Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: The Lord's Voice
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Han-gyeol felt her mind reel from the eerie yet holy, profoundly distant voice that whispered during her conversation with Seo-hyun.
Even though she was clearly a Seraphim, the voice whispering to her felt impossibly remote.
It was unmistakably the voice of the Lord.
It didn't come in clear words. It was merely a projection of will.
The Lord had spoken.
The reason she had transformed like this was that the holy Lord Himself had used the World Tree's mutation to bring it about, and He commanded her to use that change to bring peace and love to the world.
...without holing up in her room and neglecting her true duties.
Hearing this, Han-gyeol let out a sigh.
When she thought about it, Seraphim were angels who could communicate directly with the holy Lord.
Considering that His voice would now echo frequently in her mind from here on out, she couldn't stop the sighs from escaping.
And that made sense, because until just a short while ago, she had been nothing more than an ordinary Catholic believer.
She believed in the Lord's existence... but directly confirming His reality and hearing His voice was an entirely different matter.
She never could have imagined becoming a Seraphim, someone who wasn't even a bishop or the Pope.
No, she hadn't even imagined mutating in the first place.
The Lord added one final thing.
-I will soon come to you in the form of peace.
...What?
Han-gyeol's mouth fell open wide.
The Lord Himself was coming in person?
In the form of peace... meaning a dove?
* * *
Han-gyeol's words were shocking in every way.
God, commonly known as Jehovah or Yahweh.
She had just heard His voice, hadn't she?
No, even more than that—He said He would come meet her in person soon.
Both she and I stared at each other with the exact same expression.
Mouths agape, wondering if this was a dream.
Then she gathered her thoughts and spoke to me.
"It's not entirely impossible. Seraphim... well, they serve God the closest. And ordinary Seraphim can hear God's voice directly and relay it, so it's not strange for the Lord to speak to me directly... But even I didn't expect Him to actually come visit."
"Wow... this is getting way too big-scale, isn't it?"
As I said that, she stared at me intently.
"You're one to talk?"
"...Am I?"
"You're on a ridiculous scale yourself, you know."
"Yeah, sure?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"But, Han-gyeol."
"Yeah?"
"The Lord said He borrowed the World Tree's power to mutate you, right?"
"Yeah."
"So... the Lord's tastes are...?"
"Uh."
It felt like I'd stumbled upon a truth I didn't want to know. Nah, no way.
* * *
Afterward, we pondered what to do next.
Just as I'd suggested, should we go straight to the Vatican and announce that the Lord's messenger had arrived? Or take some other approach?
"No matter how I think about it, that seems way too aggressive."
"Then? Got a better idea? It feels like the most direct way."
"...Does it?"
"Think about it. Would an angel spreading the Lord's gospel beat around the bush? Nah, just straight up—like during a papal mass, spread your wings and say, 'Fear not.' Done."
"No, still, we should at least follow procedure..."
"Isn't that a bit much? An angel descending from heaven, and we go through official letters? Just drop down from the sky, bam."
I said that while chuckling to myself inwardly.
Honestly, wouldn't it be fun?
The sight of Yoo Han-gyeol being immortalized worldwide as the angel spreading the Lord's gospel.
There would definitely be cameras rolling during the Pope's mass—imagine an angel descending there.
What would happen?
This'll be entertaining.
"...You're enjoying this because it's not your problem, aren't you?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm not?"
"Your voice cracked just now. You little—"
"No, hey! You enjoyed it too, right? When I became a dragon, you were grinning at the community reactions, you jerk!"
At my words, she glanced up at the sky with a look of sudden regret.
"Hey."
"What."
"We don't need to go that far. Can't we just tell the Cardinal here in Korea? He'll contact the Vatican."
"...Yeah."
In the end, the method she chose was to visit Korea's Cardinal and tell him an angel had descended.
What a buzzkill.
But I had a rough idea. People are sensitive to what's visible.
Especially an angel-type Mutant.
No, she couldn't even be lumped into the simple Mutant category.
