Gatekeeper of Salvation (3)
Gatekeeper of Salvation (3) — Third Floor of the Hanmaum Guwon Cult
"…I let you off once and now you're giving me the filthiest look imaginable."
"Ah, sorry."
Every single word out of this woman's mouth stung like a wasp.
I just glanced at him, that's all. Just a glance.
Slipping lightly out from under Seong Gaeul's ever-narrowing gaze, I gathered my things and stood.
"Joohye, how many people are we talking about?"
"Ah! Three people!"
Joo Joohye, rising from her seat to follow me, hastily spread three fingers.
"Are they behaving themselves right now?"
"Hmm… just a moment."
Eyes closed, she turned her head slowly back and forth, as if gazing at something far away.
Those who pass through the Gate await the Gatekeeper's judgment.
According to her explanation as Gatekeeper, those who crossed the Gate of Salvation did not warp directly to her side. Instead, they arrived in a special space prepared within the gate itself — and only the Gatekeeper's permission opened the final door into the Sanctuary. That seemed to be how it worked. Right now, she was observing the very first people to pass through the gate since she had become its keeper, answering my questions as she went.
"Uh… they're just extremely anxious. It looks like one family… a mother holding a very young daughter…."
Details about the would-be converts poured out of her closed eyes. It was a genuinely fascinating sight, but I was too smart to ask the idiotic question of how it was possible. After all, if someone asked me how I used telekinesis, I wouldn't have a ready answer either. The power an awakened person gained belonged to the realm of intuition, not understanding.
"There's an axe in the man's hand."
"…An axe?"
"Yes. It's caked with blood — I don't think it's decorative."
Hm. An axe, huh. So he wasn't the type to simply run.
"Does he look like an awakened one?"
"No. He's not. If an awakened one had entered, my mana would have reacted."
Not awakened, yet he'd been cutting down zombies with an axe… Getting up close and personal with the undead was no easy feat even with an axe in hand. Either he was a remarkably combative sort, or a father fighting a desperate, tearful war to protect his family.
"Hmm… should we send them back?"
"Oh? You can even do that?"
"Of course! If they displease you, Dad, I can throw them right out!"
"Haha, no need. Actually, that's perfect."
There was exactly one thing a cornered rat would do if it wandered somewhere isolated. And that one thing was precisely what I needed. Smiling at Joohye, who was practically begging for praise, I opened the door to the executive office.
Creeeeak—
At the groan of the great door, Seo Taesan, who had been standing guard in front of it, bowed deeply.
"Welcome, Cult Leader."
"Ah, yes. Is everything ready?"
"Yes, sir. All the believers are waiting below."
"Excellent. Thank you for your service, Brother Seo Taesan."
"Hahaha, no, sir. It's the brothers below who've done the hard work, not I."
Just as Seo Taesan said, Lee Gyeongmin and Jeong Shinwoo would be keeping the believers in fine order down there. Even those two slackers were now seasoned senior members who'd cut their teeth in the Cult.
"…C-Cult Leader."
A trembling voice came from behind Seo Taesan. I looked over to find Kim Eunbyeol bowing her head to me with an expression of profound gratitude.
"…Brother Kim Eunbyeol? What brings you up here?"
"Oh! As of today, I am your Scribe Believer, honored to record your every sacred word, Cult Leader! Each and every syllable from your lips shall be treated as words of gold and jade—"
I caught sight of the paper and pen clutched in her stammering hands. Rather than interrupt her, I shot a glance toward Seong Gaeul. Catching my look from the right, she raised three fingers and mouthed silently:
'The three elements of religion.'
The three elements of religion: the founder, the doctrine, and the order. In plain terms — a leader, a scripture, and followers. By that measure, the current "Hanmaum Guwon Cult" wasn't actually a religion. I was the leader, and there were plenty of devoted followers among the faithful, but we lacked the scripture that gave a religion its identity. To put it simply, the Cult had no Bible, no Quran of its own. Seong Gaeul had rubbed her temples raw bringing this up at every single meeting. Kim Eunbyeol's appointment as "Scribe Believer" was, presumably, the first step toward a scripture.
Having grasped the gist of the glance, I walked over to Kim Eunbyeol and drew her into my arms.
