The Evil God's Play, Part IV

Inside the Saintess's private office at the church headquarters.

"It's finally over...!" Seraphina looked up at the ceiling with a proud smile.

Countless sheets of paper fluttered across her desk—ledgers detailing the supplies used during the conflict with Haninhae, and records of the believers' contribution points. When she had first sat down, the sheer volume of paperwork had left her feeling utterly overwhelmed, but—

"O Lord... Thank you."

Following their brief conversation yesterday, the god's assistance had become even more precise, allowing her to wrap up the work in record time.

While Seraphina handled the basic bookkeeping, the god had pointed out any errors the moment they arose. Supply distribution and contribution points were the very pillars that sustained the church. Because there was absolutely no room for error, she would normally have had to double- or triple-check every single entry. Having her god oversee that process effectively cut her workload in half through simple calculation alone.

Yet, the pride Seraphina felt right now did not stem solely from the satisfaction of finishing her work early.

For some reason, it feels like He is watching over me even more closely than usual. Ever since our conversation through the Ouija board... is He showing me extra care?

Her highly developed gaze-detection ability allowed her to read deeper meaning within the gaze of a constellation. She could perceive the thoughts and emotions of the entity watching her, even if only through vague, fleeting metaphors.

And since that conversation, the emotions carried within that silver gaze had subtly shifted. It was entirely in the realm of raw feeling and intuition, making it difficult to put into words, but... if she had to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠describe it, it was the difference between looking at a pet and looking at a child.

If the former had been closer to a desperate yearning for a fragile creature's survival—an affection directed toward a lesser being—the current gaze felt like that of a parent watching their own child. It was the feeling of being viewed as an individual with agency, rather than a mere tool. One could say a certain level of trust had been established.

Of course, in the past, she would have dismissed all of these metaphors and shifts in perception as the deceptive machinations of an evil god.

"..."

But now, Seraphina found herself recalling the gentle touch that had wiped away her tears. A faint blush crept onto the Saintess's cheeks. An inexplicable wave of shyness washed over her. The silver gaze resting on her flushed cheeks felt almost ticklish.

"...No. This is no time for such thoughts!"

The Saintess abruptly stood up, forcefully suppressing the warm, fluttering sensation rising ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from her chest. Drawing upon her lifetime of rigorous priestess training, she reached out. Organizing the ledgers was merely the most critical task; it did not mean her work was finished. She still had to catalog the spoils taken from Haninhae and discuss their future plans.

Seraphina filed the mountain of documents on her desk into their respective drawers. Because there was so much paperwork, even this simple task took a considerable amount of effort.

I'm barely managing to handle all of this on my own right now, but as the church grows larger... I'll definitely need administrative staff to take over this workload. Seraphina resolved to ask Merlin or Yeomyeong if they knew of any suitable candidates.

Once she finished tidying up, the Saintess spoke to the guards stationed outside her office. "Hector. Please summon Merlin and Yeomyeong."

"Understood, Saintess!"

Hector moved immediately. Seraphina returned to her desk to rest for a moment, and before long, a polite knock echoed from the door.

"Yes. Come in, everyone."

The office door swung open. The first to enter was Yeomyeong. The moment his eyes met the Saintess's, he bowed his head.

"I trust you have been well," Yeomyeong greeted her in his characteristically calm, disciplined voice. But he was not alone. From the blind spot perfectly concealed behind his broad, imposing frame, a high-pitched voice chimed in.

"Hello. Are you?"

The words were still awkward, but the meaning in the common tongue was perfectly clear. Seraphina's eyes widened. She recognized the owner of that high-pitched voice instantly.

Sure enough, Nisyona popped out from behind Yeomyeong's back and cheered. "Me. Practice. Success!"

Wearing a proud, beaming smile, she rushed forward. Seraphina embraced Nisyona warmly, then turned her gaze to the grey-haired warrior.

"Captain Yeomyeong? How did she...?"

