Grudging Gratitude
Seong Ha-yeon stared at me with her eyes wide as saucers. At some point, the focus in those eyes faded. She finally dropped her gaze to the ground and collapsed onto the rain-slicked pavement. Her tension had broken, leaving her legs without strength.
"Hey, the ground's soaked over there—"
Crack.
The moment I stepped forward to help her up, a strange sound came from my knee. A sharp pain stabbed through me, and my body buckled. An unfamiliar ache flared in my knee. It burned like fire, or felt like a barrage of needles. When I rolled up my pant leg, the cartilage around my knee was swollen and puffy. It seemed the backlash from overusing Bade's power had finally hit me. Still, it wasn't as severe as the aftereffects from Granbwa or Bosu. A short rest should let me walk again soon.
"……."
Seong Ha-yeon watched me suddenly crumple with wide, startled eyes. There was no rain, no wind. No light either. In the darkness, we stared at each other. The shadows hid our faces, dulling the awkwardness of facing her.
"Um, that... sor……."
Seong Ha-yeon muttered with her head bowed. I could barely hear her.
"What?"
"Uh, um……."
She shrank back, hesitating like she was flustered. She mumbled something, but her voice was too soft.
"What're you saying? Speak clearly."
"Sor……! Sorry for wasting my blood trying to save a lowly wretch like you. It's really annoying……."
Yeah, sure. I'd thought she might apologize for once, but no such luck.
Blood still trickled from her palm, but the wound wasn't deep—no need for a restoration spell. Basic healing would suffice. I channeled divine power and drew a healing circle as I'd been taught. A glow of healing light enveloped her palm. For a brief moment, surprise flashed across her visible face.
"Better?"
Seong Ha-yeon pressed and rubbed the healed spot with her fingers, then snapped her head up. She glared at me with narrowed eyes and spoke.
"It might scar."
"Oh, really? Sorry."
Not that I was particularly sorry.
"……."
She bit her lip and stared at her palm. Even if it scarred, how bad could it be? I approached her, but she clenched her fist to hide the wound and pulled back.
"It's fine."
"What? Earlier you—"
"No, really, it's fine. For real……."
Seong Ha-yeon backed away step by step. She just didn't want me getting close. She'd trailed after me despite my warnings before, but now she was pushing me away. Completely capricious.
Still, I'd dragged her into this mess, and without her, we couldn't have dismantled the black magic. It annoyed me a bit, but she'd helped, and I had no desire for a long chat anyway, so I shut my mouth.
"Ugh, uuuugh……!"
The silence was broken not by me or Seong Ha-yeon, but by the paladins who'd been unconscious. They rose as if on cue, clutching their temples and groaning. Every face was twisted in pain. In the dark, I could make out their faintly glowing eyes. Fortunately, the hatred and rage in them had faded a lot. But it wasn't gone entirely.
They struggled to their feet, moaning about headaches, then grouped up—paladins with paladins, priests with priests—glaring at each other.
"……Hey, why'd you suddenly attack us?"
"What bullshit...! We just took the hits—you're the ones who—!"
A brief argument erupted between the paladins and priests. The paladins thought they'd been unilaterally beaten by the priests. The priests thought the same about the paladins. They'd hit and been hit by each other, but remembered only the blows they'd taken, not the ones they'd given.
What a horrific sight.
The clerics had forgotten the hatred they'd poured out, but remembered every bit they'd received. If they'd remembered everything or nothing, it might've been better.
"No, Team Leader, why'd you grab my collar earlier!?"
"What? When did I grab your collar? You're the one spouting nonsense at your superior—!"
But the Satanists' black magic had selectively preserved their memories. The magic was gone, but their hatred lingered. The Satanists hadn't aimed for temporary hate—they'd sown permanent distrust.
"You just called us cockroaches, didn't you?"
"Ha, you don't even remember throwing the first punch?"
I felt a fresh chill at the Satanists' cunning, while fury boiled at the clerics pointing fingers and yelling. Their hatred was black magic-induced. It disgusted me how they'd fallen for it, thinking and acting just as the Satanists intended.
────!
Thunder cracked like the heavens themselves were furious. The arguing clerics froze, swallowing hard. Silence at last.
"Someone get this person to a hospital, quick."
Seizing the moment, I pointed at the woman bubbling foam on the ground. The paladins and priests finally stopped fighting. In the quiet, the man called Team Leader rushed over, checked her pulse, and scowled at his subordinates with sharp eyes.
"……Hey, what're you doing! Call for rescue team support now! And, uh, stretcher. Get a stretcher!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Uh, is there anything I can—"
"Assess the patient and do every emergency measure you can! Hurry!"
Only then did paladins and priests halt their bickering and get to work.
*
The woman engraved with black magic received priestly treatment and was transported to the hospital. Seong Ha-yeon and I went to the Eastern Paladin Order for a simple debrief. Midway, Seong Yu-da showed up and took her away. The paladins treated the former inquisitor with utmost deference.
