Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Saintess's Suspicion
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Moonlight seeped through the slits of the window in the underground sanctuary of Myeongdong Cathedral.
The saintess with hair as pale blue as a snowy field was praying with her hands clasped together.
Through our reliance on the Lord, we shall overcome our enemies and trample underfoot in His name those who rise against us.
In a holy voice like a song, yet reciting words of grave weight...
“...”
Reina briefly lifted her head to gaze at the statue of the Virgin Mary bathed in moonlight.
Its gentle, compassionate eyes were unchanged from yesterday to today.
But had she felt a needless pang of guilt?
Unable to look straight at it, she averted her gaze and opened her mouth again.
“...Forgive me.”
She apologized first, then made the sign of the cross, ending with amen in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The sudden confession stemmed from her visit to Taehak Academy earlier that day.
As a saintess duty-bound to spread the glory and sacred teachings of the Lord, she had failed in that obligation.
“But.”
Reina confessed it had been a deviation with good reason.
The moment she entered Taehak Academy, the power of the sacred flame had manifested.
Her unique spiritual sense, which detects unholy presences, had picked up a faint yet immense shadow at the edge of darkness...
The presence of a fallen Satan, issuing a warning.
What choice did she have?
She had no option but to abandon the event and rush over.
It was something she could not ignore as a member of the secret society Dawn Society, affiliated with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, tasked with judging heretics and condemning demons.
“And yet...”
When she arrived, there was no Satan—just some promising saintly candidate.
A seed of light illuminating the surroundings with pure mana...
So what was that vivid presence of Satan until moments before?
Everything was suspicious amid her doubts when the Taehak student suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her off somewhere.
A Satan in saintly guise? Or the opposite?
Unwilling to let him go just like that, she used touring the academy as an excuse to tag along.
She monitored his every move, focusing on sensing any reemergence of that Satanic presence.
But after that, she found no peculiarities whatsoever.
Just that Taehak's bread was far tastier than the Vatican's... No, that's not the point...
In any case, Reina was confused and bewildered.
Was that man a saint, or a Satan?
Reina looked up at the Virgin Mary with the face of one desperately seeking answers.
“...”
But as always, there were no answers. Just that warm gaze shining down like the midday sun.
In the end, Reina nodded.
A saintess, by nature, was born bearing God's will within her.
The trials imposed upon her were God's intent, tests to perfect her further.
She reaffirmed that finding the answer herself was the path to obeying God's will.
“Do not rebuke me for my cruelty.”
With her burden lifted, Reina stood with a resolute expression.
She had already planted a reliable detection device under the pretext of a blessing and even secured a spot by designating him for the escort team.
All that remained was the judgment, depending on whether he was Satan or a vessel for a saint.
“Death for Satan, teachings for a saint.”
Murmuring the vow to herself, Reina left the chapel.
* * *
The unexpected achievement message had popped up about thirty minutes ago.
I had been about to circulate my energy to cool my complicated head tangled up with Reina when it appeared.
[Achievement 165: Achieved 1st Place in Virtual Reality Tournament]
[You overcame fierce competitors and reached the top.]
[As a reward, 9 days are added to your remaining time.]
[You earn 20 SP for an outstanding development.]
[Remaining Time: 54 days 17 hours 58 minutes]
[Remaining SP: 131]
This message confirmed that the First Virtual Reality Tournament—those two weeks of grueling competition—had finally concluded.
And they gave this much?
Perhaps because I'd been the talk of the town, the rewards were more generous than expected.
Satisfied, I stood and accessed the training system.
[Biometric authentication complete.]
[Bu Han-si's final ranking is 1st place.]
[Congratulations. You are the winner of the 50 million won prize.]
[Please provide your account number to claim the prize.]
[Your privacy will be fully protected...]
.
.
Amid the congratulatory messages, the podium appeared, my nickname Bu Han-si engraved on the tallest platform marked with a '1'.
“Well, I'll be.”
I'd joined on a whim and claimed first place with a single attempt, so I felt a bit awkward.
Was this the leisure of being number one?
Glancing down, I paused at the nickname engraved in second place.
2nd: Baek Sa-young.
Right below me was this world's true protagonist, honest even in his nickname.
This was leagues beyond topping the aptitude evaluation.
It was pure combat, not theory—Baek Sa-young's specialty domain where the contest had unfolded.
Even the brilliant Seol Yun-gi had repeatedly suffered defeats there, grinding his teeth in determination.
...Hmm.
But my swelling sense of accomplishment deflated the moment rational insight followed.
In retrospect, from the Roberto incident to the virtual reality tournament.
I knew it was unavoidable, but I'd intervened at timings when Baek Sa-young's feats should have shone brightest.
I'd snatched away the glory that was meant for him.
“That was harsh...”
Scratching the back of my head, I reflected for a while on my indifference toward Baek Sa-young.
If picking the most important person in this world, it'd be Baek Sa-young without question.
When I should have been nurturing and supporting his growth, I'd been too neglectful.
So I made a vow.
To fill the gaps in his growth as best I could.
It wasn't impossible, so I called Cheol-su first.
-Hey, Ha Yul. What's up?
“Just checking if that thing I asked for last time is done.”
-Ah, that? Finished ages ago. Sending it via email.
“Thanks. I'll buy you a meal sometime.”
Moments later, the email notification chimed, and I quickly checked it.
Along with a simple manual, the attached program's name was Secret Cheol-su 1.0.
The name was tacky, but it was exactly what I needed, so a sly smile crept onto my face.
