The Old Man Who Lost His Way

Ellie had come home. She sat across from Karen, and the two of them talked.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm all right. I even feel... unburdened, somehow."

Karen studied her face. She wasn't putting on a brave front — her complexion was genuinely brighter than before.

She's a strong kid. I felt that from the first time I met her. Young as she was, she had weathered days that would break a grown adult, and still she remained kind and positive.

"That's a relief."

"It's all thanks to you, mister! I'll protect you for sure someday."

Ellie clenched her fist, her expression fiercely resolute. Fire blazed in the eyes that looked up at Karen.

Hmm... I suppose even this will fade as she gets older?

He recalled something Samsaek had said at the department store last time. What was it again...

"Imprinting."

"Right. That. Wait—?"

It wasn't Karen's own thought at all. At some point, Samsaek had crept up beside him and was whispering in his ear.

"Huh? What did you say?"

Ellie, who hadn't caught a word of it, leaned toward Karen and asked.

"It's nothing. Anyway, you don't need to protect me. What you've already done is more than enough."

"The problem is you're just too strong, mister..."

Ellie drooped at his words. Well — would a day ever come when she could help Karen, whether with money or with skill? This was a man who was friends with a Dragon Lord.

"No! She can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do it! Master's so lazy that if you just feed him and put him to bed—"

"You little—!"

"Aaagh!"

Caught in an instant for his cheek, Samsaek was scooped into Karen's arms, his head vigorously ruffled. As his fur stood on end, he recoiled in disgust and started grooming himself with his front paws.

"And we should start talking about the Church soon. First, let's meet someone. After that, I'll tell you about the secret organization."

"Okay. That sounds good to me."

For the first time, Ellie was glad to be the Saintess. Her own power wasn't enough — but if she worked with the Church, couldn't she make things easier for him? She could feed him plenty of delicious food and let him sleep somewhere nice.

The thought of moving the Church's power for the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sake of a single person would have sounded absurd to anyone who heard it. Ellie, however, nodded in perfect satisfaction with her own reasoning.

"Hangil mentioned a District Overseer he knows well. The name was Jeolji-ah, I think?"

At the unexpectedly welcome name, Ellie let out a small gasp.

"Grandpa!"

"District Overseer Jeolji-ah. Have you anything further to say?"

The Archbishop's stern voice came from behind a wall of glass. Standing guard beside the interrogator were men Jeolji-ah had never seen — not Holy Warriors.

"Your Grace."

"Wh-what is it?"

The faint weariness in Jeolji-ah's voice made the Archbishop's body flinch. The reinforced glass before him could easily stop a bullet, but the Archbishop knew well that the old man on the other side was far more dangerous than any gun.

"What became of the child?"

"I cannot tell you. And once you leave this place, you will keep your mouth shut as well."

Information about Ellie had always been classified, but now it was even more impossible to disclose officially. She had vanished from the Yeouido Branch, and the place where they had imprisoned her was somewhere that would draw public condemnation if it ever came to light — so they hadn't even been able to conduct a proper investigation.

How did it come to this.

Jeolji-ah swept a piercing gaze over the men beside the Archbishop. Since when had those who guarded the Church's people stopped wearing the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠white coats that symbolized the Holy Warriors?

Outwardly, Holy Warriors still stood watch, mindful of public eyes — but the task of protecting key figures had been handed to Awakened of unknown origin.

"Then, the sentence for District Overseer Jeolji-ah—"

"What is it you fear so much? Is there anything we should fear besides Lady Solari?"

It was a verse you could find everywhere — from the Holy Warrior training grounds to the break rooms and the barracks.

"You will not speak so freely!"

The Archbishop's face flushed with shame at Jeolji-ah's words, and he bellowed.

"...Understood."

"District Overseer Jeolji-ah's crime of aiding a witch is grave. However, in consideration of the meritorious service he has rendered to the Church..."

Jeolji-ah waited with weary eyes for the interrogator's next words.

Jeolji-ah closed his eyes. A lifetime's work, ending in tragedy. He had more or less guessed as much from the moment the Archbishop had come in person.

So this is how it ends... Strangely, I feel at peace.

"Jeolji-ah accepts this judgment. However — may I ask one thing?"

"Speak."

"Who was it that declared the child a witch?"

"I cannot tell you."

Hearing the Archbishop's reply, Jeolji-ah closed his eyes and bit his lip. Guilt pricked his chest like a needle — he hadn't even been able to give the child a proper chance to defend herself.

"From this moment, you are no longer a Holy Warrior. Leave the temple at once."

As the Archbishop commanded, Jeolji-ah went to the locker room and changed. He hung his black dress shirt, his trousers, and his white coat on the hanger.

"I suppose I won't be wearing these anymore."

For the devout, excommunication was a humiliation beyond compare — death would have been preferable. And for a Holy Warrior of Jeolji-ah's high station, the meaning cut even deeper.

He ran his hand one last time over the locker that was as old as he was, then stepped outside.

"District Overseer! You're out. What was the verdict?"

"I'm no longer a Holy Warrior. Don't call me that."

"Don't tell me... excommunication?"

The Holy Warriors who had been waiting erupted in shock and outrage.

"This is absurd. They didn't even conduct a proper investigation!"

"They just kicked him out because he was in their way."

"At this rate, the Seoul branch will fall into the hands of those outsiders. Let's sit down and talk this through. We'll stand with you."