God Himself up there had directly intervened in the World Tree's authority to make her an angel.
Man, I was learning all sorts of things thanks to Han-gyeol.
The reason transcendent beings hadn't been able to intervene on Earth until now was some kind of barrier...
And with the Dragon's Wish, massive changes came to this world, shattering that barrier and allowing transcendent beings to intervene.
The Dragon's Wish, the World Tree's involvement, the Second Mutation—and because of that, other transcendent beings sent down their own Incarnations or agents as Mutants.
In other words, Han-gyeol was now God's agent... a massive promotion.
Though she didn't seem thrilled about it.
* * *
Of course, we didn't contact the Cardinal right away.
We needed to consult with the Deputy Bureau Chief first.
"Haha... this sounds way too unreal."
"That's what I said."
"But if it's something that came up in a conversation with the One above, we should follow it."
"Right?"
"But the world is going to flip upside down. Heaven and hell are real, the gods from myths are real... Han-gyeol's going to be exhausted."
"It's her fate. She's doing this precisely because she doesn't want more headaches."
"Hahaha..."
The Deputy Bureau Chief laughed as if it was absurd.
"Alright, we'll contact the Seoul Archdiocese first. Say we have important business and someone to introduce to the Cardinal."
"Yes."
The Seoul Archdiocese was startled by our sudden call.
Wondering what the Mutant Management Bureau could possibly want.
And introducing someone to the Cardinal?
Who could it be?
That was their reaction.
It was only natural. Mutants and Catholicism were worlds apart.
The schedule was set quickly.
The Cardinal happened to have an opening, so we arranged to visit the Seoul Archdiocese two days later.
"Haa... I don't want to go."
Han-gyeol kept sighing deeply.
Probably because she could already see how her life would change after this meeting.
Still, doing this first would prevent rumors later. Better to disclose it upfront.
If she wasn't going to hide away completely, she at least needed to secure freedom of action.
Before all sorts of people swarmed her, have the Vatican officially state that Han-gyeol was God's messenger here to watch over the human world. Done.
If anyone disobeyed, say they'll fall to hell— they'd get the message.
Or... Han-gyeol said if things got out of hand, her true form would appear.
No one would dare approach her then.
She said her true form was so terrifying that ordinary humans would faint at the sight.
...What kind of form is that?
* * *
"...My God."
Seoul Archdiocese Archbishop Kim Soo-jeong Paul Cardinal's eyes went wide in disbelief the moment he saw Han-gyeol.
He never imagined an angel-type Mutant would appear in the world.
No, she couldn't even be called a mere Mutant.
"An... angel."
The being before him was unmistakably an angel.
Six enormous wings. And a dazzling halo floating above her head.
She looked exactly as described in the Bible, straight out of scripture without a single discrepancy.
"...Hello."
And this angel was speaking politely to him.
Heavens, how could this be!
Kim Soo-jeong Paul Cardinal frantically waved his hands, insisting it was impossible.
How could God's agent speak deferentially to an ordinary believer?
"Until recently, I was human. Just an ordinary Catholic at that. It just sort of happened."
Han-gyeol spoke with a hint of discomfort.
"A-are you truly an angel?"
"...Yes. A first-rank Seraphim. I descended to relay the Lord's voice to this land. At first, I couldn't hear His voice, but after mutating and some time passed, I could."
Han-gyeol relayed exactly what Yahweh had told her to the Cardinal.
She spoke matter-of-factly, but the content was utterly shocking.
"...You heard God's words?"
"Yes."
But the Cardinal couldn't quite believe even that.
It was only natural.
He was already at the point where he couldn't tell if the angel's appearance was a dream or reality.
And now she claimed to bring God's gospel? It was beyond belief.
But then.
The unbelievable happened.
Suddenly, light poured from the heavens, and within the light, a pure white dove began to take form.
The Cardinal could only gape at the sight.
But that was just the beginning.
Because in the next moment, a voice emanated from the pure white dove.
-Hearken.
That voice was Yahweh's—the one every Catholic longed to hear throughout their lifetime.