"Whew, what a mess. Total chaos……."
Han Dae-ho, who'd seen Seong Yu-da off, returned muttering under his breath. He wiped cold sweat from his brow with his collar and plopped down across from me, legs splayed.
"Anyway... feels like I see you all the time lately."
"Yeah."
"Right. Where were we? Sorry, my head's not in it right now……."
Black magic had activated, sparking fights between priests and paladins—I'd explained up to there. I filled in the rest: how I'd run into schoolmate Seong Ha-yeon while debating what to do, and with her help, dismantled the magic while buying time.
Han Dae-ho nodded.
"Got it... Checked the black box footage, but the quality sucked, so I didn't realize the black magic had triggered. The fights between paladins and priests were because of it too?"
"Yes."
"I see. Damn idiots—give 'em the manual and they still... Anyway, good thing it didn't blow up bigger. You're a hundred times better than those morons back there."
Han Dae-ho glanced back deliberately. Over his massive shoulder, I saw the lined-up paladins against the wall. Hands behind backs, heads down, they flinched and averted their eyes.
His face twisted at the sight.
"These punks know they screwed up? Dodging my eyes like that?"
"S-sorry, sir!"
"Forget it."
Han Dae-ho sighed in resignation and turned to me, fiddling with his stubbly beard.
"Anyway, think I've heard enough. One last thing, though. Hold on."
He swiveled the monitor toward me. It played black box footage from the paladin vehicle. There, I was "recreating a miracle." Or rather, disguising Bade's power as one. Han Dae-ho narrowed his eyes, probing my expression.
"Miracle recreation, right? That was you?"
"Yes."
"You did it, huh……."
No reason for suspicion. Yet Han Dae-ho kept tilting his head oddly. My mouth went dry. It wasn't true miracle recreation—just Loa power in disguise. Someone as sharp as him might sense the difference.
He stared at the footage in silence for a long while, then chuckled dryly.
"How do you do it?"
"Pardon?"
I blinked in surprise. He gave a hollow smile.
"At my age, I've never pulled off a miracle recreation. Don't even know how."
"Ah……."
"Even the combat priests in the Holy War didn't manage that scale... Impressive. A real genius, huh?"
Sincerity rang in his admiring tone. I exhaled in relief. No suspicion. Natural for clerics who couldn't do it to marvel at one who could.
Still smiling faintly at the footage, he continued.
"Heard from Seong Yu-da why the black magic didn't touch you... Yeah, that's everything. Oh, you said you're applying for paladin duty?"
"Uh? Yes."
"Expect you for the commission training and dispatch. You get me?"
A silent nudge to apply to Seoul Eastern Paladin Order for the upcoming commission training. I nodded awkwardly and left. Even from behind, Han Dae-ho's intense gaze burned into my back.
*
A few stars dotted the pitch-black sky. Instead of heading home, I wandered aimlessly around the paladin HQ. Han Dae-ho said I'd get another commendation. Even without that, he'd pull whatever strings he could as commander. He thanked me profusely—whether genuine or to recruit me, who knows. Either way, everything worked out.
Yet my heart felt unsettled.
Tap, tap, tap...
Then, running footsteps from behind. I ignored it at first—probably someone exercising nearby. I turned onto the main road. Opposite direction from the chapel, but whatever. I needed time to think.
Thud thud thud...
But the steps persisted, drawing closer.
Someone's chasing you.
I nodded. Definitely after me. Who? Han Dae-ho? No. No reason, and the build was too small—more like...
The Satanist from our earlier chase. Similar stature.
"……."
I crouched low, glaring at the approaching figure. If needed, I'd snap their neck with Bosu or Sobo.
Tap, thud thud, tap...
But contrary to expectation, the man stopped before me, catching his breath and striding up. Gu Jun-hyeok. He slicked back his messy hair and smirked.
"Dude, why do you walk so fast? Been chasing you forever."
"Chasing me? ...Why?"
"That thing—you saw some weird woman tonight, right?"
Gu Jun-hyeok asked brazenly. How'd he know? No leaks from paladins, so he must've...
"That's my mom. Sorry."
His words left me gaping in shock.
He grinned brightly.
"Escaped the hospital again. Got word from paladins she was involved, went for questioning... Then heard you were there too. So I chased you."
"……."
"Hey, say something."
My mind reeled too much to respond. Once he'd caught his breath, Gu Jun-hyeok spoke calmly.
"They said Mom nearly died. You saved her somehow. Don't know how since they wouldn't say."
"……Black magic. On the nape of her neck."
"Oh? Didn't know that. Anyway, paladins said without you and Seong Ha-yeon, she'd be dead. ...So, thanks. That's the gist."
He scratched his head sheepishly. Hearing thanks from him felt alien, oddly pleasant; guilt over cursing his mom resurfaced; pity stirred for him supporting her. Emotions tangled wildly.
Yet I struggled to fully accept them.
"……."
Because I'd pegged Gu Jun-hyeok as a Satanist.
(To be continued...)