourself too hard and straining your stamina..."

    "An hour is not that long. It''s fine."

    A Voodoo Cult ritual usuallysted anywhere from half a day to sometimes extending up to three days. Finishing a ritual in one hour was incredibly fast.

    Ji-Ah hesitantly said with aplex expression, "Your stamina is really, um, impressive."

    It sounded like apliment, yet it didn''t. Her tone was strange.

    "...Well, I''ve been exercising these days. Anyway, I''m going back in."

    Leaving Ji-Ah staring at me with a troubled face, I quickly entered the room. The room was filled with undisturbed mist. The air was dense and murky, making it hard to breathe. Nevertheless, I made my way through the mist and headed to bed, but I had no intention of going to sleep. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the ring on my finger. The jewel had suffered the aftermath of my father''s spell and was fractured.

    My father had infused a spell into the gem embedded in the ring. The gem seemed to have been made from my grandfather''s remains. Compared to other objects, It seemed easier to contain spells in this ring.

    If that was the case...

    Could I infuse this ring with my spell?

    Like my father, if I could store a spell within this ring, It would enable me to use spells without having to draw a spell array.

    Perhaps I could use it to cast spells in the middle of a heavily surveilled city or even in F.A. If I seeded, it would greatly help me in the uing Holy Name of Charity re-election test. No, if I could seed, obtaining the Holy Name of Charity would be a piece of cake.

    [However, the chances of sess are low. Compared to your father¡¯s skills, you pale inparison.]

    "I know."

    However, the sweet ns would onlye to life if I were to seed. As Legbah had said, my skills were far inferior to my father''s, and the chances of sess were slim.

    "Still, I have to give it a try."

    I had no intention of giving up before even attempting the challenge.

    I unleashed Voodoo magic.

    <i> </i> *

    "Ha-Yeon."

    Sung Yu-Da looked at Ha-Yeon with sharp, cold eyes.

    Ha-Yeon stood before him, her hands ced politely in front, and her head deeply bowed. The atmosphere was rigid, and there seemed to be a hierarchical rtionship between the two. At first nce, it seemed more like an interaction between a master and servant than a father and daughter.

    ¡°Your practical training exam scores are lower than expected.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I heard your first exam, are they called... midterms? areing up. There¡¯s always a chance to make up for the lost marks during the written test. There¡¯s no need to worry,¡± Sun Yu-Da said as if he was trying to provide somefort.

    But to Ha-Yeon, his words brought nofort at all. To her, it sounded more like: ¡®Your practical assessment scores were extremelycking. Pick up the ck in the written exams.¡¯

    It felt like a new weight had been added onto her already heavy shoulders. It felt like her body would sink into the ground due to her weight.

    "I understand." In the midst of that pressure, Ha-Yeon managed to respond.

    Then she turned and headed back to her room.

    "Ha-Yeon, have you decided which specialization you want to pursue?"

    However, Sung Yu-Da''s question stopped Ha-Yeon in her tracks. She forced herself to maintain herposure and turned her head.

    "I''m thinking of working toward bing a priest."

    "Priest. Priest... Yeah, it''s probably better to go in a direction that suits your aptitude,¡± Sung Yu-Da said as he touched his eyebrow.

    He seemed dissatisfied.

    Ha-Yeon nodded without saying a word. She tried to squeeze out a smile, but her effort was in vain.

    "How''s school?"

    Sung Yu-Da continued to ask questions, to which Ha-Yeon gave vague answers. Yet, Sung Yu-Da''s questions didn''t cease.

    "How are your rtionships with ssmates? How about your teachers? How''s your studying going? What are your ns for the uing practical training?"

    Sung Yu-Da bombarded her with predictable and banal questions. In response, Ha-Yeon replied with equally banal answers.

    Finally, the incessant questioning from Sung Yu-Da came to an end. Ha-Yeon bowed her head and tried to return to her room.

    "...Ha-Yeon, there seems to be a first-year student with the ''blood of purification'' in F.A."

    However, once again, Sung Yu-Da stopped Ha-Yeon before she could escape.

    Ha-Yeon swallowed hard, frozen in ce. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Ha-Yeon calmed her nerves and opened her mouth. "Is that so?"

    "He¡¯s in the ss of Charity, and the student''s name is Sun-Woo. Have you heard of him?"

    "No, I don''t know who, uh, that is."

    Ha-Yeon lied. Her lies were easy to see through.

    But Sung Yu-Da was oblivious to the lie because he had notid his eyes on her once from the start of their conversation.

    "In that case, you should get to know him. Make friends with Sun-Woo. It will make things easier for you in the future."

    Sung Yu-Da instructed Ha-Yeon to be friends with Sun-Woo as if it were the obvious thing to do. It was only natural for a member of the Purification n to be friends with someone who possessed the blood of purification. There were no exceptions. There was no room for negotiation or rebellion. After all, it was a given that all members of the purification n had to marry a carrier of the blood of purification.

    In the end, Ha-Yeon reluctantly nodded.

    "Yes, I understand."

    Her voice sounded fragile, as if she would burst into tears.

    "And it seems there are many useless novels andics in your room."

    "..."

    "Don''t get too absorbed in those things. It''s prime time for you to study hard more than anything else, so let''s not waste your energy on other things."

    Sung Yu-Da stood up abruptly from his seat and strode towards Ha-Yeon.

    Ha-Yeon trembled and lowered her head. Her shoulders quivered in fear.

    "Remember, you are a member of the purification n."

    Sung Yu-Da looked down at Ha-Yeon, who was trembling, without a hint of affection in his eyes as he spoke.

    "...Yes, I understand."

    Ha-Yeon''s voice, in response, sounded so fragile, as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

 Chapter 66

    <h4>Chapter 66</h4>

    It was Sunday evening, nearing the end of the weekend. I held the ring in my hands as I sat down and diligently drew a spell array.

    [It''s good to have passion, but don¡¯t overwork your body.] Legba expressed his concerns, but I didn''t respond and continued drawing the spell array.

    In the past two days, I hadn''t left the house once. I barely slept and didn''t eat properly.

    Instead of wasting time on those things, I tried to draw one more spell array in an effort to find how to imbue a spell into the ring.

    Of course, that wasn''t the only thing I was working on. I also put in some effort to work toward achieving the ''state of acquirement'' that Legba had talked about. However, I had yet to reap any fruit for my work. Both processes of imbuing spells into the ring and reaching the state of acquirement had been unsessful. At first, I had felt discouraged, but I had grown ustomed to failing. It seemed like I was getting closer to enlightenment rather than acquirement.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    At that moment, I heard knocking on the door. The door opened abruptly before I had a chance to respond.

    "Cult Leader, it''s time for your meal."

    "I¡¯m going to skip it¡ª"

    "Cult Leader."

    I was about to refuse because I had no appetite and thought it would be a waste of time. However, Ji-Ah cut me short and gave me a cold gaze. It was the first time she had interrupted me, so I couldn¡¯t help but nervously swallow my saliva.

    After a moment of silence, Ji-Ah spoke again.

    "You have to eat."

    "...Then, shall we?"

    She said it so sternly that I had no choice but to eat it. I awkwardly smiled and got up from my seat to walk out of the room. On the dining table, where my uncle always left his cup of coffee and books in the morning, was a neatly prepared meal.

    "Did you prepare all this by yourself?"

    "Yes," Ji-Ah casually replied, showing no signs of pride. It didn''t seem like a big deal to her.

    I sat down and started eating. Everything, from the soup to the side dishes and rice, was incredibly delicious. It was so tasty as if the food grabbed my lost appetite by the hair and yanked it back into my body.

    "Wow, this feels like the work of a chef."

    "It''s not that good." Ji-Ah sat across from me and answered while she was picking at her rice. It seemed like her appetite was as small as her stature.

    Ji-Ah''s food was so delicious that it felt like a crime to leave any leftovers, and I quickly devoured everything. As soon as the meal was over, Ji-Ah began clearing the table, so I quickly stood up and helped with the cleanup. Ji-Ah pursed her lips slightly, seeming a bit ufortable.

    "Oh, I''ll take care of it. Cult Leader, you can just rx."

    "Let''s do it together. It''s not that difficult a task."

    "What?"

    While Ji-Ah tilted her head in confusion, I cleared all the dishes from the table, moved them to the sink, and immediately started doing the dishes. I was talented at household chores¡ªcooking, washing dishes, doingundry, you name it. Not that I was talented at them, but I had no choice other than to improve my skills since I had been living alone for the past seven years.

    "Uh, um, can you just go and rest?" Ji-Ah hesitantly asked in an awkward tone behind me while I was busy washing away.

    It seemed like she found receiving help awkward and unfamiliar. However, that was the same for me. Ji-Ah taking over the household chores on my behalf felt ufortable and unfamiliar to me, making me feel as if she was stealing my work.

    "..."

    Without responding to Ji-Ah''s objections, I continued to silently clean. It was only then that she quietly began to help with the dishes next to me, seemingly giving up trying to change my mind. The sound of ttering tes, flowing water, and the squeaky-clean sound of soaping the dishes filled the otherwise silent room.

    "Why are you helping us?" I asked.

    It seemed like a random question, but it was a question that had been on my mind for a while now. With Ji-Ah''s abilities, she could easily disguise herself and attend school or live an ordinary life. So, why was she helping us?

    Upon hearing the question, Ji-Ah opened her mouth without any hesitation or contemtion.

    "I received a favor from the Cult Leader when I was young."

    "Oh, from my father?"

    "No, from you, Cult Leader."

    "Huh? Me?"

    It was the first time I had heard this. I had no memory of performing any act of kindness toward Ji-Ah that she would be thankful for. To add to that, I don¡¯t even remember meeting Ji-Ah before I was introduced to her recently.

    I carefully searched through my memories. Even when I retraced my steps to the very distant past, I had absolutely no recollection of Ji-Ah.

    "I''m sorry, but I don''t remember," I apologized with a perplexed smile.

    Ji-Ah''s face remained expressionless as always. Her expression didn''t reveal any emotions, and I didn¡¯t dare to guess her feelings.

    As Ji-Ah rinsed the foam off thest remaining te at the sink, she broke the silence.

    "It''s alright. I¡¯m not surprised that you don''t remember."

    "You¡¯re not? ...What on earth did I do?"

    <i>Thunk!</i>

    While contemting Ji-Ah''s profound words, someone mmed the door open and entered the room. To no surprise, the culprit was Uncle Jin-Sung. He was carrying something in both hands. It made me wonder why he had bought so much when usually he bought anything that wasn¡¯t essential.

    "I''m here. How have you all been?"

    Uncle greeted us and ced the baskets he was carrying on the floor. The basketsnded on the ground with a heavy <i>thud</i>.

    ¡°Wee home, Teacher.¡±

    "It¡¯s good to be back. Were you guys cleaning up after your meal?" Uncle asked as he looked at us standing in front of the sink with our rubber gloves on.

    He wore a cheerful expression, and his tone was slightly higher than usual. I didn''t know why, but he appeared to be in a very good mood.

    Ji-Ah nodded slightly and replied, "Yes. The Cult Leader prepared the meal for us."

    "Wait, you know how to cook? Hm, I guess they do say living alone improves your cooking skills." My uncle raised an eyebrow in surprise.

    I got flustered and quickly shook my head.

    "No, Ji-Ah nuna prepared this meal for us. What is going on? Why are you lying all of a sudden?"

    "Huh? So Ji-Ah cooked, and you¡¯re doing the dishes?"

    "No, that''s not true. Cult Leader prepared the meal and is taking care of the dishes. I didn''t do anything."

    My uncle looked confused, shifting his gaze between me and Ji-Ah. She continued to lie without changing her expression. I had no idea what her intentions were behind these lies.

    "Honestly, it was Ji-Ah nuna who cooked."

    "Well, whatever. I don''t care who cooked it. It wasn''t like I ate the meal. Anyway, this is for you.¡±

    My uncle casually changed the subject and handed me a shopping bag filled with various items. At first nce, they seemed like useless odds and ends, but I knew the value of these items.

    "Offerings, huh?"

    "Yeah. I indulged in some luxuries with the confiscated goods from Han Su-Yeop.¡±

    I rummaged through the shopping bag and examined the goods. While there were no superior grade items, most of them were high-quality items that surpassed intermediate grade.

    I was wondering where he had been wandering around for the past two days. It seemed that Uncle had been so preupied with obtaining offerings that he hadn¡¯t even made it home.

    "I managed to find whatever I could, but the quality is not that great because I was in a rush to grab these."

    "No, this is more than enough."

    "Well, that''s good to hear. Hey, Ji-Ah. Bring Han Su-Yeop here. I feel like having a cup of coffee." Uncle Jin-Sung sat at the dining table, opened a book, and gave Ji-Ah instructions.

    She nodded quietly and shuffled somewhere inside the underground chapel.

    Meanwhile, I held the offerings from my uncle and headed toward the storage room. The altar was there in its usual ce.

    "Bossou."

    Just before cing the offerings on the altar, I called out to Bossou. He didn''t respond.

    "Bossou, pleasee out."

    I called out to Bossou again.

    [Bo-Bossou. I respond to the Prophet''s call.] Bossou finally answered.

    I presented the "Hoof of a Bashan Wild Ox." While the superior item was the "Horn of Bashan Bull," even the hoof had tremendous value as an offering.

    The sound of Bosssou gulping echoed in my mind.

    [Hmm! If you offer that to me, Bossou will be very happy.]

    "Bossou," I said with a firm tone.

    As versatile as it was, Bossou¡¯s power was one that I frequently used. Therefore, I needed to affirm a solid rtionship with Bossou. It would be troublesome if he suddenly decided to go on strike when I needed his power.

    "No more strikes from now on."

    [No more strikes...! But if the Prophet doesn''t bring offerings, Bossou will have no choice but to go on strike!]

    "With the Hoof of Bashan Wild Ox, you''ll be good to go for at least a month, right?"

    [One month! Not sure about one month. But I¡¯ll be strong for two weeks!]

    "Then let''s agree on an average between one month and two weeks. Three weeks. For the next three weeks, <i>absolutely</i> no strikes."

    A silence followed, and it sounded as if Bossou was pondering.

    [3 weeks is too long!]

    "Then, should we throw this away?"

    I threw the hoof on the ground and pretended to make a motion as if I were about to crush it with my feet.

    [No! Fine, three weeks. For the next three weeks, Bossou will not go on strike!] Bossou sounded scared and disgusted.

    "d to hear that."

    After receiving a definite answer from Bossou, I picked up the fallen hoof from the floor and ced it on the Altar. Soon, the bull''s hoof turned to ash and disappeared, meaning the offering had been made.

    However, Bossou did not show any happiness. Instead, he made a groaning sound as if he was sulking.

    "What¡¯s wrong? I just offered the sacrifice."

    [I''m not happy at all. What a wicked prophet you are! You¡¯re even worse than Lee Seh-Hwa.]

    "That¡¯s a greatpliment. Thank you."

    Lee Seh-Hwa was my mother''s name. As the former prophet, she had near-perfect control over the Loa. Because of this, she was often referred to as the wicked prophet. Bossou''s words were nothing short of praise to me because I looked up to my mother¡¯s Loa-controlling ability.

    Bossou continued to grumble for a while, but I ignored him. After offering all the remaining offerings from my uncle, I left the storage room.

    "Oh, Cult Leader."

    As soon as I opened the door, Ji-Ah appeared. She was holding a nket and a pillow in her arms. It seemed like she was preparing to go to sleep.

    I don''t know why, but Ji-Ah always slept in the storage room. Come to think of it, I wondered why she always slept in a dusty storage room instead of sleeping on a perfectly good bed.

    "Why do you always sleep in the storage room?"

    "I''ve been used to it since I was a child," Ji-Ah said nonchntly.

    I didn''t know what kind of childhood she had gone through to consider sleeping in the storage room as familiar, but if it wasfortable for her, I had no intention of meddling with her lifestyle choices. Just as there were people who found it morefortable to sleep on the floor than on a bed, there must also be people who were morefortable sleeping in a storage room than in a bedroom. After all, there are all kinds of people in the world.

    I tried not to think about it too much and made it to my room. The room was filled with smoke, a disy of my efforts of imbuing the ring with a spell.

    [How much longer do you intend on trying? It looks to me that there is no possibility of sess.] Legba said in a scolding manner as I sat on the bed and began to draw the spell array.

    I checked the time on my phone. It was 9:03, too early of a time to go to sleep.

    "I¡¯m nning to try until 1 o''clock."

    [1 o''clock... Fine. It ends at 1 o''clock.]

    "You got it~ I''ll go straight to bed at 1 o''clock sharp."

    I continued drawing spell arrays and repeatedly attempting to capture the mist of the spell in the gemstone on the ring. I also made sure to use spells on myself from time to time in an effort to attain the state of acquirement.

    Although the promised deadline of 1¡¯o clock had passed, I didn''t stop. I continued my futile efforts till three in the morning.

    [Didn''t I clearly say 1 o''clock? Do you not even pretend to listen to my advice?]

    "Let me try it one more time. This is for sure thest time."

    [This is the seventeenth time you''ve said ''thest time.'']

    "...You counted each one of them?"

    [Well, you kept dragging it on, saying st time,st time.'' I counted it because I got bored and had nothing else to do.]

    "Okay, then. This is thest time I tell you it is thest time. The finale. This is it."

    I stayed up almost all night that night.

    ***

    Although I had stayed up almost all night, it was only "almost¡± all night. Luckily, I had given myself a two-hour window to rest, so I spent thirty minutes restlessly turning in my bed and an hour and a half asleep.

    Perhaps due tock of sleep, my head felt a bit dizzy and my ears felt stuffy, but it didn''t feel like my feet were being swallowed in a swamp like before.

    The eventful month of March wasing to an end, and April was just around the corner. The winds had be warm enough for it to feel like spring, and the grass glistened vibrantly, thriving in the moisture.

    Was it thanks to the relentless efforts I madest night, sacrificing sleep, that the fleeting scenery seemed particrly beautiful today? I felt unreasonably good.

    [Look at you, feeling so happy despite getting so little sleep. You¡¯re the second one that I find to be this weird.]

    "Who was the first?"

    [Your father, of course.]

    I had a pointless conversation with Legba as I walked through the empty alley. Soon, I was greeted by the sight of F.A., and students, walking along with their heads looking down at the ground. Among them, I saw Jin-Seo walking with an unusualck of energy. Jin-Seo noticed me as well. Our gazes met.

    However, Jin-Seo turned her head swiftly without greeting me or acknowledging me at all. Her expression was unusually cold and filled with hostility. I had sensed it sincest Friday¡ªshe seemed angry at me for some reason.

    I approached her first. "You left earlyst week¡ª"

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    Before I could finish my sentence, Jin-Seo started running as if she was trying to get away from me. I couldn''t see her face clearly, but from a fleeting nce, I could make out a trace of surprise. My n to ask if she was okay and my worries about her leaving earlyst time became futile. Jin-Seo was intentionally avoiding me.

    Once again, I couldn''t fathom the reason. What did I do wrong? I couldn''t recall anything I had done wrong, even after scouring my memory. In the midst of my thoughts, Jin-Seo had run away so far that I could no longer see her.

    [Seems like you scared her off with that tired face of yours. I told you to sleep early.]

    "..."

    I ignored Legba''s nonsense. I pondered for a while about why Jin-Seo was avoiding me, but I couldn''t find an answer, so I gave up thinking about it and moved on, heading up to my ssroom.

    "Sun-Woo, your nose...! Huh? It''s fine...? Why is it fine?" As soon as I entered the ssroom, In-Ah greeted me.

    I casually touched my nose and smiled. "The hospital treated me well. Apparently, I wasn¡¯t seriously injured in the first ce."

    "Oh, really? That''s a relief. You lookedpletely messed up from all the blooding out..."

    "I thought the same, but apparently not." I casually lied.

    In reality, my nose had indeed beenpletely obliterated. I didn¡¯t want to toot my own horn, but thanks to my god-level restoration spell, it healed perfectly.

    "Oh, right! By the way, have you seen the notice board in front of the Main Building? Min-Seo..." In-Ah asked anxiously.

    There was a disciplinarymittee hearing about Min-Seo''s sudden behavior, and she received a fifteen-day suspension of on-campus volunteer work. I was a little surprised, but I didn''t care about whatever punishment Min-Seo received. So, I was rtively unfazed. While In-Ah and I were having a conversation, Jun-Hyuk sat in his seat and stared at me nkly. I wondered why Jun-Hyuk, who was alwayste, hade early today.

    "You came early today."

    "...Huh? Oh. Yeah, I dide early today," Jun-Hyuk answered somewhat nervously.

    His demeanor was noticeably different from usual. He looked a little confused.

    ...It might be a far stretch, but the look on his face seemed simr to the kind of confusion Jin-Seo had shown. I couldn''t even begin to guess why Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk were acting like this today.

    ***

    After running away from Sun-Woo, Jin-Seo entered a secluded alley that she often used as a smoking spot. She slid down the wall and crouched down.

    "Ugh." Jin-Seo clutched her knees and let out a sighced with regret.

    Jin-Seo instinctively ran away the moment she heard Sun-Woo¡¯s voice. How strange would she have looked in Sun-Woo''s eyes? She thought of her bewildered expression and the pathetic manner in which ran away. Her face was burning. She felt embarrassed and pathetic.

    "And what''s with the ring..."

    While wailing in regret, Jin-Seosuddenly looked up. Although it was a passing nce, she had noticed a ring on Sun-Woo''s left pinkie that she had never seen before. Jin-Seo knew that a ring on the left ring finger symbolized a couple ring. She had no idea what having a ring on any other finger symbolized, which made her more anxious and restless.

    <i>p, p.</i>

    She abruptly stood up after tormenting herself, dusting off her clothes. She immediately made her way to the ss of Charity. If she didn''t know, then she just needed to ask. Jun-Hyuk was right. Keeping quiet would only create more misunderstandings and wouldn¡¯t solve anything.

    When Sun-Woo''s house was on fire, there must have been a reason why he had been at In-Ah''s house. In-Ah had been absent for a long time, so maybe he had gone to share notes from all the sses she had missed. But wasn¡¯t it already over from the moment he had gone to deliver that at such ate hour?

    "..."

    Jin-Seo shook her head to clear her mind, but it had little effect. The nagging thoughts continued to grow uncontrobly.

    Now, she stood in front of the ss of Charity ssroom.

    ¡°<i>Pheww.¡± </i>She let out a deep sigh.

    <i>¡®I heard you left earlyst Friday because you hurt your nose. I was wondering if the treatment went well. And the ring looked pretty. What significance does it have? And why did you go to In-Ah''s house?</i>¡¯ Jin-Seo¡¯s head was filling up with what she was going to say. <i>¡®I just need to casually ask everything, as if I was wondering how he was doing. Just be natural, don''t tremble, and don''t be flustered. Just be natural.</i>¡¯

    After all, there was no reason not to be natural. It didn¡¯t matter to her whether Sun-Woo had hung out at In-Ah¡¯s ce or not. She was walking to the ss of Charity just out of curiosity. It had nothing to do with being interested in Sun-Woo or because she was bothered about In-Ah, who was in the same ss.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Jin-Seo cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. The first person she saw was Jun-Hyuk, and next to him was In-Ah, and in front of them, she saw Sun-Woo talking to In-Ah with a bright smile.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Jin-Seo unconsciously closed the back door of the ss of Charity by kicking it and returned to her own ssroom. The door seemed to be broken, but she didn¡¯t care.

 Chapter 67

    <h4>Chapter 67</h4>

    As an aspiring priest, In-Ah analyzed Sung Yu-Da''s blessing array and submitted a report on it, which Do-Jin praised highly. It was only natural, for In-Ah was already skilled in handling blessing arrays, especially in terms of theory.

    "...Oh."

    In-Ah let out a sigh and stopped speaking after boasting her skills. Her gaze was fixated on the back door. She froze and tensed up. It was hard to tell, but she looked both surprised and perplexed. I followed In-Ah''s gaze and turned my eyes toward the back door.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    At that moment, a loud sound rivaling that of an exploding bomb erupted.

    Of course, the sound wasn¡¯t caused by an actual bomb. It seemed like someone had kicked the back door. I couldn''t tell who it was. Eyes open wide in surprise, In-Ah looked at the back door and then shifted her gaze to me.

    "...Was there someone at the back door?" I asked, looking into her eyes.

    Her eyes showed signs of confusion, but at the same time, she also lookedposed. After stealing a nce at the door, she looked back and smiled. ¡°Nope. There was no one... I wonder what it was."

    Her pupils were slightly trembling, which meant that she was lying. It seemed that someone had indeed been at the back door. However, since I had no way of knowing who it was, nor did I care, I decided not to push further.

    "...Sun-Woo, by any chance¡ª"

    <i>Drrrk!</i>

    Just as In-Ah was about to ask me something, the front door opened, and Ye-Jin entered. Chatting students here and there scattered and returned to their seats. Ye-Jin stood in front of the teacher''s desk. One could tell that she was excited.

    "Alright, everyone. Did you have a good weekend? Today, I have an important announcement," she said with a stern look.

    She picked up a chalk and wrote ¡°3/31¡± on the ckboard. March 31st. That was two days from now.

    "We''ve been talking about it all the time, but we hadn¡¯t scheduled a date yet. March 31st, which means this Wednesday." Ye-Jin put down the chalk and smiled faintly. "We will hold the Holy Name of Charity¡¯s re-election test!"

    Re-election test. Finally, the re-election test that had been postponed due to various reasons was taking ce. And it was in two days. Two days wasn¡¯t a short or a long time to prepare for the test. I felt like I needed to start prepping for the exam today, or maybe even right now.

    "Some of you may have heard, but the use of holy artifacts is allowed. As for the content of the test, it will remain a secret until the day of!"

    Ye-Jin''s lively face suddenly turned slightly dark. She still had a smile on her lips, but it almost seemed like it had taken a darker hue.

    "The student selected to acquire the Holy Name of Charity will have to make a donation to the Florence Foundation. Of course, there''s no need for you to worry. If any students wish to participate, please discuss this with your parents." She hesitated and lightly licked her lips, barely managing to speak. It seemed that she felt sorry for talking about money in front of the students.

    Some students bit their lips or narrowed their eyes in a negative reaction to the mention of donations. To be appointed as the Holy Name of Charity, one had to donate an astronomical amount of money to the foundation. No matter how skilled a student was, if they could not match the donation amount needed, they could not be appointed as the Holy Name of Charity. Due to this system, the Holy Name of Charity was often referred to as "nobility" or "corrupted."

    [Would you look at that? People aren¡¯t the ones who manipte money. Rather, money maniptes people.] Legba sighed.

    I nodded quietly. It was unfair and cruel that no matter how skilled someone was¡ªthey couldn''t be appointed if they didn¡¯t have money. However, being unfair did not necessarily mean the system was irrational.

    F.A. had arge campus and was equipped with high-quality teachers and education. Just paying the teachers'' sries alone would require a tremendous amount of money. The money that they received from the country and the Romanican Church fell extremely short to cover the expenses. That WAS why they relied on the Holy Name of Charity topensate for theck of funding. It was a win-win situation as the student could be a member of the student council just through money, and the school could receive the necessary funds.

    Of course, this did not justify how the system was unfair to students who were financially disadvantaged. However, unfairness did not make something unreasonable, and being reasonable does not make something fair.

    [That''s fortunate for you.]

    Right now, I had the means to pay for the donation. While I couldn¡¯t talk about the exact amount, I had enough money to pay double the donation demanded by F.A. and still be able to livefortably. It was thanks to the confiscated property from Han Su-Yeop.

    So, the challenge was not of money but of skills. No matter how skilled one was, without money, one could not be the Holy Name of Charity. Conversely, no matter how much money someone had, it was difficult to be Holy Name of Charity without the necessary skills. Even the expelled Sung-Hyun had been more skilled than most.

    "..."

    I nced briefly at the ring on my left ring finger. My blessing ability was far below average, but my ability to cast spells was unrivaled. If I could use spells in the re-election test, I could secure first ce regardless of the test content. I was confident I would seed.

    <i> </i>*

    The school day ended without any new surprises. If anything, In-Ah was unusually talkative, while Jun-Hyuk seemed unusually quiet. It was as if In-Ah had taken away all the words Jun-Hyuk wanted to say. Today, In-Ah seemed to be in a good mood, while Jun-Hyuk seemed to be in a bad mood. I thought there was no need to think deeply about it.

    After school, I went to the underground chapel and started to prepare for my trip to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch. I received a message during lunch stating that I had been summoned today for the investigation regarding the fire ident.

    "I''ll apany you."

    Although I had nned to go alone, Ji-Ah strongly suggested joining me. She rummaged through her bag, looking for something.

    "It¡¯s fine. I can go alone.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the message ask to attend with a guardian?"

    I double-checked the message. While it mentioned the need for a guardian''s attendance, it didn''t necessarily mean I had to bring one. I could work around it by talking to them.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. They did ask for a guardian. But even so, it''s not like you cane in as my guardian.¡±

    Ji-Ah and I were not blood rtives. Besides, she was a minor just like me, so she couldn''t be my guardian.

    ¡°There is no reason why I can''t,¡± Ji-Ah said with a determined voice.

    She ignored my objections and started rummaging through her bag. Soon, she pulled something. It was an identification card. More precisely, it was a forged identification card, with everything from a fake age to name and address.

    ¡°This is a forged identification card that corresponds to the role of your older cousin.¡±

    "...Can a cousin be considered a guardian?"

    "They¡¯ll overlook it if we say that we''re rtives living together. After all, the members of the Pdin Order aren''t exactly diligent. Anyway, would it be fine if we go together?"

    I couldn¡¯t refuse after she had gone to such lengths. In the end, I headed to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch with Ji-Ah. We took a taxi, and Ji-Ah handled the payment. After getting out of the taxi, I stretched, looking at the majestic building of the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch.

    Ji-Ah got out behind me, and she stared at the building with a somewhat venomous gaze. She seemed serious, but because of her appearance, she looked a bitical.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll believe that you¡¯re my older cousin. You¡¯re too short." I teased Ji-Ah as we walked toward the building.

    Ji-Ah red at me with an expressionless face.

    "Whether they believe it or not, it doesn''t matter because I have an identification card."

    "I guess so."

    "And I¡¯m not that short... or so I think," Ji-Ah said. It seemed that I had wounded her pride.

    ¡°No, I¡¯d say that you¡¯re definitely on the shorter end."

    "I¡¯m just a little shorter than average."

    "Are you sure it¡¯s just a little?"

    "...Yes." Ji-Ah shook her head in dejection. I decided to stop teasing her since she looked like she might start to get really upset. I shut my mouth.

    We soon entered the interior of the Pdin Order.

    "What''s your business?" a pdin asked, scanning me from head to toe.

    Just by first impressions, he looked impolite and the type that would act up. His tone and gaze were unkind for some reason. I brushed it off, considering that I wouldn''t see him again, and it would only be a loss for me to pay attention to such things. I showed him the attendance request message on my phone.

    "Uh... Oh, I see! Fire, right? You''re Sun-Woo, the student? You can go over there. And who is behind you?"

    "She''s my guardian."

    "Oh, a guardian...guardian?" The pdin looked at Ji-Ah''s face and tilted his head in confusion.

    "Could you show me some ID?"

    "Yes."

    Ji-Ah reached out and showed her identification card. The pdin narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the identification card for a while, then nodded and returned it to Ji-Ah.

    "Alright? then, pleaz make your way together."

    The pdin had a habit of pronouncing ''please'' as ¡®pleaz.¡¯ [1]

    "Alright. Are we supposed to go into the... counseling room? Is that right?"

    "Oh, yes, that''s right. Both of you, please make your way into the counseling room.¡±

    We entered the counseling room as guided by the pdin. In the center of the room, there was a table, and a pdin with a menacing appearance was seated in front of it with crossed arms. Fairytale books and dolls were scattered in the room, decorating the shelves in the corner, seemingly trying to create a cozy atmosphere. Yet, it had the opposite effect on me, as it only added to the uneasiness that I felt.

    "Please have a seat." As I looked around the counseling room, the pdin, with a grim expression, tapped the desk and directed us to sit down.

    We followed the instructions and sat across from the pdin. In the meantime, I briefly nced at Ji-Ah''s face. It seemed like she was displeased by the pdin''s disrespectful attitude, as her expression had turned cold.

    "So, what did you call us here to discuss?" Ji-Ah red at the pdin and asked.

    After clearing his throat and adjusting his cor, the pdin exined, "We called you here to rify that the recent fire was not an ident but an ''incident.''"

    "An incident?" Ji-Ah raised her eyebrow in confusion.

    An incident, meant that the fire was not a coincidence but deliberately set by someone. I had an idea of who was behind this. The pdin rummaged through his clothes, pulled out a photo, and ced it on the desk.

    "This is a body we found at the scene."

    In the photo, there was a cat. A goat symbol was imprinted on its forehead, and its entrails were spilling out from a burst abdomen. It was the cat that I couldn¡¯t help but grow fond of even after I had tried to make some emotional distance from it. The picture showed the dead body of the same cat, but that had turned into a demonic beast.

    The pdin tapped the photo with his finger and continued, "If you look at the picture, the abdomen of the demonic beast is ruptured, correct? It appears that the stray was turned into a demonic beast, and an explosive device was nted in his abdomen, which was remotely ignited."

    "...Are the Satanists to me?"

    "Yes. We suspect so. Or rather, we are almost certain."

    Ji-Ah nced at me for a moment, and I couldn''t tell what her intention was. I couldn''t read her emotions based off her expressionless face.

    "So, what''s your conclusion?" Ji-Ah turned her gaze back to the pdin and asked sharply.

    The pdin gathered his hands and ced them on the table,cing them together and putting them in front of his face.

    ¡°Skipping to conclusions, we have reasons to believe that the Satanists are targeting Sun-Woo.¡±

    ¡°...What led to this conclusion?¡± Ji-Ah asked.

    The pdin showed us documents and pictures, exining his reasoning. He spoke about demonic beasts, point ofbustion, and other details. To summarize, the Satanists were definitely trying to kill me. Ji-Ah''s expression noticeably darkened as she listened to the story.

    "Assessing the need to protect Sun-Woo''s safety, we are considering assigning pdins to apany you. What is the guardian''s opinion on this?"

    The pdins'' request for the attendance of a guardian seemed to be because they wanted to obtain consent for safety measures. Ji-Ah sent me a subtle look as if asking for my opinion. In response, I shook my head, indicating my refusal.

    If Satanists were really after my life, it would be reasonable to request protection for my safety. Under the protection of pdins, the chances of being killed by the Satanists would significantly decrease. However, it also meant that the pdins would be monitoring me.

    I was a student of F.A., but I was also the cult leader of the Voodoo Cult. Being watched by the pdins would restrict my actions as a cult leader, and in the worst-case scenario, it could expose my true identity.

    "I appreciate your concern, but I will decline." Ji-Ah also seemed to agree with my thoughts as she nodded slightly and rejected the pdin''s proposal. The pdin seemed taken back as his eyebrows squirmed.

    "...Are you sure about this? There''s no doubt that the Satanists are targeting Sun-Woo. We can only specte about the reasons behind targeting Sun-Woo, but if we leave the matter like this¡ª"

    "No, I refuse. Even if Sun-Woo receives protective measures, there''s no guarantee of his safety."

    "But he''ll be safer than he is now."

    "There''s no point in trying to convince me. My decision is final. Sun-Woo, let''s go." Ji-Ah grabbed my wrist and abruptly stood up from her seat.

    I followed Ji-Ah out of the counseling room. The pdin tried to persuade us, yelling from behind, but Ji-Ah paid no attention to him at all. We left the Pdin Order building like that. Heading toward a nearby road, we immediately hailed a taxi.

    "Cult Leader, I apologize for casually mentioning your name. I''m truly sorry." While waiting for the taxi, Ji-Ah bowed her head and apologized.

    I waved my hand. "There''s no need to apologize for things like that. Calling me by name is not a big deal."

    "To me, it is a big deal," Ji-Ah said firmly.

    I nodded, feeling a bit awkward and uneasy. It seemed much morefortable for her to refer to me as Cult Leader, and I couldn¡¯t just force her to call me by name.

    Come to think of it, there was a lot I didn''t know about Ji-Ah. Why she helped the Voodoo Cult? Was she really eighteen years old? Why she did she always sleep in the warehouse?

    "Cult Leader."

    Then, Ji-Ah suddenly called out to me. The taxi hadn''t arrived yet.

    "Yes?"

    "Did you know the arsonist was a Satanist?"

    Ji-Ah stared at me with unwavering eyes. I was momentarily lost in thought. I had a vague idea that the arsonist was a Satanist. When I rushed into the mes to retrieve my father''s keepsake, I had seen the goat symbol imprinted on the forehead of the deceased cat.

    "Yes, I knew."

    "Why didn''t you mention it back then?"

    "Because it wasn''t something that had to be said."

    However, I hadn¡¯t felt the need to inform Ji-Ah or my uncle about it. Not only did I think it was unnecessary, but I also didn''t want to cause any unnecessary worry. The corners of Ji-Ah''s mouth drooped upon hearing my words. She seemed somewhat hurt.

    "Cult Leader. We raided the Voodoo Revival, no, the Zapduists, to reim the Altar, didn''t we?"

    "Yes, why are you suddenly bringing that up?"

    "We raided Zapduists not only to reim the Altar but also because they posed a threat to the Voodoo Cult by expanding their influence."

    I nodded. She was right.

    Ji-Ah looked at me with determined eyes and continued speaking. "We eliminated them because the Zapduists posed a threat to us. And now, the Satanists are threatening us. Do you intend to leave them be?"

    "..."

    I kept my mouth shut.

    The Satanists were targeting me. They had a reputation for appearing in unpredictable moments, killing people in cunning and bizarre ways. In other words, I was in a situation where it wouldn''t be strange for me to be killed at any moment.

    Naturally, I was anxious and stressed out. Even when I was resting, eating, or sleeping, I was always on edge; I never knew when a Satanist might strike. I wasn¡¯t anxious to the point where I felt like I would lose my mind, but my insomnia had gotten worse, and I''d been experiencing nightmares more frequently.

    That was why I couldn''t just sit still. If I could, I wanted to track the Satanists'' base and destroy them all.

    "Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do at the moment. We have no choice but to wait quietly."

    However, the problem was that there was nothing we could do. Yet. Ji-Ah lowered her head at my words, chewing her lips anxiously as if hesitating to speak.

    "...What if there was something we could do?" She finally uttered a somewhat profound remark. What did she mean?

    "Of course, if there was something we could©¤"

    <i>Vrooom¨C!</i>

    At that moment, the taxi arrived. We stopped our conversation and got into the taxi. Ji-Ah took the front passenger seat, and I sat in the back seat.

    When the driver asked for the destination, Ji-Ah told him to go to F.A.

    Silence hung in the air.

    "I will find a method soon and contact you." Sitting in the front passenger seat, she quietly murmured, staring beyond the window.

    I didn''t reply but gazed silently at Ji-Ah''s reflection in the window. Her face remained expressionless as always.

    1. In the original text, the pdin says the word jusim(??), which is a short form of the term jusimyeon(???). In this case, jusimyeon could be tranted as ¡®if you could do this.¡¯ In Korean, one uses shortened forms like these in an informal talk. Jusim(??) has been tranted to ¡¯pleaz¡¯. ?

 Chapter 68

    <h4>Chapter 68</h4>

    After returning to the underground chapel from the Pdin Order, I immersed myself in practicing spells and blessings. Other than eating and going to the bathroom, I stayed locked in my room. In the most literal sense, I was doing seclusion training. The purpose, of course, was to achieve this state of ¡°Acquirement,¡± or whatever it was.

    Of course, I made no progress. I brieflyy down during training and fell asleep, only to wake up in the morning. I hurriedly got ready and headed to school, and spent the rest of the day, as usual, in training.

    And finally, it was Wednesday.

    [You seem to be in great condition today.] Legba suddenly spoke as I was putting on my school uniform.

    His tone was slightly different from usual. His voice was louder, and his pronunciation seemed more muffled.

    "Sleeping a lot yesterday really helped," I casually replied.

    The change in his voice wasn''t significant enough to concern me. I started packing my bag, putting in my textbooks, Holy Book, and the holy artifact.

    [Right. It''s good to get plenty of sleep. But don''t sleep too much, not too much!]

    "...Huh? You always nag me to sleep more."

    [Oh, did I... Did I say that? Hmm, I don''t remember.]

    Just as I finished my preparations and was about to leave for the underground chapel, I sensed something odd about Legba''s voice.

    No, to be precise, this wasn''t Legba. It was the voice of another Loa imitating him. There was only one Loa who would do such a thing¡ªa Loa who could imitate Legba, openly mock him, and suffer no repercussions.

    "Baron Samedi. When did you arrive?"

    [Hmm! Legba''s voice is unnecessarily deep, which makes it hard to imitate.] Finally, Baron Samedi revealed his own voice.

    It seemed like he intended to surprise me with an imitation, but a bad one ?of Legba.

    "So, what''s the matter?" I asked as I put on my shoes.

    [What''s the matter? Didn''t you tell me toe once every five days? You didn''t forget about our agreement, did you?]

    "Oh... Of course, I remember! Thank you foring."

    Honestly, it hadpletely slipped my mind.

    Baron Samedi spat out a displeased sigh. [Well, let''s get straight to the point. Today will be an eventful day.]

    "Eventful?"

    [A lot of things will happen, but none are too major. It''ll be better to see today as an ordinary day.]

    An ordinary day. Hearing those words made me feel slightly better. I had been longing for an ordinary day for so long. I smiled faintly and nodded, and Baron Samedi continued speaking.

    [My advice is to not be alone and always have someone with you at all times. Also, be careful of your back. Well then, I''m off!]

    "My back? What do you mean all of a... Ah, he''s gone."

    With those words, Baron Samedi left. A purple mist swiftly flowed away from me as if fleeing from me...

    <i>Don''t go alone. Be careful of your back. </i>

    I couldn''t tell if he meant to literally watch my back or be cautious of betrayal. I couldn''t even begin to fathom the meaning of ¡®Don''t go alone.¡¯

    Although I couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind his words at the moment, it wouldn''t hurt to remember it.

    <i>Don''t walk alone, be careful of your back, don''t walk alone, be careful...</i>

    I engraved Baron Samedi''s prophecy into my mind and stepped outside. It was early morning, and there were many students with sleepy eyes walking to school and employees heading to work. The weather looked to be slightly cloudy.

    <i>Paak!</i>

    As I walked through the alley, slowly making my way to school, someone pushed me from behind.

    Was it a Satanist? This early? I turned my head, assuming abative stance.

    Fortunately, it wasn''t a Satanist. In-Ah was looking back at me with a bright smile, her face filled to the brim with mischievous intent.

    "You''re up early."

    "...Uh, yeah my body naturally woke up early today."

    "That¡¯s rare. Anyway, let''s go."

    The tension in my body seemed to melt away after seeing her cheerful smile and hearing her words. I let out a sigh of relief and walked with In-Ah. She seemed exceptionally happy today.

    "Today is the re-election test, right? Did you say you applied as well?" In-Ah asked.

    I nodded my head.

    "Yeah. Jun-Hyuk said he applied as well. What about you?"

    "I... I didn''t apply. I wasn''t confident that I¡¯d do well anyway. I want to focus on studying for the uing test." In-Ah let out augh of disappointment and shifted her gaze to the notebook she was holding. It was a notebook holding organized concepts from ''Romanica Sacred Science,'' a subject that required a lot of memorization. She seemed to use hermute time to study. Her concentration was impressive.

    Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t studied for the test at all. I may be able to manage to get at least fifty percent of humanitarian subjects like Romanica Sacred Science or Understanding the Holy Books with my pre-existing knowledge, but natural science subjects like Sacred Dynamics or Sacred Material Science were going to be a problem.

    I couldn¡¯t rely on Legba like I did during evaluations. Legba may be an encyclopedia for humanities, but when it came to natural sciences, he was like a nk sheet of paper.

    "Oh? Isn''t that Jun-Hyuk?" In-Ah opened her eyes wide and asked just as I made up my mind to start studying tomorrow.

    I followed her gaze and looked across the street. Jun-Hyuk was there. He was looking at his reflection in the shop''s ss window and fixing his hair.

    "You¡¯re right. It is Jun-Hyuk."

    "Right? Hey, Jun-Hyuk!" In-Ah shouted without any trace of embarrassment.

    Jun-Hyuk had been busy fixing his hair, when he seemed rattled and looked in our direction. He wore a perplexed expression.

    After the traffic light turned green, we crossed the pedestrian crossing and approached Jun-Hyuk. He took a few steps back in confusion, then smirked. "Hey now, why are youing together?"

    ¡°We bumped into each other on the way. What are you doing here?¡± In-Ah asked.

    Jun-Hyuk stared at his own reflection in the window the whole time he walked. After a while of obsessively fixing his hair, he said, "The wind messed up my hair... Ah, don''t you have ab? I can''t fix it with my hands."

    "Ab? I don''t have one." In-Ah casually replied.

    Jun-Hyuk nced at her bag. There, sticking out from the side of In-Ah''s bag, was a tailb. Jun-Hyuk grinned and took out theb from her bag.

    "...Huh? Are you crazy? What do you think you¡¯re doing? That''s myb for my bangs!"

    "Hair in front of the face, hair on the back of the head, it¡¯s all the same to me~ It''s ab, so I''ll take it!" Jun-Hyuk teased while grooming his hair with theb.

    In-Ah reached out her hands multiple times, trying to snatch theb from Jun-Hyuk. He twisted and turned, evading In-Ah''s attempts. They bickered for a while and then started arguing about who was in the right and wrong, nitpicking every little detail. It was a scene that I had seen too many times.

    "Hmm." I nodded as I watched their interaction.

    The Satanists had infiltrated F.A., and they were most likely in the ss of Charity. In other words, they were someone in our ss. Baron Samedi had warned me to be cautious around people close to us, so it was very likely that Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah could be Satanists.

    But could Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah be the Satanists? I couldn''t help but hope that they weren''t, but when I thought about it, there was no guarantee that they weren''t.

    "..."

    I looked at them with a suspicious gaze. In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk continued to yfully exchange jokes with innocent faces. There seemed to be an invisible wall between us¡ªa tall and sturdy wall that couldn''t be crossed or broken.

    I cleared my mind and walked toward the school.

    <i> </i> *

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    Upon hearing the knocking sound, Su-Ryeon abruptly sat up. She had put together three chairs in the student council room, forming a makeshift bed, and had been napping on top of it.

    When she got up and opened the door, Min-Seo stormed into the student council room.

    "What''s up?" Su-Ryeon asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

    Min-Seo didn''t answer. She sat down andid two documents on the desk. Then she quickly scanned through the papers with an intense gaze. Su-Ryeon approached Min-Seo''s side curiously and started reading the documents. As she read, Su-Ryeon''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Why did you... No, how did you get these?"

    "I have my ways."

    The documents that Min-Seo had brought were none other than Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo¡¯s academic transcripts. The documents listed their evaluation and the practical training scores recorded since the beginning of the year. After reading the documents, Min-Seo pressed her temples as if trying to relieve a headache.

    "...Su-Ryeon."

    "Hmm?"

    "You notice anything strange about these two?" Min-Seo handed the two documents to Su-Ryeon.

    Su-Ryeon examined the documents with a troubled expression. It seemed that she was bothered by the fact that she was peeking into someone else''s grades without permission. At first, Su-Ryeon''s face had been filled with guilt, but a look of curiosity soon emerged. Forgetting about her guilt, she focused on the documents with a face full of confusion.

    "Why are Sun-Woo''s grades like this? Is it an error?"

    "It''s a bit strange, isn''t it?"

    Su-Ryeon tilted her head, clearly puzzled. While Jun-Hyuk''s grades remained consistently around moderately high levels, Sun-Woo''s grades fluctuated greatly.

    He had gotten first ce during evaluations and eradicating demon practice but twelfth in the physical test. Then, he had gotten first ce in fusion blessing presentation practice but almostst in healing practical training.

    "Hecks consistency," Su-Ryeon murmured.

    Sun-Woo''s grades were inconsistent. If a student got first ce in eradicating demon practice, then they should also receive high scores on the physical test. But that wasn¡¯t the case. If a student got first ce during evaluations, then they should also get high scores in fusion blessing presentation practice or healing practical training. But that wasn¡¯t the case either...Sun Woo¡¯s grades for practical training were all over the ce as if they had each beenpleted by different people.

    ¡°And why did he go 3-0 during a practical sparring match?¡± Su-Ryeon muttered to herself while skimming through the documents.

    Min-Seo''s body stiffened slightly in response. Su-Ryeon immediately sensed the subtle change.

    "Did you say you had two wins and one loss in the practical sparring match?"

    "..."

    "Is that one loss against Sun-Woo?" Su-Ryeon''s lips twitched as if she was about to burst intoughter.

    Min-Seo scrunched up her face in silence.

    Judging from the reaction, ?Sun-Woo was indeed the one who left a blemish of one loss on Min-Seo''s otherwise perfect record.

    "Really? Did you lose to Sun-Woo? Seriously, you lost?"

    ¡°...Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Woah, look at Mrs. Scary over here~ But did you really lose? Can you go into detail? Pretty please?¡± Su-Ryeon said, digging into Min-Seo¡¯s hide and making fun of her.

    Min-Seo''s face had frozen in ce, and she sent death stares at Su-Ryeon. It was only then that Su-Ryeon stopped teasing her. However, she still couldn''t hide her twitching lips from subduing her smile.

    For a second, Min-Seo felt a strong urge to punch Su-Ryeon in the face but quickly suppressed it. Su-Ryeon, after teasing Min-Seo for a while, finally forced her smile down and plopped down in her seat. Then she looked over the document listing Sun-Woo''s grades once again.

    "Well... it doesn''t seem so strange when I look at it again," Su-Ryeon said with a smirk.

    Min-Seo tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"

    "Well, maybe he''s just the type with inconsistent performances. For example, he might not have been in the best condition during the physical test, but was in good condition during eradicating demon practice, you know?"

    "Hey, no matter how inconsistent he is that¡ª"

    "Or maybe he''s just not interested in grades?" Su-Ryeon said nonchntly.

    Min-Seo hung her head down for a moment. She seemed to be contemting.

    He didn''t seem like the type who wasn¡¯t interested in grades. No, he didn''t seem like that type at all. In fact, Sun-Woo seemed to be the type who was too passionate, someone who would try his best and give it his all in everything... However, if that were the case, why did he attempt to forfeit during the practical sparring match?

    "No, well, <i>sigh</i>, I don¡¯t know," Min-Seo mumbled, shaking her head.

    Although she had lost by disqualification, she had lost to Sun-Woo in their duel. She had even received disciplinary action of fifteen days of volunteer service within the school. The punishment was rtively lightpared to her offense, but the fact that she was being disciplined remained unchanged.

    Just recalling that memory made Min-Seo feel ufortable. It felt as if her insides were twisting up.

    "Maybe he just got lucky. Sun-Woo is famous among the students, right? Maybe he''s just a bubble," Su-Ryeon suggested.[1]

    "Bullshit. They call him unbelieva¡¯bubble."

    Sun-Woo''s name had be known when the evaluation results were announced. He had surpassed Ha-Yeon, who had entered F.A. as the top scorer and ranked first. Furthermore, in a recent practical sparring match, Sun-Woo aplished the astonishing feat of beating Min-Seo, iming a 3-0 score with no losses.

    This became an opportunity for Sun-Woo to further improve his already renowned reputation. There were even rumors circting that he was second only to Jin-Seo in terms of skill.

    "Well, that''s all just a joke. More people think he¡¯s just a bubble."

    Of course, praise and criticism went hand in hand. Many people considered all the rumors about Sun-Woo to be a mere exaggeration, and they attributed his good practical training scores to sheer luck.

    "I don''t give two shits about what the people have to say behind their backs. What do you think?"

    "What do I think? You mean whether I think he¡¯s a bubble or not?"

    Min-Seo nodded her head. Su-Ryeon stroked her chin and pretended to contemte. She nced at her watch before speaking. "Well... The rumors may have inted his true abilities a bit. But I hadn''t really thought deeply about it, and I see no point in doing so."

    "True."

    "If it''s all just a bluff, he''ll fall off eventually by himself."

    Min-Seo nodded slowly in response to Su-Ryeon''s words. She had a valid point. Regardless of the rumors, what mattered was Sun-Woo¡¯s real ability. However, Min-Seo herself wasn¡¯t confident in assessing Sun-Woo''s ¡®true ability.¡¯ Based on their sparring session, she could tell that he had better physical coordination than most. If they were topare physical coordination alone, he would be on par with Dae-Man.

    However, before the match had been settled, it had ended due to her impulsive action, and as a result, she suffered a disqualification loss. Therefore, she couldn''t determine Sun-Woo''s true ability or uncover the cards he had left unshown.

    "Should we go soon? It seems like it''s about to start." Su-Ryeon called out to Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo, stranded in her sea of thoughts, finally came to her senses and looked at her watch. Lunch break was almost over, and afternoon sses were about to begin. Today, the Holy Name of Charity re-election test reced the afternoon sses. Non-participating students could leave, but the candidates were supposed to gather at the Great Auditorium.

    "Ah, let''s go." Min-Seo got up from her seat and headed towards the Great Auditorium. She was also an exam participant for the re-election test, but it wasn''t because she wanted to be elected as the new Holy Name of Charity. It was solely to help Jun-Hyuk and Sun-Woo as nominees.

    ¡®<i>Plus, I need to confirm a few things...¡¯</i>

    Additionally, she wanted to see Sun-Woo''s true abilities with her own eyes. He had struck down the flying demonic beasts and showcased his exceptional physical coordination during sparring. However, his grades were always unpredictable, and simrly, the evaluations from others varied greatly. This guy was a total enigma. She needed to see Sun-woo¡¯s capability with her own eyes. Not that she <i>needed</i> to, of course, but she wanted to.

    Of course, this Holy Name of Charity re-election test allowed the use of holy artifacts and would make it an extremely unfair fight for Sun-Woo, whocked resources. It would be the equivalent of starting a hundred-meter race three secondster than all the other contestants.

    How would Sun-Woo make a fuss and turn the situation around? The thought made herugh.

    "Min-Seo, um, try not tough too much. People have told me it makes them feel ufortable."

    "...Who cares if someone feels ufortable? And who said that? If they have a problem, they should say it to my face."

    "Well, actually, I feel ufortable. That''s why I am telling you myself." Su-Ryeonughed brazenly, and Min-Seo stared at her with a bewildered expression.

    They walked silently until they finally arrived in front of the Great Auditorium.

    The auditorium was packed full of people, from the test-takers, friends who hade to support them, and teachers assigned to manage the crowd. Roughly two hundred people had gathered together.

    "Oh, there they are.¡± At that moment, Su-Ryeon pointed with her finger beyond the crowd.

    On the other side were Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk, the two soon-to-bepetitors, engaged in a friendly conversation. Observing their interaction, Min-Seo felt an indescribable sense of unease.

    1. Bubble is a metaphor used to show that something might look elevated and puffed up at first but will end up bursting and leaving nothing behind because it has no substance. ?

 Chapter 69

    <h4>Chapter 69</h4>

    The day passed in a blur. Morning sses and lunch blitzed by, and before I knew it, afternoon had arrived.

    I headed to the Great Auditorium to take the Holy Name of Charity re-election test. Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah were by my side. However, since In-Ah wasn''t a candidate, she was just apanying us on the way.

    "Good luck! Let me know when it''s over," In-Ah said as we arrived in front of the Great Auditorium, waving her hand in farewell.

    I responded with a silent wave. Jun-Hyuk looked back and forth between In-Ah and me with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

    "...Hey! What about me? You¡¯re not going to wish me luck?"

    "Why? Do I have to? Alright. Good luck to you too."

    ¡°That¡¯s a half-hearted cheer if I ever saw one. Put some heart into it."

    ¡°Some heart will cost you. I''ll consider it if you give me around 30,000 won."

    "30,000 won? <i>Pffft, </i>you¡¯re out of your mind."

    While In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk bickered back and forth, I counted the people gathered at the Great Auditorium. Apart from the proctors and the students who came to watch, there were roughly a hundred people left. There were quite a few students from other sses than the ss of Charity.

    Strangely, students from other sses were allowed to participate in the Holy Name of Charity re-election test. Even students who already had a Holy Name, like Min-Seo with the Holy Name of Kindness, Su-Ryeon with the Holy Name of Temperance, and Ha-Yeon with the Holy Name of Chastity, could take the test. In fact, Ha-Yeon was receiving her test admission ticket in front of the Great Auditorium while Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon were making their way toward the auditorium.

    "...Huh?"

    Right then, I made eye contact with Su-Ryeon. She pointed her finger at me and said something to Min-Seo, who nodded with a profound expression. I didn''t know what they were talking about, but somehow it made me feel uneasy.

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk tapped my shoulder and asked, "What do you mean ¡®huh¡¯? Why are you spacing out again today?"

    In-Ah was just talking to Jun-Hyuk earlier, but she had disappeared.

    "Looking for In-Ah? She left. Seems like she got annoyed because you weren''t giving her enough attention."

    "Oh?"

    "Wow, look at that reaction. ''<i>Oh?</i>'' Not even a small bit of guilt even when I tell you she¡¯s upset because of you?" Jun-Hyuk said mockingly.

    I didn''t understand why, but I could sense a bit of anger in his tone. Perhaps it was because I had been neglectful of the people around me. After all, I had been immersed in spell practice and had too many things to worry about, like the Satanist, so I had been neglectful of the people around me. But did I really have to pay attention to them?

    While the thought popped up in my head, a teacher¡¯s sharp voice cut through the confusion and reached my ears. "Exam candidates, pleasee here to receive your admission tickets! You cannot take the test without an admission ticket!"

    Jun-Hyuk and I made our way through the crowd to receive our admission tickets.

    "Write your ss and name here. And please show your student ID."

    Following the teacher''s instructions, we wrote our ss and names on the registration form, then showed our student IDs. With furrowed brows, the teacher shifted her gaze between her documents and our student IDs, then nodded and handed us the admission tickets. The admission tickets were simple in design.

    <i>[Participant 041666 - ss of Charity Do Sun Woo]</i>

    On the white ticket, the letters were printed in ck, and there weren¡¯t any other words or decorations. Somehow, it reminded me of Han Dae-Ho''s business card, and I couldn''t help butugh.

    "Oh, 666," Jun-Hyuk eximed as he looked at my ticket.

    Only then did I realize that thest three digits of my registration number were 666.

    "Of all numbers, it had to be 666. Ominous."

    "On the contrary, I think it¡¯s a good sign. Consider it a lucky charm."

    "A lucky charm?"

    Were lucky charms a part of the Romanican Church? While there was a simr culture within the Voodoo Cult, I was not sure if it aligned with the teachings of the Romanican Church. [1]

    "...Well, isn''t praying for prosperity simr to a lucky charm? I¡¯m just saying."

    "Ah, I guess,¡± Jun-Hyuk quickly corrected his mistake.

    Although I found it somewhat strange, I didn''t dwell on it much. It wasn''t that significant of a slip of the tongue, and I didn''t have enough brain space to pay attention to such a small detail.

    "Students with registration forms, please move along!" the teacher shouted loudly.

    Following closely, severalrge buses lined up in front of the Great Auditorium. Teachers loaded students onto the buses as if they were baggage. Jun-Hyuk and I watched the scene in bewilderment.

    "Wait, why are there suddenly buses here? This is on another level," Jun-Hyuk eximed in amazement.

    I nodded, agreeing with Jun-Hyuk''s words.

    "Hey, if you''re taking part in the test, hurry up and get on!"

    "Oh, they¡¯re calling us."

    Where on earth were they taking us that they had to use buses? However, before I could ponder further, we boarded the bus under the guidance of the teacher.

    Inside the bus, the faces of those who had boarded before us were stiff and tense with anxiety. The windows were covered with curtains, so we could hardly see the scenery.

    "...Ah, I¡¯m feeling a bit nervous," Jun-Hyuk said, fidgeting with the back of his neck. There was a slight tremble in his voice.

    <i>Vroooom¨C!</i>

    Apanied by the roaring sounds, the buses came to life and started to move.

    ***

    I couldn''t tell how much time had passed. The teachers confiscated our cell phones right after boarding, the curtains remained closed, and there was no clock inside the bus, making it impossible to check the time.

    I looked around. Some kids were experimenting, drawing blessing arrays in the air, while others were chatting with their friends. The rest were sleeping.

    "You know what this feels like? Kidnapping... Yeah, I feel like I¡¯m getting kidnapped right now." Jun-Hyuk said.

    It was a truly fitting expression. It did feel like we were getting kidnapped.

    "And why are all the windows covered? I feel suffocated."

    "You know what it is? What was it called...Area 51? Maybe we¡¯re heading to a restricted area or something like that."

    "Just to take the re-election test? Is F.A. swimming in money?"

    "Judging from what I¡¯ve seen, it seems likely. And if not, then oh well." Jun-Hyuk scoffed and leaned back in his chair.

    Since Jun-Hyuk had taken up more space, the space of the kids sitting behind him decreased by the same amount.

    "Ah,e on." A voice ofint came from the back, but Jun-Hyuk didn''t seem to care.

    He simply sat in his chair and leaned back, gazing nkly at the bus ceiling.

    "Hey, what holy artifact did you bring?"

    "Well..."

    I had no reason to answer the question, so I vaguely brushed it off.

    In a situation where I wasn¡¯t sure what the exam was about, revealing what holy artifacts I had would be tantamount to suicide. It would be best to keep what artifacts I had hidden, and if I happened to arrive at a situation where I had to tell someone what artifacts I had, it would be better toce my exnation with lies.

    "Ha, I see you''re not talking. Are you trying to keep yourpetition in check?"

    "Whatpetition? Why do you keep thinking of me as apetitor?"

    "Ah,e on. Stop joking around and be honest. I know you do consider me as yourpetition," Jun-Hyuk said, looking beyond the invisible window. His voice was somewhat serious.

    It was true. Once the exam started, I would bepeting with Jun-Hyuk. However, I didn''t think of him as apetitor.

    "..."

    I turned my head and looked at the girl sitting at the very back. From her white hair to her skin, she had an overall pale appearance. She gazed aimlessly into the air with an expressionless face as if she didn¡¯t feel the pressure.

    It was Ha-Yeon, the Holy Name of Chastity.

    Although they hadn¡¯t boarded the same bus, Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon, the Holy Names of Kindness and Temperance, had also applied for this exam.

    I felt sorry for Jun-Hyuk, butpared to Ha-Yeon, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon, he didn¡¯t feel like a realpetitor. If any unexpected variables were to ur in this exam, they would likely cause it, not Jun-Hyuk.

    "When will we arrive? I¡¯m starting to get bored."

    "Um, could you please pull the seat forward?"

    "If they could just tell us what time it was, that¡¯d help a lot."

    "Hey, guys..."

    "I know, right? Why did they take our cell phones? It''s ridiculous."

    "..."

    I could faintly make out a strange sound behind us during our conversation, but the voice was too soft.

    The bus continued to speed on. We stared at the grid pattern of the curtains covering the windows, not knowing how much longer we had until reaching our destination.

    *

    Soon, the bus stopped, and, following the guidance of the teachers, we got off the bus.

    As I set foot on the ground, I took a deep breath. I was first greeted by the scent of the forest and then the smell of fog. The air was so thin that it made it hard to breathe.

    The ce we arrived at was none other than a mountaintop. All the students, including Jun-Hyuk and me, looked around with bewildered expressions.

    Right then, a man introduced himself with a heartyugh.

    "Wee, everyone. I am Noah, the supervisor of the Holy Name of Charity re-election test and the overall person in charge of the Ark," he said cheerfully. "Oh, of course, that''s not my real name. Noah is my baptismal name. A fun fact, however, is that myst name is Noh... <i>Hahaha.</i> Oh, wasn''t that funny?"

    His name, or rather, his baptismal name, was Noah. He wore a white shirt with ck cks, and ?he had a long robe that reached his ankles. The robe was a refreshing shade of blue and looked as if it held the sea within it.

    "Well, anyway! I''m sure you all must be confused. Why did we bring you all the way up to the mountaintop for the re-election test? I''m sure some of you must be wondering. Naturally, this is not where you will be taking the test!"

    [He talks too much. I despise men like him.] Legba clicked his tongue, listening to the man.

    Come to think of it, Noah was indeed a talkative person. He seemed to talk more than Baron Samedi or Sobo.

    "Your test will take ce behind me, in this Ark!" Noah pointed exaggeratedly behind him.

    It was the perfect time for apuse, but unfortunately, not a single person pped. The reason was simple. There was nothing in the direction Noah was pointing toward. Noah was pointing at empty space while babbling about the test and the Ark.

    "...Is he crazy?" someone said.

    Perhaps because the voice was heard in the silence, but it sounded even more exaggerated. Upon hearing this, Noah scowled slightly.

    "Calling me crazy? That''s quite harsh! There is an Ark behind me! Can''t you see it? Only good people can see it, so maybe you can''t see it?" Noah said loudly, waving his arms and legs in a disorderly manner.

    Indeed, this person was crazy, I thought. Noah unleashed his divine power and drew a blessing array that I had never seen before.

    <i>Puuuuuu¡ª!</i>

    The light flowed out of the blessing array and enveloped the air. In that instant, a loud boat horn roared, and something appeared in the previously empty space.

    It was a boat made of wood. It was so enormous and magnificent that it was hard to capture it all within my field of vision. As soon as I saw it, the word "Ark" unconsciously came to my mind.

    "Now, can you see it?" Noah said triumphantly.

    The kids looked at the Ark that suddenly appeared with dumbfounded expressions with their mouths wide open as if in a trance.

    With his lips rounded, Jun-Hyuk looked up and down at the Ark with sparkling eyes.

    "I''m d to see you surprised. <i>Hahaha!</i> Anyway, you will be taking the test inside this ''Ark.'' Oh, just in case! This is an Ark, and although my baptismal name is Noah, this is not Noah''s Ark!"

    ording to Noah, this was an Ark, but it wasn¡¯t the ¡®real¡¯ Noah¡¯s Ark made by Prophet Noah as recorded in the Holy Book. It was a holy artifact designed by Sung Yu-Da, the previous Cardinal, an expert in holy artifact production, and a man well-versed in the arts of sacred material science and sacred dynamics.

    The moment the name Sung Yu-Da was mentioned, everyone¡¯s gaze turned to Ha-Yeon. She, however, did not bat an eye.

    I was bothered by how often I came across the name Sung Yu-Da. The names I didn¡¯t want to hear stuck more vividly in my mind and lingered in my ears.

    "Well, enough of that. Seeing is believing, so it''s faster to go in and experience it firsthand. Now, everyone, let''s go inside."

    Noah guided about a hundred students, followed in a line into the Ark. The entrance to the Ark was spacious, befitting the Ark¡¯s overwhelming size, preventing any confusion. I followed the crowd and entered Noah¡¯s Ark. There was a security checkpoint simr to the entrance of an airport.

    A man who appeared to be a staff member of the ship said, "Yes, you may proceed. Next!"

    The students showed their holy artifacts to the man and passed through the security checkpoint, finally entering the ship.

    Eventually, it was my turn. I showed the staff member the holy artifact I had brought and passed through the security checkpoint.

    <i>Beep! Beep!</i>

    A sharp sound resonated from the security checkpoint.

    "Hmm? Is there a holy artifact that you haven¡¯t submitted?"

    "...No. There isn''t."

    "Huh, that''s strange. Just a moment."

    The staff member took a metal detector and scanned it over my body.

    <i>Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.</i>

    At first, the detector didn''t react to anything, but as soon as it passed over my fingertips, it made a sound.

    "Ah, could it be because of this ring?" the staff member said.

    ¡°...¡±

    I closed my mouth. Cold sweat trickled down. If it was impossible to bring the ring into the ship, my n would be foiled at such an early point in the exam.

    "Student, is this a couple''s ring? Rings are allowed, but couple''s rings aren''t~"

    "...What? No, no, it''s not a couple''s ring."

    "I¡¯m just joking with you. You can wear the ring and go in! Sometimes, things like this happen. I can tell it¡¯s not a holy artifact. <i>Hahaha.</i> You¡¯re free to go~" the staff member said,ughing heartily.

    Fortunately, it seemed that rings were allowed. There were a few kids whispering behind me, staring at me while gossiping. I ignored them and passed through the security checkpoint.

    After everything, I finally passed the security checkpoint and entered Noah''s Ark.

    When all the attendees had passed through the security checkpoint and finally entered the Ark, Noah stood in the middle of the Ark with his arms spread out wide as he proudly eximed, "Ta-da! This is the Ark right here!"

    I looked around the ship. I was surprised by how barren it was. It was truly a bleak sight. How on earth were we supposed to take the test in a ce like this? As I started to grow irritated from new questions arising one after another, he suddenly said, ¡°Well then, everyone, please give your best in the exam!"

    <i>Snap!</i>

    With the sound of fingers snapping, the lights went out.

    Thick darkness obscured my vision. I couldn''t see anything in front of me. The darkness felt so deep that I didn¡¯t dare take a step forward.

    Startled by the sudden darkness, the students erupted in noise. Screams, shouts, whispers, sighs, the different sounds tangled and swirled around me like mist and then disappeared. What remained was pitch-ck darkness and silence.

    [Sung Yu-Da, that despicable bastard...]

    Legba''s muttering broke through the silence and echoed in my head. I couldn¡¯t understand what he meant.

    <i>Snap!</i>

    At that moment, the same sound as before echoed. The thick darkness that obscured my vision began to recede, and gradually, a light started to seep in. It was blinding. I looked around, narrowing my eyes.

    The drearyndscape I saw when I first entered the ship was nowhere to be found. I was now standing in a meadow. The ground was covered with short grass and lively flowers, and trees were scattered in the distance. Beyond them, there was a tall mountain that stood so tall that I didn''t even dare to look up at it. The sky was clear and blue, and medium-sized clouds drifted by at a moderate pace. The sunlight felt warm and cozy. It was as if I had been transported to an untouched natural Earth, untainted by the hands of civilization.

    Although I felt a sense offort in the absence of civilization, I also felt anxious. I still couldn''t fully grasp what had happened to me.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Then, something fell in front of me. It was a note. I unfolded the note because I felt like I had to, as if, someone hadmanded me to do? so.

    <i>[Candidate Number 041666 - ss of Charity Sun-Woo]</i>

    <i>The theme for the first checkpoint is Ark!</i>

    <i>Adonai is furious. Rain pours from the sky, the rain so fierce that it can submerge the whole world. Before you are drowned by the rain, you must quickly move into the Ark!</i>

    <i>Evaluation Criteria: </i>

    <i>1. How quickly did you move into the Ark? </i>

    <i>2. [Confidential Condition]</i>

    <i>The time limit is 2 hours. If you exceed the limit, you will be immediately disqualified and expelled from the Ark!</i>

    <i>Candidates who pass the first checkpoint will have the opportunity to take the second checkpoint!</i>

    <i>Good luck.</i>

    Everything happened so suddenly that it was difficult to fully grasp the contents of the note. Unfortunately, the situation did not allow me to take a moment to understand what was going on.

    <i>Tip, tip tip.</i>

    <i>Swooosh¡ª-!</i>

    The rain started pouring as if to signal the start of the test. The first few drops of rain quickly turned as thick as waterfalls. The clear and sunny sky was now densely covered with dark clouds. As I looked around, I saw other candidates braving the rain and running toward the mountain.

    And so, very abruptly, the test had begun.

    1. In the original literature, the word used in ce of lucky charm is ??. ?? is a traditional Korean superstition where one believes it is good for something bad to happen to an insignificant event rather than during a significant event. Because it is a superstition, Sun-Woo is questioning why Jun-Hyuk would say something that contradicts the Romanican code. ?

 Chapter 70

    <h4>Chapter 70</h4>

    <i>Crackle!</i>

    Infusing divine power into the holy artifact Moses'' Burning Bush Twig caused it to catch on fire. When infused with divine power, the holy artifact allowed wirelessmunication between others who possessed the fragment. Soldiers regrly used it during missions, as it had better sound quality than radios or regr calls.

    "Ms. Min-Seo?"

    Ha-Yeon used the artifact to talk to Min-Seo.

    The flickering mes of the twig briefly wavered and soon settled into a steady pattern. This meant that a sessful connection had been established with the other person.

    ¡ªAh, ah. Can you hear me?

    "Yes, I can hear you. What should I do first?"

    ¡ªUh, yeah. I can hear you as well. Give me a second.

    Each time the mes flickered, the sound from the other person came through. It seemed as if Min-Seo''s voice had turned into a melody, and the me danced in response to it.

    Through the mes, there was a rustling sound as if Min-Seo was rummaging for something.

    ¡ªAlright, what should we do first... Have you located Sun-Woo?

    "...What?"

    ¡ªWhen you do, stick with him. Su-Ryeon will stick to Jun-Hyuk, and I''ll take care of the rest of the guys. It seems like everything will work out if you stick with Sun-Woo.

    "Koo Jun-Hyuk? Jun-Hyuk? I''ll stick with that person. Let¡¯s have Su-Ryeon stick with Sun-Woo©¤"

    ¡ªThat¡¯llplicate the n. Moreover, it''ll be more troublesome to change it at this point. It''ll be easier if you stick with Sun-Woo.

    "Uh, um, I..." Ha-Yeon made an awkward sound, unable to properly refuse or ept the n.

    Strategically, it would be efficient for Ha-Yeon to stick with Sun-Woo, but she didn''t want to. The reason for this was simple: she disliked him.

    She didn''t understand why, but during eradicating demon practice, she felt something offsetting about him. She recalled seeing his vacant eyes and hearing his dry voice that always sounded angry. As she recollected her memories, Ha-Yeon felt an unbearable difort. She shook her head to shake off the memories.

    ¡ªUh, um, I? What? Anyway, stick with Sun-Woo. It¡¯s the most efficient thing to do.

    "Ah..."

    ¡ªEven if you don''t like it, just bear with it this time. I''ll definitely help you after everything is over.

    "...Alright. I understand." Reluctantly, Ha-Yeon nodded.

    Min-Seo had made a proposal to Ha-Yeon. In exchange for assisting Min-Seo during the Holy Name of Charity re-election test, Ha-Yeon would be given important information directly rted to getting good grades. From Ha-Yeon''s perspective, who was obsessed with her grades for various reasons, it was an offer that she couldn''t refuse.

    <i>Crackle, crack...</i>

    Soon, the mes attached to the burning bush snuffed out, which meant that the connection with Min-Seo had been severed. At the same time, rain began to fall from the sky.

    Ha-Yeon immediately took out a holy artifact she had prepared and infused it with divine power. The holy artifact expanded like an umbre and shielded her from the falling rain.

    "<i>Sigh</i>."

    Ha-Yeon let out a sigh of frustration and looked around to find Sun-Woo. Fortunately or unfortunately, Sun-Woo was close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

    The other students were running towards the Ark on the mountaintop, but Sun-Woo was just standing still, seemingly lost in thought.

    <i>¡®Why does it have to be him again?¡¯ </i>

    Lately, it seemed like she was getting involved with this ¡®Sun-Woo¡¯ in ufortable situations. It felt like the circumstances were being orchestrated, forcing her to get entangled with Sun-Woo.

    She didn¡¯t like Sun-Woo, but everyone around her kept telling her to stick together with him, whether it was her father or Min-Seo.

    "<i>Tsk</i>."

    <i>¡®I don''t like it, but I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡¯ </i>

    Ha-Yeon walked through the rain, making her way toward Sun-Woo.

    ***

    It was pouring rain. The raindrops were so thick that the term "heavy rain" didn''t do it justice. I stood there and let the rain hit my entire body while gazing at ¡®the thing¡¯ on the mountaintop. Although I could only make out a silhouette due to the heavy rain, that was probably the Ark.

    The goal of the first checkpoint was to climb up that mountain and enter the boat within the time limit. It shouldn''t be too difficult to climb within two hours, since the mountain wasn''t too high. Of course, this was the assumption with clear weather. But now, with the heavy rain, it was challenging to even walk, let alone climb.

    "Bossou."

    As an experiment, I called Bossou.

    [Bossou, in a good mood, responds to the Prophet''s call! Today I am in great condition.] Bossou replied in an energetic voice.

    Fortunately, it seemed possible to use the Loa''s power inside the boat. Naturally, it was possible to use divine power as well. Perhaps it would be possible to use Voodoo magic as well, but I refrained from it to avoid any potential danger.

    If I could use Bossou''s power, climbing under the pouring rain wouldn''t prove to be a difficult task. I took a step forward and slowly headed toward the mountain.

    The rain was still pouring from the skies, and the water had risen to ankle height. A ssh apanied each step I took.

    "Excuse me."

    At that moment, someone called me from behind. I turned my head slightly. To my surprise, I was greeted by an unfamiliar face.

    "...Who?"

    It was truly an unexpected face because I didn''t recognize her at all. She smiled at me as she tied up her wet hair with a hairband.

    "We''re in the same ss. I¡¯m Ha-Rin."

    "Ah... I see."

    "I was sitting behind you earlier."

    "Ah."

    I remembered as soon as she mentioned sitting behind me. Ha-Rin was the owner of the voice of discontent I had heard when Jun-Hyuk hadid back in his seat.

    <i>Should I apologize or say I''m d to see her?</i> I couldn''te up with a response, so I remained silent for a while. Ha-Rin smiled awkwardly and spoke up.

    "You probably don''t recognize me. I''m not the type that stands out."

    "No, I think I know your name. Your face is just..."

    "It''s okay. I¡¯m used to it," she said, neatly wrapping her hair up, revealing her face that had been obstructed previously by her wet wall of hair.

    She had an ordinary and forgettable face, one without any distinctive features. It felt like I would forget what she looked like by tomorrow. The only thing that could be considered a distinguishing feature was arge mole under her lip.

    "It might be faster to climb together than alone, don''t you think?"

    She looked beyond the heavy rain and gestured toward the Ark faintly visible on the mountaintop. Instead of climbing alone through the pouring rain, it would be much faster and safer to climb withpanions. She seemed to have approached me in order to suggest that we team up.

    "So, you want to climb with me?"

    "Yeah." Ha-Rin nodded, wearing a faint smile on her lips.

    I nced at her eyes but found no signs of malice.

    <i>¡®Don''t go alone. Be careful of your back.¡¯</i>

    Suddenly, Baron Samedi''s prophecy came to mind, and I was lost in thought.

    Could I trust Ha-Rin? There was no malice in her gaze. Her smile was pure, and her face was so innocent. It felt like she would never think to betray me.

    However, that only fed my suspicion more. Considering Baron Samedi''s prophecy to not go alone, it seemed right to apany Ha-Rin. However, considering the prophecy to be cautious of my back, it also felt wrong.

    I nced briefly at the ring on my little finger.

    "...You¡¯re right. It does seem faster and safer to go together."

    "I''m d. I was worried about what I''d do if you refused." Ha-Rin let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest as if she was genuinely relieved.

    Was that genuine or an act? I could not read Ha-Rin''s intentions. Perhaps she might betray me just before entering the Ark.

    But it didn¡¯t matter. I had my father''s ring. I didn¡¯t trust Ha-Rin. I only believed in the spell imbued in the ring. Above all, in order to test the hypothesis that had recently popped into my head, it was better to keep Ha-Rin by my side.

    "What holy artifact did you bring?" Harin asked as we made our way through the rain toward the mountain.

    "Just something I had lying around."

    "Ah, my bad. I understand that I overstepped."

    The holy artifact I brought was the Fourth Angel''s Horn, but I had no intention of telling her that.

    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t giving a straightforward answer, Ha-Rin nodded her head.

    "The artifact that I brought... is this."

    Ha-Rin took out a holy artifact from her embrace. It was a golden candlestick with seven branches. It wasn''t real gold¡ªthere were traces of worn-out ting here and there. When she infused divine power into the holy artifact, the candles on the candlesticks lit up. The me burned brightly despite being pelted by the rain.

    "...I didn''t know what the test would be about, so I just bought anything. It''s really useless, right?" Ha-Rin smiled with a sense of disappointment.

    It was a hollow smile. She seemed to have a habit of being self-deprecating.

    I wanted to say some words offort, but no words came to mind, so I remained silent. A candlestick that wouldn''t go out even in the rain. If we were in a cave or underground, it would have been useful to use as a shlight, but in this wide-open meadow, the candlestick was useless.

    "No matter what I do, it''s always like this. I''m not good at anything."

    "There¡¯s no need to say it like..."

    "It''s true, though."

    We continued our meaningless conversation as we walked toward the mountain.

    By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, the rising water had reached our shins. ncing back for a moment, I saw that the meadow filled with flowers and grass was nowpletely immersed, creating a harsh atmosphere.

    The path up the mountain split into two. The left path was treacherous, with a steep slope that seemed like someone could slip and fall to their death if they took a wrong step. Rocks and gravel obstructed the road.

    On the other hand, the right path was very smooth. The slope looked like it was artificially constructed, as it was low and t. The stream caused by the rain didn¡¯t flood the path but slipped off to the sides.

    "...The right path looks better, right?" Ha-Rin said hesitantly.

    I nodded. Logically, it seemed more convenient to take the right path than the left one.

    In the distance, I could see the backs of other students climbing the mountain, choosing the path to the right. As I was about to step toward the right path...

    "That¡¯s not the right way." I heard a chilly and unpleasant voice that made my spine shiver and my breath stop.

    I turned around to face the owner of the voice: Ha-Yeon. Her hair was not even slightly damp¡ªit appeared smooth and dry, seemingly thanks to the power of a holy artifact.

    "If you go that way, you''ll be eliminated. Come with me. I''ll guide you," Ha-Yeon said, crossing her arms and speaking with an excessively arrogant tone like she was giving orders. Perhaps because of her raised chin, her gaze seemed like it was looking down on me.

    Unconsciously, I scowled. Disgust overwhelmed me. As I stood there, silently observing Ha-Yeon, she furrowed her eyebrows as if she was dissatisfied.

    "What are you doing? I told you to follow me quickly," she continued.

    Even with her next words, I couldn''t move my feet. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground and the dry, pounding sound of my heart alternated, stirring up my thoughts.

    It was difficult to control my emotions. Whenever I stood in front of Ha-Yeon, it was difficult to calm down my feelings. It was because I saw Sung Yu-Da''s repulsive face in her arrogant eyes.

    "I¡¯ll do what I want." I calmed my breath and finally rejected Ha-Yeon''s suggestion. It wasn''t solely because I disliked her.

    Baron Samedi''s prophecy said to be cautious of my back, but it could be a warning to be careful of betrayal. Based on probability, Ha-Yeon had the highest chance of betraying me, as she had tried to betray me once already during the demon eradication practice at the beginning of the semester.

    "If you go that way, you''ll be eliminated. Don¡¯t you understand?"

    "I understood. But why should I believe you?"

    "Why should you believe me? Of course, you should believe my words because it¡¯s the truth...!"

    "And how do I know that?"

    If Ha-Rin intended to betray me, I could escape the predicament using the spell embedded in the ring. But what if Ha-Yeon intended to betray me? Ha-Yeon possessed the blood of purification, so the spell embedded in the ring wouldn''t allow me to subdue her. In other words, trusting Ha-Yeon was too risky. So, it was better not to trust her at all.

    "And why should I turn back when there''s a perfectly fine path?"

    "Because that path is a trap. I came here to help you. I know the shortcut."

    "A shortcut."

    Her repertoire seemed to mirror what happened during the demon eradication practice. She would lead me through a shortcut and then betray me. This was Ha-Yeon''s specialty.

    By this point, it became even more difficult to trust Ha-Yeon. And there was another reason why I couldn''t trust her.

    "Why are you helping me? What do you gain from it?"

    Ha-Yeon had no reason to help me. Since her intentions were unclear, I couldn''t trust her.

    After hearing my question, Ha-Yeon seemed to be slightly angry. Her lips trembled, and her eyebrows twitched. Her face turned slightly red. It seemed like she became so mad that blood was rushing to her face. However, I felt the same way. Just looking at Ha-Yeon''s face made me feel sick.

    "Ha, is it so difficult to say a simple word of thanks when someone is trying to help you?"

    "Yeah. I don¡¯t need your help. Thank you very much."

    "D-do you think I want to help you? I don''t want to talk with you either!"

    "Oh?" I cut her words short.

    I didn''t want to hear her voice, let alone engage in conversation with her anymore. I didn''t want to see Ha-Yeon for a moment longer.

    "If you don''t want to help, then don''t help. Get lost."

    "Wow..." Ha-Rin expressed her admiration as she stood beside me and looked at me with a dazed expression.

    Even if Ha-Yeon really knew about a shortcut and was genuinely approaching me to help, I had no intention of epting her help. I would rather be disqualified.

    Leaving behind Ha-Yeon, who was staring at me nkly, I climbed the mountain with Ha-Rin. We chose none other than the smooth path. The path was well-paved, so it was easy to walk even in heavy rain.

    While climbing the mountain, Ha-Rin nced at me from time to time.

    "...Are you okay? Her father is a very powerful person, you know."

    "I''m fine."

    The fact that Ha-Yeon''s father was Sung Yu-Da was a well-known fact to everyone. If Ha-Yeon reported this to Sung Yu-Da, and he came to the school to harass me or cause me harm... I would actually wee it. Instead of me going to him, it would be better if Sung Yu-Da delivered himself to me.

    Besides, Ha-Yeon would never report this to Sung Yu-Da. I was certain of it. I knew Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da better than anyone.

    "Um... Excuse me? Hello?"

    While we were climbing, Ha-Rin tapped my shoulder. I turned my head, and Ha-Rin''s eyes widened in surprise as she took a step back.

    "Wo-woah. Your expression, um. It''s quite scary."

    "...Is that so?"

    Caught up in thoughts of Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da, it seemed that I had unintentionally scowled. I forced a smile and rxed my face. Ha-Rin finally let out augh of relief and asked, "Your goal is to be the Holy Name of Charity, right?"

    It was an unexpected question. We were currently taking the Holy Name of Charity re-election test, so it was natural for the goal to be the Holy Name of Charity. I couldn''t fathom why Ha-Rin asked such a question. It was a strange question as if she was implying that bing the Holy Name of Charity wasn''t her goal.

    "Of course. You''re not?"

    "Yeah, I''m not aiming for it." Ha-Rin chuckled as if everything was meaningless to her. "I... just felt like I had to do something. I¡¯ve been failing my practical training so far, and I''ve been questioning why I came to F.A. I felt like I should be doing something, so I came out to this."

    "Ah, I see."

    "Sorry for the sudden ramble."

    I nodded, to which Ha-Rin responded with a bright smile. It seemed like a gesture of gratitude.

    I wasn''t sure about the details, but it seemed like she didn''t take the test with the intention of bing the Holy Name of Charity. Why would she take the test if she didn¡¯t aim to be the Holy Name of Charity? I briefly wondered, but everyone had different thoughts and goals. Even if I couldn''t understand, I decided to ept it.

    "But I wonder if it¡¯s okay to have such an easy exam," she said as we walked.

    I nodded in agreement. Indeed, the test was too easy. Although it was just the first checkpoint, I felt like they had made a mistake in choosing the proper difficulty.

    "Oh, and..."

    <i>Bang!</i>

    At that moment, there was an explosive sound. Ha-Rin''s words dissipated into the air. The loud noise seemed toe from near the mountaintop.

    "Huh...?" Ha-Rin let out a confused cry and raised her head.

    I followed her gaze and looked at the mountaintop. Far away, water was falling from the mountaintop. No, it was not mere water. It was a waterfall.

    <i>Spluplush¨C!</i>

    The waterfall screamed as it approached us. The students climbing the mountain ahead of us were helplessly swept away by it. The waterfall carried dirt, pebbles, rocks, and even uprooted trees.

    It was andslide.

 Chapter 71

    <h4>Chapter 71</h4>

    Min-Seo checked the note as soon as the exam began.

    The condition to pass the first checkpoint was "entering the Ark within the time limit." Since the Ark was on top of a mountain, the candidates inevitably had to climb it. After finishing her calctions, Min-Seo gave her instructions to Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon and used a blessing to scavenge throughout the meadow.

    "...Is this enough?"

    Soon, she found a suitable rock. The rock was short and wide, resembling a steel te. She wrapped her body around the rock and drew a blessing array, causing a collision.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The shockwave from the blessing array collisionunched the rock into the sky. Min-Seo flew into the sky by clinging to the rock.

    "Phew... <i>Wheeze, wheeze... </i>I can do it. I can do it. <i>Wheeze</i>,¡± Min-Seo murmured as she flew through the sky. Blood poured from her mouth.

    Her internal organs were slightly ruptured from the explosion, and it felt like her legs were broken, but it didn''t matter. Even if she got injured or died inside Ark, she wouldn¡¯t really get injured or die. After all, everything that happened inside the Ark was nothing but an illusion. The pain was just a trick yed by her brain.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Min-Seo flew across the sky and fell near the mountaintop, making a sound in the process that resembled a crashing meteorite. Min-Seo forced her battered body up.

    "Fuuuuck, why¡¯d they have to do such a good job of making the pain seem real."

    Of course, even though this was an illusion, she still felt pain. Min-Seo stumbled towards the apex of the mountain, cradling her stomach with her seemingly ruptured organs.

    Walking was excruciatingly painful, and her injuries were severe, but with the help of the blessing array and healing array, she managed to perform emergency treatment and could take a few steps.

    Using the blessing array and healing array on a body injured by itself was a recipe for disaster. Even if it were fine in the short term to use divine power for recovery, she would suffer from significant consequences. However, Min-Seo didn''t care. After all, everything was just an illusion.

    "Phew."

    Soon, Min-Seo arrived at the mountaintop. Rain pelted down from the skies, and the meadow below gradually filled up with water. Students were running from the meadow towards the mountain in disarray. Their appearance resembled ants fleeing from the rain.

    Min-Seo infused divine power into her holy artifact, the Burning Bush Twig. She had two twigs of the burning bush, one connected to Ha-Yeon, and the other connected to Su-Ryeon.

    The twig she had just infused with divine power was connected to Su-Ryeon.

    "Test, test. Su-Ryeon. Can you hear me? If you can, respond."

    ¡ªYeah, I hear you. Why?

    "Which way are youing from?"

    ¡ªI¡¯m taking the shortcut with Jun-Hyuk~ All is going ording to n!

    "Okay." Min-Seo nodded with a satisfied smile.

    Through illegal pathways, she had received intel that the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity was divided into the first checkpoint and the second checkpoint.

    Candidates would be weeded out during the first checkpoint, and then the standings obtained from the second checkpoint would bepiled to select the new Holy Name of Charity.

    Min-Seo''s n was to eliminate everyone except Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk at the first checkpoint. Thus, they would face each other at the second checkpoint.

    The reason why Min-Seo was on top of the mountain, risking death by explosion, was all for the n.

    ¡ªBut aren''t you on disciplinary probation? Are you sure about doing this? What if you get caught?

    "What if? In that case, I''ll face the consequences. I¡¯ll just take a break from school. I wanted to take a break anyway."

    ¡ªYou''re really a crazy one, aren¡¯t you? Alright, I understand.

    Su-Ryeon cheerfully hung up the call.

    As the sparks on the twig gradually diminished, Su-Ryeon''s voice also faded away.

    Min-Seo was currently under disciplinary probation. If it was discovered that she had illegally obtained information about the re-election test, things wouldn¡¯t end with a minor disciplinary action but could lead to suspension or even expulsion.

    However, Min-Seo wasn''t afraid. She was confident that she wouldn''t get caught. With a strange smile that made others ufortable, she silently drew a blessing array.

    "Everything is ready here as well."

    She looked at the blessing array she had drawn and nodded in satisfaction. She had drawn a fusion blessing array formed by connecting a total of twelve blessing arrays. However, it didn''t activate¡ªit wasn¡¯t meant to.

    As soon as Min-Seopleted the blessing array, she infused divine power into the twig connected to Ha-Yeon. The Burning Bush Twig caught fire, and soon Ha-Yeon''s voice came through the static.

    "Ha-Yeon. Can you hear me? If you can, respond."

    ¡ªAh... Wha... Hel...

    "...What? Can you hear me or not? Hey, answer me!"

    Even though Min-Seo called again, there was no response, only static. However, she could still hear Ha-Yeon''s voice and Sun-Woo''s voice. It seemed that she had at least managed to approach Sun-Woo, but whether she had sessfully guided him through the "shortcut" remained uncertain.

    "Hey, hey! Are youing through the shortcut? Can you hear me? Are you listening?"

    ¡ªThank... off...

    "Hey, you little stuck-up dad-leeching parasite!! Huh, still no response?"

    Min-Seo tilted her head. It seemed like the connection was established, but her words couldn''t be heard from the other side. Well, at least she could hear Ha-Yeon¡¯s and Sun-Woo''s voices. It seemed like it would be better to assume things were going roughly ording to n.

    Min-Seo looked down at the path below. She watched the students struggling¡ªthey looked ridiculous with their pained expressions crawling up the steep slope. Was this what a bear felt like when they saw salmon swimming against the current toward them? She couldn¡¯t help but smile as the prey were walking into a trap all on their own.

    "Now..." Min-Seo muttered in a low voice as she unleashed divine power.

    "You''ve done a great job climbing up, and I apologize."

    <i>Bababaaang¨C!</i>

    The blessing array she had drawn collided with the fusion blessing array she had drawn earlier. The blessing arrays intertwined and collided, causing a chain explosion.

    <i>Ku-gu-gu-gu...</i>

    The gravel and rocks scattered on the mountaintop, along with the mud that had be heavy and viscous from the rain, emitted a sound resembling a resounding scream. They soon merged into a mass and rolled down the mountain.

    The mass flowed down the ridgeline, growing in size, and eventually became a giant wave that swept away trees with deep roots and the like. Thendslide that Min-Seo had so diligently set in motion swept away the students climbing up the path. They would be considered dead and immediately expelled from the Ark.

    The only safe path from this massivendslide was Min-Seo''s ¡°shortcut.¡± All the other students who were ignorant about the location of this shortcut, let alone know that there was a shortcut at all, would be swept away by thendslide and disqualified, except for Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk, guided by Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon.

    Therefore, only Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk would pass the first checkpoint. As for who would win between the two at the second checkpoint, it was left for fate and capital to decide.

    "Wow, this is going to hurt," Min-Seo muttered, looking down at the students.

    The students screamed, shouted, and descended into thendslide, their faces engraved with despair.

    ***

    Thendslide was approaching. No matter how optimistic one was, the enormousndslide could not be avoided. It was approaching with a threatening force that seemingly would engulf Ha-Rin and me at any moment.

    "What, huh, what, huh?" Ha-Rin muttered with a nk gaze, seemingly unable to grasp the reality of the catastrophe unfolding before her.

    Her wordscked meaning and dispersed into nothingness.

    <i>Ruuuuumble!</i>

    "©¤©¤...?"

    Soon, as the deafening noise caused by thendslide drew closer, Ha-Rin''s voice became inaudible. The sound of the copsing mountain and the asional screams from the students being swept away by thendslide filled the surroundings.

    I stared nkly at the approachingndslide. It felt as if time had momentarily slowed down. Could it be that what Ha-Yeon said earlier was true? Was this path indeed a trap, as Ha-Yeon imed, where one would inevitably be disqualified? Was Ha-Yeon''s im that she knew the shortcut also true? In the end, was Ha-Yeon right, and was I wrong for not believing her?

    I didn''t want to admit it.

    ¡°©¤©¤.¡±

    Bossou.

    [Landslide! Bossou likesndslides. They''re noisy.]

    ¡°©¤©¤.¡±

    I ignored Bossou''s nonsensical remark and gave him an order.

    [...I¡¯ll obey themand of the Prophet. However, it''s dangerous. Are you sure about this?]

    Unlike usual, Bossou responded with a cold warning. But there was no room for reconsideration. I used his power.

    My blood boiled up in an instant. My body, previously soaked in rain and chillingly cold, now burned hot. My hair stood on end, and the back of my eyeballs stung with pain. I didn''t know for sure, but it felt like my intracranial pressure had increased, damaging my optic nerves. My vision was blurry, and I couldn''t see well.

    [Power has exceeded the Prophet''s limit. You will suffer from the load.]

    ¡°©¤©¤.¡±

    [It¡¯s not fine. You might lose your eyesight.]

    No, I was fine. Everything happening within the Ark was just an illusion.

    Even if I lost my eyesight, it would be no different from losing it in a dream. The excruciating pain that I felt with my body tearing apart was just phantom pain. All of these were injuries that would heal once I left the Ark.

    This moment was the only time when I could fully utilize Bossou''s power to its maximum extent without worrying about the state of my body.

    <i>Ruuuuumble¡ª!!</i>

    Before thendslide could engulf me, I grabbed Ha-Rin''s wrist and climbed up a nearby tree during that fleeting moment. The tree, unable to withstand the force of thendslide, swayed precariously as if it would copse at any moment. Although I hurriedly climbed up the tree, I didn''t think I could stay there for long.

    "Urgh...!" I held Ha-Rin¡¯s wrist, but she screamed while clutching her shoulder.

    Her shoulder seemed to have dislocated while I was pulling her wrist. It couldn¡¯t be helped¡ªI couldn''t control my strength with Bossou¡¯s power coursing through me. However, even so, seeing Ha-Rin screaming in pain made me ufortable.

    Ha-Rin cried out in pain, and Iy her on the tree.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    I struck my father''s ring against the tree. The gem embedded in the ring cracked, and the Voodoo mist I had infused into the ring slowly flowed out beyond the rift. The mist approached the half-conscious Ha-Rin.

    "Ah...?" Soon, Ha-Rin let out a scream and passed out.

    But she didn''t close her eyes. Her pupils peeking through her half-open eyelids were unfocused as if fixated on something beyond her consciousness. The spell I imbued in the ring was an enthrallment spell, specifically a ¡°hallucination¡± spell, and it was especially powerful.

    Unlike the curse of fainting, the hallucination spell maintained the target''s consciousness. However, the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness of the target would be blurred, and their cognitive abilities would decline below normal. It rendered the person under the influence to question any situation unfolding before them. With skillful maniption, one could even control the target.

    I had chosen the spell because, unlike the curse of a fainting spell, it had versatile applications. Unfortunately, for now, I resorted to using it as a sedative to put Ha-Rin to sleep. It would be a lie to say I was disappointed, but I needed to put Ha-Rin to sleep anyway. I needed her by my side to prove my ¡°hypothesis.¡±

    For the next ten minutes, Ha-Rin would sleep. The urgent situation had been temporarily resolved.

    "...Ha, damn it." Even so, a curse slipped out of my lips.

    The real problem wasn''t Ha-Rin.

    <i>Ruuuuuumble¨C!</i>

    Mud, rocks, gravel, and trees poured down from above. Once thendslide started, it continued to pour down with great force. We had to climb the mountain to enter Ark within the time limit, but it didn¡¯t seem like thendslide would stop in time. However, we couldn''t ride along the treetops either. Thendslide swept away all the trees. The tree I was on was thest one standing.

    [Bossou rmends breaking through thisndslide.] Bossou suggested a solution to break through thendslide.

    Bossou''s power, maximized in output by sacrificing my optic nerves, might be enough to achieve it. No, it was definitely possible.

    "..."

    However, the force of thendslide was no joke. Even a graze could tear through my flesh. Even if that didn''t happen, I would have to endure an immense amount of pain. Fear dominated my thoughts, and doubts crept in.

    Was it possible to break through thendslide and climb the mountain? Did Bossou propose an absurd solution?

    <i>Snap!</i>

    The situation didn''t give me a moment to think. The tree couldn''t withstand the force of thendslide and snapped. It was time to make a choice.

    ***

    "...Huh? Why are there so few people around?" Jun-Hyuk questioned as he looked around curiously. He had reached the top.

    Su-Ryeon had guided him to the mountaintop through a shortcut. She smiled mischievously and replied, "Well, I wonder why."

    Although her answer seemed somewhat suspicious, Jun-Hyuk didn''t dwell on it and continued forward eagerly. Finally, he arrived at therge Ark resting on the rock. Due to its massive size, the Ark gave the impression of an additional mountain atop the mountain.

    ¡°Wow... They''ve really made it seem so real." Jun-Hyuk marveled as he scanned the Ark.

    <i>Thump!</i>

    With a swift kick, Su-Ryeonunched a fierce attack from behind Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk, unable to even scream, tumbled into Noah''s Ark.

    ¡°...What was that fo¨C¡±

    <i>Trrrrk!</i>

    A halo of pure white light enveloped Jun-Hyuk as he stared at Su-Ryeon with betrayed eyes. Eventually, he merged with the halo and disappeared.

    ¡ªObservation Code 065626, Jun-Hyuk, Ark entry. 1:02:32.72.

    Then, a mechanical sound emanated from the Ark, indicating that Jun-Hyuk had passed the first checkpoint and sessfully proceeded to the second checkpoint.

    While Su-Ryeon wore a satisfied smile afterpleting the mission, Min-Seo approached from behind her with big strides.

    "What''s up? Did you send Jun-Hyuk in?"

    "Yes, just now."

    "Okay, that''s one down. As for Sun-Woo..." Min-Seo''s eyes widened as she trailed off.

    Walking through the shortcut from afar, Ha-Yeon approached, but Sun-Woo was not by her side.

    Ha-Yeon had been tasked with bringing Sun-Woo. Why was she here alone...? Min-Seo''s face contorted in a grotesque manner.

    "Hey, where''s Sun-Woo?"

    "No matter how much I tried to persuade him, he refused toe. I couldn''t do anything about it."

    "Wasn¡¯t it your role to persuade him against all means to bring him along? Or is that just how I think taking on a role works?"

    "That''s why I told you I would go with Jun-Hyuk." As Min-Seo growled, Ha-Yeon retaliated with an impassive expression.

    Su-Ryeon observed the argument without intervening. Although the normal course of action was to try and diffuse the situation, for some reason, she didn''t feel like doing so now. After all, everything happening inside the Ark was an illusion. Watching them fight seemed amusing.

    "So, now, Sun-Woo is not taking the shortcut but heading through the fuckingndslide?¡±

    "Yes." Ha-Yeon nodded, showing no signs of regret.

    Judging by the look on her face, she didn''t seem to feel the need to feel regret in the first ce.

    Min-Seo''s face crumpled in frustration. "Ha, look at your expression. You better stop messing around, cuddled under your father¡¯s wings."

    As soon as Min-Seo mentioned her parents, Ha-Yeon''s previously expressionless face contorted with displeasure. The atmosphere felt tense, and it felt like a fight would erupt at any moment.

    ¡®<i>Their rtionship is really messed up</i>.¡¯ Su-Ryeon thought, taking a step back and silently enjoying the spectacle during the explosive situation.

    The seven, or currently, six, members of the student council all had sub-par rtionships with each other, especially Min-Seo. If she ever felt the slightest displeasure with someone, she would start a fight. Su-Ryeon always found herself in the position of mediating those fights.

    "Hey, let''s not fight among ourselves©¤"

    "Judging by the way you speak, you don''t even seem to have a trustworthy father."

    "..."

    <i>Whoa.</i>

    Su-Ryeon was about to stop the fight, when she froze in her tracks and studied Min-Seo''s expression. Min-Seo wore the most grotesque expression she had ever seen. Ha-Yeon''spletely empty eyes, stared nkly at her.

    Min-Seo and Ha-Yeon had both crossed the line. This wasn''t a fight that could be stopped easily. Whether they exchanged punches or crossed des, it was clear that this wouldn''t be a fight Su-Ryeon could prevent from happening.

    "...Whatever. Do as you wish." Su-Ryeon resigned and turned away.

    Divine power flowed from Min-Seo''s fingertips. Ha-Yeon crossed her arms and looked down at her with a rxed expression as if daring her to strike.

    "Are you an animal? You seem to habitually resort to violence once you¡¯re out of options."

    "Oh, yeah. People like you seem toe to their senses quickly after a beat-up. I guess you don¡¯t know because your dad has never hit you?"

    "...Your words are vulgar, just like you."

    "You really need to change that fucking way of talking like you¡¯re sorting people into categories¡ª"

    <i>Kgggrk¡ª!</i>

    Min-Seo was angrily rushing toward Ha-Yeon but came to a halt. They could hear a splitting sounding from the direction of the copsed path caused by thendslide she had made.

    <i>KGGGRRRRGGKK¡ª-!</i>

    The sound approached, getting closer to the top of the mountain. Ha-Yeon, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon, watching the situation from afar, all listened carefully. It was too big and weird of a sound to ignore.

    Withdrawing her unleashed divine power, Min-Seo looked beyond thendslide she had caused. The path that was steeply carved due to thendslide had gathered the rain, bucketing down into a single cascade. The current of the waterfall was as strong as the rain. It was impossible to climb up through this waterfall. Or so it should have been.

    As if mocking that thought, someone was climbing up against the waterfall. Using something like a nk as a shield to block the water, he was calmly climbing toward the top.

    <i>Kggrk...</i>

    Finally, the sound stopped. The man who scaled the waterfall to the top nonchntly discarded the nk he had used as a shield and walked past Min-Seo and Ha-Yeon, who had been fighting each other silently, and made his way to the Ark.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon looked at the man.

    There was not a single inch of his body that was unscathed. His clothes were torn, and his flesh was cut or exposed. His soaked hair from the waterfall, stuck to his face, and tears of blood flowed from his lifeless eyes.

    "That guy is insane©¤"

    - Exam number 041666, Sun-Woo, Ark entry. 1:09:12.67.

    Min-Seoughed sarcastically as she watched Sun-Woo''s back. It was truly awe-inspiring.

    ¡ªExam number 032811, Ha-Rin, Ark entry. 1:09:13.02.

    At that moment, consecutive announcements echoed from the Ark. Min-Seo opened her eyes wide after hearing them.

    "...Wow. This guy ispletely insane."

    Behind Sun-Woo, someone was hanging there unconsciously.

    Sun-Woo had climbed up against the waterfall to reach the mountaintop, using only a single nk to block the harsh waters, all while carrying a burden on his back. And this was while his body was bleeding¡ªhe was even crying tears of blood.

    Min-Seo stared at Sun-Woo as he passed by with his nk eyes. She had seen this look before when the bird demonic beast that had abducted Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk and he had shot it down with a mere stone.

    ¡ªExam number 041666 Sun-Woo, ¡®2. [Unreleased Condition] met.

    ¡ªExam number 032811 Ha-Rin. ¡®2 [Unreleased Condition] met.

    It was the look in his eyes when he made the impossible possible.

 Chapter 72

    <h4>Chapter 72</h4>

    "Ugh, ugh... uh..." Strange sounds flowed out of my mouth.

    My vision was red. Whether it was blood flowing from my forehead or blood streaming out of my eyes, I couldn''t tell. But it didn''t matter. If I had made it to the Ark, it was enough.

    ¡ªParticipant number 041666, Sun-Woo, Ark entry. 1:09:12.67.

    ¡ªParticipant number 041666, Sun-Woo, ¡®2 [Unreleased Condition]¡¯ met.

    As I finally entered Ark, a harsh mechanical sound apanied the halo that enveloped me. Immediately afterward, my red vision gradually turned white, and drowsiness washed over me.

    The pains that had gued me all over my body began to fade away little by little.

    "Heh, heh..." I found myself unintentionallyughing.

    It wasn''t just because I had passed the first checkpoint. It was because Ha-Yeon was wrong when she said that the easy path was a trap. It was indeed a trap, but I had managed to avoid elimination. Not only that, but I even fulfilled the undisclosed second condition and passed the first checkpoint.

    I was not wrong. Ha-Yeon was wrong, and ultimately, my judgment not to trust Ha-Yeon was correct. I was so delighted about the fact that I found myselfughing without even realizing it. The halo wrapped around me, and I was met with a sh of brilliant light, but my smile stayed on my face till I lost consciousness.

    <i> </i> ***

    "That was Sun-Woo who just passed by, right? Wow... he¡¯s a fierce one, isn¡¯t he?" Su-Ryeon said while rubbing her arms as if feeling a chill.

    She thought of Sun-Woo, who had blood sttered all over his body and bloody tears streaming down his face as he split the waterfall. He seemed like another personpared to theughing fool who took care of In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk.

    ...Apletely different person?

    "..."

    While Su-Ryeon was shaking her head due to a weird feeling she had, Ha-Yeon was staring nkly at the spot Sun-Woo had passed. Her eyes, which had not shown a single change in emotion even in the midst of arguing with Min-Seo, were flickering noticeably. Fear was evident in her eyes.

    "That guy, he''s really something." Min-Seo''s arrogant tone broke the silence.

    The smile on her lips was as chilling as ever. She looked at Ha-Yeon with a calm expression on her face.

    "Hey."

    Ha-Yeon turned her head at the calling voice. It wasn''t as intense as before, but there was still a hint of fear lingering on her face. It was the face of a person who hadn''t fully regained theirposure.

    No one could tell what had frightened Ha-Yeon so much. However, since there was no need to know, Min-Seo decided not to ask and only ry what she had to say.

    "I''m sorry about earlier. You had it all figured out, right?"

    "Huh...?"

    "Well, didn''t you calcte that he would make his own way here? If you had shared your n in advance, we wouldn''t have had to fight. Things would have gone differently," Min-Seo chuckled.

    Herugh sounded viinous. Ha-Yeon looked silently at Min-Seo with an uneasy expression as Min-Seo had pushed Ha-Yeon¡¯s already dazed mind into a deeper state. Ha-Yeon struggled to suppress her overwhelming confusion and slowly nodded.

    "Yes, well..."

    "Anyway, everything went ording to n. Let''s get out of here."

    The venom filling Min-Seo''s eyes suddenly disappeared. Min-Seo unfolded the note she received as soon as the test began and quickly scanned it.

    "What? Why isn''t the way out written here? Can''t we forfeit? I want to leave."

    "...If you tear the note, you''ll be able to leave. I''ll go first."

    <i>Rip.</i>

    Once Ha-Yeon tore the note, a light started emanating from her body. More precisely, her body gradually transformed into light and disappeared. Eventually, Ha-Yeon''s form vanished without a trace.

    "How does she know that? Is it because her dad made this?" Min-Seo said with a puzzled look. "Well... Anyway, I''m leaving too. Su-Ryeon, join me quickly."

    "Byeee."

    "Pfft<i>. Byeee,</i> my ass. We''ll see each other right after we leave."

    <i>Rip!</i>

    Min-Seo ripped the note with a snort. Soon, her body also turned into light and vanished. Su-Ryeon watched the disappearing Min-Seo and felt a strange sense of unease.

    Just moments ago, Min-Seo looked like she was ready to kill Ha-Yeon, but she suddenly apologized to Ha-Yeon as soon as things went ording to n. The change in attitude was too abrupt. It was as if she were a different person.

    "A different person."

    <i>Rip.</i>

    Su-Ryeon suddenly thought that Sun-Woo and Min-Seo resembled each other in strange ways as she tore her note. Soon, her body also transformed into light and disappeared.

    <i> </i> ***

    When I regained consciousness, I was sitting in a chair. In front of me was a massive dining table with the food and wine ofmunion set upon it.

    "Arrgh, Su-Su-Ryeon, where the hell did that bastard go?"

    "God, you scared me. What¡¯s going on?"

    At that moment, someone suddenly shouted. Startled, I turned my head and saw Jun-Hyuk. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked extremely angry.

    "..Huh? Where am I? Ey? Sun-Woo, why are you here?" Jun-Hyuk asked with a puzzled expression while looking around.

    Since I didn''t know why I was there or where this ce was, I just silently looked at Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Click, ck, click, ck.</i>

    Then, I heard shoes ckinging from a distance. I turned my head in the direction of the sound and saw someone walking slowly toward us with a faint smile on their face. They wore a robe that was as blue as the sea.

    "Wee, all of you examinees who passed the first checkpoint!"

    It was Noah. Heughed heartily and adjusted the cuff of his loose robe.

    "Although, all of you are just three of you. Hahaha. Well, anyway, the reason we gathered you here is..."

    "Just a moment, Noah... Mr. Noah?"

    As Noah continued his exnation, someone raised their hand and spoke in a weak and feeble voice. It was Ha-Rin. She looked at Noah with a dazed expression and barely managed to speak up.

    "I have no memory of making it to the Ark or even making it past the first checkpoint. I just opened my eyes, and I was here."

    "Ah~ Ha-Rin! Right, right. You¡¯re saying that you woke up and found yourself behind the first checkpoint and that this must be some mistake, right? "

    "Oh, yes." Ha-Rin nodded and tightly bit her lip.

    Noah looked between Ha-Rin and me with a cheerful smile on his face and chirped, "To keep it short, it wasn¡¯t a mistake! While you were unconscious, Sun-Woo carried you over there and into the Ark!"

    "Aha, I see... huh? Sun-Woo? What?"

    Ha-Rin looked at me with a confused expression on her face. I avoided her gaze and turned my eyes toward Noah. He was looking at me with a glimmering gaze as if he was looking at something interesting. His looks were burdensome. I couldn''t decide whether to look at Ha-Rin or Noah. Lowering my head seemed like the best option.

    "Hahaha, well, as you just heard, Sun-Woo carried you into the Ark. Do you need further exnation?"

    "Well, no... But why me?"

    "Exactly, <i>why</i>! That <i>why</i> is an important question! That''s exactly the question I wanted to ask!" Noah pointed at Ha-Rin excitedly.

    Ha-Rin''s startled shoulders tensed up a little. There was something about excited Noah that felt slightly unsettling. Soon, Noah turned his gaze toward me. His eyes overwhelmed me as they sparkled with an intense and piercing gaze.

    "Sun-Woo, let me ask again. Why did you carry Ha-Rin into the Ark?"

    "... "

    It was a difficult question to answer. I remained silent for a moment. There were two reasons why I had carried Ha-Rin to the Ark. One was Baron Samedi''s prophecy. His warning to not go alone had suddenlye to mind.

    However, it wasn''t solely because of Baron Samedi''s prophecy that I went through the hardships of climbing the waterfall while carrying Ha-Rin on my back.

    "I remembered a passage from the Holy Book."

    Noah''s face lit up when he heard my answer.

    "A passage! What passage is it? Which chapter and verse?"

    "I don''t remember the verse, but it''s probably Genesis, Chapter 6... I remembered when God told Noah to ''Bring every kind of living creature into the ark, two of each, male and female.¡¯"

    I tried to conclude my statement, but Noah continued to look at me with bright eyes as if he was expecting more.

    <i>¡®What else should I say?¡¯</i> After a brief hesitation, I managed to continue.

    "Yes, considering the private condition might be rted to that verse, I entered the Ark with Ha-Rin."

    "Yes, the part you mentioned is Chapter 6, Verse 19. You deduced the second undisclosed condition through the contents of the Holy Book! Now, may I ask one more question?" Noah smiled, now seemingly satisfied.

    Once I nodded my head, he said with a brighter expression, "What if your deduction was wrong?¡±

    "What do you mean?"

    "For instance, what if you didn''t meet the undisclosed condition after all the trouble of carrying Ha-Rin?" Noah looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.

    It was an unnecessary question.

    "Well, then I would have been disappointed." I immediately responded.

    "Hahahaha! Ah, that''s truly remarkable. Yes. Hahaha, <i>oh</i>, hahaha. <i>Man</i>.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know what had gotten into him, but Noahughed excessively, tilting his head back with exaggeratedughter. Jun-Hyuk, Ha-Rin, and I looked at the chuckling Noah with strange nces as if we were staring at a peculiar person.

    "Ah, wow. That was amusing. It''s been a long time since we¡¯ve had a candidate who met the undisclosed conditions... Phew. Anyways, allow me to continue. The reason why you all are gathered here is because of this," Noah said after chuckling for a while. He took a deep breath to calm himself down fromughing and continued speaking. "It''s to ask whether you would like to proceed to the second checkpoint!"

    "Huh?" Jun-Hyuk questioned.

    He must have been extremely puzzled, as his face waspletely contorted. It was an expression I had never seen before. How could a face make such an expression? At this point, I was amazed at his ability.

    Noah nced briefly at Jun-Hyuk''s face and continued speaking with a smile. "If you consume themunion before you, namely the bread and wine, you will be deemed to have the intention to participate in the second checkpoint. Then you will immediately be sent to the location of the second checkpoint."

    "I see. So, if we eat this, we move on to the second checkpoint?" Jun-Hyuk asked with a bit of attitude.

    Noah didn''t seem to mind at all and simply answered, "Yes, that''s correct. Those who wish to participate in the second checkpoint can just eat the bread and wine."

    "Say less," Jun-Hyuk remarked indifferently as he held a te with bread and a cup with wine in both hands. Just as he was about to put the bread in his mouth, he suddenly nced at me. "Hey, you should give up here. After all, I''m going to win anyway."

    "Huh? What are you saying all of¡ª?"

    Before my words could reach Jun-Hyuk, he swiftly stuffed the bread and wine into his mouth. It was obvious that he was provoking me, but instead of feeling bad about it, I found it rather amusing.

    I picked up the bread and cup, following in Jun-Hyuk''s footsteps in order to proceed to the second checkpoint.

    "I¡¯m giving up." Just then, Ha-Rin, who had been shaking her head and fidgeting with her hands, spoke up.

    Noah raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. I was equally perplexed. I went through all that to bring her into the Ark just for her to give up?

    "What''s the reason?" Noah asked, and Ha-Rin¡¯s gaze shifted between Noah and me with a determined look in her eyes. "I didn''t pass the first checkpoint with my own skills. To be honest, I don''t even remember it..."

    "Ah, shouldn''t you consider teaming up with Sun-Woo as something that you¡¯ve done with your skills?¡±

    "Um, well, that''s... um. Honestly, I don''t think I''ll do well at the second checkpoint, so..." Ha-Rin stumbled with her words.

    Noah smiled as if trying to relieve her tension. "Of course, that''s also up to you! If you don''t want to participate in the second checkpoint, you can leave through that door and leave the bread and wine behind."

    "Ah, I see."

    Ha-Rin stood up and walked toward the door with feeble steps. As she opened the door, she, too, disappeared, enveloped in a halo.

    Eventually, I was left alone at the table.

    ¡°Sun-Woo, of course, you intend to participate?'' Noah asked with a cheerfulugh.

    Without a doubt, I wanted to participate in the second checkpoint. However, there was one thing that bothered me.

    ¡°Is there any extra credit for fulfilling the second condition?¡±

    ¡°''Of course,¡± Noah replied.

    ¡°''How much extra credit will be given?¡±

    Though the difference wasn''t significant, I had entered Arkter than Jun-Hyuk. While the second checkpoint still remained, I was uncertain whether I could surpass Jun-Hyuk in the test if things continued this way. Therefore, I asked about the reward for fulfilling the second condition. By knowing the reward for fulfilling the second condition, I could estimate what my chances were of surpassing Jun-Hyuk in this test.

    ¡°I cannot give you a definitive answer during the test,¡± Noah said, adjusting his cor. Heughed, ¡°You''ll find out when you leave. You''ll probably be pleasantly surprised.¡±

    It was a somewhat vague response, but I probably shouldn¡¯t expect a more detailed answer. I gave up and took a bite of bread and a sip from the cup.

    ¡°Good luck,¡± I heard Noah say as my consciousness drifted away.

    <i> </i> *

    When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a rock. The ring sunlight was scorching. I looked around. Sand covered everything, and dust and sand made a sifting noise as they fell from my hair. The location of the second checkpoint was none other than a desert. Distant heavy noises resounded as if construction work was underway.

    [Truly a mysterious ce,] Legba said while I was still trying to regain my senses.

    At the same time, a piercing headache rang from inside my head. It was the same kind of headache I had when I had first put on my father''s ring and had barely managed to regain consciousness after being immersed in a spell.

    [A very intricate illusion. Hard to believe Sung Yu-Da created it.]

    "...So?"

    [No, Sung Yu-Da may have created it, but it doesn''t seem like he created it <i>by himself</i>.] Legba muttered.

    Didn¡¯t he create it by himself? ording to my father¡¯s memories, Sung Yu-Da used to be my father''s friend. My father was skilled in handling spells, and he would have had no problem identifying such an intricate illusion. Moreover, I could smell the faint scent of spells in the Ark''s illusion¡ªthe distinctive, dense, and sticky smell of Voodoo magic permeated throughout the Ark.

    Could it be...?

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, a note fell from the air. I unfolded the note, convinced that it would contain the rules for the second checkpoint.

    ~

    <i>[Test number 041666 - ss of Charity Sun-Woo]</i>

    <i>The theme for the second checkpoint is Babel!</i>

    <i>Ovee numerous obstacles and halt the construction of the <Babel Tower>! You are free to aplish this through any means, but if you fail to stop the construction within one hour, you will be eliminated. Obviously, if you die due to an ident, you will be eliminated!</i>

    <i>Evaluation criteria: 1. [Unreleased condition] / 2. [Unreleased condition]</i>

    <i>''Ark''s Test'' concludes with the second checkpoint, and the records will be transmitted to the administrator: Noah.</i>

    <i>Good luck!</i>

    <i>~</i>

    "Goodness."

    After reading the note, my headache seemed to worsen. Setting aside the idea of halting the construction of Babel Tower within an hour, I couldn''t help but think that it was too harsh for all the evaluation criteria to be confidential. I had no idea where to start.

    <i>Rumble¡ª</i>

    While pressing my temples, trying to alleviate the headache, I heard a distant sound of something copsing. When I turned my gaze, I saw the tower.

    It was a towering and enormous structure that seemed to touch the sky. It seemed almost... pridefully tall. At the base of the tower, rather than people, there were peculiar creatures resembling beasts carrying stones and building the tower.

    "...This is a bit excessive,¡± I muttered to myself as I looked at the tower.

    First of all, there were too many workers building the tower. The Holy Book mentioned that the construction ended due to jumbling up the worker¡¯snguage, but I didn''t possess the ability to do so.

    Although there was a Loa rted tonguage, they weren''t powerful enough to mix up anguage. If that was the case, then it meant I had to halt the tower''s construction using a different method, but no suitable approach came to mind. Regardless of how much I pondered, the only ideas that came up were futile and nonsensical.

    "..."

    Lost in thought while gazing at the tower, suddenly, a sense of unease washed over me, causing me to look around.

    The vast desert was sparsely decorated with cacti, and the tumbleweed rolled in the sand as the wind blew. No matter how much I looked around, I couldn''t find any traces of humans.

    ...There were no traces of humans anywhere.

    In that case, where was Jun-HyuK?

 Chapter 73

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>

    Jun-Hyuk and I were the participants in the second checkpoint. However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn''t see Jun-Hyuk anywhere. Jun-Hyuk and I should have the same test content. If the content were different, questions regarding the fairness of the test would naturally arise.

    F.A. would not make such a stupid mistake, and surely not during the Holy Name of Charity re-election test. If anything, F.A. would do everything they could to regte the test and make it as fair as possible.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, something suddenly appeared in the sky and fell onto me. It was a note. I immediately unfolded it.

    <i>mu?: snake</i>

    <i>Aushk: love </i>

    <i>nuru: light</i>

    ....

    "...A dictionary?"

    The note contained characters that vaguely resembled English but were not actually English, along with their meanings written beside them. It was a dictionary or something simr with a word list format. Suddenly, PTSD washed over me as I recalled the time when I used to memorize English words for the entrance exam.

    I turned through the pages, carefully examining the words written in the note. However, I couldn¡¯t find a single clue. It was just an endless list of words in an unknownnguage, apanied by their meanings.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Closing the note, I looked out into the distance at the construction site. Administrators were cracking whips and urging the workers, who were sweating buckets while carrying stones.

    All the evaluation criteria were unreleased. The note that I expected to contain hints turned out to be an endless list of useless words. I didn''t even know where Jun-Hyuk was either. There was too little information to deduce anything. It seemed that no matter how much I racked my brain, I wouldn''t be able to figure anything out.

    "Phew."

    Well then, I suppose the best thing to do for now was to go in head first.

    I walked toward the construction site.

    ***

    Finally, when I arrived at the construction site¡ª

    "©¤©¤©¤!"

    "©¤©¤, ©¤©¤©¤©¤!"

    The site was noisy, filled with the shouts of administrators and the groans of workers, moving stones. Some of them even singingbor songs, but I couldn''t understand the meaning of their words. They were conversing in anguage that was neither Korean nor English, but their own uniquenguage.

    [Hmm, I''m somewhat uncertain about whatnguage this is. I''m sure I''ve heard it somewhere before...] Legba clicked his tongue.

    Although he was proficient in linguistics, even Legba didn¡¯t recognize thenguage. It seemed to be the indigenousnguage used by the "Ark natives."

    Ifmunication were not possible, the situation would be moreplicated. If we couldmunicate, I could attempt to persuade them with my refined eloquence developed from my experience as the Cult Leader. But ifmunication were not possible, there was no chance for persuasion since whatever I said, they wouldn''t understand, and vice versa.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    While I was absentmindedly walking toward the construction site, a whip flew by me, narrowly missing my feet. When I turned my head around, an administrator was looking at me with a menacing expression and he had both hands on his hips.

    "©¤©¤©¤?"

    The administrator said something, but to no surprise, I couldn''t understand it.

    "©¤©¤©¤. ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    As I nkly stared at the administrator''s face, he yelled with a more contorted expression. Unconsciously, I took a step back, intimidated. His voice was really loud.

    The administrator, looking puzzled, furrowed his eyebrows and called another administrator and whispered to them. After their whispered conversation, they all raised their heads and looked at me with vignt eyes, opening their mouths to speak.

    "©¤©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤©¤!"

    "Hey, I don¡¯t understand what are you©¤"

    "......? ©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    "Wait, hold on. What are you doing?"

    The atmosphere turned suddenly hostile as I spoke. The administrators approached me slowly, yet threateningly, as if they would strike me with a whip at any moment. Even theborers carrying stones seemed ufortable with the unexpected visit of the unwee guest. They took swift nces at me with fearful eyes.

    "©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤©¤!"

    <i>Snap!</i>

    "Wait, what? Hold on."

    At that moment, along with the administrator''s shout, a whip swooped down menacingly. I cautiously took a step back, and the administrators approached me slowly, yet menacingly, matching my steps.

    I could just eliminate all the administrators using the power of the Loa, but I was concerned about the two undisclosed evaluation conditions. There might be a condition like ¡®Do not kill the natives of Ark,¡¯ so I couldn''t recklessly kill the administrators. Of course, the feeling of guilt also yed a factor in my decision against it. Then, there was only one thing to do.

    <i>Thwack.</i>

    "......! ©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤©¤!!" "©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!"

    I ran away.

    The administrators weren''t particrly fast runners, so it was possible to escape from them without using Bossou''s power. When I nced back, the administrators were swinging their whips menacingly as they pursued me.

    After running for a few minutes, the sound of the whips suddenly stopped. The pursuing administrators had already returned to the construction site.

    "Oh, <i>huff</i>... Ha, what am I supposed to do now?"

    I was able to hide my body near the sandstone cave near the construction site and took slow, deep breaths. It was frustrating that I had no means tomunicate, and on top of that, the administrators treated me as an enemy. The situation didn''t allow me to approach the construction site, let alone stop the construction.

    There might have been ways to infiltrate the site without getting caught by the administrators, but I didn¡¯t see how I could stop the construction even with a way in.

    [Oh, no,] Legba murmured just when my racing heart had finally calmed down.

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    [...Unfold the note.]

    I didn''t understand what was wrong, but I followed his instruction and unfolded the note. In my mind, Legba''s murmuring continued for a while.

    Eventually, Legba cleared his throat and said, [Indeed, they are using the Sumeriannguage. All the words written in the note are in Sumerian.]

    "Sume what now?"

    [Sumerian.]

    The sun was just setting, leaning toward the horizon, and thanks to that, sunlight seeped into the cave. Crouching in the darkness of the cave, I used the sunlight trickling in as mymp and examined the note. It was filled with thousands of words, neatly organized with hundreds of grammatical structures.

    I had confidence in mynguage acquisition skills. If I decided to study Sumerian, I believed that if I had a few days, I would be able to have a basic conversation.

    "...Time."

    The problem is, I had been given only a mere hour. It was impossible to learn apletely unfamiliarnguage in just one hour. It would be much easier if Legba knew Sumerian...

    [Thenguage has been lost for thousands of years, so my memory of it is foggy. I can vaguely infer the meaning of their words, but I cannot form persuasive sentences.]

    "What do you mean by infer?"

    [If I hear a few recognizable words, I can roughly understand the meaning.]

    Unfortunately, it seemed that even Legba wasn''tpletely proficient in Sumerian. I couldn''t persuade them with just a rough understanding of thenguage.

    "..."

    It was a very frustrating situation. As things started to take a negative turn, I shook my head. Language proficiency was not the key to persuasion. The most important elements in persuasion were, of course, persuasive power and appeal. An expert in persuasion should be able to move someone''s heart with just a few words.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    I took something out of my pocket. It was the "Fourth Angel''s Horn" that Bae- Jung-Hwan had given to me. It was a holy artifact that had the ability to momentarily obscure the vision of those who heard its sound.

    ...There was a way.

    ***

    <i>Whooooo...</i>

    On the way to the construction site, the wind blew across the deste desert ins. I turned my head and looked back. The footprints imprinted on the sand scattered and were erased by the wind. The sun had long set, and the only source of light was the faint glow emitted by the stars.

    <i>Grumble¨C!</i>

    As I approached the construction site, the sound of construction grew thunderous. Even the grains of sand seemed to tremble in awe of the colossal noise. The desert at night was cold and harsh, yet the construction continued. I cautiously made my way to the site, avoiding the gaze of the administrators.

    "©¤!"

    "©¤, ©¤©¤©¤©¤!"

    "©¤©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤?"

    Whether it was a conflict that arose during the construction or a sh between the workers and the administrators, it was working in my favor. Taking advantage of themotion, I skillfully joined them secretly. The perceptive workers nced at me with curiosity, but that was all. They didn¡¯t report me to the administrators or anything of the sort.

    "As expected."

    As I had anticipated, the rtionship between the workers and administrators didn''t seem to be very amicable. While the workers sweated and worked hard, carrying and stacking stones, the administrators stood with their arms crossed, shouting angrily. It was clear that the workers didn''t hold the administrators in high regard.

    Even better. I took out the horn from my pocket and infused a small amount of divine power into it.

    <i>Buuuuhh...</i>

    A faint sound, like air escaping from a balloon came out. Some of the indigenous people blinked their eyes in response to the sound and looked around. It seemed they thought the dust had gotten into their eyes.

    However, no matter how much they rubbed their eyes, the darkness in front of them didn''t dissipate. The indigenous people soon realized that they hadpletely lost their vision and began copsing and crying out.

    "©¤! ©¤©¤©¤?"

    "©¤! ©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    They let out bizarre screams and shrieks that seemed to be right on the boundary between an animal and a human. Startled, the administrators rushed over in confusion. Despite the administrators whipping and shouting angrily, the workers remained motionless, except for screaming that continued until their throats grew hoarse.

    The scene quickly filled with screams and chaos. The screams of the workers and themanding shouts of the administrators drowned out the sounds made from carrying stones and building the tower. However, my n was far frompletion.

    <i>Buuuuhhh¨C!</i>

    The sound of a trumpet followed. This time, I infused as much divine power as possible into the trumpet. The sound was much louder and grander than before. Upon hearing it, the workers, administrators, everyone, without exception, sank to the ground and started screaming.

    "©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!"

    "©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!"

    The blindness and chaos spread like a contagious disease. The confusion grew even greater. As the workers and even the administrators lost their sight, the construction naturally came to a halt. However, the construction was notpletely halted. The Fourth Angel''s Horn only temporarily took away the sight of those who heard the sound. With time, their vision would return, and the construction would resume. Before that, I had to hammer the final nail in the coffin.

    "...Bossou."

    I called out to Bossou while looking up at the towering Babel Tower. To stop the construction of the tower, I had to climb the tower first.

    <i>Crunk.</i>

    I drove the Fourth Angel''s Horn into the wall like a pickaxe and climbed the tower as if I were climbing a cliff.

    ***

    The blind workers screamed. Not all of them, but some of the administrators had also lost their sight and were screaming. The blindness spread like a gue. The construction site was filled with confusion, fear, and terror.

    "©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤?! ©¤©¤©¤!!!"

    At that moment, when everyone was screaming or trembling in fear, someone slowly stood up from their position while tenderly touching their eyes. They had been the first one to lose their sight, but were also the first ones to regain it and were shedding tears of joy.

    "......! ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    "©¤©¤©¤? ©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    Soon after the first case of recovery, the workers regained their sight, one after another. The administrators also regained their sight one by one. Those who regained their vision, regardless of being workers or administrators, embraced each other with tears of joy.

    <i>Ruuummmblleee...</i>

    However, amidst their joy, a foreboding sound reached their ears. As soon as the indigenous people heard that sound, they kneeled down and lowered their heads because it was undoubtedly the angry roar of the heavens.

    <i>sh.</i>

    Soon, lightning struck from the sky. The lightning precisely hit the central part of the tower. Dense and ominous ck smoke rose around the area where the lightning struck. Some indigenous people bowed their heads, hoping for mercy from the heavens, while others raised their heads, trying to capture the wrath of the heavens in their eyes.

    "......©¤©¤?"

    At that moment, someone raised their head and voiced their doubt. Someone stood at the spot where the lightning struck. From that person''s fingertips, a pure unknown me sprouted forth.

    <i>Crackle!</i>

    Gradually, the growing me turned into a pir of fire. The pir of fire appeared before the kneeling indigenous people. Sweat poured from their bodies like a flood. It wasn''t just because the heat of the pir of fire was intense, but also because they felt the wrath of the god and the indescribable terror of witnessing a miracle.

    <i>Whoooosh¨C</i>.

    Then, the wind blew.

    The zing pir of fire, which seemed ready to devour the bodies of the indigenous people at any moment, was swept away by the wind and disappeared. Following the wind, someone on top of the tower opened their mouth.

    "©¤©¤."

    I.

    The person on the tower spoke. The indigenous people spected that he might be a deity, an angel carrying out the will of God, or perhaps a prophet. He had a voice filled with vitality, yet it was not excessive, and he spoke with an appropriate tone.

    "©¤©¤, ©¤©¤, ©¤©¤©¤, ©¤©¤." Light, sphemy, anger, punishment.

    This was not speech; it was merely a list of words. However, the indigenous people understood him and bowed their heads to the ground in reverence.

    The word ''I'' meant ''I am that I am.¡¯ It was an announcement that a deity or someone simr had descended.

    Thebination of the words ''light, sphemy, anger, punishment'' indicated that he was furious at the sphemy against the light and would bring punishment upon them.

    In other words, "I havee to bestow punishment upon those who have sphemed against the light." That was what the deity said.

    The indigenous people trembled, some cowering on the ground in excessive fear, while some overreacted in the form of a seizure, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads. Some indigenous people thought the seizure was also part of the punishment bestowed by the deity.

    <i>Crackle.</i>

    At that moment, the figure on top of the tower ignited a fire. The fire he conjured expelled the harsh darkness and cold of the desert. Along with it, he opened his mouth again.

    "©¤."

    End, or thest.

    The exact meaning behind those words could not be guessed. However, one thing was vaguely understood: they had to stop the construction immediately. The indigenous people trembled with boundless fear, bowing their heads.

    The fire he conjured once more transformed into a pir of fire, engulfing his body. The pir of fire did not descend to the ground. Instead, it consumed his body. He became one with the fire and vanished, ascending to the sky.

    "©¤©¤©¤......"

    "©¤©¤? ©¤©¤©¤!"

    "©¤©¤©¤......!"

    The indigenous people witnessing the miracle of God before their eyes cheered withughter, tears, or faces still filled with fear. Any intention to resume the construction had long vanished from their hearts. Behind the tower they gazed upon, in a blind spot beyond the reach of the indigenous people''s eyes¡ª

    "Phew... I''m not sure if everything turned out well."

    The person who had arrived with lightning and had vanished in a pir of mes, the deity, and the prophet... or the person impersonating him sighed and hung his head. It was Sun-Woo.

 Chapter 74

    <h4>Chapter 74</h4>

    The three elements of persuasion were ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos represented the character and personality of the persuader. Pathos represented the emotions of the audience. Logos represented the logic of persuasion. If one was asked which of these three was the most important, the answer was obviously ethos, the character and personality of the persuader.

    If a madman passing by said, ¡°If you keep building the tower, God will be angry, and you will be struck with divine retribution," the workers and administrators would not bat an eye and would only focus on the construction. However, what if God himself presented a miracle and said the same thing? The workers and administrators would tremble in fear and stop the construction through fear of divine retribution. Persuasiveness varied greatly depending on the speaker.

    [Using the trumpet was a good idea,] Legba said.

    I nodded. Simply showing a miracle was not impactful enough. Therefore, I used the trumpet to first blind their vision and create confusion, and then appeared before them by impersonating ¡®God.¡¯ By impersonating God, I had the strongest ethos one could have.

    This ethos naturally fulfilled pathos and logos. Since it came from a god, the natives had no choice but to listen to me and be convinced by my logic.

    "©¤©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤!"

    "©¤©¤! ©¤©¤©¤©¤!"

    The natives, still kneeling and bowing their heads under the tower, shouted in excitement.

    Although I still had not fully mastered theirnguage, I could easily understand what they were saying. They were praising me, the impersonated god, while shouting in obedience and reverence.

    "I wonder if this is sphemy," I muttered to myself, looking down at the prostrated indigenous people from the top of the tower.

    Even if it was an actmitted to pass the test, sphemy was still sphemy. After all, I had impersonated a god. Hoping that the judging panel would consider my actions, I sat in the middle of the tower and leaned against a wall. I had used the power of both Marte and Soba to aid in my impersonation. It was the first time using the power of two Loas at once, so it had put quite a burden on my body.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    At that moment, a chilling sound echoed from behind me. Startled, I turned my head to look, but all I could see was darkness. It seemed like the noise was caused by the wind or some kind of wild animal. Although I was a little suspicious, I made an effort to dismiss my doubts and stood up from my seat. Brushing off the dirt and dust clinging to my clothes, I nced briefly down at the bottom of the tower.

    "...Oh my."

    A pitch-ck darkness was spread out below the cliff, greeting me. The cliff was so high that I couldn''t even gauge how far up I was properly. All I could do was vaguely guess that I was pretty far above the ground.

    Bossou.

    I called out Bossou in a whisper so small that no one could hear me. As I used Bossou''s power, my body, which had been chilled by the cold of the desert, suddenly burned hot. My heart raced, and I could feel my blood boiling. Along with that, the bubbling rage for battle drove away my fear.

    <i>Tast!</i>

    The moment fear had been driven away from my body, I threw myself down the tower. The air, filled with the darkness and coldness of the desert, brushed against my body. Soon, the darkness faded away, and I was greeted by a pure white sandy beach. Just before Inded in the desert head first, I twisted my body andnded on the ground on my feet.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    "Ouch, ugh."

    I had expected it, but it seemed like my legs were broken. Although it was just phantom pain, it still felt quite real. Holding onto my broken left leg, I forced myself to suppress the groans and slowly moved away from the construction site.

    Anyway, the construction had stopped. I had fulfilled the condition stated in the note. However, strangely enough, I didn''t hear any announcements about passing the test or crossing a checkpoint. It wasn''t an error. It simply meant that the test had not yet ended.

    "..."

    In order to finish the test, I had to fulfill another condition besides stopping the construction. I already knew what that condition was.

    "Ugh, my leg," I groaned and sat down in the middle of the desert.

    I found a dry branch and used it as a brace for my leg. It wasn¡¯t the best, but it was better than nothing. At the same time, I clenched my hands and filled them with desert sand.

    <i>¡®Be careful of your back.¡¯</i> That was the prophecy and advice that Baron Samedi had given me.

    Remembering that, I turned my head back.

    <i>Shaaa¡ª!</i>

    Immediately, I scattered sand into the air. The sand grains rode the wind and scattered, but something invisible soon blocked them. Eventually, the form of something that had been spying on me from beyond the darkness throughout the test was revealed.

    "... I was wondering how long you were going to keep pretending not to know,¡± the figure said as he nonchntly took off his coat.

    He had taken off the holy artifact called The Gown of the Shem Brothers. It altered the sight of others, making the wearer practically invisible. Although their performance could not bepared, The Gown of the Shem Brothers was a holy artifact that rivaled the Fourth Angel''s Horn in terms of price alone.

    "How did you know? I was being so careful," Jun-Hyuk asked roughly as he brushed off the dust on his coat.

    I could vaguely make out a smile in the darkness.

    "We¡¯re in a desert, and you left footprints in the sand."

    "Huh? But I only moved when it was windy to cover up my steps. You saw my prints through that?¡±

    "Well... yes."

    "Amazing, truly amazing," Jun-Hyuk eximed, pping briefly.

    Jun-Hyuk had only moved when the wind blew, so he left no footprints. I figured that out, and I focused on the footprints that appeared and disappeared the moment the wind blew.

    "That thing, with the lightning and the pir of fire. How did you do that?" Finally, Jun-Hyuk brushed off all the sand from his coat and crammed it into his backpack.

    "All thanks to a holy artifact." I made up a suitable excuse.

    "Really? How much is it worth? It seems like it would be very expensive based on what it was doing."

    "It''s extremely expensive. You can¡¯t buy it with money.¡±

    ¡°...Ey? Can¡¯t buy with money? Then how¡¯d you get your hands on it?¡± Jun-Hyuk said, clearly taken back. ¡°Anyway, you knew from the beginning that I was following you. Why did you pretend not to know until now? I don''t understand.¡±

    ¡°I didn''t know what your intentions were. But now I do.¡±

    ¡°...What do you mean?¡± Jun-Hyuk tilted his head.

    Shortly after the second checkpoint began, a note had fallen from the sky. There was a sentence at the top of the note: <i>Ovee numerous obstacles and halt the construction of the <Babel Tower>!</i> The keywords were, of course, to <i>stop the construction of Babel Tower,</i> but at the same time, it was also about <i>oveing numerous obstacles.</i>

    Jun-Hyuk had been following me for no reason, and the note said to <i>ovee numerous obstacles</i>. Combining these two clues, I came to a single conclusion.

    "Your goal is not to halt the construction of the tower but to get in my way, right?"

    Jun-Hyuk and I had been given different goals from the start.

    My goal was to stop the construction of the tower. The test was structured in a way where if I stopped the construction of the tower within the time limit, it would be my victory, and if not, it would be Jun-Hyuk''s.

    "Oh... Wow, you''re sharp," Jun-Hyuk said, seemingly slightly surprised. He pursed his lips pursed and nodded his head.

    Judging by his reaction, it seemed like my deduction was somewhat urate. Silence filled the air.

    <i>Snap!</i>

    "Well, here''s a question for you!" Jun-Hyuk said, flicking his finger. With that cheerful sound, the silence in the desert crumbled.

    "...What do you mean question¡ª?"

    "If my goal was to hinder you, why didn''t I stop you earlier?" Jun-Hyuk said, smiling innocently and brightly like a child amidst the thick and sticky darkness.

    I couldn''t easily give an answer to Jun-Hyuk''s question. I got lost in my thoughts while trying to ignore the pain of my broken left leg.

    ording to my theory, Jun-Hyuk''s goal was to hinder me or, in other other words, prevent me from stopping the construction process. If that were the case, he should have done something to stop me before the construction came to a halt. However, Jun-Hyuk only followed me without any interference or sabotage while I was persuading the indigenous people to stop the construction of the tower. If my theory was correct, then Jun-Hyuk''s behavior was definitely odd.

    "..."

    No, at this moment... it was more reasonable to think that my theory was wrong rather than tobel Jun-Hyuk''s behavior as strange.

    "It¡¯s weird, right?" Jun-Hyuk said.

    I stared at Jun-Hyuk''s faint face that hung in the darkness without nodding or shaking my head. The silence seemed to be even thicker and heavier as it mixed with the darkness of the desert. <i>Gulp. </i>The sound of me swallowing saliva felt extremely exaggerated.

    "If your deduction is correct, then I should¡¯ve lost by default the moment the construction stopped... But why did I stay still while you were stopping the construction?" Jun-Hyuk asked with a hint of mockery in his tone.

    He rummaged through his bag, looking for something. Instinctively, I felt the need to run away. However, my broken leg defied me. I was struggling to keep my body standing straight, let alone get away from him.

    "Even if you were sessful in stopping the construction... Ah, here it is." Jun-Hyuk took something out of his bag.

    It was a holy artifact. I couldn''t tell what it was exactly, but it had a menacing appearance, resembling a cannon that had been shrunk down.

    He unleashed divine power into the holy artifact.

    <i>Tsssk...</i>

    A sound like a burning fuse came from the holy artifact. The sound increased menacingly as seconds passed. Soon, the holy artifact began to tremble like a cannon moments before firing.

    "Anyway, in conclusion, my goal was not to ''prevent you from stopping the construction of the tower,'' but to ''defeat you''~ You know what I¡¯m saying?"

    <i>TSSSSK¨C!</i>

    The sound of the burning fuse grew louder. Jun-Hyuk¡¯s canon was aimed at me.

    ¡°The conclusion is, whether you stopped the construction of the tower or not, it was none of my concern. I only had to deal with you. Easy peasy, right?¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The sound of a match being struck stopped. Instead, it was reced by a dry sound that a pistol made after pulling the trigger. The sound felt incredibly eerie and terrifying.

    ©¤Bossou.

    There was no response. It was toote.

    "Anyway, I¡¯ll see you outside!"

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A shot echoed. Along with it, a cannonball that had sprung out from the holy artifact cleanly passed through my forehead.

 Chapter 75

    <h4>Chapter 75</h4>

    <i>Bang©¤! </i>

    With a sudden burst of energy, my head was torn apart.

    My consciousness faded away and was instead reced by pitch-ck darkness. Within that darkness, there was a faint, ominous glow tinged with a familiar purple hue. I was sinking endlessly within that darkness.

    I died.

    Well, I wasn¡¯t truly dead, I had merely died inside an illusion. However, the vividness of that death was so intense that I thought that I had died for real.

    "The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit©¤"

    "The knight that appears when the first seal is removed©¤"

    "Aaaah©¤!"

    A bizarrendscape rushed past me as I plummeted into the darkness. There were endless zing pits of fire, the sound of impending doom echoing from the sky, and people screaming and fleeing in panic before the impending disaster.

    All these scenes swiftly passed by within a few seconds, like a fleeting dream. The sound of invoking the Holy Name, the foreboding sound of impending doom, screams, hooves thundering, and the crackling sound of mes.

    Everything blended into a cacophony of eerie sounds that echoed in my ears.

    <i>Bounce.</i>

    In the midst of my endless descent, I soon gentlynded on a soft floor. The boundless darkness and illusions vanished, reced by a refreshing, warm light that filled my vision.

    Within the light, I sensed a subtle warmth. The chilling embrace of death, which was vividly present moments ago, had long dissipated. I turned my head around, surveying my surroundings within the light. Within the light, there was another light and warmth, but nothing else.

    "So, you eventually arrived."

    After looking around my surroundings for a while, a voice resonated through the empty light.

    The voice, like the warmth emanating from the light, was soothing. Within the soothing warmth was an indescribable sense of familiarity. The manner of speech and tone of the voice felt somewhat familiar.

    "...Noah?"

    "Yes, it''s Noah. Obviously. No one else but I, the ark''s administrator, can freely roam within this amount of space."

    This amount of space?

    Why did Noah use the expression ¡®this amount of space¡¯ to describe where I currently was? Noah''s words often had a cryptic nature, simr to Baron Samedi''s prophecies.

    "You died just now. Well, not a real death, of course! Hahaha. After saying that, I feel like I¡¯ve be a reaper.¡±

    As I was gazing into the light in befuddlement without responding, Noah¡¯s voice reached me once again. At the same time, someone cut through the radiant light and began walking briskly toward me.

    With each step, the blue cloak that was reminiscent of the sea shimmered. It was Noah.

    When Noah approached me with unwavering and measured steps, his appearance was so exceedingly dream-like that I was reminded of the fact that the ce I was currently in was an illusion.

    "So, what did it feel like to die?" Noah asked after approaching right in front of my face. There was a simple smile ying on his lips. It was such a nonchnt smile that it made me feel embarrassed, even though I was serious just a few moments ago. After seeing his smile,ughter involuntarily escaped from my mouth.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to puke.¡±

    "Hahaha. Everyone says the same thing, but the way you handled it was not too bad."

    Noahughed heartily and reached out his hand beyond the light. As his touch met the empty air, a tree began to grow. In an instant, it grew to an enormous size. At the tip of its branches, numerous small olives hung in clusters.

    <i>Snap.</i>

    Noah picked a few olives from the branches, giving one to me and eating one for himself. As I took a bite, an intense and pungent taste filled my mouth. It was a taste so overwhelmingly bitter and spicy that it made my facial muscles involuntarily contort.

    "Wild olives don¡¯t taste very good. That''s why they''re usually pickled or extracted for their oil," Noah said as he smiled after observing my reaction. However, I didn¡¯t have the luxury to respond. I was too busy spitting out the lingering bitterness that remained in my mouth.

    If he knew that it was going to taste bad, why did he bother to give me the olive? A vague sense of resentment emerged within me. Noah, as if mocking my resentment, ate the wild olives with an expression that seemed to indicate that they were incredibly delicious.

    ¡°My rambling extended for too long. I have a habit of rambling and doing long introductions. It¡¯s a bad habit, but I still find it to be a satisfying habit... Ah, it seems I rambled again just now. Anyway...¡±

    "..."

    "You died, and in the second checkpoint, Jun-Hyuk emerged victorious. I assume there are no objections on this matter?" Noah spoke calmly.

    I could only nod my head in response. Regardless of the process, the oue was clear. I lost, and Jun-Hyuk won. In the re-election test, Jun-Hyuk ultimately emerged as the victor. It was such an unequivocal defeat that it left no room for objections. Therefore, I had no intention of disputing the result. However, I was curious about one thing.

    "What were the undisclosed conditions?¡± I asked.

    There were two undisclosed conditions that were not revealed, even until the end. Jun-Hyuk killed me at the second checkpoint, and in terms of the result, I was just a loser. But I believed I had the qualifications to know at least this much.

    No matter what, I wanted to know at least this much. It was simple stubbornness.

    Noah contemted my question and pursed his lips as if he was deep in thought. "Undisclosed conditions... Originally, the principle is to not disclose them, but I think it¡¯ll be okay to give Sun-Woo the ¡®special privilege¡¯ to know.¡±

    "Special privilege?" I asked.

    "Yes, special privilege, because you are a special person," Noah replied.

    Special privilege. Those words felt strangely awkward. It carried an intentional sense of difort. It was possible that Noah deliberately made the pronunciation of the words ''special privilege'' sound strange.

    With a subtle expression on his face, Noah gazed at me and, ¡°The first condition was to stop the construction of the Tower, as the student knows. More precisely, it was to stop the construction of the Tower without harming the ¡®natives of the ark.'' The student did very well in that regard."

    Noah spoke, and if his words were true, I had fulfilled the first condition. Noah had a faint smile on his lips as he continued speaking.

    "The second condition was to eliminate the interferer. In this test, Jun-Hyuk took on the role of the interferer. Unfortunately, Sun-Woo did not fulfill that condition."

    "...It''s regrettable. I had a rough idea, though," I replied.

    "It''s not regrettable. ¡®Having a rough idea'' and ''being certain'' are different," Noah pointed out sharply.

    I nodded my head. It was true. There was a stark difference between having a vague idea and being certain. In hindsight, there was nothing to be regretful about.

    "Do you have any more questions?" Noah said as he picked an olive from a branch and offered it to me. I shook my head. I had no desire to eat another bitter and acrid wild olive, nor did I have any more questions.

    "Really?" Noah said forcefully as if to try to coax a question out of me.

    The smile that was always on his face had disappeared. What remained was an icy coldness. The difference between the smile on his face and the cold expression on his face was like the difference between a hunch and a certainty.

    "No, there''s nothing," I managed to answer with a gulp. The cold expression still lingered on Noah''s face.

    "Is that so? Nothing? I understand. There''s nothing, then."

    "...Should there be something?"

    "There should be. Of course, there should be," Noah replied.

    Noah''s gaze as he looked at me was dry and parched. It felt as if I was looking into the eyes of a doll or a machine. But strangely, I wasn''t afraid.

    The light that filled the surroundings warmed me and, at the same time, brought mefort. In this light, I had the confidence to fear nothing.

    "Is there really nothing?" Noah asked again. He spoke with a pressing tone as if urging me for an answer. I tilted my head, observing Noah''s expressionless face. I wondered why he was asking me this and what he expected as an answer.

    ...The truth was, it wasn¡¯t entirely true that I was not curious about anything. But the question that I wanted to ask was not about the ¡®test,¡¯ but was about the ¡®ark¡¯ itself. The question itself was a sensitive one that could potentially be a vition of a taboo. However, precisely because of that, maybe now was the time to ask.

    I couldn''t exin the exact reason, but somehow I felt that this was the question I should ask right now.

    "Did Mr. Sung Yu-Da, ah, Cardinal Sung Yu-Da really create the ark by himself?"

    I managed to ask the question. Noah''s lips curled into a satisfied smile as if he had finally gotten what he wanted.

    "It''s impossible for Mr. Sung Yu-Da alone to create this enormous ark. Just as thousands or millions of workers were sacrificed to build the Babel Tower, numerous people''s blood, sweat, and tears were sacrificed to create the ark."

    "Ah, I see."

    "¡ªis what people usually say. However, in this case, it''s different. Sun-Woo is special, so it''s appropriate to give you a special answer. It is said that depending on who the conversation partner is, the weight of the questions and the words can change."

    Noah took a bite of the olive. He adjusted the sleeves on his blue robe and continued exining.

    "So, before I exin, let me ramble on a bit... I am not on anyone''s side. I hope you keep this fact in mind while you listen," Noah said, but I couldn''t understand what he was trying to say very well. I stared at him nkly, and he nodded before opening his mouth again.

    "What I mean is, as much as I respected Sung Yu-Da, ah, Mr.Sung Yu-Da, I also respected Mr. Do Myung-Jun," Noah said, chewing on the olive and savoring its taste.

    ¡°The ark was co-created by Mr. Sung Yu-Da and Mr. Do Myung-Jin. Mr. Do Myung-Jun was responsible for creating the illusion and memories, while Mr.Sung Yu-Da improved it to make it usable.¡±

    "...Huh?"

    What?

    ¡°Was this not the answer that you wanted?¡± Noah asked. Although it was the answer I was hoping for, it wasn''t the answer I expected. I didn''t expect him to answer my question so directly.

    It was because stating the name of Do Myung-Jun, my father, was considered forbidden and sinful within the Romanican Church. However, Noah had casually stated his name as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He had even added ¡®Mr.¡¯ in front of his name as a show of respect.

    "Why¡ª?"

    <i>Crack!</i>

    I couldn''t finish my sentence. It was because I suddenly heard a sound as if something was breaking. Looking closely, rifts appeared in the air as the light that filled the surrounding had cracked. The rifts were dense, deep, and dark as if they could swallow me at any moment.

    "Unfortunately, we don''t have much time. It seems like the situation won¡¯t allow us the luxury of a conversation. To conclude, can I give you just two pieces of advice?"

    "No. There''s just one more question I want to ask¡ª"

    "When reasoning, Sun-Woo always has a habit ofing to conclusions first and then finding evidence to support these conclusions. It''s called confirmation bias. It''s not a good habit, so it would be helpful if you could fix it."

    I had something I wanted to ask him, but Noah didn''t give me a chance to ask questions. It was as if the situation didn''t allow us the opportunity for conversation. Noah hurriedly added, "And Sun-Woo doesn''t need to follow in his father''s footsteps. Just following his footsteps won''t allow you to fully utilize your talents."

    <i>Craak</i>¡ª!

    After Noah finished his sentence, hundreds of cracks appeared in the light. The cracks grew and multiplied uncontrobly. The darkness seeping through the gaps gradually swallowed the light, and soon the illusion began to crumble.

    Even inside the copsing illusion, Noah smiled calmly.

    "Good luck."

    ***

    As soon as I opened my eyes, I stood up from my seat and looked around. I couldn¡¯t see the meadows of the first checkpoint, nor the desert of the second checkpoint, nor the light that I saw after my death. There was nothing. It was as deste as when I first entered the ark. My mind was hazy as if I had just woken up from sleep.

    I ran my hands through my disheveled hair and pondered over the conversation I had with Noah. He told me not to follow in my father''s footsteps. It was as if he knew who my father was and what kind of person he was. He even said ¡®Do Myung-Jun,¡¯ which was my father''s name that was taboo in such a nonchnt manner.

    Soon, a bted conviction struck my head.

    Noah knew my true identity. He knew that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, the son of the second cult leader, Do Myung-Jin. The moment I realized this, a chilling sensation ran down my spine. I trembled with a sense of unease.

    Was he an ally or an enemy?

    No, perhaps he was neither an ally nor an enemy.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Then, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I frantically turned around in surprise.

    "I have a proposal for you."

    It was Ha-Yeon, out of the blue. I didn''t want to show any signs of surprise, but due to Noah, it was difficult to control my emotions, and it was hard to manage my expression.

    I turned my head, slipped past Ha-Yeon, and quickly left the ark. I didn''t want to show her my flustered state.

    "Just why are you in such a hurry? Wait, wait a second¨C!"

    I ignored Ha-Yeon, who was yelling while following behind me and exited the ark. The sunny sky had gradually turned reddish with the setting sun. It felt like half a day had passed in a blur. Perhaps due to being immersed in an illusion, my sense of time became hazy. The boundaries between hours, minutes, and seconds seemed to crumble.

    ¡°Examinees who havepleted the test should return their admission tickets and board the bus. Examinees who havepleted the test...¡±

    As I gazed at the reddening sky while lost in thought, I could faintly hear the teacher¡¯s voice in the distance. The teacher was shouting loudly while collecting the students¡¯ admission tickets at the front of the bus. I massaged my throbbing head and headed towards the bus with quick steps.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    However, before I could take another step, someone grabbed my wrist. To my surprise, it was Ha-Yeon.

    "Wait a second. A proposal. Haa, ha, ha, phew, um. I have just one proposal. Please don''t ignore me," she gasped. It seemed like she was out of breath from running just a few meters.

    "..."

    I stared at her in silence for a long time, unable to utter a word. I didn¡¯t feel like responding to her. Of course, whether I had the intention to answer or not, she didn¡¯t seem to care. She always prioritized her own interests over others.

    Just as she always did, Ha-Yeon opened her mouth with any regard for my feelings.

    ¡°You want to be a prte, right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    I couldn''t hide my baffled expression and replied. I couldn''t figure out Ha-Yeon''s intentions behind asking such a question. If someone asked me whether I wanted to be a prte, then I would obviously answer yes. However, since it was Ha-Yeon that asked such a question, I couldn¡¯t help but find it somewhat suspicious.

    Ha-Yeon took a deep breath to stabilize her breathing and then slowly asked, "What about joining the International Theological Association?"

 Chapter 76

    <h4>Chapter 76</h4>

    Immediately after the first checkpoint, Ha-Yeon tore up the note and came out of the illusion. The students swept away by Min-Seo''s avnche had already left the ark and returned to the academy by bus.

    Thus, the ark was empty. Only Min-Seo, Su-Ryeon, Jun-Hyuk, and Sun-Woo were still inside.

    "Ah... Ouch, my head hurts. Damn."

    "Oh! We really came out? Awesome."

    Ha-Yeon, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon also woke up from the illusion and soon followed. Min-Seo tidied up her messy hair while Su-Ryeon walked alongside her without even brushing off the dust on her head.

    Min-Seo was about to leave the ship, when she turned her head briefly and asked, "Hey, aren''t youing out?"

    Her gaze was fixed on Ha-Yeon. Instead of leaving the ship, Ha-Yeon sat beside Sun-Woo, who was still intoxicated by the illusion. It seemed like she had no intention of leaving the ark.

    "I have something to ask him. You can go first."

    "Oh, sure. Take your timeing out," Min-Seo replied mockingly, imitating Ha-Yeon''s tone [1].

    "Oh, what''s this? You¡¯re pretty good at mimicking people¡¯s voices."

    Su-Ryeon looked at Min-Seo with surprised eyes and reacted flippantly. Just like that, the two of them left the ship. In the quiet ship, only three people remained: Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo, and Ha-Yeon.

    Ha-Yeonpared the rxed face of Sun-Woo, still intoxicated by the illusion, and the face of Sun-Woo, covered in blood, struggling up the waterfall. Despite the fact that they were the same person, they seemed likepletely different people.

    "..."

    However, what surprised Ha-Yeon the most was Sun-Woo''s ability to utilize blessings. Sun-Woo''s physique was by no means impressive. Perhaps due to exercising a lot, there were faint signs of his muscture through his clothes. However, he didn¡¯t seem to possess the incredible strength needed to ovee the avnche with just his bare body.

    Despite this, he cut through the avnche and climbed up the mountain to pass the first checkpoint. Sun-Woo most likely had used a blessing and greatly enhanced his physical strength. However, if that was the case, there was something that was strange.

    <i>¡®...I couldn¡¯t see the light of blessing.¡¯</i>

    There was no light of blessing emanating from Sun-Woo¡¯s body. Thus, there were only two hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that Sun-Woo did not use a blessing and had used his pure physical strength to cut through the avnche.

    ¡°That makes absolutely no sense.¡±

    In the process of verifying the first hypothesis, Ha-Yeon shook her head and let out a dryugh. It was impossible to cut through an avnche with a body that was not enhanced with a blessing. No matter how much she thought about it, it was a hypothesis that had a probability that was way too low.

    In that case, the second hypothesis was probably correct. The second hypothesis was that Sun-Woo had acquired the method of using Adonai¡¯s Grace. Adonai¡¯s Grace was a concept that was created by her father, Sung Yu-Da. Itbined the properties of miracle replication and blessings.

    By mastering it, one could replicate the power of Samson, a figure recorded in the Holy Book, through a replication spell and embody it in the form of a blessing. It allowed them to wield Samson''s extraordinary power. Unlike blessings, the Grace of Adonai did not manifest the light of blessing around the body.

    The second hypothesis seemed more usible. In that case, how did Sun-Woo learn Adonai¡¯s Grace? What method did he use to attain such an advanced skill?

    Ha-Yeon was curious about that. "Excuse me, when will you wake up?"

    Ha-Yeon poked Sun-Woo''s head with her fingertips. There was no sign of him waking up. It didn''t seem like he would wake up anytime soon. Ha-Yeon sat there like a puppy, endlessly waiting for Sun-Woo to wake up.

    After dozing off and fiddling with Sun-Woo¡¯s hair, Ha-Yeon was able to wait for three hours. Although she normally avoided contact with others, strangely, she felt fine with Sun-Woo. She believed that the reason might be because Sun-Woo was a person born with the same Blood of Purification as her.

    Finally, someone stirred and stood up, mumbling, "Ah, I feel like crap. Shit..."

    It wasn''t Sun-Woo but Jun-Hyuk who had risen. Jun-Hyuk cursed, and without even ncing at Ha-Yeon, he immediately left the ship. He had a slightly angry expression on his face.

    "..."

    What was happening inside the ship?

    She had her doubts, but it wasn''t the most important thing right now. Jun-Hyuk had woken up, so Sun-Woo would wake up soon too. With an optimistic mindset, Ha-Yeon silently endured.

    Soon, Sun-Woo woke up. He sat there, looking around his surroundings and stared into the distance as if dazed. His face looked idiotic as if he was out of his mind.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    "I have a proposal for you."

    Ha-Yeon tapped Sun-Woo''s shoulder. Sun-Woo turned around in surprise, but upon realizing it was Ha-Yeon, he frowned and walked away angrily without saying a word. Momentarily taken aback by his reaction, Ha-Yeon stared at Sun-Woo''s back and hurriedly followed him.

    "Wait a second. A proposal. Haa, ha, ha, phew, um. I have just one proposal. Please don''t ignore me."

    Ha-Yeon chased after him while gasping for breath. Sun-Woo looked at her with a clearly displeased expression. His gaze was empty and chilly. Whenever Sun-Woo looked at her, he always had that cold and distant look in his eyes. Ha-Yeon found Sun-Woo''s attitude toward her somewhat ufortable, but she swallowed her pride onest time and spoke up.

    "You want to be a prte, right?"

    "What?"

    "What about joining the International Theological Association?"

    There were two objectives for this proposal.

    The first objective was the technique Sun-Woo had mastered, Adonai Grace. It was a skill that even the recognized divine power prodigy, Ha-Yeon, hadn¡¯t acquired yet. Ha-Yeon couldn''t ept the fact that someone like Sun-Woo possessed a higher level of skill than her. Therefore, she intended to bring Sun-Woo into the Theological Association to take his skill for herself.

    Secondly, Ha-Yeon was already a member of the International Theological Association and held a rtively high position. Moreover, her father, Sung Yu-Da, was the chairman of the International Theological Association.

    Ha-Yeon had no choice but to get closer to Sun-Woo, ording to her father''s orders. If they were going to get closer anyway, it would be more advantageous to have a hierarchical rtionship rather than an equal one.

    By enlisting Sun-Woo in the Theological Association, Ha-Yeon could establish an absolute rtionship where Sun-Woo was ''below,'' and she was ''above.'' In other words, enlisting Sun-Woo in the Theological Association would kill two birds with one stone.

    "What do you think?" Ha-Yeon asked again with a confident smile.

    Sun-Woo tilted his head slightly and stared nkly into space. It looked like a contemtive expression. However, Ha-Yeon wasn¡¯t impatient at all because she knew that Sun-Woo wouldn''t be able to refuse the proposal. The International Theological Association held a unique position among theological associations. Joining it would give an unmatched boost to one''s credentials. There was no one that was foolish enough to pass up the opportunity to join the International Theological Association.

    Eventually, Sun-Woo finished contemting and slowly answered, "I don''t want to. Now move aside. Let me pass."

    ¡°So I¡¯ll consider you a member... Huh? You don¡¯t want to?¡±

    "That''s right."

    Sun-Woo confirmed it nonchntly, as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, and tried to walk past Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon, momentarily stunned, stared nkly at Sun-Woo but quickly regained herposure and hurriedly blocked his path. Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing Ha-Yeon block his way.

    "What is it again?"

    "Why do you keep rushing? You should at least hear the conditions. I¡¯ll give you really good conditions¨C"

    "Why do I have to hear the conditions if I''m not going to join anyway?"

    Ha-Yeon tilted her head involuntarily at Sun-Woo''s iprehensible attitude. As a clergyman, getting the opportunity to join the International Theological Association was an unparalleled stroke of luck. Yet, Sun-Woo was casually throwing away that opportunity.

    Why on earth would he do that?

    "...Aha."

    Soon, her question was answered. Ha-Yeon nodded as if she understood Sun-Woo''s intentions.

    He was trying to bargain.

    He was purposely being uncooperative because he didn¡¯t want to join the association with half-arsed conditions. She thought for a second that he was an idiot for rejecting the opportunity, but he had a ?cunning side that she didn¡¯t expect. Ha-Yeon inwardly expressed admiration for Sun-Woo, who had considered negotiating even in this situation.

    "I''ll waive the entrance fee and membership fees and ensure that you can''t easily be kicked out even if you don''t participate actively¨C"

    "Hey."

    "...Yes, yes?"

    Ha-Yeon was about to continue her exnation when Sun-Woo interrupted her. She took a step back, feeling a chill run down her spine. Sun-Woo''s gaze, as usual, was cold and empty. Every time Sun-Woo looked at her like that, Ha-Yeon felt like a cornered mouse that was facing a cat.

    Sun-Woo continued to stare at Ha-Yeon with a piercing gaze and growled, "Can you not understand what I¡¯m saying? I said I¡¯m not joining. Now get lost."

    "Ah..."

    "Tsk."

    Sun-Woo looked at Ha-Yeon with disdain, clicked his tongue, and quickly walked away. After returning the registration form to the teacher, he boarded the bus.

    Ha-Yeon¡¯s usual stubbornness seemed to have disappeared, and she nkly watched the retreating figure of Sun-Woo with her trembling eyes. She couldn''t understand how the situation had turned out like this.

    Maybe he wasn¡¯t bargaining, and maybe Sun-Woo genuinely didn''t want to join? No, was this also an act in order to gain an advantage in the bargaining process? There was no way that was possible. But why did he click his tongue at the end? What an unsightly person. Did he have something he could rely on?

    In a matter of seconds, these fleeting questions crossed Ha-Yeon''s mind. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn''te to a conclusion. The questions swirled around in her head and remained unanswered. Then, suddenly, Ha-Yeon realized a new fact.

    "..."

    His gaze, tone, and attitude. Considering all the clues, it seemed that Sun-Woo disliked her. No, she was certain that he disliked her. The word dislike was not enough of a strong word. It was more urate to say that he hated her.

    Ha-Yeon realized this only now.

    <i>¡®...But why does he hate me?¡¯</i>

    However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn''t find a reason. Ha-Yeon felt a mix of difort and curiosity as she walked absentmindedly toward the bus.

    ***

    "After discussing the results, we will hold an appointment ceremony for the Holy Name of Charity¨C"

    The teacher who had taken our registration forms spoke. Most the students who had waited until we arrived did not listen to the teacher¡¯s words and instead trudged home with nk and weak faces. Some students even had tears in their eyes.

    The reason was simple. Except for Jun-Hyuk and me, all the other students had been eliminated during the first round. It was highly unlikely that someone who couldn''t even pass the first round would be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity.

    "¡ªThat concludes the announcement. Thank you all for your hard work during the test."

    When the teacher finished the announcement, the students had already gone home. Only Jun-Hyuk, Ha-Yeon, and I remained.

    Ha-Yeon had a somewhat downcast expression. It seemed that she was quite shocked by my rejection of her proposal.

    When Ha-Yeon made the offer, I honestly considered it. Joining the International Theological Association would greatly increase the chances of bing a prte. However, no matter how much I wanted to be a prte, I didn''t want Ha-Yeon''s help. It would undermine all my aspirations up to this point.

    Ha-Yeon was standing there staring nkly into the air. Leaving her behind, I headed toward my house.

    "Hey!"

    Someone called out to me as I walked through the alleyway towards home. It was Jun-Hyuk. He approached me with a bright smile and started walking beside me. He seemed to be in a very good mood, which was natural since he was the winner of the second round and, ultimately, the entire exam.

    Just like that, we walked for a while without exchanging words. The silence was so deep that it was difficult to just chalk it up as ¡®because there was no In-Ah.¡¯

    "Hey, by the way, I''m sorry about that."

    Jun-Hyuk''s unexpected apology broke the silence.

    "What are you sorry about? What do you mean by that?"

    "Well, honestly, at the end, it felt like a betrayal, you know? It sort of felt like I was stabbing someone in the back."

    Jun-Hyuk scratched the back of his head as if he felt awkward. He had a habit of scratching the back of his neck whenever he felt uneasy.

    I raised my head without saying a word. The night sky was visible. The crescent moon, obscured by clouds, emitted a faint moonlight. There were quite a lot of stars that were visible tonight.

    "Well, it was an exam anyway. It¡¯s not like this is the first or second time you¡¯ve betrayed me, right?"

    "Huh? You bastard, you¡¯re talking kind of strangely. When did I betray you?"

    "Whenever there¡¯s an incident, you always run away and try to survive by yourself."

    Jun-Hyuk briefly closed his mouth as if I had struck a critical weak point, and his forehead wrinkled up as he narrowed his eyes.

    "...Hey, dude, that''s not betrayal. What do you call it...? Right, rational judgment. That''s how you should see it."

    "Isn''t it betrayal based on rational judgment?"

    "Hey, if I didn''t go to call Teacher Do-Jin back then, we would have all died. And instead of being grateful, you treat me like a traitor."

    Various conversations went back and forth. As the night grew deeper, the streetlights in the alleyways turned on one by one. When I looked up into the sky, there were no longer any stars. It was because the starlight was obscured by the light from the streetlights.

    "Well, anyway, in the end, I''ll probably be the one to be the Holy Name of Charity. Sorry, dude."

    "What are you saying? Don''t you know that the evaluation also takes your usual behavior into ount?"

    "Well... Still, the exam content is more important," Jun-Hyuk said as if it were obvious.

    It was a statement that I couldn''t entirely deny. In reality, Florence Academy valued ability, not character. If we only considered the exam content, the probability of me bing Holy Name of Charity was very slim.

    If there were any variables, it would be the fact that they considered the student''s usual behavior in the evaluation process and the fact that I met the undisclosed conditions at the first checkpoint. At the moment, it was best to hope that these two variables would make an unexpected difference.

    "Well... honestly, I''m not very confident either. The results haven''te out yet."

    Jun-Hyuk supported the back of his head with his cupped hand and vaguely looked up at the sky. Comints were flowing from his mouth. His face reflected in the streetlight was rather dark. Jun-Hyuk seemed to be uncertain, just like me.

    "I definitely need to get the Holy Name of Charity. If I can''t even achieve this, then I¡¯ll be aplete failure,¡± Jun-Hyuk muttered as if he was talking to himself.

    I nodded. I also felt the same way.

    ***

    The day after the re-election test, after finishing sses, it was after school hours. The teachers gathered in the conference room. As usual, the principal and chairman were absent, and the vice principal led the meeting. There was one agenda. It was about the re-election of the Holy Name of Charity.

    "For now, the candidates have been narrowed down to two. Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk from the ss of Charity."

    The vice-principal held a document sent by Noah in his hand. The document contained the time when Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk passed the checkpoint, as well as any special circumstances at the time. The other students had all been eliminated early on at the first checkpoint, so they were not worth considering.

    The vice-principal handed out photocopies of the documents to the teachers. After checking the document, the teachers all looked puzzled and shook their heads as if in doubt.

    "It''s hard to judge based solely on the records..."

    "Based on the records alone, Jun-Hyuk seems to have the advantage."

    "They said it''s possible to film the illusions that happened inside the ark. Did Noah send any footage?"

    The teachers expressed their opinions one by one. A bustling noise spread around the round table. The vice-principal lightly tapped the desk twice as if trying to silence themotion. The noise subsided quickly.

    "Indeed, it''s difficult to judge based solely on the records. Noah did send us the footage of what happened during that time, but..."

    The vice-principal hesitated and let out a sigh, "Um, well, it''s probably best to judge after watching the footage. However, it might not be of much help."

    As the vice-principal signaled, a teacher who had been waiting yed a video on theirptop. Theptop was connected to a beam projector and projected the footage onto arge screen.

    The first video was from the second checkpoint. However, its content was very iplete. After the scene of Sun-Woo climbing the tower, it immediately transitioned to the scene of him descending, and at that time, the construction had already stopped. There was no information on how Sun-Woo stopped the construction.

    Shortly after that, Sun-Woo was killed by Jun-Hyuk''s surprise attack and disqualified. Based on the second checkpoint alone, it seemed undeniable that Jun-Hyuk would be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity.

    After the video ended, a teacher who suddenly felt puzzled raised his hand and asked, "Um, why is the footage of the second checkpoint shown first instead of the first checkpoint...?"

    He was the teacher of Sacred Dynamics who taught four sses, including the ss of Charity.

    "Noah insisted that we ¡®must¡¯ watch the second checkpoint video first, without fail. I don''t know the reason either. Anyway, let''s move on to the next video."

    With that statement, the vice-principal cut off the questions and immediately yed the next video. The second video was from the first checkpoint. It showed Jun-Hyuk entering the ark first, followed by Sun-Woo.

    However, unlike Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo was covered in blood and had a girl on his back as he entered the ark. Just as he entered, an unidentified voice stating that he had fulfilled the undisclosed condition could be heard.

    However, Jun-Hyuk''s record was 1:02:32.72, while Sun-Woo''s record was 1:09:12.67. Based on the records alone, Jun-Hyuk was seven minutes ahead.

    "Jun-Hyuk was faster in both the first and second checkpoints."

    "Yes, if we go by the test results, it seems that Jun-Hyuk should be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity¡ª"

    "But if we consider their conduct, Sun-Woo''s is better, right?"

    "Well, Sun-Woo is not exactly exemry in that regard either. That aspect needs further discussion..."

    The teachers had mixed opinions. There were many arguments for choosing either Jun-Hyuk or Sun-Woo. However, considering only the results, it was a fact that Jun-Hyuk performed better in the test, so the decision to choose Jun-Hyuk as Holy Name of Charity had the upper hand.

    "...But what was the undisclosed condition?" A teacher suddenly cut through themotion with a question.

    The innocent question came from a teacher that had been newly assigned to teaching the Understanding the Holy Book subject this year. Perhaps the other teachers also had the same doubt, as the conference room quickly fell silent.

    "Do-Jin, didn''t you do that before?" Ye-Jin asked Do-Jin, referring to a previous incident. Do-Jin furrowed his brows as if trying to recall and then widened his eyes and nodded as if he suddenly remembered.

    "Ah, when I joined the Crusader Order, there was a test inside the ark... Yeah, going up the mountain and entering the ark."

    Do-Jin naturally started using casualnguage but quickly realized that he was in the middle of a meeting and corrected his tone.

    The ark created by Sung Yu-Da was not only used for testing the students but also for entrance tests for crusaders and pdins. Do-Jin had taken the ark test when he joined the Trinitas Crusader Order.

    "I guess the undisclosed condition was probably entering the ark with a male and female pair or something like that. And it probably tested the understanding of the Holy Book and camaraderie, or something like that."

    "Does fulfilling the condition affect the score?"

    Ye-Jin asked Do-Jin, who tilted his head slightly.

    "Um... I''m sorry, but I can''t remember well. Is there anything written about it in the special rules?"

    "The special rules, you say. There''s nothing written in particr..."

    The vice-principal was scanning through the documents when his face suddenly froze. It seemed like he had seen something. This was the first time anyone had seen the vice-principal this flustered. After being visibly flustered for a while, the vice-principal regained hisposure and controlled his facial expression.

    "Let me first tell you about the special rules... and then we can discuss. That''s what I think," the vice principal said.

    What on earth was written there that made the vice-principal so flustered? The teachers¡¯ curious gazes were focused on the vice principal.

    1. Ha-Yeon always speaks using honorifics. ?

 Chapter 77

    <h4>Chapter 77</h4>

    Afterpleting my daily routine, I arrived at the underground chapel. As soon as I entered, the first person I saw was my uncle. He was at the table, diligently calcting something with a calctor. Without even needing to ask, I suspected that what he was doing was rted to money, so I walked past my uncle and opened my bedroom door.

    ¡°Oh, hey. When did you arrive? I was so focused on doing something just now that I didn¡¯t even realize that you came in.¡±

    ¡°Just now.¡±

    My uncle casually ced the calctor that he had been busily tapping away at onto the table and then called out to me. "Oh, right. Sun-Woo. The um... what was it called again? Divine Name? Holy Name? The appointment ceremony for that is tomorrow, right?"

    "Yeah, that''s right. It''s tomorrow."

    ¡°What¡¯s up with your reaction? Weren¡¯t you all hyped up, saying you had to get it no matter what? Did you do poorly on the test?¡±

    "Just... So-so."

    ¡°Back when I was young, whenever my sister asked about my grades, I would always say ¡®so-so.¡¯ It looks like you didn¡¯t do that well,¡± my uncle said jokingly.

    I revealed a bitter smile. After tearing open a stick of instant coffee and making it, my uncle asked again, "Well, anyway. If, by any chance, you get that... Divine Name? Holy Name? Whatever it is, if you get it, let me know. They said you have to donate money, right?"

    "Ah... yeah. But don''t get your hopes up. It¡¯s probably not going to happen."

    "Ha, I never got my hopes up in the first ce. All I¡¯m saying is just to tell me if you need money," my uncle said nonchntly.

    Conversations with my uncle always ended up revolving around money. Sometimes I wondered why my uncle was so relentless in umting money. Greed for money was something that all humans naturally possessed, but my uncle''s greediness was too excessive. Rather than greed, his pursuit of money was closer to an obsession.

    Well, there must be reasons for it. After all, most of the money he earned so tirelessly was spent on me and the Voodoo Cult. While lightly ruminating over it, I was about to enter my room when I noticed that the underground chapel felt somewhat deserted.

    "Uncle, where did nuna go?"

    "Nuna? Ah, Ji-Ah? She seems busy these days. She''s been roaming around all over the ce every night."

    "...Why?"

    "No idea. I think she said there''s something she needs to investigate," my uncle said indifferently while sitting down. Then he started tapping away at the calctor again. The cheerful beep that rang out every time he pressed a number filled the underground chapel.

    Ji-Ah always greeted me first whenever I entered the underground chapel, but since she wasn''t here, the underground chapel felt strangely empty. I forcefully brushed off the mysterious sense of emptiness that I felt. Come to think of it, Ji-Ah wasn''t supposed to be a domestic helper in the underground chapel. She was an informant. It was only natural for her to go out to investigate.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    After falling onto the damp bed, I stared nkly at the ceiling. It had already been four days since I had taken the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity. Discussions about who would be the Holy Name of Charity had continued up until now.

    And finally, there was tomorrow.

    They would announce the test results tomorrow, and at the same time, it would be the day of the appointment ceremony for the Holy Name of Charity. The appointment ceremony would begin at one o''clock, and since there were no sses until then, students only had to arrive at school by one o''clock. Thanks to that, I had some spare time in the morning. I could either sleep more or work out in the morning.

    [You haven''t been practicing Voodoo sorcery muchtely. It would be good to be more diligent.]

    I closed my eyes and was just about to take a short nap when Legba''s voice woke me up. I was already struggling to sleep, but because of Legba, it seemed like it would be more difficult to get some sleep. I had no choice but to unleash Voodoo magic and draw a spell array.

    ¡°No matter how many times I do this, I feel like I¡¯m not really improving. Am I on the right track?¡±

    [Practice makes perfect. Small but consistent efforts will stack up and lead to great aplishments.]

    ¡°So what I¡¯m trying to ask is, am I doing this right? This will all just be meaningless floundering if I put in all this effort and do it wrong.¡±

    [Believe in yourself a little more.]

    Although Legba spoke words of encouragement, I still didn¡¯t feel confident at all.

    In order to reach the state of Acquirement, I had been drawing spell arrays and letting the mist from the spells flow through my body for several days. However, there were no noticeable signs of progress.

    ¡°My body is immune to the Voodoo spells, so I can¡¯t even tell if it has any effect...¡±

    [That¡¯s because your resistance is too strong. If you keep putting in the effort, someday you will be able to cast spells on yourself, and eventually, you will be able to reach the state of Acquirement.]

    "Ah, alright."

    Although it was difficult to trust Legba¡¯s advice, I decided to continue putting in the effort. I drew a spell array, let the mist flow through my body, and repeated the process again and again.

    After a while, I realized that the room was filled with purple mist.

    "...I''ll stop here for today. I''m tired."

    [Alright. If you unleash Voodoo magic excessively without getting enough sleep, you''ll get dizzy. Stop and get some rest. Taking care of your health is also part of putting in the effort, you know.]

    "Understood. Thank you so much for taking care of my health as well. It¡¯s such an honor."

    [Don''t get cheeky with me.]

    Ignoring Legba''s words, I closed my eyes.

    ***

    "Kill... me. Kill... kill me, please," someone said as they approached me. Their steps creaked as if they were a wooden doll. Their fingers were broken and dangling, and their arms were torn and spread apart like wings. It was a cruel and horrifying sight. I desperately ran in the opposite direction of the monster.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The monster chased after me. The thudding sound of the footsteps grew closer. Without even looking behind, I tirelessly ran through the endless darkness.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Soon, I stopped in my tracks. There was nowhere left to run. It was a dead end.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    The footsteps were nearing.

    "Kill... me. Kill... kill me, please. Kill... me... please..."

    The monster repeated the same words over and over again while approaching me. I retreated backward a few steps.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Soon, I tripped over something that seemed like a stone and fell over. The ground was soaked with blood and flesh. The monster continued to approach me. With its horrifying wings-like torn skin, it slowly approached me while uttering iprehensible words.

    "Kill... me. Please... kill..."

    The monster stood before me, but it didn''t attack. It knelt down and cowered in front of me. After a while of bowing its head and mumbling incoherently, the monster finally raised its head.

    "Ah... argh, aaaargh¡ª!"

    ¡°Kill, kill. Please... me...!¡±

    I was even more terrified when I saw the monster¡¯s face. Even when I screamed, no sound came out. Instead, a metallic sound came out. It was a pitiful and wretched voice of despair. The face of the monster was all too familiar.

    "Cult Leader, please kill me."

    It was Ji-Ah nuna.

    "Ah, aargh!"

    I woke up screaming, and my whole body was drenched in cold sweat. The horrifying scene from my dream was still vivid before my eyes. I was relieved to know it was just a dream, but the dream instilled a deep sense of terror in me. Although I had experienced nightmares before, this was my first time experiencing such a horrifying and vivid nightmare.

    My heart was pounding as if it would burst. I couldn''t seem to calm my startled mind. I took deep breaths, but no matter how hard I tried to steady my breathing, it was futile.

    "...Baron Samedi."

    I suspected that the cause was the purple mist that was swirling around me. Soon, the purple mist entered my nostrils and entered my head. The voice of Baron Samedi started ringing in my mind.

    [If it was scary, then I''m sorry! But wasn''t it quite entertaining?]

    "It''s not entertaining at all, so please refrain from doing something like this in the future. Please."

    [Oh, dear!]

    Baron Samedi continued to speak with a gloomy tone.

    [I¡¯ve always delivered prophecies through words, and it''s been getting quite boring, you see. So today, I tried using a dream. If it wasn''t fun, then I''ll refrain from doing so.]

    "Yes, in the future, please refrain from... Wait, what?"

    I abruptly stopped what I was saying and stood up from my seat. The drowsiness I felt a moment ago disappeared instantly.

    Baron Samedi just said that he always delivered prophecies through words, and since it was getting quite boring, he tried using a dream. Tried using a dream for what? A prophecy? If that was the case, then the dream I just had was Baron Samedi''s prophecy.

    As soon as I realized that, a chill ran down my spine. I got goosebumps all over.

    "You''re saying that this is the prophecy?"

    "Yes. Today''s prophecy is quite straightforward. What you just saw is an event that will inevitably happen in the future."

    "Inevitably happen? What do you mean?"

    "Depending on your choice, you may lose everything, or you may only lose one thing. Today, you will stand at the crossroads of a choice. The rest is up to you..."

    After saying that, violet mist escaped from my body. Baron Samedi went up the vent and left. The voice receded along with the mist, but faint traces of him remained in the room.

    I pondered Baron Samedi''s prophecy. A future that would undoubtedlye to pass. A choice. I could lose everything or gain everything. The crossroads of a choice. Just recalling the words he spoke made me feel dizzy. My head was spinning. I felt like I was going to hurl.

    I checked the time on my phone¡ª11:42 AM. The appointment of the Holy Name was at one o''clock. It was time to get ready and leave. I rushed out of the room as if bursting out of the door, and just like yesterday, my uncle was sitting in the same spot, reading a book, and Ji-Ah was nowhere to be found.

    Wait, Ji-Ah was nowhere to be found.

    "Where did Ji-Ah nuna go?"

    "She went out when you were still sleeping."

    My uncle casually replied without looking away from his book. Ji-Ah went out. Where did she go? Where was she going? What would turn her into a monster and make her beg me to kill her?

    <i>"I will find a method soon and contact you."</i>

    Suddenly, Ji-Ah''s words from a few days ago came to mind. It wasn''t just those words. All the words Ji-Ah had said to me shed through my mind and then faded away. The more memories that resurfaced, the more anxious I became.

    "Did you receive any calls from her?"

    My uncle stared at my face and asked, "No?... Why? What''s wrong?"

    He had already closed the book. I shook my head. There was nothing wrong. To be precise, there was nothing wrong <i>yet.</i>

    "If Ji-Ah nuna calls, let me know¡ª"

    <i>Ring¨C!</i>

    At that moment, a clear notification sound interrupted my words. I picked up my phone. There was a message from an unknown sender.

    [Basarwish-5].

    I couldn''t understand what it meant. It seemed like some kind of code. Theck of spaces made it even more difficult toprehend. My heart was thumping loudly, so loudly that it sounded like a giant was stomping. Without a moment to calm my startled mind, the phone rang again. The call, like the message, was from an unknown caller.

    "...Hello?"

    I answered the call. I couldn''t ignore it. Through the receiver, I heard a mixture of white noise and muffled sounds. <i>Thud, thud.</i> It was the same sound that I heard in my dream. I was just barely able to suppress the sudden urge to vomit.

    ¡ªCan you hear me?

    Soon, the white noise subsided, and someone''s voice came through. Without needing to ask, I knew it was Ji-Ah''s voice.

    "Yes."

    ¡ªIf you can hear me, then that''s a relief. Cult Leader, today is the appointment for the Holy Name of Charity, right? What time do you have to arrive by?

    Ji-Ah''s tone was calm, but her voice trembled ever so slightly.

    The fact that Ji-Ah''s voice, which never lost itsposure, was trembling meant that her situation was far from ordinary. A strange sense of anxiety rose deep within my chest. The illusion kept flickering before my eyes.

    "I have to arrive before one o''clock."

    <strong>¡ª</strong>I guess you have to prepare to go soon. Then, I¡¯ll get straight to the point because my situation is not ideal ri¨Cright now.

    Her voice was asionally cut off by white noise. She seemed to be in a ce where the signal wasn''t strong. She was either somewhere deep in the mountains or underground.

    "Where are you?"

    ¡ªI sent you a message with the location of the Satanists'' hideout. You can visit it when you''re ready. Don''te now. Make sure you''re fully prepared beforeing.

    "Where are you at the moment?"

    ¡ªBy the way, Yoon-Ah likes uncooked food. She''ll eat well if you give her sashimi or beef tartare. It will be easier if you don¡¯t use a shower towel when washing her.

    Ji-Ah ignored my questions and only said what she wanted to say. Foreboding crept into my heart, gradually filling it and eventually consuming it entirely.

    I heard the thumping of footsteps.

    ¡ªI left Baal''s Maw in the thirdpartment of the wardrobe on the right of the storage room entrance.

    "Where are you at the moment?"

    ¡ª...I believe I''ve conveyed everything. Thank you. I''ll hang up now.

    "Don''t hang up."

    The call hadn''t ended yet. Ji-Ah''s breathing reached me faintly through the receiver. I ced my father''s box, which I had kept in my drawer, into my bag. It took too long to put on my school uniform. I quickly changed intofortable clothes that I could wear immediately. Behind the receiver, Ji-Ah spoke amidst the white noise.

    ¡ªCult Leader, I¡¯ll disconnect now...

    ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me? Where are you?¡±

    ¡ª...

    There was no response from Ji-Ah. I left the underground chapel.

 Chapter 78

    <h4>Chapter 78</h4>

    The Great Auditorium was already bustling with activity. Although there were still ten minutes left until the inauguration ceremony, students had gathered early in the auditorium and were chatting with their friends.

    "I heard you took the re-election test. Who do you think will win?"

    "Well... It''s either going to be Jun-Hyuk or Sun-Woo, right?"

    "Yeah, well, honestly, if I had to choose between one of them, I would choose..."

    <i>Screeeech¨C!</i>

    A sharp sound echoed from the stage. It came from the sound equipment that the teachers were checking.

    The students frowned and covered their ears. One of the teachers who stepped onto the stage grabbed the microphone and spoke.

    "<i>Ahem, ahem. </i>Since the inauguration ceremony will start soon, I will ask all students to be seated and to remain quiet."

    "Ugh... I don''t like that teacher."

    "Yeah, there are rumors going around that he''s dating a student..."

    "Hey, you there! I said be quiet!"

    Some students gossiped about the teachers while the teachers shouted at them to be quiet. On the other hand, some students sat there quietly checking their phones, and some teachers were silently inspecting the sound equipment.

    Su-Ryeon shuddered as she observed all this. Sheined, "Ugh... It''s so noisy."

    "They''re all brats. What do you expect?"

    Min-Seo, who was beside her, spoke as if it didn''t bother her. Su-Ryeon gave Min-Seo a strange look. It seemed like Min-Seo wasn''t aware that she was the same age as those ¡®brats.¡¯

    "By the way, where are Dae-Man, Ha-Yeon, and Jin-Seo? Where did they all go?" Min-Seo asked as she looked around.

    "I heard that Jin-Seo took sick leave today. I don''t know about Dae-Man and Ha-Yeon."

    Su-Ryeon shrugged. Min-Seo chuckled.

    "She''s always taking sick leave. She''s always finding ways to skip things, really."

    "Well, she might actually be sick."

    "What a load of crap. She''s probably at the training center hitting the sandbag by now."

    Min-Seo clicked her tongue. Su-Ryeon pursed her lips and nodded. Her face indicated that whatever Jin-Seo was doing was none of her business.

    While they were talking, Dae-Man walked over from a distance. Ha-Yeon was trudging along behind him from a distance of around ten meters.

    "Hm, looks like I¡¯m a littlete!" Dae-Man said, touching his own arm.

    Even though it was April, he was already wearing his summer school uniform. Part of the reason was that he tended to get hot easily, but another big reason was that he wanted to show off his muscles. Min-Seo''s face contorted when she saw Dae-Man.

    "Couldn''t you just note?"

    "No way. My goal is to receive the perfect attendance award!"

    It was her mistake to chat too long with Dae-Man. Min-Seo turned her head toward Ha-Yeon, who was following behind Dae-Man. She was slowly walking backward with a face filled with fear.

    "...Is there a ghost here or something? What''s wrong?"

    "Well, um. Could you please put that thing away?"

    Ha-Yeon pointed her finger at Dae-Man. It was a rude gesture as if what she was pointing at was not a human but some sort of abomination. Her expression clearly showed fear and disgust. Ha-Yeon was afraid of boys, and she was especially afraid of Dae-Man.

    "Just because we want to put that thing away doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯ll go away," Min-Seo said, shaking her head as if she had resigned herself to her fate.

    Su-Ryeon, who was standing beside them, raised her eyebrows as if she were confused.

    "But Dae-Man is quite impressive, isn''t he? He has a good physique," Su-Ryeon said.

    "What, are your eyes on your toes? The only thing he has is a good physique, nothing more," Min-Seo growled as if she couldn''t possibly agree with Su-Ryeon''s words.

    "Well... I don''t really know either," Ha-Yeon said, turning her head away as if she was dodging the question.

    They headed to their respective seats in the front row of the Great Auditorium, reserved for the Seven Holy Names.

    Kindness, Temperance, Chastity, and Diligence were soon filled, while Humility, Charity, and Patience remained vacant.

    "Is that Humility guy... evening to school?" Min-Seo asked in disbelief as she looked at the seat with the word Humility written on it. The Holy Name of Humility, nicknamed ''that guy,'' hadn''t attended school even once in the past month.

    "He said he woulde today. He did mention that he might be a littlete, though." Dae-Man spoke up.

    None of the Holy Names knew that guy''s contact information except Dae-Man. Su-Ryeon''s face lit up at the news.

    "Oh, he¡¯s finallying? I don''t know that guy''s face. Is he good-looking?"

    "He just looks like a jerk."

    "What do you mean, he looks like a jerk...? Hey, Ha-Yeon. Haven''t you seen his face before?"

    Turning away from Min-Seo, who dismissed him as looking like a jerk, Su-Ryeon turned her head to Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon seemed somewhat embarrassed, avoiding eye contact and nodding slightly.

    "Yes. I have seen him before. Our parents know each other."

    "Oh. How is he? Is he good-looking?"

    "He just... looks like a delinquent."

    "..."

    Su-Ryeon drooped her head as if she was disappointed. With descriptions like ¡°looks like a jerk¡± or ¡°looks like a delinquent,¡± it was hard to imagine what he actually looked like. The fact that no one mentioned him being good-looking suggested that he probably wasn''t particrly attractive.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    While the Holy Names were wasting time with meaningless conversations, the lights suddenly went out in the auditorium. Min-Seo checked the time on her phone. It was 12:58 PM. It was almost time for the inauguration ceremony to begin.

    In the darkness that enveloped the auditorium, Chang-Won, the Florence Academy chairman, stepped up onto the stage.

    "<i>Cough, ahem</i>, well then, let us proceed with the appointment ceremony and announce the results of the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity."

    All the lights in the Great Auditorium were off, and only the spotlight illuminating the stage was on. The students sat in silence, waiting for the results to be announced. Soon, Chang-Won, the chairman and archbishop-level clergyman, began speaking.

    "The Holy Name of Charity¡¯s re-election test was conducted through the Ark Checkpoints. By evaluating the students'' abilities through two checkpoints, we conducted a fair and impartial assessment..."

    The opening was boring and predictable. The test was conducted through checkpoints, and the judging process was fair. Through the checkpoint, they were able to assess each student''s capabilities... and so on. It was a bunch of formalities.

    "...And thus, I will announce the 35th generation of the Holy Name of Charity, who has been re-elected."

    Just as the students were about to start yawning, Chang-Won got to the point. The students dozing off in boredom suddenly widened their eyes. The four Holy Names, excluding the three vacancies, also eagerly awaited the announcement of the re-elected Holy Name of Charity.

    "The student who has been elected as the 35th Holy Name of Charity showed an impressive performance at the Ark Checkpoints. He had the cleverness to ovee the checkpoints with a unique method different from others. Above all, he had an altruistic attitude of taking care of one''s peers before himself.

    "As this student has been appointed as the Holy Name of Charity, I hope that he will fulfill his role as the Spear of Holiness faithfully..."

    The students'' eyes sparkled with anticipation as they waited for the name of the newly appointed Holy Name of Charity to be announced.

    "Student from the ss of Charity, Do Sun-Woo. Pleasee up onto the stage."

    ©¤©¤©¤!

    Cheers and apuse erupted from below the stage. Although there were some who doubted Sun-Woo''s appointment as the Holy Name of Charity, most of them sincerely congratted him.

    "As expected! It''s only natural that one who is diligent is rewarded. It can be said that this is not just Sun-Woo''s victory but the victory of diligence."

    Dae-Man apuded while praising the value of diligence.

    "In the end, it ended up being Sun-Woo. Well, then again, Jun-Hyuk was too idiotic."

    Min-Seo, who had strongly argued for manipting the election in favor of Jun-Hyuk, now tried to rationalize her own thoughts since Sun-Woo had won.

    "Jun-Hyuk was more good-looking than Sun-Woo... What a waste," Su-Ryeon jokingly expressed her regret.

    "Ah..." Ha-Yeon sighed absentmindedly.

    Some apuded happily, some apuded indifferently, and others pped sadly. In any case, whether they liked it or not, Sun-Woo bing the Holy Name of Charity was already confirmed. They had no choice but to ept it.

    Soon, someone leaped onto the stage. They were covered by the darkness, so it was not possible to see their face, but people thought that it was Sun-Woo.

    ¡°<i>-Ha, huff, haa, huu.</i> Chair-Chairman. Um, Sun-Woo hasn¡¯t arrived at school yet...¡±

    However, the one who was on top of the stage was not Sun-Woo, but Ye-Jin. She gasped for breath as she exined the situation to Chang-Won.

    Sun-Woo hadn''te to school, and he didn''t answer the phone either.

    "...Is he simplyte? Or is he absent?" Chang-Won said with a stern face. He was infamously known for hating tardiness.

    Ye-Jin tried calling Sun-Woo onest time, but as expected, he didn''t answer her call. She looked at Chang-Won with a flushed but gloomy expression.

    "I¡¯m not able to con-contact him at the moment. I can¡¯t reach him¡ª¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t contact him?¡±

    Chang-Won¡¯s lips twisted in displeasure.

    ***

    Ji-Ah''s investigation to uncover the hiding ce of the Satanist faction that was targeting the Voodoo Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, was a sess. However, it was only a partial sess.

    Through her own investigative techniques and deductions, Ji-Ah narrowed down the candidates for the Satanist''s hiding ce. She hacked into constructionpanies and rted administrative offices to further narrow down the candidates, and soon, she seeded in finding the location of the Satanist''s hideout.

    However, there was a reason why her investigations were only a partial sess. It was because she was captured by the Satanist during the process of reviewing the information.

    "It''s very rare for ''ingredients'' toe to me voluntarily... It seems luck is on my side today," the Satanist said.

    He was wearing a red robe, and his voice was greasy, like that of a B-rated movie viin. He had no expression on his face because someone else''s facial skin was covering it.

    The Satanist caressed Ji-Ah''s cheek with his hand. At the chilling sensation, Ji-Ah could only re at the Satanist. She couldn''t resist at all. Her body was tightly bound on top of a hospital chair, rendering her unable to move even a finger.

    "I consider this ritual a journey, you see. It''s a procedure to make the body and mind anew."

    "..."

    "Don''t look at me like that. Didn''t I give you the leisure to greet your family and loved ones? If ''that person'' had been here, there would have been no room for such leisurely conversations from the beginning."

    The Satanist then sliced open his finger with a scalpel. Blood flowed profusely from his severed finger. He then nodded, seemingly satisfied. Ji-Ah couldn''t bear to look at the scene and tightly closed her eyes.

    "Don''t close your eyes. You should see it. Isn''t that why you came here?"

    "Just a moment, don''t...don¡¯t touch me!"

    "Well, it''s better to touch you with my hand than to touch you with the de, don''t you think?"

    The Satanist forcefully raised Ji-Ah''s eyelid with his bloody fingertip. Tears streamed down from the corner of Ji-Ah''s bloodied eye. It looked as if tears of blood were flowing.

    Perhaps she would die in this ce. No, she might experience an even more dreadful fate than death. On her way to the hiding ce, she had seen numerous taxidermied humans. The taxidermied humans were produced by extracting the blood and removing the organs from the bodies, and then filling the bodies with cotton.

    She suspected that she would meet the same fate. It wouldn''t be a peaceful death, but she had no regrets. It was because she had seeded in revealing the location to the Cult Leader.

    The text she had just sent, ¡®Basarwish-5,¡¯ meant that the Satanist''s hideout was on the 5th floor of the Basar Market¡¯s Wish section. Because she had sent it in a hurry, it looked like some sort of code, but she believed that the Cult Leader would be able to interpret it easily. Even if she died, she would havepleted her mission first. If it helped the Cult Leader, that was enough. Thinking that, Ji-Ah smiled.

    "As expected, I knew you would also like it. It''s nice to see you smile. Now, if it hurts, let me know~"

    In an instant, the Satanist cut open a long gash in Ji-Ah''s arm with a scalpel.

    "Ugh, arghhhh...!"

    Ji-Ah let out an indescribable whimper in response to the excruciating pain the likes of which she had never felt before. However,pared to the mental pain of seeing her arm being dissected and having the flesh exposed, the pain was trivial.

    The Satanistughed gleefully at the sight of Ji-Ah writhing in pain. Then, he brought the scalpel to Ji-Ah''s other arm.

    "Stay still. I''m going to make you look really pretty."

    "Ah, wait, ahh...!"

    Ji-Ah endlessly spewed out incoherent sounds. In the face of death''s terror, she was losing her ability to speak. She remembered herself being overly confident that she could maintain herposure even in the face of death. She had been so wrong.

    Anyone would lose their calm in the face of death.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it again. If it hurts, let me¡ª¡±

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Just as the Satanist was about to sever Ji-Ah''s other arm with the scalpel, inside the Satanist''s hideout, the door of the blood-scented hospital room opened.

    To be precise, the door wasn''t opened but rather smashed apart. The Satanist stared at the broken door, puzzled. Someone was approaching briskly from that direction.

    Ji-Ah''s eyes widened as she looked at the approaching figure.

    "Cult... Leader...?"

    Ji-Ah murmured despairingly as she looked at Sun-Woo. Without saying a word, Sun-Woo drew a spell array.

    An intermediate restoration spell.

    The mist touched the flesh severed by the de and healed it instantly. It was a remarkable restoration spell. Somehow, Sun-Woo seemed more powerful than before.

    Despite this, Ji-Ah felt no joy. Instead, she was filled with despair. This ce was too dangerous. The opponents they faced were not ones they could handle without any preparation. Even for the Cult Leader, it would be overwhelming to face them alone.

    "I-I told you... to not... note here today!"

    "Quiet."

    Ji-Ah shut her mouth at Sun-Woo''s order. His eyes flickered with an unprecedentedly menacing gaze. His gaze was dark and gloomy, yet, at the same time, sharper than ever before.

    "Who gave you the authority tomand the Cult Leader toe and go where you please?"

    His gaze, filled with killing intent, was directed toward the Satanist. Sun-Woo immediately unleashed Voodoo magic power. As he radiated power, his pupils shimmered with a purple light.

 Chapter 79

    <h4>Chapter 79</h4>

    [Basarwish-5]

    On my way out of the underground chapel, I double-checked Ji-Ah''s message. It was likely a code indicating the hideout address of the Satanists and also a code for Ji-Ah''s location. I walked resolutely while keeping my gaze fixed on the text on the screen.

    First of all, Basar.

    What could Basar mean? Basar meant ¡®flesh¡¯ in Hebrew. Flesh? No, pondering the meaning of Basar was pointless. I had to think about why Ji-Ah had sent me the word ¡®Basar.¡¯

    "...Basar Market."

    There was no reason for her to make things confusing. Intuitively, it was right to think that she sent the word ¡®Basar¡¯ simply because she was at the Basar Market. Then, next was ¡®Wish.¡¯

    The Basar Market was divided into two buildings: Hope Section and Wish Section. So, where Ji-Ah was located would be the Basar Market Wish Section. Now, I just needed to figure out what ¡®-5¡¯ meant.

    I went to the Basar Market Wish Section first. Unlike the Hope Section, which had many restaurants, the Wish Section had many academies. On the ground floor, there were training centers and academies for training divine power, and on the first basement floor, there were PC rooms and karaoke rooms, while all floors starting from the second downward were used as a parking lot.

    "..."

    Then, like a sh of lightning, the meaning came to mind.

    The meaning of the ¡®-5¡¯ that Ji-Ah sent was the floor number. In other words, ¡®-5¡¯ referred to the fifth basement floor. However, there was a problem with that. The Basar Market Wish Section only had four underground floors. The fifth floor didn''t exist. At that moment, my racing thoughts came to a sudden stop.

    [Let¡¯s go to the fourth basement floor for now.]

    At that moment, I heard Legba''s voice. I followed Legba''s words and took the elevator to the fourth basement floor. Without time to think or ponder, I simply moved instinctively.

    The ambiance of the parking lot where I finally arrived was extremely bleak.

    [Think of the methods we used to hide the underground chapel. The methods they used won¡¯t be much different from ours.]

    I pondered Legba''s advice as I frantically ran around the parking lot.

    The underground Voodoo Cult chapel was hidden with a somewhatplicated method. You had to go from the surface to the basement, then from the basement back to the surface, and then back down to the basement again. During this process, you also had to unlock three locks. Due to this reason, no one, except for me, my uncle, and Ji-Ah could enter the underground chapel.

    However, there was one ce that hadx security. It was the passage where worshippers gathered during regr services. The building was structured so that all you had to do was find the hidden door on the bottom floor. Surely, there would also be a passage in the Satanists'' hideout that was loosely secured for worshippers toe and go.

    "...I found it."

    After running around for a while, I found the door. It was coated with white paint and looked like a wall at first nce, but there was an ''X'' mark made with a marker on the hinge. It was clearly a sign left by either the Satanists or perhaps Ji-Ah.

    <i>nk.</i>

    I just barely managed to find the doorknob, which could not be seen with the naked eye, and pulled hard, but the door refused to open. The keyhole was not visible. Maybe it didn¡¯t even exist at all, or perhaps I was just not able to see it at the moment.

    ¡°Bossou.¡±

    I immediately used Bossou''s power without hesitation. Power surged through me, apanied by a hint of anger. It was one of the drawbacks of using Bossou''s power¡ªthe intensification of emotions. The sound of my heart beating loudly echoed deep in my chest.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    I tore the entire door apart. With a loud noise, thetch flew off. Beyond the door was pitch-ck darkness. Although I was worried about traps, now was not the time to pay attention to such things at the moment. If I got injured, I simply needed to heal myself with a restoration spell.

    [You might suffer a lot. You might even faint. Just like what happened a long time ago.]

    When Legba mentioned ¡®a long time ago,¡¯ he was referring to what happened about six years ago, not long after my father died.

    Using a restoration spell on myself would allow me to move my body immediately, but I would have to bear the consequencester. It was no different from tearing off my own flesh to relieve my hunger or sucking my own blood to quench my thirst.

    But it didn''t matter.

    I pushed through the darkness. At first, I couldn''t see anything ahead, but as I walked, the outline of the passageway began to appear. My eyes had be ustomed to the darkness.

    What appeared at the end of the darkness was another door. This time, there were multipleyers of locks installed on the inside and outside, and they looked very solid. Whoever put them there might as well have written ¡®Do Not Enter¡¯ in big red letters.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    However, with one kick, the door effortlessly copsed. With the power of Bossou, the rusty chains, and locks were easily broken.

    Behind the firmly closed door, there was a staircase. Red lights were installed on the ceiling, making the entire staircase appear blood-red. The lighting was dim enough not to be too dazzling.

    "Com-Commander? I heard you were going to school today. How did youe so quickly...?"

    As I descended the stairs, someone spoke as if filled with terror. There was almost no light, and their face was partially covered by a robe, so I couldn''t see their expression. I could only tell that the person was a man from their voice.

    I looked around and scanned my surroundings. The dimly lit underground room was filled with people. However, among all these people, very few were moving. Most of them stood still in the same position, with the same expression, as if they were dead. The smell of pungent chemicals hung in the air.

    [Taxidermied humans,] Legba muttered.

    It was only then that I realized why the people were motionless. Those people, or rather, those <i>things</i> were all taxidermied humans. They were people stuck at the boundary between life and death.

    A sense of nausea washed over me. It felt as if I was regurgitating gastric acid from my empty stomach. My throat felt hot and irritated.

    "No, Commander... it¡¯s not themander. Damn it!"

    As I stood there for a moment, the man cursed and rushed toward me. It seemed like he btedly realized that I was not themander but rather an intruder. However, if my opponent was a human, there was nothing to fear.

    <i>Plop.</i>

    I cast a curse of fainting. As the mist from the spell hit him, he fell to the ground and smashed his face onto the floor. A sticky and disgusting sound, like what I had heard in my dream, echoed lightly as I continued forward.

    Ji-Ah had to be somewhere around here.

    I was certain. It was based on Baron Samedi''s prophecy and my intuition.

    In this ce filled with red and gloomy lighting, I relentlessly searched for Ji-Ah. My footsteps echoed as I stomped the floor. The image of Ji-Ah, who had turned into a monster and chased me in my dream, shed before my eyes.

    Baron Samedi had proimed that dream would ¡®inevitably happen in the future.¡¯

    But this prophecy would be the first prophecy of Baron Samedi''s to be proven wrong.

    I would make it that way.

    ***

    I was able to find Ji-Ah after about three minutes had passed. Well, it could just as well have been thirty minutes. I had never experienced such long minutes before.

    "I-I told you... to not... note here today!"

    "Be quiet."

    Ji-Ah''s face twisted upon seeing me. She shouted out, almost as if she was shrieking. I ignored her words and used an intermediate restoration spell to heal her injured arm. Who gave her the authority tomand the Cult Leader toe and go where she pleased?

    For a moment, I felt my strength dropping. But it was just an illusion. At least, it seemed moreforting to think of it as an illusion for the time being.

    "Oh! It''s been a long time since I''ve seen Voodoo Magic. I never thought that the Voodoo Cult still existed," spoke the man in front of me.

    It seemed like he was the man that had sliced open Ji-Ah''s arm. His face was covered with a mask made of human skin, so I couldn''t see what expression he was making.

    He seemed perfectly rxed as he stood there wearing a cold, dead smile on not-his-face. It made me feel disgusted.

    "The rtionship between the Voodoo Cult and Satanists is very deep. If we go back in history¡ª"

    "It might get a little hot."

    <i>sh!</i>

    I interrupted his idea and used Marte''s power. Careful not to burn her, I burned off the ropes that were tying Ji-Ah¡¯s body to the chair.

    "Cult Leader..."

    "You know the way out, right? Get out quickly."

    Ji-Ah didn¡¯t listen to mymands and showed signs of hesitation.

    ¡°I heard that there was the inauguration ceremony today¡ª¡±

    ¡°...Get out.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±

    Ji-Ah took a few steps back in surprise. After hesitating for a moment and examining the situation, she finally started running toward the door I had entered.

    Since I didn''t attend the appointment ceremony, there was no possibility of bing the Holy Name of Charity.

    I had given up on the Holy Name of Charity and came here to save Ji-Ah. But I had no regrets about my choice. Ji-Ah was far more important than the mere Holy Name of Charity. She had be an indispensable person to the Voodoo Cult.

    "...Hahaha. Did you think this was your backyard or something?"

    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud.</i>

    The man made a gesture, and one of the taxidermied humans that had been standing in the corner like a statue began to move. The taxidermied human extended their hands toward Ji-Ah and charged at her like a maniac. Each step made a soggy sound.

    The man chuckled and said, "This is not a ce that you can leave whenever you want to. This ce is..."

    "Ah, <i>huk</i>...!"

    Ji-Ah screamed in horror as she saw the approaching taxidermied human. She froze in ce, unable to take another step. If she had just continued to run, she would have been able to easily make it out, but it looked like her body had frozen up due to fear.

    I drew a spell array.

    Intermediate replication spell, Dawn''s de.

    The purple Voodoo magic took the form of a short sword. Despite its grandiose name, Dawn''s de was actually a ritual knife used to strip animal skin. It was difficult to use inbat, but it was exceptionally effective at piercing leather.

    I hurled it toward the taxidermied human that was rushing toward Ji-Ah. I aimed between their eyes.

    <i>Shunk!</i>

    Since it was a throw powered by Bossou''s strength, I didn''t consider the possibility of missing. The dagger hit the taxidermied human right between the eyes, and at the same time, its movements paused for a moment.

    Ji-Ah didn''t miss the opportunity. She forced her shaky legs to move and made her escape.

    "Kyak!"

    <i>Thunk!</i>

    "So-Sorry!"

    Ji-Ah, who had stumbled and fallen while running away, apologized to me and quickly ran off again. I wasn''t sure what she was apologizing for, but I was relieved that she had sessfully escaped.

    "...Phew."

    Finally, Ji-Ah''s figurepletely disappeared. A sigh of relief escaped me, but it wasn''t time to rx yet.

    "Ah..."

    The perverted man wearing a human skin mask licked his lips. His voice trembled as if he was in a dilemma.

    "Ha, haha... One ingredient managed... to escape. It''s fi-fine. There''s still one left."

    The pervert¡¯s mask had a twisted smile. His words seemed to be directed at me, considering that I was the only one left in the room. He regarded me not as a person but as a raw material for making a taxidermied human.

    "You''re quite skilled in using Voodoo magic. Ha, hahaha. Hm, the spell you used to attach the skin together is called a restoration spell, huh?¡±

    The taxidermied humans gathered around the pervert, making unpleasant thumping sounds.

    Each of the taxidermied humans had a different appearance. Some had arms instead of legs, while others had legs instead of arms. There were some with three heads, and there were heads without bodies. There were even grotesque forms made of multiple bodies stitched together like a freakish jigsaw puzzle.

    It was nauseating. It wasn¡¯t just the eerie appearance of the taxidermied humans that made it repulsive. The thought of how many lives they had taken to create those <i>things </i>made me feel sick.

    ¡°If I had that spell, attaching the skin would be so much easier. No need for sutures or anything. Just the spell would be enough. The Voodoo Cult could easily make taxidermied humans using spells, but I wonder why they don''t make them. Maybe they can''t understand this profound world of art. Is that right?"

    "..."

    I quietly unleashed Voodoo magic. I drew two spell arrays. It didn''t take more than a few seconds for the spell arrays to bepleted.

    "Now that I think about it, why not just remove the eyes and leave only the fingers so that you can use only the restoration spells? Yes, then you would be a restoration spell machine. Restoration spell machine... Oh, it sounds quite good¡ª"

    <i>Puff...</i>

    Mist emanated from the drawn spell arrays. This time, I used neither a restoration spell nor a replication spell but an enthrallment spell. It was a fusion voodoo spell thatbined the curse of nightmares and the curse of fainting. The pervert inhaled the mist and soon began to convulse, losing his bnce.

    I found it much easier to deal with humans than demonic beasts. When facing a demonic beast, I had to use various techniques and powers from the Loa, but if I fought against humans, I could subdue them with just one spell.

    <i>Plop.</i>

    Soon, the pervert copsed. The trembling of his shoulders was a futile attempt to resist the spell. However, it was meaningless resistance. Unless one had innate resistance, escaping from a voodoo spell was impossible.

    The taxidermied humans that had gathered around the pervert were just standing there, not moving.

    Due to their controller losing consciousness, the taxidermied humans could do nothing but stand still. I turned my steps in the direction Ji-Ah had left.

    "...Oh, ah, ha, very, um, my head is spinning, like drugs, voodoo spells really are charming, very, ah, I felt it a long time ago, and I never had the chance to feel it again, it feels so good."

    At that moment, a voice came from behind me. The leisure andposure that had permeated from his tone were long gone, but his distinctive mocking tone remained.

    The pervert, who was supposed to be struggling in nightmares after losing consciousness, was now grabbing onto his shaky legs and slowly getting up from the floor.

    It was an unexpected situation. I had to make rational judgments in this situation, but confusion overwhelmed me.

    The spell hadn¡¯t worked.

    Even high-ranking executives of the voodoo cult with far superior resistance than ordinary humans would usually fall helplessly before my spells.

    However, strangely enough, my spells didn''t work on that pervert. Had I drawn the symbols wrong? Or was the power of my spell weakened because I had exhausted my stamina?

    It was pointless spection. What was important was that my spells didn¡¯t work on him.

    "The arms and legs can be cut. Just bring me the body, my children," the pervert said, waving his hand. Something so immensely dark that it was impossible to gauge the depth of the darkness was flowing out from his hands. He was drawing a pentagram tomand the taxidermied humans.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud.</i>

    The taxidermied humans that received themands approached me. Dozens of creepy and ominous footsteps were slowly but surely getting closer to me.

 Chapter 80

    <h4>Chapter 80</h4>

    Spells had no effect on the masked pervert. Thus, the only option was to use the power of the Loa on him. The powers that I could use were Bossou¡¯s power, which I was using at the moment, and Marrte¡¯s power, which I had used to burn the ropes tied around Ji-Ah. If I used another Loa¡¯s power on top of that, then there was a risk that it would put too much strain on my body. So, for now, these were the only two powers that I could use.

    [Tired... Sacrifice... Insufficient... Unable...]

    However, Marte''s condition was not very good. It was because I hadn¡¯t offered any sacrifices to Marte recently. I had starved her as punishment for betraying me and siding with Han Su-Yeop. However, the punishment backfired. Back when I used Marte¡¯s power during the Ark Checkpoints, her power was already showing signs of running dry.

    [I, Bossou, am in <i>peak</i> condition.]

    On the other hand, Bossou was in good shape. So, it was necessary to make the most of Bossou''s power. However, there were a few problems. First, the darkness was bothersome, and second, the unidentified liquid covering the floor was also bothering me.

    The spluttering sound that resounded with every step of the taxidermied humans was due to that liquid. There was a risk of slipping and falling if there were any sudden movements, just like how Ji-Ah tripped and fell while running away.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    In the meantime, the taxidermied humans were slowly approaching me. Their steps weren''t fast, but how they advanced toward me in formation was extremely threatening.

    Besides, I wasn¡¯t here to fight in the first ce. The reason I came here was to save Ji-Ah, so there was no need to fight a disadvantageous battle. It was best to escape for now and leave the fight for another day.

    As I made up my mind and carefully tried to leave the room without slipping¡ª

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Something struck the back of my head. I had never been hit by a car before, but the force of the blow was so strong that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if this was what it felt like to get hit by one. A ringing sound echoed in my head, and my vision spun. Beyond my hazy vision, I could see the perverted figureughing his head off while pping his hands, and I saw a strange taxidermied creature flying in the air like a bird. It seemed like the thing that had struck my head was the taxidermied bird-like creature.

    ¡°Did you think I would just let you run away? If I let you escape, then my head will get chopped off, you see. You can¡¯t escape. Just be a good boy and be an ingredient. That¡¯ll make things much simpler, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    "...Arghh."

    I tried to respond, but the words didn''te out. I couldn''t tell if it was because my head hurt or simply because I had run out of stamina. The taxidermied humans continued to approach me with their sloppy steps.

    "Urgh..."

    I tried to get up from my position. A feeble groan escaped my lips.

    <i>Slip!</i>

    However, I failed. Getting up itself was a Herculean task. While lying there, I lightly brushed the back of my head and found that it was wet. My hand was painted with blood, and I could feel blood seeping out from my head. By the time I felt the blood trickling down to the back of my neck, my strength had drained away, and my hands and feet began to feel cold.

    I was dying.

    It was more like an intuition rather than a realization. My whole body throbbed with pain. Every fiber of my being screamed in agony. The taxidermied humans were already right in front of me. A taxidermied human with six legs but no head was winding up three of their fists simultaneously.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    I rolled my body to avoid it. Concrete dust scattered from the punch that struck the ground. If I hadn''t managed to dodge it by forcefully moving my body with Bossou''s power, I would have died right there. The thought sent shivers down my spine.

    [My power is surpassing your limits. If you push any further, you''ll die.]

    "It¡¯s al... Argh..."

    [This is not an illusion. This time, you''ll really die.]

    It was Bossou''s advice. But before I could even make a decision, the next attack came crashing down.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    "Ugh...!"

    A spider-like taxidermied human with eight legs but no head kicked me. After getting hit in my sr plexus, it started to feel hot and chilling pain apanied it¡ªmaking it feel as if I were being pierced by a de. I momentarily lost my breath.

    "Don''t die just yet. It''s more fun to make taxidermied humans while they¡¯re still alive¡ª"

    [Your body is not strong enough to handle everything that I have. If you exercised a little more, maybe if you exercised a little more¡ª]

    "If you think you''re going to die, raise your hands. Then I''ll stop¡ª"

    [But if you really want to¡ª]

    The pervert and Bossou¡¯s voices echoed in my head. Their voices were not passing through my ear and entering my brain. Instead, the voices were simply passing through one ear and out the other.

    I just barely managed to stand up and unleash Voodoo magic. I used a restoration spell on the bleeding wound on the back of my head and my intestines, which seemed to have burst. Although my injuries were healed, the pain remained. I struggled to maintain my bnce as my legs wobbled.

    "Indeed, this is what I like about Voodoo cultists. They have strong vitality. They¡¯re just like friendly cockroaches that can survive eternally by bunkering down underground. Hahaha.¡±

    The pervertughed joyously while watching me stand up. I raised my hand, and the pervert looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    "Oh, do you think you''re going to die? Should I stop? Ah, but if you surrender this quickly¡ª"

    <i>Wham! </i>

    I twisted the neck of the taxidermied human with the hand that I had raised. The neck of the taxidermied human with six arms stretched like a rubber band.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Soon, with a squelching sound, the body of the taxidermied human copsed on the floor.

    "Shut up, you noisy bast...ard..."

    The pervert was too talkative. His mocking tone lingered in my head, intensifying my headache.

    Suddenly, Min-Seo came to mind.

    During training, Min-Seo also often distracted me with unnecessary talk. The simrity between the Satanist and Min-Seo was that they were both irritating presences to me. But, of course, the Satanist was much more annoying than Min-Seo.

    I approached the pervert with determined steps. Targeting the taxidermied humans was a foolish move. It seemed wiser to target the pervertmanding the taxidermied humans.

    "Oh!" the pervert eximed in admiration as he looked at me.

    I ignored him and continued walking. No matter how much I walked, it seemed like the distance was not closing but only getting farther.

    <i>Thwack!</i>

    As I was walking toward the pervert, something suddenly hit my side. It was an attack from the spider-like taxidermied human.

    "Oh~ my, that must hurt," the pervert mocked.

    I groaned and rolled on the floor. It felt like my ribs had been dislocated this time. Blood gushed out of my mouth. It was difficult to breathe. I could distinctly feel that my lungs were getting filled with blood.

    Would using a restoration spell help me recover? It might provide immediate relief, but I was concerned about the consequences. This time, it wasn''t a matter of losing consciousness or fainting. I could really die.

    No, was there any point in worrying about the future right now?

    Death loomed right in front of me. It was foolish to think about the future in this life-or-death situation.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, the box I had carried with me fell to the ground. It was a simple and rough wooden box devoid of any decorations¡ªa keepsake left by my father. I raised my left hand with all my strength. Thankfully, the ring on my pinky finger was still there.

    [Now.]

    I could hear a voice. Was it Marte''s voice, Bossou''s voice, or perhaps Legba''s or Baron Samedi''s voice?

    After enduring multiple shocks to my body, the overwhelming pain made it difficult to distinguish the owner of the voice.

    But it didn''t matter. If I didn''t open the box now right now, I would never have another chance to do so. It would be toote if I activated the Contract of the Dead and just barely scraped by with my life. It was because I had no idea what Baron Samedi would take as the price for the contract.

    <i>nk.</i>

    I ced the box on the ring.

    <i>Creak...</i>

    With an ominous sound, the lid of the box opened, and voodoo mist flowed out.

    It was a faint and thin mist, just like when the gem shattered, and the mist emerged when I first put on the ring. The mist entered my nose and soon overwhelmed my consciousness.

    <i> </i> ***

    What I saw was a mirror and my father. Ibed my hair, and my father did the same. I was peering into my father''s memories. I looked at the mirror through my father''s eyes, and by doing so, I could see my father¡¯s appearance.

    The memories I had forgotten suddenly returned. I had opened the box, and as a result, the flowing mist made me see illusions. Now that I thought about it, it was quite an obvious realization.

    "Ah, this feels a bit... stranger than I expected. Oh dear, oh dear,¡± I said. As if mimicking me, my father, reflected in the mirror, said the same thing.

    Both my father and I seemed perplexed by this situation. My father tilted his head from side to side with a slightly flushed face before he finally looked straight at the mirror and opened his firmly closed mouth.

    "Well, Sun-Woo, when you see this, I''ll be dead and gone!"

    Contrary to his words, my father''s tone was surprisingly cheerful.

    "I¡¯m just stating the obvious. After all, it''s a box I made to leave as a keepsake... Anyway, what has Jin-Sung been up to these days? If he goes around looking to invest in stocks, make sure to stop him. He¡¯s not someone who should be investing in stocks. He has no luck with wealth."

    <i>Jin-sung lost money from stock tradingst time.</i>

    I couldn''t respond to my father''s question, and the thought simply remained in my mind without getting conveyed. It was because I wasn''t inside my father''s memories but merely glimpsing at the memories he had left behind.

    "Oh, by the way, I told Jin-Sung to lend you a hand in enrolling in school. How was school? You didn''t drop out, did you?"

    I hesitated to answer my father''s question. It was because I hadn''t attended school long enough to say anything. Contrary to my father''s expectations, I opened this box before bing an adult.

    "In my experience, high school memoriesst a lifetime. Your friends... Well, they may notst a lifetime, but they willst a long time. I hope you had a pleasant school life. Oh, that''s not what I wanted to talk about."

    My father rubbed his face, and his neatly styled hair became disheveled.

    "Sigh..."

    A sigh. A mixture of frustration and uneasiness was clearly visible on his face. It was my first time seeing father sigh like this.

    "Right. My father... So, your grandfather was skilled in replication spells. The output of the spell wasn''t overwhelmingly powerful, but he knew how to control it. It''ll be helpful if you know," my father said.

    I had no idea why he was suddenly exining my grandfather¡¯s abilities out of the blue, but since he said it would be helpful to know, I decided to remember what he said.

    "Yes, this should be enough. And..."

    My father hesitated, and his lips quivered. His gaze faintly trembled. Whether it was fear or anxiety, there wereplex emotions on my father''s face, but I was unable to determine the exact emotion. I couldn¡¯t read my father''s emotions.

    "I''m sorry for departing so soon. I¡¯ll be waiting, so you should live a long andfortable life... Just livefortably, ande to me aste as possible," my father said after contemting. His tone was forcibly cheerful.

    I felt a tingling pain in my chest, as if my heart had stopped for a moment. The thought of meeting my father at such an early age crossed my mind. I felt like I would be able to meet my father right now, this instant. My father ran his palm over his lips as if trying to suppress his feelings. He looked like he was struggling to hold back tears, but his eyes remained dry.

    "Oh, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die right now, so why am I doing this kind of thing already...?"

    "Excuse me, mister!"

    At that moment, my father turned his head at a sharp voice that resounded from behind him. Through the mirror, I saw my mother approaching my father with angry steps.

    The term ¡®mister¡¯ was what she used to refer to my father.

    "What are you doing, wasting time like this? Let''s go quickly!"

    "Ah, man. I was just trying to sort out my emotions after such a long time, but you interrupted me."

    "What emotions? Hurry up and get dressed..."

    "Dad."

    The one who interrupted my mother''s words was me. It was me from a distant, long-forgotten past.I felt sad when I looked at the innocence that was clearly evident on that face and in those eyes. My father also felt sadness. Tears finally appeared in my father''s eyes as he looked at the young me.

    "Dad, why are you crying?"

    "Huh? Oh, no, I''m not crying, boy. Have you ever seen Dad cry? I''m not crying."

    "Dad sticks out his tongue when he tells lies."

    "...I¡¯ve raised a little tiger. Anyway, I''m not crying. Something just went in my eyes,¡± my father said whileughing lightly as if it was not a big deal.

    My young eyes gazed at my father with a hint of confusion in them, but it soon disappeared. Soon, a profound emptiness filled my eyes that were looking at my father. I gazed at my father with nk eyes. My eyes were so deep and dark that I felt like I was getting sucked in.

    "You''re crying. Right now," my younger self said.

    My father looked in the mirror.

    "Huh?"

    Inside the mirror was me. Not my father, but the present me. Through the mirror, I could see my present self and my childhood self together.

    My young self and my present self were both looking in the mirror. The young me was looking at my present self, and my present self was looking at my young self. I could see myself from a different point in time reflected beyond the mirror.

    My young self had had a smile full of innocence on his lips, and his eyes shone brightly. His skin was wless without a blemish, and his hair was neat, untouched by even a speck of dust.

    My present self had lips that had forgotten how to smile and weary eyes. My skin was so dry, and the hair was so disheveled that it was iparable to my younger self. A single tear ran down my eyes which were filled with doubt and emptiness.

    "Ah."

    The vivid contrast between my young and present self filled me with indescribable sadness. Only a single tear that ran down my face. I resented that single tear. The emotions that I bottled up inside of me were too intense and heavy to be released with just a single tear.

    "...Sun-Woo," I called out to myself while wiping away my tear.

    The young me looked at me with wide-eyed curiosity.

    From my mouth, instead of my voice, my father¡¯s voice came out.

    "Make choices that you won¡¯t regret. Always."

    <i>Crack.</i>

    It was advice from my father, and it was my own advice. The mirror shattered. The rift in the mirror spread out onto the wall and then into the air and eventually shattered the world. From the gaps of the rift, a familiar darkness greeted me.

    <i>Whoosh¨C!</i>

    The world copsed. My mother, who was more beautiful and graceful than anyone else. My father, who hid his sorrow through jokes, and myself from the past, who still hadn¡¯t lost his innocence. Everything copsed.

    They all copsed and disappeared along with the crumbling world. All the light vanished, and darkness engulfed everything before my eyes.

    "Huh, what¡¯s that? Is that a box? Inside the box is the ultimate weapon... Is it that kind of story?"

    I heard someone¡¯s voice. It was not my mother, not my father, and not my young self, but the distorted voice of the Satanist that was wearing human skin on his face.

    The sweet illusion crumbled, and a chilling reality emerged. The pain that had disappeared once again returned and engulfed my body. My fingertips trembled at the onught of pain, and my mouth opened involuntarily.

    "...Arghh..."

    From my open mouth, drool and strange moans that didn¡¯t resemble that of a human flowed out. Pain radiated throughout my entire body. From my arms to my legs, every fiber of muscle in my body felt torn and ragged.

    Pain.

    The problem was the pain. Even with Bossou''s power and restoration spells healing my injuries, the pain still remained. My body refused to move under the overwhelming pain. I tried to raise my head to assess the situation, but even that was impossible. Rolling my eyes was the best I could do.

    "Ah..."

    The taxidermied humans stared at me with unfocused eyes. Beyond the taxidermied humans, a perverted bastard was chuckling andughing at me. Mysterious liquid covered the floor. The room was filled with thick and viscous darkness and dim red lighting.

    Beneath all that, white powder was pouring out of an open box. Its original whiteness had taken on a slightly duller hue over time.

    <i>"Make choices that you won¡¯t regret."</i>

    It was the advice my father gave me, and it was also the advice I had given to myself when I was young. It shed through my mind.

    Choices that I won¡¯t regret.

    <i>Sigh.</i>

    With everyst ounce of my energy, I gathered all my power. With that power, I blew wind toward the scattered powder in front of me. The powder scattered in the air.

    "Is it drugs? Thest trick that you pull out while dying is this kind of¡ª"

    <i>Puff!</i>

    The perverted man''s words disappeared. Mist spewed out from the powder. The mist quickly turned into Voodoo magic power, and the Voodoo magic power gradually turned into a temple.

    Eventually, in front of me, a temple exuding a gloomy aura of death appeared. In the middle of the temple, someone was sitting in a chair that was luxuriously decorated with bones and gold.

    [Looks like we¡¯re meeting very often these days. I can read your intentions clearly, but I¡¯ll ask you as a formality.]

    Baron Samedi.

    The Loa of Death.

    In the darkness emanating from the brim of his worn silk hat, his red eyes flickered like mes.

    I was kneeling and sitting before him. There was no pain. The white and slightly dull powder was piled gently on my palm.

    [Why did you summon me this time?] Baron Samedi said.

    <i>Puff!</i>

    I did not need to respond.

    I simply scattered the ashes piled on top of my hand.

    Then, a smile appeared on Baron Samedi¡¯s face. The smile was cold and sickening, as if it contained the chilliness of death. It wasn¡¯t just his smile. Every aspect of the temple surrounding Baron Samedi emanated the aura of death.

    However, I didn¡¯t feel frightened. Instead, it wasforting, familiar, and cozy.

    "I offer the vessel of our ancestor to the Loa of Death."

    The true identity of the powder I scattered was the ashes of the first Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, my grandfather, Do Jun-Gil.

    "I request to perform the Ritual of Session and distort death."

    It was the ingredient for the Ritual of Session and the unique offering that could be given to Baron Samedi.

 Chapter 81

    <h4>Chapter 81</h4>

    Ritual of Session.

    It referred to the ceremony where one inherited the power left by the previous Cult Leader. By offering the remains of my grandfather, the first-generation Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Do Jun-Gil, I would receive his power.

    [Just one question. Do you have any regrets about your choice?] Baron Samedi asked.

    He was crossing his legs and looking down at me with a condescending posture as if he were scrutinizing me.

    "No, I don''t."

    [Really?]

    I nodded without hesitation. I had absolute confidence that I wouldn''t regret my decision. No, perhaps it would be more urate to say that I wouldn¡¯t even have a future where I could regret anything if I didn¡¯t undergo the Ritual of Session.

    Sitting in his chair, Baron Samedi looked down at me and smirked.

    [However... there is a problem.]

    "A problem?"

    [As you may know, your father, Do Myung-Jun, did not undergo the Ritual of Session. This is a very serious issue. Do you understand what that means?]

    Baron Samedi stood up abruptly and approached me with determined steps. With a gesture from him, a ss filled with rum appeared out of thin air. Baron Samedi drank it in one gulp.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The ss of rum that he threw toward the temple''s pir shattered into pieces. The ss fragments rolled on the floor and reflected the violet light of the temple. Baron Samedi nonchntly stepped on the ss shards and approached me. His red gaze was soon right in front of me. An indescribably deep gaze of death coldly scanned through me.

    [In only two generations, the Tradition of Session was broken because of your father''s negligence.]

    "...Is that my fault?"

    [Of course, it''s not your fault. That said, it''s not my fault either. No, perhaps it¡¯s no one''s fault. It¡¯s not your father''s fault, nor your mother''s fault. However...]

    Baron Samedi took out a cigar from his pocket. He flicked his finger and ignited the cigar.

    With a seemingly satisfied expression, Baron Samedi took a sip of the cigar and emitted thick and heavy purple smoke. The sticky smoke stuck to my face.

    [The problem is that the trust has been broken. The trust between the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult and me, the Loa of Death.]

    "What¡¯s your point?"

    [The point is that I have no reason to conduct the Ritual of Session for you. In the future, you might end up dying without even leaving a speck of dust like Do Myung-Jun.]

    Baron Samedi rubbed the cigar against the temple pir, extinguishing it. A ck mark remained on the purple wall. Then he casually threw away the cigar that was over half unused. While executing this series of actions, Baron Samedi was ncing at me with narrowed eyes as if he was expecting something from me.

    What he wanted from me was clear.

    ¡°Alright. It should be fine if you include me in the ¡®loop.¡¯ If I do that, then I can restore the broken trust as well, right?¡±

    At my response, Baron Samediughed. It sounded like he wasughing his head off, but it also sounded like he was sneering at me. It was a peculiarughter that couldn''t be interpreted in any particr way as if he were mocking me.

    [That was the answer I wanted.]

    <i>Shhhhhh¨C!</i>

    As soon as Baron Samedi finished speaking, a dark and murky violet glow enveloped me. The magnificent scenery of the temple disappeared behind the violet glow. Beyond the glow, Baron Samedi''s red gaze shone vividly.

    [In exchange for the remains of the previous Cult Leader, Do Jun-Gil, I appoint Sun-Woo, who is present here, as the sessor,] Baron Samedi said.

    [And in exchange, Sun-Woo must pass on his remains onto his descendants. The descendants must dedicate Sun-Woo''s remains to me, the Loa of Death, through the Ritual of Session. This is a contract of death.]

    A breeze blew from an unknown ce. The violet mist and light swayed and fluttered in the wind. Baron Samedi continued speaking within the storm.

    [With this, the third-generation Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, is now included in the loop of death and cirction.]

    I nodded. Gradually, the mist dissipated, and the temple disappeared. Then the chilling reality once again appeared before me.

    The taxidermied humans surrounding me and the pervert watching the situation nonchntly from a distance were still there. The pain that I had forgotten about also returned. The pain was so immense that I couldn''t even twitch my fingertips.

    "I think this is enough. It''s fortunate that it''s not toote. By any chance, if that persones, it''ll be a big problem..."

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    A headless taxidermied human with three arms and three legs approached me and aggressively grabbed me. They lifted me and ced me on the back of a taxidermied human that resembled a spider. The taxidermied human carried me on their back, and then their eight legs crawled like a spider and transported me toward the pervert.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The spider-like taxidermied human dropped me roughly on the ground. Due to the impact, the pain that was already severe became even more intense.

    "Are you still alive? Hello?" the pervert teased while sitting down in front of me and chuckling. He tapped my forehead with his finger.

    His finger was so exceedingly long and dry that it was more like a twig rather than a finger. The pervert rolled my head around, yfully lifted my limp arms, and toyed with my body.

    "Well, it seems like you¡¯re still alive. Then¡ª"

    <i>Puff...</i>

    The pervert grabbed me by the hair to take me somewhere when his words came to a halt. Mist was flowing out. The source was the spell array I had just drawn. The mist that flowed out was thicker and more pungent than usual. The pervert looked at the spell array that was emitting the mist and let out a hollowugh.

    "It doesn''t work. About half of my body isn''t human."

    "I know."

    I stood up from my seat. The spell I used was ''intoxication.'' The target of the spell was neither the taxidermized humans nor the pervert, but myself. My body, which was deeply infused with the Voodoo mist, no longer felt pain. It was just a dizzying pleasure that tingled my mind. The pain that tormented my body had disappeared.

    It worked. The spell worked on my body.

    "Now, I feel... a little better. Argh..."

    Nothing could hinder me anymore. My injuries were healed with the restoration spell, and the pain was driven away with the intoxication spell. The truth was, it was only temporary relief and notplete removal of the pain, but that didn''t matter. The important thing was that I no longer felt the pain right now.

    My body was trembling, but it wasn''t trembling from the pain. It was a tremor born from pleasure and exhration.

    [Do not indulge in it.]

    "It''s alright."

    Legba''s warning echoed in my mind. I smiled and nodded. I hadn''t done this mindlessly.

    I felt that the output of my Voodoo magic had risen through the Ritual of Session. My spells had be one level sharper, and the strength of the spells surpassed my resistance. In other words, I could now cast spells on myself. Therefore, it was now possible to drive away the pain with the intoxication spell. The problem was the risk of bing addicted or bing too intoxicated and losing my motor skills.

    "It''s alright. It''s better... than I thought... "

    The problem was solved by reducing the output of the spell. The pleasure was just sufficient enough to forget the pain. The pleasure was so electrifying and persistent that it didn¡¯t really feel right to say that it was just sufficient enough to forget the pain, but at the very least, it wasn''t strong enough to get me addicted or intoxicated.

    "...You, how did you stand up?" the pervert said in surprise while taking a step back.

    It was understandable that he was taken aback by my sudden recovery. After all, a spasming, half-dead person had suddenly stood up with a smile on his face. The pervert urgently gestured and gave instructions to the taxidermied humans. Then, the taxidermied humans waiting behind me began to move closer. Their steps made a squelching sound.

    I drew a spell array.

    <i>nk!</i>

    The Voodoo magic flowing from the spell array made a sharp sound and took the form of a sword. It was the Executioner''s Sword. The de was sharp, and the handle was adorned with decorations. It was a replication spell much more precise and intricate than when I defeated Jun-Min, who had previously turned into a demon. After the Ritual of Session, the skill of my replication spells had noticeably improved more than anything else.

    <i>Slice.</i>

    I cut off the legs of the spider-like taxidermied humans rushing toward me.

    Faint screams echoed from the Executioner''s Sword. The screams of those who had their throats cut off by the Executioner''s Sword a long time ago were replicated. When replication spells reached a certain level of mastery, they could replicate not just the form of the replicated object but also the sounds that were made at that time.

    "Ah, ah! taxidermied humans! The taxidermied humans! Those are, those are that person¡¯s creations!" the pervert eximed.

    Beneath the human skin mask, his expression seemed to be filled with horror. Following his urgent gesture, the taxidermied humans increased their speed and approached me. Perhaps the pervert had somewhat used their brain because the taxidermied humans were aiming for the gap on the left side of my body instead of the right side where I was holding the sword.

    <i>nk!</i>

    I grabbed the head of a taxidermied human and crushed it. The cotton and sawdust that filled the head fell down along with blood. The decapitated taxidermied human lost its strength and copsed on the ground like a deted balloon.

    The pervert gestured again with even more urgency, and the taxidermied humans approached me with erratic movements.

    <i>Whack, crunch, slice...</i>

    The taxidermied humans that approached from the left would either get their heads pulverized or their necks twisted. The ones that were approaching from the right would get shed with the Executioner¡¯s Sword. The number of taxidermied humans rapidly decreased from dozens down to around ten, and then decreased to a few.

    Each time a taxidermied human fell, a thrilling pleasure that seemed to overflow from my spine tantalized me.

    "Ah, ah, ah, the creations, the creations...! Damn it, damned timing!"

    The pervert muttered iprehensible nonsense and stomped on the ground in anger. Before I knew it, only one taxidermied human remained. However, that taxidermied human had no hands or feet. It crawled toward me with severed elbows and knees.

    <i>Stab.</i>

    I pierced the heart of the taxidermied human with the Executioner''s Sword. The taxidermied human writhed for a moment, thenpletely lost its vitality and copsed.

    "Ah..."

    A sigh escaped from the pervert''s mouth. I strode towards him. With each step, a sticky sound resounded, but I no longer felt haunted by that sound.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The pervert looked at me in despair, and after seeing that I had approached right in front of him, he knelt down in front of me. The dried-up expression on his human skin mask was looking up at me.

    ¡°Please save me. I did all this because I was ordered to. Everything... Everything I did was because of that person¡¯s orders. I am a good person. I did all this because I had no choice but to follow that person¡¯smands. If you save me, I will be a follower of the Voodoo Cult. I truly mean it. Just give me one chance...¡±

    The pervert grabbed onto my leg andy stretched out on the ground like a wet noodle. Sticky tears flowed out through the holes in the human skin mask. I had initially considered slitting his throat right away, but upon seeing this sight, I hesitated for some reason. My right hand, which was holding the Executioner¡¯s Sword, was trembling.

    The pervert continued to sob while groping my leg and then suddenly raised his head.

    ¡°Thank you for giving me a chance.¡±

    <i>Snap!</i>

    There was a snapping sound. My body trembled and copsed. The pervert had cut my Achilles tendon with a knife that he had hidden in his wrist. A sharp pain surged from my ankle up through my leg and all the way up through my spine.

    The pervert chuckled as he looked at the grimace on my face and then stood up from the ground and began to flee.

    ¡°That person will soon arrive. At a wave of that person¡¯s hand, you shall be a taxidermied human, and you will be a creature that isn¡¯t alive nor dead¡ª¡±

    <i>Stab.</i>

    The pervert, who was threatening me while fleeing, copsed onto the ground. The Executioner''s Sword was impaled in his chest. I had thrown it.

    I strode toward him. My severed Achilles tendon had already healed, and the pain had long since been covered by pleasure. The pervert coughed out blood as he looked up at me. Inside his eyes, I could see fear. No, it transcended fear, and it had reached disbelief at this point.

    "I gave you a chance."

    "...How on earth are you able to walk? I can still vividly feel the sensation of severing your tendons in my hands."

    "I wonder."

    The reason I could walk sofortably was because I restored my severed Achilles tendon, and I covered the pain with the curse of intoxication. However, there was no need for me to mention this.

    "What are you going to do after you find out?"

    <i>Bam! </i>

    I kicked the pervert¡¯s head. The pervert¡¯s head snapped, and his body slumped down. Something flowed out from his cracked skull. Half of it was a mixture of blood and brain fluid, while the other half was sawdust and cotton.

    Half of the pervert''s head was filled with sawdust and cotton, like the taxidermied humans.

    "As expected."

    The reason why the spell had no effect on him was because the pervert wasn''tpletely human. He was half-human, but the other half was a taxidermied human, so the spell only had half the intended effect.

    It was meaningless to dwell on it now.

    The air here was filled with a pungent, sour smell mixed with blood and chemicals, along with the smell of rotting flesh. It smelled like spoiled food that had been left untouched for months. I quickly left the room.

    I walked through a corridor that contained strange-shaped taxidermied humans that stood like statues and eventually reached the underground fourth floor. The dim light of the parking lot felt exceptionally bright. My clothes were soaked in blood. It was my blood that had dripped from the back of my head and my mouth. It didn''t seem like it could be wiped away easily.

    <i>Boom, boom, boom...</i>

    At that moment, an explosion resounded from behind. The sound was faint and distant as if it was being heard through multipleyers of soundproof walls, but the sounds were undoubtedly getting closer.

    I suppressed the sudden surge of anxiety that welled up in me and headed toward the elevator. Even though I pressed the button, the elevator didn''te down. It remained on the first floor.

    [Don''t just stand there. Take the stairs!]

    <i>Boom, boom, boom</i>©¤!

    The sound of explosions and copsing structures gradually approached, and before I knew it, the sounds resounded from right in front of me. The pirs supporting the parking lot were shaking from the impact. Soon, my anxiety grew into a feeling of certainty.

    This building was copsing.

    Leaving the non-functioning elevator behind, I ran toward the stairs. I quickly climbed the stairs, skipping two or three steps at a time. Dust fell from the ceiling with a precarious noise.

    My legs, which felt fine just moments ago, were now trembling. It meant that the effects of the intoxication spell were wearing off. The pain that I had forgotten began to slowly return. It was clear that I would copse under the pain if this continued.

    <i>sh©¤! </i>

    I unleashed Voodoo magic. It was much stronger and purer than before I had received the Ritual of Session. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the vivid purple color was brilliant.

    The spell array I drew with the unleashed Voodoo magic was, of course, the intoxication spell.

    [Don¡¯t do it. You won''t die, but your body and mind will crumble.]

    At Legba''s warning, my hand that was drawing the spell halted.

    "If I don''t use it right now, I''ll die for sure."

    [If you think of the long term, it¡¯s much better if you don¡¯t use it. If you just go up one more floor, you¡¯ll reach the ground floor. Persevere.]

    The spell array was already over half done. I just had to draw one more stroke, and then the spell would beplete. Without stopping my legs, which were climbing up the staircase, I sank into thought.

    Legba''s words that it was better not to use it were true from a long-term standpoint. There was a high possibility of bing addicted to the intoxication spell if I abused it.

    No, but if I didn¡¯t use it now, I would die.

    Starting from the center of my abdomen, the pain was gradually spreading throughout my body, reaching every corner. It was a certainty, not spection, that I would copse soon if I didn''t rely on the power of the intoxication spell.

    <i>Puff... </i>

    In the end, I drew the final stroke and activated the spell. As soon as I sniffed the mist, the pain washed away immediately. Perhaps because I had used the intoxication spell consecutively, an electrifying pleasure that was so great that it felt as if I could lose consciousness at any moment coursed through my body.

    [You crazy bastard! You really don''t listen to a damn word I say!]

    "Heh, heh... Ah, I''m sorry. Really."

    Legba scolded me while I stifled myughter and just barely managed to apologize. Even in this urgent situation,ughter was inexplicablying out.

    I hurriedly left the building. The pungent smell unique to the underground disappeared, and the refreshing air of the surface greeted me. Several fire trucks were parked in front of the building, and pdins were gathered together while looking at the building. Apart from the fact that the fire trucks were here, the situation seemed peaceful at first nce.

    <i>Booooom©¤!! </i>

    Not long after, the peace was shattered by the explosion that urred from the building. The pdins quickly took out their equipment and prepared to enter while citizens chatting idly in the midst of the chaos began screaming.

    I turned my head and looked at the building.

    "Ah..."

    The building was tilting. It seemed like the explosion that urred underground had caused the building¡¯s foundation to copse. All the visible windows were shattered, and the countless signs that had been attached to the building fell down. The explosion sparked a fire, and the fire caused smoke to billow up into the sky, creating a hazy cloud. Screams echoed out everywhere.

    In the face of such a tragedy, the pdins simply stood there, gawking at the swaying building. Only one pdin quickly analyzed the situation and attempted to enter the building. The rest of the pdins were still in a daze.

    As I exited the building, I tightly closed my eyes. The screams haunted my ears. Someone was screaming due to the explosion that was caused by me. Yet, only one pdin was determined to enter the building and save people. Just one person couldn''t possibly rescue all the trapped individuals in that massive building.

    [Don''t even think about going in and saving people. You''ll definitely suffocate from the smoke and die.]

    "..."

    [You don''t have the appropriate equipment, and your body is already battered. If you go in, you''ll die.]

    Legba''s words were true. At this moment, I was barely holding on to my consciousness thanks to thebination of the restoration spell, intoxication spell, and Bossou''s power. Jumping into the mes with my bare body in this situation would be sheer madness. Instead of rescuing people, it would be fortunate if I didn''t pass out from inhaling the smoke.

    That would be the case if I went in without any protective gear.

    "Hey! Get into your firefighting gear quickly! The director has already gone in!"

    "Did you guys even receive training? Why aren''t you putting on the gear?"

    "I-I''m sorry!"

    I noticed that the pdins were hurriedly putting on their equipment in front of the fire trucks lined up in front of the burning building. There was a full array of firefighting gear beside them.

    As I silently stared at the gear, Legba''s flustered voice reached me.

    [...Wait, now that I think about it, even with the gear, it seems like death is inevitable. I misspoke.]

    "Legba wouldn''t make such a mistake. You''re not Legba, are you?"

    [Right now, you''re intoxicated by the spell and unable to make rational decisions. Come to your senses... Where are you going, yo-you crazy bastard! Sun-Woo! Stop! Do-Sun... Hey!] Legba shouted.

    My steps were headed toward the scattered equipment arranged beside the fire truck.

 Chapter 82

    <h4>Chapter 82</h4>

    [Baron Samedi isughing at the thought of taking your soul. Knowing that, are you still going to go?]

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die anyway.¡±

    [Those with overconfident mindsets while saying it¡¯s all going to work out ''anyway'' all end up dying. Your father was like that too. It looks like you¡¯ll soon follow in his footsteps.]

    I continued walking while ignoring Legba¡¯s remark. I naturally blended in among the pdins and then casually picked up a firefighter suit lying on the ground. Behind their backs, I observed how the other pdins put on their firefighter suits, and I was just barely able to wear one after copying them. As the final step, I secured the smoke filter mask and was just about to step forward.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Someone grabbed my wrist. I could feel tremendous strength being exerted through the clothes. Even with Bossou¡¯s power, it wasn¡¯t easy to resist.

    ¡°You¡¯re not even a pdin, so why are you wearing that? What are you doing?¡±

    The voice, low and threatening, belonged to Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch. He was wearing a firefighter suit and carrying someone on his broad shoulders. It seemed like he had juste out of the building after rescuing people.

    "You, when someone asks, then you need to answer...? Huh... You...you bastard," Han Dae-Ho said. He scanned me up and down with a cold expression while gripping my wrist.

    "...Hey! Rescue team! Bring a stretcher! Something''s off with this guy!"

    "Ah, yes!"

    Han Dae-Ho gave instructions to the rescue team waiting on standby in the vicinity. The rescue members hurriedly responded and retrieved a stretcher from the vehicle.

    However, I couldn¡¯t let that happen. I swiftly broke free from Han Dae-Ho''s grip. The man looked at me with a bewildered expression.

    "You, what..."

    "I am a second-year student from the Florence Academy Department of Pdins. I was sent here as an apprentice pdin. Please allow me to join."

    Intoxicating pleasure flowed from my heart all the way out to my fingertips. My mind felt dizzy, and my tongue felt heavy. Yet, the lies flowed out effortlessly. The lies sounded so convincing that I even surprised myself.

    Han Dae-Ho stared at me in a dumbfounded manner and then looked toward the rescue team and gestured to them. The rescue members bringing the stretcher over stopped in their tracks.

    "Fine. Florence Academy, Department of Pdins, second year, apprentice pdin... But so what? You''re still an apprentice, not a full-fledged pdin, right?"

    "..."

    "I''ve seen countless foolish apprentices who act tough, only to end up bing burdens in the end. Do you think you''re any different? Take off your equipment and just watch what I do. Don''t do something you''ll regret."

    Han Dae-Ho grabbed the fire-resistant mask on his forehead, ced it back over his mouth, and then proceeded to draw a blessing array. A custom-made blessing that had been repeated millions of times to fit his body perfectly wrapped his body.

    Just before entering the building, Han Dae-Ho briefly nced at me.

    "If they''re sending apprentices, they should send someonepetent, not some clueless kid..."

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    Han Dae-Ho clicked his tongue and charged into the building. His movements were threatening and swift, just like a bull. Unlike Han Dae-Ho, who entered the building to rescue people without a moment''s hesitation, the other pdins hesitated to enter the building ahead of them that was engulfed in massive mes.

    <i>"Make choices that you won¡¯t regret." </i>

    <i>"Don''t do something you''ll regret." </i>

    <i>[Today, you will stand at the crossroads of a choice.] </i>

    My father, Han Dae-Ho, and Baron Samedi''s words shed through my mind.

    A choice I won¡¯t regret.

    I finished putting on the firefighter suit, grabbed the necessary equipment, and stepped into the building withrge strides.

    The fire had grown stronger, and the smoke had be thicker and more suffocating. It was a despairing sight. If hell or the abyss existed, then perhaps it would look like this. But I couldn''t stop my footsteps. The moment I stopped, I was convinced that I would regret this day for the rest of my life.

    I had to enter the building and rescue people.

    Even if I ended up dying, I wouldn''t regret this choice.

    *

    <i>Bang! </i>

    "Ouch! Ahh..."

    Jin-Seo, who abruptly sat up, rubbed her forehead and rolled on the bed. She had bumped her forehead against the phone holder while getting up from the bed.

    As the pain subsided, she rubbed her forehead and got up. Then she threw herself onto the chair right next to the bed and leaned her back against it. Her back sank into the backrest. In that state, Jin-Seo stared at the ceiling for a long time. She felt dazed. It was because of a dream.

    "Am I going crazy?"

    The dream she had today was technically a nightmare. It was a dream where Sun-Woo was casually chatting with a female student. But when he spotted her, he scratched his head awkwardly as if feeling perplexed and then ignored her as he passed by. For some reason, it made her feel worse because it felt like it could easily happen in reality.

    She rarely dreamed, but the reason why she dreamed today was probably that today was the appointment ceremony for the Holy Name of Charity, and Sun-Woo was a prominent candidate for the Holy Name of Charity.

    "This is insane, I''m going insane..."

    Jin-Seo shook her head, trying to shake off the traces of the dream shing through her mind. The clock showed it was ten o''clock. Since the appointment ceremony was at one o''clock, she still had time, but Jin-Seo immediately prepared to leave. She intended to go to the training center. Exercise was the perfect way to calm herplicated emotions.

    "...You''re crazy, aren¡¯t you?" she suddenly muttered to herself as she washed and changed into her workout clothes.

    She couldn''t tell if she was saying it to herself or to Sun-Woo, who had been ying with another girl in her dream.

    Arriving at the training center with a depressed expression on her face, Jin-Seo immediately wrapped her hands with bandages and started her workout. It was still early in the morning, so there weren''t many people. Most of them were aspiring professionals.

    "Oh! Jin-Seo, you came early today... Oh, wow, your face looks fierce today. It looks like someone¡¯s going to die today, huh," the supervisor teased after approaching her as she was stretching her body.

    Puzzled, she looked at herself in the mirror. Just as the supervisor said, she had a very ill-tempered expression on her face. It was because of the dream.

    "What''s wrong? Come to think of it, you came to exercise early today. Did you break up with your boyfriend?" the supervisor asked jokingly.

    The gaze of the men in the training center turned to Jin-Seo. She looked disgusted as she red at the supervisor.

    "It''s not that."

    "If it¡¯s not that, then it¡¯s not that. No need to get all moody about it~ Ah, right, are you not going to school?"

    "I just...said that I''m not feeling well."

    "Oh, so you''re skipping school buting to the training center?"

    Jin-Seo turned her gaze as if she had nothing to say and dropped her head. Lately, she had been frequently skipping school anding to the training center by using various excuses. There were various reasons for doing so.

    "You¡¯ve be aplete delinquent. Come to think of it, you smoke and everything¡ª"

    "Ah, supervisor. Seriously."

    "What? Dang, look at your eyes. Since you have no one to hit, you want to hit your supervisor now?"

    Jin-Seo reacted as if she was in a dilemma, and the supervisorughed as he found this situation enjoyable.

    Jin-Seo finished her stretching without responding and then moved on to the main workout after doing some jump rope. The sound of hitting the sandbag with the mitts was loud.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    As she was hitting with the mitts, one of them broke, and Jin-Seo took a break. Her punches felt sharp and solid today. It seemed like her emotions were pouring into her fists. The supervisor wrapped tape around the broken part of the mitt and approached Jin-Seo.

    "Jin-Seo, no matter how much I think about it, it seems like you need to pay more fees. How many mitts have you broken? Seriously, the damages are severe."

    "How much more do I need to pay?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "What? Never mind, forget about it. I was just joking, man," the supervisor said whileughing despondently.

    Seeing Jin-Seo''s innocent reaction to his joking words, the supervisor felt all their tension fade away. The supervisor was amazed that an innocent-looking girl like her was also the same girl who had broken countless mitts and sandbags.

    "So, how''s thepetition? Are you ready for the weigh-in?" the supervisor asked.

    Jin-Seo drank water without answering and then abruptly stood up from her seat.

    "I''m going to get some fresh air."

    "Huh? Are you not going to answer? Thispetition is important. You have to be prepared for the weigh-in, you know?"

    "..."

    Ignoring the supervisor''s words, Jin-Seo left the training center. Her footsteps led her to the rooftop. Jin-Seo stood on the open rooftop for a moment and enjoyed the breeze. Then she looked around her surroundings before taking out a cigarette from her pocket. The process of putting it in her mouth and lighting it was so natural.

    <i>Puff.</i>

    The exhaled smoke rose up to the sky and disappeared as it was pushed away by the wind. It didn''t feel like she had smoked for that long, but the cigarette had already shortened to just an inch. It burned quickly, perhaps because the wind was blowing strongly.

    "...Hmm."

    She lightly sighed as she looked at the cigarette butt that was extinguished due to a gust of wind. She had thought about quitting for a long time, but it wasn''t easy. She should have never started smoking in the first ce. Such a brief regret passed through her mind.

    Like everyone else, curiosity was what led her to start. The first time she smoked, her head spun, so she wondered why people did this kind of thing. But now, her head spun when she was not smoking.

    This was why addiction was terrifying.

    While addiction seeped into her life, she wasn¡¯t able to realize it. Yet, by the time she became aware of her addiction, it was already toote.

    Jin-Seo walked toward the training center while clearing her fleeting thoughts. She didn¡¯t know whether it was because of her mood, but it felt as if the building was shaking. She wondered if there was an earthquake or something.

    "Oh, Jin-Seo! You need to pack up and leave quickly, hurry!"

    The person ushering her to leave was the supervisor. The training center was strangely empty. The people who were working out diligently just moments ago were nowhere to be seen. Ropes and jump ropes were scattered messily on the floor.

    "Huh? What''s happening all of a sudden?"

    "Don''t you feel the building shaking? Damn it, no wonder the rent was so cheap. It was because the building was constructed poorly. Anyway, hurry! We need to get out quickly. This ce might copse soon¡ª"

    <i>Boom!!</i>

    A loud explosion shook the ground. Caught off guard by the sudden explosion, Jin-Seo and the supervisor lost their bnce and stumbled onto the ground. To be precise, it wasn''t that they had lost their bnce, but rather the building had tilted.

    "©¤©¤©¤, ©¤©¤!!"

    Jin-Seo''s ears were ringing. Although the supervisor was shouting, she couldn''t hear his voice¡ªonly a sharp, high-pitched whine echoed in her ears. Dark smoke was flowing out from the broken windows and billowing up into the sky. Not even the strong winds could disperse that smoke.

    With her hazy vision, Jin-Seo could see that the supervisor was holding onto her and yelling something. It all happened so suddenly that it felt surreal to Jin-Seo. She felt as if she were floating in a dream-like state. Perhaps she wished it were just a dream.

    "©¤©¤...Mental, mental control. Didn¡¯t I tell you that it¡¯s important, or©¤!"

    <i>Thud!</i>

    As the ringing subsided and the supervisor''s words began to make sense, they were abruptly cut off. Jin-Seo opened her eyes at the ominous sound that filled the air. The ceiling of the building was copsing. The supervisor was lying on the ground with his eyes open. It was because a tile that had fallen from the ceiling had struck his head.

    ¡°Ah...?¡± Jin-Seo let out a cry filled with confusion as she approached the supervisor. Blood poured out of his shattered head. The blood was as dark as the smoke that was billowing out the windows. Rather than red, it was closer to purple in color.

    <i>Creeaak...</i>

    An ominous groan reverberated in all directions as if the building was copsing. Jin-Seo approached the supervisor as if she was crawling toward him. She tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding, but it was a futile effort. The blood continued to spew out relentlessly.

    "...Supervisor?" Jin-Seo called out in a weak voice.

    There was no response. The supervisor''s pupils were nk and unfocused.

    "Supervisor... supervisor, please! Don''t y around. Supervisor..."

    She checked the supervisor¡¯s pulse with her hands, which were soaked with blood. His pulse was faint. Simrly, his breathing was so faint that it could barely be perceptible. His body simplyy there with no signs of moving.

    She drew healing arrays and blessing arrays and then directed the light of blessing toward the supervisor''s head, but there were no signs of improvement.

    <i>No, no, this can''t be happening...</i>

    <i>Creak... creak¨C!</i>

    ¡°Kyaaak...!¡±

    Jin-Seo instinctively crawled backward as debris, tiles, and other materials rained down from the crumbling ceiling. The fallen debris covered the supervisor''s body, leaving only their arm jutting out unnaturally from the umted wreckage.

    "Ah... ah..." She let out a cry of despair as she gazed at the scene.

    Heat began to radiate from her back. The fire caused by the explosion had spread all the way up to the second floor where the training center was located. However, she couldn''t bring herself to look back.

    Her consciousness felt like it was melting down. Incoherent sounds flowed endlessly from her mouth. She tried to get up, but her body wouldn''t respond to hermands. It felt like her legs had lost their strength.

    <i>It''s my fault.</i>

    If only she had regained her senses earlier and left the training center, the supervisor wouldn''t have died. No, if only she hadn''t gone to the rooftop to smoke.

    It was the same when her mother died. The reason why her mother died was because she happened to leave the house that day. And before that, if she hadn''t boasted about knowing how to use miracle replication, the demons wouldn''t havee to her home.

    Both her mother and the supervisor, people she relied on, had died. Perhaps she had a misconception about the cause and effect of all these incidents. It was not that the ones that she relied on died, but perhaps they had to die because she relied on them. Jin-Seo tightly closed her eyes, surrendering herself to the intensifying heat and rising smoke. Her life had been more about contemting how to die rather than contemting how to live.

    Feeling fear now was pointless.

    "Cough... ugh..."

    The smoke approached. The rough sensation burned her throat and entered her lungs. She coughed and felt a headache.

    The area in front of her became dark with smoke, and her head began to feel heavy. The strength in her legs had long since faded, and even her arms felt limp. It felt as if someone had taken the batteries out of her body.

    <i>Creeeaaaak©¤!</i>

    "Cough, cough. Cough, urghhhh...!"

    A sudden urge to vomit engulfed her and made her copse. Jin-Seo gagged so hard that it looked as if she was trying to smash her head on the floor. However, nothing came out, and the urge to vomit became stronger. Only tears fell out uncontrobly and stained the floor.

    Death wasn''t asforting as she had expected. Jin-Seo pushed herself up from the floor with her weak arms.

    "Ha, haa. Cough, ugh... Cough! Cough!¡±

    She barely managed to get up but copsed back down as if her strength had given out. Her legs no longer had any energy. Dizziness asionally came over her and constantly knocked her legs away. It was because she had consumed too much smoke and because she had forcefully used too much divine power.

    "Wheeze, wheeze... "

    She stood up and then slumped back down, stood up again, and slumped back down again. Jin-Seo realized that she no longer had even the strength to crawl. She began sobbing endlessly in that spot.

    She didn''t want to die.

    She just wanted to escape from her agonizing life. She just kept running away and running away until there was nowhere left to run. At that point, the only ce left for her to run to was death.

    But now, it was toote to desire life. The training center was filled with smoke, and mes were ready to engulf her at any moment. Her consciousness was frequently getting cut off and was bing more and more distant.

    <i>sh!</i>

    At that moment, a jet of water sprayed from the air and extinguished the mes.

    "It''s okay."

    Someone walked through the thick smoke and approached her. They were wearing a firefighting suit and a breathing mask. Were they a rescue team member? There was no time to question as the person lifted Jin-Seo and swiftly carried her out of the training center.

    "Wheeze, wheeze, ughh... "

    Jin-Seo sprawled across the back of the rescuer, sobbing and unleashing a fresh onught of coughs and wheezes.

    As the rescuer approached the outside of the building, the air gradually cleared. Her hazy mind, obscured by the smoke, was slowly regaining rity.

    "It''s okay. You''re not dead yet, so it''s okay..." the rescuer murmured.

    It was unclear whether those words were meant for Jin-Seo or whether those words were spoken to reassure themselves. There was an indescribable determination in the words that they muttered to themselves.

    "Hurry, get her on the stretcher!"

    "Seoul Pdin Order, Eastern Branch Fire Fighting Team here. Requesting support from the Central Pdin Order. Please, as quickly as possible, we need your assistance!"

    "Fuck, why is one firefighter missing their gear? Who the hell messed up equipment management¨C?!"

    It was chaotic outside. The fretful shouts of pdins resounded from all over the ce. Without hesitation, the rescuer stepped forward andid Jin-Seo down on a stretcher. Then they entered the building to rescue another person. It was the supervisor.

    After a while, the rescuer removed their fire mask and revealed their face that had been obscured.

    As Jin-Seo''s consciousness faded, she just barely opened her eyes. Her unfocused, blurred gaze fixated on the rescuer''s face. The scene unfolding before hercked a sense of reality. It felt dreamlike, almost ethereal.

    "Contain the second-floor fire. We rescued... everyone we could find," the rescuer said, their voice trembling.

    When she had her finger severed by a demonic beast, when her ssmate turned into a demon and attacked her, when she became the bait to distract the bird-type demonic beast, and when she resigned herself to death after getting engulfed in an explosion. Through all those painful moments that she wished were just nightmares instead of reality, he had always been by her side, slowly seeping into her life. When she finally realized it, her life had already be intertwined with his.

    "Thank you for the equipment. I''ll be on my way..."

    "What? Weren¡¯t you dispatched here? Where do you think you¡¯re going...? Hey, where are you going? Hey!"

    Jin-Seo watched his figure fade into the distance.

    asionally, she thought all of these moments might be a dream. Maybe, it was just a fleeting dream she was using as a crutch to cope before facing the harsh and agonizing reality. When she opened her eyes, maybe she would wake up from this dream and return to the miserable reality.

    In the fleeting and hazy state of consciousness, she made a brief wish. If this moment was all a dream, she hoped she could never wake up from it. She wished to forever remain in this dream, never to awaken, and to spend her whole life living in this dream.

 Chapter 83

    <h4>Chapter 83</h4>

    The Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch quickly suppressed the fire that urred at the Basar Market. There were two reasons why the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch, which was infamous among the Pdin Order branches for itsziness, was able to suppress the fire so quickly.

    The first reason was because of the newly appointedmander, Han Dae-Ho. While other pdins were sucking their thumbs and sitting around like lostmbs, Han Dae-Ho single-handedly rescued twenty-seven citizens. Moreover, Han Dae-Ho doubled the amount of firefighting training sessions to respond to the frequent fires that had been urringtely. Thanks to this, they were able to quickly suppress the fire this time.

    The second reason was because of an anonymous apprentice pdin. The apprentice pdin who bravely tried to enter the building where the fire was raging not only suppressed the fire on the second floor, but he also rescued a whopping twelve citizens. It didn¡¯t even amount to half of Han Dae-Ho''s rescue count, but considering that he was just an apprentice, it was a tremendous feat.

    "So, what''s the name of the person who was dispatched this time?" Han Dae-Ho asked after holding onto a random subordinate nearby. He was thinking of recruiting him before anyone from the other Pdin Order branches did so.

    His subordinate tilted his head and looked bewildered at the question. "Uh, could you say that again, please?"

    "What was the name of the apprentice pdin dispatched from Florence Academy this time? I tried to give that guy somepliments, but he disappeared without even leaving his name...¡±

    ¡°Director, ummm... there was no pdin that was dispatched from Florence Academy this time. As far as I know, it''s not dispatch season yet."

    "What are you talking about, man? Then did I see a ghost? What do you mean no one was dispatched?" Han Dae-Ho eximed in frustration. He absolutely could not let the other Pdin Order branches recruit him. Just the thought alone made him anxious.

    Actually, it would be a relief if he went to another Pdin Order branch. There was nothing more frustrating than a talented pdin suddenly changing careers and bing a crusader. He needed to recruit him as soon as possible before something like that urred.

    Despite Han Dae-Ho''s feelings, the subordinate just shook his head as if this was all news to him. "Director, perhaps you really did see a ghost...? Dispatch season is in July, and currently... Plus, the students are in the middle of preparing for exams, so there''s no time to send anyone."

    "What? Hey, you. Didn''t you see that person that went into the building with me and rescued eleven or twelve people after putting out the fire on the second floor? That guy said he was an apprentice pdin, right?"

    "Yes, I saw him. But wasn''t that Pee Du-Ho?"

    ¡°Pee Du-Ho is sleeping at home after working the night shift yesterday, right? No, what the heck is this? If it isn¡¯t dispatch season, then did I really see a ghost?" Han Dae-Ho chuckled in disbelief.

    Did that mean that a ghost impersonating a pdin went into the building and rescued twelve citizens? No matter how much he thought about it, it didn''t make sense. It was utter nonsense. As Han Dae-Ho continued pondering, several support teams from the Central Pdin Order came running toward him.

    "Are you the Pdin Order Branch Eastern Director, Han Dae-Ho?"

    "Uh, yes. I am Director Han Dae-Ho," Han Dae-Ho greeted the support team after quickly gathering his thoughts.

    He smiled, but his eyebrows were deeply furrowed. It was because it felt ufortable when people who were merely priests and bishops in the religious hierarchy called him "Han Dae-Ho" without using any honorifics, even though he was a director.

    Normally, he would have shouted and immediately lectured them, but the Central Pdin Order was a distinct organization under the Holy See. Although the Seoul Eastern Branch was small, its status was inferiorpared to the Central Pdin Order.

    "Why is the Central Pdin Order here?" Han Dae-Ho simmered with anger, but he managed to force a smirk.

    The pdin, who appeared to be the head of the Central Pdin Order support team, rummaged through his pockets and eventually pulled out a piece of paper. "This is the invoice for the support sent from Central. Please check it and return it as soon as possible."

    "Oh, yes, yes. An invoice. Right, Central had this kind of thing. Thank you, we''ll take a look."

    Han Dae-Ho stuffed the invoice they handed him into his pocket and quickly sent the support team away by having them ride the ambnce.

    Once the ambnce transporting the support teampletely disappeared from his sight, he muttered, "They didn¡¯t do jack shit, and then they shove a fucking invoice down our throats. What a joke.¡±

    Back when he was at the crossroads of a decision where he could choose to be the tail of a dragon or the head of a snake, he regretted choosing to be the head of a snake and joining the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch.

    "Is it right for pdins to do this to each other? Asking for an invoice when they didn''t even do anything? Sigh."

    One of his subordinates followed behind him and cursed at the Central Pdin Order. Unlike other Pdin Orders, support from the Central Pdin Order always came with an invoice. Central''s resources were valuable, and ording to their logic, they had sent their valuable resources and thus deserved appropriatepensation. Thus, the Central Pdin Order was a thorn in the eyes of the other Pdin Order branches.

    "Well, what can we do? That''s just how those Central guys are. Butpared to those priest bastards, they¡¯re angels. Angels, I tell you."

    "Oh, that''s right. Back when we were putting out the fire at the vi, the Priest Order suddenly came and listed a bunch of demands, didn''t they?"

    "That''s right. Anyway, those priests are a real piece of work... Ah."

    Han Dae-Ho had been nodding his head at his subordinate''s words when his eyes suddenly widened. There was a face that shed through his mind like lightning. He suddenly remembered that crazy guy who jumped into the mes during the vi fire to retrieve some kind of keepsake.

    "...That''s right, that guy."

    "By that guy, are you referring to Pee Du-Ho?"

    "No, no, not him."

    Han Dae-Ho shook his head. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

    "...Well, there''s just this insanely nice guy, you see."

    ***

    The great auditorium, where the Holy Name appointment ceremony was in full swing, was filled with confusion. It was because of the news that Sun-Woo, who had been appointed the Holy Name of Charity, was absent.

    "Is he dead?"

    "At this point, we should consider it a refusal of appointment. Shouldn''t we choose someone else...?"

    "He''s alwayste anyway. Maybe he¡¯s still sleeping at home?"

    Spections went rampant everywhere. ording to the students¡¯ hearsay, Sun-Woo seemed to have be a corpse, a delinquent, or a crazy guy with the guts to refuse the Holy Name.

    "...What are those two doing, really," In-Ah muttered to herself in the midst of themotion and put down her cell phone.

    Thirty minutes had already passed since the appointment ceremony began, yet Sun-Woo was nowhere to be seen. She sent texts and messages through social media, but there was no reply. Even when she called, he didn''t pick up.

    Sun-Woo was not the only one absent. Jun-Hyuk was absent too. Just like Sun-Woo, he waspletely unreachable. In-Ah let out a sigh that was filled with the frustration that had collected in her heart.

    <i>Screeeech¨C!</i>

    At that moment, the microphone on stage turned on, and a sharp noise rang out. Themotion subsided, and in the ensuing silence, Chairman Chang-Won clenched the microphone. There were deep wrinkles on his forehead.

    ¡°I apologize to the students who might be frustrated due to dys that urred because of Sun-Woo¡¯s absence. He <i>had been scheduled</i> to be appointed the Holy Name of Charity," Chang-Won said with a sharp tone.

    Sun-Woo was no longer going to be appointed as the Holy Name of Charity, but instead, he ¡®had been scheduled¡¯ to be appointed as the Holy Name of Charity. In-Ah swallowed her saliva and called Sun-Woo again. As expected, there was no answer.

    "Since we currently can not contact Sun-Woo, the appointment is indefinitely dyed. The teachers have made a decision through a meeting¡ªcough, cough!"

    In the midst of talking, Chang-Won coughed. The cough was very heavy and rough. Priests specializing in healing and the teachers behind him hurriedly came forward and handed Chang-Won a handkerchief. Chang-Won covered his mouth with the handkerchief and coughed continuously.

    Even after the coughing eventually subsided, Chang-Won breathed heavily for a while. The handkerchief he pulled away from his mouth was soaked with blood. It was a well-known fact among not only teachers but also students that Chairman Chang-Won had been suffering from a long-term illness and that his condition had been particrly exacerbated in recent times.

    "Looks like it¡¯s almost time for him to pass away."

    "What? You... You crazy bastard, please lower your voice," Min-Seo murmured as she watched Chang-Won cough as if he were about to die.

    Upon hearing that, Su-Ryeon frantically covered Min-Seo''s mouth. Dae-Man sat next to her, dozing off with his arms folded. Ha-Yeon had one eyebrow furrowed as she tilted her head in confusion.

    <i>Absent?</i>

    Ha-Yeon suddenly recalled Sun-Woo, whom she had met at Ark.

    She remembered how his eyes were filled with determination when he had climbed up the waterfall and when he had vigorously rejected her proposal. It didn¡¯t seem like Sun-Woo would miss the appointment ceremony for no reason. She thought there must be a reason, but she had no idea what that reason could be.

    "Moving on, based on the meeting with the teachers and elders, absence from the appointment ceremony appears to be a clear refusal of the appointment of the Holy Name. Therefore, we have no choice..."

    Chang-Won paused for a moment and took a breath to calm himself. The teachers and students spected that it was difficult for him to speak long sentences because of his illness. The auditorium was still filled with a tranquil silence.

    "...We have no choice but to overturn the decision."

    When Chang-Won finished his sentence, the silence that filled the auditorium deepened. Overturning the decision meant that Sun-Woo was not going to receive the Holy Name of Charity. The students in the seats continued to stay silent, but there was clearly a strange atmosphere flowing among them.

    The Holy Name of Charity was once again vacant.

    There would be another opportunity for the majority of the ordinary students who could only look up at the auditorium with envy. Some of the students¡¯ eyes sparkled with anticipation and they tantly showed signs of joy.

    In-Ah felt a sense of difort when she saw them. It was Sun-Woo''s fault for being absent from the appointment ceremony, but seeing those people acting openly happy about it made her a little angry.

    "What the? We came all the way here for this. How disappointing."

    "...Whoa, you scared the crap out of me. Who are you?"

    At that moment, someone sitting next to In-Ah muttered to themselves, and In-Ah turned her head in surprise. No one was next to her earlier, but before she knew it, a stranger had suddenly sat down next to her.

    "Oh? Is there a seat here? Then move aside," the stranger said while staring at In-Ah with sharp eyes.

    "No, that''s not the case."

    At his revolting and unpleasant gaze, In-Ah shuddered and shook her head. The stranger smiled widely. His smile was somewhat sickening and slimy.

    "What ss are you in? I''ve never seen your face before."

    "..."

    "You won''t even tell me which ss you¡¯re in. Then what are you going to do after this? Where do you live? Nearby?" the stranger asked with a sly tone.

    In-Ah remained silent and dropped her head. With neither Sun-Woo nor Jun-Hyuk around, the sudden approach of this stranger left her bewildered.

    "Ahem, ahem..."

    Just then, the sound of Chang-Won clearing his throat came from the stage. In-Ah felt grateful for the sound and lifted her head. The stranger who had been pestering her also turned his head toward the stage.

    "Thus, let''s conclude the appointment ceremony with this. Regarding the re-election of Holy Name of Charity, we will inform you of the results after a meeting¡ª"

    At that moment, when Chang-Won was dering the end of the ceremony in a low voice¡ª

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The students all turned their heads toward the dull sound that came from behind them.

    After roughly pushing open the door and bursting into the auditorium, a boy was cutting through the crowd of students with heavy, lumbering steps.

    "..."

    Chang-Won silently watched him.

    His hair was soaked with sweat, his breathing was rough, and his clothes werepletely stained with dark blood. His red, swollen eyes gazed at Chang-Won on the stage. He led his body, which looked like it would lose consciousness at any moment, over to the front of the auditorium and walked up to the stage.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump...</i>

    His steps were dull and heavy, as if he was wearing iron boots. The sound of his footsteps on the stairs was particrly morous.

    The silence in the auditorium was deeper than ever before.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    He sat down on the stage as if he were copsing. A bunch of gray dust that appeared to be ashes fell down from his bowed head. Chang-Won furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down at him.

    Looking at him up close, his condition was even worse than it first seemed. It was an understatement to say that his entire body was messed up. He was practically a walking corpse. It was to the point where Chang-Won felt astonished that he managed to climb up onto the stage.

    "I''m sorry. I''mte," he said while bowing his head.

    His voice was definitely trembling, but there was no interruption in his speech. Kim Chang-Won grabbed the microphone and brought it to his mouth. However, it was easy for him to open his mouth.

    "...Do Sun-Woo."

    His mouth, which he just barely managed to open, called out Sun-Woo¡¯s name.

    "Is it over?" Sun-Woo asked.

    Kim Chang-Won was unable to respond.

    "The appointment ceremony..."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Sun-Woo''sst words were unfinished.

    After saying those words, Do Sun-woo copsed on the floor. The dull sound echoed throughout the silence thatpletely engulfed the auditorium. A distant silence permeated the auditorium as if time had stopped.

    While everyone was watching Sun-Woo, who had fallen over with his mouth open, only two students wereughing. One was Min-Seo, and the other was the man who was sitting next to In-Ah.

    "Yeah... You¡¯ve got to do something like this for it to be worth attending,¡± the stranger said while nodding with a smile.

    It was only then that In-Ah realized the situation. She jumped up from her seat and ran to the stage.

    Starting with In-Ah, other students btedly began to realize the situation, and soon the auditorium was filled with chaos.

    "Mr. Kim Chang-Won! Y-Y-Y-Your daughter..."

    Then, the news that Kim Jin-Seo, Mr. Kim Chang-Won''s daughter, had been admitted to the hospital came at that moment.

 Chapter 84

    <h4>Chapter 84</h4>

    She opened her eyes.

    The shadow of the sunset stretchedzily through the window. The scenery was unfamiliar, and there was the smell of disinfectant in the air. She looked around for a moment and then realized that she had been hospitalized.

    Her memories quickly returned. She had been exercising when an explosion urred, and the building tilted, catching fire, and the supervisor lost consciousness... Memories that were like a nightmare resurfaced, and Jin-Seo grabbed her head. It was because a headache had resurfaced along with the memories.

    "...Jin-Seo!"

    It was Chang-Won who came in. He looked surprised at first, but then he ran toward Jin-Seo with tears in his eyes. A friendly-looking doctor followed behind him.

    "You''ve woken up! Is there any pain?"

    "My head... No, I''m fine."

    She felt a sharp pain in her head, so much so that she could barely hear her father''s voice right in front of her. However, Jin-Seo pressed her temple to force the pain away and smiled while lying, "Cough, argh, I''m okay..."

    However, her throat felt extremely parched, almost as if something was stuck in her throat. Jin-Seo was about to unconsciously cough, but she swallowed hard to suppress the cough. She had gotten used to not showing any pain, even when it hurt.

    Chang-Won had a serious expression on his face as he signaled with his eyes to the doctor beside him. The doctor understood the meaning of his expression and quickly exined, "Ah, you inhaled a lot of smoke, so your throat may have been damaged. It''s not that serious, and you''ll recover soon with some blessing treatment. Is there any other ce that hurts?"

    "Ah... No, only my throat."

    "Really? You should have a little headache, though?"

    It seemed like the doctor had hit the nail on the head as Jin-Seo nervously shifted her eyes around the room. The doctor chuckled and drew a blessing array. The light of blessing that flowed out enveloped her. The pain didn''t go awaypletely, but it was much better than before.

    "If you''re in pain, you should tell us honestly, so we can help you recover quickly. So your throat hurts, and your head hurts. Is there anywhere else that hurts? You''re so fit that it doesn¡¯t look like there is anywhere else in particr that would hurt..."

    Jin-Seo tried moving her arms and legs. Just like the doctor said, the other parts of her body didn¡¯t really hurt. The headache and sore throat seemed to be all there was.

    ¡°Doctor, how is her condition...?¡± Chang-Won asked while looking at Jin-Seo with a worried expression on his face.

    The doctor smiled reassuringly. "Oh, she¡¯s almost fully recovered, so you don''t have to worry too much. She could be discharged immediately, and she could bepletely fine. Nevertheless, it''s best to take a few days to rest."

    ¡°Ah...!¡±

    Chang-Won breathed a sigh of relief and brushed his chest as if he was relieved. He almost felt like copsing on the spot from the relief, but he couldn''t copse in front of his daughter. He strained his legs to forcefully hold up his body and bowed to the doctor.

    "Thank you, doctor."

    "No need to thank me. Your daughter is strong, and her recovery speed is fast, so that¡¯s why she recovered so quickly. Ah, but I can''t guarantee the same for the student who came with you."

    When the doctor remembered the other patient, his faint smile disappeared. Jin-Seo felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety when she saw the doctor bowing his head with a bitter expression on his face.

    "...The student who came with me?"

    Jin-Seo hesitated on whether to ask or not for a long time, but she eventually decided to open her mouth. If she didn''t ask now, she might not have another chance. Chang-Won and the doctor almost simultaneously shook their heads as if they were in sync.

    If he came in at the same time, perhaps...

    Jin-Seo''s sense of anxiety slowly grew in her mind. An image of someone''s face shed through her mind.

    "That student you mentionedst time. You know, the one who entered through special admission...¡± Kim Chang-Won responded while dragging out the end of his sentence.

    Jin-Seo¡¯s face had gone blue due to fright.

    ¡°What... What hospital... Where did he get admitted?¡±

    "That... It¡¯s probably the room next door¡ª"

    <i>Thump!</i>

    Jin-Seo jumped up from the bed and ran into the next room. Before the other two could stop her, she was already heading toward the room next door.

    ***

    Sun-Woo had been admitted to the room right next to hers.

    ¡°He waste for the appointment, so I was wondering what was going on, but he came in this condition....¡± Chang-Won exined.

    Sun-Woo had dragged his heavily wounded body and arrived at the Great Auditorium while looking as if he could die at any moment. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he copsed and passed out.

    Chang-Won was shocked and quickly tried to contact Sun-Woo''s guardian, but was unable to reach him. Thus, he then hurriedly arranged for Sun-Woo to be admitted to the Florence Academy Hospital.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo vacantly stared at Sun-Woo''s face as hey in the hospital bed. Hisplexion was pale, and his ashen lips were dry and cracked. One of his legs was covered in bandages, and there were bruises all over his body. His breathing was shallow, as if he could stop breathing at any moment. Every time he breathed in and out, his shoulders would slightly rise and fall.

    <i>"Dehydration is the first problem. If you don''t drink water for three days, your body will end up like this. But I have no idea how this student ended up like this... The student''s muscles are almost all torn apart, and his blood pressure is as high as that of a hypertensive patient. Sometimes it shoots up, and other times it drops like a corpse, which means his blood vessels are not in good condition."</i>

    Jin-Seo remembered what the doctor had just said as he left the room.

    <i>"Even so, this student has a very strong body. If it were a normal person, they would have died in the evening, but he¡¯s still holding on. He''s recovering pretty quickly, but I can''t say for sure when he''ll regain consciousness."</i>

    Even the doctor couldn''t guarantee when Sun-Woo would wake up. Sun-Woo''s body was damaged much more severely than what was visible on the surface. Jin-Seo felt her breath catch in her throat, and she felt her consciousness slowly fade. She started to hyperventte.

    "Are you okay?" Chang-Won asked.

    It was directed toward Jin-Seo, but at the same time, it was a question for Sun-Woo. However, no one answered. Chang-Won looked between his distressed daughter and the unconciousSun-Woo.

    He didn¡¯t know much about Sun-Woo. He only vaguely knew the fact that the student had lost his mother in the Holy War and that he had entered Florence Academy through a special admission. Chang-Won remembered the look in Sun-Woo''s eyes as he led his battered body up onto the stage. The look in the boy¡¯s eyes was something that was difficult to describe as just determination, but rather, burning desire. If he had to describe it, it was close to faith.

    He had always assumed that his obsession with sess was stronger than others due to his unfortunate upbringing.... But when he heard the story that he had saved Jin-Seo from a burning building instead of attending his appointment ceremony,plex feelings rose up in Chang-Won''s heart.

    "Jin-Seo, you should¡ª"

    "Let me rest a little."

    "...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just rest here for a bit and then leave," Jin-Seo said while facing her father head-on.

    He was surprised. It was the first time his daughter had expressed her own opinion so clearly since his wife died.

    "Okay, rest and take your timeing out."

    Chang-Won nodded as if he understood his daughter''s feelings and left the hospital room. Even as he walked out into the hallway, Chang-Won''s mind feltplicated. He fumbled with the cigarette pack that was in his pocket as he felt the urge to smoke.

    Left alone in the hospital room, Jin-Seo looked at Sun-Woo.

    <i>¡°It''s okay. You''re not dead yet, so it''s okay..." </i>

    The words Sun-Woo muttered to himself when he carried her out of the burning building echoed faintly in Jin-Seo''s ears.

    "What''s okay about this, you...!"

    She clenched her fist tightly and then let go.

    Sun-Woo was not okay at all. He was most likely not okay, even at the moment he saved her. Sun-Woo''s body would have been damaged beyond repair at that point in time. Even so, Sun-Woo foolishly went out to save people without caring about his own condition. He rescued numerous people trapped in the building, but he couldn''t save himself.

    <i>Bounce.</i>

    Jin-Seo buried her face in the edge of the bed. The nket smelled of disinfectant, Sun-Woo''s scent, and various other odors. The strongest smell of them all was still the smell of blood.

    "Don''t die."

    There was no response. Jin-Seo felt fear as she looked at Sun-Woo, whoy there silently. She felt as though he would never wake up and would eventually die, just like all the others she had relied on and trusted.

    "..."

    She buried her face deeper into the bed and hid her tears.

    When she fell asleep, she dreamed of Sun-Woo''s death. His body had been abandoned, and the bugs had devoured it. Jin-Seo stared nkly at the corpse, which only had bones left after the bugs had eaten it. The bugs that ate Sun-Woo''s body grew in size and then climbed up her legs and covered her facepletely.

    <i>Thump!</i>

    "Ugh..."

    She woke up. She had hit her head on the railing of the bed while getting up, but that wasn''t important right now. She quickly looked at Sun-Woo. Thankfully, he was still alive. However, her frightened heart was unable to calm down, no matter how many times she confirmed it.

    "Just see what happens when you get up, seriously..."

    Jin-Seo red at Sun-Woo with her narrowed eyes.

    If he woke up, she would pay back all the misfortune she had encountered in her dreams. She would make sure that he would be responsible for that time when he messed around with that other woman in her dream, and she would make sure that he paid the price for the dream that she had today.

    <i>...So please, just get up.</i>

    Jin-Seo prayed to her father in heaven and buried her face in the bed.

    ***

    "No matter how you look at it, can¡¯t you forgive him for being fifty minuteste? If it were any other day, then maybe we could let it slide, but this was the day of the appointment ceremony¡ª"

    "He was rescuing citizens at the scene of a fire, so of course, we should forgive him for beingte. The fact that there were no casualties is all thanks to this student."

    The conference room, where the meeting was in full swing, was filled with noise. However,pared to all themotion, there was a rtively small number of people that were gathered in the conference room. It was because it was a smaller meeting where only those who were qualified to make decisions that involved the Seven Holy Names were gathered.

    Chairman Chang-Won and the principal, who were frequently absent, also happened to be present during this meeting.

    ¡°There were no casualties, but some ended up in aatose state. I¡¯m talking about the supervisor of the training center.¡±

    ¡°So what I¡¯m saying is that the reason why that person is alive is all because¡ª¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that thanks to Jin-Seo? If she hadn¡¯t quickly healed the wounds, then even if they had recovered his body, he would have still...¡±

    ¡°He would have still died if his body hadn¡¯t been recovered from the scene of the fire after getting healed! Mr. Yu, why are you so inflexible?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m inflexible. Sigh, I can¡¯t believe this. Why are you suddenly saying that I¡¯m inflexible...¡±

    ¡°There, there, let¡¯s stop bickering amongst each other.¡±

    The meeting had been going on for over two hours, but they had not arrived at a conclusion, and the dispute was only escting. Whenever someone presented an opinion, someone else would refute it, and then someone else would refute the rebuttals until the meeting turned into a heated argument. Eventually, someone would attempt to calm down the situation. This pattern repeated itself several times.

    ¡°What do you think, Chairman?¡± Vice Principal Yu subtly asked Chang-Won. Vice-principal Yu had always been at the center of the arguments. Since there was no sign of arriving at a conclusion even after discussing it, he passed the baton to Chang-Won, the ultimate decision-maker amongst the decision-makers.

    ¡°Hmmm...¡± Chang-Won pondered.

    There were two main opinions in the meeting room. One was to choose Sun-Woo as originally nned, and the other was to revoke Sun-Woo''s qualification ording to the rules and choose another student. Both opinions were reasonable in their own right, and as a result, the meeting''s momentum did not easily lean toward one side.

    However, Chang-Won''s mind was already made up.

    ¡°I believe that it is right to grant the Holy Name to Sun-Woo as originally nned.¡±

    There was a moment of silence in the room. Everyone who attended the meeting opened their eyes wide as if they were surprised. The news that Sun-Woo had saved Jin-Seo was something that none of the students knew, but it was something that all Florence Academy teachers knew. Due to this, Chang-Won was in a position where it was difficult to support Sun-Woo.

    If he supported Sun-Woo, it could be misunderstood as making a public judgment based on his personal emotions because Sun-Woo had saved his daughter.

    Gabriel, who was in charge of a part of the Florence Elder Council, asked, ¡°I believe that... You did not make that judgment for personal reasons. But may I... ask for the reason?¡±

    Chang-Won remained silent for a moment and dropped his head.

    <i>¡°If there''s not enough room, then I''ll just drop out instead.¡± </i>

    It was the words that his daughter had said before the meeting. His daughter seemed to think that Sun-Woo waste for the appointment because of her. She said that if Sun-Woo was not appointed as the Holy Name of Charity because he waste, she would drop out to make room for him.

    Chang-Won was surprised because this was the first time that she had wanted something so desperately. However, he excluded personal emotions from his judgment as much as possible and tried to make a rational and reasonable decision. Nevertheless, or rather precisely because he made a thoroughly rational and reasonable judgment, Chang-Won had to bestow the Holy Name Charity to Sun-Woo.

    "I received a call from the Theological Association. They said that if we n on conducting a re-election test, they will cut off their sponsorship. It¡¯s almost as if they are threatening us."

    "The Theological Association? Wait, what Theological Association?"

    Principal Heo, a member of the Gospel Healing Theological Association, widened his eyes. The Gospel Healing Theological Association was famous for its rtivelyrge size and high status among theological associations. Therefore, whenever the topic of theological associations came up, Heo''s voice always grew louder.

    "It''s the International Theological Association."

    "...Ah, I see. Well, um, if it¡¯s that association, then I can¡¯t say much about it..."

    Heo''s voice, which was about to increase in volume, suddenly quieted down. No matter how high the status of the Gospel Healing Theological Association was, it could notpare to the International Theological Association led by Sung Yu-Da.

    Moreover, the amount that the International Theological Association sponsored for the Florence Foundation was astronomical. There were even jokes that if the International Theological Association stopped sponsoring them, then half of the Florence Academy building would have to be demolished. Such statements from the International Theological Association could not be ignored.

    "Why in the world would the International Theological Association do such a thing...?"

    "Maybe because they were the ones who arranged the location for the re-election test, and perhaps they don''t have the luxury to support us again."

    "I wonder. Did the International Theological Association say such things because they couldn''t even lend us the Ark? Sung Yu-Da may be sly, but he''s not a stingy person..."

    As a result of the International Theological Association''s statement, the opinions that were divided were now leaning toward one side.

    "But isn''t it a situation where we don¡¯t know when Sun-Woo will wake up? He could just lie there forever..."

    With Vice Principal Yu''s word, the situation returned to square one once again. ording to Vice Principal Yu, Sun-Woo had been hospitalized and had not been to school for five days straight. His condition had not improved at all, and even the doctors couldn''t guarantee when he would wake up.

    "What kind of disaster would it be if we gave the Holy Name of Charity to him, and then he just ends up dying? At least until he wakes up¡ª"

    "Teacher Yu! That''s not something an educator should say!"

    "Please don''t misunderstand. I¡¯m just saying if we look at the situation realistically... "

    "Realistically... it''s the right thing to say. Though, as a clergyman... I''ll be careful with my words."

    The crux of the matter was that they couldn''t leave the Holy Name of Charity vacant until Sun-Woo woke up, as they didn''t know when he would wake up.

    It wasn''t a wrong statement, but Chang-Won felt a little ufortable. Even if it was realistically the right thing to say, he wondered if it was right for an educator to readily talk about the possibility of a student dying.

    "No, realistically, it would be better to give it to Sun-Woo. The seven Holy Names have legends that correspond to their names. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    "I see. He waste for the appointment of the Holy Name because he had to rescue people who were trapped in the building... The fact that he dedicated himself to helping others makes it a legend that perfectly fits the name of ''charity.''"

    "But wouldn''t we run into the same issue that we had before? What about the decline in public image that will happen from this? It''s clear that the students won''t listen or believe us..."

    "Um, excuse me, Teacher Yu! There''s been a logical leap since earlier!"

    "You keep interrupting, but it''s not a leap but¨C!"

    <i>Swoosh¡ª thud!</i>

    At the height of the heated meeting, someone opened the door and came in.

    Overwhelmed by the overheated atmosphere of the meeting, the woman hunched her shoulders and looked around with her eyes before finally making her announcement.

    "Um, there''s good news... Sun-Woo woke up. Well then, I''ll go away now...!"

    <i>Tap tap.</i>

    Ye-Jin, the head of the ss of Charity, left those words and quickly left. The air in the meeting room froze.

 Chapter 85

    <h4>Chapter 85</h4>

    "It''s creepy," Han Dae-Ho said while going down the stairs.

    He was on his way down to the basement of the Basar Market, where the fire had urred. Next to him was the religious otaku subordinate pdin, Oh Hee-Jin.

    Oh Hee-Jin had a clipboard attached to her side. It contained summaries of the doctrines and characteristics of the Satanists, Voodooists, Semitists, and various other religions.

    "Um, Director," Oh Hee-Jin said abruptly as she was following Han Dae-Ho.

    "What is it? Hurry up and tell me, damn it. Don''t beat around the bush."

    "It''s about what happenedst time. Is everything fine?"

    It was a vague question. After btedly realizing Oh Hee-Jin''s intention, Han Dae-Ho nodded.

    After extinguishing the fire, Han Dae-Ho immediately identified the identity of the apprentice pdin impersonator. His name was Sun-Woo, and there was nothing unusual about him except for the fact that he was a first-year student at Florence Academy. Dae-Ho had only wanted to know his name and school in the first ce, so he didn''t investigate further.

    Shortly after, Han Dae-Ho contacted Bok-Dong, a teacher at Florence Academy who was close to him, and told him that Sun-Woo had been a great help in extinguishing the fire and that he had rescued a whopping twelve citizens. It was all thanks to Han Dae-Ho that Sun-Woo''s actions became known among the teachers at Florence Academy. However, Han Dae-Ho didn¡¯t receive the news that Sun-Woo was teetering on the line between life and death while lying in the hospital.

    "It''s okay. It¡¯s not like I lied or anything," Han Dae-Ho replied as if it was nothing.

    "But Director, he''s not a real apprentice pdin. He''s just a student pretending to be one. Giving equipment to someone like him and saying that it was a big help undermines the reputation of our Pdin Order¡ª"

    "You¡¯re worrying too much. I have everything under control, so just stay quiet," Han Dae-Ho said with a lightugh.

    If Sun-Woo''s actions were spread around, as Oh Hee-Jin had warned, it could greatly damage the Pdin Order¡¯s reputation. However, Han Dae-Ho believed that there was no image left to tarnish in the first ce. While taking criticism from the public was not that big of a deal, missing out on talent like Sun-Woo would be a tremendous loss.<strong> </strong>Han Dae-Ho nned to recruit Sun-Woo to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch for practical mission training and dispatch training. Reporting Sun-Woo''s actions to Florence Academy was also for the sake of that goal.

    "If you say so, Director..."

    Oh Hee-Jin eventually nodded. She picked up the clipboard that was attached to her side and meaninglessly looked through it.

    <i>Stter...</i>

    At that time, an ominous sound resounded from somewhere. Han Dae-Ho and Oh Hee-Jin''s gaze turned to one ce. There was a man missing his lower body crawling on the ground with his arms. He looked like he was half-dead. His intestines were stretched out like a rope following the path he had crawled from.

    "G-ghost...!"

    Oh Hee-Jin''s face turned blue.

    "Hey, snap out of it!"

    Han Dae-Ho hit the back of Oh Hee-Jin''s head and quickly approached the man. He could be a ghost, as Oh Hee-Jin said, but he could also be a decent citizen whose lower body had been blown away by the explosion. However, it had already been four days since the explosion, so there was no way it was a citizen that had survived until now.

    "This is Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch Director Han Dae-Ho. Are you okay? Ugh!"

    Han Dae-Ho approached the man, but he stepped back at the sudden stench. The terrible stench wasing from the man''s body.

    "C-Commander... Commander... Save me, please... Commanderrr..."

    The man was ceaselessly crawling toward Han Dae-Ho while calling him amander. From afar, it looked as if he was only missing a lower body, but up close, it appeared that his head was also cut in half. The smell of rotting corpses and strong chemicals emanated from the cross-section.

    Behind Han Dae-Ho, who had lost his nerves due to the shock, Oh Hee-Jin said, ¡°Formalin....¡±

    Formalin was a drugmonly used as a preservative for taxidermied creatures.

    Taxidermied creatures?

    Han Dae-Ho suddenly felt a sense of unease and difort.

    "Commander... Please save me..."

    <i>Bloooop.</i>

    It happened when Oh Hee-Jin covered her mouth to suppress the urge to hurl and when Han Dae-Ho was looking at the man with a pale face. Suddenly, the severed section of the man''s head bulged and expanded, changing shape and threatening to burst at any moment.

    Han Dae-Ho felt an instinctive sense of danger as he saw this.

    "Get down!" he yelled as he rushed toward Oh Hee-Jin.

    <i>Bang¨C!</i>

    With a loud explosion, bits of flesh, teeth, sawdust, and cotton flew everywhere. Although the explosion wasn''t veryrge, bits of sawdust and teeth were embedded all over Han Dae-Ho''s body.

    Despite the pain, Han Dae-Ho didn''t make a sound.

    "Director, are you okay?"

    Oh Hee-Jin regained her senses, and she abruptly stood up to draw a healing array. The array repeatedly copsed before she could finish it because she was still in shock.

    Han Dae-Ho smiled and stood up. He then stopped Oh Hee-Jin''s arm as she was drawing the array. "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. What¡¯s the use in trying to use the blessing when it doesn¡¯t work?"

    "No, but the wound..."

    "It''s nothing. It''s not like it¡¯s a burn. I¡¯ll recover if I sleep for a day," Han Dae-Ho said as if it was nothing and removed the fragments from his body.

    Blood spurted from the area where the fragments had been embedded and stained his clothes. The blood didn''t stop and continued to flow. Soon, Han Dae-Ho''s clothes werepletely dyed red.

    The man who had exploded left countless traces while he crawled. Sawdust, cotton, blood, hair, and slimy liquid marked the man¡¯s path. Han Dae-Ho and Oh Hee-Jin followed the traces.

    They passed through a dark corridor filled with the overpowering smell of gunpowder and descended a slippery staircase. The room they arrived in was filled with the smell of medicine, it was simr to the smell that came from the man.

    "...The smell is so strong."

    Han Dae-Ho wrinkled his nose and looked around while walking ahead. Pale flesh was scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered in an unknown liquid. Due to the explosion, the walls had either copsed or were painted ck.

    Oh Hee-Jin followed Han Dae-Ho from behind and read through the clipboard she was holding. She had entered a state of concentration when Han Dae-Ho tapped her on the shoulder.

    "It smells like the Satanists. What do you think?"

    "I also think it''s the Satanists. It¡¯s that guy from two years ago."

    ¡°Yeah, I understand that it¡¯s that guy from two years ago, but...¡±

    Han Dae-Ho scanned his surroundings. There weren''t any taxidermied creatures. Instead, there was only the flesh of people that ¡®had been¡¯ taxidermied creatures.

    In the taxidermy incident that urred two years ago, the culprit cherished the taxidermied creature that they had made very much. It was simr to how an artist might cherish their work more than their own life.

    Then what could have been the creature for why the culprit had blown up their cherished taxidermied creatures? No, what was the reason why they had no choice but to blow up their taxidermied creatures? Such was the question that arose within Han Dae-Ho¡¯s mind.

    "Director! You shoulde here!"

    Oh Hee-Jin''s urgent voice pulled Han Dae-Ho out of his reverie. Han Dae-Ho hurriedly walked toward Oh Hee-Jin. His footsteps made a sputtering noise, and the floor was slippery, so he almost slipped several times. When he arrived where Oh Hee-Jin was, he couldn¡¯t find anything.

    "What? Why did you ask me toe here?"

    "T-There. Can you see it?"

    Oh Hee-Jin pointed to the floor with her shaky hand. There was some sort of substance that was simr to powder that was floating around on the surface of the liquid. The powder was a faint shade of purple. Han Dae-Ho tilted his head.

    "What is that?"

    "It''s bone powder. It¡¯s the purple-shaded powder that we saw back then."

    "What exactly do you mean by <i>back then</i>? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re referring to the Holy War?"

    During the Holy War, the Prophet suddenly scattered bone dust into the air during battle. Purple mist flowed out of the scattered bone dust. Those from the Holy Army that had inhaled the mist all unanimously lost consciousness and copsed without any resistance.

    Han Dae-Ho was one of the conscripted members of the Holy Army at the time, so he vividly remembered the scene.

    The Prophet sobbed while scattering bone dust as if they were dancing, and the Holy Army copsed like dominos in response. Even Han Dae-Ho had helplessly lost his consciousness in the mist.

    "Yes, it''s the bone dust that appeared during the Holy War. It seems like the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult came here."

    "...You, are you sure about that? Are you sure it¡¯s not just some sawdust or stuffing that fell out of the taxidermied creatures?"

    "You know it as well, don¡¯t you, Director? The bone dust from the Voodoo Cult feels different. In the first ce, it doesn¡¯t make much sense for bone dust that should have disappeared in the explosion to remain here....¡±

    Oh Hee-Jin''s voice trailed off as her lips trembled.

    Just as she said, bone dust from the Voodoo Cult felt different from any other ordinary bone dust. It didn''t burn even when set on fire, and no matter how scattered it was, it would gather back together. The purple mist that emanated out was chilling to the bone.

    If death was actualized into a physical substance, perhaps it would be like this dust.

    ¡°Then, did the Satanists and the Voodooists...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Han Dae Ho¡¯s words trailed off. In his mind, an ominous yet very certain deduction was emerging.

    A battle had taken ce between the Satanists and the Voodooists here. It was unclear why the Satanists and the Voodooists had fought. In any case, during the battle, the Satanists, who were backed into a corner, had detonated all the taxidermied creatures they had with them as ast resort. It all made sense if he thought about it this way.

    "I guess this means that the 3rd generation Cult Leader has made a move?"

    In other words, it meant that the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, who had been dormant for seven years since the Holy War, had started to act.

    It was not positive news that the Cult Leader, who had been sharpening their de for the sake of achieving vengeance for their parents, had finally drawn their de. It meant that the three religions, the Satanists, the Romanican Church, and the Voodoo Cult, had entered into a three-way war.

    <i>Is the Second Holy War about to begin...?</i>

    Han Dae-Ho felt a cold and eerie feeling as he looked at the scattered bone dust that littered the ground.

    ***

    ¡®I¡¯m not afraid of fire anymore. I¡¯m not afraid of fire...¡¯

    ¡®If we go now, it¡¯s not toote. We can go.¡¯

    [He¡¯s still sleeping? Isn¡¯t it time for him to wake up now?]

    ¡®It¡¯s okay to use it just once more¡ª¡¯

    <i>Thump.</i>

    With the sound of something copsing, I opened my eyes.

    The emotions that I felt and the scenes that I saw in my dreams were still fresh in my mind. In my dream, I ran into the fire. My body was trembling with fear.

    I wasn''t afraid of fire, but I was afraid of something else.

    A scene appeared within the rising smoke and within the scattering fragments of my consciousness. One was the scene of my father hanging on a rack and burning in the fire. The other was the scene of a cat that was dying while leaking out its intestines from its torn-open stomach.

    I was chased by fear, so I rescued people. And I was chased by time, so I hurried to the Great Auditorium. Whenever I felt pain, I used the intoxication spell to forget the pain.

    When I reached the Great Auditorium, the world was filled with darkness, and I once again jumped into the fire to save people. Even in the midst of that, the images of my father and cat continued to haunt me.

    These scenes continued to repeat in my dream. When I opened my eyes, my whole body was covered in cold sweat. My heart made a dry and stiff sound that echoed throughout my entire body.

    "Huh...?"

    Then, I heard someone''s voice. It was a surprised tone, but the voice was clear and pure.

    When I forcefully moved my stiff neck toward the direction of the voice, Jin-Seo appeared. She looked at me up and down as if she couldn''t believe what she was seeing.

    I put her in the back of my mind and looked around the room. It seemed like a hospital. It was impossible to know how many days had passed since the day that the market exploded.

    "What day is it today?" I asked.

    When I looked at her face, inexplicablyplex emotions flooded into my mind like a tsunami, but I acted as calmly as possible and asked for today¡¯s date. Jin-Seo just stared at me for a while without answering and then buried her face in the bed.

    "The 19th," she said.

    Her clear voice echoed in the hospital room.

    It couldn''t possibly be May 19th, so it must be April 19th. That meant it had been about a week since the appointment ceremony. I was amazed that I had been sleeping for such a long time.

    Jin-Seo raised her head and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

    "I thought you were dead."

    "Luckily, I didn¡¯t die."

    "...I said, I thought you were dead," she repeated.

    I didn''t know what kind of answer she was expecting. I looked at her face.

    She turned her head as if she was trying to avoid my gaze, but then she turned her head and looked at me with a piercing stare.

    Her hair was messy and unkempt, and her eyes were slightly red. Her pupils were watery as if she was about to cry at any moment.

    "Did you cry?"

    "What are you talking about? Why would I cry?"

    "No, I mean, even now....¡±

    Tears were glistening in her eyes like morning dew. Jin-Seo noticed it btedly and buried her face in the pillow again as if trying to hide her tears. Her moist eyes became dry, but the pupils were still red.

    "I didn''t cry."

    I didn''t even ask.

    "Yeah... but if it''s the 19th."

    I extrapted the date and weekday in my head. If it was the 19th, it was probably Monday. The clock on the hospital room wall pointed to ten o''clock. I had to arrive at school before quarter past eight... Ok, never mind, I was toote. I forced my groggy body up.

    Even when lying down, I had a feeling, but now that I was standing, my body was in a worse state than I had originally thought.

    Bandages were wrapped around various parts of my body, and several needles were stuck in my left arm. But surprisingly, there wasn¡¯t anywhere in my body that hurt in particr. It was to the point where I could be discharged without any problems.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Suddenly, as I was about to get up from the bed, Jin-Seo grabbed my wrist. She forcefully pushed me back onto the bed with her tremendous strength.

    "Why are you getting up? Where are you going to go?"

    "I''m going to school."

    "Don''t force yourself. Rest if you''re in pain."

    "I''m not in pain anymore. So I think I can be discharged¡ª" I said while getting up once again, but Jin-Seo immediately stopped me.

    She looked at him with a dazed, sleepy, and vacant expression. Her eyes were somewhat empty.

    <i>Clutch.</i>

    Suddenly, she grabbed my wrist.

    "What, what are you doing? Hey, it really, really hurts!"

    "Yeah, it hurts, right?" she said while smiling at me. It was a clear and transparent smile. Her voice was no different from usual, but her tone was somehow mystical. Her tone of voice waspletely detached from reality, like something that you would hear in a dream.

    "If you''re in pain, just lie down. Don''t even think about going anywhere."

    "..."

    I could see her teeth marks on my wrist. Jin-Seo rubbed those marks andughed heartily.

    Although her face had such a bright smile, her shoulders were trembling slightly. It meant that she was feeling afraid of something.

    "Yeah...."

    I reluctantly threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes.

    Jin-Seo was hoping that I wouldn''t leave and that I would lie quietly in bed andplete my treatment before being discharged. She was genuinely worried about me, and perhaps she had taken care of me tirelessly during the week I was unconscious.

    When I realized this, I suddenly felt an unbearable sense of shame. I covered myself with the nket all the way up to my head and tightly closed my eyes. The memory of the day when smoke and mes soared out due to the explosion vividly entered my mind within the darkness.

    "What are you doing?"

    Jin-Seo poked my body with her finger over the nket. It felt like she was checking whether I was alive or dead.

    "...Nothing," I answered without lowering the nket that covered me.

    I wasn¡¯t able to calmly face her right now.

    More precisely, I couldn''t bear the guilt that flooded my mind every time I saw her face.

    It was because the reason I saved her was just too dirty.

 Chapter 86

    <h4>Chapter 86</h4>

    By the time I had evacuated eight, no, nine people from the building, I looked at the clock. The hour hand was already half past one o¡¯clock. It was already toote to go to the appointment ceremony. Even if I left now, I would bete.

    At the time, I thought that nothing was more important than saving the remaining people in the building, and I decided thatpletely giving up on the appointment ceremony and rescuing the trapped people in the building was the right choice. With my movements that were fueled by my own sense of justice andpassion, I pierced through the mes and entered the building.

    Inside, I found Jin-Seo.

    I don''t remember the exact situation at that time, but she seemed to be crying. She was either crying because she was sad, or she had breathed in too much smoke and had coughed too much. In any case, it was clear that tears wereing out of her eyes.

    ¡°...¡±

    Iughed when I saw her cry. To be precise,ughter came out without me even realizing it.

    Jin-Seo was the chairman''s daughter. If I risked my life to save her, then I would be able to leave a favorable impression on Kim Chang-Won. Since my body was alreadypletely battered, I figured that it would be better to push my body further and damage it even further so that I would be able to elicit more sympathy.

    If I did that, then even if I waste for the appointment ceremony, they might take my circumstances into consideration and give me a chance. And even if I wasn''t destined to be chosen as the Holy Name of Charity, perhaps through this incident, I might even be able to be the Holy Name of Charity...

    It was because of these ridiculous thoughts that Iughed after seeing Jin-Seo.

    "What are you doing? If you keep doing that, it''ll get hot."

    Jin-Seo poked me through the nket. Just like when she grabbed my wrist earlier, she acted like a yful cat.

    I only realized this just now, but it seems like I thought of her as a cat.

    I didn¡¯t save Jin-Seo because I wanted to. I saved her because of the regret and repentance that I felt for the deceased cat... To put it more inly, I saved her as a substitute for the cat.

    By saving Jin-Seo, I thought I would be able to forget about the cat that had died. The mixed emotions I felt when I saw Jin-Seo was nothing but guilt, and it was disgust aimed at myself for saving her as a means rather than out of purpose.

    [I have never seen such a dimwit in my life,] Legba said within the darkness.

    Jin-Seo continued to poke me from behind the nket. The intensity of the pokes was increasing.

    Legba continued, [If what you say is true, can we justify wrongdoings for the sake of a purpose?]

    "..."

    [Things like means or purpose, those things are not important. What¡¯s important is whether the action was ultimately good or bad. If an act of good wasmitted as a means to achieve an objective, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that a good deed is a good deed.]

    However, was it truly right tobel an act of good that wasmitted as a means to achieve an objective as a good deed? Was that still the case, even if the ultimate objective of the good deed was not for a morally good purpose? And if that was the case, did that mean those wrongdoings that weremitted for the sake of a morally good purpose were good deeds?

    [You are not a philosopher but the Cult Leader of a religion. The standards of good and evil are not determined by you,] Legba''s tone was slightly agitated.

    I quietly listened to Legba¡¯s words while hiding within the nket.

    [Whether it is by means or by purpose, if it is considered morally right, then it is a good deed,] Legba concluded.

    Even when his voice hadpletely left my mind, I was still staring into the darkness from under the nket. I had no way of determining whether his words were true or just usible sophistry.

    If there was an absolute criterion for good and evil that was determined regardless of means or purpose, did that mean that even if you were onlymitting morally good acts in order to achieve an objective, you were ultimatelymitting morally good acts...?

    My mind feltplicated. The more I tried to distinguish between things like means and purpose or good and evil, the more blurred the boundaries became. After thinking about it for a long time, it seemed like all these different concepts were fusing together into a single blob.

    I stopped thinking and closed my eyes. Layers of darkness engulfed me.

    "Hey," Jin-Seo called out to me and lifted the nket.

    Suddenly, light seeped through my eyelids.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still alive.¡±

    ¡°...Obviously.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine then,¡± she tly said and then turned her head.

    Then though she said that, she continued to nce at me from time to time. It seemed like she was gazing at me in order to constantly check whether I was dead or alive.

    * * *

    I spent the next day and the day after that lying in the hospital bed as a patient.

    The meals were brought to me by the nurse, but they were extremely tasteless. It was like I was forcing the food down my throat in order to survive.

    Besides eating and sleeping, I read books and watched TV. It was because I had lost my phone at the scene of the fire.

    Through the news, I was able to see what was happening outside, and I studied by reading books or textbooks. Since I had missed school, it was clear that I was behind others, so I spent most of my free time studying.

    "Cult Leader, how are you feeling?"

    When I was trying to relieve my boredom by staring at the midday sun, Jin-Ah came to visit. She was holding a slice of cake in one hand. I usually didn¡¯t like cake, but after only eating hospital food for a while, I started to long for the stimting taste of cake.

    "It¡¯s not bad. Thanks to you, my body¡¯s like this,¡± I said yfully while epting the cake from Ji-Ah and cing it on the shelf.

    However, Ji-Ah couldn''t just listen as if it were a joke, and she lowered her head with a dark expression.

    "I''m sorry. I should have died. I was scared at the time..."

    "Huh? No, it was a joke. I was supposed to be the one to go from the beginning."

    "Next time, I will die in ce of the Cult Leader. Or at least die together."

    "You¡¯re saying some sinister things..."

    She seemed to have said all that seriously, but the words simply went through one ear and out the other.

    I didn''t want someone else to die in my stead, and I intended to prevent such a situation from urring.

    Ji-Ah brought a bunch of other things besides the slice of cake, and it was snacks like fruits and chips.

    "Why is your arm like that?" I asked Ji-Ah, who was cutting an apple. There was a wound on her arm. It seemed like a bruise.

    "I got hurt when I fell while running away... Ah."

    "Ah, you got hurt back then. Does it hurt at all?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Instead of responding, Ji-Ah looked down with a dejected expression while peeling the fruit with the fruit knife. Her hand holding the knife was shaking.

    ¡°It would have been better if I died back then..."

    "Ah, why do you keep saying stuff like that?"

    "I am a disgrace to the Voodoo Cult..."

    ¡°Just stop it. Anyway, is Uncle noting?"

    I didn''t want to hear any more of Ji-Ah''s self-loathingments, so I quickly changed the subject. Ji-Ah nodded her head while cutting an apple with her shaking hands.

    "He said he''s busy with an uing executive meeting and wille next time."

    "Ah..."

    The executive meeting. It was held around the end of April, July, and November every year. It was an event where the Voodoo Cult executives from each region would gather in one ce to discuss various topics. Come to think of it, the meeting was approaching soon.

    "Do you n to participate in this meeting?"

    Ji-Ah skillfully cut the apple into a rabbit and neatly ced it on a te. While admiring her dexterity, I fell into deep thought.

    ¡°The Voodoo Cult leaders didn¡¯t really like me that much.¡±

    ¡°That seemed to be the case from what I can remember.¡±

    Ji-Ah slightly nodded.

    It was because the Voodoo Cult executives believed that my abilities as the third-generation Cult Leader were insufficientpared to my father, the second-generation Cult Leader. Not only did they believe that my abilities werecking, but they also believed that my mindset wascking as well. Some people even strongly opposed me bing the Cult Leader.

    On my fifteenth birthday, when I was in my second year of middle school, I attended an executive meeting for the first time. It was then that I discovered the fact that most of the leaders disliked me, and since then, I never attended a high-ranking meeting again. It was because I was afraid of the gazes of the leaders who regarded me with disdain.

    "Do you think I should go?" I asked Ji-Ah.

    She looked intently at the neatly cut apple with satisfaction and then said, "The decision is up to the Cult Leader, but in my opinion, it would be better if you didn''t go."

    "Why?"

    "I''ve heard that there are increasing voices of rebellion and impeachment centered around the Jeo and Chungcheong Branches. To be honest, these are all unverified and disorderly rumors, but I believe it will be dangerous to face them at the moment."

    ¡°...Hmm.¡±

    Rebellion and impeachment. Just listening to those frightening words made my hair stand on end. Perhaps in this meeting, the rebel forces might have intentions of killing me. If I considered my personal safety, it seemed like a better idea not to attend the meeting. But this was only the case if I only considered my ¡®personal safety.¡¯

    "It''s probably better to just go."

    Nevertheless, I felt that it was better just to go. Ji-Ah widened her eyes as if she was surprised, and then she quickly returned to her usual expressionless face.

    "Are you going to be okay?"

    "It would be better to cut off the rebellion as soon as possible. If we just let it be, the forces could grow stronger."

    "The executives might cast spells on the Cult Leader. They might even try to kill you."

    "No way," I said and smiled at her.

    "The executives¡¯ spells are not a big deal... It probably won''t work on me anyway. If it seems too dangerous, we can just disable them," I continued.

    Even if the executives attempted a rebellion, it wouldn''t matter. I was confident that I wouldn¡¯t be affected by their spells, and I was confident I would be able to disable their spells before their spells could reach me. After the Ritual of Session, I didn''t know about much else, but at the very least, I was overflowing with confidence in my spells. The fact of the matter was that my spell-casting ability had improved enough to warrant this confidence.

    ¡°...That''s true."

    Ji-Ah nodded her head as if she agreed with me. After exchanging a few more words, Ji-Ah left the hospital room. The slice of cake and fruit she had brought were piled up on both sides of the bed. I didn''t feel like eating the cake right this moment, so I put them in the refrigerator for now.

    At around 5 o''clock in the afternoon, another visitor came.

    "Sun-Woo, you, yooooou...!"

    It was In-Ah. As soon as she saw me, she furrowed her brows and rushed toward me with a grumpy face. She had bought figs and grape juice as gifts, but ironically, they were things I didn''t particrly like.

    "If you were hospitalized, you could have at least called, y-you idiot!" In-Ah yelled at me without hesitation as soon as she put down the shopping bag filled with gifts. She didn''t seem genuinely angry. It seemed like she was forcefully hiding her worry by pretending to be angry.

    "I couldn''t make a call because I lost my phone."

    "You could have used a public phone... Ah, you can''t get up. Anyway, then, y-you should have borrowed from a nurse!"

    "What kind of unreasonable request is that..."

    "It''s not unreasonable. Hey, howe I can¡¯t even make this sort of unreasonable request when I was this worried? Huh?¡±

    In-Ah persisted like that for a while. It was hard to tell whether she was here to check up on me or whether she was here to vent her anger.

    "So, is your body okay? Can you be discharged? What did the doctor say?" she asked without giving me a chance to answer.

    Instead of answering, I handed her an apple. It was the apple that Ji-Ah had carved into a rabbit.

    "¡ªBut why aren''t you answering? Is your body okay?"

    In-Ah looked at me while chewing on the crunchy apple. Her eyes were moist but not red. Her lips were pouting. It was her habit when she was annoyed or angry.

    ¡°I think I¡¯m fine at the moment, but they told me it¡¯s best for me to stay here and recover.¡± I smiled helplessly and delivered the exact words that the doctor had said to me.

    "Is that true? You¡¯re really okay, right? When are you being discharged?"

    "Discharge will probably be in three... four days? They say I can be discharged soon because my body''s strong."

    "Strong, my ass. You¡¯re always getting hurt and being hospitalized. You¡¯re not strong at all. Your body¡¯s made out of ss," In-Ah scolded me.

    No matter how much I thought about it, my body was strong, but it was also true that I often got hurt and hospitalized, as she said.

    "What happened to the appointment ceremony?"

    I forced a bitter smile and quickly changed the subject. In-Ah was fiercely ring at me, but her face slightly froze after hearing those words. She then pursed her lips for a long time as if she was hesitating to speak.

    "Well, um..."

    "Just tell me. It doesn''t matter what happened."

    "Ah, yeah. It got indefinitely postponed. I don''t know why, but they just... said that that¡¯s what happened."

    Indefinite postponement. I couldn''t understand what that meant. Looking at it positively, it could mean that the school was willing to wait for me until I was discharged. On the other hand, it could also mean that they were preparing for another re-election test in order to pick someone else.

    "I guess that means that we still don¡¯t know the results then."

    "Yeah... Are you okay? You must have prepared really hard..."

    I smiled faintly to indicate that I was okay.

    Although I wanted to be the Holy Name of Charity, I didn¡¯t particrly prepare for the exam that much. Even if Jun-Hyuk had been chosen instead of me, I would have epted it calmly. Of course, I would have felt a little disappointed if that had happened though.

    "But... where is Jun-Hyuk?"

    At that moment, I realized that Jun-Hyuk was not here. I naturally thought that Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah woulde together, but for some reason, only In-Ah came to visit.

    In-Ah lowered her head with a noticeably darkened face.

    "He''s probably at the hospital. Maybe."

    "Hospital? Why?"

    "I was going to tell you, but... um..."

    She remained silent with her mouth shut for a long time. The room was filled with silence. The evening twilight was softly shining into the room through the window.

    "His mother''s condition is a bit..." In-Ah barely managed to speak. Her voice cracked.

 Chapter 87

    <h4>Chapter 87</h4>

    Jun-Hyuk''s mother had been receiving treatment at a mental hospital for several years. However, on the day of her appointment, she attempted tomit suicide. Fortunately, she survived, but she was discoveredte, and her life was in danger. Currently, they were transferring her to a university hospital for treatment.

    "I only heard that she was hospitalized, but I never knew she was in a mental hospital... Anyway, that''s what they say."

    Suddenly, I remembered Jun-Hyuk''s awkward expression whenever I asked where his house was. Come to think of it, he never went home after school. He would either go straight to the training center or leave without revealing his destination. Perhaps Jun-Hyuk visited his mother at the hospital as soon as school ended.

    "Is it okay for you to tell me all this?"

    Hearing such a heavy story made me feel uneasy, but at the same time, I wondered if it was really okay to hear this kind of story from someone else''s mouth. In-Ah smiled slightly and nodded.

    "He asked me to tell you directly. He said he''s sorry for not being able to visit you."

    "Ah... How is his mother doing?"

    "She''s conscious, but, um, how should I say it..." In-Ah trailed off, shaking her head and nervously biting her lip for a while. Perhaps it was a sensitive topic, but she struggled quite a bit before speaking. It seemed like she was carefully selecting the appropriate words among countless options.

    "Well, Jun-Hyuk said that, um, his mother can''t recognize his face."

    "..."

    "He told me not to take it too seriously. Just listen to it with a light heart... although it''s not exactly a light story," In-Ah forced a bitterugh.

    As she said, it wasn''t a story to be taken lightly. How would Jun-Hyuk feel about having to take care of a mother who couldn¡¯t even recognize her own child? How would I feel if, by any chance, I was able to reach the underground prison somehow and save my mother, but she was unable to recognize me? What would I do if she loathingly said she didn¡¯t know me...?

    Just imagining it made me feel sick.

    "Ah, right. Have you seen that person?" As if trying to clear the heavy atmosphere, In-Ah forcefully changed the topic in order to lighten the mood. What exactly did she mean by that person?

    "That person?"

    "When the Basar Market caught fire, they said a student from our school was there, putting out the fire and rescuing people. They said he pretended to be an apprentice pdin and even used Pdin Order equipment. I thought you might have seen him."

    "...I''m not sure."

    "Really? They said that everyone at the Basar Market saw him. I thought you would have seen him too," In-Ah said while tilting her head.

    I also followed her and tilted my head. In-Ah''s words raised more than a few questions.

    ¡°...How did I end up in the hospital in the first ce?" I asked subtly as if trying to figure things out. At my words, In-Ah''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Y-you might have amnesia¡ª!"

    "No, I remember. I remember, but I was just wondering what you know about the situation."

    "Oh, what was it... Weren¡¯t you at the Basar Market at the time? That¡¯s what the teachers said.¡±

    I quietly nodded. Strictly speaking, it wasn''t a wrong statement because I was indeed at the Basar Market at that time. However, it seemed like the fact that I impersonated an apprentice pdin and saved people was not known to the school. To be precise, it looked like the teachers knew, but the students didn''t seem to know about it.

    Perhaps they thought there was no need to mention it. Whether I saved people or not, it was an undeniable fact that I impersonated an apprentice pdin and illegally used the Pdin Order''s equipment. Florence Academy had a strong tendency not to disclose controversial information.

    Afterward, In-Ah spoke to me about meaningless topics and stood up when the sun hadpletely set.

    "Take care of yourself. Don¡¯t forget to contact me when you''re discharged."

    "It''s bothersome." I jokingly said, and In-Ah pouted her lips.

    "Bothersome? Am I bothersome?"

    "Yeah."

    "...Don''tin and contact me. Otherwise, I''ll hit you. Seriously."

    In-Ah clenched her fist and nced at me, and then she suddenly burst intoughter. I alsoughed along with her. Afterward, she left the hospital room. The room I was left alone in was filled with gifts from Ji-Ah and In-Ah. The smell of apples floated in the air.

    * * *

    Strangely, on the night that Ji-Ah and In-Ah visited, I couldn''t fall asleep. The moonlight that came through the window filled the room. The moonlight was cold and had a faint blue color. It was a mysterious shade.

    [The strength of the replication spell depends on your knowledge and imagination. In that sense, your grandfather and the first Cult Leader, Do Jun-Gil, was a person with a lot of knowledge and great imagination.]

    While gazing at the moonlight, I listened to Legba''s lecture. The title of the lecture was ''Achievements of the First Cult Leader and Understanding of the Replication Spell.''

    I had made it up just now.

    [However, you don''t have the same knowledge and imagination that Do Jun-Gil had. Thus, even though you went through the Ritual of Session, you can only use a part of his true strength.]

    Replication spells required knowledge of the ancient Voodoo Cult as a basis. It was because it was a spell that ¡®replicated¡¯ the weapons and tools used in the ancient Voodoo Cult, as the name suggested. However, all the literature about the ancient Voodoo Cult had been burned and destroyed after the Holy War.

    [There must be some literature hidden by your father... But I don''t even know where he hid it. I thought it would be in the box.]

    "Hmm."

    The box my father left as a keepsake contained no documents about spells or literature on the ancient Voodoo Cult. There was only my grandfather''s bone dust. Thanks to that, I was able to escape the crisis, but it was a bit disappointing. It would have been better if there were documents or literature along with the bone dust.

    [Do Myung-Jun, that guy was always a bit strange. He deliberately scattered things around instead of keeping them in one ce as if he was setting up a game of treasure hunting. He¡¯s a perverted bastard.]

    I nodded at Legba''s words.

    It was a long time ago, but I remember my father giving me some sort of puzzle as a birthday present. He promised to give me the real gift after I solved the puzzle. In the end, I didn''t receive the gift. It was because the puzzle my father gave me was a 5,000-piece puzzle. At the time, the puzzle was simply too massive for a child like me.

    The truth was, I did solve the puzzle. However, when I finished it, my father was already dead. I solved the puzzle, but no one could give me the gift. It was an unpleasant story to dwell on.

    [Come to think of it, you''re simr too. The Do family are all a bunch of strange people.]

    "Well, that''s a bit exaggerated."

    [I have never exaggerated before.]

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    When I was having a not-so-serious conversation with Legba, a knock was heard. Legba suddenly became quiet. I also shut my mouth. The current time was about ten past twelve. It was deep into the night when it would be strange for someone to pay a visit.

    <i>Creak...</i>

    Soon, the door opened. I closed my eyes and pretended to be fast asleep. When asked who I was talking to, my n was to say that I was sleep-talking.

    She walked up to me briskly and looked at me while I was pretending to sleep.

    "Pretending to sleep?" she said, poking my arm.

    A shiver ran down my spine. It was a chilly sensation as if ice was flowing down my back.

    Since she had already seen through me, pretending to sleep any longer would be meaningless.

    "...How did you know?" I asked, opening my eyes and looking at her.

    "I just know by looking."

    "Really...? That''s amazing."

    "Who are you trying to deceive?" Jin-Seo said.

    She looked at me with a strangely empty gaze and said, "Don''t think about deceiving me. Don¡¯t ever think about doing it in the future either."

    As she spoke, her lips formed a faint but clear smile.

    The blue moonlight that came through the window wrapped around her like mist. Her hair, swaying from her shoulders, shimmered with a deep blue color in the moonlight. It felt strangely mystical to me.

    When I silently nodded, Jin-Seo quietly stared at me. Silence followed.

    "And don''t die," she said in the moonlight.

    The smile on her face had disappeared. It appeared that she was speaking seriously and was not joking.

    ¡°...Do you think things will just work out like that just because I want it to?¡± I said while forcing back augh.

    "I will make it so."

    "What if I get hit by a car while walking on the street?"

    "It¡¯s fine if I save you," Jin-Seo said with a face that was more serious than I had ever seen before.

    Compared to her serious tone, her words were so childish that I couldn¡¯t help but let out theughter that I was holding in. She looked at me and tilted her head.

    "Why are youughing?"

    "Because you¡¯re not very dependable?"

    She had never been in a position where she saved me, not even once during the Jun-Min incident and up until now. I didn''t really believe that she would save me just because she said so. She looked at me with her head tilted, staring at me for a while, and then she blushed as if she btedly understood the meaning of my words.

    "Until now, until now that may not have been the case... But I¡¯m saying that it¡¯ll be like that from now on."

    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a promise.¡±

    ¡°I said I got it,¡± I responded whileughing, and she subtly red at me with narrowed eyes.

    "You didn''t listen properly."

    "I listened properly, though."

    "You¡¯re not listening. You¡¯re still listening with indifference."

    "I said I''m listening properly."

    Honestly, I wasn''t listening properly. I was just casually going along with the flow and giving vague responses. Jin-Seo looked at me with suspicious eyes. In that moment of silence, the moonlight that filled the hospital room disappeared.

    Darkness came.

    The room instantly became dark just because the moonlight disappeared. Jin-Seo sat on the edge of the bed, and only her silhouette was vaguely visible. Her expression waspletely hidden in the darkness.

    "...This is something that I¡¯m going to say because it suddenly came to mind," Jin-Seo tilted her head slightly and spoke while looking at the moonlight.

    "You seem to be getting along well with that person."

    Her voice echoed in the darkness. It was as clear as if she was whispering right next to my ear. A strange chill came over me.

    The wind blowing outside the window was unusually cold.

    "That person?"

    "It''s In-Ah."

    "Ah, yes. What about her?"

    "She seems close. She even came for a visit today."

    "Erm... So...?"

    "Just saying."

    The moon, which was hidden behind the clouds, finally revealed itself. Moonlight slowly filled the hospital room. As the darkness lifted, her expression became visible. She had her usual clear, gentle, and beautiful smile on her face.

    "Why are you so surprised? What did you do at In-Ah''s house?"

    In-Ah''s house? How did she know that I went to In-Ah''s house? No, rather than that, why was Jin-Seo''s aura so different from usual?

    "What are you talking about? I don¡¯t really..." I quickly changed the subject.

    The moonlight outside was swaying dimly. It was easier to distinguish her expression when it was either all dark orpletely bright. However, as the light swayed, I couldn''t tell if she was frowning or smiling at all. The curtain fluttered lightly along with the blowing wind.

    "Didn¡¯t I tell you not to think about deceiving me?" she whispered as if she was scolding me. Her voice was incredibly cold.

    My body did not move at all, as if it was being pressed down by scissors. Even flicking my finger was difficult. The moonlight, which had been shaking like a gust of wind, gradually regained itsposure. The same cold, blue moonlight filled the hospital room like before.

    "Why are you so surprised? It was just a joke."

    "..." She seemed to smile innocently like a child.

    Her smile shone in the moonlight. I watched her silently with my mouth shut. What on earth was the joke?

    "I''m leaving now. It''s toote."

    Jin-Seo looked up at the clock hanging on the wall and stood up abruptly. Meanwhile, my body remainedpletely still. Jin-Seo still had a faint smile on her face as she looked at me with narrow eyes.

    "Good night."

    She left, and sleep naturally overwhelmed me. I fell asleep as soon as I closed my eyes. I didn''t dream at all.

    * * *

    The next day, I finally went through the discharge process. The doctor said it was still too early to be discharged, but for various reasons, I decided to leave the hospital early. I was because I was the type of person who didn¡¯t like staying in the hospital too long.

    With Jin-Seo¡¯s help, I was able to skip various procedures. It seemed that her father, Chairman Chang-Won, would also cover the hospital expenses. Well, considering that this hospital was owned by the Florence Foundation from the beginning...

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Jin-Seo asked as we finished the procedures and were leaving the hospital.

    I had been intently staring at her unconsciously. The reason was undoubtedly because of that strange night that I experienced yesterday, which was difficult to distinguish between reality and dream.

    "You yesterday..."

    "Yesterday?"

    While asking, I stopped and examined Jin-Seo¡¯s face. She had an indifferent expression as if she knew nothing. Her eyes, which were piercing through me, were as sharp as usual. There was a faint smile on her lips, but it didn''t feel as cold asst night.

    "...Nevermind."

    "Yesterday, what?"

    She tilted her head.

    I recalledst night. The moonlight was too vivid to be called a dream, yet too surreal to be called reality. It was clear that I had a conversation with Jin-Seo in the hospital room. However, it was difficult to distinguish whether the conversation afterward was a dream or not. The moonlight that day seemed to blur the boundary between a dream and reality.

    "Ah, sir."

    As we walked together, we suddenly arrived at the hospital parking lot. There, Jin-Seo''s driver was waiting for her in the car. After Jin-Seo got in the back seat, she rolled down the window and leaned out to ask me a question.

    "Which way is your house¡ª?"

    <i>Vroom¡ª!</i>

    The car started before Jin-Seo could finish her sentence. The car quickly left the parking lot at a threatening speed and entered the road instantly. In the blink of an eye, the car she was in disappeared from my sight.

    [It seems like the driver doesn''t like you.]

    "I didn''t do anything to deserve hate."

    [You''re the type to attract hate even if you stay still,] Legba said mockingly.

    I chuckled and walked toward the underground chapel. No one was there to greet me. It was because I hadn¡¯t told anyone that I had been discharged from the hospital.

    The next day, I went to school, but there was no one in the ssroom.

 Chapter 88

    <h4>Chapter 88</h4>

    The empty ssroom was filled with silence. As I stared nkly at therge, dark ssroom devoid of any people, I started to feel somewhat creeped out. It felt so unreal that it felt like I was dreaming, and I also felt somewhat ufortable because it felt like the entire school was pulling a prank on me.

    I wondered whether I should call In-Ah or Jun-Hyuk... No, I wondered whether I should call In-Ah, but then I realized that I had lost my phone. My uncle said he would buy me a new phone soon, but I had no idea when that would happen. In any case, it meant that I had no way of contacting anyone right now.

    "Is this a dream?" I murmured out the hypothesis that came to mind.

    It was a hypothesis with a low possibility, but it was notpletely impossible. Through the ring and box that was left by my father, I experienced several hallucinations. No, I had dreamt vivid dreams that were difficult to distinguish from reality multiple times. Since then, it felt as if the boundary between dreams and reality had be blurred.

    [Those addicted to Voodoo spells often show those types of symptoms,] Legba said. His tone was a little sarcastic.

    "Why are you talking about addiction all of a sudden? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve used enough spells to be addicted."

    [It could be the initial symptoms of addiction. Before you lost consciousness, you used the intoxication spell excessively. It¡¯s highly likely that that is what¡¯s causing the problem.] Legba spoke calmly, but he seemed to be subtly scolding me.

    Excessive use, he said... At the scene of the fire, I had used the intoxication spell a few times to forget the pain. No, well, to be perfectly honest, I didn¡¯t just use it a few times, I used it quite a lot. However, I honestly didn¡¯t know whether it had reached the point of addiction. At the moment, the important thing was not the addiction or whatever it was.

    "So, am I in a dream right now?"

    [Well, what do you think?] Legba retorted mischievously.

    "Ah, can you not?"

    [Okay, I understand. It''s not a dream. However...]

    [It''s a reality that¡¯s so vivid that you¡¯d want to believe it''s a dream!]

    At that moment, someone interrupted Legba. It was Baron Samedi. He had promised toe every five days, but he would sometimes show up every three or four days if he felt like it. Baron Samedi ignored Legba, who was coughing with difort, and said, [It would be best to go to the Great Auditorium right now. Or you can check the paper hanging on the bulletin board in front of the ssroom first before going.]

    "The Great Auditorium...?"

    "Yes, the Great Auditorium!" Baron Samedi repeated my words enthusiastically. I left behind the lingering feeling of uneasiness and walked toward the bulletin board in front of the ssroom.

    [You would have gone to the Great Auditorium even if I didn¡¯t tell you though. That¡¯s what causation is,] Baron Samedi said.

    I slowly read the paper hanging on the bulletin board.

    "An inauguration ceremony will be held during homeroom time this morning, so all students are requested to gather at the Great Auditorium..."

    Ah.

    "...This is a dream, right? Please tell me it¡¯s a dream, quickly."

    [Hahaha! Yes, perhaps you might have wanted it to be a dream, but this is, without a doubt, reality. Even if you tightly close your eyes and open them again, reality won¡¯t change. It looks like you''re going to bete again.]

    [It¡¯s just an appointment ceremony. Who cares if we¡¯re a littlete? Take your time, take your time. Your body hasn¡¯t fully recovered, right?]

    [Indeed, no matter howte you are, the oue won''t change anyway. That''s what causation is!]

    Legba and Baron Samedi took turns speaking. Their voices echoed in my head. I felt so frustrated that I felt like crying, but I didn¡¯t have the luxury of wasting time at the moment. I had to head toward the Great Auditorium immediately.

    "Bo-Bossou."

    [Bossou is on strike right now.]

    "Ah, stop joking and hurry!"

    [Oops, sorry, Bossou will respond to your call.]

    I borrowed Bossou¡¯s power and dashed toward the Great Auditorium. Strangely, I couldn''t run very quickly. Usually, when borrowing Bossou¡¯s power, I would be able to run very quickly, but because I was running so quickly, it became harder to change directions. If I had known it would be like this, I would have jumped out of the window instead of taking the stairs. Even if I had done that, I would have beente anyway.

    [By the way, I was genuinely surprisedst time! I can''t believe you were able to change the predetermined future. Causation has been distorted.]

    While I was running frantically, I heard Baron Samedi''s voice.

    [Could this distortion also be part of causation? Well, in any case, it¡¯s be more entertaining for me...]

    His voice, filled with mischief, gradually faded away.

    * * *

    The morning sunlight passed through the stained ss of the Great Auditorium and split into various colors. White noise flowed out from the speakers, and the sound of students chatting filled the auditorium. Jin-Seo cut through themotion and took her seat.

    "Hey. You came today?" As soon as she sat down, Min-Seo provoked her. To be precise, it wasn''t really a provocation, but it sounded like one to Jin-Seo. It was because her tone of voice was always condescending.

    "Yeah. I came today," Jin-Seo replied.

    She would normally keep her mouth shut, but today, she decided to casually reply to herment.

    "When you want toe, youe, and when you don''t want toe, you don''te~ You seem to think of school as your neighborhood yground," Min-Seo teased with the corner of her mouth raised. Jin-Seo looked at Min-Seo and smiled.

    There were smiles on both their faces, but both smiles were frighteningly chilly. Su-Ryeon nced between the two of them and suddenly felt a chilly sensation run down her spine.

    <i>¡®I smell a fight...¡¯</i>

    Over the past few weeks, continuously mediating fights allowed Su-Ryeon to gradually be able to smell the ¡®scent of a fight.¡¯ For a while, silence flowed between Jin-Seo and Min-Seo.

    At that moment, Min-Seo suddenly pinched her nose and furrowed her brows.

    "What''s that smell all of a sudden? Urgh," Min-Seo said.

    Su-Ryeon thought that Min-Seo might have read her thoughts, and she was surprised. Dae-Man was sitting next to them, and he started sniffing his own clothes all of a sudden.

    "Hmm, at the very least, it doesn¡¯t seem like the smell of my sweat!"

    "...Yeah, besides the sweat smell. Don''t you smell something burning? It¡¯s like the smell of smoke," Min-Seo said while staring at Jin-Seo with a smirk on her face. Min-Seo''s words were intended to mock Jin-Seo, as she had been inside the Basar Market during the fire.

    <i>¡®Is she crazy?¡¯</i>

    While thinking so, Su-Ryeon looked at Jin-Seo in surprise. Jin-Seo wasn''tughing, nor was she frowning. Instead, she had a subtle expression on her face.

    <i>¡®Ah... this has gone a bit too far.¡¯</i>

    Su-Ryeon inwardly clicked her tongue.

    "Well, I''m not too sure."

    However, Jin-Seo didn''t back down at all. Instead, she calmly replied while managing to let out a rxedugh. Min-Seo let out a hollowugh as if she couldn''t believe her eyes.

    "Howe you can¡¯t smell it? The smell of smoke has filled this entire ce."

    "Is that so?"

    Jin-Seo retracted her gaze from Min-Seo and then moved her gaze toward the podium before continuing to speak.

    "Shall I prevent you from smelling it in the future, then?"

    "...What? You¡ª"

    "<i>Snicker, </i>ah, um, cough. Ah, Min-Seo, I¡¯m really sorry. I¡¯m really, really sorry."

    Min-Seo was just about to retort back at Jin-Seo, but she couldn''t continue her sentence. It was because of Su-Ryeon''s unintentionalughter.

    "No, it¡¯s not that Iughed at you. It¡¯s because I suddenly had a funny thought. Really."

    "..."

    "Are you sulking? No, listen. I really didn¡¯tugh at you, it''s just... <i>Snicker.</i> Ah, no. The truth is, your surprised face was just so cute... Did I upset you? Huh?"

    Su-Ryeon continued to hold backughter while looking at Min-Seo. Her face was unusually flustered. It was not only because Su-Ryeon hadughed at her but also because Jin-Seo''s reaction was so different from usual.

    "Ah, ah."

    At that moment, Chang-Won, who was on the stage, grabbed the microphone and started testing the mic. With that, themotion in the Great Auditorium came to an end. Chang-Won continued to speak in the auditorium, which was filled with a chilly atmosphere.

    "Firstly, let me apologize for the sudden adjustment of the schedule and for proceeding with the appointment ceremony today. Since homeroom time is short, we will informally proceed with a brief appointment ceremony."

    With those words, the lights in the Great Auditorium dimmed halfway. The few remaining lights illuminated the stage. It was a special lighting effect for the sake of the appointment ceremony.

    "Ah... ahem." Lost in thought, Ha-Yeon suddenly shivered after getting startled by the sudden darkness. No one was paying attention to her, but Ha-Yeon coughed unnecessarily while being conscious of her surroundings.

    "There was some confusion regarding the re-election of the Holy Name of Charity this time, but following a discussion, we have ultimately decided that¡ª¡±

    Chang-Won paused for a second. There was a moment of silence.

    "Just like we previously decided, Sun-Woo will be elected. Do Sun-Woo, pleasee up to the podium."

    ¡°...?¡±

    The students sitting in the auditorium all closed their mouths and looked nkly up at the stage. Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon had calm faces, but the rest of the students couldn''t hide their bewildered expressions.

    Sun-Woo waste for the appointment ceremony, and as a result, he was stripped of his qualification. The fact that Sun-Woo was being chosen as the Holy Name of Charity regardless of this fact meant that it would cause a lot of controversy. The students'' doubts eventually turned into resistance.

    "Weren¡¯t they droning on about how they would strip him of his qualification...?"

    "What kind of flip-flopping is this? I mean, the fact that Sun-Woo waste was his fault in the first ce."

    "They say he was involved with the fire at the Basar Market."

    "Does that really count as a consideration? There is no way this would have happened unless bribery was involved¡ª"

    The chaos sparked by the students'' resistance grew like a snowball and eventually filled the Great Auditorium. The students who could not ept the decisionined that it was unfair, and they argued that the fact that Sun-Woo was involved with the ze in the Bazar Market was his own fault. The words were just blurted out without much thought.

    <i>Rinnnnngg¡ª!</i>

    Then, a sudden noise was heard. Chang-Won had brought the microphone to the speaker to intentionally create the noise. He quickly spoke up without missing the momentary silence that followed.

    "During the Basar Market fire, Sun-Woo threw himself into the burning building to save the citizens and helped extinguish the mes. Sun-Woo protected others as if they were part of his own body. No, he went so far as to sacrifice his own body to save others. That student who impersonated the apprentice pdin and helped the Eastern Pdin Order is none other than Sun-Woo."

    Silence filled the hall. However, it was a different type of silencepared to before. The story of the mysterious person who had extinguished the mes and saved the citizens during the fire before suddenly disappearing was very famous among the Florence Academy students. It was because rumors had spread that he was a Florence Academy student.

    Many considered the mysterious person a hero, as they had thrown their body into the fire without any sort ofpensation or reward. Thus, after the revtion that the mysterious person was, in fact, Sun-Woo, the confusion and doubts that filled the audience could not help bute to an end.

    "I believe that Sun-Woo''s selflessness andpassion, which helped him save many others without sparing his own body, goes beyond that of the Holy Name of Charity and should be a lesson for all clergymen."

    The heavy silence continued without an end in sight.

    "In addition to this, various other factors have been considered, so I hope that the students have no misunderstandings about the school''s decision."

    With that, Chang-Won concluded his speech. The students were still unable to recover from the shock. In-Ah sat in the back, and she was particrly shocked. She felt a sense of betrayal due to the fact that Sun-Woo had not told her about this.

    "Therefore, we shall now begin the appointment ceremony¡ª"

    "Um, Chairman. Ummm, well, I''m really sorry. Haha.¡±

    Just as he was about to start the appointment ceremony, Miss Ye-Jin hurriedly went up onto the stage. Chang-Won felt an inexplicable sense of unease and sudden foreboding.

    <i>¡®...Could it be?¡¯</i>

    "Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t contact him again?"

    "Haha, well... I definitely confirmed that he had been discharged from the hospital and contacted him the day before..."

    "...Oh my goodness."

    Chang-Won clutched his head.

    The bacsh from the teachers was cut off when the International Theological Association incident was brought up. They thoroughly kept the fact that Sun-Woo helped the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch during the fire a secret and revealed the truth on the day of the announcement to calm the students'' dissatisfaction.

    All of this was part of Chang-Won''s n. If everything went ording to n, there would be no variables. However, he was arrogant. There were still variables that he hadn¡¯t anticipated. Chang-Won had excluded the possibility of Sun-Woo noting to the appointment <i>again.</i>

    "For now, keep trying to contact him," Chang-Won said.

    Even though he didn¡¯t outwardly show it, he was currently very impatient. If they dyed the appointment ceremony or chose another Holy Name of Charity, then it was clear that there would be severe bacsh from not only the students but also the teachers. He was able to handle the bacsh the first time with some maneuvering, but he didn''t have the confidence to handle the bacsh again a second time.

    "Yes, but this thing keeps saying that the phone is turned off..."

    "I''ll try to buy some time, so for now, tell the teachers..."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, the door opened.

    It was a familiar sight to Chang-Won.

    A person walked through the door and past the students in order to make it to the stage. However, that person¡¯s steps were not as unstable as before. His steps were filled with more strength than usual. In an instant, he crossed the Great Auditorium and climbed up onto the stage.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    He sat down in front of Chang-Won and ced one knee on the ground. The lights of the Great Auditorium shone brightly on him, giving him a serene glow.

    It was Sun-Woo.

    "...By any chance, did I miss the appointment ceremony again?" he asked casually while looking up at Chang-Won.

    "It was a close call."

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    "...It¡¯s alright."

    Chang-Won reached out his hand over Sun-Woo''s head. A pure white halo bestowed by the Pope flowed out of Chang-Won''s hand and gradually enveloped Sun-Woo''s body.

    "I should be the one thanking you instead."

    <i>Swish¡ª!</i>

    A refreshing sound, like that of a droplet falling, echoed throughout the great auditorium. It was the sound of the start of the appointment ceremony for the Holy Name of Charity, and it was also the sound of the Eucharist, which signaled the bestowal of the Blessing of Superhuman Strength.

    The light that had been wandering around Sun-Woo finally gathered into one mass. That mass of light seeped into Sun-Woo''s heart as if being absorbed.

    With this, Sun-Woo became a part of the Seven Holy Names, and with that, the appointment ceremony came to an end.

 Chapter 89

    <h4>Chapter 89</h4>

    After the appointment ceremony, there were two big changes.

    One of the changes was that I now had a nickname. People called me Sun-Woo the Kind. [1]... But I didn¡¯t really like it. The name just didn¡¯t sound right. Especially because Legbaughed when I first heard it, I disliked it even more.

    "Alright, the next question... How about letting the Holy Name bearer Sun-Woo do it this time?"

    "Let¡¯s have Sun-Woo, who waste for the appointment ceremony, solve this question~"

    "Now, when these two substancesbine, what phenomenon urs? Let¡¯s leave this question for our proudter, Sun-Woo¡ª"

    The other change was that the teachers started calling my name a lot more. Not only had I beente for the first appointment ceremony, but I was alsote for the second appointment ceremony as well. This had be famous among the teachers. Perhaps the only fortunate thing about all this was that after it was revealed that I had saved the citizens during the Basar Market Fire, the teachers¡¯ perception of me became very positive.

    "Oh, isn¡¯t it Sun-Woo? Where are you going?"

    "Oh, I''m going to eat."

    "I see. How is the cafeteria food? Is it edible?"

    "Yes, it''s delicious."

    In particr, I became close enough to have short conversations whenever I met Florence Academy¡¯s chairman, Kim Chang-Won. Although Chang-Won was known for being kind, he didn''t respond well to greetings from students, so probably only Jin-Seo and I could have a natural conversation with him.

    "...This is the first time I''ve seen the chairman smile," In-Ah said with a look of disbelief on her face. She was currently heading to the cafeteria with me. She kept ncing between the departing Chang-Won and me. Her head was rotating so vigorously that it was making whooshing sounds. Her hair shook, and the scent of shampoo lingered in the air. It smelled like a refreshing floral scent.

    "The chairman helped me out a lot when I was hospitalized."

    "Really? ...Oh right, you were hospitalized! Y-you. I told you to contact me, but you didn''t after getting discharged. I reminded you so many times as well."

    ¡°It¡¯s because I haven¡¯t bought a phone yet.¡±

    ¡°No excuses. A-and you also didn¡¯t tell me that you saved those people in Basar Market. Why don¡¯t you tell me anything at all? It¡¯s frustrating,¡± In-Ah said while pouting her lips.

    "Your shampoo smells good. What do you use?"

    "Don''t change the subject! After the appointment ceremony, you¡¯ve be quite sly. You sly fox."

    "Why are you mad? I asked because I really like the scent."

    "I¡¯m not going to tell you anything. And what are you going to do when you find out? It¡¯s not like you''re going to buy it?¡±

    We headed towards the restaurant while bickering. Jun-Hyuk was still at the hospital in order to take care of his mother, so in the end, only In-Ah and I were having lunch together.

    While eating, In-Ah asionally looked up and red at me. Every time that happened, I smiled back at her. I smiled in order to hide my true expression.

    Whenever I saw In-Ah, I always thought of her younger sister, Yoon-Ah. After the Ritual of Session, I had been attempting treatment every day by using my enhanced voodoo magic and spells. She no longer screamed whenever she saw someone, but the fact remained that she was still in a zombie state.

    [I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll discover a way soon...]

    I slightly nodded my head in response to Legba''s words of constion and ced my cutlery down on the table. It was because my appetite suddenly disappeared.

    I roughly tidied up the te that still had around half of the food left and watched In-Ah, who was still eating. It was always amusing to see her eat. She always ate slowly and steadily while enjoying her meal.

    "Don''t stare at me like that."

    "There are so many things that you tell me not to do...."

    "If I tell you not to do something, don''t do it. Other students keeping up with weird stories because of you!"

    In-Ah shouted out something that was utterly iprehensible. I raised an eyebrow.

    "What stories?"

    "Curious, are you? You must be so curious that it''s driving you crazy. But I won''t tell you."

    "Whatever suits you."

    "...Geez."

    In-Ah bit her lip, drooped her head, and silently finished her meal. As someone who had been absent from school for ten days, I had no way of knowing what sort of stories the students hade up with. However, judging from In-Ah''s tone, it didn''t seem like they were particrly bad stories.

    * * *

    After finishing my meal and heading toward ss, I coincidentally met her.

    "Must have finished lunch just now," Jin-Seo said.

    Despite her slightly flushed face, her tone of voice was very calm. Her breathing was a bit rough, probably because she had just finished exercising. A few strands of her hair were stuck together with sweat. Her appearance after exercising was sharper and more polished than usual.

    "Are youing back after exercising?"

    "Yup, I just did a fewps around the field," she said while ncing briefly at In-Ah. I also followed her gaze and looked at In-Ah. For some reason, In-Ah¡¯s body seemed a bit stiff.

    Jin-Seo continued to stare at In-Ah with narrowed eyes. She eventually shifted her gaze to me and asked, "...Are you two dating?"

    "Huh. No?"

    I couldn''t understand why she would have such a misunderstanding. Jin-Seo chuckled softly after hearing my answer. It was a clear and clean smile, just like the one she showed me when I was in the hospital.

    "Well yeah, of course you¡¯d say that."

    Of course I would say that? I had no idea what she was trying to say. Jin-Seo jerked her chin and continued, "By the way, there is a meeting tomorrow morning. Come to the student council room at seven o''clock.¡±

    "...Do we have to have a meeting so early in the morning?" I asked.

    "I guess that girl has a lot to talk about," Jin-Seo said.

    ¡®That girl¡¯ was obviously a way of referring to Min-Seo. She didn''t mention Min-Seo''s name often. It was probably because it was a name that she didn''t want to say out loud. Considering their rtionship, I could understand her feelings.

    With a smile on her face, she looked at In-Ah and me and added, "And I''m sorry I suddenly leftst time."

    "Last time?" I unnecessarily repeated Jin-Seo''s words.

    I felt a strange sense of uneasiness from the words st time.'' I couldn''t fully grasp the true nature of this uneasiness. Anyway, st time'' probably referred to what happened after I was discharged from the hospital. We were about to go home together, but her driver suddenly drove away, and as a result, we couldn''t even say goodbye properly.

    I smiled to show it was okay and said, ¡°It¡¯s fine. It wasn''t like it was intentional."

    "Let''s go together next time."

    "Oh? Sure."

    I had no idea when ¡®next time¡¯ was supposed to be, but for now, I agreed. There was a moment of silence. Neither I, Jin-Seo, nor In-Ah said a word. The silence was bizarre.

    Eventually, Jin-Seo said she was leaving as she waved her hand and left. She was heading toward the direction of the school gym. It seemed like she was going back to exercise again afterpleting her previous exercise session.

    "You''re working hard," I murmured as I watched her back as she left.

    Jin-Seo had been exercising a lot before, but recently she was exercising even more. If anyone asked what she was doing, nine times out of ten, she was either exercising or studying. Come to think of it, I hadn''t exercised even once since being discharged from the hospital. It was probably a good idea to start exercising again soon. By building stamina, I could reduce the drawbacks of using the Loa''s power, and I could also increase my Voodoo magic capacity, albeit slightly.

    "She¡¯s exercising really hard these days. She¡¯s, like, exercising really aggressively ever since she was discharged from the hospital," In-Ah said as if she suddenly remembered.

    "Impressive," I said.

    "W-well, I study hard too. Really hard."

    "So?"

    "You''re intentionally doing that, aren''t you?"

    I shook my head to indicate that I didn''t understand anything that she was saying. Although I was pretending not to, the truth was that I was intentionally teasing her. Because In-Ah''s reactions were so exaggerated, it was always entertaining to tease her. One could say teasing her was good value for money.

    In-Ah had been staring at me for a while when she asked, "...But, what did she mean byst time?"

    "Last time? I wonder..."

    "Don''t y dumb. What did she mean byst time? Wha-what did you two do?"

    "I''m not going to tell you."

    In an instant, In-Ah looked at me with a dumbfounded expression on her face as if she was bbergasted. Eventually, she pouted her lips and lowered her gaze as if she felt angry and betrayed. Her tightly clenched fists were trembling. I suddenly realized I might get hit if I made the wrong move.

    ¡°You...!¡±

    My fears became reality, and she moved her leg in an attempt to kick my shin. I lifted my leg and dodged the attack. She unleashed multiple follow-up attacks in quick session, but I was able to dodge them all. It was easier to avoid than I thought.

    After I sessfully dodged several kicks, tears started to well up in In-Ah''s eyes.

    "Why, why are you not getting hit...?"

    "Ah, no, hey. What¡¯s wrong all of a sudden? Is this something to cry about?"

    "It''s unfair. And I didn''t cry."

    In-Ah wiped a tear off her face. It was so sudden that I was unable to hide my surprise, and I ended up hastily consoling her. Her mood often swung quickly, so even if she felt bad, her mood would often quickly improve, and vice versa. Her personality was convenient at times, but sometimes it was difficult to deal with. For example, like the situation that I was facing at the moment.

    I teased her again since it seemed like she had calmed down a bit.

    "You¡¯re suddenly squeezing out tears..."

    "I said I didn''t cry!" In-Ah shouted out loud.

    I was startled and took a step back.

    "Ah, alright."

    "You''re unnecessarily fast. I had a one hundred percent uracy rate when I hit Jun-Hyuk, you know? You always tease me, and you never even apologize."

    "Sorry, sorry. I won¡¯t tease you in the future. So stop crying...¡±

    I consoled her in a fluster. She just happened to cry in the middle of the sports field, so I could feel the cold stares from the people around me. I never imagined she would cry like this after teasing her a little. If I had known this would happen, I would have tanked at least one of her kicks.

    Come to think of it, Jun-Hyuk always got hit by all of In-Ah''s kicks. I suddenly became curious. With Jun-Hyuk''s physical ability, he could have easily avoided her kicks, and In-Ah''s kicks were especially simple, so they would have been easy to dodge.

    ¡°...¡±

    Did he purposely let her hit him?

    "I suddenly want to eat ice cream. Buy me some."

    "Okay, after school."

    "Yeah." In-Ah smiled and nodded.

    Before I knew it, her mood had once again gotten better all of a sudden, and she was now smiling brightly.

    * * *

    That evening, I was in the middle of experimenting with the power of the ''Blessing of Superhuman Strength'' that I received on the day of the Holy Name appointment. Florence Academy had sent me a bookbeled <The Pope¡¯s Spear: The Blessing of Superhuman Strength>, which exined how to use the blessing, as well as various other pieces of information pertaining to the blessing. To roughly summarize the book, it was like this:

    While experimenting with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, what surprised me the most was this ''power transfer.¡¯

    <i>Crash!</i>

    "Oh..."

    The shattered pieces of a brick dropped onto the ground. I had just shattered these bricks with just the strength of my right-hand grip. I hadn¡¯t even used Bossou''s power. I simply utilized the Blessing of Superhuman Strength.

    Besides lifting my arm and clenching my fist, I directed all my strength into my grip. Strength left my legs, and I couldn¡¯t stand up anymore. Strength had also left my neck, and my head kept shaking. But because I had directed all the strength that normally supports my legs and my head to my right-hand grip, I was able to smash with brick with my grip strength alone.

    However, I wasn¡¯t sure this blessing would be useful in actualbat. Until I became proficient, it seemed difficult to use it even in daily life, let alone in battle. Perhaps I should call Sung-Hyun, the previous Holy Name of Charity, and ask for his advice...?

    It was a passing thought, but it didn''t seem right. I shook my head and banished the idea.

    [It''s mysteriously simr to Bossou''s power, although the performance is notparable.]

    "Come to think of it, it''s somewhat simr."

    When using Bossou''s power, I was able to gain tremendous strength, and I was also able to gain perfect control over my body. In terms of being a ¡®power that controls strength,¡¯ the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was simr to Bossou''s power. In the first ce, the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was a fragment of the Pope¡¯s power, while Bossou¡¯s power was fully intact.

    In <The Pope¡¯s Spear: The Blessing of Superhuman Strength>, it also mentioned the various benefits that the Holy Name of Charity had ess to.

    "Can borrow holy artifacts for an unlimited period of time. If you¡¯re a boarding student, then you can freely leave..."

    In addition, the school cafeteria and cafe werepletely free, I was able to freely practice in the sacred training ground, and I had the option to choose a minor specialization, and so on. There were all sorts of misceneous benefits like this. Because the Holy Name of Charity donated a lot of money to the Florence Foundation, they received more benefitspared to the other six Holy Names.

    Among them, there was one benefit that caught my attention the most.

    ".... ess to the Florence Central Library."

    The Florence Central Library was typically only essible to the Elder Council and the teachers. It wasmonly referred to as the ¡®Central Library'' and was considered a legendary ce among students. There were rumors that the study notes for all the exams for all the schools, including Florence Academy, were disyed in the library, and there were rumors that there was a six-thousand paged tome that contained the entire history of Florence Academy and the Romanican Church.

    The rumor that intrigued me the most was the one that stated that there were highly confidential documents that contained the purpose of Florence Academy¡¯s establishment and its secrets hidden inside the library. By searching through the Central Library, it seemed like it would be possible to learn about the mysterious box that was buried in Eiden Hill.

    "These are justplete hacks."

    [I feel like I¡¯ve wasted half my life.]

    Among the seven Holy Names, the benefits that the Holy Name of Charity received were so good that they were practically hacks. I was somewhat able to slightly understand why Sung-Hyun had drowned in his elitist mindset while looking down on the students as if they were peasants. I still couldn¡¯tprehend why he had bullied other students, though.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    I closed the book and stood up from my seat. As an experiment, I drew a Voodoo spell array and engraved it into the book. I imprinted a spell into the book such that when the book was opened, the spell array would be activated. It was the same principle that my father used to imprint spells onto the ring and the box.

    [Technically, it¡¯s not the same principle.]

    ¡°Give me a break.¡±

    Legba picked apart my spell. A bitter smile appeared on my face.

    The truth was, it was not the same principle. My spell was nothing more than a mediocre imitation of my father¡¯s spell. If my father made a spell that permeated into an object, in my case, I was engraving a spell array on the object so that when certain conditions were met, the spell would activate. After the Ritual of Session, it was a skill I acquired through practice.

    In any case, just being able to engrave a spell into an object was a great advancement for me. I still didn''t know how to reach the state of Acquirement or whatever it was though.

    I cast a spell on my father''s ring that I was wearing and left the room. The empty underground chapel felt deste. I felt a strange sense of unease while inside it.

    "..."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    There was a faint sounding from somewhere. It was a sharp and dry sound, like metal colliding. I had goosebumps, and every hair in my body stood on end. I lowered my posture and listened carefully to the sound.

    <i>Rustle, rustle.</i>

    <i>Click.</i>

    <i>Creeeeak.</i>

    A sharp and ominous sound pierced through the silence of the underground chapel and reached my ears. I was able to identify the source of the sound¡ªit was the sound of a door being unlocked. The rustling sound was the sound of something like a metal clip fumbling through a keyhole.

    [Is it Jin-Sung?] Legba said.

    I shook my head. My uncle had the key. Even if he lost the key, all he had to do was contact me and ask me to open the door. There was no reason for my uncle to forcefully pick the lock on the door.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap.</i>

    Soon after, I heard footsteps. It was a cautious sound, as if someone was walking on their tiptoes.

    [...Jin-Sung is definitely not the one. It''s an intruder. They''re targeting you.]

    After hearing what Legba had to say, I felt a chill. I nodded cautiously so as not to make any sound. Whether it was the Holy Army or an assassin, someone was clearly after my life.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap...</i>

    All the while, the sound of the footsteps increased in frequency. My heartbeats became faster.

    <i>Tap, tap</i>...

    While maintaining myposure, I focused on the sound. I measured the distance of each step and estimated the number of enemies.

    <i>Tap.</i>..

    At most, there were two enemies. There was at least one person, but it was probably just one person. The distance of each step was not very close.

    <i>Clunk!</i>

    The door opened, and I looked beyond the door. I couldn¡¯t see signs of anyone. Only pitch-ck darkness filled the space.

    [Crouch!]

    At that moment, Legba''s shout echoed loudly in my head. Something pierced through the darkness and fiercely flew toward me. It was a dagger.

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    The dagger flew in a round arc and instantly plunged into my shoulder.

    The pain started in my shoulder and spread all the way down to my toes.

    <i>Tap, tap</i>...

    The sound of boots hitting the floor echoed and broke the silence of the underground chapel. A man with a ck mask covering his face was approaching me with half-closed eyes.

    There was just one enemy. As expected, there was only one enemy. I tightly gripped the handle of the dagger that was embedded in my shoulder, and then I pulled it out.

    ¡°...!¡±

    It was so painful that I couldn¡¯t even scream. Yet, for some weird reason, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. It was because a single sentence kept floating in my head.

    <i>¡®There¡¯s just one enemy.¡®</i>

    I strongly felt it was an opportunity instead of a crisis.

    1. The ¡®Sun¡¯ (?) in Sun-Woo¡¯s can mean kind. If we add Ja in front of that, it bes Jasun (??), which means Charity. The actual nickname he got is Ja Sun-Woo since Sun-Woo is now the Holy Name of Charity. The literal trantion for the nickname would be Charity-Woo. ?

 Chapter 90

    <h4>Chapter 90</h4>

    <i>Bang!</i>

    In an instant, my legs lost their strength. Eventually, my entire body lost its strength and flopped onto the ground like a wet noodle. A cold and strange energy radiated out from my shoulder area where the de had struck. I tried to stand up, but there was no strength in my legs at all.

    Was there poison on the de? A sinister thought briefly crossed my mind.

    [It''s a substance that causes paralysis. It''s the Voodoo Cult''s medicinal arts,] Legba calmly said.

    The paralysis drugs made with the Voodoo Cult''s sorcery were so powerful that they could even put an elephant to sleep. This was because it was actually created to capture elephants. While I was struggling, the effects of the drug rapidly spread throughout my body, and the mysterious person approached me with leisurely steps.

    [It''s physical paralysis, so there''s nothing I can do. I can tell you how to make an antidote, though, would you like to hear it?]

    "I¡¯m fine."

    [Are you sure you¡¯re okay? If you¡¯re really okay, why aren¡¯t you using your spells?]

    "Not... Ugh... Yet... Ah."

    [I can''t understand a single word you''re saying. Hurry up and use your spells,] Legba said with an overly cold tone.

    I wanted to retort to what he was saying, but due to the drug paralyzing my tongue, I couldn''t speak properly. After my tongue stiffened, I reached a point where I couldn''t even control my eyelids as I pleased. It was then that I heard an unfamiliar voice from somewhere.

    "...Please stay still. If you move, the drug will spread faster," the mysterious person said while approaching me.

    It was clear that he was an assassin who had been ordered to assassinate me. No, judging by his words, it seemed like he hade to kidnap me rather than assassinate me.

    ~

    (shback) "The executives might cast spells on Cult Leader. They might even try to kill you."

    ~

    Suddenly, Ji-Ah''s warning came to mind. Judging by the fact that the paralyzing drug was applied to the de, which was made with the Voodoo Cult''s sorcery, it seemed like the executives of the Voodoo Cult had sent the assassin. There was a high possibility that it was the executives from the Chungcheong or Jeo Branches who were most likely plotting a rebellion.

    "I have no personal grudge. I''m just simply following orders.¡±

    The assassin tightly tied my hands and feet with rope. He carried my powerless body like a sack of potatoes, and he tried to shove me into a sack. I tried to resist, but the more I moved, the faster the drug spread. At this point, it was difficult even to twitch a finger.

    "I won''t kill you. Don''t resist¡ª"

    "Shut up...!"

    I suddenly bit my lip, and blood came out. I was able to briefly regain control over my body. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I concentrated my strength on my wrists and ankles by using the Blessing of Superhuman Strength.

    <i>Squeeze¡ª!</i>

    "Hak, kaghhh...!"

    I forcibly held onto my consciousness by letting out a scream. I tore apart the ropes and struggled enough to escape from the assassin¡¯s clutches. Then I transferred the strength that had been focused on my wrists and ankles to my arms and waist. It was in order to forcibly lift my body which felt like it would copse at any moment due to the paralysis drug. Despite using the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, my legs were still trembling. As expected, the Blessing of Superhuman Strength couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the Voodoo Cult¡¯s paralysis drug.

    As expected, the Voodoo Cult''s paralysis drug was the best in the world...!

    Voodoo stocks to the moon! I actually felt high under the influence of the paralysis drug and Voodoo pride. What a double whammy.

    [...That''s why you haven''t been using spells, you crazy bastard!] Legba said.

    Iughed.

    "...If you hadn''t resisted, it would have been easier for both of us.¡±

    The assassin pulled out a dagger from his pocket. The de was sharp. Judging by his tone, the assassin seemed to be a mercenary. Most mercenaries usually spoke like that. They always spoke as if they didn¡¯t particrly enjoy hurting people, but they had no choice but to do so because of circumstances. Their tone was usually hypocritical and serious.

    It was ridiculous, but I was unable tough. It was because the drug had even paralyzed the corners of my mouth.

    At that moment, the assassin rushed at me.

    <i>Thump!</i>

    I couldn''t withstand his momentum and fell to the ground. Immediately after, the assassin thrust the tip of the de toward my ankle in a threatening manner. It seemed like he was determined to sever my tendons. I had no idea why so many people were obsessed with cutting off my tendons. Come to think of it, the Satanist pervert had tried the same thing as well.

    "Ughhh...!"

    I just barely managed to lift my arm by using the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. After channeling all the power in my entire body into my right arm, I swung my fist toward the back of the assassin''s head.

    <i>Thwack!</i>

    "Oof!"

    A fairly solid sound was made. The assassin staggered backward and rubbed the back of his head as if he was in pain.

    But it was only for a moment. The assassin quickly regained hisposure and looked at me with eyes full of bloodlust.

    "I told you... Not to resist...!" His voice trembled.

    He hadpletely lost his calm. It seemed like he had taken a seriously hard blow to the back of his head, as blood trickled down from his nose.

    <i>Pah!</i>

    The assassin got up in an instant and charged toward me with his de aimed at my ankle. The tip of the de keenly gleamed as if it was going to pierce through my Achilles tendon at any moment.

    [This guy¡¯spletely ridiculous,] Legba let out a dry chuckle as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.

    ¡°He-Hehe...¡± I also followed along with Legba and chuckled.

    "You¡¯reughing? You bastard!"

    It seemed like the assassin was seriously angry, as blood vessels could be seen in his eyes that were ring at me. The tip of his de was pointed toward my neck. It looked like he intended to cut off my neck this time instead of aiming for my tendons.

    In the next instant, the de rushed threateningly toward my neck.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    However, the de didn¡¯t manage to cut off my neck. The assassin¡¯s eyes, which were previously filled with bloodlust, soon lost focus, and his body slumped onto the floor. I put him to sleep by casting the curse of fainting on him.

    "Phew..."

    I used the highest level of intensity for the curse of fainting, so he would probably be unconscious for at least half a day.

    "Not bad," I muttered to myself while looking at the assassin lying on the floor.

    There was one reason why I didn¡¯t use spells from the beginning.

    [Looks like it¡¯s usable in a real battle. Gathering all your strength into one arm and striking him was not bad.]

    "Yes. It¡¯s more useful than it seems.¡±

    The reason was to check whether the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was useful in a real battle. I arrived at the conclusion that the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was somewhat effective inbat. By concentrating power in a single location, it allowed for a single, effective blow, and it could be used to shift the body¡¯s center of gravity and maintain bnce.

    With more practice, it looked like it would have a wider range of applications.

    [However, it was reckless. If the assassin''s skills were slightly better, you would be dead by now.]

    "I didn¡¯t die, so it¡¯s fine, right?"

    [The important part is that you <i>might have died</i>. If you continue with such reckless actions, you will die a premature death,] Legba scolded me with a very cold tone.

    I deliberately engaged inbat without using spells in order to test the power of the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. I nned to test the power to its limit and only use spells when it became truly dangerous. If, by any chance, the assassin had aimed for my life from the beginning instead of trying to kidnap me, I might have died, just like Legba said. However, everything worked out in the end since I was able to arrive at some meaningful conclusions, and I was still alive.

    ¡°But can you tell me the recipe for that disinfectant or antidote or whatever it¡¯s called...?"

    [Sure. I''ll tell you a version of the recipe that can be made with ingredients at home.]

    I collected all the ingredients that Legba listed one by one and then mixed them together in the correct order to create the antidote. After drinking the antidote, I didn¡¯t feel the effects immediately, perhaps because I had created it roughly. However, as time passed, I could feel the poison slowly neutralizing.

    [You should be fine in about an hour. Rest and lie down for now.]

    I did exactly as Legba suggested andy down on the bed to rest. My top priority at the moment was to cure the effects of the drug. After curing the effects of the drug... I nned on interrogating the prisoner and tracing down the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

    * * *

    Through a dream, the mercenary was able to recall his memories. In the dream, he was once a reputable pdin, but after making a single critical mistake, he had degraded into a mercenary. After killing someone, he became a wanted fugitive.

    While avoiding the pursuit of the Holy See, the ce he arrived at was the Voodoo Cult. They were fugitives like him, so the mercenary couldn¡¯t refuse their helping hand. He became a member of the Voodoo Cult, and after getting recognized for his skills, he became an assassin of the Voodoo Cult. Thest mission that he had received was to capture and bring back the leader of the Voodoo Cult, Do Sun-Woo...

    "So that''s how it was. Then what is the name of the person who ordered you to kill the Cult Leader?"

    "The... the person who gave the order was... ha..."

    The mercenary was about to unconsciously mutter a name, but he suddenly opened his eyes. Something was strange. He couldn¡¯t move his limbs, nor could he turn his head. His neck was tightly fixed with something like a rope. The mercenary just barely managed to regain consciousness and proceeded to forcefully open his eyes. When he looked forward, he saw Sun-Woo staring nkly at him.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake,¡± Sun-Woo said with a dryugh as if it was unfortunate.

    His mouth formed a smile, but his eyes were not smiling at all. He stared sharply at the assassin with his empty eyes while only smiling with his lips. The mercenary felt a chill run down his spine.

    Those eyes belonged to someone who had lost so much that they no longer had anything left to lose.

    The type of person that mercenaries feared the most were not people with money, power, or strength. The type of people they were most afraid of were those that had absolutely nothing, and because of that, they had nothing left to lose. The reason why they feared this type of person was because they werepletely unpredictable.

    The eyes of the members of the mercenary group known as the ¡®Ravens,¡¯ which was located in Incheon, were just like Sun-Woo''s eyes.

    "I should have cast a stronger spell. Anyway... So, what''s the name of the person who gave you the order?" Sun-Woo asked again.

    Mercenary tightly closed his eyes. He had no intention of ever revealing the information, no matter how much he was interrogated. The person who ordered him was also the same thankful person who saved him from his wandering. He could not betray that person.

    Sun-Woo shook his head and let out a deep sigh.

    "What is the name of the person who gave you the order? I¡¯m asking you for the second time. If you don''t answer on the third attempt¡ª"

    "If I don''t answer, will you torture me?"

    "Yes. We will torture you. It would be easier for both of us if you just tell me now. I''m serious," Sun-Woo said casually as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Even as he threatened to torture someone, there was absolutely no change in Sun-Woo¡¯s expression.

    <i>¡ª!</i>

    The mercenary suddenly bit his tongue in an attempt tomit suicide. At times like this, torture experts typically tied a gag to prevent the tongue from being bitten. If the tongue was cut off or if the person became unable to answer before they leaked their intel, the torture experts would be in a difficult position.

    However, Sun-Woo simply watched without doing anything. It felt as if he was saying, "Go ahead and try.¡±

    <i>¡®Maybe he thinks that I won¡¯t be able to do it if he shows that kind of attitude. As I thought, a kid is just a kid. His mindset is too carelesspared to the systematic torture of interrogation experts.¡¯</i>

    The mercenary was able to sessfully bite off his tongue. Sun-Woo looked at the mercenary and smirked. "They say biting your tongue will kill you, but that¡¯s actually just a myth. I''ve never tried it myself, so I don''t know for sure, though."

    "Huh?"

    He was sure that he was just a careless kid, but...

    "Ah, aaahhh...!"

    The Mercenary thrashed around and let out a scream. The tongue that he thought had bit off was still intact. There was also no bleeding. Only a distinct pain lingered on his tongue. Was it a restoration spell? No, he didn''t see anyone draw a spell array. How did this happen?

    "I''ll ask onest time. Just tell me the name of the person who ordered you, and I''ll let you go."

    "..."

    "If you don''t speak this time, I''ll torture you. It''ll be easier if you talk now. I''m being sincere."

    The mercenary tightly closed his eyes. He couldn''t even bite his tongue. His hands and ankles were bound, making resistance and escape impossible.

    <i>¡®Should I tell him? Perhaps it is better to tell him before I get tortured... No, I can¡¯t do that. I could never betray that person. And Sun-Woo is not an expert at torture. He is just a student.¡¯</i>

    At most, he believed that he would pull out a couple of fingernails or blindly beat him down. As a mercenary, he had experienced hundreds of different types of torture. He was confident in enduring any physical torture without even blinking an eye.

    "This is really yourst chance. Are you not going to speak?"

    "If you want to, go ahead. I wonder what kind of impressive torture you will perform, Cult Leader," the mercenary provoked.

    Sun-Woo lowered his gaze to the ground and let out a deep sigh. He dryly wiped his face with his hand as if he had mixed feelings about this situation. Thick and heavy Voodoo magic power emanated from his fingertips.

    "I don''t have any personal grudges either. It would have been easier if you had spoken earlier, <i>sigh</i>..."

    <i>Puff...</i>

    Mist flowed out from the spell array that Sun-Woo had drawn. The mercenary let out a mockingugh. As far as he knew, there was no way to torture someone with Voodoo spells. Whenever a person was under a spell, their mind wouldpletely break down. What kind of spell would the arrogant Cult Leader cast and im it was torture? Hallucination? Or memory annihtion? Whatever it was, the mercenary was d that he didn''t have to betray his coborator.

    "Huh, hah, haha... Ah? Ha, hehe, hehehehe......"

    Laughter escaped mercenary''s mouth as he breathed in the mist. Pleasure surged from deep within his body. A pleasure that was stronger than anything he had ever felt before was forcibly causingughter to slip past his lips. Sun-Woo¡¯s expression as he looked at the mercenary was soaked in a strange sadness.

    "It would have been easier if you had just said it...."

    "Hehe, ha, hahaha, cough. Hehehe, hehehe......!"

    The mercenary''sughter grew more intense. It was so intense that he was almost suffocating fromughing too much. It wasn''tughter that came from the joy of not having to betray that person. It was a subconscious, simpleughter that came out due to the pleasure injected from the spell. The mercenary finally realized the true nature of the spell that Sun-Woo had cast on him.

    It was the intoxication spell.

    Because the addictiveness and dependency to the spell were simr to drugs, it was a spell that the Second Cult Leader had forbidden. From the beginning, Sun-Woo had intended to torture the mercenary with not pain, but with pleasure.

    "Heeek, cough, cough, cough, ha... hahaha, aaahhh...!"

    "I''ll be back," Sun-Woo said.

    Sun-Woo looked at the mercenary who wasughing andughing. Afterughing, he would choke and cough, and then after the coughing subsided, he wouldugh again. After briefly ncing at him, Sun-Woo left the room without looking back. The room was filled with Voodoo mist and the mercenary¡¯sughter.

 Chapter 91

    <h4>Chapter 91</h4>

    I was able to sessfully obtain the information I wanted from the mercenary by torturing him with the intoxication spell. As I had expected, the mercenary turned out to be an assassin that the other executives had sent to kill me. I learned which faction¡¯s executive had ordered him directly from the mercenary''s mouth. I nned on holding that executive personally ountable regarding this incident in the uing executive meeting.

    After extracting all the desired information, I sent the mercenary back home. I also did not forget to erase his memories by using the memory annihtion spell. Unfortunately, during the interrogation process, the mercenary became addicted to the intoxication spell, and it looked like everyday life would be impossible for him from now on, but that was not my problem. I believed it was a merciful treatment considering the fact that they had tried to cut my ankle tendons.

    The next morning, I arrived at the student council room.

    The meeting was scheduled for seven o¡¯clock. I arrived ten minutes early. My head felt extremely heavy, maybe because I didn¡¯t sleep properlyst night due to interrogating the mercenary. I plopped down on the student council desk and tried to sleep. I was nning to get some shut-eye for just ten minutes before the meeting started.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Darkness came as soon as I closed my eyes. However, someone woke me up. As I straightened my messy hair and raised my head, I saw that Jin-Seo was looking at me.

    "You slept like a rock. You must have been tired."

    "..."

    Before responding to her words, I checked the time first. It was 7:05 a.m. It had been five minutes since the meeting was supposed to start, yet there was no one in the student council room except for me and Jin-Seo.

    The chilly morning breeze shook the curtains. Suddenly, I remembered when Jin-Seo had smiled at me under the shaking moonlight. The only difference was that it was night back then, and now it was morning.

    "What about the others?"

    "No one else has arrived yet besides us two.¡±

    ¡°Besides us two.¡±

    Her tone of voice was a bit strange, so I tried reiterating what she was saying. Jin-Seo looked at me and smiled softly. Her smile always felt strange and fantastical. It was clear and distinct, but it was not ordinary. It felt somewhat mysterious.

    "Apparently, the supervisor for the gym that I go to woke up."

    "Supervisor? ...Ah, that person."

    "Yes, the one who was with me."

    It seemed like she was talking about the dying person who was trapped under the copsed building materials at the training center. Even in the midst of trying to save him, I wondered if he could really be saved. Fortunately, I heard that he survived, and it looked like he had regained consciousness as of yesterday.

    "That''s a relief."

    ¡°It seems like he can¡¯t move anymore though because he damaged his nerves.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I looked at Jin-Seo while regretting how I had hastily spouted out words of relief. She had a faint smile on her face while she cast her gaze down toward the ground. The mysterious feeling she was emanating had disappeared without a trace, and in its ce was a smile devoid of emotions. The smile was simr to the one that she habitually had on her lips back when I had first met her.

    ¡°If only... I had done a little better back then...¡±

    The smile gradually faded. The only emotions that remained on her tightly closed lips were self-me, despair, and regret.

    "I think the oue would have been different, I think."

    "I doubt it," I said while letting out a wryugh.

    At my response, Jin-Seo looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

    I continued, ¡°How could you have done better there?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You did as much as you could.¡±

    Within the confusion, Jin-Seo had steadfastly drawn healing and blessing arrays in order to heal the supervisor. It was all thanks to her that the supervisor survived with only injuries.

    The one who should have done better was not her, but me.

    If I had moved my body faster, no, if I hadpletely shattered all the taxidermied creatures in the Satanist''s hideout from the beginning, then perhaps the explosion and the ensuing fire wouldn¡¯t have urred. Subsequently, the gym supervisor wouldn¡¯t have be disabled.

    Perhaps from the beginning, going to save Ji-Ah without any preparation while only being led by emotions was a mistake.

    [You did what you could as well. You even went as far as jumping into the fire while continuously destroying your body with the intoxication spell,] Legba suddenly said in a faint voice.

    Perhaps it was because Jin-Seo was right in front of me, but his voice was much softer than usual. Instead of answering, I shook my head slightly. The phrase "you did what you could" was nothing more than a form of despicable rationalization to me. No matter how hard I tried, even if I sacrificed my life and did my best, if I did not achieve the best oue, then it was a failure.

    It was not right topare Jin-Seo and me. In the first ce, the responsibilities we were given were different. Not only that, but our roles were also different.

    [You have obsessivepulsive disorder. It would be better for you to go to the hospital,] Legba sneered.

    I ignored him and looked at Jin-Seo. She wasbing her hair with her fingers while staring at me with a strange look in her eyes.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said.

    It felt like I was frequently hearing words of gratitude from her. However, it felt like I hadn¡¯t ever done anything that was worth receiving her gratitude for. I felt a little strange. I hid my expression with a smile.

    "I already heard that from your father."

    "...Then just listen to it again," Jin-Seo retorted curtly as if she was slightly upset.

    "But where are the others?"

    I looked around the room and changed the subject. It was already 7:10 a.m., and besides me and Jin-Seo, no one else had arrived. Something was strange.

    She said with a smile, "Looks like everyone iste."

    "Is it always like this?"

    "They¡¯re not thiste. Usually."

    Jin-Seo dragged her chair next to me and sat down. She rested her elbows on the desk, tilted her chin, and looked at me with a nted gaze.

    "It would be great if no one came in," she said.

    "...Don''t tease me."

    I turned my gaze away. Her face was too close. I could smell a cozy yet refreshing scenting from somewhere. It seemed to being from her hair.

    "Look over here."

    "No."

    "Why are you avoiding eye contact? Are you embarrassed?"

    "Stop teasing me," I said while turning my head toward her direction.

    Her face was much closer than before. Jin-Seo looked at me with a half-opened mouth and widened eyes as if she were surprised. The room was filled with silence. Not long after, her face started to turn noticeably red.

    "Ah..."

    <i>Crash¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, the wardrobe door in the corner of the student council room opened, and nkets and clothes spilled out. A person was sprawled out in the mess.

    "...Hello! I didn''t mean to eavesdrop, but somehow it happened... Um, did I interrupt? Should I leave?"

    The one who popped out of the wardrobe was Su-Ryeon, the Holy Name of Temperance. She quickly tidied up the scattered nkets and stuffed them back into the wardrobe before standing up abruptly from her spot.

    ¡°To tell you the truth, it¡¯s not good if student council members are romantically involved with each other! I will not reveal this secret to anyone. Yup. I¡¯ll carry this secret to the grave. Seriously.¡±

    ¡°...It¡¯s a misunderstanding.¡±

    "Ah, haha. Right. Of course, it''s a misunderstanding. Anyway, I have something to do, so I have to go out..."

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "Ouch!"

    The door suddenly opened. Su-Ryeon was hastily trying to leave the student council room, but she hit her forehead against the door and fell onto the ground. The one who had opened the door was Dae-Man.

    "This can''t be! I thought I would be the first one here, but I ended up being a disgrace to the Holy Name of Diligence," Dae-Man said and sat on an empty seat.

    His body seemed to have be evenrger than when I first saw him. His well-defined muscles were visible through his clothes. Su-Ryeon rubbed her forehead for a while while sitting on the ground. Then her facial expression distorted, and she abruptly jumped up from the ground.

    "...Hey! You almost shattered my forehead!"

    "Ah, I''m sorry. You were so small that I didn''t see you."

    "It¡¯s not that I¡¯m small. It¡¯s that you¡¯re too big! You¡¯re like a bear!"

    "I''ll take that as apliment! I still have a long way to go in order to fight a bear. I need to exercise more diligently."

    Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man continued to argue back and forth for a while. When Dae-Man apologized again, Su-Ryeon seemed to calm down. She collected her breath before sitting down.

    Within the brief silence enveloped the student council room, Dae-Man looked around and said, "By the way, why did everyonee so early?! The meeting was clearly supposed to start at 7:20 a.m."

    "7:20 a.m.?"

    I repeated Dae-Man''s words in confusion and nced at Jin-Seo. Her head was lowered, with her flushed face hiding behind her flowing hair. She cautiously nced at me with apologetic eyes.

    "...Sorry," she quietly apologized while she lowered her gaze as if feeling ashamed.

    <i> </i> ***

    Soon, the ¡®real¡¯ starting time of 7:20 a.m. arrived. Ha-Yeon and Min-Seo also arrived at the student council room on time. In particr, Min-Seo opened the door at exactly 7:20 a.m. and entered the student council room to proceed with the meeting immediately. I didn¡¯t know about anything else, but at the very least, her time management skills were always shockingly sharp and on point.

    ¡°Is everyone here? Besides Humility?¡±

    Min-Seo looked around the student council room. Except for the Holy Name of Humility, everyone was already here. Min-Seo suddenly dropped a stack of documents she was holding with a loud thud and pped her hands in the air.

    "Good news. Sun-Woo has been re-elected as the Holy Name of Charity. A round of apuse!"

    <i>p, p, p. </i>

    Starting with Min-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Dae-Man also apuded. Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo also joined in as if they had been swept into it. The apusested for about three seconds. When the apuse stopped, Min-Seo picked up the papers that she had ced on the table.

    "Let''s keep today''s meeting short and sweet. First of all, we need to write a proposal. It¡¯s a proposal for a religious-rted essaypetition."

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Min-Seo dumped a thick stack of papers in front of me.

    "So, since Sun-Woo just received the congrattions of the student council, he will be in charge of this. You just need toplete it by next week."

    ¡°I just joined¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a handover while you also do some practical work. Or, well, something like that anyway.¡±

    <i>¡®A handover while also doing practical work.¡¯</i> I thought to myself that it was quite a funny way of portraying it. ¡®A handover while also doing practical work¡¯ was more or less a euphemism for getting work dumped onto me.

    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s move on to the next topic.¡±

    Min-Seo immediately moved on to the next agenda without even listening to my response. It was as if my opinion didn¡¯t even matter in the first ce. Min-Seo shifted her gaze between the documents and the window as she spoke.

    "This topic is really important... Humility, that bastard!" Min-Seo cursed irritably.

    "A-ack! Oh, I''m sorry." Ha-Yeon let out a strange sound in surprise while her shoulders trembled.

    Min-Seo clenched the documents with her trembling hands as if she was crumpling them.

    "...We can''t proceed with the meeting because Humility is not here. I heard that he was arriving today. Dae-Man, have you heard anything from that guy?"

    "Um... he said he¡¯s arriving soon!"

    "Really? Can I see?"

    Dae-Man turned his phone screen around and showed it to Min-Seo. The phone looked miniature in Dae-Man''srge hand.

    ¡°He said he would ¡®arrive soon¡¯ ten minutes ago, and he still isn¡¯t here yet? Is he crazy?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at me. It¡¯s not my fault.¡±

    "Yeah. It''s not your fault. It''s Humility, that bastard''s fault. Everything is that bastard¡¯s fault..."

    At that moment, when Min-Seo was trying to calm down her anger by sighing deeply...

    <i>Bang!</i>

    The door opened, and someone walked in. He had sharp, raised eyes, subtly tanned skin, and disheveled blonde hair that looked to have been bleached. The muscles in his body looked quite strong and firm. He walked casually toward us and naturally took a seat at the head of the round table.

    "Ah... I was a bitte because I overslept," he said weakly while cing his hand on his forehead as if he were trying to get rid of a headache. All the members of the student council looked at him as if they were dumbfounded.

    "Why are you all looking at me like that? I am, umm... Humility. The Holy Name of Humility. Ma Yu-Hyun. Don¡¯t you know me? You guys know me, right?¡±

    Ma Yu-Hyun.

    He was the only grandson of the Romanican Pope. It was a name that every clergyman knew, and it was even more so a name that I couldn¡¯t dismiss as the leader of the Voodoo Cult. It was because of the two talents that he possessed.

    "The high and mighty Holy Name of Humility has finally arrived. You''re five minuteste, and you don¡¯t even utter a word of apology."

    Min-Seo broke the silence. Regardless of whether Ma Yu-Hyun was the Pope''s grandson or not, Min-Seo''s tone remained the same. Ma Yu-Hyun briefly stared at Min-Seo with his uniquely nted eyes.

    "Uh... So, didn¡¯t I say I waste because I overslept?"

    "You werete because you overslept... Do you think peoplee to meetings early because they don¡¯t want to sleep more? Are you seriously saying that crap is an excuse? Do you know how many matters have been dyed because of you¡ª¡±

    "No, why are you getting all angry and acting like that? You¡¯re making me feel embarrassed. You stupid-looking bitch," Yu-Hyun casually cursed whileughing cheerfully with a somewhat idiotic-looking face.

    Min-Seo stared at Yu-Hyun with a dumbfounded expression. A dangerous aura flowed between the two. I had a feeling that a fight was about to break out, even though the two people had met less than a minute ago. Soon, divine power flowed out from Min-Seo''s fingertips.

    Su-Ryeon stood up abruptly in response to the brewing fight. "Hey, hey! We can''t fight here!"

    Before Su-Ryeon could stop her, Min-Seo hadpleted the blessing array. I wasn''t exactly sure, but it seemed like a blessing rted to enhancing physical abilities. She was determined to beat Yu-Hyun by using the blessing.

    "...Huh?"

    At that moment, Min-Seo looked at her own arm with confusion. It was because the light of blessing that should have been directed toward herself had changed course and headed toward Yu-Hyun. The light of blessing enveloped Yu-Hyun¡¯s thick arm and shone brilliantly. Yu-Hyun abruptly stood up and silently approached Min-Seo.

    "What the fuck. Why is this...!"

    Min-Seo shifted backward and quickly drew up another blessing array. Simr to thest array, it was a blessing array rted to physical abilities. However, the light of blessing did not go toward Min-Seo. It once again deviated and was absorbed into Yu-Hyun''s body. Min-Seo''s face stiffened in surprise.

    Yu-Hyun gently grabbed Min-Seo''s neck with his thick arm, which was enveloped with the light of blessing.

    "A strong woman isn''t bad either. Rather, I like it..."

    It was a more terrifying statement than an ordinary murder threat. The shock reflected on Min-Seo''s face gradually turned into fear. It was the first time I had seen Min-Seo with such a terrified expression. Her body trembled slightly. After a moment of silence, Yu-Hyun released his grip on Min-Seo''s neck. He then looked around whileughing innocently.

    "Just kidding~ Just kidding. What I was trying to say is, let¡¯s not fight with each other.¡±

    ¡°...You, how did you do that?¡± Min-Seo said while trying to calm her trembling body.

    Yu-Hyun stirred his finger in the air as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. The light of blessing swayed back and forth in response.

    "I don''t know how, but it''s just something that I¡¯ve been able to do since I was born," he said.

    He could control the flow of divine power, just like how I could control the flow of Voodoo magic. This was his first talent. Leaving behind Min-Seo, who was staring at him with wide eyes, Yu-Hyun continued speaking.

    "Why is the atmosphere like this? Um, should I make a promation? Didn¡¯t the Holy Name of Chastity get re-elected this time?"

    "...It''s Charity. The Holy Name of Chastity is me."

    "Ah, right. So Charity has changed."

    Yu-Hyun looked at Ha-Yeon with narrowed eyes. It was a gaze that gave off a sticky and strange feeling of difort.

    "What, it''s Ha-Yeon? You''ve be so pretty. You remember me, right?"

    "...I don''t remember."

    "Ah~ hey. We used to y together a lot when we were young. We even slept in the same bed.¡±

    ¡°Wha-what nonsense are you spouting out¡ª?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, that wasn¡¯t you. Well, who cares?¡±

    Ha-Yeon and Yu-Hyun seemed to know each other. Ha-Yeon didn''t seem to like Yu-Hyun very much. No, it seemed more like she hated him.

    "Anyway, so the new kid that just joined..."

    Yu-Hyun half-heartedly calmed down the enraged Ha-Yeon and looked around the room. His sharp gaze briefly scanned the faces of the student council members, from Dae-Man to Su-Ryeon, Su-Ryeon to Jin-Seo, Min-Seo, and then me. I avoided meeting his eyes and subtly dropped my head.

    Suddenly, a memory from a long time ago came to mind. A few days after my father, the Second Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, died and the Holy War had ended, the extremist faction of the Romanican Church, the Levi Order, began searching every house and started arresting Voodoo Cult members.

    The Levi Order gathered the Voodoo Cult members in pits that had been prepared beforehand and set them on fire, burning them all to death. During that time, it was said that the ck ash that spewed out from the mes covered all the stars in the sky. Thus, the incident was often called The Starless Night.

    ¡°I definitely remember seeing his face at the appointment ceremony. Ah...¡±

    On The Starless Night, the primary culprit of the extermination of the Voodoo Cult members was Yu-Hyun. He was only ten years old, but he had the uniquely sharp intuition to pick out the Voodoo Cult members. I didn¡¯t know how he did it. As the Pope''s grandson, he had the ability to distinguish the members of the Romanican Church from the others... That was what I suspected. After that incident, Yu-Hyun became known as the Cultist Discerner.

    "Ah, it¡¯s you."

    That was his second talent.

    I could clearly feel Yu-Hyun''s sharp gaze directed toward me.

 Chapter 92

    <h4>Chapter 92</h4>

    I raised my head and stared into Yu-Hyun''s eyes. His eyes were so remarkably dark that it was impossible to fathom. Suddenly, I felt fear. The alias Cult Discerner... The name Yu-Hyun was associated with filled me with terror. The eerie and intense smoke of The Starless Night loomed before my eyes.

    "When I saw you during the appointment ceremony, I had my doubts, but you..." Yu-Hyun murmured with a meaningful tone while staring directly into my eyes.

    My lips dried up. I wanted to swallow my saliva, but I resisted the urge. I couldn''t show any signs of apprehension. I couldn''t exin why, but instinctively, I felt that way.

    Yu-Hyun silently stared at me with an inscrutable expression. Then he slowly nodded and said, "You''re quite handsome. What''s your name?"

    "...Do Sun-Woo."

    "Alright. Let''s hang out after school. Just to get to know each other."

    Yu-Hyun pretended to be friendly and casually made ns. It looked like he hadn¡¯t realized that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. No, perhaps he had realized it but was just pretending not to know. It was hard to tell. I could only hope that he hadn''t noticed. While rxing my tense body, I btedly attempted to answer, but the words didn¡¯te out easily. If I opened my mouth now, ?I would definitely stutter.

    "...Well, if you''re busy, I¡¯m fine with not hanging out. Why aren''t you answering, though? It''s unsettling."

    "Can I go too? If Sun-Woo is going, that is." Dae-Man answered for me.

    Yu-Hyun frowned and replied, "Dae-Man, I can''t. The girls tell me not to bring you along because you look too scary."

    "It''s fine if you don''t bring the girls."

    "That''s not allowed. I''d rather you note," Yu-Hyun said and turned his gaze toward me.

    His sharp eyes observed me. It was a gaze that was difficult to adapt to.

    "So, are youing? I think the girls will like you if youe."

    "Girls?"

    "Yeah. They¡¯re not from F.A., they¡¯re just girls from here and there. They¡¯re a bit dumb, but... Their faces are to my liking."

    Girls from here and there... From what I was vaguely hearing, it seemed like meeting them wouldn¡¯t be pleasant. In the first ce, Yu-Hyun was known to associate with bad people frequently. The ¡®girls¡¯ that he mentioned were probably of that type as well. Just when I was thinking that it would be better to refuse, Jin-Seo gently grabbed my sleeve from her seat next to me.

    "D-don''t go," she said firmly, with a hint of urgency in her tone. Her eyes were desperate.

    "I won''t go. I already have ns." I firmly refused.

    "Really? That''s a shame. Then let me know when you have some spare time. We can hang out then."

    I nodded in response to Yu-Hyun''s words, and Jin-Seo grabbed my sleeve again. Then, she whispered, "Don''t go next time either."

    This time, her tone felt cold rather than desperate. I nodded in response to Jin-Seo''s words as well. As we whispered to each other, Ha-Yeon tilted her head as she looked at us, and Su-Ryeon let out a silent scream. I wasn¡¯t sure about Ha-Yeon, but? Su-Ryeon clearly had a misunderstanding about our rtionship.

    Min-Seo was sitting nkly for a while when she suddenly snapped out of it and looked around. Then, with trembling eyes, she looked toward Yu-Hyun and ordered, "Yu-Hyun, sit down."

    "Sit down?"

    "Yeah, sit down... Please, so we can start the meeting."

    Min-Seo''s tone was not as aggressive as usual. Yu-Hyun finally sat down, seemingly satisfied. Min-Seo raised her head and sighed as she looked up toward the sky. She seemed to be trying to calm herself down, but it didn''t seem to be working well.

    "The next agenda is about the long-awaited operation to investigate the Satanist."

    Min-Seo let out another sigh in session and quickly resumed the meeting. Investigating the Satanist was a topic that intrigued me. Because of the Satanist bastard hiding in Florence Academy, my house burned down, Ji-Ah almost died, and the Basar Market exploded.

    Min-Seo skimmed through the documents and continued speaking. ¡°First of all, it says here that the investigation has to be done in secret so that the students do not know.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Dae-Man asked as if he was truly curious.

    ¡°The teachers requested it. They said something about how it would create a sense of unease among the students.¡±

    "A sense of unease! The justification seems usible."

    "F.A. always only has usible justifications. Anyway, the investigation will be carried out next week. With the Holy Name of Humility, Yu-Hyun, as the cornerstone of this operation, the teachers and the rest of the student council members will secretly proceed with this operation together."

    ording to Min-Seo''s exnation, the n was to identify the Satanist by using holy artifacts prepared by the teachers, along with Yu-Hyun''s talent and a ¡®special method¡¯ prepared by the elders. She didn''t reveal the special method, but even Min-Seo didn''t know what it was.

    "The elders are always like that. They think they¡¯re special because they¡¯re the only ones who know something. They¡¯re a bunch of old people with too much vanity. Who knows when they''ll die."

    "Min-Seo, you... <i>sigh</i>. No, never mind." Su-Ryeon was about to stop Min-Seo, but she let out a resigned sigh. No matter how much Min-Seo listened to Su-Ryeon, she couldn¡¯t get used to Min-Seo¡¯s manner of speech. It was simr to how she couldn¡¯t get used to Yu-Hyun''s gaze.

    "The investigation will target all first-year students. However, the teachers and I have selected ''promising candidates'' which we will investigate more thoroughly."

    "Promising candidates?" I unconsciously repeated Min-Seo''s words. Min-Seo nced at me and nodded.

    ¡°Despite the fact that we¡¯re calling them ¡®promising candidates,¡¯ there are too many of them. What, do you want me to list them out?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious whether I¡¯m under suspicion as well. I would like for you to list them out.¡±

    "Right. Everyone must be curious about that. I''ll list them out just to confirm."

    Min-Seo recited the list. ¡°Yoo Chan, Im Dan-Myong, Han Dae-Soo, Yoon Woo-Jin, Jung Sung-Hee...¡±

    Names endlessly kept popping out from Min-Seo''s mouth. There were definitely too many to call them promising candidates.

    "Kim Gu-Hak, Myeon Jeong-Nam... Do Sun-Woo, Gu Jun-Hyuk."

    "...What? What''s the criteria¡ª"

    "Lastly, Yeo Min-Seo."

    Ignoring myints, Min-Seo listed out her name. It seemed like that was the end of the list of ¡®promising candidates.'' For a moment, I was so dumbfounded that I stared nkly at Min-Seo. Even if I overlooked the fact that I was on the list... No, it was natural for me to be on the list. I was a student of Florence Academy leading a double life as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. I may have unknowingly done something suspicious.

    What was truly questionable was... Why was Min-Seo''s name on the list of promising candidates that the teachers and Min-Seo selected together?

    ¡°No one will probably understand, but... Based on my spections and the teachers¡¯ spections, the characteristics of the Satanist are as follows...¡±

    I wasn¡¯t the only one who had doubts. All the other student council members looked at Min-Seo with doubtful eyes. This was also the case for Yu-Hyun.

    Min-Seo seemed willing to answer our doubts and said, "First of all, they¡¯re smart. They have good tactical thinking skills, OCD, and a tremendous amount of self-esteem. Considering that they try to disy their crimes for the world to see, they have a tendency to show off. And more than anything else...¡±

    Min-Seo stopped speaking and took a moment to catch her breath.

    "The possibility of them having a split personality is very, very high. So... there is a possibility that they may not realize that they are a Satanist. When I considered that aspect, I came to the conclusion that I am also not free from suspicion."

    "I knew it! I have been suspecting for a long time that you might be a Satanist. My judgment was correct," Dae-Man said.

    "I''m not saying that I am a Satanist. I¡¯m saying that there is just a ''slight'' possibility that I¡¯m a Satanist. Dae-Man, you brickhead."

    After pouring out a string of curses at Dae-Man, Min-Seo sighed once again.

    "...That''s it for this meeting. See you next week."

    ***

    Even as I left the student council room, my heart felt heavy. It was not only because Jun-Hyuk and I were on the list of suspects, but the biggest reason was that Min-Seo had said that the Satanist might have a split personality. There was a possibility that the Satanist might not know that they were a Satanist themselves... The possibility of someone around me, or even myself being a Satanist felt extremely unpleasant.

    "Are you going straight to the ssroom?" Jin-Seo suddenly asked while we were walking together.

    I nodded my head. "Yes, I should."

    "It¡¯s in the opposite direction."

    I was nning to head straight to the ssroom, while Jin-Seo seemed to be thinking of going to the gym. The building where the first-year ssrooms were located and the building where the gym was located were inpletely opposite directions.

    "That¡¯s a shame."

    "What is?"

    "...I don''t know."

    Jin-Seo mumbled words that I couldn''t understand and then waved her hand slightly while heading toward the gym. Her pace was slightly faster than usual. After shepletely disappeared from my sight, I started walking toward the ssroom.

    "Excuse me."

    The path to the ssroom felt farther than usual today.

    "Excuse me?"

    Even the stairs somehow felt higher and more treacherous today. I hurriedly moved toward the ssroom.

    ¡°Excuse me, please don¡¯t ignore me¡ª¡±

    ¡°Gah, what is it?!¡±

    I kept trying to ignore her, but because she kept following me, I couldn¡¯t help but respond. Ha-Yeon was chasing after me. She was holding her hands up in an awkward position and looking at me with scared eyes. It looked like she was surprised because I had suddenly shouted.

    "...Yes, what is it?"

    I thought I had shouted too suddenly, so I corrected my response. Ha-Yeon finally adjusted her posture and cleared her throat.

    "Um, well. Don¡¯t you have something to say to me?"

    "Something to say to you?"

    "Yes."

    Something to say to her. What did I have to say to Ha-Yeon?

    "Um, go away?"

    I couldn''t think of anything, so I decided to say what I wanted to say.

    "...Not that."

    "Stop following me, or maybe shut up?"

    I tried saying a few more things that I wanted to say, but it seemed like none of them was the right answer. Well, to be honest, I knew from the beginning that they weren¡¯t the right answer. Ha-Yeon creased her eyebrows and looked up at me as if she was angry.

    ¡°...The reason why you became the Holy Name of Charity is all thanks to the International Theological Association. Are you even aware of that?¡± Ha-Yeon said.

    ¡°So?¡±

    ¡°So, shouldn¡¯t you say thank you?¡±

    Ha-Yeon crossed her arms and looked at me with an attitude as if asking me to say that I was grateful.

    There were two organizations that helped me be the Holy Name of Charity. One was Kim Chang-Won''s Florence Foundation. The other was Sung Yu-Da''s International Theological Association. Kim Chang-Won, of course, helped me because of Jin-Seo. However, I had no idea why Sung Yu-Da''s International Theological Association helped me.

    From the way she was talking, it seemed like Ha-Yeon had requested Sung Yu-Da for something. So, why did Ha-Yeon try to help me? To get me into the International Theological Association? There was absolutely no way that she helped me out of the kindness of her heart. She definitely wasn¡¯t that kind of person. Whatever the reason was, it seemed like there was no reason for me to be grateful to Ha-Yeon.

    "...Excuse me, where are you... Where are you going? No, why do you keep¡ª!"

    I tried to quickly enter the ssroom and ignore her, but Ha-Yeon blocked my way. I was getting annoyed.

    "What is it again?"

    "Is it so difficult to say thank you?"

    It was difficult, just like how it was difficult to hear even a single word of apology from Sung Yu-Da. It was so remarkably difficult that I still hadn''t heard any sort of apology from him till this day. In fact, Sung Yu-Da probably didn¡¯t even know whether I was still alive or dead. He probably didn¡¯t care whether I was still alive or dead in the first ce.

    "Do you hate me by any chance?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    I simply clutched my forehead without nodding or shaking my head.

    "Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m talking to you?"

    "I just think...that it would be nice if you didn¡¯t appear in front of me.¡±

    Whenever I saw Ha-Yeon, Sung Yu-Da came to mind. And whenever I thought of Sung Yu-Da, my father came to mind. When that happened, my head would start to hurt. I was reminded of the Sung Yu-Da that I had seen in the illusions that my father had left behind, and I was reminded of my father, who had been reduced to a pile of ashes. I disliked Ha-Yeon because of the memories that came flooding back every time I saw her and because of the recurring headaches that urred because of those memories.

    "You hate me that much? ...Why?"

    Behind me, I could hear Ha-Yeon¡¯s voice that was mixed with doubt. I ignored her and entered the ssroom. I felt dizzy.

    ***

    "Sun-Woo?"

    After school, just as I was about to go home after the closing announcements, Ye-Jin called me over.

    "Yes?"

    "Do you know where the conference room is?"

    I didn''t know. I shook my head.

    "Really? Thene with me. It''ll be better that way."

    Without knowing what she was talking about, I followed Ye-Jin to the conference room.

    "How are you feeling? Are there any lingering symptoms?" Ye-Jin asked while ncing back at me as we climbed the stairs.

    "I''vepletely recovered."

    "Really? Your recovery rate is incredibly fast."

    ¡°Ah, yes, I heard that my recovery rate was quite fast.¡±

    "Oh... I guess that makes sense," Ye-Jin said while nodding in understanding. Soon, we climbed to the top of the staircase, and we arrived at the highest floor in the building. At this point in time, Ye-Jin was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. She seemed on the verge of copsing at any moment.

    "Huff, huff, huff. Yes, here. Huff, to this meeting room. Phew. Just go in."

    She silently pointed with her chin and opened the door to the meeting room. The spacious room was filled with darkness and silence. Only a single light struggled to push away the darkness. Under the dim and precarious light, Do-Jin and Bok-Dong were sitting side by side with their arms crossed.

    "...Am I having an interview today, by any chance?" I tried to casually ask, feeling that the atmosphere was too heavy.

    Do-Jin let out a wryugh as if he was bbergasted.

    "Well...something like that. We''re not the interviewers, though."

    "Hahaha! That''s right. You could say that the interviewer is Sun-Woo, and not us,¡± Bok-Dong replied with a carefreeugh at Do-Jin''s words.

    Ye-Jin btedly entered the meeting room while exhaling rough breaths and took a seat between Do-Jin and Bok-Dong.

    <i>p!</i>

    She pped as if trying to refresh the mood of the room and then said, "Um... Where should I start? Sun-Woo,e over here and sit down first!"

    It was so sudden that I felt a little flustered, but I sat down as instructed by Ye-Jin.

    Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin, and Do-Jin sat in front of me while taking turns watching me. Bok-Dong and Do-Jin''s gazes were especially burdensome.

    Within the silence, Ye-Jin said, "Sun-Woo, you were absent for ten days because of your hospitalization, right? Coincidentally, we had the department selection during those ten days. Other students have already chosen their departments, but you haven''t made a choice yet..."

    I didn¡¯t even have time to feel baffled. It was because Bok-Dong suddenly stood up from his seat. I was startled and slightly shifted my body backward.

    "That''s right. We called you here for the department selection."

    He approached me confidently and said, "Thus, we, the teachers from different departments, will now advertise our departments in an attempt to recruit you. Are you ready to listen?"

    "Huh? No, I haven''t prepared myself mentally yet¡ª"

    "I¡¯ll start first."

    Just like that, the department selection suddenly began.

 Chapter 93

    <h4>Chapter 93</h4>

    The department selection process was usually conducted through a survey. The students would select the department they wanted to join among the pdin, crusaders, and priest departments from the survey and then submit it.

    However, the Seven Holy Names were given a slightly special survey. They could choose a major and a minor, a total of two departments to enter. This was because one benefit that the Seven Holy Names had was the option to choose a minor. Anyway, the point was that whether or not it was the Seven Holy Names, the department selection process was usually done through a survey.

    "Pdins are treated somewhat like civil servants. The biggest advantage of being a pdin is stability. If it doesn''t suit your aptitude, you can quit and be a teacher like me. You¡¯ll have a wide range of choices."

    "What do you mean a wide range of choices? If you quit when you want to quit, then can you really call yourself a clergyman?"

    "It''s my turn to speak right now. I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t interrupt."

    While Bok-Dong and Do-Jin were exchanging remarks back and forth, I was busy trying to calm down my chaotic mind. I never dreamed that I would end up selecting my department while having three teachers lined up as if I were participating in an audition program. I also wanted to choose a major with a simple questionnaire like everyone else.

    ¡°If I talk too long, it¡¯ll get boring, so I¡¯ll keep it short. Last time, I asked you to be a pdin as well. I think I exined all the reasons back then.¡±

    "What? Trying to recruit in advance is cheating¡ª"

    "Moreover, if you enter the Department of Pdins, you can learn practical martial arts and suppression techniques. Basically, it is a perfect major for someone like you with exceptional physical abilities. Now, I will pass the initiative to Do-Jin."

    Bok-Dong sat down and signaled to Do-Jin with his eyes. Do-Jin licked his lips as if he was somewhat displeased before he proceeded to draw a sword from the scabbard hanging from his waist. The silver de shimmered coolly under the lighting.

    "Sun-Woo, let me ask you a question. Do you know what the strongest martial art is in realbat?¡±

    ¡°Uh... Is it the Nazirite Arts?¡±

    ording to the Book of Judges, Samson was a Nazirite. The martial arts created by restoring the fighting techniques that Samson used were called the Nazirite Arts. ording to legend, if one used the Nazirite Arts, one could take on a thousand armed soldiers with a single donkey¡¯s jawbone.

    "...Let''s exclude Nazirite Arts for now. It''s a martial art that currently cannot be learned."

    However, there was currently no way of learning the Nazirite Arts. It was because thest sessor did not pass down the technique and went into hiding in the mountains. Excluding the Nazirite Arts, I thought about other martial arts. At that moment, I noticed the silver sword that Do-Jin had pulled out.

    "...Could it be swordsmanship?"

    "No, that''s the second strongest."

    "What''s the correct answer?"

    "Marksmanship. Even big guys like Bok-Dong, who are as big as bears, would die instantly if someone fired a bullet into their temple. We teach marksmanship in the curriculum for crusaders."

    What he said seemed to make sense. However, there was one thing that I was curious about.

    "But then, why do you always carry a sword, Mr. Do-Jin? Where do you keep your gun?"

    If marksmanship was the best martial art, why did Do-Jin carry a sword? Actually, this was something that I had been curious about since a long time ago. No matter how much I thought about it, guns seemed to be more efficient than swords. So why did crusaders insist on using swords to y demons and demonic beasts?

    "Swords are <i>romantic.</i>"

    "Ah, I see. Then maybe I should join the Department of Pdins¡ª"

    "No, no. Wait a minute. Listen to the exnation before making a decision," Do-Jin interrupted me hastily and cut off my words.

    "So... Do you want to make a lot of money, by any chance?"

    "Of course."

    "Right. It''s better to earn more than to earn less, right?"

    It wasmon sense. Do-Jin sighed deeply and continued speaking.

    "Pdins receive a sry from the Holy See. The same goes for crusaders. But on top of that, crusaders also have another source of ie. That other source of ie is through sponsorships.¡±

    "Sponsorships?"

    "It''s money that fans send. The Trinitas Crusader Order I belong to receives about 300 million won in sponsorships every month. I don''t get much of it myself, though."

    300 million won every month.

    It was an unimaginable amount, so I was rendered momentarily speechless and stared nkly at Do-Jin. He always looked like a tired, worn-out carcass of a human being, but he somehow looked cool today.

    "There are three crusaders who are affiliated with Trinitas, including me. Do you think people would want to sponsor us if all three of us sat around shooting pistols and rifles? That¡¯s why I carry around a sword. Swords are romantic, you see. And they''re cool."

    "Ah, I see..."

    "Swords also cost less money. Guns, on the other hand, require silver bullets as a basic necessity, and since they''re consumables, the cost is enormous. As long as the sword doesn''t break, I can keep using it as much as I want to by sharpening it."

    There was actually a sensible reason as to why crusaders used swords instead of guns. In terms of efficiency, guns were far superior to swords, but even I would prefer sponsoring crusaders who used swords instead of guns.

    "Is there swordsmanship training in the Department of Crusaders'' education program?"

    "Of course there is, because it''s romantic."

    "Romantic, you say..."

    Looking at it this way, my heart was drawn to crusaders again. It wasn''t just because it was romantic. I was already considering learning swordsmanship in order to properly use the advanced replication spell for the Executioner''s Sword.

    Honestly, it took little skill to use the Executioner''s Sword. Just cing the de on something was enough to cut it in half automatically. However, in order to better utilize the Executioner''s Sword, it seemed more efficient to learn swordsmanship rather than swinging it blindly.

    "Um... Just in case, I''m just going to ask you a question. You''re not interested in the Department of Priests, right?"

    "Ah, no."

    "I see... I asked, just in case. In any case, the kids who were likely to join have already joined," Ye-Jin exined.

    Apparently, a whopping three out of the Seven Holy Names chose the Department of Priests as their major. Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon chose to major as priests, with crusaders as their minor. Ha-Yeon also chose to major as a priest, but she didn¡¯t select a minor.

    Additionally, Jin-Seo and Min-Seo chose to major as crusaders, with priests as their minors. So, except for Dae-Man, all the Holy Names chose the Department of Priests as their major or their minor. I also heard that In-Ah chose the Department of Priests.

    "...What about Dae-Man?"

    "Ah, Dae-Man chose to major as a pdin, and he didn''t choose a minor."

    In other words, Dae-Man was the only student among the Seven Holy Names who chose pdin as their major. Bok-Dong smacked the table with a loud bang.

    "Tha-that¡¯s right! The Department of Pdins is a blue ocean. If you surpass Dae-Man, you¡¯ll more or less be in first ce."

    Do-Jin had a mocking smirk on his face.

    "Is the head of a snake better than the tail of a dragon?"

    "Yes, that''s right. Ah, no. I¡¯m not saying that pdins are snakes¡ª"

    "Sun-Woo. Why should you be the head of a snake when you can be the head of a dragon? I believe you have the potential to be the head of a dragon. Besides, dragons are more romantic than snakes." Do-Jin interrupted Bok-Dong.

    Bok-Dong hurriedly countered, "In terms of romance, pdins can''t be defeated. Crusaders don''t feel a sense of duty in saving people."

    "Crusaders save people as well. Indirectly. After all, the main force that battles demonic beasts are crusaders."

    <i>p! </i>

    Ye-Jin pped as the argument between Do-Jin and Bok-Dong showed no signs of ending. It was only then that Do-Jin and Bok-Dong closed their mouths. Ye-Jin smiled brightly and handed me a questionnaire.

    "Let''s have him decide now. I think we¡¯ve done enough self-promotion."

    After receiving the questionnaire, I contemted for a moment. Considering what I had heard so far, my heart was leaning toward the Department of Crusaders because it seemed attractive to be a crusader. Even though it didn''t seem like a big deal, having attraction was a huge advantage.

    However... Both the Department of Crusaders and the Department of Pdins had no merits that particrly stood out to me. When I was fiddling around with the pen in the air indecisively, Bok-Dong said, "Sun-Woo. Just onest word."

    He then quickly got up from his seat and approached me. His massive body slowly approached closer.

    "You know the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch Director Han Dae-Ho, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That guy is my friend. We were fellow students at Florence Academy at the time, you see. So anyway, I something heard from him...¡±

    Bok-Dong whispered something into my ear.

    "...What the?"

    "It''s something Han Dae-Ho said to me directly. You might not believe it, but it¡¯ll be good if you believe it. Regardless, this is all the truth."

    What Bok-Dong just said was a fantastic benefit. It wasn¡¯t just beneficial for me as a student of Florence Academy, but it was also beneficial for me as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Without hesitation, I chose the Department of Pdins as my major and the Department of Crusaders as my minor and handed the questionnaire to Ye-Jin. Upon seeing this, Do-Jin''s face twisted into an expression of astonishment.

    "Bok-Dong, you bastard, what did you say to him...?!"

    "I just subtly suggested something that pdins have but crusaders don''t. Hahaha!" Bok-Dong''s boisterousughter echoed throughout the conference room. Do-Jin slowly sheathed the de that he had pulled out and then red at me.

    "Sun-Woo... Let''s meet during the minor ss. I¡¯ll make sure to educate you with sincerity and dedication."

    "Haha... I''m sorry."

    "That¡¯s no good. Pdins don''t bow their heads to crusaders, so there¡¯s no need to apologize."

    Bok-Dong patted my shoulder with a lot of strength as if he were proud. He seemed exceedingly pleased that I chose pdin as my major. My shoulder hurt a little.

    <i> </i> ***

    The weekend had arrived. The May sunshine was refreshing. Ha-Yeon would usually be studying or killing time by reading in the dormitory, but she was out on the street today. The crowd split in half as she walked down the street.

    She casually brushed off the numerous gazes directed towards her as if she was ustomed to it and continued walking. Her destination was the cafe. Kim Ra-Hee, who had arrived earlier, waved her hand and greeted her.

    "Hey, why did youe sote... What''s that? A book?"

    "Exams areing up. Whenever I have free time, I study."

    "Of course you do... Oh, they''re here too. Hey! Over here!"

    Ra-Hee waved her hand energetically while looking toward the entrance. The two female students who arrivedte joined Ha-Yeon''s table with delighted expressions on their faces.

    The four of them were ssmates who always stuck together during middle school. They had made a promise to meet again confidently wearing their Florence Academy school uniforms, but unfortunately, only Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee had been epted into Florence Academy. Of course, even after the school split, the four of them continued to stay in touch and would asionally meet up. The frequency of their meetings had decreasedpared to before, but their friendship remained unchanged.

    "By the way, that person you said you would contactst time¡ª"

    "Ah! I actually watched a movie with them yesterday, but they ended up hogging all the popcorn to themselves."

    "Ah... That''s a bit..."

    Meaningless conversations like this went back and forth. Ha-Yeon listened to the conversations with one ear and let the conversations flow out of her other ear as she opened her book and focused on studying. Exams were just around the corner. Since she screwed up her practical grades, she had to go all out in the written exams in order to meet her father''s expectations.

    "You... contact...tely..."

    "...Busy... with studying, so..."

    As she focused on studying, the voices of her friends could be heard sporadically. It meant that she was focusing really well. If she continued like this, sometimes there were times when all the noise in the world would disappear, as if she waspletely alone within the vast universe. Ha-Yeon liked to call this state the ¡®Absolute Concentration State!¡¯

    "..."

    "..."

    Like that, in the fleeting moment when she was reaching closer to the Absolute Concentration State¡ª

    "...Sun-Woo..."

    She flinched.

    The name that abruptly popped up in the conversation hit her ears. The noise that filled the cafe started to buzz. It meant that her concentration was broken. Once her concentration was broken, it would take quite a long time to regain it. Ha-Yeon decided to take a short break and put down her pen.

    "...Um, by any chance, what are you talking about?"

    She had only nned on taking a break, but she felt like she had to ask. If she just let it go, then she felt she would feel ufortable after she arrived back home.

    "Our school, you know, has the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun. We were talking about the re-election. I guess the rumors have spread to other schools."

    "Ah... the re-election."

    "That''s right! Ha-Yeon, aren''t you the Holy Name of Chastity? They said that the person that was re-elected this time was Sun-Woo. Is that true?"

    A friend suddenly asked as if she suddenly remembered something. Ha-Yeon¡¯s concentration was interrupted just as she was about to start focusing again. Every time she heard the name Sun-Woo, it felt strangely suffocating. It was because he had the blood of purification and also because she recently realized that he despised her to the point of madness.

    "Yes, Sun-Woo... was elected as the Holy Name of Charity. Recently." As Ha-Yeon answered her friend¡¯s question while nodding vaguely, a fleeting doubt passed through her mind.

    ¡°...But, do you know Sun-Woo?¡± Ha-Yeon asked.

    With the exception of Re-Hee, the other two students were not students from Florence Academy. But the fact that they knew Sun-Woo¡¯s name was strange. The friend who had asked Ha-Yeon the question looked at her as if she were a strange person and said, "We went to the same middle school."

    "Oh, he was a ssmate... huh? Then, did he go to the same middle school as me?"

    "Why are you asking such an obvious thing? Don''t you remember? We were close with Sun-Woo."

    "Hey, what... we weren''t that close. Do you even have a conscience?"

    <i>I went to the same middle school as Sun-Woo?</i> <i>What is this...</i>

    Ha-Yeon''s mind was filled with confusion. Moreover, they said that they were close. Ha-Yeon couldn''t understand what her friends were talking about at all. Ha-Yeon saw Sun-Woo for the first time after he entered Florence Academy. She had no memory of seeing him in middle school.

    "Oh, now that you mention Sun-Woo, I remember too. What did Ha-Yeon say about him? Something about not wanting him to even get closer to her?"

    "No, she said that she didn''t even want to breathe the same air as him. Anyway, it was something like that. How did that happen again?"

    ¡°No idea. It must have happened because he did something to deserve it.¡±

    With the exception of Ra-Hee, the two students chatted as if they were reminiscing about the past. It may have been a memory for them, but to Sun-Woo, it might have been a terrible memory that he didn''t want to recall. While the two friends were talking, Ra-Hee remained silent. Ra-Hee, like Ha-Yeon, had no idea that Sun-Woo was a middle school ssmate.

    Ha-Yeon''s face hardened as she listened to the story.

    "Excuse me? You¡¯re saying I did that? I don''t remember. I don¡¯t remember saying something so ridiculous..."

    "Ah~ pretending not to remember again."

    "It looks like she really doesn¡¯t remember, though. Normally, the person who gets hit remembers it for a lifetime, but the person who hits forgets quickly."

    "Isn''t it the opposite? The person who hits forgets quickly, but the person who gets hit remembers for a lifetime.¡±

    "What does the order matter? As long as the meaning gets across."

    "Because the meaning changes, you fool."

    Ha-Yeon''s pupils shook as she heard her friends'' words. ording to her friends, Ha-Yeon had also said various other insults to Sun-Woo.

    <i>The person who hits forgets quickly, but the person who gets hit remembers for a lifetime...</i>

    The words echoed in her ears. She couldn''t even remember all the insults she had said to Sun-Woo. However, Sun-Woo would have kept those insults in his heart and remembered them. That was why Sun-Woo disliked her. She had believed that Sun-Woo hated her for no particr reason, but that wasn¡¯t the case. The insults and hatred she had directed at Sun-Woo in the past wereing back at her in full force.

    "..."

    She held her pen, but she couldn''t concentrate on studying. It was because she kept remembering the scene of Sun-Woo looking at her with a contemptuous gaze while touching his forehead as if just looking at her gave him a headache.

 Chapter 94.1

    <h4>Chapter 94.1</h4>

    "Cult Leader, wake up."

    "Why...."

    "You have to go to school. It''s already eight o''clock."

    <i>Thud!</i>

    "Ouch."

    I hastily got up and fell off the bed. With a groggy mind fromck of sleep, I looked at Ji-Ah, who was in front of me. Eventually, I realized that today was the weekend.

    "It''s the weekend today. Why would I go to school?"

    "Because you didn''t wake up, I had to lie... I''m sorry. Anyway, I''m d you''re awake."

    "....Why did you wake me up?"

    "As you may know, there''s an executive meeting today. You have to go quickly."

    Forcing myself to wake up from my dazed state, I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was eight in the morning. As far as I knew, the executive meeting was going to be held at six o''clock. Not six in the morning, but six in the evening.

    "There''s still plenty of time. Why did you wake me up so urgently? Ugh...."

    I touched my knee, which had hit the floor when I fell off the bed and got up from my seat. Sleep had long escaped me. Ji-Ah, with her hands sped together, quietly mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure about the details either, but Teacher said that it was absolutely better to go early.¡±

    ¡°Uncle said that? ...Alright, I got it.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why, but if Uncle said that, then it was worth trusting him. When Uncle used the term ¡®absolute,¡¯ it meant that he was really confident. Of course, that didn''t mean that I couldn''t trust Ji-Ah. Since I had spent such a long time with my uncle, I couldn¡¯t help but trust Uncle''s words more than hers.

    After quicklypleting my preparations, I left the underground chapel along with Ji-Ah. I got into the car that Uncle had parked. As always, Ji-Ah sat in the passenger seat, and I sat in the back seat.

    The car immediately started moving. I felt a strange urgency from Uncle''s movements as he shifted gears and turned the steering wheel.

    "Why are we in such a hurry?"

    Uncle drove so frantically that it felt chaotic. Only after he finally reached the highway did he respond to my question.

    "Don''t you know as well? The Voodoo Cult''s Gangwon Branch has an underground chapel in, ummm, Taebaeksan. The terrain there is rough, and theyout of the roads is a bit strange. If we don''t hurry, we''ll bete."

    ¡°Didn¡¯t we receive a rough map of the area?¡±

    Uncle shut his mouth for a brief moment.

    "...The executives'' words can¡¯t be trusted. We especially can¡¯t trust the Chungcheong, Jeo, and Gyeongsang Branches. The Chungcheong Branch guys gave us the map," Uncle said in a meaningful manner.

    I immediately understood what he meant. The forces of the faction that kept going on about impeachment and rebellion were the Chungcheong and Jeo Branches.

    The reason why we left at eight o''clock in the morning, even though the meeting was supposed to start at six o''clock in the evening, was as a precaution against the possibility that the Chungcheong Branch, which was preparing for a rebellion, gave us the wrong map in an attempt to disrupt us.

    The car quickly crossed the road and soon reached the mountains. Uncle drove the car onto the mountainous road. Compared to the highway, the road was very rough and bumpy, but Uncle skillfully navigated through the road with his excellent driving skills. Eventually, the car stopped in the middle of the mountains. The surroundings were filled with trees and grass.

    "From here on out, we have to rely on the map and walk. I have no idea if the map is correct, though," Uncle said after getting out of the car and looking around the mountains.

    We silently followed behind Uncle and wandered around the mountains. The path was rough, so we almost stumbled a couple of times. Especially Ji-Ah, she tripped a lot.

    <i>Grab.</i>

    I grabbed Ji-Ah''s wrist just as she was about to fall over. With this, Ji-Ah had already almost slipped for the eleventh time.

    "Ah! ...Ah, thank you, Cult Leader."

    "Please look at the ground while walking."

    "Yes, I¡¯ve been looking, but... Ah!"

    While Ji-Ah was speaking, she almost fell again, and I just barely managed to catch her.

    "I told you to be careful."

    "Yes... I understand."

    "Hey, Sun-Woo. Just carry her. I''m getting anxious just looking at her."

    "No, no need. I can walk on my own...!"

    As Uncle suggested, it seemed like it would be faster to carry Ji-Ah, but she strongly refused.

    It was impossible to forcibly carry her if she didn''t want to be carried. We continued walking on the mountain path, and Ji-Ah followed along while constantly teetering and on the verge of falling. We continued walking for a total of three hours. No, perhaps it was four hours. It was difficult to tell because my sense of time was distorted. The ce that we arrived at was a cliff that was so high that the bottom wasn¡¯t visible.

    "...Those damned bastards. They gave us a weird map."

    Uncle crumpled the map in a fit of rage and threw it down the cliff. I nced down the cliff. The cliff was so dark and deep that the bottom wasn¡¯t visible. Even I, who didn''t have acrophobia, felt a tingling sensation.

    Ji-Ah was holding onto a tree far behind us.

    "T-teacher. What should we do? It might be better for me to go back now and¡ª"

    ¡°Go back, my ass. We¡¯ll just have to wander around until we find it or something. There¡¯s nothing else we can do.¡±

    Uncle patted Ji-Ah, who was consumed by fear, on the shoulder and started walking in front of us again. This time, there was no map in Uncle''s hand. He was actually trying to find the way with nothing else but intuition. I thought it was an absolutely reckless thing to do. The mountains were filled with an ominous and eerie darkness as time passed. Wandering around the mountains any longer would be dangerous. On top of that, my legs were starting to hurt. I didn''t want to walk anymore.

    "Ugh, those executives are using all sorts of dirty tricks to stop you from going. When we arrive, we have to beat them up a bit. If we are able to arrive, that is..." Uncle uttered hisints as I followed along behind him.

    The flowers and weeds that decorated the floor swayed from side to side. However, the wind wasn''t blowing.

    "Teacher, something feels off."

    Ji-Ah was the first one to feel uneasy. Following her, my uncle also sensed that something was strange, and he looked around the area.

    Eventually, my uncle''s gaze turned toward me.

    "Sun-Woo, what are you mumbling about right now...?" my uncle asked as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. There was no need nor opportunity to answer.

    I finished what I was doing. I carefully spread out my hands, and I gently touched the smooth soil with my fingertips which were emitting a green glow. I closed my eyes. I could hear the whispers of the nts within the darkness. At the same time, my stomach grew hot. There was a distinct pain as if my organs were bubbling over and melting away.

    My hands and feet spasmed from the pain. My consciousness faded in and out. Even in the midst of that, I did not stop speaking. No, I couldn''t stop. The end of a prayer always had to end with a certain sentence.

    "...Nan non Bondye."

    It always had to end with the name, Bondye. As I recited thest sentence of the prayer, the whispers of the nts that had slowly been growing in volume gradually ceased.

    <i>p, p, p... </i>

    The birds hiding in the mountains all flew up into the sky. The pping sounds created a strange and eerie resonance.

    "What did you just do¡ª"

    <i>Rumble rumble¡ª!</i>

    Uncle could not finish his sentence. The mountain screamed. The screampletely absorbed all other sounds.

    <i>Burst, crack... </i>

    Tree roots shot up into the sky and swayed. The roots resembled snakes.

    The screaming did not stop. As the sound continued and grew louder, the shape of the mountain changed. The ins became slopes, and the slopes became mountain ridges. The mountain repeatedly gathered and scattered to create a path. Weeds and tree roots sprouted out from both sides of the path as if weing us in. Beyond the long and straight road that stretched ahead, a small cabin could be seen not too far away.

    "Let''s go," I said while pointing across the road.

    My uncle gawked at the scene as if he couldn''t believe his eyes, and Ji-Ah sat huddled with her hands wrapped over her head.

    "It''s an earthquake...!"

    "No, it''s not an earthquake. Get up. It''s all over," my uncle reassured Ji-Ah by patting her shoulder. He then looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    "Did you use a power?" he asked as if to confirm.

    I shook my head. I had used a form of power, but strictly speaking, it wasn''t exactly a power.

    "It¡¯s a prayer."

    "No wonder. It seemed much stronger thanst time." My uncle finally nodded as if he understood.

    What I had uttered was a Prayer to Granbwa. Granbwa was the owner of all the nts and mountains in the world, and I had asked her for guidance to reach the chapel.

    ¡°...That was a bit overkill,¡± I muttered to myself as I looked at the result of the prayer.

    Considering that it was prayer, this was way too much of an exaggerated way of guiding me to the destination. In order to guide me, what Granbwa had created was not a path but a canyon.

    [After being in the city for such a long time anding to the mountains, I felt excited, you see...]

    "No, I¡¯m not saying that you did something wrong. On the contrary, it¡¯s good. It''s alright."

    [It must have been painful for you, I''m sorry...]

    "There''s no need to apologize. It was cool. Really."

    Soothing the sulking Granbwa withpliments, we followed the road. Ji-Ah stood up after forcefully calming down her trembling legs, and my uncle followed behind me while supporting her.

    [Is ''singing'' also possible?] Legba asked as we were walking along the road.

    I shook my head. There were three methods of using the power of the Loa. The first method was to ¡®borrow¡¯ the power of the Loa. The second method was to convey wishes through a ¡®prayer.¡¯ The third method was tomunicate through ¡®singing.¡¯ Currently, I was only able to borrow and pray. In order to use the final method of ¡®singing,¡¯ it was necessary to further develop my prophetic abilities, and I also had to strictly increase the number of sacrifices.

    "It will soon be possible."

    Furthermore, this executive meeting would serve as a stepping stone for me to be able to use this final method.

    ***

    On the other hand, inside the Voodoo Cult Gangwon Branch¡¯s chapel.

    This ce was an area blessed by the second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun. No, perhaps it would be more urate to say that it had been ¡®cursed¡¯ by Do Myung-Jun.

    Just before the Holy War broke out, Do Myung-Jun engraved spells into the Gangwon Branch¡¯s chapel and its surroundings. As a result, the underground chapel became a ce that could not be reached without a map.

    The pdins and crusaders who set out to track down the location of the chapel would either disappear after getting lost in the mountains or would disappear and be found as miserable corpses downstream of a river. In the end, the Holy See gave up on tracking down the location of the chapel and banned civilians from entering the mountains.

    This was also the reason why the executive meeting was being held in Gangwon Branch¡¯s chapel. The uninvited could never find the Gangwon Branch¡¯s chapel.

    "It''s already time. We''re about to start the meeting, but..."

    Yun Chang-Su, the owner of the underground chapel and an executive of the Gangwon Branch, looked around the round table. The executives of the Gyeonggi Branch were temporarily taking refuge overseas to avoid the Holy See''s pursuit, so they couldn''t participate. The problem was that Jin-Sung, an executive of the Seoul Branch, and Sun-Woo, the Cult Leader, had not yet arrived at the meeting.

    "I heard that the Cult Leader would also be attending this meeting... And it looks like Executive Jin-Sung is also nowhere to be seen. Has anyone been able to contact them?"

    Silence filled the air. Yun Chang-Su looked at a man who was fiddling with his fingernail at the far end of the round table.

    "Wasn¡¯t Executive Yeom Man-Gun somewhat friendly with Executive Jin-Sung?"

    "Well, shucks! That there''s the most dang-darn ridiculous thing I''ve everid ears on in all my born days. Been a coon''s age since Iid eyes on the face of that ol'' varmint enemy,¡± Yeom Man-Gun of the Jeo Branch said abruptly as an expression of displeasure shed across his face.

    After listening to his words, Yun Chang-Su kept his mouth shut and frowned for a while. Due to his dialect, it took him some time to understand Yeom Man-Gun''s words.

    "Executive Yeom Man-Gun, your words are harsh. Please be a little more careful."

    ¡°Y''all reckon them folks sittin'' here are just here fer some good ol'' fun? We done woke up smack dab in the middle of the night, bustin'' our backs gettin'' over here, but that darn Cult Leader ain''t shown his face yet, dag nabbit¡ª!¡±

    "Hey, watch your words."

    Interrupting Yeom Man-Gun''s words was the Gyeongsang faction''s Yuk Eun-Hyung. The two were famous for not getting along.

    ¡°Huh? Ha! Hah?¡±

    Yeom Man-Gun narrowed his already small eyes and red at Yuk Eun-Hyung. In response, Yuk Eun-Hyung retaliated by ring back in a piercing manner at Yeom Man-Gun with hisrge, sharp eyes.

    "You bastard, there are things you can say and things you can''t say. The Cult Leader is scared of us because you talk like that.¡±

    Underneath Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s seemingly contemtive words, one could tell that he subconsciously thought of the Cult Leader as a child. Yeom Man-Gun let out a snicker.

    "Aww, shucks! I ain''t meanin'' no harm in mockin'' him or nothin'', but durn it all, everyone''s already jumpin'' to conclusions. It''s ''cause that ol'' Cult Leader ain''t got the sense God gave a goose, that our Voodoo Cult''s in such a mess. Hahaha, y''all see the irony now, don''tcha?¡± Yeom Man-Gun said in an openly mocking tone.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung subtly rolled up his sleeves and red at Yeom Man-Gun. Yeom Man-Gun red right back at him.

    "Whoa there, partner! You''re fixin'' to drop a body with that stern look of yours!" Yeom Man-Gun said.

    "Now, now, calm down, everyone. We can¡¯t do anything about the Cult Leader not being here. Shall we start the meeting by ourselves?¡±

    The one who intervened in the mental battle between Yeom Man-Gun and Yuk Eun-Hyung was the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s Ha Pan-Seok. He had a subtle smile on his face as he continued to speak.

    ¡°Since he wasn¡¯t particrly a useful cult leader, it won¡¯t be a problem even if he''s not here."

    "Watch your words..." Yuk Eun-Hyung tried to say something, but he eventually closed his mouth. It was because he couldn¡¯t find the words to refute that statement.

    The third-generation Cult Leader, Sun-Woo,st attended an executive meeting two years ago.

    But as Ha Pan-Seok said, the Cult Leader was nothing more than a puppet. He didn''t show any powers like Voodoo spells or the power of the Loa, and he conveyed all his statements through Executive Jin-Sung¡¯s mouth.

    The only words that directly came out of the Cult Leader''s own mouth were meaningless questions like, "Is Mother still alive?"

    The First Cult Leader controlled the cult¡¯s followers with his charismatic and sharp dignity, while the Second Cult Leader did so with his chillingly persistent madness and relentless determination. On the other hand, the Third Cult Leadercked such charisma.

    No one believed in the Third Cult Leader, who had nkly stared at the ceiling with murky eyes devoid of any desire, obsession, or emotion. Even Yun Chang-Su and Yuk Eun-Hyung, who were somewhat sympathetic, only supported the Third Cult Leader out of pity and empathy.

    "Well, now, let''s take''er easy and get this show on the road, shall we? Are we seriously gonna keep waitin'' on him without even munchin'' on a little snack?"

    At Yeom Man-Gun''s urging, Yun Chang-Su nced at the clock. The hands were racing toward six o''clock. Yun Chang-Su hesitated. It felt wrong to proceed with the meeting without the Seoul Branch, which was the headquarters of the cult, but it also felt wrong to wait forever without knowing when they would arrive.

    "At the very least, let''s wait until 6 o''clock¡ª"

    "Dadgummit, I''m gettin'' mighty frustrated... but I reckon we better hold our horses. Seems like Ha Pan-Seok''s got somethin'' mighty important to share. Let''s give him a fair shake and see what he''s got to say."

    As if he had been waiting to interrupt, Yeom Man-Gun cut off Yun Chang-Su when he tried to speak.

 Chapter 94.2

    <h4>Chapter 94.2</h4>

    An abrupt silence filled the chapel, and Ha Pan-Seok took the opportunity to suddenly stand up.

    <i>p! </i>

    He then proceeded to hold his hands together after pping.

    "Alright, listen up. The Seoul Branch¡¯s Executive Lee Jin-Sung and the third-generation Cult Leader will not be able to attend this meeting.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    The wrinkles near Yun Chang-Su¡¯s eyes deepened. Ha Pan-Seok smiled brightly and said, "I, uh, just received a call. They said that they were in an ident on the way here, so they had to urgently return to Seoul. Now, without the Cult Leader, we are gathered here and engaging in armchair, uh, armchair..."

    "Armchair arguments?"

    "Yes. What I was trying to say is that we have no time to waste in armchair arguments."

    Yun Chang-Su raised his voice in frustration and asked, "Then what are you suggesting?"

    Ha Pan-Seok''s words were more or less all just meaningless babble.

    ¡°What I mean is...¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok stretched out his words and scanned the executives sitting around the round table. The first reason why he was pretending to hesitate was in order to gauge the atmosphere, and the second reason was to direct attention toward his statements.

    Eventually, Ha Pan-Seok spoke up.

    ¡°Alright, since he¡¯s not here, let me ask this question. What does everyone think about the current Cult Leader?¡± he said.

    The intention of the question was clear. Taking advantage of the absence of the Seoul Branch in the meeting, he was trying to incorporate the Gangwon and Gyeongsang Branches into the rebel forces, which were centered around the Chungcheong and Jeo Branches. If they could get the Gangwon and Gyeongsang Branches on their side, then essentially all the branches except the Seoul and Gyeonggi Branches would be part of the rebellion. Even if the rebellion failed, they could secure grounds to bring down the Cult Leader through the impeachment process.

    "I consider him unqualified. It is a fact that at a young age, and during a chaotic time when the Holy War urred, he became the Cult Leader. However, hasn¡¯t seven years passed since then? In those seven years, he only shed his face in the executive meeting only once, and even in that one instance, didn¡¯t he only mutter a bunch of pointless words? Why do we have to follow a cult leader who doesn¡¯t have leadership skills, determination, or anything for that matter, just because he is the cult leader?!¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok purposely chose to use excessive words in order to convince the other executives. However, it was also his honest feeling that he had always felt about the current Cult Leader.

    "To be honest, I think my daughter Soo-Yeong would be better off as the Cult Leader."

    "You betcha! When ites to skills, ain''t no doubt ''bout it, Ha Soo-Yeong takes the cake. She''s plum more qualified than anyone else ''round these parts," Yeom Man-Gun said.

    "In the first ce, what is this Voodoo Cult? Isn''t it about pursuing freedom and resisting oppression? Wasn''t that the first principle of the Voodoo Cult? The Romanican Church is running rampant, yet the so-called Cult Leader is not only not resisting, but he is sitting around in his room sleeping all day. It makes me wonder if it¡¯s really right for him to be the Cult Leader!"

    "Well, ain''t that the God''s honest truth, right there! Yessiree, you speak in and true, partner,¡± Yeom Man-Gun said while nodding in agreement. He was just nodding along and agreeing with him even though he hadn¡¯t even properly listened to what Ha Pan-Seok had said in the first ce.

    "What do you think, Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung?"

    Ha Pan-Seok shifted his gaze after he had been spewing out his impassioned speech for a while. Yuk Eun-Hyung lowered his gaze as if he was hesitant to answer.

    "It''s difficult to answer because it''s so sudden..."

    "Hasn¡¯t your livelihood been greatly affected because of the crackdown on illegal mercenaries? Just tell us exactly what you''ve been thinking recently," Ha Pan-Seok urged for an answer while smiling cunningly.

    Given the recent order from the Holy See to crack down on illegal mercenaries, Yuk Eun-Hyung had many things to worry about. In this crucial situation, not only did the Cult Leader fail to provide support, but he wasn¡¯t even attending the executive meeting. It was obvious that even someone like Yuk Eun-Hyung would start to feel dissatisfied with the third-generation Cult Leader.

    Ha Pan-Seok wanted to take advantage of Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s dire straits so that he could have him join the rebellion. Needless to say, the rebellion would be much smoother if they could win him over since he was running and operating a mercenary group.

    "I... "

    Just as he was about to respond, Yun Chang-Su solemnly ordered, "Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung, do not answer. And Executive Ha Pan-Seok, please sit down."

    Yuk Eun-hyung closed his mouth as ordered.

    However, Ha Pan-Seok did not sit down. He only red at Yun Chang-Su with fiery eyes.

    ¡°Does Executive Yun Chang-Su not have a singleint with the current Cult Leader?¡±

    ¡°It looks to me like you''re nning a rebellion or an impeachment or something along those lines, but don¡¯t do anything foolish.¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok just barely managed to control his facial expression as he hid his surprise. He felt a little bamboozled by the fact that his ns for rebellion had been exposed, even though he hadn¡¯t even brought up the ¡®r¡¯ in the word ¡®rebellion.¡¯

    "Rebellion? What nonsense! I simply honestly expressed the feelings I had during The Starless Night©¤!"

    "Yes, I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. If it''s not a rebellion, then that¡¯s fortunate. So please sit down quickly. This is your final warning." Yun Chang-Su firmly interrupted Ha Pan-Seok''s grumbling. His voice trembled faintly, and his face had turned somewhat pale.

    His gaze was fixed on the potted nt that was ced next to the door. The leaves of the orchid, which he had been growing as a hobby and also for the sake of admiring, were sprawled out while swaying back and forth as if it were a living organism.

    ¡°Final warning? Do I still look like a kid reciting his timetables while working beneath you?¡±

    However, the orchid did not appear in Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s vision. He was just infuriated by the fact that he was being ¡®warned¡¯ while Yun Chang-Su treated him like a subordinate.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok, it''s not like that..."

    "No, what do you mean it''s not like that¡ª?!"

    <i>Rumble rumble¡ª!</i>

    A loud roar suddenly drowned out Ha Pan-Seok''s voice. The leaves of the orchid, which had grown in size, shook from side to side, and the building also began to shake.

    <i>Thud, crack, thud... </i>

    The sound of something falling and breaking echoed in all directions. Ha Pan-Seok just barely managed to support himself on the slowly tilting floor.

    "Oh, my goodness!"

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The building was not only tilted to one side, but it shook back and forth. It was impossible to maintain bnce and stand upright. Eventually, Ha Pan-Seok fell over and smashed his tailbone on the ground.

    "Oh my, oh my..." he groaned while crawling on the floor. The sharp pain shot up from his lower back and spread throughout his body.

    <i>Rumble, rumble...</i>

    The mountain roared without mercy, and the building continued to shake. However, strangely enough, the building shook but did not copse. Furthermore, with the exception of Ha Pan-Seok, the other executives sitting in their chairs could hardly feel the vibrations and tilt.

    "Did executive Yun Chang-Su do this?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked amidst the chaos.

    He suspected that this earthquake-like tremor was Yun Chang-Su¡¯s doing since he was the owner of the Gangwon Branch''s chapel.

    If Ha Pan-Seok had listened to Yun Chang-Su and sat back down, he wouldn¡¯t have lost his bnce and fallen over, and he wouldn¡¯t have smashed his tailbone on the floor. Because Yun Chang-Su hadmanded Ha Pan-Seok to sit down earlier, it looked like he had anticipated that this would happen. He spected that Yun Chang-Su would be capable enough since he had been a Taoist and a skilled carpenter before joining the Voodoo Cult.

    "No way," he said while shaking his head with a stern face. His gaze shifted toward the tightly closed door.

    "The Cult Leader has arrived."

    <i>Creak. </i>

    With a creepy and ominous sound, the door opened. A swaying leaf from the orchid had casually opened the door.

    Soon, two men and a woman walked into the underground chapel. First was Jin-Sung, an executive of the Seoul Branch. Next was a small-sized girl. Last was the third-generation Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

    ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here.¡±

    The Cult Leader had a benevolent yet somewhat terrifying smile on his face as he scanned the executives¡¯ faces one by one.

    The executives did not greet the Cult Leader. They simply stood there, swallowing their saliva as they looked at the scene beyond the door. The ground on either side of the path that the Cult Leader walked on was elevated. No, it almost seemed like the ground around the path the Cult Leader walked on had sunk. It was as if the mountains had cleared a path just for him. The resulting canyon that was formed was magnificent and grand.

    There was not a single executive who did not know that it was a miracle brought about by the Cult Leader through the power of the Loa.

    ¡°...Wee, Cult Leader.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Executive Yun Chang-Su.¡±

    As Yun Chang-Su bowed his head and greeted Sun-Woo, Sun-Woo bowed his head and epted the greeting. He then walked leisurely to the head of the round table and sat down.

    "I was a bitte. There was a problem with the map you sent, so... I¡¯m sorry for the wait," the Cult Leader said before ncing at Ha Pan-Seok, who was lying on the floor and trying to appease his pain. The Cult Leader then shifted his gaze to Yeom Man-Gun.

    "Isn''t that right, Executive Yeom Man-Gun?"

    "Ah, nah. It ain''t even half-past six yet, so..." Yeom Man-Gun stuttered as his lips trembled.

    At that moment, Yuk Eun-Hyung abruptly stood up from his seat and respectfully bowed to the Cult Leader.

    ¡°Wee, Cult Leader!¡±

    Following Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary-like greeting, Ha Pan-Seok just barely managed to stand up to greet the Cult Leader.

    ¡°Wel-wee...¡± he said.

    Due to the pain, Ha Pan-Seok''s voice was muffled.

    Although the executives appeared to casually greet the Cult Leader, deep down, they were surprised and fearful of Sun-Woo''s changed personality.

    Compared to two years ago, apart from the fact that his once petite body had noticeably be more robust, there was a cold and sharp glint in his previously cloudy eyes. It was a glint that contained a different kind of fearpared to the madness that emanated from the eyes of Do Myung-Jun, who was the previous cult leader.

    What could have possibly happened for a person to change so drastically...

    Without a chance to be astonished, Sun-Woo ordered, "Everyone, please take a seat, and we¡¯ll now begin the meeting¡ª"

    <i>Drrr... </i>

    However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a pen that was on top of the table rolled around with an exaggerated sound.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    The pen rolled uncontrobly and eventually made a dull sound after falling onto the floor. Upon closer inspection, the desk was slightly tilted to one side. It wasn''t just the desk. The entire building seemed to be leaning to the right. Because of this, the pen couldn''t stay on the desk and had naturally rolled off.

    "I sat down without even fixing the mess I made in my haste."

    "No, it¡¯s not a problem. The tilt actually adds to the tension..." Yuk Eun-Hyung ttered the Cult Leader and quickly shook his head in response to the Cult Leader¡¯s words. It was apliment that had a touch of humor.

    "Thank you for your kind words, but it¡¯s probably best if I put it back to its original position," the Cult Leader said as he smiled at Yuk Eun-Hyung and slowly raised his right hand. There was a green glow at the tip of his finger.

    <i>Rumble, rumble¡ª</i>

    And with that, there was another roaring sound, and the building shook.

    Ha Pan-Seok, who was standing unsteadily, covered his head and slumped down on the spot with a pale face. It was clear that if he fell again, his back would snap in half.

    <i>Rumble, rumble</i>...

    The noise gradually ceased. The Cult Leader picked up the fallen pen from the floor and ced it on the table. The pen remained motionless on the table, which indicated that the building was level. Finally, the Cult Leader smiled in satisfaction and said, "Now, let''s really get this meeting started."

    The executives were unable to hastily answer as they nodded their heads or looked at the Cult Leader with quivering gazes.

 Chapter 95

    <h4>Chapter 95</h4>

    ¡°...Thus, it appears that we need some means to prepare for the Holy See''s pursuit. Does anyone have any opinions?" Yun Chang-Su''s question was focused on thest topic of the meeting, but no one could easily open their mouths.

    <i>Kaga-ga-gak. </i>

    The reason for this was found in an unexpected ce: the screeches of the Executioner''s Sword, which was in the hands of the Cult Leader. Throughout the meeting, the Cult Leader had held the sword and gazed at both Yeom Man-Geun and Ha Pan-Seok silently.

    "Executive Yeom Man-Geun, it seems like you have something to say...."

    "Uh, well... I reckon I ain''t got nothin'' to say ''bout that."

    Yeom Man-Geun quickly avoided eye contact and avoided answering Yun Chang-Su¡¯s question.

    Ever since Sun-Woo entered the chapel, Yeom Man-Geun couldn''t even think of opening his mouth due to the tremendous majesty shown by the Cult Leader.

    It felt like the chillingly cold and shy Executioner¡¯s Sword had locked onto him, and a slip of the tongue would be enough to sever his head clean from his neck.

    Moreover, the Cult Leader seemed to be able to manipte the Loa''s power with ease.Two years ago, it was difficult to figure out whether Sun-Woo was a puppet or a prophet, but now he had suddenly be the respectable Cult Leader and Prophet.

    "Since no one has anything to say..." Yun Chang-Su trailed off, looking stumped.

    Because no one pitched in new opinions, the meeting could not go on.

    Meanwhile, Yeom Man-Geun, with his head bowed, was subtly ring at Ha Pan-Seok.

    "Oh, the Executioner''s Sword looks well-suited for beheading,<i> haha.</i> As expected, the Cult Leader''s sorcery..."

    Taking in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s disgusting ttery through one ear and out the other, Yeom Man-Geun chewed on his lips.

    <i>He said, without the Altar, Sun-Woo wouldn''t harness the power of the Loa, let alone castin'' spells right. Darn nonsense! But heck, it''s on me. I was downright foolish to put my trust in a no-good dimwit like him. Dag nabbit!</i>

    He cursed to himself as he continued to re at Ha Pan-Seok.

    <i>***</i>

    There were three main agendas for the meeting. The first agenda was the decreasing number of believers. The second agenda was about the worsening financial crisis. And the final agenda was the escting persecution by the Holy See, which was like pouring fuel on the fire.

    These were problems without any current viable solutions, and due to the frightened executives keeping their mouths shut, the meeting had not progressed thus far.

    "It doesn''t seem like the meeting will proceed right away... It would be better to reconvene at 11 p.m. tonight. How about temporarily adjourning and gathering againter?" Yoon Chang-Su of the Gangwon faction suggested this during the meeting, and I epted his proposal. Thus, the end of the meeting was somewhat anticlimactic.

    Immediately after, I headed to the restroom.

    "<i>Cough, cough.</i> Urghhh...!"

    I vomited blood into the toilet, my face buried in the bowl. I had already reached my limit after I had prayed to Granbwa to shift the structure of the mountains, and using Granbwa¡¯s power again on top of that meant that I had to deal with a lot more bacsh.

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m gonna die...¡±

    [It was not a bad strategy.] Legba calmly spoke while I tried to catch my breath.

    I let out a hollowugh.

    "Now you don¡¯t even worry about me, eh?¡±

    [Are you okay?]

    "Yes."

    [Alright. Anyway, the strategy was good. Your body will be a bit battered, but it''s better than dying.]

    I felt a slight resentment toward Legba for not worrying about me, but I didn''t say anything. He was right.

    Using Granbwa''s power consecutively to tilt the building horizontally to even the ground and carrying the Executioner''s Sword throughout the meeting was all for show.

    All of it was a disy of power to suppress the opposition.

    If I showed weakness to the executives as the Cult Leader, my position would no longer hold prestige. The rebel forces would gain confidence and they would eventually carry out their rebellion ns.

    On the other hand, if I suppressed the opposition by demonstrating the power of the Loa, I could bring down the confidence of the rebel forces and increase the weight of my words.

    [Through your actions, you have obtained the dignity that a Cult Leader should possess.]

    "Right."

    I tried to nod my head in agreement with Legba''s words, but I didn''t have the strength.

    I forcibly suppressed and then swallowed the blood-ridden vomit that rose up my esophagus, and tried not to show any weakness.

    In short, I had risked my life in order to save face. It was a bit difficult, but ultimately, it seemed like I had seeded in breaking the spirits of Yeom Man-Geun and Ha Pan-Seok, the suspected leaders of the rebellion. The result was somewhat satisfying. That is, of course, if we were just talking about the results. If I were asked to go through this again, I would say no. I just couldn¡¯t.

    [Your existence must already be deeply ingrained in the minds of the executives. There¡¯ll be no need to push yourself like this in the future]

    "I''m d..." I said as I tookfort in Legba''s words and left the bathroom.

    The smell of blood lingered in my mouth.

    <i>***</i>

    Next to the Gangwon Branch, there was a huge mountain lodge with six rooms and an attic. At the lounge, amodations were prepared for each branch of the cult. It was decided that everyone would reconvene at the chapel for a meeting at 11 o''clock after resting at their given amodations.

    We, the Seoul Sect, were given Room 301. While looking at the key with the number 301 engraved on it, I stated, "Room 301... That¡¯s the room connected to the attic."

    "Executive Yun Chang-Su gave us thergest room. Last time when I came alone, they gave me Room 102, but they¡¯re definitely treating us better since you came with me," my uncle said.

    Ji-Ah''s eyes sparkled at the mention of the room being connected to the attic. "Ah, then I will sleep in the attic."

    Using the attic in ce of a storage room? I chuckled.

    "Were you a mouse in your past life? Why do you always sleep in either the storage room or the attic?" I asked.

    "Ji-Ah naturally likes those kinds of ces where it¡¯s dark and damp. Makes sense, given her gloomy personality."

    "You two are teaming up... that''s not fair..."

    My uncle and Iughed as we climbed the stairs, teasing Ji-Ah. The surrounding area waspletely covered in trees. Except for the chapel and the mountain lodge, there was not a single building. Since civilian ess to Taebaeksan was prohibited, there were no hikers. It was a good ce to try out and practice harnessing some of the Loa''s powers that I couldn''t use in the city.

    Suddenly, someone bumped into my shoulder as they passed by. I had tried to avoid them, but they had deliberately bumped into me. It felt like it was intentional, not a mistake. When I turned my head, a girl who looked a year or two younger than me was ring at me through narrow slits.

    "Tsk." The girl clicked her tongue and swiftly turned around, walking away. Voodoo magic, which took on a noticeably dark hue, flowed from her fingertips.

    "Who the heck was that?"

    "It¡¯s Ha Su-Yeong." Ji-Ah stood next to me, and immediately answered when I voiced my question. "She¡¯s the daughter of Ha Pan-Seok from the Chungcheong Sect. She¡¯s thought to be very talented, and people have been voicing requests to set her up as the new Cult Leader. Although she does have talent, it is nothingpared to you, Cult Leader.¡±

    "Ha Pan-Seok...."

    At the mention of Ha Pan-Seok''s daughter, a familiar face came to mind. Two years ago, when I attended the executive meeting, there was a child sitting next to Ha Pan-Seok who red at me with intense hostility in their eyes. ording to my memory, we were about the same height. Now, I had grown much taller.

    "Yes, he¡¯s the instigator of the rebellion. It seems that Ha Pan-Seok ns to impeach the Cult Leader and make Ha Su-Yeong the 4th Cult Leader," Ji-Ah said.

    I nodded. I thought it¡¯d be something along those lines. The Voodoo magic flowing from the fingertips of the kid named Ha Su-Yeong was incredibly powerful and pure. Her skills would easily surpass most executives with that level of talent. Moreover, she must have considerable spell skills if she was nominated as the next Cult Leader.

    "Should I look at her as apetitor?"

    "It¡¯s difficult to call her apetitor. She¡¯s simply not on the same level as you,¡± Ji-Ah said. She seemed not to like this Ha Su-Yeong that much.

    My uncle then turned around and said, "I¡¯ve heard that just looking at her sorcery alone, she isparable to the second Cult Leader. It''s not reliable information as it¡¯s words from the executives, though."

    "Oh, really?"

    If her skill wereparable to the 2nd Cult Leader¡¯s, then that meant that she was far more skillful than me. Rumors were not to be believed, but there wouldn¡¯t be smoke without a fire. Until I saw it for myself, I wouldn¡¯t know for sure what she was actually capable of. For now, it¡¯d be better to be cautious. I drew a spell array in the air as an experiment. It was the intoxication spell array, which I used the most often these days, and it was the spell I felt most confident in.

    "Compared to this, what do you think her skill level is at?"

    My uncle looked closely at my spell array, but he tilted his head as if he didn''t know.

    "...I can¡¯t tell. After all, I don¡¯t know how to use spells."

    ¡°What about you, nuna? Can¡¯t you use spells?¡±

    Ji-Ah turned towards my direction. She wasn¡¯t great at using spells, but she could use a few.

    "I dare not evaluate Cult Leader''s spell. I have no discernment."

    "But, if you had to choose, which one would you say is better?"

    "...I don''t know. Just as a mouse cannot understand human intentions, I also cannot understand the Cult Leader''s spell.¡±

    Why was sheparing herself to a mouse? Then, suddenly, I remembered the words I had said to Ji-Ah when she said she would sleep in the attic.

    "You¡¯re not mad because we made fun of you and asked if you were a mouse in your past life, right?"

    My uncle pretended to be surprised as he looked Ji-Ah up and down.

    "Wow, I didn''t see you as one, but you''re a really scary person, Ji-Ah. I didn¡¯t know you held grudges."

    "No, when did I ever hold a grudge...? That''s not true. It''s just that the only animal that came to mind was a mouse." Ji-Ah hurriedly gave an exnation as cold sweat poured out from her body.

    Uncle looked at Ji-Ah and smiled mischievously. ¡°No, when did I ever hold a grudge? Are you talking back now? What do you think, Cult Leader?¡±

    ¡°Hm... Fragging is an offense that should be treated with Zombification...¡±

    ¡°Oops, um, I wasn¡¯t talking back. I made a slip of the tongue out of surprise. I''m sorry, I''m sorry...¡±

    Meanwhile, we had reached the third floor.

    Even while we were unlocking the door with the key, Ji-Ah kept her head down. It seemed like she hadpletely lost her spirit. Did I tease her too much?

    "It was just a joke. I¡¯m sorry if I made you upset."

    "No, it''s okay..."

    "Okay then. Let''s quickly go in and see the attic."

    ¡°...¡± Ji-Ah kept her mouth shut and stared at me, to which I nodded slightly. Her expression seemed to show that she had something to say, but she was forcing herself to swallow her words.

    The amodation was better than I imagined. There were three rooms, each with a bed. In the spacious living room, there was a sofa and a TV, and through the window, the forest surrounding the lodge came into view. The forest had long been painted ck by darkness.

    "How¡¯s your phone?" Uncle suddenly asked as he looked around the room in awe.

    I took out the phone Uncle had given me from my pocket and turned it on. The phone had good reception even in deep woods like these. It was an ordinary phone tinkered to have better reception, even while underground.

    "It¡¯s great. It¡¯s got great reception as well."

    "That''s a relief. Even if you''re trapped underground like what happened to Ji-Ahst time, bad reception won¡¯t be a problem."

    "Trapped underground like Ji-Ah?" [1]

    "Come to think of it, that rhymes. Underground like Ji-Ah."

    Ji-Ah turned her head and looked at us. "Please don¡¯t make fun of me. It¡¯s not nice to use someone else¡¯s name to make fun of them like that....¡±

    "Huh? Someone else? Ji-Ah, I thought we were closer than that."

    "Wow... I¡¯m really upset..." I added, fueling the fire my Uncle had ignited.

    "No, that''s not what I meant. It''s just that you keep teasing me..." While Ji-Ah was speaking, she suddenly noticed something strange and raised her head abruptly. ¡°Are you still teasing me?¡±

    ¡°Haha, good job figuring that out!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be resting in the attic. I hope you rest well. If you need anything, please call me." Ji-Ah angrily climbed the stairs, almost tripping over her own feet. She continued to climb, pretending as if nothing had happened.

    Uncle chuckled softly as he watched her.

    "She seems upset. Do you think she¡¯ll be fine?"

    "Yeah, it¡¯ll pass. It''s not like she hates this kind of atmosphere," Uncle responded nonchntly.

    "This kind of atmosphere?"

    "ying around and stuff. You probably don''t know, but our orphanage had a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. So she grew up a bit gloomy too... Anyway, when I asked herst time, she didn''t seem to hate it."

    "That''s a relief."

    I was worried that making fun of her would make her upset, but it seemed like I was worried for nothing. After all, I''d never teased her to the point where she would feel genuinely hurt.

    ¡°On that note, what was it like in the orphanage?¡±

    I was suddenly curious about why Ji-Ah always wanted to stay in the attic or the storage room and why she wanted to help us even though we weren''t paying her to do so. I had been curious for a while, but I couldn''t find the right time to ask, so my curiosity remained unresolved until now. I thought it would be the perfect time to ask since the topic of the orphanage hade up.

    "What? How was it for Ji-Ah? Or are you asking what I thought of it?"

    "Both."

    "Well... It''s been so long that my memory is a bit hazy."

    Uncle stroked his patchy beard and got lost in thought for a moment.

    "Hm, I forget. Was Ji-Ah bullied? She was always small since she was young. Since there were no kids to bully, they picked Ji-Ah, who they thought was easy prey."

    "Didn''t you scold them?"

    "Do you think brats listen when they get scolded? If I scolded them, they would have bullied her even more."

    He was right. Uncle continued, "Originally, they only bothered her during the day, but then they would either be caught by me or the daycare teachers. So, they started bothering her at night when we were asleep. Those kids, they''re not all that innocent. The wicked ones are extremely wicked."

    "Even during the night..."

    "There was a warehouse behind the orphanage building... It was a ce that no one other than the teachers could ess after it was locked. Ji-Ah probably went there every night to take shelter and to sleep. Of course, I only know this because I heard this storyter on from one of the teachers.¡±

    To avoid harassment, she had used the warehouse as her hiding ce, and perhaps because of that memory, she preferred dark and humid ces like storage rooms or attics.

    "Hey, don¡¯t you remember? You came and visited the orphanage yourself.¡±

    I tried to recall, but I couldn''t remember. I shook my head.

    "You don¡¯t remember? You fought fiercely with the kids who were harassing Ji-Ah back then."

    "Did I win?"

    "Win? No way. You came back beaten up badly. You were against five or six others at that time.¡±

    Whether it was 5:1 or 6:1, there was no way I could have won. In a fight, the side with more people had the overwhelming advantage, especially if they were young. Come to think of it, the reason why the Voodoo Cult lost in the Holy War was also because we were heavily outnumbered.

    "I remember your father and mother were shocked when you came up to them with your face all battered up... What did you say back then? ¡®It¡¯ll go away with a restoration spell?¡¯ Anyway, you were crazy even then as a child," Uncle said with a soft smile on his face.

    I had never seen him look so animated while telling a story before. He seemed to enjoy reminiscing about the past.

    "And I remember your father saying, ¡®That¡¯s my son alright,¡¯ and praising you. My sister pped the hell out of his back for saying that. It was such a fun time... "

    At that moment, the smile that lingered on Uncle''s lips disappeared. The sparkling eyes that were present throughout the story suddenly turned empty.

    Uncle rubbed his hands on his face. "...I think it''s best not to talk about the past."

    "That¡¯s fair. Just think about what is toe."

    "I will. But for some reason, I don¡¯t feel excited about the future at all."

    Since the past were days that had gone by, they were regrettable yet beautiful at the same time. However, the days thaty ahead somehow felt bleak and scary. I still didn''t know why. Even though tomorrow would eventually be yesterday, why did I find yesterday beautiful but tomorrow scary?

    ¡°When the future passes, it will be a thing of the past as well."

    "Damn~ It does have a different ring to it when the Cult Leader himself says it," Uncleughed teasingly.

    After closing his mouth like he was in deep thought, Uncle went through his bag. From it, he took out a cell phone. He threw it at me.

    I barely caught it. "What¡¯s with the extra phone?"

    "Think of it as an allowance. There are some coins inside. Exchange them and use them if you really need them."

    "But you just told me that the coins you had failed miserably..."

    "They''re still good for moneyundering. Oh, by the way, one coin is worth 0.87 dors. About 1,000 won."

    I turned on the cell phone and checked the number of coins inside. If each one was worth 1,000 won, then the amount of money inside the cellphone was...

    "...It''s a bit much to call it an allowance, isn''t it?"

    "Is it? Then consider it an offering."

    Judging by his reaction, it didn''t seem like a lot of money to my uncle. To me, it was an incrediblyrge sum. With this amount, I wasn¡¯t jealous of Do-Jin, who received 300 million won in monthly sponsorship from fans.

    At that moment, an idea shed through my mind. "Uncle, about the Jeo faction, um....¡±

    ¡°Yum Mang-Geun?"

    "Yes, Yum Mang-Geun. What was he doing again? Other than running his faction, doesn¡¯t he have a factory as well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, something like a makgeolli [2]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makgeolli[/ref] or soju factory. He should have made some money with that. Maybe that''s why this guy doesn''t have any respect for the Cult Leader.¡±

    I quickly prepared to leave. My uncle looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    "What''s going on? Where are you going all of a sudden?"

    "Just going out. To do this and that."

    "This and that? ...Well, I guess you won''t get lost. Just make sure toe before the meeting."

    I nodded and tied my shoces.

    "By the way, this is something I thought of because we were talking about the past." My uncle seemed to hesitate¡ªhis lips twitched and his eyes darted around before finally speaking. "I''m sorry. I still regret what happened back then."

    Back then...

    I felt like I knew what he was talking about. I nodded and smiled at my uncle.

    "It''s in the past."

    "Yeah... Anyway, take care, and don''t bete for the meeting."

    I left the lodge, leaving my uncle¡¯s farewell behind me. The forest beyond the railing was covered in gloomy darkness. I made my way down to the lower floor.

    1. Underground is ?? in Korean, which is Ji Ha sounded out. Uncle here was dropping rhymes, as Ji Ha and Ji-Ah sound simr. ?

    2. ?

 Chapter 96

    <h4>Chapter 96</h4>

    Yeom Man-Gun from the Jeo Branch was staying in Room 202. He had managed to get a good room, considering he was alone. Rooms 301 and 302 were thergest and best rooms, followed by Rooms 202 and 201.

    ¡°What in tarnation am I to do? Y''see, I gotta make a break for it." There, Yeom Man-Gun was holding a receiver and talking to none other than Ha Pan-Seok from the Chungcheong Branch. Due to the n to eliminate or impeach the Cult Leader and then rece him with Ha Soo-Yeong as the Fourth Cult Leader was falling apart, Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok were sweating in their socks.

    "Ya know, we gotta find a way to get by, ''cause reckon we can''t go ''round startin'' no rebellion or coup d''¨¦tat, no sir." When Ha Pan-Seok, who was forced into a corner due to the exposure of the scheme or rebelling, asked about the future ns, Yeom Man-Gun said that running away was the best option.

    Through the receiver, Yeom Man-Gun could hear Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s screams.

    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re giving my ear a ringing! Well, shucks, do ya happen to have yerself a good ol'' idea..." Just as Yeom Man-Gun was about to say something, he stopped talking and held his breath.

    He felt a presence beyond the door. In the darkness, his pupils darted rapidly from side to side.

    "I''ll call you back."

    <i>Click</i>.

    Yeom Man-Gun hung up the phone and stood up from his seat. He hid behind the door and unleashed Voodoo magic. The presence beyond the door remained motionless.

    <i>Knock, knock... </i>

    Then, the sound of knocking echoed through the air.

    His heartbeat grew louder and louder. His hair stood on end, and his body trembled. Cold sweat dripped down. It was not Ha Pan-Seok, nor was it Yoon Chang-Soo or Yuk Eun-Hyung. It was clear that the presence was that of a ghost or, even scarier than a ghost, the Cult Leader.

    "Is anyone there?" A voice came from the other side. As expected, it was the voice of the Cult Leader.

    <i>¡®Fuck, the Cult Leader is here to end me!¡¯</i>

    Silentlymenting, Yeom Man-Gun hid his body behind the door. Then, he unleashed Voodoo magic and began drawing a spell array.

    "I could have sworn I saw someone go in earlier...."

    <i>Krk, krrkkk¨C!!</i>

    Following the Cult Leader¡¯s muttering, cracking sounds could be heard at the door. Yum Man-Gun¡¯s hand trembled with fear.

    <i>¡®He¡¯s going to forcefully tear the door open!¡¯</i>

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Finally, the door opened. No, it wasn¡¯t opened but pried. Yeom Man-Gun quickly aimed his curse of fainting spell at the man entering through the door. It was a predictable and hastily made spell, so he wasn''t sure if it would be effective, but there was no better spell to use against a person.

    "..."

    However, no mist flowed out of the spell array. The spell array had not been activated in the first ce. Some strong and strange power, perhaps the power of the Cult Leader, had dismantled the spell array. Yeom Man-Gun gulped. An unfamiliar and eerie fear, like he had never felt before, danced down his spine.

    "The curse of fainting spell is a bit obvious."

    <i>Click.</i>

    The man entered through the door and turned on the lights. Yeom Man-Gun quickly shielded his eyes from the sudden burst of light, which made it hard to make out the man¡¯s. Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s blurry vision gradually returned to normal, allowing him to look at the man appearing before him.

    ¡°...Cult Leader.¡±

    "Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m not here to cause any harm," the Cult Leader said as he walked into the room confidently.

    Although he imed he didn''te to cause any harm, it was clear that he hade to aplish something along those lines. That was because Yeom Man-Gun was one of the main forces behind the rebellion. From Sun-Woo''s perspective, there was no reason to keep him alive.

    Yeom Man-Gun unleashed Voodoo magic and drew the next spell array. It would have beenplete with just one stroke. However, somehow it didn''t feel like the spell would activate even if the spell array waspleted. The mysterious power that the Cult Leader possessed... The Cult Leader¡¯s ability to manipte Voodoo magic in order to dismantle the spell array and control the Voodoo mist was the problem.

    "P-Please spare me!" In the end, Yeom Man-Gun stopped drawing the spell array and fell to his knees. Using the spell would be meaningless, and it would only further the Cult Leader¡¯s distaste toward him. In times like this, it was best to get on one''s knees and beg for one''s life.

    "I¡¯m just a massager. Please spare me."

    "Massager.. a messenger?" [1]

    Yeom Man-Gun continued to exin after the question was asked. He exined that everything he did was at the behest of Ha Pan-Seok from the Chungcheong Branch, and he was merely ackey for Ha Pan-Seok and was never directly involved in the rebellion. He continued to defend himself at length.

    "...."

    The Cult Leader nodded silently, pulled a chair, and sat down. Then, calmly crossing his legs, he looked down at Yeom Man-Gun.

    Every movement the Cult Leader made him look like he was full of openings. However, Yeom Man-Gun couldn''t even think of rebelling because of the Voodoo magic that was flowing gently from the Cult Leader¡¯s fingertips. The Voodoo magic took on a pure violet hue without any impurities. Just by looking at the color of the magic, one could tell how strong the spell would be when activated.

    "Executive Yeom Man-Gun."

    "Yes sir..."

    "Why are you acting like that? Get up and sitfortably. If you keep acting like this, I won''t feel at ease either," said the Cult Leader with a sly smile. It was a warm smile but also chilling at the same time.

    Yeom Man-Gun felt grateful for the Cult Leader¡¯s mercy, but he also tried not to let his guard down as he sat on the wobbly chair.

    "Is the factory doing well?" The Cult Leader threaded his fingers together.

    Yeom Man-Gun nodded silently, with his clenched fist resting on his knee. At that moment, the Cult Leader started rummaging through his pocket. Yeom Man-Gun swallowed nervously. He was afraid of what mighte out of that pocket. In the worst-case scenario, it could be a zombification drug or at least a dagger. Yet, contrary to his expectations, the Cult Leader pulled out a cell phone. He pushed the cell phone screen toward Yeom Man-Gun.

    ¡°Executive Lee Jin-Sung uses coins as a means of moneyundering. Excluding the operating funds of the cult, this is the amount of money that has fallen into my hands."

    Coins. Yeom Man-Gun had heard of them before. People around him had disappeared after taking in giant debts to invest and selling all of their household appliances.

    Man-Gun counted the numbers beyond the screen. Hundred, thousand, ten thousand... Even if one coin was worth one hundred won, it would equate to a significant amount of money.

    "I¡¯ve been told that one coin is worth about a thousand won."

    "A thousand won!" Yeom Man-Gun unconsciously repeated the Cult Leader¡¯s words.

    It would have been a lot even if one coin was worth a hundred won, but a thousand won meant that the sum was equal to an unimaginably huge amount of money. However, little did he know he was about to be even more surprised. The words that the Cult Leader uttered immediately after were even more shocking.

    "I will give you half of this money."

    "...." Yeom Man-Gun just stood in silence and scratched the shaved part on the side of his head. He felt a chill down his spine. It felt like an ice cube was slowly creeping up from his spine to the back of his neck. At the same time, there was a burning heat resonating from the core of his being. He couldn¡¯t help but get excited from seeing all that money.

    Giving half of the money meant that the Cult Leader was trying to buy him out. He was telling him to abandon Ha Pan-Seok and join his side in exchange for money. To put it bluntly, he might even order Man-Gun to eliminate Ha Pan-Seok altogether.

    "I understand what you mean, Cult Leader. I will take care of Ha Pan-Seok ande back..." He had been happy with his life spared, but with wealth on the line as well, there was no reason for him to refuse. Although it bothered him to betray Ha Pan-Seok, in Yeom Man-Gun''s opinion, there was nothing more foolish than risking his life in exchange for loyalty.

    "How can you say such cruel words?" However, the Cult Leader seemed indifferent¡ªheughed it off as if he had heard some kind of joke.

    "Th-then, what is all the money for?"

    Soon, the amicable expression lingering on the Cult Leader''s face disappeared. Yeom Man-Gun saw an intensely cold fervor in the Cult Leader¡¯s gaze. It was a contradictory expression, but there was no other way to exin the mysterious gaze.

    "I am thinking of renting your factory to work together on something."

    "By factory, I reckon you mean.." Yeom Man-Gun hesitated and tightly closed his eyes, clearly showing reluctance.

    Betraying Ha Pan-Seok would lead to a momentary pang of conscience, but giving away the factory was a different story.

    "Ah, well..." Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s words were diplomatic, but they clearly showed hesitancy.

    The Cult Leader firmly closed his mouth and lowered his gaze. Then he nodded his head slightly twice.

    <i>Kkurr, kkurururuk... </i>

    Then, something unknown started to surge through the torn door. It was wrapped in darkness and vaguely resembled dozens of giant pythons.

    <i>Whirr!</i>

    "<i>Gasp!</i>"

    Following the Cult Leader¡¯s gesture, one of the pythons coiled roughly around Yeom Man-Gun''s neck and then slowly began to tighten its grip.

    "Oh,wd, please spare me! I-I''ll do whatever the Cult Leader tells me to, I swear!¡± Yeom Man-Gun desperately shouted while wing at the scales of the python wrapped around his neck. He could feel the rough texture of the bark on his fingertips.

    The Cult Leader looked at Yeom Man-Gun with a cold, unsympathetic gaze, and smirked.

    "Is that so? Does that mean you can also lend me the factory?" the Cult Leader asked again.

    It was obvious that giving the Cult Leader control over the factory would make life hard to get by. However, he couldn¡¯t just say no. If he did, the Cult Leader would immediately strangle his throat and kill him.

    The question was: <i>¡®Do I die now orter?¡¯</i>

    Without a doubt, it was better to dieter. Yeom Man-Gun believed that as long as he was alive, there was a chance for redemption.

    Finally, he nodded his head.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Suddenly, the tree branch that had been tightly wrapped around his neck loosened. Yeom Man-Gun gasped for breath and copsed on the spot. The Cult Leader, in the same indifferent posture as before, looked down at him as if nothing had happened.

    "Why are you so surprised?" the Cult Leader asked.

    Yeom Man-Gun was shocked by the inhuman coldness radiating from the Cult Leader, but he couldn''t tell the truth. He quickly racked his brain to find an answer that would diffuse the situation.

    "Ah, no. Well, now, did y''all manage to recover the Altar or somethin''...?" It was a thoughtless remark made in haste.

    Immediately after, he realized he had made a mistake.

    The cold, emotionless re of the Cult Leader had turned to a fiery gaze of anger directed at Yeom Man-Gun''s face.

    "...<i>Recover</i>?" In response to the Cult Leader''s anger, the branches outside the door writhed like snakes.

    The Cult Leader added, "How do you know about that?"

    "I-I heard it from Ha Pan-Seok, and I¡¯m nothin¡¯ but a messenger." Yeom Man-Gun had really repeated the words he had heard from Ha Pan-Seok. He was clueless about why the Cult Leader was so angry. This was so unfair.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok said that." The Cult Leader repeated Man-Gun¡¯s words.

    ¡°Yes, sir. I-I''m tellin'' ya. I''m innocent, I swear!" Yeom Man-Gun nodded urgently, iming his innocence without even knowing what he did wrong.

    "Hahaha...." The Cult Leader let out a maniacalugh.

    Yeom Man-Gun tightly closed his eyes. Based on the atmosphere of the room, It felt like he had made a huge mistake. The tree branches swaying beyond the Cult Leader''s shoulder seemed like they could strangle him at any moment.

    "Makes sense," the Cult Leader finally muttered.

    Yeom Man-Gun opened his eyes. The branches were swaying beyond the torn door, but it was just the wind blowing. The Cult Leader was not posing any threat or harm to him.

    "That''s that, but we still have unfinished business to discuss." The Cult Leader raised his hands on his knees facing the sky.

    "It''s not a bad trade deal for me and for you."

    ***

    When it came to the "job" of renting Executive Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s factory, it seemed like they should listen to the opinions of other executives before setting it into motion. So, they decided to make the final decision at the meeting at 11 o''clock. It was natural and fortunate, but Yeom Man-Gun seemed to be very excited about this job.

    [What are you going to do about Ha Pan-Seok?] Legba asked, anger apparent in his voice.

    "...We¡¯re going to follow the principles."

    [You don¡¯t seem to like the idea.]

    Of course, I didn¡¯t like the idea. It would have been a lot easier to make a choice if he was a loner, but he wasn¡¯t. However, if I left him alone, I would be in danger... That''s why I had no choice but to handle it ording to the rules.

    [A just choice,] Legba said as if he were satisfied.

    I thought it was more of a matter of evaluating my gains and losses than choosing to do what was right, but I kept quiet.

