The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 143

It was a strange question. I thought about the intent behind the question, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Most importantly, when I would die wasn’t something for me to decide.

"I don’t know. I’d prefer to die late if possible."

"Then I think it would be right to decide on the next cult leader late as well, if possible. Carefully."

"Wouldn’t it be better to decide quickly? Since I don’t know when I might die."

"That mindset is the problem, Cult Leader."

Kang Ji-ah’s tone became sharp again. I was somewhat flustered.

"Why are you like this again?"

"Just because the next cult leader has been decided doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to die, Cult Leader."

"I never thought it was okay for me to die."

"Didn’t you decide on the next cult leader in preparation for dying?"

"I’m just preparing. There are many ominous things happening these days, and no one knows when I might die."

Kang Ji-ah looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes as if displeased. I met her gaze.

A brief silence flowed. Not long after, Kang Ji-ah averted her gaze to the side and opened her mouth.

"I understand. Anyway, don’t die."

"That’s not really up to me though."

"Don’t die."

Kang Ji-ah stared at me intently and repeated what she had said.

Her tone was close to commanding, which surprised me a little. Until now, she had never given me instructions in such a firm tone.

"You shouldn’t die either, Ji-ah. You almost died once before. When you were secretly investigating Satan worship without telling me."

"That’s... Why bring up past events?"

"How’s the investigation of Moon Yo-seop going? That inquisitor?"

"Ah, yes. Well..."

Kang Ji-ah trailed off while avoiding my gaze.

"...Not well, but I’m working hard on it. Since he’s an inquisitor, there’s not much information available, and the security is..."

Since inquisitors belong to the Vatican, you can’t easily obtain information about them like with ordinary people or regular clergy.

It seems the security around Vatican information is unimaginably tight, so she’s safely gathering information through indirect methods.

Honestly, I’m an outsider in this field, so it was difficult to understand what Kang Ji-ah was talking about. Anyway, it seems she’s doing well.

"Oh, Ji-ah."

While talking about information gathering, something suddenly came to mind.

During the incident, there were mercenaries at Florence’s main gate, causing difficulties for the Holy Knights’ entry. I think they were called the Crow Mercenary Group.

"Do you know about the Crow Mercenary Group?"

"Yes, I know about them."

Kang Ji-ah kindly explained to me. A mercenary group formed by gathering blind farmers who had been farming on ownerless land in Incheon.

The blind vice-leader is famous for his skills, but the leader’s identity is shrouded in mystery. Due to their crushing defeat by the Eastern Holy Knight Order this time, their influence is not what it used to be.

I thought I knew who the leader of that Crow group might be. Probably one of the ’traitors’ who abandoned Voodoo and left during the Holy War.

It wasn’t certain. For now, I thought I should investigate a little with Kang Ji-ah’s help.

"Can you investigate them too? Surely a mercenary group would be easier to investigate than an inquisitor?"

"Mercenaries are... slightly more complicated than inquisitors."

"Why?"

"When investigating mercenary groups, you have to rely on word of mouth... You have to directly visit active mercenaries or nearby acquaintances to ask. The method is similar to investigating Satan worship."

"Ah, then don’t do it."

Kang Ji-ah had a history of being kidnapped by Satan worshippers while investigating Satan worship.

If she got kidnapped again like last time while investigating a mercenary group, it would end up being my job to rescue her. In that case, it was better not to have her investigate at all.

After hearing my words, Kang Ji-ah closed her mouth for a moment with a sullen expression.

"...I can do it."

"It seems dangerous, so just don’t do it."

"It’s not very dangerous. These days there are many holy relics that help with this kind of background investigation and surveillance."

"What if you get kidnapped again like last time?"

"...I won’t make the same mistake as last time. Absolutely not."

"You never know. What if you get kidnapped again? Should I come rescue you again?"

"..."

Kang Ji-ah closed her mouth.

If it was such a dangerous investigation, it would be better for me to do it rather than having Kang Ji-ah do it.

Taking risks for my own purposes was natural, but sacrificing others for my purposes was something that shouldn’t be done.

A cult leader should never sacrifice believers for personal gain, no matter what.

"Just focus on investigating the inquisitor. If even that seems dangerous, just don’t do it."

"Yes, I understand..."