"Haha, Nisyona was incredibly passionate about wanting to speak with you, Saintess. It seems she stayed up all night studying and practicing. Since she has already spent several months living with the church, she picked it up remarkably fast once I taught her a few words."

"Praise! Hope!"

Seraphina patted Nisyona's head with a joyful heart. The young girl clung to the Saintess for a brief moment before scurrying back to Yeomyeong's side. Watching this scene from a step behind, Merlin let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha! Saintess, is that not a truly heartwarming sight?"

"Hehe. Yes, indeed."

"If only Nisyona would play with this old man once in a while... Haha. But I suppose now is not the time for such idle chatter." Merlin, who had been gazing warmly at Nisyona, turned his attention back to the matter at hand. "More importantly, Saintess, for what reason have you summoned us? If there is any trouble with the ledgers, this old body of mine would be glad to assist, however meager my skills may be."

"Ah, thank you for the offer, but it is quite alright. The paperwork is already finished. Why don't you all take a seat first? I would like to discuss the aftermath of the Haninhae incident and our future course of action."

At Seraphina's gesture, Merlin and Yeomyeong took their seats. Nisyona naturally tried to climb onto Yeomyeong's lap, but Yeomyeong gently held her back with both hands and looked up.

"Saintess. If we are to discuss the future of the church... would it be better to have Nisyona step outside?"

Seraphina pondered for a brief moment before replying. "No, it is fine. Let her stay and listen. Our Lord has shown an interest in Nisyona as well."

Seraphina recalled the moment they had gone to retrieve the heart of the steel beast. The massive metallic creature pulsating deep underground. The very moment she had first met Nisyona inside it. Our Lord's gaze had undoubtedly been fixed upon that child. If so, she was more than qualified to be present. After all, Seraphina, Merlin, and Yeomyeong were only sitting here today because they had been touched by the god's hand.

Seraphina addressed the three gathered before her. "First, let us review the spoils acquired from Haninhae. Captain Yeomyeong, please walk us through the inventory."

At the Saintess's request, Yeomyeong opened his mouth. The meeting officially began.

"...And that concludes the list of supplies we can immediately salvage from Haninhae."

Yeomyeong detailed the resources he had verified during his recent visit to the Haninhae headquarters. Some military assets had been expended during the clash with the church, and their stockpiled mana stones had been completely depleted by Miraj's experiments. This list excluded heavy machinery, like generators, which could not be easily transported to the church's base at this time.

Yet, simply hearing the list was enough to make Seraphina's expression stiffen. It was a reaction born of sheer, overwhelming awe. Even with so many items excluded from the list, and even after accounting for resources consumed, damaged, or lost to looting during the chaotic collapse of the organization, the wealth accumulated by Haninhae—which had held de facto control over all of Seoul—was...

"...This is incredible."

...truly, staggeringly vast. It was so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠abundant that the supplies the church had painstakingly gathered over the past few months seemed like a mere drop in the bucket. Considering that they had relied heavily on their god's divine aid to build up their own stockpiles, the sheer volume of Haninhae's wealth was nothing short of miraculous.

The stunned expressions on Seraphina's and Merlin's faces quickly melted into uncontrollable grins. Merlin was already muttering to himself, looking half-mad with excitement. "With... with those materials... I can finally test every single alchemy recipe written in the Book of Hiyra...!"

Seraphina felt an equal sense of profound relief. Although their current reserves were still stable, she had harbored a lingering anxiety over their constant consumption of the 'catalysts' (bullets) for their Thunder Staffs. Haninhae's armory, however, was packed to the brim with them.

"I believe we can also upgrade the weaponry of our believers. While the AK-47 is an exceptionally durable rifle, the storage conditions of the ones we recovered were somewhat lacking. In contrast, our K-2 rifles have been perfectly maintained."

Just as Yeomyeong proudly declared, the armory was also filled with the very same 'Thunder Staffs' that their god had bestowed upon them.

Having learned the official name of the Thunder Staff thanks to Yeomyeong's explanation, Seraphina murmured with an ecstatic expression, "A new... rifle?"