    I left Yeom Man-Gun''s room and went down the stairs. As I descended, the darkness that had settled on the ground grew closer. By the time I reached the first floor, everything was engulfed in darkness to the point where I couldn''t see even an inch ahead. I pushed through the darkness and moved deeper into the mountains. My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

    <i>Caw, caca</i>...

    <i>Snap, snap..</i>.

    I could hear the sound of a bird crying out from all around or the screams of leaves brushed by the wind, but I didn''t feel scared. It was rather cozy.

    [You can illuminate the path ahead using Marte''s fire. You could also summon the candle of consciousness,] Legba suggested subtly, but I shook my head.

    "There''s romance in the darkness. Especially in the mountains."

    I was familiar with the darkness. It was simr to why Ji-Ah preferred warehouses or attics.

    [Hmm... I still don¡¯t get it.]

    I brushed off Legba¡¯s sigh and walked silently along the mountain path. I did bring my phone just in case, but I didn''t really want to check the time. The feeling of the darkness swallowing up time and space, taking away my temporal and spatial awareness, was pleasant.

    "Is this far enough?"

    [Looks good.]

    I walked for who knew how long and found a fairly decent ce. It was a za-like area with t ground and almost no trees. The za formed an almost perfect circle, almost like it was an artificial creation.

    I looked up. The stars were shining brightly in the sky. The trees swayed on the edge. However, there was no time to lose myself in the scenery. I didn''te here to appreciate thendscape. I unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array for the replication spell, candle of consciousness.

    I conjured as many candles as possible and spread them in a circle around me. The purple light of the candles seeped into the darkness. The darkness, filled with light, surrounded me.

    [Very stable. The atmosphere is quite nice too,] Legba murmured quietly.

    After the Ritual of Session, there were two major changes. The first was my new ability to use replication spells multiple times simultaneously. For replication spell spells below the intermediate level, such as the candle of consciousness, I was able to cast ten of the spells at once.

    The second was my ability to adjust the intensity of the spell. It quite literally became possible for me to arbitrarily adjust the power of the spell. I could change the power of not only enthrallment spells or restoration spells, but also the intensity of replication spell spells. For example, in the case of the candles, it was possible to adjust the brightness of the light.

    [The First Cult Leader was good in the art of adjustment. Thanks to that, he had a very happy marriage.]

    "Huh?"

    [Just kidding,] Legba chuckled.

    I didn''t understand the joke.

    [Let¡¯s move on. We¡¯re not here to discuss spells.] Legba changed the subject.

    It was a bit strange, but I decided to let it go. As Legba said, I did note here for spell practice. What I was about to do was a practice that could only be done "here."

    "Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo." The point of the practice was to control the unpredictable Loa.

    Bossou and Granbwa listened well and had immense power. However, their powers came with significant drawbacks, so it was difficult to use them frequently. These three were different.

    Sobo was the Loa of thunder and lightning. Dan Wedo was the Loa of water and rain. Bade was Sobo''s brother and the Loa of wind. These three Loa barely listened to the words of the Prophet, but their powers were tremendous and rtively less prone to drawbacks. They were like a double-edged sword that couldn¡¯t be controlled, but if they could be, they would be my most reliable allies.

    <i>Rumble¨C!</i>

    [Enter Sobo, Ah, Bade!]

    [Bade Enters, Oh, Sobo!]

    At that moment, thunder roared, announcing the arrival of Sobo and Bade. Bade, like Sobo, had a casual tone and a capricious personality. As brothers, they had simr personalities, speech, and voices.

    [Are you ready, Ba?]

    [Of course, So.]

    [Dan We... Will bring rain...!]

    <i>Swaaaaa¨C!</i>

    Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo¡¯s voices alternated, echoing through the clear sky as dark clouds gathered and rain poured down. Sharp and chilly winds scattered the rain in every direction. shes of lightning streaked through the gaps in the clouds, heralding the thunder.

    <i>Ruuuumble....</i>

    asionally, thunder echoed through the mountain ridges, sounding eerie and foreboding as if the mountains were wailing. Rain, wind, thunder, and lightning gathered around me, converging into a fierce storm that seemed capable of sweeping the mountain away.

    [Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?] Legba asked softly in the midst of the ovepping noise created by the voices of Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo.

    In truth, my head had already started throbbing and felt as if it would split open. But I couldn''t afford to be dramatic. I had to control the massive storm raging around me, so I couldn''t waste my energy on a headache.

    "Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo!" I shouted their names amidst the raging storm.

    <i>Grrung©¤! </i>

    They responded by intensifying the power of the storm. The circle of candles of consciousness swayed dangerously in the wind. My styled hair was soaked by the rain and whipped around by the it, bing a mess.

    "©¤©¤©¤!" At some point, the storm became so strong that even my voice couldn''t be heard.

    If I rxed even a little, it felt like I would be blown away by the wind. The rain kept pouring down. Lightning was splitting the sky into thousands of pieces. The trees covering the mountainside were repeatedly knocked down by the wind and then were whipped back up again. The entire mountain shook.

    "©¤©¤, ©¤©¤, ©¤ ©¤©¤!" I called their names again.

    My voice was drowned out by the noise, and there was no reply. Suddenly, fear began to well up inside me. Could I really control this storm? Did I do something foolish that I couldn¡¯t even handle? Soon, I regained myposure. If I was going to crumble just from this, I wouldn¡¯t have started in the first ce.

    "©¤©¤©¤©¤!" I recited a prayer.

    My voice was broken by the sound of the rain, wind, and thunder. Yet, I didn''t stop praying. The Voodoo Cult was a religion born during oppression and suppression. The screams for freedom from the ves had naturally turned into the principles of the Voodists. Therefore, the prayers of the Voodoo Cult were roars and howls of defiance.

    <i>Craakkk¡ª!</i>

    Shaking and uprooting trees, a storm rushed fiercely toward me. My voice murmuring the prayer was feeble against the screams of the storm, and the heavy raindrops mercilessly struck my body while the des of wind cut through my flesh. There was a sh of light.

    <i>Boom¡ª!</i>

    Lightning struck, splitting a tree in half. The debris of the fallen tree fell down above my head. I did not stop my prayer. That¡¯s because that was what a Voodooist prayer was: a feeble roar from a human withstanding the fear of an unstoppable disaster.

    1. Yeom Man-Gun has a thick ent. Here he says ???(simbaram), which is a Korean country dialect for saying ???(simburum). The word massager was used to convey a thick ent which Sun-Woo could mistake as him saying massager rather than messenger. ?

 Chapter 97

    <h4>Chapter 97</h4>

    <i>Shwaaa... </i>

    A heavy and intense fog rolled in. The perched birds on branches cried out in a rough and rming manner and flew away. Despite the pping of the birds trying to escape the fog, the fog did not disperse but continued to slowly engulf the forest. Before long, the fog had seeped through the surroundings, saturating the darkness.

    "<i>Phew</i>." Ha Soo-Yeong wiped the sweat off her forehead and let out a sigh.

    The pale moon in the night sky was tinged with a purple hue as it was obscured by the fog. There was something eerie about the scenery. However, rather than feeling fear, she felt a sense of aplishment, for she had just finished her practice for the day.

    <i> "Soo-Yeong, you''re the only one who can revive the Voodoo Cult. You must be the Cult Leader. I''ll take care of the Third Cult Leader somehow, so as long as you keep preparing..."</i>

    Her father¡¯s voice rang in her ears. She must have heard him say this a thousand times.

    <i>¡®You must be the Cult Leader. You must be the Cult Leader...¡¯ </i>Her father''s voice trembled wheneve he spoke. He always reminisced about the golden age of the Voodoo Cult, when they were under the rule of the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun. Now, he despised the current deste state of the Voodoo Cult, which had fallen under the rule of the Third Cult Leader, Do Sun-Woo.

    Soo-Yeong grieved. She was sad when she saw her once strong and reliable father be reduced to a pitiful figure after the Holy War. She was sad to see her father, who had been overjoyed at the talk of the Second Cult Leader, turning into someone who couldn¡¯t hide his anguish when talking about the Third Cult Leader.

    She had made up her mind back then to be the Cult Leader. It was no one else¡¯s choice but her own.

    "..."

    By the time she had woken up from her daydream, the wind had already dispersed the fog. The wind blew her hair around and made the branches quiver. Somehow, the wind felt sharper and stronger than before. The darkness had also taken a darker shade. It seemed like it was a good idea to start heading back to the mountain lodge.

    <i>Wooooo¡ª! </i>

    The sound of a bird crying echoed through the mountain. The sound made its way through the trees, distorting into an even more eerie and depressing sound. Suddenly, she was struck by fear. Every hair on her body stood on end. The darkness of the mountain was not kind like the darkness of the city.

    <i>Snap¡ª!</i>

    "...!" As she walked through the darkness, she heard the sound of a dry branch breaking under her foot, echoing around her.

    "I''m not scared at all. It''s nothing to be afraid of..." She let out her frustration on the innocent branch and continued walking through the darkness.

    However, no matter how far she walked, she couldn''t see the light of the mountain lodge. Even when she changed direction, the result was the same. Everywhere she went, there were just mountains and darkness.

    She remembered marking the trees on the way, just in case she ever got lost. If she followed those marks, she would surely be able to return to the mountain lodge. However, in the darkness, one tree looked like another, and she had no idea which tree she had marked. She was lost.

    As she realized this, the fear she had been trying to ignore swept over her like a tidal wave.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    At that moment, thunder roared throughout the sky. The sharp wind brushed against her side. Thick and heavy raindrops struck her forehead. The gathering clouds had crept across the sky and, before she knew it, had blocked the moonlight. The darkness of the mountains grew even deeper.

    <i>Grrrr, grrr...</i>

    The eerie cry of a beast echoed through the air. Trembling with fear, Ha Soo-Yeong began to run blindly into the darkness. Despite stumbling and slipping several times, she hardly felt any pain. It was as if the terror had paralyzed her senses.

    ¡°Ah...!" Ha Soo-Yeong couldn''t help but let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she had found a light.

    However, despair quickly filled her face once again as she realized that the light, which had appeared like a savior, was noting from the mountain lodge. Hiding herself in the bushes, Ha Soo-Yeong looked toward the direction of the light. In a clear, circr za, candles were arranged in a circle. It seemed like the candles were responsible for the light she had noticed. And in the center of those candles stood a man, standing not on the ground but in thin air.

    <i>Craaack¨C! </i>

    Lightning split the sky, and thunder shook the earth. Ha Soo-Yeong, both startled and captivated, couldn''t take her eyes off him, even as she wrapped her head in her arms. He was clearly standing in the center of the candles, suspended in mid air.

    <i>Whooosh... </i>

    As he gestured in the air, the wind changed from blowing to the west to blowing to the east. As he gestured again, the rain changed from a drizzle into a downpour. The violent storm that had seemed to drown out the entire mountain calmed down as if it were ending, only to stir up again in a repeating cycle. Every time he gestured, the storm took on a new form. He was truly a maestro of the tempest.

    "...Do Sun-Woo."

    Soo-Yeong knew his name. He was the current Cult Leader and the cause of the downfall of the Voodoo Cult. He was the man her father would curse and insult whenever he had the chance.

    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the Loa, you a piece of uahhhhhhhh-!¡±

    <i>Swoosh¡ª!</i>

    The sudden strong wind blew Soo-Yeong off of her feet and lifted her into the air.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The wind forcefully threw Ha Soo-Yeong''s body into the center of the za.

    "Aaaahhh...!"

    Shended on her back, causing excruciating pain. In the midst of her agony, she felt someone''s gaze. She looked up. Sun-Woo was looking down at her from above.

    Ha Soo-Yeong had decided long ago to treat Sun-Woo with hatred and anger. Now that they were face to face, it was not hatred but fear that took over.

    "That''s enough," Sun-Woo said, clenching his fist tightly.

    Suddenly, the gusty wind stopped, and the thunder and lightning ceased. The storm that had been raging throughout the mountain ceased to exist, making it seem like it had not existed in the first ce. In the silence, he gracefully rode the wind andnded on the ground.

    Ha Soo-Yeong couldn¡¯t help but stare. She felt dizzy from the sensation of the surreal overwhelming reality. Without a chance to regain herposure, Sun-Woo began to walk toward her.

    ***

    [It''s getting tough, right Ba?]

    [Of course, So! Help me!]

    [Aaahhh... Aaahhh...]

    Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo, the three Loa who had arrogantly summoned the storm, groaned in displeasure.

    "Tired already? I could do this all day."

    However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. I held onto the screaming Loa and forcibly used their power. Thanks to their exhaustion, I was able to use their power more stably. I could summon lightning to a desired location, control the amount of downpour, and even control the wind to lift my body. After lifting my body with the wind, I used the Blessing of Superhuman Strength to stabilize myself, allowing myself to truly ¡®fly.¡¯

    [So! I think I see Baron Samedi!]

    [Snap out of it, Ba ! It¡¯s just an illusion!]

    [I''m dying... soon... ahh...!]

    [Yo Prophet, that should be enough!]

    ¡°Just hold on a little longer, and the sacrifice is yours." The chaotic Loa pleaded and whimpered, but I firmly shook my head and refused.

    I had made a contract with them through a prayer. I dered that if they listened well, I would reward them with a sacrifice. There was no better method than this to control Loa like Sobo, Bade, and Dan Wedo, since they were crazy about sacrifices. I had tamed Bossou with the same method. The method followed the same logic to train a dog with treats.

    "Now, this is thest five minutes, for real!"

    [When is thest five minutesingggg¡ª??]

    [Baron Samedi, please save me from the tyrant Prophet...]

    [Again... five minutes... only death...!]

    The moment I dered thest five minutes to thepletely exhausted Loa...

    <i>Fwoosh©¤! </i>

    I saw a familiar face between the trees, swaying back and forth. It was Ha Pan-Seok''s daughter, the strongly favored next Cult Leader. She had been secretly watching me manipte the Loa while hiding in the bushes.

    "..."

    I had a good idea.

    "Bade."

    [Urgh! Again, again! Why is it always me!]

    <i>Woong!</i>

    I used Bade''s power to create wind and brought her out from where she was hiding. She looked up at me, trembling in fear, as she was roughly thrown to the ground by the wind.

    "That''s enough," I said to the Loa, clenching my fist toward the empty air. It was a signal to silence the storm.

    [I need a break! I won''te back for the next few days, no matter how much you call me! No, for a few years!]

    [Ah, you¡¯ve finally answered my prayers, Baron Samedi!]

    [Finally... life...]

    The voices of the Loa gradually faded away, and the storm disappeared in a sh. Although I had ruled them under the promise of a sacrifice, the chaotic Loa had started to listen to me, so my purpose for the meeting was met. Feeling a sense of pride, I walked toward where Soo-Yeong was sitting and looking at me with obvious shock on her face.

    "Hi." I greeted her with kindness. I even smiled. It was a smile that hid my true feelings.

    "..." She didn''t respond. It seemed like she was too surprised to speak.

    I felt like I needed to continue the conversation. I approached her with a bright smile.

    "What was your name again? Ha..." But I was already stuck on my first sentence.

    I remembered she was Ha Pan-Seok''s daughter, but I couldn''t recall her name. I was sure I had heard it from Ji-Ah earlier.

    <i>What was it? Ha, ha..</i>.

    ¡°Ha Soo..."

    "...Ha Soo-Yeong."

    "Yeah. Ha Soo-Yeong," she replied shortly, seeming a bit annoyed.

    I engraved the name Ha Soo-Yeong in my mind and continued speaking.

    "Why did youe all the way here?"

    "To practice."

    "Practice? For what?"

    "Spells." Ha Soo-Yeong''s responses were very short. Maybe she intentionally kept them brief.

    I didn''t really care, but it seemed like she didn''t trust me. It was probably because of her father, Ha Pan-Seok, and the incident that happened during The Starless Night.

    ¡°Then why are you still here and not in your room?¡±

    ¡°...¡± She just hung her head down without a response. It was too dark to make out her expression.

    I intensified the light of the candles scattered around the za, and the area became brightly illuminated in purple. She looked up at me with widened eyes, and I noticed wounds all over her body. There were particrly deep wounds on her knees as if she had fallen and gotten hurt. There was dirt caked around the wounds.

    ¡°So you got lost.¡±

    I used the lesser restoration spell on her wounds. The lesser restoration spell was the only spell I had aplished to the state of Acquirement. The small wounds on her body were neatly healed without me having to draw a spell array.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t go hiking in the middle of the night. You¡¯ll get lost like you did today.¡±

    Ha Soo-Yeong furrowed her eyebrows at my words. ¡°...You¡¯re one to talk.¡±

    ¡°I know my way back.¡±

    ¡°All thanks to the power of the Loa?¡±

    I nodded my head, slightly surprised. It was the first time I heard the term ''power of Loa'' from someone other than myself. Well, I guess it was natural for her to know, considering she had been designated as the next Cult Leader.

    ¡°Yeah. Thanks to the power of Loa.¡± I reached out to her with my hand. ¡°Shall we go together? You won''t be able to make it back alone anyways.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    <i>p!</i>

    She forcefully rejected me, deflecting my hand away. The back of my hand stung.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I hate people like you.¡±

    ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± I held back my annoyance at her constant use of the word ''you.¡¯ [1]

    Ha Soo-Yeong tidied up her messy hair and stared me down with a cold re.

    ¡°Because you were the reason why the Voodooists are doomed.¡±

    ¡°Not all of it is my fault.¡±

    The Voodooists¡¯ downfall was not all on me. When I became the Cult Leader, the Voodoo Cult was already in ruins. However, it was true that the Voodoo Cult was ¡®still¡¯ in ruins because of me.

    Ha Soo-Yeong didn''t even bother to listen to what I had to say and dered, "I should have been the Cult Leader."

    The context of the conversation felt strange. It felt like I was conversing with AI designed to spit out predetermined responses.

    This, too, was probably influenced by Ha Pan-Seok. Ha Soo-Yeong must have grown up hearing such things over and over again from Ha Pan-Seok.

    "Did your father tell you that?"

    Ha Soo-Yeong''s expression hardened upon hearing my words. Her widened eyes stared at me intensely. It was a face that seemed to ask how I knew. She then stiffened her expression and nodded her head slightly.

    "It wasn''t my dad. I said that."

    "Oh, I see." I could feel a strong determination and sharp hostility behind her gaze. It seemed like she had no intention of listening to anything I had to say. I stopped the conversation and looked at Ha Soo-Yeong. She was wearing purple sweatpants and a sweatshirt. It was an outfit that would do nothing to protect her against the cold, as the nights were still chilly during early spring.

    Wet leaves were scattered haphazardly on the za floor. I gathered them roughly with the tip of my foot.

    "Marte."

    I used Marte''s power. mes shot up from my palm.

    <i>Flicker!</i>

    I transferred the mes onto the wet leaves. Marte''s fire easily caught onto even damp leaves.

    Ha Soo-Yeong looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Helping you dry up a bit.¡±

    If I left her in the state she was in, she would either die from hypothermia or get killed by wild animals in the mountains. Therefore, I had no intention of returning to the mountain lodge and leaving her alone. After all, it was her father was the one who hadmitted the crime, not her.

    I sat next to her and warmed myself by the fire. The intense heat from Marte''s mes warmed my shivering, chilled body.

    "I hate people like you," Ha Soo-Yeong emphasized, repeating herself.

    At this point, I was starting to feel a bit upset, especially because I had lit up a fire for her to enjoy.

    When I stared at her, she held my gaze and continued to talk. "It must be so much fun pretending to be the Cult Leader when you can¡¯t do anything other than ask the Loa for help.¡±

    "I know how to use spells too."

    "I''m better than you at using spells. I should have been the Cult Leader..." Ha Soo-Yeong said, her face crumpling up as if she felt that it was unfair she wasn¡¯t the Cult Leader.

    It seemed difficult to persuade her to return to the mountain lodge in the state that she was in.

    Should I forcibly take her...? No, I didn¡¯t want to do that.

    <i>Rustle... </i>

    I sat by the fire, contemting my next n of action. I heard a disturbing sound from the bushes, which was the sound of something small and nimble brushing against the leaves.

    <i>Rustle...</i>

    The sound continued without stopping. It seemed to be some kind of wild animal. The number and variety of wild animals had increased rapidly in Taebaeksan with the implementation of the civilian ess restriction order.

    I didn''t know what kind of animal would appear. If it was a deer or a wildcat, we¡¯d be fine, but if it was a wild boar or a wolf, it would be a problem. Spells didn¡¯t work on beings that didn¡¯t operate on logic, such as demons, demonic beasts, or animals.

    <i>Pssk!</i>

    At that moment, something jumped out of the grassy forest.

    "Marte!" In a hurry, I used Marte¡¯s power. I nned to avoid the attack and chase away the animals with fire.

    However, it didn¡¯te to that.

    <i>Graaah, graah...!</i>

    Before I could even avoid the attack, the beast copsed, letting out a pitiful cry. I couldn''t quite grasp what had happened.

    "Can¡¯t believe the so-called Cult Leader can¡¯t deal with a simple lynx," Ha Soo-Yeong muttered from behind me as if she had seen something pathetic.

    I looked back and forth between the fallen beast and Ha Soo-Yeong. Voodoo magic flowed from her fingertips, and a spell array was drawn in front of her.

    <i>Squeak, Squueak, Squeak.... </i>

    There was a series of thin cries echoing from somewhere. The hidden baby lynxes were running toward their fallen mother.

    <i>Squeak, squueak!</i>

    Several of the baby lynxes cried in grief. I examined Ha Soo-Yeong and the spell array she had conjured. Ha Soo-Yeong shrugged as if my gaze made her ufortable.

    "What, what are you looking at? I didn''t kill her. I just made her faint with the curse of fainting spell..."

    As she had said, the fallen mother beast soon regained consciousness and stood up. Then, she disappeared into the forest with her babies.

    "See? She''s not dead," Ha Soo-Yeong sighed as if she were relieved. She seemed unaware of how unique her spell was.

    Generally, an enthrallment spell could control animals. However, her enchantment spell worked on animals as well. Her talent was too valuable to make her an enemy.

    "The rumors are a bit off."

    "...Huh?" Ha Soo-Yeong red at me, furrowing her eyebrows. Her voice trembled faintly.

    She quickly became agitated when I said something even slightly provocative. She seemed to have a very strong sense of pride, which was actually good for me. I could probably reel her in without needing to put in too much effort but by teasing her a little.

    "I had high expectations because the executives said you were a genius."

    ¡°What does that mean?" She spat out her words with annoyance.

    Then, with a flick of her finger, she unleashed Voodoo magic and approached me confidently.

    I smirked at her. "What do you think it means?"

    "That you want to die? Should I make you faint with a curse of fainting spell and bury you somewhere in the mountains?" Ha Soo-Yeong said with a scowl. I could see her anger even through the darkness.

    ¡°Try me. By the looks of your spells, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever get me dizzy, let alone faint.¡±

    ¡°...Ha!¡± Ha Soo-Yeong let out augh as if she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. I could see mes dancing in her eyes as she looked at me.

    "Should we make a bet? Whether you can make me faint using spells or not? If I win, you''ll be buried in the mountains."

    "And if I win?"

    "What are you talking about? I''m the one who''s going to win," Ha Soo-Yeong said as if it were obvious.

    I was dumbfounded. It seemed like she didn''t even harbor the possibility of losing.

    "If I win, then listen to me obediently,¡¯ I subtly proposed.

    Ha Soo-Yeong smirked. "Sure, why not? Do you think you can win, you idiot?"

    Finally, she took the bait. Her unleashed Voodoo magic started to weave itself into a spell array at an rming rate.

    1. Ha Soo-Yeong is younger than Do Sun-Woo and a subordinate as well. In Korean culture, people take age seriously, and it is considered very disrespectful if you address someone older or higher than you informally. ?

 Chapter 98

    <h4>Chapter 98</h4>

    The rules of the sudden bet were: for twenty seconds, Ha Soo-Yeong could freely cast any spell she wanted on Sun-Woo. If she managed to render Sun-Woo unconscious within that timeframe, Ha Soo-Yeong would win. If not, Sun-Woo would be the victor.

    Ha Soo-Yeong suppressed herughter. The rules were leaning in her favor, and she found it amusing that Sun-Woo would be such a fool to ept such an absurd bet with no hesitation.

    <i>Pshhh...</i>

    Mist spewed forth from her spell array. The mist hastily made its way toward Sun-Woo, dancing in the wind.

    ¡°See, I told you it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±

    However, it had no apparent effect. The mist only circled around Sun-Woo and did not reach him. It was as if there was a thin barrier around him.

    ¡°You, what...!"

    It seemed that he had used the power of the Loa to use the wind to block the mist. Although Soo-Yeong wanted to protest, she realized that he wasn''t necessarily cheating. If one spell weren¡¯t enough, then two spells would be to get the job done. If she attacked from two sides at the same time, he wouldn¡¯t even have a chance to block the mist with the wind. With her n in mind, Ha Soo-Yeong drew the next spell array.

    <i>Psshh.... </i>

    In an instant, mist spread from both spell arrays simultaneously.

    The wind he had created blocked the mist shot directly at him. However, the mist shot from Sun-Woo¡¯s blind spot at the side remained untouched. At that moment, Ha Soo-Yeong could smell her victory.

    "I wo©¤!"

    "Twenty seconds is up." Sun-Woo''s ever-so-cold voice interrupted Ha Soo-Yeong''s gleeful shout.

    <i>Krrk!</i>

    Simultaneously, both of the spell arrays she had drawn copsed on themselves in a distorted manner. As Sun-Woo pretended to clench his fist in the air, the spell array crumpledpletely. It looked like a lump of bunched-up tissue paper.

    <i>Shhhh....</i>

    The shapeless spell array lost its color, turned into ashes, and disappeared. Ha Soo-Yeong watched the ashes flying in the wind with a deste expression.

    "It¡¯s my turn, right? Twenty seconds?" Without giving her a moment to calm her nerves, Sun-Woo began drawing a spell array.

    "What? I haven''t finished y¡ª"

    <i>Shhhhhh.</i>

    A strand of mist extended from his spell array and quickly wrapped around her neck.

    "I have, haven¡¯t finishe...." Ha Soo-Yeong couldn''t even finish her sentence and lost consciousness.

    <i> </i> ***

    "I haven''t... finished..." The knocked-out Ha Soo-Yeong tossed and turned, murmuring in her sleep.

    When people with strong spell resistance were under the influence of a curse of fainting spell, they often mumbled in their sleep because they could notpletely lose consciousness. Ha Soo-Yeong seemed to be one of these people, as she had strong spell resistance.

    I took off my ck cardigan and covered her with it. Then, I stared nkly at her with many thoughts running through my mind.

    [Do you n to let her live?] Suddenly, Legba''s voice echoed in my ears.

    I let out a bitterugh. "Or what, should I kill her instead?"

    [No, that¡¯s not what I meant.] Legba sighed and continued, [If you''re considering letting her live, I just wanted to know if it was a calcted decision or one driven by guilt.]

    "...Do I have to choose between the two?"

    [If you had to choose one, which one would it be?]

    <i>If I had to choose only one? </i>

    "Calction," I answered without hesitation.

    [I see.] Legba seemed to ept it¡ªhis tone was gentle, and he seemed satisfied.

    Ha Soo-Yeong was great at utilizing spells. Although the rumor that she was on par with the Second Cult Leader in terms of skill alone was proven to be untrue, it was true that she was skilled in spell casting. I was interested in her because her spells could work on animals, and because of this unique characteristic, her skills were even more valuable.

    In conclusion, she had considerable talent in spellcasting, and her spell was special. She still had a lot to improve on, but if she met a good teacher and received proper guidance, Ha Soo-Yeong''s spellcasting skills would improve noticeably. If taught well, I could see her bing an important force in the Voodoo Cult.

    "Ah, my head, urgh..." Eventually, the spell cast on Ha Soo-Yeong took effect. She grimaced, pressed her temples, and slowly stood up.

    Then, as if something had suddenly urred, her eyes widened.

    "...It''s not over yet!" She red at me with her still drowsy eyes and unleashed Voodoo magic.

    <i>Fwoosh!</i>

    However, the Voodoo magic failed to form a spell array and turned into ashes and disappeared.

    "What, what did you do?" Ha Soo-Yeong asked, looking at the ashes blowing in the wind with a bewildered expression.

    ¡°I disassembled it. And the bet¡¯s already over."

    "It''s over?"

    "Yeah. I won, and you lost."

    Ha Soo-Yeong tilted her head in confusion.

    "I lost...?" Ha Soo-Yeong''s expression quickly darkened.

    Her memory had taken some time toe back. The confident and energetic appearance she had taken when unleashing the spell array disappeared. I had suspected it, but she held great pride in her talent with spells. However, pride tended to turn into despair once broken. The bigger the pride, the bigger the despair that chased it.

    "You¡¯re right. I lost..." Ha Soo-Yeong hung her head down as she muttered to herself.

    From the looks of it, she was overwhelmed with despair and couldn¡¯t even think.

    "Winning or losing isn''t important." I offered her some empty words of encouragement.

    Ha Soo-Yeong raised her head abruptly and looked at me with slightly rxed eyes.

    "Did you learn the spell by yourself?" I asked.

    "I learned a bit from my dad. But I¡¯m mostly self-taught..."

    That made sense since Ha Pan-Seok wasn¡¯t skilled enough to teach spells to others.

    "To learn by yourself and get this far..." I trailed off.

    Ha Soo-Yeong looked at me with trembling eyes. It appeared as if she was eagerly awaiting my next words.

    "You have incredible talent."

    "...Really?"

    "Yeah. The executives weren''t just calling you a genius for no reason," I said quietly as if talking to myself.

    Even so, Ha Soo-Yeong must have clearly heard my words. I arranged it so that she had no choice but to listen to what I said.

    "If you had proper training, I could have lost the bet.¡±

    "Really?¡±

    ¡°Really. With that level of talent, you would learn at an incredibly fast pace..." I nodded my head gently as if to make it sound like it was an impressive feat.

    Ha Soo-Yeong''s face, which had been shrouded in darkness, finally lit up. After experiencing despair, humans couldn¡¯t help but be psychologically weak. Despair brought about emptiness, and emptiness would leave a huge void in the heart. I filled the void that had formed in Ha Soo-Yeong''s heart with a new yearning.

    I had talent, but I couldn¡¯t live out my potential. I had talent, but my surroundings were not good enough. I had talent, oh, I have talent...

    Whenever one heard the words "I have talent," one would think that maybe their failures were not their fault but because of the environment. Those thoughts would eventually turn into resentment¡ªresentment toward the environment that didn''t support my talent. Resentment would eventually turn into a strong yearning.

    "I learned spells from the former Cult Leader. I know a few things that could help you."

    <i>¡®I can satisfy your cravings. If you believe in me, you will be able to nurture and blossom your talent. So believe in me. You will achieve what you want...¡¯ </i>This was what I implied within my words.

    <i>"You need to highlight the cravings and allude to fulfillment. But remember, you have to give the other person the power to choose. When one thinks they have the initiative, they let their guard down. We just need to utilize that moment."</i>

    This method was used to captivate the minds of people inherently or weakened psychologically by their situation. I had learned this from my father.

    "So what do you want to do?" I asked, looking into her eyes.

    She looked up at me, her gaze trembling slightly.

    "Wha-what do you mean?"

    "The former Cult Leader taught me a few spell tips. Do you want to hear them?"

    "That sounds like an intriguing suggestion."

    "Make up your mind and tell me what you want. Do you want tips or not?"

    Ha Soo-Yeong pretended to ponder. It was just an act. She had already made her mind up.

    "...Tell me. What is it?" she replied curtly.

    I needed Ha Soo-Yeong. More precisely, I needed her spells that could be used on animals. However, the quality of her spells wascking at the moment. She would only be useful to me if she could use a spell I needed at the exact time. For that, I had the intention of bing her mentor. I would help Ha Soo-Yeong with her spell proficiency to a level that I was satisfied with. I would subtly imply that she could not further her spell skills without me, making it impossible to escape from my clutch.

    [A truly viinous idea,] Legba said, tsking.

    After casually dismissing it, I looked at Ha Soo-Yeong.

    "To address your first issue, your spell array is too simple."

    "I can make it moreplex." Ha Soo-Yeong quickly responded, seemingly offended.

    "Oh, yeah? Show me."

    She drew the spell array. It seemed like she put more effort into it since the strokes were much more intricately connected than before. However, simply making the strokes moreplex did not make the spell array moreplex.

    <i>Fwoosh!</i>

    Showing no mercy, I swiftly dismantled and destroyed her spell array.

    "Hey! What are you doing...!"

    "Drawing more strokes into the array doesn''t make it more intricate."

    "Well, what are you supposed to do then? Can you even do it? I bet you can¡¯t. You''re just a big-mouthed puppet Cult Leader." Ha Soo-Yeong poured out her anger in a torrent of words.

    Puppet Cult Leader... I let everything else slide, but somehow, that term really disturbed me. Maybe it was because it was somewhat true. It seemed like I needed to address her attitude before teaching her spells.

    "Do you even want to learn?" I asked sharply, causing Ha Soo-Yeong to flinch and nervously roll her eyes.

    ¡°Of course, I want to learn...¡±

    ¡°Then why do you say these things?¡±

    ¡°No, what I meant was...¡± Ha Soo-Yeong¡¯s eyes darted around frantically. The look of confusion was evident in her expression.

    "What did we agree on if you lost the bet?"

    "...To listen to you withoutining."

    "Then you should quietly listen to what I have to say. If you keep up with this attitude, I won''t have the heart to teach you." I smiled and spoke with a tone that was calm and soothing but also firm.

    Even if Ha Soo-Yeong could finally fulfill her role after learning spells, it would be meaningless if she didn''t listen to me and kept acting up in defiance. What I needed was a loyal follower, not a disobedient dog who constantly bared its fangs to its master.

    "...Alright, I''m sorry." Ha Soo-Yeong finally apologized.

    I nodded and slowly drew a spell array. I drew it slowly in order to show Ha Soo-Yeong how it was done.

    "See? It bes much moreplicated if you draw it like this, right?"

    "What''s the difference between mine and yours?"

    "If you didn''t understand, would you like me to draw it again for you?"

    Just as I was about to dismantle the drawn spell array, Ha Soo-Yeong grabbed my wrist tightly. Then, while keeping her gaze fixed on the spell array, she slowly lowered her head.

    "Wait, just, wait a moment." Ha Soo-Yeong spoke stiffly, as if her pride was hurt, and stared at the spell array for a long time.

    "Alright."

    Judging from her expression, she still didn''t quite understand the spell array. After a few minutes of staring motionlessly at the spell array, Ha Soo-Yeong finally nodded as if she understood something.

    "It is a little different."

    "Yes. And where exactly is it different?"

    "Here and here." She pointed with her finger at the two circles on either side of the core of the spell array. I had added extra strokes to those parts.

    ¡°Nice. Why did I only change these regions specifically?¡±

    ¡°Because they are important?¡±

    ¡°Good. You''re clever."

    Even though it was a passingpliment, Ha Soo-Yeong''s eyes sparkled with delight. I removed the strokes of the two parts she pointed out. The spell array that had originally taken a dark purple hue turned slightly lighter.

    "What would change if I changed it like this?"

    "I''m not sure."

    "Should I give you a hint?"

    "A hint? Are you looking down on me now?"

    "If you don''t need it, then forget it."

    Soo-Yeong withdrew her fierce gaze from me and focused it on the spell array. Her gaze was intense, and it remained fixated on the spell array without even the slightest deviation. She had impressive concentration.

    "Give me a... hint." Ha Soo-Yeong reluctantly asked for a hint with a deste look in her eyes, and it seemed like she was still lost even after all that.

    I suddenly felt mischievous seeing her looking up at me with a pitiful expression.

    "Try saying<i> please.</i>"

    "Ha, you think I¡¯m crazy?"

    ¡°Yeah? Then I¡¯ll destroy the array."

    "W-Wait. You didn''t say you would destroy it, hey!" Ha Soo-Yeong shouted and stopped my hand from approaching the spell array. Her bodynguage showed she was extremely urgent.

    "Addressing your Cult Leader as ''hey''..."

    "...ease. Now give me a hint."

    "Ease? What are we easing into?"

    "...Please. Give me a hint. Give it now!"

    I was satisfied with her response. I nodded and said, "The curse of fainting spell is a spell that temporarily makes the target faint."

    "I know that too. Are you calling this a hint?"

    "How long exactly does ''temporarily'' mean?¡±

    Ha Soo-Yeong stared at my face as if trying to understand the meaning of the hint I had given her. She had been trying hard to grasp the meaning behind my hint with a focused expression, and her face gradually brightened up. The expression on their face indicated that they had just realized something.

    ¡°You can control the amount of time someone is unconscious.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. The essence of the curse of fainting spells is to rattle the opponent''s consciousness. We use this principle to make the opponent faint."

    I pointed my finger at the two circles next to the spell array¡¯s core.

    "By adding strokes to these two circles, you can manipte the intensity and duration of the confusion. That way, it is also possible to control how long one faints."

    "Wouldn''t it be best to maximize both the intensity and duration?"

    "No. Intensity and duration have a negative corrtion. If you increase the intensity, the duration weakens, and if you increase the duration, the intensity weakens. Bnce is key to this spell."

    If the intensity were increased too much, then the duration would be shorter, so the target would up from fainting more quickly. On the other hand, if the duration was increased too much, the intensity would be lowered, so there would be a risk that the target would not faint in the first ce. Adjusting the intensity and duration appropriately ording to one''s own skill level was the bread and butter to the curse of fainting spell.

    After finishing the exnation, I asked Ha Soo-Yeong, "Do you understand?"

    She had a puzzled expression as if she hadn¡¯t understood a thing from top to bottom.

    "Yeah, I kind of get it, but..."

    "But?"

    "...What does a negative corrtion mean?" Ha Soo-Yeong asked, looking confused. She seemed to understand the content itself but didn''t know the word.

    "It means it has an inverse rtionship. When one goes up, the other goes down."

    "Ah, I see. Why didn''t you say that from the beginning?" Ha Soo-Yeong nodded as if satisfied.

    Anyway, it was good that she understood. I continued exining.

    "And if you utilize this part well, fusion... Ah, do you know what a fusion Voodoo spell is?"

    "You keep ignoring me. I can draw one myself, you know."

    ¡°Yeah? Can you show me what you know?¡±

    Soo-Yeong drew two spell arrays into the air. They were both enthrallment spells, one curse of fainting and the other a curse of nightmares. The two spell arrays ran down her hands and merged. From the merged spell array, an eerie and sinister mist rose up.

    <i>Fwoosh, woosh...</i>

    I immediately reached out and destroyed both spell arrays she had created.

    "Huh?" Ha Soo-Yeong questioned, staring nkly at her disappearing spell array.

    "...Ah!" She btedly realized the situation and opened her mouth, shooting me a sharp gaze.

    "Hey! If you were going to dismantle it anyway, why did you tell me to show you?"

    "Calling me ''hey'' again?"

    "...Why did you tell me to draw it?" Ha Soo-Yeong quickly changed her tone when I showed that I was slightly agitated.

    "First of all, what you drew wasn''t a fusion Voodoo spell. It was just two spells lumped together."

    "Then what is a fusion Voodoo spell?" she asked bluntly.

    After drawing two spell arrays in the air, I fused them together.

    "This is a fusion Voodoo spell."

    "M¡¯kay, so what''s the difference between this and what I drew?"

    ¡°Uh, what did we say about that tone of voice?"

    "Well, what is the difference... <i>sir</i>?"

    Combining spell arrays and fusing them were different concepts. However, it was a bit difficult to exin in words.

    "...Let me give you a metaphor. Think of snow.¡±

    "Snow?"

    "What you did was simr tobining two snowballs to make one big snowball. It only gets bigger. Nothing changes.¡±

    ¡°Then what is fusion?¡±

    ¡°Fusion is like stacking two snowballs to make a snowman."

    Although I tried to slowly exin to her using a metaphor, the concept seemed to just fly over her head. It¡¯d be better to show her how instead. I drew two spell arrays each for the curse of fainting and the curse of intoxication, which was a total of four spell arrays, and suspended them in the air. Then, Ibined one curse of fainting and one curse of intoxication spell array.

    "This is not fusion, just abination of the two. What will happen to someone who inhales the mist thates out of here?"

    "They would be intoxicated by the curse of intoxication while in a state of fainting, sir."

    "Right, great job."

    Next, I ''fused'' the curse of fainting and intoxication spell arrays, creating a fusion spell array.

    "This is a fusion spell array. What do you think will happen to someone who inhales the mist thates out of here?"

    ¡°They¡¯re different? Wouldn¡¯t they both cause the opponent to faint and be intoxicated?"

    "They are different. As I mentioned earlier, the essence of the curse of fainting is confusion. The essence of the curse of intoxication is addiction and pleasure."

    Ha Soo-Yeong looked at me with a face that said she didn''t understand what to do. She had yet to grasp the concept.

    "...If you fuse the ''confusion'' of the curse of fainting and the ''addiction'' of the curse of intoxication, the other person bes ¡®addicted¡¯ to the ¡®confusion.¡¯ That''s what fusion is about."

    "Ah."

    "When youbine spells, the effects of both spells happen simultaneously. When you fuse the two, the two different characteristics of each spelle together and transform into a whole new spell.¡±

    The same concept could be used in tandem with ¡®memory annihtion.¡¯ Fusing the essence of memory annihtion, ''forgetfulness,¡¯ with the ''addiction'' from the curse of intoxication, the opponent would go from being ''addicted'' to being ''forgetful.''

    When the ''fear'' of the curse of nightmares was fused with the ''pleasure'' of the curse of intoxication, the opponent would experience ''pleasure'' in ''fear.'' When memory annihtion, the curse of nightmares, and intoxication were properly fused, they formed the base for the ''zombification'' spell.

    If Ha Soo-Yeong learned the zombification spell, it would also be possible to turn the Satanists¡¯ demonic beasts into zombies to neutralize them.

    "Do you follow?"

    She nodded.

    "Then give it a try."

    Ha Soo-Yeong drew two spell arrays in the air without saying a word and merged them together. As I had expected, she justbined the two spell arrays and did not fuse them. I dismantled her spell array.

    "That wasn¡¯t fusion."

    "Then what do you want me to do?" Ha Soo-Yeong protested.

    I looked into her eyes. "I''m a little disappointed. So you didn''t get it?"

    Her expression darkened. Ha Soo-Yeong must have studied spells in order to make her father proud, since he had been pushing her to be the next Cult Leader. That''s why she had a particrly sensitive reaction to the word ''disappointment.''

    Knowing this, I deliberately used the word ''disappointed¡¯ in order to stimte herpetitiveness and to clearly establish a sense of hierarchy.

    "I understand it. I can definitely get it right on the next try."

    "Okay. Then, let''s try again. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get it next time.¡±

    As expected, Soo-Yeong¡¯s next attempt was still abination of the two spells. I dismantled it and destroyed it. She didn''t give up and tried again.

    "See?" she said confidently.

    I dismantled it and destroyed it. She moved on to the next spell.

    "How about this time?"

    I dismantled and destroyed it.

    "I have a really good feeling about this©¤"

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    Destroyed.

    I repeated the process of dismantling her spell array several times. The dust that resulted from all the broken spell arrays floated around the dark forest.

    <i> </i> ***

    Ha Soo-Yeong had no idea how much time had passed. She had exhausted all the energy she had in her body. Struggling to support her flimsy body, she drew the next spell array and tried to fuse them. No, she wasn¡¯t sure if she had fused them orbined them. She couldn¡¯t tell. It was up to Sun-Woo to judge, not her.

    "...Hmm." Sun-Woo made an indiscernible sound as he looked at the spell array.

    Ha Soo-Yeong scrutinized Sun-Woo''s expression but didn¡¯t manage to read it at all, which made her more nervous.

    Sun-Woo had been silently gazing at the spell array with his head tilted when he finally said something with a meaningful smile on his face.

    "What attempt was this?"

    "...Number twenty-eight."

    "Number twenty-eight." Sun-Woo nodded, repeating her words.

    Anxiety suddenly washed over her. Somehow, it seemed like she had failed again, meaning she had failed twenty-eight consecutive times.

    Sun-Woo would nonchntly dismantle the spell array, and she would helplessly look at the ash remains of her array, only to do it again for the twenty-ninth time. Then she would have to face her twenty-ninth mistake and prepare for her thirtieth attempt... A dark future was unfolding in her mind.

    "What do you think the problem is?" Sun-Woo asked, pointing to the spell array that had been set up.

    Ha Soo-Yeong felt her heart sink. She ced at Sun-Woo and cautiously answered, "....Well, sir, It seems like I¡¯vebined them again rather than fusing them."

    "Then what should we do next time?"

    "Maybe... maybe we should try again...?"

    "Yeah?"

    <i>Fwoosh!</i>

    Sun-Woo ruthlessly dismantled the spell array. Ha Soo-Yeong stared at her disappearing spell array, feeling lost, and prepared for her next attempt.

    <i>Why are you asking if you''re going to dismantle it anyway? Crazy psychopathic bitch... </i>Ha Soo-Yeong cussed Sun-Woo out in her mind.

    "Ha Soo-Yeong." At that moment, Sun-Woo called her name.

    Ha Soo-Yeong looked up at him nervously, breaking out into a cold sweat.

    ¡°Wh-what is it, sir?¡±

    Her heart raced like crazy.

    <i>¡®Did I identally curse out loud when I thought I was cursing him in my mind earlier? Or did he use some kind of mind-reading trick? No, that can''t be. He''s just trying to scare me for no reason because he enjoys seeing others afraid...¡¯ </i>Ha Soo-Yeong continued to badmouth him in her mind, trying to suppress the growing feeling of anxiety.

    "Oh, by the way, that was a proper fusion Voodoo spell array." Sun-Woo smiled and looked down at her, making Ha Soo-Yeong to look at him with a puzzled expression.

    "...Huh? Doesn¡¯t that mean I was sessful?"

    ¡°Yes, it does mean you were sessful."

    ¡°Then why did you dismantle it...?"

    "Because you said it yourself that you would do it again," Sun-Woo said as if it didn''t matter.

    <i>¡®I really want to kill him...¡¯ </i>Ha Soo-Yeong felt the urge to kill rising. However, she had no method to kill him. Spells did not work on the Cult Leader. No, actually, she didn''t know if it didn''t work on him or not because he dismantled all the spell arrays before they were activated. It wasn''t that the spell didn''t work, but it was impossible to cast a spell in front of Sun-Woo.

    <i>¡®Should I take advantage of a moment of distraction and knock him unconscious with a curse of fainting spell...?¡¯</i>

    She gave up on the idea. There would be no greater disaster than doing something unnecessary and failing. She was afraid of facing the consequences of her actions.

    "...So I got it right this time?" Ha Soo-Yeong calmed her mind and attempted her thirtieth try. This time, the fusion Voodoo spell seemed quite good to her as well. Sun-Woo tilted his head again and looked at Ha Soo-Yeong''s spell array with a stoic face.

    "What do you think?"

    "Looks good to me," Ha Soo-Yeong confidently said, thinking there was no harm in trying.

    "Yeah. You¡¯re good. Well done." Finally, Sun-Woo nodded and smiled faintly.

    Ha Soo-Yeong tried very hard to hide her overwhelming joy but failed. The ends of her mouth kept curling up on their own.

    "You learn fast."

    "Of course. Who do you think I am?"

    "Yeah, you definitely have talent. You are a genius.¡±

    <i>¡®You have talent!¡¯</i> She had heard the samepliment countless times from her dad, Ha Pan-Seok, as well as other executives. However, it was much more pleasant to hear it from Sun-Woo than any executive.

    ¡°You just need to touch it up a bit more... It''s rewarding to teach you because you learn so quickly," Sun-Woo praised.

    His voice, which had been cold until now, had changed to a gentle and warm tone as if to ask,<i> ¡°When did that happen?¡± </i>

    However, there was no time to revel in joy because of a thought that suddenly crossed her mind.

    <i>¡®What if I activate the spell now?¡¯</i>

    The spell array she had unfolded was a fusion Voodoo spell thatbined the curse of fainting and the curse of nightmares. Sun-Woo also happened to be distracted at the moment.

    <i>¡®If I activate the spell now, Sun-Woo will faint without even having a chance to react.¡¯ </i>

    She didn''t have to think for a long time before making her move.

    <i>Shaaaa...</i>

    She immediately activated the spell. A thick purple mist, imbued with the spell array, rose toward Sun-Woo. He inhaled that mist with a direct whiff.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo''s eyes glossed over.

    Sess! She had sessfully used the spell to knock that arrogant Sun-Woo, who had dismantled her spell array countless times whilst wearing a smug expression, unconscious.

    <i>¡®Now what should I do? Should I hit him with a stone from the ground and kill him? No, I don''t have the courage to do that. I''ll tie his hands and feet tightly and throw him into the mountains. That would be better.¡¯ </i>

    Ha Soo-Yeong reveled in joy and imagined pleasant things. It was only shortly thereafter that the expression on Ha Soo-Yeong''s face hardened like stone.

    "Sometimes..."

    She thought Sun-Woo had fainted, but he was standing perfectly fine in front of her. The warm gaze and tone of voice he had used to praise her turned cold.

    "Some people strive to test me even when they are treated well. I can¡¯t imagine why..."

    Ha Soo-Yeong''s legs gave out.

 Chapter 99

    <h4>Chapter 99</h4>

    <i>¡®They say that feares from ignorance. It¡¯s the reason why one feels a sharp fear from seeing the pitch-ck depths of the ocean or the vastness of space. It¡¯s because it is impossible to predict what might be out there...¡¯</i> Ha Soo-Yeong thought as she watched Sun-Woo approach her. She wasn¡¯t too sure why these thoughts were suddenlying to her.

    "Ha Soo-Yeong." Sun-Woo called her name.

    "Uh, yeah? Yes?" Ha Soo-Yeong was on the floor. She nodded, barely managing to answer. She couldn''t gather the courage to lift her head and look at his face.

    At that moment, Ha Soo-Yeong was struck with a newfound realization. Sun-Woo was better at handling spells than she was. He might even use spells that she didn¡¯t know about. He might know how to turn someone into a zombie without using the zombification drug.

    She couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what punishment he might inflict upon her. She couldn¡¯t predict the extent of his capabilities...

    <i>¡®Fear arises from ignorance.¡¯</i> Ha Soo-Yeong recalled the passage once again.

    "Look up."

    "...Sorry, no. I''m, I''m truly sorry, sir."

    "Look up, quickly."

    Ha Soo-Yeong kept her head bowed, not moving at all. It felt like something bad would happen if she lifted her head. Suddenly, she felt a light above her head. It wasn''t the dim and gloomy light that came from Voodoo magic. It was a very bright, almost blinding, radiant light.

    She had heard that the Cult Leader could not only use Voodoo magic, but also divine power. ording to her father, the Romanicans had developed an unfathomably terrible way of torture utilizing divine power. Was Sun-Woo going to torture her using this method?

    Her stomach churned. ¡®<i>I''d rather die than be tortured. But, I don''t want to die. I''d rather be a zombie. No, I don''t want to be a zombie either. I don''t want any of it...¡¯ </i>

    Meanwhile, Sun-Woo was still aiming the light at her. In this situation, she had no choice but to apologize until she was forgiven. Ha Soo-Yeong adjusted her posture and kneeled down.

    "I was wrong. I won''t do it anymore. I''m serious."

    "Enough, raise your head."

    "I was wrong. What I did wa-was wrong. But can¡¯t you forgive me now? I went this far. I even kneeled down¡ª!" Ha Soo-Yeong begged for forgiveness, raising her head with a loud cry.

    Immediately after, she regretted it. It was all thanks to the lighting from Sun-Woo''s hand that was still aimed at her.

    <i>¡®Ah, my sixteen-year-long life ends here. It wasn''t a happy life, but it was an okay life nheless...¡¯</i> Ha Soo-Yeong closed her eyes, convinced of her impending death.

    <i>Click!</i>

    Instead of death, what she heard was the unexpected sound of a camera shutter. Confused, she raised her head.

    The bright and radiant light that had been bathing her had disappeared. Sun-Woo''s smiling face was barely visible as the shadows of the forest loomed over him.

    "...A sh?" Ha Soo-Yeong btedly realized what the source of the light was. It was not from Voodoo magic or divine power, but a simple camera sh.

    After the realization, a sense of emptiness washed over her. Sun-Woo fiddled with his phone after taking the photo and eventually extended his hand toward Ha Soo-Yeong.

    ¡°Get up. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°W-why¡¯d you take a picture...¡± Ha Soo-Yeong asked with a slight tremor in her voice. She was so shocked that she lost all her formality.

    Sun-Woo stared coldly and emotionlessly at her. ¡°Just in case.¡±

    ¡°Just in case?¡±

    "I don''t feel like exining. Hurry up." Sun-Woo shook his hand as if telling her to hurry.

    For some reason, she didn¡¯t want to grab onto the hand. If she could, she wanted to forcefully push it away or grab it and m it into the ground. But she didn''t have the strength to do so¡ªshe was so weak that she couldn''t even stand up right away.

    "If you aren¡¯ting, I¡¯m gonna go by myself."

    "..." Ha Soo-Yeong had no choice but to take his hand and stand up.

    Truly, she had no choice.

    ***

    10:50 p.m.

    The pale moonlight seeped through the window into the conference room. The executives of each faction were sitting around the round table, engaged in casual conversations with professional smiles decorating their faces. Among them, only Ha Pan-Seok''s face was pale and sickly.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok. What''s the matter?" Jin-Sung asked, unable to bear seeing his face like that any longer.

    Ha Pan-Seok had been biting his nails until they bled with his head bowed, but he suddenly raised his head. His eyes were devoid of strength, and his hair was all over the ce. Whatever was going on, it was clear that he was suffering from an overwhelming sense of anxiety.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok?"

    "...My daughter."

    When Jin-Sung asked again, Ha Pan-Seok managed to barely open his mouth.

    <i>''His daughter''?</i> What about his daughter?

    Jin-Sung scrutinized Ha Pan-Seok''s face with narrowed eyes. Hisplexion was even paler than before. His face was turning purple, going beyond a sickly blue color.

    ¡°Did something happen to your daughter?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes. My Soo-Yeong. I think she made her way into the woods by herself, but she hasn¡¯t returned...¡±

    <i>Drrrk!</i>

    Right then, Jin-Sung forcefully pushed the chair and stood up. He immediately prepared to leave.

    Ha Pan-Seok stared at Jin-Sung with a nk expression.

    "Let¡¯s go in and look for her." There was a burning fire in Jin-Sung''s eyes.

    "It would be unwise."

    Before Jin-Sung could leave, Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch grabbed him.

    Jin-Sung red at Yun Chang-Su with bloodshot eyes. "Are you telling me to just let her go missing like this?"

    "The surrounding mountain paths are all twisted and tangled since the former Cult Leader enchanted them. If you go out right now, even you, Executive Jin-Sung, will get lost."

    "But as adults, we can¡¯t just stay put like this."

    "The mountain doesn''t discriminate between children and adults." Yun Chang-Su sighed deeply. "For now, all we can do is hope for her return..."

    If one let their guard down for a moment, it didn¡¯t matter if they were children or adults. They would find themselves lost in the mountains at night. Yun Chang-Su had spent decades in the mountains. He knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to go into the mountains at night.

    "I¡¯m going to go regardless."Jin-Sung stepped outside again, dismissing the objections. He couldn''t just sit still.

    At that moment, someone appeared in front of him.

    ¡°...Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°The meeting is starting soon. Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I, uh, heard that Executive Ha¡¯s daughter was lost in the mountains...¡±

    Jin-Sung diverted his attention to the girl tightly holding onto Sun-Woo¡¯s hand. Her name was Ha... Ha... what was it again? He couldn¡¯t remember her name, but anyway, she was the daughter of Executive Ha Pan-Seok.

    "Why is <i>she</i> with you?"

    "She seemed lost, so I brought her. I happened to meet her in the mountains."

    "Oh... that¡¯s great news. I was actually nning to go look for her." Jin-Sung briefly nced behind him. Ha Pan-Seok still had a vacant expression on his face.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok! Seems like the Cult Leader has brought your daughter back.¡±

    "...Daughter? What, Soo-Yeong? Is it Soo-Yeong? Is she back?"

    "Yes. She¡¯s here."

    Ha Pan-Seok quickly got up from his seat and went over to Jin-Sung. Then, he looked at his daughter standing next to Cult Leader with her head drooped down. Tears welled up faster than his words came out. They were tears of relief.

    Along with relief, a new emotion began to stir in his heart. He felt aplex mix of anger and resentment toward his daughter, who had almost gotten into serious trouble by going into the mountains without a word.

    "We can talkter. The meeting takes priority."

    "...Yes."

    Sun-Woo had read the twisted expression on Ha Pan-Seok''s face and quickly sent Ha Soo-Yeong back to her amodations.

    Ha Pan-Seok stumbled and sat back down in his seat. His body slumped like a deted balloon.

    Sun-Woo sat at the head of the round table and looked at Ha Pan-Seok. "Executive Ha Pan-Seok, Are you doing okay at the moment?"

    "Huh? Oh, yes. I''m fine..."

    <i>¡®At the moment?¡¯ </i>Although the wording was a bit strange, Ha Pan-Seok didn''t have the leisure in his mind to decipher the meaning at the moment. He was too busy trying to calm down his heart.

    Sun-Woo looked at the lost Ha Pan-Seok and nodded slightly, checking the time on his phone. "It''s 11 o''clock. Let''s start the meeting."

    It was finally 11 o¡¯clock.

    ***

    The longer the meeting dragged on, the clearer it became that all the issues bled into one single problem. The number of cult members was decreasing, and the pressure from the Holy See was increasing, causing a shortage of funds to operate the cult.

    Although the Jeo Branch was in a rtively better situation because they were operating a factory, the Chungcheong and Gangwon Branches were struggling.

    "What about the Seoul Branch?" Yun Chang-Su asked. It was a question directed to my uncle.

    My uncle crossed his arms and nced at Ha Pan-Seok before answering, "I met Han Su-Yeop the other day."

    The unexpected statement from my uncle caused a stir at the round table.

    "Han Su-Yeop, the traitor? What was he doing, and where was he?"

    "Yes. He stole the Cult Leader''s Altar and was running a pseudo-religion called the Voodoo Revival Church. Thanks to confiscating all the donations Han Su-Yeop had collected, the Seoul Branch is doing well." My uncle said it as if it was not a big deal, but the round table had been flooded with confusion at the mention of the traitor¡¯s name.

    Each executive had a different attitude toward me. Yun Chang-Su and the Gyeongsang faction''s Yuk Eun-Hyung were friendly, while Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok were hostile.

    "What in tarnation done happened to him?" Yeom Man-Gun asked in confusion.

    <i>¡®What happened...¡¯</i>

    It seemed to mean, ''What happened to Han Su-Yeop?''

    Uncle furrowed his brow and rolled his eyes around as if trying to decipher Yeom Man-Gun''s words. He then nodded and said, "The Cult Leader himself has decreed ''zombification'' as punishment."

    "Z-Zombification!" Yeom Man-Gun eximed, gasping for breath.

    The Voodoo Cultists feared zombification more than death. They were not afraid of death itself but rather the loss of the freedom to choose death. What the Voodoo Cultists feared was not pain or death but the deprivation of freedom.

    "It is only fitting that the crime of betraying the Voodoo Cult be punished with zombification. Han Su-Yeop must have expected that much." Yun Chang-Su nodded in agreement.

    Ha Pan-Seok sat next to him, with a stiff expression.

    "Let''s discuss the traitorter. Right now, the most urgent matter at hand is the financial crisis," I said, gesturing toward Yeom Man-Gun.

    "You are right, Cult Leader," Yun Chang-Su agreed, nodding his head.

    I redirected the topic of conversation. I understood why the executives were curious about Han Su-Yeop, but discussing the financial crisis alone would take up all the time we had.

    Just as the chaotic atmosphere was starting to calm down, I looked at Yeom Man-Gun and gave him a signal with my eyes.

    ¡°I actually have something that I told Executive Yeom Man-Gun regarding the financial crisis.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yup...reckon I did hear somethin''...¡± Yeom Man-Gun stammered as he wasn¡¯t confident.

    It seemed that he couldn''t remember what he was going to say. I guess I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, as what I had told him wasn¡¯t a simple story that one could memorize by listening to it once.

    "Let me exin," I said.

    "Oh, no sir. Let me...¡±

    ¡°It''s okay. I have something to show to the executives anyway."

    Yeom Man-Gun, who had been twisting ufortably, finally smiled as if he was rxed. He seemed relieved that he didn''t have to exin it himself.

    I brought a random book from nearby and ced it on the round table. It was an economics book that my uncle had brought. It had been used and read so much that it looked like it could tear apart at any moment. After unleashing Voodoo magic, I embedded the curse of fainting into the book. I put an engraving on it.

    A faint, ominous purple light emanated from the engraved book.

    Yun Chang-Su looked up and tilted his head in confusion. "...May I ask what you did to the book?"

    The other executives also looked puzzled at the engraved book. Just in case the book flew open in the wind, I pressed down on the cover with my fingers.

    "I just embedded a spell into an object. I call it ''engraving.''"

    "Onto objects...? Could this be the technique that the Second Cult Le¡ª"

    "No, engraving is slightly different from the technique my father used." With those words, I opened the book.

    Voodoo mist flowed out from the book. To prevent the executives from inhaling it, I controlled the mist and pushed it into a corner of the conference room. The executive''s eyes widened with shock at that sight. I continued my exnation.

    ¡°As you can see, by engraving a spell in a book, the spell will be activated when it is opened, just like how a bullet shoots out when you pull the trigger."

    "Then, if you engrave a spell on a gun, would it be activated when you pull the trigger?"

    "Yes. It would be possible if you had a gun."

    The idea of engraving a spell on a gun came from Ha Pan-Seok. I was a little surprised by the idea, as I had never imagined it before. Come to think of it, if someone engraved a spell on a gun, it seemed possible to activate the spell engraved on it by pulling the trigger.

    However, at the moment, there was no way to obtain a gun, so it was just a token of imagination.

    "Executive Yeom Man-Gun, you run a soju factory. Am I right?" I asked.

    Yeom Man-Gun nodded silently. My uncle handed me a bottle of soju from Yeom Man-Gun, and I engraved a curse of intoxication, adjusted to have only minimal effects in terms of both addiction and pleasure. I showed it to the executives, shaking the bottle lightly.

    "I will mass-produce this in Executive Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s factory and sell it. In other words, we will sell spells."

    "...Isn''t the curse of intoxication forbidden?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked anxiously.

    I nodded. "You''re right. However, unlike when my father deemed the curse of intoxication forbidden, the Voodoo Cult is now being persecuted by the Romanican Church. Given the situation, there is a need to rx the restriction."

    The pleasure caused by the curse of intoxication was so intense that it could melt the human brain. Since the pleasure was immense, the addiction and dependency that came from the curse were strong as well. My father had restricted the curse of intoxication in the fear that the spells would control the people rather than the people controlling the spells.

    However, we were under different circumstances. With financial difficulties and the oppression of the Romanican Church, the Voodoo Cult was in a precarious position, and we were on the verge of copse. In order to rebuild the Voodoo Cult and resist the oppression of the Romanican Church, some changes were inevitable.

    "That doesn''t mean we won''t follow my father¡¯s will. It means we will only allow the use of the curse of intoxication with the lowest intensity of pleasure so that it doesn¡¯t cause addiction and dependency," I said.

    "What do you mean by a minimal amount of pleasure?"

    "Although the use of intoxication spells is usually prohibited, we will allow the use of it if the intensity of the spell is controlled to its lowest setting. In other words, those who can control the intensity of the spell can use the curse of intoxication," I exined.

    After the Ritual of Session, I gained the ability to control the intensity of spells. Naturally, I could also control the level of pleasure of the intoxication spell. However, other executives would not be able to control the intensity of the spell. In simple terms, it meant that I was the only one who would be allowed to use the spell.

    Although it was a bit selfish, the others could go and learn to control the intensity of spells if they deemed it unfair. Good luck to them though, because this wasn¡¯t a skill one could harness from mere practice alone.

    "Let me continue. First, I will engrave intoxication spells on the products manufactured at Yeom Man-Gun''s factory¡ª¡±

    To summarize, I would engrave the curse of intoxication onto the alcohol produced in Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s factory. I would engrave one out of five bottles and leverage this to extend the scope of Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s business. Forty percent of the generated revenue would go to the Jeo Branch, twenty percent would go to the Seoul Branch, and the remaining forty percent would be divided and distributed to the other branches.

    "We are in favor of it, but it seems that Executive Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s opinion is important..." Ha Pan-Seok said while subtly gauging the situation.

    It was true that Yeom Man-Gun''s decision was the most important since the proposition directly involved Yeom Man-Gun''s business.

    "Executive Yeom Man-Gun has dly epted the proposition. We are truly grateful."

    However, I had already convinced Yeom Man-Gun. He expressed willingness to actively participate in my n. He said that his business was struggling with the appearance of a newpetitor. By engraving his products, we could eliminate thepetition and increase sales, taking out two birds with one stone.

    Yeom Man-Gun was a religious person but also a businessman. His willingness to participate was enough proof that my n had the potential to seed. I had met Yeom Man-Gun in advance not only for me to seek his agreement but also for him to judge the n through the perspective of a businessman.

    "By the way, there is one more thing I would like to mention." However, this was just one of the methods to solve the financial crisis we were in. Expanding Yeom Man-Gun''s business and dividing the profits was the long-term solution.

    "Thanks to the confiscation of Han Su-Yeop''s assets, the financial situation of the Seoul Branch is quitefortable. We will set aside money to cover the operational costs of our branch, as well as to invest in the future, and we will distribute the remaining funds to you, the executives.¡±

    "Huh? Uh, wha... Cult Leader, wait."

    "However, we will reinstate the offering system that was temporarily abolished after the Holy War."

    The offering system referred to the practice of regrly offering local specialties that served as sacrifices to the Loa at the Seoul Branch. It could be thought of as a form of tribute. The offering system was abolished naturally after the downfall of the Voodoo Cult following the Holy War, but it was time to bring it back.

    By distributing the profits from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory, the financial difficulties could be resolved. The remaining money from the Seoul Branch would be distributed to the other branches, and used as a pretext to resurrect the offering system. Through this, it would be easier to collect offerings to the Loa, increasing the power of the Loa and strengthening the authority of the Cult Leader. As a result, the Cult Leader would also have more influence and it would be more difficult for opposing forces to emerge.

    I thought it was a pretty good n.

    ***

    The meeting ended on a peaceful note, all thanks to the Cult Leader''s clever strategy. By distributing the profits from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory, the financial difficulties would be resolved in the long run. By distributing the remaining money from the Seoul Branch, the short-term difficulties would be handled as well. The executives were more than happy to praise and worship the Cult Leader, as they had just been given arge sum of money without having to lift a single finger themselves.

    "Yeom Man-Gun, that bastard...!"

    However, Ha Pan-Seok was going through hell. He was troubled that Yeom Man-Gun, the leader of the Jeo Branch, one that had schemed a rebellion with him, had turned and joined the Cult Leader¡¯s side. Moreover, he was sweating because the Cult Leader had dered that they would bring back the offering system.

    If the offering system was resurrected, the Cult Leader''s power would be strengthened through the offerings received from the other branches. And that was not the only problem. The Cult Leader determined the distribution ratio of the profits from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory and the distribution ratio of the headquarters'' surplus. All the financial power was in the Cult Leader¡¯s hands.

    By resurrecting the offering system, the Cult Leader was essentially saying that the distribution of finances would be decided based on the quality of the offerings. In other words, he had seeded in establishing a system that kept the other branches in check with each other. This was a clear warning to the opposing forces, including Ha Pan-Seok himself.

    ¡°Damn it...¡±

    Rather than seeing the financial crisis as a threat, the Cult Leader saw it as a golden opportunity to increase their power. He might already even know that the headquarters of the rebellion forces was the Chungcheong Branch. In the worst-case scenario, he mighte for retaliation right away...

    <i>Knock, Knock.</i>

    As the ominous thought passed through his mind, Ha Pan-Seok heard a knock. He held his breath and focused all his attention on the presence beyond the door. Was it Yeom Man-Gun? Or was it Jin-Sung? It was also possible that the Cult Leader had personallye for retaliation.

    However, he had to keep his cool. He shouldn¡¯t be tense. Even if it was the Cult Leader behind the door, he could not show any signs of weakness. If he did, he would just be exposing himself as being guilty. The moment he showed signs of wavering, the Cult Leader would surely determine that he was serving as the pir of the rebellion and would unleash his wrath.

    "Who is it?" Ha Pan-Seok asked calmly, trying to keep his emotions in check.

    He slowly opened the door. Beyond the door, there was nothing but darkness.

    A man walked into Ha Pan-Seok''s room, confidently striding in, looking like he was riding the rushing current of darkness. There was no hint of hesitation in his footsteps. It was as if he was casually strolling into his own living room. Despite his rude demeanor, Ha Pan-Seok couldn''t say a word.

    "....What brings you here, Cult Leader?"

    The person who had entered his room was none other than the Cult Leader.

    "Didn''t you know what I came for when you let me in?" the Cult Leader asked.

    A gentle smile adorned his lips, but his eyes were clearly analyzing Ha Pan-Seok''s face.

 Chapter 100

    <h4>Chapter 100</h4>

    "You know, about the Altar... Looking back now, isn''t it a bit strange?" my uncle said.

    The day when the Voodoo Revival Church was destroyed, the Altar was recovered. When we went out to eat as a way of celebrating, Uncle revealed his suspicions about the disappearance of Altar. Uncle was wondering how Han Su-Yeop was able to steal the Altar while knowing the location of our underground chapel, where the Altar was ced, and when we happened not to be present at the underground chapel.

    "Perhaps there was an informant that leaked the information?" Ji-Ah asked.

    My uncle shook his head.

    "Only Sun-Woo and I knew the location of the Altar. There couldn''t have been an informant. Obviously, it couldn¡¯t have been Sun-Woo, and it¡¯s also quite a problem for me if the Altar goes missing, you see.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, that does seem strange. Although we did just roughly leave it in the warehouse, there was no one besides me and Uncle who knew the location of the Altar."

    "Hmm."

    Uncle stopped grilling the meat midway and sighed. The sound of sizzling oil could be heard from the grill. Thick smoke billowed out. With tongs and scissors in hand, a strange sense of anxiety could be seen on my uncle''s face as he stared nkly into the air.

    "...Is it that bastard?"

    "That bastard? How am I supposed to know who it is if you don¡¯t say the name?"

    "You know him too. Among the executives, there''s a pretentious airhead that acts sophisticated. His name was Ha, Ha..."

    Ha Pan-Seok.

    At the time, my uncle was unable to recall his name. It was because Uncle only ever remembered the names of a few people that were important to him. Uncle was simr to me in that sense. Come to think of it, my mother had also been like that. Perhaps there was a gene that made people indifferent to other people¡¯s names.

    Anyway, Ha Pan-Seok was now right in front of me. He was trying his hardest not to reveal any fear on his face. There was a wary expression on his face.

    "Is Soo-Yeong doing well?"

    It was a question to ease the tension, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. For a while, he stared at me with a frown on his face and eventually managed to open his mouth.

    "She''s doing well. Thanks to you."

    "Is she sleeping now?"

    "Yes. In that room over there..."

    Ha Pan-Seok pointed to the tightly closed door with his finger. I nodded.

    "That''s a relief. Because it won¡¯t be good if your daughter hears what we¡¯re about to discuss."

    ¡°What exactly are you going to talk about...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a question. I¡¯d like you to answer honestly,¡± I said. While speaking, I peered into the emotions contained in Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s eyes. He was clearly afraid of me, but he didn''t show it.

    "Did Executive Ha Pan-Seok make Han Su-Yeop steal the Altar?"

    Yeom Man-Gun knew that I had lost the Altar. When I asked him who told him about this, he admitted that he simply ryed what he had heard from Ha Pan-Seok. If Yeom Man-Gun''s words were true, it meant that Ha Pan-Seok had known all along that I had lost the Altar. If that was the case, then that raised another question. How did Ha Pan-Seok know about this?

    ording to what Uncle said, he had never revealed the fact that he had lost the Altar to any of the executives. If Ha Pan-Seok didn¡¯t get this information from Uncle, how on earth did he obtain this information? If Ha Pan-Seok had a connection with Han Su-Yeop, the perpetrator who stole the Altar, and if the one who instigated Han Su-Yeop to steal the Altar was Ha Pan-Seok, then everything would make sense.

    With a pale face, Ha Pan-Seok forced a smile and said, "Why would I do such a thing? Moreover, I don''t even know the location of the headquarters¡¯ underground chapel. How would I be able to give instructions to Han Su-Yeop?"

    "You don''t know the location of the headquarters'' underground chapel?"

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Is there not even a hint of falsehood in what you''re saying?¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok briefly closed his mouth. There was a short silence.

    "...Yes, there really isn¡¯t a hint of falsehood."

    "Really?"

    It seemed like he had no intention of obediently confessing. I yed a video on my phone and showed it to him. On the screen, there was a man lying on the floor, trembling and drooling. Saliva dripped from his wide-opened mouth, and his eyes werepletely bloodshot.

    The man struggled to lift his head before opening his mouth.

    - Ha Pan-Seok! It''s Ha Pan-Seok. Ha Pan-Seok is the one who ordered the Cult Leader¡¯s assassination! What I''m saying is true. It¡¯s really true. Just once, just cast the spell on me one more time...!

    - I can¡¯t do that.

    - Ah, ahhhhh... Please show mercy just once. Just once, just once should be fine. Is asking for a spell such a difficult request? Ah? You bastard, use it again, please! ...No, it was a slip of the tongue. Please cut off my tongue. Please cut off my tongue! No, I will cut it myself, so please...

    The man raised a de and ced it on his own tongue. Blood flowed out from the man''s tongue, sliding down the de and dripping down onto the floor. I turned off the video.

    "It¡¯s a mercenary. He came to me after being ordered by someone.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    "As I mentioned in the meeting, I can control the intensity of the intoxication spell."

    Ha Pan-Seok''s gaze was fixated beyond the phone. His half-opened lips were dry. I continued speaking.

    "First, I will make you addicted to the intoxication spell, and then I will stop using it on you. Then you will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Do you know about the withdrawal symptoms of the intoxication spell?"

    Ha Pan-Seok silently shook his head.

    ¡°They say that there is a pain that feels like ants are digging into your veins and crawling in toward your heart. It¡¯s a phantom pain created by extreme amounts of anxiety and depression.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°The only method of escaping such pain is to once again sniff the mist from the curse of intoxication. At that point, one bespletely dependent on the intoxication spell.¡±

    "...What are you trying to say?"

    "Through that method, the mercenary opened their mouth. They imed that it was all orchestrated by executive Ha Pan-Seok. What do you think?"

    The mercenary came to assassinate me as instructed by Executive Ha Pan-Seok. It meant that Ha Pan-Seok knew the location of the underground chapel. If that were the case, it would have been possible for him to discreetly leak information and instruct Han Su-Yeop to steal the Altar from the underground chapel.

    Ha Pan-Seok remained silent with his mouth closed for a long period of time. It looked like he was thinking deeply about something.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything.¡±

    He was looking at me with a puzzled expression. I couldn''t tell if he was just prepared to ept whatever punishment I was about to give him or if he was just continuing to feign ignorance until the end. I couldn''t know for sure. All I could vaguely see in his gaze was a hint of resolute determination. If he has no intention of confessing even aftering this far... Then I had no other choice.

    "Understood."

    I called for the Loa.

    [I am steel.]

    His sharp and chilling voice filled my mind¡ªthe Loa of iron and war, Ogun. Iron and war were somewhat intense, but they never lied. That''s why Ogun despised those who lied. Anyone who lied in front of Ogun had their heart pierced by pieces of iron. Even I, the Prophet, was not an exception. Regardless of whether it was a religious person, a cult leader, or a prophet, everyone had to be honest in front of him.

    [I am covered in iron.]

    <i>ng! </i>

    As Ogun finished speaking, vibrations began to resonate. The trembling of the nearby pieces of iron produced a chilling sound. The sound came from forks and knives on the table to hiking poles and even cell phones. Anything made of iron trembled.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok, do you know about the Loa called Ogun?¡± I asked.

    ¡°...I only vaguely know that it¡¯s a Loa that dislikes lies.¡±

    ¡°Looks like I don¡¯t have to exin further.¡±

    If he knew about Ogun, that made things easier.

    ¡°Do you really not know anything?¡± I continued.

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok red at me with his mouth shut. He could lie in front of Ogun, so it looked like he nned to maintain his silence. It was a rtively wise decision. After all, what Ogun disliked were lies, not silence. I had already anticipated that Ha Pan-Seok, who was clever, would keep his mouth shut and exercise his right to remain silent. I had also thought of a countermeasure for this. I took out my phone and showed him a photo.

    "Can you see this?"

    Ha Pan-Seok''s face hardened. His lips trembled, and his eyes were bloodshot. His eyes which were previously filled with a resolute determination, were now filled with distinct fear.

    What I showed him was a picture of Ha Soo-Yeong.

    "The Voodoo Cult administers zombification as punishment for the crime of rebellion. If Executive Ha Pan-Seok refuses to speak, I will have no choice but to turn your child into a zombie as per protocol."

    "What nonsense! ...That''spletely absurd. How can you use Soo-Yeong ofmitting the crime of rebellion?"

    His voice trembled noticeably as he could barely contain his anger. Ha Pan-Seok red at me with bloodshot eyes¡ªit looked like he wanted to kill me. When the topic of his daughter came up, his reaction was clearly intense. I looked at his fist that was trembling above my knee and smiled, feigningposure.

    "She said things like ''I should have been the Cult Leader'' as if it were natural. If another person didn¡¯t influence her and she said that through her own intentions, then I¡¯m afraid that must mean that there is something wrong with her ideology."

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok swallowed some air with apletely terrified expression on his face. His partially open lips trembled. His unfocused pupils were chasing after empty space. It was clear evidence that he was agitated.

    "Do you feel like answering now?"

    "I, I..."

    Ha Pan-Seok finally opened his mouth. Fear could be seen in his eyes which were filled with all sorts of emotions. The sound of dishes vibrating on the table continued without stopping. The sound irregrly grew louder and softer.

    "I, I don''t know any..."

    [Lie.]

    <i>nk. </i>

    As soon as Ha Pan-Seok opened his mouth, Ogun¡¯s voice could be heard, and a knife simultaneously floated above the dining table. The knife wandered through the air and eventually aimed its de at Ha Pan-Seok''s forehead.

    <i>Splinter! </i>

    The knife seemed to be heading toward Ha Pan-Seok''s forehead, but it passed by and got stuck in the wall. A drop of blood sttered on the floor from a cut that was made when the knife grazed his ear.

    "Now, again."

    I stared at his pale face, which was in stark contrast to the bloodstain on the floor.

    "Executive Ha Pan-Seok, do you have no involvement in everything I mentioned earlier?"

    *

    "I..." As soon as he spoke, the fork on the table rose and pointed toward Ha Pan-Seok. Although it seemed impossible for the fork to have eyes, Ha Pan-Seok felt that it was clearly staring at him. It was because the fork tip was precisely aimed at his eyes. There would be no next time.

    If he told one more lie, then he might really die. Even if he were lucky enough to survive, he wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid bing a cripple for life.

    "Keep talking," I said.

    However, the Cult Leader immediately asked for a response. He couldn''t defy the words of the Cult Leader, who held his daughter''s life in his hands. He couldn''t lie, nor could he simply keep his mouth shut in this situation. This sort of situation was called a zug-zugzwang... Or something. His mind waspletely nk.

    "It''s me."

    If he lied, he would die. If he kept his mouth shut, his daughter would die. This situation where he had to pick between one of these two choices had pushed him to the edge of a cliff. He barely managed to maintain the tightly strung strings of reason that still remained in his mind as he finally came to a conclusion.

    "It was me. I did it. I nned the rebellion and imnted false ideas in Soo-Yeong''s mind. Everything is my fault...¡±

    He was prepared to face the consequences and spoke the truth. Based on the cult rules, those plotting a rebellion would go through the zombification process. That meant that he would be a mere piece of meat that would lose all freedom and only follow the orders of others. Naturally, Ha Pan-Seok also did not want to be a zombie. However, rather than seeing his daughter turned into a zombie, he preferred to be a zombie himself.

    The Cult Leader coldly examined Ha Pan-Seok''s face.

    "What is your rtionship with Han Su-Yeop?"

    "That bastard, we¡¯re not really close to each other. I just used him because I needed a chess piece that could steal the Cult Leader¡¯s Altar."

    ¡°Why did you order him to steal the Altar?¡±

    ¡°...The n was to wait for the Cult Leader¡¯s strength to weaken and then send a mercenary to assassinate you.¡±

    After Ha Pan-Seokpleted his sentence, no pieces of metal flew in his direction. It meant that he was telling the truth.

    ¡°Then, what about after that? What were you nning to do after you assassinated me?¡±

    "Uh, I-I was going to make my daughter the Cult Leader..."

    At that moment, the Cult Leader suddenly stood up from his seat. Ha Pan-Seok, taken aback, looked at the Cult Leader with a puzzled expression. The Cult Leader''s gaze was directed toward the room where Ha Soo-Yeong was sleeping. A foreboding feeling swept over him. From Cult Leader¡¯s perspective, there was no reason to spare Ha Soo-Yeong, who was aiming for the Cult Leader''s position.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Ha Pan-Seok grabbed the Cult Leader''s pants andy on the floor. He didn¡¯t know when he started crying, but tears were streaming down his cheeks.

    ¡°No, my daughter has no connection at all! It was me! I wanted to be the Cult Leader. My daughter is not¡ª!"

    <i>Stab!</i>

    "-Aaaagh! Aaagh, aaaaagh......!"

    At that moment, a fork that was floating in the air stabbed Ha Pan-Seok''s thigh. He screamed and writhed on the floor. Even in the midst of writhing due to the pain, his gaze remained fixed on the Cult Leader.

    However, no matter how much he reached out with his hands, he couldn''t stop the Cult Leader from stepping toward Ha Soo-Yeong''s room. His arms, which were weakened and limp due to the pain, could only il in the air without being able to grasp the hem of his pants.

    "If you want me to die...! If you want me to die, then I¡¯ll die! If you want me to be a zombie, then I will be a zombie. But my daughter has nothing to do with it...!¡±

    It was more of a scream than a plea. Ha Pan-Seok floundered his arms and begged the Cult Leader. He vividly remembered when he lost his first son seven years ago. If he were to lose his only remaining daughter, he couldn''t imagine living in this world with a clear mind.

    As if reading Ha Pan-Seok''s thoughts, the Cult Leader stopped in his tracks and turned to face Ha Pan-Seok.

    "It will hurt a bit."

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    "Argh...!"

    The Cult Leader nonchntly pulled out the fork stuck in Ha Pan-Seok''s leg. Ha Pan-Seok just barely managed to suppress the pain. The purple mist flowing from the Cult Leader''s fingertips enveloped the wounded area, gradually filling the hole in his thigh.

    It was a restoration spell. It was a restoration unlike any that he had seen before. The spell was so perfect that it was beautiful. However, there was no time for him to be surprised.

    "I am lying right now."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The Cult Leader blurted out a bewildering statement. It was neither true nor false. The chopsticks that were in the sink stabbed his back. The Cult Leader didn''t even flinch in pain and continued speaking. "No one can lie in front of Ogun, and I am no exception. Everyone should be honest in front of him."

    "...Huh?"

    "From now on, it means that everything I say will be the truth."

    The Cult Leader pulled out the chopstick that was stuck in his back and used a restoration spell to heal the hole. Then, as if trying to suppress the urge to suppress the pain, he collected his breathing and added, "I am currently attending Florence Academy. I am going to be a cardinal of the Romanican Church, and I¡¯m going to reach the underground prison that is located in the Holy See.¡±

    There were no longer any metal objects that were flying toward the Cult Leader. It meant that everything he said was true. So Ha Pan-Seok was even more dumbfounded. He vaguely knew that the Cult Leader knew how to manipte divine power, but he never imagined that he would infiltrate Florence Academy. It was as dangerous as jumping into a tiger''s den while naked.

    However, the Cult Leader casually continued to speak as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    "The reason the Voodoo Cult lost in the Holy War is because of division. Many of the mostpetent executives betrayed the previous Cult Leader and ran away. As a result, the war immediately shifted in the Romanicans¡¯ favor."

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Executive Ha Pan-Seok also didn¡¯t run away and loyally stayed by my father¡¯s side until the end.¡±

    A brief silence filled the room, and thest remaining sensations of pain that Ha Pan-Seok had felt on his thigh where the fork had prated started to fade away. Ha Pan-Seok looked up at the Cult Leader. His eyes were cold, without the slightest hint of warmth. His eyes contained conviction.

    "The reason I''m telling you this... is because what I desire is Executive Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s unwavering loyalty."

    Pieces of metal did not fly toward the Cult Leader. It meant that everything he had said was the truth.

    "If the n seeds... We will be able to find executive Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s son, who was imprisoned in the underground prison by the Holy Army during The Starless Night," the Cult Leader said resolutely.

    "No, we will find him. Even if I have to die in order to do so," the Cult Leader said.

    As he said that, he gazed up into the air. It was unknown what he was gazing at. Suddenly, realization shed through Ha Pan-Seok''s mind. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief as the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The cold gaze of the Cult Leader, which was filled with enmity, was not directed at him but toward the enemy.

    The Cult Leader then said, "Now, I will ask again. Who is your loyalty directed towards now?"

    Ha Pan-Seok bent one knee and bowed his head. The reason he had nned the rebellion in the first ce was because he was frustrated with the Cult Leader''sck of resistance against the Romanican Church. He was afraid and anxious that he would never find his son.

    However, the Cult Leader had not given up on resistance. He had risked his life by storming into the enemy''sir. There was no reason not to follow the Third Cult Leader.

    "I will be loyal to the Third Cult Leader. I swear on the iron."

    Swearing on the iron in front of Ogun meant that he would keep his current promise for the rest of his life. If Ha Pan-Seok were to plot another rebellion, the enraged Ogun would pierce his heart with iron in an instant.

    The Cult Leader smiled in contentment and extended his hand to Ha Pan-Seok.

    "Let''s revive the Voodoo Cult together," the Cult Leader said.

    The moment Ha Pan-Seok shook his hand, he was propelled by the Cult Leader''s strength and stood up from his seat. It was long since the pain had faded away from his thigh that the fork had prated. The blood that had been shed became a stain and remained on top of the clothes.

    On the Cult Leader¡¯s back, there were the same traces of blood. Ha Pan-Seok watched the dark, hardened stain and bid farewell to the Cult Leader as he moved away.

 Chapter 101.1

    <h4>Chapter 101.1</h4>

    "Ah, oh, argh...."

    I forced myself to swallow the groans leaking out of my mouth as I walked toward my lodging. Dizzying pain was spreading from the location where the chopstick had stabbed my lower back. It felt as if a piece of hot metal had seared my back, but I didn''t show any signs of pain in front of Ha Pan-Seok. It was to maintain my dignity as the Cult Leader.

    [You shouldn''t have lied,] Ogun said coldly as if mocking me.

    "Be a bit more gentle when you stab it in. It hurts so much it feels like I¡¯m going to die..."

    [Stopining. Originally, I was going to stab your heart. I showed mercy by stabbing into your back.]

    "You really aren¡¯t flexible at all."

    [There''s no need to show flexibility to someone who is not honest.]

    Ogun''s tone of voice was extremely cynical. As suggested from our conversation so far, Ogun and I didn''t get along well. Ogun liked honest people, and he disliked people that lied often. I was someone that often, no, frequently lied. Therefore, it was impossible for our rtionship to be good.

    So, I couldn''t use Ogun''s power except in special cases.

    [Before I go, let me give you onest piece of advice.]

    "What advice... Can''t you just let me go?"

    [Don''t get too caught up in a false life. Falsehood might end up swallowing the truth.]

    A false life. He was referring to me using a false identity to attend Florence Academy.

    [Make sure you keep that in mind.]

    With those parting words as a warning, Ogun disappeared.

    [Ogun has always been known for being inflexible and straightforward. The rumors about his personality are widespread.]

    Legba filled the void that was left after Ogun had departed. I felt thankful for Legba¡¯s thoughtfulness inforting me after I had gotten thrashed by Ogun¡¯s frosty words, so I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.

    ¡°It¡¯s still a little too extreme, in my opinion.¡±

    [He became obsessed with honesty after his rtionship with Baron Samedi went south. He¡¯s a pitiful guy. Give him a break.]

    I silently nodded and walked to my lodging. Legba said that Ogun became obsessed with honesty after being betrayed by Baron Samedi. I think I remember hearing that Baron Samedi had scammed him...

    I didn''t know the details. I only vaguely remembered parts of the stories my mother used to tell me when I was young. Anyway, Ogun and Baron Samedi didn''t get along well. It was rare for any of the Loa to have a good rtionship with Baron Samedi in the first ce.

    [...Personally, I believe it would be good for you to heed Ogun''s advice,] Legba said in a quiet voice when I arrived at my lodging.

    I half-heartedly nodded andy down on the bed to sleep. It was already two in the morning. Perhaps it was because I had used the power of the Loa too much today, but I fell asleep the moment I closed my eyes.

    ***

    The morning at the mountain lodge began with the sound of birds chirping. Outside the window, the eerie scenery of the dark mountains had disappeared. In its ce was the scene of leaves glistening in the warm sunlight while swaying as if to announce it was morning.

    Ji-Ah was the first among the three of us to open her eyes, and she immediately brewed two cups of coffee¡ªone for her teacher and one for herself.

    <i>Ding dong¡ª!</i>

    "Ah, hot..."

    Just as she was about to pour hot water into the cup, a loud doorbell sound rang. That startled Ji-Ah, and she burned her hand in the water. She roughly rinsed her reddened skin with cold water and hurriedly walked to the front door. Through a small gap in the center of the door, she checked who had pressed the doorbell.

    ¡°...¡±

    For a brief moment, her face scrunched up, but then she returned to her regr expressionless face. She calmly returned to the kitchen as if she hadn''t seen anything. Then she poured herself a cup of coffee.

    <i>Ring¡ª! Ring¡ª! </i>

    <i>Bang bang! </i>

    She tried to ignore it, but after trying the doorbell, they started banging on the door. Ji-Ah had no choice but to walk back to the front door. And then she violently swung the door open.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    "Ah, ouch...."

    On the other side of the door was Ha Soo-Yeong.

    She was rubbing her forehead, which had been hit by the door that had been abruptly opened. She was the daughter of Ha Pan-Seok, one of the leaders of the rebellion. She was an arrogant child who aspired to be the Cult Leader without understanding her ce.

    Ji-Ah faintly smiled as she red at Soo-Yeong.

    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Ji-Ah said. Animosity was leaking out from her voice.

    Soo-Yeong red at Ji-Ah with sharp eyes and asked, "Do Sun... Where is the Cult Leader?"

    "He is sleeping. Pleasee backter."

    "Ah, wait¡ª!"

    Ji-Ah tried to close the door with a stern attitude, but Soo-Yeong shouted and wedged her foot in the door opening. Ji-Ah tried to forcefully close the door, but it wouldn''t shut. She didn¡¯t know about anything else, but when it came to strength, Soo-Yeong had the upper hand over her.

    "Ah, I said I would like to talk to the Cult Leader. And you, it¡¯s not respectful to close a door in front of someone like that."

    ¡°And is causing a ruckus in the morning after suddenly arriving without notice supposed to be respectful?¡±

    ¡°What? ...I can¡¯t believe this little kid is screwing with me here¡ª!¡±

    Soo-Yeong¡¯s face reddened, and she was about to raise her voice, but then she abruptly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on someone who was beyond Ji-Ah''s shoulder. Following Soo-Yeong''s gaze, Ji-Ah turned her head and saw the Cult Leader walking towards them while looking as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

    "Why is it so noisy so early in the morning? What¡¯s going on?"

    "A peddler arrived, so I was trying to chase them away."

    "A peddler?"

    Sun-Woo nced beyond the door as if he was puzzled. Soo-Yeong was staring defiantly at Ji-Ah with an angry face.

    "Soo-Yeong? Why are you here?"

    "Well, I had some questions and some things to say, so I came here, but that bastard¡ª!" Soo-Yeong said in a raised voice as she threateningly pointed at Ji-Ah.

    Sun-Woo''s face crumpled slightly. ¡°That bastard?¡±

    ¡°...That pipsqueak! She just randomly closed the door¡ª¡±

    ¡°That pipsqueak.¡±

    ¡°That-that person. She kept trying to close the door,¡± Soo-Yeong murmured while hunching her shoulders as if she was feeling pressured. Sun-Woo looked back and forth between the two people facing each other with the door between them. He then stared nkly at Soo-Yeong with tired eyes and asked, "So why did youe?"

    "...I wasn¡¯t sleepingst night. That''s why I came."

    Soo-Yeong delivered a somewhat meaningful remark. Sun-Woo''s face showed a perplexed expression. He shifted his gaze to Ji-Ah.

    "...Um, nuna."

    He cleared his throat and continued to speak.

    "I''ll be back in a moment, so please tell Uncle."

    "Yes, I understand. Have a safe trip."

    "Thank you. I''ll be back real quick."

    Ji-Ah tried not to reveal her mixed feelings as she bowed her head.

    Sun-Woo left his lodging along with Soo-Yeong and disappeared out of Ji-Ah¡¯s sight. Ji-Ah closed the door and finished pouring the coffee. The boiling water had long since cooled down. Meanwhile, Jin-Sung woke up from his sleep and roughly tidied up his messy hair before approaching Ji-Ah.

    "The bed here isfortable. I slept really well. What the... Who did you make this coffee for?¡±

    "While making mine, I made one for Teacher as well."

    Jin-Sung received the cup with a dumbfounded expression.

    "I should be paying you money for helping out, but instead of me paying you, you''re doing volunteer work that I didn¡¯t ask for? I appreciate it, but... Ah, right. What about Sun-Woo? Is he still sleeping?"

    ¡°He said he had something to discuss with Soo-Yeong, so he briefly went outside.¡±

    ¡°What does he have to say so early in the morning? Did theye to some sort of mutual understanding when they met in the mountains yesterday or something? Youngsters these days...¡±

    Jin-Sung sipped his cup of coffee. On the other hand, Ji-Ah stared at Jin-Sung with an anxious gaze instead of drinking the coffee she had made for herself.

    "Does the Cult Leader not like coffee?" Ji-Ah asked out of the blue.

    Jin-Sung chuckled in response.

    "Probably? Well, he certainly doesn''t drink multiple cups a day like I do. He''s still young. He¡¯s at an age where his mind works just fine even without caffeine."

    "I see..." Ji-Ah nodded and lifted her cup to sip her coffee. It tasted lukewarm and bitter.

    ***

    Between the mountain lodge and the underground chapel, there was a space with arge stone grill as the centerpiece that was surrounded by wooden tables and chairs arranged in a circle. It was an outdoor restaurant created by Yun Chang-Su for hosting events such as barbecue parties.

    I dragged Soo-Yeong to this location and sat on a random chair that was lying around. Soo-Yeong sat across from me.

    "You said you didn''t sleepst night?"

    "I didn''t mean to eavesdrop. It just happened..." Soo-Yeong said with hesitation.

    When I went to the lodge to reeducate Ha Pan-Seok yesterday, Soo-Yeong wasn''t sleeping. Judging from her expression, it seemed like she had also overheard bits of the conversation between me and Ha Pan-Seok.

    But it didn''t really matter. Although the things that I discussed with Ha Pan-Seok weren¡¯t particrly good for Soo-Yeong to listen to, they weren¡¯t particrly bad either.

    "How much did you hear?"

    "...That you attend Florence Academy and that you promised to save our brother."

    I nodded. If that was the case, then not only was Soo-Yeong eavesdropping not a bad thing, but she had basically only listened to the parts that were greatly beneficial for me. Soo-Yeong looked at me with widened eyes. Various emotions flickered through her gaze. There was a hint of surprise, and there was even a glimpse of sadness.

    "Is it true?" she asked.

    "What is?"

    "That thing that you said... That you would find him. Even if you had to die in order to do so.¡±

    ¡°Obviously, that¡¯s the truth. You know I can''t lie in front of Ogun, don''t you?"

    "I know, I know that, but..."

    Soo-Yeong lowered her head. The reason she asked, even though she already knew, was because she wanted to confirm the truth directly from my mouth. I had a vague idea of what she might be feeling right now. After all, we were both in the same situation since both of us had a family member who was trapped in the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters.

    "Don''t worry. He¡¯ll still be alive for sure.¡±

    My mother was dragged into prison after my father was immted, and Soo-Yeong¡¯s brother was also dragged into an underground prison after killing the leader of the Levi Order, who had ruthlessly burned and killed the Voodoo Cult members during the Starless Night. They had to still be alive. They absolutely had to be alive.

    "...Thank you, even if it''s just empty words, Cult Leader," Soo-Yeong said from the bottom of her heart as sheughed. I thought she was crying because her voice was trembling, but when I looked at her eyes, not only were there no tears, there wasn¡¯t even any moisture. I smirked and stood up from my seat.

    "Are we done talking now? I can go now, right?"

    "No, no, no... Wait. I have one more question to ask."

    Soo-Yeong urgently grabbed me as I tried to leave.

    She expelled Voodoo magic power from the fingertips, drew three Voodoo magic arrays, and then proceeded to fuse them together. Her skills had improved iparablypared to yesterday when she had struggled to fuse even just two Voodoo magic arrays together.

    In just one night, she had improved this much.

    "I was able to merge up to three spells through practice yesterday... How do I figure out the principles behind this?" Soo-Yeong asked before I even had time to be surprised.

    That put me in a bit of a tough spot. I was somewhat able to exin the principles behind merging two spell arrays to create a fusion Voodoo spell, but once the number of fusion spells went over three, it became a bit difficult to exin. The characteristics of each spell intertwined with one another, resulting in aplex phenomenon that was hard to describe in words.

 Chapter 101.2

    <h4>Chapter 101.2</h4>

    "Hmm..."

    While I was pondering the best way to exin the principles behind merging spells, suddenly, a good idea came to mind. Now that I thought about it, I didn¡¯t even need to exin it to her.

    "When is the next executive meeting?"

    "Isn''t it in July?"

    "Will you alsoe then?"

    "Maybe? No, not maybe. I will definitelye," Soo-Yeong said as she slowly nodded.

    "Well then... learn about the principles behind the spell activation whenbining three or more arrays. That''s your homework until we meet here again in July."

    "Huh? Homework? What the? What do you mean by homework? Just tell me. Please tell me," Soo-Yeong eximed with widened eyes as if she were perplexed.

    I shook my head.

    "Voodoo sorcery is all about the mindset. You have to figure it out yourself in order to improve your skills quickly."

    [You sound like Wonhyo,] Legba interjected with a chuckle. I tilted my head in confusion.

    Who the heck was Wonhyo?

    [Ah, I see. Come to think of it, you probably wouldn¡¯t know. The burning of books and burying of Confucian schrs [1]... No, I''ll exinter. Keep going.]

    Legba continued to speak words that I didn¡¯t understand. Wonhyo and the burning of books and the burying of schrs were terms that I had never learned or heard before. Since he said he would exin itter, I decided to move on for now.

    Meanwhile, Soo-Yeong was tilting her head, lost in thought. Finally, she raised her head and said, "Until July?"

    "Yes, until July."

    "...Alright, then when Ie back in July¡ª"

    "Ah, hold on."

    I interrupted Soo-Yeong''s words. My phone was vibrating in my pocket. I was receiving a phone call. After switching my phone to a new one, my contacts were also cleared. As a result, I had no idea who was calling me. I wondered if Uncle or Ji-Ah were calling to ask me to hurry up and return.

    "Hello?" I answered the phone.

    There was a moment of silence on the other end of the receiver. It didn''t seem like it was Uncle. If it were him, he would have hung up straight after stating his business. It was highly likely that it was Ji-Ah.

    "Is it you, nuna?"

    - ...Nuna?

    The voice that came through the receiver was clear and a little cold. It sounded like water that was flowing from a winter valley. It definitely wasn''t Ji-Ah. This voice was most likely Jin-Seo''s.

    "Oh, it''s you. My phone got reset, so I didn''t know who it was. Why did you call?" I quickly exined.

    There was a frightening silence from the other end of the receiver.

    - Just because... I had nothing to do today.

    "I¡¯m at my rtive''s house, and I think I¡¯ll return in the evening."

    - Ah.

    A sense of disappointment could be felt in the sigh she let out. Me visiting my rtive¡¯s house was just a lie that I had cooked up on the spot. No, it wasn''t exactly a lie since I did have a rtive with me here. Anyway, I managed to sessfully evade the question. It wouldn''t be appropriate to truthfully say that I was attending the Voodoo Cult¡¯s executive meeting.

    - Yeah, but... weren¡¯t you an only child?

    "Huh? Yeah, I¡¯m an only child."

    - Really? But why did you say<i> nuna </i>as soon as you answered the phone?

    There was a hint ofughter in her voice, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a friendlyugh. It was then that I realized that I had said something that I shouldn¡¯t have said. I had to quicklye up with an excuse.

    "Well, I thought you were my cousin, so I said that."

    - The way you said it was too affectionate to just be just that.

    "Affectionate? What are you talking about?"

    - Hm.

    Jin-Seo made a sound as if she was contemting something.

    I went to my rtive¡¯s house on the weekend, and because I received a call from a number I didn¡¯t know, I thought it was my cousin. My exnation seemed to make perfect sense.

    Since I was currently at the Voodoo Cult executive meeting, it was necessary to block any suspicions in advance, no matter how trivial.

    - I understand. Well, if you have time next time...

    "What? Is it a woman? Why are you so flustered?"

    Soo-Yeong interrupted Jin-Seo''s words. My heart sank instantly. It was because if Soo-Yeong said something unnecessary, there would be a risk of exposing my identity.

    Silence flowed through the receiver, and Soo-Yeong looked up at me with an innocent face as if she knew nothing.

    - Who¡¯s that?

    Jin-Seo asked in a short and concise manner. Would it be fine to say she was my cousin¡¯s younger sibling? No, it was too obvious of a lie. Only beginners would make the mistake of lying in the same pattern over and over again.

    "...It¡¯s my cousin¡¯s younger sibling."

    However, I couldn''t think of any convincing words to say. In the end, I exined with a vague lie that it was my cousin''s younger sibling. Soo-Yeong looked at me in disbelief.

    "How am I your cousin? That''s nonsense, ugh...!"

    I quickly covered her mouth. Soo-Yeong struggled, but I didn''t give in. This was a matter of life or death for me.

    - It doesn''t seem like she¡¯s your cousin''s younger sibling, though?

    But it was already toote. Jin-Seo interrogated me with a tone full of suspicion, as if digging for answers. Cold sweat ran down my forehead.

    The fact that I had lied had been exposed, giving Jin-Seo a reason to doubt me. It might just be a minor suspicion at the moment, but there was a possibility for that small suspicion to snowball into a major problem in the future.

    "It¡¯s someone simr to my cousin¡¯s younger sibling...?"

    - Well, then it¡¯s just a sibling that you know.

    "That''s right."

    - A sibling that you know.

    Jin-Seo repeated. Her tone was iparably colder and more distant than usual. I always got caught whenever I lied in front of her. It was because Jin-Seo''s ability to read the atmosphere was far superior to others, but it was also because it was difficult for me to maintain myposure in front of her.

    - Alright. Let''s meet on Monday.

    The call ended there. The phrase "Let''s meet on Monday" felt more like a warning rather than a formal goodbye message.

    "Ah..."

    I had a little bit of a headache.

    ***

    Watching Sun-Woo tightly closing his eyes while touching his temples, Soo-Yeong suddenly felt doubt.

    ¡°Who was that?¡±

    Who in the world called that made Sun-Woo so nervous?

    The Sun-Woo who epted the call was unlike the charismatic and strong-willed person she encountered yesterday. Like many of the ordinary riff-raff boys that littered the school, Sun-Woo would asionally stumble and hesitate. Soo-Yeong found this kind of Sun-Woo unfamiliar.

    "Didn''t I say that I was going to Florence Academy?"

    "Huh? Yeah, I know."

    To be more urate, Soo-Yeong overheard Sun-Woo telling her father, but she decided not to mention that.

    Sun-Woo sighed and said, "I happened to meet her at Florence Academy."

    "Meet? Is she your girlfriend then?" Soo-Yeong asked with an innocent face.

    Sun-Woo shook his head.

    "Just a friend."

    "Just a friend? Then why are you so flustered? Did someone find your weakness?"

    "Your sentences are getting shorter?"

    "Oh, it was a slip of the tongue. Anyway, did someone find your weakness, <i>sir</i>?"

    Sun-Woo shook his head. If his weakness was exposed, then what on earth was it? Was he being bullied at school? Considering Sun-Woo''s personality, it was definitely a possibility. That aside, to make Sun-Woo, who was usually tough, tremble like that... The wickedness of the clergymen in the Romanican Church far exceeded her imagination. She suddenly felt that it was impressive that Sun-Woo could infiltrate and blend into Florence Academy, which was filled to the brim with devil-like clergymen.

    "Isn''t it tough in Florence Academy? There are only bad people there, right?"

    "It''s not that tough. And there are more kind people there than you think."

    "Kind people?"

    Soo-Yeong tilted her head. In her memory, all the Romanican Church believers were devils.

    They were shameless people who would use God and their doctrine as a means to justify their massacres. That was her perception toward the believers of Romanicanism. Therefore, she couldn''t understand how Sun-Woo could say that there were more kind people than she might think.

    "Yeah. There are quite a few kind kids. Of course, there are also bad kids as well."

    "Aren¡¯t they all trash?"

    "There are good people and bad people. That''s how it is. It''s the same for any religion. Whether it¡¯s the Voodoo Cult or the Romanican Church."

    It was difficult to ept immediately, but Soo-Yeong reluctantly nodded her head. She had a lot of questions sincest night, so she immediately asked another question. ¡°But is sir Cult Leader good at using divine power as well? Don¡¯t you have to use divine power in all the tests over there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m much worse at using divine powerpared to Voodoo sorcery.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you get good grades?¡±

    ¡°I just need to secretly use the power of the Loa.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Soo-Yeong let out a short exmation.

    One had to emit Voodoo magic power in order to cast Voodoo spells. However, since the power of the Loa didn¡¯t require any Voodoo magic power, it was possible to secretly use it.

    Because she had never experienced what it would be like to use the power of the Loa. It seemed like a very innovative idea to her.

    "Then you''d be in first ce for everything, right? The power of the Loa is totally hacking."

    "No, it''s not always like that... There are times when I ce first and times when I don¡¯t."

    "Still, I''m jealous," Soo-Yeong said with her head bowed.

    There was a shadow on her face.

    "I want to try it too..."

    She was reminiscing about the distant past¡ªthe day when countless Voodoo cult members were killed and when ck smog covered the skies such that not a single star could be seen.

    Soo-Yeong¡¯s mother was thrown into a pit and burned to death during The Starless Night by the hands of the Levi Order. Her brother assassinated the leader of the Levi Order in order to avenge his mother and was subsequently imprisoned in an underground prison.

    Previously, she secretly thought that if she were the Prophet instead of Sun-Woo, and if she was the one that was able to use the power of the Loa instead of Sun-Woo, then she could have saved both her mom and her brother...

    "Sorry."

    Soo-Yeong, lost in her thoughts, suddenly raised her head after hearing Sun-Woo¡¯s apology. Soo-Yeong was both surprised and puzzled that he was apologizing out of the blue even though he hadn''t done anything wrong.

    Before she could respond, Sun-Woo suddenly began drawing a spell array.

    "Huh? Hey, what are you¡ª!"

    <i>Puff...</i>

    The spell array waspleted before she could stop him. Soo-Yeong analyzed the spell array that Sun-Woo drew before losing consciousness due to breathing in the mist that had dissipated from the spell. It was a fusion Voodoo spell created bybining two spells.

    One of the spells seemed to be a spell rted to auditory hallucinations or illusions, but she couldn''t determine what the other spell was.

    "Huh?"

    However, contrary to her expectations, she didn''t lose consciousness. Instead, she had a headache. It was an intense migraine that made her temple throb. The faint pain gradually became more distinct. A small voice seemed to whisper inside her head. As the size of the headache increased, the voice ringing in her head also grew louder.

    [Can you hear me...?]

    "W-what did you do? Why do I keep hearing strange voices...!"

    [Banu bo gap ri rumda, gudal sae myeon i ro in a unga? Rim seon hada jiha! Unja geu bam yeo. Reor ina rida. Neungak yeol leok eopguk ba, ji. Dol mona godeun neun dollo juka a eum gyo ui i cha ji ni ro bae kka. Guja na. Da.]

    [Bo o jo su di yong neun o hi je ga jom mul gyeop hae i chi yo. Geup jan seon ha a! Ji da! Ju ja eol in ga reun gong a je eun pun mul beon geot eul gae gat ba in eu chi na ni do da! Kka. Rok!]

    ¡°This, the voices. The voices are... Urgh, urgghhhh...!¡±

    Countless voices were ringing inside her head. The voices all had different manners of speech. The tone of the voices and the volume of the voices were all different.

    The countless voices gathered into one spot and mixed into a cacophony. It was a sound that humans could not resist.

    Before two seconds even passed, she felt nauseous, and she felt like she was suffocating. She had a splitting headache that was so unbearable that she couldn¡¯t help but grab her hair in agony. Soon, the sounds dissipated. The sounds could only be heard for a brief moment, but to Soo-Yeong, that brief moment felt like an eternity.

    When she regained her bearings, she realized her entire body was soaked with sweat. Soo-Yeong pushed back her hair which had clumped together due to the sweat, and red at Sun-Woo.

    ¡°You, why did you suddenly...!¡±

    ¡°When you be the Prophet, you¡¯ll hear those sounds,¡± Sun-Woo said as he stared nkly at Soo-Yeong.

    His eyes, which were usually filled with enthusiasm and conviction, were currently filled with futility. Soo-Yeong swallowed hard and then looked at him.

    "For about a year... except when I sleep, I hear those sounds as soon as I open my eyes. I even hear them before I go to bed."

    "..."

    "They say it''s okay to prepare in advance, but I couldn¡¯t do that. Bing a Cult Leader and a Prophet happened so suddenly for me."

    Just hearing those words for a mere three or four seconds made her breathless and nauseous. However, if she were to hear those sounds every day for an entire year... It was clear that she would have lost her mind.

    Soo-Yeong couldn''t sleep because of the noise between floors, so she knew better than anyone how much noise could drive a person mad. Even the noise between floors was nothingpared to the noise that the Loa generated.

    "At that time, I wasn''t in my right mind either, so I couldn''t do anything during the Starless Night. That''s why I apologized..." Sun-Woo said. His words trailed off as he lowered his head.

    He had a resigned smile on his face as he continued, "Now that I think about it, it''s just an excuse. I was just ipetent, that''s all."

    "No, um... It¡¯s alright."

    She didn''t know what words to use tofort him, so she just kept her mouth shut.

    The reason why she disliked Sun-Woo was because she had initially thought that he was ipetent as a Cult Leader.

    She felt that he was pathetic, and she felt resentful about how he had not responded to or sought revenge for the persecution of Voodoo Cult members and the massacresmitted by the extremist group Levi Order within the Romanican Church after the Holy War.

    At some point, she started to feel that her mother''s death and her brother''s imprisonment were all Sun-Woo''s fault, and as a result, her resentment toward him grew even stronger. Eventually, she pushed Sun-Woo away and even made up her mind to be the Cult Leader herself.

    "I think it¡¯s time we go back now. I said that I was just going out for a moment, but I¡¯ve been out for too long."

    "Huh? Yeah..."

    Soo-Yeong followed Sun-Woo with a nk expression as she captured his back with her eyes. As she did, she imagined a life where she had suddenly lost her parents, became a Cult Leader, a Prophet, and had to endure noises that could drive her insane in just a few seconds, all the while struggling to gain recognition from the executives as the Cult Leader.

    She couldn¡¯t really imagine it very well. It was because, up until now, she had thought that Sun-Woo had simply be a Cult Leader because his luck was really good.

    "Ah, slow down a bit, please!" Soo-Yeong shouted as she watched Sun-Woo briskly walking alone,pletely disregarding her much shorter strides. Sun-Woo silently looked at her and waited for her to catch up.

    Until yesterday, she had resented Sun-Woo and, at the same time, envied him. She envied his ability to effortlessly manipte the power of Loa. And she resented how he did nothing, even with all that power.

    Now, her thoughts had changed a bit.

    "But why are you telling me all this? Don''t you have someone to talk to?"

    "Yeah, I don''t."

    "...If you just respond like that, what am I supposed to say?"

    Soo-Yeong looked at Sun-Woo. When she examined his face from the front, it lookedposed. No, it actually looked like there was a faint smile on his face.

    That appearance felt somewhat pitiful to her.

    1. <u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_schrs</u> ?

 Chapter 102

    <h4>Chapter 102</h4>

    The Jeo Branch and Gyeongsang Branch were the first to leave the mountain, followed by the Chungcheong Branch. The reason for the separate departures was that the Taebaeksan Mountain area was infused with my father¡¯s spell, and if multiple people went hiking together, there would be a greater risk of getting lost. Lastly, when only the Seoul Branch¡ªor rather just we¡ªremained, Yun Chang-Su called out to me.

    "Cult Leader, if I may say something..."

    He guided me to a small room in the corner of the chapel and handed me a cup of tea. The tea had a very pleasant aroma, but I couldn''t tell what kind of tea it was. I didn¡¯t know much about tea.

    With slow movements, Yun Chang-Su sat across from me and gently stroked his long beard.

    "This is quite a difficult story to tell..."

    "It¡¯s fine. Please go ahead and tell me."

    Yun Chang-Su was neither an opportunist like Yeom Man-Gun nor did he have Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s stubborn temperament. Moreover, he was the only executive who had ever served the First Cult Leader among the executives who were still alive. To put it bluntly, he was like a senior executive. Whenever I faced Yun Chang-Su, I felt a sense of respect for him, not just as a leader to a follower, but also as a person. I wasn¡¯t just being polite when I asked Yun Chang-su to put his hesitations aside and speak without holding back.

    "I heard that you distributed excess funds from the Seoul Branch to the other branches to help ovee financial difficulties."

    "Yes."

    "I''m really sorry, but I think it would be better for me not to ept that money."

    If it had been a request for more money, I would have dly epted. But I had no idea that he would refuse to ept the money. I couldn¡¯t help but nce at Yun Chang-Su''s face. Beneath his kind and warm smile, I could see resolute determination.

    "Um... may I ask for the reason?" I asked.

    Yun Chang-Su hesitated, touching his beard before exining, "The Gangwon Branch has very few church members, so even if they received money, it would mostly be used for personal purposes. That being the case, I figured it would be better to give it to the Gyeongsang or Chungcheong Branches since they have more mouths to feed."

    It was a reasonable exnation that seemedpletely in character for him. However, not giving him any money wouldn¡¯t be right. After all, there was a significant political reason behind giving money to the local branches.

    Suddenly, I remembered something.

    "...Weren¡¯t you a teacher in the past?"

    "Yes, that''s correct. Although it was brief, there was a time when I taught children."

    "Then, what do you think about establishing a night school?"

    Yun Chang-Su seemed surprised by my suggestion. The wrinkles around his eyes seemed to deepen a little.

    "By night school, you mean..."

    "There are many people in the Voodoo Cult who cannot attend school due to various circumstances. I was thinking of creating a school for people like that."

    Ji-Ah, for example, couldn''t attend school. Well, it wasn¡¯t that she couldn''t attend, but rather that she chose not to. In any case, there were many people in the Voodoo Cult with very low academic qualifications. For instance, Yuk Eun-Hyung from the Gyeongsang Branch only had a middle school education, and Yeom Man-Gun didn''t even properly attend elementary school before starting his business, so he had no education at all.

    "Why don''t we have you be a teacher and use the money to run the night school?"

    "I appreciate the suggestion, but I am not qualified to teach others."

    "You underestimate yourself. Your knowledge surpasses anyone¡¯s, not just among the Voodoo Cult but also the Romanican Church."

    These were not empty words. If we brought in people from the Romanican Church who imed to be knowledgeable, they would all be rendered speechless in front of Yun Chang-Su. That was how knowledgeable he was.

    "Raising the level of knowledge within the Voodoo Cult is in itself a resistance to the Romanican Church. There are only advantages to it."

    "Hmm..."

    "It also seems like a waste that this huge underground chapel is only used for executive meetings."

    I used all the arguments I could to convince him.

    Yun Chang-Su seemed to sink into deep thought for a while and eventually nodded slightly, as if he had made up his mind.

    "In that case... we will need a few more teachers, and we will also need to admit some students..."

    "I will seek help from the other executives in that regard."

    I received the contact information of all the executives this morning. It seemed that Ha Pan-Seok, who had spare time due to focusing solely on the operation of the cult, would be helpful for recruiting the teachers.

    Student recruitment could easily be resolved by contacting Yuk Eun-Hyung. The mercenaries under Yuk Eun-Hyung''smand were all part of the educationally marginalized group who couldn''t attend school due to unfortunate circumstances. In addition, there were plenty of other people, such as Yeom Man-Gun or Ji-Ah, who could attend the sses if a night school was established.

    "Thank you for caring so much, and my apologies again. I should be handling everything on my own..."

    "Since it''s my proposal, it''s only natural that I take care of the foundation. You don''t have to apologize for anything."

    With that, the discussion about establishing the night school came to an end. I stood up and tried to leave, but Yun Chang-Su''s gaze toward me seemed a bitplicated, so I sat back down. The way he looked at me seemed to indicate that he had something more to say.

    "Cult Leader, do you know about the reverse spell technique?" Yun Chang-Su asked out of the blue.

    I had heard of the reverse spell technique before. It was a technique that literally reversed the effects of a Voodoo spell.

    In ancient times, there was a cult leader in the ancient Voodoo Cult who used the reverse spell technique to treat those who were addicted or mentally damaged by Voodoo spells. On the other hand, it is said that there was also a cult leader who used the reverse spell technique with the restoration spell to massacre countless people. There were no records of such events¡ªI only heard it from Legba. Thus, it was unclear whether it was true or not.

    "I know about it."

    "I recently heard that you were looking for a method to undo zombification."

    "Ah, yes. How did you know about that...?"

    "Executive Jin-Sung told me."

    My uncle secretly worried a lot about Yoon-Ah. In spite of saying mean things such as ¡®She is a burden¡¯ and ¡®Why do we have to take care of <i>that</i> and live with it when it¡¯s not even our fault?¡¯ he looked into various methods of undoing zombification. As a result, he must have ended up asking for help from Yun Chang-Su.

    Yun Chang-Su spoke with a determined expression on his face. "By using the reverse spell technique, you should easily be able to undo zombification."

    "Really? I suppose so," I casually replied as I nodded my head.

    I wondered why Yun Chang-Su had suddenly brought this topic up. All the literature and relics regarding the reverse spell technique had long since disappeared. It was indeed possible to reverse zombification through the reverse spell technique, but the problem was that there was no way of using the reverse spell technique.

    There was no way that Yun Chang-Su didn¡¯t know that. So, the fact that he had suddenly brought up this topic meant that...

    "By any chance, have you found out how to use the reverse spell technique?"

    There was no other possible reason for him to bring up this topic. Yun Chang-Su nodded slightly in response to my question. Instantly, a strange feeling bubbled up from deep within my chest. If I could use the reverse spell technique, I could turn Yoon-Ah back into a human. Then, theplicated emotions I felt every time I saw In-Ah would also disappear. I could finally see a glimmer of hope.

    However, Yun Chang-Su¡¯s face was devoid of emotion as he spoke in an ominous tone, "It is said that the leaders of the Ancient Voodoo Cult used staves."

    "Yes, I heard they used staves made out of the branches of the Soul Tree."

    "That''s correct. Among them, do you know the name of the staff that was made out of the third branch of the Soul Tree?"

    I tilted my head in response to Yun Chang-Su''s question and tried to recall the answer from my memories. The first branch was Life. The second branch was Death. And the third branch was...

    "Resistance."

    "That''s correct. It''s called Resistance, and it is also known as Reversal."

    Both Resistance and Reversal were simr in the sense that they ''defied'' something. Therefore, the name of the staff made from the third branch of the Soul Tree was both Resistance and Reversal.

    It was said that the Cult Leader chosen by the Staff of Reversal would be able to defy fate until they ultimately met a tragic death, or they would be able to defy even their ultimate fate and rewrite fate itself.

    Of course, this was also just a story that was passed down. The important thing was that, with the Staff of Reversal, one could use reverse spells. Yun Chang-Su slowly and hesitantly blinked as he said, "The reason I''m telling you this is that... I''ve found the location of the Staff of Reversal."

    <i> </i> *

    On the way back, my uncle was holding the steering wheel as he asked, "So, what did you talk about with Yun Chang-Su?"

    The sun had set, and darkness had descended upon the pitch-ck highway, making it impossible to see anything. My uncle, however, was driving proficiently even in this darkness. He was naturally adept at seeing things at night.

    "I just... heard a little bit of information about the reverse spell technique," I said.

    "Reverse spell technique?"

    "It''s a technique for using Voodoo spells in reverse, and it''s somewhat rted to a method that can undo zombification or something..." I exined vaguely.

    There didn''t seem to be much point in exining in detail to my uncle, who didn''t know anything about Voodoo spells. But when I mentioned its connection to a method that could undo zombification, my uncle''s eyes sparkled with interest.

    "Tell me more about it. Did you learn how to use the reverse spell technique? Or do we need some sort of training?"

    "It''s a long story."

    "Ah, kid. Just tell me, even if it''s a hassle. I¡¯m driving you back after all."

    I briefly summarized the conversation I had with Yun Chang-Su for my uncle. I exined that the reverse spell technique involved using spells in reverse. I also exined that it was possible to turn zombies back into humans using this technique. However, to use the reverse spell technique, the Staff of Reversal was needed...

    "...and that¡¯s the gist of it."

    "Staff of Role-ying? Where is it? Does it even exist?"

    "It¡¯s not the Staff of Role-ying. It''s the Staff of Reversal. And yes, it does exist."

    "It exists? Then we just have to go find it, right? Where is it?"

    My uncle''s expression was unusually bright. He seemed pleased that there was hope of being able to turn Yoon-Ah back into a human.

    "Saudi Arabia."

    "...Ah, Saudi Arabia."

    My uncle''s expression instantly darkened at my response. After that, the conversation abruptly ended. My uncle drove while I looked out the car window, and Ji-Ah¡¯s head bobbed as she was dozing off.

    ording to Yun Chang-Su, the Staff of Reversal was disyed at the National History Museum in Saudi Arabia. The first problem was that it was disyed in a museum, and the second problem was that it was disyed in the <i>national</i> history museum of <i>Saudi Arabia.</i>

    First of all, South Korea and Saudi Arabia didn''t have a good rtionship. The national religion of our country was Romanicanism, and the national religion of Saudi Arabia was Im. It was a well-known fact that Romanicanism and Im had a very bad rtionship. Even three-year-old children knew this. It was clear that Saudi Arabia would send us right back if we tried to enter the country.

    However, there was a bigger problem.

    [It looks like we can''t even think about going until the civil war is over,] Legba muttered under his breath.

    As he said, Saudi Arabia was currently in the midst of a religious civil war. The Shia, the Sunni, and the Romanican Church missionaries residing in Saudi Arabia were the main yers in this intense and brutal conflict that showed no signs of stopping. It was said that the streets were filled with corpses and that homes had been turned into ruins due to the bombings.

    In fact, it was not only Saudi Arabia, but almost all the regions of the Middle East that were suffering from the internal conflicts between the Shia and Sunni. People referred to these events as the Arab Winter. It was a term that referred to the state of chaos and social instability that had spread throughout the entire Middle East due to the continuous internal conflicts that urred since the Arab Spring. In the midst of all this, what would happen if I went to Saudi Arabia and tried to steal the Staff of Reversal that was exhibited at the National Museum? It waspletely hopeless.

    "Baron Samedi... you lied to me...?"

    I suddenly got angry as I recalled Baron Samedi''s words that I would soon be able to find a method to turn Yoon-Ah back into a human. Well, to be frank, it wasn''t really a lie. He said I would be able to <i>find</i> the method of turning Yoon-Ah back into a human. He never said that I would actually be able to <i>use</i> it..

    While gazing at the mountain peak that was bathed in the brilliant moonlight, my uncle suddenly called out to me. "Sun-Woo."

    "Why?"

    "Did you put on your seatbelt...?" my uncle asked with a trembling voice while staring ahead.

    His hair was drenched in cold sweat. The sweat flowed down to the tip of his chin and dropped off. I pulled out a few tissues from the back of the car and handed them to him.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you?"

    "No, well, erm... Um, Sun-Woo. I...¡± Uncle said with a quivering voice.

    ¡°I see the Grim Reaper right now..."

    "What?"

    "You, you... right now, next to you. Right next to you. It¡¯s right next to you..."

    It wasn''t like he was under a hallucination spell or anything, so why was he suddenly saying he could see the Grim Reaper? I was a little surprised by my uncle''s unexpected words, but judging by his expression and tone, it didn''t seem like he was joking. I shifted my gaze to my side.

    Someone wearing a silk hat was staring at me with red eyes and smiling.

    [I came because my ear was itching, and lo and behold, you were badmouthing me. Birds hear the daytime talk, and I hear the nighttime talk. Haven''t you heard that saying before?]

    "...Baron Samedi? Why are you here?"

    I wasn''t at all that pleased with his sudden appearance. Baron Samedi''s mischievous voice resonated in my head instead of going through my ears.

    [Why am I here, you ask? Couldn''t you at least pretend to be d to see me?]

    "I can only pretend to be d in a situation where I can actually be d..."

    [Oh, another retort... You really are a headstrong Prophet, aren''t you?]

    "Honestly, it''s not the first time, right?"

    Baron Samediughed.

    [Correct, it isn¡¯t the first time, for sure. Your mother was the best at having no manners... Anyway, I came here to exin.]

    "Exin all of a sudden?"

    [I didn''t lie,] Baron Samedi said with a firm tone.

    He adjusted the angle of his silk hat with his left hand and flicked his right finger. Suddenly, a metal hip sk and a ss with ice appeared out of thin air. The hip sk clinked as it filled the ss with rum.

    [Let''s have a drink first and then continue the conversation. Well, our Cult Leader here is a minor, so he can''t. Yeah, our prized chief priest who''s driving!] Baron Samedi handed the ss to my uncle.

    [How about a drink?]

    "..."

    My uncle didn''t answer and focused only on driving. His clothes were soaked in cold sweat. Baron Samedi shook the ss as if urging him to take it quickly, but my uncle kept his mouth shut and only held onto the steering wheel. Baron Samedi sighed in disappointment as he took back the ss.

    [Well, drinking and driving is a bit too much, I suppose? It''s a shame. I was hoping to make a new friend before going back.]

    Baron Samedi chuckled and quickly downed his rum, emptying the ss in one gulp. Uncle looked at Baron Samedi''s reflection in the mirror and swallowed nervously. I felt like an ident was bound to happen if this continued. No matter how good Uncle''s night vision was or how skilled he was at driving, it was difficult to focus on driving in this situation. I opened my mouth to catch Baron Samedi''s attention.

    "So, what is it that you want to say?"

    [No need to speak so aggressively because of a joke.]

    "I repeat, <i>what do you want to say</i>?"

    [Yeah, yeah. It was the words of the noble Prophet, and I ignorantly disregarded them.]

    Baron Samedi cleared his throat and continued speaking, [I¡¯m going to say it again. I didn''t lie. You actually discovered a method. You found out that you can use the reverse spell technique through the Staff of Reversal and that you can undo zombification through the reverse spell technique, right?]

    "The problem is that the method is not feasible."

    [What are you talking about? It is feasible,] Baron Samedi said with a serious tone.

    [Within a short period of time... No, let me use the correct expression. Tomorrow, you wille to realize that my words were not false.]

    "I¡¯m going to school tomorrow, though?"

    [Then you will realize it at school. It''s best for you to believe. Regardless of what happens, this is all the truth.]

    ''Regardless of what happens, this is all the truth?'' It sounded familiar for some reason. I couldn''t quite remember where I had heard those words before.

    "...I understand for now,¡± I said as I reluctantly nodded.

    Whether Baron Samedi''s words were true or false would be determined tomorrow. Judging by his tone, it didn''t seem like a lie, but it was better to remain skeptical of Baron Samedi''s words until the end.

    [By the way, hasn''t Ogun mentioned anything about me?] Baron Samedi asked while sipping his second ss of rum.

    It seemed like he knew that I had summoned Ogun yesterday. Baron Samedi''s intelligence-gathering skills gave me chills once again. I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms as I nodded.

    "He didn''t mention anything."

    [Is that so? Seems like he really dislikes me. We were once inseparable...]

    Baron Samedi sighed as he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. They used to be so close, so how had they be enemies? I suddenly felt curious.

    "Why did you have a fight with him?"

    [Well, since I¡¯m here, let me tell you the story. It all started when¡ª]

    <i>Vrooooom¡ª! </i>

    Baron Samedi was interrupted when the car suddenly elerated like crazy. My uncle desperately shifted gears and mmed on the brakes, but the car didn''t stop. Instead, it continued to race forward as if it was about to crash into the guardrail at any moment.

    "What the hell? Slow down. Why are you in such a hurry..."

    "It''s the brakes...!" my uncle said in a panicked voice.

    He desperately turned the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding the guardrail and continuing on the curved road, but another curve was approaching right in front of us. The car seemed to be elerating uncontrobly.

    What should I do in a situation like this? Maybe I could use Bade''s power to create a gust of wind and lift the car...

    However, there was no time to react. The guardrail was right in front of us. There wasn''t even enough time to say a prayer. By the time I finished praying, the car would have already crashed through the guardrail and plummeted off the cliff.

    <i>Snap. </i>

    At that moment, a cheerful sound echoed from my left. It was the sound of Baron Samedi snapping his fingers.

    "Ah, huh...?"

    As a result, the car flew up.

    The car that should have crashed through the guardrail and fallen off the cliff was now soaring through the sky. The moonlight felt blindingly close. The world seemed to be endlessly getting smaller through the car window.

    Baron Samedi took a sip of his cigar, exhaled the smoke, and said, [To continue my story, I gambled with that guy, betting a part of each of our power. Obviously, I won, and I gained a little bit of his power.]

    "Obviously?"

    [Yeah, I <i>obviously</i> won. It was a rigged gamble. That''s why he hates me.]

    I nodded while gazing at the world beyond the car window. The breathtaking scenery of Taebaek Mountain, bathed in moonlight, came into view. The gorge that I had created through my prayer was the first thing that caught my eye. The Gangwon Branch underground chapel waspletely invisible, perhaps due to a spell.

    Stars fell from the sky. The moon felt so close as if I could reach out and touch it. The sky didn¡¯t even have a single cloud, so it was even more mysterious and beautiful.

    [Thanks to me winning that game, it looks like I saved your lives.]

    "...What kind of gamble did you do?"

    [A dice game.]

    <i>Snap. </i>

    As Baron Samedi flicked his finger again, the car slowly descended to the ground. Baron Samedi tossed his cigar out of the window and said, [I really love dice games, even though I''m not a god.]

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The carnded safely on the road, and we set off. My uncle took hold of the steering wheel and resumed driving with a bewildered expression on his face. As he did, he tested the brakes. The brakes activated smoothly as if they had never malfunctioned in the first ce.

    [While I was at it, I also fixed the car. No need to thank me.]

    "..."

    [Well, see youter! Let''s y dice or something next time we have the chance...]

    With those words as a parting farewell, Baron Samedi left. A heavy silence filled the air. Uncle wiped his sweat off with a tissue, and Ji-Ah continued to sleep through it all. Everything felt surreal, like a dream, but it was definitely not a dream.

    Uncle silently drove and nced back for a moment.

    "Sun-Woo, what was the name of the person you just spoke to...?"

    "Baron Samedi."

    "How did you manage to have a conversation with someone like that without stuttering...?" Uncle asked with a trembling voice.

    From Uncle''s perspective, Baron Samedi''s appearance must have been incredibly terrifying. Unless they were incredibly brave, it was only natural for anyone to be startled if someone with an old-fashioned silk hat, formal suit, pale eyes, andpletely white skin had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However, when I saw Baron Samedi, I was not surprised at all. I was just a little ufortable. Somehow, Baron Samedi¡¯s appearance felt familiar, and sometimes I even felt close to him.

    "Because I am the Prophet?"

    That was the only answer that immediately came to mind.

 Chapter 103

    <h4>Chapter 103</h4>

    At the break of dawn, when the sky was just starting to brighten, two men were walking along the treacherous mountain path on Taebaeksan.

    "Hey, is it really okay for us toe in here? It feels strange. It¡¯s like we''re going in circles..." a man with a scruffy haircut whined.

    "Ah, if you''re going to keepining like that, then why don''t you just go back down? I can catch the long-tailed gorals by myself, you know?" a man dressed entirely in ck said. He was covering his face with the brim of his hat.

    The scruffy-haired man cringed and scratched his head as heughed like an idiot. "Eh, hehe~ That¡¯s not what I meant. I was just worried."

    "There''s nothing to worry about. Just shut up and stay quiet. Just be careful not to let any of the long-tailed gorals escape, got it?"

    "Ah, I got it. Geez, ranting on like just because I got a little worried..." the man with the scruffy haircut muttered while shooting a nce at the man in ck.

    The man in ck ignored his grumbling and swiftly continued along the mountain path. The reason why they came to Taebaeksan was to capture the rare Korean long-tailed gorals that could only be found there. The man with the scruffy haircut and the man in ck were brothers¡ªthe scruffy-haired man was the younger brother, and the man in ck was the older brother. They were illegal poachers who captured rare animals and sold them to Japan as their business.

    Rare animals were highly valuable in Japan. This was due to the influence of the native Shinto religion, which worshiped animals.

    "...Shh."

    The older brother was advancing forward without hesitation, and he lowered his head instantly. Then he brought his index finger to his mouth. The younger brother followed suit and brought his index finger to his own mouth, imitating his brother''s movements. The brothers'' gazes were focused on the same thing.

    Beyond the bushes, a long-tailed goral was wandering while innocently looking around.

    "Alright, when I give the signal, we both go at the same time. Got it?" the older brother whispered, giving instructions to his younger brother.

    The younger brother nodded as his nostrils red.

    The sheep casually and gracefully walked along the mountain path as if it was still unaware of their presence.

    Eventually, the older brother extended three fingers and then began folding them one by one.

    "Ready. One, two...!"

    "Aaaargh¡ª!"

    When the older brother folded his second finger, the younger brother suddenly screamed and rushed toward the long-tailed goral. The long-tailed goral was startled and quickly ran into the forest. The younger brother waved his long arms in a ridiculous manner as he chased after the long-tailed goral.

    The older brother stared nkly at the scene as if he was dumbfounded.

    "That, that idiotic brat!" the older brother cursed after btedly realizing the situation.

    His younger brother had always beencking in some aspects, and so he had interpreted the counting of "one, two" as the signal. Counting numbers after promising to give a signal had been a mistake.

    Damn it. It wasn''t like they had been hunting for a day or two, so how could he make such a silly mistake...He felt a brief tinge of regret. However, now was not the time for regret. The older brother hurriedly chased after the younger brother into the forest. He couldn''t afford to lose the captured long-tailed goral that was right in front of him, and no matter howcking his brother was, he couldn''t let his family disappear into the mountains.

    Due to the Poodoo Cult or the Voodoo Cult, or whatever it was, Mount Taebaek was known for having the highest number of missing persons and idents.

    "Hey, man! Stop chasing after that and stay still! Stand still!"

    "Aaaahhhh...."

    "Stop screaming and stand still¡ª!"

    The younger brother screamed madly as he chased after the long-tailed goral, and the older brother screamed just as madly as he chased after him. The long-tailed goral was fast, and so were the footsteps of the sibling duo. If even one of them had been slow, the pursuit would havee to an end. But because all three of them were equally fast, there was no sign of the chase ending.

    Just when it seemed like the pursuit would never end, it suddenly came to a halt.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The younger sibling had been energetically running while pumping his arms, but his legs trembled as he stumbled onto the ground. The younger brother slowly turned his head towards his brother. His face was pale with fear. His trembling lips and clenched teeth clearly showed how terrified he was.

    "Huff, huff... Oh, you retard, why didn¡¯t you listen to me when I told you to stop...!¡± the older brother trailed off.

    He was just about to scold his younger brother, but he was rendered speechless as he stared at the scene in front of him with a nk expression. In an instant, his knees gave way, and he also ended up sitting on the ground. The breathtaking sight before them was so overwhelmingly expansive and beautiful that it made even their legs that had hardened from their long life of smuggling, powerless.

    A vast forest stretched below the cliff, with a massive road piercing through its center. On the roadside, there were enormous flowers and grass that they had never seen before, spreading out grandly like a crowd weing a hero''s triumph. As the wind blew, the flowers, grass, and trees on both sides of the road uniformly swayed from side to side. They had never seen scenery like this before, even though they had lived as illegal smugglers in Taebaeksan for three years.

    "Ha, hahaha...."

    The nickname for Taebaeksan was the Living Mountain. It was a nickname that originated from the fact that the path and scenery would change in the blink of an eye as if a living organism was moving. Taebaeksan was extremely rugged, and the paths were soplex that it could turn inexperienced hikers into lost souls in an instant.

    He thought that it was all just a legend. He had thought it was an excuse made by those who were afraid of the mountain because they didn''t understand its nature. But the reality was that the mountain had changed. In front of his eyes was a scene that he had never seen even once in his past three years of smuggling. It was as if the mountain was truly alive and breathing.

    "Is it really time to believe... Adonai or Dora, or whatever it was called..."

    After the national religion became the Romanican Church, he had just been an atheist who pretended to believe in the Romanican Church. He was a so-called ¡®Romanican Church follower that rode the trend.'' Yet, seeing this scene, it felt as if the sparks of faith were blooming inside his heart.

    <i> </i> *

    "Oh, Sun-Woo the Kind is here!" In-Ah greeted me yfully as soon as I arrived at the ssroom. Her face seemed slightly more gaunt than before, but her infectious smile was still radiant.

    "I told you not to call me that," I retorted.

    "Why? It sounds cute and nice, doesn¡¯t it?"

    "Just what part of it is... Never mind, just call me whatever you want."

    She wasn''t the type to not call me by a certain nickname just because I told her not to. It was clear that she would tease me even more if I showed a reaction. I resigned myself and took out my book after sitting at my desk, but In-Ah stared at me with sparkling eyes as if trying to distract me from studying.

    "...What is it?"

    "Just because! It feels like it''s been a long time since I''ve seen you."

    Since we saw each otherst Friday, it wasn¡¯t really that long ago. Even if people had different standards for what constituted a long time, it was difficult to see how three days could possibly be a long time...

    I didn''t want to spoil In-Ah''s cheerful mood, so I didn''t dwell on it.

    "Oh, the ice cream that we atest time at that ce was delicious," In-Ah suddenly said as if the thought had just urred to her.

    I had taken her to a franchise ice cream shopst Friday to cheer her up, and it seemed like she wanted to talk about that.

    "Wasn''t it too sweet?"

    ¡°You must be clueless in the art of gastronomy. Ice cream tastes better the sweeter it is,¡± In-Ah said as if she was lecturing me.

    I didn¡¯t dislike sweet things, but I didn¡¯t like overly sweet things either. For some strange reason, I would get a headache when I ate too many sweet foods. In-Ah looked at me and saw the frown on my face. She yfully smiled and said, "You''re really picky sometimes. You don¡¯t like ice cream because it¡¯s too sweet, and you don¡¯t like coffee because it¡¯s too bitter. What exactly do you eat? You don¡¯t eat spicy food either, right?¡±

    "Oh, how did you know?"

    "You really don''t eat spicy food? Holy... I guess I made a mistake in choosing my friend..." she said in a yful manner.

    Even though I knew she wasn''t being serious, it still made me upset. Of course, I didn''t show it.

    Suddenly, someone put their arm on my shoulder and squeezed in between In-Ah and me.

    "How about me? I eat spicy food well, and I''m not picky about food," Jun-Hyuk said.

    His hair was disheveled, and he had a silly smile on his face as he looked at me and In-Ah. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, and he had a cast on his arm. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like he was limping. Quite literally, his whole body was bruised and battered. His condition was more serious than when Jin-Seo had beaten him up.

    "Y-your face, why..." In-Ah stuttered as she looked at Jun-Hyuk with a confused expression. Jun-Hyuk raised the arm resting on my shoulder before he scratched his head and answered, "Well... I got hit a little. It just happened."

    "What! You didn''t get into another fight with Jin-Seo, did you?"

    "What are you talking about? The training center has been closed for a while now. I got hit by my mom. I¡¯m telling you it was just my mom."

    Jun-Hyuk cut off In-Ah''s attempt to get angry as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. The atmosphere became chilly.

    In-Ah opened and closed her mouth as if she was unsure of what to say, and I kept silent. I couldn¡¯t reallye up with any words offort, and it didn¡¯t seem like giving him words offort would be of much use.

    "What''s with the atmosphere? It''s not like it''s a funeral... Just pretend like you didn¡¯t hear what I just said before. Hey, the gate inspection was really strict today, right? Did you guys get caught too?" Jun-Hyuk quickly changed the subject.

    In-Ah tilted her head with an innocent expression on her face as if she didn''t know anything, and I quietly nodded. Today was the first day of the operation to identify the Satanist and the n was being executed secretly, starting with gate inspections. It was information that only members of the student council would know.

    "Yeah, they were pretty strict today. Did you get caught too?" I casually asked while pretending not to know anything.

    In response, Jun-Hyuk raised his eyebrows as if he had a lot to say.

    "Hey, man. I''ve been going around like this ever since I first enrolled in the school. Does it make any sense that they catch me today? If they were going to catch me, they should have done it from the beginning. I couldn¡¯t bear it because they suddenly ranted about some kind of dress code vition or something."

    "So what did you do?"

    "What could I do? I just got demerits and said sorry~ before going to the ssroom."

    Despite saying that he couldn¡¯t bear it, he was doing a good job of keeping control of his emotions. Jun-Hyuk was wearing casual pants, a school uniform shirt, and a loose tie that was carelessly strapped around his neck. The buttons on the shirt were all undone. I was amazed that he had never gotten caught up until now despite walking around looking like that.

    "Hey, did you guys have to do some kind of survey too?"

    "Survey?" In-Ah repeated his words as if this was her first time hearing about this.

    Jun-Hyuk turned his gaze toward me.

    "What about you?"

    "I did the survey as well. The questions were a bit strange, though."

    "Right? I''m not the only one who felt that way, right? Why ask if someone in the family is hospitalized or not? It was fuck¡ªI mean, really ufortable," Jun-Hyuk said with a bitter tone and a frown on his face.

    It seemed like he had felt genuinely ufortable. Today, along with the general inspections, a survey targeting "potential Satanist candidates" was conducted at the school gate. There were many questions about ideology, family background, and other sensitive issues. I also participated in the survey as one of the ¡®promising Satanist candidates.¡¯ There were a lot of questions on various sensitive topics, such as ideology and family history.

    I was also one of the promising candidates, so I also had toplete the survey. Of course, I didn''t answer truthfully, and I carefully manipted my answers in order to avoid suspicion.

    <i>Slide¡ª!</i>

    While Jun-Hyuk was spouting outints about the survey questions, the door opened, and Ye-Jin walked in.

    "Good morning~ Oh, it''s not a good morning, right? Because it''s Monday."

    The students nodded as if they agreed. Ye-Jin smiled so widely that dimples showed on her face.

    "But let''s think of it as a good morning as we start our day! There are a lot of announcements today. First of all..."

    She began homeroom. As she mentioned earlier, there were indeed a lot of announcements today. From the exam schedule notice, a warning about the recent surge in unprovoked assaults, to the encouragement to work hard as specialization-specific sses were going to start today.

    "And you all know about the Voodoo Cult, right? There have been strange incidents happening on Taebaek Mountain recently, and there are suspicions that it might be the doings of the Voodoo Cult Leader. There are rumors that they have recently resumed their activities, and they¡¯re an unpredictable cult, so it''s best for everyone to be cautious..."

    Ye-Jin continued to warn everyone about the Voodoo Cult in great detail. ording to her, the Voodoo Cult Leader was an extremely wicked person, and after the Holy War, his venomous desire for revenge made him even more dangerous.

    It was too scary. I had to be careful as well.

    [They¡¯re all making a mountain out of a molehill. It seems like those Romanican Church guys like to exaggerate insignificant things,] Legba said with a slightly angry tone.

    I sat still without responding. Ye-Jin left after homeroom was finished, and the students started gossiping as usual.

    "Are they talking about the same Voodoo Cult that went extinct a long time ago?"

    "Yeah, hey, check out this picture. It was uploaded to Grandce. What in the world happened to this mountain..."

    "Wow, you¡¯re saying this was done by the Voodoo Cult?"

    "They say they can control the weather too. Apparently, there was a sudden earthquake on Mount Taebaek, and the sky split apart..."

    I quietly listened to the students gossiping. It was more fun than I thought.

    The act of me opening up a way by praying to Granbwa had turned into ¡®the Cult Leader caused an earthquake.¡¯ And the act of me failing to control the power of the Loa had turned into ¡®the Cult Leader splitting the sky apart.¡¯

    While I was listening to the conversations with interest, In-Ah chewed on her lips and muttered, ¡°Voodoo Cult...¡±

    I suddenly felt unwell, so I rested my head on the table and closed my eyes. It was an attempt to fall asleep, but sleep did note. All I could do was quietly close my eyes.

    <i> </i> *

    During lunchtime, a meeting was held in the student council room. It was an extremely sudden meeting¡ªthe student council members had only been notified by text message around the end of the third period. After finishing my meal and heading to the student council room, Min-Seo looked at the clock on the wall and then at me with fierce eyes.

    "You''re one minute and thirteen secondste."

    "..."

    If I was onlyte for one minute and thirteen seconds, then I wasn¡¯t really all thatte... I was a little dumbfounded, but since it would be a disadvantage to argue with Min-Seo, I quietly took my seat. Looking around my surroundings, everyone was present except for two people. Min-Seo, Yu-Hyun, Jin-Seo, Ha-Yeon, and I were present.

    ¡°Where are the other two?¡± I asked, and Min-Seo pointed with her chin at the wardrobe in the corner of the room.

    "I wonder... Try opening that."

    <i>Tumble¡ª! </i>

    When the door opened, Su-Ryeon fell out of the wardrobe along with a bunch of nkets. She frantically looked around with sleepy eyes. It seemed like she had been sleeping up until now. Su-Ryeon woke up from her sleep, straightened her messy hair and muttered, "Uh, wha-what the... What''s going on? Huh?"

    "Just sit anywhere. The meeting has started."

    "What? A meeting? I didn''t know there was one because I¡¯ve been sleeping all morning..."

    After roughly stuffing the nkets into the wardrobe, Su-Ryeon sat down. So, the only person who hadn''t arrived at the meeting was now Dae-Man. Min-Seo grimaced as if the fact that Dae-Man waste displeased her, and she crumpled the documents in her hand.

    "Dae-Man, that bastard... I really want to hit him. No, actually, I want to beat him ck and blue..."

    "Oh, that''s funny. You want to hit Dae-Man just once[1]," Su-Ryeon said while chuckling.

    "I''m not joking," Min-Seo said.

    "Oh, okay."

    At Min-Seo¡¯s sharp response, Su-Ryeon awkwardly smiled and scratched her head with exaggerated gestures. Silence filled the room for a brief moment.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Dae-Man broke the silence when he roughly opened the door and entered the student council room. His hair was soaked in sweat.

    "Sorry, I''mte!"

    "Alright, why were youte, Mr. Dae-Man?" Min-Seo asked sarcastically.

    Dae-Man showed off his impressive muscles that looked like they would rip out of his school uniform and responded, "I was exercising! I couldn''t resist working out after eating."

    "Okay... Sit down. I don''t want to talk to you."

    "Oh, we''re on the same page. I don''t want to talk to you either!"

    "Just sit down!" Min-Seo yelled sharply.

    Their rtionship was always strained. Well, to be honest, rather than calling it a bad rtionship, it was urate to say that Min-Seo simply disliked Dae-Man, and Dae-Man didn''t seem to care at all.

    "Anyway, since we''re all here, let''s get started. Today, we''ll keep it simple and finish quickly. First..." Min-Seo was about to start the meeting when she suddenly stopped talking. Then, she shifted her gaze toward me. Her gaze was so cold that it felt scary.

    "Sun-Woo, did you write the proposal I asked you to write?" she asked while narrowing her eyes.

    As I looked around, everyone was staring at me. However, there was not even a smidgen of concern in their expressions. They all had expressions that were full of trust as if they naturally believed without a shadow of a doubt that I must havepleted the proposals. I was at a loss. I didn''t even know that there was supposed to be a proposal or something like that.

    "Hey, did you write it?" Min-Seo asked again.

    I had toe up with some excuse, but no matter how much I thought, I couldn''t find one. I couldn''t say that I didn''t have time because I went to a Voodoo Cult executive meeting.

    "...Was there something like that?" I just admitted it honestly.

    Min-Seo''s expression slowly froze up in a grotesque manner.

    1. Hit once (? ??) rhymes with Dae-Man(???) ?

 Chapter 104

    <h4>Chapter 104</h4>

    ¡°Hey... You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Min-Seo said.

    She wasughing, but her gaze was cold. Her eyes and her mouth were behavingpletely differently. It was like a person who had never smiled before was trying to raise their lips to imitate a smile. It was a smile that felt somewhat eerie and awkward.

    "...Don¡¯t tell me you''re serious?"

    I remained silent, and Min-Seo red at me with grotesquely furrowed eyebrows as if she couldn''t understand. Min-Seo thought I was joking, but this was not a joke. I hadpletely forgotten that I needed to write a proposal.

    "I forgot. I''m sorry."

    I admitted my mistake and apologized. Unnecessary excuses would only have the opposite effect, and if the other person was Min-Seo, the bacsh would only be worse. Perhaps it was because I had quickly apologized, but Min-Seo''s distorted face gradually returned to normal. Fortunately, it seemed like her anger had subsided a bit.

    "What the hell, you fucktard! That thing¡¯s due today, and you¡¯re saying that you forgot? What are we supposed to do now? Are you insane?¡±

    ...Nevermind.

    Since I was getting battered by insults, I felt disoriented rather than angry. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t a situation where I could get angry. Min-Seo had entrusted me with the task of writing the proposal, and ?I didn¡¯t do it.

    "Hey, he says that he¡¯s sorry. No need to roast him that hard. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll die if we don¡¯tplete it by today, right? And if it was so urgent, you could have done it yourself."

    "Yeah, you should have just done it from the beginning."

    Yu-Hyun and Jin-Seo shielded me from Min-Seo¡¯s roasting. Yu-Hyun looked between me and Min-Seo with narrowed, piercing eyes, while Jin-Seo stared at Min-Seo with strangely rxed eyes.

    Min-Seoughed as if she couldn''t believe it.

    "I clearly told you to do itst week, and you agreed, so how is it my fault that this troglodyte didn''t do it? And am I supposed to forgive everything just because he apologized? It''s not like the proposal will magically appear just because he said sorry..."

    "Um, I''m sorry to interrupt," Ha-Yeon cut in, interrupting Min-Seo.

    There seemed to be a pile of documents in her hand. From a rough nce, it looked like the thickness of the stack was quite significant.

    Min-Seo looked at Ha-Yeon with a puzzled expression.

    "What is it?"

    "Actually, I wrote the proposal. Would you like to see it?"

    "What? Then you should have given it to me earlier... Well, whatever, give it to me."

    After taking away the proposal from Ha-Yeon as if she was stealing it, Min-Seo quickly skimmed through it. The wrinkles on her forehead suddenly smoothed out. After flipping through the proposal, she smiled and nodded.

    "This is amazing. After you apologized, the non-existent proposal magically appeared," Min-Seo said as if she was joking.

    No oneughed.

    I looked at Ha-Yeon. She briefly met my gaze, then quickly turned her head away. She was frowning while biting her lips and desperately avoiding my eyes.

    Something was off. That wasn''t the Ha-Yeon I knew.

    It would have been normal if she had said, ''Aren¡¯t you going to say thank you?¡¯ or ¡®What would you have done without me?¡¯ or something else along those lines while going on a tantrum... Did her personality suddenly change? No, was it even possible for a person¡¯s personality to change so abruptly?

    Moreover, how did she know that I wouldn''t write the proposal in the first ce, and why did she write the proposal for me instead? Did she want something from me again? Was this also part of the strategy to recruit me into the International Theological Association? Could it be that she still hadn¡¯t given up even after my firm rejection? Then, why did she want to recruit me so desperately into the International Theological Association?

    I didn¡¯t understand. I couldn''t understand why Ha-Yeon kept trying to help me. I couldn¡¯t understand at all. Countless questions swirled around in my head.

    "Well, that takes care of the proposal... Next is this."

    While I was lost in thought, Min-Seo handed us a piece of paper.

    ''Application for a mission trip supervised by the Elder Council''

    The application had formal and rigid sentences about the mission trip, and below that, there were nk spaces for writing phone numbers and names.

    "What is a mission trip?! I need an exnation!" Dae-Man eximed. He stopped reading the application midway and threw the paper to the side.

    Min-Seo frowned for a moment as if she was annoyed.

    "Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what a mission trip is?"

    "I don''t!"

    "Unbelievable, this idiot... How can someone that¡¯s a <i>vice priest</i> be so ignorant, so ignorant..."

    Although Min-Seo wasn''t exactly the most qualified person in terms of character to be a clergyman, I decided not to point that out.

    With a sigh, Min-Seo continued, "Literally, it''s a trip to spread the Romanican faith to another country. But in truth, that''s just the pretext..."

    "Ah, so you¡¯re saying that going to another country to spread the Romanican faith is considered a mission trip?"

    "Yes, you blockhead. Can you stop exercising and read a book for once?"

    "I am reading a book on sports nutrition!" Dae-Man proudly replied.

    Min-Seo ignored hisment and continued, "Untilst year, the travel destinations were ces like Japan or Africa. It was quite literally a trip for missionary purposes..."

    Min-Seo shut her mouth and hesitated for a moment before adding, "This year, the goal is not missionary work but <i>rescue</i> work. Since they¡¯re going, they n to send some of us along with them as well."

    "Rescue... I guess that makes sense," Dae-Man said as he crossed his arms and nodded in agreement.

    "Wow, hearing you say that makes me even less eager to go. I wasn''t nning on going in the first ce~" Su-Ryeon said while frowning and waving her hands in a loathing manner.

    Yu-Hyun was dozing off, and Jin-Seo sat across from them, staring into space with empty eyes. Ha-Yeon had her head bowed, so her face couldn''t be seen.

    Min-Seo slowly scanned the room and said, "Only student council members that want to go will go. This year¡¯s mission trip is more like a deployment rather than a trip, and it may be especially dangerous for inexperienced first-year students, and so on and so forth. Even the teacher in charge advised us not to go if possible. But why do those elder bastards..."

    Min-Seo continued speaking, but I didn''t bother listening to the details because there was no need for me to listen. Most of what she said criticized and condemned the Florence Academy staff, the Elder Council, and the Romanican Church.

    Her words, summarized as much as possible, were: ¡°I want to pull out all the few remaining strands of hairs on the top of those old folks¡¯ heads who are forcefully trying to send us on unnecessary missionary trips every year.¡±

    "Those Elder Council bastards seem to see students'' lives as their own expendable goods. When I see those elders pretending to be important, I really©¤"

    "..."

    While Min-Seo continued to angrily spew out curses, I carefully examined the application.

    Although the schedule was set immediately after the first round of exams, it said that the schedule may be subject to change at the school''s discretion. They nned on visiting only areas outside the disputed jurisdiction, but for safety reasons, we were to be apanied by clergymen of archbishop rank or higher. The Florence Foundation would fully cover the travel expenses...

    Among them, one sentence caught my attention.

    "They call this a trip, but in reality, it¡¯s not. You could potentially die if you make a mistake. There hasn''t been a student who has died on a mission trip until now, but... From what I can see, if any of us goes on this trip, I think that the first student to die on a mission trip will be one of us," Min-Seo said while scanning the faces of the students.

    "Anyway, for this reason, I¡¯ll assume that no one is going on this mission trip. I can just tell the teacher that all the first-year student council members won''t be attending."

    "I''m going." I interrupted Min-Seo.

    "...You''re going?" Min-Seo repeated while scratching her neck as if she was surprised.

    I nodded and repeated, "Yeah, I''m going."

    "Why?" Min-Seo furrowed her brows as if she could not understand.

    My eyes were still fixated on the application form. Aplex mix of excitement and fear filled my chest. I carefully made sure that my voice was not trembling as I took a deep breath and said, "Just because. It seems like it''ll be fun."

    The expressions of the student council members who heard my words all stiffened in unison. Of course, the real reason why I wanted to go was not because I actually thought it would be fun. Honestly, it didn''t seem like it would be fun at all. Just as Min-Seo said, ?it would only be dangerous.

    Nevertheless, I had to participate in this mission trip.

    The country that possessed the third staff of the Soul Tree, the Staff of Reversal, was Saudi Arabia. The Elder Council had organized and chosen that ce as the destination for the mission trip, both to send clergymen to rescue the Romanican Church missionaries trapped in Saudi Arabia and as a mission trip location for the Florence Academy student council members.

    [Look, I didn''t lie.]

    In my mind, I could hear a voice mixed withughter from someone other than Legba.

    ***

    After the meeting, I walked to the ssroom with the application form in hand.

    "Sun-Woo."

    Someone called me from behind. It was a woman''s voice. Clearly, Ha-Yeon hade after me to patronize me again. I reflexively frowned and turned my head. However, Min-Seo was there instead of Ha-Yeon

    "I was roughly correct..."

    Whether it was Ha-Yeon or Min-Seo, it was all the same. I disliked Ha-Yeon slightly more, though. Min-Seo furrowed her brows in confusion when she heard me.

    "What are you suddenly mumbling?"

    "I¡¯m just talking to myself."

    "What kind of stuff are you saying to yourself... Anyway, can you please make some revisions to this?" Min-Seo said while angrily handing me a stack of documents from her left hand.

    I impulsively epted it. It was the proposal for the religious essaypetition that Ha-Yeon had submitted during the meeting. Just from a rough nce, I thought it was quite thick, but when I actually held it, it was thicker than I initially thought. It seemed thicker than most textbooks. I had no idea what kind of content it contained for it to be this thick... In any case, I had no idea why she was asking me to revise it.

    "You said that it needed to be submitted right away. Won''t it be toote if we make revisions?"

    "That''s true, but if we submit it as it is, it could be a big problem... Read the twentieth line on page twelve."

    Following her words, I turned the page and read the twentieth line on page twelve.

    <i>[The essaypetition¡¯s origin started with the illegal activity of the Elder Council. In the past, if you submitted a research paper written at home at the end of the semester, it would be recorded in the student record. However, it was distorted into apetition format where youplete the research paper based on the collected data after it was discovered that the twin children of the former elder, Rafael, had forged and submitted the research paper...]</i>

    "I don''t think I can submit it as it is."

    The problem wasn''t just the length. Ha-Yeon''s proposal had too many of her own subjective opinions. Moreover, all those opinions were nothing but criticism or hostile opinions toward the Elder Council. It could even be seen as a petition requesting the dissolution of the council rather than a proposal.

    Min-Seo nodded seriously and exined, "The truth is, what you''ve just seen is the tip of the iceberg. First, we need to polish the sentences to be less aggressive and remove any sentences that are hostile toward the Elder Council. Then, the problem of the unnecessarily long length will be resolved on its own."

    "But you can do that yourself. Or you can ask Ha-Yeon to do it."

    In terms of editing, Ha-Yeon could do a much better job since she wrote it. Furthermore, refining the sentences and removing the criticisms of the Elder Council was something that Min-Seo could have easily done by herself. I wondered if there was a reason why I had to do it. I wasn''t busy, but I didn''t want to willingly ept it. Perhaps it was because it was Min-Seo''s request.

    "I talked to Ha-Yeon about it, but it seems like she doesn''t even know what the problem is..."

    Min-Seo paused for a moment as if she was lost in thought. Then she looked at me with empty eyes and said, "I can''t do it either. I''m busy, and I can''t even distinguish which sentences are hostile."

    "What kind of bullshit... What kind of nonsense is that?"

    "I mean, a pessimistic person can not identify a sentence criticizing something. I unknowingly sympathize with those sentences. If I keep reading, I can''t distinguish what''s right and what''s wrong."

    It seemed like Min-Seo was aware of the fact that she was pessimistic. As if she was reluctant, she continued to speak with a hesitant expression. "Um, and there are a few things in the data that Ha-Yeon somewhat fabricated. Can you change them into proper data?"

    "Where do I find the data?"

    "Um, in the Florence Elder Council something... Central Library. Look for it there. Most of the information should be there, and there should also best year''s student council project proposal, so if you roughly follow that, it should be fine."

    Her tone was unusually kindpared to usual. I tried to guess the reason why. First of all, it seemed like Min-Seo herself couldn''t directly do the editing work. Ha-Yeon was <i>pessimistic</i>, so she also couldn¡¯t do the editing work, and Su-Ryeon didn''t seem like she would do it even if asked. Based on Su-Ryeon''s behavior so far, she didn''t seem very diligent. Yu-Hyun was also the same. Dae-Man didn¡¯t need any exnation.

    Looking at the list of student council members, there was no one else to ask for help except for Jin-Seo and me. However, Min-Seo seemed to have a bad rtionship with Jin-Seo and it seemed like she had a tendency to avoid her. She probably didn¡¯t want to ask Jin-Seo for help with anything.

    "It seems like you have no one to ask except me, right?"

    Min-Seo turned her gaze away and bit her lip. She had a pained expression on her face. Immediately after, she tried to hide her expression and forced a smile, but it was toote. I had already figured out her true feelings.

    "...What are you talking about? Since you were the person who was supposed toplete the task in the first ce, that¡¯s why I¡¯m at least asking you to edit the proposal. If you don¡¯t want to do it, I can ask someone else," Min-Seo urgently exined as if she were a criminal trying to prove their innocence.

    "Then ask someone else. I''m busy."

    "Hey, you don''t even go to after-school academies. How¡¯s someone who learns blessings from YouTube supposed to be busy?"

    "You don''t have to go to after-school academies to be busy... Anyway, I''m busy. Ask someone else."

    Min-Seo grabbed my arm as I tried to leave.

    "Ah, you jerk, listen. Hear me out and make a decision."

    Min-Seo was the type of person to use others as needed. Therefore, she boldly discarded those who were not needed and only took care of those that she deemed necessary. And to her, I was a <i>necessary</i> person. At least for now.

    I decided to use that to my advantage. Compensation for the job... For example, if she offered information or benefits that would help me be a prte in the future, I would consider taking on the job then. If Min-Seo really entrusted the work to someone else, I wouldn''t lose anything, either.

    "What was your specialization? Pdin? Crusader?"

    "Pdin."

    "What¡¯s your goal? Central, right?"

    She was referring to the Central Pdin Order. The fastest way to achieve my goal was to join the Central Pdin Order. If I established myself there, I could be the Pope''s Inquisitor, responsible for managing the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters.

    As I nodded, Min-Seo immediately asked, "So, you know the requirements for joining Central?"

    "I do."

    I needed an admission test certificate, a rmendation letter from clergymen of archbishop rank or higher, and a portfolio from when I worked at a local Pdin Order or when I was studying at the academy.

    "I''ll write the essaypetition proposal in your name. It will be helpful when creating your portfolio," Min-Seo said earnestly.

    But that wasn''t the answer I wanted.

    "And?"

    "And? You bastard, It''s absurd to credit this much to you for just editing. Do you understand?"

    "That won''t be able to make it to Central with this."

    I needed a more decisive benefit. Min-Seo would know better than anyone what I wanted. However, she kept her mouth shut to seize all the credit for herself.

    After silently watching Min-Seo chew on her lips for a while, I moved my steps back toward the ssroom, and Min-Seo grabbed me again.

    "Hey, alright! Wow, you¡¯re really... Alright, it¡¯s fine if I include you in the nning of the Satanist Identification Project, right? Let''s make it so that we co-nned it together. That¡¯s fine, right?"

    "Sure. I''ll do the editing. I just need to give it to you by tomorrow, I assume?"

    "Haha, ha, ha... You¡¯repletely insane. When did you figure it out?"

    "I could tell just by watching what you did this morning."

    The Satanist Identification Project was a joint effort between the teachers and the student council. However, we always had to rely on Min-Seo to hear about the operation''s progress.

    At some point, I began to suspect that Min-Seo had some special authority regarding the Satanist Identification Project.

    These suspicions solidified into certainty this morning. The method of pressuring the hidden Satanist through surveys while slowly narrowing down the candidates sounded exactly like an idea that Min-Seo would devise. Thus, I was convinced that Min-Seo was involved in nning the Satanist Identification Project.

    "If I¡¯m involved in the nning, then I should also be able to hear about the operation''s progress, right?"

    "...Maybe. It might vary depending on the situation."

    Although it varied depending on the situation, just having the qualification to hear directly about the progress of the Satanist identification operation was enough.

    The main objective of this identification operation was to identify the Satanist, but there was also a possibility that Florence Academy identally found out my true identity as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult as a result of this operation.

    However, if I knew the progress of the Satanist Identification Project and the overall n, I coulde up with countermeasures. I could also decorate my portfolio for admission to the Central Pdin Order, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.

    ***

    There was the strange phenomena on Mount Taebaek that seemed to have been done by the Voodoo Cult and the frequent appearances of demons and demonic beasts nationwide. Thus, as part of the Satanist Identification Project, the Florence Elder Council formed reconnaissance teams by pairing up teachers who were not teaching a ss.

    The reconnaissance teams were instructed to immediately apprehend students who exhibited suspicious behavior outside the ssroom and report them to the disciplinarymittee. They were also instructed to report immediately if they detected any strange phenomena that might be rted to the Satanist.

    "I should be taking a nap right now... This is not the time to be wandering around..."

    "Taking a nap during working hours? Howzy can you be?"

    Do-Jin and Bok-Dong had just finished patrolling half a circle from the barn to the sacred training ground on Eiden Hill. The dark circles under Do-Jin''s eyes were more pronounced than usual.

    "Did the survey that we conducted in the morning have any effect?" Bok-Dong asked, intending to wake Do-Jin up.

    Do-Jin mechanically moved his feet and answered, "Roughly... about twenty people seemed tock faith or had a rebellious nature, so to speak."

    "I see. So, are those twenty people being suspected as Satanists?"

    "No. Those people are not likely to be Satanists... The ones who are actually suspected are roughly around six people."

    Perhaps due tock of sleep, Do-Jin''s words were unclear. Bok-Dong raised his eyebrows.

    "On what grounds are those six people being suspected?"

    "They¡¯re unnaturally normal," Do-Jin said while widening his bloodshot eyes.

    "They fully understood the intention of the questions and deliberately answered as if they were <i>normal</i>... in other words, they were pretending to be normal."

    "Considering the nature of the infiltrating Satanist, that certainly makes them suspicious."

    "So, who are those six people?"

    "Sun-Woo and Min-Seo. I can''t remember the rest... damn it. I didn¡¯t get much sleep."

    Unlike Do-Jin, who spoke calmly, Bok-Dong looked pale.

    "Sun-Woo? And isn''t Min-Seo the student who helped with the Satanist Identification Project? I also heard that she was the one who suggested the survey idea."

    "That''s right. Although she only suggested the idea, we came up with the questions... Anyway, I can''t understand why Min-Seo got involved in the nning in the first ce. Have the elders finally lost their minds?"

    "If Min-Seo is a Satanist, the theory of her having a split personality would make sense. She¡¯s getting suspected due to an idea she came up with herself."

    "The same goes for Sun-Woo. Does he look like a Satanist? If it''s an act, he should win an Oscar."

    Bok-Dong nodded at Do-Jin''s words.

    Min-Seo often disyed inappropriate behavior and garnered the teachers'' dislike. However, Sun-Woo was the opposite. He did not engage in any disrespectful behavior, let alone actions that went against etiquette. If Sun-Woo was a Satanist and all of his actions were just an act, then he truly had to be a skilled actor.

    On the other hand, it was also possible that he was a Satanist precisely because of that reason. Based on the events that had urred so far, the Satanist tended to have a strong inclination toward perfectionism.

    No, thinking about it from their perspective, in order to avoid suspicion, they might have only revealed their perfectionist tendencies when causing incidents while appearing sloppy in their everyday life...

    "I don''t know." Bok-Dong shook his head.

    The more he thought about it, the more tangled up his deductions became. He didn''t know who the Satanist was, but he trembled at their wickedness. The Satanist was weakening Florence Academy''s cohesion by making the teacher suspect students and even making students suspect other students. It even caused two students who had received Holy Names to be on the list of suspects. The fact that two suspects came from the seven Holy Names that represented the grade was quite a shock to Bok-Dong.

    "Yeah, I don''t know either. Let''s continue trying until tomorrow, and if there''s no effect©¤"

    <i>Kyaaahhhhhhh¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, a scream was heard from somewhere. Do-Jin instinctively gripped the sword at his waist while Bok-Dong drew a blessing array with divine power.

    "Over there... the restroom. It''sing from the restroom!"

    The scream wasing from the public restroom installed near the sacred training ground. Before Bok-Dong could finish speaking, Do-Jin rushed toward the restroom, and he sensed a presence approaching from behind the door. Do-Jin immediately prepared to draw and swing his sword.

    <i>Creak!</i>

    The door opened. However, Do-Jin did not draw his sword. What came out of the doorway was a female student.

    With tears streaming down her face, the pale-skinned girl approached Do-Jin and sobbed. Without lowering his guard, Do-Jin took a few steps back and asked. "Which ss are you from? It''s ss time. Why are you outside?"

    "Sniff! I-I told the teacher I was going to the restroom, <i>sob</i>. I told him and came out... to the bathroom, <i>hick</i>! But an ear, an ear...

    "Ear? What do you mean by an ear?! Speak properly!"

    "A-a severed ear. I don''t know, I have no idea..."

    Do-Jin walked past a female student and entered the bathroom. There was an unidentified piece of flesh on the sink. Do-Jin cautiously picked it up.

    "...An ear."

    Just as the girl had said, there was an ear there. It wasn''t from an animal. It was clearly a human ear. The edges were jagged as if it had been torn off rather than cleanly cut off. Was this the work of the Satanist? If so, what could possibly be the motive behind such an act? Was it a warning or simply a trick to confuse them?

    "What''s going on? Whose scream was that?!"

    Bok-Dong btedly followed Do-Jin into the bathroom. Do-Jin looked at the ear in his hand with a vacant expression and said, "It was the girl outside. She found this... severed ear on the sink and was shocked..."

    "What are you talking about? No one was outside!" Bok-Dong eximed coldly.

    Do-Jin''s eyes shook.

    "She¡¯s gone? What are you talking about? She was here just a moment ago."

    Do-Jin nced outside the restroom. As Bok-Dong had mentioned, there really was no one there.

    Bok-Dong put the severed ear into an envelope he took out of his pocket and said, "Let''s leave this to the forensics team. If we can identify whose ear it is, it will help with the investigation."

    "Alright. But, seriously, was there really no one outside?"

    "When I arrived, there was no one. Could it be that you briefly hallucinated because you were too tired?"

    "That''s unlikely. Even if I''m really tired, I''ve never hallucinated before..."

    Do-Jin looked around outside. Not only were there zero female students, but there wasn''t even a single rat in sight. After scanning the surroundings for a while, Do-Jin swallowed hard.

    The fear in his eyes was clearly evident.

    This was the men''s restroom. There was no women''s restroom nearby.

 Chapter 105

    <h4>Chapter 105</h4>

    The Central Library was exclusive to the Elder Council and teachers. It was connected to the general library, which the students could easily ess. By crossing the overpass between the general library and the Central Library building and opening a secured door with an ess card, one could finally reach the Central Library.

    Teachers had ess card functions built into their teacher IDs, but student council members had to obtain Central Library ess cards from the librarian each time they visited.

    After school, the first thing I did was head to the library to get an ess card from the librarian.

    The librarian scanned my face when I revealed that I was Holy Name of Charity and requested for a Central Library ess card.

    "Holy Name of Charity? Are you the new student who got elected?"

    I nodded. "Yes, I was elected recently."

    "What is your business today at the Central Library?"

    "I need to view some articles to do research for a proposal that I¡¯mpleting on behalf of the student council."

    "Ah, a proposal... I see."

    The librarian''s tone was very stern. Even though it was our first time meeting, she seemed to be extremely nervous. I couldn''t understand why the librarian was so on edge. Perhaps there were strange rumors circting about me, or maybe the librarian had a naturally rough personality.

    As the squinting librarian typed on the keyboard, she suddenly raised her eyebrows as if she remembered something.

    "By the way, did you bring your permit?"

    "Permit? What do you mean?"

    "You need to get a permit from an elder, chairman, principal, or vice-principal. Due to the recent change in policy, I can¡¯t let you enter if you don¡¯t possess one."

    "Ah."

    To enter the Central Pdin Order, you needed a rmendation letter from a clergyman of an archbishop rank or higher, and to ess the Central Library, you needed another permit. It seemed that in order to enter a ce with the word <i>Central</i> attached to its name, one always needed the help from a higher up.

    The system was structured in a way where one couldn''t do anything unless they had a reliable force helping them or was exceptionally good at kissing ass.

    [The system might be in ce to maintain hierarchy within the Church. They may also be trying to create a sense ofmunity by supporting and helping one another.] Legba spoke as I walked aimlessly around the library, feeling a bit bummed. [Moreover, don''t you have a close rtionship with the chairman? If you use that connection, you¡¯ll be fine.]

    "..." I nodded silently.

    I was somewhat familiar with Chairman Chang-Won, and with his permission, I would be able to enter the Central Library without any problem. So, I immediately headed toward the chairman''s office because I needed toplete the proposal by tomorrow.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    "Ah! ... My bad."

    In the process of making my way toward the chairman, I almost tripped over something that resembled a rock. I quickly apologized in an effort to tame the sharp gazes of the studying students and looked to identify the object that tripped me.

    The object was a foot that had peeked out from under the desk of its sleeping owner. The owner of the foot was leaning far into her chair, her hair covering her face like a blindfold. She looked like she was so deep in sleep that she wouldn''t even notice if she was picked up and carried away.

    [That posture would end up destroying the back and twisting the neck. Youngsters these days need to start fixing their sitting posture...] Legbamented.

    I felt a big generation gap from Legba when he said "youngsters these days," and it was a bit ufortable to hear, but he wasn''t entirely wrong.

    "Hey." I tapped the person¡¯s head to wake her up.

    "Hmm..." In-Ah made a strange sound and barely managed to get up from her seat.

    She roughly brushed her messy hair and stared at me with sleepy eyes. She was frowning and seemed to not be able to see well.

    In-Ah had been slowly adjusting her posture when she eximed in surprise, ¡°Hmm... Hmm? Oh! Wait!"

    The sharp gazes of the other diligently studying students in the library were upon us once again. In-Ah lowered her voice and apologized, bowing her head to those around her.

    "Um, let''s just head outside for now..." In-Ah whispered in my ear while ncing around.

    I nodded and quickly followed her out of the library. Even as we were leaving, I could feel the cold res of the studying students.

    <i>Clunk!</i>

    In-Ah pulled out two cans of instant coffee from a worn-out vending machine next to the library entrance. She opened one and drank it right away, and gave the other one to me. Brushing off the yellowed, dried leaves with her sleeves, In-Ah sat down on the bench and looked up at me.

    ¡°Did you alwayse to the library? This is the first time I''ve seen you here."

    "It¡¯s my first timeing here today."

    "Right? I would¡¯ve remembered if I ever saw you..." In-Ah paused before finishing her sentence. "Sit down! Why are you standing like that? You¡¯re making me anxious."

    "Why are you so angry all of a sudden..."

    "Just take a seat!"

    Unable to resist her urging, I reluctantly sat down next to her. In-Ah held the can of coffee tightly with both hands, bowed her head, and then looked up at me while taking a sip of her coffee.

    "So why did youe to the library? To study?"

    "No, I came here to do some research for the student council."

    "Ah, the student council... I thought our Sun-Woo had finally decided to start studying from today. But of course, what was I thinking!"

    Her face briefly darkened when I mentioned the student council, but then brightened up with an awkward smile. Her joking voice trembled slightly, and her tone was also somewhat awkward. It seemed like she was not pleased with me taking part in student council activities.

    "Did youe to study?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

    In-Ah nodded vigorously, crossing her legs. "Yeah, if I have nothing nned, Ie to the library to study, usually for the whole day."

    "Really? Are you sure you don¡¯te here to take a nap?" I asked yfully.

    In-Ah avoided eye contact and brushed her hair back in a flustered manner.

    "I-I was just a little sleepy, so I took a twenty-minute... no, ten-minute nap. Before that, I was studying really hard."

    "More like sleeping really hard."

    "...I take short but deep naps. You know, managing your stamina is important for studying. I take a nap in the afternoon so that I can study untilte at night," In-Ah muttered.

    I found myselfughing unintentionally. Perhaps it was because she looked cute, chirping like a little bird while pouting her lips. Her mood seemed to worsen because she was upset about meughing, and she red at me with narrowed eyes.

    "Why are youughing? There¡¯s no reason tough."

    "Okay, okay. Got it. I won¡¯t."

    "Y-you¡¯re talking to me like you would to a kid..."

    "Alright, I got it. I won''tugh."

    "...You''re stillughing!" In-Ah said, blushing.

    She was wearing an oversized ivory-colored hoodie over her school uniform, and whenever she got angry, her clothes fluttered like wings, making it even harder to hold in myughter.

    She pouted, biting her lip. Eventually, In-Ah sighed deeply, seemingly tired of being angry. She bowed her head down and took a sip of her coffee. Suddenly, she frowned and grabbed her waist.

    "Is your back okay?"

    "Yeah, it''s not that bad. Um, maybe just a little bit... Maybe I studied too hard?"

    In-Ah forced a smile, but her fingertips trembled in pain.

    "Isn''t that because of your bad posture?"

    "Huh? Maybe...?"

    "Even now, you have your legs crossed, and I noticed it when you were sleeping earlier, your posture..."

    After hearing my words, In-Ah subtly straightened her back and adjusted her skirt. "It doesn''t hurt anymore! So stop nagging."

    "I¡¯m not nagging. I¡¯m worried for you."

    "Who asked you to worry about me? You''re always getting admitted into hospitals yourself."

    I had nothing to say.

    "...That''s beside the point."

    "What do you mean besides the point? You''re just changing the subject because it''s inconvenient for you. And I''m really fine. I learned a new technique recently." As In-Ah said that, a faint light flowed from her fingertips. It was a minuscule amount of divine power that would go unnoticed if one didn''t concentrate.

    She drew a small blessing array the size of a thumbnail and another blessing array the size of her palm. The blessing arrays came together not long after, and the emitted light wrapped around her waist.

    "Ta-da! Now it really doesn''t hurt."

    "...What did you do?"

    I couldn''t understand what she had done. I couldn''t even distinguish whether she had used a blessing array or a healing array.

    In-Ah put on a smug smile as if to boast. "Ibined the blessing of regeneration with some healing properties. The divine power ratio was about seven to three. This way, it relieves pain, gradually heals the body, and has almost no drawbacks."

    "Can you adjust the ratio?"

    "Yeah. Just do this and this."

    I didn¡¯t know what adjusting the ratio of divine power would do, nor did I know how to do so in the first ce. I couldn''tprehend what she was saying at all. Her exnation was too vague andplicated, making it impossible to understand what she meant.

    She looked at me and smiled bashfully. "Anyway, isn''t it amazing? I''m going to participate in the essaypetition with this as my topic. I¡¯m going to win first ce and receive an award. I¡¯ll be able to get first ce, right?"

    "It¡¯s cool, but first ce...?"

    "Come on, can''t you just tell me that I¡¯ll get first ce? At least give me some reassurance," In-Ah whined as she tapped my shoulder while her sleeves fluttered about. She had a mischievous smile.

    Iughed along with her.

    "You have a unique topic. I think you might be able to get first ce."

    "The things you have to do for onepliment..." In-Ah muttered to herself with a bitterugh. She lowered her head and looked at her wristwatch, then opened her eyes wide in surprise.

    She suddenly stood up but bent over in pain as if her back was hurting again. "Oh, no. I''ve been out for too long. I''m running short on time..."

    "Why don¡¯t you take a break if you¡¯re feeling unwell?" I said as I pointed at In-Ah''s back.

    She shook her head.

    "No! If I rest today, I''ll want to rest tomorrow too,¡± she said with a determined face.

    "Can''t you take a day off? Do it so that you can be in good condition."

    ¡°Hm... Now that you¡¯re saying it like that...¡± In-Ah stopped in her tracks and fell into deep thought.

    She had been noticeably losing weighttely. It was clear that she had been focusing on studying without eating properly during the exam period. I found outst time that she had a bad habit of skipping meals when she was engrossed in something or depressed.

    "But I still want to finish the studying I started today. I think I''ll rest tomorrow. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," In-Ah said with a bright smile.

    I suggested she take a break because, at this rate, I thought she would end up copsing again, but she seemed determined to finish her studies for the day. A sigh involuntarily escaped my lips.

    ¡°What if you get sick on the day of the exam?"

    "Oh, no. That won''t happen. I¡¯m good, don¡¯t worry. And I''m studying hard for this exam because I want to get first ce. After the exam, I''m going to let loose."

    "First ce?"

    In-Ah''s goal seemed to be ridiculously high. Well, maybe it wasn''t entirely ridiculous, considering how hard she was working. Anyway, it was a bit puzzling. She didn''t seem like the type to obsess over studying or be driven by ambition.

    "You know, maybe if I get first ce in the F.A. exam, the pdins will listen to me a bit more... I just wanted to set a big goal. If I aim for first ce, I¡¯ll be able to get around twentieth ce, right?" Her bright smile gradually faded into an increasingly somber smile.

    I was unable to find the right words to respond with and averted my gaze. It seemed that her ambition to get first ce in the midterm exam was to ovee the frustration and defeat she had felt when she went to the Pdin Order to find her younger sister.

    I couldn''t decide whether to remain silent or to force a smile.

    In-Ah awkwardly smiled at me. "Hey, why are you acting so awkward? It''s not like this is my first rodeo."

    "..."

    "And who in the world doesn''t have a story of their own? Whether it''s you, me, or Jun-Hyuk, we all have at least one story... Well, anyway, it''s not that big of a deal, so don¡¯t get all serious about it. Got it?" she said in a yful and cheerful tone. It seemed like she was trying to cheer me up.

    However, she wasn''t in a position tofort others, and I wasn''t in a position to beforted. She approached me with light steps and gently ced her glowing fingertips on top of my head.

    "What are you doing¡ª"

    "Just stay still." Cutting me off, she swiftly moved her fingers above my head as if drawing a blessing array or a healing array.

    Finally, a dazzling bright light enveloped my head. For a moment, I thought I was getting a bit dizzy, but soon after, my mind cleared, and my vision became sharp.

    "How do you feel?"

    "...What changed?"

    "Does your mind feel clearer or less tired or something like that?"

    Come to think of it, my mind did feel slightly clearer. It was as if a few heavy stones that had been weighing on my mind had been lifted.

    As I nodded, In-Ah smiled innocently. "This is another new technique I learned! It''s abination between a blessing of peacefulness and healing, among other things. The concept of this technique is to heal the mind... How do you feel?"

    "I feel great."

    "Yeah? That''s a relief." In-Ah let out a sigh. "I¡¯ve developed this blessing array specifically for you. You''ve been looking tiredtely.¡±

    ¡°I look tired?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You¡¯ve been attending meetings and studying so much. So..." In-Ah paused and looked at her watch. "...Wow, time flies by when I talk to you. I really have to go! See you tomorrow!"

    After In-Ah crumpled up the empty coffee can and threw it in the trash, she waved goodbye and entered the library.

    After shepletely disappeared from sight, I walked toward the chairman''s office. As I was making my way toward the office, my throat felt dry, so I finished drinking all the coffee from the can. And as I did, I reminisced about what In-Ah had said to me.

    "And who in the world doesn''t have a story of their own?¡±

    Strangely enough, I foundfort in those words. I often felt that In-Ah was skilled atforting and taking care of others. I threw up in the bathroom thinking that her sibling would have been very happy to grow up with a big sister like In-Ah.

    ***

    With heavy steps, I finally arrived at the chairman''s office.

    "Oh, the chairman is currently in a meeting..."

    The one who greeted me was not the chairman but his secretary. The chairman was in the middle of a meeting due to an unidentified disturbance that had urred within the school. The secretary told me that the meeting would likely end around seven o''clock.

    Since it was currently half past five, that meant that I wouldn''t be able to meet the chairman for about an hour and a half. I couldn¡¯t just sit and wait in the chairman''s office for that long, so I decided it would be better to visit the underground chapel ande backter. Eventually, I left Florence Academy. and headed toward the underground chapel, making it to the deste alleyway.

    [What a waste of time,] Legba said as the sunset disappeared behind the clouds and the streetlights began to flicker alive one by one.

    I couldn''t help butugh, feeling empty inside. There were days when things went surprisingly well and days when things didn''t go well at all, and today seemed to be thetter.

    <i>Whoo!</i>

    As I walked aimlessly, a crushed can suddenly flew toward me. I ducked and avoided it. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a woman on the other side of the road, rummaging through a trash can and scattering garbage all around her.

    "stic, cans, paper, metal, bottles..."

    <i>tter!</i>

    A soda can, a stack of papers, a nail, and a soju bottle. Some things could be brushed off, others would hurt if someone got hit, and some could even cause fatal damage. The woman didn¡¯t discriminate. She rummaged through the trash bags scattered around the alley and haphazardly threw all the garbage she could grab in her hands. I couldn¡¯t find a single pattern in her actions.

    [She must be insane,] Legba muttered quietly.

    The woman''s appearance was truly that of a mad woman. Her hair was disheveled and scattered, her eyes were bloodshot without focus, and saliva dripped from her mouth...

    Feeling uneasy, I quickened my pace. I nned to quickly escape the alley, being careful not to attract the woman¡¯s attention.

    <i>Smash!</i>

    At that moment, a bottle of soju fell at my feet. The madwoman nced at the scattered green ss shards on the ground, then looked at my face.

    "ss...?"

    She then slowly approached me, her shoulders shuffling as she walked. Her empty eyes were glued to my face. The teeth visible between her partially open lips were sharp and pointed, like those of a wild animal. That alone was threatening enough, but the woman even held a broken ss shard in her left hand.

    "Don''te any closer."

    "ss...? ss..." Despite my warning, the woman ignored me and silently moved closer to me.

    I sighed and looked at the ring on my left hand. The skeletal gem embedded in the center shimmered with a purple hue. The spell engraved on the skeletal gem was probably a curse of fainting or hallucination. Either way, it was enough to subdue the crazy woman.

    "Ah, today... is not my day today."

    It was incredible to see how everything was not working out today.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    I hit the ring against amppost and cracked the jewel. A thin strand-like fog started to slowly flow out of the cracks.

 Chapter 106

    <h4>Chapter 106</h4>

    Mist flowed out from the cracks of the gem and immediately enveloped the deranged woman¡¯s face. The orange glow pouring from the streetlight mixed with the purple hue from the mist cast a strange colored shimmer on the woman¡¯s pale face.

    "Ah, urghh...!"

    Upon inhaling the mist, the woman let out a grotesque scream and her eyes rolled back. The spell engraved on the ring seemed to have been a curse of hallucination. If it had been a curse of fainting, she would have fainted before she had the chance to scream.

    "Khaak, kahak, kkk, kkk...!" The woman cried out in what was indistinguishable between a scream andughter. She stomped her feet in agony and tore at her hair until...

    <i>Crack.</i>

    She twisted her neck.

    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch, snap... </i>

    The woman stood with her neckpletely frayed backward, staring at the empty sky. She began hacking away at her arms with her broken and torn fingernails. Her skin turned white where her nails had glided by, then swelled up red and eventually tore apart, dripping bright red blood.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    There was no time to panic or escape. In a blink of an eye, the woman approached me and ced her bloody arm on my shoulder. Her head hung from her broken neck and swayed from side to side with every movement she made. It was as if she did not have a neckbone.

    "Crushing cans is scary, metal shards are dangerous to touch, and the sound of ss breaking brings you to your senses."

    "What are you saying...? Hey, can you let go of this and then talk--"

    "Remember. Crushed cans, dangerous metal shards, and the sound of ss breaking. ss bottles, cans, metal shards. Remember. Don''t forget. Remember. Don''t ever forget..."

    Was she babbling while having hallucinations? No, it didn¡¯t seem like it. She had been rummaging and throwing trash everywhere, and she was still talking about garbage. Her actions and words were somewhat consistent. She wasn¡¯t simply crazy. It seemed like she had be crazy in someplex manner.

    "Don''t forget...."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    With thosest words, the woman finally copsed. The blood that flowed from her arm had turned ck and stuck to her shoulder. The bitter and disgusting smell of blood lingered at the tip of my nose, enough to make my face squint from disgust. The woman had fainted, but her eyes remained open. ck tears streamed down the woman¡¯s cheeks and fell to the earth.

    [Although we live in a chaotic world where it would be strange to not go crazy, this is....] Legba''s voice, filled with sighs, was soon cut off.

    A man and a woman were running toward me from the opposite side of the road. The woman wore a white gown with a yellow cross, and the man wore a ck cassock.

    Judging by their attire, the woman seemed to be a pdin, and the man seemed to be a priest. Nothing seemed to be out of ce, as pdins and priests often worked together.

    ¡°This olddy is at it again... Kid, you okay?" The pdin raised her hand to her waist and clicked her tongue, scanning the fallen woman with a frown.

    The priest, holding a Holy Book in his right hand and rolling prayer beads with his left, was muttering something. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was praying or just muttering to himself.

    "Are you on patrol duty?"

    "Huh? Oh, yeah. I was on patrol duty when...." The pdin trailed off before she answered my question. She looked me up and down, smiled slightly, and patted my shoulder. It seemed like she was trying to brush off the blood, but the blood had already dried on my clothes and wouldn''te off.

    "You''re an F.A. student, right? No wonder you speak so eloquently. Anyway, can you tell me what this woman did to you?"

    "She just threw trash and said strange things. That was it. Is she like... a mentally ill patient?"

    "Hmm, something like that. It¡¯s good to hear that you weren¡¯t hurt... You said she said something strange. Can I ask what she said?"

    Older pdins often had an authoritative manner during questioning. However, this person had a very kind tone, perhaps because she was still young. But that didn¡¯t mean I could let my guard down. I had to think twice, even three times before I opened my mouth in front of a pdin.

    "I don''t remember well. It was something like <i>don¡¯t forget</i> or something."

    "Don''t forget? Hmmm..." The pdin pretended to ponder and subtly scanned my face.

    It was a gaze that seemed to attempt to discern whether I truly couldn''t remember or if I was just making an excuse because I didn''t want to answer.

    "You¡¯re saying you don''t remember much other than that?"

    "Yeah, I was overwhelmed and surprised..."

    "I suppose... You must have been quite surprised. I apologize for pulling you away unnecessarily from your way back home. You can go now..."

    At that moment, the pdin''s words abruptly stopped.

    Her professional smile was tightly closed up. Her pupils were empty, without focus. She stared at me with a cold and eerie expression and looked at me with a piercing gaze.

    I felt a chill, and soon after I felt dizzy. My heart was pounding like crazy. I could clearly see hostility in her gaze. Did she realize that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult? No, that couldn''t be. Not even the Holy See inquisitors could find me, so the possibility of a random pdin discovering my true identity...

    <i>Plop!</i>

    At that moment, a sharp sound of flesh colliding on flesh interrupted my thoughts. The pdin had suddenly roughly pped the priest''s cheek with her rugged hand.

    The pdin was ring at the priest with eyes filled with obvious resentment, just as she had done with me.

    "You, what...?" The priest asked, rubbing his swollen cheek with the back of his hand, seemingly bewildered. The rosary he was holding had fallen to the ground, making a ttering sound.

    Their gazes met. The pdin stared at the priest for a long time with bloodshot eyes, and eventually, tears streamed down her face as she opened his mouth.

    "Why are you looking at other women like that...?"

    "What, huh? What are you on about? What women?¡±

    "There, that woman lying over there!!" The pdin pointed to the copsed madwoman on the floor, her fingers trembling.

    The priest, with a dumbfounded look in his eyes, half-opened his mouth and nced back and forth between the woman on the ground and the pdin, furrowing his eyebrows.

    A heavy silence hung in the air. Confusion gradually disappeared from the priest''s pupils and was reced with anger.

    "And how are you any different?"

    "What?"

    "Look at you, touching other men''s shoulders. And he¡¯s a young one too."

    "When did I do that?"

    "Did you know? You looked very happy when you touched him. Do you really like these young kids that are not even adults?" The priest was also shedding tears.

    Both of their tears were initially clear without a trace of impurity but suddenly turned dark and tainted.

    I just stared nkly and watched the scene unfold. The situation was changing too rapidly, and my mind couldn¡¯t keep up.

    <i>p!</i>

    "You bastard, how dare you speak to me like that...!"

    The pdin grabbed the priest by the cor. Nevertheless, the priest kept staring at the pdin with empty eyes, showing no signs of surprise.

    The two were simr in many ways. ck tears sprung from their eyes, and various emotions were mixed in their gazes, negative emotions such as anger, resentment, and emptiness.

    "Bastard? Who was the one that pped me out of nowhere? What, did you expect for me to turn the other cheek so you could p the other side as well?"

    "It¡¯s always the way you speak that¡¯s the problem. When you get upset, you speak so sarcastically..."

    "Oh, you''re resorting to shitting on the way I speak since you have nothing else toin about? Do you think you¡¯re always nice yourself?"

    The pdin and priest¡¯s voices grew louder. Despite their killer stares and venomous tone to one another, the content of their dialogue was childish. They were pouring out hatred without even knowing why they were angry in the first ce. It didn¡¯t seem like a fight I could stop, and honestly, I didn''t even feel like stopping it.

    "And are you a princess? Why am I always the one carrying the load?"

    "Pdins should be doing the physical work. Otherwise, what use does a pdin have..."

    <i>Whoooop!</i>

    The sound of sirens interrupted their conversation. In the narrow alley that seemed to only have space for one car, two Pdin Order vehicles entered. The doors opened, and pdins and priests poured out of the vehicles. They were all armed with their own choice of weapons.

    "What with all thismotion? You guys didn¡¯te back at the assigned time, nor did you report anything. And now that I''m here, you guys are fighting?¡±

    "Oh, team leader please shut up."

    "...Which team does this bastard belong to? These idiots only listen when you call a direct superior..."

    At that moment, the eyes of the so-called team leader lost focus.

    It wasn''t just the team leader. The eyes of the dozen or so pdins and priests who got out of the Pdin Order vehicles also lost focus. Gradually, anger began to flicker in their pupils. Their anger was simultaneously directed at each other.

    "Huh, throwing these couch potatoes into the scene? Don¡¯t they know that priests know nothing about being on the site of action?"

    "These swine. The Pdin Order exists because of us. So you should shut the hell up if you don¡¯t understand the basic dynamics of our society¡ª!¡±

    "And that¡¯s why we should keep our distance from these cockroaches."

    "What! I dare you to say that again. You¡¯re the one that would be nothing but a thin bastard without your badge¡ª!¡±

    As they joined in, the fight escted even further. They grabbed each other by the cor, pped each other, and eventually even threw punches. Their anger didn¡¯t discriminate against anyone, but overall, there seemed to be a confrontation between the pdins and the priests.

    "Who¡¯s cor do you think you¡¯re grabbing? Do you priests have no sense of hierarchy?"

    "Oh, you want to talk about hierarchy? Then the pdins are below the priests, you ignorant cockroach!"

    "Cockroach? Oh, I <i>know </i>you need a bit more than a regr fist¡ª!"

    In the midst of the heated fight, a pdin picked up a piece of metal from the ground. With a crazed look in his eyes, he aimed to strike the priest''s forehead with the piece of metal.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The pdin copsed, almost looking like he had melted into the ground. His unclosed eyes were all white, and foam frothed from his mouth. The hand that had held the piece of metal was red, as if it had been burned.

    Nevertheless, the pdins and priests continued to fight. The sound of pping on cheeks, fists hitting jaws, screams, and shouts echoed from all directions. Even as their nearbyrade fell to the ground foaming at the mouth, they continued to mercilessly punch each other as if nothing had happened.

    I unconsciously took a step back.

    <i>Crunch</i>!

    "..."

    "..."

    The fight ceased right after a sound of a crushed can from somewhere. The crowd, their faces red with anger, stopped in their tracks as soon as they heard the sound of a crushed can.

    Time seemed to have stopped. A heavy and dense silence hung in the air and felt as if it would never end.

    <i>Caaw¡ª! Cacaaaw¨C!</i>

    [...The ravens¡¯ eyes are white. They also smell of sulfur.]

    In the stillness, I could hear the sounds of ravens crying, followed by Legba¡¯s voice. I lifted my head.

    Two ravens were sitting on amppost, leisurely watching the fight between the pdin and the priest. The raven¡¯s pupils shone dimly like stars in the darkness.

    [It''s simr tost time. They''re Satanists. As to why they¡¯re doing this... I can¡¯t say.]

    In the midst of the small war caused by the Satanists, I silently listened to Legba''s words without nodding or shaking my head. I agreed the Satanists had orchestrated this incident. However, I couldn''t agree with Legba''s statement that he didn''t know why the Satanist was doing this.

    <i>¡°Crushing cans is scary, metal shards are dangerous to touch, and the sound of ss breaking brings you to your senses.¡± </i>

    Those were the words the madwoman had said to me before she had fainted. Just as she had said, the pdin who touched the shards of metal lost consciousness and copsed. As if they had agreed to do so beforehand, the pdin and the priests stopped fighting at once when they heard the sound of a crushed can.

    The Satanist was deliberately giving me clues.

    He caused an incident, gave me clues, and watched me try to solve the case using the clues that he gave me. And he was watching me do all this through the eyes of the ravens. The reason he kept causing incidents was simply for his amusement.

    That was the reason why the Satanist caused incidents and deliberately left clues. He enjoyed watching me work to solve the cases with the other Florence Academy. students. He would have been feeling a sense of superiority, seeing all these people being manipted by him.

    I pointed at the two raven sitting on themppost.

    "Sobo."

    ©¤©¤©¤!

    Lightning struck.

    The two ravens that had been watching me, tilting their heads as if to make fun of me, fell to the ground simultaneously. Themppost, which had been struck by lightning, flicked for a bit, and finally lost all its light. Darkness descended on the alley.

    <i>Pssk.</i>

    I crushed the wings of the ravens, which had been fried to ashes, under my feet, making a dry and brittle sound. Yet, the ravens¡¯ eyes still glowed white.

    I lowered my head and stared into their eyes. I red at the person who was looking at me through the eyes of the ravens.

    I now vaguely knew who the Satanist was.

    <i>Crunch! </i>

    I crushed the ravens¡¯ heads with my foot. The stars were setting.

 Chapter 107

    <h4>Chapter 107</h4>

    Light didn¡¯t enter her hospital room, not even during the day. The ckout curtains that fluttered with the breeze prevented any sunlight from entering the room. asionally, a dim light would trickle from the broken fluorescent light, but it was far from enough to fully illuminate the room.

    "Ms. Jeon Hae-Soo? Are you awake?"

    The only time light entered the rooms was when nurses came in for their routine checks or to serve meals or water. The bright white light from the hallway partially pushed away the darkness as it seeped through the slightly open door, but the patient sitting on the bed didn''t even flinch. Covered with a nket, the patient was sound asleep, as if she was mechanically continuing her long slumber streak.

    "Ms. Hae-Soo?"

    The nurse cautiously approached the bed, holding a tray with breakfast. Still, the patient on the bed didn''t even flinch. The nurse struggled, trying to calm her anxious heart. She set up the table, ced the tray on top, and gently pressed down on the bed.

    The patient was still in bed. Judging by the slight movements, it seemed that she wasn''t asleep and simply did not want to see the nurse. The nurse sighed. She was thankful that the patient hadn''t escaped likest time.

    "You startled me. You used to spring awake every time I came in... Are you listening?" the nurse asked the unresponsive patient. "By the way, they said they''ll fix the light during lunch today, but that¡¯s not too much of a hindrance, is it? You always disliked the light..."

    The patient caused amotion a while ago by pulling out the wires from the fluorescent light in a suicide attempt, breaking the light in the process.

    After the nurse finished speaking, the broken fluorescent light swayed from the ceiling. The warm breeze ofte spring flowed in through the window.

    The nurse took a deep breath. It was refreshing to breathe in clean air. It¡¯d been a while since shest did so. She felt so refreshed, as she was expelling the filth that had been umting in every inch of her body. Soon after, a creepy and unpleasant sensation tingled down her spine.

    "Ms. Hae-Soo?" the nurse called again, to no response.

    <i>Flutter, flutter... </i>

    Under the curtain dancing in the wind, she caught a glimpse of the sky. The red sun diving into the horizon dyed the blue sky red.

    <i>Swoosh¡ª!</i>

    The nurse roughly pulled back the nket.

    The hospital bed where Jeon Hae-Soo should have been was empty. Instead, there was a doll that resembled a human, clumsily made by attaching animal skin together. The doll asionally twitched as if trying to im that it was alive. However, it was nothing more than death poorly disguised as life.

    "Aaaaahh!" A bted scream echoed.

    The wind picked up. Beyond the pulled-back curtain, the sky was visible, and darkness creeping in. It covered the light blue sky tinged with the colors of the sunset.

    The night sky became vivid.

    ***

    As the days went on, the sun beamed down intensely, so much that she couldn''t go outside the dormitory during the day. Being outside in the sun meant risking getting sunburnt. She made a habit of going for a walk every night because she couldn''t go out during the day. Today, Ha-Yeon made her way out of the dormitory as soon as the sun set, and she aimlessly roamed the streets. Her mind swirled in turmoil with the past wrongdoings she hadmitted against Sun-Woo that she heard from her friend.

    She wrote the proposal for him because she felt guilty. She shallowly believed that by doing this, Sun-Woo would forgive her misdeeds, at least a little.

    "<i>Sigh...</i>" Ha-Yeon sighed, recalling Sun-Woo''s expression during the meeting.

    When she handed the proposal to Min-Seo, he made a cold and stiff expression toward her. His gaze had been filled with doubt and suspicion. Instead of gaining forgiveness, her actions only reminded her of her past misdeeds. This caused her distress.

    However, she didn''t, no, she couldn¡¯t apologize. She had never once apologized to anyone other than her father. Whenever she tried to apologize, it felt as if the word would stuck on the ¡®s¡¯ in sorry.

    <i>Drip drop.</i>

    As she was walking aimlessly, she suddenly felt raindrops falling from the sky. The rain, which had been tapping the ground gently with one to two drops at a time, suddenly poured down like a waterfall. The unexpected rainfall hadn¡¯t been in the forecast, and Ha-Yeon had no umbre.

    "What the¡ªugh...!" Ha-Yeon muttered to herself out of habit and spat out the rainwater that entered her mouth.

    Then she looked around. There was no ce to buy an umbre in sight¡ªshe only heard faint sirensing from the alleyway. She didn''t know what was happening, but it seemed like the pdins were mobilized in that direction.

    In the past, when she revealed that her father was Sung Yu-Da, the pdins dly lent her an umbre or gave her a ride. There were even times when they recognized her first and offered their help without her having to reveal who her father was. As a priest, relying on the assistance of a pdin wasn''t exactly pleasant, but she decided to focus on dealing with what was more important at hand and headed toward the alleyway.

    <i>Ssh, ssh.</i>

    With every step that she took, water sshed and hit her ankles. Ha-Yeon continued to run despite her damp clothes clinging to her skin. If she asked the pdins for help, she would be able to avoid the rain. Even if she didn¡¯t meet the pdins, taking the alleyway would get her to the Florence Academy dormitory faster than any other route.

    Finally, the faint red light of the sirens became more vivid. It appeared that two cars were parked at a distance. Ha-Yeon approached them with mixed feelings of disgust from being in the rain and joy in finally seeing the pdins. Because of this, she felt more shocked when she saw the scene before her.

    "You bastard! You think you¡¯re a cardinal just because you have a cassock on?"

    "<i>Bastard</i>? How old are you? Who are you calling a bastard¡ª?"

    "I''m old enough, you bastard. You''re the one who speaks informally to anyone¡ª¡±

    They were fighting, but it wasn''t just a verbal fight. They grabbed and shook each other by the cor and hurled insults, which was rtively tamepared to the other things urring around them. While wet from the downpour, some were pping each other''s cheeks with no remorse and some of them were locked in silent fistfights.

    The gazes of the pdins and priests that seemed to disregard the downpour flickered with killing intent. Each punch and p was clearly ridden with the intent to kill the receiver of the blow.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon silently turned around and tried to leave the alleyway. Her body was trembling like crazy and her teeth chattered. It wasn''t because of the cold. It was because her body was trembling uncontrobly in fear.

    The eyes of those clergymen kicking and brawling in the rain were so simr to the eyes of the unknown men who had tried to cut off her arms when she was very young. Fear consumed Ha-Yeon as she recalled the eyes of those men. She was reminded of the chilling sensation of the saw they brought toward her arm as she pleaded for her life.

    <i>Thump</i>.

    At that moment, someone grabbed her shoulder.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Ha-Yeon copsed, covered her face with both arms, and started mumbling gibberish. "Ah, aah! D-don''te... It''s not me. It''s not me..."

    Even in the midst of the pouring rain, the terror that hung over her face was vivid.

    "What do you mean it¡¯s not you?... Come on, get up." The man grabbed Ha-Yeon''s arm and tried to lift her up.

    In a panic, Ha-Yeon refused to get up. She lowered her center of gravity and iled around, but the man did not let go of Ha-Yeon''s arm. His hand persistently attempted to lift her up.

    <i>Crunch!</i>

    In the end, Ha-Yeon bit the man''s wrist, hard. One bite wasn''t going to be enough, so she continued biting three times more. Still, the man held on. She even tried to tear off his skin, but by then, her jaw had already lost its strength.

    Unable to bear the pain, the man screamed, "Hey, stop... Hey!"

    Startled, Ha-Yeon raised her head, trembling. Due to her fear and the pouring rain, her vision was blurry, and she couldn''t make out the man''s face. Nevertheless, Ha-Yeon could instantly recognize him.

    "Huh?"

    "The hell are you doing, suddenly biting me... Never mind, just get up." The man roughly shook his arm, trying to eliminate the pain, and then offered his hand to Ha-Yeon again.

    She hesitantly took his hand and stood up. Then she wiped away a few raindrops and tears from the corner of her eyes. The man who roughly tidied his wet hair with his hands was Sun-Woo. Wiping away the blood flowing from the torn flesh with the rain pouring from above, he shot a mncholic look at her.

    "Can you do it? What your fa...father does."

    "What?" Ha-Yeon asked, tilting her head in confusion.

    She didn''t understand the meaning of Sun-Woo''s words, partly because of her confusion but also because the sound of rainfall was too loud, thus making it hard to make out his words.

    Sun-Woo furrowed his brow and cradled his forehead before speaking again.

    This time, he enunciated his words clearly. "You know, the thing that purifies demonic energy and dismantles pentagrams."

    "...Ah." Ha-Yeon let out a short sigh.

    Her father had used a special blessing that only members of the purification n could use to dismantle pentagrams and expel demonic energy. Although she wasn''t particrly inclined to use the blessing because it required shedding blood, she knew how to use it.

    "I know how to use it."

    "Yeah?"

    Sun-Woo nodded his head toward a woman sprawled out in the middle of the blood-sttered, fighting clergymen. ck tears trickled from the woman¡¯s eyes, and her mouth was foaming with ck bubbles. The tears and foam had ck mist rising from them.

    "There''s a pentagram on the back of that person''s neck. That''s why the pdins and priests are fighting."

    "..."

    "Can you do it?" Sun-Woo asked, staring intently into Ha-Yeon''s eyes.

    Ha-Yeon cautiously avoided his gaze and saw the ck magic array drawn on the back of the woman''s neck. Fortunately, it looked small. She felt like she could manage if it were that size.

    "...I think I can do it."

    As soon as Ha-Yeon said those words, Sun-Woo grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

    They passed through the pdins and priests¡¯ brawl, and he guided her to the fallen woman. Although the wrist that Sun-Woo had grabbed ached, it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling.

    Sun-Woo scanned the surroundings with a vignt gaze behind Ha-Yeon as she began to draw the blessing array she had learned from her father.

    Unlike other blessing arrays, the blessing of purification needed to be carefully drawn stroke by stroke. If even one stroke were diverted from its intended size and shape, the blessing of purification would instantly turn into apletely different blessing array.

    Ha-Yeon was halfway done drawing the blessing array under Sun-Woo''s protection when she suddenly stopped. Her pupils trembled like crazy.

    "..."

    She had forgotten how to draw the next part. She knew how to use the blessing of purification, but this was her first time actually using it.

    <i>¡®...What should I do?¡® </i>

    ***

    After crushing the raven¡¯s eyes, the first thing I did was call forth rain through Dan Wedo. The demonic energy flowing from the pentagrams had the characteristic of settling on the ground when it rained. I did this because if demonic energy was spread through the air, it would turn the surrounding area into a battlefield. As soon as I did so, the first person I encountered was Ha-Yeon.

    It was humiliating for me to ask Ha-Yeon for help, but only the members of the purification n could dismantle a pentagram. Given the situation, I had no choice but to ask her for help.

    At that moment, Ha-Yeon suddenly stopped drawing the blessing array and stared at me nkly.

    "Hey! What gives?" I yelled angrily.

    Ha-Yeon, seemingly startled, cowered like a frightened puppy and cautiously opened her mouth while ncing at me.

    "...I need to shed blood in order to use the blessing of purification."

    "So?"

    "It seems like it¡¯s gonna hurt a lot."

    ¡°The heck do you mean...!¡±

    I was on the verge of losing my temper. The urge to curse rose to the tip of my tongue, but I barely held it back. Without saying a word, I showed her the teeth marks on my wrist. She had bitten so hard that the wound still dripped with blood. She hadn¡¯t just bitten me¡ªshe had gnarled her teeth into my hand.

    "I-I understand. Then..." Seeing this, Ha-Yeon responded reluctantly, looking around as if searching for something.

    "What is it?"

    "Do you have something like a fruit knife on you?" Ha-Yeon asked urgently, shifting her gaze.

    It seemed like she was looking for something to draw blood in order to use the blessing of purification. However, there were no sharp objects nearby. As I looked around, a green soju bottle came into my view.

    <i>Smash!</i>

    Swiftly, I grabbed the neck of the bottle and smashed it on the ground. The blunt soju bottle instantly became a usible weapon with its jagged edges. It seemed like it would be enough to cut. Since Ha-Yeon was a member of the purification n, there was no need to worry about getting infected.

    "Make do with this, for now¡ª¡±

    "<strong>You.</strong>"

    Someone called out to me just as I was about to hand the broken bottle to Ha-Yeon.

    The attention of the brawling clergymen was now all directed toward me. One of them slowly approached me, his index finger glued in my direction.

    "You, what did you just do?"

    In the pouring rain, the man''s eyes red fiercely. As if they had discussed this beforehand, the clergymen who had stopped fighting began to surround me in a synchronized manner, closing in on me in a circr pattern. They all pointed their index fingers at me.

    "What are you doing? My mind feels clear now.¡±

    "Yeah, I can see clearly now."

    "What did you do? I heard the sound of ss breaking."

    "The sound of ss breaking.¡±

    "ss breaking¡ª"

    I couldn''t understand what they were saying at all.

    [I see how it is... Two were true, but one was false,] Legba said.

    I couldn''t find the words to respond to him. It was a strange and unfamiliar terror that I had never experienced before, and I stumbled backward. Ha-Yeon and I were surrounded by the clergymen as they closed in on us. The madness and anger were vividly reflected in their eyes. Just a moment ago, the anger that they directed toward each other was now collectively focused on us.

 Chapter 108

    <h4>Chapter 108</h4>

    <i>Ssh, ssh. </i>

    The ominous footsteps of the clergymen approaching could be heard even in the pelting rain. Their pointed fingers looked threatening, it was as if they could pierce through our bodies at any moment. There was no thought of ¡®<i>Should I fight?</i>¡¯ or ¡®<i>Should I run</i>?¡¯ when we saw them. There was only fear.

    When I stormed the Satanists¡¯ hideout to save Ji-Ah, I saw numerous taxidermied creatures. However, I didn''t feel scared because they were fakes made by sewing together the skins of the dead to resemble humans. Despite their grotesque appearance, they had only been diforting, not terrifying.

    "Why would you break the ss?"

    "I can''t understand. This is why kids these days..."

    "Of all people, the Florence Academy? Again?"

    "People from the Florence Academy are all arrogant. All the people I hated were from there."

    The figures approaching me now were clearly humans. Just moments ago, people who had been talking and evenughing with each other lost their sanity and gained hatred through the influence of the Satanists'' ck magic.

    Hatred made them curse and attacked each other with the intent to kill. And now, their fingers were pointed at us. Their abstract hatred for us started to turn more concrete. Alongside difort, fear arose. Their hatred controlled where they went. Watching them act driven by anger, I began to wonder how different I was from them.

    [Don''t worry. The mere ck magic of a Satanist has no power over the Prophet,] Legba said.

    He was right. Carrying dozens of Loa on my back, I couldn''t be affected by ck magic even if I wanted to. However, fear prevailed in my heart. I unconsciously took a step back.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Something got caught on my heel. I turned my head and saw Ha-Yeon crouched down, trembling. She was petite to begin with, but crouching made her appear even smaller. Due to the downpour of rain courtesy of Dan Wedo, her body waspletely drenched. I snapped to my senses when I saw her in that state.

    "..."

    I was the one who had grabbed Ha-Yeon when she was about to turn back. I believed that as a member of the purification n, she would be able to dismantle the pentagram. Up until now, I had been annoyed when she had tried to offer me help when I didn¡¯t ask for it. But this time, I had clearly been the one to ask for her help.

    At the very least, I had to take responsibility for that. Now was not the time to be shackled by fear. I had to prevent the Satanist''s ck magic from spreading any further.

    The Satanist would hope for the demonic energy flowing from the pentagram to spread throughout the vige, causing confusion on a regional scale. Perhaps even the fear I felt was intended by the Satanist. I couldn''t let things go the way they desired.

    No, I <i>didn''t want</i> to let things go the way they desired. In order to do that, Ha-Yeon had to dismantle the ck magic first. However, the situation was not in our favor. The clergymen were gathering around us, ready to attack at any moment. Right now, the priority was to create a situation where Ha-Yeon could dismantle the ck magic.

    "..."

    What if I protected Ha-Yeon so she could cast the blessing of purification and dismantle the ck magic?

    It was possible. No, it wasn''t just possible. If Ha-Yeon and I faithfully carried out our respective roles, then the n would definitely seed. First, I couldn¡¯t use any Voodoo spells. I wasn¡¯t sure whether spells would work on those who hadpletely lost their sanity, and above all, Ha-Yeon was here. As a member of the purification n, she was immune to spells. I couldn¡¯t take the easy way by using the curse of fainting on her, and I couldn¡¯t use other spells without getting caught.

    I nced up at the sky. The moon was almost full. It was past its first quarter, thus nearing a full moon. The moon would bepletely full the day after tomorrow... No, maybe in three days'' time. I couldn¡¯t use <i>their</i> power when it wasn''t a full moon, so I gave up. I needed to find another Loa whom I could borrow power from.

    [I, Sobo, have sworn allegiance to the Prophet! How about using this opportunity to test my loyalty?]

    Sobo was not an option. The floor was drenched due to Dan Wedo''s power. If I used Sobo''s power, I might end up killing all the clergymen under the influence of the ck magic. Moreover, I could endanger myself if I made a mistake, not to mention putting Ha-Yeon¡¯s life at risk as well. After all, members of the purification n were immune to all impurities, not electric shocks.

    Then, Bossou? No, there was too much water on the floor. I could slip and trip over my own feet. There were too many variables right now for a hand-to-handbat situation.

    Granbwa was also not an option. The Holy See had ssified the unidentified phenomenon that urred in Mount Taebaek as a provocation by the Voodoo Cult. Considering the current situation, if I used Granbwa''s power, I¡¯d risk raising suspicion. Although there were no CCTV cameras in this alley, I had to consider the surveince cameras attached to the Pdin Order¡¯s cars.

    I needed to buy Ha-Yeon time to draw the purification blessing array, but I also needed a power that was not strong enough to kill the clergymen and not raise unwanted attention...

    ¡°Bade.¡±

    <i>Whoooooo...</i>

    A strong wind blew. The wind passed through narrow alleys and windows of houses, making a trumpet-like sound. The rainwater rose up to one¡¯s ankles and sshed in the wind, creating waves.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    Half of the waves hit the utility pole and disappeared. The wind blew again, putting more strength into the wave.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    The waves shed with the wind and grew in size. The wind was blowing, and the waves were rising up. Rainwater and wind merged with the wave, turning it into a tsunami.

    "Why did you break the¡ª?"

    <i>Splooooosh¡ª!</i>

    The clergymen, muttering and winding up for a punch, were swept away by the fierce tsunami. Four clergymen were consecutively engulfed by the tsunami.

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    The clergymen flew back from the impact, sshing water everywhere. The water droplets scattered chaotically and sshed on my face. I roughly wiped the moisture off my face with my palm.

    I had ovee the immediate problem at hand. The clergymen seemed hesitant to approach me due to the tsunami¡¯s power. Next up was to give instructions to Ha-Yeon, who still seemed disoriented.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    "Ugh, ah..."

    Ha-Yeon brushed off the water that had sshed over her. She finally seemed to regain someposure and looked up at me. I grabbed her arm and pointed to the woman lying on the floor.

    "Finish what you were doing while I buy you some time."

    "Yes, um, yes...!" Ha-Yeon barely managed to answer while wiping water off her lips.

    After she unleashed her divine power, she stretched her fingertips into the air. The scattered divine power gradually took shape, but it was still too crude to be called a blessing array.

    "Not only did you break the ss..."

    "Why are you trying so hard to make our lives miserable? What did we ever do to you..."

    "It''s not us who did wrong. It''s you..."

    The clergymen swept away by the tsunami, and the lucky ones who managed to avoid the tsunami slowly opened their eyes one by one. Their hatred had worsened.

    I caught a glimpse of Ha-Yeon. The blessing array was still iplete. Judging by her speed, it seemed like it would take a lot longer for her to finish.

    <i>¡®Sung Yu-Da supposedly dismantled the ck magic circle and expelled the demonic energy in just a few seconds...¡¯ </i>

    No, I shook my head and dismissed my stray thoughts.

    Comparing Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da would not change anything. Ha-Yeon was by my side right now, not Sung Yu-Da. I had to buy some more time. However, what concerned me was the surveince cameras attached to the Pdin Order¡¯s cars. There were too many eyes for me tofortably use the Loa¡¯s power.

    "...In the name of the Father, the Son..."

    Therefore, I decided to pretend to replicate a miracle. I carefully followed the steps I had learned at Florence Academy to replicate a miracle. I might not be a follower of the Romanican Church, but I still remembered every small detail from the lessons that I took at Florence Academy. Even if I couldn''t actually replicate a miracle, I should be able to imitate one well enough.

    "...and the na- name..."

    [You should tap the left shoulder first,] Legba interjected and scolded me.

    Oh, right. I was so distracted that I unknowingly tapped my right shoulder first. Whatever. The god I served wouldn¡¯t send me to hell just because I didn''t draw the sign of the cross in the correct order.

    "...of the Holy Spirit,'''' I continued to pretend.

    I finished drawing the sign of the cross, sped my hands, and pretended to pray. Soon afterward, I used the Blessing of Superhuman Strength to scatter divine power throughout my body. I spread the light of blessing from my fingertips to my arms, and then throughout the whole body. At first nce, it would have seemed believable that I was trying to replicate a miracle.

    And then, I reached out.

    <i>Shooaaaahhhh......</i>

    The first gust of wind blew, but it started off weak. The rain-soaked floor began to spin like a whirlpool. The approaching clergymen started to stumble over their own feet.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    Their steps seemed to be heavier and seemed to stick to the ground.

    The second gust of wind blew.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud...... </i>The whirlpool grew taller. Scattered raindropsshed against the floor. The fallen raindrops pierced holes through the umted rainwater on the pavement, only for those new holes to be filled with more rain.

    The clergymen swayed as the whirlpool pushed them around.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    One pdin lost bnce and fell. Following them, two priests tripped over the fallen pdin''s arm and fell to the ground.

    The third gust of wind blew.

    <i>Shhwaaaaa¨C!</i>

    The wind-soaked rain eventually merged with the rain itself. All the clergymen surrounding us were swept away by the whirlpool. The rainwater that had umted on the floor scattered and gathered in the wind. The clergymen collided with each other and screamed in agony, but the screams were faint amidst the deafening noise created by the whirlwind.

    The fourth gust of wind blew.

    ©¤©¤©¤©¤!

    Their screams could no longer be heard. The roaring water and wind carried them up into the sky. The spout seemed to know no bounds, continuing to advance higher into the sky, eventually touching the clouds. The spout was like a pir that nted itself into the ground and held the sky up as if to prevent it from copsing.

    The wind, which had grown uncontroblyrge, finally swallowed me as well. I got sucked in and became one with the wind. From the eye of the storm created by Bade''s power, I slowly ascended into the sky. Within the spout, the clergymen tangled and entwined, then scattered once again. They had long lost consciousness.

    Fortunately, Ha-Yeon was not swept away by the wind, but the results were a lot more powerful than I had expected.

    [The storm... always strikes four times!]

    Bade seemed to be quite satisfied with the spectacle.

    ***

    Ha-Yeon had searched her memory and almostpleted the drawing of the blessing array of purification. Only one stroke remained. Ha-Yeon''s fingertips stopped, and her anxious eyes darted left and right.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon couldn''t remember the final stroke of the blessing array. If even one stroke was wrong, it would be impossible to dismantle the pentagram.

    Cutting her flesh was also a problem. It seemed like it would hurt, but what stopped Ha-Yeon was that she just couldn¡¯t muster the courage to cut herself. Just bringing the ss bottle to her palm made her dizzy, and she found it hard to breathe.

    ©¤©¤©¤©¤!!

    At that moment, a gale swept the area. The clergymen were swept away by the wind and water. The gale, which had now transformed into a spout, even swept up the person who had replicated the miracle: Sun-Woo.

    "Uh, ah...." Ha-Yeon let out a gasp upon seeing that sight.

    The wind was fierce, and the water was treacherous, making it impossible for Ha-Yeon to open her eyes properly. Naturally, she had no idea of what was happening within the storm. Gradually, a sense of dread surged from within her.

    "Uh, what do I do? What should I do, ah...."

    Inept clergymen not skilled in replicating miracles often lost their lives from being swept away by the miracles they summoned. This was divine punishment that struck down those arrogant, unworthy clergymen. It was the pitiful end that Adonai bestowed upon those who dared to recreate his miracles with their mortal hands.

    Sun-Woo should have been aware of this fact. He had experienced the consequences of replicating a miracle beyond his control in the past. He vomited blood and ended up in the hospital. At that time, Sun-Woo must have caught a glimpse of death. Sun-Woo should know what the drawbacks of replicating a miracle beyond his abilities were better than anyone else.

    Nevertheless, when Sun-Woo walked into the storm, there was a look of remarkable determination on his face. That was the expression of someone prepared to die. To save the clergymen who had fallen into the clutches of the Satanist''s ck magic and to buy time for her to dismantle the ck magic, he had willingly replicated a miracle that far exceeded his capabilities. Even if it meant his body would be torn to shreds in the wind, he was determined to save the clergymen.

    Ha-Yeon looked at the iplete purification blessing array, recalling Sun-Woo''s final expression as the storm sucked him in. Her hand holding the broken ss bottle trembled.

    "..."

    Although Sun-Woo had given up his life to save the clergymen, all she could do was hesitate. She had never experienced failure in her life. Due to this, she considered herself a genius. She believed she had a brilliant talent that no other clergyman could evere close to.

    But she was wrong. She was simply afraid of failure and never attempted a challenge that she might fail. In reality, she was nothing more than a coward who fearedpleting the final stroke of the blessing array and drawing a single drop of blood in order to purify the pentagram.

    What on earth was she thinking?

    She reminisced about the days when she was intoxicated with superiority. Sun-Woo believed in her. He believed that she could purify the pentagram while he bought her time, but that was too much for her. No, she was too shallow of a vessel to fully receive his trust.

    ¡°...I''m sorry.¡± Ha-Yeon''s small voice was drowned out by the roaring wind.

    It was an apology for not yetpleting the blessing of purification. And it was also Ha-Yeon making up her mind before drawing thest stroke she wasn¡¯t sure about.

    <i>Sprak!</i>

    She drew the final stroke of the blessing array with her fingertip, based purely on what felt right. She cut her palm with a ss bottle. The wound was deeper than she thought, but it didn''t matter.

    Fresh crimson blood poured out from the wound. Light flowed from the blood-soaked blessing array. The light was much brighter and denser than the usual light of blessing.

    The light engulfed the pentagram engraved on the woman''s nape, devouring the darkness. The pitch-ck darkness mixed and merged with the light. The brilliant and sublime light finally drove away the darkness.

    The ck tears flowing from the woman''s eyes gradually cleared up. The ck foam flowing from her mouth stopped, along with her tears. Finally, the dark clouds cleared, and the rain stopped.

    And the storm ceased.

    The whirlpool that had touched the sky disappeared instantly. The mountain breeze blew gently, and the clergymen fluttering in the wind settled softly like feathers on the ground. All the clergymen were unconscious.

    However, one person remained conscious, and he stood among the clergymen. After riding the wind and gracefullynding on the ground, he looked at Ha-Yeon.

    "Well done," he said.

    His voice felt warm.

    At least, that was how Ha-Yeon felt.

 Chapter 109

    <h4>Chapter 109</h4>

    Ha-Yeon stared at me with erged, round eyes. Soon after, her eyes lost their intense focus. Eventually, she dropped her gaze to the ground and sat down on the soaking-wet pavement. It seemed like her legs had given out after she rxed.

    "Hey, the ground ispletely wet. You should©¤"

    <i>Crack. </i>

    Just as I was about to move to help Ha-Yeon up, a strange sound came from my knee. With a sharp pain, my body sank to the ground. There was a tingling pain in my knee. It felt weirdly hot as if needles were poking it.

    I hiked up my pants to reveal my knee, which was swollen. It seemed like the drawbacks of using Bade''s power had set in. However, the drawbacks were not as excessive as when I used Granbwa or Bossou''s power. If I rested for a bit, I would be able to stand up and walk again.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon looked at me with surprise as I suddenly kneeled down. There was no rain, wind, or light. Just us two, staring at each other in the darkness. Since I couldn''t be seen in the darkness, I felt less disgusted facing her.

    "Um, well, s..." Ha-Yeon murmured with her head down.

    I couldn''t hear her well.

    "What did you say?"

    "Uh, um...." She hesitated, hunching her shoulders as if she had been caught off guard. It seemed like she was mumbling something, but her voice was too soft to make out her words.

    "What are you saying? Speak clearly."

    "S-Shedding blood for someone the likes of you, I can¡¯t believe it. How annoying...¡±

    Ah. Yeah. Sure. I thought she would at least apologize, but as expected, she didn''t.

    Blood was still flowing from Ha-Yeon''s palm, but the wound didn''t seem too deep, so a restoration spell wasn¡¯t necessary. A lesser heal should be enough to fix her up. I unleashed my divine power and drew the healing array as I had learned it. The light of healing enveloped Ha-Yeon''s palm. A look of surprise briefly appeared on her face.

    "How is it?"

    Ha-Yeon pressed and rubbed the area touched by the light of healing with her fingers, then quickly raised her head.

    Then she faintly gazed at me and said, "I think there''s a scar."

    "Oh, really? Sorry."

    I wasn''t really sorry.

    "..." Ha-Yeon bit her lip and stared at her palm.

    I approached her, wondering how big the scar was since she was making such a fuss. As I came near, she made a fist to hide the wound and shuffled backward.

    "It''s okay."

    "Huh? Earlier, you said¡ª"

    "No, I''m really okay. Really...." Ha-Yeon stepped back hesitantly.

    It seemed like she just didn''t want me to approach her. Sometimes she would follow me even when I told her not to, and now she was telling me not toe close. She always did what she wanted.

    But I had dragged her into this incident, and if she hadn''t been there, I wouldn''t have been able to dispel the ck magic. Although I was a little annoyed, Ha-Yeon helped me, and I didn''t really feel like having a long conversation with her, so I just kept my mouth shut.

    "Uh, ugggghh...!"

    It wasn''t me or Ha-Yeon who broke the silence, but the unconscious pdins. As if nned, they all got up at once, clutching their throats and groaning. All of them were wincing with pained faces. I saw their eyes faintly glinting in the darkness. Fortunately, the previously visible hatred and anger in their eyes had greatly diminished. However, it hadn''tpletely disappeared. Theyined of headaches and barely managed to get up from the ground.

    Pdins gathered with pdins, and priests gathered with priests and red at each other.

    "...Hey, why did you suddenly hit us?"

    "What nonsense...! We only got hit. You¡¯re the ones who©¤!"

    A short argument ensued between the pdins and priests. The pdins believed the priests had hit them one-sidedly, while the priests believed the pdins had targeted them. Although they had both been hit and inflicted the hitting, they didn¡¯t remember about hitting others, but only getting hit.

    [What a terrible sight.] Legba sighed quietly.

    The clergymen hadpletely forgotten the hatred they poured onto other people, but they remembered all the hatred poured onto them by the other side. It would have been better if either they remembered everything or remembered nothing at all.

    "Team leader. Why did you grab my cor earlier?"

    "What? When did I grab your cor? You''re the one who said all those things to me, your superior. And now you''re on some absurd rant©¤!"

    However, the Satanist''s ck magic had selectively left their memories intact. The ck magic was gone, but the hatred they had for each other still remained. What the Satanist tried to instill in the clergymen was not temporary hatred but permanent distrust.

    "Didn''t you just call us cockroaches?"

    "Ha, you don¡¯t remember punching me out of nowhere?"

    While feeling a renewed fear of the Satanist''s wickedness, I felt anger surging within me directed toward the arguing clergymen. The hatred they felt had been injected into them by the ck magic. I was disgusted by their stupidity in thinking and acting ording to the Satanist¡¯s intentions.

    _______!

    Suddenly, a powerful thunder roared as if the sky itself was furious. Startled by the sound, the clergymen held their breaths. Silence finally fell upon them.

    "Please take this person to the hospital quickly."

    Seizing the opportunity, I pointed to the woman lying on the floor who was foaming at the mouth.

    Finally, the pdins and priests stopped fighting. In the stillness, the man known as the team leader rushed forward and checked the woman''s pulse. Then, with a frown, he red at his subordinates with a fierce gaze.

    "...What are you guys doing? Call for backup from the rescue team immediately! And, um, bring the, what is it, stretcher! Bring the stretcher over!"

    "Y-yes, sir!"

    "Um, is there anything I can do to¡ª?"

    "Report the patient''s condition and do everything you can for emergency treatment! Hurry!"

    Finally, the pdins and priests stopped fighting and began to fulfill their respective roles.

    ***

    I heard that the woman who had been branded by ck magic was treated by the priests and escorted to the hospital.

    Ha-Yeon and I went to the Eastern Pdin Order for a brief investigation. During the investigation, Sung Yu-Da came to find Ha-Yeon and took her away. The pdins treated Sung Yu-Da, a former inquisitor, with the utmost respect.

    Han Dae-Ho had gone to see Sung-Yu Da off, but when he returned, he muttered quietly, "Huh, so much is going on, so much...."

    Han Dae-Ho wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and looked at me sitting across from him with a worried expression.

    "Yeah... I feel like I''ve been seeing you a lottely."

    "Indeed."

    "Anyway, where were we? I''m sorry, you see, there¡¯s just so much going on..."

    I exined to him how the ck magic had been activated, causing the priests and pdins to start fighting. I described the chaos that followed. While contemting what to do, I ran into my school friend, Sung Ha-Yeon, and she managed to dismantle the ck magic while I bought her time.

    Han Dae-Ho nodded as he listened to the story.

    "I see... I did see the situation through the car¡¯s surveince cam, but the image quality was so poor that I didn''t realize ck magic had been activated. So, the fight between the pdins and priests was because of the ck magic?"

    "Yes."

    "I see. These guys, even after I give them the response manual... Anyway, it''s fortunate that things didn''t get out of hand. You''re a hundred times better than those clueless idiots behind me, really." Han Dae-Ho nced briefly over his shoulder as if clueing the others he was talking about them.

    Beyond Han Dae-Ho''s massive shoulders, I could see the pdins lined up against the wall. Their heads hung low, and they were holding their hands behind their backs. They turned their heads to avoid Han Dae-Ho''s gaze.

    At this sight, Han Dae-Ho''s face twisted in disgust. "You idiots, I guess you do realize that you are in the wrong, eh? Dodging eye contact?"

    "S-sorry sir!"

    "Forget it." Han Dae-Ho sighed in resignation and turned his gaze toward me. Then, he absentmindedly stroked his scruffy beard.

    "Well, I think I''ve heard everything. But before we finish, I have one more question. Just a moment."

    Han Dae-Ho turned the monitor toward me and yed the surveince camera footage from the Pdin Order¡¯s car.

    There, I was replicating a miracle. No, I had used miracle replication as a cover-up for using Bade''s power. Han Dae-Ho narrowed his eyes as if trying to read my expression and questioned me.

    "Miracle replication, huh? You did this?"

    "Yes."

    ¡°Hm... I see...."

    There was no reason for the doubt. Yet, Han Dae-Ho kept tilting his head as if he was still puzzled.

    My lips started to dry up.

    It wasn''t a real miracle replication, but rather the power of Loa disguised as a miracle. Someone as perceptive as Han Dae-Ho might be able to distinguish the difference.

    Han Dae-Ho stared at the surveince video for a while before he smirked and let out an emptyugh.

    "How did you do it?"

    "What?" I asked in confusion.

    Han Dae-Ho made a disappointed smile and said, "Even at my age, I''ve never used miracle replication. I don''t know how."

    "Ah..."

    "Even battle priests during the Holy War couldn¡¯t use it to this scale either.... Impressive. It makes me wonder if you really are a genius." Han Dae-Ho''s voice was filled with genuine admiration.

    I patted my chest with relief. Fortunately, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t suspicious of me. It was natural for clergymen who could not replicate miracles to be amazed by clergymen who could.

    Han Dae-Ho smiled while watching the video. "I heard from Sung Yu-Da that you didn''t get caught in the ck magic... Well, this is really the end. By the way, you said you applied to the Department of Pdins, right?"

    "Huh? Yes."

    "I''m looking forward to practical mission training and dispatch training. You understand?"

    He was pressuring me to join the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch in the uing request training. I nodded nervously and left the Pdin Order. I could feel Han Dae-Ho¡¯s burning gaze on my back.

    ***

    A few scattered stars decorated the otherwise pitch-ck sky. Instead of heading straight home, I aimlessly walked around the Pdin Order, circling it endlessly. Han Dae-Ho said that I would receive anothermendation for this incident. He even promised to do anything he could for me as long as it was feasible.

    He had expressed excessive gratitude, and I couldn''t tell if he was genuinely thankful or if it was because he wanted to recruit me into the Eastern Pdin Order. Either way, everything had gone well. However, my heart felt strangely uneasy.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap...</i>

    Then, I heard the sound of someone running from behind. At first, I didn''t pay attention because I thought someone must be exercising nearby.

    I changed direction and walked toward the main road. Although it was in the opposite direction from the underground chapel, it didn''t matter. I needed some time to think.

    <i>Tadadada...</i>

    However, the sound of footsteps didn''t stop. No, it was getting closer.

    [It seems like they''re chasing us,] Legba said.

    I nodded. It was definitely the sound of someone chasing me.

    Who could it be? Han Dae-Ho? No, that couldn''t be. First of all, there was no reason for Han Dae-Ho to chase me, and moreover, the physique of the man following me was too small to be Han Dae-Ho.

    If I had to say... they had the same frame of the Satanist that I had chased after a while back.

    "..."

    I lowered my stance and stared down at the approaching opponent. If necessary, I was prepared to kill using Bossou¡¯s or Sobo''s power.

    <i>Thump, thud, thump...</i>

    However, contrary to my expectations, the man stopped running in front of me. The man approaching me with steady breaths was Jun-Hyuk. He approached me, pushed back his messy hair, and smirked.

    "Hey, why are you walking so fast? I''ve been chasing you for a while now."

    "Chasing me? ...Why?"

    "Well, you know, that thing, you saw a strange woman tonight, right?" Jun-Hyuk confidently asked.

    How did Jun-Hyuk know about this? It wouldn¡¯t have been the Pdin Order, as they wouldn¡¯t have slipped up. Just as I thought, Jun-Hyuk was...

    "That was my mom. Sorry."

    I couldn''t hide my surprise, and my mouth fell open at Jun-Hyuk''s words.

    Jun-Hyukughed brightly and continued, "She escaped from the hospital again. Then I received a call from the Pdin Order that she was involved in an incident and was under investigation... And then, the pdins said you were also involved in the incident. So I chased after you."

    "..."

    "Hey,e on. Say something."

    My mind was running so wild that I couldn¡¯te up with an answer. Finally, Jun-Hyuk caught his breath and calmly added, "They said Mom almost died. And you somehow saved her. I don''t know how, though."

    "...She was under a ck magic spell. On her neck."

    "Really? I didn''t know that. Anyway, the pdins said that if it weren''t for you and Ha-Yeon, Mom would have died. So, you know, I wanted to say my thanks." Jun-Hyuk scratched his head, looking a little shy and embarrassed.

    Jun-Hyuk thanking me felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet it made me feel good that he was thanking me. But at the same time, I couldn''t help but feel sorry for Jun-Hyuk, as I had cast a spell on his mother. I also felt bad for him because he had to take care of his mom himself.

    Countless thoughts and emotions swirled around in my mind.

    It was difficult for me to fully ept those emotions.

    "..."

    Because I believed Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist.

 Chapter 110

    <h4>Chapter 110</h4>

    Whenever the Satanist caused an incident, they would observe the people struggling after they got caught up in the incident. Looking back at all the incidents that caused by the Satanist, this had always been the case.

    Today, the Satanist had observed the situation through the ravens¡¯ eyes when the clergymen were affected by the ck magic and started fighting. Simrly, when the bird-type demonic beasts appeared on Eiden Hill, the Satanist observed our actions through the demonic beasts¡¯ eyes. They had watched us argue about who should be the bait as if they were enjoying the whole situation.

    The Satanist was enjoying this. They felt exhrated whenever they watched people struggle in the palm of their hands.

    On the day Jun-Min had transformed into a demon, the Satanist had been observing the entire situation on-site. As soon as the Satanist realized that their location had been exposed, they attempted to escape. At that time, I could not fully utilize Bossou''s power, and the Satanist was also incredibly quick.

    As a result, I could not catch him.

    When the dogs in the barn turned into demonic beasts and attacked us, Jun-Hyuk had run away. When he ran, he was incredibly fast. Even his physique was simr to that of the Satanist. In summary, if I were to express the reason why I suspected him to be a Satanist in one word, it was...

    [Intuition. All the evidence presented is purely spective. Or it''s just nonsense,] Legba said.

    He seemed annoyed as he continued, [You''re jumping to conclusions without any actual proof and adjusting the evidence to fit your narrative. You yourself are probably aware of this already.]

    <i>"When reasoning, Sun-Woo always has a habit ofing to conclusions first and then finding evidence to support these conclusions. It''s called confirmation bias." </i>

    At that moment, I recalled Noah''s advice from within the Ark''s illusion. I had already predetermined Jun-Hyuk as the Satanist, and I had tailored the evidence to fit this conclusion.

    Satanists dealt with taxidermied creatures. There was a possibility that the Satanist had used a taxidermied creature with a simr physique to Jun-Hyuk¡¯s. Therefore, the fact that Jun-Hyuk had a simr physique to the suspected Satanist did not prove that he was a Satanist. The same went for the fact that he was fast at running.

    Moreover, when the dogs in the barn turned into demonic beasts, Jun-Hyuk went to the teacher''s office and called Do-Jin. If it wasn''t for Jun-Hyuk, more students could have been seriously injured, or they could have been killed. If he were a Satanist, there would be no reason for him to go to the teacher''s office and call Do-Jin.

    "...This is driving me crazy."

    There was no definitive evidence, but all I could think about was that he was suspicious. In that case, was there any motivation for him to be a Satanist? No, there was no clear motivation either. There were possible motives that Jun-Hyuk might have for being a Satanist, but simrly, there were also potential motives for him not to be a Satanist.

    Even just looking at the incident that happened today, it was possible to see pieces of evidence that seemed to contradict my conclusion. The insane woman that the Satanist had used as a medium for ck magic was Jun-Hyuk''s mother. If he really was a Satanist, would he be crazy enough to cast ck magic on his own mother''s body? Well, if he was a Satanist, it wasn¡¯t impossible. In fact, there was also a possibility that he had used his mother to cause the incident in order to avoid suspicion...

    Legba was the one who broke my reverie. [If you think about it that way, the possibilities will be endless.]

    His words were right. If I kept thinking like this, then there would be no end to it. I had no idea how intelligent the Satanist was, and I had no idea what they were thinking about. Deducing anything in this situation was meaningless.

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "...What do you not understand?"

    I stared at his frowning face. There was no sign of lying in his eyes. If that was all an act, then Jun-Hyuk was on par with me or even better in terms of acting skills.

    "No... It¡¯s just that I have something to think about," I mumbled as I lightly shook my head.

    Jun-Hyuk had been tilting his head in confusion but suddenly nodded as if he understood.

    "Sure, I guess you must be tired. Anyway, are you busy after school tomorrow?"

    I nned on finishing editing the proposal that Ha-Yeon had written either tonight or tomorrow morning. I didn''t have any specific ns after school tomorrow.

    "I don''t have anything tomorrow."

    "Then let''s go eat with In-Ah. Since I''m feeling grateful, It''ll be my treat."

    "...In-Ah?"

    "I feel like if she¡¯s left out again, she will nag us about how sad she is. Since I¡¯m the one treating, it doesn''t matter anyway, right?"

    If he really was treating us because he was grateful, I thought it would be more appropriate to bring along Ha-Yeon instead of In-Ah. But there didn''t seem to be a need to dwell on it.

    It didn''t matter who he called, and if I had to choose, it¡¯d be better to call In-Ah rather than Ha-Yeon.

    "Okay, then I''ll contact In-Ah right now¡ª"

    "No, it''s okay. I''ll do it."

    "Really? Uh, okay then."

    Jun-Hyuk''s tone was unusually firm. I figured out why. All people had a motive behind their actions. However, there were many times when Jun-Hyuk''s actions had no motive or perhaps no clear motive.

    That¡¯s why I felt he was suspicious, but there was no confirmation that he was a Satanist. I couldn¡¯t even think of a usible motive. I willingly agreed to meet him tomorrow because I thought he might slip up and reveal evidence during our meeting. I nned to analyze his tone, expression, and gestures to find anything that could be evidence.

    I briefly said goodbye to Jun-Hyuk while he sent a message to In-Ah before setting off. Jun-Hyuk and Min-Seo''s faces crossed my mind. I suspected not only Jun-Hyuk, but also Min-Seo. It was because the reason why she delegated the task of revising Ha-Yeon''s proposal to me was not very satisfactory.

    The reason why she couldn''t revise the proposal herself was because she was too ¡®busy¡¯ and because she ¡®couldn''t distinguish sentences<i>.¡¯</i> However, like me, she also didn¡¯t attend after-school academies, and she always passed off work to others while iming to be busy. Perhaps it was because she had tasks to fulfill as a Satanist after school.

    [Aren¡¯t you intentionally ignoring evidence that hinders the conclusion this time as well?]

    "..."

    Min-Seo was a student directly contributing to the nning of the Satanist Identification Project. She had no reason to show such a proactive attitude toward the project if she was a Satanist. If the teacher''s spection about Satanists having a split personality was true, then it would be meaningless to try to deduce anything.

    "This is seriously driving me crazy..."

    [This might be another one of the Satanist''s schemes.]

    "Ah... I see."

    It could be the Satanist''s n to induce division by making people suspicious of Jun-Hyuk and Min-Seo. I didn¡¯t think they had calcted everything to that extent, but it didn¡¯t hurt to consider it.

    [There''s one thing you''re overlooking, but it''s better for you to realize itter.]

    "Can''t you just tell me now?"

    Legba remained silent. [...]

    It meant that he had no intention of telling me. I resigned myself and turned away. I briefly went to the Florence Academy to check the chairman''s office, but I heard from the secretary that the meeting was taking longer than expected, making it difficult for him to meet me.

    I returned to the underground chapel. It seemed like I had to give up on the idea of going to the Central Library today.

    ***

    When I opened my eyes, it was early morning. I heard ttering soundsing from the kitchen. When I left my room, I noticed that my uncle was wearing rubber gloves and doing the dishes. Ji-Ah was sitting at the table, drinking coffee, and checking her phone from time to time. Looking at it from up close, I could see that it was a stock chart.

    "...Cult Leader, it seems like you woke up early," Ji-Ah said while flipping her phone over. She looked up at me.

    As always, her tone was calm and dry. I pointed at the flipped phone and asked, "Do you invest in stocks too?"

    "Since Teacher suffered a big loss this time, I decided to take over until the losses have been recovered."

    My uncle asionally nced in my direction like a guilty person. I shot him a look. My uncle slowly turned his head toward the sink and continued doing the dishes.

    "Well, there are times when you lose money with stocks... Ah, and Ji-Ah, you shouldn''t exaggerate like that. Honestly, it wasn''t such a big loss, was it?"

    "Cult Leader, I will let you know how much Teacher lost. It¡¯s exactly¡ª"

    Uncle hurriedly interrupted Ji-Ah. ¡°Hey! ...Sorry, sorry. I messed up."

    I wondered how much he lost to react like that... I thought about peeking, but I stopped. If Uncle was leisurely doing the dishes like that, it meant he was confident in recovering the losses at any time. If he didn''t have the confidence to recover the losses, he would have been working hard since early morning, gathering every penny he could find. That was his personality.

    "Are you going to school?" Ji-Ah sighed and changed the subject.

    I nodded, and she continued, "You seem to be going early today."

    "I woke up early since I have things to do in the morning."

    "I see... By the way, I noticed that you visited the Pdin Order yesterday. What did you go there for?" Ji-Ah suddenly asked as if she had just remembered.

    Her face was still expressionless, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. I chuckled.

    "Don''t worry. I went there because I did a good deed."

    "That''s a relief. Did you receive any suspicion from the pdins? If they were rude to you, then you just have to tell¡ª"

    "No, nothing like that ever happened. The leader there really liked me a lot..."

    Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Pdin Order, favored me greatly. It seemed like he was trying to give a good impression in order to recruit me into the Eastern Pdin Order. Since there was no harm in building a friendship with him, I made an effort to maintain a good rtionship with him for now.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Suddenly, Ji-Ah took something out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was a rosary. There was not just one, but two.

    "It''s a rosary that you can wear on your arm. I thought it might help you avoid suspicion. I received it as a gift from the dBP CEO, Bae Jung-Hwan."

    "Oh, thank you. But I don''t think I need two."

    "If you wear two, maybe you can avoid twice as much suspicion?" Ji-Ah innocently asked.

    It didn¡¯t seem like wearing two rosaries would double my chances of avoiding suspicion, but since she was giving them to me, I decided to ept them for now. I wore one directly on my arm while I put the other one in my pocket. Since the design wasn''t too shy, it seemed like it wouldn''t attract attention even if I wore it regrly, which was nice.

    [To others, you probably look like a faithful Romanican believer. To me, it just looks ufortable.]

    "Oh well, what can you do?" I shrugged off Legba''sints and headed to school.

    As soon as I arrived, I went straight to the chairman''s office. I was nning to get the Central Library ess permit from Chang-Won.

    "I''m sorry, the meeting hasn''t ended since yesterday..."

    "What kind of meetingsts that long?"

    "I haven''t heard anything other than it being a significant matter..." The secretary said as she bowed slightly in an apologetic manner.

    ording to the secretary, the meeting that had startedst night was still ongoing. I couldn''t understand how important the meeting had to be for it tost overnight.

    "This is frustrating," I said, expressing my exasperated feelings out loud.

    [Indeed, it¡¯s frustrating,] Legba repeated.

    I had to go to the Central Library today in order to revise Ha-Yeon''s wed proposal. In addition, I had nned to investigate information about Florence Academy and the Satanists at the Central Library, but without a permit from the chairman, all of my ns fell through.

    I also checked the vice-principal and principal''s offices, but they were absent, just like the chairman. Since I didn''t have a close rtionship with the vice-principal or principal, it was uncertain whether they would willingly grant a permit in the first ce. The Satanist Identification Project was currently underway, so it was possible that they wouldn¡¯t have a favorable impression of students entering the Central Library.

    "..."

    I picked up my phone.

    ***

    The sound of breathing, the shing of metal, and fast-paced music could be heard. A group of people were each doing their own exercises in a ce where all these sounds mixed together.

    Dae-Man had always been a famous gym rat, and Jin-Seo had recently been training her body with a deadly schedule. Both of them were exercising in the gym after arriving early in the morning.

    In the midst of exercising, Dae-Man''s battle cry could be heard. "Hoo¡ª!"

    Jin-Seo frowned slightly and put wireless earphones in her ears. She then resumed her workout. Even after she had turned up the volume of the music to the max, she could still asionally hear Dae-Man''s battle cry.

    Dae-Man worked out harder than anyone else, and he was also good at it. Anyone who had tried exercising would easily be able to understand how much effort went into building his body. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo found Dae-Man unbelievably annoying.

    "Hoo! Yeap~"

    It was because his damned battle cry kept interrupting the flow of her workout. Moreover, once Dae-Man upied a machine, he wouldn''t rest for about twenty minutes, so if there was a day when her workout routine ovepped with Dae-Man''s, she had to give up on that day''s workout altogether.

    "..."

    But he still worked hard, so...

    Jin-Seo pursed her lips and looked at herself in the mirror as she did squats with a determined expression on her face. Even though the weight hanging on her shoulders was a whopping one hundred and thirty kilograms, her posture remained steady, and there was no sign of strain on her face. This amount of weight wasn¡¯t particrly heavy for her.

    "Huff."

    After finishing a set and collecting her breath, her phone rang. She widened her eyes as she checked the caller ID and cautiously answered the call.

    "Hello?"

    This was her first time receiving a call from him. Strangely, when she received the call, her breathing was faster than when she was exercising.

    "Yes, I''m working out. Why?" Jin-Seo casually replied after catching her breath. While speaking, she worried whether her voice sounded strange.

    After some formalities, when the voice beyond the earphones finally got to the point, her eyes widened in surprise.

    "...Now?"

 Chapter 111

    <h4>Chapter 111</h4>

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    I walked in front of the gym as I absentmindedly touched the rosary on my wrist. There was a bench in the center of the roundly trimmed fence trees, and there was an intersection that split in four directions. This park was the center of various facilities such as the gym, cafe, convenience store, and restaurant.

    Beyond the fence trees that surrounded the garden, there were flowers of a myriad of different colors. My heart unknowingly felt at ease as I watched the dew glistening on the leaves due to the morning sunlight.

    [Rosa multiflora. The name is cute too,] Granbwa whispered softly. There was a gentleughter in her tone.

    Rosa multiflora. I had heard of it, but I had never actually seen the flower before. No, maybe I did. But this was the first time I had looked at the flower while associating it with the name Rosa multiflora.¡¯

    There were no nameless flowers. It was just that we didn¡¯t know their names. Flowers that we saw after knowing their names were prettier and cuter than fleetingly passing by them without knowing their names. Maybe it was because we examined them in more detail.

    "Oh?"

    Suddenly, someone approached me and warmly greeted me with a wave of their hand. Beneath their smiling lips was a mole. It was Ha-Rin.

    I was slightly taken aback. It wasn''t her that I had called on the phone. Ha-Rin looked at me and smiled brightly.

    "It feels like it''s been a long time since west saw each other. We haven¡¯t seen each other since the re-election test."

    "Is that so?"

    Come to think of it, that was true. I had first met Ha-Rin during the re-election test, but we hadn''t exchanged greetings since then. Even though we were in the same ss, I had no memory of ever encountering her. It was possible that I hadn''t recognized her due to her unremarkable appearance.

    "What were you doing?" Ha-Rin asked as she sat down on the bench.

    Her tone contained a considerable amount of friendliness, but it wasn¡¯t excessive. I could see her efforts to maintain a moderate level of intimacy so as not to make me ufortable.

    "I was just waiting for someone. What about you?"

    "Ah, I was on my way to morning exercise..." Ha-Rin''s voice trailed off, and she suddenly stood up from the bench. Her eyes trembled.

    "...Uh, I have to go quickly. If I''mte, I''ll run out of time. Goodbye!" Ha-Rin muttered quickly and abruptly left. It was difficult to tell whether what she had muttered was a farewell or whether she was just mumbling to herself.

    "Huh? Uh, okay."

    I quietly watched as she headed toward the gym as if she was running away. It was still early enough in the morning to be considered dusk, so even if she took her time, she wouldn''t be short on time. I wondered if she was rushing too much.

    Thinking that everyone must have their reasons, I turned my head. It was in that instant that my eyes met with someone.

    "Who was that?"

    The person I had called through the phone stared intently at me with sharp eyes as she approached. I subconsciously took a step back.

    "Trying to run?"

    I barely managed to answer her questioning words. "...When did I try to run? I was just startled."

    Before I knew it, Jin-Seo had arrived right in front of me. She tilted her head while staring at me with eyes that were narrowed with suspicion. The distance between us was so close that it felt chilly.

    "So, who was that?"

    "Someone from the same ss as me... It¡¯s just someone I know."

    "Yeah, so while waiting for me, you were gossiping with someone you knew?" she said and smiled.

    Her face was smiling, but her voice was stillced with suspicion.

    "I wasn¡¯t gossiping... She just greeted me and then left," I exined while observing Jin-Seo.

    Today, she was wearing a sporty short-sleeved shirt and shorts. She had a white windbreaker tied around her waist. It looked like she had hastily gotten dressed after receiving a call while exercising. And her hair was tied up... This was it. I could use this to my advantage.

    "I see. You seem to know a lot of girls. Last time it was a sister you knew, and this time it''s just someone you know."

    "You tied up your hair? It looks good."

    Jin-Seo looked at me with widened eyes as if surprised.

    "...D-Don''t change the subject."

    "No, really, it just looks good. Did youe out after exercising?"

    As I quietly stared into Jin-Seo''s eyes, I could detect hints of confusion within them. She had lowered her gaze to the ground as if trying to avoid my gaze, and she nodded slightly. Her hair, tied into a ponytail, swayed at the nape of her neck. There were still hints of lingering dissatisfaction on her face. Perhaps she didn¡¯t like the fact that I was trying to change the subject without answering the question.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    I took out the rosary bracelet that I had received from Ji-Ah from my pocket and handed it to her. Jin-Seo looked at the bracelet and then my face.

    "You used to wear something like a bracelet before, right?" I asked with a smile that wasn¡¯t too excessive.

    Jin-Seo used to wear a bracelet tied with a string on her left wrist. As far as I remembered, the bracelet had snapped during the chaos that urred when the bird-type demonic beast had appeared on Eiden Hill. She had a rare sad expression on her face back then. I didn¡¯t know who it was from, but I thought that it must have been something very important to her. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be able to rece what she had lost, but I hoped it would bring somefort to her empty left wrist.

    "I got it from someone I know, but I have one left. It''s a bit awkward to ask you to use it as a recement..."

    "Thank you," she said as she put on the bracelet.

    Her face was slightly flushed. She looked up at me momentarily, then lowered her gaze to the ground.

    "Did you call me to give me this?" Jin-Seo asked while fiddling around with the bracelet.

    Fortunately, she seemed to like the gift. It was a bit shameless to call it a gift since I was just giving her an extra leftover bracelet, but if it made her happy, then that was a relief. It also looked like her mood had brightened up, so it was time to get to the point.

    "That was part of the reason. But I have a request for you."

    "A request?"

    "I need to enter the Central Library for the project proposal, but apparently, I need an ess permit..." I casually exined.

    I needed a permit to enter the Central Library for the project proposal, and I went to the chairman''s office, but he was absent. I had nned to finish my work before noon and submit the proposal by lunchtime, but without a permit, the situation became difficult.

    "...Anyway, do you happen to know the chairman''s contact information? He wasn''t in his office when I went there. He seems very busy, so it would be better to contact him in advance."

    Jin-Seo looked up at me and stared. "Ah, I see."

    Her face was still slightly flushed, but her gaze was cold. She coldly looked at me and said, "So, this isn''t a gift but a bribe?"

    "That¡¯s just something I gave you for no particr reason. I thought you would look pretty with it."

    Honestly, it was a bribe, but I didn''t want to make it seem too obvious, so I covered up the truth with some appropriate words.

    Her gaze, which had been ice cold, suddenly trembled and shifted toward the ground. Eventually, when she raised her head, her expression was calm. I didn''t feel cold.

    "Do you say these things to other people too? Besides me."

    "No? Why would I say something like this to someone else?"

    "...Alright."

    Jin-Seo reached into the pocket of her windbreaker and took out a wallet. Then she pulled out a card and handed it to me. It was a faculty member ID card with Chairman Chang-Won¡¯s name on it. Even after receiving it, I was momentarily stunned and rechecked it, but it was definitely his ID card.

    "Use this to get in."

    "...Is this really okay?"

    "Yes. That''s why he gave it to me in the first ce. It''s fine to use it because there are multiple copies of the card," Jin-Seo said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    Her tone was filled with confidence. It sounded like she could handle any problems that arose by herself. She nced briefly at the bracelet on her wrist.

    "I''ll use the bribe well."

    "It''s not a bribe."

    She smiled mischievously and said, "Just kidding. Thank you."

    Then, she waved her hand and turned toward the gym.

    I examined the faculty member''s ID card that she had given to me. Originally, I had nned to get permission to enter the Central Library by getting the chairman''s contact information through her, but now there was no need for that.

    In any case, things had worked out well.

    ***

    While exercising, Jin-Seo asionally nced at the bracelet that Sun-Woo had given her. She liked that the design was simple, so she wouldn''t feel burdened wearing it every day. Actually, the design didn''t matter much. Rather than the design, what mattered more was that she used to wear the bracelet in the past. The fact that he had remembered that her bracelet had snapped made her feel strange emotions. Even though she tried hard to convince herself that it was not a gift and just a bribe for him to get ess to the Central Library, his words kept echoing in her ears.

    <i>"I thought you would look pretty with it." </i>

    When Sun-Woo had said that, his tone of voice had been overly affectionate. His voice flowed out naturally and smoothly as if he had frequently said such things before. That fact felt so irritating that she wanted to hit him. However, in reality, she wasn¡¯t even able to lift her head properly because she was too busy trying to control her expression...

    But thinking back to that moment, her face heated up again.

    "Phew..."

    She hadn''t even finished half of her intended workout routine, but she was already out of breath. She wasn¡¯t able to concentrate well on her exercise today. As she collected her breath and rested, she sensed someone approaching.

    "Um, excuse me, how many sets do you have left...?"

    Jin-Seo carefully looked at the woman who was timidly asking her. She had a forgettable face without any distinctive features. She was the woman who had been happily talking with Sun-Woo earlier.

    "...I think there I have about twenty sets left."

    "What?"

    "No, I¡¯m done. Feel free to use it."

    Feeling embarrassed for trying to be petty for no reason, Jin-Seo stood up from her seat and packed her belongings. It seemed like she had to finish her morning workout here for today. As she walked outside, she nced at the bracelet on her wrist again.

    She thought it would have been better if it wasn''t a religious item. But she knew she shouldn''t think of such things, and she thought that she was being excessively greedy, so she shook her head.

    ***

    The first impression I had when I finally arrived at the Central Library was its spaciousness. Compared to a regr library, the area itself was small. It wouldn¡¯t make sense if the Central Library, which only some faculty members could use, wasrger than the regr library that all the students could use.

    However, considering all that, the Central Library was excessivelyrge, and the vast area was all used for storing books. A regr library was divided into spaces for storing books and spaces for students to study, but the Central Library was solely a space for storing books.

    [If youpared the amount of stored information between the regr library and the Central Library, then the Central Library would win by an overwhelming margin.]

    I nodded at Legba''s words and wandered around. There were several novels, but they were difficult to read because the style of writing that was used was different from today. There were also thick books that I didn''t even dare to open, and a Latin Holy Book that was written during the infancy of Romanicanism. Besides that, countless books were written innguages I didn''t know.

    [If you want, I can trante them for you. Do you want me to?]

    I cautiously nodded at Legba''s words as I randomly chose a book.

    "..."

    Legba was a Loa who was proficient in allnguages. He knew all existingnguages and could even trante archaguages that no one used anymore. I casually picked up a promising book and pointed at the title with my finger.

    [The Book of Revtions Interpreted from a Global Perspective. The author... is not mentioned.]

    I didn¡¯t feel a need to read this. I picked up another book.

    [The Origin and Corrtion between Prayers and Miracles. Author unknown.]

    "Hmm..."

    When revising Ha-Yeon''s proposal, it seemed like a good idea to use this book as supplementary material for the iplete parts. It wasn''t very thick, so it seemed sufficient to read it with Legba''s trantion.

    I tucked the book in my armpit and moved on to the next book.

    [The Pce of Memories. Matteo Rich.]

    Was this necessary? I wasn¡¯t sure, but I decided to keep it for now.

    [The Rule of Benedict... Ah, this is a copy.]

    I decided to keep it on hand, just in case.

    [Latin-Vietnamese Catechism. Alexandre de Lord.]

    [The Records of Dori. But the author doesn¡¯t seem to be named Dori[1].]

    After searching a few more books, it seemed none would be useful. I needed about three books for the proposal, but I didn''t n on reading through all three books. I intended to extract the necessary information and use it appropriately.

    I carefully ced three books on the wooden desk and then searched the bookshelf again. As I rummaged through countless books that I didn''t need, I noticed a distinctive book spine. There was no title and only a goat symbol drawn on it. That symbol was tattooed on the body of the cat that died in the room where the Satanist''s rituals took ce.

    I pulled out the book.

    [List of Satanists Active/Imprisoned in the Country and Their Information... There is no need to trante this. It seems like someone erased the author''s name.]

    The title was engraved in intaglio, and the fine lines were filled with blood-red ink. The cover was extremely ominous.

    "..."

    This book probably contained the information I had been curious about all this time.

    1. In Korean, Dori (??) means doctrine. The second part of the statement can also be interpreted as ¡®But the author doesn¡¯t seem to be doing things the correct way¡¯ ?

 Chapter 112

    <h4>Chapter 112</h4>

    "Hmm...." Sung Yu-Da murmured as he savored the strong scent of the tea called Witch''s Blood.

    He was watching the ck box recording of the situation he had received from the Eastern Pdin Order. The video was dark, and the quality was poor, making it difficult to distinguish the human figures, but he could roughly grasp the situation. A man and a woman were under the influence of ck magic and pping each other''s cheeks. They were foolish pdins and priests who approached the scene without wearing any anti-magic masks, only to be ensnared by ck magic themselves. As time passed, the fight became more intense. As the demonic energy flowing out from the pentagram grew thicker, so did the clergymen''s hatred toward each other.

    In the center of this entire crisis stood a kid named Sun-Woo, and he calmly assessed the situation. He confirmed the consciousness of the woman who became the medium for ck magic. He searched for a method to remedy the situation, but there was no method. That was when Ha-Yeon appeared. Sun-Woo exined his strategy for getting out of the situation to Ha-Yeon and then broke a ss bottle.

    The clergymen¡¯s anger was focused on Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon. Sun-Woo had shown excessive calmness for his age, but he was taken aback at this. Eventually, he regained hisposure and began to draw the holy cross.

    ¡ª!

    Miracle replication.

    The wind blew, causing the waves to gather and creating a whirlpool. The whirlwind created by the consecutive gusts engulfed the clergymen. Eventually, Sun-Woo was swept away by the storm.

    Ha-Yeon had been hesitating, but she seemed to have made up her mind after witnessing this. She created a wound on her palm. Shepleted the blessing of purification and dismantled the Pentagram. As a result, the situation came to an end.

    Sung Yu-Da reviewed the footage several times before he turned off the screen and nodded with a smile.

    "Excellent."

    Ha-Yeon sat across from him. She widened her eyes in surprise. "...What?"

    What was excellent? Was it Sun-Woo''s miracle replication, or was it the blessing of purification that she had drawn...? A small expectation blossomed in her heart.

    "The boy''s name was... Sun-Woo?"

    "...Yes."

    "He seems to have skills beyond his age. It''s an amazing talent."

    Ha-Yeon bowed her head. As she thought, her father didn¡¯t have any intention of praising her... She clenched her fist and covered the scar on her palm.

    Meanwhile, Sung Yu-Da was recalling the miracle that Sun-Woo had replicated. Although he couldn''t control it in the end and was swept away by the storm himself, the fact that he could replicate such a tremendous miracle was an incredible talent. He was partially on par with the active-duty clergymen who were all talk and no show. No, in terms of skill alone, he had already surpassed the level of the active-duty clergymen.

    "What happened to the proposal for him to join the Theological Association?" Sung Yu-Da asked with a low voice.

    Ha-Yeon had been absentmindedly curling her toes and daydreaming, when she suddenly snapped out of it and looked up.

    "I got rejected..."

    "Why?" Sung Yu-Da asked as if he was surprised.

    Ha-Yeon had a pretty good idea why. It was probably because of her past actions. ording to her friends, whenever she got bored, she would verbally attack Sun-Woo for no reason other than because she didn¡¯t like the look in his eyes. But Ha-Yeon failed to even remember that, and without apologizing, she boldly suggested he join the Theological Association.

    It was only natural for her to be rejected. How repulsive must have she appeared to Sun-Woo? Just the thought made Ha-Yeon feel sick to her stomach.

    "He didn¡¯t tell me the reason, so I don¡¯t know..." she mumbled with her head lowered.

    Sung Yu-Da slightly tilted his head. There were often kids who were like that. They would be obsessed with testing and proving their own abilities, and as a result, they would reject any help from others. They were children who held the strange principle of wanting to be clergymen solely through their own abilities instead of relying on organizations like the Theological Association.

    It was not easy to convince those with such principles. There was a time when Sung Yu-Da followed someone who had a stronger conviction than anyone else. They never followed others but rather had a unique charm that made others follow them.

    However, there was never a good ending for them. Yes, never.

    Sung Yu-Da shook his head as if chasing away the memories of the past. Leaving his teacup on the table, he abruptly stood up.

    "It looks like it¡¯d be best to create an opportunity to directly meet him soon. And..."

    Sung Yu-Da looked at his daughter with a worried expression and continued, "Be careful when you go out at night."

    "...Yes."

    "You never know when something like <i>that</i> will happen again," Sung Yu-Da said bitterly as he entered the study.

    Ha-Yeon was left alone as unwanted memories began to surface in her mind. She remembered those people staring at her with cold and indifferent eyes as if they were looking at an animal instead of a human. Those hunters had haphazardly cut off her hair and prepared to cut off her arms as she screamed. They were known as the Albino Hunters. They collected the bodies of people with albinism for their Voodoo spells.

    Ha-Yeon was a victim of the Albino Hunters.

    ***

    I revised Ha-Yeon''s proposal based on the data that I collected. In reality, there wasn''t much to add, and I just needed to remove the nonsense that Ha-Yeon had written. Thanks to Legba, who tranted all thenguages in the books in the library, it didn''t take long.

    After finishing all the work, I opened the book titled List of Satanists Active/Imprisoned in the Country and Their Information. Legba didn''t need to trante this. It was already written in anguage that I could understand.

    <i>[There are two primary groups of Satanists active in the country. They are led by those who go by the Seven Deadly Sins of Wrath and Envy, and among them, Wrath was captured in the year 19XX and is currently imprisoned in the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters.] </i>

    I couldn''t tell exactly when they had been captured. It was because part of the year had been skillfully torn off. It was evident that it was not torn off naturally.

    Who could it be? If it was a student, it could be one of the seven Holy Names, and if it was a teacher... Come to think of it, was it possible for the Satanist to be a teacher?

    It was meaningless to think about this. I had to move on.

    <i>[The characteristic of Wrath is regeneration. During the suppression process, their arms and legs were cut off, but they quickly regenerated in a matter of seconds. Whether it was cutting the neck off or cutting their entire body horizontally or vertically, it was the same. They would inflict self-harm at regr intervals. This was presumed to be part of a ritual for offering blood and flesh to the devil they served.] </i>

    I continued reading, but it was just a relentless tale of how the brave crusaders and pdins captured him, with no mention of taxidermied creatures. I quickly flipped the page.

    <i>[Envy, the *Commander.] </i>

    At around the middle of the book, the section about Envy began. There was a footnote next to the word Commander. At the bottom of the text, there was a small description that exined the word Commander.

    <i>[The Commander, after absorbing the Satanist Pride Branch, which was active in California, left a note. The following is the contents of that note. </i>

    <i>Call me Commander... The reason is... because I also want a cool nickname.... </i>

    <i>The title of Commander is self-proimed, but it became an official title due to them leading most of the Satanist branches.]</i>

    This guy was clearly insane. I continued reading.

    <i>[The Commander collects corpses, and using those corpses, they create and control taxidermied creatures. They use the taxidermied creatures as a medium for their ck magic, and they obsessively pursue the perfect taxidermied creature. It is said that they delude themselves into thinking that they are an artist. </i>

    <i>They infiltrated Korea during the chaos that urred due to the Holy War seven years ago and covered up their tracks after causing the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago. After the incident, we attempted to identify the Satanist among the residents. However, the operation ended in failure.]</i>

    [It¡¯s this person,] Legba said.

    I turned the page without responding.

    <i>[The reason why they were named Envy is rted to the Commander''s childhood. ording to a few scarce pieces of evidence, the Commander loved their biological mother. Jealous of their biological father, the Commander made a deal with the devil. The Commander skinned and killed their father, filling their skin with cotton and sawdust as a gift for their grieving mother. </i>

    <i>There is a rumor that they are a homosexual, but there is no evidence. This is because their gender has not been revealed.] </i>

    "..."

    It was difficult to understand, especially the fact that they loved their mother and the fact that they were jealous enough to kill their father. Well, up to this point, I could somehow understand if I really tried. But turning their father into a taxidermied creature as a gift for their grieving mother...

    [They aren¡¯t Satanists for no reason. They probably have a moralpass that normal people can¡¯t understand.]

    I nodded slightly at Legba''s words and continued reading. None of the information could be a clue. The author''s intention to expand the length by rephrasing the same content was evident.

    After cing the books I had read into the bookshelf for returning books, I left the Central Library. I thought about the insane woman who had been the medium for ck magic, who also happened to be Jun-Hyuk''s mother. The Satanist loved their biological mother, so they killed their biological father. If Jun-Hyuk was the Satanist, it meant that he had used his beloved mother as a medium for ck magic. It didn''t make any logical sense.

    No, trying to understand the Satanist through logic itself was probably foolish.

    [It''splicated. How about thinking about it more simply?]

    "Is it even possible to think of it in a simpler way than this?"

    [Well, it depends on how you think.]

    Legba''s ambiguous words added to my confusion. He didn''t give me a clear conclusion when it came to deducing the Satanist¡¯s identity. It was not like he was joking around or something. Did he catch the Baron Samedi disease...?

    I sighed and returned to the ssroom.

    ***

    After refining the revised proposal little by little during the morning break, I emailed it to Min-Seo just before lunchtime. Later on, I walked together with In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk along the mountain trail.

    "There will be no end if we assume things like that. Shouldn''t we only discuss things based on the given information?"

    "Hey, considering the topic, shouldn¡¯t we ount for the worst-case scenario?"

    "<i>Sigh</i>... It¡¯s impossible to talk to you," Jun-Hyuk said.

    In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk had been engaged in a heated debate since before lunch, and the argument had continued up until now. The topic of the debate was ''What weapon should we carry in case of a zombie outbreak?''

    In-Ah argued that a baseball bat was the best, while Jun-Hyuk insisted that a bamboo spear was better. It was truly a practical, productive, and mature argument.

    "Hey, imagine if the zombie outbreak ended. With a baseball bat, you can y baseball."

    "No, the assumption that the outbreak will end is absurd, isn''t it?"

    "What''s so absurd about it?" In-Ah challenged, and Jun-Hyuk sighed.

    "Let¡¯s set that aside for now. If there was a zombie outbreak, then what about food? Can you get food with a baseball bat?"

    "Then what about a bamboo spear? Can you get food with a bamboo spear?"

    "If you''re hungry, you can tear off bits of the spear and eat them. You try eating the baseball bat, then."

    "Are you a panda? What kind of nonsense is that?"

    The argument continued, and as time passed, their voices grew louder. I had no choice but to distance myself from them as we walked. I didn''t want to be mistaken for being involved in their childish argument. Although I kept my distance, I carefully listened to Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah''s conversation. It was abination of observation and surveince. I still hadn''t dismissed the suspicion that Jun-Hyuk might be a Satanist.

    "And the spear has a longer range."

    "How are you going to pull it out once it gets stuck inside a zombie? You might get bitten by a zombie and turn into one while pulling it out."

    "Just stab the next zombie without pulling it out. It¡¯s like a zombie kebab¡ª"

    "¡ªHey! Is it fine for you toe to school?!"

    The childish conversation between In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk was interrupted by a shouting from the field. A male student expressed his frustrations by loudly shouting in an irritating pre-pubescent voice.

    "What''s going on?" In-Ah expressed her confusion, and Jun-Hyuk shrugged his shoulders as if he didn''t know either.

    Curious, they walked across the field and toward the center of themotion. I followed them as well. From up close, I could see that the ones causing the disturbance were none other than our former ssmates, Bae Sung-Hyun, and his gang.

    "Wow, it''s been a long time. You didn¡¯t contact me at all. What have you been up to?"

    "Bastard, your skin seems to have gotten paler. It looks like you¡¯ve been eating well?"

    The gang members surrounded someone, asking about their well-being or yfully insulting them. Their reactions were varied, but the joy that appeared on their faces was the same. The male student standing in the center of the gang scratched his head awkwardly and gave a shy smile. In-Ah looked at the male student''s face and opened her mouth with a stern expression.

    "...Bae Sung-Hyun?"

    Sung-Hyun had been expelled, but he was dressed neatly in his school uniform while standing shamelessly on Florence Academy grounds.

 Chapter 113

    <h4>Chapter 113</h4>

    The person standing in the center of the gang was Bae Sung-Hyun. Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, nothing changed. Sung-Hyun was clearly in front of me. There was even a scar on his left ear. There was no doubt about it.

    Why had hee to Florence Academy? No, how did he get in? He had been expelled, so in principle, he shouldn''t have been able to enter Florence Academy. Did he pretend to be a student by wearing a uniform and sneaking in? No, that was not possible. The Satanist Identification Project was currently in full swing.

    It was said that even if someone suspected of being an outsider loitered around the school gates, the security guards would rush over and chase them away. Sung-Hyun had been charged with being associated with Satanists, so there was no way the security guards would let him enter the school.

    I briefly suspected that Sung-Hyun might have paid a bribe to the Florence Foundation and re-enrolled, but that also didn''t make sense. Jin-Seo had also been associated with the incident that Sung-Hyun caused. Since Chang-Won greatly cherished Jin-Seo, he wouldn''t have just blindly granted Sung-Hyun permission to re-enroll for the sake of money.

    "Oh, hey~ isn¡¯t it my old friend Sun-Woo? Good to see you!"

    While I was briefly lost in thought, Sung-Hyun casually extended his hand for a handshake. I ended up shaking his hand in confusion. The grip was so strong that it felt threatening. After the handshake, there were red marks on my palm. I raised my head and red at Sung-Hyun''s face. He was smirking.

    "So, is it worth being the Holy Name of Charity? It''s damn tiring, isn''t it? So much work to do."

    "I''m a bit tired today. But were we this close?"

    Sung-Hyun stared at me as heughed.

    "Hahaha, do we have to be close to greet each other? Is that the only thing you have to say after not seeing each other for a long time?"

    His gaze pierced into mine with obvious hostility. I met his gaze without looking away. Sung-Hyun let out a mockingugh and turned toward the gang members.

    "Seems like he¡¯s be more feisty. Don''t you think so?"

    "Uh, well... I, um..."

    "Haha, haha..."

    As if seeking their agreement, Sung-Hyun nced at the gang members, but each member avoided eye contact and mumbled incoherently.

    Sung-Hyun had been expelled after it was revealed that he had orchestrated a severe incident, and as a result, Sung-Hyun''s old friends quietly went about their school lives and focused on their studies in order to avoid the negative looks of those around them.

    Seeing that he was not getting the desired reaction from the gang members, Sung-Hyun frowned. Then, his facial expression quickly changed as if nothing had happened, and he smiled.

    "Looks like the atmosphere here has changed while I was gone," Sung-Hyun said while looking around with an awkward expression on his face. He seemed exceedingly nonchnt.

    Sometimes he would shake hands with me without even batting an eysh, and other times he would venomously re at me with narrowed eyes. Something was off. In the past, I had cast spells on Sung-Hyun. I had cast various spells, such as the Curse of Nightmares and Memory Annihtion. These spells should have applied a ¡®hypnotic suggestion¡¯ to Sung-Hyun.

    Just recalling memories rted to the Voodoo Cult should have filled Sung-Hyun with fear, and then, due to Memory Annihtion, he would forget about the Voodoo Cult. As a result, his memories would disappear, but his fear would remain. It didn¡¯t make sense that he could remain so calm even after seeing me, the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Either the spell''s power must have worn off, or he must have ovee it with his mental strength. My spell was definitely not frail enough to be overwhelmed by Sung-Hyun''s mental strength.

    Then... What in the world was that <i>thing</i>?

    "Oh, In-Ah is here too. It looks like you¡¯ve gotten prettier. Did you lose weight¡ª"

    "Hey."

    It was Jun-Hyuk who interrupted Sung-Hyun. He was staring at Sung-Hyun with hazy eyes. No, it seemed like he was staring at something beyond Sung-Hyun. That was how hazy Jun-Hyuk''s eyes were.

    "Why¡¯d you crawl all the way back here?" Jun-Hyuk said.

    His cold voice froze the atmosphere. Sung-Hyun stepped backward in surprise. It was an atmosphere where a fight could break out at any moment. Sung-Hyun¡¯sckeys tried to intervene between the two, but Jun-Hyuk forcefully pushed them aside and approached Sung-Hyun.

    <i>Grab.</i>

    Jun-Hyuk grabbed Sung-Hyun by the cor. Despite being grabbed by the cor, Sung-Hyun looked at Jun-Hyuk calmly.

    "Grabbing my cor out of nowhere... Is this Florence Academy¡¯s standard these days?"

    "You got expelled, and now you''re back only to run your mouth. Why did youe back?"

    "Hahaha... I don''t know why you''re so angry. How about letting go first?"

    Sung-Hyun forcefully pulled Jun-Hyuk''s hand off and straightened his shirt cor and tie. Jun-Hyuk''s eyes remained fixed on Sung-Hyun. In-Ah looked between the two men, and she was so bewildered that it looked like she was on the verge of crying. Tears were already welling up in the corners of her eyes.

    "Wait a moment."

    There were more than one or two things that were off. I left the scene while taking out my phone and started calling someone. Or at least, that''s what I tried to do.

    "Ah, where? Where are you going...?"

    In-Ah grabbed my wrist and hung on. There was no need to shake her off. Her grip was so weak that it was difficult to tell whether she was grabbing onto me in the first ce. I exerted a slight amount of strength, and In-Ah released her grip. Then, she looked at me with confusion and despair.

    I smiled at her.

    "I''ll be back soon."

    I only intended to return quickly after checking something. I kept my distance and waited for the other person to answer the call. Soon, the other person answered the phone. I lowered my voice and asked, "Sir, is your son doing well?"

    ***

    "I feel a little better after having coffee. If I didn''t have coffee, I would have killed myself a long time ago."

    Do-Jin already had a shot of Americano and was grabbing a second cup when Ye-Jin asked as if scolding him, "Did you not sleep well yesterday, either?"

    "It can¡¯t possibly be good for you to not get sleep all the time like this. I''ve told you so many times to retire."

    "I want to retire... but when I see the moneying in, it''s a bit difficult to retire."

    "Chasing too much money is a sin. And you call yourself a clergyman," Ye-Jin yfully said while chuckling.

    Do-Jin smiled by forcefully cringing his eyes which had thick, dark circles underneath them.

    "Well, I have a mountain of kids that I had to feed and take care of. Isn''t it a bigger sin to not make money and let the kids starve?"

    "...Well, that¡¯s true."

    "I got a day off today, so I should sleep well tomorrow ande back. It feels like the quality of life is deteriorating because ofck of sleep..."

    Do-Jin¡¯s words trailed off, and he came to a halt. Ye-Jin tilted her head and looked at him as if she was puzzled.

    His gaze was focused on the center of the sports field. In the midst of the crowd surrounding the field, two male students were confronting each other. Do-Jin shifted the light of blessing flowing through his body to his eyes.

    "...Those bastards."

    The ones confronting each other were Jun-Hyuk and Sung-Hyun. Jun-Hyuk was infamous among the faculty members for causing a lot of trouble, so it wasn¡¯t unusual to see him there, but why was Sung-Hyun here? Wasn¡¯t he expelled?

    Not only did Florence Academy''s reputation take a big hit because of him, but Ye-Jin, the homeroom teacher of the ss of Charity, almost faced disciplinary action. For that reason, Do-Jin deeply resented Sung-Hyun.

    Do-Jin crossed the field and approached them. He was nning to yell at them, and if they didn¡¯t listen to him, he was going to beat them up.

    "What''s going on? My eyesight is bad, so I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s happening..." Ye-Jin asked while following Do-Jin.

    "It looks like there¡¯s a fight, and Sung-Hyun seems to be one of the people involved."

    "What? Why is he here?" Ye-Jin said as if she couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard.

    Without responding to Ye-Jin¡¯s question, Do-Jin stared at Jun-Hyuk and Sung-Hyun with a stern expression on his face. He was not only angry at Sung-Hyun, who shamelessly entered Florence Academy after being expelled, but also at Jun-Hyuk. He nned to give him a warning as well.

    "Hey! You guys, get out of the way!" Do-Jin shouted at the people standing around the fight.

    The troublemakers hesitated but didn''t scatter. It was because the fight between Jun-Hyuk and Sung-Hyun was intensifying.

    Their foreheads were pressed together, ring at each other with venomous eyes. It was a tense atmosphere that felt like it could immediately devolve into a fistfight if either of them extended their fist.

    While stepping forward with increased urgency, Do-Jin shouted, "You guys...!"

    The reason why his words trailed off was that Sun-Woo was pushing through the crowd and entering. With an angry expression on his face and a fierce yet icy gaze, he slowly inserted himself between the two while staring at Sung-Hyun.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    Firstly, he pushed Jun-Hyuk aside, separating the distance between them. It seemed like he was trying to stop the fight. Only then did Do-Jin rx and slightly slow down his steps. Sun-Woo''s skills were far superiorpared to Jun-Hyuk and Sung-Hyun. If he wanted to stop the fight, he could easily do so.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo''s arm began to shine. It was the light emitted by the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, which was bestowed upon him during the Holy Name of Charity ceremony. Following that, Sun-Woo drew a blessing array.

    Ye-Jin, observing the situation behind Do-Jin, muttered to herself, "Oh? That¡¯s a blessing of strength..."

    Sun-Woo used the blessing of strength. Was it an intermediate, or was it a lesser blessing? It was impossible to grasp urately from a distance. Was he nning to use the blessing to suppress the fight with his strength? Before Do-Jin had a chance to wonder what was happening, Sun-Woo concentrated the entire power of the blessing onto his right arm.

    Then Sun-Woo extended his arm, and his hand pierced Sung-Hyun''s chest.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    There was something inside Sun-Woo¡¯s hand that he pulled out from Sung-Hyun''s chest. It was a heart. It was Sung-Hyun''s heart, to be precise. With just his right arm, Sun-Woo pierced Sung-Hyun''s skin, smashed through his ribcage, and pulled out his heart. The heart, which still had blood vessels attached all over it, was still beating inside Sun-Woo''s hand.

    "...Ah, ah..." Ye-Jin made strange sounds as if she didn''t want to believe it was real.

    Eventually, she started to vomit with a pale, horrified expression on her face. With a hole in his chest, Sung-Hyun died just like that. His bodyy sprawled out in the middle of the field.

    Do-Jin unconsciously clenched his fists. It was murder. Sung-Hyun had been suspected of having ties to Satanists, but at the very least, he was human. No matter how wicked his actions may have been, he was still a person. Unlike demons or demonic beasts, you couldn¡¯t just murder people like that.

    Do-Jin moved the light of blessing to his legs.

    <i>Thump! </i>

    With his hand resting on his sword, he leaped toward Sun-Woo. He arrived in front of Sun-Woo with such speed that it would be difficult for most people to follow with the eyes as he drew his sword.

    And then he swung his sword.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    It was a strike that carried the momentum and weight from his leap.

    However, the de was not aimed at Sun-Woo. Do-Jin intended to strike Sun-Woo''s neck with the back of the de to knock him unconscious. As for the responsibility and reasons for killing Sung-Hyun... he nned to ask about those thingster.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    However, Sun-Woo did not lose consciousness. He effortlessly caught Do-Jin''s de and stared at him with a cold gaze. Was that an expression a person could have right after killing someone...? Feeling a sense of dread, Do-Jin tried to pull his sword out of Sun-Woo''s hand.

    "..."

    However, the sword wouldn''t budge. It was because Sun-Woo''s grip on the de was too strong. It wasn''t the power obtained through the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. Do-Jin knew Sun-Woo was strong, but he didn''t expect him to be this powerful.

    Do-Jin concealed his surprise and said, "Let go. Before I cut off all your fingers."

    "Listen to my story first."

    "I''ll listen to your story after I subdue you."

    <i>Slice!</i>

    Do-Jin forcefully pulled out his sword. Blood from Sun-Woo''s palm sttered onto the field. Do-Jinunched another attack.

    <i>Slice... </i>

    This time, it wasn''t the back of the de. In an instant, Do-Jin''s attack arrived at Sun-Woo''s neck, and immediately after, Do-Jin stopped moving.

    Dark red blood dripped down from Sun-Woo''s neck where the de had touched. Do-Jin stared at Sun-Woo with eyes filled with madness and said, "You... What on earth were you thinking, doing something like this..."

    "..."

    Tears welled up in Do-Jin''s eyes as he croaked, "Clergymen shouldn''t kill people. No, people shouldn''t kill people. That''s obvious, but..."

    Do-Jin''s words were directed at Sun-Woo, but simultaneously, they were directed at himself. His hand trembled uncontrobly as he held the de. Blood that had stained the de dripped onto the ground one drop at a time.

    "...Teacher."

    At that moment, Sun-Woo showed the heart held in his hand. The heart had stopped beating and had turned cold.

    <i>Burst.</i>

    Sun-Woo clenched his fist and mercilessly crushed the heart. Do-Jin tightly closed his eyes. It was a sound he didn''t want to hear. Sun-Woo waspletely insane. He started to think that instead of suppressing him, perhaps it might be better to kill him immediately... As he was thinking that, he opened his eyes.

    Then, an unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.

    <i>Crumble. </i>

    From the burst heart, instead of blood, chunks of sawdust flowed out. No, there was some blood, but most of it was sawdust and cotton. Sung-Hyun''s heart was filled with sawdust and cotton. Do-Jin stared at him with a dazed expression and lowered his sword.

    "What I killed just now was not a person, but a taxidermied creature," Sun-Woo calmly said as he flicked the blood off his palm.

 Chapter 114

    <h4>Chapter 114</h4>

    Do-Jin blinked and expressed his confusion.

    "Taxidermied creature...?"

    His mind, which had been filled with thoughts of stopping Sun-Woo and even potentially killing him, suddenly went nk.

    <i>tter.</i>

    The sword he had been holding fell to the ground. Do-Jin had been staring into space with a bewildered look in his eyes before he btedly looked around to assess the situation. Sung-Hyun''s heart, which had been pulled out, scattered into bits of cotton as it exploded. Sung-Hyun''s lifeless body was now limp and shriveled like a deted balloon. From his open chest, chunks of flesh and cotton-like material stuck out.

    Sun-Woo was right. That was a taxidermied creature. It was undoubtedly the work of the Satanist who had caused the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago.

    "Then, what was I..."

    Do-Jin slumped down onto the field.

    "What on earth was I trying to do...?"

    The taxidermied creature could also explode ording to Satanist¡¯s will. If Sun-Woo had not acted quickly, the taxidermied creature might have exploded, causing significant damage to the students. Sun-Woo had disposed of the taxidermied creature in order to save the students.

    And Do-Jin had almost killed Sun-Woo. If he hadpletely lost control of his sanity, Sun-Woo''s head would have fallen off and rolled on the field floor. Giving in to emotions and not making rational judgments at times was one of Do-Jin''s long-standing weaknesses. Do-Jin hadmitted sins because of this weakness in the past. Today, he had almostmitted the same sin against Sun-Woo. Do-Jin felt tormented by the overwhelming guilt.

    "...Ah."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, a female student sat down next to Do-Jin. No, she didn¡¯t sit down next to him. She actually fainted. The unconscious student was none other than In-Ah. Jun-Hyuk rushed desperately toward her.

    "Hey, wake up! Ah, damn it...!"

    In-Ah didn¡¯t wake even after Jun-Hyuk tried shaking and pping her cheeks, so he tried lifting her up instead.

    "Ugh, why is she so heavy?"

    And then he put her back down.

    ***

    I went to the nurse''s office to receive treatment. Bandages were wrapped around my injured palms and neck. The bleeding had stopped with oneyer of bandages on my neck, but my palms required two or threeyers of bandages. It wasn''t painful, but perhaps due to the blood loss, I felt a little cold.

    In-Ah was lying in the hospital room while sleeping. ording to the school nurse, she had only temporarily lost consciousness due to shock, and fortunately, there were no significant injuries. I was sitting on a chair and resting while watching In-Ah sleep when Jun-Hyuk approached me.

    "Ye-Jin said toe to the counseling room immediately."

    "Ah, okay."

    Jun-Hyuk''s tone seemed somewhat tense. His expression also seemed a bit unsettled. Perhaps he had received a scolding in the counseling room.

    I went to the counseling room. When I opened the door, I first saw Ye-Jin, and next to her, I saw Do-Jin. He had his head bowed with his hands covering his face

    "Hello," I greeted as I sat down.

    After seeing me, Ye-Jin smiled, and Do-Jin kept his gaze on the floor. There was a brief moment of silence.

    Do-Jin abruptly raised his head while wiping his face and said, "So, um..."

    "So you¡¯re saying that thing was not Sung-Hyun but a taxidermied creature made by a Satanist?"

    "Yes."

    "And you took care of it before it could do anything strange."

    As I nodded, Do-Jin''s face froze. Then, with tired, hazy eyes, he quietly stared at me. However, judging from his gaze, he didn''t seem to be interrogating or reprimanding me. There was a bit of fear in his eyes.

    "I have one question."

    "Sure."

    "How did you know? At that time... No, even now, that thing seemed like a person, not a taxidermied creature. It definitely didn''t look like a taxidermied creature at all. It just looked like a person..."

    It seemed like Do-Jin was about to ask me a question, but he started rambling with a trembling voice as if he was confused.

    When Ye-Jin tapped his shoulder, he finally regained hisposure and continued to speak while looking down at the floor.

    "...How did you distinguish it?"

    At Do-Jin''s question, I was momentarily lost in thought. The moment I became convinced that Sung-Hyun, who appeared at Florence Academy, was a taxidermied creature was right after I had called his father, Bae Jung-Hwan. When asked if his son was doing well, Bae Jung-Hwan answered without any hesitation, saying that he was. When I asked where his son was, he said he was sleeping in his room. In other words, the real Sung-Hyun was at home.

    Above all, Sung-Hyun should have feared me because of the Voodoo spell I had cast on him. However, the Sung-Hyun who had appeared at Florence Academy casually shook hands with me and even seemed to be threatening me. There was no way that Sung-Hyun had the mental strength or willpower to break through my spell, and it also definitely wasn¡¯t possible for a Romanican Church priest to dispel it. That¡¯s why I believed that the Sung-Hyun that was in front of me was fake.

    Thus, the actual reason why I had first suspected that Sung-Hyun was a taxidermied creature was that I had confidence in my Voodoo sorcery.

    "His body temperature was different."

    But I couldn¡¯t tell them the truth. To exin the real reason why I thought Sung-Hyun was a taxidermied creature, I had to mention that I knew how to use Voodoo spells, and I would also have to reveal that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Thus, I decided to make up a usible reason.

    Upon hearing my words, Do-Jin raised his eyebrows.

    "Body temperature?"

    "When we shook hands, the temperature of his hand felt different from other people''s. It was as cold as ice."

    "Just because of that flimsy reason..."

    "It was so cold that I was convinced he wasn''t human. It wouldn''t make sense unless he was a corpse or a reptilian humanoid."

    Do-Jin fell silent at my firm words.

    However, saying that I distinguished him based on body temperature was a lie. When we shook hands, Bae Sung-Hyun¡¯s hands were lukewarm, just like anyone else''s. I had never felt any significant temperature anomalies, such as his hand being too cold or too hot.

    Within the silence, Ye-Jin red at Do-Jin with narrowed eyes.

    "You messed him up like this. When are you going to apologize?"

    "I was nning to do it now."

    Do-Jin lowered his head deeply. He let out a heavy, deep sigh. His tired eyes were filled with fatigue as well as guilt.

    "I hadn¡¯t imagined it would be a taxidermied creature. I just thought that a murder had urred at school... I''m sorry..."

    "It¡¯s a mistake that anyone could have made. After all, it looks almost exactly like a human."

    "Yeah, thank you for understanding..."

    "But why did you cry earlier?" I asked while habitually pressing on my palm wound, which was covered by bandages.

    I honestly wasn''t really curious about why Do-Jin attacked me. At first nce, it would have looked like I was murdering Sung-Hyun by pulling out his heart. Thus, it seemed natural for Do-Jin, as a teacher, to try and stop me, even if it meant he had to attack me.

    However, I had no idea why he had shed tears.

    Had he watched a sad movie or something? Do-Jin seemed like he wouldn¡¯t shed a drop of blood even if he were stabbed. If a movie could make Do-Jin cry, it must have been a masterpiece. I found myself wanting to watch the movie too.

    "...Are you making fun of me?"

    With his hand on the sword, Do-Jin red at me sharply. I was slightly taken aback because his reaction differed from what I had expected.

    "No, I was just wondering if you had watched a sad movie or something. You cried in a really miserable manner."

    "If you say another word, I''ll kill you."

    "But you said that people shouldn''t kill each other."

    "...Ah... Fuck, I want to die," Do-Jin swore while sighing.

    In response, Ye-Jin scolded him. "Hey! That''s a bad word!"

    Do-Jin bowed his head. His face seemed to be twisted in agony due to the overwhelming confusion and self-loathing that he was feeling.

    Ye-Jin looked at him with pity before turning her gaze towards me.

    "You can go back now. I originally just wanted to let you rest, but I forced you toe because he wanted to apologize... Anyway, you did well."

    "Ah, yes."

    "Oh! By the way, you''re going to get amendation certificate," Ye-Jin hurriedly said to Sun-Woo as if she suddenly remembered.

    Amendation certificate... I remembered that Han Dae-Ho had promised to give me amendation certificate as a token of gratitudest time. It seemed like it had already arrived.

    Ye-Jin smiled brightly and said, "Sun-Woo is secretly doing many great things. Should I give it in front of the kids? Or is it more convenient to give it to you separately?"

    "Um... I think it would be better to give it to me separately."

    "Really? It would be nice to have something to be proud of in front of the kids. Anyway, I understand," Ye-Jin said while nodding her head with a kind smile.

    Leaving Ye-Jin behind, I left the counseling room. The moremendation certificates I received, the better. The more awards and achievements I had, the more impressive my portfolio would be, and the greater the chances of me joining the Central Pdin Order.

    However, strangely enough, I didn¡¯t feel extremely happy. Honestly, that was because Ha-Yeon''s contribution was greater than mine at that time. I was the one who stopped the clergymen, but she was the one who dismantled the Pentagram and solved the case.

    [It''s true that without Ha-Yeon, we wouldn''t have been able to resolve that incident, but without you, that child wouldn''t have been able to dismantle the Pentagram either,] Legba said as ifforting me.

    [Back then, you handled the situation calmly. It was actually Ha-Yeon who lost herposure and acted recklessly. She seems to resemble her father a lot.]

    "What?"

    She resembled her father?

    Ha-Yeon''s father was Sung Yu-Da. Was there ever a situation where Sung Yu-Da had shown signs of losing hisposure or had acted recklessly? Even if I searched through all the articles and videos on the inte, Sung Yu-Da was always calm. No, he was not just calm. He was cold and indifferent, like a machine. The Sung Yu-Da I saw was always like that.

    [...Well, everyone has their moments. Forget about it.]

    Legba quickly changed the subject. He was extremely reluctant to mention anything about my father, mother, and Sung Yu-Da. I had no idea why. He wouldn''t even tell me the reason. Since he obviously wouldn''t answer even if asked, I decided to just let it go.

    When we arrived in front of the ssroom, Legba asked, [Did you figure out anything from this incident?]

    I sat down, took out a book, and prepared for the next ss while thinking about the fake Sung-Hyun. In other words, the taxidermied creature that appeared in Florence Academy. At first nce, that taxidermied creature was hardly any different from a human. His appearance, voice, body temperature, and even his personality and way of speaking were all simr to a human''s.

    If I hadn''t cast a spell on Sung-Hyun, and if Bae Jung-Hwan wasn''t a believer from the Voodoo Cult, I wouldn''t have noticed that he was a taxidermied creature. That''s how sophisticated and cleverly made this taxidermied creature was.

    ~

    The sentence I saw at the Central Library came to mind:

    <i>[They obsessively pursue the perfect taxidermied creature.] </i>

    The perfect taxidermied creature. Was that a perfect taxidermied creature, or was that just a defective product to them...? I wasn¡¯t sure.

    The only thing I could say for certain was that the Satanist was growing at an rming rate.

    ***

    Right after the consultation, Ye-Jin went up to her ssroom because she had a ss that she had to teach, while Do-Jin stayed in the counseling room and tried to calm his mind. In front of his eyes, there was Sung-Hyun, whoy dead after getting his heart pierced through... No, it was the figure of the taxidermied creature disguised as Sung-Hyun.

    "Taxidermied creature..."

    As he thought of the taxidermied creature, the Tower of Corpses incident came to mind. Under the influence of ck magic, the animals had turned into demonic beasts, and the citizens had turned into demons. To Do-Jin, the Tower of Corpses incident was something he desperately wanted to forget but couldn''t. That¡¯s how horrific of an event it was.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    Do-Jin had his forehead pressed against the desk while lost in thought, and he looked up. Along with a knocking sound, the door opened up, and Bok-Dong entered.

    His approaching footsteps were as loud as his bulky figure.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump, thump...</i>

    Do-Jin couldn''t tell if it was the loud sound of Bok-Dong''s footsteps or his pounding heart.

    "I heard you almost killed Sun-Woo. Is that true?"

    "...Where did you hear that?"

    "Ye-Jin told me. She said you caused a massive ident and asked me to give you a scolding. Judging by your reaction, it''s true that you almost killed Sun-Woo."

    Bok-Dong stretched as if trying to loosen his bulging muscles and sat beside Do-Jin.

    <i>It looks like Ye-Jin babbled nonsense here and there, as usual. I wonder how far the rumors will spread this time... </i>

    Do-Jin shook his head and suddenly pushed away the image of Ye-Jin''s face that came to mind.

    "What about your sses? You said that you were fully booked with sses in the afternoon," Do-Jin asked while staring nkly at the blood-red stain stuck to his de. The blood was Sun-Woo''s. If guilt was a person, then it was raising its head and staring at Do-Jin.

    "I gave them self-study time."

    "Is it fine to do that?"

    "It''s almost exam season. The kids seem to prefer studying over physical activities. I simply gave them self-study time, just like they wanted," Bok-Dong said nonchntly.

    Do-Jin felt burdened by Bok-Dong''s visit, but at the same time, he was grateful.

    Suddenly, he remembered the taxidermied creature disguised as Sung-Hyun he saw today. From the outside, it looked just like a human.

    "Hey, if you and I were to fight, who do you think would win?"

    "What kind of question is that at your age... Are you going through pubertyte or something?"

    Do-Jin looked at Bok-Dong. If a taxidermied creature that looked exactly like Bok-Dong or Ye-Jin were to appear, would he be able to kill it without hesitation, just like Sun-Woo?

    "...Yeah, no."

    He shook his head and cleared his stray thoughts. He still wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to do it.

 Chapter 115

    <h4>Chapter 115</h4>

    "As a proud member of the Trinitas Crusader Order, the Holy See granted you permission to carry a sword to protect the students, not to attack them." Chairman Chang-Won''s cold voice cut through the silence and echoed through the chairman''s office.

    Do-Jin nodded solemnly and bowed his head deeply. He had no excuses.

    "Although there should have been a higher act of disciplinary action than a mere demotion, considering that there was a high possibility of misunderstanding during the incident and considering that the affected student does not wish for disciplinary action, we have reduced your demotion to a suspension, effective for a duration of one month," Chang-Won said and cleared his throat.

    Do-Jin kept his head down and chewed on his lips. It wasn''t because he felt the punishment was unjust. It was because the disciplinary action decided through the meeting was far too easy on him rtive to his mistake.

    "Given that we are in the middle of trying to identify the hidden Satanist, we have decided that the disciplinary action wille into effect seven days from today, as we do not want to prematurely end the Satanist Identification Project... And that sums up the decision made during the meeting. Do you have any objections?"

    "...No, I do not."

    "Alright."

    Chang-Won stood up from his seat, and Do-Jin looked at him with surprise in his eyes.

    Should he stand with his hands behind his back, or should he stand up straight with his arms by his sides...? He had been punished as a crusader many times, but he had never been punished as a teacher, so he was currently unsure how to hold himself.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    Chang-Won ced his hand on Do-Jin''s shoulder. As Do-Jin reflexively lowered his head, Chang-Won noticed him struggling internally and waved his hand.

    "No need for that. It doesn''t matter how you hold yourself. The elders have all left to do their tasks, so you can rx."

    "No, sir."

    ¡°Really, it¡¯s fine... I reduced the three-month resignation that the elders had wanted to one month. As for the wage deductions, don''t worry. I¡¯ll get you your sry even if it means I must source money from the Florence Academy Foundation funds."

    Chang-Won tapped Do-Jin''s shoulder.

    Do-Jin''s eyes widened. It was understandable for the Chairman to reduce the three-month resignation to one month, but it was too much for him to take care of the pay cut. He felt burdened, but more than anything, he felt sorry.

    "There''s no need to worry about my pay cut. I receive sponsorship funds for taking part in my crusader activities..."

    "Orphanage... No, do they call them a childcare facility these days?"

    Do-Jin''s heart sank at Chang-Won''s sudden remark. Chang-Won looked at Do-Jin with a gentle smile andpassionate gaze.

    Do-Jin felt that those eyes could see right through his heart.

    "You''re using all the profits from working as a crusader to sponsor the childcare facility, right? And you use your teacher''s sry for your own living expenses."

    "How do you know this?"

    "Of course I do. I also sponsor the same facility every year. The director there often talks about you," Chang-Won said and smiled faintly.

    "There are many things I''m grateful to you for. Last time, when demonic beasts appeared in the barn, you saved my daughter."

    "I just piggybacked on what Kim Jin... your daughter had already resolved," Do-Jin said and bowed.

    His eyes were filled with guilt as he stared at the ground.

    "...Above all, Sun-Woo deserves the most credit for enduring at the risk of his own life, and I tried to kill that boy. I have nothing to say even if I were fired."

    "Ha... Yes, but didn¡¯t youmend Sun-Woo for that incident? I couldn''t attend the meeting because I was taking care of my daughter then, but I heard that if it weren''t for you, themendation would have gone to someone unworthy. It could have been a big problem."

    Chang-Won was talking about the demonic beast incident at the barn. Do-Jin recalled the meeting that took ce right after the incident. At that time, he strongly argued against the opposition from the other faculty members and insisted that Sun-Woo should also receive amendation. Thanks to that, Sun-Woo received amendation along with Jin-Seo.

    "The more important thing is that Sun-Woo didn''t want you to be disciplined."

    "..."

    "How could I do nothing when he earnestly pleaded not to discipline you? Sun-Woo saved you when I would have had you fired," Chang-Won said jokingly.

    Do-Jin felt so endlessly sorry and embarrassed toward Chang-Won and Sun-Woo that he couldn''t even lift his head.

    Chang-Won patted Do-Jin''s back. "What do you think the Satanists are after?"

    "....Pardon me?"

    Do-Jin raised his head, wondering if he had misheard.

    Chang-Won was looking out the window. Do-Jin followed his gaze and looked out the window. There was nothing there. However, Chang-Won''s pupils shone vividly and clearly, as if longing for something.

    "In my opinion, Satanists¡¯ goal is the division of the Romanicans. They want young and excellent clergymen like you to give up priesthood under external pressure, they want the most corrupt elders to be the core of the Romanicans, followed by the eleration of division among believers...They are waiting for that moment."

    Do-Jin almost instinctively nodded in agreement at the phrase ¡®the most corrupt elders¡¯ but held back.

    "Clergymen forget how to pray when they are full. After they¡¯re satisfied and happy, they no longer need to cry out for Adonai. Instead, they rely on the hierarchy within the Church rather than God. They wield their meaningless power given to them by the meaningless hierarchy and be truly worthless men who are only focused on protecting their territories."

    "..."

    "Among the elders, Gabriel is the only one who is somewhat fulfilling his role... Well, it seems that I have trailed off. It''s almost time to go home. I''ve kept you for too long." Chang-Won btedly regained hisposure and tried to send Do-Jin away.

    Do-Jin stood still and stared at Chang-Won, then bowed his head. "I have learned a lot."

    "As a clergyman with a full stomach, I am no different from the elders. What is there to learn?"

    "No, that''s not true... It''s a strange question, but ording to what you¡¯ve said, should clergymen never be full?"

    His question was born out of pure curiosity.

    Chang-Won pretended to ponder for a moment, stroking his beard.

    "That''s not the case. A true clergyman cries out for Adonai when hungry and gives thanks to Adonai when full. Those with a despicable mindset of ming God during hardships and crediting themselves in sess cannot be considered true clergymen. Would you be satisfied with that answer?"

    "...Yes, I understand what you mean."

    "Good. Lastly, regarding the suspension. I''m sorry, but think of it as taking a month off. Get some sleep and have some fun. You¡¯ll live a short life if you sleep aste as you do. You don¡¯t want to die before me, do you?"

    "Thank you for your concern."

    "You''ve suffered enough listening to me drone about. It is I who should be grateful."

    Chang-Won had a kind smile on his face as Do-Jin quickly left the chairman''s office. As he did, he thought about the disciplinary action he had received, and then he thought about Chang-Won and Sun-Woo.

    Despite his warm impression, Chang-Won had a sharp edge, and even his casual words carried over his solid ideologies.

    Sun-Woo didn¡¯t want him to be disciplined.

    Do-Jin had mutted Sun-Woo¡¯s palm and injured his neck with the sword he had sworn to use to kill demonic beasts. Not only had he made reckless remarks and had failed to control his emotions, he even had thoughts of killing Sun-Woo. Nevertheless, Sun-Woo forgave him as if nothing had happened.

    As a crusader, Do Jin felt that he needed to learn from Chang-Won''s upright beliefs and from Sun-Woo''sposure when he had dispatched the taxidermied creature. As a teacher, Do Jin also needed to learn from the generous forgiveness they had shown him. Regardless of age and hierarchy within the church, these were virtues that Do-Jin needed to learn.

    "You idiot..."

    A teacher who should be teaching students was instead learning from them. Although it was only for a moment, Do-Jin felt a subtle blow to his pride. And this made him feel even more ashamed.

    Even an eighty-year-old could learn something from a three-year-old. Then learning from his student was not something that should have hurt his pride at all. But up until now, he thought that there was nothing to learn from his disciples.

    What acking and arrogant clergyman and teacher he was.

    Do-Jin was immersed in his newfound reflection.

    ***

    "Alright, quiet down. Hey, you kids. Quiet! Sit down this instant, you brats!"

    While the students were excited to go home after all the sses had ended, someone forcefully opened the ssroom door and caused amotion. The warm atmosphere instantly turned cold.

    The person who entered was the infamous sacred material science teacher known for his bad temper. Among the students, he was famously known by his nickname: Baldy. It was because I had called him Baldy before. Because of this reason, I didn''t get along well with him.

    "Wow... Look at that walking octopus." Jun-Hyuk, who was sitting next to me, muttered and took his seat.

    He also didn''t get along well with the SM science teacher because of his rebellious attitude toward the ss.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    As all the students took their seats, the teacher mmed his palm on the desk and opened his eyes wide.

    "Listen carefully. One important item from the SM researchb has been stolen. When we checked the security camera footage, we identified that the culprit was a student, but we couldn''t make out their face. That''s why we will be conducting a personal belongings inspection. I don¡¯t want to hear anyints since we¡¯ve gone through all the third and second-year students already. The seniors did it without anyints."

    "That''s some impressive rationalization..."

    "What? Who said that!"

    The teacher shouted in response to someone''s discontented muttering.

    The students remained silent, exchanging nces with each other. I was the one who said that. Even if the seniors hadplied with the personal belongings inspection withoutints, there was no reason for us to obedientlyply as well.

    "Anyway,<i> tsk.</i> Forget it. Put your bags on the desks, now!" he said while furrowing his brows and clicking his tongue.

    The students reluctantly ced their bags on their desks. I suddenly had a question. Was this also part of the process of weeding out the Satanists? Could it be that they were searching through students'' bags under the pretense of stolen school property to find any small clues about who the Satanist might be? It was a coercive and hical method, but it did seem like the kind of n Min-Seo would havee up with.

    ¡°Okay, you''re good."

    Meanwhile, the teacher was walking arrogantly between desks, inspecting bags. Because we were in the middle of exam season, all the bags were filled with books. Sometimes, crosses or religious icons woulde out instead of books.

    "What is this? Didn''t you hear me say to put your bag up? And what''s with your sloppy attire?" The teacher''s harsh tone and raised voice came when passing by Jun-Hyuk''s desk.

    There was no bag on his desk. Jun-Hyuk stood still and stared at the teacher, then let out a slyugh. "Haha... I don¡¯t carry my bag around."

    "What? A student that doesn¡¯t carry their bag around? Are you insane?"

    "Um, I am sane, but maybe a little less sane than most."

    The teacher furrowed their eyebrows in disbelief.

    "You bastard, do you think I¡¯m joking with you? Bring out your bag. Now!"

    "No, I really don''t have it."

    "You don''t? Ha, this bastard... Fine, then let me check your pockets. Just stand right there."

    The teacher roughly patted down Jun-Hyuk''s body. Jun-Hyuk, with a face that seemed not only calm but almost cold, looked at the teacher and stood still with his arms spread out. As the teacher searched his pants, he pulled something out of his pocket.

    "What''s this?"

    "It''s a family photo."

    What came out of Jun-Hyuk''s pocket was a small frame about the size of three fingers. He had said it was a family photo, but it was too far to make out properly. The teacher examined the frame as if he was flustered, before cing it on top of the desk as if he was throwing it.

    "Ha, not carrying any books... whatever, forget it."

    "Yessir~" Jun-Hyuk replied without enthusiasm, bowing his head.

    The teacher nced at him disapprovingly and walked past. Then, the teacher resumed inspecting the bags. After meticulously searching through the belongings of dozens of students, he approached me with a more sinister expression than before.

    <i>Tumble¨C</i>

    I emptied everything from my bag onto the desk as if to say: If you want to see, then look.

    "What, are you rebelling?"

    "No, I thought this would be faster and more convenient for you."

    Although I said this, the truth was that I didn''t want to see someone else rummaging through my bag. I would feel better pouring everything from my bag myself.

    "...Alright."

    The teacher nodded and examined the items scattered on the desk; books, bibles, religious items I always carried to avoid suspicion, and so on. There was nothing suspicious or incriminating. At that moment, something caught the teacher¡¯s eye. He was looking at Baal''s Maw, which I always kept in my bag.

    "Is this a holy artifact? What kind of holy artifact is it?"

    "It''s called Baal''s Maw, and it¡¯s used for storage."

    "Storage, huh? It could be well hidden here, couldn''t it?"

    Without hesitation, the teacher unleashed Divine power and blew it into Baal''s Maw.

    <i>Creak... </i>

    With a chilling sound, the maw opened wide. The teacher leaned his head through the opening.

    The whole sequence of actions that followed happened so naturally and suddenly.

    "This is a holy artifact, and this box. What is this box? Is this also a holy artifact?"

    Inside Baal''s Maw were the Fourth Angel''s Horn, another holy artifact given by Bae Jung-Hwan, and my father''s keepsake box. The teacher held both items and alternated his gaze between them.

    I had already opened the keepsake box and used it, but I kept it in Baal''s Maw just in case. The teacher didn''t show much interest in the Fourth Angel''s Horn but scrutinized the keepsake box with a suspicious eye.

    It was a disaster.

    "...It''s nothing special."

    I replied reluctantly and snatched the box from the teacher''s hand. It should not be in the hands of a Romanican. I tried to put the keepsake box back into Baal''s Maw, but the teacher roughly grabbed my wrist to stop me. He looked me up and down with narrowed eyes, making me ufortable.

    "What do you think you¡¯re doing? What¡¯s in the box? Did you steal something and hide it there? Huh? A box inside a holy artifact, inside your bag. What, are you a matryoshka or something?"

    "There¡¯s nothing in it. It''s just an empty box."

    "Ha, you frustrating kid, why don''t you open it and show me? And what''s with the bandages on your neck and hands? Are you getting into fights, huh?"

    "No, this is©¤"

    <i>Snap!</i>

    Just as I was about to answer, the teacher forcefully snatched the box. Then he tried to open it forcibly.

    "What<i> amazing </i>thing you have in here that you''re reacting like this? Lets©¤"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, the box slipped from the teacher''s hand and fell to the ground. His trembling pupils looked up at me in confusion.

    I stared at the teacher''s face through blurred vision. My heartbeat echoed in my ears, and my breath became shallow. My head hurt. My temples were pulsing.

    "There''s nothing here. You damn bastard...!"

    When I came to my senses, I realized I was gripping the teacher by the cor. My true feelings had burst out of my mouth without passing through any filters. I could feel the sharp sensation of cold sweat running down my spine.

    [If you get angry right now... How are you going to deal with the aftermath?] Legba warned.

    After btedly regaining myposure from Legba''s words, I quickly let go of the teacher¡¯s cor.

    "..."

    However, the atmosphere had already turned cold. All the students were looking at me with widened eyes.

    The teacher pointed at me with trembling fingers before stuttering, "Y-you. What are you doing to me right now? What...!"

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    The sound of knocking interrupted his scolding. Ye-Jin opened the front door and poked her head out. She calmly looked at the scared material science teacher and smiled faintly.

    "Are you done? I need to give the students their closing announcements...."

    "Ah, yes! We''re almost done, but this guy, this damn kid...!" With a trembling voice, the teacher picked up the fallen box from the floor and brought it in front of Ye-Jin.

    Then he exined the situation. He suspected that there might be stolen items inside the box, but it just wouldn''t open no matter what.

    "Hmm. I understand what you''re saying." Ye-Jin nodded as if she agreed. "But that thing wouldn''t be able to physically fit in this box, as it is shorter than what we¡¯re looking for. Weren''t the pills originally supposed to be in a sk?"

    "You never know, right? This might be a holy artifact..."

    "Hmm... Teacher."

    Ye-Jin''s smile, which was always present, disappeared in a sh. She looked at the sacred material science teacher with a stern face. "Isn¡¯t this enough? You said you had something to ask the students, but I don''t remember you mentioning bag inspections."

    "Huh? Oh, that. Since the thief won''t tell the truth, it''s better to open their bags first..."

    "Is that so? Then I''ll take care of the rest, so you can leave."

    "No, but that brat..."

    "Yes, I''ll handle it myself! Thank you for your hard work~."

    Ye-Jin forcefully expelled the teacher who was scolding me. Ye-Jin returned the stolen box to me and smiled mischievously. Instead of scolding me, she had a bitter smile that seemed almost apologetic.

    Making her way across the room with swift steps, she brushed her hair to one side.

    "I''m sorry, everyone. It''s a very important medicine, and there were only two of them in the school, and one of them went missing... The teachers from the sacred material science department seem to be in a bit of a sensitive state."

    Hearing her story, it seemed that they were not inspecting bags to identify Satanists but because a real item had been stolen.

    Ye-Jin lowered her head with a trembling smile and continued speaking. "I wasn¡¯t told that they¡¯d be randomly inspecting bags like this. I¡¯m... really sorry..."

    Ye-Jin continuously apologized to the students, even though it wasn''t her fault. Her attitude differedpletely from the sacred material science teacher who had yelled and spoken informally to the students.

    It felt a bit strange because the person who should have been apologizing was not here, and instead, someone who didn''t do anything wrong was apologizing. For some unknown reason, a sense of disgust was building up within me.

    I wanted to drink some water.

 Chapter 116

    <h4>Chapter 116</h4>

    After quickly delivering only the important announcements, Ye-Jin ended with the closing announcements.

    Perhaps she was in a bad mood because of the baggage inspections, but she didn''t engage in the usual small talk today. In the tense atmosphere, I grabbed my bag and left the ssroom. Then, I headed to the nurse''s office with Jun-Hyuk. We were going to check on In-Ah, who had fainted.

    "Hey, I''m not sure if I can ask you this, but..." Jun-Hyuk started speaking as we walked down the hallway.

    "What was in the box? I wasn''t curious before, but because of what happened earlier, I suddenly am. Of course, you don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to." Jun-Hyuk added various excuses after asking.

    I nonchntly replied, "There was nothing in it."

    "Oh, really? Then why didn''t you show it to him? You grabbed him by the cor, so I thought there was something important inside the box."

    "Well..."

    There really wasn¡¯t anything in the box. The bone dust that was originally inside had all been used during the Ritual of Session, and my father''s spell had already lost its effect. Even if I did open the box, nothing would have happened.

    However, the box was something that could not fall into anyone¡¯s hands but mine. There was no reason not to open the box, but I didn''t think there was any reason to open it and show it to others. When Baldy forcibly tried to take the box away from me and open it, I got angry without realizing it.

    "I don''t know. I guess I just didn''t like it."

    "I get it. He was fucking annoying. But hey, it''s not like it¡¯s the first time that bastard has done something like this. Even I don¡¯t get mad anymore."

    While gossiping about the sacred material science teacher, also known as Baldy, we arrived in front of the nurse''s office in no time. After greeting the nurse, we went to the bed where In-Ah was lying.

    I could see her silhouette through the curtain. It seemed like she was lying down and using her phone.

    <i>Swooosh!</i>

    ¡°<i>Gasp, </i>Ah!"

    When Jun-Hyuk roughly pulled back the curtain, it startled In-Ah and she dropped the phone. She looked at her fallen phone with a lost expression, then looked up at me with vacant eyes. There was a moment of silence. She turned her gaze to Jun-Hyuk.

    "Um... what''s going on?"

    She shifted her gaze between me and Jun-Hyuk, her eyes glinting with confusion. Jun-Hyuk chuckled, picked up the phone from the floor, and handed it to her.

    "We¡¯re here to pick you up. I sent you a text yesterday about grabbing food after school today. You didn¡¯t see it?"

    "Oh...? Oh! Right. No, I saw it. I just forgot to reply. You know, I¡¯m forgetful sometimes." In-Ah added an excuse.

    Then, she pushed herself up from the bed weakly, propping her body that seemed like it was wilting. She looked at me dazedly as if she hadn''t fully woken up yet. Her mouth opened, and her eyes widened in surprise, seeing the bandages wrapped around my neck and hands.

    Fear was evident In-Ah''s eyes as she asked, "What about what happened during lunchtime? How did it go? And what''s with the bandages...?"

    Worried about causing a misunderstanding, I quickly exined everything. After hearing that I wasn¡¯t seriously injured, In-Ah sighed in relief. Then, she subtly red at me with narrowed eyes.

    "You, why do you always do dangerous things? I thought my heart was going to stop. My gosh..."

    "When did you wake up?"

    Sensing a lecture iing, I quickly changed the subject.

    In-Ah looked to the ceiling as if pondering.

    "Fifth period... No, just now. I just woke up. I woke up when you guys arrived."

    "You woke up during the fifth period and just stayed here? To skip ss?"

    In-Ah nodded initially, but then quickly corrected herself and shook her head.

    "Yeah. I mean, no! No, I just woke up. I¡¯m not lying..."

    Judging by the situation, it appeared that she had awakened earlier and remained in the nurse''s office to avoid attending ss. I totally understood. The truth was, I had also skipped one ss using the injury that I got from Do-Jin as an excuse.

    "Hey, so you woke up and were just lying around in the nurse''s office? Are you a delinquent?" Jun-Hyuk made a sarcastic remark.

    Jun-Hyuk had also skipped the sacred dynamics ss in the afternoon by saying that he had suffered severe distress due to the incident during lunchtime. What a shameless guy.

    "Delinquent? I didn¡¯t <i>just</i> skip ss! There was a good reason!" In-Ah snapped.

    "And what¡¯s that reason? You woke up during fifth period and didn''te to ss <i>because </i>you wanted to skip ss, no?"

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I didn''t get up during the fifth period. I just woke up... Geez, Sun-Woo!" In-Ah stopped arguing with Jun-Hyuk and turned her head to look at me. "You. Because you said a bunch of pointless stuff... Even though I really did wake up in the fifth period. I mean, not fifth period, but just now."

    ¡°Aha. So you did get up during fifth period," I teased.

    "...You''re annoying," In-Ah said, looking me up and down.

    Then she angrily walked out of the nurse''s office and started muttering to herself.

    "How annoying, teaming up against me. If they were going to treat me this way, why did they even bother toe and pick me up? They should have left by themselves. Might as well get a room and live together."

    "Hm, so I guess you¡¯re noting?"

    "...I¡¯ming."

    "Honestly, why are we trying so hard to bring In-Ah with us? Let''s call Jin-Seo instead." Jun-Hyuk lightly tapped my shoulder as if he wanted In-Ah to listen to his words.

    She jerked her head around and red at us.

    "I said I¡¯ming!" she hollered.

    <i> </i> *

    The restaurant Jun-Hyuk took us to was a Korean barbecue ce located quite far from school. It specialized in selling beef and had a fairly high price range that would be quite heavy on a student''s wallet.

    "Why aren''t youing in? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a vegetarian? We can go somewhere else if that¡¯s the case," Jun-Hyuk said as he looked at me standing in front of the restaurant.

    I slowly shook my head. "No, it''s not that."

    "Yeah, I was just kidding. So why aren''t youing in? Not hungry?"

    I carefully examined his casual expression. His face was innocent as usual, but I still felt something unsettling. It wasn''t just because I suspected Jun-Hyuk of being a Satanist. It was because a saying that my uncle used to say often went through my mind: "Be wary if someone buys you beef for no reason."

    "...Isn''t this ce a bit expensive?"

    "Yeah, it''s not cheap. Well, I''m the one paying anyway. I wanted to treat you guys because I am grateful, so I thought it¡¯d be better to go here than another mediocre ce.¡±

    Jun-Hyuk was buying me dinner because I had saved his mom, so technically, he wasn''t buying me beef for no reason. Still, I couldn''t shake off the feeling of this being a little excessive as I entered the restaurant.

    The smell of meat permeated the air, but it wasn''t overwhelming. Rather than making me ufortable, it was a smell that stimted my appetite.

    "What do you want to eat?"

    As soon as we took our seats, Jun-Hyuk took out the menu and handed it to me.

    After we received the menu, In-Ah pretended to think seriously as she flipped through the pages. Then, with a mischievous look on her face, she pointed at one of the menu items with her finger.

    "Oh, should we have this?"

    In-Ah was pointing at the most expensive item on the menu. The menu stated that upon ordering this course, different cuts of beef would be served sequentially, and with it, a waiter woulde and grill each portion of meat themselves. A customer could even tell the waiter the temperature they wanted their meat to be cooked. Because of the utmost service provided, the price was also quite high. It was arge sum of money to spend on a single meal.

    "So that¡¯s what you want?"

    Jun-Hyuk raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

    In-Ah nodded with a smile. Secondster, Jun-Hyuk called a waiter.

    "Please give us three of these. Thank you~."

    Without any hesitation, he ced the order for the expensive course that In-Ah had chosen, the one that was so expensive that it was hard to think anyone would pay that much for a single meal.

    This time, In-Ah was surprised and didn''t know what to do.

    "Uh, uh...? H-howe you actually ordered it? I was just joking."

    "Really? Then you should have said so earlier. Since we''ve already ordered, just eat it," Jun-Hyuk said nonchntly.

    Jun-Hyuk wasn''t stingy when it came to spending money, but he wasn''t an extravagant spender either. But today, he was spending his money very unusually. No, it wasn''t just reckless spending. It seemed like money didn¡¯t mean anything to him, almost like it was not his own money he was spending.

    "Did you steal that money?" I asked, thinking that it might not be his own money.

    Jun-Hyuk looked bewildered and pped his hands as if it were nonsense.

    "The fuck? Why would I steal money when I have plenty? I¡¯m practically drowning in it."

    "Drowning? You must be pretty well off, eh?" In-Ah chimed.

    Jun-Hyuk slightly lowered his head.

    "Well, I don¡¯t have that much... But what¡¯s the point in tantly saving money? If I save it, then it¡¯s nothing but useless pieces of paper. As long as I have enough not to go hungry, it''s enough for me."

    Uncle would have fainted if he had heard this. I also felt a chill down my spine. Uncle¡¯s frugalness must have rubbed off on me.

    "The meat is here... Enjoy your meal~."

    While we were talking, the meat arrived. The waiter nervously ced the meat from the wooden cutting board onto the table and quickly left as if they were running away.

    Watching the waiter''s retreating figure, Jun-Hyuk raised his eyebrows. I was confused as well because I thought I recognized her appearance from the back. Her voice also seemed familiar.

    "Hey, isn''t it the waiter''s job to grill this? Excuse me. Excuse me©¤!" Jun-Hyuk raised his voice and called the waiter again.

    The waiter trembled and stopped in her tracks. Jun-Hyuk grabbed the waiter''s shoulder as she tried to sneak back into the kitchen.

    "Excuse me, isn''t it your job to grill the meat over there? It says so on the menu."

    "...If the customer wishes, they can grill it themselves."

    "Huh? But I don¡¯t want to. I would prefer it if you could grill it for me."

    Whether it was because of the waiter''s attitude or because he was annoyed, Jun-Hyuk replied in a sarcastic manner. The waiter and Jun-Hyuk engaged in a pointless argument.

    From the other customers enjoying their meals to the staff, everyone''s attention was focused on Jun-Hyuk. Fortunately, there weren''t many people in the restaurant as it was still early for dinner.

    "...Yes, I understand."

    The waiter also seemed to feel the gaze of those customers as well. She let out a sigh and turned her head reluctantly. With her hair neatly tied up and wearing an apron, her appearance was quite different from usual. Yet, her face was familiar to me¡ªI could immediately tell who she was. Our waiter at the restaurant was none other than Min-Seo, the Holy Name of Kindness.

    She touched her forehead as if trying to relieve a headache, then walked toward our table with tongs and scissors.

    "Yes, how would you like your meat grilled?" Min-Seo asked bluntly.

    Startled, I couldn''t answer right away. In-Ah also looked surprised. Her eyes widened as she kept her mouth shut.

    Jun-Hyuk was still standing, but he sat back down and stared at Min-Seo like he was watching a monkey in the zoo.

    "I¡¯d like it blue rare, please."

    "Medium is more delicious for this cut."

    "Oh, really? Then please do it that way. But what are you doing here?" Jun-Hyuk asked while shoving random side dishes into his mouth.

    Min-Seo used tongs to ce the meat on the grill.

    <i>Sizzle©¤</i>

    With a sound that stimted my hunger, a savory smell wafted in all directions.

    ¡°Work." Min-Seo calmly grilled the meat and answered Jun-Hyuk''s question.

    "As an employee? Or part-time?"

    "Part-time."

    "I see. But can we work at our age? Isn''t that a vition ofborws?"

    Min-Seo spat out rough curses and cut the meat, cing it on Jun-Hyuk''s te.

    "None of your bitch-ass business. Shut up and eat your meat."

    Despite her rough and rustic words, her hand movements were truly masterful. Following Jun-Hyuk, the meat also appeared on my te and In-Ah¡¯s.

    "Excuse me, is this medium? Or well-done? I prefer it rare."

    "...If you wanted that, why didn''t you just order yukhoe[1]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukhoe[/ref]?"

    "What¡¯s this? Is the waiter talking back to me? I can''t stand this. Call the manager."

    Jun-Hyuk tried to scare Min-Seo, but she didn''t even flinch. When the meat was almost cooked, Min-Seo put down the tongs.

    "It will take some time for the next batch of meat. Enjoy your meal."

    With those words, Min-Seo left our table. It looked like she was going to take a break as she sat down on a stool, but another table immediately called her and she rushed over to grill more meat. She greeted the customers with a gentle smile and skillfully attended to them, unlike when she faced us. It felt awkward. The awkwardness became unbearable to the point where I felt disgusted.

    After Min-Seo left, In-Ah lowered her head and asked in a soft voice, leaning closer to my face, "...Isn''t she from our school? What was her name again?"

    She had recognized Min-Seo''s face but didn''t know her name.

    I ate a piece of meat.

    "Min-Seo. The Holy Name of Kindness."

    "Ah, that¡¯s her...?"

    Finally, In-Ah nodded as if she understood. Like In-Ah, some people in F.A. didn''t know Min-Seo''s face, but there weren''t many who didn''t know her name. She was infamous for her bad personality and also famous for her superb grades. She was also famous for defeating Jin-Seo during sparring. I also became somewhat famous with the story of defeating her in apetition.

    [Trying to sneak in a boast, I see...]

    I ignored Legba''s muttering.

    "Wow, but she''s really kind when she''s working. It¡¯s like she¡¯s the embodiment of the Holy Name of Kindness when she''s wor¨C"

    Min-Seo suddenly appeared, interrupting Jun-Hyuk''s words.

    "Please eat quietly, sir~ Other customers find it unpleasant."

    She brought the next piece of meat and ced it on the grill, then cut it into suitable sizes and served it on our tes. As we ate and talked, the next piece of meat arrived, and Min-Seo grilled it for us again. It was a repetitive process.

    "..."

    The meat was delicious. However, I couldn''t fully appreciate its taste. There were too many things to think about. Why was Min-Seo working here? Maybe her parents were the owners of this shop, and she was helping out. Or, she could be securing an alibi by working part-time after school to avoid suspicion as a Satanist.

    It could also be because she needed the money, but Min-Seo didn''t seem to be in desperate need of money to the extent of having to work. I had no evidence, but it was a gut feeling I had.

    While I was thinking, my throat suddenly became dry, and I drank some water. My clouded mind finally cleared up. Suddenly, I couldn''t see In-Ah anywhere.

    Jun-Hyuk looked indifferent as he said, "She was annoyed because you were too stuck in your daydreams and weren¡¯t listening to her. She said she was going home."

    "Really?"

    "No? I was just kidding. She went to the bathroom."

    "Are you crazy...?"

    I stared at his face while he calmly told his lies. I couldn¡¯t tell at all whenever he lied. If he was this good at lying, maybe he really was a Satanist...

    "Hey."

    Jun-Hyuk''s low voice cut my growing thoughts short. He was looking at me with the same expressionless face as before. There was no sign of happiness, sadness, or any other emotion on his face. Somehow, Jun-Hyuk''s face seemed especially cold and rigid today.

    In that ce without In-Ah, we faced each other silently for a long time.

    Jun-Hyuk finally spoke after a while. "A Satanist or something like that... You don''t actually think that¡¯s me, right?"

    Jun-Hyuk wore a subtle smile on his lips. His expression and tone of voice mirrored someone inquiring about a known fact, just as a precaution.

    I couldn¡¯t return his smile.

    1. Beef sashimi or an Asian beef tartare ?

 Chapter 117

    <h4>Chapter 117</h4>

    ¡°As if... There are other people that I would suspect before even considering you."

    I lightly smiled and shook my head. Although It was a forced smile, it would appear as augh that had involuntarily escaped. In confusing or embarrassing situations, it was even more important to keep my facial expressions in control, and I was confident in my skills to do so.

    Jun-Hyuk stared at me silently, seemingly trying to grasp whether I was telling the truth. He then let out a relieved sigh.

    "Right? It¡¯s just that, hm... What should I say... Lately, I feel this weird vibe when I''m with you."

    "What do you mean?¡±

    "I lowkey feel like you¡¯re trying to keep your distance... No, what am I going on about? If you say no, then I guess that¡¯s it."

    Jun-Hyuk''s intuition was on the mark. Since suspecting him of being a Satanist, I had secretly treated him with caution. Facial expressions and speech could be faked, but suspicion and unease revealed in one''s gaze couldn¡¯t be hidden. Jun-Hyuk had guessed that he was under scrutiny by picking up on those cues.

    Was he always so perceptive? No,e to think of it, Jun-Hyuk had always seemed perceptive. He just hadn''t acted on his perceptions until now. Jun-Hyuk was good at reading the atmosphere, but he didn''t know how to use it to his advantage.

    "To be honest, I had my suspicions. But©¤"

    "What? Why the fuck?"

    "Listen to me. I thought it couldn¡¯t be you after seeing your mother affected by ck magic yesterday."

    When I said, "I had my suspicions," I was telling the truth. But saying, "I no longer suspect you because of what happened yesterday," was a lie. Mixing truth with lies was amon tactic that everyone knew, but it also meant that it was effective as amon tactic.

    When I brought up his mother, Jun-Hyuk''s expression darkened slightly. He chewed on the myeong-namul that had been served as a side dish without touching the meat[1].

    He then gulped down a cup of water and said, "Yesterday... Since we¡¯re on the topic, I have something I want to say."

    It seemed like he was going to tell me something serious. I quenched my burning throat with a sip of water. While he hesitated, looking around, I noticed someone watching us from a distance. I thought it was In-Ah, but it was Min-Seo. Her eyes were boring into us, observing our conversation.

    Jun-Hyuk seemed anxious. He fidgeted with his hair, yed with the utensils, and hesitated a while before finally speaking up.

    "My mom, she used to be a Satanist."

    "...What?"

    "To be precise, she joined a group that pretended to be a part of the Romanican Church but was actually one of the Satanist branches. Whether she joined voluntarily or was tricked into joining, a Satanist is a Satanist."

    There was a cold feeling of resignation in his tone. Jun-Hyuk tried to lighten the mood byughing brightly and continued speaking.

    "She went missing for about five months because of that incident, and when we found her, she was in that state. She couldn''t even recognize her one and only son and had gonepletely insane." Jun-Hyuk tapped his head with his finger. "That''s why Satanists are fucked. Once they drive one person crazy, they don''t need to bother with others. They go crazy on their own, you know? Do you remember when I asked you what you would do if you could return to the past?"

    "...Yes, I remember."

    It wasn¡¯t fresh in my mind, but I vaguely remembered. I had said that I would make money with crypto or stocks, and I recall Jun-Hyuk giving a simr response.

    "Back then, I just made an average excuse... But if I were to go back to the past, the first thing I would do is exterminate the Satanists. That¡¯s why I came to F.A."

    It was a crazy, far-fetched statement. Satanists were not only widespread worldwide, but they were also incredibly adept at hiding. Merely traveling back in time didn''t necessarily make it easy for someone to eliminate the religion.

    It wasn''t just the Satanists, but all religions were like that. The Romanican Church had once gone through dark times but had bounced back to a golden age as if they had ever gone through tough times. The Ancient Voodoo Cult, which had vanished into the shadows of history, was revived under the leadership of Do Jun-Gil, the First Cult Leader, and my grandfather. Religions were not something that couldn¡¯t be easily eradicated. They were not something that could simply be ssified as mere groups or organizations. Religion resided within the thoughts and minds of its followers.

    "Sure, good luck with that."

    However, I didn''t bother to argue with Jun-Hyuk. Instead, I bluntly threw him a half-hearted word of encouragement because I could see a sharp and cold conviction in his eyes, which had turned chillingly cold.

    There was a moment of silence. In that silence, Jun-Hyuk forced a bitter smile.

    ¡°...I usually don¡¯t care, but I overshared because it felt unfair to be suspected as a Satanist. Brush off what I said. You can choose to believe it or not.¡±

    "Does In-Ah know about this too?"

    "Nope. I thought she would take it too seriously, so I didn''t tell her. She tends to get overly immersed in things." Jun-Hyuk pped his hands with exaggerated gestures.

    It was hard to imagine his reasoning for telling me something that he hadn''t even said to In-Ah, who had been his friend even beforeing to F.A. If Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist, it meant that this was a lie to avoid suspicion, but if he wasn''t a Satanist, then it meant that he trusted me and feltfortable to the extent that he could openly tell me about his tragic family history.

    I suspected Jun-Hyuk, but he trusted me. That thought started toplicate my feelings. As I thought of how Jun-Hyuk could be a Satanist and all of this could be a lie, my thoughts started to getplicated as well. The gap between the countless assumptions made me even more confused.

    "What were you talking about?" In-Ah said as she approached.

    She was wringing her hands like wetundry. A smile crept onto Jun-Hyuk''s lips.

    "You should havee a bitter. We were talking about you behind your back."

    "Yeah, yeah. Is that the only thing you guys do, talk smack about me when I''m not there?"

    "You just figured that out?"

    "Damn, I can never tell if you¡¯re lying or not..."

    In-Ah turned her gaze toward me. It was clear that she had a question by the look of herrge, round eyes. Now was the time tough and create a cheerful atmosphere, but for some reason, I couldn''tugh. Regardless of my intentions, my expression remained stiff and motionless.

    "...Wait, are you guys for real? You guys talk bad about me every day when I''m not around?"

    "Uh, hey. No, we were just talking about the past. We never talked bad about you. Hey, Sun-Woo, smile a bit. If you sit there like that, she¡¯ll think we¡¯re telling the truth."

    In-Ah pursed her lips, and Jun-Hyuk tried to salvage the situation, looking flustered. However, the thoughts in my mind were still soplicated that I couldn¡¯t control my expressions. It seemed like I needed to simplify my thoughts a bit.

    The defeated expression on In-Ah''s face gradually turned into worry.

    "Are you okay? What happened? Your face is turning pale..."

    "No, I''m just a bit tired. We were really talking about the past."

    I smiled as if nothing was wrong. And indeed, nothing was wrong. It was just that my head felt a bit heavy, and my throat was a bit dry, that was all.

    "You sure? Okay..."

    In-Ah still looked suspicious, ncing back and forth between me and Jun-Hyuk with narrowed eyes. Then she slowly made her way back to her seat.

    My thoughts were still roaming my mind¡¯s boulevards, lost. They wandered aimlessly in my head without a destination. In response to every step my thought seemed to take, my head throbbed with pain.

    ***

    ¡°It¡¯s been two years since you transferred here, right?"

    "Huh? Well... yeah, because I came here in the spring two years ago."

    Somehow, the topic actually turned to talking about the past, about Jun-Hyuk''s story from the time when he had just transferred. I just listened without giving any response because it was their own topic that I couldn''t interfere with. It was enjoyable to hear about their past I didn''t know, but I felt a bit excluded, which was a feeling I was used to.

    "If I hadn''t been there, you wouldn''t have fit in at all. You know, you should be grateful to me, right?"

    "You''re talking nonsense again. I got used to everything so fast. On the other hand, my whole school life was screwed over because of you."

    "Really? You still won''t admit it? What do I get for helping an outsider fit in? Nothing. Not even a thank you."

    In-Ah teased Jun-Hyuk with a mocking smile. Jun-Hyuk let out augh as if he couldn''t believe it.

    "Hey, let''s be honest. I was an outsider by choice. When I lived in Incheon, my nickname was Lonely Wolf¡ª"

    "Wow, what a nickname. It''s so pathetic that it makes me sick."

    Jun-Hyuk was happily chatting when I got up from my seat.

    "Yeah, now that I say it, it''s kind of disgusting. ...Hey, where are you going?"

    "I¡¯m going to make a quick call.

    ¡°Call? ... With whom?¡±

    "My uncle. I¡¯m currently staying at his ce after my ce burned down, and I forgot to tell him that I''m eating out today."

    In-Ah had been staring at me sternly, but she regained her smile.

    ording to my fake identity, I had lost my mother during the Holy War, my father was currently working abroad, and I was staying at my uncle¡¯s house after I had nowhere to go because my house had burned down. It wasn''t a lie since my uncle actually lived in the underground chapel.

    After going outside, I didn''t make a phone call. Instead, O took a deep breath. In fact, I lied when I said I was going out to make a phone call. My thoughts kept getting tangled up in my head, and my consciousness became murky, so I thought I could clear my mind by getting a breath of fresh air.

    [You lie without skipping even a single day. You will surely earn Ogun''s resentment.]

    "So what?"

    It didn¡¯t matter how much more resentment Ogun had for me because he disliked me already. Because of that, I couldn''t use Ogun''s power anymore, but I had no other choice. I couldn''t go around iming to be the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult just so I could use Ogun''s power. Ogun was someone with no flexibility at all and wouldn¡¯t tolerate a single lie, even if it was necessary to save my life.

    "...Hey."

    At that moment, someone called out to me as they came out of the restaurant. They were apanied by the sound of stic bags rustling against each other.

    Min-Seo wasing out of the restaurant, holding two full bags of garbage. Sweat was beading off of her slightly sour expression. She leaned the bags against a nearbymppost and approached me, casually wiping away the sweat with her apron. Her eyes were voids like that of a zombie.

    "How did you find out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in a questioning and assertive manner.

    It seemed like she thought that we hade here because we knew where she worked. I was a bit surprised, but from Min-Seo''s perspective, it made sense. This ce was quite far from the school, and the prices were a little heavy on the wallet for a student toe here for dinner.

    "How did we know? We didn¡¯t. We just happened toe here, and it turned out to be where you work."

    "Oh, is that so? What a great fucking coincidence."

    Min-Seoughed, looking unimpressed. Herugh was a disgusting one that left neither the listener nor the person who wasughing happy. She looked down at the trash bag with vacant eyes and eventually dropped her gaze to the ground. Her slumped shoulderscked strength.

    "Fine, I get it. But fuck, it''s so ufortable that I can¡¯t work."

    "What''s ufortable?"

    "You should try it. You think you can work in a ce where kids from your school show up? It''s fucking nerve-wracking."

    Min-Seo sighed deeply and then picked up the trash bag that she had leaned against the utility pole with both hands. It looked a bit heavy, but there was no need to help. Min-Seo used blessings rted to body enhancement to fill in for herck of strength.

    "What, is it your first time seeing someone throw away trash?"

    "No."

    She subtly nced at me as if she was conscious of me and threw the bag toward the trash can. The bag, swaying as if it would fall, stood straight as if to say, <i>when did that ever happen?</i>

    I had noticed this since the time she cooked meat, but Min-Seo was quite skilled at her job.

    "When did you start working?"

    This level of skill wasn¡¯t something that could be obtained in just a couple of months. I estimated that she had been working for at least a year.

    Min-Seo furrowed her eyebrows as if displeased, then quickly rxed her expression. Rather than saying she rxed, it was more like she returned to her usual nk expression.

    "It''s been a while. But I''ve only been working legally for a few months."

    "How did you end up working..."

    I was about to ask, but I trailed off. It felt like I was prying too much. After loosening her hair and tying it back again, Min-Seo answered, "Rich kids have no wrinkles."

    On her mouth was a mocking smile. She wasn''t mocking me. She was mocking someone else. No, maybe what she was mocking wasn''t even a person.

    "I have a lot of wrinkles. Do you get what I¡¯m trying to say?"

    "..."

    "Hey, you should leave if you¡¯re done eating. What¡¯s so interesting that¡¯s keeping you here anyway?" Min-Seo asked in a calming but jeering manner.

    I didn''t answer. Instead, I looked up at the darkening sky. One by one, the streetlights turned on, and the golden bell hanging above the restaurant door kept jingling nonstop. It was the sound of people flocking into the restaurant at dinner time.

    Min-Seo sighed as she watched the crowd entering the restaurant with vacant eyes. Adjusting her apron, she walked into the restaurant, then leaned her upper body outward from the half-opened door and looked at me.

    "Oh, I forgot. You¡¯re pretty good at writing proposals. I¡¯m counting on you in the future, alright?"

    "...Is that how you ask for a favor?"

    "Who cares? You get what I mean, right? Ah, yes. I''ll help you with the order©¤"

    Behind the ss door, I saw Min-Seo bowing her head down to start taking orders. My day wasing to an end, and hers was just beginning.

    The Satanist had driven Jun-Hyuk''s mother crazy, and he hade to F.A. to get rid of them. His attitude in ss was not great, but judging by his grades, he seemed to study quite diligently without showing off.

    Min-Seo worked part-time after school due to financial difficulties. Needless to say, her grades were outstanding. She would go to school, work, and then study in her spare time when she returned home.

    The two people I suspected of being Satanists were both living intense lives. I couldn¡¯t suspect either of them. No, I could suspect them, but I didn¡¯t want to. I didn''t want to deny even a single aspect of their lives when they were living so intensely.

    <i>Bzzt, Bzzzzzzt... </i>

    A moth was flying towards the streetlight shining on the trash can. The moth relentlessly banged its head against the streetlight and soon grew tired, falling helplessly to the ground.

    ***

    After listening to how Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah became friends during middle school, we left the restaurant. As agreed, Jun-Hyuk paid the bill.

    When we left the restaurant, I received a call from Uncle. He said that he had something to give me and was asking when I would arrive at the underground chapel. I said I would be there soon and hung up the phone.

    In-Ah said she had to go to the library to study. Jun-Hyuk''s disappointed expression was evident when he saw that we were going to part ways soon.

    "Hey, since we''re already together, why don''t we have some more fun?"

    "I need to get some studying done. It¡¯s exam season after all. We can have fun after exams are over!" In-Ah said with a smile.

    Jun-Hyuk nodded reluctantly.

    "Well, I guess we can always have fun on other days... Oh, right. Should we go to the beach during summer vacation? The three of us, together."

    "The beach?"

    "Yeah, I felt like it¡¯s been a while since I''ve been to the beach. I used to go all the time because it was right in front of my house... Ah."

    Jun-Hyuk interrupted himself and fidgeted with the back of his neck.

    "...Was it right in front of my house? Well, anyway, what do you think? We could go for a one-day trip."

    It had been quite a while since I''d been to the beach as well. Thest time I went was with my parents when I was young. It didn''t seem like a bad idea.

    In-Ah nodded vigorously as if she agreed. "Sounds good! But if I don¡¯t do well on the exams, I won¡¯t be able to leave the house, let alone go to the beach."

    "Why? Aren¡¯t you living alone most of the time?"

    In-Ah answered Jun-Hyuk''s question with a downcast expression. "My parents areing back this vacation season. If I don¡¯t do well on the exams, I can''t go to the beach..."

    Jun-Hyuk chuckled softly. "Alright, then, study hard. You have to do well enough to confidently go out and have fun."

    "I don¡¯t need you to tell me to do well. I¡¯ll get good scores regardless. At least, better than yours."

    "Of course, of course. Best of luck~" Jun-Hyuk said teasingly.

    In-Ah pursed her lips.

    "I should go home and study too. If I lose to In-Ah, what am I, an animal?" Jun-Hyuk said.

    "Didn''t you lose to me during evaluations? You suck at studying," In-Ah said.

    "...Ha. What do you mean? I don¡¯t <i>suck </i>at it," Jun-Hyuk retorted.

    As In-Ah and Jun-Hyuk argued back and forth, I quietlyughed while watching them. Shortly after, Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah went home, and I headed toward the underground chapel. We walked together halfway toward my destination and scattered where our paths diverged.

    The first person I saw when I arrived at the underground chapel was Ji-Ah. She was sitting at the table where Uncle usually drank his coffee, looking at herptop.

    "You''reter than usual."

    "I had dinner with friends. Where¡¯s Uncle?" I asked, looking around.

    Uncle was nowhere to be seen. Ji-Ah answered me while keeping her gaze fixated on the graph on theptop screen.

    "He said he was going to get something, but I don''t know the details..."

    Ji-Ah''s words were cut short when the doors swung open, and Uncle walked in. He was drenched in sweat.

    "I''m back. Hey, Sun-Woo. Come take these things. They¡¯re from the executives. Wow, I almost hurt my back carrying it."

    Uncle¡¯s hands were full of stuff. Suddenly, the image of Min-Seo carrying trash shed by. I helped Uncle move the baggage inside.

    Some of the gifts sent by the executives were sent in paper boxes, while others were tightly wrapped in silver vinyl and green tape.

    "If the executives sent these... They¡¯re offerings."

    "Yeah. The Chungcheong and Gangwon Branches even sent letters. Are you going to read them?"

    The offering system resurrected during the previous executives'' meeting had finally yielded its first harvest. But letters? I could get my head around Executive Yun Chang-Su for sending one as he was old, but why would Ha Pan-Seok suddenly write a letter? Whatever the case, it seemed like a good idea to read them, especially Executive Yun Chang-Su¡¯s letter, as there was a high possibility that it contained useful information about the Staff of Reversal.

    "I don¡¯t see any harm in reading them. Here, give them to me."

    "Sure, I¡¯ll bring the offerings to the Altar... No, would it be more convenient to move the Altar here?"

    With those words, my uncle straightened his back. A cracking sound escaped his joints. My uncle grimaced in pain.

    "Oof, my back sounds like a bunch of fireworks. It really isn¡¯t what it used to be."

    "Uncle, take a break. I''ll move the Altar."

    "Oh, good for me. Urgh..."

    My uncle groaned while holding his back and went inside a room.

    ***

    <i>I hope you have been well. I am grateful every day for the peace brought by your grace. I am sending this letter along with the offering because I have something to tell you about the Staff of Reversal.</i>

    <i>It is said that the civil war in Saudi Arabia is entering a ceasefire. This is hopeful news since the day you leave to find the Staff of Reversal is approaching. </i>

    <i>I obtained intel that a Voodoo Cult member is working at the history museum. If you carry this enclosed letter and enter the museum, please deliver it to that employee. It will surely aid you. It may be an insignificant amount of help, but I hope it can provide some support in achieving your goal. </i>

    And that concluded Yun Chang-Su¡¯s letter. The handwriting looked as if it was written with a brush. The enclosed letter was written in Arabic, so I couldn''t read it. I asked Legba to trante.

    [There''s nothing special. Roughly, it says that you are the Cult Leader, and it¡¯s asking for cooperation.]

    It was evident that Yun Chang-Su was worried that I would get caught up in unnecessary trouble while looking for the Staff of Reversal. His deep consideration could be seen in the letter. It was even more touching because he had always supported me silently, even when I showed shorings as the Cult Leader. The offering that Yun Chang-Su sent with the letter was precious herbs that can only be found in Taebaek Mountain.

    [I see some herbs that would be better consumed than sacrificing them to Granbwa.]

    Granbwa got angry at Legba''s statement.

    [Be quiet! The Prophet is the one who makes the decisions.]

    [I¡¯m only suggesting the most efficient way to use them.]

    [Hey, I told you to stop talking nonsense!]

    [These days, there is no sense of respect with the young folk. They just get angry if things don¡¯t go their way...]

    Granbwa seemed unusually excited, perhaps because she was happy with the offering. While Granbwa was arguing with Legba, I opened the next letter. It was from the Chungcheong Branch.

    <i>Hey, I have something to ask, but I don''t have your phone number, so I''m writing a letter. What was the homework you assigned until July again? It''s not that I forgot, but I suddenly can''t remember. Please call me instead of replying with a letter when it''s convenient for you. 010-...</i>

    Rather than the letter being from Ha Pan-Seok, it was from Soo-Yeong. The hastily written text was filled with messy, swirling handwriting. At the bottom of the letter was Soo-Yeong''s phone number.

    I immediately called her on my cell phone. After three rings, she picked up.

    "This is my number, so if you have any questions, call meter."

    <i>¡ªWho... Oh, it''s the Cult Leader! Wait, I have something to ask right now... </i>

    "Not now,ter."

    <i>¡ªOh, wait. Just a moment! Hey--!</i>

    <i>Click. </i>

    I hung up the phone. Even though Soo-Yeong called back, I didn''t feel the need to answer. I put my phone on silent mode andid out the offerings that came with the letter on the floor.

    The offerings sent from the Chungcheong Branch were swords, guns, crossbows, and armor. They were all made of iron, and some of them seemed to be what the Romanican Church used during the Holy War seven years ago.

    Although the Holy War started in Seoul, the fiercest battles actually took ce in Chungcheong. Many Romanican clergymen died, and Voodoo Cult members rivaling ten times the number of the Romanicans, fell to their demise as well. As a result, many war-rted artifacts were found in Chungcheong, some of which had high value as antiques or memorabilia.

    The items from Ha Pan-Seok were all of superior quality. Since they were rted to both iron and war, it seemed fitting to sacrifice them to Ogun, who was crazy about both things.

    As soon as I made up my mind, a chilling voice echoed in my head.

    [I will not ept them.]

    It was Ogun''s voice.

    ¡°You won''t ept?"

    [I don''t want to ept offerings from a Prophet who makes a habit of lying.]

    "...Ah, okay. Then don''t ept them. After all, It¡¯s your loss."

    [Instead, I have a proposal.]

    <i>Shiiiing¡ª! </i>

    Every time I heard Ogun''s voice, strange noises came from the offerings sent by Ha Pan-Seok. It was the sound of iron vibrating and colliding with other iron. The sound resembled a scream, maybe even a cry or a wail.

    [If you agree, I am also willing to lend power... Oh Prophet, what will you do?]

    Amidst the persistent silence, the cries of iron gradually grew louder and louder.

    1. Myeong-namul is one of the staple side dishes served in kbbq. It is usually eaten with meat, so it¡¯s odd that Jun-Hyuk is only eating the side dish on its own ?

 Chapter 118

    <h4>Chapter 118</h4>

    "A proposal?" I asked, intrigued.

    I never imagined that Ogun would make a proposal to me. Ogun''s power was stronger in the present than in the past, thanks to the advancement of iron-production technology, weapon-production technology, and warfare development.

    Ogun''s power, which had been limited to controlling swords and armor, was now magnified to control firearms and tanks. Despite having severe drawbacks, using Ogun''s power had tremendous merit for me, enough to overlook the disadvantages.

    [Yes. And I guess you know that I''m not hung up on the likes of sacrifice.]

    "..."

    [I would dly ept the sacrifices you offer, but it would be shameless of me to ept sacrifices without lending my power in return. It could lead to misunderstandings that I am a Loa who fleeces the Prophet...]

    Under Ogun''s cold and sharp voice was a scorching heat. Ogun did not tolerate acts that went against his own integrity. At least he was consistent. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I liked how he demanded honesty with no flexibility at all.

    "So, what is the proposal?"

    [I will lend you my power when you finally be honest. I will also ept the offerings when that happens.]

    "The heck?"

    Suddenly, the steel around me screeched, the sharp and eerie noise ringing in my ears. The surroundings suddenly seemed to have be hotter. The iron armor and weapons that I had brought to offer as sacrifices were red hot, white smoke snaking off of the pile of iron. This meant that Ogun was angry.

    ¡°...Would you be kind enough to restate your proposal, please?¡±

    [Yes.]

    The steel around me finally seemed to calm down as I changed my tone. I wiped off the sweat caused by the sudden heat and waited for Ogun to continue.

    Ogun let out a loud and sharp cough that sounded like metal nging.

    [Cult leader of the Voodoo Cult or a student of Florence Academy. You don¡¯t have to be one or the other. Be who you truly believe you are. That is the path to honesty.]

    "It¡¯s hard to wrap my head around what you¡¯re saying."

    [Honesty is inherently difficult.]

    As Ogun''s voice faded, the sound of the metal ceased as well. The heat emitted by the red-hot metal still lingered in the spot where Ogun had been.

    I waved my hand to fan off the heat and tore open the offerings sent by other executives.

    "Woah..."

    Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung from the Gyeongsang Branch had sent water as their offering. It was a 500 ml stic bottle half-filled with water, kindlybeled with a name pen as ¡®Sahara Showers.¡¯ It seemed suitable to offer it to Dan Wedo, the Loa of Water.

    Although there was only one item that could be considered superior quality, there were also many offerings that corresponded to advanced quality items, like the Hoof of a Basan Bull or the Feathers of a ck Rooster.

    It seemed appropriate to offer each of them to Bossou and Marte, respectively. There were also offerings suitable for Bade. The offerings from Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s executives were wellposed and sufficient to captivate the hearts of the Loas.

    Next, I opened the offerings from Yeom Man-Gun. The box was covered in green tape, making it a challenge to open.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    As soon as I opened the box, I took a step back and fell to the ground. I hadnded square on my butt, but strangely, it didn''t hurt. I was too surprised to feel the pain.

    "... What the heck is this?"

    The offering that Executive Yeom Man-Gun from the Jeo Branch had sent was an animal carcass. The animal¡¯s fur coat was charred ck, and its unfocused eyes peeked through the half-closed eyelids. The pupils were horizontally stretched. They were the eyes of a sheep.

    Yeom Man-Gun left a note on top of the corpse.

    <i>[This here''s a tenderfoot ram, hardly more ''n a button on a breechin'' strap. He done got himself zapped by lightnin''. Sure had me a tough ol'' time searchin¡¯ for a little critter like this.]</i>

    As I tilted my head, the quick-witted Legba, immediately started interpreting for me.

    [He means that it¡¯s a baby male ram.]

    I could almost hear Yeom Man-Gun''s bold dialect echoing in my ears through reading his note. If this was a malemb struck by lightning, this was an offering to Sobo and would be considered to be of superior quality.

    [I, Sobo! Have something to say as the Loa of Thunder and Lightning.]

    "Yes, go ahead."

    Sobo''s voice had an edge of seriousness to it, unlike his usual tone.

    [Considering all the trouble I¡¯ve been through, I think I should be given an offering of this level. If you don¡¯t give this time as well, Sobo... can''t stand it anymore!]

    "Of course, I will give it to you. You''ve done so much... I¡¯ll be counting on you next time as well."

    Iforted Sobo, who was speaking with a dumb tone.

    Sobo''s power was sometimes a light that illuminated the darkness and others a me that burned demonic beasts. I used Sobo''s power for a long time because his power was highly versatile and strong yet did not have that big of a downside.

    Sobo had worked hard and would continue to work hard in the future. Therefore, it was better to maintain a good rtionship with Sobo.

    In the silence, I heard Sobo sniffle.

    [I''m touched! I also looking forward to working with you in the future...]

    "...Of course!" I answered cheerfully, feeling a slight pang of guilt.

    Afterward, I offered the sacrifice through the altar. Dan Wedo quietly shed tears, and Sobo choked up with emotion.

    [Prophet, Sobo and I are twins, but strictly speaking, I am the older brother. I hope you understand that...]

    However, Bade seemed somewhat displeased with the situation. Even though the offering I gave to Bade was of good quality, the quality was lower than what I offered to Sobo or Dan Wedo.

    "I''m sorry. I''ll give you something better next time. The conditions that I¡¯m under just don¡¯t permit..."

    [No need to apologize! I just hope you understand. I''m not a petty Loa whoins about the quality of offerings!]

    "Of course, I understand."

    [I''m grateful that you understand!]

    With those words, Bade disappeared. Like Sobo, Bade¡¯s power was pretty efficient, so it was better to build a good rapport in advance. To prevent Bade from feeling too disappointed, it seemed like a good idea to ask the executives next time to find wind-rted offerings.

    Next, I sacrificed an offering to Bossou.

    [Bossou is overflowing with power! He feels like he can pull out all the pirs of the underground chapel!]

    "Huh? Uh, please don¡¯t."

    Bossou was in an excited state after receiving an offering after going a long time without one. While trying to calm him down, I ced the herbs I received from Yun Chang-Su on the altar. As I did so, Granbwa¡¯s clear voice resonated in my mind.

    [Oh, Prophet, you forgot to ce thest herb on the altar. Please put it there too.]

    "This one... I was nning to brew into medicine and consume it myself."

    [...<i>Sigh</i>. In the end, you sumb to Legba''s words. I''m disappointed, really!]

    "No, it''s not like that©¤"

    [Forget it. Take care of your health. Take care of your body too.]

    Granbwa disappeared, leaving behind a warm, heartfelt message with a cold tone as if she were disappointed.

    After giving an offering to Granbwa, I had sacrificed all the offerings that the executives had offered to me... Except for the iron armor and weapons that were originally intended for Ogun.

    "..."

    I silently pondered as I looked at the scattered armor and weapons on the floor.

    <i>[Cult leader of Voodoo Cult or a student of Florence Academy.] </i>

    I remembered what Ogun said.

    The reason why I joined Florence Academy. was to save my mother, who was trapped in the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters. But that was not the mission I had as the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult. It was purely a mission I had as my mother''s son. So what was my mission as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult? Or what should my mission be?

    <i>[You don¡¯t have to be one or the other.] </i>

    I wasn¡¯t sure what <i>honesty</i> Ogun expected from me. It was a problem I had never deeply thought about before.

    Iy down in front of the scattered offerings and the altar. I was tired, but I couldn¡¯t go to sleep. I got up and sat down. I nned to practice spells or something with the remaining time.

    [Better to sleep early today.]

    At that moment, the Voodoo magic I unleashed turned into a purple mist and settled on the floor. The mist shook and dispersed, then finally took shape. What appeared was a white hand, its long fingers dry as a twig. The voice came from those fingers.

    [Long time no see.]

    "Has it even been that long?"

    [Really? My sense of time has be quite fainttely. Maybe it¡¯s my time to die, haha...]

    Baron Samediughed. As the Loa of Death, it was a joke in itself for him to talk about his own demise, but it wasn''t funny at all. I red at the hand with a stern expression. The hand waved itself back and forth as if to dismiss my gaze.

    [Is it really necessary to re at me like that? It''s quite upsetting, you know?]

    "Why is it that only your hand is here?"

    [I left it at the intersection.]

    It was a puzzling statement. Sometimes Baron Samedi''s words seemed meaningless, yet sometimes they sounded profound. His words were always like that. His pale hand wiggled as if it was swimming through the air.

    [That''s not what¡¯s important. As I said earlier, it''s better to sleep now. If you don''t sleep now, you''ll be very tired tomorrow.]

    "Tomorrow... Is something going to happen tomorrow?" I asked, bing anxious.

    Baron Samedi wagged his finger as if hesitating to answer.

    [Well, you''ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out. I don''t know for sure either.]

    "Oh, how boring."

    [As always, you will find it helpful if you listen carefully to what I''m about to say.]

    Baron Samedi continued speaking,pletely ignoring my grumbling.

    [Beware of screams and cries. They are echoes of the false pain.]

    ¡°..."

    [Don''t trust the voice of the head.]

    "You''re just saying more iprehensible things. Can I break your finger?" I asked, gripping Baron Samedi''s finger.

    He turned into mist and slipped out of my grasp. The mist returned into the shape of a hand again. Suddenly, his long and slender index finger was pointing at me.

    [Out of all the things I''ve said so far, this is the most direct prophecy. You''ll find out tomorrow.]

    "Tomorrow..."

    [There''s no need to worry too much.]

    Baron Samedi''s hand turned into mist and diffused through the air. As the mist dispersed and faded, Baron Samedi''s voice also grew quiet but never faint. His voice never seemed to lose its rity. It had a mysterious quality that a human voice could never possess.

    [Tomorrow will be a very enjoyable day. For you and for me.]

    <i> </i>*

    Early in the morning, there were a total of twelve teachers, and faculty members gathered in the conference room. Three of them were teachers of each department, Do-Jin, Ye-Jin, and Kim Bok-Dong, and the remaining eight werebat personnel who had previously worked as crusaders or pdins or had experience participating in the Holy War. And thest person was Chang-Won.

    "I''m sure you were all surprised by the sudden call, but thank you foring. The reason I called you all here early in the morning is... Ah, first, please take this."

    <i>Ziiiiiip¨C</i>

    Chang-Won opened the zipper of the backpack he had ced on the conference table to take out Branch of the Burning Bush of Moses. He took eleven of them out. A single branch was already expensive, but he gave one to each of the summoned teachers. The teachers epted it, not sure of why they were given the branches.

    "The Satanist Identification Project is nearing its conclusion. The Satanists would find the current situation less thanfortable since we are gathering together to identify them and aren¡¯t easily dispersing in fear."

    The teachers nodded quietly with puzzled expressions. They still had no idea why Chang-Won had called them here.

    "So, I think we might soon encounter a big problem. Whenever the Satanists caused an incident, the security system and the CCTV always went down. It is highly unlikely that electronic devices such as cell phones and radios would function.¡±

    The CCTV cameras in the area where the Satanists had passed were always broken or damaged. The same was done to the security system. The Satanists always disabled electronic devices through unknown ways.

    "That''s why we provided the Branch of the Burning Bush for you. If you all work together andmunicate effectively alongside yourbat skills, you will be able to quickly evacuate the students and suppress the enemy..."

    At that moment, Chang-Won stopped speaking and covered his mouth with his hand to cough. After wiping the blood on his palm with a tissue, he took a deep breath and continued speaking.

    "...On the other hand, if we are unable tomunicate, there is a high possibility that even the evacuation of the students, which should be the top priority, will not be possible."

    A dim light flickered in Chang-Won''s eyes with a mixture of fear and conviction. What he feared most was the loss of students'' lives. There should never be a situation where students suffer due to the teacher''s negligence and inadequate response. Thus, Chang-Won tried to organize an internal organization led by teachers capable ofbat by donating Branches of the Burning Bush to establish their ownmunicationwork.

    "I apologize for only being able to provide this much support at the moment. Even this was prepared suddenly..."

    "Oh, no. This is more than enough, Mr. Chairman."

    "That''s right. And these Satanists are nothing to us. As long as we don''t let our guard down, we have nothing to worry about."

    As Chang-Won bowed his head, some faculty members quickly bowed their heads in response. Chang-Won looked up and smiled subtly. It was a strange smile, kind and gentle, but one could feel a sense of deep trust within it.

    "Thank you very much. I wholeheartedly put my faith in you. Well then..."

    Chang-Won told the teachers to each take a Branch of the Burning Bush and return to the teacher''s office. He didn''t forget to deliver words of encouragement to each person. The teachers felt a renewed admiration for Chang-Won''s character and returned to the teacher''s office pridefully.

    "I''m sorry, but can youe to my office?" Chang-Won asked Do-Jin to stay behind when all the teachers had left.

    Do-Jin followed Chang-Won to the chairman''s office without knowing what to expect. Chang-Won rummaged through a desk, then handed Do-Jin a vial. The liquid inside the bottle had a faint glow.

    "As you know, this is a potion made by former Cardinal Sung Yu-Da with the power to purify ''Contract'' ck magic."

    Contract was a type of ck magic that turned humans into demons or humanoid demonic beasts. With this type of ck magic, many clergymen had to stab their colleagues'' hearts with their own swords. Contract was the utmost feared and abhorred ck magic by the clergymen.

    "It''s still in the development stage, so we can''t turn those who have already be demons or demonic beasts back into humans. However, we can temporarily halt the process of devilization and demonification."

    "So this is the potion that was stolenst time."

    "Yes. I think someone stole one from the researchb, as the level of security there is weaker than my office. It''s probably the work of the Satanists."

    Chang-Wonughed bitterly and handed Do-Jin the vial. Do-Jin did not take it. He just stared at the shimmering liquid in the vial, lost in thought.

    "Take it," Chang-Won demanded.

    ¡°This is so sudden... Please, at least tell me why.¡±

    ¡°I want you to protect this vial, and in case of an emergency, use it at your discretion."

    Do-Jin''s face red up in surprise as he was suddenly entrusted with such an important task. Chang-Won simply chuckled as usual.

    "We can''t leave something this important in the hands of an old retiree. It''s much safer in the hands of someone still in the line of work."

    Chang-Won forced the vial into Do-Jin''s hand and added, "Besides, my judgment has be clouded as it can be. I hope we never have to use this vial, but if the situation calls for it... My personal emotions would interfere with my judgment."

    "Contrary to what you think, I am not level-headed at all," Do-Jin said, bowing his head in embarrassment. "It would be better to entrust it to Bok-Dong. It may not look like it, but he is sharp and rational."

    "I¡¯ve made the same offer to Bok-Dong before. He rejected it, saying that you were more suitable for this task. Since, as you said yourself, a person with sharp and rational judgment rmended you, wouldn''t it be right for you to take on this task?"

    Chang-Won''s smile deepened. Do-Jin, looking confused, lowered his gaze to the floor. He had run out of reasons to refuse the offer.

    Do-Jin took a deep breath and said, "To be honest, I am afraid. I find it burdensome that the use of the potion is entirely dependent on my judgment and thinking about the responsibility thates with it..."

    "You don''t have to worry about that," Chang-Won said as he stood up from his seat and ced both hands on Do-Jin''s left hand, which was holding the vial. "I will take full responsibility. I entrusted this task to you, so don''t feel burdened."

    As he said those words, Chang-Won gazed at Do-Jin, his eyes filled with confidence and determination.

 Chapter 119

    <h4>Chapter 119</h4>

    "Cult Leader, please drink this before you leave."

    Ji-Ah stopped me as I was about to head out for school. She had handed me a bitter-smelling ck liquid that wasn''t coffee. The color of the liquid was pitch-ck to the point where I couldn¡¯t see the bottom of the cup, and a mixture of brown and purple light floated on top of its surface.

    "What is this? Poison?"

    The water definitely didn¡¯t look consumable. Ji-Ah shook the cup, causing the sediment on the bottom to float up, and then handed me the cup again.

    "It''s water made with the leftovers of the herbs used in the offering. I referred to the Voodoo Cult¡¯s medicinal arts."

    "Ah, so this isn''t an assassination attempt?"

    Ji-Ah looked at me with round eyes as if she was shocked. "Pardon? What do you mean?"

    "Oh? You seem surprised. I knew it. I had a bad feeling the moment you handed me this."

    Although it was just a joke, I was a little taken aback because her reaction was very serious.

    "Just kidding, thanks for the drink. Are you studying medicinal arts these days?"

    "Studying is a stretch, as there isn''t much material, but trying to learn from it."

    "Oh... Very impressive."

    I gulped down the medicine in one go. At first, it didn''t taste like anything. If anything, the liquid was even slightly sweet. However, as the water passed down my throat and reached my stomach, a sudden bitterness rose from within.

    It wasn''t <i>just</i> bitter, but exceptionally so. The bitterness remained on my tongue, and something strange crept up through my throat and crawled out through my nose. Unbeknownst to me, tears were forming in the corners of my furrowed eyes.

    "<i>Cough, cough</i>...! This <i>is</i> poison!"

    "It''s supposed to taste bad. Medicine that is good for the body is naturally bitter. If you just hold on a little longer... "

    ¡°No, no. T-this is... this is an assassination attempt..."

    Even while saying that, the bitter taste lingered on the tongue. However, as I spoke, the strange smell rising up through my throat gradually subsided and was reced by the initial faint sweetness and aroma. It didn''t take long before I felt a tingling sensation, as if blood was rushing through my body. The sensation felt simr to when I used Bossou''s power.

    "Woah."

    "Is the medicine starting to take effect?"

    "Seems like it. What are the effects of the medicine?"

    "It says, blood cirction improvement and clearer eyesight. Additionally, it slightly enhances physical abilities and sharpens the senses."

    Legba interjected, [One of Baron Samedi¡¯s favorites.]

    A medicine that Baron Samedi likes? I had a hard time understanding. Baron Samedi wouldn¡¯t shed a single drop of blood if you stabbed him. As a Loa, his body didn''t have blood. Therefore, the effect on blood cirction would practically be nonexistent, and the effect of clearer eyes would also be of little use to him, as he could see everything even without the help of his eyes.

    "Does Baron Samedi need to drink this?"

    [I''m not sure. It doesn''t seem like he drinks it himself.]

    Legba''s tone was filled with mischief.

    What is Baron Samedi always up to? He was truly a person, no, a Loa that I could never fully understand.

    <i> </i> *

    ¡°Even if your grades were a bitcking before, you¡¯ll be able to catch up if you start working hard from today, so give it your best! That''s all!"

    With those cheerful words, Ye-Jin left the ssroom. At the same time, a bustling noise began to fill the space among the students. Some students hurriedly left the ssroom with anxious expressions, while others chatted leisurely with their friends.

    In-Ah approached me and Jun-Hyuk with a bright smile.

    "What''s your next ss?"

    Today marked the start of subject-specific sses. Previously, sses were conducted within the respective ss of the seven holy names, but now they were divided by subjects. So, even if students were in the same ss, they could have different sses depending on the department they belonged to.

    "It was a ss for my minor. I think it was basic swordsmanship. We¡¯re supposed to be at the sacred training grounds."

    "If you¡¯re talking about your minor... is it a crusader ss? Then are you taking the ss with Jun-Hyuk?"

    Jun-Hyuk had been sleeping since morning self-study until homeroom, but he woke up immediately when his name was called.

    "Huh? What about me?"

    The red blood vessels in his eyes were more prominent than usual. Dark circles drooped below his eyes. He looked extremely tired, more so than usual.

    "Jun-Hyuk, you''re in the Department of Crusaders, right?"

    "No? Oh, no, I am! I''m just sleepy and out of it, ah." Jun-Hyuk absentmindedly replied to In-Ah''s question.

    In-Ah looked at Jun-Hyuk as if she couldn''t believe him, then burst intoughter.

    "I can¡¯t believe you would make such a mistake, even if you were that tired... Anyway, what''s your next ss?"

    "ss? What was it... Some kind of theory ss? I can''t remember. I only remember it''s in the multipurpose room."

    "Huh? What? But Sun-Woo the Kind said he''s taking basic swordsmanship."

    "Hey, how many times have I told you to not¡ª"

    "You guys have different sses when you¡¯re in the same department? What''s going on?"

    In-Ah looked at Jun-Hyuk with a puzzled expression, alternating her gaze between Jun-Hyuk and me. I couldn''t give her an answer even if I wanted to. The teachers were solely responsible for creating the schedule. I had faith in their ability to avoid scheduling conflicts or disruptions.

    "Wait, your next ss is swordsmanship?"

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk''s eyes widened in surprise.

    "Why are you acting so surprised?"

    "Are you talking about the training at the sacred training ground? I heard that the Department of Crusaders members of the ss of Patience also have swordsmanship as their next ss."

    "You''re lying."

    "I¡¯m not. I wish you the best of luck~ You might end up sparring with Jin-Seo,¡± Jun-Hyuk teased with a faint, sly smile.

    Do-Jin''s swordsmanship ss was focused on building practical skills through sparring. ording to him, the fastest way to improve skills was to directly engage in sparring through shing des rather than just studying theory.

    "Surely we won''t start sparring on the first day."

    "Apparently, you are. I heard from other students that they sparred throughout the entire ss without any breaks in between..." Jun-Hyuk continued.

    ording to what the students who took Do-Jin''s basic swordsmanship ss said, his ss put much more emphasis than other sses on sparring with high intensity. It was to the point where some students would pass out and get sent to the nurse¡¯s office. If there were an injury during sparring during ss-level sessions, the ss would be put on pause, but there was no such thing during department-level sses. ording to rumors, Do-Jin''s gaze was almost poisonous, his eyes filled with venom. No one knew why.

    "Usually, they pair up students with simr skill levels. You probably would be paired with Jin-Seo, right? After all, she¡¯s the Holy Name of Patience, and you''re the Holy Name of Charity."

    "No way..."

    I tried my best to deny it. I hadn¡¯t faced Jin-Seo in a match till now. Although there¡¯s a saying you never know till you try, I didn¡¯t think I could beat her.

    Lost in pessimism, I lowered my head. Meanwhile, In-Ah seemed a bit upset as she listened to our conversation and interrupted us.

    "Hey! You¡¯re not somebody¡¯s punching bag, right? You¡¯ll end up beating her in the end, even after you act like this. Don''t worry."

    "Her...her strength is not something you canprehend withmon sense. When I think about the time I got hit for three minutes straight at the training center... ugh, my head..."

    Jun-Hyuk rubbed his forehead with exaggerated gestures and frowned.

    In-Ah came closer to me, trying to smile, and lightly tapped my shoulder with her loosely clenched fist as if encouraging me.

    "Don''t listen to this guy. If by any chance you get beaten up, I''ll scold her."

    "Who''s going to scold who? Are you scolding Jin-Seo? You might end up dead."

    Jun-Hyuk interrupted before I could answer.

    I didn''t think Jin-Seo would actually kill In-Ah, but In-Ah could get seriously hurt.

    "...She¡¯s that strong?"

    "Yeah, I¡¯m telling you."

    Jun-Hyuk raised his voice in frustration, and I nodded silently beside him.

    Suddenly, I remembered the words of encouragement Ye-Jin had given during homeroom.

    <i>¡°Even if your grades were a bitcking before, you¡¯ll be able to catch up if you start working hard from today, so give it your best!¡±</i>

    In other words, if I didn''t work hard today, I could fall behind regardless of the good grades I had already received. The first ss of the day was a sparring ss for my minor, not my major. To make matters worse, my opponent might be Jin-Seo. How devastating.

    Legbaforted me. [There''s a high possibility that it''s just a rumor to scare the students. Don''t worry too much.]

    Well,e to think of it, there was no way the ss would start sparring from the first day. It was just an exaggerated rumor that had been spread among the students. Those thoughts brought some peace to my soul.

    <i> </i> *

    "As you all may have heard already, we will be sparring today," Do-Jin said as soon as the ss started, as if he were stating the obvious.

    For me, it was like a bolt from the blue.

    He held up a single sword lying on the floor and showed it to us.

    "This is the sword you will use in sparring. It''s not the silver swords that crusaders usually use, but an old-fashioned iron sword. Now, you might wonder why we use outdated iron swords instead of the silver swords used in realbat. Anyone want to answer?"

    "...Is it because of money?"

    "Correct. Silver swords are expensive and difficult to supply for training sessions. Buy them with your own money when you earn your share after bing a crusader yourself.¡±

    The reason was very practical. Do-Jin brought his finger close to the de and started moving the sword up and down in a sawing motion. Yet, not a drop of blood came from Do-Jin''s finger.

    "Also, these swords have very dull des. In addition, we''ll put foam on the de before sparring. That way, there won''t be much chance of getting hurt. Well... it still hurts if you get hit hard. I¡¯m speaking from experience."

    Do-Jin closed his mouth tightly after exining and looked down at the sparring sword in his hand.

    After staring at the sword for some time with a serious expression, he finally took his stance. Then, he fixed his gaze on the thin air before him.

    <i>Swoosh¨C!</i>

    And then, he swung.

    No, was it a swing or a thrust? I couldn''t tell. Do-Jin''s movements were too fast to follow with my eyes. After delivering a flurry of attacks to his invisible enemy, Do-Jin lightly exhaled.

    "As you all already know, demons and demonic beasts are vulnerable to attacks from silver weapons, so it''s best to attack with the parts that are coated with blessed silver if possible."

    <i>nk.</i>

    Do-Jin ced his sword on the ground and said, "When you be an apprentice crusader, you will receive iron swords with only the tip coated in silver. The only technique that can effectively damage demons or demonic beasts with those inferior swords would be stabbing."

    Iron swords were heavy and crude, but they were cheaperpared to silver-coated ones. Therefore, the newly appointed apprentice crusaders were usually supplied with iron swords.

    "Therefore, the goal of today''s sparring is to hone your stabbing attacks to the point that they can subdue the opponent in one strike. The condition to win the spar is to sessfullynd two stabbing attacks on your sparring partner. Blessings are allowed. Any questions?"

    Do-Jin''s words prompted the students to buzz with excitement. Until now, Do-Jin had always avoided taking questions, citing tiredness or annoyance as his reasons. But now, he wore a gentle smile he had never shown before.

    "I slept well yesterday, so I''m not tired. Feel free to ask. "

    "I have a question."

    Someone raised their hand as if they had been waiting. It was Jin-Seo.

    "What happens if the opponent loses consciousness before the sessful execution of two attacks?"

    "In that case, the one who loses consciousness will be considered the loser. Subduing the opponent before fulfilling the victory condition I mentioned earlier is also a skill," Do-Jin replied.

    Jin-Seo''s question carried a chilly vibe, implying that she was confident in her ability to subdue her opponent before fulfilling the victory condition. I could definitely see her being able to do it.

    Do-Jin smirked, seeing the frozen expressions of some students who shared the same thoughts as me.

    "Of course, there has never been such a case before. As you can see, this is not a sword that can be used to dominate and control the opponent. Unless you stab with considerable force, you won''t lose consciousness."

    "Phew..."

    A sigh of relief seemed to escape from somewhere. With the foam-wrapped dull des, it was very unlikely to pass out from a hit. Although I didn''t openly sigh, I was also secretly relieved.

    Do-Jin picked up two swords scattered on the floor and put foam covers on the des.

    "For the first spar, let''s have the two most skilled students face each other to set an example. If your name is called,e up to the dueling ground with these swords."

    However, there was no time to rx.

    "Sun-Woo, Jin-Seo."

    <i> </i> *

    As I stepped onto the dueling ground, I first grasped the sword. Even though my overall strength had improved through the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, the sword was still quite heavy. I doubted if I could even swing it, let alone stab.

    On the other hand, Jin-Seo was warming up, handling the heavy sword as if it were a toy.

    "<i>Phew.</i>"

    I took a deep breath to relieve tension, but it had no effect. When I looked up, Jin-Seo stood across from me, looking at me with sleepy, narrow eyes. She smiled faintly when our eyes met. Unlike me, her face was filled with ease.

    In the silence, Do-Jin raised the whistle hanging around his neck.

    "Let''s start without dy."

    The whistle blew, and the duel began. Jin-Seo took her stance. Unsteadily, I also went into my stance. The tips of our swords were facing each other. The sword in Jin-Seo''s hand, though dull and covered in foam, looked as threatening as a real de.

    On the other hand, the sword in my hand was nothing more than a toy.

    <i>¡®No, don''t get nervous. You''ll end up losing if you panic even before the fight even starts</i>.¡¯

    I kept my calm and kept an eye on Jin-Seo''s movements. She flinched, her shoulders trembling slightly.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    And in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of me.

    I barely managed to block her downward strike. Beyond the sh of our swords, Jin-Seo''s sharp gaze was fixated on me. Thanks to the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, our strengths were on the same level, but Igged behind in speed and sword-handling skills.

    "...I have a question to ask."

    While we were locked in a tense standoff, our swords pushed against each other, Jin-Seo spoke in a small voice. She seemed to be rxed enough to talk to me in this situation. It hurt my pride a little because it felt like she was looking down on me.

    Jin-Seo pushed me aggressively with her sword and continued.

    "Are you close with Ha-Rin?"

    Her sudden question caught me off guard. Using the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, I gathered strength in my legs, lowered my center of gravity, and then transferred the force to my upper body. Taking advantage of the flow of the moving force, I swung my sword, deflecting Jin-Seo''s sword.

    <i>ng! </i>

    The sponges collided, making a sharp sound. I had sessfully created distance between us. I made it over the first hurdle.

    I smiled slyly and stared at Jin-Seo''s face.

    "Maybe?"

    I responded to Jin-Seo''s sudden question. I couldn¡¯t really afford to respond, but I had replied to provoke her and make her lose herposure to gain an advantageous position in the duel.

    "...<i>Maybe</i>?"

    At that moment, Jin-Seo''s face lost allposure.

    Immediately after, she raised her de with a natural and fluid motion. It seemed like she was about to attempt a second attack. Her movements wererger and more monotonous than before. It seemed like my provocation had worked.

    "..."

    I prepared for an attack while blocking. I couldn''t defeat her with speed and skill alone. The only element we were on simr footing was strength. I would use Bossou''s power and create a standoff like the one we were in before and overpower her with strength.

    I started to believe that maybe I could win.

    "Bo¡ª"

    <i>Stab.</i>

    "Ugh...!"

    Before I could even call out Bossou''s name, something long pierced through the pit of my stomach, and with a sharp pain, I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 120

    <h4>Chapter 120</h4>

    I opened my eyes.

    "Did you wake up?" a clear voice whispered softly.

    When I lifted my head, I saw Jin-Seo.

    As I was lying on the floor, she was crouching down next to my body and looking down at me with a dark expression on her face. Her gaze, which was usually fierce, was slightly softer than usual.

    "What happened... What about the ss?"

    At my question, Jin-Seo lowered her head silently. Instead, Do-Jin answered my question.

    "ss ended a while ago. You just woke up after being unconscious for about... an hour and a half."

    I was unconscious for an hour and a half? I remembered sparring with Jin-Seo right before losing consciousness, but I couldn''t properly remember why I had passed out. For some strange reason, my sr plexus was throbbing with pain.

    "...How did I faint?"

    "Jin-Seo''s stabbing attack precisely hit your sr plexus. Luckily, it was a training sword, so you didn''t die. If it was a real sword, you would have died for sure."

    "Ah."

    It was then that I finally remembered. Jin-Seo had taken an offensive stance, and I was just about to use Bossou''s power with the intention to counterattack after blocking her attack. However, before I could even call out Bossou''s name, her attack had already struck my sr plexus. As a result, I lost consciousness...

    My face started to burn. I couldn''t tell if it was because of the medicine Ji-Ah gave me in the morning or if it was because I was simply embarrassed. It seemed like thetter. I wanted to just turn into dust and disappear.

    "You were in the wrong."

    "...What did I do?"

    "You were being vague with your answer. And..."

    Jin-Seo had been looking at me with a peculiar gaze when she lowered her head. Then, she brushed a strand of hair to the top of her forehead and said in a small murmur, "I''m sorry..."

    As she apologized with a mumble, her gaze wandered the floor. Based on her reaction, it seemed like she was so sorry that she didn¡¯t know what to do. I didn¡¯t really think that there was any need for an apology. I had intentionally given Jin-Seo vague answers to provoke her, and the reason why all this trouble happened in the first ce was because my skill level was vastly inferiorpared to hers.

    As if he was reading and repeating my inner thoughts, Do-Jin said, "There''s no need to apologize. You intentionally swung your sword with exaggerated movements in order to induce the opponent to take a defensive posture, and anticipating that an opening would be revealed, you entered into a stabbing motion in advance. In order to do this, you would have had to adjust the trajectory of your attack, and if you had messed up the controlling of your strength, your stance would havepletely copsed."

    Jin-Seo shifted her eyes around in different directions as if she were bewildered by Do-Jin''s exnation.

    "To seed in the attack, there was no choice but to stab while exerting a lot of force. It wasn''t a situation where you could consider whether the opponent would be knocked unconscious or not, am I right?"

    "...Yes," Jin-Seo said while nodding in agreement. For some reason, she had a somewhat bitter expression on her face. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t intentionally done everything that Do-Jin had said.

    Do-Jin shifted his gaze away from Jin-Seo and turned to me.

    "Sun-Woo, you did well too. Just by blocking the first attack, you did great. If it were another student, they would have already been knocked out by the first attack. Avoiding the second attack was almost impossible, so let''s consider it an exception."

    "...But in the end, I lost."

    "The opponent was just too strong."

    I silently agreed with his words. Even if Jin-Seo fought with her bare hands and I fought with a sword, she probably would have been able to subdue me without too much difficulty. That was how much she one-sidedly defeated me in this spar. Although I didn¡¯t have an opportunity to use the power of Loa, that was just an excuse. Jin-Seo''s ability to overpower me without even allowing me a moment to use the power of Loa was remarkable.

    I managed to shake off the pain that was radiating out of my abdomen as I stood up. Meanwhile, Jin-Seo kept bowing her head as if she was ashamed of herself.

    "By the way, Jin-Seo. I noticed you didn''t use any blessings during the duel. Is there a reason for this?" Do-Jin asked while looking at her with bemused eyes.

    Come to think of it, Jin-Seo hadn¡¯t used any blessings in our duel. She had overwhelmed me purely with her physical abilities...

    Thinking about it like that made me even more depressed. Jin-Seo finally raised her head and then stared at Do-Jin with her usual sharp gaze. "I prepared for a situation where I wouldn¡¯t be able to use blessings."

    "Is it because of the duel with Min-Seo?"

    "..."

    As if he had hit the nail on the head, Jin-Seo bit her lower lip instead of answering. In previous duels with Min-Seo, she wasn¡¯t able to use blessings, and as a result, Jin-Seo constantly suffered defeat after defeat. In preparation for another duel with her, Jin-Seo practiced dueling without using blessings by only using her physical abilities.

    Do-Jin''s face stiffened as if that slightly displeased him.

    "It''s good to consider various situations, but in a duel, you should do your best. It''s not polite to go easy on each other."

    "....Yes," Jin-Seo replied uncertainly while ncing at me through her disheveled hair.

    I ignored her weird gaze and looked around. I saw some students lying on the ground, unconscious. Fortunately, I wasn''t the only one who had fainted during a duel. While feeling somewhat relieved by this fact, I also felt embarrassed about myself for finding sce in such a thing.

    It was only natural to be frustrated after losing a spar, and it was natural to feel embarrassed after fainting during a spar. It wasn¡¯t right to becent just because I wasn''t the only one who fainted.

    "How will you evaluate the ss?" I asked Do-Jin while gently rubbing my still-sore abdomen.

    He was just about to check the condition of the other students who had lost consciousness, but he stopped walking.

    "The first day of sparring is excluded from the evaluations. I''ll let you know which days will be considered for evaluation before the start of ss. I''ll also exin the evaluation criteriater."

    "Ah, alright."

    "Do you want to go to the nurse''s office? I saw what happened earlier, and it looked a little painful," Do-Jin said while pointing to my abdomen with his chin.

    I silently shook my head. Honestly, it was ridiculously painful, but it didn''t seem necessary to go to the nurse''s office for it. This was nothingpared to the pain caused by the drawbacks of forcefully using Granbwa''s power. When I used Granbwa¡¯s power, it felt like a ball of fire had entered my body and was melting my organs.

    "Sure, if it''s okay, then you don''t really have to¡ª"

    <i>¡°Ahhhhh!¡±</i>

    At that moment, a sudden scream interrupted Do-Jin''s words. The scream was mixed with a hollow, metallic sound, and it echoed desperately and agonizingly. It seemed like the sound wasing from the bathroom attached to the sacred training ground, but it was impossible to determine exactly where it wasing from.

    "..."

    Upon hearing the scream, my body froze. My hair stood on end, and my breath was caught in my throat. My heart started pounding. It wasn''t just because the scream was eerily desperate.

    It was because the prophecy I heard from Baron Samedist night suddenly came to mind.

    <i>[Beware of screams and cries.] </i>

    He had said to beware of screams and howls. And he called the screams ¡®echoes of false pain.¡¯

    What did he mean by echoes of false pain? If the ¡®echoes of false pain¡¯ referred to the scream, then did it mean that the scream itself was fake?

    "Help, please help! Teacher, arghhhhh¡ª!"

    "...Everyone, since ss is over, go back to your ssrooms for now! Don''t worry about it. Just hurry!"

    The restroom was still filled with frantic screams. Do-Jin''s voice echoed across the sacred training ground. His voice, which was always tired and lethargic, was stiffer and stronger than usual. The students who froze in fear after getting startled by the scream began to move out of the sacred training ground with horrified faces.

    After confirming that the students were leaving, Do-Jin turned his gaze toward Jin-Seo and me. We were both standing around without knowing what to do.

    "Please help move the kids lying on the floor to the nurse''s office," Do-Jin blurted before cing his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly walking toward the direction where the scream hade from.

    Looking at his back, I could sense his determination. It seemed like he was familiar with these kinds of situations, and it looked like he had anticipated that something like this would happen.

    "After that, you two should also go back to the ssroom. We don''t know what might happen¡ª"

    "Ah, aaah©¤! Kyaaah...!"

    The scream cut off Do-Jin''s words. It no longer sounded like a scream, and it sounded more like the screeching of metal. However, the screams of a female student continued to echo.

    "Don''t just stand there. Hurry up!" Do-Jin shouted.

    Jin-Seo woke up from her daze from Do-Jin¡¯s shout and approached the fallen children. One girl and one boy were still lying on the sacred training ground, unable to regain consciousness.

    The screams persisted.

    ¡°Please save me... Teacher, please save me...¡±

    Their desperate cries filled the silence of the sacred training ground. Do-Jin briskly walked toward the direction of the bathroom, where the screams and pleas for help could be heard.

    <i>The echoes of false pain.</i>

    Baron Samedi''s eerie voice echoed in his mind.

    <i>Beware of the screams.</i>

    What did that mean? Why did I have to beware of the screams? I didn¡¯t understand.

    "...You must not go."

    I stopped him in his tracks.

    ***

    "Aaah! Please, please. Save me, please just save me..."

    Despite the heart-wrenching screams ringing in his ears, Do-Jin stopped in his tracks. It was because Sun-Woo had stopped him with a very serious tone and expression on his face.

    ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡±

    If it were any other student, he would have casually ignored them and continued on his way. But if it came from Sun-Woo, then the situation was different. Although he often said nonsensical things, he asionally made urate deductions based on his sharp intuition. There was enough value in at least hearing his reasons.

    "...The screams are too long."

    "What?" Do-Jin frowned.

    It was a riddle-like statement that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of.

    Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows as if organizing his thoughts and spoke while covering his mouth with his hand. "If a demonic beast appeared, then the owner of the scream would have died, and the screams would have stopped long ago. After all, demonic beasts have no reason and only possess the instinct to attack humans."

    ¡°..."

    "If they were demons, there would be no reason for them to let them scream like that. They have intelligence, so they would either cover their mouths to prevent them from screaming or cut their vocal cords. Thus..."

    Sun-Woo bit his lip as if he could note up with the next words. Do-Jin slowly nodded as he pondered over the meaning of his words.

    "So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s a trap?"

    "...Yes, that''s correct. It''s highly likely to be a trap." Sun-Woo nodded in agreement.

    Do-Jin had also considered this possibility.

    There was a time when he and Bok-Dong were patrolling and heard screamsing from the public restroom. Inside the restroom, they had found a severed ear, and the screams had belonged to a startled female student who had been surprised after seeing the ear. After retrieving the severed ear and exiting the bathroom, the female student disappeared.

    After that, Sung-Hyun appeared at Florence Academy. It was a fake Sung-Hyun that had been created by the Satanist using a taxidermied creature. Do-Jin had attacked Sun-Woo that day and received disciplinary action.

    That night, the results of the forensic analysis came out. The ear found in the bathroom belonged to Sung-Hyun. The reasons behind why the Satanist did such things remained unknown. He couldn¡¯t understand the reason why he had sent the fake Sung-Hyun to Florence Academy and why he had ced Sung-Hyun''s ear in the bathroom to show to the teachers. He couldn''t understand anything.

    However, one thing was certain. The Satanist was trying to lure the teachers with screams.

    "Ah, ah, aaaa.... Teacher...."

    Just like Sun-Woo had said, the screams were excessively long. It was possible that the Satanist created the screams to lure him in.

    "What if it''s not a trap but a genuine scream from a student?" Do-Jin asked.

    What if a demon or a demonic beast had really appeared in the bathroom, and a student who happened to be inside there screamed because they were attacked? It was possible that it was false screams created by the Satanist to lure him, but on the other hand, it was possible that they were genuine screams from a student seeking help.

    "If that¡¯s the case, that would mean that the student left the ss without saying a word and hence..." Sun-Woo said while dropping his gaze to the floor. "They would be reaping what they sowed..."

    "..."

    At that moment, silence filled Do-Jin''s ears. The plea-filled scream had abruptly stopped at some point in time.

    "The scream stopped. I have to go."

    "No, you can''t. It''s a trap."

    "No, as long as there is the slightest possibility that it''s not a trap, I must go."

    Do-Jin drew his sword. Then he moved the light of blessing to his legs. Taking a leaping posture, Do-Jin looked toward the direction of the bathroom where the scream hade from and said, "You''re right about the possibility of it being a trap. I have a n for that. Don''t worry."

    Do-Jin touched the Branch of the Burning Bush that he had crumpled and put in his pants pocket. If it was a trap, he could contact other teachers for help.

    If it was just a shoddy trap, he could handle it himself.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Do-Jin roughlyunched himself from the ground and leaped toward the bathroom.

 Chapter 121

    <h4>Chapter 121</h4>

    When Do-Jin arrived at the restroom, he smelled the strong scent of blood wafting from the hallway. There was also the faint smell of harsh chemicals. A female studenty t on the floor. She reached out with her trembling hands and desperately crawled toward him.

    "T-Teacher... my head... my head...!"

    "Oh, shit... What happened?!"

    Do-Jin hurriedly approached the student. At a nce, he could tell that her condition looked serious. Her right ankle was torn and jagged, and there was a hole in the side of her body. There were bite marks from a demonic beast all over her body. Her entire body was covered in blood, especially her head which was spewing out a lot of blood.

    Thankfully, the other vital areas, excluding her head, had not been attacked. If he could get her to the hospital right away, she might be able to survive. Do-Jin put away his sword and tried to lift the student.

    "T-Teacher, wait a moment. My head... my head...! Please look at my head first..."

    At that moment, the student used her arms to push aside her hair and showed Do-Jin her forehead. Do-Jin unleashed divine power with the intention of healing the student. Although he wasn¡¯t confident in his healing abilities, he thought he could at least draw an emergency healing array to stop the immediate bleeding.

    "What¡¯s wrong with your head?! Just calm down a bit and tell me urately. That''s the only way for me to heal you... quick!"

    "H-here. Teacher, my head is turning white. What should I do... my mind ispletely..."

    "Stay calm. You can survive. If you go to the hospital right away, you will survive. So..."

    He couldn''t locate the injury on the head. If only Ye-Jin were here at a time like this. She probably would have been able to urately pinpoint the injured area and heal the student''s wounds without even looking.

    <i>¡®Damn it, why did it have to be me and not Ye-Jin at a time like this...¡¯ </i>

    "It¡¯s over here, here..."

    "Don''t just say <i>here.</i> Stay calm, and let''s go to the hospital first¡ª"

    "Here, ugh. T-teacher, my mind ispletely..."

    <i>Crack... </i>

    At that moment, the girl''s head split open. The girl split open her own head with both hands, revealing the inside. The skin was torn off and ripped apart, revealing a pristine white skull.

    No, it wasn''t a skull. It was cotton. The girl''s head was filled with cotton.

    "It¡¯spletely... white, isn''t it? Wow!"

    "...Huh?"

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    The taxidermied creature exploded. Bone fragments and flesh flew and pierced Do-Jin¡¯s body. Do-Jin tried to draw his sword to defend himself, but it was futile. Tingling pain radiated out from his arms and legs, which the bone fragments had struck. However, now was not the time to wallow in pain.

    "Ah, fuck..."

    He had to immediately go outside the sacred training ground and assess the situation. There must have been a reason why he was lured here. It was clear that they were trying to cause trouble elsewhere by diverting his attention. After all, from the Satanist¡¯s perspective, he would have been a thorn in their side.

    Do-Jin bit his lip and ignored the pain spreading through his body before he quickly stepped outside the sacred training ground. He nned to go to the broadcasting room and broadcast an evacuation order to the entire school.

    "..."

    However, when he left the sacred training ground, he was back inside another sacred training ground. Do-Jin tried to go outside through the back door. Yet, even after he went through the back door, he was still on another sacred training ground. It was the same if he went through the window or broke through the wall. No matter what he tried, Do-Jin couldn''t get his body out of the sacred training ground.

    His expression darkened.

    Apollyon[1].

    It was the name of a technique that the Satanists from the Pride Branch used frequently. The group had been active in the United States until a few years ago. It was a ck magic spell that blurred the boundaries between ces, making it impossible to leave a specific ce.

    <i>Thump, thud, thud... </i>

    The ck magic didn''t end there. Demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures were pouring down from the sky like rain. Do-Jin looked up at the ceiling.

    There were five giant Pentagrams drawn on top of the ceiling of the sacred training ground. Demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures poured out from the Pentagrams and made squelching and sttering sounds as they collided with the ground.

    <i>Growl...</i>

    <i>Thud, thud, thud... </i>

    The demonic beasts bared their huge fangs and made threatening sounds, while the grotesque, taxidermied creatures made by haphazardly stitching corpses and leather together also emitted eerie noises as they fell and approached Do-Jin.

    "This is Do-Jin. Anyone, please respond."

    Do-Jin took out the Branch of the Burning Bush from his pocket and infused it with divine power. Then, he brought his mouth close to the branch and started contacting the other teachers.

    "ck magic spells suspected to be Apollyon and Summoning have been activated on the sacred training ground. Requesting immediate evacuation and support from exorcist priests. I repeat, ck magic suspected to be...¡±

    <i>sh!</i>

    Do-Jin swung his sword. As a result, the body of a demonic beast charging toward him was cut in half. The two halves writhed on the ground like worms before finally copsing. Almost as if that was a signal, three more demonic beasts immediately rushed toward him.

    Do-Jin assumed a stance after spreading the light of blessing throughout his entire body. He held the sword in his right hand and tightly gripped the Branch of the Burning Bush in his left hand.

    <i>Stab.</i>

    He pierced the forehead of a demonic beast with his sword. As he withdrew the sword, the body of the demonic beast copsed to the ground. Blood and brain matter poured out from the pierced forehead.

    Two down.

    Do-Jin gathered the light of blessing into his legs. Then, he struck the head of a demonic beast charging at him from the right using the back of his foot.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    The demonic beast¡¯s skull shattered. Its eyeballs popped out and rolled on the ground. Without stopping, Do-Jin moved the light of blessing to his left hand. He threw the Branch of the Burning Bush he was holding in his left hand upward and transferred the sword from his right hand to his left hand.

    <i>sh.</i>

    He swung the sword with his left hand. A long, horizontal line was drawn across the head of the demonic beast. Along the line, the body of the demonic beast was split in half.

    The Branch of the Burning Bush that had been soaring into the sky began to plummet to the ground. Do-Jin aggressively caught the falling branch and brought it to his mouth. He then repeated the words he had said earlier.

    "...Requesting immediate evacuation and support from exorcist priests. I repeat, ck magic spells suspected to be Apollyon and Summoning have been activated... "

    <i>Swish, splurt, swoosh... </i>

    "I repeat, any teacher listening, anyone, please respond..."

    The sound of shing, stabbing, sttering blood, and Do-Jin asking for help echoed repeatedly from the Branch of the Burning Bush. However, there was no sign of the number of demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures falling from the ceiling decreasing, and there was no response from the branch either.

    In the midst of such a desperate situation, Do-Jin continued to silently stab his sword into the foreheads of the demonic beasts, shed through the skins of the taxidermied creatures, and sought help from the Branch of the Burning Bush.

    An unknown period of time passed. Eventually, the corpses of the demonic beasts formed a mountain, and the smell of chemicals emanating from the taxidermied creatures¡¯ leather had long since permeated his body. Not only was there no response, but not even the slightest noise was heard from the Branch of the Burning Bush.

    All of a sudden, a voice came from the branch.

    ¡ªAh, ah.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    Do-Jin swung the sword he had thrust into the approaching body of the taxidermied creature upward and tore its leather apart. Fluff and sawdust shot up into the sky and then poured down like rain. Do-Jin¡¯s head was covered in sawdust soaked in pungent-smelling chemicals, and he pressed his lips against the Branch of the Burning Bush.

    "This is Do-Jin...! ck magic is being activated at the sacred training ground. Please broadcast an evacuation message to the students and request support from exorcist priests. If you understand, please respond!"

    ¡ªUnderstood. I instructed the students to sit in the ssroom and proceed with sses as normal. I also asked the exorcist priests how they were doing. Over and out.

    "...Who the hell are you? Does it look like I¡¯m fooling around here¡ª"

    ¡ªAlright, keep hustling. Good luck.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The fire attached to the Branch of the Burning Bush went out. Even though he poured divine power into it, the fire that went out did not ignite again. This meant that all the other connected branches were damaged, or it meant that his branch was malfunctioning. Do-Jin scowled.

    "This damn bastard¡ª!"

    <i>Crunch!</i>

    At that moment, a demonic beast lurking behind Do-Jin bit his right hand. It was the demonic beast that he had failed to deal with because he was focusing on the voiceing from the Branch of the Burning Bush. He pulled his hand out of the demonic beast''s mouth.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Along with blood, the fingers in the demonic beast''s mouth fell to the ground. What was torn off were the index and middle fingers. Only the ring finger, pinky, and thumb remained attached to the palm of his hand.

    The sword in his right hand ttered onto the ground. It was too heavy to lift with his remaining three fingers.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    Do-Jin stabbed the eye of the demonic beast with the Branch of the Burning Bush, which had be useless. Then, he picked up his index and middle fingers that had fallen to the ground and put them in his pocket. The demonic beast staggered back in fear, blinded by the pain of being stabbed in the eye.

    <i>Rip.</i>

    Do-Jin bit his sleeve with his teeth and tore it apart. He barely managed to hold onto the sword using his ring finger, pinky finger, and thumb before tightly wrapping his hand and the sword with the torn cloth.

    <i>Slice.</i>

    He swung the sword and severed the neck of the demonic beast that had taken away his fingers. It wasn''t as good as when his fingers were attached, but it seemed sufficient for the battle.

    "Phew."

    Do-Jin took a deep breath and stared at the taxidermied creatures and demonic beasts rushing toward him. It appeared as though they were arriving incessantly, yet there had to be a conclusion to it. Do-Jin did not have the ability to dismantle the Pentagram engraved on the ceiling of the sacred training ground. However, he was confident in his ability to wield the sword urately and skillfully.

    If that was the case, he simply had to cut down all the taxidermied creatures and demonic beasts until they no longer appeared. By doing so, the Pentagram would also cease to function. After all, a gun without bullets was nothing more than a pretty-looking piece of metal.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    At that moment, something huge fell from the sky. It was not a demonic beast. It wasn¡¯t a grotesque-looking taxidermied creature either. It was a person. No, it was a taxidermied creature that perfectly replicated the form of a person. Do-Jin did not know how to distinguish between a taxidermied creature imitating a person and an actual person. Nevertheless, he could still recognize that it was a taxidermied creature.

    "Bok-Dong."

    Bok-Dong briskly approached Do-Jin. He had a bulky physique with bulging, grotesque muscles. In contrast to that, he had an innocent face. There was no way Do-Jin wouldn¡¯t recognize this person. It was undoubtedly his long-time friend, Bok-Dong.

    "Haha..." Do-Jin let out a hollowugh.

    His right arm dropped while holding his sword. The tip of the de scraped against the ground.

    <i>¡®Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. There¡¯s no way a few demonic beasts or taxidermied creatures can tie me down. It looks like that bastard really thought things through...¡¯</i>

    It was a thought he wanted to express out loud, but he no longer had the energy to speak. Thus, he kept his mouth shut.

    <i>Thump, thump... </i>

    He red at the approaching taxidermied creature and pondered about the voice that hade from beyond the Branch of the Burning Bush. It sounded somewhat familiar. However, he couldn''t remember whose voice it was. But he would definitely remember. And he would find them, no matter what it took. He would find them, and then he would kill them... without fail.

    Do-Jin raised his sword.

    1. Apollyon (??? - Ÿoµ×¿Ó) refers to a bottomless pit that you can¡¯t escape from. ?

 Chapter 122

    <h4>Chapter 122</h4>

    "...Why have youe, Elder Gabriel?"

    Chang-Won greeted Gabriel as he entered the chairman''s office by slightly bowing toward him. Gabriel acknowledged the greeting with a slight nod.

    The two sat facing each other at the table in the center of the office. Without any formalities, Gabriel immediately brought up the main topic.

    "I''vee to discuss... the disciplinary action against Teacher Do-Jin."

    "..."

    "Among the elders, there have been discussions...about whether the disciplinary measures were too severe. Therefore, we are considering...lowering the level of punishment."

    "Are you saying this is being discussed among the elders?" Chang-Won asked.

    The elders, known for their inflexibility and bossiness, had never once reversed a disciplinary decision against a teacher. Once he heard they were considering lowering the level of punishment, Chang-Won began to doubt his own ears.

    "Is there a reason why the elders suddenly made such a decision?" Chang-Won asked.

    ¡°Of course, we won¡¯t be able to unconditionally...reduce his level of punishment. We will reduce his punishment from a suspension...to a reduction in pay, but in exchange...¡±

    He was saying that in exchange for lowering Do-Jin¡¯s punishment from a suspension to a reduction in pay, they would have him guard the elders during the Satanist Identification Project.

    Chang-Won finally understood and nodded while clenching his teeth. He wondered why Gabriel suddenly said things that made sense, but as expected... His clenched teeth trembled at the elders'' selfishness.

    "...Is that a suggestion or an order?"

    "Of course, it''s a suggestion. Not an order," Gabriel said.

    Then Gabriel looked around the room as if searching for something.

    "Speaking of which... Where is the secretary?"

    "Well, she said she had some work at home and would be back soon, but there has been no contact since. It seemed quite urgent..."

    "Oh dear... I hope it¡¯s not a big deal. The world these days...is so unpredictable...¡± Gabriel said and then clicked his tongue.

    "Anyway, take some time to think...about the proposal. I''ll go to the bathroom...for a bit."

    With a brief struggle, Gabriel managed to get up from his seat and slowly walked to the bathroom. Once Gabriel arrived at the bathroom, he washed his hands and absentmindedly touched his hair while looking at the mirror.

    He hadn¡¯te to the bathroom to relieve himself in the first ce. He went to the bathroom to give Chang-Won some time alone to think things through. While he was doing this, the door of the farthest stall in the bathroom opened by itself.

    <i>Squeak... </i>

    Gabriel stopped touching his hair and held his breath.

    The windows in the faculty members'' bathroom were always closed, and they were all still closed. The wind couldn¡¯t have opened the door. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Gabriel slowly walked toward the stall.

    "...Who''s there?"

    There was no response. Eventually, he relentlessly moved his feet toward the corner stall without stopping. Finally, he saw something in the corner stall.

    No, more precisely, he saw something <i>hanging</i> in the corner stall.

    It was the chairman¡¯s secretary. The secretary''s stomach was split in half, and it was empty inside. The secretary''s neck was wrapped with her intestines, and her body was hanging in the air, almost like someone who had hung themselves with a rope.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Gabriel''s phone fell to the ground from his hand. It hit the bathroom tile floor, and the screen cracked.

    Gabriel picked up the broken phone with a pale face. Even though a broken piece of the screen was stuck in his fingertip and blood was flowing out, he moved his finger without hesitation.

    ¡ªThis is the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch. What...

    "In Florence Academy...a Satanist. A Satanist, ugh...!"

    ¡ªWhat? What are you...

    "Ugh, guuuuuh...! Cough...!"

    The elder couldn''t hold back his nausea, and he started vomiting on the bathroom floor. The pdin¡¯s bewildered voice kepting through the receiver.

    ***

    "Another swordsmanship ss? I don¡¯t even know how many students have been knocked unconscious at this point... Alright, good job. Quickly, go back to ss and rest."

    After moving the two unconscious students to the nurse''s office, I left while listening to the school nurse¡¯s grumblings. Then, I immediately headed to the sacred training ground. Baron Samedi''s prophecy to beware of screams kept echoing in my ears, and my steps were born out of concern for what might have happened to Do-Jin, who was captivated by the screams.

    No? I wasn''t really worried about Do-Jin. I just wanted to confirm if I had interpreted Baron Samedi''s prophecy correctly.

    "...Do you not have to go to the nurse''s office?" Jin-Seo asked while following me.

    "Me? Why would I need to go to the nurse¡¯s office?"

    "Does it not hurt?"

    She raised her lowered gaze and briefly examined my expression. Usually arched, her eyebrows were now furrowed as she looked at me with a wary expression..

    I shook my head. My abdomen still tingled a bit, but it wasn''t bad enough to go to the nurse''s office.

    "I''m fine."

    "You always say you''re fine."

    "Then should I say I''m not fine?"

    "...That''s not what I meant!" Jin-Seo eximed while abruptly raising her head.

    Her eyebrows briefly shot up, and then as if surprised by her own voice, they flinched back down. I gave her a small smile.

    "You suddenly got angry. How scary... I¡¯m so scared."

    "I''m not angry," Jin-Seo replied in a soft voice with her head bowed.

    That''s when I noticed the sword in her hand. It was the training sword we used at the sacred training ground.

    "Why did you bring the sword?"

    "Sword...? Oh? This... "

    She looked at the sword in her hand and widened her eyes as if she were surprised. Due to the urgent situation, she hadn''t thought of putting it down and had brought it along with her. The foam wrapped around the de for training purposes had already been peeled off. However, it didn''t look very threatening because the de was too dull. It was the same as a toy de.

    "Why did I bring this?" Jin-Seo asked herself.

    "If I get stabbed again, it won''t end with just me fainting since there is no foam this time."

    "...I won''t stab you."

    "I¡¯m going to be careful, just in case."

    "I said I won''t stab you. You don''t have to be careful..."

    Normally, she would have retorted back with a rxed smile, but this time she shifted her gaze around the room as if she was unsure of what to do. It seemed like she was genuinely sorry for knocking me out during the spar. It was somewhat amusing to see her react differently than usual.

    She was lowering her head in a depressed manner when she seemingly remembered something and suddenly asked, "...But where are you going?"

    "The sacred training ground. What about you?"

    "I was following you."

    "Why were you following me?"

    "Am I not allowed to follow you?"

    "There''s no reason you can''t, but..."

    "Then let''s go together."

    It was an unexpected proposal. She tantly stared at me while pushing a strand of hair back on her head.

    "Why are you going to the sacred training ground?"

    ¡°I¡¯m going to check out what happened there.¡±

    ¡°The teacher told us to stay in the ssroom.¡±

    "Since when did you start listening so obediently to the teachers?" I said jokingly.

    In response, Jin-Seo red at me with narrowed eyes.

    "I listen to what they say, you know...?"

    "Yeah, since you listen so well to the teachers, go to the ssroom."

    "You''re really...!"

    She looked at me with eyes filled with betrayal. Then, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly and scoffed, "I won''t talk to you."

    "Really?"

    "...No."

    Her gaze dropped to the ground. Then, she walked beside me with weak, unstable steps.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    asionally, her head lightly tapped against my shoulder. She covered her face with her hair by bowing her head and said, "You were really mean...."

    "What did I do?"

    "..."

    I yfully teased her by ying dumb, and before we realized it, we arrived in front of the sacred training ground. The atmosphere was strangely bleak, and the air around us felt heavy. As if nervous, Jin-Seo held on to her sword with a tense expression on her face as we tried to enter the sacred training ground.

    <i>nk. </i>

    "...It''s locked."

    However, we couldn''t enter. The door was firmly locked from the inside. I nced through the window to check what was happening inside. All the lights were off, and the training swords previously scattered on the floor could no longer be seen. It was perfectly cleaned up as if there had never been any sword training sses in the first ce.

    "Why? Is there something wrong?"

    Jin-Seo pushed her head in next to mine and tried to look through the window. She had approached so suddenly that I was startled, and I instinctively pulled my head back.

    "There''s nothing."

    "Yeah, but why are you avoiding me?"

    "...Let''s go back."

    Without answering Jin-Seo''s question, I turned toward the ssroom and started walking.

    I had no idea what happened to Do-Jin after he headed toward the bathroom following the scream. However, seeing the immactely organized sacred training ground devoid of any signs of battle, it seemed like it had been taken care of.

    If the origin of the scream really had been a Florence Academy student, then Do-Jin would have taken them to the hospital. Even if it was a trap, Do-Jin would have taken care of it ande out. For now, this scenario seemed to be more usible.

    "So why did you avoid me earlier? Is it because you were embarrassed?" Jin-Seo asked persistently as she followed me back to the ssroom. She had a small smile on her face, and her voice was filled with mischief.

    "That¡¯s a good question...but are you going to keep holding onto that sword?"

    "For now, since there''s nowhere else to put it... Why are you changing the subject again?" she asked as she looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes.

    "..."

    I just kept my mouth shut. I felt like if I answered unnecessarily, I would get caught up with her pace.

    Even though I tried to subtly change the subject, it didn''t work on Jin-Seo. For a moment, I felt a sense offort in the ensuing silence, but she once again tapped her head against my shoulder and asked, "You''re not going to answer?"

    "Think about it as you wish."

    "Is that fine?"

    "What exactly are you going to think about, to be asking for permission?"

    "...True."

    We continued walking while exchanging trivial conversations.

    <i>Flutter¡ª! </i>

    Birds flew up from Eiden Hill. It wasn''t just one or two birds. Dozens of birds lined up in a fan shape and flew off into the horizon. It slowly started to feel like the ground was trembling below my feet.

    The school was enveloped by a heavy silence.

    The faint smile that was on Jin-Seo''s facepletely disappeared. She stared at the birds flying away with her sharp, narrowed eyes.

    <i>Rumble rumble... </i>

    Then, with a loud explosion, a rumbling sound echoed and reverberated throughout the area. Following that, a strange sound that seemed like the cries of birds could be heard.

    Kyaaa, kyaaak...

    As the sounds got closer, I realized that it wasn''t the sounds of birds crying. It was the sounds of countless screams tangling and intertwining into a cacophony.

    Screams were resounding once again.

    <i>An echo of false pain. </i>

    "..."

    Following the screamsing out from the sacred training ground, there were sounds of explosions and then more screams. It was too systematic and sequential to be called a coincidence. Something was clearly happening. It was a situation that required calm and rational judgment, but the situation did not give me the chance to do so.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap, tap... </i>

    From far away, someone with fluttering brown hair was running toward me. As she got closer, her face became clearer.

    With furrowed brows, she tried to hold back her tears, but they still flowed uncontrobly as she wiped them away with her sleeve and desperately ran towards me.

    It was In-Ah.

    "What¡¯s going¡ª"

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Before I could even speak, she rushed toward me and hugged me tightly. Her tear-stained face pressed against my clothes before she swiftly lifted her head.

    Her big, round eyes with brown irises that were shining like stars stared at me intensely.

    "Sun-Woo..."

    Tears welled up in her eyes as she called my name. Her familiar scent, which I had grown ustomed to while being together, felt strange. Her fragrance was so strong that it made me momentarily dizzy. I could feel my heart pounding and my face heating up. Her cold hand rested on my cheek.

    ¡°I had a ss in the training center when suddenly, the building copsed. Sob, sniff..."

    ¡°..."

    "Sniff, the kids... The kids were trapped under the pir. Sob. Help, Sun-Woo, help..."

    The Department of Priests had a ss in the training center. Now that I thought about it, the explosion sounds seemed to havee from the direction of the training center. Judging from In-Ah''s words, the training center copsed, and as a result, students were trapped under a pir. Since no one could lift the pir up, she wandered around to seek assistance when she spotted me.

    In-Ah looked up at me with tears streaming down her face.

    "What are you doing? Hurry, let''s go to the training center¡ª"

    <i>Slice. </i>

    At that moment, her words were cut off. Simultaneously, her throat was sliced off. In-Ah''s severed head detached from her body and rolled on the floor.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Her body copsed onto the ground. Instead of blood, sawdust and cotton poured out from the severed section of her neck.

    "Who do you think you¡¯re messing with...?"

    Jin-Seo held her sword and looked down at In-Ah''s body, or rather, the taxidermied creature''s corpse, with a cold and chilly gaze.

    <i>Sssss... </i>

    ck noxious smoke rose up from the corpse that the blunt sword had severed. The corpse lost its sticity and became gooey, eventually transforming into smoke and dispersing into the sky.

    In the ce where the corpse had scattered, In-Ah''s school uniform, sweatshirt, and a long, thin thread-like object remained.

    "Hair...?"

    It was a strand of hair. A long, thin, brown strand of hair.

    <i>Wee woo wee woo!</i>

    I didn¡¯t even have time toprehend the situation, let alone have time to be startled. Sirens red from speakers installed throughout the school.

    With a sharp sound of adjusting the audio, the teacher''s voice began to flow through the entire school.

    <strong><i>Ah, ah. Student Do... immediately...e to the... office. Failure toply will be considered an act of rebellion... against the Romanican Church. I repeat... student... Woo, please immediatelye to the principal''s...</i></strong>

    The teacher''s voice was mixed with white noise, making it difficult to understand. A wave of anxiety washed over me.

    <i>Crackle, crackle... </i>

    The constant white noise gradually faded and eventually disappearedpletely. And once again, the teacher''s voice could be heard.

    <strong><i>Student Do Sun-Woo, immediatelye to the principal''s office. Failure toply will be considered an act of rebellion against the Romanican church. I repeat, Student Do Sun-Woo... </i></strong>

    The voice was calling out to me.

 Chapter 123

    <h4>Chapter 123</h4>

    Everything had happened so suddenly. The taxidermied creature that resembled In-Ah hade rushing toward me with a familiar scent, and Jin-Seo had sliced the creature apart. Immediately afterward, the school broadcast called me to the principal''s office.

    My mind was overwhelmed by chaos and turmoil. First of all, it seemed necessary to organize my thoughts.

    "..."

    I collected my breath and started thinking. ck smoke was rising from the body of the bisected taxidermied creature. Upon seeing that, a question arose in my mind.

    "...How did you know?"

    If that hadn¡¯t been a taxidermied creature but the real In-Ah, it would have been a disaster. There was no way that Jin-Seo was unaware of this fact.

    Yet, Jin-Seo swung her sword without any hesitation and cut off the neck of the taxidermied creature. If that was the case, how could she be certain that it was a taxidermied creature?

    Jin-Seo pointed to the severed part of the taxidermied creature''s leg with the tip of her sword and said, "The foot."

    "The foot?"

    "There was a wound on the foot. It''s not visible now."

    "So?"

    "Instead of blood, there was sawdust. And it was also strange that she was barefoot...¡±

    From the taxidermied creature¡¯s wounds, sawdust, cotton, and chemicals had flowed out instead of blood. It seemed like Jin-Seo was convinced that In-Ah was a taxidermied creature after seeing the wound on its foot.

    It was impossible to confirm it since the taxidermied creature¡¯s body had already lost its form and was disappearing into smoke. At this point, it was impossible to figure out whether there was a wound on her foot or not. However, that didn''t really matter.

    The real problem was the school broadcast.

    The voice from the broadcast had specifically called my name and ordered me to go to the principal''s office. It was clear from the tone and content of the broadcast that they weren¡¯t calling me over to praise me. The broadcast was tantly filled with suspicious content.

    Nevertheless, I had to go for now. It was because of the statement: Failure toply will be considered treason against the Romanican Church.

    "It looks like I have to go to the principal''s office for now..." I muttered to myself as I walked toward the principal''s office.

    The principal''s office was in the building across from where I was, so it took quite some time to get there. I had to hurry up. If I waste, things could be more troublesome.

    Jin-Seo followed beside me and said, "Let''s go together."

    "...Why?"

    "Can''t I?"

    "Just go back to the ssroom. It''s pointless for you toe with me..."

    As I trailed off, I caught a glimpse of the sword in Jin-Seo''s hand. Flesh from the taxidermied creature that had been disguised as In-Ah was dried up and stuck to the sword such that it stained the de was stained ck. It almost looked like dried blood. It was more convenient to preemptively eliminate anything that could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

    Above all, there was no reason for her toe with me.

    "...But still."

    "It¡¯s not that big of a deal. Just listen to me."

    "..."

    She lowered her head. Then, as if she was reluctant, she nodded slightly. It seemed like my words had unintentionallye out a bit harsh, but it couldn''t be helped.

    "I''ll be back soon."

    With that message as a farewell, I walked toward the principal''s office without looking back.

    In a situation like this, where it was impossible to predict what would happen, it was morefortable and efficient to act alone rather than apany someone else. If I went to the principal''s office and a situation arose where I had no choice but to use a Voodoo spell, her presence would be a hindrance.

    Also, I needed some time to think alone. After seeing the taxidermied creature resembling In-Ah melting away and leaving behind long brown hair... Several hypotheses quickly shed through my mind. However, they were all baseless and vague hypotheses. It was necessary to pinpoint the hypotheses that had a reasonable possibility.

    As I walked across the field, a riddle from Legba echoed in my mind.

    [It¡¯s something that you¡¯ve always overlooked. Something beyond negligence, something you weren''t even aware of. Keep that in mind.]

    My thoughts feltplicated. It felt like the words were not being processed in my mind and were instead bouncing off my ears. It was difficult for me to understand what Legba was saying.

    Soon, I arrived in front of the principal''s office. The sky beyond the window in the hallway was gray. I could smell the scent of wet soil, which made it seem like it would rain soon.

    ¡ªWhat qualifications do you have to utter such words?!

    ¡ªChairman, please calm down a little...

    I could hear someone shouting beyond the door. The volume of the conversation was already quite high. But for some reason, I didn''t feel scared. The loud voicesing from beyond the door were actually made me feel calm. I couldn''t understand why.

    <i>Click. </i>

    "I''m here."

    I opened the door and entered the principal''s office.

    ***

    "You still haven''t returned? What have you been doing?"

    "Yes, I heard a report that they arrived in front of Florence Academy, but there has been no contact since then..."

    "These bastards, why do they keep cutting off their reports midway!" Han Dae-Ho shouted and abruptly stood up from his seat.

    The subordinate pdin reporting the situation to Han Dae-Ho jerked back in surprise.

    Han Dae-Ho had a visible scowl on his face as he paced anxiously around the director''s office with his hands ced on his waist.

    He then muttered to himself, "We need to send reinforcements... No, sending reinforcements might actually be detrimental. Damn it, what can we do without any information..."

    If a team out on a mission failed to report back and did not contact or give any advance notice, it was assumed that they had either deserted or an emergency situation where reporting or contacting colleagues was impossible had urred. ording to protocol, he was supposed to call for reinforcements in this situation.

    However, Han Dae-Ho was bothered by the fact that in the previous incident, he had called for reinforcements without careful consideration, and as a result, dozens of pdins and priests had caused chaos after being ensnared by ck magic. Due to that incident, Han Dae-Ho had been summoned to Central and had to report to his superiors multiple times.

    "If we follow protocol, it¡¯ll be a problem. If we don¡¯t follow protocol, it¡¯ll also be a problem. Ever since I was inaugurated as the director, nothing has been going well. Life sure is harsh. What do you think?¡±

    "..."

    The subordinate remained silent. No matter what he said, he knew he would receive criticism or a scolding. In such situations, he just had to keep his mouth shut and nod quietly.

    Han Dae-Ho was pacing around in the director''s office with anxious strides when he suddenly stopped and looked around.

    "Where is the phone?"

    "You''re holding it in your hand."

    "Ah, you¡¯re right. What the..."

    Han Dae-Ho chuckled dryly and held up the mobile phone he had been clutching in his left hand. In contrast to its owner''s imposing stature, the phone''s size was so small that it almost looked cute. He tapped the screen with his thick fingers littered with scars and splinters. He was thinking of making a call.

    "..."

    A dry signal tone echoed through the phone. Han Dae-Ho held his breath, waiting for the other person to answer.

    The person he was calling was Bok-Dong. After tracking the location of Elder Gabriel, who reported this incident, he discovered that Gabriel¡¯s location was currently Florence Academy. Therefore, Han Dae-Ho nned to directly ask Bok-Dong, a teacher, about what was happening at Florence Academy.

    However, in the end, the phone did not connect. Judging from the asional fluctuation and disconnection of the signal, it seemed that the signal waves were unstable. Han Dae-Ho angrily put his phone in his pocket. The emotions that surfaced in his eyes wereplex. He recalled the words Bok-Dong had said to him yesterday.

    <i>"The Satanist seems to be good at breaking CCTV footage and cutting off signals. It feels like they should have been a signalman or a mechanic instead of a Satanist..." </i>

    Bok-Dong had casually said this while talking about the Satanist who had infiltrated Florence Academy. At the core of his words was sympathy toward the Satanist. Despite his size, Bok-Dong had a very soft personality. The reason why Bok-Dong retired as a pdin even though his skills were better than Han Dae-Ho¡¯s and became a teacher was because of his weak personality. He even pitied criminals and cultists.

    "How many teams have we sent out so far?"

    "A total of three teams. Two investigation teams and one rescue team."

    "But not a single team has returned. No, not even a single person has returned. This is really strange, isn''t it?"

    "Yes, it doesn''t seem very likely that they all neglected their duties.¡±

    ording to Bok-Dong, the Satanists knew of a method that could disruptmunications. And when Han Dae-Ho called Bok-Dong just now, there was static noise on the line. It meant that either the caller or the receiver had an unstable connection. On top of that, they had sent a rtively elite group of investigation and rescue teams, but not even a single team had returned.

    Han Dae-Ho couldn''t be sure yet. There wasn''t enough evidence. Perhaps he was making judgments based on his intuition. Nevertheless, he gave orders to his subordinates with a determined expression.

    "Gather all avable teams and deploy them asbat pdins."

    "What about equipment...?"

    "Assume that it¡¯s a riot control situation and get everyone equipped with fullbat equipment."

    The subordinate¡¯s face turned pale. With the exception of when the Pdin Order was temporarily transferred into the Holy Army, riot control was a situation they had never experienced before. He couldn''t understand why Han Dae-Ho ced so much importance on this task. Of course, it was a very serious matter that none of the three dispatched teams had returned yet, but even considering that, going in fully armed was too risky.

    Moreover, he said they needed to go to the prestigious Florence Academy while fully armed. One wrong step could lead to the director''s resignation or dismissal due to causing unnecessary anxiety and disharmony.

    "Are you sure it''s okay? I think the risk is too high..."

    "It''s better to overreact than to neglect our duties," Han Dae-Ho said as if it wasn''t a big deal while loosening up his body.

    Ordering the pdins to go in fully armed with riot control equipment was definitely a risky order. However, he had that much confidence. His intuition, which was so clear that it felt like a certainty, was telling him to give this order.

    "By the way, I''m going too, so make preparations to help me leave immediately."

    "Yes, understood."

    The subordinate bowed and left the director''s office. Han Dae-Ho prepared for the departure and looked out the window. The sky had be dark and hazy.

    ***

    There were four people in the principal''s office. The principal, vice-principal, Chang-Won, and an unfamiliar elderly man. With a table in the center, the principal and Chang-Won were confronting each other and exchanging heated words. Meanwhile, the vice-principal sat in between the two while twiddling his fingers as if he were unsure of what to do.

    The elderly man was lying on a sofa in the corner of the room. A thin nket covered his body.

    "Chairman, when we reviewed the footage, only Sun-Woo was seen entering and leaving the chairman¡¯s office¡ª"

    "The Satanist is trying to sow discord among us with their bizarre ck magic that transcends logic and knowledge. How can you allow yourself to be manipted like that?"

    ¡°It¡¯s because there are no other possible suspects besides Sun-Woo.¡±

    "There is a possibility that a taxidermied creature was used, and besides that, there is also a possibility that it was an illusion created through ck magic. However, without even considering these possibilities, you stated that ¡®failure toply will be considered an act of rebellion against the Romanican Church.¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t you only say these kinds of things after he is confirmed to be a culprit instead of when he is just a suspect?!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    When I entered the principal''s office, Chang-Won and the principal were in the middle of a heated argument. I couldn¡¯t tell if they had realized that I had entered the room. I quietly stood there with my mouth shut as I waited for their dispute to end. As I stood there like a log for a brief period of time, the principal, whose face had turned bright red due to agitation, took a step back in surprise after spotting me.

    "What... since when did you..."

    "I''ve been here for a while," I calmly replied.

    Chang-Won cleared his throat next to me and said, ¡°...I¡¯ve shown you something unsightly.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±

    The vice-principal finally spoke up after silently observing the argument unfold.

    "Well, now that Sun-Woo is here, we can ask what we originally intended to ask..."

    Chang-Won nodded with a sour expression on his face. The principal red at me sternly and pointed at me usingly.

    "Have you ever been near the chairman''s office recently? Tell me the truth!"

    The tone of questioning made me slightly annoyed, but I didn''t show it. The timeframe described as ''recent'' remained unclear, but I had visited the chairman''s office several times fairly recently to obtain permission to ess the Central Library.

    I slowly nodded and answered, "Yes, I have."

    "But didn''t you have sses this morning? Why did you wander around the chairman''s office without permission?"

    "I went to the chairman''s office a while ago to obtain permission to ess the Central Library, but I came back because the chairman was not avable. I didn''t visit today."

    The principal seemed flustered.

    "...You''re lying. This morning! This morning, you were caught on camera wandering around the chairman''s office!" he said incoherently.

    Was he saying that I was caught on camera wandering around the chairman''s office this morning? However, I hadn''t been to the chairman''s office this morning. At that time, I would have been unconscious after getting hit in the head by Jin-Seo during the spar.

    "I haven¡¯t been there, so how would I get caught on camera?" I asked, feeling bewildered.

    Above all, his questioning attitude made me feel like I was being treated as the culprit, making me even more upset.

    "You''re twisting your words. Since you got caught, that''s evidence that you went to the chairman''s office."

    "Why did you call me here in the first ce? I don''t understand why you''re so obsessed with the chairman''s office."

    "You''re changing the subject. Yeah, you probably know why you were called here, so why bother asking¡ª"

    At that moment, Chang-Won''s firm and heavy shout interrupted the principal''s words.

    "Principal!"

    "Stop with the meaningless criticism."

    "...Understood."

    The principal calmed down in response to Chang-Won''s outburst. Thanks to that, the principal no longer red at me while openly showing his animosity like before. However, he continued scrutinizing me up and down with a dissatisfied expression as he pressed for answers.

    "The secretary who was in the chairman''s office. You know her, right?"

    "Yes, I do."

    I saw her several times when I visited the chairman''s office to get an ess permit to enter the Central Library.

    "That secretary was found dead in the faculty members¡¯ restroom near the chairman''s office. You and Elder Gabriel were the only ones who visited the chairman''s office and the faculty members¡¯ restroom. Do you understand what I''m saying now?"

    "So, are you saying I killed the secretary?"

    "Yes. Depending on various factors, I also think that you might even be a Satanist. The previous survey results were very suspicious."

    "What was wrong with the survey results?"

    "Unnatural normalcy. In other words, the credibility of the answers to the questions is questionable."

    I answered several questions falsely to hide the fact that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult in the survey that was conducted as part of the Satanist Identification Project. I manipted my answers in such a way that it would make me appear as normal and as typical as possible in terms of religion or values. However, it seemed like I was being suspected because of that. Obviously, I was not a Satanist, so it was very unfair to be suspected of being one.

    However, I had nothing to say about the survey.

    "...Thus, you''re suspecting me of being a Satanist," I said.

    "That''s right," the principal replied.

    "But if I were a Satanist, I wouldn''t have a reason to respond to the summons, right?"

    "There is already evidence that you are a Satanist. Saying that you aren¡¯t a Satanist because you had no reason to respond to the summons is not a counterargument to the evidence already presented," the principal said.

    His tone was aggressive, but his argument was somewhat valid. The secretary in the chairman''s office was found dead in the nearby faculty members¡¯ restroom, and ording to CCTV footage, I was the only student who had visited both the chairman''s office and the faculty member''s restroom. It was a situation where I couldn¡¯t help but be suspected.

    "What was captured on CCTV was a taxidermied creature imitating my appearance. It was the same method used when Sung-Hyun appeared at school after being expelled."

    "How can you be so sure?"

    "Because I can confidently say that I didn''t go near the chairman''s office today. I was attending sses at the sacred training ground. You can ask Teacher Do-Jin¡ª"

    "Do-Jin, yes! Do-Jin is also missing now. Did you have something to do with that, too?" the principal said sharply.

    Do-Jin was missing?

    After moving the unconscious students to the nurse''s office and returning to the sacred training ground, no one was there. The lights were off, and all the training swords that had been scattered on the floor had been neatly cleaned up. I thought that Do-Jin had handled the situation and reported back after taking the students to the hospital. But apparently, he was missing.

    Then what did I see at the sacred training ground, and what exactly happened there?

    "I don''t really know¡ª"

    "You''re in a position where you have to prove that you''re not a Satanist. It''s not something that can be brushed off by just saying that you don''t know!''" the principal snapped back.

    The principal''s office was filled with a chilling silence. The vice-principal was holding his hands together as he stared at me with a nk expression.

    Although Chang-Won had his arms crossed and seemed dissatisfied with the principal''s behavior, he also looked at me with suspicion. He was taking a somewhat friendly stance toward me, but it didn''t mean he didn''t have doubts about me.

    That¡¯s when I realized that I was being suspected.

    It was a clear and obvious fact. Only now did I realize something so obvious¡ªI hadn''t been aware that I could be suspected.

    <i>[It¡¯s something that you¡¯ve always overlooked. Something beyond negligence, something you weren''t even aware of. Keep that in mind.]</i>

    Legba''s voice echoed in my mind. I hadn''t predicted that I would be on the line of suspicion, and I hadn''t prepared for a situation where I would be doubted. That was what I had overlooked this entire time.

    <i>ng.</i>

    It felt like something had hit the back of my head. As I stood there as if I was dazed, I felt a cold sensation on my wrist. The vice-principal had approached me without a word and had put handcuffs on my wrist.

    Suddenly, my body went weak. It didn''t seem like ordinary handcuffs but more like a holy artifact.

    "The Pdin Order wille soon. If you are found innocent after the investigation, you will be released. So, if you''re not a Satanist, think of a way to prove your innocence until then. Right now, we have no choice but to restrain you, so understand."

    It wasn''t a request for my understanding but rather a notification for me to understand. Immediately after, there was a click. My right wrist was connected to handcuffs and some sort of loop that was connected to the wall of the principal''s office. So, I waspletely bound. Until the Pdin Order arrived, I was in a position where I couldn''t move an inch from here.

    "Is it fine to arbitrarily detain a student like this?"

    "It''s not normally allowed, but it is possible for suspected cultists and anti-government terrorists."

    The treatment of cultist suspects in this country was far worse than that of dogs.

    I knew this, but when I became a suspect myself, it felt even more painful. If it was like this for me, how was my mother being treated in the underground prison? I wanted water. I felt suffocated, and my throat felt dry.

    I thought about using a spell and breaking the handcuffs to escape, but unfortunately, I didn''t have the strength to break the handcuffs. The Blessing of Superhuman Strength was far from enough, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I could break the handcuffs with Bossou''s power. Due to the holy artifact, my body didn''t have enough strength.

    "Chairman."

    "...I trust you. However... given the situation..."

    Chang-Won''s gaze fell to the ground as he trailed off. It seemed like he wasn''t convinced that I wasn''t a Satanist. I understood his feelings, given the situation. However, regardless of understanding, my heart couldn''t help but feelplicated.

    "That aside, when will the Pdin Order©¤"

    <i>Bang! </i>

    The moment the principal mentioned the Pdin Order, the door burst open. I thought that the pdins had finally arrived, but unfortunately, the ones who arrived were two individuals.

    It was Min-Seo and Yu-Hyun. Min-Seo was holding a mop in her right hand.

    "Yu-Hyun, check them."

    "Okay... Well, it seems like there are two of them. No, three of them here..."

    The duo seemedpletely out of ce as they barged into the principal''s office and started talking among themselves. When Min-Seo gave the signal, Yu-Hyun released divine power and drew a circle around his eyes. Then, beyond the circle, he nced at Chang-Won, the vice-principal, and me.

    "...Really. And then, these two people..."

    Perhaps due to the sudden appearance of Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo, the principal, vice-principal, and Chang-Won all had bewildered expressions on their faces.

    Without hesitation, Yu-Hyun shifted his gaze towards the principal and the elder. In an instant, his expression turned cold, and he pointed to the principal and elder with his finger.

    "Both are fake."

    <i>Snap! </i>

    As Yu-Hyun finished speaking, Min-Seo fearlessly smashed the mop with her knee. Holding the broken mop like a spear in both hands, she charged toward the elder.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    And then she stabbed the elder. He was still lying on the sofa, pierced by Min-Seo''s spear without even a chance to resist. However, blood did not stain the nket.

    When Min-Seo pulled out the spear, bits of sawdust and cotton flew out like snow. Chang-Won and the vice-principal were mesmerized by the sight that seemed almost fantastical.

    Immediately after, Min-Seo aimed the makeshift spear at the principal. But before the spear could pierce the principal''s body, the principal''s belly started to bulge. The principal''s belly swelled up like a balloon.

    "Oh, shit. I was toote."

    It was the harbinger that heralded the explosion of the taxidermied creature.

 Chapter 124

    <h4>Chapter 124</h4>

    <i>Thud, thud, thud.</i>

    Dozens of pdins armed with fullbat equipment designed for riot control marched down the street in formation. Leading the procession were two individuals: Director Han Dae-Ho and religious schr Oh Hee-Jin. The eyes of the onlookers were filled with fear and curiosity as they watched them. The fearful ones quickened their pace, while the curious ones took out their phones to take pictures.

    Oh Hee-Jin, fully armed from head to toe, asked Han Dae-Ho, "...Director, are you sure this is okay?"

    Her notebook, which she always carried with her, was tucked in her armpit. Han Dae-Ho walked silently while looking in the direction of Florence Academy.

    "It''s fine."

    "After all this, if it turns out to be nothing...you won''t be able to avoid getting fired."

    "Is that so? I can handle it if I get fired. It¡¯s better than being executed," Han Dae-Ho said while chuckling as if it was not a big deal.

    However, just like Oh Hee-Jin, he was also gued by anxiety. Walking the streets in fullbat equipment could scare the citizens. From the Holy See''s perspective, depending on the situation, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and excessive damage to the Romanican Church¡¯s image.

    If they arrived at Florence Academy and it turned out that they didn¡¯t need fullbat equipment, Han Dae-Ho would be held responsible. At the very least, he would be punished through suspension, and even the possibility of getting fired was on the table.

    "Director, even now, if you were to rx the level of armament to threat alert status¡ª"

    "I will take responsibility regardless. This was a decision I made because I was confident. Don''t worry any further, and don''t interfere."

    "...I interfered too much. I apologize." Oh Hee-Jin bowed her head.

    The pdins continued to walk forward. When Han Dae-Ho''s left foot moved forward, the pdins'' left foot moved forward as well. The steps of the procession were perfectly synchronized. Their faces were not visible because their helmets covered them. However, beyond their helmets, their faces were filled with a sense of pride and enthusiasm.

    As a result of the ongoing events, Han Dae-Ho had been particrly focused onbat training for the pdins, and as a result, the pdins were fully alert.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud</i>...

    The sound of their synchronized footsteps ceased when the walls of Florence Academy became visible to the naked eye.

    "Demonic energy..."

    Unusual demonic energy flowed around the walls. As if threatening the pdins, the mist swirled, but it never crossed over the wall, much like a barrier.

    "It seems like it won¡¯t cross over the walls," Oh Hee-Jin said.

    "Yeah. We¡¯re in a situation where we don¡¯t know what ck magic spell the demonic energy came from...¡±

    "Yes, there''s a possibility that it is a Contract spell or Corruption spell."

    Since they couldn''t identify which spell the demonic energy wasing from, they couldn''t rashly cross over the wall. If Han Dae-Ho turned into a humanoid demonic beast or a demon due to a Contract spell, things would be veryplicated. If he became incapacitated due to the Corruption spell, it would also be a problem.

    "At times like this, we need an anti-demon mask."

    "Do we have any in stock?"

    "No, I was just saying it for the heck of it. After all, they say that even a mask can''t stop the Corruption spell, right? We''ll have to make do."

    "Yes. The particles of demonic energy released from Corruption are smaller than those released from other ck magic spells, so even a mask can''t stop it," Oh Hee-Jin exined while droning on in a low voice. She was knowledgeable about Satanists¡¯ ck magic as well.

    "Thank you. It''s very useful and hopeful information," Han Dae-Ho said sarcastically while sighing.

    "Come to think of it, isn''t ck magic justpletely hacks? After all, at best, blessings give you greater strength and rity of mind."

    "You shouldn¡¯t say such sacrilegious things. There aren''t many believers of Satanism, so it¡¯s a small elite group. Moreover, even elite Satanists can¡¯t use Contract and Corruption frequently either."

    "Yeah... I''m just saying that for the heck of it as well," Han Dae-Ho said.

    He then nodded and took a step forward. Judging by the demonic energy flowing around the wall, it seemed like something had happened. While inwardly feeling relieved that they had arrived with fullbat equipment, Han Dae-Ho headed toward the gate. The pdins also followed Han Dae-Ho and arrived at the Florence Academy gate.

    Strangely enough, there was no one around. There were no security guards, students, or teachers. Only a quiet silence and an eerie, gloomy atmosphere lingered near the gate.

    Han Dae-Ho expressed his doubts. "Aren¡¯t security guards supposed to be at the gate? Back in my day, I remember there were security guards. And I don''t see any students either."

    "I wonder..." Oh Hee-Jin said as she peered at the gate like a meerkat.

    The gate was enveloped in silence. It was so silent that it almost felt creepy. The fact that the demonic energy had spread to the wall meant that an incident rted to Satanists had definitely urred inside the school. However, there was not a single student that was evacuating.

    It meant that either the situation was not urgent enough to require evacuation or the situation was so serious that evacuation was not possible. If it was the former, it would be fortunate, but if it was thetter...

    Han Dae-Ho felt a sense of foreboding as he gestured toward the inside of the school gate. It was a signal to enter.

    "Scout team, go ahead."

    The five pdins at the front of the formation bowed toward Han Dae-Ho. Then, they took out shields that were barelyrge enough to cover their faces and walked in unison toward the school gate.

    There was one reason why they had to send a scout team before the main force.

    From the perspective of the Satanists, the first thing they needed to do before causing an incident was to seal off the school gate. They had to prevent students and teachers from escaping, and they had to prevent pdins or crusaders from entering and rescuing the people inside the school. However, the school gate, which should have been sealed off, was wide open. It didn¡¯t make sense that the wall was sealed off but the main entrance waspletely fine.

    Han Dae-Ho suspected that there were traps or ambushes set up at the school gate, and that was why he sent a scouting team to confirm the danger.

    <i>Bang! Crack!</i>

    And his prediction was correct. Iron balls flew toward the heads of the five members of the scouting team who had crossed the gate with cautious steps and lowered postures. Some were lucky enough to block them with shields, but others were not so fortunate. Although they were wearing helmets, the impact of being hit on the head with a first-sized iron ball was significant.

    Two out of the five members of the reconnaissance team copsed onto the ground without even having an opportunity to let out a scream.

    "Assault team, gear up and guard the reconnaissance team! I''ll take the lead!"

    Han Dae-Ho quickly signaled with his hands and rushed toward the fallen reconnaissance team. The members of the assault team each held their own weapons and holy artifacts as they followed behind. They swiftly surrounded the fallen reconnaissance team with fast and disciplined movements.

    Han Dae-Ho scanned the area. The enemy''s position had not yet been identified. However, he was sure that the enemy was watching them. They couldn''t see the enemy, but the enemy could see them... It was the worst situation.

    Han Dae-Ho gave orders for the rifle squad at the rear of the formation to stand by. He intended to decide whether to give permission to fire based on the situation.

    "This is the Eastern Pdin Order! Drop your weapons and surrender!" Han Dae-Ho shouted toward the unseen enemy.

    There was no response. Han Dae-Ho put more strength into his voice and shouted again, "If you don''t surrender, we will have no choice but to forcefully arrest you for obstructing official duties! Drop your weapons and surrender! If you do, your sins will not be©¤©¤!"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Before Han Dae-Ho could finish speaking, a tall man appeared in front of him. The man seemed to have suddenly dropped down from the sky. The man¡¯s eyes were pale and unfocused. His partially open lips were dry, and his face was covered in scars. He held a pitchfork in his right hand.

    The man spat out a warning to Han Dae-Ho. "Leave."

    "Who do you think you are, telling me to leave... Are you a mercenary? Which faction do you belong to?"

    "There''s no need for me to tell you. Leave," he said.

    Oh Hee-Jin murmured quietly, ¡°...Ravens.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho''s face distorted. Ravens was the name of the mercenary group operating in Incheon. They were famous for their illegal activities and moneyundering, and the Pdin Order was in conflict with them.

    "A pitchfork...the blind man of the Ravens..." Oh Hee-Jin murmured with a pale face as she looked at the pitchfork in the man''s hand. Her voice was trembling.

    Most of the Ravens had unknown identities because they always covered their faces with hoods. There was no information about the leader. However, the deputy leader of the Ravens Mercenary Group was well-known. The first reason was because of his uniquebat style of utilizing farming tools, and the second reason was that he was blind.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Han Dae-Ho put his hand on Oh Hee-Jin''s shoulder. She felt the trembling subside.

    Han Dae-Ho stared daggers at the man''s face and said, "Why did you guys from Incheone all the way here...? What was the request, and who is the client?"

    "The request was to ensure that no one enters or exits through the gate. The client cannot be revealed. Leave now. If you don''t leave within the count of three..."

    The man stared at them with unfocused white eyes as he raised the pitchfork he had been dragging on the ground above his head.

    "I will forcefully have you all leave. One."

    Han Dae-Houghed mockingly as he red at the man. How dare a mere mercenary intimidate a pdin?

    He then gave the order to the waiting marksmen to prepare to fire.

    <i>Click. </i>

    The marksmen¡¯s guns made heavy and chilling sounds. Unfortunately, the loaded rounds were rubber bullets and not live rounds, but they were enough to deal with a mere mercenary.

    "Two."

    "I''ll say this onest time. Drop your weapons and surrender. If you don''t, we will ssify you as a rioter and subdue you by force. And if it turns out that Satanists hired you..."

    Han Dae-Ho''s and the man''s gazes met. The man''s pitchfork gleamed sharply as if it could strike the ground at any moment.

    The rifle squad aimed their guns at the man. The depth of the darkness of each barrel was like the abyss. A chilling silence and tension flowed between the man and Han Dae-Ho.

    "I will judge you in the name of Adonai."

    "...Three."

    <i>Bang¡ª! </i>

    As the man shouted three, the sound of an explosion echoed. It didn''te from where Han Dae-Ho was. The sound of the explosion wasing from inside the school.

    <i>Thump! </i>

    Within the echoes left by the explosion, the sounds of gunfire resounded. A rubber bullet hit the man''s thigh. The area turned red and formed a bruise, but the man didn¡¯t flinch and swung his pitchfork down.

    <i>ng! </i>

    With that as a signal, the mercenaries from the Ravens popped out from their hiding spots. Some loaded iron balls into their slingshots, some held clubs, some held sickles, and some held spears. Their weapons were all different. All their faces were covered with hoods.

    Those holding clubs and sickles were the first to get targeted by the rifle squad. It happened instantly.

    "I clearly warned you. Just think of it as reaping what you sow."

    <i>Bang! Bang! </i>

    Iron balls struck the heads of the pdins. Those holding spears pulled their arms behind their heads and prepared to throw. Their movements were very systematic. It seemed like they had been trained very well. However, the movements of the pdins were just as quick as the Ravens.

    "Rifle squad, aim for the slingshots and the spear throwers! Scouting squad, defend the rifle squad! Assault squad, into formation!"

    Before Han Dae-Ho had finished shouting, the scouts who had been lying down all stood up in unison and started running. Soon, the mercenaries aiming for the rifle squad were once again facing the scouting squad.

    The scouting squad wasposed of elite members who had exceptionalbat skills and agility. With the protection of the scouts, the rifle squad raised their barrels.

    <i>Bang! Bang!</i>

    Rubber bullets were fired. Some of the mercenaries on top of the trees aiming at the pdins with their crossbows were hit by rubber bullets and fell to the ground. However, the rubber bullets did not hit them all. The spear throwers who had not been subdued simultaneously hurled their spears toward Han Dae-Ho. The mercenaries instinctively realized that Han Dae-Ho was the most threatening and powerful among the pdins.

    <i>Whack!</i>

    Han Dae-Ho smashed apart all three spears flying toward him with his fists. Contrary to how it appeared, his muscr body was unbelievably quick. The light of blessing was circting around his body.

    "...Pray to Adonai. So that I may not kill you."

    "I do not believe in gods."

    <i>Boom! </i>

    Han Dae-Ho''s fist flew toward the man''s jaw, while the man''s pitchfork swung toward Han Dae-Ho''s forehead. Smoke from the explosion and the mysterious demonic energy billowed up into the sky. The sky was turning dark.

    <i> </i> ***

    Min-Seo''s sharp shout echoed through the principal''s office.

    "Get down!"

    The principal''s body was trembling and swelling. It was a sign that it was about to explode. Whenever a taxidermied creature exploded, flesh and bone fragments would fly out and embed themselves all over. In enclosed spaces, the risk of injury was particrly high. Fortunately, it was possible to minimize the damage by lying down.

    <i>ng!</i>

    "Ah, arghh...!"

    However, I couldn¡¯t lie down because of the handcuffs. I focused my strength on my right arm with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. Even so, I couldn¡¯t properly put strength into my arm. Could I unlock these handcuffs by drawing a blessing array and adding strength?

    No, I didn¡¯t have enough time. I wasn¡¯t particrly good at drawing blessing arrays in the first ce. With the meager strength that a blessing provided, I wouldn¡¯t be able to unlock these handcuffs.

    "...Bossou."

    [Oh! Is it a situation where I can pull out the pir?!]

    I nodded.

    Bossou was strangely obsessed over pulling out pirs. It was said that since ancient times, causing buildings to copse by pulling out pirs was a basic skill for superhumans, but I didn¡¯t really know the details. In any case, whether I was going to pull out the pir or not, I was in a situation where I needed Bossou''s power.

    [It might be a bit painful!]

    "I understand. Hurry...!"

    As I urged him, Bossou''s power finally began to flow through my body. My head became dizzy, my vision blurred, and my body started to burn. My heartbeat and breathing became clear, and other sounds became faint.

    My arms were filled with Bossou''s power. I exerted strength on my right arm along with my weight and pushed as hard as I could. It was because I judged that breaking the handcuffs by pushing would be easier than breaking them by pulling. It was because most people could exert a stronger pushing force than a pulling force.

    <i>Crack, creak... </i>

    However, the handcuffs didn''t break. Instead, the wall was breaking apart. Part of the wall tore off, and a chunk of concrete came off along with the handcuffs. I was unable to break the handcuffs, but at least I was able to move for now. I shifted the force that I had used to break the handcuffs off the walls to my legs and leaped off the ground. And then I charged forward.

    The principal''s body had swelled up to such an extent that it was almost about to burst.

    I swung my hefty right arm. The chunk of concrete attached to the handcuffs struck the principal¡¯s erged body. Significant recoil resonated in my right arm. It felt as if I was wielding a mace.

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    The principal''s body flew far away into a corner after the chunk of concrete struck him. The principal¡¯s massive body collided with the wall and exploded. Flesh and bone fragments flew and pierced my body in a few ces, but the distance was far enough that the wounds weren''t too deep. The blood flowing out from the wounds stained my clothes.

    "Cough...! Hah, ha..."

    Immediately after, I copsed onto the floor. Although the wounds weren''t too deep, they were still wounds, and above all, due to excessively using Bossou''s power, my whole body was suffering from muscle aches.

    It was a pain that felt like every joint and muscle fiber in my body was being torn apart. My slumped shoulder felt limp and flimsy. It felt like my joints were dislocated.

    [I told you that it might hurt a little...] Bossou''s gloomy voice pierced through my clouded mind.

    This wasn''t just a little bit of pain. This was too much pain. However, if it weren''t for Bossou''s power, the taxidermied creature would have exploded, and the fragments would have pierced my whole body, turning me into a hedgehog and killing me in the process. Thus, I was grateful to Bossou.

    "Huff, huff...!"

    I took a deep breath and fought back the pain. Then, I pulled out the fragments embedded in my body with my fingers. Fortunately, the shrapnel wasn¡¯t deeply embedded. It was at a level where I could remove them with my hands.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Meanwhile, Chang-Won shifted backward with a stunned expression on his face and bumped into a chair. His legs were shaking precariously as if he could copse at any moment. While grabbing onto the chair and just barely managing to support himself, he bowed his head with a face filled with despair.

    "Since when...was I being manipted..."

    Ignoring Chang-Won for now, Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo briskly approached me. Yu-Hyun had a wide smile on his face as if he was having the time of his life, while Min-Seo casually threw the broken mop onto the floor as if she wasn¡¯t particrly surprised or concerned.

    "Wow, what the fuck. What is this? How did you do that? Is this the Blessing of Superhuman Strength? It''s different from what Sung-Hyun used."

    "Of course it''s different. He¡¯s always been strong. Yu-Hyun, please heal him."

    "Huh? I don''t know how to heal."

    "What? Aren''t you from the Department of Priests? How can a priest not know how to heal? Are you a retard? You¡¯re seriouslying up with these stupid excuses that don''t even make sense in this situation?"

    "No, well... I really don''t know how to heal, though?"

    Min-Seo let out a sigh and rubbed her forehead.

    "Ah, fuck... I don''t have confidence in healing either..."

    Chang-Won walked up behind Min-Seo and said, "...I''ll do it."

    Yu-Hyun squatted down while blinking his eyes and looked up at him. Chang-Won unleashed his divine power to quickly draw multiple blessing arrays and healing arrays.

    His movements were so fast and organized that I couldn''t even gauge his level.

    "I''m sorry. I never imagined that Gabriel and the principal were all taxidermied creatures..."

    "It''s okay."

    "No, I don¡¯t feel okay about it at all. I''m really sorry. What on earth did I do... Vice-Principal, please give me the key to the handcuffs."

    Chang-Won politely apologized while kneeling down and bowing his head. It seemed like he was apologizing for doubting me and putting handcuffs on my wrists.

    Following Chang-Won''s instructions, the vice-principal brought the key to the handcuffs, and my right arm was finally freed. The part of my wrist where the handcuffs had been was bruised dark blue.

    As the light of healing and blessing enveloped my body, the pain faded, and the wounds healed. However, the onught of muscle pains that urred due to the use of Bossou''s power didn''tpletely disappear. With a solemn expression on his face, Chang-Won quietly drew blessing and healing arrays.

    "Imitted a great sin. I don''t expect forgiveness..." he said.

    "No, it''s really okay."

    "I''m truly sorry..."

    Chang-Won was the chairman of Florence Academy, and if someone with such authority felt guilty toward me, then it was actually a good thing... However, that wasn¡¯t something I had to say out loud, so I simply kept my mouth shut.

    As Chang-Won continued to mechanically release divine power while drowning in regret, Min-Seo tapped on his shoulder and said, "Chairman, I think you can stop now."

    "No, it''s better to continue a little longer..."

    "It¡¯s fine if you just roughly heal the wounds. He has good recovery ability... Anyway, now is not the time to be doing this," Min-Seo said with a serious expression.

    It was then that Chang-Won finally stopped unleashing divine power. Min-Seo sat down and folded her fingers one by one.

    "So, we¡¯ve discovered six taxidermied creatures, including the principal and Gabriel. These are just the ones we found, so there are probably more. Anyway, these taxidermied creatures are wandering around the school pretending to be human," she said.

    "Oh dear... How do we tell the difference between taxidermied creatures and humans?"

    "Yu-Hyun is good at distinguishing them. I don''t understand the principle behind it, but in any case, his uracy rate has been 100% so far. I think you can trust him," Min-Seo said and then nced at Yu-Hyun.

    Yu-Hyun smiled brightly. Min-Seo frowned and then calmed down.

    "And, the training center exploded. Yu-Hyun and I ran away and came here after hearing the broadcast. By the way, Chairman, did the second-year students not attend school today?"

    "The dispatched students should have gone to their workces, and the rest probably came to school. Since all the third-year students are at their workces, they won''t be at school."

    "Are there any ck magic spells rted to space?"

    "...There is a ck magic spell called Apollyon."

    "Really? Then it seems like the second-year building was affected by ck magic. When I looked around, the second-year building waspletely empty."

    Kim Chang Won''s face visibly hardened as Min-Seo continued to exin the situation. Even I could tell that the situation was not just serious. Chang-Won turned his head toward the vice-principal, who still hadn¡¯t regained hisposure.

    "Vice-principal, we need to go to the broadcasting room and immediately issue an evacuation order¡ª"

    Yu-Hyun interrupted Chang-Won. "Even if we issue an evacuation order, it wouldn''t make much difference. The school gates are swarming with bouncers, you know? We can¡¯t exactly parkour over the walls either cause it''s swirling with demonic energy. Oh, Ha-Yeon might be able to jump over."

    "When did you see all of that?" Min-Seo asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

    Yu-Hyunughed senselessly and said, "Well, things were going in a weird direction, so I was nning to go home and sleep. But there was no way to leave."

    "...Alright. Anyway, Chairman, issuing an evacuation order now wouldn''t make much difference. It might even make the situation more chaotic."

    "Demonic energy around the walls... Then, should I contact Cardinal Sung Yu-Da right now..."

    "Oh, by the way,munications have been cut off. Phones aren''t working at the moment."

    "..."

    Chang-Won fell silent. Despair filled his eyes. On the other hand, Min-Seo''s eyes burned with determination. It was a determination close to madness.

    "With Yu-Hyun here, we can somehow find and eliminate the taxidermied creatures. The problem is, we don''t know what the Satanist will do next. If they destroy all the buildings like they did with the training center, there could be significant casualties. Or they could release demonic beasts or demons."

    "Then, what should we do..."

    "There are three big problems at the moment," Min-Seo said while holding up three fingers.

    "First, strange bouncers are blocking the school gate, making evacuation impossible. Judging by their appearance, they seem to be mercenaries. Let alone evacuation, we can¡¯t even dream of lurking near the gate.¡±

    "If we can''t evacuate, the casualties will increase exponentially..."

    "Yes, that''s why it''s the first problem. Then there is the second problem. As the chairman saw, the principal and Gabriel here were taxidermied creatures. So, where are the real principal and Gabriel located? From what I can see, it seems like the Satanists kidnapped them. There is a possibility that other people besides these two have also been kidnapped or gone missing. If we don''t find them quickly, the problem might worsen."

    "Hey, it ain¡¯t that big of a deal just because one elder went missing," Yu-Hyun interjected.

    Min-Seo briefly red at Yu-Hyun before lightly sighing and continuing, "Third, we don''t know what else the Satanists might do. Currently, there are no casualties. Thanks to Ye-Jin, I mean Miss Ye-Jin, everyone evacuated safely when the training center exploded. But this is just the situation at the moment. We don''t know what¡¯s going to happen in the near future."

    Min-Seo had been rapidly exining the situation, but took a breath to calm herself down.

    "So, here are the solutions to these three problems. First, we need to drive out the mercenaries blocking the school gate. Second, we need to find the missing people. And third...¡±

    "We need to find and kill the Satanist," I said in her stead.

    Min-Seo stared at me with wide eyes.

    "Yeah. The problem is <i>how</i>. How do we drive out the mercenaries? How do we find the missing person, and how do we locate the Satanist? And once we find the Satanist, how do we kill them?"

    <i>Crack.</i>

    While Min-Seo rambled on, I put my dislocated shoulder back into ce.

    ck smoke was emanating from the taxidermied creature that was disguised as Gabriel, who had died after Min-Seo stabbed him. A few strands of white hair remained on the sofa where the taxidermied creaturey.

    "...I have a n."

 Chapter 125

    <h4>Chapter 125</h4>

    ¡°A n?¡±

    Min-Seo raised her eyebrows. After the explosion at the training center, she and Yu-Hyun went around the school to assess the situation and organize the gathered information. Min-Seo had been brainstorming solutions to mitigate the situation up until the moment she entered the principal''s office. However, no n hade to mind.

    After pondering for a while, Min-Seo finally gave up oning up with a n. Too many idents had arisen, and as a student, each situation was too difficult to resolve. Min-Seo just couldn''te up with a solution that could put a stop to the situation.

    "...Alright then,y it on me."

    Sun-Woo said that he hade up with a n when she had just ryed the specifics of the circumstances they were facing. She didn''t want to believe it. If anyone else had blurted out those words, she would have dismissed it as nonsense and not listened. However, since it was Sun-Woo speaking, she thought it was worth listening to.

    Sun-Woo gently patted the shoulder he popped back in ce and looked up at the chairman.

    "First, Mr. Chairman, we need you to drive out the mercenaries camping at the school gate. Vice-Principal, please issue an evacuation order to the students through the PA system."

    "...And I was wondering what you had to say. Hey, do you think that if we ask nicely, the mercenaries would be like, ¡®<i>Oh, my sincerest apologies,</i>¡¯ and just leave? I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s no point in issuing an evacuation order."

    As Min-Seo interrupted him, Sun-Woo red at her fiercely. He said with a cold and stern tone, "Shut up and listen."

    Min-Seo momentarily felt overwhelmed and lowered her gaze to the ground, then raised her head up again. Although it was only for a moment, she felt difort at the fact that she had chickened out in front of Sun-Woo.

    "...Ah, yes. Please continue."

    ¡°Mr. Chairman, how much time do you think it¡¯ll take to take care of the mercenaries?¡±

    Sun-Woo continued asking the chairman without acknowledging Min-Seo¡¯sment. Chang-Won looked slightly downward and swallowed as if he were in deep thought.

    "...Depends on the situation. Ifbat is inevitable, I think it would take at least thirty minutes."

    "Shall we say an hour just to be safe? Vice-Principal, can you rece the bell signaling the start of afternoon sses with an evacuation announcement?"

    "Um... It should be possible."

    "Alright, then the evacuation announcement will sound throughout the school in approximately one hour. Until then, Mr.Chairman, please ensure the evacuation route is secured by driving out the mercenaries. Next..."

    "Shouldn''t we secure the evacuation route first and then have the vice-principal make the announcement? Is it really necessary toplicate things?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Sun-Woo shook his head.

    "They could take control of the broadcasting room and prevent the announcement. It''s better to do this beforehand."

    "Do you think the Satanists would think that far ahead?"

    "The Satanists cut off allmunication with the outside world before they started to wreak havoc. In the worst-case scenario, they might have already taken over the broadcasting room."

    "Hmm... okay!"

    Yu-Hyun nodded, seemingly convinced by Sun-Woo''s words.

    Sun-Woo continue, "Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo go search for the missing people as a team just like you did earlier."

    "Do we really have to go together?"

    Min-Seo had already nned to stick with Yu-Hyun anyway, as it was the logical and safer choice. However, she didn''t like the idea of blindly following Sun-Woo''s words. So, she had raised a question about it.

    Sun-Woo looked into the empty space with unfocused eyes.

    "If you go with Yu-Hyun, you can immediately tell who the taxidermied creatures are. It¡¯d be disastrous if someone you rescued turned out to be a taxidermied creature," he said, almost murmuring his words.

    "...That''s true."

    Min-Seo reluctantly nodded. Although Sun-Woo¡¯s n wasn¡¯t perfect, this was their best option. The fact that this was the case once again took a toll on Min-Seo''s self-esteem.

    Sun-Woo stopped speaking and closed his mouth for a moment. A moment of silence hung in the principal''s office as he remained silent.

    "...Did you say you came from the training center?"

    Min-Seo reflexively replied, "Huh? Uh, yes."

    Before she knew it, she was being swept along by Sun-Woo''s flow.

    "Did you see In-Ah at the training center?"

    "Who''s that?" Yu-Hyun asked, a foolish expression on his face as if saying it was his first time hearing the name. Min-Seo furrowed her brows as if trying to recall.

    Sun-Woo pointed to his own hair.

    "Brown hair, a bit short, and an overall cozy impression..."

    "Ah! I think I know. She''s pretty, right? I tried talking to her the other day, but shepletely ignored me."

    "I don¡¯t care. Anyway, did you see where she went?"

    "She was one of the first to escape when the training center exploded. Her shoes weren¡¯t even on properly."

    "That was... probably a taxidermied creature."

    Yu-Hyun shrugged his shoulders and said, "Really? Then I don''t know where she went."

    Sun-Woo lowered his head and nervously rubbed his face with his hands. The corners of his lips were trembling slightly. Taking a deep breath, Sun-Woo finally lifted his head, revealing his calm face.

    "Okay... Andstly, I will find and kill the Satanist by myself."

    "What? The first part of your n sounded somewhat reasonable, but it slowly devolved into a pile of nonsense. How are you going to find them, and how are you going to kill them?" Min-Seo asked sharply.

    Sun-Woo rested his gaze on Min-Seo, his eyes still unfocused.

    "Why should I tell you? There''s no guarantee that you''re not a Satanist," he replied.

    "You¡¯re insane. If that''s the case, what about you? What will we do if you''re a Satanist?"

    "You better keep your mouth shut. You keep saying things that won¡¯t happen," Sun-Woo said coldly.

    Min-Seo scowled.

    "You bastard... You fucker, you need to exin thest and most important part of the n. How can we trust and follow you if you don''t?"

    "Hey, hey. Mr. Chairman is here as well. Don¡¯t swear like that.¡±

    Yu-Hyun tried to stop Min-Seo from spouting curses, but Min-Seo had already lost her temper.

    "Even I can say bullshit like ''I will find and kill the Satanist by myself.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t make sense for him to say that¡¯s part of the n¨C"

    Sun-Woo interrupted Min-Seo.

    "For this n to be sessful, only I need to know about the details."

    "Oh, really? How <i>amazing </i>does this n have to be for it to only work if you know it? I''m so fucking curious," Min-Seo replied sarcastically.

    "Then stay curious," Sun-Woo said as he stood up from his seat.

    Min-Seo let out a bitterugh. She was just about to subconsciously swear again due to Sun-Woo¡¯s audacious attitude, but she shut her mouth when she saw that Sun-Woo was menacingly striding toward her.

    Min-Seo forcefully prevented her gaze from shifting downward and lifted her chin up. Sun-Woo¡¯s cold and distant eyes were fixated on her.

    "You don''t have to trust me if you don''t want to. There''s no reason for you to follow my instructions."

    "..."

    "But still, believe me and do as I say."

    Sun-Woo''s tone was firm and assertive, unlike his usual self. It was to the point where it felt oppressive. His eyes were filled with confidence, and his face was expressionless.

    "If that¡¯s settled, I will find and kill the Satanist."

    Whether it was a statement to voice his ambitions ormitment, there was no solid evidence to support his im. After all, he hadn''t even exined how he would find the Satanists or how he would kill them.

    Yet, Sun-Woo''s words had a strange air of persuasiveness. His expression and tone carried a strong conviction. He definitely had a n. However, no one could guess what his n was.

    What on earth was Sun-Woo thinking... Everyone in the principal''s office was curious, but no one dared to ask. A deep silence filled the room as everyone quietly stared at Sun-Woo.

    ***

    Let me get this straight.

    There was no such thing as a ¡®n that would only be sessful if only I knew about it.¡¯ I hadn''t even identified who the Satanist was, nor did I even have a n on how to kill them.

    All I knew for sure was that I needed spells and the power of Loa to track down and kill the Satanist. However, I couldn''t use spells and the power of Loa while Min-Seo, Yu-Hyun, and Chang-Won, along with the vice-principal, were around. So, I created the vague excuse of having a n and saying that we would only reap the fruits of it if I were the only one who knew about its details.

    [Your lying has improved,] Legba said with a fakeugh.

    I wanted to say that it''d be strange if my lying skills didn¡¯t improve when I was doing it every day, but the situation didn¡¯t permit it. It was because Min-Seo and Yu-Hyun were next to me.

    "Where is the chairman''s office?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    "Right upstairs," Min-Seo replied curtly.

    <i>"There''s a protective mask in my office. You can use it to get over the walls. No, that won''t work. We don¡¯t know what the ingredients of the ck magic are... But keep it, just in case."</i>

    Chang-Won also told us as he had left the principal''s office to head toward the school gate. Since there was a big difference between having some immunity versus no immunity to ck magic, we decided to grab the protective mask before executing our n as soon as we heard his words.

    Finally, we arrived at the chairman''s office. As soon as we entered, Yu-Hyun looked around and asked, "Where did he say it was?"

    "He said it''s in the first drawer... So it''s here."

    <i>Drrrk! </i>

    Min-Seo roughly opened the drawer and searched inside. She rummaged through the drawer with nimble movements and raised her eyebrows with a puzzled expression.

    "What? It¡¯s not here."

    "It''s not?"

    Yu-Hyun approached Min-Seo.

    "Yeah, look, it''s not here."

    Min-Seo pointed inside the drawer. Yu-Hyun rummaged through the drawer as well and, like Min-Seo, furrowed his brows with a puzzled expression.

    "It''s really not here? Was the chairman lying?"

    "Yeah. What if the chairman was the one pulling the strings?"

    "The Satanist probably took it. What are you guys even saying..." I couldn''t help but say in disbelief as I listened to Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo making their unreasonable deductions.

    Min-Seo and Yu-Hyun continued to rummage through the drawers without even acknowledging me, but they eventually gave up, came out of the chairman''s office, and made it out to the hallway.

    "Sun-Woo¡¯s right. Maybe the Satanist stole it? They¡¯re more cunning than I thought."

    "From the way he blocked the entrance, it seems like he''s read the Art of War [1]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War[/ref]. And look at the way he used the taxidermied creatures to distract us."

    "...What''s the Art of War?"

    "Ah, you guys don''t know...? It''s nothing special, don¡¯t worry about it."

    Yu-Hyun glossed over his words.

    Min-Seo red at Yu-Hyun with a puzzled expression. I also couldn''t understand what Yu-Hyun was saying at all.

    Yu-Hyun narrowed his already narrow eyes even further and chuckled.

    "...Art of War, Song of War, what does it matter? Anyway, we need to go out and find Gabriel and the principal, right? And you¡¯ll take care of the Satanist yourself."

    "Yes."

    "How do you n on killing them?" Yu-Hyun asked, but I didn''t answer.

    I hadn''t really thought deeply about how I would go about killing the Satanist. For now, I nned to focus solely on finding the Satanist. Coming up with a way to kill them couldeter.

    Besides, the weather and the terrain greatly influenced the Loa''s powers, so nning ahead would be meaningless. Above all, today was the day of the full moon.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    While I was going down the stairs with my mouth shut, Min-Seo tapped my shoulder.

    "Hey, I have a question I want to ask as well."

    Before I could answer, she immediately continued, "You''ll find and kill the Satanists yourself. That''s fine. But do you even know who the Satanist is?¡±

    "I have a few people I¡¯m suspicious about. I¡¯m going to narrow them down to one."

    "Really? Who is the most likely?"

    "You."

    As I responded with the truth, Min-Seo looked at me with a bewildered expression.

    "What''s the basis? Aren''t you making deductions based on personal feelings?"

    "No personal feelings were involved. I¡¯m also skeptical about Jun-Hyuk as well."

    "Jun-Hyuk? ...Wait, can we really trust this guy?"

    Min-Seo narrowed her eyebrows and red at me. She seemed to doubt why I suspected Jun-Hyuk.

    "Is there a problem?"

    "Both of Jun-Hyuk''s parents are Prtes. Oh, I guess his mother was a former Prte."

    "..."

    I didn''t know this. I only vaguely knew that Jun-Hyuk''s mother had some kind of mental health issue. Come to think of it, I didn''t know anything about what Jun-Hyuk''s father did. I just wasn''t interested.

    But how did Min-Seo know something that even I didn''t? Before I could question it, she spoke again.

    "He hasn''t changed his address recently, and there''s nothing particrly suspicious about him..."

    "But how do you know all that?" I asked, and Min-Seo quickly turned her head.

    Her bodynguage showed that she was trying to hide her surprise. She knew everything from Jun-Hyuk''s family background to where he lived. How did Min-Seo, who wasn''t even close to Jun-Hyuk, have this information? If she had found this out through private investigations, this increased the possibility of her being the Satanist. Ordinary students wouldn''t have a reason or the methods to conduct private investigations themselves.

    Min-Seo thought of an excuse and said, "...It¡¯s an unavoidable breach of privacy for the greater good... Or something like that..."

    ¡°For the greater good? What bullshit©¤"

    <i>Boom, boooom...</i>

    At that moment, gunshots rang out. The sound of the gunshots echoed out into the distance and invoked an ominous atmosphere. We froze in our steps, a chilling silence flowing between us.

    "...What was that?" Min-Seo said while ring out the window with a serious face.

    I couldn¡¯t breathe. A cold and eerie sensation ran down my spine. My throat felt dry, and I got a throbbing headache.

    "Are the pdins here? I haven''t heard that sound in a long time," Yu-Hyun said whileughing as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    His nonchnce sent shivers down my spine.

    That wasn''t the sound of live ammunition. It was the heavy and rough sound of rubber bullets or tear gas being fired.

    When the Holy War broke out, the pdins used rubber bullets or tear gas to suppress the Voodoo Cultists as a measure to avoid unnecessary casualties. However, more Voodoo Cultists died from rubber bullets than live ammunition because the barrels were aimed at their heads.

    As a child, I had crouched in my closet, listening to the muffled gunshots and the screams of the Voodoo Cultistsing in through the window. I heard my father and mother calling for me, but I didn''t go out. It felt like the barrels of the pdins'' guns would be pointed at me if I opened the door. I wanted to disappear like the mist, fading away into the darkness of the closet.

    "Hey, what¡¯s happening to you? Why are you sweating so much?"

    Ironically, it was Yu-Hyun who pulled me out from the entanglement of gunshots and screams in my head. I felt disgusted by Yu-Hyun, who was gazing at me and pretending to be concerned, when he was in fact the culprit who had led the Levi Order and killed innocent Voodoo Cultists. However, I couldn''t reveal my disgust.

    "...It''s a bit hot."

    ¡°But the temperature isn¡¯t very high though?¡± Min-Seo said as if she was puzzled.

    She was right. It wasn''t actually very hot at the moment. I wiped the sweat off my palm.

    "I¡¯m prone to heat," I said, casually.

    "Oh! Hey, me too. It''s been getting hottertely," Yu-Hyun replied cheerfully.

    It did not feel good.

    At that moment, Min-Seo lowered her body and checked the stairway behind the railing.

    "...Hey, be quiet," she whispered.

    "Why? What''s going on?"

    Yu-Hyun leaned in next to Min-Seo, his eyes filled with curiosity.

    "Just be quiet, you idiot..."

    Min-Seo expressed her annoyance and muttered rough curses in a low voice.

    Yu-Hyun finally closed his mouth. In the sudden silence, Min-Seo quietly stared beyond the railing, like a predator stalking its prey.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump... </i>

    "They¡¯reing up."

    Yu-Hyun wiped away the smile that was on his lips.

    From downstairs, a suspicious pair of footsteps slowly approached us.

    1. ?

 Chapter 126

    <h4>Chapter 126</h4>

    "Aren''t they just students?"

    ¡°Why would students be here when the only thing here is the teacher''s office? They''re not even teachers."

    "Maybe they came here to evacuate..."

    "But there hasn''t even been an evacuation order. Rather than wasting time saying nonsense, shut up and find a weapon."

    <i>Thump, thump, thump...</i>

    As Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo engaged in meaningless conversation, the sound of footsteps drew closer. I held my breath and listened carefully. I wasn''t sure who the other party was, but they weren¡¯t alone. There were multiple footsteps, and they were irregr. At least two people wereing up the stairs.

    However, we had three people on our side. Min-Seo could handle most situations independently, and I would help her if she couldn¡¯t. Moreover, Yu-Hyun had the ability to distinguish taxidermied creatures from regr people, so most enemies wouldn''t pose a threat to us.

    "I think I can see something... Ah."

    Min-Seo had been leaning her head over the railing when she suddenly looked up and saw Yu-Hyun.

    "Get ready. You know, that eye thingy."

    "Eye thingy? You know the blessing has a name, right?."

    "Ah, whatever. Anyway, get prepared to use it."

    "I¡¯m aplete tool to you, aren¡¯t I..."

    Yu-Hyun grumbled and drew a circle around his eye. I didn''t know the name, but it seemed like he could distinguish taxidermied creatures through the help of that blessing. Did he use that blessing when distinguishing the Voodoo Cult dolls during The Starless Night? Probably not.

    ording to the testimonies of those who survived that day, Yu-Hyun could identify the Voodoo Cult with his naked eye. Anyway, we greeted the two peopleing up the stairs, anxiety evident on our faces.

    It was Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon. They were familiar faces, but we couldn''t let our guard down since a taxidermied creature could appear at any moment.

    Yu-Hyun first looked at Jin-Seo.

    "Jin-Seo is... fake. Ha-Yeon is..."

    <i>Pzzzk!</i>

    At that moment, sparks flew from the circle drawn around Yu-Hyun''s eye. The circle emitting a brilliant light disappeared as it turned into ashes. Yu-Hyun grimaced in pain and covered his right eye with his palm.

    "Ah, damn it, I overused it!"

    "Huh? You fucker! If there was a limit, you should have said it earlier!"

    "Hey, I didn''t expect to reach the limit this quickly!"

    "You crazy bitch...! Anyway, you said Jin-Seo is a taxidermied creature?"

    "Yeah, but I don''t know about Ha-Yeon. My eye hurts so much, ah..."

    Min-Seo took a stance.

    "It''s okay. I can beat Jin-Seo even with my bare hands."

    Jin-Seo looked up at us from below the stairs. Her gaze was vacant. In her right hand, she held a sword she had used for sparring on the sacred training ground. Perhaps because it was in Jin-Seo''s hand, the dull sword looked more threatening than a real one. I got the chills even though I knew the Jin-Seo in front of me was just a taxidermied creature.

    "Min-Seo,¡± Jin-Seo said as she slowly closed the gap between us.

    The sword she held dragged on the ground, making a sharp and chilling sound.

    Min-Seo smiled and drew a blessing array, then spat at Jin-Seo.

    "Don''t you dare say my name. I¡¯m disgusted."

    "...Now is not the time for us to fight."

    "Shut up, you orphan girl. I¡¯m d I don¡¯t have to watch mynguage because you¡¯re a taxidermied creature."

    Ha-Yeon tried to stop the fight with a trembling voice. "Huh? Why are you guys suddenly trying to fight... And what are you guys doing, not stopping them...!"

    Judging from the way she acted, it seemed like she was the real Ha-Yeon, but at the same time, it also seemed like she was not the real Ha-Yeon at all.

    "..."

    I assessed the situation and went into deep thought. Jin-Seo dragged her de across the ground as she approached Min-Seo, and Min-Seo entered into a fighting stance.

    Could Min-Seo defeat Jin-Seo? If so, that would be great, but if Min-Seo lost, I would inevitably have to engage in battle as well.

    However, Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t just be beaten with the help of blessings. I confirmed that during the sparring session this morning. If I used Bossou''s power, I might be able to win, but I had just used Bossou''s power a moment ago. I was afraid of the drawbacks. I was not one to shy away from putting my body on the line, but I didn''t want to harm myself any more than necessary.

    I couldn''t just wait for Min-Seo to lose and then intervene either. Whether I stepped in now orter, the result would be simr. I had to think and find a way to defeat Jin-Seo without using Bossou''s power. I had tobine all the information I had gathered so far toe up with the best conclusion.

    Numerous pieces of information, the habits of the taxidermied creatures, Yu-Hyun''s abilities, and Jin-Seo''s personality floated in my mind. I organized them and tied them together as one.

    "...Yu-Hyun."

    He was still clutching his right eye, groaning in pain. Yu-Hyun looked up at me with his bloodshot left eye. I gave him my instructions.

    "Why do you pick fights with me when I¡¯m around?"

    ¡°You should ask your mom. Oh, right, you can''t."

    I put myself between them, intervening in their heated conversation, and mediated the fight.

    "Don¡¯t fight."

    Jin-Seo looked at me, surprised, as she put her de away. From her actions alone, she was no different from the real Jin-Seo. However, she was nothing more than a taxidermied creature. I could not forget that.

    Min-Seo red at me with raised eyebrows.

    "What are you doing?"

    "There''s no need to fight. As Jin-Seo said, this isn¡¯t the time for us to fight."

    "What is this guy saying? Have you been bewitched?"

    I casually ignored Min-Seo''s sarcasm and approached Jin-Seo. I ced my hand on her shoulder. Jin-Seo''s body trembled slightly. However, she didn¡¯t push my hand away or show any signs of difort.

    My hand moved up her shoulder and eventually started stroking her slender neck. Jin-Seo looked at me slightly, biting her lower lip.

    "Wait, not here... It''s too..."

    "It''s okay."

    I reassured her, stopping her clumsy attempt to try to remove my hand. Suddenly, I grabbed her neck.

    "Argh...!"

    My fingertips dug into her throat. Her face began to turn blue, and her lips turned purple.

    Her bloodshot eyes bore into me. I used my strength to lift her body off the ground. Jin-Seo kicked and scratched my arm with her feet and nails. It hurt, but I could endure it.

    I signaled to Yu-Hyun.

    "Yu-Hyun©¤!"

    "Uh, yeah!"

    Yu-Hyun raised his finger and aimed at Min-Seo. Along his finger, the light of blessing that flowed through Min-Seo''s body transferred to me. My whole body was filled with strength. I channeled the wave of strength into my right arm and used the Blessing of Superhuman Strength to tighten my grip on Jin-Seo''s neck even more.

    <i>Snap! </i>

    Jin-Seo¡¯s neck made a renounced snapping sound. Sawdust and cotton seeped out from the gap created by the broken neck. I reached inside and pulled out a strand of hair. The pulled-out hair was ck and thin.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Finally, the taxidermied creature lost its strength and copsed to the ground. As the body disappeared, it emitted ck smoke. In the ce of the taxidermied creature, only the clothes she was wearing and the sword remained.

    "... Phew." I sighed and sat down in front of the taxidermied creature that was slowly disappearing into smoke. My n was sessful, but I was mentally exhausted.

    Just before dying, Jin-Seo''s bloodshot eyes shed in my mind. I didn¡¯t feel this way when I killed the taxidermied Sung-Hyun, but when I killed the taxidermied Jin-Seo, my heart felt strangely heavy.

    It must have been because of the difference in how I killed them. Piercing the heart for an instantaneous kill versus slowly wringing the neck¡ªit was obvious which one would cause more guilt. No?, even when I killed the taxidermied Sung-Hyun... I also felt a little uneasy inside. I just didn''t show it.

    "Ah, ugh. <i>Gasp</i>...!" Ha-Yeon made a strange sound and sat down hesitantly.

    With her bloodshot eyes, she looked back and forth between me and the taxidermied creature, which turned into smoke and disappeared. Then she lowered her head and gagged.

    Yu-Hyun was just about to approach Ha-Yeon but then stopped. Meanwhile, Min-Seo came up to me with a bewildered look on her face.

    "Why did you interfere? Did you want to strangle Jin-Seo that badly? You¡¯re insane."

    "...Stop being ridiculous. I just resorted to a safer method."

    A taxidermied creature''s personality mirrored its original. The taxidermied creature representing In-Ah was very emotional, just like the real In-Ah. I assumed that the taxidermied version of Jin-Seo would also be friendly toward me, just like the real Jin-Seo.

    So, I pretended to mediate the fight, calmed down the taxidermied creature, and smoothly twisted its neck. However, I wasn''t confident that I could break its neck in one go with the help of blessing alone.

    Therefore, I had given instructions to Yu-Hyun. To be exact, I told him to transfer Min-Seo''s blessing to me when I called his name. With Min-Seo''s blessing and the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, I could break the taxidermied creature''s neck and subdue it in one shot. I gave my instructions after considering Yu-Hyun''s ability to control the light of blessing to his will.

    If I did it my way, I¡¯d guarantee that I would be able to overpower Jin-Seo. If I trusted Min-Seo, there were many variables that I would have to consider, but if I trusted myself, those variables would all disappear. Thus, there was no reason to leave it all to Min-Seo.

    "Safe method, my ass. You must have done that just to satisfy your personal desires."

    "What kind of crazy fuck gets satisfied by choking someone?"

    "You''re a crazy fuck yourself, no?¡±

    "No, I''m not."

    I had targeted the neck instead of the heart for a reason. When In-Ah and Gabriel''s taxidermied creatures died, strands of hair were left in their ce. In the spot where In-Ah''s taxidermied creature died, there were brown strands of hair, and when Gabriel''s taxidermied creature died, there were white strands of hair.

    The mainponents of a taxidermied creature were leather, cotton, and sawdust. However, I suspected it was the hair inside that determined how the taxidermied creature behaved. For instance, if one put In-Ah''s hair into a taxidermied creature with In-Ah''s appearance, it would mimic In-Ah''s behavior pattern.

