Dead, But Going All the Way!

I had just stepped out of the shop where I met King Yeomra.

Looking back, the paper that read 'King Yeomra Meeting Coupon' was nowhere to be found, and the place had reverted to an ordinary storefront.

No wonder people used the phrase "possessed by something."

Still, he had seen far more incredible things in his life.

Honestly, magic was much more fascinating.

―Let us go find Kkamang-i.

At Asin's words, Noel set off to find the little creature.

He knew exactly where Kkamang-i would be, as if looking at the palm of his hand.

After wandering through the alleys, barely resisting the urge to impulse-buy several things along the way, he finally found Kkamang-i—biting the hand of an unfamiliar ghost.

Should he be glad it wasn't inside a shop?

...Sigh.

Noel let out a breath and scanned his surroundings.

It looked like a trash collection point.

"Kkamang-i."

When Noel called its name, Kkamang-i flinched but refused to let go of the ghost's hand.

―I found it first! He tried to take my stuff!

―Little cat. What are you talking about? This is mine.

The ghost pleaded his innocence.

Judging by his clothes, he looked like a priest.

However, his shattered head looked as if it had been crushed by a heavy object falling from above.

Noel glanced at Tam-rang, who briefly met his gaze but offered no reaction.

Only when Noel stepped closer did Tam-rang sigh and speak.

―If I am to speak of what I witnessed, the cat arrived here first. It was running around playfully when it seemed to discover something and began digging through that pile of trash.

―Yeah, yeah! Tam-rang is right!

Kkamang-i chimed in, sounding pleased.

Feeling burdened by Kkamang-i's sparkling eyes, Tam-rang averted his gaze and continued.

―Just as the cat was about to grab the object, that ghost approached. He warned the cat absolutely not to touch it, and while trying to stop it, the cat bit his hand. That is all.

―I didn't arrive late. I was originally here, the priest explained calmly. ―The cat just happened to come while I stepped away for a moment. I only told it not to touch it because it might be dangerous.

The priest spoke in a composed manner.

Whatever the case, it didn't matter.

Curious about what they were fighting over, Noel made Kkamang-i and the priest step back.

"Could you step aside for a moment?"

Shoo, shoo.

As Asin stepped in following Noel's hand gesture, the priest retreated at the sight of her.

Consequently, Kkamang-i, still dangling from the priest's hand, was dragged backward as well.

Hmm.

Noel looked down.

It was filled with unrecognizable trash.

I really don't want to touch that.

While Noel hesitated, Tam-rang stood up, strode over, and reached into the trash.

Squelch.

As Noel blinked, Tam-rang said nonchalantly,

―My hands are already soiled anyway. What does it matter what I touch?

"Still, you have to wash your hands. You're not going to leave them like that, are you? Hang on a second. I'll go buy some water."

―…….

Tam-rang wore a dumbfounded expression.

He hadn't expected Noel to take his words so literally.

―Do you... not think at all?

"I guess you're just highly sensitive, Tam-rang."

Why did he have so many thoughts over picking up a single item?

But Noel decided to be understanding.

If that was how Tam-rang felt, so be it.

"Kkamang-i."

Noel called out.

―Yeah?

"Tam-rang pulled it out, so let go now."

At Noel's command, Kkamang-i released the ghost's hand and trotted over to him.

It rubbed its face against Noel's feet and licked his palm.

―Thank y—

The priest started to thank Noel but froze mid-sentence.

His face filled with utter disbelief as he cried out,

―H-How! How can you see me?! Are you an exorcist priest too? Is that it?!

Hearing the word "exorcist," Noel recalled the priest's use of "too" and shook his head.

"No. Are you an exorcist, Father?"

―I am indeed an exorcist. Then... are you a shaman?

"Yes. Nice to meet you."

―Yes... This must be His divine providence. I feel like I could weep tears of joy.

The priest's eyes welled up with genuine emotion.

So many people had passed by, yet not a single soul had acknowledged him.

The loneliness had pierced him to the very core.

"Hold on a moment. I'm really going to buy some water."

Noel held up a palm and turned around.

The teary-eyed priest stared blankly at his retreating back.

