Chapter 67
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 67
The underground sanctuary of Myeongdong Cathedral, where soft moonlight seeped through the gaps in the window.
A saintess with hair as pale blue as a snowfield was praying with her hands clasped together.
Through our God we shall push down our adversaries, and through His name we shall trample those who rise against us.
She recited the words in a holy voice, as if singing, yet the content was anything but light.......
"......."
Reina briefly raised her head and looked at the statue of the Virgin Mary bathed in moonlight.
Its gentle, benevolent gaze was the same yesterday as it was today.
But was that why she felt a pang of guilt?
Unable to look at it directly, Reina averted her eyes and opened her mouth again.
"......I'm sorry."
She started with an apology, then made the sign of the cross—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
The confession that began so abruptly stemmed from today's visit to Taehak.
As a saintess tasked with spreading the Lord's glory and holy teachings far and wide, she had failed to fulfill that duty.
"However."
Reina confessed that her departure had been for good reason.
The power of Sanctification had manifested the moment she set foot in Taehak.
Her unique spiritual sense for seeing through wicked beings had detected something faint but vast at the edge of a great darkness.......
It had sent a warning upon discovering the presence of a corrupted Satan.
So what else could she do?
She had no choice but to abandon the event and run.
As a member of the Dawn Society, the secret order under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that judged heresy and condemned evil, this was not something she could overlook.
"But......."
When she actually arrived, there was no Satan—only the makings of a saint.
A seed of light that brightly illuminated its surroundings with pure mana.......
Then what had been that Satanic presence so clear just moments before?
While everything seemed suspicious, the Taehak student had suddenly grabbed her wrist—snatch—and dragged her somewhere.
Was he a Satan wearing a saint's mask? Or the opposite?
She couldn't just let him go, so she had demanded to accompany him under the pretext of touring Taehak.
She had focused on watching his every move and sensing any Satanic presence that might manifest again.
But after that, she hadn't detected anything unusual.
Only that Taehak's bread was far more delicious than the Vatican's....... No, that wasn't the point.......
Anyway, Reina was confused and bewildered.
Whether that person was a saint or a Satan.
Reina looked up at the Virgin Mary with the face of someone seeking an answer.
"......."
But as always, there was no answer. Only a gaze as warm as the midday sun shone down on her.
In the end, Reina nodded.
By nature, a Saintess was born already carrying God’s will.
The trials she faced were also God's will—tests meant to make her more complete.
She reminded herself once more that finding the answer on her own was the only way to submit to God's will.
"Please do not rebuke me for being cruel."
Reina rose with a resolute expression, as if she had set down the burden in her heart.
She had already planted a reliable means of identification under the pretext of a blessing, and had even arranged for him to be assigned to her security team.
All that remained was the disposition, which would differ depending on whether he was a Satan or a vessel for a saint.
"Death to Satan; guidance for a saint."
Reina murmured the words as if making a vow to herself and left the chapel.
* * *
The unexpected achievement message had appeared roughly thirty minutes ago.
It had come just as I was about to train to cool my head, which had grown complicated from getting tangled up with Reina.
[Achievement 165: 1st Place in the Virtual Reality Competition]
[You have defeated formidable competitors and risen to the top.]
[As a reward, 9 days are added to your Remaining Time.]
[You gain 20 SP for the notable development.]
[Remaining Time: 54 days 17 hours 58 minutes]
[Remaining SP: 131]
This message let me know that the first Virtual Reality Competition—that two-week-long journey—had come to an end.
But they gave me this much?
Maybe because it had been the subject of so much talk, the reward was more generous than expected.
I got up, satisfied, and connected to the training system.
[Biometric verification complete.]
[Buhansi's final ranking is 1st place.]
[Congratulations. You are the winner of the 50 million won prize.]
[Please leave your account number to receive the prize money.]
[Your identity will be completely protected.......]
.
.
Along with the congratulatory messages, a podium had been set up, and on the highest platform engraved with the number "1," my nickname Buhansi was inscribed.
