Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Falling into Depravity (4)
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Several days had passed.
"Hmm..."
In one corner of the Peach Blossom Truth Church headquarters, Han Jong-hui stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window.
His daughter, who had declared she was staying out, had essentially run away and hadn't come home for days.
Yet Han Jong-hui stared at the distant sky with an inscrutable, impassive expression.
"Are you all right, Your Holiness?"
"Should we really just leave the young lady be?"
His two attendants approached and voiced their concerns one after another.
Without even glancing at them, Han Jong-hui replied.
"It's fine. Ye-eun will return here anyway."
He continued in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Looking back, maybe I've been pushing her too hard all this time."
At that moment, he didn't look like the leader of the Peach Blossom Truth Church—he seemed like an ordinary father.
'That girl of mine...'
Thinking of his one and only daughter, Han Jong-hui suddenly let out a hollow chuckle as he recalled their recent phone call.
'Who would've thought the kid who always seemed so childish would yell at me like that.'
He felt a father's affection for Han Ye-eun, whom he had raised himself.
'When she gets angry, she really does take after her mother.'
He, who had changed her very diapers, now reflected on the past with a newfound sentiment.
Behind him, the two attendants exchanged glances before voicing their worries in unison.
"Still, Your Holiness."
"The ceremony is just around the corner."
The selection ceremony for the High Saintess.
And with it, the upcoming purification ritual was fast approaching.
It was no wonder they were anxious.
Han Ye-eun was the star of both ceremonies.
Missing the party's main guest was simply unthinkable.
"Don't worry. She said she'd be back before the ceremony."
Han Jong-hui showed his attendants the message Han Ye-eun had sent.
[I'll come back on my own, so don't look for me for a while. Don't contact me either. I'm going on a trip.]
The attendants blinked in surprise.
"It'll be the first and last trip of her life, so just leave her be without interfering."
Putting aside his phone and his feelings as a father, Han Jong-hui spoke as the church leader.
"Just in case, keep a close watch on the airports. Track her general location, but nothing more."
If she didn't return by the promised date, he'd have no choice but to drag her back.
Having taken only the bare minimum precautions, Han Jong-hui turned back to the window.
Unlike his attendants, he wasn't overly concerned from the start.
It was because of the brainwashing he'd implanted in Han Ye-eun.
She still believed he was her real father, past and present.
Given her kind and gentle nature, she could never abandon her only blood relative, Han Jong-hui.
Disowning him was out of the question—she would come home in the end. That was his judgment.
This Peach Blossom Truth Church was her world, her everything.
So a brief rebellion was something he could overlook.
"...Come to think of it, didn't the young lady mention she was with a man?"
Suddenly, one attendant asked.
"If something happens to her..."
Han Jong-hui burst into laughter at the concerned remark.
"Ye-eun is an S-rank Awakener. With her superior physical abilities, who would dare touch her?"
It wasn't just about physical harm.
No man in the world could lay a hand on Han Ye-eun.
The moment anyone harbored ill intentions and touched even a finger, her vicious suggestion would turn them into mortal enemies.
What if, by some one-in-a-thousand, one-in-ten-thousand chance, Han Ye-eun broke through the suggestion and became a real woman?
Even that, Han Jong-hui didn't think was so bad.
"No matter what gutter rat seduced our Ye-eun, his future holds nothing but despair."
The High Saintess of the Peach Blossom Truth Church was fated to bear the sins of all disciples.
"Catching that guy and showing him Ye-eun's destiny could be quite the entertaining diversion."
What kind of face would he make seeing the woman he'd slept with facing countless men?
Imagining Han Ye-eun at the center of an orgy, Han Jong-hui grinned wickedly.
He'd implanted the suggestion to protect her purity, but as the traditional ceremony approached, she was destined to be defiled.
One extra outsider wouldn't change a thing.
No matter who got there first.
'Not that it's likely anyway.'
That was one reason Han Jong-hui wasn't too bothered by Han Ye-eun's current rebellion.