    In other words, if someone removed the hair inside the taxidermied creature''s body, they could render the taxidermied creature powerless. I had executed my actions based on this spection, but honestly, it was a gamble since I didn¡¯t have enough evidence to back up my suspicions.

    Anyway, my spection was correct in the end, so it worked out well.

    "Yeah, right, you crazy bastard..." Min-Seo muttered as she approached Yu-Hyun.

    "Yu-Hyun, how many seconds is the cooldown for your eye thingy?"

    "Hey, I¡¯m telling you, don''t call it eye thingy."

    "Ha, ah. Haah..."

    Ha-Yeon still had her head lowered deeply. It seemed like she was catching her breath and trying to stop herself from retching.

    Yu-Hyun crouched down and looked at Ha-Yeon with one eye.

    "Um... thirty minutes?"

    "Damn, that''s long. Hey, Ha-Yeon."

    Min-Seo tapped Ha-Yeon''s shoulder with her toe.

    Ha-Yeon was startled and raised her head.

    "Yes? <i>Pant, pant.</i> What?"

    "You just saw that, right? The Jin-Seo you had juste with was a taxidermied creature. Then what would you be?"

    "...I¡¯m myself. I''m not a dirty taxidermied creature like that...!"

    "Then prove it. But how, you ask? You see, I''ve been thinking about it."

    Min-Seo stopped talking and took a breath.

    I had a guess about her method of distinguishing between taxidermied creatures. We¡¯d just have to see the blood. By checking whether it was blood or sawdust and cotton that flowed through Ha-Yeon¡¯s body, we could confirm whether she was a taxidermied creature or not¨C

    ¡°Take off your clothes."

    ...Was she crazy?

    Min-Seo stood up with her arms crossed and looked at Ha-Yeon up and down with a sly smile. Ha-Yeon slumped down and took hesitant steps backward, looking up at Min-Seo with a bewildered and fearful gaze.

    "Wh-what are you talking about?"

    "If you¡¯re a taxidermied creature, there should be some traces of added leather on your body or at least something out of ce, right? If not, you¡¯d be a human. Am I wrong?"

    "That''s nonsense..."

    "Ah, stop hesitating and strip. If you''re embarrassed, I could get the boys to cover their eyes. Or should I undress you myself?"

    As Min-Seo approached Ha-Yeon, she took a step backward, trembling in fear.

    I didn''t understand why she wanted to undress Ha-Yeon. Before I could suggest that it''d be better to inflict wounds and see blood, Yu-Hyun suddenly grabbed her by the hair.

    "There''s nothing to see. This is a taxidermied creature."

    <i>Baaam!</i>

    Yu-Hyun¡¯s thick forearms mmed Ha-Yeon''s head against the ground. Ha-Yeon didn¡¯t even get a chance to scream and immediately lost consciousness.

    <i>Bam!</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    <i>Bam!</i>

    Yu-Hyun repeatedly lifted Ha-Yeon''s head and mmed it against the ground. It was such a sudden and unpredictable action that there was no time to prevent it from happening, even if I wanted to. Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo''s actions were truly unpredictable.

    Finally, chunks of sawdust started pouring out of Ha-Yeon''s shattered head. Ha-Yeon¡¯s head started bulging like it would burst at any moment. Without hesitation, Yu-Hyun threw her off of the staircase railing.

    <i>Puff... </i>

    With the sound of a deting balloon, Ha-Yeon''s swollen head shrunk. ck smoke spewed out of the head. As he looked at the rising smoke, Yu-Hyun''s face was calm. Min-Seo and I stared at him in bewilderment. Sensing our gazes on him, Yu-Hyun chuckled awkwardly.

    "You see, there was a scar on her hand that wasn''t there before. So I killed it."

    "A scar?"

    Yu-Hyun opened his palm and showed it to us.

    "There was a long scar on her left palm. I killed it right away because the real Ha-Yeon doesn''t have any scars on her hands."

    When Ha-Yeon used the blessing of purification, she injured her palm in the process. Although I healed Ha-Yeon¡¯s wound, the healing array I had drawn was terribly sloppy, so a scar remained on Ha-Yeon''s palm. In other words, the real Ha-Yeon also had the scar on the taxidermied version of her.

    Fortunately, what Yu-Hyun had killed was a taxidermied creature. Yu-Hyun would have smashed her head without hesitation, regardless if it was the real Ha-Yeon or not. And he would haveughed casually after the deed was done.

    He would say something along the lines of: <i>Ah, you were the real deal. Sorry about that, but why do you have a scar on your hand?</i>

    Just thinking about that gave me the chills.

    ¡°A scar... hmm."

    Unlike the calm Yu-Hyun, Min-Seo muttered with a serious expression as she looked at the taxidermied Ha-Yeon. The creature had turned into smoke and disappeared, leaving only the school uniform and white hair behind.

    "I guess the appearance isn¡¯tpletely the same as the original? Just like the scar on Ha-Yeon''s hand."

    "Yeah, it seems like it. Kind of feels like a fun game of finding the wrong picture."

    Come to think of it, the only remains of the taxidermied Jin-Seo left were the sword and clothes. But the rosary I had given her was nowhere to be found. The real Jin-Seo always wore the rosary that I gave her on her wrist. She even wore it when she exercised.

    At first nce, the taxidermied creature looked real. But upon closer inspection, there were a few differences from its real counterpart. Why did the Satanist who pursued the ¡®perfect taxidermy¡¯ make such a mistake? If I delved into this, I thought I could find evidence of Satanist¡¯s identity.

    But currently, my mind wasn''t working at all. The feeling of strangling the taxidermied Jin-Seo to death still lingered at my fingertips. I also felt a mixture of disgust and astonishment towards Yu-Hyun, who looked like he found this situation to be entertaining.

    Yu-Hyun still had a creepy smile on his face as he stared at Min-Seo.

    "But why did you insist on taking off the clothes? You could have just stabbed her with a de to see if blood or cotton woulde out."

    "Ah, about that," Min-Seo replied nonchntly. "I just was curious if vitiligo affects the entire body or not."

    "Oh! I am a bit curious about that." Yu-Hyun genuinely yed along.

    "Ah..."

    I bowed my head and covered my face. Being in the midst of this crazy duo made me feel like my sanity was slipping away.

 Chapter 127

    <h4>Chapter 127</h4>

    "Hey, Holy Name of Charity! We believe in you!" Yu-Hyun shouted as we left the building.

    Although I didn''t respond, Yu-Hyun continued to vigorously wave his arms above his head.

    When I epted his farewell with a half-hearted nod, Yu-Hyun finally seemed satisfied and turned away. He would now start searching for the missing people with Min-Seo.

    Finally, I was alone.

    The only thing in the building we were previously in were the teacher''s offices, such as the chairman¡¯s office and the principal''s office. It was the most secluded ce among all the buildings on campus, making it difficult to find for freshmen unustomed to the school¡¯s geography.

    I looked around, turning my head. No one was in sight. The CCTVs would have already been destroyed or sabotaged by the Satanists. As I mentioned earlier, due to its remote location, this building was a ce with very little student traffic. In other words, no one had their eyes on me. I waspletely alone.

    As soon as I realized this, I felt relieved, and the tension in my body melted away. I took a deep breath. The cool air, tinged with the smell of rain, filled my body. The wind seeped into every part of me, carried by a gentle breeze. Naturally, the wind was kind to me.

    "Bade."

    After all, this was Bade''s wind.

    [This is a natural breeze! My wind is stronger and more majestic!]

    "There¡¯s no reason to lie. The wind is cool and nice."

    [Well, actually, you''re right. It is me!]

    Bade happily spoke up as Iplimented the wind.

    [You were sweating, so I thought I''d cool you down.]

    "Thank you."

    [I did it because I hoped you¡¯d catch a cold. You shouldn¡¯t thank me at all!]

    Meanwhile, Bade''s wind continued to blow. The wind gently and refreshingly enveloped my skin. My mind felt clouded when I had been in thepany of Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo, and now was gradually clearing up. The sky above was dark and gloomy, bing increasingly hazy. The low-hanging sky looked heavy, and it felt as if a storm could pour down any moment.

    [The weather is really nice, isn''t it?]

    "Yes, it is." I yed along with Bade and his fondness for bad weather.

    I stretched my hand out and flipped it. My palm, which had been facing the sky, was now facing the ground. The wind current changed. The wind that had been in all directions blowing now gathered around me.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    There was a change in the vigor of the wind. The light, refreshing breeze started to feel heavy. The wind that had been pulling apart into multiple strands now converged into one and circled around me.

    I stepped onto the wind and stood suspended mid-air. At first, I had a hard time retaining a firm posture, but once I stabilized my center of gravity with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, I was able to fly steadily.

    [Let''s go all the way to Mars!] [1]

    "Just take me to that spire over there."

    [That¡¯s too bad. The moon is exceptionally beautiful tonight,] Bade said.

    The wind was getting stronger. I was barely able to keep my bnce and entrusted myself to the wind. The wind carried me, passing by the trees nted throughout F.A. The leaves brushed against my cheeks, and the branches waved, greeting me.

    [We have arrived.]

    <i>Ssssssh...</i>

    The wind brought me to the top of the rooftop of the main building and carefully retreated, rustling branches as it left. The sound of rustling leaves started to fade away. Consequently, Bade''s voice also became distant. However, the wind still lingered by my side. From inside the wind, I nced at thendscape unfolding below the spire.

    The remains of the copsed training center were scattered in a corner of the field. The students who hade out of their ssroom wandered around the field, looking lost. They all seemed to be first years.

    For some reason, their faces were filled with fear and confusion. Some of the students had dark red bruises on their faces, as if they had been beaten. I wasn''t certain, but something unusual seemed to be happening inside the first-grade building, but I couldn''t tell what it was exactly.

    Standing on top of the spire of the main building, I could see most of the entire school''s scenery in one nce. However, given the angle and the situation, the people from below shouldn¡¯t be able to make out if anyone was on top of the spire.

    I could see them, but they couldn''t see me. This made me feel cozy andfortable.

    <i>Squeeeak¨C! </i>

    At that moment, a loud noise echoed from the speaker right below the apex of the spire. Theforting and cozy feeling that filled my body disappeared and was reced by a creepy and eerie tension. Along with the squeaking noise from the speaker, an urgent voice began to flow out.

    ¡ª<i>Attention all students, I am informing all students in the school! Numerous taxidermied creatures have appeared in the first-grade building! </i>

    It was the vice principal¡¯s voice.

    ¡ª<i>Students in the building, please evacuate to another building immediately! Students who are not in that building, please wait for further evacuation orders! I repeat... Ugh!</i>

    <i>Thud, crack, thud... </i>

    The vice-principal''s words were cut off. The sound of the vice-principal being hit repeatedly by someone, followed by the sound of something breaking, came from the speakers.

    The fear in the faces of the students wandering in the fields started to increase.

    There was a moment of silence, and then some static started to flow from the speakers once more.

    ¡ª<i>...Ah, ah. There was a mistake. The report of taxidermied creatures appearing was a false rm. We ask the students in the first-grade building to stay in their seats.</i>

    Once again, it was the vice principal¡¯s voice. However, his tone was different. The real vice principal''s voice had a sense of urgency and confusion, and although it was just a little bit, it seemed that he had been crying a little as well. However, the voice of the fake taxidermied vice-principal who had taken over the broadcasting room had no emotional fluctuation.

    <i> ¡ªAlso, the Satanists have said that they n to detonate the hospital in twenty minutes, so we advise students to stay put and not attempt futile rescue efforts as they would just cause further damage. Students should stay in their seats. I repeat, the report of taxidermied creatures appearing... </i>

    The taxidermied vice-principal repeated the nonsensical announcement. It was not even worth listening to. All that mattered was the fact that the Satanists had seized the broadcasting room. I wasn¡¯t surprised, since I had somewhat expected the Satanist to prioritize taking control of the broadcasting room above everything else.

    The only unexpected thing from the Satanist¡¯s message was the part about detonating the hospital. Why blow up the hospital all of a sudden?

    Was it to lure the students?

    No, if that were the case, there would be no need to mention the line ¡®<i>So we advise students to stay put and not attempt futile rescue efforts as they would just cause further damage.</i>¡¯

    Who would believe such an obviously suspicious broadcast in the first ce?

    "..."

    At that moment, I had an epiphany. The Satanist had no intention of luring the students to the hospital. From the start, the students were the least of the Satanist''s concerns.

    The Satanist was trying to lure <i>me</i>. It seemed like they were scheming to do something while my hands were tied up trying to save the patients in the hospital. However, I had no intention of ying along with the Satanist''s intentions.

    "Dan Wedo."

    [Today... the weather...good...go on...a date!]

    Dan Wedo''s muttering was more distinct than before, seemingly thanks to the satiating amount of offerings I had madest time.

    The sky was still dark and gloomy. As soon as Dan Wedo finished speaking, dark and thick clouds covered the sky. Although the sun peeked through the clouds and emitted light, the clouds quickly filled up that space, fully painting the sky in darkness.

    <i>Swaaaa...</i>

    It started to rain. I stood in the showers raining down on me. The raindrops were heavy and sharp, but at the same time, they were kind, like Bade¡¯s wind. My school uniform got soaked. All visiblendscapes were soaked in the rain, adding to the darkness of the scenery.

    I didn''t know how the Satanists would bomb the hospital. If they were nning to use taxidermied creatures for an explosion, I wouldn''t even be able to stop it.

    However, if they had installed bomb-like devices throughout the hospital, Dan Wedo''s rain could offset secondary damages from the fires. I didn''t know much about bombs, but I had a feeling that would be the case. Since it was unclear whether the Satanist''s words about bombing the hospital were true or false, I couldn''t rashly go to the hospital.

    Above all, there were things I needed to take care of.

    "Granbwa."

    Granbwa asked with a hoarse voice, [...Was the medicine tasty?]

    "No, it was bitter."

    [Then you should have given it to me instead.]

    "...I will next time."

    I replied with a wry smile at Granbwa''s blunt words.

    [Okay! Doesn''t sound like a lie.]

    Along with Granbwa''s cheerful response, some ivy climbed up from the main building.

    <i>Rustle, rustle, rustle... </i>

    The leaves made a rustling sound as they brushed against each other. The sound, barely audible due to the loud patter of the rain, gradually crept closer and tickled my ears.

    Before I knew it, the ivy had grown up to the rooftop and waved as if it were greeting me. I grasped the ivy with my fingertips, now glowing with a blue hue. My consciousness plummeted to the ground, riding along the vine.

    I could hear the sounds of the nts rooted into the soil. My pitch-ck view brightened, and the world seen through the eyes of nts unfolded in front of me; sound and sight were divided into numerous strands.

    ¡ª<i>Are they telling us to evacuate or to stay still?</i>

    <i>¡ªAren¡¯t they telling us to stay still for now? I don''t know either...</i>

    <i>¡ªWait, let me make a call... Huh? I can¡¯t get a signal...</i>

    I listened carefully to each sound that reached my ears. The taxidermied Jin-Seo I had met earlier had no rosary on her wrist. The taxidermied Ha-Yeon had a scar on her palm. In-Ah and Ha-Yeo¡¯s taxidermied creatures looked real, but the taxidermied Jin-Seo was different from the real one.

    The Satanist who pursued perfection in their taxidermy arts knew what In-Ah¡¯s regr clothes looked like, and they also knew about Ha-Yeon''s scar. I knew this because these elements had been present in the In-Ah and Ha-Yeon¡¯s taxidermied counterparts. So why hadn''t they replicated Jin-Seo''s rosary?

    Was it that they couldn¡¯t instead of hadn¡¯t?

    ¡ª<i>Teacher, do we need to evacuate? Or...</i>

    <i>¡ªJust a moment, let me call the other teachers...</i>

    As far as the Satanists knew, the taxidermied creatures they created were perfect. In other words, they couldn¡¯t realize ¡®unknown characteristics.¡¯ That was why the fake Jin-Seo didn¡¯t carry a rosary.

    It wasn¡¯t that the Satanists hadn¡¯t replicated Jin-Seo''s rosary because they didn¡¯t want to. It was because they couldn¡¯t have replicated it. The reason for this was simple. They didn¡¯t know that Jin-Seo had recently started to carry around the rosary.

    On the other hand, there was a scar on the taxidermied Ha-Yeon¡¯s palm. This meant that Satanists knew there was a scar on Ha-Yeon''s palm.

    ¡ª<i>Teacher! We can¡¯t catch a signal!</i>

    <i>¡ªHuh? You¡¯re right. Why did the signal suddenly... </i>

    The Satanists didn¡¯t know that Jin-Seo had recently started to carry a rosary, but they knew of Ha-Yeon''s new scar on her palm. Ha-Yeon was not the type of person to show off her palm scar to the world since she was proud and had a strong ego.

    In other words, there was a high probability that the Satanist was among the people whom Ha-Yeon had intentionally or unintentionally shown her scar to. They had met In-Ah this morning, but they hadn¡¯t seen Jin-Seo recently.

    No, that person <i>was</i> the Satanist.

    First, I had to find Ha-Yeon and ask who knew about her new palm scar. I used Granbwa''s power to transfer my consciousness between flowers to trees, and from trees to weeds to find Ha-Yeon.

    ¡ª<i>They said that a taxidermied creature has shown up. Shouldn''t we evacuate? </i>

    <i>¡ªThey said it was a false rm. It seems like we should just stay here... </i>

    <i>¡ªHuh? What''s that? W-What is that?</i>

    Shit!

    The voices wereing from the first-year building. I couldn¡¯t see Ha-Yeon, nor could I hear her voice. Why did she open her mouth when I wanted it shut, and why did she keep it shut when I needed her to talk? I suppressed my annoyance and tried to find Ha-Yeon.

    <i> ¡ªWhat''s up over there? Why are those students acting like that? </i>

    <i>¡ªCould it be true that a taxidermied creature has appeared...? </i>

    <i>¡ªHey,e on. Don¡¯t say that... </i>

    I found her. I was able to locate Ha-Yeon. She was walking along the corridor on the third floor of the first-year building. Ra-Hee was with her.

    I maintained Granbwa''s power and stirred up the wind using Bade''s power.

    <i>Thump thump. </i>

    The wind came towards me, sshing raindrops. I nned to fly straight to Ha-Yeon with it.

    Just then, I heard a sharp, thundering series of screams.

    ¡ª<i>Aaaahhh!! </i>

    <i>¡ªOof, ughhh!! No, damn it, what is this, Fuck..! </i>

    <i>¡ªQuiz! Quiz! </i>

    "Ugh...!"

    The screams weren¡¯t just from one person. The screams of several female and male students intertwined and struck my ears. They were loud and long enough to make my ears ring. My concentration was broken, and Granbwa''s power was cut off. My consciousness that had seeped into the nts returned to my body.

    <i>Aaaaaaaaaaaah! </i>

    There was no time to catch my breath or calm my startled heart. Just like the screams I heard in the first-year building, another sharp and roaring cry echoed across the field.

    In the middle of the field, something of a staggering size was screeching with its heads raised toward the sky.

    <i>Kieeeek! Kieeeek©¤! </i>

    It was a demonic beast. It was of an iparable size to the dog-like demonic beast I had seen in the barn or the bird-like demonic beast I had seen on Eiden Hill. It had three heads and six legs. The six eyes on its heads were red. In the darkness, the red glow of the demonic beast''s eyes scanned the faces of the students.

    <i>Aaaahhh... Aaaahhh... </i>

    The students screamed and ran away. The screams were distant and faint, but the fear and terror embedded within them were vivid.

    <i>Thump, thump! </i>

    Each time the demonic beast pounded the ground as it chased the students, a heavy sound resonated, giving the illusion of an earthquake. The students¡¯ legs were too thin and slow to escape the monster¡¯s pursuit.

    [Look, there¡¯s someone like you,] Legba said.

    Amidst everyone scattering and fleeing from the demonic beast, a student was crossing the field, making their way toward it instead with a sword in her right hand. Jin-Seo aimed her crude and blunt sword aimed at the demonic beast and stepped forward with confident strides.

    The demonic beast sensed her hostility. Its six red eyes stared at Jin-Seo. Its six legs simultaneously hit the ground, charging forward. Its ws, muchrger than an average person, streaked toward her with such ferocity that it seemed her body would be cleaved in half.

    Although her sword was also aimed at the demonic beast''s neck, it was pitifully small and dullpared to the beast''s ws.

    I raised my index finger and aimed at the demonic beast''s head.

    <i>Zzzap! </i>

    Without warning, a lightning bolt struck the demonic beast¡¯s central head.

    The ws that had been charging toward Jin-Seo trembled and sank to the ground. She looked at the demonic beast with surprise, but then quickly regained herposure and nced around.

    <i>Kyaek, kieeek...! </i>

    However, it was not a time to let her guard down. The demonic beast was not dead yet. Asrge as it was and with many heads, the demonic beast''s body was tough and sturdy.

    Sobo eximed as he btedly appeared along with the lightning strike, [I don¡¯t believe it! It endured my lightning strike! That demonic beast is a true warrior!]

    <i>Rumble¡ª!</i>

    The winds picked up, and thunder roared. Suddenly, a storm had enveloped the school.

    I raised my finger and aimed at the right head of the demonic beast.

    [Lightning doesn''t strike the same ce twice!] Sobo said, despite the tense situation at hand.

    "What do you mean lightning doesn¡ª!"

    <i>Crack! </i>

    Contrary to Sobo''s words, lightning struck the same ce twice,pletely incinerating the demonic beast. The thunderous sound caused by the lightning cut my words short.

    Suddenly, raindrops from Dan Wedo fell onto the now-turned-to-ashes body of the demonic beast. The body dissolved into the rain, staining the field ck.

    "...But it just did."

    [My capricious lightning sometimes strikes twice. Haha!]

    <i>Rumble! </i>

    The thunder echoed in response to Sobo''s words. The dark clouds collided and emitted light. The light intertwined with the dark clouds, honing into something sharp and jagged.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    The light illuminated the remains of the dissolved demonic beast. A lightning bolt split through the sky and the beast''s abdomen. The exposed organs of the demonic beast emitted a ck and sinister-looking smoke.

    The smoke didn''t rise to the sky but settled on the ground, enveloping the students'' bodies.

    [It even strikes three times! Impressive, isn''t it?]

    "...Yes, impressive indeed."

    I replied appropriately to Sobo''s words and nced toward the first-year building where Ha-Yeon was.

    1. The original text is ??? ???? ??! The literal trantion is, ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mars.¡± This is a Korean meme of Elon Musk and DogeCoin. There was a cryptocurrency called DogeCoin that Elon once mentioned in an interview. After he did so, the price of the coin skyrocketed, like it was sting off to Mars. Ever since, the term ¡®??????!¡¯ has been used when something that someone one is suddenly increasing in value. ?

 Chapter 128

    <h4>Chapter 128</h4>

    <i>Krrg, krrrrgk... </i>

    Left alone, Jin-Seo walked aimlessly, her sword dragging by her side. Although she should have gone up to her ssroom earlier, she didn¡¯t feel like it. She crossed the field to peek around the building that Sun-Woo had gone into and even went in and explored buildings she had never been to.

    The school grounds were extremely big. She vaguely remembered exploring the school with her mother under her father¡¯s guidance. However, the school seemed to be bigger than what she remembered.

    She had grown bigger since her childhood days. Had the school grown in size as well?

    It was an absurd thought. Sheughed.

    The reason why the school was strangely quiet was probably not just because other students were still in ss. The school was as empty as it was spacious, and even the bustling students couldn''t fill all that space with noise. In other words, the school was quiet because it was simply toorge. Amongst all that spacious and quiet space, she was utterly alone.

    "...."

    The air was cold, and the sky hung low. She felt lonely and scared. She tightly gripped the de handle to suppress the trembling of her fingertips.

    With no clear destination in mind, she soon returned to where she started. Tired from walking, she sat down and stared at the ground. Five ants were walking in a line.

    <i>Crunch. </i>

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Someone had approached her and stepped on the ants. Four out of the five ants died. The remaining ant circled around the dead ants.

    Jin-Seo jerked her head up. The culprit was looking down at her with a slight smile.

    "What were you up to?"

    "...I was looking at the ants."

    "Ants?"

    "You just killed them."

    Hearing that, Sun-Woo jumped up and lifted his foot.

    "Oh, my bad. I really didn''t know..."

    "You don''t have to apologize to me," Jin-Seo said with a smile.

    She found his flustered appearance funny and cute. She put her hands on her knees, stood up, and looked at Sun-Woo. He was staring at the ground as if he still felt sorry for the ants he had identally stepped on.

    "What did they say at the principal¡¯s office?¡± Jin-Seo asked, gently nudging Sun-Woo''s shoulder with her head.

    Sun-Woo observed his shoes and the ground when he started walking away as if he had been pushed. Jin-Seo walked beside him. Sun-Woo then looked up at the sky absentmindedly.

    "We didn''t talk about anything serious."

    "Okay, but what did you talk about?"

    "Various things. Well... there seemed to be a misunderstanding, you know, about the Satanists," Sun-Woo said nonchntly.

    Jin-Seo nodded slightly. After hearing the phrase ¡®considered an act of rebellion against the Romanican Church¡¯ from the announcements, she vaguely suspected that it would have had something to do with the Satanists. That was why she had been anxiously circling the building.

    Anyway, ording to Sun-Woo, it seemed like the misunderstanding had been resolved. This also meant that Sun-Woo was not a Satanist. Although she had never doubted him, she couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. Sun-Woo looked at Jin-Seo as if he was looking at something cute.

    "Were you waiting for me?"

    "...No."

    "Really?"

    "Y...Yeah," Jin-Seo said while ring at Sun-Woo with narrowed eyes.

    Sun-Woo smiled faintly.

    They walked in silence for a while. Suddenly, Jin-Seo realized that her grip on the handle of her de had loosened. Her body was no longer trembling. She looked up and saw the remnants of the wound near Sun-Woo''s neck. It hadn''tpletely healed yet.

    "It''s almost healed."

    Jin-Seo gently touched the wound with her fingertips. Sun-Woo cautiously nudged her hand away.

    "The wound wasn¡¯t that deep in the first ce."

    "What about your hand?"

    "Hmm... that wound was a bit deeper."

    Sun-Woo clenched his fist, covering up his wound. He seemed reluctant to show it.

    <i>¡®I would like to see it,¡¯ </i>she thought.

    However, Jin-Seo understood Sun-Woo''s feelings to some extent, so she nodded and turned her gaze elsewhere. Something sharp was sticking out of his pocket, swaying with each step he took.

    "What''s that?"

    "Oh, this."

    Again, Sun-Woo took the object out of his pocket as if it were nothing. The object he brought out was an anti-demon mask. Her father had told her in the past where the anti-demon mask was stashed.

    Jin-Seo tilted her head in confusion. Why was the mask that was supposed to be in the chairman¡¯s office in Sun-Woo''s pocket? Although she was curious, she didn¡¯t be suspicious of Sun-Woo because of how confident he seemed. Sun-Woo put the mask back in his pocket.

    "The chairman asked me to take it. The Satanists might take it if it was left in his office."

    "Aha." Jin-Seo nodded.

    It was unlikely that Sun-Woo, who even made a fuss about stepping on a few ants, would steal the mask from the chairman''s office. Sun-Woo probably wouldn¡¯t have known that there was an anti-demon mask in the chairman''s office, so it seemed like he was telling the truth.

    Silence fell upon them once again.

    At this point, it seemed as if they would circle the entire perimeter. The school felt small when she was walking with him, just like how it felt when she wandered with her mother during her childhood.

    "...Hey, where are we going?" Jin-Seo asked after realizing she was gradually following Sun-Woo toward the school''s walls.

    Without responding, Sun-Woo put on his mask and looked at Jin-Seo through its small eye holes.

    "I¡¯m running away."

    "Running away?"

    Sun-Woo nodded and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering. The sky was slowly engulfed by darkness, giving off ominous and eerie vibes.

    "ording to what I heard in the principal''s office... It seems like the school is in danger. So I¡¯m going to run away."

    "...What about the others?"

    "I have to put myself first, you know?" Sun-Woo said, quickly walking toward the walls without waiting for Jin-Seo.

    She hurriedly followed him, trotting closely behind. Sun-Woo was walking fast. Jin-Seo realized that he had been adjusting his pace in order to match that of others.

    "Wait, then what is the mask f¨C?"

    "There''s demonic energy surrounding the walls. Without the mask, I can''t cross over."

    "Are you really going to run away?"

    "What about you? Are you just going to stay here?" Sun-Woo asked, standing in front of the walls.

    The walls were high, but not too high that it was impossible to climb over. Someone like Sun-Woo could easily jump over them.

    Sun-Woo urged the hesitant Jin-Seo, "So, what are you going to do?"

    "I..."

    "Let''s just run away together."

    "..."

    "I''ll go first and pass the mask over the wall. Then you can run away too."

    Sun-Woo reached out his hand to Jin-Seo. She hesitated to hold his hand, bowing down her head. Countless thoughts raced through her mind.

    She understood that in the current circumstances, the school was a dangerous ce. However, she felt a strange sense of unease listening to Sun-Woo''s words. Something felt off. He was not the type of person to choose to run away, even in dire situations. He was the type to sacrifice himself if it meant he could save everyone else.

    Of course, that kind of sacrifice was not desirable. Instead, Jin-Seo hoped that Sun-Woo would be a little more selfish and wanted him to focus more on keeping himself alive than saving others. However, even considering that, she felt a sense of difort and unfamiliaritying from the Sun-Woo standing in front of him.

    It felt as if... he wasn''t the real Sun-Woo.

    "So what are you going to do? Hurry, make a choice," Sun-Woo asked urgently, his expressionpletely cold.

    Jin-Seo felt anxious¡ªit looked as if he could take off at any moment. The option of grabbing his hand and running away with him didn''t seem so bad.

    Suddenly, she was reminded of the taxidermied creature that had rushed to hug Sun-Woo this morning. Instead of blood, sawdust, cotton, and chemicals flowed through the body of the taxidermied creature.

    Jin-Seo raised her sword.

    "...I¡¯m sorry."

    "Huh? What are you sorry for?"

    Sun-Woo took a step back, his face flush with surprise. Jin-Seo approached Sun-Woo by taking two steps forward.

    <i>Stab.</i>

    Jin-Seo bit her lips and pierced her sword through Sun-Woo''s palm. Jin-Seo breathed heavily in front of Sun-Woo, who was withering in so much pain that he couldn¡¯t even scream.

    Her heart was pounding fiercely, threatening to burst out of her body at any second. She hade to the conclusion the Sun-Woo in front of her was a taxidermied creature. She didn¡¯t really have any evidence. It was just that his actions and personality were slightly different from usual. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo didn''t hesitate to plunge the de into Sun-Woo''s palm.

    It was an action born from the conviction that she alone could distinguish between the real Sun-Woo and a taxidermied creature.

    ¡°You, what are you doing now...! Ahhh!"

    "..."

    Jin-Seo''s expression hardened coldly.

    From the struggling Sun-Woo''s palm, sawdust spewed out instead of blood. He was indeed a taxidermied creature. Thankfully, he wasn''t the real Sun-Woo. She felt pathetic and miserable for thinking it was the real Sun-Woo, even for a second.

    <i>sh!</i>

    She pulled out the sword she had impaled into Sun-Woo¡¯s palm and sliced it in half. Sawdust scattered on the floor. She looked down at the sawdust with a cold and icy gaze, then raised her head to stare into the taxidermied creature¡¯s eyes. The horror that arose from the eyes of the taxidermied creature made her hesitate.

    However, that fear was not real.

    Jin-Seo bit her lip until it bled and gripped the de handle. Her de hurled down toward the taxidermied creature''s neck.

    <i>sh. </i>

    The left hand that the taxidermied creature had used to block the blow was severed. Jin-Seo exerted more force, trying to cut the taxidermied creature''s neck with a single strike.

    "..."

    However, the de stopped in front of the taxidermied creature''s neck. Jin-Seo''s shoulders trembled uncontrobly as she stared at the taxidermied creature with bloodshot eyes.

    "Ah, ha. It hurts. It hurts... Please, why? Why are you doing this...!"

    She could see Sun-Woo''s face, tears streaming through the small holes of the mask. Jin-Seo knew that it was just a taxidermied creature. She knew that those tears were fake. Jin-Seo clenched her teeth, mustered up her determination, and swung the sword.

    <i>Srrk, srrk, srrk... </i>

    Using her exhausted arm, Jin-Seo swung a few more times, almost as if she was chopping with an ax. Finally, after being decapitated, Sun-Woo''s head rolled on the ground.

    It didn''t take long for the remains to turn into ck smoke and rise into the sky. Only Sun-Woo''s clothes and the anti-demon mask remained in the ce where the taxidermied creature had died.

    Jin-Seo picked up the anti-demon mask, put it in her arms, and started to walk briskly without a clear destination in mind.

    Her arm felt powerless. What she had killed was nothing more than a taxidermied creature imitating Sun-Woo''s appearance, but the fact that it was an imitation of Sun-Woo tormented her. The image of Sun-Woo, looking at her with tearful and sorrowful eyes, floated in front of her eyes like a hallucination.

    "...What...run away..."

    "...Save...what..."

    Aimlessly wandering around the school, Jin-Seo was suddenly met with a cascade of students. Their faces were distorted in fear, and they were all screaming about something. A broadcast was flowing from the speakers installed throughout the school. The sound echoed in her ears but soon disappeared.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    She collided with one of the students who was running away. Her legs gave out. Staggering, she wanted to copse and sit down. She had met the taxidermied Sun-Woo earlier and had killed it by hacking away at its throat with her sword.

    Then where was the real Sun-Woo? Even amongst the pouring students, Sun-Woo''s face was nowhere to be seen. The Satanists could have kidnapped him. Or he could have disappeared for some other reason. Or maybe the broadcast telling him toe to the principal''s office was a trap, and Sun-Woo might have gotten caught up in it and died.

    What about her father?

    The anti-demon mask had been in Sun-Woo¡¯s possession, and that was originally supposed to be in the chairman¡¯s office. Her father might have been killed, too.

    "Ah..."

    Her head hurt. She kept walking in a random direction. It felt like she was lost. The school was too vast, its empty space sorge that it couldn''t be filled even with the screams of the students pouring out.

    <i>Shoosh.... </i>

    By the time she came to her senses, it was raining. Her school uniform and hair were soaked. A cold and cool sensation stuck to her skin. Her steps felt heavy as if they were tied to lead. Her consciousness was clouded.

    <i>Keeyaaak©¤!! </i>

    At that moment, a gigantic demonic beast suddenly appeared in the field out of nowhere. The eerie scream, which was neither human nor animal-like, brought her back to her senses.

    With its six legs, the demonic beast was chasing the students who were running away, making it hard to make out their faces. Sun-Woo might have been among the fleeing students, but she couldn''t tell because of the demonic beast.

    Her whole body was on edge. The sudden threat against her life sent a jolt of signals throughout her body. Nevertheless, she didn''t stop walking. Instead, she inched closer to the demonic beast.

    "Please, just go away..." Jin-Seo muttered as she approached the demonic beast.

    The demonic beast stared at her with its six eyes and revealed its dirty and rough teeth. Her heart pounded fiercely as if it would burst out of her body. With each step, the ground of the field sank deeply. It felt like her body was sinking below the ground.

    The demonic beast rushed toward her. She raised her sword. The demonic beast had three heads. She couldn''t cut off all three heads with one blow. So she simply aimed at the head in the middle.

    She had no particr reason for it. She had simply chosen the head that seemed easiest to cut.

    <i>Keeiiieek!</i>

    Jin-Seo swung her sword toward the demonic beast that was charging at her while letting out a terrorizing scream.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    At that moment, a strike of light momentarily took away her eyesight. Her vision turned white and soon returned to normal. As she came to her senses, she saw that the demonic beast in front of her had fallen, with the head in the middlepletely destroyed by the lightning strike.

    <i>Kieeek, kieeek... </i>

    The demonic beast groaned in pain.

    <i>Crack!</i> The beast''s body twitched, sparks surging from it. Another lightning strike descended upon the beast. Its movements ceasedpletely as its body turned into ashes, melting into the ground, staining it ck.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    It wasn''t over yet. Another lightning strike came down. The light sliced through the demonic beast''s abdomen.

    The situation felt simr to when she was surrounded by the bird demonic beasts at Eiden Hill. The only difference was that Sun-Woo was there back then, but now he was not. Jin-Seo looked around.

    It felt like he was secretly watching her from somewhere.

    "Where are you..."

    She couldn''t see him anywhere. She was delusional to think that he would be watching her in the first ce. It was only natural. She just wished that Sun-Woo was watching her.

    "..."

    She silently lowered her head. Raindrops fell on the back of her head.

    <i>Plop, plop.</i>

    The raindrops trickled down her hair.

    <i>Kieeek, kieek...</i>

    At that time, the demonic beast let out a weak roar.

    Its spilled intestines from its burst belly had turned into smoke. The smoke looked like it was rising up to the sky, but with a sudden change of pace, it settled on the ground. The ck smoke wrapped around the students.

    Seeing this, Jin-Seo btedly regained his senses and fixed her stance with her sword. She was going to put an end to the remaining breath of the weakened demonic beast.

    <i>Keyaak... Kek!</i>

    However, the breath of the demonic beast finally ceasedpletely. Along with itsst breath, something poured out from its mouth. It was covered in gastric acid and saliva, but it contained chunks of gold and swords.

    "I-it''s gold. It''s gold...!"

    "Is it real gold? Really?"

    "It must be real gold! It''s like a reward for defeating the boss monster! It came from the demonic beast!"

    The students who had inhaled the smoke from the demonic beast''s intestines approached the gold eagerly.

    Even the students who hadn''t inhaled the smoke showed interest at the mention of gold and hesitantly approached the demonic beast¡¯s corpse.

    The only one who kept their distance from the gold was Jin-Seo.

    "Look, it''s real gold! If I sell this..."

    "Hey! That''s mine!"

    "Why is it yours? You damn idiot, have you gone blind?"

    The demonic beast''s intestines continued to emit ck smoke. The eyes of the students who had inhaled the smoke started to lose focus.

 Chapter 129

    <h4>Chapter 129</h4>

    <i>Ahh, ah, ahh...! </i>

    A scream echoed through the hallway. It soon ended and turned into a moan.

    <i>Crash, bang, thud...</i>

    There was the sound of breaking ss and something colliding with something else. The snuffed scream continued to echo through the hallway.

    Ra-Hee and Ha-Yeon¡¯s faces froze. They had left the ssroom upon hearing the evacuation order broadcasted throughout the school and were nning to head back to their ssroom after the announcement said that it had been a false rm.

    "W-what is this, w-what sound is that?" Ra-Hee stuttered, stopping in her tracks.

    Ha-Yeon looked around anxiously and answered, "Could it be true that a taxidermied creature has appeared...?"

    "Hey,e on. Don¡¯t say that...¡±

    Ha-Yeon looked out the window and saw a handful of first-year students rushing out of the building with terrified expressions. The appearance of a taxidermied creature was enough to spread terror throughout a city. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was true that a taxidermied creature had appeared, but it seemed like something was going on.

    "Should we... evacuate? Didn¡¯t the announcement say the taxidermied creature was a false rm?"

    "Didn¡¯t that sound like a lie? The second broadcast had a strange tone...¡±

    "Then what should I believe in? What exactly is going on...?"

    "For now... I think it''s better to believe the first broadcast."

    In times like this, it was wise to first evacuate and then evaluate the situation. If something ended up happening because they didn¡¯t evacuate, then they would suffer from the consequences. Even if nothing happened, they had nothing to lose.

    Ha-Yeon quickly made the decision to lead Ra-Hee out of the building. They hurried their steps but stopped the moment they reached the staircase. Fear dawned upon their faces. Ha-Yeon tried to seem calm, but she couldn''t hide her fluttering eyelids.

    "Hello!"

    A woman greeted them, alternating her gaze between Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee. She had very short hair and an overall refreshing impression. Her tone and expressions were cheerful. Her teeth, revealed with a smile, were white and neatly organized. The woman crawled on the floor and made her way toward the two.

    Rather, she <i>rolled</i> toward them. She was merely a head with nothing below her neck.

    "Please wait a moment! I''ll be rolling over there soon!"

    "Oh, uh, hey, what...?"

    "Huh? No, uh, you don''t have toe. No, please don''te near me...!"

    Ra-Hee and Ha-Yeon hesitantly stepped back, avoiding the approaching head. They wanted to turn around and run away, but s, their legs had lost their strength. It seemed that they would fall to their knees if they tried to escape in their current state.

    "Don''t run away! I''m not a weird person!"

    "F-fuck off! Anyone can see that you''re weird!" Ra-Hee shouted after she came to her senses.

    The head seemed to grimace as she forced an exaggeratedugh.

    "I''m telling you, I''m not! Soon, my friends will be here too!"

    "Friends...?"

    <i>Tadadadada.</i>

    While Ha-Yeon voiced her curiosity, a strange sound came from the stairs. It sounded like a giant bug crawling rapidly on its dozens of legs.

    The head¡¯s ¡®friends¡¯ quickly climbed up the stairs and stood in front of Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee.

    "I''m the upper body!"

    "I''m the lower body!"

    The head had two friends: the upper body and the lower body. The upper body had its mouth on the pit of its stomach, and the lower body had its mouth at its groin. The upper body moved by standing on its hands, while the lower body used its legs.

    Head, upper body, and lower body. The three of them stared at Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee. The upper body and lower body had no eyes, but Ha-Yeon felt that they were looking at her. She trembled with fear, and her mind went nk. Even the thought of running away was fading away.

    At that moment, the head rolled on the ground and spoke to them.

    "Don''t be so scared!"

    "If you pass the quiz, we''ll let you go! You don''t have to worry!"

    "Quiz!"

    "Quiz! Quiz!"

    The lower body jumped up and down, bending and straightening its knees. The upper body did push-ups while assuming a hand-standing position. The head rolled around.

    At that point, Ha-Yeon stopped thinking. It felt like she would lose her mind If she held onto her consciousness any longer.

    The head stopped rolling and eximed, "First, the person on my right!"

    "M-me?" Ra-Hee was startled and stepped back.

    The upper and lower body danced around, bending and straightening their joints. The head smiled and approached Ra-Hee, spinning around her feet in circles.

    "Yes! You! Here''s the question! Among the following, who is telling a lie?"

    "When escaping from Sodom, one of Lot''s daughters turned back and became a pir of salt!" said the upper body.

    "To continue their family¡¯s lineage, Lot''s two daughters, who safely escaped from Sodom, received their father''s seed!" said the lower body.

    Ra-Hee''s expression hardened as she heard the questions.

    "I-I haven''t studied that part yet...!"

    "Answer quickly! I''ll give you ten seconds to think! Ten!"

    The head rolled around Ra-Hee''s feet, urging her.

    Ra-Hee covered her lips and tilted her head as if she were in deep thought and then stole a nce at Ha-Yeon.

    Ha-Yeon was still in a daze. This situation that was unfolding in front of her eyes did not feel real at all.

    "Nine!"

    Time was ticking. Ra-Hee racked her brain. She pondered over the upper body¡¯s words. She vaguely remembered hearing a story about one of Lot''s family members turning into a pir of salt because they had looked back while fleeing, but she couldn''t remember which family member it was.

    "Eight!"

    Next, she thought about the lower body¡¯s words. Lot''s two daughters received their father''s seed to continue the lineage... Wasn''t Lot supposed to be a righteous man? Would he really do such a thing? Did that make sense?

    "Seven!"

    "..."

    It seemed like they were both telling lies and the truth at the same time.

    Ra-Hee regretted neglecting her study of the Holy Book. Meanwhile, time was still ticking. Should she make a wild guess? After all, she had a fifty-fifty chance. No, what if she guessed wrong? What consequences would she face for being wrong?

    The contemting Ra-Hee whispered in a low voice, covering her mouth with her palm, "Ha-Yeon."

    It was only then that Ha-Yeon¡¯s eyes, which had been staring nkly into space, finally regained focus. Ra-Hee sent a signal to Ha-Yeon with a look. Ha-Yeon understood the message conveyed in Ra-Hee''s eyes and nodded.

    "The answer is the upper body. It was the wife who turned into salt, not the daughter."

    "No, not that."

    Ra-Hee shook her head. She hadn''t signaled Ha-Yeon to give her the answer.

    Even if they guessed the correct answer, there was no guarantee that those things would let them go willingly. It would be better to overpower the head, lower, and upper body through the help of Ha-Yeon¡¯s blessings and escape the building.

    Ha-Yeon was inherently physically weak andcked strength, so it wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference if she herself received any blessings. Ra-Hee was also physically weak but was strongerpared to Ha-Yeon. With the help of Ha-Yeon''s blessings, she could somehow win the fight.

    The taxidermied creatures appeared to be three separate entities, but they were actually just one body divided into three pieces. Although it looked like it would be a 3:1 fight, in reality, it would be a 1:1.

    "...Use a blessing on me. Anything that can be used in battle¨C"

    <i>Bam! </i>

    A kick from the lower bodynded on Ra-Hee''s chin as she was giving orders to Ha-Yeon.

    "Why do you talk about other things when all you need to do is give me the right answer? It''s always your mouth that''s the problem!"

    <i>Thwack. </i>

    The head headbutted the fallen Ra-Hee on the mouth.

    "It''s always the mouth! The mouth!"

    <i>Break!</i>

    Then, the upper body forcefully rained down a flurry of punches onto Ra-Hee¡¯s mouth.

    "Mouth!"

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    The lower body stomped on her mouth with its foot. Several broken teeth rolled on the floor. Blood flowed profusely from her burst lips.

    Ra-Hee''s face became caked in blood in an instant. With her body leaning against the wall, the head tumbled toward her.

    "Three seconds!"

    "Ah, kah, ha..."

    "Unfortunately, <i>ha</i> is not the correct answer! I''ll give you another chance! Choose either the upper body or the lower body!"

    "..."

    "If you don''t know, just guess! It is fifty-fifty, after all! Two seconds!"

    Even in a dazed state from being beaten by the taxidermied creatures, Ra-Hee desperately held onto her consciousness. ording to Ha-Yeon''s words, the one who was lying was the upper body. She just had to say it was the upper body. She just had to... say it was the... upper body...

    "Ha, ah... Ha, agh...!"

    Her teeth were broken, and her lips were busted. There was no way she could speak properly. Her pronunciation was off, and she couldn''t pronounce the word ¡®upper body.¡¯ Tears streamed down her face. It was frustrating to know the answer but not be able to say it, and she feared the aftermath of getting the answer wrong.

    "Oh... You couldn''t guess the right answer... But there is still hope!"

    "..."

    "If the white-haired student gets the answer right, I will let both of you go! This is not an opportunity thates every day!"

    Leaving the blood-caked Ra-Hee behind, the head approached Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon had no strength left in her to take a single step back.

    She silently watched her friend Ra-Hee who had been brutalized. The taxidermied creature¡¯s movements were agile and strong. <i>¡®Even if I had intervened, I wouldn''t have been able to stop them.¡¯ </i>She justified her own helplessness.

    Meanwhile, the head approached Ha-Yeon''s feet and began rolling around her.

    "Now, let''s get straight to the question! Among the upper body and lower body, who is lying? One is lying, and the other is telling the truth!"

    "The lower body is telling the truth!" said the upper body.

    "The upper body is lying!" said the lower body.

    The headughed brightly as if pleased and rolled on the floor.

    "I''ll give you another ten seconds! Oh, this question is a bit difficult, should we make it fifteen seconds? What do you think?"

    "...Does it matter?"

    "Excuse me?" the head asked with a puzzled expression.

    Ra-Hee leaned against the wall and stared at Ha-Yeon with her eyes wet with blood. With her mouth that wouldn''t open, she muttered something.

    ''Guess¡¯... ''Just guess''... Ra-Hee''s mouth shape conveyed.

    Ha-Yeon lowered her head, biting her nails in an attempt to hold back tears. Along with the fear, the pressure to solve the problem intensified within her.

    When she had gone through her nails, she bit her fingers instead. Blood oozed from her fingertips. When the metallic smell of blood filled her mouth, Ha-Yeon stopped biting her fingers and opened her mouth.

    "It doesn''t matter whether you give me ten seconds or fifteen seconds..."

    "Excuse me? What do you mean? I''m giving you a whole five seconds more!" the head replied shamelessly.

    If she could have it her way, Ha-Yeon would kick the head and smash it to pieces, but she didn''t even have the strength to do that. Ha-Yeon continued to bow her head as if she was going to nt it on the ground.

    "Because.... They both aren¡¯t lies.¡±

    "What? So are they saying they are both telling the truth?"

    "No, they aren¡¯t...telling the truth... but..."

    "Then what''s the answer? I just need to hear it!"

    "The answer is no one... Because if one is determined as false, then the other one will also be false as well..."

    "I hate bothsideism! Just choose one choice and state your answer!"

    "Wha-what... Neither of them is the right answer. How am I..."

    At that moment, the head rolling by Ha-Yeon¡¯s feet stopped moving. The head stared at Ha-Yeon with a chilly, expressionless face. Its eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth twisted and turned. It wasn''t a movement that could have been aplished with normal human face muscles.

    The head turned red as if it was filled with anger and screamed.

    "Choose only one! Choose one!"

    "That''s forced...!"

    "You guys did the same thing! You made us choose only one as well!"

    Tears of blood flowed from the head''s eyes. The upper and lower body jumped towards Ha-Yeon. Then, together with the head, they spun around Ha-Yeon. Like an inquisitor dancing around a burning witch, they wailed and danced.

    "Ask if she''s a witch, ask if she''s not a witch. If she said she was a witch, they killed her, and if she said she was not a witch, they¡¯d kill her too. Both were the right answer and the wrong answer at the same time. I had to choose."

    "You were going to kill me anyway. You just liked setting things on fire. Whether I said I was or wasn¡¯t a witch, you would have killed me anyway."

    "I had long hair before, but you cut it, butchered it, and burned it. I had long hair once...¡±

    <i>Dakakdak, roll, dakadak. </i>

    The upper and lower body pounded the ground. The head rolled around. Its teeth hit the floor, making a clicking sound.

    Ha-Yeon slumped down. The taxidermied creatures danced around her, spinning and twirling. They began telling a story about a witch hunt.

    Witch hunting was a thing of the distant past. Ha-Yeon wasn''t even born back then. She was very young when the Holy War broke out with the Voodoo Cult.

    The Holy War that passed like a storm during her days when she knew nothing was now nothing more than a distant memory.

    "It''s not my fault! Th-that''s my fault..." Ha-Yeon shouted in frustration.

    Her vision blurred. Three taxidermied creatures danced around her, appearing before her eyes in turn.

    The taxidermied creatures all opened their mouths in unison.

    "I didn''t do anything wrong either!"

    "Me neither, me neither...!"

    Their voices echoed from all directions. The sound rang in her ears. Her stomach felt queasy, and her head spun. Cold sweat poured down. Eventually, it came to the point where she couldn''t tell if the taxidermied creatures were circling around her or if she herself was spinning.

    <i>Krrrrrrrr! </i>

    Thunder roared. A sh of light flickered beyond the window.

    Her nose suddenly spilled forth with blood. Ha-Yeon closed her eyes and covered her ears, feeling like she couldn¡¯t take it anymore without doing so.

    However, the voices of the head, upper body, and lower body pierced through her hands. Their voices were still clear and distinct, as if their voices were transmitted not through her ears but straight to her head. Her nose continued to bleed, dripping blood onto the floor.

    "Answer me! Who is lying©¤"

    <i>Crash!</i>

    Just then, the window shattered. A strong and sharp gale shattered the broken ss window. The wind was strong but not excessively so.

    The wind prated Ha-Yeon''s flesh, drying the cold sweat that clung to her body. Somehow, the wind was kind. When Ha-Yeon realized that she could no longer hear the voices of the taxidermied creatures, she cautiously opened her eyes.

    He had appeared with the wind. The sharp wind gradually subsided around Sun-Woo, turning gentle and refreshing around him.

    "Head," Sun-Woo said.

    <i>Snap! </i>

    He kicked the head that was circling around Ha-Yeon. The head hit the wall and burst open. Sun-Woo stared at the scene with icy eyes.

    Ha-Yeon felt her mind go nk for a moment. His cold and vacant eyes resembled the eyes of the hunters who had tried to cut off her arms when she was young.

    When the head exploded, the upper and lower body lost strength and copsed in ce. Despite being soaked in the rain and water dripping down his clothes, Sun-Woo approached Ha-Yeon without hesitation.

    Then he roughly grabbed her hand. There was a gruesome scar on the palm of her hand. Ha-Yeon tried to cover it by clenching her fist, but he wouldn''t allow it.

    Sun-Woo forcibly opened Ha-Yeon''s palm. He alternated his gaze between her scar and her face.

    "Who did you show this to?"

    "W-What, who did I show what to...?" Ha-Yeon stammered as she moved back.

    Sun-Woo started sharply into Ha-Yeon''s eyes and asked again.

    "This scar, who did you show to other than me?"

    His pupils that bore into her were filled with a strong obsession. It was a terrifying yet peculiar gaze.

 Chapter 130.1

    <h4>Chapter 130.1</h4>

    Making my way to Ha-Yeon was dangerous. While riding Bade¡¯s wind, I was repeatedly cut by tree leaves and got stabbed in the eye by small twigs. The wounds weren''t deep, but they hurt. Perhaps it was because of the medicine that Ji-Ah gave me in the morning, but the pain was unnecessarily intense.

    Furthermore, because the situation was so dire and because I couldn¡¯t find a proper entrance to go through, I just broke through the ss window and entered. I thought it would be fine as long as I crouched. However, several ss shards still ended up cutting into me. This was also something that felt unnecessarily painful.

    I struggled to regain myposure from the pain as I brushed off the ss shards from my clothes when a strange scene caught my eye.

    "Ah, ugh...."

    Firstly, there was a blood-soaked... female student leaning against the wall. She was a girl that was always stuck next to Ha-Yeon¡¯s side. However, I couldn¡¯t remember her name. Next to her was Ha-Yeon. She was sitting down facing the floor with her eyes closed and her ears covered. Around her, taxidermied creatures were dancing and singing a strange song.

    There were three taxidermied creatures in total. There was an upper body and lower body and...

    "A head."

    <i>[Don''t believe what the head says.] </i>

    As soon as I saw the head, Baron Samedi''s prophecy came to mind. I was strongly convinced that the head rolling around Ha-Yeon seemed to be the head that Baron Samedi was referring to.

    I recalled Baron Samedi''s prophecy.

    Today, he warned me to beware of screams and cries. When screams echoed across the sacred training ground, Do-Jin disappeared, and a taxidermied creature appeared.

    He then said not to believe what the head says. I didn''t know what he meant by that, but it felt like something bad would happen if I let the head speak.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    So, I kicked the head and made it explode. As the head burst, the upper body and lower body copsed on the ground like deted balloons. It seemed like aiming for the head was the correct answer.

    I was relieved that things didn''t get moreplicated and approached Ha-Yeon. I then held up her hand and unfolded it. The scar was there.

    "Who did you show this to?"

    "What? Who did I show what to...?" Ha-Yeon replied in a stupid manner.

    She was trembling. I had no idea what the taxidermied creatures had done to her, but it appeared that she was greatly shocked. But now was not the time to sympathize with her situation.

    "This scar, who did you show it to other than me?" I asked again.

    Ha-Yeon quietly sat still for an extended period of time. From her expression, it was difficult to tell whether she was contemting or staring nkly into space. I was just about to ask again due to frustration when she finally replied, "Um, no one."

    "No one? That can''t be true."

    "Other than Ra-Hee, but no one else knows..."

    Ah, so the name of the girl who was currently lying down next to her was Ra-Hee. After realizing this, I nced at Re-Hee.

    She was struggling to breathe out through her bloodied mouth. Her condition didn''t seem critical, but there was significant bleeding. It seemed like it would be necessary to perform a restoration spell or provide healing after extracting information from Ha-Yeon.

    Ignoring Ra-Hee, who had a pitiful look in her eyes, I asked Ha-Yeon, "Were you together with her all day today?"

    "Probably...."

    "Tell me for sure."

    "Oh, yes. Yes, I was together with her..." Ha-Yeon said while trembling. She took a step back.

    Whenever I opened my mouth, she kept trying to distance herself from me as if she was afraid. I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer before saying, ¡°Did you note to school yesterday?"

    "Huh? Yes. Ah? How did you...."

    I had a feeling that was the case, and it turned out my intuition was right. Two days ago, the day after she had a scar on her hand, she used the excuse of going to the hospital to skip school. The scar on her palm was only two days old. ording to Ha-Yeon, besides me, Ra-Hee was the only one who knew about the existence of the scar. Since she even skipped school yesterday, the possibility of someone else identally seeing the scar on her hand was low.

    However, Ra-Hee had no contact with In-Ah. There was a high possibility that they didn¡¯t even know about each other''s existence. Hence, Ra-Hee was most likely not a Satanist.

    "..."

    Then who could it be?

    It needed to be someone who had met In-Ah this morning but hadn¡¯t met Jin-Seo recently and someone who knew that Ha-Yeon had a scar on her palm. I had no idea. I really had no idea. I thought I was getting closer to the answer, but in reality, it seemed like I was drifting further away from the correct answer.

    At that moment, Ha-Yeon spoke up. "...Oh, there''s one more person that knows."

    "Who is it?"

    "It''s a guy... Is that okay?"

    "Why does that matter?" I asked in bewilderment.

    I wanted to scream in frustration, but I held back because I feared she would get scared and take a step back. Hence, I waited for her to continue speaking.

    Ha-Yeon hesitated for a while before slowly opening her mouth.

    "Well, someone came to my house yesterday..." Ha-Yeon mumbled while shifting her eyes around.

    She began telling me what happened the day after she got the scar on her hand.

    ***

    Florence Academy¡¯s main gate was filled with flowers. The flowers that graduates traditionally nted when leaving the school bloomed in spring when new students came in.

    As the flowers swayed in the spring breeze and weed the new students, the teachers would finally realize that a new semester had begun. They would ponder over their bittersweet feelings when they had watched the graduating students walk their own paths in life as they left the school.

    The flowers that were once vibrant with various colors were now dyed red with blood. The blood-like color of the petals was so thick that the rain couldn''t wash it away. The sight of the flowers shaking their petals with each droplet of rain was eerie. That showed the intensity of the battle between the pdins and the mercenaries.

    "Do you not know how to handle a weapon?" the man asked while pointing his pitchfork at Han Dae-Ho.

    During the fight, Han Dae-Ho broke his ribs after being hit by a flying projectile, and a wound appeared after a spear prated his thigh.

    The injuries would have easily killed anyone else, but Han Dae-Ho stood tall.

    He stubbornly believed that pdins could not bow down to mercenaries. Han Dae-Ho considered it to be pride, but to the man, it was seen as just irrational stubbornness.

    Han Dae-Ho stared at the man and asked, ¡°Do I need to resort to using weapons to drive away you mercenary bastards?¡±

    His eyes were bloodshot with fatigue.

    ¡°It seems like you tried topensate for each individual''s ipetence with training sessions and equipment... It''s a pity it didn''t work out for you as nned.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. If you say another word, I''ll rip your mouth apart.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps if you had used the equipment that your subordinates were carrying, the oue would have been different,¡± the man said while scanning his surroundings.

    All of his subordinate pdins were either unconscious or incapacitated due to injuries. Although some of the mercenaries were also heavily injured, their numbers were significantly lowerpared to the pdins.

    The Eastern Pdin Order had been enhancing theirbat capabilities through training sessions, which yielded decent results. The pdins who werepletely hopeless in battle before were now at least useful when working as a unified group.

    Nevertheless, the Eastern Pdin Order suffered defeat at the hands of the Ravens Mercenary Corps. It was because the Ravens had been stronger than what the rumors had indicated. Instead of using blessings, they injected strange drugs duringbat to enhance their abilities.

    "We won''t kill you, so don''t worry," the man said while lifting up his pitchfork.

    The Ravens Mercenary group had received a request to ¡®prevent anyone from entering or leaving through the gate,¡¯ and they did not kill the pdins. They simply carried out the request as instructed and did notmit any unnecessary murder.

    This only made Han Dae-Ho angrier. Not only did they get their asses handed to them in a battle against the mercenary group, but the fact that they were alive due to the mercy of the mercenaries felt even more humiliating to him.

    "If you¡¯re not going to kill me, why are you carrying that?"

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you looking for an opening to execute a surprise attack?¡±

    "How did you know?"

    "It''s just instinct."

    "Do blind people all have good instincts?"

    "Blind people who don''t have good instincts are all dead," the man said while smiling.

    There was resignation in his smile.

    Han Dae-Ho stood up by forcefully straightening his bent knee, which had refused to straighten. A strange cracking noise resounded from his knee, and pain spread throughout his body.

    His knee, which had worsened since earlier, was causing trouble again. Since it wasn''t the time to give in to the pain and sit down, Han Dae-Ho tried to ignore it.

    "It would be best for you to just copse onto the floor and rx."

    "Fuck off."

    "If you push yourself too hard, you might be a cripple."

    ¡°I feel so much better because you mercenaries are worried about me,¡± Han Dae-Ho sneered and wiped the blood dripping down into his eyes. With his gaze partially obscured by blood, he red at the man and raised his fist.

    With all his might, his fist slowly moved toward the man but soon fell back down. He no longer had the strength to attack the man. He could prop up his body, which was struggling to regain its bnce, by pushing off the ground with his hand.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    "Ah, agh...!"

    In that fleeting moment, the man had struck the back of Han Dae-Ho''s hand with his pitchfork. Han Dae-Ho''s hand was stuck to the ground. The man firmly pinned Han Dae-Ho''s hand to the ground by kicking down onto the pitchfork with his weight. Every time the pitchfork moved, Han Dae-Ho let out a scream.

    "Pull this out. You fucking bastard..."

    "If I pull it out, I''ll die, so I can''t do that."

    Han Dae-Ho tried to pull his hand out, but it was stuck to the ground and wouldn''t move. The man stared at Han Dae-Ho with an empty gaze and slumped to the floor.

    His condition was just as serious as Han Dae-Ho''s. There were no visible injuries, but he was experiencing excruciating pain in his abdomen where Han Dae-Ho had hit him. It seemed like his organs had been ruptured. Meanwhile, Han Dae-Ho continued to try and pull his hand out of the ground with all his might.

    "Give up," the man said as if mocking his efforts.

    "Shut up," Han Dae-Ho retorted while ring at the man with bloodshot eyes.

    <i>Crack, creak, crack... </i>

    He tried to remove his hand from underneath the pitchfork once again.

    Even if he managed to pull his hand out of the pitchfork, there would be nothing he could do. Han Dae-Ho''s physical condition was already miserable. His injuries were too severe to engage inbat. Nevertheless, Han Dae-Ho tried his best to pull his hand out of the pitchfork and tried to stand up and fight again.

    Even if he had to die or be a cripple, he was determined to fight until the end. This time, it wasn''t about preserving his pride. It was simply because his self-esteem had been hurt.

    The man exhaled as he watched Han Dae-Ho and said, "If you move any further, your hand will¡ª"

    <i>Snap! </i>

    The man''s mocking words were left unfinished. Han Dae-Ho had sessfully pulled his hand out of the pitchfork. With a tter, the pitchfork fell on the ground as Han Dae-Ho stood up from his position. A light of blessing and healing flowed from his robust body.

    It wasn''t just Han Dae-Ho. The unconscious and injured pdins on the ground were all bathed in light.

    Dozens of massive circles drawn with divine power floated in the sky. The light enveloped the pdins and healed their wounds. New strength surged through their arms and legs. Their clouded and blurry minds became clear once again.

    The pdins regained consciousness one by one and stood up. The sublime light pouring from the sky healed their wounds and bestowed strength. At the spectacle that wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to describe as a miracle, fear filled the mercenaries'' faces, and madness flickered in the pdins'' eyes.

    "...Adonai is watching over us," Han Dae-Ho murmured as he received the pouring light.

    His murmur grew into a shout. "Adonai is watching over us! Rise up! In the name of Adonai!"

    Each time Han Dae-Ho shouted, the rain and blood that stained the pdins'' faces trembled. The pdins picked up their weapons and reorganized their broken ranks. They trembled as they gazed upon the majestic light pouring down from the sky. With tears streaming down their faces, they shouted, "For the kingdom of Adonai!"

    "In the name of Adonai!"

    "For the kingdom of Adonai!"

    Their faces were filled with absolute belief in their faith as they shouted out the name of God and approached the mercenaries.

    The mercenaries had previously been one-sidedly overpowering the pdins, but now they took steps backward with fearful gazes. The pdins¡¯ gazes were filled with conviction and faith, but to the mercenaries, it appeared as if they were a group of mad dogs.

    "...They''repletely insane," the man muttered under his breath.

    Han Dae-Ho strode confidently toward the man. The man looked up at Han Dae-Ho with his unfocused eyes. Han Dae-Ho clenched his fist and looked down at the man. His fist, which was bathed in light, appearedrge and powerful.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t kill you."

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Han Dae-Ho''s fist struck the man''s jaw. The man''s eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness. The scouting team swiftly subdued the spearmen and slingshot shooters who were entrenched in the trees. With the light of blessing enveloping their bodies, the members of the scouting team could easily overwhelm the spearmen and slingshot shooters.

    The rifle squad swung their unloaded guns and struck the mercenaries'' heads. The sickles and clubs that the mercenaries had been holding fell to the ground.

 Chapter 130.2

    <h4>Chapter 130.2</h4>

    With the help of the light that had poured down from the skies, the tide of the battlepletely shifted. The scouting team handcuffed the fallen mercenaries, and the rifle squad loaded rubber bullets and aimed at the remaining mercenaries who had not yet been subdued.

    "Oh Hee-Jin! Did you request support from the rescue team?"

    "Yes, they will be here soon!"

    <i>Waaaaanng¡ª! </i>

    A siren rang as a vehicle from the Pdin Order arrived promptly, and the rescue team flooded out of the vehicle. The assault team loaded the subdued mercenaries into the vehicle while the rescue team loaded the injured pdins who were not yet healed by the light that had poured down from the sky.

    The movements of the pdins were strict and disciplined. Han Dae-Ho''s training sessions, which had not yielded any results in battle, were finallying to light.

    One of the rescue team members carrying the wounded shouted urgently, "Director! Over here...!"

    Han Dae-Ho quickly regained his senses and approached the rescue team member. A middle-aged man was kneeling on the ground and vomiting blood. His nose was bleeding, and tears of blood were streaming down his face. Blood was pouring out of every orifice in his body, including his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

    "...Chairman!"

    The middle-aged man was Chang-Won. He had held the position of director of the Central Priest Order as an archbishop-level priest, but due to health reasons, he suddenly announced his retirement. The unused divine power in Chang-Won''s fingertips emitted light as it dissipated.

    Han Dae-Ho btedly realized that the light that poured down from the sky during the battle was from the blessing arrays and healing arrays that Chang-Won had drawn.

    "Cough, wheeze...."

    "Rescue team! Gather personnel capable of providing emergency treatment! There is a critically ill patient!"

    "Ah, no. It''s okay, I''m fine. Send the students... to the hos- hospital...!" Chang-Won said as blood continued to pour out.

    "Yes, understood! Everything is fine, so please leave the rest to us!" Han Dae-Ho said while nodding his head.

    What he was trying to say was that they needed to prioritize taking care of the students and patients at the hospital over taking care of him. Two rescue team members rushed over and put Chang-Won in the car, which immediately headed to the hospital.

    Chang-Won had a constitution where the drawbacks of excessively using divine power were much greater than other people. It was also because of this damned constitution that he had to step down from his position as the head of the Central Priest Order. While Chang-Won was being taken to the hospital by car, hemented and immersed himself in self-loathing for being unable to protect the school until the end.

    After roughlypleting the arrest of the mercenaries and the treatment of the injured, Han Dae-Ho looked towards Florence Academy. Dark clouds loomed over the tall spire that was in the main building. A storm raged, and thunder and lightning filled the air. Florence Academy was a school that shone brightly under the light but looked gloomy under the darkness.

    "Rescue team, go to the hospital. Recon team, search the wall and escort any injured individuals found at the gate. There may be people who have been affected by the demonic energy that is lurking at the wall. Rifle squad, protect the rescue team. Assault team,e with me."

    Pdins lined up at Han Dae-Ho''smand. Within their eyes that were filled with fear was a faint ray of light.

    As all the pdins looked toward Han Dae-Ho with determination, Han Dae-Ho said, "Forward."

    ***

    "Do-Jin," Bok-Dong said.

    No, to be more precise, it was a taxidermied creature that was in the form of Bok-Dong that spoke. Do-Jin¡¯s face contained a smile that was covered in blood as he lifted up his sword and looked down at the fallen taxidermied creature. His smile of resignation and despair sank down and faded away, just like the blood that dripped down his face.

    "Do-Jin. I made a mistake. Please save me."

    "Save you... Haha..."

    The voice of the taxidermied creature speaking sorrowfully was exactly the same as Bok-Dong''s voice, without a single difference in pitch, tone, or manner of speaking. However, the contents of the words were different.

    Do-Jin raised his sword and stabbed the fallen taxidermied creature''s head.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    A hole was pierced through the taxidermied creature''s head. Sawdust sprayed out onto Do-Jin''s face, and bits of cotton popped out through the gap and trickled out. Do-Jin had an indifferent expression on his face as he killed the taxidermied creature that resembled his long-time friend.

    While stabbing and poking the taxidermied creature''s head, Do-Jin did not feel difort. Instead, he felt wrath.

    "If you''re going to copy him, then at least do it properly, you damned idiot..."

    Bok-Dong may be foolishly merciful, but he would never beg for his life from an enemy. He would probably resist until the moment of his death while shouting the name of Adonai. However, the taxidermied creature had pleaded to the enemy for its life and had given up resistance when it realized that defeat was inevitable.

    Do-Jin did not believe that the taxidermied creature was the same as Bok-Dong. He could not equate the taxidermied creature, a mere imitation that pathetically begged the enemy for its life, with Bok-Dong. It was because it was a taxidermied creature that was disguised as Bok-Dong that Do-Jin could swing his sword more decisively and kill the taxidermied.

    <i>Splutter! </i>

    Do-Jin roughly pulled out the sword embedded in the head of the taxidermied creature and muttered, "Look, brothers and sisters..."

    It was a hymn that Kim Bok-Dong used to enjoy singing. Do-Jin didn''t know the exact pitch or lyrics, but he recited the hymn, spitting out the lyrics as they came to mind. He felt like he would lose consciousness and copse immediately if he didn¡¯t do so.

    "Heavenly King, Glorious King."

    When he looked up at the ceiling, he saw that the Pentagram had disappeared. It was the result of ying all the demonic beasts and demons that had poured out. The surroundings were filled with the corpses of taxidermied creatures and demonic beasts.

    Do-Jin''s fingers still remained severed, and the bandages wrapped around to hold the sword were soaked with blood. His steps were faltering. It felt like both his left and right ankles werepletely shattered. Every time he took a breath, a sharp pain pierced his chest. He couldn¡¯t tell if his ribs were broken.

    "Huff, huff..."

    He collected his breathing and moved his steps toward the sacred training ground. It was painful but not unbearable. He couldn¡¯t tell if this would be enough to kill him or not. For now, he was just grateful that he could still move. If he could hold on to the sword and move, it meant that it was also possible to kill the Satanists.

    <i>- Alright, keep hustling. Good luck. </i>

    Well done. Do-Jin clenched his teeth as he recalled the voice of the Satanist that had echoed from beyond the Branch of the Burning Bush.

    It was a familiar voice. Whose voice was it? At first, it hadn¡¯t easilye to mind. But back when he was cutting apart demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures, Do-Jin finally remembered who the owner of the voice was.

    <i>"I think the number of dogs was 216, perhaps around 200." </i>

    On the day when the demonic beasts appeared in the barn, he had been the first one to report it.

    "It feels like I¡¯ve resurrected from death..." Do-Jinughed.

    His face was scruffy due to being covered in blood and sawdust, but his smile was clear. He stepped out of the sacred training ground. It was raining. Do-Jin walked briskly while getting soaked in the rain. The blood that was on his sword was getting washed away by the rain.

    ***

    <i>"It¡¯s been two years since you transferred here, right?" </i>

    <i>"Huh? Well... yeah, because I came here in the spring two years ago." </i>

    He hade here two years ago, in the spring of the previous year.

    <i>"When I lived in Incheon, my nickname was Lonely Wolf¡ª" </i>

    <i>"I felt like it¡¯s been a while since I''ve been to the beach. I used to go all the time because it was right in front of my house...¡± </i>

    <i>"He hasn''t changed his address recently, and there''s nothing particrly suspicious about him..." </i>

    Until two years ago, he lived in Incheon. However, he did not tell that to the people around him.

    <i>[They infiltrated Korea during the chaos that urred due to the Holy War seven years ago and covered up their tracks after causing the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago.]</i>

    It was because he didn¡¯t want to announce it and because he couldn¡¯t announce it.

    The Satanist had concealed himself after causing the Tower of Corpses incident in Incheon two years ago, and he had just happened toe here around that time. He must have wanted to hide this fact, but I didn''t forget about his slip of the tongue.

    <i>"I want stocks or crypto, too. Ah, and I would do the lottery too." </i>

    <i>"You know, the one dressed in white. Sung, Sung... Sung Myung-Jun?¡±</i>

    When asked about what he would like to do if he could go back to the past, he gave a predictable answer. He couldn''t remember other people''s names well. I was the same.

    <i>"Since you are both in the same position, you will inevitably have some things inmon in your manner of speech and habits." </i>

    It must¡¯ve been because we were both outcasts. We were outcasts that were hiding amongst other people. We had no choice but to give predictable answers in order to hide the fact that we were outcasts, and as outcasts, we didn''t need to individually remember the names of the other people.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    The tree branch made a dry sound as it snapped. The sound spread through the trees and resounded out. The mountains were filled with demonic energy. Every time I inhaled, my throat felt scratchy, and my head became dizzy. I was running through Eiden Hill.

    <i>"That box is the objective of the Satanists and also the objective of the Elders." </i>

    When I had used Granbwa''s power on Eiden Hill, I had seen a box that was buried deep within Eiden Hill.

    Baron Samedi had said that the box was the objective of Satanists and the elders. I had no idea what was inside the box. I just had a strong feeling that he would be where the box was.

    The screams that had echoed through the sacred training ground and the copsed training center. And the broadcast that had threatened to blow up the hospital. The mercenaries that had been blocking the gate.

    The sacred training ground, training center, and hospital were buildingspletely opposite Eiden Hill. He had been luring me away so that I wouldn¡¯t be able to disturb him.

    I recalled the location of the box from my memories. asionally, there were taxidermied creatures nailed to the trees on disy. Some depicted the images of a child and a mother or the grotesque depiction of a newborn being born. There were also taxidermied creatures with ropes around their necks as if inciting people tomit suicide. Thanks to the taxidermied creatures, finding the way was actually easier.

    As I neared my destination, I recalled Ha-Yeon''s words.

    "That person came directly to our house two days ago at night. They came to say thank you for that incident."

    "...What time was it?"

    "Around eight o''clock... I think."

    Yesterday evening, he treated us to a meal and headed toward Ha-Yeon''s residence. Ha-Yeon had said that she had been taken aback and had failed to hide her scars in time due to the sudden visit to her house. She added that he may have seen her scars that time.

    Rather than the fact that he may have seen it, he definitely saw it for sure. He knew what clothes In-Ah usually wore. It was obvious. After all, he had been friends with her for two years, and they had been ssmates.

    He hadn¡¯t encountered Jin-Seo, so he didn¡¯t figure out that she had been wearing the rosary that I had given her. After the training center burned down and disappeared, they didn''t have any more sparring sessions.

    "..."

    Within the dark and heavy demonic energy, we faced each other and recognized each other clearly, even from a significant distance.

    The gaze in his eyes as he looked at me was dimmer and hazier than usual. The school uniform he casually wore had lost its original color and turnedpletely ck as if soaked in demonic energy.

    It was Jun-Hyuk.

    "Ah..." he sighed.

    With ck tears streaming down from his eyes, he raised his finger. A sharp and elongated index finger that didn¡¯t look human was pointed towards me.

    Thunder and lightning struck down sporadically, and a storm raged. The taxidermied creatures hanging from the trees chewed through the ropes with their teeth.

    <i>Thump, thump... </i>

    The wet sound of the taxidermied creature''s footsteps on the mountain that was soaked by rain was familiar. They revealed their sharp teeth as they approached me. All of them had twisted and broken necks that were dangling loosely. Jun-Hyuk directed the taxidermied creaturesing toward me with a cold expression on his face.

    The image that I had seen until now of him smiling foolishly and cheerfully whenever he greeted me had all been a lie.

    Surrounded by a pitch-ck demonic energy, he stared at me with eyes even darker than the demonic energy. He was not a student of Florence Academy but a Satanist¡ªa Satanist who held two of the Seven Deadly Sins of Envy and Pride.

    <i>[Cult leader of the Voodoo Cult or a student of Florence Academy.] </i>

    Despite not meaning to do so, I recalled Ogun¡¯s voice. The taxidermied creatures approached me, and I approached Jun-Hyuk.

    "Ogun, Loa of Iron and War, please reside within me."

    As I called out Ogun¡¯s name, vibrations spread out in all directions. As Ogun arrived, the speakers and scattered iron pieces installed throughout Eiden Hill vibrated as if trembling in fear.

    <i>ng, ng, ng! </i>

    The iron pieces screamed in agony. The sky roared out after a sh of lightning, but the wailing of the iron pieces that were spread across thend drowned the sound out.

    Grateful for the rain, I forcefully opened my stubbornly closed mouth. Looking toward Ogun, who was surely watching me from somewhere, I said, "As the Cult Leader and Prophet of the Voodoo Cult, I implore you."

    For the first time in this ce, we faced each other as our true selves.

 Chapter 131

    <h4>Chapter 131</h4>

    "Argh, aargh! Let go! You bastard!"

    "You picked up one earlier! I couldn''t pick up any!"

    "It''s your fault that you weren¡¯t able to pick up any, you idiot!"

    Those unable to pick up the gold attacked those who did. And those who had picked up the gold either ran away or hid it. They scrambled in the sports field that was filled with mud as they fought each other. ck tears flowed down and stained the field.

    Thanks to the anti-demon mask she was wearing, Jin-Seo was able to avoid breathing in the demonic energy. However, everyone else besides her was intoxicated by the demonic energy. The children scratched each other with their nails and bit each other''s¡¯ necks with their teeth. In front of the gold, they were reduced to mere beasts. Within the banquet of madness, Jin-Seo felt her sanity slowly fading away.

    "Stop, stop!"

    Jin-Seo btedly regained her senses and tried to stop them, but it was to no avail. Even when she tried to separate them forcibly, it was hopeless. The students who breathed in the demonic energy had tremendous strength, as if they had truly be savage beasts. However, she couldn¡¯t lift her sword either. After all, the students weren¡¯t demonic beasts, demons, or taxidermied creatures.

    "Everyone, please, just...!"

    <i>Thud. </i>

    A piece of gold fell from the arms of a girl that she was forcibly trying to pull away. The students covered in mud stopped fighting and looked in the direction where the gold had fallen.

    Then, they looked at Jin-Seo. She recognized some of their faces, and there were some that she didn¡¯t recognize, but regardless, they all showed strong hostility toward her.

    After seeing the sword in Jin-Seo¡¯s hand, one of the students muttered, "She''s a witch..."

    The student looked up at the rainy sky with vacant eyes before clutching their head and screaming, "It''s a witch! A witch hase!"

    Starting with the screaming kid, the others began to scream along as if they had been infected by screams.

    "A witch hase to kill us!"

    "A witch is here!"

    "Wiiiiitch!!"

    They screamed in terror as they attacked Jin-Seo with the hands that they had been using to scratch each other. They no longer chased after gold. Instead, they were chasing after Jin-Seo.

    "What do you mean by witch...?!"

    To Jin-Seo, it felt absurd to see those under the influence of ck magic using her of being a witch. Jin-Seo took a step back and swung her sword at the students who were chasing her. She had swung her sword to warn them, and the sword did not touch the students.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    However, one of the students at the front fell down as if the sword had truly struck them. If Jin-Seo identally cut someone, she would have felt some sort of sensation in her hand, but she felt no resistance?.

    "Ah, ahhh...!"

    "The witch... killed someone!"

    "Oh, my Adonai...!"

    Although the student had never been cut, the student copsed onto the ground as if the de had cut them. In Jin-Seo¡¯s eyes, it was as clear as day that the student was acting, but to the other students¡¯ eyes, this was not the case. With faces filled with fear, they shouted the name of God and retreated backward. The students¡¯ pupils trembled as they looked down at the fallen student.

    One of the students raised their sword and pointed it at Jin-Seo.

    "We... we have to attack her first before she kills us all..." he mumbled and started swinging the sword like a madman. The other kids also picked up practice swords that were lying on the ground. Why were the practice swords here instead of at the sacred training ground?

    <i>sh! </i>

    A sword flew toward Jin-Seo without giving her an opportunity to think things through. The sword was blunt, the student had poor swordsmanship, and their moves were slow. Because of this, their attack wasn¡¯t difficult to block, but her hand that was clenching the sword tingled. Although the de was dull, it was heavy.

    One student who btedly picked up a sword shouted, "The witch is surprised!"

    It was half true. Jin-Seo was surprised that the students hadbeled her a witch, and the weightiness of the swords they swung also surprised her.

    "...."

    She drove back the approaching students as she thought about her situation. She could easily overpower the kids by cutting them down with her sword, but she didn¡¯t have the heart to do so. After all, she wasn¡¯t cutting down demons or taxidermied creatures. She would be cutting down real people, and she would be spilling real blood. Such thoughts dulled Jin-Seo¡¯s movements.

    <i>tter!</i>

    All of a sudden, a ck sword flew toward her. Quite literally, it had not been shot at her but thrown. As there were no gaps in Jin-Seo''s defensive posture, the students began to throw their swords like spears.

    "Die! Die!"

    "The witch is casting a spell...!"

    "..."

    <i>tter, ng, tter... </i>

    Jin-Seo easily blocked the swords flying toward her. Blocking the swords that had been thrown at her with little to no force was not a difficult task, and she barely broke a sweat. However, her heart was wearing down and getting tired.

    Jin-Seo knew very well from her own experience how the violence of arge number of people aimed toward a small number of people could drive people mad.

    "That¡¯s enough...!"

    A mix of helplessness and wrath flooded out from within her. Jin-Seo lifted her sword as if being swayed by those emotions. The sword that she held up irrationally gleamed eerily in the rain.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    "...Huh?"

    The sword was swung. The de flew toward the necks of the students intoxicated with the demonic energy. However, the de had not been swung due to Jin-Seo¡¯s will.

    The sword had left Jin-Seo¡¯s hand and was swinging by itself. The students struck in their necks by the t side of the de, copsed onto the ground.

    After striking the necks of each of the students intoxicated by the demonic energy one by one, the sword soared into the sky.

    The sword that had been freed from Jin-Seo''s hand was fast and sharp, and it appeared hot. The de glowed crimson as if it was boiling hot, evaporating every drop of rain that it came into contact with. The faint mist flowing out from the de mixed with the ck smoke that was flowing out from the students¡¯ tears.

    <i>Rumble!</i>

    Thunder roared, and lightning struck in the direction of Eiden Hill. The swords aimlessly floating in the sky moved toward the sh of lightning as if chasing it. The students fainted, and the sword disappeared into the horizon, leaving only silence on the sports field. The sound of rain was the only thing that disturbed the silence. Jin-Seo stood alone in the center of it all.

    ¡°What the...?"

    ***

    Meanwhile, after hearing emergency requests for support from the rescue team, Han Dae-Ho, Oh Hee-Jin, and the assault team arrived at the hospital that had been established within Florence Academy. The members of the rescue team and two students were carrying patients to the school gate. Han Dae-Ho approached a rescuer guiding the evacuation of the able-bodied patients.

    "What, what''s going on?!" Han Dae-Ho asked.

    "A Satanist has threatened to blow up the hospital! Regardless of whether this is the truth, we need to evacuate the patients!" the rescuer said in a tense voice.

    He was right. Regardless of the truth, the patients had to be evacuated. It was because there truly was a risk of the hospital exploding, and even if the hospital didn¡¯t blow up, there was also the risk of panic spreading among the patients.

    Han Dae-Ho ordered some of his agile subordinates from the assault team to assist with the evacuation. He then saw the two students who were voluntarily helping the patients evacuate.

    "What are the names of those students?"

    "I don''t know because they don''t respond when I ask them! However, they are quite helpful at the moment!"

    The girl''s face was ordinary and unremarkable, and the boy had a veryrge physique. Although he didn''t know who they were, he was grateful for their considerable help. Han Dae-Ho assigned rescue missions to some of the assault team members and was just about to leave the hospital.

    It was at that moment that dozens of swords shot up into the sky from the center of the sports field.

    However, they weren¡¯t just soaring up into the sky. The red-hot swords wandered about and circled around in the air, and then, as lightning struck in the direction of Eiden Hill, the swords flew toward Eiden Hill in unison. Every raindrop that came into contact with the swordspletely evaporated and disappeared.

    They drew a parabolic path as they flew toward the east side of Eiden Hill. The swords flying in the sky suddenly crashed down to the ground. The speed at which they fell wasparable to that of lightning bolts. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that divine retribution was raining down from the skies.

    All the pdins who witnessed the scene considered it to be a miracle. They believed it was not a half-hearted miracle caused by a miracle replication spell, but aplete miracle that had descended upon thend through the hands of Adonai.

    Oh Hee-Jin looked up at the sky with widened eyes and murmured, "It¡¯s a ming sword...."

    <i>Rumble rumble...</i>

    The mountains cried out. The rumbles of the mountains echoed out into the distance.

    ***

    [Prophet, now that you have shown honesty, I, Ogun, the Loa of Iron, will happily lend my power to you, the Prophet.]

    "..."

    Ogun''s voice trembled with excitement.

    [All the iron in the world is within the palm of your hands. The heat that ising out from the iron is not from me. The heat ising from the anger that you possess.]

    I continued walking toward Jun-Hyuk without stopping.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    The taxidermied creatures made squelching sounds as they approached me, but I wasn''t concerned. It was because I knew that their fingertips couldn''t reach me.

    [Fight! Make the soil fertile with their corpses!]

    "Sobo."

    <i>Rumble¡ª!</i>

    Ignoring Ogun''s words, I summoned lightning. A thin sh of lightning split the sky in half. The lightning burned and destroyed the approaching taxidermied creatures, causing them to crumble apart and turn into ashes.

    However, some taxidermied creatures continued to move even after being struck by lightning. I raised my hand. The swords that were floating in the sky rotated and pointed toward the ground.

    <i>Stab, stab, stab¡ª! </i>

    A rain of swords descended. The swords pierced the heads of taxidermied creatures and nailed them to the ground.

    The taxidermied creatures that had their heads pierced by the swords frantically waved their limbs in the air, unable to reach me. The way they iled around was analogous to that of insects. As the heat from the swords burned and melted away the sawdust and cotton that filled their bodies, the taxidermied creatures lost their strength and copsed.

    The rain fell, and the taxidermied creatures melted away. Eiden Hill, which was once filled with the scent of flowers, was soaked with the corpses of taxidermied creatures, and the air was tainted with demonic energy. The swords that had struck the heads of the taxidermied creatures shot up into the sky and rushed toward the ground once again.

    The rain of swords that was descending once again was now aimed at Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Stab, stab, stab¡ª! </i>

    The sword pierced through both of Jun-Hyuk''s wrists and pinned his arms to the tree. The rain of swords charged towards him. Several swords struck the ground, while dozens of swords pierced through Jun-Hyuk''s body.

    Two swords abruptly changed their trajectory as if bouncing off the air and sliced through his ankles. Swords pierced through his calves, thighs, forearms, and shoulders one after another.

    <i>Stab. </i>

    The final sword pierced through his heart. The blood-stained sword melted away his flesh and blood.

    <i>Splurt, splurt, splurt. </i>

    The final sword was repeatedly pulled out and stabbed into Jun-Hyuk''s heart.

    The sword seemed to be going on a rampage alone. Blood flowed from the hole in his chest. The blood was red, just like mine. The blood that was washed away by the rain stained the soil.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Stepping on the damp mud soaked with moisture, I approached him. Each step made a squelching sound. I looked down at Jun-Hyuk, who was covered in blood. His heart was beating calmly and steadily. Jun-Hyuk exhaled a weak breath and looked up at me.

    Dark red blood flowed out from Jun-Hyuk''s mouth as he smiled and said, "So it was you... Cough, the Cult Leader..."

    It was undoubtedly real blood. Jun-Hyuk, who had been torn to shreds by the rain of swords, was not a taxidermied creature.

    We finally confronted each other¡¯s true selves that we had been chasing all this time, but the reunion was bitter.

    "Why are you revealing your true identity...? What are you going to do if I tell the Holy See...?

    "..."

    Replication spell, Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>Crack, crackle! </i>

    A sword emerged from a spell array that I drew. The sword screamed and cried out. It was the cries of countless sinners who had died by the sword. I raised the sword and aimed it at Jun-Hyuk''s neck. The sword felt light.

    "It''s okay. You¡¯re going to die anyway."

    <i>Aaaaaaaah, aaaaaaah...</i>

    The mournful wailings of the sword blended with the sound of rain. The screams of the countless sinners that came out from the Executioner''s Sword would soon include Jun-Hyuk''s voice as well. Since he would die in this ce, it didn''t matter whether he knew that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult or not.

    "Ha, ha.... Hey, you bastard... Let''s talk it out..." Jun-Hyuk said while smiling.

    I swung the Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>Slice! </i>

    Just like that, in such a futile manner, Jun-Hyuk''s neck was cleanly severed. I felt no sensation in my palm. The de wasrge but light, while Jun-Hyuk''s head was small but heavy. Jun-Hyuk''s half-opened mouth was filled with the lifeless soil of Eiden Hill.

    However, he was still not dead. ck, elongated tentacles poured out from the severed section of his neck. The tentacles reconnected his body and head.

    At that moment, I tried to swing the Executioner''s Sword again, but I felt a headache. Words flowed out from Jun-Hyuk¡¯s mouth that were inhuman.

    "AUM SHRIM MAHA LAKSHMIYEI SWAHA AH-UU-MM©¤©¤"

    <i>Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. </i>

    My heartbeat quickened. My body did not move¡ª

    ¡°SH-REE-M MAH-HAH LAHK-SHMEE-YAY-EE...¡±

    ¡ªlike I wanted it to. My muscles convulsed and trembled. I vomited blood out of my mouth.

    ¡°...SVAH-AH.¡±

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    An explosion urred. The explosion originated from within my body. The distance between him and me once again became distant. Jun-Hyuk''s severed wrists and head were reattached to his body by the tentacles. The pitch-ck demonic energy turned into a giant hand and enveloped Jun-Hyuk''s body. The swords that were embedded in his body corroded and melted away due to the demonic energy.

    "Cough...!"

    I continued to vomit blood. My ears began to ring. My vision blurred. In the distance, Jun-Hyuk held a sword. He lifted up one of the swords that was heated up red hot and cut his own wrist.

    <i>Plop, plop. </i>

    The thick blood clumped together and... fell to the ground.

    ??? ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????

    ¡±????, ????? ??????? ?????

    ????? ?? ?

    ¡°!????? ?? ???????

    Jun-Hyuk looked up at the sky and screamed. The demonic energy took the shape of a giant hand. The nails hanging off each of the fingertips were long and sharp, and there were eyes in the center of each of the nails. There were six fingers, and there were also six nails and six eyes.

    I tried to look at the hand with my own two eyes.

    "Arghh...!¡±

    However, my pupils kept shifting to the side. When I turned my head, my pupils turned, and when I turned my pupils, my head turned. If I turned both, my body would turn. My instincts refused to meet that hand with my naked eyes.

    <i>Swish. </i>

    The hand moved. A long, ck wave brushed by the side of my body. I stopped vomiting blood, and my hand disappeared. Two hands had disappeared. It was the giant hand that was made up of demonic energy and my hand. The hand, even after leaving my body, was tightly gripping the Executioner''s Sword.

    "Ah...!"

    No scream came out. Pain btedly flooded into my body. Blood was flowing out from my severed wrist.

    I held up my severed wrist and unleashed Voodoo magic. My hand was burning in mes. It was hot. The palm that touched the fire turned ck and burned.

    "Ha, haa, haaah...!"

    While screaming and gasping for breath, I drew a spell array. It was a superior restoration spell. Not even I could use it more than five times, but it seemed like I wouldn¡¯t be able to put out the fire unless it was a superior restoration spell. Because it was a devil¡¯s fire, it didn''t go out even when it rained.

    <i>Puff... </i>

    Mist flowed out from the spell array. The mist that spewed out stuck to my wrist. Yet, the mes remained unextinguished. As the mes traveled up my right arm, I grasped the Executioner''s Sword with my burning arm.

    It was not an easy task to move forward while bearing the searing pain.

    <i>Clench. </i>

    I gritted my teeth, chewed my lips, and bit my tongue. The blood that flowed out from my mouth was washed away by the rain and flowed to the ground.

    Each step forward felt heavy. Jun-Hyuk lit a fire on his severed wrist to stop the bleeding, and with his remaining hand, he gently touched the back of his neck.

    "Ah..." I unconsciously muttered.

    A goat tattoo was drawn on the back of his neck. I thought that Jun-Hyuk had a habit of scratching his neck when he was uneasy. But he hadn¡¯t been scratching his neck when he was uneasy. He had been touching his neck whenever he used ck magic.

    Demonic energy flowed out from the back of his neck and formed a Pentagram on his back. The Pentagram rotated while squeaking like a broken gear. Taxidermied creatures slowly poured out from the Pentagram. No, they weren''t taxidermied creatures. They were just giant chunks of meat.

    "You bastard... didn''t... you say that you wanted to talk..." I said.

    "That was all bullshit," Jun-Hyuk said before gesturing with his hand.

    <i>Kyaaahhh! Aaarghhh! Urghhh, Kaaaaghhh©¤! </i>

    The chunks of meat rushed toward me while screaming. They looked like giant snakes. On the wriggling body were dozens, no hundreds, of screaming mouths. It sounded like screams straight out of hell. The spirits from hell were clinging to the pieces of meat. The thousands of arms attached to the meat reached out to grab me and pull me into hell.

    "Bossou, your power... is needed. Gran... bwa. I summon you... in the wilderness."

    My voice intermittently cut off due to the pain. I muttered with my tongue that was basically half-cut off as I raised the Executioner''s Sword. I didn''t believe that I would be able to pierce through that pile of meat with the stabbing technique I learned today. But it would be enough to buy me some time.

    I took a stance and stabbed the approaching flesh with the Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>Aaaargh! Aaargh! Kyaaaaa! Aaah, aaah, aaah! </i>

    Screams intertwined with screams.

    <i>Kaang! </i>

    The force of the stabs backed by Bossou''s might was strong. It was not enough to cut through the flesh containing the spirits of hell, but it bought me enough time. Thanks to that, I was able to finish the prayer.

    "Se pou for¨¨ a sou b¨° pa m, nan non Bondye."

    <i>Oh forest, be on my side, in the name of Bongdiye. </i>

    <i>Rumble, rumble¡ª!</i>

    Eiden Hill was surrounded by trees, grass, and flowers. All those nts came to life. The mountains cried, and thunder struck. The rivers were filled with the cries of the Loa. The tree roots, flowers, and leaves that emerged from the ground were drenched in rain. They swayed and grew, and as they grew, they gathered together.

    The nts that emerged from the mountains became one giant mountain range. The mountain range surged and swung its fist towards the massive flesh of meat. The thousands of arms attached to the body of the pile of meat shook, just like how the thousands of flowers and grass attached to the mountain range shook.

    <i>Roar¡ª!! </i>

    With that, life and death collided.

 Chapter 132

    <h4>Chapter 132</h4>

    We stared at each other amidst the entanglement of mountain ranges and flesh.

    The mes that had risen up to my shoulders were scorching hot. My right arm was burning, but my left arm and legs also felt hot. The heat seemed to spread through my veins and engulf my entire body. My stomach and chest felt hot, and even the corners of my eyes felt hot.

    I used that heat to fight back the heaviness that clung to my feet as Jun-Hyuk walked toward me. ck and red tentacles swirled around the back of his neck. Those tentacles had drawn the pentagram and put Jun-Hyuk''s severed body back together.

    <i>Kyahhhhh! Arghhh, arghhhhh!! </i>

    Crack crash¡ª!

    The mountain ranges and flesh collided and fought with each other. Neither side had an advantage. We walked under the shadow that was cast by the fight and approached each other.

    Jun-Hyuk''s body was filled with holes and was dripping with blood due to getting pierced by the swords. The state of my body wasn¡¯t all that different.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud. </i>

    Even amidst the screams of flesh and the rumblings of the mountains, the sounds of our footsteps were clear. While drenched in blood, we faced each other at the crossroads where life and death intertwined.

    "It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll be able to shake hands, though," Jun-Hyuk said with a smirk.

    His left hand was severed, and my right arm was on fire. It was clear that shaking hands was out of the question. Above all, our rtionship was too distant for us to do a handshake.

    I responded by lifting up the Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Jun-Hyuk''s tentacles moved as if splitting the air and drew a pentagram. Demonic energy flowed out and seeped into his severed wrist. Instead of red blood, ck blood flowed from the wound that had been covered in demonic energy. The ck blood solidified and became his hand. The hand was engulfed in ck mes.

    I drew spell arrays.

    The Curse of Fainting, the Curse of Nightmares, and Memory Annihtion.

    I drew every spell array that came to mind. I didn''t think the spells would work on Jun-Hyuk, but if I could momentarily cloud his consciousness, it would be enough.

    <i>Puff...</i>

    The purple mist that flowed out from the spell array enveloped Jun-Hyuk. Pitch-ck demonic energy and ck mes surrounded my body. The purple mist and ck smoke gathered and dispersed. There was no light in this ce. There was only mist and smoke.

    "Bossou..." I said as I lifted my sword.

    Even if Jun-Hyuk''s body were severed, it would regenerate. I wouldn¡¯t be able to kill him with a conventional swing. I had to risk everything in this strike, even if my muscles tore apart, my bones broke, tears of blood flowed out, and my nose bled.

    [Bossou responds... to the Prophet''s call.] Bossou reluctantly answered with a trembling voice.

    My blood boiled, my heart pounded, and my vision blurred. Everything was hazy, and only the sound of my own breathing was clear. Bossou''s voice echoed in my mind once again.

    [Bossou fears death.]

    "..."

    [It''s not my death, but the Prophet''s death that I fear. Your body is dying right now.]

    My body was burning. The mes of the devil and the drawbacks caused by overusing the power of the Loa had spread throughout my body. My joints ached, my muscles felt as if they were being torn apart, and my organs felt like they were melting.

    If I were to use Bossou''s power at maximum output on top of all that, it was possible that my body would break apart and I would die.

    "It''s alright."

    However, if I couldn''t kill Jun-Hyuk right now, I would die. I couldn''t give up on the fight and run away. There was the possibility that he might expose the fact that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult to the Holy See. In order for me to survive, I had to kill him right here.

    [Understood.]

    With Bossou''s reply, his monstrous power filled my body. I could hardly see anything in front of me. I had obtained that power by exchanging my optic nerves. My faint vision was enough. I channeled my strength into my legs and then leaped towards Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Crack. </i>

    My legs broke. I could no longer feel any pain. My body had long since reached the maximum pain threshold, so there was no room to feel any more pain. I exerted the full force of my leap to the tip of the sword. The Executioner''s Sword screamed toward Jun-Hyuk''s head.

    <i>ng! </i>

    The sword stopped before being able to pierce his head. Jun-Hyuk blocked the sword with his hand, which was engulfed in mes. His hand, which was burning with dark and dense mes, was sturdy. However, I did not release my strength. I intended to pierce through his palm and directly prate all the way down to his head.

    <i>Creak, creak¡ª! </i>

    Jun-Hyuk''s palm shed against the Executioner''s Sword. The sword was asionally pulled forward and pushed back, but it could not pierce through toward Jun-Hyuk''s forehead.

    The purple radiance emanating from the Executioner''s Sword mixed with the dim fire flowing out from Jun-Hyuk''s palm. The confrontation was intense. If I released my strength, Jun-Hyuk would twist my neck, and conversely, if Jun-Hyuk released his strength, the Executioner''s Sword would impale his temple.

    "Let me ask just one thing." In the midst of this precarious standoff, I asked, "Where did you take In-Ah?"

    "...I wonder," Jun-Hyuk chuckled.

    His lips trembled as he spoke. Jun-Hyuk scanned me with his eyes filled with bloodlust and continued, "She could be scattered here and there."

    "..."

    "She might have been among the taxidermied creatures that you killed."

    In-Ah was nowhere to be found in Florence Academy. There were only taxidermied creatures resembling In-Ah. Since she wouldn''t have gone outside of school, I naturally thought that Jun-Hyuk had kidnapped her. At the very least, I hadn¡¯t thought that she was dead. I had no reason to think this way. I just vaguely believed that this was the case.

    However, In-Ah was nowhere to be seen on Eiden Hill.

    Ogun''s ck sword had not struck Jun-Hyuk. It meant that his words were true. My hand that was holding on to the sword began to tremble. The muscles in my arm were burning from the devil¡¯s mes and were gradually losing strength.

    I raised my left arm. Three swords that had been wandering in the air now pointed toward Jun-Hyuk. The fiercely glowing tip of the heated sword shone sharply as if it was going to pierce through Jun-Hyuk''s body at any moment. However, the sword remained still in its ce, unmoving.

    Ogun was going against my will.

    "Ogun."

    [...]

    Ogun did not respond and remainedpletely silent. I looked at him, knowing that he was watching over me from somewhere.

    "Stab him."

    <i>Swoosh©¤! </i>

    The swords screamed as they flew toward Jun-Hyuk and me.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    The sword pierced through my abdomen and prated Jun-Hyuk''s heart. The force of the flying sword was transferred to my body. With that force, I pushed the Executioner''s Sword in.

    <i>Crackle, crackle¡ª!</i>

    The de skimmed across Jun-Hyuk''s hand and veered off course. The Executioner''s Sword lodged itself into his left eye socket.

    I wanted to swing the sword and tear apart his entire skull, but I no longer had any strength left in my hands. I didn¡¯t even have enough Voodoo magic power to sustain the Executioner''s Sword.

    The Executioner''s Sword embedded in his eyeball left a trail of mist and disappeared. The purple mist swirled around the area.

    Jun-Hyuk touched the sword lodged in his heart and murmured, "Why are you so persistent... in interfering?" he said with a smile as blood gushed out from his mouth.

    "Interfering my ass..." I raised my hand.

    The two swords that were flying in the sky aimed at Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Thud, thud... </i>

    The swords weakly fell down from the sky and crashed into the ground. There was no longer enough strength left to control Ogun''s power. Tentacles sprouted from the back of Jun-Hyuk''s neck, but theyy deted without being able to conjure up any ck magic.

    Neither I nor Jun-Hyuk had the strength to fight anymore. We had suffered too many injuries and shed too much blood. Our bodies were growing cold.

    <i>Thump, thud¡ª! </i>

    The mountain ranges and chunks of flesh that were fighting above our heads also lost their strength and copsed.

    Silence enveloped the area. Thin, faint drops of rain filled the silence. The thunder was small, and the wind was thin. Our hearts beat slowly and weakly. The demonic energy that had filled Eiden Hill so densely that one couldn''t see a step ahead had now be faint.

    As the demonic energy dissipated, a pit appeared behind Jun-Hyuk. It was a deep, ck pit that was like a well. It seemed to be a makeshift pit to retrieve the box that was buried on Eiden Hill.

    "What''s inside the box..."

    "...How do you know about it?"

    At that moment, Jun-Hyuk''s expression turned cold. His pupils trembled slightly. Pain spread throughout my body. I couldn''t speak properly, and I couldn''t even finish my sentence.

    With the little strength that I had left, I used the intoxication spell. I breathed in the mist and expelled the pain.

    And then I said, "Resurrecting Satan... or something like that?"

    Jun-Hyuk twisted his mouth as if mocking me. And with trembling hands, he put his hand into his pocket.

    "Something like that."

    What he pulled out from his pocket was an eyeball. Jun-Hyuk picked up the eyeball that was filled with veins and put it in his mouth. Tentacles emerged from the eye socket that had been pierced by the Executioner''s Sword and reconstructed Jun-Hyuk''s eyeball.

    Jun-Hyuk''s body trembled, and he looked at me with his newly reconstructed eyeball as he said, "I am bing Satan''s container."

    That eyeball was not a human eyeball. The pupil was horizontally split like a goat or sheep''s eyeball. I couldn''t read the emotions contained in that iris. No, I couldn''t even look at that iris in the first ce.

    <i>Swoosh! </i>

    Tentacles sprang out from the back of Jun-Hyuk''s neck and eyeball. The tentacles wrapped around half of his head. Foul demonic... energy was flowing out of his gaping mouth. It was much thicker and more sinister than before.

    ¡°.??????? ????? ????? ????? ????¡± Jun-Hyuk said.

    The demonic energy that flowed out of his mouth took shape and became a hand. It was a hand that I was unable to gaze at. The six eyes that were attached to the six nails red at me.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    "Ugh...!"

    The shockwave from that gaze pierced through my abdomen. I flew backward with a sword stuck in my abdomen.

    <i>¡ªCrash! </i>

    I collided with a tree. A vomit filled with blood came out of my mouth. It felt like all my organs had exploded.

    "Ah, ugh...!"

    I tried to get up, but it was all in vain. I could not exert strength in any of the muscles below my chest. It seemed like my spine had snapped. Even if I managed to get up, I wouldn''t be able to walk.

    My body was already in shambles. I forced my unresponsive head up and looked at Jun-Hyuk in the distance, surrounded by demonic energy.

    "Ah, hm, hm."

    Jun-Hyuk adjusted his neck and raised the index finger of his left hand, which was burning ck. Then, he wrapped his index finger with his right hand. The ck mes transferred to his right hand.

    As he observed both his hands burn ck, he opened his mouth. From his mouth, which moved slightly, ck smoke poured out as he chanted a spell.

    "TH-TH-TH-AH-AH-AH-UUUMMM©¤!"

    A pale eye was etched onto Jun-Hyuk''s forehead. He closed his eyes and stared at the world with the pale eye engraved on his forehead. The ck smoke that had flowed out from the decaying bodies of the dead taxidermied creatures gathered above Jun-Hyuk''s head. The smoke took on a form and transformed into hundreds of chunks of flesh.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump©¤! </i>

    The chunks of flesh began to merge into a single mass. From that mere lump, arms, and legs sprouted, and a head formed. It was a gigantic taxidermied creature of overwhelming size, made up of the flesh of all the taxidermied creatures that had died until now.

    <i>Thud, thud©¤! </i>

    With each step it took, the ground trembled, and the air shook. The taxidermied creature was approaching me. The movements of the taxidermied creature were slow and ponderous, but in my current state, I couldn''t avoid it. I looked up at the sky with myst remaining strength.

    "Ah..."

    The sky waspletely covered in smoke and dark clouds. There was no room for even a ray of sunlight to shine through. From that pitch-ck sky that seemed as dark as the abyss, a single ray of light shone down on me.

    It was the moonlight of the full moon.

    "...Kalfu."

    [The full moon is beautiful tonight.]

    With that response, crimson-colored moonlight that resembled the color of blood poured down onto my head.

 Chapter 133

    <h4>Chapter 133</h4>

    A raven soared in the sky. The eyes of the raven did not have a boundary between the iris and the sclera. The raven looked down upon the world with its pale eyes. To the raven, the world was sometimes bright, sometimes dark, and sometimes even red. It was a time when day, night, and twilight ovepped.

    Thirteen girls raced down the road. Children chased after them, and the girls chased after the chasing children. Some of the children were scary, and some of the girls were scary. Some of the children were scared, and some of the girls were scared. The road was a dead-end alley, which was suitable. The girls held hands and formed a circle.

    "TH-TH-TH©¤" the girls sang.

    The children aimed their guns at the girls.

    What was inside the guns?

    It was impossible to know. Bullets struck the girls'' bodies.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    The girls limply fell to the ground. From the eyes that were engraved on their foreheads, ck blood poured out. The blood flowed down the road and formed dark blue patterns.

    Thirteen girls raced down the road. The road was an open alley, but all was well. The girls held hands and formed a circle.

    "AH-AH-AH©¤" the girls sang.

    The bullets flew in.

    <i>Thump, thump.</i>

    The girls fell down. ck blood poured out from the eyes that were engraved on their foreheads. The floor was engraved with dark blue patterns.

    Thirteen girls raced down the road. A circle was formed.

    "UUUMMM©¤" the girls sang and fell down.

    Thirteen girls held hands and formed a circle. They didn''t race down the road, but all was well.

    "TH-TH-TH-AH-AH-AH-UUUMMM©¤!"

    It was fine even if the girls didn''t sing. The song echoed out from the skies and from the ground. The floor was engraved with dark blue patterns. The patterns of the east, west, north, south, and center shone together. The blue light of the ground merged with the blue light of the sky.

    <i>Rumble rumble.</i>

    The ground trembled. The broken bodies of the girls turned into smoke and flowed into the sky. Only the girls¡¯ heads remained. The heads rolled around with the circle in the center. The eyes engraved on the foreheads of the smiling girls spewed out ck blood. The light of the dark blue patterns engraved on the floor was intense.

    A goat appeared in the center of a pentagram that pointed downward. The smoke gathered and turned into flesh, and the flesh gathered and turned into a pile of meat.

    Two heads sprouted out from the meat. They were goat heads, but the attached ears were those of a fox. The form of the devil summoned in the center of the pentagon had three horns and six legs.

    The raven looked down upon the world with its pale eyes.

    To the east, there was a dog, and to the west, there was a snake. To the north, there was a peacock, and to the south, there was a fly. These were nothing more than replicas molded into the form of devils using the girls'' flesh. However, the power imbued in each of their bodies rivaled that of a real devil.

    "This is the Western Pdin Order. Requesting support from Central. The situation is at a dangerous level, Baphomet... No, Pentagram! Pentagram!!!"

    "Southern Pdin Order... Ah, arghhhh¡ª!"

    "This is the North. The witches are using sorcery¡ª!"

    <i>Bang.</i>

    The devil''s fist was thrust toward the children. The raven perched on the shoulder of the devil that had been summoned in the center and watched the scene of the massacre from a closer distance.

    A devil with a goat¡¯s head swung its fist and its horns, smashing buildings and killing pdins.

    A pdin that was buried under a pile of rubble stretched out his hands toward his deceasedrades.

    "Central, crusaders...! No, the Holy See''s army... Help, anyone...!"

    <i>Boom¡ª!</i>

    The devil spewed out ck mes. The pdin burned and perished with his hand outstretched. Another pdin sank to the ground in disbelief.

    The person who had died just now was the team leader, and the one who sank to the ground was his subordinate, but to the raven, they were all the same.

    The pdin who sank to the ground looked up at the sky. In the sky where night, day, and twilight were mixed together, suddenly, twilight and day disappeared, and only night remained. It had been an unusually short day. Toward the god that had closed its eyes and refused to respond to the atrocities, the pdin said resentfully, "Ah, ah, ah. Adonai, my lord. Why...?!"

    The sun closed its eyes, and the moon opened its eyes. The moon''s pupils were round and red. The pdin looked up at the moon, and the moon looked down at the pdin.

    The red moonlight descended onto the ground. The devil, which was destroying everything that it touched, abruptly halted its movements. The devil lifted its head and looked up at the moon. The three horns on the devil''s head glowed blood-red.

    The moon blinked its eyes.

    "Oh, ah. Ahh, arghh¡ª!" the devil screamed.

    <i>Crack, crack¡ª!</i>

    Like wings, the red moonlight stretched out from the moon. Then, the moonlight descended down like hands and tore apart the devil¡¯s body. The devil floundered and clung to the moonlight as its body contorted and twisted. The devil was no longer even able to scream.

    <i>Rip¡ª!</i>

    The devil¡¯s skin was torn apart, and sawdust spewed out.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    The splinters flew toward the pdin who had copsed on the ground.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    The devil''s skin scattered in all directions. The scattered skin did not turn into smoke and instead disappeared as if getting wrapped by the red moonlight. The devil that was in the center died.

    The moon looked down at the world with its red eyes. The moon blinked.

    <i>Crunch!</i>

    The upper body of the peacock was severed. The devil, which only had its legs remaining, pped its wings for a moment before losing strength and copsing to the ground.

    There were traces of saliva and blood remaining on the severed surface as if the devil had been devoured by a beast. The remaining corpse was taken away by moonlight. Just like that, the devil in the north died. The moon blinked.

    <i>Rip, rip...</i>

    The moonlight stripped the snake''s skin. The snake vomited sawdust and copsed onto the ground. The moonlight took away the corpse. With that, the devil in the west died.

    <i>Blink.</i>

    <i>Crash¡ª!</i>

    The moonlight stepped on a fly. The fly''s body was pulverized. Sawdust, cotton, and leather were scattered t on the ground. The moonlight collected the corpse. With that, the devil in the south died.

    The raven flew. With its pale eyes, the raven looked up at the sky.

    The full moon was gradually distorting into a crescent moon. It was the moon''s smile. The moon¡¯s light was directed toward the raven¡¯s pale eyes. The raven flew while looking up at the sky, and the moon smiled as it looked down at the ground. The gazes of the raven and the moon crossed.

    <i>Crack¡ª!</i>

    The raven¡¯s bright eyes shattered. Its wings were torn apart. The falling raven¡¯s gaze spun around. The boundaries of east, west, south, and north were blurry. The broken eyes gradually lost their vision.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    The raven¡¯s body fell to the ground. Moonlight engulfed the corpse.

    "Cough...!"

    The raven died. This fact was fully transmitted into Jun-Hyuk''s body. He shared the third eye engraved on his forehead with the raven¡¯s pale eyes, and he saw the world through the raven''s eyes.

    Of the five taxidermied creatures that were summoned by sacrificing the thirteen Covens, he had watched four of them twist apart, shatter, and die by the hands of the moonlight.

    "What... what have you done...!" Jun-Hyuk said as he approached the fallen Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo was currently inflicting self-harm upon himself.

    First, he pressed his left index finger against a tree and snapped it backward. When that happened, the body of the devil that had been summoned in the center also snapped backward.

    Next, he bit and broke off his middle finger. In exchange, the torso of the devil that had been summoned in the north was severed.

    Then, he yed off the skin of his ring finger with the de embedded in his abdomen. The skin of the devil that had been summoned to the west was also peeled off.

    He smeared his ring finger on a rock and smashed it apart. The devil of the North also died after getting smashed apart.

    He had broken four out of the five fingers on his left hand through his own will. Nevertheless, Sun-Woo did not reveal any signs of pain. He simply smiled while watching the red moon rising in the sky.

    "The Loa of the Moon... Kalfu. For thest time, I will use the ancient spell."

    Sun-Woo lifted his thumb and then cut it off with the de. The severed thumb was taken away by the moonlight. The red moonlight then wrapped around Sun-Woo''s body.

    Then, the red moonlight poured down towards Jun-Hyuk. He quickened his pace. Even if his throat was cut and his eyeballs were pierced by the Executioner''s Sword, he wouldn¡¯t die. His body had been prepared to be Satan''s container, so such a crude attack couldn''t work.

    In the first ce, it was impossible for attacks from humans to kill Satan''s container.

    "S U U U - R R - Y A H...¡±

    The reason why they didn¡¯t kill Wrath and imprisoned him in the underground prison instead was also for that reason. Since they couldn''t kill him, they decided to restrict his actions instead.

    ¡°...RR-AHH-UUU-MMM."

    The red moonlight enveloped his body. He couldn''t breathe. At this moment, Jun-Hyuk felt a chilling sensation different from the death that he had experienced before. This was not an attack from a human.

    Someone divine was tearing his body apart and trying to kill him. A real death was imminent. Before dying, he had to kill Sun-Woo... that bastard. No, at the very least, he had to stop him.

    Jun-Hyuk continued to recite the incantation he had memorized.

    "HAIL, SAT©¤!"

    <i>Creak...</i>

    However, he could notplete hisst sentence.

    With a quiet and chilling sound like that of a carriage wheel rolling through, Jun-Hyuk''s vision plummeted toward the ground. Dozens of red threads were drawn across his neck and body. It was the moon''s punishment.

    <i>Slice©¤!</i>

    Jun-Hyuk looked at his body that had been mercilessly severed apart. The red moonlight was removing his body, which had been severed into countless pieces. No, it was devouring it.

    Yet, Jun-Hyuk was still alive. This strange body would not die even if only the neck remained, which was sometimes convenient, but he couldn¡¯t help resenting it at times.

    Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk silently stared at each other with cold eyes. Jun-Hyuk only had his head remaining, so he was currently only half-resurrected, and Sun-Woo was engulfed in ck mes, so he was practically dead. In the boundary between life and death, the two remained silent.

    They had both received the death penalty for their own reasons. A great sin was sealing the boys who could not even shake each other¡¯s hands.

    <i>Whoosh¡ª!</i>

    A pir of fire fell upon the devil located on the eastern side with the dog¡¯s head, which had been indecisively hopping about between the two.

    Jin-Seo had been chasing after the sword that had escaped from Florence Academy, when she was surrounded by a divine light that shone brightly like a me. The light dispelled the thick smoke and fog surrounding Eiden Hill. The light burned away the darkness.

    Afterward, Do-Jin staggered toward the ce where the red moon had set. The sword he was holding in his hand glowed red in the moonlight. With the sword, Do-Jin beheaded the devil.

    Before the miracle replication and Do-Jin''s sword strike, Commander Jun-Hyuk had lost his power to control the taxidermied creature. As a result, the devil from the east died. The pdins walked in unison toward Eiden Hill.

    Jun-Hyuk sighed.

    "Ah..."

    On the shoulders of Director Han Dae-Ho was In-Ah, who had been knocked out by ck magic. He had tried to kill her, but he could not bring himself to do so. That was why he attempted to create a perfect taxidermied creature based on her appearance, but it had been impossible.

    Since he could notpletely discard his emotions, he failed as Satan''s container. In addition, because he could not create a perfect taxidermied creature, he failed as amander. He had wanted to turn her into a taxidermied creature and keep her forever. Unable to remove that inner human that was within him, In-Ah''s existence became evidence of Jun-Hyuk''s failure.

    She would have to live on while carrying that sense of betrayal.

    Jun-Hyuk recalled his mother crying out while looking at his deceased father. He remembered his mother''s eyes darting between his father, who had be a taxidermied creature, and himself, who had turned his father into a taxidermied creature.

    He wanted his mother.

    He wanted In-Ah.

    "It looks like I won¡¯t be able to go to the sea...." Jun-Hyuk muttered and closed his eyes.

    He was sleepy. The approaching pdins lifted Jun-Hyuk''s head with their hands wrapped in light and ced it in a bag.

    * * *

    Kalfu. The Loa of the Moon, and the Loa of Crossroads.

    I still could not borrow his power. All I could do was ask for the temporary use of an ancient destructive spell through the use of some kind of contract. That was all I could do. In exchange, I sacrificed one of my lungs and five fingers on my left hand.

    With that, I was able to kill four of the devils that Jun-Hyuk had created, and I was able to dismember his body. However, it was painful. My fingers didn''t hurt. It was my burning body that hurt, and it was my decaying and withering organs that were in pain. My head hurt, and every time I took a breath, my chest hurt.

    Fortunately, thanks to sacrificing my left lung, only my right chest hurt. I smiled as I was grateful for that fact.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump...</i>

    After killing the devil that I could not defeat by burning it with her me of miracles, she approached me.

    As soon as she saw me, her face turned pale. She took off the anti-demon mask she had been wearing and put it on me. I could feel her breath that remained on the mask, and as a result, my lungs painfully ached.

    "Do-Do Sun-Woo! Hey, answer me. Hey..." She called out to me, but I couldn''t answer. My mouth wouldn''t move.

    She removed her outerwear and swung it toward the ck mes that clung to my body. The mes flickered due to the wind caused by the clothes, but they never went out. The ck mes didn''t transfer to anything other than me. They burned only me.

    "Why won''t this go out?! Why?! Why...?! Teacher, The fire won¡¯t go out...!!"

    "..."

    Do-Jin approached behind Jin-Seo, who was sobbing. As he limped toward her, I saw that his body was filled with injuries.

    Jin-Seo stared at me with tear-filled, reddened eyes. Do-Jin silently looked at my body. His face was calm, but there was a faint sense of despair in his eyes. He was looking at the sword lodged in my stomach.

    I closed my eyes. I was tired. Darkness came.

    <i>Drip¡ª</i>

    I heard the sound of droplets falling. The darkness in front of me twisted and unfolded. As it gathered and dispersed, the darkness changed its form. Purple mist flowed out from somewhere and shaped the darkness.

    A red moon rose in the center of the darkness. The moon was big and round.

    [In the end, it''s a crossroads.]

    The two paths created by the darkness intersected and created a crossroad. I was standing at that crossroads. The red moonlight shone down on me, and in the distance, two red stars were approaching me. As the stars approached, a familiar scent lingered at the tip of my nose.

    "You¡¯vee."

    Before I knew it, he was right in front of me while smiling like a beast.

    "Let''s talk about the Contract of the Dead," Baron Samedi said before exhaling smoke.

 Chapter 134

    <h4>Chapter 134</h4>

    Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo embarked on a search for the missing people, and they found Gabriel while they were searching the barn. The barn was crawling with demonic beasts. The animals had turned into demonic beasts due to the effects of the ck magic. There was even a demon among them. As if holding a banquet, they danced in a circle while making strange sounds, and Gabriely in the center of the circle.

    Yu-Hyun started drawing an array on his forehead using divine power, but he stopped right before using the blessing.

    "Do we really need to check that? Isn¡¯t it obvious that he¡¯s not a taxidermied creature?¡± he said.

    Min-Seo nodded in agreement.

    Gabriely there surrounded by the demon and demonic beasts, and he was clearly not a taxidermied creature. Blood flowed out from his body, and his lower half was burning as if ck mes were consuming it.

    Min-Seo counted the number of enemies. There were around ten demonic beasts, and there was only one demon. From a rough nce, it was possible to determine that there was no chance of victory.

    Yu-Hyun, that bastard, would be the key to resolving this situation...

    Min-Seo stared at Yu-Hyun. Even in this situation, that guy with sharp eyes smiled like an idiot.

    "...Hey, are you good at fighting?"

    "Huh? Not really. I''m good at getting hit, though."

    "Really?"

    That was enough.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Min-Seo kicked Yu-Hyun''s back and pushed him toward the demonic beasts.

    "Ah, huh-?" Yu-Hyun shrieked.

    The demon and the demonic beasts turned their heads in response to the sounds. The red eyes and giant fangs of the drooling demonic beasts were all directed toward Yu-Hyun.

    <i>Growl...</i>

    <i>Woof! Woof!</i>

    "Oh, guys. Don''t attack me. We¡¯re all friends here..."

    Yu-Hyun shifted backward and tried to persuade the demonic beasts. There was no way he would be able to sessfully convince them. After all, they couldn¡¯t even understand what he was saying in the first ce.

    The demon was no different. The demon only showed hostility towards Yu-Hyun and refused to listen to his words.

    Yu-Hyun turned his head towards Min-Seo and said, "Min-Seo, why¡¯d you do that...?"

    However, in the blink of an eye, Min-Seo had already disappeared from Yu-Hyun¡¯s sight. Yu-Hyun let out a bitterugh as his face contorted.

    "Ha, hahaha. Wow, what a savage bitch..." Yu-Hyun muttered to himself while looking up at the sky.

    Should he call it now? No, but wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to call it over something like this? But thinking it was a waste was only possible if he was still alive after this. If he ended up dying, it would be toote for him to regret it. There was still some distance and time left until the demonic beasts could reach him.

    Yu-Hyun kneeled down in that spot and sped his hands together while looking at the sky. His thumbs that were gathered together formed the shape of a cross.

    "To Adonai in the heavens... huh?"

    As Yu-Hyun was reciting the opening of a prayer, his eyes suddenly widened. The light was shooting toward the demon and demonic beasts that were approaching him. Then the light gathered together and distorted. It was Min-Seo''s blessing array.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The light exploded. The demonic beasts were flung away due to the force of the explosion. A cloud of dust scattered as the dying demonic beasts writhed while bleeding out ck blood. The explosion had been strong enough to send the demonic beasts flying, but it hadn¡¯t been strong enough to subdue the demon. The demon limped toward Yu-Hyun.

    <i>Smack¡ª!</i>

    Suddenly, Min-Seo''s body flew toward the demon. She twisted her body and nted a knee kick on the demon''s jaw. The demon¡¯s body tilted as it lost its bnce. Min-Seo didn''t miss this opportunity. She explosively unleashed her divine power and drew a blessing array on the demon''s body.

    "Hey, you..."

    Yu-Hyun btedly tried to stop Min-Seo. He knew what Min-Seo was trying to do. She was trying to blow up the demon by applying the collision phenomenon inside the demon¡¯s body. However, the distance between Min-Seo and the demon was too close.

    If she utilized the collision phenomenon at that distance, Min-Seo would be greatly injured. No, she wouldn''t just get injured. She would die.

    Min-Seo was not unaware of this fact. Nevertheless, she engraved two blessing arrays on the demon''s body and invoked the collision phenomenon. She had already prepared herself for death. Sess was right in front of her.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The light exploded. The demon''s body shattered, and Min-Seo was hit by the fragments of the demon''s flesh. Severalrge and small holes appeared in Min-Seo''s abdomen. The explosion swept her away, and her cheek was half gone.

    <i>What? She¡¯s still alive?</i>

    Yu-Hyun was astonished at this sight. Min-Seo''s fighting style was so reckless. She wasn¡¯t just insane. She waspletely off-the-rails level of insane.

    "...Yu-Hyun, why are you looking at me like that...? Did you do something wrong to me?" Min-Seo said.

    "Y-you. Your face...." Yu-Hyun said.

    "Go... you can call a priest that specializes in healing, or you can just call anyone. Just bring someone here, you dipshit. Don''t just stand there..." Min-Seo spat.

    Yu-Hyun slowly nodded and abruptly stood up from his seat. Unlike usual, he had a bewildered expression on his face as he went to find someone. He was searching for anyone who could be of help, whether that was priests specializing in healing or a teacher with a priest background. The image of Min-Seo giving him instructions with eyes filled with madness still lingered in his mind.

    Meanwhile, Min-Seo was still alive. Even as blood steadily flowed out of her body, she continued to crawl forward toward Gabriel. She had taken care of the immediate bleeding through blessings of healing. The side effects of self-healing woulde back to bite herter, but that didn¡¯t really matter. She had put everything on the line.

    Min-Seo looked down at Gabriel''s face and smiled.

    "Ah, ha. Hahaha. Gabriel, you saw it, right?"

    "..." Gabriel did not respond.

    It seemed like he didn''t even have the strength to speak. Instead of answering, Gabriel blinked his eyes a few times or slowly rolled his eyeballs. Gabriel''s lower body was burning, but like some sort of superhuman turtle, the stubborn old man was still alive.

    Gabriel was an elder. In this country, or rather, in the Romanican Church, the position of an elder was quite significant. Just by catching the eye of an elder, it was possible to save a struggling household. Since the position of an elder was not light, the achievement of saving an elder¡¯s life would not be light either.

    "...Sir elder. The one who saved you... was me."

    "..."

    "Th-that... You really need to remember that... Alright? Do you understand?"

    Gabriel did not respond. It was because he had no strength to respond. Min-Seo grabbed the unresponsive Gabriel''s white hair and forced his head to nod. Min-Seo smiled.

    "Well, it''s good that you know... Let''s go..."

    Min-Seo grabbed Gabriel by the hair and walked away while dragging him along the ground.

    While searching for missing people, Min-Seo saw the pdins were heading toward Eiden Hill after arrivingte. Therefore, her destination was Eiden Hill. She had a vague hunch that if she followed the pdins, things would somehow be resolved.

    "Elder... Your lower body ispletely burned... I can''t possibly lift you up. Please forgive my rudeness... Hehe."

    "..."

    "There''s no other choice... You understand... Right? Hehe, hehehe..."

    The pain of having a hole in her stomach and half a cheek was severe. Min-Seo mumbled various things to the unresponsive Gabriel and headed toward Eiden Hill. She continued to talk because she felt like she would faint from the pain if she stopped talking.

    "Sir Gabriel... You absolutely cannot die. If you die, I will kill you..."

    "...Urgh."

    "That''s right... Just like that... Try to make at least some kind of noise. That way... you¡¯ll survive. Am I right? Hehe, he...¡±

    Min-Seo firmly held onto Gabriel''s hair. A sinister smile was on her lips.

    * * *

    "..."

    Do-Jin looked at Sun-Woo''s condition. There was a hole in this stomach due to being pierced by a sword. The sword that had pierced Sun-Woo''s stomach was none other than the sword that they used during sparring. The right side of his body was engulfed in ck mes. That was due to the magic called Corruption. Those were cursed mes that originated from a devil, and they had the effect of slowly devouring the target''s body.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    Do-Jin took out a vial that he had kept in his embrace the entire time. It was the medicine that Chang-Won had given him. If he fed this to Sun-Woo, the mes clinging to his body would be extinguished. It was because those mes were not real mes, but mes caused by ck magic.

    "...Teacher, that, the medicine...!"

    Color returned to Jin-Seo''s pale face when she saw the vial in Do-Jin''s hand. With reddened eyes, she nced between the medicine bottle and Sun-Woo. A trembling smile appeared on her lips.

    Jin-Seo didn''t know what kind of medicine it was, but she believed that it was some sort of universal elixir that could save Sun-Woo''s life. It had to be. If it wasn''t a universal elixir, Sun-Woo would die.

    "It''s a potion that stops the progression of ck magic..."

    "Does he have to drink it, or do we have to pour it? Whatever it is, hurry!"

    "..."

    By administering the medicine, he could extinguish the mes clinging to Sun-Woo''s body. He could stop the curse''s mes from devouring his body. But what about after that?

    "C... Cough..."

    Sun-Woo''s breathing was weak.

    It was faint, yet rough at the same time. He wasn''t sure exactly where, but it was clear that one of his organs had been damaged. Do-Jin''s colleague had died due to a hole in his lung, and he had made such sounds before dying.

    No matter how he looked at it... it wasn''t a body that could survive. He was basically a corpse that was just barely clinging to itsst breath. Moreover, the right half of Sun-Woo''s body was almostpletely rotten. Even if he stopped the mes, a decaying body could not be regenerated.

    Even if he miraculously survived, half of Sun-Woo¡¯s body would bepletely crippled. He wouldn¡¯t be able to be a clergyman. No, even living a normal life seemed uncertain.

    "Wh-what are you doing? Please hurry! Either feed it to him or pour it on him!!"

    Jin-Seo spammed blessings and healing over Sun-Woo''s lifeless body.

    Suddenly, Sun-Woo coughed up blood. She remained unfazed as she continuously unleashed her divine power. With the medicine that Do-Jin was holding, along with healing and blessings, Sun-Woo coulde back to life.

    "You damn fool. Why are you always doing things alone...?!" Jin-Seo cursed while suppressing the bloody vomit flowing up her esophagus. Her voice trembled. She could taste something strangeing from her mouth, no, from her head. Her head hurt because it felt like he wouldn¡¯te back.

    "I-I''m sorry. I¡¯m sorry for cursing. I was surprised. You must have been surprised..." Jin-Seo said.

    She apologized earnestly as if she wanted to take back the words that she had uttered out loud. As always, he woulde back. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to die, so there was no need for her to curse like it was hisst. At some point, he would suddenly get up and joke around, just like usual. Even if he ended up living with a disability, it would be okay.

    <i>He would lie in the hospital bed and look at me, and I would look at him, and we would exchange silly jokes.</i>

    That was all it took for her to be happy. No matter what condition he came back in, she was willing to take responsibility for his future. Rather, it was the opposite. Just bying back alive, he would take responsibility for her life.

    "Teach...er. If you''re just going to hold on to that, just give it to me. If you keep hesitating like this, and if he dies... Anyway, hurry!"

    Do-Jin looked at Jin-Seo and said, "...Alright. I''ll do it..."

    Jin-Seo wanted Sun-Woo to survive. Chairman Chang-Won, Jin-Seo''s father, would also want that.

    Chairman Chang-Won had given him this medicine. Therefore, it was right to use this medicine for Sun-Woo. Above all, Do-Jin also did not wish for Sun-Woo to die. He didn¡¯t know if Sun-Woo would fully recover, but even if he ended up crippled, it would still be better for him to survive. At least, that was what he thought.

    <i>Pop.</i>

    He opened the lid and brought the medicine bottle to Sun-Woo''s mouth. The medicine was thick and didn''te out easily. After giving him the medicine, all Do-Jin could do was pray. All he could do was pray to God for Sun-Woo''s recovery.

    "He-hehe... Here, everyone¡¯s here."

    At that moment, Min-Seo arrived. She was dragging along a man whose whole body was covered in mud. The man she was dragging along was Elder Gabriel. He was an important member of the Elder Council, and he was one of the people who held real authority in Florence Academy. Gabriel''s lower body was engulfed in ck mes.

    He, too, was affected by Corruption.

 Chapter 135.1

    <h4>Chapter 135.1</h4>

    The Crossroads was the kingdom of souls, with Legba and Kalfu as the owners. Legba led the Loa in the Crossroads to the material kingdom, or the secr world, tomunicate with humans. Kalfu led humans in the secr world to the Crossroads tomunicate with the Loa. Because of this, Kalfu was sometimes depicted as Legba¡¯s other half or his incarnation.

    Kalfu led me to the Crossroads on the threshold of death. No, it would be more urate to say that the entrance opened due to the contract I made with Baron Samedi, and I had entered through the said entrance, thus arriving at the Crossroads.

    Baron Samedi sat in the air with his legs crossed, smoking a cigar with his left hand. He then grimaced as if he was ufortable.

    "Being right-handed is tough."

    <i>Szzzz...</i>

    Baron Samedi extinguished the cigar by rubbing it into the ground and angrily put the remaining cigar in his pocket. His voice didn''t resonate in my head like usual but came in through my ears normally. I looked at Baron Samedi''s missing right hand.

    "Where is your hand?"

    "I left it in the secr world. Didn''t I tell you yesterday?" Baron Samedi chuckled.

    When Baron Samedi''s hand came to me yesterday to deliver his prophecy, I asked where he had left his body, to which he replied by saying that he had left it back at the Crossroads. I thought it was just a usual trivial joke, but it seemed like he had been telling the truth.

    "Let''s start walking, and we can talk while we¡¯re at it. By the way, can you walk?"

    "I couldn''t walk earlier, but now I can."

    "Sounds right. If you wanted to walk, you would be able to."

    Baron Samedi and I walked. The Crossroads seemed so close, almost right in front of us, but no matter how much we walked, it didn''t get any closer.

    When we arrived at the Crossroads, my immobile leg began to move, but the immobile left hand that I had sacrificed to Kalfu remained crushed, not budging at all.

    ¡°I guess my hands won''t heal?"

    ¡°Of course not. You sacrificed your finger for the spell. Your lung wouldn¡¯t have healed as well. Isn¡¯t it hard to breathe?¡±

    "...¡±

    Hearing that, it suddenly felt like it was harder to breathe. I would have done better without knowing that piece of information.

    Baron Samedi looked at me andughed in a low voice.

    "Losing a hand or a lung won''t hinder your life. And they will get better someday."

    "Will my lung get better too?"

    "It might take longer than your hand, but it will eventually heal as well. Well..."

    Baron Samedi frowned and exaggeratedlyughed.

    "They''re not my lungs, so it''s not my concern, right? Haha. Just kidding."

    "...¡±

    "Just kidding, just kidding. What I said about them eventually healing is true. Kalfu''s spell may be a bit extreme, but it''s not cruel enough topletely destroy and take away the caster''s body forever," Baron Samedi said and looked at the sky.

    I also looked up at the sky. The round moon was gradually fading away. It was the sight of Kalfuughing.

    The Crossroads was filled with darkness, and the only source of light was the red moonlight emitted by Kalfu. When the moon faded, the Crossroads became dark, and when it rose, the Crossroads was bright.

    "...Oh, look over there. There seems to be an old man who seems to have lost his cane."

    The Crossroads seemed distant, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed to be right in front of us. An old man stood in the center of the Crossroads like a signpost. The old man had a limp, wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, and held a pipe in his right hand. It was the manifestation of Legba.

    "Sir, you seem to have difficulty moving. Is it because you don''t have a cane?" Baron Samedi pretended to be polite and took off his silk hat.

    Legba frowned and red at Baron Samedi with displeasure.

    "Samedi, you can go now. The Prophet and I have important matters to discuss," said the old man.

    "Ah, so no one is allowed if they¡¯re not the owner of the Crossroads?"

    "If you want to listen, you can, but I n to say something, and it won¡¯t benefit you in any way."

    "Oh, is that so?" Baron Samedi stroked his chin, pretending to contemte.

    Then he approached me and ced his hand on my shoulder. His gaze, looking down at me, was unusually red.

    "I''ll be waiting for you over the yonder. F¨¨ yon chwa ou pap regr¨¨t!"

    With those words, Baron Samedi disappeared. He wasn¡¯t gone with a puff of smoke. In the blink of an eye, he vanished as if he had never been here in the first ce. It wasn''t surprising. Anything could happen at the Crossroads, and nothing was out of the ordinary. This was a world where anything could happen.

    Legba approached me, limping on one foot.

    "What, are you surprised by my appearance?"

    His appearance did not surprise me. After all, I knew why he had a limp. His left foot was in the material realm, the realm of matter, while his right foot was in the Crossroads, the realm of souls. With each foot in a different world, he always had a limp, whether in the material realm or the Crossroads.

    "It''s a bit ufortable to interact with you like I did before."

    However, now that it sunk in that Legba was an old man, it felt a bit awkward to interact with him like before. Legba chuckled as if he found it amusing.

    "Just treat me with ease. Whether in the form of a voice or physically, I am me."

    "Ease... Why don¡¯t I talk to you like a friend then?"[1]

    "Don¡¯t go too far," Legba said,ughing at my joke.

    Although it was my first timeing to the Crossroads, it felt familiar andfortable, as if it wasn''t my first time here. The air I breathed felt cozy and warm, as if this was where I was supposed to be. It had been a long time since I felt such genuinefort.

    "...You shed more blood than necessary," Legba said, putting a pipe in his mouth.

    The spherical smoke rising from the pipe ovepped with the round moon. I couldn''t understand why Baron Samedi or Legba were so addicted to smoking.

    I coughed and said, "Smoking in front of a student like that..."

    "Deal with it. You¡¯re worried about smoke entering your lungs when a sword pierced through your stomach?"

    "Maybe it''s because I only have one lung now, but it hurts a bit."

    ¡°Ah, right. Then I shall only smoke half of this as well." Legbaughed and blew out the smoke.

    The smoke formed a semicircle. Legba limped toward the middle of the Crossroads and suddenly looked at me with a cold and stern expression.

    "There was no need for such an ignorant headfirst approach."

    "What do you mean?" I asked, not immediately understanding the meaning behind his words.

    ¡°I rushed to conclusions. To go back a bit, you vaguely knew that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist, right?"

    "Vaguely... yes."

    I did know.<i> Vaguely</i>, and so I wasn¡¯tpletely sure. There wasn''t enough evidence to convince me that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist. Even my suspicion was vague, and I had almost no confirmation.

    "No, you had enough reason to be convinced," Legba muttered, talking through his half-closed mouth, still biting on his pipe. The smoke he breathed created a semicircle, and the moon matched it by waning into a half-moon.

    "During the pursuit with the Satanists, you saw his physique and the tattoo on the back of his neck. The Satanist was fast at running away, and so was Jun-Hyuk. Wasn''t that enough?"

    "It... wasn''t enough."

    "Jun-Hyuk even mentioned the <i>lucky charm</i> before the Holy Name of Charity re-election test. That was a word that Romanicans shouldn¡¯t have known, or if they did, shouldn¡¯t ever speak about. Isn''t this enough?"

    "Aren''t you looking back too much in hindsight? How can you suspect someone just based on that?"

    Legba listened quietly as he took a long drag. His words seemed to intimidate me, but his expression and tone were calm and understanding.

    Looking at the smoke dissipating in the red moonlight, Legba added, "Well, today, a taxidermied creature that resembled In-Ah embraced you. The taxidermied creature left behind some hair when it died."

    "Yes."

    "Do you have any idea where that hair came from?"

    Jun-Hyuk often yed pranks by pulling out In-Ah''s hair. Jin-Seo''s hair could have been obtained on the day the bird demonic beast appeared at Eiden Hill. Or it could have been obtained during sparring when they were together in the training center. Ha-Yeon''s hair could have been obtained during the group projects. There were no taxidermied creatures from Yu-Hyun or Dae-Man, who had little contact with Jun-Hyuk.

    However, this was a deduction based on hindsight. It was only possible to think this way because we now knew that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist.

    "Anyone can obtain the hair of others with a little effort. To be certain with just that..."

    "The incidents always happened around you. The slip of his tongue. Unnatural behavior. The hideout beneath the training center. The person who had been keeping tabs on your close friends. And that¡¯s not all."

    It felt like my remaining lung was slowly constricting on me.

    "Each clue was meager and crude. But when you gather them all, you can see that they all point to one person. Need I say more?"

    "Yes. I needed confirmation, not a conclusion based on suspicion alone."

    "Based on that suspicion, you guessed that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist. However, you didn''t actively interrogate him. That''s because you secretly doubted yourself and hoped Jun-Hyuk wasn''t a Satanist."

    "That''s because you said my deduction was weak...!"

    "Your first deduction was weak, and the evidence was not valid. You should have interrogated him or created a situation to push him to his psychological limits in order to gain concrete evidence to build a sound deduction. You shouldn¡¯t have just sat around and waited for the case to unfold."

    Legba''s voice was calm and collected.

    I took a moment to catch my breath. This wasn¡¯t something I should be worked up about. <i>Legba is simply guiding me down a path</i>, I thought, trying to calm my agitated state of mind.

    "...Interrogation. If, by any chance, I had interrogated him and found out that Jun-Hyuk wasn''t a Satanist, it would have ruined my rtionship with a good friend."

    "If he wasn''t a Satanist, then he would have been a faithful Romanican Church member at F.A. Either way, he couldn''t have been your friend."

    "..."

    "The enemy assimted you on their grounds. As a result, you were passive in your methods. Can you deny this?"

    I had a lot to say, but I couldn¡¯t open my mouth. It felt dry and bitter. As an outsider, I couldn''t be friends with the original dwellers, nor could I with other outsiders.

    I had momentarily forgotten the fact that as a chatan, I may have appeared simr to them on the surface, but I was different on a more fundamental level. While I suspected that Jun-Hyuk might be a Satanist, I also hoped that he wasn''t. As I looked back, I realized I doubted myself because I considered Jun-Hyuk and In-Ah as my friends.

    I let out a small sigh.

    "I''m sorry if it''s a misunderstanding, but it sounds like you knew from the beginning that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist."

    "I didn''t know from the beginning," Legba said nonchntly.

    I slowly pondered over Legba''s words. <i>''I didn''t know from the beginning.''</i> That meant he knewter on. Frustration suddenly surged within me.

    "You should have told me if you knew. How could...I... What I had to go through...!¡±

    My heart, which I had just managed to calm down, started to race again. I couldn¡¯t even speak properly. It felt like something was stuck in my throat. If Legba had told me before that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist, the situation wouldn''t have ended like this.

    "...I shouldn''t have trusted a limp in the first ce. Usually, the limp turns out to be the culprit in situations like this."

    "Was that an insult?"

    "Yes. I''m holding back from wanting to hit you."

    "Thanks for that."

    I wasn¡¯t joking, but Legbaughed after hearing my words.

    He continued, "Back then, you were doubting yourself. Because you doubted yourself when you were supposed to be the pir of our faith as the Cult Leader, I waited for you to transcend your doubts. But you never fully let go of it."

    "Why are you going around in circles to tell me that you tested me?"

    "Yes, I tested you. I tested you in order to see if you were suitable as the Cult Leader, and as the Prophet."

    "Is that so? Well, are you done grading? Never mind, I already know that I came out as ipatible," I said in a bitter tone, letting out whatever came to mind due to the feeling of betrayal.

    Legba simply stood at the intersection, endlessly puffing on his pipe. The smoke that billowed out still wafted into a semicircle. He watched the dissipating smoke in silence for a while. The red moon seemed tired, its eyes half closed.

    "Today, you could have confirmed that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist and ran away."

    "Yes, I suppose so."

    "There was no need for you to risk your life and engage in a fight. It would have been better to escape and seek help from the Holy See or the Pdin Order. It would have been a safer way to build achievements."

    "As a Loa, are you seriously saying that?"

    "... Nevertheless, you fought, and as a result, you now stand in front of the Crossroads. Why didn¡¯t you run away?¡± Legba stubbornly continued to speak even when he scowled at the sound of my words.

    I searched for the right words to answer Legba''s question. I could have easily escaped if I wanted to, but I ended up fighting Jun-Hyuk. As a result, I found myself standing on the edge of death.

    There were a few reasons why I didn''t run away. There were emotional reasons like betrayal and wrath. I could also say that I had no choice but to fight in order to resist Jun-Hyuk''s preemptive attack.

    "I just... I couldn¡¯t see myself losing."

    If I had to choose one, it was the confidence I had in myself. I was confident that I wouldn''t lose in a fight against Jun-Hyuk. Judging the situation solely on the oue, I couldn¡¯t say that I won, but I definitely didn¡¯t lose either.

    Legbaughed mockingly after hearing my answer and briefly put his pipe back in the helm of his shirt.

    "At least in the final moment, you were without doubt.¡±

    "At least?"

    "And judging by your retorts, you have a strong sense of pride. You seem somewhat fit to be the Cult Leader," Legba said with a smile.

    I was a little taken aback by his unexpected response.

    "Then am I unfit as the Prophet?"

    "Well, I haven''t graded that assignment yet. I¡¯ll consider that once you find the staff. It''s not easy to grade when you''re not mobile."

    I couldn''t tell if he was joking or serious.

    The moonlight seemed to blink in the darkness. Legba looked up at the sky, gazing at the moon. It seemed like Legba and Kalfu were having some kind of conversation.

    Before long, Legba pointed to a distant crossroad. "It''s about time for you to leave. Here, there are two paths. Choose one and walk."

    "Why all of a sudden... Can I just take any path?"

    "Follow the path that your heart is drawn to. The path you take is the answer," Legba said, gradually moving away with hesitant steps.

    Legba disappeared into the darkness, and I was left alone at the Crossroads. Only the red moon in the sky watched over me. I chose one of the two paths and started walking. I didn''t even register if it was the left path or the right path. I just followed the path that my heart was drawn to.

    The path widened and narrowed. It was smooth at times and rough at others. It felt like I was walking a very long and distant path, and at the same time, it felt like I was walking a short and close one. At the Crossroads, nothing had a significant meaning. Everything flowed as it was.

    <i>ck, ck...</i>

    In the distance, I saw the end of the path. Baron Samedi was waiting for me there, sitting in his seat, his slender fingers ying with two different stones.

    As I got closer, I realized that Baron Samedi was not ying with stones but rolling two dice with his fingers. His hand dexterity was very impressive.

    Baron Samedi had been fixated on the dice before he looked at me and smirked. "Ah! You''re here. Judging by your expression, it seems like you had a big showdown with Legba, huh?"

    "What were you doing?"

    "I was practicing. Don''t worry about it."

    He suddenly stood up from his seat and handed me two dice that he had been holding in his hand. The dice had no markings on them.

    <i>Snap!</i>

    Baron Samedi snapped his fingers, and the dice were suddenly engraved with markings. The markings were colored with a sinister, deep crimson.

    "Let''s start with a dice game!" Baron Samedi''s cheerful shout echoed across the empty intersection.

    * * *

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Min-Seo ced Gabriel in front of Do-Jin and slumped down. Then, she leaned against a tree and caught her breath.

    "Ah..."

    Do-Jin sighed as he saw Gabriel burning from Corruption. Two people were affected by Corruption. There was only one antidote, and only one person could be saved. The responsibility of the choice was now doubled. Without realizing it, Do-Jin retracted the vial that he had been holding to Sun-Woo''s mouth.

    <i>Grab.</i>

    Jin-Seo grabbed his wrist. Her pupils trembled with anguish as she looked at him. Her lips quivered.

    "W-what are you doing?"

    "..."

    "What are you doing? The fire is still growing, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Wait. I''m thinking."

    ¡°H-he might die at this point. Give that, give it to me. I''ll do it instead...!"

    <i>p!</i>

    Do-Jin pped away Jin-Seo''s outstretched hand. His eyes were fixed on Gabriel. Although Gabriel¡¯s lower body was almost rotten due to Corruption, he had no other injuries. In contrast, almost half of Sun-Woo''s body was rotten already, and the non-Corruption-rted trauma was severe as well.

    There was a possibility that Sun-Woo could die even if he took the potion. Gabriel would definitely survive if he took the potion. Giving it to Gabriel would be a better use of the potion.

    Min-Seo struggled to catch her breath, but she perked up when she heard Do-Jin and Jin-Seo''s conversation.

    "Huh, huh... That, that''s it. The potion. The one that stops the ck magic, The. One. Stolen. Argh, damn it..."

    Min-Seo pointed to the vial with trembling fingers.

    "Mr. Do-Jin. I-I... don¡¯t like you that much, okay? Honestly... I even cussed you out behind your back. Called you an idiot..."

    "..."

    "But... even any idiot can easily see what to do in this situation, right...?"

    Min-Seo coughed. Blood sttered from her mouth.

    "Priority... for potential rescue targets... is ording to... hierarchy within the church... You know that, right? I can die, but Elder... Gabriel! We must save the elder..."

    "...I know."

    Do-Jin tightly closed his eyes.

    The priority for potential rescue targets started with civilians. Then, it was the clergymen, and within the clergymen, the priority was determined by their rank within the church. Naturally, the higher the hierarchy within the church, the higher the priority.

    Sun-Woo was a vice priest. Elder Gabriel was a former archbishop, currently a Monsignor. Whether he was an archbishop or a monsignor, he had a higher hierarchy within the church than a vice priest. So, ording to the rules, it was right to give the potion to Gabriel.

    Do-Jin carefully covered the opening of the vial to prevent rain from getting in and started to walk toward Gabriel. His steps were slow because of the injuries he had sustained during his battle. No, it wasn''t just because of the wounds he had sustained. It was just hard for him to take each step. Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t like the choice he was making.

    It wasn''t that he wanted to give up on Sun-Woo. He tightly held onto the vial, drowning in self-hate and guilt.

    "Teacher...?" Jin-Seo murmured, as if she couldn''t believe her eyes.

    Her eyes darted between the vial Do-Jin was holding and the injured and dying Sun-Woo.

    "Ear-earlier... You said you were supposed to give it to Sun-Woo, right...?"

    "...ording to the rules, the antidote should be given to the elder."

    "W-what are you saying..." Jin-Seo stammered and walked toward Do-Jin. Not only were her steps weak, but her whole body seemed tock strength. She was short of breath and had a headache. Her mouth was so dry that she couldn''t swallow properly.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    The liquid inside the vial shook violently. Jin-Seo held onto Do-Jin''s wrist and didn''t let go.

    "...Don''t do this."

    Do-Jin''s held hand trembled. He couldn''t bring himself to push her hand away. Maybe it was because of Jin-Seo¡¯s unexpected strength, or maybe it was because of Do-Jin¡¯sck of strength due to his injuries.

    "S-Sun-Woo is the one who defeated the Satanist."

    "..."

    "If we save him, he¡¯ll be able to climb through the ranks of the church. So, in the end...saving Sun-Woo would be the right choice. Or, or! We can split the medicine in half. If we split it in half, we can save both..."

    "Bull shit. Do you think you''re Solomon or something... <i>Huh, huhuhu...</i>¡±<i> </i>Min-Seo let out augh.

    Jin-Seo stared at Min-Seo with empty eyes.

    "You shut up for a moment...."

    ¡°You shut up... you fucking...¡±

    "Stop."

    Do-Jin spoke slowly, intervening between the two. He shook his head from side to side.

    "....First of all, we can''t give each of them half of the vial¡¯s contents. There''s a high possibility that neither of them will survive. There¡¯s a reason why there¡¯s only so much of the antidote in the first ce."

    "But...!"

    "Jin-Seo, let go. If you continue to stop me, I''ll have no choice but to use force against you."

    "Yes, we have to save him. Gabriel... We have to save Gabriel. So don''t get in the way, you bastard...!" Min-Seo screamed maliciously.

    Jin-Seo stared at her, the gaze in her eyes looking like she was prepared to kill Min-Seo at any moment. Min-Seo didn''t back down and returned the gaze with a crazed look in her eyes.

    The two locked eyes. The air turned cold, and raindrops lightly tapped their heads.

    "Oh? You guys are all here. Good. Hey!"

    It was Yu-Hyun. He had btedly followed Min-Seo, and he unintentionally ended up mediating the fight between the two. Following behind him at a slow pace was Ha-Yeon.

    The two seemed visibly flustered. Ha-Yeon had just handed her friend Ra-Hee, who had almost died from being pounded by a taxidermied creature, over to the Pdin Order rescue team. She then unexpectedly met Yu-Hyun and made her way here. She was not in a ce to organize her thoughts.

    The same could be said for Yu-Hyun, who couldn¡¯t escape the shock he felt from witnessing Min-Seo curse while covered head to toe in blood. Yu-Hyun and Ha-Yeon btedly grasped the situation and asked questions with worried expressions.

    "Hey, there''s no priest nearby, only pdins... So, in the meantime, I brought Ha-Yeon with me for now. Um..."

    "...What''s going on here?"

    Do-Jin had a vial in his hand, and Jin-Seo was grabbing onto Do-Jin''s wrist with enough force to break it. Min-Seo also looked like she was in bad shape, and Gabriel and Sun-Woo were decaying, engulfed in ck mes. They understood the current situation, but they didn¡¯t want to ept it. Ha-Yeon pointed her trembling fingers at the burning Sun-Woo.

    "Um, that... that is a... taxidermied creature? It''s a taxidermied creature, right?"

    "...What?"

    "No, just a moment ago, he was fine, right? And he isn¡¯t someone who¡¯d suddenly end up like this, right...?"

    Ha-Yeon first thought that the person on the floor was merely a taxidermied copy of Sun-Woo, as she had seen him replicating a miracle before. The real Sun-Woo wasn''t so weak that he would die so easily. However, instead of sawdust and cotton, vivid red blood flowed from his body. The Sun-Woo on the ground <i>was</i> a taxidermied creature. It had to be.

    Yu-Hyun drew a circle with divine power around his eyes, just in case. Beyond the circle, he saw the dying Sun-Woo.

    Carefully, very carefully, he saw the <i>flow</i> running through Sun-Woo¡¯s body. Yu-Hyun lowered her head, his face filled with a mixture of confusion and difort.

    "It doesn''t seem like a taxidermied creature¡ª"

    "Taxidermy... right. This is a taxidermied creature..."

    Jin-Seo interrupted Yu-Hyun''s devastated murmuring. She looked down at Sun-Woo with a devastated gaze and smiled. The being dying right in front of her was a taxidermied creature that had taken the form of Sun-Woo.

    But something was off. If so, where was the real Sun-Woo? Was the person she had met while walking around F.A. the real Sun-Woo? Ah, right. That would have been the real him.

    "Huh...?"

    As Jin-Seo thought that, her mind came to a halt. That Sun-Woo was dead. No, he wasn¡¯t just dead. She had killed him with her own hands. The taxidermied creature had not bled, but the Sun-Woo in front of her was bleeding. He was bleeding a lot. So, the Sun-Woo she had met earlier was the taxidermied creature.

    Then, who was the Sun-Woo in front of her now? Wait, if the one she killed earlier wasn''t real... Huh. Then who was the one she had killed...

    "Yu-Hyun... Stop, stop that bitch¡ª!"

    Taking advantage of Jin-Seo¡¯s body rxing from the confusion, Min-Seo shouted at Yu-Hyun. He vaguely understood Min-Seo''s intention, and he rushed in to restrain Jin-Seo.

    "Ugh, why... Why is she so strong...!"

    However, Yu-Hyun''s strength was far from enough to restrain Jin-Seo. She red at Yu-Hyun with eyes full of killing intent and muttered under her breath, "Let go. Before I end you..."

    "Oh, oof...!"

    Frightened by Jin-Seo''s threat, Yu-Hyun took a step back. Min-Seo looked at Yu-Hyun as if he was pathetic.

    "You idiot... If you''re going to restrain her, do it properly...!"

    "Wha-what do you want me to do? I-I don¡¯t even understand what¡¯s going on!"

    "Just shut up and stop her. Please...!"

    Min-Seo''s plea sounded too desperate not to do as she said. However, Jin-Seo''s gaze was too intimidating and cold to stop her. Yu-Hyun couldn''t do anything but stand around, caught up in the middle between Min-Seo and Jin-Seo. It had only been a few days since he came to school, and he didn¡¯t expect to be in such a situation. Oh, why had hee to school?

    <i>Bite.</i>

    Ha-Yeon finished assessing the situation. She bit her finger, drew blood, and unleashed her divine power. She drew the blessing array of regeneration and all the healing arrays she could use. Finally, she drew the blessing of purification and added her blood to it.

    "It''s not that serious, everyone. We can just get rid of ck magic and be done with it¡ª"

    <i>re!</i>

    "Ah...!"

    ck mes red up. Startled, Ha-Yeon took a step back. Even Ha-Yeon thought that the blessing of purification she had just drawn was perfect. However, the fire clinging to Sun-Woo''s body couldn¡¯t be put out. Instead, it burned even more fiercely, engulfing his body.

    "Huh? Why isn''t it going away? Is there not enough blood?"

    Corruption was the most notorious among ck magic. Rather than being manifested through a Pentagram, it was conjured by making a contract with a devil. It was so infamous to the point that there was a rumor that even members of the purification n couldn''t escape death if they fell victim to Corruption. It was impossible for even the blessing of purification to cleanse Corruptionpletely. This was why, among the numerous ck magic spells out there, clergymen especially feared and stood guard against Corruption.

    "...Jin-Seo."

    Do-Jin stared at Jin-Seo with eyes filled with resignation. He didn''t have the strength to push her away now. No, honestly, he didn''t even want to push her away. Do-Jin didn''t wish for Sun-Woo''s death. What was this damn elder even worth?

    Hierarchy, principles, what good were they when they forced him, an adult and a teacher, to calcte the ranks and stop him from saving a dying student in front of his eyes?

    ¡®<i>The principles were wed from the start</i>,¡¯ Do-Jin thought.

    "Giving Gabriel the potion is the way that would allow us to at least save one person for sure."

    "..."

    "There''s no guarantee that Sun-Woo will survive even if he takes the medicine. No, he will die even if he takes it. So please, let it go now. I beg of you..."

    However, even if he disregarded the hierarchy and principles, giving Gabriel the potion was the rational choice. Sun-Woo had a high chance of dying from reasons other than ck magic. By giving Gabriel the medicine, he could save at least one person.

    "Why are you saying he''s dead?"

    "..."

    "He''s still alive. Why are you already treating him like he''s dead...."

    While she spoke, Do-Jin stared sadly at Sun-Woo, his eyes filled with despair.

    Jin-Seo stopped speaking and looked at Sun-Woo, confirming his condition once again. While struggling with the potion, Sun-Woo''s breath seemed to thin out as if it could be cut off at any moment.

    Even with Ha-Yeon¡¯s purification spell, the mes of ck magic held on, and recovery spells could not fill up the holes riddled across his body.

    "..."

    She slowly released Do-Jin''s wrist. Sun-Woo was truly in a state that was as good as dead. She was only deluding him that Sun-Woo was alive because she wanted him to be so.

    <i>¡®If only I hade a little sooner, would the oue have been different? No, if only I had gone to the principal''s office together from the beginning...¡¯</i>

    In front of the burning and decaying Sun-Woo, she kneeled down and sank to her knees. She was familiar and indifferent to everything, but she could never get used to this pain. It was a pain that she never wanted to get used to in the first ce. She swallowed her breath and scratched and tore at the flesh of her arm with her nails. Her head hurt, yet no tears flowed. Her arm didn''t hurt, yet blood flowed easily from her injuries.

    "This is crazy..." Yu-Hyun muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

    Do-Jin tilted the vial and fed Gabriel the medicine. There was no time to waste.

    Jin-Seo stared nkly at the sight with eyes filled with despair. On one side, the light flowing from the blessing of purification enveloped Sun-Woo''s body, and Ha-Yeon''s blood dripped onto his decaying flesh.

    Min-Seo exhaled as she let out augh that seemed to belong to a crazy person.

    Yu-Hyun looked up at the sky. The moon was big and red. The moonlight pouring down was ominous.

    <i>Flicker.</i>

    At that moment, the fire clinging to Sun-Woo''s body went out.

    1. Sun-Woo uses a formal tone in Korean to address Legba. The literal trantion of Sun-Woo¡¯s words is, ¡°Why don¡¯t I talk to you in an informal tone then?¡± Which is a very impolite thing to say to one¡¯s elders. ?

 Chapter 135.2

    <h4>Chapter 135.2</h4>

    "A dice game?" I asked, not understanding.

    Although the Crossroads was a ce where anything could happen, why were we suddenly ying a dice game? Even though I acknowledged that it was something that Baron Samedi would say, I was dumbfounded. Baron Samedi smiled and pointed to the two dice on my palm.

    "Yeah, a dice game. You just need to roll those dice."

    "Don''t people usually bet on something on this? Are there any rules?"

    "The bet has already been ced. There are no rules. You just have to roll the dice."

    <i>p</i>.

    Baron Samedi pped his hands. An iron table and chairs suddenly appeared as if they had been there all along. Baron Samedi nonchntly pulled a chair and sat down, crossing his legs.

    "Sit. Isn''t your back hurting from walking for so long?"

    Without hesitation, I sat across from him.

    <i>Clink.</i>

    I ced the dice on the iron table and rolled them around, checking the markings. Instead of having numbers from 1 to 6 like ordinary dice, they were engraved with numbers from 0 to 5.

    The other dice had letters instead of markings. It was writing from anguage that I had never seen before.

    "...What kind of dice is this?"

    "It''s a very special dice for the Contract of the Dead. It''s very expensive, and can only be bought at the Crossroads."

    "How much is it?"

    "Whatever the highest bid is, that¡¯s the price."

    "Oh..."

    I wasn¡¯t sure whether or not it was true, but I pretended to be surprised. Baron Samedi chuckled.

    "You''re good at pretending to be surprised. It''s not your first time here, is it?"

    "It is."

    "Ah, I guess it wasn¡¯t you back then? Well, anyway. That''s not important."

    I couldn¡¯t understand what he meant. He smiled as if he was embarrassed and continued speaking.

    "Now, it''s time to roll the dice. Should I roll, or do you want to?"

    Baron Samedi tapped the wrought iron desk with his fingertips. The table sparkled in the red moonlight. I picked up the dice that I had ced on the table.

    "I''ll roll. You might cheat."

    "Haha! How could I cheat when my hands are like this?¡±

    Baron Samedi raised his severed right arm. However, it seemed like Baron Samedi could still cheat with just one hand. Not that I couldn''t trust Baron Samedi, but there was reason to be wary of ¡°Baron Samedi with the dice.¡±

    One could see that just by looking at Ogun.

    "But you never know."

    "Alright. Go ahead and roll. This isn¡¯t about who throws the dice."

    "...Are you going to be determining the price of the Contract of the Dead?"

    "Something like that."

    He was no longer smiling. Baron Samedi looked at the red moon floating in the sky. He seemed to be looking at something beyond the scenery. I followed Baron Samedi''s gaze and looked up at the sky, but I couldn''t tell what he was exactly looking at.

    The red moon was blinking its eyes.

    "Come on, we don''t have time! It''s time to roll the dice."

    "Ah, okay.

    I rolled the dice, still not quite grasping what was going on.

    <i>Drrrrk¡ª</i>

    The dice spun loudly like a top, spinning around the table, and soon came to a stop.

    Two pips.

    I rolled a two.

    I couldn¡¯t read the letters on the other dice.

    Baron Samedi looked at the dice with an expression I couldn''t understand¡ªhe seemed surprised, happy, and sad all at once. It was a strange expression.

    "Is that it?"

    "...Yes. This will do. Now you just have to follow me."

    Baron Samedi stood up from his seat. As I stood up, the table and chair disappeared as if they had never been there from the beginning.

    I followed Baron Samedi.

    There was nothing to callndscape at the Crossroads. It was all darkness. Where Baron Samedi went, that was the road. Where the red moonlight shined, that was the road.

    Baron Samedi walked silently and stopped abruptly at a certain point. The red moonlight no longer illuminated the path ahead, alluding to the end of the journey. Baron Samedi gestured across the road with his chin.

    "If you go forward, you will return to the kingdom of matter."

    "Is it really that simple? It¡¯s called the Contract of the Dead, after all."

    "Death is not asplicated as you think. The same goes for resurrection." Baron Samediughed. "Well, speaking of resurrection, your wounds won''t heal instantly. You''ll probably have to lie in the hospital for a few weeks."

    "..."

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be strange for someone on the verge of death to suddenlye back to life? I was being considerate on my end."

    That was true. If my body suddenly reverted back to its perfect state, it could raise unnecessary suspicion. Of course, the devil''s mes burned half my body, and my stomach had a hole in it. Just surviving with these injuries was enough reason to raise some eyebrows, but I couldn''t just die like this.

    "Well then. ording to the Contract of the Dead, Prophet Sun-Woo paid the price and twisted death. With this, Sun-Woo has cheated death twice," Baron Samedi said.

    Twice?

    "Wait a minute. What do you mean by twice?"

    "Until now, haven''t you ever questioned your body¡¯s extraordinary regeneration? Did you really think it was because you were inherently healthy?"

    "What? What does that mean©¤!"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Baron Samedi gently pushed my back. Even though the force of the push was weak, my body flew toward the end of the Crossroads.

    Far away, Baron Samedi''s red eyes stared at me. Legba approached next to him with a limp. The two Loa, Baron Samedi and Legba, were watching me.

    "I¡¯ll let you know the next time youe over,¡± Baron Samedi said with a smile.

    His voice gradually faded away. As Baron Samedi, Legba, and the Crossroads grew distant, my heart grew empty and lonely. My steps were heavy, like the steps of a journeyer traveling through a foreignnd where he knew no one. My chest felt tight.

    I opened my eyes. My blurry vision gradually returned to normal. I was at Eiden Hill. Pdins were busy moving around where Jun-Hyuk and I had fought. Jin-Seo, Ha-Yeon, Min-Seo, Yu-Hyun, Do-Jin... and many others were looking at me.

    "...Ah."

    I barely managed to speak. My voice cracked, unable to form into words. Jin-Seo''s dull eyes lit up. She looked at me with her watery eyes and gently touched my face as if she couldn¡¯t believe that I was awake. I couldn''t feel any sensation from her touch on my cheek.

    "...."

    She leaned her head against my chest and silently wept. Ha-Yeon looked down at the scene with a rigid expression, while Yu-Hyun and Do-Jin looked surprised. The pdins were bustling around.

    However, I didn''t feel anything. Every touch on my skin felt faint. There was blood in my mouth, but it had no taste. Only a bitter scent lingered in my nostrils.

    "Ah..."

    I had lost too much to stay happy in the moment. The students around me saw me and shouted something. Their voices and footsteps intertwined and echoed in my ears. Feeling drowsy, tired, and overwhelmed by the noise, I closed my eyes.

    Therge, red moon was looking at me from within the darkness. The moonlight was the only thing that provided warmth andfort.

    * * *

    The first ones toe and visit me when I opened my eyes were three clergymen from the Romanican Church.

    One had a very rough appearance, while the other two had sharp, snake-like eyes that made them look like they would be good at lying. They all wore strange clothes that I had never seen before. Although it wasn¡¯t my ce to say anything, they looked nothing like clergymen. They gave off a strong impression that they were chatans.

    "I apologize for suddenlying even when you¡¯re clearly dazed. I have something to ask. If you could answer us quickly, we¡¯ll be on our way immediately," the clergyman with the rough appearance said.

    "..."

    Only the rough clergymen spoke while the other two hurriedly took notes. I had a rough idea of who they were.

    The rough-looking clergymen continued to speak.

    "Were you acquainted with a student named Jun-Hyuk?"

    A student named Jun-Hyuk? There was something strange in that statement. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth, loosening my dry throat.

    ¡°We were in the same ss."

    "Oh? Were you close?"

    I observed the facial expressions of the clergymen. Although they were hiding it, I could see the tension in their eyes. I found their efforts so amusing that I couldn''t help but chuckle.

    The clergymen looked at me with confusion. I nodded slightly, looking at the branches swaying outside the window.

    "Of course. We were in the same ss, after all."

    ¡°...Oh? In that case, you must be very devastated."

    The clergymen seemed concerned. Contrary to their worried words, their expression showed they were openly interrogating me.

    "I mean, because of what happened to your school... Anyone would be worried sick. Don¡¯t mind me."

    ¡°Aha, I see.¡±

    ¡°Then, I have one more thing to ask you...¡±

    The clergymen asked me a few more questions, although they said they had only one question earlier. It seemed that lying was a basic skill for clergymen. All the questions they proceeded to ask were about Satanists and Jun-Hyuk''s usual behavior. The questions were awkward and vague, so I answered in the same awkward and vague manner.

    "Okay, thank you for answering everything sincerely. Take care..."

    The clergymen nced at my arm for a moment. He looked at my left arm, half-rotten from being burned by the devilish mes.

    "...Is the arm getting better?"

    "Yes, miraculously. It''s slowly getting better."

    "Really? That''s truly miraculous. Well, this whole incident itself... No, never mind. Thanks to Adonai."

    The clergymen abruptly stopped talking and hurriedly bowed their heads, ending the conversation with thanks to Adonai. I smiled faintly and nodded.

    "Yes, I am very thankful."

    "Yes, what a grateful thing..."

    The clergymen scanned my face with their lowered eyes. There was still a lingering suspicion in their gaze.

    "I''m sorry foring so suddenly. Next time, I''ll contact you in advance. Could I have your contact information?"

    "...Yes, of course."

    I nonchntly recited my phone number to them. The clergymen, with the sly impressions behind them, wrote it down.

    "I wish for the blessing of Adonai. ..."

    With thosest words, the clergymen hurriedly left the hospital room. The next day, I watched the news on the TV while hanging out in the corner of the hospital room. Even though two weeks had passed since the incident, the news was still covering the incident. Through the news, I saw the incident. No, I saw <i>how</i> the incident was wrapped up.

    The Satanists had appeared at F.A., and at the same time, devils emerged throughout Seoul, causing dozens of pdin casualties. Two F.A. students and one teacher were also missing. However, the damage was rtively smallpared to the incident, so it wasn''t heavily reported. The fact that there were no additional casualties at the epicenter of the incident, Florence Academy, was truly a miracle. Reports like these continued to stream out.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    At that moment, the sound of someone knocking on the door broke my concentration.

    Ji-Ah entered after opening the door. My uncle wasn''t with her. She red at me with a stern face, then sighed deeply and sat down.

    "Cu... hm. What were you doing? How did you get hurt like this? How are you feeling?"

    "One question at a time, please."

    "...How are you feeling?"

    "I''m doing somewhat okay."

    I smiled faintly and continued watching the news. There were varying testimonies about the deaths of the devils that appeared throughout Seoul. Some said that a red hand came down from the sky and tore the devils apart, while others said a divine light descended from the sky and crushed the devils. Since most of the survivors at the scene were experiencing mental confusion, none of the testimonies were truly credible.

    The spection that the phenomenon was a ¡°miracle¡± seemed likely, but thister led to the question of who had been the embodiment of the miracle. Since Kalfu¡¯s spells hadid waste to the demons, it was understandable that the Romanican Church was confused.

    I clenched my left finger, which I had sacrificed for Kalfu¡¯s spell. The decayed parts of my body were gradually getting better, but my finger showed no signs of improvement. The same could probably be said for my lung.

    "Were you watching the news?"

    "Yes."

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be better to use that time to focus on getting better?"

    "Well, I''m just lying down anyway."

    Ji-Ah didn''t say anything more, and we watched the news together.

    F.A. imposed a long school closure. Although it was originally supposed to be one month, it was extended to two months. I thought that there was a probability that the break could be extended to three or four months, at least until the physical and mental injuries of the students were treated.

    "Do you think it really was a miracle?" Ji-Ah asked while watching the news with me.

    Some of those who suffered fatal injuries at F.A. and where the devils appeared miraculously survived. I was one of them.

    Due to the continuous horrifying incidents and supernatural events that were difficult to understand with the human mind, there was also the appearance of doomsday believers protesting throughout the streets.

    "I don''t know."

    The reason why I survived was because of the Contract of the Dead. However, others besides me miraculously survived. There were cases where ck magic had purified itself, or some people temporarily paralyzed by injuries quickly regained the ability to walk.

    I couldn''t distinguish whether it was a true "miracle" or a fabrication by the Romanican Church. While I was still confused and uneasy and continued to watch the news, Ji-Ah took out a tumbler from her bag and handed it to me.

    When I opened the lid, a strong stench greeted me. Just likest time, It seemed like the water was infused with herbs.

    ¡°Is it really poison this time?"

    "Yes. It''s a poison that is especially good for recovery. Drink it quickly."

    "Oh... It must be delicious."

    I slowly drank the water infused with herbs, savoring it. Ji-Ah silently watched me from the side.

    "It¡¯s not it too bitter? I used a slightly stronger herb thanst time..."

    "It is really bitter. Are you sure this is drinkable?" I said yfully.

    "...Good medicine is bitter to the tongue," Ji-Ah retorted, seeming a bit annoyed.

    I just smiled, taking small sips of the medicine she gave me. The concoction had a strong scent but almost no taste, and it was steaming but felt lukewarm.

    I had sacrificed my senses of taste and touch as part of the Contract of the Dead. Although my senses weren''t all gone, that didn¡¯t mean they were perfectly intact, either. I was in this state because I had rolled a two on the dice. I wondered if I would have lost all my senses if I had rolled a five. Who knows?

    The news channel was still airing on the TV. This time, it was a report on the identity of the Satanist.

    <i>¡ªThe Satanist apprehended by F.A. was identified as a middle-aged bum who had a lot ofints about society...</i>

    The Satanist was a bum with an unclear identity who had been charmed by Satan to attack F.A.

    The Romanican Church dered Jun-Hyuk as one of the missing students. It seemed like they didn''t want to acknowledge the fact that the renowned Florence Academy had allowed a Satanist disguised as a student to slip past their admission screening.

    The clergyman who visited me yesterday asked if I was close to Jun-Hyuk and if I knew where he had vanished. He also asked if I knew of the identity of the Satanist. These questions were to test if I knew the truth.

    They had gone back yesterday simply because they had judged that I hadn¡¯t known that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist and had taken my contact information because they weren¡¯t confident in their judgment. I was receiving unnecessary suspicion for no reason. This wasn¡¯t good news.

    Apparently, the Satanists were executed in a private execution ceremony on the same day they were captured.

    "..."

    Although I knew things would turn out like this, my heart still felt uneasy. The ancient spell was a Hail Mary, and it had been a double-edged sword. Even after using it, I wasn¡¯t able to put an end to Jun-Hyuk¡¯s life.

    This was because Icked the qualities of being the Prophet and the Cult Leader. At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be able to save my mother, nor would I be able to rebuild the Voodoo Cult. There was a possibility that I would be killed either by the Romanicans or the Satanists.

    I had to be stronger as the Cult Leader and the Prophet, no matter what. Right then, I heardughter from somewhere. The only people in the room were Ji-Ah and me, but Ji-Ah was focused on the news and wasn¡¯tughing. In fact, there was not even any expression on her face, let alone a trace of a smile.

    I finally realized who the owner of thatughter was.

    [Didn¡¯t I tell you? <i>Don''t trust the head.</i>]

    Baron Samedi was sitting under the TV with his legs crossed,ughing at me.

    * * *

    Because the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters had no windows, no one could see the sky. If one couldn¡¯t see the sky, then one couldn¡¯t tell the time. Additionally, because it was dark all around, it was difficult to have a sense of space.

    The prisoners who spent decades here often let their sanity drift away, blurring alongside their hazy sense of time and space.

    <i>Ah, ah, arggghhh¡ª!</i>

    The only thing to stimte the senses here were the screamsing from the torture room installed in the middle of the underground prison. The prisoners woke up from their sleep upon hearing those screams, trembling in fear. All of them had experienced letting out agonizing screams of their own in the torture room.

    "Ah, aaah. Ah, ugh......" Jun-Hyuk had been screaming in the torture room, and he closed his eyes as if he was going to faint.

    The inquisitor interrogating him sshed water on Jun-Hyuk''s face. The water shone in the darkness. It was holy water.

    <i>Shhhh...</i>

    "Ah, aaah! What the fuck! Can''t you just let me sleep? Where are my rights?"

    Jun-Hyuk opened his eyes to what felt like his face was melting away from his skull.

    The inquisitor looked down at Jun-Hyuk expressionlessly and clicked his tongue.

    "Only those who act like humans deserve human rights."

    "I am a human."

    "How can you be considered human when only your head remains? You people are devils. Don''t you dare pretend to be human.¡±

    "Devil? You know, that¡¯s a bigpliment from where I¡¯m from.¡±

    <i>Drip, drip, drip...</i>

    "Ah, aaah! I''m sorry. You son of a bitch, I <i>said </i>I¡¯m sorry!"

    The inquisitor poured holy water on Jun-Hyuk¡¯s face when he showed a sense of ease and smiled. The inquisitor threw the empty holy water bottle on the floor and stabbed Jun-Hyuk¡¯s tongue with a needle connected to a wire. Other needles proceeded to pierce Jun-Hyuk¡¯s ear, tongue, and eyeball.

    Immediately after, the inquisitor raised his hand to the switch and asked, "I''ll ask again. Who is the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult?"

    "..."

    "Don''t you think about keeping your mouth shut. Evidence of the Voodoo Cult was found in your hideout. You know who the Cult Leader is, don¡¯t you?"

    Jun-Hyuk simply remained silent. The inquisitor, seeming displeased, angrily flicked a switch. With a click, sparks flew as the wires were ignited.

    <i>PZZZZZK¨C!</i>

    Crackling sounds filled the air as Jun-Hyuk''s head shook violently. His hair stood on end. The torture chamber was filled with hazy smoke.

    Here, the torturers were not considerate about keeping the interrogated alive. If they lived, they lived. If they didn¡¯t, they died. All the prisoners brought here were already dered dead to the outside world anyway.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The inquisitor raised the switch, stopping the torture. Jun-Hyuk''s head was charred ck. The damaged tentacles that hade out from his eyes restored his injuries. Jun-Hyuk basically had an immortal body.

    He finally opened his eyes.

    "Now, let''s do it again. Answer the two questions. First, what are the other Satanists doing besides Envy and Wrath? Two, who is the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult?"

    "...I don''t know about the other Satanists. We''re not close like a family."

    "Is that so? Then that must mean you know who the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult is."

    "I don''t know. Why are you asking me? You should pray to your almighty god and ask him. It''s not my fault that Adonai is mping his precious mouth shu©¤"

    <i>PZZZZK¨C!</i>

    Crackling sounds filled the air.

    "Agggggggk, Ah, gk...!"

    "How convenient. Since you won''t die, there''s no need to control the intensity," the inquisitorughed.

    After the end of the torture, the tentacles crawled out again, restoring the damaged parts of Jun-Hyuk''s head. However, it could not restore the mind broken from the immense amount of pain. Fear was being injected into Jun-Hyuk''s mind.

    The inquisitor raised his finger threateningly and said, "Alright. If you don''t answer this time, I''ll lower the switch and go grab something to eat."

    The inquisitor chuckled menacingly.

    Jun-Hyuk''s lips trembled.

    "I-I''ll talk. It''s the Voodoo Cult, uh, what, whatever it was called, I¡¯d tell, tell you. H-Ha..."

    "Alright. Who is it?"

    "The Third Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Cult Leader is..." Jun-Hyuk trailed off and held his breath.

    The inquisitor waited for him to continue speaking.

    "Your mom! Hahaha, then you''ll be the Fourth Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. Oh, what a bright future you have ahead of you!"

    "H-how dare you, you devil!"

    <i>PZZZZK¨C!</i>

    "Arrrrgh, aak...!" Jun-Hyuk let out a weak scream amid the pain of his brain getting fried.

    The torture continued for a while.

    "Aaah..."

    The inquisitor watched with satisfaction as Jun-Hyuk shook with pain. He reveled in the thought of Adonai watching him as he prosecuted the heretics. Jun-Hyuk''s head convulsed relentlessly as his eyes rolled back, and then he rolled off the electric chair.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    As it rolled along the floor, it touched someone¡¯s foot. The ankle of the owner of the foot was covered in wounds.

    Jun-Hyuk forced his head to turn with his tongue and saw the face of the woman chained against the wall of the torture chamber. It was too dark to see clearly. The only thing he could slightly make out was the slight rise and fall of her shoulders when she took a breath.

    <i>Click, ck.</i>

    With ominous-sounding footsteps, the inquisitor approached Jun-Hyuk, who was staring at her in a daze.

    ¡°It¡¯s not easy to pin you down when you have nothing but your head. And there aren''t many ces to torture..."

    With that, the inquisitor grabbed Jun-Hyuk by the hair and forced him into a chair. Then, he inserted a needle connected to a wire into the same spots he had put in before.

    Jun-Hyuk pointed to the wall where a woman was hanging with his tongue.

    "Who is that woman? Is she your wife?"

    <i>PZZZK¨C!</i>

    "Aaarrgghhh!"

    Without even giving Jun-Hyuk a proper response, the inquisitor immediately flipped the switch. The sound of Jun-Hyuk¡¯s screams billowed out along with smoke. The interrogator raised the switch and waited until Jun-Hyuk''s head was healed again.

    With a sinister glint in his ck eyes, the inquisitor shifted his gaze between Jun-Hyuk and the woman, his lips curling into a smile.

    "She''s the former Prophet of the Voodoo Cult. She''s seven years your senior, so treat her with respect."

    The inquisitorughed, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness.

    <i>Sliver...</i>

    While the inquisitor was busyughing, a tentacle emerged from Jun-Hyuk''s eyes and swallowed a fallen strand of hair.

 Chapter 136

    <h4>Chapter 136</h4>

    The work at the hospital was monotonous. I spent most of the time eating and asionally got visits from the dedicated healing priest from the F.A. Foundation. They woulde and bless and heal the wounds on my decayed right arm.

    The wound on my stomach resulting from the piercing of the de and other minor wounds had healed by the second treatment. Although the scars remained, my wound healed so fast that they left the priest specialized in healing speed, surprised.

    "....I¡¯m d that most of the other parts have healed, but it looks like the left hand isn¡¯t recovering well."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes, while the other areas have healed remarkably well, it¡¯s strange that your hand just doesn¡¯t heal that well... Anyway, it seems like you''ll need to receive continuous treatment. I saw that you scheduled for your discharge already, but what do you think about postponing it?" the healing priest said.

    I immediately scheduled my discharge the day the hole in my stomach had healed. Both the healing priest and the attending physician, as well as the hospital director, had opposed it, but I didn''t waver in my decision.

    It was frustrating to just lie on the hospital bed, and above all, there was a pile of things that I had to take care of outside the hospital.

    First and foremost, I hadn''t been able to offer sacrifices for nearly two months. I had to offer sacrifices quickly before the Loa startedining about their pain. Next, I wanted to do some experiments regarding spells, and I needed to meet Yeom Man-Gun and Yun Chang-Su regarding the operation of the Voodoo Cult.

    "I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to postpone," I said.

    "Why are you in such a hurry? Both your lungs and hand haven''t fully recovered yet," the healing priest replied.

    "I just feel frustrated and want to get out quickly. At this point, wouldn''t I be fine with just outpatient treatment?"

    "Oh dear, you''re a stubborn one, aren¡¯t you...?¡±

    The healing priest chuckled.

    I had be quite close with the healing priest. It would have been strange not to be close after seeing them every day for the past few weeks. She looked at my left hand, which was tightly wrapped in bandages, with a sad look and opened her mouth with a small smile.

    "By the way, is that child a younger friend of yours? Or maybe your sibling?"

    "Who?"

    "That little one whoes to visit every day to check up on you.¡±

    The healing priest waved their hand in the air as if drawing a horizontal line. A little kid that came every day to check up on me? She was probably referring to Ji-Ah.

    "She¡¯s not my real sibling. But, um..."

    To begin with, Ji-Ah wasn¡¯t younger than me. I didn''t know how to exin this. While I hesitated, the healing priest stared at me with interest, their burdensome eyes staring at me.

    "Then, is she your cousin? Anyway, you two seem to be really close with each other, seeing how shees to visit you every day."

    "Yes, you could say that we¡¯re close."

    "That''s what I¡¯m saying. How old is she? Is she in middle school?"

    Ji-Ah hade to visit me almost every day. In fact, the reason why she came every day was not to check in on me but to report on the operations of the Voodoo Cult. But to others, it would have seemed like she was just a youngdy who cared for me dearly.

    "Um... She¡¯s around that age."

    "What do you mean ''around that age?'' If she¡¯s in middle school, she¡¯s in middle school. Anyway, she was really cute. Especially the way she walks, with those little steps she takes. I can almost hear the pitter-patter when she walks with her cute footsteps,¡± the healing priest said, swinging their feet up and down in excitement.

    She seemed to find Ji-Ah very adorable. One beneficial thing about Ji-Ah''s youthful appearance was that it didn''t invite unnecessary misunderstandings or suspicions. Sometimes, she would gather the favor of others without having to do a single thing.

    <i>Knock, knock. </i>

    Before the healing priest could finish harping about Ji-Ah, we heard a knock on the door. The door opened, and three clergymen entered. They were the ones who came to interrogate me right after I regained consciousness. The healing priest hurriedly stood up from her seat and bowed to the clergymen. She proceeded to give a short farewell and hurriedly left the room.

    "...I''m sorry for the recurring visits. How are you feeling?" asked the grim-looking clergyman.

    Hisplexion was much paler than when I first saw him.

    "I''m fine. My right arm is almost healed."

    "That''s good to hear. You''re a healthy young man. Are you aspiring to be a crusader?"

    "No, I want to be a pdin."

    "Oh? Then you could end up working with me someday." The clergyman awkwardlyughed and took out an envelope from his pocket to hand to me.

    He ordered his subordinate to turn off the TV, close the window, and even draw the curtains before he spoke again.

    "Well, enough small talk. Take a look at the documents."

    I quickly skimmed through the documents he had handed to me. They were filled with information about Jun-Hyuk and the Satanists. It was a paper containing details about the abilities and objectives of the Satanists.

    By the time I had finished reading most of the paper, the clergymen pointed to the documents with a nod.

    "It''s nothing special. We''re currently rewriting the response manual for dealing with Satanists at the Holy See, and this paper will serve as its foundation. Can you point out anything that seems different from the truth?"

    ¡°Is it okay for a mere student like me to intervene with a paper submitted to the Holy See?"

    "The people who wrote this paper are desk rats who do nothing but research. These priests have never experienced a proper battle, let alone witnessed ck magic. Not only do your words, based on your firsthand experience of seeing and experiencing ck magic, hold much more value, but they are more practical as well,¡± the clergymen said with a smile.

    I had known that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist, and I revealed this fact to the clergymen. The reason was because I wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it, and there was no reason to either.

    On the day of the incident, I had been lying on Eiden Hill, covered in blood. In order to exin why I was at Eiden Hill and how I got injured, I had no choice but to reveal the fact that I had made contact with Jun-Hyuk.

    "...I¡¯m not sure. I only saw it and didn¡¯t have enough time to analyze anything. But from what I saw, there doesn''t seem to be anything out of line."

    "Really? I guess you were probably not in the right state of mind at that time... Anyway, I understand."

    Of course, I didn''t honestly confess that I was the one who subdued Jun-Hyuk. I made up a story about how red hot des suddenly flew out from nowhere while I was taking a one-way beating from Jun-Hyuk and tore him apart. The clergymen interpreted it as a Miracle of God.

    Anyway, I was the only one who had deduced that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist and directly fought against him. The clergymen highly praised my deduction skills and cunningness as they sought my advice on the incident. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sure if they merely wanted my advice or if they were just using that as an excuse to monitor me further.

    "By the way, since I''ve received a lot of help from you, I think I should give you something in return. Soon, someone wille to your house. It''s part of the ''benefits'' I mentioned before,¡± the clergymen whispered with a sinister smile.

    They had promised me financial and social rewards in return for my cooperation, under the condition of my diligent cooperation in talking about the Satanists and disclosing the information about Jun-Hyuk¡¯s identity. The benefits were both a reward for my cooperation and a cost for keeping my mouth shut.

    "Can you send them to my school instead of home? I think I''ll be applying to live in the dormitory soon."

    "Really? Alright then. As long as you receive it, it doesn''t matter where we send it."

    The address written on my fake ID was an empty house. The real estate for the said address was under my uncle''s name, so I could receive it if I wanted to, but it seemed like it would be a hassle, so I just asked to send it to school.

    The clergyman readily agreed without any sign of suspicion.

    A moment of silence followed. The clergyman continued to look at me throughout the stillness. His sharp gaze seemed to be attempting to dissect my face. When our eyes met, the clergyman stroked his chin and said, "If you want to be a pdin, I guess you aim to be a part of the Central branch, right?"

    "Yes, that''s correct."

    "I see. You should be able to get into the Central branch without much difficulty. There''s no student as outstanding as you within your age group, and you''ve also made contributions to this incident."

    "Thank you."

    "Don¡¯t thank me, you should thank yourself. It''s all thanks to your abilities." The clergyman smiled kindly, which didn''t match his rough appearance, and continued speaking. "We might end up working together soon. After all, I''m also affiliated with the Central branch."

    His narrowed eyes and smile seemed somewhat menacing. His pupils were trying to decipher my expression. The clergyman stared at me like that for a while, then suddenly opened his mouth as if he had remembered something.

    "This is a bit off-topic... Have you ever heard of the story that the Satanists and Voodoo Cult have made contact with each other?"

    "Yes, I have heard of it."

    I hid my expression and nodded slowly.

    "I see. There are rumors going around that Voodoo Cult are butchering the Satanists in various ces. What are your thoughts on this?"

    "I think it¡¯s a good thing because the chatans are fighting and destroying each other."

    "No, that''s not the point of my question."

    The smile disappeared from the clergymen''s face. He was now ring at me with a stern expression.

    "The Satanists are our enemies. And there is a nationwide movement of the Voodoo Cult trying to eradicate Satanists."

    "I''m sorry, I don''t think I understand..."

    "There''s a saying that the enemy of our enemy is our friend. In fact, some radical sacred scientists even suggest that we should consider the Voodoo Cult as part of Romanican doctrine. It may be a stretch, but it''s notplete nonsense either."

    "..."

    "So, I wanted to ask what you think of this."

    The clergymen unconsciously used words with negative implications like ¡°radical¡± and plete.¡± Therefore, it was clear to me what answer he wanted. If I took a position that seemed to support the Voodoo Cult, his suspicion toward me would deepen.

    The perception of the said sacred scientists was obvious in the current world where the Voodoo Cult was considered a heresy. However, I couldn''t simply speak negatively about Voodoo Cult. I needed to say something that didn''t support Voodoo Cult, but I also wasn¡¯tpletely denying them.

    "I think it depends on the Voodoo Cult¡¯s purpose in trying to eradicate Satanists."

    "Hmm?"

    The clergymen''s eyes lit up with interest.

    "The Voodoo Cult may be trying to eradicate Satanists to improve their rtionship with our Romanican church, or simply because the teachings of Voodoo Cult differ from the Satanists¡¯."

    "Go on."

    "In thetter case, there is no room for negotiation. Even if the former case holds true, there is no reason for the Romanican Church to take a friendly attitude first. The purpose of the Voodoo Cult in improving the rtionship with the Romanican Church would ultimately mean that they have no intention of abandoning their existing beliefs in being absorbed into the Romanican Church," I replied, squeezing my brain for the answer.

    I must have appeared as a very faithful student who had received education from the Romanican Church since their childhood.

    The clergymen smiled as if they were satisfied.

    "That''s a good point. From the way you talk, I can tell that you would be an excellent student..."

    "Haha... It¡¯s not to that extent."

    "You¡¯re very bright. By the way, take this too."

    The clergymen handed me a business card with a smile.

    "If you have any trouble regarding this matter, or if someone other than me asks about the Satanists, contact me immediately."

    "Ah, yes."

    "It doesn''t have to be about something official, but you can also contact me for career counseling or something like that... Well, anyway, I''ll take my leave. It looks like I¡¯ve overstayed my wee when you clearly have to rest."

    The clergyman then left the room with his two subordinates.

    The room fell silent with silence as I was left alone. I looked at the business card he gave me.

    "Joseph Moon, inquisitor."

    I kept flipping the card back and forth, reading, processing, and memorizing the letters and numbers written on it. I wanted to remember his name and phone number just in case someone tore or burned this card. I memorized everything, from his name to his phone number and work address, and put the card in my wallet.

    "Trying to figure me out? This bastard..."

    I nned to ask my uncle or Ji-Ah to investigate him based on the information on the card.

    Joseph was suspicious of me. He could be suspicious just because I had opposed the Satanists, Jun-Hyuk, or maybe I made some slip of the tongue during our conversation. I thought that his suspicion would fade away after a few conversations, but instead, I felt that the suspicion toward me was growing stronger day by day.

    This was not something that could be easily overlooked. I had to take action before the situation worsened to an irreversible point.

 Chapter 137

    <h4>Chapter 137</h4>

    Joseph took a long drag of his cigarette and asked his subordinates, "What do you think of that student? Does he seem ordinary to you?"

    He had lit one up as soon as he left the hospital.

    They tilted their heads as if they were unsure of the meaning behind the question.

    "...I don''t think he¡¯s ordinary. I think is a student with a promising future."

    "I think so too. Not only are his past aplishments impressive, but just by listening to him talk today, I could tell that he is an exceptionally talented student."

    "No, that''s not what I meant... Never mind," Joseph muttered, visibly dissatisfied. "Moving on. The other student, In-Ah, how is she doing? Is she still in bad shape?"

    "She had a speedy recovery, but she isn¡¯t fully stable yet. She¡¯s been saying that her memory is hazy, probably due to the influence of ck magic. After all, she was exposed to demonic energy for a long period of time."

    "Hazy memory..."

    Joseph continued to suck on his cigarette, clearly displeased with his subordinates'' response. As soon as he finished one cigarette, he took out another and lit it. The hazy gray smoke enveloped his grimacing face.

    "Hazy. Hazy... Do people usually use the expression, <i>hazy memory</i>? People normally say something like, ''I don''t remember.'' Saying their memory is hazy implies that she knows something."

    "Sir? I¡¯m not sure if I follow..."

    "Why did they use the term <i>hazy</i>? It''s probably not a new ng term..."

    Joseph''s muttering continued for a while. His subordinates looked at him with slight fear in their eyes.

    After staring into the distance, Joseph¡¯s eyes suddenly twinkled.

    "I should go see In-Ah tomorrow."

    ¡°Sir? Isn''t it pointless to visit her if her memories have been erased by ck magic?"

    "I need to confirm whether their memories have been erased or if she¡¯s pretending they have been. Also, I heard that she was close to Jun-Hyuk. It¡¯s strange that she had no clue Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist until now," Joseph said, throwing his cigarette butt on the floor. "Yu-Hyun still has no intention of cooperating, right?"

    "Yes, sir. He seems to just want to continue going to school."

    "This is driving me crazy... If that kid would just help a little, we could catch all the chatans across the country."

    Joseph¡¯s hand wandered, realizing that there were no cigarettes left in his packet. It seemed like the cigarette he had just smoked was hisst. He looked up at the sky with a bitter smile.

    The sun was scorching hotter every day. Come to think of it, it was already summer.

    "This case is peculiar. No matter how much we investigate, it doesn¡¯t feel like we''re filling in the nks. No, the case feels like it¡¯s an empty shell."

    Joseph recalled all the students he had met so far. Whenever he had time, he had a habit of looking back at the names, faces, and characteristics of the people he encountered. He had developed this habit because even the smallest and most insignificant details could serve as crucial evidence during investigations.

    "I¡¯m lost."

    However, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn''t draw the full outline of the whole incident. The outline remained faint and elusive.

    In-Ah had lost her memory due to ck magic and was still receiving treatment as she hadn''t fully recovered.

    Min-Seo was still unconscious.

    Su-Ryeon had been trapped in the second-year building all day on the day of the incident after falling asleep in the student council room.

    Yu-Hyun refused to cooperate with the investigation, and so did Jin-Seo.

    Dae-Man and Ha-Yeon didn¡¯t seem to know much.

    The only student who was somewhat helpful was Sun-Woo. He was also the only one who knew beforehand that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist.

    They informed the teachers that the Satanist was Jun-Hyuk. Although Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong cooperated actively in the investigation, they also didn''t seem to know much.

    Chang-Won and Do-Jin were in too poor condition to ask for their cooperation. Although Do-Jin seemed like he was slowly getting better, Chang-Won was constantly coughing blood during each meal, and his condition was only getting worse day by day.

    "Was all of this intended...?"

    Jun-Hyuk had simultaneously triggered major incidents in various ces. By blocking allmunication and contact, he prevented the core figures from gathering together, resulting in a gap in information among the people.

    Since the information that everyone knew was different, it was impossible to cross-check the information gathered by the different people. As a result, not only did they face difficulties in handling the aftermath of the incidents, but the citizens¡¯ fear of the Voodoo Cult and Satanists increased, further exacerbating the confusion.

    Jun-Hyuk, that bastard, must have caused all this chaos after he predicted all these social repercussions. Although he didn¡¯t look like it, he was a shrewd one.

    "I thought if we yed our cards right, we would be able to uproot both the Satanists and the Voodoo Cult. But It''s not as easy as I thought."

    "Still, haven''t we made some progress in establishing a system against ck magic? Thanks to Sun-Woo¡¯s help¡ª"

    ¡°Yes, there has been some progress. But it''s still not enough. There are too many gaps,¡± Joseph said with a firm voice, almost as if he was scolding himself. "By the way, there¡¯s some suspicious stuff in Sun-Woo¡¯s testimony to let him off the hook. Don¡¯t trust him too much.¡±

    It was true. Sun-Woo had been very helpful in the research on ck magic for the Satanist response manual. However, Joseph still couldn''t trust him. Whenever he talked with Sun-Woo, Joseph felt like Sun-Woo¡¯s flow was sweeping him away.

    From Sun-Woo¡¯s tone and emphasis to his facial expressions, even Joseph, an inquisitor, was surprised by Sun-Woo''s high level of eloquence. Not only would he be able to deceive others easily, but he could make others revel in him if he wanted to. Additionally, he seemed tooid back for his age. To the average person, talking to the inquisitor could be intimidating, even if they were innocent. However, Sun-Woo showed no signs of fear or confusion.

    Although these were too vague of a reason to base his suspicions on, it was better to be safe than sorry.

    "...By the way, I heard that our friend Sun-Woo is scheduled to be discharged soon. Why does he want to be discharged so quickly?"

    "We don¡¯t know, sir."

    "That''s suspicious, too."

    At first nce, Sun-Woo seemed like a faithful Romanican Church member and a promising Florence Academy student. However, when Joseph looked at the elements that made up Sun-Woo, he felt a sense of unease. On the surface, all the elements seemed great, but it felt like they held no value on the inside.

    "Why does he want to be discharged so quickly? There¡¯s no need to rush since F.A. is practically on an indefinite break."

    "You don''t have to think too deeply, sir. He probably wants to go out and meet friends."

    "You think?"

    "Yes, doesn¡¯t he give off the impression that he¡¯s one of the popr kids in school? He probably wants to go out and see his girlfriend, that¡¯s all."

    Joseph recalled Sun-Woo''s appearance. Although his face had a sharp edge, it was still objectively likable. He spoke fluently and was also the Holy Name of Charity, so he probably would be pretty popr in school. Come to think of it, his subordinates seemed to be on to something.

    "...I guess I''m overthinking it. It¡¯s my upational hazard¡ªI¡¯m always cautious and suspicious of people for no apparent reason."

    Looking at Sun-Woo through an objective lens, he was an innocent student with no question of looking suspicious. When asked about Satanists or the Voodoo Cult, Sun-Woo only gave the most textbook answers. However, his tone, attitude, and atmosphere made Joseph uneasy. He was simply relying on his intuition to suspect Sun-Woo.

    "But it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be cautious. Sun-Woo, and In-Ah... Gather any personal information or useful information about them and send them to me."

    "Understood. Should I send it through email?"

    "What are you talking about? Print it out, put it in a file, and leave it on my desk. Computers can¡¯t be trusted," Joseph said as he walked slowly, leaving his subordinates behind. "By the way, what did Sun-Woo say his blood type was again? I think it¡¯ll be helpful information."

    "Sir? How would that be helpful?"

    "Why, of course, because you can roughly know someone''s personality based on their blood type. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve been on the job, /korean-blood-type-personality/)[/ref]

    Joseph''s face was dead serious.

    His subordinates stared at him with wide eyes in bewilderment, their mouths half open.

    <i> </i> *

    "So...you¡¯re telling me that things are looking up?"

    "Of course! He regained consciousness just a while ago, and his condition is gradually improving. Your father is in better shape than you think, so there''s nothing to worry about," the doctor said, smiling as if it was no big deal.

    Jin-Seo couldn''t fully trust the doctor''s words, as this one had a history of lying to her.

    <i>¡°Everything is fine. So go home and rest.¡±</i>

    That was what he said, but at that time, her father¡¯s health was slipping away. More blood came out of his mouth than the food going in it.

    Jin-Seo scrutinized the doctor''s expression, ring at them.

    "Well, can I meet in person and talk to him? It would put my mind at ease," Jin-Seo asked.

    "Huh? Oh, um... sorry, you see, but the healing priest is currently treating them inside the room. How about next time?"

    "In that case, I''lle again after the treatment is finished. When will the treatment be over?"

    "Um, maybe... yeah, tomorrow or the day after... oh, yeah. Come back the day after tomorrow. By then, the treatment should be finished, I think."

    "What kind of treatment takes two days?"

    "If it''s a simple trauma, it would have been done in an hour at most. But your father has been in poor health for a long time, right? So, it takes a bit longer to treat the umted symptoms." The doctor¡¯s words flowed smoothly out of his mouth like a waterfall.

    Chang-Won''s illness was caused by his congenital condition, so it took more time to heal his injuries than most patients. However, there was another reason why Jin-Seo wasn¡¯t allowed into the hospital room.

    Despite being conscious, Chang-Won was in an extremely critical state. Worried that his family might be shocked, he refused any visits from them and expressed a high demand for wanting to focus solely on his treatment. He promised to ept their visits once he was in a state where he could fully wee them.

    "I''m really sorry, Jin-Seo. I understand you are worried, but we can''t dy the treatment because of visits..."

    "Yes, I understand." Jin-Seo nodded, staring nkly at the doctor''s face.

    The doctor was taken aback by the sharp gaze that felt like it was piercing his face.

    Jin-Seo kept her gaze fixed on the doctor''s face as she spoke.

    "I''lle back the day after tomorrow. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t stop me a second time."

    "...Of course. By then, the treatment should be finished, so you can meet him with no problem. What reason do we have to withhold him from you? Haha..."

    "Sounds good. I''ll see you then."

    She abruptly left the director''s office.

    The doctor stood alone, watching her walk away. He felt bad for Jin-Seo. He understood her concerns, but he couldn¡¯t provide her with a way to meet with her father. He also felt sad for her, looking at her apparent immaturity. She could not show her tiredness even when she was obviously exhausted.

    "It''s my fault, my fault... <i>sigh</i>..."

    The doctor looked depressed.

    <i> </i> *

    She found the self-inflicted wound on her arm bothersome as she scratched away at her own arm. She had been driven mad to the point that her memory was foggy on the day Sun-Woo died, or rather, the day she thought he had died.

    The wound had been deeper than she thought. It hadn¡¯t healed evenly even with the help of healing, and had left a scar.

    Jin-Seo unconsciously picked at the scab. When something unpleasant happened, she felt like she was suffocating, and the spot where her scab was started to itch. She would stop picking the scar once she bled, but it would soon reappear on the same spot.

    At this rate, the wound would never heal, and she had wrapped a bandage around her arm. It was because it was now short-sleeve weather, and she wanted to hide the wound on her arm.

    She had just finished wrapping a fresh bandage and was on her way to Sun-Woo''s hospital room when she ran into the healing priest in charge of Sun-Woo''s treatment. The healing priest seemed to have juste out of Sun-Woo''s room.

    Jin-Seo wasted no time and asked the healing priest, "Is Sun-Woo awake?"

    She didn''t know if Sun-Woo had regained consciousness yet. The thought that he might have died scared her so much that she hadn¡¯t even dared to pay him a visit.

    The healing priest lowered her head in response. She seemed like she was caught in an ufortable situation.

    "Um... huh? W-wait! Don¡¯t go. J-just give me a moment." The healing priest urgently stopped Jin-Seo from entering Sun-Woo''s hospital room.

    Jin-Seo''s face stiffened. "Why?"

    "Um, well, it''s a bit difficult to exin right now..."

    "Is he dead?"

    "No, it''s not that. But I think you need an exnation, huh? W-wait! You can''t go inside¨C!"

    Ignoring the healing priest''s words, Jin-Seo boldly entered Sun-Woo''s room. Countless thoughts were swirling in Jin-Seo''s mind. <i>Is he really dead?</i> That couldn¡¯t be. But it was not entirely impossible. Sun-Woo had been more severely injured than anyone else. No matter how strong his body was, no matter if he had miraculously died ande back to life, there was no guarantee that he would still be alive with such serious injuries.

    Or maybe he was in such critical condition that he couldn¡¯t be shown to outsiders. His wounds could have be necrotic, or he could have acquired disabilities. Or maybe he didn''t die, but he was in a situation where he could die at any moment...

    <i>Bang! </i>

    She muscled her way into the room, forcefully opening the door. The healing priest chased after her, trying to stop her, but her efforts were in vain.

    Jin-Seo made her way over to the hospital bed, scratching the wound on her arm as she walked. She lifted the nket.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo was nowhere to be found. Jin-Seo checked the name of the hospital room, wondering if she had entered the wrong one. But she was definitely in Sun-Woo''s hospital room, and this was Sun-Woo''s bed.

    Sun-Woo was not there.

    Why?

    She couldn''t understand at all.

    "W-where did he go...."

    It was only when the healing priest ced her hand on her shoulder while catching her breath that she finally stopped scratching her arm. The healing priest took a deep breath, hesitated for a while, her face riddled with trouble, and then looked side to side before she spoke.

    "That''s why I stopped you... I will exin everything, so please calm down for now. And don¡¯t be surprised by what I have to say."

    "Where is this bas... Where did he go? Where is he now?"

    Jin-Seo repeated the same question without letting the healing priest finish her words. Could it be that he was really dead? Had a funeral been scheduled?

    "Um... Sun-Woo was discharged... yesterday!"

    "..."

    "I tried to stop him, but Sun-Woo was very stubborn, as you know... Anyway, that''s what happened..."

    Jin-Seo stared nkly at the empty bed.

    She checked her phone. There was no contact from Sun-Woo. The only messages piled up in her inbox were from reporters, people rted to the F.A. Foundation, or boys with unfamiliar names.

    1. In Korea, there is a superstition where people believe that people of different blood types have different kinds of personalities (?

 Chapter 138

    <h4>Chapter 138</h4>

    When I went to the underground chapel, the first thing that greeted me was a mountainous pile of offerings sent by the executives while I was in the hospital. The next thing that greeted me was Ji-Ah. She trotted toward me and red at me silently for a while.

    "...What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Nothing."

    She shook her head with big motions and started tidying up the scattered offerings on the floor.

    "These are the offerings that the executives sent. I wrote down the list while they were piling up. Shall I read it to you?"

    "A list?"

    "Yes, it''s a list of who sent what offerings."

    "Aha. Yes, please do."

    Ji-Ah recited the list. Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch sent this and that, Yeom Man-Gun from the Jeo Branch sent that...The list went on.

    I listened without much thought until she got halfway through the list. It was only when I heard the list of offerings sent by Ha Pan-Seok from the Chungcheong Branch that I felt any difort.

    "He sent fewer offerings than the other executives?"

    The problem was not the amount of offerings he had sent. The other executives had sent offerings once a month for a total of two times. On the other hand, Ha Pan-Seok had only sent them once.

    Ji-Ah nodded slightly.

    "Yes, that''s correct."

    "Was there any particr reason?"

    "No, there was no exnation from the Chungcheong Branch. There were no letters or anything like that either."

    "Hmm."

    Ha Pan-Seok had a history of nning a rebellion. I thought I had him under my influence after the previous executives'' meeting. Maybe this was why they said you can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks.

    I nced at the offerings scattered on the floor.

    "Nuna. The Chungcheong branch was near... Cheonan, right?"

    "Yes, that''s correct. There hasn''t been any new information about them moving their chapel¡¯s location."

    ¡°That''s good to hear."

    I was nning to go down to the Jeo Branch to meet Yeom Man-Gun regarding the factory matter, and I decided that I would go see Ha Pa-Seok during my visit.

    I wouldn¡¯t tolerate him anymore if he hadn''t made an offering because he was plotting another rebellion. If he betrayed me after my efforts, he was someone who would betray me no matter the circumstance. The moment it became certain that he was indeed plotting a rebellion against me, as a witness, Ogun wouldy havoc on him right then and there.

    "By the way, nuna, could you pass me a piece of paper?"

    While contemting how to punish Ha Pan-Seok, I suddenly remembered Joseph.

    I received the piece of paper from Ji-Ah and wrote down information about Joseph with a pen. Not only did I write down the information written on the business card, but also everything I had found out about him during our conversations. I handed the paper back to Ji-Ah.

    "Could you investigate this person for me? He''s an inquisitor, and he kepting to the hospital to bother me."

    With everything written down, I realized that there wasn¡¯t that much information. But I thought that some general information could be gathered with this. Ji-Ah nodded slowly as she looked at the information written on the paper.

    "If he''s an inquisitor, it won''t be easy to gather information. The security system is a bit different..."

    "I don''t want any confidential information. I just need some general information. I want to know what kind of person he is, roughly. Would that be possible?"

    "Yes, that... I can do it."

    "Thank you."

    I moved the offerings scattered on the floor toward the warehouse where the Altar was. I offered the offerings through the Altar, but I couldn''t hear the voice of the Loa.

    Even Legba was silent.

    <i> </i> *

    I was somewhat hesitant and worried about surveince and tracking, so I refrained from going outside. After a few weeks of observation, I concluded that there was no surveince, and I immediately started my activities.

    First and foremost, I made an appointment with Yeom Man-Gun and called my uncle to head towards Damyang County.

    Yeom Man-Gun has been considering expanding his thriving business as it has been thriving recently. Before he built his new factory, he had bought somend in Damyang, which was almost like a wastnd.

    If it weren''t for the headquarters'' funds, he wouldn''t have been able to buy thend, so he said he was fine with installing a building for the Voodoo Cult or another chapel.

    Yeom Man-Gun and I decided to meet at the wastnd. I wanted to see thend that Yeom Man-Gun bought, and above all, I was concerned about the eyes of others when I would meet Ha Pan-Seok in the middle of a city.

    I wouldn¡¯t have had to worry about such things in the past, but now that I was under suspicion, I needed to pay attention to every little detail.

    "Are you tired?" my uncle said while I was sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the window at the world passing by.

    "Not really. Why?"

    "Your eyes look like they don¡¯t have any light in them. If you''re not tired, then keep mepany during the ride."

    "Hearing that makes me a little tired."

    "Yeah? Doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s the destiny of the person sitting in the passenger seat." Uncleughed as he held the steering wheel. "How¡¯s your hand doing?"

    "Not that good, as you can see."

    "Yeah? Then how is your stomach?"

    "It''s all healed. But there are still scars."

    "Scars? I guess you can cover up..."

    Feeling suffocated, I briefly opened the window. The wind blew fiercely. The sensation of the wind on my face was blunt. There was only a sense of contact, without any specific feeling of cold or heat.

    I only knew it was a summer breeze because it smelled like summer.

    "Aren''t you going to the hospital too often these days? I think you''ve already been there two or three times since you started going to F.A."

    "You¡¯re right. It seems like I keep getting injured."

    ¡°Take care of yourself. You make things harder for me every time you go to the hospital."

    ¡°I¡¯m the one in the hospital. How are things getting harder for you?¡±

    "Because I¡¯m the one responsible for forging your identity. Every time you go to the hospital, I have to manipte things here and there. Hospital records are more thorough than other ces."

    "I don''t understand what you''re saying."

    "You know how they go through dental records to figure out the identity of a corpse? It¡¯s kind of like that. When you go to the hospital, they add unnecessary details to your identity, and I have to get rid of them."

    Even after listening to the exnation, I couldn''t understand what he meant.

    My uncle chuckled.

    "You don¡¯t get it?"

    "Yeah."

    "That¡¯s okay. Just be careful from now on. Going to the hospital too often can make things get unnecessarilyplicated for you and me."

    "Hmm... okay." I nodded haphazardly.

    The scenery outside the window changed. It felt like we had transitioned from a meadow to a mountainous area. My uncle let out a yawn.

    "Ah... I''m a bit sleepy. Couldn''t sleepst night," he said, opening his eyes as wide as possible, trying to drive away his drowsiness.

    There were bloodshot veins engraved onto the whites of his eyes. He looked tired.

    If Ji-Ah were here, she would probably offer him some gum to fight off sleepiness, but unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t. She was probably eating in the underground chapel right now.

    The reason why we hadn¡¯t brought Ji-Ah with us today was simple. If I kept meeting executives from all over the country, I would have to leave the underground chapel empty for a day or two. Someone needed to take care of Yoon-Ah while I was away.

    At first, Ji-Ah had pressed on apanying us, but she quickly understood when I exined why she should stay. She seemed a little lonely as she remained alone in the underground chapel.

    I told her that if she was ever bored, she could give me a call, and I would tell her a funny story. She responded with a stern voice.

    ~

    "<i>Take care of yourself, Cult Leader</i>."

    ~

    It sounded like she was a little angry.

    Meanwhile, we were passing through a tunnel. My uncle kept shaking his head, trying to shake away the sleep, and started talking to me.

    "Hey, but you''ve be quite famoustely. You know youe up when someone searches your name online, right?"

    "Makes sense."

    "I saw the interview. You were perfectly like any other Romanican Church member. At this rate, what if you get sucked into your role?" my uncle asked jokingly.

    I didn''t answer and justughed along.

    On the day of the incident, the taxidermied creatures that had taken the form of devils suddenly appeared all over the ce, resulting in the injuries and casualties of many clergymen.

    Among them, five clergymen who had almost died miraculously came back to life. Some witnesses even testified that angels descended from heaven and bestowed upon them the light of blessing.

    The renowned sacred scientist and prtes concluded it was a "miracle," as there was no other exnation. And I was one of the five who were resurrected by the "miracle" and the only vice priest amongst the five.

    Considering that the lowest-ranking person among the other four resurrected clergymen was a bishop, it was truly remarkable. It would be strange if I didn''t be famous.

    "Any journalists trailing you these days?" my uncle asked.

    I nodded. During my hospitalization, journalists flocked to me, requesting interviews. Every time, I responded appropriately. No matter how absurdly I spoke, the journalists would change my original words to write in their articles.

    In one article, I was portrayed as a hero, and in another, I was depicted as aplete lunatic. The journalists disappeared on their own as time passed, and the public''s interest in the incident waned. Above all, the journalists were more interested in the other four clergymen than me.

    They testified, saying things like, "I saw heaven when I briefly died," or "I heard the voice of Adonai," while I consistently imed that I saw nothing.

    Whether it was due to information suppression by the Holy See or the fact that no journalist knew that I had been in a direct battle against the Satanists, only Joseph the inquisitor and his two subordinates knew the truth.

    "Well, that¡¯s fortunate. You have to be much more cautious than others. You know that, right?"

    "I know. Anyway, the journalists aren''t even affiliated with the Holy See... So it''s okay if they catch me."

    "...What do you mean it''s okay? If you slip up, are you going to erase their memories with a spell or something?"

    "If that¡¯s the only way left, then yes."

    The journalists were not affiliated with the Holy See. If necessary, I could erase their memories through memory annihtion, or if memory annihtion didn''t work, we could use the curse of fainting and bury them on Mount Taebaek.

    Then, they will be treated as a victim of a simple ident or disappearance, and the Holy See wouldn¡¯t bother looking for them.

    "I''m just joking."

    Of course, I don''t actually n to do that. In the first ce, the journalists were no longer interested in me, and any malicious journalists who invaded my privacy to try to get an interview with me had all been dealt with by the F.A. Foundation and Joseph.

    My uncle let out a sigh of relief after hearing my words.

    "You scared me, kid. If you''re going to make a joke, at leastugh while doing it."

    "But I have to be serious to sound convincing."

    "You''ve gotten into the habit of deceiving people."

    My uncle briefly closed his mouth while crossing the tollgate. He spoke after the road became quiet.

    ¡°Isn''t it a bit dangerous to be too famous?"

    Judging by his tone, the question seemed to be posed for himself, not toward me. The car was steadily heading toward its destination, speeding down the road. The navigation system indicated we would arrive at our destination in thirty-one minutes.

    "Why? It''s good to be famous. It sets you up for more opportunities for sess."

    "That''s true. But... Well, I don''t know. Setting aside the danger, what will you do if you go to the underground prison and meet your mother? What happens next?"

    "If that happens..."

    I was at a loss for words. I hadn''t thought about this.

    "If you be this famous, won''t it be difficult toter live in seclusion? And while we''re on the topic, even if you somehow manage to get into the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters, what will you do next? There''s no way to bring your mother out without spells or using the power of the Loa."

    "Whether it''s spells or power, if I can use it, I will. Why should I hold back?"

    "So, you¡¯re nning to open your identity to the public? That would trigger a Second Holy War, no?"

    "We can go into hiding right after we reveal our identity. There''s no need to go as far as inducing a Holy War."

    "If that happens, the suppression of the Voodoo Cult will be several times worse than it is now. It could also lead torge-scale massacres like The Starless Night. And you¡¯re telling me that you¡¯re just going to sit back and watch?"

    "..."

    "Above all, if the suppression bes worse, our followers won¡¯t be able to sustain their livelihoods. Then, the Voodoo Cult willck funds. Ultimately, it¡¯ll be a matter of time before the downfall of the Voodoo Cult."

    "Well, then. We just need to start the Second Holy War and win. Even if it''s not aplete victory, we¡¯ll be able to conquer some areas, right? The cult members can carry on with their life there."

    "We just need to win..."

    Uncle repeated my words with a stern face.

    "You know why the Voodoo Cult lost in the Holy War, right?"

    "It¡¯s because the Cult Leader and the Prophet separated, causing an internal power division."

    "That''s one reason, but the Romanican Church had too much power. You know how many countries have Romanican Churches as their state religion, right? Even if we upy a few regions, it means nothing to them."

    "So what?"

    "We have to struggle for our lives just to survive, but they could kill us by just staying still, waiting it out till we die."

    My uncle sighed deeply, and after a moment, he licked his dry lips and continued speaking.

    "I don¡¯t know much about the topic since I''ve never been a Prophet. But isn''t the power of Loa almost omnipotent? That''s how it seems to me."

    "Not exactly. At least not with me."

    Maybe the power of the Loa was omnipotent when my mom was the Prophet.

    "Let''s say that it is almost omnipotent. I mean, look at spells. I don¡¯t know too much because I''ve never used them, but I know people either faint or go crazy when you do as little as draw a single line with your finger. How convenient and powerful is that?"

    "I guess you could see it like that."

    "Still, the Voodoo Cult lost. And we didn¡¯t just lose. We werepletely vanquished. The Prophet was captured and imprisoned, and the Cult Leader was publicly executed by fire. The few remaining believers went into hiding. With two abilities close to omnipotence, why did we lose the Holy War?"

    "The executives betrayed us, so wecked manpower."

    "The fights didn¡¯t matter. We won most of the battles. We fought aerial battles with lightning, aquatic battles with crashing waves, and terrestrial battles with nts. With the power of natural disasters on our side, it would have been harder for us to lose. But in the end, the Voodoo Cult lost. Your father defected. Why? Because in a prolonged war, the Voodoo Cult would definitely be at a disadvantage."

    "Oh, for crying out loud... So, what are you trying to say? Are you suggesting we fight?"

    "No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m trying to say."

    Uncle waved his hand as if to calm me down and let out a bitterugh.

    "...Let''s give up on rescuing your mother. Let''s say you manage to sneak into the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters. If she''s dead, leave her body there. If she''s alive, have a quick conversation and then just leave."

    "That''s the most bullshit thing I''ve ever heard from you, Uncle."

    "And let''s just live like this. That clergyman job you¡¯re trying to secure? I heard you can get a good pension from that. Let''s live off that pension while living in hiding as we are doing now. We just need to maintain the Voodoo Cult¡¯s lineage."

    "Leave my very alive mother in prison and just live like this? I can''t live like that. I''d rathermit suicide."

    "Why? You can just live casually and asionally meet with me, Ji-Ah, and some of the executives. You must have friends at Florence Academy, right? Meet them from time to time as well. What reason is there to not live like that?"

    "I would rather die during another Holy War. It would be glorious."

    "That''s not glorious at all, you idiot. If there''s a Holy War, you''ll definitely be the first one to go. And innocent members of our cult would be massacred inrge numbers."

    "..."

    "I don''t want to see that sight again. Even if I have to live like a dead rat, I like this way of living. We¡¯refortable, safe, and sound."

    "Well then, Uncle, you live like that. I''ll take care of my own life. Whether a Holy War breaks out or not, we have to bring out our mother. Even if she''s dead, we''ll carry her body out, regardless of whatever it takes."

    "I think you forget, but your mother is my older sister. Your business is also my business. Do you think I don''t want to see my sister? But looking at it from the long-term perspective, I''m right."

    "There must be some way we can safely bring out our mother. No, there is."

    "Is that so? If it''s possible, that would be the best course of action. But if there isn¡¯t such a method, then go with my n. In any case, a Holy War is not an option. We will definitely lose, and the process will be grueling. You know this the best."

    The incessant echoes of gunshots echoed outside the window. The never-ceasing screaming.The darkness that was impossible to escape from. Spending every day trembling in fear.

    The Holy War.

    It took everything from me, and I gained nothing in return. The Second Holy War wouldn¡¯t be any different. No, with me as an inadequate andcking Cult Leader and Prophet, we would suffer an even more miserable defeat during the Second Holy War.

    As much as I didn¡¯t want to admit it, that was the undeniable truth.

    "I''ll keep that in mind."

    "Well, you''ll do whatever you want anyway, right?"

    "Yeah, you''re right."

    "Huh, I guess I shouldn¡¯t have expected less from a child who didn¡¯t even listen to their mother to listen to me. Well, alright."

    The car arrived at the meeting ce with Yeom Man-Gun. As Yeom Man-Gun had mentioned, thend resembled a wastnd. There were no houses, and the roads were almost unpaved.

    I got out of the car and looked around. In the center of the wastnd, Yeom Man-Gun was waddling around, bending down and examining the ground.

    ¡°Wait, why is that <i>thing </i>here?¡± Uncle muttered, furrowing his brows.

    Upon closer inspection, there was another person next to Yeom Man-Gun. It was a familiar and unexpected face.

 Chapter 139

    <h4>Chapter 139</h4>

    There was a storage container ced in a corner of the wastnd, seemingly intended as a resting ce forborers. Yeom Man-Gun and I sat down in the container and exchanged a conversation. It smelled slightly of earth, but it was a reasonably cozy space. Above all, I wasforted by the fact that no one was watching us.

    "Well, Cult Leader, there ain''t nothin'' between you and me but open honesty. You see, thisnd here is..."

    Yeom Man-Gun talked only about thend with an excited expression. He emphasized several times that thend he owned was of incredible quality, and it was truly a miracle that it still didn¡¯t have an owner.

    I nodded or chimed in appropriately, listening to his story.

    "Well, now, the crucial question is, how do we make use of thisnd...?"

    Yeom Man-Gun finally started talking about his business. He was currently running a soju factory and thought that engraving intoxication spells on mass-produced soju wouldn¡¯t be profitable.

    Instead, he wanted to build a new factory on this newly acquirednd and use traditional distition methods to produce premium soju. In other words, he wanted to upgrade and diversify his business, which didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea.

    However, there was one concern.

    "Isn''t there too high of a risk of failing? The profits won''t outweigh the initial investment costs unless the liquor is exceptionally delicious."

    "Don''t you fret none ''bout that. I reckon I''ll whip up some of the most mouthwaterin'' spirits you ever did taste. Them prtes and them foolhardy folks, well, they''ll be grinnin'' like possums in a persimmon tree, sippin'' their way into blissful oblivion."

    "Oh... You seem to be confident in the quality of the drinks."

    "Well, shucks, I sure do hope so! I gotta my start collectin'' them cast-off bottles and turning ''em into a business, and I''ve been slingin'' spirits for nigh on a decade now..."

    To summarize, he had been running a liquor store for several years, so he was already skilled in making alcohol. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the quality of his products, and furthermore, if the business went well, even prtes would turn into prisoners under my spell.

    Yeom Man-Gun had confidence in his business idea. Although the expansion n itself was a bit vague, it wasn''tpletely baseless. Above all, Yeom Man-Gun was talented, so with luck on his side, the business would surely seed.

    "Well, Executive Yeom Man-Gun is talented, so I believe you will seed no matter what. I feel relieved that I have you around.¡±

    "..."

    Yeom Man-Gun looked at me, blinking his eyes but not saying a word. He seemed touched by what I said. I quickly got up from my seat, finding his gaze ufortable.

    "Can I take a look around the area? I''ve been inside the container for too long. I need some fresh air."

    "Ain''t no rush here. You just take all the time you need."

    I left the container. Uncle and Ha Pan-Seok were talking in the middle of the barren wastnd. Meanwhile, Soo-Yeong''s eyes were darting back and forth anxiously.

    The two were the unexpected faces wandering around Yeom Man-Gun when we arrived. I didn''t know why Ha Pan-Seok and Soo-Yeong from the Chungcheong Branch came here, but I went over to them...

    "Why is it you and Yeom Man-Gun again? Aren''t you from that group that was nning a rebellionst time?"

    "Ha. Are you suspecting us just because we''re in the same ce? Can''t I be friends with Yeom Man-Gun? Of course, our branch has a lot of interactions with the Jeo Branch since our underground chapels are close to each other.¡±

    ¡°So you two were nning a rebellion, right? I¡¯m skeptical about you because you have a history. You think I would have suspected you if you hadn¡¯t done anything wrong?¡±

    As I drew closer and listened, I found out that Uncle and Ha Pan-Seok were fighting. It seemed like Uncle had started the argument, asking questions along the lines of, ¡°Why are you two together? Are you plotting a rebellion again?¡±

    It was only when I intervened between them that they stopped fighting. However, the hostility in their eyes was still evident. Soo-Yeong paced back and forth like a helpless puppy amidst a full-blown dogfight.

    "Why are you fighting again?" I asked.

    Ha Pan-Seok raised his voice as if he had been waiting for this moment.

    "Cult Leader! Executive Jin-Sung is using me of plotting a rebellion and putting pressure on me!"

    "Rebellion..."

    "Of...of course, it''s true that I had thoughts of doing such disrespectful things before. But during thest executive meeting, didn''t I promise loyalty to you, Cult Leader? I¡¯m struggling to keep my cool when he keeps pushing me around, knowing the change of heart that I¡¯ve had."

    Ha Pan-Seok expressed his grievances and pounded his chest, frustrated. I slowly examined his expression and nodded my head.

    "I actually have something to say regarding the rebellion."

    "Huh? What..."

    "Why don¡¯t we go behind that container over there?"

    The matter wasn¡¯t something to discuss in front of Soo-Yeong. If Ha Pan-Seok tried to evade or showed flustered signs when asked why he hadn¡¯t offered the sacrificest month, I intended to consider it as him preparing for a rebellion. Then I¡¯d execute the proper repercussions.

    Soo-Yeong looked at me with fearful eyes, but I ignored her and took Ha Pan-Seok to a secluded ce. Without dy, I immediately confronted him.

    "You didn''t send an offeringst month."

    "Ah..."

    "I''m not saying that you are preparing for a rebellion. I''m just surprised that you didn''t leave a message to exin what was going on."

    Upon hearing my words, Ha Pan-Seok visibly showed a sense of confusion and panic on his face. If it was a misunderstanding, he could have simply said so, but Ha Pan-Seok didn''t even attempt to make an excuse.

    So he really was nning to betray me... It was unfortunate, but there was no turning back now. Just as I was about to unleash Voodoo magic, Ha Pan-Seok hesitated and exined, "Actually, our current financial situation is not good. It¡¯s hard for us to maintain our livelihood, let alone have the funds to operate our branch.¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok hung his head. It seemed that those words were difficult and embarrassing for him to say aloud. I stopped casting the spell and observed Ha Pan-Seok''s expression. It didn''t seem like he was lying.

    "Didn''t I give you some funds during the executive meeting? It should have been a considerable sum of money."

    "Well... there were so many ces to spend it here and there... "

    "And what do you mean by here and there?"

    "<i>Sigh... </i>My daughter insisted on attending an academy.[1]

    An academy?

    Ha Pan-Seok sighed heavily as I looked at him with confusion.

    "I¡¯m told that these days, academies are not just for studying, but it¡¯s also a ce where kids make friends as well. She¡¯s been saying that she feels excluded at school... But, you see, the academy fees are no joke."

    "Aha. But with the money I gave you, you would still have had some left even after paying for the academy, right?" "

    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. To be honest, I''m in the process of preparing for a remarriage, so some of the money went toward that."

    It was truly shocking news, but Ha Pan-Seok''s expression remained calm. While the Voodoo Cult didn¡¯t have a doctrine prohibiting remarriage, it still came to me as a shock.

    I was so surprised that I asked again, "Remarriage? What do you mean?"

    "Please, give me a chance to exin myself. It''s not like I forgot about my deceased wife. It''s just that, you never know what might happen in life... "

    "Does Soo-Yeong know this as well?"

    "I told her, and we had a bit of a fight about it. Ha, what am I even saying this for..." Ha Pan-Seok said, ncing at Soo-Yeong having a conversation with Uncle in the distance.

    To summarize, Ha Pan-Seok was preparing for remarriage and fought with Soo-Yeong about it. Feeling frustrated, he came to have a drink with Yeom Man-Gun, but it turned out that Soo-Yeong had followed him, thinking her dad was secretly meeting his lover.

    Ha Pan-Seok''s remarriage partner was a fairly well-known entrepreneur. He had seeded in converting his partner into a Voodooist, but because the partner was a sessful businesswoman, Ha Pan-Seok ended up spending a lot of money out of his pocket to match her expensive tastes.

    "That''s interesting."

    Now that I knew Ha Pan-Seok wasn''t betraying me, I felt relieved. I wasn''t particrly interested in love stories, but this one was quite intriguing.

    Ha Pan-Seok sighed deeply andined, "It''s not an interesting story to me, though..."

    "Haha... I understand. Anyway, you weren''t trying to betray me."

    "Of course not. Even though my son was taken to prison, he is undoubtedly alive. He isn¡¯t a weakling who would die in prison. Until I see that kid¡¯s face again, I will never betray you, Cult Leader."

    "Does that mean you will betray me after seeing his face?"

    "By then, I would have no more wishes in life. I would sacrifice my life for you without any hesitation."

    Ha Pan-Seok''s loyalty had be even stronger over the time I hadn¡¯t seen him. For his son in the underground prison, it seemed he had sworn loyalty to me, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Come to think of it, Ha Pan-Seok was the one who had been the most loyal to my father, the Second Cult Leader. No one could change his mind once it was set.

    "If you can''t send offerings, at least send me a brief letter. Honestly, it doesn''t matter much if you don''t send offerings."

    "I will. Lately, my mind has been so upied that the idea never made it to my mind."

    Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter whether he sent offerings or not. If Yun Chang-Su or Yuk Eun-Hyung hadn''t sent any offerings, I would have dismissed it, thinking that they were probably too busy.

    Also, although one shouldn''t use the funds personally, I didn''t make an issue out of it with Ha Pan-Seok. This was because he had done this in order to paint a bigger picture through remarriage.

    The problem was that it was Ha Pan-Seok who hadn¡¯t sent the offerings. He had previously attempted a rebellion. I couldn''t help but be suspicious.

    Now, it seemed there was no need to doubt Ha Pan-Seok anymore. The same went for Yeom Man-Gun. They recently plotted a rebellion and even tried to kill me, but now they recognized me as the Cult Leader and showed me respect. Even if it was just a little by little, I felt that the Voodoo Cult was graduallying together.

    I redistributed some of the headquarters'' money to give to Ha Pan-Seok through my uncle. The amount of money I had given him was a very small amountpared to the money I had given during the previous executive meeting, but Ha Pan-Seok was very happy and expressed his gratitude to me continuously nheless.

    "Damn... Seeing him smile like that makes me feel bad all of a sudden."

    My uncle openly showed his displeasure, even though the amount of money I gave to him was very smallpared to the money I gave during the previous executive meeting.

    <i> </i> *

    "You¡¯re going to take a nap?"

    "Yeah, if I drive now, we''ll definitely get into an ident. Give me thirty minutes, and then we¡¯ll be on the road. Luckily, there¡¯s a container here."

    I tried to leave after finishing my business, but my uncle said he was too tired and couldn''t drive. In the end, I had no choice but to stay here a little longer. My phone battery was almost dead, so I decided to look around.

    This area was truly as good as Yeom Man-Gun had described. There were no houses nearby, and there was a river of suitable size nearby, which seemed convenient for obtaining industrial water. It was a tough ce for people to live, but it was a very suitable ce to run a factory.

    It was also a good ce to try using the Loa''s power, which was great because I had a few things I wanted to test out.

    The first was the Prayer to the Loa, and the second was the utilization of v¨¦v¨¦, the symbol of the Loa.

    No, it was the perfect time to test these out, as I had just made an offering beforeing here.

    However, the power of the Prayer to the Loa and the utilization of v¨¦v¨¦ were too strong to experiment with an easy-going attitude. If I were to do it, I decided it would be better to fullymit. I took off my shirt. It was only then that the girl who had been quietly following behind me finally revealed her presence.

    "Ah, ahhhhh!"

    Soo-Yeong covered her mouth and screamed. Her eyes seemed to have lost a sense of direction as they were shaking in their sockets.

    I approached her with loose-hanging clothes on my arm. Soo-Yeong hesitated and shuffled back.

    "Oh, don''te any closer. You lunatic!"

    "You¡¯re telling me not toe closer? You''re the one who followed."

    "Hey, argh! You¡¯re crazy. At least put on some clothes if you''reing closer...!"

    Soo-Yeong''s frantic gaze stopped at a certain point. It rested on the spot where I had gotten a hole through my stomach. More precisely, it was the scar in the area where there had been a hole. Seeing that, Soo-Yeong blinked her eyes in confusion and approached me. Then, as if trying to analyze the pattern of the scar, she examined it with a puzzled expression.

    "What is this... Why is there a hole in your stomach? Is this a burn? Is it a burn mark?"

    "A sword stabbed me."

    "What? Why? No, uh... When? When did this scar appear?"

    "Not long ago. About two months ago?"

    "Two months?"

    Soo-Yeong furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and repeated my words. Then, as if realizing something, her eyes widened.

    1. Common word used to trante ??, or hagwon. A ce where you go to do extracurricr studying, verymon in Korea ?

 Chapter 140

    <h4>Chapter 140</h4>

    "Don¡¯t tell me...?! Was the news report referring to you? All that stuff about Florence Academy, Satanists, miracles, and a personing back to life even after a hole was punched through their gut?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯t know about that all this time? Isn¡¯t it obvious that it¡¯s me?¡±

    ¡°How was I supposed to know when your face didn¡¯t show up? And they didn¡¯t reveal the real name either. Also, I don¡¯t pay attention to news articles that are biased toward the Romanican Church.¡±

    "Why not?"

    "Because I feel like I would throw up if I did... Ah, but that¡¯s not important. More importantly, does that mean you almost died?¡±

    I nodded and said, ¡°I basically died and came back to life.¡±

    Soo-Yeong nodded and looked at me with a frown. It was a face that seemed to indicate that she had no idea what was going on inside my head, which was understandable.

    "...You crazy bastard."

    "Watch yournguage. You¡¯ve be far more unhinged just because we haven¡¯t seen each other for a few months.¡±

    "It¡¯s not like I said anything wrong, right? What would have happened to the Voodoo Cult if you really died?"

    "Do I look like a dead person to you? I¡¯m still alive, you know.¡±

    ¡°Argh, you...! I¡¯m talking about the possibility. If you die, then no one would be able to use the power of the Loa, and the Voodoo Cult would just perish!¡±

    Soo-Yeong''s words were absolutely correct. Seven years ago, when my father, who was the Second Cult Leader, died, and my mother, who was the Prophet, was captured, the Voodoo Cult quickly copsed as a result. If I, the Cult Leader who seeded my father, had quickly reorganized the cult, then the situation might have turned out far better.

    However, I took one year trying to deal with the voices of various Loa. I had been partially mentally insane during that time. The impact that the sudden death of a leader had on a religion was quite significant. ording to my uncle, if my identity was exposed while trying to free my mother and Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s son, who were imprisoned in the underground prison, then a second Holy War would break out, and I would certainly die.

    Of course, I had no intention of dying so easily. For now, I had to find a method to rescue my mother without starting another Holy War. If I still wasn¡¯t able to find a method to save my mother without starting a Holy War, I would still save my mother regardless. Then all I had to do was do everything in my power to win the Holy War.

    However, death was something that came in unexpected moments. No matter how determined I was, when the time came, I would die. I had to prepare for that. I had to ensure that my death would not result in the Voodoo Cult''s death.

    I summoned a candle of consciousness with a replication spell and ced it on the floor. Then I called for Legba, who had been silent during my time in the hospital.

    "Legba, how about letting me hear your voice after such a long time?¡±

    In response to my summons, Legba responded with a low hum.

    [...I¡¯ve rested for a long time. You haven¡¯t forgotten my voice, have you?]

    It felt good to hear Legba''s voice after a long time. I summoned two more candles and lined them up in front of Soo-Yeong. As the number of candles increased, Legba''s voice grew louder. The connection between Legba and me became stronger through the candles.

    [So, what''s the matter? You didn''t call me just to hear my voice, did you?]

    "I want to assess the suitability for session."

    [The suitability for session, huh... The first thing you ask me after such a long time seems to be quite a hassle. You didn¡¯t even ask how I was doing,] Legba grumbled.

    Soo-Yeong stared at me with a nk expression. It was a natural reaction. From her perspective, it must have seemed like I had suddenly started talking to myself. While Legba was choosing thenguage and words to use for the ritual, Soo-Yeong btedly regained her senses and asked, "Are you talking to the Loa right now? Or are you talking to yourself?"

    "Obviously, I¡¯m not talking to myself. Do I look crazy to you?"

    "...Then what do you mean by suitability for session?"

    "I''m testing whether you can be a Cult Leader or not."

    "What are you going to do after finding that out? You¡¯re the Cult Leader right now, aren¡¯t you?"

    I summoned two more candles and ced them on the floor. The small mes on the end of the candle wicks flickered toward Soo-Yeong. There was no wind blowing at the moment. I thought about adding more candles, but five seemed sufficient.

    With this, all the preparations for the ritual wereplete. I finally answered Soo-Yeong''s question.

    "It¡¯s because if I die, then you might be the one to take my ce."

    Excluding me, Soo-Yeong''s Voodoo sorcery skills were unparalleled. She even knew how to cast spells on animals, so in some areas, it was safe to say that she handled spells better than me. Although there were times when she acted foolish, she didn¡¯t seem to be stupid.

    I was thinking of appointing her as the next Cult Leader. Before that, I needed to confirm her suitability as a Prophet in order to figure out whether she would be able to ept the Loa.

    "...You¡¯ll die?" Soo-Yeong murmured softly as if pondering the meaning of my words.

    ~

    After the incident, I lost consciousness for a few weeks. Normally, one would have no memories when unconscious, but strangely, I could vividly remember everything that urred while I was unconscious. It was because although my bodyy in the hospital, my mind was at the Crossroads.

    "Why am I still here?"

    At the Crossroads was Legba. While limping on one foot, he approached me, and he answered my question in a deep voice as if he were tired.

    "I wonder. To think that a person who isn¡¯t dead yet is able to arrive at the Crossroads. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen anything like this.¡±

    ¡°A person that isn¡¯t dead yet?¡±

    "The dead must pass through the Crossroads. You need to go through the crossroads in order to reach the unseen world."

    "Ah, I see."

    "However, you''re not dead, and yet you''re here. It''s strange. Baron Samedi might know the reason why, but he''s not exactly reliable..." Legba said while taking out the pipe he had shoved in his front pocket. He put the pipe in his mouth, and after a few puffs, smoke began to flow out.

    The smoke rose up to the sky, obscuring the red moon and covering the ground as it drifted toward me.

    "Can you put out the cigarette?" I asked while coughing.

    Legba chuckled.

    "It¡¯s ridiculous if I can¡¯t even smoke a cigarette after reaching this age. Just bear with it."

    "How old are you?"

    "Two years older than Baron Samedi."

    "How old is Baron Samedi?"

    "Two years younger than me."

    It was a meaningless exchange. I let out a sigh, and I sat down before observing the scenery of the Crossroads. The boundaries between paths and non-paths were blurred at the Crossroads, and it was difficult to feel the passage of time. It was a ce where space and time intertwined. Legba stopped smoking and took out a sandss. He then ced the sandss in front of me. It was a veryrge sandss.

    "Let¡¯s have a chat about the things we weren¡¯t able to discuss. You were too busy in the past few months after all.¡±

    "That''s true."

    "If you have any questions, ask them here," Legba said before flipping the sandss that was in front of me.

    The sand started flowing from top to bottom. While sensing the flow of the sand, I asked, "What is this sandss?"

    "It''s a device that allows us to feel the passage of time. If you don''t feel time, it doesn''t flow."

    "I see."

    Although it wasn¡¯tpletely clear, I vaguely understood. I nodded an appropriate amount of times before moving on to the next question.

    "Do all dead people pass through the Crossroads?"

    "Yes. Some of the dead are aware of the Crossroads, while others are not."

    "Did my mother pass through here before?"

    In response to my question, Legba fell silent for a moment.

    "She¡¯s been here before. However, I don¡¯t think she has ¡®passed through¡¯ here, as far as I know.¡±

    "That means that my mother is still alive."

    "Interpret it as you wish."

    I thought about the next question, but I couldn¡¯t find anything appropriate to ask. Silence filled the air.

    "It seems like you have nothing else to ask."

    "It seems like it."

    "Well, let¡¯s rest then."

    Without even giving me a chance to second guess myself, Legba ced his pipe back in his front pocket and said, "I think I''ll sleep for a few months. I''ll probably still be asleep when you wake up."

    "Do the Loa sleep too?"

    "There are times when we feel like sleeping. It''s not necessary, though. Anyway, I won''t talk to you while I¡¯m sleeping."

    "Looks like I¡¯ll be bored."

    "If you''re bored, call out to me. I''ll tell you an interesting story," Legba said with a chuckle.

    He then limped away while smoking his cigarette. Soon, his figure disappeared from my sight.

    After that, Legba really didn¡¯t talk to me again.

    Left alone at the Crossroads, I reflected on many things while watching the hourss flow.

    The first thing I thought about was my father, who had passed away. The next thing I thought about was my mother, who was still alive. I thought about the Holy War, the Voodoo Cult, and the Romanican Church. I thought about the countless people I met at Florence Academy, and I thought about Jun-Hyuk, the person who was ultimately responsible for my ending up here.

    I wondered what would happen to Jun-Hyuk. He would probably get executed. However, just like my mother, who was officially dered dead but was actually imprisoned in the underground prison, there was a possibility that Jun-Hyuk might also remain alive in the prison. It was only a possibility, but...

    <i>Flip.</i>

    I flipped the hourss. I pondered about Voodoo spells and the power of Loa, and I thought about the state of acquirement that Legba had mentioned at some point. I contemted the power of the Loa that my mothermanded as the Prophet, and I realized how insignificant my own ability tomand the Loa was inparison.

    I flipped the hourss once and then twice.

    In the end, I thought about death. The Crossroads was and that was infinitely closely intertwined with death. It was impossible for me not to think about death at the Crossroads. When I died, I woulde back to the Crossroads again.

    <i>Flip.</i>

    When I flipped the hourss for the seventh time, I woke up. At first, I was disoriented. It felt like I had been at the Crossroads for a few minutes, and yet it also felt like I had stayed there for years.

    On the first day, I was busy adjusting to my weakened sense of touch and taste, and I was busy learning how to breathe with only one lung. On the second day, I pondered about my time at the Crossroads. While thinking about it alone, I felt like I gained rity on many things, but I especially gained rity about death.

    It was around that time that I began to think about choosing the next Cult Leader. It was because if I, the Cult Leader, died irresponsibly without any preparations, then the Voodoo Cult would go through the same hardships that it went through seven years ago. When I epted death, I thought more about the things that would ur after my death.

    ~

    "What are you saying? Why would you die?"

    However, Soo-Yeong seemed unaware of my thoughts. I tried finding the appropriate words to exin my thought process. I didn¡¯t feel like exining in detail, so I answered as concisely as possible.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to die right now, but someday I will eventually die.¡±

    ¡°Someday? Do you have a terminal illness?¡±

    ¡°No... I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s possible for me to die at some point. I¡¯m not saying I know exactly when I¡¯ll die.¡±

    It was then that Soo-Yeong seemed to vaguely understand what I meant.

    "Ah..." she sighed and looked down at the ground with downcast eyes.

    When the appropriate time arrived, I heard Legba¡¯s voice.

    [Start getting ready,] he said.

    I approached Soo-Yeong and offered her my hand. In response, she nkly stared at my hand as if she had no idea what I was doing.

    "What are you doing? Give me your hand," I said.

    "What? No way!" Soo-Yeong said.

    "Why? Are you embarrassed?" I asked.

    "N-no, that''s not it..." Soo-Yeong said.

    Startled, she took a few steps back before scanning me up and down. She shifted her gaze around as if she was unsure of where to look before eventually closing her eyes tightly.

    ¡°...I don¡¯t want to hold hands with a pervert with exhibitionism disorder.¡±

    "You''re the one who followed and peeked. Are you a voyeur?"

    ¡°Argh, seriously... Why do you need my hand?¡±

    "It''s necessary for the ritual."

    The ritual for examining thepatibility for session required physical contact with the subject. In reality, even without making physical contact, there was no problem with the ritual itself, but there was a possibility that the subject would be in danger. It was a somewhat cumbersome procedure, but it was necessary.

    "Anyway, hand."

    "Argh, am I a dog to you?" Soo-Yeong roared while reluctantly extending her hand to me.

    I ced her hand on the palm of my hand. I could barely feel the sensation of her hand. I could only vaguely feel that her hand was on top of mine and that her hand was slightly cold.

    "Now close your eyes."

    "You always order me around..." Soo-Yeong grumbled, but she listened to me obediently.

    After confirming that she had closed her eyes, I closed mine as well. The darkness andndscape of the Crossroads seemed to ovep.

    Legba¡¯s murmurs, which could only be faintly heard at first, gradually became clear and distinct.

    Before long, Legba''s murmurs ceased. As darkness and thendscape of crossroads alternatingly appeared, I felt something escaping from my body. The thing that escaped flowed into Soo-Yeong through our sped hands.

    [Let¡¯s begin,] Legba said.

    Cold sweat ran down my spine.

    <i> </i> *

    What Soo-Yeong saw in front of her was darkness. She couldn¡¯t see anything besides darkness. This was natural since she had her eyes closed. She felt a strange sensation in her sped hand. It felt like something was flowing in. It tingled as if electricity was flowing in.

    "...You aren¡¯t trying to do something strange, right?" Soo-Yeong asked, just in case.

    Closing her eyes was something she normally did during a prayer, so that was somewhat understandable. However, she couldn¡¯t understand why she had to hold hands with him like this. It seemed unlikely, but she wondered if he was doing this with malicious intentions.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo did not respond and simply tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. Soo-Yeong trembled and tried to shake off her stray thoughts. After all, even if Sun-Woo harbored ill intentions toward her, she had no way of resisting.

    In that moment, an unfamiliarndscape emerged from beyond the darkness. It was a path that exuded an eerie and deste atmosphere. A red moon hung in the sky, illuminating the path. The scenery briefly appeared and quickly disappeared.

    [Now open your eyes.]

    A voice echoed in her mind. It wasn''t a sound that entered her ears, but rather a sound that literally rang in her head.

    "Mom, w-what is this...!"

    It was an unfamiliar sensation. Soo-Yeong was startled and took a few steps back. She tried to pull her hand away, but Sun-Woo held her wrist tightly without letting go.

    When she opened her eyes, he red at her with cold eyes. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and his lips were blue due to exhaustion.

    "Don''t let go."

    "...Ah, I understand."

    She didn¡¯t know why, but it seemed like a bad idea to let go. While thinking this, a cough from the unfamiliar voice in her head echoed out. Every time the cough¡¯s echo reverberated in her head, her shoulders trembled. It felt like the sound was digging straight into her brain and leaving a tingling sensation.

    [I''m sorry if I startled you... Anyway, I am Legba. Do you need an introduction?]

    "...Legba."

    The trembling stopped the moment she heard his name.

    Legba. He was the ruler of all Loa and the owner of the Crossroads. If you were a believer in the Voodoo Cult, it was impossible to be unaware of that name. To think that she would be able to talk with <i>that</i> Legba, she couldn¡¯t help but feel both bewildered and overwhelmed.

    Before she could let her emotions fully sink in, Legba¡¯s voice continued, [There seems to be no need for an introduction. Let¡¯s immediately proceed in assessing your suitability.]

    <i>Gulp. </i>

    Soo-Yeong unconsciously swallowed her saliva. It felt like she was trembling a thousand times harder than when taking an exam at school. She couldn¡¯t help but nce at Sun-Woo. His unwavering gaze and his firm grip gave her an odd sense of relief.

    [Now, answer my question.]

    "Y-yes."

    [What is seven times eight?]

    "Huh?" Soo-Yeong responded with a puzzled expression.

    She expected a question about the Voodoo Cult or at least a question about religion. But to think that multiplication had suddenly popped up... It wasn¡¯t just random¡ªit waspletely out of the blue.

    That said, she couldn¡¯t just stay silent, so she hastily answered, ¡°Fif-fifty-six!"

    [Correct. Now, what is eleven times thirteen?]

    "Uh... one-hundred and forty-three?"

    [Oh, you''re quite good. Now, what is 142 times 1987?]

    "Ah, wait. How am I supposed to solve that in my head?"

    [You can''t even do this sort of simple arithmetic... The correct answer is 282,154. Unfortunately, you''re eliminated.]

    "Ha!" Soo-Yeong was so surprised that sheughed out loud.

    Legba didn''t miss that, and with a serious tone that was devoid of any yfulness, he said, [You¡¯reughing... Seems like you don''t take the Loa seriously at all.]

    "Huh? No, it''s not like that."

    [It''s not like that?]

    "It¡¯s not like that at all, sir Legba..." Soo-Yeong mumbled.

    She acted like she didn¡¯t know what to do as she looked at Sun-Woo with trembling eyes. ording to what she had heard, Legba was usually a mischievous and kind Loa, but once he got angry, he was the scariest out of all the Loa. Since she had angered such a frightening Loa, she wondered whether she would immediately receive divine retribution.

    Sun-Woo just chuckled mischievously. She couldn¡¯t tell whether Sun-Woo understood her feelings or not. She felt that hisughter was mocking her, and she wanted to shout back at him in retaliation, but she could not do so because of Legba¡¯s presence.

    "Legba."

    Sun-Woo looked at Soo-Yeong, who was too scared to do anything whileughing.

    "Why are you teasing her?" Sun-Woo asked.

    [Her reaction is quite amusing. Unlike you,] Legba said whileughing out loud.

    Soo-Yeong failed to fullyprehend what Sun-Woo and Legba were saying. She looked back and forth between Sun-Woo and the sky like a broken toy before btedly understanding the situation and narrowing her eyes.

    "...You fooled me!"

    [Yes, I fooled you. Do you have anyints?]

    Soo-Yeong hastily responded, "No, um... I don''t."

    "Are you trying to tease her again? Anyway, isn¡¯t this enough?" Sun-Woo asked Legba whileughing at Soo-Yeong.

    Legba chuckled softly and replied, [Yeah, this should be enough.]

    "Well, that''s a relief," Sun-Woo said before letting go of Soo-Yeong''s hand.

    Suddenly, there was a snapping sound inside her mind, as if something had been severed. For a moment, she felt a headache, and she felt dizzy. Beyond her blurry vision, another unfamiliarndscape appeared. A red moon and a path with unclear boundaries. Like a fleeting moment, the scenery quickly disappeared, and her vision returned to normal. After regaining her senses, her headachepletely vanished. She could no longer hear Legba''s voice.

    The events that had just urred felt hazy, as if they were all a dream or an illusion.

    "...Wh-what just happened? Is this the end?"

    "Yeah, it''s the end. Good job," Sun-Woo said before nodding as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    She couldn''t understand what exactly hade to an end. Soo-Yeong frowned and subtly red at Sun-Woo. It was because she didn''t have the confidence to openly re at him.

    "Didn¡¯t you say it was some sort of suitability review? What happened to that?"

    Legba clearly told her that she had been eliminated. This clearly meant that she was unsuitable to be the Prophet or Cult Leader. Soo-Yeong already knew this fact, but she still asked anyway. It was because she didn''t want to show her disappointment.

    "You¡¯re suitable."

    "...Huh?"

    However, Sun-Woo''s response was unexpected.

    "What nonsense. Legba... didn''t Legba say I was eliminated?"

    "Of course, that was a joke. Just being able to hear Legba''s voice makes you suitable."

    "Don''t lie to me."

    "Why would I lie about something like this?" Sun-Woo said.

    Sun-Woo¡¯s gaze was fixated on the ground as if he was counting the number of ants crawling on the floor. Come to think of it, that was true. He had no reason to lie about this. So, in other words, it meant that she possessed a body that was suitable to be a Prophet. This also meant that after Sun-Woo''s death, she would be the fourth Cult Leader.

    "...That''s true," Soo-Yeong muttered while slowly nodding.

    Although she was d to be acknowledged, she wasn''t as happy as she had thought she would be. Bing a Cult Leader was only possible after Sun-Woo''s death. That fact made her feel uneasy.

    Soo-Yeong shook her head and dismissed her stray thoughts. This was all just going to be in the distant future, she thought as she looked at Sun-Woo. He was still shirtless.

    In an intentionally mocking tone, Soo-Yeong asked, "Excuse me, Cult Leader. Why are you still not wearing clothes?"

    "There''s a reason for that."

    "Do you really want to show off your body that¡¯s not even all that great?"

    "...It¡¯s because I haven''t been able to exercisetely since I''ve been stuck at the hospital."

    It was a joke, but Sun-Woo had responded with a serious face.

    To be honest, his physique wasn''t all that bad. It was at a level where anyone could tell he exercised diligently, so it would be fine to say he looked good. However, Soo-Yeong was bothered by the scars on his abdomen. She felt pain in her own stomach whenever she looked at that scar. If he wasn¡¯t going to wear clothes, she at least wanted him to cover them up.

    However, Sun-Woopletely ignored her words, and he continued to stare at the ground.

    "What are you doing? Just put on some clothes already!"

    "Ah, if you don''t want to see it, then leave... No, actually, it will probably be easier to show it to you."

    Sun-Woo muttered something iprehensible before casting a spell. It was the replication spell, Dawn¡¯s de.

    Sun-Woo turned the dagger he summoned using the spell back and forth as if examining its condition. Then, he nced up and down an old dying tree in the corner of the wastnd.

    As always, she couldn''t help but feel that Sun-Woo''s spells were of very high quality. She wondered if she would ever reach his level.

    However, there was no time for admiration. Sun-Woo held the dagger and inserted it directly into his palm. Just from a rough nce, it seemed like he had stabbed it in quite deeply. Blood dripped from the palm of his hand. Soo-Yeong''s hands and feet grew cold at the sight.

    "Wh-what are you doing? What are you doing, you lunatic!"

    "Just keep watching from there. You might need to use itter as well,¡± Sun-Woo replied indifferently as if it didn''t hurt much.

    He then dipped his finger into his own blood and started drawing a picture on the floor.

 Chapter 141

    <h4>Chapter 141</h4>

    Sun-Woo had drawn some sort of painting on the floor with his own blood.

    It wasn¡¯t a spell array, but it seemed to be a symbol that represented something. It was impossible to tell what it symbolized. Just the fact that it had been painted with blood gave it a dark and eerie atmosphere.

    After Sun-Woo finished the painting, he used a Voodoo spell to heal the wound on his palm. Obviously, there would be drawbacks if he used a restoration spell to heal his own injuries. Additionally, the pain would still remain even if the wound was healed, but Sun-Woo''s expression remained ridiculously calm. It was as if he couldn¡¯t feel any pain at all.

    "What is this supposed to be?" Soo-Yeong asked with a trembling voice.

    Her hands and feet, which had gone cold after seeing the blood, still hadn''t regained their warmth.

    Sun-Woo didn''t answer. Instead, he sat in front of the painting he had drawn and began muttering something. He wasn''t muttering in Korean. It was not English either. It was impossible to tell whatnguage it was. But judging by how Sun-Woo had his hands sped together and his eyes closed, she vaguely understood that it was prayer.

    Eventually, the prayer ended. However, nothing happened. Had he really gone through all that trouble of taking off his clothes, harming himself, and causing a ruckus all for nothing? For a moment, she felt so bbergasted that she was about to say something, but then the wind began to blow.

    It was not a mountain breeze or des made out of wind, but a strange breeze that contained a mysterious resonance. The resonance of the wind was preventing her mouth from opening.

    <i>Flutter.</i>

    The wind made her cor sway and her bangs flutter. And then, everything went dark in an instant. Within the darkness, dozens of stars appeared. A thread that shone white tied together all the haphazardly scattered stars in the sky. The light that radiated out from the stars and the thread cut through the darkness. The light swallowed up the darkness, and the view in front of them shone brightly.

    The light that shined so brightly that it would shine forever gradually faded. Soon, once it became possible to properly see the world, the dying tree in the corner of the wastnd disappeared. Only faint char marks remained as if faintly dering that life once upied that spot.

    The moment she btedly realized that the shining thread that had tied all the stars together was actually a single streak of lightning, Sun-Woo said, ¡°You saw that, right?¡±

    Soo-Yeong gazed back and forth between the tree that had turned to ashes and Sun-Woo''s nonchnt face.

    "Sobo...?"

    "Correct. You¡¯re smarter than I thought."

    It was the Loa of Thunder and Lightning, Sobo. He was capricious and noisy, but he was known to be asionally kind or cute in some aspects. That was why Soo-Yeong found it difficult to believe that the lightning she saw was Sobo''s power.

    The lightning was too calm to have been triggered by Sobo¡¯s power. It was intense, as if dozens or hundreds of lightning bolts had been condensed into one point, but it wasn¡¯t noisy. It came down silently, and after leaving a slight breeze, it quietly disappeared.

    It was calm and elegant, which was why it couldn''t have been Sobo''s power.

    "I heard that Sobo was extremely fickle and noisy."

    "That''s true, but it''s different if you use v¨¦v¨¦."

    V¨¦v¨¦ was a symbol that represented each of the Loa. It appeared that the picture Sun-Woo had drawn with his own blood was the v¨¦v¨¦. Sun-Woo continued his exnation. He exined that if one prayed after drawing the v¨¦v¨¦, the power would be much stronger than normal and that it would also be possible to manipte the intensity or form of the power as needed.

    "You don''t necessarily have to draw it with blood like I did. You can make it with animal bone dust, leaves, or something simr to that."

    "Ah... but do you have to take off your clothes?"

    "You don''t have to take them off. But..."

    <i>Drip.</i>

    Before Sun-Woo could finish his sentence, blood started flowing out his nose. The blood poured out like a waterfall and dripped down his chest.

    Soo-Yeong had just barely managed to regain warmth in her limbs when she once again felt her hands and feet go cold.

    Sun-Woo wiped away the blood that was flowing out of his nose with the back of his hand and said, "I took off my clothes because of the drawbacks. I didn¡¯t want to leave bloodstains on my clothes."

    "Wh-why are the drawbacks so severe?¡±

    "I didn''t expect it to be this bad either. It must be because my stamina weakened while I was at the hospital... Ugh. It smells like batteries in my head," Sun-Woo said while grimacing and pinching his temples.

    She had no idea what he meant when he said that his head smelled like batteries, but that wasn¡¯t important at the moment. Soo-Yeong quickly took off her outerwear and handed it to Sun-Woo.

    "Use this to wipe the blood. Why on earth did you do something like that...."

    "I can just wipe it off with my own clothes, can''t I?"

    "Argh, if you get blood all over your clothes, Dad and Mr. Yeom Man-Gun might think that I hit you!" Soo-Yeong shouted before handing over her clothes to Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo reluctantly epted the clothes, but he didn''t use them to wipe his blood. The expression on his face seemed to indicate that he didn¡¯t really want to do so.

    "Isn''t it also strange if there''s blood on your clothes?"

    "We just have to throw them away somewhere before we leave. The clothes are not expensive, and since it¡¯s summer, I don¡¯t really need outerwear. On the other hand, if you throw away those clothes, you won¡¯t have anything to wear.¡±

    "That''s true... Wait, now that I think about it, I can just wipe away the blood using rainwater."

    "Rainwater? But it''s not raining now."

    "We can just summon rain with the power of the Loa," Sun-Woo said nonchntly.

    Soo-Yeong raised her voice in frustration and said, ¡°...You¡¯re crazy! No wonder you¡¯re saying such nonsense about life and death. What are we going to do if you faint? I don''t want to carry someone like you."

    "It''s okay. I won''t faint that easily."

    "Yeah, whatever. Just wipe it off with my clothes," Soo-Yeong said with a deep sigh as if she was sick of Sun-Woo¡¯s antics.

    Sun-Woo stared nkly at the outerwear Soo-Yeong gave him and said, ¡°I¡¯m seriously going to wipe my face with this, alright?¡±

    ¡°I said it¡¯s fine. Why do you keep hesitating? It¡¯spletely fine.¡±

    "No, it''s just that there¡¯s a saying that you need to ask people from the Chungcheong province three times to see their true intentions."

    Soo-Yeong red at Sun-Woo with narrowed eyes.

    ¡°...You¡¯re insulting everyone from Chungcheong right now.¡±

    "Sorry. Anyway, I¡¯ll make good use of it."

    Sun-Woo chuckled and then wiped away the blood. At first nce, he seemed to have spilled a lot of blood, but when he actually wiped it off, it turned out that it wasn''t as much blood as he first thought. Since this was the case, he didn¡¯t really feel that it was necessary to discard the clothes, so he just rolled it up and held it in his arms. He could smell the faint scent of blooding from the clothes.

    After finally getting dressed, Sun-Woo asked as if he was confused, ¡°What the... Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to throw it away earlier?¡±

    Soo-Yeong tightly held the rolled-up clothes in her arms. While walking with Sun-Woo, she bluntly said, "Whether I throw it away or not, it''s my decision. They¡¯re my clothes."

    "Your dad might misunderstand."

    ¡°If I bundle up my clothes like this, he won¡¯t notice,¡± Soo-Yeong said while dropping her head.

    "...Dad doesn''t care about me anyway," she subconsciously confessed.

    Soo-Yeong abruptly looked at Sun-Woo as if she was startled by her own words. Sun-Woo just continued to look ahead while remaining silent. It was impossible for her to tell whether he was already aware of her family situation or if he simply didn¡¯t care.

    There was a moment of silence. It was when Yeom Man-Gun''s container could be seen in the distance that Sun-Woo said, "But why did you follow me?"

    Soo-Yeong hesitated for a moment as if she was searching for the appropriate answer.

    "...I have something rted to Voodoo spells to ask you about. You know the homework you gave mest time? I finished it all."

    "Really? That was fast. What do you want to ask?"

    ¡°If I ask you, will you answer?¡±

    ¡°Of course. Even if I die, I need to pass on my knowledge to the next Cult Leader before I do so,¡± Sun-Woo said whileughing in a yful manner.

    For some reason, Soo-Yeong felt her mood worsen, so she red at Sun-Woo. What he said wasn''t something to joke about. Two years ago, when she first saw Sun-Woo, he was short, small-framed, and above all, hecked strength in his eyes. No matter how she looked at it, she couldn''t believe that he was supposed to be the Cult Leader. It was then that Soo-Yeong vowed to be the Cult Leader herself.

    When she saw Sun-Woo at the recent executives¡¯ meeting, he hadpletely changed beyond recognition. He had grown taller, his physique had significantly improved, and his personality had also changed to be more like the Cult Leader. It was then that Soo-Yeong gave up on bing the Cult Leader.

    Today, Sun-Woo seemed to have changed once again. She couldn''t quite put her finger on how he had changed, but she could intuitively sense that something significant had happened. She couldn''t tell if it was a good change or a bad change. Watching him change day by day, Soo-Yeong couldn¡¯t help but feel an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

    "I¡¯ll just ask you next time."

    "Just ask me now. I''ll sincerely exin whatever you want to know."

    "I don''t want to. I''ll ask during the next executives meeting."

    All the previous leaders of the Voodoo Cult changed after going through a certain event. And not long after that, they died. As if following their predetermined fate, both the First Cult Leader and the Second Cult Leader ended up abruptly leaving the world. It also seemed like Sun-Woo was heading in that direction too. Based on the way he casually mentioned death, he might just casually die.

    "So, until then, don''t die. Finish teaching me everything I need to know before you die."

    And that was why she decided to leave a reason for him to meet her again. Sun-Woo smirked as if he understood her intentions.

    ¡°Based on your attitude, it looks like it¡¯ll take another hundred years to teach you everything you need to know.¡±

    "Yes, yes. That''s right. Then, all you have to do is live long,¡± Soo-Yeong deliberately replied sarcastically because she felt annoyed.

    She wondered why she had to worry about someone like him. She had other things to worry about.

    When they arrived, Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok were leaning against the container and smoking cigarettes. Sun-Woo directly went to wake up Jin-Sung, and Soo-Yeong approached her father while covering her nose due to the smell of cigarettes.

    Ha Pan-Seok looked at the bundle of clothes in Soo-Yeong''s arms and startedining.

    "Wait, aren''t these the clothes that you really like? How did they get so stained?"

    Soo-Yeong suppressed her desire not to answer and reluctantly replied, "It just happened. Somehow."

    Ha Pan-Seok clicked his tongue. "I knew this would happen. I told you not to wear it because it¡¯s hot, and yet you stubbornly insisted on wearing it.¡±

    "Ah, what do you want from me? Whether there are stains or not, they¡¯re my clothes. I''ll take care of it myself!"

    "...What''s with your attitude? You don''t talk like that to even the Cult Leader, right? I¡¯m saying all this for your own good, but how you speak has more influence on people''s impression than you think..."

    Ha Pan-Seok''s nagging continued.

    Soo-Yeong turned her head. The words went through one ear and out the other. She saw Sun-Woo getting into Executive Jin-Sung¡¯s car.

    * * *

    While I was at the Crossroads, I had many thoughts, and of course, I thought about In-Ah''s sister, Yoon-Ah.

    Han Su-Yeop had created a ridiculous cult called the Voodoo Revival Church, and he gained influence by utilizing the Altar that he had stolen from the underground chapel. As a result, Yoon-Ah became a zombie. It was something that urred due to my mistake, and thus I had to take responsibility for it.

    In order to revert Yoon-Ah back into a human, I had to use the reverse spell technique. And to use the reverse spell technique, I needed the Staff of Reversal. And in order to obtain the Staff of Reversal, I had to go to the Saudi Arabian History Museum.

    Yun Chang-Su''s letter allowed me to receive cooperation from the museum staff, but I still had tomit theft. It was a different level of riskpared to stealing junk food from a convenience store. To prepare for any potential danger, I had to find a method to use the Loa''s power more calmly and precisely.

    That was why I conducted a simple experiment with v¨¦v¨¦ and prayers, and the results were sessful. Through this experiment, I discovered that by using v¨¦v¨¦ and prayers, I could manipte the Loa''s power as I desired to a certain extent.

    The drawbacks were stronger than I thought, but that was because I had recently been discharged from the hospital. If I maintained a healthy diet and exercised diligently, the drawbacks would naturally decrease.

    I also had an idea on how to reach the state of acquirement that Legba previously mentioned. It was an idea that came to mind during the battle with Jun-Hyuk, and I was nning to immediately experiment with this idea once I returned to the underground chapel.

    [You¡¯re a monster!]

    At that moment, I heard a voice in my head. It was not from Legba but from another Loa. It was Granbwa.

    "What¡¯s up?"

    [To kill a perfectly healthy tree just for the sake of an experiment... I''m really disappointed in you, Prophet!]

    "It was a tree that was going to wither and die soon anyway. I just put an end to its suffering."

    [Unbelievable...!]

    Granbwa let out a gasp as if she was astonished by my cruelty. I continued speaking without hesitation. "And strictly speaking, that was Sobo''s doing."

    [But it was you who prayed!]

    "I wasn¡¯t the one that prayed, but my hands and mouth."

    [Do you think that''s a reasonable excuse? You monster, you trash!]

    "Legba, please cut off Granbwa''s voice."

    [All the nts in the world won''t forgive you¡ª]

    [Alright, I''ve cut it off.]

    Finally, it was quiet.

    My uncle nced at me with a puzzled look from the driver¡¯s seat. He seemed very tired earlier, but he now had a refreshed look on his face. Perhaps it was because he took a nap not too long ago.

    When the car exited the unpaved road and entered the highway, my uncle said, "What was that just now? Were you talking to those what-you-ma-call-its? The Loa?"

    I nodded.

    My uncle continued, "What were you talking about? The car¡¯s not going to break down like before, right?¡±

    "There was this strange person, and we had a little argument."

    "A strange person?"

    "Yes. Someone who really hates vegetarians..."

    "Oh dear. So, is that person a carnivore?"

    "Hmm, I wonder... I''m not really sure."

    It was a question I had never thought about. Was Granbwa a carnivore? Of course, she obviously wasn¡¯t a vegetarian...

    By the time I came to the conclusion that she was a fasting enthusiast, Legba said, [Granbwa says that she will curse you. What are you going to do?]

    ¡°Will she calm down if we console her?¡±

    [I''m not sure if that will work. She seems extremely angry.]

    "Please let them know that I will prepare something very nice for the next offering."

    [She says she doesn¡¯t need it.]

    "One less mouth to feed. I¡¯d say that''s a win."

    [Oh... Granbwa seems to be screaming. This is a truly rare sight,] Legba said before chuckling happily.

    It looked like I needed to apologize to Granbwater. I could also give her an apple as an offering while doing so. It would be a truly symbolic and ambiguous apology. [1]

    [Oh dear, has she lost her mind?] Legba said.

    I ignored Legba¡¯s words and checked my phone. There were a few messages from Ji-Ah asking about my well-being and a message from Florence Academy announcing an extended school closure. Other than that, there were no other messages. No messages from In-Ah, Jin-Seo, or Jun-Hyuk.

    Ah, that¡¯s right. I killed Jun-Hyuk. Anyway, it seemed like everyone was busy. Just as I was about to reply to Ji-Ah to tell her that I might return earlier than nned, my phone vibrated.

    [Please call once you check this message.]

    It was an unknown number, but I had a feeling I knew who the caller was. It was because the intention behind the message was all too clear.

    "It must be voice phishing."

    "What? Scammers are still doing voice phishing these days?"

    "Seems like it."

    After sending another text to Ji-Ah, I put my phone in my pocket.

    1. Apple and apology are homophones in Korean. ?

 Chapter 142

    <h4>Chapter 142</h4>

    Due to the school closure, I spent my time conducting experiments while trapped inside the underground chapel. First, I summoned two Loa with possibly goodpatibility. They were Marte, the Loa of Fire, and Bade, the Loa of Wind. I was inspired by the idea ofbining fire and wind to increase the efficiency of the power of the Loa. Thus, I tried tobine the powers of these two Loa.

    To cut to the chase, it was a failure.

    [You expect me to coborate with this ipetent fool? Absolutely not! That idiot can''t even pronounce words that are longer than three sybles!]

    [Me too. I. Dislike. Bade. Very. Much!]

    [Besides, she has a history of betrayal. I have no intention of cooperating with such a traitor!]

    It was because they had a very bad rtionship. I tried to encourage them to reconcile, but it was to no avail. Bade strongly expressed that he had no intention of reconciling with an ipetent Loa like Marte, let alone cooperating with them.

    "Can''t you just reconcile? You''re being unnecessarily stubborn."

    [I¡¯m not being stubborn! I feel ashamed to be a Loa because of Marte!]

    [I, very, hurt...]

    Bade really disliked Marte. The truth was, besides Bade, lots of Loa also disliked Marte. It was because of the past incident where she betrayed the Loa and sided with Han Su-Yeop.

    It was safe to say that almost all the Loa disliked Marte. I also didn''t really like her. In any case, it didn¡¯t seem like I would be able tobine Bade and Marte¡¯s powers.

    Whenever I had free time, I experimented with Voodoo spells in order to ¡°acquire¡± them. I tried various methods and tricks to sessfully acquire the curse of fainting spell, but I wasn''t sure if it was really a sess since I hadn''t used it in a real situation yet.

    When I practiced spells alone, I often doubted whether what I was doing was right.

    It was much easier and morefortable to practice spells when my father was around because the path to follow had been clearlyid out. I suddenly remembered the time when I practiced spells with my father.

    <i>- "Here, this one is called Memory Annihtion. It is a very difficult spell...¡±</i>

    <i>- "Wow, how do you do that?"</i>

    <i>- "Just watch and follow. My son is a genius, so you can do it."</i>

    <i>- "Really? I don¡¯t think I can do it, though?"</i>

    <i>- "Really? Well... it seems like you''re not my son after all."</i>

    Upon further reflection, it didn''t seem like such a pleasant memory. Anyway, I practiced the spell and meticulously recorded my process in a notebook. I also recorded conversations with my father and mother that asionally came to mind. Memories that were not recorded would eventually fade away, just like how I could no longer recall my mother¡¯s face, which I had previously been able to easily recall at any time. I was afraid of losing my memories.

    Eventually, the school closure approached its end, and announcements of extending closure ceased to arrive. I was looking at the bathroom mirror with my shirt off. Now that I thought about it, it had been a long time since I closely examined my face with a mirror.

    "Who is this hobo...?"

    I had grown a beard, and my face looked much thinner than before. Perhaps due to my irregr sleep schedule, dark circles that stretched all the way down to my cheeks could be seen under my eyes. My hair was long and messy, and my eyes seemed listless.

    Overall, my facecked vitality. The scars on my stomach were still gruesome and prominent. I wondered how I ended up in this state. I asionally exercised at home, but still, my overall body shape had be thinner. I lost weight and a lot of muscle as well. Perhaps it was because I often skipped meals due to being so focused on my experiments.

    Through the mirror, I saw Ji-Ah approaching from behind.

    "Cult Leader," she said in aposed manner.

    She had opened the door and entered without knocking, and she scanned my haggard face and the scar on my stomach unabashedly.

    "You¡¯re much skinnier than I thought.¡±

    "It¡¯s because I haven''t been exercising."

    "Isn¡¯t it because you''re not eating?"

    "That could also be a factor."

    "You also don''t drink enough water. And you don''t get much sunlight. And sometimes I even see bloodstains in your room. What exactly are you doing inside your room?"

    "I was practicing spells... And then, well, that¡¯s what happened."

    Those bloodstains were a result of the process of acquiring spells.

    After hearing my response, Ji-Ah nkly stared at my face for a while. As usual, there wasn¡¯t any emotion on her face, but I sensed faint resentment. She lowered her gaze and looked at the scar on my stomach.

    "Will the scar never disappear?" she asked.

    "It might fade a bit over time, but the doctor doesn¡¯t think it will disappear."

    "That just shows how reckless you were.¡±

    "You''re being a bit harsh with your words..."

    "It¡¯s time to eat. Your meal is ready," Ji-Ah said before storming out of the bathroom without looking back.

    Left alone, I watched her back as she headed toward the kitchen. Then I turned on the water and quickly washed my face, shaved, and tidied up my hair. Finally, I looked somewhat presentable, albeit still frail. I dried off the remaining moisture and went to the dining table.

    On top of the table, Ji-Ah had prepared a feast. There was just way too much food. There was no way I would be able to eat it all by myself.

    "There''s too much for me to eat alone."

    "If there''s any left, Teacher will eat it."

    "Uncle always ends up eating leftover food."

    "Since he rarely stays inside the underground chapel, there''s nothing we can do about it," Ji-Ah said in aposed manner as if she was stating the obvious.

    Uncle often wandered around, and as a result, he wouldn¡¯t eat on time, or he would eat out. Uncle wasn¡¯t in the underground chapel at the moment¡ªhe left the chapel after saying that he had things to take care of.

    I started eating. I could hardly taste anything, and the texture was blurry and dull. The only thing I could properly sense was the smell.

    "Does it taste alright?" Ji-Ah asked.

    I swallowed without even fully chewing all the food in my mouth before nodding my head.

    "It''s delicious."

    "That''s a relief."

    "But you don''t have to cook for me next time."

    "Why?"

    "I think it would be better if I just prepared the food by myself. Isn''t it tiring for you to cook all the time, too?"

    After barely surviving, thanks to the Contract of the Dead, I had lost my sense of taste. I didn¡¯tpletely lose my sense of taste, though. It would be more appropriate to say that the range of vors I could perceive had greatly been reduced. In other words, whether Ji-Ah cooked for me with care or whether I cooked the food myself and ate it, there was no significant difference.

    After listening to my words, Ji-Ah looked at me with a cold and stiff expression.

    "...But if I don''t prepare meals, I have nothing else to do here. Don¡¯t you do everything else? For example, theundry or the dishes."

    "I¡¯m doing all that because nuna can''t do it."

    "I know how to do all that."

    "You broke a te while doing dishesst time."

    "That''s because my hands are small."

    "Whenever nuna does theundry, the clothes smell weird."

    "That''s because we''re underground. And it''s summer right now."

    "It''s fine if I do all those chores."

    "Well..." Ji-Ah trailed off before ring at me.

    "Anyway, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll continue cooking. Because I can''t do anything else."

    "Then just prepare something simple. Like chicken breasts or something like that."

    "Do you really need to eat something so tasteless?"

    "It¡¯s because I still haven''t fully recovered. I have to eat healthy things to recover more quickly," I said before finishing my meal.

    Since I couldn''t really taste anything properly, I just ate an appropriate amount. The fact that I wouldn¡¯t be able to taste Ji-Ah¡¯s excellent cooking anymore made me feel a little sad.

    Ji-Ah looked at me silently. Then, as if reluctant, she slowly nodded and said, "Then I''ll prepare healthy meals from now on."

    "Thank you. Actually, I¡¯d feel morefortable if I prepared the meals myself."

    "But then I would feel ufortable. Is it fine as long as only the Cult Leader isfortable?¡±

    Feeling slightly upset, I said, "No, that''s not what I meant... But you''ve been speaking a bit harshly since earlier. Did I do something wrong?"

    Lately, Ji-Ah was openly revealing her bad mood toward me. I tried to recall if I had done anything to deserve this treatment, but I couldn''t think of anything. Still, I might have unintentionally done something to hurt her feelings, so I asked just in case.

    As if surprised, Ji-Ah''s eyes widened slightly. It was as if she btedly realized that her tone had been a bit harsh.

    She cautiously apologized while lowering her gaze. "I''m sorry. It wasn''t intentional..."

    ¡°Why have you been so moodytely?¡± I asked.

    In response, Ji-Ah hesitated and nervously picked up her phone. After checking the time, she absentmindedly fiddled with her phone before finally speaking up.

    "I heard that Soo-Yeong has been chosen as the next Cult Leader."

    "...It''s not confirmed. She has just been temporarily assigned as the next Cult Leader. Where did you hear that from?"

    "She said it herself."

    Ji-Ah handed me her phone as she said that. On the screen, I could see the exchange of messages between Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong.

    [I¡¯m the Fourth Cult Leader. Treat me with respect from now on.]

    [Nonsense.]

    [Sun-Woo said it to me directly just now.]

    [Sun-Woo? Is the Cult Leader your friend?]

    Because Soo-Yeong didn''t reply to Ji-Ah''s message, that was the end of the exchange. I scrolled up to examine the conversation between the two a little more. Most of the conversations started with Soo-Yeong teasing Ji-Ah, and the conversations typically ended with Ji-Ah ignoring Soo-Yeong.

    "Are you two close?" I asked.

    I was a little curious to see two people who didn''t seem like they would be close getting along and contacting each other like this.

    Ji-Ah''s face hardened. "No, we''re not close."

    "You seem close to me."

    "Not at all."

    She firmly denied my words and snatched the phone away from my hand. I had no idea when they exchanged contact information, but they seemed quite close. Since there was a chance that they might work together someday, I thought about forcing them to get along even if their rtionship was bad, but seeing the messages that they exchanged with each other, it didn¡¯t seem necessary.

    "Anyway, is this why you''re upset?"

    "I''m not upset... I''m not upset at all."

    "Then?"

    Ji-Ah hesitated and was unable to answer. Just as I was wondering whether my inquisitive tone had gone overboard, Ji-Ah looked up and answered me before I could correct my question. "I didn¡¯t think we needed to rush in choosing the next Cult Leader like this."

    "What? So you were upset over this."

    "That''s not what I meant. I..." Ji-Ah trailed off.

    A faint, confused expression appeared on her face. As if trying to hide the expression, she hurriedly cleared the dishes that were spread out on the table. Her movements were unusually restless.

    After neatly tidying up the table, she sat down in a vacant seat across from me and said, "Cult Leader, when are you nning to die?"

 Chapter 143

    <h4>Chapter 143</h4>

    "Cult Leader, when are you nning to die?" Ji-Ah asked me.

    It was a peculiar question. I thought about the intention, but I couldn''t quite put my finger on it. After all, deciding when I would die wasn¡¯t up to me.

    ¡°No idea. I suppose I¡¯d like to die aste as possible?¡±

    "If that¡¯s the case, I believe it is better for you to choose the next Cult Leader aste as you can as well. And I suggest you choose carefully."

    "Isn''t it better for me to decide quickly? Since I don''t know when I will die."

    "That mindset is the problem, Cult Leader," Ji-Ah said in a sharp tone once again.

    I was slightly taken aback.

    "What? What¡¯s wrong with my mindset?"

    "Just because the next Cult Leader has been chosen doesn''t mean it¡¯s alright for you to die."

    ¡°I¡¯ve never once thought that it was alright for me to die.¡±

    "Didn''t you choose the next Cult Leader in preparation for your death?"

    "It''s just a precaution. Many ominous events have urredtely, and no one knows when I will die.¡±

    Ji-Ah stared at me with slightly narrowed eyes as if she was dissatisfied with my answer. I stared back into her eyes.

    There was a moment of silence. Not long after, Ji-Ah turned her gaze away and said, "I understand. Anyway, please don''t die."

    "Just because I don¡¯t want to die doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t die."

    "Don''t die," Ji-Ah repeated once again while staring intently at me.

    Her tone was almostmanding. It surprised me a little because up until now, she had never spoken to me with such a firm tone before.

    "Miss Ji-Ah, you should speak for yourself. You almost diedst time due to the incident that urred while you were secretly investigating the Satanists."

    "That... Why are you bringing up the past?"

    "Is the investigation on Inquisitor Joseph going well?¡±

    "Ah, yes. It¡¯s going well...¡± Ji-Ah mumbled and avoided my gaze.

    ¡°...It¡¯s not really going that well, but I¡¯m working hard. Since he¡¯s an inquisitor, there isn''t much information avable, and the security..."

    ording to her, the inquisitors were affiliated with the Holy See, so it was not easy to gather information about them like ordinary people or regr clergymen. Due to the fact that the information belonging to the Holy See was so securely guarded, she was currently indirectly gathering information through safe methods. I had no real domain knowledge of information gathering, so it was difficult for me to understand what Ji-Ah was saying. Nevertheless, it seemed like she was doing well.

    "By the way, Miss Ji-Ah."

    Something suddenly came to mind while we were talking about information gathering. At the time of the incident, mercenaries arrived at the Florence Academy main gate and prevented the pdins from entering. From what I heard, the name of the mercenary group was called the Ravens.

    "Do you know about the Ravens Mercenary Group?"

    "Yes, I do."

    Ji-Ah kindly exined details about the Ravens Mercenary Group. It was originally a group of farmers in charge of unownednd in Incheon that banded together to create the Ravens Mercenary Group.

    The deputy leader was known for his skills, and the leader¡¯s identity was shrouded in mystery. Due to their recent defeat by the Eastern Pdin Order, their reputation had slightly declined.

    I had a feeling that I knew who the leader of the Ravens was. I suspected that it was one of the traitors who had left the Voodoo Cult during the Holy War. I wasn¡¯t certain, though. For now, it seemed like it would be a good idea to investigate them with Ji-Ah¡¯s help.

    "Would it also be possible to investigate them as well? It would be easier to investigate mercenaries rather than inquisitors, right?"

    "Investigating the mercenaries... will be slightly moreplicated than investigating the inquisitors."

    "Why?"

    "To investigate mercenaries, I have to rely on word of mouth... So, I have to approach active mercenaries and acquaintances to obtain intel. It''s simr to when I investigated the Satanists."

    "Ah, then don''t do it."

    Previously, Ji-Ah was kidnapped by Satanists while investigating them. If she got kidnapped once again while investigating the mercenaries, then I would ultimately have to be the one to rescue her. If that was the case, then it was better not to conduct an investigation.

    After listening to my words, Ji-Ah momentarily closed her mouth and pouted.

    "...I can do it."

    "It seems dangerous, so just don''t do it."

    "It''s not that dangerous because many different holy artifacts can help with investigations and tracking nowadays."

    "What if you end up getting kidnappedst time?"

    "...I won''t make the same mistake again. I guarantee it."

    "You never know. What do I do if you get kidnapped again? Do I have to go save you again?¡±

    "..."

    Ji-Ah fell silent.

    If the investigation was dangerous, it would be better for me to do it instead of asking Ji-Ah to do it. It was natural for me to take risks for my goals, but sacrificing others for my goals was uneptable. No matter what happened, a cult leader could not sacrifice their followers for their own personal gain.

    ¡°Just focus on investigating the inquisitor, please. If investigating the inquisitor also gets dangerous, don¡¯t investigate any further.¡±

    "Yes, I understand..."

    She reluctantly nodded her head.

    While I was still thinking about the Ravens Mercenary Group, I felt Ji-Ah''s gaze. When I looked up, I saw Ji-Ah staring daggers at me.

    "Why? Is there anything else that you want to say?"

    "What? No, um..."

    She hesitated for a moment and then avoided my gaze before letting out a deep sigh.

    "It''s a little strange to be called Miss Ji-Ah. It''s kind of, well..." she said.

    "Yes, go on. Miss Ji-Ah," I said.

    "...It feels distant."

    "But Miss Ji-Ah, you said it was okay to call you Kang Ji-Ah before."

    "That was... when we first met, and now the situation is..." Ji-Ah exined hesitantly.

    She was clearly flustered. It had been a long time since I had seen such distinct changes in her expression. Maybe everything felt unfamiliar because I had crawled out after dwelling in the corner of my room for such a long time.

    Ji-Ah was still frantically trying to exin herself when she eventually trailed off and then looked at me with a pouting face.

    "...Please don''tugh. This is serious."

    "I''m not serious, though. It was a joke."

    "Seriously..."

    Every sentence we exchanged was filled with mischief. Ji-Ah let out a faint snicker. Herughter briefly surfaced and then faded away in the blink of an eye. That fleeting smile remained deeply etched in my mind.

    The more I got to know her, the more diverse her expressions seemed to be. Or perhaps her expressions had been diverse from the beginning, but I hadn''t noticed them, and it was only now that I could finally discern her expressions.

    Regardless of what it was, I thought it was a good change.

    When I returned to my room after eating, Legba said, [How about going outside for a bit? You look like a mess because you haven¡¯t touched grass in a while.]

    Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t gone outside for multiple days now.

    I was anxious that someone might be watching me, and due to the feeling of helplessness that had umted after staying inside for an extended period of time, I was afraid of going outside. There was also the fact that I didn''t have time to go out because there were too many experiments to conduct.

    "Even if I don''t want to go out, I have to go out soon," I replied while looking at the mold growing in one corner of the ceiling. Summer hade, and the environment in the underground chapel was bing increasingly harsh.

    [Yeah,e to think of it, the school closure period is almost over. Are you disappointed?]

    "A little bit. Rxing at home was nice andfortable."

    [Even if you''re disappointed, there¡¯s nothing that can be done. If a student doesn¡¯t attend school, they¡¯re no longer a student. Don¡¯t forget your duty as a student,] Legba said beforeughing.

    It seemed like it was just yesterday that he was droning on about the duty of a cult leader, and today, he was talking about the duty of a student. I couldn''t tell which of Legba''s words were serious and which were jokes.

    ***

    Since the underground chapel was located underground, it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Of course, the temperature and humidity could be adjusted to a tolerable level with air conditioning. As long as the building was well-maintained, there were no major hygiene issues. However, just the fact that I was living underground in the middle of summer made me feel miserable and unhappy.

    Thus, I applied for a dormitory.

    A week before the end of the school closure period, selective attendance was permitted. Those who needed to use the school facilities or had business in the office were allowed to enter the school. It was during this time that I visited the teacher''s office and applied to live in the dormitory.

    Living in the dormitory would allow me to escape the harsh environment of the underground chapel, and it also allowed me to avoid Joseph''s suspicion and surveince.

    However, there were some drawbacks, such as having to obtain permission every time I wanted to go out at night, which limited my freedom to some extent. But it was a drawback that I was willing to ept. After all, if a needle was hidden in a haystack, no one would be all the wiser.

    "Are you going straight to the dormitory as soon as you go back to school?" my uncle asked.

    He returned to the underground chapel after a long time. I nodded.

    "Probably. There''s nothing good about staying here for a long time."

    "I see. It¡¯s a room for two people, right? Ah, Florence Academy has lots of money, so do they give you a room to yourself?¡± my uncle asked somewhat sarcastically.

    "Normally, I¡¯m supposed to get a room for two people, but since there¡¯s a room left over, they gave me a single room."

    "Oh... it seems like they are swimming in money."

    "Yeah."

    I absentmindedly nodded and was about to enter my room when I suddenly felt that my uncle¡¯s face looked a little unfamiliar. It felt like seeing him after a very long time. The reason why was simple. It was because I was <i>actually</i> seeing my uncle after a very long time.

    "What have you been doingtely, messing around like that?"

    "Hey, do you really have to express it as messing around like that?"

    "What have you been doing, roaming around like that?"

    I corrected my question as my uncle demanded. While checking his phone, my uncle absentmindedly said, "It''s nothing special. Just helping someone with their identity."

    "Someone? Who?"

    "The Gyeonggi Branch executive. You know, the one who escaped to China.¡±

    Due to her extensive religious activities, the Holy See tracked down the Gyeonggi Branch executive, and as a result, she had to flee to China in a hurry.

    At first, she fled to China, then she went to Russia and then Brazil, and she traveled all over the world. She even wandered around on an unnamed ind. ording to my uncle, the identityundering step was already over, and once her disguise wasplete, she could enter the country immediately. It meant that she would most likely reveal her face at the next executive meeting.

    "You will be surprised when you see her. She¡¯s pretty."

    "Really? I don¡¯t remember her being that pretty though?" I said curiously.

    Although I wasn''t in a position to judge someone''s appearance, objectively speaking, that person didn''t have a conventionally pretty face. Instead, there were noticeable ws on her face. I remembered her face as one where the ws were parts that gave it appeal.

    My uncle raised his finger and pointed at my face as he said, "After the surgery, she became apletely different person."

    "Ah, I see," I replied casually.

    Regardless of how attractive that person became, it had nothing to do with me. I never really liked her in the first ce. She had a talent for annoying me with her constant nagging. Just the thought of hearing that annoying voice again gave me a headache.

    ***

    It was time to return to school.

    I remember feeling excited and nervous when I went to the school for the first time after going through various hardships and enrolling in Florence Academy. Looking back now, I wondered why I had been so excited about something like this. I guess it was fairly obvious that my excitement had significantly fizzled offpared to the first day of school.

    I arrived at the ssroom just in time to avoid beingte.

    The first thing I noticed was an empty desk. It was the seat that Jun-Hyuk used to sit in. There was a single white chrysanthemum on the desk.

    Ye-Jin entered the ssroom shortly after and quickly noticed it.

    "What the... Who put this here...!"

    Ye-Jin picked up the chrysanthemum and threw it in the trash can. Then she looked around with a flushed face as if she was angry. It looked like she was trying to find the culprit.

    However, all the students simply stared at her with innocent faces as if they had no clue who the culprit was.

    Ye-Jin stood at the front of the ssroom and let out a deep sigh.

    "Everyone, I''m sure you¡¯ve all heard that Jun-Hyuk went missing, either through the news or through acquaintances. If you didn''t know, now you know. But in any case..."

    Ye-Jin said with a gloomy expression on her face, "Being missing and being dead is different. Putting a chrysanthemum on a missing person''s desk like this is extremely rude and ignorant behavior. Do you understand?"

    None of the students answered. The ssroom was filled with silence.

    In-Ah turned around from her seat in front of me, and our gazes met. She quickly turned her head and avoided my gaze. For some reason, she seemed to find it difficult to make eye contact with me.

    The silence continued for a while, and Ye-Jin slowly scanned the faces of the students sitting in silence.

    She closed her eyes, let out a deep sigh, and then said with a faint smile, "Well, then, let''s start homeroom. Since there are many important announcements today, please listen carefully..."

    There were indeed many announcements. Most of them were trivial, and I already knew about the contents of the major announcements.

    If I were to mention two shocking facts I learned today, the first was that the length of the school summer vacation period was going to be subtracted by the length of the school closure period. The system was designed so that if students didn¡¯t fulfill the required number of days of attendance, they would face penalties. Thus, they said that there was no choice in the matter.

    <i>¡®I won''t be able to go to the beach...¡¯</i>

    Since there was no summer vacation, that meant that I wouldn¡¯t be able to go to the beach. Well, to be frank, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to go regardless.

    The second shocking fact was that the first semester''s first and second exams were nowbined, and thus, the written and practical exams would be conducted back to back. The date of the exam was neen days from now. It was said that this was announced through a text message during the school closure period.

    Judging from the expressions of the other students, it seemed like everyone besides me already knew about this.

    "Everyone, prepare well. Due to this incident, the schedule has been pushed back andbined, so the weight of the exams will probably be a little heavier than the other exams. The practical exam will also be the same."

    While nervously sweating and checking my phone for the text message I had received from school, Ye-Jin said, "There are still many parts of the schedule that have not been confirmed yet, so I''ll let you know again when they are confirmed..."

    Ye-Jin''s voice no longer reached my ears. I diligently checked the message history, hoping to find a notification about changes in the exam schedule.

    ...Nothing. There was nothing.

    No matter how many times I checked, nothing appeared. I checked again, and it was certain. I had never received a text message rted to the exam schedule.

    I felt that there was a need to raise aint about this.

 Chapter 144

    <h4>Chapter 144</h4>

    "What? I contacted your parents, though. Let me check again...¡±

    "Ah... no, it''s okay."

    When I arrived at the administration office to inquire, they told me that they contacted my parents instead of me, and as a result, I had no choice but to ept my fate. Based on the fake identities that we were maintaining, my uncle was supposed to be my father.

    My uncle probably received a call but probably forgot to tell me because he was too busy. It was probably my fault, and even if it was the school¡¯s fault, nothing would change.

    It wasn¡¯t like they could dy the exam schedule for my sake, so there was a high chance that the matter would be resolved with a simple apology, even if it was an administrative error. I felt thatining any further would only end up being detrimental to me, so I just returned to the ssroom.

    "... "

    The ssroom was as silent as it was in the morning. All the students'' eyes universally focused on me as I entered the ssroom. Their gazes had glimmers of curiosity within them.

    It was probably because Jun-Hyuk had disappeared due to the incident that urred not too long ago, and I was Jun-Hyuk''s friend. In addition, I was one of the five clergymen who had been revived thanks to the ¡°miracle.¡±

    It felt suffocating. It felt like those gazes were choking me. I tried my best to ignore those gazes as I made my way to In-Ah¡¯s desk. She was lying on her desk, fast asleep. I nned on casually talking to her, maybe cracking a joke or two like usual, but it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought it would be.

    How did we usually start our conversations?

    Now that I thought about it, it felt like there weren¡¯t many times when I approached her and initiated a conversation. It was always either In-Ah or Jun-Hyuk who initiated the conversation, and I would naturally end up joining in.

    I returned to my seat and sat down.

    [The atmosphere is quite different from usual. I guess I¡¯m stating the obvious, though,] Legba said.

    His tone was calm and dry. It even sounded somewhat sleepy. I didn¡¯t respond, nor did I nod my head. Instead, I took out a book from my bag and opened it up. It was difficult for me to focus on the text.

    Just like Legba said, the atmosphere had indeed changed.

    It wasn¡¯t just the ssroom. It felt like the entire school had be a slightly different Florence Academy from the one that I was used to. I had no idea if it was the school that had changed or whether it was my perspective that had changed.

    There were no sses in the morning because some teachers were still undergoing treatment. It was difficult to carry out practical training or sses as normal, and since exams wereing up, they wanted to give us ample self-study time.

    I tried to focus on my book for about an hour, but I couldn''t concentrate. I decided to just go outside.

    <i> </i> ***

    She had a fight with Ra-Hee.

    To be precise, she didn''t have a fight with her. They just became a little more distant from each otherpared to before. Previously, they would contact each other whenever they had time, and they would stick together regardless of what happened, but now they would awkwardly turn their heads and avoid eye contact.

    She searched her memories and tried to figure out how their rtionship ended up like this, but she had no idea how this happened. It seemed like their rtionship started drifting apart the day after the Satanist appeared at school.

    It wasn¡¯t like either of them did or said anything wrong. They just naturally became distant, so there wasn¡¯t any way to reconcile. The situation was even more awkward and difficult to deal with because there was no reason for this change.

    As a result, she found it difficult to concentrate, so she went outside to take a break and get some fresh air. Florence Academy had a rxed atmosphere where they wouldn¡¯t get scolded even if they went for a walk outside during self-study time.

    In order to avoid the sun, she sat on a bench under some shade. It was then that she saw a man walking aimlessly with a vacant expression on his face. Ha-Yeon only knew one person who emitted such a dark atmosphere just by walking. It was Sun-Woo.

    "Oh, um...!"

    She felt somewhat d to see him, so she wanted to call out to him, but she changed her mind and stopped. It was because she suddenly remembered the moment when she was surrounded by taxidermied creatures and trapped in the chaos when he broke through the ss window to rescue them. She vaguely remembered answering in a daze when he asked her about her scars or something.

    She couldn''t recall the conversation that took ce then because her mind had been inplete turmoil, but the lingering questions from that time still remained vividly in her memory.

    "..."

    Setting aside why he saved her and Ra-Hee, how exactly did he find them? She thought about it during the entire school closure period, but no matter how much she thought about it, there was only one answer.

    Especially considering the obsession and madness reflected in Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes during that time, there was no other reasonable exnation. After arriving at a certain conclusion, she couldn''t figure out how to deal with him in the future. She was hesitant to initiate a conversation, fearing that it might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, but she couldn''t just avoid himpletely, either.

    Moreover, from Ha-Yeon''s perspective, Sun-Woo was someone she eventually had to get closer to. She knew this would happen, but now that it actually happened, the situation seemed a lot more difficult than she had anticipated.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Eek!"

    At that moment, Ha-Yeon let out a short scream in response to a sudden voice. She had been lost in various thoughts, so she didn''t even realize someone was approaching her. She was so surprised that she almost fell over.

    When she regained herposure, she saw that Sun-Woo was standing in front of her without any prior noise or indication of his arrival. It was as if he had teleported in front of her. Ha-Yeon leaned back, widening the distance between them.

    ¡°What... Why are you here?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    Sun-Woo didn''t respond. He simply took a seat next to her. He wasn¡¯t very close, but he was by no means far away. Ha-Yeon was quite taken aback by the distance between the two of them. Sun-Woo looked Ha-Yeon up and down. His gaze stopped at one point. It seemed like he was looking at the scar on her palm.

    Ha-Yeon clenched her fist to hide her wound but then realized there was no need to hide it from Sun-Woo, so she released the tension.

    Perhaps it was because she was nervous right now, but it felt like her actions were stiff. But why was she nervous? ¡®<i>The nervous one should be the other person over there, not me.¡¯</i>

    There was no time for her to ponder the sudden question that came to mind. Sun-Woo pointed at Ha-Yeon''s palm and said, "The scar has gotten bigger."

    "Ah, yes. At that time..."

    Ha-Yeon briefly touched her own palm. She originally only had one scar, but now she had multiple scars on her hand.

    When Sun-Woo was dying due to the ck magic spell, Ha-Yeon had inflicted a wound on her palm in an attempt to activate the blessing of purification. However, since the ck magic spell did not get purified, she inflicted more wounds to let more blood flow out.

    After regaining consciousness, she realized that her palms werepletely covered in cuts. The doctor used the expression, ¡®The palm waspletely obliterated.¡¯

    They stitched up the wounds and alternated between medication and sacred healing, but it was impossible topletely eliminate the scars. The best they could do was make them faint enough to not be too noticeable.

    She didn¡¯t know why she was so desperate to save Sun-Woo. Perhaps it was partly due to the guilt she felt over her past misdeeds or the fact that he possessed the blood of purification, but it seemed like the main reason was that she felt she had to save him and because she had the means to save him.

    Come to think of it, perhaps part of the reason why Sun-Woo survived was thanks to her. While thinking such things, Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously smile, and Sun-Woo looked at her as if she were a weirdo.

    "Why are you... smiling?"

    "Oh, um. No, it''s nothing. Is your body alright?"

    Ha-Yeon awkwardly covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to cover her smile as she quickly changed the subject. Sun-Woo lifted his head with a strange expression on his face as if reminiscing about something.

    For a while, he continued to look up into the sky while remaining silent. Then, with a troubled expression on his face, he eventually let out a deep sigh. He then tightly closed his eyes before opening them again.

    "Thanks to you, I''m okay. Thank you," he said.

    "Huh? Thank you?"

    "Is there something wrong with saying thank you?"

    "...Because there''s no reason for you to be thankful to me."

    "Why not? Your hand ended up like that because of me, right?"

    "That''s true... but ultimately, it didn''t really help."

    "Just the fact that you tried to save me is enough for me to be grateful."

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon wondered whether she had misheard Sun-Woo as she stared at him with a dazed expression for a long time.

    <i>He was thankful? </i>

    There was no way that that person could say such words so easily. His personality, and above all, his aura, waspletely different from usual. It was as if he had be a different person.

    Now that she thought about it, she was reminded of a simr development that had urred in a novel she had read before.

    A terminally ill person miraculously survived and then seemed to change into a different person. It turned out that a different soul was inside their body. She remembered that the plot was something like that.

    <i>...Could this person also be? </i>

    "Are you really Sun-Woo?"

    "What?"

    "No... never mind."

    Her delusions seemed to be a little too excessive, so she quickly backpedaled away from that idea. Maybe it was just her, but her face felt a little flushed. There was no way that it was a different person. Just like how people said that a person would change when they fell in love, perhaps his personality slightly changed because of some sort of catalyst.

    Putting that aside, it felt good to hear words of gratitude. She didn¡¯t really know why this person suddenly said such things, but it felt like she was receiving recognition for her efforts. If it were someone else, then it probably wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal, but it felt special to be acknowledged by Sun-Woo.

    Feeling confident, Ha-Yeon crossed her legs. Then, with a smugugh, she said, "Anyway, there''s no need to thank me. I just did what I had to do."

    "Yeah. Very impressive..." Sun-Woo nodded and obediently yed along.

    In the past, he would have openly shown his dislike and made a disgusted expression, but throughout the conversation today, he had a faint smile on his lips. Even his tone of voice was quite affectionate.

    Sun-Woo had been scanning the floor with lowered eyes when he suddenly looked up and stared at Ha-Yeon. The gaze was cold like usual, but at the same time, there was a strange heat emanating from it.

    Ha-Yeon quietly held her breath. She felt her body stiffening as if she was getting overwhelmed by the gaze.

    "I have something to ask," Sun-Woo said.

    He then paused for a moment as if trying to gauge Ha-Yeon''s reaction. There was clear determination in his eyes, and she could also sense some hesitation.

    At that moment, Ha-Yeon felt a foreboding. This was clearly a situation where he was about to confess or say something equally heavy. She had to stop Sun-Woo before he opened his mouth again. Hearing such words from Sun-Woo wouldn''t necessarily upset her, but she wasn''t ready for it yet. Above all, if she heard such words during the exam period, they would distract her from studying, and it would undoubtedly have a negative impact on her grades.

    "You gu©¤"

    "Wait, ju-just a moment!" Ha-Yeon urgently interrupted Sun-Woo''s words.

    Sun-Woo stared at Ha-Yeon with a puzzled expression on his face. Not caring about the fact that she was stuttering, Ha-Yeon quickly said, "Studying! You should study. It''s a student''s duty to study... What if you get caught ying outside like this during self-study time?"

    "...What nonsense are you spouting? You''re also ying outside."

    "I just took a short break from studying. G-go inside and go back to studying quickly." Ha-Yeon rambled on in a frenzied manner.

    Sun-Woo had his mouth open halfway as if he was bbergasted. His expression eventually stiffened, and he said, "But who are you to lecture me? You''re terrible at studying."

 Chapter 145

    <h4>Chapter 145</h4>

    "...What? Huh. Wh-what did you say?"

    Ha-Yeon scrunched up her face. Something snapped in her head.

    Sun-Woo red at Ha-Yeon with cold eyes. ¡°I¡¯m better than you at studying."

    "That''s nonsense...! I don''t know what delusion you''re having, but I''m much better than you at studying."

    "What ce were you in evaluations?"

    ¡°Second... but so what? Why are you bringing up something from the past?"

    "I was first."

    "Ha! Excuse me, I''m better at Sacred Dynamics and Material Science. Understanding the Holy Books just happens to be my worst subject. And it doesn¡¯t make sense that they tested only one subject for the evaluations. It¡¯spletely unfair..."

    "Excuses."

    "It''s not an excuse!" Ha-Yeon raised her voice and looked up at Sun-Woo.

    After turning her head, she realized that they were closer than she thought, and as a result, she turned her head back. Then she took a deep breath and calmed down her aggravated emotions. She was fine when she talked about anything else, but when the topic of the conversation involved her grades, strange emotions bubbled up inside her.

    After a few seconds of deep breaths, Ha-Yeon increased the distance between them.

    "...It''s not an excuse, it''s the truth. The evaluations were too biased toward those specialized in the one subject they were testing. This uing written test will be a fair one."

    "You talk as if you would have won if the evaluations were fair."

    "Isn''t that obvious? You can¡¯t beat me in an overall subject evaluation. It¡¯s impossible. You seem to be delusional just because you got first ce during the evaluations. Prideful, much?"

    Sun-Woo''s body trembled at the word ¡°prideful.¡± He then spoke with a sterner expression.

    A slur suddenly rushed out of Sun-Woo''s mouth.

    "Really? Then, should we make a bet? You bitch."

    "Wh-what did you just call me?"

    Although Ha-Yeon felt surprised, the emotion that came before her surprise was rage.

    He was in a position where he should have been crawling and begging her to help him, but he swore at her instead. Ha-Yeon¡¯s face flushed bright red.

    "Ha, okay. Let''s make a bet. What should we wager?"

    "Beats me. The winner gets to p the loser?"

    ¡°Just one p? I could go for ten ps to your face."

    "Yeah? Well, I can do a hundred ps."

    "I could do it all day."

    In the midst of the meaningless scuffle, Sun-Woo let out a sigh of frustration.

    "Let''s stop. This is childish."

    ¡°Why? Are you <i>scared</i>?"

    Ha-Yeon twisted the ends of her mouth as if mocking him.

    "...Fine, let''s see who wins. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to lose anyway."

    "Likewise, I feel the same way. How about the winner grants the loser''s wish?"

    "Don''t regret after losing."

    "I could say the same for you. I won''t go easy on you even if you cry."

    "Whatever," Sun-Woo replied casually.

    Seeing his rxed expression, it felt like she had just been ying along with his game. This infuriated her even more.

    "...Phone!" Ha-Yeon suddenly shouted as if she had just remembered something.

    "I told you to call. Why didn''t you?"

    "Was that you? I thought it was a scam call."

    "Scam call...? Haven''t you saved my number yet?"

    "How would I know and save your number?"

    "When you were re-elected, didn''t they send the contact information of all the members of the student council through text message? What have you been doing all this time without saving it?" Ha-Yeon asked, clearly finding his words unbelievable.

    Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows as if he were searching his memory.

    "I don''t remember receiving such a message."

    "What? You must have missed it. Or maybe you didn''t see it."

    "Why did you even ask me to call in the first ce? What would you even want to talk about?"

    Ha-Yeon briefly closed her mouth and blinked her eyes in response to Sun-Woo''s question.

    Come to think of it, what did she want to talk to him about over the phone? Maybe she wanted to ask if he was okay, express gratitude for helping her, or apologize for what happened in the past. They were all reasons she didn''t want to say out loud. No, she absolutely couldn''t say them. Her pride wouldn''t allow it. Even though it pricked her conscience a little, she had no choice but to lie.

    "I don''t remember. It''s been too long."

    "You can¡¯t remember something from a few months ago?" Sun-Woo said sarcastically.

    Ha-Yeon let out a shortugh, not because it was funny, but because she was dumbfounded.

    "I have a better memory than you, you know."

    "Yeah, sure."

    Sun-Woo nodded half-heartedly, barely listening to Ha-Yeon''s words.

    How could all of his actions be so annoying?

    After that, they continued their childish war of nerves about the bet. Soon, perhaps because Sun-Woo was tired, he got up from the bench and said he had to study.

    Ha-Yeon remained on the bench. She didn¡¯t think she would be able to study even if she went back to the ssroom right now. She needed to sit on the bench and calm herself down a little.

    "<i>Ha</i>."

    After taking a deep breath to calm her agitated heart, she slowly pondered over her conversation with Sun-Woo.

    No matter how she looked at it, she couldn''t help but think he liked her. It was reasonable to assume that Sun-Woo had feelings for her because he saved her back then and suddenly started talking to her today.

    However, there was one thing that she found puzzling.

    When other people developed feelings for someone, they would usually make an effort to treat them well in various ways. They would give them gifts or say sweet things to win over their hearts.

    On the contrary, Sun-Woo seemed to do nothing but provoke or insult her, causing dislike instead of affection. Ha-Yeon pondered over the reason, and she finally came to a conclusion.

    "...Is it to hide his real feelings?"

    It seemed like he intentionally hid his feelings behind rough behavior because he didn''t want to reveal his true emotions. Many boys who were shy and embarrassed would often act like that.

    Thinking about it, he seemed to have a cute side.

    ***

    There was only one reason why I approached Ha-Yeon and struck up a conversation when we coincidentally met. I had a question I wanted to ask Ha-Yeon, or more precisely, Sung Yu-Da and Ha-Yeon.

    Sung Yu-Da had helped me behind the scenes on various asions, including the re-election of the Holy Name of Charity under the name of the International Theological Association. I was curious about why he had done such a thing.

    It was too excessive to say that it was solely an effort to recruit me into the Theological Association. There must have been another reason. Perhaps Sung Yu-Da knew or suspected I was the Cult Leader of the Voodooists.

    Everything would make sense if that were the case. Sung Yu-Da used the name of the International Theological Association to help me in order to observe my reaction.

    "<i>Sigh...</i>"

    Therefore, I approached Ha-Yeon to strike up a conversation. At first, the atmosphere between us was okay. But as we continued the conversation, the jerk suddenly interrupted me and crossed the line. It seemed like she saw me as an idiot after I tried to be nice in order to dig up information about Sung Yu-Da.

    In the end, I ended up not even asking the question and got into an argument instead, and I ended up betting on test scores that I couldn''t win.

    I vowed never to be swayed by emotions again, but it didn''t work well in front of Ha-Yeon.

    "..."

    Come to think of it, Ha-Yeon interrupted me at a strange time. She cut me off and changed the subject just as I was about to ask about Sung Yu-Da. It was too fishy to pass off as a coincidence. Perhaps Ha-Yeon knew something. From now on, I will pay more attention to her.

    As I was thinking about such things while walking, I heard a voice.

    [You seem to be very angry.]

    Out of nowhere, Baron Samedi was walking beside me. I wasn¡¯t sure if he knew we were inside a school because he had a cigar in his mouth.

    I looked around in surprise. Luckily, there was no one around.

    [Don''t worry. Those who are not close to death can''t see me or hear my voice,] Baron Samedi said.

    It sounded like he wanted to reassure me, but I still hesitated to respond. Even if others couldn''t see Baron Samedi, if they saw or heard this conversation, I would be at risk ofing off as suspicious.

    If I were lucky, I would be treated as a crazy person muttering to myself, and if I was unlucky, I could be exposed as the leader of the Voodoo Cult or be used of being a Satanist. In sensitive times like these, I had to be careful with every word and action I took.

    Baron Samedi continued to casually speak while exhaling smoke from his cigar.

    [For the next twelve minutes or so, no one will be listening or watching us. You can answerfortably.]

    "..."

    [Ha, I¡¯m telling you, there¡¯s no need to be on edge... Alright, answer when you feelfortable. I''ll wait.]

    While Baron Samedi kept his mouth shut and smoked his cigar, I looked around. Apart from the asional rustling of leaves in the hot summer breeze, I could not hear anything. At least, it seemed that there was no one nearby.

    Still feeling uneasy, I walked toward a bench tucked away in a corner of the walking path. The bench was covered in dust from not being used by anyone for a while. After removing a bit of the dust, I took a seat.

    Finally, I responded to Baron Samedi.

    "Smoking is not allowed on campus."

    The smell of the cigar smoke was starting to bother me. Baron Samedi continued to smoke his pipe silently as if he hadn''t heard me.

    [Those who are not close to death cannot even smell the scent of my cigar. Why should I bother?]

    "Who cares? It¡¯s bothering me."

    [You have quite the attitude when speaking... Fine.]

    He extinguished his cigar by rubbing it on the bench. A scorch mark was left on the bench briefly before it disappeared. The cigar he had in his hand also vanished.

    Baron Samedi sat next to me with his legs crossed.

    [So, how is the preparation for the exam?]

    "If I were doing well, would I be here right now?"

    [I heard this exam is more important than the others. Can you afford to be so carefree? Of course, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be affected by it.]

    "I shouldn¡¯t be... But with all the good deeds I''ve umted, maybe Bongdiye will choose the right answers for me."

    [There''s a saying that goes, ''Heaven helps those who help themselves.'' If I were in charge of heaven, I wouldn''t help you.]

    "True."

    I''d been neglecting my studiestely. I admitted what was obviously true.

    "Honestly, I couldn''t help it."

    [Couldn''t help it? Couldn¡¯t help what?]

    "I¡¯m not trying to make an excuse, but there were just too many things to worry about... I didn''t even know the exam schedule had changed."

    [I don¡¯t know about you, but we call that an<i> excuse</i> in English.]

    "Hmm. Now that I think about it, you''re right."

    Even if many things were going on in my life, I still would have had time to study. If I had just been a little more interested in the exams, I would have found out quickly about the schedule change. I could have checked the school website or asked when I had visited the teacher''s office for dormitory applications.

    Upon reflection, I realized that it was all my fault. I didn''t want to deny it, but it made me angry for no reason.

    "Why are you here all of a sudden? To ruin my day?"

    [That''s one of the reasons. It''s not the only reason, though,] Baron Samedi said while chuckling.

    [For you, oh worried one, I''ve prepared something to help you with the exams,] Baron Samedi said, handing me a die.

 Chapter 146

    <h4>Chapter 146</h4>

    I looked at the dice Baron Samedi gave me and rolled it around. It was the same dice I had thrown at the Crossroads for the Contract of the Dead. It had markings from 0 to 5, and the color of the markings was a deep crimson as if they had been painted. Looking at the dice, I couldn''t help but remember when I was at the Crossroads and somehow felt at ease.

    [Roll the dice if you encounter a question you don¡¯t know.]

    Baron Samedi pointed at the dice with his index finger. His finger was thin and long, resembling a dry twig.

    ¡°Do I just mark ording to the dice''s markings?"

    [Yes. Roll the dice, and mark ording to the number thates up.]

    "So the dice will help me find the answer."

    If I got stuck on a problem, I could roll the dice and mark the answer ording to the number shown. Baron Samedi¡¯s lucky dice would reveal the answer to me, and as a result, I could solve problems that I otherwise wouldn¡¯t have known the answer to. If I had this, I could easily win my bet against Ha-Yeon and even aim for first ce in school during the exams. Not only that, but I could aim for full marks on all the subjects.

    Right then, Baron Samedi said with a mischievous expression, [Unfortunately, it doesn''t have the function to find the correct answer. It''s not a lucky dice. It''s just a regr one.]

    "Aha, then what can I do with this?"

    [Rolling the dice is much more fun than just guessing! Additionally, you can y with the dice if you have any spare time.]

    "So it''s utterly useless."

    My body trembled with betrayal. Baron Samedi pretended not to notice and continued speaking.

    [By the way, if you roll the dice and get 0, you can just guess.]

    "It seems like I¡¯d be better off just guessing everything."

    [Well, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s your exam and your score, right? It¡¯s not connected to me in any way.]

    "Wow. Can I just punch you in the chin with my trusty fist?" I said while looking at Baron Samedi and clenching my fist lightly.

    However, Baron Samedi had already disappeared. In his ce, a purple mist and the smell of a cigar lingered in the air. The mist and smoke rose into the sky and dispersed in the wind. It seemed like Baron Samedi''s cigar smell had permeated my body.

    "Ha..."

    I sighed, trying to expel the frustration within me, and roughly stuffed the dice Baron Samedi had given me into my pocket. It probably wouldn''t be much help anyway, but I figured it wouldn''t hurt to have it. As Baron Samedi had suggested, I nned to pass the extra time ying with the dice during the exam.

    I went up to my ssroom. As soon as I sat down, the bell rang, and it was lunchtime. The kids gathered and moved along toward the cafeteria.

    I caught a glimpse of In-Ah. She was still asleep.

    "..."

    I hesitated, afraid of talking to her.

    The atmosphere between us had been strangely awkward since the morning. I suddenly thought that it might be because Jun-Hyuk had disappeared. If he were here, he would have easily struck up a conversation and broken this awkward and tense atmosphere. I felt pathetic, seeing how the atmosphere had be so awkward with Jun-Hyuk¡¯s absence.

    I went to In-Ah''s seat. I saw her sleeping soundly with her head on the desk. She had lost a lot of weight since Ist saw her, and her overall appearance seemed thinner. I flicked her head with my finger to wake her up.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    "Ow!" In-Ah screamed and jolted up.

    She rubbed her head and red at me, her eyes still drowsy.

    "It¡¯s time for lunch."

    In-Ah didn''t respond to my words and blinked her eyes for a while. By the looks of it, she hadn¡¯t fully made it back to reality yet. Gradually, her eyes focused on my face. She pushed back her messy hair and stood up from her seat.

    ¡°...Is it already lunchtime?"

    A small smile appeared on her lips.

    I nodded.

    "You must be tired."

    "Yeah... Lately, I just can''t sleep..."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, I¡¯ve been studying, and my daily routine is a bit... Ugh. Headache," In-Ah said as she weakly walked down the stairs. I followed behind her.

    Looking at her from behind, I could tell her body had be noticeably thinner. Her steps also seemed weaker. Suddenly, In-Ah turned her head and looked at me.

    "Why did you hit me earlier? You could have just told me to wake up."

    "Because it didn¡¯t look like that would have been enough."

    "I didn''t sleep that deeply, you know? I was just taking a short nap."

    "Yeah? But you were asleep all morning."

    In-Ah pursed her lips, avoided eye contact, and started mumbling as if telling me to listen.

    "You don¡¯t lose one sentence, do you... You could have just said sorry..."

    "I''m sorry."

    "It''s toote, idiot,¡± she said sharply and walked away.

    After talking to her, it didn¡¯t feel as awkward as I initially thought. Maybe I had mistaken the change in In-Ah''s vibes this morning. I thought about bringing up ?Jun-Hyuk, but it didn''t seem to be the right thing to do, so I gave up.

    In-Ah had been under the influence of ck magic and had no memory of the incident. She probably didn''t even know that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist and just thought he had gone missing. Bringing up Jun-Hyuk would only darken the atmosphere. There were many things to talk about without bringing up what happened¡ªwhat we did during the school break, whether we were studying well for exams, if our bodies were fully recovered, and so on.

    The conversation came to a halt as we walked across the field, away from the building.

    "...Cigarettes," In-Ah muttered quietly to herself.

    She sniffed the air as if trying to find the source of the smell, then frowned when she caught a whiff of my clothes. Disappointment was evident in her eyes as she looked up at me.

    "You... smoked, didn''t you?"

    "No."

    "No? What do you mean no? You¡¯re practically oozing with the smell."

    In-Ah shot a suspicious nce at me. I decided to smell my own clothes just in case. As expected, I couldn¡¯t smell anything at all. And that¡¯s how it should have been. I had never smoked before in my life.

    "What do you mean... I can¡¯t smell anything."

    "Of course not. Smokers can¡¯t notice their own smell."

    "I''m not a smoker. This is a misunderstanding."

    "Sticking to your lie till the end? You delinquent. I¡¯m disappointed," In-Ah said, ncing at me and then taking a step back, distancing herself.

    Every time I took a step closer, she took a step back. The distance between us didn¡¯t seem to narrow.

    "Hey, just listen to me."

    "Shut up! You smoker."

    "Hey, don''t shout that out loud."

    "Nope. I''ll shout even louder."

    Even when I tried to exin myself, In-Ah didn''t seem to want to listen. I felt extremely embarrassed. It was unfair to be suspected like this when I''d never smoked in my life. I could feel the stares of the other kids walking to the restaurants directed toward us. Or, more urately, toward me. My stomach started to churn...

    "Fine, smoker or non-smoker, think what you will."

    I wondered if it was necessary to exin at all since she wouldn''t listen to me and I had done nothing wrong. Honestly, I was a little angry. So, I blurted out the words without much thought.

    In-Ah had been teasing me with a smile, but she suddenly looked surprised. Although she had been keeping her distance from me, she closed the distance between us.

    "...Are you sulking?"

    "No."

    "Wow. Oh no. You''re totally sulking." In-Ah yfully smacked my body and teased me.

    I purposely didn''t look at her and just walked ahead. In-Ah happily smiled and started talking to me.

    "So, you''re saying you''re not sulking?"

    "Yeah."

    "Okay, I''ll believe you this time."

    "Not just this time, I really¡ª"

    "Okay, I get it. I believe you. What are you getting so angry for?"

    In-Ah giggled. She looked at me with an innocent face.

    "Thank goodness."

    "All of a sudden?"

    "When I saw you this morning, I thought it wasn''t you. Well, what should I say..." In-Ah pursed her lips and hesitated.

    In the meantime, the smile on her face was slowly disappearing. Judging from her expression, it looked like she was in deep thought. It felt like her expressionless face was getting engraved in my head.

    "...No, it''s nothing. Let''s go eat! What''s on the menu today?"

    As we talked, we found ourselves in front of a restaurant. We went in, got our food, and ate. The food didn¡¯t taste good.

    ***

    Most of the morning and afternoon sses were reced with self-study. By spending time studying and idling away time, school was over before I even knew it. As always, I was about to go home with In-Ah, but then I realized that starting today, I was supposed to live in the dormitory.

    "Ah... the dormitory."

    In-Ah nodded with a disappointed face after hearing the news.

    "Right, you mentioned that you applied for it... Which building are you in?"

    "Area C. I''ll have to go and find out the room number."

    "Ah, I see. Area C..."

    She nodded slowly and smiled. The smile on her face was strange¡ªher lips were smiling, but her eyes were not. She kept her gaze on the floor for a while, nodding her head before suddenly lifting it up.

    The strange smile, which looked like it could have been a smile or a sniffle, disappeared, and a bright smile took its ce on her face.

    "If you¡¯re in Area C, you must have a room for yourself, right? That¡¯ll be lonely."

    "...I don''t think so."

    I had the likes of Legba and Baron Samedi as friends. I probably wouldn¡¯t ever feel lonely.

    "Don''t y tough. If you''re lonely, call your big sister... I mean me. Don''t cry alone."

    "Who''s crying? Don¡¯t be lonely just because you¡¯re going home alone."

    "Ha, you¡¯re worried for me? I have more friends than you do. I could just grab anyone and go back home together."

    She had an undeniable argument.

    In-Ah waved her hand, quickly stepped back, and soon made her way back home after she found friends to go with. It suddenly urred to me that In-Ah was quite popr. It must be because she was friendly and had a good personality.

    [You can say that she¡¯spletely different from you,] Legba said jokingly.

    I didn''t respond and went straight to my dormitory in Area C.

    As I was wandering around the entrance in front of the dormitory building, a woman in her forties approached and spoke to me. She was the dormitory supervisor. I listened to the rules of the dormitory from the supervisor and received the key to my room.

    The Florence Academy dormitory was muchrger than the room I used to live in. Thanks to the furniture, bedding, and dishes already provided, I didn''t need to bring any additional belongings.

    The room had been empty for a long time, so there was dust piled up here and there, but it was in much better shape than the underground chapel. At least there was no mold, and having a window was a relief for me. Although the atmosphere was a bit dark and gloomy, it was still better than the underground chapel.

    Legba spoke up out of the blue as I looked around the room.

    [How about hanging a picture on the wall?]

    I let out a dry chuckle.

    "What kind of picture would even go well here?"

    [The walls feel too empty. At least the walls of the underground chapel didn''t have that feeling of emptiness.]

    "Of course. The walls of the underground chapel were covered in graffiti made of mold."

    [That was mold? I thought it was a painting all this time.] Legba chuckled jokingly.

    <i>Knock, knock</i>.

    While I was in the midst of conversing with Legba, we heard a knock on the door. Legba suddenly fell silent.

 Chapter 147

    <h4>Chapter 147</h4>

    When I opened the door, I was greeted by the dormitory supervisor standing in front of me with a package in her hands.

    "Here¡¯s a package for you. Your name is Sun-Woo, right?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "A letter came with it. It seems like it''s from your parents."

    "Ah, I see."

    Rather than from my parents, Joseph must have sent the package. I wondered if it was the ¡°benefit¡± he had mentioned before. The dormitory supervisor handed me the package and nced inside the room.

    "How''s the room? It''s pretty nice, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Yes, it''s good."

    "That''s a relief. A lot of students didn¡¯t want to move into the dorms in Area C because of the strange rumors, you know? Well, I guess it¡¯s fortunate for you because you ended up in such a nice room thanks to those rumors, but anyway..."

    ording to the dormitory supervisor, there was a significant amount of strange rumors about the dorms in Area Cpared to the others. The rumors said that the dorms in Area C were built on the ruins of a mental hospital, that they were haunted, and that there were incidents where people threw themselves off the roof of the building tomit suicide.

    Of course, the rumors were all baseless and had been made up by students who lost their minds studying. Even if the rumors were true, I didn''t care.

    "Oh, look at me. I didn''t tell you the check-in and check-out times earlier, did I?"

    "No."

    "You can check out after 5:30 in the morning, and check-in is until 10:00 at night. If you can''t meet the curfew, there will be penalties, but you don''t have anything specific that you do at night, right?" the dormitory supervisor asked.

    I hesitated for a moment.

    "Not at the moment."

    "If anything happens or if you have to sleep outside for some reason, you have to tell me in advance. Got it?"

    "Yes."

    "Oh, and the broadcasting system in Area C is down, so there won''t be morning rms for a while. You can wake up on your own, right? Or I can wake you up if needed, but I guess that would make you ufortable."

    "Yes..."

    "By the way, be wary of your noise level! You shouldn¡¯t sing loudly during the night."

    "Alright..."

    The dormitory supervisor had a lot to say. Even with all that, she seemed unsatisfied because she gave me a few more words of advice before finally leaving.

    Despite the fact that the conversation wasn¡¯t that long, I felt considerably drained. Before anything, I brought the box and letter that the supervisor had given me into the room.

    Sitting on the edge of the bed, I opened the box. Upon seeing its contents, I was convinced Joseph had sent the box. The first thing that caught my eye was an envelope. Inside the envelope was a rmendation letter with Joseph''s name written on it.

    <i>[I, Joseph, the</i> ÖÐÑëÂ}òTÊ¿ˆF ËùŒÙ ®¶Ë Œ†–¹Ù ´óÖ÷”œ<i>, </i>ÍÆË]<i> the following student. This student actively assisted in the investigation of the so-called </i>Ë×·Q ¡®ÜŠˆFéL terror ÊÂ¼þ<i>'' and has</i> …fÖú<i> in </i>ÌÞ¾ñ the Ð°”œ, making ÖÁ´ó process in doing so<i>...]</i>[1]<i> </i>

    "What is this? Is he showing off?" I muttered with a furrowed brow.

    Joseph''s rmendation letter was written in a confusing mix of Korean and Chinese characters, making it difficult to read. I only managed to read up until ¡°Central Pdin Order affiliated inquisitor archbishop¡± and couldn''t interpret the rest, so I just put it back into the envelope.

    Besides the rmendation letter, there was a holy artifact, a water bottle, a watch, and an envelope with money. Naturally, the money envelope contained cash. It wasn''t toorge of a sum to be called a bribe, but it was too much to call pocket money.

    I wondered if clergymen were allowed to do this, but there was no reason for me to refuse when they had given it to me. While I was at it, I tried on the watch. I thought it would be a bit big, but surprisingly, it was a perfect fit. It didn¡¯t seem like a coincidence. The length of the watch strap seemed like it had been adjusted to fit my wrist size. How Joseph knew my wrist size was a mystery.

    The problem was the holy artifacts and the water bottle.

    "What is this?"

    I took out the holy artifact from the box and examined it. I understood that it was a holy artifact. However, I couldn''t figure out its exact purpose. It was a small sword-like object that could fit between my fingers, but it was too small to be used in battle.

    The bottle seemed to contain holy water. However, I still couldn''t determine its exact purpose. I tore open Joseph''s letter and read it. The letter contained exnations about the holy artifact and the bottle.

    <i>[I wrote a rmendation letter for you since you expressed your desire to join the Central Pdin Order. The Central Pdin Order is not a ce where you can join solely based on rmendation letters, but I hope this helps a little. </i>

    <i>The more rmendation letters, the better, so I''m thinking of asking other archbishops I know to write rmendation letters for you as well. I''ll send them to you as I receive them. </i>

    <i>The holy artifact is a miniature me Sword of Eden. When in contact with divine power, it will emit mes that will circle around you. Pdins favor using it when entering dark ces like mountains or caves. They say it can also be used inbat, so try and make good use of it. The artifact is also suitable for reading books or studying at night instead of a deskmp, but I''m not sure about that. </i>

    <i>The watch is, well, a watch. It''s expensive, but not to the point where it¡¯s brag-worthy. </i>

    <i>The bottle contains hydrogen water, which, consumed regrly, will greatly improve your health. Are you a smoker by any chance? I''ve been drinking it every daytely, and it has been very effective for a smoker like me. My head feels almost clearer when I drink it.</i>

    <i>If you have any more questions, you can call me using the business card I gave youst time.]</i>

    "..."

    And that was the end of the letter.

    Since the moment I met him, Joseph had seemed a bit strange. After reading the letter, he seemed even stranger than I initially thought. It felt unnecessary to send a letter when he could have just texted or called. I wondered if I had encountered an unexpectedly strong enemy. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed for a moment by fear.

    Anyway, now that I knew the purpose of the holy artifact, I decided to give it a try. I unleashed divine power and infused it into the holy artifact. The me Sword reacted to the divine power and started spewing mes, and then it floated in the air, circling around me.

    "Woah..."

    I wasn¡¯t sure how efficient it would be, but at least it looked beautiful. However, I''m not sure if I could use it in battle. With Bossou''s power, I could maybe use it as a throwing dagger. The me Sword followed me, chasing after me while emitting light. It was quite cute and resembled a firefly. I liked it.

    [Oh, Prophet.]

    While ying with the me Sword, I heard Legba''s voice. Legba hadn''t said a word since the supervisor appeared, but now he spoke in a solemn and serious tone. I tried to respond, but Legba didn''t give me a chance and continued speaking.

    [Do not answer or show any signs of emotional excitement. Just listen to me without doing anything.]

    "..."

    [There is a bug nted in that holy artifact.]

    I looked at the me Sword without saying a word. The me Sword circled around me, emitting small mes. Of course, I couldn''t see any bugs or tracking devices with my naked eye. Legba continued speaking.

    [This is ording to Ogun, so it¡¯d be easy to believe it.]

    "...Hm."

    [You might raise suspicion if you break the holy artifact right now. It looks like it¡¯d be better to y along for now and then pretend to identally break the holy artifact when the opportunity arises.]

    I grabbed the me Sword floating around me and held it in my right hand. I gathered strength in my right hand using the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. Legba raised his voice, seeming startled.

    [Didn''t I say there would be suspicions if we break it now? Stay calm and find a better method©¤]

    <i>Crack. </i>The me Sword broke.

    Legba stopped mid-sentence, seemingly flustered. Silence fell over the dormitory. I collected the scattered pieces of the me Sword and a small device that seemed to be the bug, plopped them into the toilet bowl, and then flushed the water. The sound of water going down expelled the silence and brought back vitality to the quiet dormitory.

    I wiped the cold sweat running down my forehead with the back of my hand.

    "Phew, well, that¡¯s done!"

    [...You crazy bastard, what do you mean <i>that¡¯s done??</i>!] Legba shouted.

    There was no need to answer him right away. I exited the bathroom and immediately called Joseph.

    ***

    Joseph diluted a suitable amount of hydrogen water and drank it in one gulp. As if he felt refreshed, he said, ¡°Hmm, very good...¡±

    Recently, while he had been worried about his health due to increased stress from work, he happened to stumble across hydrogen water. Before the hydrogen water, it felt like his left chest ached with every breath, but after drinking the water, the painpletely disappeared. Of course, hydrogen water was not scientifically proven to have any health benefits, and many said it didn''t actually help with health. People called it pseudoscience.

    But so what?

    Joseph experienced an improvement in his health after drinking it. In his opinion, no science or theory could surpass personal experience.

    Joseph fed his Venus flytrap. This nt turned out to be much more annoying and useless than he thought. He thought it would catch flies on its own, but he ended up having to catch flies himself and put them directly into its mouth. And there were more than one or two things that he had to pay attention to other than that.

    "Senior!"

    At that moment, a subordinate barged into the office without knocking. Joseph frowned, seemingly displeased.

    "Hey, why did you open the door so suddenly like that? You didn¡¯t even knock."

    "Ah, my apologies. It''s an urgent matter..."

    "You look pale. I wonder how urgent the matter is. Tell me."

    Joseph picked up a pair of tweezers and put a bug into the mouth of the flytrap. The subordinate took a deep breath and began to speak.

    "Um, well... It seems that the surveince device we sent to Sun-Woo''s house has been broken."

    "Broken? It¡¯s not something that would be easily damaged."

    "The holy artifact was damaged after it was delivered to Sun-Woo''s dormitory. Maybe it was intentionally broken..."

    Joseph raised an eyebrow and scolded the subordinate.

    "Don''t trail off. Aren''t you going to be an inquisitor someday? Inquisitors should be confident."

    "Ah, yes! I will keep that in mind!"

    "Stop mumbling. Also, get rid of the habit of saying ''ah'' when reporting. It makes you look like a fool." Joseph smiled slightly and continued, "Now, try again."

    "Yes, sir! The surveince device we sent to Sun-Woo has been broken. It seems that he noticed the presence of the device and intentionally destroyed it."

    "Much better."

    Joseph nodded approvingly.

    "Has Sun-Woo contacted us?"

    "Ah, there hasn''t been any contact with Sun-Woo©¤"

    "Just now. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to say <i>ah</i>?"

    "There has been no contact with Sun-Woo!" The subordinate finished the report with a trembling voice.

    Joseph nodded slowly, observing the flytrap swallowing its prey. He was thinking about the holy artifact he had sent to Sun-Woo and the bug he had nted inside it.

    Disregarding how Sun-Woo had broken the durable me Sword of Eden that could be used in the pdins'' practical missions, the most puzzling thing was how Sun-Woo knew that there was a bug inside the holy artifact.

    It was highly likely that he found out by using something like a metal detector. Or maybe he noticed the faint sounds or light emitted by the surveince device.

    Regardless of the method he used to figure it out, Sun-Woo was clearly wary of them. He couldn''t have just coincidentally noticed that there was a bugging device nted in the holy artifact.

    "But there was no need to break it," Joseph muttered, tilting his head slightly.

    1. The Koreannguage borrows a lot of words from Chinese characters. Sometimes, when someone is getting a prestigious award, they swap out some of the Korean characters with Chinese ones. ?

 Chapter 148

    <h4>Chapter 148</h4>

    ¡°Sir?" the subordinate questioned.

    "Sun-Woo. If he had noticed the presence of a bugging device, wouldn''t he have also realized that we were skeptical of him? There was no need to destroy the bugging device in such a tant fashion."

    "Maybe he¡¯s hiding something, and that¡¯s why he needed to destroy the bugging device quickly..."

    "If that were the case, it would be better to use a different method. It would be more natural for him to monitor our actions for a few days and then <i>identally </i>destroy the bugging device. And that¡¯s the closest textbook move as well."

    If Sun-Woo had been trying to avoid suspicion, he wouldn''t have destroyed the device immediately. It would be better to wait a few days, intentionally break or lose the holy artifact, and pretend it was an ident. That way, he could have seamlessly escaped from the bug surveince.

    If Sun-Woo had taken those courses of action, Joseph''s suspicion toward him would have deepened instead.

    "But Sun-Woo destroyed the bugging device as soon as he found it, which makes it seem like he was trying to increase suspicion toward him. Why would he do that?"

    Why would he do such a thing? Even after thinking for a long time, Joseph could not understand the thought process behind Sun-Woo¡¯s actions. After discovering the bugging device, Sun-Woo might have broken the device and couldn¡¯t control the spewing rage.

    Although Sun-Woo didn¡¯t seem like someone who couldn¡¯t control his emotions to that extent, the problem was that he was a teenager. Teenagers often engaged in behaviors that adults couldn¡¯t understand. Joseph participated in so-called actions himself frequently when he was young, too.

    He once broke all the windows at school because he had been curious about the difference between the shapes of the broken shards of reinforced ss and regr ss. He also stayed up for several nights to see what would happen to a person if they didn¡¯t sleep.

    However, he wasn¡¯t sure if he should dismiss <i>this</i> as a youthful adventure and move on. He couldn¡¯t help but think that this might have been Sun-Woo''s n.

    It might seem like thoughtless actions on the surface, but there might be a very meticulous and cunning calction behind it...

    ©¤©¤©¤!

    At that moment, a strange sound came from Joseph''s phone.

    "Arggk...!" his subordinate screamed, covering his ears.

    Joseph smirked. "Ha, why are you making such a big deal out of a phone call?"

    The loud noise from the phone was called ¡°healthy frequency music¡± and was Joseph¡¯s ringtone. Shrugging it off, Joseph checked the caller ID. It was Sun-Woo. Without hesitation, Joseph answered the call.

    "Yes, Sun-Woo. What''s the matter?"

    ¡ªWell, I just wanted to let you know that I received the rmendation letter, allowance, watch... and the hydrogen water or something.

    "d to hear that you received them, but wasn''t the allowance a bit too much? That wasn¡¯t an allowance¡ªit was a bribe."

    ¡ªAh, it was a bribe. Anyway, I received it. Thank you for that.

    "Do you like the watch?"

    ¡ªYes, I do. It fits perfectly. How did you know my wrist size?¡±

    "There''s no need to measure wrist size. After meeting someone a few times, you can roughly guess the size."

    ¡ªHow many watches do you have to give to develop that kind of ability...?

    "Hahaha... What a jokester you are. Very funny."

    Joseph immediately sensed that Sun-Woo was trying to provoke a fight.

    Seeing a child trying to engage him in childish word games, Joseph couldn''t help but smirk. Sun-Woo only mentioned the rmendation letter, money, and hydrogen water and said nothing about the holy artifact. Sun-Woo had been leading the conversation in such a way that Joseph would have to bring up the holy artifact first.

    Joseph had a sinister and eerie smile on his face.

    "Alright, Sun-Woo! Did you receive the holy artifact? I thought that a holy artifact wouldn¡¯t be enough, so I included a bugging device as a present!"

    "Uh, s-senior, what...?" the subordinate asked in confusion, but Joseph didn''t even nce at him and continued speaking.

    "The bug was broken today. We think that you intentionally broke it. You don''t have to say why. After all, who in the world would enjoy being spied on?"

    ¡ªInquisitor, I...

    "What I''m curious about is <i>how</i> you discovered that. Do you happen to carry a metal detector? Oh,e to think of it, you could have easily discovered it with something like a ma," Joseph said with an even deeper smile. "So, how did you discover it? I''m really curious."

    - ...

    There was a moment of silence over the phone.

    ¡ªIntuition.

    "Intuition!"

    Joseph couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Sun-Woo''s casual and shameless excuse.

    "It¡¯d be more believable if you said you received a revtion from Adonai. Do you think I would believe that?"

    ¡ªWouldn¡¯t you send a stic bug next time if I say that I found it with a metal detector?

    "That''s true."

    ¡ªIn order to prevent further eavesdropping, I won''t disclose the method I used to discover the bug. Please forgive my rudeness.

    "Rudeness? If we were to discuss rudeness, wouldn¡¯t you say we¡¯re more rude for trying to eavesdrop? You''re trying to teach a fish how to swim."

    ¡ªI''m d you know.

    The subordinate had been quietly listening to the conversation by Joseph''s side. Even at the first listen, it seemed like neither of them were sane.

    Josephughed heartily while tapping on the desk, enjoying the conversation. He thought Sun-Woo was the gentlemanly type who only knew how to say pleasant things, but now he seemed to bepletely insane. Oddly enough, Joseph liked it. Joseph stoppedughing and brought the receiver to his mouth.

    "So, what''s the real reason you called?"

    ¡ªI would like to ask why you were eavesdropping on me.

    "Get the facts right. You broke the bug before we got a chance to use it. Well, anyway, of course, I could tell you the reason,¡± Joseph said and caught his breath.

    Then he pondered. Should he lie or tell the truth? No, it would be meaningless to lie now. It seemed better to tell the truth.

    "Alright, I''ll tell you. A vice priest is no different from a regr priest. That''s why we have no choice but to monitor you. Are you with me so far?"

    ¡ªIs it because of a potential leak of information about the Satanists?

    "Yes, you¡¯re on the right track. All the students from F.A., except for you, think that the Satanists were just a wandering vagabond. Only you know that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist."

    ¡ªRight.

    "But what if you suddenly became enlightened and started saying this? Jun-Hyuk, a Florence Academy student, was actually a Satanist, and the Holy See is covering it up! If you go around spreading that, the situation will beplicated for us. Do you understand?"

    ¡ªI understand, but why do you think I would go around spreading the word? Do you not trust me?

    "I do. But the bugging device makes our trust even stronger. We can fully trust you as long as you and the wiretapping device are together. Talking about trust, do you trust me?"

    ¡ªI trusted you until I discovered the bug, Inquisitor.

    "Hahaha!" Josephughed.

    His subordinate next to him jumped in surprise and cowered.

    "Your words are contradicting. The reason why you discovered the wiretapping device is because you were suspicious of us, right? This <i>intuition</i> you mentioned can only be exerted when there is suspicion beforehand."

    ¡ªThat''s correct.

    ¡°It seems like we didn¡¯t trust each other. That¡¯s great news. How about we slowly build trust from now on? After all, we''re in the same boat. We should trust each other, shouldn''t we?"

    ¡ªYes, sounds good.

    "I apologize for attempting to bug you. I¡¯ll send you another holy artifact that¡¯s not taped with a bug. If you have any doubts, we can meet in person and buy the artifact on the spot. What do you prefer?"

    ¡ªDo as you please. Actually, it would be best if you don''t send it.

    "Haha. I love your honesty! Understood! I''ll hang up now."

    After the call ended, Joseph ced his phone on the desk. His fingers were trembling, perhaps due to excitement. Joseph looked at his subordinate with cold, piercing eyes.

    "Have a new holy artifact purchased and sent to Sun-Woo. Send it to F.A."

    "Should we install a bug in it again?"

    "No."

    Joseph shook his head. The smile that lingered on his lips disappeared.

    "There''s no need to wiretap anymore. It turns out that this guy, Sun-Woo, has a very simr personality to mine."

    "What do you mean?" his subordinate asked, somewhat bewildered. The personalities of the two individuals were nothing alike.

    Joseph spoke with a confident expression on his face. "He¡¯s not the type to risk losses just to uncover the truth. Neither does he seem like someone who talks lightly. There''s no need to worry about information leaks. Got it?"

    ¡°Ah, yes!"

    "...Alright. By the way, you resemble a Venus flytrap."

    "Sir? What do you mean?"

    "You have to spoon-feed flytraps everything. Although they are called flytraps, they hardly catch any flies on their own." Joseph looked at his subordinate, sighing as if he found him pathetic. Then, he took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and continued, ¡°I¡¯m saying you''re useless. Do I even have to rify this? You truly are a personification of a flytrap."

    Joseph then lit his cigarette. With the sizzle of the cigarette, the smoke made its way down his windpipe, filling his lungs. Joseph reyed his conversation with Sun-Woo as jolts of pleasure swept through him.

    First of all, Sun-Woo wasn''t a fool, nor was he naive enough to spread information about Jun-Hyuk. There was no need to bug him or keep him under surveince. Joseph would only need to asionally contact Sun-Woo as a business partner and keep an eye on him.

    His words and actions had more than one or two suspicious aspects. However, Joseph didn''t want to suspect Sun-Woo for the sake of just being suspicious. He was intriguing, manly, and had a bit of a show-off personality. He was quite an interesting guy, to the point where it would be a shame to dismiss him just like that.

    "By the way, they say that Min-Seo has regained consciousness. Why don''t you go visit her?"

    Joseph flicked the ash off his cigarette, then took out a second one and put it in his mouth.

    "You¡¯re noting, senior?"

    "Yeah, I don¡¯t n on it. My knee hurts, and above all, I find it bothersome."

    Joseph looked at the Venus flytrap while smoking a cigarette. The sight of it closing its jaws little by little to eat bugs was quite cute.

    ***

    [You fool! Why would you do such a thing?] Legba shouted angrily.

    I flipped the nket over my head and felt the overwhelming drowsiness sweeping over my body. I hadpletely depleted my energy reserves after talking to Joseph and listening to the supervisor''s chatter.

    Even in the midst of drowsiness and blurred consciousness, Legba''s nagging continued to echo in my ears. Afraid he would nag all night if I didn''t respond, I reluctantly replied.

    "Isn¡¯t it fine if nothing went wrong?"

    [You¡¯re being careless. With one more slip of the tongue, the Holy Army would have stormed in by now.]

    "Yeah, I guess so. But my tongue doesn¡¯t slip."

    Legba momentarily closed his mouth.

    [Even considering that, it was a reckless gamble. Be more cautious in the future.]

    "You can¡¯t be cautious when dealing with guys like Joseph."

    I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to darkness and drowsiness.

    "Just by looking at the letter... I knew. Guys like that will overwhelm you if you deal with them conventionally...¡±

    As soon as I saw the letter, I realized Joseph was a different breed. I¡¯d lose if I proceeded with caution. Rather, the best course of action was to fight fire with fire. After all, only a madman can beat a madman.

    Since it was an intuition-based n, I was uncertain. But the results weren¡¯t too bad considering that fact.

    [...Yeah, it seems like I meddled too much.]

    I listened to Legba in a daze, and he sounded a bit gloomy.

 Chapter 149

    <h4>Chapter 149</h4>

    Chang-Won was struggling along the borders of life and death for a few days.

    A lot happened while he had been hospitalized and receiving treatment. There were times when he dozed off after he coughed so much that he wasn¡¯t able to breathe, and moments when his vision went from pitch ck topletely white, making him feel like he was traveling between heaven and hell.

    Just when he thought he would die soon, Chang-Won''s body started to recover. He consistently received treatment, and he focused on rehabilitation and recovery through exercise. Although the coughs didn''t stop, he was able to recover enough to take a walk near the hospital on his own.

    So, Chang-Won used the excuse of taking a walk to leave the hospital and secretly smoked, avoiding the watch of the nurses and doctors. He lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and was overwhelmed by a dizzy sensation as the smoke roughly entered his throat. Although it was a mere drag, it felt like the pain caused by forced abstinence from smoking waspletely washed away.

    Before he could fully enjoy the lingering feeling of that first drag, an unwee visitor arrived.

    "Mr. Chairman?"

    At the person¡¯s sudden appearance, Chang-Won quickly hid the cigarette. However, he immediately let out a relieved sigh and smiled as he identified the owner of the voice.

    "Mr. Do-Jin. I thought you were a doctor and was terrified."

    "...Do you have to smoke that much?"

    "This is myst one, and I¡¯m quitting after."

    "I''ve heard that five times already."

    "That''s just how smokers are, you know," Chang-Won said with a smile, stubbornly smoking the cigarette.

    Do-Jin approached Chang-Won, limping toward him with his crutches.

    "Is your body fully healed?"

    "I''ll have to use crutches for a few more months. Other than that, I''m fully recovered."

    "That''s a relief. I was really worried about you because of your grave injuries. Would you like a smoke?"

    Chang-Won offered a cigarette to Do-Jin. He shook his head.

    "No, thank you." "

    ¡°Weren''t you a smoker before, Do-Jin? You don''t have to be cautious in front of me."

    "I quit a while ago."

    "You''re quite the tenacious one, aren¡¯t you," Chang-Won said.

    He took out another cigarette and put it in his mouth.

    Do-Jin frowned. "You should stop at one cigarette today. You¡¯ll be harming your lungs if you continue."

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I couldn''t smoke for the past few months."

    Do-Jin looked at Chang-Won in disbelief and sighed, "Ha..."

    "Why don''t you use this as an opportunity to quit?"

    "I''ve tried a few times. I failed all my attempts. Quitting smoking is not as easy as it seems..."

    "It¡¯s still achievable if you have support from the people around you. I quit that way, too." Do-Jin looked into the distance as if reminiscing about the past.

    Chang-Won lit his cigarette and raised his eyebrows in amusement.

    "Really? Who did you get help from?"

    <i>Tak!</i>

    Ye-Jin suddenly appeared and snatched the cigarette from Chang-Won''s mouth. Then she threw it on the ground. Chang-Won looked at the slivers of smoke rising from the extinguished cigarette with a deste expression.

    Ye-Jin smiled innocently and said, "Me. Should I help Mr. Chairman as well?"

    "Your methods are very rough..."

    ¡°Most people don¡¯t think about quitting unless I do this."

    Chang-Won felt a strange sense of unease as he looked at Ye-Jin''s smiling face. Do-Jin also smiled.

    "This is the better version. Back when I smoked a lot, she used to bring a fire extinguisher.¡±

    "Aren¡¯t the wet chemicals from the fire extinguisher worse for your body than cigarettes?"

    "Oh, she didn''t spray the fire extinguisher on me. She hit me on the head with it."

    "..."

    Chang-Won nced at Ye-Jin for a moment. Just as she had been doing earlier, she was still smiling innocently.

    Do-Jin looked at Ye-Jin.

    "But why are you here?"

    "Why am I here? You don¡¯t want me here?"

    "That''s not what I meant... What I meant was, why did youe here alone without Bok-Dong?¡±

    "Bok-Dong went to exercise. He said he''lle back stronger after training in seclusion, but I don''t know what he¡¯s thinking."

    "Seclusion training? Is he crazy? Well, I guess it¡¯s not that surprising since it¡¯s Bok-Dong..."

    Suddenly, Do-Jin remembered the taxidermied creature of Bok-Dong that he had killed during the incident and took a deep breath. The memory wasn¡¯t disturbing enough to have developed into a trauma, but it wasn¡¯t a memory he needed to recall. He took a few deep breaths, erasing the memory from his mind.

    "...So, Ye-Jin, what brings you here?"

    "I heard you''re getting discharged soon. I came to ask how you''re doing, and I had something to give to the chairman."

    "To me? If you have something to say, say it now. I don''t know when I''ll be able to return to school."

    "Yes, I understand. Please, give me a moment..."

    Ye-Jin rummaged through her pocket and took out an envelope from her pocket.

    Chang-Won epted it in surprise. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling. He took out the paper from the envelope and unfolded it. It was a resignation letter. Ye-Jin held her hands together in front of her.

    "I''m thinking of retiring from teaching."

    The smile vanished from her face.

    ***

    There were two weeks until the exam, and nothing happened for the past few days. To put it negatively, it was boring, but looking at it positively, the days were peaceful. As always, I studied during ss and went to the library to study after school.

    "The practical exam will be scheduled a week after the written exam ends. Let''s all prepare diligently, but there''s no need to push ourselves to the point ofpromising our health. Good luck, everyone~"

    As usual, the morning started with homeroom. After announcing the exam schedule, Ye-Jin left the ssroom with a brief word of encouragement. Somehow, as the days went by, Ye-Jin''s expression became darker. The change was obvious to me, but the other kids seemed utterly oblivious.

    "Is she thinking of retiring?"

    I tried subtly asking In-Ah, but she just shrugged as if she hadn''t noticed Ye-Jin''s change.

    "Retiring? Why would she?"

    "Her expression is gloomy. And her tone is a bit strange."

    Ye-Jin''s tone carried a strange sense of resignation, and her eyes were empty and hollow. They had the hazy and vacant look typical of someone contemting retirement. Above all, Ye-Jin had enough reasons to retire.

    At the beginning of the semester, Sung-Hyun caused trouble and was expelled, which caused Oh Byung-Min to drop out. Jun-Hyuk was quite a good student from an academic standpoint, but he turned out to be a Satanist. Since all three of them were in the ss of Charity, it was only natural for Ye-Jin, as the homeroom teacher, to feel skeptical about life.

    "Really? I''m not sure... But I hope she doesn''t retire. I like Ms. Ye-Jin."

    "Me too."

    I nodded in agreement. Ye-Jin was one of the best F.A. teachers. Additionally, it would be good for me as well if she stayed as our homeroom teacher. In-Ah pouted and stared at her book for a while, but it seemed like she couldn''t concentrate, so she closed the book angrily and looked at me.

    "Why are you looking at me like that? It''s distracting," she said, ring at me.

    It seemed like it was my fault that she couldn''t concentrate. I had nned to leave, but when it was time for me to go, I didn''t want to.

    "Can''t I look at you?"

    "What''s so interesting about watching someone study?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m trying to see how hard you are going to study.¡±

    "...Whether you look or not, do as you will," In-Ah said curtly and opened her book again.

    The book looked like it could tear apart at any moment, and every corner of the pages was filled with notes. Not only did she write summaries of the main text, but she also had questions about the parts she didn''t understand in the readings or rted content.

    Then, she suddenly closed the book and started scribbling something on a nk page. nk page studying, was it? I wasn¡¯t too sure. I''d never studied like that before. No, to be precise, I''d never properly studied for an exam until now.

    I mentally noted what was unfolding, thinking it might be helpful. While I was doing so, In-Ah wrote ¡°stupid¡± on a piece of paper. I turned to look at her. She was looking at me too.

    "...Are you talking about me?"

    "Yeah. Who else is there?" In-Ah said with a sly and warm smile.

    At that moment, the self-study supervisor teacher came and told us to be quiet. It was only then that I finally returned to my seat and returned to studying. I tried studying with In-Ah¡¯s method, but the nk page remained nk and unchanged.

    It was harder than I thought. First of all, I was in a state where I hadn¡¯t fully grasped the concepts, while In-Ah had mastered all the concepts and was trying to apply them. Of course, it didn''t work out. It seemed better not to do unnecessary things and just stick to what I was doing.

    While I was studying, Legba clicked his tongue.

    [You''re still justying the foundation when you only have two weeks left.]

    "..."

    [How about you give up on this exam and aim for the next opportunity? Or why don¡¯t you go all-in on the practical exam?]

    F.A. put a fairly high emphasis on written exams. Going all-in on the practical exam was a risky gamble. I listened to Legba''s words through one ear and out the other while I focused on studying.

    [As long as the results are good, you don¡¯t care if it¡¯s dangerous. Isn''t that what you saidst time?] Legba added bluntly.

    He was clearly mocking me. It seemed like he was still holding onto the fact that I hadn¡¯t listened to him when I talked to Joseph on the phone. What a narrow-minded old man.

    ***

    There was one week left before the exam.

    I decided to put a hold on practicing spells and experimenting, which I usually did until the exams were over. I didn''t have enough stamina or time to do both spell practice and exam preparation. I could practice spells anytime after the exam, so for the time being, I decided to concentrate on studying.

    Over the past week, I studied really hard. I spent more than ten hours studying daily, and on days when studying felt like it was going well, I even pulled all-nighters. It was a triumphant achievement driven by the single-minded desire to defeat Ha-Yeon. More urately, it wasn''t that I wanted to win, but I had to win. There was a bet at stake.

    Thus, I spent the day studying hard.

    "...What?"

    I dozed off at my desk while studying, and when I woke up, it was morning. I could hear the sound of birds, and my head felt unusually clear. The breezeing in through the window was refreshing, and my body felt light. Suddenly, a foreboding feeling surged up. I looked at the clock. It was already eleven.

    [Oh no... You¡¯re in big trouble.]

    "W-why didn''t you wake me up?"

    [It''s not that I didn''t wake you up, but you <i>wouldn¡¯t </i>get up. That''s why I told you not to stay up all night, you fool.]

    Although Legba''s words slightly hurt my feelings, now was not the time to argue with him. I quickly washed up, changed my clothes, and checked my phone. I had a scary amount of missed calls on my phone: eight from Ye-Jin, three from In-Ah, and one from an unknown number. In total, there were twelve missed calls.

    Unfortunately, the broadcasting system in the dorms of Area C was broken, so there were no wake-up announcements, and I ended up getting to ss veryte. As soon as I arrived at school, I went to the teacher''s office.

    Ye-Jin greeted me with a stern face.

    ¡°At this point, you¡¯re just doing whatever you want, right?¡±

    I silently lowered my head.

    Ye-Jin sighed. "Do you know how many demerits you have?"

    "One point? Oh, now it''s two points. Yes."

    "You know this is not something tough off, right? ording to the regtions, you¡¯ll be expelled if you umte ten demerits."

    "Don''t they usually deduct demerits through volunteer activities or something before you get expelled?"

    "...Anyway, don''t bete next time. I¡¯ll let your tardiness slide today without giving you any demerits."

    "Really? You can do that?" I asked, puzzled and taken aback.

    Ye-Jin nodded as if it wasn¡¯t anything special.

    "You were probably studyingte and slept in, right?"

    "That''s true, but... Yes, you''re right."

    "Everyone these days studies and stays up veryte and ends upingte to ss. And..."

    Ye-Jin paused for a moment and let out a deep sigh. Then, with a smile pulling at the corners of her lips, she continued, "You must have been hurt a lotst time, so your stamina must have dropped a lot, right? Studying for exams is good, but think of your body and take it easy."

    "Aha, I see... Alright."

    "I''m letting it slide as a reminder not to bete in the future. Got it? If you''rete again, I won''t let it slide."

    "Yes."

    "Don''t just answer well. Go up quickly and study."

    I bowed my head to Ye-Jin before heading up to the ssroom. That''s when Ye-Jin called me over. Suddenly, she told me to sit down, so I obliged and sat down in front of her. She looked at me with a serious face.

    "...You don¡¯t feel too tired or want to die, right?"

    ¡°Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

    "It¡¯s not all of a sudden... Well, if that¡¯s not the case, then forget it. But if you ever feel exhausted, let me know. I have ways to help you," Ye-Jin said, staring sharply into my eyes.

    Her gaze seemed to search for insight into my mood and emotions. Perhaps she asked such a question because I had been close with Jun-Hyuk. He had gone missing, no, died from the previous incident. I hesitated for a moment before observing Ye-Jin''s expression. Just as I had felt a few days ago, there was a sense of resignation in her gaze. I could also sense a strangely mncholic undertone in her expression.

    "You seemed to be more tired than me, Teacher."

    When I said that, Ye-Jin''s eyes widened. I could see the look of surprise apparent behind her eyes. She was also the type whose emotions were easy to deduce from her expression.

    Ye-Jin looked at me with a surprised face for a while. Then she smirked and said, "Tired? Me? Why would you say that? Go and study."

    "I asked because your expression hasn''t been too goodtely."

    "You should analyze the questions you¡¯re getting wrong instead of analyzing other people''s expressions. Stop doing weird things instead of studying."

    "I do study too, you know?"

    "See, you¡¯re talking back at me again. If you keep doing this, I might have to give you a demerit," Ye-Jin said with a smile.

    Iughed along, bowed slightly, and left the teacher''s office. Judging from her tone and expression, Ye-Jin seemed to be considering leaving the school. She might transfer to another school or even give up on teaching altogether. Whether she retired or not was none of my business. There was no need for me to feel upset or sorry about it. To me, F.A. was a checkpoint to be a prte, nothing more.

    Just as Legba once said, no one here could truly be my friend.

    I tried to think that way, but it seemed impossible to erase the feeling of disappointment. Whenever my mind was overwhelmed with various things, Ye-Jin constantly tried to talk to and help me. When my room burned down, she even introduced me to the welfare system on campus, such as the dormitory and schrships.

    Looking past her religion, she was clearly a good person. But I wasn''t tolerant enough to separate religion from the person. Nor was I in the position to.

    My mind was a tangled mess.

 Chapter 150

    <h4>Chapter 150</h4>

    Time flew by, and the weekend had already arrived before I knew it. The dormitory was empty during the weekend. It was because the students were either visiting their parents¡¯ homes or studying at the library since it was exam period.

    I also had some time to spare, so I tried to study, but the words didn''t register in my mind. I couldn''t fall asleep when I tried to go for a nap, either. With nothing else to do, I had no choice but to fiddle around with Voodoo stuff. It was then that I received a call from Ji-Ah. It had been a long time since Ist received a call from her. Or maybe this was the first time? Anyway, I answered the call with a d heart.

    ¡ªIs the dormitory livable?

    Ji-Ah asked me without any greetings. I recalled the incident where I waste yesterday and told her about it. I slept until eleven o¡¯clock because no one woke me up, and it was only then that I could go to school.

    She listened to my story with great joy.

    ¡ªIt seems like you can''t wake up without me.

    "You¡¯re not entirely wrong, but... do you really have to phrase it like that?"

    The reality was that I never woke upte when Ji-Ah was around. Usually, I could wake up on time by myself, but when there were times that I couldn¡¯t wake up on time, Ji-Ah woulde and wake me up. Thus, what she said wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, but I didn¡¯t like the way she phrased it.

    Ji-Ah didn¡¯t bother to respond to my question, and she changed the subject instead.

    ¡ªYour stamina was probably reduced due to the incident where you got seriously injured and had to be hospitalized. That¡¯s why it¡¯s harder for you to wake up, right?

    "That seems to be the case. I haven¡¯t really been exercisingtely either.¡±

    ¡ªIt¡¯s good to exercise, as long as you don¡¯t push yourself too hard.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡ªJust remember not to push yourself too hard. That¡¯s the important part.

    Ji-Ah emphasized the part about not pushing myself too hard. Maybe it was because of my serious injuryst time, but it seemed like Ji-Ah''s concerns had grown even stronger. The injuries I sustained back then had been severe enough to kill me had I not formed the Contract of the Dead in advance. Thus, it was understandable that she was worried.

    Thanks to the Contract of the Dead, only the Loa and I knew that I barely survived. I thought about telling Ji-Ah and Uncle, but I decided not to tell them because nothing good woulde out of it. There was no reason to tell them, and even if I did, they wouldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡ªPlease be healthy.

    "Alright. I¡¯ll be healthy."

    Perhaps she didn¡¯t feel satisfied even after saying that, so she added a few more words before hanging up. Her concerns were so extreme that it felt annoying at times, but I was still grateful that she cared about me.

    As a result, my n for today was to resume exercising. I had taken a break for a while now. It was the weekend, and there was a high possibility that the practical exam would require physical activity, so I wanted to warm up my body in advance.

    While heading to the gym, Legba said, [There is not a single call from that Jin-Sung guy.]

    After confirming no one was around, I replied, "Uncle has always been like that."

    Uncle was never one to worry. Even if I was in extreme pain or injured, he believed everything would be fine as long as I was alive. He said that pain would go away after taking medicine, and injuries would heal over time. Therefore, he said that everything was fine as long as I didn¡¯t die. Those were the words that remained in my memory.

    [Still, he¡¯s supposed to be yourst remaining family member, and yet...] Legba said while vigorously clicking his tongue. Eventually, he trailed off and stopped speaking.

    Within the abrupt silence, I heard a cat¡¯s meow echo from the distance.

    ***

    Jin-Seo was facing an unexpectedly strong enemy. When trying to approach, the distance between her and the enemy did not decrease, and even when bending down and requesting negotiation, theypletely ignored her. Among all the enemies Jin-Seo had encountered so far in her life, they were the most agile and cunning.

    "Meow©¤"

    The opponent was none other than a cat. Jin-Seo tried to imitate the cat¡¯s meow to close the distance between them, but the quick-witted and shrewd cat never let her get close. At first, Jin-Seo carelessly let her guard down due to the cat¡¯s seemingly cute and innocent facade. But once she faced the cat properly, it clearly could not be underestimated. She had no choice but to lure the cat with food...

    Jin-Seo took out a snack from her pocket. She always carried something with her in preparation for moments like this. However, the cat didn¡¯t even nce at Jin-Seo, and it instead headed toward a man who happened to be passing by.

    "Ah," Jin-Seo sighed.

    The cat rubbed its head against the man''s leg and even rolled over to show its belly. It was clearly a sign of intimacy. The man crouched down and stroked the cat. At the man¡¯s touch, the cat shoved its head into the man¡¯s hand and purred. The identity of the man who easily captured the cat''s heart and even seemed to be taming it, despite the cat¡¯splete hostility toward her was...

    "Sun-Woo..."

    It was him, the person who hadn''t shown his face or contacted her in the past few months. He hadn''t done anything wrong, but for some reason, seeing his face made her angry. While she was thinking this, Sun-Woo continued to calmly stroke the cat¡¯s belly. He even held the cat in his arms. She couldn''t forgive him...

    Jin-Seo confidently approached him. As she approached, the cat in Sun-Woo''s arms raised its fur as if startled before running away. Sun-Woo watched the retreating back of the now-distant cat with a sense of regret and then lifted his head after btedly noticing Jin-Seo''s presence.

    "The cat seems to dislike you."

    "Ha."

    Jin-Seo was so dumbfounded that she couldn¡¯t help but let out a dryugh. The remark had been so astonishingly shameless that shepletely forgot about her anger. She hadn¡¯t even hoped for words such as ¡°I missed you¡± or ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± It would have been enough if he had just said something like, ¡°Long time no see.¡± However, Sun-Woo failed to utter such simple greetings.

    "Is that all you have to say?" Jin-Seo asked sarcastically with her arms crossed.

    Her tone of voice clearly indicated that she was angry. This should have been enough to make any normal person flustered, but Sun-Woo calmly smiled and said, "Why? Did you want me to say I missed you?"

    "Huh? No, um..."

    "Then?" Sun-Woo asked.

    He continued to smile, but there was an iciness in his tone that she couldn''t quite put her finger on. Instead of responding, Jin-Seo silently observed Sun-Woo¡¯s face for a while. There wasn¡¯t anything noticeably different about him, but it seemed like he had lost some weight, as if he hadn''t been eating properly since being discharged from the hospital.

    However, she didn¡¯t want to express any concern for him. He prematurely left the hospital without saying a word and then disappeared without any contact for months. Whether she was concerned about him or not, he would do things his way, so worrying about him was a waste of time.

    ¡°...How is your body holding up?¡±

    ...But she decided to ask anyway. This was not her being concerned¡ªthis was just her asking a question that should be asked as a matter of courtesy.

    Sun-Woo grinned and said, "I''m healthy."

    "I suppose you would be. Since you were discharged early."

    "Why did you ask?"

    Jin-Seo abruptly blurted, "Just because... I¡¯m annoyed."

    Sun-Woo had a clueless expression on his face as if he had no idea why she was annoyed. He stared at Jin-Seo¡¯s face for a while before suddenly standing up and walking away.

    Jin-Seo walked alongside him. Sun-Woo tilted his head as if he was curious.

    "Why are you following me?"

    "I was originally going to go this way."

    Originally, she nned to go in the opposite direction, but there was no need to tell him that. While silently walking, she saw a cat jump into the bush.

    There were many cats in Florence Academy. They would asionally catch birds from the barn, which made them unpopr among the teachers, but they were popr among the students. Some of the yful cats even had names given to them by the students. They were typical names such as Cheese, T¡¯ekaaluk[1], and Butterfly.

    Sun-Woo watched the cat hop into the bush and said, "Were you ying with the cat earlier?"

    Jin-Seo trembled after getting startled by his question.

    "Did you hear me?"

    "What?"

    Jin-Seo pretended like she didn¡¯t care as she casually replied, "No... it''s nothing. I wasn¡¯t ying with it. I just thought it was cute, so I watched for a bit."

    Fortunately, it seemed like he didn''t hear her imitating the cat¡¯s cry.

    Sun-Woo nodded slowly.

    "Looks like you like cats."

    "Because they are cute."

    "But the cats don¡¯t seem to like you."

    "...Are you doing it on purpose?"

    Sun-Woo just smiled faintly without bothering to answer her question.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re really good at imitating the noise that cats make when they cry.¡±

    She thought he hadn¡¯t heard it, but it seemed like he did. Whatever. She just had to feign innocence.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Jin-Seo smiled as if she had no idea what he was talking about as she denied his allegations. However, Sun-Woo looked at her as if he found her denial amusing.

    Heughed and said, "You imitated it earlier. It sounds almost the same if you close your eyes and listen."

    "Sh-shut up."

    "With that level of skill, even the cat¡¯s mom would be fooled, hmph¡ª¡±

    Jin-Seo hurriedly covered Sun-Woo''s mouth.

    "Stop talking now."

    Jin-Seo couldn''t even lift her head due to the overwhelming embarrassment. The only thought in her head was not to let this guy speak anymore.

    After she saw Sun-Woo struggling to breathe, Jin-Seo finally removed her hand. Sun-Woo rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand as if to check whether his mouth was still attached.

    ¡°Why are you overreacting so much?¡± Sun-Woo asked.

    ¡°You really annoy me...¡± Jin-Seo said.

    Jin-Seo felt like she would be in a losing position if she said anything else, so she decided to keep her mouth shut. Sun-Woo smiled in satisfaction and walked away without saying a word.

    The two stopped in front of the gym. Before walking into the gym, Sun-Woo paused for a moment and then turned to face Jin-Seo.

    ¡°By the way, where exactly are you heading? Did youe to work out too?" Sun-Woo asked.

    Jin-Seo had been following Sun-Woo without much thought, and she was taken aback. She had already finished her workout in the morning. However, she didn''t feelfortable parting ways with him like this. The anxiety of not knowing when they would meet again after today overwhelmed her.

    Sun-Woo probably wouldn''t suddenly disappear or die while working out, but her anxiety remained.

    "Yeah... That¡¯s good. I was nning to work out, too. Shall we do it together?"

    "Is there really a need for us to work out together?"

    "...You might get hurt if you do it alone. It''s been a while since you''ve done so."

    "Ah, are you offering to help me?" Sun-Woo asked.

    Looking at Sun-Woo¡¯s shameless face, Jin-Seo''s anger immediately surged. However, she tried not to show it.

    "...Yeah, I''ll offer my assistance. So, go ahead," she said.

    "You really don¡¯t need to do this. But thanks anyway," Sun-Woo said with a smile as if he was mocking her.

    Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t help but clench her teeth. Originally, she wanted to ask why he hadn¡¯t contacted her all this time. She also wanted to seek revenge for the frustration she had felt during that time. However, during their conversation, she failed to bring up the topic, and Sun-Woo''s words easily swayed her. She always thought Sun-Woo had a slightly mischievous side, but it seemed to have be even more pronounced.

    Was he intentionally trying to annoy her...?

    She didn''t dislike the change, but for some reason, it irritated her because it felt like she was losing. But it was okay.

    She could seek revenge from now on.

    1. Merchants in Elder Scrolls typically say, ¡°Take a look,¡± and a bunch of Korean users seemed to like the way Khajiit said it, so they gave him the nickname of T¡¯ekaaluk. Later, people began to associate T¡¯ekaaluk with cat-like characters in video games, and then theyter associated it with cats in real life. /watch?v=9yD7MB3TiA0 ?

 Chapter 151

    <h4>Chapter 151</h4>

    ¡°One more time.¡±

    ¡°No, I really can¡¯t. I feel so tired I¡¯m going to die...¡±

    ¡°Stop being dramatic and just do one more.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t being dramatic¡ªI seriously felt like dying. Despite that, Jin-Seo continued to urge me on. She even smiled brightly. It seemed like she enjoyed watching me struggle. If I had known this would happen, I would have run away when she suggested exercising together...

    The exercise session I ended up doing with Jin-Seo, whom I had coincidentally met, was better than expected. She had the knowledge of a professional trainer, so working out with her yielded much higher efficiency than working out alone. It was better than having a typical personal trainer.

    The problem was the intensity of the workout. The intensity, from the weights to the number of repetitions, was just too much. It made me question whether what I had been doing before now could even be considered exercise.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you hurry up and get into position? You only have to do one more.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not being dramatic. I can¡¯t breathe...¡±

    ¡°Really? Should I give you CPR?¡± she casually said with a smile on her face.

    I saw the devil in her smile. Jin-Seo had no intention of lowering the intensity of the workout no matter what I said. I began to think that it would be better to just finish the workout quickly and then take a break.

    I squeezed out everyst drop of energy left in my poor soul as I followed Jin-Seo¡¯s instructions. Eventually, the hellish exercise session came to an end.

    "Good job."

    When my body waspletely exhausted, the workout finally ended. As I savored the sense of aplishment ofpleting this hellish exercise routine and caught my breath, Jin-Seo said, "How long are you going to rest?"

    "...Isn''t it over?"

    "Just one more round."

    I thought it was a joke, but judging by the expression on her face, it didn''t seem like a joke. There was not a single ounce of strength left in my body, but it would hurt my pride if I backed out now aftering this far.

    Thest exercise was the bench press. Contrary to my determination, fear rushed over me as soon as Iy down on the bench and looked at the barbell.

    "I can''t do bench presses."

    "Why?"

    "Because I feel like I¡¯ll get crushed under the weights."

    "Even if you get crushed under the weights, you won''t die."

    "Yeah, you''re right..."

    What she said was absolutely correct. It was such a light weight that I wouldn¡¯t even feel pressured, let alone get injured if I got crushed under the weights.

    I decided to steel my resolve. The exercise would be so remarkably difficult that I would feel like dying, but it was supposed to be challenging. Moreover, since Jin-Seo put so much effort into helping me, it would be disrespectful to do this half-heartedly.

    I adjusted my posture and lifted the barbell.

    "Here, I¡¯ll add more weight."

    "Urgh, hey...!"

    At that moment, Jin-Seo ced her hand on the barbell. Startled by the sudden increase in weight, I lost my strength, and the barbell came crashing down on me. I tried to lift the barbell using momentum, but I couldn''t muster any strength in my body anymore.

    "...Don''t just stand there and watch. Help me."

    "Why? It looks good to me."

    I tried asking for assistance, but Jin-Seo only mocked me. Should I use Bossou¡¯s power? No, using Bossou''s power for such a trivial matter would be an excessive waste. But staying pinned under the barbell like this was so embarrassing that I couldn¡¯t stand it.

    Getting crushed under a certain weight would not be embarrassing, but getting crushed under <i>a particr</i> weight would be embarrassing. Right now, it was thetter case.

    I had no idea whether she knew how I felt right now, but Jin-Seo looked down at me with a smile as if she was enjoying herself.

    "Should I help?"

    ¡°I¡¯ll get my revenge, Jin-Seo...¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Jin-Seo rested her hands on the barbell and looked down at me. The weight increased.

    "Seems like you''re not that desperate."

    "...Sorry. Help me, please."

    "Sure."

    Jin-Seo finally nodded with satisfaction and lifted the barbell. I remained lying on the bench while taking deep breaths.

    Jin-Seo sat down on the floor next to me, tilting her head and looking at me with a wide smile. It felt like this was my first time seeing her smile so brightly.

    "Why are you smiling?" I asked.

    I felt as if I had gotten pranked. Jin-Seo opened her eyes slightly andughed as she said, "Because I like seeing you struggle."

    "..."

    I had no energy left to respond.

    ***

    "I almost died..."

    "You¡¯re freaking out over just this much."

    When the workout was over, it was early in the evening. On the way back, Jin-Seo stayed by my side like a ma.

    Her face was cold and expressionless. Theughter that appeared when she saw me struggling had disappeared. She looked at me with narrowed eyes and said, "Next time, we''ll do more."

    "Next time, I won''t do it with you."

    "Why? Today was good, wasn''t it?"

    Jin-Seo raised her head and looked at me. As she whispered in my ear, her voice echoed in my ears and rang in my head. I pushed her forehead away with the palm of my hand.

    "Don''t do that. It gives me chills."

    "You don¡¯t have to push me away."

    "It''s because you''re getting too close."

    Jin-Seo pouted and stuck out her tongue.

    As we walked, we saw a convenience store. Thanks to it being an unmanned store, F.A. Mart was open even at ate hour. Jin-Seo dragged me there and picked out food that was good to eat after exercising. It was such arge amount that even if we ate for three days, we wouldn''t be able to finish it all. Jin-Seo paid the bill. She paid for it as if it were obvious, leaving no room for me to intervene.

    "It''s too much."

    "You just have to eat a lot. Eating is part of exercise as well," Jin-Seo said while she firmly stuffed food and drinks into my bag.

    The slim bag quickly became plump. She nodded as if satisfied and then lightly tapped my bag. There was a rustling sound of the stic bags inside the bag.

    "Are you going to the dormitory?" she asked as we left the store.

    "Yeah, it''s almost time to check in."

    "I''ll walk you there."

    "You don¡¯t really have to?"

    "It''s been a while since we''vest seen each other. It''s nice to spend more time together, right?" Jin-Seo said with a calm face.

    I could sense a mixture of resignation and annoyance in her tone. It might have gone unnoticed if I had just listened casually, but from her tone and expression, I could tell she was angry with me right now.

    The reason was obvious. Not only did I leave the hospital without saying a word, but I also didn''t contact her during the school closure period. Thinking about it again, I had no reason to contact her. Technically, we didn''t have any rtionship at all. Our rtionship was such that we knew each other''s faces and names, and we asionally had short conversations when we met and parted ways. Usually, people would call them acquaintances.

    "I can go alone. It''s right there anyway," I said as I pointed to the dormitory building in the distance with my chin.

    "We can go together," she replied.

    "I prefer going alone."

    I refused her offer to apany me. However, Jin-Seo didn''t seem to hear me and continued following me.

    "Why do you keep following me? I said I''m fine."

    "I¡¯d feel morefortable if we go together," she said.

    "I feel ufortable. Don''t follow me," I insisted.

    "I feel ufortable if we go separately."

    Jin-Seo was determined not to leave my side. I couldn''t understand why she was going to such lengths to apany me.

    As I was sighing, I unintentionally muttered aloud, "If I tell you not to, just... don''t."

    Well, technically, it wasn''t unintentional. I thought I would need to say it someday, so perhaps it was more urate to say that I sighed while intentionally letting out my true feelings.

    Eventually, I would meet my mother and stand at a crossroads. Would I risk starting another Holy War to save my mother, or would I settle for reality and live my life? The connections made at Florence Academy would have an impact, big or small, on that choice.

    And Jin-Seo''s presence would probably have a significant influence on that choice.

    It was strange that someone other than me, especially someone from the Romanican Church and not the Voodoo Cult, would have such a great influence on my decisions. My choices had to be made solely based on my own will. For that reason, I wanted to draw a line. At least just a bit so she wouldn''t be overly reliant on me and I wouldn''t be bound to her. Above all, I didn¡¯t want to be dependent on her.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo stopped in her tracks upon hearing my words. She looked at me with a nk expression. I also stopped walking and looked at her. Her pupils were dark and cold, and her gaze was sharp.

    After silently staring into my eyes for a while, Jin-Seo lowered her head and said, "Yeah, you''re right. I''ve been too clingy."

    Her voice sounded like a murmur, almost like a whisper. Her hair fluttered in the breeze. Jin-Seo looked up and coldly smiled at me.

    "When will you disappear again?" she asked while staring at me with unfocused eyes.

    It was difficult to understand what she meant.

    "What are you talking about... why would I disappear?"

    "You disappearedst time."

    She approached me with firm steps.

    "You disappeared without a word, and when I found you, you were dead," she said while grabbing my cor.

    Her grip wasn''t strong. If I tried, I could easily break free.

    But I didn''t. It was because as she grabbed my cor and looked up at me, I saw that her eyelids were red.

    "And then, after being discharged, you didn''t even contact me once?"

    "I didn''t have time to contact you."

    "Don''t make excuses. I didn¡¯t ask for you to contact me every day. You could have at least let me know if you were dead or alive. You don''t even have time to contact me once a week? What are you so busy with, exactly?"

    Jin-Seo¡¯s shoulders quivered as she said, "Do you know how I felt when you died... do you? You probably don''t. You probably never even thought about it."

    "I know."

    When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Jin-Seo crying. When Iter saw the hospital bill, I realized that Jin-Seo had taken care of many things for me.

    I nodded, and Jin-Seo hit my chest. It hurt a little.

    She opened her trembling mouth and said, "You knew, but you still said something like that? You... trash."

    "..."

    "This isn''t the first time you almost died. You¡¯re always at the hospital, and the doctors keep talking about things that involve life and death...! And yet, do you really think I wouldn¡¯t behave in an obsessive manner?¡±

    I didn''t know what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. Jin-Seo took a deep breath and continued speaking.

    "You¡¯re saying not to do something when you say not to do it? What about you? I¡¯ve told you so many times not to die, but you keep doing the things I tell you not to do. You, scumbag...!¡±

    ¡°Your words are harsh...¡±

    "Those insults are nowhere near enough."

    She let go of my cor. Then she straightened out my disheveled clothes. If she was going to do that, I had no idea why she grabbed my cor in the first ce.

    As a moment of silence enveloped us, I lifted my head and looked up into the sky. The full moon was alone in the pitch-ck night sky. There was not a single star.

    We quietly started walking again without exchanging any words. I looked at her side profile. Earlier, her eyebrows were raised steeply in anger, but now they were rxed.

    She lifted her gaze and nced at me as if trying to gauge my reaction.

    "...I''m sorry for swearing."

    Her voice was trembling. Unlike when she would swear at me and get angry, her tone and attitude were greatly subdued.

    "You said that those insults were nowhere near enough earlier."

    "That... was just something I said. No, it''s not just something I said..."

    Jin-Seo spoke in a rush and then suddenly stopped walking.

    She lowered her head and pressed her palm against her forehead. Through her flowing hair, I could see her biting her lips. When I approached her, she turned her head. She was desperately trying to hide her expression.

    "Are you crying?"

    I tried to lower my head to see her face, but she didn''t reveal her expression. When I changed the angle of my gaze, she also changed the angle of her palm to hide her expression. The intense battle between the boy who wanted to see her face and the girl who wanted to cover it continued.

    The girl¡¯s defenses eventually crumbled. The palm that covered her face disappeared, revealing her expression. Tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes as she stared at me.

    "You¡¯re crying?"

    "Don''t talk nonsense. I''m not crying."

    "I had a sneaking suspicion, but you really are crying."

    "Ah, I''m not crying..." Jin-Seo said as she narrowed her eyes and shot me a re.

    Her tears seemed to have stopped, but her eyes were still moist. It felt strange to see her ring at me with red eyes. I didn¡¯t feel guilt, but I felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside of me.

    "Ah, why is this happening? Seriously."

    "You cry every time I see you. It was the samest time, too."

    She didn''t respond to my words and continued to shed tears. It seemed like her tears weren¡¯t going to stop.

    I waited for her to stop crying. I didn¡¯t have to wait that long before she quickly stopped crying. Instead, she began to re at me with resentment in her eyes. The tears stopped, but her eyes were still red, so no matter how threatening she looked, I wasn''t really intimidated.

    "You''re the one who made me cry."

    "Is that apliment?"

    Jin-Seo red at me. "...I''m not usually like this."

    "What are you usually like?"

    "I usually don''t cry. Or get obsessed... Anyway, I''m not usually like this."

    "But why are you like this now?"

    "I don''t know... Just shut up," Jin-Seo said and then punched my stomach.

    It didn''t hurt much, but I felt a strange sensation as if my breath was being blocked. Just like Jin-Seo wanted, I ended up shutting up.

    There was no conversation exchanged as we walked back toward the dormitory building. She was currently sulking, so she didn¡¯t respond to any of my words, and she didn¡¯t even look at my face.

    "I just thought of this now... But I think crying is better for you.¡±

    When we had almost reached Area C of the dormitory. I tried to lighten the mood with a poorly executed joke.

    ¡°Is that why you made me cry? You really are a piece of trash..."

    Her response was harsh. In the end, instead of easing the atmosphere, it only fueled her anger. She looked at me with narrowed eyes, then sighed deeply and chuckled as if she couldn''t believe it.

    "Just go inside quickly."

    "I was going to do that anyway."

    "Don''t contact me in the future. I won''t care whether you do or not."

    "Is that so?"

    "...You can do it asionally. I''ll reply depending on what you say," Jin-Seo said before leaving without looking back.

    Well, she did look back once before leaving. I waved goodbye to her with a smile.

    As I entered the dormitory, many thoughts came to mind. Was it really necessary to break off a rtionship that had already been formed? Was it really necessary to take the risk? Was it actually okay to just settle for reality like this...? Such thoughts kept resurfacing in my mind.

    I remembered the conversation I had previously had with my uncle.

    He said that the Voodoo Cult should continue to maintain its legacy just like this. asionally, I would meet Ji-Ah, my uncle, some executives, and some of my friends from Florence Academy while leaving my still-alive mother in prison...

    "Ah."

    A cracking sound came from my jaw. It was due to me excessively grinding my teeth. My neck was so stiff that it hurt, and my mouth trembled as if it were paralyzed. When I touched my lips, I realized that I was not smiling. Instead, I had a strange expression on my face.

    As I entered the dormitory, the dorm supervisor greeted me with a stern face.

    "You''rete. It''s five past ten. You''ll receive a penalty point. Go inside."

    "Okay."

    I waste.

    I entered, took out the food Jin-Seo had given me, and tried tasting them all. I also drank some beverages. Although each one had a slightly different taste, the difference was not distinct. It was all the same. I ate enough to fill my stomach and put the rest in the refrigerator.

    I studied until dawn. Following In-Ah''s study method, I wrote down everything I knew on a nk sheet of paper. There was more white space than writing. No matter how hard I squeezed my brain, the white space didn''t easily fill up.

    Whenever I felt sleepy, I stabbed my hand with my pen. It didn''t really help me wake up since it didn''t hurt much. I had no idea what I truly desired. I had too many stray thoughts running through my mind. Tomorrow was the weekend, so it¡¯d be good to just sleep in until the afternoon.

    No, I should sleep a little since I had a lot to do. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to sleep much anyway.

    Anyway, I went to sleep for now.

 Chapter 152

    <h4>Chapter 152</h4>

    The day that I hoped would not arrive ended up arriving.

    The written exam.

    What did those who didn''t study at all and those who studied very hard have inmon?

    They both wished for the exam toe quickly.

    But, those who studied half-heartedly would wish for the exam not toe. It was because they hadn¡¯tpletely given up, but they also hadn¡¯t studied enough to be satisfied. That was exactly how I felt. My anxiety didn''t fade away even as I received the exam instructions and headed to the designated exam room.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    Someone hit me in the back of the head. I turned my head to confirm who it was, and I found In-Ah was looking at me with a mischievous smile.

    "What are you doing?"

    "The back of your head is just asking to be hit."

    "..."

    I was so utterly dumbfounded I couldn¡¯t help but stare at her with my mouth closed. In-Ah smiled yfully and then said, "You look really nervous. Didn''t study much, huh?"

    "Nervous? Not at all."

    "Pretending to be tough, huh? Anyone can see that you¡¯re nervous!" In-Ah said while patting my back.

    It seemed like I looked nervous.

    Honestly, I was a little nervous. This exam was critical since my bet with Ha-Yeon was at stake. I still didn¡¯t understand why I made such a bet.

    In-Ah fixed her gaze on the notebook she held in her left hand.

    ¡°So, how was your studying? Did you study a lot?"

    "I just... studied as much as the others did."

    Honestly, I didn''t think I studied as much as the others. I was short on time for this exam, and I alsocked motivation. In-Ah nced at me as if she couldn''t believe what I said.

    "You always say that and do well."

    "This time, I¡¯m seriously screwed."

    "Screw... Is it that bad?"

    "Yeah. How about you?"

    I felt crippling depression, so I decided to change the topic. In-Ah seemed to contemte for a moment.

    "...I studied hard, but I''m not sure. I hope I do well enough."

    "It seems like you studied hard."

    "Of course! I studied really hard."

    In-Ah shrugged her shoulders. We continued talking a bit more on our way to the exam room. In-Ah said that she was taking the exam in the building for the second years.

    For the record, I was taking the exam in the auditorium. The reason why they were scattering the students around like this was obvious despite the inconvenience. It was to prevent cheating. Many incidents and idents urred recently, but Florence Academy remained one of the most difficult clergy academies to get into in the country, and as such, the exams were equally difficult.

    "Do well on the exam! Just don¡¯t do better than me," In-Ah said while waving her hand just as we were about to part ways.

    Despite the various incidents that urred, she remained consistently cheerful. I smiled and nodded in response. Seeing my half-hearted response, In-Ah approached me with a stiff expression.

    "Do it again."

    "What?"

    "Tell me to do well on the exam too!"

    It was truly a surprising demand.

    "...Do well on the exam."

    "Okay!"

    After finally seeming satisfied, she left. Her footsteps seemed as light as feathers as she headed toward the second-year building. After the school closure period, her personality had be more light-hearted, but I wondered if she was just trying to appear light-hearted. At the corners of her forced smile, there were slight tremors.

    I arrived at the auditorium. It was the ce where the entrance ceremony had taken ce. The stained ss that adorned the central part of the building had a faint crack on it. The chaos that urred at the schoolst time must have caused it. The reconstruction of the training center that copsed back then waspleted, but it seemed like they hadn''t managed to fix all the minor ws and imperfections.

    "Oh my."

    As I looked at the assigned seat ticket posted behind the auditorium and searched for my designated seat, an unwee voice reached my ears.

    "Same exam room, huh?"

    She was wearing nothing but white from head to toe. Ha-Yeon looked at me with a disdainful gaze. Her tone was always irritating, no matter when I heard it.

    Ha-Yeon was intelligent yet foolish and foolish yet cunning. The reason for her unnecessary provocation was obvious. She wanted to get on my nerves and ultimately prevent me from focusing on the exam. There was no need for me to y along with her sinister machinations.

    I casually ignored her words and tried to find a seat. However, in the very next moment, the words that came out of her mouth were difficult to ignore and brush off simply.

    "I happen to be sitting next to you again. You¡¯re not going to cheat, right?¡±

    "Haha..."

    My anger exceeded a certain threshold, so I couldn¡¯t help but subconsciouslyugh. But if I got angry, I would end up doing exactly what Ha-Yeon wanted. I clenched my teeth, barely managing to suppress the swear words rising up my throat, and looked at Ha-Yeon with a smile on my face.

    "Why would I look at your work? Even if I were to cheat, I wouldn¡¯t even bother to look at yours.¡±

    "How about honestly asking me to show it to you? If you beg while licking my shoes, I might consider it."

    "Rather than looking at your work, hm... I''d rather look at Dae-Man¡¯s work."

    "What? Are you going a little too far here...?!"

    <i>Thud¡ª!</i>

    As soon as she finished speaking, a massive figure forcefully pushed open the door and entered the auditorium. The students sitting in their designated seats while doing some extra studying shot sharp nces toward the figure. However, as soon as they confirmed the identity of the massive figure, they avoided looking at him.

    Dae-Man stood before us, proudly disying his bulky muscles and giant physique. Whenever I looked at him, I couldn¡¯t help but think he was an overwhelminglyrge man. Besides the fact that he was wearing some kind of protective belt around his waist, Dae-Man hadn''t changed at all.

    "Sun-Woo! We¡¯re at the same examination site, huh? Isn¡¯t this just a remarkable coincidence?"

    "...Yeah, nice to see you. What''s with the waist?"

    "I injured it badly while evacuating patients at the hospital. As someone aspiring to be a pdin, I can proudly call it an honorable wound!"

    It seemed like he was talking about the time when the Satanists broadcasted that they would detonate bombs in the hospital. At that time, a male student and a female student helped the pdins evacuate the patients from the hospital, and it seemed that the male student was Dae-Man. Fortunately, the hospital didn''t end up exploding. It was revealed that there were no explosives hidden in the hospital.

    "Yeah... It''s truly an honorable wound..." I responded to Dae-Man''s words and nced at Ha-Yeon.

    She had taken multiple steps back to avoid Dae-Man, and as a result, she had pushed herself into the corner of the auditorium. The yful and clueless attitude she had earlier was nowhere to be seen. Come to think of it, Ha-Yeon seemed particrly afraid of Dae-Man.

    While this was happening, Dae-Man continued to speak in his characteristic deep voice.

    "However, even this honor is lesspared to you. I''ve heard the stories. Not only did you chase after Satanists alone, but you also fought battles©¤"

    <i>Bang! </i>

    At that moment, someone sitting in the auditorium pushed their desk and stood up abruptly. Then, with bloodshot eyes, they red at me and Dae-Man for an extended period of time.

    It seemed like we were making too much noise. Well, it was understandable that it would be hard to concentrate on studying with all this chatter. The problem was not me but Dae-Man. However, instead of getting angry, Dae-Man bent his waist ny degrees toward the student and politely apologized.

    "I''m sorry. We made a lot of noise."

    It was an almost textbook apology, which waspletely unexpected. The angry student scratched the back of his head as if feeling embarrassed and then sat back down in his seat.

    Dae-Man lowered his voice and said, "Let''s talk again after the exam is over... It doesn''t seem like the right time now..."

    "Okay."

    Dae-Man moved his massive body and went to his designated seat.

    I wandered around for a while, trying to find my name on the seating chart, and finally managed to find my designated seat just before the exam started. As I was taking out my stationery, the proctor teacher grabbed the microphone and began to speak.

    ¡ªYou probably heard it in the morning as well, but the following cases are those that the proctor determines as misconduct. Looking at another student''s test paper, not following the proctor''s instructions, continuing to write after the bell rings...

    As soon as the proctor finished speaking, the teachers started distributing the test papers. The auditorium was filled with the sound of papers fluttering.

    After a brief wait, the bell rang, signaling the start of the exam.

    The subject for the written exam on the first day was sacred dynamics. It was my worst subject, and it was the subject that I had studied the least for. Honestly, it would be unconscionable for me to expect to do well on this subject. With the mentality of desperately hoping to get at least half the answers right, I looked at the first question.

    "Huh..."

    A dryugh escaped my lips as soon as I saw it. In-Ah''s nk study method was truly an incredible method. It felt like my mind waspletely empty, like a nk sheet of paper.

    Absolutely nothing came to mind.

    So that was why it was called the nk study method! With a newfound realization, a sense of despair btedly rushed over me. I expected the exam to be difficult since I didn''t study, but I never imagined that the difficulty would be so ridiculously high that I wouldn¡¯t even be able to solve the first question.

    As I stared nkly at question number 1 for a minute, I heard Legba''s voice.

    [I really can''t help with sacred dynamics either. It''s not my area of expertise.]

    Legba excelled in subjects like history and sacred science, but on the other hand, he was aplete novice in subjects like sacred dynamics or sacred material science.

    I had no other choice. It was time to use my secret weapon...

    I secretly took out Baron Samedi¡¯s dice that I had inside my pocket.

    ***

    Ha-Yeon quickly shifted through the test papers and checked the number of questions. The total number of questions for the sacred dynamics exam was 29. All of them were multiple-choice, and there were no written questions. Given that they had 60 minutes, it could be assumed that approximately 2 minutes were given for each question.

    However, considering various factors, solving each question in about 1 minute and 30 seconds seemed more reasonable. This way, even after finishing all the questions, there would be about 20 minutes of spare time to review the answers.

    Ha-Yeon immediately started solving the questions after deciding on her time allocation strategy. This exam was somewhat difficult, but it was not to the point of being unsolvable. No, it was actually easier than expected. Ha-Yeon was particrly confident in sacred dynamics and sacred material science.

    While other students struggled to even turn the first page after 20 minutes, Ha-Yeon only had five questions left.

    Approximately 25 minutes had passed since the exam started when a male student stood up from his seat and asked the proctor, "Excuse me, can I submit my answer sheet now?"

    Ha-Yeon was startled. She stopped solving the problems and raised her head.

    Submitting the answer sheet already? It had only been 25 minutes. There was no way someone could solve all 29 questions in such a short period of time.

    Sure enough, the student who stood up was Dae-Man. Looking at his answer sheet, all the answers were shaded in a single column. It seemed like he gave up and just marked everything in a column. The proctor sighed as he looked at his answer sheet.

    "...Didn''t I tell you not to pick the answers in a column?"

    "But if I mark the answers in a column, at least six of them will be correct!"

    "Fine... go ahead."

    At Florence Academy, students could leave early after submitting the answer sheet. However, unless someonepletely gave up on the written exam like Dae-Man, it was rare for early dismissal to ur. It was because it was usually too difficult to solve all the problems within the given sixty minutes.

    After submitting his answer sheet, Dae-Man left the auditorium. Ha-Yeon regained herposure and refocused on the exam.

    There were about 30 minutes left and only five questions remaining. Even if she spent 6 minutes on each question, she would still have time left. The situation was going very smoothly. Just as she was thinking that if she didn''t make any mistakes, she could aim for a perfect score...

    <i>tter. </i>

    A strange sound caught her ear. The sound came from the seat next to her, where Sun-Woo was sitting. She tried to ignore it and concentrate on the exam, but the sound continued to distract her. That annoying sound kept distracting her. Ha-Yeon clenched her lips and nced at Sun-Woo.

    "..."

    Soon, she figured out the source of the sound. It was the sound of rolling dice. Sun-Woo was rolling the dice and marking the answers ording to the value that he rolled...

    She couldn''t help but let out a snicker. Was she really studying so hard all this time just to beat such a fool? She felt pathetic for considering Sun-Woo herpetitor in the past. Anyway, from now on, she didn''t need to worry about losing a bet against Sun-Woo. She considered this a good thing. She decided to focus on the exam again.

    <i>¡®Focus, focus...¡¯ </i>

    <i>tter. </i>

    "..."

    <i>tter, tter. </i>

    <i>tter tter tter tter. </i>

    Unable to bear it any longer, Ha-Yeon raised her hand and called the proctor. And to ensure that other students wouldn''t be affected, she whispered to the proctor in a very small voice.

    "I can''t concentrate because of the sound of rolling dice."

    "Dice?"

    "It¡¯s Sun-Woo from the seat next to me. He keeps rolling dice. Please warn him, please...."

    The proctor nodded and went to Sun-Woo. Ha-Yeon internally cheered and smiled as she looked toward Sun-Woo. He would face disciplinary action after the exam for bringing impure objects such as dice into the exam room. If caught, he could even receive a score of zero for cheating.

    "Dice? No, what..."

    At that moment, an unbelievable sight unfolded before Ha-Yeon''s eyes. Sun-Woo skillfully deceived the proctor''s gaze and hid the dice in his hand. His hand movements were literally like magic. Then, he imed he was innocent with an expression as if he was experiencing the most unjust treatment in the world.

    In the end, Sun-Woo not only escaped disciplinary action, but he also didn¡¯t receive any reprimands. Afterward, Sun-Woo and the proctor briefly whispered a conversation. The proctor furrowed his brow, seemingly perplexed, and then approached Ha-Yeon.

    "...Ha-Yeon, Sun-Woo says it''s ufortable because you keep ncing at him. Please don''t turn your head in that direction anymore."

    "What...? No, that person has dice in his hands¡ª"

    "Continuing to do this will be considered misconduct," the proctor firmly stated.

    The attention of the surrounding students focused on Ha-Yeon. Unable to respond, Ha-Yeon bowed her head deeply. She realized that engaging in a confrontation with the proctor would only waste her time.

    "Yes... I''m sorry..." Ha-Yeon said in a subdued voice.

    After the proctor left, Ha-Yeon red at Sun-Woo with eyes filled with wrath. Sun-Woo also looked at her with his middle finger held up toward her. On Sun-Woo''s face, a smile that was clearer and brighter than any other smile she had seen before appeared.

    When the proctor looked in his direction, Sun-Woo quickly changed his expression and pretended to focus on the test. Ha-Yeon felt the urge to kill for the first time in her life.

    "...Phew."

    No, she shouldn¡¯t get distracted. There was no reason to indulge in such childish provocations. She decided to solve the problems instead. Although she wasted time due to Sun-Woo, she still had plenty of time. The remaining five problems were more difficult than she imagined, but they were not impossible to solve if she concentrated.

    <i>¡®Let¡¯s focus, focus...¡¯ </i>

    <i>tter.</i>

    <i>¡®Ignore it.¡¯ </i>

    Problem 26. The blessing array shown in Figures (a) and (b) respectively... <i>tter.</i>

    <i>¡®Ignore it.¡¯ </i>

    Problem 26 was easier to solve than expected.

    She quickly moved on to problem 27.

    Problem 27, in the figure shown... <i>tter. tter.</i>

    That cursed ttering noise! Just when was it going to end? Was he actually going to pick the answers based on the dice roll?

    No, she had to focus. There was not much time left. Number 27 was too difficult, so she marked it with a star and moved on.

    Number 28, <i>tter.</i>

    Number 29, <i>tter.</i>

    No, number 30, <i>tter, tter.</i>

    Number 30...

    "Sigh...."

    With only five minutes left until the end of the exam, Seongha Ha-Yeon barely finished all the problems. The sound of rolling dice was so distracting that it almost broke her concentration, but she stubbornly maintained her focus. Now, it was time to mark the answer sheet.

    Ha-Yeon marked carefully, making sure not to make any mistakes.

    She marked number 4 for question 9, number 2 for question 10, as for question 11, <i>tter</i>...? No, number 5 for question 12. Finally, as she finished marking up to question 30, the bell rang.

    ¡ªThe exam is over. Well done, everyone. Please raise your hands above your head. Any actions that do notply with instructions or marking after the end of the exam will be considered as misconduct...

    With the announcement, the sacred dynamics exam that was filled with twists and turns came to an end. Although she had difficulty concentrating properly because of the dice, she believed that she did well.

    She was truly impressed with herself for maintaining focus until the end without being distracted by Sun-Woo''s interference. A sense of pride filled her heart. Getting a perfect score would definitely be difficult, but considering the level of difficulty, she felt confident about getting first ce.

    She noticed something strange when the supervising teacher took away her test paper.

    "Huh...?"

    The total number of questions for this sacred dynamics exam was 29.

    Why did the markings on her answer sheet go up to 30?

 Chapter 153

    <h4>Chapter 153</h4>

    I returned to the dormitory immediately after the exam ended. I looked at the answers that were given to me after the end of the exam and graded it myself. Out of the 29 questions, I answered 17 of them. I guessed the remaining 12 by rolling Baron Samedi''s dice. I started by grading the answers that I solved. I wondered how many I had gotten right.

    ¡°One, two, three...¡±

    I got four questions wrong. Considering howx I was in studying, I could say that I did fairly well. Next, I graded the questions that I guessed by rolling the dice. Honestly, I didn''t have high expectations. I just thought it would be fortunate if I didn¡¯t get them all wrong.

    "..."

    The result was shocking. I got a whopping 2 out of the 12 questions right! I might have scored better if I had picked the answers in a column. I thought that Baron Samedi''s dice might have some sort of special ability, but it was absolutely useless.

    I really hated Baron Samedi right now. I hated him like crazy...

    I looked at the exam paper I had finished grading. It was raining heavily¡ªso much so that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if a flood warning was issued.

    "Dan Wedo,e out."

    [This isn¡¯t... my fault...!]

    ¡°Then whose fault is it?"

    [The stupid... Prophet¡¯s....]

    The Loa of Rain, Dan Wedo, disappeared after saying those words. I was a little annoyed, but what he said wasn¡¯t wrong. Sacred dynamics was a subject that I had no confidence in, and it was a subject that I had no interest in doing well in either. However, seeing how the results turned out, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of regret. I kept thinking that if only I had studied a little harder, would the oue have been different? Such thoughts kept popping up in my head.

    [It''s toote to regret now. Since you didn''t study, it''s only natural that you did poorly on the exam.]

    "Yes, you''re right," I reluctantly replied to Legba''s naive advice and closed the answer book.

    Tomorrow was the sacred material science exam. Just like sacred dynamics, I couldn¡¯t rely on Legba''s help for this one either, and it was a subject that I was very weak in. In order to do even a little better, I should have studied harder. Even though I tried to motivate myself, studying didn''t go well. It seemed like I had horriblepatibility with sacred material science. I didn¡¯t even know why I had to learn something like this in the first ce.

    Wasn¡¯t there something like Voodoo material science? Yeah, there was no way, right?

    "Ah, this is driving me crazy."

    I kept getting distracted. This was something I figured out while studying, but I was the type of person who could focus on things that I liked. Even when I was epted into Florence Academy, I didn¡¯t practice any blessings or healing. I practiced only Voodoo spells.

    The reason was simple. Dealing with Voodoo magic was more fun and easier than dealing with divine power. Simrly, no matter how hard I studied sacred dynamics or sacred material science, I would forget what I had studied the next day.

    On the other hand, even if I just skimmed through Romanican Sacred Science or Understanding the Holy Books, the contents would stay in my memory for days. It was probably because these subjects were more interesting and easier for me.

    By the way, this was also just me being distracted. Looking at the clock, I realized that thirty minutes had already passed without me doing anything.

    "Ah."

    Should I just go to sleep?

    [If you want to fail tomorrow¡¯s exam as well, it''s okay to just sleep.]

    "You have a talent for being harsh with your words."

    [You''re even more harsh with your words. Look at yourself first before judging others,] Legba said calmly.

    What he said just now was also somewhat irritating, but he wasn''t wrong. I let go of all distractions and focused on studying again.

    ***

    The sacred material science exam that I took the next day was just as difficult as the sacred dynamics one. After the exam, the students in the same exam room gathered together and started talking. It was a conversation about how difficult the exam was and how low their scores might be. I thought I was the only one who found it difficult, but it seemed like that wasn''t the case.

    Today, something different happened. I still rolled the dice and guessed when I encountered an unfamiliar problem, but Ha-Yeon just continued solving her problems without even ncing at me. She even came with earplugs plugged into her ears today. It seemed like she really didn''t want to hear the sound of the dice rolling.

    I received the answer book from the proctor and left the auditorium. Outside the door, Ha-Yeon was waiting for me with a confident expression. I instinctively frowned.

    "So, how was the exam? Did you do well?" Ha-Yeon said mockingly.

    Without any hesitation, I nodded. "I did well."

    "Really? How many questions do you think you got wrong? No, how many do you think you got right?"

    Ha-Yeon crossed her arms and smirked. It was a tant provocation that clearly showed her intentions. I had the urge to p her forehead, which was exposed due to the wind, but I managed to hold myself back. I smiled at her and pretended to be rxed.

    "Perfect score," I said.

    "What?"

    "I think I got a perfect score. Honestly, it was easy."

    It was a lie. Today, I rolled Baron Samedi''s dice more times than I did yesterday. That was how difficult this exam was. I desperately hoped to get at least half the questions right, but I couldn''t honestly tell Ha-Yeon that.

    Ha-Yeon rolled her eyes around as if taken aback by my words. She chuckled as if she wereposed.

    "Ha, don''t say ridiculous things. What was the answer to question 19?"

    "I don''t remember. It was so easy that I quickly solved it and moved on."

    "Wasn''t question 19 the most difficult? Did we take the same exam?"

    "Maybe it was difficult because you''re stupid? How about you look at yourself first before judging others?" I quoted Legba''s words from yesterday.

    Ha-Yeon''s face, which was previously pale, started turning red. She seemed quite angry at my words. I hoped she would get even angrier. I couldn''t help but wish that she would end up punching me in the face due to failing to control her anger. Then, I could sue her and get some settlement money.

    However, contrary to my wishes, Ha-Yeon didn''t hit me. Instead, she smiled as if trying to appear rxed and said, "Well, the results will tell. Anyway, I''ll definitely win."

    "As the wise sages of the past once said, the empty vessels make the most noise. It looks like that saying is true...¡±

    "What...! Just how am I empty?"

    Ha-Yeon had a fit at the mention of being empty.

    "Ain¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s your brain that¡¯s empty. Anyway, I¡¯m leaving. I don¡¯t have time to waste.¡±

    "Wait a minute, hey...!"

    I heard Ha-Yeon shouting something at me from behind, but I ignored her and quickened my pace. I think I sessfully dealt with Ha-Yeon¡¯s provocations and even seeded in reversing them. It was truly a satisfying feeling.

    ***

    I returned to the dormitory and tried grading the exam. I hoped to get half of the answers at least right, but when I actually graded the exam, I realized I only got half of them right.

    Baron Samedi''s dice were useless again today. Well, to be precise, it was somewhat helpful.

    "I got all of them right...."

    When I rolled the dice and the number 0 came up, I answered solely based on my intuition, and I always got the question right. On the other hand, when I answered ording to the dice, I always got the question wrong. It seemed like Baron Samedi''s dice wasn¡¯t just an ordinary dice. It could purely be a coincidence, but it didn¡¯t seem like it.

    Even so, I got more questions wrong than right. I couldn''t say I did well on the sacred material science exam either. I hadpleted a grand total of two exams so far, and I failed both. If I failed the two remaining subjects, I would end up bing Ha-Yeon¡¯s ve.

    However, it was too early to give up. If I managed to get a perfect score in the two remaining subjects, Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science, there was a chance of victory.

    The problem was that I needed to get a perfect score.

    [It looks like I can help you tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Do you need help?] Legba asked.

    Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science were subjects that I was already good at. With Legba''s help, I could easily get a perfect score. Even if it wasn¡¯t a perfect score, I could easily achieve first ce in these subjects. It was certainly an attractive offer, but I shook my head.

    "It''s alright."

    [From what I can tell, the uing exam is quite important to you. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ensure you get a good grade?]

    Unlike ordinary exams that would determine the grade for a term, this exam would determine the grade for a semester. With a simple calction, the weight of this exam was obviously twice that of a usual exam. Moreover, since I also had the bet with Ha-Yeon at stake, this exam could be considered very important to me in many ways.

    "You don''t have to help me."

    But that was all the more reason why I had to reject Legba¡¯s help. If possible, I wanted to beat Ha-Yeon with my own strength. It might seem like I was being unnecessarily stubborn, but this was how confident I was in Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science.

    [Hmm. Well, if that''s your opinion... Then I suppose it can¡¯t be helped.]

    "Are you upset?"

    [Whether I''m upset or not is irrelevant. Helping those in need is a good deed, but interfering with those who don''t need help is meddling.]

    "You know that, and yet..."

    Legba didn¡¯t help people who didn¡¯t need help, but he didn¡¯t necessarily help people who needed help, either. Back when I was trying to identify the Satanist, Legba had hidden the truth as a way of testing me. After thinking about it again, I couldn¡¯t help but feel angry about what happened back then.

    [Back then, you needed help, and I provided it. Sometimes, even indifference can be helpful.]

    "You sure know how to talk nonsense."

    [It''s not nonsense. It''s the truth. You''ll realize one day that I was right.]

    "Don''t talk to me. You''re distracting me from studying."

    [As you wish.]

    If I started arguing with Legba, I might end up arguing all night. I stopped arguing and resumed my studies. Perhaps it was a subject that I was rtively good at, but I could concentrate easily. To ensure that I was in optimal condition, I studied only until the evening and then went straight to bed as soon as it got dark.

    I fell asleep after tossing and turning a few times, and I woke up early in the morning. Since I woke up early, I decided to read the Romanican Holy Book one more time.

    While changing my clothes and getting ready to go out, purple cigarette smoke flowed out and covered the mirror. When I turned my head, Baron Samedi was behind me.

    "Please put out your cigarette. This is a non-smoking dormitory.¡±

    [Who cares? It''s not my dormitory.]

    "Ha..."

    I let out a hollowugh and continued, "Why have you beening here so oftentely?"

    [I¡¯m just bored. I¡¯m also curious about what you''ve been up to.]

    "Please juste asionally. Youe so frequently that I don¡¯t feel particrly happy to see you.¡±

    Without responding to my words, Baron Samedi continued to silently smoke with a sly smile on his face. The smoke was thick and heavy, and the smell was extremely strong. The wind blew in through the window, and the smoke spread throughout the room. Not only would the smoke spread throughout the room, but the smell would also permeate my clothes.

    If this continued, it could end up causing unnecessary misunderstandings with In-Ah, like what happenedst time.

    At that moment, I suddenly remembered something that Baron Samedi had said before.

    ~

    <i> [Those who are not close to death cannot smell the scent of the cigar that I smoke.] </i>

    ~

    If that was the case, how exactly did In-Ah manage to smell the scent of Baron Samedi''s cigar on my body back then? Suddenly, an eerie sense of uneasiness strong enough to make my head spin rushed over me.

    "Baron Samedi, let me ask you something. Last time, I think my friend could smell the scent of your cigarette.¡±

    [Oh really? I don''t know who it is, but that''s unfortunate.]

    "...What do you mean?"

    Baron Samedi ignored my question and continued to smoke while chuckling. His red gaze was the only thing that I could clearly see through the thick smoke that had spread throughout the room. I waved my hands to disperse the smoke. The more I waved my hand, the thicker, heavier, and stickier the smoke became as itpletely enveloped the room.

    [It means that the time hase for that friend to leave.]

    His voice was calm and dry. Within the smoke that filled the room and Baron Samedi¡¯s gaze that pierced through the smoke, I felt a sense of dread.

    ***

    Ha-Yeon arrived early, so she went to the exam room to study before everyone else. Today was the day for the Understanding the Holy Books exam. Understanding the Holy Books required good memorization skills and considerable analytical thinking, as indicated by the word <i>understanding</i> in the subject''s name.

    Due to the mistake she made on the sacred dynamics exam that she took on the first day, Ha-Yeon didn''t know how her score would turn out. In order to have confidence in victory, Ha-Yeon had to do better than Sun-Woo in either Understanding the Holy Books or Romanican Sacred Science. These were her weakest subjects, so she needed to study harder for them.

    It was then that a voice came from behind her. The tone was mocking and condescending.

    ¡°It¡¯s always those who can¡¯t study that cram right before the exam.¡±

    Ha-Yeon turned around with a grimace on her face. Sun-Woo was looking down at Ha-Yeon with a smirk on his lips.

    ¡°The content that you review right before the exam is what sticks in your memory the most¡ª¡±

    Sun-Woo interrupted Ha-Yeon. "Yeah, you''re right."

    He then plugged in earplugs in both his ears, sat at his desk, and took out the Holy Book to start studying. It was ironic of him to say that those who can''t study cram before the exam, and yet he himself was cramming.

    He was truly a hypocrite. She understood that he had the tendency to bully the people he liked, but doing it like that only had the opposite effect. She only let it slide because she was a benevolent person...

    Ha-Yeon was so caught up in such thoughts that she was unable to properly read the Holy Book. Meanwhile, students continued entering the auditorium, and soon, the proctor¡¯s announcement began.

    ¡ªThe following cases are those that the proctor determines as misconduct. Looking at another student''s test paper, not following the proctor''s instructions, continuing to write after the bell rings...

    The proctor distributed the exam papers.

    <i>Ring.</i>

    The bell rang, and the exam started. Ha-Yeon''s eyes widened as she looked at the first page of the exam.

    "..."

    There were certain words that the teacher for the Understanding the Holy Books subject would habitually say at the start of every ss. They would state things such as, ¡°This time around, it will not be possible to solve the exam through memorization alone,¡± and ¡°The difficulty of the exam will be considerably harder than in previous years.¡±

    The students assumed he was just saying such things to scare the students as usual. However, after looking at the exam, she realized that those words had not been empty words. The time allocated to them was 60 minutes, but there were 30 questions. Moreover, each question was difficult enough to be considered a killer question. Even she wasn¡¯t sure if she could solve all the questions within the given time frame.

    It was at that moment...

    ¡°I would like to submit and leave.¡±

    One student stood up from his seat while holding his answer sheet. No one was surprised. It was because the person who stood up was Dae-Man.

    "Did you shade all the answers in a column again?"

    "As soon as I saw the first question, I had a strong feeling that this is beyond my abilities!"

    "Alright..."

    The proctor seemed tired of lecturing him, so he sighed deeply and quickly ushered Dae-Man out of the auditorium. The other students in the same exam room didn''t pay any attention to Dae-Man either. After spending three days of exams with Dae-Man, they had be ustomed to it.

    Ha-Yeon also steadfastly solved the problems. The questions and the given options were unnecessarily long and verbose, so even solving one question was difficult. With concentration, it was somewhat manageable but still challenging. There were questions that asked to select the option that was true, and yet all the options seemed wrong, and there were questions that asked to select the option that was false, and yet all the options seemed correct.

    This exam would most likely have the highest curve. It was so challenging that she believed that it would be difficult to make an exam that was any harder than this.

    Sun-Woo wouldn¡¯t be able to receive a perfect score on this exam. The difficulty level of this exam was on a different dimensionpared to the one in the diagnostic assessment. When not even half of the allocated time had passed, something unexpected urred.

    "I would like to submit and leave."

    A student submitted their answer sheet to the proctor. This time, it wasn¡¯t Dae-Man. It was Sun-Woo.

    The proctor tilted his head in confusion.

    "Did you solve all the questions?"

    Ha-Yeon was also puzzled at first. Although Sun-Woo might not excel in other subjects, he was quite knowledgeable in Understanding the Holy Books. That was why he was able to achieve first ce in the diagnostic assessment. However, Sun-Woo had given up on this exam.

    Why did he do such a thing? Honestly speaking, without Understanding the Holy Books, Sun-Woo didn¡¯t have much left. With this, Ha-Yeon became confident of her victory, but somehow she couldn''t rx. This exam was certainly difficult, but it wasn¡¯t difficult enough that Sun-Woo would give up. Ha-Yeon couldn''t concentrate on her problems and instead looked at Sun-Woo.

    In response to the proctor¡¯s questioning, Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows and questioned the proctor instead. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I be submitting because I¡¯ve solved all the questions?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon and the proctor¡¯s expression stiffened at Sun-Woo''s sarcastic remark. Their expressions stiffened for different reasons.

 Chapter 154

    <h4>Chapter 154</h4>

    "Yes, I''m sorry. Yes...."

    As soon as the exam was over, I received a scolding after being called to the teacher''s office. It was because I had shown a disrespectful attitude toward the proctor. I had no idea exactly what part of my attitude was disrespectful, but I apologized anyway. That way, I would be able to get out of this situation quickly. Perhaps thanks to my sincere apology, the proctor let me go without saying much. Just as the proctor was about to enter the teacher''s office after he finished reprimanding me...

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Someone forcefully opened the door and bumped into me and the proctor''s shoulder. The proctor scowled.

    "Hey, you...!"

    The proctor was about to get angry, but he fell silent after recognizing the student''s face. The student who bumped into him was Yu-Hyun.

    Yu-Hyun scanned the proctor''s face from top to bottom with a stiff expression on his face and then bowed. Then he lifted his head and revealed a natural and charming smile. The change in expression was so perfect that it sent shivers down my spine.

    "Ah, I''m sorry. I have a quick temper, you see."

    ¡°...I see," the proctor replied nervously before entering the teacher¡¯s office.

    Yu-Hyun shifted his gaze from the proctor back to me. His long, narrow eyes stared at me. Yu-Hyun had a talent for making people ufortable with just his gaze.

    "Hey, long time no see. Why are you here?" Yu-Hyun said with an unpleasant smile.

    Instead of responding, I asked, "Why are youing out of the teacher''s office?"

    During the exam period, students were strictly prohibited from entering the teacher''s office. This was to prevent various forms of academic misconduct, such as leaking exam papers or answer keys. However, despite that, Yu-Hyun was casually going in and out of the teacher''s office.

    ¡°What do you call that thing that you use for marking... That ck thing.¡±

    ¡°A pen?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. A sign pen! I came to return the sign pen that I borrowed from the teacher¡¯s office since I forgot to bring mine,¡± Yu-Hyun exined confidently.

    Entering the teacher¡¯s office for a personal reason was already ridiculous, but what utterly dumbfounded me was the fact that the teachers had not bothered to scold him despite seeing him leave the office with their own eyes. On the other hand, I was scolded for the half-assed reason of having a so-called ¡°disrespectful attitude.¡±

    "<i>Sigh.</i>"

    I didn¡¯t want to continue talking with Yu-Hyun, so I just gave him a vague response and decided to head back to the dormitory.

    I didn¡¯t like Yu-Hyun. I didn¡¯t like Ha-Yeon either, but I disliked Yu-Hyun in a different way. When I talked to Ha-Yeon, I would subconsciously get angry, but when I talked to Yu-Hyun, I felt difort deep within my gut. Despite my efforts to avoid him, Yu-Hyun started following me. Soon, he started talking to me.

    "Where are you going? The dormitory?" he asked.

    Instead of responding, I nodded. Yu-Hyun continued speaking.

    "You know that Min-Seo woke up, right?"

    "Really?"

    "Why is your reaction so half-hearted? You know that she almost died, right?"

    Yu-Hyun brought up Min-Seo''s story out of the blue. I heard that she almost died while trying to save Elder Gabriel. She just barely survived, but she ended up in aa.

    This was my first time hearing that she had regained consciousness. The reason why I wasn''t surprised about whether Min-Seo regained consciousness or not was because it didn''t matter to me.

    In response to Yu-Hyun''s words, I nodded and said, "I know."

    "Oh, you know? But your reaction seems strangely tepid... Anyway, she was supposed to die back then," Yu-Hyun said as if he had wished for Min-Seo¡¯s death.

    I looked at Yu-Hyun''s face and wondered if I had heard wrong. He was smiling. Whenever I saw his smile, I couldn¡¯t help but think that it was unpleasant.

    Yu-Hyun seemed to be aware of how I was gazing at him as he exined, "No, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I saw her get hurt right in front of me, and it really seemed like she was going to die no matter what. But then she came back to life."

    "So what¡¯s your point?"

    "Since you''re the Holy Name of Charity... Hm, yes. You should have the Blessing of Superhuman Strength," Yu-Hyun muttered without acknowledging my words.

    "Did you not receive a book when you were re-elected? The Pope''s Spear, Blessing of Superhuman Strength. That¡¯s the book¡¯s title, right?"

    "..."

    "That¡¯s correct, right? By the way, the book Min-Seo received is titled Pope''s Shield, Blessing of Sacrifice. Isn''t that interesting?"

    I couldn''t understand why Yu-Hyun was saying these things to me. I walked in silence. Yu-Hyun continued speaking.

    "Charity and diligence represent the Pope''s Spear. Kindness and patience represent the Pope''s Shield. Temperance and chastity represent the right and left wings of the Pope, respectively. Humility represents the Pope''s Eyes. Only I have been the Pope''s Eyes though."

    "..."

    "Anyway, the received blessings are reimed right after graduation. If you graduate as one of the seven heavenly virtues, you will be eligible to apply for the position of the Pope''s Guardians. The Pope''s Guardians consist of a total of seven members named after charity, diligence, kindness¡ª"

    "Hey."

    I interrupted Yu-Hyun''s long-winded speech. If a student graduated from Florence Academy as one of the seven heavenly virtues, they could apply to join the Pope''s Guardians. Each guardian received a blessing from the Pope corresponding to their holy name. For example, the Guardian of Charity received the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. The blessings that the student council members had were inferior versions of the guardians¡¯ blessings. The Blessing of Superhuman Strength, which the Guardian of Charity possessed, was the real one, and the Blessing of Superhuman Strength that I possessed was just a split fragment from the real one.

    The reason why they shared fragments of the blessings with the Florence Academy Student Council members was to help them get familiar with the blessings in advance since they had the potential to be guardians in the future. The level of authority that the guardians possessed was at the level of monsignor, which was equivalent to an elder. In certain situations, they possessed authority that was equal to or even exceeding that of a cardinal.

    I already knew all of this. There was no need to hear all this again through Yu-Hyun''s mouth.

    "So what''s your point?" I asked.

    "Dude... why are you reacting so sharply?" Yu-Hyun asked back.

    I blurted out the words I had been holding back. "Because you keep rambling on about pointless things. What''s your point? Are you suggesting that we should feel privileged?"

    Yu-Hyun scratched his cheek as if he was puzzled.

    "Well... I''m not saying that you should feel privileged. What I¡¯m actually trying to say is the opposite.¡±

    "What are you talking about?"

    "The name is strange, isn''t it? The Pope''s Spear, the Pope''s Shield, Wings, Eyes. No matter how positively you interpret it, aren¡¯t they ultimately just tools?"

    Seeing that I didn¡¯t respond, Yu-Hyun cleared his throat and continued, "Why do you think the Pope''s Shield has the Blessing of Sacrifice?"

    "I don''t know."

    "If you have the Blessing of Sacrifice, you won''t die easily. You might fall into aa, get a terminal illness, or be disabled, but you most likely won''t die. It¡¯s a great blessing if you want to use that person as a shield.¡±

    "So you¡¯re suggesting that they¡¯re a human meat shield?"

    "Yes, a human meat shield. The Blessing of Iron-will is also the Pope''s Shield. Since I¡¯ve said this much, you understand why they are the Pope¡¯s Shield, right?¡±

    Those who possessed the Blessing of Iron-will could take away pain from other people and transfer their pain to others. If Yu-Hyun''s words were all true, then when the Pope suffered from illness or injury, all the pain would be endured by the one who possessed the Blessing of Iron-will: the Guardian of Patience.

    When we arrived in front of the dormitory in Area C, Yu-Hyun asked, "Don''t you think it''s absurd? What do you think?"

    It was absurd. It was inhumane, and above all, it was sacrilegious. If Yu-Hyun''s words were true, then the doctrine and followers of the Romanican Church existed solely for the sake of the cult leader. Such religions were typically deemed as cults. However, I couldn''t answer honestly.

    "It''s not absurd. If we can sacrifice ourselves for His Holiness, then that''s a blessing. Isn''t that why we are trying to be clergymen in the first ce?"

    "Haha. You''re saying things you don''t mean."

    "...If you''re going to talk nonsense, just leave."

    After hearing my words, Yu-Hyun burst intoughter. The sound of hisughter was eerie and unpleasant. At least, that was how it felt to me. Yu-Hyun let out a deep sigh and stoppedughing. With a crooked smile on his face, he looked at me with his ice-cold eyes.

    "Yeah, I¡¯ve droned on about too many pointless things."

    "..."

    "Come to think of it, we''re quite simr. We can''t help but be simr. Don''t you think so?"

    I ignored Yu-Hyun''s words and went into the dormitory. Yu-Hyun and I were not alike at all. Our appearance, personality, upbringing... There was not a single resemnce between us.

    There was only one thing that could be simr. Yu-Hyun would be the Pope of the Romanican Church in the future, and I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult. We could be said to be simr in the sense that we would both be leading an entire religion.

    But that was a bit of a stretch. Yu-Hyun didn''t know that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, so he most likely didn¡¯t mean that. Saying that we were simr was probably an attempt to create a sense of camaraderie with me. I didn''t know why he was trying to get closer to me, but I decided not to worry about it.

    I marked the Understanding the Holy Books exam that I took today. I got a perfect score. Now, all I had to do was study for the Romanican Sacred Science exam that I had to take tomorrow.

    While studying, I realized something. When I felt sleepy, it was more effective to use an intoxication spell rather than stabbing my hand with my pen. It was really effective in waking me up. However, the drawback was that when the effects of the intoxication spell wore off, the sleepiness that had been postponed woulde rushing back all at once.

    Whenever that happened, I just had to use the intoxication spell again. Studying under the influence of Voodoo spells was enjoyable. Well, it was better just to believe that it was enjoyable.

    ***

    I was taking the Romanican Sacred Science exam.

    Once again, I finished all the questions in 35 minutes and tried to leave the exam room, but Legba stopped me.

    [You got one wrong. Question 24 is not option 4, but option 1.]

    I adjusted my posture and looked at question 24 again. It was a problem that I had been pondering for a while. I had known that either option 4 or option 1 was the correct answer, but I wasn¡¯t sure exactly which one to choose. ording to Legba, the correct answer was option 1, and it would be best to change my answer to option 1 if I wanted to get a perfect score.

    "I would like to submit."

    I submitted the answer sheet as is without making any changes. The reason I didn''t follow Legba''s words was purely due to stubbornness. I didn''t want much help from Legba during this exam.

    When I arrived at the dormitory, Legba sighed and said, [Have you entered the rebellious phase? You''re deliberately refusing to listen to me. And it seems to be on purpose, too.]

    "I could be correct."

    I tried grading it. Option 1 was correct for question 24. Legba was correct, and I was wrong. I had gotten everything right besides question 24. It was not a perfect score, but it seemed like it would be enough to get first ce.

    I had no idea if I could beat Ha-Yeon or not. Since the test was already over, all I could do was pray for victory. Even if I regretted it now, nothing would change, nor was there anything to regret in the first ce. I had worked hard enough. I did what I could.

    ...Did I really do everything that I could? Did I really work that hard? Was pulling off a few all-nighters really that great of an achievement?

    I hadn¡¯t been efficient. Throughout my studies, I got distracted and daydreamed. I wasted time on those distractions and daydreams, and as a result, my study time had been reduced. As a result of that, I failed to reach my study goals, and that was why I ended up pulling all-nighters.

    It was a bit of a stretch to say that I had worked hard just because I pulled multiple all-nighters and carried books around all day. I didn¡¯t deserve to say that I had put in plenty of effort or did what I could.

    I had no idea what I wanted. Did I want to act like I was struggling just so that others would feel sympathy for me? Or did I want to hear meaningless words offort like, ¡°You did your best?¡± Or did I just want to live an easy life while thoughtlessly relying on others?

    Other people must have worked much harder than me. Everything I achieved was thanks to my innate talent, and everything I lost was all my fault. I wasn¡¯t the only one putting effort in, and I wasn¡¯t the only one struggling. I didn¡¯t have the right toin, nor did I have the time toin.

    "I guess I have to exercise."

    [It would be better for you to take a break today.]

    "Then should I read instead?"

    [No, just rest. You don''t need to do anything,] Legba said.

    Legba strongly suggested that I rest for the day, but it didn¡¯t seem like I would feel any better if I rested. I needed something else to immerse myself in. I didn¡¯t want to study on the day that the exams ended.

    In the first ce, studying for exams was useless to me in the long run. Practicing Voodoo spells consumed too much stamina, and exercise was the same. I thought about reading, but I didn''t have any books to read. I didn''t want to go to the library to borrow a book. If I were in the underground chapel instead of the dormitory, I would have been able to grab ahold of Ji-Ah or Uncle and start a conversation with them. I couldn¡¯t help but think that the dormitory was overly spacious.

    [You¡¯re emotions be unstable when youck sleep. It seems like you need sleep right now,] Legba calmly suggested.

    His voice was always calm.

    "I don''t think I can sleep."

    [You don¡¯t have anything else to do, do you?]

    "I can''t just lie in bed and do nothing, can I?"

    [Sometimes, it''s okay to do that. Right now, it¡¯s okay for you to do so.]

    I obeyed Legba''s words andy down on my bed. I could see the ceiling. It was high.

    [Isn''t it morefortable now that you¡¯re lying down?]

    "I''m not sure..."

    [Just believe that it¡¯sfortable. You¡¯ll feelfortable when you believe.]

    I believed that I wasfortable. It did sort of feel like I wasfortable.

    [You don''t seem to be in a very good state.]

    "..."

    That was true. Lately, it felt like it was getting more difficult to control my emotions. I got angry in situations I could have easilyughed off in the past, and Iughed in situations where I wasn¡¯t supposed tough. I felt anxious when I was doing nothing, and yet I still felt anxious even when I was doing something.

    It was probably because I was afraid of the countless choices thaty ahead of me. But this was not some vague anxiety about an uncertain future. It was anxiety that I felt due to the life-threatening obstacles that clearly awaited me in the future.

    Too many people around me were getting on my nerves. Jun-Hyuk and Joseph, Ha-Yeon and Yu-Hyun. And then there were people that I did not frequently encounter but would have to deal with in the future, like Sung Yu-Da and the Pope. Countless visible and invisible enemies surrounded me. When I immersed myself in something, I could momentarily forget about my anxiety. Still, once I stepped out of that immersion, the anxiety that I had forgotten woulde rushing back.

    ¡°For thest three weeks, how many hours did I study per day?¡±

    [Around fifteen hours a day. There were days when you studied even more.]

    "If I studied for about seventeen hours, would the results have been better?"

    [You would have damaged your body further.]

    "Oh... that''s a wise answer to a stupid question."

    [So you knew that it was a stupid question. I¡¯m proud of you,] Legba mocked. [Are you anxious and depressed? Or perhaps, do you want to die by any chance?]

    "Well... I''m not really sure."

    [Compare it to how you felt seven years ago. When you were at your most wretched state.]

    "..."

    The memories of when I first embraced dozens of Loa right after the Holy War ended were still hazy. I wasn¡¯t sure whether the memories were refusing to stay in my brain or whether I was the one refusing the memories. Even the few remaining memories were utterly horrifying.

    I spent countless days in a daze, neither sleeping nor awake. There were times when I lost consciousness due to the pain and would wake up and find myself covered in blood while leaning against the wall. Even when I covered my ears, I would still hear the voices of the Loa, so there were times when I would punch holes in my eardrums. At that time, I couldn¡¯t rely on anyone. I had no family members besides my uncle, and my rtionship with my uncle wasn¡¯t great back then.

    "I guess it really isn¡¯t that big of a dealpared to back then."

    I believed that there were two types of hardships. Some hardships could be ovee, and some hardships had to be endured. The hardships I encountered seven years ago were ones I had to endure. They were hardships that were impossible to ovee on my own, so back then, all I could do was close my eyes, plug my ears, and wait for everything to pass.

    Now, I was faced with hardships that I could ovee. No matter what kind of hardships I would encounter in the future,pared to the hardships I faced back then, they were all possible to deal with.

    [It is because you endured the hardships back then that you can now ovee today''s hardships.]

    "Legba... When you¡¯reforting someone, you¡¯re never helpful, but when you¡¯re helpful, you¡¯re neverforting.¡±

    [In the real world, I limp with my right foot, and at the Crossroads, I limp with my left foot. You could say that this is a simr principle.]

    It was an obscure statement. Legba''s words were notforting when they were helpful, and they were not helpful when they wereforting. Today, he only spoke words that were helpful but notforting. Of course, I preferred practical advice over perfunctoryfort.

    [When are you going to reconcile with Granbwa?] Legba asked as if the thought had suddenly popped up in his mind.

    "Ah, I forgot about that. Should I talk to Granbwa now?"

    [I¡¯m unsure if she will respond even if you call her. She seemed really upset this time.]

    "No way... Surely, she will at least answer.¡±

    The Loa all had different personalities. There were Loa with kind personalities, and there were Loa with evil personalities. There were also gentle Loa and aggressive Loa. And there were wise Loa and not-so-wise Loa. Granbwa was a Loa who was kind, gentle, and wise. No matter how upset she was, she would at least respond if I called her.

    "Granbwa, let''s talk."

    I called Granbwa, but there was no response.

    "Hello?"

    I called her again, but there was still no response. There was only silence. Feeling a bit upset, I decided to call out to Granbwa onest time politely.

    "Answer right now."

    [...Answer right now? Are you crazy?]

    "Oh."

    I heard Granbwa¡¯s familiar voice. It sounded like her voice had sharp and pointy thorns attached. From her tone, it seemed like she was really upset, just like Legba said. It didn¡¯t seem like her mood would improve simply by offering her a sacrifice.

    Granbwa''s power was very useful. It was useful when fighting in natural terrain, and it was useful when I needed to scout using the vision of the nts. It was difficult for me to use at the moment, but I could overturn thendscape and create earth tsunamis if I mastered prayers and songs in the future. That was how versatile and strong her powers were. So, at the very least, I had to appease her for the sake of her power. There was a high possibility that she wouldn¡¯t lend me her power or heed my prayers if she was upset.

    ¡°I was just kidding. It seems like you¡¯re really angry?¡±

    [Yes, I''m very angry. The fact that you¡¯re asking that, even though you know that I¡¯m really angry, is making me angrier.]

    "I apologize. How about you calm down now?¡±

    [I''m just getting angrier because your apology is insincere. You¡¯re just apologizing because you need my power!]

    This is why I disliked wise Loa. They were quick-witted, so it was difficult to appease them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need your power. I just wanted to apologize to you. Honestly, I feel so bad when I think about how your feelings were hurt that I find it difficult to swallow food.¡±

    [Then I¡¯ll ept your apology, but I won¡¯t lend you my power.]

    ¡°No, what the heck is that?¡±

    [Look. So it was all about obtaining my power all along...!] Granbwa said tremblingly. [As much as people disregard their own lives, they also disregard the lives of other things. Prophet, you are disregarding life.]

    ¡°What¡¯s this lecture about disregarding life over killing a single tree...¡±

    [Killing a single tree? Cancel that statement right now. Otherwise, I won¡¯t lend you my power anymore. Forever.]

    ¡°I canceled it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    This was driving me crazy. This was why I disliked quick-witted Loa.

    "But that tree was going to die anyway. Its roots were rotten, and if left alone, it would have suffered in pain and died. Sobo would also agree with my thoughts."

    [Sobo, the wise Loa, will summarize what he means.]

    At that moment, Sobo appeared.

    [In my opinion, the Prophet''s words are correct. If we left that tree as it was, it would have suffered in pain for the rest of its entire life without even being able to die. What do you call it? Ah, yes, we were doing something simr to euthanizing it.]

    [You monsters...!]

    "No, the euthanasia remark has nothing to do with me. Why am I a monster too?" I hastily tried to prove my innocence.

    Sobo continued, [Granbwa, you are greatly mistaken. nts are the most beautiful when they are burning! I just wanted to witness the tree''s most beautiful moment.]

    Granbwa''s sobbing voice interrupted Sobo''s words.

    [Shut up...!]

    After making fun of Granbwa, Sobo disappeared, leaving only the sound of Granbwa sobbing in my mind.

    "...I apologize on Sobo''s behalf."

    [It''s fine. The two of you get along very well. Just use Sobo¡¯s power for the rest of your life. Lightning is cool, isn¡¯t it? nts aren¡¯t cool, nor are they useful.]

    ¡°Ah, geez, why are you being so difficult...?¡±

    Granbwa''s feelings seemed to be irreversibly hurt. It felt like I could have reconciled with her if I had yed my cards right, but with Sobo¡¯s spontaneous appearance, the rift between us only deepened. It was a truly frustrating situation.

    "Ah, let me just ask straightforwardly. What can I do to make you feel better?"

    [I don¡¯t think I will ever feel better. Is there really a need for you to make me feel better? Just let me be.]

    "I will cherish nts from now on. I won''t use Sobo''s power in the presence of nts."

    [You''re just like Legba. You always talk the talk, but you never walk the walk.]

    [Just why are you mentioning me all of a sudden? This is so unfair that it¡¯s driving me insane.]

    Instead of supporting me, Legba only focused on defending himself before disappearing once again. Neither Sobo nor Legba were of any help at all. I let out a deep sigh.

    ¡°What do you want me to do...? Do you have any faith in my words?¡±

    [I¡¯ll trust you if you grant me a favor.]

    A favor. There was no reason to reject her favor. If it was for Granbwa, I was confident in fulfilling any favor within reason. Well, to be more precise, if it was for Granbwa¡¯s power. I quietly waited for Granbwa to continue speaking and desperately hoped she wouldn¡¯t ask for a difficult favor.

    Granbwa said, [Please put in time and effort to grow a flower.]

 Chapter 155

    <h4>Chapter 155</h4>

    Granbwa''s request was quite trivial.

    "Any flower will do, right?"

    [Yes. Any flower will do, but you must invest time and effort.]

    "That shouldn''t be very difficult."

    It wasn¡¯t an animal but a nt. It didn¡¯t seem too hard of a task, since it should grow fine on its own if I ce it in a spot with enough sunlight and water it regrly. It might not go as easy as I thought, but if it would soothe Granbwa''s heart, I was willing to do it.

    [It won''t be that easy,] Granbwa said with a smallugh.

    ***

    The temporary report cards were immediately released the day after the written exams. The grading didn¡¯t take that long since all the subjects were multiple-choice questions. We were told to check if the scores matched the scores I had obtained from preliminary grading, and if they didn''t, we were supposed to go to the teacher''s office to request a correction. With that, Ye-Jin¡¯s homeroom came to an end.

    The rankings were also listed on the correction sheet. I was in the highest bracket and got first ce for both Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science. Two students received first ce. In other words, another student also got the same score as me. Anyway, if I was in first ce, that meant I did well.

    The problem was with sacred dynamics and sacred material science.

    "Oof..."

    I did study, so my scores were better than the average, but they were still low. My overall ranking, calcted bybining the grades of all subjects, was sixty-first out of a total of seven hundred students. I was considered to be in the top ranks, but it wasn''t a definite victory over Ha-Yeon.

    "Did you do well on the exam?"

    At that moment, In-Ah suddenly leaned over my shoulder and shoved her face at me. Come to think of it, she seemed to have studied quite hard as well. Perhaps she even did better than me on this exam. She looked at the report card in my hands.

    "Oh, you were the other person with the same score as me. I had a feeling it would be you."

    "Same score... Same score?" I asked, doubting what I heard.

    Without saying a word, In-Ah handed me her report card.

    We tied in Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science for first ce. She had also gotten first ce in sacred dynamics, and second ce in sacred material science, but her overall ranking was still first ce. She had ced first among a total of seven hundred students.

    "...Is this some kind of error?"

    In-Ah snapped at me and pouted.

    "What do you mean, error? I told you I worked hard."

    It looked as if it wasn¡¯t an error. Her grades were already pretty good, and she seemed to study hard, but I didn''t expect such a drastic improvement.

    "You did well... Much better than I did."

    "So? Are you jealous or something?"

    "Not really? You did well because you worked hard, so..."

    It would have been a lie to say that I wasn¡¯t jealous. But I didn''t study as hard as In-Ah, nor did I study more efficiently than her. It was only natural that In-Ah''s grades were significantly higher than mine. I was a little jealous but not resentful.

    In-Ah smiled mischievously and tapped my shoulder.

    "Well, you have jealousy written all over your face."

    "I''m not jealous, just..."

    "Just what?"

    When In-Ah asked, I heard Legba coughing in my head.

    [Sorry to interrupt, but there''s an error on the provisional report card. Sacred dynamics question 15. Go and apply for a correction.]

    Looking at the temporary report card, there was indeed an error, just as Legba had said. The question had been marked as wrong even though it was correct. I thought my score would increase by about three points if I applied for a correction. There might be a significant change in my rank.

    I stood up from my seat and answered In-Ah''s question. "If you¡¯ve gotten first ce, then you¡¯ve achieved your goal. You¡¯re so lucky."

    "Huh? What goal?"

    "Didn''t you sayst time that getting first ce was your goal?"

    She had said so when I briefly talked to her at the school library. I remembered it clearly: the guilt I felt when I saw her bright smile, and even the coffee I vomited on the way back.

    In-Ah rolled her eyes as if searching for her memory, then suddenly eximed, "Ah! That''s right. I did say that. I forgot."

    "Did I really score worse on the exams than someone like this..."

    "Hey! Someone like this? Why do you always say things like that?." In-Ah pouted, sticking her lips out.

    She hit my shoulder with her palm repeatedly as if to show that she was bummed. It didn''t hurt much. After she was satisfied with hitting my back, she had a satisfied smile on her face.

    "But how do you remember something like that? I even forgot myself."

    "How could I forget? It''s something you said."

    "Huh...? What do you mean by that?"

    In-Ah tilted her head with a mischievous smile.

    Every time I visited the underground chapel, I made sure to see Yoon-Ah''s face at least once, and I used spells to prevent her condition from worsening. As I repeated those spells, Yoon-Ah''s condition noticeably improved. Eventually, she could express simple forms ofmunication, such as nodding or sometimes uttering meaningless sounds like a whimper.

    However, she couldn''t do more than the simple modes ofmunication. Even after I focused on this for several days and weeks, even after I used all the spells I could, hernguage ability did not recover any further. It felt like pouring water into a leaking bucket.

    "...I have a good memory, after all."

    I shied away from the real answer and quickly left the ssroom, making my way to the teacher''s office. Every time I did that, I recalled the words In-Ah had said to me.

    When she talked about her younger sister, I would try and gather myself by thinking of the happy face she would make once in a while. That was why I couldn¡¯t forget what she said. If I ever did, it would be after Yoon-Ah turned back into a human.

    After the practical exam, I would go on the religious experiential learning trip. Then, I might be able to find the Staff of Reversal. In that case, it should be possible to turn Yoon-Ah back into a human. Even if it was not possible, I had to make it possible, no matter the circumstances.

    This was the only method to dispel the deathly fog clinging to her.

    ***

    The teacher''s office was bustling with students who hade to request corrections and point out errors on the exam. Because the test was difficult, many students seemed dissatisfied with their grades. I pushed through the crowd and approached Ye-Jin, informing her that there was an issue with the temporary grade report.

    "Sacred Dynamics question 15? Oh... I see. I''ll fix it. Are there any other errors?"

    "No."

    "By the way, you got full marks on Understanding the Holy Books, right?" Ye-Jin asked with a faint smile.

    I nodded. "Yes."

    "You seem to joke around, yet you do well on exams. Truly amazing."

    It sounded like a joke, so I justughed. We were having a cheerful conversation when...

    "Who are you? Are you doing this on purpose?"

    A threatening voice echoed from somewhere, causing Ye-Jin and I to turn our heads simultaneously. There was a confrontation taking ce in the teacher¡¯s office between the teacher nicknamed Baldy, who had conducted the bag inspections, and Yu-Hyun.

    The voice belonged to Baldy. Yu-Hyun''s smiling expression turned rigid and serious.

    "Who would do this on purpose? Is it my fault that the machine didn¡¯t pick up the pen marks?"

    "Ha...! You bastard, you intentionally brought a pen that wouldn¡¯t be recognized, didn¡¯t you?"

    "What kind of crazy person would do such a thing on purpose? And I¡¯m telling you, I borrowed this pen from the teacher¡¯s office.¡±

    "Teacher''s office? Well, which teacher did you borrow it from?"

    "Do I have to remember the names of all the teachers? I''ll start with memorizing your name today."

    "What? This bastard...!"

    As the voices of the two people grew louder, the silence in the teacher''s office deepened. The teachers came to ate realization and sent the students gathered in the teacher¡¯s office back to their ssrooms. Sensing that something was off in the atmosphere, the students returned to the ssrooms quietly.

    Meanwhile, the argument between Yu-Hyun and Baldy continued.

    "Will youe backter? Maybe during the next break? Or perhaps during lunchtime?" Ye-Jin cautiously suggested that I should go back to the ssroom.

    I shook my head. "Is it okay if I stay and watch a bit?"

    "What do you think?"

    "Then I''lle backter."

    I nodded, pretending to leave the teacher''s office, but I secretly turned back, avoiding Ye-Jin''s watch. I wanted to observe the argument between Yu-Hyun and Baldy.

    There was a saying that the most interesting spectacle in the world was a fight, and I was also curious about what they were fighting about with their voices raised.

    "And what? There''s an error in the problem? What audacity do you have to say such things?"

    "There was an error, and I merely pointed it out. Do I need the audacity to state the truth?"

    "You haven''t shown your face for a month since entering. What do you know to say whether there''s an error in the problem or not? Has the constant praise from others about your intelligence gone to your head and made you think you''re smarter than your teachers?¡±

    "At least I seem to be smarter than you," Yu-Hyun said with a smile.

    As always, he had an unpleasant and slimy smile.

    Baldy was the teacher that I disliked the most. He had shown a particrly aggressive attitude toward me during bag inspections, and he hadn¡¯t hesitated to make derogatory remarks toward students during ss.

    He had the following reputation among students: ¡°Although he can¡¯t even teach properly, he¡¯s got a crappy personality. On top of that, he has no hair.¡±

    But I also disliked Yu-Hyun. In other words, I didn¡¯t care who won the fight. I watched their fight, more excited than I¡¯d ever been before. As the argument escted and reached a climax, Ye-Jin intervened between the two to mediate the fight.

    "What are you doing? With all the students here..."

    "Hey, Yu-Hyun. Who taught you to speak like that?"

    "My grandfather. You want me to bring him here? Or should I make a phone call?"

    However, there was no sign of the argumenting to an end. Baldy and Yu-Hyun ignored Ye-Jin and said what they wanted to say.

    While the two shouted vivid, raw usations at each other, I looked at Ye-Jin. Her face had turned cold.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "Ah, ah...!"

    The fight stopped when Ye-Jin hit Baldy''s shin with the tip of her foot. Baldy red at Ye-Jin, his face distorted in shades of red and blue. However, she didn''t show any signs of fear. She only looked down at Baldy with her lips pursed. There was contempt in her eyes.

    "Why do you keep acting like this?"

    "...What are you doing?" Baldy shouted at Ye-Jin, rubbing his shin.

    The teachers looked at Ye-Jin with widened eyes. The situation was getting more and more interesting.

    In the cold silence that settled, Ye-Jin said harshly, "That''s what I wanted to say... Why didn¡¯t you listen when I told you to stop?"

    "No, it''s just..."

    "My words don¡¯t seem like words to you, do they? <i>Priest</i> Jeon Myeong-Hwan." Ye-Jin emphasized the word <i>priest</i>.

    It seemed like she wanted to remind him of her elevated position as a clergyman despite their status as colleagues. Upon hearing her words, Baldy looked at Ye-Jin, his face white with fear.

    After tantly realizing the scope of the situation, Baldy bowed his head down.

    "...My apologies."

    Ye-Jin finally smiled.

    "It''s okay, just don''t do it again next time. And Yu-Hyun?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Youe to the consulting room after you¡¯re done,¡± Ye-Jin announced. Then she approached me, who was hiding in the corner and observing the situation.

    I couldn¡¯t believe I had gotten caught.

    With narrowed eyes, she stared at me fiercely and gestured for me to follow her. Sensing that I was going to be given a speech, I quickly bowed and escaped from the teacher''s office.

    We''ll probably see each other againter, but I¡¯ll think about that when the timees. For now, it didn''t seem like talking with Ye-Jin in her current state would be a good idea.

    That was that, but why did Yu-Hyun and Baldy fight? They only exchanged harsh criticisms and sarcasm, so it wasn''t easy to deduce anything through their conversation.

    Anyway, it was entertaining to watch, so I tried to brush it off.

    The next day, the temporary report cards were distributed again. My rank went down from 61st to 62nd, and I naturally found out the reason for the fight between the bald man and Yu-Hyun at the same time.

 Chapter 156

    <h4>Chapter 156</h4>

    This is how it all went down.

    Yu-Hyun hadn¡¯t brought a pen, so he borrowed one from the teacher for every exam. However, the machine didn''t recognize Yu-Hyun''s answer sheet because his pen had been faulty. Seeing his temporary report card with all subjects scored as 0, Yu-Hyun went to file aint, which led to the confrontation.

    Usually, leniency would not have been granted since it was the student''s fault for using a pen that the machine couldn¡¯t pick up. But because Yu-Hyun used one of the pens kept in the teacher''s office to lend to students, there was a collective consensus to re-grade his answer sheet.

    As a result, Yu-Hyun¡¯sbined mark for all four subjects was 398 out of 400. Needless to say, it was the highest score in the whole school. Due to the impact of the situation,, word spread among the students like wildfire.

    Naturally, there was a change in the rankings. I went from 61st to 62nd, and In-Ah went from 1st to 2nd. I looked at In-Ah''s expression as she received her temporary report card. She was expressionless as she looked up at me, and our eyes met. She smiled as I approached her.

    "..."

    I didn''t know what to say, so I kept my mouth shut. It would be strange to ask if she was okay, but at the same time, I didn''t feel like starting a casual conversation either. In-Ah nonchntly folded her report card in half and put it in her desk drawer.

    "Second ce is still pretty good, right?" In-Ah said, smiling bashfully.

    She smiled with her usual bright and cheerful smile. I tried to suppress myplicated feelings and smiled back at her. I hoped In-Ah didn¡¯t catch on to the hidden emotions behind my smile. Even if she did, I hoped she would pretend not to notice.

    "I don''t really know because I ranked 62nd," I said jokingly.

    "62nd is pretty good as well!"

    "Are you making fun of me?"

    "No, that¡¯s not what I¡ª!" In-Ah hurriedly exined, looking frazzled. "You''re still in the top ranks, although you didn¡¯t do as well as the previous evaluations.¡±

    "Wow, what a roundabout way to tell me that my grades dropped..."

    "No, no. That¡¯s not what I meant. Why do you keep taking everything so negatively?"

    She pouted. Seeing her like that, I couldn''t help butugh. I was d I brushed things off as a joke.

    Due to themotion caused by Yu-Hyun, I went from 61st to 62nd ce. That meant the people with a higher grade than me merely increased by one person: 60 to 61. However, In-Ah went from 1st to 2nd ce. She had been studying with the goal of securing first ce long before the exam started, so it would have been more of a shock for her than for me.

    Although this alone wouldn''t improve her mood, it would be enough to get her out of the immediate shock. As I was thinking so, I observed In-Ah''s expression. There was a faint darkness in her smile.

    "How many more exams do we have to take now?"

    "Huh? Um..." In-Ah tilted her head. "If we exclude the exams in the third year... Then there are about six left. Why?"

    "Then you have plenty of chances left. Get first ce in all six."

    At first, In-Ah seemed to have troubleprehending my words and tilted her head from side to side. But she soon burst intoughter.

    "Hey, you think that¡¯s easy? It''s not like other kids aren''t studying."

    "What, you can''t do it?"

    "...No? I can and I will." In-Ah had been smuglyughing and speaking confidently, and she lowered her gaze as soon as she finished her sentence.

    She pouted, and her shoulders were slumped. The darkness that hung on her face grew deeper.

    With her body crouched forward, she forced a tired smile and reluctantly said, "No, I take that back."

    "..."

    "I don''t think I can do it. I worked really hard for the past few months... I don''t think I can work any harder. No, honestly, I didn''t even work hard. Other people must have worked harder...¡±

    I looked into her eyes. Her pupils were vacant, and the corners of her eyes dropped down. I sensed a vague feeling of despair and resignation in her expression. Her once straightforward and easy-to-read emotions seemed blurry and distant today. It felt like a heavy and dense fog had settled between us.

    Offering empty words of constion didn¡¯t seem like it would be much help. After a moment of hesitation, I spoke up.

    "Do you want to grab dinnerter?"

    I nned to spend this weekend in the underground chapel, so I already talked to the dormitory supervisor and got permission to sleep outside the dorms. Thanks to that, I had plenty of time, at least enough time to spend a meal with In-Ah.

    ***

    I saw students running on the field as I stepped outside. They were sweating buckets as they ran underneath the scorching sun.

    Judging by the fact that Dae-Man seemed to be the leader, they seemed to be students from the ss of Diligence. Su-Ryeon sat under the shade, watched them with an amused expression, and suddenly burst intoughter while chatting with friends.

    Although I didn¡¯t notice it in the ssroom, I could feel the summer ze as soon as I set foot outside. I took off my jacket and hung it over my arm. In-Ah was dressed in her usual attire, wearing a hoodie over her school uniform.

    "You¡¯re not hot?" I asked, and In-Ah nodded as if it didn''t bother her.

    "Yeah, it''s just a bit warm."

    "You don¡¯t get hot easily, eh?¡±

    "Nope, summer is my friend. But I¡¯m not that close to winter."

    "You¡¯re friends with summer?"

    I chuckled and repeated her words for no reason. It was an interesting expression. In-Ah tilted her head with a puzzled look and nced at me.

    "What, why are you smiling? Let me in on the joke so I can smile as well!"

    "No... I feel the same way. I prefer summer too."

    I had made the statement to evade In-Ah''s question, but it wasn''t a lie. I also preferred summer over winter. One could cool down by staying still in the heat, but it didn¡¯t work like that in the winter. The longer one stood still, the colder one would get. However, that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that I liked summer. In fact, I didn¡¯t like summer or winter.

    In-Ah walked beside me and asked, "Yeah? Are you also close to summer?"

    "Yeah. But I''m closer to you."

    In-Ah didn''t respond to my words. It was just a meaningless statement, so I didn''t pay much attention and walked toward the school gate. She trailed behind me.

    While walking, we saw Do-Jin and Ye-Jining out of the building. Do-Jin had been discharged from the hospital a few days ago, so he still needed to walk with the help of crutches.

    Out of nowhere, Ye-Jin kicked Do-Jin¡¯s crutches. Do-Jin looked up at Ye-Jin, his eyes dripping with killing intent. Ye-Jinughed and helped Do-Jin up. There were so many people everywhere we looked, and they all seemed happy. In-Ah looked at Ye-Jin and Do-Jin and chuckled.

    "They look really cute when they¡¯re together."

    "Cute?"

    ¡°Can¡¯t you sense the atmosphere between them?" In-Ah said, walking and reaching out to touch a leaf hanging on a branch over the fence.

    The leaf trembled as if responding to her touch. It looked as if she were shaking hands with the leaf.

    We ate at a nearby restaurant and had dessert at a cafe. Our conversations were all over the ce. We talked about exams, In-Ah''s friends, and rumors that were going around. Most of the time, she talked, and I just listened. I reacted ordingly to what she had to say.

    "So, then they did..."

    In-Ah sat directly across from me, and her face turned rigid when she suddenly stopped talking. Her gaze was directed behind my shoulder. I turned my head to see what she was so surprised about, but I didn''t see anything out of the ordinary.

    "Why? What¡¯s there?"

    "Uh, um, nothing... um, I thought I saw someone, but I guess I was mistaken," she replied as if it was no big deal and continued to tell her story.

    I continued to listen to her. When we left the cafe, the sun vanished from the sky. The faint glow that the sun left dyed the arrival of night. While I was looking at the sky, In-Ah stretched, and a cracking sound escaped from somewhere in her body.

    "Ugh... ow. I''ve been sitting for too long. So where do we go now?"

    "Hmm..."

    I couldn''t answer her question easily. I hadn''t thought of any other things to do. Usually, I meticulously nned out my day, but today was different. I thought it would be good for us to have moments to wander around without any ns and just have fun.

    I walked aimlessly for a moment, deep in thought. Then, something caught my eye. It was the flowers lined along the riverbank.

    "Do you know any flower shops nearby?"

    ***

    I went into a flower shop following In-Ah¡¯s guidance.

    It was pretty shabby, but that added to the flower shop¡¯s unique atmosphere. I could smell the flowers before I stepped inside the building. The scent emitted by dozens, or rather, hundreds of flowers gathered together, was more intoxicating than fragrant.

    "Why flowers all of a sudden?"

    "I want one."

    Granbwa had asked me to grow a flower in exchange for her forgiveness. I didn''t know why she made such a request, but in order to use her power, I needed to grant her request.

    I saw the flowers and seeds disyed at the flower shop. I wanted to choose something easy to grow, but it wasn''t easy to decide because I didn''t know which flowers would be less of a hassle.

    ¡°Do you have any favorite flowers?"

    "Huh?"

    In-Ah was looking at the disyed flowers with a slight smile and suddenly looked up after I asked my question.

    "Um... cherry blossoms?"

    Granbwa interjected as soon as In-Ah finished speaking.

    [Cherry blossoms would be challenging to grow.]

    Even I thought that it would be challenging to grow.

    "Something other than that."

    "Hmm... then, what was it? There was something. What was the name? Don¡¯t forget me?"

    "Forget-me-not."

    In-Ah nodded and repeated my words.

    "Oh, that¡¯s it. Forget-me-nots."

    I thought I could grow Forget-me-nots. If anything, they were probably easier to grow than a cherry blossom tree. I asked the flower shop owner where the forget-me-not seeds were and bought them on the spot, along with things like a pot and some soil.

    The seeds were small and round. It was fascinating to think that these tiny things would grow into flowers. By the time we left the flower shop, it was already night. The crescent moon was leaning on one side amidst the pitch-ck night sky. In-Ah yawned but quickly shut her mouth as soon as our eyes met.

    "Are you tired?"

    In-Ah nodded slowly in answer to my question.

    "A little. My stamina has been going down..."

    "You should work out. Your stamina is probably going down because you¡¯re just sitting around all the time."

    "I do exercise, you know?"

    "What kind of exercise?"

    "...I''ll do it after the practical exam." In-Ah hesitated for a moment and then blurted, "You¡¯re just saying it like you always do... I will do it. Now stop nagging."

    In-Ah covered her ears.

    "Listen to me. And stop being so weak all the time."

    "You don''t listen to me either. You¡¯re one to talk, being as skinny as you are,¡± In-Ah muttered, her lips pursed.

    "...Don¡¯t talk back to me," I said, a little upset.

    In-Ah opened her mouth wide, pretending to be surprised.

    "Wow, you''re so old-fashioned."

    ¡°No, I''m not."

    "But you are, you old-fashioned man.¡±

    Judging by her tone, she clearly wanted to tease me. She also used her facial expressions to try and mock me as much as possible. I was a little annoyed, but I kept it in because she seemed to be having so much fun doing so.

    Even as we walked, In-Ah continued to tease me, and I just kept walking without responding to her.

    "By the way, where are we going?" she asked as she walked beside me.

    "Hmm. Should we go to your ce?"

    "Huh...? W-what are you nning to do,ing to my house in the middle of the night?"

    ¡°Who said you wereing? I¡¯m going there myself."

    "Oh, stop joking around. Seriously." In-Ahughed and tapped my shoulder.

    "Let''s just keep walking for now for the sake of exercising."

    "But it''s tiring."

    "Stopining."

    "You... you should start to speak more kindly."

    "You have to listen to me for me to speak kindly."

    "Ugh, ha! Fine! You''re so ridiculous. Seriously, I can¡¯t believe it."

    I put on my coat that had been hanging on my arm. It was hot during the day, but the weather cooled down a bit after the sun had set.

    In-Ah looked at me as if she was in a bad mood but still walked beside me, her mouth closed shut. We only stopped when we arrived in front of the school.

    Even at night, F.A. still stood in its grandeur. The tall roof of the main building seemed to pierce the sky, and a faint light flowed from the patterned windows of the dormitory building.

    In-Ah shifted her gaze between me and the numerous buildings with a puzzled face.

    "Why the school?"

    "I left something behind, so I wanted to get it."

    "Really? Hurry up and get it, then. I''ll stay here."

    "I''m scared to go alone. Come with me," I said as I entered the school.

    Of course, it was a lie. In-Ah stood near the school gate, hesitating to step onto the school grounds.

    "Would it even make a difference to take me with you?"

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be less scary?"

    "C-can¡¯t you just go alone?"

    "Wow. You can¡¯t even do this for a scared friend?"

    "...Ah, okay. I¡¯ming," In-Ah reluctantly replied and tailed behind me.

    She huddled her body and looked around anxiously. It seemed that she was scared of the dark. The school''s atmosphere was especially eerie and spooky after the darkness had set upon it. I had gotten used to the nights at school after living in the dorms, but the same couldn''t be said for In-Ah.

    I took her to a secluded alley where I had received the dice from Baron Samedi. The bench was in the same spot. Flowers and grass had grown and now decorated the said bench. No one was around there, and I couldn¡¯t hear a sound.

    "Y-you said that you were here to get something. Why did youe here?¡± In-Ah asked with a suspicious look on her face.

    I sat on the bench.

    "I lied, of course.." I replied casually.

    "You tricked me..."

    "What''s wrong with a little deception?" I said with a smile.

    In-Ah approached me slowly and sat beside me, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

    This area was particrly dark to the point where I couldn''t even make out In-Ah''s face, even though she was right next to me. The flowers and grass swayed in the wind and brushed against my clothes.

    "This ce has a nice atmosphere. Nice and quiet," In-Ah said, looking around.

    I nodded.

    "I like this ce. Not a lot of peoplee here."

    "So this is the ce. I was wondering where you smoked."

    "I told you, I don''t smoke..."

    "Yeah, yeah. I <i>believe </i>you,¡± In-Ah said in a patronizing manner.

    I sighed, giving up. Our conversation came to a stop. No words were exchanged, and I couldn¡¯t hear anything but her rhythmical, soft breathing.

    In the midst of silence and tranquility, I recalled the conversation I had with Baron Samedi.

    <i>[It means that the time hase for that friend to leave,] Baron Samedi said with a meaningfulugh amidst the room filled with purple cigarette smoke. </i>

    <i>The coughing that made me choke stopped around that time. My breath was so constructed that I couldn''t cough properly. </i>

    <i>"W-Wait... why?" </i>

    <i>[There usually isn¡¯t a reason for death.] </i>

    <i>"She doesn¡¯t... look too healthy, but she doesn¡¯t look like she is going to die. Other than being a little thin..." </i>

    <i>[Death doesn¡¯te with warnings.]</i>

    <i>Without realizing it, I raised my voice. </i>

    <i>"The fuck? Then what is there?" </i>

    <i>My shout sounded dry and congested. It felt like my tongue was swollen and was blocking my throat. The sound did note out¡ªit stayed in my mouth and was eventually swallowed.</i>

    <i>I took a deep breath, and the purple smoke filled my lungs. I felt a strange dizziness. </i>

    <i>"Then she''ll die soon,¡± I said with a slight tremble, calming down my agitated heart. </i>

    <i>[It is a possibility. The fact that she can smell my cigar means that she¡¯se close to death.] </i>

    <i>"..." </i>

    <i>[Death exists in various forms. Her form of death is inherently more distinct than others, but that doesn''t necessarily mean she will die. For example...] </i>

    <i>Baron Samedi continued to speak. It could be a temporary state of physical or mental weakness, or because she was suffering from an illness, or because they were indifferent and epting of death. </i>

    <i>Her form of death might have been more precise due to various factors such as health, mentality, mindset, and many other factors. </i>

    <i>I couldn¡¯t findfort in his words. The fact that In-Ah was not in that good of a condition remained unchanged. Her death had be apparent due to various reasons because she was studying too hard and worrying about different things. </i>

    <i>And some of them must have been my fault as well. Not being able to bring Yoon-Ah back as a person must have yed a significant role. </i>

    "What are you looking at?"

    At that moment, I could hear In-Ah¡¯s voice.

    "The sky."

    "What¡¯s in the sky that¡¯s making you stare at it so intently?"

    "The stars. If you look closely, you can see them."

    "Really?"

    In-Ah raised her head, following my actions. After staring at the sky for a few seconds, she spoke up.

    "Actually, now that I¡¯m looking at it closely, I can make out one or two."

    "If you count, there are quite a few," I said, raising my head to look at the sky alongside In-Ah.

    Sometimes, my eyes refused to make out letters from a book, even after pushing away the creeping drowsiness and trying to lift my heavy eyelids. Times like these came when I was studying for tests. Every time it happened, I would secretly escape from the dormitory ande here to sit and talk with Legba.

    When even talking became boring, I would raise my head and look up to the sky to count the stars. The darker it was on the ground, the brighter the stars in the night sky shone. By the time I counted one star, another one in its proximity would reveal itself. And when I counted that new star, another one would appear.

    When I would count the stars one by one to the point where I would start to forget exactly how many stars I had counted, I looked around in the night sky.

    As I did so, I would see all the stars I counted filling up the night sky. The dark night sky would then be filled with light, and the distant stars seemed to get closer as if they would fall at any moment. I enjoyed those moments.

    It was tiring to stay up all night, but I had fun counting during the night. I suddenly had the urge to teach her how to do so, which was why I brought her here.

    "You should take some breaks."

    "Huh?" In-Ah responded with confusion.

    My eyes were still looking up at the sky.

    I continued, ¡°Take some breaks, whether studying or doing anything else. Don''t wean your lifespan."

    "...What? You make it sound like I¡¯ve worked extremely hard. And what''s wrong with using my lifespan a bit?"

    "You have to live for a long time."

    I hoped she would stay alive at least until Yoon-Ah fully recovered and, ideally, long after that. I couldn¡¯t exactly exin my reasoning. Was it guilt or some other emotion? I preferred to think of it as guilt.

    In-Ah listened to me and cracked a smile.

    "For how long? Maybe until I turn a hundred?"

    "No, about five hundred years."

    "Hey, isn''t that too much?"

    "What, isn¡¯t it good to live for a long time?"

    "Wouldn¡¯t it be tiring to be alive for so long? ...But what meaning does this have? It''s not like you can live longer just because you want to," In-Ah said, dropping her gaze from the sky to the ground.

    She seemed to have finished counting the stars. Her shoulders were slumped back, and she aimlessly stuck the ground with her heel.

    "I have a question for you."

    "Yeah, fire away."

    "Um, you..." She hesitated to speak and then trailed off. "...Never mind, I forgot."

    "I won''t be able to sleep tonight if you don¡¯t tell me."

    "Then don''t."

    "Oof, that¡¯s rough."

    Iughed for no reason. She alsoughed softly, following my lead. Theughter that faintly appeared beyond the darkness quickly disappeared. In its ce, a slight sadness remained.

    In-Ah looked at me with eyes filled with an indescribable warmth or coldness and said, ¡°Please don''t lie to me."

    It was a profound statement.

    I nodded. I had made a promise that I couldn¡¯t keep. In-Ah seemed satisfied with my response and smiled brightly. Somehow, her smile, which I couldn''t make out before in the darkness, was now crystal clear.

    After saying farewell to In-Ah, I went to the underground chapel. And I saw her sister.

    She looked almost the same as In-Ah, except for her slightly pale skin. They resembled each other a lot, and it made me sad. I kneeled in front of Yoon-Ah. She sat on the floor with her mouth half open, staring nkly into space, and I met her gaze.

    "I''m sorry. Can you wait a little longer?"

    Yoon-Ah nodded slowly as if she were trying to respond. Although she could only move her head for now, she would smile brightly like In-Ah one day.

    On that day, everything will be fine. Everyone will be happy.

    When that dayes...

    "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry..."

    A familiar dizziness and headache set in.

 Chapter 157

    <h4>Chapter 157</h4>

    While I stayed at the underground chapel, Ji-Ah was always there. However, my uncle only briefly came to show his face on Saturday. ording to my uncle¡¯s exnation, he was busy bringing in the Gyeonggi Branch executive hiding overseas, so the situation didn¡¯t permit him to be at the underground chapel. He seemed noticeably worn out since Ist saw him.

    "Why are you working so hard?" I asked out of curiosity.

    I couldn''t understand why my uncle was putting in so much effort. From what I knew, he wasn''t the type of person to sacrifice himself for others.

    My uncle let out a deep sigh in response to my question.

    ¡°Just because. They are formerrades, and well... I hadn¡¯t originally nned to help them to this extent, but seeing their faces, I couldn¡¯t help but feel..."

    My uncle rambled on.

    "Why did you suddenly develop sympathy? Because she looks prettier now?" I joked with a smirk.

    My uncle got visibly flustered. His demeanor waspletely different from his usual self.

    "Hey, that¡¯s not what I mean... So what, should I have ignored and rejected someone who was crying and clinging to me? Is the Voodoo Cult such a heartless ce?"

    "What does the Voodoo Cult have to do with this?"

    "If there''s someone in need, it''s only right to help them. No, it''s not about doing what¡¯s morally right, but it¡¯s also in the doctrine."

    My uncle often referenced the Voodoo Cult whenever he was losing his arguments.

    ¡°When did I tell you not to help them? Do as you please. I won''t interfere as long as you don''t cause me any harm."

    If it caused me no harm, I had no intention of getting involved, whether my uncle brought the Gyeonggi Branch executive or not.

    Although I personally didn''t particrly like her, they were capable individuals regardless of their personality and would provide a benefit to the Voodoo Cult if they were brought in.

    "Sure. I¡¯m not helping them because I want to. I just felt sorry for them..."

    "What are you trailing on so much for? Do you like this person?"

    "I knew you would say that. It''s not like that."

    I had a brief altercation with my uncle. Ji-Ah quietly watched us with a smile while we exchanged arguments that didn¡¯t seem like arguments.

    While we were in the midst of our conversation, my uncle''s face was drained of all color when he checked his phone.

    "Ah, shit... Well... Sun-Woo, I¡¯m off. I want to stay longer, but this is an urgent matter."

    "Okay. Bye."

    My uncle hurriedly put on his clothes and left the underground chapel without even giving us a chance to see him off. It seemed that the matter at hand was pretty urgent.

    After Uncle left, Ji-Ah started boiling water in the coffee pot. Then, she took out finely ground coffee beans and a peculiar machine I had never seen before. Ji-Ah filled the machine with the coffee grounds and slowly poured the boiling water into the machine.

    A fragrant aroma that reminded me of the smell of cafes gently spread across the area. From the looks of it, her coffee-making skills were at a professional level.

    "Are you preparing to be a barista?" I jokingly asked, and Ji-Ah briefly turned her head to look at me.

    "...It¡¯s a hobby..."

    "Oh, really?"

    "There''s nothing to do in the underground chapel..." Ji-Ah said, her voice trailing off as if she was embarrassed.

    Come to think of it, she had quite a few hobbies. She probably started cooking as a hobby, and I knew she studied medicine as a hobby as well. It seemed as if she had naturally developed all these hobbies because she had a lot of time to herself.

    "What hobbies do you have, Cult Leader?" Ji-Ah asked, cing two coffee cups on the table.

    I usually didn¡¯t drink coffee, but I decided to try it out since she made it. I raised the cup, took a sip, and answered her question.

    "I don¡¯t know... exercising?"

    "Isn''t that something you just have to do rather than a hobby?"

    "You think? Other than exercising... I don''t think I have anything that can be called a hobby," I said and took two more sips of coffee.

    Until now, I hadn¡¯t drunk coffee because I didn''t like its characteristic bitter taste, but I could hardly taste the bitterness now. It was pretty enjoyable when I thought of it as ck water with a nutty aroma.

    "It¡¯s a good idea to have at least one hobby."

    "Could growing flowers be considered a hobby?"

    "Of course. Sounds like it would be beneficial for mental stability."

    Mental stability... I need some mental stability these days.

    "That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of growing one."

    "Sounds good. Although it doesn''t fit you."

    "Hmm... And what do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Just kidding." Ji-Ah chuckled and sipped her coffee.

    I never expected to see Ji-Ah crack a joke. Compared to the past, I realized that she had changed a lot.

    After the weekend ended and I returned to the dormitory, the first thing I did was nt seeds in a flowerpot. With the help of the inte and Granbwa, I learned how to nt seeds properly. While I was at it, I also learned how to water and repot them.

    I pleaded to the seed as I lightly pressed my finger on the part where the seeds were nted.

    "Don''t die."

    Even though saying this wouldn¡¯t bring a dead seed back to life, I still wanted to say it at least once. I pledged to invest my time and effort into this seed.

    I went to school. The students'' reactions to the uing practical exams varied with the announcement of the written exam scores.

    Some lost their spirit and stared into space with lifeless eyes, while others roamed around, voicing their determination that at this point, they would pour everything they had into the practical exams.

    Amid the chaotic atmosphere filled with exam talk, In-Ah and I made eye contact. She looked at me and shook her head from side to side. I didn''t understand why she was shaking her head instead of waving her hand if she wanted to greet me.

    "Come on! Don''t be too upset about just one exam. Have a safe day today~" Ye-Jin came in, said a few words, and left immediately.

    For some reason, the morning announcements seemed to be getting shorter and shorter. Just as the ssroom was about to be noisy again after a brief moment of silence during the announcements, Ye-Jin forcefully opened the front door and came back inside.

    Ye-Jin''s loud shout echoed across the silent ssroom.

    "I can¡¯t believe I forgot this. Sun-Woo,e down to the teacher''s office for a moment!"

    The students'' gazes briefly collected on me before dispersing. In-Ah looked at me with a questioning gaze. I ignored those looks and went down to the teacher''s office with no idea as to what was going on.

    ***

    The minute I arrived, Ye-Jin abruptly handed me a stack of papers.

    "Give one of these to each ss''s student council member and tell them to fill it out and put it on my desk. Fill one out and put yours on my desk as well."

    "When should we submit these?"

    "Today... no, when was it again? Ah, you have until tomorrow."

    I nced briefly at the paper. It was an additional consent form for the mission trip. Although they had already received an application form, it seemed that they wanted to take in additional consent forms because the schedule had been adjusted due to various incidents. I didn''t understand why I had to distribute them.

    "What? You don¡¯t want to do it?" Ye-Jin said as she looked at my expression.

    It was like she could read my thoughts. I hadn¡¯t done a good job of controlling my facial expression.

    I smiled and said, "No, it''s not that I don¡¯t want to..."

    "Right, then please do as I told you~"

    Ye-Jin smiled from ear to ear and turned her head toward the monitor.

    It was a bit bothersome, but the task wasn¡¯t that difficult, so I decided to make my way up withoutining. I first went to the ss of Kindness because it was the closest ssroom to the teacher''s office. However, Min-Seo, the person I was looking for, was not there.

    Suddenly, I realized that Min-Seo had yet to be discharged. Still, I felt like I should at least pass on the message, so I approached a boy who was talking near the front entrance.

    "Please give this to Min-Seo when shees back."

    "Huh? M-M-Min-Seo?"

    The boy showed noticeable surprise in his eyes. He even took a few steps back. The boy didn¡¯t want to take the paper even when I tried to hand it to him.

    "S-sorry. We''re not really close, so it''s just weird for me to give it to her..."

    "Really? Then who is close to Min-Seo?"

    "Uh, um..."

    The boy looked around the ssroom as if trying to find a suitable person to pass this mission on to. However, no one seemed to want to meet the boy''s eyes or mine. No one in the ss was close to Min-Seo. That checked out.

    "Sorry, I don''t really know who is close to her..."

    "It''s okay, I''ll just give it to her myself. Thank you for your time," I said and left the ss of Kindness.

    The ss of Kindness that dropped dead silent at the mention of Min-Seo¡¯s name became lively as soon as I exited the room. From what I could see through a short glimpse through the doors, everyone seemed to be having a good time.

    Next, I went to the ss of Patience, which was right next to the ss of Kindness. I looked for Jin-Seo but, of course, couldn¡¯t find her. The ss of Patience had a calm and quiet atmospherepared to the ss of Kindness, so it wasn''t easy to approach anyone and start a conversation.

    At that moment, a girl came up and talked to me.

    "Who are you looking for? Jin-Seo?"

    I didn¡¯t know how she knew I was looking for Jin-Seo, but it was a good thing regardless. I smiled politely, showing the smile I only showed to people I met for the first time.

    "Yeah, I have something to give to her. Do you know where she is?"

    "Hmm, I think she either went to exercise or to train."

    "Yeah? Then can you give her this when shees to ss?"

    "Huh? No?"

    The girl refused to take the paper when I handed it to her. She smirked and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

    "You should give it to her yourself."

    "No... I don''t know when she¡¯sing. I can''t just wait until she does."

    "Jin-Seo would appreciate it if you waited around for a bit."

    "No, I can''t. I''m busy."

    I still had five other sses I needed to visit. I didn''t think I needed to wait, but I could just leave a text or a phone call instead.

    Heading to the next ss, I turned on my phone and called Jin-Seo. She didn''t answer. So, I just sent her a text. I had a missed call from Joseph, but I didn''t think I needed to call him back. Actually, I didn''t <i>want</i> to call him.

    The next ss was the ss of Diligence. Luckily, Dae-Man was there. As soon as he saw my face, he approached me with a slightly embarrassed expression.

    "Sun-Woo! What''s up?¡± Dae-Man said, panting heavily.

    His voice was loud and booming as ever. I handed him the paper.

    "This is the mission trip consent form. Submit it to Ms.Ye-Jin by tomorrow."

    "Oh, thanks! Tomorrow. Should it be submitted in the morning? Or lunch?¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure. Anyway, it¡¯s due tomorrow. But...¡±

    I caught a glimpse of the back of the ss of Diligence. The boys and girls seemed to be mingling with each other alike and having fun, while one of them was trying to push their weight off using only their hands that were gripping onto the sides of a desk.

    If he failed and fell, the other students wouldugh and pat the fallen kid¡¯s back. When one kid failed and fell, another woulde and take his ce and attempt the same movement, and if they fell, another woulde and try the same movement again. They repeated those actions over and over.

    "What are they doing over there?"

    "Oh, that''s the popr nche Challenge in our ss. Wanna give it a try?"

    "No... I''m busy."

    "Then try it next time you get a chance!"

    Dae-Man then walked briskly to the back of the ssroom, cleanly performing the movement that many of the other kids failed to do. The kids who were watching cheered and apuded. The ss of Diligence was much noisier and livelier than the other sses.

    Next up was the ss of Humility.

    I thought Yu-Hyun would not have been there, but he was surprisingly present. His skin color was so dark that I could easily identify him in the crowd. He had put four desks together and was ying card games with the other students.

    When I called out to him, he hurriedly responded and immersed himself back in the card game.

    "Oh? Uh, just a moment. Let me finish this round."

    He seemed to be more drained than his regr self. As he scrutinized the cards in his hand, he continued to y, throwing and collecting bills.

    "Oh? I can''t fold in a round like this. I call. Let''s do this."

    "Ah, damn it! Why does this bastard always get the good cards? Is this a scam? Who was the dealer for this round?"

    "What scam? It''s all luck. Anyway, thanks! I earned my lunch money for today."

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure because I wasn¡¯t familiar with the rules, but it seemed like Yu-Hyun won. He collected his money and got up from his seat while the other kids cursed and screamed. He had a faint smile on his face as if he was drunk with the taste of victory.

    "Wow, with you here, my cards started looking good. So what''s up? Did youe to y cards too?"

    I handed the consent form to the confident-spoken Yu-Hyun.

    "Submit this to Ms.Ye-Jin by tomorrow."

    "...Ah, I''m not on good terms with that teacher."

    "That''s none of my concern."

    I quickly gave him the consent form and left the ssroom. Yu-Hyun nced at me for a moment but couldn''t resist the urging of his friends and started ying cards again. Excitement or disappointment was evident on the pretending calm faces of the kids.

    I''d asionally seen card games at school, but it was my first time seeing kids gambling with real money. Unlike the ss of Diligence, the boys and girls yed within their sexes in the ss of Humility. I realized that the atmosphere in each ss was different, and I felt relieved that our ss could be grouped into the more normal category.

    Next up was the ss of Temperance. Su-Ryeon was sitting on the windowsill, chatting with her friends. Perhaps I had been too shocked in the ss of Humility, but the atmosphere in the ss of Temperance was extremely ordinary.

    Su-Ryeon looked into my eyes and awkwardly greeted me, stumbling over her words. ¡°Uh, huh? Hi! Why are... you here?"

    Her reaction was akin to that of a young child caught stealing. I tried to recall if I had done something wrong, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I had no contact with Su-Ryeon in the first ce. Before I said anything, I handed her the paper.

    "This is the mission trip consent form. Submit it to Ms.Ye-Jin by tomorrow."

    "Huh? Um, thanks! I appreciate it."

    A bead of cold sweat trickled down Su-Ryeon''s forehead as she received the paper. I observed her expression.

    Su-Ryeon couldn''t meet my eyes. Instead, she looked out the window or smiled for no reason. She had the reactions of someone who had done something wrong toward me or was hiding something. Although I found it suspicious, I decided to brush it off.

    I left the ss of Temperance and turned toward thest ss, the ss of Chastity. Right then, Su-Ryeon tagged along and called out to me.

    ¡°Hey."

    She showed signs of caution, such as looking behind before speaking.

    "Um, hey, Do you, by any chance... smoke cigarettes?"

    "What?" I raised my voice in surprise, causing Su-Ryeon to shrink back immediately.

    "Who the hell said that?"

    "Huh? No, I was just asking. I thought I heard something like that... Anyway, you don''t smoke, right?"

    "Yeah. Who would..."

    I wanted to say, ¡°<i>Who would tell such a lie,¡±</i> but I decided to keep my mouth shut.

    If there were strange rumors about me, it was the rumor¡¯s fault, not Su-Ryeon''s. I was angry, but I couldn''t take it out on her.

    "Oh, and you..."

    Su-Ryeon nced at me briefly.

    "You''re always with that person, the one with brown hair. Her name was Jeong... In-Ah? Is that right?"

    "What about her?"

    "Oh, don''t be so uptight. Are you, by any chance, dating her?" Su-Ryeon asked cautiously.

    I shook my head without any hesitation.

    She tilted her head in confusion and asked another question.

    "Really? Then what about Jin-Seo?"

    "Why is she being mentioned in this conversation?"

    "You often hang out with those two. Evenst time..." Su-Ryeon''s voice trailed off, and she furrowed her eyebrows as if realizing something. "Are you double tim...? Both of them?"

    "The fuck? I¡¯m dating neither of them," I said and quickened my pace.

    I couldn''t afford to waste any more time, and talking to Su-Ryeon tired me out. Then, I felt as if something bad would happen, and I shouted at Su-Ryeon as she was heading toward the ssroom.

    "...Don''t spread weird rumors!"

    Su-Ryeon had a loose tongue and enjoyed gossiping. I thought that if I let her go like this, she could spread some strange rumors.

    With a sinister smile, Su-Ryeon nodded her head and mouthed something. It seemed like she was trying to tell me she understood.

    Despite hearing her response, a sense of unease lingered in a corner of my heart. I cleared my mind of the thoughts, and I walked toward the ss of Chastity.

    It wasn¡¯t like such a small thing would spread as a rumor, and even if rumors did spread, I could exin myself. Most importantly, I didn''t have the luxury of being concerned about rumors in the first ce¡ªI had a lot of things to think about.

    ***

    "Are you going to keep dyeing your hair?"

    Ra-Hee frowned at the sudden question.

    These kids who wouldn¡¯t have dared to talk to her before were now pretending to be close to her. It would have been an unimaginable sight when she used to hang out with Ha-Yeon.

    It seemed like they were trying to approach her during her and Ha-Yeon¡¯s slight hup. Although she found it a bit displeasing, there was a possibility that she would bepletely isted within the ss if she let out her anger. Ra-Hee rxed her previously furrowed expression and forced a smile.

    "Yeah, it''s about time to dye it again."

    "Are you going to dye it gray again?"

    "Probably?"

    Ra-Hee actually wanted to try dyeing her hair white, but doing so would ovep with Ha-Yeon''s character. Plus, it could be too much of a tant imitation. Gray was a color that was unique enough not to provoke any ridicule from others, and a color that went well with Ha-Yeon.

    Although Ra-Hee didn''t really want to know that fact, she found out unintentionally a while ago.

    "Have you ever tried colors other than gray? You would look good in anything."

    "I haven¡¯t tried other colors...."

    But she had.

    And it hade with ridicule.

    Suddenly, the memory of that time came back to Ra-Hee, and she frowned. She felt a hot pain, resembling that of boiling iron, bubbling in her chest.

    "But are you close with me?"

    "Huh? Oh, uh, no, I''m just--"

    "Why would you talk to me if we aren¡¯t close?" she said and clicked her tongue.

    After she spoke up, the bubbling pain seemed to subside a little. The student half-opened her mouth in shock. Her eyes darted around, and a few students with good hearing held their breath when they heard Ra-Hee''s confrontational tone.

    "..."

