Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Honey Rises in the City, Moon Flows on the Door
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… I know full well that Earth isn’t some paradise on high.
Especially this country called America—it’s brimming with sin.
I can’t fathom how a place like this became a superpower.
Is there really no God in this land?
(Excerpt)
… In conclusion, to find the kidnapped children, I think we’ll have to head to the Soviet Union.
I apologize for defying the prophecy. I’ll accept my punishment when I return.
『Excerpt from a letter sent by Zirzis Rakti to the Saintess after being pickpocketed in LA.』
***
The train’s sudden stop ended up as nothing more than a minor incident.
The engineers claimed the brakes had gone off on their own, but the real clincher was that the bulk of the passengers— the Xeon Mercenary Corps—had swept it under the rug.
More precisely, it was Scarlett O’Hara’s call.
She insisted the train depart immediately, and Vice Captain Kim Mansu, though baffled, followed her lead.
Thanks to that, none of the mercenaries noticed Yeomyeong and Seti picking someone up outside the train.
…Anyway.
In the Saintess’s cabin, the kidnapped Dilla Kattackpoier was gripped by the terror of death.
Not figuratively, but literally.
Had her carefully planned scheme failed, and her body seized from her?
That was shocking enough, but right now, the bullet wound was the issue.
It had barely missed vital spots… but a bullet was still a bullet.
The hunk of lead embedded in her flesh was a source of agony, and the blood loss clouding her mind was a source of dread.
Dilla squeezed her eyes shut to maintain her composure.
And so time passed for a moment.
Just as a single tear rolled down her cheek, unable to hold back any longer, the cabin door slid open.
“Huh? What’s this, crying?”
She cracked her eyes at the cheeky voice and saw, instead of that terrifying girl, some middle-aged woman entering the cabin.
An East Asian woman, rare sight in these parts.
Seeing her face, Dilla swallowed the curses rising to her throat. After all, this was the one who’d shot her.
“Jeez, a terrorist shedding tears over a little bullet wound…”
Dilla nearly yelled that it was because they’d suppressed her mana, but she clamped her mouth shut.
A warm glow emanated from the woman’s hand.
It was a familiar light. Could she really be? Dilla watched warily, and sure enough.
The moment the light touched her wound, the pain vanished, and it healed at a visible rate.
‘Healing Blessing…?’
Not some cheap knockoff spell, but the real deal—one only high priests of the Church could wield.
The kind so rare you couldn’t buy it with a crate of dollars.
‘…What the hell is this bitch?’
Not content with landing a shot from that distance, now she was working healing miracles?
“Don’t waste tears yet. The real fun hasn’t even started.”
Judging by her snide tone and actions, she wasn’t a priest.
So had the Yankees finally stolen the power of the Five Gods too?
‘Oh, Immortal King…’
As Dilla’s misunderstanding deepened, the woman spoke up.
“Hey, but… why do you keep your mouth shut like that?”
“…”
“What, mouth sealed shut? Want me to make another hole?”
The woman whipped out a revolver mid-sentence. Dilla flinched and shook her head frantically.
“I-Is there something you’re curious about, ma’am?”
“Nope? Nothing in particular.”
“…”
“Smile. Don’t ruin my mood while I’m healing you.”
Some new interrogation tactic? Or just plain crazy?
As Dilla racked her brain desperately, the woman—who’d been pouring Healing Blessings—suddenly gripped her wound tight.
“!!!”
A chilling pain shot through her, making her hair stand on end. Dilla bit down on her molars to stifle a scream.
Unable to even ask what the hell this was, she groaned inwardly for a moment.
The woman extracted the bullet from the wound.
“Sorry, that must’ve hurt a lot. But had to get the bullet out somehow.”
Sorry my ass—she’d done it on purpose. Or didn’t give a damn about the pain.
Either way, this Yankee bitch was scum, so Dilla ground her teeth.
‘I’ll get you for this, you whore, I swear…’
Just then, a man and woman opened the cabin door without knocking. Dilla and the woman both turned toward them.
The moment she saw the girl with jet-black straight hair entering first, Dilla swallowed hard.
Her body trembled, teeth chattering.
She desperately turned her head away to avoid the girl’s shadow.
But ignoring Dilla’s terror, the woman greeted them with a grin.
“Seti, I’m done patching up this trash for now. How’s it outside?”
“Outside’s being sorted out somehow. The mercenaries aren’t making a fuss… Probably smooth sailing till LA.”