She reluctantly nodded.

While I was continuing to think about the Crow Mercenary Group, I felt Kang Ji-ah’s gaze. When I looked up, she was staring at me intently with an obvious gaze.

"What? Do you have something else to say?"

"What? No, um..."

She hesitated and avoided my gaze, then sighed deeply and continued.

"Calling me ’Ji-ah ssi’ is a bit... It’s somewhat..."

"Yes, tell me. Ji-ah ssi."

"...It’s a form of address that creates distance."

"Didn’t you say before that I could call you Kang Ji-ah? Ji-ah ssi."

"That was... back then we had just met, and now the situation is different..."

Kang Ji-ah stammered with clear embarrassment on her face.

I thought it had been quite a while since I’d seen such clear changes in her expression. Having been cooped up in a corner and coming out for the first time in a while, everything felt unfamiliar.

Kang Ji-ah, who had been explaining for a while, trailed off and looked at me with a pouty expression.

"...Please don’t laugh. I’m being serious."

"I’m not being serious though. I was just joking, Ji-ah."

"Really, honestly..."

Each exchange was full of playfulness. Kang Ji-ah let out a small laugh. Her smile appeared briefly and disappeared in the blink of an eye. That momentary smile left a deep impression on me.

The longer we spent time together, the more varied her expressions seemed to become.

Perhaps they had been varied from the beginning, but I hadn’t been able to notice it, and only now had I become able to distinguish her expressions.

Whichever it was, I thought it was a good change.

[How about going out for a bit? You look terrible because you don’t get any sunlight.]

When I finished eating and returned to my room, Legba spoke to me.

Come to think of it, it had already been several days since I’d gone outside... Due to anxiety that someone might be watching me and the accumulated sense of helplessness from staying home, I was afraid to go out. There was also the fact that I had too many experiments to do to have time to go out.

"...I’ll have to go out soon whether I want to or not."

I answered while looking at the mold growing in a corner of the ceiling. Summer had come and the underground chapel environment was becoming more barren by the day.

[Right, come to think of it, the school closure period will end soon too. Are you disappointed?]

"A bit disappointed. It was comfortable and nice to rest at home."

[Even if you’re disappointed, what can you do? If a student doesn’t go to school, they’re not a student. Don’t forget a student’s duty.]

Legba said this with a laugh. Sometimes he talks about a cult leader’s duty, and today he’s talking about a student’s duty.

I couldn’t distinguish what was serious and what was joking in Legba’s words.

* * *

Since the chapel was underground, it was hot in summer and cold in winter.

Of course, if you control temperature and humidity with air conditioning, it’s quite livable. If you manage it well, there aren’t major hygiene problems either. However, the very fact of living underground in midsummer was miserable and unpleasant.

This was also why I applied for dormitory housing.

A week before the school closure period ended, selective attendance was permitted. In cases where school facilities needed to be used, or when there was business at the faculty office, exceptional attendance was allowed. During that time, I stopped by the faculty office to apply for dormitory housing.

Living in the dormitory would not only allow me to escape the harsh environment of the chapel, but it would also be good for avoiding Moon Yo-seop’s suspicion and surveillance.

There were some disadvantages, such as having to get permission every time I wanted to go out at night, which restricted some freedom. However, these were tolerable disadvantages. The lamp doesn’t know that the area under it is dark.

"Are you going straight to the dormitory as soon as you get to school?"

My uncle, who had returned to the chapel after a long time, asked. I nodded.

"Probably. There’s nothing good about staying here long."

"Right, it’s two people per room? Ah, since Florence has money, do they give single rooms?"

My uncle asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"Originally it’s two per room, but they say there are spare rooms so I get a single room."

"Oh... They must have money to spare."

"That’s right."

I nodded roughly and was entering my room when I suddenly saw my uncle’s face, which somehow felt unfamiliar again.

It felt like a face I was seeing after a very long time. The reason was simple. I actually hadn’t seen my uncle in a long time.

"What have you been doing that has you running around so much these days?"

"Hey, even if you’re going to say it, do you have to express it as ’running around’?"

"What have you been doing that has you going around so much?"

I corrected the question as my uncle requested. My uncle checked his phone habitually and opened his mouth nonchalantly.