"…Ah, Cult Leader—"
Stilling her babbling with one hand stroking her hair, I used the other to knead her ass. Savoring the firm, springy feel of it wrapped around my fingers, I whispered into her ear.
"Why are you trembling so? You're the one entrusted with the most precious duty of all."
"Th-that precious duty, in the hands of someone as lowly as me… Mmmnn—"
Mid-whimper, Kim Eunbyeol shuddered with a sweet moan. My fingers pushed into the crevice of her ass. Heat and dampness radiated against my hand. She was a body trained so thoroughly that even this brief embrace had readied her perfectly for penetration — and I smiled as I felt it. Sliding my hand around in a mock gesture of service, I pressed my fingers deep against the mound of her pussy.
"Huuunn—"
Between lips clenched tight to hold back the sound, an unswallowed moan leaked out anyway.
"If I treasure Brother Kim Eunbyeol this dearly, who on earth dares call you lowly?"
"Aaahh— Cult Leader—"
"Learn to treasure yourself a little more. There is no believer but you with the faith and obedience to carry out this sacred task."
"Ahh— forgive me, Cult Leader. I have been so very foolish."
Joy flickered and swam in her eyes behind the glasses. By now she was rocking her own hips against my fingers, grinding her pussy into them of her own accord, and I felt things starting to stir below. Drinking in her wanton cooing, I called for Seong Gaeul.
"Vice Cult Leader."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
"Have you prepared a reward worthy of our Brother Kim Eunbyeol, so rich in faith?"
"……My apologies. I hadn't thought that far."
"Outrageous!"
Even as I conversed with my Vice Cult Leader, my fingers never stopped. If anything, they answered Kim Eunbyeol's grinding with rougher fondling, stroking her pussy in earnest.
Squelch— squelch—
"Huuuunh— huaaah—"
The nectar that her panties and robes couldn't absorb smeared obscenely between my fingers. The crotch of her believer's robes was darkening, soaked deeper and deeper.
"Hmm… ah! What's Himchan up to right now?"
"Huuunn… p-probably playing with Jihoon. Haaaanh—"
Quivering with pleasure, Kim Eunbyeol managed the answer through gritted teeth. And then I remembered the greatest gift I could possibly give a woman like her. I called for Seong Gaeul once more.
"By the way — how are the discussions on building the school coming along?"
"Preparations are underway, but we're still at the discussion stage."
"I know you're busy, but push it forward faster. For the children, precious time is slipping away as we speak."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
Having overheard our exchange, Kim Eunbyeol's eyes wavered as if she'd drifted into ecstasy itself.
"Y-you remembered, Cult Leader…."
I could see my own face reflected in her pupils. And that reflection smiled down at her with utmost benevolence as it answered.
"Of course. He is our precious son, is he not?"
"AAAAAAAAAH—!"
Unable to contain the tremors any longer, Kim Eunbyeol collapsed right where she stood. I watched the lower half of her believer's robes darken with spreading stains.
"Brother Seo Taesan. Bring a fresh set of robes."
"Yes, Cult Leader."
With nothing but sweet words and a touch of fondling, I had driven a woman to the very precipice of the pleasure she was capable of feeling. Smiling with no small satisfaction at my own growing technique, I turned my gaze to the notebook in Kim Eunbyeol's hand.
"…The Book of Salvation."
The title inscribed on the notebook in immaculate handwriting. At the sound of my voice, Kim Eunbyeol — still woozy with the afterglow of orgasm — hurriedly hugged the notebook to her chest.
"Th-this is just some scribbles I jotted down of my own accord. Pay it no mind…."
"No. That won't do. …The Book of Salvation, hm."
It wasn't bad. No — it was, in fact, an excellent title.
"Our Brother Kim Eunbyeol had quite the talent hiding inside her all along."
"Aaaah— Cult Leader—"
Not every librarian is gifted with words, but with Kim Eunbyeol, it seemed I had no such concerns.
"Cult Leader, here it is."
"Ah, thank you for your service."
I took the robes Seo Taesan brought and handed them to Kim Eunbyeol, still slumped on the floor, with a smile. Watching her receive them meekly, I continued.
"Now then — shall we go write the glorious first page of The Book of Salvation?"
