The Gospel of the Lamb: Margarita, 15 Years Old (6)
She was hugging something so unbearably cute.
The emotion that Bishop Feng Lubei felt at that moment in the sub-deacon position at Taipei Christofor Cathedral was exactly that.
Completely a child... Well, not quite, but fifteen is still young. Moreover, at her age, even young adults would seem immature.
Considering her elongated proportions or the dark circles that gave her an oddly mature air, the impression he received didn't stray far from 'cute'.
In her arms was an even younger child. Sitting between the motorcycle and Han Seoyeon, she was dressed in a water-blue kimono, with a somewhat emaciated look.
"Any problems, Your Excellency?"
"No, none at all."
Perhaps because the staring gaze was bothering her, Han Seoyeon spoke in her blunt Mandarin Chinese (Hakka dialect).
Only then did Feng Lubei snap out of it and waved his hand. Even in conversation, one shouldn't look away, he reflected.
"So, what the lady means..."
"You must have planned to transport the resurrected corpses, right? Then, while at it, could you take this girl with you as well?"
That would be no problem. Feng Lubei thought so while looking at Han Seoyeon.
That aside, the question of where he got this child from was in his eyes.
"Found her locked in a facility like an underground auction hall."
"That is..."
"She appears to be a 'product' that came out in the auction as an exorcism shaman."
Han Seoyeon recalled the conversation with Setsuko from earlier and twisted her expression.
Although Seoyeon couldn't speak Japanese at all, she had some familiarity with Chinese characters, so at least minimal note-taking was possible. Adding body language and intuition, one could roughly guess the situation.
Private Kill Kill Kill
Corpse Death Corpse Kill Body Declare
Private Death Produce Produce
You Kill Private Joy Death Death
She had no time to be surprised by the significant Chinese character proficiency for her age. The Chinese characters appearing between the kanji she couldn't read were, no matter how you looked at it, just ominous characters.
In short, she was a livestock raised as a product from birth. As a sacrifice or as a main offering.
Receiving names that overlapped death multiple times, educated to absolutely obey orders, even sewing clothes backwards to wear as a shroud... Truly the symbol of a living corpse.
A cursed doll that would embrace her master's misfortune, be cursed, and brutally dissected. A human-made chimera bred in Japan and exported to China.
That was Setsuko, Setsuko Shishigai.
It was truly fortunate that the Lord in Heaven had shown mercy on her fate and granted a miracle.
Not only did she not get sold, but she had survived even in a space with no oxygen. Just as Daniel's three friends had not been scorched even a single hair in the fire.
The sub-deacon, upon hearing Han Seoyeon's explanation, made the sign of the cross. Whether he made it because the story was too shocking or as praise for the Lord who saved the lamb was unclear.
Perhaps it was a blessing for this girl's future.
"However, the people who participated in that auction probably weren't safe, were they? Or perhaps..."
Did those who buy and sell children resurrect them too? The sub-deacon's voice trailed off with that meaning.
"We didn't resurrect them. The entire facility was depleted of oxygen, so even if we tried to revive them in that state, it would be meaningless."
At least, one could only attempt revival after bringing people out and pulling them outside. Upon Han Seoyeon's words, Feng Lubei nodded.
Absence of oxygen made even gas masks useless. Entering a space of death where one had to carry oxygen tanks separately made immediate rescue difficult.
Prioritizing would be pushed back significantly if personnel were diverted elsewhere to rescue more people.
Then, Han Seoyeon might miss the golden time to heal.
"However, this is only a matter of the situation, not their sin. Distinguishing wheat from chaff is always the Lord's domain."
To the sub-deacon who showed a satisfied expression at the ugly people's words, Han Seoyeon muttered calmly. To that, Feng Lubei smiled awkwardly.
In a somewhat vulgar way, it would be 'she called me out' for pointing out that it was ethically and religiously not very right.
"Thank you for the correction. As a mature Christian, such words were not appropriate. ──Little one, come this way."