"Yes. In addition to assault rifles, we have secured several other firearms. For instance, this grenade launcher was captured when a North Korean warlord faction attempted an invasion in the past—"

Yeomyeong continued his explanation, presenting the inventory ledger he had personally brought from Haninhae.

Beyond weapons, there were tactical gear, tools, furniture, and more. Everything Haninhae had amassed over the years was now flowing directly into the church's hands. The sheer volume of goods was far too immense to be contained within the church's underground bunker alone. Before long, the three of them began discussing how to efficiently renovate and expand the church's surface-level buildings. For a long while, they lost themselves in these happy deliberations.

However, absorbing Haninhae's assets did not solve every crisis.

"Hmm... Then the real issue is still food, isn't it?"

Seraphina murmured as the meeting drew to a close. With those words, the lively, excited atmosphere instantly cooled.

Returning to his disciplined, serious demeanor, Yeomyeong spoke with a look of deep apology. "...Yes. Most of the stockpiled preserved food was completely inedible. I am deeply sorry."

"No, please don't be. It couldn't be helped, and it certainly isn't your fault, Captain Yeomyeong."

Back when Yeomyeong was leading the Special Suppression Team, most of their food had been procured locally—either by hunting monsters or seizing stockpiles from nearby gangs. Haninhae's headquarters had operated under a similar system. They had established a dedicated hunting division to secure monster meat, and they collected grain as taxes from rural farming communities in exchange for protection. Neither of these methods was viable right now. Both Haninhae's hunting and agricultural divisions had been caught in Miraj's ritual and were currently in comas.

To make matters worse, the emergency rations they had set aside had been almost entirely devoured by Lee Seokin when he transformed into a grotesque chimera and bloated his physical form.

"Still, we must find a solution somehow. Considering how much the church will continue to grow, we need a reliable, regular source of food..."

Seraphina's voice trailed off. In truth, even the church's current food supply was far from abundant.

Although they received 'voluntary donations' from prospective believers in the surrounding ruins, and some believers crossed through the gate to forage for food on the Continent, these methods had clear limitations. The resources near the gate were not infinite. Thus, all three fell into a deep, contemplative silence, brainstorming ways to secure a steady supply of food.

And amidst that sudden, heavy silence, a new voice burst forth.

"S-Saintess!!! Saaaainteeeess!! I!! I, Shellin, can solve that problem for youuuu!!!"

It came from right outside the office door. Despite the excellent soundproofing of the underground facility, the sheer volume of the shout pierced straight through the heavy wood. Merlin was the first to react. Looking thoroughly embarrassed, he turned to Seraphina. "...Saintess, if you will excuse me, I must step out for a moment."

Seraphina nodded, her face a mask of sheer bewilderment. Merlin stood up and threw open the office door.

"Shellin! What on earth do you think you are doing?!"

"Master Merliiiin!! I knew you'd be in here!"

"No, that is hardly the point right now..."

Seraphina caught a glimpse of the intruder through the gap in the doorway. She was a voluptuous yet petite woman—an elf whose signature pointed ears had been brutally cropped, leaving behind blunt, human-like curves. It was Shellin.

Seraphina remembered her well enough. When they had raided the Bruton Auction House, clashed with the Hero, and rescued their enslaved believers, they had also brought back Shellin, who was on the verge of being sold into slavery herself.

Afterward, she had approached Seraphina with a passionate proposal to establish a merchant guild on the Continent. She had argued vehemently that letting the auction house's stolen goods be sold off haphazardly was an insult to a merchant's soul. Of course, the conversation had been cut short when Yeomyeong raided the church immediately after, but it seemed Shellin's ambition to build a merchant guild remained entirely unchanged.

"I-I'm telling you, if we just start a merchant guild, everything will be solved! A food shortage is an absolute piece of cake!"

Even while being held back by the guards outside the office, Shellin's mouth ran a mile a minute. Merlin's face only grew stiffer by the second.