    Her insides churned as the gazes focused on her. Ra-Hee discreetly left the ssroom and took a fleeting nce at Ha-Yeon. The girly face down on the desk, her forehead flush against it.

    She had been in that state ever since she had gotten her report card. It seemed like Ha-Yeon hadn''t done well on the test, but even so, she probably did better than Ra-Hee. It was so apparent to the point that she didn¡¯t have to find out.

    A lot of different reasons made her day seem pretty bad. She would skip sses today, as the teachers would barelye today anyway.

    Right then, when she was thinking of doing so¡ª

    "Ah, what the fuck! Oh my god...!"

    Sun-Woo appeared as soon as she opened the door. It was her first time seeing him since the end of the school break, but for some reason, he seemed a lot gloomier than when she first saw him.

    No, not gloomy, but darker? She didn¡¯t really know how to ce it.

    Ra-Hee finally opened her mouth, trying to hide her embarrassment at being more surprised than necessary.

    "Wh-what are you doing?"

    "You¡¯re Ha-Yeon¡¯s friend, right?" Sun-Woo asked back without even answering the question.

    She was annoyed to be called ¡°Ha-Yeon''s friend¡± instead of her name, but she nodded anyway.

    "Yeah, what''s up?"

    "She¡¯s inside the ssroom, right? Can you call her for me? I have something to give her."

    Ra-Hee hesitated for a moment. She thought that other people would think that it was weird if she came back into the ssroom right after justing out of it.

    She nced briefly at Sun-Woo''s expression. It was so expressionless that it gave her the chills. It seemed better toply with him. After all, it wasn¡¯t that difficult of a request.

    "...Give me a second," Ra-Hee said, going back into the ssroom.

    She approached Ha-Yeon, who was lying down in despair, and tapped her shoulder.

    Ha-Yeon looked up, her eyes bloodshot. Ra-Hee pointed her finger toward the front door where Sun-Woo was waiting.

    "Sun-Woo is looking for you."

    As soon as Ha-Yeon heard those words, she quickly sat up, her eyes wide. She looked startled.

    "W-why? Why is he here? What did hee for?"

    "He said he has something to give you."

    "Uh... Please tell him I''m not here. Tell him that I¡¯m on sick leave..."

    "Why do you want me to tell him you¡¯re not here? Did you do something wrong again?" Sun-Woo asked.

    His sarcastic tone carried a strange hostility.

    Ra-Hee gulped in the sudden silence that followed. What had Sun-Woo done that caused Ha-Yeon to freeze in her tracks?

    The silence was broken when Sun-Woo tried to take out a folded piece of paper from his pocket.

    Biting her lip and rolling her eyes, Ha-Yeon suddenly stood up and stopped Sun-Woo from moving.

    "Wait, not here. Let''s go outside."

    "...Why?"

    "This is a ssroom, it''s a bit... you know..." Ha-Yeon said as she led Sun-Woo out into the hallway.

    As she listened to their conversation, Ra-Hee became increasingly curious about what happened between the two. So she followed them out into the hallway. She was going to eavesdrop on their conversation.

    Ha-Yeon gasped for breath with a flushed face and lowered her head as if she were guilty, ncing around nervously. On the other hand, Sun-Woo stared at her with his usual expressionless face. Ha-Yeon seemed to be rigid with fear and anxiety, but Sun-Woo''s expression appeared extremely cold yet rxed at the same time.

    "Why did you ask to talk outside the ss?"

    Ha-Yeon hesitated, then finally mustered the courage to lift her head and speak.

    "Last time... we made a bet. We said we would bet on grades..."

    "Sh-should we... call it a draw?"

 Chapter 158

    <h4>Chapter 158</h4>

    ¡°A draw?¡±

    Ha-Yeon bowed her head deeply, hearing Sun-Woo repeat her words back. Familiar and unpleasant emotions churned inside of her. Her pride was hurt, she felt ashamed, and she felt wronged. She felt the same way when she had a one-on-one with her father.

    "So... what I mean is... We shouldn¡¯t just count only our written exam marks, but also include the practical test scores and look at the overall grade... Or we could postpone the next written exam." Ha-Yeon tried her best to persuade him by using her hands.

    When Ha-Yeon received her report card in the morning, she felt her heart stop, and it felt like her blood was refluxing through her veins, going in the opposite direction.

    The reason for this was that she had made a mistake in marking the answers for her sacred dynamics test and had received a score she had never seen before. Needless to say, her marks for Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science wereplete failures as well.

    Ha-Yeon checked the scores for each subject and immediately folded her report card in half. She didn''t have the courage to check her ranking. She had made out that the first digit was 3, but she couldn''t bring herself to check the rest of the number.

    If the first digit was 3, this meant that her rank was between 30th and 39th. Whether her ranking was 30th or 39th, one thing was certain: she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Sun-Woo with this score.

    So, she decided to observe Sun-Woo''s reaction after suggesting a draw. If he immediately epted the proposal, it was highly likely that Sun-Woo also did poorly on the exam. On the other hand, if he refused to ept the proposal, then he most likely did well on the exam. In that case, she just needed to push him into epting the proposal.

    Ha-Yeon was racking her brain to try to y mind games.

    "Why?" Sun-Woo tilted his head as if he couldn''t understand Ha-Yeon''s intentions and wiggled his eyebrows.

    His cold and piercing gaze swept across her face. Ha-Yeon, determined not to be swayed, met Sun-Woo''s eyes.

    "You see, this is a form of forbearance."

    "Forbearance?" Sun-Woo furrowed his brow, repeating Ha-Yeon''s words.

    She nodded.

    "I have too significant of an advantage if we only consider the written scores. The more I thought of it, the more unfair it seemed, so I suggest we calcte the overall scores, including the practical exam."

    "Ah, I see."

    "I am confident in my scores during the practical exams, but so are you, right? So, for a fairer bet..." Ha-Yeon trailed off, her gaze fixated on Sun-Woo''s face.

    He looked down at her and smiled. It was easy to see that he was making fun of her through his smile.

    Ha-Yeon swallowed nervously.

    "...Why are youughing?"

    "Is there a need to drag this out? Let''s just open the report card and be done with it."

    "Huh? No, wait."

    "Where''s your report card? Is it inside your desk?"

    "Please, just listen to me for a little longer. Wait, wait..."

    Ha-Yeon grabbed Sun-Woo''s wrist as he tried to enter the ssroom. But she couldn''t stop him with a mere hand, so she had to use both to pull him back. It was only then that Sun-Woo stopped walking and turned to look at Ha-Yeon, letting out a chuckle as if he found the situation ridiculous.

    "Why are you being so stubborn? Just open the report card."

    "Well, um... Right, we can''t agree on it being a draw after we see the report card."

    "I¡¯m telling you, I have no intention of having a tie with you. Let''s just finish it right here, right now."

    "W-why not? It''ll benefit both of us if we agree on a tie!¡±

    "A benefit?" Sun-Woo repeated her words, lowering his head.

    Then, he stared intently at Ha-Yeon''s face from a close distance, no less than the distance of a palm separating them. Ha-Yeon was taken aback by the sudden closeness, nervously bit her lip, and turned her head to the right.

    "What will I gain from this?" Sun-Woo asked aggressively.

    Ha-Yeon sighed deeply, cooling the rising heat from her face.

    "I exined that earlier. It''s because I have an advantage with the written exams¡ª"

    "You keep spouting nonsense," Sun-Woo interrupted with a hollowugh. "If you did well on the test, there''s no need to suggest a draw. You¡¯re arguing for one because you failed the test, right?"

    "I didn''t do that bad..."

    "You probably did worse than me."

    Ha-Yeon swallowed her response. His voice was brimming with confidence. Judging from his eagerness to check the grades and his desire to quickly conclude the bet was evidence that Sun-Woo had done well on the test.

    Seeing how he said he had been lucky when he had gotten first ce during examinations, his confident mannerisms must mean he had ced in the highest bracket in school and had gotten at least 20th ce. Was he telling the truth when he said he had gotten full marks in sacred material science?

    If she had known this was how things would go down, she wouldn''t have done something as foolish as making a bet. Ha-Yeon''s mind was filled with regret and despair.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo spoke as if he was being generous.

    "How about we do this instead?"

    Ha-Yeon felt doubtful and cautiously looked up at him. There was a glint of mischievousness in his expression.

    "I feel like it¡¯s too big of a loss for me if we suddenly call it a draw. So¡ª"

    "It''s not a loss for you," Ha-Yeon interjected, cutting off his words.

    Sun-Woo furrowed his eyebrows as if he was displeased and continued, "It is a loss. I did better on the test than you did."

    "You don''t know yet."

    "Don''t know? Then bring your report card. Let''s check."

    "...You were saying?" Ha-Yeon timidly said, lowering her gaze to the floor.

    Sun-Woo smiled brightly.

    "I can agree to a draw... but in return, I have one request."

    "A request..."

    "Yeah. Listen to what I have to say before deciding to agree or not."

    Sun-Woo pretended to ponder. By telling Ha-Yeon to hear him out before she made a decision, he was essentially saying that it was up to Ha-Yeon¡¯s decision to grant his request. In reality, she had no real power to decide, but the fact that she had the authority to make the decision gave her some peace of mind.

    Sun-Woo silently nodded as if he had made up his mind.

    "How about you go bald?"

    "What? Absolutely not!" Ha-Yeon eximed in surprise.

    She was willing to consider an easy request, but shaving her head was definitely not an easy request. As if he had expected that reaction, Sun-Woo casuallyughed it off and pointed to his shoes.

    "Then can you lick my shoes? They got dirty, and I need to do someundry."

    "Th-that... that''s... no way..."

    "Why are there so many things that can''t be done?" Sun-Woo said irritably. "Then introduce me to your father. That should be possible, right?¡±

    "Uh, hm. something like that..."

    Compared to shaving her head or licking shoes, this was definitely a more feasible request. Her father even mentioned previously that he wanted to meet Sun-Woo. She didn''t know what he wanted to do once they met, but arranging a meeting seemed possible.

    Ha-Yeon nodded.

    "Yes, that offer is possible."

    It might not work out, but it seemed better to say it was possible now. If she kept saying things like, ¡°My father is too busy to meet you,¡± or ¡°There hasn''t been a good opportunity to bring it up,¡± she could push it back indefinitely by making excuses.

    "Swear by it,¡± Sun-Woo shot back sharply as if he had seen through Ha-Yeon''s true intentions.

    Ha-Yeon gasped in surprise.

    ¡°...Alright, I swear."

    "You''re being too carefree about it. What was it called again? Oh, swear in the name of Adonai."

    "What?" Ha-Yeon asked, wondering if she had misheard.

    There was nothing about swearing in the name of Adonai in the Romanican doctrine. There was something simr called the ¡°oath of promise,¡± but it was not the correct term to use in this situation. The oath of promise was conducted in a more severe and solemn atmosphere. It also had many tricky and strict procedures.

    Sun-Woo realized his mistake btedly and covered his mouth before speaking.

    "No... No, it''s fine if you swore."

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon stared at Sun-Woo''s face intently. It was clear from his facial expressions that he was confused. Although he made a mistake regarding the doctrine, it wasn''t something to be so flustered about, as many clergymen often couldn''t distinguish between oaths and promises and mixed them up.

    "Alright, just keep your promise. Choose any time convenient for your father. I can adjust my time to his."

    "Okay. But my father is busy¡ª"

    "And this. Submit it on Miss Ye-Jin''s desk by tomorrow. I¡¯m out,¡± Sun-Woo said, taking out a paper from his embrace and roughly handing it over.

    Then, he quickly walked away as if fleeing from the scene, disappearing down the corridor.

    Ha-Yeon unfolded the paper that she had hurriedly received. It was an additional consent form for the missionary trip. She thought he was here to talk about the bet, but it seemed like he came to distribute consent forms instead. Aside from that, Sun-Woo seemed different todaypared to usual. She didn''t expect him to be so flustered over a minor slip of the tongue when he hadn¡¯t blinked an eye during life-threatening situations.

    "What''s going on?"

    She had no idea why he had been so flustered and why he wanted to meet her father. He was such a confusing young man.

    No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn''te to a conclusion. She considered herself lucky that she could postpone the bet and tried to go back to the ssroom. At that moment, she saw a head peeking through the back door.

    "Ugh, gosh...! Wha-what are you doing?" Ha-Yeon yelped in surprise.

    The shock was evident on her face when she saw Ra-Hee¡¯s face. The girl had been secretly eavesdropping on their conversation with her head poking through the crack in the door.

    <i> </i> *

    [I noticed you referred to him as <i>father</i> multiple times,] Legba said as I walked to the teacher¡¯s office from the ss of Chastity.

    I looked around. Luckily, there was no one, so I could afford to respond.

    "It''s a matter of courtesy."

    [You have respect to show to your enemies?]

    "I do for now. Now, don''t talk to me anymore."

    [You''re being overly sensitive for no reason, even with no one around. Is it because of your slip of the tongue earlier?]

    I didn''t answer Legba''s question and just kept walking. When Voodooists made a solemn oath or a promise, they swore on iron. By swearing in front of Ogun, the Loa of iron and truth, one would show that they had not one bit of deception in their oaths.

    But the Romanican Church made an oath of promise, which was a slightly different concept from swearing. I suspected Jun-Hyuk of being a Satanist because he made several slip-ups in his daily life. In other words, my own slip-ups could be evidence that others could use to start suspecting me.

    "Am I really an idiot...?"

    Strangely, whenever I stood in front of Ha-Yeon, my emotions grew unnecessarily intense. I couldn¡¯t even control my facial expressions. Apart from Ha-Yeon, I was beginning to think that my mindset had be toocenttely.

    Fortunately, it had only been with Ha-Yeon. If I had been next to Joseph, then I would have ceased to exist. I was not in great shape, so I decided to keep my mouth shut for the day.

    I arrived at the teacher''s office to report that I couldn¡¯t deliver the paper to Min-Seo and Jin-Seo because they were absent.

    "Ah, you''re here."

    A familiar but not at all weing face greeted me. The teachers, including Ye-Jin, stood around him, exchanging nces.

    "...What brings you here?" I asked.

    "Just thought I''d drop by. Can''t you at least pretend to be happy to see me? I''m not asking for enthusiasm, but it would be nice if you didn''t look disgusted. You didn''t even answer my calls," Joseph said, chuckling.

    No one elseughed along. I found myself unable tough as well.

    Joseph was thest person I should be meeting right now.

 Chapter 159

    <h4>Chapter 159</h4>

    Ye-Jin looked at me while she discreetly tried to observe Joseph. For some reason, I could sense a hint of resentment in her gaze.

    "I was thinking of visiting my alma mater, but no one can guide me. I would like for you to show me around. How about it?"

    "..."

    "Even if it''s not okay, I nned to take you anyway! Let''s go."

    I didn''t feel like it, but judging from Ye-Jin''s expression, I had no choice but to leave. If I foolishly rejected Joseph''s request here, it would put Ye-Jin and the other teachers in a difficult position. I bowed slightly to Ye-Jin and left the teacher''s office with Joseph.

    "The weather is fantastic. It''s a waste to be stuck in the ssroom on a day like this. People need to bask in the sunlight to stay healthy."

    Joseph started small talk as soon as we left the building.

    "Yes, you¡¯re right. But what brings you here?" I replied without much thought and asked right away.

    Although it wasn¡¯t intentional, I realized my tone sounded somewhat aggressive. However, Joseph seemed unfazed and smiled slightly, briefly examining my wrist before speaking.

    "I came to conduct an additional investigation regarding the previous incident, and I thought it would be nice to see your face as well. But why aren¡¯t you wearing the watch?"

    "Are you talking about the one you gave mest time?"

    "Yes, wear it and show off to your friends. It''s expensive enough to be unt-worthy."

    "What''s there to be proud of about receiving a bribe to wear it around?"

    "Oh,e on... Please refer to it as a present, not a bribe," Joseph said with a smile.

    Although I had made a sarcastic remark, it didn''t affect Joseph. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was ustomed to giving bribes or if he genuinely believed that it wasn¡¯t a bribe but a gift. I decided to ask about something that had been bothering me for a while.

    "... But, is this really okay?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I''m talking about the bribe. I''m still a student, so even if I get caught, I have nothing to lose. But you have a lot on the line as an inquisitor."

    "You''re right. I have a lot to lose. If I did get involved in bribery, the best-case scenario would be a suspension, and in the worst-case scenario, I would be dismissedpletely... Anyway, aren''t you simr to me?"

    Simr? Without giving me time to think, Joseph casually carried on.

    "Why do you want to be a clergyman?"

    "..."

    "In my eyes, it seems like you are trying to be a clergyman because you have a mission you want to fulfill. Although, I¡¯m not quite sure if my guess is correct,¡± Joseph said, looking at me through his narrowed eyes.

    A mission I wanted to aplish through bing a clergyman? Yes, I had such a mission. To me, bing a clergyman was just a checkpoint to fulfill that mission. Joseph clearly saw through me. Rotten or not, he was still an inquisitor. He seemed to have a good eye for people.

    I nodded and answered, "Yes, you''re right."

    Joseph smiled in satisfaction.

    "I have a lot to lose, and you have a lot that you have yet to achieve. If you''re suspected of bribery, we''ll both suffer from different kinds of losses. We both hold the cards to bring each other down."

    "..."

    "You could snitch on me if you want to. But to do that, you''ll have to take risks. Do you hate me so much that you would snitch on me despite the risks?"

    "No. Not yet, at least."

    "Exactly. <i>Not yet.</i> You understood me very well."

    Joseph nodded and smiled faintly.

    "It¡¯s because there''s a possibility that you might snitch on me. I have to make sure you don''t hate me, and vice versa. In other words, bribery has given us a reason to respect each other."

    "Respect... Seems more like a formal business type of respect to me."

    "In the end, do we not have a business-like rtionship? Then the respect that we have for each other should follow suit.¡±

    Was that a valid point? I wasn¡¯t too sure. This time, it felt like he was coaxing me through the conversation. I decided to change the subject to break the flow.

    "But how long are we going to keep walking like this? We don¡¯t even have a destination."

    "Ah, my apologies. I forgot. Where is the sacred training ground? It¡¯s been a while, and I wanted to visit it."

    ¡°We are walking in the opposite direction if you want to go to the sacred training grounds. We have to go back."

    "This is a big problem. My knees are starting to hurt."

    I turned my feet toward the sacred training ground, and Joseph trailed behind me from a distance of about half a step.

    While walking in silence for a while, Joseph took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was dressed even in this scorching heat.

    "By the way, did you know that I''m from F.A.?" he said as he put the handkerchief back in his pocket.

    I shook my head.

    "I just found out."

    "Really? But your reaction seems dull."

    "Well, um..."

    I wasn''t shocked when I heard that he was from F.A. because I had suspected that to be the case. Most archbishops and clergymen were usually graduates of F.A. except for the rare cases.

    "You are the Holy Name of Charity, right?" Joseph said as he walked steadily.

    He was tall, but his build wasn''t that big, so he gave off a scarecrow-like vibe when he walked.

    I nodded.

    "Does the Holy Name of Charity still have ess to the sacred training grounds? You know, for free sparring."

    "Yes, I still have ess to it."

    Among the benefits of the Holy Name of Charity was a use that stated, ¡°Free sparring avable on the sacred training grounds.¡± From what he was saying, it seemed that Joseph also enjoyed the same benefits when he attended Florence Academy.

    "Really? Are you making good use of it?"

    "No."

    "Why? Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for you to use all the opportunities at hand?"

    "There is no reason to spar and no one to spar with."

    Joseph nodded without responding to my words. Before I knew it, we had arrived in front of the sacred training ground. His eyes swept up and down the building, and he let out a small sigh. His eyes, which had always seemed so dry and lifeless, seemed toe alive. He had the gaze of someone reminiscing about the past.

    ¡°A lot has changed. Well, thinking of it, this ce was very outdated back in the day. It feelspletely different toe back after such a long time."

    "Yes, well then, I¡¯ll take my leave now."

    I bowed and bid Joseph farewell while he was muttering to himself. Now that I had finished my job as his guide, I nned to return to my ssroom. Based on my experience so far, Joseph had a keen sense of observation. Nothing good woulde about if I stayed next to him.

    "No,e in with me."

    Joseph wouldn¡¯t let me leave.

    I swallowed my annoyance. "I believe I have provided enough guidance."

    "I just wanted to spar with you... Am I taking up too much of your time?"

    "Yes," I said firmly.

    Joseph clicked his tongue in disappointment and then bore at me with his sharp eyes as if trying to see through me. He smiled.

    "Well, if that''s the case, there''s nothing I can do. I understand that you would be scared."

    "...Scared?"

    "You¡¯re nothing but a lowly vice-priest, correct? You¡¯d obviously get beaten to a pulp if we fight, so the correct decision to make in your perspective would be to refuse."

    "..."

    Considering Joseph''s personality, he wouldn''t say something like that for no reason. He was probably trying to provoke me. He wanted to scratch my pride and create a situation where I had no choice but to duel with him. I wouldn¡¯t be able to win against him in a duel, and it would be impossible to stand on my own against him without using spells and the power of the Loa.

    Plus, there was no reason for me to duel with him.

    "Yes, so I will refuse."

    "It''s only natural for the weak to run away from a fight they can''t win. From now on, be honest and say you''re scared if you''re scared."

    "..."

    "These days, younglings don¡¯t have the guts. Back in my day¨C"

    "Well, let''s go then. But don¡¯t you use your rank as leverage against me after you get beaten."

    "Of course. I''m not that petty of a person."

    Joseph then entered the sacred training ground. His steps seemed to spring with an innocent excitement that didn¡¯t suit him. He looked up at the high ceiling of the sacred training ground and nced around the expansive interior. Judging from his expression, it seemed like he was in awe.

    Joseph erased the smile on his face after his observation and said with a serious tone, "It seems like it¡¯ll be difficult to duel on equal terms. A slight handicap needs to be in ce."

    "It¡¯s okay. Let''s do it without a handicap."

    Joseph hesitated and said, "No, it¡¯s not okay for me. Dueling against a student without a handicap would make me aughingstock to my friends."

    "Okay, I won¡¯t use divine power. But you¡¯re free to use it. Would that be enough for a handicap?"

    "Um, well..."

    I hesitated for a moment before answering.

    The amount of divine power I had couldn''t even match the average F.A. student. Joseph not using divine power would not be a handicap but a simple leveling of the ying field.

    Joseph narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, contemting.

    "Why? Let me know if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s enough. I''ll just add more."

    "It''s not that... I''m not good at using divine power."

    "Hmm?" Joseph''s eyes narrowed even further.

    He squinted his eyes so much to the point that it seemed he was ring at me.

    "Then how did you fight against Satanists? If you weren¡¯t able to utilize blessings, healing, miracle replication, and everything else with ease, then there''s no way you could have survived against the Satanists."

    "Ah, that¨C"

    "You couldn''t have just relied on your fighting skills because there are ck magic spells that limit physical abilities and render fighting skills useless. That''s why divine power is essential to fight against ck magic... So, how exactly did you fight?"

    Joseph talked incredibly fast. He seemed to talk faster during interrogations and questioning. In other words, he was interrogating me right now. I quickly racked my brain toe up with something to say. However, because I was nervous, words didn¡¯te quickly.

    "...I usually can''t use it, but strangely, I could use divine power well when I was fighting with the Satanist."

    I only managed toe up with a feeble excuse.

    Joseph''s expression twisted strangely.

 Chapter 160

    <h4>Chapter 160</h4>

    <i> "...I usually can''t use it, but strangely, I could use divine power well when I was fighting with the Satanist."</i>

    I had hastily blurted out those words in an attempt to break the silence before Joseph''s suspicions deepened. Since it was a feeble excuse, I didn¡¯t expect Joseph to believe my words easily. However, to my surprise, Joseph slowly nodded and acted as if he agreed with me.

    "I see. Are you the type who thrives in a crisis?"

    "W-Well... something like that."

    "I suppose you¡¯re something like a hero who shines in troubled times. Anyway, I understand. Well, then..."

    Joseph looked around the sacred training ground. Eventually, his gazended on a single point, which was the armory. Dusty training weapons protruded out from the half-opened door. Joseph pointed to the weapons with his chin.

    ¡°You can use a weapon. I won¡¯t use one. That should be enough to even the ying field.¡±

    ¡°...Actually, I don¡¯t have many weapons that I can wield properly.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. You can learn while sparring. Just follow me, and I''ll choose a weapon for you."

    Joseph led me toward the armory. Ancient weapons such as swords, spears, and bows were piled up in the corner and covered in dust. Joseph carefully examined the weapons, almost as if he were shopping, before suddenly remembering something.

    ¡°By the way, do you know what people who have been dragged to court for manughter say the most?"

    "I¡¯m not sure..."

    ¡°¡®I didn¡¯t know that they would die¡¯ and ¡®I just wanted to scare them a little.¡¯ They all say the same thing as if they are reading from a script. So, what kind of weapon do you think they had in their hands when theymitted manughter?"

    I kept my mouth shut. The immediate answer that came to mind was a de, but that didn''t seem like the right answer.

    Joseph took out an iron mace from the pile of weapons. After brushing off the dust, he said, "Usually, it''s this kind of round-ended and heavy blunt weapon. It could be a hammer, a chair, or even a brick that might have fallen off the wall. It¡¯s more or less something like this."

    "..."

    "Now, if you piece together everything I¡¯ve said, what conclusion do you reach?¡±

    Joseph handed me the mace. The mace was much heavier and colder than I thought. Before I could even respond, he said, ¡°The conclusion is that holding a blunt weapon gives the wielder courage. No matter how virtuous or cowardly a person is, once they wield a blunt weapon, they gain the courage tomit murder!¡±

    ¡°Is it truly right to interpret it that way?¡±

    ¡°Whether it''s the right interpretation or the wrong interpretation, what does it matter? As long as it sounds good, then that''s all that matters.¡±

    With his finger, Joseph pointed to the iron mace in my hand and continued, "In Genesis, it is said that the first murder weapon was also a blunt object. Cain probably didn''t want to kill his own brother. Perhaps he just hit him with a stone and identally ended up killing him.¡±

    "What?"

    "I¡¯m kidding. Forget about what I said just now."

    Josephughed, and with his hands sped behind his back, he walked briskly toward the sparring area in the middle of the sacred training ground. I followed behind him.

    Perhaps the training ground hadn''t been used in a while, but the floor of the sparring area was covered in thick dust. It was a bit slippery.

    "I think we should clean up first if we want to spar," I said while brushing away the dust with my toes.

    Joseph shook his head.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just spar like this. After all, the more variables there are, the more entertaining the fight bes. Shouldn¡¯t you practice fighting in slippery ces too?¡±

    "Ah... understood."

    I didn¡¯t know how often I would end up fighting on slippery terrain, but I decided to agree for now. Joseph wasn¡¯t the type of person to listen, even if I disagreed.

    I exerted strength on my toes so as not to slip. With steps that were no different from usual, Joseph confidently walked to the corner of the sparring area. He didn¡¯t seem to mind the dust at all.

    When I reached the opposite corner of the sparring area, Joseph said, "Tell me when you''re ready. I¡¯ll start when you say so."

    Joseph took his stance. It was a stance I had never seen before. It appeared as if his defenses and attacks would be weak. There were openings everywhere. As far as I knew, there were no martial arts orbat sports that had such a strange starting posture. All martial arts were based on efficiency, so there was no reason to adopt such an inefficient posture.

    Was it a special kind of martial art that only inquisitors used?

    I decided to dismiss it as something that wasn¡¯t particrly important, and I also entered a posture, albeit a bit sloppy. Since I wouldn¡¯t be able to win, I decided to just show Joseph a performance that wouldn''t disappoint him.

    "I¡¯m ready¡ª"

    [Bossou¡¯s body is itching all over right now.]

    Just as I was about to say, ¡°I''m ready,¡± Bossou interrupted me. Bossou spoke in a voice devoid of any enthusiasm.

    [It would be great if the Prophet could call Bossou.]

    "..."

    [Unlike Sobo, Bossou is not shy... Is that why the Prophet dislikes me? This is truly sad...]

    "..."

    [Without Bossou, you won¡¯t be able to defeat that person. I instinctively know that. Are you really going to lose like this? The Prophetcks the desire to win. You¡¯re stuck with a loser¡¯s mentality at the moment...]

    He was specifically saying things to trigger me. It was fairly obvious that I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat Joseph even if I wielded a mace. It would still be insufficient even with the help of various blessings, such as the Blessing of Superhuman Strength.

    I might not even be given the opportunity to utilize blessings.

    "Take your time."

    I briefly nced at Joseph, who was staring at me with his bizarre posture. Joseph was overestimating my abilities. The reason why he was maintaining intimacy and conducting surveince on me was because he had the misconception that I was skilled. Thus, if I fell short of Joseph''s expectations during this duel, then his intimacy would disappear, leaving only his suspicions and his surveince. He might even try to interrogate me about the battle with the Satanist.

    ...Yeah, if that was the case, then it was better to just use it.

    I sped my hands together in front of my chest. Joseph was waiting while maintaining his posture, and he tilted his head as if he was puzzled.

    "What are you doing?"

    "I usually pray before a duel. It''s kind of like a... routine."

    "That¡¯s a verymendable routine. Feel free to continue. Let me know when you''re ready."

    I closed my eyes and mumbled nonsense as I pretended to pray. It was something that I improvised in order to call Bossou naturally. During my prayer, I subtly called out Bossou¡¯s name, and he cheerfully responded.

    [It¡¯s been a while! Bossou responds to the Prophet''s call!]

    Soon, the immense strength from using Bossou''s power began to surge through my body. The sound of my heartbeat and breathing began to echo rhythmically and distinctly in my ears drums. My vision began to flicker, and I saw strands that resembled blood vessels pulsating within my field of vision.

    However, as I calmed my breathing, the flickering that obscured my vision began to fade away. I didn¡¯t feel a significant burden. Perhaps it was thanks to the fact that I had continued to offer sacrifices without using Bossou¡¯s power.

    [It''s all because the Prophet''s container has expanded!] Bossou said.

    However, I couldn''t tell whether what he said was true. I let out a deep breath and sensed the heat and intensity of the power that Bossou''s had infused into me. A sense of enlightenment and confidence rippled throughout my body. In my current state, I felt like I could defeat Joseph right now.

    "Okay, let''s go."

    "Sure,e at me when you¡¯refortable."

    With Joseph''s response, the spar began. However, he didn''t move a single step from his position. He continued to stare at me with an expressionless face while remaining in his bizarre posture. At first nce, Joseph''s posture seemed to have no foundation. Yet, for some reason, I couldn''t muster the courage to approach him recklessly.

    I instinctively felt that it was a bad idea to narrow the distance. Before narrowing the distance, first, it seemed necessary to disrupt Joseph''s bizarre posture.

    "..."

    In the current situation, there was only one method to disrupt his posture without narrowing the distance. I raised the iron mace in my right hand and aimed it at Joseph''s head.

    I distributed the power evenly to my right shoulder, back, arms, and chest with the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. I lowered my posture, shifted my weight to my upper body, and then directed my strength into the iron mace before throwing it. Throwing was Bossou¡¯s specialty, and if I added in the Blessing of Superhuman Strength, it would end up bing an attack that he would have to avoid no matter what.

    "Oh!"

    <i>ng¡ª!</i>

    Joseph leaned back exaggeratedly and dodged the attack. I could feel genuine surprise from the exmation that he let out. The mace collided with the cage that encircled the sparring area and made a loud noise.

    Joseph looked between the dent on the cage and my face before shing an innocent, childish smile.

    "That was dangerous! If I got hit, I would have died!"

    His voice was trembling, not out of fear but genuine excitement. I didn¡¯t have the leisure to respond. I seized the momentary opening in his posture and closed the distance between us.

    <i> </i> *

    Do-Jin was limping with his injured ankle. His body felt too restless to justy down and wait to recover all day, so he escaped from the nurse¡¯s office and headed toward the sacred training ground. He would get scolded if Bok-Dong or Ye-Jin caught him, but he believed that it would be fine as long as he didn¡¯t get caught.

    He observed the various buildings in Florence Academy. He started with the newly reconstructed training center, then the cafeteria, and then finally the main building. The cross located on the top of the spire located on top of the main building was slightly rusty.

    He had always run around, but now that he was walking around like this, he noticed things he didn¡¯t usually notice. He always lived an exceedingly busy life, but now he thought it might not be all that bad to live a leisurely life like this. When he passed the barn that had closed down due to all the animals turning into demonic beasts, a familiar smell attacked his nose.

    "..."

    It was the same sharp and bitter smell he encountered when he met the chairman at the hospital. In other words, it was the smell of cigarettes. With slow steps, Do-Jin traced the origin of the smell. He wanted to increase his pace, but his ankles wouldn¡¯t listen, so he had no choice but to walk slowly.

    He encountered a certain student when he reached the road that stretched out from the barn toward Eiden Hill. As soon as their eyes met, the student put out the cigarette they were smoking and tried to run away in the opposite direction.

    "Hey, hey! Where are you running off to? Just stay there."

    Do-Jin stopped her from escaping. Jin-Seo paused for a moment, and then she took a few steps back as if she was on guard and said, "Aren¡¯t you going to scold me?"

    "If I scold you, will you quit smoking?"

    "Hmm."

    Jin-Seo nodded as if she agreed with his logic. In the first ce, Do-Jin had no intention of scolding her. After all, he also snuck out of the nurse''s office without permission. He wasn¡¯t exactly innocent either, so he figured he didn¡¯t have the right to criticize others.

    He was about to limp away to his original destination when he suddenly felt curious about something and decided to lift his head instead.

    ¡°Why are you here? Shouldn''t you be in the ssroom?"

    "...I was secretly..."

    "Secretly, what?"

    "Exercising and then decided to... for just a moment...yeah," Jin-Seo said.

    She was stretching out her sentences and answering vaguely. It seemed like she was roughly saying, ¡°I was secretly exercising and then decided to smoke for just a moment.¡±

    Do-Jin slowly nodded.

    "Exercising, huh? Getting ready for the practical exam?"

    "Yes, well..."

    "But smoking? During the practical exam period?"

    "..."

    Since the practical exam wasing up soon, scolding her for doing extra exercise or training sessions was not something he could do. It was something that he had to encourage her to do. However, smoking before the practical exam was clearly a mistake, so he needed to say a thing or two about that.

    Jin-Seo was just staring at the floor with her mouth shut. It was because she had nothing to say to defend herself.

    "I''m not trying to scold you... No, never mind. Where are you going right now?"

    "...The ssroom?"

    "If you have nothing to do right now,e with me," Do-Jin said.

    He then limped somewhere. His steps were very slow due to his injured leg. Jin-Seo tilted her head in confusion and followed his steps.

    "Where are you going?"

    "The sacred training ground. It''s been too long since Ist held a sword. You shoulde and have a training session too," Do-Jin said before beckoning toward her.

    His flimsy wrists made strange noises as his hands moved. His ankle looked visibly bad, and his once well-built muscles seemed to have be much thinner.

    "Even though my body is like this... I can probably still teach you some swordsmanship."

    "Ah, yes..."

    When Jin-Seo saw his flimsy wrist, she suddenly remembered the incident from before and felt guilty. Back when she was fighting with Do-Jin over the medicine that could either save Sun-Woo or the elder, she lost herposure and tried to overpower Do-Jin by force. That was how Do-Jin injured his wrist.

    Although Do-Jin realized how Jin-Seo was feeling, he didn¡¯t pay it any mind. If he found himself in the same situation where he had to choose between saving his friend or an elder that he wasn¡¯t familiar with, he would have chosen to have his friend as well.

    While walking, Do-Jin said in a cautious tone, "It would be better for you to quit smoking."

    "...Yes."

    "Or at least quit during the practical examination period. Do you think you can beat guys like Dae-Man and Min-Seo while smoking like that?"

    "Yes," Jin-Seo answered confidently.

    Do-Jin was so bewildered that he couldn¡¯t help butugh. He wondered where her confidence came from.

    "Arrogant, aren''t you?"

    "It''s not arrogance... I can really win," Jin-Seo said as if she was stating the obvious.

    Do-Jin had to admit that she did indeed have the skills to back up her confidence. Due to Min-Seo¡¯s injury, her skills would have greatly diminished. As for Dae-Man, he only had brute strength. In terms of the technical aspects of battle, he was greatlyckingpared to Jin-Seo.

    Now that he thought about it, no one couldpete with Jin-Seo. If he excluded Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon¡¯s unique styles, and if he also excluded Ha-Yeon...

    That would only leave one person.

    "What about Sun-Woo?"

    In response to Do-Jin¡¯s words, Jin-Seo trembled.

    "Wh-what about him?"

    "What I mean is, can you win against him?"

    "I can win."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Not really... But why do you keep asking?" she snapped back, feeling agitated.

    Although she had won against Sun-Woo in a sword duel, it was a victory that was only a victory in swordsmanship. If the conditions were different, she might have lost. No, perhaps Sun-Woo intentionally let her win the sword duel.

    "I''m asking because I really don''t know. I''m curious who would win if you two fought each other. So, are you sure you would win?" Do-Jin asked again.

    Jin-Seo looked into the distance as if contemting, then shook her head.

    "I don''t know either."

    She truly didn''t know. There was nothing she could confidently say about him. She thought she knew a lot about him, but upon reflection, she realized she didn¡¯t know anything at all. He didn¡¯t tell her anything about himself, nor did he easily reveal any information.

    He consistently maintained a withdrawn attitude toward everyone, but the fact that <i>everyone</i> also included her felt frustrating and upsetting. That was why she responded curtly when Do-Jin asked her about Sun-Woo.

    "Yeah... I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine on your own anyway,¡± Do-Jin said while steadily walking.

    He wasn''t particrly curious about who would win. After all, it was impossible to evaluate a clergyman¡¯s skills solely based on their sparring skills. The reason for this was because the current objective that crusaders and pdins had was to exterminate all demons and demonic beasts off the face of the earth. Unlike sparring, however, livebat situations involved various variables.

    Nevertheless, the reason why Do-Jin structured his lessons around sparring was because the ultimate goal of clergymen was to exterminate all cultists. Unlike demons or demonic beasts, cultists took on the appearance of humans. What happened with Jun-Hyuk was an example of this.

    Before they knew it, they arrived in front of the sacred training ground.

    Do-Jin looked up at the birds peering down at the world while perched on the exterior walls and the roof of the worn-out building and said, "Long time no see."

    Suddenly, he remembered how he had been trapped inside this building while facing dozens of demons and hundreds of demonic beasts. After recalling that incident, the memories quickly expanded and filled his mind. His heart raced. The reason why he hade to the sacred training ground was precisely because of this.

    He wanted to hold a sword again, but above all, he wanted to confront those memories once more. He thought it would be okay, but now that he was here, that wasn¡¯t quite the case. It was always like that.

    <i>ng¡ª!</i>

    It was then that a dull sound echoed from inside the training ground. The birds perched on the roof were startled and quickly fluttered away. The sound of something copsing and crumpling repeated itself. Do-Jin reflexively ced his hand on his waist, but no sword was there.

    "In the nurse''s office..."

    He had left the sword behind in the nurse¡¯s office. His fingertips trembled in the air. Fear overwhelmed Do-Jin at the thought that Jun-Hyuk''s colleague or a taxidermied creature that he created might havee to attack Florence Academy again. With his current physical condition, he couldn''t protect the students from the demons.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Jin-Seo asked while looking at the trembling Do-Jin in confusion.

    She didn''t know what Do-Jin had experienced at the sacred training ground. Do-Jin wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and casually nodded as if nothing was wrong.

    "No, it''s nothing... It¡¯s probably not a big deal..."

    <i>¡®It must not be a big deal.¡¯</i>

    While thinking that, Do-Jin stepped onto the training ground, and Jin-Seo followed him. Their gazes converged at one point. The two men battling on top of the sparring area mesmerized them.

    Sun-Woo effortlessly swung a massive mace that looked heavy. He not only swung it, but he also threw it, and he would asionally stab with it. He continued to attack the opponent in unconventional ways. His movements were rough and rugged, like a beast''s, but there were no unnecessary movements.

    On the other hand, Joseph responded to Sun-Woo¡¯s attacks with a rxed smile, as if he was ying around with him. When Sun-Woo threw the mace, he dodged and returned to his stance. While in that stance, if Sun-Woo were to swing the iron mace, Joseph would casually evade the attack and grab Sun-Woo''s arm before mming it into the ground.

    With each step they took, dust and dirt swirled out morously. Some of their movements were so fast and bizarre that they couldn¡¯t be seen. Only the sound of the cage crumpling and the mace hitting the ground could be heard.

    "Nazirite arts."

    Do-Jin''s gaze was fixed on Joseph.

    Jin-Seo stood beside him and silently stared at Sun-Woo. More precisely, she was following his movements with her eyes.

    "..."

    Although it was difficult to follow with her eyes, each movement had strength and precise calctions in both attack and defense. Unlike when they sparred, there currently were no ws in his movements. His eyes that were staring at the opponent were sharp and piercing.

    This was the first time she had seen Sun-Woo take a sparring session so seriously.

 Chapter 161

    <h4>Chapter 161</h4>

    My body flew in the air.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Immediately after, I heard a dull thud as my vision became dark and blurry. As the darkness cleared, I saw the ceiling of the sacred training ground. I had attempted to attack, but Joseph grabbed my arm and mmed me onto the ground. This happened multiple times. I didn¡¯t remember the exact number, but this happened around ten times.

    "I think that¡¯s enough. Grab my arm and stand up,¡± Joseph said while extending his hand to me as Iy on the ground.

    I grabbed his arm and stood up.

    ¡°It was a truly enjoyable battle that I haven¡¯t experienced in a long time. We were nearly evenly matched.¡±

    I suppressed my frustration and replied, ¡°I... No, I also enjoyed it.¡±

    Although Joseph said that we were evenly matched, in reality, that wasn¡¯t the truth. Throughout the spar, Joseph tantly held back against me. During the entire fight, he never got serious, and he only dodged and blocked whenever I attacked. If he had been serious, I would have suffered a catastrophic defeat within a minute.

    [Bossou feels frustrated!]

    [He''s not an opponent you can defeat. The martial art that person is using is...]

    [I definitely could have won! There were definitely ws in that person¡¯s movements...!]

    Bossou and Legba¡¯s voices alternately echoed inside my head. Since I wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could respond, I ignored them. I didn¡¯t seriously think I could win, but I didn¡¯t expect the gap between us to be so big.

    Joseph''s movements were so bizarre that they made even Bossou''s power seem weak. His movements must have some sort of structure, but it appeared as if his movements were unstructured and unsystematic, which made it impossible to predict. I had no idea what kind of martial art it was, but I wanted to learn it if possible.

    "By any chance, is the martial art you use¡ª"

    "Wait a moment. Are you acquainted with those two people standing over there?"

    Joseph interrupted my question and pointed his chin in the direction of the training ground entrance. Jin-Seo and Do-Jin were standing there.

    I nodded.

    "Yes, I know them."

    "Both of them?"

    "Yes."

    "That''s a relief. We won''t have to deal with any unnecessary misunderstandings then," Joseph said before hopping down from the sparring area.

    Then he walked toward the two people. I btedly followed Joseph. Do-Jin stared at us in a daze for an extended period of time, as if he was lost in an illusion. But upon seeing Joseph approach, he stepped back and stared at Joseph with narrowed eyes as if he was on guard.

    "...Who are you?"

    As if Joseph had been waiting to do so, he extended his hand for a handshake.

    "I am Inquisitor Joseph from the Central Pdin Order. You... Yes, you seem to be from the Trinitas Crusader Order. Your name is..."

    "I am Do-Jin. It''s an honor that you remember me."

    After hearing Joseph''s affiliation, Do-Jin let his guard down and respectfully greeted him with a handshake. The twopleted their greetings, and they each had red marks in the shape of a palm on the back of their hands. Joseph looked back and forth between Jin-Seo and me and then turned his gaze to Do-Jin.

    "Are you a smoker? I smell cigarette smoke."

    "Ah... Yes, I smoke," Do-Jin said while ncing briefly at Jin-Seo.

    Joseph smiled.

    "Really? That''s a relief. Since the two students seem ufortable because of us, let''s step outside for a moment. We can both have a smoke while we''re at it."

    "Alright."

    Just like that, the two of them left. When it was just me and Jin-Seo left on the sacred training ground, I took out the mission trip consent form from my pocket. It got a little crumpled due to the unexpected sparring session that I had with Joseph... but it couldn¡¯t be helped. I straightened it out with my hands and handed it to Jin-Seo.

    "...What''s this?" she asked with a puzzled face.

    "An additional consent form for the mission trip. Fill it out and submit it to Miss Yejin by tomorrow."

    "Mission trip..."

    I pulled a chair from the corner of the sacred training ground and sat down.

    "Where were you? I couldn¡¯t find you in the ssroom," I asked her before letting out abored breath.

    The fatigue I didn''t feel during the spar now rushed over me. This was one of the disadvantages of having a faint sense of touch. I didn¡¯t know about the physical condition of my body, and I would end up recklessly pushing myself.

    Jin-Seo skimmed the consent form and answered my question.

    "Exercise," she said.

    "It seems like you onlye to school when you want to," I said.

    "I was preparing for the practical exam," Jin-Seo retorted in a seemingly slightly upset manner.

    She folded the consent form in half and put it in her pocket as she continued, "If you can¡¯t find me, then call me. Then I would havee.¡±

    "I did. But you didn¡¯t answer," I said.

    "...Really?"

    She avoided my gaze as if she was flustered. Then suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

    "Were you waiting?" she asked.

    "Waiting for what?" I responded.

    ¡°Me.¡±

    ¡°How should I respond to that?¡± I jokingly asked.

    Her smile disappeared. She red at me with narrowed eyes and said, "...That''s up to you."

    "Don''t you want a specific answer?"

    "It''s not like that."

    As Iughed and postponed my answer, she furrowed her eyebrows as if she was starting to get annoyed.

    "Stop teasing and just answer," she said.

    "I was waiting. That''s also why I called you," I said.

    "...You''re good with words," she said.

    I was so utterly dumbfounded by her sarcastic reply that I ended up letting out a hollowugh.

    "What kind of answer were you expecting, anyway?" I asked.

    There was a brief silence. Jin-Seo looked into my eyes, and when our eyes met, she avoided my gaze. But when I started looking elsewhere, she looked into my eyes again. It seemed like she had something to say, but she seemed hesitant to speak.

    "Do you have something to say?" I asked.

    ¡°...Yes," she replied.

    She nodded as if she had been waiting for me to ask her.

    "I was thinking about sparring with you so that we can prepare for the practical exam,¡± she said.

    "Spar with me?"

    "Yes," she said with a nod.

    I contemted for a moment before speaking.

    "Um... I don¡¯t want to spar with you though?"

    <i> </i> *

    "Take it."

    Joseph offered a cigarette to Do-Jin. He politely epted it but couldn''t bring himself to put it in his mouth. It was because he didn¡¯t feel like smoking again after quitting for several years.

    Joseph lit his cigarette and said, "There''s no need to force yourself to smoke. How many years has it been since you quit?"

    "...How did you know?" Do-Jin asked in surprise.

    Joseph chuckled and took a puff of the cigarette.

    "If you were a non-smoker, the way you hold a cigarette would be awkward. On the other hand, someone who quit is skilled at holding it but hesitates to put it in their mouth."

    "..."

    Do-Jin couldn''t hide his surprise as he looked at Joseph. Joseph exhaled smoke and said, "Is the female student who came with us Mr. Chang-Won''s daughter?"

    "Ah, yes... that''s right. How did you...?"

    "It¡¯s because the smell of cigarettes came from that child. It smelled just like what Mr. Chang-Won used to smoke. Children follow their parents, you see."

    "...You have very good observation skills."

    "At the very least, I need to have good observation skills. That¡¯s what my job is all about after all.¡±

    When he was halfway through smoking his cigarette, Joseph spoke once again.

    "Is dating still banned in Florence Academy?"

    "ording to the rules, yes. However, it''s hardly enforced..."

    "They¡¯re still so old-fashioned. But from the students'' perspective, isn''t it actually a good thing? Humans feel thrill and pleasure when they break forbidden rules."

    <i>¡®Is it alright for a clergyman to say such a thing?¡¯ </i>Do-Jin wondered.

    In his opinion, Joseph didn''t seem like a bad person, but he certainly didn''t seem like a good person either. However, he was definitely a strange person. Joseph finished smoking a cigarette and then took out another one. There was a moment of silence.

    Do-Jin took this opportunity to ask about something he was curious about.

    "It seems like you use a unique martial art, sir. Is it perhaps...?"

    "It¡¯s the Nazirite arts. No need to beat around the bush," Joseph said as if he could see through Do-Jin''s thoughts.

    Before Do-Jin could calm his surprised mind, Joseph continued speaking.

    "It''s natural to be curious. It''s a martial art with no methods to learn it at the moment, after all. It seems like you want to learn it too..."

    "If I¡¯m qualified... Yes, I do."

    Nazirite arts was considered the most violent and brutal martial art in history, but it was also evaluated as one of the most powerful. However, since thest sessor disappeared, there were no more methods to learn the martial art, and it appeared as if it would vanish into history.

    Do-Jin had searched for ancient scriptures and fragments of literature rted to the Nazirite arts in order to learn it, but he was barely able to grasp the distinctive aspects and could not learn or master them. Thus, the Nazirite arts were a dream-like martial art for Do-Jin. If he could learn it, he wanted to learn it.

    However, Joseph firmly shook his head.

    "Unfortunately, I don''t have the ability to teach you. It''s not you, I¡¯m the one who''s not qualified. I''m sorry."

    "Oh, no, it¡¯s alright. Then..."

    From where and from whom did he learn that martial art? Do-Jin wanted to ask him, but he decided not to. He had seen Joseph''s expression freeze in a terrifying way when he asked about the Nazirite arts. He felt that asking any further would be disrespectful.

    Joseph quickly smoked two cigarettes, and then threw them onto the ground and extinguished the sparks by crushing the cigarette butts with his foot.

    He lightly brushed off his clothes as if trying to get rid of the smell of smoke and then said, "It seems like Sun-Woo and Chang-Won have a very good rtionship. I wanted to ask if my thoughts are correct."

    "..."

    Do-Jin tilted his head as if contemting. Since he wasn''t usually interested in such matters, it was difficult for him to express his opinion. Now that he thought about it, the only guy Jin-Seo ever talked to was Sun-Woo. In general, Sun-Woo was friendly with everyone, but it seemed like he met with Jin-Seo more frequently than other people.

    "Yes, that seems to be the case," Do-Jin said while nodding in response.

    Joseph smiled.

    "That''s a relief. I want to get Chang-Won¡¯s daughter¡¯s contact information. Can you tell me?"

    "...Huh?" Do-Jin replied in surprise.

    It was a sudden request, and it was difficult to figure out the intention behind why he was asking for such information. What was an inquisitor going to do with a Florence Academy female student¡¯s contact information? He probably wasn¡¯t going to contact her for personal reasons, but the fact that Joseph was the one who was asking made it a variable.

    As if sensing Do-Jin''s difort, Joseph scowled and said, "You weren¡¯t asking me, so I didn¡¯t feel a need to exin, but judging by your expression, it seems like I have to exin myself. I came to monitor Sun-Woo."

    "..."

    "It¡¯s legitimate and official surveince from the Holy See. And to keep an eye on him, I need that child¡¯s help," Joseph said.

    Joseph had his hands gathered behind his back as he leaned forward in front of Do-Jin and tilted his neck such that he was looking directly down at him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve said this much, so you should roughly understand what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯m someone who really hates repeating myself.¡±

 Chapter 162

    <h4>Chapter 162</h4>

    After hearing my answer, Jin-Seo looked at me with surprised eyes. It seemed like she was taken aback because I rejected her so bluntly. The truth was, I didn''t exactly dislike the idea of sparring with her. I just refused because I felt like I couldn''t defeat her in my current state. After all, I had exhausted all my stamina during the match with Joseph.

    "Well, I suppose a battle with me wouldn¡¯t be able to satisfy you,¡± Jin-Seo said while nodding as if she understood. Her manner of speech was quite sarcastic.

    I could not understand the meaning of her words, and I tilted my head.

    "What do you mean by the battle not being able to satisfy me?"

    "...Never mind."

    She briefly nced at me and then shook her head while walking over to lean against the training ground wall. I could sense helplessness from her slumped shoulders. Her expression wasn''t great either. I stood next to her and leaned against the wall simrly. Silence filled the air. The sacred training ground was so vast that the silence felt particrly heavy.

    Jin-Seo bowed her head slightly and stared at the ground. Her mouth was firmly closed. I looked at her side profile and observed her out of habit. The rosary wrapped around her wrist caught my eye. It was something I had given her.

    "Do you wear that every day?" I asked, pointing at her wrist.

    Jin-Seo tilted her wrist to look at the rosary, then turned her head to nce at my wrist.

    "It''s be a habit... but why aren¡¯t you wearing it?"

    "I feel ufortable when something is on my wrist."

    "Why? Does it feel like handcuffs?"

    I nodded slightly.

    "A little bit."

    When I had something like a watch or a bracelet on my wrist, it felt suffocating, like I couldn''t breathe. But wearing essories on my wrist was not as bad as wearing them around my neck. When wearing something like nes or scarves around my neck, it truly felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe.

    "It sounds like you¡¯ve worn handcuffs before?" Jin-Seo asked yfully.

    Iughed and shook my head.

    "I¡¯ve never had that experience."

    The truth was, I did. I briefly wore them when Jun-Hyuk turned the school upside down. But I didn''t feel like exining the details, so I just lied. Jin-Seo nodded and smiled slightly as she listened to me.

    "Of course, there wouldn''t be. Otherwise..."

    She trailed off, and her gaze shifted to my hands.

    "...I''ve always felt that your hands are really small."

    "Me?"

    I opened my palm. It didn''t seem that small to me. I had never heard anyone say that my hands were small.

    "Yeah, I think mine are bigger."

    "No way. That can¡¯t be right..."

    "Then let''spare."

    Jin-Seo provocatively extended her open palm toward me. We sped hands. Her fingers were thin and long, making her hand bigger than I expected. Still, it was smaller than mine.

    "I''m bigger."

    "Yeah, you win," Jin-Seo said while holding my hand.

    I didn''t really sense anything, but I could vaguely feel some warmth. She pulled my hand toward her and interlocked our fingers. Even so, her expression was strangely calm.

    "I won, right?"

    "Of course. Your hand is bigger."

    "It''s a bit strange though."

    I tried subtly pulling my hand away, but she prevented me from doing so by tightening her grip on my hand. I just resigned myself and let her have her way.

    Jin-Seo meaninglessly tapped the floor with her heel and said, "Your hands are so cold. Like a corpse."

    "Then let go."

    She tilted her head.

    "It feels good because it¡¯s refreshing. It¡¯s like... an ice pack."

    "It''s not that cold."

    "It¡¯s just a figure of speech," Jin-Seo said with a smile.

    The smile was faint andcked strength. There was resignation and emptiness in her eyes, with a hint of fear. She was acting differently from usual today, but it seemed like she was trying to appear normal.

    "Why are you acting like this today?"

    "..."

    When I asked, Jin-Seo lowered her gaze without saying a word. When the silence became noticeable, she said, "It¡¯s because I¡¯m tired. I haven''t been sleeping welltely."

    "Why can''t you sleep?"

    "Well... that''s..."

    She brushed her hair back and continued speaking.

    "Because I didn¡¯t do as well on the exams as I thought I did. And because of my father... my dad, and also because of you.¡±

    "Me?"

    "I¡¯m just saying that¡¯s part of the reason. Besides that, there are various other things...¡± she admitted almost in a mumble.

    I knew that her father, Chang-Won, had not been discharged yet. I heard his condition had improved significantly since the beginning, but it was rtively better. It was impossible to tell when he might copse again, so it was natural for her to feel concerned. She seemed to be very tired at the moment. She seemed so tired that each sentence she said out loud seemed to drain her strength.

    "I didn''t want to tell you," Jin-Seo said with a smirk.

    "Why?"

    "Recently, it feels like I¡¯ve been constantlyining to you.¡±

    "So you knew you were doing that, huh?"

    "...Yeah, I knew. That''s why I didn''t want to tell you."

    Jin-Seo red at me, and I responded with a faint smile. She sighed as if she had given up.

    "I can''t sleep, so even when I''m awake, it feels like I''m asleep. Even when I''m asleep, it feels like I''m awake."

    "It must be tough."

    "That''s why I do things like this. To stay awake."

    She lightly shook the hand she was holding back and forth. I only nodded without saying anything.

    Once again, silence filled the air. I had no idea how many cigarettes Joseph and Do-Jin were smoking, but they had still not returned yet.

    "Earlier, um... why did the inquisitore?"

    Jin-Seo broke the silence. I hesitated for a moment because I was unsure of how to respond.

    "Well... it was nothing important, it was just¡ª"

    <i>nk! </i>

    While fumbling with my words, the door to the sacred training ground swung open, and the two people entered.

    Joseph and Do-Jin were returning after going out earlier. Finally, Jin-Seo hurriedly let go of my hand. Then, she pretended as if nothing had happened.

    "Sun-Woo, do you happen to know the way from here to Eiden Hill? Sorry, but I think I need someone to guide me one more time," Joseph asked after approaching confidently.

    I nodded.

    "Yes, I do."

    "Good. Then let''s go. Oh, by the way."

    Just as Joseph was about to leave with me, he turned back and waved his hand toward Do-Jin.

    "Mr. Do-Jin, I will contact youter, so be aware of that!¡±

    "Yes, understood. Well then..."

    Do-Jin bowed and bid farewell. Joseph and I followed the path out of the sacred training ground.

    I was guiding him until the entrance of Eiden Hill could be seen when Joseph said, "What were you two doing? If you two weren¡¯t doing anything, I would be disappointed."

    "...We didn''t do anything."

    "Really? The secret meetings at school and the cathedral are the most thrilling and enjoyable. I used to enjoy them with my wife often. Doing it straight after the mass inside the cathedral was when it was the most thrilling," Joseph said.

    His expression as he said that was incredibly serious. Only Joseph could say such things with such a serious face. He lowered his gaze to the ground and mischievously kicked a cobblestone before continuing to speak.

    "My wife hated it, saying it felt like we weremitting a sin, but I actually liked it because of that."

    "It seems like you¡¯vemitted a grave sin worthy of divine retribution."

    "My wife passed away."

    I could not find the words to respond to that statement, so I kept my mouth shut.

    Joseph continued, "Just as you said, I was the recipient of divine retribution."

    "..."

    "Well, that¡¯s all in the past now," Joseph said as he walked away.

    His eyes were clouded with a sense of futility as if chasing a distant past.

    "By the way, I heard that the practical exam ising up soon."

    "Yes, that''s correct."

    "If you need any information or assistance regarding that, let me know. You¡¯ve unintentionally be involved with me, one of the people in charge of running the practical exam."

    "Oh, then..."

    "Of course, it won''t be free. I''ll provide help under the condition that you provide me with relevant information in return."

    Unfortunately, I did not have any information that I could offer him at the moment. Eventually, we arrived at Eiden Hill. Joseph expressed his gratitude and crossed over the tape that read ¡°No Entry¡± to enter the orchard.

    "I¡¯ll be waiting for you to contact me!"

    The orchard was dark and eerie, perhaps due to the lingering demonic energy. Joseph waved goodbye to me and disappeared into the eerie darkness of Eiden Hill.

    <i> </i> *

    Over the past few days, I exercised and asionally spent time wielding weapons at the sacred training ground. Whenever I had the chance, I practiced Voodoo spells. I wanted to be able to use Voodoo spells without having to draw spell arrays so that I could use them without drawing attention.

    In this practical exam, I nned to try using spells if the opportunity arose. I wasn''t sure if I could, though. Untilst year, they provided information about the practical exam in advance, but in an unprecedented move this year, they didn''t disclose any information about the exam at all.

    They imed it was to ¡°ensure fairness and to evaluate the students¡¯ abilities more objectively,¡± but I wondered whether that was really the case. It seemed more like they just wanted to screw with the students.

    When I unleashed the replication spell, Dawn''s de, to practice spells as usual, Legba muttered in a low, gruff voice, [Maybe they considered the possibility of there being an informant.]

    I tilted my head slightly.

    "An informant?"

    [When conducting the practical exam, confusion is inevitable, whether big or small. If there is an informant among the students, the Satanists will use this information to cause chaos during the practical exam.]

    "Isn¡¯t Jun-Hyuk dead?"

    [Not all of his followers are dead, and there might be other Satanists as well.]

    It was indeed possible. Jun-Hyuk''s followers might seek revenge andunch an attack, and there might be other Satanists nning an attack.

    As I nodded my head, Legba continued, [And the enemies of the Romanican Church are not just the Satanists. They must have considered that as well.]

    "..."

    [Regardless, it is clear that they have entered threat alert status. It''s not good news for you.]

    It certainly wasn''t good news. This meant that various higher-ups, including faculty members, still suspected the students, and the possibility of my identity being exposed had increasedpared to before.

    Joseph¡¯s suspicions were already a significant threat. The atmosphere was ominous. At this point, I didn¡¯t just feel anxious¡ªit felt like I was being driven mad. Of course, my true identity would most likely not be revealed unless I made a major mistake...

    "...This is actually good. It''s exhrating."

    [It¡¯s a bit too exhrating for it to be considered good.]

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to speak... more positively in times like this.¡±

    If the situation was negative, then negative thoughts would also fill the mind. However, no matter how negative the situation was, it was always possible to speak positively. There was no need to align everything with negativity. That would only lead me deeper into a pit.

    Legba listened to my words andughed in a meaningful manner.

    [Now you''re even trying to deceive yourself.]

    "If I can deceive myself, that is."

    [Indeed, you''re always suspicious of everything, so it will be difficult to deceive you. Just how severe is your suspicion that you are suspicious of even yourself?]

    "...I have a headache. I¡¯m just going to water the nt."

    I got up from my seat and headed to the bathroom. I filled a cup with water and gently poured it into the potted nt in the corner. I had no idea how much I had to water the nt, so I just roughly poured an amount that seemed sufficient. At that moment, Granbwa coughed to loosen her neck and signal to me.

    [You need to give it a little more. Until the soil is soaked,] Granbwa whispered in a voice that contained hints ofughter.

    "Really?"

    So I had to soak it. I fetched water from the bathroom and poured it into the flower pot without hesitation. Then Granbwa started yelling in a panic.

    [W-what are you doing? That¡¯s too much!]

    "The more the merrier, right?"

    [Still, you shouldn''t give it that much!]

    "How bothersome."

    [Doesn¡¯t the Prophet know what the word <i>moderate</i> is?] Granbwa continued to nag.

    I barely held back the urge to throw the flower pot on the floor.

    After watering the nt, I covered the pot with some straw that I had bought along with the pot from the flower shop. ording to Granbwa, the forget-me-not was a dormant seed, so it was best to avoid exposing it to light before germination. I didn¡¯t know about dormant seeds or whatever it was, so I just did whatever Granbwa told me to do.

    I stared nkly at the pot with the nt that had yet to sprout.

    "..."

    As I continued to space out until my sense of time faded, the phone rang. It was Ji-Ah.

    ¡ªCult Leader, what have you been doing?

    "I was watering a flower... I mean, I was just spacing out. Why?"

    ¡ªI found out a few things about Inquisitor Joseph.

    "...Hold on a moment."

    I shifted my gaze from the pot to the window. I wanted to see if someone was eavesdropping on the conversation. It was a habit that had be ingrained in me. Fortunately, no crazy person was sneaking into someone else''s dormitory at night.

    I closed the curtains, sat on the edge of the bed, and said, "Yes, you can tell me now."

    ¡ªI haven''t finished the investigation yet, so I don¡¯t have much useful information. However, there are a few peculiar points...

    I interrupted Ji-Ah for a moment.

    "Wait, I have one question to ask."

    ¡ªGo ahead.

    There was something I wanted to confirm about Joseph.

    "Regarding his family rtionship, did his wife pass away?"

    ¡ªAh... Yes, that''s correct. How do you know?

    "I heard it from him. It seems like it wasn''t a lie."

    Cunning people would sometimes create false stories. They would share these stories to gain intimacy, trust, and even sympathy. In any case, it seemed like Joseph hadn¡¯t used such a despicable tactic on me. He suspected me, but I could tell that his level of suspicion wasn''t excessive.

    "You can continue."

    ¡ªYes, what I was trying to tell you is the reason why his wife died. She was murdered twelve years ago by demons... is how it''s recorded.

    "Yes."

    <i>Tap. </i>

    There was the sound of something lightly tapping on the window. It seemed like it was raining.

    ¡ªA year after parting with his wife, he became an inquisitor and has been solely focused on cases rted to Satanists ever since.

    "Sounds like a desire for revenge."

    ¡ªIt seems so. He has a daughter, but it doesn''t seem like they have a good rtionship, judging by the fact that they don''t live together.

    "We can use that for ckmail. What kind of person is his daughter?"

    ¡ªWhat? ckmail...?

    "No, I mean... That was a joke. Anyway, do you have any information about his daughter?"

    <i>Tap, tap, tap. </i>

    There were sounds of tapping on the window. Judging by the sound, the raindrops seemed quite heavy.

    ¡ªI am still investigating that part, but... she has a criminal record.

    "A criminal record? What were the charges?"

    ¡ªIllegal gambling, drugs, and so on. It seems like Joseph''s influence helped her avoid a heavier sentence.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. </i>

    The sound of raindrops hitting the window grew louder.

    "It sounds like he failed at parenting. Are all inquisitors like this?"

    ¡ªLastly, there was an incident eight years ago...

    <i>Crash!</i>

    At that moment, a loud noise interrupted Ji-Ah. The sound came from the direction of the window, and the sound of raindrops hitting the window could no longer be heard. A few pieces of ss fell through the curtains. The window had shattered.

    ¡ªWhat''s going on?

    "Hold on. Don''t hang up."

    I quietly crept toward the curtains. The wind seeped in through the cracked window, causing the curtains to flutter. However, I couldn''t sense any presence beyond the window. While preparing to unleash Voodoo magic, I slowly walked toward the window.

    <i>Rustle!</i>

    I pulled back the curtains. As expected, there was a crack in the window. However, the crack was not big. There was no one beyond the window. However...

    There was a birdrger than a person outside the window. Its feathers were incredibly colorful, making it seem like a parrot. Its eyes were pure white.

    It was a bird-type demonic beast.

    ¡°...Jun-Hyuk.¡±

    It was a simr type of demonic beast to the one that Jun-Hyuk used to control.

    ¡ªCult Leader?

    "Wait a moment. I''ll call you backter. I think I need to end the call right now. I''m sorry."

    ¡ªAh, I understand. Well then...

    I hung up the phone and looked into the eyes of the bird demonic beast staring at me from beyond the window. Within the darkness, the eyes of the demonic beast twinkled like stars. The demonic beast lowered its head and tidied its feathers with its beak. Feathers and fluff floated down from the giant feathers.

    It wasn¡¯t a bird-type demonic beast, but a bird-type taxidermied creature. All taxidermied creatures moved ording to Jun-Hyuk¡¯s will. In other words, if Jun-Hyuk was dead, taxidermied creatures could not exist, let alone move. Thus, the fact that a taxidermied creature existed and moved so perfectly indicated that...

    "...This bastard?"

    Why was he still alive?

 Chapter 163

    <h4>Chapter 163</h4>

    The demonic beast lifted its head while tidying up its feathers. Its pale eyes red directly into mine. I stared into those white eyes and stared at Jun-Hyuk, who resided beyond those eyes. The demonic beast tapped the window twice with itsrge beak and then opened its mouth wide.

    "Open up, please!"

    "Why should I?"

    "Open up, please! I can''t harm you! Open up, please! I can''t harm you!"

    The voice of the demonic beast was grating and harsh, yet it was also pleading and whining. It definitely wasn¡¯t a pleasant voice to listen to. Seeing that I wasn¡¯t opening the window, the demonic beast pleaded with an even louder voice.

    "Open up, please! Open up, please! Open up, please!"

    "...Lower your voice."

    "I can''t harm you! Open up!"

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    At that moment, I heard a knocking sound from the front door. The demonic beast stopped shouting. Instead, it tried to shove its beak into the crack in the window in an attempt to open it forcibly.

    After securely locking the window, I went to the front door.

    "Yes, who is it?"

    ¡ªUm, I''m the dormitory supervisor. Did you bring a friend inside by any chance? You''re not supposed to bring anyone in~

    "No, it''s not a friend."

    ¡ªI keep hearing strange voices. You didn''t bring your girlfriend inside, did you?

    "No... I was just watching something. I''ll keep the noise down. I''m sorry."

    I sat on the windowsill and nced at the demonic beast struggling to open the window. If the fact that such a grotesque creature had not only entered Florence Academy but also tried to invade my room was revealed, the school would be turned upside down. It might even create baseless suspicions that I had some sort of connection with the Satanists.

    ¡ª...Something is strange. Can Ie in for a moment? Or could you just open the door briefly? Just so that I can check.

    The dormitory supervisor''s voice was filled with suspicion toward me. If I opened the door briefly, they would probably sneak into my room. Setting aside the fact that there was a demonic beast on the windowsill, there was still a suspicious purple mist inside my room right now. It was because I had been practicing casting spells.

    I locked the front door and said, "The thing is... it might be difficult to open the door at the moment.¡±

    ¡ªWhy is that?

    "I just took a shower, and I''m not wearing any clothes. Seriously."

    ¡ªYou took a shower? Didn''t you say you were watching something earlier?

    "Well... I couldn''t hear the sound because of the water, so I turned up the volume, but the noise ended up leaking outside."

    ¡ª...I see. Please be more careful.

    The dormitory supervisor seemed somewhat displeased. I ced my ear against the front door and listened carefully. I could hear the dormitory supervisor passing through the hallway and walking down the stairs.

    I finally felt relieved as I returned to the window where the demonic beast was. The demonic beast was still struggling to open the window. Considering that it was a taxidermied creature sent by Jun-Hyuk, it was behaving quite unintelligently. If it really intended toe into my room, it would have been better for it to break through the window with its beak.

    "Open... please open up... I can''t harm... you..."

    Moreover, that demonic beast kept repeating the same words. It was as if it hadn''t learned anything other than the phrases ¡°please open up¡± and ¡°I can¡¯t harm you.¡± Furthermore, the phrase ¡°I can''t harm you¡± sounded awkward.

    Perhaps Jun-Hyuk really was dead, and that demonic beast was just a remnant. It was also possible that it was a taxidermied creature moving autonomously, not under Jun-Hyuk¡¯s control. That was why it appeared to have such low intelligence.

    "..."

    No, that contradicted thews of the world, because it implied that he had achieved creationism. There was no way that a hypocrite such as Jun-Hyuk had achieved creationism. The conclusion was clear: Jun-Hyuk was indeed alive. However, for some reason, he had lost the ability to control the taxidermied creatures precisely.

    <i>Slide! </i>

    I opened the window. If my suspicions were correct, there was a high possibility that the words ¡°I can''t harm you¡± were true. If my suspicions were incorrect, I would probably die or get seriously injured. But I believed that my suspicions were most likely correct.

    "I can''t hurt you, I can''t hurt you..."

    As expected, instead of exploding or attacking me, the demonic beast cautiously lifted its feet and pped its wings as it entered the room. As soon as the demonic beast entered, I closed the curtains. Then, I activated the replication spell, Dawn''s de. If the demonic beast tried anything funny, I nned to plunge the sword into its forehead immediately.

    "I can''t hurt you, ugh!"

    "What the¡ª!"

    Then, the demonic beast suddenly started to hurl. I aimed the sword at the demonic beast''s forehead. Even without Bossou''s power, I could still throw the sword and hit it from this distance.

    <i>St! </i>

    At that moment, something came out of the demonic beast''s mouth. It was a ck bag that was tied up. I couldn''t see what was inside, nor could I even begin to specte. After retching a few more times, the demonic beast spread its wings in a threatening manner.

    I thought it would attack me, but the demonic beast flew away through the open window instead. The pping of its wings caused the curtains to shake violently. Soon, the room was filled with silence.

    ¡°..."

    I looked at the bag that the demonic beast had spat out. I couldn¡¯t tell what was inside.

    "Ogun. Can you please check if there''s anything like explosives inside?"

    [I refuse. I am not a metal detector...]

    "Please."

    [There is nothing inside that is made out of iron, but I can''t guarantee that there are no explosives,] Ogun said and then disappeared.

    If there was nothing made of iron inside, then there were most likely no mechanical bombs inside. If that was the case, there was no need to worry. I opened the bag.

    "What the... It looks like I was unnecessarily scared."

    Inside the bag was a piece of paper that was folded up multiple times and an olive branch. There didn''t seem to be any ck magic engraved on the items. There was no danger whatsoever.

    While unfolding the piece of paper, Legba said, [It''s alright for you to feel a bit scared. No, perhaps it''s more urate to say that it¡¯s alright to be a bit cautious.]

    I could sense displeasure in his voice. The reason was not hard to guess. He must be reproaching me for opening the suspicious bag of unknown origin that the demonic beast had spat out without any hesitation or caution.

    "Would I really die from something like this?"

    However, excessive worry would only waste time.

    Legba sighed and said, [You could die. Do you really still trust that guy even after getting backstabbed by him like that?]

    ¡°The reason why I opened the bag is precisely because I don¡¯t trust him.¡±

    If we assumed that Jun-Hyuk was still alive, that meant he was imprisoned in the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters or some other prison. If he was in that situation, it was unlikely that he would send bombs or ck magic for the sole reason of tormenting me.

    Instead, he would be desperately hoping that nothing would happen to me. It was because he knew that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. It seemed like Jun-Hyuk had not yet informed the Romanican Church about this fact yet. In that case, he could threaten to expose my identity to the Romanican Church if I didn¡¯t follow his orders. It was also possible that he nned to use me to escape. The contents written on the piece of paper were probably rted to that.

    [How can you be so sure?] Legba asked.

    "If it were me, I would have definitely done that," I replied nonchntly and fully unfolded the piece of paper.

    Lo and behold, it was a letter addressed to me from Jun-Hyuk. The handwriting was very messy, but it was still readable. I carefully unfolded the crumpled parts and started reading the piece of paper.

    <i>- I am sending you this letter using one of my beautiful taxidermied creatures. If it¡¯s you, I trust that you will dly open the window for it because we are absolute besties.</i>

    <i>- I can''t write too much in this letter. As time goes by, I am forgetting how to control the taxidermied creature. Electricity is melting my brain, you see. The brain regenerates after it gets melted down, but it seems like the memories that I lose do not get restored. I wanted to let you know that I am alive.</i>

    <i>- There is that slutty rat hiding in Central. I heard that there will be a practical examination soon, and they will probably act during that time. That slut is trying to get revenge at the moment. I really hate that slut. Let¡¯s go to the sea togetherter! Goodbye, goodbye!</i>

    "Ha."

    Just like that, the letter ended. Judging by the ink stains left behind after thest sentence, it seemed like there were more words that he wanted to write, but he must not have had the opportunity to do so because the circumstances didn''t allow it. Just like he had stated in the letter, it seemed like he had forgotten how to control the taxidermied creature.

    "The slutty rat, he says..."

    I reread the piece of paper two more times. It was because the sentences that warned of the ¡°slutty rat hiding in Central¡± bothered me. There appeared to be a hidden spy within the upper echelons of the Romanican Church, but I couldn''t figure out exactly what Central was referring to.

    It was impossible to tell whether it was referring to the Central Pdin Order, the Central Crusader Order, or the Central Priest Order. Furthermore, it stated that the slutty rat was trying to get revenge, but I had no idea who the target of that revenge was supposed to be. Nothing was clear at the moment.

    "Is he just intentionally messing with us to make us feel like shit?"

    [That seems to be the case.] Legba agreed with my words.

    I reread the piece of paper a few more times, hoping to find some hints, but there were none. I had no choice but to guess or prepare for every possible situation. Guessing was too risky, so preparing for every possible situation was better.

    However, it wasn''t enough to just prepare. If any problems urred during the practical exam, the missionary trip would likely be canceled or dyed. If possible, it was important to handle all risks in a <i>stealthy</i> manner to ensure that there would be no problems with the future schedule. It would be troublesome if the missionary trip schedule were dyed any further than this.

    "...Yes, it¡¯s me. Are you busy?"

    In preparation for that, there were things that I had to prepare.

    <i> </i> *

    Bread, pastries, and various Western dishes were beautifully arranged on the table. A few bottles of whiskey and wine were gathered on the edge of the table, and a few of the bottles were already empty.

    Among the five men sitting there, one man with a face that was tinted red suddenly raised his head and began to speak loudly.

    "That Joseph guy seems like he has never kept a time appointment. The fastest he¡¯s ever arrived was ten minuteste, and if he intentionallyeste, it takes him thirty minutes, and sometimes even an hour."

    "Indeed, that friend doesn''t have a sense of time."

    "Yeah, that''s what I''m saying. He''s already an hour and a halfte!"

    "He must be busy. I heard he was chasing around some kid who knows nothing."

    It was a gathering of ssmates who had joined the Central Pdin Order at the same time period as Joseph. Although Joseph was supposed to preside over the meeting, he was nowhere to be seen.

    However, this was actually an opportunity for them. Thanks to that, they could express the grievances they hadn¡¯t been able to say in front of Joseph. After theints began, there was no end in sight. The man who uttered the firstint bowed his head and chewed on his lips grumpily.

    "Just why does His Majesty favor that bastard...!"

    "Oh dear, this person has started again. Don''t hold onto any lingering feelings for a position that is out of your reach. You look more pathetic the more you do so.¡±

    "If I can be an inquisitor by being pathetic, I can be as pathetic as I can be. If only I could be an inquisitor... Damn it, that son of a bitch!"

    His colleagues all gave him a disapproving look as they watched him spew meaningless insults toward the absent Joseph. Everyone was well aware of the discord among the colleagues who had vied for the position of inquisitor. The inquisitor wannabesined about the same thing every single time they met every few years. At this point, rather than feeling disapproval, everyone just felt that the inquisitor wannabes were pathetic.

    <i>Creak! </i>

    At that moment, the door opened and someone entered. The faces of the colleagues, who had been gossiping and exchangingints with each other, tensed up.

    Joseph took off his coat and neatly hung it on the coat rack in the corner before finding an empty seat and plopping down.

    "I waste because I had ces to go. I also had a phone call to take," Joseph said.

    He then scanned the faces of his colleagues and smiled as he looked at the empty bottles piled up in the corner of the table.

    "I feel sorry, so I''ll cover the bill today. So, what were we talking about?"

    "Well... we were just catching up on what we''ve been up to, you know, small talk."

    The man who seemed the most sober out of the five responded to Joseph''s words.

    Joseph nodded and poured whiskey into his ss before quickly downing it in one gulp. Then, he slightly frowned and said, "The alcohol content is too high. Do you have any wine by any chance?"

    "...Hey, Joseph."

    The voice that came at that moment was filled with clear resentment. It was the same man who had started badmouthing Joseph earlier. The man''s face was excessively flushed, and the visible blood vessels popping in his eyes were disturbing.

    The man eximed, "Don''t you think you''re being shameless? You''re not just a few minuteste, but two hours!"

    "That''s why I apologized. I''ll pay for the drinks too. And strictly speaking, it''s not two hours, but one hour and thirty-four minutes," Joseph responded nonchntly.

    The man''splexion turned red and blue, then quickly paled. His lips and eyebrows narrowed. His bloodshot eyes were staring intensely at Joseph''s face. The atmosphere immediately became frigid, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over them.

    "....An apology? Do we really have to ept such a half-hearted apology?" he said as his voice trembled with anger.

    "This friend seems to be really drunk. Joseph, please bear with him. We''ll send him home soon."

    "Let go! Do you think that I¡¯m the only one who thinks like this? Everyone here doesn¡¯t look at you favorably!"

    "Hey, calm down...."

    It was an atmosphere that felt like a fight could break out at any moment. One of the colleagues quickly tried to calm the situation, but they were powerless in front of the anger that had inted beyond control.

    Joseph poured himself a drink and smirked.

    "I don''t know what more you want. Do you want me to confess my sins in front of you or something? Just for something like this?"

    "Just? Did you just say <i>just</i>?"

    "Yeah, just," Joseph said with a smile.

    "By the way, didn''t you mention that you were working as a priest at a local cathedral these days? Instead of someone else, I guess I should just confess my sins to you!"

    "..."

    "Right, I should start by drawing a cross, right? Please tell me how it¡¯s done. It''s been so long that I can''t remember," Joseph said with a chuckle.

    Joseph''s eerieughter was the only thing that echoed out in the silence. The face of the man whom he had mocked turned pale. His fist was trembling, but his eyes were fixed on Joseph without any movement.

    At that moment, he picked up an empty bottle. There was no time for anyone to stop him.

    <i>Crash! </i>

    The bottle dangerously flew across the table, but Joseph easily dodged it. Avoiding a bottle thrown by an angry drunkard was a walk in the park for him. The bottle shattered, and the ss fragments sparkled on the floor under the lighting.

    Joseph casually poured himself another drink and said, "Drinking such strong liquor, no wonder you''re getting drunk like that. Someone, please take this friend home. An incident might ur if this continues.¡±

    "Thanks. I have no idea why this guy is acting so strange today...¡±

    ¡°Let go of me. Joseph, you faggot! You son of a bitch!¡±

    He continued to curse while getting dragged out by his colleagues. Joseph pretended not to hear as he continued to drink more alcohol. No matter how much he drank, he didn''t get drunk. Instead, only bitterness remained on his tongue. Since the atmosphere was already ruined, there was no point in staying any longer.

    Joseph got up from his seat and went out. He put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

    Another man followed Joseph out and said, "Thanks for holding back earlier, really."

    He was still a member of the Central Pdin Order, and because of that, he didn¡¯t even touch alcohol due to his principle of abstinence. The fact that he was willing to smoke despite that felt strange to Joseph, but he didn¡¯t bother mentioning it and simply nodded instead.

    ¡°There was no need for me to hold back at all. I was never angry in the first ce.¡±

    "It¡¯s hard to say that your personality is good, but rather, there''s something peculiar about it."

    "Just say that my personality is good," Joseph said with a smile. "I didn''t know that guy hated me this much.¡±

    "No, he doesn''t hate you. It''s just..."

    "No need to say empty words. It¡¯spletely fine if he hates me. I have a personality that easily sows hatred after all," Joseph said indifferently.

    The man stopped smoking his cigarette momentarily and lowered his head with a troubled expression.

    "He¡¯s a good person at heart. I hope you don''t hate him too much."

    "No, on the contrary, I like how he was honest. If I got angry at everything, it would get tiring. Instead..."

    There was no need to be wary of people who openly expressed their emotions and showed their dislike. Rather, he needed to be wary of those who didn¡¯t drink alcohol and faked theirughter. Alcohol made people honest, so there was a high possibility that those who didn¡¯t even touch alcohol were trying to hide their true selves. For that reason, Joseph was suspicious of the colleague smoking next to him.

    "Please check whether any suspicious individuals are in the Central Pdin Order." Sun-Woo had previously said this to him.

    There was no way he would have said such things without reason. He most likely had something that he was suspecting. Although he had no idea what information he had or where it came from, he believed it wouldn''t hurt to be cautious.

    "I have a lot on my mind these days, so I¡¯m quite troubled.¡± Joseph nonchntly baited the man.

    The man raised an eyebrow, seemingly curious or perhaps interested.

    "Why, what''s going on?"

    "Florence Academy is conducting a practical exam, and someone asked me for advice. It seems like there''s a problem with setting the location and time," Joseph exined.

    "Hmm."

    "Don''t you know as well? There was a major incident that urredst time. Because of that, the teachers are very concerned," Joseph added.

    First, Joseph nned to narrow down the number of suspects.

 Chapter 164

    <h4>Chapter 164</h4>

    <i>¡®Sis, I''ll be out for a bit. I won¡¯t be going far...¡¯ </i>

    <i>¡®I won¡¯t ever stand in front of you again... No, I won¡¯t even appear in front of you. So, please...¡¯</i>

    <i>¡®I can''t forget... You...¡¯</i>

    It was a dream. She knew it was a dream. Voices that she wanted to forget, or couldn¡¯t forget, or voices that she wanted to forget but couldn¡¯t, would asionallye to her in her dreams. When those voices resounded out from the darkness, she had no choice but to curl up and wait until the voices subsided.

    "Ah..."

    Eventually, she escaped from the dream. Her whole body was drenched in cold sweat. It was chilly and her head hurt a bit. She remained curled up in the same position that she was in her dream.

    After just barely managing to lift her heavy body, In-Ah stood up. Although she felt a little sick, she couldn''t afford to skip school again. She had already missed a lot of days, and above all, today was the day of the practical exam.

    "Achoo! Ah, argh..."

    She barely managed to finish her preparations as she sneezed and wiped her numb nose. She then went to school. The ssroom was unusually quiet today. Everyone seemed to be tense because of the practical exam.

    Sun-Woo was also there. He usually arrivedte or barely on time, but he came early today for some reason. His face was pale, and his eyes were wandering aimlessly. Even at a nce, it was clear that he looked incredibly tired.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    He seemed to be lost in his own world. In-Ah lightly tapped his shoulder with her finger. However, Sun-Woo didn''t react and he just continued to stare into space. She wondered whether he really didn¡¯t know that she had touched him or if he was just pretending not to know.

    She couldn''t hold back and raised her voice.

    "Hey!"

    Sun-Woo finally turned his head.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you... Huh...?"

    In-Ah yfully teased him like usual, but her voice trailed off once she saw his expression. Her desire to joke around disappeared. Sun-Woo''s eyes were tired, his lips were dry, and hisplexion was pale. He looked like a corpse.

    "...Did you not sleep wellst night?" In-Ah asked cautiously.

    Sun-Woo nodded.

    "A bit."

    "Did you really get any sleep? How much did you sleep?"

    "Um... a bit?"

    In-Ah pouted and said, "Come on, give me a straight answer."

    Sun-Woo chuckled.

    "Maybe it''s because I was nervous... I couldn''t sleep. But I''ll be fine."

    "What is there to be nervous about? You''re going to do well anyway."

    In-Ah forced herself to smile brightly to try and cheer him up. Instead of responding, Sun-Woo lowered his head and let his gaze fall to the ground. He seemed to be lost in thought.

    After finishing his thoughts, Sun-Woo looked up and said, "I have to do well. I can''t make any mistakes today."

    There was a faint smile on his lips. However, his icy gaze fixed on the distant mountains made his smile seem eerie and strange. In-Ah unknowingly felt fear as she gulped.

    "Are you... really okay?"

    "Yes. Because I can''t make any mistakes today..."

    "..."

    In-Ah didn''t quite understand what he meant by ¡°I can''t make any mistakes today,¡± but she nodded and stepped back for now. Sun-Woo''s condition seemed much worse than she initially thought. It seemed better to just let him rest instead of bothering him with unnecessary words.

    Not long after, Teacher Ye-Jin came into the ssroom.

    "We will be conducting the practical exam at the test center instead of at school. So, everyone¡ª"

    "Achoo! Argh..."

    ¡°...Please go to the sports field.¡±

    Ye-Jin finished her brief announcement and nced at In-Ah before leaving the ssroom. In-Ah had unintentionally interrupted Ye-Jin because of her sneezing, so she blushed and lowered her head.

    <i> </i> *

    There were buses lined up on the sports field. Jin-Seo got into the designated vehicle without much thought. For some reason, the buses were randomly assigned instead of being divided by ss.

    For example, a few students from the ss of Kindness, the ss of Patience, and the ss of Charity were on Bus 1. On Bus 2, there were a few students from the ss of Chastity, the ss of Charity, the ss of Diligence... and so on. Due to the unnecessarilyplicated arrangement, the sports field was chaotic.

    "Ha..."

    Jin-Seo sighed as soon as she got on the bus. She disliked crowded ces so much that she would purposely choose the times with the least number of people when attending mass. As soon as she sat down, she leaned her head against the backrest and closed her eyes. After taking a few deep breaths, her dizziness subsided.

    It hadn¡¯t been this severe before. She had been experiencing dizziness more frequentlytely. Maybe it was because of her diet. It was then that someone spoke to her.

    "Is anyone sitting next to you?"

    Jin-Seo briefly nced at the person''s face and shook her head.

    "No."

    "Can I sit here then?"

    "Do as you wish..." Jin-Seo said as she turned to gaze out the window. It didn''t matter who sat next to her. Now was not the time to care about such things.

    The female student sitting next to her was someone she only knew based on her facial characteristics. She didn''t care to know the name, personality, or other characteristics of the girl sitting next to her. Jin-Seo didn''t make an effort to be close with her ssmates. She continued to maintain this attitude ever since the day one of the students mistook her kindness for affection and suffered a terrible incident as a result.

    "I¡¯m nervous. Are you too?"

    "..."

    Jin-Seo didn''t answer the question and just stared out the window. The girl smiled as if she hadn''t expected a response in the first ce, and leaned back against the backrest without saying anything else. Silence filled the air.

    As time passed, more people boarded the bus. Some students happily chatted with their friends, while others, like Jin-Seo, knew no one and ended up gazing sadly out the window.

    Jin-Seo closed her eyes tightly and tried to sleep. The noise of the students talking prevented her from falling asleep. She couldn''t understand why they were so excited to take an exam.

    "Why are you sitting there?"

    "What does it matter? There''s no other seat anyway."

    At that moment, the familiar voices of a boy and a girl could be heard. Jin-Seo opened her eyes and discreetly turned her head to look at them. Sun-Woo and In-Ah were sitting side by side, arguing with each other.

    In-Ah took a seat by the window. Then she nced at Sun-Woo and said, "Do you want to switch seats?"

    "No... I¡¯m going to sleep anyway."

    Sun-Woo shook his head. He then leaned back and closed his eyes. It seemed like he wanted to go to sleep right away. In-Ah looked at Sun-Woo and tapped him on the shoulder. Sun-Woo opened his eyes with a slightly annoyed expression.

    "What is it?"

    "If you''re going to sleep, switch seats with me. It''s morefortable if you sleep while leaning against the window."

    "I¡¯m fine though..."

    Sun-Woo reluctantly got up and switched seats with In-Ah. Jin-Seo stared at the two of them intently, but Sun-Woo didn''t notice her gaze at all.

    Actually, In-Ah noticed her gaze. In-Ah¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as soon as her eyes met Jin-Seo''s. Then she quickly turned her head and avoided eye contact as if nothing had happened. Before Jin-Seo could wonder about In-Ah''s strange behavior, the driver¡¯s limp voice echoed through the speaker.

    ¡ªAll seated students, please ensure your seat belts are on...

    Soon, the bus departed. It was no longer possible for Jin-Seo to see Sun-Woo because In-Ah had switched seats with him.

    "What the...?"

    Jin-Seo nced in In-Ah¡¯s direction and tilted her head. She felt annoyed, but she couldn''t figure out why. Moreover, exhaustion prevented her brain from functioning correctly. She was currently unable to deeply think about anything.

    Suddenly, the student sitting next to her turned her head and asked, "Is there a problem?"

    Jin-Seo intended to distance herself from the overly friendly student. So, in a deliberately cold and distant tone she said, "Why do you keep talking to me?"

    Jin-Seo''s words and tone were icy.

    However, as if the student had expected such a reaction, she snickered and nonchntly replied, "Because we''re not friendly with each other. So I¡¯m trying to be friendly with you from now on."

    Jin-Seo looked at the student with a perplexed expression on her face. She couldn¡¯t believe such a strange person existed. In this situation, most people would get scared or would back away after getting flustered.

    "It looks like Sun-Woo is also taking the same bus as us," the student said without any hesitation.

    Jin-Seo stared at the student with furrowed eyebrows.

    "How do you know him?"

    "It would be strange not to know him. He¡¯s really famous.¡±

    "Famous... why?"

    ¡°Are you asking me because you really don¡¯t know?¡± the student asked as if she was surprised.

    Of course, she considered him to be somewhat famous. He had good grades, achieved a lot of feats outside of school, and above all, he was the Holy Name of Charity. But she never thought that he was famous enough for people to say that it would be ¡°strange not to know him.¡±

    He was unique, but he wasn¡¯t the type of person to stand out that much.

    "During the incident at the schoolst time, he died and came back to life thanks to a ''miracle''... Anyway, there were even news articles about that. Did you really not know?"

    "Ah..."

    She knew about the incident that urredst time, but she was unaware that there were news articles about it as well. She didn¡¯t have the leisure to go around checking news articles at the time. Her father¡¯s illness worsened to a serious extent and Sun-Woo wandered between the boundary of life and death while unconscious. It had been impossible for her to stay sane during that time.

    The student continued, "At the beginning of the semester, he received an award at the same time as you. I was able to briefly talk to himst time as well.¡±

    "What did you talk about?"

    Jin-Seo nced sharply at the student. The student smiled and pped her hands.

    ¡°He was standing in front of our ssroom looking for you, so I told him to wait.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°But he said that he was busy, and then he just left. He¡¯s a really bad person,¡± the student said while yfully thrusting her finger in Sun-Woo¡¯s direction.

    Jin-Seo secretly sighed with relief. Her body had unconsciously turned toward the student sometime during the conversation, so she once again turned her body to face the window. Then she crossed her arms and looked outside.

    ¡°He¡¯s not... he¡¯s not a bad person.¡±

    Then, she subtly defended him. No matter how she thought about it, he wasn¡¯t the type of person who could bebeled as <i>bad</i>.

    ¡°He is a bad person. He just needed to wait a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Wait for what? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m special to him or anything,¡± Jin-Seo said with a resigned smirk.

    Then she nced briefly toward In-Ah. Only her curly brown hair was visible, and it was impossible to see what the two people were doing.

    "Why are you talking like that?" the student said with her brows furrowed as if she was displeased.

    The bus had already entered the highway. It endlessly continued to move forward, but it was impossible to know where it was going.

    Jin-Seo stared out the window with her tired eyes and said, "There''s no need for him to wait, right? He just needs to call."

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good to see each other and catch up for a bit?¡±

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Huh? I mean, aren¡¯t you two..." the student mumbled.

    Then, after ncing around to check if anyone was listening, she leaned in close to Jin-Seo''s ear and whispered, "...Aren¡¯t you two dating? That''s what I heard."

    Jin-Seo turned her head in surprise.

    "What? That¡¯s nonsense."

    "You aren¡¯t? If it''s because of the rules, you can just tell me. Yu-Hyun from the ss of Humility also¡ª"

    "No. Who on earth said such a thing?" Jin-Seo asked in disbelief.

    The contents of the rumor weren¡¯t important. It was unpleasant to know that baseless rumors were circting about her. And it was possible that... the content of the rumor might be unpleasant for Sun-Woo.

    "Oh, you really aren¡¯t? Sorry, I didn''t know. I just assumed because I heard..."

    "So, who did you hear this from?" Jin-Seo questioned.

    The student bowed their head deeply in response. Jin-Seo already had a sharp demeanor, but since she was shoving her face in front of the student while ring at her, it was impossible for the student not to feel scared. The student became frightened and closed her mouth, but Jin-Seo seemed determined to re at her until she answered.

    The student reluctantly said, "I, um... it was the kids from Su-Ryeon''s group..."

    "Su-Ryeon," Jin-Seo repeated the name that the student had uttered.

    Su-Ryeon was the type who was well-connected and very talkative. Her words had a greater impact on rumors than other people. Since Su-Ryeon was the origin of the rumors, they would not die down unless Su-Ryeon personally dered the truth.

    "I understand for now. And you... don''t believe what they say from now on."

    It seemed necessary to go directly to Su-Ryeon and request an exnationter.

    The student nodded after hearing Jin-Seo''s request.

    "Okay."

    "Still, it''s fortunate that it¡¯s not a bad rumor," Jin-Seo said while sighing softly.

    It would be best if a rumor didn''t spread, but if a rumor had spread, at the very least, she had to avoid having a bad rumor spreading at all costs. In her opinion, this wasn¡¯t categorized as a bad rumor. However, she didn¡¯t know what Sun-Woo would think.

    "...Actually, there is a rumor going around that Sun-Woo is two-timing, but that can''t be true, right?"

    "Stop talking nonsense."

    "Yeah, I also didn¡¯t think that was true!"

    Jin-Seo leaned her forehead against the bus window and tightly closed her eyes. She was annoyed at Su-Ryeon for spreading such a ridiculous rumor, but she also couldn''t understand why people believed those rumors at face value.

    "But then... What''s your rtionship with him?" the student cautiously asked.

    It seemed like she was asking what their rtionship was if they weren¡¯t lovers. She had never really thought about it, so she found it difficult to answer.

    <i>¡®Do we really need to be in some sort of rtionship?¡¯ </i>she wondered.

    "Well... I don''t really know either," Jin-Seo muttered in a small voice after some contemtion.

    She thought back to how she had held his hand a few days ago. His hand had been as cold and as firm as ice. It felt like his hand would break if she gripped it too tightly. But she also felt like he would run away and disappear if he let go, so she was unable to let go of Sun-Woo¡¯s hand at the time. She had said that she was tired as an excuse to do so.

    Looking back now, she didn''t know what she was thinking at the time.

    "Then, what kind of rtionship do you hope for?" the student asked innocently.

    Her tone made it clear that she had asked the question while expecting a specific answer. Jin-Seo felt slightly ufortable but she still earnestly contemted the student''s question.

    <i>¡®What am I hoping for?¡¯</i>

    She wasn¡¯t just hoping to be by his side. But she never particrly thought that she wanted to do something with him. What she was hoping for from him was probably...

    ¡°Are you not going to answer?¡±

    "...Shut up. I¡¯m going to sleep."

    "Alright," the student replied in a cheerful manner.

    She no longer asked annoying questions or talked about unnecessary topics. Jin-Seo leaned her forehead against the bus window and closed her eyes. She had a headache. The questions that the student had asked were floating around in her mind.

    <i> </i> *

    ¡ªWe have arrived at the test site. All students, please disembark in an orderly manner. I repeat...

    Upon hearing the announcement, I opened my eyes.

    I had definitely slept, but it didn¡¯t feel like I had slept at all. It was like time had passed by after I closed and opened my eyes for a moment. The fatigue weighing down on my consciousness was still there. Well, then again, it would have been unreasonable to expect that a few hours of sleep would help me recover from days of umted fatigue.

    While regaining my senses and reiterating the n that I had devised, In-Ah asked, "Are you awake?"

    There was a weird smile on her lips that I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on. After seeing me nod, she continued, "You slept like a rock. Were you tired?"

    "Yeah..."

    I tried to pretend like I was fine, but my throat was clogged up so I couldn''t speak properly.

    In-Ah chuckled.

    "Seems like it. Let''s go out for now!"

    In-Ah jumped up from her seat. I followed her. My body felt heavy as if I was wearing clothes drenched in water, and my steps felt around five times heavier than my body. Both mentally and physically, I was not in a state to take the exam using normal methods.

    [But aren¡¯t you nning to take the exam using abnormal methods in the first ce?] Legba said.

    "..."

    I continued to follow In-Ah without responding to Legba''s words. I got off the bus. The students who had gotten off the other buses stood in ce, mesmerized by the view of the scenery.

    I, too, also looked at the scenery. I couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed by the truly magnificentndscape. It was a barren wastnd where not a de of grass would grow. Dozens of houses were ced on top of this barren wastnd. However, all of the houses emitted a creepy atmosphere as they were either broken or worn out. Scattered debris of broken buildings, furniture, and dishes were littered around next to the houses as if proving that people once used to live in this vige.

    ¡ªThe ce you are all currently looking at is the test site where you will take your practical exam.

    As a teacher started speaking through the microphone, amotion spread amongst the students. I continued to look around the scenery of the test site without paying any attention to themotion.

    ¡ªSupervising teachers and ¡®no entry¡¯ tape will be ced at the boundaries of the test site, and upon leaving the boundaries of the test site...

    The huge vige, which was filled with densely scattered dead trees and dpidated houses, was surrounded by an evenrger mountain range. And what was most eye-catching of all was the hole in the center of the vige.

    The center of the vige had arge pit, almost as if a meteor hadnded and formed arge crater. All the students here probably knew about the incident that formed the pit.

    ¡ª...Furthermore, as I¡¯m sure you students all know, this was the scene of a battle between one of the Satanist executives known as Wrath.

 Chapter 165

    <h4>Chapter 165</h4>

    Tens or perhaps dozens of years ago, one of the Satanist executives known as Wrath invaded the northern region of the Korean Penins. He didn¡¯t have any demons, demonic beasts, or worshippers with him at the time. Wrath had been alone, while the forces of the Romanican Church were countless. Therefore, no one expected one-third of the Korean Penins''s territory to be devastated by the battle with Wrath.

    The areas where the battles took ce were still filled with remnants of demonic energy, making them impossible to even approach, and the surrounding areas had also be uninhabitable due to the demonic energy. As a result, the Holy See drew a line at the 38th parallel[1] to establish a boundary that restricted civilians from entering or residing past the line.

    ¡°...However, this ce has beenpletely purified of demonic energy in order to be used as a training session venue for Florence Academy and Holy See clergymen. This is a symbolic ce where we achieved victory in the war against Wrath,¡± the teacher holding the microphone said before collecting his breath.

    Long story short, he basically seemed to want to say, ¡°This ce is safe since there is no demonic energy.¡±

    In the first ce, they wouldn''t have chosen this ce as the examination site if there had been any demonic energy left.

    ¡°Well then, before the practical exam, let me guide you through the precautions and safety rules...¡±

    While the teacher went through the boring and predictable instructions and safety rules for the practical exam, I looked around and estimated the number of students here. It didn''t seem like all the students in the school had gathered here no matter how I looked at it. At most, it was one-seventh of the total number of students. While I was looking around to find the rest of the students, I made eye contact with Jin-Seo.

    ¡°..."

    She looked at me with half-open eyes as if she was sleepy, and then shook her head from side to side. It seemed like she was trying to greet me, but if that was the case, I didn¡¯t understand why she was shaking her head instead of waving her hand.

    The teacher spent a whopping twenty more minutes exining the safety precautions. It was then that we started moving toward the examination site in earnest. The students'' stepscked strength, perhaps because they were nervous.

    In-Ah walked with me, and she said, "It feels like we¡¯re animals being led to the ughterhouse..."

    Upon hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but somewhat agree with her. What she said was more or less true from my perspective. I looked up at the sky. The sun hung in the center of the sky, emitting intense heat. Today was unusually hot.

    "It''s hot," I unconsciously muttered to myself.

    In-Ah tilted her head in response. She pointed at my coat and said, "Take that off if you''re hot. Why did youe here wearing such thick clothing?"

    "Take off my clothes? How can you say that..."

    "Huh? No, what... Hey! Don''t interpret my words strangely!" she said angrily.

    Iughed in response and continued to wear my coat. Even if it meant that I had to take off everything else, I absolutely could not take off my coat, at least for now.

    ¡°You said it was hot, so that¡¯s why I said that you should take that off. Why are you twisting my words...¡± In-Ah grumbled and pouted.

    She was wearing a hoodie over her school uniform again today. Her hood shook with every step. I stared at her figure for a long time, but I eventually couldn''t resist and I ended up pulling on her hood.

    "Ack!" In-Ah screamed.

    She then narrowed her eyes at me and said, "What are you doing?"

    "...I just really wanted to pull it."

    "Hey, do you want to die?"

    In-Ah clenched her fist and red at me.

    "Sorry, I acted impulsively because I was tired."

    I smiled apologetically and defused the situation.

    <i> </i> *

    Just before entering the vige where the exam was being held, all the students, including me, had to pass through a security checkpoint. They were trying to screen the students secretly bringing in the holy artifacts they had used during the Holy Name of Charity re-election test. It looked like they were also collecting our cell phones.

    As I practiced, I hid the things that I needed to conceal all over my body. Then, I passed through the checkpoint after handing in my cell phone.

    <i>Beep! </i>

    As expected, the rm went off at the checkpoint. The attention of the students and teachers immediately focused on me. I deliberately showed a bewildered expression and acted like I had absolutely nothing on my body. Several teachers approached me, and among them was Ye-Jin.

    "Do you have anything made of metal in your belongings? You already handed in your phone, right?" Ye-Jin asked.

    I nodded and made a simr expression to that of a wrongfully used victim. Ye-Jin checked the machine again to make sure there was nothing wrong with it, and then turned her gaze toward me. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t really suspecting me.

    "Raise both arms. Like this."

    "I am... I am innocent."

    "It¡¯s not like you¡¯vemitted a crime or anything, so there¡¯s no need for you to say you''re innocent. Just stay still, please,¡± Ye-Jin said.

    She then took out something like a metal detector from somewhere and scanned my body. When the detector reached my chest, it beeped loudly. Ye-Jin narrowed her eyes and red at me.

    "What¡¯s inside?"

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    I searched the pockets of my coat and pretended not to know what she was talking about. A watch came out from inside my coat. It was the one that Joseph had previously given to me as a ¡°gift.¡±

    With a bewildered expression, she looked between me and the watch.

    "Why are you keeping your watch in there instead of wearing it?¡±

    "Uh... I forgot. I should have handed it in earlier."

    "Hurry up, please. We don''t have time," Ye-Jin said impatiently.

    I bowed apologetically. Then, after putting on my watch, I naturally continued on my way. With this, I had ovee the first hurdle... or so I thought.

    ¡°Wait a second, Sun-Woo. Pleasee back for a moment.¡±

    Ye-Jin suddenly called me over, although she had willingly let me go. I tried my best to hide the nervousness on my face as I went toward her. If I couldn¡¯t ovee this hurdle, I would have to revise all the ns I had made. I absolutely couldn¡¯t make any mistakes.

    After disguising the trembling of my voice, the movement of my eyes, my overall behavior, and my stride, I just barely managed to answer, "...Yes, what is it?"

    Ye-Jin looked at the watch on my wrist with a slightly annoyed face.

    "Are you just going to wear that during the exam?"

    "Oh... would it be better to hand it in?"

    "That would be better. Isn''t the watch really expensive? What if it breaks during the exam? It could also be a holy artifact. And... I can¡¯t tell you about this right now, but in any case, it¡¯s better to hand it in.¡±

    "Really?"

    The truth was, I didn¡¯t know the exact price of the watch. All I knew was that it was quite expensive. It was because it was not something that I had bought myself, but rather, it was something that Joseph gifted. In any case, I nodded for now and agreed with her words. Then, I took off my watch and handed it to her.

    ¡°Seems like a sign of the end times, seeing as how students are going around wearing things like this,¡± Ye-Jin jokingly said as she put the watch into a bag with my student number and name written on it.

    I justughed off her joke and tried to join the group ahead. However, Ye-Jin suddenly extended her arm to stop me.

    "Oh,e to think of it, you must go through security again. I forgot about that."

    She pointed to the security checkpoint.

    "...Is that really necessary?"

    "Yes, it is. Who knows what else you might be hiding on your body¡ª"

    <i>Beep¡ª! </i>

    It was at that moment that the security checkpoint beeped again. But this time, it came from In-Ah instead of me.

    "Huh? Huuh?"

    She looked around in confusion, and her face blushed red as she became flustered.

    "What the? Why¡¯d she get caught as well? Hold on a moment," Ye-Jin said with a frown.

    She approached In-Ah. Then, she exchanged some words with a teacher who was over on the side and handed over the metal detector to them.

    "Ogun."

    Meanwhile, I called out to Ogun.

    [Lately, it seems like you¡¯ve been giving me a bunch of odd jobs. I wonder if I should ept your request...]

    ¡°Ah, just once. Quick.¡±

    [Tsk.]

    With a click of his tongue, Ogun reluctantly epted my request. It was because I had already convinced him yesterday.

    Right when Ye-Jin returned, I passed through the metal detector. There was no sound.

    "Okay, you¡¯re free to go."

    Ye-Jin nodded and sent me off with a lukewarm expression on her face. I quickly joined the rest of the students.

    It was when I passed through the first hurdle, which was the checkpoint, that I was finally able to release the tension in my body.

    [Luck was on your side again this time.]

    [Didn''t I say this morning that you will have good luck all day today?]

    The voices of Legba and Baron Samedi, which were previously muffled due to the fatigue, tension, and contemtion that I had been experiencing, finally began to sound clear. Usually, Baron Samedi would disappear after leaving some mysterious words behind, but he seemed to want to stay cooped up inside my mind all day today.

    [It seemed like it would be fun to stick around here today, you see. I also have something to talk about with Legba.]

    [Oh dear, I don¡¯t intend to converse with you though.]

    "..."

    I followed behind the students as I listened to the conversation between Baron Samedi and Legba. While doing so, I recalled my future ns. No matter how many times I reviewed the n inside my head, it wasn¡¯t enough.

    Bringing in the watch and getting caught at the security checkpoint had all been part of the n. After intentionally getting caught at the checkpoint, the n was to hand in the watch and make them believe that I didn¡¯t have any other items with me.

    If it had been someone who didn''t know me, they might have suspected something, but luckily, it was Ye-Jin. She had less suspicion toward me than other people. It was because I was a student in the ss that she was in charge of, and she had a good overall perception of me.

    Above all, thanks to In-Ah getting caught at the checkpoint and diverting all the attention, I was able to pass through the security checkpoint safely by temporarily stopping the machine with the help of Ogun¡¯s power.

    I felt a little sorry for In-Ah, but the reason why she was caught at the checkpoint was because I had secretly put the me Sword of Eden in her hood when I yed a prank on her earlier. I figured that it would be a suitable artifact because it was small enough to fit inside the hood. Since the teachers could catch me if I recklessly utilized Ogun¡¯s power, I set up a diversion in advance so that I could use themotion to make my move.

    "Phew."

    After taking deep breaths to calm myself down, I removed my coat and hung it on my arm. Then, I tore open the lining of the coat, secretly inserted Baal''s Maw inside, sowed the opening shut, and then went back to doing what I had been previously doing. The reason why I wore a coat on this hot day was all because of this.

    Inside Baal''s Maw, there was an emergency mobile phone that I could use to contact Ji-Ah or the executives of the Voodoo Cult. There was also The Gown of the Shem Brothers that I had managed to obtain with Bae Jung-Hwan¡¯s help. It was a holy artifact that concealed one''s presence and allowed for safer infiltration, and it was also the artifact that Jun-Hyuk had used during the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity. Lastly, I had a small bottle that contained the bone dust of various animals and an umbre.

    [If caught, you will face expulsion at the very least,] Baron Samedi said.

    I had to use all these items in the appropriate time and situation, and I also had to use them without being discovered. Just as Baron Samedi said, if I got caught, I wouldn''t be able to avoid expulsion. They might even find out that I was a member of the Voodoo Cult.

    As I was strolling around while lost in thought, someone called out to me.

    "Hey... together. Ha... Let''s go together."

    It was In-Ah. She was running toward me after passing through the security checkpoint. Looking at her from afar, the expression on her face seemed to indicate that she had faced a great injustice.

    "Why did you get caught?" I asked.

    After taking a deep breath, In-Ah said with a trembling voice, "Ah, I don''t know. There was some sort of holy artifact in my hood. Even though it wasn''t something I brought with me. This is really unfair..."

    "Hmm... Could it be that someone kind had put it in there so that you would do well on the test?¡±

    ¡°Kind person, my ass. More like someone intentionally ced it in there just to screw with me. I don¡¯t know who it was, but whoever they are, they¡¯re a really bad person.¡±

    "Ah... Man, that''s a seriously bad person.¡±

    "I''ve never done anything to deserve hate from anyone recently. What is this..."

    I secretly wiped the cold sweat flowing down my forehead as I listened to In-Ah¡¯s rant. I felt a very strong sense of guilt...

    We continued to converse with each other, and before we knew it, we arrived at the designated location for the practical exam.

    "Ah, ah. I would like to inform the Florence Academy students that I am the supervisor for this exam..."

    While the students were lining up, a teacher proimed that they were the supervisor and made an announcement regarding the practical exam. As the teacher exined the content and evaluation criteria, I continued to reiterate the n inside my head. I could not stay calm.

    It was no wonder that I couldn¡¯t stay calm. After all, I was about to take the second most dangerous gamble I had ever taken in my life.

    <i> </i> *

    The practical exam was conducted in groups, but at the same time, it was conducted between different departments. We werepeting with groups, but technically, we were actuallypeting with other departments.

    The evaluation criteria was simple.

    It was evaluated based on which group, in other words, which department, collected the most tokens. The exam incorporated individual, group, and interdepartmental evaluations. It was essentially a three-way battle between the Department of Pdins, Crusaders, and Priests.

    "There are not just one or two virtues that clergymen must possess. Faith is essential, of course, but there may also be times when strength, wisdom, or a kind heart is needed ording to the situation."

    However, the method of collecting tokens was not so simple. ording to the supervisor, active-duty clergymen were waiting in the abandoned buildings and specific locations in this examination site. Tokens could be obtained from these clergymen, but first, one had to fulfill the desired ¡°conditions¡± that the clergymen would ask for.

    "Today will be the day when weprehensively evaluate your various virtues."

    The conditions varied for each clergyman, and the number of tokens that could be obtained also depended on the difficulty of the conditions. If one of the clergymen requested a debate, then the student would have to persuade the clergyman with their perspective in order to obtain tokens. If the clergyman requested the condition to be ¡°suppression,¡± then the students would have to suppress the clergyman to gain the tokens.

    "Individual and team battles are allowed during the exam process. However, only ''suppression without causing bodily harm'' is allowed."

    After saying that, the supervisor gave each student a wristwatch for identification and time verification purposes.

    Five pairs of handcuffs and keys were distributed to each group, but the group belonging to the Department of Pdins received eight pairs. It seemed like the group with the students from the Department of Crusaders and the Department of Priests were receiving different benefits from the Department of Pdins.

    ¡°If it bes clear that you are subdued and handcuffed, then you will be a hostage. Teams can negotiate hostages by exchanging keys and tokens.¡±

    The handcuffs seemed to be used as an indication that an individual had been clearly subdued. It seemed possible to devise a strategy where we didn¡¯t have to fulfill the conditions stated by the clergyman, and strictly earn tokens through negotiating hostages instead.

    "..."

    With that, the exam began. The group I belonged to was Pdin-D, and the group name was written on the wristwatch. The starting point for our group was below the clock tower, which was located southwest of the massive crater in the center of the examination site. When I arrived at the starting point and saw my team members, I couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    "Ah... damn it," I said.

    "Sun-Woo! Are you also on the Pdin-D team?"

    Dae-Man was on the same team as me. As far as I knew, in the exam this time around, the teams were ¡°organized into a very fair arrangement by taking the written and practical results into consideration.¡±

    Dae-Man¡¯s practical grades were excellent, and mybined practical and written grades were not bad either...

    In other words, there was a high possibility that the other eight team members, excluding Dae-Man and me, were useless. Otherwise, Dae-Man and I wouldn''t have ended up on the same team.

    ¡°It seems like we¡¯ve hit the jackpot. If you and I are on the same team, victory is practically guaranteed, isn''t it?"

    "I''m not so sure about that..."

    Through the information I obtained from Joseph, I knew that the practical exam would be conducted in teams, so I made ns ordingly. However, if the abilities of my team members, excluding Dae-Man and me, were excessively low, there might be a need to revise the ns.

    My team members could also be more capable than I thought. After all, they were still so-called ¡°elite¡± students of Florence Academy. However, putting aside their capabilities, the problem was that no one on the team was taking the initiative toe up with a strategy or lead the team.

    "Gather around, everyone!"

    I called the scattered members of Pdin-D together. My team members approached with tense expressions and hesitant faces. I anticipated this would happen, but theirck of initiative and confidence were more excessive than I initially thought. In this sort of situation, the first thing to do was to boost the group¡¯s morale.

    "Listen up, everyone. We are the Department of Pdins. What are the strengths of a pdin?"

    "Compassion and courage, right?"

    "That''s closer to the virtues clergymen should possess."

    I euphemistically rejected Dae-Man¡¯s opinion and continued speaking. "Pdins operate in a structured manner. Pdins bring out their full potential when the strengths of multiple individuals are unified.¡±

    "Oh!"

    "First, we will elect a team leader. It¡¯s simr to amander. If no one else wants to do it..."

    While speaking, I observed the expressions of the team members. At the mention of electing a team leader, everyone in the group avoided my gaze. I knew this would happen.

    "...I''ll do it. I hope everyone will follow my words without any doubts."

    The team members, including Dae-Man, nodded. They seemed tock enthusiasm but were good at listening. Or perhaps it was because of the reputation that I had built in school that no one dared to oppose me. In any case, I got lucky.

    I looked into each of my teammates'' eyes and with a serious face. I said, "Remember what I''m about to say from now on."

    The students nodded with determined expressions. It was because of my forceful tone. On the surface, it looked like Dae-Man was really thinking about anything, but I could tell that he was listening to me.

    I continued, "I will leave this team."

    The expressions of my team members hardened.

    1. I think I mentioned this before, but in real life, the 38th parallel separates North and South Korea. ?

 Chapter 166

    <h4>Chapter 166</h4>

    ¡°Ah, I said it in a strange way. What I meant is that I will be moving separately,¡± I btedly exined.

    However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that I sounded crazy. The practical exam this time around included individual, group, and departmental evaluations. For someone like me who belonged to the Department of Pdins, acting individually was simply insane.

    To enter the Department of Crusaders, one had to master at least onebat discipline. To enter the Department of Priests, one had to achieve the required grades in sacred dynamics and sacred material science. However, there were no such requirements for the Department of Pdins. That was why the individual capabilities of the pdins were the lowest, and that was why there was quantity over quality topensate for this shoring. Acting individually more or less meant that I was not utilizing that advantage. Thus, Dae-Man and the other team members tried to stop me, however...

    "...This is the n that I have devised so far. This is something that I came up with just now, so there might be a few ws.¡±

    After hearing my n, my team members no longer tried to stop me. Instead, they looked at me with expressions that contained a bit of reverence. It wasn¡¯t particrly an amazing n. In many ways, it was an obvious n that didn''t deviate from the conventional framework, but it was enough to convince them.

    I had to go with a straightforward n to persuade my team members and make them understand why I had to act alone. After finishing my exnation, I was about to escape from the group and act independently, as discussed in the n.

    At that moment, Dae-Man grabbed my wrist and said, "Sun-Woo, I have something I want to ask."

    Even though he seemed to be holding my hand lightly, there was a tremendous amount of pressure. This guy was indeed very strong.

    I shook off his hand and said, "What is it? Tell me."

    "I''m not opposed to your operation. However...."

    Dae-Man hesitated to speak.

    "If we follow that operation, wouldn''t it be better to move together with the team instead of acting individually?"

    "..."

    "I can''t exin the reason exactly, but I strongly feel that way."

    I was slightly surprised. Dae-Man was able to urately point out the parts of my exnation that I had intentionally excluded in order to justify my decision to move individually. Seeing how he was saying that he couldn¡¯t exin the exact reasons, he must have figured it out through intuition. I seemed to have underestimated Dae-Man. He didn¡¯t be the Holy Name of Diligence because of his massive body.

    "Ah, you¡¯re right. Typically, it¡¯s better if I''m with you guys.¡±

    I decided to tell him the truth. Dae-Man slightly frowned upon hearing my answer.

    "Then why are you leaving the team?"

    "Dae-Man, only you should know this. You can¡¯t tell the other team members.¡±

    I looked at his face. He had a firm expression that did not contain even a slight sign of wavering. It wasn''t because he was in a bad mood. Rather, it seemed like he was simply focusing on what I was saying. It was because I had used the special phrase of <i>only you</i> to imply that this was special information.

    "There is one more n. The reason why I am acting individually is because of that.¡±

    "Then the reason why you didn¡¯t tell the other team members is because¡ª"

    "It''s because their actions and behavior, whiche from not knowing about the second n, are part of the n."

    When I said that, Dae-Man nodded with a serious expression.

    "Got it. Let''s do it that way."

    "Oh, by the way, while I''m not here, you have to take on the role of leader. Just like I mentioned earlier."

    "Of course."

    Dae-Man turned toward the team members. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned his body around to face me and waved his hand while shouting in a loud voice.

    "I believe in you, Sun-Woo!"

    "Yeah, sure. Believe in me," I replied half-heartedly and stepped out of the formation.

    With hisrge build, Dae-Man led the team members and moved toward the location I instructed. Soon, theypletely disappeared as they moved further away. The sight was simr to that of a mother bird followed by her baby birds. Dae-Man sure had arge physique.

    I looked up at the sky. It was very cloudy. It seemed like it would rain soon.

    It was because I had called Dan Wedo, back when I was just about to cross through the security checkpoint. It would have been strange for it to suddenly rain when the skies were clear. Thus, I had prepared in advance.

    "Dan Wedo."

    [Rain... right now?]

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t even have to ask you now. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±

    <i>Pitter patter¡ª! </i>

    Not long after I called Dan Wedo, it started pouring heavily.

    While getting soaked in the rain, I tore the lining of my coat and pulled out Baal¡¯s Maw that I had hidden inside. Then, I put on The Gown of the Shem Brothers. With this, I could conceal my presence, but I couldn''tpletely hide my appearance.

    That was why I made it rain with a heavy downpour. The mist created by the rain would limit visibility, and the sound of the rain would conceal my footsteps. The heavy raindrops would erase my footprints. Even so, I couldn''tpletely hide my appearance, but it was enough to avoid the teachers¡¯ eyes.

    <i>Splish, ssh. </i>

    I walked through the rain with the gown on. The sound of my footsteps was loud, but the sound of rain was louder, so there probably wasn¡¯t going to be a problem.

    While walking, I turned off the power of the electronic watch that I had received. It was because I was concerned about functions such as tracking or wiretapping. If someone asked why I turned off the watchter, I could juste up with an appropriate excuse. Coming up with an excuse was my specialty.

    After walking for a while, I could see the supervising teachers guarding the examination site in order to prevent the students from leaving.

    "...Sobo."

    [Is it thunder or lightning?! Just say the word!]

    "Both. In ten... thirteen seconds, at the same time."

    [Understood!] Sobo replied energetically.

    I covered my body with the gown once again. Then I carefully walked past the teachers.

    <i>Splish ssh.</i>

    The sound of my wet footsteps seemed exaggeratingly loud in the rain. Although I was wearing The Gown of the Shem Brothers, the Florence Academy teachers were not oblivious enough to not notice people passing by right in front of them. That was why I needed Sobo''s help.

    ...Three, two, one.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    In that instant, all the sound within the world disappeared, and only the sound of the sky tearing apart could be heard. Sessive thunderbolts created shes that dyed the world white. Only the sound of thunder could be heard and only the sh of lightning could be seen. It was a world that was devoid of everything else besides thunder and lightning, and it seemed like everything else was meaningless.

    I didn''t miss that opportunity and I passed by the teachers camping out around the perimeter of the examination site. Using the thunder and lightning to hide my body, I ran without looking back.

    "Phew...!"

    After hiding my body behind a tree that was of a suitable size, I collected my breath. I poked my head out and observed the gazes of the teachers. They were either absentmindedly gazing at the sky that was throwing a tantrum as if they were witnessing a phenomenal sight, or they were frowning due to getting pissed off by the sudden rain.

    No one had seen me. It seemed like I had sessfully made it through the second hurdle. I lifted my head and looked at the sky. Perhaps due to the demonic energy that had spread out due to the aftermath of the battle with Wrath, all the branches were bare and leafless.

    <i>Ssh, ssh, ssh...</i>

    I kept walking until I waspletely out of sight from the examination site, and until the teachers couldn''t see me at all. Perhaps due to the tension I was feeling, or perhaps due to theck of sleep, my lips, and even the inside of my mouth, werepletely dry. It might have also been because I had used Dan Wedo''s power.

    Despite drinking the falling rain to quench my thirst, it was far from enough. Whether it was due to dehydration orck of sleep, my head kept spinning, and I felt a strong urge to vomit. My eyelids kept on closing, and my legs kept wobbling. It was difficult to control my body.

    "I need a spell..."

    [I knew this would happen, you fool! How many times did I tell you not to stay up all night?] Legba scolded.

    [A small amount of sleep deprivation makes a person daring. I don''t think it''s a bad thing,] Baron Samedi responded.

    [This is more than just a small amount!] Legba retorted.

    I expelled Voodoo magic power from my trembling fingertips and drew a spell array to cast an intoxication spell. I turned up the output to almost the maximum level, and I breathed in the mist. It felt as if the barriers obscuring my senses were instantly being lifted.

    "Ha...!"

    I couldn¡¯t help but groan. A tremendous amount of pleasure that I wasn¡¯t able to get used to, and should never get used to, washed over me.

    High-intensity spells would leave traces unless they were used in the state of acquisition. However, the Voodoo mist blended into the darkness and dissolved into the rain. On a sunny day, it might be a different story, but if it was raining like this, then it wouldn¡¯t leave a trace even if I used a considerably strong spell.

    "Now I finally feel alive."

    [Look like you¡¯re already addicted,] Legba retorted with a displeased tone.

    His voice sounded very loud and exaggerated. Perhaps it was because I had just used the intoxication spell. It felt like the sound was piercing into my brain. I¡¯d never been pierced by noise before, but it felt like it would be simr to what I was experiencing right now.

    "Please, just let me be until today... I mean tomorrow."

    Anyway, my mind was very clear and lucid at the moment. I didn¡¯t have the nerve to say that I was in the right state of mind, though. With renewed vigor, I pulled out an umbre and a bottle filled with bone dust from Baal''s Maw. I opened the umbre to shield myself from the rain. I also tore my now unusable coat and turned it inside out to use as a makeshift mat on the ground. I sprinkled the bone dust on top and formed a hand symbol.

    It was the v¨¨v¨¨ that represented Granbwa.

    "Granbwa!" I called out.

    [Aren¡¯t we still on bad terms?] Granbwa asked coyly.

    In preparation to borrow Granbwa''s power, in other words, the power to borrow the vision of the nts, I ced my hands on the ground and said, "Didn''t we reconcilest time? Our rtionship is really good.¡±

    [It seems like you''re saying that because you¡¯re under the influence of the intoxication spell.]

    "It¡¯s the truth. I¡¯m currently growing the flower with great care as well.¡±

    [...<i>Sigh</i>, I understand.]

    Granbwa let out a deep breath and reluctantly agreed.

    I don¡¯t know if it was just me, but based on her tone, it seemed like her mood had improved quite a bit. I summoned the replication spell, Dawn''s de, and made a small cut on my finger before letting a drop of blood fall onto Granbwa¡¯s v¨¦v¨¦. After doing so, the pattern began to glow. It glowed in the purple shade that represented Voodoo magic, but I could also see a faint hint of red as well.

    I closed my eyes and prayed. The pattern emitted a dim light, but when I closed my eyes, it appeared vivid and clear in the darkness.

    While I was murmuring the prayer, Granbwa said, [Please don''t mix blood next time.]

    Finally, after finishing my prayer, the darkness was lifted and a new world unfolded before my eyes. Thanks tobining the v¨¦v¨¦ with the prayer, the breadth and depth of the world I could see were different.

    It no longer felt like I was borrowing the sight of the nts. Rather, it felt as if I was seeing all the physical elements on top of the earth using the earth¡¯s vision. It was as if I was looking down on the world from the perspective of an existence that transcended humans. Perhaps those deemed as seers and prophets saw the world like this. They were people who did not look at the world with naked eyes, but their mind¡¯s eye.

    However, I unfortunately did not have any time to admire this sight. I shifted the focus of my vision and searched for any potential dangers.

    ¡ªWhy is it suddenly raining like this?

    ¡ªYeah, the weather was fine just before the exam...

    I could hear the voices of the teachers blocking the rain with their hands as they monitored the examination in order to prevent any students from leaving.

    ¡ªJust where in the world are the clergymen? I can¡¯t find them...

    ¡ªLet''s go over there. There doesn¡¯t seem to be any clergymen over here.

    I could also hear the voices of students searching for the clergymen scattered throughout the examination site to obtain tokens. Then, I shifted my gaze to the outside of the examination site, to a more distant and wider location.

    If the Satanist nned to attack this ce, they would eithere themselves or they would have deployed minions under their control. They would have deployed demons or demonic beasts to be more specific.

    However, since this ce was selected as the examination site, security was strict. It wouldn''t have been possible to ce demons or demonic beasts inside the examination site, so they would have been ced outside the examination site so that they would be able to pull off a sneak attack once the exam began.

    I looked at the scenery outside the examination site that was hundreds, no, thousands of meters away. I was starting to smell the scent of blood from my nose. It meant that I was using powers that exceeded the limits of my capabilities.

    "..."

    However, despite searching across such a wide area, I still couldn¡¯t find any demonic beasts or demons. In fact, I couldn¡¯t even find a single suspicious person. Just when I was starting to wonder whether Jun-Hyuk had lied just to screw with me, I spotted something.

    "...I found it."

    Within an area of the mountains that had been long neglected, there were dozens of vines and weeds. Through the eyes of the vines and the weeds, I was able to see the world.

    Due to erosion from the wind, there were several holes in the middle of the mountains surrounding the examination site. They were small holes that only one or two people could barely fit into at a time. And from one of those holes, dozens of demonic beasts and demons exited at once.

    Due to the pressure from the mountain, their bodies were constantly breaking apart. They were being squashed, crushed, and shattered by the second. Then, they would regenerate with the help of an unknown power. When one of the demonic beasts regenerated, another would be crushed, and when one demon regenerated, the body of another demon would be crushed.

    Just like how blood circted with each heartbeat, the demonic creatures repeated a cycle of regeneration and restoration, slowly pushing through the hole in the mountains. It was reminiscent of maggots wriggling out of a wound. At first nce, there seemed to be dozens of demonic creatures, but once they emerged from the holes, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if there were hundreds of them.

    "Gran... Ugh, Granbwa...!"

    Whether it was because I saw a disgusting sight, or because I had used too much power, a sense of nausea washed over me. I forced myself to swallow down my urge to vomit as I called out to Granbwa. If I used her power, it would be possible to seal that hole. An alternative method was to seal up the mountains and bury the demonic creatures alive by terraforming the mountains.

    No, if possible, I had to use this method.

    Those demonic beasts and demons werepletely different from the ones that Jun-Hyuk had manipted. Just from a rough nce, I could tell that their skin and flesh were much tougher and denser. Their fur was sharp and pointed like needles, and they were capable of withstanding and regenerating from immense pressure that would have normally resulted in death. If those creatures came out from the mountains, despite therge number of teachers and clergymen in the examination zone, it would be difficult to prevent casualties. It might end up bing a massacre.

    "Granbwa, what are you doing?!"

    However, Granbwa hesitated to answer.

    [...I can''t do any more than this.]

    Due to the intoxication from the spell and overwhelmed by urgency, I blurted out whatever came to mind at Granbwa.

    "Why? Is it because you are still upset? Isn¡¯t it fine if I just grow one more flower?!"

    While I was saying this, the demonic beast and demons ceaselessly continued to crawl out of the hole.

    [You¡¯re going to die. Well, maybe not die, but still...]

    "I won''t die."

    I firmly cut off her words.

    "I won¡¯t die."

    Fluid was dropping down from my eyes. At first, I thought it was the rain, but it felt somewhat lukewarm. It seemed like blood was spewing out from my eyes. A bitter smell came from deep inside my nose. However, I could tell that I wasn¡¯t close to dying yet. On the contrary, I felt that there was some leeway at the moment.

    "And besides, if those creatures make it out of there, I''ll die anyway!"

    It was difficult to deal with such arge number of demons and demonic beasts. Even if the clergymen managed to deal with the threat by themselves, they would suffer significant losses. In the worst case, I would end up having to deal the demonic creatures with the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells. Of course, if I used the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells, I would be able to defeat all of the demonic creatures.

    However, doing so in front of the students and teachers of Florence Academy and clergymen would be suicidal. I wouldn¡¯t be able to disguise it as a miracle like I did with Ha-Yeon. I had to eliminate those demonic creatures, even if it meant that I would have to endure some losses.

    [...I understand,] Granbwa replied reluctantly.

    Soon, I could feel her power. Everything from weeds and flowers to tree roots and vines, everything under her control entered my consciousness. Each root, stem, and leaf moved freely like my own hands and feet.

    "Haah, ha..."

    I collected my breath and took in as much air as possible with my final breath. Then I exerted strength and moved the nts such that they would block the hole that the demonic beasts and beasts wereing out of. The rocks in the mountains were unable to withstand the strength of the nts, and as a result, they twisted and shattered.

    <i>Crumble¡ª!</i>

    The hole was gradually narrowing. The frequency at which the demonic beasts and demons broke apart and regenerated increased. Inside the hole that narrowed so much that it was difficult to even fit an arm though, the demonic beasts and demons lost their form and became a massive twitching lump of flesh. It swelled as if it was going to burst at any moment before sumbing to the pressure of the ground and returning back to a lump of flesh. Eventually, the hole had reduced in size to be called a crevice rather than a hole.

    <i>Boom©¤! </i>

    The flesh of the demonic beasts and demons simultaneously all exploded. The scattered flesh soon became mushy, and eventually mixed with the soil and gravel before turning into ck smoke and evaporating. The surrounding soil decayed to a pitch-ck color.

    "Phew...."

    I finally exhaled the breath I had been holding. I felt a significant amount of exhaustion, perhaps because I hadn¡¯t used Granbwa¡¯s power in a long time. However, despite the fatigue, I felt a sense of aplishment. With this, I had ovee the third hurdle.

    Now, only the final hurdle remained. I had to wear The Gown of the Shem Brothers and return to the examination zone again. If I utilized Dan Wedo''s rain and Sobo''s thunder, this was also a hurdle that I could easily ovee.

    I tried to stand up by pushing off the ground with my hand.

    <i>Rinnnng¡ª! </i>

    The moment my hand touched the ground, my ears rang and a scene shed through my mind like a bolt of lightning. Granbwa¡¯s power, which still hadn¡¯t been deactivated yet, showed me the world from the perspective of the earth. Within that vision, I saw a demon that I had failed to defeat.

    In that fleeting moment, I could tell that this demon was on apletely different levelpared to the demonic creatures that had been stuffed in the hole. Its exoskeleton looked like it would be imprable by any kind of de, and the sharp decorations attached to its joints and fingers looked like they would be able to easily tear through human skin.

    It was thergest demon I had ever seen. Unlike the ones that Jun-Hyuk controlled, it looked slick and clean. It was to the extent that, depending on the perspective, it could even be called beautiful. Its pure red eyes stared up into the sky. No, it wasn¡¯t looking at the sky. It was looking up at the ground above.

    "Below... the ground...."

    It was buried underneath the examination ground, crouching down and waiting for the right moment to strike.

 Chapter 167

    <h4>Chapter 167</h4>

    "What kind of watch looks like a bracelet? I thought I was in the club for a second,¡± Yu-Hyun muttered in a mocking tone while wearing the digital watch.

    His team members looked at him with ufortable eyes. The team members who already knew him just smiled. And within that atmosphere, the Priest-A team split into two factions.

    In one faction, there were the students who already knew Yu-Hyun and thus followed him without any suspicion or caution. In the other faction there were the students who didn''t know Yu-Hyun. As a result, they doubted him, were guarded against him, and feared him.

    ¡°Well, in any case, let¡¯s all do our best. It¡¯s good for everyone if we do well on the exam, right?¡±

    Thus, they all unconsciously followed Yu-Hyun. Respect, in its essence, was an emotion that was not all that different from fear, and so if those two emotions were tied together, they became reverence. Yu-Hyun instinctively knew how to make others respect or fear him.

    One of the team members familiar with Yu-Hyun asked cautiously, "Yu-Hyun, are we going to have a n... or something like that? What are you going to do?"

    The student couldn''t help but be cautious. It was because the student thought of Yu-Hyun as a somewhat close friend, but he wasn¡¯t sure whether Yu-Hyun considered them a close friend as well.

    With his unique, nted eyes, Yu-Hyun stared at the student¡¯s face as if scanning it, and said, "n... a n? I haven''t thought about it, hmm..."

    <i>Snap!</i>

    Yu-Hyun pondered and snapped his fingers. The sound was so loud that it was hard to believe that it hade from his fingers. The attention of Yu-Hyun''s team members was focused on him. Without them realizing it, the team members found themselves waiting for Yu-Hyun to continue speaking.

    ¡°I came up with a n. First, we have to meet with the other members of the Department of Priests. Especially Ha-Yeon."

    "How do we know where they are?"

    "We''re roughly on the same line. We''ll meet as we wander around," Yu-Hyun confidently said as he walked away.

    The team members followed him without any objections. They had no idea why Yu-Hyun hade up with such a n, nor did they know exactly what he was saying. Yu-Hyun sighed quietly as he watched his teammates follow him with stupid expressions on their faces.

    ¡°You know that the intention behind this exam is a three-way battle, right? Since it¡¯s evaluated based on your department."

    ¡°...¡±

    The students nodded silently.

    Yu-Hyun continued, "So they would have roughly designed it so teams from the same department can gather together. They want us to stick together within our own departments andpete against the other departments."

    "Ah, I see..."

    "Just stay quiet and follow my lead. I''ll take care of everything," Yu-Hyun said.

    He then positioned himself at the front of the formation. His steps were so quick that his teammates struggled to keep up with him.

    While walking, Yu-Hyun fleshed out and solidified the framework for his n. He tried to understand the intentions of the teachers who created the exam. He thought about the important figures from the other departments that he would have to face, devised various countermeasures, and considered the variables when dealing with these opponents.

    If he were to judge solely based on individual abilities, the Department of Crusaders, which included Jin-Seo, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon, could be the most threatening. However, because the crusaders were somewhat individualistic and had aggressive tendencies, they would not be able to unite and they would not be much of a threat. Manipting them was possible as well.

    Since pdins tended to be more coborative and had a higher likelihood of uniting, the Department of Pdins, which Sun-Woo and Dae-Man belonged to, would be the most threatening opponent at the moment. After thinking up to this point, Yu-Hyun saw another team from the Department of Priests in the distance.

    "Oh, hello!"

    Yu-Hyun waved his hand and pretended to be d.

    The team that they encountered was initially cautious, but after seeing Yu-Hyun''s smiling face, they gradually let their guard down and approached. Once it was proven that they were from the same department, theypletely let down their guard as if they had been on the same team from the beginning.

    The newly joined team was the Priest-F team. After roughlyprehending that they were from the Department of Priests, Yu-Hyun erased the team name from his mind. It was because the team was not very important in this exam. The department was important, not the team.

    Afterbining the two teams into a new team, Yu-Hyun grabbed the person who looked like the leader and asked, "Have you seen Ha-Yeon by any chance? She looks unique, so it should be easy to spot her, even from a distance."

    "Ha-Yeon? Hmm..."

    "If you haven''t seen her, never mind. Where on earth could she be?"

    Yu-Hyun didn''t even wait for an answer and started walking again. One of the team members following him grabbed Yu-Hyun with a look of confusion on his face.

    "Where are you going? Weren''t we supposed tobine our two teams like this?"

    "Two won''t work."

    Yu-Hyun brushed off the team member''s hand and continued on his way. Then, he murmured, "As many as possible... at least four teams. We need to gather that many to survive."

    "Do we really need four?"

    "The other departments will definitely target us."

    The Department of Priests was weaker inbatpared to the other departments. However, since it was generallyposed of high-achieving students, it would be rtively easy for them to obtain tokens bypleting nonbat rted requests.

    The problem was the other departments already knew about this fact, and the Department of Pdins and the Department of Crusaders would definitely target them to keep them in check. Therefore, they had to unite. Just like how herbivores gathered together to deal with predators, they needed an overwhelminglyrge poption to deal with the hyena-like pdins and crusaders.

    "Well... even if we screw up, I can take them all on myself!¡± Yu-Hyun boldly said to his teammates looking at him with worried expressions.

    His teammates took it as a joke, but Yu-Hyun was serious. With the exception of Dae-Man and Jin-Seo, he could deal with the rest. In fact, he was confident that he could easily beat them.

    No, never mind. Sun-Woo, that guy was...

    "...We have to gather as many people as possible for now. You guys should split up as well and find the others. Call me when we have at least four teams gathered together."

    After requesting his teammates to search for other teams, Yu-Hyun walked away in order to find other teams as well. The sky turned darker with each step, and ominous shadows began to be cast on the ground. He lifted his head and looked up at the sky. From the heavy and dark clouds that had formed in the sky, one drop, then two drops of rain fell from the sky.

    <i>Pitter, patter...</i>

    Then it started pouring. Thunder roared and lightning struck intermittently. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to call it a storm. Yu-Hyun smirked as he looked up at the capricious sky.

    "Did some bastard perform a rain ritual again...?"

    ***

    <i>"First, head to where the priests are located. I''m not sure where it is... but I¡¯m guessing it will be toward the north."</i>

    Dae-Man kept reminding himself of Sun-Woo¡¯s n as he moved with his team. Sun-Woo had said that it was best to hold a hostage early on, and the most valuable hostages would probably be the priests.

    <i>"But where exactly is north from here?"</i>

    After he heard the n, Dae-Man had looked up at the sky and asked that question. The clouds made it impossible to see the sun, and it wasn''t night, so there were no stars to guide them in the right direction.

    <i>"If you don''t know, just go in that direction. You don''t necessarily have to go north."</i>

    After saying that nonchntly, Sun-Woo added a few more words. He said that since the teams that belonged to the Department of Pdins received three more sets of handcuffs, they had to actively utilize the ¡°hostage system.¡± If they met a clergyman on the way, they were free to attempt to get tokens, but if it seemed like it would take too long, then they were instructed to give up.

    If it rained, they were to choose the most intact building nearby and wait for about five minutes. Unexpected encounters could happen. After saying that, Sun-Woo left. No one knew what he went off to do.

    "I didn''t know it would really rain..." Dae-Man muttered to himself while looking at the sky.

    Just like Sun-Woo said, it was indeed raining. Although the sky had been cloudy, it didn¡¯t seem like it would rain, but it was almost as if his words had caused it to rain. Anyway, since it was raining, they decided to follow Sun-Woo''s advice. Dae-Man roughly wiped the water off his face with his hand and turned his body toward his teammates.

    "Everyone, let¡¯s go into that cathedral over there!" he shouted while pointing at a nearby building.

    It seemed to be a building that had been used as a cathedral before the battle with Wrath, which was why the building was sorge and in good condition. Despite the fact that it was still an abandoned building, it was sufficient to take shelter from the rain for a while. When Sun-Woo said to choose a rtively intact building, he had emphasized the importance of choosing a building that could block the rain.

    "Let''s wait here for a moment."

    Dae-Man removed his clothes upon entering the cathedral and wrung them out. Although there were female students among his teammates, no one paid any attention. Everyone knew that Dae-Man had a habit of taking off his clothes wherever he went.

    He had intentionally worn very thin clothes today, so there was not much difference whether he wore them or not. Dae-Man looked around in that state. Everyone was soaked due to the rain. Perhaps because they had moved very quickly, their tired faces already showed signs of exhaustion.

    "Hmm."

    It seemed like Sun-Woo had given instructions to choose a suitable building to rest in, as it would be difficult for the team members to exercise their full capabilities in the rain. Dae-Man expressed admiration for Sun-Woo''s instructions, which had considered both the weather and the capabilities of the team members, and began checking the personnel who entered the building.

    <i>"Check the personnel regrly."</i>

    This was also something he was doing because Sun-Woo had requested for him to do so. The length of the exam was long and there were arge number of students taking the exam, so it would be difficult to rejoin with any unexpected deserters.

    The total number of members in the Pdin-D team was ten. So there should be ten people in this building as well. Dae-Man raised his fingers to count the number of team members.

    <i>One, two, three...</i>

    "Nine, ten."

    It was correct. Fortunately, there didn''t seem to be any missing personnel. At that moment, a question crossed Dae-Man''s mind. Since Sun-Woo decided to act alone and left the team, although there were ten members in total, there should have only been nine members present here.

    Then why were there ten people?

    Maybe he had miscounted. Dae-Man stared at each member''s face one by one and recounted.

    "..."

    An unfamiliar face caught Dae-Man''s eye. Not only their face, but everything from their physique to their skin color was unfamiliar. Their build was too frail to be a pdin. They had pure white skin and hair that looked like untouched snow in the middle of winter. She was sitting next to the confessional in the corner of the cathedral, trembling due to getting drenched in rain.

    It was Ha-Yeon from the Department of Priests. Dae-Man stared intently at her, and soon she also noticed Dae-Man''s presence.

    Her mouth opened halfway and her eyes widened.

    "..."

    With a pale face, she tried to slowly get up from her seat. However, perhaps because she had lost strength in her legs, she repeatedly failed to lift herself up. At this point in time, the other members of Pdin-D also began to notice Ha-Yeon''s presence. It was such an overwhelmingly distinctive appearance that it was difficult to ignore. Ha-Yeon confronted a group of nine pdins from Pdin-D by herself. A cold silence filled the air.

    Someone''s shout broke the silence.

    "...What are you all doing? Quick, catch them!"

    Ha-Yeon was cautiously taking steps backward, but suddenly turned around and started running. However, it was futile to escape. Between Ha-Yeon and Dae-Man, without even needing to do aparison, it was fairly obvious who was faster. Before Ha-Yeon could even take a few steps, Dae-Man was already behind her.

    <i>Click!</i>

    Handcuffs were ced on Ha-Yeon''s wrist. These handcuffs were mainly used to arrest corrupt or rebellious clergymen. It was a holy artifact that controlled the flow of divine power within their bodies to incapacitate them.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    She had failed to get far from the confessional corner before the handcuffs drained her strength and she slumped down on the spot. Initially, she was startled by Dae-Man and lost strength in her legs, but now the handcuffspletely immobilized her body. It was to the extent that she couldn¡¯t even move her toes. She wanted to say something in an attempt to resist, but she couldn''t even open her mouth.

    Dae-Man looked down at her with wide eyes.

    <i>"When it rains, go to the nearest intact building and wait. There might be unexpected encounters."</i>

    Sun-Woo''s words resounded in Dae-Man''s ears. His words were like a prophecy, urately predicting the future.

 Chapter 168

    <h4>Chapter 168</h4>

    Jin-Seo, a member of the Crusaders-J team, went to the designated starting point indicated on her digital watch. The atmosphere was chilly, perhaps because everyone in the team was unfamiliar with each other or perhaps because everyone was tense due to the practical exam.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo silently turned her head and scanned the faces of her teammates. She vaguely remembered seeing them during crusader practical training sessions, but she didn¡¯t remember any of their names. It wasn''t very surprising since she didn¡¯t know the names of most people, but...

    "Good to see you again!"

    There was one face that she recognized. She still didn''t know the girl¡¯s name, but she couldn''t forget her face.

    "...What are you doing?"

    "What do you mean, what am I doing? We''re on the same team. Aren''t you also on the Crusaders-J team?"

    It turned out she was on the same team as the student who sat next to her and noisily droned on on the bus. The student greeted her with a smile, and as if trying to prove something, she showed Jin-Seo her team by holding up her digital watch. The characters Crusaders-J were clearly on the watch disy, indicating that they belonged to the same team.

    "Am I right?" the student asked.

    Jin-Seo nodded with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

    "Yeah... looks like I¡¯m really unlucky."

    "That''s a bit harsh!"

    "Tsk."

    Jin-Seo clicked her tongue and ignored the student¡¯s words. A few persistent students would always try to be friendly with her despite her showing dislike. This was the first time she encountered someone who didn''t seem to be persistently unaffected by her harsh words. Looking at the innocent expression of the student staring at her, Jin-Seo gave up and sighed deeply.

    "...Let''s juste up with a n," Jin-Seo said while calling her team members together.

    The teams belonging to the Department of Crusaders were given two types of special equipment. One looked like a small grenadeuncher, loaded with holy shbangs and holy smoke grenades. They seemed useful for obstructing the enemy''s vision during battles. Each team was given two grenadeunchers, and only four holy shbangs and smoke grenades each.

    "What is this... a whip?" Jin-Seo murmured.

    Jin-Seo held the second piece of special equipment in her hand and swung it a few times. At first nce, it looked like a whip, but it was too light and only had one cord fastened on the handle. This made it difficult to use inbat unless it was thrown around the opponent''s ankles like asso. Two of these were given to each of the teams.

    Jin-Seo suggested that two of them go toward the area where the priests were located to capture hostages, while the remaining eight should find clergymen to obtain tokens. Jin-Seo also added that the eight members didn''t need to stick together and suggested that splitting into groups of four would be more efficient. Some members questioned whether it would be disadvantageous in battle if they scattered, but Jin-Seo firmly shook her head.

    "Crusaders are better off scattered."

    Even during the Holy War, crusaders had been organized into separate units and had conducted operations in smaller groups. Since each crusader had strong individuality and pride, the most effective way to maximize their capabilities was to allow each of them to do their own thing. If they were forced to cooperate, it would just end up bing chaotic.

    Moreover, since the crusaders were given two types of equipment, if the situation became unfavorable, they could just escape by using the equipment. Therefore, the Crusaders-J team that Jin-Seo belonged to decided to divide into three teams which wereposed of a team of two, a team of four, and another team of four.

    The key issue was who would go to the area where the priests were located to capture the hostages. While everyone was hesitating, Jin-Seo stepped forward.

    "If no one else will go, I''ll go. Anyone cane with me."

    "I''ll go!"

    "...Is there anyone else besides her?"

    Jin-Seo looked around for another candidate, but everyone else frantically avoided eye contact. She let out a deep sigh and set off on the road with the student. The other two teams, which consisted of four members each, were given miniature grenadeunchers, while Jin-Seo brought a whip. Honestly, it didn¡¯t seem like it would be of much help even if she brought it along, but she figured it would be better for her to carry it around than anyone else.

    "Where are you going now? Did you say you were going to the Department of Priests¡¯ camp?"

    "..."

    The student droned on next to her, but Jin-Seo continued walking to her destination without responding. She thought that if she walked quickly, the girl would get tired and naturally shut up, but the student continued to talk without any signs of stopping.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been stonewalling me since earlier. I¡¯m starting to get annoyed,¡± the student mockingly said to Jin-Seo, who didn''t respond no matter how many times she spoke to her.

    Jin-Seo looked down at the student with a stiff expression.

    "If you open your mouth one more time..."

    She menacingly raised the whip she was holding and gestured toward the rope with her hand.

    "I''ll tie you up with this and leave you behind."

    "..."

    It was then that the student finally closed her mouth. It was impossible to tell what was so entertaining about the situation, but for some reason, her lips curved into a wide smile.

    ***

    <i>[Team Pdin-D hostage capture: Team Priest-H Ha-Yeon]</i>

    The above message appeared on the screen of the electronic watch. When the handcuffs came into contact with the electronic watch, it seemed to automatically recognize that the user was in a ¡°hostage¡± state.

    The capture of Ha-Yeon, who could be considered the core of the Department of Priests''bat power, was a significant win from the perspective of the Department of Pdins.

    ¡°...¡±

    On the other hand, Ha-Yeon was extremely embarrassed. She had always disliked rain. It was because her days of misfortune were always apanied by rain.

    Back when she was kidnapped by an unknown man in her early childhood and when she encountered the taxidermied creature that was separated into the head, torso, and lower body, it had also rained on those days.

    Ha-Yeon even despised the cold sensation of wet clothes sticking to her body after getting soaked in the rain. That was why she had briefly sought shelter in a building to avoid the rain, but she unfortunately happened to encounter Dae-Man after doing so. If she had known this would happen, she would have stayed together with her other team members. She regretted having a tantrum about going alone...

    "Please, let me go."

    "No, I can¡¯t."

    "I can''t walk. All my strength left my body because of this..." Ha-Yeon pleaded while pointing to the handcuffs with her chin.

    However, Dae-Man simply shook his head expressionlessly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that unless the team leader instructs us to do so.¡±

    "The team leader... isn¡¯t you?"

    "No, it''s Sun-Woo," Dae-Man said.

    Ha-Yeon closed her mouth. She hadn¡¯t expected Dae-Man and Sun-Woo to be on the same team. She had no idea what the teachers were thinking when they assigned them to the same team. They had said that the teams would be assigned fairly, but that was bullshit.

    "Then where is Sun-Woo...?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    It was difficult for her to finish her sentence. It was partly because the handcuffs were sapping her strength, but more than anything, it was because Dae-Man''s presence was too overwhelming. In fact, it would have been fine if it was Sun-Woo, but because Dae-Man''s face and body were too scary, it was difficult for her to speakfortably.

    "I don''t know either," Dae-Man answered Ha-Yeon''s question as if he was stating the obvious.

    Ha-Yeon stared at Dae-Man with a puzzled look.

    "No... I mean, can¡¯t you contact him with the watch?"

    "I tried, but it¡¯s turned off."

    "Is it okay for the leader to act individually like that?"

    "Weren''t you alone too? That''s also the reason why we were able to capture you."

    "..."

    Dae-Man always seemed foolish, but sometimes he would verbally strike the weak points of her argument. Ha-Yeon had no way of refuting what he had said, so she just shut her mouth. It seemed better to stay silent and to wait until her team members came to rescue her than to say unnecessary words.

    "...It seems like it¡¯ll stop raining soon."

    Dae-Man checked the outside weather through the broken stained ss window of the cathedral. The rain hadn''tpletely stopped yet, but the raindrops seemed to be getting lighter. There was also no more thunder and lightning. Thanks to taking shelter from the rain and resting in the cathedral, the team members looked like they were in much better condition than before. At this point, they would be able to either move to where the priests were located, or they could go meet some clergymen to obtain tokens.

    Dae-Man figured that it was best not to decide what to do with Ha-Yeon until Sun-Woo arrived.

    "Alright, let''s go."

    Dae-Man tried to lift Ha-Yeon up and leave together with her, but Ha-Yeon shook her head.

    "...It''s still raining."

    "It''s okay even if we get a little wet."

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon didn''t want to be touched by even a single drop of rain. Dae-Man stared at Ha-Yeon, who had no intention of getting up, and went into deep thought. Ha-Yeon wasn''t a member of the Pdin-D team, nor was she a servant. She was just a hostage, so it was natural for Ha-Yeon not to follow Dae-Man''s orders. After all, she had no obligation to obey him. However, they couldn''t just stay here all day, and they couldn¡¯t leave Ha-Yeon alone without knowing when they would meet Sun-Woo, thus...

    "I''vee up with a good method. I''ll just carry you around."

    This was the conclusion he reached after repeatedly pondering all the possibilities a multitude of times. Ha-Yeon blinked her eyes and trembled due to shock.

    "I-I hate that even more!"

    "If you refuse toe out, there''s no other choice. I can''t stay here until the rain stops."

    "Wait a moment. Our team members will be here soon. I''ll call them, and after that we can©¤"

    <i>Creak!</i>

    It was at that moment that the cathedral door opened. Ha-Yeon secretly cheered, thinking that her team members hade to rescue her. In reality, they would end up exchanging tokens with hostages, but any method would suffice as long as she could remove these handcuffs.

    "...What¡¯s this?"

    However, the ones who entered were not Ha-Yeon''s team members. They were two female students with bizarrely shaped weapons. At first, it was difficult to recognize them due to their wet hair sticking to their faces as a result of the rain. The two of them wiped their wet hair away in sync as if they had nned to do so beforehand. Only then did their faces be visible.

    "No way, it''s Su-Ryeon!" Dae-Man eximed in surprise.

    Although Su-Ryeon didn''t say anything, her expression clearly showed her astonishment. In Su-Ryeon''s hand was a small grenadeuncher given to the team belonging to the Department of Crusaders. Instead of thinking about shooting the grenadeuncher, Su-Ryeon just stared at Dae-Man with a shocked expression.

    In the brief moment of silence that urred during the confrontation, the female student standing next to Su-Ryeon said, "...Dae-Man. What the fuck, man? You¡¯ve taken it a little too far. Do you seriously think you can just forget my face like that?"

    Her lips were twisted into such a sinister smile that it had distorted into something that couldn¡¯t really be called a smile. She was holding a whip in her right hand.

    It was Min-Seo.

    She had been so focused on her recovery that she hadn''t even taken the written exams, and she appeared with bandages tightly wrapped around one ankle.

    Dae-Man and Ha-Yeon still hadn''t grasped the situation. It seemed like she wasn¡¯t fully recovered yet, so why was someone who should be in the hospital at the examination site?

    "Su-Ryeon!"

    At that moment, Min-Seo signaled to Su-Ryeon while swinging the whip.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Su-Ryeon skillfully loaded a grenade and pulled the trigger. With a dull gunshot, a grenade was fired. One shotnded in the middle of the cathedral and released hazy smoke. The smoke filled the cathedral so densely that it was impossible to see anything.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Su-Ryeon pulled the trigger once again at an incredible speed. The second bullet was a holy shbang. It pierced through the smoke-filled cathedral and directly hit none other than Dae-Man''s forehead.

    <i>Boom¡ª!</i>

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    With the sound of the holy shbang exploding, Dae-Man let out a low scream. A sh simr to the light of blessing burst out from the bullet, momentarily blinding Dae-Man. Without losing hisposure, Dae-Man tried to regain his vision by blinking.

    "Nice shot, Su-Ryeon!"

    However, Min-Seo didn''t allow that momentary opportunity to go to waste. She drew two blessing arrays and fused them, breaking through the hazy smoke and running toward Dae-Man.

    Dae-Man regained his vision. However, it was already toote. Due to the failure to fuse the spell, the collision phenomena urred, and a blessing array that was on the verge of explosion was right in front of Dae-Man.

    "Dae-Man, I have no ill feelings toward you! Actually, I might have some!" Min-Seo shouted.

    For some reason, it felt like Min-Seo had gotten crazier than before she was hospitalized.

    <i>Boom¡ª!</i>

    The blessing array exploded. The chandelier, which adorned the middle of the cathedral, shook from the aftermath of the explosion.

 Chapter 169

    <h4>Chapter 169</h4>

    With quick steps, Jin-Seo headed toward where the priests were located. The student following her was gasping for breath because she was struggling to keep up. However, Jin-Seo didn¡¯t pay any attention to her. If she didn¡¯t have the confidence to follow her, then she shouldn¡¯t have followed along in the first ce.

    <i>Pitter, patter.</i>

    It started to rain. The rain didn¡¯t cease after a few raindrops. Instead, it intensified into a heavy downpour. Thunder roared and lightning struck down.

    "Huff, huff... hey, slow down a bit... kyaah!"

    Every time there was a thunderstrike, the student trembled and cowered in fear. She had nned on walking toward the priests¡¯ location, regardless of whether it rained or not, but looking at the current situation, it seemed like it would be difficult to do so.

    "Go into that building."

    "Huh, huff... huff. Where?"

    "Over there. Can''t you see?"

    Jin-Seo pointed to a building nearby and started walking toward it. She had no intention of staying there until the rain stopped. She nned to rest only until the student regained her stamina. She wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about the student or anything like that. It was because the raindrops were starting to get heavy, and hence it was getting harder for her to open her eyes.

    Inside the building that she had picked without much thought, there was already an upant.

    "Nice to see you. Aren''t you the friend I sawst time?" Joseph said with a smile.

    Although he was clearly smiling, there was a strange sense of pressure in the way he was standing still with his hands behind his back.

    Jin-Seo silently stared at him, and Joseph nodded as if he understood and said, "Well, I suppose greetings would just be a waste of time from your perspective... Alright, will you try the test I have prepared?"

    "...I would like to know what kind of test it is first," Jin-Seo asked with a determined expression on her face.

    Joseph nodded, took something out of his pocket, and ced it on the table behind him.

    "It''s simple. You just have to deal with my interference and steal this g,¡± Joseph said while pointing to the g.

    It was a rtivelyrge g, about one meter high and fifty centimeters wide. It seemed like it would be a walk in the park to steal such arge g, considering that it was inside such a narrow indoor space.

    If the opponent wasn¡¯t Joseph, that is.

    Jin-Seo lost confidence as soon as she heard the details of the test. She had witnessed Joseph and Sun-Woo sparring at the sacred training ground before, and she had seen their movements. In her current state, those movements were impossible for her to copy and keep up with.

    "Decide quickly whether you''re going to do it or not. Yourpetitors will be collecting tokens while you hesitate," Joseph urged.

    Jin-Seo examined the interior of the building and contemted. The area inside the building was small, and the ceiling was high. The floor was made out of wood. There were many furniture items such as bookshelves, wardrobes, and chairs that could be utilized. Above all, there were rods for curtains hanging on the walls. If she could utilize those rods well, she would be able to create new variables. However, the key was whether she would be able to utilize the rod effectively.

    "How many tokens can I get if I manage to steal the g?"

    "Up to a maximum of five tokens. Within this area, I am the one with the most tokens."

    "Five..."

    Jin-Seo recalled the words the supervisor had said before the exam started. She heard that if someone met a clergyman andpleted a task of average difficulty, they would earn one token. If the task was slightly more difficult, it would be worth two tokens. And if someonepleted a task that was so difficult that it would lead to failure in most cases, they would receive three tokens.

    A student would get four tokens for tasks that were not only difficult but also time-consuming. That meant that five tokens would, without a doubt, be the highest level of difficulty.

    "..."

    However, just like Joseph had said, his task was simple and clear. Whether she seeded or failed, it felt like it wouldn¡¯t take too much time. If that was the case, then she had nothing to lose.

    "Alright, what are you going to do¡ª"

    <i>Tap!</i>

    Jin-Seo dashed toward the g without even responding to Joseph''s words. Having observed Joseph''s movements before, she knew that it was impossible to snatch the g using conventional methods. Thus, the only option was tounch a surprise attack.

    She didn¡¯t give Joseph a chance to react, and she didn''t even give him time to mentally prepare himself or adjust his posture. If she rushed while he was in that state, he would inevitably be flustered. Jin-Seo nned on snatching the g by taking advantage of the small opportunity that arose while he was flustered.

    Since she was executing a surprise attack, she directly darted toward the g without deviating off course. She stepped off the ground while taking the most optimal path toward the g. In reality, it would be more urate to say that she was throwing her body at the g rather than running toward it.

    "Woah there."

    <i>Thud!</i>

    However, her fingertips failed to reach the g and she ended up colliding with the ground. Jin-Seo failed toprehend what had happened in that instant. As if she had been swept away by a wave, she had beenpletely unable to resist, before crashing to the ground.

    "Argh...!"

    The pain came inter. A tingling pain pulsated from her lower back to her head. Jin-Seo grabbed her waist and just barely managed to stand up. At some point, Joseph had entered his fighting posture and was staring intently at Jin-Seo.

    ¡°I won¡¯t go hard enough for you to get injured, but it will hurt. Deal with thending yourself.¡±

    "..."

    With an exceedingly casual expression on his face, Joseph even had the leisure to give advice to Jin-Seo.

    "The surprise attack was good. However, it would have been better if you put some more thought into it. Perhaps utilize your colleague as well,¡± Joseph said.

    A blood vessel in Jin-Seo''s forehead twitched. Jin-Seo gritted her teeth and stared at her opponent with eyes filled with unprecedented sharpness. The student watching the situation unfold from behind without understanding what happened hesitantly approached her.

    "Um, should I join in too?"

    "You said you were tired earlier. Just take a break."

    "But still, staying still is a bit..."

    Jin-Seo turned her head and stared into the student''s eyes. The student stumbled back in surprise. It was because Jin-Seo''s gaze was filled with an indiscernible mix of wrath, resentment, or perhaps determination.

    "Take a break."

    "Alright..."

    The student finally gave up and stepped back. Jin-Seo turned her gaze back to Joseph. His posture was not much different from before. He had a strange stance that made it unclear whether he was going to attack or defend. However, both attack and defense were intertwined within that stance. Jin-Seo knew that through both experience and instinct.

    Her surprise attack failed, and her brute force strategy had also failed. Jin-Seo shifted her eyes and observed the interior of the room: the terrain, objects in the room, her equipment, and the blessings she could use. She had to use everything she had in a strategic manner in order for her to have a chance to seed.

    "I forgot to tell you about something. The time limit is three minutes. I''ll keep track of the time."

    "..."

    Even after hearing those words, Jin-Seo didn''t move and just quietly stared at Joseph. No matter how much she utilized the terrain and her equipment, she wouldn¡¯t be able to shake off Joseph with such sluggish movements. Jin-Seo recalled what Do-Jin had said at the sacred training ground after Joseph and Sun-Woo left.

    <i>"You use blessings too honestly."</i>

    <i>¡°...What?"</i>

    <i>"You''re too honest. You don''t have any intention of utilizing the blessings."</i>

    <i>"How long can you maintain your blessings?"</i>

    <i>"Um... about twenty minutes."</i>

    <i>"Compress that to ten, twenty seconds or so. Think of using the blessing as if you are using a burst of strength within a short amount of time. Then, you should be able to explosively increase the efficiency of the blessing for a brief moment.¡±</i>

    Depending on the situation, there were times when using a blessing on a specific part of the body was more efficient than using the blessing on the entire body.

    Simrly, what Do-Jin had tried to exin was that the efficiency of the blessing would increase if the usage of a blessing waspressed into a shorter time frame. However, Do-Jin had never told her the method ofpressing the blessing into a shorter time frame.

    <i>- "How do I use that technique?"</i>

    <i>- "I have no idea. I learned it instinctively, you see."</i>

    Do-Jin had irresponsibly said that.

    After that, she didn¡¯t try to practice using the technique. She didn¡¯t know if she would be able to learn it through practice or not. She believed that there was a high probability that she wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out how to use it.

    However, not even attempting it due to being preupied with the possibility of failure was cowardly. Jin-Seo believed that now was the time to try the technique that she had learned from Do-Jin.

    She drew a blessing array. It was a blessing array that she had drawn hundreds of times, and it took only a few seconds to draw. The moment the light of blessing wrapped around her legs¡ª

    <i>Crack!</i>

    The wooden floor broke due to the strength of her legs kicking off the floor. Using the momentum, Jin-Seo charged toward Joseph in a straight path once again.

    "Oh..." Joseph eximed.

    It couldn¡¯tpare to the speed that Sun-Woo had disyedst time, but it was still incredibly fast. However, it was just fast andcked anyplexities in the movement. It was regrettable that she was only charging straight at him. When Joseph took his stance and was just about to throw her to the opposite side from the g¡ª

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    With a sound like that of a gunshot, Jin-Seo''s figure disappeared. Joseph moved only his eyes to find her. She wasn¡¯t on the right. She wasn¡¯t on the left either. No matter how fast she was, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for her to go behind him from this angle.

    That meant...

    She was above.

    Jin-Seo held onto the rod that was hanging on the wall and crouched down as if the wall was the floor. She drew one more blessing array in that state. It was a simple blessing of strength. However, it was not a lesser blessing, but an intermediate one. In that short period of time, Jin-Seo had drawn an intermediate blessing array.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    The rod that was hanging on the wall broke. At the same time, her body bounced up and rushed toward the g. He didn¡¯t think that her physical abilities would be so great because of her slender frame, but the sticity and flexibility of her muscles were beyond his expectations.

    Her strategy was also excellent. She made it look like she was recklessly charging in a straight path to make the opponent let their guard down, and then she soared up into the sky, which was his blind spot. If Joseph''s judgment had been a little slower, he would have surrendered the g to her.

    "Impressive."

    Her speed and strategy were enough to surprise Joseph. It was impressive no matter how he looked at it. However, there was one thing that was stillcking.

    "Still too slow."

    <i>Thump!</i>

    Jin-Seo''s body copsed onto the ground. Even as this was happening, her eyes were still fixed on the g. Joseph admired her determination and perseverance but secretly felt disappointed. He wondered what it would have been like if she were in the Department of Pdins. However, since Sun-Woo was already in the Department of Pdins... No matter how fast this student was,pared to Sun-Woo, she was still slow.

    Joseph shook off these thoughts and leaned forward with the intention of lifting Jin-Seo up.

    <i>Swish!</i>

    At that moment, Jin-Seo swung the whip she was holding.

    "Got¡ª!"

    The whip passed by Joseph and wrapped around the g. This was what she had been aiming for from the start. She had moved as quickly as possible to disrupt Joseph''s focus, and then she used the whip to snatch the g when he let his guard down. Jin-Seo pulled on the rope with all her strength.

    ¡°...you?"

    However, the g was not wrapped around the whip that she had pulled.

    "This time was really unfortunate!¡±

    The g was in Joseph''s hand. Although she had sessfully caught the g with the whip, Joseph had managed to snatch it back midway. He had absurdly quick reflexes. Jin-Seo looked back and forth between Joseph and the g with a bewildered look in her eyes. She felt a sense of despair when she realized that she still couldn''t defeat him despite her efforts.

    "Here, take these."

    Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t help but find this situation strange. Joseph was handing her three tokens as if it were obvious.

    "Didn''t I say earlier that you can obtain up to a maximum of five tokens?"

    "..."

    "If you manage to steal the g, you get five. Just moving the g alone gives you three. This is yours. Take it quickly and leave. Don''t you have limited time?"

    Joseph shook the hand holding the tokens. Jin-Seo received the tokens with a bitter expression on her face.

    Joseph stared at her intently and said, "I suppose birds of a feather flock together."

    "Huh?"

    "No, never mind. Hurry up and go."

    Joseph backpedaled what he said earlier as he waved his hand. Joseph''s presence here was not only to test the students as an examiner but more importantly, it was to prepare for a possible attack by the Satanists.

    The academy had deployed personnel capable ofbat andbat support throughout the examination site so that even in the event of a disturbance, they could suppress the disturbance without suffering significant casualties. Due to this, Joseph felt extremely annoyed. He couldn''t shake off the feeling that he was being used as a shield by Florence Academy.

    The students taking the exam showed abilities that were below expectations. They all fell short and disyed less than half of what Sun-Woo could do. He hadn¡¯t expected Sun-Woo¡¯s level of skill, but he had expected at least half his level of skill from the students.

    It was when he was starting to feel bored that Jin-Seo arrived. When he saw herst time, he thought that she was a female student who was friendly with Sun-Woo, but he didn''t expect her to show such an excellent performance. It was a pleasant surprise.

    "Birds of a feather flock together..."

    Jin-Seo quietly repeated Joseph''s words and looked up at the sky as she left the building with the student in tow. The heavy raindrops had gradually be lighter, and the weather was gradually clearing up. Thin sunlight timidly peeked out through the clouds.

 Chapter 170

    <h4>Chapter 170</h4>

    The demon crouched underground, remaining still as if it was waiting for the right time to hatch.

    I had no idea what would happen if it emerged from the ground. Just by looking at its appearance, I could tell that it was different from the weak and puny demons I had faced before. Could I defeat that demon with Granbwa''s power? If it was impossible topletely dominate the demon, I could at least try to prevent them froming up to the surface during the practical exam.

    "Granbwa, lend me©¤"

    [No.]

    Granbwa responded with a firm rejection.

    "Ah, what is it this time?!" I shouted in frustration.

    I had to stop the demons, even if it meant I had to put something on the line. Now was not the time to worry about the drawbacks of the power or what state I was in.

    [All the nts nearby have rotted and died.]

    "...Why?"

    [It seems the demon is oozing demonic energy from its body. Even the soil... it¡¯spletely rotten,] Granbwa said, her voice devoid of strength.

    It seemed like she was trying to say it wasn¡¯t that she didn''t want to help me, but she had no way to help.

    I sat down on the ground, lowering my head.

    "Then what should I do..."

    I couldn¡¯t stop the demon from using Granbwa''s power because the demonic energy it emitted killed all the nts. But I couldn''t just stand by and watch it emerge from below the ground and cause chaos on the surface. People would die. A lot of them.

    There must be a method to subdue the creature underground other than using Granbwa''s power. There was a Loa suitable for this kind of situation. However, that bastard...

    My head was spinning. I drew a spell array.

    <i>Shwa...</i>

    I was engulfed in the mist from the intoxication spell. My consciousness cleared up. Perhaps it wasn''t actually clearing but rather the illusion of rity brought on by pleasure. But right now, I didn¡¯t care which one it was.

    Rather than spending my time thinking, I decided to walk instead. I didn¡¯t know when my stamina would run out. If I became too exhausted to use Dan Wedo''s power or Sobo''s power, it would be difficult to re-enter the examination site.

    For now, I decided to return to the examination site. Afterward, I would think about the method to defeat the demon. If a suitable method still didn''te to mind, then I would handle it myself. Unless I got caught, I¡¯d use Bossu¡¯s power or whatever it took to stop it from happening.

    [Reckless and arrogant.]

    [A little reckless, I suppose. Not sure about the arrogance.]

    Dan Wedo''s power gradually weakened, and the raindrops became thinner.

    Legba and Baron Samedi had spoken almost simultaneously. Had there ever been a time when their opinions came together this seamlessly? Just as I was thinking so, Legba spoke once more.

    [It''s arrogant to think that you can subdue it with the limited power you have.]

    "There''s no other way," I retorted as I walked toward the examination site.

    My steps were heavy, and annoyanceced my voice.

    [You don''t have to be the one who steps forward. They will take care of it.]

    By <i>they</i>, Legba was referring to the Romanican Church clergymen. He was saying that the clergymen would take care of the demon even if I didn''t step forward, but I couldn''t agree.

    If that happened, then casualties were inevitable. Easily, several clergymen would die, and if they were unlucky, even the F.A. students could die while getting caught in the crossfire.

    [That would be a <i>small sacrifice</i> that they would have to endure.]

    "..."

    [It''s not even your duty, so there''s no need for your sacrifice,] Legba said in a cold and dry tone, devoid of any emotion.

    Most of what he said was not wrong. I had no reason to worry about the deaths of the Romanican Church clergymen. But there was one thing he was wrong about.

    "This <i>is</i> my duty."

    If there were any casualties during the fight, the academic schedule would be pushed back to deal with the aftermath and investigations of the truth. If students got injured during the battle between demons and clergymen, another school closure order may be issued. The missionary trip schedule could not be dyed any further. If that happened, all my ns would be disrupted and postponed.

    [Consider the possibility that clergymen could subdue the demon without any casualties. You should believe in their abilities,] Legba said.

    I could tell he was trying to test me with his tone. I smirked and shook my head.

    "Some people just can¡¯t be trusted. Aren¡¯t I right?"

    ***

    There was a bright sh in front of Dae-Man¡¯s eyes, followed by a pitch-ck darkness. His field of vision kept flickering and disappearing. After rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, he could barely open his eyes. However, all he could make out was hazy smoke.

    <i>Boom-!</i>

    A loud explosion pierced through the smoke. The shockwave spread throughout his body. He fell backward, and he copsed onto the floor. It felt as if his back and shoulders were breaking. A cold sensation quivered through his waist. He tried to get up, but he just couldn¡¯t seem to get any strength in his legs.

    The shockwave cleared up the smoke. Min-Seo ran toward Dae-Man, her eyes red open. Min-Seo''s demonic eyes were approaching him, and Dae-Man felt a familiar sense of fear.

    It was no coincidence that the phrase, "free yourself like the bird that flees from the snare of the fowler," suddenly came to mind. Dae-Man had experienced something simr, no, something even more terrible and tragic in the distant past.

    Dae-Man had received help from an unknown man covered in blood amidst a situation that resembled a bottomless pit, leaving him with no choice but to move forward or backward. The phrase was one of the phrases that the man muttered.

    "Graa...!" Dae-Man screamed loudly, using his arms to push himself up from the ground.

    He was determined to get up, and if his legs weren¡¯t moving, he would use his hands instead. He managed to stand up, but now the problem was what came next. He barely had the strength to stand but had no strength to move. If he extended his legs right now, he was undoubtedly going to strain his back. However, if he stayed still, Min-Seo would attack him. Whether he moved and got hurt or stayed there and got hurt, it would end all the same. Dae-Man lowered his posture and prepared to counterattack the approaching Min-Seo.

    <i>Krrk. </i>

    Right then, Min-Seo abruptly stopped rushing toward Dae-Man like a predator stalking prey. Amidst the swirling smoke, Min-Seo''s intense gaze was glued on Dae-Man. He instinctively sensed danger. He shouldn¡¯t move, not even an inch.

    <i>Swish¨C!</i>

    A projectile grazed past Dae-Man''s eyes. The sharp sound of wind tearing and the fog splitting echoed throughout the cathedral. Dae-Man turned his head and looked at Su-Ryeon who had just fired the shot. She momentarily put down her gun and was in the midst of casting an intermediate blessing of peacefulness.

    "Ah, so close..." Su-Ryeon muttered as she saw that Dae-Man had spotted her and went back to cast the blessing of peacefulness.

    The light of blessing enveloped her body, melting away the tension and calming her trembling hands. She loaded the ammo again and aimed the barrel at Dae-Man. Her gaze was fixed on her target, and it felt like time was passing slowly to her.

    She was great at immersion and concentration. Thanks to this quality, she excelled in her studies and could handle blessings proficiently, but she, for some reason, could never be ustomed to fighting. She could have just applied to the Department of Priests, but she wanted to be a crusader, even if it meant risking her life.

    That was why she had picked up marksmanship and archery. It was more urate to say that she had engraved the art of archery within herself through repetitive practice rather than saying she had learned the craft. But that didn¡¯t really matter.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    A dull gunshot echoed. Drawing a low parab in the air, the projectile flew toward Dae-Man''s forehead. Even that seemed to move slowly in Su-Ryeon''s eyes.

    Without fail, the projectile hit Dae-Man''s square between his eyes. The radiant beams of light from the sacred shbang blinded Dae-Man. Instinctively, Dae-Man covered his eyes and struggled.

    Min-Seo didn''t miss this opportunity. She cast the blessing of lesser strength on both her legs and leaped forward. Her toes flew toward Dae-Man''s chin.

    <i>Kwak! </i>

    "Oof...!"

    Instead of hitting Dae-Man¡¯s chin, Min-Seo''s foot struck his neck. Although he avoided being knocked out because it wasn¡¯t a direct hit, it still hurt a lot. Dae-Man held his neck and staggered backward. His blurred vision showed no signs of returning to normal as he had been hit by the sacred shbang twice in a row.

    Dae-Man decided to close his eyes and crouch down instead. Then, he took continuous steps back. It seemed like he was trying to escape.

    Min-Seo looked at him and let out a hollowugh as if she couldn''t believe what she was seeing.

    "Were... were you always so pathetic?"

    "..."

    Min-Seo took out the handcuffs from her pocket and shook them, striding toward Dae-Man.

    "Stop that and just give me your hand. I''ll make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt when I put the handcuffs on."

    Dae-Man just took steps back without saying anything, trying to gauge the possibility of him winning the fight. He had injured his waist from Min-Seo¡¯s explosion. His legs felt weak, and he couldn¡¯t see. However, that alone couldn''t be considered a disadvantage. Min-Seo, just like Dae-Man, was partaking in the practical exam with an injured body.

    The problem was Su-Ryeon. Dae-Man¡¯s team members were failing to regain theirposure due to the thick smoke that spread in the cathedral, and he, the onlybatant, had lost his eyesight due to the sacred shbang. If things continued out like this, there was no way he could win.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    That was when it happened. Something touched the back of Dae-Man''s heel. He reached out with his arm and felt the object behind him. It was the wall.

    ¡°Oh, Dae-Man, that there is a dead end. Let''s get it over with and surrender already! What you have going for yourself right now is not a good look."

    Min-Seo approached, shaking the handcuffs. Her voice was threatening and filled with madness.

    Dae-Man lowered his stance and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes, which had been tightly shut. His pupils were filled with a resolute determination that could be perceived as threatening.

    "SUN-WOOO©¤!" Dae-Man''s shout echoed through the cathedral.

    Min-Seo reflexively staggered back and covered her ears. His voice was loud enough to feel like one¡¯s eardrums would burst if one were too close to him.

    On Dae-Man''s arm sparkled the most brilliant and beautiful light of blessing ever. The Holy Name of Diligence and the Holy Name of Charity were referred to by the same title: the Pope''s Spear. The blessing received by the Holy Name of Diligence was called Well. If the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was about directing power to specific ces, Well dealt with the umtion of power. It was a blessing that allowed power umted through long hours of hard work to be released all at once. It was a blessing that perfectly matched the word diligence.

    Right at this moment, Dae-Man unleashed the power he had been saving up for a long time.

    <i>BAANG¨C!</i>

    His arm, wrapped in light, struck the old wall of the cathedral. With a sound that resembled an explosion, the umted dust and dirt on the wall sttered everywhere. Nearby windows shattered or cracked from the impact. A huge hole was punched through the wall, and Dae-Man''s fist was tattered and bleeding.

    The smoke that had filled the cathedral escaped and soared into the sky through the rifts in the window and the hole in the wall. It looked as if someone had lit up a fire beacon.

    "Grrgh, argggh!"

    Dae-Man''s resistance was not finished yet. He rushed toward Min-Seo, making beast-like noises. It was a reckless and clumsy charge, wed in too many ways. Min-Seo could have easily counterattacked. However, she distanced herself and retreated.

    "Ha, hoo, ha, hoo."

    "..."

    Min-Seo fell into contemtion as she watched Dae-Man catch his breath as if he were exercising. He had clearly called for Sun-Woo just now. With a voice of that caliber, it must have reached Sun-Woo''s ears. It seemed he had made a hole in the wall so that the smoke could escape in order to make it easier for Sun-Woo to find this ce.

    If that were the case, it would be fitting to take Dae-Man as a hostage, but he was resisting a lot more than expected. He was proving himself to be a nuisance to deal with even when she was going two-on-one against him with Su-Ryeon¡¯s aid. If Sun-Woo and Dae-Man joined forces and the fight turned into a two-on-two, the situation would significantly worsen.

    Should they give up on Dae-Man and take the other students hostage instead? No, the other students would be worthless as hostages. Even if their freedom were to be negotiated, Min-Seo wouldn¡¯t be able to get that many tokens, and negotiation itself may be impossible.

    Lost in thought, Min-Seo murmured, "No..."

    She needed to correct the premise. They shouldn''t assume that Sun-Woo woulde. It seemed like they weren¡¯t in the same group, and Sun-Woo would have no reason toe all the way here to help Dae-Man.

    That bastard was thorough and rational. It was obvious that he would think it would be a better use of his time to get tokens with his group rather than spend it helping Dae-Man. In that case...

    At that moment, a familiar voice sounded behind the smoke.

    "...Fuck, this isn''t the ce!"

    The voice was clearly familiar, but the tone and vocabry it used were not.

    Min-Seo stopped thinking and looked in Dae-Man''s direction. The sunlight seeping through the rift shone on the two of them.

    Dae-Man was exhausted. He was sitting, or rather slumped over on the verge of copse, on the floor. At first nce, the appearance of the man standing next to him was pitiful. His clothes were stained as if he had taken a bath in a mud pool, and blood was flowing from his hands. His hair was matted and dripping from the rain, and between them, his eyes glinted with madness.

    It was Sun-Woo!

    "Hey... hey! What the fuck, Su-Ryeon?¡± Min-Seo called for Su-Ryeon.

    But she was already stunned by the sight of Sun-Woo, whose eyes were unfocused. No one could tell what he was looking at. Su-Ryeon could predict where the opponent would move by looking into their eyes, but she couldn¡¯t predict Sun-Woo¡¯s next move.

    "Hoo, hoo..."

    Su-Ryeon used the blessing of peacefulness to calm down. She discreetly loaded a sacred shbang and aimed the barrel at Sun-Woo''s head, pulling the trigger.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    A gunshot rang out. Although her focus wavered slightly in thest moment, her aim held true. The projectile flew along the trajectory Su-Ryeon had predicted, closing in right between Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes.

    But she couldn''t let her guard down yet. Sun-Woo was not as slow as Dae-Man.

    <i>Thump</i>.

    Sun-Woo caught the projectile. It wasn''t that surprising of a feat. The small grenadeuncher that had been supplied wasn''t very powerful as it was meant for training purposes. This meant that it was possible to block or catch the projectile if one was incredibly agile or lucky.

    Su-Ryeon had anticipated such. After all, what she shot was a sacred shbang. It wasn''t meant to directly inflict damage but rather to blind the enemy with its sh when it exploded. She didn''t necessarily have to hit Sun-Woo with it. The bullet just needed to explode near the enemy.

    <i>Pssssh...</i>

    However, the projectile in Sun-Woo''s hand didn''t emit a sh. Instead, it emitted smoke and hissed.

    <i>¡®A dud...? No, I loaded it incorrectly!¡¯ </i>

    "Shit! Run!" Su-Ryeon quickly shouted at Min-Seo as she picked up the gun.

    Without looking back, the two of them ran toward the main entrance of the cathedral.

    "Close it."

    Meanwhile, most of the smoke had dissipated. Dae-Man growled, struggling to raise his body that had been pushed to its limit long ago.

    The team members, who had been scattered and disoriented due to the smoke and consecutive explosions, were graduallying to their senses.

    Dae-Man raised his finger and shouted, pointing toward the main gate.

    "Close the door!"

 Chapter 171

    <h4>Chapter 171</h4>

    Jin-Seo kept fidgeting with the three tokens she had received from Joseph. It was the first thing she had acquired, but for some reason, it felt like she had received them as a favor. Above all, Joseph''s words, ¡°birds of a feather flock together,¡± kepting to mind. The vague statement wasn''t apliment, but it made her feel good.

    She turned her head toward the girl and asked, "Are you okay?"

    "Huh? Um... yeah!" the girl answered, startled.

    Although she said she was fine, it seemed like she hadn''t fully recovered yet. She wasn¡¯t gasping for breath like before, but her pale lips had yet to regain their color.

    "Okay."

    Jin-Seo nodded without further questioning. Whether the girl recovered or not didn''t matter as long as she wasn¡¯t burdening her. Plus, worrying excessively would onlye off as a nuisance to her. The girl followed her silently, asionally stumbling but neverining.

    It was easy to acquire the token that came afterward. The tasks given by the other clergymen were easypared to Joseph''s assignment. Defeat a few mock demons, break apart a blessing array, analyze it, and answer a question... Such trivial tasks like these were all that were given to her.

    The girl felt like she was causing trouble for Jin-Seo, so she volunteered to take care of the tokens. However, once the amount of tokens she was carrying increased to more than ten, it was burdensome for her to carry them, even with the help of both hands and pockets. In the midst of this, Jin-Seo won two more tokens.

    The bewildered student showed her hands full of tokens and said, "Um... I-I don''t have any more hands."

    Jin-Seo pondered while holding the two tokens and then suddenly stretched her hand toward the girl¡¯s face.

    "Then put these in your mouth.¡±

    "Huh?"

    "Say ah. Quickly."

    The girl opened her mouth in surprise. Jin-Seo put the tokens into her mouth and nodded as if satisfied.

    "Hmm, good."

    ¡°Grah?"

    "Pfft... That¡¯s cute," Jin-Seo said with a small smile.

    The girl stared at Jin-Seo with a puzzled expression, then quickly realized what was happening. Both of the girl''s cheeks flushed red.

    Although it seemed like she was narrowing her eyes in an attempt to re, even that looked cute in Jin-Seo''s eyes. She took the token from the girl¡¯s mouth and put them in her pocket.

    The girlshed out, letting out the breath she had been holding onto.

    "...<i>Puah</i>. What are you doing?"

    Jin-Seo chuckled as she watched the girl¡¯s reaction.

    "I¡¯m just joking around. I find your reaction funny."

    "It''s not funny."

    "Well, I find it funny." Jin-Seo looked down and smiled faintly down at the girl narrowing her eyes.

    The girl couldn''t say anything anymore. It was overwhelming for her to even make eye contact with Jin-Seo. A surge of emotions that she had to ignore kept surfacing. The two of them walked in silence, not talking to each other. Although the weather had changed, the path became rougher and the sky darker as time passed.

    "...Where are we?"

    "Anywhere inside the examination site, I suppose," Jin-Seo replied in a cold tone.

    If they had gone outside the examination site, they would have received a warning message through their electronic watches, and above all, the teachers were guarding the exits to ensure no one passed them. In that sense, saying that they were anywhere inside the examination site was not a sarcastic remark but a fact.

    "It feels, a-a bit cold."

    "That¡¯s because you¡¯re soaked from the rain."

    "No, I¡¯m not..." the girl murmured, turning her head with anxiety apparent on her face.

    Strangely shaped weeds had grown to be as tall as humans. Some ces were deeply dug, and other sites had piles of dirt that were stacked high. It looked like someone had dug a pit. The pits and stacks of dirt constructed a gloomy atmosphere, almost like that of a graveyard.

    It seemed that when people lived here before the battle against Wrath, they had used thend as rice fields and paddies [1]. But now thendy so barren that it was unimaginable to do anything with it. The soil was visibly decaying to the point where it was astonishing to see weeds growing in such a ce.

    <i>Kgrrrrrr...</i>

    <i>Squelch, squelch, squelch.</i>

    asionally, the ground would vibrate and make eerie sounds. It sounded like bugs were gnawing through corpses. Everytime it happened, the girl trembled in fear. The fear wasn''t based on any evidence or reason but was instinctive.

    Jin-Seo suddenly stopped walking and stared. The girl looked up at her with a puzzled face.

    "What?"

    "..."

    "W-what is it?" she stammered in surprise.

    Jin-Seo had an expression that the girl had never seen before. It seemed like she was terrified, yet at the same time, she seemed mesmerized. The girl was already scared, but Jin-Seo¡¯s weird actions made matters worse. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo remained motionless, her gaze fixated on one spot. Among the many dirt piles, she stared at the biggest one.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    The pile of dirt she was looking at started to move. Dust flew as an extended arm shot up from the ground. Soon, another arm shot up. Everything happened in an instant from the moment two arms emerged into the world.

    The head shot up, then the body, and finally, the legs emerged to meet the outside world. It was still raining on the examination site. The <i>thing</i> raised its head to the sky, letting rain fall upon itself. It seemed as if it was trying to wipe off the dirt that had umted while it was underground.

    "What is that... Ahhh!" The girl¡¯s words were cut off as Jin-Seo grabbed the girl¡¯s clothes and pulled her closer. She held the girl in her arms¡ªshe was tiny and very light. Jin-Seo drew a blessing array. The light of blessing wrapped around her legs.

    Jin-Seo recalled what she had learned from Do-Jin, a technique that temporarily maximized the efficiency of a blessing by reducing its duration.

    <i>Shwack!</i>

    She leaped, kicking off the ground. Muddy soil and rainwater sttered. The girl couldn''t say anything but just held onto Jin-Seo''s neck to avoid falling. She took the girl and hid in a random nearby pit. While embracing the girl, she crouched down and covered the girl''s mouth with her right hand.

    "Quiet, be quiet..." Jin-Seo whispered.

    Her right hand, which covered the girl¡¯s mouth, was trembling. The girl held her breath and slowly nodded. Although she couldn¡¯t see Jin-Seo¡¯s expression, she could tell that Jin-Seo was terrified.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo tried to catch her breath, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t. She either unknowingly held her breath or breathed in more than necessary.

    Her head was spinning, and her vision was blurry. Her body trembled uncontrobly. Even though she hadn''t eaten anything, she felt like she was going to throw up. She could smell the scent of blood in her mouth.

    <i>St, st.</i>

    She could hear the sound of the demon''s slimy footsteps. The sound would sometimes draw near and sometimes pull away. The horrifying scene that she couldn¡¯t forget even when she dearly wanted to was being drawn in front of Jin-Seo''s eyes.

    Jin-Seo knew this demon. Twelve years ago, her foster mother was killed by a monster that looked identical to it. Her body was torn into hundreds of pieces, and she had died gruesomely, her body ripped to the point where she was unrecongnizble. This demon was on another levelpared to the mock demon she had yed countless times during training.

    "Haa, haa...!"

    Her breathing started to turn rough. Her heart pounded crazily as if it would burst. She could still hear the footsteps of the demon behind her. Thankfully, it was raining. The sound and smell of rain covered the ears and nose of the demon, and thanks to that, it hadn¡¯t found them yet.

    This was the only chance they had to escape. If she slowly moved away from the demon from pit to pit, she could escape. After shepletely lost it, she would be able to call the teachers and clergymen. With the help of the electronic watch, she could call them quickly from anywhere.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    But she had thought for too long. The slimy, ominous, heavy, and chilly footsteps had already approached Jin-Seo from the back.

    The rain, which had gradually be lighter, suddenly stopped altogether.

    The clouds cleared, bathing Jin-Seo, the girl and the demon in sunlight. The wet and sturdy leather of the demon glistened in the sunlight.

    "Long time... no see..."

    The demon greeted them as if they were human. The demon¡¯s voice, hoarse and cracked, was not that of a human but of a monster. Compared to its voice, its tone was eerily affectionate.

    Jin-Seo tried to stand up while holding the girl, but her legs felt like they were weighed down with lead. Her body wouldn''t listen to hermands.

    The demon bowed its head and whispered in Jin-Seo''s ear, "You... Ji-Jin-Seo..."

    The demon¡¯s cool breath tickled her ear.

    ***

    Su-Ryeon and Min-Seo were taken aback by Sun-Woo''s sudden appearance. Of course, it wasn''t entirely unexpected. Even before they approached the Department of Pdins'' camp, they devised a n to confront Sun-Woo. They would blind him with a divine shbang, immediately followed by Min-Seo¡¯s blessing array collision to cause an explosion and take advantage of the opportunity to choke him with a whip...

    Everyone had a usible n right before they experienced it for themselves. However, Su-Ryeon''s idental use of the smoke grenade instead of the sacred shbang meant that their n to subdue Sun-Woo had beenpromised. In this situation, they had no choice but to flee.

    "Don''t let them escape-!" But Dae-Man wouldn¡¯t let them get away.

    After tantly regaining their senses from his shout, members of Dae-Man''s team pursued Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon or tried to block their escape by closing the cathedral''s main entrance.

    Su-Ryeon, running with the supplied missileuncher, nced briefly at Min-Seo.

    "W-what do we do now?"

    "I don''t know, just run!" Min-Seo pped her hands and started running.

    Behind them, Dae-Man''s team swarmed them like bees. Even though they were considered middle to lower ranking, they were speedy runners as they were students aspiring to join the Department of Pdins. Furthermore, Su-Ryeon was carrying heavy equipment, and Min-Seo was limping due to an injured ankle. There was no time to chat and rx.

    "At this rate, we''re definitely going to get caught..." Min-Seo said.

    With each step, a sharp pain shot through her ankle. If they continued, only Su-Ryeon would barely manage to escape, or they would both be caught for sure. Min-Seo quickly racked her brain and assessed the situation, then began to unleash divine power with a determined expression on her face.

    Her fingertips moved gracefully and drew two blessing arrays. Su-Ryeon''s face turned pale with astonishment when she saw what was happening.

    "Hey, don''t! Don¡¯t do it!"

    "Come on, we can¡¯t save everyone!"

    Finally, thepleted blessing arrays collided and entangled with each other, signaling that they would soon explode. Min-Seo smirked at Su-Ryeon.

    "I''ll remember you!"

    "Hey, you crazy©¤!"

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The blessing arrays exploded. The shockwave either swept the members of Dae-Man''s team who were chasing after the two off their feet or stopped them in their tracks in shock. Su-Ryeon was among the people who were thrown off bnce by the explosion. On the other hand, Min-Seo gained momentum from the explosion and almost soared out of the cathedral.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    The cathedral door closed. Min-Seo left first without Su-Ryeon and closed the doors.

    "Th-this... this lunatic...!"

    She was too overwhelmed to speak properly. However, she was not disappointed in Min-Seo, because Su-Ryeon never had high expectations for Min-Seo to begin with. Now was not the time to wallow in the pain of betrayal.

    Su-Ryeon scanned around. A pir that had cracked due to the times, the chandelier swaying from the aftermath of the explosion, and the broken window that Dae-Man had shattered earlier came into view. The window was too high to jump through directly. She had no choice but to go from the pir to the chandelier and from there to the window.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    At that moment, someone grabbed Su-Ryeon''s wrist. Dae-Man''s team member held handcuffs in their hands and were trying to put them on Su-Ryeon''s wrist.

    "Gotch¨C!"

    "Hiya!"

    <i>Thwack!</i>

    Su-Ryeon clenched her eyes shut and swung the grenadeuncher in her hands. Although she had swung to intimidate them, the grenadeuncher surprisingly hit the team member directly in the chin.

    The team member copsed to the ground, their eyes rolling into their sockets. Su-Ryeon looked down at the fallen team member in bewilderment.

    "I-I''m sorry! I''m really sorry!" She quickly apologized to the fallen team member and immediately drew a cross.

    Then, she drew the blessing array. The light of blessing wrapped around her legs.

    <i>Boing!</i>

    Su-Ryeon jumped toward the rift in the pir. She barely managed to hang onto the pir by inserting her toes into the gap. After gently removing her toes from the wedge, she immediately jumped toward the chandelier. The chandelier was swinging dangerously, suffering from the aftermath of Min-Seo''s explosion.

    "Whoooa!"

    Although Su-Ryeon didn¡¯tnd gracefully on the chandelier, she still somehow managed to grab onto it. Su-Ryeon held onto the chandelier and looked down. Dae-Man and his team members were staring at her like clueless dogs chasing after a squirrel on a tree.

    Using the recoil, Su-Ryeon gracefully lifted herself up onto the chandelier. Then, she found a suitable spot to step on and stabilize herself. Although the chandelier was still swaying, it actually made it easier for her to find her bnce. Su-Ryeon was very familiar with holding her center while riding or standing on something that was moving or shaking.

    "Phew."

    Su-Ryeon took a deep breath. She nned to jump toward the broken window by once again utilizing the swaying chandelier.

    As she prepared to jump, Su-Ryeon nced briefly below. Dae-Man and his team was still looking up at her with a nk look in their eyes. She also saw Sun-Woo.

    "..."

    Dae-Man was too heavy and sluggish to scale the pir. The same could be said for his team. However, Sun-Woo could have easily caught up and grabbed her if he wanted to. But Sun-Woo didn''t bother to chase after her. Instead, he held onto the smoke bomb and stared at her with a strange look in his eyes.

    Su-Ryeon was familiar with that strange gaze. It was the eyes of a hunter who had spotted his prey. The man who taught Su-Ryeon hunting and archery, and also her father, used to look at his prey with those eyes whenever he hunted.

    "Can''t you just let me go?" Su-Ryeon said to Sun-Woo.

    ording to what she heard from Min-Seo, he once shot down a demonic beast soaring high in the sky with a mere rock the size of a fist. The moment she jumped toward the window, Sun-Woo would throw the smoke bomb and hit her. Su-Ryeon was sure of it.

    "What do you think?" Sun-Woo sharply retorted.

    Su-Ryeon smirked and lowered her gaze to the ground.

    "Just this once."

    "Stop talking nonsense and jump already. Let me hit you," Sun-Woo said with a serious face.

    He was already in a position to throw the smoke bomb. Su-Ryeon let out a deep sigh.

    "Damn it...Fine! Then stay there for the rest of your life. I¡¯m noting down until the exam is over."

    "Is that so?"

    Sun-Woo nodded as if he had expected Su-Ryeon¡¯s outburst. Without changing his posture at all, Sun-Woo threw the smoke bomb. The smoke bomb canister slipped from his hand, brushed past Su-Ryeon''s face, and shattered the chain connecting the chandelier to the ceiling.

    "Ah, ahhhhh!" Su-Ryeon screamed.

    The chandelier crashed down onto the Central Cathedral with a loud noise. Dust rose up, reaching the height of a person.

    Dae-Man and the other team members were preupied, trying to shield their faces with their arms to prevent the dust from getting into their eyes, but Sun-Woo confidently approached Su-Ryeon without hesitation. Su-Ryeon was still lying on the ground, unable to recover from the impact of the fall. She must have broken her fall since she didn¡¯t sustain any separate injuries from thending.

    "I told you to jump," Sun-Woo said as he took out handcuffs and ced them on Su-Ryeon''s wrists.

    1. <u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddy_field</u> ?</a> </a>

 Chapter 172

    <h4>Chapter 172</h4>

    Team Pdin-D now held two hostages: Ha-Yeon from the Department of Priests and Su-Ryeon from the Department of Crusaders. Both of them were talented individuals who could be considered vital yers in their respective departments in terms of strength. Negotiating could potentially yield a significant amount of tokens.

    They were off to a good start. The problem was whether they could sessfullyplete the practical exam. If the demon buried underground emerged to the surface and caused chaos, the practical exam could be prematurely halted or postponed. Then, the collected hostages and tokens would be useless. If the academic schedule were pushed back, the schedule for the missionary trip would also be postponed or disappear entirely. This had to be prevented.

    "Sun-Woo!"

    Dae-Man''s loud voice woke me up from my thoughts. Despite suffering considerable injuries, Dae-Man''s voice brimmed with energy.

    "Don''t shout so loudly. It hurts my ears."

    "I¡¯ll keep that in mind for next time. So, what''s the next n?"

    Dae-Man seemed to be in an eager mood after the battle. His voice was still thunderous even when I told him not to talk so loudly. I gave up.

    "From now on... Just wander around. Collect tokens when you see clergymen."

    "Is that all? What about the hostages?"

    "Well, we should take them along with us for now.¡±

    The faster we negotiate for them, the better. The value of the hostages would decrease as time passed, but that didn¡¯t mean we should deal with them right now. The value of the hostages would peak when they realized how much impact the absence of one team member had on the exam. That was when we would negotiate.

    I called out to Dae-Man as we left the cathedral.

    "Dae-Man."

    "What''s up?"

    "From now on, I will be moving alone again. My n isn¡¯t finished yet."

    Dae-Man showed a disappointed expression upon hearing my words.

    "...I guess you won''t answer even if I ask what the n is."

    "That''s right."

    "I believe you. Go, I will exin it well to the team members," Dae-Man said, briefly ncing at my left hand.

    It seemed like he was looking at the wounds I¡¯d gotten when I used Granbwa''s power earlier. I made eye contact with Dae-Man, nodded, and left the ranks.

    The demon was still at the examination site. I couldn''t casually carry on with the exam when the demon could crawl up from the ground at any moment. I ran around the examination site using the leftover power from Bossou in my body.

    I found a two-story building surrounded by vines. There were no clergymen nearby and no students either. It seemed like a suitable building to hide in.

    "Ha... This shit is hard."

    I entered the building and caught my breath. Despite using the intoxication spell, I still felt muscr fatigue throughout my body. It was the fatigue that had umted for too long a period to be forgotten just through the use of an intoxication spell. I thought about using the intoxication spell again but stopped. It was dangerous to rely on it any further.

    [At least you''re not foolish until the end,] Legba said with a snort.

    "Granbwa." I called out to Granbwa without bothering to respond to his words.

    I could faintly hear Granbwa''s voice in my head. It didn''t seem like she wanted to speak but rather hesitated to respond to my call.

    Granbwa groaned and then spoke btedly.

    [Are you going to use it again?]

    "Yes, just one more time."

    [You¡¯re going to end up hurting yourself...]

    I replied to Granbwa''s question by taking out a jar filled with bone dust. There wasn''t much left, but there was enough to draw one v¨¦v¨¦. Granbwa sighed heavily at this sight.

    [You won''t listen even if I tell you a hundred times, right?]

    "What do you think?"

    [<i>Sigh</i>... Do as you please then.]

    Granbwa reluctantly lended me her power. I brought a vine that covered the building through the window and touched it with my fingertips. My consciousness ran through the vine, down to the ground, and spread to all the nts that grew over thend. My consciousness spread through the weeds, flowers, trees, and their roots like a spiderweb or ink released in water as I searched for the demon.

    Finding the demon was an easy task. After all, all the nts on the surface and below had be my eyes.

    "..."

    The problem was that the demon was no longer underground. It had managed to crawl up to the surface. It looked bigger and more menacing standing above ground than when it was curled up underground.

    In front of that demon, two people were trembling in fear. It was Jin-Seo and the unnamed girl I had seen before. For some reason, the demon did not attack the two. It tried to speak to them, moving its head and mouth while bowing down.

    I couldn''t understand what was going on, which made it even more terrifying. I memorized the demon¡¯s location and cut off Granbwa''s power. My consciousness that had been transferred to the nts instantly returned to me.

    I felt dizzy, and my vision became pitch ck. Blood flowed from my nose and mouth. Because I had abruptly cut off the power without taking any precautions, the drawbacks multiplied several fold.

    <i>Kyak©¤!</i>

    However, there was no time to rest. I opened the jar and sprinkled bone dust on the floor, drawing the v¨¦v¨¦. I had already thought about which Loa''s v¨¦v¨¦ to draw.

    [Why... did you shut off the power so abruptly? Are you crazy?]

    "It was all intentional."

    I lightly ignored Granbwa''s threat and dropped the blood flowing from my nose and mouth onto the v¨¦v¨¦. The meaningless pattern only gained meaning when it touched the Prophet''s blood. A purple glow flowed along the pattern. The light was not strong, but it was by no means weak. It was faint and looked as if it would fade away immediately, but the light never faded. It was a light that was in line with the meaning of the Voodoo Cult.

    I closed my eyes and prayed. Above the pitch-ck darkness, the light of the v¨¦v¨¦ appeared like a guide.

    [Did you call, little one?]

    After finishing my prayer, I heard the voice of the Loa I summoned. The voice was cold yet strangely warm. A woman¡¯s sweet, soft, and seductive voice filled my mind. Just hearing that voice made me dizzy.

    A fantasy unfolded in the darkness. It was a vision of hundreds of snakes crawling up my body. The chilling and sticky scales of the snakes tickled my flesh.

    I tried not to lose my mind and said, "Damba, oh Loa of the snakes."

    [Yeah, that''s right. What could you have called me for after all this time?] Her voice wasced with a hint of reproach toward me.

    "...I know it''s shameless, but I''m asking for your help."

    As I said that, a giant snake appeared in the fantasy. The snake stuck out its tongue and licked my face. Its tongue entered my clothes and licked every inch of my skin. The cold, sticky, and unpleasant sensations were umting all over my body.

    The giant snake seemed satisfied and retracted its tongue.

    [Little one, I am always willing to help you,] the snake said. [As always, for a price.]

    I nodded silently.

    ***

    "Jin-Seo... your name is Jin-Seo..."

    The chilling voice and breath of the demon reached her ears. Jin-Seo trembled. Twelve years ago, this demon had killed her mother. Jin-Seo had been longing for the day to confront this demon. She had made vows countless times that she would cut down the demon with her sword and avenge her mother.

    Today, she finally faced the demon responsible for her mother¡¯s death. However, for some reason, she felt no wrath. Even her determination to avenge her mother''s enemy had been snuffed out. What she felt instead was fear: the desire to run away and survive, a futile longing for a miracle. She wished someone woulde and rescue her. She hoped someone would free her from this overwhelming, massive terror.

    Jin-Seo felt a sense of disgust. She couldn''t tell if it was because of the fear she felt for the demon or if it was because of how hideous she felt.

    "..."

    It was only when she felt the trembling of the girl in her arms that she came to her senses. She couldn''t live relying on others'' salvation forever. She hadn¡¯t joined F.A. just to barely survive thanks to the help of others, such as crusaders or clergymen. She had to be someone who could help those in need.

    "Get up slowly," Jin-Seo whispered in the girl¡¯s ear. "Run away and call the teachers. I can buy you some time."

    "..."

    "After all, I''m the target. You... you''ll be fine."

    Those were all lies. The im was that she could buy time and that the demon¡¯s target was her. It would be fortunate if she didn¡¯t die, let alone buy some time. The demon¡¯s motives were still unclear. Jin-Seo had only said those words to reassure the girl.

    Yet, as much as the words were a lie, they were not entirely false. Jin-Seo truly believed that the girl would be okay. Even if the demon attacked the girl, Jin-Seo was prepared to take the hit instead. Whether Jin-Seo lived or died, at the very least, she would make sure the girl could escape, even if it meant clinging onto the demon¡¯s leg.

    "Huh, huuuuh...." The girl let out a sound, somewhere between a sob and a whimper, and slowly got up from her spot.

    As expected, the demon only showed interest in Jin-Seo, and it paid no attention to the girl. The girl snuck out of the pit, walking cautiously. And she kept walking. As she walked, she turned their head several times to look at Jin-Seo.

    <i>¡®Our Father in Heaven.</i>¡¯

    Jin-Seo smiled as she watched the girl. Just as the girlpletely distanced herself from the demon, Jin-Seo stood up abruptly.

    "Run, you fool!" she shouted.

    Startled, the girl widened their eyes and started running, tears streaming down their face.

    <i>¡®Lead us not into temptation.¡¯</i>

    Jin-Seo slowly backed away, locking eyes with the demon, creating space between them. The demon crouched down and slowly lifted its head, its eyes following Jin-Seo.

    "You... Jin-Seo."

    "Yeah."

    Jin-Seo smirked and raised her weapon. It was the whip that had been supplied to students from the Department of Crusaders. It was a crude and insignificant weapon that would be useless in defeating a demon, let alone inflict any severe damage to it. That was far from enough. However, she <i>had </i>to make it enough. There was no escape, and she couldn''t run away either.

    <i>¡®But deliver us from evil</i>.¡¯

    "Come on, you son of a bitch."

    She wept in fear, and her eyes turned red. But there was a smile on her lips.

    <i>¡®Amen.¡¯</i>

 Chapter 173

    <h4>Chapter 173</h4>

    Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong were walking together at the examination site. Ye-Jin frowned as she shook her wet hair and squeezed out the water.

    "Why is it raining all of a sudden?"

    "Yeah, I know, right?" Bok-Dong also wiped the water off his head and looked up at the unpredictable sky.

    The heavy downpour had gradually turned into a drizzle, and the clouds that had been a terrifying pitch-ck gradually lost their intensity.

    Irritated, Ye-Jinined, "I¡¯m super annoyed. It''s hot and humid at the same time."

    "...¡±

    Bok-Dong just nodded silently. He felt that if he answered and ended up saying something out of line, her annoyance would be directed toward him.

    Although the two of them were walking around the examination site as safety officers, they asionally gave assignments to students, giving out tokens as a reward. Essentially, they had taken the roles of both safety officers and examiners.

    They hadn¡¯t walked together from the beginning¡ªthey just happened to bump into each other and decided to go together. Of course, it wasn''t just a coincidence. Bok-Dong looked restless throughout their time together, sometimes looking at Ye-Jin and sometimes staring at the ground. It seemed like he had something to say.

    "If you have something to say, say it now."

    "Uh... How did you know?"

    Ye-Jin furrowed her brows and expressed her annoyance.

    "Who wouldn''t when you keep acting like that? I''m getting frustrated from just watching you."

    Bok-Dong scratched his short hair and hesitated.

    "...I heard that you submitted your resignation letter."

    "Did Do-Jin tell you?"

    Do-Jin was obviously the culprit. Ye-Jin hadn''t told Bok-Dong about her intention to leave her job, as Bok-Dong had been avoiding all forms of contact, using his solo training as an excuse.

    Bok-Dong shook his head and answered, "No, it was the Chairman."

    "What... the Chairman?"

    "Yes. It seemed like he was hoping you¡¯d change your mind,¡± Bok-Dong said in a low voice.

    Ye-Jin let out a bitter smile.

    "Everyone seems to like me too much."

    "Hm, well... I guess so."

    Ye-Jin red at Bok-Dong from the corner of her eyes.

    "Why did you hesitate?"

    "No... I didn¡¯t." Bok-Dong replied, flustered.

    Looking at his reaction, Ye-Jin smiled brightly.

    The two walked in silence. The rain slowly decreased in intensity and finally came to a stop. The wet ground was slowly drying under the warm sunlight.

    Ye-Jin wiped off the wet and tangled hair stuck to her face. Her downcast eyes were filled with sadness.

    "I just feel like I¡¯m not qualified enough."

    "Hmm?" Bok-Dong raised his head in surprise at her sudden words.

    Ye-Jin continued without paying attention to his reaction, "I med Sung-Hyun when he was expelled. Why did such a kid have to be in our ss, and why did he have to be the ss president?"

    "..."

    "Now that I think about it, I seem to be the problem. Even when the incident happened."

    Although she was referring to the incident involving Jun-Hyuk, she didn''t directly mention it since other students might be passing by within earshot.

    Rather than saying something, Bok-Dong nodded instead. He seemed to understand what she wanted to say. However, he couldn''t think of what to say in this kind of situation. It was neither fit for him to console or give her a piece of his mind.

    Yejin didn¡¯t wait for Bok-Dong¡¯s response.

    "I''m not qualified enough to teach someone else. So, I should retire from teaching."

    ¡°...You¡¯re not wrong in that part of it was your fault,¡± Bok-Dong said.

    His tone was cautious yet firm. He nervously yed with the back of his head as he continued, "But you cannot lead every child in the right direction. There are always some kids who go astray."

    "It''s not just sometimes. In one semester alone... two of them, and they both were in our ss," Ye-Jin replied.

    "You weren¡¯t the reason why they went astray. They were already like that."

    "It was my role to guide those kids back on the right path, and I failed."

    ¡°Some people just can¡¯t be changed. Trying to force them to change will only have the opposite effect."

    "Then why do we have teachers?"

    "Because there are people who can be changed."

    Ye-Jin turned her head to face Bok-Dong.

    "There will always be kids who go astray no matter what you do, and there are also kids who can be corrected with just a little bit of attention."

    ¡°...¡±

    "...I believe that it is the role of a teacher to give them that little bit of attention. We can''t pour our whole heart and soul into every single student." Bok-Dong lowered his gaze to the floor as he added, "...I don''t even know what I''m saying anymore."

    Ye-Jin stared at Bok-Dong in surprise. His face clearly showed his conflicted emotions. He also wanted Ye-Jin to stay as a teacher.

    "I understand what you¡¯re saying," Ye-Jin said.

    She looked up at the clear sky, lost in thought. Priesthood had been unexpectedly hierarchical. There were no overt power struggles, but themunity was riddled with subtle power dynamics and political games. Ye-Jin couldn''t adapt to such an atmosphere, so she left priesthood and became a teacher.

    However, the school environment was equally challenging to adapt to. There were many students to teach, and each had a unique background and circumstance. The students were struggling in the midst of inevitablepetition and incidents that had happened in rapid session. Several students requested counseling after deciding to drop out due to the previous incident.

    And what about the teachers? Instead of wholeheartedly helping the students, they were more concerned about the qualifications and des of the students receivingmendations. Ye-Jin felt powerless in this situation. She felt lost. She couldn''t distinguish between which path was wrong or right. She couldn''t guide the students on the path they should take as a person when she couldn''t even find her own path.

    "I understand what you''re saying, but still..."

    <i>BEEEEP¨C!</i>

    The words that Ye-Jin finally decided to say were cut short. The electronic watch she had put on before the exam started beeping loudly. It meant that one of the students taking the exam was requesting help. It was a function installed in the students'' watches to prepare for any potential danger, such as wanting to give up during the exam or if they were suffering from a severe injury. The students could call for help with the press of a button. Due to this, many students pressed it by mistake. But this time, it was different. The electronic watches on Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong''s wrists beeped not just once but dozens of times.

    They couldn¡¯t be from mistakes.

    When Bok-Dong realized this, he immediately drew a blessing array and prepared to rush toward the location of the student requesting help through the watch. However, Ye-Jin blocked him.

    "Why? If you have something to say, say itter!"

    "It''s not that. I''m going with you! Don''t go alone likest time!"

    Ye-Jin wasn''t as fast as Bok-Dong and Do-Jin. The two of them would leave Ye-Jin behind and go to the scene by themselves during dire situations. This time, they shouldn''t allow that. The problem at hand could be one that Bok-Dong couldn''t solve by himself. Bok-Dong nodded and turned his back toward Ye-Jin.

    "Hurry up and get on!"

    "Okay!" Ye-Jin climbed onto Bok-Dong''s back.

    Bok-Dong frowned, taken aback by the unexpected weight on his shoulders.

    "Ugh, I didn''t mean to climb on top of me like this."

    "Is that really important right now? Just run!"

    Bok-Dong started running. Ye-Jin bnced precariously on top of him. The two of them looked like a rider and their tamed wild horse.

    <i> </i> *

    Jin-Seo was facing the demon. Strangely, the demon didn''t attack right away. If the demon wanted to, or rather, if the Satanist controlling the demon wanted to, Jin-Seo wouldn''t have evensted a few seconds and would¡¯ve met her death.

    The demon didn''t even chase after the fleeing girl. Its demonic red eyes stared at Jin-Seo, and its bony fingers were glued to her. Judging by its actions, Jin-Seo concluded that the demon''s purpose was to take her captive. She didn''t know why they wanted to capture her instead of killing her. She couldn¡¯t understand the intentions of the Satanists usingmon sense. For now, she just needed to remember the fact that they were trying to capture her.

    "<i>Hoo</i>."

    Jin-Seo calmed her breathing. She was barely able to regain herposure. Once she calmed down, her lost senses and consciousness returned all at once. Before she knew it, her eyes had turned cold and serene.

    "Jin-Seo... let¡¯s go together."

    <i>Swish! </i>

    The demon swung its arms widely, attempting to grab Jin-Seo. Its arm was so long that Jin-Seo had to take multiple steps back to avoid it. Divine power, which had yet to turn into a blessing array, shimmered at the tips of Jin-Seo¡¯s fingers.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo was prepared to draw a blessing array at any moment while quietly observing the demon¡¯s movements. The demon wasn''t as fast as she thought. Joseph had been so fast that she couldn¡¯tprehend his movements. Compared to that, the demon''s movements felt slow. She drew a blessing array, and she could see its weakness: the two glowing red eyes.

    The other parts were surrounded by a tough leather-like substance, which seemed to be impervious to even a sword. However, she might have a chance if she aimed for the eyes.

    Jin-Seo drew a blessing array. Enhanced strength, upliftment, and other blessings that were necessary forbat, she used them all to the extent that her abilities permitted. Her odds of defeating the demon would decrease as the battle dragged on. She nned to pour everything she had into this one opportunity.

    <i>Swish</i>.

    Jin-Seo¡¯s hair fluttered slightly the moment the demon raised its shoulders.

    <i>Shaaak! </i>

    The dirt beneath her feet scattered in heaps. In an instant, Jin-Seo disappeared from the demon''s sight. The demon rolled their eyeballs around to find her. However, Jin-Seo was faster than the demon''s eye could follow.

    She didn''t distance herself from the demon. Instead, she closed the gap between them. She rushed toward the demon with her body lowered and swung her whip, fully transmitting the rotational force generated from her feet into it.

    <i>Whizz! </i>

    The rope wrapped around the demon''s ankle. Gripping the rope tightly, Jin-Seo pulled with all her strength. The demon lost its bnce and started to tilt to the side.

    <i>Thud-! </i>

    The demon crashed into the dirt. The flying soil and gravel sshed into Jin-Seo''s eyes. However, she didn''t flinch. Her determined eyes still stared sharply at the eyes of the demon, clearly filled with anger.

    ¡°Gya... You, you...!"

    The demon tried to get up, using its arms to push itself off the ground. Following Do-Jin''s teachings, Jin-Seo drew another blessing array and activated it instantly. The ground beneath her feet sank deeply as she leaped. Once again, she disappeared from the demon''s sight.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Reappearing with a chilling, bone-crushing sound, Jin-Seo kicked the demon precisely in the middle of its chest as it tried to regain bnce.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The<i> </i>demon lost bnce again and copsed to the ground. Jin-Seo walked on the demon''s stomach, past the neck, and loomed above its head.

    She was limping. It felt like her ankle was broken from the kick. The pain made her feel like she was going to die, but she was still alive. She gritted her teeth as blood flowed down her mouth. By focusing on the pain in her mouth, she was able to forget the pain in her ankle. She raised her leg with the broken ankle and stomped down on the demon¡¯s eye.

    <i>Crack. </i>

    Her broken legs were already useless. So she thought she might as well use them even if it meant she wouldn¡¯t be able to use them any further. It was reckless, but there it was, the only way to victory. Smashing the demon''s eyes didn''t mean the battle was over. Jin-Seo grabbed the handle of the whip and struck the demon''s other eye.

    <i>Stab!</i>

    "Kieeeek¨C!"

    The demon let out a strange shriek and thrashed around. She had aimed to put an end to the demon¡¯s life by piercing through the eyes to get to the head, but she was too weak.

    Jin-Seo pulled out the whip stuck in the eyes of the demon and stepped back. She distanced herself far enough that the demon¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯t reach her and checked her condition.

    "..."

    Her ankles were already so mangled to the point that they were no longer functioning, and there was the taste of blood in her mouth. Every time she took a breath, she felt a pain in her chest. It felt like someone was stabbing her heart and lungs with a needle. Even taking a step was not an easy task. Her steps were heavy. She felt as if she was being weighed down by lead.

    Nevertheless, she stood up straight. She had entered the battle with the expectation of dying. Even if she died, she was determined to take the demon in front of her down with her. She raised her head and looked up. Despite the storm that had shaken the heavens and the earth, there was not a single cloud in the sky. Sunlight poured down like a blessing from the blue sky.

    "Adonai, who guides my night."

    She started to recite a prayer, and divine power flowed from several parts of her body. It looked as if she was surrounded by a brilliant suit of armor. The light surrounding her was so intense that it was difficult to distinguish whether she was trying to replicate a miracle with a spell or if a miracle itself was taking ce.

    Jin-Seo''s hair floated around her. A gentle breeze blew. It seemed as if all the wind was gathering around her. The surrounding light gradually took shape and finally began to flicker like mes.

    "...Grant me the light of the wilderness©¤"

    Her prayer was reaching its climax.

    <i>Keeeeeeek©¤! </i>

    A creepy sound rang out. The sound didn¡¯te through her ears, but it resonated in her mind. It felt like the source of the sound wasing from her brain.

    Jin-Seo stopped praying. She couldn¡¯t get herself to speak. Instead, blood came out of her mouth. Thick tears of blood flowed from her eyes and the flowing blood dropped onto the floor. Her vision was tainted red with blood.

    In the midst of it all, she stared at the demon, her eyes wide open. Against her will, her gaze followed the demon¡¯s eye. A third eye had grown between the demon''s brows. The hazy eye didn¡¯t seem to have a clear distinction between the pupil and the sclera. Its gaze pierced through her.

    The sunlight that shone on the earth like a blessing and the beautiful and mysterious breeze were gone. In their ce, a terrifyingly deep silence flowed.

    <i>Blink. </i>

    The demon blinked its third eye.

    "Ah, h-hak...!"

    As it did, Jin-Seo couldn''t breathe. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed. Jin-Seo copsed to the ground, clutching her chest. Blood continued to flow from her mouth and eyes. She tried to catch her breath, but it was impossible to do so. The roaring sound still echoed in her head. Every time her heart beat, the pain intensified twofold. She thought she could die at any moment. She couldn¡¯t help but think death would be more pleasurable than this.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    With graceful steps, the demon approached Jin-Seo. The hazy eye seemed to gaze satisfactorily at the sight of her suffering from the pain. The armor of light that surrounded her had long scattered and disappeared.

    "Stay still," the demon said.

    More precisely, it was the third eye between the demon''s brow that spoke. The voice belonged to someone other than the demon. Someone beyond the pupil was speaking to her.

    "It''s okay."

    "Ah, ah...!"

    "Don''t resist. It won''t hurt. Look into my eyes. It won''t hurt..."

    Jin-Seo didn''t want to hear it. However, her gaze remained fixed, and she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the eye. The ufortable feeling in her chest deepened with each blink of the demon¡¯s eye, but the pain gradually subsided. If she tried to get up after the absence of pain, the pain intensified, but when she stayed still, the pain slowly disappeared. In the cycle of pain and relief, Jin-Seo''s will was breaking down and wearing thin. She became afraid of moving and found sce in staying down.

    The demon was now crouched in front of Jin-Seo, looking down at her.

    "Yes, good girl..." The demon spoke in a gentle voice as if it was soothing a child.

    <i>Tch, tch. </i>

    It opened its mouth wide. The sound of its jaw tearing and splitting echoed eerily. It looked like the demon was going to swallow her whole.

    <i>Snap</i>!

    Jin-Seo tightly gripped the handle of the whip. It was herst resort. The handle¡¯s broken edge was sharp and uneven, and a spike from the handle pricked her hand. Along with a tingling pain, she regained consciousness for a moment.

    The pain that awakened her distant mind was more painful than that.

    <i>Stab.</i>

    She raised her wet hands and stabbed the broken handle into the demon''s upper gums. The handle did not go in that deep because of herck of strength, but Jin-Seo used thest remaining ounce of strength she had to push the handle in. The handle dug deeper into the gums.

    ¡°Kee-ahhh¨C!" the demon screamed and retreated.

    The demon put its hand in and felt around its mouth to pull out the handle, but it failed repeatedly. The more it touched the whip, the deeper the handle was embedded in its gums.

    ck blood dripped from the handle. A bloody streak appeared in the demon''s pale eyes. Jin-Seo took used this as a chance to crawl on the floor to distance herself from the demon. She didn''t n to run away. She couldn''t inflict any meaningful damage on the demon with her bare fists, as they would break against the demon¡¯s tough skin. She was thinking of picking up pieces of ss or branches, or even a rock to attack the demon.

    Even though she was crawling around in the wet mud in the rain, Jin-Seo''s eyes were busily darting around. It didn''t matter if mud or blood got into her eyes.

    "...I wanted to take you away unharmed, but you are resisting too much."

    The demon reached out and pressed down on Jin-Seo¡¯s legs as she tried to escape.

    <i>Break!</i>

    Jin-Seo''s ankle snapped quickly when the demon exerted force. Her body trembled in pain. She couldn''t even scream¡ªonly silent screams escaped from her open mouth. It didn''t take long for her body to copse to the ground, powerless.

    As if it were catching a bug, the demon grabbed Jin-Seo with its fingers and observed her with curious eyes. She stared back at the demon with eyes devoid of strength.

    "Well, now you''re finally behaving."

    The demon brought Jin-Seo close to its mouth. Inside its open mouth, two long and thin tongues intertwined like dancing snakes. Thick, ck saliva dripped from the hundreds of tightly packed teeth. From the darkness beyond the throat, it seemed like the sound of someone screaming could be heard.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that moment, the demon stopped moving. The pale eyes on its forehead moved around rapidly as if searching for something.

    Left, right, up, down.

    The eyes that had been moving non-stop suddenly came to a stop, staring at the ground. The eyes were not looking at the ground but rather at something moving beneath it.

    <i>Kugugugugu... </i>

    The ground trembled and vibrated. The vibrations shook the ground, trees, and eventually the air. The vibration resonated from deep underground and gradually rose to the surface. The demon¡¯s pale eyes were filled with shock. It quickly opened its mouth, attempting to devour Jin-Seo.

    <i>Craaack-! </i>

    Right then, the ground split open, and the demon''s lower body disappeared.

    <i>Stter! </i>

    "Ugh!"

    At the same time, Jin-Seo''s body was flung onto the dirt floor. She bowed her head and coughed repeatedly, asionally coughing up blood. Gasping for breath, she barely managed to lift her head. The demon''s lower body hadn''t vanished. Something long and massive emerged from the fissure, wriggling and swallowing the demon''s lower body.

    It was a snake.

    Its iridescent scales shimmered in the sunlight, and its eyes, sharply focused on the demon, were piercing and venomous.

    Beyond mere confusion, fear now decorated the demon¡¯s pale eyes.

 Chapter 174

    <h4>Chapter 174</h4>

    The demon and snake fought. No, this was too one-sided to be called a fight. The snake bit the demon¡¯s lower body and chewed out its arm. ck blood flowed from the demon''s wounds. With its lower body and one arm gone, the demon could no longer fight. The demon''s body broke as the snake tightened its grip on it, making a loud cracking sound.

    The demon stared at the snake with its pale eyes, blinking repeatedly, but the snake paid no attention. It merely coiled around the demon''s body, slowly crushing it.

    "Haah, ha...!" Jin-Seo watched the scene, catching her breath.

    The scene felt surreal. The demon who killed her mother had appeared at the examination site out of nowhere. And to make matters worse, a snake that was <i>too</i> big had appeared and was swallowing the demon whole. She couldn''t grasp what was happening. The pain in her ankles, chest, and palms was too vivid for this to be just a dream.

    ¡ªAh ah.

    At that moment, the snake stopped. It raised its head, looked up at the sky, and let out a sigh. Its flickering tongue moved gently as if licking the sun. The shiny scales brimming with moisture and glistening in the sunlight gradually faded, and soon the snake¡¯s body began to shrink somewhat.

    ¡ªThe contract isplete.

    <i>Craack!</i>

    The snake left behind a meaningful remark and returned to the ground. A huge hole was left where the snake had appeared and disappeared, leaving the whole area in shambles. The demon lost its ability to fight long ago¡ªit was bleeding ck blood and slowly dying.

    "So, this was the interference... he mentioned..."

    Those were thest words left by the demon''s pale eye.

    <i>Squelch.</i>

    A rift appeared in the tough armor that covered the demon''s chest. From the chest, something resembling a blue heart wriggled and crawled out. Four tentacles sprouted from the heart. Using the tentacle-like legs, the heart crawled on the ground and disappeared in an instant, far away. It was incredibly swift.

    After losing its heart, the demon slowly disappeared while emitting ck smoke. To Jin-Seo, it didn''t even feel real. A snake, demon, contract, and interference. Jin-Seo couldn''t even begin to guess the meaning behind the words.

    However, one thing was certain¡ªthe demon was not dead yet. The heart was the central part of the demon. Unless the heart waspletely destroyed, the demon was alive. Not only did Jin-Seo let the demon slip out of her hands, but she had been tricked. Fooled. Jin-Seo deeply despised and resented her own weakness.

    "..."

    But there was no time to think. Blood was still flowing from her mouth, and her hands and feet were growing cold. Stopping the bleeding and healing the wounds came first. Since she had no other options, Jin-Seo tore her clothes to make bandages. It was hard to do so with her bare hands, so she had to use her teeth as well. She roughly wiped the blood off her face with her hands and wrapped her ankle with her makeshift bandage. She tried to get up, but it wasn¡¯t easy¡ªshe kept falling back onto the dirt.

    "O-over there!"

    By the time she had fallen and gotten back up about five times, she heard a familiar voice. The girl whom Jin-Seo had told to run away was nearing her, and she had brought Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong with her.

    "Ha, ha...." Jin-Seo let out augh at the sight of the three people.

    Ye-Jin was riding on Bok-Dong''s back, and Ye-Jin held the girl in her arms.

    They looked like the Breman Town Musicians[1].

    "Jin-Seo, are you oka... Oh my god, you''re not okay at all!" Bok-Dong eximed as he checked Jin-Seo¡¯s state.

    He had been on guard, eyeing the demon¡¯s corpse on the other side of Jin-Seo, but soon rxed once he saw the body turning into ck smoke.

    "What is this... Where exactly are you injured? Let me see," Ye-Jin said, unleashing her divine power.

    The light of divine power instantly transformed into a healing array along her fingertips. Her skills were still sharp, evenpared to when she was a part of the priest order. The light of healing enveloped Jin-Seo''s body. Although the healing array had minimal effects as it had been hastily drawn, it alleviated much pain.

    "..."

    The girl silently looked down at Jin-Seo, her eyes teary and her nose red and runny. The girl bit her lips, desperately holding back tears.

    "You did well," Jin-Seo said to the girl.

    Even though no sound came from her mouth, the movement of her lips conveyed the meaning. It was only then that the girl started to cry.

    "It seems like you''re the type that responds well to healing, but you still won''t be fully healed here. You''ll have to lie down for a few days," Ye-Jin said.

    Jin-Seo nodded silently.

    "...Did you defeat this demon?" Bok-Dong asked, looking back and forth between Jin-Seo''s broken whip handle in her hand and the body of the demon that was slowly disappearing into the smoke.

    Jin-Seo shook her head. She wanted to give a better answer, but her throat seemed to be dry, and no sound came out.

    "Then, how did the demon get©¤"

    "Stop trying to make the girl talk. It looks like her internal injuries are worse than her external ones." Ye-Jin scolded Bok-Dong as she continued to draw the healing array.

    Bok-Dong quickly nodded and closed his mouth. He wanted to ask how the demon had entered the examination site. If there was even one path open, there was a high possibility that demons had also appeared elsewhere on the exam site.

    "First, let¡¯s put a stop to the test. I''ll contact the other teachers."

    "No, I''ll do it. You take her to the hospital," Ye-Jin replied.

    "That sounds like a better idea." Bok-Dong agreed.

    Jin-Seo''s wounds were looking significantly better, thanks to Ye-Jin. If they went to the hospital immediately for treatment, Jin-Seo wouldn¡¯t suffer anysting consequences.

    Bok-Dong approached Jin-Seo, preparing to lift her up. Ye-Jin quickly wiped away the blood from her nose that hade from drawing multiple high-level healing arrays and tried to contact the other teachers with her digital watch.

    <i>Rooooll...</i>

    At that moment, something rolled toward them. The four of them simultaneously stopped in their tracks and stared at the rolling eyeball with stern expressions. The eye had a white iris, and its pupil had a peculiar shape.

    Jin-Seo tried to avert her gaze because she knew what it was, but it was already toote. Her gaze was fixated on the eerie white eyeball, and she couldn''t look away.

    The eyeball blinked without its eyelids.

    <strong><i>Kiiiiiiiiiiiiik©¤! </i></strong>

    A loud noise rang in Jin-Seo''s ears. It was a dissonance of unexinable sounds: nails scratching a ckboard, the shing of iron against iron, the hoarse wails of a woman, and the dying gasp of a chicken.

    The eye¡¯s gaze spun around like a whirlpool. The world twisted, crumpled,pressed, and finally disappeared within the whirlpool. After the world vanished, all that remained was primordial darkness. A terrifying and pitch-ck darkness where nothing could be seen.

    All four of them who had gazed into the eye heard the same sound and saw the same scenery.

    ¡ª<i>It smells like rain. </i>

    There, they each saw the manifestation of pieces of their darkest, twisted desires.

    <i> </i> *

    "The contract, how..."

    [I have fulfilled your wishes,] Damba said.

    I had only conveyed my desires to her after summoning her through the v¨¦v¨¦, and I didn¡¯t understand how the situation was unfolding. I could confirm what was happening if I used Granbwa''s power. In fact, I was trying to use Granbwa''s power.

    [No. Not this time.]

    However, Granbwa tly refused because I might end up dead if she lent me her power once more. Unlike her usual tone, her tone was very firm and stern. She didn''t intend to lend it to me this time.

    I decided to trust Damba. I believe that she would have handled it well. I was in a position where I had no choice but to believe that.

    "Mari..te."

    <i>Crackle!</i>

    Before leaving the building, I summoned Marte''s mes to erase any traces of the v¨¦v¨¦. The mes burned only enough to consume the bone dust scattered on the floor and then vanished.

    I walked outside the building with heavy footsteps. I was nning to rejoin the Pdin-D team, but evening out of the building was a struggle for me. Due to using the Loa''s power consecutively, I had no strength in my body.

    Sobo, Dan Wedo, Bossou, Granbwa, Damba, Marte...

    There were six that I could name off the top of my head. I had never used so many Loa powers at once before. Suddenly, I recalled Baron Samedi''s words, saying that I would be lucky. How on earth could this be considered lucky?

    [Do you still believe in Baron Samedi''s words? His words are gradually losing credibility.]

    [No, it¡¯s true when I say that he¡¯ll be lucky. It just hasn''t been revealed today. In the end, things will go as the Prophet wants.]

    [You¡¯re talking nonsense.]

    [Ha. Why are you like this today? You''re unnecessarily grumpy.]

    Legba and Baron Samedi argued back and forth. Their voices mixed up nauseously in my head.

    I decided to go down to the first floor of the building to take a short break. It wasn''t for leisure, but because I felt like I wouldn''t be able to walk if I didn''t rest. There, I looked at a broken mirror.

    "..."

    My clothes and face were both bright red from the blood that came out of my eyes, nose, and mouth. My face was in a terrible state.

    My reflection in the mirror looked shattered and distorted. Seeing my own familiar yet unsettling appearance, I felt an unbearable sense of nausea. I tried vomiting, trying to empty my stomach, but all that came out was dry heaving. Not even bile came up.

    I roughly wiped the blood on my face with the cor of my clothes and continued to walk. I left the building and breathed in the fresh air. The air carried the stench of blood. It was the smelling from my mouth and nose.

    [I¡¯ll just say one thing before I go. Summoning Damba was a mistake.]

    [It wasn''t a mistake. There was no other choice.]

    [It would have been better if he used me, Bossou!]

    [Oh, Sobo agrees. As for Bade... Bade also agrees!]

    [Oh child, there''s something I have to say about the price...]

    [It''s better to rest a little more in the building before leaving. Your condition right now...]

    The voices of the Loa mixed together. This usually happened when I was in a bad condition or when the intoxication spell excessively awakened my mind. These moments had been happening more frequently after I stepped foot at the Crossroads for Contract of the Dead for what I could describe as neither a fleeting nor an eternal amount of time. I¡¯d experienced this more than once or twice, so I could have passed it off without much concern. Ignoring them and moving on was the logical thing to do. However, I was currently in no state to make rational judgments.

    "Ah, please©¤!"

    [Shh.]

    I tried to shout in frustration, but someone''s voice blocked my voice.

    Damba''s enchanting and sweet voice demanded silence from me. I felt a shiver run down my spine and closed my mouth. Then, I quietly stared at the person approaching me from the other side.

    "Uh... you."

    "..."

    "No, why are you here? Huh? Why is your face..." In-Ah said with a trembling voice.

    She was so startled that even her fingertips and lips were trembling, and her face was so pale that it had turned blue. I couldn''t bring myself to answer her question, so I just stared at her. In her hand, there were handcuffs to capture hostages.

    I instinctively looked around and turned my head. I was searching for an escape route. The surroundings were filled with escape routes. The problem was with my physical condition. It was difficult even to walk, let alone run. Even if I tried to escape, someone would undoubtedly catch me easily, no matter who the other person was, even if it was In-Ah.

    "Are... are you okay?" In-Ah approached me slowly and asked again and again. I didn''t answer.

    I couldn''t run away, and if I engaged in a fight, I would surely lose. I could scrape by a win if I put my life on the line, but it wasn¡¯t worth the struggle. However, I didn''t want to be caught like this either. I had rolled around like a dog, dealing with demonic beasts and demons attacking the examination site, and it would be unfair if my exam were ruined.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    I stumbled and leaned my head on In-Ah''s shoulder. I caught my breath, putting my weight on her shoulder to keep my bnce. Her body was trembling slightly, perhaps due to my sudden action.

    A moment of silence followed.

    As her body gradually stopped trembling, she let out a deep sigh.

    "What did you do to get your face beaten up like this?" In-Ah asked, poking me lightly.

    She had handcuffs in her hand, but she didn''t seem to have any intention of taking me in as a hostage. Concern was evident in her tone. She was a very soft person. If I yed my cards right, I might be able to escape from her, or perhaps even capture her.

    "...Dae-Man hit me."

    "What?"

    I lied.

    1. <u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_Musicians_of_Bremen</u> ?

 Chapter 175

    <h4>Chapter 175</h4>

    Yu-Hyun allied with a total of five different groups. One of the groups included In-Ah.

    Yu-Hyun instructed members who were rtively physically fit or had exceptional abilities to meet clergymen and obtain tokens. He also told them that if they encountered groups with members from the Department of Pdins or the Department of Crusaders, they should immediately run away without hesitation and rejoin the main group.

    On the other hand, the rtively less skilled members were instructed to draw a blessing array with Yu-Hyun. When they unleashed divine power, Yu-Hyun drew a blessing array by manipting their divine power as if it were his own. It was a fusion blessing array thatbined various blessing arrays into a single array, which was incrediblyplex andrge. Even those somewhat knowledgeable about blessings didn''t know what blessing array Yu-Hyun was drawing.

    There was no hesitation in Yu-Hyun¡¯s voice as he handed down a slew of orders to his teammates. His eyes sparkled with certainty. No one could tell what Yu-Hyun was doing, but everyone obeyed Yu-Hyun as if they were enchanted.

    "...You, what was your name again?"

    "Uh, it''s In-Ah."

    In-Ah had been assigned to the unit that wandered around and collected tokens. She met some clergymen and obtained tokens. She avoided tasks that required the use of blessings or physical effort and only chose tasks that required thinking. She primarilypleted tasks that involved analyzing blessing arrays or interpreting codes.

    Priests sometimes assisted in battles, but they mostly spent their time researching blessing arrays or deciphering ancient documents, holy books, and the like. The analysis and interpretation tasks were tested in the exam to evaluate such abilities.

    The clergymen took an interest in In-Ah, who effortlessly solved even rtively difficult problems. Quite a number of people asked for her name or handed out their business cards. They were proposals to join their own priest group in practical mission training and dispatch training that would happen in the future.

    "Yes... you."

    She met Sun-Woo on her way back to her group after obtaining some tokens. ording to Yu-Hyun''s instructions, she was supposed to run away without looking back. However, instead of running away, In-Ah approached Sun-Woo. She walked toward him as if she was possessed.

    The thought of running away never urred to her because Sun-Woo''s condition was so miserable. It looked as if he was searching for an escape route, but he soon approached In-Ah as if he had given up. And then he leaned his head on her shoulder.

    At first, she was dumbfounded. She wondered what happened for him to end up in such a desperate situation, and why he was alone instead of being with the team members. When she asked about the circumstances, Sun-Woo answered that Dae-Man had hit him.

    "What?"

    It was an unbelievable statement, but looking at Sun-Woo''s condition, she had no choice but to believe it. If the members had a falling out and ended up fighting, and Sun-Woo got hit by Dae-Man in the process, then the situation was roughly understandable.

    In-Ah felt Sun-Woo''s warmth on her shoulder and said, "Did you fight?"

    "There was a sh of opinions."

    "Even so, it¡¯s too harsh to do something like this!" In-Ah shouted and then abruptly stopped talking.

    "...It¡¯s not alright for people to hit each other. So, did you just sit around while getting hit?"

    "Since I¡¯m injured to this degree... Dae-Man should already be dead."

    "You''re joking! It seems like it¡¯s obvious that only you got hit."

    Even while getting angry, In-Ah smirked. It was both amusing and unbelievable that Sun-Woo was casually joking around although he had been beaten to a pulp. His face remained hidden, but it seemed like he was smiling too.

    Every time Sun-Woo exhaled, his breath touched the back of In-Ah''s neck and ears. There was the faint scent of blood in his breath.

    "What are we going to do about the exam? Give up halfway?"

    "Yeah, probably..." Sun-Woo said with a nod.

    His voice, which cracked from exhaustion, was weak andcking in strength. It was to the extent that it was difficult to hear him unless she concentrated. Perhaps Sun-Woo was aware of this, as he brought his mouth closer to her ear every time he spoke. It felt a little strange whenever his breath touched her ear.

    "Why are you sticking so close? Are you a leech?" In-Ah said while pulling Sun-Woo away in an irritated manner.

    But the more she did that, the closer Sun-Woo came.

    "Can''t I stick close to you?"

    "It''s not that you can''t... You¡¯re heavy! And I caught a cold. You shouldn''t catch it too."

    ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m tired. Let me just lean on you a little."

    "Well, then lean on the wall instead of me. Or you can lie down on the floor...!"

    In-Ah tried to pull Sun-Woo away while saying that, but he seemed to have no intention of listening.

    "The wall is cold and the floor is dirty, so I don''t want to lean or lie down on them," Sun-Woo said before bringing In-Ah''s head into his arms with his right hand.

    "..."

    If she pushed with all her strength, she could have easily pushed him away, but In-Ah didn''t bother to do so. Her heart was not firm enough to push away someone who was resting in order to recuperate from their injuries.

    "Sorry," Sun-Woo said while lightly brushing In-Ah''s hair off her face as he held her in his arms.

    His voice still sounded tired. After receiving his apology, she felt sorry and remorseful for no reason. Sun-Woo was injured, and if he gave up on the exam, he wouldn''t be apetitor either. It seemed like she had been too cold toward him. In-Ah lowered her head slightly in his embrace.

    "Sheesh... whether you want to lean on me or hug me, do as you please¡ª¡±

    <i>Snap.</i>

    At that moment, a sound like that of a branch breaking came from behind In-Ah''s head. It also sounded like boots were hitting the ground.

    Along with the sound, her consciousness became blurry, and she was unable to form any coherent words. Without knowing what was happening, In-Ah lost consciousness and copsed to the ground.

    "I''m really sorry..."

    <i>nk. </i>

    Sun-Woo repeatedly apologized and handcuffed In-Ah''s wrist while she was unconscious. His right index finger was broken.

    The message that In-Ah had been captured as a hostage appeared on the digital watch.

    <i> </i> *

    During the school break, I repeatedly practiced acquiring spells. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could call it practice. It was closer to training or cultivation.

    At first, I would draw spell arrays and control Voodoo mist in an unsophisticated manner. I thought that by doing so, I would eventually be able to ¡°acquire¡± the spells. I believed that if I quietly worked hard, I would eventually reach the level my father had achieved.

    However, several days, weeks, and eventually even months passed without any progress, I finally realized that I could not be like my father. Even walking the path he had paved was difficult for me. I had to walk a different path from my father, and that meant forging a new path at the same time.

    [I guess you could say that you seeded in your own way.]

    I touched my broken finger and nodded at Legba''s words. I could feel a faint tingling sensation as if electricity was flowing through my finger, but it didn''t hurt.

    While residing in the underground chapel, I carved out the flesh of my finger with Dawn''s de and engraved spells onto the wounds every single night. It was a crude method.

    At first, doing this didn''t yield any results. However, as I continuously engravedyers of spells onto my body, my efforts finally bore fruit. It wasn''t the way my father did it, but I ¡°acquired¡± the spells. The spells I engraved on my hand would activate when I broke my finger. I subdued In-Ah and captured her as a hostage using that method.

    I betrayed In-Ah, who had sympathized with and trusted me. I walked toward Dae-Man while carrying In-Ah on my back. In-Ah was light, but due to my own physical condition not being very good, she felt incredibly heavy. After walking withbored breaths for a few minutes, I heard the voices of Baron Samedi and Bossou.

    [Did you deceive the child that you previously deceived again? You¡¯vepletely be a piece of trash now.]

    [I didn''t see you that way... Bossou is disappointed in the Prophet.]

    Legba defended me.

    [You¡¯re supposed to use a little bit of trickery in tests. In this case, it was her fault for being deceived.]

    [Still, that was a bit harsh. Even considering that it¡¯s a test,] Granbwa criticized.

    [The kid will no longer be a kid...] Damba muttered.

    It sounded like some random nonsense. Their voices fused together and became noise in my head. It felt like my thoughts were disappearing and their voices were filling up and shaking up my mind. I felt dizzy. Whether it was because of the voices or the bleeding, I couldn''t tell.

    "Ah, damn... No, just... please be quiet."

    [I was quiet. It was the others who were noisy. Especially Baron Samedi.]

    [No, Legba was the loudest. Honestly, I didn¡¯t say much, right?]

    [Bossou, is sorry!]

    [It¡¯s true that it was a little too harsh! ...Just a little bit.]

    [Kid... you''ve be quite jaded while I wasn''t looking.]

    It seemed like none of the Loa had any intention of being quiet. Since I was carrying In-Ah, I couldn¡¯t cover my ears with my hands, and even if I covered my ears, it wouldn''t block the noise whatsoever. My head felt heavy due to the voices. Was this the weight of being a Prophet? If so, it was lighter than I thought.

    Even while such pointless thoughts were going through my head, I didn''t forget the fact that I was in the middle of a test. First, I contacted Dae-Man via my digital watch in order to determine a meeting point, and then headed in the direction of the meeting point.

    Dae-Man and the other team members chose a suitable building located between the area where the teams from the Department of Priests and the teams from the Department of Pdins were located and were currently resting there.

    Dae-Man''s body was covered in mud as if he had just finished a fierce battle. It seemed like there were several more hostages besides Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon. It was a harvest that I didn''t expect.

    "Oh, Sun... Why are you like this?" Dae-Man said.

    Dae-Man roughly wiped off the mud on his face with his hand and then had a surprised expression on his face after seeing me.

    Iid the unconscious In-Ah next to the other hostages. Then, I covered her with the coat that I used to smuggle in the holy artifacts and said, "I had a fight. I was up against seventeen members from the Department of Priests."

    "Did you win?"

    I pointed to the fallen In-Ah with my chin and said, "I won so that¡¯s why I was able to bring her back."

    "Um, can you give me the key to these handcuffs?"

    I pretended not to hear what Ha-Yeon said.

    Dae-Man nodded, but his expression seemed uncertain as he mumbled, "Hmm... But you got so injured just fighting against a mere seventeen priests? I can¡¯t believe that!"

    "Oh, I misspoke. It wasn''t seventeen, it was seventy-one."

    Dae-Man furrowed his brow and lowered his gaze to the ground as if he were imagining the battle with the seventy-one people in his mind.

    Soon, Dae-Man nodded with an impressed expression on his face.

    "Incredible. That must have been a fierce fight."

    "It was indeed fierce."

    So he believed me...

    Dae-Man seemed to believe everything I said. I deceived In-Ah by framing such a great guy as a viin. The pang I felt in my conscience doubled.

    Su-Ryeon, who was held hostage, was sitting while leaning against the wall and looking at us in disbelief while we conversed.

    "We also fought several battles while you weren¡¯t here. We mostly won against the priests, but the crusaders..."

    "You must have lost. But the losses seem to be minimal."

    I nced at the faces and bodies of the team members either sitting or lying down while resting. They all had signs of fatigue from the battles, and they seemed a bit fewer in number.

    Apart from me and Dae-Man, there should have been eight other team members, but now there were only five. It seemed that we had lost three team members in the battles against students from the Department of Crusaders.

    "I''m sorry. I used up too much stamina in the fight against Min-Seo. Above all, Ick the ability to lead the team."

    "No... it¡¯s fine," I said while counting the number of hostages we had captured.

    Su-Ryeon, Ha-Yeon, In-Ah, and two unfamiliar faces. There were a total of five hostages. If it was this much, then it really was enough. Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon¡¯s presence especially stood out. Both of them had skills that could be called essential in their respective departments.

    "Let¡¯s rest for now. Our team members¡¯ condition is important."

    Rather than the condition of my team members, I was the one who wanted a break for myself. Dae-Man nodded.

    "That''s right. So, what''s the n after we rest?" Dae-Man asked.

    "After you rest, please release the handcuffs..." Ha-Yeon said.

    Before answering Dae-Man''s question, I checked the time. There was still quite a bit of time left until the exam was over. If we negotiated and exchanged the hostages with tokens, we would be able to obtain a considerable amount of tokens.

    "We gotta go do some hostage negotiations."

    "Oh... It felt like you were ying the role of a viin ve trader in a movie just now. It''s really cool."

    "Uh, thank you."

    I wasn''t sure if that was apliment or criticism, but I thanked him anyway. I didn''t have much time to think right now. The first priority was to recover stamina while resting. I didn¡¯t know how much stamina I would be able to recover just by resting for a few minutes, but it was still better than not resting at all.

    I dragged an old chair lying around in the building and sat down. The backrest made a creaking sound, but it was still usable. At least it met the basic requirements of a chair. I sat down, and repeatedly breathed in and out heavily.

    "Urgh..."

    When I no longer smelled the metallic scent that lingered in my throat and nostrils, she woke up. With sleepy eyes, In-Ah looked around and found me. She blinked her blurry eyes slowly and stared at me. I didn¡¯t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, but she still hadn¡¯t grasped the situation.

    I avoided her gaze.

 Chapter 176

    <h4>Chapter 176</h4>

    In-Ah struggled to understand the scene in front of her. As if a fragment of time had been sliced off, thendscape surrounding her had changed when she opened her eyes.

    Her body felt weak. She looked down because she felt a cold sensation on her wrist, and she saw that her hands were bound by handcuffs.

    "..."

    When she lifted her head, she saw Sun-Woo, and next to him, she saw Dae-Man covered in mud. When she saw the two of them, her fragmented memories came back to her.

    She had been wandering around searching for tokens, and she encountered Sun-Woo who was covered in blood. He said that he had fought with Dae-Man and was injured as a result, and he said that he would give up on the exam before hugging her. In-Ah had been unable to push him away, and she let him do as he wished. She had no memory of what happened after that.

    "You said that you fought with him..." In-Ah said while looking back and forth between Dae-Man and Sun-Woo.

    Dae-Man stared at Sun-Woo as if this was news to him. Sun-Woo lowered his head with a troubled expression and avoided eye contact. The atmosphere felt awkward, but no matter how anyone looked at it, there were no signs of a fight between them.

    She was missing her memories and the situation was different from what Sun-Woo had described. If shebined this with the fact that she had be a hostage after opening her eyes, it was clear what had happened.

    "You...!" In-Ah eximed with wide eyes and a trembling voice.

    It was evident that he had deceived her with false sympathy in order to narrow the distance. After doing so, he took her consciousness and turned her into a hostage. She didn¡¯t know what method he had used to take away her consciousness. If it was Sun-Woo, he could have used any method, whether it was by hitting her vital point or by skillfully utilizing a blessing.

    "You tricked me!"

    Sun-Woo trembled and dropped his gaze to the ground upon hearing her resentment. In-Ah red at Sun-Woo with a betrayed expression.

    "I trusted you...!"

    "..."

    Sun-Woo lowered his head. Those unfamiliar with the situation could only watch the two fighting from a distance. Su-Ryeon watched the situation with a faint smile as if she were enjoying it.

    After a brief silence, Sun-Woo raised his head as if he was determined to say something.

    "So, so... um..."

    "So what? Speak properly!"

    "...So you shouldn¡¯t have trusted someone like me!"

    "What? Huh, what kind of...!"

    In-Ah repeated the word <i>what</i> several times, showing how astonished she was. She was so astounded that she couldn''t even finish her sentences properly. Sun-Woo turned his backpletely on In-Ah and looked around. It looked as if he was checking his teammates¡¯ reactions.

    Eventually, he calmly started a strategy meeting. In-Ah red at Sun-Woo with resentment, but he didn''t even nce at her. They were clearly in the middle of an exam, and Sun-Woo had only mentioned giving up, but he hadn''t actually given up on the exam.

    Sun-Woo had strategically lied, and he hadn''t done anything wrong. Despite that, In-Ah felt resentful toward him, and in a way, even sad. He clearly promised not to lie to her during the night with a sky full of stars, on the deserted bench at school.

    "From what I¡¯m hearing, it seems like Sun-Woo was in the wrong. Am I right?" someone said in a mischievous tone.

    In-Ah had been looking at the ground with a bitter expression, and she raised her head. Su-Ryeon was speaking to her. Like In-Ah, she was also a hostage.

    In-Ah didn''t say anything, but Ha-Yeon was next to her and interjected, "No, it was your fault for getting tricked."

    In-Ah continued to remain silent. Su-Ryeon had nothing to do with the situation, but she got angry.

    "How can you say that? How is it her fault for getting tricked?"

    ¡°It¡¯s foolish to trust someone else¡¯s words during an exam.¡±

    "Hey, it''s wrong for clergymen to lie in the first ce! And these two are not just strangers to each other."

    "What do you mean by ''not just strangers to each other?¡¯"

    "They''re not just strangers to each other, so what I mean is..."

    Su-Ryeon nced at In-Ah. She didn¡¯t seem to be thinking of anything in particr. It looked like her mind was in too much of a state of chaos to form thoughts. However, her eyes were still fixed on Sun-Woo.

    Su-Ryeon pursed her lips in hesitation before letting out a deep sigh.

    "Anyway, I¡¯m just saying that they aren¡¯t strangers."

    "Does that kind of rtionship really exist?"

    "Yes, it exists. For example, like family, or... lovers, or something like that?"

    Ha-Yeon bit her lower lip.

    "...If you think about it, even family can be considered strangers."

    "What? How can your family be considered strangers? Then are your friends strangers as well?"

    "No... You¡¯re saying something so obvious that I¡¯m speechless...¡±

    "I¡¯m not saying something obvious... But what¡¯s wrong with yourplexion?"

    "Don''t worry about it, myplexion is always like this... Anyway, friends are obviously©¤"

    A debate between Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon about the standard for someone to be considered a stranger continued.

    In-Ah didn''t listen. She didn''t have the energy to listen to such pointless conversations. She felt mentally and physically exhausted. She even felt a headacheing on. Above all, the shock of betrayal was overwhelming.

    After the meeting ended, Sun-Woo approached In-Ah and suddenly reached out his hand. She stared nkly at the extended hand. There were many wounds on his hand, and one finger was broken and twisted in a grotesque manner.

    "What, are you saying we should reconcile?" In-Ah deliberately shot back curtly.

    It was her way of giving him a chance. Sun-Woo had clearly done something wrong by lying, but she also had some responsibility for blindly believing the other side''s words during the exam. If he apologized now, she was willing to dly ept it.

    "No, I just want my clothes back."

    Sun-Woo pointed with his chin to the coat that was covering In-Ah. Her expression hardened coldly.

    "...Ah, okay."

    "Are you sulking?"

    "No? Not at all."

    "Really? Then I suppose it¡¯s fine," Sun-Woo said.

    He then took the coat and put it on. Both his words and his actions were shamelessly audacious. In-Ah could only resentfully gaze at his back. She didn''t even want to talk to him anymore.

    <i> </i> *

    [The Prophet is really awkward at apologizing,] Granbwa said.

    Legba added, [No, the situation just now was one where he had to not apologize. He intentionally didn''t apologize.]

    [What are you saying?]

    [My point is... Hm. If you don''t know, just stay quiet, Granbwa. Don''t interfere.]

    [What? What did you just say just now¡ª]

    Legba and Granbwa argued back and forth, and I ignored them.

    The reason why I didn¡¯t apologize to In-Ah was to show to my teammates that I knew how to separate personal and professional matters.

    It wasn¡¯t like I did anything wrong, so apologizing out of personal emotions was not appropriate. A leader who didn¡¯t know how to differentiate between personal and professional matters would not only find it difficult to gain the trust of team members, but they might even create animosity.

    In-Ah was a friend outside the exam, but inside the examination zone, she was apetitor. I had to clearly remember this fact and I had to make sure my team members knew it.

    "Which side should we start negotiating with?" Dae-Man asked as we were moving.

    I looked at the hostages and the team members following from behind. Although it was unlikely, I arranged one team member per hostage just in case the hostages tried to escape.

    Su-Ryeon and the other unnamed hostage followed silently, but Ha-Yeon and In-Ah reluctantly followed with faces full of discontent. In-Ah, in particr, openly red at me.

    "Let''s go to the Department of Priests..."

    Ha-Yeon and In-Ah were valuable hostages. As time passed, the value of the hostages would decrease, so it was wise to start with the students from the Department of Priests in order to negotiate and obtain as many tokens as possible. It was also because it made me slightly ufortable when I saw In-Ah ring at me with handcuffs on.

    "Alright. Then I''ll request for the negotiation."

    "Sure. You remember the n, right?"

    "Of course," Dae-Man said as he began manipting the digital watch.

    The procedure for negotiations was simple. First, we would request a negotiation with the desired group using the digital watch. Once the request was epted, the digital watch would determine the negotiation point based on the location of each group. Then, we just needed to go there and proceed with the negotiation.

    During the negotiation and immediately after the end of the negotiation, it was impossible to capture any additional hostages for ten minutes. It seemed to be a rule to prevent tactics such asunching a surprise attack during the negotiation.

    Technically, it was possible to neutralize the other party before the ten minutes were up, and then wait ten minutes before putting on the handcuffs. I couldn¡¯t tell whether teachers had made a mistake during the nning of the test or if they had deliberately left loopholes so that students could incorporate these loopholes into their strategy.

    "Uh, Do Sun-Woo!"

    At that moment, one of my team members urgently called me. It was the team member that I had instructed to guard Ha-Yeon. There was panic in his voice.

    When I went over, Ha-Yeon was breathing heavily with a pale face. Wasn¡¯t her face originally pale? Anyway, she didn¡¯t look well.

    I approached Ha-Yeon and asked, "What''s wrong?"

    She raised her hands which were tied with handcuffs and said, "Th-these."

    "What? The handcuffs?"

    "Please untie them, even just one side. It''s suffocating, I can''t breathe..." Ha-Yeon said.

    Ha-Yeon¡¯s dry lips trembled and her eyes were zed over and unfocused. Because her breathing was uneven, her speech was stuttering unevenly. Her skin was beyond pale and was now approaching a bluish hue.

    It seemed like she had some trauma rted to being restrained. There must have been a reason why she had been whining since earlier about having her handcuffs removed.

    "Dae-Man, the key please."

    "Got it. Just a moment... This isn''t working well. This is why touchscreens..."

    Dae-Man was busy trying to get his digital watch to work. His fingers were too thick, making it difficult for him to operate the watch. With furrowed brows, Dae-Man looked at the watch screen and then sighed before taking out the key from his pocket and handing it to me.

    "Sorry. I¡¯m struggling to send the negotiation request."

    "Take your time. If it doesn''t work, have someone else do it."

    "No, I want to do it. But it''s not easy..." Dae-Man said while trying to manipte the watch again with rough hand movements.

    I nodded and inserted the key into Ha-Yeon''s handcuffs.

    <i>Click. </i>

    I released one side of the handcuffs. Ha-Yeon looked at me with a surprised expression on her face.

    "Did you really unlock it?"

    "Just one side."

    I grabbed one of the unlocked handcuffs and pulled it toward me. Ha-Yeon weakly fell toward me as she was pulled. She blinked in confusion and looked up at me.

    "I''ll be the one carrying the unlocked side," I said.

    "...What is this? It''s like I¡¯m a pet dog!"

    "If you''re unhappy, I can lock both sides."

    "Why not just unlock both sides?"

    "What if you try to escape?"

    "I won''t run away."

    "How can I trust you? Just shut up and follow me."

    After speaking a little harshly, Ha-Yeon finally closed her mouth. Although she red at me with hostility, she didn''t seem as unwell as before. It was actually a good thing because it meant that she had enough stamina to be able to re at me.

    "Sun-Woo!" Dae-Man called out.

    "I¡¯ve requested a negotiation. Now all we have to do is wait right?" Dae-Man asked.

    "What? What¡¯s this?"

    Dae-Man frowned and looked at his watch. His eyebrows twitched strangely as if he saw something strange.

    At first, he thought that he had made a mistake. He thought that he had requested a negotiation with the Department of Crusaders instead of the Department of Priests or that he had chosen the wrong team to negotiate with.

    "...What¡¯s this? They responded to our request as if they were waiting for it.¡±

    Fortunately, that was not the case. However, the phrase ¡°as if they were waiting for it¡± bothered me.

    With a serious expression, Dae-Man said, "The negotiation point is right here. There''s no need to move. Something feels off..."

    Dae-Man looked up and nced somewhere. I also turned my gaze in that direction. In the distance, a man with blond hair that was wet from the rain approached with threatening steps.

    It was Yu-Hyun.

    He was alone, but there was a confident ease in his stride. It was as if he knew that we would request negotiations right here at this exact time and exact ce.

 Chapter 177

    <h4>Chapter 177</h4>

    Yu-Hyun approached us while brushing his hair and adjusting his clothes for no particr reason. Although he was clearly alone, he disyed a confident attitude as if he had an army behind him.

    I didn¡¯t know where hisposure wasing from, so I felt cautious. Perhaps this was all part of Yu-Hyun¡¯s strategy so that he would be able to dominate the situation. I reminded myself not to be swayed and organized our formation. If the opponent was only Yu-Hyun, there would be no need to organize our formation, but the problem was that there was no guarantee that he was the only opponent.

    Yu-Hyun acted as if he knew where the negotiation point would be and when we would initiate a negotiation in advance. If that was the case, there was a possibility that enemybatants were lurking around the negotiation point.

    Although only Yu-Hyun was visible at the moment, it was impossible to tell whether more enemies were hiding or not. Since the examination site was in an abandoned city, there were many ces for enemybatants to hide.

    "What''s with the atmosphere? Weren¡¯t you the ones who requested for a negotiation?¡±

    "...Don''te any closer."

    Dae-Man stopped Yu-Hyun from approaching any closer. While a subtle tension filled the air between me and Yu-Hyun, I silently signaled to Dae-Man. He also seemed to instinctively be aware of the danger.

    Yu-Hyun raised both hands in the air as if to show that he had no hostile intentions.

    "What¡¯s wrong? I really am alone. Besides, we can''t fight during negotiations, can we?"

    "..."

    I couldn''t decipher his true intentions. Was he trying to get us to lower our guard, or was he trying to get us to feel alerted by his presence? It was an ambiguous situation where it was difficult to figure out whether we should be on guard or not. Just that fact alone meant that we were at a disadvantage against Yu-Hyun.

    The reality of the situation was that with the exception of me, the other members were exceedingly conscious of and alerted by Yu-Hyun¡¯s presence. Yu-Hyun emanated a unique aura that was different from most people. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was naturally letting out such an aura without intending to do so or whether he was doing it intentionally.

    Yu-Hyun scanned the faces of the hostages with narrowed eyes.

    "How did you manage to capture only the best of the best? You all must have incredible luck¡ª"

    "Cut the nonsense," Dae-Man said, interrupting Yu-Hyun.

    "Let¡¯s proceed with the negotiation. Isn''t that why you came?"

    "...Fine. I get it, so rx your expression, dude," Yu-Hyun said while pping his hands in a sly manner.

    Dae-Man continued to maintain a hostile look on his face and kept his guard up against Yu-Hyun. From my knowledge, those two knew each other personally, and yet Dae-Man was openly showing animosity toward Yu-Hyun.

    Dae-Man was serious at all times. He would always remain faithful to a role assigned to him, and he wouldn¡¯t let his personal emotions interfere. Fortunately, he was on the same side as me.

    Yu-Hyun clicked his tongue as if he found Dae-Man''s seriousness annoying.

    "You''re taking this too seriously for no reason, man," he said.

    "Yu-Hyun, don¡¯t mock other people''s seriousness. That¡¯s one of your ws," Dae-Man said while staring at Yu-Hyun with a solemn face.

    Yu-Hyun lifted one corner of his mouth in a smirk and then turned his gaze toward me. He tapped on his wristwatch and said, "What I mean is... it¡¯s just an exam. There¡¯s no need to take it too seriously, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s an exam that we have to take it seriously,¡± I replied in a deliberately concise manner.

    I had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be good to prolong the conversation. I always felt ufortable whenever I interacted with Yu-Hyun. His gaze was always filled with the intention to observe my actions. That was what was likely to be the cause of my difort.

    After hearing my words, Yu-Hyun nodded as if he understood what I was saying. Then he frowned and said aggressively, "Who are you trying to deceive? The exam isn¡¯t that important to you either, right?¡±

    "...What?"

    "Never mind. That''s not what we should be discussing right now. So, how much are you willing to give me Ha-Yeon for?¡±

    Yu-Hyun¡¯s frown disappeared instantly and was instead reced by a smile that was ufortable to look at. His facial expression had shifted so quickly that it felt abrupt. I felt ufortable once again.

    The exam was important to me.

    Since I had done worse on the written exams than I expected, I had to make up for it on the practical exam. Even if I utilized my connections and received several rmendation letters, it would be difficult to enter the Central Pdin Order with poor grades. Just what exactly did Yu-Hyun use as a basis to blurt out such words?

    [The truth is that it really isn¡¯t very important!] Baron Samedi said.

    [To you, this is just another means to an end after all,] Legba said.

    I ignored their words. My mind felt a little chaotic. I pulled the handcuffs I was holding. Ha-Yeon screamed out loud and was dragged along. I nned onpleting the negotiations quickly and sending Yu-Hyun away.

    "How many tokens do you have?" I asked.

    Yu-Hyun smirked.

    ¡°If I tell you that, won¡¯t I be in too much of a disadvantageous position?¡±

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, then so be it. I suppose this will be the end of the negotiations then.¡±

    "Hey... Why are you in such a hurry? Let¡¯s take it slow. Slow and steady,¡± Yu-Hyun said.

    Yu-Hyun started stacking the tokens he had umted on the floor. Just from a rough nce, I could tell that it was a significant amount.

    ¡°It should be roughly over twenty,¡± Yu-Hyun said nonchntly.

    Dae-Man widened his eyes in surprise while standing next to me. The reactions of the team members were not much different. Everyone seemed surprised that Yu-Hyun had brought such arge amount of tokens.

    "Twenty? That''s not enough," I said.

    I was bluffing with the intention of gauging Yu-Hyun¡¯s reaction. Yu-Hyun tapped his watch and shrugged.

    "Is that so? But this is all I have," Yu-Hyun said.

    "That¡¯s too bad. How many can you give for Ha-Yeon?" I asked.

    "Well... it doesn''t really matter since I''m already at a disadvantage. How many tokens do you want?"

    "Fifteen."

    "Hah," Yu-Hyun chuckled.

    He then started counting the tokens piled on the floor.

    "Neen, twenty... Looks like I have exactly twenty-four. Fifteen seems a bit much, let''s go with ten."

    "Ten? That¡¯s not enough. Make it sixteen."

    "...In this situation, shouldn¡¯t you settle for thirteen since that¡¯s a number between fifteen and ten?¡±

    ¡°We suffer losses if you drag out the time with small talk, so that¡¯s why we needpensation. Seventeen."

    "What a load of crap. Let''s go with fifteen like you originally said."

    "Eighteen."

    "Ah, fuck... Fine, let''s go with eighteen."

    Yu-Hyun counted out eighteen tokens and handed them over curtly. After ordering one member of the team to receive the tokens, I confirmed the quantity and then sent Ha-Yeon to Yu-Hyun''s side. I then threw the key to the handcuffs to him, but he failed to catch it.

    He picked up the key that had fallen on the floor and brushed off the dirt that was on it.

    ¡°That was bloody hard to catch. If you were going to throw it, you should have put more effort into throwing it well.¡±

    "You should have just put more effort into catching it."

    ¡°Hmm, I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±

    <i>Click</i>.

    Yu-Hyun unlocked Ha-Yeon''s handcuffs with the key. Once the handcuffs werepletely released, the chain broke. It seemed like they had intentionally designed it like that so that the handcuffs couldn¡¯t be reused.

    Once the handcuffs werepletely released, Ha-Yeon seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as if she was relieved from a huge difort. Strength returned to her pupils that previouslycked focus. She asionally nced at me, but she didn''t speak. It must have been because shecked the energy to speak or because she thought it wasn''t the right time to do so.

    As if something had suddenlye to mind, Yu-Hyun suddenly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why I came alone?¡±

    Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t even nce at Ha-Yeon, as if he wasn¡¯t even remotely interested in her. I couldn''t understand why he was asking such a question. I revealed my difort and said, "Do you really have to ask?"

    "...Uh, if you don¡¯t want to tell me, then never mind.¡±

    Yu-Hyun sighed as if he was disappointed, and then tapped his fingers on the digital clock.

    <i> </i> *

    The number of tokens we obtained by negotiating with Yu-Hyun was a grand total of twenty-three. He exchanged Ha-Yeon for eighteen and In-Ah for five tokens.

    It seemed like Yu-Hyun originally had no intention of negotiating for In-Ah. But for some reason, after seeing In-Ah looking at me all grumpy, he suddenly offered five tokens and demanded a negotiation.

    Since there was no reason to refuse the offer, I epted it. There was no bargaining. After the negotiation, Yu-Hyun took the two of them and headed in the direction of the Department of Priests students.

    Right after concluding negotiations with Yu-Hyun, I took Su-Ryeon and the remaining two hostages and headed in the direction of the Department of Crusaders students.

    Dae-Man once again requested the negotiations, but this time it didn''t take as long as before, perhaps because he had be more ustomed to it.

    "Sun-Woo, there''s something I want to ask," Dae-Man said as we were moving toward the negotiation point.

    I nodded, indicating for him to continue speaking.

    "...I know we can''t capture hostages during or immediately after negotiations, but does that rule really have any meaning?"

    "No, there is no meaning," I firmly replied.

    Dae-Man raised an eyebrow.

    "Then it should have been possible to capture Yu-Hyun earlier. If we subdued him without actually making him a hostage and then waited for ten minutes¡ª¡±

    "It''s possible, but it''s too risky."

    "Why? If it¡¯s just Yu-Hyun alone, I should be able to capture him myself."

    Without any need for debate, there was no question that Yu-Hyun was the most valuable person to capture. If we captured Yu-Hyun as a hostage, we wouldn¡¯t even need to negotiate to obtain tokens. Just by keeping him in chains and preventing him from doing anything, the Department of Priests would be helpless. However, we would have to bear too much risk if we captured Yu-Hyun.

    "If we captured Yu-Hyun, the Department of Priests would immediately be aware of our location."

    Members of the same team could share their locations with each other through their electronic watches. Also, if a team member was captured as a hostage, the other team members would immediately be aware of this fact through their electronic watches. For example, if I became a hostage, all the members of Pdin-D would know that I had be a hostage.

    By utilizing these two functions, it would be possible to determine the location of other teams. For instance, students could scatter their team members throughout the examination site after instructing them to regrly share their locations. If one of the scattered team members was captured, then a notification would be sent, and then the team members would know theirtest location. By doing this, it would be possible to determine the other teams¡¯ whereabouts as well as the general route they were taking.

    One could say In-Ah did not have good physical abilities. This must have been the reason why she was left alone in the enemy territory.

    "...If we captured Yu-Hyun as a hostage, the main force would have arrived."

    The reason why Yu-Hyun tapped his electronic watch frequently during the negotiations was to share his location with his other team members. The reason why he came alone was because we wanted us to capture him as a hostage. If we had captured him, we would most likely have let down our guard after doing so and the main force would have charged in to reel in the victim that had fallen for the bait.

    On the other hand, it would have been advantageous for the students from the Department of Priests even if we didn''t capture Yu-Hyun and just let him go. After all, doing so meant that they would be able to sessfully and safelyplete a negotiation with just Yu-Hyun alone.

    My thought process might have been a bit of a leap in logic, but it was true that capturing Yu-Hyun as a hostage would entail great risks.

    Dae-Man tilted his head in confusion as he listened to me.

    "I still don''t understand, but I¡¯ll trust you for now."

    "It would be better to trust me after you understand. Should I exin it again?"

    "No, you''ve been right in all your judgments so far, so you must be right this time too," Dae-Man said with a serious expression on his face.

    "It¡¯s not your words that I trust. It¡¯s you that I trust,¡± Dae-Man said.

    "Oh, that¡¯s quite reassuring. Thank you."

    Even before the exam, Dae-Man had a tendency to excessively believe in me, but for some reason, this tendency seemed to have intensified. I didn¡¯t know the reason for his belief in me, but I decided to think of it as a good thing and move on. While I was thinking about such things, our footsteps gradually approached the negotiation point.

    Min-Seo''s sarcastic voice echoed out as soon as we arrived at the negotiation point.

    "The guests have arrived. Wee them warmly!"

    The area near the negotiation point was covered in thick smoke, which seemed to be smoke from a smoke grenade. Min-Seo¡¯s silhouette was faintly visible through the fog. She was sitting on something that resembled a rock while casually swinging her legs with her arms crossed.

    Several students stood behind her while holding weapons. They had miniature grenadeunchers, just like the one that Su-Ryeon used. Obviously, the barrels were pointed toward us. There were a few students who were also holding what appeared to be whips.

    "Quite a rough wee..." I muttered to myself while scanning the surroundings.

    The negotiation point was a ce that was densely packed with tall abandoned buildings. It seemed like it used to be a residentialplex before the battle with Wrath. Faint figures could be seen through the windows of the dpidated buildings.

    It seemed like they werebatants that had been deployed by Min-Seo for the negotiation. Unlike Yu-Hyun, Min-Seo had prepared for battle beforehand and was watching us closely. I nced at Dae-Man and my team members and said, "Get into formation."

 Chapter 178

    <h4>Chapter 178</h4>

    Yu-Hyun guided In-Ah and Ha-Yeon to students from the Department of Priests. The students that Yu-Hyun was leading had gathered and settled around a dried-up reservoir surrounded by residential buildings.

    The priests chatted and shared stories up until Yu-Hyun arrived. The moment Yu-Hyun arrived, they all abruptly stopped talking. Then, they began to mechanically unleash divine power with stern and rigid expressions on their faces as if they had been doing so the entire time.

    As ifmanding the divine power, Yu-Hyun directed it into his hands. The divine power then followed Yu-Hyun''s gaze and formed a series of blessing arrays. Countless blessing arrays piled up and ovepped in the central area of the dried-up reservoir.

    "What is this...?"

    Ha-Yeon looked at the hundreds of blessing arrays scattered across the ground. All those numerous blessing arrays were connected as one unit and formed a massive fusion blessing formation. It hadn¡¯t been activated yet, but she couldn''t imagine what would happen once it emitted the light of blessing and was activated.

    "A blessing that is close to a miracle. And..."

    A gift for someone, and a small reprieve from his mundane everyday life. Yu-Hyun swallowed those following words. Since no one would understand, there was no point in saying it out loud. Only one person could understand those words in Florence Academy.

    Yu-Hyun used the divine power unleashed by the other students to draw blessing arrays and stacked those blessing arrays on top of each other,yer byyer. His pupils shone brightly. It was impossible to tell whether it was light that came from within his eyes, or whether it was the light of blessing reflecting off of his eyes.

    Unlike Ha-Yeon, who was rendered speechless at the sight of the massive fusion blessing array, In-Ah calmly scanned the blessing array. The expression on her face was serious. It was as if she was trying to analyze this massive blessing array.

    Yu-Hyun looked at In-Ah as if he was intrigued. His hands, which had been moving brilliantly to draw the blessing arrays, suddenly stopped.

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun approached In-Ah and then gently ced his hand on her shoulder. Then, as if pretending to be friendly, he tilted her head and said, "I saw earlier that you were fighting with Sun-Woo. Why did you fight with him?"

    "..."

    "Did you not hear me? Or are you deliberately not answering©¤"

    <i>Smack!</i>

    In-Ah roughly brushed off Yu-Hyun''s touch. She silently turned her head and stared at him. Displeasure was vividly reflected in her eyes. There was even a hint of disdain. After a few seconds of looking at Yu-Hyun with a cold face, she quickly turned her head toward the fusion blessing array.

    She pointed at a specific point in the massive blessing array and curtly said, "You got that part wrong."

    Yu-Hyun tilted his head with a smirk on his face. There were slight wrinkles between his eyebrows. It was an expression that indicated that the criticism was unpleasant.

    "What? Where?"

    "Here. Can''t you see?"

    "How am I supposed to know if you just say <i>here</i>? Also, how do you know if it¡¯s right or wrong...¡± Yu-Hyun grumbled irritably but then closed his mouth when he saw the part In-Ah was pointing at.

    Upon closer inspection, it was indeed incorrect.

    "See? I told you it¡¯s wrong," In-Ah said with a chuckle.

    A fusion blessing array wasposed of core blessings and auxiliary blessings. The core blessings served as the main pirs of the fusion blessing array and it determined the primary characteristics. The auxiliary blessings supported the characteristics of the core blessings while ensuring the overall stability of the activation of the blessing array.

    However, if the connection between the core blessings and the auxiliary blessings was too tight or too loose, the characteristics of the core blessings could be overshadowed by the characteristics of the auxiliary blessings, or the core blessings might not properly activate.

    Just like right now.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right.¡±

    Yu-Hyun acknowledged his mistake with a sour expression and quickly fixed that part. Without him even touching the array, the divine power wriggled and corrected itself just from his gaze alone. Normally, it wouldn''t have been necessary to fix such a small mistake. However, in a situation like this where he was deploying such a massive fusion blessing, even a small mistake could have fatal consequences.

    Yu-Hyun carefully examined the part he had fixed. It wasn''t that the connection wasn''t there¡ªit was a bit loose. No matter how good one¡¯s eyes were, it would be impossible to spot that mistake unless one¡¯s knowledge of the theory behind fusion blessing arrays was rigorous and thoroughly established.

    "How did you find that mistake?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    In-Ah looked at Yu-Hyun with narrowed eyes. As if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, she casually replied, "I just spotted it."

    "You just spotted it? Hm... What rank were you on the written exam this time?"

    In-Ah openly expressed her displeasure and said, "Why do you care?"

    Yu-Hyun was slightly taken aback. It was because her attitude waspletely different from what he had heard from the rumors.

    "Well, I guess it''s because you seem smart. If you don''t want to answer, then don''t."

    "...I was second ce."

    "What? Looks like you did well. Why don¡¯t you want to talk about it?"

    In-Ah remained silent with her mouth closed. Yu-Hyun was one who ced first on the written exam. Hearing that she did well on the exam from him felt strange. She couldn''t quite exin her feelings properly, but it wasn''t exactly a pleasant feeling.

    Yu-Hyun looked at In-Ah as she was not responding, and lightly pushed her back.

    "Anyway, I suppose that¡¯s a good thing. How about you go around this area here and check for anything that I did wrong, just like you did earlier.¡±

    "...Why should I¡ª"

    "Because we''re in the same department. So let''s help each other out," Yu-Hyun responded immediately as if he had expected those words.

    He smiled. It was not the cold smile he had shown so far, but a warm smile that seemed somewhat genuine.

    "After all, there''s no one else I can ask for help. If you ced second on the written exam, I can trust you," he said.

    "...But you were first ce."

    "I had a total score of 398, and two points were deducted in sacred dynamics. So sacred dynamics was the only subject that I was second ce in, and that means you got first ce, no?¡±

    In-Ah remained silent. It was a valid statement and, above all, a pleasant one. Yu-Hyun noticed a slight rxation in In-Ah''s expression, which had been tense until now. He hid his smile and spoke with a somewhat serious face.

    ¡°I¡¯m not that good in all that sacred dynamics and fusion blessings business. I make lots of small mistakes, you see. Whether you do it or not, I need someone to correct my mistakes."

    "..."

    "But it would be good if you did it. Because if your grades are good, then I can trust your judgment. Well, I suppose it is a bit funny to judge someone''s ability based on their written exams... anyway."

    Yu-Hyun stopped talking and looked at In-Ah. Despite knowing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse, he disyed a sorrowful gaze as if he feared her rejection. In-Ah couldn''t meet his gaze and avoided eye contact. They were currently in the middle of an exam, and In-Ah was in the same group as Yu-Hyun. She couldn''t refuse, especially since it was a favor, not amand. It would also be a good thing for In-Ah if she helped Yu-Hyun since it would help their department and their team achieve good grades on the practical evaluation.

    "What will you do? If you don''t want to, you can just join the rest of the students and contribute your divine power," Yu-Hyun said.

    In-Ah observed the students standing around the fusion blessing array mechanically unleashing divine power.

    "Well, um... I''ll do it. We''re on the same team, and..."

    "Yeah, thanks!"

    Yu-Hyun expressed his gratitude in an unusually cheerful tone.

    In-Ah somehow ended up taking on the role of inspecting the fusion blessing array. She walked around the vast blessing array and pointed out any mistakes or parts that Yu-Hyun missed. Then, Yu-Hyun would make corrections and he would draw new blessing arrays with the divine power provided by the other students.

    Ha-Yeon stood there like an idiot and continued to observe this process. It was because Yu-Hyun hadn''t given her any instructions. She tried to unleash divine power because she wanted to be of some help, but Yu-Hyun quickly stopped her.

    "Just stay still."

    "What? No, why..."

    "Just rest. I''ll call you if I need you."

    Him saying that he would call her if he needed her felt a little ufortable because it felt like he was treating her like a tool, but Ha-Yeon didn''t express any dissatisfaction. Perhaps it would be more urate to say that she couldn''t express her dissatisfaction because everyone here was being used like tools.

    The students contributed their divine power to the fusion blessing array, Yu-Hyun controlled it to draw the blessing array, and In-Ah walked around the blessing array area to catch any mistakes. However, none of them felt any difort at being treated as tools. They were just grateful for being given time to rest.

    Ha-Yeon felt a burden and a sense of guilt upon realizing that she couldn''t contribute as a member of the team. At the same time, she felt an indescribable difort. After a few minutes of continuing this process, the enormous blessing array grew evenrger and more magnificent.

    "Ah."

    It was then that Yu-Hyun let out a sound that resembled something like a sigh or a gasp. He turned his eyes which were shining with intelligence toward Ha-Yeon. She was startled by his gaze and trembled. Somehow, his gaze resembled Sun-Woo''s gaze. But in some ways, it was different from Sun-Woo''s.

    Their eyes had the same temperament but they had a different essence. He started walking somewhere as he said, "Ha-Yeon, now is the time that you are needed. Follow me."

    "Ah, yes."

    Ha-Yeon prepared to unleash her divine power and followed Yu-Hyun. She was now tired of standing like a statue and watching Yu-Hyun, In-Ah, and her other team members working so hard. Upon realizing that she would be able to contribute something as well, Ha-Yeon felt a faint sense of joy.

    "Here."

    Yu-Hyun stopped walking and pointed to a certain part of the fusion blessing array. One point in the center of the fusion blessing array that was supposed to be filled with core blessing arrays waspletely empty. Although there was just one point in the fusion array that remained unfilled, it seemed as if the entire blessing array couldn''t activate because of that one point.

    Ha-Yeon unleashed her divine power, and a brilliant light burst forth from her hand. However, she had no idea what blessing array she was supposed to draw.

    "What blessing array should I draw¡ª"

    "Purification."

    "What?"

    "The blessing of purification. Should I repeat myself again?"

    Ha-Yeon¡¯s hands, which were ready to draw any blessing array, stopped moving. ording to her father, there were only three situations where she could use the blessing of purification.

    Firstly, when she was in danger. Secondly, when a person that was indescribably precious to her was in danger. Thirdly, if she received a reward that was equivalent to the benefit that the other person gained from the blessing of purification. In all other situations, she was instructed to not use the blessing of purification and to not spill the blood of purification. She was especially told to never make the mistake of wasting the blood of purification by sumbing to someone else''s coercion.

    Upon seeing her hesitate, Yu-Hyun frowned and said, "Why do you think I kept telling you to rest? It''s because we need the blessing of purification. No one else can do it except you."

    "Uh... no, that¡¯s not something I can..."

    "It¡¯s not a blessing you can just use like that, because you need to spill your own blood to do so. However...¡±

    Yu-Hyun raised both hands in an exaggerated gesture and pointed to the team members surrounding the blessing array.

    "Can''t you see? Everyone except you has worked hard."

    "..."

    Upon seeing Yu-Hyun''s gesture, Ha-Yeon looked at her team members. Everyone had weary expressions on their faces. There were even students who had copsed onto the ground. Yu-Hyun specifically pointed out one student who seemed to be in a particrly bad condition.

    "What were you doing while they were struggling and copsing like this?"

    "That¡¯s because you told me to rest¡ª"

    "That¡¯s because if you waste energy, you might not be able to use the blessing of purification when it''s needed."

    "..."

    If she had known that the blessing of purification was necessary, she wouldn''t have rested. She would have contributed by unleashing divine power and creating a different blessing array instead of the blessing of purification.

    Yu-Hyun''s words were filled with sophistry. However, the guilt and burden that Ha-Yeon felt while resting alone while her other team members were working together to create a fusion blessing weighed heavily on her shoulders.

    "<i>Sigh, </i>fu... Hey, make a decision quickly. If you don''t want to do it, just hurry up and say that you don''t want to."

    After saying that, Yu-Hyun paused and fell silent for a moment, before aggressively pointing toward his team members surrounding the blessing array.

    "If you act like this, then we''ll have to change ns and start from scratch again. All their efforts will be in vain and will be worthless."

    "..."

    "If you don¡¯t want to do it, then feel free to do so. You must have done well on the written exams as well, right? It''s not like you''ll suffer much from messing up the practical part. The other members might suffer a bit, but it''s not your concern¡ª"

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Before Yu-Hyun could finish speaking, Ha-Yeon began drawing the blessing array. Just from a rough nce, one could tell that it was the blessing of purification from the intricate and fancy lines. Upon seeing this, Yu-Hyun smiled faintly. Both Ha-Yeon and her father were weak to this kind of rhetoric. Indeed, blood didn¡¯t lie.

    Ha-Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun as she drew the blessing array and bluntly asked, "Um, do you have anything sharp? Or something pointed."

    Yu-Hyun removed the earring he had been wearing on his ear. It was a small piercing in the shape of a cross. Although it was not sharp, it seemed like it would be sufficient to create a small wound.

    "Will this do?"

    "I don''t want to use that because it''s dirty."

    "Um, sorry for it being dirty. Please bear with it, even if it''s for the sake of the other students."

    Ha-Yeon''s words were much colder than before. Yu-Hyun teased Ha-Yeon with a gentle attitude that waspletely opposite to the attitude he had disyed before. Ha-Yeon pressed the sharp part of the earring against her index finger and pressed hard.

    "Ouch."

    Ha-Yeon frowned and let out a short groan. No matter how many times she did it, she never got used to the pain.

    Blood dripped from her fingertips. When she poured the blood onto the blessing array she had drawn, a bright light began to flow out from the fusion blessing array previously remained unactivated. The light that flowed from the blessing array at that moment was brighter and more radiant than any light she had seen before. It was to the extent that Ha-Yeon, who was the one who drew the array, took steps back in surprise.

    On the other hand, Yu-Hyun approached the light with a bright smile. He threw himself into the light as if hoping to be swallowed up by it and be one with it.

    "Thank you. Thanks to you, everyone''s hard work can see the light of day!" Yu-Hyun said from within the light.

    Although his expression was hidden by the light, his tone was filled with excitement. Ha-Yeon frowned.

    "...Never again."

    She forced herself to swallow back the urge to cry and said, "Don''t ever ask me to do something like this again."

    Ha-Yeon then stepped away from the blessing array and headed toward her teammates. Yu-Hyun smirked and then raised his hand from within the light. It was a hand signal.

    Upon seeing Yu-Hyun¡¯s hand signal, the students guarding the four directions of the fusion blessing array simultaneously drew a holy cross. Then, they took out holy oil from their pockets. Just like how weapons were given to students from the Department of Crusaders and handcuffs were given to the students from the Department of Pdins, the students from the Department of Priests were given holy oil.

    <i>Ssh¡ª!</i>

    The students poured the holy oil on top of their heads without hesitation. They knelt down with their heads covered in the sticky oil and began murmuring something.

    The light of the blessing array expanded from the core blessings in the center of the fusion blessing array to the auxiliary blessings, and then spread to the students that had oil on their heads.

    The light grew brighter. It filled the reservoir with an incredibly radiant light.

    Yu-Hyun observed the scattering of light, kneeled down, and sped his hands together. His thumbs touched each other and formed a cross. He closed his eyes and lifted his head.

    "Adonai, and my angel, Gabriel!" he cried out.

    His cry echoed through the light. In response to Yu-Hyun''s voice, the light covering the ground soared up and covered the sky. The light, which was perhaps even brighter and more radiant than the sun, shone brilliantly above the heads of the students. The students looked at Yu-Hyun and the light with astonishment and fear.

    It was then that Yu-Hyun opened his eyes.

    "I pray within this blessing in the hopes that you will respond."

    <i>Shaaa©¤! </i>

    The light that covered the sky turned into rain and poured down on the heads of the students gathered at the reservoir. The raindrops were thick, heavy, and beautiful.

    The students weed the rain with joyful faces. More precisely, joy filled the faces and the light of blessing flowed brightly from the bodies of those who came into contact with the rain. As the light pouring from the sky and the light flowing from their bodies became brighter, the lights mixed together.

    The light was helping them, and the skies were helping them. Thanks to the immense strength bestowed upon them, they felt moved, and they felt a sense of awe and unity. There was no individual will there. Under the light, they were all servants of Adonai, and their consciousness and will were all united as one.

    It was truly a blessing and a miracle.

    <i> </i> *

    "Get into formation."

    Upon hearing Sun-Woo''s words, the members of Pdin-D began to move in an orderly fashion. However, despite their perfectly organized movements, the resulting formation was pathetic.

    Sun-Woo stood still in ce, and with the exception of Dae-Man, the other team members sped their hands and gathered together like a cavalry unit. Dae-Man alone stepped away from the formation and carried Su-Ryeon.

    "Aaah, what are you doing? Let go of me!"

    Su-Ryeon struggled to break free from his embrace, but it was all in vain. Due to the handcuffs, there was no strength in her body. Dae-Man didn''t even flinch at Su-Ryeon''s resistance. He simply stared at her with a slightly displeased expression.

    "Stay still."

    "Y-you...! Hey you, are you going to date me?" Su-Ryeon babbled.

    "What are you talking about?" Dae-Man responded nonchntly.

    "Are you going to date... Huh? If you¡¯re not going to date me, then you shouldn¡¯t do something like this!¡±

    Hearing the conversation between the two and seeing thepleted formation, Min-Seo burst intoughter and stood up from her seat. She walked toward Sun-Woo and said, "Is this it? Is it because youck the manpower? Isn¡¯t this too pathetic?"

    "If you think of it that way, then that¡¯s good for us,¡± Sun-Woo replied as if he was talking about something that didn¡¯t matter.

    "But can¡¯t you clear the smoke? It''s annoying. I can''t properly see in front," he asked.

    "Why should I clear it? I released the smoke on purpose," Min-Seo said teasingly while shrugging her shoulders.

    Min-Seo knew Sun-Woo''s abilities.

    Back when she roamed around as a duo with Su-Ryeon, they had ended up having a 2v2 with Sun-Woo and Dae-Man, and during that fight, Sun-Woo had caught and blocked the iing smoke bomb with his bare hands. Thus, she decided to ce smoke bombs near the negotiation point and spread some smoke.

    No matter how quick Sun-Woo''s reflexes were, he wouldn¡¯t be able to block hidden projectiles. Also, by limiting the visibility with smoke, it¡¯d be difficult for the opponent to gauge the opponent¡¯s strength. It was a strategy to gain a psychological advantage by having more intel than them.

    "Ah... is that so?"

    "Should we start the negotiation? How much will you hand Su-Ryeon over for?"

    Seeing Sun-Woo''s lukewarm reaction, Min-Seo quickly shifted the conversation and got to the point. Sun-Woo tilted his head slightly and said, "No, I want to talk about the other two hostages first, not Su-Ryeon."

    "So what? I only care about saving Su-Ryeon."

    "The two hostages first, and then Su-Ryeon. This is our proposal. If you don''t ept it, then let''s end the negotiation here."

    "<i>Sigh</i>..." Min-Seo sighed in frustration and tilted her head left and right.

    Cracking sounds came from her neck. She had a habit of doing that when she was extremely pissed.

    She continued, "During and then for ten minutes after the negotiation, capturing hostages is prohibited. It''s a pointless rule no matter how you think about it, isn''t it?"

    "I wonder... Why are you bringing that up now?"

    ¡°You, just what do you believe in to be so audacious?¡± Min-Seo asked after approaching threateningly.

    However, she didn''t get closer than necessary. She approached close enough to be threatening, but not close enough to reveal her body from the smokescreen. She didn''t know what Sun-Woo would do if she got any closer.

    Sun-Woo fell silent at Min-Seo''s question. Then he turned his head to check the formation, before looking up again to inspect the buildings surrounding him. He counted the number of students from the Department of Crusaders leaning out of the windows and aiming their guns at him.

    They weren''t clearly visible. Due to the fog, only their silhouettes could barely be seen, making it practically impossible to count their numbers. But it didn''t matter. He never intended to count the Department of Crusaders'' forces in the first ce.

    "Should I show you?" Sun-Woo said.

    His eyes glimmered sharply. His pupils, which didn¡¯t have any signs of wavering, were clearly fixed on Min-Seo. She, as well as the other members, noticed that his demeanor had drastically changed from before.

    However, if they were dragged along by this atmosphere, then it would all be over. If they lost in the mental battle, they would start the negotiations at a disadvantage, and if that happened, it would just be better to not negotiate at all.

    Min-Seo showed a rxed smile.

    "Yeah, show me. You fuck¡ª"

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Before Min-Seo could finish speaking, a strong wind blew. The smoke that surrounded the area scattered and disappeared instantly. Despite the sudden gust of wind, Min-Seo tried to open her eyes and keep track of Sun-Woo''s movements, but she eventually ended up closing her eyes.

    It was because the dust and gravel that was attached to the old building flew off and stabbed into her eyes.

    "¡ªer. What are you...!"

    By the time the wind subsided and when Min-Seo unleashed her divine power and opened her eyes, the smoke she carefully prepared had already disappeared due to the wind. The hazy air had suddenly be much clearer.

    She could see Dae-Man holding Su-Ryeon in his arms, and the members of Sun-Woo¡¯s team lying scattered on the ground. The bodies of his team members emitted the light of blessing.

    At first, the situation didn''t make sense to her. It was because Sun-Woo was nowhere to be seen. After the wind blew, he literally disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was incredible timing, almost as if the wind was helping him.

    At that moment, Min-Seo saw an unnatural shadow flickering. She followed the shadow with her gaze.

    "No..."

    Min-Seo was so shocked that she trailed off and was unable to finish her sentence.

    Sun-Woo was in the sky. More precisely, he was hanging on the railing of the third floor of the building on the right, where Min-Seo had set up a sniper''s nest. From there, he looked down at Min-Seo with a smile that was brighter than any that she had seen before. It seemed like he was mumbling something, but Min-Seo couldn''t hear him.

 Chapter 179

    <h4>Chapter 179</h4>

    She couldn''t understand how that guy was there in the first ce. It was possible to jump up to the third floor with the power of blessings. The part that she couldn''t understand was how he had thought of going up there.

    Sun-Woo was currently on the third floor of the building on the right. Min-Seo had ced the most personnel there. Before Dae-Man sent the negotiation request to them, they had been the best fighters on the team and had been used asbatants for obtaining tokens. Min-Seo handed them grenadeunchers and instructed them to aim at Sun-Woo and pull the trigger when given the signal.

    In other words, that ce had the most grenadeunchers and ammunition, and at the same time, it was also where the most tokens were stored. From Min-Seo''s perspective, it was the ce where she would suffer the greatest loss if attacked. It was her Achilles heel.

    Within the smokescreen that made it impossible to clearly see even a step ahead, how did Sun-Woo realize this fact and act on it? Did he realize it in a fleeting moment when the wind blew and cleared up the smoke? Did that even make any logical sense? Just what did that crazy bastard do for a living?

    She had no idea. At the moment, she had to...

    "Hey, don''t hesitate, hurry up and shoot!" Min-Seo urgently pointed at Sun-Woo.

    The snipers hidden behind various rocks and buildings all aimed their grenadeunchers at Sun-Woo. However, they were unable to pull the trigger in time. Although the wind had died down, it was still blowing strong.

    While they were hesitating to pull the trigger, Sun-Woo disappeared once again. The grenadeuncher barrels aimed at Sun-Woo lost their target and wandered aimlessly. Someone looked at Min-Seo with their eyes shining as if waiting for the next order.

    But now was not the time to leisurely give out orders.

    "Oh shit, that son of a bitch...!"

    After cursing in a husky voice, she drew her bow, and before the light of blessing could even reach her legs, she started running toward the stairs. It was because she was the only one who saw Sun-Woo jumping over the window and entering the building. Sun-Woo was someone who was impossible for her to predict. She had to stop him before the situation spiraledpletely out of control.

    ***

    <i>Whoosh¡ª! </i>

    The wind blew. No, the wind helped me.

    A gust of wind was rtively natural. It was far more natural than a lightning strike in a clear sky, a pir of fire shooting out from nowhere, a snake appearing, or a gigantified nt moving...

    If I just added a blessing to be used as a cover-up and added an appropriate amount of smoke, Bade''s power could be utilized in a variety of different situations.

    I practiced using the power of the Loa for a while, and I especially focused on mastering Bade''s power. Bade''s wind was strong, but delicate control was impossible. I practiced narrowing the range of the wind and concentrating its power into a single point.

    Unlike my skills in manipting blessings, which didn¡¯t improve no matter how much I practiced, the method of practicing the power of the Loa was simple but difficult. I just had to offer arge amount of sacrifices, use their power a lot, and at the same time, I just had to maintain a strong bond with the Loa.

    Fortunately, the method of forming a bond with Bade was simple.

    [How was Bade''s elevator service? Please give me a review!]

    "Good! It was the best!" I said while hanging on the third-floor railing and looking down at Min-Seo.

    If I wanted to make Bade happy, all I had to do was tter him. There was no need to be sincere. If I praised him with an excited tone, as if I couldn''t contain my happiness, Bade would jump for joy.

    <i>Crash! </i>

    I smashed the window swaying from the wind with my fist and climbed inside. It felt like a few shards of ss were stuck in my fist, but it didn''t seem necessary to remove them right away. It didn''t hurt much, so I could deal with itter. Now was not the time to worry about a few fragments of ss stuck in my fist.

    One of the Department of Crusaders members hiding on the third floor of the building spotted me and eximed in surprise, "Huh...? It''s Sun-Woo!"

    He quickly moved the barrel of his grenadeuncher that was pointing outside the window in my direction. Along with his shout, all the students from the Department of Crusaders that were on the same floor looked at me, and their numerous grenadeunchers were aimed at me.

    [If you need help, shout out the name of the technique! This is the moment where we need to use the technique that we practiced in the underground chapel earlier!] Bade eximed excitedly.

    I ran toward the closest opponent aiming his grenadeuncher at me and nodded.

    While mastering Bade''s power, I had many conversations with him. Most of these conversations involved me going along with the flow. Through these conversations, we created something called a technique. When I signaled to Bade by extending my fist, condensed wind would be released in the direction of my extended fist, making it appear as if I had struck the opponent with my fist.

    The moment the opponent was about to pull the trigger, I extended my fist and shouted the name of the technique.

    "Wi-Wind Punch!"

    [Wind Punch! Bam, bam!]

    I felt embarrassed to say the name of the technique out loud, so I lowered the volume of my voice and stuttered a bit, but it seemed like Bade was extremely delighted.

    <i>Woosh¡ªsmack!</i>

    My fist extended out along with the wind and struck the opponent¡¯s jaw. In reality, it was not my fist that had made contact with the jaw, but rather, it was condensed wind. But to an observer, it would not appear much different.

    The opponent lost consciousness and copsed before dropping the grenadeuncher that they were carrying. With a loud thud, the area fell into silence.

    Although numerous students from the Department of Crusaders were aiming their grenadeunchers at me, none of them could easily pull the trigger. It was probably because I suddenly appeared and caught them off guard.

    At that moment, someone muttered in a terrified, helpless tone, ¡°Oh my god...¡±

    "I couldn¡¯t even see his fist...!"

    "You crazy bastard! Stop admiring and shoot!"

    The sharp voice of a female student broke the silence. The students btedly regained their senses at that voice before clumsily aiming at me and pulling the trigger.

    <i>Bang! Bang! </i>

    I was familiar with the sound of a grenadeuncher, and I felt ufortable. For some reason, my heart beat violently even though I hadn¡¯t used Bossou''s power. The sounds of screams ovepped with the sound of the grenadeuncher. It was an auditory hallucination. It was definitely an auditory hallucination.

    I ignored the sound and ran toward the nearest enemy. I closed the distance and extended my fist before shouting the name of the technique once again.

    "Wind Punch! Wind Punch!"

    [Oh, nice! That''s it! Bam, bam!]

    <i>Whoosh©¤! </i>

    The wind seeped in through the broken or open windows. At some point, I could read the flow of the wind. I could see where the wind wasing from and where it was heading. Beyond just having a deep bond with Bade, it felt like I was seeing the world through Bade''s eyes.

    <i>Flutter!</i>

    The wind followed by touch and wrapped around my body. The bullets flying toward me decelerated in the wind, crumbled, and then fell to the ground. Rather than me dodging the grenades, it looked more like the grenades were avoiding me.

    I trusted Bade, so I didn''t dodge the bullets. I just charged at the enemy and extended my fist. Wind blew out with each punch, and when a gust of wind struck the enemy, they copsed. The grenadeunchers they were holding all fell to the ground. The bullets they shot failed to hit my body, and as a result, perplexed expressions settled on the faces of those witnessing this sight.

    asionally, tokens would spill out of the pockets of the enemies I subdued, and I would pick them up. I would also snatch grenadeunchers from subdued enemies and throw them at the other enemies I hadn''t subdued yet. There was no need to put too much effort into each throw. Even if it missed, Bade¡¯s wind would correct the trajectory.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    "Ahh!"

    In an instant, I subdued all the enemies, with the exception of one.

    Since I had swung my fist wildly while having shards of ss embedded inside, my fist waspletely covered with blood. The blood was sticky due to being dried up from the wind. My wounds seemed to have deepened slightly.

    Even if I immediately used restoration spells after returning back to the underground chapel, it would be difficult to avoid leaving scars. Ji-Ah nuna would certainly nag at me about it again.

    I strutted toward thest remaining opponent.

    The opponenty copsed on the ground. They said with with a pale face, "Y-you crazy bastard...!"

    They weren¡¯t entirely wrong. I raised my fist, which was painted with dried-up blood.

    "Aaargh!"

    At that moment, a shout came from the direction of the stairs. It was a sharp, resounding voice that was filled with wrath. It was Min-Seo''s voice without a doubt.

    I hadn¡¯t expected the situation to work out so perfectly, but in any case, all was well that ended well. I lowered my raised fist and turned toward Min-Seo. She was catching her breath with her head lowered.

    "Ha, ha... It''s so damn exhausting. If only I didn''t twist my ankle," Min-Seo said while looking around at her fallenrades.

    "W-what the fuck, you guys already got wasted?!¡± Min-Seo shouted in frustration.

    The sight of people sprawled on the cement floor felt like a deste scene, even for me.

    ***

    With the help of blessings, Min-Seo quickly ascended the stairs. Internally, she wanted to leap up to the third floor in one go like Sun-Woo, but her injured ankle prevented her from doing so. Nevertheless, she believed that she had climbed the stairs rtively quickly, but by the time she reached the top, the situation had already ended.

    Against just Sun-Woo alone, all thebatants were annihted. Well, they weren¡¯t exactlypletely annihted, as one person still remained. However, even thest remaining person had lost their will to fight. It was practically no different fromplete annihtion.

    With this, it would be impossible for her to gain an advantageous position in the negotiations. Min-Seo tried to suppress her boiling rage, but when the throbbing pain in her ankle intensified, she couldn''t hold back and she ended up pointing angrily at Sun-Woo.

    "You crazy bastard! Is your first instinct to resort to violence? And you call yourself a clergyman?"

    "Then is it okay for clergymen to aim their grenadeunchers at people and threaten them?¡±

    "...I guess you have a point. Fine, why are you doing this? What do you want?"

    After thinking things through, she agreed with him, so she quickly acknowledged what Sun-Woo said and moved on to the main point. If she understood what Sun-Woo wanted, even if it didn''t give her an advantageous position in negotiations, she would at least be able to negotiate on equal grounds.

    "Before you negotiate for Su-Ryeon, negotiate for the two other hostages first."

    "Okay, I can do that. So, how much do you want for those two?"

    Min-Seo reluctantly epted Sun-Woo¡¯s offer as if she had no choice but to do so. It was because if she rejected his proposal here, she had no idea what that guy would do. Unless he asked for an outrageous amount, she was willing to pay the cost required to buy Su-Ryeon.

    "Seven."

    "...Seven total for two people?"

    "No? Seven each."

    "You crazy bastard! Hey, let''s all just die here. Screw the negotiations and just die¡ª!¡±

    <i>Tap. </i>

    After aggressively spewing out a series of insults, Min-Seo was just about to approach Sun-Woo when she suddenly halted.

    Her hand, which had been secretly drawing a blessing array in order to intentionally invoke the collision phenomenon also stopped. The divine power that failed to be a blessing array scattered and disappeared. Meanwhile, Min-Seo''s gaze remained fixed on Sun-Woo''s hand without wavering.

    "Don''te any closer."

    Sun-Woo''s blood-stained hand was holding onto tokens that had been in the sniper team¡¯s possession on the third floor.

    Although she collected and gathered all the tokens from her team members before the negotiation with Sun-Woo, it seemed like she had missed a few tokens.

    Min-Seo''s gaze started to quiver.

    "...You know you can''t use those anyway, right? Each token is bound to an individual. It''s registered to the digital watch, so it doesn''t make a difference if you have it. Taking tokens by force during negotiations is a vition of the rules," Min-Seo said in a frenzy.

    She had a habit of speaking faster when she was flustered, but Min-Seo''s words were all true. The tokens were personal belongings, so they had no meaning even if it was in someone else''s hands without going through an official transfer through negotiations.

    It was a rule designed to help the students from the Department of Priests, as the exam would be toobat-oriented otherwise. However, there was no rule that prohibited forcibly taking tokens during negotiations. Those were just words that Min-Seo had spewed out in the heat of the moment in order to ovee her current crisis.

    <i>Crash! </i>

    At that moment, Sun-Woo threw one of the tokens he was holding to the ground. He threw it so hard that it broke in half due to the force of the throw. Sun-Woo stepped on it and stepped on it again until it was reduced to smithereens. Min-Seo''s face turned pale. Sun-Woo subtly smiled.

    "There''s no rule that states that we can¡¯t break the tokens, right?"

    "Hey, you son of a bitch©¤!"

    "Don''te any closer. I''ll break another one," Sun-Woo threatened while pulling out another token.

    Min-Seo reflexively stopped moving toward him. Each and every token was precious to Min-Seo. She had a reason to do well on this practical exam. She had saved Gabriel from dying in the previous incident and entered into a contract with him to receive substantial financial support. However, if Gabriel suddenly announced that he would offer arge amount of financial support, both Gabriel and Min-Seo would be in a difficult position.

    Thus, Gabriel came up with a n. He decided to support her through a foundation, under the guise of a schrship. In order for that n to work, Min-Seo first had to be selected as a schrship student. That was why Min-Seo was so desperate. In order to be selected as a schrship student, her overall ranking based on thebination of the written and practical exams had to be within the top ten.

    Min-Seo forced herself to calm her boiling emotions and said, "Yeah, okay. Just calm down for now, and, uh, put the tokens down first."

    She tried to not appear agitated, but she couldn''t hide the trembling in her voice. Sun-Woo gently ced the tokens on the floor before wiping the blood off his fist.

    "Does that mean you ept the offer or not?¡± he asked.

    ¡°...Sure, do whatever the fuck you want. I¡¯ll pay seven for each of them, you motherfucker.¡±

    Sun-Woo silently handed over the keys to the two hostages, and Min-Seo also transferred ownership of fourteen tokens over to him. She felt like she was continuously sustaining losses, so Min-Seo felt bitter inside. If only her ankle was okay... She would have fought back, but because her condition was like this, she couldn¡¯t even think about engaging in a one-on-one fight.

    "Now, next is Su-Ryeon, right? So how much are you going to ask for Su-Ryeon, you fucking asshole? Around one hundred tokens?"

    "I don''t expect that much. How about fifty?"

    Min-Seo let out a sigh. The asking price was so absurd, but more importantly, she didn¡¯t have fifty tokens at the moment. However, that didn¡¯t mean that she could give up on Su-Ryeon. She had wasted fourteen tokens in order to save two useless hostages, all for the sake of Su-Ryeon. It was even harder to give up on Su-Ryeon because of the sunk cost.

    "...I think I can pay about half of it."

    "Half. Half..."

    Sun-Woo pretended to contemte, but displeasure was clearly written on his face. His silence created a strangely tense atmosphere because it was long and heavy. Min-Seo subconsciously gulped loudly.

    "Then let''s roughly make it half, to around twenty tokens. Since I received fourteen tokens earlier."

    "...Hmm, if you can do that, that¡¯d be great for me.¡±

    Min-Seo made an effort not to show her satisfaction, because she didn''t want to give Sun-Woo a reason to change his mind. Sun-Woo briefly checked Min-Seo''s expression before slowly nodding.

    "Okay, twenty tokens."

    He handed over the key to Su-Ryeon''s handcuffs. Min-Seo also handed him the ownership of twenty tokens and secretly smiled, but her mood suddenly turned sour when she watched Sun-Woo turn away. She couldn''t exin it exactly, but she instinctively felt like she had suffered a loss.

    However, the negotiation was already over.

    ***

    "Well, that was a profit."

    Honestly, at first, I had entered the negotiation with the thought of only getting twenty tokens, but somehow the situation turned around and I was able to get more tokens than expected. Anyway, it worked out well.

    After finishing the negotiation on the third floor of the eerie-looking cement building, we came down. We handed Su-Ryeon, who was in Dae-Man''s arms, and the other two hostages over to Min-Seo.

    "Su-Ryeon, you bitch. How much do I have to spend to save you?"

    "You crazy hag. If you hadn''t betrayed me, none of this would have happened!"

    "If I hadn''t betrayed you, both of us would have been caught. It''s better than the worst-case scenario," Min-Seo shamelessly said while releasing Su-Ryeon from her handcuffs.

    While releasing the handcuffs of the other two hostages, the students from the Department of Crusaders waiting in ambush nearby began to creep out. At just a rough nce, it was possible to tell that there were more than thirty of them. They must havebined four teams together.

    "Hey, get lost already. I don''t want to see your face. Before we beat you up ck and blue and handcuff you after ten minutes.¡±

    I just stood still without responding, but Dae-Man stepped forward and said, "Min-Seo, you have too much of a foul mouth! How about toning down on the swearing?"

    Min-Seo frowned.

    "Are you going to give me money if I speak nicely?¡±

    "No, I don''t have that much money."

    "Then why are you being so nosy? Should I tear your muscles apart with my muscle destruction technique?"

    Dae-Man confidently thumped his chest.

    "You won¡¯t be able to tear my muscles with just any technique!¡±

    Perhaps due to her nerves getting tense due to the negotiation, Min-Seo''s tone of voice was even more aggressive than usual.

    "Looks like you have overly inted pride just because you fiddled around with some exercise, you son of an anchovy.¡±

    "I can''t endure what you said just now. Come at me."

    While the two were quarreling, I surveyed the terrain. I wanted to examine the surroundings and n ahead, just in case we ended up in another battle. In doing so, my eyes met with a female student. It seemed like she was a member of the Department of Crusaders, but even after the negotiation was over, she continued to hide and watch over me. When our eyes met, she widened her eyes in surprise and crouched down before escaping.

    I pointed at her and asked Min-Seo, "...Is she your teammate?"

    Min-Seo narrowed her eyes and carefully examined her face. She shook her head.

    "No? I don''t know her."

    "Oh, she''s my friend!" Su-Ryeon said with a delighted face as she stood next to me. But then she tilted her head as if she found it strange.

    "But she''s from the Department of Priests... Why is she here?"

    At the mention of the Department of Priests, everyone''s expression stiffened. The atmosphere hadn¡¯t exactly been lively, but it had been rowdy to a certain extent. However, such an atmosphere turned cold instantly.

    The girl from the Department of Priests noticed our gaze and took a few steps back, before eventually banging her watch like crazy and wildly running in the direction of where the students from the Department of Priests were located.

    The gesture she made was her manipting the digital watch to inform her team members of her location.

 Chapter 180

    <h4>Chapter 180</h4>

    It literally happened in an instant. It happened so quickly that it was difficult toprehend the situation. As though a current had swept us away, the situation had reached a point of no return by the time we finally regained our senses.

    It had probably started with Min-Seo''s outburst. No, maybe I had been ying on the palm of Yu-Hyun¡¯s hand from the very beginning.

    "Department of Priests... She¡¯s from the Department of Priests? Then what the fuck are you all doing? Catch her!¡± Min-Seo shouted.

    The girl observing our negotiation process frantically tapped away at her electronic watch while running away without looking back. The members of the Department of Crusaders had been standing around in a dumbfounded manner, but they finally snapped out of it and began chasing after her.

    "Gah!"

    As she was running without paying attention, she tripped over her own feet and fell over. The students from the Department of Crusaders quickly caught up and subdued her. With a nk, they ced handcuffs on her wrists.

    Immediately after that, light poured out.

    From the distance, a massive cloud of light appeared and radiated light throughout the surface of the earth. The light was so remarkablyrge and bright that it was clearly visible even from this distance. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared nkly at the light. It had a strange allure that captured their gaze.

    All those who gazed at the light were rendered speechless. It was as if they had lost their ability to formte sentences. A deep and profound silence filled the area.

    Su-Ryeon broke the silence. "What... is that?"

    Min-Seo regained her senses shortly after and said, "What the... it seems to be another ridiculous stunt that the students from the Department of Priests are pulling, but this..."

    "It must be Yu-Hyun¡¯s doing," Dae-Man calmly interjected, crossing his arms. "Besides Yu-Hyun, I don''t know anyone else who would do something like that."

    Su-Ryeon looked at Dae-Man, who had spoken seriously in an attempt to look cool, in disbelief. ¡°...But is it alright for you guys to just be standing around here like that? You know that the ten minutes are going to be over soon, right? You guys should run away quickly.¡±

    Dae-Man shook his head.

    "Why should we run away? If we were to fight, we would win.¡±

    "What nonsense are you spouting? Just how would you guys win?" Min-Seo chuckled as if she couldn''t believe her ears.

    Dae-Man smiled.

    "As long as Sun-Woo is on our team, guys like you don¡¯t stand a chance.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure. We can just mow you down with numbers. You¡¯ll get ganged up on and you¡¯ll get jumped big time.¡±

    ¡°You would have seen it just now, but human wave tactics won¡¯t work against Sun-Woo. He''s a one-man army. The same goes for me."

    ¡°Why are you surreptitiously adding yourself in there? You¡¯re just a small fry." Su-Ryeon teased Dae-Man with a chuckle.

    A faint vein popped out on Dae-Man''s forehead.

    "It''s because of me that Sun-Woo can fully demonstrate his abilities!"

    "Ah, you scared the living crap out of me. Why are you getting so angry? It was just a joke..."

    "I wasn¡¯t getting angry..."

    Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon continued to bicker with each other. Min-Seo asionally inserted herself into the conversation and criticized Dae-Man.

    I listened to their conversation. However, at some point, the contents of their conversation no longer reached my ears. My eyes remained fixed on the rays of light shining down. The sound of my heartbeat grew louder, and in sync with that sound, I began to hear voices.

    Those weren¡¯t the voices of the Loa. It was the sound of people screaming. They were the screams of people whose names and faces I didn''t know, people who no longer existed in this world.

    They died because of my ipetence.

    During The Starless Night, the Levi Order relentlessly searched every nook and cranny in every house in an attempt to find Voodoo Cult members. After catching the cult members, they would dig pits, dump the cult members inside, then set them on fire. The bodies of those hundreds, perhaps even thousands or tens of thousands of cult members, were wrapped in the light of blessing.

    On that day, a massive cloud of light appeared in the sky and scattered light upon the earth, just like now. Soon after the light faded, I began to hear the voices of people. It was a mixture of the shouts from the wrathful Levi Order, the screams of the captured Voodoo Cult members, and the cries of those who lost their families right in front of their eyes.

    I stood nkly while watching the smoke that burned the Voodoo Cult members to death, and the light that was shining down from the skies within the tumultuous cacophony of voices. Eventually, I no longer could hear those voices. I could hear only the sounds of my heartbeat and my rough,bored breathing. Just like right now.

    [Snap out of it. Isn''t this an exam that you''ve determined to do well in...?]

    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you hear something...?¡±

    <i>Thump, thump, thump... </i>

    [Was today supposed to be the day that the choice was supposed to be made? It seems like I''ve mistaken the date...]

    "Huh, what...?"

    <i>Ah, ah, ahhh... </i>

    [Prophet! If you need the power of the wind, just say the word! I''m always on standby...]

    "It feels like the light is getting closer. Am I just seeing things...?"

    Legba, Min-Seo, the sound of my heartbeat, Baron Samedi, Su-Ryeon, the screams, the cries, Bade, and Dae-Man¡ªall those different voices and sounds entered my ears in a disorganized frenzy. As this continued, it became strangely quiet. I could no longer distinguish between the silence and the cacophony.

    I couldn¡¯t tell if the maelstrom was filled with sound or silence, but within that maelstrom, I trembled in fear. It felt like I was wandering alone through a deep mountain valley in the middle of the night, without being able to see or hear anything. I thought I would no longer feel fear from past memories, but I had been delusional.

    I had to continue while constantly feeling guilt toward the people who had died because of my ipetence, and I had to constantly reproach myself for my past ipetence. Since everyone who had the ability to forgive me had died, there was no deadline for such repentance. Within my consciousness, I would reproach myself, repeat my mistakes, reproach myself once again, and quiver while recounting my past ipetence...

    [And you would rot inside an abyss of self-pity and self-hatred.]

    Within the entangled cacophony of voices, only Legba¡¯s voice rang clear. It was just like back then, when I spent that moment that felt like an eternity with Legba inside the Crossroads.

    <i>Crack. </i>

    I bit my finger and twisted it apart until it broke. The intoxication spell engraved on my finger entered my throat and filled my lungs.

    My consciousness became hazy, then cleared up. The tangled cacophony slowly returned to coherent sounds that could be processed once again. The skewed gazes also returned to normal.

    "Sun-Woo! Are you okay? What''s going on..."

    "I''m fine," I replied before Dae-Man could finish speaking.

    Dae-Man looked at me with a concerned expression and said, "No, you don¡¯t seem fine at all. I can¡¯t exin why, but it instinctively feels like that..."

    "I said I''m fine. After taking on the mantle as the team leader, I have no intention of fumbling around and messing up your grades. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    "No, the problem isn¡¯t you, but rather...¡± Dae-Man started to say something but stopped midway.

    His gaze was not focused on me. Instead, it was focused on the distant horizon, where the light was shining down onto the ground.

    I couldn''t fully understand what Dae-Man was saying. If I wasn¡¯t the problem, then what was the problem? I had no idea what he was trying to say. I indirectly used the intoxication spell by breaking my finger, and by doing so, I was barely able to hold onto my sanity, but that didn¡¯t mean that I waspletely clear-headed.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump... </i>

    <i>Ah, ah, ahhh... </i>

    The tangled cacophony had simply settled into coherent sounds that could be heard. However, that didn¡¯t mean that I understood what those sounds meant. The sound of my heartbeat remained loud, and I continued to hear voices. I couldn¡¯t tell whether the voices were actual screams or hallucinations, but they were echoing out incessantly from a distant ce. It didn''t take long for me to realize that it wasn''t my heartbeat, nor was it a hallucination.

    <i>Thump, thump. </i>

    The heavy and unpleasant sound that shook the ground was getting closer. Unbeknownst to me, the cloud of light that had appeared to be on the distant horizon was actually approaching us.

    <i>Ahh, ahhhh! </i>

    What I thought were hallucinations turned out to be real screams. They resembled the screams and cries of the members of the Voodoo Cult, trampled mercilessly by the wrath and madness of the Levi Order. The screams echoed through the ruined city and gradually approached us.

    "Sun-Woo, should we retreat or prepare for battle?" Dae-Man asked with a serious expression.

    Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon seemed to be having some sort of conversation while preparing for a hasty retreat. They were not even considering the option of fighting back against the approaching cloud of light, which had the ability to attract and captivate people''s gazes. It also had the power to overwhelm people and lower their morale.

    Before giving the order, I looked up at the approaching cloud of light. Prior to negotiating with Min-Seo, I had first negotiated with Yu-Hyun. During that negotiation, Yu-Hyun was able to figure out that we had three hostages who were all students from the Department of Crusaders.

    Yu-Hyun would have known that soon after dealing with the Department of Priests, we would proceed to do the same thing with the students from the Department of Crusaders.

    In fact, we really dide to negotiate with Min-Seo right after Yu-Hyun. And we discovered a female student from the Department of Priests eavesdropping on us. She fled while reporting her location using her electronic watch, and then she became a hostage of the students from the Department of Crusaders.

    It was at that moment that the location of the students from the Department of Crusaders was exposed to Yu-Hyun. At the same time, our location was also revealed. What Yu-Hyun had aimed for was for the students from the Department of Crusaders and the students from the Department of Pdins to wipe each other out. No, perhaps he didn¡¯t intend for us to wipe each other out, but rather...

    "...We¡¯re toote."

    The cloud of light was right in front of us. The sound of footsteps was getting closer, and the screams grew louder. We no longer heard the echoes of the screams. Instead, we were hearing the screams themselves.

    Bathed in the light pouring down from the clouds, the students from the Department of Priests were advancing. The light of blessing resonated out from their bodies, and their expressions flickered with madness and a sense of unity. They were all intoxicated by the blessing.

    Yu-Hyun was at the forefront with a spear in his right hand. The spear tip shone brilliantly and beautifully. No, the spear wasn¡¯t just shining. The spear itself wasposed entirely of light. With a loud thud, Yu-Hyun stabbed the spear into the ground.

    "I have arrived!" he said.

    His voice was exceedingly loud. It felt as if his voice wasn¡¯ting out directly from his vocal chords. Instead, it felt like his voice was reverberating out from the clouds of light covering the skies. Dozens of students intoxicated by the light stood behind Yu-Hyun, held up their handcuffs, and waited for hismand.

    Yu-Hyun took a deep breath, and as if it were extremely heavy, he lifted the spear of light with difficulty and pointed the tip toward us. The light radiating from the students shimmered along with the spear tip.

    As if the spear of light controlled them, the students let out war cries and charged toward us. Perhaps as a result of the blessings, or perhaps as an effect of the cloud of light that was bathing them, none of the students expressed any fear or hesitation. They all simply beamed with delight. Joy that resembled lunacy was evident on their faces.

    Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon shouted as they retreated.

    "What the fuck is going on?! Did those guys smoke weed or something?¡±

    "Ah? Hahhh? This situation is weird, isn''t it? Ret-retreat! Let''s retreat!"

    Hearing Su-Ryeon''s shout, the students from the Department of Crusaders shuffled backward, then turned their backs and ran away.

    Min-Seo didn''t run away. Instead, she drew two blessing arrays and forcibly fused them together. It seemed like she was trying to trigger the collision phenomenon.

    <i>Rumble, rumble¡ª! </i>

    The blessing arrays made strange noises as they fused together and soon began to tremble precariously, indicating that the collision phenomenon was about to ur. It seemed like it would explode at any moment.

    <i>Fizzle... </i>

    Suddenly, Min-Seo''s blessing arrays turned into dust and scattered away. The wind swept away the scattered remnants of the blessing arrays, and then they were absorbed into the spear that Yu-Hyun was holding.

    Yu-Hyun lifted the spear with a triumphant expression and said, "As if I¡¯d let you do that!"

    "This motherfuck¡ª!"

    <i>nk. </i>

    Before Min-Seo could finish her sentence, handcuffs were ced on her wrist. Resistance was futile.

    Due to the effects of the cloud of light, the so-called ¡°Yu-Hyun''s dogs,¡± who moved ording to Yu-Hyun''s orders, were swift and strong. It would be difficult to defeat them with conventional methods. I knew that very well. The Levi Order, who had captured the Voodoo Cult during The Starless Night, had also been in the same state.

    Yu-Hyun''s dogs were all big in stature. It seemed like only the students of the Department of Priests with arge physique and good blessing efficiency were appointed as dogs. That was why In-Ah and Ha-Yeon were nowhere to be seen.

    "Sun-Woo, what should we do? Should we run?" Dae-Man asked within the chaos.

    There was no opportunity for me to answer.

    Yu-Hyun''s dogs were capturing students from the Department of Crusaders and Department of Pdins as hostages at terrifying speeds. One of Yu-Hyun''s dogs tried to handcuff Dae-Man''s wrist.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    "Oh no! I threw you too hard! I''m sorry!"

    Dae-Man grabbed the student from the Department of Priests who tried to capture him and threw him to the ground. As if unable to feel any pain, the dazed dog didn''t grimace and just stared at the clouds of light floating in the sky with a blissful look in its eyes.

    Dae-Man threw each approaching dog to the ground and hollered, "Sun-Woo! Answer quickly! Are we running away?"

    "While I buy time, you have to run away. Or while you buy time, I''ll run away," I said to Dae-Man while standing back to back against him.

    I extended my fist toward the approaching dogs.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    [Wind Punch! I¡¯ll say it instead of you this time!]

    Wind flew out and struck the jaw of one of Yu-Hyun¡¯s dogs. The dog copsed to the ground after losing strength in their legs.

    Even if we continued to subdue the dogs like this, however, there¡¯d be no end to them. Due to the blessings, the dogs had forgotten how to feel fear. After getting hit, they would simply stand back up and surround us.

    "...I will buy you some time. I will create a path, so you run away," Dae-Man said.

    "How much time can you buy me?" I asked.

    "I willst long enough to get you out of here. Trust me, just like I trusted you," he replied.

    After saying that, Dae-Man threw another approaching dog to the ground.

    I nodded.

    "Alright, I believe in you! Pave the way!"

    "Got it¡ª!" Dae-Man shouted.

    With a roar, he unleashed a blessing array. The light of blessing enveloped his entire body. Compared to the radiant glow surrounding Yu-Hyun''s dogs, it was a feeble light. However, when infused into Dae-Man, even blessings of that level could exhibit explosive efficiency.

    "Huff¡ª! Come on¡ª!" Dae-Man shouted as he crouched down and charged toward the dogs surrounding us.

    Like a truck smashing into a moose, the dogs that collided with his bulky body were tossed onto the ground. When Dae-Man started charging forward, the encirclement copsed, and an escape route opened up.

    "Thank you, Dae-Man!¡±

    ¡°Remember this!"

    I ran through the path that he had opened up for me. asionally, a dog would try to grab my wrist while I was fleeing, and Bade''s Wind Punch would strike their jaw and knock them out each time.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    After widening the distance by a significant amount, I created a gust of wind and entrusted my body to it. Following that, my body became incredibly light. To an observer, it may have looked like I was running, but in reality, I was simply surrendering myself to the wind, which was no different from flying. I was finally able topletely shake off Yu-Hyun''s dogs and escape.

    While fleeing, I thought about my future ns. I had a lot of tokens in my possession at the moment. I could negotiate with Yu-Hyun to save Dae-Man and then diligently collect tokens again. Alternatively, it was possible to wait until the power from the cloud of light wore off and then wipe out the weakened dogs thereafter.

    There was still plenty of time. Although I was retreating after losing many teammates at the moment, as long as I didn¡¯t get captured as a hostage, there was always a chance to turn the tables. There was also a chance of victory if I joined forces with the other students from the Department of Pdins.

    "Bade, just a little faster!"

    <i>Flutter.</i>

    That was what I was thinking, up until the moment a wing that was densely packed with brilliant golden feathers blocked my path. It was Yu-Hyun.

    "Who are you talking to?" he said.

    He was holding a spear made out of light in his right hand, and wingsposed of light were sprouting out from his back. Just like me, he was flying. I was flying by leaving my body to the wind that I had created, and he was flying by pushing down the wind with his wings.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Without any time to think, the spear in his hand pierced me in the side. I felt pain that I had never experienced before¡ªit felt like all the blood flowing in my body had suddenly stopped. The pain was intense and vivid. It was strange. Since I had offered my sense of touch to Baron Samedi, I shouldn''t have been able to feel pain anymore.

    <strong>"As expected, you¡¯re the Cult Leader," </strong>Yu-Hyun said while looking down at me with an unpleasant and sticky smile.

 Chapter 181

    <h4>Chapter 181</h4>

    There were different kinds of ways to lose consciousness. Falling asleep was one way, and fainting was another. Losing one¡¯s sense of reason and seeing the world through a white filter due to feeling intense emotions could also be considered a form of losing consciousness.

    When Yu-Hyun stabbed me in the side of the body with the spear, I coughed out blood and lost consciousness. My eyes naturally closed as if I were falling asleep, and after that, my consciousnesspletely disappeared. It was a terrifying and seductive sleep. Ever since the Holy War, this was the first time I had slept so deeply andfortably. I didn''t even dream.

    "Ah, arghh...!" I woke up screaming.

    "Oh my, you scared me!"

    I couldn''t remember where I was or how much time had passed. I didn¡¯t even remember how I ended up falling asleep.

    As soon as I opened my eyes, I abruptly sat up and looked around. I was lying inside a tent, and next to me was a teacher I had never seen before. They stared at me with a bewildered expression. Judging by their appearance, they seemed to be a priest specializing in healing. It felt like I had seen them before in the nurse¡¯s office.

    The priest specializing in healing ced their hand on their chest, closed their eyes, and then took a deep breath. "You startled me. If you suddenly scream..."

    Without even listening to her, I asked, "Where am I?"

    The priest specializing in healing looked at me as if I were a weirdo.

    "Where you ask...? This is the provisional infirmary. It was constructed to treat students that get injured during the exams,¡± the priest specializing in healing said as if they were stating the obvious.

    <i>¡®Infirmary?¡¯ </i>

    "What about the exam?"

    "It''s over. You werepletely fine up until just now. Why are you suddenly acting like this? Didn¡¯t you enter this room yourself?¡±

    "I was fine up until just now...? Wait, no, the exam is over?"

    "Huh? Yes, of course. It ended ages ago."

    I looked at my wrist and didn¡¯t see the digital watch that I had worn during the exam. I nced outside through the slightly open entrance of the tent. The sun, which had been shining brightly up until I had lost consciousness, was nowhere to be seen. Only a fading glow from the setting sun remained in the sky.

    It was somewhere between evening and night.

    "What about... what about the others?" I urgently asked the priest as I got up from my seat.

    The priest nced at me with puzzled eyes.

    "They are either receiving treatment in the temporary infirmary like the other students, or they are waiting on the bus. Oh, they should be departing soon."

    "I will be on my way then, thank you."

    "Huh? You don''t have to rush like that. Another bus willeter..." the priest said, but I didn''t listen to her and walked out of the tent.

    I took a deep breath. The summer night air was humid. In the distance, the headlights of a bus shone like a lighthouse. I followed the light like a lost ship. I had to catch the bus quickly.

    I didn''t know which bus I had to take. I had forgotten the designated vehicle number. Among the many students boarding the buses, In-Ah appeared. She nced at me, but seemingly ufortable with the idea of facing me, she avoided eye contact and quickly boarded the bus.

    I boarded the same bus as her. Since we had taken the same bus on the way here, I thought I could follow her. Even if I happened to board the wrong bus, it wouldn''t matter. It wouldn''t be a problem if what I saw wasn''t In-Ah, but another girl.

    My current goal was clear.

    Ma Yu-Hyun.

    <i>"As expected, you¡¯re the Cult Leader." </i>

    I had to find Yu-Hyun.

    ***

    In-Ah boarded the same bus, sat in the same seat, and stared out the window in the same way that she had done on the way to the examination site. To be precise, there was nothing else she could do besides stare out the window. It was because Sun-Woo was sitting next to her.

    "..."

    The bus was quiet. No one spoke. The eyes of the students, which had been filled with vigor before the exam, no longer sparkled. The atmosphere was tense because they werepletely drained after taking the exam, and it was also because of the incident that had urred during the exam. After the end of the exam, while taking attendance and tallying the tokens, Miss Ye-Jin, Mr. Bok-Dong, and two students from the ss of Patience were taken away in an ambnce.

    The students didn¡¯t exactly know what had happened, but they spected that it couldn''t be anything good.

    "The Satanists came seeking revenge..."

    "Why would the Satanists bother to seek revenge when they don¡¯t have a moralpass? They must have..."

    "Why are you talking about this again? Let''s stop..."

    There was also spection that this was the work of a Satanist once again. Since a Satanist had been executed after causing trouble in the previous incident at Florence Academy, they assumed that another Satanist hade for revenge...

    Although some students enthusiastically let their imaginations run wild, other students trembled at the mention of the word ¡°Satanist.¡± The students of Florence Academy were exhausted. They had faced too many crises in such a short period of time.

    While the children were bickering amongst themselves, In-Ah kept her mouth shut. She didn''t want to think about anything anymore. It felt like she had done fairly well on the practical exam, and now that it was over, she wanted to take a break.

    "..."

    However, the fact that Sun-Woo was sitting next to her was bothersome. He had definitely betrayed her during the exam, but that was something that had happened during the exam. Looking back, she realized that there was no need to get angry about it. There was no need to bring up that incident after the exam and create unnecessary conflict. Doing that would be too... immature.

    So, she decided to just move on from what happened during the exam. The problem was that Sun-Woo''s condition seemed really off. She couldn''t say it was good, but she couldn''t say it was bad either. His eyes were definitely open, but he didn¡¯t move at all, as if he were sleeping. His breathing was shallow, making him look like someone on the verge of death. Honestly, she hoped that he would speak to her first, but he didn¡¯t seem to have the thought or leisure to do so.

    As always, In-Ah yfully tapped Sun-Woo''s shoulder with her fist. "Hey. Don''t you have anything to say to me?"

    She intentionally asked bluntly, with the thought that asking a little yfully would help dispel the awkward atmosphere.

    However, there was no response. There was a long silence, and In-Ah felt a little hurt as she pursed her lips and stared at Sun-Woo.

    "...Huh?" Sun-Woo btedly replied after feeling her gaze.

    It couldn''t even be called a response. His voice contained no emotion or meaning. His empty response saddened In-Ah. Sun-Woo didn''t even care about In-Ah''s feelings right now.

    "..."

    In-Ah¡¯s mood was just about to turn bad due to his attitude, but she quickly regained herposure. She was no different from him in the sense that she was also not considering the other person''s feelings. Hadn¡¯t she also reproached Sun-Woo while only thinking about her own feelings? The reason why Sun-Woo seemed to be in a bad mood was perhaps also because of this.

    In-Ah gathered her courage and said, "Hey."

    Hoping that the other person would understand her feelings first was a naive and childish thought. If she didn¡¯t say anything, he wouldn¡¯t know. If she was in a bad mood, she had to truthfully express that she was in a bad mood. That was the right thing to do for both the other person and herself.

    "Honestly, I felt a little upset earlier because you deceived me."

    "..."

    "But I also made a mistake. You did that because it was an exam, but I revealed my bad mood too tantly... But I really did feel a bit upset."

    In-Ah stopped speaking for a moment. It was because Sun-Woo seemed to need time to think about how to respond.

    So for a few seconds, and then a few minutes, there was no exchange of words. There was only an awkward silence, just like when they first greeted each other.

    "...I¡¯m just saying that¡¯s how it was."

    She tried to break the silence with meaningless words, but as expected, there was no response. In-Ah turned her head and looked out the window. She couldn''t see anything because it was dark.

    "Who am I talking to...." she muttered as if she was frustrated.

    As expected, there was no response. Upon reflection, besides when they had first met and when he openly exined his family background, Sun-Woo rarely talked about himself. He didn''t share how he was feeling, didn¡¯t express any concerns, and rarely even engaged in small talk. Most of the time, In-Ah would speak first and Sun-Woo would just go along with it.

    Suddenly, she remembered the time they sat together on a secluded bench at school and looked up at the stars. In-Ah looked up at the sky through the car window. It was pitch ck. There was no moon, and there were no stars.

    "..."

    <i>¡®Maybe we aren¡¯t as close as I had thought.¡¯</i>

    She thought that they were close, but maybe Sun-Woo didn''t think of her in the same way. Perhaps this was the reason for the distance that she always felt was present.

    She didn¡¯t know.

    ***

    On the bus, In-Ah started a conversation. What did she say? I couldn¡¯t remember. Maybe I didn¡¯t hear what she said.

    Right now, my mind was filled with the voice of a Loa, the voice of another Loa, the voice of another Loa, more voices, and even more voices that were all intertwined into a tangled mess. At first, I could distinguish between the voices. Legba, Baron Samedi, Granbwa, Bossou, Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo, Marte, Damba... I could understand who was saying what. But after a while, I couldn''t tell who was who, nor could I tell what they were saying at all.

    I couldn''t recall what In-Ah had said to me. I didn¡¯t even know what I said. No, I didn¡¯t even know what I was thinking about. My mind was just filled with the thought of finding Yu-Hyun, and a familiar sense of anxiety and fear that I had experienced before.

    The bus suddenly stopped, and I got off the bus. Then I walked around aimlessly in an attempt to look for Yu-Hyun. I couldn¡¯t see properly. Everyone''s faces appeared blurry as if their faces were all melting away into mush.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    "Sun-Woo?"

    As I was walking, I bumped into someone. I held my breath. Someone was calling me. Numerous students and teachers who had gotten off the bus were looking at me.

    I was left alone in the midst of this crowd. I saw the faces of the countless people looking at me. Their expressions were not visible because they were wearing iron masks.

    They smashed the innocent Voodoo Cult members¡¯ heads with their clubs and tied my father onto a rack before pouring oil onto him and setting him on fire. They took away my mother, appeared in my dreams, tortured my mother, and thenughed at the sight of my mother suffering in pain. They were the inquisitors.

    The me standing amongst the inquisitors, all of whom were staring at me while wearing iron masks and robes, was such a small existence. If they stepped on me, I would just be trampled to death without even being able to resist.

    I took a step back and looked around. I wanted to escape. But no matter where I looked, all I could see were inquisitors wearing iron masks and robes.

    There was nowhere to run. Every time I took a step back and looked around, I felt smaller and smaller. Eventually, I couldn''t even see the inquisitors¡¯ faces.

    All I could see were threatening feet that seemed ready to trample and crush me at any moment. I knew this was an illusion, but I couldn''t escape from it. That was what made it even scarier. If this was an illusion that I couldn''t escape from despite knowing that it was an illusion, then how on earth could I get out of this illusion? I covered my ears, closed my eyes, and crouched down. Should I run away? I had to run away. I wanted to run away...

    <i>Tap.</i>

    It was at that moment that someone tapped my shoulder. And then the illusion was easily shattered. The iron masks that had covered the faces of the people who had been looking at me rolled off and turned into ashes before disappearing.

    It was then that I could finally see the world as it was, and I was able to see the expressions of the people that were looking at me.

    Everyone, regardless of whether they were a student or a teacher, was looking at me. The expressions on their faces were clearly startled. And in the middle of that crowd, there was Yu-Hyun. With a grin on his lips, he reached out his hand to me.

    "..."

    I hesitated to take his hand. This could all be a scheme. A scheme to safely capture me before I could rampage with the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells.

    All the children looking at me were all Yu-Hyun''s allies. The teachers were the same. Perhaps the inquisitors that I saw weren¡¯t actually hallucinations. There was no guarantee that an inquisitor wasn¡¯t hiding among all these people. I had mistakenly thought that a hallucination was reality, but perhaps I had mistaken reality for a hallucination.

    I didn¡¯t know.

    Seeing that I didn¡¯t take his hand, Yu-Hyun spoke in a very soft voice that only I could hear. "I''m the only one who knows for now."

    I looked up. Yu-Hyun was looking down at me while reaching out his hand. Instinctively, I could tell what he was saying, or rather, I could tell what message he was trying to convey.

    "Shall we go together? You seem to have a lot to say."

    I felt disgusted.

 Chapter 182

    <h4>Chapter 182</h4>

    After btedly regaining consciousness, I grabbed Yu-Hyun''s hand and stood up. I didn¡¯t want to hold on to this hand, but given the current situation, forcibly rejecting his hand would seem awkward.

    Some teachers I had never seen before approached me and asked if I was okay. I said that I had gotten slightly injured during the exam and that I probably still hadn''t fully recovered, so I nned to go to the hospital today or tomorrow. When I said that, the teachers all understood.

    Then I followed Yu-Hyun out of the school gate. When I stood up and started walking away, the crowd that had gathered around me dispersed as if it had never existed in the first ce.

    Along the way, I made eye contact with In-Ah. She had a face that seemed to indicate that she wanted to say something to me, but when she saw me with Yu-Hyun, she quickly averted her gaze.

    "Florence Academy has an unnecessarilyrge number of students... It could be reduced by about half to a smaller number of elite students," Yu-Hyun said abruptly while looking at the students pouring out of the school gate.

    He then turned his head to look at me. His gaze indicated that he wanted me to answer. I started walking without answering him. Yu-Hyun walked next to me and then tilted his head as if he were curious.

    "You seem to be quieter than I thought. I thought you would have a lot to say."

    "...I can''t say it here."

    I just barely managed to answer his question. The voice that came out of my mouth was dry and cracked. It didn''t feel like my own voice. My body wasn''t in good condition. I wasn¡¯t just thirsty¡ªI was experiencing dehydration symptoms at this point. My vision would asionally blur, my stomach felt queasy, and my head hurt. I couldn''t tell if it was because I had abused Dan Wedo''s power or if it was because of the psychological pressure. But now wasn''t the time to worry about that.

    "Why? Are you afraid that someone might hear? Even if they hear, they wouldn¡¯t be able to understand anyway."

    "..."

    "It''s because ordinary people live without knowing why special people are special. Only special people can recognize each other."

    I kept walking without answering. Thankfully, Yu-Hyun obediently followed me. While walking, I looked around and asionally turned my head to nce behind me. There were hardly any people in sight. However, the word <i>hardly</i> meant that there were still some people around.

    Although I couldn''t see anyone at the moment, we might encounter someone if we continued to walk. We had to take a path where we wouldn¡¯t encounter anyone at all. I knew a few ces that were like that. When I was young, I had to avoid people, so I had to find such paths. Now that I thought about it, this situation wasn¡¯t that much different from back then.

    While walking, Yu-Hyun said some things to me. He didn¡¯t say anything dangerous. Most of what he said were pointless words that didn¡¯t deserve a response. I came up with appropriate responses to whatever he said, so as not to annoy him. We continued to walk while searching for a suitable ce.

    "By the way, where are we going? Don¡¯t you live in the dormitory?" Yu-Hyun suddenly asked with a puzzled expression on his face.

    It was a question that he had asked stupidlyte. A normal person would have asked immediately after leaving the school gate.

    I subtly observed Yu-Hyun''s expression. His smile, which had been disguising nonchnce, was strangely precarious. What had been visible on everyone else¡¯s face, but not his face, finally began to show.

    It was the mark of deception.

    He had known that I lived in the dormitory from the start. But for some reason, he hadn¡¯t revealed this fact until now. I had no idea why. The only thing that was clear was that he had not followed me by mistake, but rather, he had intentionally followed me.

    "I wonder..." I answered while scanning the area.

    This was a deste alley with no people or parked cars. It was also a location where cult members could enter the underground chapel via a secret passage.

    There was a CCTV camera, but it was not working. The wires had been severed. It did not matter if someone secretly reconnected the wires and fixed the CCTV without my knowledge. I only had to make the CCTV camera malfunction.

    I looked up at the sky onest time. There was no moon, and there were no stars in the night sky. It was a new moon.

    "Ogun."

    I called out to Ogun. He willingly lent me his power because, in front of Yu-Hyun, I existed as my true self.

    <i>Tick, tick, tick... </i>

    The street lights went out. The lights in the residential andmercial areas, too. All the artificial lights disappeared.

    The darkness of nature filled the void that remained. It was a darkness that didn¡¯t contain even a single ray of moonlight. I knew how deep and terrifying the darkness of nature could be, and I knew how to harness such darkness.

    "Huh?" Yu-Hyun screamed in surprise at the sudden darkness that engulfed us.

    I ignored his screams and drew two spell arrays, one on each hand. The light of blessings drove away the darkness, while dark magic consumed the light. Voodoo mist seeped into the darkness, concealing its presence. Therefore, it was impossible for those who were unaware of Voodoo spells to cope with the Voodoo mist that suddenly emerged from the darkness.

    <i>Kiiiiii... </i>

    The spell arrays emitted an ominous sound and released smoke. However, there was a chance that my spells would not work on Yu-Hyun. He possessed divine power and the light of blessing, and he could observe the world with his own unique blessings, and he would reveal new miracles and blessings that no one had ever used before.

    Some referred to him as Adonai''s chosen one. If Adonai truly existed and Yu-Hyun was indeed chosen by him, then my spell would not reach him. That was why I drew two spell arrays. The first one was the curse of fainting to put Yu-Hyun to sleep. If that spell didn¡¯t work, the replication spell, Executioner''s Sword, would kill him.

    <i>Puff...</i>

    Darkness shrouded the Voodoo mist as it silently engulfed Yu-Hyun. Everything went still. Nothing could be seen, and nothing could be heard. It felt like an instant, and it felt like an eternity. The flow of time became meaningless in the darkness and silence.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Finally, Yu-Hyun''s body copsed. Within the darkness, I looked down at the fallen Yu-Hyun.

    "Ha."

    It had been so anticlimactic that I couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. I had no idea whether Adonai existed or not. At the very least, I knew that an Adonai who had chosen Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t exist.

    ***

    Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin, Jin-Seo, and the student all woke up at the same time. They all simultaneously lost consciousness due to a ck magic spell, caught glimpses of their desires, and then they all escaped from their desires at the same moment. However, each of them felt different emotions when they woke up.

    The first thought that came to Jin-Seo''s mind after regaining consciousness was that it was a pity. She btedly realized that her twisted desires had created an illusion, but she did not want to wake up from it. Reality did not work out the way she desired. There were times when terrible things happened.

    But the illusion only showed her what she wanted. Whenever she thought of something she desired, the illusion made ite true just as she imagined. The feeling of omnipotence was sweeter than she expected.

    When she woke up from the illusion, she felt a moment of disappointment, and then she immediately felt self-disgust. She felt repulsed for submitting to the pleasure that the ck magic offered. Pain rushed in along with the self-disgust. Every muscle and joint in her body screamed in agony. Along with the pain, she finally realized that she had returned to reality. And she also realized that someone was in her hospital room.

    Jin-Seo just barely managed to turn her head and see the face of the unwee guest who had entered the room.

    "Ah, you''re awake. Sorry foring here all of a sudden," Joseph said.

    His face was calm, but his hair was soaked in sweat and his clothes were dirty with mud. He straightened his clothes and approached her.

    "Please forgive me for the state of my clothes. I didn''t have time to pay attention to my outfit because I urgently had to go somewhere."

    "It''s okay," Jin-Seo replied nonchntly in a low voice.

    It didn''t matter to her whether Joseph''s clothes were dirty or not. However, she was slightly disappointed that Joseph was the first to visit and not <i>him</i>.

    Joseph took out a handkerchief and then wiped the sweat off his face. "How is your condition... no, I suppose that¡¯s a meaningless question to ask."

    Joseph hastily withdrew the words he was about to say out of courtesy. It was obvious that asking about her condition would only receive a formal response like, ¡°I''m fine.¡± There wasn¡¯t enough time to waste talking about trivial matters.

    He angrily put the handkerchief back into his pocket and said, "Let me ask you directly. Can you tell me what the situation was like at that time as far as you can remember?"

    "..."

    As he had said, it was indeed a direct question. Jin-Seo hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "...I don''t remember everything."

    "It¡¯s fine if you can tell me what you do remember. It¡¯s also fine if you can just say the part you want to say. And if you don''t want to speak, you don''t have to say anything at all," Joseph said.

    There was a sense of urgency in his voice, and it felt like he had a tendency to ramble on.

    Jin-Seo didn''t know Joseph well. She had only seen him train with Sun-Woo at the sacred training ground and during the exam, when he had given her a task toplete. However, she could tell that Joseph was slightly different than usual.

    He seemed to have lost some of his usual calmness andposure. Jin-Seo felt strangely nervous as she said, "Where should I start...?"

    "Don''t worry about me. Just start with the part you want to talk about," Joseph said while waving his hand as if to reassure her.

    Jin-Seo began her story.

    She talked about how she had faced a demon during the exam, that she had let the student that she was with escape, and how she had fought the demon alone. Suddenly, a third eye appeared on the demon¡¯s forehead, and her body felt weak as a result. A snake emerged from the ground and subdued the demon. The heart of the demon was pulled out, and it fled. The student brought Bok-Dong and Ye-Jin, but immediately after, they all lost consciousness due to the ck magic.

    Jin-Seo exined everything she remembered about the situation, but she did not mention her own desires that she had glimpsed through the ck magic.

    After Jin-Seo finished her story, Joseph asked, "Are you saying a snake crawled out of the ground?"

    Jin-Seo nodded in response. Joseph looked intently into Jin-Seo''s eyes. It seemed like she was trying to hide something, but her eyes didn¡¯t show any signs of lying. It was hard to believe, but there seemed to be no choice but to believe it for now.

    "A snake..."

    The Romanican Holy Book frequently mentioned snakes and contained many descriptions of miracles rted to them.

    However, there was no method of summoning a snake through miracle replication. At the very least, there was no known method at the moment. Thus, it was unlikely that a snake had appeared due to a miracle. Although Jin-Seo possessed incredible talent, she was not exceptional enough to replicate a previously unknown miracle.

    Joseph recalled the names of snakes mentioned in the scriptures of various religions. Satan from Satanism, Naga from Hinduism, Damba from Voodooism, and the various snakes from mythologies from ancient, obscure religions that had long since disappeared.

    The possibility of it being a conflict between the Voodoo Cult and the Satanists was low. It was true that there was a snake Loa named Damba in the Voodoo Cult, but no Prophet from the Voodoo Cult had ever directly invoked and used Damba.

    Besides, there was no reason for the Prophet to use their powers to save a Florence Academy student.

    Therefore, the remaining possibility was that it was a conflict between two different Satanists with opposing inclinations. There was a high possibility that it was an internal conflict. He didn¡¯t know why the Satanists were fighting each other. This was something that he would have to figure out from now on.

    "Oh, now that I think about it, I have something to show you,¡± Joseph said before taking out his phone and showing her a photo he had saved.

    "By any chance, is this the demon that you saw?"

    "..."

    Jin-Seo narrowed her eyes at the photo. The image quality was very poor, and the focus was shaky, making it difficult to see the subject clearly. After staring at the photo for a while, a chilly anger filled Jin-Seo¡¯s eyes.

    In the photo that Joseph showed her, there was the appearance of a demon. It was the demon that had killed Jin-Seo''s foster mother and the one that had targeted her after appearing at the examination site. She could tell from the demon¡¯s shining armor, its elongated arms, and glowing red eyes. Her heart raced. Just by seeing the image of the demon in the photo, her blood boiled as if the demon were right in front of her.

    "It seems to be right."

    Joseph nodded and put his phone away. There was no need for him to hear her answer. Just by looking at her expression, he could tell what response woulde back.

    He had expected it after hearing about the symptoms that the two teachers and the two students who had been affected by ck magic had suffered, but the demon that had appeared at the examination site was indeed <i>that demon.</i>

    ording to Jin-Seo''s words, it was still alive and wasn¡¯t dead yet. Demons didn¡¯t die unless their hearts werepletely destroyed. In other words, it meant that it was impossible to tell when<i> that guy</i> would appear again.

    Joseph secretly smiled to himself. There was still a chance. A chance for repentance.

    "...I have onest question to ask. Once again, it¡¯s a bit straightforward," Joseph said after hiding his smile.

    Jin-Seo nodded silently once again. Her gaze was cold, and there was no movement in her expression. She was still thinking about the demon. The demon wasn¡¯t dead yet, and it woulde back someday. She had to prepare for that moment. She couldn''t just back down in fear like she had done this time. She had to kill it with her own hands. She had to rip out the heart hidden beneath its tough armor.

    Joseph silently stared at Jin-Seo and said, "What''s your rtionship with Sun-Woo?"

    "Huh... What?" Jin-Seo returned the question.

    It was, as he had said, a direct question, but she was taken aback by its directness.

 Chapter 183

    <h4>Chapter 183</h4>

    Sun-Woo had previously asked Joseph to investigate whether there were any suspicious individuals in the Central Pdin Order. Sun-Woo had said that as if he knew that there were suspicious individuals in the Central Pdin Order.

    As an inquisitor belonging to the Central Pdin Order, Joseph thought that this was very ufortable to hear. Sun-Woo suspected the organization that he belonged to without any evidence or reason. However, Joseph decided to trust Sun-Woo just once. This was because he didn''t fully trust the Central Pdin Order either.

    Pdins and inquisitors belonging to the Central Pdin Order all received their mission details through Central. However, for some reason, every time they went out on a mission, it felt as if the enemies knew about the details of the operation beforehand. Due to this, there were cases where they failed to deal withrge numbers of demons or demonic beasts that they were fully capable of dealing with.

    Rumors were circting among Central members that a spy was leaking operational secrets to outsiders. Given the circumstances, it was difficult to dismiss this as mere spection. However, without any solid evidence, it was impossible to verify the truth. Joseph decided to take a chance. Perhaps this was an opportunity to reveal the spy within the Central Pdin Order.

    "I heard that the final practical exam for Florence Academy will be held on a small ind near Gangjin."

    "Ah, the final practical exam? I heard that they were renting a mountain in Gangwon."

    He subtly leaked information about the exam location to the members in Central that he suspected. He told one person that it was being held on an ind, and he told another person that it was being held on a mountain. Then he assigned clergymen to each respective area and instructed them to prepare for battle.

    As an archbishop, Joseph couldn''tmand as many soldiers as a cardinal. Therefore, he carefully selected and recruited eachbatant. Fortunately, Joseph had a good eye for talent and was able to deploy the units in their optimal positions.

    And on the day of the exam, Joseph received a call from one of his subordinates.

    ¡ªSir Inquisitor! As you mentioned, there was arge outbreak of demons and demonic beasts on the ind, but we sessfully eradicated them ording to n!

    "Approximately how many demons do you mean by a <irge outbreak</i>?"

    ¡ªWe are currently collecting and tallying the bodies, but it is estimated to be at least five hundred or more!

    "...I see. Were there any casualties?"

    ¡ªThere were about fifteen minor injuries, but nothing serious. We provided emergency treatment with the help of the healing priests stationed in the area...

    "That''s a relief. You can conclude the report here, and you can continue with your duties,¡± Joseph said and then hung up the phone.

    It was a great achievement. He had sessfully eliminated arge number of demons and demonic beasts without any fatalities. If they really had defeated at least five hundred or more demons and demonic beasts, it was a feat that more than deserved amendation directly from the Holy See.

    However, Joseph did notugh. He couldn¡¯tugh.

    The fact that the operation was a sess meant that there was a spy in the Central Pdin Order or in an organization that had close ties to the Central Pdin Order. If that was the case, how had Sun-Woo known about this? Where did he obtain such information? Joseph was curious about the source of the information.

    He didn¡¯t doubt him. He was just curious. Joseph had a personality where if he didn¡¯t know something, he absolutely had to find out no matter what, or else he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied.

    "What is your rtionship with Sun-Woo?"

    That was the reason why he asked Jin-Seo this question out of the blue. Just from a rough nce, he could tell that Jin-Seo seemed to have a special rtionship with Sun-Woo. Joseph could tell just by her gaze, expression, and tone of voice. He intended to use her to gather information about Sun-Woo.

    "Huh... what?"

    Jin-Seo seemed to be greatly startled. The fact that she, who had remainedpletely stoic with barely any changes in her expression when she had talked about the demon, seemed so flustered, indicated that Joseph¡¯s deductions had been correct to a certain extent. He guessed that they weren¡¯t in a special rtionship yet, and they weren''t just ordinary friends either.

    After making that judgment, Joseph waved his hands and said, "Oh dear, there seems to be a misunderstanding. What I meant was, are you close with Sun-Woo?"

    "...Yes, we are."

    She didn¡¯t know how Sun-Woo felt about this statement, but she decided to say that they were close for now. It didn''t feel right to say that they weren''t close. However, she didn¡¯t exactly know whether it was possible to summarize their rtionship with the words, ¡°We are close.¡±

    After nodding to her, Joseph revealed a serious expression on his face and said, "Really? Then, have you ever felt that something was strange about Sun-Woo?"

    Jin-Seo failed to understand the intention behind the question and tilted her head in confusion.

    Joseph looked down at the ground as if he were pondering something, and then took a deep breath as if he had made up his mind. "What I¡¯m trying to say is, does it feel like he is keeping a secret from you, or does he ever change the subject when a certain topices up?¡±

    "..."

    Once again, Jin-Seo was unable to answer. She had seen him exhibit such behavior more than just once or twice. She didn''t know much about Sun-Woo. It was because he didn''t talk about himself much.

    Joseph quietly observed her expression and then nodded.

    "It seems like there were quite a few instances like that. That makes sense."

    "...What do you mean?"

    "I should probably mention this first. "I am protecting and monitoring Sun-Woo," Joseph stated tly.

    "I am protecting him because he could be a target for Satanists. As you know, Sun-Woo is the only Florence Academy student who has directly seen the face of a Satanist."

    "..."

    "He is also a student with enough abilities to threaten the Satanists... Anyway, the other reason why I am monitoring him is because of his family," Joseph said.

    With that, Joseph concluded his exnation. He intentionally didn''t go into details about the reasons why he was monitoring him. It was because, in order to achieve his objective, it seemed advantageous to only exin the bare minimum to pique her interest.

    Jin-Seo waited for Joseph to continue speaking, but when he didn''t say anything no matter how long she waited, she spoke first.

    "Family, you say?"

    At that moment, Joseph stopped staying silent and began to speak once again.

    "Yeah, family. I''m not sure if I should say this, but..."

    The phrase ¡°I''m not sure if I should say this" had a certain power. The story would be even more interesting for the listener if it was indicated that it was such a sensitive story that it was difficult to judge whether or not it should be shared. As Joseph expected, Jin-Seo was unconsciously focusing on his story.

    "...There is a cultist among his rtives. The cultist is currently in hiding after escaping from the Holy See, but the Holy See issued a warrant for him. I unintentionally ended up monitoring Sun-Woo as a result."

    "..."

    Upon hearing Joseph''s words, Jin-Seo was so shocked that she was unable toe up with a response. After staring at Joseph in a daze for a while, Jin-Seo btedly regained her senses and said, "There''s no way Sun-Woo¡¯s a cultist. Besides, if it¡¯s his rtive, then their rtionship isn¡¯t even that close..."

    "Yes, I¡¯m well aware of that. There¡¯s no way that Sun-Woo is a cultist, right?" Joseph said.

    Without giving Jin-Seo an opportunity to speak, Joseph continued, "You''re absolutely right. If it¡¯s just a rtive that¡¯s not even a direct family member, then they¡¯re not really that close. But as long as there''s a possibility that they are contacting each other, we have no choice but to keep an eye on him."

    "..."

    "Moreover, there''s even information that Sun-Woo''s rtive is a Satanist... So it''s right to monitor Sun-Woo for his own wellbeing as well. Satanists are known to sacrifice even their own family members for their goals without hesitation."

    Jin-Seo could no longer say anything. Her already pale face turned even paler. Anxiety had already taken root in her heart and was growing uncontrobly. It seemed like her anxiety would not disappear unless she saw Sun-Woo immediately.

    However, the im that there was a cultist among Sun-Woo''s rtives was a lie. Joseph had deliberately said words that would amplify her anxiety in order to make her psyche more unstable. That way, it would be easier to persuade her.

    Joseph carefully observed the changes in Jin-Seo''s facial expression, bodynguage, tone of voice, and chose the right moment to speak.

    "So, I have to ask and request something from you."

    ***

    Ji-Ah briefly went out to do some shopping in the morning, but afterward, she remained inside the underground chapel. She cooked simple meals to satisfy her hunger, and she spent the remaining time studying. Regardless of the field, she umted knowledge and wisdom diligently. She studied subjects such as religion, pharmacy, medicalw, and political science. And when it became time, she took care of Yoon-Ah, who had turned into a zombie. She took care of small, misceneous tasks such as washing her and feeding her.

    "Yes, good girl.¡±

    "..."

    Despite knowing that she wouldn''t receive a response, Ji-Ah continued to persistently speak to Yoon-Ah. At first, Yoon-Ah was difficult to handle due to her violent nature, butter on, she obediently followed Ji-Ah''s words. Ji-Ah believed that she must have been a very kind child prior to bing a zombie. Yoon-Ah''s pale face and unnaturally thin body suddenly seemed pitiful. She wished the child would be able to see the sunlight soon.

    As evening approached, she prepared dinner. Since the Cult Leader was noting to the underground chapel today, there was no need to put too much effort into cooking. Now that she thought about it, today was the day that the Cult Leader was taking the practical exam. She wondered how it went. She thought about giving him a call in order to ask him about the results and to subtly suggest that hee visit the underground chapel.

    <i>Chop, chop, chop... </i>

    ¡°...¡±

    Ji-Ah suddenly thought of Sun-Woo while cutting vegetables. At first, she was scared of him. It wasn¡¯t that she was scared of Sun-Woo himself. She had been scared that Sun-Woo wouldn''t ept her as a member of the Voodoo Cult. So, at first, she tried to prove her worth, even if it meant that she had to put herself at risk.

    Looking back at it now, she realized how foolish she was. Sun-Woo was not someone who measured the worth of others. He did not abuse his authority as the Cult Leader, but rather, it was because he was the Cult Leader that he took on more responsibility. Sometimes, he even showed his childlike side. He was actually really young, after all.

    <i>Creak.</i>

    "Ah."

    She was almost done cooking when she heard the door open. Based on the way the door was being opened, it was most likely the Cult Leader. Sun-Woo and Jin-Sung had different ways of opening the locked door of the underground chapel, so Ji-Ah could tell who it was just by the sound.

    But why was the Cult Leader, who should have been at his dormitory, at the underground chapel? Perhaps he wanted to rest peacefully here now that the exams were over. It was unexpected, but nevertheless, Ji-Ah was d. She came out of the kitchen with the intention of weing him.

    Sun-Woo looked at Ji-Ah with widened eyes.

    "Cult Leader, did you do well on the exam¡ª?" She greeted him softly but was unable to finish her sentence.

    Sun-Woo tightly grabbed Ji-Ah''s shoulders and lowered his head deeply.

    "Nuna."

    Desperately gasping for breath, he lifted his head. His face was pale, and his lips were trembling. His eyes were so bloodshot that it seemed like tears of blood would pour out of his eyes at any moment.

    His grip on Ji-Ah''s shoulders was extremely strong, and his hands quivered as a result. Ji-Ah felt so much pain that it felt like her shoulders were going to break apart. His condition was strange. This was the first time she had seen him look so anxious.

    "Ah, it hurts. I know this is urgent, but can we talk about itter?"

    Ji-Ah pretended like it wasn¡¯t a big deal and brushed his hand away. She also felt anxious because she didn¡¯t know what had happened to him. However, she didn''t show it. She deliberately acted calm. After hearing Ji-Ah¡¯s words, Sun-Woo released his grip.

    "Ah, I''m sorry. Seriously, I didn''t mean to hurt you..."

    "I know. It''s okay," Ji-Ah said with a bright smile.

    She smiled to reassure him. Sun-Woo stared nkly at her for a moment, then regained his senses and pointed to his room with trembling fingers.

    "Nuna, please go in there for a moment, and don''te out or make any noise."

    "...."

    "I know it''s confusing, but I hope you''ll listen to me just this once."

    Ji-Ah looked at Sun-Woo. His face still showed signs of anxiety, but he looked much better than before. It seemed like he had just barely managed to regain hisposure. Ji-Ah smiled softly.

    "While I''m in there, would you like me to clean your room a bit?"

    "...I''m sorry."

    Sun-Woo smiled briefly, then lowered his gaze with a bitter expression.

    Ji-Ah bowed her head and walked into his room with short steps. She didn¡¯t know why Sun-Woo hade to the underground chapel or why he was so anxious. However, she didn¡¯t go out of her way to ask him. It seemed better not to do so at the moment, and she believed without a doubt that he would reveal everything to her when the time was right.

    His room had been empty for a while, so dust had umted here and there. Ji-Ah skillfully cleaned his room. She swept away the dust and ced the items that were randomly lying on the floor on the bookshelves.

    "..."

    It was then that she saw a peculiar notebook filled to the brim with scribbles, or perhaps drawings, on every single page in red ink.

 Chapter 184

    <h4>Chapter 184</h4>

    I sent Ji-Ah into my room. The reason was that I couldn¡¯t let Yu-Hyun see her face. It was enough for me to be the only one with an exposed identity. I couldn¡¯t let Uncle, Ji-Ah, or any other members of the Voodoo Cult show their faces to Yu-Hyun. I couldn¡¯t even let him hear them.

    I put Yu-Hyun to sleep with the curse of fainting and immediately put him in Baal''s Maw. It was all thanks to bringing it secretly to the practical examination site. After sending Ji-Ah into my room, I went further underground.

    "..."

    I went one level further underground in the underground chapel. It was a ce I wouldn¡¯t usually have a reason to go to, nor would I even want to go there.

    It was hot and humid. A dark and dense purple mist flowed out from somewhere, making it impossible to see what was ahead. The mist was undoubtedly Voodoo mist. However, for some reason, I didn''t feel anything even after inhaling the mist.

    My father would often research spells here, and I wondered whether traces of that time still remained. And since they were just traces, that would exin why the mist no longer had any efficacy.

    I went down the stairs and entered the room where my father would always research spells. The mist became even thicker. I took out Yu-Hyun from Baal''s Maw. He still hadn''t regained consciousness.

    I tied his hands and feet with the rope I obtained from the underground chapel and put a noose around his neck. Then I securely fastened the knot and the noose that bound his hands and feet. By doing this, not only would he be unable to move his hands and feet, but he would also be unable to move his head.

    After restraining Yu-Hyun, I leaned against the wall. My breathing was regr. Earlier, I had felt lost in anxiety, restlessness, and anger. But now my mind felt strangely calm.

    "Legba." I called out to Legba.

    "Legba, please. I can''t hear your voice. Are you not speaking?"

    There was no answer.

    "Please tell me, what should I do?"

    Within the silence, I tore at my hair. I felt like I was going to go crazy because I couldn¡¯t feel any pain.

    "What''s going to happen now? I..."

    [It depends on your choice,] Legba said.

    The various distractions that cluttered my mind disappeared, and in their ce, a familiarndscape emerged. Legba stood at the Crossroads.

    [To gain one thing, you must give up another. It is the same vice versa.]

    I stood at the Crossroads.

    ***

    "...Ah, shit..."

    "...Insane... What, how..."

    Voices.

    I could hear Yu-Hyun''s voice.

    I quickly opened my eyes. Did I fall asleep while leaning against the wall? Crazy bastard! I didn¡¯t know when I had fallen asleep.

    The illusion of the Crossroads, Legba''s voice... After that, I had no memory. No matter how tired I was, the fact that I actually fell asleep in this situation was absolutely absurd. But perhaps thanks to the short nap, my mind felt clear. I pushed through the thick fog and approached Yu-Hyun. He was struggling while unable to untie his restraints. That was a relief.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    "Oof...!"

    I kicked him in the stomach. Thanks to his limbs being tightly bound, it was easy to kick the front of his body. Yu-Hyun groaned and looked up at me. I couldn''t see what emotions were contained in his eyes. It was because the fog was obscuring our vision.

    "...Isn''t it a little too much for me if you start with kicking my stomach? This is too¡ª"

    <i>Thud! </i>

    I kicked Yu-Hyun''s stomach once again. This time, he didn''t even let out a groan. It was because I struck him so hard that it wasn¡¯t even possible for him to let out a groan. He rolled on the floor in pain while gasping for breath. I quietly watched him and then unleashed Voodoo magic.

    Replication spell, Dawn''s de.

    I couldn''t kill Yu-Hyun, at least for now. If I killed him, the situation would be irreversible. There would be no way to salvage the situation, and I would spend my entire life fleeing from the pursuit of the Holy See as a wanted criminal.

    That''s why I drew Dawn''s de. Unlike the Executioner''s Sword, which was used to decapitate a sinner, Dawn''s de was used to strip the skin of beasts that were going to be used as sacrifices. Sometimes, it was used to strip off human skin.

    "Since when did you figure it out?" I asked while cing Dawn''s de on Yu-Hyun''s legs.

    He didn''t answer. It didn¡¯t look like he was hesitating to respond. He was deliberately choosing not to answer. I tightened my grip on the de''s handle.

    <i>Stab.</i>

    "Ah, aargh¡ª!" Yu-Hyun screamed out in pain.

    Blood flowed out of the wound. His pants became soaked with bright red blood. If I exerted more force and stabbed deeper, the de would pierce through his muscles and eventually reach his bones. He would probably never be able to walk properly again for the rest of his life. There were an infinite number of ways to inflict pain.

    "It''ll hurt more if you move. So, when did you figure it out?" I asked again with my hand ced on the de''s hilt.

    I was crouching in front of Yu-Hyun, who was writhing in pain. Even while screaming, Yu-Hyun didn''t move. He just trembled uncontrobly. He was also aware that the moment he moved, the de would tear through his muscles. Having grown ustomed to the pain, he finally opened his mouth while gasping for breath.

    "Ha, ha...! Huff. Yeah, so you want to know when I figured it out?¡±

    I nodded.

    Yu-Hyun took a few seconds to catch his breath. "I didn''t know for sure until today. Until then, I was just suspicious of you."

    "Since when, and what made you suspicious?"

    "Your eyes."

    "Tell me properly, in an easy-to-understand way. Otherwise¡ª"

    "Ah, aargh! Hold on a fucking second. Just wait. I was going to exin anyway."

    As I tried to grip the de handle and exert force, Yu-Hyun urgently shouted to stop me. I released the tension in my hand and waited for him to continue.

    Yu-Hyun collected his breath and said, "...I have a blessing that only I can use. More precisely, it¡¯s a blessing that was given only to me. When I use it, I can see what others can''t see."

    "See what others can''t see?"

    "Yeah, so... I can see the flow of light that everyone has within them."

    The flow of light?

    "Go on."

    "Ordinary people have something that resembles light flowing through their bodies. When unleashed, the light bes divine power. It was thanks to this blessing that I was able to distinguish between taxidermied creatures and humansst time. Taxidermied creatures don''t have light flowing through their bodies, you see."

    "So was there no light flowing through my body either? And that''s when you started to suspect me."

    "No? There was light flowing through your body. It was the color that was different," Yu-Hyun said as if he were stating the obvious.

    I wasn¡¯t able to fullyprehend what he was saying. It was because I couldn''t see the ¡°light flowing through people''s bodies¡± that he was referring to. I saw the world from my perspective, and he saw the world from his own.

    He continued, "Usually, it''s a light yellow color. People with a high density of innate divine power can even appear to have white light."

    "..."

    "But you... your color was closer to purple or red. There was a bit of white mixed in too."

    "Tell me, besides you, is there anyone else who suspects me? Did you tell anyone what you saw back then?¡±

    "Besides me, there probably isn''t anyone else. I have never told anyone else either."

    "...Why?"

    No matter how much I thought about it, it was strange. No matter how much of a delinquent he was, Yu-Hyun was still a member of the Romanican Church. He was even a member of the Pope''s family and was set to be the next Pope. For the sake of the Romanican Church, it would have been right to reveal my identity to the world. However, Yu-Hyun did not do so. After discovering my identity, he did not tell anyone about it. On the contrary, he had helped me at school.

    Why?

    "It was because there was no need to tell anyone. No, because I had no reason to tell anyone. It¡¯d be better if I didn¡¯t say anything."

    "So, why on earth did you¡ª"

    "You keep asking stupid questions... At times like this, why I didn¡¯t tell anyone is not important,¡± Yu-Hyun said in a condescending tone as if he were lecturing me. "Why didn''t I tell anyone else, and why did I only tell you? That¡¯s not important.¡±

    "Why did you tell me? Were you nning to ckmail me?"

    "ckmail... No, it wasn''t to ckmail you. I was just hoping that you wouldn''t get caught."

    "..."

    At least from what I could see, Yu-Hyun wasn''t lying. I nced at Ogun, but there was no reaction. It meant that Yu-Hyun wasn''t lying. If that were the case, Yu-Hyun''s words about hoping that I wouldn''t get caught were true.

    "You were hoping that I wouldn¡¯t get caught... Why?"

    I grabbed Yu-Hyun by the hair, and I saw his expression that was hidden in the fog.

    Yu-Hyun chewed his lips as if he were hesitating to answer, and then suddenlyughed. He grinned from ear to ear and let out a loud and sinisterugh.

    <i>Ptoo! </i>

    At that moment, something flew toward my eyes. It didn''t take long for me to realize that it was Yu-Hyun¡¯s spit. He looked at me with satisfaction and said, "Are you crazy? Did you expect me to tell you that?"

    "...Yeah, I acted too friendly."

    I shoved the de deeper into Yu-Hyun''s thigh and twisted it. Strange sounds came from his legs. It could have been the sound of muscles twisting and tearing, or perhaps the sound of bones breaking.

    There was no scream. It must have hurt so much that it must have been impossible to scream. I had seeded in inflicting pain, but he was bleeding more than I expected. If left untreated, he would surely die.

    Yu-Hyun couldn''t die yet. After pulling out the de embedded in his legs, I unleashed Voodoo magic.

    <i>Swish©¤! </i>

    The Voodoo magic power instantly formed a spell array. The mist flowing from the spell array enveloped Yu-Hyun''s shattered legs. His wounds quickly healed. It was a restoration spell. However, the restoration spell did not relieve any of the pain. The wounds were gone, but the pain remained.

    I was intending to inflict enough pain on him to make him wish for death, but I had no intention of actually killing him.

    Yu-Hyun opened his mouth and drooled saliva like an idiot as he rolled on the floor and made gasping sounds. And then he screamed, and eventually, even the screaming stopped.

    "Ha, hahaha! Ha, ha..."

    I began to hearughter. I wasn''t mishearing things. Yu-Hyun was genuinelyughing.

    Heughed like crazy, and when evenughing became exhausting, he collected his breath and said, "Ha, ha... Phew. I guess you''re familiar with stabbing people? Well, considering that you''ve killed people, this is nothing special, right?"

    "Killed people? What nonsense are you spouting?" I asked.

    Yu-Hyun tilted his head.

    "Weren¡¯t you the one who killed those Satanists in the basement of the Basar Market?"

    "...They weren''t people."

    They kidnapped people, emptied them out, filled the empty space with cotton and sawdust, and turned them into taxidermied creatures. And then they proudly disyed their creations, mocking the victims by saying that it was all for the sake of art. They were creatures that were too lowly to be considered humans.

    After hearing my words, Yu-Hyun startedughing like crazy again. It was not a fakeugh, but a genuine one that came from his heart. The fact that he wasughing out loud in a situation where it would normally be impossible tough was eerie.

    "Ah, haha... You¡¯re right, they''re not human. We definitely see the world in a simr way. No, we see the world in exactly the same way."

    "Nonsense..."

    "Our ways of thinking are binary. We can''t help it, because it''s convenient that way."

    "..."

    "The Starless Night. I''m sorry about that time. But, back then, in my eyes, you all weren''t human either. Just like how you said Satanists aren''t humans. So, you can understand, right?"

    I held back my anger and said, "...Back then when you went after the Voodoo Cultists. Did you differentiate them with those fancy eyes of yours?"

    If I got angry here, I felt like I might unintentionally kill Yu-Hyun. The sound of my heartbeat grew louder. My breathing became rough, and my vision was bing blurry.

    Yu-Hyun smirked and responded, "Nope? I didn''t even use a blessing back then. I just roughly guessed based on intuition. After all, once they die, they¡¯re all just corpses anyway, right?¡±

    "Ah..."

    My stomach churned.

    "Bossou... No, Marte."

 Chapter 185

    <h4>Chapter 185</h4>

    <i>Crackle!</i>

    Marte''s mes flickered on my palm. For some reason, the shape of the fire was beautiful. I could control the temperature of the mes summoned through Marte''s power, create contradicting embers that froze everything they touched, or create hellish mes to incinerate everything in its vicinity.

    However, if the mes were too cold, then it wouldn¡¯t soothe the hearts of the Voodoo Cult members unjustly killed in The Starless Night, and if it were too hot, he would die before I could inflict pain on him. I adjusted the temperature of the mes to a moderate level, simr to that of boiling water. It was the most suitable temperature for inflicting pain and instilling fear.

    "...Y-you had a talent like that? You should have joined the circus instead of F.A. Then we wouldn''t have met," Yu-Hyun taunted, his voiceid-back.

    However, I knew he was only pretending to be rxed and was actually trembling with fear. He couldn''t hide the fear emanating from his trembling voice. Just like everyone else, he shrunk in the face of pain.

    "No... I''m actually d I met you."

    I brought the fire to his bound hands. Yu-Hyun twitched, instinctively trying his best to avoid the fire. I chased after him and brought fire to his hands again. Yu-Hyun writhed, desperately trying to escape the fire, and I pursued after him yet again.

    "Don''t be scared. I don''t intend to kill you..."

    My heart raced. I couldn''t tell if it was because I was looking at the fire or because I was reminded of the tragedies of The Starless Night.

    Augh escaped my lips. I felt joyful and exhrated. Was it because I found the scared Yu-Hyun amusing? Was it because the tables had turned, and I was now the hunter rather than the hunted? I couldn''t tell. Ah, if I could just light this guy on fire and kill him, then perhaps this pent-up feeling in my heart would...

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    My impulsion came to a stop when I heard the sound of knocking. I briefly put out Marte''s me and looked toward the door. No matter how I thought about it, now was not the time to knock on the door. Uncle hadn''t shown up in the underground chapel for a while. Did hee back today?

    Or could it be Ji-Ah? No, it couldn''t be Ji-Ah. I had instructed her not toe out of the room under any circumstances.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    "..."

    Meanwhile, the knocking sound came again. I nced at Yu-Hyun. He was sweating profusely and struggling to catch his breath. It was weird to see a guy who didn''t flinch, even when I stabbed his thigh with a de, to be strangely sensitive to mes. Was he afraid of fire, like me?

    Now was not the time to think about that. I held my breath and approached the door where the knocking sound wasing from. It could be my uncle or Ji-Ah, but it could also be an intruder. It wouldn''t be strange at all for someone like Yu-Hyun to have a few pursuers or bodyguards.

    Then what about Ji-Ah, who was on the upper floor?

    "..."

    No, let''s not think about Ji-Ah right now. I told her not to make any noise once she entered her room, so with luck, she''d be safe. Even if she wasn¡¯t... then there was nothing I could do.

    <i>Click. </i>

    Holding the Dawn''s de in my right hand, I turned the doorknob with my left. Yet, there was no reaction from the other side of the door. Did they sense how cautious I was? The other person didn¡¯t rush into the room even though I had deliberately opened the door.

    If that were the case, then I would leave first. This was my underground chapel. No matter who the opponent was, no matter how powerful they were, suppressing them was only a matter of time as long as I could freely use spells and the power of the Loa.

    <i>Creek...</i>

    I slowly pulled the doorknob. With a chilling sound, the door slowly began to open. However, there was still no reaction on the other side of the door.

    <i>Baang! </i>

    I forcefully pulled the door. There was a sound of something breaking, and it seemed like the doorknob was broken. It wasn¡¯t something I needed to worry about. I pushed the opponent on the other side of the door with my elbow and pinned them against the wall, pressing Dawn''s de against their neck.

    It was much easier to subdue the opponent than I thought because it felt like I was fighting a child. The eerie glow from Dawn''s de illuminated the opponent''s face.

    Their face came into view from the thick darkness and fog.

    "Cult Leader, it¡¯s Ji-Ah...¡±

    I immediately put down the de and touched the part of her neck where the de had rested. Blood stained my fingers. I had only intended to threaten with the de, but it looked as if I had somehow cut her a little.

    "...I thought I told you not toe out of the room."

    "Yes, you did say that, but..."

    "Then why did youe out?"

    I was annoyed. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t express my feelings with just the word "annoyance." It wasplicated. I felt angry and sad at the same time. I couldn''t breathe properly. I felt suffocated and felt like I wanted to say something, anything. But words didn¡¯te out easily from my mouth.

    Ji-Ah¡¯s lip twitched as if she had something to say, and then she lowered her head.

    "I''m... sorry. "

    "Wait a moment."

    After saying that, I used a restoration spell to heal the wound on her neck. The shallow wound healed quickly, not even leaving a scar. However, my mind still felt uneasy. I couldn''t tell if it was because I had hurt her or because she hadn¡¯t listened to me and hade out of her room.

    I couldn''t figure it out.

    My body felt heavy. It felt like I was thrown to sink amidst an endlessly deep sea. I was angry and sad, but for some unknown reason, I was also scared. I felt like I would go crazy at any moment if I kept my mouth shut and let my thoughts spiral out of control.

    "So, why did youe out?" I blurted.

    I <i>needed </i>the sound of someone else¡¯s voice. She hesitated without saying a word and handed me the object she was holding.

    "I found this in your room."

    It was a notebook. A notebook where I had written down fragments of memories that asionally came to mind when I had practiced spells and the power of Loa in the underground chapel during the break.

    "This©¤"

    I was about to say, <i>¡°This is why you didn''t listen to me and crawled out of your room?¡±</i>

    But when I unfolded the notebook and saw the contents written inside, I was speechless. I had recorded the memories of my parents and their words in the notebook. Things that shouldn''t be forgotten but keep slipping away¡ªthe memories that I thought would be clear for a lifetime but had suddenly be faint. I didn''t want to forget those memories, so I diligently wrote them down in the notebook. That had been my intention.

    "..."

    <i>-The nail clipper didn''t listen, so I broke it. I had to open the door. It wouldn''t open because there was no handle. I saw the inside of the ground at some point. There were many bugs. The basement is too stuffy. Someday, I will also... have a chance to go somewhere high... A chance. Just one. </i>

    <i>-Dad didn''te back. Did something happen? Ah. </i>

    <i>-Save me.</i>

    It was challenging to read. The words were scattered everywhere. The letters were different sizes, and the sentences were so confusing that I couldn''t understand the meaning behind them. It seemed that I hadn¡¯t tried to write meaningful sentences to begin with. As if written with blood, the red letters filled the notebook. It was eerie and chilling just to look at it.

    "...Cult Leader?" Ji-Ah called.

    I didn''t answer and closed the notebook. Cold sweat trickled down. I felt scared. The handwriting in the notebook was mine. I had never tried to write such bizarre words, nor did I have any memory of writing them. That was why it frightened me even more. I wiped away the flowing sweat and looked up. Ji-Ah was looking at me with a worried look in her eyes.

    "Are you oka¡ª"

    "I''m fine," I answered before she finished her sentence.

    Although I had said I was okay, I didn''t feel particrly okay. I was deteriorating day by day. My senses were getting dull. Now, I couldn''t even tell what was hot and what was cold. My sense of taste was long gone. I was trying to remember what the food Ji-Ah made tasted like.

    The loss of touch and taste made each day faint and blurry. Each day passed by boringly and hazily. I didn''t feel alive. At this point, it felt like I was no different from being dead. No, I even thought it would be okay to die.

    "I''m fine, so go upstairs now, Ji-Ah."

    I thought I was going crazy, but I guess I was already insane. On my way back to the basement after sending Ji-Ah away, I burned the notebook with Marte''s fire.

    ***

    I leaned against the wall and stared nkly at the dispersing and gathering fog. I took a deep breath, letting the fog fill my entire body. Although it felt refreshing and cleansing, I also couldn¡¯t feel anything. I couldn''t even tell how much time had passed or how it was drifting by.

    "Hey."

    At that moment, I heard Yu-Hyun''s voice. He was moving his body restlessly, his head turned toward me. I couldn¡¯t see his expression very well because of the fog. I didn''t respond and instead looked at his silhouette, which was faintly visible through the fog.

    I wouldn''t have had time to be like this initially. I had to do something. Whether it was torturing Yu-Hyun or using a spell, I had to extract information from him. How much did he know about me? Had anyone else realized that I was the Cult Leader? Or information that was necessary to escape and hide from the Holy Army.

    "Hey, did you die?" Yu-Hyun said, joking around.

    ¡°..." I didn''t answer.

    I could have easily extracted information from Yu-Hyun if I wanted to. However, I didn''t feel like doing it. How did I end up getting exposed? When did I start going crazy? There was no end to the thoughts of what and when it all went wrong.

    Iy there helplessly, wailing in self-me and regret. I thought about why I wanted to be a prte. Why did I want to be a prte again? What was the reason why I had tried to gain a good standing with the teachers, wore a mask to get a good reputation, and lost myself just to get into F.A.?

    "...The underground prison.¡±

    I remembered. I held up the Dawn''s de that I had been clutching in my hands. I embed the de with Marte''s mes. Yu-Hyun, who had been calm when I only held the Dawn''s de, saw it, and fear shed in his eyes. Marte''s mes met with Voodoo magic and glowed purple.

    Come to think of it, there was no need to use a restoration spell to close the wound if I did this. The fire would take care of the wound. Why didn''t I think of this? What a great discovery.

    Yu-Hyun squirmed when I pushed the Dawn''s de without saying a word.

    "Hey, hey, you bastard! If you''re going to torture me, shouldn''t you ask questions first?"

    "Ah. Right."

    "<i>Huff, huff</i>...! You''re crazy. I thought you were someone I could reason with, but you''re just a crazy bastard obsessed with torture..."

    <i>Crack. </i>

    Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t get to finish his sentence. His toes were twisted grotesquely. I had broken them. Yu-Hyun trembled with a flushed face and started to scream from the bted pain. The scream soon turned into a sob.

    "If you say anything useless or fail to answer my questions, I''ll break your toes one by one... Or I¡¯ll stab your soles with my de."

    "Ah, ahhh... They''re already broken¡ªyou crazy, fucking, crazy bastard...!"

    "Don¡¯t make a scene about it. It''ll get better soon," I said, drawing a spell array.

    It was an advanced restoration spell. The Voodoo mist touched Yu-Hyun''s twisted toes. The toes wriggled as if they were living creatures and returned to their original state as if nothing had happened. However, Yu-Hyun was still trembling from the pain.

    "It will still hurt, though."

    The restoration spell could only restore the target''s condition but couldn¡¯t eliminate the pain one experienced. I pushed the de toward his foot. His struggle intensified more than before. Actions were more effective in instilling fear than words.

    "Tell me about the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters. Its location, characteristics... Anything you know," I continued.

    Yu-Hyun didn''t answer my question quickly. He clearly knew something, but it looked like he was hesitant to answer. Without hesitation, I immediately tried to thrust the de into his chest. At that moment, Yu-Hyun urgently stopped me and spoke up.

    "W-wait, hold on! ...L-let''s negotiate."

    "Negotiate?" I scoffed. "How can we negotiate when we''re not on equal terms? Do you still think this is an examination site? You know what? I''m going to break at least one of your toes because you¡¯re just spouting nonsense."

    "W-wait, just listen to me! Fuck, can you listen and hear me out, huh? You can do whatever you want after you listen to me, alright?" Yu-Hyun shouted at the top of his lungs.

    Curious about what he was going to say, I decided to hold onto breaking his toe for a moment.

    He took a deep breath and said, "First, let me say this. If you kill me, you''ll also be at a loss. As for me, I think it¡¯s pretty self-exnatory."

    "Why do you think I''ll suffer a loss?"

    "Because there''s a machine imnted in my body due to my heart not being in the best condition. If my heart stops, the Holy Army will know my location."

    "..."

    "If you kill me here, you¡¯ll expose the location of this ce."

    I couldn''t sense any signs of lying from Yu-Hyun''s expression or tone. If he was telling the truth, then I couldn''t kill him here. After all, it was preferable to expose my identity and run from the Holy Army than to reveal the location of the underground chapel.

    Of course, that didn''t mean I couldn''t kill Yu-Hyun.

    I smirked. "Is that so? Then I''ll kill you somewhere else."

    "But you''ll still end up on the run," Yu-Hyun said quite calmly. "If I die, the Holy Army will search through nationwide CCTV and car cameras. I don''t know if they¡¯ll be able to catch you, but it''s only a matter of time before it''s revealed that you''re the one who killed me."

    "..."

    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Whether Yu-Hyun had a mechanical device imnted in his body or not, he was an essential figure in the Romanican Chruch. If he died or went missing, my identity would be exposed.

    "The same would be true if I were to spare you."

    However, the oue would be the same if we were to let him live. In the end, my identity would be exposed. After Yu-Hyun had figured out my identity, the results were unchanged.

    Upon hearing my words, Yu-Hyun quickly raised his head.

    "I will never tell anyone else about your identity. I swear. I can promise."

    "Do you think I would believe that?"

    "Information loses its value when it bes public."

    Out of the blue, Yu-Hyun made a nonsensical remark. He seemed afraid of the deing towards his feet, so he hunched his body quickly.

    "As far as I know, I am the only one who has the information that you are the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. And that information is most valuable when only I know it."

    "..."

    "So, I shouldn''t tell it to anyone else because I would be diminishing the rarity and value of the information that I possess."

    Yu-Hyun spoke fast, making it difficult to understand all at once.

    I slowly and calmly pondered his words.

    "What are you nning to do with the knowledge that I am the Cult Leader?"

    Ultimately, his words were nothing more than a usible excuse. It was true that rare information had a higher value. However, if there were no use for it, no matter how rare it was, the value of the information would be low. Yu-Hyun listened to me and smiled faintly.

    "There''s a lot I can do with it. Although I''m known as the next Pope, I have manypetitors, more than you might think.¡±

    "Huh?"

    "The Holy See restricts a lot of information. Although you probably noticed it already... And I can give you that restricted information."

    Restricted information. Just hearing those words brought up many thoughts. One of the prominent ones was Jun-Hyuk. The Holy See considered it dishonorable to reveal the fact that Satanists had infiltrated Florence Academy, and upon considering various social repercussions, they had concealed the fact that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist.

    "Of course, I don''t know everything, but I know more than ordinary people. About things you''re curious about... like the underground prison or the Holy War. Or the dark side of the Romanican Chruch."

    "But what do you gain from telling me that information?"

    "I gain a lot. For one, you won''t be able to kill me so recklessly."

    "I could simply kill you after extracting the information."

    "I won''t reveal all the information I know. That''s how I can stay alive."

    He was right. I couldn''t kill him until I obtained the information I wanted. The reason I hadn''t killed him yet was not because I didn''t want to, but because I couldn''t. Yu-Hyun seemed to understand this as well.

    He forced a smile and continued, "So, what do you think? I think this isn¡¯t too bad of an offer."

    "Hmm... It''s not bad. But..."

    It was definitely not a bad proposal. Yu-Hyun was known to be next in line for bing the Pope, so he had ess to more information than others. There were a lot of things that I didn''t know about the Romanican Chruch. If I negotiated with Yu-Hyun, I would be able to acquire several valuable pieces of information that I didn''t know.

    "Is there really a need to negotiate..."

    However, there was no reason for me to negotiate at the cost of taking losses. I unleashed Voodoo magic. The massive clump of Voodoo magic that flowed out dispersed and coalesced, cutting through the mist. The Voodoo magic transformed into dozens of spell arrays in an instant, merging into a fusion spell array. The mist that flowed out from the spell array was thick and viscous.

    "...When there are better methods?"

    There were many ways to extract information from him without having to deal with a negotiation.

 Chapter 186

    <h4>Chapter 186</h4>

    Although he couldn¡¯t see, the scene in front of him was vivid. Light emanated from Yu-Hyun''s unconscious body, which was wrapped in fog. Specifically, light was flowing from his right eye and his hair, which had bleached his hair blonde, or rather, almost white.

    The light formed a thin barrier that enveloped Yu-Hyun. The barrier blocked the fog and then absorbed it.

    "Ugh...!"

    My body started to feel weak, and my stomach churned. The barrier of light absorbed the fog and the little remaining strength that I had to support me.

    I urgently released the spell array. It stopped functioning and turned into ashes.

    Finally, the feeling of losing strength disappeared. I took a deep breath and barely managed to stand in ce. Both my legs trembled. The surroundings turned pitch ck and then shed white, making me dizzy.

    It was a strangely familiar feeling. I had definitely experienced this phenomenon before.

    "The box..."

    When I tried to peek inside the box buried in Eiden Hill with Granbwa''s power, I coughed out blood just like today. Back then, I thought it was simply because my abilities had fallen short. I had thought that I was unable to peek inside the box because I had failed to fully control Granbwa¡¯s power.

    Now, I could clearly see that that wasn¡¯t the case. An unknown force had been protecting the box and Yu-Hyun. Something with a conscious will was using a mysterious power to intentionally interfere with me. I didn¡¯t know what or <i>who</i> it was.

    "Damn it..."

    At first, I was taken aback because my spells didn''t work. Later, I couldn¡¯t believe what was happening.

    Not only could he see through others with his ridiculously overpowered eyes, but Yu-Hyun could also utilize someone else''s divine power as if it were his, and even my spells didn''t work on him. I thought this was too unreasonable and unfair.

    Now, I felt powerless. If spells didn¡¯t work on him, there was no way to forcibly extract information from him. I couldn¡¯t use memory annihtion to erase his memories and make it as if today''s events were nonexistent.

    Memory annihtion quite literally shattered memories. I couldn¡¯t selectively erase only the memories that I wanted gone. When using memory annihtion, all the information in his head, along with the ones he made today, would be erased. I doubted if the memory annihtion spell would even work in the first ce.

    There were so many things that I wasn¡¯t sure about, especially what the unknown power protecting him was and what he meant when he said that there were manypetitors. Why was he hoping that I wouldn¡¯t get caught? And what did he know about the underground prison and the Holy War?

    I didn''t have the ability to judge what information was useful or not. I didn''t know anything, and I couldn''t do anything. I was powerless.

    Meanwhile, Yu-Hyun regained consciousness.

    "Ugh... What the hell? Why was I sleeping?"

    I sat in front and looked down at him.

    "Let''s continue with the negotiation."

    "...Ah, right. We were in the middle of that conversation. Go ahead."

    "I want to know what kind of information you can give me."

    Although I called it negotiation, in reality, I was in a position where I had no choice but to keep Yu-Hyun alive. The risks I had to take, whether to kill him or save him, were the same. However, I could clearly gain something if I let him live.

    But there was no need to reveal that fact. I had to lead the conversation with the nuance that I was making an effort for negotiation, as I was telling him that we weren¡¯t in an equal position right now and could kill him anytime I wanted.

    "What are you most curious about right now? As far as I know, roughly speaking... I can give you some sneak peeks."

    "The underground prison," I answered Yu-Hyun''s question without hesitation.

    Meeting my mother, who was imprisoned in the underground prison, was the sole reason why I had tried to enter Florence Academy.

    Yu-Hyun was about to say something but then hesitated. "You should tell me exactly what you''re curious about in the underground prison and which underground prison you''re talking about."

    "Tell me everything you know about the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters."

    Yu-Hyun pondered with a frowning face for a while and then said, "No, well... Ah, I guess I should have said this first."

    "There are quite a few underground prisons in the Holy See Headquarters. Just from the ones that I know... about seven of them."

    "..."

    "There are also various types. Do you want me to tell you about them?"

    Instead of answering his question, I quietly drew Dawn''s de.

    "Hey, hey! Ha, fuck, I was going to tell you about them. What did I do?!"

    <i>sh. </i>

    I cut the knot that bound his hand and released him. Yu-Hyun stared at his hand in astonishment for a while, then btedly raised his head and looked at me.

    I turned Dawn''s de into Voodoo magic.

    "As a sign of epting the negotiation, I¡¯ll release your hand for now. Your feet and neck will be freedter."

    "...Later? No, if you''re epting the negotiation, you should release me right away..."

    "I said I would spare you, but I didn''t say I would release you," I said casually. "I will release you someday. Probably... after I obtain enough information to satisfy me and a system is established to monitor you. It might start to arouse suspicion if I keep you confined like this."

    "..."

    "Stay here until then. I''ll bring you food. It might not taste great, though."

    With that, I left the room, locking the door from the outside. I could hear Yu-Hyun shouting something from inside the room. I ignored him and picked up my phone.

    ***

    "Hmm, I see. Should I send it to the dormitory where you''re staying?" Joseph was answering Sun-Woo''s call that hade out of the blue.

    As usual, Sun-Woo calmly asked for some items. The items he wanted were a GPS tracker, a bugging device, and a small terminal that could manage both devices simultaneously.

    Joseph raised an eyebrow and replied, "...Well, I can send them to you quickly. It''s not a difficult request, I suppose. But I''m curious about what you''re nning to use them for."

    Sun-Woo didn''t answer. There was silence on the other end of the phone. Joseph waited for a response and eventually nodded. Seeing that Sun-Woo seemed to have no intention of responding, Joseph ended the conversation.

    "Well, I guess I''ll believe that you''ll use them well. I''ll end the call now."

    It was unsettling that Sun-Woo didn''t mention the purpose of the GPS tracker and bug device. However, Joseph didn''t bother to ask. More precisely, he didn''t need to ask.

    Soon enough, he would reveal what Sun-Woo, who, on the surface, appeared to be an exemry F.A. student, was up to behind the scenes through Jin-Seo. There was no need to rush, and now was the time to deal with something more important than Sun-Woo.

    "Sorry for interrupting the conversation. Ye-Jin, can you continue where we left off?"

    "Yes... but where did we leave off, exactly?" Ye-Jin weakly replied while lying in the hospital bed.

    Joseph looked at her intently. He had a good memory, so he could vividly remember the impressions of people who passed by in a sh.

    He recalled Ye-Jin''s face that he briefly saw in the teacher''s office when he visited F.A. for an investigation. Back then, Ye-Jin had a very different impression. It seemed like she had be apletely different person. It wasn¡¯t just because she had lost weight and looked thinner. Joseph noticed that the light in Ye-Jin''s eyes had changed significantly.

    "I heard that you lost consciousness after meeting a girl named Jin-Seo," Joseph replied without mentioning the change he noticed.

    Ye-Jin briefly closed her mouth and got lost in thought.

    Joseph waited until she felt like answering. Ye-Jin opened her mouth, looking determined and resigned, as she stared into the empty space.

    "...To be precise, I didn''t lose consciousness. It was more like a dream," she said.

    "A dream? Can you exin further?" Joseph raised his eyebrows, showing interest.

    Jin-Seo clearly stated that she had lost consciousness and had no memory afterward. However, Ye-Jin was saying that she had dreamt, which could mean that she had memories after losing consciousness.

    There was a possibility that Jin-Seo had lied or that their statements differed because Ye-Jin and Jin-Seo had been affected differently by ck magic. Either way, this was good news for Joseph. He had also fallen victim to the same demon¡¯s ck magic and dreamed like Ye-Jin had.

    It felt like he had taken a step closer to repentance. Joseph anxiously concealed his excitement and waited for Ye-Jin''s answer. She seemed hesitant to talk about her dream, pursing her lips and hesitating to answer.

    "If you don''t want to talk about the content of your dreams, you don''t have to. Just tell me what you want to share. I''m just grateful that you¡¯re cooperating."

    "...Thank you. When I make up my mind... I will tell you about what happened in my dream."

    "Alright, then, we¡¯ll stay in touch. Oh, by the way, I forgot to give you my business card. I''m sorry, I''ve been distractedtely," Joseph said.

    He then handed his business card to Ye-Jin.

    Ye-Jin epted it politely with a bow.

    "Yes, I will contact you soon using the number on the business card, <i>urgh</i>."

    Ye-Jin started dry-heaving. Tears welled up in her eyes as she desperately tried to hold back the vomit. Her face turned pale, and cold sweat streamed down her face.

    Surprised, Joseph tried to hand her a handkerchief but realized he didn''t have one and quickly pulled out a tissue.

    "Are you okay? Why is this happening? Could it be that you still have lingering effects from the ck magic?"

    "No... I''m sorry. It''s just sudden nausea... I''m fine now."

    Ye-Jin wiped away the cold sweat with her tissue and dried the tears in her eyes. Her sudden difort seemed to subside slightly, but herplexion remained pale. Ye-Jin took a deep breath to calm herself. When her breathing gradually stabilized, she looked up at Joseph.

    "By any chance, did you visit the specimen researchb today?"

    She was referring to the Demon Specimen Research Lab located in the western part of Seoul. It was a ce dedicated to studying the flesh and body parts of demonic beasts and demons collected during battles. It was also a ce where they created mock demons and imitation demonic beasts for training sessions.

    Joseph had stopped by the ce before visiting Ye-Jin''s hospital room. He had to check something for a thorough investigation of the demons that had appeared in this incident.

    "I just came back from there because I had something to investigate. How did you know?"

    Joseph was taken aback for the first time in a long time. He had never told Ye-Jin about this fact. More precisely, he had never even mentioned the Specimen Research Lab. How did Ye-Jin find out about it? Was there blood from the demon sample on his clothes? No, he had definitely changed his clothes beforeing...

    "Um, excuse me, but there''s a bit of a smell. Oh, no, never mind. Please forget it," Ye-Jin said.

    "Ah, so there was a smell...ing from me?¡± Joseph asked.

    "Ah, it''sing from your body and also from your business card... No, it''s not to the point... that I¡¯m bothered by it..."

    Joseph sniffed his business card and then sniffed himself, just to be sure. However, there was no pungent and smelly scent characterized by the Demon Specimen Research Lab. At least, that was what Joseph felt.

    Even if there was a smell, it would be extremely faint. Even if someone had managed to smell it somehow, it would be rare for someone to urately identify it as the smelling from the Demon Specimen Research Lab.

    No, it was not just a rare case.

    This level of smell wasparable to the detection dogs used to find drugs or uncover the Satanists'' hideouts.

    "I apologize for making you ufortable. I¡¯ll be back after I wash up and change my clothes."

    "No, it''s not that I was ufortable..."

    "Before that, I want to ask for your cooperation in the Satanist Identification Project. It''s at the discretion of an inquisitor."

    She would definitely be useful.

    Joseph''s eyes gleamed with madness as he stared at Ye-Jin after shouting out loud for her cooperation.

 Chapter 187

    <h4>Chapter 187</h4>

    Ye-Jin was soon discharged from the hospital. So was Bok-Dong. After all, they had not been injured¡ªthey only lost consciousness due to ck magic. However, Jin-Seo and the student had more severe injuries, so they had to stay in the hospital for a few days, maybe even a few weeks longer.

    After Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong were discharged, Florence Academy gathered the faculty members for a meeting. Ye-Jin and Bok-Dong attended the meeting as supervisors of the practical exam and as witnesses to the incident that urred. Joseph also attended the meeting as a supervisor of the practical exam and participated in the discussion about evaluation criteria.

    "Even though it¡¯s called a meeting, not many people are attending. Is this normal?" Joseph asked Ye-Jin as they left the F.A. meeting room.

    Ye-Jin lowered her eyes with a resigned expression.

    "It''s not always like this, but it does happen from time to time, especially when incidents rted to Satanists ur..."

    "I suppose it is something to be cautious about. It could lead to many people getting fired."

    Even in the past, Florence Academy had always been a ce with frequent issues. It had been that way when Joseph was a student at Florence Academy and even before he was a student as well.

    However, in the past, most of the idents had been a result of the students¡¯ actions, whereas the incidents that were urring recently were due to the actions of external individuals such as Satanists.

    Handling incidents that internally urred within Florence Academy was easy, but it was difficult to handle incidents involving external individuals, especially those rted to Satanists. It was not umon to be dismissed for mishandling incidents rted to Satanists.

    "Even so, the vice-principal''s attitude was a bit strange. I can''t remember their name, but, um, they had short hair..."

    Joseph suddenly stopped speaking and closed his mouth, murmuring to himself as he went through his habitual deductions.

    A man came forward and blocked his path. Joseph looked at the man blocking his way with a displeased expression.

    Joseph was quite tall, but the man in front of him was much taller. He had such arge build that he felt like he was standing in front of a wall rather than a person. ''Big'' was an understatement¡ªthe word ''huge'' seemed more appropriate for this man.

    Just as Joseph was wondering if the man was going to start something, the man bowed his head ny degrees and politely greeted Joseph.

    "Inquisitor Joseph, I am Dae-Ho. Do you not remember me?"

    "Dae-Ho? Dae-Ho... Ah, Dae-Ho! I remember. Of course, I remember!" Joseph btedly recognized Dae-Ho and showed a hint of regret.

    Ye-Jin watched awkwardly as the two of them conversed. While she knew that Dae-Ho was Bok-Dong''s friend, she wasn¡¯t particrly close to him.

    Joseph greeted him warmly and shook his hand.

    "So, what brings you to Florence Academy? Were you also a supervisor for this practical exam? Howe I didn¡¯t see you?"

    "No, I¡¯m not here for the practical exam. I came to discuss other matters."

    "Ah, right. Florence Academy is under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Pdin Order... You must be busy these days. By the way, you look like you''ve aged in the time we haven''t seen each other. You look ten years older."

    "Haha... Please, sir, it''s not that bad."

    They exchanged greetings and asional jokes, having a pleasant conversation. It was only when Dae-Ho received a phone call that they finally finished their conversation and parted ways.

    Even after Dae-Ho left, a faint smile remained on Joseph''s lips.

    "I was excited because it''s been a while since I''ve seen that friend. I helped him a little when he became the head of the Eastern Pdin Order. We''ve been close since then."

    "Aha..."

    "Come to think of it, aren¡¯t you around the same age as Dae-Ho?"

    "...Actually, we were ssmates at F.A."

    "Oh, really? Then why didn¡¯t you at least exchange greetings earlier?"

    "We''re not that close."

    "I see," Joseph replied without much enthusiasm and started walking.

    Ye-Jin nced at Joseph as she walked beside him. During the meeting, there was a discussion on how to handle Jin-Seo and the student¡¯s grades. However, no one had rushed to speak. Considering the situation, there inevitably would be controversy over giving preferential treatment, but they couldn''t just give Jin-Seo preferential treatment and ignore the situation Jin-Seo was in.

    Above all, Jin-Seo was the Chairman''s daughter. No, to be tant, it was because no one wanted to take responsibility. They kept their mouths shut because they didn''t know what kind of repercussions their words would have and cowardly waited for someone else to speak first.

    At that moment, Joseph had spoken up.

    "Wouldn''t it be better to give her preferential treatment for this matter?"

    He spokefortably, as he was the oldest among all the members in the meeting room and held the highest hierarchy within the church.

    "We can say that Florence Academy expelled the demon that had appeared at the examination site, and Florence Academy not only protects the students but also enables them to protect themselves... By tailoring the story like this, there won''t be any controversy about fairness since it¡¯s a fact that she expelled the demon."

    "..."

    "After funneling the public opinion, the students'' morale will rise once we give them preferential treatment. Why don¡¯t we use Jin-Seo as a symbol and advertise Florence Academy? It would be a good opportunity to try and change the atmosphere of this ce.¡± Joseph¡¯s words poured out like water from a waterfall¡ªhe did not stop and he was easy to understand.

    Most seemed to agree with him, but of course, there were also those who opposed him. However, Joseph quickly suppressed any opposing opinions that arose, not with authority but with logic. In the end, following Joseph''s opinion, it was decided to give Jin-Seo and the student scores that were second only to the top.

    Although it wasn¡¯t by much, Ye-Jin had begun to respect Joseph. He seemed to have a weird personality but he was a person who possessedmon sense.

    "By the way, I''m sorry. You must have wanted to rest after being discharged. I feel like I''m making you suffer too much," Joseph said.

    "Sir? Oh no, it''s okay. I''m doing this because I want to," she replied, smiling faintly and nodding.

    When Joseph had first requested her cooperation, she was taken aback. She had wanted to take a break, but more than anything, she had doubts about Joseph. She thought she would be used for investigation purposes only and be discarded without any real benefits. When Ye-Jin was a priest, she had experienced such things countless times.

    However, she decided to trust him after seeing Joseph''s attitude during the meeting. Above all, it was time for her to start thinking about what she would do after retirement. She had already made up her mind to retire. After seeing her distorted desires through the dreams shown by ck magic, she realized that she could no longer stay in the teaching profession.

    "We''re here."

    The two of them stopped, concluding their silent walk together. Joseph, with his hand posed behind his back, silently gazed at the cross hanging on the rooftop that was crumbling down. Ye-Jin looked at Joseph and the cross with a bewildered expression.

    "Didn¡¯t you say... that we would start a full-scale investigation today?"

    "Come in. There''s something we need to do before the full-scale investigation."

    With a heavy heart, Ye-Jin followed Joseph into the shabby building. The ce was shabby and run down, literally like a ruin. It seemed to have been a small cathedral once, but the long benches where believers would have sat were shattered and broken.

    The statue disyed at the edge of the auditorium was missing its head, creating an eerie atmosphere, and there were blood-like stains on the cross and the wall, making it look like the backdrop of a horror movie.

    There was no awe or holiness characteristic like that of a cathedral. It was just gloomy and spooky. Ye-Jin looked around and suddenly shivered from the creeping sensation.

    "Don''t be scared. This used to be a fairly convincing cathedral... and now it''s also my home."

    "..."

    "You may not believe it, but once you get used to it, you can live here quitefortably. Although it seems like I can''t sleep well."

    It was truly unbelievable. Ye-Jin couldn''t live even a single day in a ce like this. She''d clearly lose her mind if she stayed here for a few days.

    "What about your family..." Ye-Jin was about to yell out the thought that came to her mind, but she quickly closed her mouth, realizing that it wasn''t something she should say to Joseph, whom she had practically met for the first time.

    She nced at Joseph for a moment. Even though it could have been a remark that could make him ufortable, Joseph smiled as if it didn''t matter.

    "I don''t have a family. Do you think someone like me could make a family?"

    "..." Ye-Jin closed her mouth at his self-deprecating joke.

    Joseph twisted one corner of his mouth in disappointment, as there was no response.

    After a brief exchange of words, the two turned silent and moved to a corner of the crumbling cathedral. When they opened the door in the corner, a corridor appeared, and at the end of the corridor, there was another door.

    Joseph inserted the key into the door lock.

    <i>Creak... </i>

    As the door opened, it made a sound more unpleasant, or perhaps even more unpleasant, than the scenery of the cathedral. Darkness filled the other side of the door.

    Joseph casually pushed through the darkness and entered the room, but Ye-Jin hesitated in front of the door. She couldn''t muster the courage to go in. It wasn''t because she was afraid of the darkness. It was because of the foul smell emanating from the room. The stench was aplex and dreadful mixture of the flesh of demons, the saliva of demonic beasts, human blood, and various chemicals that even Ye-Jin couldn''t clearly distinguish.

    <i>Click.</i>

    At that moment, Joseph turned on the light. Ye-Jin''s face, which had been filled with caution, was now filled with astonishment.

    "This is..."

    "If you want to see a whale, you have toe out of the whale''s belly first."

    Ye-Jin looked around the room. She was amazed by everything she saw. It was shocking enough to forget about the eerie and gloomy atmosphere of the cathedral and the scenery of the corridor they had just passed through.

    It was the walls covered in pictures that initially drew her attention. At a nce, there seemed to be hundreds of them. The subjects of the photos varied. There were humans, demonic beasts, demons... and asionally, there were photographs of bodies so mutted that their forms couldn''t be recognized. Between those photos, dozens of arrows were intertwined like spider webs.

    The next thing she saw was a desk piled high with weapons. Most of them were blunt weapons like clubs or hammers, and there were also crossbows that looked like guns and knuckles. Each one looked intimidating and deadly.

    "..."

    Ye-Jin''s gaze was glued not to the photos or weapons but to the bookshelves. She may not be a bookworm, but she had read enough to deserve the title of book lover. Especially when it came to her field of expertise, it was not an exaggeration to say that she had read almost every book. However, the books in Joseph''s library were all unfamiliar to her. Ye-Jin instinctively knew that the countless books filling the massive library were all forbidden books.

    "Here, you wille out of the belly of the whale. Seeing the whalees next," Joseph said, handing Ye-Jin a book from his library.

    It was a book with a repulsive appearance, and its cover was made of human skin.

 Chapter 188

    <h4>Chapter 188</h4>

    After finishing the meal I gave him, Yu-Hyun casually said, "The reason why your cover hasn¡¯t been blown yet... is just pure luck."

    Although I had called it a meal, it was actually a mixture of leftovers, like dog food. Nevertheless, Yu-Hyun looked like he was more than happy with it, gobbling the food up as if it were delicious. It had to have been because he had been starving for a day and a half and was mentally exhausted by the intense physical pain.

    "What does that mean?"

    "I meant it quite literally. You were lucky." Yu-Hyun swallowed the food in his mouth and continued, "People only see what they know. And they live under the delusion that what they know is what the world amounts to. That''s why you''re still alive and well."

    "The same could be said for you."

    "Right. I know a little more than others and can see more, but I can only see as much as I know, just like everyone else."

    "But why do you keep spouting bullshit as if you know everything?"

    "Very few people are aware of the fact that <i>I don¡¯t know everything. </i>You and I are simr in that sense. We both know that we don¡¯t know everything."

    He was right about that. I knew that I didn¡¯t know everything because I had Legba and Baron Samedi by my side. They had much more experience and broader knowledge than I did, and I was ignorant and foolishpared to them. I couldn''t even have the arrogant thought of being a know-it-all.

    "What does that have to do with me being lucky though?"

    "If anyone even suspected that there was a Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult at Florence Academy, your identity would have been exposed in no time."

    "I guess."

    "But luckily, no one had such suspicions. <i>There¡¯s no way the leader of the Voodoo Cult could have infiltrated Florence Academy. </i>Because they were thinking this way, no one could figure it out even when you slipped up from time to time.¡±

    "Right."

    "Even if you used spells or, what was it, something alongside a miracle... ah, yes, powers! No matter how much you used your powers, they would rationalize the situation by saying that it¡¯s a miracle or the utilization of blessings,¡± Yu-Hyun said.

    "Actually, I¡¯m not any different. I didn''t know spells were so overpowered. I fainted without even having a chance to resist. If I had known, I wouldn''t have followed you here."

    "I get it. You son of a bitch, stop bullshitting and tell me about the underground prison already."

    "Ah, that was what you asked at the start. Right."

    I had asked Yu-Hyun several times, but he kept babbling about random things without mentioning anything about the underground prison.

    Yu-Hyun took a deep breath.

    "There are a total of seven underground prisons. Four of those hold regr felons, and the living conditions are better there than the other three."

    "..."

    "Two hold clergymen who have rebelled against the Holy See or caused problems because of their corruption. The facilities are not bad, but they have the strictest management. The prisoners are former clergymen, so they have more power than ordinary criminals. Finally..."

    "Thest one must be where people who are considered to be cultists, like the Satanists or Voodooists, are held."

    "That''s right. You could assume that all Satanists and Voodooists are imprisoned there."

    "Do you know the location of the prison?" I asked.

    Yu-Hyun immediately shook his head without hesitation.

    "I''m not the official sessor yet... Unless it''s someone like the Pope or Sung Yu-Da, no one would know."

    "Sung Yu-Da?"

    A name so unpleasant because it was so familiar. Just hearing that name made my hair stand on end.

    At that moment, a bell rang from my pocket. I was receiving a call from Soo-Young. It probably wasn''t an urgent call. There was no reason for Soo-Young to call me over urgent matters. Above all, Yu-Hyun might hear Soo-Yeong''s voice if I answered the phone. It would be difficult for me if Soo-Yeong heard Yu-Hyun''s voice, so I declined the call.

    "What''s the deal with Sung Yu-Da?"

    "Even if he''s stepped down now, he was a former cardinal. He must have some information about the ce. Although only he would know."

    Yu-Hyun continued to exin. "The Holy See usually hands out positions to the archbishop once you¡¯ve spent enough time with them, but cardinals are different. Once you be a cardinal, you can participate in the papal conve."

    "Papal conve? Then what¡¯s the point of having a sessor like you mentioned?¡±

    "The key to being the sessor is how many cardinals you can get on your side. You see, if youe from a lineage of the Pope, you can receive support from traditional cardinals without doing anything. That¡¯s why there are rumors that I have a strong chance of bing the sessor."

    "And is that the reason why you approached me? Does it have to do with the papal conve?"

    "...I wouldn¡¯t say it is unrted," Yu-Hyun answered reluctantly.

    I nodded.

    "Then, besides you, how many other sessors are there?"

    "Three," Yu-Hyun answered briefly.

    His expression twisted for a moment. Although it was merely a moment, during that brief snippet of time, his face looked extremely disfigured.

    "...They''re all fucking bastards."

    "You¡¯re one to talk."

    Yu-Hyun was about to say something but closed his mouth. I looked at the room filled with hazy mist and got lost in my thoughts. I had a lot on my mind, but I couldn''t figure out what exactly I was thinking. My thoughts were like the mist.

    "...Aren¡¯t you acquainted with Sung Yu-Da?"

    "What?"

    It was a bewildering question. Of course, I knew Sung Yu-Da. I had done extensive research on him, both legal and illegal, using various methods. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else but killing Sung Yu-Da back then.

    But Sung Yu-Da didn''t know me. He might have known my name through Ha-Yeon, F.A.''s faculty members, or through connections that I wasn¡¯t aware of, but the person he knew was a name tainted with lies, an identity associated with F.A.''s Holy Name of Charity. Sung Yu-Da didn''t know me as the Cult Leader.

    I wanted to believe that, and I lived believing that.

    Yu-Hyun''s words shattered my hopes.

    "There''s no way Sung Yu-Da wouldn''t know you."

    ***

    "As you all may know, Ms. Ye-Jin will be absent for a while. During that time, I will be the homeroom teacher for the ss of Charity. Oh, and today, Sun-Woo is absent due to falling ill..." Jung-Hak took over for Ye-Jin and conducted the homeroom.

    Most of the announcements were minor. There were some mentions of the practical exam, but they weren¡¯t very important. The practical exam scores would not be publicly disclosed, but the students would be able to see their practical exam scores on thebined grade report. That was the gist of his announcements.

    In-Ah half-listened to homeroom. She didn¡¯t feel the need to concentrate on it, as it wasn¡¯t Ms. Ye-Jin who led the homeroom, and she was bothered by Sun-Woo''s absence.

    On the day of the practical exam, she saw that Sun-Woo was anxious throughout the day. She couldn¡¯t get in contact with him after the exam had ended. Worried, she had thought about calling him that night but decided against it. She thought that her call might be an inconvenience for Sun-Woo.

    "This period is self-study. It''s good to have fun after the exams are over, but don''t have too much fun©¤"

    "This isn''t the end of school. We still have the second semester left, so take this time to thoroughly prepare and catch up with students who have higher grades than you. Especially those in the Department of Priests. Since you can''t physically train like pdins or crusaders, from now on©¤"

    Most of the morning sses were self-study periods. Actually, it was more like a time to listen to the sermons of teachers who had nothing else to do. Although it was called self-study, none of the students actually studied.

    The ominous rumors about the people who had been injured during the practical exams¡ªYe-Jin, Bok-Dong, and Jin-Seo¡ªwere still going strong. Nevertheless, the students were excited because the exams were over. asionally, talks of nning to go somewhere after school or during the weekend would reach In-Ah''s ears.

    "In-Ah!"

    Someone approached her while she was trying hard to read the Holy Book in the middle of the lively medley of students¡¯ voices. It was a familiar face. They used to talk often at the beginning of the semester, and they asionally kept in touch.

    "Hey, why are you studying when the exams are over? Are you studying ahead already?"

    "Huh? Oh, yeah. I had nothing else to do."

    "You study because you have nothing else to do? Wow, you''re really..."

    Seeing her friend spring back in disgust, In-Ah smiled and ced a bookmark on the page she was reading. She closed the Holy Book and looked up.

    "I was just looking at it. Why?"

    "Nothing special. What are you doing this weekend?"

    "Hmm... I don''t have any ns."

    "Really? Would you like toe out with us this weekend?¡±

    Her friend''s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

    Come to think of it, she had spent most of the beginning of the semester with Sun-Woo and... She hadn¡¯t really met other friends recently, and she hadn''t met many people because she was busy studying for exams.

    Even after the exams were over, she decided to continue to study diligently, and she was going to be busy soon because the essaypetition wasing up. But it wouldn''t hurt to have a day of fun. Besides, she didn''t have anything else to do on the weekend.

    "Sure. But what should we do?"

    "I haven''t thought about it... Maybe we could grab a bite to eat, wander around, go bowling, or something like that? We don''t need to n everything out."

    "Sounds good. Just hanging out with our ssmates, right?"

    "Yeah. You, me, and Yeri... And a few guys, the ones sitting over there."

    She pointed to a group of people gathered behind us, chatting andughing. Yeri and three boys were gathered together, having a lively conversation. In-Ah frowned as she recognized a familiar face among the boys.

    "Isn''t he the one who used to hang out with Sung-Hyun?"

    "Huh? Oh, yeah, he is... Honestly, I used to have a bad impression of him too. But after talking to him, he seems kind. Also, he is really sorry for his actions. For real."

    "Well... Even if you say so," In-Ah muttered with a furrowed brow.

    Doing good deeds now did not erase the mistakes that the boy had made in the past. Hearing her friend talk about his sincere remorse, she couldn''t help but think that he might not be fundamentally a bad person. However, considering his past as a troublemaker who used to hang out with Sung-Hyun, she couldn''t see him in a positive light.

    In-Ah¡¯s friend nced at In-Ah as she was deep in thought and smirked.

    "So, all you¡¯re saying is that you don¡¯t want him toe, right? Hey, Jae-Bin! In-Ah says she doesn''t¨C!"

    "Hey, hey! Are you crazy? That''s not what I meant!"

    In-Ah quickly covered her friend''s mouth. She knew her friend was carefree, but she hadn¡¯t expected it to be this extreme. After removing her hand from her friend''s mouth, her friend spoke up.

    "You¡¯ll be there?"

    "Fine, I''ll go. Seriously, you¡¯re unbelievable..."

    In-Ahughed and stopped when she saw her friend''s soft smile.

    "I''ll let you know once we decide where and what time to meet!"

    "Okay, got it. But..."

    In-Ah nced briefly at Sun-Woo''s seat. It was empty. They said that he was sick and couldn¡¯t make it today. Was he feeling really unwell? He looked quite sick when shest saw him at the examination site.

    "Um, I¡¯ll let you know if I can''t make it."

    "What? Why are you making excuses again?"

    "It''s not an excuse... I''m just saying that <i>in case </i>I can''t make it."

    "This makes me nervous. You¡¯ve canceled on us more than once before...¡±

    ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t that bad! Your words really hurt."

    "Okay, okay. Anyway, I''ll talk to youter!"

    With that, In-Ah¡¯s friend left the ssroom. It seemed like they had to urgently be somewhere.

 Chapter 189

    <h4>Chapter 189</h4>

    In-Ah sat down and watched her friend''s back, then went back to reading the Holy Book. She was not really reading, but rather scanning the words. Unable to concentrate at all, In-Ah closed the Holy Book and stared nkly into space.

    "..."

    Although it wasn''t something to make a fuss about, for some reason, she felt very conflicted. She couldn''t figure out what the problem was. She had definitely done well on the exam. Even if she hadn¡¯te in first, second ce was still an astonishing result.

    Although they weren¡¯t confirmed, she also heard rumors that the Department of Priests had a high chance of ranking first in the practical evaluation. For some reason, she didn''t feel all that good. It felt like she had forgotten something¡ªshe felt a sense of emptiness and unease. What was it? Her memory seemed to blur even while thinking about it.

    <i>Tap tap.</i>

    "Excuse me."

    "Ah, wah. W-what is it?"

    Someone had tapped her on the shoulder and called her, causing In-Ah to jump up from her seat and take a step back in surprise. The one who called her was none other than Ha-Yeon. In-Ah felt flustered and a little embarrassed as they weren''t particrly close.

    "What, um, I mean, what¡¯s up?"

    "Sun-Woo didn¡¯te to school today?" Ha-Yeon got straight to the point.

    In-Ah focused not on the reason why Ha-Yeon was looking for Sun-Woo, but the way she addressed him. Ha-Yeon didn''t <i>just</i> call someone by their name if they weren''t close. For example, when she referred to Sun-Woo, she would always use the strange honorific Mr. Sun-Woo. In situations where it wasn''t necessary to call someone by their name, she would just say ¡°hey¡± or ¡°you.¡±

    But now, Ha-Yeon was simply calling Sun-Woo by his name, and she was even looking for him. Was Sun-Woo close to Ha-Yeon? They were both part of the Seven Holy Names, so they must have met frequently for official matters...

    "...Is he here or not? Answer me, please."

    "Ah... yeah, he isn¡¯t feeling that well."

    "Sun-Woo? He seemed fine back then¡ª"

    <i>Bang!</i>

    At that moment, a man burst through the back door. Ha-Yeon stopped mid-sentence in surprise and cowered. Then, she turned with a displeased expression and soon started to retreat in fear.

    The reason for Ha-Yeon¡¯s retreat was because the man who entered through the door was Dae-Man. He looked around as if searching for someone, then furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. In-Ah was staring at Dae-Man, seemingly lost.

    "Oh." Dae-Man noticed In-Ah and approached her with a short sigh.

    His menacing walk toward her gave off the same feeling as a wall closing in. Dae-Man ced his terrifying muscr arms on In-Ah''s desk.

    "By chance, did Sun-Woo note to school today?"

    "...Yeah, he said he isn¡¯t feeling that well¡ª"

    "This can''t be! What a big problem!"

    In-Ah and Ha-Yeon flinched in surprise at Dae-Man''s booming voice. Realizing his voice was too loud, he pretended to cover his mouth with his hand.

    "Sorry! My voice was too loud."

    In-Ah forced a friendly smile and said, "No, it''s okay... But why are you looking for Sun-Woo? Everyone seems to be looking for him today."

    "I was thinking we could exercise together! You know, since exams are over, I¡¯ve wanted to work out with him."

    Ha-Yeon kept a safe distance from Dae-Man and asked from afar, "Don¡¯t you usually do that with Yu-Hyun?"

    Dae-Man nodded.

    "Yu-Hyun is absent as well. So I was thinking of exercising with Sun-Woo... But now I don''t have anyone to exercise with."

    "Why don''t you give him a call then?"

    "I can''t. I broke my phone while exercisingst time. Ha-Yeon, can you make the call for me instead?"

    "...Should I? But he doesn''t answer my calls very often¨C"

    "Yeah? Then just tell me what you need to say. I''ll pass on the message." In-Ah interrupted Ha-Yeon and Dae-Man¡¯s conversation.

    She continued with a faint smile on her face, "He always answers my calls."

    Ha-Yeon looked puzzled, seemingly not understanding what In-Ah was saying entirely. Dae-Man had a nk expression as if he wasn''t thinking about anything at all.

    He smiled as if everything was fine and eximed, "Tell him toe to the school gym during lunchtime if hees to school!"

    "Okay, got it. And what about you?" In-Ah nodded, smiled, and averted her gaze toward Ha-Yeon.

    Ha-Yeon''s face turned hard and cold as she realized the meaning behind In-Ah''s earlier words. She stared at In-Ah for a few seconds before opening her mouth, one corner of her lips twitching.

    "I''ll just say it myself. It''s not like I don''t have a phone, like <i>someone</i>."

    "Really? It would be better to tell me if it''s urgent."

    "I don¡¯t think so?" Ha-Yeon replied with a cold sneer. "It''s an important matter, so I think it''d be better if I told him myself."

    "Oh, okay." In-Ah answered with an innocent face as if she didn''t understand why Ha-Yeon''s tone suddenly turned so sharp.

    Ha-Yeon stood there, looking In-Ah up and down for a few seconds, and then left the ssroom without even saying goodbye. Dae-Man looked up as he watched Ha-Yeon leave.

    "Hmm, Ha-Yeon seems to be in a bad mood today. Anyway, please pass on my regards to Sun-Woo! Thank you!" Dae-Man warmly said to In-Ah and left the ssroom, trudging off the same way he had entered.

    In-Ah smiled and bid farewell to Dae-Man.

    As the noise level of the ssroom, which had momentarily quieted down with Dae-Man and Ha-Yeon¡¯s arrival, picked up again, In-Ah buried her head in her desk and sighed.

    "Wow.¡±

    ¡®<i>That was very ugly of me just now</i>...¡¯

    With her face nted on the desk, regret consumed her.

    ***

    Ye-Jin and Joseph walked side by side. Joseph had his usual calm expression, while Ye-Jin''s face was noticeably gaunt. It was only natural as she had been running around for three days, getting no proper sleep, with Joseph to investigate.

    "...Is this how you always conduct investigations?" Ye-Jin asked.

    "Well, not always, of course," Joseph replied with a smile. "When I''m alone, it usually takes about a week. Having a partner definitely speeds up the process."

    Ye-Jin couldn''t hide her astonishment at his words. She was on the verge of death after just three days. He could do this for a week?

    She couldn''t help but wonder if Joseph was really a human or a meticulously crafted machine. Well, she had a hunch that he was extraordinary the moment she saw the books lined up in his study.

    "...By the way, where did you get all those books?" Ye-Jin asked, seizing the opportunity to satisfy her curiosity.

    Most of the books in his study were about Satanism. There were books with information about Satanism that couldn''t be found in the public, as well as books actually written by Satanists. Some of the books were scriptures and religious Satanist texts.

    The range of contents was extensive: methods to awaken the inner chakra, how to use it to practice ck magic, rituals to summon Satan, and information about the Coven of Thirteen, a group of witches who practiced these rituals...

    Ye-Jin had lived her whole life as a member of the Romanican Church, and she felt like going crazy just by reading those documents.

    "What, are you suddenly interested in Satanism? If you want, I can lend you one."

    "What? No, absolutely not. I''m just..."

    "It''s okay. You can be honest." Joseph continued with a smile, "Apart from the savage and sphemous teachings of Satanism, it¡¯s true that the power and allure they possess are incredibly strong.¡±

    "... " Ye-Jin couldn''t easily answer and fell silent.

    As she looked at the writings of sphemy, songs praising Satan, ck magic, astrology, and various sacrilegious rituals, she would suddenly have this recurring thought: maybe ck magic was stronger than divine power, blessings, and miracles of the Romanican Church.

    People whose faith was not strong enough might easily fall into the deception of Satanism, especially those who desired power and ambitions for authority and fame.

    "I once had thoughts like that too. I wondered if living as a Satanist would be better than living as a Romanican," Joseph said. "We have so many things we must abide by, from the Ten Commandments to endless doctrines. To keep all of those promises, we have to make endless efforts, and only then can we be saved. On the other hand, Satanism has no such rules, as you have probably seen as well.¡±

    "Yes, I saw that the firstmandment of the Satanist is ''do as you please''..."

    "At first nce, the doctrine seems too sweet to be true. If you think about it, it''s better to live as you please and rule in hell rather than work your ass off to go to heaven. It''s a lot easier and rational."

    Joseph took out a cigarette and mped down on it. "But there is a big contradiction in the doctrine. Even if you be a Satanist, do you really think you can rule in hell?"

    "...Wouldn¡¯t it be hard?"

    ¡°Not just hard, but impossible. In hell, there will only be people who harm others for their own benefit, just like the Satanists. They will perish from the harm they receive from others, just as they have done themselves. If you don''t realize this contradiction, you might end up falling into Satanism."

    Joseph didn''t light the cigarette but merely kept it in his mouth. He had forgotten to light it while speaking. He touched his scruffy beard and continued speaking.

    "Why did they be Satanists... We need to understand that in order to catch them. That''s why I rmended such sphemous books to you."

    "Aha... But can you smoke over there, please?¡±

    "..."

    Joseph put the cigarette he had been holding in his mouth back into its case.

    "Come to think of it, this could interfere with the investigation. You have a sensitive nose, after all."

    "Right..."

    "I''ll smoke another time. We''ve arrived anyway."

    Joseph pointed to the grand mansion at the end of the alley. It was the home of the person in charge of the administrative work of the Central Pdin Order, who was also his friend and a fellow schoolmate.

    It was the friend who abstained from alcohol for the strange reason of ¡®asceticism¡¯ but, ironically, smoked just fine. He was also the friend to whom Joseph had spread false information that the F.A. practical exam would take ce on the ind of Gangjin.

    "I hope this will be thest ce. Otherwise, we''ll have to wander around for another three days."

    "...Right."

    Ye-Jin nodded with determination, a hint of fear apparent on her face.

 Chapter 190

    <h4>Chapter 190</h4>

    Joseph climbed up thevishly decorated stairs and pressed the doorbell without hesitation.

    <i>Woof, woof! Growl...</i>

    The sound of barking dogs echoed out from beyond the closed entrance door. The barking sounded fierce and menacing, and there were many of them. It was obvious that there were at least several medium-sized dogs present. Ye-Jin waited for the door to be opened with anticipation. She really loved dogs.

    <i>Click. </i>

    It didn''t take long for the door to open.

    "Ah, Joseph, is it? Long time no see. What brings you here? You didn¡¯t even contact me beforehand."

    "It¡¯s not like this is the first or second time I¡¯ve visited you without contact, am I right? I came because I''m in the middle of an investigation and wanted to ask for your advice... Oh my."

    <i>Woof, woof! </i>

    Joseph stopped talking midway and faced the enthusiastic dogs that had stepped out toward the entrance to greet him. Each dog was so big that even Joseph found it difficult to respond to their enthusiastic wee. Ye-Jin gently stroked the head of one of the dogs that approached her.

    As the dogs'' excitement subsided, Joseph said, "Whenever I see them, they always seem so lively."

    "Haha... In my opinion, they could have been a little less energetic. It''s always so difficult for me when guestse over."

    Joseph took off his shoes and neatly ced them on the shoe rack before stepping into the house. Ye-Jin silently followed along.

    "I suppose that would be the case. But were there originally four of them? I remember there being five," Joseph asked.

    In response to Joseph''s question, Joseph''s friend responded with a bitter smile and said, "They passed away recently."

    "Oh... that''s unfortunate. They seemed healthy when Ist saw them."

    "I found outter on that they were sick. They didn''t show any signs of pain because they were thinking about their owner. That fellow was always foolishly kind.¡±

    As Ye-Jin listened to the story, she suddenly felt a lump in her chest. She could understand the heart of a dog who thought about its owner, and she could also understand the owner who said hurtful things about such a dog despite not meaning it.

    Joseph nodded slowly.

    "I asked something unnecessary. Are you okay?"

    "Is there anything that can be done even if I¡¯m not okay? I just have to continue living like this... So, you came to seek advice for an investigation?" The friend briefly nced at Ye-Jin.

    Joseph smiled. "This friend of mine just became a priest and is full of talent, so I''ve been taking them around with me."

    "Really? I¡ª"

    Joseph interrupted Ye-Jin. "At first, I brought them along thinking I could teach them, but now I find myself learning from them. They''ve been a great help in this investigation as well."

    His voice tone was slightly higher than usual. Ye-Jin was initially taken aback, but then politely bowed her head toward Joseph''s friend.

    "Hello, um, I''m Ye-Jin from the Southern Seoul Priest Order."

    "Ah, Ye-Jin... Your name sounds familiar. Anyway, nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ji Hye-Sung from the Central Pdin Order."

    "Yes, it''s an honor to meet you." Ye-Jin confidently greeted him.

    She used the formal tone she had used when she first joined the Priest Order. Ji Hye-Sung smiled kindly and looked at Ye-Jin before suddenly standing up from his seat as if he had suddenly remembered something.

    "Oh, I forgot to bring the tea. Joseph, you¡¯ll probably want coffee... As for you, Priest Ye-Jin, what would you like?"

    "Oh, I''ll just have water, thank you."

    "I''ll have water too. I don''t really feel like having coffee today," Joseph said.

    "I never thought I¡¯d see a day when Joseph doesn¡¯t feel like drinking coffee. Anyway, I understand. Sit here and waitfortably," Ji Hye-Sung said before going to get the tea.

    The fragrant scent of green tea wafted out of the kitchen. When Joseph sat down, Ye-Jin also sat down next to him as if she had been waiting to do so.

    "What are you doing?" she asked in an angry tone.

    Her tone was sharp, but her voice was a whisper. Joseph didn''t pay much attention to her words.

    "If you think about the future, it¡¯s easier this way. I''ll create the opportunity, and then you can help me search this friend''s house."

    "No, it''s not about it being easier. Why did you call me a priest? You should have at least called me a bishop.¡±

    "Why? What''s the problem?"

    "I mean, how old do you think I am? If you call me a priest, who would believe it...?"

    "There are quite a few people who be priests at that age. You were just unusually fast. Anyway, you have a baby face, so there¡¯s no problem."

    "..."

    Ye-Jin had a lot to say but decided to keep her mouth shut. It was because Ji Hye-Sung wasing out of the kitchen.

    Ji Hye-Sung ced two cups in front of Joseph and Ye-Jin, and a teacup filled with green tea in front of himself. While Ji-Hye Sung was sipping the teacup, Joseph observed him closely.

    "Did you always like green tea?"

    "Ah, I''ve been obsessed with collecting tea leaves recently."

    "I remember you used to collect alcohol before," Joseph muttered quietly.

    Ji Hye-Sung closed his eyes as if admiring the scent of the green tea before smiling faintly.

    "Well, I used to be obsessed with alcohol, but... after quitting drinking, I sold all the collected alcohol and switched to tea leaves."

    "You''ve always enjoyed collecting things. I never really had a taste for such refined hobbies."

    "Ah, now that I think about it, you''ve always liked hunting, shooting, and things like that. I thought it was a barbaric hobby, but it''s just a matter of having different tastes..."

    "I like it because it''s barbaric. It feels like I¡¯m awakening my inner instincts,¡± Joseph said before sipping water from his cup.

    Then he looked at Ye-Jin, who was sitting next to him, and continued, ¡°Now that I think about it, from what I can remember, this friend also likes to collect things. I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to get along with her.¡±

    ¡°Oh, is that so? Is it alright if I ask what you are collecting?¡±

    "I vaguely remember... that you like to collect sacred paintings, right? Am I correct?" Joseph said to Ye-Jin while signaling with his eyes.

    Ye-Jin nodded.

    "Yes... collecting sacred paintings is my hobby," she replied with an uneasy expression.

    She struggled to maintain her facial expression because she was forcing herself to lie. However, on the contrary, it looked like she was a rookie behaving indecisively in front of their boss. Joseph believed that it was actually going well.

    Ji Hye-Sung listened to Ye-Jin and burst intoughter.

    "Oh, whenever I have the opportunity, I collect sacred paintings too. It''s more like an investment rather than a hobby though. So, what got you interested in collecting sacred paintings?"

    "..."

    Ye-Jin was unable to easily answer and looked at Joseph for help. However, Joseph paid no attention to Ye-Jin and instead watched Ji-Hye Sung who was happily chatting with joy.

    Ye-Jin felt a sense of betrayal, but she soon smiled and said, "It''s a little hard to exin in words... I feel that the grandeur and the way light is expressed are so captivating."

    "It seems like you know something! The grandeur felt when facing sacred paintings is hard to put into words. The way the old painters express light in an attempt to capture Adonai''s reverence and nobility is awe-inspiring."

    "Haha..."

    Ye-Jin didn''t know how to respond, so she justughed.

    At that moment, Joseph interrupted and said, "Hey, don''t you have a room in the basement where sacred artworks are disyed? I think I saw it once before."

    Upon hearing those words, Ji Hye-Sung hesitated for a moment, but then nced at Ye-Jin''s face and smiled as if relieved.

    "Right, I do."

    "If you''re okay with it, how about showing it to us? I think she would really enjoy it."

    "Ah... of course, I''m fine with that. But weren''t you here to ask for advice on the investigation? Shouldn''t this friend also hear about that?"

    "I can advise herter, but if she doesn¡¯t see the sacred artworks in the basement now, we might not get another chance."

    "That''s true, but..."

    "Do you remember? Even someone like me who didn''t know anything about sacred art was deeply moved when I visited your exhibition room. So if someone like priest Ye-Jin, who is familiar with this field, visits your exhibition room, just imagine how deeply moved they would be!"

    "Ah, jeez. I understand, I understand. I''ll give you the key, so feel free to look around and then return."

    Ji Hye-Sung got up from his seat as if he were reluctant, then took out a key from somewhere and handed it to Ye-Jin. She received the key in a stupor. As soon as she received it, she looked at Joseph, who was discreetly watching her, and their eyes met.

    There was a lot of meaning in that gaze. Ye-Jin couldn''t decipher everything that Joseph''s gaze indicated, but at the very least, she grasped what she needed to do right now.

    "If you go down the stairs over there, there''s an iron gate with a padlock hanging on it. Just unlock the padlock with that key and go in. It might be a bit dark, but it¡¯s because the painting could get damaged if it''s exposed to light... So I would appreciate it if you were to bear with it," Ji Hye-Sung rambled on.

    Joseph nodded.

    "Yeah, I''ll be here talking with Ji Hye-Sung, so take your time ande back whenever. We have plenty of time."

    "Ah... understood."

    "If possible, observe as <i>much</i> as possible. It¡¯s a rare opportunity," Joseph said while staring directly into Ye-Jin''s eyes.

    Ye-Jin nodded and walked toward the stairs. She realized what Joseph meant by his words when he said that he would create the opportunity. The flow of the entire conversation, starting from asking about whether Ji Hye-Sung liked tea to discussing hobbies, was part of Joseph''s n.

    <i>nk. </i>

    Ye-Jin descended the stairs, unlocked the padlock, and pulled open the door. Just as Ji Hye-Sung had warned, the room was incredibly dark. There was barely enough light to see the paintings.

    However, Ye-Jin''s purpose was not to admire the paintings. This amount of light was sufficient for simply searching through the room and collecting evidence. No, it was because it was dark that it was sufficient.

    Ye-Jin recalled Joseph''s words as she walked through the endless darkness.

    <i>- In Satanism, there is something called the Coven. The Coven gathers together in secret to perform rituals to summon their leader. </i>

    <i>- In that gathering, there will definitely be some sort of evidence or proof to prove that they are Satanists. And such evidence would inevitably be tainted with remnants of ck magic.</i>

    Sacred artworks could be seen within the darkness. Ye-Jin felt as if the eyes of the figures depicted in the artworks were watching her. The light depicted in the sacred artworks was tainted by the veil of darkness, transforming it into a dreary and ominous light.

    <i>- You just have to find that evidence.</i>

    Ye-Jin reminded herself of Joseph''s words and regained herposure. She constantly pondered what she needed to do. She mulled over the words written in the document that Joseph had given her. If she were a Satanist, she wondered where she would have hidden the evidence.

    Ye-Jin took a deep breath and sniffed the air. Perhaps the exhibition hall had been neglected of maintenance, as the air was filled with the musty smell of dust. Besides the smell of dust, she caught a faint scent of paint from the paintings, followed by a whiff of some kind of chemical. The smells were difficult to distinguish as they were all mixed together.

    "..."

    However, if she concentrated, she could definitely smell something distinct. She could differentiate that smell from the scent of everything else.

    It was the scent of ck magic.

    She wouldn''t have been able to smell it under normal circumstances. It was because she didn''t even know what scent ck magic had, or if it had a scent at all. However, she remembered the enchanting and thick scent of ck magic from the dream that she had while under the influence of ck magic during the previous practical examination.

    "Ugh...!"

    As she followed the smell, she encountered a strong stench in front of one of the paintings. The smell of ck magic was so strong that itpletely overpowered the smells of all the dust, paint, chemicals, and other misceneous odors. The smell was noting from the painting, but from beneath it.

    It was easy to figure out that there was some sort of space behind the painting. If she moved the painting, the source of the foul odor would be revealed. It was probably ¡®proof¡¯ of Satanism.

    Ye-Jin grabbed the frame and was just about to move the painting...

    <i>Creak... </i>

    "What are you doing right now?"

 Chapter 191

    <h4>Chapter 191</h4>

    "What are you doing right now?"

    She heard a voice. The voice was so low and threatening that it didn''t sound like a human voice at first. Ye-Jin let go of the frame. She was too shocked to even scream. Her legs gave out, and she copsed on the spot. In the darkness, Ye-Jin saw a figure approaching her.

    "Um, well..."

    The figure suddenly appeared right in front of Ye-Jin and said, "I asked what you were doing."

    It was Ji Hye-Sung. There was no gentle smile when he spoke. Due to the darkness, his expression was unclear, but Ji Hye-Sung''s face was definitely twisted in a grotesque and eerie manner.

    "Are you not going to answer?" Ji Hye-Sung said while reaching out to Ye-Jin with his hand.

    His hand was a demonic beast''s hand. Ye-Jin felt powerless in front of the approaching demonic beast. The hand, painted dark by the darkness, slowly approached Ye-Jin''s cheek.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    At that moment, the figure, which had been one, split into two, and the outstretched hand stopped.

    Joseph approached unnoticed and grabbed Ji Hye-Sung''s wrist before saying smoothly, "Oh my, my friend seems to have made a big mistake."

    "..."

    Ji Hye-Sung stared nkly at Joseph''s face without saying a word.

    Joseph continued, "That painting also left a deep impression on me. Isn''t that a scene of Adonai descending from the burning bush? The depiction of the mes is so vivid that it makes you believe that it''s real fire."

    "Joseph, you..."

    "Yes, I also got scolded by youst time when I tried to touch that artwork. When I see that painting, I have an impulse to touch it."

    "That never happened. You''ve never shown interest in things like sacred artworks."

    "Even though I know that I won¡¯t get burned, I can¡¯t help but ce my hand on the mes and hope that I get burned. It¡¯s almost like I¡¯m a moth. Isn''t that right, Priest Ye-Jin?" Joseph said before shifting his gaze to her.

    Even within the darkness, Joseph''s gaze was shining. It was a shine that radiated out from within his inner madness. Ye-Jin stood up and nodded.

    "Yes, I ended up touching it without even realizing it...¡±

    "I understand, but still, isn''t it someone else''s painting? You shouldn''t have touched it."

    "I''m sorry."

    "..."

    Ji Hye-Sung alternated his gaze between the two people conversing. Joseph lightly tapped Ji Hye-Sung''s shoulder and said, "We shall go now. Isn¡¯t there a saying that ¡®Those who know too much make themselves miserable?'' Anyway, I''ll take your advice to heart. It was very helpful. Now, Priest Ye-Jin, let''s go quickly."

    After saying his piece, Joseph quickly left Ji Hye-Sung''s house after a brief farewell. Joseph remained silent for a while after leaving the house. Ye-Jin was the same. The two of them walked away from Ji Hye-Sung''s house as if running away.

    "Did you smell something?"

    "..."

    In response to Joseph''s question, Ye-Jin slightly nodded. Joseph also nodded in agreement.

    "That¡¯s a shame. It would have been better if you had seen decisive evidence.¡±

    "But it is clear that he is suspicious. There are too many suspicious aspects, like the smell and his manner of speech."

    "So I''m thinking of conducting a follow-up investigation on that friend," Joseph said without changing his expression. "It would be better for you to stay out of the follow-up investigation."

    "...What?" Ye-Jin asked, wondering if she had misheard him.

    She had helped him with the investigation for three long days without even getting any proper sleep, and now that they were narrowing down the suspects, it felt like she was being discarded.

    Joseph lowered his gaze to the ground. "The follow-up investigation is going to be extremely dangerous. This is not some simple operation where all we have to do is neutralize a demon or demonic beast suddenly appearing in the middle of the city. It¡¯s an operation where we have to enter a location where demons and demonic beasts originate. The lion¡¯s den, so to speak.¡±

    "But I don''t want to be left out. No matter how dangerous it is, I¡ª"

    "If we manage to catch the Satanist through this case, I will make sure you are recognized for your achievements. You don¡¯t have to worry about that part. Do you still want to participate in the operation?¡±

    Upon hearing that, Ye-Jin hesitated for a moment. Obtaining a reward for dealing with a Satanist was good, but obtaining a reward for dealing with a Satanist without actually entering a dangerous situation was even better.

    "...I knew from the beginning that this would be a dangerous job. Even if you try to scare me now, I won''t back out."

    "Thene to my house this Sunday. I''m talking about the ruined cathedral we went tost time."

    "Okay."

    "Join me, and we¡¯ll move together. For now, rest and take it easy."

    The two dispersed from that spot. Ye-Jin''s face was filled with tension and fear, while Joseph''s face showed a strange sadness and dread.

    ***

    <i>Click. </i>

    I ced a watch on Yu-Hyun''s wrist and finished untying the knot binding his feet and neck.

    Yu-Hyun stretched and enjoyed the freedom that he had regained after a long time. Then, while looking at the watch on his wrist, he said, "What is this? Is it a tracking device?"

    "It''s a tracking device and a bug."

    I casually stated the truth. I believed it would be more effective in restricting his actions if I informed Yu-Hyun instead of hiding the truth from him. Yu-Hyun chuckled as if he had expected this.

    "I understand why you need the tracking device, but a bug as well? What are you nning to do by eavesdropping?"

    "I need to observe if you''re saying unnecessary things."

    "The watch is an expensive one, so I like it, but... if I take it off or break it, wouldn''t it be meaningless?"

    "Go ahead and try."

    "What?" Yu-Hyun asked, bewildered.

    While I confined Yu-Hyun in the underground chapel, I conducted various experiments on him. It was an experiment to see how well spells would work on him. The spells that worked on him were the curse of fainting and the curse of nightmares. However, spells like memory annihtion and intoxication did not work at all. When I cast these spells, an unknown force that I couldn¡¯t understand would attack me.

    I pointed to the watch on Yu-Hyun''s wrist and said, "If you''re curious, go ahead. Undo the watch, break it, whatever."

    I engraved the curse of fainting, curse of nightmares, and memory annihtion spells onto his watch. If the watch were undone, destroyed, or if the button on the receiver I received from Joseph was pressed, the spells would activate.

    First, the curse of fainting and the curse of nightmares would put Yu-Hyun to sleep and make him fall into a state of nightmares. Second, the memory annihtion spell would erase the memories of the people around Yu-Hyun.

    If he said anything strange, or if he went to suspicious ces, I would immediately press the button to put Yu-Hyun to sleep. By using the tracking device, I would be able to find and kill him. That way, I couldpletely control Yu-Hyun.

    "...There¡¯s no need for me to go out of my way and try it out. It¡¯s fine. It''s meaningless anyway. So, are you letting me go now? I guess I''ll finally get to see the sunlight for a change."

    "Yeah," I replied and drew a spell array.

    Yu-Hyun saw the spell array and eximed in surprise, "You said you were sending me away! Hey, you bastard, that''s not what you said earlier!"

    "If I send you away while you''re conscious, our underground chapel''s location could be exposed."

    "Hey, wait a minute. Can''t you trust me? I haven''t told anyone. How many times do I have to say it¡ª"

    While he was talking, Ipleted the spell array. The mist flowing from the spell array enveloped Yu-Hyun. He btedly tried to cover his nose and mouth to block the mist, but it was futile. Voodoo mist could not be easily blocked.

    "When you open your eyes and wake up, you''ll be outside."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    He quickly lost consciousness. Other spells wouldn¡¯t work, but the curse of fainting spell worked incredibly well. I shoved him into Baal''s Maw. I had been inside the underground chapel the entire time, so I didn''t know if it was day or night, but when I came out, it was night.

    I left him in front of Florence Academy Dormitory A, which was where the female students stayed. If someone else found him before Yu-Hyun regained consciousness, he would be in a very difficult situation.

    Of course, that wasn¡¯t my problem.

    ***

    Ye-Jin skipped Sunday mass and went to Joseph''s house, as they had agreed. However, even after the agreed-upon time had passed, Joseph didn''t show up. He didn''t answer the phone either.

    <i>''Could it be that he told me toe to his house when, in fact, he had gone alone for the follow-up investigation?''</i>

    Just as she was starting to feel like she had been betrayed, Joseph arrived at the meeting ce. He was holding a bouquet of flowers in his left hand.

    "Sorry for beingte. I went to the award ceremony in the morning, and the event took longer than I thought."

    "Ah... now that you mention it, today was the award ceremony."

    Ye-Jin could easily understand the situation. Joseph predicted the locations where demons and demonic beasts would appear and ced the clergymen he had selected there.

    Thanks to that, they were able to subdue the demons and demonic beasts without much damage, and he received a certificate of appreciation for his work. However, for some reason, he didn''t have the certificate in his hand, and he only had a bouquet of flowers.

    "But where is the certificate? Why do you only have a bouquet of flowers?"

    "I asked them to send the certificate and other misceneous things to the office. It seemed like they would be a hindrance to the investigation."

    "But it seems like the bouquet would be more of a hindrance."

    After listening to Ye-Jin''s words, Joseph looked at the bouquet in his hand.

    "You''re right. It does seem that way. Should I just throw it away?"

    "...No, now that I think about it, it''s a shame to throw away something you received."

    "I suppose you''re right. Well, now is not the time for idle chatter. Let''s hurry." Joseph quickened his pace toward their destination.

    Ye-Jin followed him without a word. Their destination was the cathedral. It was a ce where Ji Hye-Sung served as an honorary priest and held mass every Sunday. They waited until the mass was over and after people started to leave the cathedral. Then, they secretly entered inside. They hid behind the abandoned confessional in a corner of the cathedral.

    Their n was to stalk Ji Hye-Sung.

    "But do we really have to stalk him on a Sunday?" Ye-Jin whispered.

    While observing Ji Hye-Sung tidying up the cathedral near the stage, Joseph said, "If there''s a gathering of Satanists, it would be on a Sunday. That''s when the clergymen are most vulnerable."

    "..."

    In the end, that meant that Joseph also wasn''t entirely sure. Ye-Jin anxiously watched Ji Hye-Sung''s movements with a slightly uneasy heart. She worried about what would happen if they just kept watching without producing any significant results for another day. Above all, it felt like peeping at someone while hiding behind a confessional booth was sinful.

    Ji Hye-Sung continued to wander aimlessly on the stage for several minutes. He would asionally open up the Holy Book and read, and he also seemed to be preparing to pray. Then, suddenly, he looked at a sacred statue ced behind the cathedral. He nced around to check if anyone was watching him, then opened a door in the corner of the cathedral and went inside.

    "Where is he going?"

    "I don''t know either. Let''s just wait and see."

    After whispering to each other, they patiently waited for Ji Hye-Sung to reappear.

    However, Ji Hye-Sung did not show up even after several minutes. It was strange. ording to Joseph''s investigation, after attending the usual mass, Ji Hye-Sung would either directly return home or go somewhere else if he had prior arrangements.

    It was also strange if there was a lounge that was behind the door and that he was just taking a nap inside there. Ji Hye-Sung suffered from insomnia, and he couldn''t even sleep properly at night.

    "Let''s go in."

    "What? Go in where?"

    "Go in through that door."

    Joseph pointed with his finger at the door that Ji Hye-Sung had entered. Ye-Jin hesitated and couldn¡¯t easily respond to his words. Because she didn''t know what was beyond the door, she thought it would be dangerous to hastily enter.

    "Let''s go..." she said.

    However, it was precisely because it was a situation where they didn''t know what was beyond the door that they had to enter. The two of them headed toward the door with silent footsteps.

    Joseph skillfully opened the door without making a sound. Beyond the door, there was a staircase leading underground. The pair went down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, there was another door that was firmly locked and wouldn''t open.

    "It''s locked. What should we do?"

    "If there is a will, there is a way."

    Joseph took out a wire from his pocket, skillfully bent it, and inserted it into the keyhole. The locked door opened so easily that she was dumbfounded.

    "..."

    If someone saw him, they would think that he was not an inquisitor but a sinister thief. Once the locked door was opened, a cave appeared. It was so dark that they couldn''t properly see even a step ahead. They could barely see a faint glimmer of light in the distance. The light was so far away that it looked like a dot at first nce.

    The duo silently followed the light. The light got closer. And before they knew it, when the light was right in front of them, they both simultaneously stopped walking as if frozen.

    "AUM SHRIM MAHA LAKSHMIYEI SWAHA AH-UU-MM©¤©¤"

    At the end of the cave, there was a massive open cavern. It was like a za that was made by digging up the ground. In the center of the za, a massive me flickered.

    Around the me, a ck line was drawn in a circr shape. Thirteen women, dressed in unfamiliar attire, and Ji Hye-Sung were spinning and dancing along the line, chanting iprehensible and eerie spells.

    "Urgh...!"

    Ye-Jin covered her mouth and nose and suppressed her urge to vomit. The intensely dreadful smell of ck magic was emanating from that ce.

    The thirteen women, led by Ji Hye-Sung, were dancing in sync with the mes. The ovepping chants created a bizarre noise.

    It was a Satanic gathering.

 Chapter 192

    <h4>Chapter 192</h4>

    Ye-Jin felt like she was about to vomit at any moment, but she forced herself to look up. She needed to remember what they were doing, what incantations they were muttering, and she needed to know what smell wasing from them.

    As Ye-Jin looked up, she realized a horrifying fact.

    "Ugh, urgh...!"

    Upon seeing that sight, she couldn''t hold back her urge to vomit any longer. She saw two bodies roasting above a massive me. One was a dog, and the other was a person. Themonality between them was that both of their insides had beenpletely emptied.

    Their organs, which had been taken out from their abdomens, were scattered in a circr pattern around the mes. The ck lines that Ji Hye-Sung and the thirteen women had been stepping on while dancing were the organs of the dog and the person, which were roasting in the mes.

    "Ah..."

    Unlike Ye-Jin, who turned pale and vomited continuously, Joseph was surprisingly calm.

    However, cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His eyes, which were following the flickering mes, were filled with both fear and wrath. A faint smile was on his lips. His eyes, mouth, and facial muscles were all acting as separate entities. His expression was eerie, as if he wasn¡¯t a human.

    "Today... today, we might need a weapon. Where can we find a suitable blunt object..." Joseph nervously muttered and then raised the bouquet of flowers he was holding in his left hand.

    He silently stared at the bouquet with an expressionless face, then suddenly smiled brightly like a child.

    "Here it is! Unbelievable, isn¡¯t this such a fantastic weapon?" Joseph eximed while raising the bouquet as if offering it to the sky.

    He tapped Ye-Jin, who was hunched over due to vomiting, in the back as if he was extremely excited. "Miss Ye-Jin, I request your assistance with blessings!"

    ***

    After the end of the practical exam, I didn¡¯t go to school even once. I had enough evidence to prove that I was absent due to an illness, and above all, I had no opportunity to go to school because I had to deal with Yu-Hyun. Since the exams were over and there would hardly be any sses, going to school would be meaningless anyway.

    The weekend arrived in a sh. At first, I didn''t even know that it was the weekend. I found out tomorrow was Saturday because of a phone call from Ha-Yeon.

    ¡ªDo you have time tomorrow?

    It seemed like she wanted to arrange a meeting with me, so I sharply replied, "Why do you ask?"

    There was a moment of silence. I felt dumbfounded and let out a hollowugh.

    Ha-Yeon let out a sigh as if trying to calm herself.

    ¡ª...Didn''t you say you wanted to see my fatherst time?

    "Ah... that¡¯s right."

    ¡ªI asked because it seems like my father has time tomorrow.

    "Don¡¯t you have to go to school tomorrow?

    ¡ªWhat are you talking about? Tomorrow is Saturday.

    I paused for a moment after hearing Ha-Yeon''s words. It was true that I was living each day without a chance to gather my thoughts, but I never imagined my sense of time would be so distorted. It wasn¡¯t just my taste and touch¡ªit felt like all my other senses were also growing dimmer day by day, and that thought suddenly filled me with fear. If this continued, I would eventually reach a point of no return.

    ¡ªHello? Did you disconnect?

    "No."

    ¡ªNo, then why did you... Anyway, are you free tomorrow?

    "Yes."

    ¡ªCome to think of it, how''s your health? I heard you were sick.

    "Just so-so."

    ¡ªI see... Well then, where should we meet tomorrow?

    "I''ll go there."

    ¡ª-Okay... Wait, you''reing here?

    "Why? Aren''t you at the dormitory on the weekends anyway?"

    ¡ªWell, that''s true...

    "Since I have to stop by the dormitory anyway, let''s meet at school. I''m hanging up."

    <i>Beep.</i>

    Thus, I was currently at the dormitory. I went out of my way to go to the dormitory because all my half-decent clothes were there. It was also an opportunity to water the flower I was taking care of.

    I carefully chose the clothes I was going to wear. It wasn''t because I was meeting up with Ha-Yeon. To be honest, I wasn¡¯t even thinking about Ha-Yeon at all.

    The problem was Sung Yu-Da.

    <i>- "It seemed like Sung Yu-Da was watching over you from behind. During the re-election test, and in other ways as well..." </i>

    <i>- "I don''t know the reason either. Maybe he knows your true identity, or... well, he might just be having some absurd misunderstanding." </i>

    That was what Yu-Hyun had said. He said that there was a high possibility that Sung Yu-Da knew my true identity.

    I was able to obtain some rough information that the n of Purification was much stronger than I initially thought, and I obtained intel about the rtionship between the n of Purification and the Holy See.

    Long ago, there was an incident where the Pope was attacked by a Satanist named Gluttony. Thanks to the efforts of the guards, he managed to avoid immediate death, but Gluttony slipped away, and it seemed like the Pope wouldn¡¯t be able to survive very long because he had been afflicted with ck magic.

    At that time, one of the guards, who happened to be a priest, inflicted wounds upon themselves and used their own blood to create a blessing array to purify the ck magic that had affected the Pope. The priest who saved the Pope in a desperate situation at the time was the ancestor of the members of the purification n, and the blessing they wrote was the same as the blessing of purification that the members of the purification n used today. Ever since that day, the members of the purification n formed a rtionship of mutual assistance with the Holy See through a kind of contract.

    It wasn''t an important story. I cleared away my stray thoughts and selected what I was going to wear. It would be better to avoid shy clothes, but if I dressed too formally, there was a possibility that I might not look like a student. I just chose in and neat clothes. A shirt was probably appropriate.

    As I was about to leave the dormitory, Legba said, [Do you n to continue wearing the ring when you meet him?]

    "Legba... Long time no see. I thought you disappeared."

    [Of course not. It seemed like your mind was in turmoil, so I just stayed silent for a bit.]

    Legba¡¯s voice, which I had heard so much that I started to feel was getting annoying, was pleasant to hear after such a long time.

    On the day I met Yu-Hyun, Legba left me with the words, "It depends on your choice," and disappeared.

    Ever since then, he never said anything to me. He had said that he held back his words because my mind was in turmoil, but in reality, it felt like my mind was in even more turmoil because it felt like Legba had vanished.

    Looking back now, it was precisely because Legba was not there that I was able to think for myself and independently make decisions. Perhaps this was also Legba''s intention. It was hard to say.

    I stood in front of the mirror as I adjusted my appearance and said, "Was releasing Yu-Hyun the right choice?"

    [I wonder. What do you think?]

    "I think it was the wrong choice, but I don¡¯t think I had any other choice."

    If I had killed Yu-Hyun right then and there, I would have be a wanted criminal. The Holy Army would chase me to death, and I would inevitably end up resisting such a pursuit. And the resistance would not be passive. I would not hesitate to use any means or methods for the sake of myself, my family, and my believers.

    If that conflict developed, it would end up bing another Holy War, and countless innocent people would have been sacrificed. And because I didn''t want such a thing to happen, I had no choice but to let Yu-Hyun go without killing him.

    Naturally, I felt anxious and fearful. The idea that someone who knew my true identity was openly wandering around outside made me feel nauseous. Nevertheless, war was not something that I could allow to happen so easily.

    A while ago, when I talked to my uncle about my mother, I casually stated that I was willing to start a Holy War, but... when I actually arrived in a situation where I would start a Holy War if I were to kill Yu-Hyun, it had been difficult to make a decision.

    [It wasn''t the wrong choice. It wasn''t the right choice either,] Legba said as I started wearing my shoes.

    "Then what choice was it?"

    [There is no such thing as a right or wrong choice. It''s all about what you give up and what you gain. That¡¯s the essence of what a choice is.]

    "..."

    [I hope you have no regrets about your choice. So, what will you do with the ring?] Legba asked.

    I looked at the ring on my finger.

    Last time, I was able to glimpse into my father''s memories through the spell engraved on this ring. Inside the memories, my father was friends with Sung Yu-Da. He knew about this ring. If I wore the ring, there was a possibility that Sung Yu-Da would recognize the ring and figure out my true identity.

    However, if Sung Yu-Da had already figured out my true identity... then the ring could act as a warning or a threat to him.

    In the end, it was another choice. While I was contemting, I heard Legba cough.

    [The choice is yours, but I rmend not wearing it. It will be safer that way.]

    Immediately after, Baron Samedi said, [I rmend just wearing it as it is! It would be much more fun.]

    Their opinions shed, and the dilemma only deepened. The two continued to exchange words.

    [Is now really the time to seek amusement? This is a serious matter that requires careful consideration, Baron Samedi. This is not something to joke about.]

    [Wearing the ring will be more fun, but it will also be safer. I¡¯m not saying this as a joke. I¡¯m being serious here.]

    [What a load of rubbish. The ring is just a dangerous variable that could potentially jeopardize his identity. It''s best to eliminate such risky variables.]

    [How audacious, Legba. Don''t you also know about their rtionship?]

    [...]

    Upon hearing Baron Samedi''s words, Legba went silent. It was impossible to tell what Baron Samedi was referring to when he mentioned their rtionship.

    "What do you mean by <i>their rtionship</i>?"

    [...I can''t tell you. At least not now.]

    [I could tell you, but it''s best for you to not know for now.]

    "No... If that''s the case, you shouldn¡¯t have brought it up in the first ce.¡±

    [That''s difficult. I¡¯m a busybody, you see.]

    [I never brought it up. Baron Samedi was the one who bbered about it.]

    It seemed like neither of them had any intention of telling me. I continued to ponder whether I should keep the ring on or take it off for safety.

    <i>¡®Should I remove the ring and ensure my safety, or should I take a gamble?¡¯</i>

    However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn''te to a conclusion. That was when I received a call from Ji-Ah. I stopped thinking about this because it seemed like I wouldn¡¯t reach a conclusion and answered her call instead.

    ¡ªCult Leader.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    ¡ªI couldn''t find you in the underground chapel, did you go to the dormitory?

    "Yes, I had an appointment today. Is that why you called?"

    ¡ªNot just because of that, I found out a few more things about Joseph the inquisitor.

    "Ah...."

    Come to think of it, I had asked Ji-Ah to investigate Joseph. He used to follow me around like a madman, but I had forgotten about himtely since he had gotten quiet. Thest time I contacted him was to obtain the tracking device and bug so that I could use them on Yu-Hyun.

    "What did you find out?"

    ¡ªIt''s nothing major. The way that Joseph became an inquisitor seemed unnatural, so I looked into that part...

    I heard a rustling sound on the other end of the phone. It sounded as if Ji-Ah was flipping through pages. Finally, with the dull sound of a book closing, Ji-Ah continued.

    ¡ªDid I tell you about how Joseph''s wife was killed by a demonst time?

    "Yes. I think it was around about twelve years ago."

    ¡ªThe reason why Joseph''s wife died was because of his younger brother. After some investigation, I found out that his brother was a Satanist.

    "...Really?"

    Ji-Ah wouldn''t lie to me, but it was still hard to believe. It was surprising that an inquisitor and a Satanist coulde from the same family.

    "So, did Joseph be an inquisitor to catch his brother?"

    ¡ªNo, Joseph''s brother died twelve years ago.

    Ji-Ah spoke without even giving me a chance to be surprised.

    ¡ªJoseph killed his brother with his own hands. In the documents, it stated, ¡°He had a brick in his hand and was in an extremely aggravated state, making any conversation impossible...¡± Right after that, Joseph became an inquisitor.

    Suddenly, I remembered what Joseph had told me about blunt weapons at the sacred training ground.

    <i>- "Cain probably didn''t want to kill his own brother. Perhaps he just hit him with a stone and identally ended up killing him." </i>

 Chapter 193

    <h4>Chapter 193</h4>

    It was a horrifying sight. Just like Joseph had previously said, this waspletely different from some simple operation where they just had to neutralize a demon or demonic beast that appeared in the middle of the city.

    Ye-Jin''s mental image of a Satanist had only been the tip of the iceberg. What she was seeing in front of her right now was the true form of the Satanists that had been hidden beneath the surface. The corpses that were getting cooked in the fire, the scattered entrails, and Ji Hye-Sung and the women who were dancing and singing as if they were enjoying themselves...

    Everything transcended her wildest imagination.

    At that moment, Joseph tapped Ye-Jin¡¯s back as she was vomiting from the shock. "Miss Ye-Jin, I request your assistance with blessings!"

    Ye-Jin couldn''t properly hear him. It was because she didn''t even have the mental capacity to listen to Joseph''s words at the moment.

    "Huh, huh...? What did you just say?"

    By the time she barely managed to catch her breath and look up, Joseph had already disappeared from that spot. He had slipped away and joined the crowd that was dancing and enjoying the Satanic gathering. His movements were as beautiful as the mes flickering in the center of the cavern. No, they were even more beautiful than the mes.

    "A bouquet...?"

    Joseph''s steps were light. His movements were so remarkably efficient and graceful that it seemed like a dance.

    He swung the bouquet in his hand. When the bouquet touched one of the women''s heads, flower petals that seemed to be colored a fusion of crimson and yellow fluttered out beautifully, like a scene from a movie. Even the blood that poured out of the woman¡¯s head looked as beautiful as flower petals fluttering in spring.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Joseph''s bouquet struck the woman''s head once again. It made such a dull and loud sound that it was hard to believe that it hade from the bouquet. Ye-Jin learned for the first time that even flowers could be used as weapons.

    Joseph looked down at the woman who had fallen. Her frail body trembled, but she was not dead yet.

    Joseph taunted, "Ahh, do you know when the Satanists are most beautiful?"

    He raised the bouquet above his head and said, "It¡¯s when they¡¯re like this. When they¡¯re disfigured beyond recognition.¡±

    <i>Smack, thud, smack... </i>

    The bouquet was ruthlessly smashed down onto the woman¡¯s face. With each strike, her face crumpled and lost its form. The woman¡¯s face, which had been structurally beautiful due to her deep eyes and a high nose, was now a dull ne. Meanwhile, the once vibrant and colorful bouquet took on a monotonous shade after being stained red with blood.

    "Now you look somewhat presentable," Joseph dryly remarked while looking down at the woman''s face, which was disfigured beyond recognition.

    He viciously wiped away the blood that had sttered on his face and moved toward the next woman. While moving, Joseph turned his head toward Ye-Jin.

    Due to the darkness cast by the backlight of the flickering mes, she couldn''t see his expression. And that was what made it even more eerie. It seemed like Joseph''s face was devoid of all expression after being swallowed entirely by darkness.

    "Miss Ye-Jin! It seems like you didn''t hear me. I requested your assistance with blessings earlier!"

    "Yes, um...! But, behind, behind! Look behind you!"

    "What? I can''t hear you clearly©¤"

    <i>Crash. </i>

    While Joseph was delivering instructions to Ye-Jin, a woman approached him from behind, and a sinister sound echoed through the air immediately after.

    However, it was not Joseph who copsed, but the woman. Shey sprawled on the ground with her neck twisted in a grotesque fashion. It appeared as though she had been instantly killed with a single blow. Joseph prodded her face with his foot. Strangely, the sensation felt more like touching a mannequin or a doll than a human being. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that all thirteen women had identical faces. Rather than being actual people, they seemed to be something created to resemble humans.

    ¡°It looks like there will be no need for me to feel any guilt,¡± Joseph muttered as he wiped away the blood.

    Even if they were humans, he wouldn¡¯t have felt any guilt. He just felt like saying that. With a smile on his face, Joseph rushed toward the next woman. Once the woman fell, he proceeded to the next woman. Eliminating these thirteen women, who more or less had nobat capabilities, was a walk in the park for Joseph. After exterminating all the women, only one person remained.

    It was Ji Hye-Sung, his colleague and friend.

    "Oh dear, my good friend. What on earth is up with your appearance? Isn¡¯t it embarrassing to be fooling around like that at your age?¡±

    "...Joseph, I''m not fooling around. I''m opening a passage for <i>that person</i> toe."

    "Oh, is that so? Then how about we make a bet?"

    Joseph pulled out a flower from the bouquet and held it up.

    "Let¡¯s see whether it¡¯ll be faster to open a passage for <i>that person</i> or whether it will be faster for me to pierce your head with this flower," Joseph said.

    "You talk too much," Ji Hye-Sung replied.

    <i>Crack! Rip, rip... </i>

    Ji Hye-Sung casually pulled out his right shoulder and tore it off. Then he threw his torn-off arm into the mes burning the center of the cavern. His right arm turned ck as it was engulfed by the me, and it soon twisted into a grotesque shape.

    A finger grew out of the charred arm. The nails at the end of each finger in the arm became sharp and keen. Upon touching the mes, the aged and sagging skin turned into a tough carapace. Ji Hye-Sung grabbed his transformed right arm and ced it on his shoulder. After doing so, tentacles growing out of his transformed arm began to reattach the arm to the shoulder.

    After witnessing this sight, Joseph eximed in awe, "My friend, have you also been learning magic? Detaching and reattaching your arm like that...¡±

    While Joseph was casually speaking to Ji Hye-Sung, he suddenly felt a foreboding presence. He stopped mid-sentence and stepped back. It was a weird feeling. It felt like he would die if he approached any closer than this. He had been through countless encounters with numerous demons, demonic beasts, and Satanists, but this was the first time he had felt so endangered.

    <i>Screech¡ª! </i>

    In that instant, a loud noise echoed in Joseph''s ear. Ji Hye-Sung''s elongated fingernail moved horizontally as if cutting through the air.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    A long horizontal wound appeared on Joseph''s chest. An unbelievable amount of blood poured out of the wound and quickly soaked his clothes dark red. Joseph looked at the wound on his chest with bloodshot eyes.

    "Ah, I aimed wrong. This time, I''ll properly aim for the neck."

    "...I don''t understand. Is this also magic?"

    "Indeed, it''s ck magic," Ji Hye-Sung said while raising his fingernail.

    "You will not be able to dodge my attack as long as you are in my line of sight.¡±

    <i>Screech...</i>

    Ji Hye-Sung''s fingernail slowly started moving horizontally. Joseph scanned the area in an attempt to find a ce where he could hide. However, in the wide open cavern, there was no ce where he could escape Ji Hye-Sung''s line of sight. He felt an ufortable tingling sensation in his neck. It was the unmistakable feeling of impending death. Quite literally, he was in a situation where he was on the verge of death.

    It was then that Ye-Jin''s clear voice echoed through the square.

    "...Amen."

    <i>Crack, crack, crack¡ª!</i>

    The divine power pouring out of her body formed a cloud of light on the ceiling of the cavern. Red hail poured down from the cloud. Just like the cmity brought about by the first angel''s trumpet in the Book of Revtions, the hail possessed a creepy yet radiant light.

    <i>Crack, crack, crack¡ª!</i>

    There was a lot of hail, but it was small in size and weak in power. It wasn''t an attack that could deal significant damage to Ji Hye-Sung. However, it could momentarily obstruct Ji Hye-Sung''s vision. Even that brief moment was enough for Joseph. What he needed was just an instant, so a moment was more than enough.

    After getting unexpectedly hindered by Ye-Jin, Ji Hye-Sung blocked the hail that was raining down with his grotesquely deformed right arm and said, "Do you think such cheap tricks will work?"

    The fact of the matter was that it worked. Due to the red hail obstructing his vision, Ji Hye-Sung was unable to hastily attack. ck magic was absurdly powerful, but it was also immensely burdensome, so it required extreme caution every time it was used. Ji Hye-Sung diligently tried to peer through the gaps between the dust that had been disturbed by the hail in an attempt to find Joseph.

    It wasn''t necessary to see him clearly. Just seeing his silhouette was enough for him to use the ck magic. Was he on the right? No, he wasn¡¯t there. He wasn¡¯t on the left either.

    Above? However, when Ji Hye-Sung turned to look up, all he could see were the red hail and the light clouds that Ye-Jin had created. Joseph''s figure was nowhere to be seen.

    Where, where could he be...?

    "Are you looking for me? I''m behind you!"

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Suddenly, Joseph appeared behind Ji Hye-Sung. He pulled out a flower from the bouquet and inserted it into Ji Hye-Sung''s head.

    Just like that, the flower was shoved deep inside his head. His body leaned forward and then copsed. Ji Hye-Sung tried to move his fingers to attack Joseph, but his fingers wouldn''t budge. He couldn''t even lift his arm. However, he was still alive. He had escaped instant death with the power of the ¡®chakra¡¯ he had obtained as a Satanist.

    Joseph squatted down and looked at the fallen Ji Hye-Sung.

    "Did you think your gaze would be able to catch me? I¡¯m faster than you think," he said.

    "If it weren''t for that damn woman, you would have already died. Your severed head would be rolling on the ground right about now."

    "That''s true. Ye-Jin basically saved me. If you¡¯re not satisfied with that, then how about you also make some reliablerades?¡±

    "...Soon, that person wille," Ji Hye-Sung said with his dying breath.

    "In front of that person, you are nothing more than a pathetic existence, even lower than the ants that are crawling¡ª"

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    Hisst words were cut short. Joseph had inserted another flower into Ji Hye-Sung''s head.

    "So that person ising. I¡¯m really looking forward to it. It¡¯ll be great if it¡¯s the same bastard that I¡¯ve been waiting for.¡±

    <i>Splurt, splurt. </i>

    Joseph continued inserting flowers into Ji Hye-Sung''s head. "Those twelve long years of repentance seem to be approaching fruition. Thank you! Thanks to you, I have found a reason to live again! I sincerely express my gratitude!"

    <i>Splurt, splurt, splurt. </i>

    Joseph repeatedly stabbed flowers in Ji Hye-Sung''s head. As a result, Ji Hye-Sung''s head became a new flower arrangement. Joseph gazed with satisfaction at Ji Hye-Sung''s head, which was filled with flowers, and jumped up from his seat.

    "Unbelievable! You¡¯re a talent that should have be a flower pot instead of a Satanist! It''s truly a pity to see someone like you wasting their talent."

    "..."

    Ji Hye-Sung no longer said anything. Upon inspection, he wasn¡¯t breathing. It seemed like he was dead.

    Joseph carelessly dropped the bouquet he was holding onto the floor and adjusted his clothes before approaching Ye-Jin. She had exhausted her strength after casting a miracle replication and simply sat on the ground.

    Ye-Jin''s eyes, which were gazing at the approaching Joseph, looked so unfocused that it appeared as if her eyes were dead.

    "Thank you. I¡¯m alive thanks to you," Joseph said.

    "..."

    Ye-Jin silently looked Joseph up and down. The wound on his chest seemed quite deep, and it appeared to be bleeding heavily. Ye-Jin tried to draw a healing array and unleash her divine power, but Joseph stopped her from doing so.

    "I''m fine. This kind of injury is nothing. Can you get up? If it''s too difficult, I can support you."

    "No, I''m okay. This much is no big deal."

    Ye-Jin pretended to be strong and forced herself to stand up. Her legs were quivering so intensely that it felt like it was impossible for her to walk, but she somehow managed to regain herposure and was able to walk by herself. She didn''t receive support from Joseph, and she didn''t want any support either.

    Alongside Ye-Jin, Joseph limped out of the cave and said, "As soon as we get out, I''ll contact the Pdin Order to handle the aftermath."

    "Understood. Should I make the call?"

    "If you could do so, I''d appreciate it," Joseph said with a smile.

    It was the same exact smile that he had on his face when he killed Ji Hye-Sung and the thirteen women.

    Ye-Jin silently watched Joseph as he said, "By the way, they were really horrible people. Those bastards were just like devils. No, perhaps they are actually manifestations of the devil himself.¡±

    Back when Joseph was fighting, Ye-Jin had shifted her gaze back and forth between Joseph''s face and the faces of the Satanists. However, she had beenpletely unable to differentiate between who was the inquisitor and who was the Satanist. Ye-Jin kept her mouth shut and remainedpletely silent.

    ***

    Ha-Yeon stood in front of the dormitory building and waited for Sun-Woo to arrive for a long time. They had definitely agreed to meet at 12 o¡¯clock, but Sun-Woo had yet to arrive even after it was half past twelve. She tried calling him, but there was no response.

    "He was the one that suggested we meet here, and yet...¡± Ha-Yeon muttered with her brows furrowed.

    Because the sunlight was unusually strong today, it pierced through the mountains. She was already annoyed because of Sun-Woo, but that sunlight was also triggering her. She really couldn¡¯t stand it this time.

    Just as she was gritting her teeth in fury, Sun-Woo¡¯s audacious voice reached Ha-Yeon¡¯s ears.

    "Ah, I¡¯m a bitte."

    Ha-Yeon frowned fiercely, irritably turned her head, and red at Sun-Woo.

    "A bitte? Is this just<i> a bitte</i> for you? You¡¯re thirty minutes¡ª¡±

    "Sorry, I was busy choosing what to wear.¡±

    Ha-Yeon was just about to throw a tantrum, but she ended up examining Sun-Woo¡¯s attire instead.

    "..."

    He wasn''t overly well dressed, but it seemed like he had put some effort into looking neat. She was used to seeing him in a school uniform or in casual clothes, so this was a different feeling. Sun-Woo¡¯s physique was neither too small nor too big, so the clothes fit him well. He wasn¡¯t exactly ugly when she looked at him like this.

    "I''ll let it slide just this once."

    "Okay, thanks."

    "...But don''t bete next time. Follow me for now. We don''t have time."

    "Why don''t we have time?"

    "Because you''rete."

    Ha-Yeon led Sun-Woo to the school gate, where a driver that Ha-Yeon had called was waiting. Sun-Woo got into the car after Ha-Yeon. After confirming that Sun-Woo had gotten in, the driver immediately started the car. Ha-Yeon leaned her head against the window and stared out nkly for a moment before suddenly deciding to ask something that she had been curious about since before.

    "By the way, why exactly do you want to meet my father?¡±

    "Because I''m curious," Sun-Woo replied without much hesitation.

    He was curious? Ha-Yeon couldn''t understand what exactly he was curious about. She tilted her head and asked, "What are you curious about?"

    "This and that. And since we''ll be seeing each other often in the future, it''s better to get to know each other in advance."

    "...You¡¯ll be seeing each other often in the future?"

    Ha-Yeon slowly pondered the meaning of Sun-Woo''s words, and after btedly realizing what he meant, her face turned red in embarrassment.

    "Wh-what, what are you thinking?!"

    "What¡¯s the problem?"

    "No, but you¡¯re already thinking so far into the future..."

    "I don''t think it''ll be that far into the future,¡± Sun-Woo said, his face expressionless.

    His tone was cold andposed, but the contents of his words were not. Ha-Yeon felt like her face was burning. She knew that he was a free-spirited person, but she never expected him to respond so boldly. Since they would be seeing each other often in the future, he wanted to meet her father in advance... Those words were practically no different from a confession!

    Moreover, judging from the way he was saying that, it didn''t seem like it¡¯d be that far into the future. It seemed like he had the intention of confessing soon. With a pouting face, Ha-Yeon contemted how she would respond if Sun-Woo officially asked her on a date. She could use the school rules as a basis to reject him, or she could ask him to wait a bit longer, or maybe...

    "We have arrived, Miss Ha-Yeon."

    While she was preupied with her thoughts, the car had already arrived in front of her house. The driver opened the door, and Ha-Yeon gracefully bowed her head in gratitude as she stepped out of the car.

    Sun-Woo followed suit. Ha-Yeon caught a glimpse of Sun-Woo''s expression. It wasn''t a smile, nor was it a frown, but an ambiguous smirk. It was impossible to tell where he was looking since his eyes were unfocused.

    She had no idea what he was thinking about. Well, then again, Sun-Woo always had that kind of expression on his face. In the first ce, it was pointless to try and read his mood from his facial expression.

    Ha-Yeon pressed the doorbell in front of the main gate.

    <i>Ding-dong! </i>

    The door opened with a loud creak, revealing the garden. For the first time in a long time, Ha-Yeon was taken aback by a certain sight as she looked around her family''s mansion.

    It wasn''t because the garden and mansion wererge or because they were borately decorated. It was the same house that she had lived in since she was a child, so being surprised all of a sudden would have been weird.

    What had surprised her was that her father, Sung Yu-Da, hade out of the mansion to personally greet them in the garden. Sung Yu-Da walked across the garden and approached the two of them.

    The first words that Sung Yu-Da said to Ha-Yeon after seeing her were, "You''re a littleter than expected."

    Ha-Yeon had not expected a warm greeting, but she still felt a little disappointed.

    However, she couldn''t show it. Ha-Yeon forced herself to smile and said, "I''m sorry, there was some confusion with the meeting time..."

    "Well, it''s a relief that you arrived safely," Sung Yu-Da replied coldly, then shifted his gaze toward Sun-Woo.

    He extended his hand for a handshake and said, "You must be Sun-Woo. Nice to meet you."

    "Yes, I¡¯m Sun-Woo. It''s an honor to meet you," Sun-Woo politely replied as he shook Sung Yu-Da''s hand.

    On the surface, it seemed like a very proper and respectful greeting. However, Ha-Yeon couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow when she saw Sun-Woo exchange greetings with her father. It was because Sun-Woo¡¯s face, which had always remained expressionless, was strange.

    ¡°...¡±

    His expression clearly indicated that he was cautious and hostile toward the other person.

    <strong>Dylin TLN: </strong>Well... That was quite brutal. Joseph basically ttened a face into a pancake. Well, I suppose it¡¯s more like a kimchi-buchimgae(?????), if you know what that is. Kinda like pizza, I guess?

 Chapter 194

    <h4>Chapter 194</h4>

    A man was sitting on avishly adorned chair. His hair was fiery red, and his eyes sparkled vibrantly like gemstones.

    The man was reading a book. Suddenly, the man¡¯s hands, which were holding onto the book, began to quiver uncontrobly. ck veins began to grotesquely protrude out from the back of his hand. The veins propagated out from his hands to his arms, shoulders, neck, and eventually to his forehead.

    "You wretched fool!"

    <i>Bam! </i>

    The man abruptly stood up from his seat and threw the book he was reading onto the floor. He had thrown it with such force that it had punched a hole through the wooden floor.

    The woman next to him was startled by this, and she cautiously approached the man. She was dressed in clothing that barely covered her body, but the man showed no interest in her appearance.

    "Darling, why are you so angry? You scared me, really," the woman said, pressing her body against the man.

    She was wearing a thin piece of fabric that entuated her allure. Her voice was sweet, like honey. The woman¡¯s hot breath touched the man¡¯s ear.

    However, far from sumbing to temptation, the man pushed her away as if he were annoyed.

    ¡°I¡¯m still angry when I think about how the passage was cut off because of that one idiot. Just how did that happen?¡±

    "There are plenty of opportunities, so calm down. Shall we go to bed for now, darling?"

    "No, I can''t. I just can''t understand. I put so much effort into raising that guy, only for him to get killed by some inferior being from the Romanican Church!¡±

    "Darling, howe you look so cool even when you''re angry...?"

