Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Beast's Seed
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“…This is?”
The moment Yoon Seung-ah pulled it out.
Thud.
Go Yohan's heart pounded.
Along with the surging emotions.
Pah!
The barrier Yoon Seung-ah had set up shattered.
“…This damn curse.”
It was because her still immature body couldn't control her emotions and reacted to the curse.
In other words, whatever Yoon Seung-ah had pulled out right now was irritating Go Yohan's nerves that much.
That tiny thing like a red gem.
‘Beast's Seed.’
It was something the demons used to turn humans or monsters into demonic beasts.
“…It seems they've finally shown themselves.”
Go Yohan said in a quiet voice, as if spitting out the words.
Even before the Black Gate appeared, there had been movements from those trying to create vessels.
And then.
‘I opened the door.’
Go Yohan had opened the door.
Things had been quiet since, but as expected, the demons were slithering around in the shadows.
Yoon Seung-ah had been acting separately for that purpose.
“Demon Worshippers.”
Fallen humans who worshipped those damn fiends.
They were responsible for more than eighty percent of Travania's downfall, and they were also the reason Go Yohan had taken in the children.
“Where did it come from?”
Go Yohan asked.
“The source is Gangnam. We're still tracking it, but…”
“What's its connection to the school?”
“It looks like a few were sold to students at Sacred Middle School.”
“Ha.”
It was absurd.
Both Travania and Earth.
“…They're all doing the same damn things.”
They reach out blindly, blinded by greed, without even knowing what they're touching.
They must know it would bring about a disaster that leads to ruin.
The Beast's Seed was like a kind of drug.
“It hasn't spread much. We'll handle it before it gets out of hand.”
Yoon Seung-ah said, as if gauging Go Yohan's reaction.
“You've done well. I'll keep an eye on it too.”
“…I didn't mean to bother the Captain with this.”
“I can't just leave it to you guys, can I?”
Only then did Yoon Seung-ah break into a wide smile.
‘Beast's Seed.’
What was irritating about such schemes was that it was hard to detect before the seed sprouted.
It was then.
A gaze felt from somewhere.
It was too insignificant to consider an enemy, so he ignored it.
“Another annoying thing's come up.”
Knowing it was because the curse had exposed his emotions, Go Yohan frowned and walked away quietly.
“If you find out anything, share it.”
And then.
-Research the Beast's Seed thoroughly. Now that those damn things have started moving, we can't keep getting caught off guard every time.
Go Yohan's voice echoed in Yoon Seung-ah's mind.
-I understand, Captain.
After Go Yohan left.
-Don't do anything unnecessary.
Yoon Seung-ah said toward Envy, who was hiding nearby.
The gaze from earlier wasn't just because of Go Yohan's emotions.
-Wh-what, why…?
Envy's voice came through.
-Sis, isn't this what you wanted? You think I don't know that?
Envy, true to her name, was a child bearing the curse and sin of envy.
That's why she was more sensitive to the emotion of jealousy than anyone.
-I did it thinking of you, sis…
She had definitely done something unnecessary by picking up on her own feelings.
-Envy, remember this.
The children Go Yohan had saved.
By their own will and Go Yohan's, they had become ‘Apostles.’
Connected to Go Yohan, moving according to his will, and bound to him.
‘You are the Apostles of the Goddess.’
Go Yohan called them the Apostles of the Goddess, but that was wrong.
-Never do anything that would harm that person. Envy, never again act on your own without his permission.
That they were Apostles solely for that person, Go Yohan.
-N-No…
-Remember it. Answer me.
-O-Okay!
They possessed incomparable power, but they were still children.
*
*
*
“Hey! Did you hear?”
“What?”
“They say Go Yohan was with the student teacher behind the flower bed!”
Kim Se-hyun perked up her ears at the noisy voices in the classroom.
“What? For real?”
“Man, Go Yohan's insane… Now even the student teacher…”
“Aaah! Shut up with that nonsense!”
No one at Sacred Middle School could easily approach Go Yohan.
It was because of his past actions and the tattoo etched on him despite being a middle schooler.
“Honestly… with Go Yohan, it's totally possible.”
“Aaaah! I can't hear you! La la la!”
Go Yohan's popularity was as exceptional as Kim Se-hyun's.
Not to mention the background of Sacred, his past actions and tattoo screamed delinquency, but there had never been any issues with his behavior, like bullying anyone.
He spent most of his time sleeping through class without participating.
‘He has some chronic illness, right?’
There were stories that it was due to a condition that made him prone to fevers easily.
But above all, his appearance.
Due to albinism, he had silver-white hair and sky-blue eyes, which instead gave him a mystical aura.
And the tattoo didn't look sleazy; it actually suited him surprisingly well.
“But it does suit him.”
“Hey, a middle schooler? Come on.”
“You're the middle schooler, idiot.”
Kim Se-hyun jumped to her feet while listening to the chatter.
For some reason, her heart was pounding, and her hands and feet were trembling faintly.
‘Yohan!’