"Shellin! How did you even overhear our meeting?!"

"I'm an elf, you know! Eavesdropping is practically my specialty... No, that's not it! Master Merlin! Saintess!!! Please, just give me a chance!!"

"Shellin, the Saintess is busy. And besides, given our church's position, we cannot openly operate on the Continent."

"I've already planned for all of that! Hunters! We can start as Hunters!! The Hunter Association grants status even to those without official identification, so we can just register under new identities on the Continent and launch the guild from there!!"

"Enough, Shellin! Even if your plan has merit, barging in on the Saintess like this is utterly unacceptable!"

"B-but!!"

"Return to your quarters at once! I will personally see to your discipline for today's insolence!"

Ultimately, Shellin's frantic protests were silenced by Merlin's mounting fury. Although Merlin was a man who laughed off most things, there was not a shred of his usual joviality on his face right now. Silenced by the old man's genuine wrath, the elf was instantly struck with terror. She turned tail and fled.

"Uwahhh!! I-I'm so sorryyyyy!!"

She slipped past the guards in a flash and bolted down the corridor. Merlin watched her retreat with a weary sigh, then turned back to Seraphina and bowed deeply.

"Sigh... Saintess, I offer my sincerest apologies. I do not know why a grown woman acts with such utter lack of decorum... I shall return and teach her some proper manners."

Merlin declared, his eyes burning like hot coals. Though his voice remained low and controlled, Seraphina, who had grown quite close to the old mage, could feel the intense irritation simmering beneath his calm exterior. The Saintess nodded in understanding.

"Then let us conclude today's meeting here. I believe we have covered all the immediate matters. Captain Yeomyeong, please coordinate with the believers to begin recovering Haninhae's supplies."

"Understood."

"And as for the food shortage... let us all give it some thought. If anyone comes up with a viable solution, please let me know."

"I shall do so."

"Understood."

"Confirmation. Complete!"

The meeting concluded, and the three of them filed out of the room.

Silence descended once more upon the office, leaving Seraphina alone. Leaning back deeply into her chair, the young girl stared up at the ceiling and murmured, "A food shortage..."

Her worries mounted. In this desolate, ruined world, crops could not easily grow, meaning they would eventually have to reach out to the Continent. Yet, expanding blindly to the Continent carried far too many risks. Not only was there Aurelia, the President of the Consilium Ordinis, to worry about, but their lack of proper identities was a massive hurdle. Seraphina's identity would be flagged immediately. If they tried to use the beastmen's identities, they were all exiled outlaws who had fled society. Merlin's identity was clean, but...

If we operate on the Continent under the prestigious name of House Solbeirn, we will draw attention far too quickly.

None of their options were viable.

"Haaah... What should I do?" Seraphina let out a self-deprecating sigh.

Should I ask our Lord? No, I must have some shame. Then do we have no choice but to venture onto the Continent blindly?

A wave of helplessness washed over her. Running an entire church was simply too heavy a burden for a girl who had only recently reached adulthood.

Once the dark thoughts took root, they began to spiral out of control. Memories of the emotions she felt during the descent ritual flashed through her mind. Compared to Miraj, she had been utterly, hopelessly inexperienced. What profound helplessness she had felt back then. Though her god had mercifully chosen her, Seraphina herself had not truly changed.

She thought to herself without realizing it. Serving such a magnificent, transcendent entity, she wanted to become a far more capable priestess. She needed real, tangible power—something separate from her god's favor, the destructive force of His holy weapons, or the respect of her followers.

An answer echoed from somewhere. Seraphina snapped her head toward the sudden voice. It was coming from the chest containing the spoils they had seized during the raid on the Bruton Auction House. Specifically, the voice was whispering from a box of jewelry.

Seraphina cautiously reached out and searched through the box. Soon, she located the source of the sound and lifted a small ring. It was a band of mottled brown and dull yellow, radiating a wild, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dark, and ominous energy. The ring, imbued with the authority of an ancient demon king, whispered to her.