    The woman grabbed the man¡¯s hand and ced it on her body. The cloth that had been covering her body had already been discarded on the floor.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    However, the man swatted away the woman''s touch and looked at her with bloodshot eyes. His eyes were burning intensely with mes of wrath, which seemed as if they would continue burning for all eternity.

    The man soon let out a deep sigh and said, "There is a time and ce for flirting.¡±

    "I couldn''t resist because you look so attractive when you¡¯re angry. Look, I''m already like this..."

    <i>Crash! </i>

    Suddenly, a massive projectile smashed through the window and entered the man''s room at an incredible speed. ss shards wildly sprayed out and stabbed into the man¡¯s skin.

    The man jumped up in shock and eximed, ¡°What the fuck? What¡¯s going on now?!¡±

    With deeply furrowed brows, the man pulled out the ss shards embedded in his skin. He was more annoyed by the unwee intruder in his room than by the pain from the ss shards. The intruder turned out to be a bird.

    It was a giant parrot. The bird tilted its head after looking at the man and then cleaned its wings. Sawdust sprayed out along with feathers. The bird was a taxidermied creature. The man could easily deduce that it was a bird that Jun-Hyuk had sent.

    "Ah, it was you? The name that you were using most recently was... Jong-Pal? No, it was Jun-Hyuk, right? It¡¯s such a difficult name to pronounce. Anyway, what''s going on?"

    "Chang-Shik! Are you going? To Korea,¡± the bird asked.

    The bird''s voice somewhat resembled Jun-Hyuk''s voice, but its manner of speech was awkward. The structure of his sentences was all jumbled up.

    However, the man could roughly figure out what the bird was saying and nodded. "Yeah. It looks like my arrival will be slightly dyed, but I¡¯ll arrive soon.¡±

    "Chang-Shik! I understand. Thinking of eating? The <i>fingernail</i>."

    "Are you asking whether I will eat the <i>fingernail</i>?"

    "Exactly."

    "Yeah. I¡¯m going to go eat the <i>fingernail</i>, and along the way, I n on bringing back a child that has caught my interest,¡± the man casually said.

    Then he suddenly tilted his head as if he were curious about something and said, "But why do you call me Chang-Shik? That¡¯s a strange name."

    "Child of a slut. It¡¯s an abbreviation for that. Haha!"[1]

    "W-what? This, this, inferior, lowly Asian son of a bitch!"

    The man tried to kick the bird in anger, but he soon stopped. It was because the bird''s unfocused eyes were staring at him. He didn''t know what kind of ck magic Jun-Hyuk would use with that Third Eye of his. They strictly considered only the destructiveness of their ck magic, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to win against Jun-Hyuk.

    "...No,e to think of it, there''s no reason for us to fight each other."

    "You scared?"

    "It¡¯s just that I don''t want to waste my strength fighting with you during such a major event. If you want to conserve your strength, shouldn''t you also have to refrain from using ck magic for a while?"

    "You''re right. Chang-Shik!"

    "Don''t call me Chang-Shik, you bastard," the man angrily spat, ck veins popping out on his forehead.

    He sighed and just barely managed to suppress his anger.

    "...So, what brings you here? You didn''te all this way just to tease me, did you?" the man asked.

    "I have a request. No attacking! Both of you."

    "You came to ask me not to attack two people. So, who are these two people?"

    "Photos. Take a look!"

    <i>Splutter, splutter...</i>

    The bird opened its beak wide and then vomited. Within the contents of the vomit, there were two photos. In one of the photos was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes, and she looked round. In the other photo, there was a man with ck hair, ck eyes, and a gloomy atmosphere.

    "So you¡¯re asking me not to touch those two. Is there a reason?"

    "Obey when I tell you to obey. Chang-Shik."

    "..."

    The man bit his lip and didn''t answer. His bloodshot eyes stared straight into the bird''s dted pupils. The man felt irritated by the bird¡¯smanding tone and his unpleasant nickname, Chang-Shik. All of those provocations were constantly triggering him. The man touched a bulging ck vein on his forehead and smirked.

    "No,e to think of it... Do I really have to listen to the words of a guy who can''t do anything after getting locked up in prison?" he said.

    "Haha! Haha!"

    The man''s words made the birdugh. It wasn''t a genuineugh, but rather a crude imitation. As a result, the sound was eerie.

    Afterughing for a while, the bird''s eyes focused on the man''s face. Tilting its head, the bird opened its beak and said, ¡°Do I look like a joke to you? Because I¡¯m like this?¡±

    "..."

    The man stared into the bird''s eyes without saying a word, then eventually lowered his eyes.

    "Just kidding, Jun-Hyuk. You¡¯re reacting so seriously that it¡¯s unsettling.¡±

    The manughed and diffused the situation. Jun-Hyuk was a nutcase who swallowed Pride because he thought that Pride sounded like the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins, and it was uneptable for someone weaker than him to have a name like that. At the moment, he was trapped in prison, and he had lost a lot of his strength, but it was uncertain when he would regain his strength and be released from prison. It was better to listen to his requests if possible.

    "Then, it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to the other Florence Academy students? Like Jin-Seo for example.¡±

    "Do whatever you want with them."

    "Okay, okay. Then I won¡¯t touch the two friends you mentioned."

    "It¡¯s a promise! You better keep it. Well then, until we meet again!"

    <i>Flutter! </i>

    After uttering a brief farewell, the bird spread its wings and flew out through the window. The man watched the bird p its massive wings as it freely soared in the sky. Gradually, the silhouette of the bird became smaller and eventually disappeared.

    Soon, the man''s face began to contort. Hisplexion turned a deep red, almost purple with anger. At that moment, the woman who had been observing the situation approached and hugged the man tightly.

    "Darling, you can stop being angry."

    "...Yeah, I will."

    "But, I have a question to ask."

    The woman pressed her nose against the man''s chest and asked, "Why are you so obsessed with that child named Jin-Seo? She seemed like an ordinary girl. My face looks better as well."

    "No, she¡¯s not just some ordinary girl," the manughed.

    "That girl¡¯s body is superior... to the point where it''s hard to believe she''s Asian."

    While feeling up the woman''s body, the man continued, "I originally nned to capture her when she was young, but unfortunately, I was unable to catch her."

    "Instead, you killed her foster mother," the woman said in a trembling voice as she coquettishly rubbed her body against the man¡¯s hand.

    "Her mother''s body was of very poor quality. Only her heart was somewhat usable. So I just killed her. Except for her heart."

    "What parts of that girl¡¯s body will you use?"

    "The legs, the eyes, and a few muscle fibers."

    "And then?"

    "With that, I will be able to create the most superior being..." the man said while breathing heavily as if he was greatly excited. The woman looked at him proudly.

    "In the end, I will transnt my brain."

    ***

    Ha-Yeon nervously sweated as she watched Sun-Woo shake hands and exchange greetings with her father. At first nce, Sun-Woo''s expression seemed ordinary. It looked as if meeting her father was actually a joyful and honorable experience. However, despite his smiling lips, there was clear hostility in his eyes.

    No, even the word hostility couldn''t fully express the intensity of that gaze. Ha-Yeon couldn''t find the words to describe Sun-Woo''s strange gaze.

    Sung Yu-Da let go of the handshake and said, "...I think we¡¯ve exchanged enough greetings. Let¡¯s go inside.¡±

    "Yes, I understand," Sun-Woo replied with a smile.

    At that moment, Ha-Yeon looked at Sun-Woo''s face once again. This time, there was no trace of animosity in his eyes. His eyes glittered with reverence, and there were even uncharacteristically hints of innocence in his eyes. It waspletely different from the gaze she had seen earlier.

    "..."

    Had she seen it wrong?

    When she thought about it, Sun-Woo had no reason to hold any hostility toward her father. Sun-Woo was the one who first expressed his desire to meet her father, and her father was a former cardinal who had made significant contributions to the development of the Romanican Church. Even though he wasn¡¯t a great father at home, he was at least respected in society.

    Ha-Yeon assumed she had seen things incorrectly and decided to dismiss them as unimportant. If she hadn''t seen things incorrectly, then there was no exnation for what she had witnessed.

    Sung Yu-Da led Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo to the reception room, and along the way, he instructed the servant to bring tea. The three of them sat in a circle in the reception room.

    Soon, the servant brought the tea, and Sung Yu-Da calmly took a sip before he said, "I heard you wanted to meet me."

    cing the teacup silently on the table, Sung Yu-Da continued, "I''m curious about the reason... Is there something you want to ask me?"

    Sung Yu-Da''s tone was gentle and soft. Considering his age and his hierarchy within the church, it was clear that Sun-Woo was of lower status. However, regardless of the other person¡¯s status, Sung Yu-Da had a habit of using honorifics when addressing someone.

    Sun-Woo adjusted his posture upon hearing Sung Yu-Da''s question and leaned slightly forward. "Yes. I would like to ask one question regarding my career and one about the conve."

    Sun-Woo''s tone was neither overly rigid nor excessively soft. There was a suitable level of formality and courtesy in his manner of speaking and his attitude.

    It was Ha-Yeon¡¯s first time seeing him like this. Sun-Woo, who was so polite, seemed awkward yet refreshing. Ha-Yeon nced back and forth between the two of them. Neither of the two were revealing their true selves to each other, and perhaps because of that, there was a chilly atmosphere between them. There was no room for her to intervene in the conversation. Naturally, it became a situation where only the two of them exchanged words.

    "I would like to hear the question about your career path first... I''m not sure if my advice will actually be helpful."

    "It will definitely be helpful©¤"

    "No, it might not be as helpful as you think," Sung Yu-Da firmly interrupted Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo, however, did not show any signs of displeasure and silently listened to Sung Yu-Da.

    "To be honest, my advice won¡¯t be helpful in general situations," Sung Yu-Da said.

    "I''m not sure what you mean..." Sun-Woo replied.

    ¡°What is your final goal?¡± Sung Yu-Da suddenly asked in an aggressive manner.

    Ha-Yeon was puzzled. She couldn''t understand why her father, who had always spoken gently with a faint smile, suddenly showed such an attitude.

    Sun-Woo seemed a little taken aback, but he didn''t show fear and instead smiled widely.

    "...My first goal is to be an inquisitor, and my second goal is to be a cardinal, just like Sir Sung Yu-Da."

    "From my understanding, you are in the Department of Pdins. Is that correct?"

    "Yes, that''s right."

    "In that case, my advice would be even more meaningless," Sung Yu-Da said while sipping his tea.

    "Realistically speaking, with the way the church is structured, it''s difficult for pdins to be prtes. If bing a prte is the goal, bing a priest is the most advantageous."

    "I''ve always known it to be that way. When Sung Yu-Da became a cardinal¡ª"

    "No, the situation was better back then."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Sung Yu-Da put down his teacup.

    This time, there was a sound. Ha-Yeon swallowed her saliva. It wasn¡¯t an atmosphere where she could intervene. To be frank, she didn¡¯t have any intention of intervening in the first ce.

    Sung Yu-Da slowly closed and opened his eyes. "Back then, it was a chaotic time with the emergence of Satanists and the division of the Voodoo Cult. Because of that, the abilities of an individual were more important than ever before, and as a result, pdins had opportunities to shine."

    "..."

    "To put it bluntly, today, lineage is more important than abilities, and there is no ce for pdins to shine."

    Sung Yu-Da''s voice was calm yet powerful.

    "Back then, even without lineage, as long as you had abilities, you could be a prte. But now, that is no longer the case. Even if you have abilities, without lineage, it is impossible to ascend beyond a certain level in today¡¯s era."

    "I¡¯m well aware of that as well."

    "If you know, then transfer to a different department. It will be easier and faster to give up on being an inquisitor and be a priest, or you can be a crusader so that you can be an honorary inquisitor once you be a cardinal.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da''s words were as cold as they were relentless, but they were realistic. Ha-Yeon bit her lip. It was because it felt like she was being scolded for some reason. She nced briefly at Sun-Woo. He simply smiled without showing any signs of displeasure.

    "I believe that the same chaos that urred back then will arise again. That''s why I chose the Department of Pdins," Sun-Woo calmly said. "The number of demons and demonic beasts is increasing day by day, and even Satanists have started to appear in Florence Academy. Their actions are bing more proactive and daring."

    "..."

    "It was after the arrest of the Satanist named Wrath that the activities of the Satanists increased dramatically, and I heard that was also when you became an archbishop, Sir Sung Yu-Da. This time, the Satanist named Envy has been arrested, so the same situation will ur again."

    "You have quite the insight. However, this is not a problem that you can think of so simply.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da no longer held his teacup. He was now fully immersed in the conversation with Sun-Woo.

    "It is true that pdins have more opportunities to shine in such situations. However, the mortality rate also increases. If you don''t have confidence in your abilities, you will die before you can achieve anything."

    "I have confidence in my abilities. I have unintentionally achieved sess several times already. I¡¯m sure you already know that."

    "...However, as I mentioned earlier, it''s not just about abilities. Without connections, it''s difficult to be a prte. The hierarchical system within the church that we have established will not easily disappear, even if times change."

    Sun-Woo slowly nodded after listening to Sung Yu-Da''s words. Then, he raised his teacup and took a sip. During the span of the conversation, the tea had already cooled down. He silently put down his teacup.

    "Although it may be a bit much to be called a connection, I know a few pdins," Sun-Woo said.

    "May I ask who they are?"

    "Han Dae-Ho from the Eastern Pdin Order, and... Inquisitor Joseph from the Central Pdin Order."

    Ha-Yeon, who had been quietly listening, widened her eyes in surprise. She vaguely knew that Han Dae-Ho was acquainted with him, but she had no idea that he also had connections with an inquisitor. She didn''t have many friends at school, so she didn''t know, but it seemed like he had quite a widework.

    Sung Yu-Da also had a surprised expression on his face. He stared at Sun-Woo and said, "They are all skilled pdins... I''m curious how you came to know them. There wouldn''t have been many contacts within Florence Academy."

    "Director Han Dae-Ho was involved in the Bazaar Fire, and as for Inquisitor Joseph... I established a connection with him through an incident involving the Satanist in Florence Academy."

    "Well, if you have such close connections, you could ask them for help instead of me. Why did youe to me?" Sung Yu-Da asked.

    Sung Yu-Da raised his teacup and took a sip. His gaze was fixed on Sun-Woo.

    "I do have connections with those two, but I don''t know how to utilize those connections. It wasn''t intentional, but my situation is far from ordinarypared to other students."

    Sun-Woo calmly continued, "I came to seek advice that would be helpful in a situation that is not ordinary. That''s why I sought you out, Sung Yu-Da."

    Ha-Yeon understood the determination behind those words. It wasn''t just about wanting to learn how to utilize connections. He wanted to see beyond the surface of the Romanican Church.

    Sung Yu-Da smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

    "...Indeed, you are not ordinary."

    With that, Sung Yu-Da stood up from his seat.

    "Stay here. I will go to my study and bring something that might be helpful for you."

    1. Chang-Shik(??) can be an abbreviation for child of a prostitute(??? ??) ?

 Chapter 195

    <h4>Chapter 195</h4>

    Sung Yu-Da went to the study, leaving only Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo in the living room. Ha-Yeon took a sip of tea that she hadn¡¯t been able to drink because she had been trying to read the room. The tea was of superb quality, and it was still pleasant and scentful even after it had gone cold.

    As she drank her tea, Ha-Yeon nced at Sun-Woo. He seemed to be deeply lost in thought.

    "You¡¯re a better speaker than I thought," Ha-Yeon said, striking up a conversation for no particr reason other than to break the silence.

    Sun-Woo''s behavior had genuinely surprised Ha-Yeon. Even Ha-Yeon sometimes found herself struggling to speak in front of Sung Yu-Da. In contrast, Sun-Woo spoke confidently without any hesitation in front of her father. Sun-Woo didn''t answer Ha-Yeon''s question but regarded her with empty eyes. Ha-Yeon felt a chill down her spine as she met his cold gaze.

    Sun-Woo lowered his gaze and finally spoke.

    "I did a lot of preparation."

    "What kind of preparation?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    "Writing scripts. Sometimes I would rehearse in front of a doll." Sun-Woo replied with a slight smile.

    Ha-Yeon initially took his words seriously but then realized it was a joke. Imagining Sun-Woo talking to a doll, she couldn''t help butugh.

    "Haha, you have a doll at home?"

    "Yes, I have one rabbit doll, almost your size."

    ¡°It must be cute."

    "Yeah, that¡¯s why I hug it when I sleep."

    Ha-Yeon couldn''t hold back herughter.

    "Ah, stop saying all this nonsense."

    "But it''s true."

    "Then I can spread the rumor, right? <i>Sun-Woo sleeps hugging a rabbit doll</i>."

    "Huh? No, you can''t."

    Ha-Yeon burst intoughter again, seeing Sun-Woo pretending to be flustered. He said things that didn¡¯t make any sense with a serious, straight face, but strangely enough, it made herugh, even though it wasn''t hrious. Sun-Woo always seemed sharp and serious, but suddenly showing his light-hearted side made herugh out of surprise.

    Ha-Yeon smiled.

    "Come to think of it, we had a bet about our test scores, didn''t we?"

    "That''s right."

    "I''m curious about the results. I think I might have won."

    "Where''s this confidenceing from?"

    "I did pretty well on the practical exam. How did you fare?"

    "I did decently... no, I did alright."

    "You don¡¯t seem too confident."

    "...I did well. At least better than you," Sun-Woo replied a bit curtly, his pride seemingly wounded.

    Ha-Yeonughed once again at his reaction. She then suddenly realized she feltfortable. Until now, she hadn''t had anyone she could have such rxed conversations with. Her ssmate Ra-Hee had been the only one she couldfortably talk to, but things between them had turned a little awkward. She didn''t want to mingle with the other kids, and even when she did, it only made her ufortable and disgusted. It was easy to look through their obvious attempts to show off and boast.

    "If, and I mean if, you win, what wish would you ask for?"

    "Didn¡¯t you just say you thought you won?"

    "That''s why I said <i>if</i>."

    "Hmm..."

    Sun-Woo was a bit different from others. Although he was a little arrogant, he wasn¡¯t fake. Maybe that was why she didn¡¯t find talking to him unpleasant at all. However, there was a high probability that she feltfortable because he possessed the blood of purification.

    Rather than finding his neat appearance, and his peculiar, no, his weird but charming personality, and his intelligence that had enabled him to easily take first ce during the evaluations attractive, she was attracted to him simply because he possessed the blood of purification.

    If it wasn''t for the blood of purification, she wouldn''t even look at someone like Sun-Woo. That was what Ha-Yeon was trying to tell herself.

    "I think I would ask you to buy me a meal."

    "Ha, <i>just</i> a meal?"

    "It¡¯s not just about the food, but rather who you eat with.¡±

    "What? What do you...?"

    "And you? What would you ask for if you won?"

    "...Ah, m-me? " Ha-Yeon was taken aback by Sun-Woo''s words and stuttered.

    Sun-Woo''s words, ¡°rather who you eat with,¡± were meaningful and open to various interpretations. Her face started to heat up, but she had already missed the time to ask what he meant by those words. Ha-Yeon wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand in an attempt to cool them down.

    "...I haven''t thought about it yet. I was going to think about it once I won the bet."

    "I can''t give you money or anything like that."

    "Why? Weren''t you willing to give me anything?"

    "I don''t have money, but I can make it up to you if it¡¯s something I can do with my body."

    "...What are you saying? I don''t even have the slightest intention to ask for something like that!" Ha-Yeonshed out because a strange thought popped into her head.

    Sun-Woo shrugged with an expression showing that he didn''t know anything. "What are you talking about?"

    "No, forget it. Gosh..." Ha-Yeon let out a deep sigh.

    The heat that had subsided from her cheeks wasing back again. A moment of silence followed. Ha-Yeon waited for Sun-Woo to speak first, but he just kept his mouth shut and seemed to be lost deep in thought.

    Suddenly, he raised his head and broke the silence.

    "Ha-Yeon."

    Before Ha-Yeon could answer, Sun-Woo continued speaking.

    "After I leave, your father might say something strange."

    "...What?"

    "Don''t believe him, whatever he might say."

    Sun-Woo''s face was serious as he looked at Ha-Yeon. His gaze toward Ha-Yeon was clear and innocent, as if he would never tell a lie. His eyes were fixed on her, and her only. Startled by Sun-Woo''s sudden words and the unexpected eye contact, Ha-Yeon nervously averted her eyes and bit her lip.

    "What... does that mean?" Ha-Yeon blinked her eyes and asked.

    Sun-Woo said with a gloomy expression, "It seems like your father doesn''t really like me."

    "What? That can''t be... From what I see¨C"

    <i>nk. </i>

    At that moment, the door opened. Sung Yu-Da entered the reception room. In his arms, he held a few books and paper bundles.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Sung Yu-Da ced the books and documents on the table. He picked one of them, quickly skimmed through it, and handed the book to Sun-Woo. It was a book that Ha-Yeon had also read before. However, the book was filled with foreign and archaguage that was hard to understand, and it had been so thick that she hadn¡¯t been able to finish it.

    "This is a book about the history of the Romanican Church. It might help you understand the current Romanican Church a bit."

    "I''ve never seen this kind of book in the school library... Is this also a forbidden book?"

    Sung Yu-Da''s expression stiffened upon hearing Sun-Woo''s words.

    "It''s not a forbidden book, but a book that cannot be obtained through ordinary means. I''ll lend it to you."

    "Thank you, but you didn''t have to go through all this trouble..."

    "I''ll give you an exnation about the other books and documents. Now if you put the book that I¡¯ve given you away and if you divert your attention toward this paper..." Sung Yu-Da began exining, and Sun-Woo listened attentively, slightly leaning forward.

    However, Ha-Yeon couldn''t join their conversation at all. It wasn''t because she couldn¡¯t keep up. Although they were talking about topics that were hard to understand, it would have been within her grasp if she concentrated enough.

    However, Sung Yu-Da''s advice was mostly relevant to pdins and had little meaning for Ha-Yeon since she aspired to be a priest. Above all, Sun-Woo''sst words lingered in her mind: <i>¡°Don''t believe him, whatever he might say.¡±</i>

    Ha-Yeon was preupied with the meaning of those words and couldn''t focus on their conversation.

    "...It seems like it would be best if we conclude our conversation here. If we continue, we might stay up all night."

    "Understood. Thank you, it has been very helpful."

    "Do you have any more questions?"

    "I don''t have any more questions about what you''ve covered. So, I would like to ask about something regarding the <i>conve</i> next..." Sun-Woo paused for a moment and fell silent.

    Ha-Yeon had been lost in her own thoughts, but she finally focused on their conversation due to the silence. Sun-Woo briefly lowered his gaze, then looked at Sung Yu-Da with a serious expression.

    "I want to know the significance of the conve. Specifically, its political role."

    "..." At that moment, Sung Yu-Da''s expression hardened.

    The previously warm atmosphere had been doused cold. Sung Yu-Da kept his mouth shut, stared at Sun-Woo, then closed his eyes tightly before opening his mouth.

    "It is not easy to answer your question. Even students know that the conve is the <i>secret</i> meeting to elect a pope, right?"

    "Yes, I am aware."

    "I have also been away from the position of a cardinal for quite some time. I don''t know much about the conve either."

    "I understand that members of the purification n can participate in the conve regardless of their position within the church through something called a pact."

    "...No, even if I knew anything, I could not tell you," Sung Yu-Da said firmly.

    His jaw muscles twitched, indicating that he was gritting his teeth. Sung Yu-Da red at Sun-Woo, his eyes zing with intensity.

    After a while, the pupils that had been trained down at Sun-Woo began to shake. On the other hand, Sun-Woo calmly looked back at Sung Yu-Da without any sign of wavering.

    Ha-Yeon alternated her gaze between the two facing each other. Both of them seemed uneasy. For some reason, the atmosphere had suddenly be tense. Sung Yu-Da''s finger trembled as he pointed at Sun-Woo''s left hand.

    "Where did you get that ring?"

    "Are you talking about this?" Sun-Woo raised his left hand indifferently, showing the ring. "I bought it from a peddler a while ago. I wear it asionally because it''s pretty."

    "...Be cautious with items of unclear origin. It could belong to someone from a cult," Sung Yu-Da said, his voice trembling slightly.

    Sun-Woo smirked.

    "Well, then, I guess I shouldn¡¯t have worn it today," Sun-Woo said and took a sip of tea, raising the cup.

    <i>ng! </i>

    Just as he was about to put the cup down, his hand slipped, and the cup fell to the ground. The teacup shattered loudly, its fragments flying in all directions.

    Ha-Yeon flinched in surprise, hunching her shoulders.

    Sun-Woo should have been surprised, but he remained calm. He nced at the scattered pieces and slowly lowered his head.

    "I''m sorry, my nerves caused my hands to slip. I will clean it up."

    "No! ...No, it''s fine. I''ll call a servant to clean it upter."

    "Oh, then... I''m really sorry. I willpensate."

    "No, we have plenty of teacups. It''s not that expensive," Sung Yu-Da said with a smile.

    Ha-Yeon was puzzled.

    The teacup Sun-Woo broke was definitely expensive. As far as Ha-Yeon knew, the teacup he had broken was a high-priced item worth a million to ten million won.

    Something was off. Sun-Woo was in a situation where it wouldn¡¯t have been weird to cower in apology, but he instead took on a confident stance. Meanwhile, Sung Yu-Da, who had every right to be angry, showed unusual patience. Their reactions were beyond Ha-Yeon¡¯s understanding.

    Sun-Woo looked at Sung Yu-Da with empty eyes.

    "May I ask onest question?"

    Sun-Woo asked without waiting for Sung Yu-Da''s answer, "Sung Yu-Da, which candidate do you like the most?"

    "...It''s gettingte. How about you go back now?"

    Instead of answering, Sun-Woo smiled and nodded his head.

    At first, Ha-Yeon tried to apany Sun-Woo to the front gate of the mansion, but Sung Yu-Da stopped her. Sung Yu-Da called a servant and instructed them to escort Sun-Woo outside the gates. She watched Sun-Woo leave the mansion through the window.

    Finally, when Sun-Woopletely disappeared from the mansion...

    "Huh, huff. Ah...!"

    Sung Yu-Da gasped for breath, leaning on the table. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead like rain. He stood up and roughly grabbed Ha-Yeon''s shoulder. Ha-Yeon was startled by her father''s sudden action, and she trembled in fear.

    "Ha-Yeon, listen carefully. You must listen to me."

    No, she wasn¡¯t just shocked. She was terrified.

    Sung Yu-Da''sughter was a facade that he put on for his guests. As soon as the guests left, Sung Yu-Da would quickly wipe cheerful expression on his face as if he were removing a mask and would return back to his cold and expressionless self.

    Even that expressionless face was not Sung Yu-Da''s true self. Layer afteryer, he wore masks¡ªhe put them on, took them off, and changed them as needed. Due to this, Ha-Yeon always found it difficult to talk to Sung Yu-Da.

    "He is not someone who possesses the blood of purification. Don¡¯t be friendly with him, don¡¯t talk to him, and don¡¯t get close to him. No, if possible, don''t even go near him."

    "..."

    "R-right now, I can''t tell you why, but never... get close to him. Remember, Ha-Yeon. Ha-Yeon..."

    However, this wasn¡¯t a facial expression that Ha-Yeon had ever seen on her father''s face. It was Sung Yu-Da''s bare face, with the maskpletely removed. Ha-Yeon trembled in fear as his face was more grotesque than she had imagined it to be.

    <i>¡®It seems like Father doesn''t really like me.¡¯ </i>

    Suddenly, Sun-Woo''s words came to mind.

 Chapter 196

    <h4>Chapter 196</h4>

    Sung Yu-Da''s servant escorted me to the front gate of the mansion.

    "If you want, sir, I can drive you home," the servant said, opening the car door with grace as if he had done this many times before.

    I shook my head.

    ¡°Thank you, but I''ll go alone. It''s more convenient for me."

    "Ah, I understand. Well then..."

    The servant quickly paced back into the mansion. I quietly watched their retreating figure and went to the dormitory after the gate closed.

    I checked on the flower I was growing. Thanks to the watering I had done earlier, the soil was still moist. Iy on the bed, thinking about when it would sprout and flower.

    Sung Yu-Da knew.

    Since when? He could have known from the beginning, or he could have found out midway, or maybe he had just been suspicious until our conversation, and that¡¯s when he became certain.

    Either way, he knew that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodooists and was keeping quiet for some reason.

    <i>[How audacious, Legba. Don''t you also know about their rtionship?]</i>

    Baron Samedi''s words must be rted to that reason. The ¡®their¡¯ in ¡®their rtionship¡¯ would be referring to Sung Yu-Da and my father, and it could possibly include my mother as well.

    So what happened between Sung Yu-Da and my father that made him stay silent about my secret identity? I didn¡¯t have a clue. It didn''t seem as simple as merely feeling guilty for betraying a friend. Legba or Baron Samedi might know what happened between Sung Yu-Da and his father, but...

    [I can''t tell you about that incident either.]

    For now, it seemed like Legba had no intention of speaking about the topic.

    "What happened that was so significant that you are keeping it a secret?" I said, feeling a bit frustrated.

    Legba pretended to be helpful but remained silent when it came to providing the information I needed.

    The bitter sound of Legba''sughter echoed softly in my mind.

    [There¡¯s too much to exin once I start talking about what happened back then.]

    "Since we''re already talking, you might as well exin everything."

    [No, I can''t.]

    "Why not?"

    [It''s not the right time. Your doubts won''t be resolved even if I tell you the story. Instead, they will only umte and deepen your confusion.]

    "Ha, I see..."

    Seeing he wasn¡¯t budging despite my earnest request, it seemed like he had no intention of speaking about the topic. I resigned, covered myself with the nket, and closed my eyes. If neither Legba nor Baron Samedi told me, then my mother and Sung Yu-Da were the only ones who knew about what had happened back then.

    Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that my mother was in a state to speak correctly. Then, that left only Sung Yu-Da. However, Sung Yu-Da seemed visibly shaken after I showed him the ring today. He would have realized that it was a clear threat with an aggressive message along the lines of: ¡°I know you, and I know that you know me.¡±

    Because of that, he wouldn''t be able to report me to the Holy See, but he would be highly cautious of me, making it difficult to get the answers I wanted even if I asked. I could secretly extract the information through Ha-Yeon, but it seemed difficult because Ha-Yeon didn¡¯t seem to have a good rtionship with Sung Yu-Da. It was also a problem that I don''t know what Sung Yu-Da might have said to Ha-Yeon after I left.

    Although I had told Ha-Yeon in advance, just in case...

    [Wait for when the moment is right.]

    At the moment, there was no apparent path. As Legba had said, waiting for the right moment seemed fitting.

    [Yes. The bait has been cast, and they¡¯ll bite at it eventually.] Baron Samedi intervened, chuckling.

    [Be satisfied that you showed the ring today. Wasn¡¯t it amusing to see him trembling over just one ring?]

    "No, not as..."

    It wasn¡¯t that amusing.

    Ignoring Legba and Baron Samedi¡¯s words, I went to sleep. There were too many things to worry about, and I couldn¡¯t get any proper sleep. As a result, I had an immense amount of umted fatigue.

    Sleep came quickly, but I had nightmares of the Holy War repeating over and over, nightmares of fire swallowing me whole, things like that. They felt strangely familiar, almost clich¨¦. It felt like I had experienced countless instances of these when I was a child.

    When I woke up, it was still dark. It was so dark inside and outside that I couldn''t see anything, so I couldn''t correctly gauge the time. Instead of feeling refreshed, I felt groggy, probably because of the nightmares.

    Still, I felt a little relieved from the fatigue. I felt thirsty and tried to get up from bed to drink water.

    "..."

    At that moment, I felt someone''s gaze on me. A yellow glow emerged from the darkness and shed. There was a horizontal line drawn within the pupils. The gaze was venomous, like that of a snake. No, those <i>were </i>the eyes of a snake.

    "Hello, little one."

    It wasn''t a joke or a metaphor, but it was really a snake. It was the manifestation of Damba. Damba''s enchanting and sweet voice echoed in my ears. In the blink of an eye, Damba had climbed up my body and whispered sweetly in my ear, flicking her tongue.

    "Damba..." I managed to utter, but my voice was still deep from just waking up.

    I was slightly taken aback. Usually, there were omens before the manifestation of a Loa. For instance, Legba could only be met at the Crossroads, Baron Samedi scattered purple mist before appearing, and Sobo and Bade always appeared together, apanied by a storm.

    Damba appeared without any of these omens, so I couldn''t help but be confused. However, there was another reason why I was confused.

    "...Why have you be so small?"

    Damba appeared not in her original size but rather in what could be described at best as a cute, pet snake-like form.

    ***

    In-Ah was getting ready to go out for the weekend.

    While picking out what clothes to wear, In-Ah suddenly checked her phone. There were countless messages from her friends, but not one of them was from Sun-Woo. Worried because he said he wasn''t feeling well, she tried calling him, but he didn¡¯t answer. Not only that, but she had gotten no response at all. She didn''t know what state he was in or if he was even alive.

    She felt aplex mix of feeling disappointed, anxious, and a little sad, and it was difficult to express her emotions in words. In-Ah tried to brush off her thoughts and continued picking out clothes when she suddenly heard the sound of her phone ringing.

    She rushed frantically to take out her phone. It wasn''t Sun-Woo but her mom.

    "...Ah!"

    She realized that her parents wereing home soon. It seemed like her mom was calling to say hello beforeing back. In-Ah cleared her throat and answered the phone.

    "Yes, hello?" In-Ah answered the call while choosing her clothes.

    Because she had been toozy to dress up, she chosefortable clothes that looked somewhat dressy. Through the phone, she heard her mom''s voice asking how she was doing.

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m doing fine. I''ve just been having fun since the end of exams. Yeah, I have ns today, going out for a bit." In-Ah responded vaguely to her parents'' questions and casually threw the chosen clothes on the bed.

    After all, she couldn''t change while holding onto the phone.

    "Exams? I did well on the written exams. Around second ce? I made it within the schrship range. Huh? We don¡¯t need to throw a party to celebrate. Maybe when I get first ce next time. As for school... not much has happened since then. Honestly, I still feel a bit anxious... Oh, don''t worry about food. I''m eating well on my own. I know how to cook now. I even made it for my friend, and they said it was tasty. Oh, I''m not lying!"

    Actually, it was a lie.

    "It got postponed again? Ah... but you''re stilling this month, right? Anyway,e back quickly. I miss you. Okay, bye!"

    There were signs that a Satanist who had been active near the UK was nning to move, so the immigration inspection had be very strict. This led to a dy in her parents¡¯ return, which was expected to take around two weeks.

    In-Ah tried her best not to show her disappointment and ended the call.

    Once she ended the call, the tip of her nose felt tingly. In fact, she thought tears woulde out as soon as she heard her mom''s voice, but she was barely able to hold them back.

    In-Ah wiped away the welled-up tears with a tissue and looked at herself in the mirror after putting on the clothes she had picked out. Her nose was swollen from holding back the tears.

    "<i>Ha</i>..."

    There wasn¡¯t a lot of time left before her meeting, so In-Ah left the house without being able to reduce the swelling adequately. And because she was pretty tight on time, she ended up having to run at the end.

    She was out of breath after only a few seconds of running because she had been avoiding and distancing herself from exercise.

    "Oh, In-Ah! You came just in time."

    In-Ah barely made it to the meeting location on time. She didn''t even have the energy to say hi and greet her friends, so she focused on catching her breath.

    Gasping for breath, she looked around with a puzzled expression. Six people were supposed to meet up, but only three were present.

    "...Where are the others?"

    "They''re always a bitte. I told them not to bete today, but these idiots... Ah, there they are." In-Ah''s friend pointed while answering her question.

    When In-Ah turned her head in that direction, she saw three people walking leisurely from a distance. The three of them noticed the other three waiting for them and pretended to run toward them.

    The friend who had arranged the meeting approached the three of them with a frown.

    "Hey, didn''t I tell you not to bete today? Why are you guys alwayste? Huh?"

    "I wasn''t thatte today. This is considered on time."

    "Why are youte? Give me an excuse. I¡¯ll let it slide if the reason¡¯s valid.¡±

    ¡°Excuse? Um..." The boy being questioned looked up and stared at the sky.

    "...Ah! The sun was too bright today."

    "What does that have to do with beingte?"

    "Uh, it means I don¡¯t have an excuse for beingte. My bad!"

    "You... do you want to fight?"

    "You think you have a chance? We can use blessings, right?"

    While the two of them argued, another boy who hade with them approached In-Ah. He was the guy who used to hang out with Sung-Hyun¡¯s group at the beginning of the semester. The boy scratched the back of his head nervously.

    "Um, In-Ah, right?"

    "Ah... yeah, why?" In-Ah coldly returned the greeting.

    Even when she tried to be non-judgmental, she still couldn¡¯t help it because of one reason: that the boy used to hang out with Sung-Hyun. Although he said that he wasn¡¯t close to Sung-Hyun now, this boy would have continued to hang out with him if Sung-Hyun hadn''t been expelled. She didn¡¯t like how he kept it on the low after Sung-Hyun¡¯s expulsion because it felt like he was trying tounder his identity.

    "No, it''s just... You know, the way I acted at the beginning of the semester... If I did anything to upset you back then, I want to apologize," he said.

    "No, it''s okay. What''s the point of..." In-Ah said, waving her hands.

    At first nce, it sounded like she was epting the apology, but in reality, it meant she had no intention of epting the apology because it was overdue.

    The boy also vaguely knew that In-Ah wasn''t friendly toward him and nodded.

    In-Ah¡¯s friend, who had been arguing with another boy, came over and casually started a conversation. "What? Are you two already friends? We were the most worried about you two."

    They hadn¡¯t be close, and if anything, their rtionship became more ufortable than before, but In-Ah smiled and nodded.

    "Just, you know. We just said hey."

    "Yeah?"

    The friend nodded, looking back and forth between In-Ah and the boy. Then, she suddenly put her hand on In-Ah''s shoulder and started walking and talking.

    "Before we do anything, let¡¯s eat! I came out in a hurry and didn''t get a chance to eat."

    "I think it¡¯d be best for you to skip out on a few meals..." The boy who had been arguing with In-Ah¡¯s friend butted into the conversation and started a dispute.

    In-Ah¡¯s friend red at the boy with a scowl.

    "Are you looking for a fight?"

    "I¡¯m kidding. Ah, I''m hungry too. What do you want to eat?"

    "Oh, there''s a Chinese ce nearby. Let''s go there..."

    As the students walked, they talked about what they were going to have for lunch. In-Ah listened quietly and yed along to some extent. She didn''t really have a particr craving for anything. Lately, she had been frequently skipping meals. Even now, she didn''t feel like eating anything.

    After roughly deciding what to eat and heading toward the restaurant, the students kept talking nonstop. From discussing exams to rumors and dating stories, their discussion topics had quite a range. In-Ah yed along, just as she had done before.

    At that moment, someone looked toward the road and eximed, "Oh? Isn¡¯t that Ha-Yeon''s car?"

    Although they were engaged in conversation, the students¡¯ eyes shifted to the road. A car that looked expensive even to the untrained eye was passing by on the road.

    The car window wasn¡¯t all too tinted, and it was possible to make out the people that were inside the car. The person who appeared to be in the driver¡¯s seat seemed to be the driver.

    The students all eximed in admiration upon seeing it.

    "Hey, you¡¯re right. Ha-Yeon always takes that car to go to school."

    "Is Ha-Yeon the only one who rides that car?"

    "Who else would ride a car like that? Do you even think before you speak?"

    "Wow... but how much does a car like that even cost?"

    ¡°Why do you care? You won''t be able to afford it even if you work your whole life."

    "Can''t I be curious? This guy always starts an argument whenever he opens his mouth..."

    "Look at how other cars just automatically make way for them. You need an expensive car like that..."

    "If you saw a car like that, would you want to drive near it?"

    While the students were exchanging banter, In-Ah remained silent. She simply blinked her eyes while watching Ha-Yeon''s car get further away. She wondered if she had seen it wrong, but no matter how many times she looked at it, she saw the same thing. In-Ah felt strange. More precisely, she felt her mood bing strangely unpleasant.

    "Huh? But the person riding with her, isn''t that Sun-Woo?"

    It was because she saw Sun-Woo sitting in the back seat with Ha-Yeon.

    <strong>WonSuk: </strong>Ho ho ho... I would love to see another showdown between In-Ah and Ha-Yeon.

 Chapter 197

    <h4>Chapter 197</h4>

    The group entered the restaurant and ate their food. While waiting for the food toe out, they naturally started talking about Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon.

    "By the way, are Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon close?"

    "No? I don¡¯t think they are."

    "How would you know? Are you even close with Sun-Woo?"

    "No, it''s not about being close... You can tell just by looking, that''s all."

    "Oh, isn''t In-Ah close with Sun-Woo?"

    In response to her friend¡¯s words, the students simultaneously turned their attention to In-Ah. She was the only one who was somewhat close to Sun-Woo.

    It wasn¡¯t that Sun-Woo distanced himself from others, but at the same time, he wasn''t the easiest person to approach. Although everyone wanted to befriend him, no one actually did that.

    Everyone was waiting for In-Ah''s response, but she forced a bitter smile and shook her head.

    "I don''t know either. We haven''t been in contact muchtely."

    "Ah, I see. He does seem like the type to be bad at keeping contact."

    "Huh? Well... kind of."

    In reality, he was someone who didn''t keep in touch. They gradually lost contact, and it was only recently that they stoppedmunicating. However, In-Ah didn''t mention that part and moved on. There was no need to exin such a trivial matter, but somehow, it hurt her pride a little. In-Ah didn''t say anything and just ate her meal.

    "Where should we go now?"

    "Yeah, where should we go?"

    After finishing their meal, they started walking outside. They didn''t have a specific destination in mind. They would just walk and talk, and if they saw a caf¨¦, they would go in and chat. They had a good time, even without going to a specific ce. Time flew by quickly, although all they were doing was just chatting.

    However, In-Ah didn¡¯t feel that well today, which made it harder for her to participate in conversations. It also felt a bit awkward to converse with boys whose names she didn''t even know.

    "Oh, by the way, are you also in the Department of Priests?" a boy asked during the conversation as if the question had just popped into his head.

    In-Ah, sitting in the corner sipping her coffee, nodded her head.

    "Yeah, I''m in the Department of Priests."

    "See, what did I tell you? All the smart kids are all in the Department of Priests."

    A girl who had been listening retorted bluntly, "Well, that doesn¡¯t mean all the kids in the Department of Priests are smart, seeing that you¡¯re a part of them as well."

    She was from the Department of Crusaders.

    "That''s true, but is the average intelligence in the priest department higher, you know? We don¡¯t have any weak links in our lineup. Yu-Hyun, Ha-Yeon, and In-Ah¡¯s there as well."

    ¡°Why are we talking about average intelligence? And if we''re talking about the people with the highest marks, then the Department of Crusaders did well as well. Min-Seo and Jin-Seo are good at studying, and so is Su-Ryeon."

    "Don¡¯t talk about anyone if they are below Yu-Hyun."

    At that moment, a boy who had been quietly listening to the conversation crossed his arms and spoke solemnly. "As the temporary representative of the Department of Pdins, I dere that we won''t participate in such low-level conversations."

    It seemed like he was imitating Dae-Man''s tone. The boy who had been fervently inciting that the Department of Priests had the highest intelligence chuckled mockingly as if he found his efforts pathetic.

    "What''s up with you? Isn¡¯t the Department of Pdins all about using their bodies because theyck cognitive functions?"

    "Nope. Sun-Woo¡¯s good at using his body, and his written exam scores are great as well."

    "Well, Sun-Woo is a special case... Honestly, Dae-Man just isn¡¯t it."

    "...Hey, even if Yu-Hyun is smart, if he''ll die with one punch from Dae-Man."

    "If you put it that way, wouldn''t Dae-Man die if Jin-Seo stabs him with a de?"

    "Look at Dae-Man''s body. Do you think a mere de can prate his body? Plus, it¡¯s over if you break the de anyway."

    "Do you think Dae-Man is a bear? He can''t be stabbed with a de?"

    "I mean, they are simr in how they absolutely tear people apart."

    In-Ahughed while listening to the conversation. At first nce, it appeared to be a serious and heated debate, but upon closer inspection, the content was childish and had no context. The boy from the Department of Priests saw In-Ah''sughter and took it as an opportunity to link his arm with hers.

    "Look, In-Ah from the Department of Priests isughing at you. That''s how pathetic you look."

    "Huh? Hey...! I''m notughing at them!"

    "Oh, speaking of which, In-Ah, did you do well on the test too? What rank did you get? You know, just for the written exam," her friend asked.

    In-Ah hesitated, but she decided to be honest because it seemed like she was overthinking when she was worrying about such things.

    "I got second ce this time," she said nonchntly.

    In reality, she hadn¡¯t been satisfied with the second-ce rank that she had gotten because she had been pushed from first ce to second after the sudden shift in Yu-Hyun''s rank. The students looked at her with their mouths half open, silently staring at her. A moment of silence hung in the air.

    In-Ah blinked, wondering if she had made a mistake. The one who broke the silence was In-Ah''s friend.

    "...H-How is that possible?" her friend asked, genuinely surprised.

    They had expected her to do well, but they didn''t expect her to do that good of a job. Then, the other children started to chime in with their ownments.

    "Was it just me, or was this test hard?"

    "You¡¯re not the same as her. Anyway, that is crazy impressive... I would be satisfied with just 20th ce."

    "2nd ce? Nothing special. I''m 222nd. You could say I''m 111 times better than you."

    "Here we go again."

    "Anyway, this proves that the Department of Priests is superior."

    "What? What does In-Ah''s good test score have to do with the Department of Priests?"

    "Huh? Are you, a member of the Department of Crusaders, talking back to me? From now on, anyone with lower test scores than In-Ah should shout, ¡®May I speak?¡¯ before speaking..."

    "You should do that too, then."

    It was a lively conversation. The kind-hearted group would talk about In-Ah whenever it seemed like she was being left out, leaving room for her to jump into the conversation whenever she wanted. In-Ah quickly blended into the group, as they were all bright and kind. She participated in the conversations, asionally exchanged jokes, and slowly and naturally became friends with them.

    They left the cafe and naturally moved toward the bowling alley. Bowling hade up in one of the conversations in the cafe, and they had nothing else to do until dinner.

    A boy who seemed quite familiar with the bowling alley suggested, "Since we''re bowling, should we make a bet?"

    "What kind of bet?"

    "How about hitting each other with bowling balls?"

    "Are you crazy? Do you want to die? Let''s bet with game fees."

    "How should we divide the teams?"

    "Let''s divide by departments. It just happens to be two-on-two-on-two."

    "Deal."

    In-Ah was paired up with the boy who was joking about the superiority of the Department of Priests and how others should ask for the right to speak. The boy handled the ball with ease, took his stance, and went to roll the ball but came back without casting his throw.

    "What are you doing, you little shit? You''re ruining the flow!"

    "No. Hey, can we use blessings?"

    "It''s a bet. We should y fair and square."

    "But then the Department of Priests is at such a big disadvantage."

    "Didn''t you say earlier that the Department of Priests has the highest intelligence? Then y using your intelligence!"

    "Oh... that¡¯s dirty. I''ll just go for it."

    Such trivial conversations like this continued to go back and forth. They threw the ball in the order of the Department of Priests, Department of Crusaders, and Department of Pdins, umting points. In-Ah had hardly yed bowling before, but she did pretty well. She wasn''tpletely unathletic, so she quickly learned through watching the other kids. The result was second ce. Since the third ce had to pay for the game, the Department of Crusaders ended up paying.

    "That proves it. The Department of Crusaders is far inferior to the Department of Priests..."

    "What do you mean inferior? It''s only a 5-point difference!"

    "I don''t listen to the words of the loser."

    The boy on the same team as In-Ah made jokes non-stop until they left the bowling alley. The impatient girl tried to hit the boy, but he skillfully dodged the blow. In-Ah quietlyughed while watching. She was having fun.

    The students were kind and lively, and seeing them talking among themselves made her burst out in unintentionalughter. Wandering around without a n and ying as they pleased wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought it¡¯d be. She had to think about too many thingstely, but today she was able to have fun without worrying.

    "...Ah, I think I should start heading back soon."

    However, strangely, she didn''t feel like she was content. Although she was having fun, she couldn''t erase the feeling that she was an outsider who had intruded on their group.

    "Why don''t we just eat together until dinner? Is there something wrong?" In-Ah¡¯s friend responded in disappointment.

    "Um... yeah. Sorry, but I nned to have dinner with my family."

    "Really? I guess familyes first. That''s a shame."

    The other students in the group also looked at In-Ah with disappointed expressions. In-Ah smiled faintly and waved her hand toward the group as she walked home.

    "Anyway, I''ll start heading out. Have fun!"

    ¡°Yeah, keep in touch!"

    "Will do~"

    In-Ah returned home alone, without eating dinner, andid down on her bed. The evening twilight seeped in through the window. She wasn''t tired, but she didn''t feel like doing anything.

    She checked her phone. She had received a text from one of the boys she had hung out with, asking if she had gotten home safely. Sun-Woo still hadn''t contacted her. She turned off her phone without replying. Then she turned off the lights and closed the curtains, and her entire room waspletely engulfed in darkness. In the darkness, In-Ah closed her eyes.

    She heard someone''s voice.

    "Remember me. It might be disgusting, but still..."

    "...Shut up, please."

    In-Ah covered her ears and huddled in the nket.

    <i> </i> *

    I got up from the bed and turned on the lights. A fun-sized Damba was looking at me, wagging her tail.

    [What are you looking at, child?]

    "You were the reason I had nightmares," I said, recalling the nightmares I had just dreamed of.

    The Loa could be broadly ssified into good and evil. However, the criteria for good and evil were not absolute since they were created by humans. Generally, the Loa that had a negative influence on humans were considered evil, and the Loa that had a positive influence on humans were considered good.

    Damba was one of the Loa who were considered to be evil. She deceived and manipted people and fed off the negative energy of those consumed by despair. Instead of offerings, she demanded despair.

    At first, she would give despair. When they became ustomed to it, she would give them even more profound despair. Once they grew ustomed to that, she would give hope and then despair. When they became ustomed to that again, she would give despair and hope. Living in hope yet fearing when despair woulde, humans would willingly throw themselves into the pit of despair. That destruction was what fed Damba and what I needed to offer her as a sacrifice.

    When I was young, I broke the contract with Damba because I didn''t want to have nightmares.

    [That breaking of the contract was so one-sided, little one... Do you know how much it hurt me?]

    "I''m sorry for what happened back then. It''s just that the nightmares were driving me crazy."

    [Those nightmares were parts of your unconsciousness that weren¡¯t expressed. I consumed them to help purify your mind.]

    "Ah, I see... Then you should have just given me my nightmares and left. Why have you suddenly appeared in front of me?"

    [Must you phrase it like that? That really hurts, little one. You seemed so kind when you were young...]

    Damba bowed her head as if she genuinely felt hurt and spoke in a voice devoid of life.

    When I was young, I was easily swayed by Damba. I was terrified of the nightmares back then. But now, the nightmares didn¡¯t scare me as much. Perhaps it was because I had grown ustomed to them.

    Back then, I was afraid that the nightmares forced me to remember things I didn''t want to remember. However, now I was more afraid that I would forget what I wanted to remember.

    "... People can''t always stay the same."

    [But it would be nice if you could speak more kindly.]

    "I will try my best. Anyway, why did youe?"

    [Don''t you remember? We made a contractst time as payment for helping you.]

    Only then did I remember the incident at the practical examination site where Damba had helped me. More precisely, she had helped Jin-Seo, not me. Anyway, she fulfilled my request, and we forged a contract as payment. Come to think of it, I hadn''t clearly stated what the contract meant and what would change because of it.

    "Was this what you meant by <i>contract</i>?¡±

    [Yes, little one. No matter how much I swallowed your nightmares gleaming beyond your subconsciousness, my hunger couldn''t be quenched. It must be because you''ve be ustomed to nightmares. So, I n to change the way sacrifices are received.]

    "What... Does that mean you''ll continue to stay by my side like this?"

    [If there is something I need to help you with, I will temporarily return to my original form. If not, I will continue to stay in this state.]

    "...Shit."

    Was I allowed to keep a snake in the dormitory? No, I don''t even know if the Romanican Church allowed snakes as pets in the first ce.

    Meanwhile, Damba¡¯s long, slender body slithered up the flower pot I had been tending to.

    I heard Granbwa''s urgent voice in my head. [D-Don''t let it climb up! Hurry! What if the flower pot falls?!]

    "Damba, Granbwa says not to climb up there."

    [Granbwa? There''s no need to listen to that child''s words. She worries too much.]

    [Ah, ah! No! If you go up anymore, it <i>will </i>fall!]

    [Don¡¯t listen to her, child. Believe me.]

    ¡°...¡± I didn¡¯t respond to either Damba or Granbwa.

    I watched silently as Damba climbed the flower pot. The thought of Damba and Granbwa shing in the future gave me a headache. Furthermore, Damba didn''t get along well with Baron Samedi. More urately, Damba alone disliked Baron Samedi.

    Amidst the voices of Damba and Granbwa, I heard Legba quietlyughing.

    [Didn''t I say summoning Damba was a mistake?]

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would end up like this.¡±

    If I knew this was what would have happened, I wouldn¡¯t have made any contracts.

    Contracts should always be carefully examined.

 Chapter 198

    <h4>Chapter 198</h4>

    I woke up, sensing amotion.

    [I told you not to go up there!]

    [You''re fussing about nothing. I just wanted to check if there were any impurities in the soil.]

    [nts are sensitive! Even a slight change in their environment can stress them out!]

    [How could a nt get stressed? It would be delightful if you could stop spewing out nonsense.]

    Damba and Granbwa were fighting again. I sighed and watched Damba try to climb onto the flowerpot. Damba finally noticed my gaze and awkwardly turned away.

    [Oh child, there really was impurity in the soil. I was merely clearing it.]

    "Okay..." I replied, not having enough strength to retort.

    I noticed it was still early dawn when I peered out the window. The sun had yet to rise. It was already toote for me to go back to sleep. Moreover, I felt like I wouldn''t be able to sleep because Damba and Granbwa had woken me up.

    I felt like I needed to wash up to get rid of the drowsiness. Yawning, I headed to the bathroom. Damba followed me, slithering across the floor.

    [Oh, child, are you going to wash up?]

    "Yes."

    [I want to wash up too. How about we do it together?]

    "You''re talking nonsense."

    [Why, are you embarrassed?]

    Damba climbed up my body. In the blink of an eye, she was on my shoulder.

    She whispered in my ear, flicking her tongue. [I want to check if I can still call you <i>child</i> or...]

    "I don''t want to shower with a snake," I said firmly, seemingly shocking Damba.

    [Child... I feel hurt by your words.]

    "Then get hurt."

    [You''re really mean. I never thought you would have changed so much since Ist saw you...]

    I ignored Damba''s words and went into the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Damba coiled up on the bed, waiting for me. She tried to talk to me, but I ignored her and prepared to leave. I quickly put on my clothes¡ªI didn''t want to listen to Damba¡¯s constant mumblings any longer.

    Damba¡¯s voice was seductive. I was afraid I would be captivated by her words if I kept listening to them. Damba was probably aiming for that, which is why she kept talking. Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of falling for her tricks anytime soon.

    Damba slithered toward me as I put on my shoes.

    [Are you going to school? I wish I could take you there, too.]

    "Please stop acting so clingy."

    [I¡¯m not acting clingy. I''m asking you sincerely,] Damba said as she crawled up my hand. [If you take me with you, I can help you in many ways. For example, I can notify you if you are being followed.]

    "Legba can do that too. So can Ogun and Baron Samedi."

    [No, they aren¡¯t the same as me.]

    Damba had climbed up my arm and was slowly wrapping around my neck.

    [If you want, I can devour your enemies, oh child.]

    "....I still can¡¯t allow you to do that. You stand out too much. I''ll definitely get caught if I go to school with you."

    [And what if you get caught? Just say I''m your pet.]

    ¡°Do you think they''ll believe that?"

    [What reasons are there not to? I think I look pretty cute when I¡¯m in this form.] Damba whispered in my ear.

    As always, her voice was sweet and sensuous. Nevertheless, I shook my head.

    "Even so, I can¡¯t bring you today. I¡¯lle to pick you upter when I need you. For now, stay here."

    [Hmph... just for today, child,] Damba said curtly and rode along my arm, descending back to the floor.

    She wandered toward the bathroom. [Well, little one, can I use the bathroom while you''re gone? I want to freshen up.]

    "Sure," I replied with a sigh.

    ***

    Due to the early morning fight between Damba and Granbwa, I left the dormitory earlier than nned. I went to the ssroom, but it was too early, and no one was there. There was still plenty of time until homeroom. I decided to pass the time by taking a walk around the school.

    [I suggest you stop using the intoxication spells,] Legba said as we walked.

    I turned my head from side to side, looking around to see if there was anyone nearby.

    After confirming that there was no one, I spoke up. "I don''t use it <i>that </i>often."

    I''d use the intoxication spell asionally when I couldn¡¯t bear my fatigue or when I felt like I couldn¡¯t go through something sober. Or I would use it when I had too many thoughts and couldn¡¯t fall asleep.

    I used it once yesterday as well. I couldn''t sleep because I was thinking about what to do with Yu-Hyun and Sung Yu-Da. Come to think of it, I might be using it quite a bit.

    [You are. You just don''t realize it because you''re used to it.] Legba scolded me.

    "I''ll try to use it less then."

    [No, stop using it. Don''t you know why your father forbade the intoxication spell?]

    "I know, I do. But..."

    The Voodoo Cult sought freedom, but the intoxication spell made people dependent on spells. My father believed that those who relied on something could never truly obtain true freedom, so he dered the intoxication spell forbidden. It was true that I relied on the intoxication spell to some extent.

    [You probably already know this, but the hallucinations you sawst time are the drawbacks of the intoxication spell.]

    "...Ah. Right." I barely replied to Legba''s words.

    I thought about the hallucinations I had seen when I got off the bus during the day the practical exams had ended. I recalled seeing everyone around me as inquisitors and crouched down to avoid being trampled by them. It wasn''t just a stress-rted hallucination. It was the drawback of the intoxication spell. Using the intoxication spell too much blurred the line between reality and imagination, causing imagination to turn into reality.

    [The drawbacks will worsen if you keep using the intoxication spell. You''re already using the intoxication spell more than necessary.]

    "..."

    [The only reason why you still appear sane is because <i>you¡¯re</i> the one who¡¯s using the spell. If it were someone else, they would have already been driven mad.]

    A madman. I suddenly remembered the note Ji-Ah handed me. No matter how I looked at it, the writing on the note didn''t seem like something a person in their right mind would write. I didn''t know if that could also be a drawback of the intoxication spell.

    Actually, I don''t know which came first, whether I had used the intoxication spell because I wasn¡¯t in the right mind or if I had used the intoxication spell to the point where I had driven myself insane.

    "From now on, I won''t use it... No, I''ll try not to use it."

    [You''re already addicted,] Legba said, clicking his tongue. [Didn''t I tell you before? You can easily get consumed by the intoxication spell.]

    "I didn''t know it would be like this, either. Why didn¡¯t you warn me more forcefully back then? If you had, I wouldn''t have even thought about using an intoxication spell from the beginning," I blurted emotionally.

    It was a naive statement. No matter how strongly Legba had spoken, if I felt that the situation called for an intoxication spell, I would have used it without hesitation. Therefore, what I said to Legba was just a despicable attempt to shift responsibility to him. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head.

    "...Come to think of it, I would have used it no matter what you said."

    [Yes, you would have. The choice is yours, and so is the responsibility. I have no intention of scolding you for making the wrong choice.]

    "But it feels like you''re scolding me right now.¡±

    [If your past choices consume your present and future, then you will no longer be able to make your own choices. I am advising you to be cautious of that.]

    "Yes, I will keep that in mind."

    [Ha, as if. I can see that you''re still letting it float away... Do as you please.]

    I didn''t respond and walked.

    Legba spoke again. [No matter what choice you make, I will respect it. There is no reason not to. However, don''t try to escape from the responsibility of your choices.]

    "..."

    I couldn''t respond to those words. It was because students were starting to arrive at school. Legba didn''t nag at me anymore, either.

    As I walked along the path, I noticed Dae-Man sitting on a bench. He looked sweaty, as if he had just finished exercising.

    "Sun-Woo! You came today. I heard you were sick. Are you okay?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine."

    "Are you on a walk? You¡¯re so diligent even when it¡¯s the morning!"

    "You¡¯re one to talk...."

    While talking with Dae-Man, I suddenly felt someone''s gaze and reflexively turned my head. Su-Ryeon had been hiding behind the giant tree next to the bench in the garden, spying on us. When our eyes met, Su-Ryeon cautiously emerged from behind the tree. She approached us, holding a towel in one hand.

    "Hey, Dae-Man. Use this," she said, handing the towel to Dae-Man.

    Dae-Man epted the towel and looked at Su-Ryeon with confusion.

    ¡°Why are you giving me a towel all of a sudden?"

    "Wipe off the sweat! You smell horrible right now."

    "It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll end up getting the towel dirty." Dae-Man handed the towel back to Su-Ryeon.

    She frowned.

    "Oh, just use it... I was nning to throw it away anyway."

    "Is that so? Well, I''ll dly use it then. Su-Ryeon, are you also on your way back from exercising?"

    "Huh? Yeah! I mean, you could say that''s what I was going for."

    "What do you mean by <i>going for</i>?"

    I listened to their conversation and discreetly got up from my seat.

    ¡°I¡¯m off."

    "Ah, Sun-Woo! Are you leaving? You should run ap around the field with me before you go!"

    "It''s about time for me to go to ss. I¡¯ll leave you guys to it."

    "Alright! I¡¯ll send you a message next time I work out! Let''s do it together!"

    I nodded and quickly left. After realizing what was happening, I felt ufortable being caught in the middle of their conversation.

    ***

    After finishing ss, I briefly visited the teacher''s office during lunchtime. When I returned, I ran into Yu-Hyun standing in front of the ssroom door. He was holding onto one of our ssmates and was interrogating them in a threatening tone.

    "Hey, buddy. Where did Sun-Woo go?"

    Without asking what was going on, I rushed toward Yu-Hyun and kicked him in the balls.

    "Oof!"

    <i>Smack.</i>

    Yu-Hyun kneeled down and copsed on the spot. The student talking to Yu-Hyun looked at me with widened eyes.

    Yu-Hyun turned his head with a grimace on his face. I looked down at him quietly. Then, Yu-Hyun rxed his expression as if to say that nothing had happened and gave me a confused smile.

    "Such a violent greeting. Are you crazy?"

    "Why are you here?"

    "...Let''s take this outside. There are too many eyes on us right now," Yu-Hyun said, ncing around in a manner that was very uncharacteristic of him.

    I quickly read the atmosphere in the ss of Charity ssroom. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and was looking at us. In-Ah was also looking at me, but her gaze looked strangely guarded.

    I couldn''t understand why she was acting like that. It seemed to be because I was with Yu-Hyun. He was not particrly known for his diligence, and his reputation among the female students was terrible. His reputation had worsened since I left him in front of the girls'' dormitoryst time.

    ¡°Alright."

    We left the building and walked along the promenade. It was the same promenade that I used to walk along with In-Ah after our meals. Yu-Hyun wouldn''t say a word when many people were on the promenade, but as the numbers shrank, he would frown and speak up.

    "You fucker. Why¡¯d you have to leave me in front of the girls'' dormitory? Do you know how shitty it was to try and exin myself?"

    "And how¡¯d you exin yourself?"

    "I asked for a favor from a senior I know. You know, to take the me," Yu-Hyun said.

    The dormitory supervisor had woken up the unconscious Yu-Hyun and asked about the situation. He exined that he had been drinking outside the dorms and was called by a female senior to the front of the girl¡¯s dormitory and ended up passing out because he had been severely drunk.

    Thanks to coordination with the female senior, the dormitory supervisor believed his story. The senior girl who helped Yu-Hyun at that time received disciplinary action, but Yu-Hyun himself didn''t receive any punishment.

    "The student who was lying unconscious on the street after drinking didn''t receive any disciplinary action?"

    "ording to the rules, calling a male student to their dorms rather than drinking outside of school is a bigger issue for a female."

    "That doesn¡¯t make any sense."

    ¡°That¡¯s just how all rules are, no matter where you go..." Yu-Hyun smirked and then suddenly pulled a straight face. "But rumors have spread among the students, you know? They¡¯re saying I''m crazy about girls."

    "What¡¯s the problem if they¡¯re telling the truth?"

    "Well, they¡¯re notpletely wrong, but I feel like I¡¯ve been wronged. I really didn''t do anything this time. I wouldn¡¯t have felt like this if I <i>had</i> done something, you know?"

    "But why were you looking for me?" I asked, cutting off Yu-Hyun''s rambling about something I wasn''t particrly interested in.

    Yu-Hyun finally seemed to remember and started walking toward the school gate.

    "I was trying to leave school early today, but they didn''t let me go when I was alone. If I go with you, they might let me pass, so let''s go together."

    "And why would I do that?"

    "You don''t have anything to do at school anyway. Just help me leave early, and then you can go home and rest."

    Since the afternoon sses would mostly be self-study, leaving early and rxing in the underground chapel would be better. However, although he spoke nonchntly, Yu-Hyun was subtly eyeing me down. His intrusive and unpleasant gaze told me that he seemed to have ulterior motives. A strong feeling in my stomach told me that I shouldn¡¯t bring him to the chapel.

    "Don''t you know I live in the dormitory because I don¡¯t have a home?"

    "Really? I didn''t know. So, where was the ce I left youst time?" he asked.

    "Why would you want to know that?"

    Yu-Hyun burst into a fit ofughter. I couldn''t help butugh along. He was so easy to read to the point that it was ridiculous. Afterughing for a while, Yu-Hyun stopped, his face turning serious.

    "Did I make it too obvious?"

    "Yeah."

    "Well... since we''re leaving early, how about going to the hospital together?"

    "Hospital?" I asked, puzzled by why he had suddenly brought that up.

    Yu-Hyun nodded and exined, "Didn''t I tell you? I wanted to leave school early so we could pay Min-Seo a visit at the hospital."

 Chapter 199

    <h4>Chapter 199</h4>

    "<i>Sigh</i>... It¡¯s like I have a free pass when I¡¯m with you," Yu-Hyun said, stretching his arms.

    When he went alone, the security guard did not allow him to leave school early, even though he had shown his early dismissal permit.

    However, when I mentioned that I was going to visit someone at the hospital with my friend, the security guard let us go without asking any questions.

    To be honest, I had no intention of visiting anyone in the hospital. But then I remembered that I hadn''t asked Min-Seo if she was going to participate in the mission trip, so I decided to tag along. I also slightly wanted to keep an eye on Yu-Hyun.

    "I don''t understand why they never let me leave early. Is it because I do it too often?" Yu-Hyun said.

    I didn''t bother to answer. If I were the security guard, I wouldn''t let Yu-Hyun leave early, either. We walked silently toward the hospital.

    The hospital where Min-Seo was hospitalized had an affiliation with F.A. and was very close to the school, within walking distance.

    "So I can¡¯t take this watch off even when sleeping?" Yu-Hyun asked, tapping the watch he was wearing while walking.

    It was the watch I had given him to monitor him. I nodded.

    "Take it off if you can handle the consequences."

    "...What exactly happens if I take off the watch?"

    "If you want to find out, try taking it off."

    It didn''t matter to me if Yu-Hyun took off the watch or intentionally damaged it. The watch harbored a location tracker, an eavesdropping device, and was embedded with various spells.

    The moment Yu-Hyun took off the watch, he would fall asleep due to the curse of the fainting spell. Meanwhile, I could get to his location with the help of the tracker and then kill Yu-Hyun or put the watch back on his wrist.

    Yu-Hyun stared at the watch silently and nodded.

    "No, now that I think about it, I''m not that curious anymore."

    "But why do you keep asking?"

    "Well, I guess it almost feels like I¡¯m a tragic hero whose powers are sealed away. I feel cool."

    "..."

    Bullshit.

    We arrived at the hospital and went through the procedures for visiting. Since it was a hospital affiliated with Florence Academy, we were able to skip some steps in the process when we showed our student IDs to the receptionist.

    The receptionist exined the health examination benefits that only F.A. students could receive, but I gleaned it off because I would never need a health examination. I didn''t know what the consequences might be if I suddenly got a health examination.

    "Come to think of it, it¡¯s quite convenient being a clergyman," Yu-Hyun said while we waited for the elevator in order to reach Min-Seo''s ward.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Honestly, they don¡¯t do much, but they get treated surprisingly well."

    "That''s true." I agreed.

    He was right. One of the reasons why I tried to enter F.A. by going through the means of using a fake identity was because clergymen received better treatment than most professions.

    Right then, the elevator arrived, and people poured out.

    "..."

    They were all clergymen with massive builds and fierce faces. The biggest clergyman among them frowned and looked down at me. He seemed familiar, so I maintained eye contact. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but I realized it was someone I actually knew.

    "...Director Han Dae-Ho."

    "Sun-Woo?"

    It was Han Dae-Ho, the head of the Eastern Pdin Order. He called my name and extended his big, thick hand. I shook his hand formally.

    Han Dae-Ho asked with an overly delighted expression, "What brings you to the hospital? Are you injured?"

    ¡°No, I came to visit a hospitalized friend."

    "I¡¯ve only seen you injured, so I thought that¡¯d be the case today. Are you taking care of your health these days?"

    ¡°Yes, I haven''t gotten injured muchtely. But what brings you here?"

    "I had something to investigate, so I stopped by during lunch. By the way..." Han Dae-Ho turned his head toward Yu-Hyun who was standing awkwardly beside me.

    Han Dae-Ho looked at Yu-Hyun with narrowed eyes, then suddenly widened them as if he realized something. "Aren¡¯t you Yu-Hyun? Were you two friends?"

    "Yes, something like that. Haha..." Yu-Hyun greeted him with a nervous smile.

    Yu-Hyun''s polite demeanor was not only unfamiliar, but it was to the point where it was strange.

    Han Dae-Ho grinned. "You''ve grown so much that I didn''t recognize you. Is His Holiness in good health?"

    "Haha... I don''t know. It''s been a while since Ist saw him... He''s probably healthy."

    "That''s good to hear. Are you here for a visit as well?"

    "Yes, that''s right."

    "Alright, next time, the three of us should grab a meal... Oh, wait a moment." Han Dae-Ho interrupted himself and took out his phone from his pocket.

    As he checked the screen, his mouth, which had been stretched into a faint smile, quickly dropped. His expression had turned so stiff that it was almost scary. Han Dae-Ho tightly closed his eyes and forced a smile.

    "...I was thinking of treating you to a meal if you had time, but it won''t work out. An urgent matter just popped up, so I have to take my leave. See you around!"

    "Okay, take care."

    "Thanks, I''ll contact you soon."

    Han Dae-Ho, with his staggering-build-of-a-man physique, showed himself out of the hospital. We watched Han Dae-Ho''s back and got on the elevator.

    "Wow, how can someone be that <i>big</i>? Is he a gori?" Yu-Hyun eximed as soon as the elevator doors closed.

    I recalled Yu-Hyun''s unusually polite behavior in front of Han Dae-Ho.

    "No wonder you were so polite. Were you scared?"

    "How can you not be scared by someone of that size?

    ¡°What does his size have to do with anything? He won''t be able to use blessings in front of you anyway." I couldn¡¯t understand why Yu-Hyun was afraid of Han Dae-Ho.

    Yu-Hyun had the ability to manipte the divine power of others as if it were his own. No matter how strong Han Dae-Ho was, or even if someone stronger than Han Dae-Ho came along, they would be powerless in front of Yu-Hyun. This was because those types of people, including Han Dae-Ho, could not use any techniques that utilized divine power, such as blessings, miracles, or healing spells.

    "What''s the use of blessings? Just imagine his fist making contact with your head. I bet your brain fluid would stter the floors before your tears have the chance to roll down your cheeks."

    "That wouldn''t happen in the first ce. Why would Han Dae-Ho punch you in the head?"

    "You never know." Yu-Hyun raised his head and looked at the elevator ceiling as if checking for CCTV cameras.

    Of course, I knew that there were no CCTV cameras in the elevator. I checked for their presence right after entering the elevator.

    Yu-Hyun sighed in relief. "Han Dae-Ho is dangerous."

    "Why?"

    "He has nothing to lose due to his unfortunate family circumstances, and his beliefs are so strong that you can¡¯t persuade him."

    <i>Ding!</i>

    The elevator arrived on the fifth floor. We got off the elevator and continued our conversation.

    "His family circumstances are unfortunate?"

    Yu-Hyun nodded and replied, "Yeah, just a little unfortunate."

    "Besides that, showing respect is not a bad idea. There may be a time when I need his help in the future. Han Dae-Ho is aplished and has a nice socialwork."

    "Hmm," I replied vaguely and nodded.

    "There''s nothing wrong with showing respect."

    It was true that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to show Han Dae-Ho respect. However, on the other hand, it also meant that he only showed respect when necessary, rather than truly respecting the other person. Yu-Hyun did show respect depending on his situation, but so did I. That fact somehow made me ufortable.

    <i>Click.</i>

    As we arrived in front of Min-Seo''s hospital room, Yu-Hyun opened the door and went in without even knocking. Min-Seo was lying down reading a book, and next to the bed was a small boy taking care of her. It was a single room and quite spacious. Because of that, Min-Seo did not notice our presence. I faintly heard Min-Seo and the boy talking.

    "Nuna, water."

    "Thanks. Oh, by the way, how was school?"

    "Hmm... it¡¯s all good, but the teacher makes the lessons hard to understand. Or maybe I''m just stupid and can''t understand..."

    "Should I beat up that teacher?"

    "Huh? Come to think of it, I think I am stupid...!"

    "Is that so? Then you''ll understand it soon enough if you study it. Keep it up."

    The boy helping Min-Seo seemed to be her younger brother. Although his appearance resembled Min-Seo¡¯s, his way of speaking and demeanor were utterly different from hers, so it didn''t feel like he was her sibling.

    Min-Seo talked with her younger sibling while reading her book, and then she suddenly noticed the two of us. She furrowed her brows.

    "What are you guys doing here?" Min-Seo asked abruptly, closing her book.

    It was only then that Yu-Hyun and I finally approached Min-Seo.

    Upon seeing us, her younger sibling stood up from his seat, sped his hands together, and bowed down.

    "Oh, hello! Are you my sister''s friends?" Min-Seo''s sibling happily greeted us.

    "Yeah, are you Min-Seo''s younger sibling?" I smiled and returned their greeting.

    Her sibling returned it with a bright smile of his own. Unlike Min-Seo''s sharp and fierce eyes, which were filled with dissatisfaction and wrath, her sibling''s eyes were clear and bright.

    "That¡¯s right! Oh, then please exchange greetings. I''ll be on my way out."

    "Huh? You can stay. We¡¯ll be leaving soon anyway."

    "Hey, let him go. He has to study anyway."

    I spoke up because I wondered if he felt like he was forced to leave because of us, but Min-Seo stepped forward to send her sibling away. Her sibling nced at us, trying to gauge the situation, and then scurried out of the hospital room.

    Yu-Hyun nced at Min-Seo''s sibling discreetly, then shifted his gaze toward Min-Seo.

    "Younger sibling? That¡¯s cute. Is he in elementary school?"

    "Yeah."

    "Is he your real sibling?"

    "Then would he be my adopted one? Why would you ask that?"

    "No, it''s just that he doesn¡¯t really resemble you. Your sibling seems really kind."

    "Do you think I would be raising him if he had my personality? I would have gotten rid of him a long time ago." Min-Seo chuckled.

    It seemed like a joke, but it also felt somewhat serious because Min-Seo was the one talking. Min-Seo alternated her gaze between the two of us.

    "But why did you suddenlye here?"

    "To visit you. It¡¯s nice to see us, right?" Yu-Hyun said nonchntly.

    "No, it sure fucking isn¡¯t. You should have at least brought some money with you if you were going to pay me a visit."

    "Money? Not even gifts?"

    "Well, what''s the difference? You have to buy gifts with money anyway."

    "Gifts, you know,e from the heart."

    "Bullshit. And money doesn¡¯t?" Min-Seo chuckled sarcastically. "Anyway, why are you guys really here? It''s not like you woulde here just to pay me a visit."

    "Are you going on the mission trip?" I asked the question I had been meaning to ask for a long time.

    The mission trip was creeping up. As someone who had been running errands for Ye-Jin for a while, I knew which student council members were going to attend the mission trip. Su-Ryeon was the only one not attending, while the rest were all attending. However, Min-Seo''s attendance was still unknown. Min-Seo hesitated for a moment at my question.

    "Who''s going?"

    "Everyone except Su-Ryeon."

    "Yu-Hyun, are you going too?" Min-Seo asked.

    Yu-Hyun shrugged. "Maybe? I think I applied for it, though."

    Min-Seo looked at Yu-Hyun with disbelief, then sighed. "Huh... not a single thought behind those eyes, eh?"

    She remained silent, lowering her gaze. It was clear that she was contemting.

    Min-Seo looked at me and asked, "...Is Jin-Seo going too?"

    As I nodded, Min-Seo''s expression darkened even more. Her contemtion appeared to deepen. Silence filled the air as I waited for Min-Seo''s answer. The silence was so thick that one could even make out the sound of the wind shaking the curtains.

    "<i>Sigh</i>... Just say I¡¯m going for now."

    "For now?"

    "I need to see how my ankle heals. Let them know that I¡¯ll make it there if I can walk, but..." Min-Seo narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Jin-Seo is going too? Can she go when she''s in that condition?"

    "What condition is she in?" I asked, suddenly curious.

    Come to think of it, I only knew that Jin-Seo was injured and hospitalized¡ªI didn''t know how she was doing. I only vaguely heard that she was severely injured, but I didn¡¯t think about it too much because I hadn¡¯t had the peace of mind to contact her, nor had I received any form of contact from her.

    Min-Seo looked at me with her characteristically aggressive gaze and opened her mouth. "Haven''t you visited her in the hospital? Are you crazy?"

    "...I didn''t have time."

    "And how busy could you have been? No time, my ass. If you''re curious, go see for yourself. I heard she''s hospitalized on the eighth floor of this building."

    "Aren''t you not on good terms with Jin-Seo? Why are you so interested in her?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Min-Seo turned her head toward Yu-Hyun and raised the corners of her mouth, smiling. Although she was smiling, her eyes looking at Yu-Hyun were empty, devoid of focus. It was a smile that sent chills down one¡¯s back.

    She slowly looked around the room, which seemed empty with only one bed.

    "It''s not that we''re not on good terms... We just don''t understand each other. It''s not that I''m not interested in her."

    ***

    Min-Seo and Yu-Hyun exchanged a few more words. Most of it was small talk, with Yu-Hyun initiating the conversation and Min-Seo responding to him.

    I was a mere observer of their interaction. asionally, when I was asked a question, I would y along and give a suitable answer. From my perspective as a third party, Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo got along well. As I watched, I understood why Yu-Hyun wanted to visit Min-Seo. She was the only one who was somewhat on his wavelength. On the other hand, Yu-Hyun was the only one who could tolerate Min-Seo''s aggressive tone without putting much thought into it.

    "Once you begin to talk to her, Min-Seo''s personality is not that bad, right?" Yu-Hyun said as he walked out of the hospital room.

    "What on earth are you talking about..."

    "No, I¡¯m serious. Even though she can be a bit difficult at times, she can be cute sometimes, you know?"

    I decided to keep my mouth shut. I couldn''t possibly empathize with Yu-Hyun''s words. Of course, I didn¡¯t think Min-Seo was an entirely evil person. Like others who were not good at understanding others'' emotions, she had a reasonably rational and logical side to her. But other than that, she didn¡¯t have any other characteristics. If I had to name one, it would be her masterful ability to piss someone off with her words.

    "Min-Seo''s reputation has been blown out of proportion, just like mine."

    "Yeah." Out of annoyance, I gave a vague response and got on the elevator.

    I went to the eighth floor as Min-Seo had told me. And as soon as I arrived, I felt a sense of unease.

    Compared to the fifth floor, which gave off a very strong hospital atmosphere due to the strong smell of disinfectants, nurses, doctors, and priests specializing in healing running around with tired faces, the eighth floor didn¡¯t feel like a hospital at all.

    Instead of the strong smell of alcohol, I noticed a pleasant scent, like that of flowers, and the doctors, nurses, and priests specializing in healing walking through the hallway seemed rxed. Even though the two floors were inside the same building, it felt like I had entered apletely different world.

    "The F.A. Foundation doesn¡¯t admit patients here for free. You have to pay out of your pocket to be admitted here," Yu-Hyun said.

    He surveyed the environment on the eighth floor. "She¡¯s hospitalized in a nice ce. It makes sense since she does have a lot of money... Oh, there it is. Room 813."

    "But can we just go in like this all of a sudden? Without any procedures?"

    "Well, what does it matter? We''ll just be take a quick look and then we¡¯ll leave," Yu-Hyun said nonchntly and approached room 813.

    <i>Knock knock</i>.

    When Yu-Hyun entered Min-Seo''s room, he opened the door without even knocking, but he cautiously knocked before entering Jin-Seo¡¯s room.

    "You didn''t knock earlier. Why are you doing it now?"

    "I find Jin-Seo a bit scary," Yu-Hyun said and knocked again.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    However, there was no response. He knocked again, but there was still no response. Yu-Hyun tilted his head in confusion.

    "What, is she asleep?"

    "...That¡¯s possible. Let''s just go in." I calmly opened the door, trying to control my growing sense of anxiety.

    Unlike Min-Seo''s empty room, Jin-Seo''s room was filled with various furniture and decorations. Although the size of the single room seemed simr, Jin-Seo''s room had a more uplifting vibe.

    Yu-Hyun and I approached the bed cautiously. By this point, Jin-Seo should have noticed that someone had entered, but there was not even a flinch from her bed. It seemed like she was deeply asleep, covered head to toe by her nket.

    "..."

    I noticed something strange when I realized that the IV needle that should have been stuck in Jin-Seo''s arm was rolling on the floor.

    <i>Swoosh!</i>

    I lifted the nket.

    "...Huh?"

    There was no one on the bed.

 Chapter 200

    <h4>Chapter 200</h4>

    It was possible that Jin-Seo hadn¡¯t disappeared. Instead, she might have been discharged early, or she might have gone outside. Considering that the needle for the IV tube was lying on the floor, the possibility of that being the case was low, but we went to the receptionist to ask, just in case.

    We asked the receptionist whether a patient named Jin-Seo had been discharged.

    "What? She disappeared again?"

    The receptionist seemed a little surprised, but considering that a patient had disappeared, their reaction was quite calm. Moreover, the fact that they used the word <i>again </i>meant that this was not the first time that Jin-Seo had disappeared. The receptionist began tapping on the keyboard before ncing at Yu-Hyun and me.

    ¡°But there was no one scheduled to visit Jin-Seo today... May I ask what your names are?¡± the receptionist asked.

    The receptionist¡¯s face was filled with suspicion and caution. There was a brief silence.

    As I tried to find a suitable excuse, Yu-Hyun took something out of his pocket and handed it to the receptionist.

    He smiled affably and said, ¡°We came here because we had something to deliver to her from the school... But we didn¡¯t know there was a procedure that we had to go through. We¡¯re really close friends, so we knew her room number.¡±

    What Yu-Hyun handed over was his Florence Academy student ID. The receptionist looked back and forth between the ID and his face, then nodded with a small smile.

    "I understand. Next time, pleasee to me first before visiting, or make a reservation by phone. Is the person next to you also from the same school?"

    "Yes, he''s also from Florence Academy. This is a secret, but he''s the boyfriend of the admitted patient."

    "Really?"

    The receptionist seemed surprised as they looked at me with wide eyes. I was so taken aback that I was unable to speak. I couldn''t understand why Yu-Hyun was saying such nonsense to the receptionist.

    Yu-Hyun maintained an affable smile and innocently said, "Yes, we wanted to surprise her, so that¡¯s why we came here without any prior notification... However, we didn¡¯t know it would turn out like this.¡±

    "Ah... then, should I contact you during the visiting hours that are avable tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?¡±

    "Yes, I would appreciate that."

    The receptionist handed us a piece of paper. Yu-Hyun wrote his phone number on the memo with a pen.

    He casually handed the memo to the receptionist but suddenly stared at the receptionist''s face and said, ¡°By any chance, could you call us with your private phone instead of the hospital phone?¡±

    "Huh? Um... it''s possible, but why?"

    "I don''t have a girlfriend yet, you see."

    After btedly understanding Yu-Hyun¡¯s words, the receptionist¡¯s pupils shifted left and right due to being flustered.

    "...I will contact you using the hospital phone during visiting hours."

    "Ah... yes, I understand for now," Yu-Hyun said with a smile.

    It was difficult to call it a relief, but due to Yu-Hyun¡¯s nonsense, I made it through this dilemma without being questioned or having to verify my identity. However, it was hard to say that the predicament had been resolved well because the nonsense that Yu-Hyun had spouted was bothering me.

    As soon as we left the hospital, I asked, "What were you thinking? Are you insane?"

    "Why are you suddenly swearing at me?"

    "Why did you tell that unnecessary lie?¡±

    "Oh, that?"

    Yu-Hyun took out his phone and aimlessly stared at it as he said, "The receptionist was pretty, so I tried to rizz her up a little. And in situations like this, leaving a favorable impression on the other person is morefortable and faster than approaching it logically.¡±

    "Is that so? But it seems like you didn¡¯t leave a favorable impression either.¡±

    "Well, it doesn''t matter. We made it through that situation, so all is well that ends well.¡±

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that using me to get through that situation just felt messed up.¡±

    "Then next time, you can use my name too. If you use it well, you can get through most situations, you know?"

    "..."

    I decided to stop talking to him midway through the conversation. There was simply no way to get through to this guy.

    Yu-Hyun silently stared at me, and then he grinned by raising one side of his lip in a bizarre manner. "But you do this kind of thing often too. Am I wrong?"

    "Get lost if you don''t want to die."

    "Alright. I don¡¯t really want to die yet.¡±

    We parted ways after that conversation. I returned to the dormitory and tried calling Jin-Seo, but she didn''t answer. I thought about leaving a message but decided against it. Judging by the receptionist''s reaction, it didn''t seem like something big had happened to her, but I still felt uneasy for some reason.

    [Are you worried?]

    "No... actually, maybe a little."

    I tried to deny Legba''s question but changed my mind and agreed with him. It was true that I was a little worried. The demon that had appeared at the practical examination site had been openly targeting her. At that time, I managed to ovee the crisis by establishing a contract with Damba, but I had no idea when the demon would appear again and attack her.

    Damba slithered up onto my bed and said, [When that happens, use me, kid.]

    Her head, in the form of a small snake, swayed from side to side. At first, it was a little scary, but the more I looked at her, the cuter she seemed.

    I carefully stroked Damba''s head with my finger and said, "I''ll assess the situation and make a decision. I don''t n on using you right away."

    [Alright, feel free to do so. But why are you petting my head without my permission?]

    "Am I not allowed to do so?"

    [It¡¯s not that you aren¡¯t allowed to do so. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s unpleasant.]

    I continued to pet Damba''s head. In the past, I had been only scared of her, but now, I somehow felt that she was friendly and even a little cute. When I was young, such a thought would have been unimaginable. It was quite surprising.

    ***

    I thought that there would be a lot of leisure time right after the exam period had ended, but after arriving at school, I found out that there was actually quite a lot to do. During break time, I was called to the teacher''s office, and I had to catch up on the work that had piled up during my absence. They were minor tasks such as distributing newsletters or delivering notifications rting to the exam.

    "Sun-Woo, how does this look? Do you think this difficulty level is appropriate for a pop quiz?"

    asionally, the teachers in charge of the Understanding the Holy Books or the Romanican Sacred Science sses called me to seek advice on the difficulty of the pop quiz or the ss.

    "Hmm... it seems a little easy."

    "Really? This should be good enough, then."

    "Huh?"

    "It needs to be a little easy for you for the other students to have a chance of solving it, my boy.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t all that great at the other subjects, but I was getting fairly good grades in Understanding the Holy Books and Romanican Sacred Science, so the teachers often sought my advice. For the sake of the future, it seemed like it would be a good idea to get on the teachers¡¯ good side, so I tried to answer the questions that they asked sincerely.

    When I wasing out of the teacher¡¯s office and about to return to my ssroom, I encountered Jin-Seo. She was standing below the stairs, supporting herself with a crutch and with a cast on one of her arms. It seemed like she was having trouble going up the stairs because of the cast and the crutch.

    "..."

    Eventually, she noticed me. Her expression was not as easy to decipher as usual¡ªit seemed to me like she was surprised. She stared at me for a while, then used her crutch to approach me.

    She handed me her crutch out of the blue and said, "Carry this for a second.¡±

    It was a simple request, so I held her crutch for a moment. She spread her arms out wide toward me and said, "Okay, now carry me."

    "...Why should I?"

    "I hurt my leg and can''t go up the stairs."

    "..."

    Actually, despite having a cast and a crutch, her condition wasn''t that serious. I could tell by her walking posture. She seemed to be in good enough physical condition to climb the stairs alone. I didn''t think there was a need to carry her, so as a sign of refusal, I returned the crutch to her. However, she didn''t ept the crutch.

    "Aren¡¯t you going to carry me?"

    "You can climb up by yourself, can¡¯t you?"

    "I can¡¯t believe the Holy Name of Charity is just abandoning an injured person on the streets."

    "You''re supposed to be the Holy Name of Patience. Just endure it."

    After hearing my words, Jin-Seo shut her mouth and red at me.

    "You¡¯re really being harsh here..."

    "Don''t pretend like you''re sulking."

    "I''m not pretending," she said sullenly, as if she were really upset.

    I didn''t notice from afar, but up close, I saw a few band-aids on her face. Looking at Jin-Seo, who was looking at me with a pitiful face, my heart weakened, and in the end, I caved in. She climbed onto my back as if she had been waiting.

    "Ugh."

    Her weight settled on my back.

    "Don¡¯t make such an exaggerated grunt. I know I¡¯m not that heavy.¡±

    "You¡¯re heavier than I thought."

    "...It¡¯s because I¡¯m tall," Jin-Seo said as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

    "Why are you wrapping your arms around me?"

    "It''s morefortable this way. Isn''t it morefortable for you too?"

    "I guess so."

    It was definitely easier to carry her like this. However, it felt ufortable to have her body pressed against mine. I carried her up the stairs. I had told her earlier that she was heavy, but in reality, she was quite lightpared to her build, so I could climb the stairs without difficulty.

    She pressed her chin against my shoulder from behind and said, "But I¡¯m a bit disappointed."

    "Why?"

    "Because you never came to visit me at the hospital."

    "I went, but you weren''t there."

    "Huh... really?"

    I nodded.

    "Where did you go? I asked the receptionist, but they didn''t know where you were."

    "...Um, I went for a walk?"

    "Why¡¯d you go for a walk when you were injured?"

    "It''s like exercise for rehabilitation."

    ¡°If you wander around like that and then get...¡±

    I stopped talking at that point. Everyone knew that she had been hospitalized after getting injured, but only I knew that demons had injured her. I might spark unnecessary misunderstandings or suspicions if I spoke too hastily. After a moment of silence, I faintly heard Jin-Seoughing.

    "Why are you so nosy? Are you obsessed with me?"

    "What? Who said that..."

    "So, did you wait for me at the hospital?"

    "Why would I wait? You weren''t there, so I went back out."

    "That''s a shame."

    "I was a little worried, though."

    I honestly expressed the emotions that I felt at that time. I thought that if I said this, she might be more careful in the future.

    At this point in time, we had already arrived in front of Jin-Seo''s ssroom. I carefully helped her down and handed her the crutch I was holding. She took the crutch and looked at me intently with a strange expression.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" I asked, tilting my head.

    "Huh? No, nothing," she said, lowering her gaze.

    Then, she murmured, "...This is really bad."

    "What¡¯s really bad?"

    "It¡¯s worse than I... um, never mind," Jin-Seo said, shaking her head.

    Then, she walked toward her ssroom. She was walking in a much more natural way than before. In fact, it was a healthier stride than most students. I had vaguely known that her condition was alright, but seeing it with my own eyes made me feel betrayed.

    "Hey, you''re walking just fine."

    "Yeah," Jin-Seo casually replied. "I wanted to get carried around just once. Thanks."

    She smiled and waved at me. Then she entered the ssroom.

    I nced at the hallway for a moment. Her smile still lingered in my mind. It was the first time she had shown such a carefree smile.

 Chapter 201

    <h4>Chapter 201</h4>

    "In-Ah said she couldn''te because she''s sick... I''m sorry to say this, but because your holidays were canceled, it will soon be exam period again. Don¡¯t y around all day, and make sure to prepare properly.¡±

    Instead of Ye-Jin, Jung-Hak took charge of the homeroom. Upon hearing that the exam period was approaching again, sighs spread among the students.

    Now that I think about it, Jung-Hak was always acting as the homeroom teacher these days instead of Ye-Jin. Even when I went to the teacher''s office for something, I never saw Ye-Jin''s face.

    In-Ah was absent. If we included today, she had been absent for an entire week. I tried contacting her, but she didn''t respond. It was impossible for me to figure out why she was sick and how ill she was.

    "Ah, Sun-Woo,e down to the teacher''s office after you''re done."

    Afterward, Jung-Hak left the ssroom. Ye-Jin had called me to the teacher¡¯s office a couple of times before, but this was the first time Jung-Hak had called me over, so I went down to the teacher¡¯s office with a hint of apprehension.

    Even after I arrived next to him, he continued staring at the monitor with a tired face.

    "...Teacher?" I called out.

    In response, Jung-Hak turned his head toward me as if slightly surprised.

    "Ah, right. I told you toe down. Really... I''ve been so absent-mindedtely, seriously..." Jung-Hak muttered with a hoarse voice and then rummaged through the papers scattered on his desk.

    He took a particr document and handed it to me. I impulsively epted the document.

    Jung-Hak tapped the document with his finger and said, "You. Um, that girl. The one that didn¡¯te today... In-Ah. Are you close with her?¡±

    "Yes, I am," I confidently replied.

    Jung-Hak nodded.

    "That''s a relief. That¡¯s In-Ah¡¯s report card, and it needs to be delivered to In-Ah by today. I nned to give it to her once she came to school, but since she¡¯s been sick for a week, it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    "Ah..."

    "Can you directly give it to her? Also, tell her to sign her name on the bottom right of the report.¡±

    "Understood."

    "Great, thank you~" Jung-Hak then immediately shifted his gaze back to the monitor screen.

    His hunched neck and bloodshot eyes indicated he was extremely tired. I said goodbye to him and immediately returned to the ssroom. And then I texted In-Ah.

    "..."

    There was no reply. During lunchtime, I checked my phone again, but there was no response or message. I always ate lunch with In-Ah, so without her here, I didn''t have anyone else to eat with. Honestly, it didn''t really matter if I ate alone, and if I really didn¡¯t want to eat alone, I could just go find Dae-Man.

    But Dae-Man always exercised after eating, so on days when I ate with him, I had to exercise too without exception. Moreover, Dae-Man was spending a lot of time with Su-Ryeon these days. If I decided to eat with Dae-Man, I might end up in an awkward situation where I would be the third wheel.

    [If you don''t like being alone, I can be yourpanion,] Legba said.

    It was nice of him to offer to be mypanion, but I could not respond to him while I was in the cafeteria. It would be painful if I could only listen to Legba¡¯s words without being able to reply.

    "Hmm."

    There wasn¡¯t really any other method. In the end, I left the ssroom and decided to eat alone. At that moment, I noticed a student peeking into the ssroom while standing at the entrance. It was a student with long gray hair who always hung out with Ha-Yeon. Her name was... probably Ra-Hee.

    After spotting me, she eximed, "...Ah!"

    She then approached me and abruptly asked, "Hey, are you able to contact Ha-Yeon by any chance?¡±

    Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since Ist received contact from Ha-Yeon. Although she didn''t contact me frequently, she would asionally send a message. But recently, I hadn''t received a single text from her. I spected that Sung Yu-Da might have said something to Ha-Yeon on the day I met with Sung Yu-Da, but I wasn''t certain...

    "No, we haven''t been in touchtely. Why?" I replied while tilting my head.

    Ra-Hee sighed and said, "She suddenly stoppeding to school, and I can¡¯t contact her either... Do you really not know anything?"

    "I don''t."

    "Ah man... howe you don¡¯t know?¡±

    "What?"

    To begin with, I never had a close rtionship with Ha-Yeon. The day I met Sung Yu-Da, I briefly pretended to be close to her in order to set the stage, but all the things I said back then were just lies to break the ice. But now, all of a sudden, Ra-Hee was demanding responsibility from me. Perhaps her personality was distorted due to being around Ha-Yeon for too long.

    "Why the heck are you asking me¡ª"

    "Hey, Sun-Woo! Do you want to go out and grab some food today?"

    Just as I was about to say something harsh, another unwee face appeared. It was Yu-Hyun. He came over to me while sweating profusely as if he had just finished exercising.

    He looked back and forth between me and Ra-Hee, then pointed his thumb at Ra-Hee and said, "Who''s this? Isn''t this Ha-Yeon''s friend?"

    "..."

    Ra-Hee stared at Yu-Hyun in silence, then turned around and left. Thest expression I saw on her face was difort. She seemed to be upset by Yu-Hyun''s behavior. Of course, that had nothing to do with me. In fact, it was beneficial for me because I didn¡¯t have to try to figure out a way to chase Ra-Hee away.

    "...What was that?" Yu-Hyun said.

    He briefly nced at Ra-Hee, but soon turned his head back in my direction as if he didn''t care at all.

    "Hey, let''s eat out today. The school lunch is practically a crime against humanity. I can''t eat it," Yu-Hyun said.

    "Don''t you have any friends?"

    "Well, are you standing around like this because you also don¡¯t have friends?¡± Yu-Hyun said.

    What he said wasn¡¯t wrong.

    "But how do we leave the school? The security won''t let us out."

    "We can climb over the fence. Our school fence isn''t that high."

    "Sounds like a pain."

    "Ah,e on..." Yu-Hyun muttered under his breath.

    I had no reason to ept Yu-Hyun''s suggestion. Since I couldn''t taste anything anyway, there was no need to take the risk of going out to eat when I had the option of eating school lunch for free.

    At that moment, Yu-Hyun''s eyes sparkled as if he had thought of something and he said, "Hey,e to think of it, did you receive any papers or documents resembling something like a thesis from your father?"

    ¡°...A thesis?"

    "Any kind of paperwork or even a book, you know. Anyway, anything like that. Some sort of record."

    I had no memory of receiving such a thing. I knew that my father had researched spells and sometimes even divine power. I also knew he had written numerous papers and books on the subject. However, nothing remained. What was avable to the public had been abolished during the Holy War, and the rest had disappeared without a trace.

    I stepped closer and asked Yu-Hyun, "You... how much do you know?"

    I looked around. It was lunchtime, so no students were around, but the CCTV installed on the corridor ceiling was observing us. I could neutralize it with Ogun''s power, but... there was no need to use the power of the Loa at school.

    "Yeah, let''s go out and grab something to eat."

    "...No,e to think of it, maybe it''s better to just have the school lunch?" Yu-Hyun said while taking a step back.

    "Let''s go out. Didn''t you say let''s go out and eat earlier?" I said more forcefully.

    I knew very little about my father''s research records. On the other hand, Yu-Hyun seemed to know something about them. I needed to know how much he knew.

    "Come to think of it, I think I made ns to eat with another friend. It''s a priormitment, sorry!"

    "Hey."

    I stared at him straight in the eye and said, "Even if I kill you, I can still obtain the information from somewhere else. It''s just more troublesome to do so, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m keeping you alive at the moment."

    "..."

    "If I think it''s more convenient to get the information from somewhere else, I''ll kill you. There''s no reason to keep someone useless and dangerous alive."

    "...Then you''ll be in danger too, like I saidst time."

    "So what?"

    I prepared to use Ogun''s power and said, "I can die. I¡¯ve already decided who my sessor is going to be. Do you think it will be difficult for me to kill you before I die?¡±

    Yu-Hyun listened to my words and fell silent. His pupils trembled as he looked at me.

    "Ah, fuck. I shouldn¡¯t have said that...¡± Yu-Hyun muttered in dissatisfaction and started leading the way.

    Crossing the fence was easy. The fence at Florence Academy was quite low, and there was a particr section that was lower than the other sections. By crossing that spot, I could easily leave the school without much effort. It was a secluded ce where people rarely passed by, so I didn''t have to worry about being caught.

    After crossing the fence, Yu-Hyun took me to a restaurant near the school. It was a very run-down restaurant with no intact signs or decent interior.

    "Didn¡¯t this ce go bankrupt?"

    "It¡¯s always these kinds of ces that are hidden gems. It¡¯s also more convenient to converse in a ce like this.¡±

    Like Yu-Hyun said, it was easy to have conversations here. There was obviously no CCTV, the owner only came out of the kitchen to take orders and serve food, and there were no other customers besides us.

    I tried the food Yu-Hyun rmended, but I couldn¡¯t taste anything particrly special. Yu-Hyun ate the food as if it was delicious. When he was almost done with his meal, I said, "Let''s continue the conversation we were having earlier."

    "Ah, yeah... wait a second. Can''t we talk after eating? I feel like I might choke if I talk while eating."

    I nodded. I could at least wait that long. After finishing his meal, Yu-Hyun drank some water and wiped his mouth before finally starting to talk.

    "...Anyway, I asked if you had any research records or something like that earlier."

    "Yeah. I don''t have anything at the moment."

    "Nothing? Hm..."

    After gulping down some water, Yu-Hyun said, "Really? I guess there''s just nothing then."

    "Ogun."

    <i>Screech¡ª!</i>

    As I called out Ogun, the chopsticks on the table flew toward Yu-Hyun''s right eye.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    I caught it before it could pierce Yu-Hyun''s eyeball. The chopsticks, now burning red with heat, trembled in front of Yu-Hyun''s pupil. His face turned pensive in an instant.

    "Do you know where the research data is?"

    "..."

    I dipped the chopsticks into the water and said, "Don''t lie from now on. I can''t stop it twice."

    The heat subsided and there was a sizzling sound. Yu-Hyun wiped off his cold sweat and took a deep breath.

    "...You know about the coboration between Sung Yu-Da and your father, right? Noah''s Ark was one of those projects," he said.

    "I know."

    Back when I took the test for the Holy Name of Charity re-election, I remembered what Noah, the owner of the Ark, had said to me. Noah had directly mentioned my father''s name and said that my father was one of the people who had created the Ark. And in the memories that I had glimpsed through the spell engraved on the ring, Sung Yu-Da and my father had been friends.

    Yu-Hyun nodded slowly and said, "Then Sung Yu-Da must have it."

    "Do you have any solid evidence to make such a conclusion? He might have thrown it away."

    "There''s obviously no way that Do Myung... your father threw it away. And Sung Yu-Da can''t throw it away either."

    "It would only be dangerous for him if he held on to it. The documents would be useless if you weren¡¯t one of us.¡±

    Here, the word ''us'' referred to the Voodoo Cult. Father studied the power of spells and the Loa. In particr, he delved deeply into the study of spells. From the perspective of the Romanican Church, which could not use Voodoo magic, Father''s research data would have had little significance. It would have only been dangerous to possess it. It could raise suspicions of being involved with the Voodoo Cult or having connections with the Voodoo Cult.

    "Nevertheless, the fact that he hasn''t discarded it yet means that the documents have value for us as well," Yu-Hyun said.

    Ogun''s power did not activate. It meant that his words were all true.

    ***

    Yu-Hyun seemed to know quite a lot about the research data. So I threw a few questions at him, but Yu-Hyun didn''t say anything particrly informative. However, he seemed to be confident that Sung Yu-Da had the research data. I didn¡¯t know about anything else, but it seemed like that statement was highly likely to be true.

    I carefully considered what he said. If Sung Yu-Da had the research data, I would have to obtain it from him. However, I didn''t have a method to obtain it from him. Sung Yu-Da was still wary of me because of the previous incident. It would be convenient if I used Ha-Yeon, but the problem was that she was noting to school. I tried to call her to ask her about something rted to Sung Yu-Da, but she didn¡¯t ept the call.

    It wasn¡¯t that Ha-Yeon had missed the call. She was deliberately rejecting my calls. I aimlessly stared at my phone and thought about a method to meet Sung Yu-Da again. More precisely, I thought about a method I could use to retrieve the research data in his possession. The only method that immediately came to mind was sneaking into Sung Yu-Da''s mansion and taking the data, but it was too risky, so I decided to put it on hold for now.

    [There''s also the mission triping up soon,] Legba said to me as Iy on the bed.

    I nodded my head.

    "Right."

    [Don''t you have anything to prepare?]

    "I need to bring the letter... and prepare some holy artifacts. And I also need to do some preliminary work."

    I had to bring along the letter that Yun Chang-Su, the Voodoo executive from the Gangwon Branch, had given to me. Without it, I wouldn''t be able to get the cooperation of the museum staff. Just in case, I also needed to bring holy artifacts and engrave spells on the ring and my body beforehand. Ideally, I didn''t want to have to use the spells that would be engraved on my body, but I still had to engrave the spells just in case.

    [And also...] Legba was about to say something but stopped.

    I wondered why he suddenly stopped talking, but then I heard the sound of my phone ringing. I reached out from my bed and grabbed my phone. I was receiving a call from In-Ah. Without hesitation, I answered the call.

    "Hello. What¡¯s up?"

    - ...

    Due to my urgency, my tone came out sharp. Perhaps because of that, In-Ah didn''t respond to me. Her silence created a deep stillness. Faint sounds of rustling and In-Ah''s breathing could be heard. No other sounds were audible.

    "...Are you home? What are you doing? Are you okay?"

    <i>¡®It means that the time hase for that friend to leave.¡¯</i>

    Baron Samedi''s voice echoed in my mind. I looked around and searched for his presence, but there were no rattling skulls or even a glimpse of a silk hat. Nor was there the purple mist that always apanied Baron Samedi. Up until noon, Baron Samedi had been by my side. In-Ah''s voice didn''te through, and Baron Samedi had suddenly disappeared.

    "Hey, In-Ah. Where are you right now...!"

    <i>Beep. </i>

    The call disconnected.

 Chapter 202

    <h4>Chapter 202</h4>

    Baron Samedi had vanished, and I had heard the faint sound of breathing during the phone call that had ended abruptly. Everything felt ominous.

    I tried to think positively.

    Baron Samedi must have gone to seduce another woman as usual. In-Ah had identally called me, so that was why she hadn¡¯t said anything. The reason why the phone call was cut off must have been for the same reason. As my thoughts began to lean toward the foreboding feeling that I had, I was unable to think positively.

    I recalled how Baron Samedi had casually talked about In-Ah''s death while exhaling cigarette smoke. I thought about the sight of chrysanthemums ced on In-Ah''s desk. I thought of Yoon-Ah, who would be left alone.

    [Come back.] Legba''s voice snapped me back to reality, and I realized I was already outside.

    I was walking aimlessly towards In-Ah''s house. Cold sweat was pouring out. Even though I wasn¡¯t cold, my teeth were chattering and shing together. I thought about the cat that had burned to nothingness along with my room.

    [It''s probably no big deal, so just go back,] Legba said, but I didn''t stop walking.

    "How do you know that?"

    [That child is better at taking care of herself than you. I guarantee it. If she were sick, she would have gone to the hospital a long time ago.]

    "She could be too sick to go to the hospital."

    [Kids your age don''t get that sick. Besides, humans don''t die that easily.]

    "..."

    I ignored Legba''s words and kept walking.

    His words about humans not dying easily were only partially true. Humans did possess an incredibly resilient life force that defiedmon sense, but asionally they would pass away so easily that it was almost impossible to believe.

    [Besides, even if she does die, what''s wrong with dying?]

    "This isn''t just a matter of right or wrong..."

    [I understand. You''re scared right now, aren''t you?] Legba continued speaking without even acknowledging what I had said.

    [What are you scared of right now? Are you scared of the death of that child named In-Ah?]

    "..."

    [Or are you scared of missing the opportunity for you to repent?]

    I silently continued to walk.

    Legba was right. I wasn''t afraid of In-Ah''s death itself.

    The mission trip was just around the corner. If everything went ording to n, Yoon-Ah would once again return to being a human. But I was afraid of In-Ah dying before that urred. I was afraid of not even having a chance to wash away my sins.

    Perhaps, just like Legba said, In-Ah was perfectly fine. Maybe I was making a mountain out of a molehill. However, if by any chance something went wrong with In-Ah, and if I was able to stop that from happening but I didn¡¯t do so, I felt like my regret would be too immeasurable.

    [I see, so is this also your choice?]

    I nodded. This was also a choice. I had to make a choice that I wouldn''t regret.

    [Then at least check the time.]

    After leaving those words, Legba disappeared.

    ***

    I arrived at In-Ah''s house and tried calling her again.

    Just as I expected, she didn¡¯t answer. I rang the doorbell. No one came out. I tried knocking, but there was no response. I pressed the doorbell again and waited, but still no one came out.

    "..."

    Even if she was deeply asleep, normally she would wake up after hearing the doorbell. And even before that, she should have woken up after hearing the ringtone on her phone. She shouldn¡¯t be sleeping so deeply at this time of the day in the first ce. The sun had set, but it wasn''tpletely dark yet.

    I stared at the lock on In-Ah''s front door.

    "Ogun."

    I used Ogun''s power. I intended to unlock the door with it, but it didn¡¯t go ording to n. Ogun wasn''t lending me his power.

    [You haven''t forgotten the fact that what I hate is not just lies, right?] Ogun said with a voice that was as cold as ice, yet at the same time, a voice that was burning hot. I could sense anger in his tone.

    He hated lies and thieves. Therefore, I wouldn''t be able to borrow Ogun''s power when picking the lock.

    "Bossou."

    Then, I simply had to break the door with pure strength. I called upon Bossou.

    [Insufficient offerings. I can not lend you my strength!]

    "I''m sure I gave you an offering just the day before yesterday."

    [...Actually, I just thought it would be better for you to think things through one more time. It feels like the Prophet needs some rest,] Bossou said.

    "..."

    All of the Loa were opposing my judgment. This had been a frequent urrencetely.

    Back when I confined Yu-Hyun and interrogated him, Ji-Ah didn''t listen to me and came out of my room. The Loa didn¡¯t listen to me either. No, they had never listened to me from the beginning. They never moved ording to my will.

    Did anything ever work out the way I wanted it to? I had always been swept away by the situation, and I had always chosen the only method that could help me survive in that situation. It was a realization that was somewhat obvious.

    I grabbed the door handle in frustration. And with my other hand, I unleashed divine power. If I used blessings and exerted strength, eventually the door handle or the door would break, and I would be able to open the door.

    <i>Click.</i>

    However, before I could even unleash my divine power, the door opened. I hadn¡¯t even turned the door knob. Through the crack of the open door, a familiar face appeared.

    In-Ah was silently looking at me. When I realized that it was In-Ah, suddenly I felt that her face seemed unfamiliar. The reason why I felt that her face was unfamiliar was because Yoon-Ah''s face ovepped with hers. That was how emaciated In-Ah¡¯s face looked.

    We faced each other. In the silence, In-Ah suddenly tried to close the door.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    I quickly squeezed my foot into the door crack. In-Ah struggled as she was unable to open or close the door. She eventually ended up ring at me with a frown.

    I nced at her narrowed eyes. In-Ah sighed as she unlocked the door chain and opened the door.

    "...Why did youe all of a sudden?"

    Her voice was very small. It seemed like she didn''t have the strength to speak loudly. I took out her report card that I had folded up and kept in my pocket.

    "I came to deliver your report card."

    ***

    The truth was, In-Ah seemed to be really sick, so I tried to cook a simple soup like before and brought it to her. She obviously hadn¡¯t been eating properly while she was resting due to being sick. However, In-Ah didn''t easily let me into her house.

    "Of course, you can¡¯te in! It''s strange enough that you''re trying toe into my house, especially at this time!"

    "What''s strange about it?"

    "...If I say it¡¯s strange, then it''s strange," In-Ah said and led me outside.

    We went to a park near her house and found a bench to sit on. Before we knew it, it was already dark outside.

    She would asionally look up at the sky or lower her head to look at the ground, and sometimes she would turn her head to look at me. But she only looked at me and didn''t say anything.

    I quietly stared at her and said, "How bad were you sick? For you to take a week off from school."

    "...It wasn''t that bad," In-Ah said while lowering her head.

    "I just... pretended to be sick because I didn''t want to go to school."

    "Really?"

    No matter how I looked at it, In-Ah looked visibly unwell. Her body was even thinner than before, to the point where I was worried she might disappearpletely. But she was acting like she waspletely fine. It seemed like she wanted to act as if she was okay.

    So, I didn''t press her further. Because there were moments when I felt like that too.

    "Why didn''t you want to go?"

    "...It''s not that I didn''t want to go. It''s just... I will have to go again starting from next week. I kind of wanted to go back to school after taking a week off," In-Ah said with a smile.

    However, her smile looked forced. It obviously looked awkward because it was a forced smile. She still wasn''t good at lying, so I was relieved.

    "Why didn''t you want to go?"

    "No... It''s not that I didn''t want to go. I just..." In-Ah trailed off and dropped her gaze to the floor.

    She seemed unsure of what to say. I waited for her to continue, but she only pursed her lips without saying anything more. I could hear the wind blowing in the silence. The air that the wind was carrying was heavy.

    I looked at her, who had her mouth shut, and nodded.

    "You don''t have to say anything."

    "...What do you mean?"

    "You don''t want to tell me at the moment, right?¡±

    She must also have things that she didn''t want to share with anyone and concerns that wouldn''t be resolved even if she told someone. I also had many things that I hadn¡¯t told her and many things that I couldn''t say.

    The truth was, it seemed like I wasn¡¯t all that curious about why she was suffering. It was enough for me to know that she was still alive. I didn''t want to dig into things that she couldn''t talk about right now.

    "It''s not that I don''t want to talk about it," she said while slowly shaking her head.

    "Then what is it?"

    "It''s just... It''s nothing important, but I hate that it seems like it¡¯s not important, so I was wondering how to say it."

    "Just say it. You can just think of it as no big deal.¡±

    "Wait, don''t rush me. I''m going to say it anyway," In-Ah said as she red at me.

    She quietly sat there as if trying to organize her thoughts and then took a deep breath. Then she exhaled and smiled. It was a much more natural smile than before.

    "My parents should havee this week... No, they should haveest week. But their ns got postponed, so they''ll probablye in two weeks," she said.

    "Yeah," I replied.

    "I got my hopes up for nothing and ended up disappointed. It made me a little depressed, especially since I''m still not used to being alone at home. And also..."

    She abruptly stopped talking and then nced at me. I was patiently listening to her talk.

    She continued, "Oh, by the way, this is just something I want to mention. I saw you with Ha-Yeon the weekend beforest weekend."

    "The weekend beforest weekend...?"

    If she saw me with Ha-Yeon, it must have been the day I met Sung Yu-Da.

    "Yeah, I was with Ha-Yeon at that time. We had ns to meet," I exined.

    "Oh, really? So you had time to meet her, but you didn¡¯t have time to contact me?"

    "Did I not contact you then?"

    "Look at this, you don''t even remember."

    In-Ah pouted her lips.

    I wondered whether this was something she should be this angry over. "Did that really hurt you that much? To the point of not going to school."

    "Of course... not. It''s not because of that! Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier? That this was just something that I was mentioning?¡±

    "If this was just something that you were mentioning, it seems like there was no need to say it now.¡±

    In-Ah reluctantly gave up and said, "...Fine, I was a little hurt. What? Is it not okay if I feel hurt?"

    She continued, "Were you always this close with Ha-Yeon?"

    "It¡¯s not that I wasn¡¯t always this close. I¡¯m not close to her even right now.¡±

    "What? Then why were you together back then?"

    "I wasn¡¯t meeting Ha-Yeon. I was meeting Sung Yu-Da... the former cardinal."

    I was about to just say Sung Yu-Da, but I hastily added honorifics to refer to him by his title. In-Ah looked at me with widened eyes as if she were surprised.

    After blinking her eyes, the sight of her avoiding eye contact after meeting my eyes looked foolish and a little cute. She lowered her head and smiled.

    "What? So it was just a misunderstanding."

    "Pretty much. Why are you going around misunderstanding things by yourself?¡±

    "...What? Why are you talking like that? Do you want to fight?" In-Ah said while ring at me.

    She stopped staring at me and smiled. "Anyway, I''m d that it was a misunderstanding."

    "So it was because of this that you didn¡¯t show up at school after all.¡±

    "No, it''s not like that, you idiot! Do I look like such a shallow person? If we''re going to talk about the reason...¡±

    In-Ah, who was speaking confidently, suddenly trailed off. Her expression suddenly darkened. In-Ah looked up somewhere. I also followed her gaze and looked up. I saw a bird''s nest on the tree.

    "The reason is...¡± she muttered while looking at the nest.

    I looked at her and asked, "The reason is?¡±

    "...Ah, right! I guess I was upset because of you. It''s your fault, really."

    "How did it turn out like this?"

    "Well, if I got hurt because of you, it''s your fault, isn''t it?"

    "Huh..."

    I pretended to be dumbfounded by her words. It seemed like there was a separate reason that made her so upset, but she didn''t want to talk about it.

    In-Ah pressed her temple with her finger and tightly closed her eyes. She seemed to have a headache.

    "Do you have a headache?"

    "A little... but I''m okay. Should we start heading back?" In-Ah said as she got up from her seat.

    The smile that she had on her face was a little awkward. It bothered me, but I nodded and silently got up from my seat to follow her. I considered apanying her directly to her house, but In-Ah refused. When I tried to insist on apanying her, In-Ah sighed and pointed to a streetlight in the distance with her finger.

    "Then just take me there. Don''t take me all the way home. It feels like I''m taking away your time for no reason."

    "You''re not going to faint while going home again like you didst time, right?"

    "Come on. I¡¯m not that sick. You worry too much,¡± In-Ah said with a smile.

    Her smile felt lonely for some reason. I escorted her to the streetlight that she had pointed to.

    As we exchanged farewells and were about to part ways, she stared at me intently from under the streetlight. It felt like she had something to say, so I waited for a moment.

    She pursed her lips for a moment, then looked straight at me as if she had made up her mind and said, "...So, the mission trip. When did you say you were going?"

    "ording to the schedule, it''s the day after tomorrow."

    "How long will you be gone?"

    "I think it was either a three-day, two-night trip or a four-day, three-night trip... Probably a three-day, two-night trip."

    "Ah, I see..."

    In-Ah lowered her head with a faint smile. The streetlight cast a long shadow over her eyshes.

    She lifted her gaze from the ground and looked at me again. There was no longer a smile on her face.

    "...Um, is there a chance that you won''t go?¡± she asked while pulling at my cor.

 Chapter 203

    <h4>Chapter 203</h4>

    In-Ah gently tugged at the cor of my clothes. Although she didn¡¯t use too much strength, I took a step toward her as I was pulled in her direction.

    Her slumped shoulders and her hand gripping my cor trembled slightly.

    Looking at her, I said, "...I guess it¡¯s possible for me to not go."

    In-Ah had her head lowered, so only her forehead was visible. She didn''t raise her head and just held onto my cor.

    Was she crying at the moment? Or was she frowning, or perhaps smiling? Before, even if I couldn¡¯t see her expression, I could deduce what she was thinking based on her tone of voice and her gestures. However, it was currently impossible to tell what she was thinking about right now. I couldn¡¯t even tell whether she was crying or smiling. The shadow cast by the streetlight made her expression even darker.

    "Then, can you not go?"

    "..."

    Raising her head, In-Ah said, "Don''t go."

    Instead of fragile tears, I could see the firm determination in her gaze. However, her lips were still pouting. Even when I stared into her eyes, she didn''t avoid my gaze.

    I shook my head.

    "...It¡¯ll be awkward if I suddenly say that I¡¯m not going to go two days before the trip. And it¡¯s not like I have an excuse to not go either.¡±

    In-Ah grabbed my cor again.

    "Say that you¡¯re scared," she said.

    I was dragged along by her, unable to resist.

    She continued, "Say that you can¡¯t go because the religion over there is different. Say that it¡¯s because the Imic religion and the Romanican religion are currently on bad terms, and that you feel that it¡¯s too dangerous to go. Or just say that you are scared of flying on the ne.¡±

    ¡°How can I pretend to be scared when I¡¯m not?¡±

    "Why not? Aren¡¯t you good at lying?"

    I shut my mouth. It seemed like she was still highly conscious of the fact that I had deceived her during the practical exam.

    In-Ah stared at my face for a long while, then dropped her gaze to the floor. "...Sorry. I spoke without thinking just now."

    "No, it''s alright. About what happened during the practical exam... I would also have been pissed if that had happened to me.¡±

    Releasing my cor, In-Ah said, ¡°The truth is... it¡¯s because I¡¯m so scared.¡±

    "What are you afraid of?"

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid of you noting back.¡±

    With a smile, I said, "I wille back."

    She looked at my face intently. I wanted her to also reciprocate with a smile, but contrary to my expectations, her expression hardened.

    "How can you guarantee that?"

    ¡°There is no reason for me to not make it back.¡±

    "You could get assaulted by terrorists, or a Satanist could appear.¡±

    "Those things usually don''t happen."

    "We''ve experienced too many events that usually don''t happen."

    I looked at In-Ah. This was the first time I realized that such deep sadness could exist within someone¡¯s eyes without containing even a trace of moisture.

    "Can you guarantee that such things won''t happen again?" she asked.

    With a smile, I said, "It''ll be alright."

    "Even if such a thing happens, I will win anyway."

    Upon hearing my words, In-Ah narrowed her eyes and red at me. Her face indicated that she was dissatisfied with my answer. She chewed on her lips for a moment before letting out a sigh of resignation.

    "...Stop saying such ridiculous things."

    "I''m serious about winning, though."

    "Stop trying to brush it off as a joke. This time, I really©¤"

    Looking at her, I said, "Don''t worry, it''s not a joke."

    ¡°I''lle back, and...¡±

    <i>¡®I will definitely find a way to heal your younger sister.¡¯</i>

    I decided to keep the rest of those words to myself. I would obtain the Staff of Reversal on the mission trip, and I would find a way to turn Yoon-Ah back into a human. I would have the two of them reunite once again. Once that happened, everything would be alright. Both she and I would be fine. That was why I absolutely had to go on the mission trip. And that was also why I had to return no matter what. I would keep my promise.

    As I silently looked at her, she asked, "...And what?"

    With a smile, I said, "Let''s ditch ss and grab a bite to eat."

    "...We can just go eat after school. Why bother ditching ss? Are you a delinquent?¡±

    "It¡¯s more thrilling when you ditch ss and eat.¡±

    With a wide grin, she nodded and said, "Sure, why not?"

    And with that, we parted ways. It was only after I saw her enter her house that I started to walk back to my dormitory.

    By the time I returned to my dormitory, it was already past the check-in time, and as a result, the dormitory supervisor scolded me. They said a bunch of things such as, ¡®How can you be thiste all the time?¡¯ and ¡®What are you doing out sote at night?¡¯

    In the end, I received demerit points. It was only then that I realized the meaning behind Legba''s words.

    [Then at least check the time.]

    Legba had probably already known that I would miss the check-in time. Perhaps he had already known that In-Ah was perfectly fine. That was probably why he had tried to stop me from meeting In-Ah.

    Nheless, I didn¡¯t regret my choice.

    ***

    The day of the mission trip arrived. It was decided that each student would arrive at the airport on their own, so I decided to get my uncle to drop me off.

    Let alone seeing his face, just getting into contact with Uncle had been difficult, yet this time around, he willingly fulfilled my request.

    "Where did you say it was again...? Saudi?"

    I nodded in response to my uncle''s question. "Yeah."

    Music was softly ying in the car. It was a rather adventurous atmosphere. After yawning, Uncle shoved a piece of chewing gum in his mouth and said, "But isn''t Saudi a bit dangerous? It''s an Imic country, right?"

    "That''s right."

    "I heard there are a lot of extremists over there. Well, I suppose they can¡¯t be much worse than the Romanican Church.¡±

    "The extremists are always a problem. But what could possibly happen when I¡¯m only staying there for two nights and three days?¡±

    "Hey... watch your words. That''s a g."

    "A g?"

    With a frown, Uncle said, "If you say things like that, something is bound to happen."

    Indeed, something was most likely going to happen. The Staff of Reversal was on disy at the National Museum, and the purpose of this trip was to steal it. Since I was going to steal an item that had enough value to be on disy at the National Museum, it would be strange if nothing happened. However, I could get the cooperation of a museum staff member, and I also brought along a counterfeit recement for the Staff of Reversal. If things worked out well, I would be able to safely return home after resolving this situation without making too much of amotion.

    "Well... I¡¯m sure things will work out well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll die, right?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Just don¡¯t die. As long as you stay alive, there will always be a way to survive,¡± Uncle nonchntly said, continuing to drive.

    As I was vacantly gazing out the car window, Uncle said, "But if it''s Saudi Arabia... we might be able to take the same flight as <i>that person</i> when wee back."

    "Who is <i>that person</i>?"

    "That person I mentioned before. The executive of the Gyeonggi Branch."

    "What was her name again?"

    "She doesn¡¯t like being called by her previous name. She told me to call her Sophia. She lived under that name while she was in the UK."

    "Sophia... Did she lose her mind after being on the run for so long?¡±

    My uncle chuckled and said, "It seems like she has, just a little bit."

    Sophia, the executive of the Gyeonggi Branch, was in a situation where she had to transit through various countries before returning to Korea. Uncle said that it was because the immigration security inspections had be stricter due to the increase in Satanist activitytely. He thenined about how he had such a hard time setting up a fake identity that was affiliated with the Romanican Church for her that he thought that he was going to die.

    "Well, then again, thanks to the Satanists, I made some money."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "In situations that result in strict immigration checks or when it feels like a war is about to break out... in those sorts of unstable situations, it¡¯s possible to print out money by making some quick trades in the stock market.¡±

    As I was chatting about this and that with Uncle, we suddenly found ourselves in front of the airport. I got out of the car and took out my suitcase from the trunk. Uncle drove away after saying goodbye. I pulled my suitcase and entered the airport.

    It wasn''t difficult to find mypanions. The reason for this was all thanks to Dae-Man. No matter how far away he was, his stature always stood out. I used Dae-Man as andmark and approached him.

    "I was waiting for you, Sun-Woo!"

    Dae-Man''s greeting was way too loud, so I frowned and warned him.

    "Please lower your voice."

    Then, I looked around my surroundings. Yu-Hyun, Dae-Man, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon were present. Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon hadn''t arrived yet. But why was Su-Ryeon here too?

    "What? Didn''t you say you weren''ting?"

    "Ah... did I? But I changed my mind and just decided toe!" Su-Ryeon said cheerfully.

    I epted her exnation without much thought. It wasn¡¯t all that important after all. The truth was, it was better for me if more people came along for the trip. When stealing the staff from the museum, having more people around would help distract the attention of the security.

    "Hey, Min-Seo. Is this your first time on a ne?"

    While waiting for the two who hadn''t arrived yet, we chatted. It started with Yu-Hyun teasing Min-Seo. She red at Yu-Hyun with a fierce expression.

    "What bullshit are you spouting? What do you mean by that?"

    "No, you seemed nervous. I thought it was your first time."

    "...I''ve never liked crowded ces, you bastard."

    "Then you could have just said that from the beginning. Why¡¯d you have to swear at me? Don¡¯t tell me this is actually the first time you''re riding a ne?¡±

    Intervening between the two, Dae-Man said, "Honestly, I''ve never been on a ne before! This is my first time, so I''m really excited."

    "Ah, then Dae-Man, you probably don¡¯t know about how we have to take off our shoes when boarding the ne," Su-Ryeon chimed in naturally during the conversation.

    Dae-Man chuckled as if mocking her.

    "Su-Ryeon, you underestimate me too much. I already know that much."

    "Really? Do you also know that we have to give tips to the flight attendants?"

    Upon hearing Su-Ryeon''s joke, Dae-Man''s expression turned serious.

    "I didn''t know that... I didn''t bring any cash."

    "Oh, really? Should I lend you some?"

    "Hey... stop teasing him. Dae-Man will believe you, you know?¡± Yu-Hyun said, interrupting Su-Ryeon midway.

    She clicked her tongue as if she were disappointed. Dae-Man shifted his gaze between Su-Ryeon and Yu-Hyun with a clueless expression on his face.

    Min-Seo had been attentively listening to Su-Ryeon''s story, but after realizing that she was joking, she let out a relieved sigh.

    Meanwhile, Jin-Seo arrived, followed by Ha-Yeon. I thought Ha-Yeon would say something to me, but surprisingly, she didn''t utter a word to me. She didn¡¯t even nce at me. Her expression was cold and empty. It felt like she had reverted to the same Ha-Yeon from the beginning of the semester, who was distant from everyone.

    Jin-Seo only shook my hand and greeted me. She didn¡¯t say anything else in particr.

    "So, do I have to give a tip to the flight attendants, or do I not?¡±

    "No, don¡¯t tip them.¡±

    "Got it! Then what about my shoes©¤"

    Dae-Man stopped speaking. It was because we could hear amotioning from the airport entrance. We all turned our heads toward the entrance. A group of clergymen were lining up and entering through the entrance.

    The procession was massive. Unlike us, who were primarily tourists despite going under the pretense of a mission trip, these clergymen were dispatched to safely repatriate the missionaries who were in Saudi Arabia. Pdins, crusaders, and priests were moving in strict formation. It was easy to distinguish them due to their uniforms being different colors.

    A man with thergest build among them broke away from the procession and approached us with confident strides. Next to the big man, a man with a rtively smaller frame followed along beside him. Both were wearing pdin uniforms, but due to their size and appearance, the atmosphere that they emanated was noticeably different. From a distance, I had not realized it, but up close, I realized that it was a familiar face.

    "Ah, so everyone was gathered here. Nice to meet you. Some of you already know me, but for those who don¡¯t, I¡¯m Han Dae-Ho."

    He scanned our faces and continued, "For this mission trip, I will be the leader as well as the safety officer, and I will also handle other misceneous tasks. I''ll be counting on you all for the next three days, guys."

 Chapter 204

    <h4>Chapter 204</h4>

    For the sake of safety, we were to be apanied by clergymen of archbishop rank or higher. That was what had been written on the contents of the mission trip application, and that clergyman turned out to be none other than Han Dae-Ho. It was better than being apanied by an unknown person, but since I was in a position where I had tomit a crime at the museum, I couldn¡¯t bepletely happy about it.

    I observed the reactions of the other student council members. Yu-Hyun was smiling, but he seemed to feel a little ufortable. On the other hand, the other student council members didn¡¯t show any significant reactions. However, Dae-Man''s reaction was a bit strange. For some reason, he was ring at Han Dae-Ho with what seemed to be hostility.

    ¡°That''s enough with the greetings. Everyone brought their passports, right? Be careful not to lose your passports after we arrive there. It¡¯ll be a disaster if you lose it," Han Dae-Ho said.

    He led us in a particr direction, and we followed him silently. Typically, we would have been exchanging jokes, but we were unable to do so at the moment. It was because the procession going through the departure procedure ahead of us wasposed entirely of clergymen.

    Perhaps there were seniors from Florence Academy among them, and whether we liked it or not, there was the possibility that we¡¯d encounter them again in the future. There was nothing good that woulde out of being noisy. I also didn¡¯t want to annoy the clergymen, so I kept my mouth shut.

    [It¡¯s ufortable here. When are you nning to bring me out?] Damba asked.

    She was inside my suitcase. I had to bring her along in case I encountered any unforeseen circumstances, but I couldn¡¯t think of any method of transporting her other than putting her in my luggage. It would have been nice to put her in my pocket, but unfortunately, she couldn''t shrink to that size.

    [It''s hot. And too dry. It''s hard to breathe, kid...] Damba whined, but I didn''t respond.

    I couldn''t take Damba out of my suitcase right now. No matter how much of a fuss she made, I had no intention of bringing her out.

    As I was smoothly going through the airport procedures, Legba sharply said, [In the first ce, it''s your fault for doing pointless things such as taking on your physical form, Damba.]

    [Ahh, Legba, the old and pitiful Loa who can¡¯t even take on his physical form without a staff to support him.]

    [...]

    Damba''s counterattack, however, swiftly turned the tables and rendered Legba speechless. I could hear the sound of Legba exhaling cigarette smoke. As I was listening to their conversation, I realized the airport procedures were alreadyplete.

    It was when we were finally boarding the ne that an incident happened.

    "Excuse me, where is the shoe rack?"

    "Pardon?"

    Dae-Man had taken off his shoes before boarding the ne. Seeing the confused expression on the flight attendant''s face, Dae-Man btedly realized the situation and blushed. He quickly put his shoes back on and bowed his head.

    "...Ah, I''m sorry!" Dae-Man apologized loudly.

    The flight attendant looked at Dae-Man with a smile as if they found him cute. Dae-Man, with his flushed face, quickly walked to his seat. Just watching him made me feel embarrassed too.

    Su-Ryeon snickered and sat next to Dae-Man.

    "Su-Ryeon! Didn''t you say that I had to take off my shoes before boarding?"

    "Huh, when did I? Perhaps you misheard?¡±

    "...I will repay this disgrace someday."

    "Whatever~"

    I quietly watched the two of them bicker. From what I could tell, Min-Seo was supposed to sit in the seat next to me, but for some reason, Ha-Yeon sat there instead.

    After sitting on the seat without even ncing at me, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

    "Was this originally your seat?" I asked Ha-Yeon.

    Actually, there was no need for me to talk to her, but there were various things that I was curious about, mostly regarding Sung Yu-Da. However, since I couldn''t directly ask her, the n was to carefully extract the desired information while conversing with her.

    Ha-Yeon, who had her eyes closed, opened them again.

    "...No, I asked to change seats. I didn''t want to sit with that person," Ha-Yeon said, bluntly pointing toward Yu-Hyun with her chin.

    Due to Ha-Yeon changing seats, Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo sat side by side. The two bickered like Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon, with Yu-Hyun often provoking Min-Seo and her getting angry in response.

    Jin-Seo sat alone. She leaned her seat as far back as possible andid down, trying to sleep. I looked around at the other passengers. They were all clergymen who were either praying while holding rosaries or trying to sleep.

    I called out to Ha-Yeon again. "Ha-Yeon."

    Instead of answering, she briefly nced at me. At first nce, her face seemed calm, but there was a strange sense of wariness in her eyes as she looked at me. I felt that her reaction was weird, so I tilted my head.

    The truth was, I didn¡¯t actually find her reaction weird. I was just acting at the moment.

    "By any chance,st time©¤"

    Ha-Yeon interrupted me with an impatient tone. "I''m sorry but... I''m a little... tired. I want to sleep. Is it something important?"

    "...No, it''s not important. Just sleep," I said with a nod.

    Ha-Yeon once again closed her eyes to sleep. I silently watched her.

    She had only closed her eyes, and she wasn''t actually sleeping. She didn''t seem particrly tired at all. Most likely, she said that she was tired as an excuse to avoid having to talk to me.

    Sung Yu-Da must have said some unnecessary things to Ha-Yeon. I had expected this to happen, but if it turned out this way, then things were going to get a littleplicated. Now that I knew that my father¡¯s research data was in Sung Yu-Da¡¯s possession, I absolutely had to meet him again. But since Ha-Yeon was cutting me off, it would be impossible for me to meet Sung Yu-Da through her.

    "..."

    No, there was no need to think about Sung Yu-Da right now. I cleared my mind of stray thoughts and leaned backfortably before closing my eyes. I had no intention of sleeping. I just closed my eyes to organize my thoughts.

    I had to obtain the Staff of Reversal during this mission trip. If I failed this time, I didn¡¯t know when I would get another chance in the future, so it was best to approach this with the mindset that this was my only opportunity.

    I imagined all the possible situations that could ur and came up with countermeasures for all those situations. I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to obtain the staff without making any mistakes. Instead, I was thinking about how to minimize the number of mistakes.

    The moment the ne took off, Legba said something to me. However, due to the noise of the aircraft, I couldn¡¯t hear his voice.

    As the sound of the aircraft rising resounded, a sigh of amazement could be heard from Dae-Man, along with Su-Ryeon''sughter and Yu-Hyun''s voice teasing Min-Seo. All those sounds were faintly audible.

    When the noise subsided, I looked out the window. I was now looking down at the clouds that I always looked up to.

    ***

    After arriving, it was early evening local time when we finished the airport arrival procedures. The reason why it still wasn¡¯t night yet, despite the fact that we had departed at noon and had been in flight for ten hours, was because of the difference in time zones.

    After collecting our luggage, we followed Han Dae-Ho out of the airport.

    "Ah..."

    The first to let out a gasp was Dae-Man. I didn¡¯t gasp like Dae-Man, but I still silently admired the scenery thaty before my eyes.

    The buildings towered so high that they seemed prideful, emitting a dazzling disy of lights as if they were trying to restrain the brilliance of the setting sun. Purple, orange, green, and countless other colors filled the city with an enchanting atmosphere. The city, which shone alone in the midst of a barren desert, could literally be described as an oasis or perhaps a mirage.

    The cars lining the roads honked incessantly, and the people walking the streets all had unfamiliar appearances and wore unfamiliar attire. Everything was exotic, and here, we were all foreigners.

    "We can admireter. For now, we need to move to our amodations. We have less time than I expected,¡± Han Dae-Ho said, looking at us as we were lost in the scenery.

    Finally regaining our senses, we followed Han Dae-Ho. He guided us to a vehicle parked near the airport. It was a small bus that could barely fit ten people.

    "Throughout the next three days, we¡¯ll be using this bus for all our transportation. If you get lost by any chance... Ah, let¡¯s first go to our amodations, unpack our luggage, and discuss once we settle down," Han Dae-Ho said.

    He loaded our luggage into the trunk and guided us into the bus. As the bus was departing, we didn¡¯t say a single word. It was probably because the impression of an unfamiliar city''s scenery still lingered in our minds.

    At least, that was the reason why I didn''t open my mouth.

    [It¡¯s a city that has disguised all its filth with vibrant colors,] Legba said.

    [Ah, I also want to see it, kid. When will I be able to get out of here?] Damba grumbled.

    Instead of responding, I diligently observed the scenery flowing past the bus window. The terrain was mostly t, and at first nce, it looked like a very morous and refined city. However, if you looked closely, you could also see dirty alleyways that appeared to have been neglected for a long time.

    Public safety didn''t seem that great. At least there was less to worry aboutpared to Korea. In Korea, I had to be careful about the ck boxes and CCTVs that were installed wherever I went.

    At that moment, Baron Samedi said, [You¡¯re at ease because public safety isn¡¯t good? Oh dear, this guy is a fully-fledged criminal!]

    "..."

    Baron Samedi hadn¡¯t shown himself or even said anything for the past few days. He appeared out of nowhere, and the first thing that came out of his mouth was none other than ridicule. I was just about to swear out loud, but I was just barely able to keep my mouth shut. After realizing how I felt, Baron Samedi got even more excited and started to chatter.

    [Well, I suppose that Voodoo Cultists are treated as criminals just for being alive. What a cruel world!]

    [Baron Samedi, why did you bother toe here if you¡¯re just going to utter nonsense?] Legba remarked.

    In response, Baron Samedi cleared his throat and said, [As always, I came to give you some advice. Indeed, it seems that the Staff of Reversal is just a step away. I can already smell the foul and wicked stench of Reversal.]

    "..."

    [Don''t listen to my advice. If you do so, then the Reversal will be in your hands before you know it,] Baron Samedi casually said.

    I couldn''t help but be puzzled by his advice. It was because his advice was filled with contradictions. In order to listen to his advice, I needed to not listen to it, and if I didn¡¯t listen to his advice, then that meant that I was listening to it.

    With a chuckle, Baron Samedi said, [Reversal dislikes those who follow fate. So if I were to offer you advice, shouldn¡¯t I offer you contradictory advice? For instance¡ª]

    [Baron Samedi, you filthy and smelly Loa! Get lost!]

    The one who interrupted Baron Samedi was none other than Damba. She despised Baron Samedi. Baron Samedi was a heavy smoker and a heavy drinker, and he only wore dark-colored clothes from head to toe, which Damba disliked. She liked white clothes and detested the smell of cigarettes and alcohol.

    [Was that Damba just now? It''s been a while, but where exactly are you?]

    [Stop spewing out your foul breath and get lost!]

    [Ah, you were inside his luggage! Haha, wither away and die while trapped in there. I will guide you on the way out!]

    While Baron Samedi and Damba were exchanging immaturements back and forth, the vehicle arrived at our amodation.

    Our amodation was a high-rise hotel located in the middle of the city. ording to a preliminary investigation that I conducted, it was said to be a good ce because guests could see the night view if they went out to the terrace garden at night.

    "Go to your amodations, unpack, and rest for a while. And then, um...e down to the auditorium on the first basement floor after thirty minutes. I have something to tell you all. It''s important, so don''t bete."

    We followed Han Dae-Ho''s instructions and went to our amodations. The men''s amodations were on the eleventh floor, and the women''s amodations were on the twelfth floor. There were separate elevators for odd-numbered floors and even-numbered floors, so it was a structure that forced the men and women to be separated.

    Inside the elevator, Yu-Hyun sighed as if he was disappointed.

    "Our floors just had to be different. This makes things a bit inconvenient..."

    I couldn''t understand what was so inconvenient about it.

    The assigned amodations wererger than we expected. It was beyond spacious for the three of us. There were three bedrooms, so it seemed like each person would get their own bedroom. However, although it was spacious, there wasn¡¯t that much furniture, so it felt quite empty.

    I dragged my suitcase, randomly entered one of the bedrooms, and locked the door. Then, I cautiously opened the suitcase and took out Damba.

    [Ah, it''s been a while since I''ve seen the light. Kid, I thought I was going to suffocate from the stuffiness.]

    She shook her head from side to side as if she felt very pleased by the fresh air outside. I silently watched her and then said, "I''ll use this bedroom, so you can hide anywhere here."

    [Do I have to hide again?]

    "Yes. Wherever you hide, it¡¯ll probably be better than the suitcase. You can hide under the bed or in that drawer over there...¡±

    [How long do I have to hide?]

    "Until we need to leave."

    [Alright, kid. It''s a relief that I don''t have to hide forever.]

    <i>Sssssssh! </i>

    Damba slid under the bed and hid herself. Only after seeing her do so did I open the door that I had locked and head to the living room. Yu-Hyun and Han Dae-Ho were currently in the process of unpacking in there. It was then that Yu-Hyun took out a ck bag from his suitcase and put the entire thing into the refrigerator. I wasn''t sure what was inside, but it seemed to be quite heavy.

    I couldn''t contain my curiosity and asked, "What is that?"

    Like a crime suspect being apprehended, Yu-Hyun stiffened. Then, with a sly smile, he said, "Well, it¡¯s just something like drinks."

    "Is there a reason to bring drinks?"

    "...Ah man, just wait and see. You''ll be drinking it too, anyway."

    Yu-Hyun took out the bag he had put in the refrigerator and said, "I was going to surprise you by opening it... I guess it¡¯s too bad."

    I approached and checked the contents of the bag. I was shocked.

    "Are you... out of your mind?"

    What he brought was alcohol. And a tremendous amount of it.

 Chapter 205

    <h4>Chapter 205</h4>

    "Going on a trip without bringing alcohol is insane," Yu-Hyun said without an ounce of shame for his actions.

    Seeing his attitude, I was at a loss for words. I nced at the alcohol he had brought. There were various types of drinks, including beer and expensive spirits. Among them, my attention was drawn to a particrly expensive-looking bottle decorated with purple and gold. That drink was all too familiar to me.

    "...Hey, don''t drink that," I said, gesturing at the bottle with my chin.

    Yu-Hyun furrowed his brow, seemingly displeased, and tilted his head. "Why not? I was so excited about getting this."

    ¡°If I say don''t drink it, then don''t drink it," I said, ncing at Dae-Man.

    Dae-Man seemed to be busy unpacking, but he was still listening to our conversation.

    "...I''ll tell you the reasonter."

    It wasn''t something we could discuss in front of Dae-Man. The drink was from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory and was engraved with an intoxication spell. When the cap was opened, it would break a small band, activating a small amount of the engraved intoxication spell, which would then infuse itself within the drink.

    It didn''t matter if other clergymen enjoyed the drink made by Yeom Man-Gun. The fact that Yeom Man-Gun''s alcohol was doing well meant that the Voodoo Cult¡¯s financial situation was improving. However, I couldn''t just stand by and watch the people around me drink that alcohol.

    Drunk people were dangerous. Moreover, those intoxicated by a spell were even more dangerous because they would be unpredictable. If someone as big and strong as Dae-Man drank the alcohol, it would lead to a major ident.

    "Hey, even so... this guy is the main character of this trip. It wouldn¡¯t make sense not to open it..."

    "Don''t talk back to me unless you want to get beaten up."

    "Hmm... I understand!" Yu-Hyun surprisingly agreed quickly.

    He reluctantly put the alcohol made by Yeom Man-Gun''s factory back into the carrier, licking his lips as if he were disappointed.

    While keeping an eye on me, he murmured, "But seriously, we¡¯re not drinking it?"

    "Yeah, I¡¯ll smash your head with the bottle if you open it."

    "Wow... but you¡¯re fine with the other drinks, right? And you¡¯re drinking as well?"

    "No. Fuck off."

    I didn''t like alcohol. Uncle used to like it.

    ***

    When the time came, we went down to the underground first-floor auditorium that Han Dae-Ho mentioned. Although it was called an auditorium, it looked more like a gym because of the various weight training equipment installed there. Dae-Man looked around with a pure, child-like smile on his face.

    "I was worried about not being able to exercise, but I¡¯m lucky!" Dae-Man tested out the exercise equipment in the auditorium.

    Meanwhile, the girls and Han Dae-Ho arrived. Han Dae-Ho slung arge bag on his left shoulder. After confirming that we had all arrived, he nodded.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Han Dae-Ho plopped the bag he was carrying on his shoulder on the floor. Just by hearing it plopping down, I could tell that it harbored something incredibly heavy. He dusted his palms and ced his hand on his waist, looking around at us before speaking.

    "I gathered you all here because I have something to give you." Without beating around the bush, Han Dae-Ho went straight to the point.

    He began to take out items from the bag. The first thing he took out was the Moses'' Burning Bush Twig, a holy artifact used formunication. He then took out an unfamiliar, ne-shaped holy artifact. Finally, after taking out a small sphere the size of a fist, Han Dae-Ho closed the bag.

    He first divided the bush twigs and nes between us.

    "In case of an emergency, allmunication should be done through the bush twig. The bush twig is also connected to other clergymen currently staying in Saudi Arabia, so it should only be used in urgent situations."

    Han Dae-Ho''s tone was solemn. "Next, the ne I gave you is a defensive holy artifact. Sung Yu-Da, a former cardinal, developed it after the Holy War."

    In an instant, our gazes turned toward Ha-Yeon. She trembled slightly, but other than that, she showed no particr reaction.

    Han Dae-Ho cleared his throat and continued, "Imic extremist organizations use special bullets. If you get hit by one of those bullets, you temporarily won''t be able to receive the effects of blessings and healing. We don''t know exactly how it works, but we suspect that some kind of substance that opposes divine power is embedded in the bullets."

    "..."

    The students¡¯ expressions hardened. It was because suddenly hearing about extremist organizations and bullets when they hade here believing it was safe made them feel uneasy.

    Han Dae-Ho nodded as if he understood their feelings.

    He exined, "I¡¯m just saying that such things could happen, but there''s no need to be scared. As long as you wear that ne properly, you won''t die."

    The ne was a holy artifact. When worn, it¡¯d form an invisible barrier of divine power enveloping the whole body. When hit by a strong impact like gunfire, it would absorb the impact while breaking. In other words, it was a disposable shield. Unlike other holy artifacts, the ne had no name because its creator, Sung Yu-Da, didn''t want to name it.

    "Ideally, you would never be put in a situation where you have to use this ne. Preventing such situations is also my role. Now, finally..."

    Han Dae-Ho held up a small sphere the size of a fist. He infused the sphere with divine power. It stretched out from the sphere and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into the shape of a spear. It was literally a spear of light. The tip of the spear, made of divine power, shone brightly. Somehow, it looked like a familiar sight.

    On the day of the practical exam, Yu-Hyun stabbed my side with a spear that looked exactly like it. Upon closer examination, there were minor differences in appearance, but in any case, they were the same in terms of being a ''spear of light.''

    I briefly observed Yu-Hyun''s expression. His face was rigid.

    "Sung Yu-Da, the former cardinal, also made this one, so it doesn''t have a name. So, you can just call it a portable spear... Well, it''s not important. Just remember that it''s a reliable weapon," Han Dae-Ho said and threw the spear into the sky.

    The spear, which had been emitting a brilliant light, disappeared, leaving only a in sphere. While holding it and infusing it with divine power, it maintained the shape of a spear, but it seemed to revert back to a sphere upon release.

    "Anyway, we need to decide who to entrust this to. Is anyone willing to take it?" Han Dae-Ho said, bouncing the sphere on the ground.

    The sphere was decently stic, so even when it bounced on the floor, it didn''t break or lose its shape. Instead, it bounced back like a basketball. In the silence, only the sound of the sphere bouncing echoed.

    In a tense atmosphere where everyone was watching each other''s reactions, Dae-Man cautiously raised his hand and spoke up.

    "I think it''s best if Director Han Dae-Ho uses it!"

    "No, it''ll be a loss for me to use it." Han Dae-Ho firmly shook his head.

    "I can protect myself without such things. But the same can¡¯t be said for you guys. And when the timees to use this, I won''t be by your side or in a situation where I can help you. So, one of you should have it."

    "Ah, then I think Sun-Woo should have it!"

    At that moment, Dae-Man suddenly rmended me. Han Dae-Ho looked at me, swinging his head from side to side.

    "You know how to use a spear as well?"

    I shook my head. "I don¡¯t."

    [Bossou knows how to use a spear!] Bossou interrupted and spoke, but I ignored him.

    It was true that Bossou was skilled with a spear, but that didn¡¯t mean I should carry it around. Carrying something around like that would only attract unnecessary attention and interfere with the n to steal the Staff of Reversal from the museum.

    Han Dae-Ho listened to my words and nodded.

    "Right, this spear will be nothing but a burden to someone who doesn¡¯t know how to handle one. Then, Sun-Woo, who do you think I should entrust this to?"

    "..."

    Han Dae-Ho handed the decision over to me.

    Although it was not that big of a deal, this made me think a lot. The first person who came to mind was Yu-Hyun. I had seen him use a spear during the practical exam. However, he seemed only to know how to use a spear, not how to handle it skillfully.

    "I think Jin-Seo should have it," I said, as no other person came to mind.

    I had never seen her use a spear before. I only saw her use a sword during the Department of Crusaders'' practical training or sparring. The idea hade from the vague thought that if she could use a sword well, she would also be good with a spear.

    "Is there any particr reason?" Han Dae-Ho asked, alternating his gaze between me and Jin-Seo.

    I nodded and answered, ¡°She¡¯s calm, can think on her feet, and would be able to make the best use of weapons during emergencies."

    "Hmm... is that so?" Han Dae-Ho stroked his chin and looked at Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo remainedposed, her eyes looking down at the ground. Han Dae-Ho nodded.

    "Well then, if there are no objections, we will entrust Jin-Seo with it."

    "I object," Min-Seo interjected, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

    She lowered her head as if organizing her thoughts, remained silent for a moment, then raised her head. "Director Han Dae-Ho, in the event of the <i>emergency</i> you mentioned, who would be the enemy?"

    "...We can''t specify the enemy to be a specific individual, as there might be an emergency situation where no enemies are in sight. However, if there was a specific enemy, it most likely would be an Imic extremist organization or the Satanists."

    "Aren''t the Imic extremist organizations people too?"

    "They are indeed people."

    "So, you¡¯re saying that in the case of an emergency, Jin-Seo should stab people with that spear," Min-Seo said arrogantly.

    Han Dae-Ho''s expression gradually hardened as he listened to her.

    "In that case, Jin-Seo cannot do it. She would definitely hesitate right before stabbing the person. A moment of hesitation could result in a fatal oue, so it would be better if I...¡±

    "I realized I didn¡¯t mention this." Han Dae-Ho interrupted Min-Seo.

    The veins on Han Dae-Ho''s arm bulged while he held the sphere.

    "This is a non-lethal weapon. It''s a weapon designed solely for subduction. To put it simply, you can think of it as a slightly elongated taser."

    "..."

    "I can''t give you a real spear. It could lead to unpredictable consequences, and it might even be a matter of forcing someone tomit murder."

    Min-Seo stood there with her mouth half open, at a loss for words. Han Dae-Ho pointed at her with his index finger and continued speaking.

    "Anyway, thank you. I almost forgot to tell you that this is a non-lethal weapon. What''s your name?"

    "Min-Seo."

    "Min-Seo... I believe you''re from the Department of Crusaders, right?"

    "Yes."

    "You''re sharp and intelligent. Show some more respect when you¡¯re talking to me."

    Min-Seo''s expression hardened upon hearing Han Dae-Ho''s words. However, she didn''tin and kept her mouth shut, as Han Dae-Ho''s expression was even more stern and intimidating than hers. Han Dae-Ho''s face was so menacing that one might believe he was a thug, not a clergyman.

    "Even the same words can have different persuasiveness depending on how they are said. Keep that in mind."

    "...Yes, understood."

    "Then, if there are no further objections, I will entrust this weapon to Jin-Seo. Any objections?" Han Dae-Ho asked, but no one raised their hand.

    Han Dae-Ho carelessly threw the sphere he was holding to Jin-Seo. She easily caught the ball, although it seemed to be a difficult catch because he had thrown the ball very carelessly. Han Dae-Ho smirked as he watched Jin-Seo.

    "You¡¯re athletic. Hold onto that wherever you go. You have to protect the others in case anything happens."

    "Understood," Jin-Seo replied, looking at the ball in his hand.

    <i>p!</i>

    Han Dae-Ho pped his hands.

    "Alright, that''s the end of the announcements. Everyone, go up and rest." The ferocious look he had earlier had long since vanished, reced by a smile.

    I grabbed the ne and the bush twig holy artifact he gave me and quickly headed toward the amodations. I thought about discussing the n to steal the Staff of Reversal from the museum with Damba.

    "Ah, Sun-Woo. You, follow me," Han Dae-Ho said.

    However, Han Dae-Ho stopped me in my tracks.

    "Uh... me?" I asked to confirm.

    I couldn''t think of any reason why Han Dae-Ho would call me separately. I hoped he would say that he had called me by ident. But unfortunately, Han Dae-Ho nodded without any hesitation.

    "Yes."

    Damn it.

 Chapter 206

    <h4>Chapter 206</h4>

    Han Dae-Ho led me out of the hotel. Before I knew it, we were walking through the dimly lit downtown of the foreign city. I followed him without a single clue about what was going on.

    Even though we were in a foreign country, Han Dae-Ho was significantly big. Everyone who passed by nced at him. However, he paid no attention to those looks and silently continued on his way.

    He stopped at a deste park in the heart of the city, untouched by the city lights. The park looked as if it had been neglected for some time, as trash was scattered carelessly on the ground, and the streetlights were broken. Han Dae-Ho brushed off the dust from the bench where the paint had peeled off and sat down.

    "Sorry for calling you out all of a sudden. I caught you by surprise, right?"

    His tone was kind, but I didn''t let my guard down. Well, I tried to overlook that he had called me out by myself. Maybe he wanted to tell me something about the schedule.

    Since Han Dae-Ho and I were acquainted before, it was possible that he had called me out to ask for help. However, there was definitely something suspicious about calling me out to a ce like this.

    "There''s something I wanted to say. Are you going to stand there and listen? You can take a seat and make yourselffortable if you want," Han Dae-Ho said.

    I looked at him because he might be suspicious of me. Han Dae-Ho was the head of the Eastern Pdin Order, and Joseph, who was monitoring me, was part of the Central Pdin Order. It would be impossible to assume that the two were not affiliated in some way. Even so, Han Dae-Ho was an archbishop. He had the discretion to investigate me to his heart¡¯s content.

    I wouldn¡¯t be bold to assume that Han Dae-Ho would have conducted some personal investigations about me, as he had found me interesting the frequent times I met him. If he had found something suspicious during that process and summoned me here to discuss it...

    "...I¡¯ll stay standing. It''s morefortable for me,¡± I said, keeping my arms folded behind my back.

    <i>Swoosh.</i>

    I unleashed Voodoo magic with the hand hidden behind my back. It was a precaution for any unforeseen circumstances. The light emitted by Voodoo magic seeped into the darkness, so I did not worry about getting caught.

    Since there are no CCTV or ck boxes here, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me if I put Han Dae-Ho to sleep with a spell or if I had to deal with the sleeping Han Dae-Ho.

    As long as I handled the aftermath well, that is.

    "Well, if you say so," Han Dae-Ho said.

    His expression was not clearly visible in the darkness. He scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger.

    "I''m not sure if I remember... but you must have heard it through Bok-Dong. You know, the benefits I promised to give you if you chose to be a part of the Department of Pdins."

    "Yes, I remember."

    When choosing my major, Bok-Dong and Do-Jin highlighted the advantages of the Department of Pdins and the Department of Crusaders in order to recruit me. During that time, Bok-Dong mentioned the benefits that Han Dae-Ho had promised me if I chose the Department of Pdins.

    "Do you still remember the details?" Han Dae-Ho asked.

    "You said you would rmend me for the entrance evaluation of the Central Pdin Order, regardless of my performance or achievements," I answered without hesitation.

    "You have a good memory." Han Dae-Ho nodded slowly.

    The fastest way to be an inquisitor was to join the Central Pdin Order. No, to be more urate, it was the quickest way to enter the underground prison. Although I would not be able to freelye and go like an inquisitor, I would gain the authority to enter the underground prison during ¡®special asions¡¯ once I joined the Central Pdin Order.

    If I used spells and the power of Loa appropriately, I could create those ''special situations'' whenever I wanted. This was why I ultimately chose the Department of Pdins after contemting between the Department of Crusaders and the Department of Pdins.

    "Then you must understand that it''s an unbelievable privilege."

    I nodded and replied, "...Yes, sir."

    At this point, I had dismissed the Voodoo magic. There was no need to bring up this matter if he didn¡¯t trust me. Pdins taking the Central Pdin Order entrance examination were usually elites who had been ved in their respective local jurisdiction Pdin Order for several years and had been recognized for their achievements.

    So for someone like me, a vice priest with no achievements, to gain the qualification to participate in the entrance examination of the Central Pdin Order was indeed an unreasonable privilege.

    "Are you confident?" Han Dae-Ho looked straight at me.

    Startled by his tone and the gaze in his eyes, I took a step back.

    "Sir? What do you mean..."

    "I''m asking if you are confident you¡¯ll be able to pass the entrance examination." Han Dae-Ho asked again.

    "..." I didn''t answer immediately but stayed still with my mouth shut.

    Surely, there would be outstanding pdins who would attend the Central Pdin Order entrance examination. It would be a gathering ce for the most talented individuals, the best in their respective local Pdin Orders.

    "Yes."

    Although that was the case, I was confident in myself. Honestly, I had never even considered the thought of being overshadowed by them.

    "...Alright." Han Dae-Ho nodded slowly after hearing my response. "The reason I''m bringing up this conversation is... because I hope you don''t think of me as an unjust clergyman."

    "I have never thought of you that way."

    "Then that¡¯s a relief. But it still holds that I am granting you special privileges based on my personal feelings. Since you haven''t officially achieved anything." He stood up abruptly from the bench and continued, "Nevertheless, I rmend you, unofficially, because I have witnessed your abilities with my own eyes. Ah, let''s continue the conversation while we walk. This ce is getting too dark and scary."

    Han Dae-Ho lightly tapped my back with his thick palm and started walking toward the hotel.

    I trailed behind him. As the noise of the city and unnecessarily shy lights drew near, Han Dae-Ho started to speak again.

    "I might not have be the Eastern Pdin Order leader. I might not have even made it past the lower ranks. But I ended up in a position far beyond what I deserved with the help of someone."

    I nodded as I listened to Han Dae-Ho''s story.

    "Creating an environment where people with talents like yours can fully flourish is the way to repay the grace I received and is the path to help pdins and the Romanican Church. That''s why I am going to great lengths to grant you these privileges."

    Han Dae-Ho was such a fast walker that it was hard even to keep up.

    "I hope you can prove that I made the right choice."

    By the time Han Dae-Ho finished speaking, we were already in front of the hotel. I could feel his strong trust in me through his gaze and tone. I nodded.

    "I will prove it. No matter what."

    "Yeah, I''ve been holding you back too long from hanging out with your friends. Go upstairs and rest. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow," Han Dae-Ho said and went outside the hotel while answering a phone call.

    It seemed like he had matters to take care of. I watched his massive figure from behind. I thought about how he had looked at me. He seemed to trust me deeply.

    But I didn''t trust him. Initially, I was wary of him even when he was just trying to say some nice things to me. I was in a position where I couldn''t easily trust someone who was kind to me.

    Carrying a sense of unease that I couldn''t pinpoint the cause of, I returned to my amodation. It was noisy in the living room. As I entered the living room, everyone''s gaze turned toward me. Their faces showed surprise.

    "Oh, it''s you? Wow, you scared me. I thought you were Director Han Dae-Ho," Yu-Hyun said.

    I nced at Dae-Man, who sat next to him. Su-Ryeon and Min-Seo, who shouldn''t be here, and Ha-Yeon were also seated next to him. Bottles and snacks were scattered among them. The strong and unpleasant smell of alcohol stung my nose.

    "Ha."

    I couldn¡¯t even get myself to be angry. I was so dumbfounded that all I could do wasugh. I quickly scanned the scattered bottles with my eyes, but it seemed like the drink from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory hadn''t been taken out yet.

    If it wasn¡¯t out, then I had no reason to stop them.

    But I didn''t want to join them, so I left the amodation altogether.

    ***

    Upon hearing that there was a garden terrace in the middle of the hotel, I made my way there. I wanted to clear my mind and n while getting fresh air.

    I wanted to bring Damba with me, but unfortunately, too many people were in the living room, so I couldn''t.

    The garden terrace was very well decorated. There was a small garden and a caf¨¦ with tables, allowing customers to have a cup of coffee while enjoying the view.

    As the facilities were well-equipped, the terrace housed many people. Among the crowd were local tourists and even Romanican clergymen. The clergymen were dressed like ordinary tourists, perhaps to avoid revealing their true identities. I mingled among them, pretending to be a tourist myself, and wandered around the terrace.

    [It''s good to think ahead, but don''t get too absorbed,] Legba said while I was admiring the night view.

    I didn''t respond and instead looked down at the bustling lights of the city center. Other tourists were also leaning on the railing, sipping their beers, and admiring the night view like me. The pleasant noise they created filled the terrace, creating a good atmosphere.

    [Sometimes, take time to enjoy the present. Don''t let your thoughts of the future consume your present.]

    I didn''t respond.

    To enjoy the present, one must first think about the future. One could not enjoy the present while they were anxious about what was going to happen. Enjoying the present while putting anxious thoughts behind was nothing more than running from reality. The pleasure obtained through running away was light, but the responsibility that came with it is heavy. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.

    [Those like you who chase their future their entire life always regret it.]

    "..."

    [They missed their chance to take care of their past because they were so focused on their future.]

    I decided to ignore Legba''s words.

    While I was aimlessly walking around, trying to drown out Legba''s chatter, I happened to see Jin-Seo.

    She was leaning on the railing, looking into the night, a cigarette in her mouth. The smoke she exhaled collided with the wind and scattered about. Suddenly, I felt a bit mischievous.

    ¡°Student Jin-Seo!" I approached her and shouted.

    Startled, Jin-Seo quickly extinguished her cigarette and threw it on the ground, stepping on the butt with her foot to hide it. Then, with wide eyes from surprise, she turned toward me, scowling when she recognized me.

    "What are you trying to do?" she said resentfully.

    I approached her with a big smile on my face. Jin-Seo red at me with narrowed eyes.

    "I thought you were a teacher."

    "What were you doing that made you so surprised?"

    "...I was just enjoying the night view." She snapped back, turning her head toward the direction of the view.

    She didn¡¯t acknowledge me but leaned against the railing and gazed into the night.

    It was a fierce gaze, and it felt like she was ring at the scenery rather than enjoying it. I stood next to her and watched the night view together.

    She nced at me when I didn¡¯t say anything.

    "...The others were drinking earlier. Why didn''t you join them?"

    "I don''t like alcohol."

    "Have you ever tried it?"

    "No, I haven''t."

    "Then why don''t you like it?"

    "You know..." I gave a wishy-washy answer.

    Although I had never tried alcohol, I knew how disgusting and violent someone could be when drunk. Above all, alcohol clouded my judgment, and I could easily make a slip of the tongue.

    "Why aren''t you hanging around and drinking with them?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

    Jin-Seo kept her gaze fixed on the view beyond the railing as she opened her mouth. Her hair fluttered in the wind.

    "Alcohol is not good for the body."

    ¡°And smoking is?"

    "...No."

    "Then you should quit soon."

    "..." She looked at me silently, then smiled faintly and opened her mouth.

    "I can''t quit. I have nothing motivating me."

    "Motivating you?"

    "I mean... I have nothing that is giving me the motivation to quit."

    "It''s not good for your health. Shouldn¡¯t that motivate you enough?"

    "That''s true, but..." Jin-Seo nced at me and continued speaking. "...Well, it''s not like there''s a reward for quitting or anything."

    "Do you really need a reward?"

    "It would make quitting easier."

    "Hmm..."

    I tried to think in Legba¡¯s shoes. If Legba told me not to use the intoxication spell right now, could I quit it instantly? It probably wouldn''t be easy. Come to think of it, Jin-Seo might have a point. The reason I hadn¡¯t been able to quit was because there hadn¡¯t been any significant reward for quitting the intoxication spell.

    [No, that''s a matter of your willpower.]

    "Okay, what kind of reward would make you quit?" I asked, ignoring Legba''s words.

    Jin-Seo opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for this.

    "Maybe if you grant my wish?"

    "A wish? That''s a bit much. Why should I grant you a wish in the first ce? I¡¯m helping you get better."

    "That''s why you''re helping me quit smoking."

    "..."

    She had me there.

    "Fine, then."

    "...Huh? For real?"

    "Yeah, I''ll help you, so just quit." I readily epted her proposal.

    There wasn''t any other reason. I just wanted her to quit smoking. Maybe it was because I saw myself in her, struggling to quit using the intoxication spell.

    [Who are you to tell her to quit?]

    I decided to ignore Legba''s words, as I wasn''t in a situation where I could answer him. Jin-Seo blinked at me, looking somewhat surprised. She lowered her head slightly and looked up at me.

    "...I¡¯m really going to quit, you know?"

    "Yeah, please do."

    "You said you¡¯d grant my wish. Don''t pretend like you forgotter."

    "Yeah, yeah, I know."

    She turned her head after hearing my answer and started to take in the night view. She seemed calm, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. It seemed like she didn''t want to show how happy she was. But eventually, her smile turned into a frown, as if a sad thought suddenly came to her.

    "Someone named Joseph came to me," she said, looking at me.

    It was a sudden remark, but I quickly understood the situation and nodded.

    Recently, Joseph had been quiet, but it seemed like he had approached Jin-Seo instead of me, probably in an attempt to extract information about me from her. She lowered her gaze as if she hadmitted a sin and continued speaking.

    "He told me that there was a Satanist among your rtives... and asked me to attach this to your phone secretly..." Jin-Seo said, taking out a small circr device that looked like a mechanical device.

    It was so small you would have to look very closely to see it. Upon closer inspection, it didn''t seem like a mechanical device either. I wished Ogun would exin what it was, but he didn''t say anything. Ogun also seemed clueless as well.

    [If it''s not a machine, it must be a holy artifact,] Legba said.

    I epted the circr device she handed me and asked, "What is this?"

    "A location tracker... something along those lines?¡±

    "...."

    Jin-Seo also seemed unsure of what exactly it was. If Joseph had explicitly instructed her to attach it to my phone, it must be somewhat rted to figuring out my location...

    If it was a location tracker, that was somewhat fortunate, but if it was a bug, I was in trouble, as it would make it difficult to have afortable conversation with the Loa.

    I examined Jin-Seo''s face. Her expression was dark. She seemed to feel guilty even though she hadn''t done anything wrong to me. I looked back and forth between the device and her.

    "So, aren¡¯t you supposed not to tell me this? If he told you to put this on without me knowing."

    "I trust you more than that person,¡± Jin-Seo said sternly.

 Chapter 207

    <h4>Chapter 207</h4>

    Jin-Seo''s gaze bore into me. She had just said that she believed in me. If this were to have happened in the past, I would have felt happy about it, as it meant that I had sessfully hidden my true identity as the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult and blended in as a Romanican.

    But I didn¡¯t feel at ease.

    "Just tell me this," Jin-Seo said, pulling my finger. "Is it true that there is a Satanist among your rtives? Did you know?"

    I didn''t answer her question. I was unaware of what Joseph was thinking and to what extent he had been using Jin-Seo.

    Joseph''s im that there was a Satanist among my rtives was clearly a lie used to lure Jin-Seo in. My only rtive was my uncle, and my fake identity didn¡¯te with any rtives who were Satanists.

    Depending on how I reacted here, it would change the extent to which Joseph suspected me. I chose my answer carefully.

    "No, Inquisitor Joseph lied."

    "...He lied?"

    "There aren¡¯t any Satanists in my family. But..."

    I deliberately hardened my expression like I was deep in contemtion. I remained silent for a moment, a calcted pause.

    Then I sighed and continued, "It''s a bitplicated. It¡¯s about my family, so it¡¯s a little hard for me to exin."

    "Ah..."

    I felt guilty for deceiving her, but for now, this was the best thing to do: correct Joseph''s lie but make it seem like there were other circumstances. This way, I could avoid falling into Joseph''s trap, and I didn''t have to exin why Joseph was monitoring me.

    "I''ll tell youter. Now is not the time," I said with a smile as I looked at Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo nodded. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to bother you..."

    "It''s okay. I understand," I replied, taking a step toward the amodation.

    I used to lie without batting an eye, but now it was hard to control my expressions. I wanted to leave this ce as quickly as possible, but Jin-Seo followed me.

    "Are you heading in?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "It¡¯s about time. I''m tired and want to rest."

    "There''s a party at your ce. You think you can rest?"

    I realized that Jin-Seo was right. Everyone except Jin-Seo and I had gathered in the amodation to drink. The noiseing from the living room would be bothersome to restfortably.

    Even if I hid under the covers in the room, I wouldn¡¯t be able to block out the noisepletely. Moreover, I had sensitive hearing, and even the slightest sound would wake me up.

    "...I''ll endure it, I guess. It¡¯s not like I canin to Director Han Dae-Ho."

    "Do you want toe to our ce?" Jin-Seo casually said, looking up at the elevator floor numbers.

    I was taken aback. Of course, our amodation would be a mess by now, and if I wanted to rest, the girls'' amodation would be the better option. But I didn''t think I could rest easily if I went alone with Jin-Seo to the girls'' amodation.

    "...I¡¯ll pass."

    "Why? Our ce would be better if you just wanted to rest."

    "Still, that''s a bit..." I said hesitantly, without being able to give a reason.

    It wasn''t easy to say honestly that I felt ufortable being alone in the same room as her. Jin-Seo might take it badly if I were to say that.

    She looked up and nced at my face.

    Then Jin-Seo smiled. "Why, are you embarrassed? Are you having indecent thoughts?"

    "...No, I just suddenly feel like hanging out with the others."

    "But earlier, you said you were tired."

    "I''m not tired enough not to have fun," I mumbled with a vague excuse.

    Jin-Seo turned her head abruptly and stuck out her tongue.

    "Hard to get...."

    "What did you say?"

    Jin-Seo just shook her head and mumbled, "Nothing."

    Meanwhile, the elevator had arrived. I pressed the button to get to my hotel floor. The women''s amodation was one floor above ours, but Jin-Seo stood still without pressing the button for her floor.

    "Why haven¡¯t you pressed your button? Are you going to take the stairs?" I asked.

    "No."

    "Then?"

    "I want to go to your ce as well. I want to hang out with everyone."

    "What? Earlier, you said¡ª"

    "What?" Jin-Seo retorted.

    Realizing there was no reason for me to stop her, I decided to let it go. After all, she probably had nothing to do alone in her room. Perhaps she just wanted to try drinking some alcohol.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    The elevator arrived. We got off and went straight to my room.

    It was quiet in the hallway, but we would asionally hear lively voices from somewhere. The voices were familiar. I was sure that the sound wasing from my room. Dae-Man''s voice was so loud that even the hotel''s soundproofing wasn¡¯t enough to block it.

    "...Is that sounding from your room?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "Seems like it."

    I opened the hotel room with the key card.

    The faint conversation of the others now amplified so loudly that it was bustling even from the entrance. At this rate, it would be too overwhelming to even go inside the room to rest, let alone have a conversation with Damba.

    "Hey, you''re here! We were just talking about you. Come¡ªhuh? Jin-Seo is here too?"

    The first one to greet us was Yu-Hyun. He seemed pretty drunk already. His face was flushed, and his voice was louder than usual.

    The others, who were gathered around snacks and alcohol, were in no better state. Their faces were flushed, and they were slumped over, swaying back and forth with unfocused eyes. There were already four empty bottles of alcohol rolling around on the floor.

    Dae-Man was sitting there with his arms crossed, barely holding onto his senses. He stood up abruptly when he saw me.

    "I can¡¯t believe it! Sun-Woo is here!" h

    Then, he opened his arms wide and greeted me with an awkward smile. I pushed him away as he tried to hug me. The smell of alcohol on his breath stung my nose.

    "...Just how much did you guys drink?" I asked.

    "I didn''t drink much! I¡¯m just in a good mood!"

    Dae-Man''s voice was so loud that it felt like my eardrums would burst.

    I tapped his shoulder, signaling for him to sit down. Then I looked around at the scattered bottles.

    Fortunately, it seemed they hadn¡¯t opened Yeom Man-Gun''s bottle yet. I was a bit worried because some of the drinks looked like they were high in alcohol content, but... it was none of my business. I had no intention of drinking anyway.

    I walked into the room where Damba was.

    "Hey, where are you going?"

    Yu-Hyun tried to hang on to me, but I declined with a firm shake of my head.

    "I¡¯m going to rest. I¡¯m not drinking." It would be exhausting for me to force myself into an environment with drunk people, and I might end up in a difficult situation if I were to get drunk and say something I would regret.

    It would be better not to join in the first ce.

    Just as I was about to enter the room, Sung Ha-Yeon stopped me.

    "Then, can''t you just sit here with us?" There was a slight blush on Ha-Yeon''s usually pale face. Her fair skin seemed to highlight the red in her cheeks. It appeared that she had also consumed a little alcohol.

    Drunk people often slipped up. That was why I didn''t want to drink.

    I looked at Ha-Yeon quietly and shook my head. "...I couldn¡¯t unpack earlier, so I''ll join you guyster."

    I went inside my room after making up a suitable excuse.

    The living room turned quiet for a moment but soon became noisy again. I could hear Yu-Hyun trying to lighten the mood, Min-Seo sounding angry no matter what she said, Dae-Man''s overly serious voice, and Su-Ryeon''s giggles.

    I could asionally make out Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo''s voices, but they were too soft for me to understand what they were saying.

    <i>Click.</i>

    I took advantage of themotion in the living room and locked the door.

    "Damba," I called out.

    <i>Ssssk!</i>

    Damba immediately responded to my call and slithered out from under the bed. Her scales, which had been glistening, had be dry and rough. Although snakes didn¡¯t have expressions, her gaze toward me seemed deste and tired.

    [You¡¯re finally here. Where were you and what were you doing, little one...?]

    "I had something to take care of."

    The living room was noisy, so I raised my voice a bit, and when it wasn''t, I whispered so that the sound wouldn''t leak outside.

    Damba flicked her tongue and shook her head.

    [The living room is filled with the dirty stench of alcohol and the sound of vulgarughter.]

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know it would be like this."

    [It''s okay. It''s not your fault,] Damba said as she climbed onto my arm, making her way onto my shoulder. [However, I can''t stand that disgusting and noisy atmosphere. Especially that big one with the loud voice. I would like to eat him. Would you be okay with that?]

    The only person who fit the description of a big guy with a loud voice was Dae-Man.

    I shook my head. "That''s not possible. Please bear with me a little longer."

    [Those Romanicans... They don''t hesitate to drink while they yap about chastity and temperance. It''s ridiculous,] Damba said.

    Her tone of voice was still sticky, sweet, and formal, but I could feel a strong sense of wrath in her voice. She seemed enraged.

    Damba slowly wrapped around my neck and whispered in my ear, [I want to take a breath of fresh air. When can I leave this ce?]

    "I will take you out tomorrow," I replied, gently stroking her wrapped neck with my fingertips. "We are scheduled to go to the museum. I need your help to steal the Staff of Reversal there."

    "Are you talking about the poteau mitan?"

    "...Yes, it¡¯s also known by that name."

    [Legba will be pleased. Of course, I am happy too.]

    It was good news for both Legba and Damba.

    Damba began to wrap herself more tightly around my neck.

    [Alright. What am I supposed to do tomorrow?]

    First, we needed to go to the museum and deliver the letter written by Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch to the museum staff. Then, with their help, we would temporarily disable the museum''s security system.

    After that, we would need a diversion. We needed to ensure that other museum visitors, Han Dae-Ho, and the F.A. students could not see me while I stole the Staff of Reversal.

    "You just need to cause amotion when I give you the signal.¡±

    It would be Damba''s job to divert attention.

    * * *

    Min-Seo poked Yu-Hyun''s wrist. "Hey, Yu-Hyun. Are you wearing that watch to show off? Take it off now that you''re inside." She was drunk, and her tone was a bit more aggressive than usual.

    Yu-Hyun held up the watch and smiled. "This? I can¡¯t take it off. It''s a restraint that¡¯s keeping my powers sealed."

    "What, is it holding in the ck me Dragon or something? [1]"

    "I¡¯m not even joking... Something worse might be unleashed."

    "Bullshit," Min-Seo said,ughing sarcastically.

    She drank the alcohol in her paper cup, downing it in one gulp. Min-Seo then immediately grabbed a bottle and poured more alcohol. When the cup was about half full, the bottle was empty. Min-Seo shook the bottle, but there was no swishing sound.

    "We¡¯re out. Is there no more alcohol?" Min-Seo asked.

    "You finished it already? Ah... Hey, did you finish all the drinks by yourself? Do you know how much that costs?" Yu-Hyun said yfully while looking at Min-Seo.

    However, Min-Seo didn''t seem to take the joke and frowned. "I didn''t drink that much. How much was it, you fucker? Do you want me to buy you another one? Huh?"

    "That¡¯d be very nice of you. That bottle was¡ª"

    Min-Seo''s mouth dropped from the sheer shock of the price that Yu-Hyun mentioned.

    "...W-what! You bought it for all of us to drink. Did I do something wrong by drinking it?"

    "No one is calling you out. You just said you would buy it for me."

    "Fuck, what kind of alcohol is <i>this </i>expensive?"

    "It''s not that expensivepared to others. It''s the cheapest among what we''ve drunk tonight."

    "..."

    Min-Seo was shocked by Yu-Hyun''s words. If this wasn''t considered expensive, how expensive were the other bottles? She couldn''t fathom the total cost of the alcohol she had consumed. It felt like she had eaten something that wasn¡¯t well suited for her and didn''t sit well with her stomach.

    "It looks like I¡¯m strong," Dae-Man suddenly said.

    He crossed his arms and flexed his muscles.

    Su-Ryeon, who was sitting next to him, chuckled. "Wow, Dae-Man, you look so cool~ You¡¯re the best~."

    "I drank all this alcohol, but I¡¯m perfectly fine. In fact, my mind feels crystal clear."

    "Is that so? Can you drink more?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Dae-Man nodded. "Of course. We¡¯re just getting started!"

    "Yeah? Then we have no choice but to bring out the secret weapon..." Yu-Hyun said, getting up from his seat and ncing toward Sun-Woo''s room.

    He pressed his ear against the door and listened to the sounding from inside. Then, with exaggerated gestures, he nodded and opened his suitcase. From there, he took out a bottle of alcohol.

    "Behold, the secret weapon. Dae-Man, you¡¯re gone-zo."

    "Huh? Isn''t that one of the new ones?"

    "What? Su-Ryeon, how do you know about this?"

    "Hm? Oh, it¡¯s just because it''s so famous..."

    "Ah, I see. You''re pretending to be innocent but secretly drinking behind our backs. You''re a delinquent."

    "...Hey! You¡¯re one to talk," Su-Ryeon retorted with a raised voice.

    Yu-Hyun chuckled softly.

    He sat back down and ced the bottle of alcohol on the floor, attempting to open the cap. However, whether he was drunk or just weak, all he could do was twist the cap without opening the bottle.

    "Ah, damn it. Why won''t this open?"

    "I''ll open it. Give it to me."

    "Hey, it¡¯ll break if you try to open it. This is the most expensive one¡ªAh."

    As Yu-Hyun was trying to stop Dae-Man from taking the bottle, his gaze fell on Jin-Seo.

    Among the people present, Jin-Seo seemed the least drunk. She was delicate but strong, so she should be able to open the bottle.

    Yu-Hyun put on a friendly smile and handed the bottle to Jin-Seo.

    "Jin-Seo, could you open this for me? You''re not drunk, right? Ah, right. You haven¡¯t drunk at all, right?"

    "What? You haven¡¯t drunk at all? What''s up with that? Jin-Seo, you should have some too! You know, since you''re here."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond to Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon. She just silently took the bottle that Yu-Hyun handed her.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    She opened the bottle with a calm expression, and the fixed ring under the cap snapped off.

    Jin-Seo furrowed her brows at the stench of alcohol that immediately wafted out when she opened the bottle. Along with the smell of alcohol, a unique fragrance filled the air. It was somewhat cloying yet captivating. The scent was so strong that she felt drunk just by smelling it.

    "...Huh?"

    No, she really was getting drunk. Although she had only smelled the drink, her vision was already blurry, and her head spun. She also felt a strange tingling sensation in her body.

    Jin-Seo closed her eyes.

    "Hey, hey! What¡¯s going on?"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    All Jin-Seo saw when she opened her eyes was the ceiling.

    1.  ?</a> </a>

 Chapter 208

    <h4>Chapter 208</h4>

    [By the way, child.]

    Damba crawled to me while I was resting on my bed.

    "Yes."

    [Could you exin what exactly you mean by causing amotion?]

    I hesitated, not fully understanding her words. Exin what I meant by causing amotion. I just wanted her to cause amotion and divert attention.

    Damba climbed up my arm and continued, [I''m asking how muchmotion you want. For example, if you want me to break buildings or people...]

    At that moment, a loud noise echoed from the living room.

    <i>Thud¨C!</i>

    It wasn''t the noise of someone stumbling or a bottle falling. It was the sound of something breaking or copsing. I was so startled that I couldn''t even respond to Damba. I left the room and was met with the sight of the mess made in the living room.

    "Huh? I can''t bnce!"

    "Hey, Dae-Man. Dae-Man, you crazy bastard, wake up!"

    "Haha, hey! Dae-Man! Why are you lying down?"

    "I don''t know. My head, my head hurts..." "

    ¡°Ah, <i>sob</i>. Hey, why doesn''t anyone listen to me!"

    "<i>Sigh</i>..."

    Dae-Man was lying on the floor in the living room, and Yu-Hyun was pping Dae-Man¡¯s cheek in an effort to wake him up. Su-Ryeon had burst intoughter after seeing Dae-Man lying t on the floor. Dae-Man scowled andined about a headache while Min-Seo was crying for some reason. The only person who looked rtively unharmed was Ha-Yeon. She sighed while watching the scene. Jin-Seo leaned against the wall and took deep breaths to regain herposure.

    It was a real mess. I couldn''t understand why the students who were fine moments ago suddenly became like this. I looked around at the scattered bottles on the floor. They had drunk a lot, but above all, it seemed like they had pulled out the alcohol from Yeom Man-Gun''s factory. It seemed they were intoxicated from the spell more than the alcohol.

    I thought I had made it clear that he wasn¡¯t allowed to drink it.

    I called Yu-Hyun. "Hey."

    "..."

    He didn''t respond but lowered his gaze.

    <i>* * *</i>

    Ha-Yeon watched everything unfold.

    Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon were already drunk, while Min-Seo and Dae-Man followed soon after. Jin-Seo, who didn''t even drink, couldn¡¯t sober up. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that Ha-Yeon was the most sober person.

    All hell had broken loose when Jin-Seo opened the bottle of alcohol and copsed. Min-Seo, Yu-Hyun, and Su-Ryeon each said something while looking at the fallen Jin-Seo.

    "You act tough, but you''re useless. What kind of person gets drunk on the smell of alcohol?¡±

    "Is this why it¡¯s called the secret weapon? Because you can put people to sleep just by its smell?"

    "Yeah... but guys, don''t we need to wake up Jin-Seo?"

    Ha-Yeon wrinkled her nose and frowned, catching a strange odor in the air. Despite the living room being filled with the smell of alcohol to the point where there was no room for any other scent, she could smell a strange and ominous stenching from somewhere.

    She had smelled that odor before. But from where? She tried to recall, but whether it was due to the alcohol or the chaotic atmosphere, it didn''t easilye to mind.

    "This can''t be! Jin-Seo is dead!"

    Dae-Man¡¯s shout jolted Ha-Yeon awake from her thoughts. Dae-Man seemed to genuinely believe that Jin-Seo had died as he tried to get up from his seat, his face pale with fear. Yu-Hyun held him in ce.

    "Hey, she''s not dead. Look, she''s breathing."

    "You¡¯re right! I thought she was dead, thank goodness!"

    "Guys, we should wake her up or put her in bed..."

    Min-Seo stopped Su-Ryeon from trying to wake up Jin-Seo. "Forget it. She''ll wake up on her own. Is it our fault that she got drunk? That¡¯s her problem."

    Min-Seo¡¯s eyes looked even more aggressive when she was drunk.

    "Someone¡¯s already dead... Is this the power of the secret weapon? Let''s go!" Yu-Hyun eximed excitedly as he started tilting the bottle.

    Min-Seo watched him and asked, "But what''s the alcohol content?"

    Yu-Hyun rotated the bottle back and forth, trying to look for the alcohol content, but shook his head as if he didn''t know.

    "20, 25... 30? 35? I don''t know."

    "The fuck? Is it a power level or something? Why does it keep going up?[1]

    "No, it seems like it doesn¡¯t have a number. Maybe I can¡¯t find it?"

    "Hey, but we need to know how strong it is..."

    "I don''t care~ Just drink~," Yu-Hyun said, filling everyone¡¯s cup with alcohol.

    He refilled their cups every time they emptied them and repeated this several times.

    Ha-Yeon also had a few drinks. The drink had a unique scent but was tolerable because the taste was alright.

    The problem was that the students'' condition changed rapidly every time they finished a cup. Three empty ssester, the group began to sumb to their drunkenness.

    "There''s an age when you can go crazy. If you don¡¯t go crazy during that time, there¡¯s no meaning in doing so. Then it''s not fun."

    "Ah, this guy is at it again... Hey, is this more expensive than the one you talked about earlier?"

    "Ugh... hey, this, this feels strange. It feels like poison, not alcohol."

    "This is a big problem. I feel like my muscles are falling off my body."

    They all started talking about their own agendas, losing focus or bursting intoughter like fools. Everyone seemed like they had suddenly lost their minds.

    Ha-Yeon was the only one who seemed rtively okay. She was a bit dizzy, and her face was flushed, but she didn''t babble like the others. Yu-Hyun also seemed rtively fine, but he had been drunk since earlier because he had been drinking a lot.

    "How much was this? Seven hundred... was it?"

    "Damn, what kind of alcohol costs more than my monthly sry...?"

    "Alcohol breaks down protein..."

    "Haha, hahaha...!"

    After a few more drinks, everyone crossed the point of no return.

    Yu-Hyun suddenlyid out the bottle of alcohol he had brought and started calcting the total cost. Min-Seo was surprised at first when she heard the price, but then she started crying as she talked about her part-time job. She said she felt sad and that it was unfair.

    Dae-Manined that his muscles would shrink when he drank alcohol, but that didn''t mean he wouldn¡¯t drink. Su-Ryeon suddenly started tough like crazy. Jin-Seo woke up soon after, but it didn¡¯t seem like she was fully back to her senses. She had to catch her breath while holding onto the wall.

    Ha-Yeon wasn''tpletely sober either, but she still had enough consciousness to pretend to be sober. She dearly held onto her sanity.

    At that moment, Dae-Man crossed his arms and looked around at the drunk kids. The atmosphere, which had been filled with nonsense, momentarily calmed down. "You guys suddenly look so small."

    Su-Ryeon''s cheerfulughter broke the silence. "What? Haha, hey! That¡¯s because you¡¯re just so big!"

    "That''s right. Dae-Man is quite big."

    "God, Dae-Man! Why do you keep interrupting me while I''m talking? You ruined my flow...¡±

    Su-Ryeonughed, Yu-Hyun agreed, and Min-Seo cried.

    Dae-Man nodded and stood up from his seat.

    "I see... Am I just too big? Pursuing strength sure is worth it," Dae-Man said, flexing his body. His thick muscles were clearly visible through his clothes.

    Su-Ryeon cheered, Min-Seo and Ha-Yeon looked disgusted, and Yu-Hyun looked impressed, his mouth in a round shape.

    Suddenly, Dae-Man''s body began to wobble.

    "No, wait. It''s not that I''ve grown bigger..."

    <i>Thud!</i>

    Dae-Man copsed to the ground, crushing the snacks and spilling the cups of alcohol all over the floor. Dae-Man soon regained consciousness and opened his eyes. However, he repeatedly failed to get up.

    "Huh? I can''t regain my bnce!" Dae-Man said, lying on the floor.

    That was the moment Sun-Woo came out of the room. As he witnessed Min-Seo crying, Su-Ryeon cackling like crazy, Yu-Hyun trying to lift Dae-Man, and Jin-Seo staggering even when leaning against the wall, Sun-Woo¡¯s expression turned icy.

    Yu-Hyun <i>never </i>bowed to anyone, but he lowered his gaze and put his tail between his legs when Sun-Woo spoke to him. Although Ha-Yeon was surprised, she found something else even more surprising.

    "Ah, I¡¯m up! I feel better now!"

    Dae-Man finally got up. However, just because he was able to get up didn''t mean that he was sober. He would easily stumble if he stood like that. His fall earlier had only ended with spilled drinks, but this time, who knew what disaster it could lead to.

    That was when Sun-Woo approached Dae-Man.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    Ha-Yeon couldn''t see what happened. Sun-Woo had simply approached Dae-Man and pushed him. Dae-Man''s eyes rolled in their sockets, and his gigantic body leaned forward. Sun-Woo supported the unconscious Dae-Man.

    "You''re really drunk."

    He casually moved Dae-Man to the bedroom and came back to the living room. He cleaned up the fallen snacks and spilled alcohol on the floor. Min-Seo wiped away her tears from being drunk and frowned at the sight.

    "Hey, what are you doing? Why are you cleaning up?"

    <i>Thud</i>.

    And just like that, Min-Seo was also knocked down.

    She wasn¡¯t knocked out because she was drunk. It seemed like Sun-Woo had yed some kind of trick. ording to rumors, he was training to handle an extreme style of fighting by dueling with a current inquisitor... But it was just a rumor.

    Rumors always surrounded him. Among those who talked about him, no one really knew him, and that didn¡¯t exclude Ha-Yeon either.

    "She''s drunk too. Su-Ryeon, take her to that room over there."

    Su-Ryeon nodded at Sun-Woo''s instruction. "Ah, okay."

    Ha-Yeon saw Sun-Woo''s surprisingly calm and rxed appearance. What an enigma he was. She recalled her father talking about him.

    <i>¡°Don¡¯t be friendly with him, don¡¯t talk to him, and don¡¯t get close to him. No, if possible, don''t even go near him.¡±</i>

    Her father didn¡¯t seem like he could continue.

    <i>"I''m begging you, Ha-Yeon..."</i>

    Her father''s voice had trembled. It was her first time seeing her father in such a vulnerable state.

    At first, she thought Sun-Woo had the blood of purification. She thought they would eventually have to get married, and there were times when she hated that idea to death. However, as she gradually got to know him, she began to think that she was fortunate that he had the blood of purification.

    But then she found out that he did not have the blood of purification. So, what was he exactly?

    Her father had always seemed strong and fearless, but even her father seemed to be strangely afraid of Sun-Woo. Who on earth was Sun-Woo? What kind of person was he?

    "...Who exactly are you?" Ha-Yeon asked, tapping into liquid courage.

    Sun-Woo''s cold and piercing gaze swept over her, but Ha-Yeon held her ground, staring straight at Sun-Woo''s face without flinching.

    This seemed like thest chance she would get to ask this question.

    1.  ?</a> </a>

 Chapter 209

    <h4>Chapter 209</h4>

    "...Who exactly are you?"

    I didn''t immediatelyprehend Ha-Yeon''s question. She stared at me as if she were trying to see through me and discern an answer. It was a far cry from her efforts of avoiding making eye contact on the ne.

    Although her pupils were slightly dted from the alcohol, I could see the strong determination in her gaze, as if she wanted to extract an answer from me.

    "What do you mean?" I asked, staring back at her.

    I wanted to know what was going through her mind. Since myst meeting with Sung Yu-Da, Ha-Yeon hadn''te to school, and she had been tantly avoiding me since we ran into each other at the airport. Sung Yu-Da had clearly said something about me to her. I knew this would happen all along.

    But now, seeing her ask me who I was, I could kind of see what Sung Yu-Da had told her. He must have given her some kind of forceful warning, like ¡®he''s dangerous¡¯ or ¡®stay away from him.¡¯ Otherwise, Ha-Yeon wouldn''t have a reason to ask me such a question.

    "...I think you know pretty well by what I mean," Ha-Yeon questioned, narrowing her eyes and ring at me.

    Like me, she was also testing me, but I had no intention of falling for it.

    "I don''t," I casually replied.

    For now, it was better to pretend not to know. There were too many eyes on us. Min-Seo and Dae-Man had been put to sleep with a spell, but Yu-Hyun, Su-Ryeon, and even Jin-Seo seemed to sober up gradually. There was nothing to gain from having a long conversation with Ha-Yeon here. Instead, I would probably lose a lot.

    "...I don''t understand why you''re acting like this all of a sudden. You seem drunk. Just go inside and sleep."

    I reached out my hand to lead Ha-Yeon back to her room.

    <i>p!</i>

    However, Ha-Yeon forcefully pushed away my hand and red at me with a resentful look. "I¡¯m not drunk."

    The situation was proving to be more and more troublesome. Since spells didn''t work on Ha-Yeon, I couldn''t put her to sleep like Dae-Man or Min-Seo. That was why I disliked the members of the purification n. They never moved the way I wanted them to.

    "I¡¯m not drunk, so answer the©¤!"

    Just as Ha-Yeon was about to continue speaking...

    "Uh...?" Her body tilted to the side.

    Eventually, she copsed onto the floor. I was perplexed. I had never used a spell, and even if I did, it wouldn''t have worked on Ha-Yeon, a member of the purification n.

    Ha-Yeon groped the floor, blinked her eyes, and then looked up at me with a blurry focus.

    "Uh, it''s spinning..."

    "What is?"

    "The ground, the ground is spinning..." Ha-Yeon mumbled.

    It wasn''t the ground that was spinning, but in fact, her vision. I didn''t bother to tell her that. There was no point in saying it since she wouldn''t be able to understand.

    I observed her condition. Ha-Yeon wasn''t under the influence of a spell. She was simply under the influence of alcohol. She had raised her voice at me and suddenly got drunk. Things had worked out in my favor. I no longer needed to answer her question. I took Ha-Yeon into my arms.

    ¡°L-let go. Answer the question..."

    "Shut up before I throw you out the window."

    "..."

    I voiced my true feelings because she probably wouldn''t remember tomorrow anyway. After I scared her a little, Ha-Yeon stopped resisting and closed her mouth. I carried her into a random bedroom and threw her onto an empty bed. She wriggled on the bed for a moment before falling asleep.

    The other kids were just momentarily intoxicated by the intoxication spell, but if we ranked everyone¡¯s drunkenness, Ha-Yeon seemed the most intoxicated. I was in luck.

    I came out to the living room and started cleaning up the mess. Yu-Hyun nced in my direction and started to help me clean up.

    "...Hey, I¡¯m sorry. I didn''t expect it to turn out like this."

    "It''s fine. Just help me clean up," I said nonchntly.

    At first, I was annoyed that Yu-Hyun hadn¡¯t listened to me and opened Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s alcohol. But I decided not to get angry about it. I didn''t even have the energy to get angry. Besides, everyone seemed to be in better condition than I thought.

    When I got high on the intoxication spell, I tended to do ridiculous things. For example, I voluntarily jumped into a burning store building. So, I believed that someone like Dae-Man or Min-Seo would have caused a big ident if they got intoxicated. But they only had minor idents that could be brushed off as cute little drunk moments.

    [The Voodoo mist they inhaled is a grain of ricepared to the amount of fog you usually inhale.]

    "..."

    I silently cleaned up the living room without responding to Legba. In reality, the intoxication spell engraved on Yeom Man-Gun¡¯s alcohol was minimal. It was the equivalent of diluting the original substance to a very low concentration.

    And the intoxication spell I usually consumed was the real deal that wasn¡¯t diluted at all. In other words, I inhaled the purest substance. At times, I pushed it to the brink of a lethal dose. Legba was right. I definitely needed to quit.

    "Ha, urgh..."

    Jin-Seo sighed and rubbed her forehead. She seemed to have a headache. Her condition was better than before, but it still seemed like her mind hadn''t fully recovered. I tried to support her, but Jin-Seo refused my support even though she stumbled with each step.

    "I-it¡¯s fine. I can walk by myself."

    "Are you sure you¡¯re okay?"

    "Yeah, I can... I can do this," she said, gasping for breath. She then used the wall as support and barely managed to enter the room. Thankfully, the amodation had enough rooms, so each person had their own bedroom.

    The bedrooms were firste, first serve, and I wasn''t sure if I would end up sleeping on the sofa in the living room, but whatever. I returned to the living room and resumed cleaning up.

    However, no matter how much I cleaned, it didn¡¯t seem like there was an end to the mess.

    "There¡¯s no end to this mess," Yu-Hyun said, stretching from his crouched-down position.

    "Ah, and you guys call yourself clergymen...". I sighed.

    I lost what little faith I had left in the Romanican Church when I saw clergymen who imed to be noble but were really ves to alcohol.

    [You''re no different from them.]

    I didn''t respond to Legba.

    After stretching for a while, Yu-Hyun sat down again. He started collecting the trash scattered in the living room and said, "Clergymen are more likely to like alcohol due to their profession. There''s nothing we can do about it."

    "Shut up."

    "Hmm... I guess I have no choice."

    By the time we finished cleaning the living room, it was deep into the night.

    * * *

    Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon entered the room that was initially Yu-Hyun''s bedroom, and Ha-Yeon had gone into what was Dae-Man''s bedroom.

    Yu-Hyun said he would sleep on the sofa in the living room, and Dae-Man seemed to be able to sleep anywhere I threw him. And there was one room left, which was probably where Jin-Seo was sleeping.

    If I had the choice, I wanted to send everyone back to their own ces, but they were not in their right minds, so I couldn''t do that. If I sent them back early in the morning, Han Dae-Ho wouldn''t have any reason to suspect us.

    Anyway, luckily, I was able to liefortably in my bed and fall asleep. As I covered myself with the nket and closed my eyes, Damba, who was under the bed, crawled up and coiled up next to my head.

    [Oh child, it seems to me like you can''t sleep,] Damba said.

    "You¡¯re right. It''s kind of hard," I replied.

    I answeredfortably, as it seemed like everyone was asleep by now.

    [Put aside your worries for tomorrow. It would be a tragedy if you ruined tomorrow because you lost sleep over worrying about it,] Damba said as if she could read my mind.

    I didn''t respond and just closed my eyes. I tried to sleep but failed. My mind was in turmoil thinking about stealing the Staff of Reversal at the museum tomorrow.

    What if I went to the museum and the staff wasn¡¯t there? What if the worker refused to cooperate with me even after I showed them Yun Chang-Su''s letter? What if I got caught stealing the staff? What if there are changes in the schedule and I can''t go to the museum? What if I don¡¯t steal the staff tomorrow and can¡¯t turn Yoon-Ah back into a human?

    These worries chased away my sleep. I felt like I wouldn''t be able to fall asleep no matter how much I closed my eyes and tried. I was about to unleash Voodoo magic and use the intoxication spell, but I stopped, suddenly realizing that I shouldn''t rely on the intoxication spell for the rest of my life.

    [Should I sing a luby for you, little one? My lubies are very effective.]

    "I have nightmares when I listen to your lubies," I said.

    [You¡¯re right, but it would put you to sleep, wouldn¡¯t it?] Damba said nonchntly.

    I let out a small smirk instead of answering. It could be better to sleep even if it meant I was going to be ridden with nightmares. There was no difference between a sleepless night filled with worry and one filled with nightmares. If I had to choose, I would go with thetter, where I could at least sleep.

    "Sing me a tune. Take it away."

    [Little one, how could you say¨C]

    <i>Ssssh©¤!</i>

    At that moment, Damba quickly hid under the bed without saying a word. She whispered, [...Someone ising. I hear footsteps.]

    I was startled and sat up. Then, I listened carefully. I could hear the sound of footsteps. I had no idea who it was. One thing was certain: it was not Dae-Man. His footsteps were as huge as his physique, and I could tell if it was him just by the sound of them.

    The footsteps I heard were light and soft. But they weren''t regr. They seemed unsteady, stumbling about. Did someone who was drunk get up and wander around?

    However, the sound of footsteps was clearly getting closer. I was certain that they were approaching my room.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The door opened, and faint light from the living room poured in through the crack in the door. The person came in, then climbed onto the bed as if it were her own. And sheid down next to me. I saw her pupils in the darkness. Her gaze was still hazy, as if she hadn''t fully regained her senses.

    "...I can''t sleep. My heart is beating all weird," Jin-Seo said, gasping for breath.

    The rapid heartbeat was a drawback of the excessive use of the intoxication spell. She curled up and buried herself in my arms.

    I was taken aback and moved my body backward. She lifted her head and stared at me intently, her gaze sad and resentful.

    Jin-Seo started exining even when I hadn¡¯t asked. "I didn''t drink. I just opened the bottle, and suddenly..."

    I sensed that she felt wronged based on her tone. It seemed like she had heard me muttering, <i>¡°Ah, and you guys call yourself clergymen..."</i> while tidying up.

    "So please don''t be disappointed."

    "..."

    "Seriously, I didn''t drink."

    "Okay."

    "Do you believe me?"

    "I believe you."

    Jin-Seo smiled when I spoke with conviction. She looked at me with hazy and strangely empty eyes.

    "Don¡¯t leave me."

    "...I won''t."

    "Promise." Despite knowing I shouldn¡¯t, I couldn¡¯t help but nod.

    I thought she wouldn''t remember it by tomorrow anyway. Or maybe it was because she looked unusually small today, hunched up in a ball.

    Soon, she fell asleep. When using the intoxication spell, it would initially bring about intense pleasure and make the person feel very awake, but once the effects wore off, drowsiness would set in. I usually took advantage of that and borrowed the effect of the intoxication spell if I couldn''t fall asleep.

    "..."

    I looked at the sleeping Jin-Seo. If what she had said was true, and she hadn''t drunk a drop of alcohol, this was all due to the intoxication spell. In that case, she must be very vulnerable to it. She might not have had any resistance to spells in the first ce.

    If that were the case, I could have put her to sleep with the curse of a fainting spell when she entered the room. I wouldn¡¯t have needed to listen to her long exnations or make promises I couldn¡¯t keep. Even so, I hadn¡¯t been able to push her away firmly. I don''t know why I did that.

    At that moment, Legba said, [Don''t turn your face from the truth. Don''t you already know why? People whock a family think of the people around them as family members and try to fill that void. The same can be said for this child.]

    "..."

    [You were the same.]

    A few names came to mind. Just imagining them getting hurt or something happening made it difficult for me to maintain myposure. These few people were precious to me.

    I couldn''t sleep. I gave Jin-Seo the bed and went out to the living room. I opened the sliding door and went out to the small terrace. As night fell, so did the dazzling lights of the city. Instead, the stars that were not visible due to the city lights came into view.

    I counted the stars and gathered my thoughts.

 Chapter 210

    <h4>Chapter 210</h4>

    Jin-Seo woke up to the sunlight streaming down at her face from the window. She had a slight headache, but she still felt rtively refreshed.

    When she first opened her eyes, she had been surprised by the unfamiliar sight. However, after realizing that she was on a mission trip and that she had been sleeping in someone else¡¯s room, she was relieved.

    She stretched and got out of bed. However, upon realizing that she was in one of the rooms that were assigned to the men and that Sun-Woo was sleeping in her room, she was surprised once again. No, she was shocked.

    The memories from yesterday flooded into her mind sporadically.

    "Oh shit..."

    She didn¡¯t remember everything, but she remembered enough to let out a curse unintentionally. She had no idea why she had done such things and why she had said such things. Jin-Seo looked around the room, but Sun-Woo was nowhere to be found.

    She went out to the living room. She saw Yu-Hyun sleeping on the sofa and Sun-Woo crouched on the living room floor, asleep.

    "..."

    Upon seeing that sight, she recalled the scene from her dream. The sweet dream that she had seen through the influence of ck magic. She tightly closed her eyes and erased the faint scenes of the dream from her mind.

    After merely inhaling a whiff of alcohol, she ended up drunk and caused a ruckus. And then she entered someone else¡¯s room without permission, chased away the original owner, and fell asleep on their bed. She didn¡¯t have the right to think about such dreams.

    Jin-Seo wanted to apologize immediately but was unable to forcefully wake up Sun-Woo in order to do so. That said, she couldn¡¯t just wait until he woke up, so Jin-Seo quickly gathered her belongings and left the amodation.

    "This is driving me crazy...." she muttered with deep regret.

    * * *

    "Kyaaaah!"

    I woke up to amotion. The scream had definitelye from Ha-Yeon. Perhaps an ident had happened, so I abruptly stood up.

    The first thing that came into sight was Dae-Man¡¯s body, which was sprawled on the floor, and Ha-Yeon was terrified by the sight. Ha-Yeon seemed surprised after seeing Dae-Man sprawled in front of the room where she was sleeping.

    I wasn''t the only one who came running after hearing the scream. Yu-Hyun emerged from somewhere and looked back and forth between the screaming Ha-Yeon and Dae-Man sprawled on the floor.

    "What the¨Cwhat the heck is going on?"

    Ha-Yeon¡¯s eyes were wide like saucers as she nced around the room and said, "...W-where is this ce?"

    I was so dumbfounded that I couldn¡¯t help but let out a dryugh.

    "What do you mean where? This is our amodation... If you''re awake now, go back to your own amodation."

    "What? Our amodation... huh? Ah... <i>gasp.</i>"

    Ha-Yeon failed toplete her sentence, and her expression froze. It seemed like she had btedly remembered yesterday''s events. She shifted her gaze in different directions and then eventually lowered her head as if she were embarrassed.

    Then she covered her face with her palms and hurriedly left our amodation. Her steps were extremely hurried.

    Shortly after, Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon came out of the room they were sleeping in. Both of them had hazy gazes because they were still half asleep. Min-Seobed her hair with her fingertips and said, "What was that scream just now? Was it Ha-Yeon?"

    "Yeah. She was shocked when she saw Dae-Man," Yu-Hyun replied, pointing at Dae-Man who was still sprawled on the floor.

    "Heh, I can see why she was shocked. Why is Dae-Man lying on the ground like that?" Su-Ryeon asked, widening her eyes and taking a few steps back.

    Before responding, Yu-Hyun nced at my face and assessed the situation. I silently pressured him toe up with an appropriate excuse.

    Perhaps my intentions got through to him as Yu-Hyun turned his head toward Su-Ryeon and smiled. "He did drink quite a lot yesterday. So perhaps he fainted because of that?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s built like a mountain, and yet he¡¯s surprisingly feeble. Hey, Yu-Hyun, we¡¯ll be off now.¡±

    "Yeah, sure thing~"

    "Shit, my head hurts so fucking much..." Min-Seo muttered as she left with Su-Ryeon.

    Even as she was leaving, Su-Ryeon continuously nced back at Dae-Man. She seemed concerned.

    I went into my room to wake up Jin-Seo, but I didn¡¯t find her inside. Perhaps she had already gone to her amodation.

    After seeing everyone leave, Yu-Hyun stretched his body and said, "Ah, I¡¯m exhausted. I shouldn¡¯t have called those guys over. Drinking alone is definitely less of a hassle.¡±

    He swept his shaggy blonde hair back and continued, "But why were you sleeping in the living room? Didn¡¯t you go into your own room yesterday?"

    "Jin-Seo came into my room, so I just came out," I said casually.

    Yu-Hyun covered his mouth as if he was astonished.

    "Jin-Seo went into your room? Are you guys crazy?"

    "You''re the crazy one for inviting the girls here."

    "This and that arepletely different. Hey, no matter how you spin it, a girl going into a guy''s room...¡±

    "Stop pissing me off. It¡¯s making me want to kill you.¡±

    "Ah... yes sir~¡± Yu-Hyun nodded.

    Meanwhile, Dae-Man woke up. Perhaps he had a headache as he rubbed his temples with his hand. After barely regaining his bnce, Dae-Man walked unsteadily toward the living room.

    "...Why was I sleeping here?" Dae-Man asked.

    "You, don''t you remember what happened yesterday?"

    "Yesterday... Ah, shoot. How could this be...¡±

    It seemed like Dae-Man had also btedly regained his memory. He grabbed his head as if overwhelmed by a wave of self-loathing and said, ¡°To think that I was merely defeated by alcohol! How weak...!¡±

    After seeing that sight, Yu-Hyun muttered, "That guy¡¯s crazy for real."

    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Dae-Man was probably the only one who could say something like this in this situation. I thought about what happened yesterday and felt tired all of a sudden, so I sat down on the sofa. Yu-Hyun cringed as he approached the window.

    "Argh, smells like booze... Ah, hey, but why¡¯d you tell me not to drink that alcohol? Everyone suddenly started dying after drinking that,¡± Yu-Hyun asked as he opened the window.

    "It''s because the alcohol has a high alcohol content, so I figured you all would cause an ident if you drank it,¡± I said, casually lying.

    "Ah... I see," Yu-Hyun said with an indifferent nod.

    I stared vacantly at Yu-Hyun as he took in a breath of fresh air from the window. Originally, I had nned on telling him that the alcohol had been manufactured at Yeom Man-Gun''s factory and that an intoxication spell had been engraved in it, thus making it dangerous to consume. However, after thinking about it more deeply, I realized there was no need to mention such a detail to him. It was best not to tell Yu-Hyun too many things, at the very least, for the sake of the distant future.

    "Hey, ain¡¯t the weather just stunning today, Dae-Man?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    "Indeed. It''s a perfect day for exercise!" Dae-Man eximed.

    While looking at the weather outside, the duo revealed their admiration. The early morning sunlight was shining down from the clear blue sky.

    [It will probably get cloudy soon. Isn¡¯t that so, kid?] Damba said from somewhere.

    I went back into my room, grabbed my bag, and ced Damba inside. She squirmed as if she found the inside of the bag very ufortable.

    [Kid, if it¡¯s going to be like this, I think I prefer the suitcase. This is way too ufortable.]

    "Just bear with it for a bit. Because soon..."

    Soon, there would be a situation where Damba could rampage as much as she wanted. Although I didn¡¯t say the following thoughts out loud, Damba nodded as if she understood everything.

    * * *

    ¡°Everyone brought the items that I gave you yesterday, right? We¡¯ll be quite busy today. We have many ces to visit. First...¡±

    As nned, we gathered in the underground first floor of the auditorium. While Han Dae-Ho briefly exined today''s schedule, I observed the conditions of the other students.

    I thought Dae-Man would be in the worst condition, but he was surprisingly fine. His stamina was truly overwhelming. Yu-Hyun, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon also seemed to be in rtively good condition, but Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon looked particrly unwell. The two of them continuously sighed, as if just standing there and listening to Han Dae-Ho''s story was burdensome for them.

    "...Did you guys not sleep wellst night? Your condition seems off."

    Han Dae-Ho also seemed to notice that something was off with them. He nced suspiciously at Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon, then quickly shifted his gaze toward Yu-Hyun. He then beckoned Yu-Hyun with his hand.

    "Yu-Hyun,e forward."

    "Me? Why me?"

    Yu-Hyun pointed to his chin with his finger and stepped forward as if bewildered. His acting skills were truly astonishing.

    Han Dae-Ho red at Yu-Hyun with furrowed eyebrows. He just slightly narrowed his eyes, yet his expression had be incredibly menacing.

    "What did you do yesterday? Why are the kids like this?"

    "I don''t know! Perhaps they couldn¡¯t sleep because they were busy ying together? We also stayed upte ying."

    Han Dae-Ho looked at Yu-Hyun, Jin-Seo, and Ha-Yeon one by one as if trying to verify the truth of his words.

    Yu-Hyun and Jin-Seo pretended to be nonchnt, but Ha-Yeon could not withstand the menacing gaze and ended up dropping her head toward the ground. Han Dae-Ho tilted his head slightly.

    "Yu-Hyun, did you drink alcohol yesterday? No, did you bring alcohol?"

    Han Dae-Ho was very perceptive. Yu-Hyun casually smiled and shook his head. Now that I thought about it, Yu-Hyun had a habit of smiling subtly when he lied.

    "Huh? I didn''t bring any... But why are you asking me?"

    "Because no one else would bring alcohol except for you."

    "You''re being really unreasonable here. I¡¯ve been living a diligent life these days...¡±

    Midway through Yu-Hyun¡¯s sentence, someone snickered. ¡°<i>Hehehe, </i>ah, so-sorry.¡±

    Su-Ryeon had unintentionally let out augh after failing to read the atmosphere.

    Han Dae-Ho stared at Yu-Hyun with even deeper suspicion in his eyes. Yu-Hyun also failed to control his expression as he shifted his eyes downward.

    ¡°If you tell me the truth, I¡¯ll let you off the hook. Did you drink or not?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Yu-Hyun tightly sealed his lips. Silence filled the air.

    "We did hang out together at night."

    It was me, not Yu-Hyun, who broke the silence. At this rate, we would get lectured all day and never make it to the museum, so I decided to take the initiative. Han Dae-Ho furrowed one eyebrow and stared at me. I focused on keeping my facial expression under control.

    "What do you mean?"

    "There is a garden terrace and a cafe on the central floor of the hotel, so we secretly went out at night to have some fun."

    "There was a cafe on the terrace? I didn''t see such a thing."

    "It''s there. We chatted and enjoyed the scenery untilte at night before returning.¡±

    It was true that there was a cafe on the garden terrace. It would be a lie to say that we hung out there, though. Han Dae-Ho looked at me with suspicion.

    "So, you¡¯re saying that you didn''t drink any alcohol?"

    "As clergymen and students, shouldn''t we refrain from drinking?"

    "Yes. That¡¯s indeed correct, however..."

    Han Dae-Ho nced briefly at Yu-Hyun before nodding with a sigh.

    "Yeah, as long as you didn''t do anything strange... Alright, let''s go. If you''re tired, you can nap during the trip."

    Fortunately, Han Dae-Ho believed me. Deceiving him was an unpleasant thing to do, but there was no other choice.

    We followed Han Dae-Ho out of the hotel and headed toward the bus. On the way, Yu-Hyun tapped me on the back. When I turned around, I saw Yu-Hyun drenched in cold sweat.

    "Wow, that was freaking nice. Thanks, dude,¡± Yu-Hyun said.

    I didn''t respond to him. It seemed like he was unaware that I disapproved of their actions. Either that, or he didn''t care whether I disapproved of their actions or not.

    * * *

    Today went by smoothly. The schedule was monotonous and boring. For the sake of exploring the religious culture of another country, we visited a temple. We even attended a missionary mass by following the guidance of a missionary priest who hade along with us.

    The schedule was so boring that some small incidents on the bus were the only interesting things that happened.

    We continued our trip after eating dinner.

    Min-Seo said, "Ah, Dae-Man! I told you not to push me. It¡¯s so darn narrow that I can¡¯t even breathe, you bast... you jerk!¡±

    Dae-Man was sitting next to her, and because of that, Min-Seo was unable to breathe properly. Due to being conscious of the fact that Han Dae-Ho was in the same vehicle, she suppressed the swear words from escaping her lips, but it sounded extremely awkward.

    Even after hearing Min-Seo¡¯s nagging, Dae-Man didn¡¯t hunch his body. Instead, he straightened his posture even further.

    "It must be because my body is too big. It''s something to be proud of."

    "Hey, do you want to die? Hunch your body before I dislocate your shoulder.¡±

    "Hunching the body is not a correct posture.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just a balloon-muscled shrimp that has no real strength, and yet you sure like to act like a big shot.¡±

    "What did you say? I can¡¯t ept what you said just now.¡±

    Su-Ryeon was listening to their conversation, and she burst intoughter. The only reason why we had been able to pass the time without getting bored was because the duo would start up a ruckus every time we went to a new location.

    I was lost in thought as I leaned my forehead against the window and stared outside. Anxiety and excitement swirled inside my head. The reason for this was because the next ce we were visiting was the museum.

    It was the National Museum, the ce where the Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan, was located. The thought of finally finding the staff filled me with anticipation and excitement. However, I also felt a little anxious.

    No, I wasn¡¯t just a little anxious. I was very anxious.

    It was because no notable incident had urred in all the ces we had visited today. For some reason, I felt anxious because it was peaceful. It was strange.

    Soon, the car arrived at the museum. It was a huge and fancy museum. ording to my knowledge, the Staff of Reversal looked very rough, thus making it difficult to distinguish from an ordinary branch at first nce.

    The fact that such an item was disyed in such an extravagant museum felt weird.

    Upon getting out of the car and arriving at the museum''s entrance, Han Dae-Ho said, "You are free to explore the museum as you wish. However, make sure to move in groups of four or three. It''s safer that way. Also, don''t lose the holy artifacts I gave you."

    He would also be at the museum but moving separately to allow us to explore independently. He added that if anything happened, we should contact him using the Burning Bush Twig holy artifact.

    Jin-Seo, Dae-Man, and Min-Seo were in one group, while Yu-Hyun, Ha-Yeon, Su-Ryeon, and I were in another group. Everyone was overwhelmed by the magnificent interior of the museum, and their eyes sparkled as a result.

    However, I didn''t have time to admire such things. I needed to seek the cooperation of the staff immediately to deactivate the museum''s security system. To do so, I first had to separate from the group.

    "Um... where is the restroom?" I asked the student council members enjoying the sights as if the thought had just urred to me.

    Su-Ryeon looked around, then shrugged as if she didn''t know.

    "I don¡¯t know either. I can¡¯t see it anywhere around here. Ask the staff... oh yeah, we can¡¯t ask them.¡±

    "Still, since they are employees of a tourist site, wouldn''t they know some Korean? Or perhaps English?" Ha-Yeon said.

    Su-Ryeon nodded as if she agreed.

    I naturally distanced myself from the group and said, "I''ll go look for the restroom ande back. You guys go ahead and explore."

    "Yeah, sure. We''ll be over there, near that thing... We¡¯ll be looking at that big statue over there, soe find us there," Yu-Hyun said.

    I nodded and left the group. I hurried and searched for the staff member that Yun Chang-Su had mentioned. ording to Yun Chang-Su, someone among the museum staff wore a unique ne, and that person was a Voodoo Cult member working at the museum.

    Finding the staff wasn''t difficult. It was thanks to the fact that the staff member had a ne with a unique skull-shaped decoration. The employee initially treated me kindly, thinking that I was just a regr tourist. However, their expression changed when I pulled out the envelope with Yun Chang-Su''s signature from my pocket.

    "..."

    The employee mumbled some iprehensible words and began to unfold and read Yun Chang-Su''s letter. They even ran their fingers over the words as if trying to confirm that it wasn''t a copy.

    I waited for the employee''s response while discreetly observing Han Dae-Ho and the other student council members. My throat felt dry from the tension. It was because of the thought that this employee might not be the Voodoo Cult member I was looking for.

    Then, the employee respectfully lowered their head and offered their hand for a handshake.

    As I shook his hand, the employee spoke in broken Korean. "It''s an honor, Cult Leader. Please, follow me."

 Chapter 211

    <h4>Chapter 211</h4>

    Jin-Seo silently wandered around the museum. Although she was in the same group as Dae-Man and Min-Seo, she had nothing to say to them. Even if she had something to say to them, she wasn¡¯t exactly the type of person to initiate a conversation.

    As she quietly walked ahead, she encountered the team consisting of Yu-Hyun, Su-Ryeon, and Ha-Yeon. Su-Ryeon, happily engaged in a chat with Yu-Hyun, noticed Jin-Seo and widened her eyes.

    "Oh! What the... Where were you guys? We wanted to ask if you all wanted to move together as one group. We finally found you guys,¡± she said.

    Dae-Man replied to Su-Ryeon''s question. "We were just wandering around. We found a lot of interesting things in that direction!¡±

    Jin-Seo nced at Su-Ryeon and then shifted her gaze toward Yu-Hyun and Ha-Yeon. She was sure that the group had beenposed of four people, and yet she could only see three group members. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Sun-Woo was missing. She turned her head in different directions to search for him, but to no avail.

    "...Where''s Sun-Woo?" Jin-Seo asked Su-Ryeon.

    However, Su-Ryeon was absorbed in a conversation with Dae-Man and thus had no attention to spare. Yu-Hyun was standing next to them. He scratched his head and said, "He disappeared briefly after saying that he was going to the toilet.¡±

    "Ah..."

    "But Min-Seo, why are you not greeting me?¡± Yu-Hyun aggressively questioned Min-Seo.

    Due to Yu-Hyun¡¯s question, the others failed to hear Jin-Seo''s disappointed sigh. Min-Seo had a foul expression stered onto her face the entire time, and she furrowed one eyebrow and gazed up at Yu-Hyun.

    ¡°What? Do I have to greet you every time I don¡¯t see you for a brief moment?¡±

    "Of course you do."

    "What a load of bullshit."

    "Min-Seo, you¡¯ve been getting on my nervestely. Do you want a taste of my fist?"

    "Ah, you bastard. Did you shove drugs down your throat or something? Why are you constantly picking fights with me?¡± Min-Seo growled as Yu-Hyun watched her with a smile.

    It seemed like Yu-Hyun enjoyed hearing insults from Min-Seo. At times, the duo would engage in a congenial discussion, but at other times, they would exchange a heated conversation.

    "Huh?"

    At that moment, Su-Ryeon, who had been engrossed in a conversation with Dae-Man, turned her gaze toward Jin-Seo. Su-Ryeon scanned Jin-Seo up and down before abruptly letting out a sigh. Her gaze stopped at the skirt that Jin-Seo was wearing.

    "Your skirt is really pretty! It''s a bit different from your usual style, isn¡¯t it? You normally wear really short skirts, right?¡±

    "Yeah," Jin-Seo agreed with a nod.

    Today, she was wearing an ankle-length skirt. The reason for this was that she had heard that it was not advisable to expose a lot of skin in Imic countries, and because there was a risk of getting sunburned due to the strong sunlight. As someone who usually wore rtively short clothes for the sake of mobility, it was a change in style for her.

    "It suits you really well. You''re tall, so anything looks pretty on you."

    "No, you¡¯re exaggerating..."

    "Hmm, maybe it¡¯s not because of your height? Perhaps everything looks good on you because of your pretty face?¡±

    "..."

    Jin-Seo shut her mouth in response to Su-Ryeon''s excessive praise.

    The two groups that happened to meet each other chatted briefly for a moment before separating and going their own ways. Su-Ryeon suggested going together, but Yu-Hyun pointed out that it would be too crowded if they were to move together, and hence it was decided that they would stay in separate groups.

    As if feeling somewhat regretful about separating from Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon continued to pull pranks on him until they parted ways.

    It was when they were silently touring the museum once again that the incident urred.

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    Someone forcefully opened the museum door and entered. It was a sturdy man dressed in ck clothes. Behind him, dozens of guards followed closely behind.

    "What the... who are those guys? Are they the children of darkness or something?¡± Min-Seo said with a sarcasticugh.

    * * *

    I followed the staff member¡¯s guidance. Along the way, the staff member said a bunch of things to me, but I could not immediately understand what they were saying. Legba interpreted the staff member¡¯s words for me, and I was able to btedly understand the staff member¡¯s words.

    [It''s an honor to meet you. I''m d I can be of help, is what they are saying.]

    "Hmm..."

    I nodded without replying to Legba. It was because there was no need to respond to what he had said. My nod of agreement was sufficient enough of a response.

    The ce that the staff member guided me to was the control room located in the corner of the second floor of the museum. The room had a dimly lit interior, and CCTV screens capturing the various parts of the museum were also dim. Through the screens, I could see the student council members observing the various artifacts disyed in the museum.

    Jin-Seo, Dae-Man, and Min-Seo were not exchanging conversations and seemed to bepletely focused on the exhibition. Well, I suppose the three didn¡¯t have much to talk about, especially since Min-Seo wasn¡¯t on good terms with Dae-Man and Min-Seo.

    On the other hand, Su-Ryeon, Ha-Yeon, and Yu-Hyun were walking around while having a rtively lively conversation. Although Ha-Yeon stayed quiet and mostly Su-Ryeon and Yu-Hyun were chatting.

    The staff member pointed at one of the CCTV screens and said something. Legba tranted for me.

    [This is where the staff is located. We will turn off the CCTV and security system in this area.]

    I nodded, and the staff member inserted a key into the keyhole next to the CCTV screen and turned it.

    With a sliding noise, a drawer opened, revealing two levers inside. The staff member pulled down the levers. The screens turned off with a click. I was surprised they could enter and exit the control room as they pleased and turn the CCTV cameras and security system on and off too.

    They definitely weren¡¯t a typical employee. It seemed like they were in a position where they managed the entire museum. With a slightly anxious expression, the staff member said something once again.

    [They are saying that it will be difficult to steal the staff with just this.]

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    I nodded. It was definitely going to be difficult to steal the staff just by turning off the CCTV cameras and the security system. That was why I had brought along Damba.

    Now that I thought about it, it seemed like it was necessary to exin to the staff member that Damba was going to start amotion.

    But I couldn¡¯t think of a good way to exin it. Not only were we unable to understand each other¡¯s words, it was also something that couldn¡¯t be easily exined through bodynguage.

    At that moment, Legba said, [Repeat exactly what I say.]

    He started speaking in thenguage the staff member used. He spoke slowly and clearly in order to make it easier for me to reiterate what he was saying. I said the exact words that Legba was saying to me.

    Whenever the staff member who was listening to what I was saying said something out loud, Legba would say something to me once again, and I would repeat exactly what he said. Only after a brief exchange of words did the staff member¡¯s expression shift to that of relief.

    I followed the staff member out of the control room. The museum was still peaceful. The staff member turned to me and said something.

    [They say that they will guide you to where the staff is located. The staff is far away, the path to it isplicated, and it¡¯s located in the corner, so it¡¯s difficult to find on your own.]

    I nodded. If they were willing to go to such lengths to help me, then all the better for me. I followed the staff member¡¯s guidance as I said to Legba, "What did you say to them earlier?"

    [A snake will appear and cause amotion, but don''t panic and hide. It''s all part of the n. That''s what I said. They asked whether the museum could copse, and I said it was possible, but the damage wouldn¡¯t be severe, and I said that nothing that might cause the staff members to be responsible would ur. They responded with a thank you.]

    He had pretty much delivered the exact words that I wanted to convey. Internally, I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by Legba¡¯s wisdom.

    The museum was designed so that it was possible to look down at the first floor, even from the second floor. I followed the staff member as I leaned against the railing and looked down at the first floor.

    The museum was quiet during the evening hours, and there weren''t many people who looked like tourists. After all, there was no reason for people who came for sightseeing to visit the museum.

    In any case, it was fortunate. Nothing good woulde out of having lots of people linger around. If there were lots of people, there was a greater possibility of someone noticing when I stole the staff, and more people would get injured due to themotion that Damba was about to start up.

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    It was at that moment that a noise came from the museum entrance. Both the staff member and I stopped walking. I turned my head. Someone had forcefully pushed open the door and was walking into the museum with threatening steps.

    A man was leading a formationposed of dozens of other men, and they were all walking in sync as they entered the museum. They were all dressed in ck. It was a loose-fitting garment made of flowy material, and it looked to be the same attire I had seen when I visited a local temple in the morning. So, at first, I thought they were a group of Imic clergymen who hade to visit the museum.

    ¡°...¡±

    It was only when the staff member looked at me with a weird expression that I started to suspect something was wrong. The staff member nced back and forth between the ck-robed figures entering the museum and me, then said something. I waited for Legba to interpret his words.

    [He¡¯s asking if those people are also from the Voodoo Cult. He wants to know whether the people entering the museum are yourpanions.]

    They were obviously not mypanions. If I had brought along Voodoo Cult members, I would have brought elite individuals like Ji-Ah, Yuk Eun-Hyung from the Gyeongsang faction, or Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch.

    Besides, the Voodoo Cult didn¡¯t move in such a conspicuous manner.

    Instead of answering, I shook my head, and the staff member¡¯s expression hardened. I looked down at the ck-robed figures lined up on the first floor. From a rough nce, there seemed to be about twenty of them. The tourists observing the exhibits began to murmur after spotting the men.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Suddenly, the men simultaneously covered their heads with ck hoods. ck metal objects came out from the loose clothes that they were wearing. They were guns.

    There were pistols and rifles, and even something resembling a small cannon. And then I saw a pattern on the neck of the man leading the men at the forefront.

    It was a familiar pattern¡ªa goat pattern.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang©¤!</i>

    The man raised his gun toward the ceiling and fired off a couple of warning shots. Lights and windows shattered, and ss shards rained down onto the floor. The visitors trembled as they covered their ears and crouched down.

    The man aimed his gun¡¯s barrel at the head of a staff member who was screaming on the first floor and shouted something. Just like that, one of the staff members was taken hostage.

    It wasplete chaos.

    I lowered my head and nced down at the first floor. Due to being in an open area, the groupposed of Su-Ryeon, Yu-Hyun, and Ha-Yeon were kneeling and trying to take cover.

    The groupposed of Jin-Seo, Dae-Man, and Min-Seo hid behind a pir. Jin-Seo had a fairlyrge wound on her arm. It seemed like she had been stabbed by the ss fragments that had fallen down from the ceiling.

    I needed to act immediately. However, the cogs in my brain were not functioning correctly. It was because I hadn¡¯t used the intoxication spell that much recently. I couldn¡¯t determine what I had to do first.

    Did I have to prioritize dealing with the men in ck, or was it better to just go for the staff right now...

    "..."

    I put down the bag that I had been carrying. When I opened the bag, Damba cautiously crawled out. Damba slowly rotated her head from side to side, as if waiting for mymand. I poked out my finger toward her.

    "Bite it."

    [...Ah, I see.]

    <i>Crunch!</i>

    Damba bit my finger. It didn''t hurt at all. Blood flowed out from my fingertip. I drew a picture on the floor with that blood. It was the v¨¦v¨¦ of Sobo and Ogun. The first one to bepleted was Sobo''s v¨¦v¨¦, and a faint purple glow flowed from the pattern. Like lightning, the pattern intermittently emitted intense light.

    "Sobo."

    <i>Bang¡ª!!</i>

    Every single ray of light that existed within the museumpletely disappeared. It wasn¡¯t just the museum. The lights emitted by all the buildings in the surrounding area were all extinguished. Nothing could be seen.

    I heard the sounds of the men in ck shouting among themselves.

    <i>Click.</i>

    The sound of them loading their guns could be heard.

    In that moment, within the darkness, Ogun''s v¨¦v¨¦ waspleted.

    "Ogun."

    As if responding to my words, Ogun''s v¨¦v¨¦ emitted a strong light. The shouts from the men in ck grew louder. In response, the screams of the visitors also grew louder. The chaos created by the darkness dominated the museum.

    I closed my eyes. Inside the darkness, having one¡¯s eyes open was more or less the same as having them closed, so there was no point in keeping my eyes open.

    "Bade."

    Instead, I called for Bade. A faint breeze entered through the broken windows. The wind gently enveloped the bodies of everyone in the museum.

    I sensed the flow of the wind, and by doing so, I could sense the movements of the people. Bade''s wind became my skin and became my sense of touch.

    Within the wind, I sensed one of the visitors, crouching and trembling, stand up. One of the men in ck aimed their guns at that visitor.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "Argaaah, aah, aaaah...!"

    Along with the gunshot, silence fell upon the museum. A gut-wrenching scream reverberated and cut through the silence. The scream was not from the visitor, but from the man in ck who had pulled the trigger.

    [Piles of metal that are too intricate make war meaningless,] Ogun said.

    Ogun had detonated the gun at my request.

    "I¡¯ll leave it to you, Damba," I said to Damba, who was on the floor.

    Damba swiftly moved her body and slithered somewhere. I walked within the pitch-ck darkness as I sensed the area with the wind.

    Perhaps I had overused the power of the Loa because by the time I reached the first floor, blood started pouring out of my nose. My brain wasn¡¯t really functioning correctly, perhaps because of the excessive bleeding. However, I still wouldn¡¯t use the intoxication spell.

    The decisions that I made under the influence of the intoxication spell were notpletely ording to my own will. I would basically be doing what the intoxication spell told me instead of doing what I wanted to do.

    Now, I was going to do what I wanted to do. Within the darkness, I heard the sound of rain and thunder. Intermittent shes illuminated the people in the museum.

 Chapter 212

    <h4>Chapter 212</h4>

    There were gunshots, broken windows, and men in ck who had charged into the museum out of nowhere. Before Jin-Seo could realize what was happening, her body moved first. It was the ¡®emergency situation¡¯ that Han Dae-Ho had mentioned.

    Jin-Seo pulled Min-Seo and Dae-Man, who were still unaware of the situation, behind a pir.

    One of the ss shards that rained down sliced deeply into her arm, but now was not the time to worry about such things. Jin-Seo pressed her wound with her palm to stop the bleeding and peeked at the movements of the men in ck from behind the pir.

    "..."

    <i>¡®What should I do?¡¯</i>

    Jin-Seo had a portable spear in her pocket. It was a non-lethal weapon used to subdue an opponent. However, the opponents were carrying guns. Jin-Seo touched the ne that she had received from Han Dae-Ho. It would only be able to block a bullet once. If she rushed out while blindly trusting the ne, she would be reduced to a sieve and die.

    Above all, Jin-Seo had never used a spear before. When handling unfamiliar weapons, there would be ws in her movements, and the opponent would not miss those momentary openings.

    "...Is this for real?" Min-Seo asked out of the blue.

    She had a bewildered expression on her face. The men in ck were busy shouting while grabbing one of the staff members as a hostage. Thanks to that, it seemed like they did not hear Min-Seo.

    After confirming that the men in ck wouldn¡¯t be able to hear her even if she spoke here, Jin-Seo said, "Well, do you think this is a training drill then?¡±

    "..."

    Min-Seo slowly nodded as if she finally understood the situation. She silently searched her pocket. What she held in her hand was the Burning Bush Twig that she had received from Han Dae-Ho.

    The twig was emitting a faint light. A small but powerful voice echoed from the flickering light. It was Han Dae-Ho''s voice.

    ¡ªThe location is the National Museum. An unidentified organization has upied the museum. Their motive is unknown. Requesting immediate support. Please also inform the other units as well.

    ¡ªFor the students that are listening in, do not show resistance and surrender. Your safety is the top priority. If possible, tell me your current location. I will go there. Please ry this information to your fellow student council members.

    Han Dae-Ho''s voice was calm. Despite seeming to be extremely calm considering the situation, his voice trembled slightly at the end of each word. They could vaguely sense that even Han Dae-Ho was nervous.

    Min-Seo brought her mouth close to the flickering light of the Burning Bush Twig.

    "Min-Seo, Dae-Man, and Jin-Seo are located on the first floor. We are currently hiding behind a pir here. The others are also on the first floor. "We are close enough to see each other with the naked eye," Min-Seo said quietly, trying not to be heard by the men in ck.

    However, her pronunciation was clear enough for Han Dae-Ho to hear.

    Jin-Seo took out the portable spear from her pocket and began touching it as she observed the movements of the men in ck.

    At that moment, Dae-Man suddenly let out a noise.

    "Ah."

    Min-Seo and Jin-Seo simultaneously turned their heads and stared at him. Dae-Man was tearing at his hair and trembling. He was hunching his massive body and trembling while sweating profusely. Min-Seo raised an eyebrow.

    "...Why is he like this?"

    "I..."

    Dae-Man continued to tremble as he said, "Will I never be able to ovee it?¡±

    His eyes were filled with despair.

    * * *

    After entering the museum and seeing the men in ck cocking their guns, Yu-Hyun said to Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon, "Kneel down, raise your hands, and stay still."

    His voice, which was usually slightly higher, was now heavy and low.

    "..."

    Su-Ryeon swallowed nervously and calmly followed his instructions. Ha-Yeon¡¯s lips trembled as she sat down. After seeing the men in ck, a terrible yet familiar fear resurfaced inside her mind.

    While kneeling, Ha-Yeon nervously searched her pockets with trembling hands. It appeared as if she was trying to take out the Burning Bush Twig from Han Dae-Ho.

    <i>Clutch.</i>

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    But Yu-Hyun grabbed her hand and stopped her from doing so. Before speaking, he observed the men in ck. It appeared as if the men were involved in a bunch of drama after capturing a hostage, but they were in a position where they could immediately spot them if they turned their heads.

    "...Not now."

    Now was not the time to take out the Burning Bush Twig. Even without doing anything suspicious, Ha-Yeon and Yu-Hyun''s appearance stood out. If a bunch of obviously suspicious individuals took out an suspicious item, the men in ck¡¯s target would shift from the employee to them instead.

    Ha-Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun with eyes filled with terror, then, as if understanding what he meant, she nodded and obediently lifted her hands.

    ¡°...¡±

    With his hands raised, Yu-Hyun looked at the men in ck and fell into deep thought. He recalled the time when Sun-Woo kidnapped him. He remembered how Sun-Woo had turned off all the streetlights and lights in the city and still managed to use spells in the darkness.

    It was just a hasty spection, but it seemed as if Sun-Woo could manipte electronic devices as he pleased.

    If that was the case, maybe he also could neutralize the guns that the men in ck were holding. Such a thought crossed his mind. The problem was that Sun-Woo was not here at the moment.

    At that moment, Su-Ryeon softly whispered, "...Yu-Hyun."

    Yu-Hyun nodded slightly.

    "Speak."

    "If we run away quickly right now, shouldn¡¯t we be able to escape?"

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun lowered his head without answering. It was too dangerous to run away at the moment.

    Ha-Yeon could unleash a massive amount of divine power, and he could manipte that divine power to temporarily block the vision of the men in ck. And then they could use that opportunity to escape. He had considered that possibility, but it was too dangerous. The men in ck could get startled by the sudden light and start shooting indiscriminately.

    For now, safety was the top priority. Yu-Hyun spoke confidently, as if he had a n, to reassure Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon. "...I''ll give you a signalter."

    Su-Ryeon chewed on her lips and nodded. Yu-Hyun cautiously observed the men in ck and looked for an opportunity.

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    Suddenly, lightning struck. With a crackling sound, all the lights in the museum went out. The sudden darkness left both the visitors and the men in ck confused. Themotion grew louder.

    With a click, someone loaded their gun.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "Argaaah¡ª!"

    The sound of a gunshot rang out, followed by a scream. However, the scream originated from a man in ck. Wind blew in from the broken windows and was apanied by the loud sound of rain. Ha-Yeon and Su-Ryeon were still unaware of what was happening.

    But Yu-Hyun understood the situation as it unfolded and who had manipted it to happen this way.

    It was Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo was responsible for a lightning strike, heavy rain in an unexpected location, blowing wind, and the explosion of the gun held by the man in ck. Besides him, no one else could do such a thing.

    Indeed, it was best not to have that guy as an enemy. And if he was going to leave him as an ally, he needed to bepletely subdued. If he could not subdue him, then it was better to...

    "Now, run!" Yu-Hyun eximed to Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon, ridding his mind of his thoughts about Sun-Woo. If things turned out the way he expected, then Sun-Woo must have neutralized all the guns that the men in ck had been holding.

    If they wanted to escape, now was the chance. Thinking about Sun-Woo could be postponed forter.

    "W-where should we run?!"

    "Just hide anywhere for now! Use the Burning Bush Twig formunication!"

    "Oh, okay!" Su-Ryeon shouted as she ran away.

    Ha-Yeon, whom he had been worried about, also managed to escape on her own. Yu-Hyun hid behind a massive exhibit. Then, he unleashed divine power and drew a circle around his eyes.

    He looked at the world through the circle. Even in the darkness, he could see the ¡®flow¡¯ that resided within people''s bodies. With this, he intended to locate his otherpanions, the men in ck, and Han Dae-Ho''s whereabouts.

    At that moment, he saw someone with a strange flow approaching someone else with a strange flow. One of the men in ck was approaching Sun-Woo¡¯s back with a dagger in hand.

    "Hey, Sun¡ª!"

    <i>Crack!</i>

    At that moment, a crack formed in the circle around his eyes. His warning cry toward Sun-Woo was cut off. The circle soon shattered into pieces.

    "Ugh...!"

    Tears of blood streamed out of his eyes. Yu-Hyun pressed his bloodshot eyes with the palm of his hand and gasped for breath. His heart pounded. He continued to breathe heavily, but his mind couldn''t easily calm down.

    It was just because of the pain that he felt like his eyeball had burst. The ones who had strange flows were either the men in ck or Sun-Woo. However, there was also someone with a flow that could not be seen at all. No, it was a being that transcended Yu-Hyun¡¯s perception.

    "What...?"

    He recalled thest scene he saw beyond the circle: the man in ck chasing after Sun-Woo, and behind them, a massive snake with an unpredictable movement pattern chasing after them with its mouth wide open.

    * * *

    The men in ck were startled by the sudden darkness and the malfunctioning of the firearms. After seeing theirrade¡¯s wrist fly off after they hastily pulled the trigger, they were terrified. As a result, the rest of the men in ck were not able to pull the trigger easily.

    They held their guns and waited for the boss¡¯s orders. At that moment, the boss put his gun back into his holster.

    "©¤©¤©¤!!" the boss shouted.

    It was an order to put away their guns temporarily and first to capture the hostage with their daggers. He also added that they had to especially capture the ck-haired woman.

    The men in ck followed the boss''s orders without any hesitation and put their guns back into their holsters. Instead, they drew their daggers and scattered.

    Darkness was familiar to the men in ck. They had trained every day on the methods of surviving and killing people in the darkness. Their ck clothes would further conceal their appearance in the dark.

    To them, darkness was rather cozy.

    "..."

    At that moment, one of the men in ck felt movement behind them. The presence wasing from the stairs. Someone was fearlesslying down from the second floor to the first floor.

    The man in ck quietly approached that direction. The oblivious opponent had no idea that the man in ck was following him.

    The man in ck trailed his opponent without revealing his presence. He was just an arm¡¯s reach behind him. He lifted his dagger.

    [Shh.]

    He was just about to thrust the dagger into the opponent''s neck when he suddenly heard a woman''s voice. The voice was sweet, like honey. A slimy and cold tongue licked the assassin''s spine, making the assassin¡¯s body stiffen.

    He felt the gaze of a creature so strong and terrifying that its size couldn''t be estimated. Cold sweat dripped from the assassin''s forehead.

    [Ah, you foolish and unfortunate child,] Damba whispered into the assassin''s ear.

    The snake¡¯s split tongue coiled around the assassin''s neck.

    [Of all choices, you happened to choose this kid.]

    <i>Crack.</i>

    The assassin''s body fell weakly to the ground. There was no longer a head attached to their neck.

 Chapter 213

    <h4>Chapter 213</h4>

    [Kid, always watch your back,] Damba said as I walked through the darkness.

    I turned around. Two giant eyes glowed in the darkness.

    Damba, who had grown huge after shedding her small and cute form, was staring at me from behind. Her split tongue gently licked my cheek.

    [If it weren''t for me, you could have been in a very difficult situation...] Damba said before disappearing somewhere.

    I caught the scent of blood from a gust of Bade¡¯s wind. It seemed that Damba had helped me without my knowledge. I erased her enchanting voice from my mind and once again sensed the positions of the people through Bade''s wind.

    The men in ck who had gathered in front of the entrance were now holding daggers and had scattered. The lights had gone out and their guns had malfunctioned, so they must have changed their strategy. Besides the men in ck, it was almost impossible to distinguish who was who. It was because the appearances of the people that I sensed through Bade¡¯s wind were all simr.

    Only a few people with unique body shapes could barely be distinguished, such as Dae-Man and Han Dae-Ho. Their physiques were toorge to be considered ordinary.

    Dae-Man was hunching his body while leaning against a pir on the first floor. Next to him were two rtively slender individuals, probably Jin-Seo and Min-Seo.

    And Han Dae-Ho...

    "...is on the third floor?"

    The third floor was the highest floor of the museum. With the men in ck upying the first floor, it could be considered the safest ce at the moment. He was precariously leaning against the railing, looking as if he could fall at any moment. I had no clue why he was on the third floor or what he nned to do there.

    I briefly hid behind an exhibit nearby and took out the Burning Bush Twig from my pocket. I could still hear Han Dae-Ho''s voiceing from the Burning Bush Twig.

    ¡ªEveryone, hide for now. If conditions allow, tell me your location. The opponents appear to be in a state where they can¡¯t use firearms.

    ¡ªOh, this is Su-Ryeon, and I''m hiding on the second floor...!

    ¡ªGood, that¡¯s a relief. As for Yu-Hyun...

    Han Dae-Ho continued to speak.

    ¡ªAs soon as you see me, do everything you can. If you understand my words and can respond, then answer.

    ¡ª...Understood.

    Yu-Hyun replied.

    Based on how Han Dae-Ho was standing while leaning against the railing on the third floor and the conversation between Han Dae-Ho and Yu-Hyun, I could figure out what Han Dae-Ho was trying to do.

    I knew he was a bit reckless, but he was even crazier than I thought. He intended to act as bait, and he was nning to engage in a full-on physical battle with the men in ck without any sort of strategy.

    "..."

    However, that n was too dangerous. I had seen a tattoo on the neck of the man leading the men in ck. He was either an executive of the Satanists or a subordinate of the executives.

    In any case, it was clear that the person with the tattoo was associated with the Satanists. That meant that there was a possibility that they would use ck magic. Not even Han Dae-Ho would be safe if he were attacked by ck magic.

    I could have tried to find the man with the tattoo and subdue him beforehand, but within the darkness, it was difficult to distinguish who had a tattoo and who didn''t.

    I could also choose to subdue all the intruders in the museum with spells and the power of the Loa, but that was difficult to do right now. To wipe out such arge number of enemies at once, I had to use a fusion Voodoo spell. And if I did that, I¡¯d risk revealing my identity. Thus, there was only one option left.

    I had to find Ha-Yeon.

    * * *

    She believed that she had to ovee this. She had always thought that way. Since ancient times, the members of the purification n became distinguished inquisitors, or they garnered aplishments of simr magnitude. Sung Yu-Da had achieved such a feat, and Ha-Yeon had to do the same. To do that, she had to ovee her fear of cultists.

    However, Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t help but tremble whenever she encountered a man with arger build than her. She would feel especially terrified if they wore a mask or if they had a strange glint in their eyes that showed glimmers of madness, to the extent that her legs would feel weak.

    Whenever she saw such people, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the memories of how she had been kidnapped as a kid.

    "Huff, huff...!"

    Ha-Yeon was ultimately unable to ovee her fears and ended up running away. Within the darkness, it was impossible for her to figure out where she was going, so she just ran wherever her legs led her.

    Eventually, she hid in a secluded corner of the museum and crouched down. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth with both her hands so that the sounds of her breathing wouldn¡¯t leak out.

    Her mind told her that she had to ovee her fears, but her body simply couldn¡¯t do so. Whenever her childhood trauma resurfaced in her mind, her breath would get stuck in her throat, and her chest would burn painfully as if someone was squeezing her heart.

    Whenever that happened, it became difficult for her to make rational judgments. She could only think about how much she wanted to live or how much she wanted to hide.

    "Huff..."

    For now, she collected her breath. She tried to drive away the fear that filled her mind using whatever method she could. She was able to calm down a little, but she was still unable to muster up the courage to fight against the man who had infiltrated the museum.

    The only thing she could do was pick up the Burning Bush Twig and listen intently to the soundsing out of it, and even that had taken her a lot of courage to do.

    ¡ªEveryone, hide for now. If conditions allow, tell me your location. The opponents appear to be in a state where they can¡¯t use firearms.

    ¡ªOh, this is Su-Ryeon, and I''m hiding on the second floor...!

    ¡ªGood, that¡¯s a relief. As for Yu-Hyun...

    Han Dae-Ho¡¯s voice continued to resound from the Burning Bush Twig, and she could faintly hear Su-Ryeon¡¯s response. Han Dae-Ho continued to speak.

    ¡ªAs soon as you see me, do everything you can. If you understand my words and can respond, then answer.

    ¡ª...Understood.

    Yu-Hyun''s voice could faintly be heard. Ha-Yeon listened up to that point before cing the Burning Bush Twig on the ground. Her hands were trembling too much and her arms were too sore, so she could no longer hold on to the Burning Bush Twig.

    The Burning Bush Twig had the characteristic of emitting light when receiving messages, so there was also a risk of revealing her location to the enemy. In any case,munication with Han Dae-Ho was not cut off, and Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon had been able to respond.

    She wasn¡¯t sure about Jin-Seo, Min-Seo, Dae-Man, and Sun-Woo, but at the very least, four people were in a situation where they could safelymunicate.

    If she waited long enough, everyone else would resolve the situation. Han Dae-Ho would save everyone. That was why she did not need to go out of her way to do something. As long as she just quietly waited here...

    "Gasp...!"

    At that moment, someone approached from behind Ha-Yeon. A rough and rugged hand covered her mouth, and something cold touched her neck. An unfamiliar, chilly, and eerie sensation of a de was touching her throat.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Then, without even a moment for her to feel fear, she heard the sound of something breaking.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Following that, she heard the sound of someone copsing onto the ground. The sensation of a de against her throat disappeared.

    <i>tter.</i>

    She heard the sound of a dagger falling to the ground, and she felt a presence from behind. The individual who had subdued the person cing a dagger¡¯s de against Ha-Yeon''s neck calmly retrieved the fallen dagger from the floor.

    Ha-Yeon was unable to scream or turn around and look. Instead, she just froze in ce. Her brain couldn¡¯t keep up with the series of events that had urred.

    Who was the first person who had ced the dagger¡¯s de on her neck, and who was the person who picked up the dagger that had fallen onto the floor? Judging from how they were picking up the dagger, it didn¡¯t seem like they were an ally.

    If that was the case, was it an internal conflict? Were the men in ck fighting with each other? Or did they drop their dagger due to a slip of the hand? What was she supposed to do in this situation? She had to take advantage of the opponent''s confusion and run away...

    "It''s me."

    The voice that came at that moment calmed her chaotic mind. It was a soft whisper, but she immediately knew who it was. Because the situation was quite dire, she was d to hear his voice.

    However, now was not the time to show her joy. Sun-Woo brought his index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound as he slowly approached Ha-Yeon. The sound of his footsteps was muffled.

    Within the darkness, they spoke to each other with lowered voices.

    "Don''t scream."

    "...I¡¯m not going to scream."

    The sound of rain, wind, and asional thunder provided cover, ensuring the enemy wouldn¡¯t hear their voices and thus eliminating any danger. Even if the enemy happened to hear their voices and came looking for them, it would be alright since Sun-Woo was there.

    The only thing that had changed was that Sun-Woo was by her side now. However, just that fact alone made Ha-Yeon feel strangely relieved.

    "Earlier... who was it that put a de to my neck? Was it you?"

    "I saved your life, and you¡¯re spouting nonsense? Do you want to die?"

    "Ah, I see."

    "We don¡¯t have time for useless talk,¡± Sun-Woo said.

    His voice was quiet, but since he brought his mouth close to her ear, she could hear his words clearly. Maybe because it was dark, but even though they were in close proximity, there was no sense of intimacy. It was also probably because now was not the time to worry about such things.

    Sun-Woo grabbed Ha-Yeon''s hand and ced the dagger in it.

    "What''s the range of the Blessing of Purification?" he asked.

    "If I use it right now, it will only reach the nearby area... If I prepare a little more, I could have it reach the entire first floor," Ha-Yeon said.

    The Blessing of Purification alone did not have a wide range, but by creating a fusion blessing bybining it with other blessings, it was possible for the Blessing of Purification to cover a muchrger area.

    "Then, you hide here and prepare to activate the Blessing of Purification. Do you have a Burning Bush Twig?"

    "Yes."

    "I will signal you using the Burning Bush Twig, and when that happens, shed someone of your blood toplete the blessing array. If you don''t receive the signal, you don''t have to activate the blessing."

    "..."

    "But if you do receive the signal, it means that it¡¯s a situation where we absolutely have to use it. You have to give a definite answer here. Can you use it?"

    Ha-Yeon could note up with an immediate answer, but she eventually nodded. The question of whether she could use it or not was meaningless in the current situation.

    If it was a situation where she absolutely had to use it, even if she couldn¡¯t do so, then she had to find a way.

    Ha-Yeon nodded with determination. However, Sun-Woo just kept his mouth shut and didn¡¯t respond.

    "Hey, answer me. Do you understand?" Sun-Woo said.

    "...Huh? I nodded earlier, didn''t I?" Ha-Yeon replied.

    "Really? I couldn''t see because it was dark. Anyway, I understand."

    After saying that, he tried to go somewhere else again. Ha-Yeon urgently grabbed him.

    "Wait, wait just a moment. What if someonees while I¡¯m preparing the blessing array? Like what happened earlier¡ª"

    "Stab them in the neck with the dagger."

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t help but close her mouth. If she stabbed someone in the neck with a dagger, they would die. He was telling her to kill someone as if it were a natural thing to do. Seeing how Ha-Yeon was not responding, Sun-Woo shook his head, perhaps btedly realizing that something was strange.

    "No, what I just said was a joke... Hey, this," Sun-Woo said.

    He then pulled out something from his hand and put it on Ha-Yeon''s finger. It was a ring. In the darkness, the gemstone on the ring glowed with a faint purple light. Sun-Woo tapped the ring and said, "When it bes dangerous, shatter the ring''s gem."

    "...What is this?"

    "A holy artifact."

    <i>¡®Ring-shaped holy artifacts indeed exist, but was there ever a ring with a purple gem like this?¡¯</i>

    Although Ha-Yeon was greatly interested in holy artifacts, this was the first time she had seen such an artifact. However, she decided to believe his words for now. He had no reason to lie in this situation.

    "I¡¯ll be going then," Sun-Woo firmly said.

    "..."

    He then left to go somewhere. She didn¡¯t even have a chance to stop him. His steps showed no hesitation at all. Even though he knew that the museum was filled with viins carrying guns and swords, he didn''t seem to be afraid at all.

    Although he left, Ha-Yeon still felt the sense of relief that she had felt when she encountered him. The feeling on her finger felt strangelyforting.

    Ha-Yeon put the Burning Bush Twig against her ear, fiddled with the ring that Sun-Woo had given her, and cautiously unleashed her divine power. Slowly, she began drawing a Blessing of Purification that would fill the first floor of the museum.

    * * *

    <i>Rip, ripp¡ª!</i>

    Within the darkness, Jin-Seo grabbed her skirt and tore it apart. Upon seeing her do so, Min-Seo widened her eyes in surprise. She was just about to raise her voice, but soon decided to lower it. "What are you doing...?"

    "It¡¯s to stop the bleeding."

    Jin-Seo tightly wrapped the cloth she tore from her skirt around the wound on her arm. Her skirt, which had been long, became shorter.

    As a test, Jin-Seo lightly flicked her leg in the air. It was definitely easier to move in a shorter skirt. She could have considered it as having stopped her bleeding and fixed her clothes at the same time.

    Min-Seo was so dumbfounded that she burst intoughter.

    "Hey, if you''re going to stop the bleeding, why not use a healing array instead?" Min-Seo asked.

    "The light from a healing array is too bright and noticeable," Jin-Seo responded.

    Jin-Seo pulled the knot she made with the cloth even tighter, making the bleeding stop even more.

    "So, is now the time to worry about things like this?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "...Well, that''s true," Min-Seo said.

    Min-Seo easily understood what she was saying. When she thought about it, there was no reason to stop Jin-Seo since she was just tearing apart her own skirt.

    While hiding behind a pir, Jin-Seo held the portable spear and carefully observed the enemies¡¯ movements. She was waiting for an opportunity. Min-Seo couldn''t understand her actions.

    "If we just quietly stay here, the director will take care of it," Min-Seo said.

    There was no need to take unnecessary risks. It would be wiser to stay still and wait for the enemies toe. If they got involved, in the worst-case scenario, they could end up pointlessly dying. In the best-case scenario, they would survive, and not much would change. There was nothing to be gained from taking on so much risk.

    Jin-Seo firmly shook her head. "We don''t know what will happen to the others."

    Although she said ¡®others,¡¯ she only thought of one person.

    Min-Seo looked at Jin-Seo in stupefaction and then turned her gaze to Dae-Man, who was still crouching.

    "...This bastard is still like this," she said.

    "Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler..."

    Dae-Man was crouching down and continuing to mutter the same words. He was different from his usual self.

    "Free yourself, like a bird from the snare of the fowler..."

    Min-Seo continued to listen to Dae-Man¡¯s mumbling. He had always left a strong impression and had been known for his loud voice and confident demeanor. But now, seeing him whimper while feebly hunched over, Min-Seo couldn''t help but feel angry for some reason.

    Min-Seo frowned and spat, "Hey, stop it."

    "I can''t remember..." Dae-Man said, clutching his head.

    "I simply can''t remember..."

    Min-Seo couldn''t understand what he meant by not being able to remember. From an objective standpoint, Jin-Seo could be considered the most reliable fighter, and she was going out of her way to engage in a disadvantageous fight. Meanwhile, Dae-Man, who was unmatched in size and strength, was mumbling incoherently. It truly was a desperate situation.

    "Sigh..."

    It was a situation where she had to gather her wits. Min-Seo took a deep breath and started thinking about how they could survive. For now, she picked up the Burning Bush Twig. She was thinking about asking Han Dae-Ho when he was going toe and rescue them. At the moment, there was no one they could trust but Han Dae-Ho.

    ¡ªLike a bird from the snare of the fowler...

    She heard Han Dae-Ho''s voice from the Burning Bush Twig. It was clearly Han Dae-Ho''s voice, but he was saying something simr to what Dae-Man had been muttering. Min-Seo frowned and turned her head toward Dae-Man.

    "What''s going on? Dae-Man, you..."

    <i>Crash!</i>

    That was when it happened. The sound of ss shattering loudly echoed from above, followed by the tinkling of ss fragments pouring onto the floor. Min-Seo lifted her head. A giant man, covered in light from head to toe, was falling from the third floor to the first floor.

    "Free yourself."

    <i>Crash¡ª!</i>

    The mannded. The light emanating from his body was incredibly strong. It was to the extent that looking at him directly would blind the eyes. His figure, shining alone in the darkness, stood out so much. Min-Seo btedly realized that the man was Han Dae-Ho.

    "These crazy bastards...."

    Perhaps there was no one worth trusting here.

 Chapter 214

    <h4>Chapter 214</h4>

    When Han Dae-Honded, and his shout echoed throughout the building, the light radiating from his body grew and intensified instantly. It eventually engulfed the entirety of the first floor. It was as if Han Dae-Ho had unleashed a massive wave of light.

    The men in ck approaching Han Dae-Ho with their daggers drawn couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back upon witnessing the wave of light. Han Dae-Ho''s appearance resembled that of an angel that had descended with a sh of light. Due to his massive build and booming voice, his appearance seemed even more divine.

    "Well done, Yu-Hyun!" Han Dae-Ho to Yu-Hyun, who was most likely watching him from somewhere.

    The massive wave of light surrounding Han Dae-Ho was Yu-Hyun''s creation. Yu-Hyun was manipting the light of blessing flowing out from a fusion blessing spell and directing it all toward Han Dae-Ho.

    The light instilled fear in Han Dae-Ho''s enemies and also allowed him to detect their positions by illuminating the darkness. Yu-Hyun waved his hand like a skilled conductor and controlled the light.

    Lowering her body, Jin-Seo stared at the enemies illuminated by the light. Her eyes moved incessantly. She relied on the light that could fade away at any moment to capture the enemies'' positions with her eyes quickly. Her busy eyes stopped at one ce.

    "Wait, why is that...?¡± Jin-Seo muttered, tightly gripping the portable spear she was holding.

    She released divine power and directed it into the portable spear, instantly extending its length. She held the spear with her right hand and drew a blessing array with her left hand. The light that flowed out wrapped around her body.

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    With a sound resembling a gunshot, Jin-Seo propelled herself forward with the condensed power of the blessing. Her body had moved before she could even think. It was because she had seen Sun-Woo''s figure in the darkness.

    He was standing alone in the midst of enemy lines.

    In situations like this, he would always act alone and try and solve everything alone. So, she was not surprised at all. She was not in a position to worry about him either. If it were Sun-Woo, he would survive on his own, and maybe he could even subdue all the men in ck with Han Dae-Ho.

    The one she had to worry about was probably not him but the other students. Nheless, Jin-Seo was running toward Sun-Woo. It was due to an unknown emotion that she was feeling. It wasn''t an obvious feeling like worry or sympathy. What boiled inside her was a strong emotion simr to wrath.

    "Takb©¤!"

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    While stabilizing her breathing, Jin-Seo stabbed the spear into a man in ck who was blocking her way. The chanting out of the man¡¯s mouth turned into a scream.

    Through her palm, she vividly felt the sensation of the spear piercing flesh. However, the man stabbed by the spear only rolled his eyes and fainted. He didn''t die, and no blood flowed out either. She knew that what she was holding was not a real spear. She also knew that a spear wound didn¡¯t mean death. Therefore, she didn''t hesitate.

    While stepping on the fallen enemy, she looked toward Sun-Woo and said, "Hey."

    Sun-Woo remained silent, his gaze directed elsewhere as usual. It was a constant habit of his. Though she couldn''t discern the object of his focus, one thing was certain¡ªhe wasn¡¯t looking at her. It finally dawned on her what emotion she felt whenever she observed him. She didn''t want to be a person who was superior to him, nor did she want to follow him blindly.

    "...Let''s go together."

    She just wanted to be equal to him. She wanted to be someone who had the right to be with him. That would be the only way he would look in her direction.

    The men in ck were approaching them stealthily like moths chasing light. Han Dae-Ho lowered his stance and prepared for battle. Jin-Seo tightened her grip on the spear.

    * * *

    "Wow, man. Ha... ah, these guys are really crazy. Are there only crazy bastards in Florence Academy...." Min-Seo muttered as she watched Jin-Seo run toward the enemy.

    She had actually been thinking about running away the moment an opportunity presented itself. However, due to Han Dae-Ho, Sun-Woo, and Jin-Seo engaging in a full-on battle with the men in ck, she couldn''t escape.

    If she had rashly tried to escape, there was the possibility that she might get captured and be a hostage. Or, if she was unlucky, she could get wrapped up in the battle and get injured. There was also the option of running away after breaking through the location of the battle, but she didn¡¯t dare to do so. That was how intense the battle was.

    <i>Creak¡ª!</i>

    Han Dae-Ho caught the enemy¡¯s dagger with his bare hands and bent it. Then, he struck the enemy''s sr plexus with his shining fist.

    The enemy, hit by his fist, gasped and soon copsed. Hisrades retreated upon seeing such a sight.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    Jin-Seo stabbed the enemies with her spear. The enemies stabbed by the spear lost focus in their eyes and became unconscious. asionally, she swung the spear to strike the enemy''s head. Jin-Seo handled the spear skillfully as if she had been born to swing the spear.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Sun-Woo caught an enemy off guard and mmed them to the ground. Every time he did that, a huge rift appeared on the floor. It was an incredible disy of strength. The Blessing of Superhuman Strength was indeed on a different level.

    But no matter how powerful the Blessing of Superhuman Strength was, was it really powerful enough to bestow such arge amount of strength? She wasn''t sure. Anyway, everyone was a menace on the battlefield.

    "...Phew."

    Min-Seo took a deep breath and pondered. Honestly, it didn''t seem like she could escape from this situation. In that case, she only had two options. One was to stay here and endure everything with Dae-Man until the situation was resolved, and the other was to join the battle.

    Hiding here would be the safest option, but considering various possibilities, joining the battle didn''t seem like a bad idea either.

    She could get amendation for something along the lines of being a brave and proud Florence Academy student.

    Min-Seo was currently in a situation where she couldn''t receive a schrship because she had messed up on the exam. She urgently needed amendation or rmendation letter at the moment.

    "Wow, I must be crazy too."

    Min-Seo was amazed by her tendency to calcte money and profit even in such a situation. However, she was not disappointed in herself. She believed that her calcting nature was good for making rational judgments.

    "Fuck, screw it," she muttered as she unleashed divine power with her hands.

    Then she jumped into the fray that Han Dae-Ho, Jin-Seo, Sun-Woo, and the men in ck were entangled in.

    "..."

    Meanwhile, Dae-Man continued to crouch.

    Back when he was young and small, Dae-Man had been trapped in a copsed, poorly constructed building. At the time, he didn¡¯t have the strength to escape the building alone, and his family was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he might have died after being crushed under the debris of the copsed building.

    Dae-Man crouched down and closed his eyes to not get crushed by the slowly copsing building.

    At the time, Han Dae-Ho hade to rescue Dae-Man.

    ¡®Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.¡¯

    He had muttered those cryptic words and rescued Dae-Man from the copsed building. The way Han Dae-Ho easily cleared the debris, paved a path, and strode forward to save people was truly heroic.

    As Dae-Man grew up, he learned that what he was muttering was a verse from the Book of Proverbs. From a young age, he had a poor memory, but he memorized that verse from the Book of Proverbs and carried it with him. He also started exercising. He wanted to be a big person like Han Dae-Ho. He wanted to be a strong person.

    As time passed, he became a truly big person. He became so strong that he wouldn''t hear anyone say he was weak.

    With his eyes closed, Dae-Man sighed, "Ah..."

    The sound of Han Dae-Ho, Jin-Seo, Sun-Woo, and Min-Seo engaging in battle could be heard. It was chaotic. On the other hand, this ce was so quiet. The fact he had the nerve to stand alongside them made him feel pathetic and miserable.

    He could pretend to be brave during practical training or practical exams. He could act like a brave warrior who was not afraid of death. Because during training and exams, no matter what he did, he wouldn''t die. It was because the teachers guaranteed the students'' lives.

    However, right now, it was a situation where he could really die. Dae-Man crouched down and cowered because he was afraid of death. His body had grown bigger, but he still remained weak. He appeared tough on the outside, but inside, he was still soft.

    Dae-Man evaluated himself as a person who amounted to nothing more than a poorly constructed building.

    At that moment, someone called out to Dae-Man.

    "Dae-Man."

    Dae-Man raised his head and opened his eyes. Su-Ryeon was looking down at Dae-Man with her hands on her knees.

    "...Su-Ryeon, why are you here?"

    "Huh? I just came down," Su-Ryeon replied nonchntly.

    "The stairs must have been littered with enemies."

    "No, you just have to jump from here to there. Thene down straight from there to here," Su-Ryeon said as she pointed here and there with her finger.

    It appeared as though she had reached this ce by navigating from the second-floor railing to one pir, then moving from that pir to another, and finally descending by riding one of the pirs down.

    It was Su-Ryeon''s unique route that no one else could imitate. Su-Ryeon sat next to Dae-Man. She raised her knees and rested her chin on her hand. Then, tilting her head slightly, she looked at Dae-Man.

    "Everyone is fighting. I¡¯m too scared to do anything, though."

    "Me too," Dae-Man said with a nod.

    He understood Su-Ryeon''s fear better than anyone else.

    "...I must look pathetic," he said, wiping his face with his hand.

    Su-Ryeon tilted her head.

    "No? This is normal."

    "..."

    "Isn¡¯t it people like Sun-Woo who are special? Logically speaking, the fact that they are getting involved in a situation like this...¡± Su-Ryeon said.

    The word ¡®special¡¯ resonated deep within Dae-Man.

    "Yeah, you''re right," he said.

    Dae-Man was ordinary. He had always been in a position where he envied and admired those who were special. He tried harder than others so that he too could be special. Eventually, he obtained the special quality of putting in more effort than anyone else.

    "They are special," he said.

    Dae-Man envied Sun-Woo''s courage. His courage, which overcame even the fear of death, was stronger and more unique than anything else. For Dae-Man, who was ordinary, he had to put in several times more effort in order to possess such special qualities. He needed to have much stronger determination than others. If he continued to couch like this, he wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve what he desired.

    "The truth is, I must have envied Sun-Woo."

    Dae-Man straightened his crouched body. He stood up from his seat.

    "If I just stay still like this, I will just feel inferior forever.¡±

    He unleashed divine power. The blessing array he drew was crude, and the light was dim. However, the light of blessing gradually intensified as it enveloped Dae-Man''s body. Dae-Man couldn''t handle blessings well, but he had a strong physique that could maximize the efficiency of blessings.

    "But if I choose to move, then I can turn that feeling of inferiority into a desire to improve myself.¡±

    He filled his entire body with the strength of the blessing and walked forward. His footsteps quickened. Dae-Man charged forward and threw himself into the battlefield.

    "Free yourself¡ª!"

    <i>Smack!</i>

    His massive body collided with one of the men in ck. The man flew into the wall. Dae-Man''s steps were more confident than ever, and his chest stood broad and firm.

    * * *

    I grabbed a man in ck who was approaching me by the head and mmed him into the ground. A chilling sound echoed out.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    Thanks to Bossou''s power, my body was overflowing with strength. Even though I was trying to hold back my strength, the men in ck fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

    "Huh."

    The problem was that no matter how many men in ck I subdued and defeated, their numbers didn''t decrease. Just when I thought I had finished them off, more men in ck appeared, brandishing daggers andunching attacks toward us.

    I collected my breath. Although I was using Bossou''s power, it was still exhausting. No, to be precise, it was tedious rather than exhausting.

    A shout came from somewhere at that precise moment, and one of the men in ck threw a dagger my way.

    "Takb¨©r!"

    I didn''t dodge it. Instead, I used Bade''s power.

    <i>Whoosh©¤!</i>

    The dagger flying toward me lost momentum and fell to the ground when it encountered the wind. Using Bade''s wind, I located the enemy who had thrown the dagger at me. However, I didn''t need to intervene.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    "How cowardly."

    It was because Jin-Seo had already stepped forward and subdued them for me. She skillfully handled the spear and effortlessly subdued the enemies.

    "Although we are fighting, safety is the priority! If it seems dangerous, retreat immediately!¡± Han Dae-Ho shouted.

    He twisted and shattered a dagger with his bare hands, then struck an enemy''s sr plexus with his fist. He only hit them hard enough to just barely keep them alive.

    "Go, Dae-Man!" Min-Seo shouted.

    "Roaaar©¤!" Dae-Man shouted.

    "Yes, you need to go on a rampage so that I can take a break!" Min-Seo said.

    Min-Seo and Dae-Man joined the battlete, but they fought quite well. At first nce, Min-Seo appeared to be doing nothing, but she was actually very important in double-tapping the enemies that Dae-Man or Han Dae-Ho hadn''tpletely subdued.

    Only five of us were fighting, and there were countless enemies. Nheless, it didn''t seem like we would lose. Han Dae-Ho and Jin-Seo¡¯s presence was significant. The enemies were starting to feel fear, as they were hesitating and taking steps back.

    "Don''t advance too far! If one of us has to get hurt, it¡¯s best if I get¡ª!¡±

    Han Dae-Ho stopped speaking midway, his eyes fixed on one point. I followed his gaze. Something faintly glowed in the darkness¡ªthe light was dreary and ominous.

    It was a goat symbol. The goat symbol on the man''s neck was emitting light. The red and eerie light scattered in a circr shape.

    Soon, a Pentagram waspleted. It didn''t seem like the man was directly using ck magic. It seemed like he was being used as a tool for activating ck magic.

    <i>Saaaa...</i>

    Demonic energy flowed out from the Pentagram. However, for some reason, the concentration of demonic energy was not strong. It was much thinner and fainter than what I had seen during my fight with Jun-Hyuk.

    "It¡¯s demonic energy! Everyone, cover your mouths!¡± Han Dae-Ho shouted.

    However, the demonic energy wasn¡¯t something that could simply be blocked by covering one¡¯s mouth. It was impossible to block an activated ck magic spell without a Blessing of Purification. The time for using the Blessing of Purification was now. I lifted the Burning Bush Twig.

    I immediately signaled to Ha-Yeon, "Ha-Yeon, now!"

    ¡ª!

    At that moment, a brilliant light flowed out from the corner of the museum and pierced through the darkness. The light was much more radiant and pure than the light of a normal blessing array. It was the Blessing of Purification.

    The light of blessing drove away the demonic energy threatening to surround us, retreating and vanishing into nothingness.

    "..."

    The movement of the manmanding the men in ck came to a halt.

    Ogun''s power had rendered all the guns useless and destroyed them. There was no chance of winning an all-out battle. Even the ck magic spell, which was supposed to be thest resort, disappeared into nothingness due to Ha-Yeon''s blessing of purification. They no longer had any chance of winning. The men in ck, who had been charging forward without hesitation, also lost their momentum.

    They just stared nkly at us with their daggers and didn¡¯t initiate an attack. Silence filled the air.

    "?XXXXhu ?akbar¡ª!"

    At that moment, the man leading the men in ck broke the silence, his voice echoing through the museum.

    "?XXXXhu ?akbar©¤!"

    "?XXXXhu ?akbar©¤!"

    "?XXXXhu ?akbar©¤!"

    Starting with the man''s rallying cry, all the other enemies began shouting in unison. They looked like primitive men conducting a ritual.

    They put down their daggers and tossed the guns they carried onto the ground.

    <i>Flutter.</i>

    Then, they took off their clothes. Something was wrapped tightly around their bodies. In the darkness, they vaguely resembled bandages and seemed like bulletproof vests.

    I btedly realized what they were wearing.

    They were wearing bombs.

 Chapter 215

    <h4>Chapter 215</h4>

    They approached us slowly, holding the detonators in their hands. If we retaliated, they would press the detonator and blow themselves up, and if we didn''t fight back, we would be taken hostage without putting up a fight. There was also the possibility that they would detonate even if we didn''t fight back.

    "Takb¨©r!"

    "©¤©¤©¤©¤©¤!!!"

    "?XXXXhu ?akbar©¤!"

    "Takb¨©r!"

    They shouted iprehensible words as they approached us with confident strides. The tide had turned.

    At first, they took a step back when they saw Han Dae-Ho appear with a bright light, but now we were the ones stepping back, with them shouting words we couldn''t understand.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    While taking a step back, I bumped into someone. It was Jin-Seo, and she was also moving backward. We ended up back-to-back. It wasn''t just Jin-Seo. Dae-Man, Han Dae-Ho, and Min-Seo were all gathered together, taking hesitant steps back.

    ¡°..."

    They closed in on us instantly. If even one of them pressed the button on the detonator, we would all be blown to pieces. The entire museum could copse as well. As strong as Han Dae-Ho was, even he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the explosion.

    "©¤©¤©¤©¤!!"

    The enemy''s encirclement had be tight. A man who looked like a boss with a goat symbol on his neck pointed and gestured at us, saying something. Naturally, we couldn''t understand what he was saying.

    I hoped Legba would interpret, but he didn''t.

    The man shouted again. "©¤©¤, ©¤©¤©¤!!"

    I saw who he was pointing at. His finger was aimed at Jin-Seo. The man continued to gesture toward Jin-Seo, extending his palm as if telling her to hand herself over. Then he pointed toward the exit with his thumb.

    It seemed like he was saying that once we let Jin-Seo go, we would be free to leave.

    "I think they¡¯re telling us to give up Jin-Seo or something along those lines."

    "Pretend you didn''t understand. That way, we can buy some time."

    I wasn¡¯t the only one who understood his words. Min-Seo and Han Dae-Ho also vaguely understood what the man was trying to say. Min-Seo nodded as if she agreed with Han Dae-Ho.

    Meanwhile, I called Ogun. At least one part of the explosives must be made of iron. If I used Ogun''s power, I could render all the explosives useless, just like how I had turned their guns into scrap metal.

    [No, it won''t work.]

    However, Ogun tly refused. I almost cursed out loud out of reflex.

    Ogun continued, [I want to help, but I am running low on offerings. Even if I force my power, I won''t be able to disarm all the enemy''s bombs.]

    Hearing Ogun''s words, I realized that I had been using Ogun''s power without properly offering sacrificestely. The Loa alwaysined about not having enough sacrifices during the most critical moments. I squeezed my eyes shut.

    At that moment, with a puzzled expression, Dae-Man said, "Why do they need Jin-Seo? I don¡¯t understand."

    "Isn''t it because she stands out the most? Just looking at her holding a spear would make someone want to kidnap her the most among us," Min-Seo said.

    "No, it''s not like that..." Dae-Man interrupted Min-Seo''s rampant tongue.

    I recalled the goat symbol I had seen on the boss of the enemies.

    "It must be rted to Satanists," I said.

    "Satanists?" Min-Seo said.

    Han Dae-Ho said, "Sun-Woo is right. I saw them using ck magic earlier. The reason why they¡¯re trying to take Jin-Seo away...¡±

    He then nced at Jin-Seo and added, "It seems like they have a clear purpose."

    I nodded. The demons that appeared at the examination site had targeted Jin-Seo, and so had the Satanists.

    Min-Seo looked at the enemies with determined eyes and said, "Then should we just give up Jin-Seo..."

    "What? Hey."

    "No, I meant we can pretend to leave and then take advantage of that opening and counterattack," Min-Seo quickly exined.

    Han Dae-Ho shook his head. "That''s too dangerous."

    "Well... it¡¯s just a thought," Min-Seo said.

    "What if I charge in first, and you take advantage of that opening?" Dae-Man asked.

    "No... I can''t use you as bait. I''d rather..." Han Dae-Ho muttered with furrowed brows.

    In truth, there was no way out. Using Ogun''s power or stirring up Bade''s wind could be a possibility. However, using Ogun''s power might not yield significant results, and using Bade''s wind was too risky of a choice.

    My n B was to use spells. I had practiced spells a lot, not only to reach a higher level but also because I simply wanted to increase my spell output and reduce the time it took to draw spell arrays.

    Putting enemies in the museum to sleep was something I could do with just a flick of a finger. However, if I used spells now, I¡¯d definitely expose my identity. I had to think of a method to put enemies to sleep using spells without exposing my identity, but I just couldn''te up with one. The situation was not looking bright.

    At that moment, Jin-Seo looked somewhere and murmured, "Su-Ryeon?"

    I followed her gaze, but Su-Ryeon was nowhere to be seen. Only the faint light of the Burning Bush Twig shimmered like a star in the darkness. Su-Ryeon was the one holding the Burning Bush Twig.

    Min-Seo frowned. "What is she doing over there right now?"

    "...No way," Han Dae-Ho muttered ominously.

    Perhaps he and I might be thinking the same thing. I also felt like I knew what Su-Ryeon was up to. She unleashed her divine power and infused it into the twigs. Then, she hung onto the railing on the second floor and swiftly threw the Burning Bush Twig between the men in ck.

    The Burning Bush Twig emitted an even stronger light than before. Holy artifacts enhanced their performance in proportion to the amount of divine power infused into them. In the case of the Burning Bush Twig, the more divine power that was infused, the louder the sound became duringmunication.

    "AAHAHHHHHH¡ª!"

    ¡°AAHAHHHHHH¡ª! AAHAHHHHHH¡ª!¡±

    Suddenly, I heard a scream. No, it was more like a shriek. It was undoubtedly Yu-Hyun''s voice. His voice spread throughout the area through Su-Ryeon, Ha-Yeon, and Yu-Hyun''s Burning Bush Twigs. The same voice echoed from all directions simultaneously.

    We flinched.

    The enemies closing in on us froze for a fraction of a second. Their hands, which were on the detonation devices, trembled. Han Dae-Ho didn''t miss this opportunity.

    He quickly drew a blessing array and enveloped himself in the light of blessing. And then, with my arms crossed in an X, I pushed the enemies aside and made my way through.

    "Everyone, get down!"

    The others reflexively found cover. As the students ran along the path Han Dae-Ho had created, they immediately dropped to the ground upon hearing his shout.

    I prepared to unleash Voodoo magic and observed the enemy. Their hands were all on the detonators. The moment they slightly pushed the buttons, the museum would turn into a sea of fire, and we would disappear without a trace.

    It was a critical moment. Han Dae-Ho must have thought that running away was no longer meaningful, as he tried to surround us with his entire body. However, even with hisrge frame, he couldn''t envelop all of us.

    Jin-Seo aimed her spear at the enemy, but it was already toote. Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon dropped to the ground. Dae-Man mumbled something and clenched his fist. Ma Yu-Hyun was still shouting at the Bush Twig. Ha-Yeon was nowhere to be seen.

    At that moment, the buttons were pressed.

    <i>Click.</i>

    At the same time, the sound of droplets falling echoed.

    <i>Swish</i>.

    And time stood still. Han Dae-Ho surrounded us, and Jin-Seo aimed her spear at the enemy. Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon remained on the ground. Dae-Man clenched his fist. Yu-Hyun brought his mouth closer to the Bush Twig. The enemies had their fingers pressed into the detonators.

    Everything froze.

    My body didn''t move either. The only thing that flickered was my finger. Even that was a strange urrence. The others didn''t even blink, let alone move their fingers.

    <i>Thump, thump.</i>

    I could hear irregr footstepsing from somewhere.

    [Kid.] Damba''s voice echoed in my ear.

    A dry and stiff branch touched my hand. I instinctively grabbed it.

    [I brought it, just as you asked.]

    I intuitively knew that what I held in my hand was the Staff of Reversal, the poteau mitan. However, immediately afterward, the staff disappeared from my hand.

    I continued to grasp at the staff, but it was nowhere to be found. The staff had already slipped out of my hand.

    <i>Click, ck.</i>

    Irregr footsteps continued to echo. I turned my head in that direction. Legba was walking alone, crossing through the frozen space. He leaned on the staff and walked with a limp. The staff that had disappeared from my hand was now in his.

    [Now I can walk a little.]

    <i>Thump! </i>

    Legba struck the ground with the staff. And with that, the scenery changed.

    [Wee to the Crossroads.]

    My field of vision was enveloped in a purple mist, then quickly filled with darkness. The intersecting darkness created two paths. Red moonlight illuminated the dark path.

    Dozens of pairs of stars emerged from the darkness. Red, green, white, and yellow stars formed pairs and glistened in the darkness.

    They were the eyes of countless Loa: Granbwa, Sobo, Bossou, Marte... and many other Loa lingering at the Crossroads. The Loa watched us from the same spot without approaching or moving away.

    Yes, <i>us</i>.

    [Everyone.]

    I wasn''t the only one invited to the Crossroads.

 Chapter 216

    <h4>Chapter 216</h4>

    <i>Click, ck. </i>

    Legba walked through the crowd. The red moonlight eerily illuminated his pale face. His intense gaze scanned the faces of the people gathered at the crossroads.

    Various expressions decorated the people looking at Legba: the men in ck attacking the museum, the Florence Academy students, Han Dae-Ho, and even some tourists. Their expressions and gazes were different. Some were shocked, others were bewildered and unaware of what was happening, and some were fearful. Legba raised his staff.

    <i>Thump.</i>

    With that, some of the people in the crowd disappeared. Only the men in ck who had attacked the museum remained at the Crossroads.

    Legba smiled at them. The men in ck found his smile eerie. A transcendental being, unknown to their religion, stood before them. The smile from such a being could only feel eerie. They felt chills along their backs. It wasn''t just because they feared Legba''s smile and gaze. It was because <i>something else</i> was watching them as well.

    The gaze came from the sky. The leader of the men in ck looked up.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    As he looked at the sky, his mouth gaped open with astonishment, and then his body slumped as if all the strength from his legs had been drained away. Drool dripped from his open mouth. His eyes turned red and bloodshot, and his pupils trembled from side to side as if he were going crazy. Despite his fear, he couldn''t take his eyes off the sky.

    "Ah, argh. Ugh, kr-rrk..!"

    <i>Grrk, grrk, grrk.</i>

    Finally, he fell down, foamed at the mouth, and dug his fingernails into his eye sockets as if trying to gouge out his own eyes. However, not a single wound appeared on his eyes¡ªthere was only a bone-chilling sound as if he were scratching ss.

    In response to their boss''s sudden action, all the men in ck looked up. There, in the sky looming over the Crossroads, they faced the presence watching over them.

    Beings with red, blue, or pale eyes stared at them. The unknown entities looking at them were unmeasurably vast. They were the wind, the lightning, and the trees that humans worshipped. They were the origins of civilization¡ªthe rivers, water, and fire.

    The men in ck sensed that this ce was not and for the living but and for the deceased or spiritual beings. They also knew that the towering beings looking at them were divine beings.

    They trembled with fear yet, at the same time, were filled with joy and admiration. They felt endless beauty and thirst toward the primordial and divine beings looming over them. It was human nature to chase after the origins of the world.

    <i>Click, ck.</i>

    Legba walked forward. The appearance of a small and pitiful old man suddenly disappeared. Before them stood a colossal presence that oversaw the Crossroads and everything spiritual within them.

    Legba raised his staff and lightly waved it in the air.

    <i>Shhhhh... </i>

    Then, the darkness that made up the Crossroads swirled and gathered, only to scatter and transform into something new. Two paths appeared before the men in ck. Legba stood at the center of one of the paths, gripping his staff.

    [I have given you two paths,] Legba said.

    In his hand, a pipe suddenly appeared. He took a puff of the pipe and continued speaking.

    [The path you choose is the path you desire.]

    Legba exhaled smoke. The puffy smoke bled red in the moonlight.

    [Which path will you take?]

    <i>Thump. </i>

    Legba struck the ground with his cane, urging them on. The men in ck hesitated, unable to choose a path.

    They wanted only one thing right now. But they couldn''t decide which path would lead them to it, so they couldn¡¯t make a decision. The red moonlight, the colorful eyes, Legba''s smoke, and the darkness of the Crossroads blended together in a strange hue.

    The men in ck cautiously stepped forward, hesitantly moving toward a path. After the first person chose their path, the others followed suit.

    Legba counted the number of people walking on the chosen path with his cane. [46 people.]

    Out of the 47 men in ck invited to the Crossroads, 46 chose the left path. Only one person hadn¡¯t chosen a path and was sitting in the center of the Crossroads. It was the man who had first felt the gaze of the Loa, raised his head, and foamed from his mouth. He was the leader of the men in ck.

    He was still trying to dig into his eyeballs, his fingers in his eye sockets. His face was covered in tears, mucus, and froth. Legba approached him.

    [So, is that your choice?] Legba spat the smoke that was in his mouth into the man¡¯s face.

    The smoke enveloped the man. The goat pattern on the back of his neck faintly glowed in the smoke. However, the pattern only emitted light and had no effect whatsoever at the Crossroads.

    [Sometimes, those who lose their sight open their mind''s eye.]

    <i>Drop. </i>Legba''s words were apanied by the sound of a droplet of water falling.

    <i> * </i>

    <i>Drop.</i>

    "..."

    I woke up. The Crossroads had disappeared, and I was again met with the museum''s interior. The ce was quiet, as if time had stopped. No one opened their mouths, nor did they move, just like when Damba handed me the staff.

    Time at the Crossroads felt fleeting but also eternal. Therefore, even after returning to the museum, my sense of time was hazy. I couldn''t tell if the stillness enveloping the museum was fleeting or eternal.

    <i>ck. </i>

    Right then, I heard footsteps. The footsteps went from one to two and then gradually increased to four. It was the footsteps of the men in ck who had surrounded us.

    They took their hands off the detonators and started walking with their shoulders drooping to the ground. They lined up, leaving the museum much more orderly than when they hade in. Some took off their masks and threw them away, while others took off the bomb vests they were wearing and gently ced them on the ground.

    Numerous men in ck left the museum, leaving only one person left.

    "Ah, krk, grrk, krk...!"

    The only one left was the boss of the men in ck. It was the man who had a goat pattern on the back of his neck. He was groaning strangely and digging his own eyeballs with his fingers. Blood flowed down his arm, clung to his elbow, and then dripped on the ground.

    It was a terrifying sight. However, none of us were surprised. Jin-Seo, Min-Seo, Dae-Man, and Han Dae-Ho all blinked, focusing only on regaining their sense of reality.

    Everyone here had juste back from the Crossroads.

    <i>Click, ck. </i>

    Legba''s footsteps echoed through the quiet museum. Everyone''s gaze turned in that direction. He walked across the museum with a staff in hand, passed in front of us, and yfully tapped Su-Ryeon''s head with it. Su-Ryeon remained lying down, unaware of what had hit her.

    [I''lle find youter,] Legba''s voice echoed.

    It seemed like only I could hear his voice.

    [Congrattions. You''ve obtained the staff,] Legba said.

    <i>Rustle</i>.

    Somewhere, I heard the sound of Damba moving. I followed her trail with my eyes, but I couldn''t even catch a glimpse of her. Instead, I felt a strange sensation in my hand. No, perhaps it was a familiar sensation¡ªthe sensation of a stiff, rough branch.

    The Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan. The staff was in my hand. I had obtained the staff. So, maybe I didn''t lose anything here after all. I felt there must have been a price to pay for obtaining the staff, but I couldn''t figure out what I had sacrificed.

    <i>m!</i>

    At that moment, the museum door opened, and clergymen rushed in. They were the responders to Han Dae-Ho''s request for support. Legba calmly passed by the clergymen with leisurely steps and finally left the museum. I couldn¡¯t make out his figure anymore.

    <i> </i> *

    Han Dae-Ho couldn''t forget the scene that had unfolded before his eyes in that brief moment. Even now, when he closed his eyes, that shocking scene flickered in the darkness. Thend was shrouded in darkness, and the eerie, fiery red moon illuminated it. The old man holding the staff in the center. Two paths.

    The Crossroads.

    <i>¡®The Voodoo Cult has a ce called the Crossroads, which represents the values of the Voodooists, who emphasize choice and freedom.¡¯</i>

    That was what Oh Hee-Jin, a knowledgeable religious schr who knew more about other religions than the Romanican Church, had said.

    Yes, things had looked strange from the beginning. Even if rain was possible, geographically, it wasn''t possible for such a loud storm to ur naturally.

    But thunder and lightning had struck, and rain had fallen. He had heard that the Prophet of the Voodoo Cult could control the weather. If the Voodoo Cult was present, then that would exin all the strange phenomena that had just urred.

    <i>Click, ck. </i>

    Han Dae-Ho saw an old man walking across the museum. He could only make out the man¡¯s silhouette because of the darkness, but he could tell that the old man was the same person he had seen at the Crossroads. The cane gave it away.

    <i>m!</i>

    The clergymen who came inte shouted, ¡°We¡¯re the Seoul North Pdin Order Dispatch Team A! Han Dae-Ho, where is Han Dae-Ho, the head of the East Pdin Order?"

    However, Han Dae-Ho did not answer. It would be fitting to say that he simply didn''t have the presence of mind. With trembling fingers, he pointed at the old man who had just left the museum.

    "Th-that...!"

    The old man with the cane must be the Cult Leader or the Prophet of the Voodoo Cult. Or both. That man was, at the very least, an important figure in the Voodoo Cult, and he had to tell them. He had to tell them they needed to catch that person.

    But his mouth wouldn''t open. He could only watch the old man¡¯s retreating figure.

    He was afraid. In the past, Han Dae-Ho had explored a scene that appeared to be the aftermath of a battle between the Voodoo Cult and Satanists. The traces left behind at the scene of the battle made it evident that the battle had been intense.

    At that time, Han Dae-Ho also felt quite afraid due to the thought that one day, a war might break out between the Satanists, Voodoo Cult, and the Romanican Church.

    "Ugh, ugh...! Ugh, aaah©¤!"

    "Urrgh... what is this? Han Dae-Ho, I need a briefing on the whole situation!"

    "..."

    "Hey, Han Dae-Ho!"

    However, the fear that Han Dae-Ho felt waspletely different now. Back then, he had been afraid of the possibility of a war breaking out and feared the concept of war itself. He feared the inevitable casualties if a war broke out, even if they would win.

    The fear he felt now was different. He had directly felt the power of the Voodoo Cult. No, maybe what he experienced was an indirect glimpse of their power. The strength of the Voodoo Cult was possibly much greater and more dangerous than he imagined.

    That was why he was afraid.

    "The Voodoo Cult..."

    The Romanican Church, Voodoo Cult, and Satanists. If these three religions shed, the first to disappear would be the Satanists. Then, if the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult remained to engage in a full-scale battle... It was hard to say that their victory was guaranteed. No, they would have to make tremendous sacrifices in order to achieve victory.

    "What¡¯s happening? Hey, Han Dae-Ho! What can we do if you¡¯re like this? Even the students'' condition right now©¤!"

    "I know," Han Dae-Ho said, interrupting the Western Pdin Order''s leader. "Please help with the recovery efforts. I will report the situation."

    He then exined the general situation to the Western Pdin Order leader and proceeded to deal with the aftermath of the situation. First, he instructed the clergymen to escort the students. After sending the shocked students back to the hotel, he evacuated the museum visitors. He collected all the bombs, firearms, and daggers left behind by the men in ck. And he captured the boss of the men in ck left alone at the museum.

    "Director, this..."

    While he was cleaning up the scene, Han Dae-Ho heard through his subordinate''s report that the men in ck who had left the museum were found dead together at the nearest well. ording to the testimonies, 46 men dressed in ck jumped into the well and took their own lives.

    Han Dae-Ho shivered uncontrobly. It was because the rain had now stopped.

 Chapter 217

    <h4>Chapter 217</h4>

    I quickly tucked the staff that had somehow ended up in my hands into my arms. Several people, including Han Dae-Ho, had visited the Crossroads and had seen Legba holding the staff. If they caught me holding the same staff in my hands, I wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid suspicion.

    No, suspicion wasn''t the issue anymore. Everyone had been at the Crossroads and had seen Legba. That signified that the Voodoo Cult had been here, and none other than the Cult Leader and Prophet of the Voodoo Cult was present.

    "Go back to the hotel and wait."

    Fortunately, they hadn¡¯t found out that I was the Prophet and the Cult Leader yet. Han Dae-Ho ordered the clergymen to escort us and send us back to our amodation. From his demeanor, Han Dae-Ho seemed very rattled about the situation. The same could be said about the expressions of the other kids.

    Even Yu-Hyun, who knew my true identity, had a perplexed expression. We didn''t say a word on the van. It wasn''t just because the clergymen were apanying us. Everyone was still unable to recover from the shock of what they had seen at the Crossroads.

    "Just what did I witness...?"

    The long silence was broken by Min-Seo¡¯s muttering to herself as we got out of the van upon the apanying clergymen¡¯s instructions.

    "I saw an old man. I don''t know what it means, but he mentioned something about the Crossroads," Dae-Man said.

    "What is the Crossroads? Is it something rted to the local religion here...? But that grandpa hit me on the head earlier. What was that about?" Su-Ryeon said.

    They were still pondering about the Crossroads. Ha-Yeon quietly listened to their conversation. She raised her head and said, "It¡¯s the Voodoo Cult."

    ¡°Voo¡ªhuh? Why is the Voodoo Cult here?¡± Su-Ryeon said, raising her eyebrows in confusion.

    I silently listened to their conversation.

    It was the first time they were directly discussing the Voodoo Cult. I decided not to speak up, as I might identally slip up and make a mistake.

    Ha-Yeon nced at Yu-Hyun and said, "I''m not sure... but they¡¯re the only ones I''ve heard using the word Crossroads."

    "So, is the old man we saw earlier the Cult Leader?" Dae-Man asked.

    "No, as far as I know, the Cult Leader is..." Min-Seo interrupted Dae-Man. She shook her head and continued, "It can''t be the old man. It''s almost an established fact that he''s not that old."

    "Then there''s a possibility that he''s the Prophet."

    "No, idiot. They said that the Cult Leader and the Prophet are the same person this time," Min-Seo said.

    "Is that even possible?" Dae-Man said, raising his eyebrows.

    Min-Seo red at Dae-Man and furrowed her brows.

    "Don¡¯t you think people would have said it because it is possible?¡± she said.

    "That''s a valid point. Anyway, that was an interesting experience," Dae-Man said.

    "...I wonder where those people in ck went?" Sy-Ryeon asked.

    "If what we ran into was the Voodoo Cult, they must have been under a Voodoo spell.¡± Jin-Seo continued, "Voodoo spells can control people''s minds."

    "So, did they use a spell to drive people away? I guess Voodoo spells aren¡¯t necessarily cruel or anything like that," Su-Ryeon said.

    "Do you really think that they merely drove people away?" Ha-Yeon said.

    "Well, now we have another reason to exercise. If we train our bodies, we can withstand spells," Dae-Man said.

    "What... logically speaking, you seriously think that¡¯ll work?"

    The students chimed in and contributed their own thoughts to the conversation.

    Yu-Hyun and I remained silent. I learned one thing from their conversation. People didn¡¯t know as much information about the Voodoo Cult as I had thought. At best, they vaguely knew about the Cult Leader¡¯s age and that the Cult Leader and Prophet were the same person. Ha-Yeon probably knew about the Crossroads because of Sung Yu-Da.

    However, when it came to spells and the Loa''s power, everyone made baseless predictions, and no one spoke about it confidently. I was surprised about how little information there was about the Voodoo Cult, even though the Holy War had only happened about seven years ago.

    It wasn''t just theck of information that surprised me. They didn''t seem to perceive the Voodoo Cult as an ¡®enemy.¡¯ Perhaps it was because there were more noticeable enemies, like Satanists. I didn¡¯t know if that was a good or bad thing, but the fact made me feel ufortable for some reason.

    At that moment, Su-Ryeon pointed at Jin-Seo''s arm instead of continuing the conversation. "Uh, Jin-Seo! Your arm...!"

    She had torn her skirt and wrapped it around her arm like a bandage, and the cloth was soaked with blood. It seemed like her wound had been ripped back open. Jin-Seo also seemed to notice the state of her wound btedly, her expression charged with surprise.

    Su-Ryeon seemed flustered, but Jin-Seo was calm.

    "Oh my, that¡¯s a lot of blood... Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Su-Ryeon said.

    "No, it doesn''t hurt... but I think I should either bandage it or get some healing," Jin-Seo said.

    Jin-Seo looked around, scanned me up and down, and then approached me.

    "There''s a healing priest somewhere around here. I''ll go with this guy to get treated," she said.

    "Why me?" I asked.

    I couldn''t understand why she wanted me to go with her. Jin-Seo chuckled as if I were being ridiculous. She pointed toward the side of my leg and opened her mouth.

    "You''re hurt too. There," she said.

    "..."

    Although it had not caused me difort, I failed to notice that the hem of my pants was drenched in blood. I took off my pants to check the wound.

    The wound wasn''t big, but it was deep cut. The bleeding was heavy, so it seemed better to seek treatment. It seemed I had gotten wounded from fighting the men in ck earlier. No wonder I felt ufortable walking around since then.

    I had almost turned into a Legba.

    [You brat...] Legba muttered quietly.

    Su-Ryeon looked at Jin-Seo and me. She then nodded and said, "Yeah, yeah. Both of you go quickly. How about everyone else?"

    "I''m fine! I¡¯m a little sore, but it¡¯s probably just muscle pain," Dae-Man said.

    "Me too... I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious. I fought pretty slyly to have been hurt," Min-Seo said.

    Yu-Hyun didn''t answer and just shook his head. Ha-Yeon also didn''t answer. She looked at her palm briefly, then looked up at my face and shook her head.

    "...I healed myself earlier. I''ll be leaving," she said.

    Then she got on the elevator and went up. Her expression and tone seemed cold. The others followed Ha-Yeon and got on the elevator.

    Only Jin-Seo and I were left in the lobby. She pulled me aside and silently led me outside the hotel.

    It was dark outside. Maybe it was because of the sudden rain, but there were fewer people on the streets, and the lights were dimmer than yesterday. The dark clouds I had summoned had disappeared, and the night sky was spotless. The sky looked bright now that the ground was dark. I could see a lot of stars.

    Jin-Seo started walking somewhere, and I followed her.

    "The healing priest is outside?" I asked, and Jin-Seo shook her head.

    "No, they¡¯re inside."

    "...Then why did youe out here?"

    "Just because. You can heal, and so can I."

    "I''m not good at it."

    "Lies," Jin-Seo said bluntly.

    It seemed like she was thinking back to the day when I had treated her finger in front of the hospital. However, what I had used on her back then was not healing but a restoration spell. I was in a dilemma. She took me to a nearby park. The bench was wet, but Jin-Seo sat down without hesitation.

    "Won¡¯t your clothes get wet?"

    "So what? I''m going to throw them away anyway."

    I guess there was no reason to save a torn skirt. Since the pants I was wearing were already soaked with blood, I just shook off the water on the bench and sat down.

    Jin-Seo untied the knot of the cloth wrapped around her arm. The cloth came off, revealing the wound underneath.

    I thought I had a rough idea, but the wound wasrge and deep. Moreover, it was aggravated due to the battle. Nevertheless, it was at a level where it could be treated with a lesser restoration spell. As long as a limb wasn¡¯t cut off, I could treat most wounds with a lesser restoration spell.

    "Come on, heal it quickly," she said brazenly, extending her arm.

    "...I don''t feel like doing it when you say it like that."

    "I''m in pain. Do it quickly."

    "Close your eyes then."

    "Why?"

    "Just close them if I tell you to."

    "If I close them, I feel like you''ll do something weird."

    "...I won¡¯t do it if you won¡¯t close your eyes."

    "You''re really strict. Fine, I got it." Jin-Seo grumbled and closed her eyes.

    I made her close her eyes so I could use the spell. I could use a lesser restoration spell without unleashing Voodoo magic, but making her close her eyes was still safer.

    I gently pressed her injured area with the palm of my hand so that the spell would work well. She trembled slightly. Even though she didn''t show it, she seemed to be in a lot of pain.

    Then, I used the restoration spell. The wound healed instantly. My skills in handling the restoration spell had improved even more than before.

    "...Is it over?"

    "Yeah," I replied, and Jin-Seo opened her tightly closed eyes.

    Then she checked her arm. She nodded as if satisfied when she confirmed that the wound hadpletely healed.

    "Well done. Now, it''s your turn."

    "My turn?"

    "You need to treat your leg. How many times do I have to tell you?"

    "..."

    I reluctantly stuck my leg out to her. Because I hadn¡¯t put pressure on the wound in time, there was still a lot of flow. Jin-Seo hiked my pants to check the wound, then unleashed divine power and skillfully drew a healing array.

    My wound gradually healed as it basked under the light of healing. Jin-Seo surprisingly handled the healing well.

    "You¡¯re pretty good yourself."

    "Of course. I got a perfect score in healing practical training."

    "Impressive."

    "I feel no soul in your response. I shouldn''t have healed you."

    Jin-Seo rolled her eyes.

    I didn''t respond and justughed meaninglessly. Jin-Seo finished healing and sat back next to me. A moment of silence filled the air.

    "But if you were going to heal me, wouldn''t it have been better to do it in the hotel?" I asked, suddenly curious.

    If her objective was healing, using the hotel facilities would have been better. It might have been burdensome to unleash divine power in a foreign country, but it seemed like there was another reason.

    Jin-Seo stared at me. I couldn¡¯t decipher her expression. Then, she averted her gaze.

    "Earlier, the Voodoo Cult and Satanists came to the museum, right?"

    "Right."

    "...How did they know we were going to be there?"

    My mouth was closed shut. I had nothing to say. I was also worried about making a slip of the tongue.

    Jin-Seo said, "There might be cult members among the staff."

    "..."

    "There might even be some among us."

    She lowered her head.

    "Thinking about it that way... I found the others a little scary. I wanted toe out for a bit."

    "...What about me?"

    "You''re fine," Jin-Seo replied immediately as if there was no need to hesitate.

    "At least, I don''t think it''s you. That''s why I came out with you."

    "...Thanks."

    "Why? Do you think I''m a spy?" Jin-Seo asked jokingly.

    I shook my head.

    "No way."

    I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult who appeared at the museum and the spy. I was scared because while answering, the smile on my face didn''t feel as natural as before.

 Chapter 218

    <h4>Chapter 218</h4>

    Yu-Hyun returned to the amodations. Initially, he had nned to call the girls and have fun, but they wouldn''te even if he called, and he didn''t feel like calling them in the first ce. He thought about the events at the museum: the men in ck who had appeared, the sudden rain and lightning, Han Dae-Ho, ck magic, and the blessing of purification.

    The Crossroads.

    He had a great memory. He had the talent to remember things as if he had taken a mental picture. Thanks to this talent, he achieved first ce in the exams and could store all the information about ¡®ordinary¡¯ people in his head.

    However, for some reason, he couldn''t remember the scenery at the Crossroads very well. That specific memory was hazy, like it was something he had experienced in a dream rather than reality.

    While he was lost in thought, Dae-Man, who hade in with him, called him. "Yu-Hyun."

    Yu-Hyun red at Dae-Man with sharp eyes for no reason. He was on edge as he was deep in thought. He sighed and rxed his expression btedly while rubbing his face.

    "...Yeah, why?"

    "There''s a training center on the basement floor. How about going for a workout?" Dae-Man asked.

    "You want to exercise at a time like this?" Yu-Hyun asked back.

    ¡°Of course," Dae-Man said with a nod.

    Dae-Man had spoken in a confident and determined tone, but his eyes were trembling. He continued, "I realized that I''m still weak."

    Yu-Hyun guessed Dae-Man''s state of mind by looking at his eyes.

    Dae-Man still couldn¡¯t escape from the shock at the museum. He had chosen exercise as a means to escape from that shock and fear.

    "...I''m going to rest for a bit. You go by yourself."

    "Yu-Hyun, you haven''t been exercising muchtely. You¡¯ll ruin that body of yours that you¡¯ve so carefully built.¡±

    "I''ll take care of it myself. But isn¡¯t it time for you to stop exercising? How does your body keep on getting bigger and bigger?" Yu-Hyun replied yfully.

    Dae-Man rummaged through his suitcase, grabbed his straps and belt, and left the room. After some time passed since Dae-Man left, Yu-Hyun walked into his room, locked the door, and threw himself onto the bed. He was exhausted.

    Had he ever felt such a deep sense of exhaustion before? He hadn¡¯t felt like this even when he stayed up all night and had fun for two days straight.

    "..."

    The museum incident could have been resolved with the sole power of the Romanican Church. Although it was unexpected that there would be ck magic users, even that could have been resolved if Ha-Yeon had used the Blessing of Purification.

    Considering Jin-Seo and Han Dae-Ho¡¯sbat capabilities, taking down the enemies that had shown up wouldn¡¯t have been a problem.

    However, the bomb vests had been an unexpected variable. Even so, if he had called forth the ''spear,'' or even summoned the owner of the ''spear,'' they could have somehow ovee the situation. Of course, some sacrifices would have had to be made. After all, bringing out the spear took quite some time.

    Yet, everything had been resolved with the appearance of the Voodoo Cult, or more precisely, Sun-Woo and his abilities. No sacrifice had been made.

    What would have happened if he had used his abilities without having to worry about exposing his identity? What would have happened if he had used his abilities to attack instead of defend?

    "Uncontroble danger," Yu-Hyun murmured, recalling the words he had heard from his grandfather.

    <i>¡®Use the dangers that you can control, as the dangers you control mighte as an uncontroble danger for someone else. People fear danger that is out of their hands. However, there are dangers in the world that even you can''t control. When faced with such dangers, you have to choose either to bow down or eliminate them. But you can¡¯t bow down to them. So eliminate them. Or gain the power needed to control the danger.¡¯ </i>

    The Voodoo Cult was an uncontroble danger. A choice had to be made: bow down to them, eliminate them, or gain the power to control the Voodoo Cult.

    He had no intention to bow down to them. So, could he gain the power to control the Voodoo Cult?

    There was no guarantee that even after defeating all the ¡®candidates,¡¯ taking their power and ascending as Pope, he would be able to control the Voodoo Cult fully.

    Until now, he had underestimated the power of the Voodoo Cult. After all, no matter how strong their spells and the power of the Loa were, in the end, had they not emerged as the victors of the Holy War against the Romanican Church?

    But through experiencing the Crossroads, the Romanican Church had clearly defeated the Voodoo Cult in the Holy War through sheer luck.

    The different intentions of the Cult Leader and the Prophet, the internal conflicts that had created ¡®fugitives¡¯ and ¡®exiles¡¯ within the Cult, and the proper use of Sung Yu-Da had all coincidentally aligned for the Romanican Church to emerge victorious. However, victory wasn¡¯t guaranteed if they engaged in a power struggle under the same conditions.

    That meant there was only one option left.

    <i>Crunch. </i>

    At that moment, the locked door suddenly opened.

    <i>Tink. </i>

    The broken door knob fell to the floor. Yu-Hyun jolted up from the bed. However, he was bound, unable to stand up fully. The cold and slippery texture of the scales felt unpleasant on his skin. A forked tongue stickily licked Yu-Hyun''s earlobe.

    [Kid.]

    It was a snake, the same one he had seen through the circle he had drawn with divine power that had swallowed the men in ck following Sun-Woo. It was slightly smaller than it had been in the museum, but its size was still threatening.

    Yu-Hyun wanted to scream but couldn''t let out a sound. The snake''s tail was choking his neck. He tried scratching the scales with his nails, but they were as hard as stone. His nails scraped, and blood flowed down.

    [Don''t be arrogant just because you can see more than others.]

    "...G-gasp...!"

    [Do you really think we don''t know what you''re seeing or thinking?]

    The snake''s voice pierced his ear. The tail tightened around his neck even more. It felt like his neck was about to snap. The voice was so sweet and charming that just listening to it made himugh. Yu-Hyun''s face, which had been burning red, quickly turned pale.

    He stared at the face of death, yet his trembling lips formed a smile. He knew he should resist, but he didn''t feel like resisting. The desire to embrace a blissful death while listening to that voice slowly crept up.

    [The only reason we didn¡¯t say anything to the Prophet is because that¡¯s the best path for both of us.]

    "..."

    [You all are now in the palm of our hands the moment you entered the Crossroads.]

    <i>Slither.</i>

    After saying those words, the snake released its grip on Yu-Hyun''s neck and left the room, hiding its appearance.

    "...Ugh...! <i>Cough</i>, ugh...!" He could breathe again.

    Blood finally rushed to his head. His eyesight that had turned pitch ck brightened to white. It almost felt as if he could see stars. Yu-Hyun coughed and dry heaved on the bed for a while. It was not easy to regain consciousness.

    Yu-Hyun finally caught his breath after coughing for a few more minutes.

    "Cough... phew."

    Uncontroble danger. To sumb to it, remove it, or obtain the power to control it. He thought that there was no other option but to remove them if he couldn¡¯t sumb or control them. However, there were dangers in the world that couldn''t be removed.

    "Fucking hell."

    He finally understood why his grandfather had wanted to eliminate the Voodoo Cult so badly, and why he started a Holy War for something that could have been overlooked.

    It was time to meet the other candidates. Even if he didn¡¯t want to, he had to meet them.

    <i> </i> *

    The next day, we went to the auditorium at the first basement level. Han Dae-Ho had gathered us there. He started talking about what happened yesterday. Although it would havee as a shock, Han Dae-Ho said that we shouldn''t hide what happened and that it was something that couldn''t be hidden if we tried.

    "The ones who attacked the museum are believed to be members of an Imic extremist organization. We are currently identifying them..."

    Han Dae-Ho bowed his head.

    "...Out of the 47 people who attacked us at the time, 46 died, and we were only able to capture one alive."

    Through Han Dae-Ho''s continued exnation, I learned the whole story of an incident I hadn¡¯t known about. Although the cause of death for the 46 people appeared to be suicide, there was something suspicious about it, so the incident was still under investigation.

    Han Dae-Ho exined the spection as to why the captured person was showing extreme mental abnormalities was rted to sudden weather changes.

    I could tell that their deaths were rted to Legba.

    Legba''s voice echoed in my head. [I only gave them the choice. The decision was theirs.]

    "...Therefore, we will not proceed with the remaining schedule today. The Holy See has issued a recall order. This includes all other clergymen who are currently in this location."

    Afterward, Han Dae-Ho told us to pack up all our belongings and gather again in the auditorium. He also added that we, along with the clergymen here for missionary work, would safely go to the airport and return home.

    I packed my things. I reached under the bed to retrieve the staff I had hidden therest night, but all my hand grasped was thin air.

    Just as my heart sank, I heard Damba''s voice. [Here it is, little one.]

    Right then, I was able to grab the staff. The staff felt strangely softer than when I first held it. I could vaguely feel the smooth and snake-like scaly texture. I had a hunch that the Staff of Reversal had merged with Damba.

    I pulled out the staff, and as expected, the wood was faintly engraved with a pattern resembling snake scales.

    I stared at the pattern intently. The pattern had gradually darkened, bing more and more like actual snake scales. Finally, the staff transformed into Damba, taking the form of a snake.

    [Feels like I''ve regained a lost sanctuary. I feel much morefortable,] Damba said as she wrapped herself around my arm and rode up.

    This was only possible because the poteau mitan was not only a ritual staff that Legba used to invite people to Crossroads, but also a symbol of Damba and a Loa called Ayida-Weddo.

    In fact, rather than being a symbol of the two, the poteau mitan was essentially thebination of Damba and Ayida-Weddo.

    [Ah... I''m tired. I want to rest, little one.]

    "Yes, please do." As I nodded, Damba returned to the form of a staff. I put the staff in my carrier and sorted the rest of my misceneous belongings before leaving the amodation.

    With the staff, I could use the reverse spell technique. The reverse spell technique was the only way to heal Yoon-Ah, In-Ah''s sister. At the same time, it would also allow me to utilize other spells and the power of the Loa freely.

    Depending on the situation, I could make it move in the form of a snake or hold it in my hand as a staff, so it had versatile applications. Obtaining the staff alone was a huge yield of this mission trip. However, I couldn¡¯t shed the unsettling and ominous feeling I was getting.

    It was because Han Dae-Ho, who was exining yesterday''s events, hadn¡¯t talked at all about the Voodoo Cult.

    "...You''ve all worked hard. I''ll make sure you get until Monday off."

    I closely observed Han Dae-Ho''s expression and tone as he saw us students off to the van. I sensed a strange fear and wariness.

    He was wary of us, including me, Yu-Hyun, Su-Ryeon, and the clergymen apanying us. Just like Jin-Seo, he seemed to believe that there might be spies from the Satanists or the Voodoo Cult among us.

    We arrived at the airport and finally boarded the ne. None of us said a word, even until the moment of take-off. Everyone was either deep in their thoughts or simply had their eyes closed to relieve themselves from the fatigue of the journey.

 Chapter 219

    <h4>Chapter 219</h4>

    We went through the arrival process the moment the nended. The arrival process waspleted in no time, thanks to the help of the apanying clergymen. The airline staff checked our faces and names and sent us on our way, skipping most of the other procedures.

    I was worried about getting caught because I had the staff in my carry-on, but luckily nothing happened.

    After we skidded through international arrivals, I opened my passport to look at my name and face. Although it was definitely me, it didn''t look like me. Uncle had given me this passport. I felt miserable upon realizing that I had to live undercover for the rest of my life.

    I went out to the airport lobby. It was pitch dark outside the window.

    "Seoul West Pdin Order, please gather in front of the airport for a message!"

    "Central Crusader Order, move to the location that was announced earlier. I have instructions from the Holy See."

    "Looking for the Northern Priesthood~!"

    I heard the sound of the clergymen who had traveled with us, looking for theirrades and greeting their families.

    Han Dae-Ho had said to leave if our family came to pick us up, but otherwise, to stay put with the Pdin Order. Then he headed toward where the Eastern Pdin Order members were gathering.

    The first to leave was Ha-Yeon. Sung Yu-Da hade with a car to pick her up. Unlike his usual calm demeanor, he rushed over to Ha-Yeon, and they left the airport together.

    Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man''s families came next to pick them up. Su-Ryeon''s family seemed like an ordinary and loving household, while Dae-Man''s family stood out because Dae-Man was the only one in his family with arge build.

    "Ah, Ms. Jin-Seo."

    Jin-Seo''s family hadn¡¯te, but a driver came to pick her up instead. I remembered meeting the driver from before.

    Jin-Seo turned her head and nced at me before following the driver.

    She stared at me for a while. "Get home safe."

    "...Uh, you too."

    And that was the end of our farewell.

    The only ones left were Yu-Hyun, Min-Seo, and me. Despite waiting for quite some time, Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo''s family did note. We stayed dead silent as we waited for them.

    Yu-Hyun, Min-Seo, and I didn''t say a word. Yu-Hyun seemed to be lost deep in thought.

    "Is your family noting?" I casually asked Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo nodded as if she didn¡¯t think too much of it.

    "They won¡¯t. We don''t have a car. I took the subway when I came," she said.

    "I see."

    "What about you? They¡¯re runningte?"

    "Well... for reasons simr to yours, they aren¡¯ting."

    I didn''t have a family that woulde to me. In that sense, we were simr. Min-Seo seemed not to understand what I said entirely and tilted her head, but she didn''t say anything more.

    That was the end of our conversation. Then, someone tapped my shoulder.

    "...What?"

    When I turned my head, I saw a familiar face.

    "What''s up? I came to pick you up."

    It was Uncle Jin-Sung. He was dressed in a suit, and his neat appearance felt unfamiliar. I nced at Yu-Hyun and Min-Seo just in case, but they seemed uninterested in whoever hade to pick me up or whatever was being said. Or maybe they were pretending not to be interested.

    I hurriedly left the airport with my uncle, thinking nothing good coulde out of it for Yu-Hyun to see my uncle''s face.

    "Why are you in such a hurry? Is someone chasing you?"

    "Yeah."

    "Really? Then that makes sense."

    We got in the car. I sat in the passenger seat and looked out the car window as the airport faded further into the distance. I saw a crowd of clergymen bustling in front of the airport. I didn''t say anything until the car entered the highway.

    "What''s going on? There are so many clergymen."

    "As long as we don''t do anything suspicious, we''ll be fine."

    "But..."

    The problem was Yu-Hyun. He knew that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. He might not have noticed because he had been lost in thought, but he would surely be curious about my uncle''s identity.

    There might be a way to confuse him, but the fact that he might be suspicious was important.

    I hadn¡¯t had the chance to tell my uncle that Yu-Hyun knew my identity, so he was oblivious to the fact that Yu-Hyun knew I was the Cult Leader. I didn''t know how to tell him about the situation.

    I didn''t want to tell him the truth. I felt he would be disappointed in my abilities when he found out that someone had discovered my true identity. But if I didn¡¯t tell Uncle, I felt like something like this might happen again. It didn¡¯t really matter to me, but I couldn¡¯t let the people around me suffer.

    "The guy with yellow hair and tanned skin that was next to me. Did you see him?"

    "Huh? Uh, uh. Is he your friend?"

    "He knows my true identity."

    <i>Vroom¡ª!</i>

    Suddenly, my uncle pressed the gas pedal. The car shook slightly from side to side and sped through the darkness.

    My uncle spoke up when the car slowed down and gradually regained stability. "What... Did you just say that he found out your true identity? When? Just now?"

    "No, it''s been a while."

    "But why haven''t you..." My uncle couldn''t continue.

    It seemed like he wanted to ask why Yu-Hyun was still alive or why I was still at Florence Academy. He seemed to be contemting which question to ask first.

    "Due to the circumstances, he decided not to report me. And I decided not to kill him."

    "What circumstances¡ªno. Why did you get involved in the first ce?" my uncle asked.

    I exined everything in detail, from Yu-Hyun being the grandson of the current Pope to the blessing he used, what happened during the practical exam, and what happened when I kidnapped and brought him to the underground chapel.

    My uncle listened quietly as he drove. My uncle¡¯s expression was surprisingly calm when I finished the story.

    "...Yeah, so that guy is the candidate for the Pope... and is the bastard from the Starless Night."

    "You know about him?"

    My uncle let out a bitterugh. "Of course I know him."

    Well, he wouldn''t be able to forget that day. Several members of the Voodoo Cult, who were quite close to my uncle, had been killed. From what I knew, Uncle had also almost died back then.

    "And you don¡¯t know exactly why he''s not reporting you?"

    "Yeah."

    "Figuring that out will be the first step. That way, we can gain an advantage," my uncle muttered.

    He was right. If I knew why he wasn''t reporting me, I could use Yu-Hyun''s information more effectively while also having the upper hand. My uncle nodded slowly and said, "More work for me, I guess. <i>Sigh</i>... I guess this means I¡¯ll be busy."

    "Why, to dig up information? It won''t be easy."

    My uncleughed. "Do you think it was easy to make your passport? Everything I do is difficult. Whether it¡¯s hard for me or not, I have to do it. That is my job, after all."

    "...I guess."

    "Like you said, it might not go well. There must be variousplications, with him being the Pope''s grandson and all."

    "From what I gathered, it does seem a bitplicated."

    "Right. Always be cautious. We don''t know exactly what his intentions are. He could report you whenever he needs to."

    I nodded. Uncle continued driving. The congested roads near the airport gradually became less crowded. Now that he was more rxed while driving, my uncle changed the music. A calm song yed.

    Uncle checked the side mirror briefly. "In case... I usually don''t say things like <i>kill</i> lightly," my uncle mumbled. "That fucker... In the absolute worst-case scenario, like <i>the </i>worst-case scenario, we should consider killing him."

    I nodded mindlessly.

    After the song ended, the next song yed. This time, the song was upbeat and lively. My uncle used the change in atmosphere to change topics.

    "Oh, by the way, did you manage to find what you were looking for? The, what was it, staff?"

    "It''s in the suitcase."

    "That''s a relief. I heard something happened when you went there... That was you, right?"

    I nodded.

    "Did you get hurt? You seem fine to me."

    "Yeah, I¡¯m good. But... I just have a bad feeling."

    "About what?"

    I gave my uncle a general rundown about what had happened in the museum. I added that Han Dae-Ho and other clergymen might have noticed the existence of the Voodoo Cult and that I might face questioning or suspicion when attending school next week.

    Obtaining the staff was undoubtedly good, but I feared the price I paid in exchange for it. I was afraid that what I had lost was too significantpared to what I had gained. Uncle listened to me and didn''t say anything. He just continued driving. He looked like he was lost in thought.

    After a while, Uncle nodded and opened the window.

    "Let''s think about the next stepster. We''ve obtained the staff, and it¡¯s not a problem we can solve now."

    The wind came in through the half-opened window. The wind was so strong that my hair blew all over the ce. I couldn''t hear what my uncle was saying because the sound of the wind was too loud. It shouldn¡¯t have felt refreshing, but for some reason, it was.

    *

    Because I wanted to leave my staff in a safe ce and also wanted to try using it as quickly as possible, I nned to head straight to the underground chapel. However, on the way to the underground chapel, my uncle parked the car in front of a grocery store.

    "We rarelye here, so let''s get some good food. Since I can''t cook, let''s just get some meat."

    "You want to eat meat in our chapel, underground?"

    My uncle looked around. "We can eat it on the rooftop. After all, the whole building is ours."

    He bought meat, lettuce, and herbs and put them in the shopping cart. But when I looked closely, there was too much meat in the cart for Ji-Ah, my uncle, and me to eat.

    "Why did you put so much meat?"

    "The more meat, the better~," my uncle said and put all kinds of meat in the cart.

    After finishing the shopping, we returned to the underground chapel. First, I opened the suitcase and took out the staff. I held it in my hand for no reason. I was excited, but I felt a strong sense of responsibility.

    Just because I had obtained the staff didn¡¯t mean I could use the reverse spell technique overnight. First, I had to learn how to use the staff, and only after bing quite proficient could I learn the reverse spell technique. Then, I had to practice it again and again to be able to heal Yoon-Ah.

    There was a lot to do. I needed time to learn how to use the staff, study the theory of the reverse spell technique, and practice using the reverse spell technique.

    I needed to divide time more efficiently. I would have to reduce the amount of sleep I would be getting if it came to that.

    "Quiet... you first... manners..."

    "...Hey! So... a bit..."

    "You two... starting again..."

    However, the kitchen was strangely noisy. I heard Ji-Ah''s voice first. It sounded like she was arguing with someone. I also heard my uncle''s voice, as if he were trying to mediate a fight.

    The only people who should be in the underground chapel were Ji-Ah, my uncle, and me. But if Ji-Ah was fighting with someone else, that meant that someone other than the three of us had entered the underground chapel.

    Carefully putting the staff back into my suitcase, I walked slowly toward the kitchen.

    "...Why are you here?"

    And there I was, looking at a face that should not be there. Instinctively, I unleashed Voodoo magic, and she opened her mouth in surprise as she saw the Voodoo magic swirling around my hand.

    "W-wait! Let me exin. Listen to me."

    Somehow, Soo-Yeong was here in the underground chapel.

    <strong>TLN Won Suk:</strong> ¡®<i>The more meat, the better~</i>.¡¯ Another wise saying from Uncle.

 Chapter 220

    <h4>Chapter 220</h4>

    After going to the supermarket, I told my uncle that I would leave first and then exited the market. Then I decided to have a brief conversation with Legba. It was because he had said something deep out of nowhere.

    [It looks like you don¡¯t resent me.]

    <i>¡®Resent? When did I ever resent Legba?¡¯</i>

    Of course, there were times when Iined for no particr reason or disagreed with Legba''s words. But there was never a time that I genuinely resented him. I took my phone out of my pocket and pretended to be on a phone call as I responded to Legba.

    "Why are you suddenly going on about resentment?"

    [I¡¯m talking about what happened in the museum.]

    I tried to recall what had happened at the museum. When I was holding the staff, Legba appeared and helped me. To be precise, he didn¡¯t just help me¡ªhe helped everyone inside the museum. So I had no reason to resent Legba.

    "No matter how much I think about it, I have no reason to resent you."

    [Hasn¡¯t the situation be more difficult because I revealed myself unnecessarily?]

    After hearing his question, I fell into deep thought for a moment.

    I eventually nodded. The situation had be more difficult. Romanican Church members, including Han Dae-Ho, had discovered that the Voodoo Cult had appeared in the museum. Now that the existence of the Voodoo Cult had been revealed, I had to be more cautious about my actions. Even a small slip of the tongue could be a cause for suspicion.

    "Well... Leg- I mean... I don¡¯t think the problem is because you revealed yourself.¡±

    However, it wasn''t Legba''s fault. After confirming no one was around, I said, "Even if it wasn¡¯t for you, the result would have been the same because of the weather anomaly.¡±

    [It would have been easy to brush off the weather anomaly as some kind of coincidence, so isn¡¯t my appearance apletely different story?]

    "Well... if you hadn''t helped, we would have died from the suicide bombs."

    [If you had used a Voodoo spell, at the very least, you would have survived.]

    "Everyone survived because you helped us. Our identities weren''t exposed either. The situation has indeed be a bit troublesome though..."

    I paused for a moment. I remembered what my uncle had said in the car.

    "We¡¯ve obtained the staff. Let¡¯s think about the next stepster."

    [You¡¯ve suddenly be optimistic. You might end up in danger because of what happened today.]

    "I''ve always been in danger. Not much is going to change because of this.¡±

    Enrolling in Florence Academy and going to school itself was a big risk for me. When Yu-Hyun found out my true identity, it was a huge risk to spare him instead of killing him. Taking risks had be familiar to me, and I was confident.

    Above all, I ultimately decided not to use Voodoo spells until the end to summon Legba. It was the path that I chose without being influenced by the intoxication spell. Therefore, even if the oue wasn¡¯t good, at the very least, I didn¡¯t want to regret my choices.

    [Indeed, it''s not going to change much in the grand scheme of things. It¡¯ll just be a small change for you.]

    "That''s right."

    [So, don''t be too anxious about the changes that lie ahead,] Legba said.

    Back when I first heard this, I thought it was just a usual piece of advice like any other.

    "W-wait! Let me exin, listen to me."

    However, when I saw Soo-Yeong in the underground chapel, I finally understood the meaning behind Legba''s words.

    Legba already knew that Soo-Yeong was here in the underground chapel. It was his way of saying that I shouldn¡¯t be surprised by the fact that Soo-Yeong was already here.

    [Did you think I said such a thing for no reason?] Legba said.

    Somehow, his words annoyed me. I let out a deep sigh and looked at Soo-Yeong. She was hunched over as if she was scared to death.

    Seeing her like that made my heart weaken for no reason. There could be a very urgent reason for her toe to the underground chapel. It seemed like I had scared her too much in the beginning. Furthermore, Soo-Yeong was also a legitimate member of the Voodoo Cult. It wasn''t strange for her toe to the underground chapel.

    I decided to listen to her exnation first.

    "Sure, go ahead and exin."

    Soo-Yeong let out a sigh of relief and said, "I ran away from home, but I had nowhere else to go."

    "Is that so? Get out," I said without even a hint of hesitation.

    Soo-Yeong clenched her fist.

    "No! Why?"

    "What a load of nonsense. Does this ce look like a guesthouse to you?"

    "W-well, it might not be a guesthouse, but I can stay here for a while! Do I not look pitiful? I came here because I had nowhere else to go!"

    "You don¡¯t look pitiful at all. Didn''t you choose to leave your house? Go out and figure it out on your own. It''s summer, so you won''t freeze to death."

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong kept her mouth shut, perhaps because she couldn¡¯t find any words to retort with. Instead, she red at me with eyes full of resentment.

    It felt unfair because it felt like I was being resented even though I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but I had no intention of changing my mind. She had a perfectly fine home, and she had no reason to stay here. On top of that, I had no reason to let her stay here.

    Uncle intervened and said, "Hey, Sun-Woo... that¡¯s a bit harsh, ain¡¯t it? She must have her reasons. How about making a decision after listening?"

    I furrowed my brow.

    "What reasons?"

    "Family matters," Uncle exined.

    He heard that Ha Pan-Seok had brought his new partner home and that Soo-Yeong had found out about it. Instead of apologizing or feeling sorry, Ha Pan-Seok seemed rather brazen about it, which didn''t sit well with Soo-Yeong.

    Fortunately, she said that Ha Pan-Seok''s new partner wasn''t a bad person. However, what Soo-Yeong didn''t like was Ha Pan-Seok''s attitude. So she left angrily and ended uping here because she had nowhere else to go.

    "...You came here because you had nowhere else to go? Something seems off."

    I felt a sense of unease as I listened to my uncle''s story. Soo-Yeong''s ce was quite far from the underground chapel, and it wouldn''t have been easy for her toe here alone. Moreover, Soo-Yeong didn¡¯t know the location of the underground chapel. She couldn''t havee all the way here alone.

    I looked at my uncle.

    "Well, um. Somehow it ended up like this. It''s the responsibility of adults to take care of wandering kids like her, so..."

    "I can''t believe it... Were you in on it too?"

    "Not exactly~ Hey, what could a kid have done wrong? And it''s not like we''re raising her here for the rest of our lives. We¡¯re just letting her stay for a while. Is that so difficult?" Uncle exined in a long-winded manner.

    It was quite obvious that Uncle was the one who had brought Soo-Yeong to the underground chapel.

    I could understand why. Whenever Uncle saw children and teenagers in need, he would always go out of his way to help them. That was why he used to run an orphanage before the Holy War broke out.

    "Alright, I understand the circumstances... Hey, you," I called out to Soo-Yeong.

    "Yes?" she said, turning toward me with a surprised expression on her face.

    "What about school? You can''t attend school here, can you?" I asked.

    "I can take a break."

    "Get out."

    "Ah, what is it again? I don''t go to school often anyway!"

    "Is not going often the same as not going at all? <i>Sigh</i>..."

    I was just about to raise my voice, but I sighed and calmed myself down. Now was not the time to get angry and lose control. I had to stay calm and make rational judgments.

    No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like the right decision to send Soo-Yeong back home. That said, I couldn''t just scare her away, either. I could force her out using various methods, but I didn''t want to do that.

    "Alright, let''s decide with a vote."

    In the end, I chose the most democratic method. I looked around the underground chapel and observed the people present. There was Soo-Yeong, my uncle, and Ji-Ah.

    It seemed like my uncle would vote in favor of Soo-Yeong staying here, but Ji-Ah would want her to leave. After all, they didn''t get along well.

    "Those who agree to let Soo-Yeong live here, raise their hand."

    "Wait! I¡¯m not going to live here. I¡¯m just staying temporarily¡ª¡±

    "Quiet. Anyway, raise your hand if you agree.¡±

    I ignored Soo-Yeong''s words and continued with the vote. My uncle raised his hand, and then Soo-Yeong cautiously raised her hand. I red at her.

    "Hey, put your hand down."

    "Why? Don''t I have the right to vote too?"

    "No, you''re ineligible to vote. Anyway, everyone put your hands down."

    Except for Soo-Yeong, only one out of the three people agree to let her stay here. So the result was obvious.

    "Next, those who disagree, raise your hand."

    Ji-Ah and I raised our hands. Since two people raised their hands, it meant the majority didn¡¯t want her to stay here.

    "Well, since it¡¯s 1:2 with a victory to those that disagree. Soo-Yeong, leave immediately withoutining."

    "...This is really too much. I... I! Did you think I left my house because I wanted to?"

    "Yeah, Sun-Woo! You''re really being cruel. You''re a heartless monster without any blood or tears! I even bought so much meat in consideration for Soo-Yeong."

    I rubbed my forehead.

    "...Then we can just feed her the meat and then send her home. Anyway, you can''t stay here. That''s the result of the vote¡ª"

    As I was speaking, Legba cut me off and said, [No, I''m in favor too.]

    It seemed like he wasn''t joking as his tone was somewhat serious. I was perplexed. I didn''t expect Legba to suddenly intervene.

    He cleared his throat and said, [Isn''t that child the next Cult Leader? It could be considered a form of education to observe how you live from the sidelines.]

    "..."

    "What the? Why did you stop talking?"

    "It must be Papa Legba! Papa Legba must have said something, right? Am I right?¡± Soo-Yeong shouted excitedly.

    The way she was bouncing around was more infuriating than cute. I sighed and nodded. If Legba agreed, it would be 2 in favor and 2 against. It was a tie.

    Since only I could hear Legba''s voice anyway, I could just ignore it, but it didn''t sit well with me. Legba''s words had some logic to them.

    "...Alright, one more vote in favor. It''s 2 to 2."

    "Oh yes! So, I¡¯m allowed to stay then?"

    "No, if it''s a tie, we have to have a revote..."

    At that moment, Damba slithered over and said, "Kid, I want to vote too."

    Unlike her appearance at the museum, Damba had be very small and cute. She climbed up on my body and onto my shoulders as she said, [My vote will determine that child''s fate. Is that right?]

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call it fate..."

    [In any case, the fact is, my vote will be important, right?] Damba said in a slightly excited tone, unlike usual.

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong and Uncle watched with fascination as Damba climbed up my body while Ji-Ah took a few steps back, seemingly frightened.

    When I nodded, Damba descended from my shoulder and slithered toward Soo-Yeong.

    "Damba says she will also cast a vote."

    "Ah, so then that snake is Dambal... arghh!"

    Soo-Yeong had been nodding in agreement, but she screamed instead of finishing her sentence. Damba was riding up Soo-Yeong''s body. Unlike when she rode up my body, her movements were incredibly slow. It was as if she was trying to search for something.

    [Hmm, while I''m not sure if they have what it takes to be a Cult Leader, they do have the qualities of a Prophet.]

    "Ah, ugh... I can''t take this off, right? I mean, not this. This person?¡±

    "Yeah, just stay still," I said.

    Soo-Yeong watched with a pale face as Damba climbed up her body. Damba eventually reached her shoulder. Her long tongue gently brushed against Soo-Yeong''s left cheek.

    [Your face is very cute. Your personality is my style too... I really like it,] Damba said, her tongue flickering.

    [I agree too, kid,] she said.

    "Ha," I sighed.

    With this, there were 3 votes in favor and 2 votes against. I lost in the vote that I thought I would definitely win. I didn''t know Legba and Damba would intervene like this.

    Soo-Yeong blinked and looked at me expectantly for an answer. I sighed and nodded.

    "...Legba and Damba are in favor with 3 votes."

    "How many votes were not in favor?"

    "2 votes."

    Upon hearing my words, Soo-Yeong first had a bewildered expression, but then smiled innocently like a child. She then jumped around excitedly as if she had won something.

    "Yes! So, it''s okay if I stay, right? Why¡¯d you have to bother with something like a vote when you were going to lose anyway?¡±

    "If you don''t shut up¡ª"

    My uncle interrupted me and said, "Come on, let''s go eat meat! We still have that grill we boughtst time."

    He then walked out of the underground chapel with the groceries he had bought from the supermarket. Soo-Yeong followed my uncle with light steps.

    I watched their backs. Actually, staying in the underground chapel wasn''t a big problem for Soo-Yeong, but it annoyed me for some reason.

    [Think of it as an opportunity to educate the next Cult Leader,] Legba said.

    [Yes, kid. ept the results obediently,] Damba said.

    [Soon, a time wille when that child is needed.]

    [Indeed, they are a talented child.]

    "Tsk," I clicked my tongue.

 Chapter 221

    <h4>Chapter 221</h4>

    As soon as Han Dae-Ho returned home, he headed straight to the Pdin Order. It was supposed to be his day off from work, but there was something he wanted to personally investigate.

    He went to the Pdin Order and directly went to find Oh Hee-Jin[1]. He was a subordinate who knew a lot about different religions. Han Dae-Ho wanted to ask him about the Voodoo Cult. Luckily, Oh Hee-Jin was working a night shift, so he was staying at the Pdin Order untilte at night.

    "Oh Hee-Jin."

    "Ah, director. You¡¯re here," he greeted Han Dae-Ho with a haggard expression on his face.

    The documents on the desk were scattered in disarray. He had been catching up on work while Han Dae-Ho was away. Han Dae-Ho nced at one of the documents he was working on.

    "...Wasn''t this something I was supposed to do? Should I take care of the rest while I''m here?"

    "No, uh? No, no. Please rest, director."

    "You''re the one who should be resting. You don''t look well at all."

    "Haha... it¡¯s a bit tough, but I''m really okay. I have a personality that likes to finish what I set out to do, so I¡¯d feel at ease if I did it," Oh Hee-Jin said with a smile.

    Han Dae-Ho looked at him with pity and put the documents back on the desk. Oh Hee-Jin gathered the documents scattered on the desk and said, "But what¡¯s up? I thought you weren''ting to work today."

    "That was my original n, but I wanted to ask you something."

    "You want to talk to me?"

    "Yes," Han Dae-Ho said with a nod.

    He continued, "It''s about the Voodoo Cult."

    He exined what had happened at the museum to Oh Hee-Jin. He skipped over the part about the men in ck since she already knew about it and talked about things unknown to those who weren''t present, such as the sudden weather changes and the Crossroads.

    Oh Hee-Jin stopped what he was doing and listened attentively, his eyes widening when the topic of the Crossroads came up.

    "You went to the Crossroads... yourself?"

    "Yes."

    "..."

    As if shocked, Oh Hee-Jin became unresponsive for a moment. His gaze was fixed on the ground, and hsi lips were tightly shut. A mixture of fear and excitement could be seen on his fatigued face.

    Han Dae-Ho waited for Oh Hee-Jin to respond, but seeing as how he remained silent for a long time, Han Dae-Ho lost patience and said, "More than anything, I want to know for sure if the Voodoo Cult was present there. Can they get their followers to use special abilities or anything like that?¡±

    "The Voodoo Cult was definitely present there," Oh Hee-Jin said confidently.

    "...There is also a possibility that there was a spy in the group."

    "Yes, I know. It is clear that information about our ns was somehow exposed."

    "Who was in possession of a Burning Bush Twig?"

    "Everyone who was with me. And the other pdins, crusaders, and the directors and vice directors of the priesthood."

    This was the reason why he couldn''t easily investigate, despite knowing that there was a spy leaking information to the Voodoo Cult. Han Dae-Ho requested support through the Burning Bush Twig, and the Voodoo Cult arrived after that. Anyone who had the Burning Bush Twig at the time was a suspect.

    "Considering the timing, an investigation will be difficult,¡± Oh Hee-Jin said.

    Han Dae-Ho nodded. It was indeed as Oh Hee-Jin had said. Now was not a good time for an investigation.

    It had only been a few weeks since Joseph arrested Ji Hye-Sung, a Satanist spy from the Central Pdin Order, and his aplices. Due to this incident, the Pdin Order¡¯s position plummeted into the abyss. If they started an unnecessary investigation right now, it would likely result in an ugly situation.

    Moreover, the only people who had been in possession of a Burning Bush Twig at the time were high-ranking officials such as directors or deputy directors. Because the grounds were clear, they would cooperate with the investigation, but it was possible that a few of the pdins who felt ufortable being suspected might retaliate against the Eastern Pdin Order in the future.

    "You¡¯re right. Even if we investigate, we probably shouldn¡¯t do one right now. At the very least, we need to have a decree from the Holy See."

    "...Rather than that, the problem is, even if we investigate...¡± Oh Hee-Jin trailed off.

    "Even if we investigate?"

    "...Director, didn¡¯t you also participate in the Holy War?"

    "That''s right."

    "Didn¡¯t you personally face the Prophet?"

    "...Yes."

    Han Dae-Ho was puzzled when Oh Hee-Jin suddenly brought up the topic of the Holy War. But soon he realized what Oh Hee-Jin was trying to say.

    Han Dae-Ho had participated in the Holy War and faced the Prophet. The image of the Prophet subduing Romanican Church clergymen using the primal elements of nature, such as the weather, water, and fire, was still vivid in his memory. However, Han Dae-Ho had never entered and returned from the Crossroads before. The museum visit during the mission trip was the first time he had experienced such a thing.

    "I heard that you saw an old man with a staff."

    "Yes."

    "There are records of an old man with a staff gathering believers at the Crossroads and having themmunicate with the Loa. It¡¯s a ritual method of the Ancient Voodoo Cult. The records have been burned, so there is no way to know about it...¡±

    "Then how do you know about that ritual?"

    "I knew about it since before the Holy War. I was interested in various religions even before the war."

    Han Dae-Ho nodded. The records about the Voodoo Cult started disappearing after the Holy War. If he knew about such information before the Holy War, then there was nothing strange about him knowing about it.

    "The Ancient Voodoo Cult, you say..." Han Dae-Ho muttered, exhaling a heavy sigh.

    During the Holy War, the Second Cult Leader and the Prophet were not able to use the violent, barbaric, and shocking spells or powers mentioned in the records of the Ancient Voodoo Cult. Perhaps they had not used such power due to their own personal beliefs or convictions.

    But the current Prophet was different. He was using Ancient Voodoo spells and powers without restraint. He certainly had a significantly different mindset and values from the previous Prophets.

    Furthermore, unlike the previous generation, the Cult Leader and Prophet were currently the same person. It would depend on the Cult Leader¡¯s decisions. Still, the possibility of internal conflicts resulting in the weakening of the Voodoo Cult''s power, like what happened during the war, was low.

    "The current Prophet, no, the Cult Leader... will be more dangerous than the previous one. And they can potentially be even more dangerous in the future."

    "..."

    There were rumors that the Third Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult had gone into hiding after the Holy War and was sharpening his de for revenge. It was merely propaganda spread by the Holy See in an attempt to instill negative perceptions of the Voodoo Cult among the masses. However, perhaps those rumors were actually true.

    "Moreover, the fact that they are openly revealing themselves like this... could be seen as some sort of deration," Oh Hee-Jin said in a trembling voice.

    Han Dae-Ho swallowed his saliva and nodded slowly.

    <i> </i> *

    Uncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and I went up to the rooftop together. Damba was also with us. On the rooftop, Uncle had prepared a grill, as well as chairs and tables that one would typically see at a campsite.

    Uncle neatly arranged meat, vegetables, and disposable tableware on the table. Then, he took out tongs and scissors.

    "It''s been a while since we¡¯ve had a barbecue party."

    "Oh, I''ll take care of the meat..."

    "Nah, I¡¯ll take care of it. You guys just focus on eating. You need days like this once in a while," Uncle said.

    He then lit the grill and skillfully cooked the meat. When he ced the neatly cut meat on a te and ced it on the central table, we all took a piece and ate. Soo-Yeong ate the most, followed by Ji-Ah. I hardly ate anything. I tried a few bites, but I could only vaguely sense the aroma and it was almost tasteless.

    Still, I tried my best to pretend to enjoy the atmosphere. The meat didn¡¯t taste like anything, but it was nice to gather together and have a meal while looking at the cityscape from the rooftop.

    "Stop eating so much. Aren''t you an uninvited guest?"

    "...Why are you eating so little, big sis? Well, I suppose you can''t eat a lot since you¡¯re so short."

    "What? You¡ª"

    "Hey, hey... you guys are fighting again. Stop fighting, you guys. We''re going to be living together from now on after all," Uncle said in an attempt to intervene and stop Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong from fighting.

    I silently ate my meat and listened to their conversation. Ji-Ah usually seemed somewhat cold, but showed quite a fiery side whenever she was arguing with Soo-Yeong. It was fun to see that side of her.

    "Why did you arrive suddenly like this? If you wereing, you could have at least contacted us," I asked Soo-Yeong because the thought had just urred to me.

    Of course, even if she had contacted us, I wouldn''t have allowed her to stay, but at least I wouldn''t have been so surprised. She was focused on frantically shoving more meat down her throat and frowned upon hearing my question.

    "I contacted you, but you didn''t answer. I called you, remember?"

    "...Really?"

    I vaguely remembered receiving a call from Soo-Yeong back when I was interrogating Yu-Hyun in the underground chapel.

    Soo-Yeong picked up a piece of meat and said, "...And I figured that asking for forgiveness would be faster than asking for permission, so I just came.¡±

    "Huh... This is not something that I can forgive, though?¡±

    "Cult Leader, she¡¯s too shameless. How about you put her to sleep with a spell and kick her out?"

    "What? If I¡¯m going to get kicked out, I''m not going out alone. I''m taking you with me. I can use Voodoo spells too, you know?¡± Soo-Yeong retorted.

    Ji-Ah red at her fiercely in response. Upon seeing Ji-Ah re, Uncle smiled.

    "You guys are getting along well. Want some more meat?"

    Both Soo-Yeong and Ji-Ah stopped fighting and answered.

    "Yes!"

    "Yes."

    Judging by their tone of voice, Soo-Yeong seemed to listen to Uncle quite well. Uncle looked at me because I didn¡¯t answer. I shook my head.

    "I think I''ll stop eating soon."

    "Is that so? Your appetite has gotten smaller these days."

    "Yeah," I replied nonchntly.

    The fact that I had sacrificed some of my senses through a contract with Baron Samedi was a secret to everyone. There was nothing good about telling people about it. It could lead to unnecessary sympathy or worry, and it could negatively influence their perception of the Voodoo Cult.

    The spells and powers of the Voodoo Cult always came with a price. Choosing one path meant giving up another¡ªthat was the fundamental principle of the Voodoo Cult. There were no results without a price or sacrifice. And that price and sacrifice were always borne by the Cult Leader alone.

    "Right, Cult Leader! I heard you went to Saudi Arabiast time," Soo-Yeong asked suddenly as if she had just remembered.

    I nodded.

    She continued, "Wasn¡¯t it really chaotic? I heard stories about there potentially being a war between Romanicanism and Im."

    "Yes, most likely..."

    The Romanican Church was likely considering a war with the Voodoo Cult as well. However, there seemed to be no reports yet about the Voodoo Cult or the Satanists. Just the collision between Romanicanism and Im alone had already caused the public to feel panic. If it were revealed that the Voodoo Cult and the Satanists had also been involved in this incident, the public panic would have been uncontroble.

    "I have a question. Did you use any spells or powers when you were there?"

    "I did."

    "And did you not get caught? How did you not get caught?¡±

    "...I got caught. It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t know it was me yet,¡± I replied cautiously.

    My uncle didn''t show much of a reaction, but Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong looked surprised.

    "T-then, what does that mean? Does that mean you might get caught?"

    "It could, I guess. Or it might not."

    "What if you get caught?"

    "I haven''t thought that far ahead."

    Truthfully, I didn¡¯t think that far ahead because I didn¡¯t think I would get caught in the first ce. Soo-Yeong had her mouth half-open and was staring at me nkly as if she was lost for words.

    Uncle put a couple of well-cut slices of meat on the te and ced it on the table. "Well, if that happens, I suppose we¡¯ll just have to live together and hide. asionally, we can eat meat like this."

    "..."

    ¡°Would there really not be a single ce in the mountains where we can eat meat? If we look for it, we''ll find one. We can live there."

    I nodded in agreement with Uncle. "That''s true."

    I imagined the scene of Uncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and other believers gathering together for a party like this. Living in hiding would definitely have its challenges in daily life, but it didn''t seem too bad.

    There was plenty of meat, but with the four of us eating, it quickly disappeared. Before I knew it, there was hardly any meat left. I wondered who had eaten all the meat. After thinking about it, I realized that Soo-Yeong had eaten a lot, and Ji-Ah had eaten quite a fair amount too. Uncle also ate some intermittently while he was grilling, so he had his fair share of meat as well.

    "Ah, we''ve almost finished it. Are you all still hungry?" Uncle asked.

    Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong didn''t answer, but judging by their expressions, they were still hungry. I got up from my seat. Since Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong were still eating, and since Uncle had to grill the meat, I thought I would go buy the meat.

    "Restoration spell? Can''t you make the meat multiply using that?" Soo-Yeong suddenly said, as if she had just thought of it.

    It was a creative idea. In theory, it wasn''t impossible. Uncle raised an eyebrow after hearing that.

    "You¡¯re right. But there must be a reason why it hasn¡¯t been done, right? If that worked, the Voodoo Cult would just sell meat and live a life of leisure."

    "...As far as I know, it probably won''t work," Ji-Ah said, shaking her head.

    I actually believed that it wouldn¡¯t work either. It would have definitely been impossible with a regr restoration spell.

    The Staff of Reversal, the poteau mitan, caught my eye at that moment. Damba hade up to the rooftop with us, and she had now transformed into the form of a staff instead of a snake.

    If I borrowed the power of the staff and used a restoration spell, I figured it might be possible. I held the staff and unleashed Voodoo magic.

    "Just give it a try. And if it doesn''t work, we can just go out and buy more."

    The truth was, I simply had a strong desire to test the power of the staff. I was also swept away by the atmosphere.

    I directed my Voodoo magic power into the staff. When I did so, the tip of the staff turned purple.

    In the Ancient Voodoo Cult, it was said that there was a Voodoo spell that could revive people through a ¡®resurrection ritual.¡¯ The staff used for that very same ritual, the poteau mitan, was currently in my hands.

    Although it might not be on the level of a resurrection ritual, I felt that it could create a simr kind of miraculous phenomenon. I waved the staff in the air and drew a spell array. I drew an intermediate restoration spell in front of the remaining meat.

    <i>Shaaaah©¤! </i>

    Soon, brilliant purple light flowed out from the spell array. The light was iparably stronger than the light from the spells I usually used.

    The light was also strange. It was a captivating light that had the power to attract people¡¯s gazes. The mist flowing from the spell array slowly moved and wrapped around the remaining flesh.

    <i>Sizzle... </i>

    And the flesh literally disappeared. The flesh turned into ashes and crumbled, then flew up into the sky with a gust of wind. It disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed from the beginning. At the same time, my legs wobbled. I leaned on my staff to avoid falling. My body twisted from side to side.

    "Huh...?"

    Everything in front of me turned red. Blood dripped from my eyes, nose, and mouth and fell onto the ground. Through my fading vision, I saw my uncle, Ji-Ah, and Soo-Yeong running toward me in shock.

    1. Hee-Jin is usually a girl¡¯s name, so we had been using the pronoun ¡®she¡¯ but have found that the character is actually a guy. ?

 Chapter 222

    <h4>Chapter 222</h4>

    The cathedral was quiet on weekdays. During the days when there was no mass, Ye-Jin often entered the empty cathedral in the middle of the day to pray. It was nice to see the sunlight breaking through the stained ss in various colors, and it was nice to pray while basking in that sunlight.

    When she closed her eyes and prayed, the pain she felt in her chest every night decreased. She didn''t pray with other believers because she felt ashamed and embarrassed. She didn''t think she deserved to pray shoulder-to-shoulder with other faithful believers.

    "Ye-Jin?"

    At that moment, someone called out to Ye-Jin. She was startled and opened her eyes wide at the voice calling her. She quickly stood up from her seat.

    <i>Screeech...</i>

    The sound of a chair being pushed echoed through the quiet cathedral. Ye-Jin stared nkly at Do-Jin, who hade to the cathedral. Do-Jin had a simr reaction to Ye-Jin. It was a chance encounter.

    "...I''m surprised. Why are you here?"

    ¡°I saw you herest time, and so I thought about checking it out next time. I came today... But I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be here.¡±

    "Did you follow me? That''s creepy," Ye-Jin said jokingly.

    Do-Jin didn''t respond. As Ye-Jin sat down, Do-Jin followed along and sat down next to her. The two sat side by side without saying a word and looked at the cross hanging in front of the cathedral, illuminated by the colorful sunlight.

    "Where did you say you were going to go after leaving Florence Academy?" Do-Jin asked casually.

    Ye-Jin looked at the cross and said, "I''m thinking of working under Inquisitor Joseph."

    "So you''re going to work right after leaving. You could take a little break," Do-Jin said.

    "I''ll take a break while working. I just need to help out asionally when Joseph calls me. It''s like a part-time job."

    "...That person seems a bit strange," Do-Jin said.

    <i>That person</i> referred to Inquisitor Joseph.

    Ye-Jin nodded. "He¡¯s weird. Honestly, it can be a bit scary sometimes."

    "Won¡¯t it be difficult to work under someone like that?"

    "I wonder... I think it''s better to work under someone like that. They won¡¯t intervene over small things like the Priest Order does.¡±

    "Well, if you say so,¡± Do-Jin sighed.

    Truthfully, he couldn¡¯t view Joseph in a positive light. When he had met Joseph in the past, he had heard him make a request that bordered on coercion by leveraging his authority.

    However, he still thought highly of Joseph¡¯s feat of capturing a spy from the Satanist faction within the Central Pdin Order. He couldn''t deny his abilities and his determination. This was the reason why he couldn''t strongly oppose Ye-Jin going under Joseph''smand.

    ¡°You look much better. Are you sleeping well these days?¡± Ye-Jin asked.

    Do-Jin couldn''t tell if she was genuinely curious or just changing the subject. Do-Jin nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but I''ve finally been assigned some work from the Crusaders. I''m using up all my umted leave and preparing for it.¡±

    ¡°Sounds exciting. I''m jealous.¡±

    ¡°...Aren''t you technically unemployed? It doesn''t seem like something you should say.¡±

    ¡°Taking a break while having a job is different from just taking a break.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t it morefortable to take a break?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, since I still have some money saved up," Ye-Jin said, nodding in agreement.

    There was a moment of silence.

    "So, what sort of crusader work were you assigned?" she asked suddenly.

    Do-Jin absentmindedly tapped the desk with his index finger. "There''s trouble with a mercenary group in Busan, so the Holy See issued a suppression order."

    "It¡¯s quite strange to hear that the Holy See is issuing a suppression order just because of one mercenary group. And Trinitas isn''t even affiliated with the Holy See, right?"

    Trinitas was the name of the Crusader Order that Do-Jin belonged to. Do-Jin shook his head.

    "Technically, we are affiliated with the Holy See. It¡¯s just that they don¡¯t interfere that much. Still, it''s an unusual situation."

    "Right? If they really intend to suppress the mercenary group, they should use the Central Crusader Order, right? They are skilled, and they have a lot of people."

    "Yeah. They are probably sending us as a warning,¡± Do-Jin said and then quickly closed his mouth, realizing his mistake.

    This was information that wasn¡¯t supposed to be leaked outside of personnel rted to the mission.

    Just when he was thinking about a way to avoid talking about this subject, Do-Jin saw Ye-Jin''s expression. She was already wondering what he meant by the word <i>warning</i>, and she looked at Do-Jin with great interest.

    "What do you mean by a warning?"

    "...I¡¯m not supposed to be talking about this, but it seems like the mercenary group we are trying to suppress has been engaging in illegal proselytizing activities for a while."

    "Illegal proselytizing? Why would proselytizing be illegal?"

    "If they were proselytizing Romanism, it wouldn''t be a problem. The problem is that they are proselytizing Voodooism."

    After hearing the details, Ye-Jin couldn''t hide her surprise. It felt like it had been a long time since she had heard about the Voodoo Cult. Since she hadn''t even participated in the Holy War, the term ¡®Voodoo Cult¡¯ felt even more distant to her.

    Moreover, she had doubts about whether the proselytization of the Voodoo Cult was really such a big enough issue to issue a suppression order. On the contrary, it seemed like the Satanists were a much bigger problem. However, since this wasn¡¯t a good thought to reveal, she kept her mouth shut.

    "...Then it makes sense why they issued a suppression order."

    "That''s right. There may be a difference in severity, but a cultist is still a cultist. There was also that incident that urred during the mission trip too.¡±

    "Ah, right!"

    Ye-Jin''s eyes widened at the mention of the mission trip. She knew from the news that a terrorist organization at the museum attacked the students on the mission trip.

    On the day of the incident, the news about it had flooded the TV and the inte. There were even articles with provocative titles such as, ¡®The Holy See Puts Children in Danger.¡¯

    Ye-Jin had a restless night''s sleep that night. She was concerned about what would happen if the students on the mission trip were hurt, died, or something went slightly wrong.

    "Are the kids okay? Did they alle back safely?"

    "They all came back fine... although some concerning things happened."

    "What¡¯s concerning you? But why have you been talking in such an indirect manner since earlier? It¡¯s making me want to hit you,¡± Ye-Jin said, yfully clenching her fist.

    Do-Jin slowly shifted sideways and said, "Don''t hit me. They say that the Voodoo Cult was at the museum.¡±

    "The museum? The Voodoo Cult was in Saudi Arabia?"

    "Yes. I heard that they came and helped us."

    "...Why would they help us?"

    "I have no clue."

    Ye-Jin took what he said quite seriously. While some might think it was nothing special that the Voodoo Cult had appeared in the museum and helped the Romanican Church, Ye-Jin felt that this event had many implications.

    The rtionship between the Voodoo Cult and the Romanican Church, and most importantly, the fact that he said they <i>helped</i> them, bothered her. It meant that the Romanican Church had been in a situation where they needed help at the time, and it meant that the Voodoo Cult had been in a position to offer help to them.

    She couldn¡¯t just simply conclude that the Voodoo Cult was friendly towards the Romanican Church. On the contrary, Voodoo Cult may have been trying to assert its presence.

    "Is it true that you really wanted to quit? It doesn''t seem like it when I see you worrying," Do-Jin said, snapping Ye-Jin out of her thoughts.

    He smiled softly as he looked at Ye-Jin, who was deeply lost in her thoughts. Seeing that smile, Ye-Jin felt a pang of wounded pride. She put on a serious expression and furrowed her eyebrows.

    "...Isn''t it strange to not worry in a situation like this?"

    "Well, that''s true. If you want toe back, just say the word. The chairman seems to be hoping for your return."

    "Yeah. For now, I don''t have any thoughts of going back," Ye-Jin said with a bitter smile.

    "...Right now, this seems to be the best option. Just staying here, worrying, and praying from a distance."

    Do-Jin nodded. Ye-Jin wanted to tell Do-Jin about the dream she had while she was under the influence of ck magic. However, at the same time, she didn''t want to talk about it. If she talked about it, she would feel relieved for a moment, but it felt like she could also disappoint Do-Jin.

    So she decided to keep it to herself. Maybe one day, if there were an opportunity, she¡¯d be able to say it, but at least for now, it wasn''t the right time.

    * * *

    When I opened my eyes, I saw the stars. The stars that were scattered sparsely in the night sky twinkled sparsely. Only part of the moon could be seen as if it was covered by clouds.

    I btedly realized the situation. I had channeled Voodoo magic into the staff, casting a spell array and turning the meat into ashes before copsing.

    I saw Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong running toward me, and after that, I didn¡¯t remember anything. It seemed like I had lost consciousness.

    "...Hey! Snap out of it. Why are you like this all of a sudden...?!"

    My vision returned, my consciousness returned, and finally, I started to hear the sounds around me. The voices of my uncle, Ji-Ah, and Soo-Yeong surrounded me and entered my ears. Strength soon returned to my body. I grabbed the staff and stood up from my spot.

    "...How long was I unconscious?"

    "About ten seconds? Why did you suddenly copse? It startled me," my uncle said with a surprised expression.

    I leaned on the staff and tried to walk. Thankfully, I was able to walk well. The first few steps were a bit dizzying, butter on, I didn''t feel dizzy anymore. As I caught my breath, my blurry vision gradually cleared up.

    Next, I tried walking without the help of the staff. Although my legs wobbled a bit, I could still walk.

    "...<i>Sigh</i>."

    I collected my breath. I wiped away the blood that had flowed out from my nose and mouth with the back of my hand. Then, I looked at Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and my uncle¡¯s faces. They all had extremely surprised expressions. My uncle was rtively calm, but Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong hadpletely pale faces.

    "What¡¯s up? It¡¯s not like this has only happened once or twice.¡±

    "It¡¯s precisely because it hasn¡¯t happened just once or twice, you crazy bastard!¡± Soo-Yeong shouted.

    She had a valid point. I unconsciously nodded.

    "...I was very surprised. Is it the drawback of using the Voodoo spell?" Ji-Ah said.

    She pretended to be calm, but her lips trembled. Quite literally, she seemed very surprised. I nodded.

    "It seems like it. Maybe..." I trailed off.

    I couldn''t be sure if it was due to the drawbacks of using the Voodoo spell or if it was due to another problem. It probably wasn¡¯t the drawback of using a simple Voodoo spell.

    I nced at the staff I was holding. The faint light of Voodoo magic still lingered around it. It seemed like the staff was the issue.

    This time, unlike usual, I had used the power of the staff to cast the spell. Now that I thought about it, the light of the spell array and the effect of the restoration spell were different from usual.

    The light of the spell array had been as bright as a blessing array, and the restoration spell had not only failed to restore the flesh but actually erased it from existence.

    "..."

    The effect of the restoration spell had been reversed. The poteau mitan, or the Staff of Reversal, did the exact thing that the name suggested.

    [You used the reverse spell technique,] Legba said.

    Upon hearing Legba¡¯s words, everything became clear. I had just used the reverse spell technique through the staff. That was why the meat wasn¡¯t restored. It had instead turned into ashes and disappeared.

    I recalled a story that I had heard from someone some time ago. A Cult Leader who wielded the Staff of Reversal used the reverse restoration spell and turned all the believers into ashes before dying.

    I had no idea whether the story was true or not. However, whether it was true or not, it didn''t matter. What mattered was that the staff in my hand was still emitting light and was still spewing Voodoo mist.

    [The first reverse spell you used happened to be the worst one. What a cruel fate,] Legba said in a low voice.

    At that time, Ji-Ah approached me with her hands gathered together.

    "Cult Leader, you should go to the underground chapel and rest now..."

    "Don''te near me," I said firmly, taking a step back.

    I had no choice but to say that. As if shocked, Ji-Ah looked at me with a dazed expression. I shook my head and said, "I can go alone. I¡¯m alright."

    I hid the staff in my arms and ignored the gaze of the three people who were looking at me as I descended from the rooftop to the underground chapel.

 Chapter 223

    <h4>Chapter 223</h4>

    After descending from the rooftop and returning to the underground chapel, I immediately entered my room. I locked the door and took out the staff in my arms.

    The staff was still emitting light, and although the mist was less dense than before, it was still flowing out. The mist was so thick that it practically appeared to be ck instead of purple. The Voodoo spell contained in the staff was still being activated. I didn¡¯t know why, but the spell contained within the staff had no effect on me.

    However, I had no idea what effect it would have on others.

    Since the restoration spell healed wounds, the reverse spell technique of the restoration spell would create wounds. No, it would be fortunate if it just stopped at only creating wounds. Perhaps it wouldpletely disintegrate the people it was used against. If I used the reverse spell technique of the restoration spell on my uncle, Ji-Ah, or Soo-Yeong, they would disappear without a trace.

    With trembling hands, I tightly gripped the staff. I tried my best to control the Voodoo magic contained within the staff and even tried forcefully tapping the ground with it. However, the spell didn''t stop.

    "Why isn''t it working...!"

    I felt frustrated and scared. The Voodoo mist continued to spread throughout the room.

    I had underestimated it because it was a Voodoo spell. To me, Voodoo magic and Voodoo spells were things I always hadplete control over. With just a flick of my finger, Voodoo magic and Voodoo spells would always move ording to my will.

    But the ancient reverse Voodoo spell that I used through the staff was different. I couldn''t stop it ording to my will. Because it was a primitive and rough technique, it didn''t obey human hands. Cold sweat dripped onto the floor.

    [Don''t worry,] Legba said.

    His voice was much gentler than usual.

    [If you wait long enough, it will stop. Because what you¡¯re holding is such an item,] Legba exined.

    The poteau mitan was a staff that had been used in rituals. The priests of the Ancient Voodoo Cult, the Houngan, and the Mambo, would sometimes faint or, in severe cases, lose their lives during rituals.

    Even Cult Leaders and Prophets who used the poteau mitan died or met tragic ends. The poteau mitan was an object that could not be controlled by those deemed unworthy. The only way to get the poteau mitan to stop was to wait until poteau mitan stopped on its own, as Legba had exined. I looked at the staff. It was still emitting light and mist.

    [Those who sought to control it could never control it. Only those who did not seek to control it could,] Legba said.

    I felt puzzled.

    "Didn''t I just control it earlier?"

    I had infused Voodoo magic into the staff and used a restoration spell. Although I had unintentionally used the reverse restoration spell, I was still able to partially control the staff, considering that I was still able to cast a ¡®restoration¡¯ spell. If I had beenpletely unable to control it, then the enthrallment or replication spell would have been used instead of the restoration spell.

    [It must mean that you also have the qualifications.]

    "..."

    [Try your best. Don''t you have to control it in order to achieve your goal?]

    The Staff of Reversal was as difficult to handle as its name suggested. I nced at the staff again. The Voodoo mist and light spell that seemed to endlessly spew out was now no longering out. I didn¡¯t stop it. Rather, it was the staff itself that had stopped.

    Just like Legba had said, in order to achieve my goal, I had to control the staff. I had to master the reverse spell technique perfectly in order to heal Yoon-Ah. All my desperate attempts to obtain the staff were for the purpose of curing her.

    However, I was at a loss as to how to handle the staff. When I tried to control the staff, I wouldn¡¯t be able to do so, and when I didn¡¯t try to control it, I would be able to do so. Yet, having the intention to not control the staff would ultimately be an attempt to control the staff. I didn¡¯t know what to do.

    [The time wille,] Legba said in a gentle voice as if telling me not to worry.

    I nodded. It seemed like I needed to dedicate myself to experimenting with it for a while.

    I didn¡¯t know if I could handle the staff even after experimenting with it. I would asionally end up spewing out blood during my experiment. No, it wouldn¡¯t be asional. It would be frequent.

    However, I couldn''t afford to give up. I tightly gripped the staff once again. It might have been an illusion, but I felt a slight vibration from the staff. Perhaps the staff was responding to my determination.

    [No, it''s from your cell phone.]

    "Ah."

    Suddenly, I realized that the vibration wasing from the phone inside my pocket and not the staff. I checked my text messages. There was a message from an unknown number.

    [Florence Academy/Charity/Sun-Woo. After confirming your identity, pleasee to the nearest Eastern Pdin Order tomorrow.]

    "...What the?"

    It was a sudden request for attendance.

    * * *

    It was a scorching desert. Within a barren wastnd where no one set foot, dark red blood was scattered haphazardly on the white sand, which glistened under the zing sun.

    Within this ce that was filled with burning sunlight and a relentlessly raging sandstorm, there were eight corpses, along with two men and one woman. One of the men had blue eyes, while the other had brown eyes.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    The man with blue eyes jabbed his finger into the temple of the man with brown eyes. His long, sharp nail pierced through the man''s head. Blood flowed out from the brown-eyed man¡¯s nose and mouth, and his eyes rolled back. With his long and sharp nails, the man with the blue eyes sliced the fallen man''s abdomen open.

    "Inferior. It¡¯s so remarkably inferior that it''s pitiful. Both their thought patterns and their bodies.¡±

    <i>Splurt, splurt.</i>

    The brown-eyed man¡¯s remains were tossed onto the sand. The man with blue eyes sighed as he looked around at the torn corpses, scattered organs, and bones. No one had a superior physique or intelligence.

    Well, he supposed that was the reason why they had failed toplete their designated mission. And the thought of taking responsibility must have been scary for them, which was why their inferior brains must havee up with the idea of revolting against him.

    The man with blue eyes thought to himself as he licked his lips. The woman who had been silently observing him adjusted her cor and approached.

    "Darling, has your n gone awry again?" she asked.

    The man nodded.

    "Yes, it''s my fault for entrusting the mission to those inferior beings."

    "I think the same way. Why do you keep failing your missions?"

    "...What did you just say?"

    "Ah! I just... I wanted to say that it would be better if you took matters into your own hands. I''m sorry," the woman said as she gracefully lowered her head.

    The man felt a sense of difort and wrath at the way the woman was speaking to him, which was somewhat different from usual, but he didn''t get too angry. It was because of her beautiful appearance and charming, sweet voice. He couldn''t even think of getting angry when she looked at her face and figure.

    "<i>Sigh</i>... Yes, it''s probably better if I take matters into my own hands," the man said with a sigh, suppressing his anger.

    At that moment, he felt a gaze upon him and raised his head. Above his head, a giant bird flew in circles in the sky. Its eerie eyes were staring at the man.

    "...Jun-Hyuk. You''re here again," the man said, and the bird stopped flying andnded on the ground.

    The bird hopped on the hot sand and made its way in front of the man before tilting its head. The bird looked around at the scattered corpses in the desert and said, "Has there been a rebellion?"

    Unlike before, its speech was more fluent. Its voice was also almost indistinguishable from Jun-Hyuk''s. The man shook his head.

    "No, rather than a rebellion, it was more like a group suicide. It was a rebellion driven by fear."

    "Chang-Shik, it seems like you haven''t been managing your subordinates properly."

    "I managed them properly. The mistake was epting such inferior beings as subordinates."

    The bird didn''t respond and just stared at the man with its pale eyes.

    "...So, why have youe again this time, Jun-Hyuk?"

    "To give you a warning," the bird replied curtly.

    Its pupils were still fixed on the man.

    "A warning?"

    "I remember giving you a picture. I told you not to touch those two people."

    "Yeah, I haven''t touched those two pe..."

    The man had been answering nonchntly, but he stopped speaking.

    Jun-Hyuk had told him not to touch two people. A woman with brown hair and a man with ck hair. Come to think of it, at the museum, he had seen a man with ck hair through his servant¡¯s eyes. He had unintentionally ended up touching the person Jun-Hyuk had told him not to touch.

    But the man had something to say too.

    "...Who is that bastard?"

    All his ns had gone awry because of that man with ck hair. He had used strange powers that were not the usual blessings or miracles used by the Romanican Church. With a flick of his finger, he could make people faint, he could control a giant snake, and he could manipte the minds of the men in ck with his eerie power.

    The man was curious about the identity of the man with ck hair. He didn''t seem like an ordinary member of the Romanican Church. No, maybe he wasn''t even Romanican to begin with.

    "Are you curious?" the bird asked, blinking its eyes.

    Beyond its pale pupils, the man could see a small flickering ck me. The man shook his head.

    "...No, forget it. Looks like you have no intention of telling me."

    "Correct! I have no intention of telling you. I want to be the only one who knows."

    The man closed his mouth. He knew he shouldn''t have long conversations with Jun-Hyuk. The more they talked, the more weaknesses he would reveal. On the other hand, Jun-Hyuk never revealed any weaknesses during their conversations.

    asionally, there would be meetings between the Satanist executives, but when making a slip of the tongue during those meetings, Jun-Hyuk had never once revealed any of his weaknesses.

    "Anyway, consider this a warning. Don''t touch him. This is advice for your own good."

    "...What if a situation arises where I can''t help but mess with him?"

    "Go ahead and try. I messed with him once and ended up like this. It was quite an interesting experience. Haha!"

    "He must be insane," the man said while letting out a dryugh.

    The bird, which had been watching the man, turned its eyes toward the woman. She leisurely observed the bird while she stood with her arms crossed. After staring at the woman for a while, the bird said, "You must feel so great now that you¡¯ve obtained an easy-to-handle doll. How enviable."

    The man and woman simultaneously smiled at the bird''s words. The bird''s eyes darted between them.

    * * *

    I woke up early in the morning and prepared to go out. It was because I had received an attendance order from the Eastern Pdin Order. I didn''t bring the staff. Instead, I had Damba secretly apany me by following behind me.

    I thought it would be safer to have Damba with me so that she could transform into a staff when needed, rather than carrying it around.

    Just as I was about to leave the underground chapel, Ji-Ah came up to me.

    "Cult Leader," she said.

    She showed me a text message. It was from Yuk Eun-Hyung of the Gyeongsang Branch.

    "Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung is requesting information about the Romanican Church and certain mercenary groups. I need to visit the Gyeongsang Branch to personally meet with Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung in order to deliver the information. Can I get permission..."

    "Is it necessary to meet in person? Can''t you just talk over the phone?"

    "The amount of information requested by Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung is too much to deliver over the phone, and it seems to be an urgent situation. It would be better to deliver the files stored on the USB directly."

    "Okay, then."

    Ji-Ah usually spoke concisely, but she seemed to be talking more today. It made me a little anxious, but I readily agreed for now. It was not like she¡¯d use the excuse of delivering information to go to Gyeongsang Province to secretly enjoy a vacation. Even if she did take a short vacation, I wouldn¡¯t mind at all.

    "Oh, Cult Leader!"

    I was about to leave, but then someone else called out to me. It was Soo-Yeong.

    "What''s up, where are you going? It''s the weekend, so you probably won¡¯t be going to school, right?"

    "I¡¯m going to the Eastern Pdin Order."

    "Oh, I''ll go with you!"

    "Get lost," I replied sharply.

 Chapter 224

    <h4>Chapter 224</h4>

    "Get lost."

    "Why? Let me go out too!" Soo-Yeongined.

    "Feel free to leave. Just don¡¯te back."

    "No, that''s not what I mean. I just want to breathe some fresh air outside!"

    I thought Soo-Yeong would go away if I firmly asked her to leave, but she was more persistent than I thought.

    Apparently, she hadn¡¯t gone outside ever since she arrived at the underground chapel. The reason for this was that Ji-Ah had told her to never leave the underground chapel alone. It seemed like she needed to get my permission first if she wanted to go outside.

    "Nuna¡¯s words are right. Don''t go outside, just stay here."

    "I''ve been stuck underground for days. It''s suffocating."

    "Then maybe you shouldn''t have run away from home in the first ce. Anyway, you¡¯re not allowed to go outside."

    "Why?"

    "Because it''s dangerous."

    Soo-Yeong came up to me and whined andined, but I didn¡¯t give her permission to go outside. At the very least, I couldn¡¯t take her to the Pdin Order.

    There would be many clergymen in the Pdin Order, and I might not be the only one who had received a call from the Eastern Pdin Order.

    If I brought Soo-Yeong along and ran into Yu-Hyun, that would be a huge problem. The first problem would be that Yu-Hyun would be able to identify her and vice versa. To Soo-Yeong, Yu-Hyun was nothing less than an enemy that she needed to get revenge on for the sake of her mother and her older brother. If she encountered Yu-Hyun, there was no telling what she would do after getting consumed by rage.

    "What''s so dangerous? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll get lost.¡±

    ¡°Ah, when I tell you nicely, you should...!¡±

    [Kid.]

    I was about to get angry and lose my temper, but suddenly I heard Damba''s voice and closed my mouth. At some point in time, Damba had climbed up onto a shoe rack and was currently coiled up. She flicked her tongue and said, [What if we just take her with us?]

    "...No, we can''t."

    [Seems like you''re worried about the sharp-eyed kid.]

    The sharp-eyed kid. I could tell that it was a term that referred to Yu-Hyun. He possessed a unique blessing that allowed him to draw a circle around his eyes by using divine power. I nodded.

    Damba climbed up my arm and said, [If you¡¯re worried about that, then don¡¯t worry. I already gave him a warning.]

    "..."

    [Trust me.]

    I didn¡¯t understand what she meant by ¡®I already gave him a warning,¡¯ but based on her words, it seemed like Damba had taken some sort of preemptive action.

    If Damba was right and I really didn¡¯t need to worry about Yu-Hyun, then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if I brought along Soo-Yeong to the Pdin Order. If I encountered a situation where I had to introduce Soo-Yeong, I could simply say that she was my younger sister or cousin, and no one would suspect anything.

    I hesitated for a moment as I looked at Soo-Yeong''s face. She was looking at me so desperately that it felt pitiful.

    "...Just this once," I said with a reluctant nod.

    Soo-Yeong smiled brightly. Then, as if she had been waiting to go outside, she quickly took out her shoes from the shoe cab.

    "Are we going right now? Why did you drag things out if you were going to allow me to go anyway? What a waste of time,¡± Soo-Yeong babbled excitedly.

    "Wait, just one more thing."

    I unleashed Voodoo magic in front of Soo-Yeong.

    ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t have a way to forcefully send you home? Don¡¯t annoy me.¡±

    "...Do-don¡¯t misunderstand. What I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯re letting me go outside.¡±

    "Alright."

    Reluctantly, I took Soo-Yeong along with me and went outside. As we stepped out, Soo-Yeong exhaled deeply and looked up at the sky with a grateful expression.

    The chapel was located underground, and it had no windows, so staying there longer than a few days felt suffocating.

    Although I had begrudgingly brought Soo-Yeong out with me, seeing how much happier she was aftering out made me think that I had made the right decision. Of course, I still didn''t like the idea of Soo-Yeong staying in the underground chapel after she had run away from home. But as Legba and Damba had mentioned, since it turned out like this, maybe it was best to think about this situation positively.

    I watched her stretch. Soo-Yeong gazed up into the sky and enjoyed the blowing breeze, then briefly nced at me.

    "Yo, whatcha looking at?" she said.

    "...No matter how I think about it, I don''t think you should go with me."

    As I unleashed Voodoo magic again, Soo-Yeong stumbled backward and said, "Huh, huh? No, I was just kidding!"

    I sighed. We hadn''t even started our journey, but I was already worried about what trouble would await us at the Pdin Order. If Damba''s words were true, it wouldn''t be a big problem, but...

    "But why are you going to the Pdin Order? Did youmit a crime or something?"

    "I didn¡¯tmit a crime, rather... No, never mind. Just be quiet. Don''t do anything unnecessary when we get there."

    I took Soo-Yeong with me and made my way to the Pdin Order. I couldn¡¯t exactly enter the Pdin Order along with her, so I told her to go to a nearby cafe and pass the time.

    When I arrived at the Pdin Order and showed them the message that I received and my student ID, the person who seemed to be the desk clerk suddenly stood up and led me somewhere.

    "You can wait here for a moment. Would you like something to drink?" the staff who guided me to the waiting room asked.

    I asked for green tea. Even after I sacrificed my taste due to the contract with Baron Samedi, I often drank green tea because it had a nice aroma. I epted the green tea the staff brought me and sat in the waiting room.

    "..."

    I could guess why the Eastern Pdin Order suddenly requested my attendance. They must have wanted to ask about what happened at the museum during the mission trip.

    If that were the case, they would have naturally requested attendance from the others as well, but strangely enough, there was no one in the waiting room. Jin-Seo, Ha-Yeon, Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon... Even Han Dae-Ho wasn¡¯t here.

    Had they not arrived yet? Or had they deliberately made it so that we wouldn¡¯t be able to contact the others? It was impossible to tell. However, if they had deliberately made it so that we wouldn¡¯t be able to contact each other, I figured that they wouldn¡¯t just call me to ask about the situation that had urred at the time.

    Perhaps they had requested me toe in order to figure out if any of us were spies or aplices of the Voodoo Cult and the Satanists. When I received guidance from the staff and moved from the waiting room to the office, such spection solidified into certainty.

    "Nice to see you, Sun-Woo."

    Joseph was there, and it wasn¡¯t just Joseph. There was a knight with arge physique and a person holding a pen and a notebook. They appeared to be his secretaries. However, Joseph''s presence was so overwhelming that I could only see him in my eyes.

    As I sat down, Joseph raised one of his hands which had been gathered together on his desk.

    "You must have suspected I¡¯d ask about this, but I called you over to ask about what happened during the mission trip, so... at the museum at around 18:00 local time."

    "Ah, yes."

    "I''ll actually just be sitting here, and this friend next to me will ask the questions. So there''s no need to be nervous."

    "Are there any questions I should be nervous about?" I asked Joseph.

    The words ¡®no need to be nervous¡¯ made it sound like it looked as if I was already nervous. Joseph seemed to be testing the waters with those words.

    He looked at me, smiled slightly, and nodded.

    "It¡¯s just something I¡¯m saying as a formality," he said.

    I nodded in response to Joseph''s words. Then I turned my head to the pdin sitting next to Joseph. He was holding some documents, which appeared to be a questionnaire. The pdin cleared his throat and began questioning me.

    "Can you describe the situation at the time when the intruder entered the museum? Please be as detailed as possible."

    "The intruder shot a gun towards the sky and broke a few lights and windows. Then we heard thunder and all the lights went out."

    "What were you doing when the lights went out?"

    "I crouched behind an exhibit and hid. I don''t remember the exact name of the exhibit."

    In reality, at the time, I had been contemting whether I should use the intoxication spell or not, but I had decided not to use it, and then I used Ogun¡¯s power to neutralize the men in ck¡¯s guns.

    "I see. Were you there until Director Han Dae-Ho appeared?"

    "No, after assessing the situation, I walked around to find the other children."

    "Who did you encounter at that time?"

    "I met Ha-Yeon."

    "I see. Besides the Romanicans and Muslims, did you know that there were Cultists present at the scene? For example, Satanists."

    "I didn''t..."

    I was about to say that I didn¡¯t know. It was because I thought that they might find it strange if I knew. But just when I was about to say that, I felt that it wasn¡¯t the right thing to say.

    The pdin''sst question contained a cleverly hidden intention that I hadn''t grasped. I thought about what that intention could be.

    I wasn''t worried about being exposed as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult with a question like this. However, if there were discrepancies between the testimonies of the other kids and my own testimony, there was a possibility of garnering unnecessary suspicion.

    At the moment, I was in a situation where I couldn¡¯t attract even the slightest suspicion.

    "...I didn''t know, but I thought it was possible. So I made some preparations just in case."

    "What kind of preparations?"

    "I instructed Ha-Yeon to prepare the Blessing of Purification."

    "ording to Ha-Yeon¡¯s testimony, you stated that ¡®there are Satanists.¡¯"

    "I lied because I thought she wouldn''t listen to me if I said there might be Satanists. I feel sorry about doing such a thing.¡±

    "Ah... I see."

    Based on what he had said just now, I could tell that Ha-Yeon had arrived at the Pdin Order beforehand and had given her testimony. If that was the case, then it was possible that they had interrogated not only Ha-Yeon but also the other students beforehand.

    Pdin Order had definitely taken measures to prevent us from contacting each other in advance. Ultimately, their purpose was to investigate if any of us were Voodoo Cult or Satanist coborators.

    Since I had figured out their exact motive,ing up with appropriate responses to their questions was no longer a challenge.

    "I heard that you fought alongside Director Han Dae-Ho. That was very brave of you. How did youe up with the idea to fight together with him?"

    ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t be okay if I didn¡¯t fight.¡±

    "I see... Well, then, finally..." the pdin said while tossing the questionnaire on the desk.

    Then, he leaned forward and looked intently into my eyes. I stared back at him.

    "Can you describe the scenery you saw right before the men in ck left the museum?"

    I imagined how a Romanican would describe the Crossroads and answered, "There was an old man with a cane in a strange space."

    "Was there a Voodoo Cultist there?" I asked.

    "..."

    When I asked in return, the pdin dumbfoundedly blinked his eyes. Instead of answering, he nced at Joseph sitting next to him. His gaze seemed to want to ask if it was okay to answer honestly.

    Joseph closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again and turned his head toward me.

    "Yeah. We suspect there was a Voodoo Cultist. Where did you hear about it?" he asked.

    "I heard it from the other students. Ha-Yeon said that if it''s the Crossroads, then it''s probably rted to the Voodoo Cult."

    "You hit the nail on the head."

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Joseph tapped the desk with his finger. The dry sound rang out rhythmically within the silence. As if contemting, he lowered his gaze while keeping his mouth shut. He then took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at me. His eyes were terrifyingly empty.

    He stared at me for a while with a frighteningly vacant gaze and then said, "The truth is, I suspect that there might have been an aplice of the Voodoo Cult or the Satanists among the Romanicans in the museum. No, I believe without a doubt that there must be an aplice from the Voodoo Cult."

    "..."

    Joseph was expressionless as he asked, "Who do you think it could be?"

    I couldn¡¯t understand the exact intention behind that question.

    * * *

    Soo-Yeong sat in a cafe and sipped on a sweet drink to pass the time. She yed random videos on her phone or mindlessly surfed the web.

    But even that had be tiresome, so she watched people passing by outside the window to kill time.

    Sun-Woo said he would be back soon, but he had already been gone for an hour. As much as she wanted to leave Sun-Woo behind and wander around as she pleased, she felt like she would be forcibly brought back home if she did that.

    It wasn¡¯t because she was scared of Sun-Woo. No, well, technically, she was scared of him but...

    <i>Ring¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, someone entered the cafe. Thinking it was Sun-Woo, Soo-Yeong turned her head around, but it wasn''t him. However, she recognized the person.

    "One Americano, and..."

    It was Ha-Yeon.

    One of the main culprits of the Holy War was Sung Yu-Da, and Sung Ha-Yeon was his only child. Soo-Yeong knew about Ha-Yeon to some extent.

    She had been personally investigating the Holy War and the Romanican Church for a while. After hearing that Sun-Woo attended Florence Academy, she also researched the famous people attending Florence Academy.

    After ordering a drink and a cake, Ha-Yeon took a seat and started reading a book. The title was in English, so Soo-Yeong didn¡¯t know what kind of book it was. When her drink and cake arrived, Ha-Yeon closed the book and opened herptop instead. Then, she started busily typing something on the keyboard.

    Soo-Yeong wondered what she was doing. It was simple curiosity. However, due to the angle, she couldn''t see theptop screen. Soo-Yeong pretended to go to the bathroom and tried to sneak a peek at Ha-Yeon''sptop screen.

    "..."

    At that moment, she made eye contact with Ha-Yeon. Soo-Yeong quickly averted her gaze and hurriedly went into the bathroom. Her heart was beating fast.

    Soo-Yeong stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, then unnecessarily washed her hands and came back out. Making eye contact with her was not something she had anticipated, but she figured that nothing would happen if she naturally returned to her seat.

    "Whoa, w-what the¡ª!"

    However, as soon as she opened the door, Soo-Yeong screamed and took a step back. She almost fell over.

    Her heart, which had already been beating fast, was now pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst. It was because Ha-Yeon was standing in front of the bathroom while furrowing her eyebrows.

    Ha-Yeon crossed her arms, looked Soo-Yeong up and down, and said, "What is it?"

 Chapter 225

    <h4>Chapter 225</h4>

    "...I don''t understand why you''re asking me that."

    I was right. The Pdin Order had called me because they suspected there might be a spy from the Satanists or Voodoo Cult among us. If that were the case, all I had to prove was that I wasn''t a spy¡ªor so I thought. But Joseph''s question had caught me off guard.

    He was asking my opinion on who the spy might be. I pondered why Joseph would ask such a question. He wouldn''t have asked questions like this if he really wanted my cooperation in the investigation. He was trying to gain clues from my reaction because he suspected me.

    Suspected me? But I¡¯d never left any clues that would expose my true identity to Joseph. Was he just going off of a hunch?

    If that were the case, knowing what he suspected me for would be essential. Did he suspect me as a spy for the Voodoo Cult or a spy for the Satanists? Joseph had met and tried to use Jin-Seo by lying that I had a Satanist among my rtives. If he had suspected me to be a spy for the Satanists, he wouldn''t have resorted to such lies.

    He wouldn''t have asked questions like this if he had suspected me of being a Voodoo Cult spy, either. Instead, he would have cleverly interrogated me to reveal ¡®facts that only Voodoo Cult members knew.¡¯

    No, it could be the opposite. He might have asked this question because he suspected me of being a Voodoo Cult spy...

    "You helped me before. I highly value your insight and information. I want to ask for your help," Joseph said with a smile.

    I stared at him. I couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking.

    I lowered my head. "I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can help this time. I don''t know much either."

    ¡°<i>Not much</i>, meaning that you know something. Can you tell me even a little? We''re in dire need of help, and any bit of information would be great."

    He was really trying to get me to speak. I always felt it, but Joseph was such a bothersome guy.

    "...Did you have a meeting like this with Su-Ryeon as well?"

    "I''m sorry, but I cannot disclose that information due to regtions."

    "Then I have nothing to say either."

    Joseph nodded slowly. "I¡¯ll talk. Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon were here before you."

    "Then you might have already heard this. An old man with a cane hit Su-Ryeon on the way out of the museum as if he was ying a joke on her."

    "I see. So, are you saying that Su-Ryeon and the Voodoo Cult are rted?"

    "...It is a possibility, but I can''t say for sure. It could also be that the Voodoo Cult did such actions to make us doubt Su-Ryeon."

    I took care in taking the most neutral position. If I had it my way, I would¡¯ve said that Su-Ryeon seemed to be a Voodoo Cultist and divert Joseph''s suspicion to her instead. But doing so would be no different than revealing that I was a Voodoo Cultist. Joseph nodded as he listened to my words.

    His eyes were trained on me. "That''s something to consider. I understand. By the way, speaking of that old man... You said you saw an old man with a staff."

    "Yes."

    Joseph asked another question. "Who do you think that old man is?"

    I pretended to ponder and closed my mouth. It would be strange if I didn¡¯t hesitate here. On the contrary, it would be even stranger to hastily say, <i>¡®That old man must be the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.¡¯</i> It might seem like I was trying to avoid the question with a suitable answer.

    "....Although many people think that he is the Voodoo Cult Leader, I have a slightly different opinion."

    "Is that so? Interesting."

    "The Crossroads appeared after Director Han Dae-Ho requested a rescue using the Burning Bush Twig. However, the Voodoo Cult operates predominantly within South Korea. It is unlikely that the leader of the Voodoo Cult, who is in Korea, would appear in Saudi Arabia upon hearing the rescue request from Director Han Dae-Ho. "

    "Then, could we say that the old man is someone that the Voodoo Cult had already nted in Saudi Arabia?"

    "That could be a possibility, but... for that to be true, the Voodoo Cult would have had to have known that the Satanists were going to attack the museum. In this case, we could also consider the possibility that the Satanists and Voodoo Cult coborated to stage an altercation."

    "I see. However, the likelihood of that happening is low since the Satanists and Voodoo Cult don''t have a good rtionship."

    "Then, in the end, it is highly likely that it was simply a coincidence that the Cult Leader, or a high figure of the Voodoo Cult equivalent to the Cult Leader, had appeared in that ce. The Voodoo Cult Cult Leader seemingly went to Saudi Arabia with a certain purpose and coincidentally ended up participating in the battle due to the emergence of the Satanists."

    "Hm. A coincidence. Anyway, you¡¯re saying there¡¯s a high possibility that the old man who appeared was not the Cult Leader?"

    "Yes. My guess is... the Cult Leader had a Burning Bush Twig connected to the Romanican Church, and the old man was just a hallucination from the Cult Leader.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could hold back on my words. Joseph probably thought the same thing anyway. If I showed any hesitation in saying, ¡®the Cult Leader might have infiltrated the Romanican Church,¡¯ then it would only increase his suspicion toward me.

    "In that case, do you have any spections about the Cult Leader¡¯s <i>purpose</i>?"

    The Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan. But I couldn¡¯t say that. I needed to say something that wouldn¡¯t raise any suspicion.

    "...Among the people at the museum, there might have been someone the Voodoo Cult deemed irreceable and couldn''t afford to lose. That would exin why the Cult Leader eliminated the men in ck." I added, ¡°And there''s another reason why I think the old man isn¡¯t the Cult Leader."

    "Right, go ahead."

    "His age doesn''t fit. The current Cult Leader is known to be in histe teens to mid-twenties... At least, that¡¯s what''s known to the general public. So, there''s almost no possibility that the old man is the Cult Leader."

    Joseph nodded and muttered, "Hallucinations caused by spells... I guess that''s a possibility. As you said, his age doesn''t fit either..."

    "Actually, we''ve learned quite a lot about the Voodoo Cult through investigation over the past few years. We¡¯ve even determined that the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult is, contrary to rumors, an old man. Now, what do you think?"

    "..."

    ...This fucker. Now, he was feeling me out. He didn¡¯t even try to hide it. He openly revealed that he was suspecting me and observing my reaction.

    "My opinion remains unchanged. Above all else... I don''t know if your words about the Cult Leader being an old man are true."

    "You don¡¯t think I¡¯m telling the truth? Do you mean to say you don¡¯t believe in me?"

    "...That¡¯s correct."

    "And why is that?"

    "If it''s true that we know the Cult Leader''s age, then it means we have identified him. In that case, the Holy See should have issued a headhunt. However, they haven''t done so, which is why I think you are wrong."

    Joseph nodded. "...I see."

    If I really were the Cult Leader, it would have been unthinkable for me to openly express disbelief in Joseph''s words. This may notpletely dispel his suspicion toward me, but at least it wouldn¡¯t make it worse.

    Joseph tapped the desk with his finger a couple of times. "It seems like I¡¯ve taken up too much of your time. I apologize. You must have had ns... It''s the weekend. Don''t you have anything to do?"

    "Ah... a <i>dongsaeng</i> [1] of mine who lives in the countryside is visiting me so that I might hang out with her somewhere near here."

    There was a possibility that Joseph might tail me after I left. I informed him about Soo-Yeong in advance, just in case. I would have run into a big problem if I hadn¡¯t left Soo-Yeong at the caf¨¦ and brought her here to the Pdin Order instead.

    Now that I was under suspicion, Soo-Yeong would also naturally be suspected because she was around me. Joseph could discover the fact that Soo-Yeong was part of the Voodoo Cult with just a few questions.

    Joseph nodded. "Alright, I understand. Let''s meet again next time if we get the chance. You are excused."

    "Understood. I will contact you."

    I said my goodbyes and left the office. After leaving the Pdin Order, I took a deep breath of fresh air. My shoulders were tense, perhaps due to nervousness. My body let out a strange sound as I stretched.

    I nced briefly toward the eastern side of the Pdin Order, then turned toward the caf¨¦ where Soo-Yeong was supposed to be.

    Moon<strong> </strong>Joseph.

    His suspicion toward me was greater than I had initially thought. He must have had some certainty that <i>something</i> was up with me since he was openly probing me like this. ording to Ji-Ah''s investigation, he had a daughter. It would be great if I could use his daughter to restrict his actions. But if I couldn¡¯t... in the worst-case scenario, I would have to dispose of him.

    * * *

    "...Is what I know."

    Sun-Woo had left, and Jin-Seo came in.

    Jin-Seo answered the questions with sincerity. However, they gained nothing as what she said did not stand outpared to what Ha-Yeon, Su-Ryeon, and Sun-Woo had said.

    Joseph stared at Jin-Seo and turned to look at the pdin next to him.

    "It seems like you delivered what I asked for to Sun-Woo. Thank you."

    Jin-Seo nodded ufortably, lowering her gaze.

    "...Yes, I delivered it as you instructed."

    Joseph smiled as if satisfied.

    "Right, sounds good. You may leave now."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo stood up from her seat, bowed, and left the Pdin Order. Her expression was not good. After finishing Jin-Seo¡¯s interrogation, Joseph came out with the pdin to take a smoke break.

    Joseph exhaled smoke. "What do you think? Do you think there might be a Voodoo or Satanist follower among those kids?"

    Smoke trickled out from the pdin¡¯s mouth. "....I''m not sure, sir.¡±

    "So far, none of them stick out. But Sun-Woo..."

    "Do you also think that one is a bit unique?"

    "...Rather than unique, I think he''s just smart. Did you say that he had good grades?"

    "His grades are on the better side. Although he does fluctuate a little."

    Joseph recalled the grades he had seen while investigating Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo had gotten first ce in the evaluations conducted right after admission but around sixtieth ce in the regr written exams. Considering the overall academic level of Florence Academy, his grades were quite good even though they fluctuated a bit.

    "...It seemed like you were aggressively asking Sun-Woo questions earlier," the pdin said, exhaling smoke.

    Joseph scratched his temple with his index finger. "Did it seem that way?"

    "Are you suspecting him?"

    "Not suspecting, but just curious. The student seems to be hiding more than what meets the eye. I still don''t know what he''s hiding."

    "He''s just a kid who is a little quicker in assessing situations than others, in my opinion. Kids like that usually don''t reveal their true feelings, so maybe that''s why he appears that way."

    Joseph shook his head. "No, it''s not that simple."

    Firstly, Joseph had received help from Sun-Woo before. When Sun-Woo had said, ¡®<i>Please check if there are any suspicious individuals in Central</i>,¡¯ Joseph hesitantly started an investigation and prepared for the attack from the Satanists.

    As a result, they managed to repel the attacks from the demon and demonic beasts without any sacrifices, and they also captured Ji Hye-Sung, a Satanist who had infiltrated the Central Pdin Order.

    There was also a time when they suspected that something was off with Sun-Woo and tried to investigate him using Jin-Seo. As part of this investigation, they secretly attached a small holy artifact device to Sun-Woo''s phone. With this device attached, they would have been able to track Sun-Woo''s location and even intercept his calls and messages.

    Joseph had looked at Jin-Seo and said, ¡®...<i>delivered what I asked for to Sun-Woo</i>.¡¯

    Jin-Seo replied that she had ¡®<i>delivered it as instructed.¡¯</i>

    However, there was no device attached to Sun-Woo''s phone. In other words, Jin-Seo had lied, all for the sake of protecting Sun-Woo.

    "If it''s not something to think about so simply... how should we go about it?"

    "We should think about it in aplex manner."

    There were two possibilities. The first possibility was that Jin-Seo had secretly attached the device, but Sun-Woo had noticed and removed it. The second possibility was that Jin-Seo hadn¡¯t attached the device but instead handed it over to Sun-Woo.

    Either way, something was fishy about her. If the first case held true, then Sun-Woo was overly cautious about the people around him. The device that Joseph had given to Jin-Seo was made through the exact same procedures as a holy artifact. It could not be detected with the naked eye, nor could it be detected with metal detectors or anything along those lines. Unless one was already suspicious and cautious of the people around them, there was no way to realize that the device had been attached to their phone.

    Would an ordinary, unremarkable student be so cautious of the people around them?

    "Think about it in aplex manner..."

    "Yes, in a veryplex way. We need to consider various possibilities.¡±

    In thetter case, maybe Jin-Seo''s trust in Sun-Woo was exceedingly strong. In order to deceive Jin-Seo, Joseph even lied that there was a Satanist among Sun-Woo''s rtives. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo still handed the device to Sun-Woo. Jin-Seo might have revealed the fact that Joseph was the one who had given the order to attach the device secretly.

    In that case, Sun-Woo should have immediately attached the device to his phone in order to avoid suspicion. However, he had not attached the device yet. It was probably not because being under surveince was ufortable. It was because it would take time to set up a <i>¡®situation where it would be okay to be under surveince</i>.¡¯ He was postponing attaching the device until he could arrange the perfect situation to be spied on.

    "As you said, he might just be a slightly smarter student than others. No, there is an eighty percent chance of that.¡±

    "What about the remaining twenty percent...?"

    "That¡¯s the possibility of him being an unusual, special, or dangerous person."

    Joseph flicked his cigarette to the ground and continued, "If that''s the case... he¡¯s probably rted to the Voodoo Cult."

    "May I ask why you think so?"

    "The Cult Leader <i>saved</i> the eight people present, in other words, the seven Holy Names and Han Dae-Ho. That means either one of the seven Holy Names or Han Dae-Ho held significance to the Cult Leader, or they themselves were the Cult Leader. At least one of them would be associated with the Voodoo Cult.¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that the person associated with the Voodoo Cult is Sun-Woo..."

    "That''s what I¡¯m thinking."

    He didn¡¯t know exactly how everything was interconnected. Honestly, it was not very likely that there was a solid connection to the Voodoo Cult but rather more likely that Sun-Woo was being used or manipted by the Voodoo Cult, or even more likely, that he was just an ordinary student.

    The possibility of Sun-Woo willingly helping cults like the Voodoo Cult or Satanists was only about five percent at best. However, if it wasn''t zero percent, then it was worth investigating.

    Joseph was hyper-fixated on Sun-Woo because he felt that they could utilize whatever Sun-Woo was hiding in further investigations.

    "...But the problem is that nothing has progressed beyond a thought."

    However, Sun-Woo never gave any openings. Based on his words, it didn''t seem like he was Voodooist or a Satanist. But Sun-Woo¡¯s ability to read Joseph''s intentions perfectly and respond ordingly made him even more doubtful of him.

    He was too perfect, which made him more suspicious. Therefore, Joseph''s suspicion was practically baseless. It was merely an intuition, a hunch.

    <i>¡®If only there were one decisive opening... then I could be certain.¡¯</i>

    He just needed to find that one decisive w.

    Just one.

    1. a word you use to refer to a younger male or female, doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be family ?

 Chapter 226

    <h4>Chapter 226</h4>

    Soo-Yeong confronted Ha-Yeon. At first, she thought about running away, but she stopped because it would seem strange to do so.

    So, what should she do?

    Various thoughts shed through Soo-Yeong''s mind, but she was afraid to try any of them. In front of her was that terrifying Sung-Yu Da¡¯s only daughter, Ha-Yeon.

    Sung Yu-Da had led the Holy Army during the Holy War and was the one who killed the Voodoo Cult Leader. Even the famously capable Second Cult Leader and Prophet had fallen prey to Sung Yu-Da''s trap and died.

    Although not to the same extent as Sung Yu-Da, Ha-Yeon probably possessed simr insight and sharpness. Soo-Yeong didn''t want to act rashly and risk exposing that she was part of the Voodoo Cult.

    "Hello? I¡¯m talking to you. You''ve been staring at me since earlier."

    "..."

    If that happened, Sun-Woo would undoubtedly be harmed as well. She hade out of the underground chapel because she had thrown a tantrum. But if she caused harm to the Voodoo Cult due to Ha-Yeon finding out about her identity...

    Then the problem wouldn¡¯t just be getting nagged by Sun-Woo or being sent back to her home. She would also do harm to everyone in the Voodoo Cult.

    "Um, a-aren''t you Sung Yu-Da''s daughter?"

    "Yes? Oh, well, I am... How did you...?"

    "I''m a fan! I''m a fan. I wanted to join Florence Academy, so I did some research... I''m nning to take the entrance exam for Florence Academy next year!"

    ...That was the excuse Soo-Yeong came up with.

    She thought ahead of what to do when Sun-Woo arrived. Sun-Woo would likely introduce Soo-Yeong as his ¡®cousin¡¯ or ¡®acquainted dongsaeng.¡¯ If that were the case, Soo-Yeong could say that she was a dongsaeng who admired Sun-Woo, a Florence Academy student. She could say she hade all the way from the countryside to meet him¡ªthis way, she wouldn''t be suspected of being part of the Voodoo Cult.

    As for knowing Ha-Yeon, she could say she had heard a lot about her from Sun-Woo. It wouldn''t be strange at all for a student aspiring to enroll in Florence Academy and a devoted Romanican Church follower to know Sung Yu-Da and Ha-Yeon.

    "A fan?"

    "Yes, so..." Soo-Yeong trailed off, shaking her head.

    It would be great if Sun-Woo arrived right now, but contrary to her expectations, he was nowhere to be seen. Soo-Yeong racked her brain for her next excuse. Should she ask for an autograph since she said she was a fan? No, it might make her look crazy. Well, she probably seemed crazy enough already...

    "I was looking for y... huh?"

    At that moment, Soo-Yeong heard a familiar voice. She turned her head toward Sun-Woo, a bright smile on her face. He looked back and forth between Ha-Yeon and Soo-Yeong, furrowing his eyebrows. His face seemed to say he didn''t understand why the two of them were together.

    Soo-Yeong blinked her eyes several times toward Sun-Woo, giving him a signal. She needed help.

    Soo-Yeong approached Sun-Woo. "Ah, Cul-oppa. I''ve been waiting for so long!"

    She didn¡¯t really like using the term <i>oppa,</i> but now wasn''t the time to worry about such things.

    Ha-Yeon still seemed to be processing the whole situation, blinking her eyes as she looked back and forth between Sun-Woo and Soo-Yeong. Sun-Woo was in the same boat, not yet fully grasping the situation. Soo-Yeong started to break out into a cold sweat.

    "...Aha."

    He finally understood the situation as he looked at the approaching Soo-Yeong and Ha-Yeon with her arms crossed.

    He looked at Ha-Yeon. "I was wondering why the two of you were together. Did you happen to run into each other?"

    "Well, yes... I didn''t know you were acquainted with her."

    "Ah, that''s right! I approached her first. You mentioned her before, didn''t you? You know, how you said how you ran into Sung Yu-Da''s daughter at Florence Academy." Soo-Yeong started rambling, blurting out unnecessary exnations.

    "Um, would you like to have coffee and talk together? Um...if that''s okay with you, Ms.Ha-Yeon?"

    "I don''t mind."

    "Me too... No, never mind." Sun-Woo started to answer absentmindedly but then lowered his head.

    He stared at Soo-Yeong, face deep with contemtion. His mouth was shut tight. His expression was frighteningly stiff.

    Thinking that he was angry with her, Soo-Yeong bowed her head deeply. She understood why he would be angry. She had caused a scene and then this mess after she casually nced at Ha-Yeon. Soo-Yeong intended to listen to his words full-heartedly no matter what he said.

    Sun-Woo continued to gaze at Soo-Yeong and then said, "Do you mind stepping outside for a moment? I think it might be better for just the two of us to have a conversation."

    Soo-Yeong nodded nervously and answered, "Huh? Um... okay?"

    Although she was surprised that he hadn¡¯t gotten angry, she was more so rattled by how his tone of voice was different from usual, which made her feel flustered.

    He had always worn a sour expression and tone, saying things like ¡®no¡¯ or ¡®get lost¡¯ whenever he spoke or asked for something. She had never seen him speak in such a kind manner toward her before. Beyond feeling flustered and unfamiliar, she felt an eerie sensation.

    "Yeah, just stay outside for a moment. We''ll just talk briefly, and I''ll leave soon... I¡¯m sorry. It seems like I keep making you wait for me."

    Soo-Yeong waved her hands as if to say that it was fine.

    "No... no, it''s okay. It¡¯s just for a moment, anyway. Call me when you''re finished.¡±

    She quickly exited the cafe. Through the ss window, she saw Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo sitting facing each other, having a conversation.

    Soo-Yeong went to a nearby park from the caf¨¦. She sat on a bench and let out a sigh. Then, she recalled the kind and nice Sun-Woo she had seen. That was probably the acting persona Sun-Woo used for the Romanican Church and Florence Academy.

    There were many children of prtes, like Ha-Yeon, in Florence Academy. It wouldn¡¯t be umon for him to encounter clergymen as well. In order for Sun-Woo, the Cult Leader, to survive in such an environment, he must have had to act like that constantly. She was even more impressed by Sun-Woo, especially after she had stuttered in confusion in front of Ha-Yeon.

    She now understood why Sun-Woo seemed so on edge in the underground chapel. To act like he did every day, every single moment, it must be impossible not to be stressed. No, considering the tension and fear he felt while hiding among the clergymen... She was surprised that he hadn¡¯t gone crazy until now.

    <i>Bzzz¡ª!</i>

    While passing the time on the bench, she heard a familiar ringtone. Sun-Woo was calling her.

    <i>¡ªWhere are you?</i>

    "Ah, I... I''m at a nearby park. I''ll head over there."

    <i>¡ªYeah? Then, make it quick.</i>

    <i>Click.</i>

    "..."

    Sun-Woo hung up right after he finished what he had to say. Soo-Yeong put her phone in her pocket and headed toward the caf¨¦ where Sun-Woo was standing there in front. Soo-Yeong cautiously and hesitantly approached him.

    When Ha-Yeon was there, he pretended to be kind, but Ha-Yeon was not around... In other words, Sun-Woo did not need to keep up his fa?ade anymore.

    <i>¡®This might be when he decides to get angry...¡¯</i> she thought, making it difficult for her to approach Sun-Woo.

    If that was the case, she decided to strike first.

    "I-I''m sorry."

    Soo-Yeong immediately apologized to Sun-Woo. He didn''t respond and just stared at her.

    Soo-Yeong fidgeted with her hands.

    "I knew Ha-Yeon too. I was just casually looking at her, and then the situation escted... I¡¯m sorry. I didn''t mean to bother you. I just..."

    She had a lot to say, but the words didn''te out as smoothly as she wanted. She didn''t know whether fear or pride made speaking hard for her. Soo-Yeong wasn¡¯t able to finish what she wanted to say and trailed off. She looked up and observed Sun-Woo''s expression. Surprisingly, his expression wasn''t hardened. Instead, there was even a faint smile on his face.

    "It''s okay, we had things to discuss anyway."

    "...".

    "It was actually for the best."

    There was no way it was okay. To Soo-Yeong, Ha-Yeon was just the daughter of Sung Yu-Da, the enemy of the Voodoo Cult. Nothing more, nothing less. She knew that Sung Yu-Da was a bad guy, but she didn''t hold any personal grudges against him. However, Sung Yu-Da was Sun-Woo''s sworn enemy, the person who had killed his father. Sun-Woo had just met his enemy''s daughter and kept up a friendly act, smiling and engaging in conversation. He must have felt bad¡ªno, disgusted.

    "Are you hungry? Do you have something you want to eat?"

    Despite that, Sun-Woo asked what she wanted to eat instead of asking Soo-Yeong to take responsibility. It seemed like he was deliberately changing the subject to prevent her from feeling too sorry.

    To be living amongst clergymen and their children in Florence Academy, the enemies of the Voodoo Cult, Sun-Woo must have felt tension and revolt that was iparable to what Soo-Yeong felt.

    His undercover enrollment in Florence Academy was all for the sake of the Voodoo Cult and was part of what he had to do in order to ess the underground prison of the Holy See Headquarters to save Soo-Yeong''s older brother. She should have been helping, but instead, she had...

    "...I''m not really hungry."

    "Really? Then let''s go to any ce we see and eat."

    Soo-Yeong nodded.

    * * *

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon unfolded her umbre and walked out of the caf¨¦, going wherever her feet took her. In the meantime, she calmly pondered over her conversation with Sun-Woo. She had a lot on her mind.

    Her mind was already messy, cluttered with thoughts of Sun-Woo. But she found her mind even more cluttered after her conversation with Sun-Woo.

    After sending the girl he called his ¡®dongsaeng¡¯ out of the cafe, Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo sat down facing each other, a table separating them. A long silence had hung in the air.

    Neither Sun-Woo nor Ha-Yeon opened their mouths. Initially, it was Sun-Woo who said that there was something to talk about. Ha-Yeon had no reason to speak first. Sun-Woo repeated meaningless actions, such as looking at Ha-Yeon, ncing at people passing by outside the caf¨¦ window, and tapping the table with his fingers before finally speaking.

    "You know, it seems like you¡¯re trying to avoid me these days."

    "..."

    His words pierced through the silence. She was surprised. She nced briefly at Sun-Woo''s face. His expression was undeniably serious.

    Ha-Yeon had, in fact, been avoiding Sun-Wootely. It was because Sung Yu-Da had told her to <i>¡®stay away from Sun-Woo.</i>¡¯

    However, Ha-Yeon shook her head. "I haven''t been avoiding you."

    "You have."

    "...It must be a misunderstanding on your part. Even if I did, what is the problem with that?"

    "What did Sung Yu-Da say about me?"

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon had resolved to respond firmly to Sun-Woo''s words, but she couldn''t answer thest question.

    She lowered her head once again. "There¡¯s no need for you to know that, don¡¯t you think?"

    "I don''t need to, but I want to."

    "Why do you want to know? It''s a personal matter. Isn''t it impolite to be curious about such things?"

    "I want to know because you''ve been avoiding me since Sung Yu-Da told you something. Can¡¯t you listen to what I have to say?" Sun-Woo said.

    His face was still solemn. Ha-Yeon remained silent for a moment. Thinking about it, Sun-Woo had only spoken the truth.

    What Ha-Yeon heard from Sung Yu-Da was <i>¡®stay away from Sun-Woo.¡¯</i> She hadn¡¯t heard exactly why she should keep her distance from him. Ha-Yeon was simply following her father''s words faithfully.

    Ha-Yeon had tried to specte on the reasons herself, but she hadn''t reached a conclusion yet.

    She had even considered the possibility that Sun-Woo was associated with Satanists or the Voodoo Cult, but that didn''t seem likely. Sun-Woo had saved students from attacks by Satanists several times before. Ha-Yeon herself had also received his help on three separate asions. No matter how much she thought about it, he didn''t seem like a Cultist. There was probably another reason.

    Ha-Yeon nodded.

    "Sure, I can listen. So, tell me what you have to say," she said.

    Maybe she would be able to understand why she should stay away from him if she listened to what Sun-Woo had to say.

    Sun-Woo sighed deeply and closed his eyes as he was anxious. His legs trembled. He broke into a cold sweat. After a moment of silence, he opened his eyes. There was a strong determination in his gaze.

    He looked straight at Ha-Yeon with a firm gaze.

    "Help me."

    "...What?" Ha-Yeon reflexively blurted out in surprise.

    It was just so unexpected. Above all, it was awkward and unfamiliar to hear the words ¡®help me¡¯e from Sun-Woo''s mouth.

    Sun-Woo stood up from his seat, took a napkin, and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead as he said, "You also went to the Pdin Order earlier, right? Didn''t they ask you to talk about what happened at the museum?"

    "Yes... they did."

    "When you did, didn¡¯t a person by the name of Joseph ask about me?"

    Ha-Yeon recalled her memories. He had.

    Ha-Yeon said that Sun-Woo had told her to prepare the Blessing of Purification when the lights turned out. Then Joseph asked if she knew about Sun-Woo¡¯s whereabouts after giving her instructions.

    Ha-Yeon had answered that she didn''t know. Joseph then proceeded to ask her several other questions about Sun-Woo.

    "...Yes, he did."

    "Just as I thought."

    Sun-Woo nodded as if his expectations had been correct.

    Without giving Ha-Yeon the chance to be surprised, Sun-Woo continued to exin, "...He has been using me to investigate the members of the purification n."

    Joseph had been investigating the members of the purification n for a while. He thought they were hiding something. However, investigating members of the purification n was not easy, so Joseph had chosen to use Sun-Woo to investigate them. This was because Sun-Woo seemed to be the closest to Ha-Yeon. More precisely, because they seemed to be ¡®closer¡¯ than friends.

    "That time when I suddenly asked to meet your father... That was also Joseph''s instruction."

    "..."

    "At that time, I secretly asked your father for help... but it looks like the results weren''t too good."

    Sun-Woo disliked how Joseph was using him to investigate the members of the purification n. He also hated the fact that he had to deceive Ha-Yeon and report everything to Joseph, acting as his tool. So, he secretly tried to send a signal to Sung Yu-Da and asked for help.

    However, Sung Yu-Da had no intention of helping Sun-Woo. That was why he told Ha-Yeon not to get close to him.

    "Because he could protect the members of the purification n by distancing himself from me."

    "..."

    "And I will have to continue to live as Joseph''s tool," Sun-Woo said with a bitterugh.

    It was a sadughter filled with defeat and despair. The first thing Ha-Yeon did was doubt what Sun-Woo had just told her.

    She tried to think if there were any inconsistencies or things that felt out of ce. However, she couldn¡¯t find any. Assuming that all of Sun-Woo''s words were true, it exined why Sung Yu-Da had suddenly told Sun-Woo to stay away.

    She felt strangely ufortable and uneasy when listening to Sun-Woo''s words, but that was probably guilt. She felt indirect guilt for how her father had acted only for the safety of the n members and hadn¡¯t helped Sun-Woo.

    "...Come to think of it, you have no reason to help me. You must want to stay away so that you and your family can be safe."

    Ha-Yeon interrupted Sun-Woo and said, "No, I can help."

    Ha-Yeon had only received help from Sun-Woo until now. On the day the clergymen attacked each other under the influence of ck magic, Sun-Woo subdued them by replicating a miracle.

    When Ha-Yeon was surrounded by the taxidermied creature with a severed head, torso, and lower body, Sun-Woo appeared by breaking the window and defeated the taxidermied creature to save Ha-Yeon.

    Even when the men in ck stormed the museum this time, if Sun-Woo hadn¡¯t been there, Ha-Yeon would have be a hostage or been killed with a dagger slitting her throat.

    She felt that this was the only opportunity for her to help him. If all that Sun-Woo had said were true, there was no reason not to help him. Instead, she was disappointed in her father. He had tried to reject Sun-Woo and only thought about the safety of the n members.

    Above all, Ha-Yeon remembered the relief she felt when Sun-Woo appeared at the museum.

    "Even if I cannot help you directly... if there''s something that you need help with, tell me. I''ll help as much as I can," Ha-Yeon said.

    She always disliked doing things others told her to do and wanted to do things that others told her not to do. She despised Sun-Woo to the point of death when her father told her to be friends with him.

    But now, when she heard her father telling her to stay away from Sun-Woo...

    "Thank you," Sun-Woo said.

    Ha-Yeon didn''t see the bright smile that briefly crossed his face.

 Chapter 227

    <h4>Chapter 227</h4>

    I entered a nearby restaurant with Soo-Yeong. It was a restaurant well-known among Florence Academy students for its delicious food and affordable prices. Since we were already outside, it would be nice to treat ourselves to something tasty.

    Up until now, Soo-Yeong had a gloomy expression. Was she sincere when she apologized to me earlier? I thought she was making a meaningless excuse to avoid getting scolded.

    Then the food arrived. Suddenly, Soo-Yeong''s expression brightened up. She must have been starving because she devoured the food. I watched her eat while I picked at the food in front of me.

    Sensing my gaze, Soo-Yeong stopped eating and looked up at me. "Why do you keep staring at me? It''s making me ufortable."

    "No, I was just thinking about how much you¡¯re enjoying the food. I thought you said you weren¡¯t that hungry earlier."

    "Ah, earlier... I don''t know. Eating made me hungry. But why aren''t you eating? You were the one who said we should go grab something to eat."

    <i>¡®''You</i>? What¡¯s with yournguage?"

    "Uh... well, no. Wait, what should I call you? Oppa?"

    "Hmm. You know what? Just call me <i>you</i> for now."

    "It works better, right?"

    "It¡¯s only temporary. If you keep talking like that when we go back home..."

    "Ah, of course~ I¡¯ll behave properly when we head back." Soo-Yeong casually brushed off my words and continued eating.

    I quietly observed her eat. She seemed to enjoy the food a lot.

    I had ordered a noodle dish but barely touched it. I could barely taste anything and had no appetite. Moments like these were when I regretted sacrificing my sense of taste. It was like I had lost a way to experience joy.

    Soo-Yeong had already finished eating and was wiping her mouth with a napkin.

    "By the way, what did you talk about with that person earlier?" she asked all of a sudden.

    I handed her two napkins. "We didn''t talk about anything special."

    "Really? You talked for a long time, so I thought it was something important..."

    "It wasn¡¯t easy to try and clean up the unnecessary mess you made."

    Soo-Yeong wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked flustered. "Ugh. Well, I couldn''t help it... No, I''m sorry..."

    I couldn''t help butugh seeing Soo-Yeong taking the joke seriously and apologizing.

    "It''s okay, it''s resolved now," I said with a smile.

    It had worked out well. No, thanks to Soo-Yeong, things might have worked out smoother than I had nned. I hadn¡¯t been able to figure out the purpose of the device that Joseph tried to secretly attach to my phone through Jin-Seo. It was some kind of holy artifact, and I couldn¡¯t even figure out its intended purpose, even with the use of Ogun''s power.

    So I sent it to Bae Jung-Hwan, the CEO of dBP Corporation. I hadn¡¯t heard back from him yet, but I had a rough idea of its functions. If it was something that specifically needed to be attached to a phone, its intended function was probably to eavesdrop and spy on text messages and phone calls. There might also be a GPS function for location tracking.

    I would use the device to my advantage through Ha-Yeon.

    "As long as things go ording to n."

    "n?"

    I had two phones. One, or Phone-A, was the one that I used as a Florence Academy student. Joseph could eavesdrop on it without causing any problems for me. The other one, or Phone-B, was one that I used as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. I nned to attach Joseph''s eavesdropping device to Phone-A.

    I had lied to Ha-Yeon that Joseph was investigating the members of the purification n, and Ha-Yeon had replied that she would do anything she could to help me. I would do all themunication regarding this through Phone-A.

    As a result, Joseph would intercept the messages and calls exchanged between Ha-Yeon and me. The content of the messages and calls exchanged with Ha-Yeon would be rted to the members of the purification n. And to someone unaware of the situation, the messages would appear extremely suspicious because I intended to lead the flow of phone calls and messages in that direction.

    The members of the purification n were hiding many things. Among them, there may be things they were hiding for the greater good and things they were hiding for their own benefit. In any case, this meant that the members of the n weren¡¯t without a couple of blemishes.

    When Joseph intercepted my messages with Ha-Yeon, he would surely feel suspicious. With luck on my side, he might feel uneasy about the members of the purification n and start investigating them.

    In that case, the lies I told Ha-Yeon would turn into the truth. ¡®<i>Joseph was investigating the members of the purification n¡¯ </i>would no longer be a lie. Then, the members of the purification n would not stay quiet. They would try to restrain Joseph using their power. If things got serious, they might even try to dismiss him.

    I would be using the purification n to restrain Joseph, just like he had tried to do so by using Jin-Seo to attach a listening device to me. If everything went ording to n, I would be able to get rid of Joseph without lifting a finger myself.

    "...What are you doing? Aren''t you leaving?"

    Soo-Yeong¡¯s voice brought me back to reality.

    "Huh? Oh, right."

    I quickly got up from my seat, paid the bill, and left the restaurant. Soo-Yeong shuffled behind, following me with quick steps.

    We walked for a while with no destination in mind. I just walked wherever my feet took me. Normally, I would have gone straight back to the underground chapel, but since I was already out with Soo-Yeong, I decided to take a little detour to explore and chase away any potential wanderings.

    "...Isn¡¯t it tiring?" Soo-Yeong asked while we were walking.

    I shrugged. We hadn''t walked for long, and I wasn''t tired yet.

    "Not really. We''ve only been walking for about ten minutes, right?"

    "That''s not what..."

    "If you¡¯re tired, we can turn back."

    Soo-Yeong suddenly raised her voice and said, "No, I¡¯m not talking about walking!"

    People around us nced at us and walked by. Their stares made me feel ufortable. I stopped walking and looked down at Soo-Yeong.

    Just a moment ago, when we were eating, she was fine. Why was she acting like this again? I was starting to get angry.

    "Then what is so tiring for you? You should speak clearly from the beginning¡ª"

    "Not me, you... Aren¡¯t you exhausted?"

    "Me? Why would I be? I''ve always enjoyed walking," I asked out of genuine curiosity.

    I''d always liked walking, and I exercised regrly, so walking for ten minutes wasn''t even enough to make me out of breath. Or maybe I looked weak in Soo-Yeong''s eyes? Hmm, I did have a bloody nose twice in front of her, so maybe she saw me as a bit out of shape. Maybe I needed to spend more time exercising to bulk up...

    While I was thinking that, Soo-Yeong let out a deep sigh.

    "No... acting in front of other people, or doing that kind of thing, isn''t it tiring?"

    "Ah, that''s what you meant."

    I finally understood what Soo-Yeong was trying to say. I dove into deep thought about my answer for a moment. Ever since I entered the academy, I spent most of my daily life at school and in the dormitory. At Florence Academy, I was constantly acting, to say the least.

    But had I ever thought it was hard? There were moments when my heart sank because I almost made a mistake, but I never thought of my job as something difficult. I shouldn¡¯t feel that it was difficult. I had chosen to enroll in Florence Academy after all.

    "It''s not that bad," I said, raising my head.

    Soo-Yeong lowered her gaze from my face.

    "Seems difficult to me. If it were me¡ª"

    "I had a hard time when your father staged a rebellion. Remember?"

    "...Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden? It¡¯s not fair to dig up the past."

    "The past? Are you a psychopath? I almost died back then.¡±

    "I apologized to you then, didn''t I? Uh... or did I not?"

    "You didn''t."

    I couldn''t remember it clearly, but considering Soo-Yeong''s personality, she wouldn¡¯t have apologized.

    Soo-Yeong listened to me and tightly sealed her lips, pouting.

    Then suddenly, her face brightened.

    "That''s why I left home. Isn''t that enough?"

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "If I¡¯m in the underground chapel of the headquarters, I¡¯m not affiliated with the Chungcheong Branch, so it doesn''t matter...right?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "It''s a bitplicated. Anyway, forget it, let''s move on!" Soo-Yeong said with a smirk.

    I was a little annoyed, but I decided to let it go.

    Ha Pan-Seok had once staged a rebellion but was now a loyal follower. Although Soo-Yeong could be annoying at times, she followed me well. There was no need to bring up the past and to put me on her.

    Above all, Soo-Yeong''s spells were special. Unlike ordinary spells, her spells worked on animals and could perhaps even be used on demonic beasts or demons. Her talents would surelye in handy, and it would be better to maintain a good rtionship for the future.

    "Hey, have you ever acted or lied in front of us?" Soo-Yeong asked all of a sudden.

    "Us?"

    Soo-Yeong looked around to check if anyone was listening. "I mean, you know, in front of the believers," Soo-Yeong said.

    I looked at her. I knew what she was trying to say. She was questioning whether I had acted in the Voodoo Cult, just as I had done in the Romanican Church, or in front of the Florence Academy students.

    To be honest, there must have been instances. No, I was always deceiving or acting, no matter when or where. At the academy, I was hiding my true identity, and when in front of the Voodoo Cult, I was maintaining my image and status as the Cult Leader. If the Cult Leader showed any signs of mental breakdown, the cult members would lose morale, and the reverence toward the Cult Leader would slowly wither away.

    However, I shook my head and casually lied. "Never."

    Soo-Yeong looked at me suspiciously.

    "Really? Not even once?"

    "Maybe once or twice. But, well, I never really made an effort to hide anything."

    "Oh, really? So, you''re not hiding anything from us?" Soo-Yeong said.

    I wasn''t included in the word <i>us</i>. I remembered a time when Yu-Hyun used the expression <i>us</i>. Even then, I hadn¡¯t belonged to the so-called <i>us</i>. Perhaps I was in a position where I didn''t belong to either side.

    I smiled and nodded. "Of course. There¡¯s no need to after all."

    Sometimes, I needed to keep an act up to some, even when dealing with the Voodoo Cult, just like how I had effortlessly lied to Soo-Yeong just now.

    Soo-Yeong followed me in surprise. "What''s going on? Where are you suddenly going?"

    "Let''s head back. We''ve walked enough."

    "What are you talking about? It''s only been fifteen minutes." Soo-Yeong grumbled as if she was reluctant to go back to the underground chapel like this.

    "I''m starting to get a bit tired," I said with a smile.

    I wanted to quickly go back to the underground chapel and learn how to use the staff. I would go through multiple trials and errors, cough blood, and fall down, but that was fine.

    I just wanted to clear my mind. I knew I wouldn''t be able to get any sleep in my current state.

 Chapter 228

    <h4>Chapter 228</h4>

    "Do-Jin, did you take a look at the uing mission?"

    <i>Thump! </i>

    A massive man tapped Do-Jin''s back roughly. He had a thick beard, and his flushed skin was visible through his unbuttoned shirt.

    He was John, a sniper from the Trinitas Crusader Order and a colleague of Do-Jin¡¯s.

    Do-Jin pushed away his thick arm and frowned. "...Of course I saw it."

    "Really? Then, you must have read thest part of the briefing as well. What do you think?"

    "What is there to think about? I¡¯m just..."

    Do-Jin recalled the details of the mission. The task was to suppress a mercenary corps. It wasn''t a mission suitable for the Trinitas Crusader Order, which wasn¡¯t even directly under the Holy See.

    The Trinitas Crusader Order had always been assigned morous missions such as exterminating demons and demonic beasts and rescuing civilians. More precisely, they only took on missions that would allow them to gain public poprity. Just as its name suggested, the Trinitas Crusader Order wasprised of only three members. With a small number of members, they were inevitably limited in the missions they could take. Above all, the Trinitas Crusader Order usually wasn¡¯t assigned radical missions like suppressing a mercenary corps since it had been established to change the image of the Crusader Order positively.

    "...Disgusting. It''s fucking dirty, really," Do-Jin muttered.

    Unlike usual, the Mercenary Corps Suppression mission involved the Trinitas Crusader Order and the Crusader Order unit that fell directly under the Holy See. Furthermore, at the end of the message delivering the mission details, a passage stated: <i>Killing is authorized due to a high possibility of the mercenary corps turning into insurgents.</i> It was also the reason why Do-Jin felt conflicted about this mission.

    "I¡¯m bringing live ammunition just in case... but I hope I won''t have to use it. We''re all people, after all."

    Do-Jin interrupted him. "John."

    His expression was unnervingly stern. John hesitated, alternating his gaze between Do-Jin''s stern face and the sword at his waist.

    Do-Jin cleared his throat. "...I sympathize with your feelings, but it''s best not to use the phrase, <i>all people</i>. We might draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."

    "Aha... I''ll keep that in mind. By the way, you seem really upset. Is it because you disagree with the authorization to kill?"

    "More than that, I suddenly had this indecent thought that the Holy See might be using us."

    "That really is an indecent thought. But I agree, too," John said, agreeing with Do-Jin''s words.

    Initially, the Trinitas Crusader Order was supposed to carry out the mission, but the Holy See''s Crusader Order had suddenly been added to the n along with the authorization to kill. No matter how one looked at it, the Holy See was trying to exploit the Trinitas Crusader Order¡¯s image.

    If the mercenary corps attempted to resist, they would be assassinated through the Holy See''s Crusader Order, using the Trinitas Crusader Order as a shield to avoid public criticism for their brutal repression. If they made a mistake, all the criticism for assassinating the mercenary corps could be directed solely at the Trinitas Crusader Order.

    "We can''t even refuse the mission at this point."

    "Yeah. In that case, there''s only one thing we can do, Do-Jin. We have to capture the head of the mercenary corps before the Holy See''s Crusader Order has a chance to kill them.¡±

    Do-Jin nodded. The mission had beenbeled as the Mercenary Corps Suppression. The ultimate goal of the suppression was obvious¡ªto capture the leader of the mercenaries. If they could quickly capture the leader, there would be no bloodshed.

    Do-Jin soon recalled the name of the boss of the mercenaries he would soon confront. Although Do-Jin was not good at remembering other people''s names, he remembered the name of the mercenaries¡¯ boss because he had a unique name.

    "The director''s name... was it Yuk Eun-Hyung?"

    "Yes, I heard that the mercenaries are not thatrge in scale. Let¡¯s try to negotiate. If that doesn''t work, we''ll bring them in by force. Peacefully," John said.

    Do-Jin nodded.

    <i> </i> *

    "Ugh...!"

    I blocked the blood that was flowing out of my mouth. The blood that I hadn¡¯t been sessful in stopping dripped through my fingers and dropped onto the floor. The color of the blood was now closer to ck than red.

    Was this the sixth or seventh urrence? I didn''t know.

    <i>ck. </i>

    The staff made a hollow sound as I ced it on the floor. I wiped the flowing blood with a towel I had prepared in advance and rinsed my mouth with water.

    "Hoo..." I sighed.

    I stared at Yoon-Ah in front of me. I had received Joseph''s bugging device back from Bae Jung-Hwan, and he confirmed that the device was only for intercepting messages and calls. It wasn¡¯t equipped with functions like tracking locations or eavesdropping on conversations. Upon receiving the device, I attached it to my cell phone¡ªthe one that I used as a Florence Academy student, of course.

    Except for asionally contacting Ha-Yeon, I ignored all other forms ofmunication from the other students. I wasn¡¯t intentionally ignoring them, but I had no mental space to reply.

    I told my homeroom teacher that I would be taking a few weeks off. I used the attack on the mission trip and the fear of Satanists as my excuse. My homeroom teacher allowed me to take time off from school, using different excuses like taking time off from experiential learning or illness. If possible, I was encouraged toe back during the exam period.

    While I was back home, I did not go to school. I dedicated my time to asionally watering the flowers I used to grow in the dormitory and devoted myself to practicing utilizing the staff inside the underground chapel. It didn''t take me long to learn the reverse spell technique. Sometimes, the whims of the staff would cause me to use the wrong spells, but the number of such cases went down as time passed.

    After mastering the reverse spell technique, I used it on Yoon-Ah. I tried writing each spell needed for zombification in reverse and even attempted to use the reverse fusion spell technique.

    A few days had passed since then, and...

    "Hyaaaak¡ª!"

    "Quiet down."

    "Hyaaak..."

    I had failed.

    Yoon-Ah''s condition hadn¡¯t improved at all. She hadn¡¯t been washed ever since Ji-Ah was absent from the underground chapel. As a result, she was bing more and more irritable.

    Thanks to being consistently fed, her condition improved a lotpared to before. Unlike back then when blue veins stood out from her pale skin, she now had a decentplexion.

    However, that was it. The most important thing, which was hernguage ability, still had yet to return. Her footsteps were still lifeless, like those of a zombie. Nothing had improved except for herplexion. In the end, I had achieved nothing with the reverse spell technique.

    "..."

    Honestly, I didn¡¯t know what to do. Yoon-Ah hadn¡¯t be a zombie just through spells. She was a zombie created through savage methods such as drugs and violence. It was extremely difficult to heal Yoon-Ah with just the reverse spell technique.

    Moreover, the staff was capricious and didn''t allow me to use the specific type of spell I wanted. asionally, it cast spells opposite to the ones I intended to use.

    At this rate, Yoon-Ah might never recover. Maybe the reverse spell technique was worsening her condition instead. I couldn''t grasp how much more time I would need to pour into healing her in the future.

    Yoon-Ah, whether she knew about my frustrated heart or not, weakly let out a hoarse scream. "Haargh..."

    I stood up, using the staff for support. My legs trembled. I could smell the metallic stench of blood from my mouth, and my vision went pitch ck before brightening and flickering white.

    At that moment, Legba spoke to me even though he hadn¡¯t spoken since I started practicing the reverse spell technique with the staff.

    [Rest.]

    There was no sign of concern in his voice. Instead, it felt like he was scolding me.

    "What''s this? You''ve been quiet ever since I¡¯ve been working on the reverse spell technique."

    [And I was nning on staying quiet. It didn¡¯t seem like you would listen to me even if I tried to talk to you.]

    "I do tend not to listen to what other people say."

    [But now, I have no choice but to talk to you.]

    Legba solemnly said, [You cannot handle the reverse spell technique. Unlike regr spells, the cost is much higher, both physically and mentally.]

    I nodded, wiping away the blood from the corner of my mouth.

    "Seems like it."

    [If you use the reverse spell technique one more time, you might copse. So take a break. If you copse now, you''ll have to lie down for three days and three nights.]

    "Sure, I was nning to rest anyway."

    I grabbed the staff and started heading back to my room. I nced back behind me as I came out of the room Yoon-Ah was in. Yoon-Ah was sitting quietly, looking at me.

    As if under the influence of a spell, I stared nkly into her brown eyes. Yoon-Ah¡¯s gaze looked simr to In-Ah''s when she had warned me not to go on the mission trip.

    I turned around, walking back toward her. And once again, I stood in front of Yoon-Ah.

    "...Onest time."

    <i>¡®Onest time, just once more.¡¯</i> I might copse, but I still wanted to give it one more try.

    [...And in the end, you won¡¯t listen to me.]

    Without responding to Legba''s words, I raised the staff and unleashed Voodoo magic. It emitted a purple glow as it was infused with the Voodoo magic. I moved the staff and drew a spell array.

    Enthrallment and intoxication spells decorated the air. They were the most basicponents of the zombification spell and the spells I had used the most. The spell array emitted a strong light and mist, which enveloped Yoon-Ah.

    She epted the mist without resistance. I carefully looked into Yoon-Ah''s eyes beyond the fog. The light briefly flickered in her pupils and disappeared.

    "..."

    Contrary to my expectations, nothing happened. No, it was just as I had anticipated. I wasn''t even disappointed at this point. Perhaps I had mistaken the flicker of light in her eyes. I sat down hesitantly in that spot and lowered my head. I didn''t have the strength to lift it.

    "Damn it."

    Laughter escaped me.

    "Be quiet."

    "...Huh?"

    At that moment, I heard an unfamiliar voice. I raised my head and looked at Yoon-Ah.

    Just like before, Yoon-Ah was staring at me with her mouth tightly shut. It seemed like someone had said, "Be quiet."

    Judging by her expression, it didn''t seem like Yoon-Ah had said it. Then who was it? Was it an auditory hallucination? Was it the drawback of using the reverse spell technique too much?

    Right, then Yoon-Ah moved her lips. "Be. Quiet."

    She was speaking. Without a doubt, this was Yoon-Ah''s voice. She looked at me with her eyes that had regained their twinkle and spoke again.

    "Be quiet!"

    "Okay, I got it. I''ll be quiet. I''ll be quiet," I said, tightly gripping the staff.

    My hands were trembling. I felt an itchy sensation in my teeth. Strangely, my ears felt stuffy, and my chest felt hot as if it was boiling. An involuntary smile crept onto my lips.

    I stared at Yoon-Ah for a while. She did the same.

    I had seeded.

    It seemed like she could only say, ¡®Be quiet,¡¯ imitating the admonishment I had given her earlier. But that was good enough. I was moved.

    Finally, a good result. It could be considered a small achievementpared to the hardships I had endured since she hadn¡¯tpletely regained her ability to speak, but that was fine with me. I was grateful just to have achieved something. I felt like I was going to cry. But in reality, tears didn''te out. I thought about how many days it had taken to hear that insignificant word, that short phrase, and that voice. Was today the third day? No, the fourth? Had it been a week? No. Today, so...

    "What day is it today...?"

    I couldn''t remember. I needed to take a little break. No, it seemed like I needed to go outside and soak up some sunlight. I picked up my phone.

 Chapter 229

    <h4>Chapter 229</h4>

    ¡°Then, he..."

    "Really? Is he crazy?"

    "Buttely, he''s been..."

    In-Ah quietly listened to her friends'' conversation. These were the friends that she had gathered to eat and y bowling with. Since they yed together once, they always stuck together at school.

    It wasn¡¯t that they did anything special together. They basically ate, sat, and chatted with each other during break time.

    The topic of their conversations was always the same. They were either praising or gossiping about other people. In-Ah only yed along and didn''t get deeply involved in the conversation. She didn''t like talking about other people''s stories. It was fun, but listening to them talk made her feel uneasy and guilty.

    Suddenly, as if remembering something, one of the students said, ¡°But why isn''t Sun-Wooing to school?¡±

    In-Ah only half-listened when the others were talking about other people, but she raised her head slightly at the mention of Sun-Woo. However, when she raised her head, she realized that all her friends'' eyes were on her. It was no longer unusual for her friends'' attention to be focused on In-Ah when someone mentioned Sun-Woo.

    "I don''t know either. Why are you all looking at me?" In-Ah said, bewildered.

    Her friends chimed in one by one.

    "Um... because you''re the only one who might know?"

    "I heard from somewhere that he sometimeses to the dormitory."

    "Right, I still don''t know his number. Isn¡¯t he not on any form of social media?"

    "Really? How does he live like that?"

    "It is possible. I don''t use it either."

    "But seriously, don''t you know? Hasn''t it been a whole week since he disappeared?"

    "Has it been that long already? I didn''t know it had been that long."

    "Show some love. He''s our ssmate, after all."

    The topic of the conversation shifted from social media, then returned to talking about Sun-Woo. The attention of the friends once again focused on In-Ah.

    In-Ah raised her head with a bitter smile. "I don''t know. We haven''t been in contacttely..."

    <i>Wooong!</i>

    In-Ah''s phone vibrated on the desk. In-Ah stopped talking and picked up her phone. She was receiving a call. In-Ah abruptly got up from her seat after checking the caller ID.

    Her hand trembled slightly as she tightly gripped the phone. The friends who were in the middle of a conversation looked at In-Ah with curious eyes.

    "...Wait, I need to take this call."

    "Huh? Uh, okay."

    In-Ah walked out into the hallway, leaving her friends nodding with a sense of unease behind. She stared silently at the name disyed on her phone. It was Sun-Woo.

    Normally, she would have answered the call without a second thought, but today, she didn¡¯t feel like it. Although In-Ah had called Sun-Woo several times and sent him several texts after he returned from his mission trip, Sun-Woo had never replied once.

    Unaware that he had decided to take a break from school for a few weeks, In-Ah secretly worried as she looked at his empty seat. She wondered if something had happened. Unfortunately, she heard asional testimonies among the students that they had seen Sun-Woo. From that moment on, In-Ah decided not to worry about him anymore.

    School life was enjoyable even without him. The sses were a bit difficult but manageable, and she had friends to hang out with during break time and lunch.

    So, she wouldn''t answer the call.

    She found it reprehensible for him to expect her to answer after not responding to her usual messages. She found it annoying. She was not going to answer. No way...

    "...Hello?" In-Ah finally answered the call.

    However, there was no sound from the phone. Had the line disconnected? She checked, but that wasn''t the case. In-Ah went down the stairs with the phone pressed to her ear as silence flowed through it. It was still far from the end of break time.

    Even if the break ended during the call, it didn''t matter. It wouldn''t be a big problem if she entered the ss a littlete. In-Ah stepped outside the building.

    "Hello? What''s up? Why did you call and not say anything...!"

    ¡ª<i>Can youe out for a moment? I¡¯m in front of your house.</i>

    "..."

    As soon as she heard the voice, she couldn¡¯t dare to speak. She had answered the call to get angry, but now that she heard the voice, she couldn''t get angry at him at all.

    In-Ah closed her eyes tightly and sighed. "What are you talking about? I''m at school right now."

    <i>¡ªOh, I see. Then maybe we can meet after school.</i>

    "...Stop talking nonsense," In-Ah replied sharply.

    In-Ah recalled what Sun-Woo had told her before his mission trip. He had said that nothing would happen and that he woulde back. But something had happened during the mission trip, and Sun-Woo hadn¡¯t returned to school. He hadn¡¯t kept any of his promises. She wouldn''t have been this angry if he had at least been in contact, but he hadn¡¯t contacted her at all.

    This wasn¡¯t something she should be so bent up about. Sun-Woo must have had his reasons, but she didn''t like that he didn''t tell her what those <i>reasons </i>were. She didn''t necessarily need to know. Sun-Woo didn''t have to tell her. Maybe she was angry because their rtionship was now at the point where they wouldn¡¯t speak to each other unless necessary.

    "I can''t do it after school either. I''m busy. I have to start studying soon."

    ¡ª<i>It''ll only take a moment.</i>

    "...Why are you suddenly calling me to tell me this? Do you think I''ll go out just because you say so?"

    ¡ª<i>I told you back then.</i>

    "What?" In-Ah asked bluntly.

    There was a moment of silence through the phone.

    <i>¡ªI thought I mentioned that we should meet after school and grab something to eat.</i>

    "..."

    ¡ª<i>I''ll wait for you at the caf¨¦ in front of the school.</i>

    "Don''t bother. I¡¯m noting out."

    ¡ª<i>Well, I''ll wait until 7 o''clock then.</i>

    <i>Click.</i>

    Sun-Woo hung up after leaving that message. In-Ah sighed as she stared at her phone. She couldn''t believe it.

    "...Crazy bastard."

    It was now 3 o''clock.

    * * *

    As soon as I stepped outside, I realized the weather was quite chilly. Not long ago, even wearing short sleeves was hot, but now it was too cool to wear just a T-shirt. I ordered a drink at the caf¨¦. I had told In-Ah I would wait for her and sit down to read a book.

    I picked reading up as a hobby when I wasn¡¯t using the Staff of Reversal to practice the reverse spell technique. At first, I started reading to gain any clues about the reverse spell technique, butter on, I found it enjoyable.

    To acquire knowledge, one had to go through several trials and errors, but through reading, I could skip or shorten that process.

    <i>Buzz.</i>

    Right then, my phone rang. I thought it was a text from In-Ah, but it was from Ha-Yeon. I closed the book and checked the message.

    [I have something I want to ask you about. It¡¯s about what we talked about earlier. Can we meet this weekend?]

    [Can''t we talk through text?] I replied immediately.

    [It''s not something that can be discussed through text.] Ha-Yeon quickly responded as well.

    I nodded. Ha-Yeon was acting exactly as I had expected.

    [Okay, then let me know the time and ce.] I sent that reply and ced my phone upside down on the table.

    ''What we had talked about earlier'' and ¡®it¡¯s not something that can be discussed through text¡¯ were incredibly meaningful expressions. I was already starting to get excited, wondering what Joseph would think when he saw this. The truth was that Ha-Yeon was using these expressions because I had instructed her to do so. I had advised her to avoid using direct speech and talking in person about important matters since Joseph might be intercepting my texts or calls.

    Anyway, Ha-Yeon was doing as I had intended. The important things now were Joseph and Sung Yu-Da. The sess of this n depended on how those two reacted.

    <i>Ding!</i>

    Just then, the door of the caf¨¦ opened and In-Ah walked in. She looked around and spotted me. I waved my hand, but she didn''t acknowledge my greeting. Instead, she approached me silently and sat across from me.

    I checked the time on my phone. "You''re early.¡±

    It was a little past five o''clock, even though I said I would wait until seven. Judging by the fact that she was still wearing her school uniform, it seemed like she hade straight here after school.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be here waiting for me.¡±

    "I didn''t wait. I just arrived as well."

    "What? This doesn''t make any sense." In-Ah chuckled at my casual lie.

    She ordered a drink at the counter and came back, staring at me in silence for a while. Sheter went up to the counter to get her prepared drink, and she brought back a strawberry smoothie and ced it on the table.

    "You haven''t beening to schooltely," she said.

    I nodded.

    "Yeah, I have been preparing for something," I replied.

    "Preparing? What for?"

    ¡°You know, things here and there."

    "...I see. It seems like you don''t want to talk about it."

    "It''s not that I don''t want to, but I just can''t. For now," I said, looking at her. "I will tell you soon. I think I¡¯ll be able to talk to you about it in no time."

    "..."

    In-Ah red at me with her mouth shut. Her brown eyes looked familiar as they bore into me. They reminded me of Yoon-Ah''s gaze in the underground chapel. In-Ah and Yoon-Ah looked so simr that they could be mistaken for twins. That was why I had called In-Ah and not anyone else.

    Yoon-Ah could speak now. If things continued on this trajectory, she might fully regain her ability to speak, and In-Ah would be able to meet her soon. I wanted to share that joy with someone. While thinking about who I should meet, In-Ah was the first to pop up in my head.

    "...You didn¡¯t say anything, and you haven¡¯t evene to school. What on earth are you preparing for?"

    "Something truly amazing," I said casually. "You should look forward to it."

    "If it''s not something spectacr after all of this, I¡¯m going to smack you, okay?"

    I nodded. "Sure."

    We chatted for a while. Most of it was about school, but it was hard for me to keep up with her because I hadn''t been to school for a while. School had changed a lot, even during my short absence. New events and rumors that I¡¯d never heard about had sprung up every day.

    After about ten minutes, In-Ah finished her drink. I returned the two empty cups to the counter and put the book I had ced on the table into my bag. Then I packed up the rest of my misceneous belongings and stood up from my seat.

    In-Ah looked at me with a puzzled expression.

    "Are you leaving already?"

    "I feel like I''m taking up your time. Didn¡¯t you say you were busy?"

    "...No, uh, it''s okay if you stay a little longer... If you want to, I mean."

    "I''m fine. Let''s go. I gave you a call because I wanted to see your face."

    "..."

    In-Ah seemed disappointed as she got up from her seat. Judging from her expression, her excuse of being busy was probably a lie. Nevertheless, I got up from my seat and left the caf¨¦. I wanted to return to the underground chapel as quickly as possible so that I could turn Yoon-Ah back into a human as fast as possible.

    In-Ah looked pretty in her school uniform. She beamed with vitality and energy. I wanted to see Yoon-Ah in that state, truly alive.

    I was the reason why Yoon-Ah wasn¡¯t able to wear her school uniform like In-Ah. I was the reason why she looked lifeless and void of energy.

    Seeing In-Ah added to the weight of responsibility on my shoulders. However, I wasn''t as discouraged, sad, or powerless as before. There was a way to heal Yoon-Ah, and there was no time to be discouraged or sad.

 Chapter 230

    <h4>Chapter 230</h4>

    After leaving the cafe, I walked with In-Ah to her house. Since we were heading in the same direction, I figured I might as well apany her all the way home.

    I nced at her. She was walking toward her house silently with a troubled expression. It seemed like she was deeply lost in thought.

    "...When will you start going to school?"

    In-Ah eventually broke the long silence. I stared into her eyes, which seemed to be filled with sadness for some reason. "I would need to go during the period before and after the exam, right?¡±

    "Then you¡¯ll being soon."

    "That''s right. Probably in about two weeks..."

    There were about two weeks left until the exam period. At that time, whether I liked it or not, I would have to go to school. Healing Yoon-Ah was important, but doing well on the exams was important too.

    The reason I enrolled in Florence Academy was to be a prte and qualify to enter the underground prison where my mother was being held captive. If I used Yu-Hyun, I could qualify to enter the underground prison sooner than nned, but there was no guarantee that he would move ording to my wishes.

    So I had to prepare everything from n A to n B and n C.

    "I''ll go in two weeks."

    Since that was the case, I had to cure Yoon-Ah within weeks before the start of the exams. Two weeks seemed a bit tight, but I needed to cure her in at least three weeks. That way, there wouldn¡¯t be any disruptions when studying for the exams. After all, I wanted Yoo-Ah and In-Ah to reunite as soon as possible.

    ¡°You say that, but you¡¯re not going toe after two weeks, right?¡± In-Ah replied bluntly.

    She pouted. I hadn¡¯t seen her like that for a while, so I couldn¡¯t help but snicker.

    "I really am going toe."

    "Make sure toe. It¡¯s boring being alone at school.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lot of friends? Just hang out with them.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any friends. At least none like you.¡±

    "...Did you really have to add thatst part?"

    In-Ah smirked after hearing my response. We talked while walking, and before we knew it, we suddenly found ourselves in front of her house. After exchanging goodbyes and seeing her enter her house, I turned to go back to the underground chapel.

    At that moment, In-Ah quickly came out of the house again and grabbed my wrist as I was about to leave.

    "...Do you want to go a bitter?" In-Ah asked in a slightly urgent tone.

    I was so taken aback by what she said that I looked at her nkly, unable toe up with a response.

    She held my wrist while looking up at me. Eventually, she lowered her gaze and continued, "I-I was just saying... There¡¯s no one else at home anyway...¡±

    Seeing her rambling a bunch of excuses, I nodded and replied, "I''lleter."

    I still hadn¡¯t cured Yoon-Ah. I had to go back to the underground chapel quickly. Above all, I didn''t think I would feelfortable staying at In-Ah''s house when Yoon-Ah hadn''t fully recovered yet.

    In-Ah slowly nodded and let go of my wrist.

    "...Okay, be careful on the way home."

    Then she went into her house. I watched her enter her house before returning to the underground chapel.

    * * *

    I hadn''t been at school for a few weeks, but I had to briefly visit the school due to dispatch training. It was time for the students to gain practical work experience by working where actual clergymen worked, such as the Pdin Order, Crusader Order, and Priest Order. All students had to choose a ce they wanted to undergo dispatch training and submit an application. I also went to school to submit my application.

    Normally, after submitting the application and passing the first round of document screening, each student would have an interview and receive a final eptance notice to undergo dispatch training at their chosen ce. However, thanks to Han Dae-Ho, I was assigned directly to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch without going through procedures such as a document check or an interview.

    There wasn¡¯t much for me to do. I just had to asionally go to the Seoul Pdin Order Eastern Branch and perform some misceneous tasks whenever they called me over. They said that the real practical work would be assigned after the exams were over. They also said that doing it this way was more convenient for both the Pdin Order and the students.

    I spent the rest of the time practicing the reverse spell technique in the underground chapel. I only used the technique on Yoon-Ah.

    "Ugh."

    I used the reverse spell technique on Yoon-Ah a few times and spewed out some blood as a result. When I went outside my room to take a break, I encountered Soo-Yeong. Upon seeing me, she furrowed her brows and took a few steps back. I felt a little hurt by that.

    "You''re so openly disgusted by me."

    "It''s not that I''m disgusted... Go look in the mirror. What''s up with your appearance?"

    "Wh-what''s wrong?"

    "Ah, just go wash up quickly!" Soo-Yeong yelled angrily.

    I went to the bathroom and examined my face in the mirror. There was a lot of blood on my face and clothes. My eyes were bloodshot, and my lips were dry and cracked. I didn''t look like a living person. I could see why Soo-Yeong had been startled.

    I washed up, drank some water, and quickly ate a meal. I wasn''t hungry, but I figured it would be best to eat something. While I was eating, Soo-Yeong sat across from me.

    "What are you doing all the time? Is it because of that girl who turned into a zombie?¡±

    "How do you know about that?"

    "I heard it from Ji-Ah," Soo-Yeong said nonchntly.

    I nodded and continued eating. Nothing would change even if she knew. There was no particr need to hide this information from Soo-Yeong.

    She silently watched me eat. Feeling ufortable under her gaze, I put down my utensils and looked at her.

    "Why do you keep staring at me? I can''t eat with you watching."

    Soo-Yeong hesitated and said, "Um, can I also take a look at her?"

    ¡°What?¡±

    Upon hearing my dumbfounded response, she mumbled, "The girl you said had turned into a zombie. I want to see what condition she''s in. And if there¡¯s anything I can do to help, then I want to do so.¡±

    "The best way for you to help is to stay still.¡±

    ¡°...Ah, is that so? Never mind then. You do it yourself. Keep bleeding out like that every day and just die then," Soo-Yeong grumbled.

    Although her words were harsh, I could sense concern in her tone.

    I ignored her and contemted while eating. I wondered if it would be okay to show her Yoon-Ah''s condition. I wondered if she wouldn''t be shocked... or anything like that.

    Once I made up my mind, I put down my spoon and said, "I¡¯m going to eat this and go back into my room, so you cane along too.¡±

    I didn¡¯t n on dying anytime soon, but if I did, Soo-Yeong would be the Cult Leader. Although she didn¡¯t know how to use it at the moment, there woulde a day when she would need to use the zombification spell. That was why she had to see as well.

    She needed to understand what the zombification spell was and why it shouldn''t be abused.

    "Really? Is that really okay?¡±

    ¡°There''s no reason why you can¡¯t. However, you are only allowed to watch from the side. Don¡¯t do anything. You¡¯re not allowed to unleash Voodoo magic either.¡±

    "Okay, so I just have to stay still, right?"

    "Exactly," I said with a nod.

    I needed to warn her clearly about this.

    The Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan, was capricious. It might not only absorb the Voodoo magic that I unleashed, but it might also unintentionally absorb any Voodoo magic from Soo-Yeong too. If that happened, a spell that I didn¡¯t intend to use might be cast, causing harm not only to Yoon-Ah but also to Soo-Yeong.

    I finished eating and got up from my seat. Then I headed toward Yoon-Ah¡¯s room and Soo-Yeong followed me. I entered the room with the staff in hand. There, we saw Yoon-Ah sitting there quietly, waiting for me.

    "Is it her?" Soo-Yeong said.

    Soo-Yeong¡¯s reaction was calmer than I expected. I thought she would be surprised to see her for the first time, but instead, she nonchntly approached Yoon-Ah.

    Then, she carefully examined Yoon-Ah''s face. Yoon-Ah blinked and looked at Soo-Yeong. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while.

    "...She¡¯s really pretty. When she¡¯s standing still, she¡¯s like a doll.¡±

    "Be quiet!"

    "Ah, that scared me. What the¡ª?"

    "She probably doesn¡¯t actually want us to be quiet. That¡¯s the only thing she knows how to say at the moment.¡±

    "Ah... I see," Soo-Yeong said as if relieved.

    After unleashing Voodoo magic, I directed the spell to the staff and said, "Do you know why she turned out like this?"

    Soo-Yeong nodded. "I have a rough idea from Ji-Ah."

    She looked at Yoon-Ah for a while and said, "...Poor thing."

    Soo-Yeong''s expression, which was always bright, was dark at the moment. I briefly put down the staff and watched the two of them.

    What did Soo-Yeong feel when she saw Yoon-Ah? Probably not much different from what I was feeling right now. Sometimes I wondered whether it would be fine to let go of all the hatred and live my life like my uncle had said after healing Yoon-Ah.

    I wouldn¡¯t have to think about the Holy War anymore, and I could just live in peace. I wouldn''t have to hate anyone, and no one would have to hate me. I wondered if it would be fine if I lived while being satisfied with the small, happy moments in life.

    I thought about such things whenever I saw Yoon-Ah because I wished there wouldn¡¯t be any more people who would end up like Yoon-Ah, Soo-Yeong, or myself.

    Some might call it the thoughts of a deadbeat, but still...

    <i>nk!</i>

    "Cult Leader."

    Someone opened the door and entered. It was Ji-Ah. She had said that she would stay in the Gyeongsang Branch''s underground chapel for a while to deliver something to Gyeongsang Branch executive Yuk Eun-Hyung. However, she was back earlier than expected.

    It was strange. I frowned. Not because she had returned earlier than expected, but because her arm was wrapped in bandages. That wasn''t the work of a doctor. It seemed like she had wrapped the bandages as best as she could to stop the bleeding.

    "Nuna?"

    "Kyaa...! Your arm! You¡¯ve got blood on your arm!" Soo-Yeong screamed, pointing at Ji-Ah''s arm.

    I put down the staff and approached her.

    I examined Ji-Ah''s left arm. Severalyers of bandages were tightly wrapped around her arm. However, despite this fact, the bandages were already soaked with blood. The blood that the bandages couldn''t absorb dripped onto the floor.

    Ji-Ah was sweating and struggling to support herself with her shaky legs. Her eyes, which were looking up at me, barely had any focus. She looked dangerously unstable as if she could lose consciousness and copse at any moment.

    As I supported her, Ji-Ah untied the bandages wrapped around her arm and said, "I''m really sorry. I¡¯ll leave the treatment to you, Cult Leader."

    I looked at her arm, which was covered with bandages. There was a gunshot wound on her arm, and blood was gushing out of the hole.

    I quickly covered the hole with my palm. My heart was racing. Breathing became difficult.

    I barely managed to catch my breath. "How... did this happen?"

    Ji-Ah collected her breathing in my arms and then said, "...The Gyeongsang Branch and Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung are under attack."

 Chapter 231

    <h4>Chapter 231</h4>

    First, I unleashed Voodoo magic. Then, I drew a spell array. My hands were shaking, causing the shape of the spell array to distort constantly. I maintained myposure in most situations, but it was difficult to do so at the moment. Nevertheless, I managed to draw the spell array.

    It was an intermediate restoration spell. This would be enough to heal the wounds without any issues. Actually, a lesser restoration spell would be sufficient, but I wanted to ensure a more thorough healing. As the Voodoo mist touched the hole in Ji-Ah''s arm, the wound gradually started to heal.

    "Soo-Yeong, bring a wet towel. And contact Uncle. You know Executive Jin-Sung, right?"

    "Uh... oh, yes!"

    Soo-Yeong quickly brought a wet towel from the bathroom. I wiped away the blood on Ji-Ah''s arm with the wet towel.

    Then I poured warm water and fed it to Ji-Ah, and finally, her pale face regained color. I urgently brought Ji-Ah to my room andid her down on the bed.

    "...Thank you. Cult Leader, I..."

    "What happened? I only heard that nuna was going to deliver something to the Gyeongsang Branch."

    I pressed for answers, but Ji-Ah didn''t easily open her mouth. It didn''t seem like shecked the ability to speak, but rather that there was another reason she couldn''t speak.

    I felt angry, but getting angry wouldn''t change anything. I clenched my fist and suppressed my anger. My nails pierced my palm, drawing blood.

    "Tell me. There¡¯s nothing you need to hide from me, alright?¡±

    "...The Romanican Church... dispatched the Crusader Order to suppress Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, or rather... to massacre them."

    "What''s the situation like?"

    "There have been several battles... The Crusader Order has already upied two-thirds of the mercenary corps¡¯s bases."

    It was a desperate situation. Ji-Ah didn''t directly mention it, but it seemed like they had lost every battle and unwillingly surrendered their bases to the Crusader Order.

    The oue was expected. Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps was small. It wasn¡¯t even a small elite group¡ªit was just small. Except for Yuk Eun-Hyung, the members¡¯ individualbat capabilities were also low.

    On the other hand, the number of crusaders under the Romanican Church''s control was sorge that it was impossible to count. There was a reason why Ji-Ah had used the word ¡®massacre¡¯ instead of ¡®suppression.¡¯

    It was because Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps could not defeat the Romanican Church¡¯s crusaders in battle.

    "The injury... During the battle, a stray bullet hit me. They probably weren''t aiming for me."

    "How do you know that?"

    "Because there is no logical reason for them to target me."

    "Is that so? Then I¡¯ll just have to identally kill them too.¡±

    <i>Thud!</i>

    At that moment, the door opened. My uncle¡¯s head and clothes were soaked in cold sweat as he rushed into the room. He looked at Ji-Ah lying on the bed, then shifted his gaze toward me.

    "What''s going on here?"

    "Nuna went to support the Gyeongsang Branch and got shot."

    "...Shot? Wait, if it''s the Gyeongsang Branch..."

    My uncle furrowed his brows as if he suspected something. Then, he suddenly grabbed his forehead and said, "...That¡¯s where Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps is located... Wasn¡¯t that the ce where a suppression or something happened recently?"

    "Uncle, where is the Gyeongsang Branch located? Do you know?"

    Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead with his cor, my uncle said, "I know. But there won''t be many ways to go there now. There''s a high possibility that the roads are blocked. No, they must be blocked for sure."

    At that moment, Ji-Ah grabbed my arm with trembling hands.

    Then, she slowly blinked her eyes and said, "...It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t go. Even Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung wouldn¡¯t want the Cult Leader toe."

    "Why?"

    "If the Cult Leader goes there... You¡¯ll be doing exactly what the Holy See wants. Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung wanted the Cult Leader to abandon the Gyeongsang Branch."

    "I can abandon the Gyeongsang Branch."

    I tightly grasped Ji-Ah''s arm.

    "Ouch, wait a second, Cult Leader...!"

    Her arm was thin and fragile, and a bullet was lodged in this small arm. As I thought that, my heart raced, and I became short of breath. My vision kept blurring and going white. I blinked and said, "But I still have to go. Not for the Gyeongsang Branch, but because of what happened to you."

    I let go of Ji-Ah''s arm, stood up, and continued, "Soo-Yeong, take care of nuna. If anything happens at the underground chapel, contact me immediately. If it¡¯s something you can handle, you can take care of it yourself.¡±

    "Ah, okay."

    "Uncle, take me to the Gyeongsang Branch by car. How long will it take?"

    "...No, no matter how much I think about it, there''s no way to go there. I can take you close to the location but..."

    "Because the Gyeongsang Branch and Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps have bases located by the sea, we travel by sea."

    "What? But it¡¯s not like you can get a boat right now. There''s no way to cross the sea..."

    "There is a way.¡±

    There was a method. I looked at my uncle and said, "We can''t find a boat, but we can still cross the sea."

    "..."

    I grabbed my staff and mask. It seemed like there would be a need to cover my face.

    "Let''s go."

    "Seriously, fuck... How did ite to this... <i>Sigh</i>. Fine." My uncle nodded and said, "This... I can¡¯t even say anything to stop you. What did we do wrong, exactly..."

    Sadness and wrath were evident in his voice.

    * * *

    <i>Tap.</i>

    On top of the shogi board that had be messy due to the countless fingerprints, a man with long hair moved a piece. There were many onlookers near the shogi board, but no one spoke.

    Only the repetitive sound of the man with long hair and the old man taking turns moving their pieces could be heard.

    The old man stared at the shogi board with wrinkled eyes. Cold sweat formed on his forehead. Soon, the old man tightly closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

    "...I lost. I surrender."

    "That''s a shame. Shall I take back a move?"

    "No, it''s fine. It''s not a game where I can win just by taking back one move."

    The old man seemed to be trying to recall the game as he counted the pieces on the shogi board with his fingers, but soon, he seemed exhausted and lowered his head.

    "I wouldn''t be able to win even if we start over from the beginning."

    "I see... Thank you for ying with me. It was enjoyable."

    "I enjoyed it too."

    The old man shook hands with the man with long hair and stood up from his seat. The other old men who had been watching also left one by one.

    Only one spectator remained¡ªthey had sandy yellow hair, bronze skin, and narrow eyes. It was Yu-Hyun.

    He had been waiting for the man with long hair to speak to him first, but the man just stared at the shogi board silently. Tired of waiting, Yu-Hyun knocked on the game board.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    Finally, the man with long hair looked up. He looked at Yu-Hyun expressionlessly, then raised one corner of his mouth and smiled.

    "Long time no see, Yu-Hyun. What''s going on?"

    "Yeah, long time no see, hyung. Well, I just came to chat, that''s all. Do you have time?"

    The man nodded and said, "I have plenty of time."

    Yu-Hyun sat across from the man. The man tidied up the pieces scattered on the game board and put them in a box. Then, he took out a chessboard and a bag of Go stones that he had ced on the floor.

    "Just sitting around and talking feels a bit boring, so do you want to do something? Chess, or maybe Go? We can also y Gomoku."

    "Can we y fling the Go stones?"

    "That''s not possible. It''s not strategic."

    "You''re underestimating the fling the Go stones game. That game involves some strategy as well. Anyway, let''s y chess then."

    "Chess sounds good. It''s a game with a rich history," the man said as he unfolded the chessboard and ced the pieces on it.

    The way he ced the pieces indicated that he was quite familiar with the game. He definitely hadn¡¯t yed just once or twice.

    Yu-Hyun alternated between looking at the pieces being ced on the chessboard in an organized manner and the man with long hair who was cing them.

    The man''s name was Yeon. Yeon was a single syble, and he didn''t have ast name because he didn''t have parents. Although his age was officially stated as twenty-one on his documents, it was actually unknown. He was also a candidate to be the next Pope.

    And just like Yu-Hyun, he was one of the few people chosen by an angel.

    After finishing the chess setup, Yeon asked Yu-Hyun, "Alright, let''s start. Which side do you want to y, ck or white?"

    His tone was calm, and the smile on his lips remained unchanged.

    Yu-Hyun stroked his chin, pondered, and then said, "What¡¯s advantageous? Is it white?"

    "Since white starts first, they have the advantage."

    "Then let''s go with white. I start first, right?"

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Yu-Hyun moved a piece. Soon after, Yeon moved a piece.

    <i>Thud, thud.</i>

    Only the sound of them moving the pieces echoed within the silence.

    Yu-Hyun always took a long time to think, but Yeon moved his pieces without any hesitation. In the blink of an eye, the game was going against Yu-Hyun.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    It was Yeon who broke the long silence. While moving a piece, he subtly asked Yu-Hyun, "I think I know why you suddenly came. It¡¯s because of the Voodoo Cult, right?"

    Yu-Hyun raised his eyebrow and smirked.

    "How¡¯d you know that? You¡¯re creeping me out."

    "It¡¯s because of the timing. We''re currently suppressing the Voodoo Cult''s mercenary corps, and you just came back from the mission trip."

    "I didn¡¯t juste to talk about that... but it is true after all.¡±

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Yu-Hyun moved his piece. Yeon stared at the chessboard for a while. It was a strange move. Yeon always made his moves confidently, but he furrowed his brows for the first time and showed a contemtive expression.

    Yu-Hyun nced at Yeon and asked, "What do you think about the suppression of the mercenary corps this time around?"

    "It was hasty."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Yeon finally moved a piece. Yu-Hyun couldn''t read Yeon''s moves with his skills, so he couldn¡¯t even think abouting up with a strange move. Yu-Hyun stared daggers at the chessboard and contemted.

    Yeon said, "It seems like they''re trying to gain public sympathy by using the Trinitas Crusader Order... Well, I wonder if it will work as nned. The public is forgetting about the Voodoo Cult. It''s hard to add credibility to a massacre disguised as a suppression with just this kind of trickery."

    "What would you have done, hyung?"

    "I would have investigated the dBP Corporation."

    "Why dBP? There''s no problem there, right?"

    "The Holy Army relies too heavily on dBP Corporation''s holy artifacts. The corporation also knows about this, and there are signs that they are starting to exploit it. It wouldn''t hurt to investigate them to keep them in check."

    "But there''s no pretext for an investigation."

    "Whether it''s the Voodoo Cult or the Satanists, there are rumors connecting cultists with the dBP Corporation. At the beginning of the year, there was a rumor involving a kid from Florence Academy named Bae Sung-Hyun, I think."

    "Is a rumor alone enough to justify an investigation?"

    "We can alwayse up with a justification. We could say it¡¯s a tax investigation or something like that. The important thing is the fact that an investigation is being conducted. If the Holy See starts investigating the dBP Corporation, the public will naturally connect it to the existing rumors."

    "...If we do that, then we can naturally keep the dBP Corporation in check."

    "Exactly. Well, it''s always easier said than done. That¡¯s why I was able to say this."

    "True, there are many things to consider."

    Yu-Hyun ced a piece on the board, ending his contemtion.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    Yeon yed his next move immediately. "Above all, we can''t suppress the mercenary corps like this. Especially if the situation involves the Voodoo Cult."

    He still smiled as he said, "...The Cult Leader wille, the Romanican Church will take a hit, and the Holy See will see."

 Chapter 232

    <h4>Chapter 232</h4>

    Yu-Hyun didn''t immediately understand what Yeon was saying and asked for rification.

    "Take a hit?"

    Specifically, he wanted to know what Yeon meant when he said that the Holy See was going to <i>take a hit</i>.

    Somehow, Yeon seemed to know a lot about the Voodoo Cult. Yu-Hyun began to suspect that Yeon knew about the true identity of the Voodoo Cult, or rather, Sun-Woo.

    Yeon nodded and said, "Yes, they will take a hit."

    "What kind of a hit will they take? A mere mercenary corps can¡¯t stand against the Romanican Church, whether in battle or a fight against public opinion."

    Yeon calmly exined, "Because the Cult Leader¡¯s power is still unknown, there is no guarantee that the Romanican Church will definitely win, whether through battle or a fight against public opinion."

    Based on the statement that the Cult Leader¡¯s power was still unknown, it seemed like Yeon didn''t have a precise understanding of the Voodoo Cult and its Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

    Yu-Hyun felt relieved. He had to be the only one who knew about the Voodoo Cult and Sun-Woo.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    After a brief moment of contemtion, Yeon ced the next move and said, "The biggest problem is that the Trinitas Crusader Order''s image will be greatly tarnished by this incident, regardless of how strong the Cult Leader is."

    "That''s right. The mercenary corps are different in the sense that they areposed of humans, unlike demonic beasts and demons. No matter how it''s packaged, it can still be perceived as murder."

    "Even if the Crusader Order loses to the Cult Leader in battle, it''s still a problem. In that case, the public''s trust in the Crusader Order''s strength will disappear."

    Yu-Hyun didn''t respond to Yeon, nor did he move any pieces. He just crossed his arms and stared at the chessboard. As time passed, the situation became more unfavorable.

    It was always like this. The chess games with Yeon were never really intense. Like water flowing down a river, Yu-Hyun would always naturally immerse himself in the game, and before he knew it, defeat would be right in front of his eyes.

    Yeon always fought in this manner. With a faint smile, Yeon said, "A mercenary corps is an organization created when the poor and marginalized join forces. In the end, it is a gathering born out of poverty. The Holy See should have delved into that aspect. They shouldn''t have just unconditionally ordered a suppression."

    "So, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s better to show mercy rather than suppress them?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I would have done if it were up to me. I don''t think now is the time to mess with the mercenary corps in the first ce."

    "Is that so? Still, I think it''s better to eliminate the mercenary corps as soon as possible. Giving them unnecessary leeway could provoke public resentment, and there''s no other method besides suppression."

    "The director of the mercenary corps being suppressed this time, Yuk Eun-Hyung, is highly regarded by the local residents. We have more to lose than to gain with a simple suppression."

    <i>tter.</i>

    While moving his piece, Yeon pushed Yu-Hyun''s piece with his finger, causing it to fall. The number of Yu-Hyun''s pieces was gradually decreasing.

    Yeon picked up the fallen piece and removed it from the chessboard.

    "Anyway, the Pope seems to be too hasty when it involves something rted to the Voodoo Cult. In my opinion, the Satanists, corporations, and mercenary corps like the Ravens seem more dangerous."

    "Hmm... that''s because you haven''t¡ª"

    <i>¡®Seen him in person.¡¯</i>

    Yu-Hyun swallowed his words and moved his piece.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    There was a moment of silence.

    Yeon alternated between looking at the chessboard and Yu-Hyun. "...Well, now that I think about it, there''s also a possibility that the Cult Leader won''te. Will the Cult Leader reallye? It does seem like they might note."

    "Won''t theye?"

    "If you think about it rationally, it¡¯s better to just discard a mere mercenary corps and think about the next steps. That would have been the right choice for both the Cult Leader himself and the Voodoo Cult as a whole."

    "Let''s say the Cult Leader appeared at the scene of suppression. What would happen if the Crusader Order managed to barely win by taking on lots of sacrifices? Wouldn¡¯t the situation flow in favor of the Romanican Church?"

    "Hmm."

    Yeon moved a piece.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    He had already won the game by making this move. Therefore, Yu-Hyun moved his piece without hesitation.

    Yeon said, "The situation might be interesting... but it won''t necessarily flow entirely in the Romanican Church¡¯s favor."

    "Why? If the Crusader Order gains public sympathy through their sacrifices, the me will definitely shift toward the Voodoo Cult, right?"

    "From the beginning, the Voodoo Cult is in a position where they have nothing to lose even if they face public criticism. It won''t make much of a difference even if the Cult Leader kills the clergymen. It will only serve to remind people of the existence of the Voodoo Cult that they had forgotten."

    "..."

    "On the other hand, the Holy See has to not only deal with public criticism, but also public fear. It will be the Holy See¡¯s task to manage the public¡¯s fear appropriately.¡±

    "..."

    "Whether the Cult Leader appears or not, or we win the battle, it''s a bad move."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    After ying the final move, Yeon said, "Checkmate. Shall I take back a move?"

    Yu-Hyun stared at the chessboard. However, he couldn¡¯t win the game by taking back one move. Yu-Hyun shook his head. "Forget it. I hate it when people go easy on me."

    "Ah, right. Sorry."

    "Can''t win even once... not even once, although it feels like I''ve yed hundreds of games against you."

    "Haha... Well, it¡¯s because I¡¯m good at nothing else but this. But you''ve improved a lot too, you know?"

    "Improved my ass. Compared to you, hyung, I still have a ways to go,¡± Yu-Hyun said while getting up from his seat.

    He then stretched and said, "It''s nice talking to you, hyung. I''ll contact youter. Let''s meet again then."

    "Sure, I''m always happy when you call," Yeon replied with a smile.

    Yu-Hyun went onto the main road and walked while watching the cars pass by. He calmly pondered Yeon¡¯s words.

    He had said that even if the leader of the Voodoo Cult, Sun-Woo, appeared at the scene of suppression, and even if he were to kill clergymen, it would not make much of a difference. He had said it would only result in the public once again remembering the Voodoo Cult¡¯s existence.

    Yeon said that no matter how the battle unfolded, it would not flow in a favorable direction for the Romanican Church.

    Was that really true?

    Despite knowing the existence of the Voodoo Cult, Yu-Hyun felt fear and helplessness when facing Sun-Woo''s spells and powers.

    Would the public, who couldn''t even recognize the existence of the Voodoo Cult, be able to face Sun-Woo''s spells and powers? Was there a possibility that the public''s fear of the Voodoo Cult could intensify and that the fear could spread into riots or a war? If it developed into a war, Yu-Hyun would have topletely revise the ns he had made so far.

    Above all, the biggest problem was the concern that this incident would diminish the morale of the Crusader Order. If mishandled, there was a possibility that the Crusader Order would revolt against the Holy See.

    Yu-Hyun scratched the back of his head and muttered, "...That damned old man. If he had any sense, he would gracefully step down from his position."

    Due to the Pope''s unnecessary actions, there were now more things to worry about.

    * * *

    I got into my uncle''s car with a mask, a cane, and a poncho. I didn¡¯t really need to bring anything else. I tried calling Yuk Eun-Hyung, but he didn''t answer. So, I sent him a text instead. I stated that I would be heading there soon and to keep that in mind.

    Since I was visiting my subordinate¡¯s branch, there was no need for me to seek permission. Just giving him advance notice was enough.

    "How much longer will it take?" I asked my uncle while looking out the car window.

    I had been in the underground chapel all this time, so I hadn¡¯t realized that it had already be dark outside.

    I checked the time and found out that it was just past one in the morning. Uncle silently drove the car and nced at the navigation. "If we hurry, it''ll take about three hours. But it will most likely take five hours."

    "Why?"

    "They''ll have control over all the nearby roads. We''ll have to avoid the roads with a high chance of being under their control, so we¡¯ll have no choice but to take a detour."

    I nodded in agreement with Uncle''s words. Since the suppression of the mercenary corps was actively underway, the Holy See would have taken measures to at least set up checkpoints on the roads. No matter how urgent the situation was, it would be wise to be cautious in these aspects.

    "Can I open the window?" I asked. I suddenly felt suffocated and wanted to open the window.

    "Feeling stuffy?"

    "A little."

    Uncle nodded and said, "Go ahead. I also feel a bit suffocated too."

    I opened the window halfway and took in the fresh air. The stuffiness eased up a bit. I took a couple of deep breaths, and my racing heart gradually regained itsposure.

    Since there were no cars on the highway, my uncle sped up. The wind blew harshly through the window crack.

    "...The night breeze is starting to get colder," my uncle muttered.

    I couldn''t tell whether the wind was cold or hot. However, based on Uncle¡¯s words, I could tell that summer wasing to an end.

    When we arrived at our destination, the sky was bright. However, the sun was still not visible. It was neither dawn nor morning. The ce where my uncle parked the car was a beach located on the east coast. Since we could be stopped at a checkpoint if we went through the road, we had no choice but to go through the sea.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed loudly. Today was an unusually windy day. Consequently, it was also high tide.

    My uncle got out of the car and nced at the sea, then looked at me worriedly. "I don''t know what you''re trying to do, but the weather is not good. If you think it''s dangerous, it''s better to go back¡ª"

    "It''s okay. The weather is perfect."

    I took the mask out from my uncle''s car, put it in my arms, and took out a cane.

    My uncle reluctantly nodded and said, "Do I just have toe here when you contact me? Or is it better if I continue to wait here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you. If I don¡¯t contact you within two days, assume that I¡¯m dead.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯lle back within two days no matter what, right?¡±

    ¡°More or less.¡±

    "...Alright, just take care of things appropriately ande back."

    I nodded in agreement and said, "That was my intention from the beginning."

    "Yeah, I figured."

    My uncle smirked, and without leaving even a short farewell, he got in the car and left.

    I liked how my uncle didn¡¯t ask unnecessary questions. Likewise, I also didn¡¯t unnecessarily ask what Uncle was up to. It was because I wasn¡¯t curious, and there was no need to know.

    It was also because we each had faith that we would handle things well on our own.

    After my uncle waspletely gone, I looked around. It was a secluded coast, so there were no CCTVs or anything. Still, just in case, I put on my mask and flipped the poncho over my body. This way, I could perfectly conceal not only my face but also my body shape.

    I gently ced the staff I was holding on the ground.

    "Damba."

    <i>Crack¡ª!</i>

    As I called out to Damba, the staff, which I had ced on the ground, instantly transformed into the shape of a giant snake. Damba probably also knew why I hade to the coast and called out to her.

    Before I could say anything, Damba bowed and lowered her head.

    [Get on, kid. I already know where you want to go.]

    "Thank you."

    [Hold on tight, though. Otherwise, you might fall off.]

    I climbed onto Damba''s head and held onto the scales embedded in her forehead as a handle. The ride wasn''t exactly stable, but as long as I was careful, I didn''t think I would fall off.

    Damba crawled across the sandy beach and entered the sea. And then she started swimming in the ocean.

    "Can''t we go faster?"

    Damba''s swimming speed was slower than I had expected. When I urged her, Damba flicked her tongue a few times, seemingly annoyed. [The waves are slow, so it¡¯s difficult for me to pick up speed.]

    ¡°Bade,¡± I called out.

    <i>Woosh©¤!</i>

    With the help of strong winds, the waves became rough. The waves gradually grew in size as they collided with the wind, eventually swelling to the size of a tsunami.

    Damba swiftly navigated through the sea while riding on the giant wave. I tightly gripped the scales even harder.

    [Kid, it hurts when you hold on so tightly.]

    "If I hold on loosely, I¡¯ll fall off."

    [Hmm... That''s also true.]

    "Just be quiet and focus on moving."

    [You''re a kid that¡¯s not so cute after all.]

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Damba moved roughly. The seawater sshed and hit my poncho.

 Chapter 233

    <h4>Chapter 233</h4>

    Damba said it would be fast, but it took a long time to travel such a long distance.

    Just because we were riding the waves didn¡¯t mean that we would arrive instantly. The waves usually moved in the same direction as the wind, but not always. asionally, the waves moved in unexpected directions that were different from what we intended.

    Whennd came into view in the distance, Damba said, [Hey, kid.]

    I held onto my poncho, which the wind was about to blow away, and wrapped it even tighter around my body.

    "Yes?"

    [I¡¯m sorry to say this about Bade, but wouldn''t it have been better to call upon a different Loa instead of him?]

    [What? What''s the problem?]

    [Bade, it''s not your fault. I just... had doubts about the Prophet''s choice.]

    "..."

    Damba and Bade''s voices ovepped. I kept my mouth shut and tightened my grip on Damba''s scales.

    I almost slipped and fell into the sea because Damba''s massive body was shaking. Her yellow eyes stared at me as if she were using me.

    [Kid, I said it hurts!] Damba hissed, sticking out her tongue.

    I had purposely squeezed harder with the intention of making it hurt, so I didn¡¯t respond to her. Perhaps Damba''s words earlier had hurt Bade¡¯s pride as he stirred up an even stronger wind.

    The waves became rough. Damba''s movements became rougher, matching the intensity of the waves. I held onto the scales tighter so that I wouldn¡¯t fall off.

    Suddenly, Legba said, [Yeah, there was clearly a better choice.]

    I didn''t say anything in response. I just chewed on my lips. I also knew that there was a certain Loa that would have been better than Bade in this situation. Since we were in a rush, I knew I should have summoned that Loa, even if it meant risking danger.

    La Sirene. The Queen of the Sea. She could appear as a mermaid, a whale, or the very embodiment of the sea itself. If it were her, we would have reached Yuk Eun-Hyung''s stronghold in a matter of minutes. Even so, I did not call her. No, I could not call her.

    [I understand why you''re scared of her.]

    "..."

    [Because even your mother, the former Prophet, could not control her,] Legba said.

    La Sirene was dangerous. Even though my mother had been able to easily control all the Loa like servants, the only Loa she had been unable to control was La Sirene.

    Since I currently had the Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan, I might be able to control La Sirene now, but I was afraid of the risk of not being able to control her.

    [It is a fear that must be ovee in order to surpass the former Prophet.]

    "...Yes, I suppose so," I replied curtly to Legba''s words.

    My mood wasn¡¯t great. The way he said that I had to surpass my mother made it sound as if my mother was dead already and that I had to take on the role of the next Prophet.

    I knew that Legba didn''t mean it that way. I also knew that I still had to fulfill the role of the Prophet even if my mother was still alive. Despite that, my mind kept leaning towards negativity.

    <i>Crash¡ª!</i>

    The sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoed. Before I knew it, we were close tond. Damba picked up speed. In the blink of an eye, we reached the beach. I let go of the scales and got off Damba''s back.

    I could see two figures in the darkness. They seemed to be members of the mercenary corps standing guard on the beach. The two aimed their long spears toward me and took a step back.

    "W-who are you?"

    "Don''t you recognize me?"

    I gently stroked Damba''s body, which was coiled next to me. Suddenly, Damba''s body shrunk and transformed into the shape of a staff.

    I held the staff and approached them, unleashing Voodoo magic. An eerie purple glow illuminated the darkness. Then, I took off my poncho.

    "Guide me to where Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung is."

    "Ah...!"

    They gasped in awe as they looked between my mask, the staff in my hand, and the violet Voodoo magic. They lowered the spears aimed at me and bowed their heads as if apologizing for their rudeness.

    "Understood, Cult Leader!"

    The two of them quickly guided me somewhere. The thick darkness that covered the ground began to fade away. I walked behind the two of them and nced back for a moment. The waves of the sea had gotten calmer, and I could see the sun peeking through the horizon.

    * * *

    They led me to the temporary hospital. They called it a hospital, but it was nothing more than a makeshift tent on barrennd. They didn¡¯t even have beds.

    Theyid mats on the floor and used primitive methods to disinfect or bandage the patients. That was the extent of the treatment. The facilities were extremely poor.

    Just from a rough nce, I could tell that the injuries that the patients had sustained were very serious. Some wounds were so deep that bandages couldn''t stop the bleeding, and some joints were twisted in grotesque ways. A couple of patients had their body parts amputated.

    The sounds of patients screaming and convulsing in pain echoed from all directions.

    "...Baron Samedi."

    It was truly a scene of death, and Baron Samedi was sitting in the center of that scene as if it was only natural to do so. He had arrived before me and watched the tragic scenes while smoking his cigar.

    When I called out to him, Baron Samedi turned his head and looked at me. There was no trace of a smile on his face.

    [I was wondering who was looking at me. So it was the Prophet.]

    The smoke he exhaled covered the ground, obscuring the sight of the patients. He pushed through the mist and approached me. The smell of the cigar in the air was thicker and much more pungent than usual.

    "Looks like someone is going to die here."

    [A few have already died. And there are some that will die soon,] Baron Samedi said as if he was stating the most obvious thing in the world.

    He hadn¡¯t said vague statements like ¡®death is near¡¯ or ¡®death mighte.¡¯

    He was saying that some of them would die soon with a voice filled with certainty. If Baron Samedi said that, it meant that those were deaths that I couldn''t prevent.

    "Cult Leader, this way!"

    The two people guiding me called out in front of a tent. The mention of the term ¡®Cult Leader¡¯ drew the mercenaries'' attention toward me. They looked at me with a mixture of fear and suspicion in their eyes. Ignoring their gazes, I entered the tent.

    "...Have you arrived, Cult Leader?"

    Inside the tent, I saw Yuk Eun-Hyung receiving treatment. He was shirtless, with more bandages covering his exposed flesh than visible skin. Even the visible parts of the skin were filled with scars and remnants of wounds.

    There were several bullet holes in his left arm, and his right hand was severed. The severed hand was ced on a table in the corner of the tent.

    He was still undergoing treatment. A member next to him inserted tweezers into the holes in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s body and removed the embedded bullets.

    Despite this, Yuk Eun-Hyung only broke out in a cold sweat and showed no signs of pain. He even had a faint smile on his lips.

    "Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung, what¡¯s the situation?" I said, taking off my mask.