"Nothing special. Creating an identity for someone."

"Someone? Who?"

"A Gyeonggi congregation executive. The one who fled to China."

The Gyeonggi congregation executive had been actively engaged in religious activities when his tail was caught by the Vatican and he faced the crisis of imprisonment, so he hastily fled to China to avoid pursuit.

Initially he fled to China, then went to Russia and Brazil, and even drifted to some nameless island, traveling around the world.

According to my uncle, the identity laundering was already finished, and once the disguised identity was completed, he would return immediately. He might show his face at the next executive meeting.

"You’ll be surprised when you see her. She’s pretty."

"Really? I didn’t think she was that pretty before."

I said in wonder. Though I’m not in a position to evaluate anyone’s appearance, I don’t think that person had an objectively pretty face.

Rather, I remember her having noticeable flaws here and there on her face, which made those features look attractive.

My uncle pointed to his own face with his finger and continued.

"She had surgery, so she became a completely different person."

"Ah."

I answered appropriately. No matter how pretty she had become, it wasn’t really any of my business.

I didn’t particularly like her in the first place. That person had a talent for annoying me by constantly saying nonsensical things.

Thinking that I would have to hear that annoying voice again already gave me a headache.

* * *

Finally, the school day arrived.

When I first entered Florence after much difficulty and had my first day of school, I was so excited, my heart was full, and all that.

Looking back now, I wonder what I was so excited about. Naturally enough, the excitement I felt when I first set out on the path to school had largely disappeared now.

I arrived at the classroom just barely in time to avoid being late.

The first thing I saw was an empty desk. It was the seat where Gu Jun-hyeok used to sit. There was a white chrysanthemum placed on top of the desk.

Ha Ye-jin, who entered the classroom after me, discovered it and was shocked.

"What kind of bas... Who put this here...!"

Ha Ye-jin picked up the chrysanthemum and threw it in the trash. Then, with a face red with anger, she looked around. It seemed like she was trying to find the culprit.

However, all the children, including myself, were just watching Ha Ye-jin’s strange behavior with innocent faces as if they had no idea what was going on.

Ha Ye-jin, standing at the front of the classroom, let out a deep sigh.

"Everyone. You all probably know through news or acquaintances that Jun-hyeok is missing. If you didn’t know, now you know. Anyway..."

Ha Ye-jin continued with a gloomy face.

"Missing and death are different things. Putting chrysanthemums on a missing person’s desk and such is extremely rude and ignorant behavior. Do you understand?"

No student answered. The classroom was filled with silence.

Jeong In-ah, who was sitting in front, turned around to look back. Our eyes met. She hastily turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.

For some reason, she seemed uncomfortable making eye contact with me.

The silence continued for quite a while, and Ha Ye-jin slowly turned her head as if trying to look over each student’s face one by one.

She closed her eyes and sighed repeatedly, then opened her mouth with a small smile.

"Yes, then let’s have homeroom. There are many important announcements today, so please listen carefully..."

There really were many announcements. Most were trivial matters, and the major content was mostly things I already knew.

If I were to mention two shocking facts I learned newly today, first was that summer vacation had disappeared due to the long school closure period.

It seems unavoidable because it’s a system where you get held back if you don’t meet the required attendance days, regardless of circumstances.

’I won’t be able to go to the beach...’

Since vacation disappeared, I couldn’t go to the beach after all. I probably couldn’t have gone anyway whether there was vacation or not, but... Second was that the first and second semester exams were combined, so written and practical exams would be taken consecutively. The exam date was 19 days from now. They said they had notified about this through text messages during the school closure period.

Looking at the other children’s expressions, everyone except me seemed to know this fact.

"Everyone prepare hard. Due to this incident, schedules have been delayed and combined a lot, so this will probably be weighted more heavily than other exams. The practical exam too."

While I was breaking out in cold sweat looking up at texts from school, Ha Ye-jin continued.

"There are still many unconfirmed schedules, so we’ll notify you again when those are confirmed..."

Ha Ye-jin’s voice no longer entered my ears. I diligently scrolled up through my text messages, checking if there had been any notification texts about exam schedule changes.

...None. None.

No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t see any. Looking again, there was no doubt. I had never received any texts related to exam schedules.

This seemed like something worth protesting.