"More importantly, have you looked into that kid from Genova or whatever?"
He quickly changed the subject.
Strictly speaking, Han Ye-eun wasn't the priority right now.
"As for that, we don't have much solid information yet..."
"We're sorry. The Third Elder made contact with the Lunar Guild, but they haven't turned up anything either."
Korea's new S-rank Awakener.
Dealing with the one who had shown interest in the church and disrupted their events was the top priority.
"Hah. With all the people, eyes, and ears of our church, you still haven't found him?"
His pudgy face creased with deep frustration at the lack of progress.
* * *
Meanwhile.
Kang Woojin sat in the office of the church hall, now converted into a mansion.
As the branch leader, he wore a stern expression that didn't quite suit him while guarding the desk.
Knock. Knock.
Suddenly, a knock came from outside the office.
"It's me, honey... I mean, Branch Leader."
It was none other than Lee Ji-hye who announced herself.
"I've brought the guest."
She, who handled all his secretarial duties diligently, spoke formally as befitted the occasion and led in the scheduled visitor.
"Yeah. Come in."
The office door swung open at Kang Woojin's short reply.
Lee Ji-hye entered alongside a middle-aged man.
"You can go, Ji-hye."
Kang Woojin, elbows on the desk, nodded toward the door.
She bowed politely.
Lee Ji-hye bowed once and left the office without a word.
"Have a seat, Division Head."
Kang Woojin gestured to the sofa in one corner of the office.
"Mm, excuse me."
The man in his forties nodded.
He was the regional division head in charge of the church's audit department.
'Name was Kim Bong-pal, right?'
Unlike his rustic name, he scanned Kang Woojin's office with sharp eyes.
Kang Woojin asked him.
"What do you think? Any impressions from touring the hall?"
"Not bad. The facilities are better equipped than I expected."
"Thank you for the kind words."
Kang Woojin smiled brightly at Kim Bong-pal, who had come for the inspection.
"Mind handing over the membership registry?"
"It's right there in front."
Kang Woojin pointed to the sofa table and added.
"I prepared it in advance. The survey's there too."
At his words, Kim Bong-pal began reviewing the documents.
The lists of followers, activity logs, and such.
"Looks good. Honestly, pretty impressive."
Nodding as he flipped through, Kim Bong-pal continued.
"You've gathered quite a few believers in such a short time. The activities are substantial too. Seems like followers from the area visit this hall often."
Kang Woojin smiled inwardly at the sincere praise.
'I've written enough reports to know the drill.'
Of course, outwardly, he bowed his head humbly.
"You're too kind. It's all thanks to the excellence of our Truth Church's teachings, not my own merits."
"No flattery. I didn't expect you to be this sincere."
"Haha. Why would I donate billions if I weren't sincere?"
"True. Unless it's some tycoon dodging taxes."
Kim Bong-pal chuckled, setting the documents aside and picking up the survey.
"Hm. Speaking of, that girl I saw earlier—is she your girlfriend?"
"Yes, she is."
Kim Bong-pal asked while reading the survey filled with rather explicit questions.
"How's the relationship?"
"Great. Especially after she received our church's teachings—it's gotten even better."
"Glad to hear it. Next audit, I'll check her pulse for you."
"Thank you. Oh, since it came up—could you send more of those scriptures?"
"Scriptures?"
The training manuals Kang Woojin requested were technique books related to bedroom arts.
Euphemistically called scriptures, they detailed proper ways to release desires—essentially sex manuals.
To him, they weren't particularly necessary.
He could get them from Han Ye-eun if needed.
Still, feigning scholarly enthusiasm, he asked Kim Bong-pal.
"I want to pursue higher-level training."
"I'll bring it up at headquarters."
"Thank you."
"With your enthusiasm, it should go through."
Kim Bong-pal, easier to talk to than expected, mentioned Lee Ji-hye.
"And your girlfriend—heard her latent mana and affinity are both exceptional."
