The Conditions of a Believer (8)
“A-a scam?” Jo Jeong-hwan stammered.
He honestly didn’t seem like a bad man at heart. Just now, instead of reaching for a knife, he’d chosen a frying pan, and even then he hadn’t really attacked with the intent to kill; he’d only flailed at me in a half-baked effort to protect himself. Looking at his trembling hands, all I could think was, he’s just an unlucky coward.
There was a reason I had picked him out from among the wanted criminals.
“You want a new life, don’t you?”
“...Yes.”
Jo Jeong-hwan was a man on the run. He couldn’t keep hiding in the slums forever. Maybe, once upon a time, he’d dreamed of making it big as an actor, a top star. But that was all in the past now. These days, he’d been reduced to a fugitive, neither one thing nor the other, just drifting through life in a state of permanent desperation.
I had called myself a judge who punished evil, but I didn’t think that made me absolute justice. I only moved according to the convictions I believed were right.
“How long can you maintain your disguise?”
“My face gets a little stiff, but if I set my mind to it, I can keep it up for about a day. When I’m in good shape, I’ve managed to hold it for as long as three days.”
Enough.
I intended to use Jo Jeong-hwan’s shapeshifting ability for this job. And then...
“...”
I pressed my lips together and sank into thought.
I had decided to kill the cult leader.
But I still wasn’t sure what came after that.
Even if I wiped out the head of that fake religion, what was I supposed to do with the countless believers beneath him?
I couldn’t slaughter them all.
What, then, was I meant to do with people who were, in a way, innocent and pitiful?
Don’t decide too quickly.
First, I’d finish what needed doing.
“Do exactly as I tell you.”
“How?”
I explained the plan going forward to Jo Jeong-hwan.
As always, the main service at the Sole Sanctuary was held without fail.
At first, it had been a shocking sight, but after seeing it a few times, I’d built up a tolerance.
Praise for Cheonyang-ji. The cult leader’s mind-affecting magic. Extortion of the believers...
The service followed the exact same order every single time.
Boring as hell.
I didn’t let my guard down, though.
Today, there was a special guest.
Among the seated believers, a familiar face was hiding in plain sight.
A man who looked like a terrified rat: Jo Jeong-hwan.
I had told him in advance.
Watch carefully.
Jo Jeong-hwan kept sneaking glances at the cult leader’s face.
He strained his eyes, trying not to miss a single thing—his voice, his gestures, even his tiniest habits.
Good.
Just before the cult leader used his mental magic, I excused myself as if I were heading to the bathroom and signaled to Jo Jeong-hwan.
Seeing the signal, Jo clutched his waistband and followed me out. After lingering in the restroom for a while, he returned to the Sole Sanctuary.
And that was how the main service came to an end.
I left the sanctuary with Peter.
“Phew. Rough day. I should head home and get some rest. I’m starving too.”
After work, Peter always went straight home without fail.
The 12 Apostles earned a fairly high salary, but most of it was still donated back to Cheonyang-ji.
High pay was useless if you had nothing left to spend.
Peter couldn’t even afford to eat out, so he made do with meals at home.
I was counting on that.
“Why don’t you have a meal with me?”
“No need. I’m tired.”
“I’ll pay.”
“Well, I mean, if I just go home and eat...”
“I’ll treat you to Hanwoo.”
“...”
I could feel the face beneath his mask twitch.
He was wavering.
I drove the stake in deeper.
“I also have a few personal questions for you. And I’d like to repay you for everything you’ve taught me.”
“Ahem. In that case... perhaps I will.”
Peter accepted my offer with all the grace of a man pretending to resist.
“This way.”
Smoke curled up from the grill as the beef sizzled beautifully.
When the rich, savory aroma filled the room, Peter’s throat bobbed and he swallowed hard.
“Please, have the first bite.”
I held out a perfectly cooked slice of meat.
After a brief hesitation, Peter picked it up with his chopsticks and slipped it beneath his mask.
He chewed on it there, hidden from view.
He really never takes that thing off, even while eating.
The 12 Apostles went to extreme lengths to conceal their identities even in daily life.
Peter nodded.
“Mm.”
His shoulders bounced with satisfaction.
“Delicious. I can’t even remember the last time I had meat.”
A life spent going hungry because you got fooled by a bogus religion.
That was how human beings ruined their own lives.
“I ordered plenty, so help yourself.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
Peter rolled up his sleeves and attacked the meal in earnest.
