Chapter 305

Chapter 305

"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 flat 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 successor after all."

I had chosen Soo-Yeong as my successor. Granted, Soo-Yeong lacked 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 successor, 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 claims 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, come 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."

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 particularly 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 not come 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 will come when you must make a choice.]

***

The news of the Pope's death, which had only been a rumor, had now become an official fact because Holy See issued a statement. The Pope of the Romanican Church had passed away due to illness, and a conclave would soon take place.

Therefore, there was a nationwide event to mourn the death of the Pope. As a paladin of the Central Paladin 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 until late at night.

"It's tough, right?"

I occasionally 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 similar 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 disappeared completely, 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 conclave and the next Pope. Yu-Hyun's name was frequently mentioned, and scholars and professors who appeared on debate programs often said that the possibility of Yu-Hyun becoming 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 research lab.

"The time has come."

As soon as I arrived at the research lab, 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 conclave will take place 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."