Chapter 450: Ally or Enemy (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 450: Ally or Enemy (4)
Thinking about it calmly, this was something that had been foretold long ago.
Hadn’t I known already?
That Seo-yeon possessed the same ‘One with Aptitude’ trait as me.
From that moment on, a meeting like today’s was inevitable.
Of course, if I could have been a little greedy, I would have hoped to meet her as an ally rather than a clear enemy.
Honestly, I didn’t know.
Should I be happy about this reunion, or should I despair?
The fact that she was chosen by the Seven Heavenly Virtues instead of the Seven Deadly Sins—the clear axis of evil—was something to be happy about, but… the thought that a misstep could lead to a future where we point our swords at each other made my heart incredibly heavy.
With a tense voice, Seo-yeon, who had been bowed deeply, slowly straightened up.
When our eyes finally met, hers widened as if they would pop.
“Do-Do-Do-jin…?”
“…Seo-yeon Sunbae.”
She was so shocked she even stuttered.
I guessed that her feelings right now were almost identical to my own.
“Wh-What are you doing here…?”
“I’d like to ask you the same thing.”
I was just as curious.
Suddenly, I remembered what the Saintess had said.
That someone had joined the Guardians around the same time as me.
“…Was it in China, by any chance?”
“Y-Yeah. That’s right. The Saintess made the offer when I was in China.”
Just as I thought.
It was the Saintess who had saved Seo-yeon after she fell into critical condition taking an attack meant for me.
It seemed she had sensed the power of the Seven Heavenly Virtues during the healing process and had swiftly made an offer to recruit her.
“What about you, Do-jin…?”
“I received an offer around the same time.”
“I see…”
Nodding slightly as if she understood, she asked me.
“Th-Then are you also one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues’…?”
I shook my head.
“No. I wasn’t chosen by the Seven Heavenly Virtues. I’m just… more like a mercenary, helping out in exchange for payment.”
“Ah…”
She let out a short sigh.
Judging by her slightly sullen expression, she seemed disappointed about something.
Was she hoping I had been chosen by the Seven Heavenly Virtues, just like her?
Just as we were getting our stories straight…
“What’s this, you two already know each other?”
Angela, who had been watching silently from the middle, interjected with an interested look.
“We know each other, we’re on the same team, and we’re in the same guild.”
At that, Angela burst out laughing.
“Hahahaha! She recruited two people from the same guild and didn’t even give you a heads-up? Our Saintess, really… she can be quite mischievous at times, you know?”
“I agree.”
No wonder.
Now that I thought about it, her voice had sounded a little excited when she told me we’d be meeting within a few days.
Was this her way of surprising me?
I gave a bitter smile, imagining the playful expression she must be wearing behind her veil, and Angela patted my shoulder.
“I get it. Our Saintess is so busy that if she doesn’t have fun in ways like this, she’ll probably die.”
Thwack! Thwack!
“…You have a surprisingly heavy hand.”
“Ah, sorry! I’m not very good at controlling my strength.”
Angela quickly withdrew her hand.
My shoulder was throbbing.
It felt like she had only tapped me lightly… Just what was her Strength stat?
With her cheerful laughter and speech, she completely dispelled the faint awkwardness in the air and spoke.
“Alright, now that we’re all acquainted, shall we get down to business?”
Her demeanor changed in an instant.
Feeling the flow and atmosphere shift according to her will, I was once again reminded.
Just what a monster the Apostle chosen by the Goddess of Patience was.
* * *
The three of us had gathered for a single reason.
To eliminate the Cult Leader of the Church of Light, who was presumed to be the Apostle of Sloth.
But to complete this mission, there was one mountain we absolutely had to climb.
And that was whether we could maintain our sanity against the cult leader’s brainwashing.
“Ever since the Guardians obtained information that the leader of the Church of Light might be the Apostle of Sloth, we’ve been constantly researching ways to remain safe from his brainwashing. And we’ve only recently seen results.”
Finishing her words, she pulled a round object from her clothes and showed it to the two of us.
“This is the countermeasure.”
It was a thin band made of metal.
But its size was ambiguous.
It was too large to be worn on an arm or leg.
And it seemed far too small to be worn around the waist.
After pondering it for a moment, Kim Do-jin found the most suitable body part.
“…Is it for your head?”
“Correct.”
Grinning at Kim Do-jin, she demonstrated by placing the band on her own forehead and continued.
“If you wear this, you won’t fall for his brainwashing.”
He saw it.
The moment she wrapped the thin band around her head, a brown mana emanated from it, enveloping the area.
‘Does that barrier block the brainwashing?’
It seemed plausible.
But it was too early to believe it blindly.
As Kim Do-jin watched with a skeptical gaze, Angela spoke as if she had been waiting.
“Of course, it’s an item that has been thoroughly tested. We actually put it on the head of a Church of Light follower who had been brainwashed by him.”
“…And the result?”
“The existing brainwashing was broken. And she is now providing us with information from within the Church of Light with a clear mind.”
