Chapter 238
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238
Hunter Seo Gio showed no intention of leaving.
“Since we don’t know how the Saintess’s condition will develop, I think it would be best to stay by her side and watch over her. If the Moon Cult doesn’t mind, I’d like to remain here and look after her until she’s made a basic recovery…”
“If you would, it would be an honor for our Moon Cult. With you here, Hunter Seo Gio, I am sure the Saintess will quickly stabilize. In fact, that is a favor I was hoping to ask of you myself.”
The Bishop, who had come to visit Gio while he was resting in bed, asked, “More importantly… how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“I hear that quite often.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Because the Moon Cult is filled with foolish people.”
She skillfully suppressed a sigh.
“They insist they’re fine when they clearly are not, stubbornly arguing the point. And even if they aren’t so insolent, far too many brothers and sisters try to slyly brush it off.”
“I only said it because I really am fine…”
“Even if you had joined the Moon Cult, Hunter Seo Gio, you would have fit right in.”
“That’s high praise for a Tamer.”
“No, I meant it sincerely.”
He was a born priest, she thought.
“……”
Right down to his foolishness.
There’s no way he didn’t strain himself after suppressing such a massive mystery. The blood he had coughed up during their conversation was proof of that.
If it hadn’t strained him in the first place, that would be one thing. But since he showed such symptoms, it’s undeniable that it took a heavy toll. The fact that he knows this and still acts this way can only be described as foolishness.
Above all, Hunter Seo Gio seemed remarkably adept. Not just at handling mysteries, but at dealing with people—both as a priest and as a fellow human being.
Is he pushing himself even now?
She couldn’t be sure.
Since he didn’t permit any treatment.
And the Moon Cult was an order that always respected an individual’s opinion. As long as one possessed a modicum of intellect, they had to respect the utmost diversity; only then could insignificant creatures like them hope to reach the supreme realm.
Even if it ends up harming the priest themselves… it is only right to respect it.
At least, here.
She recalled the report on the Collector’s reaction to the news of Hunter Seo Gio’s injury, but in the end, the Bishop decided not to pry any deeper.
“Please accept this.”
“This is…?”
“An access pass.”
He had done a tremendous service for the Moon Cult.
“We shall treat you, Hunter Seo Gio, as our benefactor.”
“A benefactor? That word hardly seems to suit an outsider like me who has only stayed with the order for a few days.”
“But look at what you have shown us in that short time.”
The Moon Cult always looked at results.
“I don’t mean to disregard the value of the process, but the most important thing is what has been accomplished. And you, Hunter Seo Gio, have accomplished more than enough. For the first time, you have resolved a problem that the Moon Cult has been unable to solve for years.”
“…Has it really been years?”
“Because the existence of the Saintess carries such great weight, the Moon Cult did its utmost to prevent any information from leaking. Though it has now become impossible to cover up, this year marks the fourth year since the Saintess began experiencing these issues.”
“……”
Hunter Seo Gio, appearing lost in thought, asked, “How old is the Saintess?”
“She is seventeen this year, but…” The Bishop let out a dry chuckle. “She doesn’t look it, does she?”
The Saintess had stopped growing at fourteen.
“As I mentioned, the trouble began four years ago, when she was thirteen. Thanks to her excellent vessel and character, she ascended to the position of Saintess at the relatively young age of eight.”
“To my ears, that is definitely young.”
“The position of a Saint is not determined by age. However, even taking that into account, she was indeed young. Especially considering that, on average, Saints are chosen in their early teens…”
It couldn’t be helped.
“The Moon God chose her.”
Her Master had chosen his own child.
“Are you familiar with the nature of the Moon Cult? Fundamentally, we are not the Moon God’s children, but disciples. To us, who pursue knowledge and wisdom, the Moon God grants countless forms of aid.”
“And the Saintess is a child, not a disciple?”
“On the surface, yes. That is to say…”
Should I really say this?
“……”
She had already made up her mind before coming here. Hesitation was worthless.
“…Hunter Seo Gio, what I am about to tell you is a top secret of the Moon Cult.”
“…I feel like we’re getting close a bit too quickly. I’m having a hard time adjusting…”
“The same goes for me.”
The Bishop was also a priest of the Moon Cult, accustomed to its closed traditions and culture. It was by no means easy for her to confide such deep matters to someone who, until just a few days ago, was a complete stranger and an outsider.
But she judged that this was the right path.
“It would not be an exaggeration to say that I designated you a benefactor of our Moon Cult specifically to share this secret. Many opposed it… but I persuaded them.”
The position of a 'benefactor' in the Moon Cult was not easily earned. It meant accepting an outsider as another brother or sister, as part of the same community, and even placing them in a higher hierarchy.
“You probably cannot understand why we must go to such lengths, Hunter Seo Gio. But on that day, when I saw you lead our Saintess back here, I knew it had to be you.”
“This is a bit overwhelming.”
“Please bear with it.”
In the end, it was Hunter Seo Gio who had performed a miracle, bearing all the losses himself—even though the Bishop had tried to stop him. This meant that Hunter Seo Gio also had a deep willingness to help.
“…I wouldn’t have been this greedy either, if you hadn’t performed such a miracle.”
“Ah, am I being scouted right now? I recall the Sun Cult making a few similar recruitment attempts.”
“Rather than that… I am forcing it upon you.”
Certainly, the miracle Hunter Seo Gio displayed was an achievement worthy of the title of 'benefactor,' but even considering that, she was revealing her inner thoughts remarkably quickly. It was because she had witnessed his foolishness.