―Asin.

Tam-rang called out, watching Noel walk away.

―Speak.

―Is he... perhaps a bit emotionally detached?

―How could that be? The depth of one's emotions simply varies from person to person. If he were truly cold, do you think Noel would have accepted you?

Asin smiled gently.

Noel's actions might seem cold on the surface, but she knew how warm-hearted he truly was.

Asin looked down at the butterfly-shaped tassel hanging from her sword.

Noel had given this to her as well.

She gently touched it with her finger.

As it swayed, a faint trace of nostalgia flickered in her eyes.

Once he washed Tam-rang's hands and the object retrieved from the trash pile, its true form was revealed.

It was a silver crucifix.

...Is this real silver?

Noel swallowed hard.

The luster of the crucifix was extraordinary, and the intricate craftsmanship was breathtaking.

The moment it was clean, Kkamang-i scurried over and hugged the crucifix with its front paws.

―This thing called me!

"Huh...?"

Noel looked at Kkamang-i, wondering what it meant.

―I'm telling you, it called me!

"Is that why you ran off earlier?"

―Yeah!

"Can you hear a voice coming from this crucifix?"

―No, it was a buzzing sound.

At those words, Noel looked at the cross symbol on Kkamang-i's forehead.

Was it due to the power of the holy relic?

―What do you mean by that?

The priest asked, sounding rather bewildered.

How could a crucifix make a sound?

"Can't you see the cross on Kkamang-i's forehead?"

Noel pointed to the symbol.

―I see it.

The priest replied.

In fact, it had been bothering him this entire time.

The only reason he had let the cat bite his hand without putting up a fight was because of that very cross.

"It appeared after Kkamang-i absorbed the power of a holy relic. It must have been drawn to this crucifix because they share the same energy."

Noel smirked.

Kkamang-i was no ordinary cat-like spirit.

It possessed the incredible power of purification.

And now, another of its abilities had been confirmed.

―Aren't I amazing?

Kkamang-i said, sweeping its tail against the ground.

―...So... you are saying it is a, well, a holy beast?

"Of course."

Noel nodded repeatedly.

Since it was destined to become a divine creature, calling it holy wasn't far from the truth.

"Do you understand now?"

―……Yes. I misunderstood His divine will. Meeting Kkamang-i, and all of you, must be part of His plan. In that case……

"Hold on."

Recognizing the familiar pattern, Noel immediately cut the priest off.

A crucifix was a crucifix.

But whatever favor was about to come out of the priest's mouth was a completely different story.

"Father, I doubt you have much to your name right now."

―…Pardon?

"I don't work for free. You have to give me something in return."

Noel rubbed his fingers together.

He wore the perfect expression of a seasoned swindler.

―All I possess... is my faith in God.

"Indeed. Faith is wonderful. But Father, how can anyone survive in this world on faith alone? Don't you agree? You need to eat, sleep, buy things, and make money to live."

―Brother, won't you extend a warm, helping hand to a lost lamb?

"Father, why don't you listen to what I have to say first?"

Noel offered a bright smile.

―I am listening.

The priest nodded vigorously.

"I don't care in the slightest why you're lingering here. Do you have any idea how many ghosts I saw on my way over?"

If he listened to every single one of them, he would end up starving to death.

He wished people would do what they could while they still had breath in their lungs.

They needed to realize that what couldn't be achieved in life was even harder to accomplish in death.

"However, I do want to establish a friendly relationship with the Holy Cathedral, but they seem a bit... closed off, shall we say."

He was supposed to hear back from Yeonghyeon's friend, Seo Sihun, but there had been no reply yet.

He had hoped things would go smoothly since Sihun's mentor had connections to the exorcists, but they seemed to be taking an eternity to deliberate.

"And that's after I even recovered their stolen holy relic for them. At this rate, I might die of old age before they finish making up their minds."

―…Ah. So that matter has been resolved.

"You knew about it?"

―Of course. It was a massive shock to us all. We were deeply worried about who could have taken the holy relic.

Noel glanced sideways at the culprit.

The thief was currently grooming its front paws with utter nonchalance.

It didn't even look up despite being the topic of conversation. How shameless.

