Invisible Yet Vivid
Though I couldn't see, the scene before my eyes was crystal clear. Light was emanating from Ma Yu-hyeon's body as he lost consciousness, shrouded in fog. To be precise, it flowed from his right eye and his hair, bleached so yellow it was nearly white. The light formed a thin veil around Ma Yu-hyeon. That veil was blocking the fog—and then sucking it in.
"Urgh...!"
Strength drained from my body, and nausea churned in my gut. The veil of light devoured the fog, then siphoned off what little power I had left propping me up. I hurriedly shattered the spell circle. It ceased functioning and crumbled to ash, vanishing. Only then did the sensation of power ebbing away stop.
I caught my breath and barely managed to stand. My legs trembled uncontrollably. My vision flickered black, then white, in a dizzying blur. It felt oddly familiar. I'd definitely experienced this phenomenon before.
"The box..."
Back when I'd tried to peek inside the box buried on Eden Hill using Granbwa's power. I'd vomited blood just like today. I'd chalked it up to my own inadequacy then—poor control over Granbwa's power preventing me from seeing inside. But it wasn't that simple.
Now I knew for certain. An unknown, alien force was protecting both the box and Ma Yu-hyeon. Something with a clear will was blatantly interfering with me using that mysterious power. What—or who—it was, I had no idea.
"...What the actual fuck..."
At first, I was flustered. My voodoo hadn't worked. Then I was incredulous. Not content with piercing people with those ridiculous eyes, he wielded others' divine power like it was his own and even nullified voodoo. This was beyond unfair.
And now, I felt powerless. If voodoo wouldn't work, there was no way to forcibly extract information from him. I couldn't use Memory Crush to erase his memories and make today never happen. Memory Crush literally pulverized memories—it couldn't selectively wipe only what I wanted gone. Using it would obliterate not just today's events but everything in his head.
Not that Memory Crush would even work on him in the first place. There was so much I didn't know. What that 'unknown force' protecting him was. What he meant by having many rivals. Why he hoped I wouldn't get caught. What he knew about the underground prison and the Holy War.
I couldn't even judge which of his information would be useful. I knew nothing, could do nothing. Powerless. I was utterly powerless.
"Ugh... What the hell. Why was I asleep?"
By then, Ma Yu-hyeon had regained consciousness. I squatted in front of him, looking down as I spoke.
"Let's talk negotiation."
"...Oh, right. We were in the middle of that. Fire away."
"I want to know what kind of information you can give me."
It was called negotiation, but really, I had no choice but to let him live. The risks were the same whether I killed or spared him, but sparing him meant I could gain something. No need to reveal that, though. We weren't equals right now—I could kill him anytime, but out of the goodness of my heart, I was offering a deal. That's the vibe I needed to project.
"What's got you most curious right now? I can give you a rough teaser from what I know, like a taste..."
"Underground prison."
I answered his question without a second thought. Everything—entering Florence Academy, aiming to become a high cleric—was for this. To meet my mother imprisoned in the underground prison.
Ma Yu-hyeon started to speak, then licked his lips and opened his mouth.
"You gotta be more specific. Which underground prison, and what exactly about it?"
"Everything you know about the Papal underground prison."
"No, wait... Ah, I should've led with this."
He frowned, pondering for a long while before speaking.
"The Papal underground prisons... there are quite a few. Just from what I know, about... seven."
"..."
"All kinds of types too. Want me to list 'em?"
I didn't respond, silently drawing Dawn Sword.
"Hey, whoa. Hey, you fucker, I told you, why the shit now?!"
Slice.
I cut the knot binding his hands, freeing them. Ma Yu-hyeon stared blankly at his hands for a moment before looking up at me, dumbfounded. I dispersed Dawn Sword back into voodoo mana and spoke.
"As a sign I've accepted the negotiation, I freed your hands first. Feet and neck later."
"...Later? No, if you're accepting, free me now..."
"I said I'd spare you, not free you."
I continued calmly.
"I'll free you eventually. Probably... after I get enough satisfying info and set up a way to monitor you. Keeping you locked up forever might raise suspicions."
"..."
"Stay here till then. I'll feed you. Won't taste great, though."
With that, I left the room and locked the door from outside. I heard Ma Yu-hyeon yelling something from inside. Ignoring it, I pulled out my phone.
