“So Do-jin, Did You See This Mission?”
Tak! A burly man roughly slapped So Do-jin on the back as he spoke.
His chin was covered in thick stubble, and his shirt—worn wide open—revealed an overwhelming expanse of bronze skin. He was John, the sniper of the Trinita Crusader Order, and a colleague of So Do-jin's.
So Do-jin shoved the man's thick arm away, frowning. “……Of course I saw it.”
“Yeah? Then you saw the final instructions too. How's that sitting with you?”
“What's there to say? It's just……”
So Do-jin recalled the details of this mission. Suppressing a mercenary band. It wasn't the kind of job the Trinita Crusader Order— which wasn't even directly under the Papal Office—would normally take.
The Trinita Crusaders usually handled flashy assignments like demon extermination, magical beast hunts, or rescue operations. More precisely, missions that could win public favor.
True to their name, the Trinita Crusader Order had only three members. With such a small roster, their options were limited. Above all, the unit had been created not for practical fieldwork but to polish the image of the Crusaders in a positive light, so they typically avoided aggressive tasks like suppressing mercenaries.
“……It's dirty. Fucking filthy.” So Do-jin muttered.
This “mercenary suppression” mission was different from the norm. It wasn't just the Trinita Crusaders being deployed; Papal Office-affiliated Crusader units were joining in a large-scale operation. And at the end of the briefing message, there was that line: 'The mercenaries may devolve into rioters, so lethal force is authorized if necessary.'
That was what left So Do-jin feeling conflicted about the mission.
“I'll pack live rounds just in case…… but I hope I don't have to use them. They're people too, after all.”
“John.”
So Do-jin cut him off. His expression had hardened into something terrifying. John glanced between So Do-jin's stone-cold face and the sword at his waist, then took a hesitant step back.
So Do-jin rubbed his face dry and continued. “……I get where you're coming from, but let's not use the phrase 'people too.' It could get twisted against us.”
“Ah…… Got it. Anyway, you look seriously pissed. Is it that lethal force part bugging you?”
“More like…… I'm suddenly wondering if the Papal Office is just using us.”
“That's some impure thinking, alright. But yeah, I'm with you.”
John chimed in agreement. The mission had originally been slated for Trinita alone, but now Papal Crusader units were being added—and with kill authorization to boot. No matter how you sliced it, it felt like the Papal Office was exploiting Trinita's image.
If the mercenaries resisted, the Papal units could handle the killing, while Trinita took the front to dodge public backlash for the brutality. If things went south, all the criticism for the deaths could land squarely on Trinita.
“Can't back out now.”
“Right, So Do-jin. So there's only one play: We capture their leader alive before the Papal Crusaders can gun down the mercenaries.”
So Do-jin nodded. The mission was “mercenary suppression.” The endgame was obvious: take the leader alive.
If they moved fast and nabbed the boss quickly, there'd be no needless casualties.
So Do-jin recalled the mercenary leader's name. He wasn't great with names usually, but this one stuck out—unique enough to remember.
“The leader's name was…… Yuk Eun-hyeong, right?”
“Yeah, from what I hear, their band's not that big. Let's try talking first, and if that flops, drag him in by force. Peacefully.”
So Do-jin nodded.
*
“Eup……!”
I clamped my mouth shut to stifle the blood trying to surge out. Some slipped through my fingers anyway, dripping onto the floor.
The blood was closer to black than red now. How many times had this happened already? Sixth? Seventh? I couldn't keep track.
Clack.
I set the staff down on the floor. It made a dry sound.
I wiped the spilled blood with a prepared towel and rinsed my mouth with water.
“Hoo……”
Then I sighed and stared at Jeong Yun-ah in front of me.
I'd gotten Mun Yo-seop's monitoring device back from Bae Jeong-hwan. According to him, it only tapped texts and calls—no location tracking or constant surveillance.
After receiving it, I attached it to my phone. The one I used as a Florence student, naturally. Aside from occasional messages with Seong Ha-yeon, I ignored everything else from the others.
Not that I was ignoring them on purpose—I just didn't have time to reply.
I'd told my homeroom teacher I'd be taking a few weeks off. I cited trauma from the missionary trip attack and fear of the Satanists.
She approved it under experiential learning or medical absence—though she urged me to show up for exams if possible.
While skipping school, I popped into the dorm now and then to water my flowers. Otherwise, I holed up in the worship hall, practicing with the staff.