“Good work. Everywhere we go, shit keeps happening. Maybe we need a group blessing?”
As the two bantered like peers, the middle-aged man with golden eyes who followed took a seat opposite Dilla.
The terrifying superhuman who’d clashed evenly with the King’s Chosen (??).
As Dilla frantically tried to guess his identity, the man spoke first.
“Dilla Kattackpoier.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
“I’ve got a few simple questions. Answer as honestly as you can. I’d hate for you to be bleeding on the bed.”
His voice was a touch younger than his looks.
But the authority in it was no joke, so Dilla nodded meekly.
“Yes, gladly… I’ll answer anything I know.”
Uncharacteristic submissiveness for a necromancer, but she had no choice.
With her body no longer under her control, resistance was pointless.
“Then let’s start with something simple.”
Simple question?
Was he going to ask why she targeted the CIA agent? Or demand the location of the necromancers’ base in Gemini Territory?
Dilla ran through answers to the two most likely questions in her head…
But the man’s actual question was way off her guesses.
He placed a hand on his face and cast a strange spell, altering his features.
“Recognize this face?”
A pale, corpse-like man’s face.
Of course she did. It was Buzum, the infamous mad necromancer who’d dealt with Korea.
‘…This is a simple question?’
Convinced this middle-aged guy was nuts too, Dilla slowly opened her mouth.
***
Moonlight draped over the rails.
Yeomyeong stared out the cabin window, his eyes clouded with complex worries.
The corrupt Korean government, fallen stars, sacrificial sisters, and… forgotten gods.
‘The moment a star falls, the whole world forgets that god.’
Even though Seti had warned her, Dilla’s explanation was shocking.
‘Historical records, oral myths, even personal memories… No one knows how many stars have fallen, or how many there were.’
Then how do you know stars have fallen?
‘Unlike us, the heavenly gods remember the fallen stars.’
It was baffling even to the atheist Yeomyeong and the devout Saintess.
The Saintess nearly shot Dilla in the thigh, claiming bullshit deserved bullets. Yeomyeong had to stop her.
Seti, though, seemed to believe it, convinced the sisters’ weird names tied to fallen stars.
‘Seti, Neti, Siri, Sis…? No idea what stars. No such gods in the records from the Immortal King.’
‘…’
‘Scarlett O’Hara being Artemis, Poseidon and Apollo in America… That’s all we know.’
Scarlett O’Hara wasn’t an alias? Anyway, no other way to confirm fallen stars?
‘Earth’s myths are a mess compared to our homeland. Read the Church of the End’s pantheon tome, or peek at the heavens like the US DoD… Otherwise…’
‘…’
‘With my abilities, I can’t identify Seti-nim or the sisters’ stars.’
The star talk ended there.
No way to act on the Church of the End’s pantheon or the US DoD right now.
Regrettable, but Yeomyeong and Seti shook it off quickly.
Plenty more to squeeze from Dilla, and time wasn’t on their side.
They’d considered torture, but Dilla spilled cooperatively.
Necromancer bases, even mafia hiding in Gemini Territory.
She volunteered unasked info, surprising even the Saintess.
Seti called it Mignium’s power—whatever that meant.
Anyway, after extracting everything, Seti returned to her cabin…
Now.
Only Yeomyeong, the Saintess, and the dead-to-the-world Dilla remained.
For the Saintess, it was infuriating.
Stuck sharing this crucial alone-time with a hostage.
Should’ve let her die untreated… or just shot her head.
If she’d meant to kill from the start, she wouldn’t have missed that floating skull bastard.
Glaring at Dilla with those thoughts, the Saintess turned to Yeomyeong.
His face had reverted to middle-aged. The wrinkles around his eyes, shadowed in the dim light, looked… so… enticing.
…Tch.
She shook her head to clear her mind, then carefully took in his face.
Would he look like that when he aged?
She’d know if they grew old together… but could they?
‘Growing old together…’
A dreamy notion.
Beyond Yeomyeong’s revenge, her duties, Seti’s feelings—an uncertain dream.
If prophecy could show it, she’d peek endlessly. But she still couldn’t see his future.
‘…Was Mom’s vision real?’
Feeling a stab in her chest, the Saintess slipped from the bed and approached Yeomyeong.
The future was unknown, but he was here now.
‘The first step to loving life is loving the present.’
Recalling a verse from the green god Isaginok’s scripture, she reached for him.
