The Satanist's Voyeuristic Thrill
Satanists stir up incidents, then sit back and watch the people caught in the chaos flail about. Every single event they'd caused so far had played out that way. Today, when the clerics started fighting under the influence of black magic, the Satanist had been observing the situation through the eyes of a crow. When the new magic beast appeared on Eden Hill, he'd watched us through the beast's eyes. He'd delighted in observing us shoving each other forward as bait.
The Satanist was enjoying this. He got a thrill from watching people struggle in the palm of his hand.
On the day Go Jun-min turned into a demon species, the Satanist had been right there at the scene, monitoring everything. The moment I spotted his position, he bolted. Back then, I couldn't fully utilize Bosu's power, and besides, the Satanist was incredibly fast on his feet. I ended up losing him.
When the dogs in the barn transformed into magic beasts and attacked us, Gu Jun-hyeok ran away. He was ridiculously fast when he wanted to escape. And the Satanist and Gu Jun-hyeok had similar builds. In short, if I had to sum up in one word why I suspected him of being the Satanist...
"It's just a hunch. All those reasons you've lined up are leaps in logic. Or utter nonsense."
Legba continued, his tone laced with irritation.
"You're deciding who the Satanist is based on gut feeling alone, without solid proof, then twisting the evidence to fit your conclusion. You know it yourself."
In that instant, Noah's advice from within the Ark's illusion flashed through my mind: "Students have a habit of deciding on a conclusion first when theorizing, then cherry-picking evidence to match it. It's called confirmation bias."
I'd pegged Gu Jun-hyeok as the Satanist and forced the evidence to fit. The Satanist handles taxidermy dolls. He could have used one with a build similar to Gu Jun-hyeok's. So similarity in physique isn't proof he's the Satanist. Being fast on his feet is the same issue.
More importantly, when the dogs in the barn turned into magic beasts, Gu Jun-hyeok went to the staff room and brought back So Do-jin. If it hadn't been for him, the students might have been hurt even worse—or even killed. If he were the Satanist, there'd have been no reason for him to fetch a teacher.
"...This is driving me crazy."
Still, the suspicion kept gnawing at me. There was no concrete proof. Just a nagging sense that something was off. Did I have a strong hunch? No, not even that. I had hunches both ways—that he was the Satanist, and that he wasn't.
Take today's incident. The madwoman the Satanist used as a vessel for black magic was Gu Jun-hyeok's mother. Even a Satanist—would he be insane enough to engrave black magic onto his own mom's body? Or maybe, if he was the Satanist, he would. It could even have been a ploy to deflect suspicion by using his mother to stage the event...
"You'll go in circles forever like that."
Legba snapped me out of it. He was right. This line of thinking had no end. I had no idea how intelligent the Satanist was or what he was scheming. Theorizing in this situation was pointless.
"...What don't you get?"
At that moment, Gu Jun-hyeok furrowed his brow and asked. I stared silently at his furrowed expression. There wasn't a hint of deception in his eyes. If that was acting, then Gu Jun-hyeok had acting skills on par with mine—or better.
"Nah... just had some stuff on my mind."
I shook my head and brushed it off vaguely. Gu Jun-hyeok tilted his head curiously, then nodded as if he'd figured it out and spoke up.
"Yeah, must be exhausting. Anyway, you busy after school tomorrow?"
I planned to finish revising Seong Ha-yeon's proposal tonight or tomorrow morning. No real plans after school.
"Nothing tomorrow."
"Cool. Then let's grab Jeong In-ah and eat together. My treat as thanks."
"...Jeong In-ah?"
"Figured she'd whine if we went without her again. But since I'm paying, doesn't matter, right?"
If it was thanks, shouldn't he invite Seong Ha-yeon instead? But no need to nitpick. It didn't matter who came, though Jeong In-ah might be the better choice over Seong Ha-yeon.
"Sure. Then I'll text Jeong In-ah right—"
"Nah, no need. I'll do it."
"Alright? Yeah, go for it."
His tone was unusually firm. No clue why. Everyone has reasons for their actions. But Gu Jun-hyeok's often seemed reasonless—or at least inscrutable. That's why he seemed suspicious, but I had no proof he was the Satanist. Not even a solid hunch.
I agreed to meet tomorrow because he might slip up during it. I planned to analyze every word, expression, gesture for evidence.
I gave a casual goodbye to Gu Jun-hyeok, who was texting Jeong In-ah, and headed out. Images of Gu Jun-hyeok and Yeo Min-seo flickered in my mind. I suspected her too.
I didn't like that she'd dumped Seong Ha-yeon's revision on me. Her excuses: too busy, can't parse sentences. But like me, she didn't attend cram school. Yet she always offloaded work citing busyness. Maybe because after school, she had Satanist duties.
"You're ignoring evidence that contradicts your conclusion again, aren't you?"
"..."