"Well, then."
I'd joined on a whim and taken first place with just a single attempt, so I couldn't help feeling a little sheepish.
But was this the composure of a first-place winner?
I happened to lower my gaze and hesitated for a moment when I saw the nickname engraved at second place.
2nd place: Baek Sa-young.
Even his nickname was honest—the true protagonist of this world was right below me.
This was an achievement on a completely different level from placing first in the formative assessment.
It hadn't been theory-focused but literally practical combat—a contest fought in the very domain that was Baek Sa-young's specialty.
Wasn't this the very contest that even the great Seol Yoon-gi kept losing, gritting his teeth and training harder each time?
......Hm.
However, the sense of accomplishment that had swelled so much deflated the moment rational insight followed.
Come to think of it, from the Roberto incident to the Virtual Reality Competition.
I knew it couldn't be helped, but I had intervened precisely at the moments when Baek Sa-young's exploits should have stood out.
I had snatched away the glory that guy should have enjoyed.
"That was pretty bad of me......."
I scratched the back of my head and reflected on how indifferent I'd been to Baek Sa-young for a while.
If I had to pick the most important person in this world, it would undoubtedly be Baek Sa-young.
I should have been nurturing and developing him, but I'd been far too indifferent.
So I made a resolution.
I would fill the gap in his growth as much as I could.
It wasn't as if there was no way, so I called Cheol-soo first.
-Oh, Ha-yul. What's up?
"I was wondering if that thing I asked for last time was finished."
-Ah, that. It's been done for a while. I'll send it by email.
"Thanks. I'll buy you a meal sometime."
A little later, when the email notification chimed, I quickly checked my inbox.
Along with a simple manual, the attached program was named Secret Cheol-soo 1.0.
The name was lame, but it was exactly what I needed, so a small smile crept onto my face.
With this, I could create a virtual number and send messages.
On top of that, it was a special program infused with Cheol-soo's trait, so there was no worry about my identity being exposed.
It was like having an untraceable burner phone.
"Just enough not to deviate from the plot......."
I reminded myself of the precautions and searched for Baek Sa-young's number.
First, I entered him as the recipient and then thought about the content.
"What should I send?"
He was a strong guy, so he wouldn't be discouraged, but he was surely agonizing over his future direction.
That would be about his newly acquired trait, Martial God Physique.
As a growth-type trait, its potential was limitless, but since it had no immediately striking features, it wouldn't be easy to get a feel for it.
So.......
Even just commenting on the proper training method for Martial God Physique would probably be a big help.
I posed as the Yosal Corps Special Mission Taskforce and began writing the message.
When the image of that goofy guy suddenly came to mind, I let out a faint laugh.
But then.
Bzzzt.
A message arrived just then, and my eyes were drawn to it on their own.
[Saintess security team for tomorrow's Vatican Myeongdong Mass confirmed. Message recipient is.......]
What's this now?
It seemed ominous, yet familiar, so I hurriedly read through it.
Then I soon let out a groan.
"So when she said 'see you tomorrow,' this is what she meant?"
I'd suspected as much, but I never thought she'd put me on the security team.
At least she hadn't fabricated something out of nothing.
This was a schedule that existed in the original work.
It was an episode Yoo So-young had crammed in to create a connection between the protagonists and Reina.
It was also the trigger for Reina to take an interest in Baek Sa-young, calling him the makings of a "saint".......
"Does she really have something on me?"
She kept trying to create contact points, and it left me uneasy.
I'd never done anything to draw attention, and I'd never shown any suspicious behavior.
But then.
['Greed' asks if you're going to meet that scary woman again tomorrow.]
The moment Greed, which had been silent all day, spoke up, my head rang.
"Ah......."
Because I finally felt like I'd found the answer.
The Vatican’s definition of Satan referred to Demons, Demonkin, or masses of negative emotion that tempted humans.
But I was neither a Demon nor a Demonkin, yet I was raising a wicked thing whose very name was negative.
Greed.