With this, I could create a virtual number and send messages.
Plus, infused with Cheol-su's unique traits, there was no risk of my identity being exposed.
It was like having an untraceable burner phone.
“Just enough not to derail the plot...”
Recalling the precautions, I searched for Baek Sa-young's number.
Entered it as the recipient and pondered the message.
“What to send.”
He's strong, so he wouldn't despair, but he was surely mulling over his future direction.
That would center on his newly acquired trait, Martial God Body.
As a growth-type trait, its potential was limitless, but lacking immediate standout features, it'd be hard to get a feel for it.
So...
Just commenting on the proper training method for Martial God Body would provide major help.
I transformed into the Yosuldae Special Task Force and began typing the message.
The image of his bewildered face suddenly came to mind, drawing a faint chuckle.
But then.
Bzzz.
A timely incoming message drew my eyes.
[Escort team for tomorrow's scheduled Vatican Myeongdong Mass confirmed. Recipient is...]
What the hell is this?
Something ominous yet familiar, so I hurriedly read on.
Then I let out a sigh-like shout.
“You said we'd meet tomorrow, and this is it?”
Of all things, they'd slotted me onto the escort team.
It wasn't something forced out of nowhere.
It was a scheduled event from the original story.
An episode Yoo So-young crammed in to create a connection between the protagonists and Reina.
The trigger for Reina taking interest in Baek Sa-young, calling him a 'saintly candidate'...
“Something's really up.”
It felt like they kept trying to create points of contact, which left me uneasy.
I hadn't done anything attention-grabbing or suspicious, had I?
But then.
[‘Greed’ asks if you're meeting that scary woman again tomorrow.]
Greed, silent all day, suddenly spoke, making my head throb.
“Ah...”
Now I thought I had the answer.
The Vatican's definition of Satan encompassed demons, mines, or masses of negative emotions tempting humans.
I wasn't a demon or a mine, but I was harboring one distinctly shady, negatively named entity.
Greed.
So if Reina had sensed Greed's presence, and that's why she suspected me...
“...No way?”
* * *
Seoul 1987, perched on the top floor of Namsan Tower.
True to its claim as a top-tier restaurant, faint classical music wrapped around the ears, red carpet underfoot.
A cocky man in a leather jacket strode in with rough steps.
“Reservation...?”
Ignoring the staff's guidance, he beelined for a secluded window seat.
Yanking out a chair and plopping down, he yelled at the elderly man waiting across from him.
“You gone senile, old timer? Why call me to a dump like this?”
The neatly suited old man, Chilma, chuckled dryly in greeting.
“Doing well? Let's eat first. Their steaks are excellent.”
“Food later. Get to business.”
But the man sank deep into his chair, chin raised defiantly.
His attitude showed not a speck of respect for his elder, pure arrogance, yet Chilma nodded with a smiling face.
“Understood. My mistake for dragging a busy man here.”
It was possible because the man before him had the qualifications to warrant it.
Han Su-hyeok, the Sword Demon.
In his late thirties, a peak expert of red grade nearing the coveted yellow.
Mine society was pure survival of the fittest—strength equaled status—so Chilma yielding was only natural.
“First, something to show you.”
Chilma pulled out a crystal orb and played the recorded footage.
Han Su-hyeok eyed it boredly, then snorted roughly.
Some sleazy bastard prancing with a wine glass looked utterly ridiculous and lame.
But right after.
A sword flying from somewhere made his lips twitch.
“Oh ho.”
Frankly, he was quite impressed.
The emergence of what seemed special-grade armament with a unique enchantment—a rather intriguing flying sword technique.
Especially that terrifying speed; less thrown, more launched.
Even a Sword Demon took note; it was that threatening a technique.
Watching Han Su-hyeok's reaction closely, Chilma spoke casually.
“The protagonist in the footage is a Taehak student.”
“Taehak student?”
Han Su-hyeok smirked.
Taehak students were green kids barely out of their teens.
“And not from a sword family either. Quite the opposite—a direct descendant of a brew clan.”
“Brew clan? Interesting guy.”
Chilma didn't miss the thick intrigue in Han Su-hyeok's smile.
“Kidnap him and the Cheon Clan daughter at the end of the footage for me. I'll pay whatever you want.”
But Han Su-hyeok scoffed in disbelief.
“You lost it, old timer? You telling me to storm Taehak?”
“As if. Even for you, that's tough.”
“Then what?”
“Heaven provides. A perfect opportunity has arisen.”
Chilma outlined the plan simply.
The two targets were assigned to the saintess escort for tomorrow's Vatican Mass, with the cardinal's Mass in part one and the saintess's in part two.
Strike during part one when all eyes are on the cardinal, and it could be handled easily.
“Still too risky. Big event means it'll be crawling with top-tier guys.”
“Don't worry about that. I'll handle comms and signals.”
“Hmm...”
“At your level, deploying a unique barrier realm is no issue. Block the demonic qi waves, and no one outside will notice.”
“So you're setting the stage, and you want me to dance on the blade?”
Stroking his neatly trimmed beard, Han Su-hyeok asked, and Chilma smiled slyly.
“In return, an appropriate price. A Sword Ghost's blade dance doesn't come cheap, eh? Heh heh.”
Han Su-hyeok's eyes flashed as he glared at Chilma, then leaned back in his chair.
“Fine, order all the expensive stuff. We'll talk details over food.”
“Much obliged.”
Sensing success, Chilma grinned, wrinkles crinkling happily.