If they’ve gone as far as to plant a spy, its effectiveness must be guaranteed.
As my trust in the headband’s effect grew, a small doubt arose.
“…If you have something like that, there doesn’t seem to be a need for a small, elite team.”
When he asked, she answered.
“If mass production were possible, we would have done that, of course.”
“It looks easy to make…”
“Absolutely not!”
Angela flared up.
“It may look crude, but you have no idea how hard this is to make!”
Seeing her get more worked up than necessary, Kim Do-jin asked.
“…Did you perhaps make that yourself?”
As if she had been waiting, she curled the corners of her lips up and replied.
“I may be an excellent warrior, but I’m also a great artisan.”
“Ah, right.”
Angela shot him a sharp glare at his lukewarm response.
Sighing softly, she took the band off her head and tossed it toward Kim Do-jin.
“Anyway… there are only 50 of these headbands in total. In other words, we have to take down the Church of Light with a maximum of 50 people.”
The wearers had all been decided.
The three people gathered here and forty paladins sent as support from the Vatican.
The remaining seven spots would be worn by the priests of this church.
After receiving a detailed explanation of the plan, Kim Do-jin asked.
“So, when is the day of the operation?”
“It will begin at midnight in four days. Make sure you’re ready by then. Don’t worry, any money spent for the mission will be fully expensed.”
At her answer, Kim Do-jin’s ears perked up.
“You’ll cover all the expenses? No matter how much?”
Sensing something fishy, Angela narrowed her eyes and replied.
“…Only for items absolutely necessary for the mission.”
“Well, of course.”
Kim Do-jin replied with a grin, then fell into thought.
So, as long as it was necessary for the mission, they would cover the cost of anything, regardless of price.
Some pretty good ideas came to mind.
Methods that were quite… no, very expensive, but their effects were guaranteed.
“Heh heh.”
Seeing him snicker, Angela felt an inexplicable chill and shuddered.
* * *
On the way back after our discussion ended.
“…I’m sorry.”
Out of the blue, Seo-yeon apologized to me.
What was this about?
Was she apologizing for keeping the fact that she joined the Guardians a secret?
“Um… you were really surprised, weren’t you?”
“I was surprised, yes.”
I was very surprised.
I never imagined Seo-yeon would be at a gathering to take down the Church of Light.
But I didn’t feel any sense of betrayal.
Well, I did, but the target of that feeling was the Saintess, not Seo-yeon.
I never thought she’d surprise someone like this.
“Being surprised is one thing, but you don’t need to feel sorry about this. It was a secret, after all. I didn’t tell you either, Sunbae, so we’re in the same boat.”
“That’s… true, but.”
To be honest, I wasn’t comfortable with Seo-yeon being involved in this.
This wasn’t just any matter; we were dealing with the Church of Light.
Even with a countermeasure for the brainwashing and a retinue of highly skilled paladins, the danger was still considerable.
If I had it my way, I would have stopped her from participating, but I held myself back.
Isn’t she a grown woman now?
Besides, now that I’ve decided to live in this body, she and I are practically strangers.
There was only one thing I could say in this situation.
“Prepare yourself thoroughly. The Church of Light is far more vicious than you think, Sunbae.”
“Yeah… I will.”
She nodded, a faint smile on her lips.
A question popped into my head.
“By the way, Sunbae.”
“Yeah?”
“Who were you chosen by?”
Which of the Seven Heavenly Virtues had chosen Seo-yeon?
To that, she replied.
“Temperantia.”
Having started to get involved with the Seven Heavenly Virtues, I had studied up a bit, so I remembered.
The name Temperantia was definitely…
“Temperance… wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Temperance.
“Ha, really.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
The Seven Heavenly Virtues and the Seven Deadly Sins… that is, the seven great sins, were perfect opposites.
The deadly sin that opposed the heavenly virtue of Temperance was none other than Greed.
In other words, Seo-yeon and I were at completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
A former father-daughter relationship, now perfect polar opposites.
How ironic was that?
“Why are you laughing…?”
“It’s just, what should I say… it’s amazing that there are two people from the same guild in a secret society.”
“Yeah… I find that a little amazing, too.”
After vaguely brushing it off, I threw out another question to change the subject.
“Anyway, Sunbae, why did you decide to join the Guardians?”
“Why?”
“Just because you were chosen by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues doesn’t mean you’re obligated to join. It’s dangerous, too.”
My reason was to keep an eye on those who might become my enemies in the future, but Seo-yeon had no reason to join the Guardians.
If she said it was out of a sense of justice, I wouldn’t have anything to say, but… I don’t know.
Seo-yeon was kinder than most, but I didn’t think she was that righteous.
To my question, she gave an answer I had never expected.
“…Because I thought that’s what Dad would have done.”
My expression hardened slightly.
“Simply to become like your dad?”
“That’s not it.”
Shaking her head firmly, Seo-yeon continued with a darkened expression.
“This power I have… I was told it was originally meant for my dad.”
“…What did you say?”
What was this now?