Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Saintess Runs Amok
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“…The ‘Saintess,’ you say?”
Seo Woo-jin blinked.
It was surprising enough that Drunak had come to see him, but the question felt even more out of left field.
‘Saintess’?
Why on earth was he asking about Seong Yu-ra?
It couldn’t possibly be because they were close or something trivial like that.
“I’m not quite sure what you’re getting at.”
Seo Woo-jin replied, his expression hardening slightly, and Drunak quickly shook his head.
“Don’t misunderstand. That’s not what I meant.”
He continued with an awkward look on his face.
“Have you heard that a delegation arrived from Iyer?”
‘Again?’
It seemed to be about the bishop once more.
Seo Woo-jin couldn’t fathom why everyone was making such a fuss over this bishop.
Lee Ji-ah might brush it off casually.
She’d always loved gossiping and had a lively personality that got excited over the smallest things.
But Drunak was different.
He was the Prime Minister of the Empire.
His presence carried far more weight than Lee Ji-ah’s.
Drunak was a man whose every step was laden with countless intentions and meanings.
For someone like that to mention Seong Yu-ra and Iyer in casual gossip? Unlikely.
“I heard about it just a little while ago.”
Seo Woo-jin nodded.
Frowning slightly as he tried to gauge Drunak’s intent, he answered.
“The bishop from there is visiting the academy tomorrow. To meet the ‘Saintess.’”
“I heard that too.”
“On the surface, it’s to meet the ‘Saintess’… but honestly, I don’t quite buy it.”
Now they were getting to the point.
“By any chance, do you have any guesses about why the bishop wants to meet her?”
“Hmm……”
Seo Woo-jin fell into thought at Drunak’s question.
His gut told him that the bishop’s visit to the academy might be more significant than he’d initially thought.
But he had no real answer to give.
He’d only learned about the bishop that very morning, after all.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
Seo Woo-jin shrugged.
“Is that so?”
Disappointment flickered across Drunak’s face.
“But if it’s about the ‘Saintess,’ I’ve heard a few things.”
Clink.
Drunak set down the teacup he’d been holding.
“What is it?”
“She seems to be having some issues lately.”
Seo Woo-jin shared the rumors he’d heard, along with his own impressions from meeting her directly.
“She gave off this vibe like she was under a lot of mental strain, as if something was chasing her. She looked anxious, and they say she hasn’t even been leaving her dorm.”
Drunak’s expression stiffened at Seo Woo-jin’s words.
“The ‘Saintess’ is secluding herself?”
This was serious.
It wasn’t like skipping school because she didn’t feel like going.
Heroes were precious strategic assets, one and all.
They were the ultimate force to stand against the Demon King and his armies in the Great Descent War.
An SS-rank like the ‘Saintess’ was especially irreplaceable.
For such a figure to hide away with mental issues?
“So that’s why the bishop is coming?”
Drunak murmured, stroking his teacup.
It made sense.
The ‘Saintess’ was a hero backed by Iyer.
If her condition was poor, it wasn’t unreasonable for Iyer to send someone to check on her personally.
But Drunak soon shook his head.
“Still, sending a bishop feels excessive.”
It wasn’t a matter for someone on par with an imperial duke.
A cardinal, maybe……
Drunak pondered deeply, trying to guess the bishop’s hidden motives.
Then, suddenly.
“Ah, my apologies.”
Realizing he’d left Seo Woo-jin hanging, he spoke up with a flustered expression.
“I’m fine.”
Seo Woo-jin waved it off.
Just as Drunak had been lost in thought, so was Seo Woo-jin.
What would happen when the bishop visited the academy tomorrow?
And could he use that opportunity to deal with Seong Yu-ra?
‘If I play my cards right, it might just work out.’
To Seo Woo-jin, Seong Yu-ra had become an enemy who needed to be silenced.
She was convinced that he and the ‘black presence’ were one and the same.
On top of that, she seemed to have some connection to the Apostles.
So, he planned to eliminate her.
And death was the most likely method.
“In any case, thank you for the information. Sorry again for dropping by unannounced.”
“I hope it helps.”
Seo Woo-jin smiled back, then rose from the sofa.
“Oh, and one more thing……”
As Seo Woo-jin turned to leave the chancellor’s office, Drunak’s voice stopped him.
He looked back questioningly, and Drunak said quietly,
“You should be cautious about using ‘Luden Gardo.’”
A glint flashed in Seo Woo-jin’s eyes.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just some advice. I’ve heard that overusing artifacts like that isn’t good.”
Drunak averted his gaze, answering as if making excuses.
A smile crept onto Seo Woo-jin’s face.
‘As expected.’
The imperial family had shown concern before, and now Drunak was doing the same.
‘They don’t see me as an enemy.’
Even after hearing reports from Crusiel, he was saying this. It seemed certain.
“Thank you for the advice.”
Seo Woo-jin bowed sincerely in gratitude before exiting the chancellor’s office.
Outside, the maid and knights stood waiting without the slightest movement.