The moment she thought she had to see Go Yohan right away and headed for the door.
Thud.
She bumped into an entering student and was pushed back.
“Se-hyun, where are you off to in such a hurry?”
It was a fairly calm voice, but Kim Se-hyun's face stiffened instead.
The class president of Class 2-A.
“Sh-Shin-woo.”
It was Choi Shin-woo.
Taller than the already tall Go Yohan.
He was quite popular due to his calm demeanor.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
Kim Se-hyun only felt uncomfortable around Choi Shin-woo like this.
“Se-hyun, Shin-woo's asking you.”
Choi Shin-woo wasn't alone.
A line of his gang stood with him.
They were all known as Choi Shin-woo's crew.
“Se-hyun?”
It was when Kim Se-hyun hesitated and stepped back.
“Kim Se-hyun.”
“Yohan!”
Go Yohan appeared at the classroom front door and called her.
“Let's go to the canteen. Teacher Lee Jae-kyung's buying.”
“Huh? Oh!”
Kim Se-hyun ran toward Go Yohan as if rescued.
“…….”
Choi Shin-woo's face hardened as he watched.
“One by one, they're all so annoying.”
His crew flinched at Choi Shin-woo's voice.
Choi Shin-woo. His family had once been one of Korea's top three guilds, but Sacred had quickly overtaken them.
Sacred, and Go Yohan.
And…
Heh.
“Kim Se-hyun.”
Choi Shin-woo tapped his fingers, as if calculating something.
*
*
*
“…Yohan.”
Kim Se-hyun cautiously called out to Go Yohan.
Each of them held a chocolate milk bought by Lee Jae-kyung.
“Speak.”
But Kim Se-hyun didn't open her mouth.
‘…Thank you.’
It was always like this.
Pretending to be nonchalant, acting like he didn't care.
It had been the same in elementary school.
At a school attended only by children of the elite, the falling status of Taehan wasn't high.
As kids naturally form hierarchies without realizing, Kim Se-hyun was constantly dragged around.
‘Se-hyun.’
‘Se-hyun!’
‘Se-hyun.’
Whenever she was in trouble like that.
‘Kim Se-hyun, you're the best at math, right? How do you do this root?’
Go Yohan would approach and talk to her.
As the youngest son of Sacred, he must have received excessive early education too, so he surely knew.
“Ah, that student teacher… you were with her, right?”
When Kim Se-hyun finally spoke, Go Yohan furrowed his brow.
“Ha.”
He knew exactly what had happened.
-Sorry, Captain…
Envy was only 11 years old.
Her power might rival Lee Jae-kyung's, but.
‘She needs protection.’
The Apostles had decided among themselves to take turns guarding Go Yohan.
Of course, he didn't need any such protection.
‘It won't be bad. Experience it properly instead.’
He had allowed it so the kids who didn't want to go to school could experience it indirectly.
But they were still young and immature.
Like Yoon Seung-ah unnecessarily drawing in outsiders while watching him, though it would only lead to baseless rumors.
There was nothing to blame.
No one was hurt.
‘She's already been scolded plenty.’
It was also partly his responsibility, having imposed harsh fates on them.
“It's nothing. We knew each other from before.”
“…Huh?”
“Church.”
“Oh!”
Kim Se-hyun exclaimed as if realizing something.
“I saw her briefly while volunteering there. Just greeted her since it was nice to see a familiar face.”
“Ah, yeah… I see.”
Go Yohan once again felt the pathos of his situation.
‘I’ll definitely take the high school equivalency exam for high school.’
Even if it meant his family would suffer wounds incomparable to a nail in the future, he couldn't compromise on high school.
“You guys here?”
The voice from earlier.
“Shin-woo…”
Choi Shin-woo and his crew approached Go Yohan and Kim Se-hyun.
“I have something to talk about with Se-hyun real quick. That cool?”
Choi Shin-woo said to Go Yohan.
Kim Se-hyun clung tightly to Go Yohan's arm, looking anxious.
‘Sky Guild, was it?’
Fallen now, but once a guild that surpassed Sacred.
Moreover.
‘There were talks of a marriage alliance with Taehan.’
They were still kids, but it didn't matter.
Whether Taehan or Sky, they were both plummeting, and those addicted to power were using their young children as hostages to aim for a comeback.
To some in power, past or present, children were nothing more or less than tools.
‘My parents are the unusual ones.’
Sacred was closer to the exception.
“Or you can join if you want.”
Choi Shin-woo said to Go Yohan, who had stopped and wasn't moving.
“What are you up to after school today?”
Choi Shin-woo asked both Kim Se-hyun and Go Yohan.
“Wanna hang out if you're free?”
“Yohan's busy, and me too…”
Kim Se-hyun mustered her courage to speak.
“Busy.”
It felt like Go Yohan was suffering because of her, her first show of courage.
“Perfect, I had nothing going on.”
Go Yohan said out of nowhere.
-Yoon Seung-ah.
At the same time, he sent his voice to Yoon Seung-ah.
-Investigate Choi Shin-woo.