Eventually, Feng Lubei opened the passenger door of the truck parked nearby and took the girl handed over from Han Seoyeon into his arms.
Despite the sight of a stranger suddenly pushing her into his car, Setsuko offered no resistance at all. That point stimulated Feng Lubei's sympathy.
Meanwhile, Han Seoyeon was checking the truck's cargo bed. There, seventeen corpses lay side by side. They had gathered and treated the corpses found in the vicinity.
For revival and transport.
Confirming that, Seoyeon spoke to Feng Lubei again.
"Could you move the car a little? There was a pile of garbage we just passed, and intuitively it seems we've gone over a kilometer..."
"Ah, of course. No problem."
Feng Lubei answered and started the car. The rattling sound mixed with the motorcycle engine noise.
"Where to?"
"Somewhere a bit spacious, up to that sign there..."
But soon Han Seoyeon stopped speaking and closed her mouth.
The noise was not just the truck engine.
"──Raise all the windows!"
Han Seoyeon shouted and quickly jumped into the passenger seat. From above, aircraft sounds came again.
Chemical bombs again. Seeing the high sky dyed yellow, Han Seoyeon hurriedly hugged the girl to make space and climbed into the car.
The door closed with a bang. While startled by the sound, Feng Lubei quickly raised the windows.
And before long, the surroundings were dyed a gloomy color as if sand wind was blowing. Han Seoyeon thought it was a color that oddly reminded her of mustard.
Mustard would make one think of delicious dishes, but she would think of chemical gas first, thanks to her education from Han Jihan.
In fact, even without Seoyeon, anyone would want to avoid yellow powder falling from the sky like this. From that perspective, could one say she misjudged the color selection?
"What is this...? It must be dangerous, right?"
"Chemical bomb, I suppose. I don't know the exact effects yet."
In fact, Feng Lubei had a similar impression and asked.
"Could it have a negative effect on the corpses?"
"Whether it has a negative effect or not, it probably does."
Even if dead, since they are human, positive results wouldn't be expected.
But conversely, this is a human body, but it belongs to someone already dead. Even if the body is damaged, it probably wouldn't be a big problem.
For the living, a 'fatal blow' to face death is already dead, so it's just simple damage. It only adds a couple more places that need fixing later when reviving.
That's why Seoyeon thought it was fine, and explained so.
──It wasn't until she realized that this judgment was completely wrong that a minute was enough.
It was around that time that Seoyeon felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Still staring out the yellow window, she reflexively turned her head to look behind.
Setsuko was also looking at the same place. Perhaps she was just following where Han Seoyeon was looking, or perhaps she had glimpsed the potential to shine in the inner world.
Why Han Seoyeon was looking there was hard to explain even to herself. It was like an intuition that something was there, and she knew that ignoring intuition usually doesn't lead to good things.
The intuition of those who have deeply stepped into the inner world is sometimes like a short, concise prophecy of the future.
"──Step back!"
"......?!"
And that prophecy came true this time as well. A hole was blown in the seat behind where Han Seoyeon was looking with a bang.
Han Seoyeon hurriedly twisted her body and hid the girl she was hugging in the corner. The back that was turned to protect her was grazed by something barely.
It was a human arm. However, it was a stiff, dark, lifeless arm.
Looking back again, the sub-deacon Feng Lubei who was frozen in shock from the ambush and the figure that was now pushing forward not just the arm but the upper body were visible.
It was a human covered in pitch-black. However, the body clearly belonged to a dead person.
Soon, Han Seoyeon could recall that the face was one of the corpses she had seen in the truck's rear seat earlier.
Revival of the corpse. Of course, it was not Han Seoyeon's doing.
No, looking at that state, in a strict sense, it wasn't 'revival' either.
Han Seoyeon knew such existences all too well. Because her adoptive father and mentor was the 'Vampire Slayer', she had seen countless such beings.
The kind often called undead. As expected from the title 'Gravekeeper' given to higher holy knights, such kind of monsters were the Church's most representative targets for extermination.