*
"Hmm, got it. Send the address to your dorm?"
Mun Yo-seop had received a sudden call from Do Seon-woo. As usual, Do Seon-woo calmly requested items: a GPS tracker, a bugging device, and a small terminal to manage both.
Mun Yo-seop raised one eyebrow and continued.
"...Yeah, I can send them right away. Not a tough request. But mind telling me what for?"
Do Seon-woo didn't answer. Silence stretched over the line.
Mun Yo-seop waited, then nodded.
"Fine, I'll trust you to use them well. Hanging up."
Seemingly no intention to reply, Mun Yo-seop ended the call. Asking for trackers and bugs without explaining the purpose felt off, but he didn't pry. No need to. What Do Seon-woo, who looked every bit the model Florence student, was up to behind the scenes would soon be revealed through Kim Jin-seo. No rush—right now, more pressing matters demanded attention.
"Sorry for interrupting. Teacher Ha Ye-jin, can you continue where we left off?"
"Yes... But where did I leave off?"
Ha Ye-jin replied weakly from her hospital bed. Mun Yo-seop gazed at her steadily. His memory was sharp; he could recall even fleeting impressions clearly. He thought back to glimpsing Ha Ye-jin in the staff room during his last Florence visit for an investigation. She looked utterly different now—almost like a different person. Not just from losing weight and looking gaunt.
Mun Yo-seop noticed the light in her eyes had changed drastically from before.
"Up to meeting Kim Jin-seo and losing consciousness."
He answered without mentioning it. Ha Ye-jin fell silent, lost in thought. Mun Yo-seop waited patiently until she was ready.
With eyes filled with resolve and resignation, she stared into space and spoke.
"...To be precise, it wasn't losing consciousness—it was more like dreaming."
"A dream? Can you elaborate?"
Mun Yo-seop raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Kim Jin-seo had stated she blacked out with no memory after. But Ha Ye-jin said she 'dreamed.' That implied memories from unconsciousness lingered. Maybe Kim Jin-seo lied, or the black magic's corruption affected them differently. Either way, good news for Mun Yo-seop. He'd suffered the same demon black magic and dreamed like Ha Ye-jin. A step closer to atonement.
He suppressed his excitement and waited.
Ha Ye-jin seemed reluctant, hesitating with her lips.
"If you don't want to share the details, no need. Just the parts you feel like. I'm grateful for your cooperation already."
"...Thank you. A bit later... once I'm resolved, I'll tell you about the dream too."
"Good. I'll wait for your call. Oh, right—I didn't give you my card. Sorry, been scatterbrained."
Mun Yo-seop handed her his business card. She nodded politely and took it.
"Yes, then soon... via the number on the card... Urp."
Suddenly, Ha Ye-jin dry-heaved. Tears welled as she fought vomit; her face paled, cold sweat pouring. Mun Yo-seop startled, reaching for a handkerchief he didn't have, then grabbed tissues instead.
"You okay? What's wrong? Black magic aftereffects?"
"No... Sorry. Sudden nausea... Whew."
She wiped sweat and tears. The nausea seemed to ebb, but her face stayed ashen. Breathing steadily, she looked up at Mun Yo-seop.
"Did you visit the specimen lab today, by any chance?"
She meant the Monster Specimen Research Lab in western Seoul, where they studied collected demon or beast parts from battles. Also where training dummies were made.
Mun Yo-seop had stopped there before her room to investigate the recent demons.
"Just came from there checking something. How'd you know?"
He felt uncharacteristically flustered. He'd never mentioned it to her—not even the lab.
Did demon blood stain his clothes? No, he'd changed.
"Um, sorry if rude, but the smell... Ah, no. Forget it."
"Ah, the smell... On me?"
"Y-yeah, on you and the card... No, not that bad, really..."
Mun Yo-seop sniffed the card, then himself. No acrid, sticky lab scent. If any, it'd be faint. And pinpointing it to the lab? Rare. That nose rivaled drug-sniffing or Satanist-tracking dogs.
"Sorry for offending. I'll wash up and change before coming back."
"No, it didn't bother me..."
"Before that, I'd like your help tracking Satanists. Inquisitor's discretion."
She'd be invaluable. Mun Yo-seop's eyes gleamed faintly mad as he gazed at her, requesting cooperation.
(To be continued next time)