Mastering reverse voodoo didn't take long. Sure, the staff's whims sometimes triggered the wrong spells against my intent, but that was rare now.
Once I had the hang of reverse voodoo, I applied it to Jeong Yun-ah. I reversed the zombification spells one by one, even experimenting with fused reverses.
How many days had it been?
“Hyaaak—!”
“Quiet.”
“Hyaaak……”
I'd failed. Jeong Yun-ah's condition hadn't improved a bit.
With Kang Ji-a away from the worship hall, I couldn't even bathe her properly, and it was making her more irritable than usual.
Thanks to steady feeding, she looked healthier—her skin had some color now, not the deathly pale blue-veined mess from before.
But that was it. Her language skills hadn't returned. Her gait was pure zombie shuffle. Aside from the flush, nothing had changed.
In the end, my reverse voodoo had accomplished zilch.
“……”
Honestly, I felt stuck.
Jeong Yun-ah wasn't just zombified by spells. Drugs and brute violence had been involved—savage methods.
Reversing that with voodoo alone was insanely tough. Plus, the staff's fickleness meant it wouldn't stick to the spells I wanted; sometimes it spat out the exact opposite.
At this rate, she might never recover. Hell, the reverses might even be making it worse.
I had no clue how much longer this would take.
“Haaak……”
Whether she sensed my frustration or not, Jeong Yun-ah just let out hoarse, feeble cries.
I leaned on the staff and stood. My legs wobbled. My mouth tasted metallic, my vision flickered from black to white.
[Rest.]
Then Legba spoke up—something he never did during my reverse voodoo practice.
No concern in his tone, just a scolding edge.
“What's up? You're always silent when I'm practicing reverse voodoo.”
[I was trying not to bother. Figured you wouldn't listen anyway.]
“Yeah, I don't always listen.”
[But now I have to speak.]
Legba's voice turned solemn.
[Reverse voodoo is beyond you. Unlike regular spells, the toll is heavy—body and mind.]
“Feels that way.”
I wiped the last blood from my lips and nodded.
[One more, and you'll collapse. Rest. If you drop now, you'll be bedridden for three days straight.]
“Got it. Was planning to anyway.”
I leaned on the staff to head back to my room. Glancing back as I left Jeong Yun-ah's space, I saw her sitting quietly, watching me.
I stared blankly at her brown eyes, as if entranced by some spell. They overlapped with Jeong In-ah's gaze—the one that had begged me not to go on the missionary trip.
I turned back. And stood before Jeong Yun-ah again.
“……One last time.”
Just once more. Even if it floored me.
[……You won't listen, after all.]
I ignored Legba, gripped the staff, and channeled voodoo magic.
The staff glowed purple. I swung it, drawing a spell circle: Illusion, Intoxication Spell.
The core components of zombification—the ones I'd used most.
The circle erupted in light and mist, enveloping Jeong Yun-ah. She accepted it without resistance.
I peered through the fog into her eyes. A flicker of light in her pupils—then gone.
“……”
Nothing happened. As expected, not as hoped. No disappointment anymore.
Maybe the light was my imagination.
I slumped down, head bowed. Couldn't even lift it.
“Damn it.”
A laugh escaped.
“Quiet.”
“……Huh?”
A unfamiliar voice. I looked up at Jeong Yun-ah. Her lips were still pressed shut, staring silently.
Someone had clearly said “quiet”—but not her, judging by her state.
What then? Hallucination? Backlash from overdoing reverses?
“Quiet. Do it.”
Then her lips moved. She was speaking.
Undeniably her voice. Her restored eyes fixed on me as she opened her mouth again.
“Quiet!”
“Got it. I'll be quiet, quiet.”
I gripped the staff tighter as I replied. My hands shook. Teeth itched. Ears rang, chest boiled hot.
A smile crept onto my face unbidden.
I stared at her for a long time. She stared back.
Success.
Seemed she could only say “quiet” for now—mimicking my earlier scolding.
But that was enough. More than enough. Thrilling.
The first result after all this grind. Tiny compared to the effort, sure—full speech wasn't back.
But it was fine. Proof of progress was a miracle.
Tears welled up. Well, almost.
That single, pathetic phrase. How many days to hear her voice, those short words?
Third day today? Fourth? A week? Wait……
“What day is it again……”
Memory blanked. Needed a break. Or sunlight.
I grabbed my phone.
(To be continued next chapter)