It happened suddenly. Han Seoyeon's eyes sharpened at the fact.
It's not that such monsters don't occur naturally. But in this situation, no matter how you looked at it, it wasn't that case.
In other words, it was clearly a situation where someone's intention was involved.
She glanced at the sub-deacon for a moment, but soon withdrew her suspicion. If this situation was a trap he made, there were too many better ways.
But if the one who gathered and treated the corpses wasn't the culprit... the only one who seemed to be the cause was...
"Wasn't it the chemical bomb...?"
Han Seoyeon clicked her tongue lightly and pulled out the pistol from the holster at her waist. Then she fired three bullets into the head of the corpse trying to come out through the hole in the cargo bed from the truck.
The corpse hung limply with strength gone. However, from the wall connected to the cargo bed, thumping sounds were heard.
It was because there were more than just a couple of corpses behind. So the inside of the car wasn't a safe place.
Considering the one that tore through the metal plate earlier, they were strong fellows. They might push in more at any time.
Han Seoyeon judged so and quickly opened the passenger door.
That yellow powder had the effect of creating undead. But it didn't guarantee that it wouldn't harm living humans.
Nevertheless, there was a firm conviction that at least outside was safer than here. Seoyeon hugged the girl and jumped down.
After all, if she stayed like this, those corpses would tear the truck apart, so if she had to face the yellow eyes, it was better to at least take a favorable position.
"The inside is dangerous. Get down quickly!"
"Ah, yes. That would be good."
The sub-deacon Feng Lubei, watching the scene blankly, only after Han Seoyeon urged him did he hurriedly get out of the car.
Of course, it wasn't just her who got out of the car. The undead, realizing there was no one left in the car, poured out from the cargo bed like a flood.
Of course, at that time, it was after Han Seoyeon, who had run towards the motorcycle, had picked up the rifle she had hung on the side.
Without hesitation, she turned the adjustment knob and poured out all the remaining bullets. Although her ears were numb from the gunshots, she didn't have the luxury to care about that.
Only after turning the corpses into a honeycomb by changing the magazine twice, did Han Seoyeon exhale long and lower the gun muzzle.
Still fixing her gaze on the corpses that had slumped limply.
"......"
She staggered back a few steps as if staggering, leaned her body against the motorcycle with a thud. And prayed. Please, let it not be the worst situation.
Of course, she knew internally that her wish was unlikely to come true.
Using aircraft to move the corpses again would cost a fortune. It wasn't just to simply catch Han Seoyeon's ankle and hinder her.
It would be a fatal blow to this side, so that's what they were doing. That was clear.
Grr. A sound came to Han Seoyeon's ears.
The sound of blood and air gushing out from the torn lungs and trachea. It should be called noise, not voice, a slimy sound.
The body crushed by bullets creaked and stood up. The leg twisted in an odd direction stepped on the ground, and the arm that had even exposed bones slowly aimed at Han Seoyeon.
Still, it was moving. Despite the massive body damage, it was somehow wriggling as if all its strength was devoted to continuing the movement.
Perhaps until the whole body was completely torn apart, or maybe even after that, it might move a little. Such intuition flashed through her head.
"Ah..."
Han Seoyeon, supporting the motorcycle with her hand, tried to stand up. However, a slight weakness in the arm made her stagger.
It was an existence that was neither dead nor alive. No matter how great the miracle of the second greatest in the world was, Han Seoyeon couldn't revive them in that state.
Because they were not dead.
However, these monsters still qualified as offerings. They were not dead, but they couldn't be said to be alive either.
"...No."
In short, the premise had completely broken.
The operation of canceling the human sacrifice through revival had become impossible from the foundation.
Plan C collapsed. The only choice left for them was Plan D.
At this moment, the execution of the level 5 measure Nimitio Ad Vestias was decided.
By tomorrow, the leading digit of the world's population would change. Han Seoyeon drew the sign of the cross with a trembling hand.