Chapter 134
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Frank Conversation (2)
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"Did you feel that gaze in the clubroom too?"
Judging by how she started there, it seemed like she planned to ask about every single detail one by one.
The gaze was something I could answer fully, so I nodded and confirmed it.
"I did feel it. Probably only you and I noticed it, though."
"What was that gaze?"
I took a moment to organize my thoughts before saying it was probably from Geneva.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I think it might be Geneva."
"Geneva? The Geneva Cult?"
"Yeah, the god they worship."
Mentioning the Geneva Cult made Cheon Seo-yun look confused.
It wasn't unreasonable. The Geneva Cult trained healers with the power of regeneration.
For their god to openly target her like that, it was understandable why she was bewildered.
"...Then why is it targeting me?"
Sensing the conversation growing heavier, Cheon Seo-yun cautiously asked why she was being targeted.
I debated how much to reveal about the Geneva Cult but decided to tell her everything since I'd brought it up.
"Probably because they covet your talent and acted on their own."
"My talent?"
"Geneva and his cult are pretty nasty. They might have planned to devour you like some kind of sacrifice."
Of course, I hadn't faced Geneva directly, so I couldn't know his exact intentions.
What I was saying was just my and Lee Seojun's speculation, but Cheon Seo-yun took it seriously.
"Sacrifice..."
Murmuring the word softly, she looked at me again with eyes full of questions.
"Do you know what they planned to do with me as a sacrifice?"
"No idea. But I do know the Geneva Cult offers people as sacrifices to summon their god."
"Offers people as sacrifices?"
I nodded at her reaction, as if she'd never heard this before.
"They're careful to keep it quiet. Probably no one else knows, not just you."
"..."
Eventually, Cheon Seo-yun fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.
Because of that, both she and I sat quietly for a while without speaking.
"Is everything you've said so far true?"
Not long after, she spoke again, her face still showing lingering shock.
"I've just told you what I know. So it might not be 100% accurate."
But since it came from Lee Seojun, who'd experienced this world first, it was 99.9% fact.
The only thing less certain was the massive gaze and apostle that had appeared this time.
'The gaze and apostle this time were things even Lee Seojun didn't know about.'
Probability-wise, maybe 99.0%.
Anyway, having heard all this from me, Cheon Seo-yun looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"But Lee Seongmin, how do you know all this?"
"From a source."
"A source?"
"A reliable one."
She blinked blankly at my answer.
Her face suggested she felt foolish for having taken it all so seriously until now.
"You didn't confirm it yourself?"
"I did check one place. They held some ritual there with a dead body."
Hearing I'd verified it once, she eased her stunned expression a bit.
Her reaction implied she'd wondered if I was just repeating baseless rumors as fact.
"If... if what you say is true, shouldn't we report it?"
"No point without solid evidence. The Geneva Cult has a good public image. They'd deny everything."
It was such a reputable cult that even Cheon Seo-yun couldn't fully believe me.
But with the massive gaze and the apostle's descent this time, she seemed half convinced.
"So something like this could happen again later."
Unable to do anything about Geneva or the cult right now, she noted it might recur.
Indeed, after sending an apostle and failing, Geneva wouldn't easily give up on her out of spite.
"Like you said, something like yesterday could happen again. Someone from the Geneva Cult might approach you. But don't worry about it."
"Why?"
I met her gaze as she looked up at me slightly and told her the reason.
"Because I'll protect you."
"..."
She stared at me without even blinking, as if she hadn't expected that answer at all.
Separately, Lee Seojun beside us grimaced like he'd swallowed rotten food, but I ignored him.
"...Yeah."
At that moment, Cheon Seo-yun nodded slightly, her face subtly flushing whether she meant to or not, then leaned into my arms.
"Protect me."
Not having anticipated her reaction, I was flustered for a moment but soon held her casually.
-From Cheon Seo-yun's perspective, a god and his cult might be targeting her. Then you say you'll protect her, and she falls for it completely.