"Ah, yes. I got the test results too."
"Take good care of her. Don't slack on training. She could be an important asset to the church someday."
"Got it."
With the official audit complete, Kim Bong-pal stood and looked at Kang Woojin anew.
"You..."
As he took a step closer and opened his mouth to speak.
Whoosh.
Kang Woojin suddenly raised a hand.
"Don't come any closer."
"Hm?"
"I'm in the middle of training right now."
Kim Bong-pal blinked as he pondered the words.
"Ahh..."
He nodded as if suddenly realizing.
Kim Bong-pal quickly grasped what Kang Woojin meant.
Lowering his gaze slightly, his eyes turned under the desk.
Peering closely at the three-sided panel enclosure, he spotted a woman's shoe through the faint gap.
And not just that.
Slurp, smack, slurp...
Sounds he hadn't noticed before now reached his ears clearly once he focused—lewd wet noises and air sucking sounds.
"You're bold, I'll give you that. Youth really is a virtue."
Having assessed the situation, Kim Bong-pal smirked.
"Training has no time or place, as we've been taught."
Kang Woojin, still seated with legs spread wide, replied nonchalantly.
"Didn't you say you have a girlfriend?"
Kim Bong-pal glanced toward the office door.
"Girlfriend's a girlfriend, training's training."
Kang Woojin, openly(?) training with a third party instead of Lee Ji-hye.
Kim Bong-pal roared with laughter, clearly pleased.
"Ahahaha! I like your honesty! A real man needs that kind of boldness and ambition!"
"As I said, thank you for the kind view."
He hadn't seen it himself, but from the survey, Kim Bong-pal quickly guessed the shoe's owner.
'Must be follower Park A-young.'
Openly cheating with a married woman—Kang Woojin followed the church's doctrines more zealously than anyone.
In short, he was fully one of them.
"Have you heard of the church's 'purification ritual'?"
Narrowing his eyes, Kim Bong-pal revised his evaluation of Kang Woojin and spoke discreetly.
"Purification ritual?"
"A sacred rite to cleanse the sins of the followers—our disciples—and release their misguided desires."
Kang Woojin knew all about it.
'Sacred my ass—they sure package their orgies nicely.'
Still, he played ignorant.
"Didn't know about that."
"Normally, only select formal disciples can participate."
"And you're telling me this because..."
Kang Woojin trailed off with an expectant expression.
"What do you say? Interested?"
"Of course. As a formal disciple of the Peach Blossom Truth Church, I'm interested in all church events."
"Perfect. If you're game, you're invited to this one."
"Really?"
"This one's special. It'll coincide with the High Saintess selection ceremony."
Kim Bong-pal grinned again and gave Kang Woojin all the details—location, date, everything.
Kang Woojin was now invited to the secretive event where the church's top brass would gather.
In other words, he'd earned considerable trust.
"By the way, about those saintess candidates."
He asked with a serious expression, as if it were crucial.
"Are they pretty?"
Kim Bong-pal let out a dry laugh at the absurd question.
"Only one candidate. Judge her looks for yourself."
With business concluded, Kim Bong-pal slowly turned to leave the office.
"See you there next time."
He had no doubt Kang Woojin would love the church event.
Clunk.
The heavy door closed, and silence fell over the office now that the guest had left.
"Pathetic, really."
Kang Woojin muttered, staring at where Kim Bong-pal had been.
'Not knowing their saintess is right here.'
He twisted his lips in a sneer, then glanced under the desk.
"Right, Ye-eun-ah?"
Not just Kim Bong-pal, but no one in the Peach Blossom Truth Church could have imagined it.
"...Slurp?"
That the woman destined to become their saintess and embrace countless disciples was utterly smitten with one man.
"Mmph, mm..."
That Han Ye-eun, forgetting all sacred duties and her role as saintess candidate, was diligently sucking and slurping that man's cock even now.
No one could have dreamed that she'd gone beyond merely becoming a woman—she had already fallen into depravity.