    "It''s not good. We''ve lost most of our bases to the enemy, and there have been several casualties¡ª"

    <i>Rip.</i>

    At that moment, another bullet was pulled out of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s body. There was a bit of flesh stuck to the bullet. Yuk Eun-Hyung closed his eyes tightly and let out a silent scream before opening them again. His eyes showed strong determination as he looked at me.

    "...Huff. I''m sorry. Anyway, there are several casualties... To be honest, I don''t see any chance of winning. That''s why we barely managed to evacuate the injured and other members through the sea."

    "I suppose Ji-Ah was sent back in the same way."

    "Yes, she''s part of the personnel from the headquarters, so we prioritized sending her back," Yuk Eun-Hyung said with a nod.

    I went to the corner and picked up Yuk Eun-Hyung''s severed right hand that was ced on the table. Judging by its condition, it seemed like it hadn''t been severed for long. In the worst case, it was half a day old. It had been severed cleanly.

    While holding the hand, I said, "If the situation had turned out like this, you should have reported to me first."

    "I''m sorry. But the situation was already too bad... From your perspective, I thought it would be better for you to abandon the Gyeongsang Branch, ugh!"

    As I reattached the severed hand to Yuk Eun-Hyung''s wrist, he let out a scream. I unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array.

    To ensure that the wound healed properly, using an advanced restoration spell would be best, but it hadn''t been long since the hand had been amputated, and the cross-section was clean. An intermediate restoration spell would do the job.

    Moreover, many other people needed treatment besides Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    "Whether I abandon the Gyeongsang Branch or not is my decision to make. You only needed to inform me about the situation."

    "Yes, I''m sorry... Ugh, it hurts..."

    "Endure it even if it hurts a little."

    I forcibly reattached Yuk Eun-Hyung''s severed hand onto his wrist. Yuk Eun-Hyung trembled in pain and groaned. Mist flowed out from the spell and array and enveloped his hand and wrist.

    His hand and wrist fused back together alongside bubbling sounds. The lingering wounds on Yuk Eun-Hyung''s body were roughly treated with a lesser restoration spell.

    "Try moving your right hand."

    "...My right hand has been re-reattached," Yuk Eun-Hyung eximed in a startled voice as he clenched and unclenched his right hand.

    His fingers twitched as well. Judging by how well it moved, it seemed to have reattached properly.

    The mercenary treating Yuk Eun-Hyung looked at him and then at me with widened eyes.

    I looked at the mercenary and said, "Gather the injured and bring them to me. I will treat them. Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung, stay here and rest."

    "I¡¯m alright. Thanks to you, I''m perfectly fine. You canmand me to do anything..."

    "Just rest. There will be tasks for youter."

    "No, I can''t!" Yuk Eun-Hyung shouted as he abruptly stood up from his seat.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was always calm, but this was the first time I heard him raise his voice. He pulled back the tent and looked up at the sky. The dark sky was gradually getting brighter.

    "...When the dawn breaks, the enemies will start attacking again," Yuk Eun-Hyung said, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead with the right hand that I had reattached for him.

    "The Romanican clergymen only attack during the day. It¡¯s because they know that our mercenary corps is familiar with night operations... They will definitely attempt an attack as soon as dawn breaks. We need to prepare before that..."

    "More than half of you are injured, and even the ones who are rtively unharmed are nonbatants. How do you n to prepare?"

    "..." Yuk Eun-Hyung closed his mouth and lowered his gaze to the ground.

    As I suspected, he didn''t have a proper n after all. With so many casualties, there was no reasonable n.

    I had expected that, so I didn¡¯t feel disappointed whatsoever. I fiddled with my staff and said, "After treating the mercenaries, I will take care of the enemy myself. Please convey what I said to the members as well.¡±

    It was an opportunity to test the power of the poteau mitan. That was why it was enough for me to go alone.

    * * *

    Near the mercenary corps suppression site, a makeshift tent had been set up for the crusaders to rest and organize. Inside, Do-Jin closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, so he decided to swing his sword and train until the sky turnedpletely bright.

    There, he spotted a familiar face.

    "...Ye-Jin?"

    Ye-Jin was wearing a priest''s robe and walked between the tents. He thought he had been mistaken at first, but that wasn¡¯t the case. No one else could exude such an aura other than Ye-Jin.

    Ye-Jin turned her head toward the voice that called her.

    "Ah, there you are! I finally found you."

    "...Why are you here?"

    "What do you mean? Am I not allowed to be here?"

    "It''s not that. Why is a priest here..."

    Do-Jin tried to recall whether the Priest Order had been included in the mercenary corps suppression operation. However, there had been no mention of priests being included.

    They said that there some clergymen might participate in the operation as individuals rather than as part of an organization. Perhaps...

    ¡°I came as a substitute for Joseph. He said he had something to do and passed the job on to me."

    "Ah, I see... But Joseph? Is it fine not to use honorifics to address him?" [1]

    "Since no one¡¯s listening anyway, it¡¯s fine to be a bit informal here, right?"

    "That''s true," Do-Jin said as he nodded and looked up at the sky.

    At some point in time, the sky had bepletely bright. The weather was very nice, and the wind was also refreshing. Ye-Jin sniffed the wind and wrinkled her nose.

    "...I smell a bit of blood in the wind."

    "Really? I can¡¯t really tell."

    Do-Jin also sniffed with his nose, but he couldn''t smell the scent of blood. He looked toward the direction of the headquarters where the mercenary corps was stationed and said, "The smell of blood might be because... there are many casualties on the mercenary corps''s side."

    "Did we have any casualties on our side?"

    "We did have some, but barely any. After all...¡± Do-Jin trailed off.

    The Romanican clergymen were overwhelmingly superior in terms of numbers, equipment, and training. The mercenary corps did try to resist to some extent, but it was hopeless. They didn¡¯t even have the intention to kill the Romanican clergymen in the first ce. It seemed like they were busy minimizing their casualties instead.

    On the other hand, the clergymen attacked the mercenary corps mercilessly. Many people were injured, and some were even critically wounded. If they received timely treatment, they would survive, but it seemed unlikely that the mercenary corps had proper medical facilities.

    In Do-Jin''s eyes, this operation was closer to a massacre than a suppression.

    He expressed his sentiments in a diplomatic manner. "...Good thing I only have to provide support from the rear. Since the frontlines will take care of everything, it seems like there''s nothing for me to do here."

    Ye-Jin nodded.

    "I''m d I''m in the rear support too. I''m not good with blood because I have a weak stomach."

    "Ah, that''s right."

    "When do you think this mission will end?"

    "Well, probably today. At thetest, tomorrow...?"

    Do-Jin suddenly stopped speaking and stared at something.

    Ye-Jin also followed Do-Jin and looked in the same direction as him. However, Ye-Jin couldn¡¯t see anything.

    Do-Jin continued to gaze at a certain location, and then he suddenly unleashed his divine power to draw a blessing array. Then he cast the blessing array on his own eyes.

    With his enhanced vision, he stared intensely at the entrance of the stronghold where the mercenary corps was stationed. Someone wasing out of the entrance.

    It wasn''t the mercenary corps leader Yuk Eun-Hyung. After all, Yuk Eun-Hyung had arge stature. The personing out of the entrance right now had an average build, wore a poncho, and had a mask on and a staff in hand.

    "..."

    Do-Jin opened his eyes wide and looked again.

    "...It¡¯s the Cult Leader."

    A mask and a staff.

    It was definitely the Voodoo Cult Leader.

    1. Normally people address Joseph as Joesph-nim. ?

 Chapter 234

    <h4>Chapter 234</h4>

    Following the order of Yuk Eun-Hyung and the mercenary who was treating him, the injured mercenaries gathered in front of the tent.

    I surveyed the condition of the injured mercenaries. There were not just one or two people. Some had serious injuries that required the use of advanced restoration spells. I counted the number of people with my eyes.

    I didn¡¯t seem to have enough Voodoo magic power to sufficiently treat everyone. I had never tested the limits of my Voodoo magic power before. It was because I never needed to use spells that much.

    "Cult Leader, you most likely don''t need to treat those with minor injuries. The mercenaries are used to injuries anyway..."

    "It''s okay. I should have more than enough Voodoo magic power for everyone. Restoration spells don¡¯t take too much time to cast after all."

    To be honest, I didn''t have the confidence to treat all these people. If I used up all my Voodoo magic power to treat the mercenaries, it would be difficult to defend against the attacks of the Romanican clergymenter on.

    Despite that, I pretended to be confident. It was because it was necessary to do so, and it had to be done. It wasn''t the time to question whether I could do it or not.

    I unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a restoration spell array. "For those with rtively minor injuries, pleasee forward a littleter for treatment. Those with severe injuries, pleasee forward first."

    Patients who had suffered injuries so serious that they couldn''t move on their own stood before me, supported by other mercenaries. I scanned their conditions. Everyone''s injuries were severe to the point where no one could say who was worse off.

    It was chaotic when we gathered the patients with severe injuries. The patients¡¯ groans almost sounded like screams.

    It seemed like just standing with the support of others was difficult for them. They were sweating profusely, screaming, and even rolling their eyes in an attempt to deal with the pain.

    "...Just have them lie down."

    Watching them suffer like this was difficult for me, so I told them toy the patients down. If I knew this was going to happen, I should have just gone to the patients instead of asking them toe to me.

    It was my mistake for thinking too much about my convenience. I had been so focused on the idea of treating them that I didn''t consider their condition.

    I drew a spell array on the spot where the mercenaries hadid the patients down. A dark, deep purple mist slowly moved toward their wounds and soon enveloped their bodies. The terrible wounds on their bodies instantly healed.

    "Oh...!"

    "It''s a miracle, as expected...!"

    Those who suffered rtively minor injuries or had enough strength left to speak marveled.

    However, the sound of patients still crying out in pain did not stop. The restoration spell could heal the wounds, but it couldn''t alleviate the pain. The groans and screamsing from their throats were disturbing.

    "Do you have any painkillers?"

    Yuk Eun-Hyung shook his head in response to my question and said, "No, we used them all in yesterday''s battle..."

    I unleashed Voodoo magic one more time and drew a spell array. It was not a restoration spell spell array but an enthrallment spell. To be more precise, it was a spell array for the intoxication spell.

    The intention was to temporarily reduce their pain with a low-intensity intoxication spell. Yuk Eun-Hyung approached me with a puzzled look.

    "Cult Leader, is that... the intoxication spell?"

    "It''s going to be used as a substitute for painkillers. The intensity will be adjusted appropriately. Don''t worry."

    "Ah, I see. Understood."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung nodded in agreement and stepped back. He was also one of the executives, so he had enough skill to understand what kind of spell it was just by looking at the spell array.

    The mist flowing from the intoxication spell array enveloped the faces of the patients grimacing from the pain. The patients'' faces rxed withfort, and the screams subsided.

    However, it was impossible topletely stop the groans and screams. It was because the effect of the pain relief was reduced due to the intensity of the spell being lowered. But this was the best option to prevent them from bing addicted to the intoxication spell.

    "Give the treated patients sufficient rest. Next."

    I continued treating the patients.

    In cases where the patient was in severe pain, I used the intoxication spell together with the restoration spell, and in other cases, I only used the restoration spell to treat the wounds. I gave food to the patients I treated and let them rest.

    As I continued treating the patients, their conditions improved, and eventually, treating them with only the lesser restoration spells was possible.

    "Ah, I... I''m fine."

    Toward the end, some mercenaries even refused my treatment.

    "Still, it''s better to receive treatment. We don''t know when we''ll have to fight again..."

    ¡°With this kind of wound, it¡¯ll heal even without any treatment.¡±

    "Scars will remain, and there could be an infection.¡±

    "A few scars are badges for mercenaries," the mercenary said, bowing his head in submission.

    "Please, take care of those more seriously injured than me, Cult Leader."

    "...Understood."

    Without saying anything more, I nodded. There was no reason to treat him if he didn''t want it. Thanks to the mercenaries who refused treatment, it ended earlier than expected.

    I thought I would becking Voodoo magic power, but I still had plenty left. I watched as Yuk Eun-Hyung took care of the mercenaries, and the mercenaries took care of each other.

    Even in this situation, they didn''t lose their sense of humor. Both the mercenaries and Yuk Eun-Hyung were the same. They genuinely worried about each other, shared food, talked, andughed together. They looked like a family.

    Was it possible to live like a family even without sharing the same blood? Could a long-time friend really rece the empty space that a family member left behind?

    I used to think that nothing could rece the empty space left behind by a family member, but it seemed like I was wrong.

    "Cult Leader¡ª!"

    At that moment, I heard a voice call out to me. The voice was loud enough to echo in the vicinity. The tone sounded urgent. I quickly moved toward the direction the voice hade from and I entered the tent.

    There, I saw a pale woman lying down, gasping for breath, and a man kneeling beside her, crying uncontrobly.

    "...What happened?"

    "Ah, Cu-Cult Leader! Th-this friend got injured. We didn''t realize it until we came into the tent... She ne-needs medical treatment. I''m sorry. Please, Cult Leader, we beg you..."

    "..."

    I looked at the woman who was lying down. Her condition was not good, and it wasn''t just because the extent of her injuries was severe. With the use of an advanced restoration spell, even serious injuries could be treated.

    The problem was that even with treatment, it didn''t seem like she would survive.

    There were two reasons for this. One was that it had been a long time since she had gotten injured, and she had lost too much blood. The restoration spell had the potential to cure her, but it could also make her suffer and die. Another reason was...

    [10 minutes.]

    Because Baron Samedi was there. He smoked his cigar as he looked down at the dying woman. I caught a glimpse of Baron Samedi''s flickering red gaze and smelled the pungent scent of the cigar spreading inside the tent.

    [In ten minutes, this woman will die.]

    "Cult Leader, what are you doing? Hurry and treat her...!"

    "..."

    Baron Samedi said that the woman would die in ten minutes. That meant that her death was inevitable. It meant that her death couldn¡¯t be avoided no matter how much I used the restoration spell.

    Nevertheless, I unleashed my Voodoo magic power. I kneeled beside the woman and drew a spell array. The Voodoo mist enveloped her wounds. Her wounds healed, but her pale skin did not return to normal. Her breath was gradually bing shallower.

    "..."

    The mercenary, who had sobbed and pleaded with me for her treatment, alternated between looking at the woman and me. The mercenary¡¯s expression, which had briefly formed a smile upon seeing her wounds healing, turned dark.

    "Is she already beyond saving?"

    [Say it is so.]

    "...I don''t know," I cautiously said as I unleashed Voodoo magic power.

    I drew a restoration spell array. I didn¡¯t care whether it was advanced or intermediate. I simply used every type of restoration spell I had avable. I thought that would be enough to bring her back to life.

    [It''s a death that cannot be undone.]

    Baron Samedi''s prophecies had been wrong a few times. I drew more spell arrays.

    [I have never been wrong about death.]

    I drew more spell arrays. However, the woman''splexion did not return. Her breath was getting thinner and thinner. Eventually, her breathing became so thin that it stopped entirely.

    Her eyes were closed, and her small lips were tightly shut, forming a faint smile. Death was more peaceful than I had imagined.

    No matter how many times I used the restoration spell, I couldn''t bring the woman back to life. The moment I had decided to escape from fate, I had already been in its clutches. I used a restoration spell on the woman¡¯s lifeless body.

    The mercenary grabbed my arm. "...That''s enough, you can stop now."

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    Tears of blood flowed out from my eyes. The blood that came out of my eyes fell onto the woman''s body. Red marks were engraved on her pale white skin. It was a drawback of using up all my Voodoo magic power.

    I carried the woman''s body and stepped out of the tent. Yuk Eun-Hyung came running from afar. With a shocked and sorrowful expression, he embraced the lifeless body of the woman in my arms.

    "...So she¡¯s dead."

    "Is there a ce nearby to bury her?"

    "We usually cremate the body instead of burying it."

    "I see," I said calmly, as did Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    The mercenaries watching us bowed their heads in silence. No one mourned or showed anger at the death of theirrade.

    Tears of blood welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my cor. I put on my mask, wore my poncho, and grabbed my staff. The day was dawning.

    * * *

    <i>Thump¡ª!</i>

    Do-Jin saw the approaching Cult Leader. When the Cult Leader lightly tapped the ground with his staff, a loud noise echoed, and the ground trembled. The entire terrain vibrated, shaking the tents where the crusaders were resting.

    <i>Rumble, rumble...</i>

    "What the...!"

    The ground shook, causing Ye-Jin to stumble and fall. The crusaders inside the tent quickly came out. They each held their weapons in their hands.

    Do-Jin pulled out a sword from the scabbard strapped to his waist. Then, he helped up Ye-Jin up from the ground and said, "He''s the Cult Leader. Bring the anti-Voodoo masks."

    "...Cult Leader."

    Ye-Jin ruminated on Do-Jin''s words and nodded.

    The anti-Voodoo mask was a mask that provided immunity to certain Voodoo spells. As long as they wore it, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about losing consciousness due to spells.

    While Ye-Jin went to get the anti-Voodoo mask, Do-Jin continued to watch the approaching Cult Leader from a distance.

    There was no rain, thunder, or lightning. The wind was barely blowing, and it didn¡¯t seem like they were manipting fire or water either. Furthermore, the only person who had exited the mercenary corps barracks was the Cult Leader alone. None of the mercenaries could be seen.

    It was strange. They had heard that the Cult Leader could control the weather. If that were the case, it would have been better if he had manipted rain, wind, thunder, and lightning to create noise andunch a surprise attack from behind.

    However, the Cult Leader was walking toward them without pulling any tricks whatsoever.

    Was he surrendering? Or was he currently unable to use his power to control the weather? Or was it just a simple trap? He didn''t know the exact reason, but for now, he was relieved.

    The Cult Leader was currently defenseless. Do-Jin just had to jump in front of the Cult Leader with the power of blessings and slit his throat in one go.

    "I brought it!"

    At that moment, Ye-Jin brought an anti-Voodoo mask. Do-Jin put it on his face without even saying thank you. And then he covered his legs with the light of blessing.

    Holding the sword in both hands, he silently stared at the approaching Cult Leader from a distance. While watching Do-Jin like that, Ye-Jin said, "Wait, can you at least tell me what you''re nning to do...!"

    <i>Bang!</i>

    In that instant, Do-Jin disappeared from Ye-Jin''s sight. The ground where Do-Jin had been standing caved in. Do-Jin reached the ce where the Cult Leader was with a single leap.

    The Cult Leader was still defenseless. There was no Voodoo mist, and he did not even attempt to draw a spell array.

    <i>Clench.</i>

    Suddenly, Do-Jin clenched his teeth and swung his sword, aiming for the Cult Leader''s neck. The de reached the Cult Leader''s neck.

    At that moment, Do-Jin''s vision turned ck. He couldn''t understand what happened.

    His vision, which had gone pitch ck, gradually returned. Do-Jin regained consciousness.

    The Cult Leader had just been in front of him a moment ago, but now he was far away. Do-Jin stood up, supporting himself with the sword.

    "Ugh..."

    Then, he felt an intense urge to vomit. His ears began to ring, and his vision repeatedly went from bright white to pitch ck.

    "Blergh...!"

    <i>tter.</i>

    Do-Jin leaned over and vomited. A crimson lump spilled onto the ground. A searing pain, as if all his intestines had burst, boiled in his belly. Do-Jin finally realized what had happened to him.

    He hadn¡¯t sumbed to a spell, nor had he been struck by lightning. The Cult Leader had simply punched him in the stomach, <i>hard</i>.

 Chapter 235

    <h4>Chapter 235</h4>

    "Do-Jin!"

    Ye-Jin approached the fallen Do-Jin. He stood precariously, barely able to support himself with his sword.

    Ye-Jin unleashed her divine power.

    "Don''t move! I''m drawing a h-healing array!" Ye-Jin shouted.

    Her hands trembled, hindering the drawing process. Ye-Jin was more talented in blessings and miracle replication than healing. Even if she tried to use blessings or miracle replication now, it seemed like it would work as she wished.

    "Cough...! Hoo... ugh...!"

    Do-Jin coughed while Ye-Jin drew her healing array. With each cough, a hunk of blood flew from his mouth and fell to the ground.

    <i>Splish, ssh.</i>

    With trembling hands, Ye-Jin finallypleted the healing array. However, she couldn''t determine what exactly she needed to heal. There were no visible external injuries, but seeing him coughing up blood suggested there might be internal ones.

    "Hold on a moment."

    Ye-Jin swiftly lifted Do-Jin''s shirt, revealing his abdomen decorated with dark bruises. He was in critical condition. While the wounds weren¡¯t fatal, he would most likely have to spend several weeks in the hospital even if she managed to heal him. What on earth caused such extensive damage to his body?

    "...What happened to you?"

    "I...ouup."

    "Don''t force yourself to talk if you need to," Ye-Jin said with a choked voice.

    Do-Jin, supporting himself with his sword, weakly spoke while looking at the Cult Leader approaching from a distance. "I got punched in the face."

    Quite literally, he had been punched in the face. Seeing that the Cult Leader wasn''t controlling the weather, Do-Jin thought that the Cult Leader was being careless or perhaps had lost the power to bend the atmosphere to his will. Or perhaps the Cult Leader would at least attempt to negotiate for the sake of the Voodooists.

    However, after getting punched, Do-Jin realized that the Cult Leader wasn¡¯t careless or weak-hearted. Rather, the Cult Leader just didn¡¯t feel the need to use his strange ability to control the weather or manipte fire and water.

    Not a lot of manpower had been deployed to suppress the mercenary corp. The ones dispatched on the mission were the Trinitas Crusader Order, the Holy See''s direct Crusader Order, and a few clergymen who came by themselves. The number of men totaled to one toon at most. It was a lot of men in terms of subduing a single mercenary corp, but the story changed upon the Cult Leader¡¯s appearance.

    "Ye-Jin... take out the radio. We need to issue a retreat order..."

    "Radios were only supplied to the crusaders. You don¡¯t have one on you?"

    "...Damn it,¡± Do-Jin muttered and gripped his sword.

    He started walking unsteadily in the direction of the barrack tent. Ye-Jin stopped in the middle of drawing her healing array.

    "Come here! Why are you moving in your condition? Do you have a death wish?"

    "I''m not going to die. I''m not that badly hurt."

    "You''ll die, you crazy son of a bitch!" Ye-Jin yelled angrily, then cleared her throat and spoke again. "...Just stay still until I finish healing you. It''ll be faster that way."

    "We need to issue a retreat order right away... Otherwise, we''ll all be dead. We''ll be wiped out."

    "Alright, then I''ll go and tell them to retreat. So...¡±

    "Do you think they will listen to you?" Do-Jin said, raising his head.

    Crusaders ignored priests and pdins, just as priests ignored the crusaders and pdins, and pdins ignored the crusaders and priests. They might listen if someone like Joseph gave them orders, but they wouldn¡¯t even bat an eysh if Ye-Jin issued themmands.

    Do-Jin continued to walk, using his sword as a staff. "I have to go."

    "...If we give the retreat order, what then? Do you think the Cult Leader will just let us go?"

    "It''s okay. I''ll fight and buy us some time. They won''t be able to pursue us then."

    Do-Jin was in a state where he could barely walk, and yet he made it seem as if it were obvious that he would fight the Cult Leader. Meanwhile, Ye-Jin finished drawing the healing array. The light of healing enveloped Do-Jin.

    Thanks to Ye-Jin''s healing, Do-Jin could feel his steps bing a little lighter. However, the burning pain in his abdomen remained.

    "...How are you going to fight with a body like that?"

    Do Jin gripped his sword and answered Ye-Jin¡¯s question. "I can fight."

    Thanks to the healing, he no longer needed to rely on his sword to support his body to walk. Then, he saw the Cult Leader¡¯s approaching figure in the distance.

    The Cult Leader held a staff in his hands, had a mask on his face, and wore a robe. The man wore a mask to hide his face and a robe to hide his physique. He was trying not to reveal his figure. There must be a clear reason for that.

    "I shouldn¡¯t have aimed for his neck. I¡¯m aiming for his mask and robe next."

    The Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult was likely to be disguised as a Romanican Church member. Therefore, there was no need to immediately eliminate the Cult Leader here. It would be no different from winning if he could remove the Cult Leader¡¯s mask and cloak to reveal his face and physique.

    "...Ye-Jin, bless me. Right now," Do-Jin said, lowering his posture.

    As dark clouds covered the previously clear sky, darkness descended upon the ground.

    * * *

    John, the sniper from the Trinitas Crusader Order, came out of his tent after feeling vibrations. "Um, Do-Jin...?"

    As soon as he emerged from the tent, he was met with the sight of Do-Jin leaping toward the Cult Leader. He also witnessed Do-Jin getting sent flying by a punch from the Cult Leader right after.

    At first, he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around what had happened. Who was this person who had knocked down Do Jin, second to none in closebat, with one punch? And why did Do-Jin lunge toward this person in the first ce?

    It was only after the Cult Leader approached and John saw the mask covering his face and the staff in his hand that he understood what was happening.

    The Cult Leader was here.

    "...Prepare for battle¨C! It''s the Cult Leader¨C!" John shouted.

    With a voice as thunderous as his imposing figure, he woke up the crusaders resting in the barracks tent. Startled by the sudden ground tremors and John''s voice, the crusaders grabbed their weapons and scrambled out.

    Their wandering gazes quickly converged at a single point: a mask and staff. A man dressed unmistakably as the Voodoo Cult Leader leisurely approached them.

    "..."

    At that moment, silence fell over the area. The crusaders who saw the Cult Leader had bloodshot eyes. They trembled, unclear emotions coursing through them¡ªthey were either shuddering in excitement or fear. Each of them grasped their weapons: guns, swords, and holy artifacts. They didn''t say a word and went to their respective positions to get into formation. No one dared to open their mouth.

    The Holy See''s direct Crusader Order had learned the ¡®method of nonmunication.¡¯ Their job was to find tasks withoutmunicating and work together to achieve their goals.

    John felt a slight difort at their appearance. To him, they looked like machines rather than humans.

    In a matter of seconds, everyone was in formation. Crusaders who handled firearms like John prepared for shooting from the rear. Crusaders who handled melee weapons such as swords, maces, and spears gathered in the front and stood alert against the approaching Cult Leader.

    John ced his finger on the trigger and aimed for the Cult Leader. A suffocatingly deep silence nketed the area.

    John broke the silence. "...Fire!"

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    <i>Dududududu©¤!</i>

    Even before John finished speaking, gunshots rang out simultaneously in a terrifying manner. Dozens of muzzles trained at the Cult Leader glowed white as bullets wereunched into the air.

    The non-lethal rounds usually used for normal suppression were nowhere to be seen¡ªonly lethal iron bullets made for killing rushed toward the Cult Leader.

    Silence returned immediately after the consecutive gunshots. The ce where the Cult Leader was standing was covered in thick dust and mist. Because of the mist, it was impossible to make out the Cult Leader¡¯s figure. John stared beyond the mist and prepared his next shot.

    <i>Whooosh...</i>

    Just then, the wind blew, and the mist cleared. Beyond the mist, a ck figure appeared. The Cult Leader had not yet fallen. Because the fog hadn¡¯tpletely cleared, it was hard to tell if it was because he hadn''t fallen despite being shot or if the bullets hadn''t hit his body.

    The crusaders held their breath, waiting for the fog to dissipatepletely. Every time the wind blew, the fog lifted little by little, finally revealing the appearance of the Cult Leader.

    The Cult Leader was unharmed. The bullets fired by the crusaders were scattered around his feet. He raised his staff...

    <i>Thump!</i>

    And he struck it against the ground.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud!</i>

    As soon as he did so, the trembling grew even stronger. It felt like an earthquake.

    The ground shook, and dust and soil flew up, turning into a thick fog that obscured the snipers'' vision. The fog wasn¡¯t the only thing blocking the snipers¡¯ sight.

    The earth had split open the moment the Cult Leader struck the ground with his staff. Giant tree roots and weeds spilled forth from the ground. Massive grass and roots swayed as they grew like tentacles. They soon created a massive forest centered around the Cult Leader.

    The Cult Leader concealed himself within that forest. John diligently scanned the trees but couldn''t see the Cult Leader anywhere. The dust raised the fog, and the erged nts hid the Cult Leader.

    "... K-keep firing!" John shouted.

    At this point, they had no choice but to continue shooting. If they kept firing, they would eventually hit the Cult Leader with at least one bullet. The crusaders, following John''smand, pulled the triggers in unison.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    <i>Dududududu©¤!</i>

    The gunshots didn''t stop. The bullets hit the tree roots and giant leaves that had risen from the ground. However, they only scratched the roots and leaves of the trees, and the bullets could not prate through them.

    The forest surrounding the Cult Leader was too thick and resilient. They¡¯d be wasting bullets if they kept firing.

    John racked his brain.

    What was the Cult Leader thinking? Was he waiting for the crusaders to waste all their bullets beforeunching a full-scale attack? If that was the case, they should have given the order to stop firing.

    No, it might be a trick to try and take advantage of the pause in the rain of bullets tounch an attack...

    <i>Ssssssh¨C!</i>

    At that moment, a giant spear-like object flew toward John. He reflexively twisted his waist to avoid it. He momentarily stopped shooting and examined the object that the Cult Leader had thrown at him. He thought it was a spear when it had been flying toward him, but upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t.

    "...A staff?"

    It was the staff that the Cult Leader had been holding. He didn''t have time to think about why the Cult Leader had thrown the staff toward him.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    [Ah, you mannerless child...]

    The ordinary staff instantly transformed into the shape of a giant snake. The sweet, alluring voice of the snake prated John''s mind, robbing him of the luxury of wondering why the staff had flown toward him.

    Reflexively, John drew the pistol he had on his waist. He aimed the barrel at the giant snake''s eyes. He pulled the trigger.

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    Two gunshots rang out, each aimed directly at one of the snake¡¯s eyes. However, the bullets didn¡¯t reach their target and plopped to the ground with dry, hollow sounds.

    It wasn''t just an ordinary snake. It was an overwhelming and absolute existence that couldn''t be dealt with by human strength alone.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    John let go of the pistol in his hand and slumped down.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    The snake swung its giant tail.

    The attack was not aimed at only John. It was an attack that targeted all the snipers in the area.

    <i>Smack¨C!</i>

    "Arrrgh...!" John let out a scream as the hit from the snake sent his body flying.

    The snake continued to thrash its tail about. John''s sniper rifle was crushed by the snake¡¯s massive body.

    Other snipers, like John, were hit by the snake''s tail and flew away. They dropped their guns and fell to the ground, vomiting blood and sprawled about.

    Fortunately, the snipers who managed to dodge the snake''s attack shot its eyes with their guns. Some resilient crusaders stood up after eating the blow from the snake¡¯s tail and tried to pierce its scales with their daggers.

    However, no bullets harmed the snake. No daggers could pierce the scales as they instead broke.

    "Ah, ah...!"

    No attack was sessful. Even those who took theirst stand with guns and daggers lost their will and dropped their weapons. Looking at the terrified crusaders, the snake flicked its tongue.

    [It''s a shame I can''t eat you,] the snake said, licking the faces of the pale crusaders with its long, slender tongue.

    The crusaders confronting the Cult Leader with swords, spears, and holy artifacts in front also panicked as they helplessly watched the giant snake overwhelm theirrades in the back. The crusaders in the front ranks were lost, unable to advance due to the Cult Leader or retreat due to the snake.

    "..."

    Amid excruciating pain and fading consciousness, John realized the Cult Leader''s scheme. He had used the snake to suppress the rifle squad located in the rear and block the crusaders¡¯ retreat. Thus, the Cult Leader was luring the crusaders into his territory.

    "A-advance! Advance!"

    The crusaders in the front feared the giant snake, but they hesitantly moved forward. They had no other choice but to move onward. They looked just like moths drawn to a burning me, throwing themselves into what would inevitably kill them.

 Chapter 236

    <h4>Chapter 236</h4>

    <i>Thud. Thud.</i>

    The crusaders advanced with caution. They moved toward the forest where the Cult Leader might be hiding, and they asionally nced back. The snake watched them from behind.

    After overpowering the rifle squad, the snake simply coiled up in ce without doing anything. It neither approached the crusaders in front nor attacked them. This sight terrified the crusaders even more. The snake seemed to be taunting them, flicking its tongue as it stared at the crusaders.

    The Cult Leader''s intentions were clear. He was waiting for the crusaders to be lured into the massive forest that he had created.

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    The crusaders looked up at the sky at the sudden raindrops. The once sunny sky was now covered in dark clouds.

    <i>Swaaaah...</i>

    The raindrops, falling one by one, quickly grew heavier and more abundant. Soon, a downpour followed by thunder and gusts of wind was upon them.

    The crusaders gulped nervously, looking at the rapidly changing weather. They were beginning to realize who they were up against. Their opponent was none other than the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult who had once gone against the Romanican Church and fought during the war.

    ¡°...¡±

    The crusaders advanced to the edge of the forest and came to a halt. Silence filled the air. The forest was dark and eerie, its roots and foliage densely knit together. Nothing could be heard or seen.

    A deep darkness sent shivers down their spines and greeted the crusaders. No one dared to step into the forest first, as they had no idea what awaited them. Moreover, the forest was so dark that they couldn''t see an inch ahead of them. In such a ce,bat utilizing divine power and blessings would be impossible.

    In the darkness, the light of divine power would be the only visible thing and expose one''s position to the Cult Leader.

    "...I''ll go first."

    Amongst the hesitation, the first one to raise her sword was none other than a woman in the forefront. She was the woman who held the position of director, and she had given orders to the crusaders terrified by the snake¡¯s sudden appearance.

    She unleashed divine power and drew a blessing array, infusing the light of blessing into her body and sword. In the darkness overshadowed by the dark clouds and forest, only her body shone brightly.

    "When I find the Cult Leader, I will use divine power to signal their location. Attack in unison once you receive the signal," she said, putting on her anti-Voodoo mask.

    "..."

    "We only have one enemy. There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of..." the director muttered as she moved forward.

    It seemed like she was speaking not to others but to herself for reassurance.

    The crusaders watched as the director, gripping her weapon tightly, disappeared into the darkness as if being sucked in. Swallowing her saliva, the director slowly walked through the darkness.

    <i>Pssss...</i>

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    When the wind blew, and the giant leaves rustled. Raindrops fell asionally. The forest was filled with boundless silence, making even the slightest sound thunderous.

    The director flinched at every sound she heard. She tightened her grip on her sword, and she scowled as she red into the darkness.

    "..."

    She knew that proud crusaders of the Romanican Church should not fear mere darkness. Crusaders were the swords and spears that shed the darkness.

    Yet, her body trembled and her spine shivered. She didn''t know when or where the Cult Leader, hiding in the darkness, would appear and what they would do to her.

    She wouldn¡¯t fall victim to a spell because she was wearing an anti-Voodoo mask. However, it wasn''t just about guarding against spells. She had to calcte and be cautious of every possibility, as no one knew the extent of power the Cult Leader possessed.

    <i>Pssk!</i>

    Right then, she heard the sound of rustling leaves. At the same time, a faint light emerged from the darkness. The light was feeble, gloomy, and clearly present butcked the power to dispel the darkness. It was the light emitted by Voodoo magic.

    The director aimed her sword in the direction of the sound. Concealed within the darkness, the purple mist crept closer to the director. She gazed in the direction of the Cult Leader, who would surely be looking at her from across the darkness.

    "..."

    "..."

    The mist reached the director. However, the director didn''t lose consciousness thanks to the anti-Voodoo mask. Rather, she felt slight dizziness even through the mask; it wasn¡¯t possible topletely block the spell, but it was bearable.

    The director instinctively felt that the Cult Leader was watching her. She also gazed back at them.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    The director clenched their teeth. The light of blessing she had bestowed on her sword still glowed faintly.

    <i>Swoosh¨C!</i>

    The director swung her sword forcefully. The light of blessing on the sword scattered like dust and headed toward the Cult Leader. For a split second, the darkness parted to reveal a person-like figure. In the darkness, it was impossible to distinguish whether it was the Cult Leader or someone else. However, there was no time to hesitate. This was perhaps thest opportunity to see the Cult Leader. In that fleeting moment, hesitation could lead to the death of all the members. The director rushed toward the Cult Leader with her sword secured tightly in her hands.

    <i>sh!</i>

    She swung her sword down. It was a precise attack aimed straight at the Cult Leader''s neck. She felt the sensation of cutting into something, but it wasn''t the eerie sensation of cutting into flesh. It was the sensation of cutting something like a bundle of dry hay or a scarecrow.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The Cult Leader''s ¡®head¡¯ fell to the ground. But there was no face on the head. What the director had beheaded was not the Cult Leader, but a doll intricately woven with thin nt stems. The director swallowed hard and looked around, but she had lost all sense of direction due to the darkness. No matter where she turned, she was met with the same suffocating scenery.

    <i>m.</i>

    At that moment, a familiar heavy and solid sound reverberated from the ground. It was the sound of the Cult Leader striking the ground with their staff.

    Staff?

    The Cult Leader had thrown the staff toward the snipers behind them. The staff had transformed into a snake and wiped out the snipers. If that were the case, the Cult Leader shouldn''t have the staff in their hands. So why did it sound like they had just hit the earth with their staff?

    The director tried to turn her body in the direction of the sound, but her body wouldn''t move. Hundreds, thousands of threads as thin as fishing lines, were tightly entwined around the director''s body. Although it seemed like she could easily break free with her strength alone, no matter how much she struggled, she couldn¡¯t break free from its grasp.

    A low, deep voice came from behind her. "An interesting contraption you¡¯re wearing."

    The director tried to turn her head to catch a glimpse of the Cult Leader''s face, but her head didn¡¯t move an inch; the tiny vines had made their way to her neck.

    The Cult Leader stood behind the director and reached out his hand. He removed the anti-Voodoo mask that covered the director''s face, and she squeezed her eyes shut in response. She couldn¡¯t move an inch and was now without the protection of the mask. She wouldn¡¯t even be able to take ast stand against the Cult Leader.

    "Why did youe here alone?" the Cult Leader asked.

    His voice was low, with a hint of wrath.

    "...Kill me. I won''t say a thing," the director said, opening her eyes.

    Her voice was filled with determination. She didn''t want to cause harm to her colleagues as a hostage of the Voodoo Cult. She would rather have the Cult Leader kill her right there.

    The Cult Leader let out a hollowugh. "Why would I?"

    "You. You¡¯re disguised as a member of the Romanican Church, aren''t you?" the director said, feigningposure with a smile.

    Just by looking at how he used a mask and poncho to hide his face and body, the Cult Leader had clearly infiltrated the ranks of the Romanican Church''s clergymen. The fact that he had summoned dark clouds and a forest further supported her suspicion.

    The director spoke in a calm but threatening voice. "If you don''t kill me here, I will remember your voice."

    "..."

    "The Pdin Order, Crusader Order, priesthood, apprentice clergymen, F.A... I will scour every nook and cranny until I find you. And I¡¯ll put you on the chopping block," the director said.

    She was bluffing. Even if the Cult Leader didn''t kill her, there was no way she would return unscathed. She would either be used as a hostage for negotiation or suffer terrible torture. The director knew that but deliberately provoked the Cult Leader in order to make sure the Cult Leader couldn''t resist killing her.

    However, instead of showing wrath, the Cult Leader stood calmly in front of the director. She red at the Cult Leader, her eyes dripping with killing intent. Beyond the mask, she could vaguely make out his eyes. The Cult Leader''s eyes that stared into the director were empty and unfocused.

    "The rest of the members will enter and attack simultaneously when you reveal your location with divine power, right?"

    The director frowned at the Cult Leader''s words. "How did you..."

    "nts have good hearing, you know," the Cult Leader said.

    Before she could process what the Cult Leader had said, the Cult Leader''s hand was sped around the director''s head. His hand was as cold as a corpse. Violet Voodoo magic flowed from his fingertips.

    In an instant, a spell array was engraved on the director''s head.

    "Did you say you¡¯d remember my voice?" the Cult Leader said.

    Mist flowed from the activated spell array. It entered through the director''s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

    "Try to. I dare you."

    "...Ah."

    At first, the director tried to resist the spell with sheer mental strength. However, she couldn''t bear it.

    <i>Pssk, pssk. </i>The sound of ants gnawing on flesh echoed throughout her head. The ants crawled through the holes on her face and feasted on her brain. She tasted a bitterness in her mouth.

    Her sense of touch, hearing, and taste had turned incredibly sharp and then were vited by the spell from the Cult Leader. The director couldn''t even scream¡ªnot even a small sound could escape her lips.

    Amidst her fading consciousness, the director was relieved that she hadn¡¯t brought the other members here.

    Entering the forest was the equivalent of willingly falling into the clutches of the Cult Leader. He controlled all the nts and was the master of the darkness here. That was why the director didn¡¯t unleash her divine power even when facing the Cult Leader. She believed that her dying at the hands of the Cult Leader alone was enough.

    "..."

    The director''s vision suddenly brightened. A brilliant light pushed away the darkness and flowed from the Cult Leader''s fingertips. It was the light of blessing.

    * * *

    Do-Jin stopped in his tracks while preparing to leap toward the Cult Leader. He then watched the battle between the crusaders and the Cult Leader.

    Merciless gunfire. A forest that appeared out of nowhere on barrennd. A staff and a snake.

    The snake had attacked the rear ranks where Do-Jin''srade John had been. All the snipers, including John, were rendered unable to fight. He couldn¡¯t say for sure, but there were definitely casualties.

    Dark clouds soon covered the sky and rain began to fall, casting a gloomy and ominous darkness over the battlefield. The director of the Crusader Order that fell directly under the Holy See entered the forest but never came out.

    Soon, the hesitating members entered the forest one by one. They didn''te out either.

    "..."

    It was dead silent. No sound could be heard other than the clear sound of rain and wind. The snipers in the rear didn''t move, and the snake that had wreaked havoc in the back remained coiled up. It waited there without moving an inch.

    The crusaders in the front had disappeared. It was as if the forest had swallowed them whole.

    "W-we need to run. Request support..." Ye-Jin said.

    She was in a state of shock. She had stopped drawing blessings, and instead, her body had stiffened from the sight of carnage.

    Rationally speaking, Ye-Jin was right. The Cult Leader seemed unaware that Do-Jin and Ye-Jin were still alive. They should utilize this opportunity to escape by any means, whether it be through the mountain path or the seashore route, and request support as Do-Jin and Ye-Jin alone couldn''t possibly subdue the Cult Leader.

    "...Alright."

    Do-Jin finally nodded after a long period of contemtion, his eyes tightly closed.

    He didn''t want to run away, but it was also impossible for him to fight against the Cult Leader. Ye-Jin was practically powerless. She hardly participated in battles even when she was in the priesthood and devoted her time to research, inventing blessings, and discovering miracles.

    They had no chance of winning this fight. It would be a wise choice to run. Do-Jin put his de onto his waist and turned his back on the Cult Leader.

    "Do you need some support?"

    Do-Jin waved her off.

    "It''s fine,¡± he said.

    Although it felt like his insides were twisting with every step he took, he didn''t want to rely on Ye-Jin for support because it was thest bit of dignity he had. Do-Jin lifted his face up to the clouds. The dark clouds gradually disappeared, revealing a blue sky.

    "If we take the coastal road, we can avoid the Cult Leader''s gaze and make it to the nearby Crusader Order. From there..." Ye-Jin said something as they ran away.

    But Do-Jin couldn''t hear her voice. He had to endure the pain of his muscles twisting and tearing with every step. Cold sweat dripped down, and his heart pounded heavily. Had he really nned to fight the Cult Leader in his current state? Looking back, he had been crazy. Do-Jin twisted his lips and smiled.

    "..."

    John was a skilled sniper. The number of demons and demonic beasts he single-handedly defeated was easily in the hundreds. He was also a crusader who possessed both skill and character and was the only person Do-Jin truly respected and admired. Even someone like John couldn''t stand against the Cult Leader. Do-Jin, who was injured, wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    <i>¡®Yeah, picking a fight would be suicide.¡¯</i>

    Do-Jin had fought countless battles and lost numerousrades. At first, he had been sad about the deaths, butter on, he no longer found it as depressing. Deaths could be forgotten as death.

    Was John dead? Even if he was, it didn''t matter. His death would be forgotten amidst the deaths of otherrades. Through countless deaths, Do-Jin learned the famous yet simple truth: it was not the strong who survived, but the ones who survived were strong.

    "...Ah."

    Do-Jin stopped walking and let out a sigh. He had learned from surviving numerous battles not how to get used to deaths but rather how to skillfully forget about them.

    He had always been afraid and hated seeing his colleagues die. Therefore, the thought that it didn''t matter if John was dead was a lie. He was only rationalizing his actions and beliefs in a vile manner, trying to justify them when on the inside, he was merely afraid of the Cult Leader and didn''t want to fight.

    As soon as he realized that, the pain in his twisted and severed abdomen subsided. His steps became lighter, and the cold sweat stopped. His restless heart beat regrly once more.

    "If I go to the Crusader Order, we should contact the Central... Do-Jin, are you listening to me?" Ye-Jin asked Do-Jin, who had remained silent during their walk.

    However, Do-Jin did not respond. She had a bad feeling. When she turned her head, Do-Jin was nowhere to be seen.

    "...Do-Jin?"

    Ye-Jin searched for Do-Jin but had no sess. Ye-Jin stared nkly at Do-Jin''s empty spot and then turned her head in the direction where the Cult Leader was. Do-Jin had his sword in his hands and ran toward them.

    At that moment, the Cult Leader emerged from his hiding spot in the forest. There wasn''t even a scratch on his poncho and mask. He looked perfectly fine. Had a battle really taken ce?

    Countless crusaders had tried to kill the Cult Leader, but none of them managed tond a single blow. No matter how one looked at it, the odds were stacked against their favor.

    Do-Jin knew this very well. Nevertheless, he ran toward the Cult Leader. He had made a choice: not to survive until he forgot about his colleague''s deaths, but to die before he forgot.

    He gripped the sword. The radiant light of blessing enveloped his body.

    <i>Kaang©¤!</i>

    He swung his sword. The Cult Leader raised his staff and blocked it. Do-Jin stared intently at the Cult Leader''s eyes glimpsed behind his mask.

    When Do-Jin swung his sword earlier, the Cult Leader had punched him in the abdomen without hesitation. But now, he blocked the sword with his staff. The reason was clear. Do-Jin had aimed for the Cult Leader¡¯s mask, while before, he had aimed for the Cult Leader''s neck.

    The Cult Leader was overly concerned about his disguise and mask. He must be afraid of exposing his identity. A faint smile crept up on Do-Jin''s lips.

 Chapter 237

    <h4>Chapter 237</h4>

    "<i>Gasp, cough</i>...!"

    A crusader ran through the pitch-ck forest. The sound of raindrops falling, leaves rustling, and the eerie whispers along with the screams of fellow crusaders could be hearding from the darkness.

    In the shadow of the forest, the sounds felt loud and unsettling. Overwhelmed by fear, the crusader threw his spear to the ground and covered his ears with both hands as they ran.

    How long had they been running? He lost his sense of direction as it was dark in every direction he looked, and thendscape and atmosphere were so simr no matter where they went. The screams of hisradesing from god knows where only intensified his fear.

    He recalled the time when the light of blessing had flowed from the forest. The director had said that she would send a signal using divine power once she discovered the Cult Leader. Not long after the director entered the forest, the light of blessing appeared amidst the darkness. It was the director''s signal.

    But the signal didn''t merely mean she had found the Cult Leader. It could also be interpreted as not only had the director found the Cult Leader, but she was unharmed.

    The crusaders confidently advanced into the forest toward the director¡¯s light of blessing that signaled her location. They held their weapons and marched into the darkness, smiling because they were sure that victory was theirs.

    "...Huh?"

    However, the crusaders couldn¡¯t help but question when they finally reached the light. The director was nowhere to be seen, and so was the Cult Leader. Instead, there stood a very unpleasant-looking nt statue. The statue was made of thin stems, like threads, resembling the image of a suffering savior, pained by the sins of man.

    The statue had been created for a very impure purpose. It was clear that the Cult Leader had made it himself. The crusaders unleashed their divine power and used the statue as a torch to illuminate their surroundings to find the Cult Leader and the director, but the two were nowhere to be seen. At the very least, they were not in the vicinity.

    Just then, a crusader standing before the statue screamed and stumbled backward, falling over.

    "Aaaahhh¨C!!"

    <i>Thud!</i>

    The crusader was so startled that they weren¡¯t able to calm down as they gasped for breath and trembled uncontrobly.

    The crusaders, who had been searching for the Cult Leader and the director, approached them.

    "What''s wrong? Did you see a ghost or something?"

    "Th-the statue. T-that''s not a statue...!"

    "What? What do you mean not a statue...?"

    Someone directed their divine power toward the statue. The statue, which had only been vaguely visible in the darkness, was now truly revealed.

    "Ah..."

    It wasn''t a statue. It was the director who had first entered the forest. Thin nt stems nketed the director¡¯s entire body. Only her face was exposed, and her expression was incredibly shocking. Her mouth was constantly moving as she was mumbling something, but no one could make out her words. Tears kept flowing from her eyes, but her breathing was steady.

    She was alive, but at the same time, she didn''t seem alive at all. Some of the crusaders screamed and stumbled backward when they saw her in her statue-like state.

    "D-Director! Are you okay?"

    Only a few calm crusaders approached the director and grabbed the nt stems entwined around her body, trying to break them. But the nt stems were unbelievably resilient and wouldn''t break. It was impossible to even pull them.

    The crusaders were shocked to see the director in such a state, trapped and driven mad. She was known to be a calm andposed leader who was not easily startled by anything, and so the members relied on her whenever they carried out missions. Among the male members, some secretly had feelings for her. Even for those who didn''t share these romantic feelings, all the members respected the director.

    However, she was now in a pitiful state. The members lost theirposure and stared at the director who had be a statue. The loss of the director was deeply felt. Soon after, they were swept by wrath and anger toward the Cult Leader who had made the director like this. The crusaders unleashed their divine power to drive out the darkness and saw each other''s faces revealed by the light of blessing. While their wrath transformed into determination...

    <i>Chop.</i>

    "Aah!"

    Before the determination could fully take hold, the horrifying sound of cutting flesh apanied by a scream was heard. One of the lights of blessing floating in the darkness had been snuffed out.

    The crusader¡¯s wrists had been severed, preventing them from unleashing their divine power. The crusaders all looked up in unison. Another light emerged from the darkness.

    It was too dark to be called light. Rather, describing it as darkness that had seeped into another darkness would be more urate. It had a gloomy and dull glow.

    The light took the form of a sword. Somewhere, a scream rang out. It was the scream flowing from the sword made of gloomy light. The Cult Leader, holding the sword, hung from a tree branch and looked down at the crusaders.

    "It¡¯s the Cult...!"

    <i>Chop!</i>

    Before they could prepare for battle, the Cult Leader''s sword cut another crusader''s wrist. Another light was quenched.

    <i>Chop, chop...</i>

    "Aaah, <i>sob</i>. Argh, uh...¡±

    ¡°Ah, aaaaah!"

    The chopping sounds continued endlessly, followed by the echoing screams. One by one, the lights went out until thest light disappeared. The light that had been driving away the darknesspletely shriveled up, and darkness filled the space once again.

    Deep darkness descended upon the crusaders. The Cult Leader had almost flown through the air, riding on tree roots and leaves, and skillfully shed through the crusaders'' wrists. His agile movements and freely utilizing the forest and his sword resembled that of a beast.

    The screams did not stop. The whispers of the deranged director and the screams of the injured members filled the darkness.

    Fortunately, this crusader¡¯s wrist had not been cut yet. They stumbled backward and whimpered.

    "Ah, ah..."

    The crusader retracted their divine power and ran in a random direction. Even while running, they could still hear the director¡¯s whispers and their members¡¯ screams. The whispers and screams chased after them.

    They felt a sense of nausea overwhelm them and continued to run until they could no longer breathe.

    The crusader bowed their head and threw up.

    "Ugh, <i>bwwaaak</i>...!"

    Everyone must have died. Or they must have gone insane like the director. The fact that they had survived through the sacrifices of theirrades was unbearably sad and disgusting to the crusader. Wiping away their tears, they lifted their head.

    "..."

    And they were at a loss for words. Emotions surged within them at the sight before their eyes. It was light. Far away, a faint but visible light could be seen. It meant they had reached the end of the forest. They could escape. They could survive... New tears flowed down at the overwhelming joy. They followed the light. It seemed that they had twisted their ankle from stumbling while running, but they were too happy to even notice the pain.

    <i>Cruuunch!</i>

    Finally, they escaped from the forest. Bright light poured into their eyes, which had been ustomed to darkness, causing a headache and disorientation. As their blurry vision gradually turned clear, their senses came back. It was only then that they realized that people were surrounding them.

    "...It¡¯s a crusader."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members nkly stared at the crusader.

    * * *

    <i>Kaang!</i>

    Do-Jin swung his sword. He had aimed to tear the Cult Leader¡¯s poncho, but the Cult Leader blocked it with his staff without fail.

    Fortunately, he had discovered the fact that the Cult Leader reacted sensitively to attacks targeting his mask and poncho. However, the problem was that the Cult Leader was too fast to react to his attacks, making it difficult to even leave a scratch on said items.

    Nevertheless, Do-Jin did not stop attacking. If the Cult Leader''s reaction speed was fast, then the only solution was to attack him even faster. Moreover, the Cult Leader was currently wearing a mask and his field of vision would be restricted.

    If he aimed for that weakness, then he had a chance at winning.

    <i>Krgggggk!</i>

    Do-Jin''s sword shed with the Cult Leader''s staff. Do-Jin exerted force in the hand holding the sword. Both the sword and staff trembled. Do-Jin had intended to sh through the staff but failed because the staff was solid like steel.

    At that moment, the Cult Leader''s hand approached Do-Jin''s face.

    "Uk...!"

    He tried to remove Do-Jin''s anti-Voodoo mask. Do-Jin instinctively pulled his head back. Seizing that momentary opening, the Cult Leader clenched his fist. Do-Jin urgently nted his sword into the ground and swung in a heavy arc toward the Cult Leader.

    <i>Shaaak!</i>

    Wet clumps of dirt sttered onto the Cult Leader''s mask. Taking advantage of the momentary obstruction in the Cult Leader''s vision, Do-Jin stepped back. And then he aimed his sword at the Cult Leader once more.

    The Cult Leader wiped off the dirt from his mask and tightly gripped his staff. Do-Jin and the Cult Leader stared each other down.

    For a moment, silence filled the air.

    Do-Jin didn''t rush to attack. The same went for the Cult Leader. The reason Do-Jin didn''t attack the Cult Leader was because he couldn''t find an opening. Everyone showed momentary gaps in their defense, and Do-Jin was highly skilled at seizing those moments to attack. However, the Cult Leader didn''t show a single opening.

    "...."

    It was impossible to read the Cult Leader¡¯s gaze because he was wearing a mask. It was impossible to read into his posture because he wore a poncho. Above all, his reaction speed was incredibly fast.

    The Cult Leader reacted as if he knew Do-Jin''s swordsmanship. Do-Jin wondered if he had ever faced off against the Cult Leader in a duel if the Cult Leader was hiding among the Romanican Church clergymen.

    <i>Shwoosh!</i>

    At that moment, the Cult Leader unleashed Voodoo magic, drawing a spell array in the blink of an eye. Voodoo mist flowed out and enveloped Do-Jin. However, it was not a big problem. Do-Jin was wearing an anti-Voodoo mask, so he was immune to most spells.

    Instead of avoiding the spell, Do-Jin stood his ground and faced it head-on. This was the perfect time tounch an attack when the Cult Leader was distracted from diverting his attention to draw the spell array.

    Do-Jin rushed forward, his sword aimed at the Cult Leader. Swinging with his sword would be too easy to block with the staff. So, he had no choice but to strike him with a swift thrust to make blocking as difficult as possible.

    <i>Kaga-gak!</i>

    Only when he leaped from the ground did Do-Jin sense something strange. The Cult Leader had not just drawn a mere spell array. From one spell array, Voodoo mist flowed out, while a purple-colored dagger was being conjured from another hidden spell array. With a creepy and eerie sound resembling that of iron being split into two, a dagger was created, and the Cult Leader grasped it. He threw it toward Do-Jin, or more precisely, toward Do-Jin¡¯s anti-Voodoo mask. Do-Jin stopped his attack and quickly turned his head to avoid it. The dagger grazed past Do-Jin''s mask.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    The anti-Voodoo mask was damaged. A slight hissing sound came from the mask and left a small rift in the seal. Although it was a very small crack, even a small w was fatal.

    Voodoo mist flowed in through the crack, filling the anti-Voodoo mask. Do-Jin''s eyes rolled back into his head. His consciousness started to fade. He desperately tried to hold onto his consciousness, but with his anti-Voodoo mask being filled with Voodoo mist, his grip loosened every time he took another breath.

    Do-Jin took off the gas mask and held his breath. He tried to ovee the spell by any means possible, but his body melted like liquid and sank to the ground. Do-Jin let go of the sword in his hands. His consciousness faded away.

    Through his dimming vision, he saw the figure of the Cult Leader approaching him.

    He was going to die. How futile.

    He hadn¡¯t been able toy a single scratch on the Cult Leader¡¯s mask or poncho, nor had he been able toy a single hit on his body.

    The Cult Leader had subdued Do-Jin with only his talent for fighting and spells. He hadn¡¯t even used what wasmonly referred to as the power of the Loa. The Cult Leader had taken Do-Jin down with the bare minimum of his strength. But even that bare minimum had been overwhelming to Do-Jin. It was humiliating.

    He was furious. He wasn''t angry because he was weak. It was because he had harbored the helpless and weak thought that he would never be able to defeat the Cult Leader even if he tried his whole life. He realized that no matter how much he swung his sword, he couldn''t inflict a single wound on the Cult Leader''s body.

    That was when a clear and refreshing voice split the silence. It was a voice that was so inhumanely beautiful and holy.

    "In the name of Adonai."

    Ye-Jin sped her hands together and prayed. Divine power trembled around her body. Soon, the divine power separated from her body and formed a massive nimbus.

    "...Amen."

    <i>Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa--!!</i>

    Ye-Jin opened her eyes and finished her prayer.

    Blood-red hail engulfed in sparks poured out of the cloud and descended upon the Cult Leader¡¯s head.

 Chapter 238

    <h4>Chapter 238</h4>

    The crusader who escaped from the forest tried to sit up and flee the moment they saw Yuk Eun-Hyung and the members of his mercenary corps. However, exhausted from running, they couldn''t even muster the strength to get up.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung approached the fallen crusader. His muscles were visible through the bandages wrapped all around his shirtless body.

    With his bulging muscles and messy scars, Yuk Eun-Hyung exuded an intimidating presence like a giant beast. The crusader desperately tried to grab their spear, but they grabbed nothing. They had abandoned their spear while fleeing from the forest. They had no way to stand their ground and resist. A low-ranking crusader like them would never be able to survive meeting the mercenary corps leader Yuk Eun-Hyung without any weapons or holy artifacts.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung struck the crusader''s stomach.

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    "Ugh...!" The crusader screamed in agony and rolled on the dirt floor.

    Their body was caked with wet mud. It was a pitiful sight. Despite suffering such humiliation, the crusader kept their eyes glued to the ground. Their trembling pupils contained no emotions other than fear. There was not one glimpse of pride nor the determination of a clergyman.

    "...Did you run away? Even the word ''moth'' would be embarrassing to describe you," Yuk Eun-Hyung said as he alternated his gaze between the trembling crusader and the forest.

    When he reached out his hand to his members, one of them handed him a length of rope. Yuk Eun-Hyung tied up the crusader, and then he gave some instructions to his members. Without saying a word, the members grabbed the crusader by their hair and took them somewhere.

    <i>m!</i>

    The members went forward to a pit and threw the crusader in it. The crusader rolled and tumbled inside the pit. Although the pit was not deep, there was no need to worry about the crusader escaping, as their feet and hands were bound together.

    "That¡¯s a crusader who fled from battle. We will discuss their disposal," Yuk Eun-Hyung said to the members.

    One member¡¯s face was full of wrath as they looked at the crusader who had fallen into the pit.

    "...Is there a need for a discussion?"

    "..."

    The other members nodded silently. They were thinking of their numerousrades who had been injured or killed by the crusaders. A discussion wasn¡¯t necessary. They all believed that it was right to execute them right away.

    However, Yuk Eun-Hyung firmly shook his head. "There''s no way the Cult Leader wasn¡¯t able to dispose of such trash."

    "Are you saying that they purposely left this one alive? Why on earth..."

    "For ours and the Voodoo Cult¡¯s sake," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    The Cult Leader could have annihted their enemy if they wanted to. He possessed the power to do so. Yet, there must be a reason why he chose to spare the crusader. Yuk Eun-Hyung spected that the Cult Leader was considering the future.

    If the Cult Leader wiped out the entirety of the crusaders, the Voodoo Cult would be the target of the Romanican Church. The enemy would return with even more forces and target Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps.

    It could potentially ignite a second Holy War. The members understood Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s words and nodded their heads.

    In their hearts, they wanted to kill the crusader at this exact moment. However, they knew very well that it would be nothing more than a momentary release, but it could cause a significant problem in the long run.

    "...In that case, we have no choice but to use them as a hostage."

    "Yeah. We also have the option to convert them."

    "There is no way we¡¯ll be able to convert them. Those Romanican guys have been brainwashed to the point that it''s terrifying."

    "But holding them hostages also presents a problem...."

    Holding hostages could also be an excuse for a Holy War. There was a possibility that the Holy Army would rally under the pretext of rescuing the hostages. It would be best to convert them into an ally, but these opponents directly reported to the Romanican Holy See. It would not be easy to convert them.

    "... Torturing them for information and then releasing them could also be a method of action. It could serve as a warning."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung nodded. "The Cult Leader might want that."

    From the perspective of the Romanican Church, leaving the Voodoo Cult alive would be the equivalent of leaving behind a bad aftermath. However, from the perspective of the Voodoo Cult, killing Romanicans could also lead to consequences. In that sense, releasing the crusader was also an option.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was lost in thought. Should he spare the escaped crusaders or kill them?

    The fact that he had to contemte such a thing was distressing and pitiful. The crusaders did not have to worry about the aftermath that would arise once they butchered the Voodoo Cult.

    But when the Voodoo Cult killed the crusaders, one had to worry about what would happen next. It was all because of the difference between the power and status of the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult.

    <i>Thump, thump. </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung started to move forward with a dark expression. He looked down at the crusaders with empty eyes, descending into the pit.

    <i>Thump</i>.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung grabbed the crusader by the neck and lifted him up.

    "Ugh, grr...!"

    The crusader struggled as they dangled from Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s thick arm. Their screams turned into pitiful groans.

    Veins bulged on Yuk Eun-Hyung''s thick arm. The crusader''s struggling body went limp, their eyes lost focus, and their mouth hung open. Yuk Eun-Hyung continued to strangle the crusader¡¯s neck.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Just when he thought he hadpletely cut off the crusader''s airway, Yuk Eun-Hyung let go of the neck. The corpse fell back into the pit. Yuk Eun-Hyung brushed off his hands and climbed up from the pit. The members watched him in silence.

    ¡°It should be fine if they¡¯re considered missing rather than dead."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung pointed to the crusader¡¯s lifeless body. "Strip off their clothes and keep them. They¡¯ll be of use to us. After burning the body, throw it into the sea."

    His voice remained calm as usual. There was even a slight smile on his lips. His reaction was soposed that it was hard to believe he had just killed someone. However, Yuk Eun-Hyung did not consider crusaders to be humans. Therefore, he decided not to even think of what he had just done as murder.

    <i> </i> <i> </i>***

    <i>Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa... </i>

    The hail summoned by Ye-Jin continued to pour down relentlessly. All the hail avoided Do-Jin and rained down only on the Cult Leader. Do-Jin looked up at the clouds and saw hail pouring down from the clouds. The hail was red, tinged with blood and fire.

    It was a miracle from the Book of Revtions, a powerful and dangerous miracle replication that even clergymenmonly known as high priests were reluctant to use frequently. No, this couldn''t even be called a replication spell. It was a disy of a miracle that hadn¡¯t happened yet in this world.

    "..."

    The hail poured down toward the Cult Leader and piled up. A mountain made of red hail had formed where the Cult Leader had been, burying the Cult Leader deep inside the pile of hail.

    The hail, which had been pouring down fiercely, came to a stop. Even after the hail stopped and the clouds disappeared, the red hail that buried the Cult Leader remained unchanged.

    Do-Jin and Ye-Jin silently looked at the mountain made of hail. The surroundings were quiet. The silence that came suddenly after the hail poured down was even deeper than before.

    Ye-Jin had been trembling from the aftermath of using the miracle from the Book of Revtions, and she suddenly copsed. Her head hurt, and she struggled to breathe. A strange sensation overwhelmed her. Was it drowsiness or dizziness? Her eyes kept closing shut. Nevertheless, Ye-Jin somehow managed to keep her eyes open, and continued to stare at the mountain made of hail. The Cult Leader buried in the hail showed no signs of movement.

    Ye-Jin smiled. "...We did it!"

    <i>Thud. </i>

    As soon as she said those words, an ominous sound echoed through the ground.

    <i>Fwoosh! </i>

    Along with that, a massive fireball fell from the sky.

    The fireball engulfed the mountain of hail that covered the Cult Leader. The hail burned, turning into ck ash, melting in an instant. Amidst the distant smoke, ashes, and the dancing waves of red and massive mes, someone holding a staff emerged from the inferno.

    The Cult Leader emerged through the fire. The mes had only consumed the hail. There were no burn marks on the Cult Leader''s staff, mask, or poncho. The Cult Leader walked confidently toward Ye-Jin. The mes that had melted the hail clung to and followed the Cult Leader.

    "..."

    The Cult Leader approached Ye-Jin, staring at her silently for several minutes. It seemed as if he was observing her.

    The heat from the mes that clung to the Cult Leader''s body licked Ye-Jin''s face. Each breath she took felt suffocating as the heat entered her. Her body trembled with fear.

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    Then, blood flowed from under the Cult Leader''s mask and fell to the ground. A dark red circle was engraved on the dirt floor. The Cult Leader turned around and walked back into the forest without doing anything to Ye-Jin. With the staff in hand, he walked with a slightly faltering step.

    Ye-Jin silently looked at the blood spilled by the Cult Leader. She couldn''t wrap her head around what had just happened. Why hadn¡¯t the Cult Leader killed her and Do-Jin? Why did he simply return to the forest? Judging from the bloodshed, the Cult Leader didn''t seem entirely unscathed. Even so, he must have had enough strength to kill Do-Jin and Ye-Jin.

    Yet, the Cult Leader just walked away. Why? No matter how much she thought about it, Ye-Jin couldn''t understand the Cult Leader''s actions.

    "Do-Jin©¤!!" Then, a voice echoed loudly from behind the ranks.

    It was from the direction of the disaster devastated by the snake. Do-Jin took a deep breath. The aftermath of the spell had yet to wear off. After a few seconds of calm, deep breathing, his mind finally cleared up.

    He turned his head toward the direction where he had heard a voice, only to find that John, whom he thought was dead, was alive and calling out for him. Furthermore, behind John, there were dozens of crusaders lined up and walking toward him. It seemed that John had called for reinforcements.

    While the reinforcements were rescuing the fallen crusaders who had been attacked by the snake in the rear ranks, John rushed toward Do-Jin.

    "What happened to the Cult Leader? Did you take care of them, Do-Jin?"

    "...They escaped. No, they slipped out of our hands."

    Strictly speaking, they hadn¡¯t slipped out of his hands. The Cult Leader had let Do-Jin and Ye-Jin go. John nodded and looked at Do-Jin, respect apparent in his gaze.

    Feeling guilty for receiving such a gaze, Do-Jin lowered his head and said, "How did you call for reinforcements? There was a snake in the rear..."

    "That snake was just its shed skin."

    "What?"

    "Right after it subdued the entire rifle squad, the snake shed its skin and returned to the Cult Leader," John said, bowing his head down. "...The crusaders in the front ranks went into the forest themselves because they were afraid of the snake''s skin."

    Do-Jin lowered his gaze to the ground. The Cult Leader summoned the snake using his staff and used it to subdue the rifle squad in the rear ranks. They left the snake skin behind. The crusaders in the front ranks were oblivious to this. Believing that they couldn''t retreat as long as the snake was in the rear, the crusaders had advanced into the forest.

    All of that had been part of the Cult Leader''s scheme to lure the crusaders into the forest.

    John looked up, still gazing at the dense forest. "What happened to the crusaders who went into the forest? Did anyonee out?"

    "No, not a single person."

    Do-Jin shook his head.

    "Then we have no choice but to go in with reinforcements and search..."

    <i> Swoosh! </i>

    That was when it happened. A strong wind blew. The forest created by the Cult Leader swayed in the wind. The once massive tree roots and leaves shrunk as they fluttered in the wind. The forest that the Cult Leader created instantly disappeared just as quickly.

    In ce of the vanished forest, dozens of eerie sculptures remained. John, Do-Jin, Ye-Jin, and all the crusaders present stared at the eerie sculptures.

    "Ah, uh, ah..."

    "I repent, I repent, I repent..."

    "It''s my fault. It''s my fault, my fault. My..."

    All the crusaders who had entered the forest were trapped in thin nt stems in the shape of a cross. Wrapped around the nt stem, unable to move, they mumbled iprehensibly.

    Some recited prayers, while others repeated a verse from the Holy Book over and over. Some shed tears, and some drooled.

    "... "

    The murmurs and whispers of the crusaders spread through the wind, scattering in all directions.

 Chapter 239

    <h4>Chapter 239</h4>

    I returned to the mercenary corps and met Yuk Eun-Hyung and his members. They had lit a fire in the pit and were burning something. It seemed like they were burning the mercenaries¡¯ dead bodies.

    I approached and saw the burning bodies. Dark and acrid smoke floated into the sky. The clear midday sky started to turn dark.

    [How do you feel?]

    I turned my head toward a voiceing from somewhere. Baron Samedi was squatting and smoking his cigar among the members surrounding the pit.

    The dark smoke from the pit mixed with the smokeing from Baron Samedi''s cigar. Baron Samedi stood up, approached me, and stood next to me.

    [Are you sad or angry?]

    "..."

    I couldn''t answer his question.

    Perhaps they didn''t have to die. If only Yuk Eun-Hyung had reported back to me on time. If only I had been interested in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, the Gyeongsang faction. If only I had probed more about why Ji-Ah had wanted to go to the Gyeongsang faction. If anyone had made the right choice even once, we would have been able to save so many lives. These thoughts kept lingering in my head. However, it waspletely different from sadness or anger.

    My mind was in turmoil, and I felt regretful, but it wasn¡¯t because of their deaths. It was because I regretted the decisions I had made.

    I silently looked down at the bodies burning in the pit. I didn''t take off my mask. I couldn''t tell what expression was on my face.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung approached as the embers burning the bodies dwindled, and the ck smoke gradually dissipated.

    "Cult Leader, I..." he started.

    It seemed like he had something to say.

    I nodded. "Were you going to tell me that you killed one of the crusaders?"

    Yuk Eun-Hyung remained silent and closed his mouth. I knew that Yuk Eun-Hyung had killed one of the escaped crusaders. I had deliberately let them go in order to test Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    Would he kill the fleeing crusader or spare him? And if he did kill them, would he hide the fact from me or report it? I wanted to know.

    "I couldn''t control my emotions and killed him. I will pay for my wrongdoing."

    "Do you regret killing him?"

    "I have no regrets," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    I nodded. "What did you do with the body?"

    "I burned it and scattered the ashes in the sea."

    "Then it will be treated as a disappearance."

    I fought battles while being careful not to have any casualties. Only a few were left in a state no different from death, but I had never killed anyone with my own hands. I didn''t want to give the Romanican Church a reason to retaliate. But if it was a disappearance and not a death, there wouldn¡¯t be a problem.

    ''A crusader from the Holy See went missing after running away from the Voodoo Cult Leader.''

    That wasn¡¯t a story that the Holy See could proudly boast about. They might even want to desperately hide the fact to prevent public sentiment toward the crusaders from drastically worsening.

    "Then it''s fine. One missing person won''t hurt."

    "...We will make sure that the Voodoo Cult and the Cult Leader are not harmed. Not even a bit," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    Saying that he wouldn¡¯t inflict any harm on the Voodoo Cult or me was the equivalent of dering that Yuk Eun-Hyung was prepared to endure any sacrifice. I sensed strong determination in his eyes. I couldn''t understand why Yuk Eun-Hyung was so devoted to the Voodoo Cult.

    ¡°...¡±

    I nodded and remained silent.

    During the battle, I encountered Do-Jin and Ye-Jin. It was weird to see their faces outside of school. No, it wasn''t because we weren¡¯t at school. It was because their expressions contained wrath and fear when they looked at me. It felt strange to see their expressions as they viewed me as the Cult Leader and not as a Florence Academy student.

    Even though I had the opportunity to attack Do-Jin and Ye-Jin, I hesitated to do so. Without inflicting any harm on Ye-Jin, I had simply turned away. They were enemies to me as the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult, but I couldn''t think of them as my foes. Yuk Eun-Hyung had sumbed to emotions and killed crusaders, and I couldn''tpletely subdue Do-Jin and Ye-Jin due to my feelings. Therefore, I had no right to me Yuk Eun-Hyung. I couldn''t ask others to do what I couldn''t do myself.

    "Bury them."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung instructed the members after the fire in the pit was extinguished. They nodded and headed somewhere.

    When they returned, they were holding shovels. Their faces were stern, yet there was no sign of sadness. It looked like they were ustomed to the deaths of theirrades.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    At that time, the staff I was holding moved on its own and struck the ground.

    Along with the sound, the ground started to tremble. Members who had gathered around the pit with shovels fell over. Yuk Eun-Hyung managed to keep his bnce and looked at me.

    "Cult Leader...?"

    ¡°...¡±

    The mercenaries who had luckily caught their bnce looked at me in astonishment or fear.

    The staff let out a purple glow. I could feel Voodoo magic being sapped from my body.

    I tried to let go of the staff, but it wouldn''t budge. It felt like the staff had be a part of my body. The staff continued to absorb my Voodoo magic and emitted a purple light.

    <i>Thud-!</i>

    Once again, the staff struck the ground. This time, the wind blew. Under the pit, the bodies of the members had turned into handfuls of ashes and were scattered by the wind. The ck ashes fluttered in the air, mixed with the wind, turning into a purple mist.

    <i>Ssshh...</i>

    The mist enveloped the staff. The purple glow and mist merged into one. A mysterious purple mass formed at the end of the staff. The staff absorbed the mass. As soon as it did, I felt the Voodoo magic that had escaped returning to fill my body even more than it was before.

    ¡°...¡±

    I was reminded of a story of a Cult Leader who had wielded the Staff of Reversal in the distant past. The Cult Leader had wielded the Staff of Reversal and cast a restoration spell, turning all the followers into ashes before perishing themselves. I had dismissed it, thinking it was just a legend, a myth.

    Maybe it was a true story.

    ***

    "So, you¡¯re saying a snake appeared?"

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    Joseph listened to the report from his subordinate.

    The Crusader Order that had gone to suppress Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps had suddenly suffered defeat at the hands of the Cult Leader who appeared out of nowhere.

    The most interesting story was about the ''snake.'' The staff thrown by the Cult Leader had suddenly turned into a snake and subdued the entire rear of the crusader ranks.

    Joseph wanted to ask more about the snake but had something else to ask first.

    "I had sent Ye-Jin instead of going there myself. Is she okay?¡±

    "Priest Ye-Jin seems to be fine. However, crusader Do-Jin is at the hospital due to their injuries."

    "Crusader Do-Jin? Do-Jin... Ah, that friend I saw back then."

    Joseph recalled Do-Jin''s face that he saw at the sacred training ground during his previous visit to F.A. because he had business with Sun-Woo. He remembered the clean-cut, handsome appearance, the agile physique, and the sword he carried around his waist.

    Joseph nodded his head and continued. "Had they gone there to pay Do-Jin a visit at the hospital?"

    "Yes, that''s correct."

    "Understandable, considering the Cult Leader was there. What were the casualties?" Joseph asked.

    The subordinate hesitated to speak for a moment, but seeing Joseph''s eyes narrowing gradually, he opened his mouth, sweating coldly. "....There are no fatalities. One missing person and several others were injured. That''s all."

    "Oh... have they found the missing person, or are they still searching?"

    There was testimony that the missing crusader was seen abandoning their weapons and fleeing during the battle, raising the possibility that they might have defected to the Voodoo Cult."

    "Anyway, it''s fortunate that no one has died. Any other unusual incidents?"

    The subordinate pulled out his phone from his pocket and nced at it briefly before speaking. "Half of the Crusader Order members who participated in the battle showed symptoms of delirium and are currently undergoing treatment, while the other half have all resigned from their positions."

    "I spoke too soon. This is more serious than death," Joseph said with a wry smile.

    It would have been better if there had been casualties. The casualties would have allowed them to stir public opinion against the Voodoo Cult and could have been used as a pretext for the Second Holy War.

    But symptoms of delirium and resignations of the crusaders? Delirium was probably caused by the Cult Leader''s Voodoo spells. However, ordinary people who didn¡¯t know much about spells would likely think that the crusaders were driven mad from the mere fear of seeing the Cult Leader. The crusaders¡¯ reputation would plummet, and the public would no longer trust the Crusader Order.

    Although the Crusader Order had eliminated the mercenary corps members, since the Voodoo Cult hadn¡¯t killed any members of the Crusader Order, there could have been a formation of a pro-Voodoo Cult sentiment.

    "I was right. We rushed it."

    Joseph had a very negative stance on this suppression operation. This was not the time to spend on fighting or waste resources on suppressing the Voodoo Cult or its affiliated mercenary corps. Instead, they should focus on eradicating Satanists. Although things had certainly not gone well, Joseph still felt a sense of satisfaction in the fact that his judgment was correct.

    Moreover, Joseph was a member of the Pdin Order. It was the Crusader Order that suffered, not the Pdin Order.

    "Hmm... A snake, you say..." Joseph muttered as he tapped his armrest with his fingers.

    He leaned back against the chair. On the ceiling, there were snake-like¡ªno, worm-like patterns. Snake, snake. Joseph kept muttering to himself. Something wasing to mind.

    "...That''s right."

    The F.A. practical exam. The day the demon had appeared. Jin-Seo had been under attack by the demon when suddenly, a snake emerged from the ground and fought off the demon in her ce. Thanks to that, Jin-Seo survived.

    In this recent suppression operation, the Cult Leader had summoned a snake to subdue the crusaders. So, wouldn''t it be unreasonable to think that the one who saved Jin-Seo at the examination site was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult? But why had they saved her?

    The mission trip. There was testimony that the viins who raided the museum had gestured to release Jin-Seo. And then the Voodoo Cult appeared and saved them.

    Perhaps the Voodoo Cult''s Cult Leader was trying to save Jin-Seo, not Sun-Woo. Both the Voodoo Cult and the Satanists seem to have their sights set on Jin-Seo for reasons unknown.

    Jin-Seo seemed to have a good rtionship with Sun-Woo, but could this be connected to Sun-Woo too?

    "...it would be easier to assume there is a connection."

    Joseph found it hard to dismiss the perfect fit as a coincidence. He believed there must be some kind of rtionship between Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo, the Voodoo Cult, and the Satanists. Proceeding under these assumptions would be the best course of action.

    "Is Sun-Woo''s phone still under surveince?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "Any unusual activities?" Joseph asked.

    His subordinate nced at the phone once again before speaking. "Other than frequent contact with Sung Yu-Da''s daughter, Ha-Yeon, and several others, there are no other unusual activities."

    "What about the contents... No, I''ll check it myself."

    Joseph got up from his seat and moved to another room. It was a dark room with dozens of monitors set up. There, he checked the tapped records of Sun-Woo''s phone. Most of hismunications had been with Ha-Yeon through messages or calls. In addition, there were asional messages from F.A. students, but Sun-Woo rarely replied.

    Joseph scrutinized the tapped records focusing on themunication with Ha-Yeon. He read the message contents and listened to the recorded phone calls. There was nothing significant. Most of themunication was about setting up meetings with Ha-Yeon.

    They used some cryptic words asionally, sending messages that would have seemed suspicious to anyone listening. No, the words <i>appeared </i>to be suspicious.

    Joseph''s expression hardened. "It''s like they''re daring us."

    They were tantly provoking them. This was Sun-Woo¡¯s way of saying: ¡®<i>There are many suspicious things about the members of the purification n.</i>''

    Sun-Woo knew that his phone was being tapped. That was why he was doing such audacious things to make Joseph investigate the members of the purification n.

    "...What a cute and mischievous guy," Joseph muttered with a bitter smile.

    His intentions were too obvious. Although it was tant, he couldn''t just ignore it.

 Chapter 240

    <h4>Chapter 240</h4>

    "It''s okay."

    "..."

    "It''s okay, so tell them not to be scared," I said as I approached Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    The purple glow near the staff was still shimmering.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung took a step back as he let out a cold sweat. I didn¡¯t want to read his expression, but the emotions disyed on his face were too vivid to ignore.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was clearly afraid of me. I tightly gripped the staff.

    "Quickly."

    "Understood. What will the Cult Leader¡ª"

    "I will return tomorrow morning. I''ll be resting in the tent until then," I said, then quickly entered the empty tent as if escaping.

    I was out of breath. I was hungry and thirsty.

    The tent was stuffy with the heat of the summer sunlight, making the air stifling. There was no food or water avable. I wanted to ask for some food and water by going out, but I couldn''t leave. I was afraid of facing their fearful expressions.

    ¡°Please stay still...¡±

    The staff trembled. I couldn''t tell if my hand clutching the staff was shaking or if the staff itself was shaking. Whichever it was, I told it to stop shaking.

    By the time the trembling subsided, my chest felt tight, so I breathed in and out deeply. I couldn¡¯t breathe well. Perhaps it was because my throat was dry, or because of thirst or hunger, or maybe it was just because the air was heavy. Now that I thought about it, I still had my mask on.

    <i>Snap.</i>

    I took off the mask. Blood had dried up and hardened on the inside of the mask. The dried blood stuck to my face, making it sticky.

    I wiped the dried blood off my face with my bare hands. My face stung. Finally, breathing became a little easier. When I patted my hair a few times, dirt and dust fell out.

    I held the staff in my arms andid down while curled up. Exhaustion overwhelmed me.

    [You look tired.]

    "Long time no see, Legba," I replied with my eyes closed.

    For a moment, Legba''s figure appeared and disappeared in the darkness.

    [There were other methods you could have chosen, but you happened to choose the most burdensome way by abusing a staff that you don''t even know how to use properly.]

    "Because it was shy."

    [The problem was that it was unnecessarily shy.]

    "It wasn¡¯t entirely unnecessary. A warning has to be shy to leave asting impression.¡±

    [You should have thought about your own body as well. I thought you were trying to kill yourself.]

    "No way."

    I tossed and turned, tired but unable to sleep. I heard voices outside the tent. It sounded like Yuk Eun-Hyung and the members of the mercenary corps were talking.

    I closed my eyes and listened to them. I didn''t know what they were talking about, but the atmosphere seemed quite lively.

    It was different from when the staff hit the ground on its own and when everyone had been afraid of me.

    "...I¡¯ve never tried to kill myself. I¡¯ve never thought about wanting to die," I said, not wanting to hear any more of the conversation outside the tent.

    [But then why do you always choose to do the things that will get you killed? I don¡¯t understand.]

    ¡°Because I keep thinking that if I did that much, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem even if I died.¡±

    [Do you often have such thoughts?] Legba asked.

    I couldn''t understand why he was suddenly asking about this. He had never asked me such a question before.

    "Not often, but asionally."

    [asionally.]

    "No, not asionally, but sometimes?"

    I hesitated for a moment and then continued, "What do you think is the difference between asionally and sometimes?"

    [You must be feeling rxed right now to be wondering about such pointless things.]

    "I suppose so," I quickly agreed.

    In fact, I was so tired that I blurted out whatever came to mind.

    And then I fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, it was nighttime. The outside, which had been buzzing with the voices of Yuk Eun-Hyung and the members of the mercenary corps, was now quiet.

    I stepped out of the tent and took in the slightly cool air of thete summer night. In the deep silence, I could faintly hear the sound of waves. The night sky was filled with stars which hung low as if they could fall at any moment.

    I gazed at the night sky for a while. Then I grabbed my staff, poncho, and mask and headed toward the beach.

    "Damba," I said.

    [What a shame. I wanted to rest a little longer. Do we have to go back right now?]

    "Yes."

    I had to go back immediately. Hearing me speak firmly, Damba clicked her tongue as if slightly displeased.

    Soon, scales appeared on the staff that I was holding, and then the staff transformed into the shape of a giant snake. Damba bowed her head and showed me her forehead. I climbed on top of it.

    She wriggled her body from side to side, navigating through the waves and crossing the sea. Since I didn''t call for Bade, the waves were weak, and Damba seemed tired, so her speed was much slower.

    But it was okay. Now was the time to rx, considering all the urgent matters were finished.

    All the urgent matters? I guess it wasn¡¯t <i>all</i> the urgent matters, but still...

    "Huh?"

    At that moment, Damba picked up speed. Her body shook roughly from side to side.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    A water droplet hit my poncho. I tightly held onto the scales. However, no matter how hard I held on, I couldn''t maintain my bnce.

    With only my hand holding onto Damba''s scales, my body floated in mid-air and shook back and forth. I tried to say something to Damba, but she was moving her body so violently that I couldn''t say anything. If I opened my mouth, seawater would enter.

    "Uh, Damba©¤!"

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    Just as I was about to say something, Damba''s body tilted. I ended up letting go of the scales, and I fell into the sea.

    I was bewildered and confused. Did Damba betray me? Why? Was it because I didn''t listen to her? Or because I had handled her too roughly during this battle? I couldn''t understand. I felt my body sinking endlessly. The sea at night was so dark that I couldn''t see anything. I could only see faint, hazy particles floating around.

    I held my breath and struggled. But the more I thrashed, the poncho I wore became more entangled around me. Eventually, I could no longer struggle because of the poncho.

    "..."

    I couldn''t do anything except sink. As I became ustomed to sinking, I didn''t even notice the sensation anymore. It just felt like I was just lying on a very soft bed. It was cozy andfortable.

    [Kid.]

    Suddenly, I heard Damba''s voice, and I wasn¡¯t sinking anymore.

    At some point, Damba had entered the sea and grabbed hold of me. Damba¡¯s yellow eyes glowed in the darkness as she gazed at me.

    Her eyes looked like two giant moons rising in the night sky.

    [Grab on to me. And breathe.]

    I grabbed onto Damba''s scales, and I climbed back onto her body.

    I took a breath. Even though I was underwater, I could still breathe. However, I was not used to breathing underwater, so it felt a bit suffocating.

    At first, I couldn¡¯t see anything in the sea because it had been pitch ck, but it gradually became brighter. Countless creatures hiding in the darkness of the sea revealed themselves. I could see a school of fast-swimming fish. I could also see sand marks and colorful corals shimmering along the waves.

    Damba took me deeper into the sea. Large and small fish gathered to form numerous clusters. The sight of a giant whale slowly swimming through the water appeared. The whale was so huge that it was awe-inspiring. All the creatures in the sea seemed to be moving somewhere. I couldn''t tell where they were heading. At first nce, it seemed like they were circling the same ce.

    [You have nothing to fear,] Damba said. [Isn''t everyone here on your side?]

    Numerous schools of fish revolved around a giant whale. All those creatures, whether they were cute, scary, or even strangely shaped, drifted with the currents.

    All of them began to follow me. They wrapped around me and Damba, swimming alongside us as if they were our escorts. Among the many creatures following us, a mysterious being appeared. It was a mermaid. Her lower half resembled a fish, while her upper half resembled a human. The mermaid''s long locks of hair swayed in the sea. The scales covering her lower half shimmered like jewels¡ªbeautiful and enchanting.

    She was the Loa of the Sea, La Sirene.

    "..."

    La Sirene said something to me underwater, but I couldn''t hear her. I couldn¡¯t tell what she was trying to say to me, but when she finished speaking, she looked at me and smiled softly. I had never seen such a beautiful smile before, and it seemed like I wouldn''t be able to see something like that again in the future.

    I rode on Damba, swimming through the sea with countless fish, whales, and La Sirene. I took a deep breath and exhaled. It was such a refreshing and invigorating breath.

    When I regained my senses, I found myself on the beach. Damba was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the staff was lying on the beach as if it had been washed ashore by the waves. As the sun pushed away the darkness, it revealed its presence above the horizon. I could hear the sound of the waves crashing. It felt as if everything I had experienced earlier was a dream.

    But it wasn''t a dream. I could tell because my body was soaked and heavy with seawater.

    I dragged myself along the beach and picked up the staff that had been cast ashore. For a moment, I stood on the beach and listened to the sound of the waves.

    "Sun-Woo©¤!"

    At that moment, someone called out to me. I turned my head. In the distance, my uncle was driving toward me, waving his hand.

    * * *

    "Did everything work out well?" my uncle asked as he drove.

    I didn''t nod or shake my head.

    "I didn¡¯t exactly work out well. It just turned out alright..."

    "If you came back in one piece, then it turned out well.¡±

    "That''s one way to think about it. By the way, how is Ji-Ah?"

    "She was a bit shaken for half a day, but after sleeping and waking up, she''s fine, thankfully."

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief."

    I nodded and lowered the car window. I had discarded the poncho and changed my clothes before getting in the car, but my hair was still wet from the seawater. I nned on drying my hair with the wind.

    Afterpletely drying my hair, I smoothed it out with my hands. The ends of my hair were stiff, perhaps because of the salt.

    "Uncle, do I ever scare you?" I asked as I closed the window.

    "What nonsense is this?"

    "Because of my spells or powers or anything like that."

    My uncle tilted his head. "Ah, that¡¯s what you were talking about? Well, not really?"

    He smirked at me and said, "Right now, you should be scared of me. If I just turn the steering wheel, you''ll die instantly."

    "But then won¡¯t you also die too, Uncle?¡±

    "No, I''m wearing a seat belt."

    "I see."

    <i>Click. </i>I finally fastened my seat belt.

    When I returned to the underground chapel, the first person I saw was Soo-Yeong.

    "Soo-Yeong, you..."

    "Huh, what is it?"

    "...Never mind."

    I stopped myself from asking Soo-Yeong the same question I had asked my uncle. There would be no point in asking.

    "Why did you stop midway through your sentence? What is it?" Soo-Yeong snapped in an irritated tone.

    I kept my mouth shut and went into my room. Soo-Yeong tried toe into the room, so I locked the door. I could hear the sound of her trying to twist the door handle forcefully and then the sound of her voice.

    Yeah, there was no way she was afraid of me.

    There was no need to think about this anymore.

 Chapter 241

    <h4>Chapter 241</h4>

    With the staff in hand, I entered the room that Yoon-Ah was in. She was sleeping in a curled-up position, and her back rose and fell rhythmically.

    In the past, Yoon-Ah didn¡¯t sleep. Instead, she would stare into space for days with a nk expression. That was how zombies like Yoon-Ah rested. However, right now, she was peacefully resting, just like everyone else. It meant that her condition was slightly improving.

    I unleashed Voodoo magic, and the staff greedily absorbed the Voodoo magic without asking for my permission. The staff¡¯s tip began to glow purple.

    I drew a spell array. It was the reverse enthrallment spell for the curse of intoxication. Mist poured out from the spell array and enveloped Yoon-Ah. Her body trembled slightly.

    It looked like she was about to wake up, but she tossed and turned a bit before continuing to sleep. I looked between Yoon-Ah, who was sleeping, and the staff.

    "...It¡¯s behaving well."

    The staff was behaving differently. In the past, it would whimsically use strange spells at the drop of a hat. The drawbacks had been so strong that I had to be prepared to spew copious amounts of blood whenever I used the reverse spell technique.

    Now, not only was I able to cast the exact spells that I wanted to cast, but there were also almost no drawbacks. I only felt a small amount of dizziness. I think I knew the reason why this was the case. Back when I was burning the corpses of the mercenaries from Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, the staff had absorbed the ashes of the corpses on its own.

    Ever since then, the staff stopped being whimsical. Perhaps I was just imagining it, but it also felt like the concentration of Voodoo magic power had increased.

    <i>Creak...</i>

    When I turned my head to the sound of the door opening, I saw Soo-Yeong peering into the room through the slightly ajar door. Soo-Yeong gazed intently at Yoon-Ah, who was sleeping with her brows furrowed.

    "What are you doing?"

    ¡°...That thing... I think that thing is acting,¡± Soo-Yeong said abruptly.

    I couldn¡¯t understand what she wanted to say. I tilted my head.

    "Acting? Acting like what?"

    "She¡¯s acting like she¡¯s not fine when she¡¯s actually fine.¡±

    ¡°What kind of nonsense is that...? Then why am I here doing all this?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she only know how to say <i>be quiet</i>?¡± Soo-Yeong asked.

    Yoon-Ah''snguage skills hadn''t fully returned yet, so she kept repeating, ¡®be quiet.¡¯ I had never heard her say anything else.

    Seeing me nod, Soo-Yeong red at Yoon-Ah and said, ¡°But when you¡¯re not here... Oh!¡±

    Soo-Yeong stopped talking, and her eyes widened. She was looking at Yoon-Ah. When I turned around, I realized that Yoon-Ah had woken up.

    She looked at Soo-Yeong with half-opened eyes. Soo-Yeong pointed at Yoon-Ah and said, "Look at that! As soon as I started talking about her, she woke up. Isn¡¯t shepletely fine?¡±

    "..."

    I stared at Yoon-Ah. She silently got out of bed and was now crouching down on the spot. She had her knees gathered together and was resting her chin on top while silently looking at me.

    I peered into her brown eyes and detected a small but clear brightness within them. Her eyes resembled In-Ah¡¯s so much that I was once again surprised.

    Yoon-Ah just continued to stare at me in that state without saying a word. I couldn''t help but chuckle. Soo-Yeong''s cautiousness toward the seemingly harmless Yoon-Ah was amusing.

    "She probably woke up because we were being noisy."

    "Ah, I''m telling you, that''s not it! Do you know what she said when you weren''t here? She said©¤"

    "Be quiet!" Yoon-Ah said.

    Her voice was quite loud. Soo-Yeong jumped back in surprise.

    Iughed at the sight. ¡°She¡¯s telling you to be quiet.¡±

    "...Ah, damn it. Just wait and see. The truth will be revealed someday!" Soo-Yeong shouted before closing the door.

    <i>m! </i>

    Her words were not directed at me but at Yoon-Ah. Yoon-Ah slowly blinked her eyes while looking at me and then yawned. I raised my staff, unleashed Voodoo magic, and drew a spell array.

    Once again, the staff did not show any capriciousness. Not only was it not capricious, but the power of the reverse spell technique was growing stronger over time.

    It must have been because I had offered the deceased mercenary corps members'' bodies as sacrifices to the staff. It had be stronger and more obedient after consuming the bodies.

    It bothered me a little that their deaths and sacrifices were being used for me, the Cult Leader.

    "..."

    No, now was not the time to think about such things. I just had to focus on healing Yoon-Ah at the moment.

    Yoon-Ah''s condition was improving day by day, and the staff was now obediently listening to mymands. It was only a matter of time until Yoon-Ah would recover. The day when In-Ah and Yoon-Ah would meet was not far away.

    <i> </i> *

    "It withered...."

    I had to go to school because it was the exam period. Before going to school, I stopped by the dormitory early in the morning and found that the flower that had been growing had withered.

    I touched the leaves with my hand. It didn''t seempletely dead yet, but it seemed like it would die soon. Seeing the nt that hadn''t even bloomed yet all withered made my heart ache.

    Come to think of it, I had forgotten to water the flower because I had been too concerned about Yoon-Ah. I quickly brought water and sprinkled it in the pot.

    I didn¡¯t know if this would revive the flower. I heard a sniffle in my head. It was Granbwa.

    [Poor thing.... It met the wrong owner....]

    Feeling a bit hurt, I replied, ¡°...There''s no need to say it like that. I had my reasons."

    It was true that I neglected to take care of the flower because I had many other things to worry about. From the flower''s perspective, it had met the wrong owner. It wasn¡¯t wrong, but...

    I didn¡¯t know. Anyway, I felt bad. I wondered if I felt this way because Granbwa had scolded me or because the flower had withered.

    I roughly cleaned my dormitory and went to school. On the way, I noticed students making their way there too. Some were still wearing their summer uniforms, but most were dressed in their spring uniforms. I hadn¡¯t realized it had gotten cold, so I came to school wearing casual clothes. It didn¡¯t really matter though because I wasn¡¯t really cold.

    At that moment, I smelled cigarette smoke.

    [Long time no see.]

    "..."

    Baron Samedi was walking beside me. He casually exhaled smoke on the pathway.

    The smoke reached the students behind me. However, the students just kept walking as if nothing happened. To them, neither Baron Samedi nor the smoke he exhaled were visible.

    [Listen to me without responding. I guess you were probably thinking of doing so anyway.]

    I didn¡¯t look at Baron Samedi. Instead, I just looked ahead as I walked. My lips were firmly shut. Just like Baron Samedi had said, I intended to listen to what he was saying without responding.

    Baron Samedi exhaled a mouthful of smoke and said, [Regardless of your will, you will be entangled in an unnecessary event. Make sure to resolve it well. This is an event that was predetermined by causation. This time, it''s not a prophecy or a warning.]

    "..."

    [To be frank, this is me being worried for you. Well... as long as you handle it well, there won''t be any big problems. You might get caught up in rumors, though.]

    I unconsciously ended up turning my head toward Baron Samedi. I never expected the word ¡®worried¡¯ toe out of Baron Samedi¡¯s mouth. However, Baron Samedi had already turned into purple smoke, flying away in the wind. It looked like he was embarrassed.

    I entered the ssroom. While I was in the hallway, I heard the students talking, so I thought it would be noisy, but when I actually went in, it was dead silent. Perhaps the ssroom had gone silent because of my entrance. The reason I suspected this was because all the students were looking at me.

    "...So, anyway¡ª"

    But the silence was only temporary. The students only nced at me briefly before they once again continued their conversations. The ssroom quickly became noisy.

    I was grateful that the students didn¡¯t pay too much attention to me. I sat down and admired the view of the ssroom. It all felt unfamiliar to me. The ssroom was noisy enough to make ears feel stuffy, and the students wereughing and chatting for whatever reason. The windows were tightly closed, and there were a few empty seats.

    Everything felt strange and awkward because it had been so long. While looking around, I spotted In-Ah. She was sleeping with her head on her desk. I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to tell her that I hade to school as promised. But she was sleeping so soundly that I didn¡¯t want to disturb her. It wasn¡¯t such an important message that I needed to go so far as to wake her up in order to tell her.

    At that moment, someone''s words caught my ear.

    "Right, they say that the Voodoo Cult did that, right?"

    I clearly heard them mention the Voodoo Cult. However, I couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly who had said it.

    I didn¡¯t know exactly why, but my heart started beating really fast when I heard those words. I focused on regting my breathing, and my heartbeat soon calmed down. I then began to search for the group talking about the Voodoo Cult.

    "Do you know that kid from the ss of Humility who hangs out with Yu-Hyun?"

    "Oh, yeah. I know him. Wasn¡¯t his father a crusader? It¡¯s that guy, right?¡±

    "Yup. His father went to suppress the mercenary corps, and then...¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that why he didn¡¯te today?¡±

    "Apparently, the Crusader Order they belonged to disbanded. Well, they say that even the remaining people all resigned afterward...¡±

    It was easy to find the group. However, it wasn¡¯t just a single group of people discussing the Voodoo Cult. It wasn¡¯t every group, but arge number of groups were talking about the Voodoo Cult.

    They talked about the operation to suppress the mercenary corps and the crusaders who went crazy during the operation. They also talked about the Cult Leader who appeared at that time, and the Crusader Order that disbanded.

    I heard someone say that one of the crusaders who went crazy was the father of a ss of Humility student and was close with Yu-Hyun. They said that the student hadn''t been to school for several days. There were rumors that he was taking care of his father, and there were also rumors that he was so shocked that he was in a state where he couldn''t go to school.

    "What should I do? I feel so sorry¡ª"

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Someone forcefully opened the door and entered the ssroom. His golden hair, which had grown longer, swayed as he confidently approached me.

    The students who had been talking looked at Yu-Hyun with wide eyes. Yu-Hyun shoved his face right in front of me as if provoking me into a fight and revealed his characteristically unpleasant smile.

    "So you really came, Sun-Woo."

    "..."

    "Come out."

    The ssroom was silent. Everyone was staring at Yu-Hyun and me. Due to Yu-Hyun suddenly popping out of nowhere and stirring up an unnecessarymotion, I had the urge to punch him in the face. However, with so many eyes watching, I couldn''t resort to violence, so I stood up from my seat. I followed Yu-Hyun out of the ssroom.

    He guided me to the hallway and then suddenly grabbed my cor.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    "...Why are you suddenly acting all batshit?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    "You were the one who acted batshit first," I replied.

    Yu-Hyun stared straight into my eyes and said, "What are you even trying to do? If you were going to kill them, then just kill them. If you were going to let them live, just let them live... Is this a deration of war? You wanted to go to war so much that you went insane?¡±

    "..."

    He was talking about the mercenary corps attacking the Crusader Order.

    I was bbergasted and curious about what Yu-Hyun would say next, so I stayed quiet.

    Yu-Hyun grabbed my cor with trembling hands and said, "And do you even intend to hide your identity? A snake, nts, and the wind? You make it so obvious. If you continue like this, it''s only a matter of time before the Holy See finds you."

    "I don''t understand why you''re worried about my identity being exposed. And..."

    I grabbed Yu-Hyun''s wrist, which was holding onto my cor.

    "Where did you learn the habit of grabbing someone''s cor out of nowhere? Did your father do this to your mother?"

    "What? This bastard...!"

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Yu-Hyun clenched his fist and struck me in the face. After getting hit, I fell to the ground.

    I couldn¡¯t tell how hard I had been hit because it didn¡¯t hurt.

    <i>Spit.</i>

    When I spat out saliva, a mixture of spit and blood came out. It appeared as if I had bit the inside of my mouth. It felt strange that there was arge amount of blood but no pain.

    Suddenly, Baron Samedi''s words came to mind, especially his warning about being entangled in an unnecessary event against my will. He was most likely referring to the situation I was in right now.

    I looked up at Yu-Hyun with a smile and said, "Did you get your home education beaten into you? You punch well."

    "This bastard is still...!"

    "Bossou."

    When Yu-Hyun raised his fist, I called out to Bossou.

 Chapter 242

    <h4>Chapter 242</h4>

    <i>¡®As long as you handle it well, there won''t be any big problems. You might get caught up in rumors, though.¡¯ </i>

    I recalled the advice Baron Samedi had given me beforeing to school. He had told me that as long as I handled things well, there wouldn¡¯t be any big problems.

    Even after calling Bossou, I didn''t hit Yu-Hyun. Instead, I thought about what would happen if I hit him. Nothing good woulde out of hitting him right now. It might temporarily relieve my anger, but I had to think about the consequences.

    At the very least, I would have to be prepared to receive a penalty point, and there would be rumors about how I beat up Yu-Hyun, which would be a difficult situation for me to deal with. If I didn¡¯t control my strength properly, I could even end up killing Yu-Hyun.

    "Bossou? What are you suddenly saying, you b¡ª"

    <i>Smack! </i>

    I swung my fist, not toward Yu-Hyun, but toward myself. This was the first time I¡¯d taken the brunt of Bossou¡¯s punch.

    My brain bounced around in my head, and my vision spun. My legs wobbled. However, it didn¡¯t hurt at all. I wondered how much harder I would have to hit myself to feel pain.

    "..."

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Yu-Hyun was rendered speechless as he stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. I punched myself in the face again.

    <i>Stter.</i>

    Blood gushed out of my nose. I punched my face a few more times with my fist. My mouth burst open, and blood poured out. The floor was suddenly covered in blood.

    As I approached Yu-Hyun, he stumbled backward. Fear appeared on his face. I looked at my face through the reflection from a window of a dark, empty ssroom. It was covered in blood.

    "What? Are you not going to hit me more?¡± I said while looking at Yu-Hyun.

    My pronunciation was slurred due to the blood in my mouth. Blood stained my shoes, making my steps feel sticky.

    "...You''re insane."

    "Did you figure that out now?"

    <i>Crash! </i>

    I chuckled and shattered the window using my head. It didn''t really hurt, but my head throbbed.

    ss shards poured onto my head. I touched the back of my head with my hand. It was covered in blood.

    It was strange that so much blood came out even though it didn''t hurt at all. Yu-Hyun continued to stare at me with apletely bewildered expression. I could clearly see the fear on his face.

    Suddenly,ughter spilled out of my mouth. It was strange. When Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps were afraid of me, I felt so sad. But now, I couldn¡¯t help butugh.

    "What should I have done differently?" I asked Yu-Hyun.

    He just listened to me without answering.

    "Should I have just scared them a little and let them go?"

    "..."

    ¡°People that were no different from family got hurt, and several mercenaries died.¡±

    It was okay for me to get hurt. I could endure any amount of pain. After all, I could just use a restoration spell to heal myself.

    Thanks to Baron Samedi, who took away my sense of touch as payment for the contract, I didn''t feel any pain from most injuries. Even if I abused the restoration spell and exhausted all my strength, I would recover quickly after sleeping for a few days.

    But I couldn''t bear it when someone close to me got hurt. Even if I used a restoration spell to heal their wounds, the pain remained. When I saw someone close to me getting hurt and in pain, I also felt the pain. It wasn''t a type of pain that would disappear after sleeping for a day or two.

    ¡°What more are you telling me to endure? How are you asking me to endure it?¡±

    Thinking back to that moment, my teeth naturally clenched. The blood that hade out of my head flowed down to my eyes, obscuring my vision. Everything in front of me turned red.

    I wiped the blood away with my hand and looked around. In the distance, someone was approaching me and Yu-Hyun. It was Jin-Seo. Next to her was a petite female student who often apanied her.

    "..."

    The female student, whose name I didn¡¯t know, seemed surprised by my bloody appearance and took a few hesitant steps back. Her face was pale, and her fingertips were trembling.

    Jin-Seo looked between me and Yu-Hyun with an expressionless face. Several more students arrived from behind Jin-Seo. It seemed like the noise of the window breaking had attracted them here.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    As soon as I saw them, I fell to my knees and grabbed Yu-Hyun''s leg. Then, with a wailing voice, I cried out, "Haven¡¯t you hit me enough...? Why are you suddenly doing this?¡±

    There was no need to shed tears. The blood flowing from my head acted as tears.

    <i> </i> *

    Jin-Seo¡¯s encounter with the student had been a coincidence. For the past few weeks, Jin-Seo had been devoted to exercise and training sessions, so she barely studied and attended sses sporadically.

    She was called to the teacher''s office because of her attendance. The teacher exined that she could face disciplinary action if she continued to be absent so frequently.

    Jin-Seo exined that she had been going through various hardships, making it difficult for her toe to school. It wasn''t to the point where she couldn''te to school at all, but it was true that she had been struggling with various things.

    The homeroom teacher nodded with a worried expression.

    "But if you keep being absent like this, due to the rules, it will be difficult for me to avoid giving you disciplinary action. Even if it''s just for a moment, stop by and show your face. Then, I''ll try to handle it somehow as tardiness or an early leave..."

    "Yes, thank you."

    When Jin-Seo finished the counseling session and left the teacher''s office, the student came out of the counseling room next to hers. As soon as the student saw Jin-Seo, she revealed a delighted expression and approached her.

    "What''s up? Why did youe out of the teacher''s office?" the student asked.

    "The homeroom teacher called me over. It was for a counseling session," Jin-Seo replied curtly.

    She didn''t mention the reason for the counseling session because she was embarrassed to say that she had been called in for not attending ss. If she said something like that, there was no doubt that her friends would tease her and call her a delinquent.

    At that moment, she stared at Jin-Seo and asked, "Was the counseling session because of your attendance record?"

    Jin-Seo turned her head toward her friend in surprise.

    "How did you know that?"

    "It''s obvious. You haven''t beening to schooltely, and we¡¯re in the same ss. Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡±

    "Oh, right. We are in the same ss."

    "...Thatment just hurt a little."

    "Well, then get hurt," Jin-Seo said with a slight smile.

    It was a joke. Her ssmate looked at Jin-Seo with a puzzled expression and said, "You don¡¯te to school because you don¡¯t want to, and you get called to the teacher¡¯s office as a result. Isn¡¯t this a textbook example of a delinquent?¡±

    "Hey, I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s a textbook example..."

    "And you smoke cigarettes too."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t think of a response, so she kept her mouth shut. Instead of responding, she red at her ssmate.

    However, her ssmate, far from being scared, seemed to smile confidently. In the past, just a slight re or a nk expression would make her scared and submissive. Buttely, perhaps because Jin-Seo had spent more time together with her, she didn¡¯t seem to get intimidated by most of Jin-Seo¡¯s actions.

    ¡°Look at you, ring at me because you have nothing to say. As I thought, you¡¯re a delinquent.¡±

    "Be quiet. You, you..."

    Jin-Seo wanted to retort in some way but struggled toe up with anything. Although her ssmate was annoying, it wasn¡¯t to the extent that she could swear at her, and she didn¡¯t want to shout at her either. She didn''t know what to say in moments like this. Jin-Seo thought for a moment and decided to say whatever came to mind.

    "You... little toddler."

    "A little toddler? How am I a little toddler?"

    "Because you''re short."

    "I''m not that short, you know? I''m average!"

    "Is the average this short?"

    "You''re just too tall!"

    She had said that remark without much thought, but it seemed to be quite effective. The friend who always talked a lot was on her tippy-toes while raging at her.

    Jin-Seo quietly looked at her and smiled. She used to be annoyed by how the student constantly talked to her, buttely, she didn¡¯t find it annoying. It was somewhat fun to be with her.

    "I envy you, being tall. I... huh?"

    At that moment, her ssmate abruptly stopped talking. A little puzzled, Jin-Seo looked at her.

    Her ssmate was looking somewhere with a pale face. Her hands were trembling, and her eyes showed a clear sense of fear. Jin-Seo turned her gaze to where her friend''s eyes were focused.

    "..."

    It was an unbelievable sight. The hallway was covered in blood. The floor, the walls, everything was covered in blood. One window was shattered, and shards of ss were scattered on the floor.

    Sun-Woo was kneeling on top of all that mess. She couldn¡¯t tell whether he didn¡¯t feel any pain or whether he was in a situation where he wasn¡¯t even able to think about the pain, but he was desperately holding onto Yu-Hyun¡¯s leg. Meanwhile, Yu-Hyun was standing with his fist clenched.

    Sun-Woo''s face was already miserable. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose, and his hair was painted with blood. It seemed like he had hurt his head badly.

    "...What is going on?" Jin-Seo said.

    Upon hearing Jin-Seo''s words, her friend quickly regained her senses and hurriedly dashed toward the teacher''s office.

    "T-Teacher. I''ll call the teacher!" her friend said.

    Jin-Seo approached Sun-Woo and Yu-Hyun. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and she was out of breath. Her vision went white, and her sight narrowed.

    Yu-Hyun looked at Jin-Seo approaching him and said something, but she didn¡¯t hear him at all.

    There was only one thing that she could hear at the moment, and that was Sun-Woo''s desperate voice. There was also only one thing that she could see at the moment, and that was Sun-Woo''s face covered in blood.

    "W-wait just a moment. Hey, listen to me first. This bastard is just putting on a show¡ª"

    <i>Snap! </i>

    "....A-ah, aaaaargh¡ª!"

    Jin-Seo twisted and broke Yu-Hyun''s finger. And then she grabbed his cor.

    Yu-Hyun tried to shake off her hand, but he didn''t have enough strength. Jin-Seo tightened her grip on Yu-Hyun''s cor, exerting even more strength. Then she red fiercely at Yu-Hyun with sharp eyes.

    "What''s going on here?"

    "Argh, fuck. Seriously..." Yu-Hyun muttered, looking down at Sun-Woo.

    He let out a dryugh and continued, "...You really did a good job of gaining her favor. You crazy bastard."

    "Hey, I asked you what''s going on here?" Jin-Seo asked, not even acknowledging Yu-Hyun''s words.

    The sound of her heartbeat continued to grow louder. Eventually, she couldn''t hear anything other than the sound of her heartbeat.

    Jin-Seo turned her head slightly and saw Sun-Woo trembling and kneeling while curled up and covered in blood. The sound of her heartbeat grew even louder.

    Yu-Hyun alternated his gaze between Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo, then suddenly burst intoughter.

    "Ha, hahaha...! Sun-Woo, so you nned this all along, huh? This is seriously giving me the chills... ugh!¡±

    <i>Smack! </i>

    Jin-Seo let go of Yu-Hyun''s cor and kicked him in the stomach. "I asked you what was going on here. I never told you tough."

    The action had been so fast that there had been no time to react. Yu-Hyun wheezed a couple of times and copsed to the ground. Yu-Hyun looked up at Jin-Seo. Her eyes werepletely filled with wrath.

    Looking into her eyes, it was clear that nothing that he said would get through to her. Yu-Hyun nced at Sun-Woo. He was crouched over while secretly smiling.

    He had been wondering why Sun-Woo was inflicting self-harm out of the blue, but now he realized that Sun-Woo must have staged such a show because he didn''t want to dirty his own hands. As the bted realization struck Yu-Hyun, he also felt the chills.

    "What, what are you doing¡ª?!!"

    At that moment, a sharp and angry voice echoed from the other end of the hallway. The female student who came with Jin-Seo had brought a teacher from the teacher''s office.

    The teacher approached with a flushed face. The student who always talked a lot followed closely behind the teacher.

    Yu-Hyun looked at the teacher''s face. It was a familiar face for some reason.

    It was Ye-Jin. She was known to have quit her teaching job and to be working under Joseph, so he couldn''t understand why she was here. In any case, it wasn''t a good thing. In fact, from Yu-Hyun''s perspective, the situation was unfolding in the worst possible way.

    "Ah... fuck, seriously."

    It was because Ye-Jin was one of the teachers who intensely despised Yu-Hyun.

 Chapter 243

    <h4>Chapter 243</h4>

    Seeing me lying down in the hallway, Ye-Jin said, "...First, let''s get you treated."

    I lifted my head and silently gazed at her for a moment. I could see that she was concerned about me.

    Considering the state I was in, it was quite natural for her to be worried. After all, my face was covered in blood, and there was quite a bit of blood on my school uniform. However, seeing her worried for me felt really strange.

    I had seen Ye-Jin not too long ago, during the battle when I was helping Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps.

    However, the Ye-Jin that I saw back then and the Ye-Jin I was seeing right now werepletely different, and the me from back then and the me right now were alsopletely different, so everything felt strange and unfamiliar.

    I got up and left as if I was running away.

    I arrived at the nurse''s office, and the school nurse, whom I often saw at the beginning of the semester, said, "What... what on earth happened?"

    Upon seeing my bloody face, she quickly jumped out of her seat in surprise and examined my condition. She let out a deep sigh.

    I smiled faintly. "I got into a fight."

    "With whom...? No, never mind. First, let''s get you treated..."

    The nurse fumbled around for a moment and then brought bandages and ointment. She also brought something resembling disinfectant, cotton, and a wet cloth.

    She wiped away the dried blood on my face. While treating me, the nurse continuously sighed.

    "The wound isn''t too severe. It''s just bleeding a lot... Do you feel dizzy or anything?"

    "A little."

    "I¡¯ve only done emergency first aid for now, so go to the hospital right away."

    "Okay."

    As I was about to leave the nurse''s office after the treatment, the nurse grabbed me and said, "You."

    The nurse¡¯s voice was low. It didn''t seem like she was going to say something nice. When I turned my head in her direction, the nurse sighed deeply and said, "You¡¯re not going to the hospital again, right?"

    "..."

    "You might recover quickly at the moment because your body is strong... But who knows what might happenter? Make sure to go today."

    I had nothing to say, so I kept my mouth shut. Whenever I got injured at the academy, I always received emergency first aid at the nurse''s office and didn''t go to the hospital. It was because the restoration spell was enough to recover from those injuries.

    Above all, I was afraid of the hospital records.

    Last time, when Ji-Ah went to Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps and got injured due to getting swept up in battle, she didn''t go to the hospital. She said that if there were records, they could be used as a clue for tracking.

    Like her, I was also using a disguise. If I left too many hospital records, they could be used as a clue for tracking me down. Moreover, Joseph was currently suspecting me. It was better not to leave any records, including hospital records, if possible.

    "Understood," I answered, and then left the nurse''s office.

    Despite saying that, I still had no intention of going to the hospital. Not now, and notter. They were nothing more than minor injuries that would be cured if I used the restoration spell.

    Anyway, it would be best not to get injured in the future. If I kept avoiding going to the hospital like this, it could also be a cause for suspicion.

    While making my way to the teacher¡¯s office, Legba said, [Sounds like there are a lot of things that could be clues or hints.]

    I nodded. Just by existing, the Voodoo Cult was a problem, and just by being alive, the Voodoo Cult was a sin. It was so obvious that there was no need to mention it anymore.

    As I headed toward the teacher''s office, I saw Yu-Hyun and Jin-Seo. They were standing in front of Ye-Jin with their heads down while listening to her scolding. Most of the scolding seemed to be directed at Yu-Hyun.

    As I approached, Ye-Jin let out a deep sigh and said something to the two of them. They nodded and left the teacher''s office.

    "...Why did youe here? You should have gone straight to the hospital," Ye-Jin said, looking at my swollen face and bandaged head with disbelief.

    My face was currently stered with an absurd number of bandages, and my head was covered by ayer of bandages as well. My current state really was abysmal enough to surprise anyone.

    I looked at Ye-Jin silently for a moment and then said, "I thought it would be best to give a brief exnation of the situation before I go.¡±

    ¡°You have strong mental fortitude... But, well, there¡¯s really no need to do so. I heard everything that I needed to know from Yu-Hyun and Jin-Seo.¡±

    Ye-Jin continued to exin that, thanks to Jin-Seo and Yu-Hyun¡¯s testimonies, they had a rough understanding of the situation and that there were no conflicting parts.

    I asked about what they had said. Jin-Seo said that when she saw Yu-Hyun hit me, she allegedly tried to stop him from hitting me but unintentionally broke Yu-Hyun''s finger.

    Apparently, Yu-Hyun admitted to hitting me. However, he didn''t say a word about why he did it.

    "I think themittee will decide on the punishment..." Ye-Jin said.

    "Is there really a need to open themittee?" I asked.

    "What? Why?" Ye-Jin said, tilting her head as if she couldn''t understand.

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to escte the situation,¡± I said.

    "...If you want, we can do that, but why? Aren''t you angry?" she asked.

    "Just... please do that," I said.

    If they formed a school violencemittee, investigated the situation, and checked out the CCTV footage, then my current situation would be difficult.

    Everyone would see that Yu-Hyun didn''t do anything and that I was the one who had banged my head against the window as if I were possessed. If that happened, it would be difficult for me to have a normal school life.

    In the first ce, I didn''t do this because I wanted Yu-Hyun to be punished for this. I just wanted to vent my anger a little.

    "So why did you get hit? It''s not important¡ªI was just curious," Ye-Jin asked.

    I hesitated to answer. I thought about how to beat around the bush, but then I realized there was no need to beat around the bush, and I smiled.

    "We fought."

    "Yeah right, you fought, but you were the only one getting hit. You don¡¯t look like the type of person to go around getting hit, though.¡±

    "I always get hit," I said with a smile.

    I said it like a joke, but it wasn''t just a joke. Ye-Jinughed awkwardly and slowly nodded at me.

    "Yeah... I''m d you seem okay. Are you going to the hospital? I''ll write an approval for an early leave, just in case," Ye-Jin said, rummaging through her drawer.

    She took out a small piece of paper the size of her hand, wrote down both my name and hers, and then signed it. She handed it to me.

    I bowed my head in thanks and was just about to leave the teacher''s office when I suddenly remembered something and stopped in my tracks. I had a question I wanted to ask.

    "Why did youe today?"

    It wasmon knowledge among Florence Academy students that Ye-Jin had resigned from her teaching position and was currently working under Joseph.

    I was curious why she had returned here. Ye-Jin hesitated to answer, but she then smiled and lifted her head.

    "I had some business to attend to. I thought I''d take the opportunity to see my fellow teachers and the students in my ss. I didn''t have a chance to properly say goodbye when I left so suddenly."

    "I guess you don''t n on returning permanently."

    Ye-Jin nodded and replied, "Well... yes. I suppose not."

    "Why? Are you happy now that you don''t have to see me at school?"

    "No, I''m sad."

    "Thank you. Although those sound like empty words," Ye-Jin said with a smile.

    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just me, but she seemed more rxed andfortable now than when she was a teacher. At the very least, she didn¡¯t seem to feel as desperate or anxious as before.

    The expression on her face when she looked at me with fear on the day I fought to protect Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps suddenly came to mind.

    The two expressions were so different that they didn''t seem to ovep at all. The Ye-Jin from back then and the Ye-Jin in front of me now were practically different people.

    "I heard you participated in the mercenary corps suppression mission."

    I said something that I didn''t need to say. It would have been better to end the conversation and leave with a simple farewell, such as ¡®Thank you for everything.¡¯

    I regret what I said after I said it out loud. Ye-Jin closed her mouth tightly, then forced a smile by lifting the corners of her mouth.

    "Yes, that''s right. It wasn''t a good memory though," she said.

    "I''m sorry for asking unnecessary questions."

    "No, it''s okay. I understand why you may be curious. Someday, you might also end up going to such a ce," Ye-Jin said as she nodded and looked toward somewhere.

    Her eyes seemed distant and empty, and I couldn''t tell where she was looking. It seemed like she was deeply lost in thought.

    I also briefly thought back to what happened back then. I remembered the image of Ye-Jin and Do-Jin being afraid of me.

    "Sometimes it''s difficult to distinguish between who is good and who is evil. I don''t even know if such a thing exists these days."

    "..."

    "...I''m sorry. This time, I was the one who said something unnecessary," Ye-Jin said with a smile.

    Instead of responding, I shook my head. There was a moment of silence. It was such a heavy silence that I couldn''t breathe for a moment. I shouldn¡¯t have brought up this topic in the first ce.

    Just what was I thinking when I said those words? I regretted what I said several times. I took a deep breath and bowed my head toward Ye-Jin.

    "Thank you for everything."

    "Come and say hello sometimes. Let''s have a meal together."

    I wanted to ask about Do-Jin''s well-being, but I figured it would be an unnecessary question, so I just kept my mouth shut. I smiled at Ye-Jin instead.

    She also reciprocated the smile and waved her hand. I bowed my head several times towards Ye-Jin and left the room.

    Just like that, I walked out of the building. The once vibrant leaves were now red. The wind blew, causing the leaves to sway and a few to fall.

    At that moment, someone spoke to me.

    "...Finally, you¡¯re out."

    I turned my head. Jin-Seo was leaning against the wall, looking at me.

    <i> </i> *

    "So, Mr. Do-Jin, how''s your body?" Joseph asked Do-Jin.

    Do-Jin was lying in bed, unable to move. Even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain in his internal organs, making it ufortable to even change positions while sleeping.

    Do-Jin barely managed to nod his head slightly. "...I''m fine. Except for the asional bouts of pain that make me want to die.¡±

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t want toe and bother you, but I was pressured from above to investigate this incident."

    "It''s alright. If that¡¯s how it is, it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Do-Jin said with a forced smile.

    It wasn''t pleasant to see Joseph, but it was truly an unavoidable situation.

    Do-Jin was the only one who had remained sane after facing off against the Cult Leader in close-quartersbat. The rest had either gone mad or had submitted their resignations and refused to make any statements.

    "Thanks for understanding. So... you mentioned that you think you met the leader of the Voodoo Cult?"

    "Yes, they are probably living undercover among the active-duty clergymen," Do-Jin said with a nod.

    "They specialize in spearbat... specifically, throwing spears. Or weapons that can be thrown... They are either a crusader or a pdin. That''s what I think."

    The Cult Leader had used his staff to block all of Do-Jin''s attacks.

    Crusaders who used spears learned how to utilize the body of the spear to block attacks. Thus, Do-Jin suspected that the Cult Leader was either a pdin or a crusader who specialized in using the spear.

    Furthermore, the Cult Leader had summoned a snake by throwing his staff into the rear ranks. The throwing technique that he disyed was not something that anyone could use.

    It had to be someone proficient in handling spears and throwing weapons, such as a pdin or a crusader. Investigating people who knew Do-Jin seemed to be the way to find clues.

    Joseph nodded and muttered, "I see. Since you say that they can handle the staff well... it makes sense.¡±

    Outwardly, Joseph pretended he agreed with Do-Jin and yed along, but in reality, he thought differently.

    When Joseph sparred with Sun-Woo at the sacred training ground, he surprised Joseph by applying techniques such as throwing instead of simply swinging the mace. Joseph didn''t think Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, but at the very least, he spected that there might be some connection.

    Perhaps it could also be confirmation bias. Once he started suspecting Sun-Woo, his thoughts continued to lean toward being suspicious of Sun-Woo.

    "...This might be a bit presumptuous of me, but have you ever sparred with Sun-Woo?"

    "Huh?"

    "I mean, have you ever sparred with¡ª¡±

    Suddenly, there was a loud noise. Before Joseph could finish his sentence, someone forcefully opened the door to the hospital room and entered. It was Joseph''s subordinate.

    He was sweating profusely and breathing heavily. It seemed like something urgent had happened. Joseph approached his subordinate.

    "Huff, huff...! In-inquisitor, I... I''m sorry, I''m out of breath..."

    "It¡¯s alright, so take your time and speak slowly."

    "...There is an inspection being conducted in the office. They came up with some excuses for doing so, but it feels like they''re trying to obstruct the investigation..."

    Joseph''s face hardened. His jaw muscles twitched and trembled.

    "An inspection... The Holy See sent an inspector? That can''t be true."

    "No, it''s not the Holy See. It¡¯s...¡±

    The subordinate employee caught his breath and continued, "It¡¯s from the International Theological Association...!"

    The International Theological Association. That was the name of the Theological Association under the jurisdiction of the purification n members.

 Chapter 244

    <h4>Chapter 244</h4>

    I didn¡¯t understand why Jin-Seo was here. I stopped for a moment and looked at her.

    She also stopped and looked at me for a while before crossing her arms and tilting her head. She then approached me with exaggerated movements, and she frowned as if she was dissatisfied with something.

    I didn¡¯t have anything in particr that I wanted to say, so I said, ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond. Instead, she continued to approach me. After approaching, she stared at me deeply as if she was scrutinizing me.

    Herrge, clear eyes, which were gazing at me, contained indescribable emotions in them.

    I could read her expression, but that didn¡¯t mean I could understand the underlying emotions.

    "Are you going to leave early?" she asked.

    I nodded. I fidgeted with the early leave confirmation slip in my pocket.

    Jin-Seo scanned me up and down, then stood next to me.

    "Let''s go."

    "Where?"

    "I''m leaving early too. Let''s go together," Jin-Seo said as she pushed my back.

    She and I naturally ended up walking together. Her hair got messy whenever the wind blew, and every time that happened, she swept her hair back to tidy it up. Her hair seemed to have grown longer since Ist saw her.

    However, it might just be my imagination, so I didn¡¯t mention it.

    Jin-Seo suddenly nced in my direction and said, ¡°I grew out my hair a little. Did you not notice?¡±

    I nodded and said, "Yeah, it seemed like it. It suits you well."

    ¡°It seems like it, you say... You wouldn¡¯t have known if I hadn¡¯t mentioned it.¡±

    Feeling a bit unjust, I retorted, ¡°I actually did notice it before. I just didn''t mention it because I wasn''t sure.¡±

    ¡°Okay then," Jin-Seo said with a chuckle.

    We walked to the school gate together and saw students arrivingte. They were running frantically to avoid being markedte. In fact, they were running so frantically that we almost collided with one of them.

    Just like that, Jin-Seo and I leisurely walked in the opposite direction that the students were rushing toward. As we tried to leave through the gate, the security guard came and stopped us.

    I took out my early dismissal form and showed it to him.

    Jin-Seo didn''t have one, but the guard also let her pass without any trouble.

    "Do you not need to show yours?"

    "I often leave early due to my dad''s hospital visits," Jin-Seo casually exined.

    Her tone seemed to suggest that it wasn¡¯t a big deal. I contemted whether I should ask if her dad was still very sick, but I decided not to ask as it seemed like a pointless question.

    It was surprising how Jin-Seo was naturally using the term ¡®Dad.¡¯ She had always used the term ''Father¡¯ to refer to Chang-Won in the past. I thought that maybe she subconsciously felt some distance between him because he wasn''t her biological father, but now even that distance seemed to have disappeared.

    At that moment, Jin-Seo suddenly said, "I quit smoking."

    "Good for you. Why did you quit all of a sudden?"

    I had asked out of genuine curiosity. However, she just continued to re at me without answering.

    "..."

    I had to withstand her sharp gaze without understanding what was going on at all. As if in disbelief, she chuckled and said, ¡°You told me to quit, right? You said you¡¯d grant me a wish if I quit.¡±

    "...Oh, right, I remember."

    The truth was, I didn¡¯t remember. I simply pretended to btedly remember in order to avoid being rebuked. Jin-Seo gave me a piercing look.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too harsh? I quit because of you, you know?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    "I suffered for weeks because of the words you said. But to think that the person who said those words doesn¡¯t even remember...¡± Jin-Seo grumbled.

    She continued to mumble as if trying to express her resentment. Her sulky expression and murmuring were quite different from usual, so it felt strange.

    I didn¡¯t have anything to say, so I silently listened to herin. It was true that I had advised her to quit smoking, and it was also true that I had forgotten about it.

    "So, are you going to grant my wish?"

    I had promised her, perhaps irresponsibly, that I would grant her wish if she seeded in quitting smoking. Her quitting smoking wouldn¡¯t even bring me a single benefit, and yet I had promised her such a thing. I tried to recall why I had made such a promise, but I couldn¡¯t remember why.

    Legba suddenly intervened and said, [It was because you were also addicted to the intoxication spell at that time.]

    Right, that was the reason. Back when I made the promise, I had been addicted to the intoxication spell.

    Whenever I felt even a slight amount of stress, I used the intoxication spell, and I also wouldn¡¯t have been able to sleep unless I used the intoxication spell before going to bed. At the time, I had sumbed to the brief and intense pleasure of the intoxication spell because I had nothing else to rely on.

    I saw my own weakness in Jin-Seo¡¯s addiction to cigarettes. That was why I had made such a ridiculous promise.

    I contemted for a moment and then replied, "...Sure, I''ll grant your wish. It can be anything."

    I had to take responsibility for what I had said. As if satisfied with my answer, Jin-Seo grinned. There was a hint of ominousness within that grin. I felt anxious, wondering what kind of wish she had in store for me for her to have such an ominous grin. She stared at me for a while with a smile on her face. For some reason, she just continued to look at me without saying anything.

    "What is it?"

    ¡°I was just wondering what sort of wish I should ask for.¡±

    "Okay, tell me when you''ve decided."

    Jin-Seo dropped her gaze and said, "I just did, but I don''t want to say it now."

    "Then when will you say it?"

    "Later."

    "You could just say it now. Why wait..."

    ¡°To make you wonder what it is,¡± Jin-Seo said bluntly.

    I didn¡¯t have the desire to persistently ask her, and it didn¡¯t seem like she would tell me even if continued to ask her, so I just kept my mouth shut.

    I wondered what kind of grand wish it was for her to drag it out so much. She nced at me briefly and said, "Keep waiting while wondering what it is. Then I''ll tell you someday."

    "..."

    "If you''re too curious, contact me. Then, depending on your behavior, I might tell you what it is."

    ¡°I¡¯m the one granting your wish, so why should I bend over for you?"

    "Then you shouldn''t have said that you were going to grant my wish in the first ce.¡±

    I was once again rendered speechless.

    I walked while keeping my mouth shut. The silence was long. However, I didn''t feel the need to break the silence.

    No matter how many minutes I walked with Jin-Seo in silence, it didn¡¯t feel ufortable. Perhaps it was because both of us were not talkative. We walked silently for a while and then reached a crossroads.

    "I¡¯ll go now," Jin-Seo said.

    It was unexpected. I thought she would follow me until she saw me enter the hospital.

    "What''s the matter? You used to follow me all the way to the dormitory."

    Jin-Seo chuckled in response.

    "I need to leave around this point for it to be tantalizing," she said.

    "..."

    "Why? Are you disappointed because I didn¡¯t apany you to the end?" she asked nonchntly.

    I wasn''t disappointed at all. When I shook my head, she smiled again. It was probably a smile without much meaning behind it, but it somehow felt like she was mocking me, so it hurt my pride. I gestured for her to leave quickly.

    "Hurry up and leave."

    "You suddenly seem upset. Did I hit a nerve?"

    "What are you talking about... What is there to hit a nerve about?"

    "Okay, got it. See you tomorrow then."

    With that, Jin-Seo said goodbye and left. I briefly watched her retreating figure before heading toward the underground chapel.

    When I arrived, Ji-Ah came to greet me. Soo-Yeong and my uncle were nowhere to be seen. Ji-Ah''s eyes widened in surprise when she saw my face covered in bandages and bruises.

    "It''s nothing serious. Just got into a little scuffle," I said before she could worry further.

    "You got into a scuffle...? Who hit you for you to end up like this?"

    "Me."

    "Huh...?" Ji-Ah said in a puzzled manner as if not understanding my words.

    I decided to change the subject because it would get too long if I exined.

    I looked around the room and searched for Soo-Yeong and my uncle. I couldn''t see either of them. It didn¡¯t seem like they were in the underground chapel.

    "Where¡¯s Uncle and Soo-Yeong?"

    "Soo-Yeong went out with Teacher earlier."

    "Why?"

    "It seems like they just went out to have fun...."

    Ji-Ah also seemed unsure of why they had left. I was a little worried when I heard that Soo-Yeong had left the underground chapel, but since Uncle went with her, I figured everything would be fine.

    Even if something happened, Uncle would most likely take care of it appropriately.

    I grabbed my staff and tried to enter the room where Yoon-Ah was.

    "Cult Leader," Ji-Ah called out to me.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "Did something good happen today?"

    It was a question that came out of the blue.

    I pondered over my day. I visited the dormitory in the morning, and the flowers that I had been growing had wilted. I heard that one of the crusaders I drove crazy with a spell was the father of a Florence Academy student.

    Yu-Hyun picked a fight with me out of the blue, and I said something unnecessary to Ye-Jin. And then I met Jin-Seo. Nothing good in particr happened today.

    "...I wonder. It doesn''t seem like anything particrly good happened today."

    "You came in smiling today for some reason."

    "Did I?"

    "Yes, even now..." Ji-Ah said.

    I btedly realized that I was smiling.

    I hid my smile out of habit. Come to think of it, I didn''t seem to pay much attention to managing my expression today. Maybe I had also shown an expression I shouldn''t have to Jin-Seo as well.

    "...I didn''t know I was smiling. Nothing particrly good happened, though."

    ¡°Is the fact that you were unknowingly smiling enough of a good thing?¡± Ji-Ah said with a slight smile.

    Instead of answering, I smiled.

    I entered the room that Yoon-Ah was in and found her crouching on the floor. When I entered, Yoon-Ah widened her eyes and looked at me. The way she reacted made it seem like she had been waiting for me.

    Whenever I saw Yoon-Ah, it reminded me of In-Ah. Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t been able to talk to In-Ah at school today. Maybe she had been waiting for me to talk to her, but I didn''t dwell on it too much. After all, I was going to go to school tomorrow, and I would be able to talk to her then.

    I approached Yoon-Ah with my staff and asked, "Were you waiting?"

    It was a question that didn¡¯t have much meaning behind it. Yoon-Ah probably wasn''t waiting for me, and even if she were, she wouldn''t be able to answer anyway.

    After listening to what I said, Yoon-Ah nodded. Just as I was about to use Voodoo magic to activate the reverse spell technique using my staff, I btedly realized that something was strange.

    "..."

    Yoon-Ah had listened to what I said and nodded.

    * * *

    "Did Sun-Woo say he''s noting today as well?" Han Dae-Ho asked, sitting at his desk with his shoulders slumped.

    Oh Hee-Jin, who hade to report, nodded as he rummaged through the documents.

    "That''s right."

    "He hasn¡¯t beening often these days... Is something going on?"

    "Of course not. It''s exam season right now, so he probably isn¡¯ting because he¡¯s busy studying.¡±

    "I see, that makes sense..." Han Dae-Ho muttered in a deted tone.

    He had sessfully added Sun-Woo''s name to the list of students for the Eastern Pdin Order¡¯s dispatch training. However, Sun-Woo hadn''t beening to the Eastern Pdin Order very often.

    Although he understood that Sun-Woo was busy studying during the exam period, he still felt disappointed. Han Dae-Ho wanted to create and assign some work to Sun-Woo.

    It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to toss his workload over to him. It was because if he umted achievements in dispatch training, it would be advantageous for Sun-Woo in the future when he took the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order.

    "He mentioned wanting to go to the Central Pdin Order, right?" Oh Hee-Jin asked.

    Han Dae-Ho nodded and said, "Yeah. He has ambition, and he has skills, but unfortunately, there''s nothing I can do to help right now."

    "Don''t worry too much. There aren¡¯t many tasks to assign to him around this time anyway. The practical training period isn''t short, so isn¡¯t it fine to rx and take it easy?"

    "That''s true..." Han Dae-Ho slowly nodded in agreement with Oh Hee-Jin.

    It was a very urate statement.

    In fact, even if Sun-Woo came to the Eastern Pdin Order, there wouldn''t be much for him to do. Han Dae-Ho had already taken care of all the major tasks.

    The remaining tasks were mundane, such as patrolling and searching for people who had been missing for a long time. Patrolling wasn''t a significant task that could be recorded as an achievement, and above all, it was too trivial to assign to Sun-Woo.

    Searching for people who had been missing for a long time could be recorded as an achievement. However, the problem was that finding missing people was extremely difficult.

    If they went out to search and did not find the missing person, not only would they not gain any achievements, but they would also end up wasting a lot of time.

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    Someone knocked on the office door. Oh Hee-Jin and Han Dae-Ho both turned their heads toward the door simultaneously.

    Oh Hee-Jin opened the door, and Han Dae-Ho''s eyes widened in surprise. It was because someone they had never even imagined woulde to the office had arrived.

    "Sun-Woo? You said you weren''ting today..."

    "Director," Sun-Woo interrupted Han Dae-Ho as he entered the room.

    Han Dae-Ho was so shocked that he was unable toplete his sentence. It was because he sensed a determination in Sun-Woo¡¯s gaze that was sharper than anything he had seen before.

    Judging by Sun-Woo¡¯s heavy breathing, it seemed like he had run all the way here to the Eastern Pdin Order.

    Sun-Woo collected his breath and said, "I want to participate in a long-term missing person search mission."

 Chapter 245

    <h4>Chapter 245</h4>

    Soo-Yeong rode in Jin-Sung''s car. Jin-Sung had something to take care of outside the chapel and suggested they go out together if she wanted to. Feeling suffocated being only in the underground chapel, Soo-Yeong readily agreed.

    "Have you heard back from Ha Pan-Seok¡ªI mean, your dad?" Jin-Sung asked while driving.

    Soo-Yeong took out her phone and nced at it briefly. There were dozens of missed calls and messages from Ha Pan-Seok. Of course, Soo-Yeong had yet to answer the calls or reply to the messages. Soo-Yeong stared at her phone momentarily before putting it back in her pocket.

    ¡°Every day."

    Jin-Sung nodded. "Makes sense."

    He drove the car to a high-end liquor store selling whiskey and wine. Jin-Sung carefully selected a bottle of expensive liquor that easily surpassed tens of thousands of won and bought it.

    Soo-Yeong felt nervous despite not buying it with her own money.

    "You drink... very expensive liquor,¡± she said when they got back in the car.

    Jin-Sung fell silent for a moment before smiling faintly and nodding. "I''m not going to drink it. It''s a gift."

    "A gift? Who are you giving it to?"

    "Someone I hate," Jin-Sung said.

    Soo-Yeong didn''t understand him and tilted her head in confusion. She wondered why he would buy such expensive alcohol for someone he didn¡¯t like.

    Jin-Sung drove in silence until the road became quiet. "I used to shake if I didn''t drink. But now, my hands shake when I do," Jin-Sung said with a nk expression.

    Soo-Yeong listened quietly to his words.

    "In the past, I would hit Sun-Woo when I was drunk. You know, when he was young."

    "..."

    "I couldn''t stand seeing him cry after everything happened with my sister and brother-inw. So, I crouched down, stepped on the crying kid, and hit him."

    Jin-Sung then briefly closed his mouth. It seemed like he was reminiscing about that time.

    Soo-Yeong tried to imagine Sun-Woo crouching and in tears while Jin-Sung loomed over him and hit him. It was a hard sight to imagine. Jin-Sung and Sun-Woo were on good terms now. Above all, Jin-Sung didn''t seem like the type to hit anyone. Sun-Woo didn''t seem like the type to be hit by anyone either, at least to Soo-Yeong.

    "He was good at using spells even back then. If he wanted to, he could have easily killed someone like me. He could have made me go crazy. No, I guess I was already half-driven mad back then."

    "..."

    "But he just took the hits," Jin-Sung said, then closed his mouth again.

    Soo-Yeong listened to him without saying anything.

    A few raindrops fell on the front windshield. The rain was light. Jin-Sung turned on the windshield wipers.

    "I hit him, cussed him out, threw things at him, but he just... just stayed still. As if my sister getting imprisoned and my brother-inw dying were all his fault, he just sat there."

    "..."

    "And yet, I acted like I did nothing wrong, saying it''s all your fault, my sister died because of you, your father died because of you...¡±

    The car entered a tunnel. Raindrops were no longer falling on the front windshield. However, the wipers continued to move back and forth, wiping away the nonexistent raindrops.

    "I came to my senses back then. After that, I¡¯ve gonepletely sober. I don¡¯t even smoke anymore. I don¡¯t do anything that could potentially lead to an addiction."

    Soo-Yeong continued to stare at the windshield wipers swaying back and forth.

    "Since then, I only bought alcohol as gifts to give to people I disliked. I think I drank alcohol back then because I didn¡¯t like myself."

    "What about apologizing?"

    "Huh?" Jin-Sung asked.

    Soo-Yeong turned her head slightly toward Jin-Sung. ¡°Did you apologize?¡±

    "I did. It¡¯s been seven years now. Every year, when the day of the Second Cult Leader¡¯s deathes around. And on Sun-Woo''s birthday, or whenever I remember."

    "Did he forgive you?"

    "He did. But I haven''t forgiven myself yet. To forgive myself, and to receive forgiveness from myself, I guess I''ll have to apologize for about another 70 years."

    Soo-Yeong tried to estimate the number in her head. The next 70 years... Jin-Sung would have to live over 100 years.

    Soo-Yeong let out a chuckle. "You''ll have to live for a very long time."

    "That''s the n. Not being greedy and just living until I''m exactly 150."

    Jin-Sung made a joke, but Soo-Yeong didn''tugh. She just nodded slowly and suddenly remembered something from a long time ago.

    She reminisced about the day she had identally wandered into the forest during an executive meeting, and Sun-Woo had helped her. Had she thanked him back then? No, had she even apologized?

    "Where to park the car... Ah, okay. There."

    After buying alcohol and finishing the drive, Jin-Sung parked the car in a suitable spot. They found the parking space after circling the neighborhood because no parking was avable.

    Jin-Sung and Soo-Yeong exited the car and walked toward the underground chapel. After a short walk, they could see Florence Academy. The students were heading home. Students poured out by the dozens and hundreds, wearing uniforms resembling those of clergymen.

    Soo-Yeong scanned the faces of the wicked and cruel Romanican Church members. However, no one seemed wicked or cruel, which made her feel strangely uneasy.

    "The kids are heading home. Let''s see if Sun-Woo is there. If he is, let''s go back home together."

    "Ah."

    Following Jin-Sung''s words, Soo-Yeong quietly muttered as she scanned the students'' faces, looking for Sun-Woo. Jin-Sung also looked at the students'' faces, but Sun-Woo was nowhere to be seen. Jin-Sung shrugged and turned his head toward Soo-Yeong.

    "Why? Did you find him?" Jin-Sung asked.

    "No, I must have seen something wrong. I think it¡¯s probably better to go back ourselves."

    "Yeah? Okay then," Jin-Sung casually replied and headed back toward the underground chapel.

    Soo-Yeong followed him. As they walked, she nced back for a moment. The man she had seen earlier had passed through the church gate with feeble steps. He had dark, sallow skin, bleached yellow hair, and the same unchanging, unpleasant gaze.

    It was him¡ªthe one who had wiped out the Voodoo Cult during The Starless Night, the one who made Soo-Yeong''s mother die, and the one who caused Soo-Yeong''s older brother to be taken away.

    It was Yu-Hyun.

    ¡°Come to think of it, his birthday ising up," Jin-Sung muttered quietly as they walked.

    Soo-Yeong didn''t hear him and continued to look at Yu-Hyun. There was not even a hint of wrath in her eyes, which shone brighter than usual.

    So, <i>he</i> had been attending Florence Academy, the same school as Sun-Woo.

    Her heart raced.

    <i> </i> *

    Joseph received a call from a subordinate and rushed to the office. The subordinate following Joseph could not keep up with his pace, and few could catch up with Joseph running at full speed.

    The subordinate gasped for breath and soon copsed on the ground, exhausted. He watched Joseph''s back slowly turn into a dot and disappear into the distance.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Joseph forcefully opened the office door and saw some unfamiliar faces. They were clergymen affiliated with the International Theological Association. Among them were clergymen who had already retired and current prtes, who had been on par with Joseph in terms of the hierarchy within the church.

    Joseph walked toward the lot, which had messed up the office. "I am Inquisitor Joseph. May I ask what you are all doing?"

    The eldest member of the International Theological Association said, "Ah, you''ve arrived, Inquisitor Joseph."

    He was an archbishop, meaning he was on the same level as Joseph within the church, but he¡¯d been around the block a lot more. In other words, he had seniority over Joseph.

    Joseph gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "What brings the esteemed members of the International Theological Association to this ce? Do you have permission to do this?"

    "Yes, we have obtained permission."

    "On what grounds? It seems unlikely that the mere Theological Association could be involved in an inquisitor''s investigation."

    Joseph''s words gradually became more informal. His expression gradually darkened.

    Meanwhile, the old man seemed rxed and smiled cheerfully. He took out a book from his pocket. Joseph''s face hardened. The old man shook the book as if he was training an animal with a treat.

    "We found this in here. As far as I know, this is a forbidden book."

    "..."

    "As you said, the likes of the Theological Association cannot be involved in or interfere with investigations. That would be overstepping our boundaries."

    Joseph chewed his lips meticulously. Blood dripped from his lips. His clenched fist trembled, and veins bulged on his forearm.

    The old man smiled. "But things are different when ites to forbidden books. The International Theological Association has authority over the forbidden books ording to the Holy See''s decree. Aren¡¯t you familiar with this?"

    "I am."

    "So, where did you get the forbidden book?" the old man asked.

    He still wore a cheerful smile. Joseph wanted to rip that smile off his face, but he couldn''t dare to, nor could he even reveal where he had obtained the forbidden book. Joseph stood there, just chewing his lips in silence. There was nothing else he could do.

    "It would be wise to answer." The old man was testing Joseph.

    Would he turn the members of the purification n into enemies like this? Or would he submit to their power? The forbidden book found in Joseph''s office had been given to him by the members of the purification n. They had asked Joseph not to disclose the source of the forbidden book. At that time, he didn''t think much of it and never imagined it would be used this way.

    If Joseph revealed the source of the forbidden book here, the members of the purification n would torment Joseph with even more malicious and cruel methods.

    Joseph forced a smile as he looked at the old man. "Can I answer some other time? I can''t remember right now. It''s been so long since I acquired the book."

    "Yes, I understand. My memory gets fuzzy as I get older too."

    "Well then, please leave now. I will contact you soon,¡± Joseph said, bowing toward the old man.

    The old man nodded and dropped the book on the floor.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    "Alright. I''ll leave the book here."

    Joseph picked up the book and dusted it off.

    Still watching Joseph silently, the old man finally sneered, "Why did you bring trouble upon yourself by doing things that weren¡¯t even asked?"

    "..."

    "Do only what His Holinessmands. And only that."

    Joseph bowed his head. He neither nodded nor shook it, not wanting to give any response.

    The old man stared at Joseph in silence for a moment before slowly nodding. "Well... then I''ll be going. Everyone, let''s withdraw."

    Members of the International Theological Association who were searching the office stopped in their tracks upon hearing the old man''s words. They followed the old man out of Joseph''s office.

    Joseph looked around. The papers and books he had neatly organized were scattered haphazardly on the floor. All the drawers had been left open. This was the price for attempting to dig up dirt on the purification n.

    His investigation hadn¡¯t even been sessful. Why, he hadn¡¯t even started investigating yet. This was the price for just attempting to see what they were up to.

    Joseph picked up the papers and began to tidy up. He closed the open drawers. As he picked up the book, Joseph saw the flower pot where he used to grow his Venus flytrap.

    The Venus flytrap seemed to be asking for food with its mouth wide open. Amidst all the mess, the pot where the Venus flytrap lived was the only thing that remained intact.

    Joseph picked up the pot and threw it on the floor.

    <i>Smash! </i>

    The Venus flytrapy motionless on the ground with its mouth still stupidly open.

    <i>Squish</i>.

    Joseph stepped on the Venus flytrap and killed it. He then tore the forbidden book, the root of all this chaos, into shreds, scattering pieces of paper on the floor.

    Joseph took out a lighter from his pocket and set the book on fire. The book and the Venus flytrap burned together. The Venus flytrap writhed as it burned as if it were alive.

    He was enraged that a measly book had acted as leverage for the members of the purification n. So, he burned the book in a fit of rage. He had read the book hundreds of times anyway, and its contents were all in his head. Nothing would change whether he burned the book or not.

    Then, Joseph''s subordinate btedly entered the office. He looked around the office, and his eyes widened in surprise.

    "Inquisitor."

    "Contact Sun-Woo," Joseph said to his subordinate.

    His eyes burned with a fierce rage that had never been seen before.

 Chapter 246

    <h4>Chapter 246</h4>

    "Do you remember? In-Ah, your sister.."

    Yoon-Ah nodded in response to my question.

    I sighed. Yoon-Ah''s condition had noticeably improved after I learned how to control the staff and became somewhat familiar with the reverse spell technique.

    She was able to say things other than "be quiet,¡± like ¡°yes¡± and ¡°no.¡± Although they were all simple words, she could also say something like, "Did you wait?"

    But that was her just repeating what I said, so she never said it all on her own.

    However, at some point, her condition stopped improving. Instead of clear responses like nodding or shaking her head, she began to tilt her head more often.

    Some of her memories returned. However, memories of In-Ah did note back properly.

    "..."

    Sometimes, I would lose myposure. What was I doing? How long would I have to keep this up? Would something change if I continued?

    When I thought about it, I was basically working for the Romanican Church. All I was doing, after all, was for In-Ah, a member of the Romanican Church.

    Many members of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps had been killed or injured by Romanican crusaders. I had hurt and driven many Romanican crusaders crazy myself. The Romanican Church was clearly my enemy.

    And I was doing deeds for the enemy.

    As I thought more about it, I suddenly got angry. I wanted to give up on everything.

    That was when Yoon-Ah asked, "Did you wait?"

    Her eyes, clearer than ever, looked at me. Herplexion had improved a lot. At first nce, she could pass as a slightly pale ordinary person. I took a deep breath and exhaled. Then, I smiled and nodded my head.

    "I... I was waiting for you."

    It was a meaningless answer, but I felt like I had to say it or I would get too tired. I shouldn''t be impatient, but I kept feeling impatient.

    It had been several days since I dered at the Eastern Pdin Order that I wanted to participate in the search for long-term missing persons. Han Dae-Ho had said he would organize a team and proceed with the search a few weeks after the exam. When that time came, I would ¡®find¡¯ Yoon-Ah in a suitable way.

    I had topletely heal Yoon-Ah, at least until then.

    <i>Drip.</i>

    I tried to use the reverse spell technique again out of impatience, but I stopped when my nose started bleeding. It wasn¡¯t because of the drawbacks of the reverse technique, but rather the drawbacks from theck of sleep.

    I hadn¡¯t slept properly and had been focusing only on treating Yoon-Ah for nearly a week. I decided to cut into my own bedtime because I had no time for school and treating Yoon-Ah together.

    [Exams areing up,] Legba said as Iid down on my bed after leaving Yoon-Ah''s room.

    Come to think of it, the exams were creeping closer, and I hadn''t studied at all. I had skipped most sses, so I wasn¡¯t confident about this exam. Perhaps it was because all my attention was on Yoon-Ah.

    Right then, the phone on the desk vibrated. It was a text from Joseph.

    [<i>I have something to talk about. When are you free?</i>]

    [<i>Are you going to keep ignoring me?</i>]

    [<i>I want us to resolve things so that things work out for both parties</i>.]

    Over the past few days, I received dozens of messages and calls from Joseph. He had been contacting me every day without fail, insisting that we should meet.

    I chuckled. "You''re too obsessed."

    [It seems like things are going as nned.] Legba chimed in at my words.

    I nodded. Joseph reaching out to me to this extent meant that everything was going ording to my n. The exact circumstances were unknown, but there was clearly some friction between Joseph and the members of the purification n.

    I wasn''t sure how Joseph was taking it, but this was looking great on my end. This meant that there was less to worry about. Now, all I had to focus on was treating Yoon-Ah and the exams.

    The problem was the exams. There was only about a week left. Even if I crammed, it didn''t seem like I would be able to instill a significant change in my grades. Giving up studying for the exams altogether and focusing on treating Yoon-Ah didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea at all.

    [Do you want my help?] Legba said.

    I was so startled that I sat upright in my bed.

    Legba had helped me subtly many times before, but he often didn¡¯t offer help directly. After those words, he fell silent. He seemed to be waiting for my answer.

    I had never sought the help of the Loa during exams. I thought it was unfair to rely solely on the Loa for good grades while other kids studied hard for their scores. But if I took the exams without the help of the Loa for the same reason this time, I might end up with the worst score ever.

    "Would I be stubborn if I refused your help again?¡±

    [I don''t think it''s stubbornness. I guess you could look at it as if you are protecting your beliefs.]

    ¡°Beliefs... I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±

    [It is something you value in yourself. It¡¯s your belief of not wanting to be someone whomits injustice after feeling the unfairness in your own life.]

    He seemed to be blowing things out of proportion, but I nodded for now. He wasn¡¯t wrong.

    I¡¯d always believed that my circumstances were not fair to me. Sometimes it felt as if the world was working against me.

    We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. But we had to run away from the Holy See, and on the day they found out we were Voodooists, we were thrown into jail or executed.

    It was as if it were a sin to be a Voodooist. I hated that reality so much. So that was why I tried to be fair. At least I tried.

    [Think about if that belief has kept you upright or if it has brought you down.]

    ¡°...¡±

    [If it¡¯s keeping you upright, then it¡¯s your belief. However, if it brings you down... then that¡¯s probably stubbornness.]

    He was right. If my actions of trying to be just and my obsession with acting that way kept me upright, then the thoughts would be my beliefs. However, if it was destroying me instead, then it was my stubbornness.

    [Think about it, and make a choice,] Legba said.

    I nodded my head. I didn¡¯t have to think.

    ***

    In-Ah dragged her heavy legs toward school. Her head throbbed, and her toes felt sore. Her eyelids and the muscles around her mouth trembled. She brushed it off, thinking they were due to not getting enough sleep for days because of studying.

    She had spent her time studying without keeping track of how much time had passed. She pulled all-nighters to study and then would wake up in the morning, go to school, and take an exam.

    She suddenly realized that it was thest day of exams. Thest subject of the exams was sacred material science. Although she was in terrible condition today, fortunately, today¡¯s subject was one she was most confident in. It was also the subject she had studied the most.

    She took out her notebook from her bag and read the notes she had written about sacred material science in an almost robot-like fashion.

    Someone called her from behind. "In-Ah!"

    In-Ah turned her head around and almost lost her bnce. Her head continued to spin.

    The friend who called her approached In-Ah with a worried look. "What''s wrong? Are you feeling dizzy?"

    "A little? Maybe because I didn¡¯t get much sleep?"

    "Aren''t you studying too hard? At this rate, you¡¯ll end up killing yourself.¡±

    "I won''t die, at least not from this. I¡¯m just feeling a bit under the weather," In-Ah said with a smile.

    Even as she smiled, her lips kept trembling. Her friend pointed to the notebook In-Ah was holding.

    "What''s this? Are these your notes?"

    "Yeah, I just jotted down a few important things to review right before the exam."

    "Can I see it? I haven''t studied at all! Maybe if I look at this, my score will go up a bit."

    "You can, but... My handwriting is really bad. It might be hard to read," In-Ah said, handing the notebook to her friend.

    Her friend looked at what was written in the notebook. The beaming smile disappeared from her friend''s face.

    In-Ah had said that those were only the notes she had jotted down of important things briefly to review right before the exam. However, these notes were not simple at all. The notebook contained more detailed information than what was in the textbook. The writing was too small and dense, making it difficult to even read.

    The friend sighed deeply and handed the notebook back to In-Ah. "Hey, how is this just a few notes? My stomach churns just by looking at it."

    "Oh, it''s not that bad."

    "It''s not bad? Ugh... Seriously, I guess not anyone can be second in the whole school," the friend said.

    It seemed like apliment, but it didn''t sound like one to In-Ah. Her goal was to ce first on this exam. She was determined to beat Yu-Hyun this time around. However, shecked confidence and always felt anxious and restless.

    In-Ah silently unfolded the notebook again and read the densely written words inside over and over.

    While the letters on the page seemed like they were dancing around, In-Ah¡¯s friend suddenly said, "Ah, look. It¡¯s Yu-Hyun.¡±

    In-Ah looked up. In front of the first-year building, Yu-Hyun was picking up trash with a pair of tongs. His friends teased him as they circled him.

    "Wow. His trash-picking skills are exceptional. Is this the gleaner [1]"><u>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gleaners[/ref</u>] of Florence Academy?"

    "Doesn''t your back hurt from bending like that all the time? Yu-Hyun, by the time you''ve cleared all your demerits, you''ll be a hunchback."

    "Notre Dame... No, with hair like that, he¡¯d be a notre-<i>damed </i>hunchback."

    "Hey, shut up before I tear your mouth apart with this pair of tongs."

    "Such wise words! <i>Heeey, shu upu...</i>"

    "It sounds wise when you say it while picking up trash, wouldn¡¯t you say?"

    ¡°...¡±

    They joked back and forth,ughing.

    Although he was initially angry, Yu-Hyun couldn''t help butugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

    In-Ah and her friend looked at them disapprovingly. Not long ago, there was a rumor that Yu-Hyun had hit Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo''s lips and cheeks had burst and torn, and he also suffered a big wound on his head.

    However, at Sun-Woo''s request, Yu-Hyun did not receive any punishment. Instead, he received demerits, and in order to reduce them, Yu-Hyun had been doing volunteer work around the school.

    "How annoying. If it were anyone else, they wouldn''t even be allowed toe to school for what they did,¡± the friend said as they climbed the stairs.

    In-Ah didn''t respond and just smiled.

    The friend clicked their tongue. "Why hasn''t the disciplinarymittee taken any action? Did they get paid off or something?"

    "Maybe they just didn''t want to escte the situation."

    "Well, even so... Oh, right. Have you been talking to Sun-Woo?" the friend asked.

    In-Ah shook her head.

    "No, we haven''t been in touchtely."

    "Really? That''s a shame. I wanted to ask why they got into a fight, but when I went to school, he just sat there without saying a word, so I didn''t get a chance to ask."

    "He seemed busy. He doesn¡¯t call or message me, nor does he greet me."

    In-Ah had sent texts to Sun-Woo recently. However, she never received a reply.

    Eventually, In-Ah¡¯s texts piled up to more than a dozen. Looking at them made her feel pathetic.

    Since then, whenever someone asked about Sun-Woo, In-Ah always imed to be oblivious. When asked if she had contacted him, she always replied that she hadn''t.

    "Well, anyway... at least hees to school," the friend said nonchntly, nodding slowly.

    They parted ways at the exam hall because they had tests in different rooms. In-Ah continued to read her notes on the way to the exam hall. Just before the exam started in the exam halls, the proctor instructed them to put everything except the necessary writing materials into their bags. Only then did In-Ah close her notes.

    The bell rang, marking the start of the exams. The proctor distributed the exam papers.

    "..."

    In-Ah looked at the test paper. At first nce, there were no difficult questions. They were all questions she could answer if she didn''t make any mistakes. In-Ah confidently picked up her pen and started solving the problems swiftly. Sometimes, her concentration would break, and her mind would wander off to Sun-Woo and Yu-Hyun.

    Various rumors were circting about why Sun-Woo hit Yu-Hyun. Rumors like Sun-Woo had insulted Yu-Hyun''s parents, Sun-Woo had stolen Yu-Hyun''s girlfriend, and there was even a rumor involving Jin-Seo, saying that they got into a love affair that had broken out in a brawl.

    In-Ah resented Sun-Woo after hearing such rumors. When she heard the rumor about the love affair, she felt a strange sense of jealousy. She should have been more concerned about Sun-Woo, but she instead felt hatred towards him first.

    "The minutes before the end of the exam. Start wrapping up your answers," the proctor said.

    While other kids were still struggling to solve the problems, In-Ah had already finished all the questions and was reviewing her answers. She was determined to beat Yu-Hyun on this exam. Not only because she needed to beat Yu-Hyun to be the top student in the school, but more so because she wanted to seek revenge for what he had done to Sun-Woo.

    Instead of worrying about Sun-Woo after hearing the rumors, she wanted to repent for resenting him. After finishing her review, she picked up a pen for marking.

    <i>Thud</i>.

    At that moment, In-Ah lost consciousness and hit her head on the desk.

    Blood seeped and spread across her test paper.

    1. ?

 Chapter 247

    <h4>Chapter 247</h4>

    "A-are you okay?!"

    The exam supervisor rushed towards In-Ah. The students taking the exam looked at her in surprise. The supervisor shook In-Ah''s body. She didn''t respond for a while. Then she suddenly opened her eyes and jolted up from her seat.

    She looked around and hastily sat back down upon realizing that she was still in the middle of an exam. She stared intently at the watch on her wrist.

    "Are you okay? Um, let''s go to the nurse''s office¡ª"

    In-Ah cut the supervisor¡¯s words short. "Please change my answer sheet."

    She handed the blood-stained answer sheet to the director. "Please change my answer sheet. Quickly. It''s stained with blood."

    The supervisor stared at In-Ah with a dazed expression. Judging by the look in her eyes, In-Ah didn¡¯t seem fully present, and blood was still flowing from her nose. She was not in a good condition to take the exam.

    However, they couldn''t just forcibly stop her from taking the exam. The supervisor brought a new answer sheet and tissue and gave them to In-Ah.

    "If it''s too difficult for you, let me¡ª"

    "I¡¯m fine." In-Ah epted the answer sheet.

    "Really, I''m okay," she continued.

    She ced the answer sheet on the desk and looked at the watch. There were four minutes left. She would be cutting it close, but it wasn''t impossible.

    In-Ah held her pen and alternated between looking at the test paper and the answer sheet to write down the answers. She felt dizzy and nauseous every time she turned her head. The letters danced around, making it hard to see the answers she had written on the test paper.

    Every time that happened, In-Ah shook her head to try to force herself to focus and tried to read the letters calmly. However, the letters kept dancing. Sometimes, she couldn¡¯t make out what the answers were due to the blood she had spilled on the test paper. In those cases, In-Ah either re-solved the problems on the spot or tried to recall how she had solved them to deduce the answers.

    Right when she was writing down the answer to thest question¡ª

    "Time¡¯s up. Please put your hands down under the desk."

    That marked the end of the exams. Some students cheered as soon as the exam was over. Others were already nning where to go on vacation. Some students were still in shock at the horrendous difficulty of the exam, and some students stared nkly at the test paper as if they had lost their minds.

    In-Ah was still staring at the spinning letters. The letters were not just dancing on the paper. Sometimes they crawled out of the paper and pped around, even dancing in her vision when she closed her eyes. In-Ah blinked, as the letters made it hard for her to see. But every time she blinked, the number of letters increased.

    "Ah."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    In-Ah''s body leaned to the side. Her chair fell over, along with her body, and she slumped to the floor. She wanted to get up, but she was so exhausted that she couldn''t move a single finger. Her skin tingled and itched. The letters that came out of the paper seemed to be dancing on her body.

    "Are you okay?! Hey, stay with¡ª!"

    "Should we call an ambnce? No, for now..."

    The ovepping letters blocked her view, and she couldn''t see anything. Instead, she heard the voices of the proctor and some students. She wanted to say something in response. She wanted to say she was fine, that she was truly fine, and that there was no need to worry. Then she would casually get up and run home as if nothing had happened.

    But she couldn''t even say she was okay. She didn''t even have the strength to raise her voice. Then, suddenly, her body felt lighter. In-Ah forced her eyes open.

    "What is this?"

    In that split second when she opened her eyes, In-Ah saw the face of the person who was holding her. It was a face that was so familiar and friendly, yet also a face she detested.

    However, he had a strange expression that she had never seen before, making his face seem unfamiliar. In-Ah closed her eyes. In the darkness, she could barely hear the sound of his heart beating.

    ***

    "Woah!" In-Ah eximed as soon as she opened her eyes and sprang up from her seat.

    She had toy back down soon after, as the dizziness from getting up so fast rushed over her.

    In-Ah furrowed her brow and pressed her temples firmly to try and push away the headache. She took a deep breath and exhaled. The distinct smell of disinfectant in the nurse''s office filled her nose.

    Her pitch-ck vision gradually brightened, and she began to see in front of her. The wind seeped in through the open window, causing the curtains to flutter. The curtains were tinged with an orange hue from the sunset. Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, the sun was still setting in the distance.

    In-Ah tried to gauge the time. Since she took the exam around ten o''clock... She had been unconscious for almost eight hours.

    "You''re awake."

    "Oh, yes... Huh? Huh?" In-Ah initially responded politely, thinking it was the school nurse, but then realized who it was and made a strange noise.

    Sun-Woo was sitting on the bed, looking at the surprised In-Ah. She tried to get up from the bed, but Sun-Woo stopped her.

    "Just stay lying down."

    "..."

    She didn''t have the strength to get up, and lying down was morefortable, so she decided to listen to Sun-Woo. In-Ah weakly returned to lying in bed.

    Sun-Woo silently watched her. A brief silence hung in the air. In-Ah wanted to say something and looked at Sun-Woo, but she avoided his eyes out of embarrassment once they made eye contact.

    "W-why are you staring at me?"

    "I was worried."

    "As if."

    "I''m the one who carried you here."

    "I know," In-Ah replied curtly.

    She had nothing else to say. She had been in Sun-Woo¡¯s arms when she briefly opened her eyes before losing consciousness. At that moment, Sun-Woo looked very anxious, and a worried expression had decorated his face. It was a face that In-Ah had never seen before.

    But perhaps she thought she had seen him worried because that was what she had wanted to see. Sun-Woo was always calm andposed. ¡®<i>He wouldn''t make such a face just because I copsed,¡¯</i> she thought.

    Yet, on the other hand, she hoped it hadn¡¯t been a misunderstanding. She wished that Sun-Woo had been genuinely worried about her.

    "Wow, I didn''t even know you came to school. You haven¡¯t talked to me at all." In-Ah tried to change the subject.

    Sun-Woo looked at In-Ah in silence before speaking. "We were in the same exam room. Throughout the exam."

    "Oh, then you should have said hello!" In-Ah eximed unnecessarily loudly.

    She didn''t know that she had taken the exam in the same room as Sun-Woo. She had been studying nonstop, paying no attention to anything other than the exam. She didn¡¯t have the piece of mind to focus on anything else.

    Sun-Woo just smiled and looked at In-Ah.

    "Stop looking at me. I look ugly lying down." In-Ah joked.

    Sun-Woo let out augh. "I don¡¯t think you look that different when you¡¯re standing up."

    "You, I would have hit you just now if I was fine. I would have hit you really hard."

    "Is that so?" Sun-Woo asked, staring at In-Ah. "Well then, you better recover quickly if you want to hit me."

    "Ha, alright. Just you wait." In-Ah replied with a smirk.

    But her smile quickly disappeared as a deep shadow fell over her face upon remembering the exam. She had copsed, then regained herposure, hastily reced the answer sheet, and filled in the answers. She wasn''t sure if she had filled in the answers correctly. She might have gotten a question wrong, which she should have gotten right, or in the worst case, she might have written down the answers in the wrong order.

    Time had been running out, and she had been so flustered that she hadn¡¯t been able to review the answer sheet. She was anxious. One mistake could bring her from a single-digit to a double-digit ranking, and she couldn''t even gauge how many mistakes she had made.

    There was a possibility that she might not even make it into the top ten to receive a schrship, let alone first ce.

    "Did you do well on the exam?" In-Ah asked, trying to hide her anxiousness with a forced smile.

    Sun-Woo neither smiled nor hardened his expression. He just nodded his head. "Yeah, something like that."

    "How am I supposed to know how well you did with just the word <i>fine</i>?"

    "The results aren''t out yet..." Sun-Woo trailed off in his response.

    In-Ah decided not to ask further. Sun-Woo had not beening to school for a few weeks due to personal reasons, and even on the days he dide to school, he hadn¡¯t studied. If anything, he probably did worse on this round of exams than hisst one. Prying would only make him more ufortable.

    "Well, if you did well, that''s great! And if not, so what? You''re the gangster of practicals anyway, right?"

    "What''s the use of that? There were no practicals this midterm."

    "If there''s none during this midterm, you just need to do well on the practicals during the finals!" In-Ah said with a grin.

    She didn''t say those words just tofort Sun-Woo. In reality, Sun-Woo had earned the nickname ¡®gangster of practicals¡¯ after his overwhelming performance on the practical exams rather than written exams.

    On the other hand, In-Ah had earned the nickname ¡®gangster of the written exam.¡¯ People might have called Yu-Hyun a gangster, but he hadn¡¯t been given the title of ¡®gangster of the written exam¡¯ due to his poor behavior.

    In-Ah secretly liked that childish nickname. It was nice that both of them had secured top positions on the written and practical tests. Although she outwardly showed dislike for the nickname being too childish, she secretly felt equal to Sun-Woo.

    "Come to think of it, they said you had a fight with Yu-Hyun," In-Ah said, suddenly remembering Yu-Hyun while thinking about the nickname.

    Sun-Woo chuckled bitterly. "Fight? What fight? I just got beaten up."

    "Why did you just stand there? You aren¡¯t the type to get beaten up, right?"

    "Sometimes it''s advantageous to get beaten up."

    "Still, don''t just stand there. I¡¯m the only one who can hit you."

    Sun-Woo nodded and chuckled. "Sure, whatever."

    In-Ah smiled awkwardly. Although she wanted to ask about the rumor that Yu-Hyun had hit Sun-Woo because of Jin-Seo, she kept it to herself. Asking unnecessary questions could lead to misunderstandings or awkwardness between them.

    It was better to leave it as it was for now. Comfortably talking and exchanging jokes asionally was enough for her. She was afraid that trying to get closer might push them further apart.

    ***

    The ssroom was bustling in the morning. Today was the day that grades would be announced.

    A friend who had recently started talking to In-Ah more often approached her as usual. "Hey, In-Ah! Did you hear the news?"

    In-Ah had not slept well the night before, and she raised her head to look at her friend. "What news? What is it?"

    "Yu-Hyun! Apparently, he left in the middle of solving Romanican Sacred Science without submitting the answer sheet."

    "So?" Still half-asleep, In-Ah failed to grasp the essence of what her friend was saying.

    Her friend seemed very pleased and had a bright smile on her face. "What do you mean, what? If Yu-Hyun is out, then of course you would be in first ce, right?"

    "Oh." In-Ah let out a gasp.

    If Yu-Hyun hadpletely given up on the Romanican Sacred Science exam, there was no way he could have secured first ce. Therefore, in this exam, the possibility of In-Ah cing first was very high. No one else woulde close to her other than Yu-Hyun.

    However, she couldn''t be too happy prematurely. In-Ah herself couldn''t guarantee her score in sacred material science. She lowered her head with a slightly bitter expression on her face.

    "What? First ce? No. The results haven''t evene out yet..."

    "Do you need to see the results? Without Yu-Hyun, you''re first."

    "I hope so too." In-Ah smiled with a hint of resignation.

    Soon, Jung-Hak entered the ssroom. He had be the temporary homeroom teacher of the ss of Charity after Ye-Jin dered her resignation. He casually ced a stack of report cards on the teacher''s desk.

    "Come up in order of your student number. Any objections must be submitted by this Thursday. That''s all," Jung-Hak said, then simply left.

    Nevertheless, the students went out in order of their student numbers to receive their report cards. Sun-Woo received his report card and casually ced it on the desk without looking at it properly. His expression seemed neither pleased nor disappointed. When it was In-Ah''s turn, she went forward to receive her report card. She immediately checked her rank.

    "..."

    She was in second ce.

    Again.

    She thought she would naturally be in the first ce because Yu-Hyun had given up on one subject, but she wasn¡¯t. At first, she was disappointed. However,ter on, she felt better. She got second ce because she had made a mistake after copsing during the sacred material science exam. She could have fallen below tenth ce, but being in second ce was a satisfactory achievement.

    "Sun-Woo! Did you do well? Well, you probably didn''t do better than me©¤" In-Ah was about to ask Sun-Woo about his grades, but she closed her mouth when she saw the report card on his desk. "Oh, first ce..."

    <i>¡®First ce</i>¡¯ was written boldly on Sun-Woo''s report card. Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, the writing remained unchanged.

    However, Sun-Woo didn''t seem happy at all. Sun-Woo had taken the title of ''top student'' that In-Ah wanted so desperately with ease as if it were nothing.

    "Wow, you''ve improved a lot sincest time! First ce, wow."

    Sun-Woo didn''t respond. He just looked at her face silently.

    In-Ah, feeling uneasy, started to ramble on.

    "I thought you didn''t study at all. Did you work hard in secret? Impressive,¡± she said, trying to justify herself. "I thought you looked upset, so I thought you didn''t do well, but you were deceiving me. I was worried for nothing. Anyway, I''m relieved. I¡¯m d it turned out well..."

    "Why are you crying?"

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    Tears dropped down In-Ah¡¯s face.

 Chapter 248

    <h4>Chapter 248</h4>

    In-Ah covered her face with her sleeves. She quickly wiped away her tears. She didn''t want to show that she was crying, but tears flowed down her face regardless of how she felt.

    The students who had been checking their grades and chatting in the ssroom turned their gaze towards In-Ah and Sun-Woo. Everyone blinked, not fully understanding what was happening.

    "No, uh, I don¡¯t want to cry. I just... why is this happening..." In-Ah blurted out.

    Sun-Woo remained silent. He simply looked at the crying In-Ah.

    She tried to hold back her tears, but they wouldn¡¯t stop. She hurriedly went to the restroom. She stopped crying only after washing her face.

    She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red. She still couldn''t figure out why she had cried. Was it because she was envious of Sun-Woo doing better on the test than her? Or was it because she hadn¡¯t achieved the results she had hoped for despite her efforts? Was it the regret of noting in first if she hadn''t copsed on thest day of the test?

    She thought about it, but none of these reasons could urately exin why she had burst into tears. In-Ah wiped her face dry and left the restroom. Right when she was about to pretend nothing had happened and step back into the ssroom, she stopped in her tracks.

    "<i>Ha.</i>"

    She didn''t want to go back there. Embarrassment caught up to her when she burst into tears, and above all, she felt like she wouldn¡¯t be able to control her expressions. She thought that she might cry again if she looked at Sun-Woo.

    Maybe it would be better to go to the teacher''s office and ask for an early dismissal.

    "Where are you going?"

    As she passed by the ssroom towards the teacher''s office, she happened to run into Sun-Wooing out of the ssroom. His expression was neutral, neither happy nor sad.

    It seemed he wasn¡¯t happy at all, even when he had earned the top seat in the midterm exams. In-Ah had been in that situation before, where she had put in too much effort, so no matter how good the results were, she would think nonchntly, ¡®<i>I got what I worked for</i>.¡¯

    Perhaps Sun-Woo had studied and worked harder than anyone else during the time he hadn¡¯t shown up at school. However, In-Ah didn''t want to acknowledge that. She wanted to believe that she had worked harder than anyone else.

    "Why do you want to know?" In-Ah replied curtly.

    It wasn''t Sun-Woo''s fault. The reason she hadn¡¯t been able to secure the top spot was simply because she hadcked in her efforts and hadn''t properly managed her conditions until thest day of exams.

    In-Ah was well aware of this. However, she couldn¡¯t help but me and resent Sun-Woo. She wanted to belittle his efforts when she knew nothing about how hard he had worked. At the same time, she felt pathetic and miserable for having such thoughts.

    "What do you mean, why would I want to know..? I was just asking a question." Sun-Woo replied, somewhat flustered as if making an excuse.

    In-Ah silently watched his reaction. Hearing the aggressive words ¡®<i>Why do you want to know?</i>¡¯ would have made anyone angry, but she was impressed that he had held back his anger. His patience just made In-Ah even more miserable.

    "Why ask if you''re not even curious?"

    "I asked because I am curious."

    "Are you? Do you even want to know me better?" In-Ah''s tone was particrly aggressive.

    Her emotions overwhelmed her, sharpening her words.

    <i>¡®This shouldn''t be happening. This wasn''t his fault...¡¯</i> she thought every time she spoke aggressively to Sun-Woo. Yet, she couldn''t keep her mouth shut.

    "Why are you pretending to be interested now? Do I look pitiful in your eyes? Have you ever looked at me straight until now?"

    "..."

    "No, am I even visible to you?" In-Ah spat out words as they came to her mind, not even knowing what she was saying.

    She was simply anxious. Sun-Woo had always excelled in many fields. From practical exams to training, hecked in no area. He even performed public services such as rescuing lives outside of school. Many students looked up to him.

    On the other hand, In-Ahcked in many areas. She was average in practical skills and training. The only thing she was good at was studying, so she devoted herself to it even at the expense of her health. However, she lost to Sun-Woo in studying, too. She no longer had any edge to be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him. She no longer had a reason to be friends with him.

    Even if their rtionship grew distant, In-Ah was the one who would take a loss, not Sun-Woo. That thought made her anxious and mad.

    Sun-Woo¡¯s expression suddenly hardened. "Did you hope I would fail the exam?"

    It was almost as if he could see what was going on in In-Ah''s mind.

    In-Ah was surprised to see that expression, but at the same time, she was also angry.

    <i>¡®Yes, you can make that expression because you have nothing to lose,¡¯ </i>she thought with a sense of wonder and childishness.

    Sun-Woo approached In-Ah. She stepped back in surprise. The distance between them was close.

    He red at In-Ah menacingly. "Did you want toe andfort me while I was whimpering about failing my exams? Or did you want me to revere you for doing well on the exam?"

    "..."

    "Do you wish I wascking so that I would rely on you?"

    It wasn''t like that. In-Ah didn''t want Sun-Woo to rely on her. She simply wished he wouldn''t leave her behind. However, she felt anxious because she no longer had any advantage to hold onto him. In-Ah didn''t possess one of the Seven Holy Names like Jin-Seo or Ha-Yeon, nor did she have any exceptional qualities. She wanted to say that, but the words wouldn''te out.

    "Did you talk to me out of pity when you first approached me?"

    "..."

    "Did you talk to me because I was always alone and had made a mistake during the practicals? Did you talk to me out of pity? Out of sympathy?"

    She hadn¡¯t. She had talked to him back then because their way back home had been the same. At that time, she didn¡¯t know their rtionship would lead to so many expectations and disappointments.

    Perhaps Sun-Woo wasn¡¯t looking for anything at all. Maybe it was only In-Ah who had hoped and expected something from the other party. Her pride was hurt. Unidentifiable emotions bubbled within her.

    "Yeah, I talked to you because I felt bad. It seemed like no one would be your friend other than me," In-Ah said, ring at Sun-Woo.

    These weren¡¯t her true feelings. The sole purpose of these words was to hurt Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo widened his eyes in surprise. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

    "Apologize for what you just said."

    "No. I wasn¡¯t the only one in the wrong."

    "Don''t regret itter."

    "I won''t. I absolutely won''t. Even if you tell me to, I won''t." In-Ah said.

    She thought that after hurting Sun-Woo, the bubbling, unknown emotions inside her would dissipate a little, but that was not the case. Instead, the feeling in her chest grew bigger.

    "Yeah, let¡¯s see about that," Sun-Woo said and started walking away.

    In-Ah thought about trying to catch up with him, but his steps were too fast to follow.

    "What have I done?"

    In-Ah looked at the hallway where Sun-Woo had been. Despite iming not to regret her choice, she already regretted what she had said. She felt empty rather than relieved after spitting out words carelessly while her emotions swept her up.

    ***

    "Damn it."

    I had reported that I would be leaving school early in a fit of anger. It was toote, but I regretted what I had said to In-Ah. I could have endured it, but I had been too emotional instead.

    Ironically, I told her not to regret her decision, yet I was the one regretting mine.

    [Do you feel relieved now that you¡¯ve poured out your emotions?] Legba asked when we were almost at the underground chapel.

    I shook my head. "I don''t know why I said that."

    [You were probably expecting a reward subconsciously. A reward for the effort that you put into her sister.]

    I closed my mouth. He was right. I had nothing to say.

    I had desperately tried to treat Yoon-Ah. I vomited blood on a daily basis and copsed multiple times from excessive use of the reverse spell technique. Ji-Ah had called my actions not <i>effort</i> but sacrifice. She told me that I needed to put in effort, but I did not need to make sacrifices.

    "I guess so. I shouldn¡¯t have."

    [There''s nothing wrong with feeling that way. It''s natural to expect a reward proportional to the effort you put in,] Legba said calmly.

    [You just chose the wrong person to im your rewards from.]

    "..."

    He was right. It was inevitable to have hope that my efforts would be rewarded. However, my mistake was looking at In-Ah for that reward.

    In-Ah didn''t know what efforts I was making for her sister. She couldn''t have known because I never told her. I couldn''t tell her, not yet.

    Regardless, I still looked for a reward from In-Ah. I secretly hoped that she would acknowledge my efforts. I thought that she shouldn¡¯t be angry at me when I worked so hard for In-Ah and her sister. I thought I was in the right forpensation. I had been in the wrong. I had to apologize soon.

    "You''re here early again today."

    Ji-Ah greeted me as usual when I set foot into the underground chapel. Uncle wasn''t there, and Soo-Yeong was eating quietly at the table. Judging by her dark expression, something was wrong. But I didn''t feel like asking, so I just passed by.

    Holding my staff, I entered the room where Yoon-Ah was. It had be a routine now: I would unleash Voodoo magic, cast the reverse spell technique, and ask Yoon-Ah a few questions to check how she was doing.

    Her condition hadn''t improved, but I didn''t give up. I believed that if I didn''t give up, things would eventually get better. The best reward I could hope for was for Yoon-Ah to get better and reunite her with In-Ah.

    "..."

    To achieve that, I had to heal Yoon-Ah first. Then, I needed to find a way to reconnect In-Ah to Yoon-Ah smoothly.

    I had a n. I told the Pdin Order that I wanted to participate in the long-term missing persons search operation, so I would soon be able to help out in their searches.

    When that time came, I would instruct one of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps members to escort Yoon-Ah and get them to hide in a building. I would then enter the building and rescue Yoon-Ahpletely by chance.

    The reason I had the mercenary corps member escort Yoon-Ah was because it seemed more natural that way. Yoon-Ah was in decent condition because she had been under my and Ji-Ah¡¯s care. Someone kidnapping and raising her would make more sense than her wandering lost on the streets for months.

    [You have a lot to prepare for.]

    "You¡¯re right."

    As Legba said, I had much to prepare for the n. Even if I hurried, it would take at least a week to get everything in order. Since we didn¡¯t know when Yoon-Ah would recover, we need to start preparing slowly from now on.

    But realistically, it seemed like we could prepare leisurely. Yoon-Ah didn''t seem like she would recover any time soon.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    At that moment, the staff struck the ground by itself.

    "Huh?"

    Before I could be surprised, the staff emitted a purple light. I felt something draining from my body. The staff was siphoning Voodoo magic from my body like crazy.

    "This crazy stuff! Not again!"

    <i>Thud, thud, thud... </i>

    The staff struck the ground several times as if it were angry. Then, it drew a spell array on its own. The flowing Voodoo mist covered Yoon-Ah''s body, and she calmly epted the mist. I tried my best to control the staff, but it didn''t listen to me at all and continued to strike the ground several more times.

    I only realizedter that the Voodoo mist also swept me away.

    <i>Ssh. </i>

    I could hear the sound of water dripping down. At the same time, my field of vision turned ck. The pitch-ck darkness that obscured my view gradually dissipated, revealing an unfamiliarndscape.

    <i>''Unnie, I''ll be back in a moment. I¡¯m just going in front...'' </i>

    <i>''Who are you? Wait, who are you? No...!'' </i>

    <i>''Unnie, unnie!'' </i>

    These were Yoon-Ah¡¯s memories from just before she was kidnapped.

    Her other memories unfolded in front of me as well. The day when she had gone on a spring pic with In-Ah. The day she had walked home from school together with In-Ah, telling her about what had happened at school. The day the two had fought over who would eat the chicken drumstick.

    In Yoon-Ah''s memory, In-Ah was often smiling. Unlike the smile she had shown me up until now, her smile then was endlessly bright, pure, and clean. I wandered through Yoon-Ah''s memories for a while. Although it was a very short time, I caught a glimpse of her entire life.

    Until now, Yoon-Ah had been happy and should have stayed happy¡ªif only Han Su-Yeop''s Voodoo Revival Church hadn¡¯t kidnapped her.

    "..."

    When I opened my eyes, tears dripped down my cheeks. Yoon-Ah had lost consciousness and copsed. As I approached to check on her condition, I stopped in my tracks.

    Her skin, which had been overly pale with prominent blue veins, had regained a normalplexion like that of any other ordinary person. Before fully grasping the situation, Legba spoke up.

    [She lost consciousness due to the sudden rush of memories.]

    "..."

    [When she wakes up, she''ll be a person, not a zombie.]

    "When will she wake up...?"

    [Probably in three days,] Legba said.

    In three days, Yoon-Ah would fully recover and regain consciousness. From then on, Yoon-Ah would no longer be a zombie. She would remember everything she heard and saw, just like an ordinary person.

    [It seems like you have to get everything ready in three days.]

    If I dyed the preparation, Yoon-Ah might find out that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. If that happened, then I couldn''t reunite Yoon-Ah with In-Ah.

    There was no time.

 Chapter 249

    <h4>Chapter 249</h4>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung gathered the members of his mercenary corps for a meeting. They had lost several members in the battle with the Crusader Order, and some of their facilities were so damaged that they were useless now. The meeting focused on discussing ways to recover from the damage.

    "Let¡¯s start talking about recovering from the aftermath of this battle and, on top of that, the relocation of our base,¡± Yuk Eun-Hyung said as he looked around at the gathered members.

    There were definitely fewer people than before the battle urred. Despite feeling bitter and sad, Yuk Eun-Hyung did not show any emotion. Now was not the time to wallow in sorrow but to focus on rebuilding the mercenary corps as the director.

    "Feel free to speak up if you have any opinions regarding the recovery."

    As soon as Yuk Eun-Hyung finished speaking, one member opened their mouth as if they had been waiting for this moment.

    "I have a suggestion regarding recruiting new members."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung gestured for them to continue speaking.

    "We could gather volunteers from the nearby residents¡ª"

    "No." Yuk Eun-Hyung firmly interrupted the member before they could finish sharing their thoughts.

    The member was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words, and they stared at Yuk Eun-Hyung in confusion.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung gazed at the distant mountains with a nk expression.

    The mercenary frowned. "Why not? There are many residents nearby who are supportive of our mercenary corps. Just bringing a few of them could..."

    "Have you forgotten why the Crusader Order attacked us this time?"

    ¡°...¡± The member fell silent upon hearing Yuk Eun-Hyung''s words.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung had previously attempted to recruit residents into the mercenary corps to expand the size of their corps. The Holy See did not approve of this and summoned the Crusader Order under the pretext of ''illegal proselytizing.¡¯ Recruiting from the nearby residencies again could lead to another attack by the Crusader Order.

    "And the residents won''t join the mercenary corps. They¡¯ve seen how we helplessly fell victim to the Crusader Order."

    "..."

    "Before, our mercenary corps yed the role of protecting the residents. Now, we have be a threat to them instead. The tides have changed," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    The members remained silent. It was all true. Until now, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps had gained the trust of those who lived nearby because they had taken on the role of protecting them. However, following the orders of the Holy See, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps had turned into a criminal organization like that of a terrorist group. It would be impossible to recruit residents now.

    At that moment, one member said, "It''s not a bad idea to maintain ourselves as a small elite force."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung shook his head. "We are not elite. We are just a small squad."

    "Then maybe we can be elite through training."

    "Through training... yes, training..." Yuk Eun-Hyung muttered, rubbing his head.

    Bringing the existing members to an elite level through training was the ideal method for solving the current manpower shortage. But realistically, it was not feasible.

    Underprepared training was no different frombor. Finding a location for the training session would also be a problem, and before that, they would have to secure a ce where the members could stay safely.

    "There are... no suitable ces to train.¡±

    "What if we ask the Cult Leader? Could he provide a ce for us to stay or to train?"

    Yuk Eun-Hyung forced a bitter smile. "I have no right to ask for help, nor do I have any justification to do so."

    When the Crusader Order attacked themst time, the Cult Leader stepped in, drove the crusaders away, and treated the wounds of the injured. They already owed a great debt to the Cult Leader for that, so they couldn''t ask for more. Not only that, but there was no justification for their request.

    "The Cult Leader left without even acknowledging our greetingsst time. It must mean that I have lost his trust."

    Furthermore, Yuk Eun-Hyung had disappointed him when he failed to inform the Cult Leader that the mercenary corps had been under attack. It was likely tied to why the Cult Leader had left the mercenary corps without a word.

    Asking for a favor in a state of lost trust would surely result in a cold rejection. At that moment, a vibration sounded from Yuk Eun-Hyung''s pocket.

    <i>Bzzzz©¤! Bzzz¨C!</i>

    He took out his phone. Even though it was an area with poor signal, the call came through fine. It was because it was the phone he received from Jin-Sung, one of the executives at the Seoul Branch.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung checked the caller ID and answered the call with narrowed eyes.

    "Yes, Cult Leader."

    Upon hearing those words, all the members tensed up. No one could guess why the Cult Leader had called. Yuk Eun-Hyung swallowed nervously, waiting for the Cult Leader''s response.

    After a long silence, a voice came through the phone.

    ¡ª<i>Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung</i>. <i>I''ll make this brief because I don¡¯t have much time. </i>

    "..."

    ¡ª<i>You must be thinking a lot about the base and recovery from the damage. I can take care of all of that for you.</i>

    It was as if the Cult Leader could read Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mind. Yuk Eun-Hyung nervously nced around, wondering if the Cult Leader was nearby. But there was no sign of him anywhere.

    The Cult Leader spoke with a slightly urgent tone.

    ¡ª<i>Instead, please do me a favor. Just send one of your fastest members over here. I¡¯d prefer you don¡¯t ask why.</i>

    "...Understood."

    <i>Click. </i>

    The call ended abruptly before Yuk Eun-Hyung could even respond properly. The members stared nkly at Yuk Eun-Hyung, unaware of what was happening.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was still in shock, holding onto his phone even after the call had ended.

    In the silence, one member gathered the courage to speak up. "What did the Cult Leader say...?"

    "Uh, well..." Yuk Eun-Hyung pocketed his phone and continued, "...We have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Who is the fastest runner among us?"

    ***

    Hee-Jin greeted me with a handshake. "Nice to meet you. My name is Oh Hee-Jin, and I¡¯ll be in the role of something like your mentor during your practical training period."

    "Right. I¡¯m Do Sun-Woo." Sun-Woo took the handshake.

    Although Sun-Woo¡¯s stature didn''t seem that big, Hee-Jin could feel a strong force from the handshake, rivaling that of Director Han Dae-Ho¡¯s. Sun-Woo had a rxed demeanor, but he didn''t seem arrogant. At first sight, he had a likable attitude.

    The two got into the car and headed to the northern Gyeonggi area for the long-term missing person search, with Hee-Jin driving.

    Sun-Woo sat in the passenger seat. He asked, "But what do you mean by <i>something like your mentor</i>? Why not just mentor?"

    "There¡¯s no distinction between mentor and mentee during your practical dispatch training period. You¡¯re not an official pdin yet," Hee-Jin replied.

    They drove in silence until they got on the highway heading north to Gyeonggi. "I didn''t mention it earlier, but don''t get involved with the Northern Pdin Order. They''re a bunch of ill-hearted bastards. Our Eastern Pdin Order doesn''t get along with them either."

    "Ah, I''ll be careful. But..."

    Sun-Woo nced at the notebook tucked in the passenger-side door pocket and hesitantly said, "It seems like you''re very interested in religions besides Romanicanism."

    "Huh? How did you know that? Oh, you saw the notebook." Hee-Jin nodded in understanding. "It''s nothing grand. Studying is just a hobby of mine. It has its benefits, and I get to know more about the enemy. Are you interested? I have a bit of interest in the Voodoo Cult, and I''ve studied it on my own."

    "The Voodoo Cult has been gaining attentiontely, especially after the incident with the mercenary corps suppression. Do you know what happened then?" Sun-Woo asked.

    "Yes, I heard that the Cult Leader appeared. And boy, did he make an appearance. Snakes, nts, and fire... They used all sorts of power. I heard that they also used Bossou''s power."

    "Bossou... Is that the name of a Loa?"

    "Oh... right. This is a secret, but I have a few forbidden books, so... haha. I know some things that others don''t." Hee-Jin tantly regretted blurting unnecessary words after he boasted his knowledge.

    He hastily tried to cover up his mistake. "In the future, I want to create equipment that can deflect even the power of the Loa. Like, you know, the anti-Voodoo mask made by Sung Yu-Da, the former cardinal?"

    "..." Sun-Woo just nodded without responding.

    It took a while for Hee-Jin to realize that he had been talking too much. People said if one spoke without being asked, they were considered a bore. With that worry in mind, Hee-Jin closed his mouth. An awkward silence ensued.

    Fortunately, the silence didn''tst long. Just then, the navigation announced that they had arrived at their destination. Both of them got out of the car.

    Although it was midday, the sky was cloudy, making it slightly dark. The wind was chilly. Hee-Jin took out two walkie-talkies from the back seat of the car, strapped one to his waist, and handed the other to Sun-Woo.

    "Here, a walkie-talkie. If anything happens, you can contact me with this."

    "Understood."

    "If by any chance... you find a missing person, secure the missing person first before reporting."

    Sun-Woo nodded and took the walkie-talkie.

    They then went their separate ways to conduct their search. Hee-Jin watched Sun-Woo''s back as he walked away.

    ''Say less than you know.'' That had been Hee-Jin''s rule, but he ended up saying too much. Somehow, he found himself talking a lot in front of Sun-Woo.

    "I get why he likes him so much."

    He could see why Han Dae-Ho favored Sun-Woo. Hee-Jin nodded and began his search.

    ***

    After parting ways with Hee-Jin, I entered a secluded alley I had previously investigated. There was no need to search diligently because I already knew where Yoon-Ah was. She was in an abandoned building that Uncle had bought for spective purposes under his fake identity as ''Lee Sung-Jin,'' so there was no risk of being traced.

    However, I could attract unwanted attention if I found the missing person right after parting ways with Hee-Jin. So, I nned to go pick her up in the evening. I took out a book to pass the time. That was when Legba spoke up.

    [They seemed to know quite a lot.]

    I didn''t respond. Legba was talking about Hee-Jin. He certainly knew a lot, and he seemed to know quite a bit about the Voodoo Cult as well.

    He wanted to create equipment to rival the power of the Loa, making him dangerous in many ways. From a strategic standpoint, he would most likely be a very annoying enemy.

    I decided for now to keep an eye on him and turned the pages of the book. Before long, I had read through thest page. I closed the book. This was the twentieth book I had read in my spare time. By the time I looked outside, it was already evening.

    I left the cafe and went to the abandoned building where Yoon-Ah and a member of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps would be. There was nothing around the abandoned building but broken streetlights and an unfinished building with exposed framing. There weren¡¯t even any CCTVs.

    This actually worked in my favor. I checked the time. There were about two hours left until Yoon-Ah would fully regain consciousness. I had plenty of time.

    And just when I was leisurely walking around¡ª

    <i>Cawk-! Cawk-! Cawk-!</i>

    <i>Flutter, flutter</i>.

    <i>Caawk¨C! Cawk-!</i>

    Dozens of ravens flew around me. They perched on the broken streetlights and building frame, crying out like crazy. Their cries were loud. All the ravens looked at me. Their pupils were eerily white.

    "...Jun-Hyuk."

    <i>Flutter!</i>

    The biggest raven in the flocknded in front of me after I said Jun-Hyuk. Its bright white pupils stared at me unpleasantly, and I could tell Jun-Hyuk was behind those eyes. The raven tidied their wings with their beaks and looked towards me.

    "Nice to see you! It''s been so long."

    ¡°You''re speaking quite clearly. It looks like you¡¯ve regained some strength."

    "Something like that. Not enough to take you on yet, though!"

    "You say that as if that day wille. You¡¯ll never beat me in this lifetime."

    Laughter flowed from the raven¡¯s beak. "We''ll see about that in due time! Hehe!"

    I could hear theughter, but the raven wasn''t actuallyughing, which gave me chills.

    The raven stared at me with nk eyes, void of expression. It tilted its head and opened its beak.

    ¡°This feels a bit unfriendly to be a greeting between old friends. Can''t you at least pretend that you¡¯re happy to see me?"

    "What are you talking about? We¡¯re not on good terms.¡±

    The raven nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess you¡¯re right. Then, let me break the ice with a reunion gift!"

    The raven turned its head and looked toward the abandoned building I was going to enter. Then, it gestured toward the building with its wings.

    One of the ravens perched on a broken streetlight flew into the building. It was so fast that I didn''t even have time to react. My heart sank, my hands trembled, and my heart raced.

    "...Don''t do it," I urgently said, sensing what Jun-Hyuk was about to do.

    The raven slightly opened their beak as if mocking me. "I insist!"

    "Don''t do it, you fucke¨C!"

    <i>Boom©¤! </i>

    The abandoned building where Yoon-Ah was exploded.

    The raven mocked me as it pped its wings. "What an artsy gift, wouldn¡¯t you say? Hehe!"

    Dozens of ravens suddenly flew into the sky. I could have used Sobo''s power to summon lightning and burn them all, but there was no time for that now. The building was burning from the explosion.

    "Bossou!" I used Bossou''s power and rushed into the burning building.

 Chapter 250

    <h4>Chapter 250</h4>

    The fastest runner in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps assigned to help Sun-Woo muttered, ¡°You are to protect the child until the Cult Leader appears. Once the Cult Leader shows up, you are to leave the child and run away immediately. If pursued, you are to tear the muffler..."

    She had received two instructions from Sun-Woo. She would protect the child until Sun-Woo appeared. Once Sun-Woo appeared, she would leave the child and run away immediately.

    And if pdins pursued her, she would tear the muffler and throw it on the ground.

    The instructions were simple and clear. Nevertheless, she continued to reaffirm Sun-Woo''s words because she judged that although the instructions were simple, it was still important not to forget them.

    Sun-Woo promised that if she sessfullypleted this mission, he would provide the members of Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps with a ce to stay and a location where they could train.

    It was not an exaggeration to say that the future of the mercenary corps depended on her. That was why she engraved his instructions into her mind by repeating them several times.

    "Protect the child. If the Cult Leader appears, leave the child and run away immediately. If pursued, tear the muffler¡ª"

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    The building shook from the explosion, and as the building trembled, dust particles fell from the ceiling.

    The windows shattered, and ss rained down. Initially, she thought this was also part of the Cult Leader''s n.

    However, the aftermath of the explosion had set the building on fire, and it was slowly getting hotter as a result. Only then did the member btedly realize that an ident had urred. She once again recalled Sun-Woo''s instructions.

    "..."

    She had to protect the child.

    The child that Sun-Woo had left in her care was sound asleep by her side. From what she remembered, her name was Yoon-Ah. After recalling the child''s name, the mercenary assessed the fire''s severity. The situation wasn¡¯t too dire at the moment. Even if she didn¡¯t move locations right away, she could easily escape by herself.

    But the child was the problem. The child was asleep as if she had passed out, and she wouldn¡¯t wake up no matter what she did. If they didn''t move right away, the child could be in danger.

    However, Sun-Woo had instructed the mercenary to take the child to the designated location and wait for him without moving until he arrived.

    She was confused about whether she was supposed to prioritize protecting the child or waiting for the Cult Leader. Both were the Cult Leader''s orders.

    "Protect."

    The mercenary finally made a decision. She had to prioritize protecting the child. The basis of this decision was the order in which Sun-Woo had given her the instructions. Sun-Woo had first ordered her to protect the child, then instructed her to wait for him. The mercenary judged that the order that she had received first was more important.

    She lifted the sleeping Yoon-Ah onto her shoulders. Yoon-Ah was small in stature and light in weight, so there was no difficulty in carrying her while running.

    "Protect, protect..."

    The mercenary wandered around the building and muttered Sun-Woo''s instructions while carrying Yoon-Ah.

    ***

    "East.... No, this is the Pdin Order. We are searching for a long-term missing person. By any chance, have you seen the person in these photos...."

    "<i>Sigh</i>, I haven''t seen it. I haven''t seen it."

    "Please, just take a quick look."

    "I said I haven''t seen it!"

    Oh Hee-Jin sighed deeply after watching a citizen leave in annoyance without even properly looking at the missing person''s photo.

    Asking citizens for help by showing photos or sketches yielded nothing. Most of them not only refused to cooperate but also expressed annoyance.

    However, rather than getting angry orining about the citizens¡¯ attitudes, Oh Hee-Jin couldn¡¯t help but think that it couldn¡¯t be helped.

    In missing person cases, there was something called the ''golden time,'' where the missing person was to be identified within twenty-four hours if possible, and within forty-eight hours at thetest. To not miss the golden time, the Pdin Order mobilized methods such as sending text alerts about missing people, but if they still failed to find the missing person after tracing their route, it would be practically impossible to find the missing person.

    "Sun-Woo happened to choose to search for long-term missing persons, of all things...¡±

    Moreover, a ''long-term missing person'' referred to a person who had been missing for at least a month. At this point, rather than being missing, it was more appropriate to believe that they had run away and settled elsewhere. Thus, the search for long-term missing people was merely a task done as a show for the families of the missing individuals.

    Pdins also tended to avoid this type of task the most, as it was obvious that they wouldn''t be able to achieve any results. Even if they tried to encourage participation by saying that they would gain great rewards if they found a long-term missing person, no one wanted to do it because they wouldn¡¯t be able to find anyone anyway.

    Nevertheless, among the numerous tasks, Sun-Woo specifically chose the search for a long-term missing person. Oh Hee-Jin understood why he was doing this. Because of his kind-hearted nature, he was choosing tasks that would benefit the public, such as finding missing people, rather than focusing on achieving results.

    If one had ambition, one also had to know how to be cunning, but Sun-Woo waspletelycking in that aspect.

    ¡°Well, that''s probably why the director likes him¡ª¡±

    Oh Hee-Jin muttered to himself out of boredom, but a fire truck passed by noisily.

    <i>Whoop©¤! </i>

    Following that, an ambnce making the same sound also passed by. The cars on the road made way for the fire truck and ambnce. Oh Hee-Jin watched the fire truck and ambnce without much thought but then suddenly found himself engulfed in a wave of anxiety.

    "..."

    The direction the fire truck and ambnce were heading was the area Sun-Woo had decided to search.

    In the distance, thick ck smoke was rising into the sky. It seemed like a fire had broken out. Oh Hee-Jin quickly picked up the walkie-talkie.

    "Apprentice Pdin Sun-Woo, answer me. It seems like there''s a fire nearby. Do not go in and just stay outside. If there''s a dispute with the Northern Pdin Order over jurisdiction, it will be a headache!" Oh Hee-Jin shouted into the walkie-talkie.

    He recalled the time when there was a fire at the Basar Market. It was the day when Han Dae-Ho and Sun-Woo rescued all the citizens inside the market. At that time, Sun-Woo was not even an apprentice pdin yet¡ªhe was just a regr student.

    Despite this, Sun-Woo jumped into the mes and rescued people as if he did not value his own life.

    There was a possibility that he would once again enter the building on his own. The Sun-Woo that Oh Hee-Jin knew was someone whose body moved before he even thought. That was why he had to stop him before his body moved.

    "Apprentice Pdin Sun-Woo! I repeat, do not go in. I demand an answer. Answer me! Damn it, Sun-Woo!"

    However, no matter how many times he shouted over the radio, Sun-Woo did not respond.

    "Answer me, you crazy bastard! I told you not to get involved with the Northern Order!"

    Oh Hee-Jin continued to call Sun-Woo on the radio, running in the same direction as the fire trucks and ambnces. His voice grew louder, his breathing became more rapid, and his heartbeat elerated.

    A mix of anxious and impatient feelings urged his feet forward.

    ***

    My heart raced. I struggled to breathe, and my vision narrowed. My entire body throbbed and felt hot. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was because I was using Bossou''s power or because I was anxious.

    I just entered the building while absorbed in the task of rescuing Yoon-Ah as soon as possible. I felt regret as well. Instead of wasting time, what if I had rescued Yoon-Ah in the morning? If I had done that, Jun-Hyuk wouldn¡¯t have been able to interfere, and everything would have been resolved ording to n.

    However, it was foolish to regret the past. Doing so would only slow down my train of thought.

    As I entered the building, stairs appeared in front of me. However, I didn''t have the time to leisurely take the stairs at the moment. Time was of the essence.

    The location that I told the mercenary to bring Yoon-Ah to was the top of the building, which was the fifth floor. To be more specific, it was a room located in the corner of the fifth floor.

    "Bade!" I called out.

    A strong wind rushed in through the open doors and through the windows that had been shattered in the aftermath of the explosion. My steps were pushed along with the help of the wind. Adding Bossou¡¯s power further enhanced my steps, making them lighter.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    My body floated up with a gust of wind. Controlling the wind, I was able to instantly fly to the fifth floor. I bumped into the staircase railing on the way. It seemed like I had gotten slightly injured, but it was fine because it didn¡¯t hurt.

    The fifth floor was filled with thick smoke. I cleared the smoke and increased my range of vision with Bade''s wind. Then, I entered the room where Yoon-Ah was supposed to be.

    ording to the n, it was supposed to be the room where the mercenary and Yoon-Ah were supposed to be waiting for me.

    "..."

    However, there was no one in the room. It would have been somewhat reassuring if at least Yoon-Ah or the mercenary were there. Both of them were missing, and I didn''t feel a single presence. The room was just filled with thick ck smoke.

    My heart pounded. I felt out of breath. My vision narrowed. My body throbbed and felt hot all over. It wasn''t because of Bossou''s power. It was because I was losing myposure.

    <i>¡®Where could Yoon-Ah and the mercenary have gone?¡¯</i>

    Did the mercenary judge that they had to take Yoon-Ah and move to a different location to avoid the fire that had broken out due to the aftermath of the explosion?

    If so, where did they move to? Due to the explosion and the fire, no ce in this building could be considered safe. So, were they already outside the building? I had no idea. Rational judgment was impossible. I ran with Bossou''s power and Bade''s wind, clearing the smoke while searching every room on the fifth floor.

    However, I didn¡¯t see the mercenary or Yoon-Ah anywhere.

    "Damba... Ah, the staff!"

    I was about to call Damba to ask her for help in finding the mercenary and Yoon-Ah. But I btedly realized that I didn''t have the staff in my hand.

    It was because I had decided that I wouldn''t need the staff and had left it behind.

    <i>Shaaaaaa... </i>

    I went down to the fourth floor via the stairs. If I didn''t have Damba, I had no choice but to search the entire building by myself. Right now, that was the only way to find Yoon-Ah and the mercenary.

    If I had brought the staff, I could have extinguished the fire using various powers without necessarily needing Damba. Then, I wouldn¡¯t be feeling so anxious right now. I once again regretted not bringing my staff.

    But there was no time to regret it. I tried to summon Bade¡¯s wind to clear the thick smoke on the fourth floor.

    However, beyond the smoke, I saw a group of figures approaching me, and I withdrew my power. The people behind the smoke also noticed me and started to approach me.

    Among the five pdins who appeared after clearing the smoke, the man standing at the forefront said, "Who are you?! Are you the arsonist?"

    His voice was deep and menacing. I scanned the faces of the five pdins. They were unfamiliar. At the very least, I could tell that they were not affiliated with the Eastern Pdin Order.

    <i>- ''I didn''t mention it earlier, but don''t get involved with the Northern Pdin Order.'' </i>

    Suddenly, Oh Hee-Jin''s words came to mind. At the same time, I realized that they were pdins from the Northern Pdin Order. The pdins from the northern branch were openly wary of me.

    I knew they were pdins, but they didn''t know I was an apprentice pdin. To avoid any misunderstandings, I had to reveal my identity to them first. I managed to calm my agitated heart and lowered my head as I said, "I am Sun-Woo, an apprentice pdin from the Eastern Pdin Order. I am here to assist with the rescue."

    "What? Why is someone from the Eastern Pdin Order here? And why is an apprentice here?"

    "During a long-term missing person search mission, it seemed like there was a terrorist incident, so I came here on my own..."

    The pdin standing at the front yelled, "Enough with the excuses. Get the fuck out now!"

    They even cursed. I was angry, but I held it in. I just needed to persuade them. I managed my expression and calmly said, "There might be people who were unable to evacuate the building, so I suggest we conduct a rescue..."

    ¡°There¡¯s no one. Why would there be people in an abandoned building? It¡¯s just a matter of suppressing the fire so we can prevent it from spreading."

    "But just in case, I wanted to confirm..."

    The pdin interrupted me. "Hey."

    He was ring at me with eyes that were so threateningly sharp that they looked like they contained killing intent.

    "Ha, this guy... What? Did you say you were Sun-Woo? You bastard, don¡¯t have any respect for your superiors?" he said.

    "..."

    "Didn''t you hear me order you to leave? Don¡¯t you know that I¡¯m the director of the Northern Pdin Order? Hey. Never mind, just kick this guy out."

    It seemed that the arrogant guy I had been talking to was the director of the Northern Pdin Order.

    The pdins approached me, trying to grab my arms. They were going to kick me out of the building forcefully.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    I resisted their attempts to grab me. The two pdins trying to grab my arms couldn''t withstand Bossou''s power and copsed onto the ground. I approached the director and said, "I just want to check if there is anyone on the rooftop."

    "What? Look at this guy."

    "I only want to check the rooftop. Is that so difficult?"

    "Try taking one step closer. You have disobeyed orders, obstructed official duties, and assaulted pdins. I will use all avable means to take you down."

    "..."

    However, I did not listen to the director''s orders and continued to approach him. The director hesitated and took a step back. The confident look from his aggressive gaze softened slightly.

    A hint of fear peeked through beyond his pupils.

    As I approached the director, I pondered for a moment. Should I overpower the director with force here, or should I obediently follow his orders?

    Thinking about the long-term, it was right toply with his orders. It was right to give up on finding the mercenary and Yoon-Ah and endure it all.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    However, I didn''t want to endure it. In the end, I punched the director in the face. The pdins standing by the director¡¯s side were shocked and could only stare at me helplessly.

    The director grabbed his nose, kneeled down hesitantly, and looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

    "Urgh, uh...! What are you doing?"

    "I don''t feel like taking orders from someone like you at the moment," I said.

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    I kicked the director''s stomach. My heart was pounding. I was out of breath. I couldn''t tell if it was because of Bossou''s power or just pure exhration.

    Leaving behind the Northern Pdin Order members nkly blinking their eyes in confusion, and the director who was convulsing like a fish out of water, I headed toward the stairs leading to the rooftop.

 Chapter 251

    <h4>Chapter 251</h4>

    I climbed the stairs leading to the rooftop. My heart kept pounding, my whole body trembling in sync with my heartbeat. Tension and anxiety gripped my heart.

    My breath would asionally get caught in my throat, so I stopped to catch my breath. The route to the rooftop was short, but it still felt too long for me.

    Honestly, I was so afraid of going up to the rooftop. It wasn''t because I had assaulted the Pdin Order¡¯s northern branch director. It was because I kept thinking about what would happen if I went up to the rooftop and In-Ah and Yoon-Ah weren''t there. I kept thinking about how my mistake might have prevented In-Ah and Yoon-Ah from ever meeting again.

    Those thoughts made me anxious. More than anything else, Yoon-Ah was the most important thing for me at the moment.

    I climbed to the top of the stairs. I stood still in front of the tightly closed door, unable to do anything. I was too afraid to open the door.

    All I could do was ce my hand on the door handle and gulp nervously.

    Then, I heard Legba''s voice.

    [Open it,] he said.

    His voice was calm as always, but it also felt like there was more strength in it than usual.

    I took a deep breath and coughed. It was only then that I noticed the pungent smell of smoke.

    After a fit of coughing, my mind, which had been paralyzed by anxiety, once again regained its functionality.

    Regardless of whether Yoon-Ah was beyond the door or not, I had to open it.

    <i>Creak... </i>

    I opened the door. It opened with an eerie sound, perhaps because it was an abandoned building. The rooftop came into view, but I couldn''t see the mercenary¡¯s and Yoon-Ah¡¯s figures because of the smoke.

    I cleared the smoke using Bade¡¯s wind, but all it revealed was the deste rooftop. There was no one there¡ªneither the mercenary nor Yoon-Ah. All I saw was the green floor and a neglected water tank covered in dust.

    No matter how much I looked around, I couldn''t see the mercenary or Yoon-Ah. My strength drained from my legs, and I almost copsed.

    Feeling too helpless to just do nothing, I muttered, "Where could they have gone?"

    I felt like I would copse from frustration if I didn¡¯t at least say something.

    Where could the two of them have possibly gone? I had no idea. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t figure it out. I was overwhelmed with helplessness.

    There was nothing I could do. It ended up like this again¡ªall because I made the wrong choice...

    "Cult Leader?"

    I turned my head after hearing a familiar voice. The voice came from behind the water tank.

    Despite feeling like I would melt and copse into nothingness, I managed to stand and walk toward the voice.

    My heart raced. It was beating violently as if it was wedged between a tripartite of tension, anxiety, and anticipation. I kept walking. I wanted to quicken my pace, but my body didn''t move as I wanted.

    With faltering steps, I finally managed to reach the ce where the voice hade from. There were two people hiding behind the water tank¡ªthe mercenary and Yoon-Ah. The mercenary was covering Yoon-Ah''s mouth and nose with her sleeve, worried she would inhale the smoke.

    "Ah..."

    <i>Thud.</i>

    As soon as I saw that sight, my legs gave away, and I slumped down onto the ground. My pounding heart gradually regained stability.

    Finally, it was over.

    <i> </i> ***

    "I am Pdin Oh Hee-Jin from the Eastern Pdin Order! Is anyone here¡ª"

    "Eastern Branch? Hey, is that bastard yourckey too?"

    The angry faces of the Pdin Order Northern Branch members greeted Oh Hee-Jin at the scene.

    Oh Hee-Jin tucked his walkie-talkie in and approached them. Up close, he could see that the Northern Branch¡¯s director looked tired. Judging by his condition, it seemed like his nose was broken.

    <i>¡®Sun-Woo didn¡¯t do that, right?¡¯</i>

    "One of my subordinates seems to havee this way. I have no intention of getting involved in firefighting outside my jurisdiction, so you don''t have to worry," Oh Hee-Jin said.

    He tried to suppress the ominous feeling that was surfacing in her mind. There was no way Sun-Woo would have done that. Sun-Woo was a bit crazy, but even so, he wouldn¡¯t do something crazy like break the nose of the Northern Branch¡¯s director.

    "Yeah, that subordinate! Wasn''t that bastard''s name Sun-Woo?" the Northern Branch¡¯s director asked.

    "Yes, that''s correct. His name is Sun-Woo," Oh Hee-Jin answered.

    "That bastard messed up my nose!"

    "Oh. Sun-Woo did that..."

    Oh Hee-Jin nodded with a dazed expression in front of the enraged director of the Northern Branch.

    So, it really was Sun-Woo who had messed up the nose of the Northern Branch¡¯s director like that.

    <i>¡®I thought he was a bit crazy, but it turned out I was wrong. He¡¯spletely insane...¡¯ </i>Oh Hee-Jin thought.

    "So... um, are you saying that Sun-Woo messed up your nose?" he asked.

    "Yes, this matter won''t just be overlooked. I will make sure that both Sun-Woo and you get the punishment that you deserve¡ª¡±

    "Actually, um, Sun-Woo, the apprentice pdin, has a physical therapy license. Maybe he was trying to provide physical therapy and identally did that to you..."

    "What?" the Northern Branch¡¯s director uttered.

    Oh Hee-Jin was so bbergasted that he had unconsciously mumbled nonsense for a moment, but then btedly regained herposure and bowed his head respectfully.

    "Never mind, I will make sure to take full responsibility for this matter on behalf of the Eastern Pdin Order," he said.

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director still seemed displeased as he continued to re at Oh Hee-Jin with rage.

    Oh Hee-Jin bowed his head and chewed her lips. He had no idea how he was supposed to resolve this situation.

    An apprentice pdin had struck a director while working in the northern region of Gyeonggi, which was outside of their jurisdiction. He hit the nose of the Northern Branch¡¯s director so hard that he broke it. At this point, Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s desire to resign was much stronger than his desire to salvage the situation.

    Oh Hee-Jin proposed, "Well then, I will contact Director Han Dae-Ho right now. If the two of you can resolve this amicably¡ª"

    "What? Why bring Han Dae-Ho here? I don''t even want to see his face."

    "Um, then what do you want to do?"

    "What do I want? Nothing. Let¡¯s just follow the Pdin''s code," the Northern Branch¡¯s director said firmly, touching his crooked nose.

    Oh Hee-Jin felt his body gopletely cold.

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director was going to handle things ording to the Pdin''s code¡ªin other words, militaryw. If punishment were dolled out ording to militaryw, Sun-Woo would not be able to avoid disciplinary action.

    Oh Hee-Jin carefully counted the crimes that Sun-Woo hadmitted in his head. The first ones were assault and mutiny.

    Although Oh Hee-Jin had not heard the detailed circumstances, if Sun-Woo had made even the slightest mistake, he could also be punished for obstructing official duties. If he had made a serious mistake, he could even face expulsion from Florence Academy.

    "I-I''m truly sorry. How about we talk to our director, Han Dae-Ho, first? If you go so far as dishing out disciplinary action, the situation will be troublesome..."

    "Troublesome? Are you trying to threaten me right now? Are you threatening me not to report it?"

    "It''s not a threat. What I mean is..."

    Oh Hee-Jin bowed his head repeatedly to the Northern Branch¡¯s director. However, the Northern Branch¡¯s director did not want to listen to Oh Hee-Jin at all.

    He seemed to be very angry at Sun-Woo for breaking his nose and at the fact that he, a director, had been hit by a mere apprentice pdin. Furthermore, his subordinates had all seen him get hit. Punishing that damn brat was a matter of maintaining his reputation as a director.

    Meanwhile, Oh Hee-Jin was sweating profusely. It was obvious that if the Northern Branch¡¯s director reported Sun-Woo, the responsibility would also fall on Oh Hee-Jin. If things went wrong, he would also face disciplinary action, and even if he managed to avoid it, he would not be able to escape Han Dae-Ho''s scrutiny.

    "I''m really sorry. So please reconsider reporting it..."

    "So what if you apologize? Even if the person involved apologizes directly, it won''t be enough. Bring Sun-Woo here!"

    "Yes, understood."

    <i>¡®Damn, that petty director is so eager to receive an apology,¡¯</i> Oh Hee-Jin thought as he looked around.

    He searched for Sun-Woo, but he was nowhere to be found. He could only see pdins and paramedics from the Northern Pdin Order.

    Oh Hee-Jin, who had been nervously looking around, nced at the Northern Branch¡¯s director with cold sweat running down his face. "Um, where is Sun-Woo, the apprentice pdin?"

    "Hmm? Come to think of it, didn''t wee out of the building together earlier?"

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director also seemed unsure of Sun-Woo''s whereabouts. His angry face took on an anxious expression.

    He called over a member who was nearby and asked, "Hey, did you not bring that Sun-Woo guy out earlier?"

    "Huh? I didn''t bring him out. I was busy assisting you."

    ¡°...¡±

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director fell silent with a stern expression. Upon reflection, he realized that he had no memory of bringing Sun-Woo out of the building. It meant that Sun-Woo was still inside.

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director and Oh Hee-Jin looked up simultaneously. The fire in the abandoned building had been mostly contained, but the smoke had notpletely dissipated.

    With that severe of a ze, the building was probably already filled with smoke. Perhaps Sun-Woo had unknowingly inhaled smoke inside the building and lost consciousness.

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director furrowed his brow and grabbed his forehead. "Ha, what kind of idiot¡ª!"

    <i>Whoosh¡ª!</i>

    It was at that moment that a strong gust of wind blew over, and a person fell from the building.

    The Northern Branch¡¯s director was unable to finish his sentence and looked at that person.

    It was a woman with many scars on her face. The wind swirled around her.

    Thanks to the wind absorbing the impact of the fall, she seemed unharmed despite falling from a considerable height. It was as if the wind was helping her.

    "Wind," Oh Hee-Jin muttered upon seeing the sight.

    The Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult could control the wind with the power of a Loa named Bade. The wind surrounding the woman who fell from the building was undoubtedly Bade¡¯s wind.

    Oh Hee-Jin was not the only one who felt uneasy. The members of the Northern Pdin Order, their director, and even the paramedics present all guessed that the woman was either the leader of the Voodoo Cult or a Voodoo Cultist.

    In any case, she was definitely not a member of the Romanican Church.

    "What are you standing there for?! Catch her!" the Northern Branch¡¯s shouted at the pdins.

    The pdins btedly regained their senses and chased after the woman.

    The woman untied the muffler around her neck, grabbed it in her hand, and fled from the pdins, using every trick in her book to evade them.

    She was fast. The pdins used all their might and even invoked blessings to chase after the woman, but she knew how to use the terrain to her advantage. She leaped over fences, climbed walls, and made her way onto rooftops, sessfully evading the pdins.

    However, the pdins were extremely determined. They sprained their ankles while leaping over fences and fractured their bones while climbing walls, but they continued to pursue the woman.

    The distance between the two parties quickly narrowed. The woman was swift and agile, but she couldn''t outrun the pdins, who also had the power of blessings. Finally, when the distance had narrowed to the point where they could reach out and grab her...

    One of the pdins reached out his arm and grabbed the woman by her hair.

    "Caught you!"

    <i>Rip! </i>

    At that moment, the woman tore the muffler she was holding, and purple mist rose from it.

    The smoke enveloped the pdins'' faces, entering their noses and mouths. Their determined gazes, which bordered on madness, weakened in intensity.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The pdins¡¯ eyes lost focus, and they fell to the ground.

    The woman nced at the fallen pdins and muttered, "Mission aplished, Cult Leader."

    As she spoke words that the Cult Leader would never hear, she moved agilely and made a swift getaway.

    <i> </i> ***

    While the pdins were chasing the woman, Oh Hee-Hin was stuck in a conundrum.

    He wanted to chase after the woman too, as it was possible that the woman was the leader of the Voodoo Cult. However, Oh Hee-Jin was worried about Sun-Woo, who had not left the building yet.

    Furthermore, since it was not his jurisdiction, chasing after the woman in the northern part of the Gyeonggi province could unnecessarily escte the conflict with the Northern Branch.

    "Damn," Oh Hee-Jin cursed.

    How did the situation end up like this? He didn''t know what she was supposed to do. No, he didn''t even know what she should have done.

    Should he have searched with Sun-Woo together as a team instead of sending him off alone? Or should he have not participated in the long-term missing person search operation in the first ce?

    He couldn''t figure out where everything had gone wrong, and he had no idea what sort of decisions he would have to make in the future.

    Oh Hee-Jin sighed in frustration and sat down on the spot.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    Then, a person came out of the abandoned building. His face was ckened with soot as he emerged through the smoke. He was carrying a small girl on his back.

    Oh Hee-Jin stood up in surprise when he saw him.

    He was astonished that Sun-Woo, whom he thought was trapped inside the building, hade out unharmed.

    However, there was something even more surprising.

    "We found Yoon-Ah, one of the missing people," Sun-Woo said with a small smile on his lips.

 Chapter 252

    <h4>Chapter 252</h4>

    After receiving a call from Oh Hee-Jin, Han Dae-Ho quickly got up from his seat. He then heard Oh Hee-Jin babble on about unbelievable things through the phone.

    He talked about how they seeded in finding the long-term missing person and how they spotted a person that they suspected to be the leader of the Voodoo Cult in the abandoned building where they had found the missing person. Apparently, they had chased the woman but failed to catch her.

    But there was something that shocked him more than anything else.

    "Sun-Woo hit the director of the Northern Branch? By mistake? Ah, so you¡¯re saying that he didn''t just hit him¡ªhe also broke his nose and even kicked his stomach?" Han Dae-Ho said.

    At first, he thought he was joking, but Oh Hee-Jin was not the type to joke around. Furthermore, his tone sounded too urgent.

    He was curious about how a search mission for a long-term missing person had led to such a situation, but now was not the time to ask about that.

    "Alright, return to the office with Sun-Woo for now. I¡¯ll try my best to deal with the incident regarding the director of the Northern Branch,¡± Han Dae-Ho said.

    <i>¡ªThe Pdin Order Northern Branch Director insists that wee to their office, so returning will be difficult.</i>

    "Is that so? Fine, then. Let me try talking to him," Han Dae-Ho said with a frown.

    After a moment of silence on the phone, someone spoke. It was the voice of the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director.

    "Uh, director. I heard that my subordinate beat you up?¡±

    <i>¡ªThat¡¯s right! Sun-Woo, that crazy son of a bitch, I will definitely discipline him, so keep that in mind. How dare an apprentice beat up a director? Does he even know how many levels of hierarchy I am above him within the church?!"</i>

    ¡°I was also shocked by the news. This truly is a terrible incident,¡± Han Dae-Ho said.

    ¡ª...

    After hearing Han Dae-Ho''s sarcastic remark, the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director finally realized something was amiss and closed his mouth.

    Han Dae-Ho smiled faintly and continued, "Since we¡¯re the ones in the wrong, it¡¯s a bit much for us to ask for leniency. And even if we ask for leniency, you¡¯re not going to listen to us anyway... So, let¡¯s just resolve this issue ording to the rules. Let¡¯s bring in the reporters and publicize this incident too.¡±

    <i>¡ªThere¡¯s no need to go so far as publicizing it... </i>

    "Of course, we have to make it public. If an apprentice pdin struck the head of the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director, it''s not just a minor issue, but a huge one, isn''t it?"

    <i>¡ª... </i>

    "An ordinary apprentice pdin beat up a director. It wasn''t a surprise attack on a director who was alone. Instead, he charged in and one-sidedly beat up the director while he was with his subordinates. He broke his nose and kicked his abdomen.¡±

    <i>¡ªIt wasn''t a one-sided beatdown... </i>

    "Sun-Woo¡¯s such a horrible person, don¡¯t you think? The whole world should know that he''s a horrible person, isn¡¯t that right? Yeah?"

    The Pdin Order Northern Branch Director did not respond. Han Dae-Ho waited for him to speak. There was a brief silence. Eventually, the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director answered Han Dae-Ho¡¯s questions.

    <i>¡ªIt doesn¡¯t seem necessary to make this public. I¡¯m just asking that we discipline him ording to the regtions...</i>

    ¡°No, I want to make the incident public. I heard you only focused on extinguishing the fire because you thought no one was in the abandoned building.¡±

    <i>¡ª... </i>

    "My subordinate was the one who found a long-term missing person there. You guys tried to chase a woman who might have been a member of the Voodoo Cult, but you ended up fainting on the street.¡±

    If they decided to make the incident public, criticism would obviously be directed toward Sun-Woo and the Eastern Pdin Order. But, at the same time, the ipetence of the Northern Pdin Order would surelye to light.

    The Pdin Order Northern Branch Director did not want that to happen. If the fact that he had failed to subdue an apprentice pdin and had gotten beaten up were to be revealed, and the Northern Pdin Order¡¯s ipetence was exposed to the world, the director''s reputation would plummet.

    ¡°So what I¡¯m saying is, do we really need to press such serious charges such as mutiny and obstruction of official duties? If we just handle it as an incident of minor disobedience, we won''t have to deal with all this headache, and your pride won¡¯t be so hurt. Isn¡¯t this a win for both of us?"

    <i>¡ª...I understand what you mean. As you said, it will be better to talk about the details face to face. </i>

    "Alright, let''s talk about the detailster. Anyway, thanks for your hard work."

    <i>Beep.</i>

    Han Dae-Ho immediately hung up the phone after saying his final words to the director. Then, he put his hand on his waist and sighed several times.

    After calming down his anger to some extent, Han Dae-Ho muttered, "It wasn¡¯t even a sneak attack. If you got wasted by an apprentice pdin in a direct confrontation, then you should know how to be ashamed. Tsk.¡±

    He was more irritated by the Pdin Order Northern Branch director¡¯s pettiness than Sun-Woo.

    Not long after, Sun-Woo and Oh Hee-Jin returned. Oh Hee-Jin was hunching his shoulders as he entered, expecting Han Dae-Ho to reprimand him.

    Han Dae-Ho approached them withrge strides. Oh Hee-Jin''s body shrank even more.

    However, Han Dae-Ho grinned widely and lightly patted Sun-Woo''s head.

    <i>Pat!</i>

    "Hey, why¡¯d you have to beat up the Northern Branch director of all people? Tone down your ego a little. If you go to Central and do that, I can''t cover for you."

    Han Dae-Ho decided not to get angry with Sun-Woo. He often thought about punching the Northern Branch director¡¯s face.

    And since Sun-Woo fulfilled that wish for him, he wasn''t angry. Above all, Sun-Woo had found the long-term missing person. Thinking about the scale of that achievement, he couldn''t bring himself to be angry.

    "But where is the long-term missing person you found?" Han Dae-Ho asked, looking around.

    Oh Hee-Jin finally straightened his shoulders and said, "She was unconscious, so we escorted her to the infirmary. They said that there didn¡¯t seem to be any major issues."

    "I see... Thank you. You really worked hard. Her name was Yoon-Ah, right?" Han Dae-Ho asked.

    Han Dae-Ho searched the list of long-term missing persons and found the name ''Yoon-Ah.¡¯ He then nodded slowly and said, "I remember. It has been quite a while since that child went missing. Good job finding her.¡±

    Han Dae-Ho recalled the not-too-distant past. Her parents came to the Pdin Order and cried for days, saying that their child was missing. They even said they wouldn''t leave the Pdin Order until the child was found.

    The child''s sister also came to ask about the child''s whereabouts. Han Dae-Ho promised to find her and return the child to the family.

    However, days, weeks, and months passed without any sign of her. The incident had weighed heavily on Han Dae-Ho''s heart as well. Not only Yoon-Ah, but thinking of the many missing people he couldn''t find always made his heart heavy.

    That was why Han Dae-Ho was even more grateful to Sun-Woo.

    "Contact the families of the missing person. Let them know that we found her," Han Dae-Ho said with a small smile, instructing Oh Hee-Jin.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo raised his hand and said, "Oh, I''ll just go and bring them myself."

    ¡°Do you know the missing person¡¯s family? Ah,e to think of it, the missing person¡¯s sister is a Florence Academy student as well,¡± Han Dae-Ho said.

    Sun-Woo nodded. "We are friends."

    ***

    In-Ah went for dispatch training at the priesthood today as usual. She was training inside a building with a hospital and cathedral, which belonged to a fairlyrge priesthood.

    On the day of the practical exam, she received a business card from one of the priests. Using that connection, she was introduced to a fairly prestigious priesthood. Thepetition was tough, but she excelled academically and performed well in the interview, so she joined the priesthood without much difficulty.

    In-Ah bowed her head to her supervisor after finishing her day''s work at the priesthood and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

    Without even ncing in In-Ah''s direction, the supervisor tapped on the keyboard and said, "When¡¯s the next time you''reing?"

    "Um, probably... As far as I know, it should be on Thursday.¡±

    "Right, Thursday. That''s two days from now. Make sure to fully understand what we discussed today beforeing. It will be a problem if you still don''t know by then."

    "Yes, understood."

    In-Ah nodded once again in acknowledgment, then left the priesthood. Even then, her supervisor didn''t even spare her a nce. He simply continued silently typing on his keyboard, focusing on his work.

    When she stepped outside, it was already nighttime. Autumn had deepened, and the night air was chilly. In-Ah let out a deep sigh.

    Despite the cold, her breath didn''t show. How much colder would it be in winter? She shivered and adjusted her coat. Then, she briefly nced back at the priesthood she had been assigned to for dispatch training.

    "..."

    The priesthood she was assigned to was quiterge. With many priests in the organization, she could build rtionships with manypetent and excellent priests.

    There was also an affiliated hospital where she could learn about the duties of priests specializing in healing. It was a perfect opportunity for someone like her, as she had been nurturing her dream of bing a priest specializing in healing.

    Everything was going well. Students who failed due to poor grades or missed interviews would have been extremely envious of In-Ah.

    In-Ah was also satisfied. She was satisfied, but then...

    <i>Vroom¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, a motorcycle roared past her loudly. If she had taken one more step forward, she would have been hit.

    In-Ah stepped back, sweating coldly. She realized she was walking on the road, not the sidewalk, and seemed to be out of her mind. She waited for the signal at the crosswalk. When it turned green, she didn''t want to move at all and just stood still.

    She waited for the next signal. It turned green. She stood still. After waiting for the signal three times, she finally crossed the crosswalk after it turned green for the fourth time.

    <i>¡ªThe exit will open on the right... </i>

    She finished work when it was dark and spent over an hourmuting on the subway. By the time she finally exited the subway, the sky was pitch ck.

    When she looked up at the pitch-ck night sky, where not even a single star could be seen, the tiny slithers of her remaining strength seemed to disappear. Nevertheless, she forced herself to walk home. When she thought she was almost there, she lifted her head.

    She thought she had walked quite a lot, but there was still a long way to go. Taking a deep breath, she continued to walk. Even taking a single step felt too heavy, so she had to stop and rest intermittently.

    When she got home, she studied. Exams were over, but she didn''t stop studying. It was more urate to say that she couldn¡¯t stop studying. That was the only thing she could hold onto.

    "I feel a little tired,¡± In-Ah muttered as shey on her desk.

    She startled herself. She hadn''t intended to speak to herself, but the words hade out on their own.

    Her eyes widened, then she resigned herself and closed her eyes. And then she thought about why she had uttered that she was <i>a little</i> tired.

    A little. Was she a little tired right now?

    "No, I guess I¡¯m fairly tired? I don''t know."

    She couldn¡¯t tell the difference between ''a little'' and ¡®fairly.'' In-Ah tried to clear her mind and refocus on studying after shaking her head.

    However, when she saw a single raven outside the window, she couldn''t help but be distracted by it. The raven was perched on the windowsill, staring intently in her direction with its eerie eyes. It seemed as if it was staring right at In-Ah.

    <i>¡®I wille back. Wait for me.¡¯ </i>

    Suddenly, an unwee voice that she didn''t want to remember echoed in her ear.

    <i>¡®Have you forgotten about me?¡¯ </i>

    The dreadful voice, which she didn''t want to remember, began to speak new words instead of repeating past ones. Even words that the voice had never said before echoed in her ear.

    The raven was still gazing at her. Its eerie eyes sent shivers down her spine. It felt as if the raven was looking directly at her.

    <i>¡®I feel hurt. Have you forgotten? Do you want to forget?¡¯</i>

    "Shut up. You never said such things," In-Ah muttered, trying to push the voice out of her ear.

    The voice didn''t say anything more, but instead, itughed. It was a disturbingugh.

    Even when she covered her ears, she could still hear the voice. Even when she closed her eyes, it was the same. If anything, when she closed her eyes, the voices seemed louder in the darkness.

    Cold sweat dripped down and fell onto the textbook. In-Ah tried to grab her pen in a hurry. However, she couldn''t figure out where her pen was.

    Her hand only fumbled on her desk without grasping her pen. Cold sweat continued to flow out. She struggled to breathe.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    Then, she heard a knocking sound. In-Ah''s heart sank for a moment, and she looked at the clock. There was no reason for anyone toe.

    Her parents wouldn''t have arrived already. Besides, if it was her parents, they had no reason to knock. She looked out the window. The raven that had been staring in her direction had disappeared.

    She shivered.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    The knocking sound continued persistently. She deliberately didn''t respond. She thought they would leave if she didn''t respond. However, the person on the other side of the door stubbornly continued to knock.

    <i>Knock knock... </i>

    With each knock that echoed throughout the house, cold sweat dripped onto the floor. Her heart beat roughly.

    In-Ah picked up her phone and found Sun-Woo''s contact information. In this situation, there was no one else she could call immediately besides Sun-Woo.

    <i>Knock, knock, knock. </i>

    "Who is it?"

    She immediately prepared to call Sun-Woo and spoke to the person on the other side of the door. The person on the other side did not respond. They didn''t even knock.

    Within the deep silence, In-Ah heard her own heartbeat. Her whole body trembled in sync with her heartbeat.

    <i>Buzz¡ª! Buzz¡ª! </i>

    Then, her phone vibrated.

    Startled, she almost dropped the phone. In-Ah picked up her phone and looked at it. A call wasing from Sun-Woo. She answered the call.

    However, Sun-Woo didn''t say anything. Silence lingered. In-Ah wanted to say something to Sun-Woo. She wanted to tell him that it seemed like a strange person hade to her house and she wanted to ask if he coulde over.

    But due to nervousness or fear, her voice wouldn''te out.

    <i>¡ªIt''s me. </i>

    The first to break the silence was Sun-Woo. His voice could be heard simultaneously from both the other side of the door and the phone.

    In-Ah opened the door as soon as she heard the voice. Sun-Woo was standing in front of the door, holding his phone and smiling mischievously at her.

    Upon seeing him, her pounding heart calmed down. Seeing his mischievous smile, she couldn''t help butugh.

    Wiping the cold sweat on her forehead with her sleeve, In-Ah said, "What''s so funny?"

    "I thought you weren''t here, but you were. Why didn''t you answer?"

    "I didn''t know it was you. If you wereing, you should have contacted me first," In-Ah said.

    In-Ah looked at Sun-Woo quietly and continued, "Why did you suddenlye?"

    Sun-Woo didn''t answer her question for a while. Instead, he silently stared at her, as if choosing his words carefully. In-Ah waited patiently for him to speak. Finally, Sun-Woo smiled faintly and said, "To apologize."

 Chapter 253

    <h4>Chapter 253</h4>

    "An apology?"

    "Yeah. I also have something to give you."

    As I spoke, In-Ah tilted her head as if she didn''t understand me. I led her toward the Pdin Order.

    At first, she didn''t want to follow me, but after persistently persuading her, she reluctantly started following me.

    While walking, I felt a gaze, so I looked up at the sky. A raven was perched on a stretched wire, looking down at us. The raven stared at us with its pale eyes for a while, then flew away shortly after.

    "Why? What''s up?"

    "I was just looking at a star."

    Just like me, In-Ah raised her head and said, "A star? There are none."

    I also raised my head and looked at the night sky. Then I nodded.

    "Yeah, looks like there aren¡¯t any."

    There were no stars. Nor were there any ravens. The night sky was dark, with streetmps emitting dim light along the alley.

    I quietly walked with her. She walked slowly, and I matched her pace as I walked beside her.

    She nced at me and asked, "But why are you still wearing your pdin uniform?"

    I realized btedly that I had not changed my clothes.

    Originally, I should have changed right after finishing work, but I was in such a hurry that I didn''t even have time for that. I absentmindedly touched my pdin uniform, which still smelled of smoke.

    "I was in a hurry. Is it weird?"

    "Yeah. I think a priest''s robe would suit you better."

    "Come to think of it, I''m curious about what you¡¯d look like with your priest''s robes on."

    "I can¡¯t show you. I¡¯d look so pretty that you¡¯d fall for me.¡±

    "..."

    As we chatted aimlessly, we arrived at the Pdin Order. It took about twenty minutes to get from the Pdin Order to In-Ah''s house, but it would take even longer to return to the Pdin Order. Quite a few people were gathered in front of the Pdin Order.

    A person who looked like a priest specializing in healing was present, as were Director Han Dae-Ho and Oh Hee-Jin. They stood around Yoon-Ah, talking about something.

    Yoon-Ah, who had been at the hospital, woke up and seemed to have returned to the Pdin Order. I looked at the people gathered in front of the Pdin Order and then turned my head to see In-Ah.

    She was staring at Yoon-Ah with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

    "We found your sister."

    "..."

    "Last time, ah."

    <i>Step, step.</i>

    I tried to apologize to her, but I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to do so. In-Ah slowly approached Yoon-Ah step by step with a vacant expression on her face.

    I just kept my mouth shut and watched the two of them. In-Ah approached Yoon-Ah with such slow steps, and she nkly stared at Yoon-Ah''s face for a while.

    The healing priest next to Yoon-Ah tried to stop the approaching In-Ah, but Han Dae-Ho quickly noticed and stopped the healing priest.

    In-Ah looked at Yoon-Ah, then reached out and gently stroked Yoon-Ah''s cheek. She even pinched her.

    "Ouch," Yoon-Ah muttered softly as she winced and frowned.

    "Ah, sis. What are you doing¡ª" Yoon-Ah said.

    <i>Grasp.</i>

    As soon as In-Ah heard Yoon-Ah''s voice, she hugged her. And she cried like a baby. Yoon-Ah seemed flustered at first, but soon closed her eyes and epted her embrace. In-Ah hugged Yoon-Ah for many minutes. She cried nonstop as if she was trying to pour out all of her tears.

    While she sobbed, no one said a word. The priest specializing in healing, Oh Hee-Jin, Han Dae-Ho, and I just watched their reunion in silence.

    I kept my mouth shut because I didn''t want to disturb their reunion, and the others probably stayed quiet for simr reasons.

    The priest specializing in healing quietly wiped away tears as they watched the reunion.

    Han Dae-Ho, silently watching the two, approached me and said, "It turned out well."

    I nodded.

    Han Dae-Ho continued, "Good job, Sun-Woo."

    He patted my shoulder. I listened to Han Dae-Ho without nodding or shaking my head. Memories of all the days I spent trying to treat Yoon-Ah shed through my mind.

    There were times when I wanted to give up because I was too tired, and there were times when I felt despair because Yoon-Ah was not getting any better. There were also times I got angry at my ipetence.

    I had copsed and lost consciousness several times and had vomited blood countless times.

    I looked at In-Ah. She cried and cried, and then after getting exhausted from crying, she sat down. Then she smiled.

    She smiled, then cried, and then smiled again. I remembered the frustration and anger I felt watching Yoon-Ah not improving at all and all the effort I put in to ovee those feelings. I realized that all those struggles were for the sake of this moment.

    I smiled.

    "You look good when you smile like that. Do it more often," Han Dae-Ho joked.

    I smiled and nodded.

    ***

    The punishment for assaulting the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director was announced. Considering that it happened during dispatch training as an apprentice pdin, my assignment was to do some volunteer work for the school.

    This level of punishment would not remain on the record, so it would not affect my attempts to join the Central Pdin Order in the future.

    Thanks to Director Han Dae-Ho, it ended with such a minor punishment despite assaulting the northern branch¡¯s director.

    He negotiated with the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director and traveled around to different ces to actively support me. I was truly grateful.

    The fact that I had to go to school even on weekends to do volunteer work was dreadful, but I managed to endure it by thinking that it was fortunate that my punishment ended with just this.

    After finishing my volunteer work, I was resting in the dormitory when I received a call from In-Ah.

    "Hello?"

    <i>¡ªAh, um, cough! Ah? Ah, hello! Yes, hello? </i>

    While clearing her throat, In-Ah btedly realized I had answered the phone. Judging by the fact that she said ¡®hello¡¯ twice, she seemed quite flustered.

    I chuckled and moved the phone from my left ear to my right.

    "Yeah, what''s up?"

    <i>¡ªWhere are you... at the moment? Are you busy because it''s the weekend? </i>

    "I¡¯m at the dormitory. I¡¯m not busy."

    <i>¡ªReally? Then... um... </i>

    "Shall we meet for a bit? There''s nothing for me to do anyway," I said, saying what she was about to say.

    I directly asked her because if I waited for her to say it, we would have to talk for several minutes.

    <i>¡ªSure! No, I mean, let¡¯s do that! How about... around 4 o''clock? In front of the school. </i>

    "Okay."

    <i>Beep. </i>

    In-Ah hastily responded in a seemingly flustered manner and then hung up as soon as I replied. It would be four o¡¯clock in around an hour. We were meeting quite suddenly, but I wasn''t flustered. I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask about Yoon-Ah''s condition and also a chance to check on In-Ah''s well-being.

    In fact, I was d that she had called me first. I prepared to go out. I washed up, picked out suitable clothes, and went outside. It was a windy day, and the wind carried the smell of autumn.

    I was grateful that I was at least able to feel the change of seasons through scent. When I thought about how summer was over and how autumn had arrived, the wind suddenly felt somewhat chilly. It didn¡¯t actually feel chilly, though.

    There was still about half an hour left until the appointment time, so I walked around the school area. While enjoying the scent of autumn, suddenly a burning smell caught my nose. It was the familiar smell of cigarettes.

    [Did I disturb you?]

    I turned my head, and Baron Samedi was walking beside me. Purple smoke rose from the cigar pipe in his mouth.

    When the wind blew, the smoke dispersed. I nced at him with a frown but didn''t say anything, just in case someone was nearby.

    [Feel free to respond. No one¡¯s going to listen anyway. Even if someone overhears, just pretend you were on the phone.]

    "Then, please put out the cigarette. No, can you just quit smoking?"

    [This is my life¡¯s only pleasure. If you tell me not to do this, what should I live for?]

    "Then die."

    [That''s not so bad either,] Baron Samedi chuckled.

    I waved my hand to try to dispel the smokeing from Baron Samedi''s cigar.

    I was going to meet In-Ah soon. It would be awkward to have the smell of a cigar on my body.

    As I brushed my clothes and walked, I saw someone waving at me in the distance. It was In-Ah. I quickly turned around, looked at Baron Samedi, and said, "Go away now. What if she sees us..."

    [It''s okay.]

    Unlike my urgent tone of voice, Baron Samedi spoke calmly and casually.

    [She won''t be able to see me now.]

    While Baron Samedi was speaking, In-Ah hade closer. She waved her hand with a bright smile.

    I waved my hand with an awkward smile because I was concerned about Baron Samedi. She approached me with small steps.

    "You''re really early, aren¡¯t you? It''s only 3:40," In-Ah said.

    I nced briefly in Baron Samedi''s direction. He was still smiling as he continued to smoke his pipe.

    Even though the air around him was thick with the smoke from his pipe, In-Ah couldn''t smell the smoke emanating from Baron Samedi. It was as if his figure was invisible.

    [See, aren¡¯t I right? I¡¯ll go now,] Baron Samedi said with a chuckle.

    He soon turned into a purple mist, disappearing into the wind along with the smoke he exhaled.

    I stared at that sight for a while. In-Ah looked at me and tilted her head.

    "What are you looking at?" she asked.

    I couldn''te up with a response, so I mumbled vaguely, "Oh, nothing..."

    I thought about eating but decided it was too early, so we just went to a caf¨¦¨¦. We ordered our drinks and sat down before engaging in some idle conversation. Eventually, silence fell upon us.

    I looked at her. She was looking at me too while chewing on her lips. She seemed to have something to say, but hesitated to speak. Thinking I knew what she wanted to say, I decided to speak first.

    "Aboutst time."

    "...I-I was going to say it first!" she said, her eyes widening like saucers.

    Then, blushing, she lowered her head.

    She looked down at the ground with her lips jutting out, and then, as if resolving herself, she slowly raised her head.

    She looked into my eyes and said, "Sorry. I was too harsh with my words back then."

    "It''s okay... I was harsh too at that time..."

    "Hmph, that''s true too, but still, I started it."

    We apologized to each other and left the caf¨¦. It was supposed to be a brief meeting, and In-Ah said she had to go in quickly because she was going to have dinner with her family.

    Her mother had been on a business trip abroad, and she returned a few days ago. In-Ah said it had been a long time since the whole family, including Yoon-Ah, had dinner together, and she seemed very excited.

    I decided to take her home. On the way, the wind blew. I could smell the scent of autumn from the wind.

    She tried to block the wind by adjusting her cor. When the wind subsided, she looked at me and said, "I used to dislike autumn."

    "Didn''t you say you disliked winter? Because it''s cold."

    "I disliked autumn more than winter. Winter has Christmas, but autumn has nothing. It''s just cold."

    I listened to her silently.

    She looked at me with a bright smile and said, "But now, autumn seems nice too, thanks to you."

    I also smiled back at her. In-Ah had her hands behind her back as she looked at the fallen leaves hanging precariously on the end of a branch and said, "It seems like things will get better now."

    She was smiling, and I was looking at her. A bright and clear smile simr to the one I had seen before within Yoon-Ah¡¯s memories bloomed on her face.

    She could not see Baron Samedi nor smell the scent of Baron Samedi''s cigar. It wasn''t just Yoon-Ah who had gotten better. In-Ah¡¯s condition was also much better than before.

    I began to think that perhaps I had not only treated Yoon-Ah but also In-Ah. Perhaps I had also been healed as a result as well.

    At that moment, In-Ah looked at me and asked, "Why are you crying?"

    I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. I really was crying.

    I didn''t know when my tears started flowing or why. No matter how much I wiped, the tears didn''t stop.

    "Hey, why are you suddenly... Did I do something wrong today?" In-Ah said in confusion.

    She tried to wipe my tears with her sleeve. I blocked her hand and shook my head.

    "It¡¯s... because I¡¯m happy."

    "Really? Is that really why you''re crying? I didn''t do anything wrong, did I?"

    "Yeah, that''s right," I said with a nod as I wiped away my tears.

    Only then did the tears stop. I walked back to her house.

    In-Ah kept asking if she had done something wrong. Every time, I answered that I really had cried because I felt happy.

    Not long after, I arrived in front of her house. I waved my hand.

    "Stay safe."

    "Yeah, you too... Oh, right."

    As I was about to return to the dormitory, In-Ah stopped me. She hesitated for a moment before she said, "Next time, if you¡¯re free,e to our house. My parents want to see you."

    "Yeah, I''ll definitelye," I said with a nod.

    After watching In-Ah enter her house, I returned to the dormitory. I changed my clothes and washed up.

    Iy down on the bed to rest, but I suddenly thought of the flower and got up. I filled a cup with water and went to the terrace where the flowerpot was.

    The withered stems and leaves had regained their vitality without me knowing, and at the end of the stem, a small flower was blooming.

    "..."

    I touched that small flower with my fingertips several times. It was soft.

 Chapter 254

    <h4>Chapter 254</h4>

    "Thank you for your hard work."

    "Yeah, you too. Go home and rest well."

    I nodded in farewell to Han Dae-Ho. I was on my way back to the dormitory after finishing my duties at the Pdin Order as usual when I received a call from In-Ah.

    She had been calling me a lottely. The reasons were diverse. For example, she would call because she had nothing to do at night, or because she couldn''t focus on studying, or because it was too dark after she finished her duties at the priesthood.

    I answered the call, wondering what reason she would have today.

    <i>¡ªCough, hello? </i>

    "What is it?"

    <i>¡ªUm... What are you doing this weekend? Do you have any ns? </i>

    I contemted for a moment after hearing In-Ah''s question. I had promised Yuk Eun-Hyung that I would arrange a ce for his mercenary corps to stay and train, so I had nned to meet him this weekend. Other than that, it seemed like I would have a day left on the weekend. Since I no longer needed to treat Yoon-Ah, I had an unusuallyrge amount of free time.

    "I don¡¯t have a n. Why? Do you want to meet?"

    <i>¡ªHuh? Oh, sure! I was thinking about hanging out before the exam period starts. </i>

    "Okay. What time do you want to meet?"

    As we talked, I found myself in front of the dormitory. In-Ah hesitated before speaking up.

    <i>¡ªUm... how about four o''clock? </i>

    "Sounds good. Let''s meet at the school gate at four then. I¡¯m gonna hang up now."

    ¡ª<i>Huh? Wait, wait. Don''t hang up. </i>

    I tried to end the call, but In-Ah urgently stopped me. I bowed to the dormitory supervisor and went into my room.

    Feeling thirsty, I poured myself a ss of water. I nned to drink it right after ending the call with In-Ah, but she didn''t let me hang up. Every time I tried to end the call, she insisted I shouldn''t.

    "Why are you telling me not to hang up? Do you have more to say?"

    <i>¡ª...I was thinking about suggesting that we meet in front of my house instead of the school gate. </i>

    In-Ah mumbled incoherently.

    I couldn''t find the right words to respond with, so I stayed silent.

    <i>¡ªNo, I mean, my parents mentioned they wanted to see youst time, so I figured... I¡¯m not the only one at home. My sister is here, and my parents are also here. </i>

    "Ah, let''s do that, then."

    <i>¡ª...I¡¯ll hang up!</i>

    <i>Beep. </i>

    After saying what she had to say, In-Ah hastily hung up the phone. I nced at the disconnected phone for a moment, then gulped down the water I had been sipping. My foggy mind suddenly cleared up. At that moment, Damba slowly slithered out toward me from her hiding spot. She climbed up my body onto my shoulder.

    [What a cute child.]

    "Can you hear her voice from the phone?"

    [Of course. My hearing is sharp,] Damba said, flicking her tongue.

    I examined her head, but I couldn''t figure out where her ears were.

    <i> </i> ***

    On the weekend, I left the dormitory to meet In-Ah as nned. There was a chance that I would meet her parents, so I dressed neatly.

    When I arrived at her house and called her, there was no answer. Pressing the doorbell yielded no response. I checked the time. It was exactly four o''clock.

    "What the?"

    She abruptly told me toe to the front of her house, but when I finally arrived, she didn''te out, and I wondered what I was supposed to do.

    <i>Bang!</i>

    Suddenly, the door opened, and In-Ah came out.

    "You''re here? Sorry, I had something to do. I didn''t know you were waiting outside. It''s quite cold today. Come in quickly."

    ¡°...¡±

    I didn''t respond and just stared at In-Ah. She looked different from usual, which felt unfamiliar.

    Her face, which had been pale and gaunt as if she was about to die, had a bit more flesh on it, and her smile when she saw me was bright and clear. She had dressed up a bit more than usual.

    Suddenly, I remembered the first time she greeted me. Her lively appearance right now was as beautiful as, no, more beautiful than back then.

    Perhaps I was staring too intently as In-Ah seemed flustered and shrank back.

    "Why are you staring at me like that? Were you surprised because I look too pretty?"

    "No... It''s because I think you¡¯ve gained some weight."

    <i>m! </i>

    Before I could finish my sentence, she closed the door. I stood there in shock, staring nkly at the closed door, then btedly regained myposure and turned the doorknob. However, the door did not open. It seemed like she had locked the door.

    I knocked on the door and said, "Hey, sorry. Can you please open the door? Hey, I said I¡¯m sorry."

    The locked door finally opened. However, the door chain was locked, so I still couldn''t enter the house. In-Ah peered at me through the ajar door and said, "I''ll give you another chance to answer. What did you say?"

    "You look prettier because you¡¯ve gained some weight."

    "Hm... I''m still not satisfied, but okay."

    She finally opened the door for me. Finally, I could enter her house. The house was quiet. I couldn''t see her younger sibling or parents. I looked around and asked, "Where are your parents? Are they not home right now?"

    "Yeah, they should be back soon. My sister is sleeping in the room."

    I had been prepared to greet them, but my ns were disrupted. If that was the case, she should have told me her parents nned to returnte.

    As I inwardly grumbled, Yoon-Ah, who was said to be sleeping in the room, opened the door and slowly came out.

    ¡°...¡±

    Yoon-Ah, in her pajamas, stiffened as soon as she saw me. Then, she stared at me intently with a bewildered expression. Silence filled the air.

    In-Ah alternated her gaze between Yoon-Ah and me before she said, "Oh, you''re up? About what I mentionedst time, the one you were looking for¡ª"

    <i>m! </i>

    Before In-Ah could finish her sentence, Yoon-Ah closed the door and went back into her room. Just before entering the room, her expression of extreme confusion still vividly lingered in my mind.

    Even though I hadn''t done anything wrong, I suddenly felt guilty. In-Ah looked at the door and let out a wry smile.

    "Um, sorry. She feels a bit embarrassed, that''s why. I told her you woulde, but I guess she didn''t realize it was right now."

    "I understand... How is your sister doing?"

    "Well, to be honest, I''m not sure."

    In-Ah then recounted the story of the day she was reunited with Yoon-Ah. Specifically, it was about the day she reunited with Yoon-Ah, was asked a few questions by the Pdin Order, and heard about Yoon-Ah''s approximate condition from a healing priest.

    Yoon-Ah''s condition was quite good. She had some bruising, but it had healed, leaving only scars, and her nutrition and hygiene were also good.

    There were some concerns about a decline innguage ability, but it was not severe, and there were no major issues with other aspects of intelligence, including memory.

    However, all memories from the time she was missing hadpletely disappeared, so it was impossible to know what had happened to her during that time. At first, she hadn¡¯t even realized that she had been kidnapped and that she had been missing.

    "There''s still a lot we don¡¯t know, but at least we found her. I was living my life thinking she was dead.¡±

    "Yes, it''s fortunate that we found her."

    "Thank you."

    "What''s this all of a sudden?"

    "You found her. That''s why I''m grateful! Can¡¯t you understand that right away?" In-Ah shouted loudly, perhaps out of embarrassment.

    I smiled and nodded, but I still felt ufortable about her gratitude toward me.

    The Voodoo Cult was ultimately responsible for turning Yoon-Ah into a zombie, and it was also the Voodoo Cult that cured her. It was only natural for me as the Cult Leader to take responsibility for the actionsmitted by the Voodoo Cult.

    At the very least, it wasn¡¯t something that was worth receiving gratitude for. While it felt good to be thanked, it also made me ufortable.

    "How is priesthood dispatch training going? It must be quite different from the Pdin Order," I said, breaking the silence and clearing my throat.

    In-Ah had been sitting with a stern expression when she suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Oh, right! I was just about to mention that. I''ve been receiving a lot of praise in the priesthoodtely. They say I''m doing a great job."

    "Well, I¡¯m not surprised. You¡¯re quite smart, after all."

    "Oh, it''s quite overwhelming to receive praise from the school¡¯s top student."

    "Why are we talking about grades? This ispletely unrted."

    I had achieved first ce on the previous midterm exam with the help of Legba and Baron Samedi. It wasn''t a result I had earned fairly, so instead of feeling proud, I felt embarrassed.

    I mumbled a response, but In-Ah persistently teased me, clinging to the topic of grades. I wondered if she enjoyed seeing me flustered. We chatted about this and that, and before we knew it, it was already five o''clock. For some reason, it felt like time was passing by quickly. I figured it was because I enjoyed talking with In-Ah.

    "When are your parentsing?" I asked.

    In-Ah looked at the clock before answering, "Hmm... around 6 o''clock? Why? Are you hoping that they won¡¯te?"

    "What are you talking about? I just want to greet them quickly."

    "You seem flustered. Are you nervous?"

    "No, not at all," I replied firmly because I was flustered.

    She chuckled slyly and looked at me with narrowed eyes. While we were conversing, it turned six o''clock, and In-Ah''s parents returned. I stood up and greeted the two of them.

    At first, her parents were surprised to see me, but after In-Ah exined, they smiled brightly and weed me.

    "Your name is... Sun-Woo, right? I remember. In-Ah talks about you a lot."

    "Ah, Mom! Why are you saying unnecessary things!"

    The two of them were nice people. In-Ah''s mother was a priest, and her father was a pdin. When I mentioned that I aspired to be a pdin, her father strongly expressed his disapproval.

    He asked if I was curious about anything, so I asked him a few trivial questions. Her father kindly answered each of my questions.

    "Oh, by the way, he got first ce out of the whole school this time. I lost," In-Ah said.

    "Aspiring pdins are usually smart and strong," In-Ah¡¯s father said.

    "You were almost at the bottom, right?" In-Ah¡¯s mother said.

    "There''s always an exception," In-Ah¡¯s father replied.

    In-Ah''s family and I gathered to discuss grades and Florence Academy. We also had casual and ordinary conversations like a typical household.

    When In-Ah''s father brought out the tea, Yoon-Ah also joined the conversation a little. Yoon-Ah hardly spoke and mostly listened.

    When silence suddenly fell during the conversation, In-Ah''s father said, "Thank you."

    He did not add any other words besides ¡®thank you.¡¯ However, through his expression and tone, I could understand what he wanted to say and what emotion he wanted to convey when he said those words to me.

    It didn''t seem necessary to respond, so I just quietly smiled.

    In-Ah''s mother offered me a meal as it was getting dark outside, "Right, have you not had dinner yet? I''ll prepare it, so why don''t you eat before you leave?"

    "Oh, it''s okay. I''ll get going now," I said as I shook my head and got up from my seat.

    "Why? Isn''t it better to eat a meal while you''re here?"

    "Yes, just have a meal before you go."

    In-Ah and her parents expressed disappointment. Yoon-Ah, who had been sitting silently, also looked at me with wide eyes.

    "Oh, I have ns to have dinner with my family. But thanks for the offer."

    However, I packed my things and left without eating. I also declined In-Ah''s offer to see me off. It was enjoyable to talk with her family. Her parents were kind and good people. In-Ah was the same.

    Although I didn¡¯t talk to Yoon-Ah, she was probably the same. They best fit the description of a harmonious and happy family.

    However, the more I saw them, the more I felt like I shouldn''t get involved. Even if I might not have been happy if I had been born into a normal family and had grown up normally rather than being part of the Voodoo Cult, what would it have been like?

    As that thought crossed my mind, I began to feel nauseous. It felt like I was sitting in a ce I shouldn''t be.

    <i>Kaw¡ª! Kaw¡ª! </i>

    It was then that the sound of ravens crying broke the silence of the night. When I looked up, two ravens were perched on the fence, staring down at me.

    Those were Jun-Hyuk''s taxidermied ravens. I had seen them so often that it was no longer surprising for me to see them. I stared into one of the raven''s murky eyes.

    <i>Flutter, flutter... </i>

    The ravens cautiously pped their wings and perched in front of me. I sighed and closed my eyes tightly. Then, clenching my fist, I approached the ravens and said, "Ah, you... son of a bitch. Why do you keeping to see me? Are you lonely?"

    "No, it¡¯s because you seem lonely. Kaw kaw!"

    From its wide-open beak, I could hear Jun-Hyuk''s eerie and unpleasantughter.

 Chapter 255

    <h4>Chapter 255</h4>

    I ignored Jun-Hyuk''s words through the raven and walked toward the underground chapel. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt like going to the underground chapel instead of the dormitory today.

    I might get caught for not returning to the dormitory and receive a penalty for an unauthorized absence, but one day shouldn¡¯t be that big of a problem. I could get rid of the penaltiester.

    I headed toward the underground chapel with Jun-Hyuk''s taxidermied raven persistently following me. I thought about using Bossou''s power to kill it, but I didn''t even have the strength to do that.

    "Are you happy because In-Ah is happy?"

    "Shut up."

    "You probably aren¡¯t. We are different from In-Ah. We are outsiders..." the raven said.

    I ignored it and walked on. However, despite trying to ignore it and walking away, the raven¡¯s voice still crept into my ears, especially what it said about how in the end, we were alone because we were outsiders, and so on.

    Although I would have normally brushed it off and moved on, for some reason, it bothered me today. Perhaps it was because I had just seen In-Ah''s family in harmony, and I felt a sense of deprivation from the fact that I could never have a harmonious family like In-Ah''s. That was probably why I found Jun-Hyuk''s voice so annoying.

    "I look forward to the day we meet again. I¡¯ll be waiting for you with a masterpiece."

    "Oh, please... I didn''t ask, you crazy bastard," I muttered to myself, trying to block out Jun-Hyuk''s voice as he kept saying whatever he wanted without context.

    But Jun-Hyuk, oblivious to my fatigue, continued to speak. I plugged my ears and walked toward the underground chapel. The raven kept trailing behind me.

    <i>Buzz! Buzz! </i>

    I heard vibrations. The sound wasn''ting from the phone I used as a Florence Academy student, but from the phone I used as the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult. My uncle was calling.

    ¡ª<i>Hey, Sun-Woo. Are you in the dormitory? </i>

    "I''m outside."

    ¡ª<i>Good. Come to the underground chapel right now. </i>

    "Well, I was going to... but why?"

    On the other end of the phone, I could hear noise in the background: Ji-Ah''s voice, Soo-Yeong''s voice, something falling, the sound of wind, and so on.

    My uncle said something, but I couldn¡¯t hear him because of all the noise. As the noise gradually subsided, I could finally hear his voice.

    ¡ª<i>...Birthday. Hello? Can you hear me? It''s your birthday! </i>

    "Oh..."

    ¡ª<i>Anyway,e quickly! Come to the, what do you call it, the rooftop instead of downstairs. </i>

    <i>Click. </i>

    With those words, he hung up the phone.

    Silence fell. The raven who had been making noise beside me also fell silent. I put my phone in my pocket and looked at the raven.

    "Hmm... It seems like you''re the only loner here."

    "..."

    "Rot away alone in the underground prison for the rest of your life. You can make friends with the taxidermied creature you created."

    <i>Flutter! </i>

    As if it was angry in response to my words, the raven pped its wings roughly and leaped into the air. The raven flew so high that it was almost invisible to the naked eye and then turned into a dot and disappeared. It looked as if it had been sucked into the darkness of the night sky.

    I arrived at the underground chapel. Normally, Ji-Ah would have greeted me, but no one came to wee me today. The empty underground chapel was quiet. I changed intofortable clothes and went up to the rooftop where we normally had parties together.

    Uncle greeted me as soon as I arrived. "Oh, you just arrived? Take a seat!"

    On the rooftop, four chairs were arranged in a circle around a table. Uncle, Ji-Ah, and Soo-Yeong were already sitting in three of the chairs. A cake was ced on the table. As I took my seat, Ji-Ah inserted candles into the cake.

    "You guys prepared a cake? When did we ever do anything like this?"

    "We thought about giving it a go since we hadn''t done it before. Isn''t that right?" Uncle said.

    I didn''t say anything and just smiled. I realized that I hadn''t celebrated my birthday for the past few years. Not knowing today was my birthday and never having celebrated it before exined why everything, from the cake to the candles on it, felt unfamiliar to me.

    After Ji-Ah finished inserting the candles, she tried to light them with matches. However, the wind kept extinguishing the mes.

    Ji-Ah furrowed her brow in confusion after trying three matches without sess. "I''m sorry, the wind keeps blowing..."

    "Bade," I called out.

    After a strong gust of wind, the wind suddenly died down. Bade wrapped his wind around us, blocking the iing wind.

    [Using my power for such trivial matters annoys me, but I''ll let it slide this time! Birthdays are meant to be happy!] Bade said.

    I chuckled. Meanwhile, Ji-Ah managed to light all the candles. Looking at the eight mes flickering from the winds that even Bade''s wind couldn''t stop, Soo-Yeong said with an excited expression, "Shall we sing too? You know, since we''re already at it!"

    "Oh, Sun-Woo doesn''t like doing those childish things. He probably won''t even participate properly," Uncle said.

    Then he suddenly stood up and nced at me. "But... Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~."

    "What are you doing? What are we supposed to do when you start singing all of a sudden?"

    "I agree. Songs should be sung together."

    "Okay, shall we do it again? Ready, one, two, three!" Uncle gave the countdown.

    Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong pped together and sang. At first, I couldn''t lift my head out of embarrassment, butter I just pped along.

    If I kept bowing my head because I was embarrassed while everyone was congratting me so enthusiastically, they might feel ufortable.

    "Happy birthday to you~ Now, blow these out!"

    "If you can''t blow them all out at once, you''re not a Cult Leader. Got it?"

    <i>Blow. </i>

    After the song ended, Uncle and Soo-Yeong urged me to blow out the candles. I blew them out. Uncle, Soo-Yeong, and Ji-Ah cheered softly and pped.

    As soon as the candles were out, Uncle took them out, ced them on the edge of the desk, cut the cake, and divided it onto tes. He gave Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong a slice each.

    Uncle smiled as he handed me a te with cake. "How is it, celebrating a birthday after a long time? This is good too, right?"

    I nodded. "It''s childish... but still nice."

    "Things like these are nice because they are childish," Uncle said.

    Come to think of it, he was right.

    <i> </i> ***

    "Why are the demons appearing so frequently these days? It wasn''t like this before..." Han Dae-Ho muttered as he looked around the Han River surrounded by ''No Entry'' tape and pdins.

    "It seems like the end is near," Hee-Jin joked in response.

    Sun-Woo followed behind them and silently observed the scenery of the Han River.

    The three of them were heading toward the Han River to exterminate the demons that had suddenly appeared. Originally, the Central Priesthood managed the area near the Han River, but their men weren¡¯t enough to defeat the demons. Thus, they requested support from the Eastern Pdin Order.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Suddenly, Han Dae-Ho tapped Sun-Woo''s back as he looked around the Han River with a stern expression.

    "You don''t need to be tense. You can just stay still," Han Dae-Ho said, ducking to cross under the caution tape.

    ¡°...¡±

    Hee-Jin and Sun-Woo followed, crossing under the tape. The scene where one of the demons had appeared was chaotic. Priests from the Central Priesthood had unleashed their divine power and drawn several blessing arrays.

    Some priests seemed to be preparing for miracle replication as they were kneeling and praying. The demon sat quietly on the ind in the center of the Han River. At first nce, it was muchrger than the typical demon.

    Han Dae-Ho approached the praying priests.

    "Thank you for your hard work. I am Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Pdin Order. What is going on?"

    One of the praying priests stood up. "Oh, director. Uh... yes, well..."

    They sighed.

    Han Dae-Ho nodded continuously as he listened to the priest''s words. To roughly summarize, the demon that had appeared on the ind in the center of the Han River stayed in its crouching position without doing anything for several hours.

    Despite attacking the demon through miracle replication, they were not able to inflict any damage on it. In a turn of events, other demonic beasts and demons began to emerge in a rural area inrge numbers, so the Central Pdin Order and Crusader Order were all dispatched to help them. That left the East Pdin Order as the only ce that the Central Priesthood could request support from.

    "So... in conclusion, are you saying that we need to eliminate that demon over there?"

    "Yes."

    Han Dae-Ho stared at the demon crouched on the ind.

    The demon red menacingly with its glowing red eyes, but it didn¡¯t make any other movements. This made it even more terrifying, as it meant that the demon was unique and different from the typical demons that would attack humans on sight.

    Han Dae-Ho gazed at the demon intently, then sighed deeply. "To engage in battle, we need to approach the ind where the demon is... But it seems we don¡¯t have any way of getting closer."

    "Ah, well... we have a boat," the priest said, pointing to a boat tied to a stake.

    The boat was small, and it looked like it could barely carry one person, let alone three.

    Han Dae-Ho let out a deep sigh. They had no way to deal with the demon if it suddenly decided to attack them while they were on the boat.

    "Approaching by boat seems difficult. It¡¯s risky too. You would have had a better chance of calling the Crusader Order under these circumstances. They have snipers and such."

    "Yes, that''s why we called the Crusader Order. But they haven''t arrived..."

    <i>Screech!</i>

    Before the priest could finish speaking, a vehicle came in and stopped right in front of them. The car door opened, and crusaders poured out.

    The crusaders that the priest had called had just arrived. They were from the Northern Crusader Order, a Crusader Order that had been rising in power as a result of a sudden decrease of power from the Holy See''s Crusader Order and Central Crusader Order due to the mercenary corps suppression incident.

    The crusaders got out of the vehicle, each wielding their weapons in hand. Some held swords, spears, or maces, while others carried pistols or giant sniper rifles. Their equipment level was on a different dimensionpared to the Eastern Pdin Order¡ªthey had only brought minimal equipment on top of closebat weapons.

    "Wow... seems like they won¡¯t leave anything for us," Han Dae-Ho eximed as he looked at them.

    Hee-Jin stood beside him, and he frowned as if he was displeased. "Why did they even call us?"

    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe they want us to feel a sense of rtive deprivation," Han Dae-Ho said with a self-deprecating smile.

    This was something that he could have sent as a formalint to the Central Priesthood, but Han Dae-Ho justughed it off. The Eastern Pdin Order frequently dealt with situations like this, and they were all too familiar with the way other clergymen treated them as pushovers.

    "Sigh... well, what can we do? Let''s just take the deployment fee and leave," Han Dae-Ho said with a sigh.

    Hee-Jin looked very annoyed as he watched the praying priests. However, Sun-Woo showed no reaction. He didn''t get frustrated like Hee-Jin or smile with a touch of resignation like Han Dae-Ho. He stared down one of the many crusaders who got out of the vehicle.

    "Why? Do you know them?" Han Dae-Ho asked.

    Sun-Woo nodded in response. Among the many crusaders, one with a sword and a gun approached Sun-Woo, smiling slyly.

    "Long time no see."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo shook hands with Sun-Woo and greeted him.

    Sun-Woo just stared at Jin-Seo as if he had seen a ghost.

 Chapter 256

    <h4>Chapter 256</h4>

    Dozens of ravens and a man were locked in a fierce battle in a destend in the northern part of the Korean Penins that the Satanist Executive named Wrath hadid to waste.

    "Chang-Shik, you son of a bitch."

    "Argh, what? What do you want, you crazy bastard?"

    <i>Peck, peck! </i>

    A giant raven,rge enough to easily swallow a person, viciously pecked at the man''s head with its beak. The man fled through the wilderness to escape the ravens pping their massive wings in hot pursuit.

    Blood streamed from the man''s head where their beaks had struck, sttering his blood all over the wastndid bare by Wrath¡¯s demonic energy.

    "Gasp, ugh... Just wait a moment! Tell me why you¡¯re doing this. What did I do wrong? I didn''t do anything!"

    "That¡¯s exactly what you did wrong. You didn¡¯t do anything."

    <i>Crunch! </i>

    The ravens tore out the man''s arm, causing blood to stter on the ground. The man groaned in pain, and his face contorted in agony.

    The ravens gnawed on the torn arm before swallowing it whole, leaving the man in despair.

    "M-my arm! Spit it out, you lunatics! Spit it out!"

    "Can¡¯t you just reattach the arm? Lazy Chang-Shik."

    "Hmm, you''re right. It''s just a bit bothersome."

    The man scratched his head awkwardly and got up from his spot. He showed no concern for the blood dripping steadily from his severed arm.

    Those chosen as Satan¡¯s receptacles would not die from such wounds. They were not allowed to die, just like how Jun-Hyuk remained alive and well even though his body had been dismembered into pieces, leaving only his head.

    The man''s jaw dropped, and demonic energy oozed out slowly from his mouth. The demonic energy was so thick that it seemed as if he was vomiting dozens of snails.

    The demonic energy that came out of the man¡¯s body drew a giant circle on the floor. It was a Pentagram.

    <i>Ahhh! Ahh, ahh...! </i>

    <i>Graa, ahhhh...!</i>

    The Pentagram activated along with the screams of the spirits flowing from hell. Hundreds of rotting and charred forearms withered out from it and reached out to offer a giant and sinister-looking arm to the man. He attached an arm on his body.

    <i>Sizzle! </i>

    Engulfed in ck mes, the arm attached to the man¡¯s body. He shook the arm as if to test whether it had attached properly, then nodded in satisfaction. It was a superior armpared to the one he had before.

    "It¡¯s attached nicel¡ª"

    <i>Snap, crack! </i>

    However, a raven started to aggressively peck at the man''s arm with its giant beak, causing him to writhe in pain.

    "Ah, ahh! Hey, I just put it back on!"

    "Chang-Shik, what on earth are you doing? Is it your job to do nothing? Are you Sloth?"

    "Oh, shut up and just wait! I have something prepared!" the man retorted in response to the raven''s taunts, shedding ck tears.

    As he wiped his tears with his new arm, the arm transformed from its devilish appearance into a normal human arm. The man furrowed his brow and touched his forehead where a faint eye was engraved.

    "I just need to find that damn girl...."

    With the man''s muttering, the faint eye began to move from side to side, looking for something. He was using ck magic¡ªthe third eye allowed the user to see through the eyes of their minions. The man scanned through dozens and hundreds of views beyond the third eye.

    <i>¡ªIt was my fault, it was my fault, it was entirely my fault... </i>

    <i>¡ªHey, Hee-Jin. Go out and buy a cup of ramen. </i>

    <i>¡ªOh, that person saw me! Beyond those white eyes...! </i>

    He could see it all:¡ªthe cathedral he had found to disguise himself as a clergyman, the Eastern Pdin Order Director¡¯s office, and the secret gathering ce for the Coven of Thirteen and Satanists.

    The sound of the mass being held, the director giving orders to his subordinates, and the Satanists sobbing in ecstasy mixed and echoed in his ears.

    <i>¡ªOur Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name...</i>

    At that moment, a scene caught the man''s eye. It was the demon that had been ced on the ind in the center of the Han River to terrify clergymen and citizens while sending a signal of the Second Coming to the hidden Satanists.

    Beyond the demon''s eyes, he could see priests praying for miracle replication and crusaders aiming their guns. Among the numerous crusaders, the man saw the girl he had been searching for.

    Unlike usual, she was wearing a crusader''s attire. Theyers of armor made her face barely visible, but the man could recognize her at a nce.

    "Ah, I found you."

    The man''s sought-after perfect physique, Jin-Seo, was there.

    <i> </i> ***

    Jin-Seo briefly greeted me and immediately joined her Crusader Order. There was no time for further conversation.

    I silently watched her back, dressed in a crusader''s attire and armor. Han Dae-Ho approached me and put his hand on my shoulder.

    "Is that the friend from back then? The one you were with on the mission trip."

    I stood there nkly, unable to answer Han Dae-Ho''s question. I was still reeling from the shock of facing Jin-Seo. There were two reasons for this. One was because of bitter coincidence. Jin-Seo and I weren¡¯t the only ones who hade here. Ha-Yeon was also in the Central Priesthood group dedicated to casting blessings. The other reason was that someone had predicted this bitter coincidence.

    "..."

    I recalled the day when Jun-Hyuk''s ravens hade to find me. It was shortly after we had a birthday party in the chapel. If he hade as usual to exchange casual greetings, I would have used Bossou''s power or whatever to kill those ravens long ago.

    However, unlike usual, Jun-Hyuk didn''t even exchange greetings and went straight to the point.

    "A Satanist has entered Korea. He''s not weak."

    "..."

    "Demons will be appearing everywhere. Their target is Jin-Seo. Soon... the day wille when you, Jin-Seo, and the demons will gather in one ce."

    I couldn''t understand why Jun-Hyuk was telling me this. It might have been a lie to confuse me, but what reason did he have to lie to me? If Jun-Hyuk''s words were true, they would be of great help to me, but even if they were lies, they wouldn''t cause me much harm. In other words, if they were lies, they were very ineffective lies.

    There was a high chance of him telling the truth. If that was the case, then my expectation that the Satanist who entered Korea was targeting Jin-Seo was correct. Moreover, if Jun-Hyuk said that he was not weak...

    "Is he stronger than you?" I asked.

    But the raven tilted its head, seemingly unable to understand my question.

    The raven stared at me with its piercing eyes, then narrowed them and opened its beak. "Ha, as if."

    "Then it¡¯ll be a piece of cake."

    "Can I take that as apliment?" the raven said.

    I stared past the raven¡¯s piercing eyes, looking at Jun-Hyuk who was watching over me. If the Satanist who had entered Korea was weaker than Jun-Hyuk, there was no need to be too uptight and worried. After obtaining the staff. I had be much stronger than when I had fought him before.

    "Why are you telling me this?"

    There was only one thing left that I was curious about. Why was Jun-Hyuk giving me this information? Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist. I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, and Jun-Hyuk and I had fought to the death. From his perspective, I was definitely an ''enemy.''

    Yet, Jun-Hyuk gave me information that could be helpful. I couldn¡¯t understand his behavior. At that moment, a ck spark appeared in the eyes of the ravens as they conveyed Jun-Hyuk''s words. Even though the ravens did not open their beaks, the spark flickered and Jun-Hyuk''s voice echoed in my mind.

    "All for a swift reunion."

    ¡°...¡±

    With those meaningful words, Jun-Hyuk''s raven fluttered its wings and departed. I thought that Jun-Hyuk might be hoping for the downfall of the Satanist who had entered Korea. Jun-Hyuk had not visited me since then.

    "Sun-Woo!"

    I finally came to my senses with Han Dae-Ho''s shout.

    He tapped my shoulder. "Hey, are you there? It¡¯s her, right? What¡¯s gotten into you all of a sudden?"

    "Ah, yes. I was surprised to see my school friend here."

    "It isn¡¯t that rare of an urrence during dispatch training. Get used to it. You can''t lose focus every time you meet a school friend, all right?"

    I nodded in response and looked toward Jin-Seo. She nodded while listening to the instructions of the Crusader Order she belonged to.

    "Director, can I use a spear?"

    "A spear? Hmm... There''s nothing wrong with it, but do you know how to handle one?"

    "I think it''s better than not having anything at all."

    "Alright then."

    Han Dae-Ho instructed Oh Hee-Jin to bring a spear from the car. Oh Hee-Jin asked why a spear out of all the weapons. Both Han Dae-Ho and Oh Hee-Jin were not pdins who specialized in using spears.

    Han Dae-Ho nced at me briefly, then smiled at Oh Hee-Jin. "This guy over here wants to try and hold it."

    "Hmm, spears do look cool. Alright."

    Without asking other questions, Oh Hee-Jin brought the spear from the car and handed it to me. It was unimaginable for someone higher up than me like Oh Hee-Jin to move around for me like this. However, Han Dae-Ho and Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s kindness toward me was due to the credit of finding Yoon-Ah during the long-term missing person search operation.

    "Thank you."

    "Forget it. I was nning to go back and get a weapon for myself anyway. I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold my head up high around those guys if I didn''t have this." Oh Hee-Jin pointed toward the Crusader Order, who were gathered at a distance for a strategy meeting, while holding onto his main weapon of choice, a mace.

    I touched the spear Oh Hee-Jin gave me. I looked at the tip of the spear. It was a spear made for battles with demons or demonic beasts, so it was incredibly sharppared to the spears used in training sessions or sparring.

    "..." I touched the tip of the spear and remembered Jun-Hyuk''s words that the Satanists¡¯ target was Jin-Seo.

    Even though I didn''t want to think about it, his voice kept echoing in my ears. Right now, the demon in the middle of the Han River was not moving, but it felt like something was about to happen at any moment.

    That was also because I had asked for the spear. At first nce, the demon that appeared in the middle of the Han River seemed huge. Their overwhelming size would likely be matched by overwhelming strength.

    It was highly unlikely that I could defeat the demon barehanded even if I used Bossou''s power. I could easily defeat the demons with the Executioner''s Sword, but there were too many clergymen around to do so.

    However, it would be another story if I wielded the spear with Bossou''s power, as Bossou was the best spear wielder among the Loa.

    At that moment, a strange voice echoed throughout the area.

    <i>¡ªI found you. </i>

    <i>Kiiiiiiing©¤! </i>

    The priests'' eyes, noses, and mouths gushed with blood as they prepared to replicate a miracle while praying.

    The priests drawing the blessing array covered their ears and looked across the Han River at the demon. The roar wasing from the demon¡¯s mouth, and a new, strange eye was now present on the demon¡¯s forehead. The eye directly stared at Jin-Seo.

    The unmoving demon stood up and straightened its body. Giant wings unfolded from its back.

    I gripped the spear and called out to Bossou.

    "Bossou."

    My blood boiled. The demon continued to roar, but the pounding sound of my overheated heart, fueled by Bossou''s power, roared even louder.

    My vision narrowed. Neither Han Dae-Ho, nor Oh Hee-Jin, nor the priesthood and Crusader Order were in my view. I had my eyes set only on one thing: the demon¡ªspecifically, the pale white eye between the demon¡¯s brows.

    [Grip the spear tighter. My power will remember the stance,] Bossou said.

    Whether it was because of the recent sacrifices, or because I was holding the spear, Bossou''s voice was more solemn than ever.

    I gripped the spear tighter as hemanded and adjusted my stance. Just the thought of throwing the spear automatically corrected my posture. As Bossou had said, his power remembered the stance.

    "Form the ranks, form the ranks!"

    "Ugh, ugh! Director, I can''t hear you!"

    "Cough!"

    The Crusader Order, in the midst of a strategy meeting, scrambled to form their ranks. The director gave orders to the members, who struggled to fall into line while they protected their ears.

    Meanwhile, the demon approached menacingly, pping its wings.

    [Don''t take your eyes off the prey.]

    In the meantime, I prepared to throw the spear under Bossou''s instructions.

    [Be one with the spear and wind.]

    I felt the sensation of the spear in my hand and the sensation of the blowing wind. The wind stirred by the demon¡¯s wingbeats raged in all directions.

    Dust flew into my eyes from the wind, but I did not blink. I fixated my gaze on the pale white eye on the forehead of the demon. I wouldn¡¯t bat an eysh until I threw the spear.

    [Be one with the spear, and throw your entire shoulder into it.]

    <i>m!</i>

    The demonnded on the ground.

    Its white eye scanned the faces of the crusaders and stopped at Jin-Seo. The demon extended its arm. Jin-Seo raised his sword to block it.

    I called out to Bade. "Bade."

    At that moment, the wind ceased. Then I heard Bossou''s voice.

    [Throw it.]

    <i>Grrt.</i>

    I gritted my teeth and hurled the spear.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The spear pierced through the demon¡¯s forehead. "Aaaarrk¡ª! Grhaaaak!"

    The demon clutched its forehead with both hands, groaning and writhing in pain. Jin-Seo took advantage of that moment to distance herself from the demon. Thanks to the newfound silence, the crusaders regained theirposure and finally formed their ranks.

    The priests, who had been groaning in pain with their ears covered, also came back to their senses.

    "Aaargh, graaah...!"

    I watched the demon groan in pain. The spear had pierced through the forehead, yet the demon was still alive. Instead, it screamed and thrashed around, which meant that the demon still had the strength to scream and struggle.

    At times like this, one should never let their guard down. I headed toward the priesthood who were drawing the blessing array. Ha-Yeon sat there in a daze with tears streaming down her face due to the noise. I approached her.

    "Ha-Yeon."

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon did not respond to my call. She just stared at me nkly as she had not yet grasped the situation yet. The divine power that had not yet formed into a blessing array still radiated brightly from her fingertips.

    I kneeled down on one knee and met eyes with Ha-Yeon.

    "Bless me," I said.

 Chapter 257

    <h4>Chapter 257</h4>

    "Sun-Woo?" Ha-Yeon said, staring nkly at Sun-Woo in front of her.

    The demon had suddenly roared, and the other priests fell to the ground, their faces distorted in pain. She had no memory of what happened after that. It seemed like she had briefly lost consciousness.

    When she regained consciousness, Sun-Woo was standing in front of her. It felt like she had experienced something simr before. Not just once, but multiple times. Sun-Woo always appeared to save Ha-Yeon whenever she was in a tight spot.

    "Howe... you again...."

    Sun-Woo had his eyes glued to the demon that was struggling from being hit by the spear.

    "Sorry, but I have no time for greetings. Draw the blessing array,¡± he said.

    The sound of demon withering in pain echoed through the sky. Seeing this, Ha-Yeon btedly regained her senses and nodded. However, she couldn''t figure out what blessing to use for Sun-Woo. She hadn¡¯t learned blessings that would be helpful in actualbat. She only focused on researching blessings and miracles¡ªparticrly easy research, thanks to her special lineage as a member of the n of purification.

    "What blessing should I use in a situation like this...?" she asked after trying to draw any blessing array.

    She had no idea what blessing to use. She was afraid to draw a blessing array without someone''s guidance, based solely on her judgment. Moreover, this was a real situation. If Ha-Yeon used the wrong blessing, Sun-Woo''s life could be at risk.

    Sun-Woo just stared at Ha-Yeon, and then nonchntly replied, "Use the blessing you¡¯re the most confident in, one you can use quickly."

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon heard Sun-Woo''s words, but instead of drawing a blessing array, she remained silent for a while.

    She had never received such instructions because she only used blessings as directed. She had never fully disyed her abilities by drawing a blessing array solely through her own will.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    At that moment, the demon mmed the ground with its fists and pped its wings wildly in a struggle to defend itself. Jin-Seo and some crusaders approaching the demon could not withstand the gust of wind from the pping wings and fell.

    Although the demon initially just struggled against pain, it gradually became more aggressive. It was close to recovering.

    Sun-Woo looked between the demon pping its wings and the struggling Jin-Seo.

    He clenched his teeth. "Damn it... Just use any blessing. I believe in you!"

    He started running toward the battlefield where the demon was pping its wings.

    Ha-Yeon looked at Sun-Woo''s back with a bewildered expression.

    ¡®<i>I believe in you</i>.¡¯

    Sun-Woo''s words strangely lingered in her ears.

    "...<i>Sigh</i>.¡±

    She felt confused and pathetic for being so moved by Sun-Woo''s words, which might have been just a passing remark. She couldn¡¯t believe that she, the girl who had been disgusted at the thought of talking to someone that wasn¡¯t at her level, was now trying so hard to share one more word with this boy.

    However, now was not the time to be immersed in such thoughts. Ha-Yeon closed her eyes tight, and then opened them again.

    She started drawing the blessing array. One, two, three... In an instant, over a dozen blessing arrays were drawn in the air. It was a massive fusion blessing array.

    Ha-Yeon had not just been ying around. Rather, she studied blessings even harder to not tarnish the name of the n of purification. She simply did not have the opportunity at the Central Priesthood to show the results of her efforts.

    <i>Shaaaah©¤! </i>

    Ha-Yeon¡¯s blessing array emitted a brilliant light. It was brighter and clearer than any blessing array that a priest at the Central Priesthood could draw. The light spread out in all directions, enveloping Sun-Woo and the other crusaders. The entire area lit up from the bright light of blessing that Ha-Yeon created.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon gazed nkly at the enchanting and beautiful scene she had created. A tremendous sense of liberation and ecstasy welled up within her, unlike anything she had ever experienced while studying blessings or miracles in thebs.

    ***

    I walked toward the demon. My heart was still pounding wildly due Bossou¡¯s power. No, it wasn¡¯t just my heart. My whole body was trembling and throbbing. Then, a strange light enveloped my body. It was the light created by Ha-Yeon''s blessing, but it was much brighter and clearer than the usual light of blessing.

    "Ugh!"

    My breath got caught in my throat as I epted the light of blessing. Ha-Yeon''s blessing was much stronger than any other blessing. It felt as if my body was not my own. Indeed, meeting a member of the n of purification as an enemy would be the most fearsome encounter.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡±

    I approached the demon with lighter steps, and took a spear from a fallen crusader. Then, I approached Jin-Seo.

    She was keeping her distance from the demon, waiting for an opportunity to attack. She seemedpletely focused on the demon and unaware of my presence nearby.

    I tapped her shoulder.

    <i>Tap.</i>

    Startled, she turned around and narrowed her eyes at me.

    ¡°Hey, you scared me.¡±

    I pointed at the thrashing demon. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll have a better chance if we attack together.¡±

    Tough leather covered its entire body, making it muchrger than other demons. While it wouldn''t be difficult to defeat the demon with the powers of other Loa, subduing the demon with Bossou''s power alone seemed challenging.

    [Bossou doesn''t need tobine forces!]

    ''...''

    Even so, attacking together would make it faster and easier to defeat the demon.

    Jin-Seo hesitated, then nodded. ¡°...Alright.¡±

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Suddenly, there was a loud sound, like something had exploded. In the blink of an eye, Jin-Seo disappeared and was no longer by my side.

    I turned my head toward the demon. Jin-Seo was charging toward the demon, her legs wrapped with the light of blessing. With both hands tightly gripping her sword, she swiftly approached the demon.

    The demon swung its arms to grab Jin-Seo as she got closer. She moved flexibility, dodging all the attacks. Then, she struck the demon''s ankle with her sword.

    <i>sh.</i>

    Jin-Seo¡¯s sword effortly sliced the thick ankle that seemed imprable.

    <i>Thud¡ª!</i>

    The demon lost its bnce and fell over.

    I looked at Jin-Seo, and she gestured to me. Although not a word was exchanged, I could tell what she was asking of me. I raised my spear and climbed up the demon¡¯s body in a sh. My body felt lighter than usual with Bossou¡¯s power and Ha-Yeon¡¯s blessing.

    "..."

    I looked down at the fallen demon. The weak point of this demon was clearly its heart, an organ that the Romanican Chruch called the ''core.¡¯

    <i>Stab. </i>

    Without hesitation, I stabbed the demon¡¯s heart with my spear. The spear pierced through the demon¡¯s tough armor and pierced its heart. The red eyes of the demon, and the faint eyes on its forehead, all lost focus. Its struggling arms and legs copsed weakly as well. With its core shattered, the demon had to be dead.

    I approached Jin-Seo to exchange unfinished greetings with her. I hadn¡¯t been able to talk to her because I had been treating Yoon-Ah, and even after that, I had hardly contacted or met her due to dispatch training.

    <i>Kiiiiiiiiik¡ª! </i>

    "Ugh!"

    Then, another piercing sound rang out. Jin-Seo stopped in her tracks while approaching me. Her eyes that were looking at me suddenly lost all focus.

    I looked at the demon that I thought was dead. Its eyes were still unfocused, with its arms and legs that were devoid of any strength. Its mouth was tightly shut as well. It was clearly dead.

    Then where was the roaring from?

    <i>Kiiiiiiiiik¨C! Kiiiiik¨C! </i>

    "..."

    The agonizing sounds echoed twice this time, and the crusaders and priests who btedly regained their senses copsed again, spitting out blood. I realized where the noise wasing from: its stomach.

    The noise was noting from the demon¡¯s mouth, but its stomach. When the noise stopped, the belly of the demon tore open.

    "Kiik, krrrk!"

    "Keeek!"

    "Kgggk! Keekk!"

    From the inside of the stomach, tiny screaming demons the size of humans began to pour out.

    ***

    ¡ª<i>You were weak. And always thirsty.</i>

    Oh Hee-Jin, momentarily stunned by the demons¡¯ screams, heard a woman''s voice in the dark abyss. It was a sweet and enchanting voice that seemed to melt his brain.

    <i> ¡ªSeeking knowledge may quench your thirst, but that is not truly what you desire. </i>

    "W-who?"

    ¡ª<i>And that¡¯s why I like you</i>.

    "..."

    Along with the voice, a woman emerged from the darkness and walked toward Oh Hee-Jin. She was undeniably beautiful and mesmerizing. Oh Hee-Jin btedly realized where he was and who the woman was.

    It was a hallucination.

    This was a space created by a ck magic-induced hallucination. Oh Hee-Jin tried to shut his eyes to resist the Satanist''s allure, but he couldn''t. His eyes were captivated by the beautiful woman in front of him.

    The woman embraced Oh Hee-Jin and whispered in his ear.

    ¡ª<i>I can quench your thirst. All your desires, everything you long for... </i>

    "Oh Hee-Jin, Oh Hee-Jin!"

    "Ugh, ugh! Yes!"

    At that moment, Oh Hee-Jin was barely able to break free from the hallucination due to Han Dae-Ho¡¯s call.

    Oh Hee-Jin looked beyond his blood-red vision and saw Han Dae-Ho''s figure. Just like Oh Hee-Jin, Han Dae-Ho was also bleeding from his nose and mouth. However, he didn¡¯t grimace in pain. Instead, his eyes were filled with strong determination.

    Han Dae-Ho grabbed Oh Hee-Jin''s shoulders. "Wake up. The pain caused by the screams is just an illusion. If you just wake up, everything will be fine."

    "No, as far as I know...!"

    "Think of it as an illusion." Han Dae-Ho interrupted Oh Hee-Jin.

    Oh Hee-Jin looked at Han Dae-Ho with a bewildered expression. Oh Hee-Jin knew that the pain caused by the demons¡¯ screams was not some illusion. It was a kind of ck magic used by the executives of the Satanists, especially Lust.

    If a person listened to the screams for a long time, they would lose consciousness, hallucinate, and in the worst-case scenario, be consumed by the hallucinations and go crazy.

    Oh Hee-Jin knew this fact, and that was why he was even more afraid. He had just been wandering in that hallucination, almost captivated by the woman he saw.

    However, Han Dae-Ho shook his head. "You have to think like that to endure it."

    "..."

    "Think of everything you saw earlier, everything you felt as an illusion from the pain. Like, like that guy." Han Dae-Ho pointed somewhere. Oh Hee-Jin turned his head.

    At the end of Han Dae-Ho¡¯s finger, he saw Sun-Woo fighting against the demon. He was also bleeding from his mouth, nose, and eyes like everyone else. However, unlike the other clergymen writhing in pain with agonizing expressions, he was expressionless.

    In addition, he had dislocated his right shoulder. It seemed like his shoulder had popped out while throwing a spear. Nevertheless, Sun-Woo used his right arm without hesitation, as if he didn''t feel any pain.

    "You can¡¯t go mad if you¡¯re already crazy," Han Dae-Ho muttered as he looked at Sun-Woo.

    He drew a blessing array, and enveloped himself in the light of blessing. Then, he walked confidently toward Sun-Woo.

    "I will join forces with Sun-Woo. It''s frustrating just to stand by and watch as a director."

    "I-I¡¯lle as well, director."

    "You won''t be of any help anyway. Go request for support."

    With that, Han Dae-Ho walked toward the battlefield. Oh Hee-Jin sat hesitantly and was left alone. He gazed silently at the mace in his hands. The mace, designed to fight demons, was vicious andrge in size.

    Oh Hee-Jin tried to lift the mace and stand up, but it was too heavy for him to hold. His body had weakened upon hearing the demons'' roars. Oh Hee-Jin felt a sense of despair.

    Sun-Woo, a mere apprentice pdin, and Director Han Dae-Ho had both ovee the demons'' roars and engaged in battle. However, Oh Hee-Jin couldn''t do the same.

    He had been born frail andcked the mental strength to ovee his physical weakness.

    "..."

    All he could do now was follow Director Han Dae-Ho''s advice and go request for support. It was unfair that he couldn''t do anything else. The enchanting voice that he had heard from the ck magic hallucination kept echoing in his ears.

    At that moment, someone took away his mace.

    "Huh? Wait, what are you doing?¡±

    Oh Hee-Jin lifted his head to see the man who had taken his mace. The man toyed with the mace and smirked.

    "Judging by your attire, you must be a pdin. I am a superior officer, much more superior than you. Hmm... I must be something like the superior officer to your superior officer."

    "Inquisitor?"

    "Do you know me?"

    Joseph frowned as he stared down at Oh Hee-Jin for a while. Then he chuckled.

    "Sorry, but I don''t know you... Let''s exchange names after the battle is over." Joseph firmly gripped his mace, and looking at the numerous demons pouring out from the belly of the demon in the distance, heughed.

    "At this rate, it looks like it''ll be over in about five minutes."

 Chapter 258

    <h4>Chapter 258</h4>

    ¡ª<i>I know what you really desire.</i>

    Jin-Seo briefly lost consciousness after hearing the demon¡¯s roar. When she opened her eyes, she was in total darkness.

    Beyond the darkness, she heard a woman¡¯s seductive voice. A familiar hallucination unfolded in front of her eyes.

    In the hallucination, Jin-Seo was crying. The sound of rain could be heard outside the window. She cried alone, helplessly, as no one came to console her.

    Then, a man came. He was soaked from the rain. As if trying tofort the crying Jin-Seo, the man embraced her. The warmth from her body heated up the man¡¯s cold, wet body. Jin-Seo and the man just held each other silently. The constant sound of falling rain filled the silence.

    She had seen the same hallucination before when the demon from the examination site roared before it died.

    Even though she knew that she was in a hallucination, she did not try to escape from it. She had been too happy. But now, she was not happy at all. No, in fact, she was disgusted.

    "...This is getting old," Jin-Seo said with a wry smile. "You think this is all I want?"

    ¡ª<i>Oh...</i>

    The surprise was evident in the seductive voice as it echoed through the darkness.

    Jin-Seo closed her eyes tightly and opened them.

    <i>Thud.</i>

    With a crack, she snapped out of the hallucination. Jin-Seo quickly regained herposure and assessed the situation. More demons poured out of the dead demon¡¯s belly. Crusaders and priests struggled, unable to escape the hallucination created by the demon¡¯s roar.

    There was a demon in front of Jin-Seo as well.

    <i>Swish.</i>

    She shed the demon¡¯s neck with the sword in her hand. The demon thrashed around for a while even after its neck was severed. Then it disappeared, turning into smoke.

    Jin-Seo stepped on the decaying bodies of the demon and the remaining residue with her foot, making a squelching sound.

    Jin-Seo looked around, counting the number of demons in the area. Although there were many of them, they were all small in size. It would be easy to strike them down.

    The apanying crusaders and priests were all unconscious and had fallen due to the ck magic, and even those who regained consciousness were not in the right state of mind to engage in the battle.

    She had no choice but to defeat all the demons alone. She gripped the sword tightly and drew a blessing array.

    <i>Baaam©¤!</i>

    She charged forward,pressing the power of the blessing in a short time frame, a technique she had learned from Do-Jin. Thanks to her mastery of the technique, she could use it automatically without making a conscious effort.

    She approached the demon who was just about to attack the director of the Northern Crusader Order while clutching her sword in her hands.

    <i>Krrk!</i>

    She struck the side of the demon¡¯s head with the de. ck blood sttered on the fallen director of the Northern Pdin Order and Jin-Seo''s face.

    The leader of the Northern Pdin Order jolted awake in surprise.

    Jin-Seo wiped the demon''s blood off her face with the back of her hand.

    "Are you okay?" she asked.

    The director of the Northern Pdin Order looked at Jin-Seo with a bewildered expression. He looked around, then chuckled and got up from his seat, brushing off his clothes.

    "Hah, this is embarrassing. Thank you."

    He gripped his sword and red at the demon that was going to attack hisrades. After drawing the blessing array, he advanced toward them.

    Jin-Seo confidently drew a blessing array and swiftly eliminated the demons in the area, one by one. She shed their throats, pierced their hearts, and exploded their heads by hitting them with the t side of her de. Her once pristine clothes were gradually stained ck from the blood of the demons she yed. The ground she stepped on was filled with the ck smoke emanating from the demons¡¯ corpses.

    <i>sh!</i>

    Just like that, she cut down countless demons. Despite swinging her sword numerous times, it seemed like the number of demons was not decreasing. Instead, it appeared that the more she killed, the more there were.

    Jin-Seo gritted her teeth. The demons¡¯ attacks kept injuring more and more people. She needed to move faster. With determination, she drew the blessing array and mmed the ground with the power of the blessing.

    ¡°Ugh!"

    Her legs buckled as a sharp pain shot up from her knee. It felt like she had injured her joints. Jin-Seo tried to get up by force. However, she kept feeling pain in her right knee, making it impossible for her to stand up.

    The demons seemed to have noticed that Jin-Seo was injured, as they gathered and slowly surrounded her.

    ¡°...¡±

    The tiny demons that emerged from the giant demon¡¯s belly were cunning. They only attacked the crusaders who had lost their minds to ck magic, but when they saw Jin-Seo, they ran away without even looking behind them. However, now that Jin-Seo seemed to be injured, they immediately gathered to attack her.

    Jin-Seo gripped her sword. Despite an injured knee, she could still wield her sword. Although she wouldn¡¯t be able to kill them all, she could at least take down a few.

    <i>Crush!</i>

    At that moment, a spear flew out of the blue. The spear pierced through three of the heads of the demons surrounding Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo''s eyes widened. A spear throw strong enough to cause a gust of this caliber? She only knew one person who could disy such skill.

    "What are you doing? Are you hurt?"

    "A little."

    "Then you too¡ª"

    Before Sun-Woo could finish his sentence, a demon lunged at him, baring its sharp fangs. Sun-Woo casually held his spear up to impale the demon in the head. He then quickly pulled out the spear and swiftly took down the nearby demons.

    He threw his spear, pulled it out by swinging or stabbing, and threw it again. The demon turned into ck smoke without even getting a chance to put up a fight against him. The numerous demons disappeared in an instant.

    Sun-Woo''s spear skills were rough and in some ways primitive. He had no shy techniques, but that made him even stronger.

    "Phew."

    After defeating all the demons, Sun-Woo caught his breath. Jin-Seo silently watched Sun-Woo.

    She pointed to Sun-Woo''s shoulder. "What''s wrong with your arm?"

    His right arm, which had thrown and swung the spear multiple times, was hanging loosely by his side. Even with a short nce, it looked like a serious injury. His shoulder looked like it would be pulled off from his body if he threw the spear one more time.

    "Oh, it got dislocated." Sun-Woo casually mentioned it as if it was nothing, and he touched his right shoulder with his left hand.

    Then, he suddenly exerted force.

    <i>Pop!</i>

    With a terrifying sound, Sun-Woo''s dislocated shoulder snapped back into ce. Jin-Seo¡¯s mouth hung open as she stared at the unbelievable sight in front of her eyes.

    Sun-Woo tested his right arm a few times as if to see if it moved properly, then nodded in satisfaction.

    "If you''re hurt, run away. You have enough strength in you to escape, right?"

    "I think I''m okay. No, I''m fine," Jin-Seo said, shaking her head.

    Then she stood up with the sword in her hand. Her knees still hurt, but she was doing much better than before. No matter how much it hurt, she wanted to fight alongside him. She didn¡¯t want to lose.

    ***

    I saw Jin-Seo staggering toward the demons with her sword in her hand. She didn''t look too good, but I knew she¡¯d be fine. I could help her if it looked like things became dangerous.

    I focused again and started to concentrate on defeating the demons. As I fought the demons, my thoughts started to fade away. I couldn''t even remember why I was defeating the demons to save the Romanican Church clergymen. Every time thoughts like that would pop up, I would remind myself that the reason I was killing these demons was for myself, not for the Romanican Church. I was building up achievements to join the Central Pdin Order.

    [It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve participated in battles like these. It reminds me of the old days!]

    <i>Thud!</i>

    I ignored Bossou''s words and threw the spear. It pierced straight through the demon''s forehead. After throwing the spear, I picked up any nearby weapon and threw it toward the demon again. Thanks to the crusaders, I had an arsenal of weapons to choose from nearby.

    Thankfully, I didn''t have to retrieve the spear. I could just pick up any nearby weapon and throw it.

    "..."

    Amid the chaotic battle, I suddenly felt a gaze upon me. To be specific, I felt a sense of unease.

    The number of demons in our proximity had noticeably decreased. Only Jin-Seo, Han Dae-Ho, and I were currently engaged in battle. Although Han Dae-Ho was strong, he was not particrly agile, and his method of defeating the demons one by one did not significantly reduce their numbers.

    No, it must have been a mistake. With the increase in the number ofbatants from two to three, it was natural for the number of demons to decrease at a faster rate. I put aside my doubts and raised my spear, aiming it at the demon in front of me.

    <i>Krrk!</i>

    Just before I could throw the spear, the demon¡¯s head crumbled. The headless demon staggered for a moment before copsing and turning into ck smoke.

    Initially, I thought it was a sniper from the Crusader Order who had shot with a shotgun, but it wasn''t. Someone was moving at a speed invisible to the eye, destroying the demons¡¯ heads.

    "Sun-Woo."

    "..."

    The voice came from behind me. I only felt the presence of the speaker right after hearing their voice. I turned my head.

    Joseph was smiling at me as usual while holding a mace. ck blood dripped from his mace, and something sticky that seemed to be demonic flesh was stuck to it.

    "It''s good to see you here. Do you know how upset I was because you didn¡¯t call me back? What have you been up to?"

    "I''m sorry. I''ve been busy."

    "You must have been. I''ve been busy as well, thanks to you." Although Joseph''s tone was rxed and cheerful, there was also a hint of sarcasm and anger mixed in.

    He looked at me with a grin. "That was an excellent throw of the spear. I didn''t know you had such talent."

    I swallowed nervously.

    "Shall we catch up after this battle?" Joseph said, raising his mace and striding confidently toward a demon.

    In a stance I had never seen before, he swung the mace. The demon¡¯s head disappeared. Joseph adjusted his clothes immediately after the swing. Then, he approached the demon again and struck it with the mace.

    Han Dae-Ho and Jin-Seo were also swiftly dealing with the demon, but they couldn''tpare to Joseph.

    I stopped fighting and watched Joseph''s movements. With a light swing of his mace, he shattered the demons¡¯ heads. His movements were extremely controlled, but I could see the underlying ferocity in them.

    [I want to fight him,] Bossou said, his voice trembling with excitement. [I want to fight him while he¡¯s wielding that mace.]

    <i>ng.</i>

    Eventually, Joseph defeated thest remaining demon. Even after the battle, Joseph''s clothes were neatly arranged, as he had adjusted them after each demon he vanquished.

    After casually tossing the mace to the ground, he approached me.

    "It''s quiet now. We can finally have a conversation, don¡¯t you think?"

    [Prophet, raise your spear. Aim it at the head.]

    I tried to ignore Bossou, but my heart started pounding uncontrobly. It wasn''t my will. The battle intent from Bossou caused my heart to race.

    I swallowed nervously and tried to catch my breath, but I couldn''t. My breathing continued to quicken and became rougher.

    [I wanted to fight right away. He is a worthy opponent!]

    "Maybe this isn¡¯t the ce to talk? Yes, how about we get the Pdin Order you are currently assigned to¡ª"

    <i>Click, ck.</i>

    The clear sound of clicking boots echoed. Joseph stopped speaking and turned to look in the direction of the sound.

    His expression, which had a rxed smile on his lips, stiffened. I also turned my head. A man was walking toward us, looking around at the fallen priests from the Department of Crusaders.

    <i>Stter!</i>

    The man drew a dagger from his belt and cut his palm. Then he let the flowing blood into a blessing array, which shone brightly.

    Pure and clear, the light of blessing gradually expanded, illuminating the area. The light spread out, enveloping the bodies of clergymen who had fallen under the influence of ck magic.

    "Filthy creatures," the man muttered, frowning as he watched the clergymen graduallying to their senses.

    I stared intently at the man''s face. He also looked at me. A heavy silence filled the air.

    "..."

    Sung Yu-Da stared at me with a stern face.

 Chapter 259

    <h4>Chapter 259</h4>

    "..."

    An awkward silence passed between Joseph, Sung Yu-Da, and me. Sung Yu-Da took turns looking at me and Joseph. I alternated between looking at Joseph and Sung Yu-Da too. The silence lingered for a long time as no one spoke.

    Joseph broke the silence. He nced at me briefly, then walked toward Sung Yu-Da.

    "Inquisitor Sung Yu-Da, it''s been a while. No, I suppose it''s more appropriate to call you my senior now."

    Sung Yu-Da remained silent, his eyes glued on Joseph. He didn¡¯t bother to even greet him. Right then, Jin-Seo, who was standing at a distance, approached, dragging a sword on the ground.

    "..."

    She looked at me, then btedly noticed Joseph and Sung Yu-Da''s presence and stopped in her tracks. Joseph silently looked back and forth between me and Jin-Seo. He briefly closed his mouth with a stern expression, seeming to be deep in thought. After a brief moment of mental calctions, he smiled slightly.

    "Let''s save the conversation forter. I have much to catch up with this senior. I haven''t seen him in a while. You go talk with your friend."

    I nodded in acknowledgement. "Understood."

    I headed toward Jin-Seo. Deep down, I was grateful she was there. If it weren''t for her, this suffocating three-way confrontation would have continued.

    I had used the members of the purification n to restrain Joseph, and he was well aware of this. Sung Yu-Da was a member of the purification n. I had gotten him to assist me in restraining Joseph through some subtle threats. Nothing good woulde of me intervening between the two of them. No matter what conversation went on, I was sure it would go south for me.

    Jin-Seo looked back and forth between Sung Yu-Da and Joseph.

    "What''s going on?" she asked cautiously.

    I nced at the two. They were having some kind of conversation, but I couldn''t hear exactly what they were talking about. They were too far away.

    "Hmm. I''m not sure."

    I decided to just y dumb. To others, I was just a mere apprentice pdin. It would be strange for me to know about the affairs of higher-ups in the church hierarchy and in age like Joseph and Sung Yu-Da.

    Jin-Seo looked at me suspiciously for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

    "What have you been up totely?" she asked.

    I hesitated for a moment before answering. I didn''t know what exactly she meant by <itely</i>.

    "Just doing some dispatch training and participating in search missions for the missing. I also took care of various odd jobs."

    "I see." Jin-Seo nodded.

    She looked at me silently for a moment before she said, "You aren¡¯t going to ask what I¡¯ve been up to?"

    "How have you been?"

    "I didn''t do anything special. Just like you, I went for dispatch training and took care of odd jobs. I also had a lot of battles."

    "If you didn''t do anything special, why did you want me to ask about you?"

    Sheughed. "Hmm, I wonder why?¡±

    Her answer andughter were so nonchnt and cheeky that I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle along with her.

    She sheathed the sword she was holding into the scabbard on her waist. "You remember you promised to grant my wish, right?"

    "Yeah. You don¡¯t have to ask. I won''t forget."

    "Aren''t you scared?"

    "Of what?"

    "You don''t know what wish I might ask for."

    "Whatever wish it is, nothing will change..."

    "What if I ask you to go out with me?"

    "You won¡¯t do that."

    "Why? You never know."

    "..."

    When I didn''t say anything, she burst into mischievousughter. "You okay? I was just joking."

    Before I could respond, someone called out to me.

    "Oh, Sun-Woo. There you are."

    Jin-Seo looked excited to tell me something, but she suddenly stopped talking. Her face hardened. I turned my head toward the voice to see Ha-Yeon walking briskly toward us.

    She nced briefly at Jin-Seo before she expressionlessly said, "When should we have our next secret meeting?"

    "Secret meeting?" Jin-Seo interjected before I could respond.

    I nced at Ha-Yeon. She wasn¡¯t wrong when she said ¡®secret meeting.¡¯ I had been meeting secretly with Ha-Yeon to use the purification n, specifically to throw Joseph off my back.

    However, the term ¡®secret meeting¡¯ would have weird implications for Jin-Seo.

    Ha-Yeon acted surprised, although she didn''t seem particrly shocked. "Oh, I didn''t mean to talk about it in front of others. I''m sorry."

    "Hey, what are you doing?"

    "I''m sorry. I was in a hurry. We''ve only been in touch and haven''t met him for a while."

    Ha-Yeon''s brazen words left me speechless. There was nothing I could say.

    To exin the reason for my meetings with Ha-Yeon, I would have to mention Sung Yu-Da, Joseph, and other various details.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo silently looked back and forth between me and Ha-Yeon. I was taken aback by her gaze. Her face was so stiff that the smile she had just put on seemed like it had been in another lifetime.

    At that moment, Han Dae-Ho approached me and called out, "Sun-Woo!"

    Ha-Yeon looked at me and smiled slyly. "I will see you soon. Sooner thanter."

    "..."

    "I''ll take my leave. It seems like the priesthood folks are calling me too. Well then." Ha-Yeon nodded and walked briskly toward where the Central Priesthood priests were gathered.

    The priests were picking up the bodies of the dead demons that didn¡¯t disappear into ck smoke, while some were healing the injured priests and crusaders by drawing healing arrays. The lower-ranking priests picked up the bodies of the dead demons, while those who appeared to hold higher positions took care of the healing. Despite her position as an apprentice priest, Ha-Yeon had taken on the role of healing.

    After Ha-Yeon left, only Jin-Seo and I remained in this quiet space.

    Director Han Dae-Ho was waving his hand from afar as if urging us toe quickly.

    "The director¡¯s calling for me. I¡¯ve got to get going."

    Jin-Seo nodded in response to my words and headed toward the Crusader Order. "Yeah, sure. I need to go as well."

    I watched carefully while she walked away because she seemed especially powerless. She seemed to be limping, favoring one leg. It seemed like she had been injured during the previous battle. She must have lied when I asked if she was hurt earlier.

    Meanwhile, Han Dae-Ho approached me. He looked at me and smiled. "Hey, Sun-Woo! I''ve been calling you toe, but what took you so long? Do I have toe to you myself when I¡¯m the director?"

    "Ah, my apologies."

    "It''s fine. Anyway, good job! You can use a spear as your main weapon with your skill," Han Dae-Ho said, patting my back.

    I just smiled and listened to him without responding. There was nothing else to say. The only time I could handle the spear was when I activated Bossou''s power. I didn''t even know how to properly hold a spear otherwise.

    Han Dae-Ho took me to the Pdin Order¡¯s vehicle. Oh Hee-Jin was sitting in the driver''s seat, waiting.

    I sat in the passenger seat, and he stared at me in silence for a while. Then he said with a stern expression, "You did well, Sun-Woo. I saw you fight earlier. You were much better than those clumsy pdins."

    "Thank you, Pdin Oh Hee-Jin. You did a great job too."

    "...Right." Oh Hee-Jin looked at me with a dark expression.

    His eyes held aplex mixture of emotions. There were small emotions like suspicion and gratitude, while there were also big emotions like admiration and wariness.

    What was he admiring and what was he wary of? I tried to read the emotions in his eyes more closely, but I couldn''t because Oh Hee-Jin suddenly turned his head.

    I stared silently at his back. Oh Hee-Jin knew a lot about the Voodoo Cult. He was even knowledgeable about Bossou¡¯s existence.

    I had just used the power of the Loa a lot in this battle. ¡®A lot¡¯ didn¡¯t do it justice. I had used the power of the Loa conspicuously. Oh Hee-Jin might have caught on to the fact that I was the Cult Leader after he saw me throw the spear using Bossou¡¯s power during the fight.

    In that case, what should I do with Oh Hee-Jin? Should I kill him? Maybe manipting his memories through spells might be more appropriate...

    At that moment, Legba said, [You always think only as you wish.]

    I couldn''t grasp why he said such things.

    ***

    After Sun-Woo left, Sung Yu-Da and Joseph stared at each other in silence for a while. Joseph carefully studied Sung Yu-Da''s expression, but couldn''t make out what he was thinking or feeling. He was only barely able to catch a momentary stiffness in Sung Yu-Da''s expression when he looked at Sun-Woo.

    Joseph suddenly extended his hand to shake Sung Yu-Da''s hand. "It''s really nice to see you like this. You were also present at the promotion ceremony when I became an inquisitor. It was such an honor."

    Sung Yu-Da epted the handshake somewhat hesitantly. "Yes, it''s been a long time. I think I gave you a book back then. Are you still reading it?"

    "Oh, I''m sorry, but I tore it up and burned it."

    "Ah, I see. That''s a shame, really."

    "Haha. A shame..." Joseph repeated Sung Yu-Da''s words quietly and smiled bitterly.

    He thought about Sun-Woo. More precisely, about his suspicions toward him.

    Joseph stared straight at Sung Yu-Da and peered into his eyes. "You seemed quite flustered when you saw Sun-Woo.¡±

    Sun-Woo had recently found a long-term missing person. Her name was Yoon-Ah. Not only did it take a tremendous amount of effort, but it also took a huge amount of luck to find someone who had been missing for long periods of time that ranged longer than six months. It was an extremely rare urrence to find a missing person who had been missing for over six months. ¡®Rare urrences¡¯ like these seemed to happen frequently around Sun-Woo.

    "If you''re close to Sun-Woo, may I ask how you know each other?"

    "We''re only acquainted because of my daughter."

    When Yoon-Ah was found, a woman suspected to be from the Voodoo Cult had appeared. The woman had used powers and spells to evade the pdins¡¯ pursuit.

    As a result, it naturally became the prevailing theory that the Voodoo Cult was responsible for kidnapping Yoon-Ah. Some, no, most clergymen spected that the woman who appeared there might be the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    However, Joseph had a different opinion. "You don''t have to pretend you don''t know. Don¡¯t you want to know more about Sun-Woo?"

    "..."

    Joseph suspected that Sun-Woo might be part of the Voodoo Cult. Not just that, but he suspected Sun-Woo to be the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

 Chapter 260

    <h4>Chapter 260</h4>

    ¡°I looked at the circumstances that led to Sun-Woo bing the Holy Name of Charity, and I discovered that the members of the purification n intervened in the selection process.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Joseph tried hypothesizing. Firstly, it was a fact that the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Yoon-Ah.

    However, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult wanted to return Yoon-Ah to her family for some ¡®unknown reason.¡¯ Joseph spected that the ¡®unknown reason'' was likely rted to In-Ah. In other words, the Cult Leader had unknowingly kidnapped Yoon-Ah and was raising her, but after entering Florence Academy, he met In-Ah and began to feel guilty about his actions.

    Therefore, the Cult Leader devised a n. He staged a y and left Yoon-Ah in an abandoned building.

    If he left Yoon-Ah in an abandoned building and then found her, he would naturally be able to return her to her family and would simultaneously be able to build up his reputation as a pdin.

    Some believed that the woman they encountered during the search for Yoon-Ah was the Cult Leader because she had used powers and spells.

    However, Sun-Woo was also present at the scene. Sun-Woo could have secretly used his power and spells to help the woman escape. No, the probability that he had done so was extremely high.

    "In addition, Sun-Woo has connections with the purification n in various ways... You said that you were only acquaintances, but the results of my investigation indicate otherwise. It really is quite perplexing.¡±

    Furthermore, today, Joseph saw Sun-Woo throwing a spear. Do-Jin had said that the Voodoo Cult Leader was a pdin or crusader who specialized in throwing spears. He also mentioned that the person had most likely engaged in a duel with him before.

    If Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader, everything added up.

    Besides this, there were plenty of reasons to suspect that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader. He had battled Jun-Hyuk, who was a Satanist, and survived. Voodoo spells and powers were often used in ces where Sun-Woo was located.

    There were plenty of reasons to doubt him. It was to the extent that Joseph began to wonder why he had never suspected he was the Cult Leader up until now.

    ¡°You just have to tell me honestly. Are you really just acquaintances?"

    However, the reason he still couldn''t be certain was because of Sun-Woo¡¯s connection with members of the purification n.

    Although the exact nature of the rtionship was unknown, he could still infer based on the fact that the members of the purification n had intervened in the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity, and from themunication records between Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon.

    However, if Sun-Woo really was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, there was no way he could be close to the members of the purification n.

    If Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, there was no way that Sung Yu-Da did not know. The leader of the Voodoo Cult was the son of the Second Cult Leader. Since Sung Yu-Da had a close rtionship with the Voodoo Cult¡¯s Second Cult Leader, he would have known what the son of the Second Cult Leader looked like.

    Moreover, even among the members of the purification n, Sung Yu-Da particrly loathed the Voodoo Cult.

    Fueled by hatred and resentment towards the Voodoo Cult, Sung Yu-Da betrayed his long-time friend, the Voodoo Cult¡¯s Second Cult Leader, and started the Holy War. After doing so, he led the Holy Army and killed numerous followers of the Voodoo Cult.

    It was unlikely for such a person would suddenly collude with the leader of the Voodoo Cult. Upon learning that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Sung Yu-Da would have either killed him or reported him to the Holy See.

    "Please tell me, senior."

    "..."

    Even after hearing Joseph¡¯s question, Sung Yu-Da did not open his mouth. He just stared off into space. Joseph waited quietly for his answer.

    Eventually, Sung Yu-Da raised his head and looked at Joseph. However, his pupils were still nk. His gaze was directed toward Joseph, but it was impossible to know where he was really looking.

    "Inquisitor Joseph."

    "Yes, senior."

    "I understand what you are thinking, but it''s all a misunderstanding."

    Joseph stared daggers at Sung Yu-Da. His face was expressionless, and there was not even a slight tremor in his voice. It was impossible to know if he was lying or telling the truth.

    Sung Yu-Da sighed and continued, "I only know Sun-Woo as an acquaintance. If what you have investigated is different, then the information gathered must be incorrect."

    "..."

    "So please do not ask any further. I have nothing more to say," Sung Yu-Da said and then tried to turn away.

    At that moment, Joseph grabbed Sung Yu-Da''s shoulder.

    "Wait, senior. I... ugh!"

    Joseph was unable to continue his sentence as he let out a scream. Sung Yu-Da had twisted his wrist, causing Joseph to cry out in pain. Sung Yu-Da had long given up his position as a cardinal and had be an ordinary person, but he still maintained his physical strength.

    Sung Yu-Da red menacingly at Joseph and said, "I told you not to ask any more questions."

    "..."

    "Don''t try to find out more about Sun-Woo and the members of the purification n."

    Sung Yu-Da let go of Joseph''s hand. Joseph looked at the red marks left on his wrist.

    "It''s better to listen to me," Sung Yu-Da said to Joseph.

    He then left without looking back. Joseph stared nkly at Sung Yu-Da¡¯s retreating figure. Sung Yu-Da had always been calm andposed with no change in expression, but this was Joseph¡¯s first time seeing such an intense reaction from him. Joseph recalled the emotions contained in Sung Yu-Da''s eyes when he had stared at him.

    He had seen wrath, animosity, and fear in his eyes. What kind of person was Sun-Woo that made Sung Yu-Da, a hero not only to pdins but also to clergymen, tremble in fear like this?

    Was he really the leader of the Voodoo Cult? Or was he an even greater being? The more he thought about it, the more his curiosity about Sun-Woo and the rtionship between Sun-Woo and the n members of the purification grew.

    * * *

    Not even a week after the incident at the Han River, Ha-Yeon contacted me.

    It was the weekend, and I had no ns to go to the Pdin Order for dispatch training, so I was nning to take care of the flower and rx alone in the dormitory. However, Ha-Yeon asked me toe out to the front of the dormitory.

    Honestly, I didn''t really want to go out, but I still decided to go.

    Whenever I needed Ha-Yeon, I would call her without hesitation, and she woulde out to meet me without anyints.

    However, whenever she called me, I would always make various excuses and wouldn¡¯t go out. I ran out of excuses because I did this too often.

    "Oh, you came out quickly."

    Ha-Yeon was looking at her phone when I arrived. As soon as she saw me, she put her phone in her pocket.

    Following her out of the dormitoryplex, a car was waiting for us at the entrance. The driver opened the door, and Ha-Yeon naturally got into the car. I didn''t get in the car and just stared at Ha-Yeon hesitantly.

    "What are you doing? Aren''t you getting in?" Ha-Yeon said.

    "Where are we going?" I asked.

    "To my house. I thought it would be the most convenient," Ha-Yeon said.

    I carefully examined her expression. It didn¡¯t seem like she was lying or hiding some other intention. Still, I didn¡¯t easily let down my guard.

    I had met Sung Yu-Da when the demon appeared on the Han River. I couldn¡¯t tell what instructions Sung Yu-Da had given to Ha-Yeon upon seeing me.

    Ha-Yeon might have been ordered to lure me to her house, and there might be some sort of trap to subdue or interrogate me.

    Although I would probably be able to escape any crisis by using the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells, I couldn''t afford to let my guard down. Sung Yu-Da was the one who had devised the anti-Voodoo mask. He might have also invented a device that couldpletely neutralize the power of the Loa and all of my Voodoo spells.

    "Is your father at home?"

    "He''s not at home right now," Ha-Yeon replied.

    Once again, I scrutinized her facial expression. It didn''t seem like she was lying.

    Afterpleting her sentence, she gasped in realization and said, "Um... if you feel ufortable, we can just go somewhere else. I just assumed going to our house would be the most convenient...¡±

    I contemted for a moment. When I usually went to meet Ha-Yeon, we would go to ces like cafes.

    However, the cafes were always crowded, making it ufortable to have conversations, and Joseph could be following us to eavesdrop. It was more convenient to go to her house to have a conversation.

    Moreover, her house was where Sung Yu-Da''s study and library were located. If I yed my cards right, I might be able to find my father¡¯s research records that Sung Yu-Da had taken.

    The possibility of meeting Sung Yu-Da was a variable, but it wasn''t particrly a scary variable. In fact, I needed to meet Sung Yu-Da right now because I needed to ask him something. More precisely, there was something I needed to request.

    "Let''s go to your house," I said as I got into the car.

    Ha-Yeon nodded with a smile. The car started moving.

    The road was unusuallyfortable, and upon closer inspection, I noticed that other cars were avoiding Ha-Yeon''s car. Ha-Yeon stared outside the car window in the silence and I rolled down my window to feel the breeze. The scent of autumn was in the air.

    "Um, could you please close the window?"

    It was Ha-Yeon who broke the silence. I turned my head to look at her.

    She was constantly running her hand through her hair to tidy it up, as the winding through the open window kept messing it up. I closed the window.

    "Sorry, I didn''t realize the wind was blowing in your direction."

    "It''s okay... you closed it, so it¡¯s fine. But..." Ha-Yeon''s voice trailed off.

    "But?" I asked.

    She looked out the window, then turned her gaze towards me and said, "Last time, at the Han River... you met Jin-Seo, right?"

    "Yeah, so?"

    "You seemed close. I was curious how you two became friends."

    I turned my head to study her expression. She was looking at me, but when I turned my head to look in her direction, she seemed embarrassed and shifted her gaze to stare outside the car window. I couldn''t understand why she was asking me this.

    "Why? Are you jealous?"

    "What? No! That¡¯s nonsense! Who would be jealous of whom? Just because we''ve been meeting more oftentely, you jump to conclusions..."

    "Don''t worry."

    I interrupted Ha-Yeon because it was obvious that she would continue to ramble on about pointless stuff if she continued speaking. I looked at Ha-Yeon and chuckled at her for blushing and retorting in a fierce manner.

    "There is no one who can rece you. You don¡¯t need to be jealous of anyone," I said.

    "No, it''s not jealousy. Why do you keep making assumptions by yourself? And stopughing!"

    I didn''t respond, because there was no need for me to. A moment of silence passed. I turned my head back to look out the car window.

    Judging by the scenery of the street, it seemed like we would arrive at Ha-Yeon''s house in about ten minutes. Ha-Yeon, with her head bowed, seemed lost in thought, then looked at me with a slightly mncholic face and said, "I-Instead of rece, can''t you use a different word?"

    "A different word?"

    "If you use the word rece, doesn¡¯t it sound like I¡¯m a spare part for a machine?"

    "Really? Then I¡¯ll think of a word to rece ''rece'' instead."

    As if satisfied with my response, Ha-Yeon smiled without saying anything. I closed my eyes for a moment and reconsidered her words.

    Her words about her feeling like a spare part for a machine when I mentioned the word ¡®rece¡¯ stuck in my memory. Come to think of it, I had never thought of her as anything more than a tool. She was a tool to meet Sung Yu-Da or a tool to push Joseph away.

    Because I had thought of her as nothing more than a cogwheel or a tool, I had unconsciously used the word ''rece'' towards her.

    From now on, when meeting Ha-Yeon, I felt that I should be more careful with my words. She had a keener eye for reading hidden meanings behind words and expressions than I initially thought.

    "We have arrived," the driver said and opened the car door.

    "Yes, thank you for your hard work," Ha-Yeon said.

    We arrived at her house. Both Ha-Yeon and I got out and walked toward the mansion. On the way to the mansion, there was a garden, and I saw a gardener trimming the trees.

    No matter how many times I saw them, the garden and the mansion were truly magnificent. Ha-Yeon led me to the reception room. Then, she instructed someone who looked like a servant or a housekeeper to bring the car.

    "Is Joseph still bothering you? Asking you to investigate our n?" she asked when the car arrived.

    I neither nodded nor shook my head. Every time I asked her about Joseph, I realized that I was deceiving her. In the past, I didn''t feel any guilt or sadness when deceiving her. I always felt it was okay to deceive her. I felt that at the very least, it was alright to deceive Ha-Yeon.

    But today, I felt a little ufortable. I smiled and said, "It¡¯s better than before. Thanks to you."

    "That''s good to hear. Have they notpletely given up yet?"

    "It doesn''t seem like they have given up. Rather, it seems like they are nning to investigate more persistently than before.¡±

    Joseph was still investigating me. When I met him at the Han River, he had said a couple of meaningful words to me.

    He was quiet for now, but someday he woulde back and bother me again. I just hoped that the members of the purification n would render Josephpletely powerless before that happened.

    Ha-Yeon slowly nodded as she listened to me.

    "He is quite persistent. Looks like I have to speak to the members of the Theological Association again¡ª"

    <i>Creak.</i>

    "..."

    A heavy silence filled the reception room. The one who entered through the door was none other than Sung Yu-Da.

    Sung Yu-Da nced between Ha-Yeon and me. Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

    Sung Yu-Da looked at me with eyes filled with clearer and deeper fear than when we had met at the Han River. Come to think of it, he seemed even more afraid of me when I was alone with Ha-Yeon or in a situation where I could immediately harm her.

    I began to suspect that the reason Sung Yu-Da wasn¡¯t trying to kill or report me was because of Ha-Yeon.

    "...Ha-Yeon, step out for a moment," Sung Yu-Da said.

    Ha-Yeon obediently started to walk out of the reception room, but suddenly stopped and hesitated.

    She fidgeted with her fingers, pursed her lips in contemtion, and then seemed to make up her mind as she raised her head and said, "Father, I had something to say¡ª"

    "Get out."

    ¡°..."

    Ha-Yeon nced at me. I smiled and nodded. Ha-Yeon bit her lip as if she felt ufortable, then nced at Sung Yu-Da as she left the room.

    Only Sung Yu-Da and I were left in the room.

    "You''re not wearing the ring today," Sung Yu-Da remarked, looking at my hand.

    I hadn''t worn the ring today, because I believed that I wouldn''t need it. I nodded.

    ¡°About that ring, who did you get it¡ª"

    I felt like I knew what Sung Yu-Da wanted to say. I interrupted him and said, "Yes, I received it from my father."

    Then, I continued, "I am the third Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult."

 Chapter 261

    <h4>Chapter 261</h4>

    Oh Hee-Jin stood in front of Han Dae-Ho''s office. He hesitated for a long time, clenching his fist at the door, debating whether to knock or not.

    He would asionally bite his lip and wipe cold sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. After pondering with a heavy sigh, he finally raised his head as if he had made a decision.

    <i>Knock knock.</i>

    As soon as he knocked, Han Dae-Ho came out and greeted him. A smile blossomed on Han Dae-Ho''s face.

    "Oh Hee-Jin? What brings you here?"

    However, seeing Han Dae-Ho''s smile only made Oh Hee-Jin feel more uneasy.

    Oh Hee-Jin gave a faint smile, bowed to greet Han Dae-Ho, and then entered the office. He sat on the guest chair in the center of the office.

    "Wasn''t today your day off? I remember telling you to rest at home since you''ve been working hard..." Han Dae-Ho said as he sat across from Oh Hee-Jin.

    Oh Hee-Jin nodded with a small smile and said, "Yes, but I came here to say something. By the way, your expression has improved a lot."

    ¡°Because the Eastern Pdin Order¡¯s reputation has improved a lot. As the director, I can¡¯t help but feel good about it.¡±

    Oh Hee-Jin nodded at Han Dae-Ho''s words. At one point, the Eastern Pdin Order had suffered from conflicts with dBP Corporation and a shortage of personnel.

    However, after Sun-Woo was dispatched to the Eastern Pdin Order, he achieved great things such as finding a long-term missing person and making significant contributions during a demon extermination. Somepanies even expressed their intention to sponsor the Eastern Pdin Order.

    Although they were they were stillckingpared to the Central Pdin Order or the Western Pdin Order, the situation had improved significantlypared to the past.

    "It''s all thanks to Sun-Woo. It¡¯s because of that guy that the Eastern Pdin Order is receiving this level of treatment. There are even rumors that other branches of the Pdin Order are going crazy trying to recruit Sun-Woo."

    "...Indeed. He is a very capable individual after all," Hee-Jin said.

    "I''m d I brought him here after finding out about him early. If he had gone to a different Pdin Order, it would have been seriously regrettable," Han Dae-Ho said.

    He was proud of bringing Sun-Woo to the East Pdin Order.

    Although he felt regretful that he would eventually have to send to Sun-Woo the Central Pdin Order, he figured it would be considered an achievement if a student who had undergone dispatch training at the Eastern Pdin Order ended up joining the Central Pdin Order.

    Thinking this way, there was nothing to regret.

    Oh Hee-Jin watched Han Dae-Ho proudly talk about Sun-Woo and smiled wryly. Seeing him smile, Han Dae-Ho tilted his head and said, "What''s wrong with you? Oh,e to think of it, you said you had something to tell me. So, what is it? It¡¯s not anything serious, right?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s nothing serious. I just wanted to take a break for a moment."

    "Ah... Well, you worked even when you were off duty and went through a lot of hardships. How long do you n to rest?¡±

    "I n to take a break for about a week. It''s been quite a while since I visited my hometown, so I thought I''d go down there."

    "Will a week be enough? You can take a full two weeks off if you want."

    "A week will suffice."

    Han Dae-Ho looked at Oh Hee-Jin. His usually firm gaze was slightly rxed. It seemed like he definitely needed some rest. Han Dae-Ho nodded and smiled.

    "Take it easy. I''ll consider it as paid leave. You''ve worked hard for a while."

    "Yes, thank you. And, I..." Oh Hee-Jin said, but then hesitated.

    Oh Hee-Jin closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip. Han Dae-Ho quietly watched him.

    Oh Hee-Jin finally opened his eyes and said, "It might be good if we don¡¯t burden Sun-Woo with too much work..."

    "Hmm? Well... I understand. Since he is just an apprentice pdin, there is not much work to assign to him anyway.¡±

    "In that case, that¡¯s a relief. I''ll take my leave now," Oh Hee-Jin said, bowing his head and bidding farewell to Han Dae-Ho before leaving the office.

    On his way out of the Pdin Order, he took out the resignation letter he had kept in his pocket and folded it in half. Then he tucked it deep inside his bag.

    The wind blew. Although winter had not yet arrived, the wind was quite chilly, so Oh Hee-Jin wrapped his coat around himself.

    * * *

    <i>Tap, tap, tap.</i>

    After hearing my words, Sung Yu-Da tapped the desk with his fingernail. The reception room was filled with silence, and only the rhythmic sound of Sung Yu-Da tapping on the desk could be heard.

    I locked my fingers together and ced my hands on top of the desk. Then I looked at Sung Yu-Da. He was not looking at me. Instead, he was looking somewhere else.

    He stared nkly into empty space with unfocused eyes, lost in deep thought.

    "You don''t seem very surprised," I said.

    Then I held my breath and watched Sung Yu-Da. I was curious what kind of reaction he would show. Sung Yu-Da hesitated for a while, then chuckled while looking at me.

    "I already knew that you were a member of the Voodoo Cult. However..."

    The light in his eyes pierced into me as he gazed at me. I listened quietly to his words. I already knew that he knew my true identity. I had shown him my ring, which was my father¡¯s keepsake, so it would be more surprising if he didn¡¯t know my identity.

    He broke the silence and said, "It''s hard to believe that you are the Cult Leader. You might not be the real Cult Leader, and you might just be acting as his substitute at the moment. Am I right?¡±

    "Why do you think that?"

    "Logically speaking, the Cult Leader wouldn''t do such dangerous actions. Using a substitute to infiltrate Florence Academy and approaching the prtes is safer. Even if their true identity is exposed, it would be easy to discard them.¡±

    He had had a valid point. If my sole objective was simply to infiltrate the academy, or if there was no need for the Cult Leader to infiltrate directly, it would have been better to use a substitute. That would have been a much safer and more economical option. Nevertheless, I took the risk and infiltrated Florence Academy personally.

    This was because my goal was to meet my mother in the underground prison. To achieve my goal, using a substitute was not an option. I had to be a clergyman in person to gain ess to the underground prison and meet my mother. Why was he asking such a thing? Could it be that Sung Yu-Da was unaware that my mother was alive and imprisoned in the underground prison?

    No, that was unlikely. He was the individual who killed my father and imprisoned my mother in the underground prison. There was no way he didn¡¯t know. Did he throw that question at me to see how much I knew?

    However, there was no need to dwell on it.

    "Ogun."

    <i>Click.</i>

    The lights in the reception room went out. I called Bade immediately after, and the wind blew. The wide-open windows closed, and the curtains were drawn.

    With a tter, the utensils on the table in the reception room floated in the air. The red-hot utensils emitted steam.

    <i>ng, ng...</i>

    With the eerie sngs, the teaspoon used to put sugar in tea was sharpened into a pick. All the other utensils were also sharpened. The ordinary utensils turned into weapons in an instant as they trembled and floated in the air as if they were about to stab Sung Yu-Da.

    "Do you believe me now?"

    Sung Yu-Da did not answer. He just stared nkly at me through the darkness. He wasn¡¯t speechless because he was surprised¡ªrather, he was merely not speaking. He seemed to vaguely know about Ogun''s power.

    The silence lingered for a while. In the dark room, the only source of light was the red light emitted by the utensils, and the only sound came from the trembling of the utensils.

    "So you really are the Cult Leader."

    "Yes."

    "Are you here to kill me?"

    I could not answer that question, because I did note to kill Sung Yu-Da. At least, I did not have any intention to kill him at the moment.

    When I stared at him without saying a word, Sung Yu-Da suddenly stood up from his seat.

    "Then please kill me," Sung Yu-Da said.

    Ogun''s power did not attack him. It meant that it was not a boastful or pretentious remark, but a sincere one.

    Sung Yu-Da sincerely wished to die. More precisely, he wished for me to kill him. However, I shook my head.

    "I did note to kill you today."

    "Why? Did you change your mind about killing me when the opportunity arose?"

    "..."

    I did not answer. He wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. There was a time when my goal was to kill Sung Yu-Da. I thought it was the only method of avenging my parents. My hatred for Sung Yu-Da still remained strong. Nevertheless, I did not intend to kill him. No, I couldn''t kill him.

    That wasn¡¯t the type of revenge that I had in mind. I didn¡¯t want to kill a Sung Yu-Da who wanted death¡ªI wanted to kill a Sung Yu-Da who was unbelievably afraid of death. I desired that type of revenge.

    Sung Yu-Da approached me silently.

    "Do you know why I''m letting you live?"

    I listened to him without responding.

    Sung Yu-Da stared straight at me and continued, "Out of pity. Because your life, which must have been dedicated to seeking revenge for your parents for years, or perhaps even a lifetime, was too pitiful. I spared you out of mere sympathy."

    "..."

    "That''s why I haven''t killed or reported you. Do you understand?"

    At that moment, Ogun''s power attacked Sung Yu-Da.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    The utensil, which had been waiting for the chance to attack a liar with burning red anger, pierced Sung Yu-Da''s shoulder.

    His im that he spared me purely out of sympathy was a lie. They were most likely words that he had made up to provoke me.

    Sung Yu-Da frowned due to the pain, but he didn¡¯t utter a single groan or a scream.

    "The reason I''m not killing you is because you were friends with my father," I said.

    "..."

    "And because of that, you possess my father¡¯s my father¡¯s research data. I intend to keep you alive so that I can retrieve that research data, and so that I can utilize your power as a former cardinal and a member of the purification n."

    I was not going to kill Sung Yu-Da right now because there was still much to gain from him: my father''s research data, Sung Yu-Da¡¯s political power, and his unique lineage as a member of the purification n. Since I was under Joseph¡¯s suspicion, I needed to seek help from him in many ways.

    "If I truly wanted revenge, I wouldn''t havee to find you."

    The problem was that Sung Yu-Da didn¡¯t seem to have a clear reason to help me. And yet for some reason, he had helped me up until now.

    However, since I didn''t know the reason why he was helping me, I couldn''t use him as I wanted.

    "If I wanted revenge, I would have killed Ha-Yeon instead of you."

    I threw the question at him to test the water, and to figure out if the reason he was helping me was because of Ha-Yeon.

    Perhaps the reason he was helping me was because I could kill Ha-Yeon if I was seeking revenge. It wasn¡¯t a lie that if I really sought revenge, I would choose to kill Ha-Yeon instead of Sung Yu-Da. I wished Sung Yu-Da would experience the same pain as me. I wanted him to lose his family, live alone in regret for a lifetime, and spend sleepless nights with bloodshot eyes.

    After hearing my words, Sung Yu-Da suddenly sat down and said, "Please, kill me."

    We were in pitch-ck darkness and he was bowing his head, so I couldn¡¯t see his expression.

    "Ha-Yeon is innocent. Instead... please just kill me. I am the only one whomitted a crime. So..."

    I interrupted him and said, ¡°So the reason you helped me was because of Ha-Yeon.¡±

    At this moment, it became clear that the reason why he had not revealed my identity or tried to kill me was because of Ha-Yeon.

    Sung Yu-Da shook his head and said, "...It''s not just because of that."

    He kept his mouth shut and remained silent for a while. The tears that had fallen to the ground sparkled in the dim light of the utensils in the reception room.

    I didn''t realize because he was bowing his head, but he was shedding tears.

    "...It¡¯s because if I don''t help you, I will have nothing left."

    His statement held a lot of profound meaning. However, seeing that Ogun''s power did not activate, at the very least, it was not a lie.

    "Kill me. No, please kill me."

    "..."

    "I... havemitted an unforgivable sin against you and your father, who was my friend. The only way to repent is through death..." Sung Yu-Da said as if confessing.

    He trailed off at the end of his sentence. I had no idea what happened between Sung Yu-Da and my father. Nevertheless, it seemed like something had definitely urred between them.

    However, I did not have any intention of killing him yet. The more he begged for death from me, the less I wanted to kill him.

    "If you seek repentance, please do not die. Not until I tell you to," I said. "I will thoroughly use you. And when you are no longer useful to me, I will kill you. If you do not cooperate, I will have Ha-Yeon killed..."

    I paused midway, because Ogun''s power attacked me. The threat of killing Ha-Yeon if he did not cooperate was not a sincere statement. It was just a tactic to instill fear in Sung Yu-Da and gain his cooperation.

    Swallowing the pain, I continued, "Hand over my father''s research data and tell me the location of Noah''s Ark."

    "I understand. However," Sung Yu-Da said, lifting his head and looking at me with determined eyes. "While I cooperate with you, please do not approach my daughter, Ha-Yeon."

    "Alright."

    The reason I initially approached Ha-Yeon was to make contact with Sung Yu-Da. Now that I had had secured Sung Yu-Da''s cooperation, there was no reason to approach Ha-Yeon any further. I nodded and extended my hand to Sung Yu-Da. He took my hand and stood up.

    Legba, who had been silent for a while, suddenly said, [It''s an unfortunate fate.]

 Chapter 262

    <h4>Chapter 262</h4>

    The ss of Patience was always noisy. The reason was because the ssmates in the ss of Patience got along well with each other. There were even rumors that some of them were dating.

    Jin-Seo sat alone, staring nkly at the ssroom scenery. The kids mingled among each other without distinction between boys and girls, but no one approached Jin-Seo.

    She wasn¡¯t the type to feel lonely. However, she wanted to talk to someone today.

    The words Ha-Yeon had said on the day the demon had appeared at the Han River kept echoing in her ears. The term ''secret meeting,'' with its suspicious and uneasy connotation, lingered in her mind.

    She wanted to grab onto someone and talk about this matter, but besides Sun-Woo, she didn''t have anyone else tofortably share her thoughts with. She rested her head on the desk and thought about getting some sleep. However, perhaps due to sleeping a lot the previous day, sleep did note easily.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Someone tapped on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw a familiar face.

    "Why are you in the ssroom today? You usually skip ss to exercise, right?¡±

    A small-framed girl was talking to her. Since Jin-Seo often talked to her, the girl had be friendly with her.

    Jin-Seo stared at her for a moment, then let out a dryugh and said, "I just wanted to take a break today."

    "Are you feeling sick? You never skip exercise," the girl joked.

    Jin-Seo shook her head and said, "I''m not sick. I just wanted to take a day off today¡ª"

    "Is it because of Sun-Woo?"

    Jin-Seo''s eyes widened in surprise. The girl looked at Jin-Seo with a pitiful expression and snickered.

    For a while, Jin-Seo stared at the girl in surprise and furrowed her brows as if she couldn''t understand.

    "How did you know that? Where did you hear such rumors?"

    "Is there anything else that could possibly make you this depressed besides him?¡±

    "That''s true... No, that¡¯s not true at all. In the first ce, Sun-Woo and I don¡¯t have any sort of rtionship anyway¡ª¡±

    ¡°From my perspective, it seems like Sun-Woo also likes you. I think everyone else in the academy would think the same.¡±

    ¡°Why are you saying <i>Sun-Woo also</i>?¡±

    ¡°Because you like him too, right?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo was so surprised that she was rendered speechless. There weren''t just one or two things that surprised her.

    Jin-Seo was surprised that her feelings toward Sun-Woo were exposed. She thought she had not shown any signs. But what surprised Jin-Seo the most was the girl¡¯s words that Sun-Woo also seemed to like her. She found it hard to ept that fact.

    She believed that Sun-Woo had no feelings for her. He would sometimes show kindness toward her and sometimes say meaningful things to her, but those words weren¡¯t exclusively directed at just Jin-Seo. He was kind to everyone and said meaningful things to everyone.

    ¡°...He doesn''t like me.¡±

    And above all, he was secretly meeting Ha-Yeon. Since Ha-Yeon was able to use the words ¡®secret meeting¡¯ without hesitation, she clearly had a deep connection with Sun-Woo. Therefore, Jin-Seo was almost certain that Sun-Woo did not like her.

    It was at that moment that the girlughed and said, "What? His expression changes when he''s with you. If he doesn''t like you, there¡¯s no way his expression would change like that."

    "What do you mean? His expression doesn¡¯t seem to change at all."

    "No, his expression changes! He grins like an idiot when he¡¯s with you," the girl said with an agitated tone. "Are you just going to give up if he doesn''t like you?"

    Jin-Seo remained silent. She had considered giving up before, but just thinking about it felt painful.

    The thought of closing her heart and just bing friends with him but then suddenly seeing someone else have him made her heart ache. In fact, she wasn''t even sure if she really liked Sun-Woo. Perhaps she just wanted to possess him.

    Jin-Seo stared nkly into the air, lost in thought, then suddenly banged her head on the desk andy down.

    "I don''t know..."

    "What exactly do you want to do with him?" the girl asked.

    Jin-Seo thought about what she wanted to do with Sun-Woo, but nothing specific came to mind. She didn''t have anything she wanted to do for him, nor did she want him to do anything for her. After pondering for a while while lying down, she suddenly lifted her head.

    "I... I wish he would look at me, even just a little," Jin-Seo said, then lowered her gaze to the floor.

    She hoped Sun-Woo would look at her. She always hovered around him, waiting for him to look at her. However, he had never really looked at her even once. He always looked elsewhere.

    During exams, Sun-Woo always did his best, but he didn¡¯t do so for the sake of getting good grades. He treated everyone kindly, but he didn¡¯t do it to win people''s favor. He rescued others even in situations where he had to risk his life. However, he didn¡¯t do so to receive people''s admiration and respect.

    Things that people generally considered important such as grades, other peoples¡¯ favor, admiration, and respect meant nothing to him. His goal was not such trivial things. Sun-Woo pursued a goal that was sorge in magnitude that Jin-Seo could not imagine it.

    "I just... wish he would look at me. Even if it¡¯s just for a moment."

    That was why he didn''t pay attention to her. He was too overwhelmed by the pursuit of his goals to spare time to look at her.

    The girl listened to Jin-Seo and fell into thought. With her arms crossed, she pondered deeply, then earnestly nodded and said, "Then why not just say that to him?"

    "How can I say something like that to him?"

    "It''s best to be honest. Tell Sun-Woo exactly what you think."

    After saying that, the girl¡¯s expression stiffened and she bowed her head. Then she mumbled softly, "You... can do so."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Oh... Nothing. What I mean is... I¡¯m saying that for a girl at your level, just being honest has an effect. What exactly are youcking? Nothing, am I right?" the girl said in a flurry as if she wasing up with excuses for what she said earlier. "Anyway, give it a try. Love is supposed to be something that is conquered. If you hesitate, someone else will take it."

    Jin-Seo looked at the girl¡¯s face. She was just smiling awkwardly without saying anything. She gained nothing from this counseling session with her. The girl just suggested a vague and ridiculous solution of confessing to Sun-Woo. Nevertheless, after confessing something she had never told anyone else, her heart felt lighter.

    * * *

    "Cult Leader, it''s been a while."

    "Ah, Executive Yun Chang-Su. Nice to see you."

    I exchanged a light handshake with Yun Chang-Su as he greeted me. With Yun Chang-Su¡¯s arrival, all the executives had gathered at the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s underground chapel.

    Now that all the executives were present, there was only one thing left to do.

    "Then, let¡¯s begin the executive meeting."

    It was the start of another executive meeting. Up until now, executive meetings were rarely ever held due to the fact that it became unnecessary to hold executive meetings after resurrecting the tribute system and improvingmunication.

    It was also because I was busy handling various tasks.

    However, an executive meeting had to be held today. There was a matter that needed to be addressed.

    "The first agenda is about finding a residence for Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps."

    Due to the Holy See''s suppression order, the Crusader Order had attacked Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps.

    Thanks to my intervention, they avoided annihtion, but there were a significant number of casualties, and about two-thirds of their base had been destroyed. Furthermore, because the location of the existing base had been exposed to the Holy See and the Crusader Order, they needed to secure a new refuge to prevent further harm. Fortunately, there was a n in ce for this.

    "Once the discussion of the first agenda is concluded..."

    I took a deep breath. I could not discuss this matter without catching my breath first.

    If we only had to discuss establishing a new refuge for Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, there would have been no need to gather all the executives for a meeting. The real reason I had summoned the executives today was different.

    "There will be a memorial service for the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun."

    Today was the anniversary of the death of the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, or in other words, my father. As I finished speaking, the executives quietly bowed their heads. It was a silent tribute to my father.

    I, too, remained silent for a while with my head bowed. Both my uncle and Ji-Ah sat in silence with their mouths closed, contemting.

    "Let''s continue our tributes and mourning for the Second Cult Leader at the memorial serviceter. Now, let''s discuss the first agenda..."

    I broke their silent tribute and officially started the meeting. As the son of the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, I was the only one who could break the tribute. As the silent tribute ended and the meeting began, as if having waited to speak, Executive Yeom Man-Gun said, "Hey Eun-Hyung, reckon we oughta talk ''bout that daft kid''s actions?"

    Upon hearing those words, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s expression hardened. Yun Chang-Su calmly cleared his throat and said, "Executive Yeom Man-Gun, please refrain from insulting the Cult Leader. In the past executive meeting, didn¡¯t you receive help from Cult Leader for the expansion of your factory?"

    "Yeah, Yeom Man-Gun, I¡¯m seeking the Cult Leader''s help to save the lives of numerous members of my mercenary corps. There is no reason for him to receive me from you, who used the headquarters¡¯ capital to expand your factory business for the sake of personal gain.¡±

    "I ain''t expanded my factory biz for my own gain! It''s plumb ridiculous, this here hopeless fool''s jest skatin'' on thin ice¡ª!"

    <i>Bang!</i>

    "Everyone, please calm down."

    Before the argument could escte further, I mmed the desk forcefully and demanded silence from them. Thankfully, the executives listened to me and obediently closed their mouths. I surveyed the expressions of the executives within the sudden silence that fell upon the underground chapel.

    Yeom Man-Gun and Yuk Eun-Hyung were clearly intimidated, Yun Chang-Su kept his head down and remained silent, and Ha Pan-Seok seemed to be lost in thought, staring into space.

    Although Ha Pan-Seok''s state concerned me a little, I cleared my throat and said, "I have already thought of a residence for Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps. The preparations are almostplete."

    "Cult Leader, I''m sorry, but may I ask what you have in mind?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

    His legs trembled, and he chewed his lips nervously as if he was anxious.

    I could fully understand Yuk Eun-Hyung''s feelings. He had lent me a mercenary corps member in exchange for me providing him with a new residence. The mercenary corps member he lended me did a great job, and thanks to that, Yoon-Ah''s younger sibling was able to reunite with In-Ah safely.

    However, I had not yet arranged a new residence for Yuk Eun-Hyung. It was only natural that Yuk Eun-Hyung would be anxious.

    I nodded and said, "We¡¯re going to use Noah''s Ark."

    The first to react was Yun Chang-Su. He lost hisposure and blinked his eyes as he stared at me with a nk expression. This was the first time I had seen him lose hisposure like this.

    I observed the expressions of the other executives. Judging by their faces, it seemed like Yun Chang-Su was the only one who knew what Noah''s Ark was.

    "No-Noah''s Ark... doesn¡¯t that belong to the Romanican Church? Are you trying to steal or rob it? T-that''s too risky."

    "No, I have no intention of stealing or robbing," I exined to Yun Chang-Su, who was stumbling over his words.

    "I n to acquire ownership fairly. More precisely, we are reiming ownership."

    Yun Chang-Su still seemed to be unable to understand my words. It seemed like he could not grasp the concept of acquiring ownership of Noah''s Ark.

    Or perhaps he couldn¡¯t think of a method of acquiring ownership of Noah''s Ark.

    It made sense. Noah''s Ark belonged to the Romanican Church. It was not something the Voodoo Cult could recklessly use, nor was there any possibility of them transferring ownership of Noah''s Ark to us.

    If it were the past, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to even consider using Noah''s Ark.

    ¡°But, originally, Noah''s Ark belonged to us.¡±

    On the day of the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity, I had a conversation with the owner of the Ark, Noah.

    It was then that I learned that the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, my father, and Sung Yu-Da were the ones who jointly created the Ark.

    And recently, I was able to establish a cooperative rtionship with Sung Yu-Da.

    I knew the method to use Noah''s Ark. No, I knew how to reim ownership of Noah''s Ark.

 Chapter 263

    <h4>Chapter 263</h4>

    At that moment, someone interrupted me.

    "Cult Leader, I''m really sorry, but..."

    It was none other than Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch.

    He was typically someone who would not interrupt not only my words but also the words of other executives. The fact that he was interrupting me meant that he had something urgent to say.

    "Yes, feel free to speak.¡±

    "I simply cannot understand the idea of fairly acquiring ownership of the Ark."

    Immediately after Executive Yun Chang-Su finished his sentence, Yuk Eun-Hyung said, "Executive Yun Chang-Su, you don¡¯t need to doubt the Cult Leader too much. The Cult Leader must be saying such things because he has a n, right?"

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s tone of voice was soft as if trying to calm down the somewhat agitated Yun Chang-Su. Meanwhile, I calmly stared into Yun Chang-Su''s eyes.

    He was a man who was approaching well over eighty. Nevertheless, the light shining in his eyes was filled with enthusiasm brighter than any other young person''s.

    I understood Yun Chang-Su''s determination once I saw the glimmer in his eyes. He did not doubt my ns¡ªhe simply wanted assurance. He wanted assurance that would not even leave a shadow of a doubt that we would be able to obtain Noah''s Ark.

    "Currently, on the surface, it seems like the Holy See possesses Noah¡¯s Ark, but in reality...¡±

    "Sung Yu-Da."

    Once again, Yun Chang-Su interrupted me. He stared at me with a nk expression as he blinked his eyes. Although it seemed like he was lost in thought, this was not the case. Yun Chang-Su was just recalling and pondering old memories.

    "No, it¡¯s named Noah... Noah''s Ark. So naturally, the Ark belongs to Noah. But Noah cannote out of the Ark. The only human who cane into contact with Noah is Sung Yu-Da," Yun Chang-Su muttered.

    I listened to him with bated breath. Yun Chang-Su knew a lot about Noah''s Ark.

    Yun Chang-Su gazed into the air for a long time, when all of a sudden, a spark of understanding ignited within his eyes. He looked at me with his brightly shining eyes and said, "I also... participated in building Noah''s Ark. I was a carpenter."

    "Oh, I didn''t know that."

    "It was my dream to revisit the Ark before I die."

    I stared at Yun Chang-Su in silence. I had never seen his eyes sparkle so brightly before.

    Originally, the reason why I had asked Sung Yu-Da for the location of Noah''s Ark was to find a ce for Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps to stay.

    Noah''s Ark was located deep in a mountain that had almost no development, and its location was unknown even to the Holy See.

    If they used the Ark, they would even be able to conduct training sessions, so it was an ideal base. If it could also fulfill Yun Chang-Su''s wish on top of all that, then it was all the better.

    I nodded and said, "Yes, Executive Yun Chang-Su, you will definitely be able to visit before you die. I have made contact with Sung Yu-Da and sessfully established some kind of rtionship with him. Perhaps¡ª"

    At that moment, my uncle interrupted and cut me off. "What?"

    I paid him no mind, and continued, "...you will most likely be able to visit the Ark soon."

    "Ah!" Yun Chang-Su eximed as if he was deeply moved.

    Meanwhile, I observed my uncle''s expression. He was looking at me with a very displeased expression on his face.

    I understood why. It was probably because of my statement that I had seeded in establishing some kind of rtionship with Sung Yu-Da. After all, I had not informed my uncle about contacting Sung Yu-Da.

    "I may be able to provide more details after the n progresses a bit further," I said as I stood up from my seat.

    "Then, we will conclude the first agenda like this...After a ten-minute break, we will proceed with the memorial service for the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, in the square in front of the chapel."

    <i> </i> ***

    Right after the executive meeting ended, when the other executives went to take a break and smoke or get some fresh air, my uncle came up to me and asked, "What did you say in the meeting? How did you meet Sung Yu-Da?"

    I had anticipated it, but his tone of voice was aggressive from the get-go. My uncle despised Sung Yu-Da to death. To be precise, he hated him enough to want him dead.

    "Sung Yu-Da has a daughter at Florence Academy. I made contact with her first, and somehow I got in touch with him."

    "So, does that guy know you''re the Cult Leader?"

    "Yeah," I replied nonchntly.

    My uncle ced his hand on his forehead and looked at me with an incredulous expression. He then let out a sigh and said, "Why are you so calm about this? What if he reports you to the Holy See?"

    "That won''t happen. I have his daughter hostage."

    After listening to my words, Uncle closed his mouth for a brief moment. He stared at me for a while, furrowed his brow as if he was displeased, and said, "So, did you threaten to kill his daughter if he reports you?"

    "Yes."

    "Can you really kill her?"

    I quietly thought about it. Could I really harm Ha-Yeon?

    Could I use her like a tool to restrain Sung Yu-Da until the end, and then ultimately kill her as if I were discarding an object when she became useless?

    It might be possible, but it wouldn''t be easy. It wasn''t about whether I could kill her, but whether I wanted to. I didn''t really want to kill her.

    I shook my head.

    "It''s not important whether I can really kill her or not. What''s important is that I have something I can use to restrain Sung Yu-Da."

    "Do you think he doesn''t know that?"

    "What? What are you talking about?"

    ¡°Do you really think he doesn¡¯t know that you can¡¯t kill her daughter and that you are just using her to threaten him? That guy, he¡¯s more sinister than you think," Uncle said in an aggravated voice.

    "My brother-inw... no, your father! That bastard killed him with his own two hands. He acted like a friend and smiled softly on the surface, then suddenly stabbed him in the back and started the Holy War, killed all the believers, and even put your mother in prison."

    "The situation was different back then..."

    "What¡¯s different?"

    "Sung Yu-Da has a daughter now..."

    "Do you think that bastard didn''t have a family back then? He did. Because your mother and father have gentle personalities, he knew that they wouldn''t harm his family. That¡¯s how he was able to shamelessly start a Holy War and kill your father."

    He was right. Sung Yu-Da had already betrayed my father in the past. Betraying others for the first time was always difficult, but it wasn¡¯t hard to betray others after that.

    Perhaps Sung Yu-Da might actually betray me and report to the Holy See, just like he had betrayed my father.

    "That bastard... is someone who would roll over and die if the Holy Seemanded him to do so. Did you say that you established some kind of rtionship with that guy earlier? The way I see it, that¡¯s not the case. You are clearly exposing your back to that bastard right now."

    "..."

    "If you don''t want to get stabbed in the back and burned to death like your father, deal with it properly. In any case, it¡¯s best for you to not get too deeply involved with him,¡± Uncle said as he walked toward the square where my father''s memorial service was to be held.

    "Either that or be properly prepared to kill that guy''s daughter."

    After saying that, he left the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s chapel. I was left alone in the chapel.

    I thought about going out to the square in advance, but I didn''t feel like going out right now. There were still about three minutes left until the memorial service. It would be okay to rest a little longer before going out.

    At that moment, Baron Samedi said, [Sung Yu-Da will never betray you. I guarantee it!]

    He chuckled and continued, [I understand Jin-Sung¡¯s sentiment. He probably won¡¯t be able to trust Sung Yu-Da for the rest of his life.]

    Following that, Legba said, [Yes. Either way, a choice will have to be made.]

    I couldn''t understand what choice Legba was referring to. Did I have to choose between Sung Yu-Da and my uncle? I would choose my uncle without hesitation.

    From the beginning, I was in contact with Sung Yu-Da for the sole purpose of using him. I had to do so because he knew about my father''s research data and the location of Noah''s Ark.

    [Jin-Sung would probably dislike it if you made contact with Sung Yu-Da. No, he would definitely be displeased even if you just used Sung Yu-Da,] Legba said.

    [Indeed! That''s why it''s a choice. When you have to give up one side. Only then can it be called a choice,] Baron Samedi said.

    I shook my head to clear my thoughts and went out to the square. Before I knew it, the ten-minute break was over, and it was time for my father''s memorial service to begin.

    <i> </i> ***

    ¡°We will now begin the memorial service for the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun.¡±

    Seven people were present in the square. I, who was the Cult Leader, the five executives, and Ji-Ah from the Seoul Branch were present. We ced a pile of firewood in the center of the square and paused for a moment of reflection.

    Voodoo Cult ceremonies were supposed to be conducted in a more grandiose manner. We were supposed to gather numerous followers in one ce, light a fire, sing songs, and dance, and the Cult Leader was supposed to summon the Loa amidst the chaos.

    This was the origin of the method that could be used to most purely and powerfully harness the power of the Loa, or the ''Dance of the Loa.''

    However, given the circumstances, we could not gather all the followers nor could we sing and dance loudly.

    Therefore, instead of a ceremony, we were conducting a ¡®memorial service¡¯ to honor my father''s death. The formalities were minimal since it was a simple event.

    I walked toward the pile of firewood.

    "Marte."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    First, in honor of my father who had departed after bing one with fire, I lit a fire. In the Voodoo Cult, this was not considered an insult. It was a way to mourn and honor the deceased.

    Next, we just had to burn whatever the deceased liked back when they were alive, and that would conclude the ceremony.

    If there was something we wanted to say to the deceased, we could offer something to the mes and say it, but if we didn¡¯t have anything to say, then we didn¡¯t have to say anything.

    "..." Yeom Man-Gun of the Jeo Branch stayed silent as he burned a book in the mes. It was a novel that my father often read.

    "I respected you," Ha Pan-Seok of the Chungcheong branch said as he burned chocte. My father did not drink alcohol or smoke. Instead, he always had something sweet like candy or chocte.

    "..." Yuk Eun-Hyung of the Gyeongsang Branch stayed silent as he burned meat. It was beef.

    "I wille to see you soon, so please wee me with a smile," Yun Chang-Su of the Gangwon Branch said as he burned flowers.

    "Have a drink. I was never able to pour you a drink back when you were alive. So at least allow me to do so now that you are dead," Jin-Sung of the Gyeonggi Branch said.

    Uncle brought alcohol. He poured the alcohol into a ss, then sprayed it over the fire. The mes shot up strongly. Ji-Ah stood beside him.

    "..."

    As the direct descendant of my father, I had to offer my blood to him.

    I summoned Dawn''s de with a replication spell. Then, after making a small cut on my palm, I sprinkled my blood onto the mes.

    Marte''s mes reacted to my blood, and as a result, the fire began to burn even more intensely.

    With this, the memorial service came to an end. After the end of the memorial service, there was a moment of silence.

    At that moment, a high-pitched voice of a woman pierced through the silence.

    "Ah, I''mte. I''m sorry."

    The woman was running toward us with quick steps.

    I thought the voice sounded familiar, so I thought it was Soo-Yeong, but it wasn''t. The face of the woman who appeared at the memorial service was unfamiliar to me.

    I looked around. Judging by the expressions of the other executives, it seemed like I wasn''t the only one who found her unfamiliar.

    I immediately unleashed Voodoo magic. Dozens of spell arrays were drawn in an instant.

    "Who are you?"

    If I inscribed just one more spell array, the fusion spell array would activate, and the woman who unexpectedly appeared at the memorial service would lose her sanity and be a zombie.

    Other executives also unleashed their Voodoo magic and drew spell arrays. Startled by the way we were reacting, the woman took a step back in confusion.

    "Ah, uh? Why is everyone acting like this? I, uh...!"

    "Ah," Uncle Jin-Sung eximed as if he had remembered something at that moment.

    After struggling to speak for a while, the woman btedly opened her mouth as if she had just figured out what she was supposed to say.

    "...I''m the executive of the Gyeonggi Branch!"

 Chapter 264

    <h4>Chapter 264</h4>

    Yeom Man-Gun and Yuk Eun-Hyung blinked their eyes and stared at her while Ha Pan-Seok furrowed his brow as if he was not impressed. Ji-Ah had no expression from the start.

    The only ones who smiled at her were Uncle Jin-Sung and Yun Chang-Su. Yun Chang-Su smiled especially brightly and approached her.

    "You look much better."

    "Executive Yun Chang-Su, you haven''t changed at all! You even seem to have gotten younger."

    As the two shared a tearful reunion, Uncle approached her.

    "It seems like you were able to make it. I thought you wouldn¡¯te.¡±

    "Thanks to you, I was able to arrive. I was a bitte because I had some work that I had to deal with."

    After greeting Yun Chang-Su and Uncle warmly, she greeted the other executives via eye contact.

    Yeom Man-Gun and Yuk Eun-Hyung stood aloof without responding to her greetings, while Ha Pan-Seok epted the greetings with a stoic expression and a bow.

    Her gaze turned toward me. Instead of greeting me, she widened her eyes in surprise. Then she approached me.

    "Oh my, is that Sun-Woo?"

    "..."

    "You''ve really changed so much! How did this happen?" she said.

    She reached out to touch my cheek, but I swatted her hand away. She said that I had changed, but in my eyes, she was the one who had changed a lot.

    Her personality had hardly changed, but her appearance had changed significantly. Although each individual change wasn''t major, when put together, they made a big difference in her overall look.

    "Executive of the Gyeonggi Branch, it''s fortunate that you''ve returned," I said in a formal tone.

    Her expression slightly stiffened.

    "Why are you being so formal and distant? Can¡¯t you be like in the past..."

    "Because the memorial service is ongoing. An executive meeting is also still taking ce,¡± I said.

    <i>Woosh!</i>

    I used Marte''s power to try to push her away and prevent her from acting friendly with me.

    The mes burning in the center of the square fiercely soared toward her. The mes engulfed me before charging toward her and stopped right in front of her.

    She took a step back with a surprised expression on her face. It was only then that I extinguished the fire.

    "Let''s save personal conversations for after the event is over," I said.

    "...Fussy," she muttered with a smile.

    I then announced the end of the memorial service and entered the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s chapel.

    The reason I pushed her away was simply because I didn''t like her.

    Except for Uncle Jin-Sung, the executives of the Voodoo Cult feared me as the Cult Leader. Uncle had no thoughts about me. Soo-Yeong envied me as the Cult Leader.

    However, that woman had always pitied me since I was young. She looked at me with sympathetic eyes and always with a gaze filled with pity.

    I disliked her pity.

    * * *

    "By the way, what was your name?"

    "Me? I haven''t really settled on one. I don¡¯t just have one or two names, you see. Was the most recent one I used ''Anna'' or ''Cozette''? Just call me whatever. I don''t care."

    "It¡¯ll be convenient to call you Anna," Jin-Sung nodded.

    The Executive of the Gyeonggi Branch, Anna, was exchanging greetings with the other executives.

    She talked about the time when she lived in hiding to escape the pursuit of the Holy See. She changed her name several times, altered her face many times, and was finally able topletely evade the pursuit of the Holy See.

    The executives found Anna''s stories enjoyable. Anna had a talent for making her words witty.

    Even if she said the same thing as someone else, it became a bit more interesting and exciting when she said it.

    Jin-Sung, in particr, listened attentively to her story. It didn''t seem like someone else''s business.

    As Anna''s story wasing to an end, Ha Pan-Seok said, "Executive Jin-Sung."

    Jin-Sung, who had been listening to Anna¡¯s story with great interest, stiffened his expression. For a long time, Jin-Sung did not have good feelings toward Ha Pan-Seok. If I had to be more specific, he only had bad feelings towards him.

    Jin-Sung would usually respond informally, but he replied to Ha Pan-Seok''s words in a distant, polite manner.

    "...Ah, yes."

    He must have looked at Ha Pan-Seok''s face and realized that he did not need to respond sharply. That was because Ha Pan-Seok''s face was noticeably pale.

    "Is Soo-Yeong still in the chapel located in the headquarters? Why didn¡¯t you bring her to the executive meeting today?"

    "The Cult Leader told her not toe. She also said she didn''t want toe."

    Soo-Yeong did not attend the executive meeting today. Sun-Woo said there was no need for her toe, and most importantly, Soo-Yeong strongly expressed her unwillingness to attend.

    Jin-Sung stared nkly at Ha Pan-Seok before he said, "The kid seemed really upset. Did you hit her by any chance?"

    "That''s nonsense! Why would I hit Soo-Yeong?"

    Jin-Sung asked, "Then what did you do? She¡¯s been at headquarters for weeks now, with no intention of going back home.¡±

    Ha Pan-Seok hesitated and could not speak easily. He pursed his lips for a while, then let out a deep sigh¡ªa heavy sigh filled with agony.

    "Perhaps it''s because of the new wife I met this time. She used to be a Romanican Church member in the past."

    "..."

    "I heard she even donated a considerable amount to the Romanican church during the Holy War. Maybe she didn''t like that... even though she''s now a fervent Voodoo Cult follower."

    Ha Pan-Seok continued to sigh as he said, "Maybe she just can''t stand to see my face. Once you find someone unpleasant, everything they do seems hateful. Maybe that''s why she left home..."

    <i>Bang¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, thunder struck. Heavy rain was pouring down outside the chapel where the executives were having their discussion.

    Lightning would asionally sh, and strong winds blew, causing the windows to rattle. The weather was so severe that it almost seemed like the end of the world was approaching.

    Anna stared worriedly at the thick raindrops hitting the chapel window and the tree branches swaying in the wind.

    "Isn''t Sun-Woo outside? With the wind blowing like that, it seems dangerous to leave him out there..."

    "Who''s worrying about whom?" Jin-Sung replied with a snort to Anna''s words.

    He looked out the window and continued, "They were all summoned by the Cult Leader. The wind, the rain..."

    <i>Crackle¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, thunder and lightning struck. Lightning struck a tree in front of the chapel. Branches and leaves fell off and were scattered by the strong wind before disappearing into the distance.

    "And the thunder and lightning."

    Anna, Jin-Sung, and the other executives looked out the window. During the previous executive meeting, Sun-Woo had summoned a storm to practice his power.

    A fierce storm had raged back then, and they were concerned that the wind would blow away the mountains. However, the storm back then was nothing more than a gentle breezepared to the one they were facing today.

    <i>Rumble, rumble¡ª!</i>

    Thunder roared again, and lightning struck. The sky shed, and the ground trembled like an earthquake.

    Beyond the noise of the storm, a thudding sound could be heard. Jin-Sung knew what that sound was. It was the sound of Sun-Woo striking the ground with his staff.

    "....It''s good to see Sun-Woo again. He seems to be much better than before. I used to worry a lot because he couldn''t speak properly," Anna suddenly said as if such a thought had juste to mind.

    Jin-Sung gazed at her face intently.

    Although her face had changed greatly due to stic surgery, her mncholic expression had not changed at all. Anna stared nkly out the window as the storm raged.

    "So, I feel relieved, but... thinking about how difficult it must have been for him to get used to it, I also feel sorry for him."

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Sung remained silent as he looked out the window. The power of the storm was much stronger than before, but besides that, the storm summoned by the Cult Leader seemed to be filled with emotions.

    He could sense irritation mixed with rage in the raging wind and the lightning striking in all directions.

    It was almost as if he was not practicing his control over the power of the Loa but rather trying to vent his anger.

    Jin-Sung suddenly remembered Sung Yu-Da. He was the friend of his brother-inw and sister, and the enemy who had killed his brother-inw and had put his sister in prison.

    Even though he had the opportunity to confront him, he had been held back because it felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to control himself if he faced him.

    If Sung Yu-Da was repenting for his past mistakes, living every day in such a pitiful state that there was no need for him to exact revenge on him, would he be able to forgive him?

    He tried to imagine it, but Jin-Sung couldn''t imagine forgiving Sung Yu-Da.

    <i>Rumble¡ª!</i>

    Lightning struck, followed by thunder. The sound of rain hitting the window was loud.

    * * *

    After the executive meeting ended and we returned to the chapel, my uncle asked me if it would be okay for Anna, the executive of the Gyeonggi branch, to stay in the underground chapel for a while.

    Since the Gyeonggi Branch¡¯s chapel had copsed a long time ago, Anna had nowhere else to stay. He told me she would stay for a short while until she found a room, so I agreed.

    In order to avoid Joseph''s surveince, I hadn''t been visiting the underground chapel very often, so it didn''t matter to me.

    I nned to minimize my visits to the underground chapel in the future. This decision was influenced by what Sung Yu-Da had told me today.

    "Inquisitor Joseph suspects... no, he is almost convinced that you are the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult."

    I had previously asked Sung Yu-Da to tell me the location of Noah''s Ark.

    To fulfill that promise, Sung Yu-Da was taking me to the site of Noah''s Ark when he abruptly mentioned the story about Joseph.

    I knew Joseph had suspicions about me, but I didn''t realize he was convinced I was the Cult Leader.

    "How did you know?" I asked.

    "He asked me directly if I knew more about you. It was a question he asked knowing that you are the Cult Leader."

    "Then why hasn''t he reported or arrested me yet? If he''s an inquisitor, he could have arrested me on the spot."

    "Probably because he still doesn''t have objective evidence. From now on, he will probably follow you persistently to gather irrefutable evidence. Be careful."

    "..."

    That was definitely true. Recently, Joseph had been more persistently following me than before.

    He suddenly appeared at the Eastern Pdin Order, where I was doing my dispatch training. Last time, he even sent a spy to stalk me.

    I made up suitable excuses to avoid or evade the situation, but I couldn''t continue living such a precarious life forever.

    ¡°Can¡¯t the purification n do anything about that guy? For example, can you dismiss him?"

    "Dismissing him may be difficult, but creating a pretext to get him off your tail will be possible. I will try to do it as quickly as possible."

    I nodded without saying more or asking questions. I couldn''t understand why Sung Yu-Da was going to such lengths for me. It wasn''t solely because I was holding Ha-Yeon hostage.

    As my uncle mentioned in the recent executive meeting, Sung Yu-Da was not someone who could be restrained by holding a hostage.

    He had stronger shackles. He must have taken an oath, or perhaps something more substantial than an oath, like a conviction.

    It was clear that there were other reasons why he couldn''t report me to the Holy See and why he had no choice but to help me.

    Or maybe, as my uncle had said, he might be trying to stab me in the back.

    Sung Yu-Da turned around and asked, "Are you listening to my request to not approach Ha-Yeon?"

    I carefully studied his face. From his expression alone, it seemed like he had asked such a question because was genuinely worried about Ha-Yeon.

    However, there were times when a strange expression and gaze that I couldn''t quite understand would surface, making it impossible for me to judge.

    "You don''t need to worry. I haven''t been in contact with Ha-Yeon."

    <i>Crumble!</i>

    At that moment, the ground copsed.

    "Ah, ahh...!"

    "Why is the ground copsing like this?"

    Sung Yu-Da and I simultaneously fell. The time it took for us to fall felt strangely long. It was if we were falling from several kilometers high in the air. Sung Yu-Da and I screamed as we continued to plummet for a while.

    At the moment, I tried to stop the fall using Bade''s power or whatever I could use.

    <i>Thud¡ª!</i>

    Finally, our bodies hit the ground. It felt like we had fallen for an unimaginably long time, but our bodies were unharmed once wended on the ground.

    I opened my eyes and looked around. The surroundings were filled with pitch-ck darkness, so I couldn''t see anything.

    "Oh, I was wondering who it was..."

    At that moment, a voice came from the darkness. It sounded like a voice I had heard somewhere before.

    It was not recently, but also not very long ago. I remembered it from a somewhat recent past.

    "It seems like wee guests have arrived!"

    "..."

    When the darkness lifted and light poured in, I finally remembered whose voice it was. The owner of the Ark, Noah, stood in front of us.

 Chapter 265

    <h4>Chapter 265</h4>

    Noah.

    During the Holy Name of Charity re-election test, he was the person who revealed the fact that my father and Sung Yu-Da were the ones who created the Ark.

    Judging by the way he spoke to me, he seemed to be on the side of the Voodoo Cult. But his actions, such as lending the Ark to Romanican Church clergymen, suggested that he was not entirely on our side. Noah casually stood before us, smiling with the same rxed smile he had thest time I met him.

    Noah''s unexpected appearance startled me, and I took a step back. However, no matter how much I retreated, Noah''s figure did not fade away. Instead, it came closer.

    "Wee to the Ark. As you may know, I am Noah."

    Sung Yu-Da and I looked at him with puzzled expressions. It was difficult to understand what was happening. We had never entered the Ark. I had followed Sung Yu-Da along the mountain path, and at some point, we had fallen down.

    Noah looked back and forth between Sung Yu-Da and me, then smiled faintly.

    "You already entered the Ark a long time ago. You just didn''t know because I yed a little prank," he said.

    "Since when?"

    Noah extended his hand. "It must have been shortly after you entered the mountain."

    I took his hand and stood up, looking around in confusion. All I could see was an endless expanse of pure white space. Sung Yu-Da also stood up from his seat.

    "As for the reason why you¡¯vee to the Ark... Although I have an idea, before that," Noah said, staring at me intently. "The two of you probably won¡¯t return to the Ark together after today."

    "..."

    "I will show you the memories Do Myung-Jun left behind," Noah said, gesturing for us to follow him.

    Sung Yu-Da and I followed Noah.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    The sound of a single drop of water fell into a tranquilke with a clear, pure, and beautiful resonance. Along with that sound, something started to appear in the empty space. As if it was being painted in real time, andscape was slowly being filled in.

    When I closed my eyes and opened them, a whole new world weed me. An endless sea with a giant, blue moon shining upon it stretched in front of me. Moonlight glistened off along the gentle waves.

    Among the scenery stood a man.

    <i>Ssh.</i>

    Once again, a clear sound rang out, and with it, the scenery changed, turning into a forest amidst a violent storm with raging thunder and lightning. Trees in the forest swayed like reeds in the wind. It was difficult to keep my eyes open with the raindrops pelting my face. In the center of it all stood a man, steadfastly enduring the storm.

    <i>Ssh, ssh, ssh...</i>

    Thendscape changed every time I opened my eyes: a barren wastnd drying up under the scorching sun, a night sky densely packed with stars ready to pour down at any second, a cabin nestled in the mountains under that night sky, and a deep sea where whales, dolphins, and mermaids frolicked about.

    With every step we took, the Ark invited us to unfamiliar and beautiful ces. And in the center of all those spaces stood a man.

    "Ah!" Sung Yu-Da eximed.

    When I looked back at him, I saw him in tears. Whether they were tears of awe at the spectacle before him or tears of shock, it was hard to say. He shed his tears quietly with his mouth half open.

    "Do Myung-Jun created the Ark because he wanted to preserve his memories in a tangible form. The fantastic scenes you just witnessed are allndscapes from Do Myung-Jun''s memories."

    I continued to think of the man who stood in the center of the space each time the scenery had changed. ording to Noah, that man would have been my father. Noah snapped his fingers. As he did, the memory-filled space of my father''s recollections returned to a pristine nk canvas.

    "He wanted to show his memories perfectly to others while simultaneously seeing their memories."

    Noah¡¯s words reminded me of Yoon-Ah. I had lost consciousness with Yoon-Ah just before I fully healed her. Through Yoon-Ah''s memories, I had gotten a glimpse of her life. All of it happened involuntarily through the Staff of Reversal, the poteau mitan.

    "Do Myung-Jun wished to enable the transmission of memories without words or writing, but in an unaltered, tangible state."

    If Noah''s words were true, perhaps I had briefly reached the level of the spell that my father so desired with the help of the staff. And maybe, when I had glimpsed into Yoon-Ah''s memories, Yoon-Ah had also glimpsed into mine without my knowledge.

    Noah withdrew his gaze from me and turned his head toward Sung Yu-Da. "Well, next is Sung Yu-Da''s memories."

    "Wait, I..."

    <i>Snap.</i>

    Noah snapped his fingers again before Sung Yu-Da could finish his sentence.

    As he did, a purple hue instantly filled the nk space. The purple radiance that covered everything gradually became murky and soon turned into pitch-ck darkness. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the darkness had disappeared.

    Then, an unfamiliar scenery and a familiar face appeared before me simultaneously.

    My father looked at me with a somber expression.

    "I''m sorry."

    Beside him was my mother.

    "...Yu-Da."

    This was Sung Yu-Da''s memory.

    * * *

    "Why are we close?" Do Myung-Jun once asked.

    Sung Yu-Da initially felt hurt. There didn''t always have to be a reason for people to be close to each other, just as there didn''t have to be a reason for someone to dislike another person. But upon closer reflection, he couldn''t understand why they were friends.

    "When you think about it, we don''t have anything inmon, do we?"

    Do Myung-Jun and Sung Yu-Da were so different. Sung Yu-Da was often told that he was pretty rather than handsome, while Do Myung-Jun frequently heard that he looked scary. Unlike Sung Yu-Da, who had a good reputation wherever he went due to his diligent and upright personality, Do Myung-Jun always caused trouble.

    Above all, the two had different religions. Sung Yu-Da was a prestigious member of the Romanican Church and a member of the esteemed n, while Do Myung-Jun was the son of the former leader of the Voodoo Church.

    "We¡¯re friends because we both attended Florence Academy."

    "No, I had dabbled in Florence Academy because I was already friends with you," Do Myung-Jun said.

    Sung Yu-Da nodded after thinking for a long time. Do Myung-Jun and Sung Yu-Da had attended Florence Academy together, but Do Myung-Jun shouldn''t have been able to enroll in Florence Academy at all in the first ce. Florence Academy was a ce to raise Romanican Church clergymen, and Do Myung-Jun couldn¡¯t use divine power.

    "I didn''t even want to enroll in the first ce, but you forced me to do it."

    However, Do Myung-Jun was interested in the Voodoo Church and the Romanican Church. Although he didn¡¯t want to enroll in Florence Academy, he wanted to at least visit. With the power of the n members, Sung Yu-Da found a way to get Do Myung-Jun admitted to Florence Academy.

    "Who cares? Going to school together was fun, wasn¡¯t it?"

    "The only thing is that you weren¡¯t able to graduate." Do Myung-Jun couldn''t excel in practical exams due to his inability to handle divine power and the prohibition of spells.

    Furthermore, Do Myung-Jun got into a lot of trouble, umted numerous demerits, and was expelled midway through the school year. He failed to graduate.

    Sung Yu-Da chuckled as he reminisced about the time he spent attending Florence Academy with Do Myung-Jun. "Still, it was fun. Thanks to you."

    "Yeah. I think I had fun too. I also learned that the Romanican Church isn''t all that kind."

    "There are still rumors that the Voodoo Church still sacrifices humans. What a barbaric religion."

    "Human sacrifice? What human sacrifice? What age are you talking about? The Romanican Church still seems to offer sacrifices."

    "Ha, as if...You didn''t listen closely to the sses at Florence Academy, did you? Oh, right. You failed to graduate."

    "Hey... that''s because I couldn''t use spells. Besides, I never intended to enroll there in the first ce."

    Due to their differing religious views, they always bickered when it came to religious discussions. Nevertheless, they got along well. Whenever disputes over religious views escted, Do Myung-Jun was always the first to apologize and resolve the conflict.

    Sung Yu-Da vaguely knew that Do Myung-Jun was yielding to him. However, he never intended to yield to Do Myung-Jun. Compared to the Romanican Church, Voodooism was a smaller religion. Sung Yu-Da was a top graduate of Florence Academy, while Do Myung-Jun was a problematic student who was expelled midway through.

    He unknowingly ranked himself and Do Myung-Jun on different levels. Then he shook his head. Judging a friend was a despicable act.

    Sung Yu-Da tried to change the subject. "Come to think of it, I''ve never seen you cast a spell."

    "Oh?" Do Myung-Jun furrowed his brow, seemingly unable to recall. "I guess I haven''t shown you. It wouldn''t work on you anyway."

    "When will you show me? You¡¯ve talked about it so many times that I''m curious about how great it is."

    "I¡¯ll show it to you when Iplete a spell strong enough to destroy the despicable people known as the purification n."

    "I doubt I''ll ever see you cast a spell in your lifetime."

    "We''ll see about that."

    Do Myung-Jun chuckled. Sung Yu-Da chuckled as well. Sung Yu-Da didn''t think Do Myung-Jun''s spells would be all that impressive.

    He had seen spells performed by Do Myung-Jun''s father, the Voodoo Church''s first leader. However, they were not as shy or impressive as blessings or miracle replications. All he had seen were a few people copsing under the influence of a spell.

    Do Myung-Jun''s spells would not be much different. They might be even more modest than those of the first leader of the Voodoo Church. Sung Yu-Da spected that Do Myung-Jun was reluctant to show his spells because he found them unimpressive and embarrassing.

    Just then, someone approached the two of them. Sung Yu-Da casually shifted his gaze to the approaching woman.

    "I''m sorry, I''m a littlete."

    Although he had seen her ever since they attended Florence Academy, at graduation, and many times until now, Sung Yu-Da couldn''t help but stare.

    Lee Seh-Hwa.

    She was a junior to Do Myung-Jun and Sung Yu-Da, but she and Sung Yu-Da both graduated from Florence Academy as top students.

    She looked back and forth between Do Myung-Jun and Sung Yu-Da, and her eyes opened slightly. "Long time no see, Yu-Da sen... Oh, wait, you''re Yu-Da senior."

    It was a bad habit of hers to observe people with her eyes barely open.

    Sung Yu-Da found her gaze rather captivating. He always thought so, but he had never voiced it out loud. He was a member of the n of purification, and the n had already decided on his future spouse. He was not allowed to have feelings for anyone other than the one chosen by the n. His heart wavered every time he saw Lee Seh-Hwa, but he always regained hisposure.

    "What are you up to today? Drinking?" Lee Seh-Hwa asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

    Sung Yu-Da chuckled as if he found Lee Seh-Hwa''s question cute. "How can you talk about drinking when you want to be a priest ..."

    "What? There''s no problem with it ording to the doctrine."

    "Still, you shouldn''t drink. I don''t drink, so you shouldn''t either," Do Myung-Jun interjected.

    Lee Seh-Hwa nodded, realizing what she had said. "Ah, right."

    "I still don''t understand why people drink. Drinking makes you forget things, right? If you''re not going to remember anyway, why would you drink in the first ce?"

    "Well, maybe that''s why people drink," Sung Yu-Da replied nonchntly and moved on.

    Do Myung-Jun didn¡¯t drink since a long time. He felt it was too wasteful for memories to disappear when he got drunk. Instead, he lived by indulging in sweet foods like candies or choctes.

    Lee Seh-Hwa shivered. "It''s so cold today. Let''s quickly go inside somewhere. Ugh, it is winter."

    "Yeah, let''s just go anywhere for now¡ª" Sung Yu-Da replied.

    <i>Bzzz¡ª! </i>A vibration echoed from somewhere in the middle of their conversation.

    Do Myung-Jun took out his phone. At first, he answered the call with a smile. However, as time passed, his expression gradually hardened. While Do Myung-Jun was on the phone, Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa chatted happily, but they picked up on the change in atmosphere and quieted down.

    When the call finally ended, a dark shadow was cast over Do Myung-Jun''s face.

    "It''s my father," Do Myung-Jun said with a trembling voice.

    Do Myung-Jun''s father, the first leader of the Voodoo Church, had passed away.

 Chapter 266

    <h4>Chapter 266</h4>

    It wasn¡¯t a sudden death. Do Myung-Jun had been preparing himself mentally as his father had been in poor health for quite some time. His father¡¯s condition had recently deteriorated to the point where he would cough up blood.

    Do Myung-Jun exined all this with a smile on his face. He had always smiled a lot in the past. He smiled out of happiness when something good happened. When things got tough, he smiled to cover it up. Instead of crying when he was sad, he forced a bitter smile.

    Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa knew Do Myung-Jun''s character well. They also understood the meaning behind his smile when he said his father had passed away. They wanted to attend Do Myung-Jun''s father''s funeral, but he prevented them froming.

    "It will be difficult for you guys to match the atmosphere."

    That was the reason he stopped the two froming.

    Voodoo Church funerals were lengthy.

    News of the death of the Voodoo Church''s First leader was spread through various news channels. Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa saw Do Myung-Jun holding his father''s funeral from afar, but they could not see him directly. They couldn''t even offer the usual clich¨¦ words or provide directfort.

    "Have you still not been able to contact Senior Myung-Jun?"

    "No."

    Do Myung-Jun, Sung Yu-Da, and Lee Seh-Hwa used to always meet in groups of three, but after the funeral, only the two of them met. There was no way to contact Do Myung-Jun anymore¡ªhe had changed his phone number after the funeral.

    Journalists who covered the death of the Voodoo Church''s first leader now focused on the session of the Voodoo Church''s second leader. The second leader was none other than Do Myung-Jun.

    The sight of Do Myung-Jun through the screen speaking to his numerous followers felt unfamiliar to Sung Yu-Da. The innocent and mischievous Do Myung-Jun was nowhere to be found. He had be a respected leader of the Voodoo Church.

    "Now that he¡¯s be the leader of the church, he probably can¡¯t meet with Romanicans anymore."

    Sung Yu-Da tried to remember why he had gotten close to Do Myung-Jun. He couldn''t recall the exact reason. He tried to remember when they had be friends. They became friends so far in the past that he didn¡¯t even remember when their friendship began. He had spent countless long days with him as a close friend. However, they had been reduced to mere acquaintances so suddenly.

    After losing contact with Do Myung-Jun, Sung Yu-Da spent a lot of time meeting Lee Seh-Hwa by himself. When they met, they talked about their career paths. Sung Yu-Da was already a key figure in the Central Pdin Order and dreamed of being promoted to inquisitor. Lee Seh-Hwa aimed to transfer from her local priesthood to the Central Priesthood.

    "If I get into the Central Priesthood, I might be able to coborate with you asionally. The Central Priesthood and Central Pdin Order work together often, right?"

    "I hope youe soon. I''ll be waiting." Sung Yu-Da was secretly happy to have more opportunities to talk with Lee Seh-Hwa by himself.

    After drifting apart from Do Myung-Jun, the members of the purification n were pushing Sung Yu-Da toward marriage. Even then, Sung Yu-Da''s feelings toward Lee Seh-Hwa remained unwavering. No, rather, his love grew stronger yet because it would never be realized.

    "It would have been better if Myung-Jun was here too."

    The only thing that didn''t sit well with him was that Lee Seh-Hwa still hadn¡¯t moved on from Do Myung-Jun and mentioned him asionally.

    Even when Lee Seh-Hwa and Sung Yu-Da were alone, she would often talk about Do Myung-Jun. She would say it would have been better if he had been there and that it would be nice if the three of them could meet like before.

    Watching Lee Seh-Hwa talk like that, Sung Yu-Da felt an unknown emotion. He felt a little angry, anxious, and sad. He couldn''t tell if that sadness was because of Do Myung-Jun or Lee Seh-Hwa.

    "He¡¯s forgotten about us,¡± Sung Yu-Da said.

    Lee Seh-Hwa didn''t respond. She turned her head and stared directly at Sung Yu-Da''s face. The sadness in her eyes was visible. Without a doubt, she was sad because of Do Myung-Jun.

    Sung Yu-Da gritted his teeth.

    "Do Myung-Jun is different from us," Sung Yu-Da said and looked out the window.

    Outside the cafe, many people were walking around busily. Some walked in groups with their close friends, while others walked alone. Among them, some people might be followers of the Romanican Church and others who were part of the Voodoo Church. However, Sung Yu-Da was certain that people of different faiths would never walk around side by side.

    Sung Yu-Da stood up from his seat. "Just like how we can¡¯t understand him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand us either."

    Lee Seh-Hwa stared nkly at Sung Yu-Da. He deliberately ignored her gaze. Do Myung-Jun was the next in line to be the leader of the Voodoo Church from the very beginning. Although they could have been friends for a while, their friendship was never meant tost due to their different backgrounds.

    It was simr to how Sung Yu-Da had to give up his feelings for Lee Seh-Hwa countless times just because she was a member of the n of purification.

    Around the time of the first snowfall, Lee Seh-Hwa went to take the entrance exam for the Central Priesthood. Sung Yu-Da also took several tests and interviews to be an inquisitor, but the repetitive failures frustrated him.

    That was when Do Myung-Jun suddenly came to find Sung Yu-Da.

    "Long time no see."

    Those were Do Myung-Jun''s first words.

    "... "

    Watching him shamelessly greet him without any prior contact, Sung Yu-Da felt a surge of anger.

    At first, he was furious. He had a lot to say. He wanted to ask why he had suddenly cut off contact and left. But Sung Yu-Da didn¡¯t say anything. It was because he saw Do Myung-Jun smiling at him. It was the same smile he had on his face when his father died.

    "What have you been up to?" Sung Yu-Da asked.

    Do Myung-Jun just smiled without answering. His face looked worn out as if he had suffered from chronic fatigue. His already lean body seemed to have lost what little fat it had. However, the brilliant and deep light in his eyes had not faded at all. Rather, the sparkle in his eyes seemed to have grown even brighter with time.

    They started walking. No one suggested walking first. They just walked as they used to. Do Myung-Jun walked silently, staring at the snowkes that melted as soon as they touched the ground, and Sung Yu-Da walked while watching him.

    Sung Yu-Da btedly noticed that there was a ring on his finger.

    "What''s with the ring? Do you have a girlfriend?"

    "No. It''s my father''s urn ring."

    "What... Why would you make a ring out of your father''s ashes?"

    "That''s how the Voodoo Church does it."

    Do Myung-Jun raised his head and looked up at the sky. Sung Yu-Da also raised his head. The moonlight was bright, and the wind was cool. White frost came out of their mouths as they sighed.

    Do Myung-Jun stared nkly at the moon and fidgeted with the ring in his hand.

    "It''s to preserve death itself as an object."

    "So, do you see your father''s soul in that ring?"

    "No. My father''s soul is currently traveling in the Unseen World."

    "What are you saying? I really can¡¯t wrap my head around the Voodoo Church. It¡¯s not like I want to understand anyway."

    "I have to pass it down to my childrenter."

    "Children? Can you even get married?"

    "Marriage... Well." Do Myung-Jun put on a bitter smile as he looked at the ring on his left pinky finger.

    The skeletal gem embedded in the ring sparkled in the moonlight. Do Myung-Jun stared at the ring for a long time. More precisely, he stared at the skeletal gem in the ring. He stared at the gem with grim, sad eyes, as if he were looking at someone beyond the stone.

    ¡°''I''ll make it work somehow,¡± Do Myung-Jun said.

    He lifted his head and looked at Sung Yu-Da. Then, he put on a childlike, innocent smile. ¡°How''s Seh-Hwa these days?¡±

    ¡°Why, what about her?¡±

    ¡°You like Seh-Hwa, don''t you?¡±

    Sung Yu-Da was taken aback by Do Myung-Jun''s sudden words. His expression stiffened, and he felt like his inner thoughts had been exposed.

    ¡±...That''s nonsense.¡±

    ¡°Good luck.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Seh-Hwa. She''s not that strong when ites to her mentality. So, you should y the role of supporting her. You''ve got the strongest mentality among us.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da couldn''t bring himself to respond and bowed his head. He had failed and been frustrated many times in his attempts to be an inquisitor. Recently, Sung Yu-Da''s mental state had weakened to the point where he drank alcohol every day. He wasn''t strong enough to be someone''s pir of support. Furthermore, he was engaged to someone other than Seh-Hwa.

    ¡°You might be better suited for it than me. Probably.¡±

    It wasn''t he who suited Lee Seh-Hwa, but Do Myung-Jun, Sung Yu-Da thought.

    However, Do Myung-Jun firmly shook his head. ¡°I can''t do it. I''m part of the Voodoo Church.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Being a leader of a church is tougher than I thought. It¡¯s to the point where I am utterly impressed by my father. He wasn''t someone I particrly liked...¡± Do Myung-Jun said with a dark expression.

    Sung Yu-Da listened without responding. It was the first time Do Myung-Jun had spoken with such vulnerability.

    Do Myung-Jun had always been a strong individual. He smiled when he experienced prejudice for not being able to use divine power at Florence Academy, and when he umted demerits and was expelled.

    Sung Yu-Da thought the reason Do Myung-Jun could smile even in difficult times was because of Do Myung-Jun''s strength. But it wasn''t so. He was just living in a different world. The troubles Do Myung-Jun faced at Florence Academy were nothingpared to what he faced in his everyday life. Because he was a Voodoo Churchist, he didn''t care even if the Romanican Church members ignored and scorned him. He had his own world, and in that world, Do Myung-Jun was not strong. He was just an ordinary person, no different from Lee Seh-Hwa or Sung Yu-Da.

    "I''ll leave now. Today was me running away when I still have a lot of things to catch up on."

    "..."

    "I felt bad for leaving without even properly saying goodbye to you... Anyway, I¡¯m off!"

    With those words, Do Myung-Jun left.

    Sung Yu-Da tried to stop him. He thought he had a lot to say to him, but after some thinking, he realized he had nothing to say. Sung Yu-Da couldn''t even bid him a proper farewell and sent Do Myung-Jun off just like that.

    That day, Lee Seh-Hwa informed Sung Yu-Da that she had been admitted to the Central Priesthood. Sung Yu-Da talked to Lee Seh-Hwa about meeting Do Myung-Jun.

    "..."

    Lee Seh-Hwa seemed shocked after hearing the news, and she stared at Sung Yu-Da in silence for a while.

    A hint of betrayal could be seen in her eyes. Sung Yu-Da recalled what Do Myung-Jun had said to him and tried to say something more to her.

    He wanted to congratte her on joining the Central Priesthood and to reveal his feelings for her. However, he couldn''t bring himself to speak.

    When she mentioned meeting Do Myung-Jun, he couldn''t say anything as he saw her expression harden. He couldn''t bring himself to utter a word, seeing the betrayal in her eyes toward Do Myung-Jun.

    "Let''s go see him," Lee Seh-Hwa said, ring at Sung Yu-Da.

    Sung Yu-Da shook his head. "We have no way to reach him. How do we go to see him?"

    "Even if we can''t reach him, there are plenty of ways to find him."

    "If we suddenly show up..."

    "That bastard showed up suddenly, too. Is there a rule that says we can''t suddenly show up either?"

    It was a valid point. Do Myung-Jun had suddenly shown up in front of Sung Yu-Da. Nothing could stop Sung Yu-Da from suddenly showing up to Do Myung-Jun. No matter how busy he was as the leader of Voodoo Church, it wouldn''t be impossible to spare a few minutes for them.

    Honestly, he didn''t feel like going to meet Do Myung-Jun with Lee Seh-Hwa. More precisely, he didn''t want to see Lee Seh-Hwa¡¯s weing expression upon seeing Do Myung-Jun. However, Lee Seh-Hwa''s eyes burned with betrayal, a strange passion, and justice. If Sung Yu-Da refused to go, she was determined to meet Do Myung-Jun on her own.

    "...Alright, let''s go." Sung Yu-Da nodded, thinking it was better for him to follow along rather than let the two meet alone.

 Chapter 267

    <h4>Chapter 267</h4>

    Lee Seh-Hwa and Sung Yu-Da searched all the ces where Do Myung-Jun might possibly be.

    The first ce they visited was his house. They knew where it was because they often visited his home in the past.

    His house had always been empty. Do Myung-Jun had no siblings, and he only had his father, who was always in the chapel because he was busy performing the duties of the Voodoo Church. So, he would frequently invite them over to his house by stating that he was lonely as an excuse.

    "It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone is here," Lee Seh-Hwa said without even ringing the doorbell in front of the house.

    Sung Yu-Da silently nodded.

    It definitely seemed like no one was there. The windows, which had always been clean, were currently shattered.

    Do Myung-Jun would often bring Lee Seh-Hwa and Sung Yu-Da to his house and would do nothing besides look outside the window. He would say that looking outside the window felt like he was looking at a moving painting. There was no way someone like him would leave the window broken like that.

    Sung Yu-Da pressed the doorbell just in case, but as expected, no one came out. He thought about pressing it again, but he decided against it since it seemed like no one woulde out anyway.

    "If he''s not at home, he must be in the chapel," Sung Yu-Da said as he looked up at the broken window.

    The shattered part of the window reflected the sunlight and sparkled. Upon closer inspection, he noticed spider webs on the window. It seemed to have been left neglected for weeks even after it was broken.

    "The chapel? Do you know where it is?"

    "I''ll find out."

    Sung Yu-Da knew that the Voodoo Church¡¯s chapel was located somewhere in the middle of a mountain. He had been there once with Do Myung-Jun when he was very young. He still remembered almost stumbling several times due to how difficult the path was. However, he couldn''t remember which mountain it was.

    He grabbed his phone and called the person in the purification n who controlled most of the n¡¯s political power. He basically functioned as the n¡¯s leader. He was an elderly inquisitor who was familiar with the Voodoo Church¡¯s first leader.

    Sung Yu-Da could easily contact him since they were rtives.

    In fact, there were even times when he would ask Sung Yu-Da to call him more frequently.

    "Hello, how have you been? I called because I have something to ask you."

    Sung Yu-Da quickly got to the point after exchanging brief pleasantries. When Sun Yu-Da asked about the location of the Voodoo Church''s chapel, the elderly inquisitor willingly provided the information.

    After expressing his gratitude, he hung up the phone. Not only did he learn the name of the mountain he had inquired about, but he also learned the way to get there.

    "Let''s go."

    Sung Yu-Da took Lee Seh-Hwa and headed toward the mountain where the Voodoo Church chapel, or more precisely, where Do Myung-Jun, was located.

    Sung Yu-Da brought a car since it was a long distance to walk. While driving, whenever they stopped at a traffic light, Sung Yu-Da would turn his head to look at Lee Seh-Hwa sitting in the passenger seat. He could not read her expression properly just by looking at the side of her face, but he felt like he knew what she was thinking. Along the way, it started to rain. At first, he thought only a few drops would fall, but it suddenly started pouring heavily.

    The winds were strong, and there was also the asional rumbling of thunder. Lee Seh-Hwa, who had been sensitive to noise since she was young, shuddered every time she heard the thunder.

    She nced at the car¡¯s windshield wipers moving left and right and then said, "Do you have an umbre?"

    "It should be in the car. But there might be only one."

    "We can share, right?" Lee Seh-Hwa casually said.

    Sung Yu-Da also tried to be casual and replied, "...Yeah. We can share."

    Before they knew it, they had arrived at the mountain where the chapel was located. It was still raining. Because the weather was cold, snow and rain fell simultaneously, but the snow melted as soon as it touched the ground.

    After parking in a random ce below the mountain, Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa shared an umbre and walked along the mountain path.

    He used to think that the path was extremely rough when he was young, but after growing up and walking through the path again, he realized that it wasn''t as rough as he had thought. In fact,pared to other mountain paths, it was rtively t.

    Pdins would often walk through mountain paths or even climb cliffs to rescue people who were stranded in the mountains, so to Sung Yu-Da, this kind of mountain path was almost like a walk in the park.

    <i>Slip!</i>

    Suddenly, Lee Seh-Hwa slipped and stumbled while walking alongside Sung Yu-Da. Thanks to her thick clothing, she wasn''t injured, but her outer garment was slightly torn.

    Sung Yu-Da took off his own outer garment and covered her with it. Lee Seh-Hwa''s eyes widened at his sudden kindness.

    "I''m fine. It¡¯s cold, so you should keep wearing it.¡±

    "It''s not that cold."

    "Pretending to be tough, huh? Anyway, thank you," Lee Seh-Hwa said with a smile.

    Due to the cold, Lee Seh-Hwa had been shivering a bit since earlier, but she stopped trembling after receiving Sung Yu-Da¡¯s coat.

    Sung Yu-Da tilted the umbre a little more toward Lee Seh-Hwa and continued walking along the mountain path. However, no matter how much they walked, the chapel did not appear.

    The chapel was located deep in the mountains, but perhaps due to the rain, it felt like the chapel was even further than he initially remembered.

    At that moment, Sung Yu-Da noticed a rusty bench. It seemed to have been built to allow passing hikers to take a break, but it had been neglected for a long time.

    Sung Yu-Da briefly checked on Lee Seh-Hwa''s condition. From a nce, he could tell that she looked exhausted.

    "Let''s take a break."

    "Alright," Lee Seh-Hwa replied as if she had been waiting for the opportunity.

    Lee Seh-Hwa tried to sit on the bench right away but hesitated upon seeing how wet the bench was. However, Sung Yu-Da plopped down on the bench without any hesitation.

    "Argh, your butt''s going to get all wet. Aren''t you cold?"

    "It¡¯s not that cold. And I''m already soaked, so it doesn''t matter."

    "I guess you''re right."

    After a moment of contemtion, Lee Seh-Hwa nodded and also sat down on the bench. As Sung Yu-Da had said, they were alreadypletely soaked, and they were too tired to care about such things.

    The rain was still pouring heavily, but since they had climbed higher up the mountain, there was more snow than rain, which provided them with some relief.

    While holding onto the umbre, Sung Yu-Da stared at Lee Seh-Hwa and said, "You seem to use formalnguage with everyone."

    It urred to him that not only did Lee Seh-Hwa use formalnguage with Do Myung-Jun and Sung Yu-Da, but also with her friends. Sung Yu-Da had never seen her speakfortably in informalnguage with anyone. It was hard for him to even imagine her doing so.

    Lee Seh-Hwa nodded and said, "Yes, it seems so."

    "Even when you¡¯re with me and Myung-Jun... I mean, with Do Myung-Jun, you always use formalnguage. I think I''ve told you a few times that you can speakfortably."

    "Hmm, I just think that I prefer using formalnguage."

    "Why?"

    "I''m not sure exactly why. I think I want to keep a little distance from everyone. Does it bother you when I say it like that?¡±

    "It doesn¡¯t bother me. Are there any people you don''t use formalnguage with?"

    "Well, maybe with just my younger brother?¡±

    Come to think of it, Lee Seh-Hwa had a younger brother. From what he could remember, his name was Jin-Sung. He saw his face only once during high school and never saw him again after that.

    "How is your younger brother doing these days?"

    "It seems like he''s not doing anything. He doesn''t seem to be interested in the Romanican Church either... I keep telling him to work part-time and earn some money, but he doesn''t listen. The only thing he knows how to do is ask me for pocket money.¡±

    "Didn¡¯t you almost use informal speech just now?" Sung Yu-Da said.

    Lee Seh-Hwa thought carefully about what she had just said, then smiled.

    "Maybe it¡¯s because I feelfortable around you. It seems like I sometimes use informal speech, and sometimes I use formal speech around you."

    Sung Yu-Da stared at her smile and then stood up from his seat. Lee Seh-Hwa also stood up. The two started walking towards the chapel once again.

    Perhaps Lee Seh-Hwa felt cold, as she firmly wrapped the coat she received from Sung Yu-Da around herself. Then she moved closer to the center of the umbre.

    Sung Yu-Da unconsciously tightened his grip on the umbre.

    Almost leaning into Sung Yu-Da''s embrace, Lee Seh-Hwa looked up at him and asked, "Are the members of the purification n designated marriage partners by the n?¡±

    "Yeah."

    ¡°So I suppose you must already have a marriage partner prepared for you.¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da deliberately gave a vague answer.

    In reality, his marriage partner had already been decided, and he already knew who it was. They had even met and talked face to face before.

    However, he didn''t want to reveal this fact to Lee Seh-Hwa. She looked at Sung Yu-Da with a slightly sad expression and said, "If that happens, we won¡¯t be able to meet like this. And Myung-Jun is already drifting away from us."

    "We should still meet asionally, even in the future."

    "Seriously, I hope the three of us can continue to meet like we used to in the future."

    They wouldn''t be able to see Do Myung-Jun anymore. He had be the leader of the Voodoo Church.

    Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa regrly interacted with each other as Romanican clergymen, but their interactions with Do Myung-Jun gradually faded away over time.

    Eventually, even the memories they had shared with him would fade and disappear.

    However, Sung Yu-Da did not explicitly mention this fact. He simply silently walked on.

    The t mountain path became a bit rougher, and more snow fell than rain when the chapel suddenly appeared before their eyes.

    Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa silently gazed at the Voodoo Church''s chapel. It wasrger than they had expected. It seemed to be several timesrger than the chapel in Sung Yu-Da¡¯s childhood memories.

    Snow was piled neatly on the almost t roof. When the wind blew, the snow cascaded down in heaps.

    Sung Yu-Da was the one to break the silence.

    "Let''s go inside," he said.

    He swallowed nervously as he walked toward the main entrance of the chapel. He didn¡¯t feel any presence inside the chapel, but for some reason, he was convinced that Do Myung-Jun would be inside.

    Sung Yu-Da knocked a few times and then opened the door with a creak. The door was not locked.

    Lee Seh-Hwa entered the chapel, looked around, and said, "...Myung-Jun?"

    Her voice echoed in the empty chapel. The chapel was quiet and dark, with a strange purple mist gathering on the high ceiling.

    The two of them walked further into the chapel. Despite walking carefully, their footsteps strangely echoed loudly. In the innermost part of the chapel, there was a door. A purple mist flowed out of the half-open door.

    The fog that had umted on the ceiling seemed to have flown out of that room.

    ¡°Seh-Hwa, let¡¯s go back.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da suddenly felt a sense of unease and tried to lead Lee Seh-Hwa out of the chapel.

    However, when he turned around, he couldn''t see Lee Seh-Hwa. She was already standing in front of the door where the fog was flowing out. Sung Yu-Da hurriedly approached her to stop her, but he didn¡¯t make it in time. Lee Seh-Hwa opened the door as if she were possessed.

    ¡°...¡±

    When she opened the door, the first thing that caught her eye was the purple fog in the room. Beyond the fog, she saw the shadow of a person kneeling on the ground.

    Sung Yu-Da immediately recognized that the shadow was Do Myung-Jun. He was continuously muttering something while kneeling in front of a candle emitting a purple light.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    A sudden gust of wind extinguished the candles. Do Myung-Jun turned his head and red at Sung Yu-Da and Lee Seh-Hwa with eyes wide open in surprise.

    Blood dripped down from his eyes and sttered on the floor.

    "Why are you guys..."

    Before Do Myung-Jun could finish his sentence, Lee Seh-Hwa touched her face in confusion. Blood flowed down her eyes and ears.

    "Huh?"

    <i>Drip.</i>

    Before long, Lee Seh-Hwa''s face was covered in blood. Lee Seh-Hwa sat down on the spot.

    Sung Yu-Da, still not understanding the situation, looked back and forth between Lee Seh-Hwa and Do Myung-Jun.

    "Huh? Oh, wait. Where are you guys? Yu-Da, Myung-Jun, where¡ª?!"

    "Seh-Hwa, Lee Seh-Hwa!"

    "Ah, arghhhh©¤!"

    Lee Seh-Hwa screamed and covered her ears. Sung Yu-Da urgently called out to Lee Seh-Hwa and hugged her. She trembled uncontrobly and screamed. The mist that filled the room began to swirl turbulently.

    The wind blew, and the ground shook. Thunder could be heard from outside.

    ¡°Ah, ah...¡±

    Do Myung-Jun, about to approach Lee Seh-Hwa, kneeled down and hesitated. He repeatedly bowed toward the extinguished candle. He hit his forehead on the floor, and blood from his forehead stained the ground.

    Suddenly, a me reignited in the candle. However, the flickering me seemed fragile and unstable.

    "Oh, Legba! Legba, please listen. She is not the one to be the Prophet. It''s not her... Please, Legba!" Do Myung-Jun said to the candle.

    A smile briefly appeared and disappeared from his lips. His bloodshot eyes were like those of a madman. Do Myung-Jun drew a dagger from somewhere and cut his palm. He let the blood drip onto the candle.

    The me consumed his blood and barely emitted a faint light.

    "She has nothing to do with this, really nothing at all..." Do Myung-Jun muttered as he clenched his fist and continued to let his blood drip onto the candle.

    Eventually, Do Myung-Jun bowed his head in despair. He ripped out strands of his own hair, buried his face in the ground, and sobbed for a long time. The candle had already been extinguished.

    <i>Drip, drip. </i>

    The tears and blood that Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa shed fell to the ground. Lee Seh-Hwa''s screams and Do Myung-Jun''s sobbing could be heard inside the room where the mist had cleared, and the sound of thunder continued to rumble outside.

 Chapter 268

    <h4>Chapter 268</h4>

    Lee Seh-Hwa¡¯s eyes suddenly rolled back as she screamed, and she threw a tantrum before she lost consciousness and copsed onto the ground.

    Do Myung-Jun continued muttering with tears streaming down his face as he looked toward the extinguished candles. Sung Yu-Da supported Lee Seh-Hwa and looked down at her face.

    Now that she was unconscious with her eyes closed, her face looked surprisingly calm¡ªso much so that it was hard to believe that this was the same person who had been screaming just a moment ago.

    ¡°...¡±

    Sung Yu-Da picked up Lee Seh-Hwa and stood up. Do Myung-Jun looked like he was still unable to get a grip on himself, as he continued to sob while kneeling on the floor. Sung Yu-Da nced briefly at Do Myung-Jun, then carried Lee Seh-Hwa and left the chapel. Blood was still flowing from Lee Seh-Hwa''s ears.

    Before understanding the situation, Sung Yu-Da believed he needed to take Lee Seh-Hwa to the hospital. Snow had piled up outside, and it crunched beneath his feet every time he took a step. He didn¡¯t know if it was due to holding on to Lee Seh-Hwa or simply because he was exhausted, but his steps were unsteady. However, he did not fall. Sung Yu-Da exerted strength on his toes as he walked so that he would not fall no matter how weak he felt.

    Upon reaching the bench where they had briefly rested, Sung Yu-Daid Lee Seh-Hwa down and sat beside her.

    He gazed down at her face as shey there. She still appeared calm. Her parched lips, pale skin, and motionless expression made her look almost like a corpse. Sung Yu-Da ced his hand on Lee Seh-Hwa''s nose to check for her breath. Fortunately, she was still breathing.

    He then stood up, lifted Lee Seh-Hwa, and continued walking. At some point, his vision started to blur because tears had filled his eyes. He could not wipe the tears himself, and there was no one to wipe the tears for him, so he just let the tears flow freely.

    Finally, he arrived at the parking spot where they had left the car.

    "Ah..."

    The car was covered in a pile of mud and gravel.

    Due to the raging storm, there had been an avnche, and it looked like the car had been buried in the resulting debris. No matter how many times he assessed the damage, it didn¡¯t seem he would be able to drive the car.

    Sung Yu-Da abandoned the car and simply walked. He walked aimlessly for what could have been several minutes or perhaps even hours.

    <i> </i> *

    Lee Seh-Hwa regained consciousnesster that day. The bleeding from her eyes was due to a sudden increase in intraocr pressure, and there was no clear exnation for the bleeding from her ears. Since there were no visible external injuries, the doctor said she could be discharged immediately.

    "Are you okay?" Sung Yu-Da asked Lee Seh-Hwa.

    He didn''t know exactly what had happened to her. The doctor said she was fine, but there might be lingering effects that didn''t manifest medically.

    However, Lee Seh-Hwa nodded with a calm face, and she even managed to smile.

    "Yes, I''m fine."

    ¡°...¡±

    Sung Yu-Da felt more puzzled than relieved after hearing Lee Seh-Hwa''s words.

    When they visited Do Myung-Jun, she waved her hands helplessly in the air as she screamed. Blood had flowed from her eyes and ears, and she eventually lost consciousness. Considering that Lee Seh-Hwa had behaved that way, her reaction at the moment was overly calm.

    Sung Yu-Da silently nced at her. Lee Seh-Hwa tilted her head as if she was puzzled by Sung Yu-Da''s gaze.

    "What is it?"

    "Are you really okay?"

    "Huh? Well... I''m really fine. I''m sorry for making you worry," Lee Seh-Hwa said with a smile.

    Was she really okay? Or was she just pretending to be okay? Upon seeing Lee Seh-Hwa act so nonchntly, Sung Yu-Da felt relieved, but he also felt a bit of unease, difort, and a sense that something was strange.

    Sung Yu-Da was not the victim of the ident, but even he had not fully recovered from the shock. It was strange that Lee Seh-Hwa could be so nonchnt about it.

    "But how did I copse? Did I just suddenly faint out of the blue?" Lee Seh-Hwa said at that moment.

    Sung Yu-Da''s face hardened.

    "You don¡¯t remember?"

    "Remember what?" Lee Seh-Hwa asked as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

    Sung Yu-Da silently stared at Lee Seh-Hwa. She seemed to have lost her memory. However, it was impossible to tell how much of her memory she had lost. Moreover, there was nothing good that woulde out of remembering.

    Sung Yu-Da closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

    "No, it¡¯s nothing."

    He decided to keep his mouth shut, and he drove Lee Seh-Hwa home after she was discharged.

    The car parked at the foot of the mountain was damaged and could no longer be driven, but it didn''t matter because there were many other cars that he could drive.

    On his way back home, Sung Yu-Da deliberately got out of the car early and walked the streets.

    While walking, he looked up at the night sky. He stood there, closed his eyes, sped his hands, and prayed.

    He prayed that Lee Seh-Hwa would not remember anything, that nothing bad had happened to her, and that she waspletely fine. He hoped that the day''s events would turn out to be nothing. He prayed multiple times.

    However, the next day, early in the morning, before Sung Yu-Da had even woken up from his sleep, he received a call from Lee Seh-Hwa requesting that hee over immediately.

    Sung Yu-Da quickly got dressed and went to meet Lee Seh-Hwa.

    ¡°Arggggggh¡ª!¡±

    As soon as he arrived at her house, she saw Lee Seh-Hwa sitting on the floor screaming, and Jin-Sung who was at a loss seeing her like that.

    Sung Yu-Da approached Lee Seh-Hwa.

    When he ced his hand on her shoulder, Lee Seh-Hwa was startled and swatted his hand away. She looked up at Sung Yu-Da and said, "Yu-Da, I keep hearing voices. Strange voices...!"

    "It''s okay, it will be okay soon. Everything will be fine. It''s okay..." Sung Yu-Da said as he hugged her.

    His lips trembled. Lee Seh-Hwa trembled as she continued to mutter strange things. She kept saying that she could hear voices. The voices kept talking to her, and she could still hear them even when she tried to block her ears. It seemed that the only way for her to deal with the voices was to cover her ears and scream out loud.

    Sung Yu-Da believed it to be an auditory hallucination caused by a Voodoo spell. Lee Seh-Hwa had always been sensitive to sounds since she was young.

    Sung Yu-Da chewed his finger while embracing Lee Seh-Hwa. Then, he drew the blessing of purification, a special blessing that only members of the n of purification could use. It was the only power that could heal those affected by ck magic or Voodoo spells.

    The light of blessing enveloped Lee Seh-Hwa.

    "Can you still hear the voices?"

    "Yes, I can. I keep hearing them. They keep talking. Ah, ah. Aaaahhh......!"

    Lee Seh-Hwa''s condition did not improve at all. At this point, her throat was so sore that screaming became difficult.

    Sung Yu-Da looked at her. He wanted to say something, but he didn''t know what to say, so he could not open his mouth. It felt like his heart was constantly sinking deeper and deeper into a sea of water, making it difficult for him to breathe.

    "I will call an exorcist priest."

    "This is not that kind of thing. This... ah, ah...."

    Sung Yu-Da couldn¡¯t do anything. Lee Seh-Hwa kept trembling. He was afraid that she would go on a rampage if he touched her, so Sung Yu-Da was unable to even touch her hand carelessly.

    Even using the blessing of purification had no effect. There was nothing he could do. If this was going to happen, why had he prayedst night? Why did he be a clergyman? Sung Yu-Da was consumed by intense despair.

    Then, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. Sung Yu-Da decided to answer the phone for now. He figured it might be Do Myung-Jun.

    "..."

    And then he heard unexpected news. He had finally passed the inquisitor exam he had been failing for so long.

    He heard the voice of an employee congratting him over the phone. Lee Seh-Hwa, who was sitting in front of Sung Yu-Da, was still screaming in a hoarse voice.

    <i> </i> *

    Sung Yu-Da had to leave Lee Seh-Hwa for the inquisitor promotion ceremony that day.

    He didn¡¯t just leave her, though. He mobilized all the connections he and the members of the purification n had and called in several exorcist priests and healing priests to Lee Seh-Hwa''s house before going to the promotion ceremony.

    There was no contact from Lee Seh-Hwa after that day. He visited her house, but perhaps she had moved as it was always empty. He also went to the Central Priesthood. There, Sung Yu-Da heard that ¡®Priest Lee Seh-Hwa has given up on joining.¡¯

    He recalled how Lee Seh-Hwa had revealed a bright smile after passing the entrance exam for the Central Priesthood.

    ¡°...¡±

    He almost cut off contact with almost everyone and devoted himself to work.

    His work as an inquisitor was busy. He had to defeat demons and demonic beasts that frequently appeared and suppress armed protests from cultists. The duties of inquisitor were added on to his duties as a pdin, so it was natural that he was busy.

    However, Sung Yu-Da lived even busier than he needed to. He would take on any task, regardless of whether it was important or not. When he returned home, he studied without rest. He would study the blessing of purification, Voodoo spells, and the Voodoo Church.

    And he tracked Lee Seh-Hwa''s whereabouts. He believed that, as long as he studied hard enough, he would someday discover a method to heal Lee Seh-Hwa.

    The number of demons he defeated exceeded three digits, and the number of demonic beasts he defeated exceeded four digits. The Central Priesthood also adopted his dissertation on Voodoo spells and the Voodoo Church as research material. And when people started to say that he was the person bringing about the golden age for the pdins...

    Do Myung-Jun came to Sung Yu-Da''s private office and said, "I''m sorry, Yu-Da."

    "..."

    Seeing Do Myung-Jun suddenly offer an apology, Sung Yu-Da was speechless. He was unable to formte any words.

    Lee Seh-Hwa, whom he had been so desperately trying to seek, was by Do Myung-Jun''s side. Sung Yu-Da stared at Lee Seh-Hwa''s face for a long time. It was as beautiful as ever.

    Thus, he was even more angry. In an attempt to control his anger, Sung Yu-Da bit his lower lip until it bled.

    "It''s been a long time since you visited. And you¡¯ve once again shown up without any contact."

    "I''m sorry for suddenly appearing like this every time."

    "What about Seh-Hwa?"

    <i>Tap, tap. </i>

    Sung Yu-Da tapped the desk with his finger. He was irritated because still didn''t know anything. He didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened on the day Lee Seh-Hwa had lost consciousness.

    What did Do Myung-Jun do that day? And why were Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa together now?

    "What happened?"

    "At that time, Seh-Hwa became the Prophet of the Voodoo Church," Do Myung-Jun said with aplicated expression. "I was conducting the Ritual of Session at that time. Because both of you suddenly came in, the Loa chose Seh-Hwa instead of me."

    "..."

    "Seh-Hwa became the Prophet when she was unprepared, so I had no choice but to take her. I¡¯m the leader of the Voodoo Church... and I was supposed to be the one to be the Prophet."

    Do Myung-Jun''s exnation was not very kind. However, Sung Yu-Da finally understood what Do Myung-Jun was doing back then, why Lee Seh-Hwa went crazy, and why she suddenly disappeared without any contact. He understood all of that now.

    However, there was one thing he couldn''t understand.

    "Couldn''t you have told me?"

    "There wasn¡¯t an opportunity at the time," Do Myung-Jun said as he bowed his head. "That''s why I apologized earlier."

    He continued to bow his head as if he was deeply ashamed of himself. Lee Seh-Hwa also did the same next to him.

    Sung Yu-Da looked back and forth between the two. Because he had been biting his lips earlier, he could taste blood in his mouth.

    His mrs itched, so he ground them, creating a crunching sound. He red at Do Myung-Jun with bloodshot eyes and said, "When Se-Hwa passed the Central Priesthood exam, do you know how happy she was?"

    "...I don''t know."

    Sung Yu-Da stood up and grabbed Do Myung-Jun by the cor.

    "You bastard, you took away Seh-Hwa''s future."

    "It wasn''t my intention."

    "Whether it was your intention or not, I don''t care!" Sung Yu-Da shouted, tightening his grip on Do Myung-Jun''s cor even harder.

    Do Myung-Jun stared him straight in the eye.

    Sung Yu-Da and Do Myung-Jun red at each other silently for a while. Sung Yu-Da sensed anger in Do Myung-Jun''s eyes¡ªa fierce anger that he had never seen before.

    Do Myung-Jun grabbed Sung Yu-Da''s wrist and said, "Me too."

    "...What?"

    "My future was taken away from me too. Well, more urately, I wasn¡¯t chosen. I was supposed to be the one to be the Prophet. If you say I took away Seh-Hwa''s future, I have no excuses. But..." Do Myung-Jun said with a chuckle. "Aren''t you just as guilty for abandoning Seh-Hwa to attend the promotion ceremony?"

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Sung Yu-Da mmed his fist on the desk. A massive rift appeared on the ss covering the desk.

    "Shut up."

    At that moment, Lee Seh-Hwa intervened between the two.

    "Stop it."

    She had kept her mouth shut the whole time, but she stood up and wrapped her hands around Sung Yu-Da''s hand that was gripping Do Myung-Jun''s cor. Her hands were cold. Sung Yu-Da let go of Do Myung-Jun''s cor. And with a dejected expression, he looked at Lee Seh-Hwa.

    "I''m sorry, Sung Yu-Da."

    Sung Yu-Da looked at her with his arms hanging out. He remembered how she had said that she used formalnguage with everyone because she wanted to keep a little distance from everyone.

    She was using informalnguage with Do Myung-Jun and formalnguage with Sung Yu-Da. During the time Sung Yu-Da spent trying to locate Lee Seh-Hwa to help cure her, the distance between Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa somehow became closer.

    What exactly had he worked so hard for? What exactly was it all for?

    "Get lost. Both of you," Sung Yu-Da said, ring at the two of them as if he wanted to kill them.

    Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa both left the office.

    Sung Yu-Da sat down in his office. There was nothing inside his office. The certificate he had received for bing an inquisitor and a bunch ofmendation ques he received from the Holy See were lined up on the shelf, but to Sung Yu-Da''s eyes, it felt like there was nothing in his office. The ques and certificates were now nothing more than meaningless objects to him.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    He hit his head on the desk.

    "Ah, hahaha...."

    Sung Yu-Da repeatedly banged his head on the desk andughed as if he had lost his sanity. Blood flowed from his forehead, pooling in the cracks on his desk and spreading through them.

 Chapter 269

    <h4>Chapter 269</h4>

    Under the pretext of going on vacation, Sung Yu-Da did note to work for several days.

    Since bing an inquisitor, Sung Yu-Da had never skipped a day of work, so no one dared to stop him. During that time, rumors circted among the clergymen that Sung Yu-Da would soon be promoted to the position of archbishop from a cardinal.

    After resting at home for a few days, he started feeling restless, so he walked to his researchb out of habit. There, he looked at the research materials he had been working on. There were many research materials on divine power, blessings, and miracles, but there were far more on the Voodoo Church and Voodoo spells.

    "..."

    Since all the research was done for Lee Seh-Hwa''s sake, they were no longer needed. Sung Yu-Da considered tearing them up and burning them all. However, he felt that doing that would waste all the time he had spent on his research. He didn''t know about everything else, but he believed that the research materials on the Voodoo Church and Voodoo spells would be useful someday.

    During his vacation, he met the woman who had been chosen as his marriage partner by the n members of the purification n. It was a meeting that he had been putting off until now. Sung Yu-Da knew how to distinguish between a good person and someone pretending to be a good person, and he could tell that she was just a in old good person. However, he didn''t feel attracted to her.

    To be more precise, he wasn''t interested. He felt that he hadn¡¯t sorted out his feelings toward Lee Seh-Hwa yet. Whenever he saw Lee Seh-Hwa, he felt nervous and excited, but at the same time, he also felt angry and wronged. Emotions that couldn''t be described as just ''having a crush on'' or ''liking'' Lee Seh-Hwa still lingered.

    He believed that if he was going to get romantically involved with someone else, he first needed to sort out his existing feelings. It was also a matter of courtesy to his marriage partner. His n members continued to push for the marriage, but Sung Yu-Da asked for some time and postponed it.

    Before he even had an opportunity to rece the table he had cracked during theirst confrontation, he met Lee Seh-Hwa again.

    ¡°Sung Yu-Da,¡± she said.

    Last time, she was with Do Myung-Jun, but this time she was alone. Sung Yu-Da''s face hardened. He red at Lee Seh-Hwa with bloodshot eyes and said, "What are you here for?"

    "I came to ask for a favor."

    Lee Seh-Hwa sat across from Sung Yu-Da and silently stared at him for a moment.

    Sung Yu-Da looked into her eyes. Her eyes, which were slightly squinted as they had always been in the past, were still charming, but the light in them seemed to have changed slightly. Her pupils contained a power that was much stronger and more resolute than before.

    A chill suddenly ran down his spine. It felt like some other<i> </i>existence resided deep within her pupils.

    She looked straight at Sung Yu-Da and said, "Do Myung-Jun... needs help."

    Apparently, Do Myung-Jun wanted to create something, and to do that, he needed Sung Yu-Da''s help. Do Myung-Jun believed that the origins of the Voodoo Church and the Romanican Church were the same, and he believed that bybining Voodoo magic and divine power, he could create something new and unique.

    Though her exnation was long-winded, Sung Yu-Da just decided to interpret it as a proposal to develop a new holy artifact bybining two different forces: Voodoo magic and divine power.

    "I know it''s shameless, but..."

    Without even fully listening to Lee Seh-Hwa''s words, Sung Yu-Da asked, "Where is Do Myung-Jun? If he wants to request something, tell him to ask me in person.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Lee Seh-Hwa quietly got up from her seat and left the office. As soon as she did, Do Myung-Jun entered. He had clearly sent Lee Seh-Hwa into the office first and had been eavesdropping on the conversation from outside the door.

    "You despicable bastard."

    "I felt like you would hit me if I came in first."

    <i>Smack! </i>

    As soon as Do Myung-Jun finished speaking, Sung Yu-Da punched him. As a result, Myung-Jun''s nose started to bleed.

    Do Myung-Jun immediately unleashed Voodoo magic and drew something in the air. It was simr but different from a blessing array. Sung Yu-Da concluded that it was a spell array. Mist enveloped Do Myung-Jun''s face. Then, his nosebleed stopped.

    "That wasn''t too bad. If I had known it was going to be like this, I should have just entered first,¡± Do Myung-Jun said with augh.

    Sung Yu-Da stared at him nkly and said, "Ha, you crazy bastard. You haven''t changed at all from the past."

    "People don''t change easily."

    "So, you need my help?"

    "Yes," Do Myung-Jun said with a nod.

    "What are you trying to create?" Sung Yu-Da asked.

    Do Myung-Jun began to exin as if he had been waiting for him to ask.

    He wanted to create a massive ''ce.¡¯ He wanted to create a ce that could contain someone''s memories and show them to someone else, and a ce where new memories and experiences could be created that no one else could ever experience.

    Apparently, he needed Sung Yu-Da''s help in order to create it. More specifically, he needed his wealth, his ability to cast the blessing of purification, as well as the permission of the Romanican Holy See.

    "As you probably also know, the situation with the Voodoo Church these days is no joke," Do Myung-Jun said.

    Recently, the Voodoo Church was losing its strong foothold due to the crimesmitted by an extremist faction within the church. Another reason why he was seeking help from Sung Yu-Da was so that he could avoid scrutiny from the Holy See and the other Romanican Church factions if he coborated with Sung Yu-Da.

    Do Myung-Jun exined everything truthfully.

    After listening to Do Myung-Jun''s exnation, Sung Yu-Da nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll help."

    Before color could return to Do Myung-Jun''s face, Sung Yu-Da continued, "In return, we will be jointly credited for constructing the Ark, and all research papers rted to the invention should list me as the primary author."

    "..."

    "The invention will be named Noah''s Ark, and the Ark must ultimately be affiliated with the Romanican Church. If you agree to all these terms, I will help you."

    In reality, Do Myung-Jun would be the oneing up with the ideas and all the inventing, so it didn''t make sense to jointly credit them for constructing the Ark. Moreover, designating Sung Yu-Da as the primary author of any research papers rting to the Ark and assigning the final ownership of the invention to the Romanican Church was an extremely unfair and inhumane agreement.

    Sung Yu-Da was well aware of this fact. He hade up with these absurd conditions hoping that Do Myung-Jun would reject his conditions.

    Do Myung-Jun stared at Sung Yu-Da for a while, then chuckled as if he was dumbfounded. "What the... it seems like the conditions are no big deal."

    "..."

    Contrary to Sung Yu-Da''s expectations, Do Myung-Jun epted the proposal all too easily.

    <i> </i> *

    Constructing the Ark was an extremely easy task for Sung Yu-Da. This was because Do Myung-Jun and the Voodoo Church members did most of the work. All Sung Yu-Da had to do was provide divine power and mary support. Essentially, his only real role was to prevent the Holy See and other Romanican factions from interfering with the project. Besides asionally visiting the construction site, Sung Yu-Da mainly focused on his duties as an inquisitor. As he did so, the Ark approached itspletion.

    When he came to the Ark to celebrate itspletion, Lee Seh-Hwa approached Sung Yu-Da and initiated a conversation.

    "Sung Yu-Da."

    "Ah, Seh-Hwa."

    After calling out to Sung Yu-Da, she remained silent and just quietly stared at him. Sung Yu-Da looked at the Voodooists gathered below thepleted Ark. They were gathered around Do Myung-Jun, their faces filled with emotion.

    Sung Yu-Da looked at them with a chuckle and said, "Do you remember what you said back then?"

    "What did I say?" Lee Seh-Hwa asked.

    Come to think of it, she had almost lost the memory of that day. He realized there was no way she would remember.

    "No," Sung Yu-Da said as he shook his head.

    He couldn¡¯t help but think that it wouldn¡¯t be so bad if the three of them could continue to meet like this asionally.

    Sung Yu-Da looked at Do Myung-Jun. He believed that Do Myung-Jun was a person who was different from himself. He thought that Do Myung-Jun had changed at some point, and that was the reason Sung Yu-Da had drifted apart from Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa.

    However, the sight of Do Myung-Jun smiling brightly in front of thepleted Ark was not much different from the Do Myung-Jun he knew during his childhood. Sung Yu-Da realized that perhaps the person who had changed was not Do Myung-Jun, but rather himself.

    Just a few months ago, whenever he saw Do Myung-Jun, he would feel breathless and his body would tremble due to anger. But now, Sung Yu-Da didn¡¯t feel angry at him at all. His chest, which had boiled with frustration and nervousness whenever he looked at Lee Seh-Hwa, no longer boiled when he looked at her. He truly didn¡¯t feel any of that anymore.

    "That was quick."

    ¡°Yes, it feels like we were able to construct it sooner than we expected,¡± Lee Seh-Hwa said as she nodded in agreement.

    She was referring to thepletion of the Ark, while Sung Yu-Da was referring to forgiveness.

    <i> </i> *

    All the research materials and papers that were written during the construction of the Ark ended up in Sung Yu-Da''s hands. They were research materials about Voodoo spells rted to memory, such as spells that injected memories into people or spells that read others'' memories. They were of no use to Sung Yu-Da since he couldn''t use Voodoo spells, but he decided to keep them for now. It was because Do Myung-Jun wanted Sung Yu-Da to keep them.

    Sung Yu-Da sessfully defeated one of the Satanist Executives, an executive named Greed, and using Do Myung-Jun''s research materials as a basis, he created a new way to utilize blessings called Adonai¡¯s Blessings.

    As a result, he was bestowed the title of Youngest Cardinal of All Time. It was during this time that Sung Yu-Da married the partner that the members of the purification n had chosen for him. When he heard the news that Lee Seh-Hwa and Do Myung-Jun got married and had a child, it surprisingly didn¡¯t bother him too much.

    It was around that time that Sung Yu-Da also had a child, and they named her Ha-Yeon. She had albinism.

    That year, there was a conve to decide the next Pope, and since Sung Yu-Da was a cardinal, he had voting rights. The candidate that he supported ended up being elected as the Pope.

    The following year, there was a meeting between the newly elected Pope and the leader of the Voodoo Church, Do Myung-Jun. After the meeting, the Pope summoned Sung Yu-Da to the Holy See.

    "Yes, Your Holiness. Did you call me?"

    Sung Yu-Da kneeled before the Pope and paid his respects. Sung Yu-Da was not nervous at all in front of the Pope. From the Pope''s perspective, making enemies with the purification n was not favorable, and the same was true for the purification n.

    Rather than a rtionship in which only one side respected the other, they had a rtionship in which they respected each other.

    The Pope sweated coldly and trembled as he said, "Cardinal Sung Yu-Da, the reason why I have summoned you is none other than... I am going to start a Holy War with the Voodoo Church. I want you to lead the war."

    ¡°...¡±

    The Pope''s sudden request surprised Sung Yu-Da. Terrible words such as ¡®Holy War¡¯ and ¡®war¡¯ flowed all too easily out of the Pope¡¯s mouth.

    Moreover, it was a Holy War with the Voodoo Church. The leader of the Voodoo Church was Do Myung-Jun. If Sung Yu-Da led the Holy War, he would inevitably have to face his friend Do Myung-Jun.

    "I''m sorry," Sung Yu-Da said as he bowed his head.

    Even if the leader of the Voodoo Church was not Do Myung-Jun, Sung Yu-Da still would have rejected the Pope''s request.

    War was never the right answer in any situation. The Pope coughed and said, "Don''t you know? Some of the cardinals think poorly of me."

    "..."

    "Above all, that man named Do Myung-Jun..." the Pope said as he trembled.

    One of his seven bodyguards tried to help the Pope calm down. The Pope rejected the bodyguard''s support and continued, "He is an existence that needs to disappear. I¡¯m sure you also know what I mean."

    "I''m sorry, sir," Sung Yu-Da said as he stood up.

    He understood that the Pope was focused on tightening his grip on power due to beingbeled as one of the worst Popes in history who wouldn¡¯t have been selected if it wasn¡¯t for the purification n. However, the leader of the Voodoo Church was Do Myung-Jun, and the Prophet was Lee Seh-Hwa. Sung Yu-Da did not want to face them on the battlefield.

    "I have a child. I do not want to get involved in such matters."

    Above all, he did not want to get involved in the war because he had Ha-Yeon. Sung Yu-Da left the Holy See. His back felt cold, perhaps because the Pope and his seven bodyguards were all gazing at him. However, Sung Yu-Da never looked back.

    In the year Ha-Yeon turned two, public criticism against the Voodoo Church intensified. It was because rumors spread that the Voodoo Church performed human sacrifices and cannibalism. There were also rumors that they burned people alive.

    Groups and factions discriminating against the Voodoo Church emerged. They demanded that the Voodoo Church disband or be designated as a ''cult.''

    The members of the Voodoo Church did not stay silent either. They held protests to counteract the usations, and the protests escted as they gradually resorted to using violence.

    It was reported that a pdin died during a suppression, causing sorrow among the citizens...

    "..."

    A pdin died during the process of suppressing a protest. The criticism toward the Voodoo Church intensified further, and the rumors circting about the Voodoo Church were being treated as facts.

    At the center of those rumors was Do Myung-Jun. People said that Do Myung-Jun primarily consumed human blood and that he used Voodoo spells to turn innocent people into zombie ves. They said he brainwashed people, ate snakes alive, led orgies, and spread diseases. People called Do Myung-Jun a devil.

    Sung Yu-Da rejected these rumors. The Do Myung-Jun he knew was not a devil. He might have beencking in some aspects, and he appeared entric when he obsessively focused on his research, but he was someone with a pure soul. Sung Yu-Da believed Do Myung-Jun was a person worthy of respect.

    However, the rumors circting about Do Myung-Jun painted him as a devil. The media and the public were all calling Do Myung-Jun a devil. Sung Yu-Da tried to contact Do Myung-Jun to ask about the truth, but he was unable to reach him.

    And the year Ha-Yeon turned five...

    "Cardinal Sung Yu-Da! There was a kidnapping incident!"

    "What?"

    Ha-Yeon was kidnapped.

 Chapter 270

    <h4>Chapter 270</h4>

    Sung Yu-Da left his office as soon as he heard the news that his daughter had been kidnapped. Then, he immediately headed to the Pdin Order where the report hade from.

    Upon arriving at the Pdin Order, the first thing he saw was a woman clinging to the pdins and wailing. It was Sung Yu-Da''s wife.

    "Please, sirs. Please, I beg you. Clergymen, ah, ahh...!"

    Sung Yu-Da silently watched her hold onto the clergymen passing by as she wailed miserably as if her breath was going to be cut off.

    Upon seeing that sight, he initially just wanted to sit down. Maintaining strength in his legs and standing upright felt like such a meaningless act to him. He wanted to just sit down and scream until his breath was finally cut off.

    However, right after, a new strength began to rise within Sung Yu-Da''s body. It was a strength that came from the wrath that he felt toward the ones who had kidnapped his daughter, Ha-Yeon.

    His heart initially felt like it was getting crushed and would stop at any moment, but it was now surging with so much energy that he felt like it would burst.

    "Why..."

    Sung Yu-Da approached the pdins. The veins on his forehead bulged, and his jaw muscles twitched incessantly due to his clenched teeth. With bloodshot eyes and a flushed face, he looked around at the seated pdins.

    "Why are you casually tapping on the keyboard while sitting in the Pdin Order?"

    "C-cardinal Sung Yu-Da."

    "Just how poor of a job have you been doing?" Sung Yu-Da asked, his lips trembling. "For none other than my daughter to be kidnapped by someone?"

    The pdins fell silent. Even after bing an inquisitor and a cardinal, Sung Yu-Da was known for not making statements acknowledging his power within the church or his n.

    Sung Yu-Da himself considered such an attitude dishonorable. He believed that all Romanicans under Adonai were the same. Cardinals were merely servants of Adonai with a slightly greater calling to serve the Romanican Church. That was Sung Yu-Da''s belief, and he would often say so whenever he spoke at lectures and such.

    For someone like him to say something like this meant that he was greatly enraged. No one dared approach or stop the enraged Sung Yu-Da, and no one had the courage to do so.

    At that moment, one person approached him. He was the director of the Pdin Order.

    "Cardinal Sung Yu-Da."

    ¡°...¡±

    Instead of responding, Sung Yu-Da simply red at the director. The director took out his phone from his pocket, nced at it briefly, then looked up at Sung Yu-Da.

    His eyes were filled with determination and conviction, befitting that of a clergyman.

    ¡°The information about your daughter¡¯s kidnappers and the location of where she is being held has been obtained. Soon, a squad of pdins and a squad of crusaders will be dispatched to rescue your daughter and arrest the kidnappers.¡±

    "Insufficient," Sung Yu-Da muttered.

    If there were only one squad of pdins and one squad of crusaders, it was no different from the number of personnel that would be deployed when a Satanist appeared. The number of people dispatched was much greater than what would normally be dispatched for a kidnapping.

    Nevertheless, Sung Yu-Da felt like it was not enough. If they did not bring enough personnel and something bad happened to Ha-Yeon¡ªthere was no way this would happen¡ªbut if Ha-Yeon died...

    Just imagining such a thing felt suffocating for Sung Yu-Da. He nced at the clock and said, "One squad of pdins. And instead of crusaders, organize a squad of priests. I will go to the scene myself."

    "Sung Yu-Da, you don''t need to go there in person. We can handle it sufficiently from our end¡ª"

    Sung Yu-Da continued to look at the clock as he said, "I will go myself."

    The ticking sound bothered him. As if he felt the passing of each minute and second, his heart grew anxious and his rage intensified.

    He forced himself to calm his rage down by taking deep breaths. "What is the reason for the kidnapping? Did the kidnappers have any demands?"

    "The demands are the resignation of some clergymen who made negative remarks about the Voodoo Church. This kidnapping incident is also part of an anti-discrimination protest for the Voodoo Church."

    "Then we willbel them not as protesters but armed rebels.¡±

    Sung Yu-Da pondered for a moment and then, with a sinister and eerie smile, said, "No... Let''s consider them as a terrorist group nning to overthrow the regime and suppress them."

    He would designate them as a terrorist group nning to overthrow the current regime. That was no different from saying that the kidnappers could be immediately killed on sight. The only group currently considered a terrorist group nning to overthrow the current regime was the Satanists. By saying this, Sung Yu-Da was effectively deciding that the Romanican Church should eradicate the Voodoo Church as a cult that was no different from Satanists.

    ¡°...¡±

    The director nodded slowly, with a dark shadow cast over his face.

    The pdins and priests were organized into squads and deployed for the operation. At the forefront was Sung Yu-Da.

    Sung Yu-Da stood in front of the location where Ha-Yeon and her kidnappers were gathered, and he gestured toward the priests gathered around him.

    "Blessing," Sung Yu-Da said, staring at the priests with cold eyes.

    The priests swallowed their saliva and nodded, and then began to unleash their divine power to draw blessing arrays. The head of the squad of priests gathered the blessing arrays drawn by the priests and connected them to create a massive fusion blessing array.

    A brilliant light burst from the blessing array. A vast amount of light of blessing which was enough to power an entire squad, no, an entire battalion, converged toward a single person. And that person was none other than Sung Yu-Da.

    He was receiving such an absurd amount of blessings that he couldn¡¯t handle it by himself. Divine power emanated from his body, a precursor to miracle replication.

    However, unlike a typical miracle replication, the divine power emanating from Sung Yu-Da was sucked back into his body.

    The pdins tilted their heads, unable to figure out what Sung Yu-Da was doing, but the priests were all in awe. The method of blessing utilization that Sung Yu-Da had most recently devised was the power of Adonai. The technique gathered the strengths of blessings and miracles containing the power of past saints within his own body.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Sung Yu-Da''s steps were calm and graceful as usual. However, there was a strong power and wrath in his gait. He entered the building while holding the Fourth Angel''s Horn holy artifact which he had obtained from the priesthood.

    Inside, he saw Ha-Yeon tied up and surrounded by kidnappers. The kidnappers were holding a saw to Ha-Yeon''s arm and staring nkly at Sung Yu-Da, who had entered the building.

    Sung Yu-Da first checked Ha-Yeon''s condition. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to be injured, but her hair had been cut off.

    <i>Wooooo¡ª!</i>

    Sung Yu-Da infused sacred power into the Fourth Angel''s Horn. A loud noise echoed in all directions.

    Ha-Yeon and the kidnappers'' vision was obscured by the effect of the holy artifact. Sung Yu-Da, with the blessings from the priests and the power of Adonai, walked confidently toward the kidnappers.

    Suddenly, Sung Yu-Da grabbed a kidnapper who was struggling due to his blinded eyes and crushed their head with his bare hands.

    <i>Crack¡ª!</i>

    <i>Crack, creak¡ª! </i>

    Again and again, the sound of skulls cracking and heads being crushed reverberated throughout the building.

    Some kidnappers calmly unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array even though they had lost their sight. The Voodoo mist enveloped Sung Yu-Da, but the spell did not affect him, as he was a member of the purification n.

    <i>Stter, stter.</i>

    An eyeball that had rolled out of a crushed skull rolled on the ground. Sung Yu-Da stared at the sight. He had killed countless demonic beasts and demons before, but he had never killed a human with his own hands.

    It was his first murder. However, the thrill was not much different from killing demonic beasts and demons. Sung Yu-Da did not consider the kidnappers as humans from the beginning.

    "Let''s go back, Ha-Yeon," Sung Yu-Da said to Ha-Yeon, who had lost consciousness due to the shock.

    There was no response, of course.

    As he held Ha-Yeon and walked out of the building, he noticed that something was flowing down his face. It was a sticky, hot liquid. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was sweat, the kidnappers¡¯ blood, or tears.

    After instructing the pdins to deal with the aftermath, Sung Yu-Da ordered the Pdin Order to protect his daughter.

    He then went straight to the Holy See. Kneeling on one knee and bowing his head before the Pope, he said, "Your Holiness."

    ¡°...¡±

    Seeing Sung Yu-Da, who suddenly appeared with a bloodied face, the Pope seemed quite startled.

    However, Sung Yu-Da paid no mind. He thought about the rumors surrounding Do Myung-Jun. Eating human flesh, conducting human sacrifices, and leading bizarre rituals, people called the leader of the Voodoo Cult a devil.

    Yes, he was a devil.

    "I will heed the words you spoke to me before, your Holiness."

    That was how the Holy War began.

    <i> </i> *

    The war was overwhelmingly in the Romanican Church¡¯s favor.

    Some battles were lost, and many sacrifices were made. It was all because of Prophet Lee Seh-Hwa and Cult Leader Do Myung-Jun. Lee Seh-Hwa manipted thunder, lightning, wind, and mes, and she shook the terrain, rendering the strategic use of topography ineffective against them. Do Myung-Jun''s spells made the clergymen unable to do anything, causing them to lose consciousness and copse. Some even suffered from hallucinations and remained insane even after the battle ended.

    If Sung Yu-Da had not been there, the Romanican Church might have had to admit defeat to the Voodoo Cult.

    If Sung Yu-Da had not been there...

    <i>Rip!</i>

    "Advance."

    Whenever Do Myung-Jun or other Voodoo Cult members cast a spell, Sung Yu-Da inflicted wounds on his own body, shed his blood, and nullified the spell with the blessing of purification. By shedding blood without hesitation and infusing it with the blessing of purification, he easily dispelled the Voodoo spells and boosted the morale of the Romanican Church clergymen.

    There was a rumor circting among the clergymen that if they gathered all the blood that Sung Yu-Da had shed, it would be more than enough to dye an entire reservoir red. The clergymen practically considered Sung Yu-Da a hero. Some even regarded him as the incarnation of Adonai who had appeared to lead the Romanican Church to victory.

    ¡°Huff, huff...!¡±

    However, only Ha-Yeon knew that while he was a courageous warrior on the battlefield, Sung Yu-Da was a weak human who couldn''t sleep properly without medicine at home. Due to his obsession with leading the Holy War to victory and seeking revenge on the Voodoo Cult, Sung Yu-Da neglected his family and ended up living separately from his wife.

    Every night, he would swallow an entire bottle of pills and draw several blessing arrays with his trembling hands before he would finally be able to fall asleep. He relied on medicine, blessings, and his mission to seek revenge on the Voodoo Cult to lead the Romanicans to victory in the Holy War.

    Ha-Yeon secretly watched him through the crack in the door.

    Many battles erupted. The Romanican Church utilized arge amount of human resources to engage in a war of attrition with the Voodoo Cult. When the Romanican clergymen died in battle, their deaths fueled the surviving clergymen''s wrath and boosted morale.

    Seeing how the Romanican clergymen showed no signs of decreasing in number despite engaging in numerous battles, despair spread among the Voodoo Cult members.

    "Cardinal Sung Yu-Da, we may be able to win the war during this battle..."

    "The Voodoo Cult has split into two factions, with one following the Prophet and the other following the Cult Leader..."

    "The core executives of the Voodoo Cult have fled..."

    Victory reports came from various ces. After a long period of war, the weakened Voodoo Cult split. The Prophet and the Cult Leader no longer actively participated in the battles. Without Lee Seh-Hwa and Do Myung-Jun, the Voodoo Cult was too weak. The Romanican Church achieved consecutive victories without even a single casualty.

    "..."

    Not long after, Do Myung-Jun surrendered and voluntarily appeared at the Holy See. The clergymen arrested him, cut off all his fingers to prevent him from casting spells, deprived him of food for three days, and beat him until he was in a state of exhaustion.

    Sung Yu-Da let that happen. No, he encouraged it.

    Finally, the day of the execution arrived. Sung Yu-Da carried out the execution. It would have been symbolic if he had done it, and he himself wanted it.

    Do Myung-Jun, hanging on the cross-shaped gallows, looked at Sung Yu-Da with eyes that were already like those of a corpse. Sung Yu-Da''s gaze toward Do Myung-Jun was not much different.

    "...That time, when was it again?"

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Sung Yu-Da poured oil on the gallows and set it on fire. Do Myung-Jun''s body was burned ck from head to toe. Sung Yu-Da did not listen to Do Myung-Jun''s words. He thought there was no need to listen to the words of a man who would soon die.

    Nevertheless, Do Myung-Jun smiled until the end and spoke while looking at Sung Yu-Da.

    When his body was half burnt, Do Myung-Jun said, "You said you wanted to see me use a Voodoo spell..."

    <i>Splitter, stter... </i>

    And then he unleashed Voodoo magic.

    The Voodoo magic emitted in a state of exhaustion was faint in color and pitiful in size. The state of the array was pitiful beyond description, and the Voodoo mist was even more dismal. It was a thin and powerless mist. It was a pitiful and miserable spell that should not have affected Sung Yu-Da, a member of the purification n.

    "It''s done. A spell to destroy the purification n members."

    <i>Drip.</i>

    When Do Myung-Jun''s body was almostpletely burned, he closed his eyes to ept his fate. Sung Yu-Da also closed his eyes.

    With the clear sound of a water droplet falling, Sung Yu-Da lost consciousness.

    And within his pitch-ck consciousness, Do Myung-Jun''s memories flowed in.

 Chapter 271

    <h4>Chapter 271</h4>

    Sung Yu-Da glimpsed into Do Myung-Jun¡¯s memories through the spell.

    It was a memory from right afterpleting Noah''s Ark. It was around the time that he lost contact with Sung Yu-Da and bad rumors about the Voodoo Cult started spreading.

    Do Myung-Jun was doing nothing. He simply performed a few religious services and dedicated the rest of his time to spell research and his duties as the Cult Leader. He did not engage in any activities that could be associated with the rumors of eating human flesh or performing human sacrifices.

    Even when some extreme factions within the Voodoo Cult expressed dissatisfaction over the discrimination that they were facing, Do Myung-Jun urged them to stop their extreme and violent actions.

    The division within the Voodoo Cult began at that time. Do Myung-Jun was greatly distressed by how the Voodoo Cult split into a radical faction calling for revenge, and a moderate faction continued to follow him.

    The ones who had kidnapped Ha-Yeon were not part of the Voodoo Cult. They had already been expelled from the Voodoo Cult due to their repeated extreme actions. These individuals had no connection to the Voodoo Cult that Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa belonged to. Do Myung-Jun tried to inform Sung Yu-Da of this fact, but he couldn''t reach him and failed to deliver the message.

    It was just like how Sung Yu-Da couldn''t reach Do Myung-Jun even when he tried to contact him.

    ¡°...¡±

    Do Myung-Jun knew that this was the Holy See¡¯s scheme to use Sung Yu-Da to deal with Do Myung-Jun by blocking themunication between them and using the enraged Sung Yu-Da as a tool for the Holy War.

    Do Myung-Jun attempted to contact Sung Yu-Da several times, but failed each time. It was because of the Holy See¡¯s scheme and because the wrathful Sung Yu-Da did not want to listen to Do Myung-Jun.

    Sung Yu-Da had mercilessly killed the Voodoo Cult members in the Holy War because he believed that he had almost lost his daughter because of the Voodoo Cult. The executives of Voodoo Cult fled during the Holy War, and when the division escted, it reached a point where having a conversation was impossible. That was when Do Myung-Jun gave up on resisting and instead devoted himself to researching spells.

    "I hope I can pass on this memory to a friend."

    He researched a spell that would also work on Sung Yu-Da, a member of the purification n. He wanted a spell that would allow him to convey his memories to him, believing that was the only way to resolve this misunderstanding.

    Those driven by a desire for revenge would never be happy even after achieving their revenge. Instead, only a bitter sense of emptiness would remain at the end. Do Myung-Jun did not want his friend, Sung Yu-Da, to live such a meaningless and empty life.

    Sung Yu-Da had killed countless members of the Voodoo Cult and was the main culprit in bringing down the Voodoo Cult during the Holy War. Nevertheless, Do Myung-Jun still considered him a friend.

    "And, my son too."

    With a meaningful statement, Do Myung-Jun''s memories came to an end. Sung Yu-Da regained consciousness.

    Do Myung-Jun, who had been looking at Sung Yu-Da until the final moments of his death, was nowhere to be seen. He was now just a pile of ashes on top of the gallows.

    A gentle breeze blew. The ashes fluttered in the wind.

    At that moment, a clergyman watching the situation from behind rushed over to him.

    "Sir Cardinal, are you okay?"

    Sung Yu-Da nodded to indicate that he was okay. He lowered his head and silently looked at his sleeve which had been charred ck by the mes.

    ***

    Sung Yu-Da relinquished his position as a cardinal within the church hierarchy. He also stepped down from his role as an inquisitor. He was now practically no longer a Romanican clergyman.

    The clergymen spected about why the hero who led the Holy War to victory suddenly resigned from all his positions.

    Some believed that he was satisfied with his achievement of leading the Romanicans to victory in the Holy War and wanted to spend his remaining years in peace. Others believed that, due to dedicating his life to work and not paying attention to family, he was trying to btedly care for his family. Others believed that he felt guilty about killing all those people during the war and that the idea of being a clergyman disillusioned him.

    There were various spections, but no one could be certain. It was because Sung Yu-Da had suddenly quit being a clergyman without saying a word.

    The Pope summoned Sung Yu-Da to the Holy See.

    He chuckled and said, "You¡¯ve done well, Cardinal Sung Yu-Da. No, you are no longer a cardinal. Would it be alright to call you a hero?"

    "..."

    However, Sung Yu-Da did notugh at the Pope''s joke at all. He just bowed his head and stood there with a stern face.

    Behind the Pope, the Pope¡¯s Seven Guardians solemnly looked down at Sung Yu-Da.

    "With this, my... the Romanican Church¡¯s era has arrived. What will you do now?" the Pope asked.

    Sung Yu-Da remained silent for a while and then said, "I want to rest."

    "Alright. It would have been great if I could continue to lead the Romanican Church with you, but it can¡¯t be helped. I know how hard you have worked up until now."

    "..."

    "You need to meet your family and friends you haven''t been able to see because of work."

    Sung Yu-Da just listened quietly to the Pope. He couldn¡¯t find the words to reply with. He had be a key figure in the Holy War and an influential person within the n of purification.

    Many of his n members admired him, but he had no family members with whom he could speak openly. The same was true for his friends. He had plenty of acquaintances among his colleagues, but there was no one he could truly call a friend. Well, he did have one. It was just that Sung Yu-Da had killed that friend with his own hands.

    "This is my gift to you. Go back home and open it."

    The Pope handed Sung Yu-Da a box with something inside. After epting it, he left the Holy See and headed back home.

    There was no one he could trust within the vast yet lonely mansion. There were only employees hired to do household chores.

    Sung Yu-Da entered his researchb, which had be dusty since he hadn¡¯t been there for a long time. The research materials that Do Myung-Jun handed to him after thepletion of Noah¡¯s Ark were scattered in a disorganized manner.

    He ced the box from the Pope on top of the mess. Upon opening the box, a gun appeared. A bullet with the Latin word ''revenge'' engraved on it was also enclosed in the corner of the box.

    ¡°...¡±

    Upon seeing the bullet, Sung Yu-Da realized what Pope expected from him. He loaded the bullet into the gun and ced it on the dusty desk in the researchb. He then went to the bedroom in an attempt to sleep. However, he was unable to fall asleep, so he swallowed a bunch of pills all at once. Still, sleep did note.

    After Do Myung-Jun¡¯s death, and after the end of the war was dered, several more incidents urred.

    There was a massacre known as The Starless Night where arge number of Voodoo Cult members were killed. And the execution of the Voodoo Cult Prophet, Lee Seh-Hwa, was carried out in private.

    After hearing the news, Sung Yu-Da came to theb. He picked up the gun that was on the desk, put it in his mouth, and pulled the safety.

    A click echoed in his head. He ced his finger on the trigger. Tears streamed from his bloodshot eyes.

    "What are you doing?"

    At that moment, someone entered theb. A young child peeked through the door and looked at Sung Yu-Da. It was Ha-Yeon.

    Sung Yu-Da quickly took the gun out of his mouth. The gun, covered in saliva and tears, slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

    <i>Bang¡ª! </i>

    A gunshot rang out, and an echo reverberated in the researchb. Smoke rose from the gun which had fallen on the floor.

    A small dent appeared on theb floor, caused by the stray bullet. Sung Yu-Da looked at Ha-Yeon, who was hesitating after the loud noise startled her.

    ¡®And, my son too.¡¯

    The words Do Myung-Jun had muttered lingered in Sung Yu-Da''s mind. If Do Myung-Jun''s son was still alive and if he managed to survive in the Holy War and The Starless Night, that child would be around the same age as Ha-Yeon.

    Right now, that child might be lost in grief over losing his parents or shedding tears while vowing revenge. Even if he seeded in his revenge in the future, there would be nothing left in that child''s life, just like Sung Yu-Da.

    Sung Yu-Da looked at the hesitating Ha-Yeon and said, "I''m sorry, Ha-Yeon. Truly...."

    He hoped that at least this child would not live a life as empty and miserable as his own.

    ***

    I opened my eyes. I was in Noah''s Ark. Sung Yu-Da¡¯s memories, which hade flooding in with the sound of Noah snapping his fingers, were still vivid in my mind.

    I blew away the traces of those memories by closing my eyes tightly and then opening them again. And then I nced around to grasp my surroundings. First and foremost, I saw Noah, who had shown me Sung Yu-Da¡¯s memories.

    And then I saw Sung Yu-Da, the owner of those memories. He stared into the empty space with vacant eyes, endlessly shedding tears like someone who had lost their mind.

    "..."

    I finally realized why he had not reported me to the Holy See and why he had tried to help me. He regretted everything. He regretted inciting a Holy War under the Pope''smand, and he regretted massacring countless Voodoo Cult members.

    And he saw me and Ha-Yeon as the only means of repentance.

    Honestly, there were many parts that I still couldn''t understand. Why start a Holy War if he was going to regret it? Why did he never once suspect that the Holy See had manipted rumors about the Voodoo Cult and my father?

    However, Sung Yu-Da was a faithful believer of the Romanican Church that even considered doubting a sin. When I thought about it that way, I could somewhat understand how he had moved like a fool ording to the Pope''s will.

    Nevertheless, regardless of personal circumstances, my desire for revenge against him did not disappear. Whatever happened in the past, and whatever the reason for the massacre was, the fact that he was the one who initiated the Holy War and massacred members of the Voodoo Cult remained unchanged.

    At that moment, Noah approached me and said, "Please feel free toe back anytime. Life spent within the Ark is boring and lonely."

    After saying that, he snapped his fingers.

    <i>Snap. </i>

    Everything in front of my eyes went dark. When I came back to my senses, I was in a forest instead of Noah''s Ark. Sung Yu-Da, who had been shedding tears after losing his mind, also came back to his senses and looked around in confusion. He and I locked eyes.

    "..."

    After seeing me, he lowered his head and avoided my gaze.

    "I have performed a sin that cannot be washed away," Sung Yu-Da said with aplicated expression. I hope that this chain of revenge cane to an end, but I cannot tell you not to seek revenge."

    "..."

    "Because all the tragedies began because of my foolishness."

    Sung Yu-Da had sumbed to the Pope''s persuasion, started the Holy War, and killed my father. The reason he had done all this was because of the mistaken belief that the Voodoo Cult almost caused him to lose Ha-Yeon and his burning desire for revenge, which stemmed from his foolishness.

    I once wanted to seek revenge against him. At one point, the words ¡®Second Holy War¡¯ came too easily to my lips. My desire for revenge and my hatred toward him still lingered. However, I no longer thought of seeking revenge by starting a Holy War or killing Sung Yu-Da. I knew the weight of the sacrifices that woulde if I started a Holy War, and I understood that actions driven solely by revenge would leave nothing behind. Above all, my father did not wish for it, as I had seen in Sung Yu-Da''s memories.

    "My mother is still alive," I said, recalling why I had tried to join Florence Academy.

    I needed to use Sung Yu-Da to find a way to rescue my mother in the underground prison.

    That was how I could take revenge on the Romanican Church, and that was how Sung Yu-Da would be able to repent to me and my father.

 Chapter 272

    <h4>Chapter 272</h4>

    The location of Noah''s Ark was on a mountain that was not marked on the map.

    I rode Sung Yu-Da''s car on the way back from visiting Noah''s Ark, but even the navigation did not work near it. When I took out my phone, the signal did not work, and even the time was set randomly. It felt like a separate space isted from the rest of the world.

    "Due to Do Myung-Jun''s Voodoo spell, signals do not work near the Ark. It''s impossible to even pinpoint the Ark¡¯s location," Sung Yu-Da said while ncing at the non-functioning navigation system.

    "Then, how do Ie back to Noah''s Ark?"

    "You can only rely on remembering the way back. Even if you remember the way, you cannot enter the Ark without permission from Noah, the owner of the Ark."

    "Permission, huh."

    "Since Noah told you toe back, there should be no problem with obtaining permission. As long as you remember the way, you cane back anytime," Sung Yu-Da said.

    Fortunately, it seemed like I would be able to return to the Ark because I had captured the scenery on the way to and from there.

    As the car swayed back and forth on the winding mountain road, I recalled Sung Yu-Da''s memories which I saw within the Ark. I understood the rtionship between my father, mother, and Sung Yu-Da. Sung Yu-Da''s desire for revenge against the Voodoo Cult was instilled by the Pope, thus leading to a tragedy for the group of three friends.

    The problemy with the Pope. Why did he incite a Holy War and try to eliminate the Voodoo Cult by manipting Sung Yu-Da? What did my father and Pope discuss when they met before the Holy War broke out?

    I wondered if Yu-Hyun might know about this.

    "Shall we talk about the underground prison now?" I asked.

    Sung Yu-Da said while driving, "As I mentioned earlier, there is a method to enter the underground prison. We might be able to reach the prison sooner than expected."

    "Sooner than expected? What do you mean?"

    "Thanks to you being a Florence Academy student and maintaining a good reputation among the clergymen, if we have a good reason to visit the prison, you might be able to visit right away," Sung Yu-Da said.

    He mentioned that during his time working for the Central Pdin Order, he had the opportunity to enter the underground prison right after suppressing the Satanist executive known as Greed. He said that as long as I had some sort of valid reason, I would also have the opportunity to enter the underground prison at any time.

    My affiliation as a Florence Academy student rather than the Central Pdin Order was an issue, but Sung Yu-Da said that he could somehow resolve it with the power of his n.

    "Normally, it would be absurd for a Florence Academy student to suppress a Satanist executive, but... if it''s you, you could probably do it."

    "Yes. I''ve already done so once."

    Once my words sank in, Sung Yu-Da said, "It seems like you were the one who suppressed the Satanist executive known as Envy.¡±

    I nodded and said, "Yes. But I couldn''t tell the clergymen that I defeated him, though."

    "Why couldn''t you tell them?"

    "Because I used too many Voodoo spells and too much of the power of the Loa at that time. If I told the truth, I could have been exposed as the leader of the Voodoo Cult."

    Jun-Hyuk was strong. He was stronger than any opponent I had ever met. So I overexerted myself and used all the powers of the Loa and all the Voodoo spells that were avable in my arsenal to defeat him. Even then, I was still unable to kill him.

    He was still alive in the underground prison, and he hinted at a reunion by asionally contacting me via his taxidermied creatures.

    Sung Yu-Da listened to me and nodded. After that, he didn''t say anything. He just continued driving.

    When the car finally left the mountain, he said, "I can¡¯t believe that Seh-Hwa is still alive. But if she really is still alive..."

    He skillfully entered the highway. The non-functioning navigation system finally started working properly.

    Sung Yu-Da continued, "I absolutely want you and Seh-Hwa to reunite, even if it¡¯s just for the sake of repentance."

    <i>Bzzzt¡ª! Bzzt¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, vibration sounds reverberated. Calls and messages frantically flooded my phone and Sung Yu-Da''s phone.

    Sincemunication was cut off while we were in Noah''s Ark, these were the phone calls and messages that we had missed during that period of time.

    I quickly checked my phone. There were calls from Han Dae-Ho, Oh Hee-Jin, In-Ah, Jin-Seo, and Joseph. Way too many people had tried to contact me.

    Many people also tried to contact Sung Yu-Da. Before he could check all the contacts, a call came in from Ha-Yeon. When he answered the phone, a man urgently pleaded to him.

    ¡ªSave me. Save me. Save me...

    "..."

    ¡ªKyaahhh!

    <i>Thud. </i>

    On the other end of the phone, the man continued to plead for help. The call was suddenly cut off along with what sounded like Ha-Yeon''s scream.

    Sung Yu-Da''s face hardened. A phone call from Han Dae-Ho was also causing my phone to vibrate incessantly. When I answered the call, Han Dae-Ho''s angry voice immediately pierced my ears.

    ¡ªYou bastard! What are you doing right now? Why can¡¯t I call you?

    "..."

    ¡ªImmediately... immediately head to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood. Hurry!

    <i>Click. </i>

    Han Dae-Ho said his piece and hung up. Sung Yu-Da turned off the navigation with trembling hands and turned on the news.

    Urgent reports stated that a person suspected to be a Satanist executive named Lust was carrying out a terrorist act at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood.

    Ha-Yeon was undergoing dispatch training at the Central Priesthood. Sung Yu-Da''s hands trembled slightly. He nced at the news with bloodshot eyes, then floored the elerator.

    <i>Vroom©¤! </i>

    The car roared as it began to speed down the empty highway.

    ***

    "Jin-Seo, are you going to the promotion ceremony this time?"

    In response to the student''s question, Jin-Seo nodded and said, "Yeah... I have to go."

    The Romanican Church held a promotion ceremony every year, and this time the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director was selected as a promotion recipient.

    In addition to the Pdin Order Northern Branch Director, several clergy members from the Eastern Pdin Order and Southern priesthood were also going to be promotes.

    With so many promotion recipients, many clergy members and key figures were expected to gather at this promotion ceremony.

    That was why Jin-Seo was even more reluctant to attend the ceremony. Prtes and key figures would definitely notice her presence because she was the daughter of Florence Academy¡¯s Chairman, Kim Chang-Won. Nevertheless, she had to attend the promotion ceremony because she was an apprentice crusader of the Crusader Order Northern Branch.

    Jin-Seo grimaced. "I don''t want to go, but I have to."

    The student smiled faintly and said, "Since we have to go anyway, just think of it lightly."

    "I am trying to think of it lightly. I¡¯m just annoyed is all... What about you? Are you going to the promotion ceremony?"

    "Yes, I have to go too. Even though it''s not mandatory, they kept pressuring me toe. Since we are both going anyway, shall we go together?" the student asked.

    Jin-Seo silently looked at the student. There was no need to go to the promotion ceremony with the student. Normally, she would have declined the offer and gone alone. At most, she would have considered going with her driver.

    "Sure, let''s do that."

    However, Jin-Seo nodded willingly. Even though there was no need to go together, it seemed better to do so. Maybe it wouldn''t be boring if there was someone to talk to on the way. After Jin-Seo nodded and responded, she suddenly tilted his head to the side as she was curious about something.

    "But where is the promotion ceremony being held?"

    "Wow... You really don''t care, do you? It''s being held at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood," the student said as she looked at Jin-Seo as if she couldn''t believe it.

    Jin-Seo narrowed her eyes and nodded.

    "The cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood," she repeated unnecessarily.

    If the promotion ceremony was being held at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood, not only would the director of the Central Priesthood attend, but also all the priests.

    Even the apprentice priests undergoing dispatch training would not be exceptions. So, most likely, Ha-Yeon would alsoe to the promotion ceremony.

    Jin-Seo didn''t have a close rtionship with Ha-Yeon. They only asionally talked during meetings as members of the Florence Academy student council and as members of the Seven Holy Names. They were in such a strained rtionship that they didn''t even greet each other. Therefore, there was no kindness, and of course, no malice between them.

    The words Ha-Yeon said back when Jin-Seo encountered both Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon together still lingered in her ears.

    <i>¡®When should we have our next secret meeting?¡¯</i>

    Jin-Seo didn''t hold any ill feelings toward Ha-Yeon just because of that one sentence. However, after that incident, she felt awkward and embarrassed whenever she faced her for no reason.

    "We probably won''t meet," Jin-Seo muttered.

    The student tilted her head and asked, "Meet? Who?"

    "Nothing. Anyway, let''s meet tomorrow and go to the cathedral together," Jin-Seo mumbled, quickly changing the subject.

    On the day of the graduation ceremony, Jin-Seo met the student near the school and went to the cathedral together with her. Knowing that public transportation would be crowded due to the graduation ceremony, she called her driver. The student stood there with her mouth agape as she looked at the driver and the car he was driving.

    "You were rich?"

    "You didn¡¯t know? I thought you were pretending to be close to me because of that," Jin-Seo said nonchntly.

    "Oh, I knew... but howe you¡¯re saying that I was pretending to be close? Aren¡¯t we close?" the student asked, blushing and bowing her head.

    "Just kidding. Hurry up and get in."

    Sheughed and opened the door for the student. Then she waited until the student got into the car.

    The student, perhaps unfamiliar with such consideration, cautiously got into the car and hunched her shoulders. Jin-Seo followed suit and the car started moving.

    The road heading toward the cathedral was congested. All the cars were heading to the same ce for the promotion ceremony.

    The student nced briefly at Jin-Seo and said, "We¡¯re close, right? You don¡¯t think I¡¯m just pretending to be close, do you?"

    Jin-Seo stared at her intently. Seeing her nervously wait for an answer, she felt a desire to tease her.

    "Well, what do you think?"

    "I, uh, I..."

    The student hesitated and couldn''t easily answer Jin-Seo''s question. Jin-Seo admired that sight for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course we''re close. Otherwise, why would I be going with you right now?"

    ¡°...Ri-right,¡± the student hesitantly responded.

    Jin-Seo stared intently at the student and then shifted her gaze beyond the window. The road was packed with cars. If she had known it would be like this, she would have taken public transportation.

    <i>¡®I can¡¯t bete,¡¯ </i>Jin-Seo thought as she absentmindedly stared out the car window.

    Meanwhile, the student sitting next to her looked at Jin-Seo''s profile.

    They finally arrived at the graduation ceremony venue. Jin-Seo exchanged greetings with the students and parted ways with her. Then she went to sit in the seat prepared for the members of the Crusader Order Northern Branch.

    She nced around at the other people gathered in the cathedral. The other members of the Northern Crusader Order had arrived before Jin-Seo and were already seated, along with a few prtes she recognized.

    Then, Jin-Seo saw an unwee face.

    "Hello." Ha-Yeon greeted her first.

    Jin-Seo received the greeting with a slight nod.

    The seats for the Northern Crusader Order and the Central Priesthood were right next to each other, and there were separate seats for apprentice clergymen, so they were practically sitting next to each other.

    It was not an atmosphere where they could initiate a conversation, and there was nothing particr that she wanted to talk about with her, so Jin-Seo remained silent. Ha-Yeon also did not bother to start a conversation.

    The silence lingered for a while.

    ¡ªThe promotion ceremony is about to begin, so we ask all guests to please take their seats.

    Jin-Seo looked around upon hearing the announcer say that the ceremony was about to begin. She quickly scanned the faces of the clergymen inside the Central Priesthood''s cathedral. She was trying to look for Sun-Woo.

    There was also a member of the Eastern Pdin Order among those up for promotion, so Jin-Seo thought Sun-Woo woulde too.

    At that moment, as if reading Jin-Seo''s mind, Ha-Yeon said, "It doesn¡¯t seem like Sun-Woo¡¯sing."

    Jin-Seo nced at Ha-Yeon with a somewhat displeased expression, then put on a rxed smile.

    "Really? I didn''t know. But why suddenly tell me that?"

    "Well, it seemed like you were looking for him. If not, forget it."

    While the two were talking, the ceremony had already started.

    Before the official ceremony, formal procedures such as praying and singing hymns were performed.

    As the voices of the choir filled the cathedral, Jin-Seo cautiously approached Ha-Yeon and asked, "Do you know why he''s noting?"

    She fixed her gaze toward the choir and she cautiously opened her mouth slightly to reply, "I don''t know."

    Jin-Seo slowly nodded and said, "Oh, he didn''t tell you in the <i>secret meeting </i>either?"

    Ha-Yeon responded by quickly turning her head toward Jin-Seo. And then she red at her with narrowed eyes.

    On the other hand, Jin-Seo kept her gaze on the choir, seemingly unfazed. Ha-Yeon found Jin-Seo¡¯s attitude to be extremely irritating, along with Sun-Woo''s attitude.

    At some point in time, Sun-Woo not only avoided any secret meetings with Ha-Yeon, but he also stoppedmunicating with her whatsoever. Whenever she tried to call him naturally as always, he would either not answer ore up with various excuses to end the call. It seemed like he was avoiding Ha-Yeon.

    "You seem very interested in Sun-Woo. Whenever I see you, you two are always talking and seem very close," Ha-Yeon said as the choir rehearsal wasing to an end.

    Jin-Seo eyed Ha-Yeon with suspicion. She nodded and said, "We are on good terms."

    "Then, Sun-Woo must have told you about his secret too, right?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo stared intently at Ha-Yeon. This time, Ha-Yeon focused on the choir and avoided eye contact with Jin-Seo. Jin-Seo¡¯s brow furrowed slightly.

    ¡ªCan the twelve clergymen selected as promotion candidates all step onto the stage?

    After the duo engaged in a peculiar conversation, the formal procedures were soonpleted, and the actual promotion ceremony began.

    Following the announcer''s request, the twelve clergymen selected as promotion candidates ascended onto the stage. The announcer conducting the event stood at the center and held the microphone.

    The announcer slightly bowed his head toward the clergymen seated in the audience as he said, "Before we begin the promotion ceremony, I would like to express my infinite gratitude to the distinguished guests who have gathered here today to congratte the promotions of the clergymen on the stage."

    Then he turned toward the promotion candidates on the stage and said, "Promotion does not simply mean the rise in the hierarchy within the church. It also signifies bing a person who receives more of the will and mission of Adonai..."

    It was a tedious and formal speech. The announcer''s words went through one of Jin-Seo¡¯s ears and out the other as she pondered what Ha-Yeon had said about Sun-Woo''s ''secret.¡¯ Jin-Seo had never directly heard any sort of secret from Sun-Woo''s mouth. It irritated her that she didn¡¯t know about Sun-Woo''s secret and yet Ha-Yeon knew.

    "You all are setting an example for all clergymen and leading the revival of the Romanican Church while dealing with the cults¡ª!"

    <i>Shriek¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, the announcer''s voice was cut off. A sharp noise echoed through the speakers. Jin-Seo tightly closed her eyes and covered her ears. Somehow, the sounding from the speaker reminded her of the roar of the demon she encountered in the past.

    Eventually, when she opened her eyes, the face of the announcer skillfully conducting the promotion ceremony had changed.

    The announcer held on to the microphone and muttered iprehensible words. "The cults... Satan. Satan, the Satanists. Satan, Satanist. Satan, Lord Satan...!"

    Their tidy face was currently distorted beyond recognition, and dark smoke billowed out from their grotesquely wide open mouth.

    The ground vibrated mysteriously, and as time passed, the vibrations gradually increased.

    <i>Crash¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, the announcer''s body shattered into pieces. Simultaneously, a creature that was familiar to Jin-Seo slithered out from underneath the stage.

    It was the same demon who had killed Jin-Seo''s foster mother and the one who had appeared at the practical examination site to battle her. It was the demon that they had ultimately failed to defeat.

    <i>Shriek¡ª! </i>

    As if celebrating its resurrection, the demon¡¯s scream echoed through the speakers and spread throughout the entire cathedral. And then a couple of the clergymen began to copse as they shed ck tears.

 Chapter 273

    <h4>Chapter 273</h4>

    When the demon¡¯s roar spread through the speakers, Jin-Seo once again experienced a hallucination, but she snapped out of it shortly afterward. Since she had been subjected to the same ck magic twice before, she instinctively knew how to quickly break free from the hallucination.

    However, this was not the case for the other clergymen. Non-clergymen participating in the promotion ceremony due to their close ties to the Romanican Church and some of the prtes unfamiliar with ck magic heard the screams and lost their minds. The clergymen were lying down and shedding ck tears with their eyes wide open.

    <i>Swoosh! </i>

    The demon that suddenly appeared on stage swung its long and sinister arms and instantly tore four of the twelve promotion candidates in half, killing them. The remaining eight also suffered deep wounds on their bodies. They didn''t even have a chance to resist, as they didn''t even have weapons.

    The blood that was scattered on the stage reflected the cathedral''s magnificent and brilliant lighting, casting an eerie glow.

    "Ah, what is this...."

    "Move, get out of the way! Don''t just stand there, move!"

    "Huh? Oh, why is there a demon here..."

    Even those not affected by ck magic were thrown into panic by the suddenmotion. Half of the people quickly assessed the situation and fled the cathedral in a hurry, while the other half still did not grasp the situation as they stared nkly at the demon causing a ruckus on the stage.

    At that moment, a voice broke through the chaos in the cathedral.

    "Northern Crusader Order¡ª!"

    The deep and resonant voice belonged to the director of the Northern Crusader Order.

    The members of the Northern Crusader Order, who were momentarily confused, straightened up at the sound of that voice.

    "Everyone, gear up and prepare for battle against the demon¡ª!"

    <i>Crack!</i>

    But the voice was abruptly cut off by a sinister and ominous sound. It was the sound of the demon''s fist striking the Northern Crusader Order director¡¯s head.

    The Northern Crusader Order director seemed to have saved his life by narrowly blocking the attack, but the impact was so severe that he was no longer able to move.

    Despite this, he continued to shout out orders to hisrades until the end. ¡°Prepare... for battle...!¡±

    Even with potentially fatal injuries, he fulfilled his role as a director to the end, truly embodying the spirit of a ''crusader.'' It was all thanks to him that light returned in the eyes of the Northern Crusader Order members.

    "Save, save me. Save, save me..."

    At that moment, a sharp scream came from somewhere.

    "Kyaahhh!"

    It was Ha-Yeon.

    Some of the clergymen who fell after shedding ck tears were now spilling blood from every orifice and grabbing anyone they could find to beg for their lives.

    Ha-Yeon had a weak stomach, and she screamed at the sight. Her phone, which was currently in a phone call with Sung Yu-Da, fell to the ground and shattered.

    "Immediately... immediately head to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood. Hurry!" Han Dae-Ho ordered.

    He was urgently ordering Sun-Woo to mobilize to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood over the phone. Oh Hee-Jin hade to attend the promotion ceremony together with him, and he hastily dashed out of the cathedral upon receiving Han Dae-Ho''s instructions.

    "Hur-ry...?"

    At that moment, the mobile phone that Han Dae-Ho was holding fell to the ground. He was trembling and staring nkly at something. His gaze was fixated on the members of the Eastern Pdin Order who had been on the stage in preparation for their promotion.

    They had smiled brightly while awaiting their promotion, but they had already fully embraced death. They died without even realizing that they had died.

    Saliva dripped down Han Dae-Ho''s open mouth. His gaze shifted from the lifeless members to a man walking up to the stage.

    <i>ck, ck. </i>

    The man confidently walked up to the stage with loud footsteps. Then he shot a disgusted look at the face and body of the Northern Crusader Order director who had copsed after losing consciousness.

    After staring at the director of the Northern Crusader Order for a while, the man slowly nodded with a smile and said, "You have quite a superior body."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Along with the man''s words, a fire ignited on the body of the Northern Crusader Order director. It was not a fire that emitted light, but a dark and ominous me that absorbed light from all directions. It clung to the director''s body and flickered as if it was dancing.

    The director¡¯s body, which had fallen into a state of unconsciousness after stuffing the demon¡¯s attacks, was being restored by the mes. No, restoration was not the right term. The Northern Crusader Order director¡¯s body was being reborn in a new form.