I ate only sparingly while observing him for a while.
Through the Dio Guild, I had already gathered information on Peter.
I knew his real name, his age, and what he looked like from the photos.
- Special note: Divorced seven years ago. After stabbing his cheating wife and her lover to death, he fled.
Peter had murdered his wife and her affair partner, then vanished.
After that, he had become one of Cheonyang-ji’s 12 Apostles and hidden his identity.
He lived alone in a one-room apartment in front of the Sole Sanctuary.
In some ways, he was pathetic; in others, just plain pitiable.
“Judas. You should eat up too.”
“I’m fine. Please, eat more.”
Money really was a wonderful thing.
Wasn’t it amazing how easily it could make people warm to you?
“You said you had something to ask me earlier, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“What is it? Ask me anything.”
As the saying went, generosity came from a full granary.
After eating his fill, Peter’s mood had visibly brightened.
“If I came in as the 6th Apostle, why hasn’t the ranking changed?”
The order of the disciples was the order of strength.
Nike’s vacant spot had been filled by me.
That meant I was supposedly the sixth strongest of the 12 Apostles.
“Don’t worry about that. There’ll be an Apostle evaluation at the end of the year. If you prove your skills, you might even be able to aim for the rank of 1st Apostle. Though, of course, that’s impossible.”
Right now, the first among the 12 Apostles was Yohan.
The cult leader’s right hand, and the legendary swordsman who had founded Ganro-ryu.
“The 6th seat was empty, so they just slotted you in there temporarily. The rankings will probably shift after the year-end evaluation, so don’t neglect your sword training.”
So that was it.
My question had been answered.
“Is that all you wanted to ask?” Peter mumbled through a mouthful of meat, his pronunciation thick and muffled.
There was something else I really wanted to know.
“Peter, what have you done for the cult leader?”
Peter stopped chewing.
Then he put down his chopsticks.
“Hmm.”
He let out a long sigh and looked around.
Because we had booked a private room, there was no one else to hear us.
“Private conversations between Apostles are taboo.”
I knew that.
The 12 Apostles were a cell structure.
They were never supposed to reveal information about one another.
“Just keep it to yourself.”
Apparently the beef had done its work, because Peter finally opened up.
“For the cult leader, I’ve handled kidnappings, human trafficking, theft... and I’ve killed eight people. Mm. I buried quite a lot of them back in the bamboo grove behind Cheonyang-ji.”
A heavy silence settled over the table.
Trying to shake it off, Peter went on.
“I had no choice. The cult leader ordered it. Honestly, I didn’t really want to kill that many people either.”
For some reason, it sounded less like an explanation than an excuse.
Peter really was a miserable man.
And a rotten one at the same time.
He had given up thinking.
He had handed over the steering wheel of his life to the cult leader.
With all sense of agency abandoned, Peter moved like a puppet on strings.
And as a result, the cult had ground down whatever moral instincts each individual might once have had.
This was more than simple gaslighting.
They were rationalizing evil.
I drank some water and set the cup down.
“I see.”
Peter waved it off like it was nothing.
“You’ll be the same as me soon enough. Ah, right—why haven’t you handled the job the cult leader gave you yet? Don’t tell me you’re lacking confidence?”
Bring Nike’s younger sister here.
That had been the cult leader’s order.
Everyone else had handled their assignments quickly, so it would have been obvious if I deliberately dragged my feet.
“I’ve located her. I’ll move on it soon.”
“Hmm. Better wrap it up quickly. You’ll need to earn the cult leader’s trust too, won’t you?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After finishing the meal, I rose from my seat.
I took out my card and headed for the counter.
Peter patted his full belly and clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“Ahem. That was a good meal.”
“I’ll buy you something even tastier next time.”
If there was a next time.
I paid the bill with the same feeling as if I were handing over fare for the road.
After giving a polite bow to the employee who flinched at the sight of the mask, I stepped out of the restaurant.
I stood for a moment in front of the barbecue place and checked the time.
Perfect.
I hadn’t bought Peter dinner for nothing.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
I’ve lured him in. All that’s left is for him to step on the trap.
I stopped at the mouth of the alley beside the restaurant.
This was the battlefield.
“Peter. Come this way for a moment.”
“Hmm? Planning to smoke? I quit. Go on without me.”
“No. I have something urgent to discuss.”
Peter followed me into the alley without really understanding why.