Nothing grand—just gripped his hand tight.
His callused hand was warm. Warmer than expected.
“…”
Startled by the sudden touch? Yet Yeomyeong didn’t flinch.
He just quietly checked her face, smiled lightly, and moved his hand.
To pull away? No—he wriggled his fingers between hers.
Intertwined fingers, firmly clasped.
“Huh…?”
As the Saintess blinked, Yeomyeong yanked her close.
She landed limply on his lap. Close enough to hear his breath.
Her earlobe flushed red as he whispered.
“This good enough?”
“…”
The Saintess wanted just one more step—to her lips.
But then her eyes met the mirror opposite the chair.
Inside: a shyly blushing… gukbap joint auntie face.
“…”
That’s why he was laughing at her face.
Realizing the truth, she whipped her head away to see Yeomyeong stifling laughter.
“You, you…!”
As she trembled and yelled, Yeomyeong raised his free hand to cover her eyes.
Without a word, she knew he’d dropped the illusion.
Her clasped hand burned, eyes spinning under his palm.
“Saintess-nim.”
His voice low, unlike usual. Sensing the change, she swallowed.
“I like Seti. As much as you like her. You knew that, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Knowing that and doing this—either you’re resolved, or turning a blind eye. Which?”
Caught off-guard, she fumbled her lips, then laid her free hand over their clasped ones.
“You know? My dad was a Holy Sword candidate.”
“…”
“But he up and married an Earthling spy, so the pissed-off Holy Sword picked the Earthling Phrea Khan instead.”
Info not in the docs. Yeomyeong grinned, grasping her intent.
“If Dad could do it, why not me? Screw it, I’ll quit being Saintess.”
Bold declaration. Bold enough to erase the hidden anguish.
Speechless, Yeomyeong showed it with action.
He leaned in, tilting his head. Faces drawing near.
She swallowed, train rumbling…
Yeomyeong kissed her ‘forehead.’
“…”
Soft touch, brief silence.
Just then, cold sweat trickled down the back of Dilla, pretending to sleep.
As he pulled away, the Saintess rubbed her forehead, mumbling.
“Huh… For real? Just the forehead? In this mood?”
“Yeah. Ending here today. Any more, and I won’t hold back.”
“…What?”
Today? Won’t hold back? Before she processed, Yeomyeong slapped the gukbap auntie illusion back on her face.
Stood, and bolted out.
“Hey, you…! Where you running!”
***
Neti’s eyes narrowed as she pressed her ear to the wall with Corbus.
Sounds came through, but not what she’d imagined.
Saintess-nim’s yell, brother-in-law fleeing down the hall.
She’d told them to set the mood—what the hell?
“Aw, looks like they struck out today.”
Neti pulled away, sighing. Corbus nodded, ear off the wall.
“Well, not just today. Few more days to the end of the line. Plenty of time. Move the necromancer here tomorrow, something’ll happen, right?”
“Yeah, but…”
Too casual for sisters, isn’t she?
Neti slyly glanced at her sister.
Seti sat at the cabin table, scribbling away. [Necromancer, Mafia, Knight Order] caught her eye.
So busy. Unable to hold back, Neti spoke.
“Um… Sis?”
“What.”
“Not worried about brother-in-law?”
Going brazen, she asked with a straight face.
Seti shrugged.
“Not really?”
Utter nonchalance, no glance spared. Confidence even Corbus found odd.
“Miss Seti, mind if I ask why?”
Treated like a student? Seti finally looked up, eyeing them both.
“I was gonna ask you. What makes you so sure Yeomyeong and the Saintess will cross the line?”
“Well… When mutual-crush sweethearts are alone in a secluded spot…”
Neti trailed off. Her sister stared like she was a bug.
“I told you to stop with the romance novels.”
“…”
“Yeomyeong a beast? The type to pounce if he can’t hold back?”
Not a beast, but a guy. Guys are all like that, right? Neti swallowed her retort.
Her love knowledge was just romance novels, after all.
“Not his first time either—he’ll back off if he can’t hold back. Come on, enough?”
Corbus awkwardly scratched his nose at the side jab, Neti’s head tilted at ‘not his first time.’
Seti added finally.
“Bet you anything—nothing till we reach the end.”
***
Her words rang prophetic. Nothing happened till the train reached Gemini City.
The Saintess seemed satisfied… but Neti and Corbus were floored.
* * *