“You pity the Saintess, don’t you?”
“……”
“…It is precisely because of that side of you that I am doing this.”
“Are you trying to exploit my sympathy?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t know if she could hold onto him this way. But the Saintess needed another Saint, a guide. And Seo Gio, with his deep compassion, vast vessel, and easily offered goodwill, was the perfect candidate.
Not that he is stupid, by any means… which is why it’s better to speak plainly. It will be far more efficient to lay out the main point first and leave the rest to his judgment.
Organizing her thoughts once more, she finally broached the main subject.
“If a Saint of the Moon Cult is lucky, they become the next Moon God.”
“I think I’ve heard that story before.”
“You probably believe it means becoming another Moon God. A separate divinity.”
“I suppose that’s not the case, then.”
“A Saint of the Moon Cult who becomes a divinity… is devoured.”
That was the truth of the ‘Moon God.’
“They are, in essence, a sacrifice.”
The Bishop ultimately let out a hollow laugh. Sitting there was no longer a rigid bishop, but merely an old woman. Since she had decided to appeal to Hunter Seo Gio’s compassion to forge a meager shackle, there was no longer any reason to hide her true face.
“The ‘Moon God’ we worship is a collective of vast information. Our Master is a divinity that contains the knowledge and wisdom of all dimensions, absorbing information he does not possess—or even information he already has. And so…”
“He also learned ‘how to communicate with humans,’” Seo Gio finished. “That is why you all revere the Moon God as your Master. Because he will bestow the knowledge and wisdom you desire.”
“And by what other means could that colossal divinity have learned how to communicate with humans?” the Bishop asked.
“By devouring them,” he answered.
“Indeed.”
Of course, he could not devour just any human. If he could, the ‘Moon God’ would never have been recognized as a divinity of Providence in the first place. He was a traditional god who merely gathered information.
Thus, the truly wicked ones were, in the end, human.
“During the Great Catastrophe…”
“I’m listening.”
“…At that time, there was a Saint who became a divinity for the first time.”
“I have heard of that as well.”
“Through them, people realized.”
Ah.
“A Saint, upon becoming a divinity, can be devoured by the Moon God.”
That was a tremendous blessing to those who knew of or worshiped the ‘Moon God.’ Did it not mean that colossal entity, once regarded as akin to a disaster, would become gentler and more affectionate?
The cold moon embraced warmth.
“It is only natural. The Moon God absorbs all the information of the Saint who has become a divinity. That means he also absorbs how that Saint once treated humans, what they thought, and what attitude they held.”
“So, to make the Moon God as gentle as possible and obtain the desired wisdom even a little more easily, the Moon Cult continues to produce Saints? Because the more Saints he absorbs, the closer to human he becomes?”
“To summarize, yes, that is how it is. But please do not misunderstand; our Master harbors no ill intent. All of this evil karma is brought upon ourselves by us, the disciples.”
They say divinity is fate, like nature. The Moon God was the same. He merely existed as he was, yet raising Saints who never needed to be created just to offer them as sacrifices was entirely a human act.
“To offer an excuse in advance, all of this is disclosed before one joins the order. Those who cannot accept it are allowed to leave after having their memories erased.”
“Then all the priests of the Moon Cult joined after consenting to their own deaths.”
“Yes. Among our brothers and sisters, there may be those who joined with a light heart, thinking they would never become a Saint anyway. But most… most desperately strive to become one.”
“I am curious as to why.”
“Because if they become a Saint, and thus become a divinity, they can become the ‘Moon God.’ Indeed, many of our brothers and sisters view it not as death, but as another beginning.”
A massive storehouse where the noble knowledge of all dimensions is gathered.
“We have all gathered to enter that place.”
They had done so for a myriad of reasons.
“To become more perfect.”
“To me, that sounds like a terrifying story.”
“For someone saying that, your face is quite calm.”
“I hear stories like this from time to time.”
“Is that so…”
As expected, this man has not lived an ordinary life either.
“…The first Saint of the Moon Cult wished for our Master to bestow information that would save Earth from devastation… and so, they chose to become a mystery that could be absorbed.”
And the Moon God learned the mindset of such a Saint.
“Since then, it seems the Moon God has judged that whenever he sees a ‘child’ who has become a divinity, it is acceptable to absorb them. If the Moon Cult had put all its effort into it, we might have been able to change that structure. But we did not.”
“For supreme knowledge and wisdom?”
“Indeed.”
“You are making a confession to me.”
“……”
After a beat, the Bishop spoke.
“…Forgive me. Sitting in this seat, there was no one else to listen to my wretched excuses…”
“You cherish that child, don’t you?”
“I regarded her as a daughter.”
“So that’s why you reacted that way.”
“What kind of reaction did I show?”
“You looked as if you didn’t care whether the Saintess lived or died—as if you would both welcome and dread either outcome. It looked like a conflict of ambivalent emotions.”
“That is also true.”
Even if she wondered why it had to be that child, she couldn’t even imagine any other Saint. Yet, the fact that she had grown attached to her was, in the end, because she herself had failed to become ‘perfect.’
“That is why I am holding onto you like this, Hunter Seo Gio.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Please make the Saintess perfect.”
“Nothing can ever become that,” Hunter Seo Gio said with a smile. “But I will help you.”
“…Thank you.”
That alone was more than she could have hoped for.
“I suppose Hunter Seo Gio’s end won’t be a smooth one, either.”
Perhaps that is just the way it is for all Saints.