    When the mes subsided and eventually went outpletely, the director''s body had changed. They no longer had a human body, but the body of a demon.

    No traces of human rationality could be found within his eyes which scanned the area. His eyes were filled with killing intent.

    "It looks like an astonishingly superior being has been born."

    <i>p, p, p.</i>

    The man pped his hands as he watched the scene. Then, he approached the clergymen who had died or had been injured on the stage.

    He carefully examined their faces, and instead of showing a bright smile, his face hardened.

    "The rest are all inferior beings. Pathetic."

    <i>Krrk, crack, squish... </i>

    The demon appeared on the stage and began to crush the bodies of the surviving clergymen and the deceased ones one by one.

    The injured clergymen who were trembling and begging for their lives met a brutal death, and those who were already dead now no longer had aplete corpse.

    The man who mercilessly killed the twelve clergymen in an instant looked down at the audience from the stage and smirked.

    "Looks like there are many superior beings here. I did well in listening to that guy."

    Han Dae-Ho stared nkly at the vile and dreadful smile. He hesitantly stepped forward and approached the man standing on the stage.

    His lips were dry. Like a madman with a vacant expression, he muttered, "Because you all were promoted..."

    At first nce, it seemed as if he was under the influence of ck magic. However, the tears flowing from his eyes were not dark, but rather clear and pure. He was not under the influence of ck magic.

    "We were really, really proud. Both me and you guys...."

    He approached the man alone without any equipment. The light of blessing was flowing from his body.

    Han Dae-Ho himself was not casting the blessing. The director of the Southern priesthood had drawn a blessing array while she was vomiting out blood and had transmitted the light to Han Dae-Ho.

    Like Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Southern priesthood had also lost members of her branch to the demon that had just appeared. She shed tears of blood as she drew several blessing arrays. All the light of blessing poured into Han Dae-Ho''s body.

    Finally, Han Dae-Ho''s body was enveloped in a brilliant light that was brighter than the purest of lights.

    "Director, your equipment...!"

    At that moment, Oh Hee-Jin returned to the cathedral after following Han Dae-Ho''s instructions and hastily gathering the equipment in the Central priesthood armory.

    However, he soon lost grip of the equipment he was holding and spilled it all on the floor. It was due to the horrifying scene that unfolded before his eyes.

    On the stage, he saw a bunch of squashed clergymen who had died in a gruesome manner. He saw priests drawing blessing arrays while shedding tears of blood, and he saw Han Dae-Ho approaching a man step by step while receiving the light of blessing.

    He also saw clergymen wandering the cathedral like zombies while shedding ck tears, and people fleeing in confusion and fear. Finally, he saw a mysterious man who, despite witnessing all the carnage, seemed to be leisurely smiling.

    "It''s a banquet."

    <i>Click. </i>

    All the lights in the cathedral went out. To be precise, everyone in the cathedral had been invited to a different ce that was not the cathedral.

    It was a ''Banquet,¡¯ the name of the ck magic spell that the Satanist named Lust used. The spell would turn the nearby area into a ce for Satanists filled with madness and chaos.

    Upon realizing this, Oh Hee-Jin slumped down. There was a clear sense of despair on his face.

    There were only two ways to escape from the Banquet. One would either have to die or be a demon that submitted to Lust¡¯s ck magic spell. Whichever method they chose, there was no way to survive. He trembled and cowered in fear. He closed his eyes.

    A woman''s voice echoed in the darkness.

    ¡ªHow long will you just be the director¡¯sckey?

    <i>Tap tap. </i>

    At that moment, someone tapped on the shoulder of Oh Hee-Jin, who was crouching down.

    Startled, Oh Hee-Jin let out a crude scream. "Aaahhh...!"

    The Banquet was literally a ce for Satanists, demonic beasts, and all other creatures created by Satanists. It was a space where death could suddenlye at any time from anywhere without notice. Therefore, when someone tapped on Oh Hee-Jin''s shoulder, he thought that his life was already over.

    However, strangely enough, Oh Hee-Jin was still alive. He raised his head. Beyond the darkness, a familiar face appeared.

    "I always seem to receive help from you. Thank you," Joseph said as he picked up a mace and a sword from the weapons Oh Hee-Jin had brought.

    Oh Hee-Jin blinked and looked at Joseph who turned around and surveyed the scenery of the Banquet. The glowing eyes of the demons floated around like stars in the darkness.

    <i>Clench.</i>

    Suddenly, Joseph clenched his teeth. The sight of Joseph walking alone into the darkness with only a mace and a sword in hand was truly an exemr for Oh Hee-Jin as a pdin.

    Although he felt respect for Joseph, he also felt deep despair and disgust toward himself for trembling in fear and his inability to do anything.

    At that moment, he heard a woman''s voice again, urging Oh Hee-Jin to make a choice.

    ¡ªYou can also do it.

    ***

    ¡°Kyaaaah¡ª!¡±

    ¡°Help, please save me! Please, save me¡ª!¡±

    Along with a man''s voice, the cathedral was suddenly engulfed in darkness. A desperate voice begging for life and screams of people could be heard within the darkness.

    Ha-Yeon stood still in the darkness and felt an instinctual urge not to move hastily.

    <i>Thump, thump, thump. </i>

    As Ha-Yeon stood still, she heard something approaching her.

    It was definitely not the sound of human footsteps¡ªthe sound was too heavy and menacing.

    Two red lights appeared in the darkness. Those were the eyes of a demon. The demon that appeared in front of Ha-Yeon scanned her body with its red eyes in a way that felt ufortable to her.

    The demon muttered iprehensible words to Ha-Yeon. "It¡¯s not you. It¡¯s... not you."

    Ha-Yeon was overwhelmed by fear and tried to step back, but her feet wouldn''t move. For some reason, she felt like she might stumble and fall if she moved her legs. She was scared of the dark and was terrified of demons, but she was even more terrified by demons in the darkness.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    The demon swung its sharp nails toward Ha-Yeon. She tightly shut her eyes.

    Ha-Yeon felt her body float in that moment of impending death. Someone was embracing her and shielding her from the demon''s attack.

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon looked to see who had saved her. It was Jin-Seo. She gently ced Ha-Yeon back on the ground. Then, she looked at the demon.

    The demon spotted Jin-Seo and red at her with red eyes.

    "I found you. Jin-Seo, Kim Jin-Seo...!"

    "Ha."

    Despite facing a life or death situation, Jin-Seo let out a bitterugh. This was the demon she had encountered at the practical examination site.

    Back then, the demon had repeatedly called out Jin-Seo''s name, and they were continuing to do so even now. She waspletely bbergasted. Jin-Seo saw the demon approaching her. The demon caught her eye as it was nowrger and more sinister than what she had seen at the practical examination site.

    She clenched and unclenched her hands. If only she had a sword, she would have been able to fight back. But let alone a sword, she didn¡¯t even have a crude weapon like a wooden stick.

    There was no chance of winning against the demon with just her bare fists. No, this was not a matter of possibility. Without a weapon, she would face a brutal death without even putting up a fight. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo clenched her fists and kept her gaze fixed on the demon.

    "Ha-Yeon, you can use blessings, right?"

    "...Yes."

    Ha-Yeon nodded and immediately unleashed divine power. A blessing array was drawn, and the light of blessing enveloped Jin-Seo''s body.

    Divine power slowly flowed out from Jin-Seo''s body. It was a precursor to miracle replication.

    The divine power flowing from Jin-Seo''s body soared into the sky and turned into a massive me.

    "If I lose, it¡¯s your fault."

    "Huh?"

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    The me created by Jin-Seo''s miracle replication quickly turned into a towering pir of fire and poured down onto the demon.

    With Ha-Yeon''s blessing still on her body, Jin-Seo leaped into the me.

 Chapter 274

    <h4>Chapter 274</h4>

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    By the time Ha-Yeon regained consciousness, Jin-Seo had already thrown herself into the mes.

    Two dark figures faced each other inside the mes of the miracle that drove away the Banquet¡¯s darkness. The figures belonged to Jin-Seo and the demon. Jin-Seo confronted the demon with just her fists and without any weapons, while the demon¡¯s entire body was a weapon.

    Jin-Seo knew it was a fight she couldn''t win. Nevertheless, she jumped in. Although she knew that she might die, no, although she knew that she would definitely die, she still replicated a miracle to summon a pir of fire and then jumped into it.

    It wasn''t because she was determined to save Ha-Yeon. She didn''t care for Ha-Yeon enough to risk her own life. Was it to avenge her foster mother who was killed by a demon? That wasn''t the reason either. She just jumped in without any special reason.

    Perhaps she just felt a sense of self-destruction.

    "Jin, Seo. Kim Jin...!" the demon muttered.

    Jin-Seo''s body floated up in the mes and her knee flew toward the demon¡¯s face.

    <i>Crunch!</i>

    The sound of something breaking echoed. The demon¡¯s nasal bone and Jin-Seo''s knee simultaneously shattered.

    Thanks to Ha-Yeon''s blessing, Jin-Seo¡¯s overall physical abilities improved, allowing her to harm the demon even without any weapons. The issue was the durability of her body. The demon''s body was tough, while Jin-Seo''s body, no matter how well-trained, was still human. Jin-Seo had to endure injuries every time she attacked.

    "It doesn''t hurt."

    One fortunate thing was that she hardly felt any pain. This, too, was thanks to Ha-Yeon''s blessing. Or perhaps it was due to her senses that had been paralyzed with death looming before her.

    Either way, it didn''t matter. Jin-Seo decided not to dwell on her thoughts for a moment. What she needed to do right now was not to analyze what happened, but think about what to do next.

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    Jin-Seo flew up again. She climbed onto the demon¡¯s shoulders.

    There was some resistance from the demon, but its movements had slowed down significantly, perhaps due to the mes, which allowed her to dodge the demon¡¯s resistance easily. Upon inspecting the demon¡¯s armor, she noticed that the surface was slightly charred, perhaps due to the mes from her miracle replication.

    She had climbed onto the demon¡¯s body, not to strike the demon, but to attack its joints.

    Facing the demon whose body was as tough as steel, Jin-Seo would be the one to get injured if she tried to strike. Therefore, attacking its joints was her only option.

    She wrapped her legs around the demon¡¯s arm and twisted her body.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    Her technique was executed cleanly. The demon screamed and thrashed around.

    "Kkeeeeek¡ª!"

    "Ugh!"

    Jin-Seo had been hanging onto the demon''s body, but then she copsed to the ground. It seemed like she had been thrown to the ground quite forcefully since she still felt quite a lot of pain despite receiving Ha-Yeon''s blessing.

    Jin-Seo rubbed her lower back and stood back up. She chuckled as she looked at the demon''s dislocated shoulder.

    Learning how to attack an opponent¡¯s limbs was something she had learned from the Northern Crusader Order. She had learned it just in case she encountered a demonic beast or a demon in an unexpected situation.

    The director had repeatedly emphasized that crusaders had to always be prepared for battle. Jin-Seo was the only one who took the director''s words to heart and sincerely dedicated herself to the training sessions. She believed in the director''s words.

    In fact, she really did get attacked more often by the demons and demonic beasts when she was in a defenseless state.

    "Kke-ek, kkeeek©¤!"

    Jin-Seo approached the screaming demon. She had already dislocated and shattered the demon¡¯s right shoulder, and now she was nning to do the same to its left shoulder.

    The demon''s movements were still slow, so there was no difficulty in avoiding them. Jin-Seo thought that the training sessions she had gone through were finally showing results.

    She began to think that perhaps she might be able to defeat the demon without any weapons and with only blessings, miracles, and martial arts. Such an arrogant thought crossed her mind.

    <i>Thump. </i>

    Her thoughts changed when a third eye opened on the demon¡¯s forehead. In that instant, the demon''s movements became strangely fast.

    Previously, the demon had been frantically struggling in pain, but it now had eyes filled with calm killing intent.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    The demon swung its arm. Jin-Seo leaned back and narrowly avoided it. The problem was the next attack was alreadying.

    Jin-Seo took a defensive stance and squeezed her eyes shut. She managed to dodge the first attack somehow, but she couldn''t avoid the second attack. In order to dodge the first attack, she had bent her body at an angle that made it impossible to dodge the next attack.

    After the demon opened its third eye, it not only became faster but its movements were also more clever.

    <i>Crunch.</i>

    ¡°...¡±

    A sinister sound resounded, and then there was silence. Only the sound of the demon¡¯s armor burning could be asionally heard.

    Jin-Seo opened her eyes. She must have been hit directly by the demon''s attack, but her body was surprisingly unharmed.

    She saw two figures within the mes. One was the demon, and the other was the back of a man.

    The man was holding a mace and a sword and was blocking the demon''s attacks with the mace. He turned his head to look at Jin-Seo and then handed her the sword.

    "Can you move?"

    "..."

    "Ah, looks like you''re barely injured. That''s a relief," Joseph said with a casual smile.

    Jin-Seo epted the sword. Joseph tightly gripped the mace and stared at the demon. Jin-Seo felt a tingling sensation at her fingertips when she watched him.

    She felt a sinister and dangerous sensation as if she was witnessing the casting of ck magic right before her eyes.

    "It was a day of repentance."

    Joseph approached the demon. A single tear rolled down from his eyes.

    Within his gaze directed toward the demon, she could sense wrath, regret, as well as a strange sadness and tenderness. The demon raised his arm and Joseph also raised his club.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The demon''s fist shed with Joseph''s club. And then the demon''s fist shattered and disappeared without a trace.

    It had literally happened in an instant. The demon, now missing a hand, screamed in agony and writhed in pain. Joseph did not give it a chance to recover and struck with the club again.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The sound was not loud. It was a light and faint sound, like the sound of a ball bouncing off of a surface. However, with just that simple swing, the demon''s shoulder fell off.

    The demon¡¯s body was slowly disintegrating with each swing of Joseph¡¯s mace. With another swing of the club, the demon''s leg was torn apart.

    Jin-Seo held her sword and quietly watched the battle unfold. If Joseph was cornered by the demon during the fight, she thought she might be able to join the battle and help him. However, there was no need for that. Joseph was one-sidedly beating down the demon.

    No, he was ying around with the demon and purposely not killing it.

    "I thought I would feel relieved if I killed this thing," Joseph muttered as he swung his club.

    <i>Crunch. </i>

    "Keeeeeek¡ª!" the demon screamed.

    At this point, the demon had lost all its limbs and was writhing on the ground with only their torso left.

    Joseph climbed on top of the torso. And then he casually looked down at the red eyes staring at him.

    He was thinking of his wife. His wife had met a miserable death due to this weak and insignificant demon.

    And he thought about how he had allowed his wife to die at the hands of such a weak and insignificant demon. He thought about how he had spent all this time training like a madman while despising his weak self. He thought about all the experiences he had missed due to being blinded by such petty revenge and strengthened his grip on the mace.

    "It seems like there was no method for me to repent from the start."

    <i>Stab.</i>

    A sword pierced through the demon¡¯s heart. It was Jin-Seo, not Joseph, who had stabbed the heart.

    Jin-Seo twisted the sword which was stuck in the demon¡¯s heart. The demon screamed in pain and trembled.

    The red light that lingered in the demon''s pupils vanished instantly. ck smoke emanated from the body, indicating that the demon had died.

    Joseph blinked his eyes and looked at Jin-Seo. The mes that surrounded them had disappeared. Jin-Seo also blinked at Joseph.

    "I wanted to do it," Jin-Seo casually said.

    Joseph stared nkly at Jin-Seo with his mouth shut, then smiled and nodded.

    "It seems like this is better for sure."

    <i>Swish¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, the darkness surrounding them began to dissipate, like the rising curtain of a y.

    And then a grim scene unfolded in front of Joseph, Jin-Seo, and Ha-Yeon.

    The first thing they saw was the fallen people. They all had their arms or legs torn off, or their heads ripped off in a pitiful state. They were all either dead or barely clinging onto life. And surrounding them were the figures of strange demons.

    In the center of the fallen people was Han Dae-Ho. He had been defeated in battle and was lying on the ground injured.

    The Southern priesthood director who had been pouring blessings on him while crying tears of blood had long since fainted and lost consciousness.

    And there was the man who had orchestrated all the carnage. He was the Satanist executive known as Lust.

    He looked at the fallen Han Dae-Ho.

    As if he was giving a critique, he said, "A strong physique and mental strength. But theck of intelligence is regrettable."

    Han Dae-Ho used all his remaining strength to look up at the man. Even in a state close to death, his eyes were sharp and filled with strong determination as he stared at the enemy.

    However, before long, the strong light in his eyes faded and he copsed. Lust¡¯s gaze turned toward Han Dae-Ho, Jin-Seo, and Ha-Yeon. Desire boiled in his eyes as he gazed at two people in particr.

    He smiled as he called out their names. "Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon."

    Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon shuddered.

    The fact that Lust knew her name filled Ha-Yeon with dread.

    Jin-Seo shuddered for a different reason. She remembered the voice that faintly echoed beyond the hazy eyes of the demon who had been persistently targeting her.

    The icy and unpleasant voice sounded too simr to Lust¡¯s voice. No, it was exactly the same.

    Jin-Seo realized that the person who had been sending the demon after her was none other than Lust.

    "Go, my most superior servant," he said to the demon by his side.

    Among the nearby demons, thergest one nodded and approached the three of them.

    Jin-Seo, Joseph, and Ha-Yeon observed the demon. Jin-Seo knew who the original body of that demon belonged to.

    He had been the director of the Northern Crusader Order, and he had taught Jin-Seo many things includingbat tactics. He had turned into a demon after he was targeted by a ck magic spell right before his death.

    Jin-Seo gritted her teeth and clenched her sword tightly. The demon made from the body of the director of the Northern Crusader Order had four arms and six eyes.

    Perhaps because of this, they exuded a different level of intimidationpared to other demons.

    "It has four arms. It must be really good at boxing," Joseph chuckled as he looked at the demon.

    He gently ced the mace he was holding onto the ground. Then he clenched his fist and prepared himself.

    "Jin-Seo, Ha-Yeon. Can you two handle that demon? I''ll take care of that... stupid-looking man," Joseph said as he pointed at Lust with his chin.

    Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon looked at the demon, and then they gulped and mustered up their determination. After some contemtion, they nodded.

    Joseph grinned widely. On the other hand, Lust''s face was contorted in disgust.

    "Stupid-looking man, you say? This is the first I¡¯ve been insulted in such a way. To hear such words from an inferior and vulgar seed. What a disgrace...."

    "Vulgar, huh."

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    Joseph walked toward Lust and said, "Have you ever seen the essence of the Nazirite arts?"

    ***

    Finally, we arrived at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood. However, by the time we arrived, the cathedral was enveloped in a mysterious ck substance.

    Sung Yu-Da quickly scanned the ck substance enveloping the cathedral with his eyes and said, "It''s ck magic."

    "Let¡¯s get rid of it with the blessing of purification."

    "The ck magic of executives can¡¯t be removed even with the blessing of purification..." Sung Yu-Da started to respond to my words but then stopped.

    His eyes were still scanning the ck substance. He cautiously touched the ck substance with his fingertips and said, "No... it''s weaker than it looks. It''s not an executive¡¯s ck magic."

    <i>Swish! </i>

    He drew a dagger from his waist and cut his palm. Blood dripped out. He drew a blessing array in an instant and poured his blood onto it. A clear light emanated from the blessing array.

    The blessing array was on a different levelpared to the blessing of purification that Ha-Yeon had used in the past. It was truly pure and radiant.

    "It may be difficult to eliminate it immediately, but we can create an opening. Once we create an opening, we can somehow get in..."

    As Sung Yu-Da had said, a small opening appeared in the ck substance enveloping the cathedral.

    It was a tiny gap that was just wide enough to squeeze through.

    I peered quietly into the gap. It was dark, making it impossible to see anything.

    "I will go in first."

    I tried to slip my body in through the gap. I didn''t know what was happening inside yet, and I didn''t have a n either. My n was to think about it after going inside.

    "Wait, I''ll go with you!"

    At that moment, a person frantically ran toward us while shouting. Just like Sung Yu-Da, he was sweating profusely. It was none other than Florence Academy¡¯s chairman, Kim Chang-Won.

 Chapter 275

    <h4>Chapter 275</h4>

    Joseph approached the man without any weapons and only his bare fists. The man lightly snorted.

    He pointed to the mace that was lying on the ground and asked, "Why did you throw away a perfectly good weapon? I don¡¯t understand."

    "Because I don''t need it," Joseph replied.

    The man took a few steps back as if to avoid Joseph. He could sense a strange energy emanating from him, so he quickly scanned Joseph''s body with his eyes. It did not have any outstanding features¡ªit was just an ordinary body that was inferior in every aspect.

    In terms of physical quality alone, he was far below Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon who were behind him. No, he was even more inferior than the average clergyman. It was a cursed body that would have struggled to even be a clergyman in the first ce. However, there was a strength in Joseph''s body that overcame such physical inferiority.

    "Impressive. Did you manage to shape your body like that through training alone?" the man asked.

    Joseph approached the man with a stern face. He asked, "Why did you kill my wife?"

    Joseph thought of his wife who had been torn to pieces. His wife had been an ordinary person. She had never done anything to deserve resentment, nor was she exceptional enough to be the target of Satanists. Therefore, when his wife died, Joseph had many doubts.

    Why did his wife have to die? For what purpose did the Satanists kill his wife? He thought knowing why might relieve some of the confusion that had built up in his heart.

    "She died because she was inferior. If she had been superior, she would have survived. That''s fate," the man said.

    "So you¡¯re saying there was no reason."

    Upon hearing the man¡¯s answer, Joseph nodded. There was no hint of sadness on his stern face. Instead, he smiled widely. Wrinkles formed around his lips.

    "I see."

    Joseph''s figure then disappeared from the man''s sight. The man¡¯s eyes darted around in an attempt to find him.

    Within the space inside the Banquet that the man had created, he identified the positions of all superior creatures. All those who entered the Banquet were all in the palm of the man''s hand. The problem was the fact that Joseph was not superior¡ªinstead, he was ridiculously inferior. The man btedly realized where Joseph had disappeared to, but it was toote.

    <i>Crash!</i>

    Joseph grabbed the back of the man¡¯s head and mmed it into the ground. The man trembled while his head was stuck in the ground. Joseph looked down at him andughed.

    "Thank you. I feel a little better. I thought it was my fault."

    Joseph was thest sessor of the Nazirite arts and was a capable clergyman. He often thought that his wife had died because of his sess. If he had not been a clergyman, or if he had not been the sessor of the Nazirite arts, his wife might not have died. He had spent years in self-me and self-loathing because of that thought.

    "So there was no reason at all. No reason whatsoever."

    However, that was all a misconception. There was no reason for his wife''s death. Joseph thought it was rather fortunate that his wife had simply died for no reason at all. It wasn''t because Joseph was the sessor of the Nazirite arts, and it wasn''t because he was a clergyman either. She just happened to catch the eyes of a Satanist and unluckily met her end.

    A tear rolled down Joseph''s cheek.

    "It seems I still don''t feel good at all. I can''t ept this."

    <i>Rip!</i>

    Joseph grabbed the man''s arm and tore it apart. ck blood dripped from the man''s forearm. Then, Joseph tore apart the man''s other arm, which ripped off as easily as paper.

    When the man screamed and tried to get back up, Joseph tore apart his legs.

    The essence of the Nazirite arts was about abandoning all formalities, surrendering to wrath, and destroying everything that came into one¡¯s grasp. The Nazirite arts revealed its true power the moment its user discarded their elegance.

    "What is this?" the man uttered in despair at the sight of Joseph¡¯s ridiculous power and resorted to using ck magic.

    Hands rose up from the pits of hell and reattached new arms and legs to the man. With his newly attached limbs, the man rose from his seat. Then he quickly took a few steps back in order to distance himself from Joseph.

    "Are you scared?"

    He thought he had definitely widened the distance between the two of them, but the man regained his senses only to find Joseph right in front of his face once again. The man''s face twisted in terror as he frantically raised his hand. It seemed like he was about to perform another action, but Joseph did not give him a chance. His calloused hand was already gripping the man''s head.

    Just as Joseph was about to tear the man''s head off, the sound of fingers snapping echoed.

    <i>Snap.</i>

    The darkness enveloping them dissipated.

    Joseph looked around in confusion. His surroundings remained unchanged. The injured clergymen and corpses were still sprawled on the ground.

    However, the demons and demonic beasts that had filled the surroundings, along with the man''s figure, disappeared. Instead, arge ck orb appeared in the corner of the cathedral.

    Joseph ignored the voices of the injured clergymen asking for help and approached the ck orb. He touched it with his finger.

    <i>Sizzle... </i>

    Smoke emanated from the point where his finger touched the orb, and his finger was charred ck. Joseph withdrew his hand from the ck orb.

    "Did they escape inside?"

    He could feel the strong presence of ck magic from the ck orb. It was clearly a different type of ck magic from the Banquet.

    The Banquet was an offensive ck magic spell that invited others into a space where demons and demonic beasts lurked. In contrast, this seemed to be a defensive ck magic that isted the caster to protect themselves from others.

    ¡°He muttered some crap about superiority and inferiority... and yet the most inferior one is himself,¡± Joseph muttered and then clicked his tongue with a disappointed expression on his face.

    He then walked toward Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon. The duo had been trapped inside the Banquet and had been engaged in a fierce battle with the demon, but now they had suddenly returned to the cathedral and were puzzled.

    "Are you hurt?" Joseph asked the two.

    They shook their heads. Although the two had also engaged in a fierce battle within the Banquet, they were not injured.

    Jin-Seo, powered by Ha-Yeon''s blessing, almost overwhelmed the demon that formed from the body of the director from the Northern Crusader Order. Jin-Seo was rather regretful that she wasn¡¯t able topletely exterminate the demon and thought it was unfortunate that they had left the Banquet.

    At that moment, two people approached the three of them. They were Sung Yu-Da and Kim Chang-Won. They seemed to be looking for something. Upon seeing Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon, they opened their eyes widely and rushed toward them.

    Seeing Jin-Seo in good condition, Chang-Won eximed, "Jin-Seo!"

    He asked Jin-Seo if she was hurt, about what had happened inside, and various other questions filled with concern. Jin-Seo answered each question one by one. The long interrogation ended with Chang-Won stating that it was a relief that Jin-Seo was unharmed.

    On the other hand, the atmosphere between Sung Yu-Da and Ha-Yeon was a bit chilly.

    "I''m fine," Ha-Yeon said curtly.

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Sung Yu-Da replied.

    They didn''t bother to engage in a lengthy conversation. Sung Yu-Da''s question of whether Ha-Yeon was okay was met with a brief "I''m fine" from Ha-Yeon. The conversation between the father and daughter was so dry that it was hard to believe they were family.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean that Sung Yu-Da was not concerned about Ha-Yeon. Sung Yu-Da trembled as he looked at her daughter. Tears welled up in his eyes as if they could fall at any moment. Joseph believed that even though Sung Yu-Da didn''t show it, his worry for his daughter was probably the same as Chang-Won''s.

    He felt a strange sense of mncholy as he watched the father and daughter having a conversation. Joseph also had a daughter. It had been several years since hest saw her, so he could hardly remember his daughter¡¯s face.

    "..."

    Joseph silently stared at them and then called the nearby priesthood and hospital in order to handle the deceased and treat the injured.

    Sung Yu-Da approached Joseph.

    "Inquisitor Joseph, can you exin what happened inside?"

    "As you may already know, during the award ceremony, a Satanist executive named Lust appeared. The damage is as you can see."

    "Executive?" Sung Yu-Da repeated Joseph''s words and tilted his head.

    He recalled the ck substance that had surrounded the cathedral. It was clearly created by ck magic, but its potency was much too weak to be considered an executive¡¯s ck magic.

    If his hastily casted blessing of purification had been powerful enough to create a gap in that substance, then its potency must have been simr in strength to the ck magic of an ordinary Satanist and not an executive.

    Above all, the number of injured clergymen was too small.

    Sung Yu-Da had once battled the Satanist executive named Greed long ago. At the time, the damage had been so severe that an entire vigepletely disappeared. Even considering that Joseph was present at the scene, the damage was too minor for a Satanist executive to have appeared. That was not the only thing that Sung Yu-Da was confused about.

    "Did you not see Sun-Woo?"

    Sun-Woo had entered the cathedral together with them, but he suddenly went missing. Upon hearing his question, everyone looked at Sung Yu-Da.

    However, there were only corpses and clergymen groaning in pain within the cathedral. There were no signs of Sun-Woo.

    ***

    Just before Joseph was about to kill him, he used a different ck magic spell to narrowly escape death. The ck magic spell was named Sheepfold, and it was a technique that trapped oneself in a space that resembled a ck egg.

    Inside the spell, the man pounded the ground andmented.

    "Damn it, damn it...!"

    It was strange. Surely, there was no one superior to him among the clergymen. In his view, Joseph was an infinitely inferior beingpared to himself. Yet, he almost met his end at the hands of such an inferior being. He could not ept that fact.

    Then, the man felt a presence. There was a strange being wandering around in the Sheepfold where no one except himself, demons, and demonic beasts could enter.

    The man looked up. A boy with a young face was approaching him. His face seemed familiar for some reason.

    "..."

    He wondered where he had seen that face before, and then he remembered the photo that Jun-Hyuk had shown him. It was one of the two people whom Jun-Hyuk had warned not to touch. He didn¡¯t know when he had seen the boy in the photo, but when he saw him in person, the boy''s gaze felt a bit unsettling.

    He didn¡¯t know how the boy had entered the Sheepfold. A normal Romanican clergyman would not be able to touch the demonic energy surrounding the Sheepfold, let alone enter it, as the energy surrounding the Sheepfold would melt away one''s flesh just by touching it.

    He must have made a mistake while casting the ck magic spell and the boy had been able to enter the Sheepfold as a result.

    "You must be quite unlucky. How pitiful," the man said with a smirk as he looked at the boy.

    In this dire situation, he didn¡¯t have the leisure to keep his promise to Jun-Hyuk. He got up and approached the boy, wanting to vent his anger.

    "There is no one here to help you. This space was created only for me."

    At that moment, without even listening to the man''s words, the boy said, "Bossou."

    Chills instantly ran down the man''s body.

    From the boy''s seemingly ordinary body, there seemed to be an iprehensible sense of superiority.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    In the blink of an eye, the boy''s hand pierced the man''s heart. The man held his pierced chest and looked at the boy holding his heart in his hand.

    His heart was still beating. The boy looked at the extracted heart and said with a somewhat displeased expression, "Hmm... about 0.3 of Jun-Hyuk."

    "What?"

    "No, never mind..."

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The boy clenched his fist, and the man¡¯s weakly beating heart finally burst. Despair filled the man''s eyes.

    The boy continued, "You¡¯re not on the same level as Jun-Hyuk."

    Sun-Woo looked at the man who had copsed on the ground. He realized that the man wasn''t a Satanist executive. He was just a Satanist imitating an executive.

    "The real executive..." Sun-Woo mumbled and raised his head.

    Up in the pitch-ck sky, two giant eyes curiously gazed down at Sun-Woo.

 Chapter 276

    <h4>Chapter 276</h4>

    I stared back at the giant eyes staring at me with my head held high. I felt a strange sense of stickiness from that gaze. It felt like a captivating gaze that could suck me in at any moment, but I did not look away.

    I had killed the man by using Bossou''s power to pull out his heart, but the ck magic remained intact. It meant that the man I had killed was not the one who had cast the ck magic spell. So, perhaps the owner of the eyes staring at me had cast the ck magic spell.

    And that person would be the real Satanist executive, Envy.

    ¡ªAh, <i>Envy</i>. I understand why that guy told me not to mess with you.

    A seductive voice echoed in my ears. It sounded familiar as if I had heard it somewhere before. It was quite simr to Damba¡¯s seductive and alluring voice. The eyes that were looking at me narrowed.

    ¡ªIt''s such a tempting spirit. A mind that doesn¡¯t leave room for a single inch... Therefore, it¡¯s like a flower on a cliff that can never be possessed.

    It was the voice of Lust, the true Satanist executive. I raised my head and stared into those eyes. I pondered how I would be able to attack them. At first nce, it seemed like the eyes were located in a ce that was too high to reach, so it seemed impossible to attack them using ordinary methods.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    "Krrrr...!"

    "Ah, ah. Ah, ah...."

    But the biggest reason why I couldn''t attack those eyes was because of the demons and demonic beasts that existed within this space. Counting the number of demons and demonic beasts in this pitch-ck darkness was impossible. However, judging by the sound of the approaching footsteps, the howls of the demonic beasts, and the eerie voices of the demons, their numbers were definitely vast.

    To test the waters, I called upon the troublemaking trio.

    "Sobo, Bade, Dan Wedo."

    [No! There are no clouds here!]

    [That''s right! It''s a strange world! It''s a different world from ours in the first ce!]

    [I... acknowledge...]

    I heard a series of voices. However, neither rain, thunder, lightning, nor wind appeared at all.

    As the Loa had mentioned, they could not activate their powers due to the absence of clouds. Or perhaps it was because we were inside a space that was created using ck magic, or maybe it was for some other reason unknown to me that I could not activate my powers.

    Whatever the reason, I could not use the power of some of the Loa that were under my control. However, I could still use the power of some of the Loa, just like how I had used Bossou''s power earlier. Since there were no nts, I wouldn''t be able to use Granbwa''s power, and as for the other Loa...

    The first Loa that came to mind was Marte.

    "Marte."

    <i>Whoosh!</i>

    mes spewed out from my hands. The mes attached to my hands suddenly detached and moved as if they had a will of their own. They soon took on the form of a giant dragon and wrapped around my body. As the fire devoured the darkness, the demons and demonic beasts hiding in the shadows were all revealed. There were countless of them, just as I had expected.

    "Good thing I decided not to count them earlier."

    <i>Swish! </i>

    I muttered some meaningless words, unleashed my Voodoo magic power, and drew a spell array.

    I cast the replication spell, Executioner''s Sword.

    In an instant, dozens of spell arrays were drawn, each summoning dozens of Executioner''s Swords. The screams of the swords merged together, drowning out the cries of the demonic beasts and demons.

    I grasped one of the swords. The other dozens of Executioner''s Swords remained behind me.

    "Bossou."

    [You¡¯re summoning me a lot today!]

    "Anyints?"

    [None at all.]

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Using Bossou''s power, I hurled the Executioner''s Sword in my hand toward an approaching demon. The Executioner''s Sword precisely pierced the demon¡¯s heart.

    The demon¡¯s body recoiled backward. I grasped one of the Executioner''s Swords behind me and threw it once again. Another demon fell.

    I continued to throw the Executioner''s Swords like so, and once I ran out, I would replenish the supply by casting a spell once again. The Satanist executive named Lust had created this space. No one would be able toe to my rescue, and no one would be able to see me either.

    Thus, this ce was ratherfortable for me. The gazes of the Romanican clergymen were like shackles to me.

    The eyes watching over me from above blinked. At the same time, the voice I had heard earlier echoed in my mind.

    ¡ªVoodoo Cult.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Meanwhile, Marte¡¯s mes diligently engulfed the approaching demonic beast and demons. Upon seeing the mes, the demonic beasts slowly retreated. The demonic beasts brave enough to charge into the mes all vanished into ashes. Some demons were unfazed by the fire, so I simply pierced their hearts with the Executioner''s Swords.

    ¡ªWhy do you, a member of the Voodoo Cult, help the Romanican Church?

    "Ah, ahh!"

    "Rawr, rawr!"

    The demons and demonic beasts that approached me all either perished in the mes or had their hearts pierced.

    ¡ªAh, I see. You must have a crush. It''s a forbidden yet beautiful love.

    The voice kept speaking to me. I threw another Executioner''s Sword. When I ran out of swords, I replenished my supply with a spell.

    I grasped a fresh, piping hot Executioner''s Sword and sought out my next target. Most of the demons and demonic beasts were already dead. The remaining ones hesitated to approach me, intimidated by the mes.

    I wondered who I should throw my sword at, and then I decided to aim at one of the unpleasant eyes staring at me from the ceiling.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The Executioner''s Sword pierced an eye that was floating on the ceiling. ck blood flowed out from the eye and poured down like rain. The other eye that was not pierced by the sword trembled. It looked like it felt the pain. The voice that had been lingering in my head finally went silent.

    "Now you''re finally quiet."

    I pulled out a new Executioner''s Sword and gripped it, then aimed it at the remaining eye.

    ***

    While everyone was looking around for Sun-Woo, the priesthood that Joseph had requested support from arrived at the cathedral.

    Even the priests of the Central Priesthood who had not participated in the promotion ceremony hurriedly entered the cathedral. At first, they could not help but be shocked by the scene that unfolded before their eyes.

    Some novice priests even vomited in the corner.

    However, some remainedposed even after seeing the bodies of numerous clergymen. They were the priests who had umted a lot of experience. Death was familiar to them. These clergymen were ustomed to losingrades or their lives in battles or wars. Instead of expressing shock or vomiting, they quietly prayed for their deceasedrades.

    ¡°...¡±

    Chang-Won quietly prayed as he watched them.

    While the priests who entered the cathedral were taking care of the aftermath, Joseph asked Sung Yu-Da, "Was Sun-Woo with us?"

    Sung Yu-Da nodded anxiously.

    "Yes, he came to the cathedral with us... Chairman Chang-Won also saw him. Perhaps..." Sung Yu-Da trailed off and stared at the giant ck orb in the corner of the cathedral.

    He didn''t know what kind of ck magic created it, but Sun-Woo might have been sucked into it. Sung Yu-Da knew that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, but he was still worried.

    The Satanist executives were never easy opponents. Even considering that he was the Cult Leader, he could still lose his life. Sun-Woo could not die. He had to stay alive so that Sung Yu-Da could repent.

    Ignoring Sung Yu-Da''s worries, Joseph casually said, "Well, even if he went in there, he¡¯ll still be alive."

    He stared daggers at the ck orb as if trying to gaze at Sun-Woo and the Satanist executive, along with the many demons and demonic beasts inside the orb.

    And then Joseph continued, "No, on the contrary... If it''s Sun-Woo, he might break out of the shell ande out on his own after defeating the executive."

    <i>¡®More precisely, if Sun-Woo is the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.¡¯</i>

    Joseph swallowed the rest of his sentence. He did not have definite proof that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. Although his suspicions were growing day by day, he still had not found confirmation that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader.

    Instead, Joseph looked suspiciously at Sung Yu-Da.

    "So, how did you happen toe with Sun-Woo?"

    Sung Yu-Da remained silent at Joseph''s question. Sung Yu-Da btedly realized that he had made a slip of the tongue.

    Joseph was now suspicious about the rtionship between Sun-Woo and the members of the purification n. Sung Yu-Daing to the cathedral with Sun-Woo was not something Joseph would appreciate knowing.

    After some contemtion, Sung Yu-Da said, "By chance."

    It was a desperate excuse that he hastily came up with due to fearing that Joseph''s suspicions would deepen if he hesitated for too long. He also couldn¡¯te up with any better excuse.

    Joseph smiled slyly at Sung Yu-Da. It was a strangely cold smile.

    ¡°...¡±

    While the two were having a psychological battle, Jin-Seo was frantically looking around. Her heart sank upon hearing that Sun-Woo had entered the cathedral together with Kim Chang-Won and Sung Yu-Da. She continued to search for Sun-Woo when she btedly recalled something she had forgotten: the student who hade to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood for the promotion ceremony.

    The student¡¯s figure was nowhere to be found. They must have been there among the bodies and the injured scattered on the cathedral floor.

    "Ah, Jin-Seo!"

    Ignoring even Chang-Won''s voice, Jin-Seo walked around the cathedral and meticulously checked the faces of the bodies and the injured. Some bodies were covered in blood or were so severely damaged that they were unrecognizable. She scrutinized those bodies even more closely to confirm if it was the student.

    Her stomach churned. It wasn''t because she had seen too much blood and bodies. Her heart pounded because of the thought that the student might be dead.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    At that moment, a sinister sound echoed from the corner of the cathedral. The clergymen, who had been rxing, thinking the situation was over, turned their attention in the direction of the sound and prepared for battle.

    The ck orb in the corner of the cathedral had cracked. The rift gradually widened, and it soonpletely enveloped the orb.

    <i>Crash¡ª! </i>

    And then, as the ck orb shattered, someone emerged.

    "...As expected," Joseph murmured with a smile as he looked at the person who came out of the orb.

    The one who emerged from the orb was Sun-Woo.

    He was holding a handful of hair in one hand and dragging out the body of a man. It was the man who had fought Joseph at the Banquet. Sun-Woo was not the only one who had emerged from the orb after it shattered. All of the demonic beasts and demons that had been inside also emerged from the orb.

    However, they were spewing ck smoke as they disappeared, indicating that they were already dead. Sun-Woo emerged from the orb and casually looked around with a calm expression. He tried to assess the situation with a nce.

    He slowly surveyed the scattered bodies and injured people on the cathedral floor. His eyes were extremely cold, without a hint of emotion on his face. He was justpletely expressionless.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    With a grim face, Sun-Woo threw the body of the man he was holding in front of Joseph and Sung Yu-Da. The two were startled and took a step back.

    The man''s body had a hole in his chest, and there was nothing where his heart should have been.

    "This is not one of the executives," Sun-Woo said, pointing to the body with a jerk of his chin.

    Sung Yu-Da nodded as if he had expected that, and Joseph looked somewhat surprised. Joseph nced back and forth between the body and Sun-Woo and then said, "How do you know that?"

    "It''s too weak to be an executive," Sun-Woo replied.

    Joseph thought Sun-Woo''s answer was too brief, but now was not the time to question that.

    He nodded as if he was convinced. During the battle with the man at the Banquet, Joseph had the same thought as Sun-Woo. He had also thought that he was too weak for an executive.

    However, at the same time, other doubts arose. The scale of ck magic that had been cast was toorge to attribute it to an ordinary Satanist who was not an executive.

    <i>Puff... </i>

    At that moment, the ck smoke that was left behind by the demonic beasts and demons as they died, and the residual demonic energy that was flowing out of the shattered ck orb began to gather in one spot.

    Smoke even emerged from the mouths of the corpses on the cathedral floor. The priests who were cleaning up hastily stepped back and distanced themselves from the smoke.

    The ck smoke stretched out and moved somewhere. The spot where the smoke stopped was in front of Oh Hee-Jin.

    He had been standing there, lost in thought and staring at something after everyone had escaped from the Banquet. He stood frozen stiff, mouth agape, as tears streamed down his face.

    The ck smoke continued to swirl and twist in front of Oh Hee-Jin until it eventually took on the form of a human. When the smoke disappeared, a beautiful naked woman appeared. The woman wrapped her arms around Oh Hee-Jin''s neck.

    ¡ªAh, ah.

    Her voice was small, but it seemed to fill the cathedral for some strange reason. Everyone in the cathedral listened to the woman''s voice and had vacant expressions as if their souls had left their bodies. Men and women alike were all captivated by the woman.

    ¡ªRise, my child.

    <i>Krrk, creak¡ª! </i>

    Along with the woman''s voice, Oh Hee-Jin''s body underwent a strange transformation. New flesh emerged from his body and pierced through his skin.

    The newly emerged flesh was neither that of a demon nor that of a demonic beast. He was being reborn as a new type of humanoid creature.

 Chapter 277

    <h4>Chapter 277</h4>

    While the dark demonic energy was flowing out of the mouths of the deceased and scattering throughout the cathedral before gathering together in one spot to form a woman, Jin-Seo finally came face to face with the student after wandering between the bodies and the injured in the cathedral.

    "Oh, it¡¯s you Jin-Seo."

    "Yeah."

    Jin-Seo nodded in response to the student''s words and then smiled softly at her. The student also smiled while looking up at Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo kneeled down and embraced the student. The student was light.

    She was so unbelievably light that Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t help but check the student''s condition. The student who hade to the cathedral with Jin-Seo was clearly alive, but the student¡¯s current state was worse than that of a dead person.

    The student''s lower body had been almostpletely severed, leaving only the upper body. Jin-Seo''s expression hardened.

    "I want to get up, but I have no strength in my body."

    "It''s okay, just stay like this."

    "I can''t even feel my legs... How badly am I injured?"

    "You''re not injured. You¡¯repletely fine," Jin-Seo lied.

    She stared nkly at the student, then suddenly blinked as her vision blurred. Tears streamed down and fell on the student''s face.

    Jin-Seo didn''t even think about wiping away the tears. She didn¡¯t think about enduring either. When the student saw her like this, she chuckled.

    "Why are you crying? Have you been looking for me all this time?"

    "Yes."

    The student smiled. It was a weak smile, but it was one that was clearly filled with joy. Even as she was dying, the student was genuinely happy that Jin-Seo had been looking for her.

    That fact saddened Jin-Seo. She could do nothing for the dying student. She couldn¡¯t do anything besides staying by her side.

    "During the practical exam, I had a strange dream..."

    "..."

    "You were in that dream. That''s why I didn''t want to wake up," the student said.

    During the practical exam, Jin-Seo also had a strange dream. It was an illusion created using ck magic. In other words, it was a delusion. She had seen Sun-Woo in her dream.

    In the illusion, he said and did what Jin-Seo wanted him to say and do. Jin-Seo had been so happy that she didn¡¯t want to wake up from the hallucination. It was because those were the words and actions that he wouldn¡¯t have said or done in reality.

    "I like you," the student said.

    Jin-Seo nodded as she stroked her hair.

    "I feel the same way."

    "I¡¯m saying it in a different meaning from what you mean."

    Jin-Seo btedly realized the meaning behind the student''s words.

    However, there was no significant change in her thoughts even after realizing what the girl meant. Whatever reason she had, or whatever meaning she had, in the end, they liked each other. That fact remained unchanged.

    Jin-Seo felt even sadder instead. The student had to keep her feelings hidden and suppressed all this time because she knew it was a ''sin'' for Romanican clergymen.

    Jin-Seo couldn¡¯t help but feel a throbbing, painful empathy toward the student¡¯s suppressed feelings.

    "What''s your name?" Jin-Seo asked.

    She realized that she didn''t actually know the student''s name until now. She vaguely remembered the sound of her name, but she didn''t know the girl¡¯s exact name and surname, and she hadn''t tried to find out.

    The student''s breathing had be shallow since earlier, and it was almost to the point of being cut off. The student said something, but her voice was too faint to be heard.

    Jin-Seo leaned in close to the student''s mouth. It was then that she was finally able to hear the student''s voice.

    Jin-Seo listened carefully to the student''s name and then repeatedly engraved the student¡¯s name in her mind. She didn¡¯t want to forget her name.

    "I will remember it," Jin-Seo said.

    There was no response from the student. Her breath had already ceased. It was strange how long she had managed to hold on to life for so long considering her injuries.

    Jin-Seo believed it must have been because there were too many things she wasn¡¯t able to say while she was alive, and too many things she wanted to say before she died. She gentlyid down the student''s body and stood up. And then she saw a pdin transform into a creature that seemed to be neither human nor demon on one side of the cathedral. She also saw a woman with a rxed smile standing behind the pdin.

    <i>Tap, tap. </i>

    Jin-Seo dragged her sword along the ground as she approached the woman. A scraping noise resounded as the sword etched the floor.

    With the exception of Jin-Seo, all the other clergymen remained motionless. They all stared nkly at the naked woman as if they were entranced. Jin-Seo also had a nk expression on her face as she passed by the clergymen.

    And then she pondered. The reason she wanted to be a crusader was for the sake of revenge. She wanted exact revenge against the demon who had killed her foster mother. And that wish of hers was fulfilled not too long ago. She obtained revenge much more easily and in a more anticlimactic way than she initially thought.

    However, in the process of obtaining revenge, she had lost another precious person and was once again determined to seek revenge.

    If that were the case, when would this cycle of revenge end? Would it end after she defeated all the demons and demonic beasts? Or would it end after eradicating all the Satanists? Or would it end after eliminating all the cults and religions with the exception of the Romanican Church? Or perhaps...

    "..."

    It was impossible to tell. The only thing that was certain was that she had to strike down the woman in front of her.

    ***

    "Ah, aah, my body,¡± Oh Hee-Jin muttered.

    His voice sounded strange. His soft voice, which would often get mocked for sounding feminine, had transformed into a thick and menacing voice that resembled a monster¡¯s.

    His body was also strange. His thin and delicate arms had be thicker than Director Han Dae-Ho''s. His body was overflowing with so much strength that it was difficult for him to control himself.

    His head throbbed. A strange sense of pleasure flowed through his veins.

    Oh Hee-Jin lifted his head and saw clergymen. Some were unharmed, some had copsed on the floor after getting injured, and some were dead.

    He could even see Han Dae-Ho among the injured clergymen. He was lying on the floor due to the aftermath of the battle. His figure, which always looked sorge and imposing, now looked very small.

    ¡°Director, my... body doesn¡¯t feel right. Please save... save me...¡± Oh Hee-Jin muttered toward Han Dae-Ho.

    Oh Hee-Jin was scared of his own grotesquely distorted voice.

    Someone approached him at this time. It was Jin-Seo. She approached Oh Hee-Jin with a firm grip on her sword.

    Her cold and sharp gaze was not directed at Oh Hee-Jin but at the naked woman behind him.

    <i>Rustle.</i>

    Suddenly, the woman wrapped her arms around Oh Hee-Jin''s neck from behind. The woman''s sensuous and warm breath reached Oh Hee-Jin''s ear.

    A strange sensation that hovered somewhere between difort and pleasure spread through his body.

    ¡ªCatch her.

    Oh Hee-Jin involuntarily raised his arm. Tentacles made of ck demonic energy sluggishly emerged from his massive and muscr arm. Jin-Seo raised her sword. And then she tried to swing it toward the woman behind Oh Hee-Jin.

    <i>Shyaak! </i>

    "Ugh!"

    However, the tentacles were faster than Jin-Seo''s sword, and they grabbed hold of Jin-Seo''s body. Her hand let go of her sword.

    The tentacles wrapped around her neck and choked her. Jin-Seo iled in the air and scratched at the tentacles with her nails. Oh Hee-Jin''s face contorted.

    "Ah, I''m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry. My body keeps acting on its own. Save me. Someone save this child..." Oh Hee-Jin pleaded as he looked around for help.

    However, no one wasing to rescue Jin-Seo. Everyone was still staring at the naked woman while mesmerized.

    They were entranced. They were all enchanted by the ck magic that the woman emitted and were all unable to think about attacking her. Lust¡¯s most dangerous ck magic spell was the ability to make others unable to think of her as an enemy.

    "Ah, ahhh©¤!"

    At that moment, a voice shattered the silence of the cathedral. It was a desperate and sorrowful cry, like the final death throes of a brave warrior.

    The cry echoed through the cathedral, causing some of the clergymen who were gazing at the woman to snap out of their trances.

    The voice came from Florence Academy¡¯s Chairman, Kim Chang-Won.

    He was crying out tears of blood as he watched Jin-Seo get attacked. The blood that flowed out dripped onto the floor, and at the same time, divine power flowed out from his body. It was a precursor to miracle replication.

    Chang-Won had abused his body too much back when he was active as a clergyman, so he would cough out blood just by releasing divine power. And yet, he was currently trying to use miracle replication.

    It was a miracle that required him to sacrifice his life to replicate it. The divine power flowing out of his body transformed into a grotesque form and soon began to move like living organisms. A swarm of insects emerged. They crawled up the tentacles that were gripping Jin-Seo''s neck and reached up to Oh Hee-Jin''s forearm.

    "Ah, aahh...!" Oh Hee-Jin groaned.

    He felt more difort rather than pain. Hisrge, muscr arm was being eaten by a swarm of locusts and bing scrawny again. The tentacles attached to the arm quickly lost their strength. Jin-Seo¡¯s body, which had been floating in the air, began to fall.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The one who embraced and caught her as she fell at that moment was Sun-Woo. He regained mental rity upon hearing Chang-Won''s shout and went to catch her after quickly assessing the situation.

    He had no time to pick up the fallen sword. Sun-Woo quickly took her away from Oh Hee-Jin and the woman.

    While that was happening, Joseph regained his senses and approached Oh Hee-Jin as he stretched his body.

    "Oh, did I lose consciousness for a moment?" he said.

    Sung Yu-Da also approached. Both of them were covered by the light of blessings. Ha-Yeon and some of the priests who had regained their senses cast blessing arrays to assist them.

    Joseph and Sung Yu-Da¡¯s movements were quick. Oh Hee-Jin was startled and took a step back. Jin-Seo had shown hostility toward the woman behind Oh Hee-Jin earlier.

    She had been targeting the woman, not Oh Hee-Jin. Now, however, the gazes and hostility of the two that were approaching were clearly directed toward him.

    "...Forgive me."

    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know I would have to kill you with my own hands."

    The two knew that in order to attack the woman, they had to first deal with Oh Hee-Jin. Although they knew that Oh Hee-Jin was a victim of ck magic, they had to attack him to prevent greater harm.

    They knew from experience that an even more terrible tragedy could ur if they hesitated to attack arade who had turned into a demon or a demonic beast.

    "Wait, please spare me. Save me. Spare me...!" Oh Hee-Jin shouted as he stepped back.

    However, the two did not stop. Instead, they clenched their fists tighter and rushed toward Oh Hee-Jin with the determination to kill.

    At that moment, the two people rushing toward Oh Hee-Jin halted. To be more precise, it seemed as if they had stopped moving in Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s vision.

    Oh Hee-Jin felt a soft and refreshing sensation on neck. It was the woman¡¯s touch.

    ¡ªKill them.

    The woman''s voice echoed in Oh Hee-Jin''s mind. It was a sweet and enchanting whisper that felt like it would melt his brain.

    <i>¡ªIf it¡¯s right now, you can do it. You are stronger than anyone else right now. Stronger than anyone here. </i>

    "Ah, ah...."

    <i>¡ªIf it¡¯s right now...</i>

    Oh Hee-Jin had wanted to be a pdin that was strong enough to protect everyone, but he was too weak.

    There were many monstrous individuals among the clergymen. The most prominent among them was Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Pdin Order.

    Joseph and Sung Yu-Da were in front of Oh Hee-Jin, and they both were monstrously strong individuals. Sun-Woo, an apprentice pdin of the Eastern Pdin Order, was strong enough to inspire admiration in Oh Hee-Jin.

    <i>¡ªClench your fist, and then all you have to do is swing your fist toward those motionless figures.</i>

    Oh Hee-Jin despised his own weakness and admired the strength of others. However, he was unable to be strong, and so he eventually found a different method to achieve his goals. It was to fight against cults, not through physical strength, but through knowledge. He wanted to prove himself with his knowledge.

    Immersing himself in the pursuit of knowledge was Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s way of struggling to escape from his weakness. It was nothing but a struggle to forget his inferiority.

    <i>¡ªProve your superiority. </i>

    The woman was skillfully manipting Oh Hee-Jin''s inferiority and weakness.

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Oh Hee-Jin clenched his fist. And, regardless of his will, he swung his arm.

    His fist struck Joseph and Sung Yu-Da¡¯s faces, one at a time. The two clergymen had been boldly approaching Oh Hee-Jin, but they were knocked out by his fist without putting up any resistance.

    He felt strange. He had overpowered two clergymen he had admired, but it felt no different from casually swatting a mosquito that had flown into his room.

    <i>¡ªNice, good boy.</i>

    The woman gently stroked Oh Hee-Jin''s chin and smiled softly. Oh Hee-Jin looked down at his massive and hideous fist. Joseph and Sung Yu-Da''s blood stained it.

 Chapter 278

    <h4>Chapter 278</h4>

    "No. No!" Chang-Won muttered as he trembled.

    Even as he copsed and spewed out blood, his gaze was fixed on Oh Hee-Jin and the naked woman who had appeared in the cathedral.

    Joseph and Sung Yu-Da could be considered keybatants, but they were knocked out instantly and they could no longer fight. If they left Oh Hee-Jin and the woman alone, then everyone inside the cathedral would die. That had to be prevented at all costs.

    Kim Chang-Won tried to unleash divine power to use miracle replication. However, due to the bacsh of casting the locust swarm miracle replication spell earlier, he was in no condition to even breathe properly, let alone unleash divine power.

    He failed to unleash his divine power. Only a stream of red blood gushed out of his mouth.

    "Ah..."

    Something caught Chang-Won''s eye at that moment. He saw those who had perished gloriously after valiantly battling the demons and demonic beasts, and those who had suffered injuries severe enough to carry lifelong trauma.

    He saw apprentice clergymen trembling in fear. Jin-Seo, Sun-Woo, Ha-Yeon, and other students from Florence Academy had witnessed too many tragedies in their short lives.

    Chang-Won recalled his vow of duty from long ago.

    "Oh, Lord Adonai."

    He remembered the unending war against the cults and the Holy War. Some had to sacrifice their families, friends, or even their own lives due to conflicts born from petty desires and mistaken beliefs.

    He remembered seeing a bunch of children sitting in a garbage dump, losing everything after their vige was turned into a barren wastnd due to war. Chang-Won had looked at them and pondered about what clergymen were supposed to be. The clergymen should have been the ones to save the people and protect the children, but instead, they drove people to their deaths with their faith and beliefs. The lives that were lost in each conflict would be recycled and used as fuel for the next conflict.

    Although he had been a capable priest, he left the priest order during that time and became the chairman of Florence Academy. It was because he genuinely wanted to protect people.

    "Even... even if I have to...."

    Even if he had to sacrifice everything that he had...

    Divine power flowed out from his body. The vast amount of divine power initially emitted a brilliant and bright light, but it soon began to radiate a light that was blood red. The light and scent of death filled the cathedral. The red light Chang-Won emitted gathered to form a massive cluster of creatures.

    At first nce, they appeared to be like locusts. However, they were not creatures that existed on Earth. They had human faces, long de-like hair, sharp teeth like those of a lion, and they wore strange crowns on their heads. In the Book of Revtions, they were called ''locusts.'' Those creatures made eerie sounds as they leaped toward Oh Hee-Jin and the woman.

    At the same time, Chang-Won copsed. Tears of blood continued to flow from his eyes as he watched the locusts bravely advance.

    ***

    I carried Jin-Seo and distanced myself from Oh Hee-Jin for the time being.

    Jin-Seo coughed in my arms, likely due to the fact that the tentacles had been squeezing her throat just moments ago.

    When I started to feel that it was somewhat safe, I gently ced Jin-Seo on the ground. She used her sword as a crutch to shakily stand up before coughing dryly.

    "Ah..."

    When the coughing subsided, her gaze shifted somewhere. Her eyes trembled with anxiety.

    I turned my head and followed her gaze. There, I saw strange-looking locusts advancing, and Chang-Won was in the center of the countless locusts. Even from a distance, the sight of him vomiting blood as if he were about to die was utterly tragic.

    Before I could say anything, Jin-Seo walked briskly toward Chang-Won.

    "Dad."

    I looked at Joseph and Sung Yu-Da, who were in an incapacitated state. I looked at the hundreds of locusts that were helplessly annihted while trying to attack Oh Hee-Jin and the woman. I looked at the many clergymen who had died miserably or were groaning as they were dying.

    Finally, I looked at Oh Hee-Jin. He was turning the cathedral into a mess by swinging his tentacles and arms around, and the woman behind him was controlling him with a smile.

    ¡°...¡±

    If I used the power of the Loa...

    It didn¡¯t matter if it was Bossou, Ogun, Sobo, Bade, or Damba¡¯s power. If I could just use the power of the Loa freely, those things would have been nothing. I would be able to subdue Oh Hee-Jin and the woman without any sacrifices or losses.

    If I could freely use my spells, or at least freely wield my Executioner''s Sword...

    I wanted to nail all the metal objects in the cathedral into the woman''s body using Ogun¡¯s power. I wanted to swiftly cut off the woman''s neck with the Executioner''s Sword. I raised my hand and unleashed my Voodoo magic power.

    At that moment, Legba¡¯s voice echoed in my head.

    [Choose carefully.]

    I suddenly came to my senses after I heard his heavy and solemn voice. I stopped moving my hand, which was about to draw a spell array.

    Meanwhile, the battle continued.

    Oh Hee-Jin crushed dozens of locusts with his fist. Joseph and Sung Yu-Da, who had copsed, got up and approached Oh Hee-Jin. Although they didn''t seem to have suffered major injuries at first nce, it still seemed unlikely that the Romanicans would win.

    No one could properly confront Oh Hee-Jin except for Joseph and Sung Yu-Da. Moreover, even those two were struggling against Oh Hee-Jin. If Joseph and Sung Yu-Da continued the battle and if I didn¡¯t use the power of the Loa or my spells, they would eventually be exhausted and fall, and then everyone in the cathedral would die.

    I had to use my Voodoo spells. If I used my spells, I could defeat Oh Hee-Jin and the Satanist executive named Lust, and save everyone.

    [What exactly did youe here to aplish?]

    "..."

    I put away the Voodoo magic power that I had unleashed. And then I pondered Legba''s words.

    Why was I here? To save the clergymen? To defeat the Satanist? Those were not the reasons why I was here. I had enrolled in Florence Academy to save my mother trapped in the underground prison. That was why I was here.

    No matter how many clergymen died and what tragedy unfolded here, I couldn''t reveal my true identity until I achieved the goal of rescuing my mother. I could only stand by and watch.

    No, was that really all I desired?

    Was saving my mother trapped in the underground prison my only purpose and goal?

    Perhaps what I desired was not just that.

    When I first entered Florence Academy, all I thought about was saving my mother. However, after attending Florence Academy, I met various people and I started to think about what woulde after saving my mother. I unknowingly desired ''something more.''

    "Bossou."

    I desired something beyond just saving my mother. I couldn''t pinpoint what I truly desired at the moment¡ªI didn''t have the luxury to deeply contemte such matters. I had to do what I could right now.

    I had to eliminate Oh Hee-Jin and the woman controlling him and also rescue the people in the cathedral without revealing my identity. And I had to take credit for that achievement. Only then would I be able to obtain what I desired. That was the only way to materialize the vague desire that resided within me.

    <i>Crack!</i>

    I grabbed and tore apart one of the wooden chairs scattered in the cathedral. Then, I tightly gripped one of the wooden pieces that had broken off from the chair. I had roughly torn apart the chair, so the piece was jagged, but the end was sharp enough to be used as a spear.

    However, I wouldn¡¯t be able to subdue Oh Hee-Jin, let alone the woman with such a crude weapon.

    "Bade," I called out.

    I felt the wind''s presence from the piece of wood that I was holding. The wind swirled around the piece of wood in a spiral motion.

    ***

    Joseph had been knocked away by Oh Hee-Jin''s fist. He finally got up and muttered, "You¡¯re stronger than I thought. I didn''t expect it to hurt this much."

    Fortunately, his injuries were not too severe thanks to taking a defensive posture just before the fist hit him. His waist just hurt a little.

    He held his aching waist and turned his head to look beside him. Sung Yu-Da had also been hit by Oh Hee-Jin''s fist, and he was slowly getting up with a frown.

    "Senior, are you okay?" Joseph asked.

    "I''m fine. Thankfully I managed to block just before getting hit," Sung Yu-Da replied with a nod.

    Truthfully, he also felt a sharp pain in his waist from the impact of getting hit, but he didn''t show it. He didn''t want to show any weakness in front of Ha-Yeon.

    Moreover, the only twobatants inside the cathedral who were still rtively fine were Joseph and Sung Yu-Da.

    Some priests were diligently sending support requests to the Crusader Orders and Pdin Orders that were nearby, but judging by their expressions, it seemed like the support requests were not going well.

    If two of the strongest fighters in the Romanican Church, and the mental support for all the remaining survivors in the cathedral showed any weakness, the cathedral would fall into even greater chaos.

    <i>Crack, crack.</i>

    Joseph straightened his back and stretched his waist. Then he alternated his gaze between Oh Hee-Jin, the one who had punched him, and the woman controlling him from behind.

    The swarm of locusts that Chang-Won had created diligently attacked the two, but they were not causing any significant damage. The best the locusts could do was distract Oh Hee-Jin from attacking them to minimize the damage done to the other clergymen in the cathedral.

    A cold aura of killing intent radiated from Joseph¡¯s eyes as he looked at the two people.

    "..."

    Joseph and Sung Yu-Da quietly loosened their bodies and walked side by side toward Oh Hee-Jin.

    "Ah, ah. Bugs, bugs. These damn bugs©¤!"

    Upon approaching, they could see that Oh Hee-Jin''s condition was more pitiful than before.

    He had some slight traces of reason remaining earlier, but now, Oh Hee-Jin seemed to bepletely under the woman¡¯s control. He swung his fists wildly toward the locusts like a madman.

    Dozens of locusts surrounded Oh Hee-Jin and tore at his flesh with their giant fangs.

    However, the locusts'' attacks seemed to be pointless, as new flesh sprouted instantly from the wounds. The new flesh was even tougher and more menacing than before.

    As the battle continued, Oh Hee-Jin''s body became even more grotesque and sturdy.

    "Disgusting," Joseph muttered as he looked at Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s body which was covered by locusts.

    It was unclear whether he was referring to the insects or Oh Hee-Jin.

    Joseph brushed his messy hair with his hand, gritted his teeth, and rushed toward Oh Hee-Jin. With a swift motion, he grabbed and tore off Oh Hee-Jin''s right arm. The torn arm fell to the ground and twitched.

    However, Joseph''s attack was futile. Oh Hee-Jin''s right arm immediately regenerated.

    "What the..." Joseph muttered in disbelief as he witnessed this scene.

    Even if the locusts devoured Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s flesh, it would regenerate right away, and even if his arm was severed, it would grow back. At this rate, it seemed like there would be no end to it no matter how many times he attacked him.

    At that moment, Oh Hee-Jin, who had been preupied with attacking the insects surrounding him, shifted his eyes toward Joseph.

    "You insect!" Oh Hee-Jin shouted in a voice that was so distorted and discordant that it was impossible to figure out if his voice belonged to a human, a monster, or a devil.

    Oh Hee-Jin raised his fist and swung it toward Joseph. He tried to dodge, but it was already toote to avoid it. Joseph quickly crouched to block the attack.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    At that moment the arm approaching Joseph''s face suddenly twisted. Sung Yu-Da had grabbed and twisted Oh Hee-Jin''s arm.

    Thanks to that, Oh Hee-Jin''s attack missed Joseph. Joseph swiftly turned and advanced toward Oh Hee-Jin.

    Even if he tore off Hee-Jin¡¯s arm or leg, it would grow back anyway, so he thought about twisting his neck or pulling out his heart.

    <i>¡ªGrab on. </i>

    <i>Swish! </i>

    However, with the woman¡¯s suddenmand, tentacles sprouted out from Oh Hee-Jin''s body. The tentacles wrapped around Joseph''s body and squeezed it.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    At the same time, the tentacles surged toward Sung Yu-Da, who was preparing for the next attack. The pointed tentacles pierced the side of his body.

    Sung Yu-Da copsed. Hundreds of locusts surrounding Oh Hee-Jin were also pierced by the tentacles and the locusts started dying.

    The woman stroked Oh Hee-Jin''s head as if she was praising him.

    <i>¡ªNow, kill them all. It''s time to prove your superiority. </i>

    "..."

    There was no longer any reason left in Oh Hee-Jin''s eyes. The kind and sincere clergyman''s self was no longer there. Only a faithful servant of the Satanist executive named Lust remained.

    The tentacles extending from his body surged toward Sung Yu-Da, Joseph, the insects, and all the other survivors in the cathedral.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    However, the tentacles did not reach the survivors'' bodies. The source of the heavy footsteps echoing through the cathedral caused the tentacles to halt their movements.

    The woman¡¯s face stiffened. Her gaze was directed toward the massive clergyman approaching Oh Hee-Jin.

    "...Hee-Jin, Oh Hee-Jin," said Han Dae-Ho.

    With his appearance, Oh Hee-Jin''s body stiffened. The woman continued tomand Oh Hee-Jin to kill them all and to kill the man approaching him. Shemanded him to extend his tentacles, clench his fists, and raise his arms...

    However, Oh Hee-Jin did not obey any of thosemands. Unable to walk properly due to his injuries, Oh Hee-Jin just stared nkly at Han Dae-Ho.

    With his heavy steps, Han Dae-Ho finally stood in front of Oh Hee-Jin. He smiled sadly and croaked, "How did you end up like that?"

 Chapter 279

    <h4>Chapter 279</h4>

    ¡°Director...¡± Oh Hee-Jin muttered as he saw Han Dae-Ho approaching.

    His eyes had been gradually turning red and transforming into those of a demon, but they once again regained the rity they had back when he was a human.The tentacles that had sprouted on his body stopped attacking and floated in the air. Han Dae-Ho took a step toward Oh Hee-Jin.

    He was already injured. If Oh Hee-Jin attacked him, he would suffer an injury that might immediately threaten his life. Nevertheless, he did not stop moving toward Oh Hee-Jin.

    At that moment, a woman whispered into Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s ear.

    <i>¡ªKill him. </i>

    The woman¡¯s face, which had a leisurely smile all along, now showed a clear look of confusion. It was because Oh Hee-Jin was not listening to the woman¡¯s words at all. Despite the woman''smand to kill Han Dae-Ho, Oh Hee-Jin remained still. The tentacles and his arms remained unmoving as he waited for Han Dae-Ho to approach.

    <i>¡ªIf you don''t kill him, you will die. Kill him immediately.</i>

    The womanmanded him again.

    <i>¡ªImmediately. </i>

    <i>St! </i>

    Oh Hee-Jin''s tentacles wrapped around Han Dae-Ho''s arm and tore it off. Blood spurted from his arm in all directions.

    Despair crept onto Oh Hee-Jin''s face. Oh Hee-Jin had not willfully moved the tentacles and attacked Han Dae-Ho. He had been forced to follow the woman''smand.

    "Di-director. I''m sorry. Di-director... director..." Oh Hee-Jin desperately called out to the director with a monstrous voice.

    Despite his face contorted in pain, Han Dae-Ho steadfastly smiled and said, "It''s okay. I''m okay."

    He approached Oh Hee-Jin again. Han Dae-Ho''s steps, which were always confident and strong, were weak. His trembling legs revealed how severe his injuries were. He stumbled and tripped over a couple of times, and his consciousness faded in and out, but he continued to approach Oh Hee-Jin.

    And when he arrived right in front of Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s face, Han Dae-Ho¡¯s lips trembled as he said, "Are you okay?"

    Han Dae-Ho ced his hand on Oh Hee-Jin''s shoulder.

    His shoulder had malformed into a grotesque abomination through repeated battles. Sharp scales were sticking out of his skin, so just touching his shoulder caused wounds to appear on Han-Dae Ho¡¯s hand.

    However, Han Dae-Ho paid no attention to this and he continued to pat Oh Hee-Jin''s shoulder with his remaining arm. More wounds appeared on Han Dae-Ho''s palm.

    "Is that the power you truly desired?" Han Dae-Ho asked.

    He knew the inferiority that Oh Hee-Jin harbored in his heart. No matter how much training he underwent, his body could not be stronger. He was born with a small frame andcked muscles, so no matter how hard he tried, he could not ovee those with talent.

    Because of that, he admired strength and despised his weakness. That was why he umted knowledge instead of physical strength, and that became his power. Han Dae-Ho considered Oh Hee-Jin to be a reliable and capable subordinate.

    Although Han Dae-Ho had a strong physique, he did not have the desire to pursue knowledge. He had resolved various problems that could not be solved by strength alone thanks to Oh Hee-Jin''s knowledge.

    "You were much stronger than me. I have always thought of you that way," Han Dae-Ho said.

    Oh Hee-Jin''s eyes shook. The woman''s face contorted grotesquely.

    <i>¡ªKill that bastard right now! Right now! </i>

    "Stop. Before you be even weaker," Han Dae-Ho said.

    Blood continued to flow from his right arm, which had been cut off by the tentacles. However, Han Dae-Ho did not even try to stop the bleeding. He just let the blood flow. Oh Hee-Jin trembled and shed tears. The tears were not ck. They were pure and clear¡ªthey were human tears.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    A piece of wood flew over Han Dae-Ho''s shoulder and pierced Oh Hee-Jin''s chest. The piece of wood which flew over while spinning fiercely, created a huge hole in Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s chest.

    Blood poured out from the hole. Oh Hee-Jin covered the hole in his chest using his tentacles. Despite his ability to quickly recover from any injury or wound, Oh Hee-Jin could not fill the hole in his chest.

    "Ah..."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Oh Hee-Jin kneeled down and looked beyond Han Dae-Ho''s shoulder, toward the culprit who had thrown the piece of wood. It was Sun-Woo.

    Oh Hee-Jin lost his desire to fight due to Han Dae-Ho''s words and he lost his life due to Sun-Woo''s attack.

    "...What a relief."

    Oh Hee-Jin thought it was fortunate that he met his end at the hands of the Eastern Pdin Order, where he had started his career. He had sumbed to Lust¡¯s temptation and had transformed into a being that was neither demon nor human, but he was relieved that he died without killing anyone.

    "Thank, yo..."

    Oh Hee-Jin''s words were cut off.

    The eyes which had once boiled with desire and lust as a Satanist executive¡¯s minion and the faith and determination of a Romanican clergyman were now empty.

    He met death while kneeling down. His cause of death was not due to the piece of wood that had pierced his chest. If he wanted to, he could have healed the hole, but he did not recover from that injury because he had wished for his own death. He clung on to thest vestiges of his conviction as a clergyman, not wanting to hurt people. He died because he wished for it himself. Although he had pursued strength all his life, he finally became strong in his final moments.

    The woman standing behind Oh Hee-Jin let out a chilling scream. She stared at the deceased Oh Hee-Jin and screamed madly.

    "Ah, ah, aaaaah¡ª!"

    The clergymen, including Joseph, Sung Yu-Da, and Han Dae-Ho, desperately covered their ears as blood flowed out from them.

    "The problem was using such scum as a servant!" the woman shouted loudly as she thrashed around.

    Her lips, which were smiling previously, twisted grotesquely and spewed out vile curses. Sinister wrinkles appeared in her gentle eyes. Her neat, white teeth transformed into sharp and pointed teeth like those of a beast. It was not an appearance that she used to seduce people, but it was Satanist Executive Lust¡¯s original form.

    ¡°I should have just dealt with everything from the beginning!¡±

    The woman raised her hand. There was arge and sharp w on her fingertip.

    ck smoke emanated from the w. It was impossible to tell whether demonic energy was flowing out from the w or if the w was originally made out of demonic energy.

    The woman tried to wave her hand toward everyone in the cathedral.

    She intended to kill everyone in the cathedral by cutting them with Satan¡¯s w.

    Originally, she had nned to gather superior individuals to use as her followers, but now she didn''t even want to do that. She was so angry that she wouldn¡¯t be relieved unless she killed everyone.

    However, a chilling sound echoed through the cathedral before she could wave her hand. And then the woman''s head fell to the ground.

    ck blood gushed out like a fountain from her decapitated body. Jin-Seo casually wiped the ck blood off the sword and her face then looked down at the woman''s head rolling on the ground.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Then she stabbed the woman''s skull again with her sword. A look of confusion vividly appeared in the woman''s eyes as she looked up at Jin-Seo. The woman''s face, which had once been beautiful and charming to seduce people, was now covered in ck blood.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo''s face was expressionless. However, her gaze while looking down at the woman was mixed with disgust, contempt, and wrath.

    The cathedral fell silent as if it had been drenched in cold water.

    "Ha, hahaha. Kyahaha!"

    The woman''sughter broke the silence. Even though her body and head were separated, sheughed like a madwoman.

    When theughter finally stopped, the woman rolled her eyes and scanned the faces of everyone in the cathedral, including Jin-Seo. "I will return, for sure! And I will present a dreadful nightmare once again!"

    ck smoke began to flow from the separated body and the woman¡¯s head. Her body turned into smoke and smoothly escaped outside the cathedral.

    Jin-Seo tried to slice the smoke with her sword, but she was unable to cut it.

    As the ck smokepletely escaped outside the cathedral and disappeared, the woman''s eerieughter continued to echo throughout the cathedral.

    ***

    The ck smoke that had escaped from the cathedral rose into the sky. The smoke headed toward somewhere as it continued to move along with the wind.

    The ce where the smoke stopped moving and began to condense was in a valley of a deserted mountain where no one was present. The smoke slowly condensed and took shape in the center of the valley which was filled with the chill of winter.

    Once again, the woman¡¯s figure appeared. The naked woman, seemingly unaffected by the winter wind, casually looked around as she turned her head. Then, she walked toward the valley.

    "Ha, ha. Ah, aah. Aaah¡ª!"

    The woman plunged into the frozen valley and made eerie sounds as she scratched her body frantically with her sharp nails. ck blood flowed from the deep wounds. The clear valley was quickly tainted ck with the woman''s blood. The few minnows in the valley died and floated to the surface.

    "Aah... This one, that one. All of them..." the woman murmured endlessly as she scratched and peeled her own flesh with her nails.

    She reviewed the previous battle. Her minion, whom Jun-Hyuk called ¡®Chang-Shik,¡¯ had died so ridiculously easily that it was absurd.

    She hurriedly turned Oh Hee-Jin into her second minion, but he also died. His mind was swayed by a single word from the man named Han Dae-Ho, whom he had served as a subordinate when he was a human, and he died in such an underwhelming way.

    Where did it all go wrong? Choosing Chang-Shik as her first minion? Choosing Oh Hee-Jin as her second minion? Or attempting the battle without sufficiently securing enough demonic beasts and demons?

    No, none of those were the issue. Her preparation was not bad. The problem was that ck-haired boy. He easily killed Chang-Shik, her first minion, and finished off all the demonic beasts and demons in the Sheepfold. He even dealt with Oh Hee-Jin, her second minion.

    ¡°The Cult Leader...¡±

    The Voodoo Cult Leader was the problem. If it hadn''t been for him, there would have been no issues. The inferior members of the clergy gathered at the cathedral would have all been killed off, leaving only the superior ones to be chosen as minions.

    Thus, she would have be the strongest Container of Satan among the Satanist executives, and she would have finally been able to enjoy the honor of bing the Lord of Hell.

    However, the Voodoo Cult''s leader had ruined everything. If only she could kill that bastard somehow¡ªno, if he could even be turned into a minion instead...

    <i>Stter, stter.</i>

    Suddenly, someone walking on top of the valley water approached the woman. She was startled and turned her head as she had not sensed any presence earlier.

    The woman was taken aback by the man''s figure and said, "Jun-Hyuk?"

    It was Jun-Hyuk, the Satanist executive of Envy and one of the containers of Satan. The woman blinked her eyes as if she couldn''t understand at all.

    "Did you escape? From the underground prison? How?"

    "No, this is a taxidermied creature. The original is still in prison," Jun-Hyuk said casually.

    The woman examined Jun-Hyuk''s appearance a little more closely. However, no matter how much she looked, it still looked exactly like Jun-Hyuk. It was too borate and perfect to be called a taxidermied creature resembling Jun-Hyuk.

    The woman stared at Jun-Hyuk with an astonished expression for a while.

    Then, she angrily said, "You! Because you said to aim for a promotion ceremony! I listened to your words and tried to help you, and this is what happened to me. I lost my minions, my demonic beast, my demons, everything! I lost all of them!"

    "Oh, really?" Jun-Hyuk replied casually.

    Jun-Hyuk had advised the woman¡¯s subordinate, Chang-Shik, to attack during the promotion ceremony. Jun-Hyuk provided all the groundwork for the attack during the ceremony, as well as all the information. The woman had unwaveringly believed Jun-Hyuk''s words and aimed to cause amotion.

    At first, the woman couldn''t understand why Jun-Hyuk was helping her. As a Container of Satan, he was herpetitor.

    However, upon hearing Jun-Hyuk say, "I can¡¯t do anything while trapped inside this prison, so if you cause amotion during the promotion ceremony, I will escape from the underground prison during that chaos," the woman naively set aside her doubts.

    As a result of trusting Jun-Hyuk, the woman lost all the minions, demonic creatures, and demons she had trained so far.

    The woman red at Jun-Hyuk with intense eyes.

    "If only you hadn''t said such things¡ª!"

    "Well, you should have believed a person that was worth believing in."

    With a smirk, Jun-Hyuk opened his mouth, and at that moment, a giant finger appeared behind Jun-Hyuk, apanied by a dark me. Before the woman could resist, the finger drew a line across the woman¡¯s throat.

    <i>Creeeak¡ª!</i>

    With a chilling sound as if metal was shing, the woman''s throat was cut, and it did not grow back. She couldn''t turn into smoke and escape. The woman died without being able to utter anyst words or pleas.

    She died, just like that.

    After picking up a fingernail that fell from the woman''s body, Jun-Hyuk put it into his mouth and said, "Now, there¡¯s only one left."

    A fingernail, asrge and as sharp as the woman''s, slowly grew from his finger while emanating demonic energy.

 Chapter 280

    <h4>Chapter 280</h4>

    After the woman turned into smoke and disappeared, the noisy cathedral was once again filled with silence.

    Some people stared nkly, while others sat down to rest because of their injuries. Others silently prayed for those who were injured or dead.

    I closed my eyes tightly. When I reopened them, I looked around.

    Many people were either dead or injured. Oh Hee-Jin, who had sumbed to the woman¡¯s ck magic and be her minion, died after a hole was punched through his chest. Right next to him was Han Dae-Ho. He had lost an arm and was pressing his thick hand on his wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

    Sung Yu-Da closed his eyes and hugged Ha-Yeon while she nkly stared into space with wide eyes.

    Joseph let out a bitterugh and walked off before copsing onto the ground. Jin-Seo silently sobbed as she looked at the unconscious Chang-Won.

    Baron Samedi was present amid all this carnage. Inside this ce which was filled with the scent of death, Baron Samedi casually gazed at the faces of the deceased with a cigar in his mouth.

    Before I knew it, Baron Samedi''s red gaze was focused on me.

    [Are you sad?] Baron Samedi asked, his voice piercing my ears.

    I btedly realized that he was asking me a question.

    Despite realizing this fact, I was unable to easily answer his question. I just looked at my surroundings without nodding or shaking my head.

    Han Dae-Ho''s severed arm could be reattached using an advanced restoration spell. Chang-Won appeared to be dead, but he could be revived with Legba¡¯s help and the power of the poteau mitan, the Staff of Reversal.

    Besides Chang-Won, I could save many others who were about to face death.

    "..."

    If I did so, then my identity as the leader of the Voodoo Cult would be exposed to everyone present. If that happened, my goal of reuniting with my mother would also drift away. No, perhaps I would never be able to reunite with my mother until the day I died.

    Nevertheless, I...

    [You are free to do whatever you wish,] Legba said.

    [Kid. If you make that decision, then what did youe all this way for?] Damba asked.

    The words of the two Loa were embedded deeply into my mind. The voices of Baron Samedi, Legba, and Damba blended together inside my head. And it was then that I was btedly able to answer Baron Samedi''s question.

    I was indeed sad.

    I was sad for those who were injured or had lost their lives in the battle against the Satanist here in this cathedral. And I was sad about my own inability to save them despite having the power to do so.

    Just as the Romanican Church was my enemy, I was an enemy of the Romanican Church. Even if I saved the people here, I would not hear any words of gratitude.

    Instead, my identity would be exposed, and I would get hunted down. Forget about being hailed as the hero who had saved everyone, I would end up beingbeled as a fraud who had hidden his identity and deceived them.

    If the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult were not in a hostile rtionship, would the situation have been different? Could all these people have avoided death?

    ¡°...¡±

    It was a meaningless thought.

    ***

    Not long after the incident, a woman''s body was found in a secluded forest near the cathedral. A passerby had noticed the woman''s head floating in a frozen river located in a valley.

    With this, Satanist Executive Lust was dead. The credit for defeating the Satanist Executive was given to all the clergymen present in the cathedral, including me.

    Shortly after it was announced that Satanist Executive Lust had been suppressed, a memorial service was held at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood where the incident took ce.

    The funeral ended earlier today. We collectively mourned those who had died in battle.

    I wore the pdin robe I had received during dispatch training at the Eastern Pdin Order and went to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood. Photos of the clergy members'' faces were ced on top of flowers.

    Among them was Oh Hee-Jin''s face.

    "You¡¯re here," Han Dae-Ho said.

    He was among the long procession of people who were mourning the deceased clergy members.

    One of his arms was missing because it had been cut off. He usually seemed like a massive mountain, but he now appeared somewhat smaller.

    I bowed my head toward him and asked, "Is your arm okay?"

    "My right elbow would always hurt whenever I exercised, but now it doesn''t hurt, so that''s good. I even sleep better now," Han Dae-Ho said with a chuckle.

    Since his right arm had beenpletely severed, it was impossible for his missing elbow to feel pain. It sounded like a joke, but I didn''t know how to respond, so I remained silent.

    Han Dae-Ho cleared his throat awkwardly. Then he nced up and down at the clothes I was wearing.

    He asked, "Was that the outfit that the Eastern Pdin Order gave you?"

    "Yes."

    "Looks like you won''t have a chance to wear that again in the future since the dispatch training period is over," Han Dae-Ho said regretfully.

    The dispatch training period ended not long after the incident. Now, I was no longer an apprentice pdin affiliated with the Eastern Pdin Order, but an unaffiliated apprentice pdin.

    Being unaffiliated meant that I could potentially be affiliated with any organization. After the end of the dispatch training, I could apply to join the Pdin Order of my choice. Once epted, I would be a full-fledged pdin instead of just an apprentice.

    "Are you thinking of applying to join the Central Order?"

    "Yes. I''ll have to take the test and prepare for a lot of different things, but I n to do my best to prepare."

    I nodded in response to Han Dae-Ho''s question. Under normal circumstances, it would be unthinkable for a Florence Academy student who had only recentlypleted dispatch training to apply for admission to the Central Pdin Order.

    However, considering the achievements I had umted so far and with Sung Yu-Da''s help as well as the rmendation letters from several other clergymen, it would not be impossible for me to get admitted.

    Sung Yu-Da had said that if I achieved high scores on the admission test, I certainly had a chance of getting epted into the Central Pdin Order. Moreover, once I got in, it wouldn''t be difficult for me to ess the underground prison.

    Han Dae-Ho said, "Alright... It¡¯s a shame. Keep in touch even after you leave. Don''t pretend like you don''t know me once you enter Central, kid. You know you owe me if you get admitted into Central, right?"

    I nodded with a smile. "Got it."

    The line of people waiting in front of us to pay their respects to the deceased clergymen slowly decreased. Before long, our turn arrived, and I mourned Oh Hee-Jin¡¯s death using the Romanican ritual. When I was done, I walked away.

    Inside the cathedral, some people wailed mournfully for the deceased clergymen, but I did not have the energy to do so.

    "Where are you going now?" Han Dae-Ho asked as we exited the cathedral.

    He stretched his body and looked up at the sky.

    I instinctively raised my head to look at the sky too. It was strangely clear and bright today. The blue light of the sky poured in all at once, making my eyes hurt a little.

    "I think I need to go back."

    "To the dormitory?"

    "Home... My family is worried."

    "Well, that makes sense. I understand," Han Dae-Ho said with a nod.

    With that, we parted ways. Han Dae-Ho seemed to want to talk a little more with me, but I didn¡¯t want to speak, so I used my family as an excuse.

    Nevertheless, it wasn''t a lie that they were worried. Ji-Ah, Uncle, and Soo-Yeong were quite worried about me. Of course, that didn''t mean I actually nned to go to the underground chapel to see Ji-Ah, Uncle, and Soo-Yeong. That was simply an excuse.

    I didn¡¯t want to talk to Han Dae-Ho. To be more precise, I could not talk to him. Facing him made me feel embarrassed and disgusted with myself.

    "Dan Wedo."

    <i>Pitter, patter... </i>

    I called out to Dan Wedo and summoned some rain. Clouds covered the clear sky, and raindrops hit my head.

    I believed that rain suited a day like this. Rain was supposed to fall after someone died. It was always like that in movies and books.

    However, there wasn¡¯t much rain. The weather was cold, so it was half rain and half snow. I walked while getting hit by the cold rain and snow.

    I had no particr destination. I just continued to move my legs which had grown heavy due to getting soaked by the rain. I didn¡¯t want to go to the memorial service for the other clergymen, and I didn¡¯t want to return to the underground chapel. I just walked through the gloomy and deste streets.

    It was then that my phone rang. I picked it up without even checking the caller.

    ¡ªWhere are you?

    It was a familiar voice. However, the tone of the voice felt unfamiliar. It was a cold and distant tone thatcked strength.

    I didn¡¯t respond to Jin-Seo¡¯s question for a long while. Instead, I stopped walking and stood still. I looked around me and saw unfamiliar faces rushing through unfamiliar streets and alleys.

    "I wonder," I casually replied.

    <i>Beep. </i>

    Jin-Seo abruptly hung up the call.

    ***

    Jin-Seo went to the student''s funeral. Many civilians and clergymen, including prtes, had died the day Satanist Executive Lust appeared.

    Not many people attended the funeral of the child who had died in vain without achieving anything, but Jin-Seo knew the student¡¯s name. To Jin-Seo, that student was not just one of the many people who had died that day. She knew the student¡¯s face, her name, her personality, and many other things. The student had been someone special to her.

    After sincerely mourning the student¡¯s death, Jin-Seo exchanged greetings with the student¡¯s parents and then returned to Kim Chang-Won''s funeral.

    Kim Chang-Won, who had been suffering from health problems, had ultimately lost his life in battle the day that Satanist Executive Lust appeared. It had not been a futile death. The battle had been difficult, and it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for everyone in the cathedral to have perished. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was thanks to Kim Chang-Won¡¯s miracle-replication spell that the casualties were not worse.

    Yet, Jin-Seo was unable to figure out why his death seemed so meaningless to her. With a nk expression, she continuously greeted the mourners who came over.

    There were many mourners, including people who had been colleagues with Kim Chang-Won when he was a priest, prtes who had connections with him, and teachers. Most of the mourners had no personal connection with Jin-Seo, but they still greeted her and offered formal words offort.

    However, behind her back, they said things such as ¡°It¡¯s such a tragedy that she has lost both her parents at such a young age. He wasn¡¯t her biological parent, so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad, right?¡± and ¡°I feel so sorry for Kim Chang-Won.¡±

    <i>Crash!</i>

    The inside of the dining hall hadn¡¯t exactly been quiet, but there hadn¡¯t been anymotion so far. However, at that moment, a sharp noise resounded through the hall. Jin-Seo, half lost in thought, was startled and turned her head.

    Among the mourners eating there, Min-Seo was pointing a broken bottle at someone.

    ¡°You yap too much. If you have so much to say to the chairman, how about you go and ask him yourself? I can send you straight to him. Ah, I suppose there is no guarantee that you will end up in the same ce as him?¡±

    ¡°You, what are you¡ª?!¡±

    The threatened elderly clergyman steadied his breathing as his hands trembled. Min-Seo looked at the clergyman with eyes filled with disdain.

    Su-Ryeon hastily tried to intervene but was unable to stop Min-Seo, who was already out of control.

    Jin-Seo had been staring nkly in that direction, and when she finally realized what was going on, she approached Min-Seo.

    "What are you doing?" Jin-Seo said, grabbing Min-Seo''s shoulder firmly.

    Min-Seo had lost herposure and had been going on a rampage. When Jin-Seo reprimanded her, Min-Seo managed to regain her senses.

    She violently threw the bottle she held to the ground and clicked her tongue. "Tsk... I''ll let it slide this time. If you talk like that again, I''ll really send you to Adonai."

    ¡°...¡±

    After saying that, Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon left the dining hall. Jin-Seo took care of the aftermath of Min-Seo''s rampage and then also left the dining hall.

    Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon were having a conversation somewhere nearby.

    When Jin-Seo approached, Su-Ryeon jumped in surprise and shrank back.

    Then, as if not knowing what to do, she looked back and forth between Jin-Seo and Min-Seo and said, "Oh, hey there! Sorry, Jin-Seo. Min-Seo is a bit... How should I say this? No matter how nicely you put it, she¡¯s a lunatic, right? So that¡¯s why that happened...¡±

    "The real lunatics are those bastards who are sitting in front of a dead person and babbling nonsense. Didn¡¯t I show restraint by not killing them on the spot?¡± Min-Seo said defiantly.

    Clearly, she still had not fully calmed down.

    Then, Min-Seo faced Jin-Seo, who had been staring nkly at her. "Well, do you have something to say?"

    Jin-Seo shook her head and replied, "No, I¡¯m just thankful."

    There was no hint of sarcasm in her tone.

    Upon hearing her words, Min-Seo and Su-Ryeon looked at her with surprise.

    Min-Seo soon let out a snicker and said, "I wasn''t mad because of you. It was because of the chairman."

    "I know. But still, I''m grateful."

    "Oh,e on. What the heck... Why are you saying crap that you usually wouldn¡¯t say... Ah, whatever. I¡¯m leaving,¡± Min-Seo retorted bluntly and then started walking away with Su-Ryeon in tow.

    Suddenly, Min-Seo turned back to look at Jin-Seo and said, "I won''t offer anyfort. It¡¯s not something that will get better through words offort.¡±

    After saying that, Min-Seo left. Jin-Seo remained silent and watched the two women walk away. What Min-Seo said was better than half-hearted constion. At least, that was what Jin-Seo thought.

    Once Kim Chang-Won''s funeral and the memorial service for the deceased clergymen ended, Jin-Seo dragged herself back home.

    There was no one at home. It was eerily quiet. She had heard Kim Chang-Won sobbing in grief back when her foster mother passed away. But now, there were no sounds at all.

    Jin-Seo randomly called someone on her phone, and the person happened to be Sun-Woo.

    She asked, "Where are you?"

    ¡ªI wonder.

    Puzzled by Sun-Woo¡¯s reply, Jin-Seo remained silent for a moment before hanging up the call.

    "..."

    She took out a cigarette and brought it to her lips to smoke. It had been a few months since shest did this.

    Jin-Seo tried to light it, but she couldn''t bring herself to. More urately, she didn''t feel like it. She wasn''t sure if smoking would soothe this empty feeling. She wasn''t confident that she could find even a small amount offort from smoking.

    In that case, how would she be able to findfort? She didn''t want to eat anything delicious. She didn''t even have an appetite. It didn¡¯t feel like her mood would improve even if she went out to get some fresh air because the air was too cold.

    The refreshingly clear sky turned gloomy after being covered by dark clouds. Only then did her mood start to feel a little better. A mixture of rain and snow began to fall slowly from the sky.

    "..."

    She recalled Sun-Woo''s response earlier and the sound of his voice when he responded. Jin-Seo vaguely understood the meaning behind his words. She, too, didn''t know where she was at the moment.

    Jin-Seo crushed her cigarette and returned to her room. Shey on her bed and closed her eyes tightly.

    Her chest felt tight, but tears didn''t emerge from her eyes.

    <i>Ding¡ª! </i>

    At that moment, a clear sound echoed in her room, abruptly disturbing the deep silence.

    Jin-Seo was startled. She btedly realized that it was the sound of the doorbell, but she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone.

    Nevertheless, Jin-Seo went to the front door and opened it.

    In front of her was Sun-Woo, drenched in rain and looking like aplete mess.

    He looked at Jin-Seo and smiled faintly. "There you are."

 Chapter 281

    <h4>Chapter 281</h4>

    I had a phone call with Jin-Seo, had a brief and meaningless conversation with her, and then returned to the underground chapel. I went there because I had nowhere else to go besides the underground chapel.

    I could have returned to the dormitory, but I didn''t feel like going there today for some reason. I didn¡¯t even want to turn my body towards the direction of the dorms.

    "Wee back."

    The first person to greet me at the underground chapel was Uncle Jin-Sung.

    As usual, he was dressed neatly in a suit and was preparing to go somewhere.

    Next to him was Anna, who had recently returned to Korea after fleeing abroad. Unlike Uncle, she was dressed casually, so it seemed like she wasn¡¯t nning to go outside.

    "Where are you going?" I asked, but Uncle didn''t answer.

    Instead, he stood in front of the mirror and adjusted his ck tie several times.

    Eventually, he nodded slightly as if satisfied, and then btedly said, "To the memorial service. There is someone I have to meet there."

    "Who? A voodooist?"

    "No, a Romanican. It was just a personal acquaintance, not a religious one. I knew this guy and another guy, but they passed away recently,¡± my uncle replied nonchntly.

    He spoke casually and coldly as if he were mentioning the death of someone living in a different world instead of an acquaintance.

    My uncle quickly gulped down the cold coffee that was sitting on the table. Then, he cleared his throat and asked, "Did you attend the memorial service too? How was the atmosphere?"

    "Well, it was just..." I mumbled hesitantly.

    It was difficult for me to say anything since I wasn¡¯t at the memorial service long enough to gauge the atmosphere.

    I just went through the motions of praying in front of Oh Hee-Jin''s photo and then quickly escaped from the cathedral, so I couldn¡¯t reallyment on the atmosphere.

    "How do you feel?" My uncle suddenly asked.

    At first, I didn''t understand what he was asking, so I hesitated to respond.

    However, I soon realized what he meant. He was asking how I felt after attending the memorial service.

    However, even after understanding what he was asking, I still couldn''t help but hesitate to respond. It was because I didn¡¯t know how I was feeling at the moment either.

    I pondered deeply in an attempt to identify the feelings that I was experiencing at the moment.

    Back when I saw the long procession of people who came to mourn the deceased clergymen, saw Han Dae-Ho with a severed arm, saw the photo of Oh Hee-Jin smiling, and back when Jin-Seo called me...

    During those moments, I felt a vaguely ufortable sensation that I didn¡¯t really understand.

    However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn''t express those feelings in clear words. It was because the feelings were the result of two conflicting emotions.

    "I feel a bit dirty and also a bit frustrated," I said.

    "Is that so?" my uncle said.

    He slowly nodded and continued, "What do you think would make you feel a little better?"

    "..."

    "Do you think you would feel less frustrated if you started a Holy War? Or maybe, do you think you would feel better if you went to the underground prison and saw your mother?" My uncle asked.

    There was no hint of sarcasm in his response. He wasn''t demanding a specific answer from me, he was just asking out of genuine curiosity.

    I looked at Uncle as he groomed himself in front of the mirror, and wondered if stirring up a Holy War would relieve the dirty and suffocating emotions that I was feeling.

    It wouldn''t. I had long abandoned the shallow and naive desire to start a Holy War for revenge against the Romanican church.

    So, would going to the underground prison with the help of Sung Yu-Da and seeing my mother make things better? I couldn''t be sure of that either.

    Even if I were to see my imprisoned mother, and even if I sessfully rescued her, I knew I wouldn''t be able to shake off this dirty and suffocating feeling for a long time.

    I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult. If I wanted to maintain my disguise as a clergyman of the Romanican church and live an ordinary life, I had to deceive and manipte everyone at every moment.

    That said, I didn''t want to reveal my true identity to others. If I did that, I would have to drift away from the many connections I had made while living as a clergyman of the Romanican church.

    "I won¡¯t feel better no matter what I do," I muttered with a nod.

    At one point, I had wanted to be a clergyman of the Romanican church solely to achieve my goal. Now, however, the status of being a clergyman of the Romanican church was not just a cassock to achieve my goal.

    I didn''t want to give up on being the leader of the Voodoo Cult or a clergyman of the Romanican church. No, I was in a situation where I couldn''t give up on either of the two.

    "If it¡¯s a feeling that won¡¯t be relieved no matter what you do, then just don¡¯t think about it. It¡¯s easier that way.¡±

    "..."

    "Why bother thinking about something that won''t change no matter how much you think about it? It''s a waste of time," Uncle said with an expressionless face.

    "Just think about what to do next.¡±

    After saying that, he left the underground chapel. Only Anna, who was the executive of the Gyeonggi branch, Soo-Yeong, and Ji-Ah, remained inside the underground chapel.

    Soo-Yeong and Ji-Ah were sitting facing each other at the table while exchanging banter, and Anna was watching them with a content expression. All three of them were unaware that I had returned to the underground chapel.

    I looked at them and pondered over the words my uncle had said to me. What did I have to do next? In other words, what was I going to do after meeting my mother who was imprisoned in the underground prison? I was unable to reach a conclusion easily.

    ¡°...¡±

    I continued to gaze at the three people who were happily conversing. They seemed content in their own way.

    After reuniting with my mother and rescuing her from the underground dungeon, the happy and peaceful days that we were experiencing right now woulde to an end. It was because to save my mother, I would have to reveal the fact that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    I wondered what I had to do next. I thought deeply about it, but it was still difficult for me toe up with a conclusion. I tried my best not to attract attention as I left the underground chapel.

    I walked while looking up at the sky, where snow and rain were falling. And then I arrived at Jin-Seo''s house.

    I couldn¡¯t exactly recall why I went to her house. Was it because she was thest person Imunicated with on my phone? Or was it because I figured I would be able to reach a conclusion if I met her?

    "There you are."

    I didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but I felt that I had to meet her. When I appeared in front of her doorway, Jin-Seo looked at me nkly without even showing any signs of surprise or confusion.

    ***

    She casually told me toe in. I asked if it was really okay to do so. Jin-Seo nodded.

    "There''s no one here anyway," she said.

    "But still..."

    "Juste in if I tell you to do so."

    She spoke in a forceful tone of voice so I couldn¡¯t help but enter her house. Her house was spacious.

    It included a room and an office that seemed to have been used by Chang-Won in the past, along with a living room, and a kitchen. Every single room wasrge.

    "It''s spacious," I muttered to myself.

    Jin-Seo nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah. Too spacious."

    She took me around the house, introducing me to every corner as if she were a real estate agent showing a house to a potential buyer. The first ce she took me to was the kitchen.

    "This is the kitchen," she said.

    "It''s clean and the dishes are all done," I said.

    "It¡¯s because I haven''t eaten recently."

    ¡°...¡±

    I didn''t know how to respond to what she had said, so I just stayed silent.

    Next, she led me to the study. There were a lot of books.

    When I asked if she had read all the books, she casually replied that she had. It seemed there was a reason why she had such good grades despite always exercising.

    "This is my room."

    Lastly, she took me to her own room. While everything in her house wasrge, her room was quite ordinary.

    There was a bed that seemed suitable for only one person, a desk with a few books on it, a wardrobe, and other ordinary-sized furniture ced appropriately.

    She sat on the edge of the bed, and I pulled a chair from the desk and sat down. It was dark outside, and snow was still falling.

    The night was unusually dark and deep tonight. I stared nkly at the particles of snow and rain sparkling in the faint light emitted from the streemps.

    "Grant me one wish," Jin-Seo said, interrupting my absent-minded gaze out the window.

    She was sitting on the bed, looking straight at me.

    Her eyes, which were usually sharp and clear, seemed tock strength today. I could understand why she didn¡¯t have any strength left.

    Lowering her gaze, which had been fixed on me, she said, "You promised to grant me one wish. Remember?"

    "I did."

    "Hold me," she said.

    I got up and hugged her. It was a little warm. But other than that, I didn''t feel anything special.

    "You smell like rain."

    "I walked here while getting soaked from the rain."

    "That''s true," she said,ying me down on the bed.

    Iy down following her touch without much thought.

    She snuggled up next to me and hugged me tightly. Then she closed her eyes and cuddled with me for a while. Outside the window, the snow was still falling while sparkling in the light.

    "You feel cold. And there''s a strange smell," she suddenly said.

    I was taken aback.

    "Why did you ask me to hug you if you were going to be like this?"

    "I didn''t say I didn''t like it. It''s not bad," she said.

    She then remained silent for a while. I also stayed silent. She seemed to fidget a little, then she dug deeper into my embrace and said, "I''ve always been curious. What are you hiding from me?"

    "There''s nothing like that."

    "Don''t lie," she said firmly.

    I kept my mouth shut.

    "You don''t have to lie. I''m not really curious anymore anyway."

    "Is that so?"

    "I feel like knowing won''t change anything now."

    It was a statement that was filled with meaning. I couldn''t find the words to respond with and kept my mouth shut.

    She buried her face in my chest and said, "Whether you turn out to be a really scary person, or someone with nothing, or even a cultist, I... It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯ll still be fine."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo lifted her head and stared at me as she said, "Just don¡¯t die or leave without a word."

    I carefully chose the words to respond with. If the fact that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult were ever exposed, I would have to leave her side without a word.

    I might suddenly die after failing to escape from the pursuit of the Holy See or after unintentionally triggering a second Holy War.

    "Right now..."

    "Right now, is it difficult to answer?"

    "Yes."

    "What aboutter?"

    "...I can answerter," I replied.

    It was a promise that I couldn''t be sure I could keep.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t an answer that I gave to reassure her. I also didn¡¯t want to die or leave her side without a word.

    But that wasn''t something I could decide on my own. At the very least, after meeting my mother in the underground prison, and after the situation gets sorted out to a certain extent, then I would tell her. At that time, I would definitely be able to answer her.

    "Yes, that''s fine..." she murmured in my arms.

    After that, she was silent for a while.

    Her shoulders, nestled in my arms, rose and fell rhythmically. She seemed to have suddenly fallen asleep. I carefully got up from my bed, making sure not to wake her up. Then I turned off the lights.

    When the light went out, the room became surprisingly dark. Only a faint streetlight wasing through the window, barely illuminating the room.

    I cautiously opened the door and tried to leave her room. But then someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned my head.

    Jin-Seo, whom I thought had fallen asleep, was standing in front of me all of a sudden. Her expression was not clearly visible in the pitch-ck darkness.

    ¡°...¡±

    She stared at me in silence for a while and then suddenly approached me. I closed my eyes. I felt a soft and warm touch on my lips.

    We kissed like that for a few seconds. Even after pulling away and opening my eyes, the sensation still lingered on my lips.

    "When the timees and you can answer, tell me," she said.

    I nodded.

    "Goodbye," she said as she waved her hand towards me in the darkness.

    I walked through the long corridor and stepped outside. It was still dark outside, and snow and rain were still falling.

    There was more snow than rain. The cold wind hit my face along with the snowkes. It was cold.

 Chapter 282

    <h4>Chapter 282</h4>

    Yu-Hyun went to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood to visit a memorial service.

    There, he met many people. Most of them were not close to Yu-Hyun, but they approached him to make connections.

    Yu-Hyun felt a slight disdain when saw those who shamelessly tried to get close to him even at a ceremony for mourning the deaths of clergymen.

    Nevertheless, Yu-Hyun epted all their greetings without showing any disdain. He also tried to build some rapport by engaging in conversations.

    It was important to win the favor of many clergymen in order to seed in the uing papal conve.

    Right after attending the memorial service, he went to meet another Pope candidate, Yeon. Yeon was ying with elderly people in the park as usual.

    The sight of him ying chess with his left hand and ying go with his right hand simultaneously against two opponents was truly impressive.

    Yu-Hyun quietly watched as Yeon yed both chess and go at the same time. When the game was almost over and the elderly yers dered their surrender, he said, "Yeon, I''m here."

    "Ah, Yu-Hyun."

    Yeon cleared the chess pieces and go stones that were cluttering the boards. As the boards were cleared, the elderly yers and the spectators watching Yeon''s game all dispersed and disappeared.

    Yu-Hyun sat across from Yeon. Yeon, who had been lost in thought while staring nkly into space, grinned and looked at Yu-Hyun.

    "Did you attend the memorial service?"

    "Yes. Aren''t you going, Yeon? It could be politically beneficial for you to attend. Many high-ranking officials were present at this memorial service because it was an incident where a Satanist Executive appeared."

    "I¡¯m good. It''s exhausting to be involved in political matters."

    Yu-Hyun looked at Yeon with narrowed eyes and said, "Involvement in politics is essential to be the Pope. I think it wouldn''t hurt to gradually get used to it during this opportunity."

    The intentions within his gaze were clear. Yu-Hyun discreetly nced at Yeon''s eyes, then chuckled and shook his head.

    "I¡¯m not interested in bing the Pope. Just living like this, ying chess or go with the elders, is the life for me," Yeon said.

    Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t hide his smile. He nodded and said, "Oh, really?"

    Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun with a stiff expression.

    "...Seeing you say that, it seems like His Holiness is not in good health."

    Yu-Hyun silently nodded in response to Yeon¡¯s words. The fact that the current Pope''s health was not good was widely known through various rumors.

    While the Holy See hurriedly dismissed it as baseless rumors, Yu-Hyun knew the truth.

    He knew that the Pope''s days were numbered. And he knew that the papal conve was soon to take ce. He hade to visit Yeon, who was both an ally and apetitor, to ask for his opinion on whether he was running for the papal conve.

    Yeon nodded with a bitter smile and said, "Well, then... Alright, how about ying a game of shogi while we talk? Or should we y a game of chess?"

    "No, forget it," Yu-Hyun interjected, stopping Yeon''s attempt to take out the chessboard.

    Yu-Hyun continued, "Let''s get to the point and I''ll be on my way soon. I''m short on time."

    "The point?"

    "Yes. Yeon, how about resigning from the Pope candidacy?" Yu-Hyun said bluntly.

    Despite the sudden proposal, Yeon did not show any signs of surprise and slowly nodded.

    Yeon brushed back his long hair and tied it tightly with the string he had around his wrist. Then, with a somewhat different demeanor than usual, he red at Yu-Hyun with a fierce look in his eyes.

    "What benefits do I gain from doing that?"

    "If I be the Pope, I''ll give you a position as a minister and ensure your safety," Yu-Hyun replied.

    "Then, in addition to resigning from the Pope candidacy, you should also propose that I wholeheartedly support you in bing the next Pope. If you don''t be the Pope, there will be little benefit for me in return," Yeon said.

    "You don''t need to worry about that part. I am convinced that I will be the next Pope."

    "What is the basis of your conviction?"

    "I can''t tell you yet. But if I were to give you a hint..."

    Yu-Hyun paused for a moment. He was contemting the best way to express himself.

    "I know the true identity of a figure that many people fear. I will use this information to win the election."

    "Are you talking about the leader of the Voodoo Cult?" Yeon whispered.

    Yu-Hyun nodded.

    He knew that the leader of the Voodoo Cult was Sun-Woo. And he knew that for some reason, it seemed like Sun-Woo''s purpose in joining Florence Academy was to gain ess to the underground prison.

    If Yu-Hyun''s prediction was correct, this information could be utilized. Predicting the future actions of Sun-Woo, who was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, and even influencing his actions ording to Yu-Hyun''s intentions was possible.

    If he properly utilized this information, not only would he be able to win the papal conve but solidifying his position as the Pope afterwards seemed achievable.

    "How do you n to utilize that information?" Yeon asked.

    Yu-Hyun smirked and said, "I can''t reveal that just yet, not until you arepletely on my side."

    "Hmm... Alright, I''ll be on your side. I''ll resign as the Pope candidate and support you," Yeon said.

    "That''s a very wise choice," Yu-Hyun nodded with a bright smile.

    Afterpleting the negotiation with Yeon, Yu-Hyun was about to leave when Yeon stopped him.

    "Wait, before you go... How many people have you recruited using this strategy? It doesn''t seem like you only came to me."

    "Everyone except one of the Pope candidates," Yu-Hyun replied.

    "Why did you leave one person?"

    "It''s more impressive if I secure the majority vote and squash my opposition rather than swaying everyone over to my side,¡± Yu-Hyun exined emotionlessly.

    "So, that guy¡¯s the sacrificialmb, in a sense. A necessary sacrifice for the sake of a glorious victory."

    "I see... But are you really not going to y chess?"

    "What''s the point of ying chess with you? I''ll lose anyway," Yu-Hyun said.

    Yeon looked up at Yu-Hyun with a slightly surprised expression, then soon smiled as if dejected.

    "Ha ha, alright."

    Yu-Hyun left without even saying a proper goodbye. Yeon silently watched his departing figure.

    Yeon knew that Yu-Hyun had always gone easy, whether intentionally or unintentionally, whenever he yed chess with him. Yu-Hyun was far superior at not only chess but also games like shogi and gopared to Yeon.

    However, for Yeon''s sake, or more precisely for their friendship, Yu-Hyun always chose the path of defeat.

    "I can''t handle this," Yeon muttered.

    By then, Yu-Hyun had already disappeared from Yeon''s sight.

    ***

    After the aftermath of the incident subsided, I went to school.

    The ssroom I returned to after such a long time felt unfamiliar. I rarely went to school due to dispatch training and various other activities that I had to do.

    The scenery of the ssroom, seen after a long time, felt empty, dry, and bleak. The faces of the students from the ss of Charity, whom I recognized by faces but not by names, had sad expressions for reasons unknown.

    Ye-Jin had quit her teaching job long ago and no longer came to the ss of Charity¡¯s ssroom. Instead, Jung-Hak, who constantly had a tired and worn-out face, took over as the homeroom teacher.

    There weren''t many important messages to deliver. The only significant message was that the dispatch training grades had been released.

    This time, Ha-Yeon, Jin-Seo, and I, who had contributed tobating Satanist Executive Lust, received scores close to perfect. I was especially able to earn a score that was beyond perfect, perhaps due to the various points that were added on by Han Dae-Ho. However, I wasn''t particrly happy about it.

    I spent the morning sses almost absentmindedly, and when lunchtime came, In-Ah approached me and said, "Long time no see."

    It had been a long time since I had seen In-Ah, and her face had improved a lot during that time. I could feel a new sense of healthiness in her expression and gestures that I had never felt before.

    "Yeah, it has been a long time," I stood up and said.

    In-Ah looked at me intently with narrowed eyes. It seemed like she was observing me.

    "Your face looks quite bruised," she said.

    "Is that so?"

    "Are you okay?" In-Ah asked cautiously.

    Honestly, I couldn''t confidently say that I was okay.

    I was feeling a bit tired and had trouble sleepingtely, so my body was quite worn out. But it wasn''t in a terrible condition either. I could manage.

    "You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I''m perfectly fine," I said with a smile towards her.

    However, with a somewhat displeased expression, In-Ah said, "How about no? I want to worry about you."

    "Why?"

    "Because you did the same for me back then."

    I pondered over the meaning behind In-Ah''s words. It was during the time when Yoon-Ah was still lingering in a zombie-like state, and In-Ah was at her worst. The ''back then'' that In-Ah mentioned referred to that time.

    "That time... was a bit different."

    "What was different? You can worry about me, but I can''t worry about you? How does that make sense?"

    "Well, that''s true to some extent," I replied vaguely because I couldn¡¯t reallye up with a goodeback. Her words had a certain persuasiveness.

    "How¡¯s your sister doing?"

    In an attempt to change the subject, I asked about Yoon-Ah on our way to the cafeteria. I was curious about Yoon-Ah''s condition anyway.

    In-Ah smiled strangely. It was hard to tell whether her smile was happy or sad.

    "Not bad. She still doesn''t remember anything from when she was missing... but she speaks well, and she¡¯s studying again. She even seems to be doing well academically. She''s very smart."

    "Seems like she takes after you."

    "Is that so?" In-Ah casually replied as if she didn''t want to show that she was pleased, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

    It seemed like she was in a good mood.

    After that, we exchanged a few words of small talk and headed to the restaurant. There were students lined up in front of the restaurant, but unlike at the beginning of the semester, the line was quite short.

    Due to the several incidents that urred at the school, many students dropped out of Florence Academy, giving up on bing a clergyman and instead choosing a different path.

    "..."

    It was then that I encountered Ha-Yeon in front of the restaurant. Even amidst a crowd of people, she stood out as always. It was because of her unusually white hair color.

    Ha-Yeon also proceeded to stare at me after noticing me. Then, she nced at In-Ah, who was next to me, and then she turned her gaze elsewhere without saying anything to me.

    In-Ah alternated between looking at Ha-Yeon and me before she said, "...Weren''t you somewhat close with Ha-Yeon before? Didn''t you at least exchange greetings?"

    "I was. But now..." I trailed off.

    I had contacted and met Ha-Yeon a few times out of necessity.

    However, aftering into contact with Sung Yu-Da, we hadn''t even exchanged greetings, let alone met. It was because Sung Yu-Da had wished for me to do so.

    Come to think of it, I had to meet Sung Yu-Da soon. Along with the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order, there was a need to discuss entering the underground prison.

    As we were leaving the restaurant and heading towards the ssroom, In-Ah, who had hardly spoken a word throughout the meal at the cafeteria, said, "Oh, right."

    She seemed to hesitate to continue speaking, as she pursed her lips and nced at me, before she finally said, "Um, my sister has been saying that she wants to see you."

    "Why?"

    "She felt like she didn''t properly thank the person who saved her, or something like that. You don''t have to see her if you don''t want to. Your opinion matters more than hers..." In-Ah added, almost as if making an excuse.

    I pondered for a moment. Since I couldn''t make any concrete ns until I met Sung Yu-Da anyway, there was still time for now.

    Plus, I also wanted to check on Yoon-Ah''s condition, so it seemed better to meet her at least once.

    "I''m fine with meeting her. I was curious about how much her condition had improved."

    In-Ah showed a hint of joy as she said, "Really? Then next time... No."

    She suddenly seemed lost in thought as she lowered her gaze. After a moment, she raised her head as if she had finished thinking and cautiously said, "Just, how abouting today?"

 Chapter 283

    <h4>Chapter 283</h4>

    I unexpectedly found myself going to In-Ah''s house.

    The reason why I readily epted her sudden invitation was not only because I had no other ns after school, but also because I had plenty of reasons to visit her house.

    I wanted to check on Yoon-Ah''s condition and I also wanted to study together with In-Ah to prepare for the uing exam.

    While I could probably get a high score on the final exam with Legba''s help without studying, I still preferred to study.

    This was because there was no guarantee that Legba knew all the answers to every problem.

    [Do you think there will be something that I don''t know?] Legba said. He seemed to disagree with my thoughts.

    However, there were things that even Legba didn''t know.

    There would definitely be problems that I wouldn¡¯t be able to solve with Legba''s help alone. When I encountered such a problem, I would have to solve the problems with my own determination and abilities.

    When I was almost at In-Ah''s house, she suddenly looked at me with her brow furrowed and said, "But something''s a bit strange. You have better grades than me, so why are you learning from me? Isn''t something wrong with this?"

    "You are better at studying than me. Grades are a separate thing," I replied.

    "What are you talking about... If you have better grades, then you are better at studying too."

    "Getting first cest time was just luck."

    "You always say it¡¯s luck. I can¡¯t tell whether you''re being humble or arrogant... Anyway, this is what annoys me about you." In-Ah replied bluntly.

    I stared nkly at her and said, "Why do you always say you''re annoyed?"

    "What? When did I always... Do I always say that...?"

    "Yes."

    We exchanged a meaningless conversation as we entered her house. The living room was neatly organized, and there was no sign of any noise or activity in the house.

    There was one door in the corner of the house that was tightly closed, and beyond it, faint rustling sounds could be heard. It seemed like that was Yoon-Ah''s room.

    The sound of the door opening would have undoubtedly been heard inside her room as we entered, but Yoon-Ah didn''t show up at all.

    In-Ah stared at the tightly closed door, clicked her tongue, and then said, "I¡¯ll tell my sister toe out. She was the one who requested me to bring you, and yet even after I¡¯ve brought you here, she won¡¯te out.¡±

    She walked briskly to the door and pushed it open. Then she had a conversation with her sister inside. I couldn''t hear what they were talking about.

    Meanwhile, I pulled a chair from the living room and sat down. I waited for the two of them to finish their conversation.

    "Ugh, seriously..."

    Finally, after their conversation ended, In-Ah let out a frustrated sigh and came out of Yoon-Ah''s room. Yoon-Ah still wasn¡¯t showing herself. In-Ah shook her head and sat across from me.

    "Is she noting out?"

    "Yeah, she said she''lle outter... Forget it. I don''t want to talk to her anymore. Her tone of voice is rude."

    "She takes after you."

    "What?"

    It was a joke, but In-Ah seemed genuinely angry. I quickly reassured her that it was nothing and shifted the topic of the conversation to studying.

    In-Ah, who was looking at me with a slightly displeased expression, let out a deep sigh and took out a book from her bag.

    "Let''s study. If there''s something we don''t know, let''s ask each other."

    I nodded at her words and took out two books from my bag. One book was for studying for the exam, and the other was a book I usually read.

    In-Ah quietly started studying, and I also studied next to her. When I wasn¡¯t able to concentrate very well, I opened the book I usually read and started reading.

    Although In-Ah said that we should ask each other if there was something we didn''t know, we hardly asked each other anything.

    Even if there were parts I didn''t know, I tried to solve them on my own without asking her. And it seemed like In-Ah didn''t have any parts she didn''t know.

    In the deep silence, In-Ah suddenly said, "Sometimes it feels scary."

    I nced up to look at her. She was still focused on her book, her hand movements indicating that she was neatly underlining passages.

    I tried to decipher the meaning behind her words by looking at her face, but In-Ah¡¯s face didn¡¯t reveal any expression.

    Because of that, I couldn''t understand what she was trying to say, nor was I able to figure out at what times she felt scared.

    ¡°Scared of what?¡± I asked.

    In-Ah didn''t answer immediately and instead continued to look at her book. Then, she flipped through the pages of her book with her slender fingers and said, "Just, this and that..."

    "This and that?"

    "...Maybe it''s the situation, or maybe it''s the era."

    In-Ah''s words were filled with profound meaning. To be more precise, it was difficult to understand what she was saying. She spoke while keeping her gaze fixed on the Romanican Sacred Science textbook.

    "People die too easily, and these things will continue to happen in the future as long as the Voodoo Cult, the Satanists, or other cults continue to exist."

    "..."

    "But I''m starting to feel like I¡¯m getting used to it."

    I didn''t respond to her words. I closed my mouth and just listened to her while keeping my eyes on the book.

    "Several people in our school have died, and I even attended their memorial service, but I just thought, ''Oh well,'' and moved on. I just felt relieved that it wasn''t my close friends who died."

    In-Ah continued, "...I guess I''ve just gotten used to it. There were so many things that happened after all.¡±

    I raised my head to look at her. I couldn¡¯t detect any emotion in her expression.

    She simply mechanically read through the contents of her book as she silently and persistently continued to study.

    Her eyes used to well up with tears whenever she talked about something like this, but now they were dry and lifeless.

    "I guess so. Bing a clergyman will involve such things," I responded with a nod.

    As I did, she lifted her head from the book, looked at me, and asked, "Will I be able to be so ustomed to it that it wouldn''t bother me even if you died?"

    "Why are you suddenly asking that? I can''t focus on my studies."

    "I just had that thought all of a sudden," In-Ah said.

    She shifted her gaze back to her book and continued, "Would you prefer it if I didn''t care if you died?"

    "Well..."

    I hesitated for a moment. Was I hoping that In-Ah wouldn¡¯t be emotionally affected if I died or left her?

    I could die someday, or I might end up having to silently leave her side. I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, and In-Ah was also a member of the Romanican Church, just like Jin-Seo.

    Therefore, I couldn''t guarantee anything to her, nor could I wish for anything from her.

    After much contemtion, I replied, "I think I¡¯ll be good if you don¡¯t feel sad enough to copse.¡±

    It was the most honest answer I coulde up with. Upon hearing my words, In-Ah seemed to ponder for a moment, and then she grinned.

    "You''re saying it in such a cringe-worthy way."

    "The topic itself was cringeworthy. And why are you saying such things in the first ce?"

    "I just said it because I didn''t want to study. Don''t think too deeply about it."

    <i>Creak.</i>

    Suddenly, the door that had been closed opened, and Yoon-Ah came out while we were studying. She sat facing us across the table. Her gaze, which darted back and forth between In-Ah and me, eventually settled on me. Yoon-Ah just stared at me silently for a while.

    I greeted her first.

    "Hello," I said.

    Yoon-Ah blinked her eyes, which were wide open like saucers. Then, as if btedly regaining herposure, she quickly lowered her head and said, "Nice to meet... No, I''m sorry.¡±

    ¡°No need to apologize. What are you sorry for?" I said with a chuckle as I watched her hastily greet me.

    Seeing Yoon-Ah speaking normally, I naturally burst intoughter.

    Suddenly, memories of when Yoon-Ah was still a zombie flooded my mind. Back then, she couldn''t speak at all, and it was a relief if she didn''t bite my arm while screaming.

    Although she had been in such a state, she was now talking like a normal person, in a way that was not all that different from In-Ah. I couldn¡¯t help but get a bit emotional.

    There was a time when I was frustrated that I couldn¡¯t reveal to anyone that I was the one who had treated Yoon-Ah.

    But not anymore. Just seeing that Yoon-Ah was healthy was enough to put my mind at ease.

    "I apologize for myte greeting."

    In-Ah red at Yoon-Ah and scolded, "Yes, you were toote. You can''t just lock yourself in the room after calling someone over."

    Yoon-Ah nced at In-Ah and then bowed deeply to me before going back into her room.

    "That little... I went through all the trouble of calling you over just for her to say that... I''m sorry. I asked you toe because of my sister, but in the end, you weren¡¯t able to see my sister for that long."

    "It''s okay, it''s enough," I said with a nod.

    The nod was to indicate that it waspletely fine. There was no need to hear a long thank you. Just seeing Yoon-Ah living and speaking normally was truly enough.

    <i> </i> ***

    I continued studying with In-Ah, and when it got dark, I left her house. Perhaps because it was winter and the days were getting shorter, it quickly became dark outside.

    Even though I said it was fine, In-Ah still came out of the house to see me off.

    "Hurry back inside. It''s cold," I said as I gestured for In-Ah to go back inside quickly.

    She shivered from the cold but smiled and said, "You traveled a long distance to get here, so I should at least do this much. I wish I could walk you back."

    "Traveled a long distance my ass. The dormitory is right in front."

    In-Ah waved to me as she said, "Still... Anyway, be careful going back."

    After waving my hand toward her, I turned around and walked away. Even with the streetlights lighting up the way, it was still a dark night.

    I pondered on when it would be the right time to meet Sung Yu-Da as I headed toward the underground chapel.

    ¡°...¡±

    Suddenly, I felt a gaze and a presence from behind. It seemed like someone was following me. Was it one of Joseph''s subordinates who was assigned to monitor me?

    However, it seemed too sloppy to be Joseph''s follower. They were tailing me in a very careless way as if they weren¡¯t even trying to hide their presence.

    Nevertheless, it wouldn''t hurt to be cautious. I changed my direction from heading toward the underground chapel to the dormitory. I couldn¡¯t enter the underground chapel when someone was following me.

    I continued walking as I gradually closed the distance between the person who was following me. And then I took advantage of a moment when they wouldn¡¯t be able to hide their appearance from me to quickly turn my head.

    "Huh?"

    The person who had been following me the entire time was truly a surprise. The person not a spy sent by Joseph, nor a clergyman of the Romanican church. It was none other than Yoon-Ah.

    She was hunched over, seemingly startled by how I had suddenly turned my head. I approached her.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "I don''t think I thanked you earlier," Yoon-Ah said.

    After saying that, she hesitated for a long time before finally looking straight at me as if she had made a big decision.

    "...And, I wasn¡¯t able to say long time no see," she added.

 Chapter 284

    <h4>Chapter 284</h4>

    "Ah, long time no see?" I said to Yoon-Ah, not quite understanding what she was saying.

    This was my first time facing Yoon-Ah afterpletely curing her from her zombie state. Technically, I really hadn¡¯t seen her in a long time.

    But was it correct for Yoon-Ah to say ¡®long time no see¡¯ to me? The memories of her time as a zombie erased, so from her perspective, I would just appear to be In-Ah''s friend. If it were not for my friendship with In-Ah, Yoon-Ah and I would basically just be strangers to each other.

    The fact that she was saying ¡®long time no see,¡± and going so far as to follow me here meant that...

    ¡°You didn¡¯t lose your memories?¡± I said as I looked around my surroundings.

    There were no people on the streets, and the few streetlights that existed were emitting a dim light, perhaps due to malfunctioning.

    Although CCTVs and ck boxes caught my eye, I knew I would be able to immediately neutralize them with Ogun''s power.

    Even if there were witnesses, with Sung Yu-Da''s help, it would be possible for me to adequately cover up any incidents.

    I unleashed Voodoo magic. The spell I was going to use was Memory Annihtion and the Curse of Fainting.

    First, I would make Yoon-Ah fall unconscious using the Curse of Fainting, and then take advantage of that moment to meticulously erase her memories of me by using Memory Annihtion on her. If I did that, there would be no problems.

    "Yes, I remember," Yoon-Ah said.

    I stopped drawing the spell array. I don''t know why I stopped. My hand just instinctively stopped moving upon hearing her voice.

    Perhaps it was because there was no sign of hostility or intent to manipte me in Yoon-Ah''s voice. Or maybe it was because she was looking straight into my eyes with strong determination.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember everything. I just remember fragments of memories from the underground chapel.¡±

    "..."

    Yoon-Ah continued, "And I saw some of your memories as well."

    I quickly understood what she meant. Back when the Staff of Reversal had an outburst, I caught a glimpse of Yoon-Ah''s memories. It was during that time that she must have also caught a glimpse of my memories.

    It was just like how my father had passed on his memories to me and Sung Yu-Da via Noah''s Ark.

    Despite ncing at the purple Voodoo magic flowing from my hands, Yoon-Ah didn¡¯t show any signs of hesitation. She only lowered her head to the ground as if she was bitter about something.

    "Are you going to erase my memories? I don''t know very well, but isn''t it possible to erase someone¡¯s memories using Voodoo magic?¡±

    I responded with a nod. "Yes.¡±

    I had not yet retrieved the Voodoo Magic power that I had unleashed. The spell array that I drew only required one more stroke toplete. Once I drew the final stroke, the spell would activate, and Yoon-Ah would lose consciousness and forget about me. The reason why I had not yetpleted the spell yet was simply due to curiosity.

    Why was she so calm? Which of my memories did she see? And why did she go out of her way to tell me this?

    "Why did you follow me? Nothing would have happened if you just stayed quiet," I said.

    Yoon-Ah answered calmly and confidently, "Because this would be the most convenient way to deal with the situation for both the Cult Leader and me. I don''t mind if you erase my memories."

    It was strange that she said that she didn¡¯t mind if her memories were erased. A typical person would feel fear or feel cautious and run away if they heard that they were getting their memories erased.

    I dispelled the iplete spell array. It turned into ashes and disappeared, and the Voodoo magic flowing from my fingertips soon lost its brilliance and faded away.

    Instead of finishing the spell array, I observed her expression and gaze. Her gaze still contained a strong determination.

    "You don¡¯t mind? Why?"

    "I don''t like it, but... if it''s safer for you, Cult Leader, then I think it''s best if we erase my memories."

    "Why do you call me Cult Leader?"

    "Because everyone in the underground chapel called you that," Yoon-Ah answered my question without any hesitation.

    ¡°...¡±

    Instead, I was the one feeling flustered by the situation.

    Her personality was a little different from In-Ah. She was calmer and had more courage, so much so that her courage crossed into the boundary of recklessness.

    I stared intently into her eyes, and she didn''t avoid my gaze.

    "I thought about it a lot,¡± she said.

    "About what?"

    ¡°About whether I should tell you the truth or not. The reason why I was locked up in my room for so long was because I didn¡¯t know how to bring it up...¡±

    "But then why did you decide to tell me?"

    "Because I saw your memories," Yoon-Ah said.

    Although she said that she saw my memories, it was difficult to gauge the scope of the memories that she had seen. I needed to identify how much of my memories she had read.

    "How much of my memories did you read?"

    "I don''t know exactly. It started with memories of hearing hallucinations, losing consciousness a few times and copsing, and then all the way to..."

    "..."

    Those memories were probably from seven years ago.

    It was right after the end of the Holy War. My father and mother had disappeared and I was left alone, and I had epted the Loa without any proper preparation. As a result, I was driven half-crazy.

    If the memories that Yoon-Ah saw started from that time, she practically knew everything about me.

    "I want to be on the side of the Voodoo Cult... or more precisely, I want to be on the Cult Leader¡¯s side," she said.

    She raised her bowed head, looked straight at me again, and continued, "If you can''t trust me, you can erase my memories right now."

    "..."

    [Kid, how do we know whether that child is working for Joseph or not? She could just be testing you. It''s better to eliminate risk factors in advance,] Damba said.

    [I wonder who¡¯s testing who. Choose wisely,] Legba said.

    Who was testing who at the moment? Was Yoon-Ah testing me, or was it Damba? Or was Legba testing me?

    My mind was in turmoil. This was something I had never expected.

    Back when I visited Noah''s Ark and saw my father''s memories, I began to suspect that there was a possibility that Yoon-Ah might have seen into my memories as well... But I didn¡¯t expect her to end up learning everything about me.

    "Ogun."

    <i>Blink, blink, blink... </i>

    I activated Ogun''s power and the streetlights that illuminated the alleyway began to flicker off one by one, causing the surroundings to be plunged into darkness. Devices such as CCTV cameras also stopped functioning altogether.

    I walked inside the pitch-ck darkness and approached Yoon-Ah. Her silhouette trembled slightly.

    "What can you do?"

    "Me?"

    "I''m asking what I can gain by trusting you."

    Within the darkness, I stared into Yoon-Ah''s eyes.

    Up until a moment ago, her eyes had been unclear and unfocused, making it difficult to determine where she was looking. However, now, her gaze contained strength that was distinct and powerful.

    Her eyes were clearly staring at me. They seemed to tremble with a bit of fear and tension, but the determination inside did not waver.

    "Whatever I can do... I want to help in any way I can," Yoon-Ah said.

    I didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. To be exact, I couldn¡¯t figure out why she was so determined to help me.

    "Why are you going so far to help me?"

    If I were her, I would have run away. I wouldn''t even attempt to associate with someone like me.

    If she had seen my memories, she would have seen what kind of treatment the Voodoo Cult had received so far. She would know what risks she would have to take by siding with the Voodoo Cult.

    She would have seen what kind of things that I had done, back when I was in a half-crazed state.

    And yet, Yoon-Ah was still saying that she wanted to help me. I couldn¡¯t tell whether she was foolish or bold, but she was distinctly staring at me with eyes filled with conviction.

    I wanted to know the basis of her conviction. I wanted to know for sure if she was testing me, or whether she genuinely wanted to help me.

    "Then why did you go that far to help me?" Yoon-Ah asked, raising her head.

    Within the darkness, I looked into her brown eyes which resembled In-Ah''s. Her gaze was simr to the fierce and cold gaze that In-Ah often showed when she was in a bad mood or angry.

    I unconsciously took a step back.

    Yoon-Ah continued without hesitation, "I saw you vomit blood and copse. And yet you woulde to me every day and continue to cast spells, only to copse again and vomit more blood. All I could do was watch you do this because my body didn''t move as I wanted."

    "..."

    "Now that my body moves properly, although it¡¯ste, I want to repay you. Is that a bad thing?"

    I was rendered speechless by her bold question.

    I shook my head and let out a sigh. "Just go back home for now. I''lle...e back to see you next time."

    Yoon-Ah looked at me nkly, then nodded slightly and started heading back home.

    I watched her figure for a while. It was when her figure started to disappear into the darkness that I started walking toward the underground chapel.

    [Too many people have found out the truth,] Legba said.

    [Kid, you were too easily swayed by personal feelings. It''s not a bad thing, but...] Damba said.

    [At this rate, everyone in the world will find out. It''s not necessarily a bad thing.] Baron Samedi finished the sentence.

    Their voices blended together and filled my mind. I closed my eyes tightly. My head spun and I was filled with confusion. In the end, I did not erase Yoon-Ah''s memories. I decided to trust her.

    It wasn''t because there was enough evidence to trust her. I just wanted to believe that everything she said to me was true. I didn''t want to think that her words were lies.

    <i>Buzz buzz¡ª!</i>

    At that moment, a vibrating sound echoed through the silent street. Sung Yu-Da was calling. I stopped walking and answered the phone.

    "..."

    <i>Click. </i>

    I hung up the phone without bothering to respond to Sung Yu-Da''s words. Then, I turned my steps in a different direction from the underground chapel.

    ***

    The teacher¡¯s office at Florence Academy was bustling in the morning. The time for the entrance exam was approaching.

    It was rare for students to pass the entrance exam and be official clergymen in their first year. However, many students submitted applications to get a sense of the atmosphere for the entrance exam.

    The numerous students who flocked to the teacher''s office were all there to receive rmendation letters from teachers to submit their entrance exam applications.

    "Your performance is not bad... The problem is the entrance exam, but since it¡¯s you Ha-Yeon..."

    Ha-Yeon was also one of the students among them. She was collecting rmendation letters from teachers to apply for the Central Priesthood entrance exam.

    While the homeroom teacher often advised other students with words such as, ¡°think of it as gaining experience and don¡¯t have high expectations,¡± he earnestly wrote Ha-Yeon¡¯s rmendation letter.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s still a miracle for you to pass at this point, you still have a chance especially since you are a member of the purification n..."

    Ha-Yeon underwent dispatch training at the Central Priesthood, and her performance during her dispatch training was also not bad. More importantly, she was a member of the n of purification. Considering her n¡¯s influence, the teacher determined that there was a chance she would make it even if her grades or performance werecking.

    It was a rather hopeful statementpared to the other students, but it did not sit well with Ha-Yeon. Her entrance into to the Central Priesthood seemed to depend more on the influence of her n rather than her own abilities.

    "..."

    Would the teacher have said the same thing if she were not a member of the n of purification? Ha-Yeon thought about this and shook her head. Such assumptions were meaningless.

    With a somewhat bitter feeling, Ha-Yeon left the teacher''s office and came across a familiar face.

    "Ah, Do Sun...!"

    It was Sun-Woo. He also seemed to be collecting rmendation letters to submit his application for the entrance exam. He was holding the teachers'' rmendation letters in both hands.

    Ha-Yeon tried to call out to him, but soon gave up and closed her mouth. These days, not only did Sun-Woo avoid talking to her, he didn¡¯t even greet her.

    He often even showed an awkward demeanor as if he was trying to deliberately avoid her. Despite making eye contact with Ha-Yeon, Sun-Woo turned his back and left the teacher''s office without a word of greeting.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon furrowed her brows, feeling a mixture of difort and misery that was difficult to describe.

    At some point in time, no matter how many times Ha-Yeon greeted him, he did not respond, and he would ignore her whenever she tried to talk to him.

    He used tomunicate daily with her and even met her when needed, suddenly treated her with a cold attitude as if she was a sworn enemy.

    It was such a severe change in attitude that she couldn¡¯t help but feel emotions that were stronger than difort. They were emotions that were approaching misery.

    If it were someone else, she would have just thought, ¡®Oh well.¡¯ But strangely, because it was Sun-Woo, she felt even worse.

    Sometimes, it felt like she couldn''t breathe. Ha-Yeon wanted to know the reason for his strange behavior, but because he would run away whenever she tried to ask him, she felt so frustrated that it drove her crazy.

    After aimlessly attending sses, Ha-Yeon returned home. She had to get some documents from Sung Yu-Da in order to submit her application for the entrance exam.

    Among all the rooms in the mansion, she headed toward the only one where the light was on - the researchb. As she approached, she suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence.

    There was a stranger in the hallway.

    "Huh?"

    He was not someone employed by Sung Yu-Da. All the employees wore designated uniforms, so Ha-Yeon could easily recognize them.

    However, the man in front of her was not wearing a uniform. He was aplete outsider.

    The outsider noticed Ha-Yeon, stopped in his tracks, and stared at her with a puzzled expression. Startled, Ha-Yeon stood frozen in ce before slowly taking a step back. Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion as she btedly recognized who the man in front of her was.

    A man who was more terrifying than a stranger, an outsider, or an uninvited guest, stood before her.

    "Why are you here? What are you doing...?"

    "Wait a moment. Don¡¯t be flustered, and listen," Sun-Woo said, extending his hands as if to calm her down.

    Ha-Yeon continued to step back.

    It was Sun-Woo. The person who had no reason to be in her home was there. This fact made Ha-Yeon even more terrified.

 Chapter 285

    <h4>Chapter 285</h4>

    Meeting Ha-Yeon here was truly unexpected and coincidental.

    She usually stayed in the dorms and she didn¡¯t visit her house often due to her strained rtionship with Sung Yu-Da.

    That was why I was taken aback when I met Ha-Yeon. I couldn''t understand why she was here.

    It was only when I saw the several rmendation letters in Ha-Yeon''s hand that I realized that she was here to get various documents from Sung Yu-Da in preparation for the uing entrance exam.

    I also had visited Sung Yu-Da''s house for a simr reason, so that was why I quickly understood.

    "W-why are you here? Are you a thief? Are you here to steal something?"

    Ha-Yeon, however, still seemed to be unable to figure out why I was here. She red at me with a contemtive expression on her face as she continuously stepped backward.

    I could clearly sense her wariness from her facial expression and gestures. I revealed my open palms in an attempt to reassure her as I slowly approached her.

    "A thief? What would I possibly steal? I just had some business to attend to¡ª"

    "Don''te any closer! If youe closer, I''ll call the police!" Ha-Yeon shouted without properly listening to my desperate exnation.

    She wasn¡¯t properly listening to me.

    "Oh, damn it. Seriously..." I sighed deeply out of frustration.

    I couldn''t figure out how to exin myself, nor could I tell her the truth. I hade here to obtain Sung Yu-Da''s advice and receive help for the uing Central Pdin Order entrance exam, as well as the research data from myte father that I wasn¡¯t able to get my hands onst time.

    If Ha-Yeon had started asking why I was seeking Sung Yu-Da''s help for the Central Pdin Order entrance exam, I wouldn¡¯t have been able toe up with a proper exnation.

    I just kept my mouth shut since I couldn''t even provide a usible exnation to Ha-Yeon, who was continuing to shout loudly. It was then that I heard a frantic series of footsteps from behind me.

    When I turned my head, I saw Sung Yu-Da hurrying toward me. For a moment, he opened his mouth widely as if he was surprised that Ha-Yeon and I were together.

    "..."

    Then there was a moment of silence. Sung Yu-Da also seemed unsure of what to say. Since I didn¡¯t know how to handle the situation, I just looked back and forth between Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da.

    It seemed like it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to leave Sung Yu-Da to deal with the aftermath. I had already obtained all the documents, rmendation letters, and information needed for the entrance exam.

    ¡°Um, I''ll take my leave now," I said as I bowed my head toward Sung Yu-Da.

    "..."

    Then I left the mansion.

    It felt a bit irresponsible, but there was no other method to deal with the situation. I had toply with Sung Yu-Da''s request not tomunicate with Ha-Yeon.

    ***

    After Sun-Woo left, Sung Yu-Da and Ha-Yeon sat facing each other across a table.

    There were two cups of fragrant tea ced on the table, but neither of them touched the tea. The two remained silent as they stared nkly at the steam rising from the teacups.

    Sung Yu-Da was the first to speak.

    ¡°Ha-Yeon,¡± he said.

    He was still not touching his tea, and he had a sullen and bitter expression on his face. Ha-Yeon did not respond to Sung Yu-Da. Instead, she took a sip of tea.

    She could hardly taste anything. She wasn¡¯t sipping the tea to savor the vor, but simply to break the awkward atmosphere.

    "Why was Sun-Woo here?" Ha-Yeon asked as she set down her teacup.

    Sung Yu-Da clenched his jaw and hesitated to answer. His tense jaw muscles were clearly visible. The situation was awkward. He quickly tried toe up with an excuse, but while there were many excuses he could think of, he couldn''t bring himself to lie to Ha-Yeon.

    "I called him over because he said he wanted some help on the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order."

    "Why are you helping with that? Or rather, why did Sun-Woo ask for your help in the first ce?"

    "That''s because... I¡¯m helping him because I had the ability to help him. There was no other reason."

    "You told me not to get close to Sun-Woo before, didn''t you?" Ha-Yeon asked as if she was probing for something.

    She didn¡¯t understand the situation.

    Sung Yu-Da had clearly told her to keep her distance from Sun-Woo, while Sun-Woo had told her that Joseph was manipting him, so that was why Sung Yu-Da disliked him.

    If everything she knew was true, Sung Yu-Da had no reason to help Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo also had no reason to ask for help from Sung Yu-Da.

    "What is the real reason Sun-Woo came over?"

    What exactly happened between them? Ha-Yeon felt that something was amiss with the rtionship between Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da.

    When she encountered Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da in the hallway earlier, they seemed a little strange. Sung Yu-Da seemed to be struggling to help Sun-Woo, and Sun-Woo seemed to disy a strangely confident andposed demeanor even when facing Sung Yu-Da.

    Sun-Woo seemed to be more wary and cautious of Ha-Yeon than Sung Yu-Da.

    "Lately, Sun-Woo has been avoiding me at school. Does that have anything to do with what happened today?¡±

    That strange sense that something was amiss, the weird way that Sung Yu-Da and Sun-Woo interacted,bined with Sun-Woo''s attitude of avoiding Ha-Yeontely... She believed that there was some connection among all these things.

    In response to her question, Sung Yu-Da remained silent for a while. Instead, he tapped the table with his slender fingers. A dry and crisp sound echoed rhythmically in the quiet room.

    "...I have nothing to say. Please don''t ask me about this matter anymore," Sung Yu-Da said firmly.

    Ha-Yeon momentarily tensed her shoulders at Sung Yu-Da''s sharp and cynical tone. It was a habit she had formed over the years of interacting with him. Whenever Sung Yu-Da started speaking in that manner, Ha-Yeon couldn''t help but involuntarily shrink back.

    However, Ha-Yeon didn''t give up and said, "I can¡¯t do that."

    Her hand holding the teacup trembled, but her eyes steadily gazed atwhich were looking at Sung Yu-Da.

    "Aren''t the members of the purification n not supposed to keep secrets from each other? At the very least, issues directly rted to the n should not be hidden."

    It was a rule within the purification n. It was a rule that was created so that, while members could argue orpete against each other over personal matters when faced with matters rting to the n, they would unite and help the n advance.

    Ha-Yeon said, "I am also a member of the purification n. I have the authority to know what is going¡ª"

    ¡°No, I still can¡¯t tell you,¡± Sung Yu-Da said.

    ¡°Why?!¡±

    ¡°Because this has nothing to do with the purification n!¡± Sung Yu-Da shouted as he hit the table with his fist.

    Ha-Yeon flinched in surprise.

    With his fist clenched tightly, Sung Yu-Da trembled and took a deep breath. His face was flushed red, and the veins in his sclera bulged.

    Sung Yu-Da breathed in and out roughly a few times before he finally managed to calm his anger.

    "This is something you shouldn''t be curious about. So... please, don''t ask anything," he said.

    ¡°...¡±

    Ha-Yeon didn''t respond to his words and abruptly stood up from her seat. Then she went back to her room.

    She quietly thought about why Sun-Woo suddenly avoided her, why Sung Yu-Da avoided mentioning Sun-Woo, and why Sung Yu-Da got upset when she asked about Sun-Woo.

    Asking Sung Yu-Da or Sun-Woo wouldn''t lead to any answers. Ha-Yeon had to figure out the reason on her own.

    Ha-Yeon recalled the scenery she saw just before entering the house. From outside, all the rooms of the mansion were dark except for the researchb.

    This meant that Sung Yu-Da and Sun-Woo were in the researchb until Ha-Yeon returned home.

    If that was the case, the answer must be in Sung Yu-Da''s study.

    ***

    For a while, I only focused on getting a good score on the Central Pdin Order entrance exam. This was because this was the first checkpoint that had to be passed in order to enter the underground prison.

    With Sung Yu-Da''s help, I would be able to achieve a decent score on the entrance exam without much effort, but that didn¡¯t mean that I could neglect putting effort into preparation.

    I openly practiced avable techniques regardless of the time and ce. This included techniques utilizing divine power, such as the blessing arrays, andbat skills.

    I also did not neglect practicing Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa in preparation for any potential ''variables.¡¯

    Since not all the Satanists had been exterminated yet, and especially because Jun-Hyuk was still alive, I could not exclude the possibility of variables.

    However, Voodoo spells and the power of Loa were not appropiate in all situations. There were limitations to using them outside, but I also had limitations when using them in the underground chapel. Therefore, I decided to utilize Noah''s Ark.

    The Ark was a ce where I could freely use Voodoo spells and it could also amodate arge number of people.

    I called upon Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps and practiced Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa against them. I believed that it would be better to have opponents rather than practicing alone.

    It was a two-birds-with-one-stone situation as I could simultaneously enhance thebat capabilities of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung finally seemed exhausted as he sat down and quietly muttered, "...We lost, Cult Leader."

    The mercenaries fighting alongside Yuk Eun-Hyung also copsed one by one in a simr manner. I approached Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    "How was today''s training session? Do you feel like I improvedpared to before?" I asked.

    "Yes, especially in closebat using Bossou''s power... I felt like I was gettingpletely overwhelmed,"Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    "How about the other powers of the Loa?"

    "I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s appropriate for me to evaluate, but it feels like there''s more temperance than before. It also feels like only the necessary amount of power is being used at the right moment," Yuk Eun-Hyung said as he gasped for breath.

    He wasn''t just saying emptypliments and being considerate of my mood.

    In reality, I was practicing a method that used a minimal amount of the Loa¡¯s power with maximal efficiency. It was because engaging inbat while spilling blood in each battle was not sustainable forever.

    In any case, fortunately there were results. I extended my hand to Yuk Eun-Hyung who was sitting on the ground.

    While grabbing my hand and standing up, he said, "How was our mercenary corps? I was worried that we were just being helplessly attacked..."

    "No, I concentrated on targeting Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung with the power of the Loa, but you managed to approach me while avoiding all of my attacks. I was surprised."

    "There''s nothing we can''t do if we make use of the terrain features. Perhaps because the power of the Loa has a predictable feeling to it... After being hit a few times, I started to get a sense of how to deal with it."

    I recalled Yuk Eun-Hyung''s appearance during the battle training session.

    He sessfully managed to approach me by avoiding Bade''s wind, Sobo''s lightning, and Granbwa''s living tree roots. Even considering that I wasn¡¯t using my powers seriously and that the terrain was set in favor of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, it was a remarkable feat.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung had exceptional naturalbat sense, and as the training sessions continued, thatbat sense expanded even further.

    "Anyway, it¡¯s impressive. Utilizing the terrain, huh... I should take that into consideration," I replied with a small smile to Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung utilized the terrain to evade or minimize the impact of my power. Romanican clergymen and Satanists could also potentially evade my power in the same way. This was the only drawback of the power of the Loa, which was difficult to control precisely.

    I needed to gradually work on this through future training sessions.

    I sighed, releasing the fatigue that had umted from consecutively using the power of the Loa and looked around. An illusion of a meadow, which was created using Noah''s Ark, spread out before me.

    The meadow was vast and beautiful, with a grandeur that made one marvel even if they knew that it was an illusion.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung looked around at the scenery, let out a short sigh, then turned toward me. "Setting aside whether there is anyone who can approach the Cult Leader... You would be able to subdue most clergymen with Bossou¡¯s power alone, right? Is there anyone who can rival that power?"

    "...Not many. As far as I know, there is only one person," I replied, recalling Joseph.

    There was a time when I sparred with him using Bossou''s power. Since it was just a spar, I wasn¡¯t able to fully assess hisbat power, and I hadn''t used all my strength either. Nevertheless, Joseph and I had been evenly matched.

    If both of us went all out, the oue would be uncertain. The fact that there was even one person on the Romanican Church side that I wasn¡¯tpletely sure I could beat was a big threat to me.

    To prepare for that, I couldn''t neglect practicing Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa.

    I had to possess the power to suppress all the Romanicans and Satanists that I encountered in any ce and time, and in any situation. After all, it was difficult to predict what would happen to the Voodoo Cult in the future.

    I looked around at the mercenary corps members lying copsed on the ground. "Let''s end today''s training session here. It seems like everyone is tired..."

    Physical injuries suffered in the illusion created by Noah''s Ark would soon recover once they left the Ark, but the mental fatigue they suffered would not.

    Considering how much the mercenary corps members had suffered after fighting me for hours, stop the training session seemed appropriate.

    I pulled out the staff that I had stuck in the ground. Seeing this, Yuk Eun-Hyung asked in confusion, "Come to think of it, you didn¡¯t use the staff during the training sessions, did you?"

    "No, I don''t use this during training sessions since it¡¯s not necessary,¡± I firmly replied.

    The training sessions at Noah''s Ark were not only for practicing spells and the power of Loa.

    The sessions were also aimed at enhancing Yuk Eun-Hyung and the mercenary corps¡¯bat capabilities. However, if I used the staff, it would be impossible to do so.

    There would be such an overwhelming gap in strength between us that it would be inurate to describe it as a ''training session.''

    Thus, I dedicated myself to training sessions, practice, and studying for several days. The busy days repeated to the point where I lost track of time.

    And before I knew it, the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order was just around the corner.

 Chapter 286

    <h4>Chapter 286</h4>

    Naturally, the exam location was at the Central Pdin Order.

    To be more precise, it was set in a training ground shared between the Central Pdin Order and the Central Crusader Order. It was so spacious that there was still plenty of room, even with hundreds of examinees gathered.

    From what I heard, not only was the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order going to be held there, but also the entrance exam for the Central Crusader Order.

    I met Jin-Seo there, and it wasn¡¯t a coincidence. I knew that she was going to take the Central Crusader Order entrance exam for the experience, so we contacted each other a few times during our preparations for the entrance exam.

    Jin-Seo found me among the many examinees and approached me to start a conversation.

    "Hi," she said.

    I was momentarily lost in thought, so it took me a while to realize that Jin-Seo had approached me. I btedly nodded in acknowledgment.

    She was wearing the crusader uniform with a long sword at her waist. I pointed to the sword with my chin and said, "You¡¯re carrying something scary around."

    "They told us to bring personal weapons. Don¡¯t you have anything like this?¡±

    "We were actually told not to bring anything."

    Unlike the Crusader Order entrance exam, which required the examinee to carry personal weapons, the Pdin Order entrance exam did not allow the examinee to bring any equipment. Weapons and holy artifacts were obviously prohibited, and they even confiscated cell phones and all other electronic devices.

    Obviously, I only pretended toply with the rules, and I secretly didn¡¯t hand in a few items, such as the phone that I used for Voodoo Cult-rted business and the Staff of Reversal. To be specific, I entrusted my phone to Damba, who could transform into the Staff of Reversal at any time, and instructed her to stay in a corner of the examination site.

    I did this because although Romincan clergymen were heavily guarding the exam site, it was still notpletely safe. After all, the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood had been attacked not too long ago. The cathedral had been filled with numerous prtes, resulting in arge death toll.

    If a Satanist attacked or some other dangerous situation arose, I nned to use my staff to mitigate the crisis.

    I thought of dozens of contingency ns in case of various unforeseen circumstances. At that moment, Jin-Seo tapped my shoulder with her finger and said, "Did you bring something you shouldn''t have?"

    "How do you know that?"

    "I can tell just by looking at your face. It''s okay, I won''t tell anyone."

    Jin-Seo smiled slyly and continued, "I would have done the same. Because we are no longer in a situation where we can blindly trust the clergymen.¡±

    Her words carried a lot of implications. It meant that she had considered the possibility of Satanists or Voodoo Cultists hiding among the many students and examiners at the examination site.

    It also meant that she believed that even the Romanican Church headquarters, such as the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood or the Central Training Ground, were not safe from attacks by Satanists.

    Rumors had been circting among the Romanican clergymen for the past few weeks. Following the attack by Satanist Executive Lust in the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood, there were rumors that there might be a spy among the prtes or Florence Academy students. There were many rumors like that in the past, but people usually dismissed those as baseless conspiracy theories.

    However, it was a bit different this time. Several inquisitors, including Joseph, publicly announced that they were going to find and catch the spy. Due to these public announcements, the rumor that there was a spy among the important figures in the Romanican Church had more or less be a fact uttered by the people.

    The spy was most likely referred to me. Although it seemed like I was in significant danger, Joseph and other inquisitors showed no signs of suspicion toward me. For some reason, my name did not appear on the list of suspects. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure whether this was thanks to Sung Yu-Da''s help or just due to luck, though.

    I was thinking such things when Jin-Seo suddenly said, "Now that I think about it, you¡¯re not exactly a trustworthy person either.¡±

    At that moment, I was so shocked that I almost choked.

    "Why am I not trustworthy?" I blurted out.

    "Because you only do untrustworthy things," she said.

    "Just what did I do?"

    "Last time..."

    Jin-Seo stopped talking midway and stared daggers at me. I could detect a strange mixture of anger within her gaze.

    The brief silence that followed after she stopped talking felt incredibly heavy. I swallowed nervously.

    "You went to In-Ah''s house. Secretly."

    "Oh, that..."

    Upon hearing the rest of her sentence, I sighed in relief. I thought for a second that I had made a mistake and identally revealed my identity to her, but thankfully that wasn¡¯t the case. I smiled awkwardly and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t go secretly. I just didn¡¯t tell you about it.¡±

    "That''s the same thing. What''s different?"

    ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird for me to bring it up when you didn¡¯t ask about it.¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you reveal that kind of information even when I don¡¯t ask you about it?¡± Jin-Seo asked, probing me.

    I found it difficult to understand what she was saying. What was the point of revealing such information? I hadn¡¯t particrly done anything special enough in In-Ah¡¯s house for me to report what had happened to Jin-Seo. Something rted to Yoon-Ah urred, but I couldn''t tell Jin-Seo about that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to bring that kind of thing up, right? It¡¯s not like I did anything weird,¡± I said.

    Jin-Seo red at me with a slight frown and let out a bitterugh.

    "Oh, so you¡¯re sick of me. That¡¯s why you¡¯re going around meeting other women?¡±

    "That''s not it... No, why are you framing it that way? You¡¯re making it sound strange."

    "After doing that to me, now you''re trying to leave me..." Jin-Seo said in a fairly loud voice.

    I heard people around us murmuring and looking at us. I recognized a few students from Florence Academy among those people. This was a difficult situation. I didn¡¯t understand why Jin-Seo was putting me in such a tough spot. I broke out in a cold sweat.

    I wiped the sweat running down with the back of my hand, bowed my head deeply, and let out a sigh.

    I was about to say something to Jin-Seo as I raised my head, but I was unable to say anything.

    Just a moment ago, she had a sad expression like a heartbroken girl, but now she wasughing yfully. The way her expression changed so rapidly left me speechless.

    "Are you teasing me?" I asked.

    In response, Jin-Seo just smiled and nodded. I absentmindedly scratched the back of my head even though my head wasn¡¯t itchy at all.

    "If you''re going to joke around, choose the right timing. There are so many people around. You¡¯re going to cause a misunderstanding...¡±

    "Sorry, I just find it amusing when you''re flustered."

    "Amusing?"

    "Well, rather than amusing, it¡¯s more like..."

    Jin-Seo hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I like it when you show your flustered self to me. Because it¡¯s not how you usually behave."

    ¡ªAttention. All candidates for the Central Pdin Order entrance exam are to gather in the east section of the training grounds...

    An announcement echoed across the training ground. It was a notice for the Central Pdin Order entrance exam applicants.

    There was no announcement for the Central Crusader Order entrance exam applicants yet. Although the exams were being held at the same location, the exam content was different.

    "Looks like you have to go," Jin-Seo said as she watched applicants flood the east side of the examination hall.

    "Break a leg," she said.

    "Sure thing," I responded with a nod.

    I was just about to follow the other applicants when Jin-Seo lightly grabbed my arm.

    She looked at me strangely and said, "You will keep the promise we made back then, right?"

    She seemed to be referring to the promise we made at her house on the day of the memorial service, so I nodded.

    "Of course."

    That day, Jin-Seo expressed her feelings to me. However, I did not respond to her feelings. To be more urate, I couldn''t respond. There were still too many unresolved matters, so I left her house with the promise that I would definitely answer her feelings someday.

    Since then, I focused on doing well on the Central Pdin Order entrance exam and hardly did anything else. Perhaps I was putting in a lot of effort to keep my promise to Jin-Seo. I would only be able to give her an answer after entering the underground prison. It would be after meeting my mother and gaining confidence in what to do next.

    While heading toward the eastern side of the training ground after parting ways with Jin-Seo, I nced back and looked at her. She was staring nkly into the distance. Her lips were tightly sealed, and a dark and gloomy shadow was cast over her entire face. It was a different sight from when she was in front of me.

    "..."

    I suddenly remembered the memorial service and remembered the image of her house, which was empty after Kim Chang-Won''s death.

    Her house was very spacious, so it looked even emptier. Jin-Seo may have seemed fine when talking to me, but she was probably notpletely okay yet. She could momentarily forget her sadness by exerting immense effort, butpletely erasing it would be impossible.

    The deep sorrow that would be etched in one''s heart after someone''s death could not be easily erased.

    I nced at Jin-Seo staring nkly into space, and then I resumed walking.

    To the east, there were candidates, in other words, mypetitors, who hade to take the Central Pdin Order entrance exam, bustling around.

    ***

    The Central Crusader Order entrance exam candidates left the training ground and headed somewhere else, leaving only the Central Pdin Order entrance exam candidates on the training ground.

    The person who appeared to be the examiner gathered the candidates in one ce, stood behind them, and watched over us without saying a word. The candidates stood still with tense postures and gazed at the examiner with eyes filled with determination and hints of tension.

    Meanwhile, I was looking around and trying to figure out the strange uneasy feeling that was permeating the training ground.

    ¡°...¡±

    The entrance examination site for the Central Pdin Order was spacious. However, in contrast to the size of the training ground, there were very few people deployed.

    Only five individuals appeared to be examiners. Two seemed to be proper examiners, while the other three simply performed misceneous tasks, such as guiding the examinees. More personnel should have been deployed if this was supposed to be an entrance examination for the Central Pdin Order. With such a small number of examiners, it seemed like it would be difficult to control the examinees, let alone conduct an examination.

    The examiner standing in front of the examinees held up a microphone and apologized.

    ¡ªAh, ah. I''m sorry. Due to traffic congestion, some examiners are experiencing difficulty entering the examination site, so the examination schedule is being somewhat dyed...

    I briefly considered what would happen if Satanists attacked this ce, but then I figured it would be meaningless to think about such things and decided to give up.

    Rather than saying that it was meaningless, it was more urate to say that it was extremely unlikely. There was no chance that Satanists would attack this ce today.

    The reason I believed it was extremely unlikely was because Jun-Hyuk came to me just before taking the entrance exam.

    <i>¡ªIt¡¯ll be quiet for a while. </i>

    One day, when I was busy preparing for the exam, a huge raven-like demonic beast broke through the dormitory window, came into my room, and said those words.

    Before I could even respond, the raven continued speaking.

    ¡ªWe are in the middle of an internal conflict. We won¡¯t be able to sh with the Romanican Church or the Voodoo Cult any time soon. I¡¯m the one who also killed the woman you call Lust.

    - ...

    ¡ªBut that''s not important. Anyway, it means you can rx. Well then...

    After saying that, the raven pped its wings. It seemed to be preparing to leap.

    ¡ªLater, no, in a bit, no... It won¡¯t be too early, nor will it be toote. Soon. Yes, soon. See you soon. Soon. Those are very symbolic words...

    <i>p! </i>

    The raven left those words as a final message, then pped its wings vigorously as it leaped into the sky.

    Jun-Hyuk hadn¡¯te back to me to deliver any more messages since that incident. He seemed to be busy dealing with the inner conflict or whatever it was.

    Since this information was from Jun-Hyuk, I couldn¡¯t just blindly trust the intel, but he most likely wouldn¡¯t have said such things without any reason. In any case, if his words were true, the possibility of Satanists appearing again seemed low for a while.

    At least on the day of the Central Pdin Order entrance exam, there didn¡¯t seem to be any need to worry about a Satanist attack.

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    That was when it happened. A deafening noise resembling an earthquake suddenly reverberated across the silent training ground. The examiners were startled and turned their heads.

    A few examinees crouched down with their faces twisted in fear and horror. I looked in the direction where the sound came from.

    Bizarre-looking creatures broke through the training ground walls and approached us. They were grotesque creatures that seemed capable of killing more than a dozen people.

    The creatures approached us with menacing steps. Upon closer inspection, I saw they were demonic beasts and demons. And it looked like someone wasmanding those demons and demonic beasts. At first nce, he exuded an atmosphere simr to a Satanist Executive.

    However, there was a slight difference. Compared to the Satanist Executives I had encountered so far, namely Jun-Hyuk and the woman named Lust...

    "..."

    Finally, I realized the difference¡ªthat person was not a Satanist Executive. They were fake. That person was an actor hired to stage the situation.

    In other words, he was an examiner for the Central Pdin Order entrance exam.

 Chapter 287

    <h4>Chapter 287</h4>

    Before the entrance exam, I went to Sung Yu-Da to seek his advice once again.

    I tried to avoid meeting Ha-Yeon by meeting Sung Yu-Da outside his house.

    Sung Yu-Da analyzed and handed me the contents of all the Central Pdin Order entrance exams for the past few years, the list of sessful candidates, and the personalities of the interviewers and examiners for this year.

    As I read the chaotically written characters across the documents he handed me, Sung Yu-Da said, "The content of the Central Pdin Order entrance exam varies depending on the situation at the time."

    I continued reading the documents while listening to him.

    "For example, when I took the exam, the Satanist Executive named Greed was going on a rampage. So we selected people who valued beliefs and convictions over material desires."

    "Ah, then this time..."

    "Rumors are circting that a spy has infiltrated the ranks of the Romanican Church these days, so we need trustworthy people. We also need astute people who have discerning eyes that can detect spies... In other words, they will choose a person with the qualities of an inquisitor," Sung Yu-Da calmly said.

    The rumor that there were cultist spies within the Romanican Church was more or less a rumor that had appeared because of me. The fact that he spoke in such a detached manner felt awkward.

    I continued reading the documents. Then, I came across the contents of the Central Pdin Order entrance exam that took ce fourteen years ago.

    I pointed to a section of the document I was reading and asked Sung Yu-Da, "Do they even conduct exams like this?"

    Fourteen years ago, during the peak of Satanist Executive Greed¡¯s rampage, he attacked cathedrals and Florence Academy. The Central Pdin Order chose to conduct a mock battle with a fake Satanist Executive for the entrance exam under the pretext that they wanted to select students with quick-thinking skills.

    The examinees naturally did not know that their opponent was fake, and they engaged in the battle, thinking that the real Satanist Executive Greed had raided the exam venue. Those who ran away or gave up due to fear were naturally disqualified. Apparently, those who courageously participated in the battle or inflicted significant damage on the examiner disguised as the Satanist Executive passed.

    "In an era of turmoil where Romanicans have to face Satanists and Voodoo Cultists, they will always select quick-witted people. They want people who can remainposed and respond quickly even when cultists attack. The exam held fourteen years ago was designed to select such individuals."

    "The exam content seems quite violent. Some examinees might have been injured or traumatized."

    "There were. However, the Central Pdin Order doesn''t care about such things," Sung Yu-Da said with a stern face.

    "If one gets injured or traumatized from just a mock battle, then it means that they are not a right fit for the Central Pdin Order to begin with... That''s the kind of mindset that the Central Pdin Order has. Whether the disqualified ones get injured or traumatized, it doesn''t matter."

    "Aren¡¯t they a group of psychopaths?"

    "...You could think of it that way. Since the Central Pdin Order has the sole authority to ess the underground prison, they have a rtively high number of emotionally wed individuals.¡±

    Thinking back, all the Central Pdin Order members I had seen so far were all a bit peculiar in some way. Sung Yu-Da and Joseph were both from the Central Pdin Order.

    "Just like fourteen years ago, there is a possibility that the exam might involve battling a fake Satanist Executive," Sung Yu-Da said.

    "Is it because there have been many attacks by Satanists recently?"

    "That''s one reason, but there is the possibility that they want to test whether the candidates can distinguish between real and fake Satanists this time while being aware of the rumors that cultist spies have infiltrated the Romanican Church."

    Sung Yu-Da tapped his desk as if pondering something and then continued, "There is no better way to test adaptability and keen insight than this.¡±

    "Indeed.¡±

    Adaptability and keen insight were two qualities, along with the ability to be emotionally detached and maintainposure even when facing Satanists. This was the perfect exam to evaluate all those aspects. I carefully read through the contents and patterns of the exam that took ce fourteen years ago.

    "Oh, and I bribed a few of the interviewers who have connections with the purification n," Sung Yu-Da said.

    I continued to read the documents as I nodded.

    Sung Yu-Da continued, "So if you make it to the interview, you¡¯re almost guaranteed to pass. The problem is with the interviewers I wasn''t able to bribe..."

    "That part shouldn¡¯t be a problem."

    Sung Yu-Da nodded and said, "Yes, I think so too."

    The interviews were not going to be a problem. It would just be simple and obvious ideological verification questions.

    I had lived the past few years as a member of the Romanican Church and as a diligent student of Florence Academy. I would be able to easily pass the ideological verification questions that the interviewers would throw at me for the sake of formality.

    "Ah, ahhhhh¡ª!!"

    Thus, that was how I alone was able to maintain myposure even after a Satanist Executive attacked the exam venue.

    The other examinees either panicked and nkly stared at the Satanist Executive or screamed and frantically ran away. Only a few particrly calm examinees watched the approaching Satanist Executive with eyes filled with killing intent.

    While that was all happening, I quickly assessed the situation by looking around. The examiners who had been guiding the examinees had suddenly disappeared, and in their ce crude training weapons were scattered around.

    Among the weapons were dull swords and spears, and as well as maces.

    I picked up a spear and looked at the approaching demons, demonic beasts, and the examiner disguised as a Satanist Executive.

    The demons and demonic beasts seemed incredibly slow and frail as if they were going easy on the examinees. They were most likely captured during battle and were being used for training sessions.

    In any case, the demons and demonic beasts that real Satanist Executives such as Jun-Hyuk or Lust controlled were on apletely different levelpared to the ones we were facing. Comparing the two was basically an injustice to the real deal.

    "Bossou."

    I used Bossou''s power and tightly gripped the spear. Then, I threw it toward the heart of the demon at the forefront of the pack.

    <i>Splurt! </i>

    The spear cleanly pierced through the demon¡¯s heart. The demon copsed powerlessly and spewed out ck blood. I pulled out the spear from the demon¡¯s heart and raised it again.

    After seeing my attack, the demons and demonic beasts approaching the examinees seemed either shocked or terrified. They no longer moved and stood frozen in their tracks.

    I raised my head and looked at the examiner. The face of the examiner pretending to be a Satanist Executive also showed signs of shock.

    I walked past the trembling demons and the demonic beasts.

    <i>Whoosh.</i>

    I stood in front of the examiner and aimed the spear at his neck. The tip of the spear was dull, so it was no different from a stick, but from the examiner¡¯s perspective, it must have been threatening. After all, I had just pierced a demon¡¯s heart and killed it with this stick.

    "Are you an examiner?" I asked.

    Although I already knew that the person in front of me was an examiner, I still asked for confirmation. That way, I could prove that I had the ability to distinguish between real Satanists and fake Satanists.

    The examiner seemed to be highly conscious of the spear pointed at his neck as he awkwardly nodded.

    ***

    I had an interview immediately after the entrance exam.

    Those who fled in fear when the examiner disguised as a Satanist Executive attacked were excluded from the exam, and only those who grabbed weapons and tried to fight, or those who calmly analyzed the situation and helped others evacuate, were given the opportunity for an interview.

    While waiting for the interview, I met several people. One was a Florence Academy senior, and another had been taking the exam for several years to join the Central Pdin Order.

    I listened to what they had to say and responded appropriately. Someone said that they would provide me with interview tips and other information in exchange for my information.

    I naturally refused. The information from Sung Yu-Da, an ex-member of the Central Pdin Order, was much more valuable than the information I could obtain from an examinee.

    When I refused, the person clicked their tongue and then went to request to exchange information with others.

    Soon, it was time for the interview, and I entered the room. I sat down, but the interviewers stared daggers at me without saying a word.

    They looked at me with eyes devoid of emotion for a few seconds, then carefully scanned the document with my personal information written on it.

    ¡°...¡±

    I observed the faces of the interviewers during the long silence. There were a total of five interviewers, and among them, two were the ones Sung Yu-Da had bribed. Thanks to previously seeing their faces in a photo, I could immediately recognize them.

    One of the interviewers not bribed by Sung Yu-Da broke the silence and said, "During the entrance exam, you showed a very calm attitude. You also quickly realized that the examiner was not a real Satanist."

    I nodded and replied, "Yes, that''s correct."

    "I can understand you maintaining a calm demeanor, but how did you realize that they were an examiner and not a Satanist Executive? Since demons and demonic beasts also appeared, it must have been difficult to distinguish," the interviewer asked.

    I pretended to ponder. I had anticipated the question, but I thought a bit of hesitation would make me appear more thoughtful from the interviewer''s perspective.

    "...I could tell because the conditions of the demons and demonic beasts were not very good."

    "Conditions? What do you mean?"

    "The ce where the exam was being held, in other words, the training ground, is supposed to be the headquarters of the Central Pdin Order and Central Crusader Order. They were attacking such a ce, but the attackers were either weak or wed subordinates. If they were a real Satanist, I believe they would have put more effort into the assault."

    "So, are you saying you were able to determine the true identity of the Satanist based solely on the conditions of the demonic beasts and demons?"

    "The Satanist who appeared at the examination site... in other words, the examiner, had apletely different aurapared to a real Satanist."

    As I answered, the two interviewers hired by Sung Yu-Da nodded. On the other hand, the interviewers who had not been bribed seemed to be somewhat puzzled, as they tilted their heads or furrowed their brows.

    At that moment, the interviewer that Sung Yu-Da had bribed asked, "A real Satanist... How do you know what a real Satanist is like?"

    I looked into the interviewer''s eyes. They obviously wanted to hear a certain answer from me, and I knew exactly what they wanted.

    "Because I have had direct encounters with them. Twice."

    The interviewers who had not been bribed widened their eyes at my response.

    "Twice? When was this?"

    I casually continued, "I have had encounters with the Satanist Executive named Envy at Florence Academy. And recently, I battled Lust at the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood."

    The interviewers who had been bribed chimed in.

    "Ah, now that you mention it..."

    "I remember. I heard you contributed to defeating demonic beasts during the confrontation with Lust recently."

    I nodded and replied, "Yes."

    The interviewers who had not been bribed carefully examined the document containing my personal information, and soon nodded as if they had found the relevant section.

    The interviewers who initially stared at me with empty eyes suddenly started looking at me with lively gazes. They pulled their chairs closer and continued their questioning.

    "So, you must have experience in battling Satanists. Do you also know about ck magic?"

    "Yes. I have also assisted Inquisitor Joseph in this regard."

    "Ah, Inquisitor Joseph you say..."

    One of the interviewers seemed pleased. It seemed like they knew Joseph.

    Joseph had originally been assigned to monitor me, but outwardly, it was recorded that he had sought my advice on Satanism and ck magic, which was confirmed by the rmendation letter that Joseph had given me in the past.

    The interviewers suddenly became very curious and asked me several questions.

    They asked about how I came to know Director Han Dae-Ho, as he had written a rmendation letter for me. They asked about my achievements when I underwent dispatch training at the Eastern Pdin Division. They said that I would be much younger than the other members of the Central Pdin Order, and they asked whether I would adapt well to such an environment.

    They were all questions I could answer adequately, and I did so.

    All the questions that could be asked were asked, and just as it felt like the interview wasing to an end, one of the interviewers asked, "Lastly, I have one more question for you. If you have your own beliefs and motives for joining the Central Pdin Order, could you please share them now?"

    "I..."

    I hesitated for a moment. I clearly understood my own beliefs and goals for joining the Central Pdin Order.

    The Central Pdin Order had the unique authority to ess the underground prison. I wanted to join the Central Pdin Order because it was the most certain method of reuniting with my mother.

    However, that was not my only goal.

    ¡°I wish to create a world... where no one will be hurt or killed by cultists any longer.¡±

    As a cultist, I should not have said that. However, my statement was not a lie.

    At least for now, I believed it was not a lie.

    So, the interview came to an end, and the interviewers all had satisfied expressions.

 Chapter 288

    <h4>Chapter 288</h4>

    After taking the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order, I soon had the final exam for Florence Academy.

    Although I didn''t study as hard as before, with my consistent studying and Legba¡¯s help, I achieved good grades. I didn''te in first ce, but it was a satisfactory result considering I hadn''t studied much.

    The practical exam took ce at the school. It was a survival game using shock detection devices set on Eiden Hill, behind the school.

    The longer one survived, the higher their score, but it was rtively small in scale for a practical exam. It was simr to the practical evaluations conducted during ss. I wondered if the change in educational policy was due to the death of the previous chairman, Chang-Won, or if it was in response to the Satanists'' threat. Regardless, I headed to Eiden Hill for the practical exam with In-Ah.

    She tapped on my shoulder. For some reason, the way she tapped me felt cautious.

    "What is it?"

    "...It''s nothing serious. I was just wondering, have you been meeting Yoon-Ah these days?" In-Ah asked.

    I could tell why the way she tapped me felt unnecessarily cautious. Yoon-Ah knew that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, and she had asked me if she could help me asionally.

    There was nothing Yoon-Ah could do to help me in my current situation. But I still decided to meet with her to prevent her from having any foolish thoughts. In other words, I was keeping an eye on her. Back when Yoon-Ah was a zombie, she had seen me cough out blood to cure her.

    So, although it seemed unlikely that she would betray me, I couldn''t let my guard down. I knew that she would ask about this, so I told her the lie that I had prepared beforehand.

    "Yeah, asionally. She¡¯s preparing to enter Florence Academy, and she was curious about how to prepare for the practical exam,¡± I said.

    Yoon-Ah said that if I continued to meet her, eventually In-Ah would start to wonder why I was meeting her, and hence it would be good to prepare an excuse in advance.

    The excuse Yoon-Ah came up with was that she was preparing for the Florence Academy entrance exam. When In-Ah heard my words, she raised her eyebrows.

    "She''s preparing for the Florence Academy entrance exam? But if that''s the case, wouldn''t it be better to ask me about that...?" she said.

    ¡°Oh...e to think of it, it was supposed to be a secret from you."

    "A secret? Why?"

    "She wanted to surprise you by secretly passing."

    Yoon-Ah said that if I mentioned that she was meeting me under the pretext of preparing for the Florence Academy entrance exam, In-Ah would wonder why she specifically sought help from me instead of her. Yoon-Ah said that if I roughly mentioned something about her wanting to surprise her sister by passing secretly, the doubt would be resolved.

    Yoon-Ah was smarter than I thought. Whenever Yoon-Ah''s predictions matched up perfectly like this, it scared me. That was also the reason why I was trying to keep an eye on Yoon-Ah. She was so smart that sometimes I didn''t know what she was thinking.

    "Why bother to do that...?" she said.

    "Since she caused her family so much heartache during her disappearance, she probably wanted to repay them like ths."

    "Well, I suppose that makes sense."

    In-Ah still had a face of disbelief, but after hearing my words, she seemed to finally understand and nodded. Soon, she raised her head and gave me a stern look.

    "Next time, call me too! You guys are always leaving me out."

    "Okay, okay," I replied.

    I then looked at In-Ah. She was in a sulky mood, so she avoided eye contact. I was clearly deceiving her right now, and so was Yoon-Ah, her younger sister.

    Jun-Hyuk was once her friend, and he had also deceived her. In-Ah still seemed unaware of everything though.

    Someday, if I ever revealed to In-Ah that I was the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult, how would she react? If she found out that I, who she had thought was only a friend, was actually a cultist just like Jun-Hyuk, what would she think?

    Meanwhile, I arrived at Eiden Hill. The students taking the exam, along with the teachers including Do-Jin and Bok-Dong were gathered there. As I looked around, I spotted the person I was looking for.

    "Wait a moment," I said.

    "Huh? Yeah..." In-Ah said.

    After telling In-Ah to wait a moment, I moved to another spot. I walked briskly.

    The group of chatting students looked at me in surprise and made way for me.

    I had be somewhat famous among the students for umting achievements and getting involved in various incidents.

    In any case, I kept walking. My gaze was fixed on one point, which was Yu-Hyun. He had been absent from school for the past few days, and he was present today for the exam.

    "Yu-Hyun."

    When I called out to him, Yu-Hyun turned his head away from his friends.

    As soon as he saw me, his expression stiffened. The expression on his face could truly be described as ¡®rotten.¡¯

    "Ah, it''s you?"

    "Yeah."

    Yu-Hyun gestured to his friends as if to ask them to wait for a moment. I led him to a rtively less crowded ce.

    Yu-Hyun stood crookedly, looking at me as if he was displeased about something. His long, nted eyes looked particrly aggressive.

    "What? Do you have something to say?"

    I nced briefly at the watch on Yu-Hyun''s wrist as I said, "I heard that the Pope is going to die soon."

    I had given the watch to Yu-Hyun, and it was equipped with a bugging function. In addition, if he tried to remove or damage the watch at all, a spell would be activated to make him and everyone around him lose consciousness and lose their memories.

    Through that watch, I overheard a conversation between Yu-Hyun and someone named Yeon.

    They exchanged words, hinting that the Pope would soon die. They also discussed various topics rted to the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    I carefully listened to the conversation between the two. I nned on activating the spell immediately if he said something he shouldn¡¯t.

    I wasn¡¯t quite sure I could say it was fortunate, but Yu-Hyun did not reveal to the person named Yeon that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    However, there were too many strange moments in their conversation.

    Yu-Hyun seemed momentarily flustered, but then he confidently replied, "So?"

    His unpleasant gaze scanned me up and down.

    I clenched and unclenched my fist. It wouldn''t be good to punch Yu-Hyun, the next Pope candidate, as it might interfere with my admission to the Central Pdin Order.

    In an attempt to gauge his reaction, I said, "There will be an election soon. The Pope position cannot remain vacant forever after all."

    Yu-Hyun chuckled and nodded. He then said, "Of course. Why are you asking the obvious?"

    "You said you would win in that election by using me. What¡¯s that supposed to mean?"

    Yu-Hyun had said to Yeon that he would use the information about me to win in the uing papal conve. Specifically, he said that he would use the information about the leader of the Voodoo Cult to win. And Yu-Hyun had not told anyone about the fact that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult for <i>some reason</i>. He had not told the Holy See, his friends, or Yeon.

    There was some sort of connection between the two of them. However, I still couldn¡¯t figure out how Yu-Hyun was nning to use me, and why he was not revealing the fact that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult to anyone.

    Yu-Hyun looked around and said, "With so many people around, is it okay to ask such a question? It seems like no one is listening to our conversation, but still..."

    Just as he said, no one was listening to our conversation. The teachers were busy making sure that the students were wearing the shock detection devices, and the students were busy preparing for the exam and chatting with their friends.

    In the first ce, I did not directly mention that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, so there wasn''t really any issue.

    "How do you n to use me? I can''t seem to grasp it no matter how much I think about it."

    "Are you crazy? Why would I tell you that? Isn¡¯t it ridiculous for you to ask me directly like this?¡±

    "In the first ce, how are you able to so confidently say that you will use me?"

    I pondered deeply. What exactly was his n? How was he nning to use me, and how was he nning to win the election?

    No, the truth was, I wasn¡¯t really curious about anything else. I was only curious about one thing. How on earth could he so confidently say that he would be able to use me?

    "How are you so sure that I won¡¯t kill you after saying something like that?¡± I said.

    ¡°...You bastard, you¡¯re bluffing again.¡± Yu-Hyun pointed at me while trying to appear rxed and said, ¡°You¡¯re so lively. Always going on about killing me and things like that.¡±

    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m bluffing?¡±

    "Then are you not bluffing?" Yu-Hyun said with a chuckle.

    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to me right now. Maybe you¡¯ve grown to like me.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I couldn''t easily respond to Yu-Hyun''s words, because what he said wasn¡¯t wrong. I had a lot to lose if I killed him. No, it wasn¡¯t a lot, but I didn''t want to lose the few things I had gained. As a result, I had lost my desire to kill Yu-Hyun if it meant that I had to endure the pursuit of the Holy See.

    "I''m not the only one who can kill you."

    However, that didn¡¯t mean that there wasn¡¯t a method.

    "There are many of us. Probably more than you think..."

    There was arge number of Voodoo Cultists. While the number of key figures, such as the executives, was small, when all the believers were gathered, the number would be quite significant.

    Ordering one of them to kill Yu-Hyun was not a difficult task. For example, I could use Yuk Eun-Hyung who was already on the run from the pursuit of the Holy See.

    ¡°...¡±

    Perhaps the threat was effective, as Yu-Hyun remained silent and just stared at me. There was no sign of fear in his gaze. Instead, I saw a hint of confusion as I stared into his eyes. A deep silence passed between us.

    At that moment, someone interrupted and said, "What are you guys having so much fun discussing?"

    Yu-Hyun and I both turned our heads simultaneously. Do-Jin had been leading the students in the distance, and he approached us unnoticed.

    He pointed his sword at the gathering of students from the ss of Charity and the ss of Humility and said, "The exam is about to begin. Return to your locations."

    I nodded and turned toward the students from the ss of Charity. We couldn¡¯t exactly continue this conversation in Do-Jin''s presence.

    Yu-Hyun also turned toward the students from the ss of Humility. Then, he suddenly turned toward me, clicked his tongue, and muttered under his breath, "This brat, instead of being grateful..."

    I did not understand what Yu-Hyun was trying to say. Was there anything I had to be grateful to him for recently?

    No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing. As always, I thought of it as the usual nonsense that Yu-Hyun spouted and brushed it off.

    ***

    After all the students wore their shock detection devices and chose their training weapons, the exam began.

    I chose a training spear. The weather was gloomy, but I felt like I had to use it carefully.

    Any weapon, especially a spear, could be a deadly weapon when used with Bossou''s power, no matter how dull the de may be.

    The students moved to their respective areas under the guidance of the teacher and scattered around Eiden Hill. For some reason, I ended up starting the exam in a particrly remote ce, and the scenery seemed strangely familiar.

    ¡°...¡±

    I looked around quietly and identified the cause of my unease. Come to think of it, this was the ce where I had faced Jun-Hyuk. The scars on the giant rugged tree trunks and the few trees which were rotten due to the demonic energy made it clear. A strange feeling washed over me.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    An arrow flew from somewhere and brushed past my cheek. Since it was a training arrow, it was slow enough to dodge.

    I tightly gripped my spear and immediately adjusted my stance. Then I turned my body in the direction the arrow hade from. It wasn''t difficult to find the one who shot the arrow at me. I just had to shift my eyes in the direction where I felt a presence.

    Technically, sensing a presence wasn''t a simple task, but I could do it now. Thanks to the training sessions with Yuk Eun-Hyung at Noah''s Ark, my senses were heightened to an extraordinary level.

    Just as I was about to throw the spear as a threat, the opponent said, "Huh? Fuck. Hold on a second!"

    The voice was sharp, husky, and oddly familiar. I rxed my stance immediately.

    "No... ah, damn it. Why did it have to be you?"

    She emerged from the bushes, muttering curses under her breath as she slowly crawled out. She had a bow in hand, but the bowstring wasn¡¯t stretched, and based on her posture, I could tell that she had no desire to fight.

    "Oh, long time no see," I greeted her slyly.

    Min-Seo did not respond to my greeting. Instead, she sighed deeply and bowed her head.

 Chapter 289

    <h4>Chapter 289</h4>

    Min-Seo lowered her bow and approached me with her arms raised.

    Despite that, I continued to stare at her without lowering my guard.

    Min-Seo was not a person I could lower my guard in front of. At first nce, even though she seemed to bepletely disarmed, she could pull out a hidden weapon and attack at any moment.

    I took a step back with my spear pointed toward Min-Seo as she slowly approached me.

    She suddenly stopped walking and chuckled. "Hey, I''m not going to do anything. What do I gain by attacking you?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Nevertheless, I kept the spear raised. I only rxed my stance when Min Seo was too close tounch a surprise attack with her bow.

    Up close, Min-Seo seemed to have no intention of attacking me. She had already put down her bow and didn''t seem to have any other hidden weapons on her.

    "Strange," I said.

    "What is?" Min-Seo asked.

    "I didn''t expect you to back down so easily," I replied honestly.

    Min-Seo was the type of person to abandon morality and beliefs for personal gain. I thought she would resist me until the end, and I didn¡¯t think someone like her would surrender so easily.

    However, Min-Seo chuckled and shook her head. "Of course I would back down. I¡¯ve seen you fight, and I¡¯ve heard various rumors as well."

    "What rumors?"

    "There''s a rumor that when Satanist Executive Lust appeared, you subdued a bunch of demons with a tree branch. It kind of sounds like bullshit, but well... It doesn''t hurt to be cautious. I feel like I¡¯ll lose if we fight anyway.¡±

    To be more precise, I hadn¡¯t used a tree branch but had a sharp fragment of a broken chair that I had fashioned into a spear to subdue the demons. Yet, Min-Seo was talking as if I had subdued the demons with some random junk lying around on the street. It seemed like the story had been distorted as it spread around as a rumor.

    Nevertheless, she wasn¡¯t wrong. The story of me subduing a bunch of demons with just a tree branch sounded somewhat exaggerated, but it was true. Above all, I was confident in defeating Min-Seo in a fight. She had made a wise choice to surrender without fighting me.

    Min-Seo still had her hands raised as she continued, "And though it¡¯s a training spear, isn''t it a deadly weapon for you? Why bother fighting with someone like that?"

    "That''s true."

    Min-Seo lowered her hands and said, "So, what I''m saying is, let''s team up."

    However, she did notpletely let her guard down and maintained some distance between them.

    I considered her proposal. There was nothing wrong with forming a team with her, but I couldn''t shake the feeling that it wouldn''t be a good idea either. Above all, I wouldn¡¯t be able to feel at ease if I teamed up with Min-Seo. I never knew when she would betray me after all. I would have readily agreed if she had just suggested we go our separate ways without fighting, but it was difficult to ept an offer to form a team.

    I lifted my spear and said, "No."

    Min-Seo tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

    ¡°Because it feels like you¡¯ll betray me.¡±

    "Hmm... wise decision. But I really won''t betray you."

    "How can I trust your words?"

    "There''s no reason for me to betray you, right? If we stick together, we''ll definitely be in the top ten even if we don¡¯t do anything."

    She wasn¡¯t wrong. It didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea either.

    Min-Seo said, ¡°Nothing good will happen if you make an enemy out of me too, right? To be honest, it doesn¡¯t really matter if we fight here... But don¡¯t you think it will be a hassle?¡±

    "Hmm."

    "I''m not saying we have to stay as a team until the end. Let''s just stick together until the riff-raff get eliminated."

    Min-Seo persistently asked to form a team with me. Her battle style involved intentionally fusing blessing arrays incorrectly, forcibly triggering the collision phenomenon and the subsequent explosion. If I fought against her, the shock detection device attached to my body might get triggered, and I might get eliminated along with her. In that case, instead of making things difficult by picking an unnecessary fight with her, it would be better to team up with her.

    After considering it seriously, I eventually concluded that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea and nodded in agreement.

    Min-Seo cautiously approached while still keeping her guard up and tentatively extended her hand.

    "Let''s shake hands as a sign of our cooperation.¡±

    I epted her handshake and then wiped my hand on my clothes.

    It wasn''t intentional. I just wiped my hand out of habit.

    Nevertheless, Min-Seo frowned. "Why are you wiping your hand, you crazy son of a bitch?¡±

    "Oh, did you see that?"

    "How can I not see you wiping your hand when you¡¯re doing it so tantly? Wipe it when I''m not looking, you crazy bastard..." Min-Seo muttered, seemingly displeased.

    In any case, that was how I ended up teaming up with Min-Seo. I felt a little anxious when I thought about how she might betray me, but I figured it would all work out in the end.

    ***

    Su-Ryeon held her bowstring fully taut as she hid in the bushes and cautiously waited for an opportunity. She had learned marksmanship in one of the sses for the Department of Crusaders and gained recognition as a sniper during her dispatch training. Thus, she preferred holding a gun over an ancient weapon like a bow.

    However, since training firearms weren¡¯t avable, she had to make do with a bow. She was actually very skilled with it. Su-Ryeon was very experienced with using a bow, but it was like a painful scar for her.

    ¡°...¡±

    Su-Ryeon had grown up in a remote mountain vige far from civilization. Before the Holy War, she lived a normal life like everyone else, but her home was destroyed seven years ago during the Holy War. Her family then found a way to survive by hunting, gathering, and cultivating fields in the mountains.

    She had never told anyone her past, nor would she ever tell anyone.

    She released the bowstring.

    <i>Twang... </i>

    <i>Thud! </i>

    The arrow flew urately toward the shock detection device of a student.

    The student looked startled. They had let down their guard, unaware of Su-Ryeon skillfully hiding in the bushes..

    <i>Beep¡ª!</i>

    The shock device beeped loudly, indicating the student had been eliminated from the exam.

    Su-Ryeon approached the student staring nkly into the air with a look of stupefaction. She picked up the arrow that had fallen to the ground and strung it back onto her bow.

    The student who had been eliminated red at Su-Ryeon with resentment.

    Su-Ryeon smiled brightly. "Sorry~ Actually, never mind. It¡¯s an exam, so I guess I don¡¯t need to apologize?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    A Florence Academy teacher waiting in the vicinity walked out and escorted the student out of the examination zone.

    Meanwhile, Su-Ryeon hid in the bushes again and waited for her next prey.

    Until now, she had eliminated dozens of students from the exam with the help of her excellent hiding skills and hunting prowess that she developed in the wild, along with her beast-like instincts. To Su-Ryeon who had grown up in the mountains where real predators roamed, Eiden Hill was nothing short of a yground.

    She felt her instincts returning. The familiar feeling put her at ease, but it also left her a little edgy.

    <i>Rustle. </i>

    Suddenly, Su-Ryeon felt a presence approach her. Her ears perked up.

    The footsteps sounded like they were getting closer, but it was impossible to tell exactly where they wereing from.

    Su-Ryeon listened more intently.

    The person making the footsteps seemed to be wandering around nearby, which made them all the more threatening. They seemed to be filled with confidence; they were solely focused on searching for prey,pletely ignoring the possibility of being attacked.

    Furthermore, they had an unpleasant and threatening aura. There was only one person in Florence Academy who could exude such an aura: Min-Seo.

    "Ugh."

    Min-Seo locked eyes with Su-Ryeon hiding in the bushes. Su-Ryeon''s hiding skills should have been perfect, yet, astonishingly, Min-Seo still managed to detect her.

    Su-Ryeon was unable to release the arrow she had strung on her bow. It was because Min-Seo also had her bow aimed at her.

    A tense silence hung between them.

    Min-Seo broke the tense atmosphere.

    "What the? Isn¡¯t it Su-Ryeon?" she casually said while lowering her bow.

    Su-Ryeon considered whether she should shoot her arrow at Min-Seo. She believed that she might be able to eliminate Min-Seo if she took advantage of Min-Seo¡¯s carelessness, but she decided not to. Su-Ryeon wasn¡¯t that tenacious that she would shoot an arrow at Min-Seo, who was approaching her with a friendly greeting.

    She lowered her bow so that the arrow pointed toward the ground and awkwardly smiled at Min-Seo.

    "How¡¯d you know I was here? I thought I was perfectly hidden."

    "Really? You were sticking out like a sore thumb. Anyway, let''s not fight each other," Min-Seo said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    Just like Su-Ryeon who had grown up in the wild, Min-Seo also possessed bestial instincts.

    Su-Ryeon smiled, but she was actually bbergasted by Min-Seo¡¯s instincts. For some reason unbeknownst to Su-Ryeon, talking to Min-Seo eased the tension within her body.

    "Yeah, there''s no point in fighting each other. Why don''t we team up?" Su-Ryeon suggested.

    Min-Seo chuckled and said, "Not a bad idea. If the two of us team up, we''ll definitely be at the top."

    "Right, right. Besides¡ª"

    Su-Ryeon was about to say something when she suddenly turned her head and frantically searched for something. She¡¯d felt a presence nearby.

    No, it wasn¡¯t just a presence. She could feel a hostile aura directed toward her.

    However, the hostile aura disappeared soon after. Su-Ryeon concluded that the hostile aura hade from Min-Seo and rxed.

    Then she continued, "Sun-Woo... He''s the problem. If we encounter him, it''s just death. Death, I tell you."

    "That''s right. You¡¯re absolutely correct," Min-Seo agreed with an exaggerated nod.

    People already evaluated Sun-Woo as a monster, and he had been gaining even more notoriety recently.

    Among the countless rumors, the most impressive one was undoubtedly the one about the entrance exam for the Central Pdin Order. It was rumored that he was able to urately pierce the heart of a demon with a training spear, which was essentially just a wooden stick. Even a mere training spear could be a deadly weapon in Sun-Woo''s hands.

    Furthermore, he was not only skilled in handling the spear. He possessed sharp senses that were akin to Su-Ryeon''s bestial instincts, which she had cultivated in the wild. Perhaps, he possessed senses that were even sharper than hers.

    "If we want to defeat¡ªno, avoid that guy, we absolutely have to team up.¡±

    There was only one way Su-Ryeon could defeat Sun-Woo¡ªby teaming up with Min-Seo and attacking him together.

    The ideal situation would be for Su-Ryeon to team up with Sun-Woo instead, but Sun-Woo preferred to be alone, so it would not be easy to team up with him. Therefore, teaming up with Min-Seo was currently the most prudent choice.

    "Yeah, you¡¯re right. Everything you said is correct," Min-Seo said, nodding continuously as if she agreed with everything.

    Su-Ryeon looked at Min-Seo with a strange gaze. For some reason, the way Min-Seo was agreeing with her seemed disingenuous, and her gaze also seemed a little odd. Su-Ryeon couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy and tense.

    "..."

    At that moment, Su-Ryeon sensed the hostile aura again.

    <i>ng! </i>

    Before she could turn her head to identify the source of the hostile aura, a spear flew out of nowhere and shattered her shock detection device.

    She felt a sharp pain despite receiving a blessing from an archbishop-level priest for injury prevention just before the exam.

    <i>Beeeeep! </i>

    Then a loud noise came from her shock detection device. It meant that she had been eliminated from the exam.

    Su-Ryeon looked at Min-Seo with a bewildered look. Then her gaze shifted to Sun-Woo as he stepped out from his hiding spot.

    Su-Ryeon was so dumbfounded that she was rendered speechless.

    Min-Seo looked at Su-Ryeon and smiled triumphantly. "Sorry~ Actually, never mind. It''s an exam, so I don¡¯t need to apologize."

    Su-Ryeon nced resentfully at Sun-Woo.

    Perhaps feeling pressured by her gaze, Sun-Woo exined, "It was a strategy that Min-Seo came up with. I just followed her suggestion."

    "Oh, damn you. You''re just like Min-Seo!" Su-Ryeon said angrily.

    Sun-Woo frowned andined, "That''s a bit harsh..."

    Min-Seo tapped Sun-Woo on the shoulder. "Hey, stop it."

    Su-Ryeon thought Sun-Woo would never team up with anyone, but he ended up teaming up with Min-Seo. That was a variable Su-Ryeon could never have imagined. Disappointed after failing the exam in such ackluster way, she left Eiden Hill under the guidance of a teacher.

    Then she received the ranking list.

    Su-Ryeon did not have high hopes for her ranking because she had been eliminated much earlier than she expected.

    Yet, as she looked at the ranking list, she tilted her head.

    "Huh?"

    It had been less than an hour since the exam had started, but Su-Ryeon''s ranking was eleventh. Only ten people were left on Eiden Hill right now, and the exam was nearing its end.

 Chapter 290

    <h4>Chapter 290</h4>

    A newly built building stood near the entrance of Eiden Hill.

    After the appearance of the Satanist Executive known as Envy, demonic energy had engulfed Eiden Hill, and the building had been constructed during the process of purifying Eiden Hill. The teachers could monitor the situation from inside the building through the various cameras and othermunication devices scattered throughout Eiden Hill.

    ¡ªChoi Wong from the ss of Humility has been eliminated from the exam, ranking in 54th ce...

    ¡ªSeo Raon from the ss of Diligence has been eliminated from the exam, ranking in 31st ce...

    ¡ªHan Su-Ryeon from the ss of Temperance has been eliminated from the exam, ranking in 11th ce...

    Do-Jin was monitoring the situation while listening to reports from the teachers stationed throughout Eiden Hill. He carefully checked who had been eliminated, their ranking, and how many students were left on Eiden Hill. He also paid close attention to the locations of the students through the GPS devices that were attached to their shock detection devices.

    Bok-Dong was monitoring the situation with Do-Jin, and he muttered, "It''s all unfolding in an instant."

    About an hour had passed since the start of the final practical exam. ording to the teachers'' expectations, around one hundred students were supposed to remain on Eiden Hill at this time. However, contrary to the expectations, only about ten students remained at Eiden Hill.

    "The skill levels of some of the students are just too overwhelming," said Do-Jin.

    The students he was referring to were students like Jin-Seo, Dae-Man, Min-Seo, Sun-Woo, and Yu-Hyun. Most of the students that had survived so far were student council members who had received the Holy Names of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

    Dae-Man had teamed up with his ssmate Ha-Rin. Min-Seo and Sun-Woo had also teamed up.

    Yu-Hyun moved alone, but rather than actively engaging inbat, he prioritized fighting in battles that were essential for survival.

    Do-Jin couldn¡¯t exactly say that their strategies were unique. It was simply because of their individual skills that they had managed to survive until now.

    Bok-Dong oversaw the exam as he murmured, "I can¡¯t exactly call this an unfair exam, but... I can¡¯t exactly call it a fair exam either.¡±

    The top students had formed teams with other top students and were ruthlessly eliminating the mid to lower-tier students. As a result, the exam was overly advantageous for students with exceptional abilities. Furthermore, for mid to lower-tier students, the exam relied more on luck than individual abilities.

    As Bok-Dong had said, the exam wasn¡¯t exactly fair or unfair.

    "But there was no other alternative for this exam. This was the safest option," Do-Jin whispered softly.

    Bok-Dong nodded in agreement.

    In fact, there were many better alternatives. The teachers could prevent the top students from dominating the exam and give the mid to lower-tier students a chance to prove themselves.

    The problem was safety. If they were to prioritize fairness and differentiation, then they would need to expand the scale of the exam, which meant renting external venues instead of using the school facilities. However, if they did that, there were bound to be vulnerabilities in the venue, no matter how many safety measures they put in ce. Cults like the Satanists or the Voodooists might try to take advantage of them to attack the students.

    Furthermore, some of the more capable teachers had retired after the death of Chairman Chang-Won. The remaining teachers hadcked the adequate time and resources to spend on the practical exams due to various administrative issues rted to the Florence Academy Foundation. In other words, this was the best that they could do.

    ¡°...¡±

    The exam had various problems, but the biggest problem was Jin-Seo. Whenever she spotted a student, she would beat them up with her practice sword and eliminate them, even injuring some of them in the process. Despite engaging in arge number of battles, Jin-Seo had not been eliminated yet because her skills were far superior to the other students.

    Her skills improved day by day, and so she possessed unparalleled abilitiespared to anyone else at Florence Academy.

    Bok-Dong closely observed Jin-Seo''s movements. He chuckled and said, "Do-Jin, do you think you can beat that kid?"

    "I should be able to win. The difference in our experience is staggering after all. But I¡¯ve gotten older, and I''m not as fit as I used to be these days. If I consider that...¡±

    "Why are you making excuses? Are you not confident?"

    "...You¡¯re so childish¡ªstill so hung up about who wins and who loses. Are you a kid?" Do-Jin replied bluntly.

    Bok-Dong chuckled and said, "By the way, what about Ha-Yeon?"

    "She''s absent. She''s preparing for the Central Priesthood entrance exam..."

    <i>Beeeeep¡ª! </i>

    A red signal came through Dae-Man''s shock detection device, which meant that a shock detection device was broken, indicating the possibility of an injured person.

    Do-Jin quickly confirmed Dae-Man''s location. Near Dae-Man were Ha-Rin, Min-Seo, and Sun-Woo.

    "It¡¯s this bastard Sun Woo again?"

    Do-Jin drew his sword and fixed his gaze on Sun-Woo''s location.

    ***

    While wandering around Eiden Hill with Min-Seo, I encountered Dae-Man and Ha-Rin. It was right after Su-Ryeon had been eliminated.

    As soon as Min-Seo saw Dae-Man, she skillfully nocked an arrow onto her bow and aimed at him. Although there were two opponents, Dae-Man was unarmed and Ha-Rin was holding a spear.

    Ha-Rin also adjusted her stance. She was clearly ready to throw the spear. If Min-Seo released her arrow or if Ha-Rin threw her spear, the battle would start immediately.

    Just as I was also about to take a spear-throwing stance, Dae-Man loudly roared, "Wait a momeeent¡ª!"

    Min-Seo frowned, and I flinched slightly.

    Dae-Man clenched his fist and took a boxing stance. Then he looked at me and said, "Sun-Woo, put down your weapon!"

    "What?"

    "Put down your weapon. Let''s settle this with our fists!"

    I was so taken aback by Dae-Man¡¯s proposal that I couldn¡¯t help but let out augh. This was not a sparring match to test each other''s strength or passion but an exam. It didn''t matter what weapons students used or what dirty tricks they pulled in order to get good grades. Yet, Dae-Man insisted on engaging in hand-to-handbat with me.

    Then again, this was Dae-Man''s nature and temperament. I ignored Dae-Man''s proposal and grabbed my spear.

    Nevertheless, Dae-Man continued to stand firm, staring at me with zealous eyes as he said, "Weapons are for the weak. The truly strong fight with the strength of only their physical body!¡±

    "Are we not going to use blessings either?¡±

    "Of course. Let''s fight only with our bodies that we have tempered through training!"

    Min-Seo chuckled and said, "What a load of nonsense. Why would we do that?"

    She was right. I had no reason to ept Dae-Man''s proposal. Why on earth would I discard my perfectly good weapon and engage in hand-to-handbat with Dae-Man? His proposal was foolish and reckless.

    <i>tter.</i>

    Nheless, I lowered my spear. Like Dae-Man, I clenched my fists and assumed a stance. Seeing this, Min-Seo furrowed her brows and looked at me as if she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.

    "What are you doing? Are you insane?" she said.

    "Why not? It seems like it''ll be fun."

    "No, <i>sigh</i>..."

    "It¡¯s fine as long as I win," I said as I assumed my stance.

    Then, I confidently approached Dae-Man. In reality, I wasn''t very confident in hand-to-handbat. However, I was using Bossou''s power and had experience in closebat with Yuk Eun-Hyung at Noah''s Ark. I had agreed to Dae-Man''s proposal because I wanted to see the results of my training sessions with Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    "..."

    Ha-Rin nced between me and Dae-Man with a befuddled look. I ignored her and slowly closed the distance.

    As if finding the current situation extremely fun and exciting, Dae-Man faced me with clenched fists.

    He shouted, "I knew you would do it, Sun-Woo! This is what it means to be truly strong! This is what real confidence looks like!¡±

    I simply smiled in response to his words. Then, I threw my fist toward Dae-Man.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    I had aimed my fist at Dae-Man''s jaw, but he blocked it with his muscr forearm. In response, Dae-Man threw a punch back at me. It seemed like a heavy blow that I wouldn¡¯t be able to block, so instead of blocking it, I dodged it.

    Dae-Man had bulked up even more since I hadst seen him, and the weight behind his punches had also increased. A tingling sense of excitement spread throughout my body.

    "Nice. It feels like you¡¯ve bulked up. Did you take steroids?"

    "I don''t use such despicable tricks. This body of mine is something that can only be built with diligence and hard work," Dae-Man said as the veins in his neck bulged.

    I nodded and smiled. The exam had been boring and dull, but thanks to Dae-Man, it started to be a bit more enjoyable.

    I extended my fist andnded it squarely on Dae-Man''s jaw. He staggered for a moment but then regained hisposure through sheer willpower.

    He retaliated with a punch. This time, I didn''t dodge and took the hit. Dae-Man''s massive fist struck my abdomen. It didn''t hurt much, but I struggled to catch my breath for a moment, and my legs wobbled.

    Min-Seo watched our passionate duel and muttered, "Urgh, it stinks of body odor..."

    I managed to move closer to Dae-Man with my legs trembling so hard that I was on the verge of copsing. I opened my tightly clenched fist and adjusted my stance.

    From now on, I was going to rely on skill rather than blindly throwing punches.

    As I stood before Dae-Man, who stood firm and resolute, I recalled my conversation with Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    <i>¡®When an opponent approaches, there¡¯s no need to engage in closebat. It¡¯s better to keep a distance and actively utilize the power of Loa.¡¯ </i>

    <i>¡®However, what if the opponent keeps trying to approach me? Just like you, for example.¡¯ </i>

    <i>¡®Ah, there is a technique for that situation.¡¯ </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung had taught me a simple, no-frills technique that was quite practical.

    <i>¡®The technique is called throwing.¡¯</i>

    Just as I had learned from Yuk Eun-Hyung, I put my foot on Dae-Man''s leg, lifted his massive and heavy body in one fluid motion, and threw him using all my strength. Dae-Man flew into the air.

    <i>Boom... </i>

    Dae-Man was suspended in the air for a few seconds before crashing to the ground. The sound of that massive mannding reverberated across Eiden Hill.

    Lying on the ground, Dae-Man trembled and then eventually went still. I hurriedly over to Dae-Man, thinking he was dead.

    Dae-Man was clutching his waist while saliva dripped from his mouth.

    "Argh, my back!"

    "Oh... I''m sorry, really. I didn''t mean for this to happen!"

    "No, it was a good match. As expected, you never disappoint!"

    Dae-Man was unable to continue speaking and closed his eyes. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The pain in his back seemed severe.

    <i>Beeep¡ª! Beeep¡ª! </i>

    The shock detection device attached to his body suddenly emitted two loud beeps. Upon closer inspection, I could see that the device waspletely destroyed. It seemed like I had failed to control my strength.

    As the beeps echoed, Do-Jin appeared from somewhere. Do-Jin saw Dae-Man copsed on the ground and approached him with a worried expression.

    "Dae-Man! Dae-Man!! Are you dead?"

    Dae-Man suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Ah, I''m not dead. I just pretended to be dead because I was swept away by the mood..."

    Do-Jin let out a sigh of relief. "You crazy bastard... scaring people like that. Do you really want to die?"

    Do-Jin called another teacher and instructed him to take Dae-Man to the infirmary.

    After dealing with most of the aftermath, Do-Jin''s gaze turned toward me with a tantly resentful expression.

    "Hey, just think of it as ying around and take it easy. You don''t need to be so intense."

    ¡°...¡±

    I didn''t respond to Do-Jin. I felt like I was being treated unjustly, as I was already taking the exam with the mindset of taking it easy.

    In fact, I¡¯d agreed to Dae-Man''s suggestion of fighting without weapons partly for fun. It would have been difficult for me to take it easier than that.

    Perhaps sensing how aggrieved I felt just from my gaze, Do-Jin let out a deep sigh and said, "Yes, it''s important to take it seriously since it¡¯s an exam... But still, don''t hurt anyone, okay? Got it?"

    "Yes, I understand," I replied with a nod.

    Do-Jin turned away with a haggard look on his face as if he was utterly exhausted.

    The heated atmosphere from the battle instantly cooled down due to Do-Jin¡¯s appearance.

    After Dae-Man left, silence returned, and only three people remained: me, Min-Seo, and Ha-Rin.

    Ha-Rin nced between me and Min-Seo. She muttered, "I think I''ll just surrender..."

    <i>Beeeep¡ª! </i>

    She then took off the shock detection device from her body and surrendered.

 Chapter 291

    <h4>Chapter 291</h4>

    "Huff, huff! Fuck, what is this? What is this?!"

    An unknown opponent was chasing Yu-Hyun. Based on their movements and presence, it seemed like a fierce beast. It would pass through the trees, glide along the ground, and chase after Yu-Hyun at a crazy fast speed.

    Its movements were so agile and powerful that it made Yu-Hyun wonder whether the movements were from a human. Yu-Hyun panted heavily as he desperately ran from the thing.

    When his legs trembled so much that he couldn¡¯t move any further, he used a blessing to remove the fatigue from his legs temporarily. And then he continued to run again.

    When he was so out of breath that it felt like knives were stabbing his lungs, he used another blessing to forget the pain.

    However, continuing to escape like this was only momentary.

    "Huff, huff... Ugh, ugh...!"

    By the time his legs could no longer move, breathing became difficult, and he could no longer use blessings due to using up all his remaining divine power. He stopped running. After that, he hunched over and vomited.

    Nothing came out because he hadn''t eaten anything. He just kept vomiting gastric acid on the ground before sitting down.

    <i>Crunch, crunch. </i>

    The <i>thing</i> that had been chasing Yu-Hyun approached him as he was sitting down. Dry leaves crunched loudly under its feet.

    Yu-Hyun slowly backed away while still sitting on the ground and said, "Why? Why are you doing this?"

    "..."

    It did not respond to Yu-Hyun''s words. It just gripped its sword even tighter.

    "Aaaargh!"

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Yu-Hyun''s scream echoed through Eiden Hill. ''It'' mercilessly shattered his shock detection device with their sword.

    <i>Beeeep¡ª!</i>

    The noise from the device echoed throughout Eiden Hill.

    ***

    After Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon were eliminated, Eiden Hill was enveloped in even deeper silence.

    Previously, they could hear sounds of battle urring in various ces, along with screams and loud noises, but now it waspletely silent.

    At this point, the only people left on Eiden Hill were probably the elite, such as Jin-Seo or Yu-Hyun.

    We weren¡¯t sure when or where they would attack us. Thinking about it made me nervous and tense, but a strange sense of upliftment spread throughout my body. Honestly, I didn''t have high expectations before the exam, but it turned out to be more fun and exciting than I thought.

    [Really?]

    "..."

    No, I actually wasn¡¯t sure. I didn¡¯t respond to Legba¡¯s words and instead turned my head toward Min-Seo.

    "Min-Seo. Who is left now?"

    "We probably only need to be on guard against Jin-Seo from now on."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Min-Seo quickly turned her head and stared at something.

    I gripped my spear and followed Min-Seo''s gaze. She stared intently at a point in the distance.

    There was nothing in the direction she was looking toward. More precisely, there was no one. I could only see the lush forest and numerousrge and small rocks.

    "What are you doing? There''s nothing there?"

    "I thought I heard something. Must be my imagination...!"

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    An attack came rushing in before Min-Seo could finish speaking.

    "Nevermind! Jin-Seo, you¡¯re finally showing your true colors!"

    Min-Seo bent down to dodge the attack and then raised her head.

    I looked at Jin-Seo who appeared in front of us. She was tightly gripping a sword. Although the de was quite dull since it was a practice sword, in her hands, it looked quite threatening. The worn-out edge of the de hinted at how many battles she had fought.

    I gripped my spear, and Min-Seo drew her bow.

    Jin-Seo looked at us. Her expression was so nk that it was terrifying.

    "Are you two a team?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "Yeah. Does that trigger you?" Min-Seo replied bluntly.

    Jin-Seo chuckled and nced briefly at me.

    Then, she nodded and said, "Yes, very much so."

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Divine power flowed from Jin-Seo''s fingertips. It quickly took the form of a blessing array, and the light of blessing immediately enveloped Jin-Seo''s body.

    I turned my head to look at Min-Seo, who clearly had a bewildered look on her face.

    In fact, Min-Seo and I had already devised a n to confront Jin-Seo. Min-Seo was good at using blessings. Specifically, she was great at abusing the collision phenomenon to nullify the opponent''s blessing array. Thus, we decided that when Jin-Seo appeared, Min-Seo would focus on nullifying her blessing arrays while I would engage in directbat.

    However, due to Min-Seo impulsively drawing her bow, she failed to nullify Jin-Seo''s blessing array. Min-Seo hastily released her bowstring.

    <i>Twang¡ª! </i>

    The arrow flew toward Jin-Seo. However, the arrow veered off course due to carelessly releasing the bowstring without focusing properly.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Jin-Seo did not miss the opportunity due to Min-Seo¡¯s mistake and charged forward. Min-Seo''s arrowpletely missed, and Jin-Seo quickly closed the distance between them.

    Min-Seo tried to step back to create distance again, but it was already toote. Without a chance to escape, Jin-Seo''s sword swooped toward Min-Seo.

    "Oh, sh¡ª!"

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Jin-Seo''s sword urately struck Min-Seo''s head.

    "Ugh, urgh!"

    Min-Seo let out a wail that didn¡¯t even sound like a proper scream. She looked at Jin-Seo with bloodshot eyes before trembling and copsing onto the ground.

    Just like that, Min-Seo lost consciousness in such a pitiful state. Maybe she had skillfully attacked the shock detection device¡¯s blind spot because the device did not beep.

    It most likely wasn¡¯t a mistake. She intentionally incapacitated her instead of eliminating her from the exam, and the reason was clear.

    "Now, only two of us remain."

    It was to create a situation where only the two of us would be left.

    I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

    I nodded and responded, "Yeah, it seems like it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±

    Then, I firmly gripped my spear. I had no intention of seriously fighting against Jin-Seo. Since I was using Bossou¡¯s power, if I got serious while using the spear, there was a chance she would get injured.

    Like I had done throughout the exam, I nned to fight while holding back.

    Jin-Seo read my mind and said, "Fight properly this time. Don''t go easy on me."

    ¡°...¡±

    I couldn¡¯t respond immediately to her words and kept my mouth shut.

    Jin-Seo was strong. She was strong at the beginning of the semester, and now she seemed even stronger. I felt it when I saw her attack Min-Seo. The Jin-Seo right after entering school and the Jin-Seo right now werepletely different people.

    However,pared to the other Florence Academy students, she was just strong. Outside of Florence Academy, Jin-Seo was only at Joseph¡¯s or Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s level at best. To be honest, I didn¡¯t really know if she wasparable to Joseph or Yuk Eun-Hyung at all.

    I couldn¡¯t exactly use Bossou¡¯s power at full capacity against someone like that. She would obviously get hurt.

    "I''ve never gone easy on you before," I lied.

    Now that I think about it, I never fought against Jin-Seo with all my might. It was because there was hardly ever an opportunity to fight her outside of spars.

    There was no reason to fight her with all my might if it was just a spar. I once took the practical evaluations seriously and tried my hardest to get good grades, but now there was no need to do that.

    I also didn¡¯t need to use Voodoo spells or the power of the Loa, and there wasn¡¯t even a need to properly use Bossou''s power. As Do-Jin said earlier, I could just y around and take it easy. That was all I had to do to get my desired result.

    In the future, I would most likely never need to fight with all my might. If there was ever a need, it would probably be in a situation where...

    Jin-Seo red straight at me and said, "Don''t lie."

    The hand she used to hold her sword was trembling.

    "You haven''t ever taken a spar seriously, and there has never been a need to fight outside of a spar.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to take it seriously after all. I just need to try hard enough to win.¡±

    "That¡¯s what pisses me off."

    "Pisses you off?" I repeated her words in irritation.

    The words ''pisses me off'' bothered me. What exactly was pissing her off?

    I tried my best at the beginning of the semester, but I didn¡¯t do so anymore because there was no need to. I could get good grades without doing my best, and there were many other things that required me to give it my all.

    I had a lot to think about, such as Yu-Hyun and Joseph, Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da, my father and mother, the Holy War, and the underground prison. I also had to think about Yoon-Ah, In-Ah, Ji-Ah, Uncle, Soo-Yeong, the executives of the cult, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, Noah''s Ark, the underground chapel, Voodoo spells, and the power of the Loa. Besides all those things, I had many other things too.

    And I also had to think about Jin-Seo. I simply wanted to save my strength when doing things that didn''t require my best effort. I knew I would quickly get tired if I gave my all in everything.

    I just wanted to restfortably when I could.

    "Do you think you can beat me by taking it easy?" she asked.

    I thought for a moment and then nodded. Honestly, I could probably win even if I half-heartedly fought against her. With Jin-Seo holding a practice sword instead of a real one, I could easily defeat her with my bare hands.

    "Shall we make a bet then? The winner grants one wish to the loser."

    "I''ve made too many bets. I''m getting tired of them."

    "Tired? Not up for the challenge?" Jin-Seo teased me with a small smile.

    Seeing her provoking me with a smile, it slightly triggered mypetitive spirit. My pride was slightly wounded as well.

    Normally, I wouldn¡¯t easily sumb to such provocations, but Jin-Seo''s provocation felt different. I stared intently at Jin-Seo smiling rxedly and then nodded.

    "Alright, let''s do it."

    It wouldn''t hurt to fight against her for once properly.

    I pushed Bossou¡¯s power to the limit. My heart raced, and my vision blurred. I could feel my blood boiling.

    I hadn''t felt this sensation ever since I got the hang of how to use the power of the Loa after recovering the Altar.

    ***

    Jin-Seo held onto her sword and red at Sun-Woo as she prepared for battle when she suddenly felt the atmosphere around them turn icy.

    The birds perched on the branches spread their wings and flew away. Sun-Woo emanated an ominous and eerie energy.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo no longer said anything. Instead, he looked at Jin-Seo with empty eyes.

    Jin-Seo clenched her jaw and red at Sun-Woo. She then waited for an opportunity, a moment when his posture faltered or his vision lost its focus. If she attacked during such an opportunity, she could win in most fights.

    However, Sun-Woo did not easily show any openings. His gaze seemed empty, but it was precisely aimed at Jin-Seo, and his posture, although seemingly sloppy, had no gaps.

    Jin-Seo felt a strange tension as she swallowed her saliva.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    Then, the wind blew. Jin-Seo reflexively closed her eyes as dust flew toward her, only to btedly open her eyes after realizing she had made a mistake.

    Sun-Woo had already disappeared from her sight. Jin-Seo¡¯s eyes darted in all directions in an attempt to follow Sun-Woo''s movements.

    However, it was difficult to track him with her eyes. She had to trust her instincts, and so she raised her sword defensively.

    <i>ng¡ª!!</i>

    Sun-Woo appeared out of nowhere and swung his spear. The sh between Jin-Seo''s sword and his spear created a loud noise. It was too noisy to be a collision of mere training weapons.

    Jin-Seo was holding the sword with one hand, but Sun-Woo''s attack was so powerful that she wasn''t able to block it with just one hand.

    As Sun-Woo briefly withdrew the spear to prepare for a second attack, Jin-Seo switched to holding the sword with both hands. She aimed to block his attacks more stably andunch a stronger, more daring counterattack.

    "Huh...?"

    At that moment, a gasp escaped Jin-Seo''s lips. The instant she switched to holding the sword with both hands, Sun-Woo dropped his spear and reached out to firmly grasp Jin-Seo''s hands.

    He then pushed Jin-Seo''s body towards a tree. Jin-Seo was immobilized against the tree, unable to move with both her hands bound. She tried to resist, but it was futile.

    Jin-Seo felt Sun-Woo''s strength through her immobilized hands. No matter how much she resisted and struggled, she couldn''t overpower his overwhelming strength.

    Sun-Woo firmly pressed Jin-Seo''s hands against the tree trunk and said, "Is this enough?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo remained silent and looked into Sun-Woo''s eyes, which were fixated on her. She could sense a sharp and rough desire simmering within his gaze.

    It felt strange and frightening to see his eyes, which were usually gentle, contain such an unfamiliar emotion. But she didn¡¯t feel that it was entirely bad either.

 Chapter 292

    <h4>Chapter 292</h4>

    <i>Beeeep¡ª!</i>

    After Sun-Woo defeated Jin-Seo, a loud noise rang out from her shock detection device and signaled the end of the exam.

    Sun-Woo and Jin-Seo left Eiden Hill under the teachers¡¯ guidance, and their rankings were announced.

    Jin-Seo was in second ce, while Sun-Woo was in first ce. Jin-Seo stared at the letters ''second ce'' written on her ranking sheet for a while. She had noints about her ranking. At this point, she didn¡¯t particrly care about her grades. Not beating Sun-Woo was also fine. She had expected her defeat, so she didn¡¯t feel disappointed or upset.

    There was a different reason why her emotions felt strange. Back when Sun-Woo had overwhelmed her, she sensed a peculiar emotion residing within Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes as he gazed at her. She couldn¡¯t tell whether that sharp and dangerous emotion had been sadism or violence.

    After the end of the exam, when they were leaving Eiden Hill, Sun-Woo said, "That was fun."

    He was smiling, and his gaze was kind. The dangerous look he had shown earlier had already disappeared. He returned to his usual self.

    He was definitely no different from usual, but...

    For some strange reason, his appearance felt unfamiliar and awkward. His face, which gave the impression of a remarkably kind fellow, didn¡¯t seem to suit him at all.

    "Me too," Jin-Seo responded with a nod.

    They were supposed to go home immediately after the exam, so they parted ways. On her way back to her empty house, Jin-Seo thought about Sun-Woo.

    This was practically the first time she had seen him reveal his true strength in front of her with such an aggressive and dangerous gaze.

    ¡®Whether you turn out to be a really scary person, or someone with nothing, or even a cultist, I... It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯ll still be fine.¡¯

    Jin-Seo said such words to Sun-Woo in the past. She had said that it didn¡¯t matter what type of person he was. She was confident that she would still like him no matter how dangerous he was.

    But was that really true? Jin-Seo carefully thought about it. If he really was a Satanist, a Voodoo Cultist, or something even more dangerous and malicious, what then?

    What if the scary and dangerous face he revealed today was Sun-Woo''s true self, and his usual kind and innocent appearance was just a mask? Would her feelings toward him remain unchanged?

    "..."

    She wasn¡¯t sure. And because she couldn¡¯t be sure of her feelings, she feared digging deeper. Jin-Seo shook her head to clear her thoughts.

    ***

    The practical exam was over, and the overall grades were announced.

    I received decent scores on the written exam, but because I achieved first ce on the practical exam, my overall ranking was fifth. This was an exceedingly good rank, considering the effort I had put in.

    Above me were Jin-Seo, Min-Seo, Yu-Hyun, and In-Ah. Among those four, In-Ah was in first ce. In-Ah had achieved first ce in the written exam by arge margin. Thanks to that, even though she didn''t get a high score on the practical exam, she ended up taking the top spot.

    After the end of the exam, there was a ceremony to kickstart the winter break. I met In-Ah there and congratted her.

    "Congrattions."

    "What are you suddenly congratting me for?"

    ¡°You got first ce. You always wanted to achieve it,¡± I said.

    In-Ah smiled brightly in response. Then, she yfully stared at me with narrowed eyes.

    "I feel weird hearing that from you. Are you making fun of me?" she said as she looked at the banner hanging at the entrance of the auditorium, where the winter break ceremony was taking ce.

    The banner showed the number of people who had passed the entrance exam and a list of their names. It showed the number of people who had passed the entrance exam for the Northern Priesthood, the number of people who made it into the Eastern Pdin Order, and so on.

    Jin-Seo, Ha-Yeon, and Su-Ryeon''s names were all on the banner. Jin-Seo had made it into the Northern Crusader Order, and Su-Ryeon had made it into the Western Crusader Order.

    Ha-Yeon''s name was written in muchrger letters than others because she had been epted into none other than the Central Priesthood. And my name was next to Ha-Yeon''s.

    Do Sun-Woo - ss of Charity: epted to the Central Pdin Order.

    I finally passed the Central Pdin Order entrance exam with Sung Yu-Da''s help.

    "Hey, I¡¯m not making fun of you. I¡¯m genuinely congratting you.¡±

    "Oh, really? Well then, thank you. To think that I get to see a day when a pdin from the Central Pdin Order congrattes me," In-Ah yfully said with a satisfied nod.

    She looked at me with a grin and continued, "Anyway, it''s really great. I was wondering if you would actually make it."

    "Really? Did you think I would fail then?"

    "No~ It''s not that. I just had doubts. Thepetition for this year¡¯s Central Pdin Order entrance exam was really tough..."

    As In-Ah said, thepetition for this year¡¯s Central Pdin Order entrance exam was incredibly tough. Other Pdin Orders typically had a 10:1 fail-to-pass ratio, and the most difficult Pdin Orders had a 20:1 fail-to-pass ratio. However, the Central Pdin Order had a fail-to-pass ratio of 200:1.

    Moreover, it was almost unheard of for a student still enrolled in Florence Academy to join the Central Pdin Order. Up until now, only Sung Yu-Da and Joseph had seeded in joining the Central Pdin Order during their studies.

    Even Sung Yu-Da and Joseph seeded in joining around their second or third year, not in their first year. So, for a first-year like me, joining the Central Pdin Order was a miracle. It wasrgely due to Sung Yu-Da¡¯s help, but in any case, all was well since it ended well.

    ¡°You can¡¯t ignore me just because you¡¯re doing well, alright?¡±

    Iughed lightly and came up with a reasonable response to In-Ah¡¯s question.

    ¡°I won¡¯t do that. Do I look like the kind of person who would do that?"

    Just because I joined the Central Pdin Order didn¡¯t mean I would ignore the connections I had made at Florence Academy. Instead, I nned to maintain even closer rtionships with them.

    I had joined the Central Pdin Order with a clear goal in mind, and to achieve that goal, it was crucial not to disregard the connections I had within Florence Academy.

    Soon, the ceremony began. Before the start of the ceremony, we prayed and sang hymns, followed by the official part of the ceremony. The winter break ceremony was fairly typical of what you would expect from any other ceremony.

    At the end of the ceremony, the students returned home with faces filled with excitement. Other than In-Ah, I greeted a few familiar faces and headed straight to the underground chapel.

    After arriving at the chapel, I called Sung Yu-Da on my phone. He answered promptly.

    "It¡¯s me. My admission was confirmed the day before yesterday. I will be heading over there soon," I said.

    I hung up without listening to Sung Yu-Da''s response. There was no need to hear it since I had only called to notify him.

    While returning to the underground chapel, I recalled the ns for the future. Although my initiation into the Central Pdin Order was confirmed the day before yesterday, bing an official member of the Central Pdin Order through the initiation ceremony was scheduled for around February next year.

    That was when my actual ns would begin, especially the n to rescue my mother trapped in the underground prison.

    ***

    During winter break, I was holed up in the underground chapel because I had to research something.

    I received my father¡¯s unfinished research records from Sung Yu-Da. My father saw potential in Voodoo spells that could control other people¡¯s emotions and will, or in other words, their minds. He suggested that it was possible to interfere with other people¡¯s memories through Voodoo spells.

    The result of his research was Noah''s Ark. Noah''s Ark served as a medium for storing a person¡¯s memories, which is why I was able to glimpse into my father''s memories there.

    However, what my father wanted was not just that. He didn¡¯t just want the one-sided transmission of memories, but the exchange of memories between two parties¡ªin other words, the ability to share memories between people.

    That was the ultimate goal that my father wanted to achieve through the Voodoo spells. I locked myself inside the underground chapel to continue my father¡¯s unfinished research.

    I had a grasp of the theoretical aspects. I could use poteau mitan, the Staff of Reversal, to trigger the reverse spell technique. By using the reverse spell technique on my father''s spell, Memory Imntation, not only reading the memories of others but also sharing memories between people seemed possible.

    "It¡¯s not easy..."

    The problem was that it was easier said than done. In the first ce, not only was I unable to master the reverse spell technique, but I also wasn¡¯t able to master my father''s Memory Imntation spell.

    Thus, using the reverse spell technique on Memory Imntation was even more difficult. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that it was near impossible.

    [It¡¯s a Voodoo spell that Do Myung-Jun devoted his whole life to and was still unable to perfect. There¡¯s no way it would be so easy to aplish,] Legba said.

    "That''s right," I said as I nodded in agreement.

    Even my genius father wasn¡¯t able to perfect this spell, so there was no way I could do it in just a couple of weeks. Since it was such a challenging task, I put even more effort into it and dedicated myself to researching the spell.

    However, I didn''t just focus on researching my father''s spell.

    I also didn''t forget to practice spells that I could use immediately, such as the Curse of Fainting and Memory Annihtion. I also didn''t neglect practicing the power of the Loa.

    I consistently read books. I mainly read literature on spells, but in my spare time, I also read books unrted to spells, such as books about the history of the Romanican Church and the Central Pdin Order, as well as books on general history and humanities such as philosophy.

    Ji-Ah came to find me while I was reading.

    ¡°Cult Leader,¡± she said.

    She approached me with her hands slightly sped together and greeted me with a bow.

    Then she nced at me. I was currently reading a book that detailed how to rule as a lord.

    ¡°You seem to be reading a good book at the moment. Is it interesting?¡±

    "I''m not reading it for fun, but it''s somewhat interesting. Have you read this too, nuna?"

    "Yes, I read it once. It wasn''t really to my taste... Anyway, weren''t you studying spells until just now?"

    "Yes. I finished and started reading."

    "Aren¡¯t you going to take a break?" Ji-Ah asked.

    I smiled at Ji-Ah and replied, "I feel ufortable when I rest."

    I knew the importance of rest. Proper rest was necessary for working efficiently. However, I felt anxious whenever I rested without doing anything. I felt more at ease when I did something during my idle time.

    Yet, I knew that if I spent the whole day studying spells or practicing the power of the Loa, my body would surely suffer.

    That was why I chose reading as a better alternative to rest. Reading allowed me to umte knowledge and broaden my perspective, while also giving my tired body a break from spell research.

    I closed the book I was reading and asked, "So, what brings you here?"

    "I received a message from Yuk Eun-Hyung from the Gyeongsang Branch. It seems that he needs your help."

    "Yuk Eun-Hyung needs help? Exactly what kind of help does he need?"

    "I''m not sure of the details. But..." Ji-Ah paused momentarily before continuing, "It seems like some conflict has urred with a certain mercenary corps."

    "Which mercenary corps?"

    "I''m not entirely sure, but it seems to be the Ravens."

    The Ravens Mercenary Corps. When Jun-Hyuk attacked Florence Academy in the past, the Ravens had helped Jun-Hyuk upy the church.

    Based on what Yuk Eun-Hyung told mest time, they were a notorious mercenary corps. I quickly picked up my phone and called Yuk Eun-Hyung. Fortunately, he answered right away.

    <i>¡ª</i>Yes, Cult Leader. This is Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    I skipped unnecessary greetings and went straight to the point.

    "I heard that you were in a conflict with the Ravens Mercenary Corps."

    There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Eventually, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s voice came through with a cough.

    <i>¡ª</i>I would like to speak to you in person. Are you currently at the underground chapel located in the headquarters?"

    "Yes. When can we meet?"

    <i>¡ª</i>I will go there right away. Well then...

    <i>Beep. </i>

    After saying what he had to say, Yuk Eun-Hyung hung up the phone. It seemed like it was an urgent matter.

 Chapter 293

    <h4>Chapter 293</h4>

    Soon after Yuk Eun-Hyung hung up the phone, he arrived at the underground chapel. He was breathing heavily, and steam was rising from his sweat-drenched body.

    This year''s winter was particrly cold, so it would have been difficult for him to sweat. He must have run like crazy.

    Before greeting him, I handed him a towel, signaling him to wipe off his sweat.

    Embarrassed, Yuk Eun-Hyung said, "Thank you, Cult Leader. I¡¯m sweating because I came here in a hurry..."

    He then quickly wiped off his sweat with the towel I gave him.

    Seeing all themotion in the underground chapel, Soo-Yeong, and Anna, the executive of the Gyeonggi Branch, stopped what they were doing and came out.

    "Ah, Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung!"

    Anna greeted Yuk Eun-Hyung warmly, and Soo-Yeong just nced at Yuk Eun-Hyung and went back into her room.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung carefully folded the towel he had wiped his sweat with and ced it in a suitable spot. Then he bowed his head slightly toward Anna and greeted her.

    "Ah, Ms. Anna. Hello."

    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t we agree that we would speak to each other casuallyst time?¡±

    "Well, that was something I said after drinking, so..."

    "What? I thought we were getting along better. Alright then," Anna said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    After exchanging a few awkward greetings with Yuk Eun-Hyung, Anna also returned to her room.

    "So, what urgent matter do you need to speak to me about?" I asked Yuk Eun-Hyung, who was still breathing heavily.

    He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he turned his head around to check if anyone was listening.

    Since there were only Voodoo Cult members in the underground chapel, it was a meaningless precaution.

    He let out a small sigh and exined, "You¡¯ve probably roughly heard about it, but there is some conflict between the Ravens Mercenary Corps and our mercenary corps. We didn''t want to involve the Cult Leader in mercenary affairs, but the situation is too dire...¡±

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps had relocated their base from the coast of the Gyeongsang Province to Noah''s Ark after the Romanican Church¡¯s Crusader Order had attacked them. As a result, the Ravens Mercenary Corps took over the area near the coast.

    There were no problems up to this point. However, the issue arose when the Ravens Mercenary Corps began impersonating Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps and terrorizing the local residents. The terrorizing included activities such as extorting money from the residents, as well asmitting serious crimes like murder and rape.

    "To tell you the truth, it was fine for the Ravens Mercenary Corps to take over the area. That ce has got nothing to do with us anymore after all. However, impersonating us andmitting evil deeds is a bit of a different story."

    "It''s a problem directly rted to the reputation of Voodoo Cult."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung nodded. "Yes, that''s correct."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps was officially being hunted down, and the fact that his mercenary corps belonged to the Voodoo Cult was suchmon knowledge that not only Holy See clergymen but also random toddlers on the street knew this fact. In other words, if the Ravens Mercenary Corps pretended to be Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps andmitted evil deeds, there was a high possibility that the Voodoo Cult¡¯s reputation would also suffer.

    The puzzling thing was why the Ravens Mercenary Corps would do such a thing. They were famous for doing anything for money, so they were unlikely to do such a thing without any reason.

    "Someone must have bribed them. That someone might be the Holy See or an individual rted to the Holy See," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    I nodded. There was no way the Ravens Mercenary Corps would have done something like this independently without receiving anypensation, so they obviously were acting based on someone''s orders.

    I had a rough idea of who might be behind it. It was those who wished for the Voodoo Cult''s reputation to be tarnished and those who wanted the Voodoo Cult to engage in war with the Romanican Church again in hopes ofpletely eradicating the Voodoo Cult. In other words, the orders had most likelye from the Holy See or someone associated with them. Perhaps it was rted to the uing papal conve that Yu-Hyun mentioned.

    "Let''s go for now," I said as I grabbed my poncho and mask.

    "Huh?" Yuk Eun-Hyung said with a flustered expression.

    I grabbed my staff and added, "Let''s go and assess the situation first. If it¡¯s something we can resolve immediately, then let''s do it."

    "Is that fine, though? We might have to engage inbat, so shouldn''t we prepare a bit before going..."

    "Is it really necessary to be that prepared?" I asked as I fiddled with my staff.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung thought for a moment, then after looking at the staff in my hand, he nodded.

    "Alright. Let''s go."

    We immediately packed our belongings.

    <i> </i> *

    I gathered the members of Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps and started heading toward the Gyeongsang coastal area where the issue had urred. They were arming themselves and preparing themselves, but the state of their armaments was poor.

    They wore what was called a ''makeshift bullet-proof vest,'' which was simplyyers of cloth piled together. Since that vest wouldn''t be able to stop a bullet, I didn''t understand why it was called a bulletproof vest.

    The weapons they brought were mediocre at best. There were no guns, only primitive weapons like swords, spears, and bows, and even those weapons were in poor condition. The weapons were of lower quality than the training weapons scattered around Florence Academy.

    "Do you have any guns?" I asked.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung shook his head in response and said, "If a mere mercenary corps possessed guns, they would likely be targets of the Romanican Church..."

    "But won¡¯t the enemy also have firearms?"

    "Most likely. The Ravens Mercenary Corps is reallyrge, and this time, they might have received a mission from the Holy See after all," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    ording to Yuk Eun-Hyung, most mercenary corps did not own firearms. The ownership and use of firearms were only allowed for the crusaders within the Romanican Church. Therefore, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps could not use firearms.

    Currently, only a few mercenary corps utilized firearms, and all of those mercenary corps had either joined under the Romanican Church or were officially affiliated with them.

    "That''s why it''s better to avoid fighting them if possible. The difference in power between us is too great."

    In response to Yuk Eun-Hyung''s concern, I shook my head and said, "No, it''s okay. I''m here too."

    My n was simple. I would assess the strength of the Ravens Mercenary Corps, check the identity of the anonymous leader, and then subdue them all. If possible, I wanted topletely bring the Ravens Mercenary Corps under my control and absorb them into Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps.

    "If necessary, we will just engage in battle. Make sure you are all mentally prepared."

    "Understood."

    Eventually, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps arrived at their original base, which was located in a coastal area in Gyeongsang Province.

    The vicinity was deste. Although the buildings were rudimentary, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps previously had their own living quarters, but they had been reduced to ruins after the Romanican Church¡¯s Crusader Order attacked them.

    Not a single car was visible on the surrounding roads. asionally, sparks and buzzing sounds came from the severed power lines lying on the ground.

    I scanned the deste scene, searching for any Ravens Mercenary Corps members stationed nearby.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung also scanned the area with a tense expression on his face.

    Suddenly, a sound broke the silence.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s face turned pale.

    "Watch out, it''s the Ravens¡ª!"

    <i>Bang, bang, bang¡ª!</i>

    Gunshots rang out. Yuk Eun-Hyung, the members of his mercenary corps, and I ducked and ran toward the nearest cover.

    The gunfire didn''t stop. The sound of bullets tearing through the air echoed fiercely. Some fleeing members were hit by bullets on their legs.

    Luckily, Yuk Eun-Hyung sessfully managed to hide behind cover without sustaining any injuries. The members whispered amongst each other behind cover as they observed the members of the Ravens Mercenary Corps stationed in a distant, dpidated building.

    "Huff, huff!"

    "What the¡ª? Where are they hiding?"

    "They''re inside the building. Over there, that way..."

    ¡°They knew we were going toe."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s gaze turned toward my arm as I caught my breath. I rubbed my right forearm, and blood stuck to my hand.

    While fleeing from the gunfire, I was unfortunately hit on the forearm.

    "Cult Leader, are you okay?!" Yuk Eun-Hyung eximed.

    "Oh, yes. I got hit by a bullet," I replied nonchntly.

    Thankfully, it didn''t hurt, but the bullet seemed to be lodged quite deeply, making it difficult to use my strength properly.

    <i>Bang, bang! </i>

    The Ravens hiding inside the building were still shooting at us.

    I briefly took off my poncho and examined my arm. Blood gushed out from the bullethole.

    "The bullet is that deeply lodged. Aren¡¯t you in pain?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

    I nodded and said, "I''m fine."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung stared at my face with a bewildered expression. He found it strange that I didn¡¯t feel any pain or even shed a single drop of cold sweat.

    "Even after being shot, you are... As expected of the Cult Leader."

    ¡°What superhuman mental fortitude...¡±

    The other members of the mercenary corps eximed in shock after seeing me act nonchnt despite my injuries.

    I quickly applied pressure to the wounds and asked, "Do you have something like tweezers or pliers? I need to remove the bullet."

    "Yes, I do," Yuk Eun-Hyung said as he rummaged through his belongings and soon pulled out a long, thin pair of tweezers.

    With a face that seemed to be in more pain than mine, Yuk Eun-Hyung inserted the tweezers into my wound. He then closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

    "Please bear with it a little longer, Cult Leader."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung skillfully extracted the bullet from the gunshot wound with the tweezers, and a bloody piece of flesh came out with it.

    He tore his own clothes and tried to bandage my wounds. However, I stopped him from doing so.

    "No, it''s okay."

    "What?"

    "I will handle the bleeding myselfter. For now..."

    <i>Swoosh! </i>

    I swung my bleeding arm wildly and sttered blood on the floor. By doing so, I drew a Loa¡¯s symbol, or their v¨¦v¨¦, on the ground.

    I quickly drew the v¨¦v¨¦. I had practiced Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa during winter break, and in the process, I became much more skilled at drawing v¨¦v¨¦s than before.

    When the v¨¦v¨¦ was finallypleted, I raised my staff and said, "Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung, do you remember the training session we had in Noah''s Ark?"

    "Of course."

    "Back then, we also had a training session for cooperative operations, right?"

    At Noah''s Ark, Yuk Eun-Hyung and I engaged in battles and had training sessions for co-ops. I influenced the terrain or climate with the power of the Loa, and Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members practiced engaging inbat while taking advantage of the altered terrain and climate.

    This was the moment when that training session would bear fruit.

    "Let''s do it just like we did in that training session. Do it appropriately and efficiently," I said.

    Then, I struck the ground with my staff.

    <i>Bang¡ª! </i>

 Chapter 294

    <h4>Chapter 294</h4>

    "How in tarnation do you reckon we''re supposed to use this contraption?"

    "Hey you idiot, have you not watched any movies? Just go with the flow and do it like this!"

    "Damn it. Y''all could''ve just kindly exined how to get it to work. Did ya really have to go and insult me like that?"

    The Ravens Mercenary Corps aimed their guns toward the Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps while hiding behind cover.

    Most of them had tanned faces, and their clothes were so worn and tattered that it seemed as if they would tear apart at the slightest breeze. Only a few members knew how to handle a gun. They all just roughly loaded and haphazardly pulled the trigger.

    "When in tarnation are these fesin'' out? They nnin'' to spend the whole dadgum day hidin'' like that?"

    "Keep quiet and wait! Don''t turn your gun this way! Keep your eyes fixed outside!"

    "Aight, got it."

    They waited eagerly for Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps to appear. Their bodies were tense, and cold sweat trickled down their foreheads. Their fingers trembled as they rested on the triggers of their guns..

    <i>Boom¡ª!</i>

    A loud, thunderous noise echoed from the ground, simr to an earthquake. The ground shook, and the building they were inside swayed as if it would copse at any moment.

    The mercenaries soon revealed bewildered expressions, and they looked at each other.

    "What in the world''s goin'' on here?!"

    "An earthquake? No! W-wait. This is..."

    <i>Boom¡ª! </i>

    A loud noise echoed once again, and the ground continued to shake. Each time the rumbling noise echoed, the vibrations intensified.

    Some of the mercenary corps members lost their bnce and fell. When they fell over, they dropped the guns they were holding, and some broke their noses as they fell forward. It was pure chaos.

    Amidst the chaos, a man steadfastly stared at Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps through the window without falling or letting go of his gun. He was the squad leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps.

    He had not let down his guard, and his finger was still resting on the trigger when his eyes suddenly darted from side to side.

    "The Cult Leader...?"

    <i>Whoosh¡ª!</i>

    A powerful gust of wind swept through, drowning out the mercenary corps squad leader¡¯s mutterings before they could reach the other mercenaries.

    The wind carried dust and gravel, striking the wide-open eyes of the mercenary corps squad leader. He kept his eyes open even as his eyes turned a deep red when his face suddenly stiffened.

    Cold sweat ran down his forehead and gathered at his chin before dripping to the ground.

    ¡°...¡±

    In the wastnd, which had been devoid of anything, signs of life were now stirring. Weeds, dandelions, and tiny nts buried deep underground swelled in size and created a forest.

    <i>Rustle, rustle... </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps had been hidden behind cover, and they used the forest as cover to slowly advance.

    The squad leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps quickly regained hisposure. He shouted at the mercenaries who fell to the ground after failing to withstand the vibrations and those who dropped their guns due to their shock.

    "Everyone, pick up your guns! Aim at the forest! Just shoot!"

    The mercenaries btedly regained theirposure and raised their guns after hearing the squad leader¡¯smand. Then, they stuck their barrels out of the window and wildly fired toward the forest.

    As long as Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps hid in the forest, aiming was meaningless. The best they could do was to shoot wildly, hoping to hit at least one of them.

    <i>Bang, bang, bang¡ª!</i>

    The mercenary squad leader and the mercenaries started shooting randomly. The gunshots were deafening. After they emptied one magazine, they switched to another magazine they had received from their client and continued to fire.

    They had plenty of magazines, so they didn¡¯t need to be conservative. The problem was not the number of magazines that they had. The problem was that no matter how much they shot, the bullets did not reach Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps.

    "Damn it, what is that! Is it made of steel?"

    The leaves and tree roots that made up the forest were too tough. The bullets bounced off the leaves and the roots devoured them.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps were practically wearing giant bulletproof vests while hiding in the forest.

    "They''re storm¡¯in the building! Squad leader, what in tarnation should we do? We''re all gonna be custard if we don''t figure somethin'' out!" shouted one mercenaries in a furious voice.

    After a moment of contemtion, the squad leader hid behind some debris inside the building and shouted, "Everyone hide! If the enemy enters this room, we''ll all open fire!"

    "Gotcha!"

    The mercenaries followed their squad leader¡¯smand and hid behind furniture or pirs where they could conceal themselves. They then aimed their guns at the door.

    ¡°...¡±

    It didn¡¯t matter whether it was Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps or the Cult Leader. Whoever entered the room would be reduced to a sieve and die. That was their n.

    <i> </i> *

    Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenaries were led toward the building by the forest that I had created.

    Gunshots rained down from the building, but no one was injured. A mere bullet could not prate the leaves of the giant nts created by Granbwa''s power.

    <i>¡ª</i>Cult Leader, we are about to enter the building! There are no casualties so far!

    Shortly after creating the forest, I heard Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s voice. I could listen to his voice by connecting my senses with Granbwa''s nts. As long as I remained within Granbwa''s forest, I could hear everyone''s voices, and I knew their location.

    I raised my staff and headed toward Yuk Eun-Hyung. He and his mercenary corps members were waiting at the entrance of the building while hiding behind thergest leaf.

    "Cult Leader! You''ve arrived. Shall we enter now?"

    "No, wait a moment."

    I shook my head at Yuk Eun-Hyung''s request for entry. Instead, I raised my staff and struck the ground.

    <i>Rumble¡ª! </i>

    "Bade."

    I called out to Bade. At that moment, the wind that blew in brushed past the leaves of Granbwa''s nts and entered the building.

    The wind swept through various parts of the building, allowing me to determine who was inside and how many people there were by the flow of the wind.

    "..."

    I concentrated on the flow of the wind. There was no one on the first floor. The same on the second floor. The third floor, the fourth floor... No one was on the fifth floor.

    Then, there was a change in the flow of the wind¡ªthe sixth floor. The Ravens were hiding on the sixth floor. They were hiding behind cover, aiming their guns toward the door and waiting for us to enter.

    They must have been nning to unleash all their bullets the moment we entered the room. It was all so predictable.

    I broke out of my concentration and opened my eyes. Yuk Eun-Hyung and the mercenaries looked at me with bright eyes as if waiting for mymand.

    "Currently, the Ravens are on the sixth floor. They are waiting in the room, and it seems like their n is to shoot all of us down once we enter. They are all armed at the moment.¡±

    "What should we do?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

    After thinking for a moment, I said, "I could render all of the enemy''s firearms useless. However, it''s a time-consuming task..."

    I could render all the Ravens¡¯ firearms useless using Ogun''s power. With the staff in hand, it was not a difficult task.

    The problem was that it would take a lot of time.

    The Ravens roughly had about ten guns. If we also considered the firearms scattered on the floor, it would be over twenty. It would take quite some time topletely neutralize all those firearms with Ogun''s power.

    Moreover, Ogun had a capricious personality, so I didn''t know if he would listen to me at a crucial moment.

    "Let''s go up to the sixth floor for now and head to the room where the enemies are waiting," I said.

    "We don''t have firearms, so wouldn''t it put us at a disadvantage inbat? No, not just a disadvantage... There will definitely be casualties. You will most likely be fine, but we... " Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    ¡°I know. You and your mercenaries don''t have to fight. Just knock on the door."

    "Just knock on it?"

    "Yes. Then all the Ravens'' attention will be focused on the door."

    I raised my head, looking toward the window on the sixth floor as I said, "That¡¯s when I will enter through the window."

    I chose one of the many nts in the forest, plucked a leaf, and handed it to Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    "If you hold on to this, I can hear all the sounds thate in your direction. I will enter immediately after hearing the knock."

    "Understood."

    I looked around at Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members and said, "Alright, let¡¯s go."

    They looked at me with determined eyes, then nodded in unison. Then, they swiftly entered the building. I grabbed my staff and lifted my head.

    "Marte,¡± I called out and prepared to use her power.

    <i> </i> *

    The Ravens still had their guns fixed at the door. Their faces were stiff with tension.

    They were going to fire immediately if they sensed any movement beyond the door. That was the mercenary squad leader¡¯s order. Whenever they heard a slight sounding from the door, their ears perk up and they would react sensitively.

    Their eyes were bloodshot due to maintaining a state of extreme tension for several minutes without blinking much.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    Then, a knocking sound was heard. The unexpected situation confused expressions to appear on the mercenaries¡¯ faces.

    "..."

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    The knocking sound came again. Not just confusion, but a look of bewilderment appeared on the faces of the mercenaries.

    A knock? They were knocking?

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps did not have guns. Even if they had weapons, they would be nothing more than spears, swords, bows, and other primitive weapons.

    They would be at a decisive disadvantage even if they hid their presence andunched a surprise attack, but they were so shamelessly and brazenly knocking on the door.

    "Do we shoot?" one of the members whispered.

    The squad leader shook his head. The squad leader was sweating and trying to read the opponent''s strategy. Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps was a mercenary corps that ranked rtively high inbat power. Why would such skilled mercenaries do such a foolish thing? There was surely a hidden agenda.

    "..."

    At that moment, a thought shed through the mercenary squad leader¡¯s mind.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps knocked on the door to let the enemy know their position. In other words, they hoped the enemy would perceive them as ''on the other side of the door.''

    Thus, the Yuk Eun-Hyung mercenary corps intended to divert the Ravens Mercenary Corps¡¯ attention through the knock, then enter the sixth floor from a different direction. If that was the case, what other methods were there to enter this ce other than the door?

    "The window!"

    The window.

    There was no other method but to enter through the window. The squad leader turned his gun toward it.

    <i>Crash¡ª! </i>

    The window shattered, and someone appeared¡ªa man wearing a mask and a poncho. It was the Cult Leader.

    Blue mes erupted from the Cult Leader''s hand. Before the squad leader could pull the trigger, the blue mes flickered from the Cult Leader''s fingertips and scattered on the floor.

    <i>Woosh!</i>

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    A puzzled exmation escaped the squad leader''s mouth. The blue mes that spread out from the Cult Leader''s hand froze the bodies of the Ravens Mercenary Squad leader and all the other mercenaries in the room.

 Chapter 295

    <h4>Chapter 295</h4>

    I could adjust the temperature of Marte¡¯s mes as I pleased. I could make them as hot as the hellfire, warm, cool, or ice-cold.

    Thus, I made Marte''s mes very cold¡ªinstantly freezing the mercenaries in the room. Their bodies were frozen beneath their necks, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist. All they could do was look at my masked face with terror.

    "If you move, your body might shatter. Just stay still," I said as I walked briskly toward the door.

    I then opened the door.

    As soon as I opened the door, Yuk Eun-Hyung, who was at the front, tried to punch me in the face. I easily dodged it.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s expression was fierce, with his veins bulging on his forehead. A look of surprise crossed his face as he stared at me.

    "I apologize, sir. I thought you were an enemy..."

    ¡°It''s okay. Come in."

    I led Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members into the room. They turned their heads and looked around at the Ravens Mercenary Corps members.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenaries had their mouths agape in shock upon seeing all the Ravens with their bodies frozen below their necks. Only one person didn''t seem all too surprised, and that was Yuk Eun-Hyung. He remained calm even after seeing the frozen Ravens mercenaries.

    "Are you nning to extract information from them?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

    He was quick to catch on. I didn''t immediately kill the members of the Ravens Mercenary Corps because even though I could, I still needed to extract information from them.

    I wanted to know who ordered them to impersonate Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps and terrorize the local residents. I also wanted to know who their leader was, along with many other things.

    I went to the person whom the mercenaries called their squad leader. He showed no signs of nervousness or fear, although he was drenched in sweat. Instead, he stared at me with piercing eyes filled with killing intent.

    His eyes clearly showed a readiness to resume attacking us as soon as the ice covering his body melted.

    "If you answer my questions honestly, I will spare your life. But if you refuse to answer or lie, you will die."

    The squad leader chuckled and said, "That''s a funny thing to say. How can you tell whether I''m lying or telling the truth?"

    I also chuckled along and called Ogun. All the iron surrounding us trembled and glowed bright red. The guns and bullets that the Ravens Mercenary Corps brought, nails and bits of iron scattered around the building, and everything else made of metal gradually floated in the air and menacingly pointed at the squad leader.

    "There is a method for everything. You¡¯ve seen what I can do. Do you still not believe me?¡±

    "..."

    The squad leader closed his mouth when he saw the dozens of floating pieces of metal in the air. A hint of fear flickered in his eyes.

    "If I lie, will those pieces of metal attack me?"

    "Yes."

    "Haha, that''s quite a convenient ability. I heard that the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult can do anything. It seems that was true.¡±

    I felt no need to respond to his words, so I just ignored him. Instead, I asked the squad leader a question.

    "Who is your client?"

    "Client? What are you talking about?"

    "Who told you to pretend to be Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps and cause amotion?" I asked.

    The squad leader nced briefly at the pieces of metal glowing bright red while floating in the air with a very displeased expression and said, "We don''t know. Only our leader knows who the client is."

    "Is that so? Then who is your leader? No, where is your leader?"

    "Haha! Just kill me."

    "What?"

    The man named the squad leader aggressively red at me.

    "I said, just kill me."

    There seemed to be a strong determination in his gaze, but at the same time, it seemed to be devoid of anything. Those were the eyes of someone resolved to die.

    He continued, "Our leader is the one who picked us up from nothing and made us useful. It''s better to die than to sell out our leader."

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    I stared into his eyes and analyzed his expression and voice carefully. The man called the squad leader seemed to have no lingering regrets in his life. His loyalty toward his leader was also quite profound.

    To find out their client''s identity, I needed to know who the leader of the Ravens was and their location. However, it seemed unlikely that he would answer me.

    I looked around and observed the faces of the other mercenaries. Each had a different expression. Some seemed resigned to their deaths, while others had their brows furrowed in extreme anger.

    Of course, some were gripped by fear. I found a particr mercenary who seemed to be trembling with fear more than the others.

    I approached him and said, "Excuse me."

    The man visibly panicked and replied, "Yes? Oh, no. What can I do for ya?"

    The man spoke with a unique tone and ent.

    When I looked into his eyes, he kept moving his eyes without making eye contact with me. It seemed like he was extremely afraid to meet my gaze. His personality seemed to bepletely different from the squad leader¡¯s. The squad leader was someone who didn¡¯t fear death and had empty eyes that indicated that he had nothing to lose.

    In contrast, the man in front of me seemed to be extremely afraid of death. Unlike the squad leader, it seemed like he had a lot to lose.

    "Do you know anything about your leader?" I asked.

    The man didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he avoided my gaze and nced at the squad leader. Since he was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t tell the truth and couldn¡¯t lie, he seemed to think that keeping his mouth shut was the best move.

    But it wasn''t exactly a very smart move. After all, I could deduce a lot of things from his silence.

    "You seem to know something, but you don''t want to talk."

    "..."

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you then. I needed someone to kill to set an example.¡±

    I raised my fist. The man''s body was frozen stiff, so if I used Bossou''s power and struck him hard, his frozen body would shatter and copse.

    The resulting corpse would probably be a shocking sight. If I showed such a scene to the other mercenaries, they would be shocked, and it would be much easier to extract information from them.

    "Hold yer horses! Please, spare me. I got a family, I tell ya. Two young ''uns dependin'' on me!"

    "Ah, where does your family live?"

    "M-my family..."

    The man hesitated, so I raised my fist again. Then, the man mentioned the area where his family lived.

    I asked if he had an ID. He said it was in his wallet, so I took it out and checked. I carefully memorized the address. After all, I never knew when such things woulde in handy.

    The man had his mouth tightly closed while silently shedding tears.

    He raised his head and said, "I said my piece, so are you gonna let me off the hook? Please, spare me!" the man said.

    ¡°If you give good answers to my questions, then you¡¯ll live. If not, you will die... No, I suppose it will be better to find your family first.¡±

    If I first found his family and used that to ckmail him, then I could extract more information. After listening to my words, the man dropped his head and shed tears.

    Tears fell on his frozen body. The parts touched by the tears slightly melted.

    "Sob... sob..."

    Behind the sobbing man, the squad leader shouted, "Ah, you devilish bastard! Are you even human after doing that?!"

    I walked over to the squad leader, lowered my head, and stared straight into his face as I said, "You could have just told me what I wanted to know from the beginning... You¡¯re supposed to be the squad leader, so why¡¯d you have to be so stubborn and make the situation so difficult?¡±

    "..."

    I thought it needed to be said, so that was why I said it. The squad leader closed his mouth.

    I approached the man with the unique ent again. He was biting his lips so hard that they were bleeding as tears streamed down his face.

    I just stared at him without saying anything until he opened his mouth. Well-timed silence was an effective weapon when threatening or coercing someone.

    After a while, the man broke the silence.

    "I-I¡¯ll tell ya," he said.

    His hollow, somewhat sad eyes, which continuously leaked tears, suggested that he hadpletely resigned himself to his fate.

    "I¡¯ll spill the beans and tell ya where our leader is and anything else ya wanna know..." he said.

    <i> </i> *

    We found out a lot by interrogating the man. He told us many things as he cried.

    At first, the squad leader tried to frantically shout at the man to not tell me anything, but he also resigned and closed his mouth after seeing the man confess everything to me.

    In any case, I found out that the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps was nearby. The identity of the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps was shrouded in mystery, and security was so tight that even the rank-and-file members did not know the leader''s face.

    Fortunately, the man I interrogated was not just a rank-and-file mercenary but also a somewhat important figure. Thanks to that, we found out the leader''s whereabouts.

    I melted the ice covering the man''s body using Marte''s mes and used an advanced restoration spell on the frozen parts of his body that had suffered frostbite.

    After being exposed to the restoration spell¡¯s Voodoo mist, the man¡¯s ckened and decaying skin returned to its original clean state.

    Despite healing him, the man continued to shed tears.

    "Sob, sob...!"

    The squad leader criticized the man.

    "We¡¯re all dead! You, you! You have sent everyone here to their deaths!"

    ording to the information I had obtained, the leader of the Ravens held not only the mercenaries'' lives but also their families'' lives. So if they deified their leader¡¯s will, their families would all be eliminated.

    Because the man had revealed their leader''s location, all the mercenaries present were now as good as dead. Why they were so afraid of their leader? After all, wouldn¡¯t it alle to an end if I just killed their leader?

    "Let''s go catch their leader. Since we have to go to them and ask who their client is anyway, we might as well,¡± I said to Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenaries.

    They initially showed fear at the thought of engaging in battle, but now they all nodded confidently at my suggestion. Their trust in me grew stronger after I used the power of the Loa in front of them a few times. That was good.

    I also thawed the frozen bodies of the other Ravens mercenaries. Of course, I had anticipated that they would resist, so I tied their bodies with Granbwa''s nt stems.

    The squad leader continued to re at me as if he wanted to kill me, so I punched his jaw.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    "Argh," the squad leader groaned.

    Then, his eyes rolled back, and he copsed. Finally, it was time to restrain the man who had provided us with a lot of information and had a strange way of speaking.

    The man looked at me with a pitiful expression and said, "C-Can''t ya please take me along with ya too?"

    His sudden request to apany us startled me, so I stared at him and blinked.

    The man quickly continued, "I¡¯ll lead you straight to our leader."

    "Why go to such lengths?"

    "Well, I reckon I¡¯m as good as done for. Now, now... I ain¡¯t got no other choice but to wish for the death of my leader. If things keep goin'' like this, me and my kinfolk are as good as toast anyway...¡±

    Since he had already betrayed his fellow mercenaries, he must have figured it was best to stick with us and try to extend his lifeline. Bringing this man to our side would not only give us someone to guide us, but it would also open up a number of new strategies.

    "Please do so."

    I nodded and helped the man up.

    So, we followed the man''s guidance and moved toward the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps.

    The man said that the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps was living in a temporary barracks nearby, but it was in a very remote location and would be difficult to find. Furthermore, he added that only a few people knew the leader''s face, so it would be difficult to even distinguish who the leader was if it wasn''t him.

    The man had been fervently making his importance known to us so that he would be able to survive.

    While following the man''s guidance on the road, Yuk Eun-Hyung approached me and said, "Cult Leader, I have something to ask."

    I nodded to indicate that it was fine to ask.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung took a deep breath and said, "If that man didn''t answer, were you really nning to kill him?"

    "Hmm..."

    I thought for a moment. If that man didn''t answer, or if he had given false information to deceive us, would I really have killed that man? Would I have gone so far as to get his family involved to extract information from him?

    "I''m not sure."

    I didn¡¯t know. Yuk Eun-Hyung no longer asked any more questions and walked away. I also remained silent and quietly walked on.

 Chapter 296

    <h4>Chapter 296</h4>

    Several ravens flew ominously across the sky inside an abandoned vige with dozens of shacks. The people walking between the shacks felt uneasy.

    The people had dark faces and pale, lifeless lips. Their eyes were devoid of emotion. They were gathered around in a circle on the dirt floor, rolling dice and gambling. Or, they aimlessly struck the ground with farming tools like hoes and sickles to pass the time.

    Some people had slingshots, which they used to shoot pellets at the ravens flying in the sky.

    One man in particr silently watched the mercenaries hunt the ravens with their slingshots. He looked more filthy, cunning, and creepier than anyone else in the vige.

    One of the mercenaries approached the man.

    "Leader."

    The man addressed as the leader turned his gaze toward the approaching mercenary.

    "Speak."

    "A squad engaged in battle with Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps. One of the squad members just returned. The other members of the squad are reported to have been wiped out, and he barely managed to escape with his life. What should we do?"

    "You¡¯re saying the other squad members were wiped out, and only he returned alive?" the leader asked, trying to determine whether what he had heard was correct.

    The mercenary nodded.

    The leader fell into thought. The other mercenaries had been wiped out, and only one of them managed to barely escape and return to the main base. Such an event could ur, but something made the mercenary leader feel uneasy.

    He found it hard to believe that the squad he had sent had been wiped out. Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps had suffered a significant decrease in strength after the Romanican Church¡¯s Crusader Order attacked them.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung stood out as the only force to be reckoned with. They weren¡¯t dealing with Romanican Church clergymen but Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps. Yet, his forces wiped out an entire squad equipped with firearms.

    "..."

    That was definitely strange.

    "Were there any injuries on his body? Did you conduct a search?" the leader asked.

    After hesitating, the mercenary said, "We searched his body, but we didn¡¯t find any weapons. There were no injuries, but there were dark red spots all over his body."

    "He has spots but no injuries."

    "Oh, he also stated that he hurt his leg, and so he¡¯s holding a staff. It seems like he picked up a random branch that was lying around on his way here.¡±

    After contemting, the leader said, "Bring him in for now. But before that, assemble two squads and make sure they are armed. It doesn¡¯t matter whether it¡¯s guns or agricultural tools¡ªjust get them ready forbat because there might be a battle."

    "Understood."

    Following the leader''s orders, the mercenaries gathered some idle troops and armed them to form squads.

    The leader pondered over the grim news that a squad armed with firearms had beenpletely wiped out after fighting against Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps. Why and how were theypletely wiped out? How did Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps ambush an armed toon without the proper weapons?

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps was affiliated with the Voodoo Cult. So, was it possible that the leader of the Voodoo Cult...

    At that moment, the mercenary returned and said, "Leader?"

    The leader suddenly snapped out of his train of thought and raised his head. The armed troops and the mercenary who had survived alone against Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps had also arrived.

    The mercenary was hunched over, gripping a staff in hand. He was trembling, and there were tear stains on his cheeks. Extreme fear filled his face.

    The mercenary leader approached him. In response, the mercenary trembled and bowed his head.

    "What are you so afraid of?" the leader asked.

    The mercenary didn''t answer. He just shifted his eyes from side to side and revealed a deeply anxious expression.

    The leader carefully scanned his appearance up and down. It looked like his leg felt slightly ufortable, but it didn¡¯t seem like he had suffered a serious injury that would prevent him from walking. He looked small with his body hunched over, and he crookedly held onto a staff.

    <i>¡®A staff?¡¯</i>

    The mercenary leader took a step back upon seeing the staff. With a trembling voice, he said, "Shoot him."

    The armed mercenaries did not understand the leader¡¯smand. They aimed their guns at the man holding the staff and hesitated as they exchanged nces with each other to decide whether to shoot or not.

    The veins in the leader¡¯s neck bulged as he shouted, "Shoot that guy immediately¡ª!!"

    <i>Crack, crack¡ª! </i>

    A strange noise resounded before the sound of gunfire could erupt. It was the sound of the staff tearing apart and distorting. Scales appeared on the surface of the staff in the man''s hand, and it soon took on the shape of a small snake.

    The snake rapidly shed its skin several times and grew in size. Eventually, a giant snake appeared before their eyes. It was sorge that the thickness of its skin wasparable to a person¡¯s waist. Its wide, open mouth indicated that the snake would not be satiated even if it swallowed dozens of people, and its massive body seemed closer to that of a dragon than a snake.

    Yellow light radiated out of the snake¡¯s gaze, and it scanned the faces of the members of the Ravens Mercenary Corps.

    Fear appeared on the faces of the mercenaries.

    "Ah, argh!"

    "Shoot! Shoot, quickly!"

    <i>Bang, bang, bang¡ª-!</i>

    The sounds of gunfire rang out. However, the bullets they fired couldn''t even scratch the snake''s scales. Instead, the bullets ended uppressed like crushed cans and rolled aimlessly on the ground.

    The snake flicked its tail, and the mercenaries were tossed to the ground like ragdolls with their guns.

    The mercenaries hit by the snake''s tail either screamed in pain or were in so much pain that they were unable to scream. They just groaned as they silently spewed out blood.

    "Cult Leader!" the mercenary leader eximed as he staggered back and distanced himself from the snake.

    The ominous premonition he sensed when he saw the staff hade true.

    What they were experiencing was the Cult Leader¡¯s power. The leader of the Voodoo Cult had eerie, bizarre, and violent powers that only they could use. The leader knew all too well about the destructiveness and danger of the Cult Leader¡¯s power, as he too was once a member of the Voodoo Cult.

    The mercenary leader flicked his hand, and Voodoo magic power spewed out. The Voodoo magic power instantly transformed into a spell array. What emerged from the spell array was not purple mist, but a tiny dagger that let out a purple shimmer.

    The Cult Leader¡¯s power had manifested the snake in front of them. Bullets or projectiles designed to kill humans or demons could not harm the snake. Only weapons created through Voodoo spells or contained Voodoo magic power could inflict meaningful damage.

    The mercenary leader grasped the dagger conjured using the spell in his hand. Then, he red viciously at the snake, which eyed him menacingly in return.

    The mercenary leader slowly stepped back and created distance. And then he waited for the opportunity to attack the snake.

    <i>Crack.</i>

    The dagger he held in his hand suddenly broke apart. The broken dagger turned into ashes and disappeared. The mercenary leader failed toprehend the situation as he stared nkly at the dagger dissipating into ashes.

    The mercenary leader raised his head. Someone approached step by step through the mercenaries whoy scattered on the ground after suffering from the snake¡¯s attacks.

    "As I thought."

    He wore a mask and a poncho. The mercenary leader recognized him at a nce.

    The mercenary leader shook with a familiar fear. His body trembled as memories of past terrors resurfaced.

    A familiar aura emanated from the man wearing the mask and poncho. It was the aura of the man whom the mercenary leader had respected and served when he was a member of the Voodoo Cult. The aura of the man whom he had been unable to resist and had only been able to obey and revere.

    ¡°Do Myung-Jun."

    "That''s my father." The man with the mask chuckled and said, "So you were one of the ones who ran away."

    <i>Thud¡ª! </i>

    The snake, which had subdued the mercenaries instantly, turned into a staff in Sun-Woo''s hand.

    Sun-Woo struck the ground with his staff. On the barrennd, devoid of a single shrub, tree roots and nt stems magically grew out and tightly wrapped around the leader''s body.

    <i> </i> ***

    During the Holy War that urred seven, no, eight years ago, many people betrayed my father and ran away. Some betrayed my father and clung to the Romanican Church, while others died after bing vagrants.

    I heard some had formed a mercenary corps to make a living. It was around that time that the Ravens Mercenary Corps was established. Although they gained notoriety long after the Holy War ended, I still suspected that the leader of the mercenary corps was potentially one of the many Voodoo Cult deserters.

    Seeing the mercenary leader use Voodoo magic only strengthened that suspicion into certainty.

    "What''s your name?" I asked the leader.

    If I referred to him as a mercenary leader, it would be difficult to tell whether I was referring to Yuk Eun-Hyung or him, so I needed a name to refer to him.

    The mercenary leader looked at me with a sharp gaze.

    Then he smiled and said, "I don¡¯t have one. I¡¯ve never had a name before."

    "Really? Then I''ll call you Chorong." [1]

    "Why Chorong?"

    "Because you have bright eyes. Don''t look at me with that sharp gaze. It makes me want to pluck your eyes out."

    The leader did not respond. Seeing theck of response, it seemed that he quite liked his new name.

    I summoned Ogun in front of Chorong. The iron nails around us turned red and floated in the air. The iron nails pointed sharply at Chorong.

    "Chorong, if you don''t want to die, answer my questions."

    "..."

    "Whomissioned this mission?"

    Chorong did not answer my question. I felt a little angry. It would be best to start after hitting him a few times, so I hit him in the head with my staff.

    I didn''t hit him hard, but a groan escaped from Chorong''s mouth when I hit him.

    "Answer me. Who ordered you to do this mission?"

    "I can''t say. Protecting the client is the duty of a mercenary corps¡ª"

    "Oh, is that so? Bossou,¡± I said.

    [Go easy on him,] Bossou said.

    ¡°That depends on how he responds.¡±

    I clenched my fist and punched Chorong¡¯s face.

    <i>Smack, smack!</i>

    Since one blow didn''t seem to bring him to his senses, I hit him with another four or five punches. Still seething with anger, I continued to rain down punches upon him.

    Blood trickled from Chorong''s mouth. His lips seem to have split. At first, Chorong tried to dodge my attacks by frantically moving his head, but soon, his body slumped, and he just took my punches.

    "You''re spouting a load of nonsense. Betraying the Voodoo Cult is easy, but betraying your client is hard? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be good at betrayal, you bastard? Do you know how many people died because of you?"

    "Ugh, ugh... Cough! Argh, stop. Wait...!"

    "Is protecting the client important at the moment? If you don''t tell me who your client is, your mercenary corps will be disbanded. Why do bastards like you only listen after I raise my fist¡ª?!¡±

    I was about to strike Chorong''s face again when someone grabbed my arm. I stopped the punch and turned my head. Yuk Eun-Hyung was holding onto my wrist.

    I red at him. Yuk Eun-Hyung shook his head slightly and said, "I feel like that''s enough. Isn¡¯t it best to give him a chance to speak while torturing him?¡±

    I looked at Chorong, who was covered in blood. Chorong spat out the blood in his mouth and breathed heavily a few times. Then, with swollen eyes, he looked at me pitifully.

    "I''ll talk! I''ll speak!" he said in desperation.

    "Well, you should have said that earlier. Why do you have to get hit before opening your mouth? Or if you were going to choose to be silent, then you should have at least stuck to it until the end. I don¡¯t understand.¡±

    "P-please spare me. I''m sorry...!"

    He acted all tough in the beginning, but after receiving a few hits, he groveled in submission.

    He was a deserter. The Voodoo Cult members who fought against the Romanican Church during the Holy War were all brave individuals, and those who fled in fear of death were all cowards.

    This guy was also just a coward. Despite his title as the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps, he was ultimately just a pitiful and impatient man who would croak as long as I hit him until he reached the brink of death.

    The members who remained loyal to the Voodoo Cult suffered severe consequences as a result of those who abandoned the group. As a result, many people died.

    Some became orphans after losing their families, while others sumbed to madness due to losing too many loved ones. Perhaps I was directing all my wrath toward the deserters onto the man in front of me.

    But was that a bad thing? Was it bad to pour all my wrath toward the deserters onto a deserter? If it was wrong for me to do so, then to whom was I supposed to pour out my wrath toward the deserters? Was I supposed to swallow it up, suppress it, and wait for it to rot away and disappear?

    I clenched my fist. Perhaps I had clenched it too tightly, as blood started dripping from my hand. Due to clenching my jaw the whole time, my jaw joint cracked.

    I red at Chorong, and the name of his client finally came out of his mouth. It was a very familiar name to me.

    He curled up in fear and said, "It was Ma-Ma Yu-Hyun! It was a young boy named Ma Yu-Hyun!"

    ¡°...¡±

    1. Chorong chorong (????) is often used to refer to wide eyes that are pure and innocent. Kind of like the eyes of a child. ?

 Chapter 297

    <h4>Chapter 297</h4>

    "Who?" I asked, wondering if I had misheard.

    "It''s Yu-Hyun! I don''t know the details. All I know is that he''s someone closely associated with the Holy See..." Chorong said.

    "Give me more details."

    Chorong trembled and urgently said, ¡°Tha-that guy told us to pretend to be Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps and to bully the residents in the area. He also said it would be better to use the Voodoo Cult¡¯s name when doing so. I don''t know the reason. It''s true! Really!"

    Tarnishing the Voodoo Cult¡¯s reputation was the goal of the mission. Yu-Hyun probably wanted to tarnish the Voodoo Cult¡¯s reputation because of the uing papal conve. If that was the case, then the reason he hadn¡¯t reported my identity to the Holy See was also because...

    "Ah."

    I finally understood why Yu-Hyun hadn¡¯t told anyone about my identity and ordered the Ravens Mercenary Corps to impersonate Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps...

    I was also starting to figure out what scheme he had devised to win the conve.

    "Hey, Chorong," I said.

    Chorong looked at me with a frightened face and replied, "Ye-yes?"

    "I will give you a chance to repent from now on. Hand over the Ravens Mercenary Corps to us."

    "Huh? I-I didn''t hear what you said properly..."

    "It looks like you still haven''te to your senses," I said as I clenched my fist.

    "Ah, never mind! I-I heard you loud and clear. So you¡¯re saying the Ravens Mercenary Corps will now belong to the Voodoo Cult?"

    "That''s right."

    Chorong finally understood what I was saying only after I threatened him with my fist. Indeed, there was nothing like a fist to clear a blocked ear.

    I turned my head and observed my surroundings. After seeing Chorong get beaten, the members of the Ravens Mercenary Corps trembled in fear.

    I continued, "But, it¡¯ll only be unofficially. You¡¯ll conceal your affiliation to the Voodoo Cult from the outside world and operate freely. I don¡¯t really care if you ept requests from the Romanican Church or the Satanists. Just make sure you report all the details of the requests to me."

    In response to my proposal, Chorong silently nodded.

    ¡°Good choice. Answer when I contact you. Do you have a phone number?¡± I asked.

    "Yes, I do," Chorong replied with an exaggerated nod.

    I searched his pockets, took out his phone, recorded my number, and removed the nt stems binding him.

    Finally freed from his restraints, Chorong copsed to the ground. The mercenaries watching over Chorong looked warily toward me as they approached and helped Chorong up.

    "Let''s go," I said to Yuk Eun-Hyung and his mercenary corps members.

    We then left the Ravens Mercenary Corps headquarters and returned to the original base location of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps. We had thwarted the Ravens Mercenary Corps from impersonating Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps and causing mischief, and we sessfully absorbed them into the Voodoo Cult. It turned out to be a more fruitful oue than I had expected.

    As I was about to return to the underground chapel after finishing my work, Yuk Eun-Hyung approached me and said, "Thank you, Cult Leader. But I have one more thing to ask you..."

    "Yes, go ahead and ask."

    "Do you know who Yu-Hyun is?" Yuk Eun-Hyung asked.

    "Yes, I do. I know him quite well," I replied with a nod.

    I could track his location in real time through the watch I had given him before. I was going to use that information to meet him right now.

    ***

    "Oh man, there¡¯s always so many people here," Yu-Hyun muttered as he looked around.

    The music was loud enough to make his body tremble, and people danced in sync with the dazzling lights. The staff wore soulless expressions as they served drinks with firecrackers attached to them.

    Everything in the club. He liked meeting people, especially women, but he didn''t particrly enjoy such noisy and vulgar ces.

    The reason he came here was to meet one person.

    After epting Yu-Hyun''s proposal, that person stepped down from the candidacy. At the same time, he was a broker and informant who helped Yu-Hyun make connections with various people.

    "Mr. Kim! It''s me, Yu-Hyun!" Yu-Hyun said.

    Yu-Hyun called him Mr. Kim, but he didn''t have a fixed name. Some called him Mr. Park, Mr. Choi, yer, or Teacher. Yu-Hyun just decided to call him Mr. Kim.

    Mr. Kim was sitting quietly in a corner of the club and drinking alone, but when he spotted Yu-Hyun, his face turned pale.

    "Oh, little bro! You came early? Didn''t you say you woulde only when it got dark?" Mr. Kim said.

    "The work I was dealing with ended earlier than I thought. But why are you hiding in the corner like this? Let''s go somewhere more lively."

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that you don¡¯t like noisy ces? I deliberately chose a corner seat," Mr. Kim said as he patted Yu-Hyun''s shoulder.

    Yu-Hyun''s face stiffened for a moment. But soon, he put on a bright smile and said, "Oh, thank you, thank you. I was getting stressed out because of the noise."

    <i>¡®If you knew I don¡¯t like noisy ces, you shouldn''t have suggested meeting at a club in the first ce. This worthless Satanist-like dimwit is pretending to be friendly...¡¯ </i>

    Yu-Hyun thought to himself, but he didn''t say it out loud.

    Mr. Kim was quite an important figure. He knew a lot about the confidential matters within the Romanican Church. Moreover, he had connections with the leaders of various criminal organizations nationwide, such as mercenary corps that dealt with drugs.

    Moreover, by using the noise inside the club, they could neutralize the listening device that Sun-Woo had installed on his watch. It would be difficult to hear their conversations due to the loud music.

    Mr. Kim had introduced Yu-Hyun the Ravens Mercenary Corps. Yu-Hyun quietly sat next to him. Mr. Kim then dismissed the woman who had been sitting with him.

    Finally, only two people were left at the table. Yu-Hyun looked around cautiously before he said, "What happened with the Ravens? Did they take the bait?"

    Mr. Kim cautiously took a sip from his ss before replying. "Ah, well... it seems like they took the bait."

    "It <i>seems</i> like they took the bait? What do you mean? Mr. Kim, how are we supposed to proceed if you give such an ambiguous answer? So, did they take the bait or not?"

    ¡°Well, they did take the bait, but...¡±

    Mr. Kim hesitated and took another sip of his drink.

    "The thing is, there has been no response from the Ravens¡¯ side. It seems like something went wrong.¡±

    "Something went wrong? Are you saying they lost against Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps or something?" Yu-Hyun asked as if he was dumbfounded.

    The Ravens Mercenary Corps impersonating Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps was all part of Yu-Hyun''s scheme. That way, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps would naturally attack the Ravens, and then the Ravens would subdue Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps with the firearms Yu-Hyun provided. That had been Yu-Hyun''s n.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps was a thorn in Yu-Hyun''s side. It wasn¡¯t to the point of being an eyesore, but it was like an annoying splinter stuck under his fingernail, a presence that continuously bothered him. So, he had no choice but to deal with them.

    If Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps disappeared, Yu-Hyun would have the power to manipte the Voodoo Cult more safely and effectively. More specifically, it would have been easier to manipte Sun-Woo, the leader of Voodoo Cult.

    "No, that¡¯s probably not the case. Maybe theirmunication devices were damaged during the battle or something like that. It shouldn''t be a big issue."

    Yu-Hyun nervously chewed on his lips and muttered, "I¡¯m anxious..."

    Suddenly, an ominous premonition crossed his mind. What if Yuk Eun-Hyung had requested help from Sun-Woo, the leader of the Voodoo Cult, and as a result, the Ravens Mercenary Corps had been defeated? What if that was why there was nomunication from the Ravens Mercenary Corps?

    In the worst-case scenario, the Voodoo Cult might have absorbed the Ravens.

    "Is there a possibility for the Ravens Mercenary Corps to join the Voodoo Cult? Then wouldn''t my safety be at risk? The client name we submitted the request with is probably under my name, so I could be in danger."

    "No way. The leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps has a tight mouth. He wouldn¡¯t reveal your name even if someone threatened his life. But why do you think the Ravens Mercenary Corps lost in the first ce? Are you always this negative about everything?"

    "It''s not that I''m being negative. I¡¯m just considering what would happen if the Cult Leader¡ª!"

    <i>Bang! </i>

    A loud noise from somewhere in the club interrupted Yu-Hyun.

    Music continued to echo in the club. Only a few people who had heard the loud noise turned their heads in the direction of the sound.

    Yu-Hyun stood up from his seat and headed toward the source of themotion. The unbelievable sight before his eyes left him speechless.

    A club guard who was 190 cm and 105 kg, with a prestigious background in judo or something, was sprawled out on the floor unconscious, his jawpletely twisted. However, what surprised Yu-Hyun was not that.

    "Nice to see you, Yu-Hyun. What are you doing in a ce like this?"

    "Oh, fuck."

    Sun-Woo had knocked down the guard. Yu-Hyun grasped his forehead and tightly shut his eyes. His head throbbed with pain. He should have realized it when he heard that they weren¡¯t able to contact the Ravens.

    <i>¡®It was my mistake to trust Mr. Kim,¡¯ </i>Yu-Hyun thought as he forced a casual smile.

    "So, what brings you here? You came so suddenly. You should have at least contacted me," Yu-Hyun said.

    "I didn¡¯t have the leisure to contact you beforehand, so I came urgently. Let''s talk outside," Sun-Woo said.

    "I''m sorry, but I''m meeting someone right now. Let''s talkter."

    "Later?"

    Sun-Woo clenched his fist. Then, he approached Yu-Hyun with big strides.

    Yu-Hyun shifted backward and looked into Sun-Woo''s eyes. They were filled with rage. It seemed like he waspletely triggered.

    Yu-Hyun felt like he understood why Sun-Woo was so angry. He must have noticed that Sun-Woo had ordered the Ravens Mercenary Corps to deal with Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps.

    Yu-Hyun revealed his palms to calm Sun-Woo down and said, "Ah, I get it man. I¡¯ll go, I¡¯ll go. Let''s talk outside. Yeah? Calm down a bit."

    At that moment, a guy next to Yu-Hyun intervened and said, "Yu-Hyun, what''s going on? Who¡¯s this bozo?"

    It was Mr. Kim. He rudely barged in without hesitation and red at Sun-Woo fiercely. Sun-Woo met Mr. Kim''s gaze without flinching. Mr. Kim''s face stiffened. Mr. Kim clenched his fist and stretched his body as he approached Sun-Woo.

    There was a lot of bravado in the way Mr. Kim stretched his body.

    "Hey, you prepubescent punk. Do you even know where you are?"

    "Ah, Mr-Mr. Kim is a bit out of line. He''s my friend, a friend. I''ll take him out and talk to him properly!"

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Mr. Kim ignored Yu-Hyun''s attempt to stop him and punched Sun-Woo''s jaw. Sun-Woo neither blocked nor dodged the punch. Instead, he just took the hit.

    He didn''t even flinch. He just stared nkly at Mr. Kim. There was a chilling madness in his eyes. Mr. Kim''s face twisted in bewilderment.

    "Huh?" Mr. Kim gasped.

    Sun-Woo''s fist struck Mr. Kim''s head.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    Mr. Kim copsed on the spot without even letting out a scream. Blood flowed from his head. Sun-Woo looked down at him.

    "Yu-Hyun, help this person dry the blood on his head," Sun-Woo said with a chuckle.

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun closed his eyes tightly and didn¡¯t respond.

 Chapter 298

    <h4>Chapter 298</h4>

    Yu-Hyun led me to a deserted alley behind the club.

    As soon as we left the club, he said, "Are you crazy?"

    We asionally spotted people in the deserted alley staggering around while smoking cigarettes, or something more sinister than cigarettes, like marijuana.

    I summoned Dan Wedo to make it rain. Due to the pouring rain, the cigarettes and marijuana that the people were smoking were extinguished.

    The smokers cursed and hurriedly sought shelter. Only Yu-Hyun and I remained in the alley. Due to the rain, my wet hair poked my eyes.

    I pushed my hair back and looked at Yu-Hyun. He was still looking at me with a bewildered expression.

    <i>Ssh!</i>

    I pushed Yu-Hyun, causing him to fall into a puddle. I then kicked his face with my foot. He spat blood from his mouth and writhed in the puddle.

    I clenched my fist and was about to strike Yu-Hyun''s face once more, but Yu-Hyun curled up and waved his arms while shouting something. I couldn¡¯t hear him properly due to the rain, so I leaned closer.

    "What did you say?"

    ¡°My face... Just don¡¯t hit my face!¡± Yu-Hyun shouted.

    I chuckled. I found it absurd that he was concerned about his face even in this situation. I grabbed Yu-Hyun by the cor and lifted him up.

    "I told you before that it¡¯s fine to mess with me, but not with others.¡±

    "When the fuck did you say something like that?! I¡¯ve never heard anything like that from you,¡± Yu-Hyun yelled in a furious voice.

    Did I never tell Yu-Hyun that? I honestly couldn''t remember. I most likely said something simr to him in passing.

    Well, it didn¡¯t really matter. Whether I had warned him or not, Yu-Hyun had messed with the Voodoo Cult. That alone was enough for me to beat him up.

    I clenched my fist and was about to hit Yu-Hyun again. However, it felt like it was too much effort, so I decided against it. Yu-Hyun was hunched over and shivering.

    I looked down at him and said, "You once said that we were alike."

    "..."

    "I admit it. The way we think is simr."

    We were simr in the sense that we were both the leader of a religion or someone who was about to be the leader of a religion. Since we were different people, there was no way our way of thinking would bepletely the same. However, there were definitely times when our thought patterns were the same. Thus, to some extent, Yu-Hyun probably knew what I was thinking, and vice versa.

    I could roughly guess how Yu-Hyun intended to use me in the conve. He was probably trying to gain an advantage in the election by orchestrating my downfall.

    But I was going to move ording to Yu-Hyun''s intentions.

    "Don''t think that I don¡¯t know what you''re thinking."

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun did not respond and just continued hunching. I turned around and left the alley.

    The rain that I had summoned via Dan Wedo drenched the world, and the people outside were either running or hiding beneath shelter to avoid the rain.

    I walked through the crowd of people.

    ***

    The frequency of demons and demonic beasts appearing in the country decreased over time. It reached its peak when the Satanist Executive named Lust entered the country, but it now decreased to an unprecedented low.

    Various spections arose among experts. Some said that the Satanist Executives had lost their power due to Lust¡¯s death. Others said that they were temporarily exercising caution because of Lust¡¯s death. Some believed that there was internal conflict urring among the Satanist Executives, so they were currently busy fighting among themselves. Some suggested using this opportunity to start a Holy War topletely eradicate the Satanists.

    However, the Holy See did not take any stance. As a result, rumors of the Pope''s death began to circte among the public. Some rumors spected that a papal conve would be held soon.

    "..."

    During this time, which could be considered peaceful and chaotic, Jin-Seo held onto a sword. Just because the frequency of appearances of demons and demonic beasts had decreased didn¡¯t mean that they were gone.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    After responding to a call, Jin-Seo went out and skillfully beheaded demons and demonic beasts with her sword. There was no chance for the other crusaders to step in. In just a few months, Jin-Seo had be the top force in the Northern Crusader Order.

    "Wow, you¡¯re amazing today as well. After this, can we maybe have a duel¡ª"

    Naturally, many of the crusaders showed interest in Jin-Seo. Her appearance, skills, and everything else were perfect, so she was popr with the crusaders regardless of their gender.

    The newly appointed director of the Northern Crusader Order, who had been appointed after the previous director of the Northern Crusader Order had died in battle against Lust, showed a lot of interest in her.

    However, Jin-Seo ignored all the attention from the crusaders. Some crusaders criticized Jin-Seo forcking social skills, but others admired her cynical personality. Opinions were divided on her character, but there was no disagreement about her skills.

    Upon joining the Northern Crusader Order, she immediately shocked all the crusaders. In a celebratory duel tomemorate the new crusaders'' induction, Jin-Seo emerged victorious against all the crusaders, including the director.

    She had outstanding skills, was young, and remained fearless even in the face of demons and demonic beasts. Some people praised her, saying she would achieve all titles, such as the youngest director and the youngest cardinal.

    ¡°...¡±

    However, Jin-Seo remained indifferent to such rumors. Her crusader colleagues would celebrate whenever they finished subjugating demons or demonic beasts by holding social gatherings, but Jin-Seo did not go to any of those.

    Instead, she went to Central Crusader Order and the Central Pdin Order¡¯s joint training facility. There, she wielded her sword alone and trained. She relentlessly swung her sword, causing calluses to form on her hands. Eventually, those calluses peeled off, making her hands bleed.

    She only took a short break from her training session when her vision turned white, her breath felt stifled, and her legs trembled so much that she could barely stand. Then, she stared nkly into the air.

    As she rested, memories of her long-deceased mother, her recently deceased father, and the countless demons and demonic beasts she had in came to mind.

    "Ah."

    By the time she snapped out of such thoughts, she found that she was biting her nails. To be more precise, her nails were worn down so much that there were no longer any fingernails that she could even bite into. Thus, she had bitten into her fingers until they bled.

    She felt anxious. However, she couldn''t figure out why. Not knowing the cause of her anxiety made her even more anxious.

    She tried to be stronger to protect her loved ones. At this point, she believed she had be strong enough to protect her loved ones. Jin-Seo now had the strength to protect others, but who was she supposed to protect with her strength? There weren''t many loved ones left for her.

    The people she cherished had long since passed away. She no longer had anything left to protect, which also meant that she couldn¡¯t protect anyone. Did anything change then? She thought she had be much stronger, but the situation hadn''t really changed from the past.

    As she continued to ponder for a few minutes, she suddenly stood up from her seat and grabbed her sword. Her palms hurt. The handle of the sword was slippery and sticky from her blood, making it difficult to grip.

    Jin-Seo gripped the sword more tightly. The pain she felt in her palms when she gripped the sword disappeared.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    When she swung the sword once more, a voice came from somewhere.

    "What are you doing? So noisy."

    Jin-Seo looked over with fierce, narrowed eyes. Her face, which had been stiff with difort, slowly formed a smile.

    "Why is a crusader from the Northern Crusader Order at the Central Training Ground?" Sun-Woo said as he approached with a smirk.

    Jin-Seo put the sword back into her sheath and hid her injured hands behind her back.

    "I was training because I had nothing else to do."

    "I heard that the North Crusader Order was going to eat out together today afterpleting a subjugation mission,¡± Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Seo wondered how Sun-Woo knew about that. But then she realized that Sun-Woo was now a member of the Central Pdin Order. Since he was a formal member of the Central Pdin Order, it was not unusual for him to know what was going on in the Northern Crusader Order.

    "I didn''t go because I thought it would be a waste of time."

    Sun-Woo nodded and murmured, "I figured."

    Sun-Woo''s eyes fell on Jin-Seo''s hands. Her hands were so badly damaged that they were bleeding.

    Startled, Sun-Woo grabbed Jin-Seo''s wrist and furrowed his brow.

    "What happened? Did you get hurt during the subjugation mission?"

    "During the training session..."

    "It seems more like you''re inflicting self-harm rather than training though?"

    Jin-Seo remained silent. Her training session was indeed closer to self-harm, just as Sun-Woo had pointed out. Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, she was grateful for Sun-Woo''s concern. Jin-Seo pushed away Sun-Woo''s hand and hid her injured hands behind her back once again.

    Sun-Woo looked at Jin-Seo with a bbergasted expression.

    "What are you doing? I was trying to at least cast some healing blessings on your injuries.¡±

    "It''s fine. I can do it myself. And..."

    "Why are you feeling embarrassed all of a sudden?" Sun-Woo said with a mischievous smile.

    That made Jin-Seo feel even more embarrassed. She felt her face flushing.

    Jin-Seo tried to maintain herposure and not show any signs of embarrassment as she said, "So, why are you here? You didn''te to train as well, right?"

    "Oh, right.¡±

    Sun-Woo nodded btedly as if he just remembered.

    "Where is your director?"

    ***

    Ha-Yeon was searching Sung Yu-Da''s researchb.

    Sun-Woo''s admission to the Central Pdin Order was confirmed, and the admission ceremony had taken ce. Thus, Sun-Woo had be an official pdin. Not just any pdin, but an official pdin that belonged to the Central Pdin Order.

    After joining the Central Pdin Order, Sun-Woo frequently visited Sung Yu-Da. The two mainly met at the researchb. It didn¡¯t seem like Sun-Woo was visiting Sung Yu-Da just to express gratitude for his help in joining the Central Pdin Order. If that were the case, he would have visited once or twice, but Sun-Woo regrly visited the researchb to meet Sung Yu-Da.

    Ha-Yeon did not know why Sun-Woo visited Sung Yu-Da so frequently or what they discussed when they met. She had a curious personality thatpelled her to find out anything she did not know about.

    There was nothing special in the researchb. Research on miracle replication. Research on blessings and divine powers. Medical applications for healing blessings... They were all ordinary research materials.

    "..."

    At that moment, something caught Ha-Yeon''s eye. It was a drawer locked tightly with a padlock. The other drawers were not locked¡ªonly that drawer was firmly locked with a huge padlock. The drawer was clearly suspicious. The padlock was the type that required a password to unlock. Ha-Yeon tried to guess the password by fiddling with it.

    Since it seemed to be an important padlock, it wouldn''t be set with an obvious password. For example, Ha-Yeon''s birthday...

    <i>Click. </i>

    The padlock opened. The password actually turned out to be Ha-Yeon''s birthday.

 Chapter 299

    <h4>Chapter 299</h4>

    The operation started a while ago. On the day I joined the Central Pdin Order, I went to find Sung Yu-Da to rify exactly what I needed to do to enter the underground prison.

    When I called him with my phone and notified him that I woulde, he told me he would be waiting in the researchb. When I arrived at the researchb, Sung Yu-Da was staring into space.

    Eventually, he realized that I had entered and quickly stood up.

    "You''vee," he said.

    He no longer smiled when he saw me. He didn¡¯t even show the formal smile people usually make when meeting someone. I was also the same.

    We were meeting for a single purpose. Courtesy and formalities that did not help us achieve our goal were no longer needed.

    "Congrattions on safely joining the Central Pdin Order. Well done," Sung Yu-Da said.

    "Well, it''s not like I got in because I performed well.¡±

    "Anyway, we can say that we have taken a firm and stable first step."

    I quietly listened to him and nodded.

    "At the moment, there isn¡¯t a way for you to immediately enter the underground prison. You¡¯re well-known among the clergymen for your various achievements, but that alone is not enough."

    "I suspected that would be the case. Ick experience."

    Typically, more than three years of experience was required for a pdin affiliated with the Central Pdin Order to enter the underground prison. Even then, the pdin had to be selected as apetent and trustworthy person within the Central Pdin Order and receive the position of Underground Prison Manager.

    Therefore, immediately entering the underground prison wasn¡¯t possible for me.

    "Should I try to negotiate with the director? It might be possible then."

    The director had the authority to appoint positions such as Underground Prison Manager to pdins affiliated with the Central Pdin Order. I figured it might be possible if I built a good rtionship with him and gained his trust.

    However, Sung Yu-Da shook his head.

    "It''ll be difficult. The current director of the Central Pdin Order is famous for not building personal rtionships with members of the order. Above all, he is a person that gets easily suspicious. Do you know about the Ji Hye-Sung incident?"

    "Yes, that incident was rted to Joseph."

    The Ji Hye-Sung incident involved Ji Hye-Sung, who held a key position within the Central Pdin Order. All the Romanicans were shocked when he was revealed to be a subordinate of Satanist Executive Lust.

    With Joseph and Ye-Jin¡¯s efforts, Ji Hye-Sung was arrested and imprisoned in the underground prison.

    Now that I thought about it, what was Joseph up to these days? He hadn¡¯t contacted me recently. He used to contact me so often that it was annoying.

    "If you suddenly approach him, the director of the Central Pdin Order will definitely suspect and be wary of you. You can¡¯t raise any suspicion during this operation because there¡¯s no way they would assign a suspicious person to the underground prison.¡±

    "That''s right. So what should we do?"

    "The best method is..."

    Sung Yu-Da stopped talking and tapped his desk with his finger. He had a habit of tapping the desk when contemting or thinking about something.

    <i>Tap, tap. </i>

    The muted tapping sound echoed in the quiet researchb.

    "The fastest method would be to utilize the traditions of the Central Pdin Order."

    "The traditions?"

    "The Central Pdin Order is slightly different from the other Pdin Orders. They also serve as ''auditors'' for managing the different groups within the Romanican Church."

    The Central Pdin Order managed other groups within the Romanican Church, including the Pdin, Crusader, and Priest Orders.

    The Orders within the Romanican Church were all fundamentally closed in nature, so it was difficult to stop those who intentionallymitted misconduct within the Orders of the Romanican Church.

    In order to prevent that, the Central Pdin Order also served as auditors overseeing the other clergymen.

    ¡°There are opinions that the Central Pdin Order¡¯s auditing authority should be taken away due to the Ji Hye-Sung incident, but it still remains intact. It must be thanks to the director¡¯s ability."

    ¡°Are you suggesting I use that auditing authority for this operation?"

    "Yes. Traditionally, or rather, as a bad habit, the Central Pdin Order grants the authority to interrogate the criminals a member captures directly. For example, if you captured a criminal who then gets imprisoned in the Southern Penitentiary, you would go to the Southern Penitentiary to directly face the criminal."

    "Oh, then..."

    "If a criminal you capture is sent to the underground prison, you would also be able to enter the underground prison."

    What Sung Yu-Da said seemed usible. However, there was still a lingering concern.

    "They probably won¡¯t assign auditing tasks to a newbie pdin."

    "That''s right. However, whether they are newbies or seasoned veterans, they still have the authority to audit. In other words..."

    "You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s no problem if I act independently even without receiving any auditing tasks?"

    Sung Yu-Da nodded. "Yes, that''s correct."

    Upon hearing his exnation, I roughly understood the contents of my mission. Instead of doing auditing tasks assigned to me by my superiors, I needed to independently uncover clergymen involved with cultists or corrupt clergymen.

    Once the clergymen were imprisoned in the underground prison, I would naturally have the opportunity to enter it as well.

    "After entering the underground prison, you will be able to escape with your mother, Lee Seh-Hwa. Then the mission will beplete."

    "But will it be possible to bring her out?"

    "That''s why you must use the chaos that ensues after the official announcement of the current Pope''s death to enter the underground prison. That¡¯s when the clergymen, or prtes who may know about Lee Seh-Hwa''s survival, will be preupied with the conve.¡±

    "Hmm...."

    "Above all, Lee Seh-Hwa is officially considered dead. It shouldn''t cause a major issue. If there is a problem, I will handle it."

    I nodded.

    "So, who will be the sacrificialmb? At this point, that seems to be the most important part."

    I needed to apprehend a criminal and put them in the underground prison through independent investigative work. Sung Yu-Da picked up one of the scrolls spread out on his desk, quickly scanned it with his eyes, and then handed it to me.

    "The director of the Northern Crusader Order. He has two names, one Korean and one Russian. He used to work in Russia before, you see. Anyway, that''s not important, so let''s call him X."

    "Alright. However, what crime should I arrest X for? He is quite a high-ranking person since he is the director of the Northern Crusader Order."

    "The former director of the Northern Crusader Order died in the battle against Satanist Executive Lust and X became the new director of the Northern Crusader Order. There was a lot of controversy among the clergymen at that time," Sung Yu-Da said.

    X was said to have been involved in various corrupt activities. He embezzled public funds and was investigated for harassing young and pretty crusaders. Despite these controversies, X became the director of the Northern Crusader Order because of his n, which was known as a prominent lineage within the Romanican Church.

    "We will add charges of colluding with Satanists or the Voodoo Cult to this guy. I will fabricate the evidence. You just need to make the arrest."

    "X''s family seems quite influential. What do we do if they protect him from his arrest?"

    "Even if they are influential, they are no match for the purification n. And we¡¯ll negotiate with their n with the authority of the purification n to make sure X stays imprisoned in an underground prison."

    "Do we really have to go that far?" I asked.

    The n was to use X to infiltrate the underground prison. That was fine. But did we really have to falsely use him of crimes? Looking at the documents Sung Yu-Da had prepared, it seemed like X was definitely not a good person. There were various charges of corruption and minor sexual crimes.

    It was certainly not good for a person like this to hold such a high position in the Northern Crusader Order. But was he truly evil enough to be imprisoned in the underground prison? Did we really have to falsely use him of coborating with Satanists and Voodoo Cultists?

    Sung Yu-Da said, "It must be done. There are different types of underground prisons. I know of three types. There is an underground prison where ordinary criminals are imprisoned. Let''s call it A. And then there is an underground prison for criminals who are clergymen. We¡¯ll call that B. And finally, underground prison C is for those who havemitted the sin of coborating with cultists. Basically, those who havemitted heresy."

    I nodded. Yu-Hyun once mentioned that there was not just one underground prison. He said there were various types of underground prisons, and individuals were incarcerated in different underground prisons based on the nature of their crimes and their status.

    "The underground prison where Lee Seh-Hwa is located is C. Therefore, we need to add the charge of heresy to X and make sure they are imprisoned in underground prison C."

    "..."

    I reluctantly nodded. Falsifying a crime that X did notmit felt likemitting a serious offense. We weren¡¯t punishing X for his crimes, but instead, we were giving him a heavier punishment than he deserved for the sake of my goals. He was literally a ''sacrifice.¡¯

    What caught my eye at that moment was a drawer securely locked with a padlock.

    I pointed toward the drawer with my chin and said, "What''s that?"

    Sung Yu-Da silently stared at the locked drawer, then got up and walked over.

    He unlocked the padlock and took something out. It was a photo.

    He handed me the photo, and I looked at the faces of the three people in it. They were unfamiliar faces to me. I vaguely knew only one of the three people: Sung Yu-Da.

    However, I didn''t know the other two people next to him. I tilted my head, and Sung Yu-Da pointed at the faces of the two people in the photo one by one with his finger.

    "This is Do Myung-Jun. And this is Lee Seh-Hwa."

    "..."

    "I was thinking of giving it to you someday, but I forgot."

    I continued to stare at the three people in the photo. I recognized Sung Yu-Da but could not recognize my father or my mother.

    I felt so pathetic for not recognizing them right away. I looked at my father and mother in the photo. I kept looking and taking them in. So this is what my father and my mother had looked like.

    I had forgotten. I recalled my father and mother''s voices. They didn''te to mind clearly. What did my father and my mother say to me? What kind of conversations did we usually have?

    "X made a big contribution during the Holy War. His n also began to prosper because of the Holy War. It¡¯s basically like he became an aristocrat through the war.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    <i>p!</i>

    I pped my cheek. It didn''t hurt. No matter how many times I pped, it didn''t hurt.

    My mind became hazy, my vision turned white, and blood poured from my mouth, but I felt no pain. Sung Yu-Da was startled and grabbed my arm.

    "Why are you suddenly like this? Did you go crazy?"

    "I didn''t recognize them."

    "The photo was taken when we were much younger, and the quality is poor, so it¡¯s reasonable that you don¡¯t recognize them..."

    "That''s not the issue."

    Just like I forgot the faces of my father and mother, I sometimes forgot my true goal. My goal was still absurd and esoteric, so I often doubted and was uncertain about whether I could really achieve it. I upheld my petty morals and my conscience. I evaluated my irrational goals and achieved them through rationality.

    My mother was imprisoned in an underground prison for reasons that were neither moral nor rational. I won against Jun-Hyuk in battle and sacrificed my sense of touch and taste to survive. And I had to sacrifice something again this time. I needed to sacrifice a few less important things for something more precious.

    <i>Stter. </i>

    As blood poured from my mouth, Sung Yu-Da quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to me.

    I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief. My blood stained it.

    "Are you okay?" Sung Yu-Da asked.

    I wiped my mouth with the handkerchief again as I replied to his question. How had I replied to his question?

    "But why does your face look like that?"

    Jin-Seo was the one who snapped me out of my reverie.

    She looked at my face with concern and then gently touched and caressed it with both her hands. The wounds from when I had pped my cheek in front of Sung Yu-Da still remained. I pushed away her hands that were holding my face and I awkwardly smiled.

    "I got a little hurt during a mission."

    "Are you okay?" Jin-Seo asked.

    I felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu and nodded my head.

    "I have to be okay."

    I remembered what I had said back then too. When Sung Yu-Da asked me if I was okay, I said I had to be okay.

    Therefore, worrying about myself was meaningless. Even if someone asked me if I was okay, I would only remind myself of my goals and not reflect on my state.

 Chapter 300

    <h4>Chapter 300</h4>

    Ha-Yeon unlocked her father''s drawer in the researchb and opened it. She was a little surprised that the password to the drawer lock was set for her birthday.

    Until now, Ha-Yeon had never thought highly of Sung Yu-Da. He abandoned his family for work during the height of the Holy War. Because of this, Ha-Yeon''s mother left him as she grew tired of Sung Yu-Da''s actions. Despite that, Sung Yu-Da never showed a hint of sadness. He was solely focused on his work, and Ha-Yeon never felt loved by her father.

    Therefore, it was so surprising to her that Sung Yu-Da had set the password for the lock as her birthday. She felt strange. Ha-Yeon shook her head to clear her thoughts and opened the drawer.

    <i>Drrk! </i>

    ¡°...¡±

    As soon as she opened the drawer, Ha-Yeon grew speechless. There was nothing inside. Rather than housing something important, the drawer was filled with dust. Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t help but let out a smirk, feeling empty as she looked at the dusty drawer.

    Of course Sung Yu-Da wouldn''t have set Ha-Yeon¡¯s birthday as the passcode for an important drawer. He didn''t love Ha-Yeon that much, nor was he that foolish. Ha-Yeon nodded in understanding, yet she felt a strange and ufortable sensation. She even considered the possibility of the drawer having a false bottom. However, Sung Yu-Da was not a person who would have used such an obvious trick.

    Before she was about to give up, Ha-Yeon checked the bottom of the drawer just in case.

    ¡°...¡±

    To her surprise, the drawer indeed had a false bottom. Lifting one floorboard revealed a pile of dusty documents and a notebook. Maybe Sung Yu-Da might not be as smart as she thought after all.

    Carefully, she pulled out the documents and notes from inside. Ha-Yeon examined the documents first. They seemed to be records of some research. Her face gradually hardened as she read through the records.

    "Voo...doo...¡±

    The documents were research papers about Voodoo magic. More specifically, it was research on how Voodoo magic power could be integrated with Romanican divine power. Ha-Yeon''s hand trembled as she held the documents.

    Sung Yu-Da''s name and the name of Do Myung-Jun, the Second Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult, were written on the documents. Countless thoughts and assumptions raced through her mind.

    Why did Sung Yu-Da have research records rted to Voodoo magic? When she thought about it, Sung Yu-Da and Do Myung-Jun were simr in age. The Voodoo Cult and the Romanican Church were on good terms before the Holy War. The two might have been friends. Or maybe they just met briefly for research purposes.

    Sung Yu-Da had once been praised as one of the few geniuses within the Romanican church in his prime. It wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if he had coborated on research with the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    ¡°Hmm?!¡±

    What surprised her was not the research documents but the dusty notebook. As soon as she opened the notebook, dust covered Ha-Yeon''s face. It was not just dust. A purple mist-like substance emanated through the air. The mist seemed familiar, but she couldn¡¯t quite ce where she had seen it before.

    "Cough, cough!"

    Coughing violently, Ha-Yeon opened the notebook. Sung Yu-Da''s handwriting filled every page, leaving no margins. The writing seemed to be obsessive andpulsive. Sung Yu-Da''s handwriting was neat yet difficult to read due to theck of spacing between the characters.

    Ha-Yeon coughed and read the characters calmly. Most of it was unreadable, with sentences that she could recognize few and far between.

    "Pope. Romanican Church. Lee Seh-Hwa... Lee Seh-Hwa? Holy War. X. Underground prison. Do Myung-Jun. Do... what?"

    Ha-Yeon''s face froze as she quietly read Sung Yu-Da''s writing. Cold sweat formed on her forehead. Her eyes trembled rapidly from side to side as she continued to read. Her hands shook. Her body slowly went limp as she lost strength.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The notebook she held hit the floor.

    Ha-Yeon bent down to pick it up but plopped down on the spot instead. The notebook contained the mysterious names of Lee Seh-Hwa and Do Myung-Jun. These two were linked to a category called the Voodoo Cult. Do Myung-Jun was linked to the name Sun-Woo. Ha-Yeon knew what this meant.

    ***

    "X has been apprehended."

    Sung Yu-Da did not respond to me and quietly nodded.

    Yesterday, I asked Jin-Seo about her director¡¯s whereabouts. Jin-Seo seemed hesitant for a moment but eventually gave me an answer.

    X, who had been drinking with a woman in a somewhat shady bar, was apprehended on the spot. At first, X resisted me fiercely.

    "D-do you know who I am?"

    "Yes. You are the Director of the Northern Crusader Order, right? I have some questions to ask, so pleasee with me."

    "Y-you little brat. How dare you...!"

    X drunkenly swung at me, but I threw him to the ground. I thought the Northern Crusader Order Director would have a bit more resilience, but he passed out after I mmed him once.

    The crusaders drinking with X stood up unsteadily, wielded their weapons, and approached me slowly.

    "Which faction do you belong to? Who gave you permission to do this!"

    "I¡¯m a member of the Central Pdin Order."

    With that, they suddenly turned docile.

    I told them that my business had nothing to do with them and asked for their cooperation in arresting X. The other crusaders quietly gathered their belongings and left without a word.

    I handed X over to the Central Pdin Order. X was currently under arrest and investigation.

    The crimes that X had been used of so far were embezzlement and corruption. However, it would be difficult to imprison X in the underground dungeon with just these charges.

    "Well then, we will proceed with the n to apply the crime of collusion with cultists to X," Sung Yu-Da said.

    "But are we sure that we¡¯ll be able to seed in sending X to the underground dungeon if we can apply the crime of collusion with cultists to X?"

    "It will be difficult with just the crime of collusion with cultists. However, considering X''s status, he could have been charged with treason. So, his imprisonment is almost certain."

    I nodded at Sung Yu-Da''s words.

    Sung Yu-Da continued, "Now, Sun-Woo, go ahead and rest. I will handle the rest. Did the Central Pdin Order say anything to you?"

    "They did. They were wondering why the new recruit was causing a scene."

    When X had been apprehended and handed over to the Central Pdin Order, several pdins from the order had called me.

    Why was I so nosy when I was just a recruit? They told me that everyone knew of X¡¯s embezzlement and corruption. Why hadn''t he been arrested until now? Wouldn¡¯t there be a reason for that?<i> </i>

    I could sense anxiousness in their eyes. They had received money from X. In other words, they were in cahoots with X.

    Instead of reprimanding me, the head of the Central Pdin Order encouraged my actions.

    Sung Yu-Da nodded in agreement. "It won''t be long. Once X''s collusion with the cultists and treason charges are revealed, things will quiet down."

    After his allegations of collusion with the cultists were revealed, all clergymen would keep their distance from X. Otherwise, they might be suspected of the same charges.

    Anyway, everything else was now under Sung Yu-Da''s jurisdiction. He would add appropriate charges to X, and after X was imprisoned in the underground dungeon, I would start to move.

    A moment of silence passed in the researchb. Sung Yu-Da tilted his head slightly, looking somewhere. He seemed to be thinking about future ns.

    I nced around and saw a locked drawer containing the photos of my parents and Sung Yu-Da. I pointed in that direction.

    "What about Ha-Yeon?"

    "..."

    Sung Yu-Da hesitated to respond even after hearing my question.

    Soon, with a visibly hesitant expression, he answered, "It seems like she¡¯s opened everything, both the research papers and the notebook."

    ¡°How did she react?"

    "I''m not sure yet. She hasn¡¯t approached me yet," Sung Yu-Da said.

    I nodded. Originally, Sung Yu-Da''s notebook was the only item in the drawer. He used it as a diary for eight years after stepping down from his position within the cardinals¡¯ hierarchy after the Holy War.

    I instructed Sung Yu-Da to put my father''s research records in the drawer. I engraved the ''memory annihtion'' and ''curse of fainting'' spells in Sung Yu-Da''s notebook so that the spell would be activated once the notebook was opened.

    If Ha-Yeon had seen the research records and notebooks in the drawer, she would have found out that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult. At the very least, she would have realized that I had some connection to the Voodoo Cult.

    Denying the facts would be pointless for her as she would have sensed her blood as a n member repelling the purple mist unique to the Voodoo Cult. However, she wouldn¡¯t try to report to the Holy See that I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    The Holy See would also investigate Sung Yu-Da the moment she reported me. She knew this. Even if she had figured out my secret identity, she could do nothing.

    Ha-Yeon had to know my true identity and my rtionship with Sung Yu-Da. She had to know what Sung Yu-Da had done to me and the Voodoo Cult. And she had to feel a great sense of betrayal toward me and Sung Yu-Da.

    "After this incident, Ha-Yeon willpletely lose interest in me. She probably won''t even speak to me. She won''t even think about trying to interfere with our work."

    Ha-Yeon would have been curious about my rtionship with Sung Yu-Da. She would have tried to uncover our rtionship and, in the process, intentionally or unintentionally could disrupt our ns. Therefore, it was better to reveal my true identity to Ha-Yeon. I had to tell her the bitter truth to quench her dangerous curiosity.

    "I still don''t know if it was the right decision. Whether telling Ha-Yeon the truth is really okay..." Sung Yu-Da said, looking down in anguish.

    "We can¡¯t keep hiding the truth from her. She would have found out eventually... It''s better for her to feel betrayed in advance."

    Whether it was betrayal toward Sung Yu-Da or me or even betrayal and resentment towards Ha-Yeon herself... It was better to feel it in advance.

    With those words, I left the researchb without a formal farewell.

 Chapter 301

    <h4>Chapter 301</h4>

    Ha-Yeon put away the documents and notebooks she had read into the drawer and locked it shut. She then returned to the room.

    Her heart was pounding like crazy. Her hands and feet were getting cold, and she was breathless. Countless words swirled throughout her mind. Father, Voodoo Cult, Do Myung-Jun, and Sun-Woo.

    She had known that Sun-Woo and Voodoo Cult had been connected somehow. She also felt that he was perhaps the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    The Cult Leader was a dangerous person. People called the Cult Leader a devil, monster, and other terrifying words. Such words were far from Sun-Woo. He was neither a devil nor a monster. He was an ordinary, no, slightly better person than most. The people in Florence Academy and everyone rted to the Romanican Church trusted him, and some sincerely admired him. There was no way he could be a Voodoo Cult member. No, no... it couldn¡¯t be...

    Ha-Yeon denied it over and over again. But the more she denied it, the more convinced she became that Sun-Woo might be the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult.

    The purple mist flowed out when she opened the notebook. Sung Yu-Da and Sun-Woo meeting periodically. Sun-Woo''s overwhelming power and ability and the inexplicable phenomena that urred whenever he appeared. The numerous questions she had about Sun-Woo. All those questions were answered if he was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. Everything fell into ce. Denial was meaningless.

    Most of her doubts about Sun-Woo were resolved, and only one fundamental question lingered in Ha-Yeon''s mind. Why had he enrolled in Florence Academy? What was the Voodoo Cult Leader''s purpose? What was it all for? She couldn''t understand.

    Revealing his identity meant death. It would have been much safer to hide in some rural area instead of joining Florence Academy. Yet, he had still joined. He was willing to bear the immense risk of potentially dying if he made a mistake.

    Was there a reason he <i>had </i>to join Florence Academy?

    "..."

    At that point, Ha-Yeon''s mind stopped. She couldn''t think anymore, nor did she want to think. Her head hurt. She closed her eyes and fell asleep as if she had fainted.

    When morning came, Ha-Yeon went to work at the Central Priesthood. She was also an official priest working under the Central Priesthood. She was so busy with work that she could only have a legitimate break during lunchtime.

    "Is there something wrong?" her supervisor asked cautiously.

    Ha-Yeon stared nkly into space as she sat in front of the part near the Central Priesthood. Anyone could see that she had a lot on her mind. Ha-Yeon tried to get up from her seat in response to her supervisor''s question, but they stopped her.

    Her supervisor sat next to Ha-Yeon and said, "Sit down. Work is picking up, right? We¡¯ve gotten so busy these days. Must be because of how strong the pdins and crusaders have be recently."

    Recently, the Pdin Order and Crusader Order entered an unprecedented golden age. The Pdin Order centered around the Central and Eastern Pdin Orders, and the Crusader Order, led by the Northern Crusader Order, was actively engaged.

    Although the Northern Crusader Order had gotten involved in unsavory incidents, it still stood strong. The priesthood naturally became busier as the powers of the Pdin Order and Crusader Order grew stronger. The supply of demon flesh and demonic beast parts brought from the Pdin Order and Crusader Order increased, creating more potential research material. More research on blessings and miracle replication for more efficientbat was also necessary.

    "The work... is manageable. But... "

    "Really? I thought you looked troubled all morning because work was tough... So, what''s the matter? Is it something difficult to talk about?"

    "It''s not that..." Ha-Yeon trailed off.

    In truth, she wanted to speak up right away. She wanted to say that among those she knew, or rather, her friends, someone was the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    However, she couldn''t bring herself to say it. How could she prove that Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult when he was gaining fame in the Central Pdin Order? If she spread rumors that Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, people would dismiss it as baseless gossip to defame Sun-Woo.

    Above all, Sung Yu-Da seemed to be helping Sun-Woo. Even when he knew that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader, if Sun-Woo were to be exposed as the Cult Leader and investigated, Sung Yu-Da would also be subject to investigation. Ha-Yeon did not want Sung Yu-Da to be investigated. Nor did she want Sun-Woo to be investigated as well...

    "It''s not hard to talk about."

    Her supervisor took a sandwich out of his bag. "Let me know when you feelfortable talking about it. You don''t have to say it if you don¡¯t want to. Everyone has something like that," he said as he took a big bite out of his sandwich.

    The priests of the Central Priesthood mostly ate simple meals like sandwiches or hamburgers because their meal breaks were too short for proper meals.

    "What do you think about the Voodoo Cult?" Ha-Yeon asked cautiously.

    Her supervisor did not answer immediately. He merely chewed on his sandwich and looked up at the sky.

    "Voodoo Cult, Voodoo Cult... Are you asking about the Voodoo Cult itself? Or about the Holy War?"

    "Both."

    "Well, these days, the Voodoo Cult seems to be the talk of the town. I''m not sure how serious it is. Right now, I think the Satanists are much more dangerous than the Voodoo Cult."

    Ha-Yeon nodded, but she didn''t feel relieved. That was not the answer she wanted.

    Her supervisor continued to speak as he munched on his sandwich. "The Voodoo Cult used to be an element of anxiety that needed to be eliminated at some point. But now, I don''t think there''s a need to be so cautious about it."

    "Don¡¯t people call the current Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult a devil? And aren¡¯t many people more afraid of the Voodoo Cult than Satanists because of the rumors?¡±

    "What rumors? The rumor that the Third Cult Leader is seeking to avenge their parents?"

    "That too... Yes."

    Many other rumors about the Voodoo Cult existed, but Ha-Yeon just nodded.

    "That¡¯s the Holy See deliberately stirring up fear against the Voodoo Cult. That way, they could make the war seem legitimate. However..."

    Her supervisor swallowed the sandwich he was chewing and continued talking after taking a swig of water.

    "...the current Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult has lost everything. He doesn¡¯t have parents, and he probably doesn¡¯t have many followers due to the Holy War. It''s said that he was around ten years old at the time of the Holy War."

    "..."

    "Is it reasonable for such a Cult Leader to thirst for revenge? He¡¯d be lucky he wasn¡¯t locked up in some dark room half-driven mad."

    Her supervisor¡¯s face was not emotionless as he spoke. He spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

    However, Ha-Yeon couldn''t listen so casually. The one who killed Sun-Woo''s parents, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, was none other than Sung Yu-Da. He had personally burned Do Myung-Jun. Sung Yu-Da had led the Holy War and brought death to the members of the Voodoo Cult. Specifically, it was all the members of the purification n. Of course, Ha-Yeon was also included among these n members.

    Back then, she had denied all responsibility, thinking she was too young to understand the Holy War. She doubted that the members of the Voodoo Cult were even human.

    She had once been kidnapped by the members of the Voodoo Cult when she was young and almost died in the process. The members of the Voodoo Cult had certainly done bad things. The Holy War happened because the Voodoo Cult deserved to die.

    Even if the Voodoo Cult members were innocent, Ha-Yeon was not responsible for anything. She had not done anything to the Voodoo Cult members herself.

    A new thought shed past Ha-Yeon''s mind in the cycle of doubt, denial, certainty, and avoidance. She had believed the Holy War was the Voodoo Cult¡¯s fault, and even if it was initiated purely for political reasons, she did not feel responsible as she had been too young back then.

    But so was Sun-Woo.

    "Priest Ha-Yeon!"

    "Uh, yes!"

    Someone called for Ha-Yeon. It was the Central Priesthood director. Ha-Yeon quickly stood up from her seat. Her face turned white with fear.

    The director was about to scold Ha-Yeon for not focusing on work all day, but they sighed deeply upon seeing her expression.

    "If you''re not feeling well, leave work early and rest. You haven¡¯t been able to focus on work all day."

    "Oh, it''s okay¡ª"

    "Just go. Stop by here on your way out and deliver this for me."

    The director dismissed Ha-Yeon after handing her a USB and a note with an unfamiliar address written on it.

    Ha-Yeon took the USB and hurriedly left the Central Priesthood.

    "..."

    It felt like she was being chased away. Truthfully, she had not been able to focus on work because she was thinking about Sun-Woo. Taking a break today seemed like a good idea.

    Before going home, Ha-Yeon unfolded the note she had received from the director. An address and someone''s name were written in his messy handwriting, and it was difficult to make out the address due to the poor penmanship.

    She searched for the address on her phone to confirm the location. It was nearby. She still thought of Sun-Woo as she made her way to the address written on the note. Every time she thought of him, she felt breathless, and her heart raced so intensely that it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

    She felt sick in her stomach, feeling as if she might vomit. No matter how much she tried to rationalize, she couldn''t easily erase the guilt.

    Ha-Yeon''s steps came to a halt as she reached the address written on the note. In front of her stood an abandoned building. The building seemed to have been burnt, with charred ck marks and some broken windows creating a deste atmosphere.

    "Good to see you."

    Suddenly, a voice startled Ha-Yeon, and she turned her head.

    A man got up from his seat on the ground. He looked like a homeless person with his unkempt hair and a beard.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon was speechless as she looked closely at the man. The man, limping on a crutch, slowly approached Ha-Yeon.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon was at a loss for words as she saw the man up close.

    "Did youe from the Central Priesthood?"

    The man standing before Ha-Yeon was Joseph, the inquisitor from the Central Pdin Order.

    ***

    The investigation into X, the head of the Northern Crusader Order, continued. During the investigation, evidence of collusion and conspiracy was found, but Sung Yu-Da fabricated the evidence.

    As more evidence was discovered, even the Central Pdin Order members who had criticized me for my actions grew silent.

    After leaving the Central Pdin Order, I briefly visited Sung Yu-Da''s researchb before heading straight to the underground chapel. I hadn¡¯t been there in a while.

    From the entrance, the ce seemed lively. I wasn''t surprised to find the other four people¡ªJi-Ah, Soo-Yeong, Uncle Jinseong, and Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna¡ªgathered for a meal together.

    "Right, that''s how it was. That''s why I..."

    "Teacher''s personality was the same even back then..."

    "No, Jin-Sung used to be gentle in the past. But now..."

    They were engrossed in their conversation, so I tried to sneak into the room without them noticing.

    Uncle called out to me.

    "Hey, Cult Leader! You should have said something when you came in!"

    The four of them, happily chatting at the dining table, all turned to look at me. Unable to walk silently into the room, I reluctantly moved toward them.

    "Cult Leader, it''s been a while. How have you been?" Ji-Ah''s tone seemed slightly off since I¡¯dst seen her.

    "It really has been a while. It¡¯s been nice since we haven¡¯t seen you for a while."

    Soo-Yeong seemed a bit more arrogant.

    "Have you been working until now? Uh, there, what was it? The Central...?"

    Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna seemed slightly awkward when approaching me. Her expression seemed somewhat stiff for some reason.

    Uncle acted normal as usual.

    "Have you eaten? If not, sit down."

    I looked at each of their faces individually.

    "I''ve been well. Yes, I''ve been working. I''ve eaten. That''s a lot of questions to answer at once. I''m going to head inside and rest."

    "Why not sit down and chat a bit? It¡¯s been a while since west saw you," Uncle said somewhat disappointedly.

    I shook my head. "I''m tired. I''ve been busytely. When I''m less busy, let''s have a good meal together, okay?"

    "Is that so? Then take your rest. Now that you mention it, your face looks a lot rougher," Uncle said.

    I smiled at the four in the middle of their meal and walked into the room.

    I turned off the light andy down on the bed. I could hear four people chatting outside. Although I wanted to join their conversation, I was too tired.

    I closed my eyes and fell asleep. Sleeping was much easier than at the Florence Academy dormitory or the Central Pdin Order quarters.

    I would have more free time after I sessfully put X in the underground prison and entered the underground prison to rescue my mother.

    From then on, I could have meals and chat happily with Uncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and Anna. The moment was really just around the corner. Everything was right in front of me. I felt a mix of excitement and fear.

    "Legba."

    I called out to Legba to calm my excited heart, but there was no response.

 Chapter 302

    <h4>Chapter 302</h4>

    Ha-Yeon knew of Joseph. It wasn''t only because Joseph had connections with Sung Yu-Da. Ha-Yeon had encountered him during the battle against Satanist Executive Lust at the Central Priesthood-affiliated cathedral.

    Additionally, all clergymen knew Joseph. His story of defeating the Satanist minion Ji Hye-Sung of the Central Pdin Order had been published in the news. He had yed a big role amongst the members of the Romanican Church. However, his current appearance was no different from that of a street beggar, and his office had been burned to the ground. Ha-Yeon couldn''t even begin to guess what had happened to him.

    Joseph stroked his beard. "Are you surprised to see me like this?"

    Ha-Yeon didn''t react at all. She just stared at Joseph with a baffled expression.

    Upon closer inspection, there were burn marks on Joseph''s hands, face, and skin. His smile was wry but also bitter.

    "Of course you¡¯d be surprised. I startle myself asionally when I look in the mirror these days... But being surprised is one thing. Don¡¯t you have something you give me rather than standing there dumbfounded?"

    "Oh, right!"

    Ha-Yeon handed Joseph the USB she received from the director. Even as she did so, Ha-Yeon''s gaze was fixed on Joseph''s disheveled and injured appearance. She wondered how someone could have ended up in such a state. However, she never got the chance to ask because Joseph had already entered his office.

    Left alone, Ha-Yeon stared nkly at Joseph''s office.

    She was confused. The golden age of the Crusader and Pdin Order had dawned, and the Romanican Church was constantly improving. Or at least it seemed that way.

    Ha-Yeon looked at Joseph''s burnt office and couldn¡¯t help but think about Sun-Woo. Perhaps they weren¡¯t amidst a golden age but rather the calm before the storm.

    And there was nothing Ha-Yeon could do.

    ***

    Joseph reminisced about his past not too long ago. After all, only a few weeks had passed since the incident.

    Rumors had spread that a spy had infiltrated the Romanican Church. Inquisitors everywhere tried their best to catch the spy.

    However, Joseph continued his investigation. He believed that if he could uncover the suspicions that had risen about Sun-Woo being the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. He could also reveal the source of the circting rumors.

    Joseph had his suspicions. Upon scrutinizing Sun-Woo, he noticed that Sun-Woo¡¯s actions were full of inconsistencies. But he had no concrete evidence, something profound enough to convince the most clueless believers who saw Sun-Woo as a righteous Romanican Church member. He needed evidence that would be able to convince those with nothing in their heads that Sun-Woo was indeed the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Although Sun-Woo slipped up, he was quite cunning and clever. Joseph could easily understand how Sun-Woo had hidden his identity as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult for all this time.

    "I¡¯m trying to find the whereabouts of a certain individual... I¡¯m looking for permission to conduct a heresy investigation."

    Unable to find clear evidence no matter what he did, Joseph officially requested a heresy investigation from the Holy See in order to uncover Sun-Woo''s identity.

    Heresy investigation was the privilege of an inquisitor. With a heresy investigation permit, Joseph could legally investigate Sun-Woo''s residence, conduct wiretap recordings, and put him under surveince. Once an official heresy investigation was underway, evidence woulde to light. No one was ever truly clean¡ªat least that was what Joseph thought.

    "We¡¯ll submit a request for heresy investigation. If you could provide what exact information you¡¯re looking for in regards to the identity verification..."

    "Everything you can find starting from their birth to the present. I want a deep analysis of every aspect of their life."

    Joseph went to the Holy See to request identity verification for Sun-Woo and permission to conduct a heresy investigation. Up until that point, he thought things had gone well. He believed his opportunity to reveal Sun-Woo¡¯s identity, which had been shrouded in mystery, was finally here.

    However, his high hopes were shattered in mere seconds. When Joseph returned, his office was aze. The bandits suspected of setting the office on fire gleefully watched the crime scene.

    As soon as they saw Joseph, the bandits fled. Joseph didn''t even consider chasing after them. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself inside the burning office. He rummaged through the drawers and tore apart hisputer, hoping to salvage some information and bring it out of the office.

    However, the fire had burned all the important documents into ashes. His desktop had been damaged to the point where no restoration spell would be able to save it. Someone had intentionally destroyed theputer before setting it on fire.

    Who would do such a thing? Joseph thought about who might hold a grudge against him. There were more than a handful, but they were all individuals who had been imprisoned. Others who came to mind were cowardly troublemakers who wouldn''t daremit such an act.

    The real problem arose after the fire was extinguished. The Holy See denied his request for identity verification and a heresy investigation. To make matters worse, Joseph had been penalized, and his rights as an inquisitor were revoked for a while. They cited abuse of power as the reason for the discipline, but they did not specify detailed reasons.

    "What is this? Abuse of power? What abuse of power have I...!"

    <i>¡ªWe received direct orders from the Holy See.</i>

    "Holy See? Who from the Holy See made such a decision?"

    <i>¡ªWe can¡¯t have you causing any more trouble. </i>

    Although Joseph had immediately protested over the phone, he was met with the same response.

    <i>¡ªWe received direct orders from the Holy See. </i>

    <i>Click. </i>

    The call ended, and Joseph stared nkly into space for a while. Joseph was scheduled to undergo a cardinal trial for his role in defeating Lust, but he lost his qualification due to the sudden disciplinary action.

    He had been told that his burnt office was deemed difficult to restore. The few subordinates he had also faced disciplinary action and were sent away to other inquistors right when their disciplinary actions were to be lifted.

    A series of misfortunes. Joseph was once apetent inquisitor, but he hadpletely fallen.

    "Aha."

    That was when he realized this string of misfortune events had not been a coincidence. Just like the brokenputer, he had fallen due to someone''s deliberate intention.

    Someone clearly wished for Joseph''s downfall.

    <i>''We received direct orders from the Holy See.'' </i>

    The Holy See, or someone closely rted to the Holy See, was watching over Sun-Woo. Someone did not want Sun-Woo''s true identity to be exposed.

    He didn''t know this person. Why did the person who had plunged him into ruin want to keep Sun-Woo''s true identity hidden? Why did Joseph have to suffer? Joseph needed answers.

    The disciplinary action, rather than suspension, handed down to Joseph was indeed very long. During the disciplinary period, Joseph could not exercise his power as an inquisitor, let alone his basic powers as a clergyman.

    He had to rely on the help of other clergymen. Fortunately, he had a good rtionship with the director of the Central Priesthood.

    "So you¡¯re saying that bandits burned down an inquisitor''s office, and yet not a single word was said about this in the press?¡±

    "That''s right."

    "Haha... The world is going crazy."

    The head of the Central Priesthood was dissatisfied with the current state of the Romanican Church, its corrupt institutions, and the Holy See''s attempts to oppress clergymen through controlling information and manipting clergymen. The head of the Central Priesthood willingly helped Joseph.

    That was how Joseph obtained the USB.

    <i>Click.</i>

    Joseph plugged the USB into the brokenptop and extracted the files inside. He read through the files carefully, taking care not to miss a single sentence or word. His unkempt hair, scruffy beard, and bloodshot eyes made him look like a madman.

    "Pope," Joseph muttered. "Ah. He¡¯s already dead. The conve ising soon. Conve, conve... Ha. Hahaha."

    The Pope was already dead, and he hadn¡¯t been dead for long. However, the official announcement of the Pope''s death to the public wouldeter.

    Therefore, the conve was scheduled soon, and the public and secret Pope candidates would have already locked in a secret battle.

    But one candidate showed overwhelming dominance. And that was...

    "Yu-Hyun."

    Joseph nodded. Yu-Hyun was a fellow student of Sun-Woo who studied at Florence Academy. One by one, the puzzle pieces started falling into ce.

    Yu-Hyun probably already knew, and he used that fact to leverage his win at the conve and solidify his position as the Pope.

    Although Joseph didn¡¯t know what Yu-Hyun¡¯s exact ns were, it seemed like he nned to maintain a friendly rtionship with Sun-Woo first and then betray him at a crucial moment. When he revealed that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, the Second Holy War broke out.

    However, the Voodoo Cult relied heavily on the Cult Leader and the Prophet. It was not an exaggeration to say that 80% of theirbat power came from the Cult Leader and the Prophet.

    The Romanican Church would easily prevail against the leaderless Voodoo Cult, strengthening Yu-Hyun''s position as the Pope.

    Josephughed. "Haha! Hahaha!"

    He¡¯d been right all along. Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. There was no need to find evidence now. All the pieces of the puzzle had fallen into ce. Joseph continued tough and cheer like a madman.

    Hisughter didn''tst long. It stopped with a dry cough. His face now showed only disappointment and emptiness.

    So what now? Joseph thought. What more could he do? What had he been chasing after in the first ce? Was it the truth he sought?

    No, he had been chasing after the sweet truth¡ªthe truth that would prove his worth through its demonstration and revtion. He had not wanted to know the truth that made him so ufortable.

    "I didn''t realize there was so much I didn''t know."

    Since an inquisitor''s job was to uncover lies and reveal the truth, he should know everything. The Holy See would not restrict information to the inquisitor, negotiate with information, or convey false information to them. Likewise, an inquisitor was expected to faithfully report the information he had discovered to the Holy See.

    Surprisingly, this was part of the official handbook for training inquisitors at the Holy See.

    "False information from the beginning. Impressive."

    All he had to himself was his body. Joseph had mastered the Nazirite arts, the strongest martial arts known to man. He had used his powers to serve Adonai.

    But what good was that to him now? He was no longer a servant of Adonai but merely a dog of the Holy See¡ªa discarded dog, even. When he realized this, he was finally ready to face the truth.

    Joseph trudged to the bathroom.

    "I wish I had a tooth left," he muttered.

    The bathroom was broken and barely functional, and the mirror was shattered. Joseph shaved in front of the broken mirror. He tied up his long hair that reached his shoulders, and his appearance became neater.

    "A nail would have been nice as well."

    Joseph pulled out a USB and left the office.

    ***

    Winter break was over. Although it was called a break, I didn¡¯t get any rest because I had to go to work at the Central Pdin Order.

    The investigation on X continued, but it seemed to being to an end, and a trial would take ce in a few months. Shortly after the trial, X would be imprisoned in an underground prison, all thanks to a great job of framing X with the charges of collusion and sedition with the Cultists.

    There was no need to go to school on the first day because there was an entrance ceremony for new students. The next day, regr sses began, but I had to go to work at the Central Pdin Order, so I still couldn¡¯t make it to school. However, I was still marked present on the attendance record, thanks to the school viewing it as an internship program.

    So, two days passed since the entrance ceremony when I returned to school. The scenery seemed somehow new. I could see the faces of new students on their way to school¡ªfaces filled with excitement, nervousness, and fear. It felt refreshing to see them.

    At that moment, someone greeted me.

    "Hello. Cu-oh."

    At first, I thought it was In-Ah. I didn¡¯t know anyone else with brown hair and brown eyes except her, but then I remembered one more person.

    "I guess you¡¯re my senior now?"

    "Looks like you passed the exam."

    It was Yoon-Ah.

    She smiled brightly and nodded at me. "Yup."

 Chapter 303

    <h4>Chapter 303</h4>

    Yoon-Ah didn''t look much different from before. If I had to point out something that had changed, I saw a bit more life in her eyes.

    Yoon-Ah smiled faintly. She didn¡¯t look much different from her sister, In-Ah. She casually made her way next to me and started walking with me.

    "Where''s your sister?"

    I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to talk about, so I brought up In-Ah.

    Yoon-Ah nced at me briefly.

    "Why are you asking about my sister first?"

    "No, I was just wondering why she isn¡¯t with you. You live together, after all."

    "She said she''s going in for an interview... I can¡¯t remember whether it was the North or South Priesthood. She said she''ll be back in the afternoon."

    "Oh?"

    I tried to think of something else to follow up with. With nothing else to say, I ended up keeping quiet.

    When Yoon-Ah reached the first-year building, she stopped walking and nced at me subtly.

    "You should show me around the schoolter. Florence Academy is too big, and I don''t know where anything is."

    "Don''t you have any friends?"

    "Huh?"

    Yoon-Ah seemed flustered. I was also taken aback by myment. Without realizing it, I had referred to Yoon-Ah casually as if I were talking to In-Ah.

    "Uh, that''s not what I meant... Got it. Come find me during lunch."

    "But I don''t even know where the second-year building is."

    "Right. I''ll find you, then. What ss are you in?"

    "ss of Charity," Yoon-Ah said and looked at her watch.

    Perhaps we had talked too long, as she hurriedly said goodbye to me and went to her ssroom.

    I walked leisurely to the ssroom. There was no need to rush. Florence Academy had a system of elective courses starting in the second year, and students could choose courses based on their major, interests, or aptitude.

    I had chosen sses fitting for a member of the Department of Pdins and had arranged my schedule with the thought in mind that I had to report to the Central Pdin Order.

    The structure of the elective lecture system required students to make their way to each ss instead of the teachersing to them. Naturally, a lot of movement was involved¡ªI bumped into many people while moving to my next ss.

    The first person I met was Dae-Man, which I expected. He was also in the Department of Pdins, so the likelihood of us taking the same ss was high.

    "I heard you got into the Central Pdin Order! That''s impressive. I''ll follow suit soon! I guess I¡¯ll enter as your junior if I enterter.¡±

    "Oh, I see. Good luck. Which branch did you say you¡¯re getting into?"

    "I got into the Eastern Pdin Order!"

    "Is Director Han Dae-Ho doing okay?"

    "Of course! He often asks me to send his regards to you."

    Director Han Dae-Ho seemed to be doing well. Despite losing one arm in the battle against Satanist Executive Lust, he seemed determined to carry out his pdin duties. As expected, losing an arm wouldn¡¯t stop the likes of Han Dae-Ho from doing his job.

    "What''s up, Sun-Woo!"

    The next person I met was Su-Ryeon. Min-Seo was also with her.

    "Hey, I heard you joined the Central Pdin Order. How is it there? Are they still trying to get a grip on you guys?"

    "A little bit. But it¡¯s not that bad."

    Su-Ryeon energetically asked me a flurry of questions, such as ¡®How was the director?¡¯ and ¡®Could you be an inquisitor there?¡¯ and so on.

    I returned her questions with vague answers.

    "Aren''t there any free spots in Central right now? Please put in a good word for me if any ces open up," Min-Seo said in a slightly blunt and sharp tone.

    I pretended to ponder for a moment before replying, ¡°There¡¯s no ce to give to you. You¡¯d fail to pass even the personality test."

    "Yeah? But you¡¯re being a bit rude, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    I chuckled at Min-Seo''s words. She also seemed amused and let out a forcedugh. After a brief conversation, we each went into our respective ssrooms.

    "..."

    I even bumped into Ha-Yeon. Even though our eyes met, I ignored her and walked past her. Likewise, Ha-Yeon seemed to have no intention of talking to me anymore.

    Morning lectures were mostly theory-based, so I paid little attention. However, the teacher called me to ask a few questions during the lecture. Thanks to the books I read diligently during winter break, I could answermon-sense questions easily.

    When lunchtime finally arrived, I headed straight to the 1st-year ss of Charity instead of going to eat. Yoon-Ah was waiting for me near the back door of the ssroom, along with several other students. They all seemed to be Yoon-Ah¡¯s friends.

    Yoon-Ah looked at me, waved to her friends, and approached me. The students started whispering to each other when they saw me.

    I pointed in their direction and asked, "Friends?"

    "Yes. They¡¯re new friends that I made today. They all seem to know about you, Cu... I mean, senior. They said you¡¯re quite famous."

    "People who know, know."

    Since I joined the Central Pdin Order earlier than anyone else, I was quite famous among clergymen or students aspiring to be clergymen. However, I felt somewhat ufortable with the fame.

    I walked silently with Yoon-Ah and spoke up when no one was around.

    "But hey, remember to be careful of what you say," I warned.

    "Oh, right..." Yoon-Ah replied somewhat lifelessly.

    Yoon-Ah asionally would almost call me Cult Leader. If, by any chance, the word Cult Leader really came out of her mouth, that would be a big problem. It wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a big problem, but it would lead to a difficult situation, at the very least.

    Yoon-Ah and I wandered around the academy. I toured her around the cafeteria, library, 2nd-grade building, dormitory, and teacher¡¯s office. We roamed around for a while. We didn''t go to Eiden Hill or the barn. They weren¡¯t ces of fond memories.

    "I tried to use a spell," Yoon-Ah said as we passed the sacred training ground.

    I looked around nervously. It was crazy to bring up stories about Voodoo magic in a ce where people were present. Fortunately, no one was around¡ªit was just Yoon-Ah and me.

    "And?"

    "It didn''t work. How do you do it? Can you teach me?"

    "That¡¯d be difficult. It¡¯d be like trying to teach a baby to walk. It''s hard to exin in words."

    Moreover, trying to teach Yoon-Ah spells would be meaningless when she didn''t even know how to unleash Voodoo magic. She stared nkly at her own hands.

    "I can only use divine power and blessings. Does that mean I won¡¯t be of any help?"

    I shook my head.

    "No. That''s exactly where I need your help. In some ways, you might be more..."

    <i>Useful.</i> Before I let out the word, I stopped myself. I saw someoneing out from the sacred training ground. If it had been anyone else, I would have continued talking as if nothing had happened, but this time, I couldn''t.

    The girl from the sacred training ground held a sword and red fiercely at me with ice-cold eyes. I watched her with my mouth tightly shut. She stared at me nkly, then tilted her head slightly.

    "Did I hear that right just now?" Jin-Seo said.

    "Yeah, what did I just say?" I blurted out reflexively.

    "..."

    Yoon-Ah remained silent. Silence filled the air.

    <i> </i> ***

    Yu-Hyun was at the hospital with Mr. Kim, who had fainted after meeting Sun-Woo.

    "Who was that bastard? Huh, I can''t believe it! Isn''t he your friend? Huh?"

    "Friend? Friend... Well, not yet exactly. Anyway, I''m sorry. He''s a bit reckless and quite hard headed."

    "More than just a bit, you fuck! What are we going to do? I have several pending requests, and I¡®m stuck here in the hospital!"

    Yu-Hyun tried to take care of Mr. Kim as much as he could. He provided him with a private room, bought any books or electronic devices Mr. Kim wanted, and he even brought fruits and health drinks for him during his visits. He even called in skilled priests specializing in healing from the Holy See to ask for treatment.

    Simply put, Yu-Hyun took such good care of Mr. Kim because he was still useful. Mr. Kim had deep connections with mercenary corps nationwide. In the mercenary industry, people said they couldn''t receive requests without going through Mr. Kim. Maintaining a friendly rtionship with Mr. Kim was necessary until the conve.

    Although their intimacy had slightly diminished because of Sun-Woo, Yu-Hyun believed he could turn the opportunity in his favor.

    "I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll ensure you arepensated, so don''t act upset. I will take care of everything generously. Working on some of my big deals would benefit you more than handling a few small requests, no?"

    "You''re talking nonsense."

    Yu-Hyun tried to sweet-talk Mr. Kim to ease his mind. However, Mr. Kim replied in a cold and sharp tone.

    "That''s why I don¡¯t work with children. They don''t understand the concept of business, contracts, and how important trust is. Can you buy that with money?"

    "Yeah, I guess I¡¯m too young to understand everything. Anyway, as a sign of my apology, I want to take care of you in various ways, so don''t be too mad..."

    Yu-Hyun felt a deep sense of humiliation, but he didn''t dare remove his smile. Yu-Hyun was a pro at keeping his expressions hidden. Through gritted teeth, he continued to smile toward Mr. Kim.

    Just until conve. Once the news of the Pope''s death was announced and he was elected, he would control all the mercenaries in the country through Kim.

    At that moment, Yu-Hyun tilted his head and murmured, "No, no. Hey, Kim."

    "Wha... Kim? Who do you think you¡¯re talking to?¡±

    Mr. Kim was about to scold Yu-Hyun, but he shut his mouth. Yu-Hyun''s expression was peculiar. His lips were smiling, but his jaw muscles were stiff with his clenched teeth. His eyes were fixed on Mr. Kim, but his pupils were small voids, the end of their depths unknown.

    Then, Yu-Hyun opened his mouth wide andughed brightly, exposing his bright, white teeth.

    "I was wrong in my thinking. Mr. Kim!"

    "..."

    "Mr. Kim, you have a family, right? But you don''t reveal that to your clients. Instead, you act like you¡¯re single, a wanderer without a home, or a hermit."

    "How did you...¡±

    "How could I not know? You leave your phone unlocked every time you drink. What was it now... 12-29 Ganaan Road? Now that¡¯s a good house."

    Mr. Kim''s expression stiffened upon the mention of the address. It was a different stiffness from when he had grumbled andined to Yu-Hyun.

    "I have a good memory, but I don''t show it. People tend to be wary of those who don¡¯t forget. Maybe because they never forget mistakes or weaknesses."

    "..."

    "Exodus 12:29. Do you know it?"

    "I-I don''t...."

    "Ah, damn it. This is why I hate cultists."

    Mr. Kim was more of a non-believer than a Cultist, but Yu-Hyun didn''t care. It was a retaliatory remark born out of the humiliation he suffered earlier. He continued, "Look it up. If you grumble again, I¡¯ll judge you by the rules stated in that verse. Got it?"

    "..."

    "So if I give you something, don¡¯tin. Just say thank you and take it. You understand?" Yu-Hyun said.

    Mr. Kim seemed to tremble in fear at Yu-Hyun''s stern threat. The reason why Yu-Hyun ultimately changed his attitude was simple. While preparing for the conve, he had several followers, or soldiers, who worshiped him.

    Even without using these followers, eliminating Mr. Kim using one of the Pope candidates he would have sessfully merged with would be a piece of cake. It would be easy to find and eliminate Mr. Kim''s family. So, rather than ttering Mr. Kim, who was already estranged, threatening him with this power would be much easier and more effective.

    "Mr. Kim."

    "Yes? Uh, I mean, huh?"

    Yu-Hyun stabbed a whole apple with a fork and brought it to Mr. Kim''s mouth. "Here. Eat it."

    As Mr. Kim opened his mouth to bite the apple, Yu-Hyun forcefully shoved the apple into his mouth. Mr. Kim let out a strange sound and tried to push the apple, but his efforts were futile. Yu-Hyun continued shoving the apple into Mr. Kim''s mouth, and a small apple bit fell and decorated Mr. Kim''s hospital gown.

    "Don''t think you''re on the same level as me just because you do mercenary work. Don''t think of me as beneath you just because you''re a little better."

    "Ugh, ugh! Cough, cough!"

    ¡°From now on, listen when I talk. You understand? Then I''ll feed you like this on my own."

    Yu-Hyun stopped there and put down the fork. Mr. Kim coughed roughly and vomited the apple. After leaving Mr. Kim''s hospital room, Yu-Hyun absentmindedly picked up his phone. Hundreds of notifications awaited him on his phone, which he had put on silent mode.

    "What the hell?" Yu-Hyun muttered as he held the phone.

    An article had been published. The Pope was dead. The inte was in an uproar. Everyone was finding out that the Pope had passed. It was not an official statement from the Holy See but rather a bold and ignorant reporter''s scoop.

 Chapter 304

    <h4>Chapter 304</h4>

    Jin-Seo''s breathing was a bit rough. Based on how she hade out of the sacred training ground, it seemed like she had been training alone. I unconsciously took a step back, and Yoon-Ah alternated her gaze between me and Jin-Seo and assessed the atmosphere.

    Jin-Seo was about to approach me, but then she turned towards Yoon-Ah. She lowered her head and calmly examined Yoon-Ah''s face.

    "In-Ah? You look a bit different."

    Yoon-Ah trembled slightly as she gazed at Jin-Seo without avoiding her eyes.

    "I¡¯m her si-sister."

    Jin-Seo widened her eyes and then turned her gaze toward me.

    "Really?" she said.

    "Yes. She''s In-Ah''s younger sister. She just joined as a new student this year."

    Jin-Seo slowly nodded upon hearing my words. Then she suddenly chuckled. She coldly nced at Yoon-Ah with her eyes and said, ¡°The sisters are both...¡±

    "Hey, it''s not like that."

    Jin-Seo seemed unhappy that Yoon-Ah and I were walking alone together during lunchtime. I had to quickly exin the situation.

    Yoon-Ah was a freshman at Florence Academy this year, and I got to know her through In-Ah. Today, we happened to run into each other on the way to school, so I decided to show her around the school a bit. I exined all this to Jin-Seo.

    She nodded as if she understood everything.

    "I get what you''re saying. But why did you have to be the one to show her around the school?"

    "Hmm, that''s a good question. She''ll exin that."

    I couldn''te up with a suitable answer to Jin-Seo''s question, so I passed the baton to Yoon-Ah.

    Yoon-Ah nced at me briefly, her eyes filled with betrayal. Then she smiled faintly toward Jin-Seo and said, "The only senior I know is Sun-Woo."

    "Is that so? Now you know me too. I¡¯m Jin-Seo.¡±

    "Oh, I am Yoon-Ah."

    Jin-Seo extended a handshake, and Yoon-Ah awkwardly epted it. Jin-Seo smiled warmly at her.

    "You look a lot like your older sister."

    "Yes, I hear that a lot," Yoon-Ah replied.

    I watched them awkwardly converse. The three of us naturally ended up having a meal together. Yoon-Ah and I hadn''t eaten yet as we had been exploring the school, and Jin-Seo hadn¡¯t eaten either because she had been busy training all morning.

    Jin-Seo usually brought her own lunch instead of eating school meals, but she stated she would just eat at the cafeteria today.

    After getting our meals, we found a suitable ce to sit. I felt like it had been a long time since I had eaten in the school cafeteria. Perhaps because it was the beginning of the semester, the cafeteria menu consisted of dishes that students would enjoy. The food on the menu looked quite delicious. However, when I actually tasted it, I couldn¡¯t taste anything.

    "..."

    In the past, I had sacrificed my sense of taste in a contract with Baron Samedi. I had forgotten about this fact because I hadn¡¯t been eating well recently.

    Despite the appetizing appearance and pleasant smell of the food, I sadly couldn¡¯t taste anything when I put it in my mouth. When would my sense of taste return? Would it even return in the first ce?

    "It tastes delicious since I haven¡¯t tried cafeteria food in a while," Jin-Seo murmured as she enjoyed her meal.

    She only ate half of the school lunch and put down her chopsticks. Then she nced over at Yoon-Ah frantically shoveling the food down.

    "Have you decided which department you want to go for? Pdin, crusader, or priest?" Jin-Seo asked Yoon-Ah.

    Yoon-Ah stared back at Jin-Seo with wide eyes. Her mouth was full.

    Jin-Seo waited patiently for Yoon-Ah to finish chewing and swallowing her food. Yoon-Ah finally responded to Jin-Seo''s question only after she had swallowed the food in her mouth.

    "Well, I¡¯m definitely not going to be a priest, but I was considering between pdin and crusader.¡±

    Jin-Seo replied, "Crusader seems better."

    I swallowed the food I was chewing and said, "Pdin is better."

    Jin-Seo nced at me, disappointed by my words.

    "What are you talking about? The Department of Crusaders is more popr than the Department of Pdins."

    "But the Central Crusader Order got wrecked, and the Central Pdin Order is still thriving."

    The Central Crusader Order lost much of its prestigepared to before due to its crushing defeat in the battle against Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps. In that battle, the Central Crusader Order suffered heavy losses while fighting against the leader of the Voodoo Cult. In other words, I was responsible for the downfall of the Central Crusader Order.

    "That''s true. However, the crusaders are still stronger in battles," Jin-Seo replied, slightly discontent.

    "Don''t you remember the practical exam?" I said with a chuckle.

    She had fought against me and lost in the most recent practical exam. Since it wasn''t a practice spar, I used Bossou''s power almost without limits, and thanks to that overwhelming difference, I overpowered Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo listened to me and fell silent. Then she red at me with a resentful expression.

    "You really know how to rub it in. So, did you feel good about winning?"

    "..."

    Upon reflection, there was nothing good about winning against Jin-Seo in our arguments. Winning in a verbal spar against her was a loss, and losing meant winning. Thus, I decided just to keep my mouth shut.

    ***

    After finishing our meal, we left the restaurant. Yoon-Ah said she had something to do and went to her ssroom first, but she wanted to leave early because she found Jin-Seo ufortable.

    Jin-Seo suggested that we take a short walk. We walked along the school trail. Quite a few people, mostly freshmen, were walking on the trail. The freshmen seemed to be enjoying themselves, chatting and walking along the path. We simply walked without talking.

    I broke the silence first and said, "How¡¯s the Northern Crusader Order?"

    Jin-Seo tilted her head slightly, contemting my question.

    "It''s the same as always. It was a bit chaotic after the director was arrested, but now it''s just the same as usual."

    "That''s a relief," I said as I nodded.

    The head of the Northern Crusader Order, X, was under investigation because of me and was soon to face a trial.

    I was worried that Jin-Seo might face consequences because of me, but fortunately, that did not seem to be the case.

    "How about over in the Central Pdin Order?"

    "It''s the same as usual over there as well."

    Jin-Seo nodded and said, "Is that so?"

    After that, she closed her mouth. Although she seemed to have something to say, she hesitated to speak.

    I patiently waited for her to say something.

    Jin-Seo looked around nervously and then said, "But what were you talking about with Yoon-Ah earlier? It seemed like you were having a very intimate conversation about something important."

    "It was nothing important."

    "If it wasn''t important, you could tell me too, right?" Jin-Seo asked with a sly smile.

    Although she was smiling, her tone sounded like she was interrogating me.

    I quickly tried toe up with an exnation. The conversation I had with Yoon-Ah was somewhat rted to the Voodoo Cult. Therefore, I couldn''t tell Jin-Seo everything truthfully. Since I didn¡¯t know how much of our conversation Jin-Seo overheard, being vague could also backfire.

    After some thought, I finally found a suitable excuse.

    "In-Ah," I said.

    "What?"

    "She said that In-Ah seemed tired from going to interviews here and there. Yoon-Ah seemed depressed that she couldn¡¯t do anything for her older sister, so Iforted her."

    "Oh... really? But why did you have to be the one tofort her?"

    "I don''t know. Maybe because I''m the only senior she knows? She''s still a freshman, so she probably doesn''t have many friends."

    Jin-Seo seemed to understand and nodded. Nevertheless, there was still a hint of displeasure on her face.

    "I''m not sure if I can believe this. Are you just saying this but doing something else behind my back?"

    "What are you talking about? You keep having strange suspicions."

    "Because you act suspiciously."

    Her suspicions weren¡¯tpletely unfounded. From Jin-Seo''s perspective, there was some room for misunderstanding. I nodded and said, "I should be more careful not to get caught in the future..."

    "What?"

    I smiled warmly at Jin-Seo.

    "Just kidding. I mean, I won''t do things that will make you suspicious in the future."

    She still seemed displeased, but she managed to smile back.

    I looked at Jin-Seo¡¯s profile, and she smiled as if she was dumbfounded. I wanted to finish everything and give her an answer quickly.

    ***

    After school, I returned to the dormitory. I hadn¡¯t visited the dormitory in a long time. It still felt spacious, but at the same time, it felt emptier. Dust had piled up in various ces due to not cleaning, and the room had a faint moldy smell. I needed to clean my room.

    I threw away unused items, dusted off the umted dust, and sprayed air freshener. While cleaning, I also rearranged the furniture a little.

    After that, the atmosphere of the roompletely changed. I felt like I had entered someone else''s room, not my own. The unfamiliar feeling was nice.

    As Iy down on the bed, the scent of the air freshener I sprayed earlier lingered. Since there was nothing else to do, I took out a book and started reading while lying down. Unlike the underground chapel, I couldn''t practice spells or the power of the Loa in the dormitory.

    While reading a book, I suddenly said, ¡°Legba.¡±

    Legba had not spoken to me in a while. He didn¡¯t respond even when I tried to talk to him. It was as if he hadpletely disappeared.

    Legba¡¯s solemn yet familiar voice that I had heard for the past eight years felt like it had all been my imagination. He did not respond to me at all. My daily life was peaceful when Legba did not speak.

    Uncle Jin-Sung had been very busy, so he was now rxing after Anna, the Executive of the Gyeonggi Branch, came to the underground chapel. Ji-Ah and Soo-Yeong also seemed to be getting along quite well. In-Ah, Jin-Seo, Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon, and Min-Seo... All the people I met at Florence Academy also seemed to be doing well.

    The n to arrest X and send him to the underground prison was progressing smoothly. After Legba''s voice disappeared, my daily life became peaceful.

    "Legba. I think it¡¯s time you return. I miss your voice.¡±

    However, I was afraid of that peace. The day for me to go to the underground prison to meet my mother was approaching. The closer that day came, the more fearful and anxious I became. It was scary to think that the peace and tranquility I felt right now would eventually be shattered. I would prefer the peace remain unbroken, but I was afraid that it would be shattered cruelly against my hopes.

    I called out Legba¡¯s name to momentarily forget such fears and anxieties. I figured talking to Legba might ease my mind a little.

    At that moment, I heard Legba¡¯s voice.

    [It''s been a while.]

    Surprised, I got up from the bed and said, "What? You really came back?"

    Legba said, [Sorry. The Loa had a secret meeting.]

    "..."

    I swallowed hard. I felt a hint of seriousness in Legba''s voice.

 Chapter 305

    <h4>Chapter 305</h4>

    "Meeting?" I repeated Legba''s words.

    He had mentioned that the Loa had a long meeting amongst themselves, which was why he hadn''t spoken to me for a while.

    Honestly, I didn''t quite understand. What exactly did the Loa have to discuss? Furthermore, should I, the Prophet, have participated as well in the meeting?

    I felt a little left out when I thought about it like that.

    [Yes, it was a meeting,] Legba said.

    For some reason, his usual t tone didn''t sit well with me.

    "I also want to participate in the meeting. I am the Prophet, after all."

    [It was a meeting you couldn¡¯t participate in.]

    "What kind of meeting was it that I couldn¡¯t be a part of?" I asked.

    Legba went silent for a moment. He then cleared his throat and said, [It was a meeting about the Prophet... In other words, a meeting regarding you.]

    ¡°...¡±

    [Not all the Loa are in agreement with you. Some are against you. More precisely, they are against some of the thoughts and beliefs you hold.]

    "What thoughts and beliefs are you referring to?"

    [Indeed. When faced with the choice between war and peace, didn¡¯t you choose peace?]

    I nodded and said, "That''s right."

    To be precise, I had not fully chosen peace yet. I simply hoped there would be no war and wanted to maintain a peaceful daily life if possible. The peace I was enjoying right now was not something that I had chosen to have. It was continuing by chance or luck, and I was just satisfied with it.

    [There are some Loa who are dissatisfied with that aspect.]

    "That''s ridiculous. So, are they saying that they want to break the peace we are enjoying at the moment and start a war?"

    [That''s not it. They seem to be worried that their usefulness will disappear. If we continue to submit to the Romanican Church and settle for peace, the decline of the Voodoo Cult is inevitable. They are wary that the value of the Loa will also decline along with the Voodoo Cult.]

    "The Voodoo Cult may decline, but it will not disappear. I have even decided on a sessor after all."

    I had chosen Soo-Yeong as my sessor. Granted, Soo-Yeongcked in many areas. She wasn''t better at handling Voodoo spells than me, and most importantly, she didn''t have the mental strength to withstand the constant voices of the Loa.

    But I wasn''t perfect from the beginning either. Even though she was an imperfect sessor, once she became the Cult Leader and the Prophet, Soo-Yeong would do well on her own.

    As I listened to Legba''s words, I could not understand the Loa''s ims against me.

    "Who is opposing me? Can you tell me their names?"

    [Well, there are several Loa. But it''s a bit tricky for me to mention their names directly. Each Loa has their own circumstances...]

    "It seems like Ogun is leading the opposing faction. Am I right?"

    Legba didn''t answer my question. I easily understood that the silence meant affirmation.

    It was indeed Ogun. He was the Loa of Iron, and also the Loa of War. Obviously, he would not be pleased with me, who was content with peace.

    "Ogun,e out and let''s talk face to face."

    Ogun responded aggressively to my call without any hesitation.

    [Yes, I am the one who led the opposing faction. What¡¯s wrong with that?]

    I sighed and said, "This is not a matter of right or wrong. What are you so dissatisfied with? Even without engaging in war, sacrifices will still be made in rituals, and in the process, you will still receive offerings. The need for Loa may decrease, but I will not neglect the Loa."

    [How can you not neglect us when our usefulness decreases? You have talent as a Prophet, and we need you. That''s why we respect you. But if you no longer need us, can you still respect us? Can you genuinely say that?]

    "So are you telling me to start a war right now?"

    [I''m not telling you to start a war. I¡¯m saying we shouldn¡¯t stand by and watch the Voodoo Cult decline while being under the Romanican Church.]

    "What are you going to do if I just stand by and watch? After all, there''s nothing you can do, right?" I said in frustration.

    The only way the Loa could exert their power was through me, the Prophet. That was why the Loa respected me as the Prophet, and I had to respect the Loa in return.

    Ogun remained silent for a moment. The silence was deep.

    Soon, Ogun answered me. His voice was sharp and menacing, like the sound of iron.

    [Some of the Loa, including me, will no longer lend you their power from now on.]

    "..."

    I was speechless and closed my mouth.

    Ogun continued, [Is the peace that you are enjoying right now true peace? It is not the peace that you, the leader of the Voodoo Cult, can enjoy, but a false peace, only avable to you as a student of Florence Academy, which is a false identity. It is a false peace obtained through falsehood.]

    "Is that wrong? To settle for a false peace."

    [It is wrong. You indulged in false peace, hesitated in fear of breaking that peace, and did not strive to obtain true peace. In other words, you abandoned your freedom and became a dog that settled for false peace.]

    "That¡¯s a ridiculous argument. What are the names of the Loa who agree with you? Even if it''s a pain, I won''t use the power of those Loa."

    [Me, Sobo, Dan Wedo, Bade...]

    There were quite a few. Including Ogun, there was the uncontroble trio and the names of other violent Loa who didn¡¯t really want peace. The names of the Loa came out of Ogun''s mouth one after the other.

    Surprisingly, more Loa sympathized with Ogun than I had thought, but I didn''t care. If the peace we had today continued, there would be no need to use their power in the future.

    At that moment, Bade interrupted Ogun and said, [Oh, I will continue to lend my power! It''s just that I agree with Ogun!]

    Subsequently, the other Loa chimed in.

    [I do not agree with Ogun. I think it¡¯s fine as it is right now. The Prophet should also be able to enjoy a normal life, shouldn¡¯t he?] Granbwa said.

    [I stood on Ogun''s side because Granbwa sided with the Prophet! It''s because I dislike Granbwa. Haha!] Sobo said.

    [Bossou respects the Prophet''s intentions. The truth is, Bossou wants to take a break these days. Bossou has been used too muchtely,] Bossou said.

    [I am also in a position where I respect your choice no matter what you choose,] Legba said.

    [Kid, I feel the same way. Your fear of shattering this peace is quite cute,] Damba said.

    Both Legba and Damba were slightly more neutral than the other Loa. They respected my choice of peace, but if I chose war, they would have also been fine with that. Their answers suited their personalities.

    I continued to hear the voices of the Loa. Marte, Dan Wedo, and the other Loa who usually didn¡¯t speak much were also swept up by the atmosphere and said their piece.

    [But Sobo, what do you mean when you said you dislike me?]

    [I mean it quite literally. Granbwa, you subtly criticize others while pretending to be kind! I never liked that about you from the beginning!]

    [I¡¯m fine... with whatever... but war...]

    [Bossou thinks Ogun is too stubborn! You are a Loa who does not respect the Prophet.]

    [No, Bossou, you are just too foolish and spineless. You just blindly follow whatever the Prophet says.]

    They argued among themselves and started to fight. Amidst the cacophony of voices from the Loa, I did not hear one voice.

    Baron Samedi.

    He remained silent, not getting involved in the fight between the Loa.

    At that moment, Baron Samedi''s voice overwhelmed all the other Loa.

    [It''s noisy. What a mess, what a mess.]

    Compared to the other Loa, Baron Samedi''s voice sounded particrly loud. It was because he was in front of me.

    He had entered the dormitory and was puffing out purple smoke while smoking a pipe. His glowing red eyes were visible beneath his tightly wrapped silk hat.

    Baron Samedi had been silent so far, so I was curious about his perspective.

    "Baron Samedi, what¡¯s your position?" I asked.

    Baron Samedi stopped smoking his cigar and smiled slyly.

    [You mean between peace and war, which do I prefer?] he said.

    "Yes," I said with a nod.

    Baron Samedi pressed his silk hat deeper and said, [You have never chosen peace. Nor have you ever chosen war. The current peace did note to you by your choice.]

    "..."

    Baron Samedi looked at me with narrowed eyes and said, [So, speaking my opinion right now is meaningless. When you finally choose of your own will, then you can hear my opinion.]

    [The day wille when you must make a choice.]

    ***

    The news of the Pope''s death, which had only been a rumor, had now be an official fact because Holy See issued a statement. The Pope of the Romanican Church had passed away due to illness, and a conve would soon take ce.

    Therefore, there was a nationwide event to mourn the death of the Pope. As a pdin of the Central Pdin Order, I had to participate in the event out of obligation. I monitored the gathered people to ensure they did not engage in any unexpected behavior for the memorial and also maintained order during the memorial service.

    There, I encountered Yu-Hyun. However, he seemed not to notice me.

    The memorial service for the Pope was extremely long, and I was very busy throughout that period. Since I was good at my job, I was almost always called upon, and there were days when I would go to work in the morning and not leave untilte at night.

    "It''s tough, right?"

    I asionally met Jin-Seo. She, too, was in charge of maintaining order at the memorial as a crusader of the Northern Crusader Order and was tasked with guarding against any potential demons and demonic beasts that might appear.

    She seemed to be in a simr situation as me, and it was good to have someone like that.

    "I can endure it," I answered.

    Even though I was so busy, it was peaceful for me. It wasn''t something I had to consciously endure, but something I could naturally endure. I could easily endure it, and I was even happy to endure it.

    Days like that continued. Even the remaining winter cold disappearedpletely, and it was finally a season where one could truly call it spring. The repercussions of the Pope''s death gradually faded, and people''s attention turned to the conve and the next Pope. Yu-Hyun''s name was frequently mentioned, and schrs and professors who appeared on debate programs often said that the possibility of Yu-Hyun bing the Pope was very high.

    After the official announcement of the Pope''s death, Yu-Hyun no longer appeared at Florence Academy. There were rumors that he took a leave of absence and that he dropped out altogether, but nothing was certain.

    Around that time, Sung Yu-Da called me to his researchb.

    "The time hase."

    As soon as I arrived at the researchb, Sung Yu-Da stood up abruptly from his seat and said, "X will be imprisoned in an underground dungeon. He will probably be captured within a month or two, and the conve will take ce around the same time."

    ¡°...¡±

    "There is no better opportunity than this. It''s as if the heavens are helping us," Sung Yu-Da said excitedly.

    I listened to him with an anxious heart.

    "Let''s get ready to rescue your mother, Lee Seh-Hwa."

 Chapter 306

    <h4>Chapter 306</h4>

    <i>"I can only use divine power and blessings. Does that mean I won¡¯t be of any help?" </i>

    <i>"No. That''s exactly where I need your help. In some ways, you might be more..." </i>

    Jin-Seo recalled the conversation she had unintentionally overheard at the sacred training ground.

    At first, Sun-Woo''s words upset her. It didn''t matter if it was Yoon-Ah or someone else. Just the fact that Sun-Woo said he needed someone else made her feel bad. However, upon returning home and thinking it over, she began to doubt another aspect. It was what Yoon-Ah had said.

    She had stated that she could use divine power and blessings and therefore it would be difficult for her to help.

    It was natural for a student of Florence Academy who was not a formal clergyman to only be able to use divine power and blessings. However, she couldn''t understand what she meant when she said that it would be difficult for her to be of help.

    Did it mean that she had to know how to use something more advanced than divine power and blessings to be able to help Sun-Woo? What exactly was more advanced than that?

    She was confused, so she began to wonder about Sun-Woo''s true identity again. She had been curious in the past as well, but she had set aside her curiosity because she had believed in Sun-Woo.

    "..."

    She thought about contacting Sun-Woo and meeting him, but then she decided against it. Meeting him didn''t seem like it would resolve her questions. Furthermore, she didn''t want to pry to hear his answers.

    She just had to wait until he told her everything. That was all Jin-Seo could do.

    He had promised to provide answers. He would definitely give an answer in the near future. Jin-Seo decided to just wait until then.

    ***

    Everything went ording to our n.

    X mobilized all his connections, including his family, to prove his innocence, but Sung Yu-Da secured numerous false evidence to send X to the underground prison.

    Simrly, X also created false evidence to prove his innocence. The trial continued with false evidence being used to prove that X was both guilty and innocent.

    Thanks to the false evidence he presented, X was able to prove his innocence in the embezzlement and corruption charges. However, he was unable to prove his innocence in the charges involving collusion with cultists and treason.

    The evidence that Sung Yu-Da had fabricated was more solid and powerful than X''s false evidence. The strength of our lies had led us to victory. No, could it really be called a victory?

    Anyway, X was going to be imprisoned in the underground prison. Not immediately, but in two weeks.

    We celebrated the victory and began nning to rescue my mother from the underground prison.

    "There will be a big protest before the conve. It''s a protest organized by the Romanican Church extremists, specifically the group that fanatically supported the deceased former Pope. I have set it up so that the protest will escte into a violent one."

    "How exactly did you do that? What exactly do you mean?"

    "We nted a few of our people in the group of protesters. We¡¯ll make the protesters attack the Romanican Church riot suppression troops first, thus aggravating the protests.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°When that happens, the riot suppression troops will request support from various organizations, including the Central Pdin Order. When everyone¡¯s attention is diverted toward that direction, that¡¯s when we strike,¡± Sung Yu-Da said.

    I began to wonder if perhaps the Holy War had also started in a simr way. The Holy War, which had resulted in numerous casualties, had actually begun from a protest by the Voodoo Church.

    Voodoo Church members had gathered to protest, and Romanican Church clergymen had died during that protest. As a result, the rtionship between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Church became irreparably strained.

    Perhaps back then, it was not a Voodoo Church member who had killed the Romanican Church clergymen...

    Sung Yu-Da looked at me while I was lost in my thoughts and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"

    I shook my head. Thinking about what had happened at that time would not be helpful. It was a waste of emotional and mental energy.

    "I had something to think about for a moment. Please continue. I''m listening," I said.

    Sung Yu-Da nodded and continued, "Furthermore, Lee Seh-Hwa is publicly presumed dead. Even if she disappears from the underground prison, they cannot publicly issue a search or arrest warrant."

    ¡°But it¡¯s not like they¡¯re not going to investigate at all, right?¡±

    "With the Pope dead and no sessor elected yet, the investigation will likely only involve a few clergymen. They won''t even bother with the underground prison issue due to the protests. If it''s really urgent, they might even consider hiring a mercenary corps, but that''s not really a problem to deal with..."

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll be able to handle the issues involving the clergymen. I''ll take care of any issues rting to any mercenary corps that get involved."

    Sung Yu-Da nodded and said, "Understood."

    Sung Yu-Da provided a more detailed exnation of our future ns. I already knew all the information, but it was reassuring to hear it again.

    I would wear a tracking device before entering the underground prison. Sung Yu-Da would use that tracking device to locate the underground prison and secretly approach the vicinity.

    Upon entering the underground prison, I would be apanied by a senior pdin from the Central Pdin Order, and I would use a spell to make him unconscious.

    Then, I would rescue my mother from the underground prison and deliver her to Sung Yu-Da, who would be waiting outside. Sung Yu-Da would give me a finely crafted doll that resembled a human, and I would ce the doll in the spot where my mother had been imprisoned.

    Although it was a bit of a stretch to hope that we would be able to deceive the guards and pdins from the Central Pdin Order with just a doll, it didn''t really matter. Our goal was not topletely deceive them. It was just to make them realize that my mother had disappearedter.

    "We will use Baal''s Maw in the delivery process," Sung Yu-Da said and then suddenly tilted his head. "However, there is a possibility that you may be restricted from bringing in any holy artifacts. It could lead to unnecessary suspicion if it is revealed that you have a holy artifact."

    "I will take care of that part. This is not the first time I¡¯ve done something like this."

    Sung Yu-Da nodded.,

    "I¡¯ll leave that to you then."

    "Then... I will see you in two weeks. Let''s pausemunication until then. There are rumors that the Holy See is conducting random wiretaps due to the death of the Pope and the uing conve. It''s just baseless rumors from conspiracy theorists, but it''s better to be cautious."

    "Understood. See you then."

    I left Sung Yu-Da''s researchb. Although it had been bright when I had entered, the sky was now dark. The clouds hung heavily, as if it were about to rain.

    I took a deep breath. I could smell the rain.

    Suddenly, Baron Samedi''s words came to mind.

    <i>''The day wille when you must make a choice.'' </i>

    What did that ominous statement mean? And what day would I make the choice? Was it two weekster, on the day that I would enter the underground prison? Or was it earlier than that? Or perhapster?

    It was impossible to know. I just felt a strange sense of unease as I returned to the dormitory.

    Not long after I washed up andy down on the bed, it began to rain.

    ***

    I worked at the Central Pdin Order as usual. Nothing special happened. I simply handled the misceneous tasks like normal. Ever since the announcement of the Pope¡¯s death, the frequency of demons and demonic beasts appearing had drastically decreased, so I didn¡¯t need to go out on missions. There was no need for Central to intervene, as the local Pdin Order or Crusader Order branches took care of things on their own.

    During lunchtime, the director of the Central Pdin Order called out to me.

    ¡°Pdin Sun-Woo. Let¡¯s talk for a bit,¡± he said.

    Normally, the director of the Central Pdin Order did not personally intervene in matters. No matter how urgent the matter was, he sat calmly in his seat and handled work at a leisurely pace.

    However, he always produced excellent results. Any difficult or urgent matter that passed through the director''s hands would be resolved instantly. So the fact that someone like him had directly called out to me, a mere junior pdin, was truly an exceptional urrence.

    The other pdins in the office looked back and forth between me and the director with tense expressions.

    A senior pdin I had be close with while working at the Central Pdin Order patted my shoulder.

    "I''ll go first. Do what you have to do."

    I nodded and said, "Yes, understood."

    I then followed the director into the interrogation room used for questioning criminals. The director personally pulled out a chair, and I sat down.

    The director sat across from me. I was sitting in the seat usually upied by the pdin who would interrogate the criminal, and the director was sitting in the seat where the used criminals would be interrogated.

    "First, I should apologize for bringing you to the interrogation room. But there''s really no other suitable ce to talk about things that others shouldn''t hear."

    I smiled politely and replied, "It''s okay."

    It really was alright.

    For a moment, the director had a vacant expression on his face as if lost in thought, but then suddenly turned his head toward me.

    "I was really surprised by the incident that urredst time. The director of the Northern Crusader Order... What was his name again? Anyway, I¡¯m talking about how you were able to catch that guy."

    "It was just luck."

    "No, it wasn''t just luck. In fact, everyone had a hunch. Anyone working in the Central Pdin Order would know that guy''s shady background," the director said.

    I simply nodded in response.

    "I¡¯m praising you for your initiative. It must not have been easy to take the lead. Moreover, it must have been even harder for you, a newly enlisted junior pdin."

    "I believe it was because I was a newly enlisted junior that I was able to be ignorant, and that''s why I was able to be brave."

    The director smiled at me and said, "You speak well."

    It was the first time I had seen the director smile since working at the Central Pdin Order. His smile was somewhat neutral.

    "Shall we get to the point now?"

    The director adjusted his seat and said, "Do you want to go into the underground prison and see the face of the director of the Northern Crusader Order yourself? If you do, please let me know when you would like to do it."

    "..."

    I was a little taken aback. I didn''t expect him to bring up the subject so suddenly. Of course, I had a prepared answer. I wanted to see the face of the Northern Crusader Order leader myself, and I wanted to do it on the date nned with Sung Yu-Da.

    However, if I answered right away, it might seem strange from the director''s perspective. The director was a suspicious person, so he might suspect something.

    I pretended to think for a moment before I said, "I heard that no one can enter the underground prison besides inquisitors."

    "ording to the rules, that''s true. However, ording to tradition, pdins affiliated with the Central Pdin Order are allowed to see the person they arrested personally. It''s to confirm what kind of punishment and treatment the arrested criminal is receiving."

    "I see."

    "If a pdin went through the trouble of arresting someone and they were just loungingfortably in prison, wouldn''t it be unpleasant and disappointing for the pdin?¡±

    I nodded. Everything was as Sung Yu-Da had said. The Central Pdin Order valued the rules, but there was something they valued even more than the rules: tradition.

    "I want to see him in person. I don¡¯t know the exact date yet, but I think it would be fine to see him around next week... No, maybe by Thursday."

    "If you visit the underground prison, you might see something more terrible than expected. Are you okay with that? Seeing the faces of the criminals you arrested might make you feel unnecessary sympathy or guilt."

    "They are criminals anyway. I don''t think I will feel any sympathy or guilt. No matter how terrible of a sight I see, I don''t think I will care much," I said calmly.

    But that was actually a lie. I was afraid of what I would see in the underground prison, but I had to act like it didn''t bother me at all.

    The director stared at me in silence for a while. He asionally tilted his head slightly and tapped his desk with his finger as if thinking about something.

    There was a long silence. I swallowed my saliva.

    The director broke the silence and said, "But there is one problem."

    He awkwardly chuckled and continued, "Did you know that the news of Pope''s death was revealed by ident? A clergyman from the Central Pdin Order leaked internal secrets."

    "Ah... I didn''t know."

    "Anyway, that''s why the Central Pdin Order is in a difficult situation in many ways. With the Ji Hye-Sung incidentst time, as the director, I can''t help but be cautious."

    I nodded as I listened. The sense of anxiety that had been faintly present was gradually growing stronger.

    "Normally, you can choose the pdin to apany you. But this time, it seems a bit difficult."

    "By that, you mean..."

    "This time, I might have to go with you myself," the director said.

    That was not part of the n.

 Chapter 307

    <h4>Chapter 307</h4>

    I informed Sung Yu-Da that the director of the Central Pdin Order was going to apany me to the underground prison.

    Since we had promised not to contact each other until the day we entered the underground prison, I had to visit Sung Yu-Da''s researchb unannounced. Fortunately, Sung Yu-Da was there. After listening to me, he briefly kept his mouth shut before nodding.

    "Having a different person apany you shouldn''t cause major disruptions to the n."

    "Is that so?"

    "However, we should be a bit more cautious. The director of the Central Pdin Order easily gets suspicious, so we need to be especially careful in various ways. Especially when bringing in holy artifacts or using Voodoo spells."

    I nodded. Just from a rough nce, I could tell that the director of the Central Pdin Order was not an ordinary person. The man was intimidating, maybe because he was usually quiet. Due to his reserved nature, he rarely showed his emotions, so often that I didn''t know what he was thinking.

    Just like Sung Yu-Da had said, I would have to be especially cautious against him.

    As I was leaving the researchb, Sung Yu-Da said, "My daughter is here. It would be best for you to leave carefully."

    I nodded. Fortunately, I didn''t run into Ha-Yeon on my way out of the researchb.

    After that, everything was as usual. I went to school and reported to the Central Pdin Order. I continued toplete menial tasks during work. However, the frequency of demons and demonic beasts'' appearances hadn¡¯t just decreased. In fact, they hadpletely stopped appearing altogether. For several days, demons and demonic beasts did not appear anywhere in the country.

    This was an unprecedented urrence, so many clergymen and schrs deemed it as a strange phenomenon. However, many people were happy, believing that the world had finally regained peace.

    There was an earthquake near the East Sea. Fortunately, thanks to the quick response of the Pdin Order in the area, the damage was not significant. Or was it really fortunate?

    ¡°...¡±

    Due to the absence of demons and demonic beasts, there wasn''t much work at the Pdin Order. I had a rtivelyrge amount of spare time.

    I caught up on the sleep that I had neglected and asionally met with my uncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna at the underground chapel. As always, in my spare time, I read books.

    While reading a book in my room, I felt a presence. I thought it was Ji-Ah, but it was Soo-Yeong. She half-opened the door and peeked at me through the crack.

    I closed the book I was reading and asked, "What are you doing?"

    Soo-Yeong cautiously opened the door, entered the room, and then slowly approached me. She then silently stared at me for a while. Her gaze shifted toward me, then moved to the book I was reading.

    "What book is that?"

    "History. Why? Do you want to read it?"

    "No, I don''t really like books. And that one is too thick."

    The book I was reading was so thick that it could be called a brick. I wasn''t reading it because I liked it. Whenever I read a thick book, I felt like I was doing something productive. I could convince myself that I was studying in my spare time, and not just idling away. That was the only way I could calm my anxiety and fall asleep.

    I had been feeling quite anxious recently. The reason... I knew the reason, but I wanted to pretend like I didn¡¯t know.

    "So why did youe?" I asked Soo-Yeong.

    She pursed her lips and fidgeted with her fingers as if she was anxious. It seemed like she had something to say.

    I waited quietly. She raised her head as if she had made up her mind, and looked straight at me.

    "Apparently, you¡¯re leaving soon."

    "Leaving where?" I asked, not understanding the question.

    Soo-Yeong was unusually low in spirits today. No, rather than being low in spirit, something seemed off. Whether it was because she was anxious or restless, she seemed very different from usual.

    Soo-Yeong shifted her gaze around as if contemting something before she said, "I heard that you were going to the underground prison... soon.¡±

    "Where did you hear that from?"

    Soo-Yeong turned her head toward the door for no reason and said, "From Executive Jin-Sung..."

    Uncle Jin-Sung said he had work to do and left the underground chapel with Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna. Therefore, the only ones in the underground chapel right now were me, Soo-Yeong, and Ji-Ah.

    I sighed and said, "I told him not to say anything...¡±

    I only told Uncle Jin-Sung about rescuing my mother from the underground prison with Sung Yu-Da¡¯s help because I thought he needed to know. However, I didn''t tell anyone else about it because I had considered the possibility of the n failing. I would probably feel greater despair if I failed after telling everyone about it.

    That was why I had specifically asked Uncle not to tell anyone else. I realized it once again, but Uncle really didn¡¯t like listening to me at all. Well, I guess there wasn¡¯t really a reason for him to listen to me.

    "H-he told me because I asked him to. Executive Jin-Sung wanted to keep it a secret until the end," Soo-Yeong exined with a face full of anxiety.

    "Why are you trying to cover for him? It doesn''t matter."

    It would be fine as long as the n didn''t fail. Why was I afraid before even taking action? I hadn''t even failed yet, but I was already anxious and scared as if failure was already predetermined.

    That was a foolish thing to do. An anxious and fearful mind would weaken my mental state and negatively impact my ns. I corrected my mindset from one that feared that the n would fail to one that believed that the n would seed.

    Soo-Yeong silently stared at me while standing in the room.

    "Is that why you came to talk?" I asked.

    She didn''t answer right away. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and stared at me intently. The silence lingered as I read the emotions in her eyes. I felt like I knew what she was going to say.

    "Are you also saving my brother?" Soo-Yeong said.

    Her older brother had been imprisoned in the underground prison for killing the leader of the Levi Order, who directed The Starless Night massacre eight years ago during the Holy War. I promised to rescue her older brother from the underground prison in front of her and her father, Ha Pan-Seok.

    Soo-Yeong stared at me intently, and I also looked at her. Soo-Yeong''s eyes were red and moist as if she was about to cry. I smiled at her.

    "That''s a given."

    "Yeah, I guess I said something obvious."

    "I will save whoever I can. It may not be many, but at least all the living ones..." I said.

    To be honest, I couldn''t be sure whether Ha Pan-Seok''s son, in other words, Soo-Yeong''s older brother, was alive. And I also couldn¡¯t be sure if my mother was still alive.

    I couldn''t be sure of anything, but I pretended to be confident. That way, Soo-Yeong''s mind and also my mind would be at ease. I unconsciously patted Soo-Yeong''s head and she grimaced.

    "What are you doing all of a sudden?"

    "It just feels like everything''s the same."

    Soo-Yeong raised her voice and expressed her displeasure. "What are you talking about? Ha-hands off! Ah, get your hand off!"

    I found it rather amusing, so I enthusiastically ruffled her hair. Her hair soon became a mess. Seeing her like that made me burst intoughter.

    "Are you crazy? What are you doing?!"

    "Yeah, I must be crazy."

    "Ugh! I will remember this day for the rest of my life!"

    "So what if you remember it?¡±

    I continued my exchange with Soo-Yeong for a moment.

    I keptughing, and Soo-Yeong ended upughing too. Ji-Ah nuna also watched us with a visible smile on her face.

    ***

    The director of the Central Pdin order sat next to me.

    He said, ¡°Kids these days are really big. Maybe it''s because they eat well."

    We were heading to an underground prison. We were traveling in a special Holy See vehicle, which looked like a trailer with a container attached to the back.

    Only the director and I were inside the container. It was enclosed on all sides, so we couldn''t see outside.

    Apparently, we had to move this way to prevent the location of the underground prison from being leaked. My phone was confiscated for the same reason, but surprisingly, my belongings were not thoroughly inspected.

    Thanks to that, I was able to carry the holy artifact I had prepared for the n. Furthermore, I had another cell phone for Voodoo Cult duties, so if I wanted to, I could easily locate the underground prison''s location.

    "They confiscated my cell phone, and I don''t even know where we¡¯re going. If we end up isted somewhere, it will be a big problem," the director said.

    "Yes, that would definitely be a problem."

    "Have you heard the rumor that there is a spy in the Romanican Church? If we catch the spy, I might use this method too," the director said.

    I didn''t respond. What exactly was the director trying to tell me? He smiled slyly at me and continued, "What if the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult is hiding in the Romanican Church?"

    "What?"

    "Just an example."

    I swallowed hard. My heart started beating a little faster.

    "If engaged in a full-on battle with the human who serves as the leader of the Voodoo Cult, the damage would be significant. I¡¯m not sure if we would be able to apprehend them safely or not, but using this method would allow us to arrest them securely."

    "..."

    The director rambled on. "For example, we could release sleeping gas in this container where we are. That way, we could easily subdue the Cult Leader. Oh, not just the Cult Leader, but also, say, a Satanist Executive. Of course, that would be possible too.¡±

    I couldn''t quite grasp what he was trying to tell me and simply listened without responding.

    "How about it? Feeling a bit drowsy?" the director said.

    I looked at the director. He still gazed at me with an expression that revealed nothing about his thoughts.

    In truth, I felt a bit drowsy from earlier. I simply attributed it to not getting enough sleep in the morning. But what if, what if this container was indeed being filled with sleeping gas? What if the head of the Central Pdin Order had already seen through my identity and was using this method to arrest me? I wondered what to do, but the possibility was too low.

    I smiled faintly and said, "If it¡¯s someone like the Cult Leader or a Satanist Executive, I don''t think we would be able to put him to sleep with just gas."

    ¡°Hmm... that¡¯s true. That¡¯s a sharp observation.¡±

    "Are you joking?"

    The director seemed to lose interest quickly. With an expressionless face, he said, "Half joking, half testing."

    The fact he was half joking and half testing meant it wasn''t just a joke. I knew he was easily suspicious, but he was even more suspicious than I initially thought.

    Once we entered the underground prison and started the n, I needed to be wary of this guy.

    "I¡¯m excited. How long has it been since Ist went to the underground prison? It feels like it¡¯s been a few months...¡± the director muttered beside me.

    I didn''t respond. Actually, I didn''t even react at all because I thought he might be testing me.

    The right move was to not react at all to words that were testing or doubting me.

    <i>Screech¡ª!</i>

    The car stopped. The pdin, or perhaps the person who looked like a pdin or a clergyman, sitting in the driver''s seat opened the door of the container.

    As soon as we got out of the car, the smell of the sea hit us. The waves crashed softly, and a salty breeze was in the air.

    The clergyman took us somewhere. The road was extremely rough, so much so that it would be practically impossible to find this ce unintentionally.

    The director stopped and looked up.

    "This ce is exactly as I remember it."

    I also looked up. There was a cave there. Beyond the darkness of the massive cave, something vague began to appear. Figuring out what was inside the cave was not difficult¡ªit was a massive iron gate.

    And beyond that iron gate, there was the underground prison.

 Chapter 308

    <h4>Chapter 308</h4>

    The clergyman guiding us pulled a series of levers hidden in the corner of the door. There were five levers in total, and all five had to be pulled in the correct order for the door to open. Just in case, I memorized the order in which to pull the levers.

    At that moment, the director next to me asked, "Why? Coming back again?"

    I was surprised, but I didn''t show it outwardly. I looked at the director. He had a kind yet somewhat unsettling smile on his face as he stared at me intently.

    "Even if you remember, it''s meaningless. The order in which you have to pull the levers changes every day. That''s why no one can enter recklessly," he said.

    "Ah... I was just looking because it was fascinating," I exined.

    The director nodded as if it was no big deal.

    "Is that so? Alright then."

    Soon after, the door opened. It was dark inside, but the clergyman guiding us turned on a shlight to illuminate the darkness. Then he led us deep into the cave.

    A strange smell lingered in the air as we walked. It was the unique damp and cool smell of a cave, apanied by a sour and foul odor that emanated from within.

    Obviously, it was not the smell of rotting flesh. The odor was very faint, but it permeated the entire cave. It seemed to be a scent that in the cave for a very long time.

    At that moment, the clergyman guiding us said, "It will be difficult for me to guide you from here on out."

    The director raised his eyebrows. "Are we supposed to just go by ourselves? I can''t even see anything ahead."

    "I will give you a shlight. If you keep going straight, you wille across a door. Just open it and go in, there will be another clergyman inside."

    Several clergymen managed the underground prison. Apparently, for security reasons, different people were assigned tasks that could have been done by one person.

    If one person managed the underground prison, they would be too reliant on that one person for the security of the underground prison. In the end, the clergyman left, and only the director and I entered.

    This was good for me.

    The director illuminated the darkness with a shlight and confidently moved forward, and I followed behind.

    "Is this it?"

    A wall appeared in front of us. No, what we initially thought was a wall turned out to be a huge door. We could tell because there was a door handle attached. The director tried pulling and pushing the door loop, but the door wouldn''t budge. It was stuck firmly in ce as if it was a wall.

    "Hmm. Do we need a key to open it?" the director muttered.

    "May I give it a try?"

    "Oh, sure. Maybe I didn''t exert enough strength."

    The director graciously stepped aside and shone the shlight toward the door handle. I grabbed the door handle and pulled with all my might.

    The door shifted a little, but it didn''t open. Icked the strength to open it, so I decided to use the Blessing of Superhuman Strength. It had been a while since I had used a blessing instead of Bossou''s power.

    <i>Creak... </i>

    The door opened only when I used the blessing. Light poured out from the open door. The brightness was blinding, making me furrow my eyebrows involuntarily. I forced my eyes open and stared beyond the door.

    The sight was somewhat familiar. Paintings and statues hung on the walls, and the lighting had a slight yellow tint.

    "..."

    Beyond that door was a ce that was no different from a regr cathedral or a Pdin Order office. It was decorated in the style of a Romanican Church style, so to speak.

    I had expected the underground dungeon to be a dreadful ce, but it wasn''t. As the clergyman who guided us earlier had mentioned, there was indeed another clergyman inside.

    The clergyman looked at us and quickly stood up from his seat. "Wee. Are you from the Central Pdin Order?"

    "Why are you asking? Don''t recognize my face?" the director questioned.

    "Ah... I asked as a formality. Pleasee in."

    All the clergymen in the underground prison seemed to be affiliated with the Central Pdin Order. They even wore the distinctive attire of pdins affiliated with the Central Pdin Order. The director treated them casually, and the pdins treated the director formally.

    Apanying the director was a significant variable, but it could also be a good thing to consider. As long as I was with the director, I would not face any suspicion from the clergymen working in the underground prison.

    They did not question or doubt me since I was apanying the director. Therefore, if I sessfully subdued the director, the n could proceed smoothly.

    The director remarked, "It seems cleaner thanst time. Looks like there was a repaint... Did you perhaps do some repair work?"

    "Um, because of the rules, it¡¯s difficult for me to say," the clergyman replied.

    "I know, I know. I was just talking to myself," the director said as he gestured to the clergyman as if asking for something.

    The clergyman took out two gas masks and handed them to the director.

    The director handed me an anti-Voodoo mask. "Shall we go in?"

    The mask was Sung Yu-Da¡¯s invention. The director immediately put on the anti-Voodoo mask, but I just held onto mine. It was not the right time for me to wear it yet.

    I watched the clergyman and the director and waited for their gazes to shift elsewhere.

    Unlike when he was in the Central Pdin Order, the director showed a very cheerful demeanor upon entering the underground prison. He joked around with the clergyman and sometimes muttered to himself in a louder tone. It was like watching a child at an amusement park.

    The director excitedly chatted with the clergyman in the underground prison, allowing me to briefly escape their attention. In that brief moment, I made some adjustments to the anti-Voodoo mask.

    The director finished his conversation and looked at me and the gas mask in my hand.

    "What''s wrong? Why haven''t you worn it yet?"

    I awkwardly smiled and said, "I have a big head... so the size doesn''t fit. Can you change it for me?"

    "Is your head really that big that the gas mask doesn''t fit? It doesn''t seem like it."

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it, but a lot of my head is hidden under my hair...¡±

    "Is that so? Let''s swap then."

    The director took off his gas mask and handed it to me, and I also handed him the gas mask I was holding. We each wore each other¡¯s gas masks.

    I watched as the director put on the gas mask. Engraved on the gas mask he had just put on was a spell. I had engraved it when the clergyman''s and the director''s gazes were directed elsewhere. The mask couldn¡¯t block a spell if it was activated beneath the mask.

    "Let''s go into the real underground prison now.¡±

    I tilted my head and asked, "Isn¡¯t this already the underground prison?"

    "This isn''t underground."

    "..."

    Indeed, the ce we were in was too well-equipped to be called a prison.

    "The prison is below. It¡¯s underground... <i>deep underground</i>," the director exined, emphasizing thest two words before taking off again.

    He continued walking until he stopped in front of a very small door.

    <i>Creak. </i>

    The director opened the door, revealing a space filled with pitch darkness. I furrowed my brows and peered intently into the darkness.

    There were stairs leading down from the door. The director started to descend the stairs, and I followed behind.

    <i>Tap, tap.</i>

    The director''s footsteps echoed loudly with each step down the stairs because of his boots. The noise sounded sinister.

    We continued down the stairs without any conversation. I couldn''t tell how far down we were going. I heard each of the director''s footsteps down the stairs, and at the same time, a particr stench grew stronger.

    It was the sour and pungent scent of decaying bodies that I had smelled previously.

    The director stopped walking. He stood in front of a door and opened it without hesitation. Instantly, the faint smell intensified to the point of making my nose numb.

    "Come in. Make sure you keep your gas mask on," the director said as he entered the underground prison.

    I nodded and followed him into the underground prison. It was hot down there. I wondered if it was because of geothermal heat. If that was the case, how far down had we actually descended underground?

    I looked around. At first, it was too dark to see clearly. But my eyes soon adjusted to the darkness, and the structure of the underground prison became visible.

    I initially thought that it was too dark to see clearly, but that wasn''t the case. The walls, bars, and everything else in the underground prison were painted in a dark shade. Thus, distinguishing between right and left was difficult, and even more so between front and back.

    The faces of the prisoners were vaguely visible through the bars. However, the underground prison was not well-lit enough to see their faces clearly, their faces all severely disfigured.

    It was impossible to tell who was who. Based on their groans, I could barely guess whether they were women or men.

    The director remarked, "You seem calmer than I thought. Neers usually vomit, cry, and cause a scene here. Do you have a strong stomach?"

    "Yes, I do."

    "That''s fortunate. Pdins need to have a strong stomach, especially those from the Central Pdin Order,¡± the directormented as he walked forward.

    I followed him. As I looked around, I tried to capture the faces of the prisoners vaguely visible through the bars.

    The director kept the conversation going. "The director of the Northern Crusader Order, whom you arrested, is in a corner. He says hemitted embezzlement and corruption but ims he had no involvement in collusion with cultists and treason."

    "Is that so?"

    "Isn''t that funny? They acquitted him of embezzlement and corruption charges. On the contrary, only the charges involving collusion with cultists were acknowledged," the director said as heughed.

    He didn¡¯t justugh slightly. Heughed so much that his entire body convulsed.

    What was so funny? I didn''tugh¡ªI couldn''t. I just felt ufortable.

    The director was respected because he was known in the Central Pdin Order as more rational and calm than anyone else. However, as soon as he entered the underground prison, he showed a bright and light-hearted demeanor, as if he had regressed to a childlike state.

    The director I¡¯d seen in the Central Pdin Order and the director before me in the underground prison seemed likepletely different people. The difference felt extremely eerie.

    "Not finding it funny?" the director asked.

    "I find it funny."

    "Is that right? Your expression is hard to read. Maybe it''s because it''s dark here."

    The director kept walking, and I followed. The unbearable stench that had permeated the prison gradually faded. The moans of the prisoners, who were so feeble that they could barely even scream, also became faint.

    I gradually became desensitized to the various horrors in the prison. Perhaps my nose, ears, and mind had all gone numb. I could no longer smell the stench, hear the moans, or feel anything going on around me.

    Then, I suddenly stopped walking and stood in front of a room in the underground prison.

    The room was surrounded by shoddy iron bars on all sides. Amid the chains and torture tools beyond the bars, there was something that caught my eye.

    "What is it?" the director asked.

    I did not answer. I just fixed my gaze on the faint figure beyond the bars.

    I couldn''t breathe. I swallowed my saliva. The sensation of saliva passing through my throat was rough. My heart skipped a beat. My hands and feet grew cold. In contrast, my face and head grew hot.

    "Ah, this is where we torture¡ª"

    <i>Crack! </i>

    I smashed the director''s gas mask with my fist. Purple fog filled the director''s gas mask, and he soon lost consciousness.

    "Mother."

    My mother stood behind the bars.

 Chapter 309

    <h4>Chapter 309</h4>

    "It¡¯s coffee."

    Ji-Ah brought out coffee for Jin-Sung, who had just finished work outside and returned to the underground chapel. He epted the coffee she handed to him.

    "Thank you," Jin-Sung said to Ji-Ah as he took a sip.

    The coffee was just the right temperature.

    Sitting in front of Jin-Sung was Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna. Anna was sitting cross-legged and staring nkly at Jin-Sung''s face.

    Jin-Sung habitually checked the charts on his phone and then nced at Anna.

    He asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

    "Oh, it''s nothing."

    "Is it because I¡¯m good-looking?" Jin-Sung joked with a smile.

    Anna raised the corner of her mouth and nodded. "You''re decent-looking. At the very least, you¡¯re not ugly."

    Jin-Sung chuckled and replied, "You have a good eye."

    The two of them went out because of the Voodoo Cult members'' identities. The executives of Voodoo Cult had to frequentlyunder their identities because if they didn¡¯t, the Holy See would be able to easily catch them through an investigation.

    Thanks to spending her life running away from the Holy See, Anna had her own tricks for identity forgery. Thus, Anna also went with Jin-Sung to offer her help.

    Whileundering the identities of the Voodoo Cult members, Jin-Sung and Anna also created another forged identity: Lee Seol. She was a character set up as a retired, recuperating Romanican Church clergyman.

    She was not a real person; she existed only as a fake identity, kind of like a ghost of sorts.

    "When is Sun-Wooing back? Did he say he won¡¯t be able to contact us?¡± Anna asked.

    If Sun-Woo had entered the underground prison and sessfully rescued Lee Seh-Hwa, then Lee Seh-Hwa would start a new life under the name Lee Seol. Jin-Sung and Anna created a forged identity to prepare for Lee Seh-Hwa¡¯s rescue.

    Jin-Sung did not respond to Anna''s question. He simply stared nkly somewhere with unfocused eyes.

    He raised his coffee cup and took another sip.

    "Sun-Woo told me not to contact him. Just in case."

    "But it¡¯d be nice if he had at least told us when he would be back."

    "He has always been independent. That''s just his nature. You don''t have to worry about it," Jin-Sung said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    Then the desk shook slightly. Anna felt something was off and looked at Jin-Sung.

    Jin-Sung had been sitting calmly and pretending like nothing was wrong, but he was shaking like crazy.

    Anna let out augh. "You act all tough but look at you shaking like a leaf. Are you a jackhammer?"

    "Shaking my leg has been a habit of mine since a long time ago."

    "Nonsense. This is the first time I''ve seen you shake like this."

    "..."

    Jin-Sung remained silent, but he stopped shaking his leg.

    Anna smiled and looked at Jin-Sung as if he was cute.

    Feeling ufortable with her gaze on him, Jin-Sung turned his head away. Anna chuckled.

    Ji-Ah watched the secret exchange of nces between the two.

    "Should I leave?" Ji-Ah asked.

    Anna had her gaze fixed on Jin-Sung, but she quickly shook her head.

    "Oh, no! Why leave, Ji-Ah? Don''t just stand there. Sit down. It must be tiring."

    "I''m morefortable standing."

    "Just sit, Ji-Ah. I feel ufortable if you¡¯re standing," Jin-Sung insisted.

    Ji-Ah finally sat down. The three of them gathered around the center table and sat down.

    Silence filled the air. Both Jin-Sung and Ji-Ah did not find the silence ufortable. To them, silence was natural.

    However, Anna had only recently started living in the underground chapel, so the silence was very ufortable.

    "What should we do when Sun-Wooes?" Anna asked.

    Jin-Sung remained silent. Instead of answering, he just stared off into the distance, lost in thought.

    After a while, Jin-Sung slowly nodded his head and said, "When Sun-Wooes back, he will also bring Seh-Hwa with him..."

    Anna nodded. "That''s right. It''s not just Sun-Woo who wille back after all..."

    Jin-Sung continued to gaze into the empty space, pondering. "What should we do when shees back? I''ve never thought about that problem before."

    Anna listened quietly and said, "Yeah."

    Jin-Sung''s eyes, which had been vacant, briefly lit up. He raised his head to look at Anna. His eyes sparkled innocently like a child''s.

    "Should we have a bted birthday party that we haven''t been able to do for the past eight years?"

    "That''s not a bad idea. Has Sun-Woo''s birthday already passed?" Anna asked.

    Jin-Sung nodded. "It passed. We had a partyst time. He pretended not to like it, but he actually enjoyed it a lot."

    "Must be nice. I would have enjoyed it too. When is Ji-Ah''s birthday?"

    "I don''t know, I grew up in an orphanage," Ji-Ah replied curtly to Anna''s question.

    Anna berated herself and awkwardly closed her mouth.

    Jin-Sung burst intoughter. "Ji-Ah is just kidding. She also has a birthday. Just because she grew up in an orphanage doesn''t mean she doesn''t have a birthday. Ji-Ah is a special case."

    "Oh..."

    "Yes, it was a joke. Actually, my birthday ising up soon too," Ji-Ah said, smiling slyly at Anna.

    Anna red at Ji-Ah with a betrayed look on her face. "You! Don''t y such jokes! You scared me!"

    "I''m sorry," Ji-Ah apologized with a smile.

    Jin-Sungughed at the two of them. Then he remembered what they had been talking about before.

    He suggested, "Should we go buy a cake now? We don''t know when Sun-Woo wille, but he coulde today. Oh yeah, where is Soo-Yeong?"

    Ji-Ah replied, "She is sleeping. Should I wake her up?"

    Jin-Sung waved his hand. "No, no. Just let her sleep."

    At that moment, Anna snapped out of her thoughts and said, "But how many candles do we need to buy? Won¡¯t it be nice to buy an amount that matches her age?"

    "Ah..."

    Jin-Sung closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. He tilted his head to the side and stared nkly into space with a vacant look in his eyes. He raised his hand and folded his fingers one by one.

    Stumped, Jin-Sung furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "How old is my sister this year?"

    <i> </i> *

    "Mother... No, Mom? Uh, what, what should I call her? What did I call her..."

    My mother was in front of me, and I was trying to figure out what to call her.

    ''<i>Do I call her Mother? Or do I call her Mom? I think I called her Mom when I was young, but I feel like I called her ''Mother'' at some point.</i>

    ''<i>No, what I called her when I was young isn''t important. What should I call her now?''</i>

    ¡°Mother, I¡¯m here.¡±

    I had grown up during the eight years when my mother was not with me. At least, I had grown a lot physically.

    Therefore, I decided to call her ¡®Mother.¡¯

    I had grown up... I had grown enough to finallye and save her. I called out to my mother, but she didn¡¯t respond. My mother seemed very weak and frail, and shecked strength.

    I grabbed my mother''s arm. Her arm felt thin and frail, like a dry twig. Some skin peeled off her arm.

    "Oh, I can... I can heal you. Just wait a little."

    I used a restoration spell¡ªa superior restoration spell. The mist flowing from the spell array spread out densely.

    "I... I was so tired. Really, just a bit. But I think I can endure it now."

    The mist flowing from the spell array wandered off and just spread in all directions. The thick fogy on the ground.

    "The Loa really listen to me now. But sometimes, there are those who don''t listen, and every time, I can¡¯t help but think that you were amazing. How did you control all these troublemakers?" I said with a smile. "It hurts a little less now, right?"

    I gently touched the exposed skin on my mother''s arm. It was sticky.

    "I... I..."

    I had a lot to say.

    I wanted to tell her that I knew how to cook alone. Even though my tongue could no longer taste anything, I could still make delicious food. I took care of my meals and exercised regrly to maintain my health.

    When I was young, I hated reading books so much that I even whined to my mother a few times. But now, I actively sought out books to read. I studied diligently and had many friends. Unbeknownst to me, I had be quite famous at school. I handled Voodoo spells well enough now to heal my mother''s wounds.

    I grew up and became strong enough to meet my mother who was trapped in the underground prison and save her. I once lived like a mental health patient with nothing to rely on, but I''ve since be someone others could rely on.

    <i>¡®And, and... So, you know, I was still... I was still...¡¯</i>

    "It¡¯s just... You don''t have to worry about me anymore."

    I swallowed all those words because I knew they were meaningless.

    "You can sleep now."

    The stench that wafted from the underground prison wasing from my mother. She was sleeping... with her eyes open.

    She probably could not sleep deeply like that. I gently closed my mother''s eyes. Finally, she seemed to sleep a little morefortably.

    "Mom."

    I embraced my mother leaning against the wall, and I cried in her arms. My mother''s embrace was cold.

    I called upon Marte''s mes, which enveloped my mother and me. Finally, my mother''s embrace warmed up, and I continued to cry in her arms.

    The heat of the mes evaporated my tears. I felt warmth. However, the warmth I felt was not from my mother''s embrace but from Marte''s mes.

    My mother was dead, and I knew that as a fact. I had no doubt about it¡ªshe was dead.

    I had imagined my mother''s death several times before so that I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed even if she died. So, I thought I would be okay even if I found that my mother had died in the underground prison. I thought I would be able to live on.

    I firmly believed that I would still be alright and that I would be able to continue living.

    However, I had been deceiving myself the entire time. The belief that I would be fine despite my mother dying had been wrong. After all, it was a belief riddled with lies.

    "Mom, Mom..."

    I cried as I endlessly called for my mother, hoping that I would somehow be able to deliver the words that I hadn''t been able to deliver to my mother by shedding tears.

    At some point, the tears stopped, and Marte¡¯s mes went out. I remained in that spot without shedding or burning anything.

 Chapter 310

    <h4>Chapter 310</h4>

    The director woke up.

    "..."

    As soon as he regained his senses, he looked around anxiously. Since there was no clock in the underground prison, he couldn''t tell how much time had passed.

    His head hurt, and the memories he had before losing consciousness were hazy. The director kept looking around in the dark, desperately searching for Sun-Woo.

    While worrying about Sun-Woo, the director was also suspicious. Since he had lost consciousness, he naturally assumed that Sun-Woo had also lost consciousness. Therefore, he was concerned that Sun-Woo''s life could be in danger if he were not found quickly. However, if he was the only one who had lost consciousness, Sun-Woo might be the culprit.

    After searching for Sun-Woo for a while, the director finally found him. Just like the director, Sun-Woo was also knocked out. Sun-Woo hadn¡¯t been far away, but right next to the director with his anti-Voodoo mask broken.

    The director tapped Sun-Woo''s shoulder to wake him up. "Pdin Sun-Woo! Sun-Woo!"

    Such incidents asionally urred in the underground prison, which was buried deep underground. The security system was strengthened yearly to prevent prisoners from escaping, but no additions were made to improve the guards¡¯ working conditions. Therefore, the guards had to manage the prisoners while enduring high temperatures, making it feel like their bones were melting along with the low oxygen level. Many guards fainted, not able to withstand the conditions.

    However, that only applied to rookies unfamiliar with the underground prison''s conditions, and it was strange for a director to lose consciousness. The director left the unconscious Sun-Woo and looked around.

    Suddenly, a strange voice came from somewhere.

    "Thank you! See you again!"

    The director followed the origin of that faint voice. He knew the source of the voice. Those imprisoned in the underground prison had to endure brutal torture. After being tortured, they would often be driven to madness to the point where they couldn¡¯t speak properly. However, there was one crazy bastard who wouldn¡¯t shut up even after enduring severe torture.

    He was the most heinous criminal imprisoned in the underground prison. He hadn¡¯t been charged with conspiracy or treason¡ªhe was simply the embodiment of evil. Not only did he conspire tomit treason, but he also caused great chaos in society by inciting rebellion.

    "Thank you! See you again! Thank you! See you again!"

    "..."

    Jun-Hyuk. He was the Satanist Executive of Envy and Arrogance. Only his head remained, yet he was still alive. Not only was he alive, but he would casually joke with the guards and sometimes even attempt to escape by using ck magic to put the guards to sleep.

    "Thank you! See you again!"

    "I wish he would keep his mouth shut."

    "Thank you!"

    The guards, inquisitors, and torture technicians would gouge out Jun-Hyuk¡¯s eyeballs, cut off his tongue, and even tamper with his brain. Each time, Jun-Hyuk''s body would regenerate with grotesque tentacles. Fire, electricity, holy water, silver bullets¡ªthey tried every torture method avable but ultimately failed to shut Jun-Hyuk up.

    "..."

    The director spected that he and Sun-Woo had lost consciousness because of Jun-Hyuk. The director knew that Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk were friends when they were at Florence Academy. However, Sun-Woo would have been under the impression that Jun-Hyuk had simply gone missing and would not have known that Jun-Hyuk was the mastermind behind the terrorist attack. In other words, Jun-Hyuk had used ck magic to let his friend Sun-Woo know he was still alive.

    The director heard a voice behind him.

    "Director?"

    The director turned his head. Sun-Woo was now awake. Seeing how he had his eyes barely opened, he seemed to have yet to regain his senses. Or maybe it was because his eyes were swollen? Whatever it was, Sun-Woo did not seem to be fully conscious.

    It was rather fortunate. Nothing good woulde of Sun-Woo finding out that Jun-Hyuk was alive, that he was a Satanist, and that he was imprisoned in an underground prison. Taking advantage of Sun-Woo''s groggy state, the director quickly took him elsewhere.

    "Did you lose consciousness?" the director casually asked Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo nodded reluctantly. "I think so. I''m sorry, this has never happened before..."

    "No, many guards lose their consciousness in the underground prison. It''s generally hot here, and sometimes the prisoners cast Voodoo spells or use ck magic. It is a ce for imprisoned cultists, after all."

    Sun-Woo nodded as if he vaguely understood. "Ah..."

    "Let''s continue on our way. You might copse again if you stay here too long."

    The director took Sun-Woo to former director of the Northern Crusader Order¡¯s cell.

    The former director¡¯s appearance was gruesome. His face was swollen, making it difficult to distinguish his features and all his fingernails had been pulled out. His naked body was covered in dried blood, and his shallow breath seemed like it could stop at any moment.

    Rather than observing the reaction of the director of the Northern Crusader Order, the director of the Central Pdin Order scrutinized Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo grimaced upon noticing the director of the Northern Crusader Order¡¯s director. Seeing the brutal treatment of the director of the Northern Crusader Order seemed to upset Sun-Woo¡¯s stomach.

    The director smiled and lightly patted Sun-Woo''s shoulder.

    "The underground prison tortures prisoners as needed. Of course, this is a top-secret matter that should never be revealed to the outside world."

    "..."

    "Because he hasn¡¯t been here for long, he¡¯s one of the inmates with the best condition among all the prisoners here," the director said.

    Sun-Woo continued to stare at the director of the Northern Crusader Order. After enduring long torture, the Northern Crusader Order¡¯s director was mentally and physically weakened. He was unable to lift his head, and the only thing he could do was tremble and drool. He couldn''t even speak properly.

    "I''m sorry, I don''t know anything," he repeatedly muttered in a barely audible voice.

    "Do you think it''s inhumane?" the director asked.

    Sun-Woo looked at the Northern Crusader Order leader. Then he smirked and shook his head. "No."

    "Then?"

    "They are not human. So treating them as humans would be unfitting, no?" Sun-Woo replied.

    The director nodded in response.

    "I guess you could think about it that way. But why were you surprised earlier?"

    Sun-Woo was surprised when he first saw the Northern Crusader Order leader. He was kind of humane, and he thought it was fine to treat inhumane people inhumanely.

    Sun-Woo did not answer the director''s question immediately. Instead, he gritted his teeth. He twitched, and his jaw muscles tensed visibly. Sun-Woo opened his mouth, staring at the Northern Crusader Order director as if he wanted to kill him.

    "It¡¯s because he¡¯s in a better condition than I expected."

    "..."

    Sun-Woo''s eyes were filled with rage as he said, "I think bastards like him should die. No, they <i>must</i>."

    Not an inkling of mercy, fear, or guilt was present in Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes.

    The director nodded in satisfaction. "You''re right."

    And that concluded their meeting with the director of the Northern Crusader Order in the underground prison.

    They then left the underground prison.

    "Thank you! See you again! Thank you! See you again!" Jun-Hyuk''s voice bounced off the walls of the underground prison.

    <i> </i> *

    After Sun-Woo left, the director returned to the underground prison to check if any inmates had escaped while he and Sun-Woo were unconscious. The director walked around the underground prison, apanied by another clergyman. The stench still lingered in the underground prison, and the feeble moans of the inmates echoed.

    "Thank you! See you again!" Jun-Hyuk eximed.

    The director searched every corner of the underground prison. However, none of the inmates had escaped. Everyone was where they should be. Some inmates seemed to have sumbed to torture and the harsh conditions of the underground prison, but that was not the director''s concern.

    After confirming everything was in order, the director emerged from the underground prison and had a brief conversation with the clergyman who apanied him.

    The clergyman asked the director, "How was the meeting? A youngd like him must have been quite shocked.¡±

    The ''youngd¡¯ the clergyman was referring to was Sun-Woo.

    The director shook his head. "Shocked? He was unfazed. Besides, he seemed to be very well-educated. Are all kids like that these days?"

    "Isn''t thatd an anomaly? When I was his age, I couldn''t even catch bugs, let alone demons.¡±

    "Really? Well, he is a bit peculiar indeed," the director agreed with a nod.

    ***

    Jin-Sung, Ji-Ah, and Anna left Soo-Yeong to sleep in the underground chapel and went grocery shopping outside. They bought a lot to prepare Sun-Woo''s return to the underground chapel: food ingredients, necessary supplies, and even a cake.

    Sun-Woo was already there when the three returned to the underground chapel with their hands full of shopping baskets. Soo-Yeong was awake, too. Arge many on the floor of the underground chapel, and Soo-Yeong held onto him, tears streaming down her face.

    Sun-Woo gestured to the man lying on the floor. "He''ll be awake soon.¡±

    Soo-Yeong nodded tearfully.

    Jin-Sung, Ji-Ah, and Anna approached Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo looked at their faces one by one. Jin-Sung stared at Sun-Woo''s face intently. Sun-Woo''s face had no trace of a smile.

    "Where is your mother?" Jin-Sung asked.

    It was a pointless question. Jin-Sung looked at Sun-Woo''s expression and already understood what had happened. Yet, he had asked. He had to ask.

    "She''s dead," Sun-Woo said calmly, his face still expressionless.

    "She was already dead," Sun-Woo repeated calmly.

    Anna dropped the basket she was holding and burst into silent tears. Ji-Ah stared at Sun-Woo expressionlessly, then quietly dropped her gaze to the floor. Jin-Sung gritted his teeth. The blood vessels in his eyes bulged, and his neck tensed.

    "I¡¯m going to rest," Sun-Woo said, entering his room.

    That day, the underground chapel was filled with the cries of Anna and Soo-Yeong and Jin-Sung¡¯s wails.

    Ji-Ah looked at Jin-Sung, who had lost hisposure to grief. He had to vent his anger somehow, even if it meant causing a scene. All he could do was thrash about to relieve his anger.

    Ji-Ah looked at Anna and Soo-Yeong. The two did nothing but cry, and did so in muffled sobs.

    Finally, Ji-Ah looked at Sun-Woo''s tightly closed door. No sound came from inside.

 Chapter 311

    <h4>Chapter 311</h4>

    I had put Soo-Yeong''s older brother into Baal''s Maw before leaving the underground prison, switching his original ce with a doll from Sung Yu-Da. At first nce, it was impossible to distinguish the doll from a real person.

    I left my mother''s body there and attached a GPS. Thanks to the GPS attached to her body, Sung Yu-Da wouldter be able to locate the body in the underground prison. I could go back to the underground prison where my mother''s body was. One day, I¡¯d make my way back down there.

    On the first day back, I did nothing. I just rested. Since I always spent my time doing something, I found it difficult to do nothing.

    I tried to do something, anything. What could I do?

    My mother had died in the underground prison, and I hadn''t been able to do anything. I hadn¡¯t been able to save my mother, nor mourn in front of her dead body. As the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult hiding within the Romanican Church, I could not even feely express my own emotions.

    Although I might appearpetent and free to the Romanicans, it was all a lie, a mere illusion of a free soul.

    [Have you made your decision?]

    Baron Samedi came. He was smoking a cigar, fogging up the room with thick smoke. Perhaps it was due to his deep-set silk hat resting deep on his head, but his red eyes were not visible.

    Had I made a decision? Upon listening to his question, I recalled what he had said, how a day woulde when I must choose.

    "A <i>decision</i>."

    [Yes, a choice.]

    "Do I have one?"

    [You do. For now,] Baron Samedi said calmly.

    I hated seeing him so calm.

    I got up from my seat and approached Baron Samedi. I shoved my face into his silk hat. His hidden red eyes appeared and gazed fiercely back at me, but I was not afraid.

    "Why are you here? Are you here to imnt meaningless anxiousness within me with riddles I won''t understand?"

    [Don''t direct your anger toward me.]

    "Then who should I be angry with?"

    I stared through his red gaze, visible under the silk hat. Baron Samedi exhaled smoke onto my face.

    I didn''t close my eyes¡ªit wouldn''t hurt anyway. Baron Samedi took a step back and distanced himself from me. I red at his faintly glowing red eyes.

    "You could have saved my mom."

    [That wasn¡¯t possible.]

    "Why? If you''re going to talk about some shit causation rule or whatever, I''ll smash that skull of yours right now."

    [...]

    "Honestly, you could have saved her. No, even now. Maybe you could revive her..."

    I stopped talking. As the Prophet, I knew Baron Samedi couldn¡¯t return the dead. Even so, I hoped he could save my mother. I wished for her toe back to life through a miracle, coincidence, fate, luck, anything. I wished for it, even though I knew it was impossible.

    [There was a way to save her. But she gave it up herself.]

    "..."

    [All to save you.]

    After the Holy War ended and my father and mother disappeared, I fell ill. I was supposed to die back then. My mother saved me by paying the price with the Contract of the Dead and sent all the Loa to me. It kept me alive and the reason my mother was dead. That was also why the Crossroads felt so familiar to me. I had been there when I went to the Crossroads for the Contract of the Dead.

    One Prophet could potentially use the Contract of the Dead three times. However, I¡¯d already used it twice: once when I was sick and another after the battle with Jun-Hyuk. So, I could only use the Contract of the Dead once more.

    "Then, with the Contract of the Dead, I¡¯ll bring back Moth..."

    I momentarily thought I could save my mother using the Contract of the Dead.

    [The Contract of the Dead cannot bring back the dead.]

    Of course, that was impossible.

    "Did my mother also sacrifice her sense of touch like I did?" I finally asked Baron Samedi.

    Myst hope was that my mom had at least not felt any pain while enduring the brutal torture. I prayed that she didn¡¯t feel the excruciating pain when they burned her flesh, pulled out her nails, shed her tendons, and scrapped her flesh from her bones. I prayed that she naturally passed away without even realizing that death had been brought onto her.

    [That was not the case.]

    Of course, the reality was always different from my hopes.

    "Why?"

    [Because you were unlucky with your dice roll.]

    <i>Bang! </i>

    I pushed Baron Samedi against the wall and grabbed his throat. His silk hat, which he always wore, came off, and the cigar he smoked fell to the ground. As they fell off his body, they turned into a purple mist and disappeared as if they had never been there in the first ce.

    "Are you here to mock me?" I asked Baron Samedi casually, even as I held his throat.

    Baron Samedi did not respond. He silently stared at me for a moment, then melted into a purple mist, as if he had never been there in the first ce. As he vanished, everything seemed like it had just been my imagination.

    Everything I had been holding onto disappeared as if it had never existed, as if it had all been a figment of my imagination.

    I had been chasing the past. My desires had been stuck in the time when my father died in the Holy War eight years ago, and my mother was imprisoned underground. The only purpose of my life had been to save my mother. What was there to live for, and what should I move forward for?

    I could not even dwell on the past. I tried to rise above the pain of the past by saving my mother, but I realized that I now had no ground to stand on. There was no reason to live and no reason to move forward anymore.

    Had I ever truly been alive, to begin with?

    "..."

    <i>Krrch, krrrrch.</i>

    I wed at my skin. My whole body felt hot and itchy. However, no matter how much I scratched my skin, I couldn''t feel anything, and I couldn''t feel pain at all. It was because I had been unlucky with my dice.

    I tried to escape from the endless itchiness and burning sensation. I tore the flesh and blood from my body. I only fell further in my desperate struggle to escape the crumbling. I had lived every day with the help of a mere handful of hope. Now that that handful was gone, I had to face the despair I had been avoiding.

    "..."

    I didn''t go anywhere or eat anything. I stayed locked in my room. On the first day, I heard Uncle Jin-Sung screaming beyond the door and Anna and Soo-Yeong sobbing. From the second day on, I didn''t even hear those voices. Uncle hadn¡¯t stopped screaming, nor had Anna and Soo-Yeong stopped crying. They still screamed and cried, but their voices didn¡¯t reach me. When their voices no longer reached me, I was alone in the underground chapel.

    On the third day, I felt hallucinations of ants crawling on my body. The ants were crawling inside me, and I had no choice but to scratch my skin to get them out.

    On the fourth day, I couldn''t even tell if it was night or day. Was it really the fourth day?

    On the fifth day, the blood and flesh I had scattered in the room began to rot. From then on, I couldn''t walk. The ground sank deeply every time I took a step.

    On the sixth day, I heard a Loa''s voice. It was not clear; it was jumbled and mixed up, and I couldn''t understand what anyone was saying.

    On the seventh day, I closed my eyes. The darkness in front of my eyes turned ck and white repeatedly. As time passed, the monotonous and dreadful repetition didn''t even was no longer boring to me anymore. I couldn¡¯t see anything. There was only darkness.

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    A few minutes, hours, or maybe days had passed. Someone knocked on my door.

    The door opened. Light poured in through the crack in the door.

    "Cult Leader."

    Ji-Ah looked at me expressionlessly. She didn''t look sad, nor did she look like she pitied me. Seeing how indifferent she was to me when I was the most changed made me sad.

    She was holding a container with food inside. It seemed like she had brought it to feed me.

    "You have to eat something."

    Beyond the open door, I could see the food she had left behind. She seemed to have left food in front of my door every day. Beyond the door, I could see Uncle, Anna, and Soo-Yeong.

    Uncle was cleaning up the mess in the underground chapel. Anna wasn''t crying anymore, and Soo-Yeong was talking with the older brother I rescued from the underground prison. This wasn''t a distorted past or a fanciful future. It was the reality and present. My present.

    I stood up.

    <i> </i> *

    "I¡¯m going to open it, okay?"

    After finishing lunch, In-Ah went outside to sit with her friends. Today was thest day of the midterm exams, and report cards were distributed to everyone. Upon receiving her report card, In-Ah immediately folded it without opening it. She decided to check her grades together with her friends.

    "O-okay. I¡¯m going to open it, alright?" In-Ah said to her friends with a trembling voice.

    Her friends frowned as if they were impatient. "Oh, check it already! It''s not a big deal. Making a fuss over a written test report card."

    "You''ll probably be in first ce anyway."

    "What do you mean, probably first ce? I don''t think I did that well on this test...."

    <i>Snap</i>!

    In-Ah no longer dyed and unfolded the report card to check her score. As soon as she unfolded it, the words ''1st ce'' caught her eye.

    The words were written crisply and clearly as if congratting In-Ah on her work. In-Ah''s friendsughed as if they had expected that.

    "What¡¯d I say? I told you she got first ce."

    "Wow, to go through all that just for her to get first ce... Let''s just get out of here and hang out without In-Ah."

    "Wait, what? Don¡¯t leave me behind! Hey, wait for me!"

    In-Ah chased after her friends who were leaving without her. At first, they seemed to be running away from In-Ah, butter, they walked side by side with her, matching her pace. In-Ah and her friends walked around F.A. until the next ss and chatted.

    They shared meaningless stories that weren''t interesting but made themugh.

    "I''m d I got first ce. I was worried about what would happen if I didn''t," In-Ah suddenly said as if she had just remembered something.

    Her friends nodded in agreement. "Right, I¡¯m d you got first ce. But who else would get first ce if not you? Sun-Woo and Yu-Hyun, they¡¯re..."

    "Hey, hey."

    Before the friend could say anything, another friend hastily interrupted them. Darkness fell over In-Ah''s face, even though she had been innocently smiling just a moment ago.

    Sun-Woo had not been attending school recently or for quite some time. Yu-Hyun was the same, but he was not at school to prepare for the papal conve. However, no one knew why Sun-Woo wasn''ting to school.

 Chapter 312

    <h4>Chapter 312</h4>

    When I came out of my room, the underground chapel seemed brighter than I had thought. Or perhaps my room had been darker than I had thought. It was hard to tell.

    Either way, I finally managed to leave my room and eat the rice gruel that Ji-Ah had made for me. I couldn''t taste anything, but eating something made me feel a bit more energized.

    Soo-Yeong''s older brother was already awake. I approached him, who was with Soo-Yeong, and asked for his name.

    As soon as he saw me, he kneeled down and asked, "Cult Leader, is that you?"

    I nodded without answering.

    "I am Ha Soo-Hyun."

    I nodded again without answering.

    Ha Soo-Hyun. His name was simr to Soo-Yeong''s, so I probably wouldn¡¯t forget it. But I could also get it confused with Soo-Yeong''s name since it was so simr.

    Soo-Yeong stared at me nkly. Normally, she would have said something to me, but it seemed like she wasn¡¯t saying anything for some reason. It felt as if she found it difficult to talk to me.

    "What is it?" I asked.

    Soo-Yeong flinched. "No, it¡¯s just..."

    "Rx," I said to Soo-Yeong and smiled softly.

    Only then did Soo-Yeong seem to somewhat rx.

    Uncle was cleaning the underground chapel, and I was helping him. We didn''t say anything to each other. Uncle didn''t speak to me first, and I didn''t speak to Uncle first.

    There was a brief period of silence. The silence feltfortable to me and probably to him too. We silently cleaned up the messy underground chapel. While we were doing so, Ji-Ah tried to clean my room.

    I stopped her and said, "I''ll do it."

    "I''ll do it. Am I not better at cleaning than the Cult Leader?"

    "I want to clean it."

    "..."

    Ji-Ah didn''t say anything more and stepped aside. After roughly organizing the underground chapel, I returned to my room and cleaned up the scattered blood and flesh.

    A terrible stench emanated from the room, simr to the stench in the underground prison. It could roughly be described as the smell of corpses.

    Even after clearing the room and spraying air freshener, the smell persisted. I thought that it was because the smell had stained the room, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    The smell wasing from me. I had not yet healed the wounds I had inflicted on myself while I was trapped in the room. Some wounds had healed and left scars, some had festered and rotted, but most of the wounds were left untreated, neither healing nor rotting.

    I washed my body first, which helped reduce the smell a bit. Then I looked in the mirror. There were many wounds. Fortunately, the wounds on my face had not festered yet, so I could heal them without leaving scars if I used a restoration spell.

    I gradually erased the wounds on my body with restoration spells. Some scars remained, but the foul smell dissipated.

    After everything was cleaned up, the underground chapel was the same as usual. Over the next few days, Uncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, and Anna all returned to normal.

    Anna asked, "How are you feeling?"

    She seemed to be looking at me with an extremely pitiful expression. It was the type of gaze that I hated the most.

    For a moment, it felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe, but I managed to force a smile.

    "The same as usual," I replied curtly.

    Right after the end of the Holy War, I thought my mother had died. I only discovered that she was alive and imprisoned in the underground prison muchter.

    Therefore, there was no reason for me to despair over my mother''s death. If I just thought about it like I was returning to that period of time when I believed that my mother was dead, then I would be fine.

    I could be with everyone in the underground chapel¡ªUncle, Ji-Ah, Soo-Yeong, Anna, and the others¡ªand everything would be the same as before. I deceived many students at Florence Academy and many Romanican clergymen. When necessary, I even deceived members of the Voodoo Cult, and sometimes I even lied to the Loa.

    Lying and deceiving others was something that I was all too familiar with. Even if the target of that deception was myself, it was no different.

    ***

    Sung Yu-Da was in the researchb, waiting for something. While sitting in his chair, he continuously shook his leg, closed his eyes tightly and then opened them again, and aimlessly tapped his desk with his fingers. He was anxious.

    <i>Buzz¨D! </i>

    Sung Yu-Da¡¯s phone vibrated, and he quickly picked it up. Sun-Woo was calling. The call he had been waiting for finally came. He swallowed his saliva and answered the phone.

    "Is that so?" He quietly replied to Sun-Woo''s voiceing from the other end of the phone.

    Sun-Woo continued to speak. Sung Yu-Da nodded his head and listened closely. He had nothing to say. He could not say anything. Just listening to Sun-Woo''s words was all he could do. He felt powerless, and the powerlessness he felt was excruciating.

    "I understand."

    <i>Beep. </i>

    After replying to Sun-Woo, Sung Yu-Da hung up the phone. He stood up abruptly from his seat where he had been aimlessly sitting. Then he sat back down. And then he stood back up again. He continued to repeat this action.

    He would stand up to walk, but then he would sit back down again. All of his actions were meaningless.

    "Ah, aah...!"

    Sung Yu-Da finally sat down and began to wail. His wailing was also meaningless.

    Sung Yu-Da shed tears. His tears were also pointless. Sung Yu-Da could no longer do anything. All his actions had lost any meaning.

    He had no more method to repent left. There was also no way for him to reach salvation. He could neither repent nor be saved now.

    There was only one path left for him now. No, that path was not left for him but given to him.

    ***

    Seeing how her friends suddenly went silent when Sun-Woo was mentioned, In-Ah pretended to be nonchnt and said, "What¡¯s the problem? I¡¯m fine."

    She really was fine. Sun-Woo hadn¡¯t even contacted her once recently, and he had suddenly disappeared without a word as if he had died, but In-Ah was fine.

    It was because Sun-Woo was frequently like that. He always disappeared without a word. But even so, he would eventuallye back, so In-Ah was fine. As long as she just waited, he woulde back someday.

    That was just the type of person Sun-Woo was.

    "Really? Then we¡¯ll just talk about Sun-Woo, alright? Can we gossip about him too?"

    "No, that''s not allowed. You can¡¯t do that to my friend¨D!"

    <i>Thud! </i>

    At that moment, arge person suddenly appeared in front of In-Ah and her friends who were walking and chatting absentmindedly. In-Ah and her friends were all overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of the giant figure.

    "Oh, sorry! I didn''t see you there."

    However, upon realizing that the person was Dae-Man, everyone rxed. Despite his imposing stature, Dae-Man had a very gentle personality. He was famous for not getting angry about most things.

    "Are you okay? It''s fortunate that I bumped into you lightly!"

    "Oh, yeah. I''m fine but..."

    "Ah, it was a light bump, but you could still have been hurt. It was only a light bump from my perspective... Anyway, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Dae-Man apologized a few more times before going on his way.

    Dae-Man was with Su-Ryeon. The two of them talked affectionately as if they were lovers.

    "Right, Dae-Man. When you came out of the gymst time, you were with a girl. Who was she?"

    "A girl? Oh... I was in the same ss with a girl named Ha-Rinst year. We often exercise together."

    ¡°Oh, often... Are you crazy? Do you want to die?"

    "No? What¡¯s the problem? I seriously only exercised with Ha-Rin. I didn''t do anything else with her."

    ¡°You can exercise by yourself. Why do you have to do it with her?!¡± Su-Ryeon said before kicking Dae-Man.

    Su-Ryeon hit Dae-Man, but he just smiled as if he was fine with it.

    In-Ah and her friends watched quietly and then burst intoughter. Recently, there were rumors circting in school that Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon were dating. They denied it themselves, but the rumors were clearly true from the way they interacted and stuck together at school.

    Dae-Man had arge build but seemed dull while Su-Ryeon was small but quick. They matched each other very well,plemented each other''s weaknesses, and highlighted each other''s strengths.

    In-Ah and her friends also met Min-Seo while walking. Min-Seo used to hang out with Su-Ryeon all the time, but after Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man became a thing, she hung out alone. However, Min-Seo seemedfortable being alone. When she was alone, she seemed at ease and rather ufortable with others.

    "Min-Seo, I heard your personality has improvedtely," one of In-Ah''s friends said to Min-Seo.

    In reality, Min-Seo''s personality hadn''t improved. She just lived quietly without causing any trouble, and as a result, the students were now saying that her personality had improved. Her reputation had automatically improved despite doing absolutely nothing.

    "Jin-Seo is always at the sacred training ground. Isn''t she tired?"

    When Jin-Seo was at school, she spent all day in training sessions at the sacred training ground. Many juniors found that cool and copied her.

    "Hey, did you see the banner? Ha-Yeon really lives diligently. I can''t live like that."

    Ha-Yeon conducted research at the Central Priesthood, inventing and discovering various blessings and miracles. Just like Sung Yu-Da, who left his mark on history with various achievements, Ha-Yeon was steadily moving toward the top of her field.

    "..."

    Through her friends, In-Ah heard about the various news and events at Florence Academy. She heard that someone dropped out of Florence Academy and joined a mercenary corps, and another person received disciplinary action for causing an ident.

    In-Ah didn''t pay much attention because the news felt too distant for her. It wasn¡¯t news about her or someone she knew, but about some other person who she didn¡¯t know.

    As she listened to the pointless stories, In-Ah felt that everything was the same as usual.

    Certain things had changed, like Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man''s rtionship, Min-Seo''s personality, Yu-Hyun, Jin-Seo, and a few other things. However, she felt that everything had only changed a little and that nothing had changed significantly. It was a sudden thought that hade to her mind.

    In-Ah looked up at the sky. Summer was approaching, and the sunlight was gradually getting warmer.

    "Hey."

    In-Ah turned her head toward the voice¡ªit was Sun-Woo.

    "Hey, you..."

    In-Ah was about to say something to Sun-Woo, but she closed her mouth.

    Florence Academy was still the same as usual, and In-Ah was the same too. In this unchanged space, only Sun-Woo seemed different. He had changed, but she couldn¡¯t exactly tell what had changed.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you?" In-Ah asked.

    Sun-Woo did not respond. He just stood there, looking at In-Ah with a strange and vague expression, neither smiling nor frowning.

 Chapter 313

    <h4>Chapter 313</h4>

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± In-Ah asked.

    Sun-Woo didn¡¯t respond to In-Ah¡¯s question. He just smiled faintly. It felt extremely unnatural.

    Sometimes, when Sun-Woo smiled, In-Ah felt that his smile was awkward. There were times when it looked like he was forcing himself to smile. But that was just a spection of hers. Why would Sun-Woo force himself to smile? That couldn¡¯t be true. She internally denied her spections and quickly forgot about them.

    However, Sun-Woo¡¯s current smile was definitely different. It was so awkward that not only In-Ah but also her friends felt that something was off.

    In-Ah''s friends nced at her briefly, and then they left. They wanted to avoid the heavy atmosphere.

    "You¡¯re In-Ah, right?" Sun-Woo said to In-Ah after her friends left.

    At first, In-Ah couldn''t understand the intention behind his question. Was he joking? Was he trying to start a conversation with a silly joke as usual?

    But Sun-Woo''s expression was too serious for that to be the case.

    "Nope. Actually, I¡¯m Yoon-Ah."

    "Really?"

    In-Ah approached Sun-Woo and yfully said, "Just kidding, you fool. Wake up."

    In-Ah didn''t know what state Sun-Woo was in. She didn¡¯t know whether he had temporarily lost focus because he was not feeling well, or if he had experienced something significant during the few days he hadn''t been to school.

    Sun-Woo didn¡¯t tell her anything, so she naturally did not know what was going on and couldn''t act rashly. Sun-Woo and In-Ah had one ss together in the afternoon. Neither of them said anything to each other as they walked together to the ssroom.

    On the way to the ssroom, instead of speaking to In-Ah, Sun-Woo walked silently with his lips sealed as he stared nkly somewhere with unfocused eyes.

    There was a brief period of silence, which made In-Ah feel ufortable. The silence that used toe and go when she was with Sun-Woo didn''t make her ufortable. However, the silence today was incredibly ufortable and awkward.

    "I''m not sure if I should ask, but what have you been doing instead ofing to school? You must not have been at the Central Pdin Order all this time, right?"

    "..."

    Despite In-Ah''s question, Sun-Woo did not respond.

    In-Ah was undeterred by hisck of response as she continued, "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to."

    In-Ah''s words were meant to be considerate to Sun-Woo, but it was also to prevent herself from feeling disappointed if Sun-Woo did not answer her question. In-Ah knew Sun-Woo''s personality well. At the very least, she believed that she knew him better than others.

    She knew that if Sun-Woo didn¡¯t want to tell her something, he wouldn¡¯t tell her about it no matter how much she prodded. She waited silently. She hoped Sun-Woo would say something. At the very least, she hoped that he would clearly but politely refuse to answer her question.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo responded, "Ah, what did you say?"

    In-Ah''s face stiffened for a moment. Sun-Woo didn¡¯t respond to her question¡ªrather, he wasn¡¯t even listening to her words.

    In-Ah was exhausted from talking to him, so she simply shook her head and said, "No, never mind."

    After walking into the ssroom with Sun-Woo, and after ss started, In-Ah watched Sun-Woo rather than focusing in ss.

    Sun-Woo seemed unable to concentrate on the ss. The teacher asionally asked Sun-Woo questions, and Sun-Woo either did not respond at all or gave strange answers unrted to the questions.

    "So, what might this holy artifact''s development bring us? Sun-Woo, can you tell us?"

    "I am now able to inflict the maximum amount of pain with the minimum amount of effort.¡±

    "What?"

    The discourse between the teacher and Sun-Woo usually unfolded like this. The students chuckled, and the teacher''s face became red.

    Sun-Woo always gave strange responses, even if the question was something that anyone could easily answer.

    The students whispered among themselves that it seemed like Sun-Woo had btedly reached his rebellious phase.

    When the afternoon sses were all over, Sun-Woo stopped In-Ah who was about to go home and said, "Shall we have dinner together?"

    Sun-Woo was holding In-Ah''s wrist. In-Ah frowned. Sun-Woo was holding her wrist so tightly that she felt like it was going to break. Sun-Woo was not adjusting his strength and was just rudely holding onto her wrist.

    ¡°Alright. But can you let go first?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    In-Ah forcefully shook off Sun-Woo''s hand and shouted, "I said, let go first!"

    Sun-Woo stared at In-Ah with a dazed expression for a while. His pupils were unfocused, and his face waspletely expressionless. It felt eerie because she couldn¡¯t feel any vitality or energying from his body. It was as if he was a corpse that was standing up.

    "Why are you acting like this today? I¡¯m used to you suddenly showing up out of the blue with no exnation, but why are you so out of it? It¡¯s like you¡¯re some kind of... crazy person!¡±

    In-Ah was about to call Sun-Woo a ''crazy bastard,'' but softened it to ''crazy person.''

    Sun-Woo heard In-Ah''s shout and blinked his eyes as if he had momentarily regained his senses. His unfocused pupils seemed to regain some rity for a moment.

    Sun-Woo nced at In-Ah''s face, then at the red mark left on In-Ah''s wrist, and his expression turned deeply sorrowful.

    "I''m sorry."

    "..."

    "I''m really sorry," Sun-Woo said as he stretched out his hand.

    His trembling hand seemed to be wildly grasping at something in the air. In-Ah couldn''t bring herself to be any angrier at Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo''s expression as he apologized to her truly looked pitiful and fragile, as if he would crumble apart at the slightest touch.

    "No, I''m sorry. I got angry again.¡±

    "..."

    "Where are we going to eat?" In-Ah asked in an attempt to change the subject.

    Sun-Woo took In-Ah around to different ces. Eventually, they chose a restaurant and went in. The interior and overall atmosphere of the restaurant were nothing special, just an ordinary ce, but the prices were not ordinary. The price of one menu item was almost equivalent to In-Ah''s monthly allowance.

    "Isn''t it a bit expensive?" In-Ah whispered to Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo ignored her and called the waiter to order the menu as he pleased. Since it was just Sun-Woo and In-Ah at the restaurant, ordering two portions would have been enough, but he ordered almost enough for five people.

    "Wh-what are you doing? We won''t be able to finish it anyway! And I don''t have money!"

    "I''ll pay," Sun-Woo said nonchntly.

    "..."

    In-Ah closed her mouth. She was getting free food, but she did not feel good about it at all. Instead, she felt burdened by getting such expensive food.

    Soon, the food came out. The waiter kindly exined the ingredients, cooking method, and method of eating each time he brought out a dish. Sun-Woo listened half-heartedly and nodded dryly.

    Eventually, the table was filled with food. Each dish was overly luxurious and extravagant. In-Ah found the dining experience ufortable and somewhat unpleasant, but she still picked a few dishes because she was hungry.

    "How does it taste?"

    Sun-Woo hardly touched the food. Instead, whenever In-Ah ate, he asked her how it tasted.

    He didn¡¯t ask whether the dishes suited her taste but rather what they tasted like. It was as if he was genuinely curious about the vor.

    In-Ah swallowed the food she was chewing and muttered, "I''m not sure what it tastes like. The waiter said something about truffle vor or something. I¡¯ve never really eaten anything like this so...¡±

    She continued to diligently eat the food in front of her. Sun-Woo stared nkly at her. In-Ah felt ufortable under his gaze. More urately, she felt embarrassed.

    "What is it?" she asked.

    Sun-Woo didn''t respond to In-Ah''s question. Instead, he muttered something unrted to her question.

    "It''s almost vacation time, right?" he said.

    In-Ah felt a bit strange but still responded, "Huh? Oh, right...? Since the written exams are over, once the practical exams are done, it''ll be a holiday."

    "When are we leaving?"

    "Leaving where?"

    "We agreed to go on a vacation."

    In-Ah tilted her head. "What? When did we agree?"

    "Oh... No, we didn''t. Nevermind."

    Sun-Woo hastily shook his head.

    In-Ah wanted to ask him what he had been doing and where he had been all this time. She also wanted to ask what had happened and why he couldn¡¯t pull himself together.

    ¡°...¡±

    Just when she was about to ask, In-Ah saw various scars on Sun-Woo¡¯s wrist. Sun-Woo noticed In-Ah''s gaze and straightened his sleeves to cover his wrists. Perhaps he was anxious even after covering the scars, but he lowered his hands under the table to hide thempletely.

    In-Ah looked at his trembling eyes.

    "What?" Sun-Woo asked.

    In-Ah felt her breath catch. Her heart suddenly sank. Sun-Woo had never asked her to go on a vacation with her before, nor did he even promise to hang out or anything like that.

    They could not have made any sort of promise since In-Ah hadn''t seen or contacted Sun-Woo at all recently.

    In-Ah stared at Sun-Woo in silence. She felt that the person in front of her was not Sun-Woo. It seemed like someone else was sitting in front of her instead of Sun-Woo. In-Ah found his appearance eerie and frightening.

    In-Ah didn''t know about Sun-Woo''s situation. She couldn''t even guess. Therefore, she had no method of helping him. She couldn''t even offer superficial words offort.

    Instead of offering meaningless worries andfort, In-Ah asked, "Never mind. Do you want to go on vacation? Shall we go?"

    There was nothing else she could do besides ask him that. A faint smile appeared on Sun-Woo''s face. His smile was still weak and awkward, but at least he was smiling. In-Ah decided to just think about it like that.

    "Yeah, where should we go?"

    "Anywhere. Overseas is fine, or domestic... We can go to the mountains. Or the sea. Where do you want to go?"

    "When?"

    "Whenever you feelfortable," Sun-Woo said.

    After that, In-Ah finished her meal and got up from her seat. Sun-Woo also got up. He paid for the meal in full.

    Even on the way back home from the restaurant, In-Ah kept looking at Sun-Woo. The shadow on his face did not show any sign of disappearing. His face was dark and gloomy, as if it would never brighten up again.

    In-Ah mustered up her courage and asked, "Is everything okay?"

    Sun-Woo bowed his head and remained silent, as if pondering the meaning behind the question.

    After a brief silence, Sun-Woo nodded and said, "Yeah. I''m much better now."

    "I see."

    In-Ah couldn''t tell what had gotten better, but she nodded her head and decided not to ask further. She knew Sun-Woo''s personality. He was the kind of person who would suddenly disappear and thene back again out of the blue, and she believed he would do the same this time.

    In-Ah firmly believed that he would suddenlye back in a moment she wouldn¡¯t anticipate and that he would act as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 314

    <h4>Chapter 314</h4>

    <i>Knock, knock.</i>

    Ji-Ah knocked on Sun-Woo''s door while holding snacks.

    She didn''t know who her parents were. She had no other family members either. Therefore, she didn''t know what it felt like to lose a family member. Instead, she could only guess.

    Some people were like family to her too, like Jin-Sung or Sun-Woo for example. Although she couldn''t call her family, Soo-Yeong had also be someone precious to her now.

    When she thought about what it would be like if one of those precious people died, Ji-Ah felt sad. However, because Jin-Sung, Sun-Woo, and Soo-Yeong were rted to her by blood, she couldn''t fully understand Sun-Woo''s feelings.

    <i>Knock knock. </i>

    Sun-Woo didn''t react after hearing Ji-Ah''s knock. She knocked again, but there was still no response, so she just opened the door wide.

    "I''ming in," she said as she entered Sun-Woo''s room.

    His room was neatly cleaned. She could hardly smell anything bad. His bedsheets were neatly arranged. His usually messy desk was neatly organized. Sun-Woo sat in front of his desk and was quietly reading a book.

    Sun-Woo was fine these days. To be more precise, he appeared to be perfectly fine. She didn¡¯t know what he behaved like outside, but in front of people like Ji-Ah, Jin-Sung, Soo-Yeong, Soo-Hyun, and Anna, he seemed fine.

    But to Ji-Ah, Sun-Woo looked even more precarious than before.

    "Cult Leader," Ji-Ah called out to Sun-Woo.

    Finally, he turned his head toward her. He stared at Ji-Ah for a while without saying anything. His gaze was somewhat eerie.

    Ji-Ah walked over and ced snacks on Sun-Woo''s table.

    "Would you like some?"

    "What is this?"

    "They are cookies. I just made them."

    Sun-Woo stared nkly at the cookies in the container.

    "You can make cookies too?"

    "I learned recently. I thought it would be good to make this and that, so I learned how to make a variety of different things."

    "Oh... I''m sorry, but I don''t think I can eat it. My digestion hasn''t been goodtely," Sun-Woo said.

    Recently, Sun-Woo hardly ate any food. Even when he did eat, he barely ate about one-third of what others ate. Even then, it seemed like he was unable to digest what he ate properly, as he asionally vomited.

    When Ji-Ah asked Sun-Woo if he was okay, Sun-Woo always said he was fine. He just said that he had temporarily lost his appetite.

    Ji-Ah tried making porridge and rice gruel for Sun-Woo, but he couldn''t digest them properly. At this point, it wasn''t the food that was the problem.

    "How have you beentely?" Ji-Ah asked.

    Ji-Ah knew that Sun-Woo wouldn''t eat the cookies. Still, she had baked the cookies as an excuse to start a conversation with Sun-Woo.

    These days, Sun-Woo seemed perfectly fine on the outside, but at the same time, he didn¡¯t seem fine at all. He seemed to be extremely tough on the outside, but Ji-Ah felt like he wouldpletely fall apart if there was even a small crack. Therefore, Ji-Ah found it difficult to approach him without creating such a pretext.

    Sun-Woo stared at Ji-Ah silently. Ji-Ah met his gaze without avoiding it and stared straight back. He had been expressionless all along, but he closed his eyes tightly for a moment, then smiled faintly.

    "I¡¯m fine. How about you, nuna?"

    "I''m neither good nor bad," Ji-Ah said.

    She hesitated to say more. She wanted to say something else, but her lips wouldn''t part. What should she say? Ji-Ah was quick-witted, so she could mostly figure out the truth behind Sun-Woo''s words. Nevertheless, Sun-Woo¡¯s lies sometimes deceived her.

    Sun-Woo was good at lying, but the current Sun-Woo couldn''t even lie properly. He couldn¡¯t even properly lie even though the lie was just a simple ¡®I¡¯m fine,¡¯ and he was trembling so much that it looked like he would break down at any moment.

    Ji-Ah thought about what to say. She pondered and hesitated several times.

    After some contemtion, she gathered her courage, no, she gathered her audacity and finally said, "Shall we go out together?"

    ***

    Many things were happening in Romanican society. Demons and demonic beasts no longer appeared, but the problem was the people.

    A Romanican radical group staged a protest before the papal conve, and some of the protesters turned violent by collectively assaulting the riot suppression troops. PIn the process, one pdin from the riot suppression troops fell into an unconscious state, and an ident urred where ten people from the protesters were seriously injured and one person died.

    Considering the scale of the battle between the riot suppression troops and the protesters, the casualties were rtively low. The problem was that some of the protesters who assaulted the suppression troops were a group supporting Pope candidate Yu-Hyun.

    As the conve approached, it was revealed that the prominent candidate, Yu-Hyun, was gaining support from a radical group, which came as quite a shock to the public.

    "You know the protest group that shed with the riot suppression troops this time? They were from that erm... Levi Order! Yes, the Levi Order, they..."

    "Who protests like that in this day and age? What was the reason for the protest in the first ce?"

    "I see this as a political maneuver by the forces who are trying to restrain Yu-Hyun. The evidence is..."

    Florence Academy students interested in politics, or those who liked discussing political matters, talked about the riot all day long. While their opinions on the incident varied, the conclusion was the same. The influence of the prominent candidate, Yu-Hyun, was being shaken.

    Due to this incident, Yu-Hyun was under attack from various factions. Yu-Hyun''speting factions exploited the fact that he was young to criticize his political inexperience. Additionally, they pointed out the hical actions of the forces supporting Yu-Hyun.

    Not all students of Florence Academy were interested in the incident. Only a small minority of students chatted incessantly about it.

    However, all the students were vaguely aware of this incident. That was how significant the impact of this incident was.

    "Well, how about the sea? If we take the train, um..."

    Meanwhile, In-Ah was seeking advice from her friends for the trip. She was thinking of going to the sea.

    Even though people died in the protest, and numerous political issues were arising, it was a distant story to In-Ah.

    She heard that someone lost consciousness while suppressing the protest and that someone died while protesting. She heard about injuries, idents, and battles. When she heard each of those words, the incident seemed serious. However, that incident never resonated with In-Ah.

    The incident simply amounted to another tragedy and disaster that was happening somewhere far away. Above all, the current situation stemmed not from an attack by Satanists or the Voodoo Cult, but from a conflict between the Romanican church and the government.

    Instead of mourning the situation, people were divided into protesters and those who supported the riot suppression troops as they fought against each other.

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to go the East Sea? The sea there is clear and pretty.¡±

    ¡°Since it¡¯s going to be a one-day trip, isn¡¯t it better to go somewhere close? You¡¯ll spend all the time traveling if you go to the East Sea.¡±

    In-Ah''s friends were seriously discussing which sea would be better to travel to.

    The opinions were split between one friend who believed that it would be best to go to the East Sea and another friend who believed that going to the nearby West Sea would be more reasonable since it was a day trip.

    Her two friends, divided into two camps, passionately presented their own arguments.

    In-Ah, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, raised her hand and softly said, "Oh, but it''s not decided yet that it will be just a day trip."

    ¡°...¡±

    Upon hearing In-Ah''s words, the two friends who were engaged in a heated debate simultaneously fell silent. Silence filled the air. In the distance, the sound of another group''s conversation about Yu-Hyun and the protesters could be heard.

    The two friends stared nkly at In-Ah and furrowed their brows as if they couldn''t believe it.

    "You¡¯re saying you¡¯re not going on a day trip, by maybe staying overnight? With Sun-Woo?¡±

    "Are youpletely crazy? Are you really a priest? Are you sure you aren¡¯t a cultist?"

    "What? No! When did I say it just going to be the two of us? I never even mentioned going with Sun-Woo in the first ce!" In-Ah hastily exined to the two friends.

    "Huh, what? Didn¡¯t you say that you were going to go with Sun-Woo?" one of the friends asked, looking puzzled after hearing In-Ah¡¯s exnation.

    "...Well, yeah. Sun-Woo¡¯s going toe! But, there might be other people too..." In-Ah mumbled.

    "Who else is going?" someone asked.

    The person who asked wasn¡¯t In-Ah, nor her two friends. The question wasn¡¯t from the three people who had been conversing from the beginning, but from a gatecrasher who had interrupted. In-Ah and her friends all turned their heads simultaneously.

    There stood Su-Ryeon, smiling innocently and brightly.

    "What''s up, when did you arrive?"

    "I stopped by while passing by. It seemed like you were having an interesting conversation~" Su-Ryeon said casually.

    By the time Su-Ryeon reached her second year, she already be acquainted with almost all the female students at Florence Academy. In-Ah and her friends were no exception.

    While In-Ah''s friends greeted Su-Ryeon with smiles, In-Ah''s expression was gradually stiffening. In reality, In-Ah had nned to go to the beach with Sun-Woo alone. It was because this trip wasn¡¯t just for fun.

    In-Ah believed that Sun-Woo was in a very bad state. He would sometimes mistakenly think that he had said things he never said, and he sometimes mistakenly believed he didn¡¯t say something that he had previously said.

    And she didn¡¯t know exactly why, but it seemed like he wanted to escape somewhere.

    In-Ah had nned this trip for Sun-Woo. However, now that Su-Ryeon knew about this trip, In-Ah''s ns had practically gone up in smoke.

    Su-Ryeon was extremely talkative. She would chat about the existence of the trip here and there, and contrary to In-Ah''s ns, unwanted guests would intrude on her trip.

    "It''s nothing special. I was just talking about which sea is pretty, that''s all," In-Ah awkwardly lied to Su-Ryeon.

    Su-Ryeon looked at In-Ah with a strange look and then smiled slyly.

    "You were talking about going on a trip with Sun-Woo. I heard everything, you know?" she said.

    "..."

    <i>¡®Darn it, she heard everything.¡¯</i>

    In-Ah cursed internally and said, "Y-yes. But it''s not a trip. We¡¯re just going somewhere close for fun. It doesn''t have to be the sea, just anywhere..."

    Su-Ryeonpletely ignored In-Ah¡¯s words. Instead, as if suddenly remembering something, she said, "Oh, now that I think about it... It would be fun if we all went on a trip together. Shall we gather everyone and go to the beach?"

    Meanwhile, In-Ah''s face got stiffer and stiffer. Due to Su-Ryeon¡¯s intervention, In-Ah''s ns werepletely crumbling apart.

    Su-Ryeon immediately went to gather people. The first person she sought out was Dae-Man.

    "The beach? Sounds good! My pecs have really developedtely. I can say that my body is in optimal condition for a beach trip."

    "I didn''t ask about that~ Anyway, you''reing, right?"

    "Of course!" Dae-Man readily agreed.

    Next, she went to find Jin-Seo.

    "Sun-Woo ising?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "Yes!"

    "Why is heing? No, in the first ce, he¡¯s..."

    "Anyway,e! Sun-Woo ising!"

    There was no need to hear Jin-Seo¡¯s response. If Sun-Woo wasing, Jin-Seo would definitelye.

    Su-Ryeon then went to find Ha-Yeon. However, Ha-Yeon was not at school today as she had gone to work at the Central Priesthood. Unable to find Ha-Yeon, Su-Ryeon went to find Min-Seo.

    "The beach? What are we taking?"

    "Hmm, a train?"

    "A train... How much is the ticket?"

    "I don''t know. Should I pay for it?"

    "If you¡¯re going to pay for it, I¡¯ll definitely go."

    Min-Seo readily epted Su-Ryeon''s offer to pay for the train ticket.

    Su-Ryeon returned to In-Ah¡¯s ssroom. "Hey, In-Ah! About six people have gathered, including you and me!"

    In-Ah''s face darkened so much that it couldn''t be any darker.

    After ring at Su-Ryeon sternly, In-Ah let out a dryugh.

    "I never said I would take you with me."

    "Huh? So you were nning to go alone with Sun-Woo?" Su-Ryeon innocently asked.

    If she truthfully answered that she had been nning to go alone, it would seem suspicious. In-Ah had no other choice. Eventually, she nodded and reluctantly said, "No, well... whatever. Just do what you want..."

    In-Ah was already in a state of resignation.

 Chapter 315

    <h4>Chapter 315</h4>

    Ji-Ah and Sun-Woo exited the underground chapel. Although it seemed like Ji-Ah always stayed cooped up in the underground chapel all day, she also went outside sometimes.

    Of course, she rarely went out for personal reasons. Instead, she mainly went outside for work-rted matters. For example, she would go outside if she needed tounder the identity of a Voodoo Cult executive or if she needed to gather information to ensure the Voodoo Cult¡¯s safety.

    Sun-Woo also mostly stayed in the underground chapel unless he had to work at the Central Pdin Order, attend school, or exercise.

    Thus, this was the first time they both left the underground chapel purely for a change of mood, and it was also almost the first time they went out as a pair.

    "The weather is nice today," Ji-Ah said as she looked up at the sky.

    A cloudless, blue, and clean sky spread out before them. The weather was really nice.

    It was a bit hot, but not too hot to walk around. However, Sun-Woo did not look at the sky. Instead, he stared into the air, looking at a point that resided somewhere between the boundary between the ground and the sky.

    His unfocused gaze weighed heavily on Ji-Ah''s heart. Calling Sun-Woo the Cult Leader outside was dangerous, so she carefully observed her surroundings before she spoke.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the weather really nice, Cult Leader?¡± Ji-Ah asked again.

    Sun-Woo looked at Ji-Ah as if he was slightly surprised. Then, he slowly raised his head and gazed at the clear, clean, and beautiful sky for a while.

    "Yeah, it''s nice."

    His gaze remained weak, but it seemed to regain some of its focus.

    It was difficult to tell whether he had regained some rity of mind or if it was just the reflection of light. However, Ji-Ah was satisfied with how he raised his head and looked up at the sky. Ji-Ah took it as a sign of progress, indicating that Sun-Woo was gradually improving.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t hungry, right?¡±Ji-Ah asked.

    Sun-Woo nodded and replied, "Not yet."

    "Shall we walk a bit then?" Ji-Ah suggested as if she had been waiting for such a response.

    She took Sun-Woo to arge park. It was not a small and ordinary park that people would typically find in a neighborhood, but a popr park for family outings and couple dates.

    Ji-Ah had researched the park before going out, so she knew which facilities the park had, which course was good for walking, what restaurants were nearby, etc.

    They went to theke in the park.

    "Theke is really big and people are taking lots of photos."

    "Why take photos in such a dirtyke?"

    They also went to the grassy area with a path for walking dogs.

    "There are many people are walking their dogs. They''re cute."

    "There are still people that are not using a leash..."

    They also went to the forest with towering trees.

    "The trees are so huge!"

    "Really? Oh, they must look big to you, nuna."

    "Excuse me?"

    Ji-Ah was triggered by what Sun-Woo said, but she held back.

    After walking for a while, Sun-Woo pointed to one of the benches and said, "Let¡¯s rest a bit."

    Ji-Ah nodded and looked at Sun-Woo. He was sweating excessively, to the point that it was strange. Although the weather was a bit hot, it wasn''t hot enough to make someone sweat that much. Moreover, they hadn''t walked much. Upon closer inspection, Sun-Woo¡¯s face looked a bit pale.

    "Are you tired?" Ji-Ah asked.

    Sun-Woo nodded. "There are too many people..."

    Ji-Ah nodded without asking further questions. Then, she sat down on the bench with Sun-Woo.

    Ji-Ah looked around while sitting. Many people were in the park, most of whom were families or couples.

    Some people held hands as they walked in the park with smiles on their faces. They weren¡¯t necessarily grinning from ear to ear, but they certainly had gentle smiles.

    In fact, there wasn''t much to see in the park. Theke looked dirty rather than pretty due to its murky color, and the trees were justmon trees that could be seen anywhere. The grass was ttened due to people walking on it. That was about all the park had to offer.

    However, even so, that was more than enough to bring smiles to the faces of the people walking in the park because the location didn¡¯t matter much. What was more important was who the people were walking with.

    Ji-Ah looked back and forth between the people walking in the park and Sun-Woo. "It does seem like there are quite a few people here. Still, it''s better than having no one here at all..."

    At that moment, Sun-Woo screamed, "Arghhhh¡ª!"

    He was so scared that he hid behind the bench. He was trembling, breathing heavily, and sweating profusely. Ji-Ah had never seen Sun-Woo so terrified before.

    The reason he was startled was because of a puppy. It was just a single puppy. It wasn¡¯t even a big one, but a very cute and adorable puppy.

    The owner had a good hold on the leash, and the puppy was gentle. It didn''t bite or bark. The puppy just seemed happy as it stuck out its tongue and panted while looking at Sun-Woo.

    "S-sorry! Come here, Star. Quickly! Oh my. I''m sorry. Why is this one suddenly not listening to me..."

    Seeing Sun-Woo, the owner was also startled and pulled on the leash. However, the dog did not return to him.

    The dog stared at Sun-Woo as it panted heavily and stuck out its tongue. Sun-Woo also looked at the dog. He was breathing heavily and gazing at the dog with fearful eyes.

    "Are you okay?" the owner asked.

    Ji-Ah approached Sun-Woo and observed his condition. Sun-Woo was panicking, but he was slowly starting to regain hisposure.

    "Are you okay?" Ji-Ah asked.

    Sun-Woo looked at Ji-Ah, then the dog, then the owner, and finally at all the people in the park.

    Then he looked up at the sky, which was still clear. After staring nkly at the sky for a while, Sun-Woo suddenly sprang up. Then, he slowly approached the dog that had surprised him so much.

    "Oh, wait..." Ji-Ah said as she tried to stop Sun-Woo.

    She was worried about what he might do to the puppy and the owner. It felt like Sun-Woo was currently in a state where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he did anything abnormal. He might kick the puppy and then beat the owner of the puppy to a near-death state.

    ¡°...¡±

    Ji-Ah was about to run towards Sun-Woo, but she stopped in her tracks. Sun-Woo neither kicked the puppy nor hit the owner. He simply gently petted the small and adorable puppy''s head.

    The owner holding the leash looked at Sun-Woo with a puzzled expression. "Are you okay...?"

    "I''m fine. I was just a little surprised earlier."

    "Ah..."

    "Can I pet the puppy?" Sun-Woo asked.

    The owner nodded.

    Sun-Woo crouched down and continued to pet the puppy. Ji-Ah was relieved by Sun-Woo''s behavior. She also found the situation both cute, pitiful, and unfortunate.

    "It¡¯s okay, now..." Sun-Woo murmured as he petted the dog.

    Ji-Ah was unsure whether his words were directed toward the dog or someone else.

    <i> </i> *

    Jin-Sung was driving. Soo-Yeong was in the back seat, and her older brother Soo-Hyun was in the passenger seat. They were heading back home. More precisely, they were going to the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s underground chapel to meet their father, Ha Pan-Seok.

    Soo-Hyun broke the silence and said, "Executive Jin-Sung."

    He vigorously scratched his arm. Despite trimming his nails short, his arm was already red from the amount of scratching. He kept doing so ever since he arrived at the underground chapel.

    He kept saying his body was itchy and that he couldn''t bear it if he didn''t scratch. A restoration spell had healed all the wounds on Soo-Hyun''s body. However, the spell only treated visible wounds and did not eliminate the pain.

    He continued writhing in pain even as his body recovered. The pain did notpletely disappear. Even several days after he escaped from the underground prison, he still experienced phantom pain due to the aftermath of the torture he had been through.

    "Speak. And stop scratching your arm. It''s annoying," Jin-Sung said coldly while gripping the steering wheel.

    Soo-Hyun stopped scratching his forearm and asked, "How many years have passed?"

    He didn''t speak to anyone while inside the underground chapel. He didn¡¯t ask how much time had passed, what had happened during that time, or anything else.

    He was so preupied with the pain that he never had the luxury of thinking about such questions. Now, he could finally ask what had happened while he had been trapped in the underground prison.

    "The Holy War ended eight years ago. It¡¯s been about seven years since you were in the underground prison."

    "What happened during that time?"

    "Well..."

    Jin-Sung pondered how to respond. What had happened? Many things had urred over the past eight years. Eight years was definitely not a short time. He couldn''t exin everything that had happened during that time.

    Jin-Sung tried to mention only a few important events. However, he couldn''t distinguish what was important and what was not.

    "It feels like there weren¡¯t that many important events. I suppose what happened isn¡¯t important now," Jin-Sung said resignedly.

    Soo-Hyun quietly nodded his head. He seemed to understand what he meant.

    "Please at least tell me in detail about the situation of Voodoo Cult. About the Second Cult Leader, the Prophet, and the current Cult Leader..."

    "The Second Cult Leader died a long time ago. You probably already knew that. As for nuna... I mean, the Second Prophet, she¡¯s also dead. Their son is the current Cult Leader. He is both the leader of the cult and the Prophet."

    "Ah, is the Prophet..." Soo-Hyun muttered. He suddenly felt the itchiness intensify. He then vigorously scratched his neck and arms before continuing, "...alright?"

    Jin-Sung snickered at Soo-Hyun''s question. It was both amusing and surprising. It was incredibly surprising that he was able to ask such a humane question after enduring years of torture in an underground prison.

    Jin-Sung couldn¡¯t help but think that Soo-Hyun was iparably stronger than himself as a person.

    Initially, Jin-Sung let out a light snicker, but hisughter grew in severity. Eventually, he wasughing out loud. Then, hisughter stopped. The eerily loudughter disappeared, leaving only silence.

    "I didn''t do anything," Jin-Sung muttered. "I didn''t do anything. So..."

    He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

    "So, he¡¯s neither alright nor is he not alright," Jin-Sung said.

    <i> </i> *

    After enjoying a walk in the park, Ji-Ah and Sun-Woo returned to the underground chapel and had a simple meal.

    Perhaps due to the vigorous walk, Sun-Woo ate quite well. Ji-Ah watched Sun-Woo gulp down his food with a worried expression.

    Sun-Woo read a book in his room again, and Ji-Ah did her own tasks. Before they knew it, it was night and time for bed.

    Ji-Ah entered the storage room where she always slept and covered her body with a nket before going to sleep. Although a bed had been prepared for her in the underground chapel, she always insisted on sleeping in the storage room.

    "Cult Leader?"

    She woke up when Sun-Woo entered through the storage room door. Sun-Woo opened the door and stared nkly at the sleeping Ji-Ah.

    His unfocused eyes and pale face made it difficult to distinguish whether he was a corpse or a living person. He was sweating profusely¡ªso much so that sweat streamed down his forehead, collected on his chin, and then dripped down to his chest.

    "Are you not able to sleep, Cult Leader?" Ji-Ah asked.

    She thought that Sun-Woo couldn''t sleep, which was quite possible. Ji-Ah tried to check the time, but she had no chance.

    <i>ng. </i>

    Sun-Woo mmed the door shut and started walking briskly toward Ji-Ah.

 Chapter 316

    <h4>Chapter 316</h4>

    "Cult Leader?"

    Ji-Ah quickly got up. She instinctively felt it would be dangerous for her to continue lying down.

    Sun-Woo slowly limped toward Ji-Ah with weak steps, like a zombie.

    Ji-Ah had never genuinely felt scared of Sun-Woo before. Sun-Woo sometimes showed a creepy side, and she felt fear when he used the power of the Loa. However, Ji-Ah eventually developed sympathy toward Sun-Woo.

    Now, it was different. She was genuinely afraid of Sun-Woo. Until now, she could somewhat predict Sun-Woo¡¯s actions, but that wasn¡¯t the case. He was currently in a state where it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to do something abnormal.

    "..."

    However, Ji-Ah''s fear of Sun-Woo did notst long because Sun-Woo''s feet had stopped moving.

    He kneeled down on the spot and then copsed,ying his whole body t on the ground. Sun-Woo was muttering something inaudible while curled up. All she could hear were muttering, sobbing, and rough breathing.

    Ji-Ah approached Sun-Woo and said, "Cult Leader."

    As she got closer, his breathing, sobbing, and muttering became clearer. However, she still could not clearly hear what he was muttering.

    When Ji-Ah got even closer, Sun-Woo suddenly raised his head. Then, he stared at Ji-Ah with hollow eyes for a long while.

    "Nuna."

    His eyes contained a variety of emotions as he spoke. He seemed to be afraid of something and sad about something.

    "Yes, I''m here."

    "Someone keepsing into my room. It wasn''t you, right?"

    "..."

    Ji-Ah silently nodded¡ªonly Ji-Ah and Sun-Woo were in the underground chapel. Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun had returned to the Chungcheong Branch¡¯s underground chapel, while Jin-Sung and Anna had gone out because they had things to do.

    Ji-Ah had not snuck into Sun-Woo''s room tonight, so who could have visited Sun-Woo''s room? Ji-Ah didn¡¯t know, and Sun-Woo probably didn¡¯t either.

    That must have been the reason why he suddenly visited the storage room where Ji-Ah was sleeping.

    As if he had expected it, Sun-Woo smiled wryly when he saw Ji-Ah nod in response.

    "Dead people keeping."

    "..."

    Ji-Ah silently listened to Sun-Woo.

    "Dead people keeping to me and they speak to me, but I don¡¯t understand what they are saying. When I try to ignore them, they whisper into my ear. I¡¯m so scared of them...¡± Sun-Woo said as he trembled.

    It was painful for Ji-Ah to watch Sun-Woo tremble like that.

    <i>¡®What should I say? What should I say to make it even a little better?¡¯</i> she thought.

    However, no matter what she said, it wouldn¡¯t change anything, and that realization made her feel bitter inside. So she just continued to listen to Sun-Woo. Instead of replying, she nodded her head quietly and listened.

    "I beat them all to death. Because when I do that, the sounds stop for a brief moment. I thought it was a nightmare.¡±

    "..."

    "I thought it was a nightmare, but... when I wake up, the morning arrives, and then I have to go to school, and then go to work, and then...¡± Sun-Woo rambled in a disorderly manner, then suddenly fell silent.

    Then he grinned at Ji-Ah and said, "Actually, it''s a joke. There''s nothing like that."

    "Is that so?"

    "Yes."

    "Well, that''s a relief."

    "Yes," Sun-Woo said with a nod.

    A tear rolled down his face. More and more tears began to roll down until they eventually began to pour out.

    Sun-Woo copsed on the spot and cried. He cried in such a sorrowful, wretched, and pitiful way.

    Ji-Ah embraced Sun-Woo as he trembled and cried. He appeared vulnerable, like a small child, and she felt relieved that Sun-Woo could finally express his sadness.

    At the very least, she had to believe it was a relief.

    ***

    The end-of-term practical exams were over. This time, the practical exams were also conducted simply in consideration of attacks from Satanists.

    In-Ah received a decent score on the practical exam, but thanks to her overwhelmingly excellent scores on the written exam, she finished at the top.

    Not long after, there was a vacation ceremony.

    "Don''t get too excited about the vacation. Those who have already been admitted will probably do fine on their own, but those who haven''t been admitted yet should continue to work hard during the vacation to at least make it into a local clergy branch. Also, it''s dangerous, so don''t go too far to y..."

    The homeroom teacher''s nagging continued until the vacation ceremony, but no one bothered to listen.

    For the past few months, Satanists, demonic creatures, and demons had not appeared at all. Some schrs warned that they should not let their guard down, but most schrs were optimistic and said that peace had finallye. Therefore, no matter how dangerous the teacher said it was, the students did not take their warnings seriously. They were too busy being excited about the uing vacation.

    "That¡¯s all. Don''t wander around and go straight home!"

    With the homeroom teacher''s words, the vacation ceremony ended, and the vacation began. It was then that people started to gather. They were members who nned to go on a trip to the beach during the summer vacation. They were In-Ah, Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon, Min-Seo, and Jin-Seo. Sun-Woo was not there, as he did note to school even on the day of the vacation ceremony.

    At this point, the travel ns were already somewhat finalized. They had already nned when they were going to go, what they were going to take, where they were going to go, and what they were going to eat. Except for a few minor details, the major ns were all set, so all that was left was to go on the trip.

    "How much money were we nning to spend again? It must have been over 100,000 won per person," Min-Seo said.

    "I''m so excited! By the way, Dae-Man, do you know how to swim?" Su-Ryeon asked.

    "Of course. I can even scuba dive," Dae-Man said.

    "I can''t swim... If I fall in, save me, ok?" Su-Ryeon said.

    "Understood," Dae-Man replied.

    In-Ah was double-checking the n until the end. Jin-Seo seemed to be looking for someone, and she approached In-Ah. Jin-Seo seemed to have something to say, but after approaching In-Ah, she seemed to hesitate as she chewed her lips.

    In-Ah noticed her and asked, "Why? Do you have something to ask?"

    Jin-Seo hesitated and then said, "Is Sun-Wooing?"

    Jin-Seo didn''t want to ask In-Ah this question because knowing whether Sun-Woo would attend through In-Ah was a blow to her pride.

    In-Ah did not respond to Jin-Seo''s question and instead stared at her phone screen. There, a brief text message from Sun-Woo popped up.

    <i>¡ªI¡¯ming</i>

    In-Ah nodded. "Yeah, it seems like he''sing?"

    ***

    The director of the Central Pdin Order revisited the underground prison because he had a sinister and uneasy feeling. Although this feeling was purely instinctual and unfounded, he was someone who trusted his guts.

    Thanks to his trust in his instincts, he had risen to the position of director at the Central Pdin Order without any special abilities.

    "Is everything okay?" the director asked the clergymen who managed the underground prison.

    The clergymen, tense and stiff, nodded with rigid faces.

    "Yes, everything is fine. What brings you here?"

    "I don''t have any specific business... I just came here to conduct an inspection. Can I go into the underground prison now? I want to check something."

    The clergymen said it was possible and took the director to the underground prison. The underground prison was as hot as usual, and a terrible stench emanated from it.

    Several inmates in the underground prison had died. However, their bodies had not been removed yet. Perhaps that was why the stench in the underground prison seemed even more intense than usual.

    "Thank you! See you again!"

    At that moment, a strange voice reached the director''s ear. The voice was small and faint, but it had a very unpleasant tone.

    "He was saying that thest time I was here as well. Is he still saying the same thing?¡± the director asked the clergyman.

    "Yes. It has been like that for a few days now. I wonder if they have gone mad because of the torture..."

    "Nonsense. Do you think that lunatic still has room to lose more sanity? Have you checked?"

    All the inmates in the underground prison were extremely dangerous criminals. They had to be detained underground because there was a high possibility they would escape or gather together and plot a riot if they were detained on the surface.

    Koo Jun-Hyuk was particrly dangerous, even among those dangerous inmates. One time, Jun-Hyuk attempted to escape when he was moved from the detention cell to the interrogation room for torture, and he had once nned a riot bymunicating with the other inmates in the underground prison through an unknown method.

    It was not the first time the underground prison had almost copsed because of Jun-Hyuk.

    "I called for support to confirm, but there was no response. There is ack of manpower due to the conve and the protests..."

    Therefore, in order to torture Jun-Hyuk or confirm his status, they had to request support. Jun-Hyuk did not attempt to escape or rebel when many clergymen were guarding the underground prison.

    However, due to reasons such as the conve and protests, clergymen from other factions were not responding to support requests.

    ¡°...¡±

    The director gnashed his teeth after hearing the clergyman¡¯s words. They were ominous¡ªso ominous that they were difficult to bear.

    The director strode toward Jun-Hyuk''s cell. On the way, the director picked up a knife from the torture chamber. It was a knife mainly used for cutting the flesh of sinners during torture.

    Upon arriving at Jun-Hyuk''s cell, the director opened the cell door without a moment''s hesitation. The clergyman following behind widened their eyes in shock.

    "Director, you can''t do this! He is...!"

    "Shut up!"

    The director silenced the clergyman and approached Jun-Hyuk with the knife in hand.

    "Thank you! See you again!"

    Jun-Hyuk kept repeating the same words, but his face showed no expression. His gaze was empty, as if it was frozen. The director raised the de.

    "Thank you! See you aga¨D!"

    <i>Rip! </i>

    The director precisely stabbed Jun-Hyuk''s forehead with the de and ripped open Jun-Hyuk''s skull.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    As a result, Jun-Hyuk''s head exploded like a firework. Sawdust and cotton shot up into the sky, then cascaded down like snowkes.

    The director watched the scene in disbelief. Jun-Hyuk''s head, which had been repeating the words ¡®Thank you, see you again,¡¯ finally closed its mouth. No, to be precise, Jun-Hyuk''s taxidermied creature closed its mouth.

    "Surprise-zz..."

    With those words, the taxidermied creature slowly melted away and disappeared. Sawdust and cotton were piled thick on the floor of the operating room.

 Chapter 317

    <h4>Chapter 317</h4>

    An earthquake urred when they were about to go on their vacation trip. It wasn''t a big earthquake. Even near the West Sea, since the earthquake happened far away fromnd, there weren¡¯t any casualties and there was hardly any damage. Fortunately, since the sea that In-Ah and her friends had nned to go to was the East Sea, there were no changes in the travel schedule.

    On the day of the trip, the members gathered at the train station. In-Ah was the first to arrive, followed by Min-Seo. They arrived almost at the same time.

    In-Ah knew Min-Seo, and Min-Seo knew In-Ah, but they weren¡¯t particrly close. So even after seeing each other, they didn¡¯t exchange a word.

    "What the...? When did you guys get here? You came really fast!" Su-Ryeon said.

    The awkward atmosphere only dissipated after Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man arrived. Perhaps they were no longer trying to hide the fact that they were dating as they were always moving around together.

    Min-Seo frowned when she saw the two of them and said, "I really don''t want to see your faces."

    Dae-Man smirked in response and said, "Jealous?"

    Min-Seo stared at Dae-Man with a stiff, deadpan expression as if she was utterly dumbfounded. She wanted to p Dae-Man''s jaw right then and there, but she managed to hold herself back. She thought to herself that her self-restraint was quite impressive.

    Min-Seo turned her head toward Su-Ryeon standing close to Dae-Man and asked, "Why are you dating such a person? You deserve better, really..."

    "Ohe on, it''s not that bad!" Su-Ryeon replied nonchntly.

    Honestly, she didn''t feel too bad. Hearing that she deserved better actually kind of sounded like apliment.

    Simrly, Dae-Man wasn''t particrly bothered either. He wasn''t the type to be concerned about such things in the first ce.

    Min-Seo red at Dae-Man with displeasure and eyed his body as she said, "What''s so great about this lump of muscle with nothing in his head? Isn¡¯t he just inefficiently lugging around a bunch of meaningless fat?¡±

    Unable to stand Min-Seo¡¯s words, Dae-Man frowned and retorted, "It¡¯s not fat. It¡¯s all muscle. It¡¯s not the stuff attached to my body, but your body that is normally referred to as fat.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re speaking a load of fucking rubbish, aren¡¯t you? Want to duke it out on the beach? It¡¯s nice and spacious so it''ll be great to fight there. I¡¯ll make it fair and square too.¡±

    "Sure. It won¡¯t hurt much even if I get hit by a fatso like you.¡±

    "This bastard keeps taking it a step further!¡±

    Dae-Man and Min-Seo started arguing as soon as they met. Su-Ryeon, feeling the scene was all too familiar, sighed deeply and approached In-Ah who was alone.

    She scanned In-Ah''s outfit and smiled broadly.

    "Hey, In-Ah. You look really pretty today, don''t you?" she said.

    "Really? Um... you¡¯re just saying that, aren¡¯t you?" In-Ah replied.

    "No, no. I mean it!"

    Su-Ryeon was always excited, but today she seemed even more so. It seemed like it was because they were traveling today.

    In-Ah found Su-Ryeon''s reaction a bit overwhelming, but she enjoyed hearing that she looked pretty. She had dressed up a bit more than usual because they were going on a trip today.

    "Thank you. You''re... pretty too. I envy your height..." In-Ah said to Su-Ryeon.

    Su-Ryeon was wearing a tight outfit overall, and it seemed to suit her tall and slim figure very well.

    "Huh? It doesn¡¯t seem like there is much of a difference between us though?"

    "I don''t think so..." In-Ah said in a bit of a sad tone, then looked at Dae-Man and Min-Seo who were arguing.

    They also seemed to have dressed up a bit more than usual. In-Ah wasn¡¯t sure if Dae-Man was intentionally wearing tight clothes or if it just looked that way because of hisrge build. Min-Seo dressed in a neutral style that suited her personality well, and In-Ah was dressed in clothes that were mainly bright and stylish.

    Everyone expressed their individuality through their style. Sun-Woo had not arrived yet, and In-Ah became curious about how he would be dressed.

    At that moment, Su-Ryeon looked elsewhere and said, "Wow, you¡¯re dressed pitch ck. Aren¡¯t you hot?"

    Sun-Woo was heading toward them from a distance. As Su-Ryeon had mentioned, he was dressed entirely in pitch ck. Furthermore, he was sticking to long sleeves despite the hot weather.

    In-Ah recalled the scar marks she had identally seen on Sun-Woo''s wristst time.

    <i>¡®He must be wearing long sleeves to cover the scar marks,¡¯ </i>she thought.

    Although it looked a bit hot, Sun-Woo''s outfit was aesthetically alright. Due to using dark colors overall, it actually suited Sun-Woo well.

    As soon as he arrived, he waved his hand toward In-Ah. She had been staring nkly at Sun-Woo, so she was surprised and btedly waved her hand back.

    "Uh, isn''t it hot?" Su-Ryeon asked Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo nodded, and as if he didn¡¯t care, he replied, ¡°It¡¯s still cold.¡±

    ***

    Everyone, with the exception of Jin-Seo, got on the train. Jin-Seo was actively making her name known while working in the Northern Crusader Order these days, and she urgently had to go there due to the recent earthquake.

    She had told Sun-Woo that she would join in the afternoon after finishing her work, and Sun-Woo ryed her message to In-Ah.

    Since the cost of the tickets had been received in advance, there were no changes in the budget.

    Thanks to Jin-Seo''ste arrival, Min-Seo, who was originally supposed to sit with her, ended up sitting alone.

    "It''s nice because it¡¯s spacious andfortable," Min-Seo said.

    She actually liked it. Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man naturally sat together, and In-Ah ended up sitting with Sun-Woo as well.

    Internally, In-Ah thought that it was fortunate that Jin-Seo waste. It was a bit of an awkward and embarrassing thought though.