“What is it? If the meal’s over, go home and pray to the cult leader already.”
The life of a Cheonyang-ji believer was scheduled down to the last detail.
From the moment they opened their eyes in the morning until the moment they closed them at night, their only purpose in life was to pray and serve with absolute loyalty to the cult leader.
Just as Peter was about to start nagging me, someone entered the alley.
Step. Step.
At the sound of footsteps, Peter turned his head and his eyes widened.
“C-Cult Leader!”
A small man in a robe stood there.
Anyone would have recognized him as the Cheonyang-ji cult leader.
Peter hurriedly dropped to one knee.
“The 8th Apostle, Peter, greets the Cult Leader!”
The cult leader said nothing.
He just looked down at Peter.
“What brings you here? Where are the other Apostles?”
The cult leader never wandered around alone without an escort.
Sensing that something was off, Peter lifted his head slightly.
Of course, that man wasn’t the cult leader.
It was Jo Jeong-hwan, the wanted criminal who had been told to play the part.
He was trembling all over, his hands shaking uncontrollably.
If he had gone into the Sole Sanctuary, the CCTV would have made people suspicious for sure.
So, in a hurry, I’d chosen this secluded alley instead.
Damn it.
“...Cult Leader?”
Click.
Peter’s hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword.
Shit. Did he notice?
I held my breath and watched the situation unfold.
Right now, Jo Jeong-hwan was within Peter’s reach.
For all his appearance, Peter was one of the 12 Apostles.
If this went wrong, his head would come off in a single blow.
“The 6th Apostle, Judas Iscariot, greets the Cult Leader!”
To erase Peter’s suspicion, I dropped to my knees and followed his lead.
Only then did Jo Jeong-hwan seem to relax enough to speak.
“I came alone because I had something urgent to discuss.”
Hearing the cult leader’s voice, Peter visibly flinched.
It was a strange, almost infant-like voice, as though a baby were crying.
But there was no mistaking it. That was the cult leader’s voice.
Jo Jeong-hwan had attended the main service and seen the real cult leader with his own eyes.
Thanks to that, he could mimic him even more accurately.
Only then did Peter take his hand off the sword.
Thank God.
With my head still lowered, I let out a quiet breath of relief.
“Peter.”
“Yes, Cult Leader!”
Jo Jeong-hwan handed something over.
“Take this.”
“...What is it?”
It was a stack of documents.
Names, photos, real names, addresses.
Profiles of the 12 Apostles.
“There is a traitor in Cheonyang-ji. Go at once and execute them!”
“Understood! I’ll carry out your order!”
The answer came out without a second’s hesitation.
“And what exactly did these people do to betray us?”
“Treason.”
As Peter skimmed the pages, his eyes trembled.
That wasn’t all.
“They are part of the 12 Apostles.”
“Pardon? Cult Leader, what do you mean by that...?”
The documents Jo Jeong-hwan had brought were for Apostles 9, 10, 11, and 12.
In other words, they were weaker than Peter, the 8th Apostle.
“Kill them all, Peter.”
“B-But!”
Peter shook his head in confusion.
“I don’t understand. If you purge that many Apostles all at once, it’ll create a huge hole in security...”
“Listen to me, Peter.”
Jo Jeong-hwan took off the robe.
His sparse hair and uneven teeth were now on full display.
The perfect image of the cult leader.
“How insolent! How dare you!!!”
He barked the order, spittle flying from beyond the robe.
Behind my mask, I quietly snorted with laughter.
He’s acting his ass off.
It was such an absurdly perfect casting that I almost wanted to applaud.
Jo Jeong-hwan shouted at the top of his lungs.
“The Gospel of Taega!”
“Pardon?”
“Taega Gospel, chapter 12, verse 38!!”
“Ah, right. Yes!”
Peter snapped to attention.
“As the Cult Leader has said, traitors must be executed on the spot. Failure to obey shall be considered treason!”
The words he’d memorized came pouring out of him like proof of his faith.
What was written in the scripture was the doctrine of Cheonyang-ji.
Jo Jeong-hwan reminded Peter that the cult leader’s words were the truth.
“That’s right. Peter. So what should you do?”
Peter nodded like Pavlov’s dog.
At last, he knelt once more and said, “I will obey your command, Cult Leader!”
I slowly raised my head.
Jo Jeong-hwan, still disguised as the fake cult leader, flashed me a wink.