The executives entered the first floor of the Cult. A long table stretched out from a massive statue at its center, laden with dishes far more lavish than usual. And more than seventy people — a crowd that now numbered well past that mark — rose from their seats in perfect unison the moment they saw me. With the scrape of chairs, I watched the believers stand at reverent attention, then took my seat at the head of the table at an unhurried pace. The executives filed into their assigned places behind me. Seo Taesan, my shield in emergencies, and Kim Eunbyeol, bound to her duty of record, remained standing at my back.
"Ah, at ease. Everyone, please sit."
At my gesture, the believers returned to their seats. The usual warm chatter had been severed entirely, leaving behind a heavy, solemn air. I could tell Lee Gyeongmin and Jeong Shinwoo had set the mood exactly as I'd ordered. Good. You two have learned a thing or two after all. I nodded in deep satisfaction and surveyed the dishes breathing delicious aromas up from the table. A variety of meats kissed by flame, balanced by vegetables to cut the richness. Even before the zombie apocalypse, a spread like this would have been rare.
"Today is a day of great joy — and of great sorrow."
The moment I spoke, Kim Eunbyeol behind me began recording into The Book of Salvation. In the heavy silence, only my voice and the soft scratch of her pen filled the first floor.
"We rejoice, for a pitiable soul who suffered in this world has found salvation."
These words would be committed as the first page of the Cult's scripture. In this moment — our very own Genesis — what should I say?
"We grieve, for countless children remain unrescued even now."
Barely seventy souls. When I thought of how many people were scraping by, hand to mouth, to survive this hell even at this very moment, we were such a pitifully small few. Only that handful could enjoy this lavish meal within the Sanctuary.
"Children of the chosen new world. My warriors, brimming with goodness, who bear the Sword of Faith and the Shield of Obedience."
They hung on my every word without so much as breathing.
"I know. I know the pain and sorrow you labor so hard to hide."
Human emotion is at once hopelessly complex and perfectly simple. Drifters who escape an extreme situation, the instant they find a safe island, all think the same thing.
"I know you, who think of the ones who should have shared this grace with you — and ache for them."
Family, friends, lovers. The most precious pieces they had lost.
"The deprivations that lie in the far reaches of the heart, beyond even the reach of the Sanctuary's abundance."
The rims of the believers' eyes reddened as they thought of those left behind in the old world. Turned into zombies — or simply dead. Someone they would never meet again, that was the end of it. Meeting each pair of reddened eyes in turn, I rose from my seat.
"I hear your prayers. I hear your pleading. And the darkness brimming within them wounds me."
Step— step—
As I crossed the length of the table, the believers' heads, which had followed me, bowed toward the earth.
"Hnngh—! Hnngh—!"
They began to weep, the tears they had swallowed and swallowed again finally bursting free. The tears wetting the white floor brimmed with resentment, regret, and self-blame.
"Some may revile you — call you foolish, feeble creatures who could not shed the rot of the old world. I know you, who blame yourselves for a longing that only deepens the more you refuse to become fat pigs gorged on abundance."
Hnngh—! Hnnnngh—!
Their weeping did not cease even when I reached the door. If anything, it shook harder, drenching the Sanctuary's floor with their tears.
THUD—!
With a stomp of my foot, the bowed heads of the believers lifted. Every gaze in the hall converged on me, standing before the door of the Sanctuary.
"It is not your sin!"
Every one of them, wounded by despair. Every one of them, wandering desperately in search of someone to hold them up.
"Speak the gift I promised you! Remember the name of the fruit that shall ripen from faith and obedience!"
The believers' eyes roared at me in silent screams. And they said it. Salvation.
"The salvation of the Hanmaum Guwon Cult! And my salvation—!"
My outstretched hand swept toward the door of the Sanctuary. At my gesture, white light bloomed and spread across Joo Joohye's body.
"Knows no difference between poor and rich! Shows no favor to the strong over the weak, and turns its face from none who weep in pain and loneliness!"
I had to plant hope in them. The hope that their own flesh and blood could be saved, too. The longing that something lost could be reclaimed.
"Witness it with your own two eyes! And worship! For this is the holy beginning of salvation!"
Drunk on the heat of the moment, Kim Eunbyeol's hand danced across the page. The Genesis of The Book of Salvation, being written at her fingertips.
"Behold the first miracle the Sun of Salvation shall work!"
A vast halo of light wrapped the door of the Sanctuary in sanctity. Bathed in white radiance, the door slowly began to open.