    "How long has it been since we went to the sea?! I''m really excited," Dae-Man said.

    "Me too! It''s even better that I get to go with Dae-Man," Su-Ryeon said.

    "Hey, you can¡¯t say stuff like that loudly outside."

    "Why? Why can''t we say that?"

    "That''s because... It feels embarrassing."

    Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon chatted happily with each other as soon as they sat down. However, after the train departed and a few minutes passed, Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man became quiet. They had fallen asleep. Min-Seo had already fallen fast asleep by that time as well.

    Even when everyone else was asleep, In-Ah was awake. She couldn''t sleep even though she wanted to because she was concerned about Sun-Woo, who was sitting next to her.

    Sun-Woo was resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window. In-Ah nced at him discreetly.

    There was no sign of excitement in Sun-Woo''s face and eyes. He looked as bored and gloomy as always.

    "It¡¯ll be lots of fun," In-Ah said to Sun-Woo for no particr reason.

    Sun-Woo turned his head away from the window. He looked at In-Ah with the same vacant look he had in his eyes when he was staring out the window and chuckled. He had a natural smile on his face.

    "Yeah, it seems like it¡¯ll be a lot of fun," he said.

    In-Ah didn''t know how to respond, so she chewed on her lips for a while. Then she awkwardly said, "Right!"

    And then silence filled the train once again.

    However, In-Ah did not feel as ufortable as before with the silence. She still did not know what had happened to Sun-Woo, but she could tell that his condition was improving little by little.

    Thus, she didn¡¯t feel ufortable. The natural smile that Sun-Woo showed just before answering remained deeply in In-Ah''s heart.

    The train arrived at the destination sooner than expected. The members went to the amodation, unpacked their belongings, and rested for a while. Sun-Woo had received a message that Jin-Seo was expected to arrive within 30 minutes and he passed it on to In-Ah.

    In-Ah didn''t like hearing the news through Sun-Woo instead of directly from Jin-Seo. However, it was too trivial of a matter for her to show her displeasure, so she just endured it.

    Soon, Jin-Seo arrived at the amodation. She was wearing the uniform of the Northern Crusader Order, as if she hade straight from work.

    Su-Ryeon greeted Jin-Seo first. ¡°Oh, you came really early. What happened?"

    "It was nothing special. I had to check a few things rted to the earthquake," Jin-Seo replied.

    ¡°Check?¡±

    ¡°We had to check because it was an abnormal natural disaster. Some people were wondering whether the Voodoo Cult had caused it... But after checking it out, it turned out not to be a big deal,¡± she said as she unpacked her belongings.

    Su-Ryeon had already lost focus on the conversation. She was captivated by the crusaders'' attire that Jin-Seo was wearing. To be more specific, it was the uniform of the Northern Crusader Order.

    Su-Ryeon stared nkly at Jin-Seo, let out a small sigh of admiration, and said, "Your attire is really beautiful. Ours is so old-fashioned."

    "But it''s ufortable. It''s unnecessarily tight."

    Jin-Seo then went into her room to change quickly, beforeing back out.

    ***

    They arrived at the beach. In-Ah and Min-Seo were nning to rest a bit more at the amodation before going out, but Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man didn¡¯t let them do so.

    They believed that since they were on a trip, it would be a waste of time to just lounge around, and it would be best to y as much as possible.

    "Wow... look at all the people."

    There were a lot of people at the beach. Su-Ryeon seemed startled by the crowd, but at the same time, an excited smile appeared on her face.

    They each changed into the swimsuits they had brought with them. Dae-Man took off his top and only wore shorts, and then exercised bare-chested on the sandy beach. He did so to increase the rity of his muscles, even if it was just for a moment.

    "Seriously, muscles must possess that guy¡¯s body...¡± Min-Seo said as she looked at Dae-Man with disgust.

    Dae-Man, who was exercising hard, suddenly stood up and scanned Min-Seo up and down. Min-Seo still had not changed into her swimsuit.

    "Why aren''t you changing?" Dae-Man asked.

    "Because I have no intention of going into the sea."

    Dae-Man looked at Min-Seo with a somewhat displeased expression. "Hmm... really? Su-Ryeon!"

    Su-Ryeon had already changed into a swimsuit and was rxing in the water.

    Dae-Man and Su-Ryeon locked eyes. They didn''t say anything to each other, but they seemed to understand each other''s thoughts as they exchanged a sinister smile. Then, the two of them swiftly lifted the defenseless Min-Seo into the air.

    Min-Seo struggled and said, "Hey! You fu- let me go! Hey, put me down! Seriously, listen to me while I¡¯m saying it nicely!"

    She couldn''t bring herself to hit Su-Ryeon, so she fiercely pped Dae-Man on the head. However, Dae-Man didn¡¯t let go of Min-Seo.

    "Hahaha! If youe to the sea, you have to enjoy the sea!"

    "Hey, wait a second. Seriously, I brought my swimsuit. Let me change my clothes. Bastard, if I go in now, I don''t even have spare clothes¡ª!"

    "Goodbye¡ª!" Dae-Man shouted and, along with Su-Ryeon, threw Min-Seo into the sea.

    Min-Seo was thrown into the sea against her will, and she waspletely soaked as she stood up from the water.

    She swept her wet hair back roughly and spat on the ground. Then, she red at Dae-Man threateningly and approached him step by step.

    "You''re dead, you bastard. Come at me," she said.

    "That¡¯s what I was waiting for!" Dae-Man said.

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    Dae-Man willingly jumped into the sea. Su-Ryeon followed behind him. The three of them sshed water at each other, pushed each other into the sea, and had fun.

    Dae-Man sometimes managed to push Su-Ryeon and Min-Seo into the water, but usually, Min-Seo ended up in the sea. It was because Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man were jointly targeting Min-Seo.

    Jin-Seo hadn''t entered the sea yet. She asked Sun-Woo, "Aren''t you going in?"

    She had already changed her clothes and had applied sunscreen to her exposed skin. However, Sun-Woo did not change his clothes. He just sat on the beach as he stared nkly at the waves rolling in.

    "I''ll go inter," Sun-Woo said.

    He was looking at the point in the horizon where the waves met the sky. The waves were high. People entrusted their bodies to the high waves and screamed. Seagulls and ravens flew high in the sky. The ravens asionally cried out, but their sounds were buried under the people''s joyful screams.

 Chapter 318

    <h4>Chapter 318</h4>

    Dae-Man, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon had a lot of fun. Dae-Man threw Min-Seo into the sea and shouted an unfamiliar technique name.

    "Tombstone Pile Driver!"

    "Arggh!"

    Min-Seo retaliated against Dae-Man, shouting a strange technique name of her own.

    "Gut Buster!"

    "Ahh!"

    They both continuously threw each other into the sea. Min-Seo lightened up from being serious and angry as soon as she hit the water. Su-Ryeon chuckled and yed in the water, sshing Dae-Man and Min-Seo.

    ¡°<i>Pant, pant</i>! Hey, let''s take a break. Honestly, this is tiring," Min-Seo said.

    "Agreed. Let''s have a temporary ceasefire," Dae-Man replied.

    "How about an alliance instead of a ceasefire?" Su-Ryeon suggested.

    Tired and bored of throwing each other into the water, Min-Seo and Dae-Man epted Su-Ryeon¡¯s suggestion of allying together instead of forming a ceasefire. They started eyeing their next target. Their gaze shifted toward In-Ah, who was ying near the shallow shore where the wavespped. She had yet to step into the water.

    "In-Ah?"

    "In-Ah."

    Dae-Man, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon exchanged signals and ran toward In-Ah. In-Ah had no chance to resist against the three who lifted her arms and legs.

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    They mercilessly threw her into the sea. In-Ah fell into the water without even screaming. In-Ah struggled and then stood up in a hurry.

    She red at the three who had thrown her. "Haha! Hey, you guys!"

    "One more time?"

    "One more time."

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    The three didn''t even give In-Ah a chance to retaliate. In-Ah barely had time to think as she was repeatedly dunked into the sea. She waspletely dazed.

    The alliance¡¯s next target was Jin-Seo, who had not yet set foot in the ocean and was talking to Sun-Woo.

    Dae-Man and Min-Seo didn''t say anything to each other. Just by exchanging nces, they could tell what each other was thinking. Dae-Man and Min-Seo, along with Su-Ryeon, all rushed toward Jin-Seo. However, Jin-Seo was not as easy to catch as In-Ah. She quickly caught on to their intentions and started running.

    "You''re next, Jin-Seo!"

    "Oh, oh! She''s running! Get her!"

    Jin-Seo was nimble. Min-Seo and Dae-Man chased after her, shouting at the top of their lungs, but Jin-Seo managed to evade them. Eventually, Min-Seo and Dae-Man resorted to using a blessing to catch Jin-Seo.

    Jin-Seo nced back while running and was baffled.

    "You crazy lot!"

    Using blessings meant to deal with demons and demonic beasts for such a trivial matter? Jin-Seo couldn''t understand them at all. Jin-Seo also tried to use a blessing to shake them off, but by the time she tried to focus on channeling her blessing, Min-Seo and Dae-Man had already caught up to her.

    "Gotcha!"

    "W-wait, wait! Hey!"

    "No waiting, just die!"

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    Min-Seo and Dae-Man pushed Jin-Seo into the sea. Su-Ryeon and In-Ah pressed down on her to prevent Jin-Seo from getting up.

    After struggling, Jin-Seo finally managed to get up and gasped for a breath of air. Jin-Seo looked at Min-Seo and Dae-Man, as well as Su-Ryeon and In-Ah. However, they seemed to have lost interest in Jin-Seo. Their gaze was directed toward Sun-Woo who was staring nkly somewhere on the beach.

    "Hey, look at that guy looking all wise and dandy down there. Don¡¯t you find him annoying?"

    "Sun-Woo?"

    "Sun-Woo."

    "Let''s go!"

    They ran toward Sun-Woo in unison. Sun-Woo did not resist. He simply let them grab his arm when they reached for them and gave them his legs when they grabbed onto his feet.

    Even though he was suspended by all four of his appendages, Sun-Woo''s gaze was fixed on a point far away.

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    Without hesitation, the alliance threw Sun-Woo into the sea. Sun-Woo had not had the chance to change his clothes, but slowly disappeared underwater. Min-Seo chuckled as she watched Sun-Woo fall underwater without any resistance.

    "That was refreshing. If youe to the sea, you should go into the sea."

    "Is this the same Min-Seo who said she wouldn''t enter the sea earlier? I''m trembling with disgust at this hypocrisy..."

    "Dae-Man, why are you picking a fight again all of a sudden? Anyway, I had a good time!"

    Dae-Man and Min-Seo yfully bantered while Sun-Woo was still struggling in the sea.

    Suddenly, everything went quiet. Sun-Woo was not resurfacing. Only a dark shadow floated in the sea.

    "Is he dead?"

    "Ha, as i..."

    In-Ah and Jin-Seo''s faces turned pale.

    <i>Saash!</i>

    Right then. Sun-Woo rose from the water, creating a water spout as he stood up abruptly. Not able to contain their surprise at the fact that Sun-Woo was alive, Sun-Woo started walking toward them with big strides.

    Min-Seo spilled a giggle and hesitantly took a few steps back, then turned around and ran away like crazy, shouting, "Hey, this guy is pissed off. Run!"

    Dae-Man started to break out in a run. "Run!"

    As they ran away, a question suddenly popped into their minds.

    "Hey, why are we running away?"

    "You¡¯re right. One more time?"

    "Let''s do it."

    They gathered their courage again and grabbed Sun-Woo, throwing him into the sea. Sun-Woo waspletely beaten up after falling into the water twice. Unable to regain hisposure and catch his breath, Sun-Woo let out a bitter, hollowugh. Dae-Man, Min-Seo, Su-Ryeon, Jin-Seo, and In-Ah alsoughed.

    They yed, tossing each other into the sea. It was a kind of day where both sides, the dunkers and the dunked, smiled the whole time.

    ***

    In-Ah gazed at Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon, and Min-Seo after she retreated to the beach to catch a breath.

    "Aren''t they tired?" she asked.

    Jin-Seo, In-Ah, and Sun-Woo felt fatigued from ying in the sea and came to rest, but the other three were still scampering about in the water. Among the three, Min-Seo was having the most fun despite the fact that she had caused a scene at first, saying that she didn''t want to go into the water.

    Sun-Woo watched the three ying energetically in the sea. His eyes glinted with more life than before. He looked like he was truly fine now.

    Everything was fine. The trip went smoothly as nned. Everyone had fun, no one got hurt, and the weather was nice. Everything was going just right.

    "Uh, uh...!"

    Suddenly, the waves started acting strange.

    <i>Ssh¨C!</i>

    The sound of the crashing waves became unusually rough. The faces of those who had cheered at the high waves gradually stiffened as they sensed something was wrong. They slowly tried toe out of the water, but to no sess. They swam toward the beach, but for some reason, they seemed to drift further away from it.

    "A rip current?" Dae-Man muttered.

    He had been ying at the shallow end when the riptide had hit.

    "Huh? I-I keep getting sucked into the sea! H-help me!"

    The problem was Su-Ryeon. She had been ying with another tube where her feet didn¡¯t touch the seabed, and the water suddenly increased in depth. Her body was drifting slowly away from the beach.

    Dae-Man''s face turned pale. Su-Ryeon wasn¡¯t the only one asking for help. Many people ying in the sea were being dragged deeper into the sea by the strange flow of the waves. The lifeguards waiting on the beach blew their whistles. Some guards had already jumped into the sea, swimming to rescue people.

    Dae-Man also prepared to rescue Su-Ryeon.

    Min-Seo frantically escaped from the grasp of the sea, but she frowned when she saw Dae-Man.

    "Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?"

    "Isn¡¯t it obvious? I''m going to rescue her."

    "What if you get caught, too? Then there''s no way out!"

    Dae-Man chuckled. "I have a lifeguard certification. I won''t get swept away by that kind of riptide."

    "Students can do that?"

    "They make an exception for pdin students. Only if they want to."

    "Oh? Then hurry and go rescue her!"

    <i>Ssh! </i>

    Without a moment''s hesitation, Dae-Man dove into the sea. With his skilled swimming, he approached Su-Ryeon. Dae-Man roughly grabbed the tube she was holding onto, swam back toward the beach, and dragged Su-Ryeon back to the shore.

    Barely able to return to the beach, Su-Ryeon¡¯s face looked pale as snow.

    "Wow, I r-really, I really thought I was going to die. Wow, shit. Shit!"

    "It would have been dangerous if I hadn¡¯t been there. This incident shows the gap between crusaders and pdins," Dae-Man said excitedly.

    Meanwhile, the lifeguards who had entered the sea were skillfully rescuing people. Those who had yet to be rescued were crying out for help.

    The loud cries for help and the caws of the raven mixed, creating an unpleasant and eerie sound.

    "..."

    At that moment, Sun-Woo stood up from his seat. Jin-Seo and In-Ah looked up at Sun-Woo at the same time.

    Sun-Woo''s eyes were glued to something far away. His eyes, which had always been empty, were filled with intense emotion.

    "La Sirene."

    <i>Shoo¡ª! </i>

    The waves lurched strangely once more. They were high and rough. However, despite the rough waves, people were returning to the beach. Even those who had drifted far away and had not been rescued wereing back to the shore one by one with the waves.

    Jin-Seo and In-Ah did not hear exactly what Sun-Woo had muttered, but they could tell that he had moved the waves.

    "What? How...?" Jin-Seo muttered.

    That was not miracle replication. There was no sign of divine power, the precursor to miracle replication.

    Sun-Woo had not unleashed divine power in the first ce. He simply controlled the waves by muttering some words. It was strange¡ªno, it was more abnormal than strange.

    Abnormal.

    Jin-Seo was familiar with that word. A sense of unease crept in. She hadn¡¯t taken the train with the other kids because of that abnormal feeling.

    An earthquake near the West Sea. That was an abnormal natural disaster.

    "What''s going on?" Jin-Seo asked.

    Sun-Woo didn''t reply. He was looking somewhere. He wasn¡¯t staring at a vague distant mountain. He was looking at another abnormality, far away, walking on the waves, and the woman with a strange aura beside the man.

    In-Ah''s gaze also turned in that direction. Her expression hardened.

    The security guard blew their whistle and shouted, ¡°Come out of the water as fast as possible! Stay clear of the sea. If you go in¡ª"

    The security guard gestured for the man and the woman beside him toe out of the water.

    Jun-Hyuk frowned and pointed his finger at the security guard.

    "You dare to talk when the protagonists are speaking? Shut up. Bang!"

    <i>Crack. </i>

    A massive ck finger emerged behind the man. The crimson mes it let out pierced the guard''s body, vaporizing the lifeguard¡¯s entire torso. Like branches falling from pruning, the lifeguard¡¯s arms, legs, and head plopped into the sea.

    The sea turned crimson red. Someone screamed, and the screams started to spread like a gue. One person''s scream soon became everyone''s, and they all fled in confusion.

    "Jun-Hyuk," In-Ah muttered with a hardened face.

    "We finally meet. And at no ce other than the sea,¡± Jun-Hyuk said.

    ¡°...¡±

    In-Ah fell silent. Sun-Woo also fell silent. Jin-Seo looked at Jun-Hyuk and then at Sun-Woo. Tears streamed down Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes that were fixed on Jun-Hyuk. More precisely, he was looking at the mysterious woman next to Jun-Hyuk.

    <i> </i> *

    I had endured it all.

    There were many people in the park when I visited it with Ji-Ah. I imagined all those people dying, the park aze, and the sight of all the people falling, bleeding.

    Soon, the visions didn¡¯t seem imaginary. It felt as if the sight was unfolding right in front of me. I thought I had gone crazy again.

    When I closed my eyes to sleep, I heard hallucinations. Passed ones that had died because of my ipetence or because I had killed them appeared in front of me, ming and spouting curses. They reeked with the stench of rotten flesh. Their blood was on my hands.

    "Aaah!"

    "It¡¯s the Satanist! Quick, call, call for help!"

    "Save me, please! The Satanist, the Satanist!"

    They were already dead. They wouldn¡¯t die from dying once more. I stayed up all night, killing them. Once I had finished my massacre and returned to sleep, they would rise again to whisper curses in my ear. I spent the entire night awake, hacking them down.

    Amongst the dead, my mom was there. I killed even my mother countless times. The shocking death of my mother repeated itself dozens, hundreds of times every night. Yet, I could endure it.

    In the park, I would pet a dog. I felt nothing. My senses had dulled. Still, I could feel that it was soft and warm.

    If I couldn¡¯t sleep at night, I went to find Ji-Ah. Even when I cried so disgustingly and shamefully in front of her, Ji-Ah didn¡¯t say anything. She simply hugged me. It was warm within her embrace.

    I went to the beach and had fun with friends. Just because we had gone to the beach, it didn¡¯t mean much changed. To me, the sea was just an ordinaryndscape. It didn¡¯t bring me much excitement.

    Yet, I enjoyed pushing and being pushed into the water with my friends. I felt as if I had blended among them for a brief moment. It made me wistfully think that I might be able to forget the days when I chased the past, leave the pain I had felt, and blend in with everyone, existing between them most ordinarily. I thought it was okay to live like that.

    "Ahhhh!"

    "Run away! Don''t just stand there!"

    "Save me, please, ugh, ahh!"

    It was only for a second.

    I caught a glimpse of the woman standing next to Jun-Hyuk. She wore white and emitted a strange aura.

    "Sun-Woo, a reunion gift!"

    "Sun-Woo."

    The woman called my name. Her voice was so affectionate, so warm. It was my mother. The mother who died in front of my eyes. The mother I had killed over and over every night. She had appeared before me again alongside Jun-Hyuk, who should have been in the underground prison.

    "..."

    I realized that the woman was merely the work of Jun-Hyuk. She was not my mother but a doll perfectly resembling her. This wasn''t a hallucination. I had killed my mother countless times every night, but I couldn''ty a hand on the mother in front of me. She was real.

    I had never let Jun-Hyuk escape from the underground prison. That was why everything unfolding before me felt like a hallucination or a figment of my imagination.

    "Let¡¯s get rid of the nuisances. It''ll be easier for you that way."

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Jun-Hyuk raised his finger. ck mes erupted from his fingertip. His finger pointed at Jin-Seo, who was beside me. Behind Jun-Hyuk, dozens of ck fingers appeared, ck mes decorating each fingertip.

    The ck fingers pointed at Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon, Min-Seo, and many others fleeing.

    "Sun-Woo," Jin-Seo called my name.

    I looked at Jin-Seo. She looked up at me with a smile mixed with resignation. She looked like she anticipated her end. It was as if she had finally realized everything about me. She merely smiled.

    Through the process of facing, crumbling, and recovering from my mother¡¯s death, I gradually began to envision the future. In that future, Jin-Seo, In-Ah, Su-Ryeon, Min-Seo, and Dae-Man were all there. I realized that the hopeful future I had envisioned was nothing but hope without any possibility of realization.

    "Damba."

    She appeared from the sands where she had been hiding in the form of a small snake. She turned into a staff, and I grasped it.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    I struck the ground with the staff. The ground vibrated. Giant nt stems emerged from the sand. The nt stems blocked the ck mes Jun-Hyuk had shot with ck magic. The nt stems hit by the ck magic rotted and turned ck. nt stems simply filled the void. Thanks to Granbwa''s power, no one was harmed by Jun-Hyuk''s ck magic.

    Jin-Seo looked at me with wide eyes.

    I looked at her and croaked, "I..."

    She could not be where I was. Neither could In-Ah, Dae-Man, Su-Ryeon, or Min-Seo. Their ce was not next to me. Furthermore, there was no ce for me to be next to them either.

    The only reason why I had been able to belong with them and mistakenly thought I had found my ce was because my existence had been adorned with lies.

    "I am the Cult Leader."

    I was a chatan. It was the truth that could not be changed, nor would it be changed. I raised the staff.

 Chapter 319

    <h4>Chapter 319</h4>

    Disaster had struck out of nowhere.

    The wind blew fiercely, and rain poured down. I couldn''t tell if the sea¡¯s motion or the downpour contributed to the tall waves.

    In an instant, the sunny sky was covered with dark clouds. Sinister darkness and moisture covered the ground like a nket. Giant nt stems pierced through the sandy beach, and ck mes spewed from giant fingers, burning and eating the nts. Lightning shed, and the ground shook.

    People ran away to their loved ones, screaming and calling out to their families. The lifeguards, whether pdins, crusaders, or priests, all called for backup. People calling their family friends and begging for salvation echoed everywhere.

    Jin-Seo stood still. She gazed at the growing nt stems, the burning ck mes, and the darkened sky. To her, they seemed like harbingers of a great disaster. Sun-Woo was already gone.

    Suddenly,, she heard someone call her name.

    "Jin-Seo!"

    It was Min-Seo. Behind her was Dae-Man, carrying Su-Ryeon. Min-Seo sat down and shook Jin-Seo, who was standing still. Jin-Seo still did not regain her senses.

    Min-Seo, Dae-Man, and Su-Ryeon each spoke in turn.

    "What''s wrong with you? Are you out of your mind?"

    "Jin-Seo! Get up! We need to run!"

    "You''re not thinking of fighting again, are you? You don''t even have a weapon!"

    With their support, Jin-Seo managed to stand up. Even as she ran away with them in a hurry, her gaze was fixed on one spot where Sun-Woo had disappeared. The said spot was now the source of chaos and loud outbursts.

    After running away frantically, they finally arrived at a safe ce. People fleeing from the beach gathered there, and others hade looking for the noise source.

    Dae-Man and Min-Seo looked around.

    Min-Seo wore a tense expression as she broke out in a cold sweat. "Where did she go? The small, uh, brown-haired girl! Didn''t you see her on the way here?"

    Dae-Man set Su-Ryeon down.

    "In-Ah? She wasn''t there!" Dae-Man said.

    He also looked around frantically in search of In-Ah. However, among the many people, In-Ah was nowhere to be found.

    Su-Ryeon climbed down Dae-Man¡¯s back and looked around. "What about Sun-Woo? Sun-Woo isn''t here either?"

    Sun-Woo was also absent.

    At that moment, Jin-Seo said, "He isn¡¯ting. Sun-Woo... isn¡¯ting."

    It wasn¡¯t a guess¡ªshe was certain. She realized that Sun-Woo, who had just disappeared, would never return. No, he would not be <i>able </i>to return.

    Jin-Seo looked beyond toward the direction of the monstrous sounds. She tried to see if she could make out Sun-Woo. However, it was difficult to open her eyes properly due to the rain and wind, and it was too dark to see clearly because of the thick clouds. All she could distinguish were the incessant lightning strikes, massive tidal waves, constantly growing nt stems, huge mes, and dozens of red-hot swords dancing in the air.

    "What is that?¡±

    "Wow, fuck..."

    Those who saw the sight couldn''t formte a proper sentence. They either let out short exmations, spat out curses mixed with fear, or stared nkly at the spectacle.

    Dae-Man, Min-Seo, and Su-Ryeon looked at the scene with horror and awe, momentarily forgetting that In-Ah and Sun-Woo had disappeared.

    ***

    Jun-Hyuk had escaped the underground prison. The escape had been difficult. He had attempted to escape nearly every day for over a year. He had made a dozen attempts daily, but all his attempts had been futile. The only reason he was able to escape was thanks to Sun-Woo.

    On the day Sun-Woo entered the underground prison, Jun-Hyuk had seen everything. He had seen Sun-Woo wail in front of his mother, who had died in the cell.

    Sun-Woo hadn¡¯t even been able to wail in his sorrow at peace. After shedding tears for a few minutes, no, a few seconds, Sun-Woo had put himself to sleep with a spell¡ªso that he could continue to live as an ordinary Romanican without revealing his true identity.

    Jun-Hyuk seized the opportunity when the director of the Central Pdin Order and Sun-Woo had lost consciousness. In that brief moment, he created a taxidermied creature that looked exactly like his head. However, this didn¡¯t change the fact that Jun-Hyuk was still stuck in his cell. He hid in a corner, biding his time, waiting for an opportunity.

    "Gu-Gu Jun-Hyuk! Inform all Pdin Order members that Satanist Executive Envy has escaped! No, alert all the clergymen!"

    His opportunity came soon enough. Feeling uneasy, the director had opened Jun-Hyuk''s cell door without securing enough personnel to prevent an escape.

    "I haven''t escaped yet, you know~"

    Jun-Hyuk revealed himself. He was now in his full form and was not a mere head. He had slowly constructed his body while hiding in the corner of the cell.

    The Central Pdin Order leader was shocked and tried to exin the situation to hismunicator, but Jun-Hyuk did not give him a chance.

    A long tentacle shot out from Jun-Hyuk''s mouth, piercing the director''s throat. Right after that, Jun-Hyuk also killed the clergymen behind the director. Jun-Hyuk left the underground prison carrying the bodies of the director of the Central Pdin Order director and the clergymen.

    There was a car parked at the entrance of the prison. It seemed that it was the car that the director had ridden to get to the underground prison. Jun-Hyuk killed the driver and sat in the passenger seat. He had already ced the bodies of the Central Pdin Order leader and the clergymen he had killed earlier in the trunk of the car.

    After killing everyone nearby, Jun-Hyuk sat for a while and did nothing. He just stood there feeling the breeze, basking in the sunlight, taking deep breaths. It¡¯d been a long time since his lungs had breathed in fresh air, and it made him dizzy.

    "I''m happy," Jun-Hyuk muttered.

    He got into the car parked in front of the entrance to the underground prison. The driver he had killed earliery slumped on the passenger seat. Jun-Hyuk did not move him and started the car right away.

    While driving, Jun-Hyuk asionally spoke to the corpse of the driver sitting in the passenger seat. "The weather is nice, isn''t it?"

    Of course, the driver did not respond. He was dead.

    "No response. Are you the silent type?"

    "..."

    "That''s why Romanican Church clergymen are no good. Theyck sociability."

    He arrived at a ce not far from the prison, a dpidated building in thend ravaged by Satanist Executive Wrath.

    He casually carried the three corpses from the car and descended into the basement of the building. There were dozens of people wearing strange robes down there. As soon as Jun-Hyuk arrived, they all stopped their actions and kneeled in front of him.

    "The Lord has arrived!"

    They were Jun-Hyuk''s followers. They were in the middle of emptying the corpses'' insides and dismantling the human hides.

    This was Jun-Hyuk''s taxidermied creature factory. Jun-Hyuk chuckled as he looked at the dozens of followers kneeling before him.

    "Yes, I havee. Now slit your throats."

    <i>Swiiish! </i>

    At Jun-Hyuk''smand, dozens of his followers who had been bowing their heads pulled out daggers from their rears and cut their throats without any hesitation.

    Jun-Hyuk skillfully dismembered the bodies and gathered ''ingredients''¡ªingredients that he would use to make his final masterpiece, Lee Seh-Hwa, the most beautiful and powerful woman he had ever seen and also the mother of a friend.

    He created his art using her hair from the underground prison and ingredients collected from the corpses.

    "Art trulyes from pain," Jun-Hyuk said as he looked at the instantlypleted artwork.

    He only had one task left: handing thepleted artwork to the rightful owner. He was going to give this taxidermied creature to Sun-Woo.

    "I hope you like the gift, Sun-Woo!" Jun-Hyuk eximed.

    He watched as his creation approached in big strides toward Sun-Woo. As he watched, he recalled the image of Sun-Woo weeping and holding his deceased mother''s body in the underground prison. At the same time, he remembered Sun-Woo''s struggle to save Yoon-Ah. He thought about In-Ah reuniting with Yoon-Ah and shedding tears of joy. Jun-Hyuk had observed all these scenes through the misty eyes of his ravens.

    Loss, emotional reunions, and recovery¡ªto Jun-Hyuk, that was <i>true</i> art. He hoped that Sun-Woo shared his taste. Through the reunion with his deceased mother, he wanted to see Sun-Woo''s recovery. It was not just for Sun-Woo but for Jun-Hyuk himself.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo silently approached his mother. Tears welled up in his eyes. With his mouth shut, Jun-Hyuk silently watched the scene unfold before him. The emotional reunion was moments away. If Sun-Woo embraced his approaching mother and shared a warm hug, Jun-Hyuk''s masterpiece would beplete.

    "Sobo."

    However, Sun-Woo did not embrace his mother. Instead, he raised his cane, pointed it at his mother, and softly called out Sobo¡¯s name.

    <i>Zzzing¡ª!! </i>

    Lightning struck. The lightning hit Sun-Woo''s mother, the taxidermied creature made to resemble her. Just like a split tree when struck by lightning, the taxidermied creature exploded into pieces. Charred cotton and sawdust burst out from the broken head. The ck ashes danced in the wind like petals.

    A single tear slid down Sun-Woo¡¯s otherwise dry face, devoid of emotion.

    Meanwhile, Jun-Hyuk''s face contorted grotesquely.

    "Uh, uh? Why? Why?"

    Jun-Hyuk''s final masterpiece turned to ash.

    ***

    I could have considered the mother created by Jun-Hyuk to be my real mother. It was not much different in appearance from her. No, rather, it was more ''motherly'' than the pitiful and dreadful mother I had seen in the underground prison.

    Jun-Hyuk¡¯s creation was gentle, affectionate, beautiful, and noble. It was just like the image of my mother I had imagined before entering the underground prison, before tasting the bitterness of my mother''s death.

    "Sobo."

    <i>Zzzing¡ª!! </i>

    So, I killed it.

    The taxidermied creature, made to mimic the appearance of a mother, burned to a crisp when lightning struck. Spewing sawdust and cotton, it turned into ck ashes and disappeared as if it had never existed.

    A dreadful sense of liberation washed over me. Seeing my mother, or rather the imitation of my mother, burn to ashes from the sawdust and cotton, I realized how I had been grieving over something so meaningless and the choices I would need to make for the future.

    "Bade, Granbwa, Sobo, Bossou, Ogun..."

    I called upon the Loa. They did not respond, yet they answered my call. The wind blew, nt stems writhed and grew, lightning struck, my blood boiled, and molten hot metal rose into the air.

    Whether they were friendly Loa, or Loa who were against me, or Loa who remained neutral, they all responded to my call. They knew what choice I had made and what choice I nned to make in the future.

    "Why are you here?" I said to Jun-Hyuk.

    Jun-Hyuk had been screaming and crying at the gruesome death of the taxidermied creature made to resemble my mother, but he quickly regained hisposure at my question.

    He looked at me expressionlessly, then smirked. "I thought we could join forces and conquer the world."

    "Nonsense."

    I didn''t entertain Jun-Hyuk''s silly joke. Jun-Hyukughed.

    Iughed along and replied, "Are you here to die?"

    "Well, something like that."

    "Then you¡¯ve found the right ce," I said, raising my staff and striking the ground.

    "La Sirene."

    As soon as I called her name, an ominous sound rang with the appearance of a giant wave.

    <i>SHRIEEEEK¨C!</i>

    The wave crashed into Jun-Hyuk, who was standing on the water. Inside the giant wave was a big, ck mouth. It was the mouth of a whale.

    La Sirene was the Loa of the Sea. Sometimes, she would sometimes appear as a beautiful mermaid and a disgusting behemoth of a whale on other asions. She was the whale that had appeared within the tidal wave, and she tried to swallow Jun-Hyuk whole.

    Jun-Hyuk turned to face the whale¡¯s mouth and pointed his finger at the giant wall of water.

    ¡°Leviathan.¡±

 Chapter 320

    <h4>Chapter 320</h4>

    ¡ªAn unexined phenomenon urred at the beach...

    ¡ªNearby residents have been evacuated...

    ¡ªThe extent of the damage is currently being assessed...

    Jin-Sung alternated his attention between the TV and his phone as he tried to assess the situation. Reporters described the situation using provocative words like ''unprecedented disaster'' and ''harbinger of Holy War.'' Some media outlets even flew drones to broadcast the situation live.

    <i>sh!</i>

    However, the live broadcast didn''tst long. Lightning struck the broadcasting drone, blowing it up into a million pieces. But before the screen went ck, Jin-Sung saw Sun-Woo confronting a man.

    Jin-Sung''s hand holding the phone trembled. He called out to Ji-Ah.

    "Ji-Ah."

    Simrly, Ji-Ah, who was also keeping track of the situation through the news, quickly came to Jin-Sung''s side. Jin-Sung stood up abruptly from his seat, preparing to leave and put on his clothes.

    "Let''s go. We have to abandon this ce."

    "..."

    "You understand, right? It seems like today is the day Sun-Woo was talking about. So, now, everything..."

    He had broken out in a cold sweat. Looking back and forth between the TV and phone screen, he had a deep, anxious expression. "It¡¯s¡ªit''s all over..."

    Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna, Ji-Ah, and Jin-Sung hastily packed their belongings in the underground chapel.

    ***

    "Leviathan," Jun-Hyuk said.

    Following the movement of his hands, a dark red circle formed, eventually turning into a pentagram. From the pentagram, a bizarre creature sprung out. It was not a demon, demonic beast, or taxidermied creature. It was a creature I had never seen before. If I had to describe it, the creature looked like a giant snake covered in scales.

    La Sirene and Leviathan fought. Half-submerged in the water, they gnawed at each other with their huge teeth and tore at each other''s flesh with ws. Leviathan asionally opened its mouth wide and spewed giant mes while La Sirene raised waves to block them.

    <i>Kieeek! </i>

    <i>Kaaak, kaaaak! </i>

    The roars of the two monsters were simr yet different. The blood from their wounds dyed the sea scarlet, and the waves surged high.

    I raised my staff with my right hand and struck the ground. With my left hand, I unleashed Voodoo magic.

    "Bade."

    The wind blew.

    Dozens of spell arrays formed behind me as I moved my right hand. They were arrays for the replication spell, Executioner''s Sword. Dozens of Executioner''s Swords came forth, each emitting their eerie screams. I grabbed one of them and entrusted myself to Bade¡¯s wind. Riding the wind, my body shot forward. Channeling the momentum into my arm, I swung the Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    I cleanly cut Jun-Hyuk''s body into two, but I knew Jun-Hyuk wouldn''t die so easily. Before his severed torso even hit the ground, Jun-Hyuk looked at me with a mocking expression and raised his finger. A giant ck finger appeared behind him with its tip glued toward me.

    <i>Kiiik! </i>

    The ck finger moved, drawing a ck line into existence. It severed my arm that held the Executioner''s Sword.

    I used my intact left arm to draw a spell array and cast the superior restoration spell. Smoke wrapped around the severed limb, and the arm reattached itself to my body.

    <i>Krggggg... </i>

    Then, a tsunami surged forth. It was a massive wave born from the battle between La Sirene and Leviathan. I lifted myself with Bade''s wind to avoid the tsunami. Soaring through the sky, I looked around. Somehow, Jun-Hyuk was also floating in the air.

    Upon closer inspection, I saw that he now had wings attached to his back. The wings were grotesque, looking as if they were made of human bones and skin. I drew another Executioner''s Sword from the spell array on my back and tried running toward Jun-Hyuk.

    At that exact moment, Jun-Hyuk raised his hand. "Wait! Let''s talk. Why are you picking a fight out of the blue? We are technically allies."

    "..."

    I halted in the middle of my attack, but it wasn''t because I wanted to stop. When Jun-Hyuk raised his hand, a dark and massive hand appeared, clutching me in its grip.

    I struggled to break free, but it wasn''t easy to escape. There might have been a way to escape, but I didn''t exert that much effort. Maybe it was because I was curious about what Jun-Hyuk would say.

    "Speak."

    Jun-Hyuk cleared his throat. "Ahem. Earlier, I suggested joining forces to conquer the world."

    Flesh and blood dripped from the fluttering wings on his back while La Sirene and Leviathan were still fiercely fighting in the sea. The surroundings were filled with roars and screams.

    "I wasn''t just saying it for the fun of it. We can coexist, you know?"

    "..."

    "As long as the Romanican Church is out of the picture. The enemy''s enemy is a friend or something like that. You get me?"

    ¡°So what? Are you saying we should be allies?¡±

    Jun-Hyuk tilted his head and grinned strangely. "No? I was just joking. Bang!"

    Jun-Hyuk raised his finger.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    ming ck bullets shot toward my abdomen. I barely managed to block the shots with the Executioner''s Sword, but with blood spilling from my mouth, I didn¡¯tpletely nullify the impact.

    The shock from Jun-Hyuk''s attack almost sent me plunging into the sea. I managed to save myself by using Bade¡¯s wind to stand on the water''s surface.

    I chuckled in disbelief. "Damn, I didn''t see thising."

    "That''s my charm," Jun-Hyuk said as he charged toward me.

    I raised my staff. "Ogun. Hit him with everything you got."

    <i>Thud, thud, thud, thud. </i>The bright red, hot iron pieces floating in the air surged toward Jun-Hyuk. He stopped in his tracks as dozens of iron pieces pierced his body, turning him into a porcupine-like figure. ck blood spewed from his mouth as he looked down at me.

    I aimed my staff at him. "Sobo. Give me the worst one you got."

    [Worst one I got,ing right up!]

    <i>Rumble... </i>

    A sh of lightning struck from the cloud-covered sky, and thunder roared throughout the air. Dozens of lightning bolts fell from the sky and converged above Jun-Hyuk''s head.

    <i>Zzzzzzap!! </i>

    With a deafening roar, a massive white sh lit up the sky and sea for a moment.

    When the light disappeared, I looked up. Jun-Hyuk''s body was charred ck from Sobo''s lightning strike. Sparks flew from the iron pieces embedded in his body. However, I knew that Jun-Hyuk wouldn¡¯t have died that easily.

    <i>Shooosh! </i>

    Tentacles emerged from his eyes and caressed his body. The areas where the tentacles passed over Jun-Hyuk''s body healed instantly.

    Jun-Hyukughed and eximed, "Thrilling!"

    I had expected this, so I prepared for the next attack.

    "Marte, Bossou."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Marte¡¯s mes erupted to life, and I attached them to the end of my staff. Steadying myself against Bade¡¯s wind, I aimed the staff with Marte''s mes at Jun-Hyuk and threw it.

    <i>Fwoosh! </i>

    "Ugh!"

    The staff struck Jun-Hyuk''s right in the stomach. Jun-Hyuk groaned and stepped back. He tried to pull out the staff stuck in his belly, but I wasn¡¯t going to give him the chance.

    I pointed at the staff stuck in Jun-Hyuk''s abdomen and said, ¡°Damba."

    <i>Thud-thud-thud-thud! </i>

    The staff stuck in Jun-Hyuk''s belly swelled. It instantly expanded into a giant snake, Damba¡¯s true form. Jun-Hyuk''s body burst forth. Blood, flesh, and some organs sttered everywhere.

    Jun-Hyuk''s head fell into the sea. Using the propulsion of Bade''s wind, I chased after the head.

    <i>Shooosh, shooosh... </i>

    Under the sea, tentacles emerged from Jun-Hyuk''s eyes and regenerated his body. His body, which had been broken into pieces, quickly grew back together. The wings on his back also sprouted anew. He used his wings to swim away rapidly.

    I called upon Damba, climbed onto her back, raised the Executioner''s Sword, and chased after the fleeing Jun-Hyuk.

    "..."

    Soon, Jun-Hyuk''s wings stopped. Before we knew it, we were at the bottom of the seabed, where bubbles frothed up. Jun-Hyuk, who had his back toward me, turned and looked at me to reveal a big smile.

    <i>Shhhkk!</i>

    Suddenly, dozens of taxidermied creatures hiding in the sand on the seabed rose. They were all grotesque monsters that definitely did not look like humans. A dozen of them used the dozens of arms and fins attached to their vast bodies to quickly close the distance.

    I grabbed the Executioner''s Sword and fought back against the creatures. My arms didn''t move as quickly as I wanted underwater, but the mere touch of the Executioner''s Sword was enough to slice through the creatures effortlessly.

    Sawdust and cotton flowed out of the creatures'' bodies.

    "La Sirene."

    I called out her name underwater.

    <i>Kieeek! Kieeek, kieeek! </i>

    A strange, eerie scream echoed.

    La Sirene''s main body, which had been battling Leviathan on the surface, giant whales, sharks, and other deep-sea creatures gathered at my location, screaming in unison. They bared their sharp teeth and tore into the bodies of the taxidermied creatures attacking me. The taxidermied creatures disappeared in an instant. Now, only Jun-Hyuk remained.

    The sea creatures gathered around Jun-Hyuk, forming a massive dome made entirely of ocean animals. The gathered sea creatures, armed with weapons, gnawed and tore at Jun-Hyuk''s flesh.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    Following a loud boom, ck mes swallowed the bodies of the sea creatures surrounding Jun-Hyuk. The ck mes burned fiercely even underwater, engulfing hundreds of sea creatures and turning them ck as they decayed.

    Jun-Hyuk swam up to the surface with his wings. I rode on Damba''s back to chase after him.

    "Phwa!"

    Finally, we surfaced. Before we knew it, we were in the middle of the sea, with nond in sight. Blood and flesh that seemed to belong to La Sirene and Leviathan floated on the sea surface.

    Stepping on one of the pieces of flesh, Jun-Hyuk smiled at me.

    "You finished?"

    He seemed rxed. However, he was not unscathed. The sea creatures had torn his skin apart, and some parts had not fully healed. It seemed that Jun-Hyuk could not withstand all the attacks.

    But I was also injured. Perhaps it was because I had used too much of the Loa''s power at once, but blood poured from my mouth.

    "Bade."

    I called upon the wind, lifting my body into the air.

    Looking down at Jun-Hyuk, I said, "Damba."

    Damba, in the form of a snake, transformed back into a staff. I held the staff and infused it with Voodoo magic. A purple sphere formed at the staff''s tip, emitting a brilliant light.

    Waving the staff with my right hand, I raised my left index finger to my mouth and bit down hard.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    Three fingers broke, but I felt no pain. I poured the blood flowing from my broken fingers into the purple sphere attached to the tip of the cane.

    "Legba, Kalfu. I want you to open the door to the Crossroads."

 Chapter 321

    <h4>Chapter 321</h4>

    <i>Ping¨C</i>!

    A clear sound rang out like a water droplet falling into a sereneke. I sacrificed my three fingers to Legba and Kalfu, the owners of the Crossroads, opening the doors leading to it.

    Naturally, Jun-Hyuk and I were invited there. The gateway had opened without a preceding formal ritual. I had pulled Jun-Hyuk into the Crossroads by only offering my three fingers as a sacrifice. Because of the inadequate sacrifice, our time at the Crossroads was limited. Within that limited time, I had to end Jun-Hyuk''s life.

    "Let''s finish this," I said.

    Jun-Hyuk raised his hand with a smile. However, unlike before, no ck fingers emerged from behind him. The Crossroads was a space exclusive to the Voodoo Cult. Jun-Hyuk''s ck magic had no power here. His beyond-eerie recovery ability would also be ineffective.

    "Did you drag me to your home because you were afraid? You coward."

    I ignored Jun-Hyuk¡¯s question and attacked him. "It''s not cowardice. It''s wisdom.¡±

    Even the power of the Loa was useless in the Crossroads. To rify, using them was meaningless. The only weapons that worked in the Crossroads were purely physical¡ªfists, feet, nails, and teeth.

    We approached each other with our fists clenched but soon stopped in unison. Our eyes converged on the same person. There was an uninvited guest in the Crossroads.

    ¡°...¡±

    It was In-Ah. She stared at both of us with a nk expression.

    ***

    In-Ah woke up. What unfolded before her eyes was neither a messy beach nor a battlefield with spells and ck magic flying back and forth. It was a space she had never encountered before, as terrifyingly quiet and eerie as it was silent. It was a strange and alien space.

    The night sky was too dark, and a sinister-looking blood-red moon hung from it. Its ominous light filled the darkndscape. In-Ah momentarily thought she was dead. She thought that perhaps she had died without knowing and had ended up in purgatory.

    "..."

    Before long, she realized that she had thought wrong. Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk were there with her.

    She faced Jun-Hyuk. He hadn¡¯t changed. He was not much different from the Jun-Hyuk she remembered. The same could be said for Sun-Woo. He hadn¡¯t changed either. The only difference was that he was holding a staff.

    Seeing the staff, In-Ah understood everything: the reason why Sun-Woo had been acting so strangely recently, the reason why he had always hidden things about himself so thoroughly, and even the reason why he only said what he wanted to say and wouldn¡¯t budge to talk about the things he didn¡¯t want to borate on.

    "You... You! You!"

    In-Ah exploded. Without finishing her sentence, she rushed toward Sun-Woo and yanked his cor.

    Sun-Woo did not resist. He seemed to have epted everything as In-Ah grabbed and shook him. He was quite surprised by In-Ah''s sudden appearance as well. Jun-Hyuk also seemed equally surprised.

    "Y-you traitor!" In-Ah said in a voice filled with malice.

    In the deep silence, someone let out a stifledugh. It was Jun-Hyuk. Initially, he only let out a small chuckle, but soon, he grabbed his stomach and startedughing like a maniac.

    Jun-Hyuk pointed at Sun-Woo with his finger and echoed, "Yes, you traitor! How dare you deceive us. Shameless scoundrel!"

    Sun-Woo furrowed his brows.

    "Really? You, of all people, telling me that?" he said, unable to keep quiet.

    In-Ah red at Sun-Woo with wrathful eyes, then slowly lowered her head, her face filled with despair. In-Ah had a lot to say to Sun-Woo. However, upon learning the fact that he was a member and the leader of the Voodoo Cult, she found herself at a loss for words.

    She felt that whatever she said wouldn''t reach him. They were different. They had been different from the start, with different religions, and belonged to a distinct group of people. Sun-Woo, Jun-Hyuk, and In-Ah had all been different from the beginning.

    "Why did you start a fight out of nowhere? I was trying to have a conversation before fighting,¡± Jun-Hyuk said during the brief pause in the fight when In-Ah appeared.

    Sun-Woo scowled.

    "Think about what you did. You think I wouldn¡¯t want to start a fight with you?"

    "What did I do?"

    "You insulted my mother. You brought that ridiculous taxidermied creature, saying it''s a gift or something."

    "It wasn''t an insult. It was my perfect creation. In some ways, it''s better than your real mother..."

    "That''s it. You¡¯re asking for it," Sun-Woo said as he clenched his fist.

    In-Ah looked at them, contemting what exactly made them so different.

    Jun-Hyuk, Sun-Woo were just as she remembered them. After enrolling, the three of them always spent time together. The conversations back then and now were almost the same, with the childish bickering back and forth that made them allugh.

    Sun-Woo tried to fight by clenching his fist and approaching Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk wouldn''t stand there and take it. He stared at Sun-Woo with a rxed smile as he got ready to retaliate.

    In-Ah stepped in between the two. "H-hold on a moment."

    It wasn''t deliberate¡ªher body moved independently. The two who were about to throw punches at each other stopped in their tracks.

    In-Ah stood between them and quickly asked, "W-why are you trying to fight again? Can''t we at least have a conversation..."

    In-Ah knew how foolish her question was. The Romanican Church, the Voodoo Cult, and Satanists couldn¡¯t coexist. The existence of the Romanican Church denied the existence of the Voodoo Cult and Satanists. Simrly, the existence of the Voodoo Cult denied the reality of the other two religions. The same went for the Satanists.

    Therefore, they had to eliminate each other''s existence to prove their existence. The reason they had to fight was simple: for their existence and survival.

    Even with such a foolish question, In-Ah seeded in momentarily stopping Sun-Woo. He listened to In-Ah''s words, pondered for a moment, and then red at Jun-Hyuk with a menacing look.

    "Why did you crawl out?"

    Jun-Hyuk smirked. "What are you talking about?"

    "You were supposed to spend your sweet years in the underground prison. Why did you crawl out from there?"

    "Ah, that''s what you mean." Jun-Hyuk nodded and answered, "I came to say goodbye. And then I was nning to leave again."

    "Leave?"

    "Yes. I¡¯m leaving for a distant ce where I can establish my kingdom and start a new era."

    Sun-Woo had been listening seriously, but he frowned when he heard Jun-Hyuk¡¯s answer. He truly could not understand Jun-Hyuk.

    In-Ah also couldn''tprehend what Jun-Hyuk was saying. Jun-Hyuk earnestly spoke like a five-year-old child about establishing his kingdom.

    Sun-Woo chuckled and said, "Are you out of your mind?"

    Jun-Hyuk carried on with a straight face.

    "I have all the seven sins. I killed all the others... those you might call other Satanist Executives."

    ¡°Good for you."

    "As long as I exist, no more Satanists will emerge. Nor will there be any demons or demonic beasts. I bear all the sins that could bring them forth."

    "Is that so? Then kill yourself. If you die, all the sins in the world will disappear,¡± Sun-Woo said mockingly.

    Jun-Hyuk shook his head.

    "Satanists won''t disappear just because I die. I am a ''container,'' not the embodiment of Satan. If I die, another chosen ''container'' will emerge somewhere else. And inevitably..."

    Jun-Hyuk nced somewhere for a moment, his gaze unfocused as he stared into the distance, not looking at Sun-Woo or In-Ah. When his focus returned, he continued, "...inevitably, they will live a life befitting the container. Then, they will be one of the unreasonable victims I mentioned earlier."

    "..."

    "Once my kingdom is established, no more victims will be born from unreasonable circumstances. After the Romanican Church is removed, no other religion will be able to oppress us or to start conflicts with us.¡±

    "Getting rid of the Romanican Church won''t eliminate the conflicting religions."

    "Right. We also need to get rid of the Voodoo Cult. And all other religions, too. Every single one of them. In the new era, there should be only one religion... Having multiple religions only brings conflict. We should be like we are now."

    "..."

    "Even if the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult disappear, I n to reserve two seats just for you guys," Jun-Hyuk said, looking back and forth between In-Ah and Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo chuckled. "As expected from a Satanist. It¡¯s a perfect example of evil and selfish thinking."

    "I am just re-establishing order. Is there room for the distinction between good and evil in that?"

    "There is. How could any order established by Satanists be perfect?"

    "Sun-Woo. Is the current order good, then? An order where one religion judges and exterminates another as evil?" Jun-Hyuk said in an agitated tone. "Even if the Voodoo Cult establishes order, would it be perfect? There is no absolute good and evil. Good and evil are constructs created when order is established. Good and evil are defined to aid the almighty that established the said order."

    Sun-Woo and In-Ah said nothing. In-Ah had broken out in a cold sweat, but Sun-Woo stared nkly at Jun-Hyuk.

    "Do you have anything to say?" Jun-Hyuk said, breaking the silence.

    Sun-Woo nodded. It was as if he understood Jun-Hyuk''s words and his feelingspletely.

    As Sun-Woo looked at Jun-Hyuk with a contemptuous expression, he said, "If you didn''t receive love from your family, go y house with the taxidermied creatures instead of talking about a nonexistent kingdom."

    Jun-Hyuk''s expression stiffened upon hearing those words. In ce of his usual easygoing smile, a dark expression clouded his face.

    "It''s probably better that you don''t have a ce in my kingdom, Sun-Woo. You''re an obstacle to my empire."

    "Who asked you to make a ce for me? How about you look for your ce in a cemetery?" Sun-Woo said, openly mocking Jun-Hyuk.

    They red at each other as if they were about to fight. Then they started clenching their fists toward each other.

    "Hey, wait!"

    In-Ah couldn''t stop the fight. No, she never even had a chance to stop it.

    <i>Ping¡ª! </i>

    With a clear pinging sound, In-Ah''s view changed. When she opened her eyes, instead of the dimly lit street bathed in red moonlight, she found herself on a chaotic beach. A huge tree trunk swayed in the wind. Somewhere in the distance, she heard the loud sound of cracking and explosions.

    "Hey, here! Director, there''s someone here!"

    Someone was approaching In-Ah. It was a pdin. She wasn¡¯t sure which Pdin Order he belonged to, but his attire indicated he was a pdin. He hurriedly ran toward In-Ah with hispanions.

    "Are you okay?"

    In-Ah didn''t respond to his question. Her eyes were glued to the sea in the distance. She simply stared nkly at the waters, where the frighteningly loud sounds of battle between Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk echoed.

    In-Ah could not stop the fight. She wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses even if she didn¡¯t try to intervene.

 Chapter 322

    <h4>Chapter 322</h4>

    I came out of the Crossroads. I could no longer see the crimson moonlight, and the path was covered by shadows.

    When I opened my eyes, Jun-Hyuk was standing on a pile of flesh floating above the sea, and so was I.

    Jun-Hyuk scanned the area. Upon spotting me, his eyes widened. His pupils were dted like a goat''s. The wings on his back were undergoing molting, transforming into a more grotesque form. Long, ck ws sprouted out from his hands, and thick, beast-like fur grew on his limbs.

    His appearance was unmistakably that of Satan, as depicted in numerous paintings and religious artworks. I chuckled upon seeing such a sight and said, "Wow, you really are ugly."

    Jun-Hyuk spread his wings and replied, "With great poweres great responsibility."

    "Now it''s phase two. Starting from phase two, there¡¯s no more ying nice."

    ¡°Stop pretending like you were ying nice earlier. Shut up ande at me."

    Jun-Hyuk pped his wings and rushed toward me. I lifted the staff.

    "Bade!"

    [Ah, there¡¯s a lot of work today! But this isn¡¯t so bad either!] Bade said in a cheerful voice.

    <i>Whoosh¡ª! </i>

    Wind blew. The wind blowing around me was gentle, but the wind blowing toward Jun-Hyuk was fierce. My body gradually rose into the air with the help of the wind, while the wind pushed Jun-Hyuk away.

    The pping of Jun-Hyuk''s wings was meaningless at this point. They were too weak to resist Bade''s wind.

    "Scared? nning to use the wind as a shield and run away?"

    I shook my head. "No."

    I aimed the staff at him.

    "Marte," I called out.

    Bade and Marte didn''t usually get along. Bade considered Marte a traitor and never wanted to join forces with her, but I still called out to Marte. I wasn¡¯t borrowing power from the Loa as a Prophet, but forcibly utilizing them. This was the technique that my mother, a greatly skilled Prophet, had used.

    <i>Bang¡ª! </i>

    mes shot out from the end of the staff toward Jun-Hyuk. The mes rode the wind that had wrapped around Jun-Hyuk and swelled massively.

    With a deafening explosion, Jun-Hyuk was engulfed by bright red mes. I could control the temperature of the mes summoned by Marte''s power, and what I had shot toward Jun-Hyuk were the hottest mes that I could conjure.

    "Ah!"

    After emerging from the mes, Jun-Hyuk looked like he would melt at any moment. Tentacles licked his body, but he did not heal easily.

    The result was obvious, because Marte''s mes, intensified by Bade''s power, clung to his body. Those mes would not go out and would continue to burn and melt Jun-Hyuk''s body. With this, his recovery ability was essentially sealed off. The battle was almost over. Only the final blow remained now. I looked up at the darkening sky and saw the rising red moon. I reached out my arm toward the moon.

    "Kal¡ª!"

    <i>Snap.</i>

    Before I could finish my sentence, Jun-Hyuk flicked his finger. The moon disappeared, and a deep, imprable darkness remained.

    Above, below, left, or right, no matter where I looked, it was all darkness. For some reason, I felt like this space was familiar. When I had fought against the Satanist Executive Lust, I had entered a simr space before. In other words, this was the Satanists'' domain.

    If the Crossroads were the Voodoo Cult''s and my domain, then this was the Satanists'' and Jun-Hyuk''s domain. Just as I had invited him to the Crossroads, Jun-Hyuk had also brought me into his own domain.

    "Coward. Are you suggesting we fight in your territory?"

    "What? No, you said earlier that it''s not cowardly, but wise, right?"

    I heard Jun-Hyuk''s voiceing from somewhere. He sounded truly dumbfounded.

    Remembering the direction where the voice wasing from, I unleashed Voodoo magic. I drew a spell array and pulled out the Executioner''s Sword. I aimed the Executioner''s Sword in the direction of Jun-Hyuk''s voice and prepared to throw the sword.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Someone hit my head hard. It was such a strong attack that I would have fainted if they had hit me even a tiny bit harder.

    There was no pain, but I felt dizzy and my vision spun from being hit on the head. I barely regained my senses and lifted my head. Demonic beasts, demons, and grotesquely shaped taxidermied creatures surrounded me.

    "Ah, fu..." I muttered in annoyance. "What kind of dirty trick is this..."

    Jun-Hyuk''s voice echoed again. "It''s not a dirty trick, it''s just a clever trick! Haha!"

    I was annoyed by the frivolousughter. I firmly grasped the point where the voice wasing from and remembered it.

    I counted the number of demonic beasts and taxidermied creatures approaching me. It was not clear in the darkness, but there seemed to be at least thirty of them. If I counted the ones hiding in the darkness, there were possibly even more.

    But it didn''t matter. No matter how many there were, it was meaningless anyway. Jun-Hyuk didn¡¯t summon me here to finish me off. He had summoned me here to buy some time and recover a little.

    What I had to do was quickly defeat all the demons and demonic beasts and deal the final blow to Jun-Hyuk. That was all I had to think about.

    <i>Slice!</i>

    I swung the Executioner''s Sword. The innards of demons spilled on the ground, and ck blood sttered on my face. I swung the sword again. The blood of a demonic beast, cut in half, poured over my head. I swung the sword. Sawdust and cotton spewed out from a taxidermied creature and stuck to my body.

    When I killed a demon, a demonic beast emerged behind it, and when I killed a demonic beast, a taxidermied creature would appear. When I killed the taxidermied creature, a demon woulde out once again.

    They were at apletely different levelpared to the demonic beasts, demons, and taxidermied creatures I had encountered so far. The ones I encountered in the past were weak enough to die with a rough swing of the Executioner''s Sword. However, Jun-Hyuk''s demons, demonic beasts, and taxidermied creatures were different.

    They did not die. No, even though they looked dead, they wriggled and somehow tried to continue to attack me. I had to fight against severed demon heads, headless demonic beasts, and pieces of taxidermied creatures.

    The Executioner''s Sword couldn''t cut through everything. I continued to cut and cut, and when the Executioner¡¯s Sword became blunt, I would create a new Executioner''s Sword. The first few times were fine, but around the fifth time I created an Executioner''s Sword, blood dripped from my nose.

    How many had I in? I stepped on the bodies of demons, demonic beasts, and taxidermied creatures everywhere I walked. Then, I called out to Bossou.

    "Bossou, more!"

    I had been using Bossou''s power since facing Jun-Hyuk, but I had not been using it to the maximum due to concerns about the drawbacks. When I felt my strength waning during the fight, I used a little more of Bossou''s power. I endured the drawbacks and increased the power output.

    [But if we increase it any more... your body will break. Even if you win this battle, eventually...]

    I cut Bossou off. "It doesn''t matter."

    <i>Slice! </i>

    I knew what he was trying to say. I could already feel the burden of the drawbacks due to excessively using the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells. It was dangerous to conservatively use my powers and spells, let alone increase the output of my powers.

    Even if I won this battle and survived, I would have to pay the price. I would have to endure the aftermath of my reckless actions. Bossou probably wanted to tell me that, but it didn¡¯t matter. I no longer needed to care about such things.

    "I don''t n to die here..."

    My mother had died, and my goal of rescuing her was also dead. The peaceful and happy future I had imagined and dreamed of was no longer within my reach. Such a future of peace and happiness was only possible with a fake identity and status.

    I had revealed my identity, and I had discarded my fake identity and status. I had given up on the path of a fake, happy future and chose the path of revealing the truth and suffering a miserable end.

    That was my choice. I chose to resist. All the choices I had made so far had been fundamentally about resisting, and I would continue to do so in the future. I would have to do so in the future because I was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    It was in line with the reason why I was currently fighting Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Slice! </i>

    I shed the demons. I shed the demonic beasts and shed the taxidermied creatures. I couldn¡¯t even count how many I shed at this point. I just mechanically moved my arms, and they also mechanically died. At some point in time, I was swinging the Executioner''s Sword in the air. All the demons, demonic beasts, and taxidermied creatures had died and disappeared.

    "Jun-Hyuk."

    I saw him watching over me from beyond the endless darkness as he recovered.

    I threw away the Executioner''s Sword, which was worn out from shing enemies. I unleashed Voodoo magic, summoned a new sword, and threw it at Jun-Hyuk.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    "Ugh!" Jun-Hyuk grunted as the spear pierced him.

    The darkness surrounding him was dispelled, and soon, we returned to the sea that would be the beginning and the end of our battle.

    Jun-Hyuk floated high in the sky. His sinister wings fluttered as he looked down at me. "You came out faster than I thought."

    I looked up at him. The Executioner¡¯s Sword I had thrown earlier was stuck in his wings. Marte''s mes still clung to his body, leaving gruesome marks on his skin. The pping of his wings seemed weaker than before. He probably would not be able to p his wings and charge fiercely at me like before. In addition, Jun-Hyuk''s face and body showed signs of exhaustion.

    I raised my eyebrows and said, "Oh, I''m a bit on the faster side."

    Although I said it in a rxed manner, I wasn''t in great shape either. I felt so dizzy that I would faint if I let go of my consciousness for even a moment, and my vision alternated between ck and white shes.

    Standing on the surface of the sea using Bade¡¯s wind was only possible because I had the staff.

    However, I still had a bit of strength left for thest card that I could use to kill Jun-Hyuk¡ªthe final trick that I had saved and hidden until the end even as I fought with all my might.

    It was probably the same for Jun-Hyuk too. We stared at each other without saying a word. In the silence, I raised my staff and pointed to the red moon in the sky. Jun-Hyuk looked toward something that was deeper than below the sea where I stood, somewhere deep within the abyss, and he raised his hand.

    "Kalfu."

    "Satan."

    The loser of this battle would inevitably be doomed. However, the winner would not be whole either. We both had to sacrifice everything. Even if one of us emerged victorious, we would gain nothing. It was an irrational and illogical chicken game that we wouldn¡¯t be able to give up on or avoid until one of us died, and that game was about toe to an end.

    "The Loa of the Moon and the Crossroads."

    "The Emperor of Hell, the Evil Spirit of the Skies."

    I looked up at the sky and Jun-Hyuk looked at the sea. Our gazes crossed but never touched.

    "I offer my right arm."

    "Take half of everything I have."

    <i>Crack! </i>

    The sound of my arm snapping echoed.

    The red moon seemed tough at me as it slowly faded, and the sea turned a deep red as it bubbled furiously. A giant hand made of red light descended from the sky and enveloped Jun-Hyuk''s body.

    From the sea, something unknown opened its mouth and rushed toward me.

 Chapter 323

    <h4>Chapter 323</h4>

    Jun-Hyuk had killed his father. It had happened when he was very young, so much so that it was to the point where his memories were blurry. At that age, he could justify his actions by saying that he couldn¡¯t remember anything.

    His father couldn''t be called a good person, but he couldn''t be called a bad person either. He was just an ordinary, affectionate, and sometimes violent person.

    One day, Jun-Hyuk had a nightmare. He was terrified, so he searched for his mother when he witnessed a shocking scene.

    His father was grabbing his mother by her hair, and his mother was screaming in pain, and then, and then... due to unknown emotions, Jun-Hyuk lost consciousness.

    When he finally came to his senses, his father was already dead, and his mother seemed to have fainted from shock.

    His father''s corpse remained in the house, and it let out a rotten smell. It was because his mother didn''t report it. His mother stayed in the house as well and emitted a foul smell.

    Jun-Hyuk saw that his mother was breathing, but to him, she seemed as good as dead.

    "Someone like you should never have been born!"

    His mother always spoke those words in the fleeting moments when she held onto her sanity by a thread Jun-Hyuk thought she said things she didn''t mean because she hated him, and he believed his mother hated him because he had killed his father.

    So he thought that if his father came back to life, his mother would regain her sanity and stop hating him.

    Thus, he created a new father. It was the first taxidermied creature he had ever created. As his first creation, it was not perfect. The stitching was not done properly, so sawdust and cotton spilled out, the skin color was pale and lifeless, and it could not speak.

    Jun-Hyuk''s first taxidermied creature, which he had made from his father''s body, could only say one thing.

    ¡®I love you,¡¯ was what the taxidermied creature repeated.

    It was a phrase that his father often whispered to his mother, and it also expressed Jun-Hyuk''s feelings toward his mother.

    "The tower is so high, it feels like it will fall. Joint suicide is mutual murder. An air conditioner dripping water, a beauty with bees stuck to her will also be short-lived..."

    "Yes... I don''t know what you''re trying to say, but it sounds philosophical. Maybe Mom should have been a philosopher."

    Because of that, his mother went crazy. His mother''s sanity, which had been gradually returning, waspletely extinguished by that incident.

    The original sin arose from arrogance, and the first murder arose from envy. His murder was no different. So, what was the first creation born from?

    Jun-Hyuk thought it might be love. He had also created his father for the sake of love. However, his creation had been imperfect, so it had been far from love. He believed that he could only achieve the love he wanted to fulfill when he achieved the perfect creation.

    He was chosen as the Container of Satan and lived a life befitting of it. Perhaps he had been chosen as the Container of Satan because he had lived a life befitting of the Container of Satan. It was impossible to know what came first and what cameter.

    Jun-Hyuk often imagined what if he hadn''t been chosen as the Container of Satan. Would something have been different? What if he had grown up as a normal Romanican believer? Or what if he had been raised in a religious household under something as unfamiliar as the Voodoo Cult, Im, or any other religion he couldn¡¯t even name?

    At the very least, if he hadn¡¯t been a Satanist... No, maybe if he had never been born, as his mother used to say...

    "Ah, damn it."

    Jun-Hyuk knew that it was a meaningless thought. The reason he suddenly recalled the past and mulled over the meaningless imaginations he had in the past was because death was looming before him.

    <i>Shaaaah! </i>

    A red hand reached down from the sky, crushing Jun-Hyuk¡¯s body and tearing it apart into pieces. Each time, the tentacles attached to Jun-Hyuk''s body forcibly treated him.

    Just like how he couldn''t choose his birth, he also couldn''t choose to die by his own will. Even as his body was being torn and shredded more than a hundred times, Jun-Hyuk imagined his own death. What if he died like this? Would he finally be able to rest like this?

    What if he survived and didn''t die here? Would he be able to be happy in a false kingdomposed of taxidermied creatures and followers?

    He soon stopped questioning himself. He knew how meaningless that question was.

    <i>Krrk, crunch¨D! </i>

    A red hand crushed Jun-Hyuk''s body. Tentacles sprang out, unfolding Jun-Hyuk''s body, which had beenpressed to the size of a basketball, and restored it to its original state.

    The red hand grabbed and tore the tentacles protruding from Jun-Hyuk''s body. However, dozens, no, hundreds of tentacles clung to Jun-Hyuk.

    Jun-Hyuk struggled to survive, and in that process, he managed to inflict a few minor wounds on the red hand. Sun-Woo was devoured by Satan, who had emerged from the abyss in the sea.

    Just like Jun-Hyuk, he too must be struggling to survive. They were sacrificing something of their own to kill each other. Or perhaps they were sacrificing each other to kill themselves.

    When struggling became meaningless and he had to leave everything to fate, Jun-Hyuk briefly lost consciousness. After an unknown amount of time passed, the two woke up in the same ce.

    "... "

    It was a beach, a nameless beach with no one around. There, Jun-Hyuky with his body torn apart and broken. Sun-Woo''s body was not much different from Jun-Hyuk''s.

    The two forced themselves to stand up on their weak legs. They red at each other with vicious gazes for a long while. A deep silence filled the air.

    Jun-Hyuk broke the silence. "Hey, man... isn''t this an unfair contract?"

    He chuckled and continued, "I''ve sacrificed half of everything I have, and I can''t even kill one person. Satan, that bastard... His reputation is all a farce."

    Sun-Woo nced at his right arm, which was so messed up that it waspletely limp. "I feel the same. Damn it, I''m right-handed..."

    They approached each other. The waves were calm. The wind was too. There was no thunder, and there was no lightning either. It was raining, but the drops were not heavy.

    Sun-Woo still held the staff in his hand, but he was just leaning on it like a crutch. Due to exhausting his strength, he could no longer call upon his grand and morous powers.

    Jun-Hyuk gasped for breath and said, "Earlier, I really thought... Huff, huff... I was going to die. I wondered what would happen... if I died like this. Oh, I can''t even speak."

    Sun-Woo chuckled. "Thanks to you... I''ve been to hell. It was a fucking terrible ce, as you can tell."

    "That rhymed just now. That was... pretty good."

    "Is that so?"

    The duoughed.

    Sun-Woo weakly clenched his left fist. The tentacles attached to Jun-Hyuk''s body no longer healed him. Jun-Hyuk moved the tentacles and wrapped them around his weakened arm and legs. Only then could Jun-Hyuk barely move his arms and legs.

    They moved toward each other.

    The limp tentacles clinging to Jun-Hyuk''s body moved. The tentacles were slow and weak, but Sun-Woo could not avoid them. The tentacles grazed Sun-Woo''s side. Sun-Woo gritted his teeth and swung his staff.

    <i>Thunk! </i>

    The staff struck Jun-Hyuk''s head. There was no chance to block. No, he had no strength to block. Jun-Hyuk extended his tentacles, and Sun-Woo swung his staff. Both the tentacles and the staff were slow, but they could neither avoid nor block. Every strike hit its target.

    During that fierce battle, there were no spells, powers, ck magic, or contracts. In the midst of the desperate fight, Sun-Woo lost his staff and Jun-Hyuk''s tentacles seemed to have exhausted their power as they emitted ck smoke and disappeared.

    The two faced each other.

    "Dam-ba," Sun-Woo said.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    The cane he dropped swelled up and transformed into the shape of a giant snake. Blood and vomit poured out of Sun-Woo''s mouth. It almost seemed as if he had vomited out all his internal organs.

    Jun-Hyuk borrowed the power of the tentacles and raised his hand. Then, he unleashed demonic energy and drew a pentagram.

    <i>Creak¡ª! </i>

    With a creepy sound, a giant lump of flesh sprang out of the pentagram. It was a massive human centipede made up of souls from hell.

    Summoning Damba was Sun-Woo''s final struggle. He no longer had the strength to use spells or powers.

    Jun-Hyuk was in the same situation. Summoning the human centipede made up of souls from hell was his final struggle. He had no more power to use dark magic, and he could not make a contract with the devil because he had nothing left to sacrifice.

    Damba flicked her tongue and approached Jun-Hyuk. The human centipede made a creepy sound as it rushed toward Sun-Woo.

    <i>Crack. </i>

    A sinister sound echoed. Then, the movement of the human centipede approaching Sun-Woo stopped. It let out a strange cry and turned into ck smoke, disappearing into the sky.

    Damba, who had attacked Jun-Hyuk, was biting and chewing on Jun-Hyuk''s lower body. After swallowing Jun-Hyuk''s lower body, Damba soon transformed back into the form of a staff.

    "Ah..."

    In the final duel, Jun-Hyuk lost. The human centipede he had summoned was slow, while Sun-Woo''s Damba was slightly faster than the human centipede. That was the reason for his defeat.

    Jun-Hyuk, with only his upper body remaining, copsed on the beach. He looked up at the sky. The stars densely filled the skies.

    Jun-Hyuk felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. He had once looked at such a starry night sky with Sun-Woo. The sound of the waves gently reached his ears. He felt relieved to know that it was the waves.

    "Hey, I may have lied to you a lot, but, you know..."

    "..."

    "Just know one thing. Just one thing..." Jun-Hyuk said in a dying voice.

    In an extreme situation where he had been unable to eat anything or sleep for even a few seconds, the inquisitors had relentlessly tortured Jun-Hyuk. He had been unable to gather his thoughts even once.

    The tentacles embedded in Jun-Hyuk''s body never let him die. However, they didn¡¯t eliminate the pain that he felt. In order to escape from the pain, he had to stop thinking. By emptying his mind, he could forget the pain, but at the same time, he had also forgotten other things.

    Unimportant memories disappeared from his mind. Eventually, even memories that seemed quite important vanished.

    "When I said let''s go to the sea... That wasn¡¯t... a lie. But still,ing to the sea..."

    Even as his memories faded away, he tried not to forget the promise to go to the sea. Even as his memories disappeared, and his consciousness drifted away countless times, he barely managed to maintain his sanity to remember that promise.

    Therefore, that promise was more truthful and important to him than anything else.

    "What I said shouldn¡¯t... shouldn¡¯t have been a lie. But I..."

    And Jun-Hyuk realized... that his mother''s shrieking that he never should have been born... had been the truth. Those were words that weren¡¯t born out of fleeting resentment but genuine hatred that she had held onto as her mind and sanity faded away.

    "Ah..."

    Jun-Hyuk realized that death had arrived in front of him. It was the death he had craved for so long.

    "Still, it was fun," he said with a faint smile.

    "It¡¯s a bit regretful now that it''s over..." Jun-Hyuk muttered to himself.

    Sun-Woo nodded. It was a bitter feeling.

    Jun-Hyuk''s breath waspletely cut off. He died. Discerning what hisst words meant was now impossible¡ªwhether he was referring to Florence Academy, the recent battle, or the entirety of his life.

    The waves were calm as usual. The wind did not blow, and the rain stopped at some point. Beyond the horizon, the light emitted by the rising sun faintly appeared. The sky tinged with pink, and the densely scattered stars in the sky vanished from view.

    Sun-Woo stared nkly at the brightening sky.

    ***

    And then Sun-Woo disappeared. No one could find him at Florence Academy or the Central Pdin Order. The Holy See issued a warrant. They ordered people to find and kill the leader of the Voodoo Cult who had revealed his identity to the world.

    Rumors of an impending Second Holy War between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult circted among the people.

 Chapter 324

    <h4>Chapter 324</h4>

    "We must remember the Holy War once again!"

    The lecturer''s voice was loud.

    "The Third Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, had been hiding until now! That wicked bastard revealed himself. He shamelessly lived among us, pretending to be a decent citizen."

    The students were quiet. Some whispered with their friends, but everyone maintained theirposure. The lecturer was sweating profusely and speaking so passionately during the lecture that no one dared to make a fuss.

    "With the will of Adonai and the various efforts of the Holy See, we have seen the true face of that devil-like bastard, but we are not safe yet. We have notpletely neutralized the Cult Leader! He is hiding in ces unknown to us, gathering followers, and plotting to overthrow the Romanican Church!"

    The lecturer¡¯s hand, which held the microphone, was trembling.

    "We must remember! Remember the Holy War, and remember that we are still not safe!"

    The ''Cultivating the Correct Historical Awareness of the Holy War'' was a lecture held every year in almost every school after the identity of Sun-Woo, the leader of the Voodoo Cult, had been revealed.

    Florence Academy originally invited lecturers to give lectures at the entrance ceremony every year, but after <i>that incident</i>, they also invited lecturers to give lectures at the vacation and graduation ceremonies.

    It was reasonable. Sun-Woo had attended Florence Academy, and his presence as a cultist among the students deeply embarrassed the prestigious clergy academy.

    Naturally, public opinion toward Florence Academy turned negative. To avoid suffering reputational damage, Florence Academy had to focus on inviting lecturers and engaging in useless activities such as campaigns to eradicate cults for a while.

    "Also, since we don''t know when or where the Cult Leader might appear, we must...!"

    The lecturer, giving a passionate lecture as if Adonai had possessed them, suddenly stopped speaking. When the instructor''s booming voice in the auditorium suddenly disappeared, the ce became dead silent.

    The instructor was looking at someone far away. It was not a student, but a teacher dozing off in the middle of the lecture. The instructor couldn''t bear it. He left the stage with the microphone and approached the dozing teacher.

    The students chuckled, and other teachers shook the dozing teacher''s shoulder to wake her up.

    "Excuse me, you¡¯re a teacher from Florence Academy, right?" the instructor said with a friendly smile.

    The teacher lowered her head in embarrassment. Although she bowed her head deeply, everyone could see the redness on her cheeks through the hair covering her face.

    "May I ask what your name is?" the lecturer asked.

    "Uh, well...¡± the teacher said with a flushed face.

    "My name is Jung In-Ah..."

    Time had passed.

    It had already been five years since <i>that incident</i>.

    ***

    After Sun-Woo was revealed to be the Cult Leader, the biggest change was the greeting system for each clergyman.

    Sun-Woo had faked his identity and joined the Central Pdin Order. Even if they considered the fact that he had concealed his identity in a clever way, critics questioned how on earth the leader of the Voodoo Cult had ended up joining the Central Pdin Order.

    However, no one was held ountable.

    ¡ª¡ö¡ö, the director of the Central Pdin Order, was found dead in the underground prison, causing shock...

    Satanist Executive Jun-Hyuk had killed the director of the Central Pdin Order while the director was conducting an inspection of the underground prison. To be more urate, Jun-Hyuk had be the ''Satanist Cult¡¯ by himself.

    Thus, the me was aimed at Florence Academy. However, simply criticizing Florence Academy''s admission system was not possible. If someone was disqualified during the admission exam process for having unsuitable beliefs, qualified students might unfairly fail to enroll in Florence Academy. Thus, responsibility eventually fell on the entire personnel system of the Romanican Church.

    Around that time, Yu-Hyun was chosen at the papal conve. He faced bacsh even after he was elected because he was much youngerpared to the previous Pope, in addition to the rumors surrounding his association with the radical group called the Levi Order.

    But Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t sit still. He extensively reformed the personnel system of each clergymen group, exposed corruption within some clergymen groups, and even expelled several hidden Voodoo Cult members within the Romanican Church using information from unknown sources.

    With those actions, he just barely solidified his position as the Pope. His stance of wanting to capture the fleeing Voodoo Cult''s leader and starting a Holy War received criticism from peace organizations and some groups advocating for a bnce between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult. However, in exchange, he received a great amount of support from the radical groups supporting war and the groups advocating for Romanican Church supremacy.

    "Urgh! That was embarrassing. What should I do? When I go to ss, the kids will tease me again."

    However, that was all in the past and had be a story that was too distant for In-Ah. She felt so embarrassed that she felt like she was going to go crazy. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a hole and hide inside it.

    Lately, she had been suffering from insomnia, and thus she had trouble sleepingst night as well. She couldn''t sleep well during ss time either, so she tried to rest her eyes for a moment during the lecture... but the lecturer had caught her.

    In-Ah''s colleague teacher, who always apanied her,forted her. "It''s okay, it''s okay. It was just for a moment anyway. The kids won''t remember that kind of thing for long."

    "I guess so. Still... <i>Sigh</i>. I should have endured a little if I knew it would end up like this."

    "Are you still not sleeping well these days?"

    "I do sleep. It¡¯s just that I wake up often," In-Ah said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    She had been suffering from insomnia for about four years. Fortunately, her insomnia was not so severe that she couldn''t sleep at all, and she could easily fall asleep with medication, so it didn''t cause major issues in her daily life.

    However, because she relied on medication for sleep, the quality of her sleep was not good, and as a result, In-Ah always struggled with chronic fatigue.

    Looking at In-Ah''s face, which had be particrly tiredpared to when she had just started as a teacherst year, her colleague expressed their sympathy.

    "Take it easy. The problem with you is that you always try too hard. So don''t pay too much attention to what the kids say."

    "Oh, I don''t really care about what the kids say. I¡¯m just exaggerating."

    "Well, that''s fortunate, but still. If the kids cross the line, you have to be firm. Kids tend to test the limits, especially if they think the teacher is too lenient. And especially since you are young..."

    The colleague nced at In-Ah and then hesitantly added, "No students act up in front of you, right? For example, students who ask awkward questions, like what happened before.¡±

    "..."

    In-Ah did not respond immediately to that statement. The students found out that Sun-Woo, the leader of Voodoo Cult, and In-Ah were former schoolmates, and that they were even in the same ss.

    Although In-Ah didn''t know where the information hade from, the rumor spread quickly. The speed at which the students spread the rumor was much faster than In-Ah had anticipated.

    One day, a student asked In-Ah, ¡°Were you friends with Sun-Woo by any chance?¡±

    Starting from that question, whenever In-Ah entered the ssroom, students brought up questions about Sun-Woo. In-Ah would casually smile and avoid answering, but she felt uneasy every time she heard such questions.

    "There aren''t any now. I got really angry once before. The kids don''t ask anymore after that."

    "You did well. Sometimes you have to show your anger to make them stop. If you keep being nice all the time and suddenly get angry, they might see you as a bad teacher though."

    ¡°I¡¯d rather rx as a bad teacher than suffer as a kind one.¡±

    Her colleague nodded. "Yes, that''s right."

    "And, the truth is, it doesn''t bother me anymore," In-Ah said.

    She then looked out the window in the hallway. It was a pleasant morning with warm sunlight streaming in. The weather was getting warmer, which meant summer wasing soon. It had been almost five years since the day Sun-Woo''s true identity was revealed.

    She suddenly remembered that day. Whenever this time of year came around, that day always came to mind.

    "Anyway, it''s all in the past, and... "

    She stared nkly out the window.

    "Anyway, it''s not as bad as it used to be.¡±

    "Well, that''s a relief," said the colleague.

    In-Ah absentmindedly walked down the hallway. When Sun-Woo''s true identity had been revealed, the world seemed to shake for a moment, but then it calmed down again. The world changed little by little, but it remained mostly the same. There were no major changes, and no changes to look forward to.

    She seeded in joining a priesthood after several interviews, gained experience there, and then immediately stepped onto the path of bing a Florence Academy teacher. Thanks to seeking advice from Ye-Jin, who had walked the same path, and her own hard work, she became a Florence Academy teacher at a very young age, although she was still at the bottom.

    She thought things would change after bing a teacher, but everything remained the same. The world, Florence Academy, and she herself had not changed.

    ¡°...¡±

    In-Ah¡¯s feelings and thoughts toward Sun-Woo remained unchanged since that day, and she still felt mncholy.

    ***

    She lit a cigarette and inhaled the smoke. Then she held the hazy smoke in and exhaled. The smoke rising to the sky dispersed in the wind. She gazed at the smoke breaking and dispersing for a while. Then she once again took a deep drag of the cigarette.

    "Are you smoking again? You just smoked earlier."

    Someone approached her from behind. He was Yoon Simon, a new member of the Northern Crusader Order who had graduated from Florence Academy with one of the Holy Names of the Seven Heavenly Virtues. He was already well-renowned among the crusaders for his skills.

    "Why are you here when you don''t even smoke? Do you have nothing to do?"

    "Oh, I came here to see someone."

    "Who?"

    "Deputy Director Jin-Seo," Simon replied casually.

    Jin-Seo felt it wasn''t worth responding to and just continued smoking. Simon boldly and naturally approached Jin-Seo''s side. He stared at her side profile for a while as she smoked and finally said, "Since when have you been smoking?"

    "Six? No, I''m not sure. Anyway, not for long," Jin-Seo replied as she exhaled smoke.

    Simon widened his eyes in surprise.

    "Huh? Did you just say six? Have you been smoking since you were a student?"

    "No... stop asking. It''s giving me a headache."

    "Hmm, I had a feeling it might be like that. You must have yed around a lot when you were in Florence Academy.¡±

    Jin-Seo shot a re at Simon, and he finally closed his mouth, which had been babbling incessantly. After she finished smoking a cigarette, Jin-Seo descended from the rooftop.

    The ce where she smoked was the rooftop of the Northern Crusader Order building. She was a respected deputy director of the Northern Crusader Order, and in terms of skill and influence, she was practically close to bing the director. Some might say that she was the real powerhouse behind the Northern Crusader Order.

    A lot of time passed, and Jin-Seo did not want to waste that time. So, she worked harder than anyone else. She spent almost all her time on training sessions, exercise, and studying. She trained like a mad woman hellbent on obtaining revenge.

    "Deputy Director, have you ever thought about quitting smoking? It''s not good for your health, Why do you keep smoking..." Simon said as they descended the stairs together.

    Jin-Seo silently descended the stairs without responding. Simon nced at Jin-Seo''s profile again. She seemed to be thinking about something as her eyes were watery. Simon guessed that she was not thinking happy thoughts.

    "There''s no reason to stop," Jin-Seo said in a soft murmur. "But there is a reason to continue."

    "A reason to continue smoking... What¡¯s the reason?" Simon asked.

    Jin-Seo nced briefly at Simon, then returned to her seat without saying anything. Although she ignored him, he still felt fine.

    From the start, Simon decided to join the Northern Crusader Order after seeing Jin-Seo. He liked Jin-Seo''s cold and aloof attitude.

 Chapter 325

    <h4>Chapter 325</h4>

    Jun-Hyuk, a Satanist Executive who eventually became a transcendent being akin to the Cult Leader of the Satanists, was discovered four years ago as a corpse washed up on an uninhabited ind.

    The lower half of his body was missing, and his eyes were fixed on the sky. Despite the fact that his body was found roughly a year after he was presumed to have died, his body showed no signs of decay.

    The clergymen dispatched to retrieve Jun-Hyuk''s body skillfully handled the situation. In order to eliminate any possibility of himing back to life, the body was not stored anywhere. It was simply cremated.

    With that, the Satanist religionpletely copsed. However, that didn¡¯t mean that all demons and demonic beasts disappeared. Most of them were weakened due to the copse of the Satanists, and the Romanican Chruch clergymen gathered their strength and eradicated the remaining demons and demonic beasts.

    As a result, the world was almost free from the threat of demons and demonic beasts. After the battle between Sun-Woo, the leader of Voodoo Cult, and Jun-Hyuk, the leader of Satanists, the world regained peace.

    That was precisely the problem.

    On the day of the school ceremony, a student approached In-Ah and asked, "Teacher, is the Voodoo Cult really bad?"

    Although his practical examination grades were not high, his written examination grades were overwhelmingly high, much like In-Ah when she was a student. In-Ah remained silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Imagine there is a person holding a knife in a crowded street. What should the clergymen do with that person? It''s right to subdue them, right?"

    "Even if that person hasn''t done anything wrong?"

    "Yes. Because just by holding a knife in the street, the person bes a threat," In-Ah said.

    It didn¡¯t seem like the student fully understood, but they still nodded with a vague expression on their face, as they were trying really hard toprehend, before going away.

    "..."

    In-Ah watched the back of the student as they walked away. She did not assert to the student that the ''Voodoo Cult was bad.¡¯ She couldn''t say that.

    She also had doubts like the student. Was the Voodoo Cult really bad? If the Voodoo Cult was bad, then its Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, should naturally be a bad person. However, Sun-Woo was not a bad person. He had saved many lives and helped many people. He was no different from any other Romanican, or rather, he was even kinder and warmer than any other Romanican.

    ¨DThe leader of an organization advocating peace with the Voodoo Cult was arrested by the Pdin Order for using force against a pdin during a protest. The suspect denies the charges, but eyewitnesses at the scene...

    Many people shared the same thoughts as In-Ah. Sun-Woo had killed Jun-Hyuk, the Cult Leader of the Satanists. Sun-Woo had also saved the world from the threats of demons and demonic beasts.

    Because of these facts, there was an organization that believed that the Voodoo Cult shouldn¡¯t be rejected by society just because it wasbeled as a cult and that they should create an environment where they could co-exist with the Voodoo Cult. GHowever, that organization did not receive much support from people and was instead treated as a cult as well.

    "Don''t those guys ever get tired? If they just stay quiet, they would at least be half-decent people. Why do they have to protest all the time...¡± muttered another teacher watching the news.

    In-Ah quietly finished her remaining work. The teacher''s words were correct. They needed to stay quiet. If they just did nothing and stayed quiet, they would at least be half-decent people. That was what In-Ah thought.

    ***

    During the vacation period, In-Ah met her Florence Academy ssmates. They were people who had gone to the sea together five years ago on that day. In other words, Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, Min-Seo, and Dae-Man attended the meeting.

    They nned to invite Yu-Hyun and Ha-Yeon to the gathering as well. However, Yu-Hyun had be someone they couldn¡¯t see just because they wanted to and the same was true for Ha-Yeon.

    Ha-Yeon was the deputy director of the Central Priesthood and the president of the International Theological Association. She had even set up a research institute and invented a few new holy artifacts and discovered new miracles with the members of the International Theological Association. She was closely following Sung Yu-Da''s footsteps and was even considered a greater clergyman than Sung Yu-Da in some aspects.

    Dae-Man was the first to arrive at the meeting ce.

    "Oh, In-Ah! I thought I would be the first to arrive, but as expected, you¡¯re earlier!" he said.

    In-Ah waved her hand and greeted him. "Hello, it''s been a while. You seem to have grown taller."

    "It¡¯s a relief if you think that¡¯s the case, but the truth is, that¡¯s not really the case. Lately, my muscles have been deteriorating in real time because I haven¡¯t been sleeping well."

    "Oh, what have you been up to these days? Are you still working at the Eastern Pdin Order?" In-Ah asked.

    Dae-Man nodded. "Yes, I am. But I might be leaving soon. I received a call from the Holy See asking if I could work as one of the Pope''s guardians, specifically the Head Guardian of Diligence."

    "Wow, really? That''s great! Isn¡¯t it impressive to be a Head Guardian at your age?"

    "Yes. Although I made a lot of friends at the Eastern Pdin Order... I can''t miss out on such a good opportunity."

    In-Ah nodded. Dae-Man had been working at the Eastern Pdin Order all this time and had achieved many feats.

    After Jun-Hyuk''s death, Dae-Man yed a significant role in subduing the remaining demonic beasts and demons. Thanks to him, the status of the Eastern Pdin Order where he worked rose to the point where it surpassed even the Central Pdin Order, although that was because the status of the Central Pdin Order had also declined due to the death of the director.

    At that moment, a question popped up in In-Ah¡¯s mind.

    "But what about Su-Ryeon? Why didn¡¯t shee with you today?" she asked.

    Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man had been dating up until now. So whenever they gathered, the two always came together, but today they came separately. When Dae-Man heard the question, he had a troubled expression.

    "Well, Su-Ryeon and I are currently, um..."

    "With me, what?"

    Dae-Man was startled by a voice that suddenly came from behind and turned his head. Su-Ryeon stood next to Dae-Man, looking at him with an angry expression. Dae-Man, sweating nervously, avoided her gaze.

    "Did you guys fight?" In-Ah asked.

    "No, we didn''t fight."

    Su-Ryeon pointed at Dae-Man with her chin and continued, "Dae-Man was in the wrong."

    "I apologized. Su-Ryeon just isn''t epting it."

    Su-Ryeon red at Dae-Man sharply and said, "Apologized? Is that an apology?"

    Dae-Man avoided her gaze again. In-Ah wasn¡¯t sure what Dae-Man had done wrong, but in any case, it seemed like their rtionship wasn''t very good at the moment. Fortunately, they didn''t break up either.

    Not long after, Min-Seo also arrived. In-Ah also received a message from Jin-Seo saying, ''I''ll be joining a littlete today because I''m busy.''

    They entered the bar they had reserved in advance. Min-Seo was the first to speak after entering the bar.

    "Why is Jin-Seo always pretending to be busy? Isn''t she just making excuses because she doesn''t want to see us?"

    "It¡¯s probably not because she doesn''t want to see us. It might be because she doesn¡¯t want to see you though," Dae-Man said.

    Min-Seo red at Dae-Man. ¡°When will your manner of speech change? Will it change if I hit you hard on the head with a hammer?¡±

    ¡°I''m not sure. But you''re short, so you probably won¡¯t be able to hit my head with a hammer. You might be able tond an uppercut on my chin though.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Want to test if I can do it?¡± Min-Seo said as she tried to get up from her seat.

    ¡°You guys are seriously fighting again? Just stop it!¡± In-Ah intervened, trying to stop Min-Seo.

    Min-Seo and Dae-Man always fought whenever they met. Sometimes, it seemed like their rtionship was really bad. However, despite their bickering, they always showed up at gatherings, so it didn''t seem like their rtionship was that bad. Perhaps they actually liked fighting with each other.

    In-Ah tried to lighten the mood and started a conversation.

    ¡°We didn''t gather to fight, did we? How have you all been?¡± she asked.

    As drinks and food were served, they gradually opened up and shared their stories.

    "Min-Seo, how''s business these days? Are you making any money?"

    "It''s crap. If I had known it would be like this, I should have just joined any random Crusader Order," Min-Seo said as she sipped her drink.

    Unlike others, Min-Seo did not join a Crusader Order. Instead, she received investments from various prtes, including Gabriel, an elder of Florence Academy, to start a business rted to holy artifacts.

    Min-Seo''spany mainly dealt with holy artifacts rted tobat and survival. However, with the decrease in the appearance of demons and demonic beasts, the demand for holy artifacts rted tobat and survival disappeared. As a result, Min-Seo continued to drink alone andmented her situation.

    After drinking some alcohol, Su-Ryeon started to scold Dae-Man.

    "Dae-Man, y-you bastard! Exercising with another woman again!"

    "I was just teaching a fellow member of the same Pdin Order how to exercise. There are no romantic feelings involved! And didn''t I apologize for thatst time?"

    "Romantic feelings and whatnot, it just annoys me. You son of a bitch!¡±

    Eventually, she burst into tears. Even though she hadn''t drunk much, she seemed already drunk. Or perhaps she wasn¡¯t drunk and she was just crying because she felt like crying.

    While Su-Ryeon was clinging to Dae-Man and shedding tears, Jin-Seo arrived.

    "What''s going on, why is she crying?" she asked In-Ah, pointing to the crying Su-Ryeon.

    "I don''t know. Looks like something sad happened," In-Ah replied.

    "Jin-Seo, why do you always say you''re busy andete? Are you really busy?" Min-Seo asked.

    Although her tone was very aggressive, Jin-Seo didn''t feel particrly upset. Min-Seo''s tone was aggressive by nature. Min-Seo''s tone would have been the same even in front of Pope''s great-grandfather. Therefore, Jin-Seo remained unfazed.

    "I was busy and there¡¯s a clingy person that bothers me all the time," she said nonchntly as she sat down.

    In-Ah showed interest upon hearing Jin-Seo¡¯sment. "A clingy person? In the Northern Crusader Order?"

    "Yes, he''s a member of our Crusader Order, but he keeps bothering me."

    "In what way?"

    "Asking me to eat together, and things like that... just trivial stuff."

    Min-Seo said, "He''s hitting on you. Seems like he likes you."

    Jin-Seo frowned. "That''s not it. Even if that were the case, well..."

    "You don¡¯t n to reciprocate the feelings?" Min-Seo asked.

    Jin-Seo nodded. "Yes. That''s right."

    "Why? Is he not that great?"

    "It''s not that... I just can''t be with someone weaker than me."

    "Oh, is that so? I just c-c-can''t b-be with s-someone w-weaker th-than me~ What bullshit... Looks like you¡¯ll never be in a rtionship,¡± Min-Seo mockingly imitated Jin-Seo.

    In-Ah burst intoughter. Su-Ryeon stopped crying and giggled upon hearing Min-Seo. Jin-Seo alsoughed in response.

    She didn''t feel bad about whatever Min-Seo said now. Their rtionship had improved quite a bit over the past five years. The five of them gathered happily and chatted. They talked about recent events, reminisced about their time at Florence Academy and shared memories. It had been a long time since they had all met, so there was a lot to talk about. Empty bottles piled up.

    "Hey, Su-Ryeon. Remember that time during final practical exam? When I stabbed you in the back?"

    "Oh, right. I¡¯m still shocked about that. Back then, Sun-Woo..."

    Su-Ryeon suddenly realized her mistake and fell silent. The cheerful atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. They never talked about Sun-Woo. If someone tried to bring up Sun-Woo, they would quickly change the subject.

    ¡®We don''t talk about Sun-Woo¡¯ was the unspoken rule among them.

    <i>Buzz¡ª! </i>

    When Sun-Woo''s name came up, a moment of silence passed, and a vibration rang out. Su-Ryeon, Dae-Man, and Jin-Seo¡¯s phones all vibrated simultaneously. The three had something inmon: they were all working as active clergymen. Once they answered the phone calls, their expressions all began to stiffen.

    "Yes, I understand," Jin-Seo said firmly and hung up the phone.

    Su-Ryeon and Dae-Man were still on the line.

    "What''s going on?" Min-Seo asked.

    "The Voodoo Cult..."

    Jin-Seo stopped speaking and closed her mouth with aplicated expression. She couldn''t say more. Jin-Seo received news through a call from the Northern Crusader Order that the Voodoo Cult had attacked an underground prison.

    No, more precisely, Sun-Woo, the leader of the Voodoo Cult, had attacked the underground prison.

 Chapter 326

    <h4>Chapter 326</h4>

    <i>Warning: Suicide mentioned in this chapter</i>

    .

    No one had any idea how he knew the location of the underground prison, which not even active clergymen knew.

    However, what mattered was that Sun-Woo had attacked the underground prison.

    Due to the director of the Central Pdin Order dying in the underground prison and Jun-Hyuk escaping, the management and security of the underground prison became even stronger than before.

    In the past, the underground prison used to be guarded by only a few individuals, but recently, about a dozen elite clergymen were stationed there to prevent outsiders from entering and criminals from escaping. Such a heavily guarded underground prison had been attacked and infiltrated by Sun-Woo alone. All the elite clergymen present had lost their consciousness due to Sun-Woo.

    "Ah, so... erm... the Cult Leader... the Cult Leader came to the underground prison. And then, and then..."

    All the clergymen in the underground prison at the time survived. They could not understand why Sun-Woo had spared them.

    The clergymen from the underground prison exined the situation to other clergymen from other regions and journalists. Other clergymen and journalists had to ask them to exin what had happened, while others exined what had happened even without being asked.

    "So-some sort of purple smoke spread out... and then my memory..."

    "He didn''t have an arm. No, rather than not having an arm, it looked like he couldn¡¯t use his arm... Yeah, it had atrophied! It felt like one of his arms had atrophied. Was it the left arm? No, was it the right arm?"

    "He was holding a cane. About this size."

    "I didn''t see a cane. I think he had an arm as well..."

    They could hardly remember what had happened after Sun-Woo appeared. So, their testimonies were all different. However, only one testimony remained consistent.

    "He took us to a ce called the Crossroads..."

    All the clergymen in the underground prison went into and left a ce called the Crossroads. At the Crossroads, Sun-Woo gathered the clergymen and warned them.

    ¡ªI came here to find my mother''s remains.

    ording to the clergymen who visited the Crossroads, Sun-Woo''s voice sounded terribly distorted, like a voice altered by a machine.

    ¡ªAfter recovering her remains and releasing all the Voodoo Cult members here, I will leave. I will not harm any of you.

    Some of the clergymen attempted to attack Sun-Woo at the Crossroads. However, they said that it was impossible to eveny a hand on him.

    ¡ªWe will live without causing any harm. So, do not do anything to us.

    There were differing testimonies about Sun-Woo''s appearance at the Crossroads. Some said he was smiling, some said he was crying, and some said he looked angry.

    ¡ªBut if you show even a slightly threatening attitude toward us, then I will not stay quiet either.

    After Sun-Woo said that, the clergymen finally left the Crossroads. By the time they regained consciousness, the underground prison had already been reduced to rubble. Those who were either Satanists or Voodoo Cultists whose condition had deteriorated beyond the possibility of recovery due to torture had all died.

    All other prisoners who were in good health had disappeared. They spected that they must have escaped with Sun-Woo''s help. The clergymen all testified that Sun-Woo''s final words were not in a conciliatory tone. They said it was more like a threat or a warning rather than a request or negotiation.

    "We-we must listen to him. He said he would stay quiet, didn''t he? We must ept his proposal. For our sake, please..."

    "It really seems like I returned after recovering his mother¡¯s remains. Not a single one of us died. We must listen to his words. That¡¯s what I believe is the right move."

    "His tone was close to a warning, but... even so, it¡¯s the Voodoo Cult that¡¯s being lenient with us. They are saying that they want to live peacefully. Is there any reason not to listen?"

    The clergymen consistently argued whether they should ept Sun-Woo''s proposal at the Crossroads. Some people agreed. If they epted Sun-Woo''s proposal, the world could still be at peace. Therefore, epting Sun-Woo''s proposal and living peacefully without shing with each other was the best move.

    "Those guys are clearly under the control of a spell!"

    "How dare a cultist warn us!"

    "If we don''t stay quiet, what are you going to do to us?"

    However, most people, especially the radical organization called the ''Levi Order'' of the Romanican Church and other societies, insisted that they had topletely eradicate the Voodoo Cult this time.

    No matter what anyone said, the Romanican Church was the center of the world. However, the Voodoo Cult, which was nothing more than a measly cult, dared to warn the Romanican Church.

    The Holy See expressed that they would not show any mercy to the Voodoo Cult. They ordered the Holy Army and elite clergymen to locate the whereabouts of the Voodoo Cult. They also arrested and punished individuals or groups who showed support for the Voodoo Cult.

    For a while, many different organizations spread propaganda and aggressively acted to attack the Voodoo Cult. However, the Voodoo Cult did nothing. Their words about not staying quiet seemed like all talk and no bite.

    "..."

    "What is that..."

    The Voodoo Cult made a move seven days after the Holy See announced its stance. More precisely, they were <i>forced</i> to move.

    "Ugh. Ugh, uweaek!"

    "Unbelievable..."

    During the weekday afternoon, the street where people gathered the most was a park in front of the cathedral belonging to the Central Priesthood. In the center of the park, there was a giant tree. Dozens of clergymen were found hanging from the tree.

    All those priests had been in the underground prison at the time of the attack, or they were the torturers who had tortured the prisoners in the underground prison. Inquisitors, torturers, and many other prtes were found hanging dead in one ce.

    It was not a murder disguised as suicide. There was no evidence that any of the victims had received threats from the leader of the Voodoo Cult. They had all chosen to hang themselves willingly.

    The Voodoo Cult was warning the Holy See through the deaths of many clergymen about what would happen if they did not stay quiet. People trembled in fear. Some were angered and advocated for the necessity of a second Holy War. The Holy See began to mobilize the Holy Army in preparation for a Holy War and issued orders for training sessions for the clergy to prepare for war.

    A Holy War.

    People remembered those forgotten words once again.

    ***

    A Holy War had not yet urred. There was only an ufortable and eerie atmosphere between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult.

    People went around saying ¡®It wouldn''t be strange if a war broke out anytime soon.¡¯

    The area that the Voodoo Cult had chosen as their base was soon revealed. It was the Taebaek Mountain region, known among the clergymen of the Romanican Church as the ''Mountain of Death'' due to the spell from the Voodoo Cult''s Second Cult Leader.

    Most of Gangwon Province''s territory near the Taebaek Mountains and the coastal areas of Gyeongsang Province had be the Voodoo Cult''s territory. The residents of that area were mostly those who had converted to the Voodoo Cult, willingly or unwillingly.

    Some factions argued that the area needed to be reimed, but the Holy See''s position was that a remation operation could not be hastily carried out due to the proximity of the mountains and the sea.

    The mountains and the seas were a type of terrain where the power of the Cult Leader, namely the power of the Loa, could be exerted to its full extent.

    Spection arose among schrs of the Holy See and some members of the Theological Association that the unknown location of Noah''s Ark would also be used as the Voodoo Cult¡¯s stronghold. However, Sung Yu-Da was the only one who knew the exact location of Noah''s Ark.

    The Holy See sent people to Sung Yu-Da, who had been inactive and hiding for the past few years. They intended to find out the location of Noah''s Ark from Sung Yu-Da. However, when they arrived at Sung Yu-Da''s house, he had already hung himself andmitted suicide.

    "There''s no way Sir Sung Yu-Da would do that. He''s not the type to do that!"

    "Yes, he must have been under a Voodoo spell! That''s why he was killed! Like the clergymen who hung themselves in the park!"

    There were many suspicious aspects to his death. It seemed like he hadmitted suicide because he did not want to reveal the location of Noah''s Ark to the Holy See. In other words, it appeared as if he had died to help the Voodoo Cult.

    People believed that Sung Yu-Da hadmitted suicide due to sumbing to a spell. It was inconceivable that he, a respected figure in the Romanican Church, would have died so senselessly, and it was even more inconceivable that he would die to help the Voodoo Cult.

    However, Sung Yu-Da was a member of the purification n, so he was not influenced by Voodoo spells. Some questioned whether Sung Yu-Da had betrayed his faith and sided with the Voodoo Cult.

    There were suspicions that he hadmitted suicide to repent for killing his friend, the Second Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Do Myung-Jun, during the Holy War. However, these were just spections. No one could urately exin the reason for his death.

    Ha-Yeon had been building her reputation through various studies rted to blessings and divine powers, but she stopped her activities.

    There was tension between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult, and with Sung Yu-Da''s death, the possibility of a second Holy War was gradually increasing.

    The clergymen had already started training sessions in preparation for the Holy War. The Northern Crusader Order, to which Jin-Seo belonged, also did the same.

    As usual, Jin-Seo was alone in a training session when Simon approached her.

    ¡°Deputy director.¡±

    Simon usually didn''t carry a sword let alone wear armor, but he had a sword at his waist and was fully armed for some reason. Jin-Seo sheathed her sword and turned her head toward Simon.

    "What is it?"

    "I want to request a duel. I also have something to say."

    Jin-Seo nodded. She had already faced off against Simon a few times. As a crusader, Simon wielded a sword like Jin-Seo, and he was not a bad fighter. Although Simon had never defeated Jin-Seo, he managed to push Jin-Seo to her limits sometimes during their duels.

    "The world seems to be in turmoil these days because of the Voodoo Cult or whatever it¡¯s called," Simon said as they headed toward the training ground of the Northern Crusader Order where the dueling cage was located.

    Jin-Seo did not respond. She seemed to be lost in thought, walking silently with her head tilted slightly to the side.

    "Honestly, I don''t quite feel the reality of it. I heard that the deputy director lived in a period of turmoil, but I¡¯ve hardly even seen any demonic beasts or demons myself.¡±

    "..."

    "So when they mention the Voodoo Cult, it feels like... some kind of ancient religion? Or something like that," Simon said.

    Jin-Seo still did not respond.

    Simon, feeling a bit uneasy, smiled and said, "To be honest, it seems like they¡¯re all overreacting. It feels like the deputy director would probably be able to handle something like the Voodoo Cult by yourself."

    Jin-Seo had been keeping her mouth shut, but she chuckled and repeated Simon¡¯s words. "Overreacting."

    Jin-Seo looked at Simon with a clear expression of disdain and mockery on her face. Simon felt his heart racing. Although scary, Jin-Seo''s smiling face looked too beautiful. She did not smile out of goodwill¡ªshe was sneering.

    The two arrived at the training cage. Jin-Seo climbed into the cage first and said, "Come up."

    Simon nodded and climbed up onto the cage. He drew out a training sword. Then, he pointed the blunt edge of the sword at Kim Jin-Seo.

    "I won''t go easy on you this time. Last time, I went easy on you, but this time¨D!"

    <i>Smack!</i>

    Simon was unable to finish his sentence as Jin-Seo did not give him a chance to speak. Holding a practice sword, she immediately rushed in and struck Simon. The sword urately hit Simon in the side. It hurt so much that it felt like he had been hit by a real sword.

    The thought crossed his mind that if the practice sword had hit his head instead of his side, he might have died.

    ¡°...¡±

    The match was over in an instant. Jin-Seo brought the practice sword to Simon''s neck as he fell. Jin-Seo defeated him and he wasn¡¯t even able to resist.

    "I don¡¯t think you''re skilled enough to call it an overreaction,¡± Jin-Seo muttered.

    Simon looked at her with a bewildered expression. Jin-Seo was strong. In the previous matches, Simon had been almost evenly matched with Jin-Seo. Even if he lost, he lost by a hair''s breadth. However, Jin-Seopletely defeated Simon in the current match.

    ¡°...¡±

    He finally realized that Jin-Seo had been going easy on him.

    ***

    Jin-Seo finished work and returned home. Due to the conflict with the Voodoo Cult and the Second Holy War, not only was there an increase in training sessions, but there was also an increase in misceneous tasks. Thus, Jin-Seo was extremely tired. As soon as she got home, she flopped onto the bed.

    <i>Tap, tap... </i>

    It was raining outside. Inside Jin-Seo''s room, which was quiet due to no one else living inside her house, the sound of raindrops hitting the window softly echoed. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound. Then, she remembered the sparring session with Simon earlier.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo had always been lenient with Simon. She never fully went against him as there was no need to. But for some reason, she didn¡¯t feel like going easy on him. She was angry.

    Why was she angry? Was it because he had grown up in a rtively peaceful era without the threat of demons and demonic beasts and casually mentioned the Holy War? Or was it because he had underestimated the Voodoo Cult?

    She couldn''t tell. She had been feeling increasingly angry for the past few days, specifically since the day the Voodoo Cult''s leader, Sun-Woo, had attacked the underground prison. Unable to understand why she was angry, she became even more upset. She felt suffocated.

    "Without even a word."

    Was it because he left without a word? Or because he returned without a word? Or was it because he didn''t tell her that he was the leader of the Voodoo Cult? Jin-Seo couldn''t figure out the cause of the suffocating feeling.

    If he were here right now... If she could have a tiny conversation with him... Just that would relieve the suffocating feeling a little. That was what she thought.

    <i>Tap tap. </i>

    Raindrops continued tapping on the window. Jin-Seo listened to the sound.

    <i>Tap, tap, tap tap, tap tap tap...</i>

    The sound continued to echo. Perhaps the raindrops had be heavier since the sound of raindrops gradually became clearer.

    No, that wasn''t the sound of raindrops. Jin-Seo turned her head and looked out the window.

    The window opened, and <i>he</i> entered Jin-Seo''s room. He was in front of Jin-Seo.

    Sun-Woo.

    He so drenched that he looked like a rat soaked in water.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo stared nkly at him. He smelled like rain.

 Chapter 327

    <h4>Chapter 327</h4>

    It had been five years since Jin-Seost saw Sun-Woo. Just as Jin-Seo had changed a lot, Sun-Woo must have changed a lot too.

    She thought there was a possibility she might not recognize him even if she met him again. However, once she faced Sun-Woo again, she immediately realized how absurd that thought was.

    How could she not recognize him? Jin-Seo stared at him for a while as he entered through the window. He was wearing a hood, and the room was dark. His face was not clearly visible.

    Nevertheless, Jin-Seo knew that it was Sun-Woo. She was able to tell immediately.

    "..."

    However, she couldn''t figure out what to say. What should she say? Saying it had been a long time seemed a bit clich¨¦. Should she just cry without saying anything? Or should she smile? It also seemed like she should be angry. Too many emotions rushed in at once, and she couldn''t figure out how to react.

    She didn¡¯t know which reaction to show, so she felt like she had to ask something. So, she asked, "Why... did youe?"

    Sun-Woo remained silent for a while. He closed his mouth and just looked at Jin-Seo. Raindrops dripped from his wet body. asionally, lightning struck from the sky, and intermittent shes illuminated the room. The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance.

    "Cell phone."

    Sun-Woo pointed to the cell phone in Jin-Seo''s hand with his chin. Jin-Seo picked up the cell phone she was holding. Out of habit, she pressed the power button to turn it on, but it didn''t turn on. The battery couldn''t have run out in that short time. It was working fine just a moment ago.

    Her cell phone turned off after Sun-Woo arrived. She then noticed that the surroundings were unusually dark. There wasn''t even a hint of lighting into the room from the living room. She had been too tired, so she went straight to her room as soon as she got home without even turning off the lights properly.

    But now her room, no, her entire house, waspletely dark as if all the electricity had gone out. Sun-Woo was obviously the culprit for the phenomenon.

    "Why?"

    "Because you could report me," Sun-Woo said calmly.

    Jin-Seo was so astounded that she momentarily stared nkly at Sun-Woo, then chuckled and furrowed her brows.

    "That¡¯s the first thing you say to me after all this time..."

    She was angry. Rather than being angry about the fact that he rendered her phone useless or the fact that he had turned off all the lights in her house without her permission, she was angry about how he suspected that she had the intention of reporting him.

    She hadn¡¯t even considered reporting him. He had returned after five years, and he would leave again. How many more years would pass before they could meet again?

    Perhaps it would take more than five years. Perhaps they might never meet again until the day they died. Therefore, she didn¡¯t want to report Sun-Woo. She couldn¡¯t report him.

    Of course, if she reported him, she would be able to catch Sun-Woo, and she might even be able to prevent the imminent Holy War from urring. People would be happy, and Jin-Seo would receive several promotions or even be a hero.

    However, Sun-Woo would also die. If that happened, she wouldn¡¯t be happy. That was how she felt.

    Yet, the first thing that Sun-Woo had said to her was something about her reporting him. He had always been like that in the past, but seriously...

    "You bastard. You''re really a piece of trash. You..."

    Sun-Woo interrupted Jin-Seo. "I''m not saying you''re going to report me. Your phone has a bug."

    "The Holy See is spying on you in various ways, including your phone. That¡¯s why I turned it off."

    "..."

    "Because the Holy See knows that I¡¯de to meet you one day."

    Those words were shocking to Jin-Seo. Up until now, she couldn''t say she was loyal to the Holy See, but at least she was loyal to the Romanican faith.

    When she was told to deal with the remaining demonic beasts and demons after the fall of the Satanists, she silently took up her sword. She prayed when she was asked to pray, and she replicated miracles when asked to do so for research purposes.

    Why did the Holy See bug Jin-Seo''s phone and monitor her through various other methods even though she was obedient and faithful?

    "Isn¡¯t it just because I might report you? You... you coward."

    She did not believe his words. She did not want to believe them. So, Jin-Seo denied Sun-Woo''s words. The phrase ¡®you coward¡¯ was something she wanted to say to him regardless.

    Sun-Woo raised his hand. Metal objects in Jin-Seo''s room, such as a pair of scissors, a pen, or an old discarded sword, floated in the air. The objects glowed red and they pointed at Sun-Woo and Jin-Seo.

    "Everything I''m saying right now is the truth," Sun-Woo dered. "And everything I from now on will also be the truth. This is Ogun''s power. You may have heard of it before."

    Jin-Seo neither nodded nor shook her head. She had heard of it before. The Holy See shared information about the abilities of the Voodoo Cult and its Cult Leader with the various clergy organizations located in different regions.

    It was considered credible information based on hypotheses established through observations and the experiences of the current Pope, Yu-Hyun. Ogun''s power was the ability to control all the iron in a certain area. ording to the Holy See, it could also be used to distinguish between the truth and lies.

    "You should also avoid lying to me."

    "I had no intention of lying. Am I you?" Jin-Seo replied bluntly to Sun-Woo''s words.

    Sun-Woo was unable toe up with a response, so he fell silent.

    He naturally chose a chair in Jin-Seo''s room and sat down. Jin-Seo sat crookedly on her bed. She could have just sat normally, but at least in front of him, she wanted to sit crookedly. It was a subtle expression of her anger.

    Sun-Woo broke the silence and said, "Do you remember the bet we made before? You promised to grant my wish once."

    The rain was still falling. The thunder and lightning were still raging.

    "How am I supposed remember something that happened five years ago?"

    "I guess you¡¯re right," Sun-Woo said as he nodded sadly.

    In truth, Jin-Seo remembered. Sometime in the past, Sun-Woo and Jin-Seo had a duel. It was agreed that the winner would grant the loser''s wish. Jin-Seo had lost, so she had to grant Sun-Woo one wish.

    "Just tell me. I''ll listen and decide," Jin-Seo said bluntly.

    "There will be a battle soon." He calmly continued, "It will be a battle heralding the start of the Holy War. I don''t know for sure... but quite a lot of people may die."

    "..."

    "Don''te to that battle."

    The conversation was a bit sudden. At least that was the case for Jin-Seo. The Romanican Church was clearly preparing for a Holy War. The talk of an imminent Holy War happening soon was circting not only among clergymen but also among people with unrted professions.

    Despite that, the term ¡®Holy War¡¯ was still difficult for Jin-Seo to ept. However, it was only after she was prompted by Sun-Woo¡¯s words that Jin-Seo realized that a Holy War was indeed on the horizon and that they had already crossed the point of no return.

    "That is my wish," Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Seo remained silent. She couldn''t figure out what to say in response. Initially, she found it hard to understand why such words were directed at her.

    "What difference does it make if I don''t go?" Jin-Seo asked.

    Sun-Woo, who had been bowing his head, raised it and looked at her. "In this battle, the Romanicans probably want to capture me, or perhaps assassinate me."

    "Yes, probably."

    "Our goal is to capture you."

    "Why?"

    "Because you are the most formidable opponent to us. Also, you have high value as a captive." Sun-Woo spoke calmly and dryly.

    His tone was almost emotionless and serene. However, his body was trembling. asionally, when shes of lightning illuminated the darkness of the room, Jin-Seo saw Sun-Woo shivering.

    "If you don''te out to this battle, we will only engage in minimalbat and leave. Since our original objective is you, there is no reason to fight if you don¡¯t show up."

    "..."

    "But if you participate in the battle, I¡¯ll have to capture you. There will be eyes watching at that time, but regardless..."

    Sun-Woo briefly paused.

    Then, he shifted his gaze outside the window and continued, "I am the Cult Leader, so I can''t just stand by and go easy in front of the enemy like I¡¯m doing right now.¡±

    His words sounded a bit strange. Jin-Seo looked at Sun-Woo. He did not look at Jin-Seo as he continued to look out the window

    "What about now?" Jin-Seo asked.

    Sun-Woo turned his head toward Jin-Seo but did not answer her question. It seemed like he didn''t understand what she was trying to say.

    "What are you now?"

    Finally, Sun-Woo seemed to understand her words. However, he still did not answer. Jin-Seo thought that maybe he wasn¡¯t able to answer.

    She got up from her bed, grabbed Sun-Woo''s arm, which had been on the chair, and forcefully pulled him. Sun-Woo was dragged by Jin-Seo''s hand without any resistance. Perhaps he was intentionally not resisting.

    "..."

    She dragged Sun-Woo to the bed and pushed him down. Just like before, Sun-Woo did not resist at all andy on the bed. Jin-Seo climbed on top of him. She pressed Sun-Woo''s body down from above.

    Sun-Woo looked a bit flustered as he gazed at Jin-Seo. She looked down at Sun-Woo. She liked the difference in elevation between their gazes.

    She lowered her head and asked, "Tell me. What are you now?"

    The faces of the two were so close that they could almost touch. She could feel Sun-Woo''s flustered breath. Sun-Woo turned his head to the side.

    "Right now... Right now, I¡¯m just me."

    "Is that so?" Jin-Seo smiled as if she was quite satisfied.

    Sun-Woo''s face became nk in front of her smile. He gazed at the smile that appeared on her face for a long time. That smile was somehow familiar, and even a bit cozy.

    "What about our promise?"

    "Huh?" Sun-Woo asked with a stupid expression on his face.

    "Do you remember the promise you made to me?" Jin-Seo asked again.

    Sun-Woo had said that he would definitely answer someday. He had said that he couldn''t answer yet, but he had promised that he would definitely answer someday. And Sun-Woo would not have forgotten that promise. Just like Jin-Seo.

    "I like you," he said.

    "Say it in a slightly different way."

    "I love you."

    "Since when?"

    She was curious about that. More precisely, she wanted to hear when he started to like her directly from Sun-Woo. She wanted to confirm it.

    "Ever since you first said those words to me, I felt the same way," Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Seo finally smiled as if satisfied.

    "It feels like a forbidden love," she said.

    "It''s not like forbidden love, it really is forbidden love," Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Seo nodded slightly. The situation had changed a lot. It was revealed that Sun-Woo was the leader of Voodoo Cult, the Satanists hadpletely fallen, and the world was on the brink of a Holy War.

    Those who had all once been the same students of Florence Academy, had now be teachers, pdins or crusaders, and others became cultists.

    ¡°But is that important at this point?¡±

    However, Jin-Seo felt that everything remained the same. There were no significant changes. The most important thing had not changed. And that was something that could not be changed or undone.

    Sun-Woo embraced Jin-Seo. When lightning asionally struck and illuminated the room, the two were able to see each other''s faces. In that brief moment, they gazed at each other and captured each other in their eyes.

    Jin-Seo touched Sun-Woo''s skin. At some point in time, a small piece of metal had wedged itself in his body. She ignored it.

 Chapter 328

    <h4>Chapter 328</h4>

    Jin-Seo took a half-day off. She had never taken a day off, let alone a half-day off before. Shemuted to the Northern Crusader Order every day and went out for weekend training sessions when she was off work. Despite never showing exhaustion, she surprised everyone at the Northern Crusader Order by taking a half-day off.

    "Is she okay?"

    "She says she feels like she has a fever and was going to the hospital or something..."

    "Figures. She''s been working like this for years. No wonder she¡¯s sick."

    However, while they were surprised, they also understood. Jin-Seo had managed to train and work every single day. If it were anyone else, their body would have been broken beyond repair. Some even said that it was fortunate that she had only caught a fever.

    "..."

    Upon hearing that Jin-Seo was sick, Simon immediately called her. Since Jin-Seo only had a fever, there wasn''t much to worry about. Simon just wanted an excuse to call her.

    But Jin-Seo didn''t answer. Disappointed, Simon decided to put the incident behind him and focus on the training session. Of course, the training session didn''t go well.

    Simon had consistently shown interest in Jin-Seo, but she never nced in his direction. Simon seemed to be putting too much effort into a fight he could not win, which frustrated him and hurt his pride.

    Just as he was thinking this, Jin-Seo arrived.

    "Ah, Deputy Director!"

    Simon put down the sword he was swinging and stared nkly at Jin-Seo. Her sharp gaze and cold expression made it seem like she had no interest in anything in the world. Her eyes once again stirred Simon''s heart.

    Simon approached Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director, I called but you didn''t answer. I was disappointed.¡±

    In Simon''s eyes, she looked a bit more tired than usual, with a muscle relief patch on her neck[1].

    "Oh, are you okay? Why the patch..."

    "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she said, returning to her seat.

    Her tone was icy. But Simon felt d because it seemed she wasn¡¯t in as much pain as he had feared.

    ***

    "Cult Leader."

    Ji-Ah went to meet Sun-Woo. He was reading a book in a small cabin on the mountain where Noah''s Ark was located. Ji-Ah had no idea what book it was. The book he was reading was written in a strangenguage that Ji-Ah had never seen before.

    Sun-Woo saw Ji-Ah entering the cabin and closed the book. He got up and approached her. After a few years, he had grown bigger and taller. Ji-Ah had to tilt her head up to see Sun-Woo''s face.

    "Long time no see, nuna.¡±

    "Yes, it''s been a while."

    The words ¡®long time no see¡¯ felt awkward to Ji-Ah. They had abandoned the old underground chapel because there was a risk of being exposed, so they moved headquarters. Sun-Woo had relocated the headquarters to the Gangwon Branch underground chapel.

    Thanks to the spell from the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, the Romanican Church could never set foot in the chapel. In addition, the Voodoo Cult had ownership of the Gyeongsang Province, the area where Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary unit operated, and thend where Noah''s Ark was located.

    Sun-Woo built several more buildings with Gangwon Branch Executive Yun Chang-Su. They erected the buildings at miraculous rates using the power of the Loa, and coupled it with the expertise of the former carpenter Yun Chang-Su.

    Yun Chang-Su finished building the structures and died shortly after that. He had passed not from an ident or illness, but from natural causes. He had served the Voodoo Cult from the first to the third generation of Cult Leaders, and he had died dedicating himself to the Voodoo Cult until the very end.

    To honor him, Sun-Woo had raised a monument on the site where the original Gangwon Branch underground chapel was located. It became a refuge and sanctuary for the Voodoo Cult members.

    "How is it at the Gangwon Branch? What is the atmosphere like there?"

    However, Sun-Woo was not there. He was preparing for battle. He trained with Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps in Noah''s Ark, and when he wasn''t conducting training sessions, he worked on his tasks in the cabin. This was because the intentions of Cult Leader Sun-Woo and some Voodoo Cult members differed.

    "It seems that Master Jin-Sung still has someints." Among the members of the Voodoo Cult who had different intentions, Jin-Sung was the one who shed with Sun-Woo the most.

    Sun-Woo believed that war was necessary when needed and had attacked the underground prison to retrieve his mother''s remains and issued a warning to the Romanican Church. His warning showed that the Voodoo Cult would not remain silent if the Romanicans continued this threatening attitude toward them.

    However, Jin-Sung maintained his stance that there should not be a war. Although they could help him with other things, there was no way they would help him prepare for battle. And so, the two parted ways.

    "I had a feeling that¡¯d be the case," Sun-Woo said indifferently.

    He dragged a chair from the cabin and handed it to Ji-Ah. The two sat down and resumed their conversation.

    "What about you?"

    "What are you talking about..."

    "I mean, what do you think about the current situation?"

    Ji-Ah paused at Sun-Woo''s question. She couldn''t meet his eyes. She bowed her head in contemtion.

    While staring at the floor, she answered, "I... I don''t know why we have to go this far."

    ¡°...¡±

    Sun-Woo listened to her in silence.

    "I just... liked the times at the underground chapel... where we ate together, talked, had parties on special asions... I enjoyed those times."

    Ji-Ah shared the same sentiment as Jin-Sung. She had even gotten along with Soo-Yeong and moved past their strained rtionship. Jin-Sung, Gyeonggi Branch Executive Anna, and Sun-Woo were all people Ji-Ah didn''t want to lose. But a war might take them from her. She didn''t like that.

    "I hope you can stop ande back. It¡¯s not toote."

    Above all, Ji-Ah opposed the war because of Sun-Woo. He had changed suddenly five years ago, and no one but Sun-Woo knew why. Perhaps even Sun-Woo didn''t know what prompted the shift. Regardless, Ji-Ah felt that Sun-Woo had changed.

    Was it because he had faced his mother''s death? Or was it because he had killed his friend, Jun-Hyuk the Satanist, with his own hands? If not, was it because his previous daily life had copsed after his identity as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult had been exposed?

    Over time, Sun-Woo gradually seemed to get better. It seemed like he was bing more ustomed to his mother''s and friend''s deaths, his copsed daily life, and everything else. However, even after months, years, a specific w seemed to remain in Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo had lost something. He hadn¡¯t recovered what he had lost but was getting used to living with it.

    Ji-Ah thought this war was just Sun-Woo''s struggle to forget that loss, a coping mechanism to release his suppressed emotions. She thought it was something simr to self-harm.

    "Do you mean you liked it when you were trapped?" Sun-Woo said with a wry smile.

    Ji-Ah''s face stiffened. She tried to say something, but her mouth wouldn''t move, and she couldn''t say anything. Sun-Woo didn''t wait for her to speak.

    He said with a somewhat angry expression, "It''s already toote. Ever since I killed the inquisitor and disyed his body... Or maybe since I raided the underground prison. Or even before that... It was already toote to turn back."

    His face was frozen. He nkly stared somewhere, and it was impossible to make out where he was looking. Ji-Ah found his appearance eerie and frightening.

    She remembered when they celebrated his birthday party in the underground chapel. His bright smile was still vivid in her mind. Ji-Ah was quietly saddened by the memories.

    "I just don''t want to bete anymore."

    Sun-Woo reached out with his hand. His right arm, which barely moved, stretched forward. His sickly, thin right arm trembled. During the battle with Jun-Hyuk, he had sacrificed his arm to Kalfu, the Loa of the Moon and the Crossroads. Even after five years, his injury had not healed.

    "This is our only opportunity to resist," Sun-Woo said.

    Ji-Ah quietly listened to him.

    "The only reason for the war is because of certain factors that are in our favor. There won¡¯t be a next chance if we miss this window. Then, it won''t be a war, but a wipeout of the Voodoo Cult by the Romanican Church."

    There was nothing to say. Ji-Ah knew what Sun-Woo meant. The situation was in their favor at the moment. Thanks to Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps ying the role of a militia in some parts of Gyeongsang, they were able to convert the residents of that area into Voodoo Cultists.

    After Sun-Woo had defeated Jun-Hyuk, the demonic beasts and demons had almost disappeared from the face of the earth. As a result, groups were arguing for absolution for the Voodoo Cult. Some groups even tried to merge with the Voodoo Cult, iming that it was better than the Romanican Church.

    In addition, there were Voodoo Cultists in various regions, all thanks to the activities of executives like Yeom Man-Gun and Ha Pan-Seok. This was the only time for resistance. Missing this opportunity wouldn¡¯t lead to a war, but rather a one-sided massacre by the Romanican Church.

    ¡±If we''re all going to die anyway, I''d rather..." Sun-Woo muttered.

    Ji-Ah watched him sadly. Thanks to seeing Sun-Woo for a few years, Ji-Ah had gotten to know him better. Therefore, she could roughly guess what Sun-Woo was thinking, which made her even more upset.

    "Anyway, please tell Uncle that. Also, tell him to take care of his health."

    "I understand."

    "Take care of yourself, too, nuna. Stay healthy."

    His words sounded like those of someone prepared for death. Instead of replying, Ji-Ah bowed her head toward Sun-Woo. Then she left the cabin. Sun-Woo did not see her off. Ji-Ah looked back several times, but Sun-Woo never came out of the cabin.

    1. It¡¯smon in Korea for people to use muscle relief patches that help with knotted muscles. The patch makes the area feel hot or cool and helps with recovery. ?

 Chapter 329

    <h4>Chapter 329</h4>

    The director called for Jin-Seo. It wasn''t unusual, but it wasn''t amon urrence either.

    The head of the Northern Crusader Order struggled to deal with Jin-Seo. The Northern Crusader Order had many unpleasant incidents, which led to frequent changes in directors. A past director had died during the battle with Satanist Executive Lust at the Central Priesthood''s cathedral, which led to a change in leadership. The subsequent director was then arrested on charges of collusion with the aristocracy, resulting in another change.

    Jin-Seo witnessed all these events when she was a member of the Northern Crusader Order. As a result, the total time the current director had spent at the Northern Crusader Order was shorter than Jin-Seo''s.

    Furthermore, Jin-Seo yed a significant role in elevating the Northern Crusader Order to its current status. Rumors circted among the members that she was the real force behind the scenes, prompting the director to pay special attention to her.

    Initially, the director had thoughts of restraining Jin-Seo. However, the more he tried to control her, the narrower his position became. Jin-Seo''s influence within the Northern Crusader Order was just that strong.

    "Deputy Director, thank you foring," the director said.

    Although Jin-Seo stood with her hands behind her back while the director was seated, the director was the one who seemed ufortable. Jin-Seo nced at the uneasy director, aware that he found her presence diforting, which also made her ufortable. Jin-Seo couldn''t figure out how to deal with her awkward boss.

    An awkward atmosphere lingered in the air. The director cleared his throat and coughed.

    "Um, are you okay? I see you have a patch on your neck."

    "I''m fine. The patch is for my neck cramps."

    "It must be ufortable. I hate it when my neck cramps up."

    The director blurted out some words to break the tension. Jin-Seo didn''t react because she didn''t know how to respond.

    The director started to break out in a cold sweat. He decided it would be better to get to the point quickly and end the awkward encounter.

    "I called you here because... You know about the event that¡¯s going to take ce, right? You know, from the Holy See."

    Jin-Seo nodded. "I am aware.¡±

    Amidst the looming threat of a Holy War, the Holy See decided to host an event called the Festival of Light. The event had been scheduled to pray for the victory of the Romanican Church before the Holy War against the Voodoo Cult, and to appoint an inquisitor.

    Due to the nature of the event, many prtes were required to participate, making it even harder for the Holy See to cancel the event. Canceling such an important event at a time like this would imply that the Romanican Church was wary of the Voodoo Cult, and the public might think that the Romanican Church was afraid of the Voodoo Cult.

    "The times are as such, so it seems like they are deploying a lot of manpower for security as the Voodoo Cult could target this event andunch an attack. So, we¡¯re also considering selecting a few people from our side to send for event security...¡±

    The director paused and nced at Jin-Seo, but she remained expressionless as usual. She didn''t say anything and simply stood there quietly.

    ¡°So, what do you think, Deputy Director? I called you here to ask about your opinion.¡±

    ¡°Are you asking about my participation to secure the event?¡±

    The director rambled on. ¡°Yes. Actually, you don¡¯t need to go. But since you are quite famous, they made it sound like it would be... nice if you were there. Yes, that¡¯s how they worded it.¡±

    Jin-Seo nodded. She roughly understood what was being said. Considering Jin-Seo''spetence within the Northern Crusader Order and rating as the most outstanding among active crusaders, the Holy See hoped she would participate in event security.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo fell into deep thought. She recalled what Sun-Woo had said. He had mentioned that there would be a battle soon, one that would herald the beginning of the Holy War. Jin-Seo believed, no, she was certain that this battle would ur during the Festival of Light.

    Many prtes would attend the Festival of Light, and skilledbatants would be heavily deployed as security personnel, even if they weren¡¯t prtes. This would be a rare opportunity for the Voodoo Cult. If the Voodoo Cult had nned to attack the Romanican Church, there would not be a better time than to do so during the Festival of Light.

    In that case, Jin-Seo had to reject the director''s proposal. Sun-Woo had told Jin-Seo not to participate in the uing battle. If Jin-Seo epted the director''s proposal, she would inevitably have to participate in the battle.

    "I will consider it. Who else besides me is going from the Northern Crusader Order?" Jin-Seo asked.

    After thinking for a moment, the director said, "This time, two apprentice crusaders have been assigned for dispatch training in the Northern Crusader Order... Oh, Crusader Simon will be there as well. I understand that you are acquainted with him. Is that right?"

    "We are acquaintances, yes."

    "Yes, they will be the ones we will likely deploy. I haven''t asked everyone yet, so I need to inquire further. Anyway, I hope you consider the offer."

    Jin-Seo stood in silence. She suddenly stopped as she was quietly leaving the director''s office.

    "Deputy Director? What¡¯s wrong?"

    "..."

    Jin-Seo did not respond. She was contemting whether to talk about Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo had said that there would be a battle soon. In Jin-Seo''s opinion, that battle would ur at the Festival of Light. If she had told the Northern Crusader Order director about this fact, the damage caused by the fight, or, more precisely, to the Romanican Church, would have been minimized.

    However, how should she phrase herself if she were to talk about it? Would the director believe her if she said Sun-Woo hade to her house and said it himself? Just the fact Jin-Seo met Sun-Woo could lead to disciplinary action or even punishment.

    Above all, there was no guarantee that the ''uing battle'' Sun-Woo mentioned would ur during the Festival of Light. If she reported this fact to the director and the battle did not happen during the event, Jin-Seo''s situation would have be difficult in many ways, and her work would beplicated.

    "No, I¡¯ll see myself out."

    "Uh, uh. Okay."

    Jin-Seo decided not to say anything. At first, she couldn''t understand why Sun-Woo had vaguely mentioned the ''uing battle,'' but now she understood.

    Sun-Woo had set up a trap to prevent Jin-Seo from reporting this fact to others. Suddenly, Jin-Seo became angry that Sun-Woo had calcted her actions amidst all this.

    Jin-Seo stopped in her tracks, suppressed her anger for a while, and turned her head toward the director. Her face was still stiff with rage.

    "Director, I¡¯ll participate in the mission," Jin-Seo said with a stern face.

    Jin-Seo''s decision was sudden.

    The director had a slightly puzzled expression. "Ah, that... You mean participating in the event security mission?"

    "Yes." Jin-Seo nodded enthusiastically.

    A smile finally appeared on the awkwardly stiff face of the director.

    "Oh, right! Got it. I will write your name down. We will announce the detailed scheduleter... Anyway, thank you, Deputy Director."

    "Yes, I will be making my leave," Jin-Seo said as she left the director''s office.

    "What did the director say?" Simon asked Jin-Seo the moment she left the director¡¯s office.

    However, Jin-Seo was not very enthusiastic about seeing him.

    "We were talking about the security mission for this event."

    "Ah, they asked me about that too. Are you participating, Deputy Director?"

    Jin-Seo nodded. "Yes."

    Simon''s expression brightened a bit. "They said that the two apprentice crusaders here for dispatch training will also participate in the mission. Would you like to meet them?"

    "Not really," Jin-Seo replied indifferently.

    The apprentice crusaders participating in dispatch training at the Northern Crusader Order from Florence Academy were known to be outstanding students. The crusaders of the Northern Crusader Order showed great interest in these highly praised apprentices, but not Jin-Seo.

    Her experience at Florence Academy was slightly different from that of the current students. During Jin-Seo¡¯s time, there were many incidents at the academy. Some students had been involved in incidents and even died. Many students dropped out, and as a result, her generation of students had been fruitful, releasing many talented individuals.

    However, in Jin-Seo''s opinion, the current Florence Academy had lowered its standards too much. With the frequency of demons and demonic beast appearances noticeably decreasing, people no longer wanted clergymen to be as strong as before. It didn¡¯t help that the clergymen could not find a reason to be stronger either. In Jin-Seo''s view, that might be why the students currently enrolled at F.A. were too weak andcent. Therefore, she did not show much interest in the apprentice crusaders.

    "Come on. We¡¯re going to end up on a mission togetherter anyway. Wouldn''t it be better to see each other''s faces once?"

    "Just because we see each other..." Jin-Seo swallowed her remaining words.

    The phrase ''end up on a mission together'' bothered her. This mission would involve Jin-Seo, Simon, and two apprentice crusaders. Sun-Woo had warned that there would be a battle, and it could take ce during this mission. Therefore, there was a possibility that the clueless apprentice crusaders would be dragged into the battle.

    "You¡¯re right. It¡¯d be better to meet them prior to the mission," Jin-Seo said.

    In that case, seeing each other''s faces seemed better after all.

    "Right. I will bring them here now. One said they applied here because they are your fan, Deputy Director."

    "No, bring them... bring them to the training ground instead. That sounds like a better idea."

    "Ah, okay. Understood," Simon said as he went to bring the two apprentice crusaders.

    Jin-Seo headed to the training ground.

    ***

    Jin-Seo met the two apprentice crusaders at the training ground, one boy and one girl.

    The boy was quite tall. His considerable physique suggested that he had spent numerous hours at the gym. Although it was not as impressive as Dae-Man, Dae-Man would have approved of the boy¡¯s physique. His main weapon was a sword. He was the one who had applied to the Northern Crusader Order because he was a fan of Jin-Seo.

    The girl was short and petite. She mainly handled ranged weapons like guns or bows. Perhaps that was why her eyes were lively.

    "...¡±

    Jin-Seo stared intently at the two apprentices. They stood with their arms behind their backs, expressions and postures taught and tense. The training grounds were dead silent¡ªneither Jin-Seo nor the two apprentice crusaders said a word.

    ¡°Ah, I should have introduced myself first. I, this is¨D¡±

    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Jin-Seo interrupted Simon as he was about to introduce the two people.

    She climbed the training ground''s sparring cage with a sword in her hand. The two apprentice crusaders looked puzzled as they watched Jin-Seo climb into the cage without saying a word to them. Simon had a foreboding feeling for some reason.

    Jin-Seo pointed to the two apprentice crusaders. ¡°Come up, both of you.¡±

    Simon''s gut feeling had been right. He clenched his eyes shut.

 Chapter 330

    <h4>Chapter 330</h4>

    Simon looked startled as he climbed up the cage. ¡°Deputy Director, why are you trying to spar all of a sudden?"

    Simon had brought the apprentice crusaders to the cage to familiarize them with the deputy director, yet Jin-Seo suddenly wanted to spar. Simon couldn''t grasp Jin-Seo''s intentions at all. But Jin-Seo''s eyes were filled with resolve, and she nodded confidently, certain of her judgment.

    "Yes, to test their skills."

    "But, why test... Wouldn''t it be better if I were the opponent? To be honest, Deputy Director, you¡¯re... how should I put this..."

    Simon nced at the two apprentice crusaders under the cage. "The skill gap between you and the apprentices is too big. And you''re not the type to go easy."

    "I¡¯ll go easy on them."

    "Well, if that''s the case... But why do you want to spar?"

    "Because it''s necessary," Jin-Seo said calmly. "It¡¯s necessary that we do this before the start of the mission. If I judge that their skills arecking, I will remove them from the mission."

    She anticipated that there would be a battle on this mission. Sun-Woo could use this event as an opportunity to strike. If he did, it would be arge-scale battle. Many people would get hurt, and some might even die.

    It would be safer for civilians, as they needed to evacuate following the guidance of the pdins and crusaders assigned as event security. However, crusaders with inadequate skills, like the two apprentice crusaders in front of Jin-Seo, might challenge Sun-Woo into an unnecessary fight and risk their lives. Therefore, Jin-Seo needed to assess the skills of the two apprentice crusaders. If she deemed their skills to be disappointingly weak during the training, she nned to remove them from the mission.

    "Now, get out of the cage. Both of you,e up," Jin-Seomanded.

    The two stiff apprentice crusaders climbed up into the cage.

    Simon still had a puzzled look on his face. "W-what does sparring have to do with the mission this time? I still don''t quite understand.¡±

    Jin-Seo red menacingly at Simon, who had yet to leave the cage. "And what if you don¡¯t? I said it¡¯s necessary. Why are you talking back?"

    "..."

    Jin-Seo''s oppressive attitude sent a chill down Simon¡¯s spine. However, Simon did not back down and faced Jin-Seo squarely. "Then I will fight too. I am also going on this mission. Wouldn¡¯t I need to spar as well?"

    Jin-Seo nodded and tightened her grip on her sword.

    "Do as you wish," Jin-Seo replied nonchntly.

    "Are you sure about this? It''s three against one. This might be a bit tough even for you, Deputy Director," Simon provoked as he fixed his grip on his sword.

    In this sparring match, Jin-Seo had to face two apprentice crusaders and Simon, a total of three people. Since the cage was narrow, Jin-Seo had an overwhelming disadvantage in terms of terrain and numbers. However, Jin-Seo smiled. She seemed to find the whole situation amusing.

    "It''s okay," she said as she gripped her sword. ¡°Try and attack me as if I¡¯m the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult."

    ***

    Simon touched the lump on his head he had earned from the spar with Jin-Seo.

    "Damn it," he muttered.

    The sparring match that Simon and the apprentice pdins had ambitiously tackled was short-lived and ended with Jin-Seo''s victory. Jin-Seo had led with a strike to the back of Simon¡¯s head with the back of her sword. Her blow had been so quick that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. Simon had no chance to resist and ultimately lost consciousness. Technically, he was still conscious, but he could not continue the fight as he had no strength in his arms and legs.

    The two apprentice crusaders fiercely resisted Jin-Seo. The male apprentice swung his sword vigorously, but Jin-Seo evaded all of his attacks. There was no real need to dodge his strikes. The male apprentice crusader had resorted to swinging his sword around in panic when Simon suddenly lost consciousness. Jin-Seo subdued the male apprentice crusaders without much effort.

    Surprisingly, the opponent that gave Jin-Seo a hard time was the female apprentice crusader. She was clever and did not give Jin-Seo any chance to approach. Utilizing agile movements from her petite frame, she skillfully kept her distance and attacked Jin-Seo with her training bow. Of course, the arrows she shot did not sessfully hit Jin-Seo, as Jin-Seo cut them down with an amazing disy of skill.

    Jin-Seo capitalized on a brief opening when the apprentice drew her bow. She closed the distance between them and subdued the female apprentice as well.

    Jin-Seo passed by Simon and the male apprentice crusader and said, "Good effort.¡±

    She reached out her hand as she approached the female apprentice crusader who had resisted in her unique way. The girl took her hand, stood up, and looked at Jin-Seo with a surprised expression.

    "What''s your name?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "Han Sol!" the apprentice crusader answered powerfully.

    "So, just Sol?"

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    "Han Sol."

    Jin-Seo nodded, repeating her name. Han Sol. She seemed fine. There wouldn¡¯t be a problem taking her on the mission. But the male apprentice crusader fell short of her expectations.

    Jin-Seo pointed to the fallen male apprentice crusaders and said, "Simon, remove him from the mission roster."

    "Deputy Director, that''s..."

    "Do what you¡¯ve been told," Jin-Seo said coldly.

    Simon did not feel good about the order. Getting excluded from the mission roster after being rejected by Jin-Seo herself was a cruel fate for someone who had applied to the Northern Crusader Order because they admired her.

    As Simon had thought, the male apprentice crusader¡¯s expression turned cold.

    "I am confident in my abilities for the mission!" he said as he stood up abruptly.

    "How do you expect to do well in realbat based on your performance in a mere sparring match?" Jin-Seo retorted.

    She paid no attention to the male apprentice¡¯s words. The male crusaders shut their mouths in the face of Jin-Seo''s cold ruthlessness. No more could be said. Simon just sat still. He had no ce in this conversation, as he had lost consciousness when the match began.

    ***

    Under Jin-Seo¡¯smand, the male apprentice crusader was excluded from the mission roster. Eventually, Jin-Seo, Simon, and the apprentice pdin Han Sol were the final personnel deployed for the mission.

    The three were summoned to the director''s office on the eve of the Festival of Light.

    "You probably already know this, but the Festival of Light is scheduled for Sunday, which is tomorrow. However, we must go to the event area today to check for potential dangers."

    "What do you mean by potential dangers?"

    "You just need to look out for things like explosives or suspicious items or facilities that could be used for terrorism. You don''t need to work too hard.¡±

    He spoke with grandiose, but in reality, there wasn''t much for the members of the Northern Crusader Order to do. They just needed to ''pretend'' to find the potential dangers that the director mentioned.

    The Eastern Pdin Order was originally responsible for the event''s pre-inspection, and the Northern Crusader Order only needed to assist them. The Eastern Crusader Order would handle most of the tedious work.

    The director exined a few things to be mindful of during the event''s pre-inspection. Upon encountering devices or facilities deemed dangerous, they needed to report to the director of the Eastern Pdin Order rather than handle it alone. They were also told not to create unnecessary friction with the members of the Eastern Pdin Order. All of it wasmon sense.

    After listening to the director''s remarks, the three made their way to the venue where the Festival of Light would be held, and a driver from the Northern Crusader Order drove them there.

    "..."

    The three didn''t say a word inside the car. Sitting in the passenger seat, Simon was busy constantly reading, and Jin-Seo was staring nkly out the window. Han Sol, feeling ufortable, kept squirming in her seat.

    "Erm, excuse me, can I ask you something?"

    Jin-Seo turned her head to look at Han Sol. "What is it?"

    "Why was I the only one... chosen for this mission? Why was the other apprentice who came with me excluded from the list?"

    It was a valid question. Jin-Seo remained silent for a moment without answering. Han Sol found the silence intimidating. She couldn¡¯t help but gulp from the pressure of the heavy silence.

    Jin-Seo shifted her gaze from Han Sol to outside the window. "During the event, if the Voodoo Cult, or Satanists... anything appears, what will you do if the ''enemy'' suddenly appears before you?"

    "Uh... First, evacuate the civilians... and then engage the enemy."

    "Be honest," Jin-Seo said.

    Han Sol couldn''t answer and closed her mouth.

    "You¡¯d run away, right?"

    Han Sol bowed her head in embarrassment.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo had sparred with Han Sol and noticed a peculiar habit of hers. Han Sol attacked only when she felt safe. In other words, she only attacked after she distanced herself from Jin-Seo after Jin-Seo rushed toward her. Han Solcked the initiative or boldness to counterattack Jin-Seo''s assaults.

    "I liked that about you."

    Jin-Seo chose Han Sol for that reason. She needed that side of Han Sol.

    ***

    The three people arrived at the event venue and met the East Pdin Order director, Han Dae-Ho, exchanged light greetings, and wandered around looking for ''dangerous elements.''

    As the director had mentioned, they had little to do, thanks to the East Pdin Order taking care of most things.

    At that moment, a voice called out to Jin-Seo.

    "Jin-Seo!"

    It was a loud, booming voice. As soon as she heard the voice, Jin-Seo knew who had called out to her. It was Dae-Man. He strolled toward her, his massive frame towering over people.

    "It¡¯s nice seeing you here. Are these your colleagues from the North Crusader Order?" Dae-Man said, looking back and forth between Simon and Han Sol.

    Jin-Seo nodded. "Yeah, I''ll be with them tomorrow for event security."

    "I see! I am Dae-Man from the East Pdin Order."

    Dae-Man shook hands with Simon and Han Sol.

    Simon smiled lightly and casually shook Dae-Man¡¯s hand. "I am Simon from the North Crusader Order."

    Han Sol awkwardly took Dae-Man¡¯s hands. "I am Ha-Han Sol from the North Crusader Order!"

    After exchanging handshakes with the two, Dae-Man briefly exchanged some words with Jin-Seo before he left. Simon watched Dae-Man leave absentmindedly.

    He gazed at Dae-Man in admiration as Dae-Man disappeared. "He''s incredibly huge... I heard rumors, but I didn''t expect him to be that big."

    Jin-Seo chuckled and replied, ¡°He¡¯s big. That¡¯s all."

    The three visited many ces. They entered the cathedral, where a mass announcing the event''s start was supposed to ur. They thoroughly explored the square where the main event would be held. They even carefully examined the interiors of the buildings surrounding the square.

    "There''s nothing here."

    However, as Simon had mentioned, they couldn¡¯t find anything. That meant there were no ''dangerous elements'' at the event venue, so in a way, they had been lucky. But Simon couldn¡¯t shake off the sense of emptiness, as it felt like they had wasted a few hours to achieve nothing. Han Sol seemed tired after walking around continuously, her eyes hazy while staring nkly.

    Suddenly, Han-Yeol asked, "Is that a person over there?"

    Jin-Seo and Simon turned their heads, following Han Sol''s gaze. In a narrow alley where only one person could barely fit, a man was lying down with a tattered nket covering him. He seemed to be homeless. Simon approached the man without hesitation.

    "Simon, wait!" Jin-Seo said.

    For some reason, Jin-Seo felt uneasy and tried to stop him. But Simon didn''t listen and approached the man.

    Simon woke up the sleeping man and shed his North Crusader Order badge.

    "I''m from the North Crusader Order. We''re here for the Festival of Light. Do you have any ID on you?" Simon questioned.

    Even if they were conducting a pre-event security check for the Festival of Light, they had no right to drive people off the streets arbitrarily. However, the man looked like a homeless person. Naturally, he wouldn''t have any form of identification. Simon was prepared to drive him away because he could potentially be dangerous. If he couldn''t provide an ID, Simon would transfer the man to the Eastern Pdin Order, trying to take action in any way possible.

    "Northern Crusader Order," the man muttered as he slowly rose from his seat.

    Simon looked at the man. For one, the man was tall. Furthermore, the contours of muscles were visible even beyond his clothes. He didn''t seem like an ordinary homeless person. His hair was very long, and his beard was so thick that his face was hard to make out.

    He red at Simon, his eyes filled with hostility. "..."

    ¡®A dangerous element,'' Simon thought as soon as he saw the man''s gaze. He ced his hand on the sword at his waist.

 Chapter 331

    <h4>Chapter 331</h4>

    Simon stared at the man, his hand resting on the handle of his de. The stranger¡¯s sharp eyes, fixed on Simon, were still visible beyond his long white hair.

    Simon sensed that this man was strong. He was not an ordinary homeless person nor an ordinary old man. Simon¡¯s body stiffened with anxiety.

    "Sorry. I have nowhere else to stay."

    However, things went much differently than what Simon had anticipated. The homeless man bowed his head toward Simon and tried to leave. Simon lowered his hand from the de handle and watched the man pick up his scattered belongings on the ground.

    Unlike before, the man now looked weak and pitiful¡ªjust like any other homeless person. Simon''s hostility toward the man soon turned into pity.

    "If you would like, I can guide you to the East Pdin Order. There are free soup kitchens and ces for the elderly to stay,¡± Simon offered.

    The East Pdin Order had recently built buildings to provide separate shelters for homeless people or lost elderly individuals. If this man were handed over to the East Pdin Order, he would be able to live in a morefortable space than the damp and dirty streets.

    However, the man shook his head. "No, it¡¯s okay. I have no intention of returning there. There are faces that I''d rather not see."

    Simon nodded in understanding. "I understand.¡±

    Although the East Pdin Order had a temporary shelter for the homeless, some people were reluctant to use it. This was due to the ''self-reliance support program'' for homeless people in the temporary shelters.

    Some of the homeless felt ufortable with the program because it semi-coercively pushed people out into society, even those who weren¡¯t emotionally ready or willing to stand on their own yet. Simon empathized with them, so he didn''t push further. The man packed his belongings and left.

    Jin-Seo approached Simon soon after she saw the homeless man leave. "What''s going on?"

    Simon shook his head as if it was nothing. "He was just a homeless person. I offered to guide him to the Eastern Pdin Order, but he refused, so I just let him go."

    "Just a homeless person? Are you sure? Why would a homeless person be here?" Jin-Seo asked.

    Homeless people usually settled in ces like the front or back of subway stations or deserted parks. Unlike those ces, the venue for the Festival of Light was bright and had high traffic, which was not a suitable space for homeless people to stay. Jin-Seo was suspicious that a homeless person would stay in such a ce.

    "Homeless people don¡¯t choose where they stay. Don''t they just lie down when they find a spot?"

    "That''s true."

    Only after Simon¡¯sment did Jin-Seo feel convinced. However, she couldn¡¯t shake off the strange sense of unease. Jin-Seo continued to watch the man walk away with unsteady steps. Somehow, his gait felt strangely familiar to her.

    ***

    Finally, it was the day of the Light Festival. The three people from the Northern Crusader Order, Jin-Seo, Simon, and Han Sol, had worked diligently until the next morning. They searched around the building for any suspicious individuals or items. As expected, they couldn¡¯t find anything out of the blue. The Eastern Pdin Order hadn¡¯t found anything out of ce or dangerous either. And so, the Festival of Lights started as scheduled.

    Street vendors set up their stalls, and people strolled around with the street food they had bought in their hands. Clergymen also came to attend the prayer meeting and the inquisitor appointment ceremony. Most of the attendees were families who hade just to enjoy the lively atmosphere or catch a glimpse of the famous prtes.

    Jin-Seo, Simon, and Han Sol, dressed in Northern Crusader Order attire, patrolled the streets to perform their event security duties. But with no enemies in sight and very few people causing disturbances, they had almost nothing to do. Initially tense and looking around nervously, they eventually embraced and started to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

    Simon pointed to one of the street vendors and said, "Looks like Sol wants a taste of that."

    "O-oh, no, I''m fine!" Han Sol stammered.

    Han Sol quickly shook her head, but her gaze was still fixated on the vendor selling ice cream and fruit drinks. Considering the hot weather and their formal attire, it was natural for her to be drawn to the refreshing drinks.

    Jin-Seo nced briefly at the vendor and said, "If you want to eat, go ahead. Should I buy it for you?"

    "I''m really okay!" Han Sol replied.

    "It doesn¡¯t seem like it," Jin-Seo said.

    Despite insisting she was okay, Han Sol sweated profusely, and her face was flushed. She looked like she overheated easily.

    Jin-Seo stared at Han Sol momentarily, then went over to the vendor. She bought one drink for herself and a refreshing drink that she thought Han Sol would enjoy.

    Jin-Seo handed the drink she bought to Han Sol. "Here, have it."

    Han Sol hesitantly took it. After that, she nced back and forth between the drink and Jin-Seo with an anxious look. "Ah, shouldn¡¯t we... avoid eating during the mission?"

    "Better than copsing from the heat," Jin-Seo replied.

    Refraining from eating and drinking was preferred because they were on a security mission for the event. If something happened while they were eating or drinking, their reaction time could be dyed. However, as Jin-Seo suggested, it was better to have something to drink rather than to suffer from the heat.

    Han Sol hesitated for a moment and took a sip of the drink. Her expression noticeably brightened. Jin-Seo chuckled when she saw Sol¡¯s face light up.

    "But why did you buy two drinks? Are you nning to give me one?" Simon interjected smoothly.

    Jin-Seo furrowed her brows as if displeased. "What are you talking about? You should buy your own."

    Simon looked at Jin-Seo with hurt eyes. "Oh.¡±

    He trudged to the same vendor and bought his drink.

    The three of them walked around the street, sipping on their chilled fruit drinks. Han Sol diligently drank her drink while constantly scanning the surroundings, faithfully carrying out her job of securing the event. However, she didn''t notice any suspicious individuals or sense anything ominous.

    Jin-Seo felt the same way. No suspicious individuals were in sight, and there were no signs of anything out of ce. The street was bustling with pdins from the Eastern Pdin Order there for event security, and many prtes came to attend the inquisitor appointment ceremony.

    "What is he thinking?" Jin-Seo muttered.

    Although the Romanican Church would suffer some damage if a battle broke out in a ce like this, the Voodoo Cult would most likely suffer more significant losses. The pdins and crusaders gathered there were all fully armed to ensure the event ended safely. They wouldn''t just stand by if the Voodoo Cult attacked. So, what was Sun-Woo thinking?

    Jin-Seo remembered the cold touch of iron when she touched Sun-Woo¡¯s body. He had lied to her. So, was his statement about ''a battle happening soon'' also a lie? Jin-Seo wished that was the case. She hoped his other words had been true and that his statement had been a lie.

    Right then, Simon called Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director?"

    She snapped out of her thoughts and came back to her senses. Jin-Seo looked around. Han Sol was sucking on a drink with a straw, and Simon was looking at Jin-Seo with a puzzled look on his face.

    "What were you thinking about?"

    "I just... zoned out," Jin-Seo said, not wanting to dive into it.

    "You have times when you zone out? That''s interesting,¡± Simon said.

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond. The three of them walked, observing the faces of people passing by and looking around. But still, they didn¡¯t see anyone fishy or dangerous.

    ***

    Meeting Ha-Yeon was indeed a coincidence. The three of them were heading to the cathedral where the inquisitor appointment ceremony was scheduled. There was a massive crowd in front of the cathedral, and Jin-Seo thought a line of people was trying to enter it.

    But she had been mistaken. Among the center of the crowd was none other than Ha-Yeon. A diverse cluster of people surrounded Ha-Yeon: journalists, priests who admired Ha-Yeon, blessing researchers, and prtes interested in Ha-Yeon''s research.

    "Ha-Yeon?"

    Jin-Seo spotted Ha-Yeon among the crowd.

    Her appearance still stood out. Her all-white hair and pale skin made her visible from far away, no matter how crowded the area was.

    "Seong Ha-Yeon? Where?" Simon asked, looking around.

    Han Sol also looked around. Ha-Yeon was a name that every Romanican Church clergyman knew. The two people looked around for a while and finally spotted Ha-Yeon. They admired Ha-Yeon, as she was surrounded by a crowd.

    "Wow, she is incredibly pale. I thought she was retired?" Simon questioned.

    "Not retired. I remember she said she was just taking a break and would return," Han Sol said.

    At that moment, they suddenly felt uneasy. For some reason, the crowd seemed to be slowly moving in their direction.

    ¡°H-huh, what...¡± Simon stammered.

    "Is it just me, or are theying this way?¡± Ha Sol said.

    Ha-Yeon was leading the crowd toward them. Simon and Han Sol hesitated and took a few steps back, but Jin-Seo didn''t move from her spot. Ha-Yeon was approaching Jin-Seo. Before they knew it, the crowd had formed around Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo.

    Ha-Yeon was the first to speak.

    "Long time no see."

    As always, she spoke in a formal tone. Jin-Seo pondered whether to use formalnguage with Ha-Yeon or speakfortably. Even at Florence Academy, she had an awkward rtionship with Ha-Yeon, and they hadn''t contacted each other since graduation. They weren''tplete strangers, but their rtionship was an ambiguous one.

    "Yeah, long time no see," Jin-Seo replied informally.

    Although they weren¡¯t close, they knew each other to the point where there was no need to be too formal.

    Ha-Yeon smiled at Jin-Seo. "Are you here for the event security?"

    "Yeah. You?"

    "I''m here for simr reasons. I am meeting someone here as well."

    Jin-Seo nodded. With that, the conversation between the two came to an end. There was nothing more to say. Jin-Seo didn''t even understand why Ha-Yeon hade to her in the first ce.

    Silence ensued. The crowd surrounding the two also naturally quieted down.

    Ha-Yeon suddenly embraced Jin-Seo and said, ¡°It''s nice to see you. I didn''t expect to see you here.¡±

    It happened so suddenly. Jin-Seo couldn''t help but be surprised. Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon were not close enough to embrace. Even if they were close, Ha-Yeon was not the type to hug someone.

    Taking advantage of the closeness created by the hug, Ha-Yeon brought her lips close to Jin-Seo''s ear and whispered, "Be careful.¡±

    Then she slipped something into Jin-Seo''s pocket.

 Chapter 332

    <h4>Chapter 332</h4>

    Jin-Seo returned after finishing the conversation with Ha-Yeon. Simon and Han Sol stared at Jin-Seo with puzzled expressions.

    "Uh... Deputy Director, were you acquainted with Priest Ha-Yeon?" Simon asked.

    Jin-Seo nodded as if it was not a big deal. "Yeah. You didn¡¯t know?"

    "I didn''t. You¡¯ve never mentioned it, so of course..." Simon said as he nced at Ha-Yeon, leading the crowd away in the distance. "How do you two know each other?"

    "We were in the same grade at Florence Academy."

    "Ah, now that you mention it, that makes sense. That¡¯s quite fascinating."

    Simon found it interesting that Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon knew each other. Although it wasn¡¯t all that surprising, considering they were simr in age, what surprised him the most was Ha-Yeon¡¯s reputation.

    Ha-Yeon was a researcher and schr who had invented numerous blessings and holy artifacts. Despite Ha-Yeon''s reputation suffering due to Sung Yu-Da''s death and the unsavory rumors surrounding it, she was still a great priest and clergyman.

    In terms of reputation, Jin-Seo, considered one of the core members of the Northern Crusader Order, was just as renowned as Ha-Yeon. However, the fact that the two knew each other made it seem like their rtionship was special to Simon.

    "It seems like you were close in school, seeing how she hugged you and all. How was Priest Ha-Yeon during your time at Florence Academy?¡±

    "I''m not sure," Jin-Seo answered.

    "What?" Simon asked.

    Jin-Seo absentmindedly put her hand in her pocket, her face looking like she had zoned out. She felt the item that Ha-Yeon had secretly ced in her pocket and carefully took out the object. It was a hard and round sphere. She couldn''t guess the object''s use and doubted if it was useful. It didn''t look like a holy artifact, but it couldn''t just be trash either.

    "What''s that?" Simon asked, looking at the sphere in Jin-Seo''s hand.

    Jin-Seo shook her head with a bewildered expression. "To be honest, I have no idea either."

    She had no clue what this object that Ha-Yeon handed over through the hug was, nor did she understand the meaning of the whispered words ¡®be careful.¡¯ Only a lingering sense of difort and unease remained with her.

    ***

    "Before the appointment, I would like to express my gratitude to Adonai for allowing this to happen."

    The inquisitor appointment ceremony began at the cathedral. In Jin-Seo''s opinion, it was an incredibly huge cathedral, even more grandiose than the Central Priesthood''s affiliated cathedral.

    Many people attended the appointment, and many personnel stood on guard. Jin-Seo, Simon, and Han Sol were armed and waiting at the back of the cathedral. All security personnel wore anti-Voodoo masks to counter the Voodoo Cult''s spell attacks.

    Simon scanned the faces of other security personnel.

    "There¡¯s East Pdin Order''s director, Han Dae-Ho," he said.

    Upon hearing hisment, Jin-Seo stole a nce in the direction of the other security workers. As Simon had mentioned, Han Dae-Ho, the director of the East Pdin Order, stood at the back of the cathedral wearing an anti-Voodoo mask. It was hard to make out his face under the mask. Nevertheless, she could still tell that he was Han Dae-Ho. He stood out even among the crowd gathered at the cathedral, mainly because of hisrge build and above all, his missing right arm.

    Beside Han Dae-Ho was Dae-Man. Dae-Man was huge himself, so much so that it was hard to judge who was bigger, Han Dae-Ho or Dae-Man.

    "Come to think of it, aren¡¯t you acquainted with Pdin Dae-Man as well, Deputy Director?" Simon asked.

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond.

    "When you think about it, you¡¯ve got quite the connections. Priest Ha-Yeon, Pdin Dae-Man, and..."

    "Quiet down."

    "Ah, right. Got it." Simon finally stopped chattering and closed his mouth.

    Jin-Seo stood with her hands behind her back and looked around. She considered the possibility of suspicious figures mixing in with the crowd to enter the cathedral. However, there was no such person. The prtes and personnel prepared to secure the event were the only ones present.

    The event proceeded smoothly. Before the main event, they performed traditional rituals, such as hymns and mass. Finally, the appointment ceremony was about to begin. The priest in charge called out names, and prtes chosen to be inquisitors made their way to the stage one by one. Nothing had happened yet.

    "I''ll be back in a moment," Jin-Seo said while the appointment ceremony was in full swing.

    Simon raised his eyebrows. "Are you going out for a smoke?"

    ¡°Yeah," Jin-Seo replied as she left the cathedral for a brief moment.

    The sky had turned dark. People were still walking on the streets. Many children were also present since many people hade with their families. She couldn¡¯t smoke in a ce like this, so she entered an alley behind the cathedral. Fortunately, no one was there. Only a few cigarette butts were on the ground.

    She took out a cigarette and lit it up. Or rather, she tried to.

    "...¡±

    However, she couldn''t light the fire. The lighter was acting up. Jin-Seo continued to try igniting the lighter, but it resorted to mindless fiddling as the light wouldn¡¯t catch fire.

    She frowned. The lighter had been working fine until yesterday. Why did the lighter stop working suddenly and right now at all times? She was frustrated.

    Right then, a man lit her cigarette.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo stared nkly at the man who lit the fire. The bright red me at the man''s fingertips drove away the alley''s darkness. Jin-Seo took a puff of the cigarette smoke and exhaled. She leaned against the wall.

    "Didn''t you say you quit smoking?" the man said.

    She looked up at the hazy smoke rising to the sky and said, "I''m smoking again, thanks to you."

    "How about quitting again?"

    "Depends on how you act."

    The man burst intoughter. Heughed for a while. Then, his expression hardened in an instant. His face was so expressionless that it sent chills down her back.

    He stared sharply at Jin-Seo and hissed, "I thought I warned you not toe."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond. The me at the man''s fingertips grewrger. The intense heat felt like it could melt her skin if it slightly grazed her.

    The man pointed his finger at the sky. The me grew more prominent and soon left his fingertips, leaving a long trail as it shot up into the sky.

    <i>Boom¨C!</i>

    The me he shot up rose high into the sky and finally exploded. It scattered in multiple directions, illuminating the street brightly. Cheers could be heard from afar. The explosion of the me seemed like a grand ritual announcing the beginning of the Festival of Light.

    The light that exploded in the sky illuminated the alley.

    "Why won¡¯t you listen?" he said.

    Jin-Seo chuckled. "I tried rebelling for once."

    "I hate rebels."

    "Really? I thought you would like it. You liked it when you rebelled a littlest time," Jin-Seo said.

    She attempted to provoke and confuse Sun-Woo. Jin-Seo dropped the cigarette in her hand. She lowered her posture, gripped the de handle, and unleashed divine power. The light of blessing enveloped her legs. Jin-Seo kicked off the ground hard, drew her sword, and swung it toward Sun-Woo. Shepleted all of these actions before the cigarette hit the ground.

    Jin-Seo''s sword was swift. Her sword fiercely approached Sun-Woo''s neck. However, she made a fatal mistake: she hesitated to cut through. The hesitation created a significant opening for Sun-Woo to draw a spell array. A purple mist enveloped Jin-Seo¡¯s face. Her eyes widened. She tried not to let go of the sword until the end, but she couldn''t do anything about the legs that had given out underneath her. Jin-Seo ended up slumping down to the floor.

    Sun-Woo looked down at her. "You were always weak to spells.¡±

    Fading in and out of consciousness, Jin-Seo could vaguely hear Sun-Woo''s voice. She struggled to get up, doing everything she could, but her arms and legs wouldn¡¯t move. She couldn''t even open her eyes properly, let alone stand up.

    Jin-Seo ran her trembling hands through her pockets, searching for her walkie-talkie to call for backup from Simon and Han Sol. However, Jin-Seo couldn''t find the walkie-talkie. Instead, the sphere that Ha-Yeon had secretly slipped into Jin-Seo''s pocket fell to the ground.

    The sphere cracked open, emitting a brilliant, pure light of blessing¡ªclear and radiant.

    In an instant, her mind also became clear, mirroring the rity of light from the sphere.

    ***

    <i>Boom¨C! </i>

    An explosion urred outside the cathedral. Simon looked around. The appointment ceremony was still ongoing, and the security personnel waiting inside the cathedral remained still. Simon was the only one who had heard the sound.

    At that moment, Simon made eye contact with Han So. She was also looking around.

    "Pdin Simon, did you hear that sound?"

    "Yeah, did you hear it too?"

    "Yes, what do you think happened?"

    "Well, I''m not sure, but..." Simon trailed off.

    Simon nced around cautiously. Jin-Seo had yet to return. Furthermore, the other security personnel waiting inside the cathedral showed no reaction to the sound from outside. Simon couldn¡¯t act solely on his judgment without Jin-Seo¡¯s orders. If any problems arose, the responsibility would fall entirely on him.

    "Let''s just wait a bit longer for now."

    Han Sol nodded. "Yes, sir."

    Simon had nned to wait until Jin-Seo returned. Since Jin-Seo had gone outside the cathedral to smoke, she would have contacted Simon if anything happened outside. So, there was no need to rush to judgment, Simon thought.

    "For the new inquisitors, servants of Adonai, soon to be the des of the Romanian Church, I, representing His Holiness the Pope, will bestow upon you the light of blessing bestowed by the Holy One..."

    Despite the mysterious sound outside the cathedral, the appointment ceremony proceeded smoothly. The priest conducting the ceremony sped his hands in prayer. A light of blessing appeared from his hands. Unlike the usual light of blessing, it was brighter and more magnificent. The ceremony would be over once that light was bestowed upon the new inquisitors.

    "Please offer your congrattions and encouragement when the light from His Holiness shines upon the heads of the inquisitors with apuse¨D"

    <i>Click, click, click.</i>

    However, at that moment, an uninvited guest ascended the stage. Long hair flowed down to his shoulders, and on his face was a scruffy beard while his body was adorned with rags.

    Simon¡¯s eyes widened. "Huh?"

    It was the homeless man Simon had kicked out yesterday.

    The security guards waiting below jumped onto the stage. The burly guards, twice as big as the old man, tried pulling him down. However, the old man didn''t budge. Even with four guards clinging onto him, they couldn''t pull the old man down. And then the unbelievable happened.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    The old man threw one of the pdin¡¯s bodies below. The guard crumpled beneath the stage.

    "Ahh, ahh. Ahhh!"

    "..."

    The pdin clutched his broken shoulder and rolled on the ground, screaming. The faces of the people in the cathedral turned pale.

 Chapter 333

    <h4>Chapter 333</h4>

    The light flowing out from the object pushed away the fog. Jin-Seo''s consciousness briefly returned. It returned for only a brief moment, but that was enough.

    Jin-Seo quickly sent a signal to Simon using themunicator in her pocket. She gripped her sword, flexed her arms and legs, and then rushed toward Sun-Woo.

    Jin-Seo intended to knock Sun-Woo unconscious by hitting his head with the side of her sword. She couldn''t bring herself to cut Sun-Woo after all. If she tried to cut him, she would end up hesitating once again, and he would use that opportunity to cast a Voodoo spell.

    Thus, she decided to knock him out instead. That way, she wouldn''t hesitate to attack Sun-Woo anymore.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    She swung her sword. However, Sun-Woo easily dodged it. Jin-Seo had trained her swordsmanship to deal with demons and demonic beasts. In other words, her swordsmanship was designed to kill the opponent. She had never properly trained in swordsmanship intended to knock the opponent out.

    Therefore, Jin-Seo''s swing was slower than usual. As a result, Sun-Woo easily dodged her sword.

    Jin-Seo used a blessing, which enveloped her legs. Shepressed the power of the blessing, increasing the potency.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Jin-Seo kicked the ground and rushed toward Sun-Woo and swung her sword. This time, Sun-Woo did not dodge. He did not bow his head or twist his body. Instead, he raised his left arm and said, "Bossou."

    <i>Smash!</i>

    Sun-Woo grabbed and twisted Jin-Seo''s sword with his left hand. The de that had remained intact even after cutting down dozens, hundreds of demons, shattered into pieces.

    Jin-Seo could not face Sun-Woo with a broken de. She stepped back for the time being.

    <i>ng. </i>

    Then she dropped her broken sword on the ground and btedly put on her anti-Voodoo mask that she had been unable to wear due to not having the opportunity to do so.

    She lifted her head and looked at Sun-Woo. Blood flowed profusely from his left hand. However, Sun-Woo did not show any signs of pain.

    He acted as if he waspletely fine as he unleashed his Voodoo magic power and drew a spell array. Mist flowed out and wrapped around Sun-Woo''s palm. The bleeding stopped, and the wounds healed instantly.

    "Disgusting," Jin-Seo said.

    Sun-Woo smirked. "That¡¯s harsh.¡±

    Meanwhile, Jin-Seo loosened her body by twisting her wrists. Her sword was useless now. She didn''t feel like it, and she didn''t have much confidence, but she had to engage in closebat. It would be best to avoid Sun-Woo¡¯s blows since he had enough strength to break her sword with one hand. Obviously, she would lose in a direct confrontation with him.

    Since that was the case, she had no other choice than to subdue him by targeting his joints. However, it didn¡¯t seem like Sun-Woo would willingly let her do that. Jin-Seo sharply red at Sun-Woo and said, "Let''s fight fair and square with our bodies."

    "I¡¯ve heard of something like that before. Why am I getting a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu?" Sun-Woo replied nonchntly.

    Jin-Seo used a blessing. She then lunged at Sun-Woo again, this time without a sword. Instead, she swung her fist. Sun-Woo did not dodge.

    ¡°...¡±

    Sun-Woo grabbed Jin-Seo''s fist and did not let go. Jin-Seo tried to pull her hand out of Sun-Woo''s grip but couldn''t. His strength was greater than she had anticipated.

    Nevertheless, Jin-Seo smiled. That was her n all along.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Jin-Seo floated up into the air. She pulled Sun-Woo''s arm and wrapped his neck with it, forming a triangle choke.

    The tide of the battle turned in an instant. Jin-Seo squeezed her legs and choked Sun-Woo''s neck. If she continued to press on his carotid artery for a few more seconds, Sun-Woo would lose consciousness.

    Even if he didn''t lose consciousness and resisted until the end, it wouldn¡¯t matter. Jin-Seo had already sent a signal to Simon through hermunicator.

    If she could just buy some time, Simon would arrive soon, and then she could subdue Sun-Woo. That was her n.

    However, Jin-Seo''s npletely crumbled after Sun-Woo muttered, "Granbwa."

    <i>Rumble, rumble¨D! </i>

    The ground shook. Thin nt stems pierced through the marble floor of the cathedral and shot upward. The nt stems wrapped around Jin-Seo''s body.

    Jin-Seo had been winning the battle, but she suddenly found herself unable to move a single finger. Sun-Woo touched his neck and stood up. Jin-Seo looked up at Sun-Woo and said, "This is cheating. We agreed to fight fair and square."

    "I never agreed," Sun-Woo said as he unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array.

    It was an intoxication spell. Voodoo mist enveloped their faces.

    Sun-Woo''s eyes, which had been cloudy, regained rity. On the other hand, Jin-Seo''s pupils dted. She was experiencing a provocative and unfamiliar pleasure that she could not bear. Jin-Seo''s consciousness gradually blurred.

    At that moment, a familiar voice echoed in the alley.

    "Deputy Director?"

    ¡°...¡±

    Simon left the cathedral after receiving a signal, and looked back and forth at the two people in the alley. Jin-Seo, whom he admired and deeply cherished, was losing consciousness due to the nt stems that tied her up.

    While she was in that state, a stranger was looking down at her. Simon immediately realized why Jin-Seo ended up like that and who the man was.

    "The Cult Leader."

    Simon gripped his sword and he red at Sun-Woo. He felt a burning anger that was stronger than anything he had felt before toward the Cult Leader.

    ***

    The cathedral was in chaos because of the mysterious old man who had suddenly appeared on stage during the ceremony.

    <i>Smash¨D! </i>

    The old man swiftly knocked down the pdins advancing up the stairs. The prtes watching the ceremony were initially calm, but as they saw everyone ranging from apprentice pdins to elite pdins falling lifelessly into the old man''s hands, they felt terror.

    The procession of pdins rushing toward the old man and the procession of prtes fleeing from him collided, creating chaos. The screams of the people and the shouts of the pdins intertwined.

    Amidst all the chaos, a booming voice echoed in the cathedral.

    "I speak to all members of the Eastern Pdin Order¨D!!"

    It was Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Pdin Order, a giant of a man with one arm.

    After hearing his shout, people immediately halted and stood in ce. His voice carried amanding tone that overwhelmed the entire area.

    "Teams A and B, focus on evacuating! Teams C and D,e with me to fight the terrorists¡ª!" Han Dae-Ho said.

    The pdins recklessly charging toward the old man, regardless of their teams, finally came to their senses.

    The teams had been temporarily assigned to the security mission. Teams A and B followed Han Dae-Ho''s orders and focused on evacuating the civilians inside the cathedral. Meanwhile, Teams C and D lined up in a formation.

    Thanks to Han Dae-Ho, everyone inside the cathedral was now aware of the situation. This was not just a sudden outburst from a crazy old man, but a nned terrorist attack.

    "Everyone, do not take off your anti-Voodoo masks under any circumstances!" Han Dae-Ho shouted again.

    They adjusted their masks and readied their weapons. From clubs to holy artifacts, the weapons they carried were diverse.

    They approached the old man while maintaining their formation. At that moment, the old man''s posture changed.

    The old man seemed to have been standing still, but he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and extended his arms forward. It was a strange posture. At first nce, it seemed full of openings, but in reality, it was a solid stance with no room to prate.

    "The Eastern Pdin Order has grown a lot," the old man muttered.

    The old man had only been attacking pdins who had been approaching him, but then he began to move.

    The old man moved his finger, and light enveloped him. It was clearly divine power and a blessing array. What enveloped the old man''s body was none other than the light of blessing.

    Confusion spread on the faces of those who assumed that the old man to be a member of the Voodoo Cult or even a terrorist of some cult.

    "Romani-can?"

    <i>Smash!</i>

    With a swift motion, the old man leaped toward the pdins. He struck a pdin''s face with a speed beyond recognition. The pdin¡¯s anti-Voodoo mask shattered.

    Although the anti-Voodoo mask excelled in blocking Voodoo mist, it did not have the ability to defend against physical attacks. One of the pdins copsed. The pdin¡¯s mace fell to the ground.

    The old man picked up the mace and chuckled.

    "The world has gotten better. Back in my day, it took many years before you¡¯d be able to wield a weapon like this.¡±

    Dozens of pdins rushed toward the old man. The old man took another peculiar stance with the mace in hand.

    <i>Smack! </i>

    The old man swung the mace. One pdin spewed out blood as he fell. The pdins charged forward, the old man swung the mace, and another pdin fell.

    Before gripping the mace, the old man''s strength had been overwhelming, but he had no weapon, and he was an elderly man.

    They thought they would be able to overpower the old man if several young and burly pdins somehow overwhelmed him with their numbers.

    <i>Smack!</i>

    "Ugh!"

    But things changed after the old man wielded a mace. His demeanor changed. The pdins previously thought that no matter how strong the old man was, he was still just an old man, but now their previous perceptionpletely shattered to pieces.

    They were terrified. They lost their confidence as they watched the old man effortlessly knock down pdins muchrger than himself with his mace. The pdins could no longer approach the old man. Instead, they took hesitant steps back with fearful expressions on their faces.

    <i>Boom¨D!</i>

    A man with a sturdy build suddenly appeared at the center. It was Han Dae-Ho, the director of the Eastern Pdin Order. Despite missing one arm, he exuded tremendous strength.

    He was wrapped in the light of blessing, and he appeared stronger andrger than any other pdin in the cathedral. Han Dae-Ho approached the old man.

    The old man did not immediately attack Han Dae-Ho. Instead, he furrowed his brow and tried to see Han Dae-Ho¡¯s face, which was covered by an anti-Voodoo mask. Han Dae-Ho also tried to see the old man''s face, which was hidden under long flowing hair.

    "..."

    The two went silent when they finally recognized each other. Han Dae-Ho removed his anti-Voodoo mask. The old man began to tie up his long hair, revealing his face.

    Some pdins were startled and widened their eyes at the sight of the old man''s face.

    "Long time no see. Has it been about six years? You''ve grown a lot since west met," the old man said.

    Han Dae-Ho showed a bitter smile and bowed his head.

    "Inquisitor Joseph. What brings you to a ce like this?"

    Joseph smirked. "I''m not an inquisitor anymore.¡±

    He finally finished tying up his hair, revealing his face. There seemed to be a few more wrinkles than before, but otherwise, he hadn''t changed much. It was not much different from the appearance of Moon Joseph in Han Dae-Ho¡¯s memories.

    The person in front of Han Dae-Ho was still Joseph. He was the person whom Han Dae-Ho had admired and followed. Joseph had not changed at all.

    "It¡¯s just that I became a heretic. Unfortunately."

    The only difference was that his affiliation had changed. Joseph raised his mace. Han Dae-Ho bowed to Joseph and then put on the anti-Voodoo mask again. The two slowly approached each other.

 Chapter 334

    <h4>Chapter 334</h4>

    Joseph had lived mindlessly for the past few years. After the conve, Yu-Hyun became the Pope, and Joseph was dismissed.

    In truth, there wasn¡¯t an actual reason for his dismissal. There were only fabricated reasons, such as negligence of duty or suspected ties with the Voodoo cult.

    Joseph was the one who had revealed the Pope¡¯s death. The Holy See and some prtes had delicately concealed the news of the Pope''s demise, but Joseph and the director of the Central Priesthood made it known to the world.

    Joseph suspected that was the reason why he had been expelled. He lost all his honor and power unjustly, but he epted it because he no longer had any more strength to resist.

    "..."

    He looked back. What did he have left? He had no family. His wife had died a long time ago, and his daughter had run away from home and never returned. He was no longer an inquisitor nor a pdin¡ªhe wasn¡¯t even a Romanican clergyman. The many titles that defined him were now gone. He had no idea his titles would disappear so easily.

    Joseph looked up. The sky was clear and quiet. His eyes hurt, and he had a headache, so he couldn''t keep looking up for long.

    He had nowhere to go back to, so he wandered, using train stations and empty parks as shelter for a few days. He had some money saved up, but settling in one ce was too painful for him to do.

    The days weren¡¯t worth remembering. Joseph didn¡¯t remember or feel anything each day. The passage of time was the same. He spent an unknown amount of time, perhaps days, months, or years wandering aimlessly.

    That was when <i>he </i>came.

    "Inquisitor Joseph."

    He had clearly said, ¡®Inquisitor Joseph,¡¯ which left Joseph puzzled. He had cut off all contact with people who knew his name and affiliation. No one would havee to look for him. Joseph raised his head and saw a very familiar face.

    "Sun-Woo."

    Joseph stood up from where he was lying. The manbeled as the world¡¯s worst criminal, the Voodoo Cult leader, was standing right in front of him.

    "Long time no see. You''ve changed a lot since Ist saw you."

    "I¡¯ve changed?" Joseph muttered.

    Joseph¡¯s hair had grown long, his beard was thick, and there were several deep wrinkles on his face, but nothing significant had changed. He was still the same as always. The names that once defined him had simply disappeared, and now his affiliation was unclear.

    Joseph had clearly changed, but he couldn''t understand why. He couldn''t even guess why he had be like this.

    "You are... the same. Then and now, always..."

    "Shall we go somewhere to talk?" Sun-Woo asked.

    He took Joseph to a restaurant. It was a dimly lit ce with no people and no signboards. Even the staff working there fit in with the restaurant¡¯s eerie atmosphere.

    Joseph looked around. It was a bit gloomy to call it an ordinary restaurant, but in any case, how long had it been since he had entered a proper restaurant? It must have at least been a few years. However, Joseph suddenly felt puzzled.

    ¡°You seem to be moving around without any problems. Aren¡¯t you in a situation where you shouldn¡¯t attract people¡¯s attention?¡± Joseph asked.

    "What people are looking for is the leader of the Voodoo Cult, not me."

    "Still, someone might recognize you if you wander around like that so confidently. For example, the restaurant staff might recognize you."

    "It''s safe here. The restaurant owner is also a member of the Voodoo Cult," Sun-Woo said.

    Joseph finally understood. He realized that there might be more Voodoo Cult members integrated into society than he initially thought. After all, the restaurant they were in was also affiliated with the Voodoo Cult.

    They didn''t order any food because they both believed there was no need to order food.

    Joseph looked at Sun-Woo. Whether it was back in the past or now, when he was a freshman at Florence Academy or the leader of the Voodoo Cult, he was the same as always. He just seemed a little more free now.

    "Are you here to kill me?" Joseph asked.

    Sun-Woo chuckled. "What would change if I did that?"

    "That''s true." Joseph nodded.

    He immediately understood Sun-Woo. Joseph had figured out that Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult long before most other clergymen did. However, during an in-depth investigation, he received a suspension notice.

    At that time, Joseph could have taken matters into his own hands and killed Sun-Woo or sabotaged him somehow. But Joseph did not do so because nothing would have changed.

    "Then why did youe to see me?" Joseph asked.

    Sun-Woo remained silent for a moment before he said, "I came to offer you a position."

    "Are you telling me to join the Voodoo Cult?"

    "I have no intention of forcing you to convert to Voodooism. It''s simply an <i>offer</i>."

    "Well, yeah. No matter how miserable my situation may be, beliefs aren''t something that can easily be changed."

    "The more miserable the situation, the more so. What will be left if you abandon your beliefs?"

    Joseph chuckled at Sun-Woo''s words. "Indeed... However, even if you recruited me, where would you ce me? How exactly are you going to use a miserable old man like me?"

    "I suppose I¡¯ll use you as abatant. The Voodoo Cultcksbatants. The situation is so dire that if a war breaks out, I will have to take the lead."

    "Are you thinking about starting a war?"

    "If necessary," Sun-Woo said.

    Joseph nodded and then red at Sun-Woo. "If I refuse, what will happen to me?"

    "Wouldn''t it be better to ask what would happen if you ept the offer first?¡±

    "I suppose so. If I ept, what benefits will I gain?"

    "I will find your daughter for you," Sun-Woo said.

    Joseph thought he misheard at first. Find his daughter? How would Sun-Woo find her? Wait, did he ever tell Sun-Woo that he had a daughter in the first ce? Joseph felt confused for the first time in a while. On the other hand, Sun-Woo seemed to have anticipated this kind of reaction, as he had a calm expression.

    "Actually, I have already found her."

    "Where is my daughter? Can''t you just tell me that?"

    "She seems to be working in a shoddy mercenary corps, doing menial tasks. It seems like she incurred debts over there due to drugs.¡±

    "..."

    "The rtionship between that mercenary corps and the Ravens Mercenary Corps was poor. I was nning to eliminate that mercenary corps when I unexpectedly found your daughter.¡±

    "Why are you suddenly talking about the Ravens Mercenary Corps?"

    "The Ravens Mercenary Corps is also affiliated with the Voodoo Cult. It''s not a publicly known fact though.¡±

    Joseph remained silent. Where exactly did the Voodoo Cult¡¯s influence extend to? Perhaps the Voodoo Cult, which had once been derogatorily referred to as the ''third religion'' due to its perceived weaknesspared to the Satanists, the Voodoo Cult had been steadily expanding its influence over the years. Their reach wasrger than what Joseph had imagined.

    "Just one question. What exactly are you trying to do?"

    Sun-Woo remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be contemting something.

    Soon, he told Joseph what he was doing. Sun-Woo''s eyes lit up when he spoke about what he would do in the future, what he lived for, what he fought for, and what the Voodoo Cult existed for.

    Sun-Woo¡¯s eyes burned with vibrant vitality when he spoke about those things. His vitality, or in other words, their vitality, came from the absence of vitality. The desire to fulfill theck of vitality was the driving force behind the Voodoo Cult.

    "It''s a fight with no chance of winning," Joseph said with a wry smile.

    Sun-Woo''s ns were futile, dangerous, and reckless. It was truly a fight with no chance of sess.

    But that was why Joseph was drawn to it. "I really like that kind of fight."

    Joseph reached out his hand to Sun-Woo, and he took it.

    Joseph was in the cathedral, facing Han Dae-Ho.

    Han Dae-Ho stared at Joseph and said, "I can guess what happened, but can''t you still change your mind?"

    "That''s difficult."

    Han Dae-Ho nodded. "I see."

    Joseph whirled the club he was holding in the air. Han Dae-Ho clenched his fist tightly.

    ¡°I had always wanted to face off against Inquisitor Joseph in a battle."

    "Then today seems to be an opportunity."

    The two men charged at each other.

    <i>ng! </i>

    Joseph''s club shed with Han Dae-Ho''s fist, crushing the bones. The impact made blood gush out while also denting Joseph''s club.

    Joseph quickly picked up another club from the ground and swung it. Despite the club mangling his fist, and despite the fact that it was the only fist he had, Han Dae-Ho did not flinch.

    The nearby pdins could not intervene in the fight. It was no longer a confrontation between mere humans as the two did not evade each other''s attacks. They would either block or get hit.

    Han Dae-Ho''s massive fist embedded itself in Joseph''s face, breaking Joseph''s tooth. Joseph''s club struck Han Dae-Ho''s head, causing Han Dae-Ho''s eyes to briefly lose focus.

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Han Dae-Ho''s fist struck Joseph''s eyes. Joseph could no longer see ahead. In a reckless but brave melee fight, Joseph neither avoided nor fled. Even during the chaotic fight, Joseph did not forget his role.

    "Aaaah!" Joseph roared.

    Finally, he exerted all his strength. Although he could not see anything, Joseph wildly swung his club with both hands.

    The anti-Voodoo masks of the pdins approaching Joseph began to shatter one by one.

    His role was to break the pdins'' anti-Voodoo masks and neutralize Han Dae-Ho. It was to buy time and fight to his death so that the Voodoo spell would be able to spread throughout the cathedral.

    <i>Puff...</i>

    As Joseph and Han Dae-Ho continued their battle, the cathedral began to fill with purple mist. The pdins who came into contact with the mist lost consciousness and copsed on the spot. Joseph was also not immune to the spell. He gradually lost consciousness.

    However, he did not fall. Even if his whole body were bound in chains, even if his eyes were gouged out and he couldn''t see, he would defy death and fight on relentlessly. Even if he died, he would pull out a pir of the temple through brute strength and die with his enemies. That was the essence of thest title left to Joseph, the wielder of the Nazirite arts.

    Thus, he stood there. As the mist spread, the pdins fell one by one. Almost everyone in the cathedral lost consciousness and copsed.

    Only three people held onto their consciousness. Han Dae-Ho and Joseph held onto their consciousness with superhuman mental strength even after inhaling the Voodoo mist.

    "..."

    And Soo-Yeong, the caster of the spell, watched over the situation.

    ***

    Simon admired Jin-Seo. She was stronger than anyone. No one in the Northern Crusader Order could defeat her. The image of her ying demonic beasts and demons with her sword was so impressive and beautiful that she could be called a hero.

    Simon originally wanted to be a pdin, but he decided to be a crusader purely because of Jin-Seo. He had joined the Northern Crusader Order because of her.

    "..."

    Shey there, defeated, which angered Simon. He believed she was stronger than anyone else, and seeing her like that filled him with frustration.

    He was not disappointed in Jin-Seo. Simon''s admiration was based on rational affection and coexistence. However, he couldn¡¯t help but show fanatical levels of anger toward the leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Simon¡¯s hand trembled as he clutched his sword. Blood flowed down from his mouth because he was clenching his teeth too hard. He focused his strength on his trembling hand.

    "I will... kill you," Simon seethed.

    Sun-Woo ignored him and said, "Sobo."

    <i>Boom¡ª!!</i>

    Lightning struck above Simon''s head.

 Chapter 335

    <h4>Chapter 335</h4>

    As people began to worry about a possible Holy War and esction of conflict with the Voodoo Cult, the Romanican Church clergymen set up many strategies to resist the Voodoo Cult.

    What they were most wary of were the Voodoo Cult''s spells and the power of the Loa.

    Resisting the spells to some extent through anti-Voodoo masks was possible. Another method was to borrow the power of the members of the Purification n. Also, although not yet proven, many believed that mental strength could ovee Voodoo spells.

    The problem was the Loa¡¯s powers. Through the power of the Loa, people would choose tomit suicide after entering the Crossroads, and at times, giant mes, living nts, and gusts of wind that ripped apart the flesh were summoned.

    Unlike the vague danger of spells, the power of the Loa was a visible power and threat. And the most threatening among the powers of the Loa was undoubtedly lightning¡ªa deadly attack that could instantly kill with just one strike. The Cult Leader could summon lightning with a single gesture.

    Above all, the lightning sh and thunder that apanied the lightning could instill fear in the Romanicans and make them lose theirposure.

    They had to find a method to avoid lightning summoned by the Cult Leader, and they arrived at one hypothesis¡ªthe lightning would only strike at the coordinates designated by the Cult Leader and would not pursue the target.

    ording to the hypothesis, there was a method to avoid the lightning summoned by the Cult Leader.

    <i>Zzzap¡ª!! </i>

    The lightning struck above Simon''s head. However, Simon moved faster than that. He focused on the Cult Leader''s gaze and gestures. When the Cult Leader''s gaze and gestures intersected at one point, Simon rolled away.

    "..."

    He just barely avoided the lightning. The problem was what came next. The Cult Leader''s finger moved, once again pointing toward Simon.

    <i>Zzzap¡ª!! </i>

    The lightning that struck again was even stronger than before. The rumbling thunder made his ears ring, and the light shing in front of his eyes caused his vision to turn pitch ck.

    Simon once again narrowly avoided the lightning using the same method. However, the Cult Leader''s finger moved again. The lightning did not stop. Since he was wearing an anti-Voodoo mask, Simon¡¯s breathing was restricted. His body also felt heavy, drenched in rain. The fear of being killed instantly by a single lightning strike instilled significant psychological fatigue. With all these adversities piling up, Simon was getting exhausted. Moreover, he could not approach the Cult Leader as he was busy dodging the lightning.

    At one moment, he wondered, <i>¡®What am I doing right now?¡¯ </i>

    Simon wanted to kill the Cult Leader. That was his initial intention. However, he became engrossed in avoiding the lightning, andter, he could not think of anything else other than avoiding the lightning. He was unable to swing the sword he was holding.

    "..."

    As Simon stared into the Cult Leader¡¯s eyes to avoid the lightning, Simon suddenly saw the Cult Leader¡¯s facial expression.

    The Cult Leader was smiling, clearly mocking Simon. At that moment, Simon realized that the Cult Leader was not sincerely engaging in this battle. He was just toying with Simon.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    The lightning stopped. Instead, the wind blew. Simon''s body floated in the air. Because the ground was too far below him, Simon could do nothing but il in the air like a young child unable to swim in the sea.

    "Ugh, ugh!"

    Simon struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the wind enveloping his body. However, all his futile struggles were in vain. The Cult Leader approached Simon.

    Simon raised his head and shouted, "Han Sol!"

    Simon looked at Han Sol. She was on the rooftop of a nearby building, aiming a gun at the Cult Leader. Han Sol had run away while Simon was dodging the lightning strikes, and she had climbed up the rooftop of a nearby building.

    While Simon was stalling for time, she calmly waited until the Cult Leader let his guard down. Now was the perfect opportunity. She aimed her gun at his head and pulled the trigger.

    <i>Bang¡ª! </i>

    Gunshots resounded in the sky.

    "Ogun."

    However, the bullet didn''t even reach the Cult Leader. The bullet heading toward the Cult Leader lost its momentum halfway and dropped to the ground.

    Simon''s face stiffened. His body was still suspended in the air by the wind that the Cult Leader had summoned. He couldn''t do anything, and neither could Han Sol. The Cult Leader embraced Jin-Seo.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    With the help of the wind, the Cult Leader rose up, and Simon''s body crashed to the ground. The Cult Leader carried Jin-Seo and flew away into the sky. Simon had no strength to pursue him. Guns were useless, and his sharp de hadn¡¯t even reached the Cult Leader. Jin-Seo, the person he had so admired, was also defeated by the Cult Leader.

    Simon slumped down and drowned in helplessness and despair. It was only for a moment, but he felt disgustingly repulsed by himself for being so terrified in the face of the Cult Leader¡¯s overwhelming power.

    ***

    Soo-Yeong watched everything from beginning to end¡ªthe crude brawl between Joseph and Han Dae-Ho, and the Romanican Church pdins falling to her spell.

    It was also the first time she had used a spell against a person. Until now, she had only used spells when learning magic from Sun-Woo or alone during training sessions. Now, the results of those training sessions were unfolding before her eyes.

    The people were unable to resist the Voodoo mist and fell lifelessly on the floor. Only Joseph and Han Dae-Ho were left standing. Their eyes were rolled back and their legs were trembling, but they were still reaching out to each other with fists.

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong could not understand why they were fighting so fiercely. Truthfully, Soo-Yeong wasn¡¯t quite sure why she was fighting either.

    At that moment, the tightly closed doors of the cathedral opened.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    "All members of the Central Priesthood, prepare the blessing array!"

    Ha-Yeon and many priests of the Central Priesthood appeared beyond the door. They collectively unleashed divine power and drew blessing and healing arrays.

    In a matter of seconds, theypletely an incredibly massive blessing array. From the center, Ha-Yeon drew out a dagger and traced her palm.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Blood sttered over the blessing array. Ha-Yeon had cast the blessing of purification. A particrly bright and clear light began to spread throughout the cathedral. The pdins who had lost consciousness from the Voodoo spell opened their eyes. They were initially dazed, but the pdins'' eyes gradually regained focus.

    Soo-Yeong felt a chill run down her back because everything had been within Sun-Woo''s predictions.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Soo-Yeong fired a shbang into the sky, creating a gunshot sound. The priests felt threatened, which distorted the blessing array that was waking up the pdins.

    "Aaah!"

    "It-it''s the Voodoo Cult! The Voodoo Cult is still here!"

    The priests screamed in terror and fled in a chaotic manner. Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps attacked the Central Priesthood that had appeared with Ha-Yeon. They surrounded Ha-Yeon and the Central Priesthood.

    They used Voodoo spells. Those who did not wear the anti-Voodoo masks lost consciousness on the spot. Some people who wore anti-Voodoo masks did not lose consciousness. However, it didn''t matter.

    Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung captured them forcefully. Ha-Yeon and the priests, whose hands and feet were tied with cables and ropes, were dragged away without any resistance in the face of the overwhelming power of Soo-Hyun and Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps.

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong watched them depart, then escaped out of the cathedral through the window. Sun-Woo was waiting outside.

    He was riding the wind with a woman in his arms. She seemed to be the same woman he had spoken to before the battle. He gestured toward Soo-Yeong.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Soo-Yeong''s body lifted into the air with the help of the wind. That way, the two of them werepletely separated from the cathedral, or more precisely, the Festival of Light.

    The priests of the Central Priesthood, Soo-Hyun, who had kidnapped Ha-Yeon, and Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps quickly moved away from the cathedral.

    Sun-Woo rode the wind to a tall building near the cathedral and settled on the rooftop. He gently ced the woman he was holding on the ground for a moment and raised his staff.

    "Sobo," Sun-Woo muttered as he pointed toward the cathedral.

    He pointed at the cathedral with his staff, not his finger. The already loud thunder grew even louder. shes of lightning burst through the dark clouds, and the scattered shes soon converged into one point. As they merged, the lightning gradually grewrger.

    <i>Booooom¡ª!</i>

    With a deafening roar, a massive lightning bolt eventually turned into a single beam and struck the cathedral. A lightning bolt that could aptly be described as divine retribution hit the cathedral, taking out all the electricity in nearby buildings.

    <i>Crumble...</i>

    And then the cathedral began to crumble. Soo-Yeong looked at Sun-Woo. He was as expressionless as usual.

    ***

    Dae-Man opened his eyes. His memory had been cut off at some point. He had run forward to help Han Dae-Ho while he was fighting Joseph. However, a strike so swift that it was practically been invisible had hit him and shattered his anti-Voodoo mask.

    Voodoo mist had spread, and Dae-Man had inhaled the mist. He had no memory of what happened after that, as he had probably lost consciousness. Dae-Man suddenly got up from his seat and looked around. The cathedral had copsed.

    The ceiling seemed to have fallen downpletely. The pdins of the Eastern Pdin Order, in other words, Dae-Man''srades, were trapped under the copsed debris. Some had already died, and some were still groaning, not yet dead.

    The memories came flooding back. His heart pounded. He searched for Han Dae-Ho, as he firmly believed that Han Dae-Ho would still be alive. Dae-Man quickly found Han Dae-Ho.

    "Director Han Dae-Ho."

    Dae-Man called out to Han Dae-Ho, but he did not respond. Han Dae-Ho''s massive body was pinned under an evenrger pir.

    Dae-Man was no longer weak. He was not the young Dae-Man helplessly crying in a copsed building. He now had the strength to lift the debris of copsed buildings. He had the strength to rescue children and colleagues trapped in the copsed building. He had worked so hard to exercise and train his body in order to have the power to save people.

    Dae-Man used a blessing. He lifted the pir that pinned down Han Dae-Ho.

    "Director Han Dae-Ho," Dae-Man said.

    Han Dae-Ho did not respond. His body, crushed under the pir, was ttened. His eyes, once full of vigor, now had no focus.

    Dae-Man remembered the brave and Han Dae-Ho¡¯s strong figure when he rescued Dae-Man from the copsed building. Dae-Man became a pdin after seeing that image of Han Dae-Ho. He wanted to be as strong as Han Dae-Ho and rescue many people like him. It was a simple yet firm belief.

    "It¡¯s me, Dae-Man. Director Han Dae-Ho, please wake up. Director Han Dae-Ho..."

    Han Dae-Ho did not respond because he was dead. Dae-Man cried on his knees in front of the copsed building and his deceased teacher.

 Chapter 336

    <h4>Chapter 336</h4>

    The damage to the Romanican Church was significant. The copse of the newly built cathedral was rtively minorpared to the other damages. The real issue was the loss of many lives.

    The death of the director of the Eastern Pdin Order, Han Dae-Ho, and the injuries and deaths of numerous members effectively disbanded the Eastern Pdin Order.

    "Ah, fuck."

    Yu-Hyun had underestimated Sun-Woo''s determination. The Sun-Woo he knew was an eternally soft person. Even when facing an enemy, Sun-Woo would hesitate to kill them if he knew them. Sun-Woo wouldn¡¯t hesitate to use whatever means and methods necessary to achieve his goals, but his ¡®goals¡¯ were for others and not himself.

    He was simr to Yu-Hyun in a way, but alsopletely different from him. That was Sun-Woo¡¯s personality. Therefore, Yu-Hyun could somewhat predict Sun-Woo''s actions. At least, he <i>thought</i> he could predict Sun-Woo¡¯s actions.

    His assumptions had beenpletely wrong. Sun-Woo had killed Han Dae-Ho in cold blood, without even blinking an eye even though he had been friendly with the director during his time disguised as a Florence Academy student. Joseph alsoy dead next to Han Dae-Ho. Sun-Woo had simply used Joseph as a disposable pawn.

    ¡°Your Holiness.¡±

    Someone approached Yu-Hyun while he was muttering curses while clutching his forehead. Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t know that person¡¯s name, but he knew that their hierarchy within the church was that of a cardinal.

    The cardinal bowed in front of Yu-Hyun and said, "Many priests, including Deputy Director Jin-Seo of the Northern Crusader Order, and Ha-Yeon from the Central Priesthood..."

    They continued to report the damages that the Romanican Church had sustained. ording to the cardinal, the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo. They had also taken away key personnel of the Central Priesthood and even the priest who had been conducting the inquisitor appointment ceremony.

    "...¡±

    Yu-Hyun''s expression quickly darkened. The priest conducting the ordination was the ''Pope¡¯s Proxy.'' He was not an ordinary priest, but a special priest authorized to use a special blessing that only the Pope could use. In a way, that priest was like the Pope¡¯s flesh. His abduction was perhaps more devastating than the kidnapping of Jin-Seo or Ha-Yeon.

    Yu-Hyun ruminated over the painful loss, and a question suddenly popped up in his mind.

    "How did he know this?"

    How did Sun-Woo know ande up with such a perfect n?

    Finding out about the location of the Festival of Light was reasonable. Anyone could figure that out with basic information-gathering skills. Finding out the location and time of the ceremony andunching an attack also made sense.

    However, the progression of the battle did not make sense. Joseph had appeared in the cathedral and shattered the pdin¡¯s anti-Voodoo masks so that Voodoo spells could be used more effectively and efficiently.

    The events that followed were strange. Ha-Yeon had gone to the cathedral to awaken the pdins who had lost consciousness due to the Voodoo spell.

    As if anticipating that such a thing would happen, Sun-Woo had already stationed his troops there to kidnap Ha-Yeon and the priests of the Central Priesthood. Sun-Woo could not have established such a n unless he had known that Ha-Yeon woulde to the Festival of Light beforehand.

    In other words, Sun-Woo had known that Ha-Yeon would be attending the Festival of Light. The information that Ha-Yeon would be participating in the Festival of Light was known only to Yu-Hyun and a few select members of the priesthood responsible for the Festival of Light event.

    "Ha-Yeon."

    Of course, Ha-Yeon also knew that she would be participating. So, did Ha-Yeon say something to Sun-Woo? Yu-Hyun knew the reason why Sung Yu-Da hadmitted suicide. It was because Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da had been in a coborative rtionship before Sun-Woo¡¯s identity had been revealed.

    Since that was the case, Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo could have been in some kind of coborative rtionship. If Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo were coborating, then it also made sense why Sun-Woo knew that kidnapping the Pope''s Proxy would deal a fatal blow to the Romanican Church.

    But were Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo really coborating? If so, why did Ha-Yeon create all those blessings and holy artifacts, along with weapons that could be used to fight against the Voodoo Cult? If Ha-Yeon was coborating with the Voodoo Cult, there would be no reason for her to invent such holy artifacts or weapons.

    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t Ha-Yeon. The possibility of a spy among the clergymen responsible for organizing the Festival of Light could not be ruled out either.

    "<i>Sigh</i>..."

    Yu-Hyun¡¯s head hurt. There were many unsettling aspects regarding this battle, such as the motive for why the Voodoo Cult kidnapped the clergymen, the possibility of there being a spy within the Romanican Church, the number of Voodoo Cult forces, and so much more.

    Seeing Yu-Hyun curse under his breath, then mutter to himself, and then finally sigh with a troubled expression, the cardinal interrupted him.

    "Your Holiness?"

    Yu-Hyun finally regained hisposure. There was much to think about, making his mind dizzy and giving him a headache. But he couldn¡¯t show such an appearance in front of others.

    Yu-Hyun was losing support due to Sun-Woo''s appearance. Showing weakness would only further decrease his already precarious support rate. He swiftly changed his expression and revealed a casual smile.

    "It''s nothing. Are there any additional damages or noteworthy urrences in the ongoing situation?"

    "This summarizes all the damages that we have sustained from the Festival of Light. However, regarding the n to merge the mercenary corps...¡±

    Yu-Hyun had initiated a n to eliminate or integrate all the domestic mercenary corps under the Holy See of the Romanican Church. The mercenary corps were tribes thatcked any faith or belief and acted solely for their own benefit. It was necessary to deal with them before the war with the Voodoo Cult.

    During the war, if the mercenary corps rebelled by taking advantage of the weakened military might of the Romanican Church, it would cause trouble.

    However, ording to the cardinal, even that was not progressing smoothly. Some mercenary corps were sessfully brought under the Romanican Church¡¯s control, but many others raised objections, and some even dered their allegiance to the Voodoo Cult.

    Mercenary corps tended to attach themselves to the winning side because doing so would be advantageous for their survival. Thus, it was bad news that some of the mercenary corps were dering that they would side with the Voodoo Cult instead of the Romanican Church.

    In conclusion, the Romanican Church did not appear to be as strong as the Voodoo Cult in the eyes of the public, including the mercenary corps.

    "It would be better to deal with this quickly," Yu-Hyun muttered.

    The Voodoo Cult had always been dangerous, but now it was even more dangerous, and it would be even more dangerous in the future. They would diligently expand their influence, and if left unchecked, they would eventually be a religion that could threaten the Romanican Church.

    The Satanists were strong, but theycked doctrinal cohesion. The Voodoo Cult of the past had cohesion butcked power. However, the current Voodoo Cult had both power and cohesion. If their power grew to a certain extent, perhaps the Romananican Church would get overthrown by the Voodoo Cult. He had to stop them before that happened.

    "Summon the other cardinals. We will convene the council and continue to discuss the matter of the Holy War there.¡±

    Soon, the other cardinals appeared in front of Yu-Hyun. He stood before the cardinals and said, "Let''s mobilize the Holy Army and prepare for a preemptive strike against the Voodoo Cult. We will bring back our clergymen that the Voodoo Cult has taken."

    The cardinals did not respond. Some of the cardinals held opposing views on the Holy War. However, in this situation, statements opposing the Holy War could be perceived as supporting the Voodoo Cult. Therefore, all the cardinals could only nod in agreement with Yu-Hyun''s statement which effectively paved the way for the Holy War.

    ¡°Let¡¯s prioritize the rescue of Jung Ha-Yeon, a member of the Purification n.¡±

    If Ha-Yeon had a cooperative rtionship with the Voodoo Cult, then the Romanican Church was in danger. No matter what anyone said, the Purification n was one of the pirs of the Romanican Church.

    They knew too much. They knew about the dark secrets of the Holy See that they didn¡¯t want to be exposed. Even if she wasn''t coborating with Sun-Woo, since the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Ha-Yeon, there was a risk that the information Ha-Yeon knew could be leaked to the Voodoo Cult, either through torture or other methods.

    Regardless of the situation, Ha-Yeon had to be rescued. Therefore, the top priority for rescue was Ha-Yeon.

    "The second priority is the priest who had acted as my representative in the Festival of Light. Next is Jin-Seo of the Northern Crusader Order."

    The second priority was the Pope¡¯s Proxy, and the third priority was Jin-Seo. Recently, Jin-Seo was revered as a hero by the clergymen. The Voodoo Cult had kidnapped her, and if the Romanican Church did not rescue her, the morale of the clergymen and the authority of the Holy See could plummet.

    "However, the most urgent task is the assassination of the Cult Leader and the eradication of the Voodoo Cult. Summon the Holy Army and proceed with a ''just and sacred war'' as the focus."

    "..."

    "There must be spies from the Voodoo Cult within the Romanican Church. Especially among the clergymen involved in celebrating the Festival of Light."

    Yu-Hyun stared into the eyes of the cardinals one by one. No one reacted differently to the word ''spy.''

    "Investigate with the inquisitors and the Central Pdin Order as the core," Yu-Hyun said.

    "Understood, your Holiness," the cardinals said before withdrawing.

    "... "

    Once Yu-Hyun was left alone, he stared nkly at the ceiling. The ceiling was decorated with borate paintings with numerous people within them. Yu-Hyun gazed at the paintings as if they were about to pour down and cover him at any moment.

    ***

    Sun-Woo was reading a book inside the temporary tent constructed in the Gyeongsang Branch''s underground chapel.

    He had a habit of reading books when he was alone. He was reading a book he had read several times before but didn¡¯t have any specific goal in mind. It was more like a ritual to forget about any distractions, such as guilt, old friendships, or past love.

    "Hey, Cult Leader."

    Someone hade to find Sun-Woo. He closed the book and turned his head.

    "Oh, Soo-Yeong. What''s up?"

    "You''re reading that book again. How many times have you read it?"

    "I haven''t read this one much. Only about thirteen times."

    "Urgh."

    Soo-Yeong furrowed her brows as if she couldn''t understand at all. Sun-Woo stood up from his seat with his staff.

    Ever since he couldn''t use his right arm, he had trouble maintaining his bnce, so he used a staff when getting up or walking. Not having the staff didn''t mean he couldn''t move freely, but he found it morefortable to use the staff.

    Soo-Yeong nced briefly at Sun-Woo''s staff and said, "The priest we caught this time. The white-haired woman."

    "Ha-Yeon?"

    "Yes. That person."

    Soo-Yeong sighed as if she was fed up and continued, "She doesn''t answer no matter what I ask. She just keeps saying to call Sun-Woo. What am I supposed to do with her? Spells don¡¯t work on her either."

    "Did she really say nothing?" Sun-Woo asked as if he found that hard to believe.

    Soo-Yeong wasn¡¯t sure if he was doubting her or Ha-Yeon. She frowned slightly as if she felt a little upset.

    "She didn''t say anything! Torture, no, we haven¡¯t exactly tortured her, but still, I questioned her quite forcefully."

    "I think I told you not to torture her."

    "I didn''t torture her. I just didn''t give her water," Soo-Yeong said indignantly.

    Soo-Yeong had been assigned the role of interrogating Ha-Yeon this time, but under Sun-Woo''s orders, she was not supposed to torture her. Not only Ha-Yeon, but also Jin-Seo and all the other priests of the Central Priesthood were not supposed to be subjected to torture. Those were Sun-Woo''smands.

    "I''ll do it myself. You take a break."

    "Really? I was actually hoping for a break."

    "Yeah, take a break.¡±

    He then gripped up his staff and walked away. He made his way to the makeshift barracks where Ha-Yeon and the Romanican Church hostages were being held.

    Ha-Yeon was alone, tied up by Granbwa¡¯s nt stems in a corner of the barracks. Ha-Yeon stared into the void with unfocused eyes. When Sun-Woo appeared, her gaze finally shifted to him.

    Sun-Woo called her name. "Sung Ha-Yeon."

    Ha-Yeon raised her head and stared at Sun-Woo. There was a hint of betrayal in her eyes.

    "Why did you tie me up? I don¡¯t have any strength to escape. Even if I run away, I can''t go far. Besides, I thought our conversation was over back then."

    "If I give you special treatment, the other priests will suspect you," Sun-Woo replied dryly.

    Ha-Yeon red sharply at Sun-Woo and clicked her tongue. Then she said, "Then release me now. I can''t breathe because it''s suffocating."

    "Fine."

    Sun-Woo raised his staff. As he did, the nt stems restraining Ha-Yeon withered away instantly.

    Ha-Yeon escaped from the corner of the barracks and stretched her body. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled.

    "In this battle, I relied on the information you provided, just as you wished," Sun-Woo said.

    "It seems so. There were a few parts that I didn''t like, though."

    Sun-Woo ignored Ha-Yeon''s words. He stepped toward her and said, "Now tell me about the method to destroy the Romanican Church."

 Chapter 337

    <h4>Chapter 337</h4>

    Around the time when Sung Yu-Da''s suicide became known to the public, Ha-Yeon stopped all ongoing research activities and businesses and took some time off at the vi prepared by the Purification n.

    The members of the Purification n had many properties. Among the many properties, the vi where Ha-Yeon stayed was the most remote. She chose the vi instead of a publicly known residence because she did not want to meet anyone.

    "..."

    She just stayed there. She did nothing and just nkly stared at the sky.

    It wasn''t that she hadn¡¯t epted Sung Yu-Da''s death. Ha-Yeon took care of Sung Yu-Da''s funeral and handled everything that resulted from his death. Through that, Ha-Yeon naturally epted it.

    His sudden death made her feel empty, but not to the point of despair. She felt sad, but not to the extent of shedding tears. She was angry and resentful, but she couldn''t figure out what to be angry about and who to me.

    Sung Yu-Da''s life had been brilliant. However, his life ended with the dishonorable death of suicide. People talked about Sung Yu-Da''s reasons for suicide as they pleased, but Ha-Yeon didn''t care about what they said.

    She knew why Sung Yu-Da chose to end his own life. It was because of the Voodoo Cult. More precisely, it was because of Sun-Woo. Was she supposed to me Sun-Woo then? That seemed a bit strange.

    Sung Yu-Da helped Sun-Woo because of the guilt for killing the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun.

    Then was it reasonable to say that Sung Yu-Da''s death was Sun-Woo¡¯s fault? There would have been nothing to object to even if Sun-Woo had killed Sung Yu-Da. After all, Sung Yu-Da had killed Do Myung-Jun.

    Why did Do Myung-Jun have to die? The more she delved into the reasons, the more lost Ha-Yeon became. In the end, only responsibility and causation remained.

    "It''s ridiculous," Ha-Yeon said as she chuckled while lost in thought.

    She hade to the vi to rest, but her mind was restless. In the midst of all this, she was still thinking about that man, which felt so ridiculous to her.

    At that moment, someone from behind said, "What is?"

    Ha-Yeon abruptly stood up from her seat. She was so shocked that her heart beat irregrly as if it had malfunctioned. No one was supposed to be here. No, someone was supposed to be there, but that person couldn¡¯te and was not allowed to. Regardless, that person was right in front of her.

    "What?"

    "Did you decide not to use honorifics anymore?" Sun-Woo asked nonchntly.

    "No... What is this? How did you get here..."

    Ha-Yeon still couldn''t believe that he hade to the vi, which was the Purification n¡¯s property. Non-members of the Purification n couldn¡¯t even find the vi. How had Sun-Woo gotten in?

    "How did you find this ce?" Ha-Yeon asked straightforwardly.

    Sun-Woo pulled out a chair as if it were his own home and sat down.

    "Sung Yu-Da gave me some information before he died."

    "He didn''t leave me a single letter."

    "It was before he died... In fact, I received it before he resolved to end his own life," Sun-Woo said.

    This meant that Sun-Woo received information when he and Sung Yu-Da were coborating on something. Ha-Yeon nodded in understanding.

    Although she felt a bit resentful toward Sung Yu-Da, she did not feel betrayed. She had known for a while that Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da were working together. She had even discovered that Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult before the public did. Thanks to that, there was no sense of betrayal. However, she felt everything else other than the sense of betrayal.

    "Are you here to kill me?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    Sun-Woo chuckled. "You say the same thing."

    "What?"

    "Never mind. Why would I kill you?"

    "The members of the Purification n must be an eyesore for you."

    "They are an eyesore, but it¡¯s not to the point where I want to kill them. Anyway, there''s nothing you guys can do now."

    That was true. Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t do anything now. The Purification n had lost a lot of the public¡¯s support due to Sung Yu-Da''s death. They would no longer be able to spearhead the war like they did during the First Holy War. Even if they participated in the war, the members of the Purification n would just be used as disposable pawns to thwart the Voodoo Cult''s spells.

    "The Holy See will actively utilize the members of the Purification n in this Holy War. From their perspective, the most ideal oue would be for the Voodoo Cult and the Purification n to fight and annihte each other."

    "..."

    "Those are not my thoughts. It''s what Sung Yu-Da... no, what your father said before he died."

    That statement was also correct. At first nce, the Purification n seemed to be on the same side as the Holy See. However, the Holy See and the Purification n also acted as counterbnces to each other.

    The Holy See and the Purification n were allies who understood each other, but at the same time, they were enemies who could threaten each other¡¯s positions. Therefore, the Holy See would take advantage of the resulting fall in status due to Sung Yu-Da¡¯s death topletely destroy the n.

    "Are you just going to be used and die like this?"

    Only then did Ha-Yeon understand why he hade to see her.

    "You want us to join the Voodoo Cult."

    "I¡¯m asking you to cooperate with us."

    "Do you have a n?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    Sun-Woo revealed his n to destroy the Romanican Church. His n was filled with all sorts of calctions involving battles and politics.

    However, it was still reckless. The n was truly ambitious, something only the Voodoo Cult could do. No, it was something only Sun-Woo could do because only Sun-Woo would be able to think about destroying the Romanican Church.

    "The Romanican Church won''t crumble from this. Rather, it seems like it would be fortunate if it doesn¡¯t be stronger from this," Ha-Yeon said.

    That was her honest sentiment. From the beginning, there was no way that everything would go ording to Sun-Woo''s n. Clearly, there would be variables.

    Sun-Woo''s n was a precarious and reckless one that couldpletely copse with just one wrong variable. Even if he was lucky and everything went ording to n, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bring down the Romanican Church.

    "But it might be possible to destroy the Holy See."

    If the Purification n helped them, and if Ha-Yeon slightly modified Sun-Woo''s n, overturning the corrupt Holy See was possible.

    "This is a losing battle. If the first step goes well, then there might be a chance, but...¡±

    However, the fact that there ¡®might be a chance¡¯ meant that the probability of failure was higher than that of sess. This was a losing battle. At least, that was how Ha-Yeon saw it.

    However, as if it was no big deal, Sun-Woo said, "The Voodoo Cult always fights losing battles. If there''s a chance, it¡¯s worth trying."

    "That¡¯s not the case for the Purification n. We only fight battles we can win," Ha-Yeon replied coldly. "If you make a mistake, we will betray you and join the Holy See."

    "Are you going to act like a turncoat?"

    "I don''t like the choice of words, but yes."

    Sun-Woo nodded. "It''s good that you''re honest. Do as you please."

    He stood up from his seat and added, "In case you¡¯re not aware, I don''t hold any grudges against you now."

    "I don''t have any personal feelings against you either," Ha-Yeon said.

    The two shook hands. Sun-Woo''s statement that there were no grudges against her might be true, but Ha-Yeon''s statement that there were no personal feelings against him was clearly a lie. However, Ha-Yeon decided to deliberately ignore those personal feelings. Although she couldn''t eliminate those feelings, at least she could ignore them.

    ***

    "You¡¯ve kidnapped the Pope''s Proxy, which is a good start. With this, the Pope... Yu-Hyun can be lured," Ha-Yeon said.

    She told Sun-Woo about everything, including the foundation of the Pope''s authority, whichy in the Pope¡¯s ability to control all divine power, and in the unique blessings that only the Pope could use.

    She told him about the blessing of the ''Eye'' that saw through lies, the blessing of the ''Spear'' that delivered judgment to all cults, and most importantly, the power to ¡®Bestow¡¯ blessings. The source of the unique power bestowed upon the Head Guardian with the Seven Holy Names of Patience, Temperance, Charity, and others, all came from this power.

    It was called Berakah, the most fundamental blessing, and the root of the Pope''s authority. The Pope maintained the legitimacy and power of the papal authority through Berakah. Yu-Hyun eliminated or subjugated other Pope candidates who possessed Berakah to monopolize the blessing. Yu-Hyun had almost monopolized all the possessors of Berakat.

    "The only Berakah that Yu-Hyun does not possess is the Blessing of Purification, which belongs to the members of the Purification n. Specifically, it belongs to me."

    However, Yu-Hyun failed to obtain one Berakah: the blessing of purification, which only the members of the Purification n were allowed to possess.

    If Yu-Hyun died, all the Berakat he possessed would disappear. Only the blessing of purification held by the members of the Purification n would remain. That way, only the members of the Purification n would remain as legitimate sessors eligible to be the Pope.

    "How did convincing the n members go?"

    ¡°They must have been convinced due to the recent events since everything went ording to what I had said. Now they will believe me, and they will believe you too.¡±

    Sun-Woo had to kill Yu-Hyun, and the members of the Purification n had to fill the vacant seats of the Holy See.

    The death of the Pope effectively meant that the Romanican Church would lose the Holy War. Furthermore, if the Pope suddenly changed, the Pope''s authority would naturally weaken, and the overall status of the Romanican Church would decline. All of this was part of Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo''s n.

    The Voodoo Cult kidnapping Ha-Yeon, inciting terror, and targeting the Pope''s Proxy were all part of the n.

    "But why did you kidnap Jin-Seo?"

    The issue was Sun-Woo''s unteral actions. Kidnapping Jin-Seo was not part of Ha-Yeon''s n. Rather, it was an action that should never have been taken.

    "There''s more for me to say," Sun-Woo said.

    Ha-Yeon was puzzled.

    "Jin-Seo is symbolic. If we kidnap her, it will elerate the deterioration of the public¡¯s perception of the Voodoo Cult," he said.

    "What''s wrong with it elerating the deterioration?"

    "It will speed up the recruitment of the Holy Army. Then, we will have to deal with more enemies. There is literally nothing good about it."

    "There¡¯s nothing worse about it," Sun-Woo said as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    Despite hearing that he would have to deal with arger number of enemies, he responded casually. Ha-Yeon found it difficult to understand where all his confidence wasing from.

    Nevertheless, considering Sun-Woo''s power, she could roughly guess where he had gained that confidence.

    Ha-Yeon sighed and shook her head, thinking it would be better to just move on from the conversation.

    "Anyway, whatever. In any case, the Holy See will go all out in the next battle to rescue the hostages, including me and the Pope''s Proxy. A Head Guardian might participate in the next battle."

    "In that case, killing the Head Guardian should be the top priority."

    "That''s right."

    The Seven Head Guardians protecting the Pope were individuals who had received direct power from the Pope through Berakah. In terms of status, they were simr to the Pope''s Proxy. However, they were more important than the typical Pope''s Proxy. Defeating the Seven Head Guardians meant taking away the Pope¡¯s Berakah and weakening Yu-Hyun.

    "During this battle, the Head Guardian of Diligence will most likely appear. You must kill that person," she said.

    "Yeah. Why did you repeat that?"

    "Because Dae-Man will be the Head Guardian of Diligence," Ha-Yeon said.

    Sun-Woo''s expression hardened. Han Dae-Ho had died, causing the Eastern Pdin Order to fall apart. However, Dae-Man survived, filled with wrath toward the Voodoo Cult that killed Han Dae-Ho.

    Dae-Man had originally been designated as the Head Guardian of Diligence. The Holy See would not miss this opportunity¡ªthey would officially appoint Dae-Man as the Head Guardian of Diligence and use him as a corebatant of the Holy Army. He would definitely participate in the next battle since hostages like Ha-Yeon were at stake.

    ¡°It means you have to kill Dae-Man with your own hands. And you probably already know...¡±

    Ha-Yeon briefly nced to check if anyone was around and then said, ¡°If this n seeds, you will die.¡±

 Chapter 338

    <h4>Chapter 338</h4>

    ¡°No need to fret,¡± Sun-Woo replied as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon closed her mouth and looked at him. The Voodoo Cult would not survive in the future where Sun-Woo survived. Religion was not something that would easily crumble or disappear. The Romanican Church could not be destroyed, and the same could be said about the Voodoo Cult. Moreover, the muchrger Romanican Church ousting the Voodoo Cult made more sense.

    Even if the current Holy See was burned to the ground and a new one took its ce, the church would still be an eyesore to Sun-Woo. Even the Romanican Church in its prime could notpletely eradicate the Voodoo Cult.

    After the beginning of a new era, Sun-Woo''s existence would not only be an eyesore but a threat to the weakened Romanican Church¡¯s Holy See. The persistent fear of the churchgoers toward the Voodoo Cult would eventually reignite the conflict between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult.

    However, if Sun-Woo died, or more precisely, if he became the foundation of a revolution, then the fear of the Voodoo Cult, the public opinion that rejected other religions, would disappear. Only then would the coexistence between the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult be fathomable.

    "What are you fighting for?"

    However, what meaning would that have? Ha-Yeon imagined the world Sun-Woo desired. He dreamed of a world where the Romanican Church, the Voodoo Cult, and everyone with different ideologies could live freely¡ªa world where no one had to hide, no one had to lose their parents, and no one had to fight.

    If everything went ording to n, that kind of world could exist, but Sun-Woo would not be a part of it. He wouldn¡¯t belong in the world he longed for, so what exactly was he fighting for?

    "I don¡¯t know," Sun-Woo said, staring nkly into space. "Sometimes, I think of what it would be like if I weren¡¯t the Cult Leader.¡±

    "What?" Ha-Yeon asked, not understanding his words.

    "I don¡¯t anymore, but I used to think about it," Sun-Woo continued.

    "..."

    "That''s probably why I''m doing this.¡±

    Ha-Yeon still couldn''t quite understand what he was saying. Sun-Woo was looking out into the distance, but she couldn¡¯t make out where he was looking.

    Ha-Yeon then realized that Sun-Woo probably hadn''t told her everything. He must have been hiding something from her too.

    "I see. I understand what you mean," Ha-Yeon said as if she understood him.

    Sun-Woo looked at Ha-Yeon with an expressionless face, then chuckled.

    ***

    <i>Rescue our heroes from the clutches of the wicked devil''s minions. </i>

    The Holy See spread that slogan as propaganda. Active clergymen and those unrted to the clergy but capable ofbat, such as mercenaries, were conscripted into the Holy Army. While the mercenaries fought for money and freedom, the active clergymen fought for honor.

    The active clergymen were displeased with being treated the same way as the unestablished mercenaries in the Holy Army, but they couldn''t express their dissatisfaction. It was better to have them on their side than others who had decided to take the other side.

    The mercenary corps that didn¡¯t respond to the call from the Holy Army or the mercenary corps that were not friendly to the Romanican Church¡¯s Holy See all sided with the Voodoo Cult. Despite the summons from the Holy Army, their power did not overwhelm Voodoo Cult¡¯s.

    "Therefore, we bestow the Holy Name of Head Guardian of Diligence to Pdin Dae-Man."

    Dae-Man received the Holy Name of Head Guardian of Diligence. He was also named head of the Holy War Knight Order, one of the forces to be deployed into the hostage situation to save Ha-Yeon. The Holy War Knight Orderprised members of the Holy Army recruited solely for the Holy War.

    "..."

    The Holy War Knight Order entered a training session to eliminate the Voodoo Cult. The training session was conducted for mercenaries with rtively littlebat experience, as the active clergymen recruits did not need further training to join the Holy Army.

    Methods such as using anti-Voodoo masks, dealing with the power of Loa, and utilizing terrain features were taught quickly, along with various strategies and tactics. Due to the short duration of the training session, most mercenaries failed to grasp the content fully. But deployment was imminent, so spending several days on training was impossible.

    The day before the deployment, a man went to find Dae-Man.

    "Director Dae-Man," he said.

    Dae-Man looked at the man''s clothes and recognized that he was from the Northern Crusader Order. It was Simon. Simon and Dae-Man silently stared into each other''s eyes for a while. They sensed strong determination and wrath in each other''s eyes.

    "What''s going on?" Dae-Man said in a low voice.

    Simon was not a member of the Holy War Knight Order. He was still affiliated with the Northern Crusader Order, but he had been assigned to a special unit for hostage rescue operations. His job was to rescue Voodoo Cult¡¯s hostages.

    "I have a favor to ask. I want to be the one to end the Cult Leader''s life."

    "..."

    Simon trembled. "The one to put an end to his life... I-I need to be the one to do it."

    Although they belonged to different factions, Simon and Dae-Man wererades who would be involved in the same operation and battlefield. They shared a desire for revenge against the Voodoo Cult. Dae-Man could understand Simon''s feelings, and his burning hatred to personally kill the Cult Leader.

    Dae-Man refused. "No.¡±

    He could notply with Simon¡¯s request.

    "May I ask why?" Simon asked.

    "If Iply, would you be able to do it?" Dae-Man asked.

    Simon hesitated but nodded his head. "I would."

    "You hesitated. You¡¯re not sure of yourself. And your answer was wrong," Dae-Man said. ¡°You should have answered that it needed to be done."

    "..."

    "Be faithful to the role you''ve been given. Fighting is my duty."

    With that, Dae-Man walked past Simon.

    Simon stood still in his ce. Simon couldn''t kill Sun-Woo¡ªhe was too strong. Could Dae-Man kill Sun-Woo? Could he overpower him? Could he eveny a finger on him? Dae-Man wasn¡¯t sure.

    Sun-Woo was powerful. He had been powerful in Florence Academy and now even more so. Dae-Man still couldn''t defeat Sun-Woo, but it was something he had to do. No, that was the reason why he had to do it.

    Simon''s hatred toward Sun-Woo was simple and blind. But Dae-Man''s hatred was different. Even though he wanted to kill Sun-Woo with his own hands, he also wished to die by Sun-Woo''s hand. It was aplex feeling.

    "It''s sad. I wanted to work out together with him sometime," Dae-Man muttered.

    He was sad, but he didn''t shed tears. Instead, he clenched his fist.

    ***

    Jin-Seo hung unconscious due to a spell. When she opened her eyes, she realized her limbs were bound by nt stems. Although she could have easily broken free with her strength if they had been ordinary nts, these stems had been summoned by Sun-Woo''s power. No matter how much she struggled, the stems didn''t budge.

    "..."

    By the time she began to feel the pain in her arms, Sun-Woo arrived.

    "Untie me," Jin-Seo said sharply as soon as he approached.

    Sun-Woo didn''t respond and stared at Jin-Seo intently.

    He leaned in closer to Jin-Seo''s face and looked into her eyes, which were filled with venom. "You won''t run if I untie you, right?"

    "I won¡¯t."

    "You''re so honest, it''s unsettling," Sun-Woo said and raised his staff, pointing it at the nt stems binding Jin-Seo.

    The nt stems loosened a bit. Her hand hurt less thanks to that, but Jin-Seo was still bound, unable to escape. Sun-Woo gently touched the nt and said, "Don''t be so impatient. You''ll end up going back to the Romanican Church anyway."

    "Does that mean you''re letting me go?"

    "It''splicated, but that''s roughly what it means. There''s no point in keeping you captive."

    "Didn''t you say your goal was to hold me hostage?"

    "That was a lie," Sun-Woo said with a chuckle.

    Jin-Seo recalled their conversation. He had said that the purpose of the battle was to hold Jin-Seo hostage, but that statement was a lie. Jin-Seo felt strangely relieved, even though she shouldn¡¯t have been in her situation.

    "I just said that, hoping you wouldn''te. But you didn''t listen to me."

    "..."

    Jin-Seo didn''t respond to his statement. She had no more words to say. A silence hung in the air for a while. Feeling ufortable, Jin-Seo shifted her body a few times before finding afortable position and looked at Sun-Woo. He looked at Jin-Seo with an inscrutable expression.

    "Are you going to let me go?" Jin-Seo asked.

    Sun-Woo nodded and answered, "Yes. This time, it''s not a lie."

    "Why?" Jin-Seo asked again.

    "Like I said, there''s no point in keeping you captive for long."

    Sun-Woo nced around as if looking for something before speaking again.

    "Some of my followers are already questioning my decision to kidnap you. They don¡¯t understand my judgment.¡±

    Jin-Seo understood. Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult. All his actions needed to benefit the Voodoo Cult. Since they were amidst a Holy War, his actions should be for the victory of the Voodoo Cult, resisting the Romanican Church that oppressed the Voodoo Cult, and protecting the Voodoo Cult members. That was all the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult could do. His actions were restricted by the cult, and so was his life. Ultimately, even his death would be restricted by the cult.

    "If I go back, I will probably lead the Holy Army from the front ranks. I have to fight even if I don''t want to," Jin-Seo said.

    She also suffered the same fate.

    "Because you¡¯d be branded as a heretic if you don¡¯t?" Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Seo nodded. "If I fight, I''ll have to kill you. Or I¡¯ll have to die trying."

    In response, Sun-Woo remained silent.

    "People will celebrate your death. There might be a festival, or it could be a holiday tomemorate the victory," Jin-Seo said.

    "..."

    "If I kill you, I''ll be a hero," she continued.

    Sun-Woo frowned. "What are you trying to achieve by saying that?"

    "I¡¯m not quite fond of the idea," she answered. "You know, why don¡¯t we..."

    <i>Boom! </i>

    At that moment, a loud noise erupted, cutting Jin-Seo off. A sound echoed not too far from where Sun-Woo stood. It marked the beginning of the Holy Army''s preemptive strike.

 Chapter 339

    <h4>Chapter 339</h4>

    The sudden noise abruptly interrupted Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo¡¯s conversation. While she didn¡¯t know about Sun-Woo''s reaction, Jin-Seo hadn¡¯t even brought up half of what she wanted to say.

    After the loud noise, a brief silence followed. Sun-Woo nced briefly at Jin-Seo, hardened his expression, and then left.

    Soo-Hyun eximed, "Cult Leader, The Holy Army¡ª!"

    The first person to appear in front of Sun-Woo was Soo-Hyun, followed by Chorong, the director of the Ravens Mercenary Corps. Behind them were many people who had gathered after hearing the noise. Among them were those who had long been part of the Voodoo Cult, those who had converted to the Voodoo Cult after the Holy War, and members of the mercenary corps who were against the Romanican Church. They all felt anxious from the sudden attack of the Romanican Church¡¯s Holy Army.

    Sun-Woo calmly scanned each of their faces, then raised his staff high. Their gazes all turned toward Sun-Woo''s staff.

    <i>m! </i>

    Sun-Woo''s staff struck the ground. His actions were apanied by a tremendous noise iparable to the one that had just resounded. The disturbance caused by Sun-Woo was significant, making both the earth and the air tremble. People looked at Sun-Woo with eyes filled with awe. Instead of unsettling them, the disturbance he caused calmed their agitation and shaking eyes.

    "Please be quiet for a moment," Sun-Woo said, raising his staff again.

    A faint blue light circled his fingertips. Sun-Woo bowed, brought the light to the ground, and closed his eyes. People silently stared at Sun-Woo''s figure. Not one of the countless people who had gathered uttered a word. A deep silence spread throughout the area.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo held his hand to the ground for a while. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his staff, and stood up. There was no hint of hesitation nor fear in his eyes and expression as he looked around at the people. He appeared asposed as he had always been.

    "The enemy ising from the northwest... They are making their way here through the mountain path. They may berge in numbers, but they don¡¯t have a lot of regr clergymen." Sun-Woo paused momentarily before continuing, "The sound may have seemed close, but it will take them half a day to reach our location. The distance is farther than expected. It seems like their tanks are slowing them down.¡±

    ¡°We will gather our forces and prepare for battle. Since they areing through the mountain path, we can use the terrain to our advantage for an ambush..." Soo-Hyun said.

    Half a day was enough time to gather forces and prepare for battle. Moreover, the enemies were approaching through the mountains, which provided ample opportunities for the Voodoo Cult to utilize. The Voodoo Cult¡¯s spells and the power of the Loa that Sun-Woo wielded were most effective in secluded terrains like the mountains. If they could adequately gather their forces for an ambush, they might win the first battle against the Romanican Church.

    However, Sun-Woo shook his head. "There is no need for everyone to go out. Some must stay here to guard this ce.¡±

    "But, it''s the first battle..."

    "They have a special unit that seems to be tasked with rescuing the hostages. If all of ourbatants leave, we won''t be able to protect the hostages," Sun-Woo said.

    Soo-Hyun understood and fell silent.

    Sun-Woo continued, "Let¡¯s have... some of Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps remain here to guard this ce. We can hand over Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo to the enemy, but the Pope''s Proxy must be secured at all costs. If there is a risk of the Pope''s Proxy being taken by the Holy Army, or if you hear the news of defeat, kill them immediately. Following that, abandon this ce and retreat."

    The others listened quietly to Sun-Woo. The temporary barracks built in the Gyeongsang Branch¡¯s underground chapel were, literally, ¡®temporary.'' Therefore, they did not need to defend the underground chapel to theirst breath. They would defend it if possible, but they could afford to abandon it if the situation was unfavorable.

    "Executive Soo-Hyun, aim for their supply route. If you can capture the tanks in the rear, do so. If not, disable them."

    "Yes, understood," Soo-Hyun replied with a nod.

    Sun-Woo shifted his gaze to Chorong, the head of the Ravens Mercenary Corps. "Oh, and Chorong."

    "Ye-yes!" Chorong replied in a disciplined tone.

    "You wille with me. Call the Ravens Mercenary Corps and instruct them to prepare the masks."

    "Yes, Cult Leader!¡±

    <i>Booom¨D! </i>

    In the distance, another roar echoed, but no one paid attention to it anymore. They were busy following Sun-Woo''s orders to prepare for battle.

    ***

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    The Holy War Knight Order advanced with Dae-Man at the forefront. Although the mountain path was rugged, no one fell behind or left the formation due to the difference in speed. The Holy War Knight Order was formed by gatheringbat-capable individuals without distinguishing between mercenary corps and regr clergymen. Despite that, their marching speed was incredibly rapid.

    It was all thanks to Dae-Man. He skillfully navigated the mountain paths and subtly boosted the members'' morale. He treated members from mercenary backgrounds and regr clergymen backgrounds alike. By referring to all of them as the Holy War Knight Order, he instilled a strong sense of belonging.

    He had learned the skill from Han Dae-Ho in the Eastern Pdin Order. Dae-Man admired Han Dae-Ho and aspired to be a director to lead a Pdin Order like Han Dae-Ho one day. So, he taught himself how to lead andmand skills by observing Han Dae-Ho.

    "..."

    Dae-Man suddenly stopped walking. The members following behind also stopped in unison. Dae-Man raised his head and looked at the sky.

    The sunny sky was now covered with dark clouds. The already dark mountain path had turned several shades darker as the sunlight could no longer prate through. A few raindrops fell. Ominous thunder rumbled faintly from above. The sky was covered with dark clouds. Rain fell, and thunder roared. The Cult Leader was nearby. It also meant that the location of the Holy War Knight Order had been exposed to the enemies.

    The Cult leader had appeared earlier than expected. However, Dae-Man did not waver. It was expected, as they had previously fired cannons and made noise to draw the Cult Leader out.

    "Get ready for battle! The Cult Leader ising¨C!" Dae-Man shouted.

    His voice rang so loud that even the members behind the formation could hear it. The army''s fearful eyes, shaken by the sudden dark clouds, turned serious.

    They each raised their weapons. There were various weapons, such as holy artifacts and firearms, but most of the members held guns. Weapons lined with silver were effective when facing demons and demonic beasts, but there was no need to use such traditional weapons when facing the Voodoo Cult.

    "..."

    Dae-Man held his breath and looked around. Although it waspletely silent, his body quivered from the dangerous energy. Dae-Man couldn¡¯t hear or see him, but he knew instinctively that he was there.

    <i>Rustle! </i>

    Something rustled, and Dae-Man and the members'' gazes all turned in that direction. There stood the Cult Leader. More precisely, a man presumed to be the Cult Leader. The person wore a mask and poncho while holding a staff. The members aimed their guns at him without hesitation.

    "Wait," Dae-Man instructed.

    However, Dae-Man quickly stopped them. In the meantime, the figure disappeared. The members looked at Dae-Man with puzzled faces.

    "That''s not the Cult Leader," Dae-Man said solemnly.

    Everyone knew Sun-Woo''s face. It was also equally well known that Sun-Woo¡¯s right arm was practically useless. The Holy Army knew everything about Sun-Woo¡ªhis face, body, personality, and voice. So, Sun-Woo had no reason to hide his face and body with a mask and poncho. Instead, if Sun-Woo had worn a mask and poncho, the risk of being exposed to the Holy Army would have increased due to their distinctive features. Sun-Woo wouldn''t have appeared in front of the Holy Army despite those risks.

    Dae-Man knew Sun-Woo. He was smart, and he was also cunning in a way. Therefore, Dae-Man was sure that the person who had just appeared wearing a mask and poncho was definitely not Sun-Woo.

    "From now on, assume that every enemy you meet is wearing a mask and poncho," Dae-Man said.

    The regr clergymen nodded. Although the mercenaries didn¡¯t quite understand what Dae-Man said, they nodded too.

    Dae-Man looked around at the ranks following behind him. He took a deep breath. His neck veins stood out tautly. The people beside Dae-Man quickly covered their ears.

    "The one wearing a mask and poncho is not the Cult Leader! Do not leave the ranks!" Dae-Man shouted.

    His voice boomed throughout the area. The army members ryed Dae-Man''s instructions to the rear of the ranks. There might be a Cult Leader among those wearing a mask and poncho, but for now, it was better to reduce the confusion by saying, ''The one wearing a mask and poncho is not the Cult Leader,'' and focus on maintaining the ranks.

    Under no circumstances should the ranks be allowed to crumble. That would be the worst scenario for the Holy War Knight Order and the best scenario for the Voodoo Cult.

    The sky was covered with dark clouds, making the mountain path so dark that it was hard to make out what was immediately in front of them. If the ranks were disrupted amid this chaos, each scattered member would obviously be annihted by the hiding Voodoo Cultists in the mountains.

    It must have been a part of Sun-Woo¡¯s n to provoke the disturbance of the ranks by deliberately showing the masked and poncho-wearing figure in front of the Holy War Knight Order.

    "He hasn¡¯t changed," Dae-Man muttered.

    In the past, Dae-Man would have lost his mind and rushed at the masked and poncho-wearing man. But Dae-Man had changed¡ªhe now knew how to make rational and cold judgments. He held up his Burning Bush Twig.

    As he infused divine power into it, the trembling twig caught fire.

    Dae-Man brought his lips to the mes and instructed, "Inform the priests of each division to use the pir of fire immediately."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Before Dae-Man could finish his sentence, light infused with divine power erupted from various ces in the ranks. The priests dispatched to the Holy War Knight Order skillfully unleashed divine power to replicate a miracle. The divine power they emitted roared and soared into the sky...

    <i>Pssssssh! </i>

    And then divine power crashed toward the ground as pirs of fire.

    The pirs of fire from the miracle dispelled the darkness of the mountain, revealing numerous enemies that had emerged from the shadows. Just as Dae-Man had anticipated, they all wore masks and ponchos while holding staffs.

    "Fire!" Dae-Man hollered.

    The Holy War Knight Order members aimed their guns at the many masks.

    <i>Bang, bang! </i>

    <i>Boom-!</i>

    Gunshots rang out. Some of the masked figures watching the movements of the Holy War Knight Order were struck by bullets and fell out of the trees onto the ground. Their lifeless bodies littered the ground.

    Gunshots continued to echo, and the masked fled. As they ran, they left behind a spell array. From the cracked ground, Voodoo mist seeped out.

    "Wear your anti-Voodoo mask!" Dae-Man shouted.

    His voice was booming, but some members failed to heed hismand amidst the gunfire. They inhaled the mist and copsed.

    Those who quickly followed Dae-Man''s order and wore their anti-Voodoo mask remained conscious. They aimed their guns at the fleeing enemies and fired wildly.

    <i>Booom¨C! </i>

    Then, a loud rumble reverberated through the air. Dae-Man recognized the sound. It was the sound of the Cult Leader striking the ground with his staff.

    Along with the rumble, the ground shook, and the numerous nts on the mountain began to wriggle and move.

    As the nts grewrger, they began to obscure the pirs of fire that zed in various ces. The darkness, which the pirs of fire seemed to extinguish, began to creep in once more.

    <strong>TLN WonSuk:</strong> Thanks for reading ;)

 Chapter 340

    <h4>Chapter 340</h4>

    The nt stems grew and obscured the pirs of fire. After frantically pulling their weapon triggers, all members of the Holy War Knight Order stared in disbelief at the pirs of fire¡ªmore precisely, at the fading light.

    For most members, this was their first time seeing the Cult Leader use the power of the Loa. The overwhelming disy of power was enough to lower their morale.

    "Don''t hesitate!" Dae-Man shouted.

    The situation was not in their favor. He quickly unleashed divine power and imbued it into a Bush Twig. The piece of wood caught fire, and Dae-Man brought his mouth to the mes.

    "Tanks! Shoot the nts quickly!"

    <i>-Understood. </i>

    <i>BOOOOM¨C!</i>

    Following Dae-Man''s orders, a tank at the rear fired a shell. The tanks were designed to counter the power of Granbwa, one of the Loa. The shells loaded in the tanks were specially made to pierce therge, tough vines.

    The nt stems that had slowly grown to cover the pirs of fire were destroyed when the shells hit them. The once giant nt stems were charred ck and withered away upon impact.

    The terrified army regained theirposure. While the power of the Loa was overwhelming, so was the power of the Romanican Church¡¯s weapons. Morale climbed high once more, but they couldn''t celebrate just yet.

    The nt stems only momentarily stopped when hit by the shells and stubbornly began to grow again, trying to cover the pirs of fire somehow.

    Dae-Man once again ordered the tank unit to fire.

    <i>BOOOM!</i>

    <i>Bang, bang!</i>

    The tank continued to shoot the nts. The Holy War Knight Order continued to shoot their guns at the fleeing masked figures.

    The masked individuals fell to the ground as the bullets hit them. Some masked members attacked the Knight Order with farming tools like hoes and sickles. Amidst the chaos of the battlefield and dense vegetation, some members of the army died after getting struck on the head by the farming tools.

    The nt stems covered the pirs of fire, and the shells shattered the nt stems. Light and darkness came and went, intertwined in a confusing tango. Comrades, chatting nearby just moments ago, dropped dead. Some terrified members of the army dropped their weapons and fled.

    Dae-Man unleashed divine power and drew a blessing array. The light of blessing enveloped him.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    He punched forward, and a masked man''s head crumbled. Dae-Man removed the man''s mask. As he had thought, it wasn¡¯t Sun-Woo.

    "Damn it!" Dae-Man muttered.

    Some terrified members broke rank and fled. Dae-Man shouted at them to hold their positions and even tried to physically stop them. However, he could do nothing to stop those who were mad with fear.

    On the other hand, the enemies only strategically retreated, never fleeing or backing down. They seemed prepared for death.

    The situation was dire. The Holy War Knight Order¡¯s army was overwhelming in terms of sheer numbers. However, with the current situation, they would inevitably be defeated no matter how many troops they had.

    Darkness gradually enveloped the surroundings. The tanks continued to fire, cutting through the vines. But the nts grew at rates faster than the tanks could tear them down. Eventually, the area waspletely covered in darkness.

    The tanks stopped firing.

    Dae-Man lifted his Bush Twig. "Tanks, tanks!"

    ¨D...

    No sound could be heard beyond the twig. He tried to contact the other tanks, but there was still no response. Dae-Man knew in his gut that the tank unit had been wiped out. Perhaps the tanks had fallen into the hands of the Voodoo Cult.

    His men were breaking ranks. The masked enemies did not retreat and attacked his army. Some of the clergy members among them already sensed defeat and were praying to the sky. The situation was grave¡ªthey were at a horrible disadvantage. They needed to figure out a way to turn the tide.

    Capturing the Cult Leader would do the job.

    Once they killed Sun-Woo, the rest would easily follow. Most of the Voodoo Cult''s power stemmed from the Cult Leader, so killing Sun-Woo would end the Holy War. However, because everyone wore masks and ponchos, they couldn''t tell which person was Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo would most likely not appear before Dae-Man, and even if he did, there was no guarantee that they could kill him.

    "...¡±

    Failure.

    This mission was a failure. Their ranks were in shambles. Darkness surrounded them, and it seemed like the opponents were used to fighting in the dark. Even the tank unit at the rear had been upied by the enemy. There was still no contact from the special forces organized for hostage rescue. They might have failed in rescuing the hostages as well.

    He had to issue a retreat order, but Dae-Man couldn''t bring himself to do it. Would they even be able to retreat? What would Director Han Dae-Ho do in a situation like this?

    <i>Thud, thud, thud... </i>

    Right then, a rumbling sound echoed several times. The ground shook violently. It seemed as if the mountains themselves were screaming out loud. Dae-Man¡¯s remaining men, still holding onto their senses and the enemies they were fighting alike, lost their bnce with the vibration.

    Dae-Man had trained his body to the extreme limit, but even he could barely stand.

    "..."

    Amid the quake, one person walked calmly toward Dae-Man as if nothing was happening. He also wore a mask and a poncho. At first nce, he looked no different from the masked ones they had encountered. However, the moment Dae-Man faced him, his skin tingled. His heart raced. Cold sweat dripped down his back. He could instinctively tell that his person was different from the masked groups they had faced before. This was the Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Dae-Man unleashed his divine power, and he drew a blessing array. He poured out all the divine power he had saved up until now, using the biggest and strongest blessing he could create. The massive light of blessing enveloped Dae-Man. He adjusted his posture and greeted Sun-Woo.

    "Long time no see, Sun-Woo!"

    His massive fist was ready to protect himself and attack the enemy. His eyes contained a cold determination as he stared fiercely at Sun-Woo, but his tone was cheerful¡ªthe same tone he used when he greeted Sun-Woo at Florence Academy.

    "Nice to see you," Sun-Woo responded casually, just like when he faced Dae-Man at Florence Academy.

    Dae-Man stared at Sun-Woo. "This feels weird. We fought like this once before.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what a coincidence that we¡¯re in the mountains. The scale is a bit different, though," Sun-Woo replied.

    "This time, I won''t lose."

    Dae-Man''s body trembled, regardless of his will. He was afraid. Intuitively, he could tell how strong Sun-Woo was and how much stronger he had bepared to before.

    "This time... I won''t lose."

    After Dae-Man repeated himself, his body no longer trembled. He entered a state that made him forget his fear.

    ***

    Simon was slow, very slow. But, he was approaching the hostages.

    The special forces organized for hostage rescue was small. The core members of the force were Simon of the Northern Crusader Order and Heo Woo-Hee of the Central Priesthood. Apart from them, the others couldn''t even match Simon''sbat abilities and were there to fill in the numbers.

    <i>Boom! </i>

    <i>Bang, baang...</i>

    The sound of explosions and gunfire could be heard in the distance. Some members of the special forces flinched, their shoulders trembling. Simon and Heo Woo-Hee did not flinch. They continued walking down their path.

    Even if the Holy War Knight Order were defeated, the special forces would go to the Voodoo Cult''s temporary headquarters to rescue the hostages. That was the role that had been assigned to them.

    How long had it been? The sound of explosions faded, and the gunfire was almost inaudible by that time. They had arrived at the location suspected to be the Voodoo Cult''s temporary headquarters.

    Thanks to the holy artifact they had been wearing, the enemies of the Voodoo Cult, including the Cult Leader, had not noticed them.

    The Gown of the Shem Brothers erased the presence of those who wore it. It didn¡¯t make people transparent, but through it, they could arrive at the temporary base unharmed. If lucky, they could also quickly rescue hostages.

    <i>Swaahhh! </i>

    The only problem was the rain.

    The Cult Leader had summoned the rain. As long as the battle continued, the rain would not cease. The raindrops were thick. Someone who sensed that the rain was acting weird might also sense the presence hidden by the Gown of the Shem Brothers if they moved in the rain.

    But that only applied to those with exceptional intuition. Otherwise, they could not sense the presence hidden by the Gown of the Shem Brothers without keen senses. Those with such senses sharp enough to detect the hidden presences should already be on the battlefield, fighting against the Holy War Knight Order. Therefore, Simon thought that no one could detect the presence of the special forces at the temporary base with the hostages.

    "There it is."

    They finally found where the hostages were being held captive. There weren¡¯t any signs, but anyone could clearly see that the hostages were being held there. Unlike other ces, there were no windows, and individuals who looked like Voodoo Cultists were standing guard in front of the only entrance.

    The hostages were in that room. It didn¡¯t matter if the members of the special forces were wearing the Gown of the Shem Brothers. They had to defeat the guards to enter the building. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t that many guards, and their only weapons were swords, spears, or even their bare fists.

    "We will enter after taking down the sentries," Simon said, touching his sword.

    Woo-Hee nodded. Although she could not use miracle replication, Woo-Hee of the Central Priesthood was a priest with an exceptional talent for blessings and healing.

    First, Woo-Hee would use a blessing on Simon. Utilizing the blessing he received from her, Simon would quickly eliminate the sentries. Then, he would enter the building and check the status of the hostages, immediately rescuing those who could be transported using Baal''s Maw. For those who needed emergency treatment, such as those who had suffered from torture, Woo-Hee would heal them first before rescuing them.

    "What division are you from?"

    The unexpected happened when Woo-Hee unleashed divine power for the blessing.

    "..."

    "What division are you from?" the man asked once more.

    The man who asked the question was a big man. He was not wearing anything on top, and his exposed torso was full of scars. Rather than beautiful and pretty, his muscles were better described as brutal and violent. His hair was short, and scars decorated his face and neck. He was not carrying any weapons.

    The special forces led by Simon still wore their coats, concealing their presence. However, the man watched the special forces intently with eyes filled with intense and dreadful malice, regardless of whether they wore coats or not.

    Simon recognized the man¡ªsomeone Simon should have avoided encountering at this moment.

    "Yuk Eun-Hyung," Simon muttered.

    It was Yuk Eun-Hyung, the leader of a mercenary corps and an executive of the Voodoo Cult¡¯s Gyeongsang Branch.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s gaze fell on Simon. He looked at Simon''s clothes, nced at the de hanging at his waist, and nodded.

    "You are a crusader," Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

    The determination in his eyes deepened.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung raised his fist. "I will kill you first.¡±

    Simon raised his de.

 Chapter 341

    <h4>Chapter 341</h4>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung had overlooked one fact.

    He hated crusaders. Hate was not enough to describe his feelings toward them. They disgusted him. The Central Crusader Order had attacked the headquarters of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps, and he had seen his members die in their hands.

    He considered all crusaders as enemies and felt animosity toward all of them. Therefore, he believed that all crusaders viewed him in the same light. He thought that all crusaders would feel animosity toward him, a member of the Voodoo Cult.

    However, the special forces had only one purpose: to rescue the hostages. They had no reason to engage in unnecessary battles. There was even less reason to battle with Yuk Eun-Hyung when their victory was unlikely.

    "Heo Woo-Hee, throw it!" Simon shouted.

    Heo Woo-Hee quickly reached into her pocket. But Yuk Eun-Hyung was not just going to stand there. However, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s reaction was slower than usual because Simon¡¯s hand was on his de handle.

    Simon was the strongest clergyman in the special forces. The other clergymen, including Heo Woo-Hee, were different from Yuk Eun-Hyung. Yuk Eun-Hyung knew that Simon was the only one he needed to be wary of. Naturally, Yuk Eun-Hyung''s gaze was fixed on Simon''s movements, thinking that Simon would attack him. That very thought slowed him down.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Heo Woo-Hee pulled something out of her pocket and threw it. The object was a grenade containing divine power. Upon exploding, it emitted a sh of light to blind the enemy.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was startled by the sudden sh and took a step back. Simon didn''t miss the opportunity.

    "Bless me!" Simon said.

    Heo Woo-Hee quickly drew a blessing array. The other priests in the squad also drew blessing arrays. All the light of blessing they invoked focused on Simon, and he raised his sword. Then, he ran toward the guards in front of the building where the hostages were kept.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Simon swung his sword. He didn''t swing it to kill the enemy but to buy time to enter the building. Although the guards did not suffer fatal blows, they sustained injuries to their sides and legs.

    Simon swiftly entered the building.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    As he entered the building, he unleashed divine power and infused it into Baal¡¯s Maw. Baal¡¯s Maw opened its mouth with its characteristic grotesque movement. Now, all Simon had to do was find the hostages inside the building and put them into the holy artifact.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Driving his legs into the ground, Simon sprinted forward. He had to move quickly. Time was of the essence. He didn¡¯t, no, he couldn¡¯t subdue Yuk Eun-Hyung. When the effect of the sh wore off and Yuk Eun-Hyung''s vision returned, there was no guarantee for the squad members or Simon''s life. He had to rescue the hostages as quickly as possible.

    "Priest Ha-Yeon!" Simon eximed.

    The first person Simon discovered was Ha-Yeon.

    "Ah, you¨D!"

    Simon roughly shoved her into Baal¡¯s Maw before Ha-Yeon could respond.

    "I''m sorry!" he apologized.

    Ha-Yeon''s short scream echoed through Baal¡¯s Maw, but there was no time to think about that. There wasn¡¯t any time for courtesy or leisurely conversation. He then rescued the priests of the Central Priesthood. The priests were initially startled by Simon''s sudden appearance butter cheered.

    One by one, Simon put everyone dressed as Romanican Church clergymen into Baal¡¯s Maw. He was quick. He had almost rescued all the hostages except for two: Jin-Seo and the Pope¡¯s Proxy. No matter how much he searched the building, those two were nowhere to be seen.

    Could they be in another building? It was possible but unlikely. There were no guards in the other buildings except those with the hostages. They had to be there. They had to. Simon repeated that to himself over and over. His feet never stopped moving.

    "Deputy Director Jin-Seo."

    He only stopped when he finally stood in front of Jin-Seo. She was tied up in a cruel manner by nt stems.

    Simon''s expression hardened, but there was no time for anger or to mourn.

    Simon gripped his sword. "I¡¯m going to cut through it.¡±

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Simon precisely cut the nt stems around Jin-Seo''s limbs. It took him many strikes to cut through, as the nt stems were very tough. Simon barely managed to pull Jin-Seo out of the vegetation and shoved her into Baal¡¯s Maw. All that was left was the Pope¡¯s Proxy, the priest in charge of the inquisitor appointment ceremony.

    ¡°Arggghh!¡±

    The problem was the roaring from outside the building.

    Simon froze. The roar was hardly human and sounded more like that of a wild beast such as a lion or a tiger. The roar clearly belonged to Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    He could also easily guess that Yuk Eun-Hyung''s vision was returning. Simon hesitated for a moment, lost in his thoughts.

    The Pope¡¯s Proxy had to be rescued at all costs. If he failed to rescue him, the special forces'' mission would essentially be a failure. However, if he spent time trying to retrieve the Pope¡¯s Proxy, Yuk Eun-Hyung could kill other clergymen of the special forces outside.

    Simon knew that Yuk Eun-Hyung was strong. He was probably a formidable figure even within the Voodoo Cult. Simon was not confident that he would emerge victorious from their fight. Other clergymen wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance. If they were lucky, they might be able to buy some time through their resistance.

    Would he abandon hisrades and retrieve the Pope¡¯s Proxy, or would he abandon the Pope¡¯s Proxy and save hisrades?

    <i>Shiing!</i>

    There was no need to hesitate. Simon drew his sword and headed in the direction of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s roar. Even if he managed to find the Pope¡¯s Proxy and somehow put him into Baal¡¯s Maw, it would be impossible to return safely without hisrades. The right choice to safely return with the hostages he had rescued so far was to choose hisrades.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung slowly regained his sight, and Simon¡¯s men scattered to avoid the attacks from Yuk Eun-Hyung and the other Voodoo Cult members.

    Simon charged at Yuk Eun-Hyung, his sword drawn. He swung the sword down toward Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck, intending to slice it right then and there. However, his sword did not even touch Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck.

    <i>Tak! </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung grabbed Simon¡¯s sword.

    "Got you now, bastard!" he eximed.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung was unarmed. Blood was flowing profusely from his hand, but he showed no signs of pain. Did his anger paralyze his sense of touch?

    In that fleeting moment, Simon felt fear. Was this man a monster?

    <i>ng! </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung exerted force with his hand, breaking Simon''s sword. Simon could not block the blow, as his sword was stuck in Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s grasp.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Simon managed to twist his body, and Yuk Eun-Hyung''s fist struck Simon''s side. If Simon hadn''t dodged, the blow to his jaw would have knocked him unconscious. Despite feeling pain so strong that he could barely breathe properly, Simon quickly regained hisposure. Now was not the time to wallow in pain. To survive, he would have to endure the suffering somehow.

    "Run¨C!!" Simon shouted toward the clergymen of the special forces.

    His squad had been watching the battle between Simon and Yuk Eun-Hyung with shocked expressions. They all snapped out of their trance and put on their Gown of the Shem Brothers. Simon quickly put on his own gown and unleashed his divine power. With that, they erased their presence.

    As long as they entered the forest and scattered, the enemies would not be able to locate them. After that, they just needed to cautiously return to their base camp using the Gown of the Shem Brothers. This way, they couldplete half of their mission even though they hadn¡¯t been able to rescue the Pope''s Proxy.

    Simon and the others quickly entered the forest equipped with their gowns and dispersed. It didn¡¯t matter that the Voodoo Cultists were on their tails. With the Gown of the Shem Brothers, the squad could easily escape by shaking off the enemies.

    "Huff, huff, gasp!"

    Simon unexpectedly faced a problem.

    "Huff, huff. Huff, huff. Huff!¡±

    He couldn''t shake off Yuk Eun-Hyung. While Simon struggled heavily due to tension and fear, Yuk Eun-Hyung calmly pursued him, breathing in and out regrly as if he were out for a run.

    ***

    Sun-Woo and Dae-Man were at a standoff. Neither approached the other first.

    Dae-Man did not approach Sun-Woo because there were no openings in his defense. Sun-Woo could use spells. It didn¡¯t matter if Dae-Man wore his anti-Voodoo mask¡ªSun Woo¡¯s spells were dangerous.

    Moreover, Sun-Woo¡¯s staff was a nuisance. Dae-Man didn''t know what power Sun-Woo would use with his staff. Lightning? Wind? Fire? What kind of attack woulde? He had practiced dealing with the Loa''s power through training sessions. However, since he couldn''t predict which attack would strike, Dae-Man couldn''t rush forward.

    If so, then why didn''t Sun-Woo approach Dae-Man? What was he thinking? Perhaps he hesitated to move forward because he couldn''t find any weaknesses in Dae-Man¡¯s defense too.

    Dae-Man thought it would be nice if Sun-Woo weren¡¯t pretending to be rxed because he had underestimated Dae-Man¡¯s abilities.

    "Should we engage in another fistfight? It¡¯s your favorite, after all."

    Was he provoking Dae-Man, or was he genuinely underestimating him? Either way, Dae-Man had no intention of being swayed by Sun-Woo''s facade.

    "This time,e at me with everything you got," Dae-Man said, staring at Sun-Woo. "And I will do the same."

    Sun-Woo nodded as if he had expected such a response. He gripped his staff and lightly tapped the ground with it. The staff stood upright, firmly nted in the ground. Sun-Woo clenched his fist and approached Dae-Man.

    "Bossou," Sun-Woo said under his breath.

    As soon as Sun-Woo muttered ¡®Bossou,¡¯ Dae-Man broke into a cold sweat. Sun-Woo''s aura shiftedpletely, and the magnitude of power radiating from his body had be overwhelmingly immense.

    However, Dae-Man did not falter. Instead, he smiled. Sun-Woo was prepared to kill Dae-Man and had no intention of showing mercy.

    Dae-Man clenched his fist and reached out toward Sun-Woo, who also extended his fist. Their fists crossed.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    But Sun-Woo''s blow had been faster. His fist struck Dae-Man squarely in the jaw. Dae-Man''s eyes lost focus. His body stiffened as he flew through the air and rolled on the wet, muddy ground. It seemed as if the fight was over.

    <i>Thud, thud. </i>

    That was when the fallen Dae-Man started to warm up as he got up from his spot.

    "Alright, that was worth a hit!" he said as he approached Sun-Woo again.

    He threw a punch. Sun-Woo also threw a punch back, and once again, Sun-Woo''s punch was faster. With a bone-chilling crack, Dae-Man staggered and fell back.

    However, Dae-Man got up again. Somehow, he managed to stand up, and with a confident smile as always, he clenched his fist and approached Sun-Woo once more.

    "..."

    His actions brought about a change in the Holy War Knight Order.

    His men, running away in fear of the enemy''s overwhelming presence, stopped in their tracks. Priests unable to unleash their divine power due to anxiety and fear began drawing blessing arrays again. Clergymen who had lost their morale and put down their guns picked up their guns once more. Dae-Man''s strong mental fortitude made them consider the possibility of<i> what if</i>.

    <i>Shaaa! </i>

    The priests used their blessings. The light of blessing they conjured shone only for one person: Dae-Man.

    "This time, I''ll be faster."

    Dae-Man clenched his fist with their blessings surrounding his body. His fist zed brightly¡ªits overwhelmingly bright light easily surpassed all the blessings the priests had bestowed.

    There was the Berakah bestowed upon the Guard Captain of Diligence, ''Well.''

    Dae-Man nned to use it in his next strike.

 Chapter 342

    <h4>Chapter 342</h4>

    The light of blessing invoked by the priests gathered in Dae-Man''s fist. His men, who had fallen to the ground from the earthquake, and others who had been fleeing, turned back. They aimed their guns at the Cult Leader.

    Dae-Man wrapped his fist with the Berakah of Diligence, Well, and the priests¡¯ blessings and struck out toward Sun-Woo.

    <i>BOOOOM-! </i>

    The resulting sound resembled that of an explosion. Not even the sound of the artillery fire piercing through the nt stems summoned by the Cult Leader was as massive as this.

    The Berakah of Diligence, Well, unleashed destructive power proportional to the caster¡¯s umted efforts. And Dae-Man''s life was filled to the brim only with diligence.

    <i>Thud, thump... </i>

    The punch sent Sun-Woo flying, and he rolled on the dirt. Sun-Woo had blocked Dae-Man''s fist, but it hadn¡¯t been enough. He managed to avoid a fatal blow, but he couldn''tpletely withstand the impact. Sun-Woo stood up, his mouth dripping with blood.

    "..."

    Even though he had blocked the blow, he might have suffered some internal injuries. A direct hit from those fists would be fatal. The look in Sun-Woo''s eyes changed, now fixed on the staff he had nted in the ground earlier. He staggered toward it.

    "No, stop him!"

    The clergymen did not just stand around. They aimed and fired their guns at Sun-Woo in unison. Some infused divine power into holy artifacts and hurled them at Sun-Woo.

    <i>Bang, bang! </i>

    <i>Boom¨D! </i>

    Gunshots rang out. Holy artifacts exploded, sending shrapnel flying.

    Sun-Woo did not dodge. He simply gestured with his hand. The bullets lost momentum, stopped right in front of his nose, and fell to the ground. Dozens of bulletsy motionless, scattered on the dirt, unable to reach Sun-Woo.

    <i>Squelch, squelch...</i>

    A squelching sound came from the wet dirt as Sun-Woo continued to walk toward the staff. Sun-Woo¡¯s footsteps were irregr. The clergymen were unsure whether it was because he didn''t have the staff or because Dae-Man''s blow had injured him, but it wasn¡¯t the time to think about such things.

    The clergymen rushed toward the staff. They intended to retrieve it before Sun-Woo could.

    "Eeek!"

    <i>Grrrk, gttthhk... </i>

    However, the staff did not move an inch. It didn''t budge at all, despite the efforts of several strong clergymen. Taking away the staff was impossible in the first ce¡ªit only moved when Sun-Woo touched it.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    A shockwave erupted from the staff, sending the clergymen clinging to it flying. Blood dripped from their lips.

    Sun-Woo stepped over the fallen clergymen and grabbed the staff. It came out of the ground without any resistance.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Sun-Woo struck the ground with the staff. The ground trembled. Stems erupted from the ground in various ces. However, they did not attack Dae-Man or anyone from the Holy War Knight Order. They just wriggled and made strange noises in the air.

    <i>-Sacrifice.</i>

    The voiceing from the nt stems was Sun-Woo''s voice. It sounded distorted and eerie. The nt stems continued to whimper and rustle.

    <i>-Sacrifice.</i>

    <i>-Sacrifice.</i>

    The murmuring voice echoed in the clergymen¡¯s minds. Even when they tried to block their ears and pounded their heads to silence the ringing voice, it never ceased. If anything, the more they resisted, the louder the voice sounded.

    The guns pointed at the Cult Leader trembled. Sun-Woo raised his staff and cautiously aimed it at Dae-Man.

    "Sobo."

    <i>*** </i>

    <i>-Sacrifice.</i>

    Simon heard the voice clearly. It sounded so unpleasant and alien. Simon knew the owner of that voice¡ªthe Cult Leader. He was up to something.

    Simon instinctively felt uneasy and sensed danger. He turned his head and saw Yuk Eun-Hyung chasing after him.

    "...¡±

    Yuk Eun-Hyung no longer pursued Simon and stood still. It was strange. So strange and eerie that Simon felt ufortable. Yuk Eun-Hyung had clearly been running toward Simon with the intention to kill. The malice emanating from him had been so strong that it made Simon¡¯s skin crawl.

    However, Yuk Eun-Hyung now no longer showed malice toward Simon.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    What was even more eerie was Yuk Eun-Hyung''s self-harm that followed. He pulled out a dagger from his clothes and cut his own palm, adding to the injury he had sustained from grabbing Simon''s de. Blood trickled down from Yuk Eun-Hyung''s palm. The thick crimson blood washed away in the rain and seeped into the ground.

    <i>Rumble, ruuumble... </i>

    Then, a more ominous and thunderous sound than usual echoed from the sky. It was an overwhelming roar that created the illusion of the heavens copsing over their heads.

    Everything felt very off: the Cult Leader¡¯s whispers that haunted Simon¡¯s mind, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s sudden and erratic behavior, and even the thunderp that had instilled something more strange and foreign than mere fear.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung wasn¡¯t the only one who had stopped. The masked group attacking the Holy War Knight Order also stopped moving. They also drew daggers out from their clothes and shed their palms. They let the rain wash the blood from their hands and seep into the ground.

    The clergymen of the Holy War Knight Order found this grotesque and unearthly. To someone watching from the sky, it was the moment when a huge and perfect v¨¦v¨¦ was drawn.

    <i>BAAANG¨D!! </i>

    V¨¦v¨¦. The pattern of the Loa had been drawn in the blood of the Voodoo Cultists, including Sun-Woo. The lightning summoned using the v¨¨v¨¨ was monstrous.

    Simon''s eyes momentarily went blind. For a few seconds, everything in front of him turned pitch ck. He thought his eyes had been burned to crisps by the lightning.

    Soon after, Simon''s vision returned. The battlefield fell silent¡ªno gunfire echoed between the Holy War Knight Order and the Cult Leader. He couldn¡¯t hear Dae-Man''s shout, nor could he hear the screams of the Holy War Knight Order members.

    It was too quiet. Simon broke out in a cold sweat because he was afraid. The lightning that had struck them like divine retribution and the ensuing silence made him guess what had happened to the Holy War Kinght Order. His guess terrified him.

    Simon ran. Yuk Eun-Hyung no longer pursued him as Simon ran away. He didn''t even know what he was running away from anymore.

    ***

    Dae-Man was lying down.

    Sun-Woo looked at him on the ground. There were no other clergymen around. The Holy War Knight Order had all fled. Just before the lightning struck, Dae-Man had ordered them to retreat. Even in the face of imminent death, Dae-Man still prioritized the well-being of the Holy War Knight Order over himself.

    "Sun-Woo," Dae-Man said.

    His body was almostpletely charred ck. Strange sounds came from his chest with each breath. He had tinnitus in his ear, and his tongue tasted like a battery. He sensed that his death was near.

    Sun-Woo crouched down next to Dae-Man. "Do you still have the strength to speak?"

    "Of course. Have you forgotten how strong I am?" Dae-Man replied.

    "I didn''t expect you to be this strong."

    Dae-Man chuckled. "Did it hurt when I hit you?"

    "Yes," Sun-Woo answered.

    "Good. At least I got one hit in," Dae-Man said. "I admired you. You were always someone I wanted to catch up to."

    His voice was gradually weakening. He realized that he didn''t have much time left to speak or have many breaths left in him.

    "It would have been nice if we didn''t have to fight."

    Dae-Manmented. He kept having meaningless thoughts about what would have happened if he hadn''t fought Sun-Woo.

    What would have happened if Sun-Woo hadn''t been the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult but remained as a skilled pdin of the Romanican Church? What would have happened if they hadn''t fought but onlypeted?

    "If things had not turned out this way, I would have caught up with you someday. Proudly, as a pdin..."

    "I think so as well,¡± Sun-Woo replied.

    Dae-Man smiled. "I¡¯m d."

    He focused his eyes onest time and gazed at the sky. It was raining. Strangely, the rain didn¡¯t feel cold at all. The wet ground from the rain was the same. It should have been cold, but it was warm instead.

    The dark clouds cleared, and the rain stopped falling. Sunlight poured through the cracks in the clouds. The warm sunlight bathed Dae-Man''s body.

    "The earth, my bed, and the sky, my nket. It can''t get morefortable than this. Really..." Dae-Man murmured.

    Those were his final words.

    A handful of light emanated from his body. It was the special blessing and light bestowed upon Dae-Man by the Pope. The light swayed in the wind and rose into the sky.

    ***

    The Voodoo Cult emerged victorious.

    They had seeded. There was no other way to put it¡ªthey had achieved their goal.

    Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo were non-essential figures who could be returned to the Romanican Church from the start. The Pope''s Proxy still remained with the Voodoo Cult. And the Head Guardian of Diligence, Dae-Man, had fallen in battle.

    Thanks to Soo-Hyun and Soo-Yeong, they captured the Romanican Church''s tanks. They had also retrieved all the firearms abandoned by the fleeing members of the Holy War Knight Order. These were excellent spoils of war that could be utilized in the uing battles.

    The first battle of the Holy War Holy Army, created to suppress the Voodoo Cult, ended disastrously. The Romanican Church''s morale was probably at rock bottom now.

    The Voodoo Cult held a small banquet tomemorate their victory. They feasted on their rations and alcohol at the temporary barracks in the Gyeongsang Province. There was no reason to skimp on rations and alcohol since they had nned to abandon the temporary barracks after the battle.

    "Did you see them trembling in fear? Their heads shook so much when they saw our masks!" a Voodoo Cultist snickered.

    "What good is a gun if you can''t shoot!" another eximed.

    The members of the mercenary corps who participated in the battleughed and shared war stories among themselves. They were already quite drunk. How could they not? The Voodoo Cult had also suffered casualties. They had to forget the sorrow of losingrades through the joy of victory and intoxication.

    The executives of the Voodoo Cult gathered together. Sun-Woo, Soo-Yeong, Soo-Hyun, and Yuk Eun-Hyung were present. Chorong, the leader of the Ravens Mercenary Corps, was also considered an executive, but he chose to stay with his own mercenary corps members as he felt ufortable sitting across from Sun-Woo.

    As the banquet came to an end, Yuk Eun-Hyung said to Sun-Woo, "I''m sorry, Cult Leader. The special forces you mentioned were here, but... we missed them."

    Sun-Woo did not respond.

    Soo-Yeong chuckled nervously. "It''s okay. We still have Pope''s Proxy with us, right? That should be enough."

    Soo-Hyun, quietly contemting while touching his chin, looked at Yuk Eun-Hyung and said, "I can¡¯t believe you lost them, Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung. I would have caught them."

    "Ah, oppa! Shut up!" Soo-Yeong said.

    "Haha, Soo-Hyun is right. If I had been a little faster, I could have caught that guy and... I would have taken care of him myself," Yuk Eun-Hyung said regretfully.

    Sun-Woo broke his silence and said, "It''s okay.¡±

    While staring nkly into the distance, he added, "This isn''t thest battle after all."

    Sun-Woo''s murmuring voicecked strength. He seemed a bit sad as well.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung poured himself a drink. Soo-Hyun and Soo-Yeong also joined in and drank. The alcohol there had to be consumed or discarded anyway, so it was better to drink instead.

    Sun-Woo usually didn''t touch alcohol. He thought that alcohol clouded the mind and impaired judgment. However, unable to resist Soo-Yeong''s insistence on having just one drink today, he also took a ss.

    "So, you drink now?" Yuk Eun-Hyung said in surprise.

    Soo-Hyun also expressed his amazement. "You don¡¯t drink? That''s impressive."

    Seemingly surprised that Sun-Woo had listened to her suggestion, Soo-Yeong said, "Yeah, what''s with you drinking for real today? You never touched your ss before when I told you to drink."

    Sun-Woo chuckled. Encouraging the Voodoo Cult members for a day by sharing a drink didn''t seem like a bad idea.

    The real war was about to begin. This wasn''t theirst fight, but the first of many.

    "Come on now, cheers!" Soo-Yeong eximed.

    They clinked their sses.

 Chapter 343

    <h4>Chapter 343</h4>

    The aftershocks of the battle were significant and longsting.

    In reality, the losses weren¡¯t substantial because many of the members of the Holy War Knight Order had fled after experiencing the overwhelming might of the Cult Leader.

    But that was the problem.

    Although they were a hastily assembled group of mercenaries and active clergymen, the Holy War Knight Order was still a Knight Order. Therefore, they should have acted in a manner that befitted a Knight Order.

    They should have bravely charged toward the leader of the Voodoo Cult, even if it meant that some of them would die. That way, their struggles would serve as a lesson for future Knight Orders, and their deaths would be a sorrowful loss under the umbre of the Romanican Church.

    And if they couldn''t achieve victory, they should have at least rescued all the hostages so that they would be able to take sce in a small sess and prove the resilience of the Romanican Church.

    "Useless imbeciles," Yu-Hyun muttered.

    Dae-Man, the Head Guardian of Diligence, had died. He died while holding the Berakah of Well. The Berakah had departed, and the departed Berakah would not return.

    And the Pope''s Proxy, who still held Yu-Hyun''s Berakah, was still in the hands of the Voodoo Cult.

    Both the battle and the hostage rescue were nothing but failures. The opponent had acted as if they knew all the Romanican Church¡¯s strategies.

    ording to Simon, the leader of the special forces organized for the hostage rescue, they were keeping all the hostages in one building. The Pope''s Proxy, the most important rescue target from the perspective of the Holy See, was kept separate from the other hostages.

    They knew what the Holy See wanted. Thus, they created a situation that the Holy See found least desirable.

    "Perhaps they aren¡¯t useless imbeciles?" Yu-Hyun chuckled.

    They had considered the existence of a traitor. Yu-Hyun already knew some individuals within the Romanican Church were colluding with the Voodoo Cult. However, he had not considered capturing the traitors before engaging in battle. He had not realized that this mistake would lead to such painful consequences.

    Battles against the Voodoo Cult did not end with that single encounter. They used the opportunity to target various locations under the Pope''smand.

    "Yeom Man-Gun''s factory has been upied by the Voodoo Cult. It appears that Yeom Man-Gun was also a member of the Voodoo Cult..."

    They primarily chose to attack ces where their underground chapels were located. That way, they secured their underground chapels and followers.

    Whenever there was a battle or if the Voodoo Cult took any significant action, Yu-Hyun convened the council, and they would discuss the extent of the damage from the battle along with future measures they should take.

    "There are riots suspected to be caused by the Voodoo Cult in some areas under the Pope''smand..."

    "The Cult Leader seems to have nned this for many years. We have no problem suppressing the riots, but when the media gets involved...¡±

    None of the cardinals felt the need to mention the term Holy War. After all, the Holy War had already begun.

    Yu-Hyun quietly listened to the cardinals. There was no good news. All he heard was negative news such as, ¡®the Voodoo Cult has upied such and such region¡¯ or ¡®such and such media outlet is criticizing the Romanican Church.¡¯

    The only useful information he obtained through the cardinals was the Cult Leader''s typical behavior. He exhibited behavior that was so consistent that Yu-Hyun could describe it as a habit orpulsion.

    The Cult Leader participated in almost every battle. Perhaps the reason was political, and he thought about how the media would react, or perhaps he had a temperament where he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied unless he engaged in every single battle.

    In any case, that fact was important. The fact that the Cult Leader appeared in almost every battle meant that even if they lost nearly every battle, as long as they won a single fight and managed to capture the Cult Leader, they would win the war.

    "It won¡¯t be enough with just any ordinary level of determination."

    Besides the Holy War Knight Order, Yu-Hyun organized many other Knight Orders and attacked the Voodoo Cult. However, Yu-Hyun himself never participated in a battle.

    Additionally, after the death of the Head Guardian of Diligence, Dae-Man, Yu-Hyun did not send any other Head Guardians into battle. He was secretly afraid of losing another Berakah or having it taken by the Voodoo Cult. But now, such feeble determination was not enough.

    He had to dispatch all the Head Guardians, prtes, and other prominent clergymen who could be considered the core forces of the Romanican Church. And if that was not enough, Yu-Hyun could also directly enter the battle.

    Yu-Hyun was considering an all-out war. He was thinking of capturing the Cult Leader, even if it meantunching an all-out attack. That was how bad the situation was for the Romanican Church.

    Suddenly, a cardinal said, "And, there is news that we have caught a traitor, Your Holiness."

    Yu-Hyun''s face, which had been dark all day, brightened slightly.

    ***

    Many people attended Dae-Man¡¯s funeral, including members of the Holy War Knight Order who had fought in battles and prtes who knew Dae-Man.

    In-Ah also attended the funeral.

    She no longer needed to go to Florence Academy because the academy had issued a school closure order due to the ongoing battle with the Voodoo Cult, or in other words, the Holy War.

    "..."

    In-Ah met Su-Ryeon at the funeral. Apparently, she had fought with Dae-Man. They had still been fighting even after Dae-Man became the director of the Holy War Knight Order and went out to battle. She couldn¡¯t even remember why they had been fighting in the first ce. However, it felt like the reason wasn¡¯t significant.

    "I didn''t expect him to die like this," Su-Ryeon said in a calm voice.

    She said many other things, and as she continued to speak, her expression did not change.

    In the end, she concluded, "I will kill him. I will kill that bastard. I will, with my own hands..."

    She shed tears. Although she was shedding tears, her expression showed no sign of sadness or wrath. Her expression was as calm and indifferent as usual, but tears flowed from her eyes. Su-Ryeon seemed half-crazed.

    "You..." Su-Ryeon said.

    In-Ah could not immediately understand the meaning of her words. In-Ah was just a little scared. She was scared of Su-Ryeon, who was expressionlessly shedding tears, scared of the fact that Dae-Man, with whom she had beenughing and chatting not long ago, was dead, and she was scared that Sun-Woo had killed him.

    "Whose side are you on?" Su-Ryeon asked.

    In-Ah couldn''t answer. If asked whose side she was on, she was obviously on the side of the Romanican Church. Her affiliation was, in any case, with the Romanican Church. Despite the school closure order, she was still a teacher at Florence Academy.

    "I am..."

    However, just because her affiliation was with the Romanican Church, could she really be on the side of the Romanican Church? She couldn¡¯t tell whether being affiliated with or being on the same side were the same thing or if they were different. Therefore, she was unable toe up with an answer. She was just scared.

    Looking back, she had always been scared¡ªwhen her younger sister Yoon-Ah went missing, and when she coincidentally faced off against Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk.

    Therefore, she chose to be a teacher rather than a priest. In-Ah finally left the funeral site without responding to Su-Ryeon¡¯s question. On her way out, she came across some familiar faces like some Florence Academy colleagues, and Min-Seo. However, she did not greet anyone.

    ¡°...¡±

    After Dae-Man''s funeral, she rested at home for a while. She didn''t want to do anything, and she could not do anything. In-Ah hoped that this awful fight would end, but the only way to end the fight was to fight to the end.

    <i>Buzz¡ª! </i>

    In-Ah received a phone call, and she heard the news that Yoon-Ah had been arrested on suspicion of colluding with the Voodoo Cult.

    ***

    After the battle against the Holy War Knight Order in the Gyeongsang Branch, where the hostages had been at stake, the Voodoo Cult maintained their momentum. They regained control of Yeom Man-Gun''s factory in the Jeo Branch, before returning to the Gangwon Branch headquarters.

    They returned with the spoils of war obtained from the battle, such as the Romanican Church¡¯s guns and tanks. The Voodoo Cult members staying at the headquarters also weed them.

    The sessful battle against the Holy War Knight Order, as well as recapturing the Jeo and Chungcheong Branches, made them heroes of the Voodoo Cult. The one who received the most cheers was, of course, the Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

    While other Voodoo Cult members were being weed, Sun-Woo went to Jin-Sung''s room.

    Upon seeing Sun-Woo enter the room, Jin-Sung mockingly said,"It seems like a very esteemed guest has arrived."

    Sun-Woo smiled. "Your face has aged a bit, Uncle."

    "Hey, when you reach my age... No, never mind."

    Jin-Sung was about to say something but stopped himself. "Why have youe?"

    "Why have Ie? I just returned home after the battle."

    "No, why have youe to my room?" Jin-Sung asked bluntly.

    He was sitting in the room, drinking tea and reading a book. Sun-Woo dragged a chair across and sat down before he snatched the tea Jin-Sung was drinking and sipped it.

    Sun-Woo furrowed his brows. "What kind of tea is this?"

    "Chamomile. I''ve been having insomniately and can''t sleep."

    "Is chamomile good for insomnia?"

    "I heard it is, but I''m not sure about the effects."

    "That''s too bad," Sun-Woo said.

    He didn''t seem particrly sincere. Jin-Sung closed his book and looked at Sun-Woo. Jin-Sung had a sharp and cold gaze in his eyes as he stared at Sun-Woo. However, beyond those cold eyes, Sun-Woo could also sense a hint of pity andpassion.

    Sun-Woo read the emotions in his uncle¡¯s eyes and smiled ruefully.

    "I took the Romanican Church''s tanks and guns. They could be useful in the next battle," Sun-Woo said.

    Jin-Sung furrowed his brows. He had never asked Sun-Woo about such things.

    "Well, that''s good. So, how many people have died so far?"

    "I can''t count them all. However, our damages rtive to the Romanican Church are small."

    "Rtive to the Romanican Church..." Jin-Sung slowly nodded as he repeated Sun-Woo''s words.

    "So, how many people do you think will die from now on?" Jin-Sung asked.

    Sun-Woo did not answer. He knew the intention behind Jin-Sung''s question.

    "It seems like your mind hasn''t changed yet. I thought that if we won a few battles and came back, you would support me a little."

    "My thoughts are not something that can be changed."

    Sun-Woo nodded and stood up from his seat.

    "Yeah... Well then, I''m going to go."

    "Did youe here just to ask if my thoughts have changed or not?" Jin-Sung asked.

    Sun-Woo lowered his head.

    "I didn''te to ask. I just came to confirm it. I''m d your thoughts haven''t changed."

    "..."

    "I just wanted to see how you were doing. That''s why I came."

    Sun-Woo was smiling.

    "Can you at least stop now?" Jin-Sung asked.

    Jin-Sung knew that it was toote to stop everything. On the contrary, if they stopped now, an even greater tragedy could ur. However, if they continued the fight like this, Sun-Woo would definitely lose his life. That was why Jin-Sung wanted to stop Sun-Woo at least once more.

    But Sun-Woo shook his head. "That seems like it¡¯ll be difficult."

 Chapter 344

    <h4>Chapter 344</h4>

    Simon had been sick for several days. He had been in charge of the hostage rescue operation, and he had jumped into enemy territory with only a sword and a few holy artifacts.

    After sessfully rescuing the hostages, he ran like crazy to escape from Yuk Eun-Hyung''s pursuit. At the time, he hadn¡¯t felt any pain or fatigue because he had been too focused on running, surviving, andpleting the mission.

    He only btedly began to feel the built-up pain and fatigue after he finally managed to return to the Romanican Church camp with the hostages safely contained within the Baal¡¯s Maw. In the end, he lost consciousness.

    When Simon regained consciousness, the doctor told him that he had minor cuts and bruises, as well as fractures. While escaping the mountain, Simon had stumbled and fallen several times because the rain made the path slippery, which must have contributed to those injuries.

    "..."

    Simony in the hospital room and listened to news involving the war. He heard the news about how so-and-so clergymen from so-and-so clergy had passed away, and updates on certain regions the Voodoo Cult had upied in the current battle zones. He also learned about the orders the Holy See issued, how the clergy responded to them, and other things like that.

    Simon wanted to be discharged as soon as possible so that he could rush back to the battlefield. It felt awful to be lying around in bed when hisrades were dying in battle.

    At the same time, he felt afraid. The images of the Voodoo Cult¡¯s powerhouses, such as Sun-Woo and Yuk Eun-Hyung came to mind, making Simon feel fear and unconsciously have nightmares.

    ¡°Deputy Director...¡±

    Two people came to visit him when there was only one day left until his discharge. It was Jin-Seo and apprentice crusader Han Sol. They had been with Simon during the Festival of Light, an incident now known as the Assault of the Festival of Light.

    Simon tried to get up from the bed to greet the two people.

    "Don¡¯t move," Jin-Seo told Simon.

    "Oh, alright."

    Simon was about to get up but ended up lying back down on the bed. Jin-Seo and Han Sol pulled chairs over and sat next to the bed.

    "How are you feeling?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "It feels stuffy ¡®cause I¡¯m just lying down all day. I snuck out to do some exercise, but I got caught by the healing priests, and now they¡¯re watching me,¡± Simon said with a wry smile.

    Jin-Seo also smiled and nodded.

    Simon nced at Han Sol and tilted his head in confusion. "Why is Han Sol here? Isn''t it during school hours?"

    "School''s closed because of the war," Jin-Seo answered.

    "Ah."

    Simon felt awkward and scratched the back of his head.

    "So that¡¯s why I''m just going to the Northern Crusader Order right now. There''s nothing else to do..." Han Sol said with a nonchnt smile.

    "What do you mean there¡¯s nothing to do? Take your family and evacuate," Simon replied sternly.

    Han Sol was an apprentice crusader. Since she was not a regr member of the Crusader Order, she was no longer obligated to report to the Crusader Order. She had no duty to participate in the war. Taking her family to a safe ce as soon as possible was all she could do.

    Although the Voodoo Cult had not yet attacked any towns and had not targeted any civilians, they may or may not continue to do so in the future. Furthermore, since Han Sol was an apprentice crusader, she could easily be a target of the Voodoo Cult.

    Han Sol smiled awkwardly and said, "I don¡¯t have any family..."

    "Ah.¡± Simon felt like he wanted to hide in a mouse hole. "I... I''m sorry. I honestly didn''t know."

    "It''s okay! It''s nothing to be embarrassed about," Han Sol replied cheerfully.

    "Yeah... you¡¯re right," Simon said with a nod.

    Jin-Seo just quietly listened to them talk. Soon, the three of them started to talk about trivial things. In reality, the things they talked about were rted to the war, so they weren¡¯t exactly trivial.

    However, they talked about the war as if they were discussing truly trivial matters.

    It was understandable. The conflict with the Voodoo Cult had started in early summer, but now, even though cold winds were blowing and leaves were falling, the conflict was still ongoing.

    After chatting for a while, Han Sol left because it was gettingte. Only Simon and Jin-Seo remained in the hospital room. There was nothing more to say after Han Sol left. Silence filled the room.

    Jin-Seo broke the silence.

    "I heard that the Holy See is preparing for a full-scale battle. There might be a big battle in winter."

    Simon listened to her and nodded. Typically, engaging in battle during winter was not a wise decision. However, winter was not a bad season to engage in battle against the Voodoo Cult.

    The rain would turn into snow, nts would wither and die, and even the seeds deep within the ground would be frozen solid, unable to sprout. It was a season where they would be able to somewhat suppress the power of rain and nts that the Cult Leader controlled. Winter was the perfect time if they were preparing tomit to an all-out war.

    "Are you nning to participate in the battle, Deputy Director?" Simon asked as he quietly pondered something.

    Jin-Seo tilted her head slightly. She directed her gaze downward, indicating that she, too, was contemting something.

    "I have to. It''s not a situation where I can refuse just because I don''t want to," Jin-Seo replied.

    She was a key member of the Crusader Order and also held a unique symbolic significance. Whether she liked it or not, she was in a position where she had to participate in the battle.

    Simon nodded and said, "Yes, indeed. It must be difficult for you, Deputy Director..."

    "Well, it¡¯s not particrly difficult¡ª"

    Simon interrupted Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director."

    Jin-Seo nced at Simon, and Simon stared at Jin-Seo. His usual yful demeanor was nowhere to be seen, reced by a serious gaze. It seemed like he had something to say. Simon gulped, closed his eyes tightly, and then opened them.

    "Deputy Director, you were with the Cult Leader... Sun-Woo in Florence Academy, right?"

    "Yes, for about a year and a half."

    "Did you know Sun-Woo from Florence Academy?"

    "I knew him. We were both members of the student council."

    Jin-Seo deliberately gave a vague answer. She couldn''t bring herself to say that she was close with Sun-Woo. She couldn''t urately and honestly describe their rtionship. Jin-Seo had to treat the time and memories spent with Sun-Woo at Florence Academy as if they had never existed, and she really hated that fact. She hated it, but she didn''t show it. She couldn''t show it.

    "I see," Simon said.

    "Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

    "Oh, it just... it suddenly crossed my mind. I was thinking, what if I had also been acquaintances with Sun-Woo, just like you?"

    "You must be really bored."

    Simon chuckled. "Yes. They didn¡¯t even let me exercise. I could only pass the time by thinking about things like this."

    He turned his head to gaze outside the window. As winter approached, the world was bing subtly paler.

    "So, what was the conclusion?" Jin-Seo asked.

    "If I had been friendly with Sun-Woo, I might hesitate to cut him down. On the other hand, due to feeling betrayed, I might be able to attack him with more conviction..."

    "..."

    "And then... Well, it¡¯s not like I was really on good terms with him. It seemed funny to seriously consider it, so I just stopped thinking about it."

    It was ackluster conversation. However, Jin-Seo found the conversation exceedingly ufortable. To Simon, it was a trivial matter that did not require serious consideration, but to Jin-Seo, it was reality.

    "Seeing how you think about such pointless things, you must havepletely recovered,¡± Jin-Seomented.

    "Of course. Even if I were to be deployed into battle right now, I would do better than most."

    "Alright, I''m going. Take care," Jin-Seo said as she got up from her seat.

    She then left the hospital room. As soon as she exited the hospital, she instinctively reached for a cigarette to put in her mouth, but there was no lighter. She had left it in Simon''s room.

    "Tsk."

    Jin-Seo clicked her tongue, crushed the cigarette pack, and threw it into a nearby trash can. She didn''t really feel like smoking a cigarette, and it felt like she would feel the same way in the future too.

    Jin-Seo just decided to quit smoking of her own ord. No one had ever forced her to quit. It wasn¡¯t like someone would grant her wish if she quit smoking. Regardless, she threw away all the cigarettes she had because she wanted to do so.

    ***

    In-Ah was investigated. Her younger sister, Yoon-Ah, had been arrested on suspicion of collusion with the Voodoo Cult. Consequently, since In-Ah was part of her family, she naturally came under suspicion as well. The inquisitors and pdins made aplete mess in her house, and the inquisitors pried into all of In-Ah''s rtionships.

    Not only did she have to show all her work emails of her time working as a teacher at Florence Academy, but she also had to reveal all personal interactions she had exchanged with others to the inquisitors in order to prove her innocence. Ultimately, In-Ah was cleared of all charges. She had no contact with the Voodoo Cult. However, Yoon-Ah failed to prove her innocence.

    Colluding with an enemy during a wartime situation was not a crime that could simply bebeled as ¡®colluding with a cult.¡¯ She was also charged with insurrection and mass ughter. In the best scenario, she would end up in the underground prison. Given the circumstances, she might even face the death penalty.

    "What should we do? How did this happen? There must have been a mistake. Yoon-Ah wouldn¡¯t have done something like that, right? In-Ah, In-Ah. How about you go and exin to them? Yoon-Ah wouldn¡¯t have done that, right?" Yoon-Ah¡¯s mother sobbed, refusing to ept reality.

    She believed that everything was a mistake due to a misunderstanding. Perhaps reality would be too unbearable for her if she didn¡¯t believe that it was a misunderstanding. On the other hand, In-Ah did not know if it was because her father had resigned himself to it or because he had gone half-mad, but he just sat there and stared nkly into space.

    In-Ah''s parents were clergymen. They tried contacting the Holy See and rted departments several times to prove Yoon-Ah''s innocence. However, they were rejected.

    Later, they even tried to request a meeting, but all their requests were rejected. Despite using every method possible, they were unable to even have a meeting, let alone prove Yoon-Ah''s innocence.

    Her mother was now asking In-Ah to request a meeting. In-Ah was a former priest and had some influence. She believed that if In-Ah requested it, the Holy See might listen to some extent.

    "Yes, I¡¯ll try. I¡¯ll do whatever I can, Mom," In-Ah said.

    In-Ah had already attempted several times but failed. However, she didn''t feel the need to inform her mother about that. To her mother, In-Ah was thest hope to save Yoon-Ah. Her mother would lose her mind if she found out that even that final ray of hope was gone.

    In-Ah stepped outside. She wanted to feel the wind. She couldn''t breathe inside her house. At least she was able to breathe a little outside. But things didn''t go as nned, because her stomach churned.

    It was the same as back then. Back when Yoon-Ah had gone missing, In-Ah had beenpletely powerless, just like now.

    She felt the same sense of helplessness that she had felt in the past, with nothing to rely on. She didn''t belong anywhere, nor was she on anyone''s side. She wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to run.

    In-Ah crouched on the street and muttered, "Help me..."

    She simply wished for someone to save her.

 Chapter 345

    <h4>Chapter 345</h4>

    Yoon-Ah was looking outside. The escort vehicle was quiet, besides the rattling sound from the handcuffs tied around Yoon-Ah¡¯s hands whenever the car lurched. She carefully observed the scenery passing by outside the window. Perhaps this might be thest time she could see the outside world.

    There were no windows in the interrogation room and the underground prison. The two inquisitors in the escort vehicle would take her to the interrogation room to question her. They would ask her many things. For example, they would ask when she started coborating with the Voodoo Cult, details about any other coborators within the Romanican Church, and the exact information she had leaked. She would be asked suchckluster and unnecessary questions.

    Yoon-Ah naturally wouldn''t answer the questions. She might be subjected to torture as a result, but she was not afraid. It was something she had prepared herself for.

    "Get out," the inquisitor ordered.

    Yoon-Ah quietly got out of the car and looked around. She couldn''t tell where she was. The inquisitor led her into a dark and smelly room.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    "Ugh."

    As soon as she entered, the inquisitor kicked Yoon-Ah''s stomach. Her frail body crumpled to the floor. Some mysterious liquid, perhaps vomit, was about toe out of her mouth, but she swallowed it down. She couldn¡¯t vomit¡ªat least, not right now.

    She managed to hold back the urge to vomit somehow, but she couldn''t stop the coughing that followed.

    "<i>Cough, cough!</i> Ugh, urgh!"

    She let out a weak groan.

    The inquisitor sat down in front of her copsed figure and took out a cigarette.

    <i>Flick!</i>

    He lit the cigarette and took a drag. And then he spat on Yoon-Ah''s face. She felt a deep sense of disgust.

    "I know kids like you well," the inquisitor told her. "Kids like you think you¡¯re prepared for torture and that you won¡¯t say anything even if a de is shoved onto your throat.¡±

    "..."

    "I''ve seen about a hundred of those kids... Not a single one maintained their resolve. They all ended up talking in the end."

    The inquisitor continuously exhaled cigarette smoke. The interrogation room was filled with the smoke, and the air became hazy.

    Yoon-Ah grimaced as she continued to cough. There was not a single part of her body that was not in pain, whether it was her eyes, throat, or stomach, which the inquisitor had kicked earlier.

    "What I''m saying is, let''s make this easy," the inquisitor said. He wedged the cigarette between his fingers and pushed the embers toward Yoon-Ah. "Tell me everything. Tell me whether there are any other informants, what kind of information you leaked to the Voodoo Cult, and things like that."

    The inquisitor menacingly pushed the cigarette closer. She felt a slight warmth on her skin, and she trembled. Her body trembled regardless of her will, thoughts, or determination.

    Yoon-Ah looked at the inquisitor with her mouth shut. Then, she suddenly grinned ear to ear. It was because the inquisitor¡¯s interrogation techniques were just way too obvious. Anyone could imagine and prepare for such an interrogation.

    Yoon-Ah spat on the repulsive inquisitor''s face and retorted, "I know people like you too."

    Staring firmly, Yoon-Ah continued, "Human scum that feels superior when they trample on tightly bound prisoners. People like you don¡¯t have any other opportunity to feel superior since you don¡¯t have anything else you''re good at besides doing such despicable acts. Am I right?¡±

    She even seemed to be smiling leisurely at the inquisitor. The inquisitor had been staring at Yoon-Ah with a stiff expression, but he now smiled back.

    At first, heughed as if he was dumbfounded, butter, heughed as if he had lost his mind. He clutched his belly and chuckled before taking out massive pliers from somewhere.

    "Looks like we¡¯ll have to start with your teeth," he said, shaking therge pliers a few times. "Even kids like you sound cute after your teeth get pulled out. When that happens, whatever you say bes pleasant to the ears."

    "Ugh!"

    The inquisitor persistently tried to shove therge pliers into Yoon-Ah''s mouth, but she gritted her teeth and resisted.

    It would have been easier if he had used the mouth holder, but the inquisitor didn''t particrly like using it. He enjoyed seeing the expression of people giving up and opening their mouths out of their own volition.

    The inquisitor chuckled. "Haha!"

    Hisughter was filled with dirty and vile desires. As Yoon-Ah resisted, he stepped on her neck, fixing her head in ce. Yoon-Ah shed tears and struggled. Her face was getting redder.

    Yoon-Ah was unable to keep her mouth shut because she couldn¡¯t breathe. No matter how determined she was to grit her teeth and endure, there were things she could do with willpower and things she couldn''t. The inquisitor finally seeded in putting the pliers into Yoon-Ah''s mouth. Now, all that was left was to grab the pliers and pull out one of her teeth.

    <i>Knock, knock. </i>

    In the climax of the moment, a knock from beyond the door interrupted him. The inquisitor grimaced, stopped what he was doing, and went toward the door. However, he suddenly got an ominous feeling and stopped in his tracks.

    The inquisitor shouted from behind the door without opening it. "What is it, you bastard?!"

    He considered the possibility that the person beyond the door might not be a subordinate inquisitor but an enemy.

    The person replied, "Sir Inquisitor, you might need toe out for a moment."

    Due to the echo, he felt a little uncertain, but it sounded like his subordinate¡¯s voice. That didn¡¯t mean he could let down his guard yet, though.

    "So, what is it?"

    "A man wearing the Central Pdin Order¡¯s attire is standing in the front of the building. He is asking to be let in, but he won¡¯t reveal his affiliation and name, and he doesn''t know the password."

    "If he¡¯s from the Central Pdin Order... shouldn''t you recognize his face?"

    "It¡¯s a face I¡¯m not familiar with. He seems to be an enemy."

    The inquisitor was about to open the door and go out, but he hesitated once again. The ominous feeling still lingered. After some hesitation, he ultimately did not open the door.

    Instead, he spoke toward the door once again.

    "Bat."

    ¡°..."

    "Hey, bat," said the inquisitor.

    That was the password. The correct response was supposed to be ¡®wallet,¡¯ but the voice beyond the door was silent.

    The person didn''t know the response, which meant that they were not a subordinate inquisitor but an enemy. However, by the time he realized this, it was already toote.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    An arm littered with wounds pierced through the iron door, grabbed the inquisitor''s neck, and lifted him up. The inquisitor scratched at the arm with his nails, punched it, and tried to resist in any way he could. However, the arm did not budge. The arm¡¯s strength was so overwhelming that it felt like his neck was going to get cut off by the sheer force before he suffocated.

    "<i>Cough, cough!</i>"

    <i>Thud. </i>

    The arm soon released the inquisitor''s neck. The inquisitor clutched his throat and gasped for breath. He needed to either run away or immediately wield a weapon and resist the enemy, but he was unable to do so.

    <i>Crash! </i>

    The door of the interrogation room shattered. The man on the other side used a strange force to break down the iron door.

    He muttered, "I was just trying to have some fun, but oh well."

    The man touched his arm before entering the interrogation room. The inquisitor was still struggling to catch his breath and regain his senses.

    Yoon-Ahy on the ground and looked at the man entering the interrogation room. Only then did a glint of recognition appear in her eyes, which had previously been filled with venom and hatred.

    Sun-Woo smiled warmly at Yoon-Ah and said, "Good job, Yoon-Ah."

    ***

    Yoon-Ah had met with Sun-Woo several times, even after his true identity was revealed.

    She was someone who had known his identity long before the world found out. She had converted to Voodooism ever since Sun-Woo helped her recover from her zombie state.

    Her role was to be a critical member of the Romanican Church priesthood and to steal information.

    It was something that only she could do because she could wield divine power instead of Voodoo magic and blessings instead of Voodoo spells. Yoon-Ah contacted Sun-Woo and other executives to leak confidential information. She obtained information about the Festival of Light, the foundation of the Romanican Church¡¯s power, and the Knight Order organized to suppress the Voodoo Cult.

    She did her best to assist the Voodoo Cult.

    One day, Yoon-Ah decided to meet with a Voodoo Cultist as usual to deliver more information. On that day, instead of meeting a Voodoo Cult executive, Sun-Woo came in person.

    Sun-Woo handed Yoon-Ah a small device about the size of a finger.

    "What is this?"

    "It¡¯s a tracking device," Sun-Woo answered calmly.

    Up until then, Yoon-Ah thought that her mission was to attach the tracking device to the target. However, the purpose of the device Sun-Woo handed her waspletely different from what Yoon-Ah had imagined.

    "If it is revealed that you are a spy, swallow this at that time."

    "..."

    "That way, I can find you then," Sun-Woo said.

    Yoon-Ah ced the device she received from Sun-Woo in the palm of her hand and silently stared at it for a while.

    She nodded and put the device in her pocket. Then, she looked up at Sun-Woo and said, "Don¡¯t you have something like poison?"

    "Why would you need poison?"

    "Just in case."

    She had been thinking about the possibility of being exposed and being dragged into an interrogation room by an inquisitor. No matter how prepared she might be, humans were often powerless in the face of pain. If she could not keep her wits under torture and was on the verge of revealing information about the Voodoo Cult to the inquisitor torturing her, she figured she could swallow poison and end her life.

    She had already died once when she became a zombie. Thanks to Sun-Woo, she gained a new life. Therefore, even if she dedicated her newly acquired life to the Voodoo Cult and Sun-Woo, she wouldn¡¯t regret it.

    However, Sun-Woo shook his head and said, "No need. I''ll arrive before it''s toote."

    Sun-Woo knew why Yoon-Ah had asked for poison.

    Yoon-Ah smiled and nodded. "Then it¡¯s not necessary."

    She believed in Sun-Woo, and Sun-Woo responded to that belief.

    ***

    Just like Sun-Woo had said, he appeared in front of Yoon-Ah.

    "I wonder why you guys always use the same tactics," Sun-Woo remarked as he looked at Yoon-Ah lying on the ground with the pliers in her mouth.

    He grabbed the trembling, gasping inquisitor and kicked him. The inquisitor flew into the wall of the interrogation room.

    "Ogun," Sun-Woo said as he took out three long iron nails from his pocket.

    The nails turned red and floated in the air before rushing toward the inquisitor pinned to the wall.

    <i>Thud, thud, thud! </i>

    The three nails were deeply embedded into the inquisitor''s wrists and legs, pinning him up against the wall. Sun-Woo stepped toward the inquisitor and then clenched his fist.

    <i>Crack! </i>

    Sun-Woo''s fist struck the inquisitor''s gaping mouth. Broken teeth spilled onto the floor, and the inquisitor screamed in agony from the pain. Soon, he began making strange noises while shedding tears. Thick blood flowed from the inquisitor''s mouth.

    "Huh, ahh... C-cu, l-lt Le... Gu-argh...!"

    The inquisitor tried to speak, but with all his teeth broken, it was impossible to understand what he was trying to say.

    Sun-Woo smirked. "You¡¯re right. It does sound cute now that you don¡¯t have any teeth.¡±

    He then scanned the inquisitor''s body up and down. Sun-Woo''s gaze stopped at a certain point, which was near the inquisitor''s lower garment.

    Sun-Woo nodded as if he had made a decision. "Alright, I know where the source of your sins lies. I''ll make sure you can''t sin anymore."

    Then he unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array to cast the replication spell, Dawn''s de.

    Sun-Woo held a dagger and thrust it in front of the inquisitor. Then, he shook the dagger from side to side and said, "Here. This is the de of purification that will cleanse your sins."

    "Ugh, ugh, <i>cough!</i>"

    The inquisitor squirmed upon seeing the dagger. He seemed to be aware of what Sun-Woo intended to do with that dagger. However, his wrists and legs were firmly nailed to the wall. The inquisitor could only writhe in agony without being able to resist.

    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re so happy at the thought of washing away your sins that you can¡¯t stop moving,¡± Sun-Woo remarked as he looked at the inquisitor.

    He brought Dawn''s de, which glowed a radiant purple, close to the inquisitor.

    hen using the Executioner''s Sword was too bothersome, Sun-Woo often used Dawn¡¯s de as a throwing dagger. However, the original purpose of Dawn''s de was to cleanly butcher the carcasses of animals for rituals.

    <i>Slice!</i>

    Sun-Woo swung Dawn''s de. He was using Dawn''s de for its intended purpose almost for the first time.

    The sound of sharp cuts and the inquisitor¡¯s screams echoed throughout the interrogation room.

 Chapter 346

    <h4>Chapter 346</h4>

    "Ah, argh..."

    Now covered in blood, the inquisitor uttered strange sounds instead of screams or moans. After finishing the torture session, Sun-Woo approached Yoon-Ah. He broke the handcuffs binding Yoon-Ah and used restoration spells to heal the various wounds on her body. He then tried to help Yoon-Ah up.

    She refused. "I can stand up by myself.¡±

    She tried to stand up and walk on her own, but her legs wobbled, causing her to fall over every time. Sun-Woo looked at Yoon-Ah as if she was pathetic.

    "It seems like you can''t stand up by yourself."

    "Uh... I guess it does seem like that?" Yoon-Ah admitted before epting Sun-Woo¡¯s support.

    Walking was much easier with Sun-Woo''s help. Yoon-Ah looked around as she walked with Sun-Woo''s assistance. The inquisitor and the clergymen who had been guarding the interrogation room were sprawled on the floor.

    Their faces were so distorted that it was impossible to recognize them, perhaps due to the blows they had received from Sun-Woo. They were either dead or unconscious.

    "..."

    Sun-Woo had probably subdued those blocking the way to the interrogation room. Yoon-Ah did not pity the fallen clergymen, but she thought Sun-Woo had been a bit excessive.

    Sun-Woo was efficient in most situations. He was asionally cruel, but that cruelty only manifested when such cruelty was necessary. However, he had disyed much more cruelty than necessary, whether it was turning the clergymen''s faces into minced meat or doing such things to the inquisitor interrogating Yoon-Ah.

    "Have you been drinking?" Yoon-Ah asked.

    Yoon-Ah caught a whiff of alcohol from Sun-Woo. He remained silent and stared nkly somewhere.

    Eventually, he reluctantly nodded. "A little. Soo-Yeong kept insisting."

    "Soo-Yeong? Oh... you mean her."

    Yoon-Ah nodded. She knew who Soo-Yeong was. When Yoon-Ah was a zombie a long time ago, she vaguely remembered seeing Soo-Yeong.

    The two of them finally stepped outside. It was sunny when Yoon-Ah entered the interrogation room, but now it was dark due to the clouds. Sun-Woo raised his staff and lightly tapped the ground.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    Then, a strong wind blew, lifting Sun-Woo and Yoon-Ah into the air. It seemed like they would fly all the way to the Voodoo Cult headquarters by riding the wind.

    At that moment, Yoon-Ah was engulfed in anxiety. It was because the wind was rougher and more unpredictable than usual.

    She felt like they might fall and crash to the ground. Due to the anxiety, her body tensed up and her stomach churned. Perhaps the scene of Sun-Woo interrogating the inquisitor had upset her stomach, or maybe it was just motion sickness.

    "Why? Ufortable?" Sun-Woo asked, noticing Yoon-Ah''s suddenly unpleasant expression.

    "M-my stomach feels a bit..."

    ¡°You can vomit after wend," Sun-Woo said.

    Yoon-Ah held her mouth shut with both hands and barely managed to nod.

    ***

    ¡°Uwergh!¡±

    Upon stepping on the ground, Yoon-Ah vomited. She also vomited the location tracker she had swallowed before the inquisitor had caught her. Sun-Woo watched Yoon-Ah vomit everything, then handed her a ss of water.

    "Thank you," Yoon-Ah said as she received the ss with a flushed face.

    She rinsed her mouth with the water. Due to the loud sound of Yoon-Ah vomiting, people at the Voodoo Cult headquarters came out. Initially, they looked at Yoon-Ah warily, but after seeing Sun-Woo next to her, they rxed.

    "Cult Leader, who is that next to you..."

    Among those who came out of the Voodoo Cult headquarters was Ji-Ah. She approached Sun-Woo confidently and then nced briefly at Yoon-Ah, who was catching her breath with her head down.

    Ji-Ah seemed to not recognize Yoon-Ah immediately. However, Yoon-Ah was not particrly upset. Ji-Ah had washed her and prepared meals for her when she was a zombie. Yoon-Ah still vaguely remembered those moments, but that was already several years ago. Furthermore, the current Yoon-Ah was very different from when she was a zombie, both externally and internally. It was natural that Ji-Ah might not remember her.

    "Yoon-Ah?"

    However, Ji-Ah recognized Yoon-Ah. Her eyes widened. Yoon-Ah never imagined that Ji-Ah would recognize her. Ji-Ah hugged Yoon-Ah without hesitation. Yoon-Ah seemed a little flustered by Ji-Ah''s sudden action, but soon epted it and embraced her.

    "Sis, you look exactly the same as you used to. So small," Yoon-Ah said yfully with a smile.

    "In the past, you couldn''t even speak. But now, you¡¯re very gusty..." Ji-Ah said bluntly as she looked up at Yoon-Ah.

    Yoon-Ah stared intently back at Ji-Ah. Within her vague memories of when she was a zombie, Ji-Ah had been a bigger person than anyone else. In a sense, she was even bigger than Sun-Woo. But now, looking at Ji-Ah, she seemed very small. Yoon-Ah felt strange upon realizing that such a small person had taken care of her so diligently.

    Yoon-Ah hugged Ji-Ah even tighter. Ji-Ah squirmed and made strange noises as if she couldn''t breathe.

    Sun-Woo ignored the reunion of the two and turned his head. He seemed to be looking for someone.

    Sun-Woo walked toward Soo-Hyun. He slightly bowed his head to greet Sun-Woo.

    "Executive Soo-Hyun. Where is Soo-Yeong?"

    Soo-Hyun hesitated briefly before answering. However, he couldn¡¯t keep it a secret forever. Soo-Hyun let out a deep sigh and said, "She¡¯s drinking in the executive meeting room. I tried to stop her, but she wouldn''t listen..."

    "She¡¯s still at it?"

    "Yes."

    Soo-Yeong was drinking even before Sun-Woo left to rescue Yoon-Ah. She came up with various excuses, such as ¡®it¡¯s too cold¡¯ and ¡®my heart is troubled,¡¯ in order to continuously fill and empty her ss. It seemed like she was still at it.

    Sun-Woo walked toward the executive meeting room. As Soo-Hyun had said, Soo-Yeong was drinking in the executive meeting room. Several empty bottles were scattered on the floor. It seemed like she had finished them all by herself.

    Sun-Woo sighed and approached Soo-Yeong. While drinking frantically, she noticed Sun-Woo and suddenly stood up from her seat to rush toward Sun-Woo.

    "Cult Leader~!" Soo-Yeong said as she suddenly hugged Sun-Woo.

    It was more like she threw herself at Sun-Woo than hugged him. Sun-Woo frowned at the strong smell of alcoholing from Soo-Yeong.

    "How much did you drink?"

    "A little, um... maybe a little too much? I didn''t drink that much!" Soo-Yeong said in a much higher tone than usual. "Want to drink together? The Cult Leader has been drinking a littletely too, right?!"

    "No... I''m good. We drank together earlier today, remember?"

    "So, did youe to scold me? To tell me to stop drinking?"

    Sun-Woo nodded. "Yes."

    He sighed as he looked at the empty bottles on the floor.

    "But even if I tell you to stop, you probably won''t listen."

    "Correct! I won''t listen," Soo-Yeong said and returned to her seat.

    Then she poured more alcohol into her empty ss. Sun-Woo quietly sat down next to Soo-Yeong. As soon as Sun-Woo sat down, Soo-Yeong emptied the ss. Then, she filled the ss with alcohol and tried to lift the ss to drink more. Sun-Woo barely managed to stop her.

    "Ah, why~"

    "Stop... At the very least, if you¡¯re not going to stop, drink a little slower," Sun-Woo said.

    Soo-Yeong red at Sun-Woo for a moment, then chuckled and put the ss down.

    "I guess I can tolerate that much of a request!"

    "Why are you like this? Drinking without skipping a day. It¡¯s like you''re going to die soon," Sun-Woo asked.

    Soo-Yeong''sughing expression stiffened for a moment. But even that was brief. She once again lifted her ss with a smirk.

    "I¡¯ll let you know if you drink together with me~ If you don''t drink, I won''t tell you."

    "I''m not drinking. I''m already drunk from earlier."

    "Lies, I saw you drink much better than mest time. No matter how much you drink, you don''t get drunk, you! Oh, I mean not <i>you</i>, but Cult Leader."

    "Just tell me. As a favor," Sun-Woo said.

    Soo-Yeong looked a bit surprised. She smiled faintly and emptied her ss once again.

    "Cult Leader has be much kinder. You even asked me for a favor! In the past, whenever I painstakingly created a spell array, you would just crush it without even looking at it properly. You would tell me to do it again and stuff like that..."

    "You still remember that."

    "Yes. And you still haven¡¯t apologized for that. It''s been years. How can you not even apologize once..."

    "I''m sorry. I was a bit impatient back then. I was also young," Sun-Woo said without hesitation.

    "Well, I guess I can forgive you a bit."

    "So, why are you drinking so much then? Even Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung doesn¡¯t drink as much as you."

    Yuk Eun-Hyung also drank a lot of alcohol, not unlike Soo-Yeong. It was mostly with his own mercenary corps members. If there was one difference between the two, Yuk Eun-Hyung could hold his liquor due to hisrge stature. He didn''t get drunk even though he drank a lot. He drank to have fun and stopped drinking when he got too ufortable from his drunkeness.

    However, Soo-Yeong couldn''t handle alcohol well. She was much worse than Sun-Woo, Yuk Eun-Hyung, and Jin-Sung. She would get drunk quickly with just a little bit of alcohol, yet she kept drinking. She didn¡¯t drink for enjoyment. It was like Soo-Yeong relied on alcohol.

    Soo-Yeong finally gave her answer after contemting for a while. "Because I''m scared. I''m scared of the Cult Leader dying."

    "It can''t be just because of that," Sun-Woo said coldly.

    He was right. Soo-Yeong wasn''t just afraid of Sun-Woo dying.

    "I''m scared that the war won''t end. And..."

    "And?"

    "If the Cult Leader dies, then I''ll be next. That''s what scares me the most."

    "..."

    "If the war doesn¡¯t end even after you die, and if I be the Cult Leader, then I¡¯ll end up taking on all that responsibility... What should I do when that happens?"

    If Sun-Woo died, Soo-Yeong would be the Fourth Cult Leader. All the Voodoo Cult members knew this fact, including Sun-Woo and Soo-Yeong.

    At first, Soo-Yeong was happy to be chosen as the next Cult Leader. However, as time passed, she got to know Sun-Woo. Her thoughts gradually changed as she learned about what he had experienced and saw how he behaved during the Holy War.

    "I didn''t want to say it because it¡¯s such a selfish thought."

    She didn''t want to be the Cult Leader. She didn''t want to embrace the responsibility. So, she hoped that Sun-Woo wouldn''t die.

    <i>¡®I don¡¯t want to inherit his role,¡¯</i> Soo-Yeong thought.

    She wished that Sun-Woo would continue to be the Cult Leader. However, she was unable to honestly say that because Sun-Woo probably felt the same way. He also did not want to be the Cult Leader.

    Sun-Woo had lost his parents due to the Holy War that had suddenly broken out, and, at a very young age, he became the Cult Leader against his own will. Compared to Sun-Woo, Soo-Yeong''s worries, burdens, and feelings of anxiety were nothing.

    So, Soo-Yeong could not voice her thoughts. Instead, she continued to just drink alcohol. After getting drunk, the feeling of anxiety eased a little, just a little.

    "That won''t happen."

    "How do you know that?"

    "The Holy See is preparing for a full-scale war. They must also be slowly gathering the Holy Army," Sun-Woo said.

    He did not find that out via a spy in the Romanican Church. Just like how Yu-Hyun knew Sun-Woo, Sun-Woo also knew Yu-Hyun.

    If it were Yu-Hyun, he would be preparing for a full-scale war. He probably knew that it was disadvantageous for the war to drag out for the Romanicans, so he was probably going to wager everything in a single, final battle.

    He was probably going to strike during the winter, when a few of the Loa would have their powers restricted.

    "I will end it all by then. You have nothing to worry about."

    "..."

    "Stop worrying about useless things and stop drinking. And if you''re drunk, go to bed," Sun-Woo said as if it was not a big deal.

    Soo-Yeong was ashamed that she had revealed her innermost thoughts.

 Chapter 347

    <h4>Chapter 347</h4>

    Sun-Woo gathered people in front of Noah''s Ark. A few mercenary corps attended, including Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s mercenary corps and the Ravens Mercenary Corps. Executives from different branches also joined the gathering: Ha Soo-Yeong, Ha Soo-Hyun, Ha Pan-Seok from the Chungcheong Branch, Yeom Man-Gun from the Jeo Branch, and Anna from the Gyeonggi Branch.

    They all had experience leading mercenaries or Voodoo Cult members in both big and small battles. Sun-Woo called them to the front of Noah''s Ark for one reason: to prepare for the uing battle.

    "Given the circumstances, the Holy See will definitely start a battle this winter," Sun-Woo said.

    The phrase ¡®given the circumstances¡¯ was urate. The Romanican Church was in a very critical situation. Groups and societies that opposed war had already turned their backs on the Holy See. Under the leadership of the Purification n, they banded together as a new group hoping for reform within the Romanican Church.

    Even extreme Romanican Church factions like the Levi Order that blindly supported the Holy See cautiously withdrew their support. The reason was the Holy See¡¯s ipetence. The Voodoo Cult and Romanican Church exchanged victories and defeats in numerous battles¡ªhowever, the Voodoo Cult had a greater ratio of victories and defeats.

    The Voodoo Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, personally led the battles. The members of the Voodoo Cult moved under Sun-Woo¡¯s leadership and firmly united under his banner.

    The Romanican Church¡¯s Knight Order had been hastily assembled and led by a mere director for the Holy War. Thus, defeat was inevitable.

    The umted defeats divided the Romanican Church. Despite expectations of strength and steadfastness surpassing other religions, the Romanican Church revealed its weakness and ipetence. It now suffered the same problem that had gued the Voodoo Cult during the First Holy War.

    "And they will definitely try to kill me there. They will not discriminate between means or methods."

    Therefore, the Holy See needed to capture and execute the Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, in order to regain power, prestige, and the public¡¯s support. By doing so, they would be able to prove the Romanican Church¡¯s resilience and make it clear that no cult could pose a threat to them.

    However, simply eliminating the Voodoo Cult would not be enough to regain the lost prestige and public support. The Holy See had another method to deal with their problems more effectively.

    "The Pope will also appear in the final battle. That bastard will want to kill me himself."

    The Pope himself would step forward to eliminate the Cult Leader, the origin, root, and pir of the Voodoo Cult. From the Romanican Church¡¯s perspective, if the Pope led the way and became a war hero after personally defeating the enemy, that would result in the most ideal oue.

    However, they would lose all support if the Holy See lost the final battle where everything was at stake. Romanicans would continue to exist, but no one would believe in the power and authority of the Holy See.

    Even if some random organization started a revolution to rece the Pope and end the Holy See''s regime, there would only be a brief period of chaos, and no one would care all that much. If the ''reformist'' group, led by the Purification n, moved in, then that would be the most ideal scenario.

    However, there were variables. If the Voodoo Cult were defeated in the final battle, and Sun-Woo died, then the Voodoo Cult would disappear without a trace. The Voodoo Cult would either be a religion that only existed in history or a religion that wouldn¡¯t even leave its mark in history.

    "If the Pope kills me, the Holy War will end and peace wille. But there will be no peace for the Voodoo Cult."

    The Voodoo Cult would lose everything if they were defeated in the uing battle.

    "If we can eliminate the Pope, then the oue will be the opposite."

    However, the Romanican Church would also lose everything if they were defeated. While it would not lead to consequences as extreme as theplete dissolution of the Romanican Church, at the very least, the current Holy See and its deeply corrupted roots would all be eradicated.

    The minor victories in the various battles they had fought so far were merely preliminary steps toward inciting the division within the Romanican Church. Only the final battle would truly determine the oue of the Holy War.

    "Today will be thest training session for the sake of victory."

    It was imperative to win, even if it meant using all the Voodoo spells, the power of Loa, and the numerous cards the Voodoo Cult possessed.

    ***

    In reality, the Holy See was gradually losing trust due to the Voodoo Cult defeating the Knight Orders that made up the Holy Army one by one.

    Some people suggested not mobilizing any more soldiers or engaging inbat against the Voodoo Cult. They wanted to establish an agreement where both sides would not harm each other and enter a ''ceasefire'' in order to enjoy temporary peace.

    The Holy See stated that this would be the final Holy Army mobilization. People paid attention to the word ''final.''

    The word ¡®final¡¯ soothed the exhaustion from the unexpectedly prolonged Holy War, the Holy See¡¯s inability to achieve a decisive victory against the Voodoo Cult due to their ipetence, and their resulting sense of powerlessness.

    ¡°What are they up to?¡±

    "With what confidence are they saying it¡¯s the final?"

    However, the deep-rooted distrust that the people felt did not easily dissipate. The word ''final'' was provocative and sweet, but some believed that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they stated that there would be an ¡®Actual Final Holy Army Mobilization¡¯ after the ¡®Final Holy Army Mobilization.¡¯

    The Pope¡¯s sudden appearance dispelled such distrust. He dered that he would personally participate in the battle and eliminate the leader of the Voodoo Cult with his own strength. That statement was enough to convince the people.

    Clergymen who distrusted the Holy See and ignored the Holy Army mobilization notice began to gather one by one. Simr to how this was the Final Holy Army Mobilization, this was also the final trace of faith that the Romanican Church clergymen had in the Holy See.

    "Priest Ha-Yeon."

    As the world was abuzz with news of the final battle, Yu-Hyun called Ha-Yeon to the Trient, where the council for the Holy War was asionally held.

    The two had hardly met since the Holy War. In fact, they had hardly met since graduating from Florence Academy. Yu-Hyun sent the Head Guardians outside because he wanted to talk to Ha-Yeon alone. The bodyguards left without a word, and they were left alone.

    "..."

    The two remained silent for a while. They just stared at each other with their mouths shut. Ha-Yeon looked at Yu-Hyun with a sharp and intense gaze, and Yu-Hyun looked down at Ha-Yeon contemptuously as if he was openly belittling her.

    Yu-Hyun broke the silence. "I heard that you will not participate in the final battle. Not only you, but all members of the Purification n."

    The members of the purification n, including Ha-Yeon, refused to heed the final mobilization order. Strangely, Yu-Hyun used honorifguage, which made Ha-Yeon feel awkward and ufortable.

    Ha-Yeon silently stared at Yu-Hyun, then slowly nodded. "Yes. I didn''t want to respond to the mobilization order. Not just me, but all members of the Purification n."

    "May I ask for the reason?"

    "You probably already know the reason, your Holiness," Ha-Yeon said sarcastically.

    Yu-Hyun chuckled. "It is true that the Holy See showed some weakness in the previous battles."

    "So you know. Then why are you so earnestly asking me for the reason behind my decision?¡±

    "It is because this is the final battle. The Holy See needs the Purification n to stand against the Voodoo Cult."

    "I wish the Purification n also <i>needed </i>the Holy See. But that''s not the case right now."

    "Ha, hahaha..." Yu-Hyunughed.

    Hisughter seemed tock energy. Then, Yu-Hyun looked at Ha-Yeon with narrowed eyes.

    Then, he changed his polite tone.

    "Don''t you think you''ve crossed the line?"

    His tone was aggressive and threatening, the way the ''original'' Yu-Hyun used to speak. His expression had also changed. It was the same expression Ha-Yeon had always detested on Yu-Hyun¡¯s face. Yu-Hyun looked down at Ha-Yeon with a smug grin on one side of his mouth.

    "I know what you¡¯re thinking and what oue you are hoping for. Do you think I¡¯m acting like this because I don¡¯t know?¡±

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun smiled slyly, but with a sharp and piercing gaze, he said, "I am giving you thest chance to change your decision. Rather than siding with the Voodoo Cult and then having your entire n exterminated, wouldn''t it be better to stick with us and at least live as tools?"

    ¡°That''s..."

    "You guys have always lived like that. Through parasitism disguised as symbiosis.¡±

    Ha-Yeon''s expression hardened as she broke out in a cold sweat, and her body trembled. It was a physical reaction beyond her control. Ha-Yeon couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily show such a reaction in front of Yu-Hyun¡ªshe had been conditioned to listen to an oppressive tone and dominant attitude since she was young.

    Sung Yu-Da had also be a puppet of the Pope and started a Holy War, only to eventually take his own life. The Purification n had always been dominated, conditioned, and ultimately trained to be obedient and submissive in front of the Pope. That was the fate that bound the members of the Purification n like massive shackles.

    "Think carefully. I am willing to give you as much time as you need."

    Ha-Yeon raised her head. "You don''t need to give me any time to think. Shall I tell you a prophecy?"

    Yu-Hyun chuckled mockingly and replied, "A prophecy? That sounds interesting."

    "You will have your precious eyeballs plucked out by the Voodoo Cult," Ha-Yeon said with a smile.

    She had cursed at him without a hint of hesitation. Ha-Yeon had always used honorifics her entire life, but she suddenly stopped using them.

    Yu-Hyun''s expression hardened grimly. However, Ha-Yeon continued speaking, unfazed. "And your limbs will be torn apart, leading to your death. Remember that well."

    With those words, Ha-Yeon left. Yu-Hyun stared nkly at Ha-Yeon''s departing figure.

    ***

    The Holy Army, also known as the Last Knight Order, was assembled quickly. Unlike previous iterations, this force mostlyprised of active clergymen and did not have many former mercenaries. The Knight Order led by Dae-Man was defeated due to the fact most members of the Knight Order were former mercenaries.

    The individuals recruited for the Last Order were mostly those who volunteered upon hearing the news that the Pope himself would directly engage in battle. However, there some became part of the Holy Army against their own will, or rather, due to an irresistible force. That person was In-Ah.

    "..."

    Her younger sister, Yoon-Ah, had been arrested on charges of colluding with the Voodoo Cult, and during the interrogation process, she managed to escape with the help of the Cult Leader. In-Ah and her parents were innocent. Not only did they not collude with the Voodoo Cult, but they had never contacted them since the beginning of the Holy War.

    Nevertheless, since Yoon-Ahpletely sided with the Voodoo Cult, they had to prove their loyalty to the Romanican Church. If not, even if there was no evidence, In-Ah''s family could be falsely used of being spies for the Voodoo Cult.

    Therefore, In-Ah ended up joining the Holy Army. In-Ah''s parents were on the verge of retirement, and they had avoided actualbat even during their active clergyman days. Thanks to that, there was no need for her parents to be part of the Holy Army.

    Fortunately, In-Ah was included in the priesthood ranks to support the pdins and crusaders directly engaging inbat.

    "Before the battle, let us all pray for our pdins, crusaders, and priests who fight for the mission given by Adonai..."

    The battle would start today. As soon as the sun rose, the Holy Army, the Last Knight Order, would gather under the Pope¡¯s banner and attack thend where Noah''s Ark, which the Voodoo Cult had upied, was located in an operationbeled Sanctuary Recapture.

    The priesthood held a prayer before the battle at dawn for the safety of the Holy Army and to bless them. In-Ah quietly closed her eyes. Many people she knew were part of the Last Order such as Do-Jin and Kim Bok-Dong who had been teachers at Florence Academy until recently, and Su-Ryeon and Jin-Seo¡ªpeople she used to keep in touch frequently.

    However, In-Ah couldn''t figure out who she should pray for now. Her mind felt chaotic. The prayer ended shortly, and soon the sun rose, and the Last Knight Order finally began to move toward the final battle.

 Chapter 348

    <h4>Chapter 348</h4>

    Noah''s Ark.

    The Ark had to be upied to halt the momentum of the Voodoo Cult, which had achieved consecutive sess in its battles. At the same time, it would sufficiently boost the morale of the Romanican Church. Noah¡¯s Ark was the most suitable ce for the final battle of the ''Last Knight Order.¡¯

    And Sun-Woo knew that.

    "I am certain that the Pope will aim for Noah''s Ark.¡±

    The Noah''s Ark was symbolic. It was a holy artifact created through the coboration of the Voodoo Cult''s Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, and Sung Yu-Da. In a sense, it was the first joint holy artifact between the Romanican Church and Voodoo Cult.

    In any case, it was essentially a holy artifact, officially owned by the Romanican Church. The space where Noah''s Ark was located was considered a sanctuary. It was the only space that could unite the will and beliefs of the Holy Army under the usible pretext of ''recapturing the sanctuary.''

    The Ark was also a keepsake of the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun, who had led the Voodoo Cult to its golden age. The Voodoo Cult could not easily give up Noah''s Ark due to its symbolism to the cult and an important ce that served as a training ground.

    "The Cult Leader cannot avoid this fight. They will probably confront it head-on. There may not be another chance to target me, the Pope," Yu-Hyun said.

    Above all, this battle was also thest opportunity for the Voodoo Cult to eliminate the Pope. Therefore, neither Voodoo Cult nor the Romanican Church could avoid the fight.

    Yu-Hyun chose the Ark as the final battleground for these reasons.

    "But we can¡¯t find Noah''s Ark. The mountains surrounding Noah''s Ark are protected by a spell," Yu-Hyun said.

    The problem was that a spell protected Noah''s Ark. The only ones who knew the exact location of Noah''s Ark were Sung Yu-Da, Sun-Woo, and the executives of the Voodoo Cult that Yu-Hyun did not know. With Sung Yu-Da''s death and the betrayal of the Purification n members, the Romanican Holy Army had no way of locating the Ark.

    "However, the Pope will find it no matter what. They must have a way to find it," Sun-Woo said.

    Yu-Hyun had his unique eyes and strange power, which interfered with the divine power and blessings of others. In addition, if he used the numerous Berakat he possessed, he might be able to locate Noah''s Ark.

    A spell protected Noah''s Ark, a holy artifact infused with spells cast by the Second Cult Leader, Do Myung-Jun. At the same time, it was also a holy artifact bestowed with divine power and a blessing from Sung Yu-Da.

    Considering the power Yu-Hyun possessed, the Romanican Church would most likely be able to locate Noah''s Ark.

    "We will find Noah''s Ark. But the Cult Leader won''t just sit back and watch,¡± Yu-Hyun said

    "To find Noah''s Ark, that is, to remove the ''veil'' of the spell surrounding Noah''s Ark, the Pope must deploy some kind of blessing array,¡± Sun-Woo said.

    ¡°The Cult Leader will try to attack us while we cast the blessing array and prepare for miracle replication.¡±

    ¡°We will strike when the Pope deploys their blessing array, but they¡¯re not just going to stay there.¡±

    ¡°We will retaliate against the Voodoo Cult''s attack.¡±

    ¡°We have already conducted countless training sessions to prepare for that retaliation.¡±

    Both parties knew each other well. Although they hadn¡¯t been on good terms, they had faced each other at Florence Academy. They could see through each other''s thoughts, strategies, and intentions. Predicting each other''s thoughts made their fight even more unpredictable.

    "We will win," the two leaders said in unison.

    ***

    <i>Chrrk!</i>

    The priests unleashed divine power. Following Yu-Hyun''s instructions, they gathered in a circle and unleashed as much divine power as possible. Yu-Hyun and his six Head Guardians stood in the center of the huge circle created by the priests.

    Yu-Hyun moved his fingers, manipting the divine power unleashed by the priests at will. The divine power instantly turned into a blessing array in Yu-Hyun''s hands. Yu-Hyun engraved each blessing array created on the ground. In just a few minutes, a massive fusion blessing array formed.

    Yu-Hyun carved a huge fusion blessing array at the mountain''s entrance where Noah''s Ark was located. The blessing would bestow the Last Knight Order with a new sense of sight, allowing them to see beyond the veil of spells.

    Yu-Hyun wandered through the blessing array which was nearingpletion.

    ¡°Two, four, six, eight...¡± he muttered to himself.

    When he reviewed thepletion of the fusion blessing array, he looked over everything, from the connections between blessing arrays to the core pir blessing and auxiliary blessings supporting the fusion blessing.

    The priests unleashing divine power ording to Yu-Hyun''s instructions were astonished by the sight. The blessing array was soplex that even dozens of priests would not have been enough toplete it. No, a blessing like that would require the collective efforts of an entire priesthood.

    Yu-Hyun alone managed toplete the massive fusion blessing array and even reviewed it himself. Performing such a feat was impossible unless he had every detail of the nature and structure of all the blessing arrays he had drawn and the results of the fusion between them in his mind.

    ¡°...¡±

    His memory was incredible, so much so that the question arose of whether he was human at all, leaving all the priests present in awe.

    But Yu-Hyun''s expression was dark. He hesitated to activate thepleted blessing array due to theck of the blood of purification. This massive blessing array had to bepleted by the special blood from the Purification n. However, all the members of the Purification n, including Ha-Yeon, were absent.

    Just one drop. That was all he needed toplete the blessing.

    Yu-Hyun pondered as he looked around the blessing array. He had contemtedpleting the blessing array through some other element to rece the blood of purification. However, there was no time to ponder for long.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    In the distance, a dull sound echoed from somewhere. Some clergymen trembled just by hearing that sound. It was the sound of the Cult Leader''s staff striking the earth, a prelude that always heralded the beginning of war before he used the power of Loa. It was the overture to the symphony of battle.

    <i>Flutter! </i>

    Birds flew away. The pping sound of their wings was ominous.

    <i>Ruuuuumble...</i>

    The earth started to quake. The Pope and his men thought it was the power of Granbwa, splitting the ground with flourishing vines that moved as if they had a mind of their own. That was the only power they knew that could result in such an earthquake.

    <i>Krrrrrr!</i>

    However, contrary to their expectations, nts did not emerge from the ground. Yu-Hyun felt a strange sense of unease while drawing the blessing array. It was about time for the Voodoo Cultists to show their faces, but they had not appeared until the moment Yu-Hyunpleted the blessing array.

    Only now did Yu-Hyun realize the identity of that strange unease.

    "Crazy bastards, they''ve given up on their humanity!"

    People rose from the ground. Wearing masks to cover their faces and ponchos to conceal their forms, an army of Voodoo Cultists sprung from the earth.

    Yu-Hyun did not expect toe face to face with the Voodoo Cult, but he remained unfazed.

    He quickly shouted toward the priesthood he had prepared. "Priesthood!"

    "Yes, yes!"

    The priests unleashed divine power before Yu-Hyun said anything else. Divine power wriggled and flowed out from the priests, forming a massive chunk that shot up into the sky.

    <i>Pssssssh! </i>

    The divine power turned into a pir of fire and descended onto the ground. The column of me consumed some of the Voodoo Cultists who had emerged through the ground.

    However, the pir of fire was not simply summoned to burn and kill the Voodoo Cultists. It was a signal to gather the pdins and Crusader Order stationed at the entrance of the mountain where Yu-Hyun was drawing the blessing array.

    <i>Srrk! </i>

    Following the pir of fire, crusaders hidden throughout the area appeared. They had been standing at attention all around the area, equipped with the Gown of the Shem Brothers.

    They had minimized their presence through the Gown of the Shem Brothers to lure the Voodoo Cultists. The n was to have the hiddenbatants ambush the Voodoo Cultists when the Voodoo Cult grewcent upon seeing the numbers of the Romanican Church and attack them.

    <i>Chrrk!</i>

    Yu-Hyun did not idle either. He added the final blessing array to his fusion array, which he had been hesitating to cast.

    <i>Shrrrk!</i>

    Thepleted blessing array emitted a brilliant light. Although it was not perfect due to theck of blood for purification, the light of blessing flowed from the massive blessing array and touched all the clergymen present. The clergymen''s eyes and bodies were filled with light.

    Thanks to the blessing array created by Yu-Hyun, their eyes could see beyond the veil of spells, and their bodies became resilient enough to face not only the Voodoo Cultists but also the Cult Leader.

    The clergymen drew their weapons and charged at the Voodoo Cultists wearing masks.

    "Ugh, ahh!"

    <i>sh! </i>

    "Ahhhh! Ahhh!"

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    "Gwahhh!"

    <i>Crunch! </i>

    The Voodoo Cultists wearing masks that suddenly appeared before them were subdued in no time. Some were hacked down by swords, and others had their skulls crushed by maces. Some fell from punches.

    The Voodoo Cultists were slow to react, almostughingly so. Meanwhile, adorned with blessings, the Romanican Church¡¯s Holy Army moved with terrifying speed.

    "Gasp, ahh!"

    The cry of a pdin suddenly changed the seemingly smooth battle. The pdin, diligently umting battle merits by striking down enemies with his mace, suddenly sunk to the ground. He trembled, his face pale. In front of him was an ''enemy'' whose mask had shattered, revealing half of their face.

    The pdin swiveled his head back and forth as he spoke to the ¡®enemy.¡¯

    "P-pdin Go Yu-Bin! W-Why are you there!"

    The faces of numerous ''enemies'' shed by swords or fallen from maces could be seen. Some faces were unfamiliar, while some were known. The problem was that some of these faces were definitely familiar.

    "Gaah!¡±

    All the ''enemies'' they thought were Voodoo Cultists turned out to be numerous clergymen who had been captured as hostages or reported dead in the previous battle. The Holy Army had been fighting zombies, specifically clergymen who had lost their sanity through zombification. They had been shing and bashing their oncerades, fully believing that they were Voodoo Cultists.

    "Could this really be?"

    "Oh no, z-zombies. Zombies!"

    "D-director, why are you... Why are you here?"

    One by one, the Holy Army realized this morbid fact and started to panic.

    They started to hesitate as they discovered that the enemies they were killing were theirrades. The clubs and swords they had swung without a second thought grew heavy, and they could no longer wield their weapons.

    Yu-Hyun bit his lip. "Damn, so that¡¯s why¡ª!"

    He never thought Sun-Woo woulde up with such a despicable n.

    Sun-Woo had used zombies, not the Voodoo Cult, to break the morale of the Holy Army and create confusion. He was truly ruthless.

    "No, no. This is actually..."

    Yu-Hyun had a n in mind. At first nce, Sun-Woo''s scheme seemed to have cornered the Holy Army. However, if they could use this situation to their advantage, they might boost the Holy Army''s morale.

 Chapter 349

    <h4>Chapter 349</h4>

    The Romanican Church clergymen of the Last Knight Order were confused before the battle even began. They couldn''t bring themselves to strike down their zombifiedrades. All they could do was retreat again in fear. The blessing array meticulously set up by Yu-Hyun was now meaningless.

    "..."

    Yu-Hyun racked his brain for ideas.

    Blessings enhanced the clergmen¡¯s physical abilities. However, no matter how strong their physical abilities became, it was meaningless if the clergymen lost their will to fight.

    What the Last Knight Order needed now was resolve¡ªresolve that could allow them to strike down even their zombifiedrades. They needed overwhelming faith and belief that would paralyze their guilt toward their fallenrades.

    "They are already dead!" Yu-Hyun shouted at the hesitant clergymen shuffling backward. "They are neither alive nor dead but manipted by the evil spell of the Voodoo Cult."

    He then approached the clergymen sitting on the ground. He grabbed hold of one of their weapons, which was a mace. Yu-Hyun gripped it and approached the zombies shuffling toward them.

    "Let''s free our brothers and sisters from the clutches of this evil spell."

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Yu-Hyun struck the zombie''s head with the mace. The zombie died gruesomely, its head split wide open.

    The retreating clergymen stopped moving back. They merely stood at the forefront, staring nkly at Yu-Hyun smashing the zombie''s skull with the mace.

    Yu-Hyun raised the mace and said, "We are the only ones who can save our brothers and sisters!"

    The zombie¡¯s blood and brain matter dripped from the club.

    "Let us lead them to the side of Adonai!" Yu-Hyun shouted for thest time.

    Suddenly, light flowed from the giant fusion blessing Yu-Hyun had activated earlier. The brilliant light of blessing enveloped the dead zombies. It looked as if they had been saved, granted with the blessing of death.

    The clergymen saw Yu-Hyun and his mace held up high. Their fearful and blurry eyes regained focus again, and they each grasped their weapons.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Facing the approaching zombies, the clergymen brandished their swords and swung their clubs. The zombies had been deprived of the freedom of death by the Voodoo Cult¡¯s evil spell. They had been stripped of their sanity and even from the choice of death. This was not murder but salvation. Believing so, the clergymen could now kill theirrades without hesitation.

    The clergymen suddenly regained their unity, and shouted the words like a chant as they killed the zombies.

    "To the arms of Adonai!"

    The zombies had no properbat skills and only rushed forward. They stood no chance against the clergymen. One after the other, the zombies fell. Adorned with the light of blessing, the clergymen wielded their weapons and roared.

    The zombies that suddenly appeared were all killed. They did not disappear, spewing ck smoke like demons or demonic beasts. The zombies all remained in their ce on the ground, but no clergymen paid any attention.

    "To the arms of Adonai!"

    "Let us save our brothers and sisters!"

    Even after bringing down all the zombies, the clergymen continued to chant, their eyes shining brightly with the light of blessing that Yu-Hyun had bestowed on them earlier.

    The blessing that adorned the eyes of the clergymen was not a blessing but a Berakah, also known as the Lamp of Adonai. It allowed the clergymen to not only see spells and the Voodoo magic that made up spells, but to visualize the flow of divine power within the members of the Romanican Church.

    The Berakah was the very power that Yu-Hyun had used to draw a circle with divine power in his eyes. Yu-Hyun had shared such powers with all the clergymen present. As a result, the final Pdin Order could see Noah''s Ark beyond the veil of spells.

    "Onward. Let us reim our sanctuary¨D!" Yu-Hyun shouted.

    The clergymen armed themselves and finally entered the mountain.

    ***

    "I thought they would be shaken up a bit," Sun-Woo muttered.

    He ced his hand on the ground, emitting a green light, and closed his eyes. He was using the perspective of nts to assess the situation.

    Beside Sun-Woo was Soo-Yeong. Naturally, only Sun-Woo could use the power, so Soo-Yeong had yet to learn of their situation.

    She tilted her head. "What happened? Are all the zombies dead?"

    Sun-Woo nodded. "Yes. It''s time to start shortly. Are you ready?"

    "Probably," Soo-Yeong replied.

    Sun-Woo raised his staff.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    He struck the ground with his staff, and a loud noise reverberated through the air. The sky was nketed with dark clouds¡ªnot pitch ck but light gray clouds close to a bluish hue. Soon, snow fell.

    Sun-Woo was slightly taken aback. Soo-Yeong chuckled.

    "What are you going to do with snow?"

    "Damn, I forgot that it''s winter right now."

    "Of course, it''s winter. It''s so cold here.¡±

    Sun-Woo didn''t respond to her. He raised his head and looked up at the sky, where snow was falling heavily.

    "It doesn¡¯t make much of a difference as long as it gets darker," Sun-Woo said.

    It would have been better if it had rained. Through rain, they could neutralize the enemies¡¯ holy artifact, the Gown of the Shem Brothers, and there were plenty of methods to utilize the sound of rain in their operation. But the snow wasn''t bad either. It was more than enough if they could darken the surroundings even a little.

    Sun-Woo took a dagger out of his pocket and cut his palm. Soo-Yeong closed her eyes tightly as if she couldn''t bear to see the sight.

    <i>Drip, drip.</i>

    Sun-Woo sprinkled the blood from his palm on the ground and drew a symbol. It was a v¨¦v¨¦.

    "I''ll scatter the enemies. Once they are scattered enough, I''ll let you know through the nts," Sun-Woo said as he raised his staff.

    Soo-Yeong nodded. "The goal is to systematically eliminate the Head Guardians around that bastard of a Pope, right?¡±

    "If the opportunity arises, you can take the Pope''s life first. Although it seems unlikely that will happen. I¡¯ll pinpoint the locations of the key enemy figures and inform you through the nts."

    "Alright," Soo-Yeong replied.

    Sun-Woo raised his staff high into the sky.

    <i>Bang¨D!! </i>

    And he struck the ground forcefully.

    <i>Kgggg....... </i>

    The ground began to tremble from Sun-Woo¡¯s power. The intense vibration traveled from the soles of people¡¯s feet to the top of their heads. The vibrations were strong enough to easily make people lose their bnce, but Soo-Yeong stood firm without wavering. She had experienced this level of vibration countless times during training sessions in Noah''s Ark.

    "It¡¯s time for the real battle to begin," Sun-Woo said.

    <i>Crraackk¨C! </i>

    Following Sun-Woo''s gaze, the mountain swayed back and forth, changing its appearance.

    Some areas opened up, while others copsed. Valleys rose to be ridges, and ridges caved in to be valleys. Roots frozen from the winter chill broke through the ground and moved about, spewing Voodoo mist.

    The spell Sun-Woo had been engraved by hand, and the power of the Loa was now activated. Sun-Woo had done his job. The enemies would soon lose their way due to the suddenly altered terrain and the Voodoo mist flowing from the tree roots. The orderly ranks of the Romanican Church would scatter and fall into chaos.

    Now, everything was up to Soo-Yeong and the other Voodoo Cult members. They had to ovee the numerical disadvantage by defeating the scattered enemies one by one, especially focusing on eliminating the Head Guardians with Berakat to weaken Pope Yu-Hyun''s power.

    "Don''t die!" Sun-Woo said as he watched Soo-Yeong put on her mask to enter the battle.

    "Take care of yourself, you idiot!" Soo-Yeong said gruffly.

    Sun-Woo¡¯s nose was bleeding due to the power''s drawbacks.

    She then jumped into the mountain, turbulent from the power of Loa.

    ***

    The Pdin Order advanced. Composed mainly of active clergymen, the Last Knight Order marched forward with high stability, their formations unwavering.

    The Pdin Order divided its ranks ording to its members¡¯ specialties. Armed pdins and crusaders were at the forefront, preparing for a full-scale battle with the Voodoo Cult. In the rear were priesthoods that altered the situation with miracle replication or led members who strayed from the formation. Yu-Hyun, his six Head Guardians, and the subordinate guard unit were at the center of the formation.

    Additionally, some crusaders acted independently from the formation. They were the special forces tasked with locating and assassinating the Cult Leader, who was giving orders to the Voodoo Cult from somewhere in the mountains. This unit consisted of four members: Jin-Seo, Simon, Su-Ryeon, and Do-Jin. They were few in number, but four skilled clergymen would be more effective in facing the Cult Leader than hundreds of inexperienced clergymen.

    Do-Jin, the special unit leader searching for the Cult Leader, remarked, "I never expected to meet you all under these circumstances."

    Do-Jin remembered Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and, of course, Sun-Woo. He had a feeling they would all meet again someday, but he never imagined it would be under these conditions.

    The special forces were organized to kill Sun-Woo. Everyone present moved to kill him. Perhaps it had been inevitable, as Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. However, Do-Jin found it challenging to ept that as a matter of fact.

    "..."

    Neither Jin-Seo nor Su-Ryeon responded to Do-Jin. They seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

    <i>Bang¨D!! </i>

    Suddenly, a loud noise echoed throughout the mountain. It was the sound of the Cult Leader striking the ground with his staff, a precursor to unleashing his power. There was no time to react.

    <i>Crraackk¨C! </i>

    Following the noise, the mountain began to move. The mountain changed shape frighteningly fast. Valleys copsed, peaks rose, and the surrounding terrain changed rapidly. Even mist emanated from the tree roots that had pierced through the ground.

    Thanks to wearing the anti-Voodoo mask, Do-Jin did not lose consciousness immediately. However, he could notpletely block the Cult Leader''s spell even with the mask.

    His head was spinning, and his vision was blurred. Whether it was due to the power of the Loa changing the terrain or the Voodoo mist he inhaled, he could not tell.

    "... "

    Soon after, Do-Jin regained his senses. The problem was that he couldn''t even tell where he was. Due to the power and spells of the Loa, Do-Jin found himself stranded somewhere in the middle of the mountain without even knowing it. Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Simon were nowhere to be seen.

    "Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon! Simon! Are you okay? If you can hear me,e this way!" Do-Jin shouted, turning his head around.

    He assumed they could hear his voice ande closer if they were not far away.

    At that moment, Do-Jin heard a voice above his head.

    "We¡¯re up here."

    Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and even Simon were all hanging on the trees, looking down at the battlefield. Do-Jin thought he and the other members were isted on the mountain, but in reality, no one was stranded alone.

    Do-Jin nodded at them. "Oh, okay."

    Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Simon were all skilled crusaders. They were not the type to be isted just from this event.

    Do-Jin felt proud of his disciples who had grown into excellent crusaders but also ashamed of his loss ofposure and shouting earlier.

    <i>Crunch, crunch.</i>

    However, there was no time to feel relieved that no one was isted. Footsteps were gradually getting closer to the special unit. The unit members gripped their weapons, staring toward the sound on alert.

    Do-Jin, Jin-Seo, and Yun Simon held swords, while only Su-Ryeon held her gun. Soon, the enemy revealed themselves.

    "Damn it... Not this again," Simon muttered as soon as he saw the enemy.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung stared at Simon with sharp eyes. "You again, Crusader."

 Chapter 350

    <h4>Chapter 350</h4>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung and the special forces faced each other. Su-Ryeon held her gun and quickly distanced herself from Yuk Eun-Hyung as she felt a dangerous aura emanating from him.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung looked at the special forces. His eyes were as cold and sharp as they were eerie.

    "..."

    The aura in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s eyes was beyond hostile. There was a deep, indescribable, horrific hatred there. For some reason, Yuk Eun-Hyung unleashed his intense hatred toward the special forces. In his right hand was an ax. Although it was just an ordinary hand ax, it looked like a dangerous weapon in Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s hands.

    Su-Ryeon was not the only one who sensed danger. Simon, Jin-Seo, and Do-Jin instinctively felt it as well. They gripped their swords and looked at Yuk Eun-Hyung as he rotated his wrist.

    Simon gulped hard and said, "It''s Yuk Eun-Hyung.¡±

    Do-Jin''s eyes widened. "Are you talking about Yuk Eun-Hyung from the mercenary corps?"

    "Yes, it¡¯s that lunatic. We might have a chance because it¡¯s four against one, but we need to be careful," Simon replied.

    Do-Jin and Yuk Eun-Hyung made eye contact. Yuk Eun-Hyung''s expression twisted. Do-Jin broke out in a cold sweat.

    The two had met before. The Trinitas Crusader Order that Do-Jin belonged to had participated in Yuk Eun-Hyung''s mercenary corps suppression operation. Although he hardly had any direct encounters with Yuk Eun-Hyung during the operation, Do-Jin had heard of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s infamous reputation. He had heard stories of how Yuk Eun-Hyung resisted to the end, even though he had been covered in blood.

    ¡°Do-Jin of Trinitas," Yuk Eun-Hyung muttered upon seeing Do-Jin.

    Do-Jin''s sword trembled along with his hand.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung rotated his wrist and approached Do-Jin. The snow fell harshly around them, and the sharp winds brushed against their skin.

    With the tip of the sword aimed at Yuk Eun-Hyung, Do-Jin calmly said, "Yuk Eun-Hyung, if you tell me the location of the Cult Leader, I will let you go. We just need to know where he is."

    Do-Jin decided to negotiate. In Do-Jin''s mind, there was no need to fight Yuk Eun-Hyung. The goal of the special forces was to eliminate or suppress the Cult Leader. There was no reason to waste their stamina in battles with other Voodoo Cultists who weren¡¯t with the Cult Leader. Above all, Yuk Eun-Hyung was alone, while four were in the special forces. They might be able to avoid a fight through negotiation.

    "Who''s going to let who go now?" Yuk Eun-Hyun replied.

    However, Yuk Eun-Hyung had no intention of epting the negotiation. Do-Jin clicked his tongue and nodded. Soon, his body began to glow from the light of blessing. It was a skill that only So Do-Jin could use, as he could use blessings without drawing blessing arrays.

    With a <i>thump</i>, Do-Jin rushed toward Yuk Eun-Hyung. The piled-up snow fluttered at Do-Jin''s charge. Do-Jin precisely swung the sword toward Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s neck. He felt that his sword had hit its mark¡ªYuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s head would surely be rolling on the snow-covered ground.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    However, what fell on the ground for some reason was not Yuk Eun-Hyung''s head but Do-Jin''s de. When Do-Jin''s sword approached Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck, Yuk-Eun-Hyung immediately grabbed the sword with his bare hands and shattered the de.

    "You''ve gotten old," Yuk Eun-Hyung muttered as he held the broken sword and looked at the bewildered Do-Jin.

    Blood trickled from Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s palm, where he had held the sword de with his bare hands. Yuk Eun-Hyung didn''t pay any attention to it as that level of pain was familiar to him.

    But Yuk Eun-Hyung had no time to rx. Simon and Jin-Seo were still standing. Taking advantage of Yuk Eun-Hyung''s focus on Do-Jin, the two drew blessing arrays and utilized them to leap toward Yuk Eun-Hyung.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    The two swung their swords almost simultaneously. Yuk Eun-Hyung leaned back to avoid their strikes. Simon and Jin-Seo''s swords brushed past Yuk Eun-Hyung''s hair, so they immediately prepared for the next attack. Jin-Seo immediately used a blessing, her body enveloped in its light. Simon also tried to use a blessing, but there was no time.

    <i>Thwack! </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s ax sank into Simon''s shoulder.

    "Ugh, agh!" Simon cried out in pain and slumped down.

    Simon¡¯s grip on his sword loosened. Nevertheless, Simon did not drop the sword. With desperate determination, he somehow held onto it. However, he could not swing the sword again. His mind was clouded with pain.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung then turned his gaze toward Jin-Seo, but he had no chance to swing his ax at her. Jin-Seo''s sword was already in front of Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s neck.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Yuk Eun-Hyung could not avoid the sword. More urately, he was only barely able to prevent his neck from being severed. He had reached out his hand to block Jin-Seo''s sword, giving up his wrist to deflect the blow aimed at his neck.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung''s face twisted slightly. But he regained hisposure, grasped his ax, and raised his weapon into the sky.

    <i>Bang-! </i>

    At that moment, a gunshot rang out. While Do-Jin, Jin-Seo, and Simon stood against Yuk Eun-Hyung with their swords drawn, Su-Ryeon took her position behind the trees. Seizing the opportunity when Yuk Eun-Hyung''s movement paused momentarily due to his severed wrist, Su-Ryeon pulled the trigger. Her gun aimed true at his heart.

    <i>Plunge! </i>

    Just before the bullet hit him, Yuk Eun-Hyung quickly stepped back to dodge the shot. However, he wasn¡¯t able topletely avoid it. Once again, he narrowly avoided the bullet to his heart, but it struck his knee instead. Yuk Eun-Hyung lost his bnce and fell.

    However, the battle was not over yet. Yuk Eun-Hyung''s eyes were still alive. He red at Su-Ryeon as she held onto the gun while perched on the tree with murderous intent. He gripped the ax tightly, nning to throw the ax to hit Su-Ryeon.

    <i>Crunch! </i>

    At that moment, Do-Jin stepped on Yuk Eun-Hyung''s wrist. Thus, Yuk Eun-Hyung''sst resistance was thwarted.

    "Ugh!" Yuk Eun-Hyung groaned in pain.

    He stared at Do-Jin, who was looking down at him. Despite losing his left hand and sustaining a gunshot wound to his knee, rendering further resistance impossible, Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s eyes still glinted with venom.

    <i>Squish. </i>

    Do-Jin pressed Yuk Eun-Hyung¡¯s wrist harder. "Tell me where the Cult Leader is."

    The ax that Yuk Eun-Hyung had grasped tightly fell to the ground. Do-Jin pointed his broken sword at Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck. Even though it was broken, it would not have a problem taking away the breath of apletely subdued opponent.

    "If you don''t speak, I have no choice but to kill you. Choose."

    ***

    The clergymen were bewildered.

    The terrain had suddenly changed, causing the ranks to scatter. Moreover, the sky had darkened because of the thick clouds, and they could not tell where they were, with the white snow falling throughout the entire area.

    The clergymen desperately reached for their Burning Bush Twigs, a holy artifact that allowedmunication with other clergymen by infusing divine power. They unleashed the divine power and poured it into their Burning Bush Twigs.

    <i>re! </i>

    The Burning Bush Twigs caught fire, and the clergymen brought their mouths to the mes.

    <i>Kwak! </i>

    The Voodoo Cult seized the opportunity.

    "Oof, ugh. kggh!"

    A noose tightened around the neck of the clergymen who had unleashed divine power and infused it into their Burning Bush Twigs. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the clergymen could not resist. They writhed in pain before losing consciousness. Their limp bodiesy sprawled on the snowy ground.

    "These fools are nothing when scattered," Soo-Hyun muttered as he looked at the fallen clergymen.

    The clergymen, disoriented by the suddenly altered terrain, scrambled to draw their Burning Bush Twig or unleash their divine power. Thanks to the light emitted by the divine power, the Voodoo Cultists quickly pinpointed their location.

    Soo-Hyun and the Ravens Mercenary Corps followed the light to locate the clergymen, then strangled them to death with nooses. Dozens of clergymen had already been dispatched in this manner.

    "I hope everything is going smoothly," Soo-Hyun murmured, raising his head.

    The snow-covered mountain was beautiful, but only from a distance. Fierce battles between life and death urred in various parts of this white-painted mountain.

    Things had been going in favor of the Voodoo Cult so far. Everything was going ording to Cult Leader Sun-Woo¡¯s n. However, they did not know what variables might arise in the future. Despite the Voodoo Cult¡¯s current advantage, there was always a chance that a certain event could shift the tide in favor of the Romanican Church.

    "..."

    Soo-Hyun shook his head. This wasn''t the time to be having such thoughts. He needed to subdue clergymen. The only way to help the Voodoo Cult at the moment was to subdue clergymen instead of thinking about such things.

    Right now, he needed to do what needed to be done.

    This overwhelming belief controlled Soo-Hyun, and was the backbone of his behavioral patterns. He killed the Levi Order''s director during The Starless Night for this reason. The same motivation led to his imprisonment in an underground cell. After Sun-Woo, the third Cult Leader, helped him escape, he pledged loyalty to the Voodoo Cult for this very cause. Now, this driving forcepelled him to strangle clergymen with a rope. He had done everything following his beliefs.

    "Executive Soo-Hyun. Please do what needs to be done, even if I die."

    Soo-Hyun remembered Sun-Woo''s words and cleared his mind of distractions. He walked again in the direction of another light.

    ***

    Soo-Yeong raised the Executioner''s Sword and swung.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    The head of the Head Guardian of Charity, who had been fighting Soo-Yeong until a moment ago, toppled onto the snowy ground. Bright red blood stained the white snow.

    Soo-Yeong sat down in front of the dismembered head.

    She roughly gasped for breath. "Hah, hah!"

    The eerie sensation of cutting flesh was still vivid in her mind. Her palm tingled while holding the sword.

    The Executioner''s Sword was a weapon made of Voodoo magic. Compared to a real sword, the sensation of cutting was almost imperceptible. Behead someone¡¯s head with the Executioner''s Sword was easy¡ªso easy. However, even so, that didn¡¯t lighten the burden of murder.

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong thought she would never get used to this feeling of killing someone. Her stomach churned. A brilliant light emanated from the body of the beheaded Head Guardian. The flickering light wavered and eventually rose into the sky, disappearing out of sight. That was probably what Sun-Woo referred to as Berakah.

    "I killed the Head Guardian of Charity. I also witnessed the Berakhah disappearing,¡± Soo-Yeong said to the tree roots wriggling through the ground.

    By speaking to the tree roots anywhere in the mountains, her words would all be ryed to Sun-Woo.

    A voice came from the tree roots. Although the voice was distorted and eerily split, it was Sun-Woo''s.

    <i>-Well done.</i>

    "Right, where are the other Head Guardians?" Soo-Yeong asked without hesitation.

    Her role was to locate and eliminate the Head Guardians isted by Sun-Woo''s power. It was obvious why no one else but Soo-Yeong was given this role. Apart from Sun-Woo, no one in the Voodoo Cult could use spells better than her. From enthrallment spells like the curse of fainting and intoxication to replication spells like Executioner''s Sword and Dawn''s de, she was the only follower of the Voodoo Cult who could use them perfectly.

    Soo-Yeong was the only one who knew how to use powerful spells like Executioner''s Sword to deal with the escort bosses who had been bestowed with the special power called Berakah by the Pope, Yu-Hyun.

    -<i>Wait a moment. It.. looks g... esca...</i>

    Soo-Yeong frowned. Sun-Woo¡¯s voice had been clear and audible until seconds ago, but now it was hard to make out.

    ¡°What? I can''t hear you well!¡±

    <i>-First... get ou... th..</i>

    ¡°''What are you saying? Speak clearly!''

    <i>Flop. </i>

    The tree roots that were conveying Sun-Woo''s voice rotted and withered away. This was the first time this had happened. What had happened to Sun-Woo? Sun-Woo had used the Loa''s power several times before. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the drawbacks had slowly crept in.

    A rough voice suddenly reached Soo-Yeong''s ears.

    ¡°Damn, he''s ying tricks. That bastard!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    She was certain that it was an enemy. No one in the Voodoo Cult had such an unpleasant voice. Soo-Yeong hid in the nearby bushes and listened carefully to the approaching sound.

    <i>Crunch, crunch. </i>

    She heard footsteps in the snow. Judging by the sound, there were at least three enemies. Soo-Yeong unleashed Voodoo magic and prepared to draw a spell array. After preparing to use her spells, Soo-Yeong raised her head above the bushes to confirm the faces of the enemies.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    Soo-Yeong made a sound without realizing it as soon as he saw that face. That person had blonde hair, mottled skin, and sharply raised eyes¡ªnot to mention the shy attire that outshone the other clergymen and Head Guardians. It was Pope Yu-Hyun, the mastermind behind the death of Soo-Yeong¡¯s mother during The Starless Night and the person responsible for throwing Soo-Hyun into the underground prison.

    He was Soo-Yeong''s nemesis, whom she wouldn''t mind killing a few times. Her nemesis was right in front of her. Soo-Yeong gritted her teeth. Very carefully, so as not to catch Yu-Hyun''s eye, she drew a spell array.

 Chapter 351

    <h4>Chapter 351</h4>

    Jin-Seo approached Simon and grabbed his shoulders. "Simon, are you okay?"

    She briefly removed the anti-Voodoo mask to examine his condition closely. Su-Ryeon also removed her gas mask and approached Simon to assess his condition too.

    Su-Ryeon''s expression darkened. "You¡¯ll live if you¡¯re healed, but... you won¡¯t be able to fight anymore. That much is certain.¡±

    "Hoo, hoo! I-Is there no way? I could use a splint!" Simon gasped, his breath ragged.

    Whether it was due to the pain or the cold, his body trembled. Yet, determination was still visible in his eyes. Simon wanted to keep fighting. He wanted to fight to the end and defeat the Cult Leader with his own hands.

    "A splint won''t heal those wounds. You need to retreat," Jin-Seo said firmly as if crushing Simon''s hopes. "You''re not fit for battle in this state. Get out of here."

    "But, if I get healed¡ª!" Simon protested.

    "I can provide some emergency healing, but that won''t be enough to move your arm. Go get proper healing from priests specializing in healing," Jin-Seo said as she unleashed her divine power and drew a healing array.

    The light of healing enveloped Simon''s shoulders, quickly stopping the bleeding. Jin-Seo had talent not only in blessings but also in healing. However, even with Jin-Seo''s healing, Simon''s wounds could not be treated entirely. Simon broke out in a cold sweat, trying to move his arm in any way possible. He tried to grasp his sword. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t grasp the sword again.

    "That''s the best you can do right now. There''s no room to worry about someone like you who''s injured when we¡¯re against someone like the Cult Leader," Jin-Seo said.

    She gave her sincere advice. There was no need to fight to the death. Withdrawing from the battle without being stubborn was also an option.

    Simon listened to Jin-Seo and pondered. He knew he was in no condition to fight right now.

    "Still, just a little more... I want to fight a little more. Even if I can''t kill the Cult Leader, I want to at least swing my sword at him once," Simon said firmly, shaking his head while his body trembled.

    Su-Ryeon nodded silently. "I understand how you feel. I feel the same way. But... Ah, I don''t know. What should I say at times like this?"

    Su-Ryeon sighed as if she felt awkward.

    Jin-Seo looked at Simon. He was still trembling from pain from the ax that had sunk into his shoulder, but he insisted on fighting. Jin-Seo had nothing to say. More urately, nothing could be said.

    She understood his hatred. Dae-Man had died at the hands of Sun-Woo. Su-Ryeon, Dae-Man''s lover, naturally wanted to kill Sun-Woo. At least she would want to confirm Sun-Woo''s death with her own eyes. However...

    "..."

    On the other hand, Jin-Seo did not want that. She knew that to end this fight, there was no other way but to kill Sun-Woo. Even if Pope Yu-Hyun died, the Romanican Church would still stand. Someone else would immediately take over the Pope''s position, and the Holy War would continue.

    However, if Sun-Woo died, the Holy War would cease immediately, even if the Voodoo Cult did not disappear overnight. She wanted the fight to end. To end the fight, Sun-Woo had to die. However, she didn''t want to do that. So what could she do? What did she want to do? Jin-Seo bit her lip.

    Meanwhile, Do-Jin was still interrogating Yuk Eun-Hyung. "I''ll ask again. Tell me the Cult Leader''s location. Then I''ll spare you."

    "I don''t know the Cult Leader''s location. I''m just a pawn. Only the executives know the Cult Leader''s location," Yuk Eun-Hyung firmly stated in response to Do-Jin''s questioning.

    Do-Jin pressed Yuk Eun-Hyung''s wrist harder and Yuk Eun-Hyung''s face twisted a little more. Do-Jin held the broken sword up against Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck and applied a little pressure. Blood dripped from Yuk Eun-Hyung''s thick neck.

    "Don''t lie to me. Even an old and sick crusader like me knows that you are one of the Voodoo Cult''s executives," Do-Jin said.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung chuckled. "Did you take my words to heart?"

    "Answer the question. Before I kill you," Do-Jin warned.

    "Stop fucking around. Just kill me."

    He pushed his neck further into Do-Jin¡¯s de. The blood that had been dripping now began to flow steadily. Do-Jin withdrew his sword in bewilderment.

    Yuk Eun-Hyung stared at Do-Jin with eyes full of venom and said, "No matter how much you threaten me, I will not speak. Don''t waste your time, just kill me quickly."

    "..."

    ¡°Even if you gouge out my eyes, cut off my tongue, and pull out all my fingernails, I will never speak. I will not yield to measly likes of pain and fear."

    There was no wavering in his eyes.

    Do-Jin realized that this man would never reveal the Cult Leader''s location. No amount of threats or torture would work on him.

    "Fine.¡±

    Do-Jin gripped his sword as there was no point in dying further. Yuk Eun-Hyung would refrain from saying anything. Do-Jin raised his sword high. Yuk Eun-Hyung closed his eyes tightly as if sensing his approaching death.

    "Yuk Eun-Hyung, ya bastard¨D!!"

    <i>Crash!! </i>

    <i>Psssssh!</i>

    Right then, along with a southern enting from somewhere, a bottle flew before the special forces. The bottle shattered, igniting a fire nearby. It was a special Molotov cocktail made with Yeom Man-Gun''s factory alcohol engraved with an intoxication spell.

    ck smoke and purple mist rose into the air.

    "Ugh!" Jin-Seo and Su-Ryeon''s eyes widened as they inhaled the mist.

    They were preparing for battle with their swords in hand, but their grips loosened due to the intoxication spell. Do-Jin was no exception. He lost his grip on the sword he was holding to stab Yuk Eun-Hyung''s neck.

    "It''s m-me! Yeom Man-Gun hase, Yuk Eun-Hyung!" Yeom Man-Gun shouted.

    Yeom Man-Gun threw the Molotov cocktail. He had taken advantage of the moment when the intoxication spell paralyzed the special unit. After swiftly lifting Yuk Eun-Hyung onto his back, he ran away without looking back. Unaware of what was happening, Yuk Eun-Hyung barely managed to survive with the help of Yeom Man-Gun.

    Yeom Man-Gun carried Yuk Eun-Hyung on his back and ran surprisingly well. Yeom Man-Gun continued muttering as he ran, "It''s the will of the Cult Leader, not my mine. It''s all the will of the Cult Leader!"

    Yeom Man-Gun carried Yuk Eun-Hyung and escaped from the mountain. As he had said, that was the ''will of the Cult Leader.''

    <i>Booom¨C!</i>

    A loud noise echoed from somewhere, which was the sound of a staff striking the ground. The mountain trembled, and the wind blew fiercely, making the falling snow flutter wildly. Yuk Eun-Hyung looked around. The white mountain gradually turned red in all directions. Sinister and eerie red light slowly engulfed the mountain.

    ***

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong observed Yu-Hyun while crouching.

    "Can''t you get in touch with the other Head Guardians?" Yu-Hyun asked, looking at the two Head Guardians beside him.

    The two Head Guardians kneeled and bowed to Yu-Hyun, showing their respect. "Yes, Your Holiness. We haven¡¯t been able to contact the Head Guardians of Chastity, Humility, and Temperance. Communication with the Head Guardian of Charity was briefly established, but it was cut off after the battle began.¡±

    "Is that so?" Yu-Hyun replied.

    Yu-Hyun took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Meanwhile, Soo-Yeong, fumbled through her memories as she closed her fingers.

    ording to the Head Guardians next to Yu-Hyun, they had lost contact with the Head Guardians of Chastity, Humility, and Temperance. Soo-Yeong herself had just dealt with the Head Guardian of Charity. Sun-Woo had killed the Head Guardian of Diligence, Dae-Man. The remaining ones were Kindness and Patience. In other words, the two Head Guardians there were Kindness and Patience.

    Yu-Hyun looked around. Soo-Yeong quickly lowered her head. It would be a big problem if Yu-Hyun looked in her direction.

    "Now¡¯s the time to capture the Cult Leader. He wouldn''t be in good shape if he used this much power. Are we in contact with the special forces?" Yu-Hyun said.

    The two Head Guardians shook their heads. "Contact with the special forces has been cut off too."

    "Damn. Why do we even bother to supply the Branch of the Burning Bush... Anyway, understood. Let''s focus on what we can do here for now.¡±

    The two Head Guardians nodded and drew their weapons. The Head Guardian of Kindness had a whip, and the Head Guardian of Patience had a giant wheel. Both weapons looked very menacing at first nce. Soo-Yeong gulped nervously.

    Yu-Hyun unleashed his divine power and drew a circle in his eyes. His eyes shone brightly and clearly.

    "But first, let¡¯s catch the rat who''s been eavesdropping on our conversation," Yu-Hyun said.

    The two Head Guardians nodded. Soo-Yeong¡¯s breathing ceased for a second¡ªshe could hear her heart racing like crazy. Yu-Hyun approached Soo-Yeong slowly. The Head Guardians of Kindness and Patience followed behind Yu-Hyun with their whip and wheel.

    <i>Crunch, crunch.</i>

    The sound of footsteps on snow grew closer. Her heart started to beat faster. Should she use the spell array now? If she drew the Executioner''s Sword and attacked, could she defeat them? Could she kill them all?

    Soo-Yeong knew she couldn''t win against the Pope and two Head Guardians. She had barely emerged victorious from a one-on-one battle with the Head Guardian of Charity.

    Was this how she¡¯d die, unable to do anything? What should she do?

    Her heart raced, and her breathing quickened. Soo-Yeong''s thoughts came to a halt. Yu-Hyun was the one responsible for killing Soo-Yeong''s mother. Soo-Yeong should have felt wrath and hatred toward him, but she felt fear instead. The same terrible fear she felt when she watched her mother being taken away during The Starless Night.

    "Your eyeballs are superb, as always," someone said.

    That wasn''t Soo-Yeong. It wasn''t Yu-Hyun, let alone the two Head Guardians. Soo-Yeong''s eyes widened. Standing before Yu-Hyun was Ha Pan-Seok, an executive of the Chungcheong Branch and Soo-Yeong''s father.

    Ha Pan-Seok held a rifle he had acquired from the Romanican Holy Army during battle. His gun was aimed at Yu-Hyun. The two Head Guardians protecting Yu-Hyun did not hesitate and rushed toward Ha Pan-Seok, as protecting Yu-Hyun was their job. They would throw themselves to protect Yu-Hyun without a second thought.

    However, Ha Pan-Seok was no different. Killing Yu-Hyun was his lifelong wish and mission. He did not hesitate and pulled the trigger.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    A gunshot rang out.

 Chapter 352

    <h4>Chapter 352</h4>

    <i>Bang! </i>

    Gunshots rang out, and bullets flew. Yu-Hyun stared the bullet down as it flew toward him. By using his Berakah, he could vividly and clearly see the flying bullet with his eyes. However, seeing the bullet and avoiding it were two separate issues.

    <i>Plunge!</i>

    "Argh!"

    The bullet did not hit the heart or head, but it grazed his side. Ha Pan-Seok smirked. Even though he had shot the bullet by risking his life, he wasn¡¯t able to kill Yu-Hyun immediately. All he could do was inflict a flesh wound. The gunshot wound he inflicted would disappear in the blink of an eye with the ''healing'' of the Romanican Church.

    Nevertheless, Ha Pan-Seok was grateful that he could inflict a gunshot wound on Yu-Hyun''s side using his irrelevant life. Ha Pan-Seok was infinitely grateful even when the Head Guardians of Patience raised a giant wheel over Ha Pan-Seok''s head, and the Head Guardians of Kindness swung a whip before him.

    <i>Swoosh! </i>

    The wheel struck the ground forcefully. Ha Pan-Seok attempted to turn around to avoid it, but it was toote. The giant wheel crushed his legs. Then the whip flew toward him, tearing through Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s clothes and skin. His blood stained the snow.

    "Argh, urrgh!" Ha Pan-Seok couldn''t even scream.

    His entire leg was twisted grotesquely. His body trembled. Yu-Hyun touched his side of his abdomen that had been hit by the bullet. Blood flowed from his wound, but it seemed like the wound was not life-threatening, as it was a mere scratch.

    The Head Guardian of Kindness hurriedly ran over and drew a healing array. The light of healing enveloped Yu-Hyun. The gunshot wound disappeared as if it had never been there in the first ce.

    After the treatment, two Head Guardians and Yu-Hyun approached Ha Pan-Seok. The Head Guardian of Patience tried to end Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s with his wheel, but Yu-Hyun stopped them.

    "Are you an executive?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Ha Pan-Seok did not answer, for the question did not warrant a response.

    ¡°It seems like you have no intention of answering. Head Guardians, do you know this man?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Among the two Head Guardians, the Head Guardian of Patience nodded and answered, "He¡¯s Chungcheong Branch Executive Ha Pan-Seok. He has participated in several battles.¡±

    "So he is an executive," Yu-Hyun said, looking at the Head Guardians¡¯ whip and wheel.

    Then, as if something had popped up in his mind, he nodded. "Let''s interrogate him until he reveals the Cult Leader¡¯s location. Or the Cult Leader might show himself if he hears this man¡¯s screams."

    "Are you saying that the Cult Leader would reveal himself for a mere executive?" the Head Guardian of Kindness asked.

    Yu-Hyun chuckled and bowed his head. "If he doesn''te... Well, it¡¯ll be a shame.¡±

    Then, he looked down at the fallen Ha Pan-Seok with indifferent eyes. Ha Pan-Seok trembled.

    Yu-Hyun chuckled. "From now on, you will scream in terror and die. Do you have anyst words?"

    It was his final chance to speak. If he revealed the Cult Leader''s location now, he would not be tortured. He¡¯d experience severe torture if the Head Guardians of Patience and Kindness used their wheel and whip. Even if Ha Pan-Seok did not speak now, Yu-Hyun was determined to make him talk through torture. If even torture couldn''t make him talk, Yu-Hyun nned to lure the Cult Leader out with Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s screams of pain.

    "..."

    Ha Pan-Seok did not respond and looked at Yu-Hyun with shaky eyes. The Starless Night came to mind. This man was responsible for his wife¡¯s death and for taking Ha Soo-Hyun away from him. The man he would dly tear apart was right in front of him. However, Ha Pan-Seok was more afraid than wrathful. His body trembled as he thought about the impending torture.

    "Do you have nothing to say?" Yu-Hyun asked again.

    After a long silence, Ha Pan-Seok opened his eyes as if he had decided. The eyes trembling with fear until now were firm and unwavering.

    "Run, Soo-Yeong¨D!!" Ha Pan-Seok shouted.

    <i>Rustle! </i>

    The bushes shook. The two Head Guardians and Yu-Hyun''s gazes turned in the same direction. A person wearing a mask and poncho ran away without looking back. Based on the flow of the Voodoo magic, that the person was clearly not the Cult Leader.

    Yu-Hyun nodded and smiled. He seemed to have a vague grasp of what was going on.

    ¡°Your daughter?"

    "..."

    "I see. All for your daughter... I¡¯m impressed," Yu-Hyun said.

    He reached out his hand to the Head Guardians of Kindness. The Head Guardians of Kindness handed the whip to Yu-Hyun, who took the whip and stood up. He looked down at Ha Pan-Seok, trembling and lying on the ground.

    "I feel a bit unwell for some reason," Yu-Hyun muttered as he raised the whip.

    Contrary to his words, Yu-Hyun was smiling.

    ***

    "Huff, huff!"

    Soo-Yeong was out of breath as she ran. Tears streamed down her face. She remembered why she was running and fleeing, but she couldn''t understand why she was running away so desperately.

    <i>Gaaaah¨C!</i>

    A scream rang out. It was her father''s scream. The scream was so miserable that hearing it sent shivers down her spine. Her whole body felt like it was covered in goosebumps.

    Soo-Yeong stopped in her tracks. She had intended to fight to kill that man, Yu-Hyun. She had thought about it for a long time, but she couldn''t do it. When faced with the opportunity, she had been terrified. Even though she witnessed Yu-Hyun and the Head Guardians mutting Ha Pan-Seok, she couldn''t do anything. She couldn¡¯t do anything although she knew that Ha Pan-Seok would die.

    It was like The Starless Night. Soo-Yeong was young back then, but not anymore. She now knew how to use spells. She could now draw the Executioner''s Sword and remove the enemies'' consciousness with the curse of fainting spell even with her eyes closed.

    However, she didn¡¯t do anything. As always, she just ran away.

    <i>Crunch, crunch.</i>

    Soo-Yeong turned back to the path she had fled from. She walked opposite the path she had run away from in a frenzy. Soo-Yeong unleashed Voodoo magic and drew a spell array. She pulled out the Executioner''s Sword and continued walking in the direction where Ha Pan-Seok''s screams could be heard.

    Her steps quickened as she started to run. The screams grew closer. Her heart pounded, and her stomach churned. Her steps felt heavy. She wanted to turn around and run away again right away, but Soo-Yeong did not stop. She couldn''t keep running away. Even if she died, she was prepared to swing the Executioner''s Sword.

    Yu-Hyun and two Head Guardians were torturing Ha Pan-Seok. His screams might give Soo-Yeong a slight advantage. It would be challenging to retaliate quickly as they were likely using whips and wheels for torture. If she was lucky, she might be able to cut off Yu-Hyun''s arm or leg. If she was really lucky, she might even be able to slit his throat.

    Soo-Yeong would probably die afterward, but she didn''t care anymore. She just wanted to face her fears at least once. That was all. Soo-Yeong gripped the Executioner''s Sword.

    "Soo-Yeong."

    Soo-Yeong stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice. It was Sun-Woo.

    Soo-Yeong lost the ability to speak when she saw him. His appearance was too gruesome. There was no ce on his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, or face where blood was not flowing. Hisplexion was pale. He looked as if he could die at any moment.

    <i>Gaaahhh¡ª!</i>

    Then she heard Ha Pan-Seok screaming again.

    Sun-Woo stared in the direction of the scream and said, "That¡¯s your father''s voice, isn¡¯t it?"

    Soo-Yeong looked at Sun-Woo for a moment without saying anything, then nodded. Tears welled in her eyes, but she held them back.

    Sun-Woo raised the staff and said, "Bade."

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    The wind blew, lifting Sun-Woo and Soo-Yeong into the air. It was so cold and sharp that their skin felt like it would burn. But now, the trivial pain was not important. The wind stopped the tears that seemed like they would overflow any moment. She was d.

    "Shall we go together?" Sun-Woo asked.

    Soo-Yeong nodded once again.

    ***

    The torture method was simple. They struck Ha Pan-Seok''s body with a whip, adjusting their strength so they hit him with force, not enough to kill, but enough to feel pain. Just that made Ha Pan-Seok scream like crazy. He shed tears andter foamed at the mouth.

    "He won¡¯t say anything until the end."

    However, Ha Pan-Seok still didn''t say anything. He didn¡¯t say a word about the position of the Cult Leader or the Voodoo Cult''s ns. He didn''t disclose any information that might jeopardize the Voodoo Cult.

    Ha Pan-Seok sensed death. If this continued, even if he didn¡¯t die from the torture, he would most certainly die from bleeding.

    <i>Boom¨C!</i>

    At that moment, a sound rang out nearby. It was the sound of the Cult Leader''s staff striking the ground. The two Head Guardians and Yu-Hyun stopped what they were doing and looked up. Sun-Woo, covered in blood, appeared before them, riding the wind.

    He was in terrible condition. Anyone could see that he was on the brink of death. Perhaps he was enduring the drawbacks of overusing the Loa''s power.

    "As expected," Yu-Hyun chuckled.

    Everything was going ording to Yu-Hyun''s n. He stood up, and the two Head Guardians each gripped their weapons and took a battle stance. Yu-Hyun crossed his thumbs and closed his eyes in prayer.

    He muttered something iprehensible due to its speed. Immediately, a light simr to divine power but even more radiant and pure flowed around him.

    <i>Shaaa! </i>

    The light appeared out of nowhere and enveloped Yu-Hyun''s body. Wings of light sprouted from his back. In his hands, sped in prayer, a spear of light materialized.

    Yu-Hyun then opened his eyes and raised the spear. With fluttering wings, Yu-Hyun''s body floated in the air. Finally, Yu-Hyun''s gaze met Sun-Woo''s.

    ¡°You''ve finallye to die. Thank you." Yu-Hyun smiled, pointing the spear of light toward Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo smiled back, the corners of his lips tilting upward. "Get it all out now. You won¡¯t be able to run that mouth of yours once you die."

    He raised his staff high into the sky.

    "Kalfu.¡±

    The sky, filled with dark clouds, opened up. Through the rift in the clouds, a sinister light descended. A crimson light, resembling the color of blood, illuminated the mountain. The world turned red.

    Yu-Hyun lifted his head. The red moon hanging in the sky was sorge and red that the mere sight of it sent shivers down people¡¯s spines.

    [The moon is beautiful tonight.]

    The red moonlight illuminated Sun-Woo. He lifted his head and gazed at the moon. He tried to say something to the moon, but before he could, the moon spoke first.

    [You have nothing more that I can take.]

    Upon hearing those words, Sun-Woo''s expression hardened.

    Yu-Hyun and the two Head Guardians had no idea what was happening. They couldn''t hear the voice of the ''moon.'' But Soo-Yeong and Ha Pan-Seok roughly understood what was happening.

    As members of the Voodoo Cult, they could hear the voice of the moon. In order to use the power of Kalfu, a price must inevitably be paid. Sun-Woo had nothing left to offer as a price. Kalfu did not want a body that had been destroyed by using the power of the Loa. It was a cruel caprice.

    Sun-Woo was taken aback, but he quickly regained hisposure. If he didn''t have Kalfu''s power, then he could use another power. He could use a spell. Whether it was the Executioner''s Sword, Dawn''s de, or anything else, he could surely defeat Yu-Hyun.

    "..."

    However, he wasn¡¯t confident in winning. Among all the powers of the Loa, Kalfu was considered to be one of the most powerful. Without Kalfu''s power, facing Yu-Hyun with only other powers might not guarantee victory.

    At that moment, Ha Pan-Seok spoke up.

    "Take..."

    Ha Pan-Seok smiled. He had been screaming in agony, but now he smiled veryfortably. His voice was soft, yet it resonated clearly throughout the space.

    "My everything..." Ha Pan-Seok trailed off.

    He recalled the events of the past few years. He had been reunited with Soo-Hyun in the underground prison. Soo-Yeong, recognized for her spell casting talent, became the closest aide to the Cult Leader. Earlier, he even shot a bullet that grazed the side of Pope. He had seen the Pope¡¯s unpleasantughter change into a grimace with his own eyes. Even if he died, Ha Pan-Seok would have no regrets.

    He had enjoyed and seen everything he wanted to in his life. If his death could be of valuable help to the Voodoo Cult, and if someday, it could serve as repentance for the rebellion he had plotted long ago, then Ha Pan-Seok was willing to die.

    "Please take it away," Ha Pan-Seok said.

    The red moon floating in the sky seemed to respond to his determination as it began to wane.

 Chapter 353

    <h4>Chapter 353</h4>

    Ha Pan-Seok would have probably died anyway. His legs were broken, and his body was a mess from being whipped. Blood flowed out from all over, and he was cold. All of those injuries would have slowly killed him. Thus, Ha Pan-Seok¡¯s life would have ended even if he had not sacrificed himself. His life was too worthless to be used as a sacrifice. His condition was not much different from Sun-Woo''s.

    However, Kalfu responded. In exchange for Ha Pan-Seok''s life, he lent Sun-Woo his power. It was because Soo-Yeong was present. What Ha Pan-Seok had sacrificed was not just his own life, but also the emotions that Soo-Yeong would experience upon watching her father die right before her eyes, and theplex emotions that he would end up feeling when looking at Soo-Yeong''s expression.

    <i>Puff...</i>

    Mist rose from Ha Pan-Seok''s body. Unlike the purple mist that usually flowed from a spell array, this mist was red.

    As the crimson mist appeared, Ha Pan-Seok''s body disappeared. His body gradually turned into crimson mist and vanished. The mist rose up into the sky and flowed toward the moon. Soo-Yeong''s face twisted as she watched Ha Pan-Seok disappear.

    <i>Crunch, crunch. </i>

    "Ah, huh?"

    And then, the Head Guardian of Patience''s body began to contort. Kalfu¡¯s power had activated, and a crimson hand gripping the Head Guardian of Patience faintly appeared. The Head Guardian of Patience did not know what was happening to him. He was slowly being pulverized.

    "Ah, ugh¡ª"

    <i>Crunch! </i>

    Finally, his body waspletely obliterated. His ttened and crumpled corpsey on the snowy ground.

    By that time, there was no trace of Ha Pan-Seok''s body. Instead, only crimson mist floated around.

    "..."

    Soo-Yeong stood still as she silently watched the deaths of the two. Her expression was contorted.

    She felt strange. Her father had died. No, perhaps he had disappeared? She didn¡¯t know. Soo-Yeong didn''t get along well with Ha Pan-Seok. To put it bluntly, her rtionship with him was bad.

    However, still, something was off. She didn''t expect him to die like this. When she thought about it, he didn''t die¡ªhe turned into a cloud of red mist.

    <i>He coulde back to life, right?</i> Soo-Yeong thought for a moment.

    <i>Swish¡ª!</i>

    However, the situation didn''t give her a chance to think. Of the two Head Guardians, the one who had survived, the Head Guardian of Kindness, flicked their whip toward Soo-Yeong. The loud noise of air tearing apart woke Soo-Yeong up.

    She opened her eyes and stared at the Head Guardian of Kindness¡¯s whip. She watched the Head Guardian of Kindness move his arm. Now was not the time toe to terms with her father''s death, as she did not have the luxury to do so. If she didn''t dodge that whip right away, she would die.

    Soo-Yeong narrowly avoided the whip that passed in front of her. The area around her face where the whip had passed tingled. Just the thought of getting whipped sent shivers down her spine.

    Soo-Yeong drew a spell array. She pulled out the Executioner''s Sword and held it up, gazing at the Head Guardian of Kindness. She saw a red mist floating around her, and she saw Sun-Woo and Yu-Hyun fighting in the sky.

    Everything she saw right now was real. No matter how unreal it felt, it was undeniably reality. Soo-Yeong faced the truth. Ha Pan-Seok had died.

    Back when her mother had died during The Starless Night, she had been unable to do anything. She could only tremble and watch as the Levi Order dragged her mother away and killed her. All Soo-Yeong did was run away.

    Was the current situation any different from back then? Would she be able to make it different? Soo-Yeong didn''t want to run away like she did in the past because she realized that nothing would change if she did so. She knew that all that would remain was regret.

    "First, I''ll kill you, and then I''ll go for Yu-Hyun''s eyes."

    Instead of running away, Soo-Yeong chose to confront the situation. She grasped the Executioner''s Sword and drew a spell array. A thick purple mist spread out.

    The Head Guardian of Kindness was wearing an anti-Voodoo mask, but Soo-Yeong knew from the beginning that Voodoo spells would not work on her opponent. She just needed the mist for the battle. Soo-Yeong hid in the mist while holding the Executioner¡¯s Sword.

    The Head Guardian of Kindness clicked his tongue and said, "You insolent brat..."

    The Head Guardian of Kindness raised his whip, but Soo-Yeong was not particrly afraid of it.

    ***

    Yu-Hyun silently looked at the crumpled Head Guardian of Patience. Even though his closest aide had died protecting him, Yu-Hyun''s expression did not change. He only furrowed a brow in disgust as he looked at the lifeless body.

    Plenty of people could rece the fallen Head Guardian. Losing the Berakhah that he had bestowed upon the Head Guardian left a bitter taste, but he could ept it. If he could just kill Sun-Woo in front of him now, losing a mere Berakhah wouldn''t be a big deal. Yu-Hyun gripped the spear of light.

    <i>Swish! </i>

    Yu-Hyun pped his wings and charged forward, with the tip of his spear aimed at Sun-Woo.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo shouted, "Kalfu!"

    A giant red hand clenched into a fist and forcefully struck Yu-Hyun''s body.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Yu-Hyun had been flying toward Sun-Woo, but he was flung away, and he rolled across the snowy ground. Arge pit formed where he had fallen.

    Blood flowed out from Yu-Hyun''s mouth. His stomach burned. The heat suggested his internal organs had received severe blunt-force trauma. He had sustained this level of damage even though he had blocked the attack using his wings of light. If he hadn''t blocked the attack, he would have instantly died. No wonder it was power obtained at the cost of someone''s life.

    However, Yu-Hyun was still smiling. Every time he breathed, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach, and blood flowed from his mouth, but he continued to smile. The fact that it was necessary for Sun-Woo to sacrifice something in order to obtain such power, and the fact that Sun-Woo had been unable to kill him despite having to sacrifice something felt truly ironic to him.

    "First Form," Yu-Hyun muttered as he stood up from the ground.

    Yu-Hyun''s spear emitted light, and then wriggled and transformed into a giant bow. Yu-Hyun looked up. He saw Sun-Woo riding the wind. Yu-Hyun aimed at Sun-Woo and drew the bowstring.

    "Ogun."

    Dozens of des rose from behind Sun-Woo, like swords or spears used by clergymen or Voodoo Cultists. Following Sun-Woo''s gesture, the various bright hot red weapons gathered into a giant spike.

    Sun-Woo pointed at Yu-Hyun with his staff. The massive nail made of des flew toward him as Yu-Hyun released his bowstring. There was no arrow on the bow, but as he released the string, an arrow made out of light appeared and flew toward Sun-Woo.

    <i>Crash¡ª! </i>

    The massive iron nail and the light arrow collided with each other. The weapons that made up the nail trembled and shed with each other. A sharp and eerie sound rang out.

    The arrow advancing toward Sun-Woo shone brightly while the nail advancing toward Yu-Hyun trembled.

    <i>Boom!</i>

    The first to break was Sun-Woo''s iron nail.

    The arrow rushed toward Sun-Woo again. Sun-Woo raised his staff, and a strong gust of wind blew. However, even in the fierce wind, the arrow did not stop. Instead, the light arrow tore through the wind summoned by Sun-Woo and continued forward.

    <i>Splurt!</i>

    The arrow pierced Sun-Woo''s abdomen, and blood flowed from Sun-Woo''s mouth. The arrow disappeared as soon as it struck Sun-Woo''s body. There were no wounds. However, blood endlessly flowed out from Sun-Woo''s mouth as if he had been cursed.

    <i>p! </i>

    Yu-Hyun spread his wings and flew toward Sun-Woo, who hunched over and vomited blood.

    "Not feeling well today?" Yu-Hyun mocked Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo was not in good condition. It wasn''t just because of the battle. Ever since he shook the mountain and scattered the clergymen, or perhaps even before that, Sun-Woo''s body had been irreparably damaged due to the excessive use of the Loa''s power.

    And Sun-Woo decided to face off against Yu-Hyun before fully recovering from his blood loss. Therefore, he inevitably remained in poor condition. Sun-Woo opened his eyes wide. He looked at Yu-Hyun with fierce eyes and lifted the staff. Yu-Hyun sensed the danger and stepped back.

    "Damba!" Sun-Woo shouted.

    <i>Crack¡ª!</i>

    The appearance of the staff changed. The staff shed its scales multiple times before it gradually swelled in size and finally turned into a giant snake. It was the manifestation of Damba. Sun-Woo drew a spell array.

    <i>ng, clink, clink¨D! </i>

    Along with eerie sounds from the spell array, mist spewed out, and a giant Executioner''s Sword emerged. Sun-Woo gripped the sword and stared at Yu-Hyun. Damba opened her mouth and lunged at Yu-Hyun.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Damba bit Yu-Hyun''s leg. She attempted to devour his lower body whole, but due to Yu-Hyun''s quick reflexes, she failed, barely biting onto a leg.

    Immediately after, Sun-Woo charged toward Yu-Hyun with the Executioner''s Sword.

    <i>ng! </i>

    Sun-Woo swung the Executioner''s Sword. However, Yu-Hyun blocked the attack with his wings. At first nce, the wings of light seemed fragile, but they were solid enough to withstand the Executioner''s Sword. Sun-Woo quickly looked up and gazed at the red moon floating in the sky.

    "Kalfu, just one more time!" Sun-Woo said.

    A red hand descended from the sky.

    At that moment, Yu-Hyun murmured, "Second Form."

    The bow that Yu-Hyun was holding emitted light. It transformed once again. The bow of light turned into a massive sword of light. Yu-Hyun lifted the massive sword and swung it toward Sun-Woo, Damba, and the red hand descending from the sky.

    <i>Swish. </i>

    Damba''s body was split in half. The fingers of the red hand were cut off and fell to the ground. The Executioner¡¯s Sword in Sun-Woo¡¯s hands broke.

    With just one swing of the sword, Sun-Woo had lost all his means of attack. Yu-Hyun drew a healing array and used it on the area where Damba had amputated his leg. The light of healing enveloped the severed area. He was just barely able to stop the bleeding, but that was enough for now.

    <i>Flutter! </i>

    Yu-Hyun¡¯s wings fluttered, and he approached Sun-Woo again. The massive sword of light that had been in his hand transformed back into the spear of light he had initially shown.

    Yu-Hyun aimed the spear at Sun-Woo''s neck. Sun-Woo neither dodged nor resisted. He had no strength left to do so.

    Granbwa. Bade. Kalfu. Damba. Ogun.

    He used a lot of the power of the Loa, but he would no longer be able to use any more. Even if he risked his life to do so, he would not be able to kill Yu-Hyun with a single blow.

    "What are you nning to do now?" Yu-Hyun asked.

    Sun-Woo gasped for breath. He tried to unleash Voodoo magic, but the magic power only sparked at his fingertips. Sun-Woo was too exhausted to even use spells, and he didn''t have his staff. He had no methods left to resist.

    Yu-Hyun smiled as he watched Sun-Woo trying to catch his breath while hunched over.

    Suddenly, Sun-Woo lifted his head. Yu-Hyun''s face stiffened when he saw Sun-Woo''s expression.

    "What do you mean?"

    Sun-Woo smiled even as he was dying. It was eerie. He looked insane. He always seemed that way, but now he looked even more insane.

    "I still got one left, you bastard."

    He pointed at Yu-Hyun with trembling fingers.

    "Divine Retribution!"

    <i>Boom¨D!! </i>

    And then, lightning struck. A huge bolt of lightning struck both Yu-Hyun and Sun-Woo. The two were charred and fell to the ground.

 Chapter 354

    <h4>Chapter 354</h4>

    <i>Rumble¡ª!</i>

    When the mountain shook and the terrain drastically changed, great chaos erupted in the rear of the formation where the priesthood was densely packed.

    Generally, the priesthood had almost nobat ability. Although there were individual differences, they did not possess the strength to face the enemy alone like the pdins or crusaders. They would face chaos since they were scattered away from the crusaders and pdins.

    Since the mountain was covered in snow, the priests could not tell where they were, so they either wandered around aimlessly or kneeled and prayed. In-Ah also ended up lost on the mountain. To be more specific, she waspletely isted from everyone else.

    ¡°...¡±

    In-Ah wandered around. While wandering, she found other isted priests like herself. Up until that point, In-Ah had not started to panic yet.

    Before long, she distinctly heard the chilling screams of dying people around her. Soon after, the sky and the white mountains turned red. As she looked up at the sky, she saw a red moon hanging in the gap between a set of parted dark clouds.

    It was eerie and terrifying. She had no idea what was going on.

    From then on, In-Ah realized she could not move¡ªher feet wouldn''t budge. She couldn¡¯t recklessly move without knowing what was happening, but she couldn''t stay still either. She didn''t know when or where the enemy might appear. In-Ah trembled with anxiety, unable to move or stay still.

    Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps from somewhere. In-Ah felt a chill run down her spine. If the sound of footsteps was from an ally, then it would be fortunate, but if it was an enemy, it would be a big problem. She did not have the means to resist the Voodoo Cult right now.

    "Romanican Church clergymen... priests, perhaps."

    Unfortunately, the people wore masks and ponchos. They were Voodoo Cultists. In-Ah trembled. The Voodoo Cultists had weapons, but she did not. The only method to resist was to enhance her physical abilities using blessings and engaging in hand-to-handbat. However, she did not have the strength for that, nor did she have the will for it. She never wanted to be involved in such a fight in the first ce. She only participated in the battle out of necessity to protect her family, as Yoon-Ah had be a member of the Voodoo Cult.

    ¡°...¡±

    The Voodoo Cultists silently approached In-Ah. She hesitated and shifted backward. Her heart pounded. What should she do? Should she use a blessing immediately? There were five enemies. Even if she used a blessing, there was no guarantee that she would win.

    However, she still had to use a blessing. If she hesitated any longer, she might not even have a chance. In-Ah tried to unleash her divine power.

    "Arghh!"

    <i>Thump!</i>

    However, In-Ah stumbled and fell t on her back. The divine power she was about to unleash faintly glowed at her fingertips.

    The eyes of the Voodoo Cultists who witnessed the divine power changed. If she was a clergyman without any intention of fighting back, they would have been able to use her as a hostage or use her to pinpoint the position of the Pope.

    However, the fact that she unleashed divine power meant that she was still a clergyman with the intention to fight. Therefore, she had to be killed. The Voodoo Cultists raised their weapons. Tears streamed down In-Ah''s cheeks.

    "Wait a moment."

    However, another group of Voodoo Cultists who arrivedte intervened. Unlike the other Voodoo Cultists, they did not wear masks and ponchos. In-Ah recognized one of them and widened her eyes. The woman had brown hair and brown eyes. She had the same features as In-Ah.

    "She¡¯s part of my family. The one I mentioned before."

    "..."

    It was In-Ah''s younger sister, Yoon-Ah. The Voodoo Cultists listened to Yoon-Ah''s words, nodded silently, and tucked their weapons away before leaving.

    In-Ah looked at Yoon-Ah with a bewildered expression. Yoon-Ah reached out her hand. In-Ah took her hand and stood up. Then, Yoon-Ah took out a handkerchief and wiped away In-Ah''s still-flowing tears.

    Meanwhile, In-Ah continued to gaze silently at Yoon-Ah. Her sister, who had be a Voodoo Cultist and disappeared without a word, was right in front of her.

    Her heart was in turmoil. She felt relieved that the Voodoo Cultists hadn¡¯t killed her sister, but she also felt resentful toward Yoon-Ah, whom she hadn''t seen in a long time.

    "You!"

    "Long time no see, sis," Yoon-Ah casually said.

    In-Ah was at a loss for words. There were many questions to ask. Why did she be a Voodoo Cultist? Had she ever thought about her remaining family members?

    But now that Yoon-Ah was right in front of her, she couldn''t ask anything. She was confused about what to ask first.

    "I used to be a zombie," Yoon-Ah said, sensing In-Ah''s thoughts.

    In-Ah furrowed her brows.

    "What?"

    "I thought you might be curious why I became a member of the Voodoo Cult," Yoon-Ah said.

    ¡°...¡±

    She exined that she had be a zombie and that she returned as a human only after she received treatment. She told In-Ah everything except the parts she couldn''t remember. In-Ah silently listened. She didn¡¯t react at all because she was unsure of how to respond.

    "So that''s how I became a Voodoo Cultist, because I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand on the side of the Romanican Church and fight a war against the Voodoo Cult when I have this debt."

    "..."

    "What are you going to do, sis?" Yoon-Ah asked suddenly.

    It was such an abrupt question that In-Ah was unable to make a decision quickly. What should she do? Since Sun-Woo had cured Yoon-Ah from her zombification, should she be a Voodoo Cultist out of gratitude? Or should she stay with the Romanican Church for religious reasons?

    "I, I..."

    In-Ah couldn''t choose either side.

    In the first ce, what she desired wasn¡¯t something grand. Just because she experienced something special didn¡¯t mean that she could make special decisions. Not everyone hoped for something special and grand.

    She just wanted an ordinary life where she didn''t have to part with her family and friends. She at least wanted a life where she didn''t have to kill or be killed.

    But now the ordinary seemed all too far away. It had be unreachable, so distant that it might not even be visible. If she couldn''t obtain what she desired no matter what choice she made, what should she choose then?

    "Alright, sis," Yoon-Ah said as she nodded at In-Ah, who was unable to easilye up with an answer.

    Yoon-Ah pointed somewhere beyond the mountain and said, "Go. It will soon be dangerous here. If you go straight that way, you can get out."

    "..."

    In-Ah silently nodded and started walking in the direction Yoon-Ah indicated. Her steps felt heavy.

    In-Ah suddenly looked back and saw Yoon-Ah still standing there. She stood in the same spot and silently watched In-Ah''s departing figure.

    In-Ah looked at Yoon-Ah and said, "When... When will youe back?"

    "If fate allows it," Yoon-Ah replied calmly.

    In-Ah turned her head and continued walking down the path. She reached into her pocket and grabbed the handkerchief that Yoon-Ah had handed her earlier.

    ***

    A massive procession was heading toward the Holy See. Among the crowd were not only ordinary clergymen but also prominent high-ranking clergy members, including the president of the Theological Association, who held significant influence in academia.

    They marched silently toward the Holy See and they surrounded the Great Chapel, the headquarters of the Holy See.

    The procession consisted of people who harbored resentment toward the current Pope, Yu-Hyun, due to him justifying the war, people who showed slight support for the Voodoo Cult thanks to them defeating the Satanists, and those who argued that, regardless of who the Pope was, the current regime of the Holy See needed to be changed. In any case, they all agreed on ''reform'' for whatever reason, and Ha-Yeon was at the center of it all.

    "Let''s go," Ha-Yeon said.

    The crowd surrounding the Holy See all nodded in agreement. They entered the Holy See. Thanks to the absence of the Pope and the Head Guardians due to their battle, security wasx.

    There were still a few guards at the Holy See, but they could not stop the ''reformist'' group led by Ha-Yeon. Some members of the reformist group held higher positions than the Holy See Head Guardians. Above all, Ha-Yeon was a member of the Purification n who possessed the power that the Pope held called ''Berakhah.'' She was one of the only people who had legitimate legal ess to the Holy See.

    The reformists easily upied the Holy See without even using the weapons they carried. They entered the Pope''s residence, where he conducted his duties.

    There were people inside there. In Pope''s absence from the battle, his closest aide took over his duties.

    He held the position of cardinal within the Church and had once been a Pope candidate, but he voluntarily resigned as a candidate due Yu-Hyun¡¯s persuasion. The man named Yeon emitted a mysterious aura, perhaps due to his long hair, and he remained unfazed even in the presence of dozens, even hundreds, of reformists who had upied the Holy See.

    Instead, he seemed to smile leisurely upon seeing Ha-Yeon at the forefront of the reformists.

    "So it¡¯s a rebellion," Yeon said.

    "We don''t know yet," Ha-Yeon casually replied.

    As she said, they didn¡¯t know yet. Their upation of the Holy See did not hold significance at the moment.

    The upation of the Holy See by the reformists would only have meaning after the conclusion of the battle between the leader of the Voodoo Cult, Sun-Woo, and the Pope of the Romanican Church, Yu-Hyun. Only then would they be able to tell whether what they were doing right now was a rebellion or a reform.

    "Would you like to sit down?" Yeon said.

    He pulled out a chair for her. Ha-Yeon took a seat. Yeon sat across from her and took out a chessboard.

    Opening the chessboard on the table, he said, "How about a game of chess? We''ll have to wait for the oue anyway."

    "You''re suggesting chess even in this situation?" Ha-Yeon asked, surprised.

    Yeon smiled modestly.

    "I was expecting something like this. I knew that someone would be nning something, a rebellion or perhaps a reform, while the Pope was absent."

    "So you knew that and still stayed here?"

    "I knew that guests wereing, so it¡¯s only right for me to prepare to wee them. Leaving the house empty wouldn¡¯t be right. Ah, I''ll make the first move."

    Yeon moved a piece. Ha-Yeon found herself unexpectedly starting a game of chess. She had yed chess before and was somewhat good at it. Nonchntly ying chess in this situation felt strange, but Ha-Yeon decided to just ept it. She also moved her piece, and so the game began.

    "Who do you think will win?" Yeon asked when the game was halfway through.

    The question was subtly ambiguous. It was unclear whether he was talking about the chess game or the battle between the Cult Leader and the Pope. In fact, it didn''t really matter which one it was.

    "I think I will win," Ha-Yeon said as she moved her piece.

    "Ah, I also think I will win. It¡¯s normal to want to win a game that you started after all," Yeon said.

    He moved a piece but then hesitated for a moment. He showed a somewhat different demeanor from his previous confident moves. After some contemtion and quick eye movements, Yeon finally moved a piece.

    Then he said, "But I''m not sure about the Pope''s side."

    It was a statement with a lot of meaning behind it.

 Chapter 355

    <h4>Chapter 355</h4>

    "What do you mean you don''t know about the Pope''s side?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Yeon moved the pieces without saying a word. The game had reached its climax, but there wasn¡¯t a clear winner. At first nce, Ha-Yeon seemed to have the upper hand, but Yeon was not to be underestimated. The winner would only be known after the game ended.

    "If what you are doing right now is a reform, then I will most likely die."

    "..."

    <i>Thud. </i>

    Ha-Yeon moved a piece without responding. Then, she nodded. If the Cult Leader won the battle against the Pope and the Pope died, the upation of the Holy See by the reformists would truly be a ''reform.'' Then, Yeon, the Pope''s closest aide, would probably die.

    At that moment, Yeon suggested, "How about sparing me and using me for the duties of the Holy See? It seems like a better option in many ways."

    Yeon did not make a move. The game came to a halt without a clear winner. Ha-Yeon lifted her head and stared intently at Yeon who had a faint smile on his lips. His expression did not reveal a hint of what he was thinking.

    "Is this a negotiation? Or are you begging for your life?" Ha-Yeon asked.

    Yeon smiled and said, "It''s closer to negotiation. If it seems like I''m not needed, you can kill me."

    "Go on. Why is this a negotiation?"

    "If the Pope suddenly changes, some will naturally have reservations. Even if it''s for reform, some may perceive it as a coup," Yeon said as he ced a piece down on the board. "Among Yu-Hyun¡¯s supporters, some actually support me. Because I joined under Yu-Hyun, they eventually became his supporters too."

    "So, keeping you alive means gaining the support of people supporting you. But that would only reduce the opposition to reform to some extent."

    "Isn''t it better than nothing?" Yeon said with a sly smile.

    Ha-Yeon was lost in thought. However, there was no need to make a decision right away. It was still undecided whether this would be a reform or a rebellion.

    Ha-Yeon moved another piece. ¡°You speak as if you expect Yu-Hyun to lose."

    Yeon also made another move. ¡°I don¡¯t expect Yu-Hyun to lose. I don''t know, that child just can¡¯t prepare himself for death. That''s the kind of child he is."

    "..."

    "But the Cult Leader, based on his actions so far... seems to be prepared for death. So I don''t know how this fight will end.¡±

    The two continued to y chess. The game sometimes flowed in Ha-Yeon''s favor¡ªat other times, it shifted in Yeon''s favor. The oue of the match remained uncertain until the very end.

    At that moment, someone entered the Pope''s residence and said, "Priest Ha-Yeon!"

    It was a member of the reformist faction. He was breathing very roughly. Ha-Yeon could roughly sense what he was about to say.

    "The Holy War has ended."

    The war had finally ended.

    ***

    <i>Boom¨D!! </i>

    With a sh of lightning, Yu-Hyun and Sun-Woo fell simultaneously. Yu-Hyun gasped for breath as he rolled on the snowy ground. He felt intense pain. His lungs hurt every time he breathed in, and the smell of burnt flesh filled the air. He coughed. With each cough, clumps of blood poured out.

    "C-Crazy, crazy bastard. This crazy bastard!" Yu-Hyun muttered.

    Sun-Woo attacked Yu-Hyun with lightning, but Yu-Hyun wasn¡¯t the only one struck by it. Sun-Woo also suffered damage from the lightning as well because he was close to Yu-Hyun. Sun-Woo was truly prepared to die¡ªthat was why he could pull off such a reckless attack.

    His desire to defeat the enemy bordered on madness, as he was determined to inflict meaningful damage against the enemy even if he died.

    "Huff, huff!"

    Yu-Hyun crawled to a nearby tree and leaned against it. He checked his physical condition.

    The snake had bitten off his leg, but that was fine. He could manage without one leg¡ªmoving around would be ufortable, but he could just use a wheelchair. He could also rely on the support of his Head Guardians. As long as he lived, as long as he survived, everything would be okay. Yu-Hyun grasped the spear of light.

    "Third... Third Form!" Yu-Hyun shouted.

    The spear in his hand shone brightly again. Eventually, it turned into a huge scaleposed of light. The scale swayed from side to side and stopped at a certain point. Arge amount of light flowed out from the scale and covered the surroundings.

    nts touched by the light withered. All the life forms that lingered where the light passed died, and the ground rotted. The light took away all the nearby life and flowed into Yu-Hyun''s body. His skin, grotesquely burned by lightning, was healed by the light. It was a Berakah that could be used with the Third Form: The Scale of Famine.

    "<i>Sigh.</i>¡±

    Yu-Hyun let out a sigh. It was easier to breathe than before. The pain had notpletely vanished, but it was greatly reduced. As long as Sun-Woo did notunch another reckless attack, Yu-Hyun was no longer in immediate danger.

    The problem was that he could not assess Sun-Woo''s condition. Sun-Woo was not in perfect condition, but this was just Yu-Hyun¡¯s spection. He might still have enough stamina to deliver a final blow. If so, Yu-Hyun would not survive. In the end, Sun-Woo would kill Yu-Hyun.

    <i>¡®Should I use the Fourth Form as well?¡¯ </i>Yu-Hyun pondered.

    If he used it, he would definitely be able to eliminate Sun-Woo. But he would also put his own life in danger. It was something he had to use in a life-or-death situation.

    ¡°I greet your Holiness.¡±

    Someone suddenly approached Yu-Hyun, and his face stiffened. He cautiously raised his head and scrutinized the face of the person who greeted him. Finally, Yu-Hyun smiled. It wasn''t Sun-Woo, but Simon. He was a member of the special forces unit organized to kill the Cult Leader.

    Behind Simon, Yu-Hyun could see other members of the special forces unit¡ªJin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Do-Jin. They were all elite members who were more than capable of killing the Cult Leader. Moreover, dealing with the weakened Cult Leader after the battle with Yu-Hyun was no big deal for them.

    ¡°...¡±

    Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Do-Jin ran toward the Cult Leader silently. Simon bid farewell to Yu-Hyun and immediately followed them. Jin-Seo, Su-Ryeon, and Do-Jin did not greet Yu-Hyun.

    They had known Yu-Hyun since their time at Florence Academy. They felt awkward greeting Yu-Hyun formally after he became the Pope, but Yu-Hyun did not have anyints about it.

    "Ha, hahaha. Haha¨D!"

    In this situation, what importance did such formality and etiquette hold? They had won. Yu-Hyun did not need to personally kill Sun-Woo. Whether he had to use Romanican Church clergymen, mercenaries, or natural disasters, as long as Sun-Woo died, it would be enough. The Voodoo Cult would disappear, and the status of the Romanican Church and the Holy See, as well as the power of the Pope, would be strengthened.

    The special forces would go to the Cult Leader, who had be a charred mess. Armed with swords and guns, they would dly cut off the Cult Leader''s neck and kill him. Through this, they would be heroes of the Holy War.

    Afterward, the squad would safely escort Yu-Hyun to the Holy See. In this way, Yu-Hyun would be the victor. He would emerge victorious as the Pope of the Holy See and the ruler of the Romanican Church.

    "I won. I won! Sun-Woo, you bastard! Haha, hahaha!" Yu-Hyun shouted.

    Heughed like a madman. He was so d that it felt like tears of joy would stream down his face.

    ***

    The squad finally came face to face with their target, the leader of the Voodoo Cult. He stood before them. However, the squad did not draw their swords or take a fighting stance upon facing the Cult Leader. They simply stared nkly at the Cult Leader in front of them.

    The Cult Leader''s expression was haggard. He stood there, but his legs trembled as if he would copse at any moment. Blood flowed out, not only from the wounds all over his body but also from his mouth, nose, and eyes.

    "..."

    It was very different from the image of the Cult Leader that the special forces unit had imagined. The appearance did not quite fit the name of ''devil'' that had been given by the Holy See.

    The Cult Leader was clearly dying. He looked like he could die at any moment even if the special forces unit didn¡¯t use their swords or guns. The special forces unit was taken aback by the unexpected Cult Leader¡¯s appearance.

    At that moment, Sun-Woo muttered, "Bossou."

    The gazes of the members of the special forces unit changed as they nkly stared at Sun-Woo. They knew what Sun-Woo''s muttering meant.

    Jin-Seo and Do-Jin tightened their grips on their swords. Su-Ryeon quickly climbed up a tree and aimed her gun at Sun-Woo. Simon also held his sword. He could not do much due to his injured right shoulder, but it was better than just standing still. Do-Jin''s body shone brightly with the light of blessing. He crouched down, pounded the ground, and leaped forward. Then, he swung his sword toward Sun-Woo.

    <i>Whoosh! </i>

    The sword passed over Sun-Woo''s head. Despite wielding the sword while being buffed by the power of a blessing, Sun-Woo easily dodged it by tilting his head.

    Sun-Woo was still fast. Right after dodging Do-Jin''s sword, he clenched his fist and punched Do-Jin¡¯s stomach.

    <i>Thud!</i>

    "Ugh!"

    Do-Jin let out a scream and doubled over in pain. However, that was it. Do-Jin had been hit in the stomach by the Cult Leader before during the Yuk Eun-Hyung mercenary corps suppression operation.

    Back then, it felt like all the internal organs in his stomach area had burst, and he thought he was going to die. But the strike he just received wasn''t nearly as severe. Although he momentarily lost strength in his legs and sank down, he quickly regained his footing.

    He could endure the amount of pain he felt. Sun-Woo, now in a desperate state, struggled to properly wield the power of the Loa.

    <i>Bang! </i>

    A gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew toward Sun-Woo.

    "Ogun," Sun-Woo muttered.

    The bullet stopped in front of him. He raised his finger and pointed at Su-Ryeon on the tree.

    "So... bo."

    <i>Bang.</i>

    Lightning struck Su-Ryeon¡¯s location. However, Su-Ryeon managed to easily avoid the lightning by moving to another tree. The lightning Sun-Woo had summoned was too thin. It was an insignificant bolt of lightning that was so weak and feeble that it didn¡¯t split a tree properly.

    Sun-Woo shed blood just by summoning such lightning. His nose bled, and tears of blood flowed. Every time he muttered the name of the Loa to use their power, Sun-Woo inched closer to death.

    "..."

    Jin-Seo silently watched Sun-Woo in that state. She could immediately slit Sun-Woo''s throat if she swung her sword, but she did nothing and stared at him quietly.

 Chapter 356

    <h4>Chapter 356</h4>

    Su-Ryeon caught her breath on top of a tree and aimed the gun at Sun-Woo''s head.

    Sun-Woo hardly moved. He stood in the same spot and only responded to iing attacks. Thanks to that, it was easy to target him. She held her breath as she ced her finger on the trigger and pulled it.

    <i>Bang. </i>

    The bullet flew but did not hit Sun-Woo. Instead, it lost momentum and fell to the ground in front of him.

    Sun-Woo spit out blood again. She wasn¡¯t sure if what was pouring out of Sun-Woo''s mouth was really blood anymore. Do-Jin swung his sword, and Sun-Woo dodged it. However, he seemed to have no strength to counterattack like before, so he just avoided it without clenching his fist.

    Su-Ryeon aimed her gun at Sun-Woo''s head again and pulled the trigger. The bullets still did not reach Sun-Woo and just stopped in front of him.

    But Sun-Woo bled profusely, as if a bullet had struck him and a sword had shed him. He was clearly dying, but he didn¡¯t die. He looked like he was basically dead, but he did not copse.

    Su-Ryeon didn¡¯t pull the trigger and murmured, "Just please die already..."

    She hoped Sun-Woo''s will would finally break. She wished he would stop resisting.

    Su-Ryeon wanted Sun-Woo to die. Sun-Woo was the enemy who had killed Dae-Man. For Dae-Man to be avenged, Sun-Woo had to die.

    "..."

    However, Su-Ryeon could no longer pull the trigger. Her hatred and desire for revenge against Sun-Woo had not faded, but she couldn¡¯t muster the strength after watching Sun-Woo bleeding to death. She couldn¡¯t think of Sun-Woo as the leader of the Voodoo Cult. Instead, the image of Sun-Woo as a student from Florence Academy kepting to mind.

    Su-Ryeon shook her head, trying to forget the memories of that time. She had to forget the Sun-Woo she had seen at Florence Academy. The person bleeding in front of her now was the evil leader of the Voodoo Cult. Therefore, she had to think that he deserved to die.

    However, that memory was not something she could easily forget. If she could easily forget, Su-Ryeon would have pulled the trigger by now, but she still couldn''t bring herself to do it.

    "Let''s stop now," Do-Jin muttered.

    He no longer swung the sword because there was no need for it. Sun-Woo no longer had the strength to resist. Even if he resisted, it would be meaningless.

    If left alone, he would die on his own. To survive, he would eventually use the power of Loa, and he would end up vomiting all the blood in his body before dying. It would be a painful and gruesome death.

    "If you receive healing... you can live. It''s not toote, Sun-Woo," Do-Jin said.

    He knew that it was a very irresponsible thing to say. Do-Jin tightly closed his eyes. Sun-Woo had to die. Otherwise, the Holy War would never end. Even if Sun-Woo didn¡¯t die and somehow managed to survive, the Holy See would execute him. Even if he received healing, it would only dy his death, not save him.

    If Sun-Woo died here and now, an execution ceremony would still take ce. Sun-Woo''s body would be hung in a square, and they would conduct a ritual where they would burn his body. Only then would the death of the Cult Leader be known to all, and the Holy War would finally end in the victory of the Romanican Church.

    If he died now, at least he wouldn''t have to feel the terrible pain of being burned alive. Therefore, dying now might be the mostfortable path for Sun-Woo. However, Do-Jin did not have the determination to end Sun-Woo''s life. He did not have the resolve to swing his sword.

    All Do-Jin could do was pretend to act in Sun-Woo''s favor and irresponsibly act like it was all for the greater good.

    Sun-Woo had been silent all along, but then he suddenly said, "Yes, it''s not toote yet."

    His voice was terribly hoarse. He opened his eyes wide and tears of blood streamed down. He scattered the blood from his eyes on the ground. Then, with a faint smile, he said, "Granbwa."

    <i>Rumble¡ª! </i>

    Along with his words, the blood scattered on the ground shone. With a loud noise, the ground trembled and the tree roots buried in the ground cracked as they rose up. Leaves sprouted from the tree roots and enveloped Sun-Woo. Sections of the mountain twisted and began to change once again. Piled-up snow poured down, making the signs of an avnche visible.

    Do-Jin was shocked. "This crazy bastard!"

    Meanwhile, Sun-Woo continued to use the Loa''s power by squeezing out all his remaining life force as his final resistance. However, it was meaningless as it would only hasten his death.

    Sun-Woo shed blood once again. More blood piled up where he stood than snow.

    In the distance, they could hear the sound of tumbling snow. Do-Jin, Simon, and Su-Ryeon prepared to flee. There was no reason to fight the Cult Leader like this. Whether the Cult Leader got caught in the avnche or died from excessive bleeding, he would die anyway. They would retreat for now ande backter to retrieve Sun-Woo''s body. Avoiding the avnche was the priority for now.

    "..."

    At that moment, Jin-Seo quietly approached Sun-Woo with a sword in hand.

    "Deputy Director Jin-Seo?" Simon said.

    "Hey! Jin-Seo, what are you doing?!" Su-Ryeon said.

    The other members of the special forces unit had already predicted that an avnche would happen and ran away. However, Jin-Seo alone approached Sun-Woo. The leaves, which had been hardened with Granbwa¡¯s power, cut through her skin as she passed, but Jin-Seo didn''t care.

    Jin-Seo felt less pain nowpared to her first encounter with Sun-Woo. More urately, it was when she first became aware of Sun-Woo''s existence. Back then, Jin-Seo had suffered in front of the hospital. Unwilling to show her distress, she swallowed the pain and cried alone.

    Sun-Woo approached her in that state and he helped her so that she wouldn''t be in pain anymore.

    It was a coincidence that Sun-Woo found Jin-Seo in front of the hospital, and it might have been a coincidence that Sun-Woo helped Jin-Seo. The closeness between the two of them that followed might have been just a coincidence.

    If it weren''t for such a coincidence, Jin-Seo wouldn''t be this sad right now. She wouldn''t have felt any emotions even when she saw Sun-Woo dying. Braving the avnche, Jin-Seo would not have been able to muster the courage to approach Sun-Woo. She would not have even felt a reason to do so.

    "Thank you."

    Therefore, Jin-Seo was grateful for the many coincidences.

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Jin-Seo plunged a sword into Sun-Woo''s chest, hoping he would no longer feel pain. Simon, Su-Ryeon, and Do-Jin witnessed the scene while fleeing. They saw the sword piercing Sun-Woo''s heart clearly with their own eyes. Sun-Woo slumped in ce only after the sword was embedded in his heart. Jin-Seo embraced the slumped Sun-Woo.

    <i>Rumble¨D! </i>

    Snow poured down. The two figures disappeared beneath the snow.

    ***

    "Haa, ha! Damn, ha, haha. Hahaha!"

    Yu-Hyuny sprawled out on the snowy field as heughed like a madman. He had survived, and Sun-Woo would die because the special forces would kill him. There was no need for Yu-Hyun to use the Fourth Form. So, Sun-Woo was just at that level.

    Yu-Hyun couldn''t contain hisughter and continuedughing. In the distance, he heard the sound of thunder. Gunshots rang out several times, likely from the battle between the special forces and the Cult Leader. However, before long, the gunshots stopped, and he could no longer hear the sound of lightning strikes. In the end, Sun-Woo died.

    Yu-Hyun burst intoughter. "Haha, hahaha! Ha-Yeon!"

    <i>¡®Your Prophecy was wrong. What did you say? That I would have my eyes gouged out, limbs torn apart, and die? It''s a shame, but that''s how Sun-Woo died. He shed tears of blood and mucus, vomited blood until all the blood in his body was gone, and then died.¡¯ </i>

    Although he lost one leg in the battle with Sun-Woo, it was a small price to paypared to his achievements. Ha-Yeon¡¯s end would not be any different. The Purification n would not be able to escape annihtion for their responsibility in this incident.

    Some of the n members that had the blood of purification, including Ha-Yeon, would live their lives as human blood tanks under the Holy See. It would have been better to die than to live like that. However, even if they demanded to be killed, he would have no intention of fulfilling that request.

    Just as Yu-Hyun was thinking that...

    <i>Rumble¡ª! </i>

    The mountain began to rumble.

    "What the...!"

    That was clearly the power of the Loa named Granbwa¡ªshe had an overpowered ability that allowed one to control all kinds of nts. Due to that power, the mountain rumbled and the terrain changed once again.

    Yu-Hyun thought the Cult Leader was dead, but he was still alive. Furthermore, he still had enough strength left to use this level of power.

    For a moment, Yu-Hyun felt dread. This was not the time to be like this. He had to get away from the Cult Leader, even just a little because he didn''t know what that guy would do with the power of the Loa.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    "Ugh!"

    Yu-Hyun tried to get up. However, it was not easy to stand up with only one leg. Every time he tried to get up, he kept falling over before rolling on the snowy ground. After falling and getting up about four times, the calm expression disappeared from Yu-Hyun''s face.

    <i>Rumble¡ª! </i>

    An avnche rolled down from the distance. Yu-Hyun hastily decided to crawl away to escape. It was not a dignified escape method befitting the Pope, but in a situation where he could die at any moment, he couldn''t afford to worry about dignity. Yu-Hyun crawled through the snow to escape from the avnche. Snow mixed with dirt clung to his stomach and chin.

    However, he couldn''t avoid the avnche by just crawling away.

    "Ugh, urgh!"

    The avnche eventually engulfed Yu-Hyun. He couldn''t open his eyes properly and he struggled to breathe. He crashed into various things, and his body hurt so much that it felt like he was going to pass out.

    After the avnche swept him away and trees repeatedly struck him, Yu-Hyun finally managed to open his eyes. He couldn¡¯t tell where he was¡ªhe had seemingly ended up somewhere deep within the mountains without even realizing it.

    ¡°...¡±

    However, he had managed to survive once again. The avnche itself wasn''t that massive. It was more like heavy snowfall rather than a full-blown avnche. Although hitting his head on a rock during the avnche could have been fatal, the scale of the avnche was such that he could survive if luck was on his side.

    And Yu-Hyun had beaten the odds and survived once again. It was a stroke of luck. Yu-Hyun believed that the heavens were helping him.

    Indeed, the heavens were on his side. He was d that he had been praying diligently. He resolved to continue to do so in the future with even more sincerity and gratitude.

    "We¡¯ve found you, Yu-Hyun."

    Yu-Hyun quickly turned his head at the voice. Two people were looking down at him. Yu-Hyun knew the names of the two people. They were executives of the Voodoo Cult and skilledbatants¡ªSoo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun.

 Chapter 357

    <h4>Chapter 357</h4>

    "<i>Huff, huff!</i>"

    Yu-Hyun ran away. He tried to get up out of habit, but he couldn''t get up because one of his legs was missing. No matter how hard he struggled and tried to get up, his missing leg wouldn''t magically reappear.

    Yu-Hyun had no choice but to crawl away. He crawled away pathetically while dragging his face and stomach across the ground covered in snow, dirt, and fallen leaves.

    Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun didn''t bother chasing after Yu-Hyun. They simply watched his fleeing figure with nk expressions. There was no need to chase him.

    Yu-Hyun was slow. Even if he spent all day crawling, he wouldn''t be able to escape from them.

    Soo-Yeong pointed at Yu-Hyun and said, "That jerk is running away. Should we catch him?"

    Soo-Hyun shook his head. "Just leave him be."

    "Since it doesn''t seem like he¡¯ll be able to go far anyway. Let''s just watch."

    Soo-Hyun watched Yu-Hyun crawl away. He wriggled like a bug and tried to escape from them. He used any means necessary to struggle to survive. He knew that resistance was meaningless, but he had no choice but to run away.

    Yu-Hyun couldn¡¯t ept this death. He had faced countless close calls up until now, but he overcame all those close calls and ultimately survived. He had achieved victory after all those trials and tribtions. He couldn''t die just because of two measly executives from the Voodoo Cult who weren¡¯t even the Cult Leader.

    "Fuck, Head Guardian! Special Forces! Pdins!"

    Yu-Hyun shouted the names of people who might be able to help him as he ran away. Of course, there was no response. The Romanican Church clergymen would have fled and scattered away somewhere to avoid the snow from the avnche.

    "Please, anyone!" Yu-Hyun cried out, but there was no response.

    Soo-Hyun and Soo-Yeong approached Yu-Hyun. Soo-Hyun held a mace as he quietly looked down at Yu-Hyun screaming on the snowy ground.

    <i>Thud! </i>

    Soo-Hyun struck Yu-Hyun''s remaining leg with the mace and broke it.

    "Gaaagh! Ah, ugh!" Yu-Hyun screamed.

    Even as this was all happening, Yu-Hyun continued to search for a way to escape. He stretched out his still-intact arms, and he continued to attempt to flee by scratching the ground with his nails.

    However, not long after, he realized that such attempts were futile. He couldn''t escape. Yu-Hyun gnashed his teeth and lifted his head to re at the two with a fierce look in his eyes.

    "Devilish bastards. You devilish bastards! Heaven will judge you for sure!" Yu-Hyun said.

    But his words were no longer threatening. Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun snorted. They did not respond to Yu-Hyun. Soo-Hyun simply quietly raised his mace. His mace was now aimed not at the leg, but at Yu-Hyun''s head. If that massive weapon hit his head, he would surely die. Yu-Hyun¡¯s fierce gaze, which was directed at Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun, softened for a moment.

    Yu-Hyun reached out his hand and urgently shouted, "Wait, wait!"

    Soo-Hyun was about to strike Yu-Hyun''s head with the mace, but he paused. In that brief moment, Yu-Hyun quickly turned his head. He found a way to escape from this desperate situation.

    Afterpleting his thought, Yu-Hyun said, "Alright! Let''s negotiate."

    Soo-Hyun snorted and Soo-Yeong tilted her head.

    "Negotiate?"

    "Yes, negotiate! If you... if you let me go, I will give you anything! Once you be a prte, you can enjoy all the honors you have not experienced so far. You can get as much money as you want!"

    "..."

    ¡°If you kill me right here, you won¡¯t benefit in any way. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    Soo-Hyun and Soo-Yeong didn''t seem to be listening attentively, but they still listened to Yu-Hyun nheless. That was enough.

    Yu-Hyun almost smiled for a moment. But he didn''t. He couldn''t smile yet.

    "What will you do by continuing to live as a Voodoo Cultist? You will still be heretics. Even if you kill me, you will have to continue living in hiding. Killing me won''t change the world, right?"

    "... "

    "But if you... if you spare me! I promise you honor. No, I promise the restoration of the Voodoo Cult and the pardoning of all Voodoo Cultists, including you!" Yu-Hyun said.

    That was all a lie. If his n seeded and Yu-Hyun didn¡¯t die, and even if his limbs were not intact, if he was at least able to maintain his life by a thread, then he would eradicate all the remaining Voodoo Cultists in the world. Not only would he eliminate the Voodoo Cultists, but he would also burn down all traces of their existence.

    In any case, it didn''t matter. If he failed to keep his promise, so be it. All he needed to do was continue feeding them words that were pleasant to the ear. He didn¡¯t think they would take such a ridiculous offer seriously anyway. He was just buying time for the Fourth Form, the final weapon he had up his sleeve.

    "The Cult Leader! Your Cult Leader. I have no idea whether he¡¯s dead or alive at the moment, but anyway! Don¡¯t you think he would have also wished for this to happen? What do you think was the reason for the Holy War? He wanted a world where the Voodoo Cult didn''t have to hide, right?"

    "..."

    "Choose wisely, even if it¡¯s just for the sake of your Cult Leader!" Yu-Hyun said.

    As he mentioned the Cult Leader, they visibly showed signs of agitation. Choice and hesitation created a momentary gap. Yu-Hyun did not miss that opportunity.

    "Fourth Form," Yu-Hyun said with a smile.

    His hand shone brightly, and he clenched a huge scythe made of light in his hand. By swinging this scythe, Soo-Yeong, and Soo-Hyun would be cut at the waist and die. After getting into numerous close encounters with death, Yu-Hyun would finally survive.

    <i>Swish. </i>

    A chilling sound echoed.

    Soo-Yeong suddenly drew the Executioner¡¯s Sword and swiftly severed Yu-Hyun¡¯s arm. It was not Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun¡¯s waists that were cut, but Yu-Hyun''s limb. His hand, still clutching the scythe, fell to the ground with a thud.

    Yu-Hyun screamed and rolled on the snowy ground, staining the once-white snow red with blood. Soo-Yeong stood with the Executioner''s Sword and ced the tip of the de in front of Yu-Hyun''s eye.

    "Like I thought. Negotiations my ass," Soo-Yeong said with a smirk. "I thought a lot about how to kill you over the past few years."

    Soo-Yeong brought the tip of the sword even closer to Yu-Hyun''s eyes. If Soo-Yeong leaned forward just a little more, the Executioner¡¯s Sword would pierce through Yu-Hyun''s pupils and scramble his brain.

    In fact, there was no need to lean forward. If she dropped the Executioner''s Sword due to a slip of her hand, that would be enough to kill Yu-Hyun.

    Yu-Hyun''s face turned pale and his body trembled. He felt terrible fear in the face of death. Soo-Hyun looked down at Yu-Hyun''s face as if enjoying the sight. Soo-Yeong looked down at Yu-Hyun with a cold gaze as if he found him repulsive and said, "It''s still disappointing, but I guess I have to be satisfied with this level."

    "No, wait¨D!"

    <i>Splurt.</i>

    Not paying any more attention to Yu-Hyun, Soo-Yeong plunged the Executioner''s Sword deep into Yu-Hyun''s eyes. Yu-Hyun writhed a few times before finally slumping down.

    Just like that, Yu-Hyun died. Snow fell and gradually piled up on Yu-Hyun''s corpse. Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun looked down at Yu-Hyun''s cold body. He had murdered both of their parents: their mother on the day of The Starless Night, and their father today, in the midst of the Holy War. By killing Yu-Hyun, they had avenged them.

    "Let''s go back now," Soo-Hyun said.

    Soo-Yeong nodded quietly.

    <i> </i> *

    I opened my eyes. The first thing I realized was that I had died.

    I could see a menacing red moon hanging in the dark sky above me. The familiar and cozy scent and atmosphere I had felt many times before informed me that this was the Crossroads.

    There were two ways to reach the Crossroads. One way was to use the Staff of Reversal, the poteau mitan, to harness Legba¡¯s power. And the other way was to die.

    I had never used Legba¡¯s power. Therefore, I had died. I was able to ept the fact more easily than I had thought¡ªI hade to terms with it a long time ago, even before the Holy War began.

    At that moment, someone said, [Long time no see? It doesn''t feel like it''s been all that long, but it¡¯s nice to see you.]

    A mysterious voice resonated in my head. I turned my head. I naturally thought that the first Loa to greet me would be the Loa of Death, Baron Samedi, but it wasn''t.

    Standing there was an old man leaning on a staff.

    "Legba."

    [Why? Are you disappointed it''s not Baron Samedi?]

    Upon hearing Legba¡¯s words, I smiled and replied, "I¡¯m not disappointed. It¡¯s just different from what I expected."

    Baron Samedi was the Loa of Death who guided the souls of the deceased, and I was dead. Thus, I naturally thought that Baron Samedi would be the first Loa to speak to me. Contrary to my expectations, Legba spoke to me first, but I was not disappointed. Rather, I was pleased. Legba limped toward me with his staff in hand.

    "I thought it disappeared after it was sliced apart," I said, as I looked at the staff Legba was holding.

    Legba still held the intact staff, which I had thought Yu-Hyun¡¯s summoned sword of light had sliced apart when he muttered ¡®Second Form.¡¯

    Legba lifted the staff and tapped the ground with it.

    [This is not an item that disappears when it¡¯s cut. It was quite a challenge to find it again.]

    "Well, that''s fortunate."

    [Shall we walk a bit? Are you able to walk?] Legba asked.

    I tried walking and found that I could move smoothly. At least it was much better than before. Right before I died, standing had been a struggle, let alone walking. But now, everything¡ªstanding,walking¡ªfelt effortless.

    "If it¡¯s like this, I think I can even run."

    [Sure. That¡¯s fortunate,] Legba said.

    He started walking, and I walked alongside him.

    There was no need to match his pace. Legba limped, but he wasn''t slow. It seemed like Legba''s pace had quickenedpared to before. Or maybe my pace had slowed down. Walking feltfortable¡ªmaybe because I was dead¡ªbut my body felt light.

    "Should I have died earlier?" I joked.

    Legba chuckled softly.

    [It''s still early enough, and it''s not the time to say that yet.]

    "Not yet?"

    [It''s nothing. So, did things turn out as you wished?] Legba suddenly asked.

    I paused for a moment and went into thought. Did things turn out as I had wished? Did it?

    I had used Granbwa''s power with thest drops of strength that I had and caused an avnche. If Yu-Hyun died because of that, then it was fortunate. Even if he didn''t die, then Soo-Yeong and Soo-Hyun would find and kill him. Even if that failed, then perhaps it didn''t happen as I wished.

    However, it probably would have turned out as I had hoped. Unless the cruelty of fate and the twists and turns of destiny interwove and worked against me, Yu-Hyun would have died. In any case, I believed that I did the best that I could do. I had died as a result, but it was the death I had hoped for.

    "I have no regrets."

    [What about any lingering feelings?] Legba asked.

    I did not answer. I couldn''t say there were none. Legba seemed to understand the meaning of my silence and nodded. Then he stopped walking. I also stopped walking.

    Legba raised his staff and pointed ahead of me. In front of me was a pitch-ck darkness, an endless road.

    [You should continue walking.]

    "What will be there if I keep walking? I can''t see anything right now," I said as I looked at the ce that Legba pointed to.

    He stated the obvious as if it were important.

    [There will be the Crossroads.]

    "You seem to be stating the obvious as if it¡¯s something with a lot of weight.¡±

    [Weren''t you like that too? At least until recently,] Legba said with a smile.

    "Hmm. Did I?"

    I shook my head and started walking. After a few steps, I looked back, but Legba had disappeared.

    I turned my gaze forward and continued walking. As I walked, I couldn''t distinguish between what was in front and what was behind me, but I kept walking. After all, wherever my feet touched would be the path. The Crossroads was such a ce.

    I kept walking, and before long, I saw a figure that had been waiting. It wasn''t Legba. He wasn''t holding a cane. Instead, he had arge cigar in his mouth. The surroundings were thick with purple smoke.

    A gruff voice rang out. Although I could only hear his voice and see his silhouette, I knew who had been waiting for me.

    [You took your time. I''ve been waiting, you rascal. Why are you walking so slowly?]

    I kept walking. As expected, Baron Samedi was there, but he wasn''t alone. Wrapped in the smoke emanating from Baron Samedi, there was someone else.

    I narrowed my eyes and saw the person hidden behind the smoke. Baron Samedi waved his hand to disperse the smoke.

    "Ah."

    The smoke cleared, and I saw my mother.

 Chapter 358

    <h4>Chapter 358</h4>

    I was shocked.

    My mother, whom I had missed so much, was right in front of me.

    It didn''t feel real. My mother had died at least five years ago. I couldn¡¯t understand how my mother was still lingering at the Crossroads.

    At first, I thought the mother in front of me might be fake. It could have been just an illusion that Baron Samedi had created. He was a mischievous Loa, after all. However, no matter how mischievous Baron Samedi was, he wouldn''t joke about something like this. So, the person in front of me right now was my mother.

    Acknowledging that made my mind nk. I didn''t know what to say. I didn''t know how to start a conversation. <i>What should I say? What should I say... </i>

    [How about starting with the story of grabbing my neck? You know, when you begged me to save your mother¡¯s life,] Baron Samedi said as if he had read my mind.

    "What? When did I ever do that?" I replied hastily, flustered.

    I pretended it didn''t happen, but the truth was that I had grabbed Baron Samedi''s neck when I had been half-driven mad after seeing my mother¡¯s dead body. Unable to make rational judgments, I vented my anger on Baron Samedi. But I couldn¡¯t have pathetically begged him to ¡®save my mother¡¯ to Baron Samedi, right? No, I wouldn''t have done that...

    "Did Sun-Woo do that?" my mother asked.

    I turned my head. After avoiding her by using excuses like feeling awkward, being taken aback, and not knowing what words to say, I finally looked directly at my mother''s face.

    She looked back at me with a gentle smile. Her tone was calm, just as it had been before. Everything was the same: her soft smile and her gentle voice, which seemed calm but carried a warmth when listened to closely. My mother''s blurry images and faded memories were clear again¡ªat least at this moment. I couldn¡¯t help but shed tears.

    [It was a mess, with his crying and all. Just like right now,] Baron Samedi said as he watched me cry.

    Disliking his mocking tone, I quickly wiped away my tears. Thankfully, the tears soon stopped.

    Mother smiled as she looked at me. "I¡¯m surprised. When you were young, you hardly cried, so I was worried."

    [He¡¯s been prideful ever since he was young. That makes sense, considering what he¡¯s like right now!] Baron Samedi chimed in.

    That was unfair. I didn''t cry because I was prideful. But, thinking about it, there were times when I held back tears because of my pride. There was no reason to feel that it was unfair. I just smiled.

    Even when Baron Samedi teased me and Motherughed at his words, I felt good regardless.

    "How have you been all this time?" Mother asked.

    Her smile seemed somewhat bitter. I knew what she was trying to say, but I didn''t answer. I didn''t know what to say or where to start. Mother looked at me silently for a moment before speaking.

    "It must have been very difficult when you suddenly became the Cult Leader."

    Mother seemed a bit strained when she said those words. It was more difficult for me to see her like that.

    "I did quite well," I said with a smile.

    I proceeded to share numerous stories with her. I told about what happened after the First Holy War, how I got into Florence Academy, and how I lived afterward. As I talked about entering Florence Academy, I also shared my experience with Jun-Hyuk. I didn''t mention that he was a Satanist. It seemed too long to exin, and so I vaguely referred to him as a friend.

    "Don''t hang out with him. I have a bad feeling about him," Mother said as she listened to me.

    "Ah, we''re not close now."

    I wasn¡¯t lying.

    I then told her about Uncle Jin-Sung, Ji-Ah, and all the other executives. I even told her about the story of the Second Holy War.

    I didn''t tell her everything. I omitted unnecessary stories, just like how I didn¡¯t mention that Jun-Hyuk was a Satanist. I refrained from discussing the deaths of Yun Chang-Su and Ha Pan-Seok, my uncontroble tears upon seeing her corpse in the underground prison, and several actions I hadmitted when I was not in my right mind.

    I left out that I had a much, much harder time than she had anticipated. I didn¡¯t talk about any of those things. I didn¡¯t want to talk about them. In the underground prison, I had told her those stories many times in front of her dead body. There was no need to tell them twice.

    "You did well. You really did," Mother said after hearing my story.

    I didn¡¯t say those words because I wanted her to feel bad for me.

    "Have you been here all this time, Mother?" I asked out of curiosity.

    She nodded. "Yes. I''ve been waiting for you. You came back much earlier than I expected. And I kept feeling sorry. I took too much from you, and it felt like I left you behind..."

    For the first time, her face looked sad.

    I tried to nod my head, but I couldn''t bring myself to do it. Yet, I couldn''t shake my head either. I didn''t cry, nor did I smile. I just stayed still and finally lifted the corners of my mouth slightly.

    "It wasn¡¯t easy," I said.

    I used to live chasing the past. I lived intending to rescue Mother, who might have been dead or alive, from the underground prison. Looking back, I resented Mother a little, just like I resented Father. Resentment was not so different from longing. Maybe that was why I was so fixated on saving her. But now, it felt like I no longer had to wallow in the past. The past could remain as it was¡ªas memories.

    I was d.

    [Well, it¡¯s time to go. I''ve given you plenty of time. "It seems like there''s nothing more to say," Baron Samedi said as the silence fell after we had discussed everything.

    <i>¡®Good timing.¡¯ </i>

    Baron Samedi pointed somewhere at the Crossroads with hisnky fingers. Like any other ce at the Crossroads, it was dark, with no end in sight.

    [Keep walking in that direction. If you keep going straight, you''ll find where the dead should stay.]

    Mother nodded and started walking in the direction Baron Samedi pointed toward. I tried to follow her, but she shook her head, and Baron Samedi blocked my path.

    "No. Not from here..."

    Mother and Baron Samedi said, [Yes, it''s yet to be your time.]

    Ignoring Baron Samedi, I tried to walk past him and alongside Mother, but he persistently blocked my path. Because of that, I couldn''t take a single step forward. Meanwhile, my mother slowly walked further and further away.

    [You still have unfinished business,] Baron Samedi said.

    I couldn''t understand what he was trying to say. I also had no idea why he was blocking my path.

    "What...¡±

    [Contract of the Dead,] Baron Samedi said.

    It was then that I recalled the contract I had made with Baron Samedi. I remembered what he had told me before. The Contract of the Dead. Myst chance.

    [Choose. To be or not to be.]

    It was a monumental choice that could be myst or my first.

    [That is the problem. Haha!] Baron Samedi said as he handed me the dice nonchntly.

    I stared at the dice he offered me.

    ***

    The Holy War had ended.

    The Voodoo Cultists spread news of Yu-Hyun''s death throughout the battlefield. Of course, the Romanican Church Holy Army, the Last Knight Order, did not believe the words of the Voodoo Cultists. They did not believe them at all.

    However, the soldiers finally came to terms with Yu-Hyun''s death when they witnessed the dozens of Berakat embedded in his body ascending to the sky, one by one.

    The Pope''s death meant that the Head Guardians, the main force of the Last Order, had either died or lost their ability to fight. Deeming that there was no chance of victory, the Last Knight Order chose to surrender.

    Some resisted, unable to ept the fact that Yu-Hyun had died. However, they were few in number and did not pose a significant threat to the Voodoo Cult.

    Ha-Yeon''s upation of the Holy See at the time led to the establishment of a new Holy See.

    "Coup d''¨¦tat Pope, step down!"

    "To the dogs with the Pope! How dare you question the master!"

    "We do not need a Holy See that has joined hands with the wicked Voodoo Cult!"

    Naturally, forces that supported Yu-Hyun and those who adamantly opposedpromising with a cult rose collectively.

    Their justifications for rising were diverse. For some, it was because Ha-Yeon had staged a coup and seized power. For others, they could not ept that the Purification n members who had initially been under the Pope had seized the Pope''s authority. Others were angered by the fact that the Holy See had joined hands with the cultists and so on. The reasons were diverse.

    Watching Ha-Yeon pondering on how to quell their wrath, Yeon said, "Don''t worry about it. Priest Ha-Yeon... Ah, should I address you as ¡¯Her Holiness?¡¯ It feels strange to call you that.[1]"

    "Call me whatever you''refortable with. It doesn''t matter to me."

    "It would probably be morefortable to call you Your Holiness. Anyway, there''s no need to worry about those things, Your Holiness." Yeon continued, "After recovering from the damages of the Holy War and establishing rtions with the Voodoo Cult, they will naturally quiet down."

    "..."

    "After all, they¡¯re just loud. When their voices grow weaker, we can gradually work on improvements.¡±.

    It was true. Ha-Yeon prioritized recovery above all else. She revived the areas paralyzed by the Holy War and provided economic support to those affected by the battles. As a result, the number of protesters holding banners decreased rapidly, just as Yeon had predicted.

    The next step was to establish a rtionship with the Voodoo Cult and clearly state that the Voodoo Cult was no longer a cult but a religion different from the Romanican Church. The Holy See had to dere that the long-standing conflict with the Voodoo Cult that originated from the First Holy War had finallye to an end.

    To do so, it was necessary to publicly announce the death of the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult. The public needed to understand that the Voodoo Cult posed no threat to the Romanican Church.

    Ha-Yeon dispatched pdins to recover the area near Noah''s Ark, where the final battle urred. There, they found the bodies of those who had participated in the Holy War. Their identities were all confirmed. Most of them were Romanican Church clergymen, but there was also a considerable number from the Voodoo Cult.

    However, two bodies remained missing: Jin-Seo, a member of the Last Order Special Forces, and Sun-Woo, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon asked Do-Jin and Simon, also members of the same special forces, about their whereabouts. They also imed not to know where the two were. Instead, they stated they clearly remembered seeing Jin-Seo plunging a de into Sun-Woo''s heart in the final moments.

    However, without finding the bodies, they could not confirm Sun-Woo''s death. ording to the testimonies, it was highly likely that Sun-Woo was dead. No, he was definitely dead. The problem was that there was no concrete evidence to announce it officially.

    Jin-Seo was also a problem. The avnche had swept her away, but considering Jin-Seo''s physical abilities, she wouldn''t have died by getting caught up in a mere avnche. She was alive and had covered her tracks.

    One hypothesis was that Jin-Seo had fled somewhere with Sun-Woo''s body. The reason for fleeing with Sun-Woo''s body may have been because she didn''t want him to be used as a tool to announce the end of the Holy War. Thinking about it that way made sense.

    "It''s not a bad idea to maintain a hostile rtionship with the Voodoo Cult. We can use the fear by saying that the Cult Leader is still alive," Yeon cautiously advised from the side.

    Ha-Yeon frowned at Yeon and shook her head. "No. That would be breaking a promise.¡±

    Yeon flinched as she stepped back from Ha-Yeon, putting on a fake smile. "Just kidding."

    "Right. So let¡¯s say the Cult Leader is dead," Ha-Yeon said firmly. "Then we will end the conflict with the Voodoo Cult here."

    1. Her Holiness in Korean trantes to ?? (pronounced Sung Ha). Yeon points out it¡¯s weird to call Ha-Yeon by this title because she feels like she¡¯s saying her name but isn¡¯t quite finishing it (Sung Ha and Sung Ha-Yeon.) ?

 Chapter 359

    <h4>Chapter 359</h4>

    The emergence of the new Holy See, recovery of damages from the Holy War, and deration of the end of the conflict with the Voodoo Cult happened over a long period of time.

    The new Holy See appeared right after the Second Holy War. Six monthster, the Holy See finally decided to resolve the damages from the Holy War and to punish participating clergymen. The official promation from the Holy See that the conflict with the Voodoo Cult had ended came one year and six months after the Second Holy War.

    However, one year and six months was not a long time. One and a half years was short, considering each event''s ripple effects and influence on the Romanican Church members.

    Despite the grace period to make the promation, the Romanican Church¡¯s conservative faction vehemently opposed the idea. Their main argument was that the conflict with the Voodoo Cult could never end, as they believed that the Voodoo Cult would eventually attack the Romanican Church and ultimately try to seize all of its power.

    Most moderate factions of the Romanican Church supported ending the conflict with the Voodoo Cult. They saw no reason tobel them as heretics, especially after effectively eliminating their greatest enemy, the Satanists. However, as the opposition voices from the Romanican Church¡¯s conservative faction persisted, Ha-Yeon called together a council.

    "This is the current Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Soo-Yeong."

    Ha-Yeon invited Soo-Yeong, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, to the council. This was shocking not only to the conservatives but also to the moderates.

    There would undoubtedly be resistance, but Ha-Yeon had her reasons. Without the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, the Pope could not talk very convincingly about reconciliation and coexistence alone. The conflict with the Voodoo Cult could only subside when the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult and the Pope of the Romanican Church met, had a direct conversation, and signed a peace treaty of sorts.

    ¡°Our stance is no different from before. Leave us be, and we will leave you be as well,¡± Soo-Yeong said.

    The stance conveyed through Soo-Yeong''s words on behalf of the Voodoo Cult was not much different from before.

    <i>Leave us alone.</i>

    It was simple. Unless the Romanican Church showed hostility toward the Voodoo Cult first, the Voodoo Cult would not be hostile toward the Romanican Church.

    "We made that decision when we dered that we would end the conflict between us. Wouldn¡¯t you say that the Romanican Church does not have any reason to provoke the Voodoo Cult?" Ha-Yeon said.

    Everyone had already seen the consequences of the Romanican Church taking a hostile stance toward the Voodoo Cult and starting the Second Holy War. With the Pope dead and the status of the Romanican Church greatly diminished after the Second Holy War, there was no reason for them to provoke the Voodoo Cult again. No, it¡¯d be correct to say they couldn¡¯t touch them.

    "Then there''s nothing more to discuss. With this, I dere aplete end to the conflict with the Voodoo Cult once again," Ha-Yeon said.

    Some of the cardinals and archbishops who participated in the council were not pleased with Ha-Yeon¡¯s deration but did not show it. The faction supporting Ha-Yeon had overwhelmingly more power than the opposing faction.

    At that moment, someone asked, "Out of personal curiosity, is the Loa''s power with you, Cult Leader Soo-Yeong?"

    The question was unexpected, and it captured the attention of the participating cardinals and the archbishops. Even in a situation where the conflict had ended, knowing who possessed the power of Loa was important. The Voodoo Cult primarily derived its power, firepower, authority, and prestige from the power of Loa.

    "I will not answer."

    However, Soo-Yeong did not answer. Ha-Yeon nodded upon hearing the response. It was a wise answer not to speak about it at the moment.

    Yeon furrowed his brows slightly, but not enough for Soo-Yeong to notice. He didn¡¯t seem convinced.

    Yeon asked, "I would also like to ask about the life and death of the Third Cult Leader, Sun-Woo. Would this question also be difficult to answer? This is not a question based on personal curiosity, but one closely rted to the purpose of this council."

    Soo-Yeong shook her head.

    "No. It is still difficult to say who possesses the power of Loa, that is, who the Prophet is. I can say that part for sure."

    "Does the Voodoo Cult consider him dead? Or do you see a possibility that he is alive?"

    "The Third Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, is dead. Absolutely. We are sure of it."

    "Absolutely..." Yeon nodded his head, repeating Soo-Yeong''s words.

    ¡®Absolutely.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t necessary for her to emphasize that statement. However, Soo-Yeong had emphasized those words. There were various meanings behind that emphasis. Yeon thought that Soo-Yeong, the Fourth Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, was not as easygoing as she seemed.

    "If you say so, then there''s no need to ask further."

    Ha-Yeon nodded, ending the ufortable Q&A session.

    The council continued. There were discussions about the rtionship with the Voodoo Cult. However, the majority of the time was devoted to proposing enhancements for both the Holy See of the Romanican Church and the Romanican Church itself.

    Ha-Yeon and Yeon presented various measures to prevent corruption, abuse, and the instrumentalization of religion for secr purposes. Among them was a decree against marriage for the Pope and some prtes. The positions of the Pope and prtes should not be hereditary but given to qualified individuals, which was the reason for the decree. While the external justification was clear, Pope Ha-Yeon¡¯s true intentions were unknown.

    "And with that, I conclude this council."

    Ha-Yeon''s final words marked the end of the council. It took some time for the clergymen to disperse, as there were many of them, and they showed interest in Soo-Yeong, the Fourth Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

    Ha-Yeon pushed through the crowd and made her exit. The crowd made her feel uneasy. Stepping outside and feeling the cool breeze, she felt a sense of relief. She looked up and saw the pale winter sky regaining its color. Spring was on its way.

    "He''s dead, absolutely..." Ha-Yeon repeated what Soo-Yeong had said earlier.

    Soo-Yeong had asserted that Sun-Woo was dead despitecking evidence to confirm his death. The truth could not be known.

    If they said he was dead, then he was dead. Even if he had been alive, he wouldn''t have been able to act conspicuously in the eyes of people once Soo-Yeong officially dered him dead. He would have had to continue hiding his identity and living quietly in a secluded ce.

    Perhaps that was the method of repentance that Sun-Woo devised for himself. In any case, Sun-Woo would no longer be a threat to the Romanican Church. That much was certain.

    "..."

    Ha-Yeon thought that Sun-Woo was still alive. There was no evidence to confirm his survival, just as there was no evidence to prove his death. However, she decided just to think that way. It seemed better that way.

    ***

    The Romanican Church clergymen still existed, but a few changes were made during the council meeting.

    The positions of prtes associated with the Romanican Church conservative faction were demoted by several levels, and some personnel adjustments were made. With the end of the conflict with the Voodoo Cult, some universal codes of conduct for the clergy were modified.

    However, apart from the unique position of the prtes associated with the Romanican Church conservative faction, there were no significant changes. The clergymen who participated in the Holy War did not receive any benefits, which was natural given that they had lost. However, they did not suffer any disadvantages, at least for the clergymen who did not raise objections to the current Holy See.

    It was not different for Su-Ryeon after participating in the Holy War. She did not receive any benefits or disadvantages. And just like before the Holy War, she reported to the Crusader Order for duty. There wasn''t much to do. The Voodoo Cult was no longer a threat. Of course, demons and demonic beasts still existed, and there were still Satanists, but they didn''t have the same notoriety as before.

    Su-Ryeonmuted to work on weekdays and took weekends off. asionally, she visited Dae-Man''s family. And very asionally, she met Min-Seo.

    "How have you beentely?" Su-Ryeon asked.

    Min-Seo was still in the holy artifact business.

    "Not bad. Business is a bit slow now, but better than before. Making a lot of money during the Holy War helped," Min-Seo said.

    ording to Min-Seo, sales peaked during the Second Holy War with the Voodoo Cult. There had been a decline since then, but it was still better than before the Holy War. Nowadays, she not only sold battle holy artifacts but also versatile holy artifacts with various functions, so fortunately, the business was sailing smoothly.

    Su-Ryeon listened to Min-Seo even though she didn¡¯t fully understand. It seemed like things were going well, and she was d.

    "How about your sibling?" Su-Ryeon asked.

    Min-Seo hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "He''s doing well. He moved out."

    "Really? What about your other family members? Do you keep in touch?"

    "Sometimes my so-called father tries to contact me. I used to ignore him, but now I just... send him some living expenses."

    "That''s good."

    It was indeed fortunate. Min-Seo forced a bitter smile. She always seemed to have a twisted smile, but now she seemed to know how to smile properly, even if it was bitter.

    "When I was young, I wanted to kill that person, but these days, I don''t feel that way anymore. Maybe I have forgiven him,¡± Min-Seo said.

    Su-Ryeon smiled. After taking a sip of coffee, Min-Seo nced at Su-Ryeon and asked, "How about you?"

    "Me? I, well... I can¡¯t say for sure right now," Su-Ryeon said, deliberately smiling brightly.

    They parted ways. Min-Seo couldn''t meet often because of work. Even though they only talked about each other''s current situations after meeting for a long time, it was enjoyable and satisfying.

    When Su-Ryeon returned home, she drank beer. It had been a while since she had touched alcohol, but she suddenly craved it. She was just sipping beer and not paying a lot of attention to the movie ying on her TV when she received a text message. Su-Ryeon checked the message. She thought it was from Min-Seo, but it wasn''t.

    "..."

    It was a deposit message. Su-Ryeon received a tremendous deposit into her ount¡ªa level of cash that she couldn''t even touch in her lifetime working as a crusader. The amount was so overwhelming that it scared her and made her wonder if it was some kind of scam.

    "Who is Jin-Sung?"

    The depositor''s name was Jin-Sung. Shortly after, Dae-Man''s parents contacted her. They also received money and thought that Su-Ryeon had sent it. Su-Ryeon exined that she had also received money herself.

    The person who gave them the money, as well as Jin-Sung, remained unknown.

    ***

    "And study hard during the vacation. You know that right now is the most important time for you all, right?" In-Ah said.

    The students were just waiting for In-Ah to finish. Their eyes twinkled brightly. Although she found it reprehensible that their dead eyes, staring into space, were all lit up, In-Ah understood. She felt the same way when she attended Florence Academy too.

    "Anyway, have a good vacation, everyone. Don''t go to strange ces and get hurt. Dismissed!"

    With those words from In-Ah, Florence Academy began its vacation. The students happily rushed out of the ssroom and went home.

    In-Ah was still a teacher. Florence Academy still stood where it had been. Due to the Holy War, there were many changes, and Florence Academy naturally had to change.

    In-Ah had changed a bit, too. First, she became a homeroom teacher and also led the teaching of blessings in the Department of Priests. Students used to tease her due to her impulsive nature and many mistakes, but she felt more rxed now, thanks to adapting to the life of a teacher. It was a significant change.

    After the vacation ceremony, In-Ah went to the teacher''s office. There was still work to be done.

    "So, have you reflected on your actions?" In-Ah said to the student standing in the teacher''s office.

    He was a student from the ss of Charity, where In-Ah was the homeroom teacher. The student excelled in academics and practical skills. One of his parents was a prte, so he also had a deep faith. He had also consulted about his future career path, aspiring to join the Department of Priests. In many ways, he was a student with high expectations.

    "...¡±

    "You still haven''te to your senses."

    Such an outstanding student was in the teacher''s office on a day like this, of all days, because of school violence. Florence Academy was still an academy for Romanican Church clergymen under Her Holiness. Therefore, students had to know how to use divine power and at least have some faith in the Romanican Church.

    However, unlike in the past, the presence of a Voodooist in a student''s family no longer resulted in admission rejection. The Voodooists were no longer considered heretics after all. But the student standing in front of In-Ah had been continuously hurling insults like ''heretic'' and ''spawn of evil'' at another student in a Voodooist family.

    "The Voodooists are no longer considered heretical. They aren¡¯t heretics. They are just from a different religion," In-Ah said.

    The student bowed their head deeply and fell silent. In-Ah waited for the student to respond. The student raised their head and looked at In-Ah. Their eyes were red, and tears welled up.

    "That''s just what the Holy See decided," the student said boldly, looking In-Ah straight in the eye.

    Much had changed, but some things remained the same. Just as the clergy academy, Florence Academy, still existed, some considered the Voodooists as heretical, criticized them, and bullied students in the family who were part of the Voodooists.

    Despite the official promation by the Holy See that the ''Voodooists were not heretical,'' such people still existed on Earth.

    "Who decided that they were heretics? Did you decide that?"

    However, things were better than they were for the Holy See, In-Ah, and Florence Academy. Now, anyone could enter Florence Academy even if they had rtives in the Voodoo Church or even if their siblings and parents were Voodooists. Anyone was wee to attend Florence Academy if they had the qualifications and sincerely desired to be a Romanican Church clergyman.

    "The only reason we won¡¯t escte further is because the wronged student showed mercy. You should be thankful."

    "Yes, ma¡¯am."

    After giving the student a proper scolding, In-Ah instructed them to go home. Even though she had held back, she had detained the student for thirty minutes, so the student must have realized something.

    After seeing the student off, In-Ah let out a deep sigh. Some groups still rejected the Voodooists, but on the other hand, some groups embraced and supported them. In-Ah thought that both the world and the students would gradually change for the better in the future. It would be nice if it were so.

    "Um, Teacher."

    While finishing up urgent matters and preparing to leave work, a student she had never seen approached In-Ah. No, they were one of those students she recognized by face but didn''t know their name because theycked characteristics.

    "Yes. What is it?"

    "Someone asked me to give this to you earlier..."

    The student handed a letter to her and then left.

    In-Ah stared at the letter the student had given her in silence. She felt strange about it. There were a few cases where people conveyed their thoughts through letters.

    Was it a lucky letter or something like that? In-Ah felt uneasy and hesitantly took out the letter and unfolded it.

    Her eyes widened the moment she read the first sentence.

    <i>To Unnie</i>.

 Chapter 360

    <h4>Chapter 360</h4>

    <i>¡ªHey. </i>

    <i>How are our parents doing? I wanted to visit home at least once, but it wasn''t easy. I was afraid to go back. I don''t even know what to say when I meet them. </i>

    <i>Please subtly tell our parents that I am doing well. I hope this letter reaches you safely.</i>

    <i>I will stop here. I want to talk about the rest in person. It seems better that way. If you don''t mind,e to the address I wrote on the 15th. If you don''t want to, it''s okay. </i>

    <i>Jung Yoon-Ah. </i>

    The letter ended there. In-Ah read the letter over and over again. She wondered if someone was ying a prank, but the handwriting was clearly her sister¡¯s. The letter was short considering they hadn¡¯t talked in a long time, and the blunt tone in the writing pointed out that the writer of this letter was indeed Yoon-Ah.

    There was an address written on a small note enclosed with the letter. Judging by the name, it didn''t seem to be domestic. In-Ah understood that it meant that the sender was there. She probably would be able to meet her sister there.

    "...¡±

    In-Ah folded the letter and put it in the envelope along with the note with the address. She crumpled them and stuffed them in her pocket. Even though she knew the address, In-Ah couldn''t make a decision. It was difficult for her to make the simple decision to go meet Yoon-Ah.

    Was it because she resented Yoon-Ah for silently abandoning her family and bing a Voodoo Cult member? Or maybe she was just afraid. Meeting her sister after being apart for a year and a half seemed more awkward and difficult than she thought.

    *

    Ten days passed since the ing 15th'' that Yoon-Ah had mentioned in the letter. In-Ah finally decided to leave her house after she had stayed home ever since the beginning of the school break. She wanted to meet someone.

    She sought out Ye-Jin, her old homeroom teacher who had been a great help to In-Ah until she became a teacher at Florence Academy. They agreed to meet at a restaurant, but In-Ah couldn''t see Ye-Jin anywhere, so she looked around several times.

    Then, she heard Ye-Jin''s voice calling her from somewhere.

    "In-Ah, over here!"

    In-Ah finally found Ye-Jin, but she wasn¡¯t alone. Do-Jin and Bok-Dong joined her at the table.

    In-Ah thought she was only meeting Ye-Jin, so she was slightly surprised to see the two of them. However, she was not flustered or ufortable. Rather, she was happy to see them.

    In-Ah bowed her head and greeted them cheerfully. "Hello!"

    Ye-Jin smiled brightly and waved her hand. Bok-Dong recognized In-Ah btedly, and he vigorously waved his hands to greet her. Although Do-Jin also waved to greet In-Ah, his expression seemed somewhat awkward.

    In-Ah took a seat opposite Ye-Jin.

    "I didn''t know I¡¯d see you two here. I thought I was only meeting Ye-Jin."

    Ye-Jin chuckled. "Oh, did I forget to mention? Lately, I''ve been so scatterbrained... I must have forgotten to tell you."

    "Yeah, I didn''t know In-Ah wasing either. I thought we were only going to see each other," Do-Jin said.

    Ye-Jin chuckled again. "Huh? I think I did mention that In-Ah wasing over. Did I not?"

    "You told me. Actually, I didn''t know Do-Jin wasing. I thought I was just going to see you and In-Ah," Bok-Dong said.

    "What is this? I feel like I¡¯m an uninvited guest."

    Do-Jin sounded a bit annoyed.

    Ye-Jin tried to smoothly navigate the situation. "I''m sorry, I''ve been really scatterbrainedtely. But hey, what''s the big deal? Just be d we met."

    In-Ah chuckled nervously. She didn''t know that Do-Jin and Bok-Dong wereing. Do-Jin didn''t know In-Ah wasing, and Bok-Dong didn''t know Do-Jin wasing. The situation was tangled up like that. Still, they were fortunate to have gathered together. As Ye-Jin said, she was d she was able to meet them. The four of them exchanged brief greetings and ordered food. Before the food arrived, they chatted about their recent lives.

    Ye-Jin mentioned that she was living off the money she had saved up and helping with research as a part-time job at the priesthood. She only had to go to the priesthood a couple of times a week, so she felt much more rxed than before.

    Do-Jin admired her story and seemed envious. "That used to be your dream, right? Being a well-off, unemployed person. You made ite true."

    "Not entirely. I am unemployed, but I don''t have money," Ye-Jin said with a smile.

    Do-Jin was no longer a teacher at Florence Academy. He continued with his crusader work, but due to the dissolution of the Trinitas Crusader Order, he wandered around as a frencer. He earned much less than before, but he seemed content with the less hectic lifestyle.

    "I quit caffeine, too. I quit naturally once I was no longer as busy," he said.

    "But didn''t you say you started smoking again?" Bok-Dong chided with a sly smile.

    "What? Really?" Ye-Jin narrowed her eyes and red fiercely at Do-Jin.

    "Lies, he¡¯s telling lies. Smoking? What are you talking about? I quit a long time ago," Do-Jin hastily exined.

    "What have you been up to these days, Mr. Bok-Dong?" In-Ah asked.

    In-Ah had known about Do-Jin and Ye-Jin¡¯s current situation for a while. However, she didn''t know about Bok-Dong''s current situation. Bok-Dong had retired from his teaching position at Florence Academy before the Holy War, and what he had been doing since then was unknown.

    "I am running a training center. I feel at ease, and I like it."

    In-Ah nodded. "Oh, that suits you well."

    Do-Jin chuckled. "Honestly, Bok-Dong doesn¡¯t look like a teacher at all. His face looks too scary to be one."

    "My face is not that bad! I just look a bit intimidating."

    They exchanged such trivial but amusing stories. After sharing their current situations, they engaged in a conversation about the current situations of those around them, as well as the stories of memorable students.

    As Do-Jin was reminiscing, he suddenly widened his eyes and asked, "Oh, what is that jerk up to these days?"

    In-Ah knew exactly who Do-Jin was asking about. "Min-Seo? I heard she is running a business. It seems to be doing quite well, right?"

    "A business? That''s crazy. She must be making a lot of money," Do-Jin muttered.

    Bok-Dong listened with his arms crossed, and he raised his eyebrows. "Do-Jin, don''t you have a lot of money too? Or have you already spent all the money you saved?"

    "What are you talking about? I didn''t have much saved up to begin with. I came out today because Ye-Jin said she would treat me to a meal."

    "When did I say I would treat you? I said I would treat In-Ah," Ye-Jin said, looking surprised.

    The food came out, and as they ate, they continued to share stories, mostly old ones. They talked about when Ye-Jin, Do-Jin, and Bok-Dong were students, as well as the memorable incidents from their time at Florence Academy. They had been friends for a very long time and still were.

    When talking about old stories, of course, In-Ah had nothing to say. Bok-Dong, Ye-Jin, and Do-Jin were all friends, but In-Ah was not. She just listened to the stories and still found it enjoyable.

    However, she also felt a bit bitter. For a moment, she felt envious. Maybe they could have been like that too. She had such thoughts from time to time.

    "Sorry for talking so much among ourselves," Ye-Jin said as they were about to part ways.

    In-Ah shook her head. "No, I also had fun!"

    It was truly fun, but In-Ah still felt a bit bitter. Ye-Jin nced at In-Ah and saw her smiling brightly. In-Ah was clearly smiling, but her expression seemed awkward for some reason.

    After noticing In-Ah¡¯s expression, Ye-Jin asked, "Are you not going anywhere for the vacation? No ns for a trip or anything?"

    In-Ah hesitated upon hearing the question. She closed her mouth, bowed her head, and pondered for a while. With gloomy eyes, staring nkly into the distance, she raised her head. Then, she smiled and said, "I''m thinking of going on a trip."

    "Oh, really? Where to? Have you decided?"

    "I have a ce in mind, but I think I need to go there to find out where it is," In-Ah said.

    She returned home. On the desk, there was the letter from Yoon-Ah. She hesitated. She unfolded it, read the letter once more, and confirmed the address. Just by looking at the name of the ce, she couldn''t tell which country it was, where it was. Still, she thought she should go. It seemed like a good idea.

    *

    The address Yoon-Ah had written on the note was located in New Orleans, USA. In-Ah immediately booked a flight and amodation, then set off for the city. It was peak traveling season, so the fare was very expensive, but she was okay with it thanks to the money she had saved up.

    By the time In-Ah arrived, it was already night. In-Ah immediately hailed a taxi and showed the driver the note. The taxi driver nced at the address written on the note and tilted his head. Then, with an uncertain attitude, he set off.

    The driver parked the car in the middle of a random road. Then, he said something in somenguage as he gestured for In-Ah to get off. Was it French or Spanish? Anyway, it was anguage In-Ah couldn''t understand.

    "No. What are you saying... Oh my, Thank you! I''ll find my own way!"

    In-Ah tried tomunicate somehow, but finally gave up due to exhaustion.

    She paid more than several times the amount she would have paid in Korea. It felt like she had been ripped off, which was unbelievable. The driver was not kind, didn''t take her to the destination properly, and on top of that, the ride was expensive... It seemed like she had been a doormat.

    "I¡¯ll just think of it as a good deed," In-Ah muttered.

    She decided to just think of it as charity. The thought made her feel a bit better.

    She decided to search for the address and walk in the direction with guidance from her phone. But somehow, it felt like she was going deeper into a remote area. At one point, the road was cut off. Ahead, there was only a narrow path that only one person could barely pass through. It was dark and eerie, with no one around. However, her phone kept telling her to keep going straight.

    "Where am I, seriously?" In-Ah murmured as she ventured into that eerie alleyway.

    In fact, at that point, she even considered turning back. She couldn''t imagine Yoon-Ah being in such a ce. Nevertheless, In-Ah mustered courage from within and decided to keep moving forward.

    "..."

    How long had she walked?

    The seemingly endless eerie path finally came to an end. Beyond it was a beach. The waves were gentle, and a red moon was rising above the horizon. The moonlight caused the waves to break into a red hue. It could have been a scene that seemed scary, but In-Ah didn''t find it particrly frightening. Instead, it looked mysterious and beautiful.

    <i>Bang-!</i>

    At that beach, a fireworks disy was in full swing. There were many people. The beachgoers were either looking at the red moon, the waves breaking in red, or the colorful fireworks bursting in the sky, chatting among themselves.

    "How was seeing the Pope in person this time? She looked so pretty in the photos."

    "Oh, in reality, she¡¯s just pale. To be honest, I¡¯m a lot better looking than her."

    "You think you''re better?"

    "Yeah. I¡¯m not too bad myself, don¡¯t you think?"

    "You look like the inquisitor I saw in the underground prison."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "It means you¡¯re objectively not that good-looking."

    "Hey, what''s that supposed to mean... I''ll kill you!"

    "Haha! If you can, go ahead and try. I bet I can run faster."

    The two people, who seemed like siblings, bickered and ran along the beach.

    ¡°Yuk Eun-Hyung, you son of a gun! If I hadn¡¯t been there, you¡¯d have gone down the same dang path as Ha Pan-Seok, don¡¯t ya know?"

    "How long are you going to bring that up for? I don''t remember."

    "Gosh, you ungrateful, ungrateful person!"

    The two friends exchanged sses.

    "It must be great to be the Prophet. They can even enjoy fireworks for free. Oh, Ji-Ah. Should I give you more meat?"

    "No, I''m fine. I''m too full... Teacher, please have some."

    In-Ah couldn¡¯t tell if they were father and daughter or teacher and disciple. Nevertheless, the two of them grilled and ate meat together.

    "I told you to take care of your body. How many times do you need to use your power?"

    "I heard simr words from the one who stabbed a de into my heart."

    "Hey, th-that was unavoidable at that time!"

    "I know, I''m just kidding."

    "Anyway, let''s stop now. You¡¯ll harm yourself if you continue."

    "Let''s do a little more. It''s beautiful. It adds to the atmosphere."

    "You never listen."

    "Like that¡¯s new."

    "That''s true."

    The two people who looked like lovers exchanged banter while watching the fireworks bursting in the sky. In-Ah found the back view of those two somehow familiar. Her heart raced. They looked like the two people presumed to be dead, so she thought they were among the deceased.

    In-Ah squinted her eyes, trying to make out their faces. However, perhaps due to the reddish moonlight, their faces were not clearly visible.

    At that moment, someone called In-Ah.

    "Oh, unnie! What are you doing all the way over there?"

    Startled, In-Ah turned her head.

    "..."

    Yoon-Ah was the one who called In-Ah. Upon hearing Yoon-Ah''s voice, the others who were by the sea turned to look at In-Ah. However, none of them showed hostility or caution.

    The two people In-Ah was staring at also turned their heads. Finally, their faces were visible. Sun-Woo and Jin-Seo quietly got up from their seats and approached In-Ah.

    "Long time no see," Sun-Woo said with a small smile as he looked at In-Ah.

    It was a familiar greeting that she hadn''t heard in a long time.

    The waves crashed. In the sky, fireworks were still going off. On the beach, people were sharing conversations and running around, seemingly enjoying themselves. It was peaceful. It had truly been a long time since all those moments hade together.

 Message from the TCLCA Team

    <h4>Message from the TCLCA Team</h4>

    <strong>Dn:</strong>

    First, let me just say that Yu-Hyun is absolutely brain-damaged. Almost everything he did in this novel was just in stupid. He reveals that he knows the Cult Leader¡¯s identity, and then he ends up getting tortured for it... And then he starts a war with the Voodoo Cult because his ego is toorge or something stupid like that.

    Anyway, on a more positive note, Bossou can finally rest now that the novel is over. Poor guy was worked to the bone like a sweatshopborer. La Sirene, on the other hand, was used maybe once in the novel, and then the author forgot about her. Perhaps she¡¯ll get her chance to shine in New Orleans.

    I guess the moral of the story is that you have to be good at rolling dice. Sun-Woo¡¯s mother sucked at rolling dice, while Sun-Woo was insanely good at rolling dice. Maybe the Staff of Reversal, Poteau Mitan, helped him in the final dice roll or something? The author was hyping it up to be something that can reverse fate, so that would make sense. After all, that final dice roll was the deus ex machina that allowed for a good conclusion to the novel.

    Just like how Sun-Woo pushed through the pains and struggles and reached a good conclusion, I also pushed through and tranted this novel until the end. Thanks for putting up with grammatical errors, and my random ravings and ramblings throughout this novel. Sun-Woo had Legba, and you guys had me.

    <strong>Wonsuk:</strong>

    Hello readers!

    It¡¯s WonSuk, one of the trantors for The Cult Leader of the Clergy Academy.

    Time really flew by. I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s already been almost two years since I started tranting this novel. Many things have changed since the beginning, for me and Sun-Woo.

    Sun-Woo grew from a freshman in F.A. to a seasoned Cult Leader who led the Voodoo Cult members into the Second Holy War. He went through tough trials, and endless problems were thrown his way. Regardless, Sun-Woo overcame his hardships using his wits and power and pushed through every obstacle.

    Many things have changed for me as well. I never thought I would trante professionally, let alone trante Korean Web novels. It was my first time being part of something as big as Wuxiaworld, and it was exciting to y a role in thispany and be part of making written art.

    But all of this wouldn¡¯t have been possible if it weren¡¯t for our great team.

    Dylin, I couldn¡¯t have asked for a greater co-trantor. It was fun to trante a novel with a friend.

    Slumber, correcting my chapters and getting rid of grammatical errors to make my chapters look pristine and easy on viewers'' eyes.

    Yojj, for being such an understanding,passionate boss.

    Thank you, Wuxiaworld, for giving me this incredible experience. I have appreciated being a part of this big machine and have learned a lot.

    Finally, I want to thank you, readers. A story is meaningless if there aren¡¯t readers or listeners. Thanks for reading our trantion of TCLA. I hope you enjoyed Sun-Woo¡¯s story.

    Hopefully, I can reintroduce myself as a trantor of another novel. Till then, I bid farewell.

    Happy readings!

    Won Suk Ji

    Trantor

    Slumber:

    Dear lovely readers of TCLCA,

    Can you believe it¡¯s the end? Thank you so, so much for sticking with us until the veryst chapter to witness Sun-Woo¡¯s incredible journey! I personally loved every twist and turn of this story as I fell for each character one by one. The surprising time skip at the end also added an excitingyer to the plot for me. As a romantic though, I wish there was an extra at the end... I need the details of blooming rtionships!! Or, maybe this is a sign for me to start writing fanfiction? I don¡¯t know...

    A huge shoutout goes to our amazing trantors, Won-Suk and Dylin! They dedicated countless hours not just to tranting but also to researching Voodoo terms,ing up with names, wrapping their heads around blessings and spells, and of course, their hrious trantor notes. I will never forget the TLNs in this novel, as some of them made meugh nonstop at the end of the chapter. We didn¡¯t know much about the Loa or how religion would y out in this series, but I learned a lot along the way¡ªand I hope you did too!

    Ultimately, I hope you enjoyed this story as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Thank you once again for being part of this adventure!

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!