Chapter 136
The work at the hospital was monotonous. I spent most of the time eating and occasionally got visits from the dedicated healing priest from the F.A. Foundation. They would come and bless and heal the wounds on my decayed right arm.
The wound on my stomach resulting from the piercing of the blade 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 glad 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 started complaining 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 become quite close with the healing priest. It would have been strange not to become 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 who comes 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 explain 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 she comes 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 had come 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 young lady 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.
Knock, knock.
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.
His complexion 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 become a paladin."
"Oh? Then you could end up working with me someday." The clergyman awkwardly laughed 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 black magic. Not only do your words, based on your firsthand experience of seeing and experiencing black 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 explain 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 blades 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 will come 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 become a paladin, 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 places. What are your thoughts on this?"
"I think it’s a good thing because the charlatans 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 glaring 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 not complete nonsense either."
"..."
"So, I wanted to ask what you think of this."
The clergymen unconsciously used words with negative implications like “radical” and “complete.” 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’t completely 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 relationship with our Romanican church, or simply because the teachings of Voodoo Cult differ from the Satanists’."
"Go on."
"In the latter 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 relationship 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 welcome 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 planned 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.
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