Chapter 192
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 was coming 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 flame. One was a dog, and the other was a person. The commonality between them was that both of their insides had been completely emptied.
Their organs, which had been taken out from their abdomens, were scattered in a circular pattern around the flames. The black 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 flames.
"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 flames, 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 exclaimed 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 classes, going to school would be meaningless anyway.
The weekend arrived in a flash. 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.
—Do 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 hollow laugh.
Ha-Yeon let out a sigh as if trying to calm herself.
—...Didn't you say you wanted to see my father last time?
"Ah... that’s right."
—I asked because it seems like my father has time tomorrow.
"Don’t you have to go to school tomorrow?
—What 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—it 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.
—Hello? Did you disconnect?
"No."
—No, then why did you... Anyway, are you free tomorrow?
"Yes."
—Come to think of it, how's your health? I heard you were sick.
"Just so-so."
—I see... Well then, where should we meet tomorrow?
"I'll go there."
—-Okay... Wait, you're coming here?
"Why? Aren't you at the dormitory on the weekends anyway?"
—Well, that's true...
"Since I have to stop by the dormitory anyway, let's meet at school. I'm hanging up."
Beep.
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.
- "It seemed like Sung Yu-Da was watching over you from behind. During the re-election test, and in other ways as well..."
- "I don't know the reason either. Maybe he knows your true identity, or... well, he might just be having some absurd misunderstanding."
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 Clan of Purification was much stronger than I initially thought, and I obtained intel about the relationship between the Clan 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 black 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 black 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 clan, and the blessing they wrote was the same as the blessing of purification that the members of the purification clan used today. Ever since that day, the members of the purification clan formed a relationship 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 flashy clothes, but if I dressed too formally, there was a possibility that I might not look like a student. I just chose plain and neat clothes. A shirt was probably appropriate.
As I was about to leave the dormitory, Legba said, [Do you plan 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 become 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 becoming 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 contemplating, I heard Legba cough.
[The choice is yours, but I recommend not wearing it. It will be safer that way.]
Immediately after, Baron Samedi said, [I recommend just wearing it as it is! It would be much more fun.]
Their opinions clashed, 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 relationship?]
[...]
Upon hearing Baron Samedi's words, Legba went silent. It was impossible to tell what Baron Samedi was referring to when he mentioned their relationship.
"What do you mean by their relationship?"
[...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 place.”
[That's difficult. I’m a busybody, you see.]
[I never brought it up. Baron Samedi was the one who blabbered 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.
‘Should I remove the ring and ensure my safety, or should I take a gamble?’
However, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come 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.
—Cult Leader.
"Yes, what is it?"
—I 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?"
—Not 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 him lately since he had gotten quiet. The last 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?"
—It'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.
—Did I tell you about how Joseph's wife was killed by a demon last time?
"Yes. I think it was around about twelve years ago."
—The 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 could come from the same family.
"So, did Joseph become an inquisitor to catch his brother?"
—No, Joseph's brother died twelve years ago.
Ji-Ah spoke without even giving me a chance to be surprised.
—Joseph 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.
- "Cain probably didn't want to kill his own brother. Perhaps he just hit him with a stone and accidentally ended up killing him."
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