"Enough! Holy Warriors are the arms and the legs. When the head decides, we follow."

The surrounding Holy Warriors sighed inwardly at Jeolji-ah's stern words. They respected him deeply — but at times like this, he was far too rigid.

"That head is already looking for new arms and legs."

"The priests don't trust us. Something's wrong. And they've declared Hangil a heretic. Does that make any sense? We've known that kid since he was little."

"Hangil?"

Jeolji-ah's brow furrowed, and he bit his lip. He had been composed even when facing his own excommunication — but at the sudden news of Hangil, his chest dropped with a heavy thud.

"They say he stole a Holy Relic and vanished. The Church Alliance has declared him a heretic."

"Hangil, that boy..."

Something was happening. You didn't get declared a heretic this easily. Above all, Jeolji-ah believed in the Hangil he had known all these years.

As a Holy Warrior, Hangil was still a rookie, but he had tagged along after them since he was a child. He had prayed with them, and there was a phrase he had always used to say.

How overjoyed they had been when Hangil was recognized by Lady Solari and gained the ability to use holy power.

"There's no way that kid is a heretic. You know that, sir."

"This... I'll look into it further. Let's wait a little longer. The Saint's prayers should be ending soon, shouldn't they?"

"That's strange too. It's been far too long since the Saint went in to pray."

This time, Jeolji-ah had nothing to say. He had waited, thinking the Saint would come out and set things right... but that day showed no sign of coming.

He was frustrated himself, but he hid it and calmly admonished his juniors.

"Let's wait one last time. Once the Saint comes out, it will all be resolved."

The highest office established by man was the Pope, but it paled in comparison to a Saint appointed directly by God. The problem was that when the Saint's seat was vacant — or when he entered prayer as he had now — the Pope assumed command of the Holy Warriors.

"Just wait for now. Lady Solari must have Her reasons."

"Lately I don't know what Lady Solari's will even is. Do you know something, sir?"

"...I don't know either."

The Holy Warriors' eyes widened as they heard the doubt seeping into Jeolji-ah's voice. Was it the excommunication? Or that a junior he cherished had become a heretic overnight? For the first time, the senior who had always seemed larger than life looked his age.

"I'll be going, then. They won't like it if I talk with you lot for too long."

Jeolji-ah sent the Holy Warriors away and walked wherever his feet took him.

The young ones really can't sit still.

He didn't mean it as a reproach. If the young were angry, it was the fault of old men like himself. Far from guiding them down the right path, they hadn't even shown them a path at all.

Should I have done something back then...

Had he been too passive? When the Holy Relics lost their light, he had done nothing. When outsiders slowly ate away at the Church, he hadn't protested strongly enough.

Was I the one who was wrong...

A crack formed in the convictions that had never once wavered since the day Jeolji-ah became a Holy Warrior. It was not Solari he doubted. It was disillusionment with the Church as an institution. And beneath that, a more fundamental question: was the vow he had kept his entire life — that a Holy Warrior must obey, and only obey — truly the right one?

"What am I to do..."

As if reflecting Jeolji-ah's heart, the weather itself was gloomy, rain threatening at any moment. He had lived his entire life as a Holy Warrior, but this feeling was new. What, truly, was the will of God?

"O Goddess Solari..."

Just as Jeolji-ah was walking and praying inwardly, a notification chimed from his pocket as if in answer.

"Let's see..."

In an age when everyone used smartwatches, mobile phones were a rare sight. And even this one wasn't a smartphone — it was a flip phone that folded in half. Still, thanks to holy power, he hadn't developed presbyopia, so he didn't need reading glasses or enlarged text. That, at least, was a blessing.

"Goddess Solari, I thank you."

It was the same thanks for his health that Jeolji-ah muttered every time he looked at a book or his phone. He pressed the call button firmly.

"This is Jeolji-ah."

At the deep voice of a child who had grown into a man, Jeolji-ah offered another silent prayer.

"Hangil. Are you well? Have you been eating properly?"

Hangil had been declared a heretic by the Church, but Jeolji-ah paid it no mind. He simply spoke to him as the grandfather who had watched over him since childhood.

"I'm fine. Hearing that you're doing well is enough. Stay healthy."

If he heard any more of Hangil's story, even though he'd already been excommunicated, it would be a crime against the Church — and poison for Hangil. But Hangil's next words stopped Jeolji-ah from hanging up.

"What are you saying? The Saintess? You of all people should know what that means."

Hangil wasn't a civilian — he had been a Holy Warrior, even if a rookie. There was no way he didn't understand the weight of those words.

"I know her. Of course I know her."

Jeolji-ah's voice trembled with relief. She was alive.

"But Ellie is the Saintess?"

"Hah... I don't know what to say."

He had to consider every possibility. Above all, conventional wisdom held that a Saint and a Saintess could not appear at the same time, so it was hard to believe so readily.

"Very well."

Jeolji-ah thought of this as a blessing in disguise. He was no longer a Holy Warrior. If anything went ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wrong, only he would be at risk.

"What now? This old man's heart is already in enough danger, you brat."

What on earth was this boy about to tell him? Jeolji-ah steadied his breathing and waited for Hangil's next words.

"Guh... Th-the Heresy Inquisitor?"

True to Hangil's warning, the impact was enough to make Jeolji-ah's aged heart skip a beat.