“Did your talk go well?”
Yorn, the chancellor himself, approached and asked.
“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”
“Then, if you’ll follow me for a moment.”
He led Seo Woo-jin a short distance away from the knights.
“Something you’d like to say?”
Seo Woo-jin asked warily, and Yorn nodded.
“Would it be possible for me to know what you discussed with him?”
Yorn’s eyes sparkled.
It looked like simple curiosity on the surface, but it surely wasn’t.
“I’m sorry. It doesn’t seem like something I can share freely.”
Seo Woo-jin drew a firm line.
Surprisingly, Yorn backed off easily.
“I see. My apologies for overstepping.”
He bowed as if regretting his mistake.
“Heading straight back to your dorm?”
“Yes, I should.”
“Then get some good rest today. Tomorrow might be busy.”
Yorn spoke with a meaningful expression before turning and leaving.
“…Busy?”
Seo Woo-jin pondered Yorn’s words as he headed to his dorm.
BOOM-!
The indoor training hall shook violently.
The defensive magic arrays shattered entirely, and cracks like spiderwebs spread across the ceiling and walls from the aftermath.
Thud.
A monster with its upper body melted collapsed.
“Let’s take a short break for now.”
“Huff— huff— Got it.”
Kim Da-hye plopped down, breathing raggedly.
Her mana was completely depleted, leaving her in a state of mild exhaustion.
“Drink some water and rest.”
Seo Woo-jin handed her a prepared water bottle and began cleaning up the area.
“Purgation Flame.”
The remains of the dead monsters evaporated completely.
‘…Impressive.’
Seo Woo-jin marveled at the monster corpses Kim Da-hye had taken down.
Not a single one lay dead in one piece.
Most of their bodies had melted away from her attacks.
Napalm.
He’d noticed her odd look while watching Purgation Flame yesterday, and today she’d ‘summoned’ a napalm bomb.
He’d figured it wasn’t a flamethrower, but……
‘Who’d have thought she’d bring a napalm bomb…….’
He couldn’t fathom how she could ‘summon’ something like that.
Simply drawing a picture wouldn’t produce a real weapon like that.
But when asked, Kim Da-hye just replied with her usual “Got it.”
‘Well, as long as she fights well, that’s what matters.’
Kim Da-hye’s napalm bomb packed tremendous power.
It was inhumane, sure, but nothing was more effective at killing.
Debating humanity in a war against monsters was laughable anyway.
‘The downside is mana consumption…….’
Napalm was a type of incendiary.
Once lit, it didn’t go out easily—and in Kim Da-hye’s case, the flames persisted as long as her mana held out.
Hence the heavy mana drain.
But that would resolve itself as her level rose.
“How many levels did you gain today?”
“3 levels.”
Kim Da-hye, her breathing steadied, answered blankly.
4 levels yesterday, 3 today.
7 levels in two days—an astonishing pace.
Slower than Seo Woo-jin at his peak level-up grind, but faster than any other hero.
“Good. Keep this up, and you’ll hit the target in no time.”
Not every soldier in the Great Descent War could get an exosuit.
Even if Seo Woo-jin went full Demon King Transformation, it’d be impossible.
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands—maybe even a million troops.
Seo Woo-jin and Kim Da-hye aimed for about one legion of ten thousand.
That would suffice.
Kim Da-hye needed to reserve mana for combat herself.
“You’ve got to grind to level 100 no matter what. That’s when a whole new world opens up.”
“Got it.”
Kim Da-hye nodded slowly at Seo Woo-jin’s advice.
“Good. Once your mana recovers a bit, we’ll resume…….”
Seo Woo-jin had just finished cleaning the indoor training hall and was about to restart training.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked.
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head.
No one interrupted training in the indoor hall.
It was an unspoken rule.
Even Prime Minister Drunak hadn’t dared enter, waiting outside instead.
Yet someone was knocking during training time.
‘Either rude, or it’s that urgent.’
Seo Woo-jin had a feeling it was the latter.
“Who is it?”
Frowning, he opened the door to see a familiar face.
“Mister!”
It was Lee Ji-ah.
Unlike her usual self, her face was stiff and tense as she urgently called out to him.
“…What’s wrong?”
Seeing her unusual demeanor, Seo Woo-jin gave her a puzzled look.
“Mister, Seong Yu-ra! That Seong Yu-ra has gone insane!”
For a moment, he didn’t grasp her words.
But he soon shrugged it off as no big deal.
“She’s always had a screw loose. What’s new…….”
“She’s attacking people! Heroes, knights, anyone in sight—she’s going berserk, trying to kill them all!”
Seo Woo-jin’s face hardened.
‘No way?’
His first suspicion was corruption by demonic energy, like Baek Si-woo.
But he hadn’t sensed that from Seong Yu-ra.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Seo Woo-jin decided to get the facts straight first.
“Well, it’s like this…….”
Seong Yu-ra had snapped right after meeting the bishop who’d visited the academy.