I'm only letting this slide because its eyes are so round and cute.

Its cheeks were incredibly soft, too.

Its fur was silky, and its belly was delightfully ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plump.

If not for that, he would have kicked Kkamang-i out a long time ago.

―Thank you so much. Surely, God shares my gratitude.

"Did you also believe it was a genuine holy relic, Father?"

―Whether it was a genuine holy relic or not, my faith remains unchanged.

The priest smiled warmly.

Noel was about to mention that it was a genuine holy relic, but decided against it.

What was the point of telling a dead man?

"Then why hasn't there been any contact yet, despite it being such a big deal?"

―Exorcists cannot openly reveal their identities. Only a select few are aware of them. Moreover, they are extremely busy.

"Sounds ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like some kind of secret society."

―It is very much like that. Even among fellow exorcists, secrecy is strictly maintained. They do not even share the date and time of an upcoming exorcism with their colleagues.

"Why is that?"

―Because the evil spirits are always listening.

Ah.

Noel nodded.

"That makes sense. Look at how many ghosts are wandering around. I can only imagine how many evil spirits there are."

On his way here, he had watched the ghosts part like the Red Sea.

It was all thanks to Asin.

No matter how many times he saw it, it was always a satisfying sight.

In his original world, ghosts wouldn't budge even if he screamed at them to get lost.

But is this priest not afraid of Asin?

He had stepped back slightly when Asin glared at him, but he showed far less fear than other ghosts.

Was it because he had been an exorcist?

―I never realized there were so many souls unable to reach God's side, even if they aren't evil spirits. Honestly, it is quite shocking.

"Aren't you in the exact same boat, Father?"

Noel chuckled.

―It is because of unfinished business.

"We call that lingering regret. It's the same for those ghosts. There's no need to be shocked, and no reason to feel pity."

The words sounded like a gentle scolding, and the priest took them to heart.

Every word was true.

―My perspective was too narrow. To judge them so rashly... I must offer more prayers.

The priest clasped his hands and looked up at the sky.

He looked incredibly devout.

"Prayers are important, but shouldn't we focus on something else right now? Like I said, I want to have a nice, friendly chat with the Holy Cathedral."

―But I am dead... how could I contact them? I do not know if I can be of any help.

"I can just use your name when I contact them. Conveniently, I happen to know a priest. What do you say? Will you help me?"

―How can I assist you? I will do anything within my power.

"First, tell me your name."

―I am Yun Dong-ha. My baptismal name is Luke.

"Hold on a second."

Noel pulled out his phone. For things like this, it was best to ask someone who knew the ropes. He called Sihun.

After a few rings, Sihun answered.

Lee Hosin was the ghost who had attached himself to Sihun. He used to be a malicious spirit, but after praying alongside Sihun, hadn't he shaken off all his dark energy?

Back then, hadn't Hosin made Sihun stub his pinky toe because his parents opposed him going to seminary?

―It appears he is walking the path of a guardian deity.

Asin murmured, a warm smile gracing her face. Reforming oneself was no easy feat.

Sihun continued to chatter excitedly. At this rate, it felt like he was going to recount every single thing that had happened to him recently.

...He sure can talk.

Noel wrapped up the call and hung up.

Dong-ha was staring at him with an intense, expectant look.

Is he a new candidate? Did you say seminary? His eyes seemed to ask.

"He's a friend. He wants to become a priest."

―I hope he becomes a wonderful priest.

"Me too. It's always good when things ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠work out. Now, Father, what is it you wanted to ask of me?"

Noel got straight to the point.

―There is an evil spirit I was pursuing as an exorcist.

Of course, it's an evil spirit hunt.

Noel licked his lips.

He had expected as much the moment Dong-ha mentioned being an exorcist.

―It is a demon dwelling within a human body.

"It's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a full possession?"

Noel was slightly taken aback.

This was a bit serious.

―Yes. I want to save the sister who is suffering. Could you... perform the exorcism in my stead? If that is too difficult, I would at least like you to relay the location to another exorcist I know. I must destroy that evil spirit, no matter what.

Dong-ha spoke with fierce determination.