Chapter 280

Chapter 280

After the woman turned into smoke and disappeared, the noisy cathedral was once again filled with silence.

Some people stared blankly, 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 succumbed to the woman’s black magic and become 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 blankly stared into space with wide eyes.

Joseph let out a bitter laugh and walked off before collapsing 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 place 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 belatedly 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 you come all this way for?] Damballa asked.

The words of the two Loa were embedded deeply into my mind. The voices of Baron Samedi, Legba, and Damballa blended together inside my head. And it was then that I was belatedly 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 being labeled as a fraud who had hidden his identity and deceived them.

If the Romanican Church and the Voodoo Cult were not in a hostile relationship, 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 place.

The funeral ended earlier today. We collectively mourned those who had died in battle.

I wore the paladin robe I had received during dispatch training at the Eastern Paladin Order and went to the cathedral affiliated with the Central Priesthood. Photos of the clergy members' faces were placed 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 been completely 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 glanced up and down at the clothes I was wearing.

He asked, "Was that the outfit that the Eastern Paladin 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 paladin affiliated with the Eastern Paladin Order, but an unaffiliated apprentice paladin.

“You, what are you—?!”

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 blankly 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 her composure 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 blankly 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, come 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 any comfort. It’s not something that will get better through words of comfort.”

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 consolation. 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?"

—I 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 she last did this.

Jin-Seo tried to light it, but she couldn't bring herself to. More accurately, 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 of comfort from smoking.

In that case, how would she be able to find comfort? 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. She lay on her bed and closed her eyes tightly.

Her chest felt tight, but tears didn't emerge from her eyes.

Ding—!

At that moment, a clear sound echoed in her room, abruptly disturbing the deep silence.

Jin-Seo was startled. She belatedly 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 a complete mess.

He looked at Jin-Seo and smiled faintly. "There you are."