After sending Cheon Seo-yun back, I learned why she'd leaned into me from talking with Lee Seojun.
-A man who protects her from a god. Even more amazing is that you actually can.
"Anyway, what do you think the Geneva side will do?"
Naturally, the Geneva Cult was the priority right now.
Lee Seojun's expression turned serious as he pondered their next move.
-They're fighting the Villain Alliance right now... but they won't care about handling one Cheon Seo-yun.
"If it's just her, they could send a small team."
-Exactly. And if Geneva issues a divine oracle to offer her as a sacrifice, an elite priest might come.
"Elite priest? Like that old man we fought in the abandoned church basement?"
When I mentioned the old man I'd fought disguised as Jake, Lee Seojun shook his head.
-Since it's a divine command, probably a cardinal.
"A cardinal..."
-Only the chosen in the cult can become one. And they're outstanding, of course.
"Sounds way stronger than the old man from the church, right?"
Lee Seojun nodded as if it was obvious and added an explanation.
-The church old man was probably an archbishop. Impressive, sure, but nothing compared to a cardinal.
"So if Geneva doesn't give up, a cardinal might show up."
-Yeah. And if a cardinal comes, it'll be one of two things: kidnap her or recruit her as a healer.
The moment I heard "recruit as a healer," I couldn't help but frown.
"Don't healers have to offer their abilities and growth potential?"
-Exactly. So we have to stop it no matter what.
Hearing that, I imagined Cheon Seo-yun switching to healer and her potential halving.
From 99 to 49... The thought alone made me want to kill Geneva right now.
-Fortunately, you told her about Geneva this time. She'll be on guard now, so no worries.
As Lee Seojun said, with Cheon Seo-yun now wary of the Geneva Cult, she wouldn't foolishly become a healer.
"The problem is if they act without warning."
If they outright kidnapped or killed her on Geneva's orders, things would get messy.
If she ended up sacrificed to Geneva, even my complete resurrection might not bring her back.
'Probably couldn't resurrect her.'
If Geneva devoured her soul and all, revival would be impossible.
Still, despite my worries, the Geneva Cult might not move at all.
'Plus, Lee Seojun said this is the stretch up to finals where nothing happens.'
I decided to believe nothing major would occur.
Inside a private villa where a healer was staying.
"Um, I have something to say..."
The healer... that is, Lee Seongmin, looked cautiously at Della, who had come to see him.
Previously, he'd allowed communication with the Villain Alliance, but Lucas had come personally and failed, so he'd finally signed the contract.
"What is it?"
With the Villain Alliance's leader Lucas having failed, he figured no more rescues were coming.
Plus, both Della and Lorella had signed contracts, so they were being given relative freedom now.
"The Villain Alliance and Geneva Cult are probably at war by now. Can't I go help them?"
"Still haven't cut ties with the Villain Alliance?"
"How can I, when I didn't leave on my own terms?"
Lee Seongmin nodded, agreeing it made sense.
But nodding aside, he saw no reason to permit it.
"No reason to allow it."
As soon as he voiced his thought, Della responded as if she'd prepared for it.
"I have things to wrap up. And while I'm at it, I want to help the Villain Alliance one last time."
"So after wrapping up and coming back, you'll focus only here?"
"Right. You wouldn't release me anyway if I asked."
Her promise to focus here made me pause in thought.
Seeing me like that, Della seized the moment and added more.
"Lydia and Lorella just wander the living room all day too. If I go and come back, no more of that."
Come to think of it, Ha Chae-jeong had mentioned before that the villain women were causing a ruckus.
I'd roughly monitored them with Absolute Clones and let it slide, but with most things settled, it was time to focus here.
'But...'
One question occurred to me, so I asked Della point-blank.
"Would you even help the Villain Alliance if you went?"
"..."
At my question, Della glared at me like she wanted to unload everything she'd held back.