So if Reina had sensed Greed's presence, and if that was why she suspected me.......
"......No way?"
* * *
Seoul 1987, located on the top floor of Namsan Tower.
As befitted a place billing itself as a top-tier restaurant, soft classical music filled the air over a red-carpeted floor.
A rough-looking man wearing a leather jacket strode in with heavy footsteps.
"Do you have a reserva......."
He ignored even the staff's greeting and headed straight for a secluded window seat.
He pulled out a chair, plopped down, and shouted at the old man sitting across from him, waiting.
"Has the old geezer gone senile? Why the hell did you want to meet at a place like this?"
At that, the old man in a neat suit—Chilma—chuckled and greeted him.
"Have you been well? Let's eat first. The steak here is excellent."
"Forget the meal. Get to the point."
But the man sank deep into his chair and jutted his chin up.
It was an arrogant attitude with not a shred of respect for his elder, but Chilma simply nodded with a smile.
"Understood. My mistake, dragging a busy man out here."
This was only possible because the man before him was someone with the qualifications to act that way.
Han Soo-hyeok, the Sword Demonkin.
Despite being only in his late thirties, he was a peak expert among Red Demonkin, close to the Yellow grade.
Demonkin society was ruled solely by the strong. In a world where one's skill was one's status, it was only natural for Chilma to defer to him.
"First, I have something to show you."
Chilma took out a crystal orb and played a recorded video.
Han Soo-hyeok stared at it with an indifferent gaze, then let out a rough snort.
Because the sight of some greasy bastard holding a wine glass and acting cocky was utterly ridiculous and pathetic.
But right after that.
A sword that flew in from somewhere made the corner of his mouth twitch.
"Oh-ho."
Honestly, he was quite surprised.
The appearance of an Armament that could pass for special-grade, and a unique enchantment. It was a rather interesting flying sword technique.
In particular, that terrifying speed was more accurately described as being shot rather than thrown.
It was a flying sword technique threatening enough to draw the interest of even the Sword Demonkin.
Chilma, who had been watching Han Soo-hyeok's reaction closely, spoke up casually.
"The protagonist in that video is a Taehak student."
"A Taehak student?"
Han Soo-hyeok grinned.
A Taehak student was nothing more than a green kid barely past twenty.
"And he's not even from a sword family. On the contrary, he's a direct descendant of a sorcery family—the complete opposite."
"A sorcery family? Interesting guy."
Chilma didn't miss the thick interest laced in Han Soo-hyeok's smile.
"Kidnap him and the Lightning Cheon Family girl who appears at the end of the video. I'll pay you whatever you want."
But Han Soo-hyeok sneered as if dumbfounded.
"Has the old geezer lost his mind? Are you telling me to raid Taehak?"
"Of course not. Even for you, that would be difficult."
"Then what?"
"Perhaps heaven is helping us. A good opportunity has come up."
Chilma briefly explained the plan.
The two targets had been assigned to the Saintess's security team for tomorrow's Vatican Mass. The Cardinal's Mass would be Part 1, while the Saintess's Mass would begin in Part 2.
If they struck during Part 1, when all attention would be on the cardinal, they could handle it easily.
"It's still too risky. For a big event like that, there'll be plenty of top-tier bastards swarming around."
"Don't worry about that. I'll control the radio and communications."
"Hm......."
"For someone of your skill, putting up an Innate Barrier shouldn't be a problem. If you block the waves of Demonic Energy, no one outside will notice."
"In short, you'll set the stage, and you want me to dance with my sword?"
As Han Soo-hyeok stroked his neatly trimmed beard and asked, Chilma smiled.
"In return, I'll pay you accordingly. The Sword Demon's sword dance is quite expensive, isn't it? Heh heh."
Han Soo-hyeok's eyes flashed as he glared at Chilma, then he leaned back in his chair again.
"Well, for now, order all the expensive stuff. We'll talk details while we eat."
"Thank you."
Chilma, sensing success, broke into a bright smile that deepened his wrinkles.