Yeo Min-seo was directly involved in the Satanist hunt planning. If she were one, she wouldn't be so proactive. If the teachers were right and the Satanist had a split personality, theorizing was futile anyway.
"This is seriously maddening..."
"Even this could be part of the Satanist's scheme."
"Ah... yeah, you're right."
Making me suspect Gu Jun-hyeok and Yeo Min-seo to sow division among us—that could be the Satanist's plan. Hard to believe he'd calculated that far, but better safe.
"There's something you're overlooking, but it's better if you realize it later."
"Can't you just tell me now?"
"... "
Legba clammed up. No intention of spilling. I gave up and turned away.
I swung by Florence Academy to check the chairman's office, but the secretary said the meeting was dragging on, so seeing Kim Chang-won was tough. Looked like no Central Library today.
*
I woke early morning. Clinking sounds from the kitchen. Uncle was doing dishes in rubber gloves. Kang Ji-a sat at the table, sipping coffee and checking her phone—stock charts, up close.
"...Cult Leader, up early."
Kang Ji-a flipped her phone and looked up. Her usual calm, dry tone.
I pointed at the flipped phone. "You trade stocks too, sis?"
"Master took a big loss this time, so I'm covering until he recovers."
Uncle glanced guiltily my way. I shot him a glare. He turned subtly to the sink and kept washing.
"Stocks go up and down... And Ji-a, don't exaggerate. It wasn't that big a loss, right?"
"Cult Leader, want the exact amount Master lost?"
"Hey! ...Sorry, my bad."
Uncle cut her off in panic. How much did he lose to freak like that? I considered probing but dropped it. If he was casually doing dishes, he was confident in recovering. Otherwise, he'd be scrambling every won he had.
That's the kind of guy he was.
"Heading to school?" Kang Ji-a sighed, changing topics.
I nodded, and she continued. "Earlier than usual."
"Woke early, got morning stuff."
"I see... Oh, records show you visited the Holy Knights yesterday. What for?"
Her face blank, but worry flickered in her eyes.
I smiled lightly. "No worries. Good reason."
"Relieved. No suspicion from the knights? If they were rude or anything—"
"Nothing like that. Their captain really likes me..."
Seoul East Knight Commander Han Dae-ho doted on me. Probably building rapport to recruit me. No harm in good ties, so I played along.
Clink.
Kang Ji-a pulled two rosaries from her pocket and handed them over. Armbands.
"Rosaries for wrists. Might help avoid suspicion. Gifts from dBP Chairman Bae Jeong-hwan last time."
"Thanks. But two seems much."
"Two means twice the suspicion dodge?"
She asked innocently. Doubtful, but I took them. Slipped one on, pocketed the other. Subtle design—good for daily wear.
"Looks like a devout Romanica believer to others. Uncomfortable to me, though."
"Gotta do what I gotta."
I brushed off Legba's grumbling and headed to school. First stop: chairman's office for Central Library access.
"Sorry, meeting still going since yesterday..."
"How long can one meeting last?"
"No details beyond it being major..."
Secretary bowed apologetically. Apparently dragging from last evening into morning. What crisis warranted an all-nighter? Beyond me.
"Frustrating."
"Frustrating indeed."
I muttered, and Legba echoed. To revise Seong Ha-yeon's mess by today, I needed the library. Plus research on Florence and the Satanist. All scrapped without the pass.
Vice principal and principal out too. No rapport anyway; doubtful they'd approve. With the Satanist hunt on, they'd frown on student access.
"..."
I pulled out my phone.
*
Breathing, clanging metal, fast-paced music—all blending in the gym where they trained.
Kang Dae-man, infamous gym haunt, and Kim Jin-seo, honing her body on a killer schedule, were there early for workouts.
"Huo—!"
Kang Dae-man's grunt echoed mid-set. Kim Jin-seo winced slightly, popped in wireless earbuds, and resumed. Even max volume, his grunts leaked through.
Kang Dae-man trained harder and better than anyone. Anyone who'd lifted could see the grueling effort in his build.
Still, Kim Jin-seo found him off-putting.
"Huo! Yaap~"
That damn grunting broke her flow. Plus, he hogged machines for 20 minutes straight. Overlapping routines meant skipping her workout.
"..."
But he worked hard... Kim Jin-seo clenched her jaw, eyed her mirror reflection, and powered through squats. 130kg on her shoulders, form perfect, no strain showing. Child's play for her.
"Hoo."
Post-set, catching breath—phone rang. Seeing the caller, her eyes widened; she answered carefully.
"Hello? Yeah."
First time he called first. Oddly, more breathless than mid-workout.
"Yeah, working out. What's up?"
She steadied her breath, replying casually to his check-in. But worried her voice sounded weird.
After chit-chat, his voice hit the point over the earbuds.
Her eyes flashed panic.
"...Now?"
(To be continued in the next chapter)