The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 44

"What did you find? Don’t tell me that’s Yeo Min-seo?"

Gu Jun-hyeok looked at Yeo Min-seo with disgusted eyes as if looking at some abomination. Kim Jin-seo said nothing but seemed inwardly frightened by Yeo Min-seo’s madness, shrinking her body.

I quietly stared at Yeo Min-seo’s laughing face.

"..."

Found it, Yeo Min-seo had said. What had she found?

Suddenly, the words Yeo Min-seo had spat at me earlier echoed in my ears.

’Flash, no. Phone. Do you have a phone or laser pointer or something like that?’

A phone or laser pointer. In a situation where bird magical beasts had taken over Eden Hill, Yeo Min-seo had suddenly looked for that. It wouldn’t have been enough even if she had looked for weapons like guns loaded with silver bullets or silver swords.

The bird magical beasts only attack when flashes occur. Anyone with sense could figure out this fact.

However, ’who’ they attack when the flash occurs isn’t clear.

At first they attacked me, then later they attacked Gu Jun-hyeok. At first glance, it seemed like they were attacking random targets.

’Nobody move.’

However, when Yeo Min-seo threatened that nobody should move. When nobody moved and just stood in their respective places maintaining silence.

Only then, even though a flash occurred, the magical beasts didn’t attack.

What Yeo Min-seo had been looking for. What she had so desperately wanted to prove was.

"Hey, you guys. You know that game, ’Red Light, Green Light,’ right? It’s exactly the same. The magical beasts only attack targets that are moving when the light flashes."

It was the rule about ’who’ the magical beasts attack when flashes occur.

"What’s that sudden nonsense? Why are the roses blooming?"

Gu Jun-hyeok let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous. Why are roses blooming? Could there be anyone else in the world besides Gu Jun-hyeok who could ask such a question?

Yeo Min-seo opened her mouth with a twisted smile as if it was nothing.

"Everyone except you seems to understand."

Yeo Min-seo’s words were correct. Not only I, but Kim Jin-seo also seemed to understand Yeo Min-seo’s words and was nodding slightly.

Only then did Gu Jun-hyeok realize that he alone had been left out and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Mm, I think I understand what you mean."

Gu Jun-hyeok belatedly pretended to understand. Yeo Min-seo let out a light sneer and opened her mouth.

"And there’s a priority order to the magical beasts’ attacks. They attack people who try to counterattack first, rather than people who are just moving."

"How do you know that?"

"When Do Seon-woo tried to throw a stone earlier, the magical beast ignored all the other kids and attacked Do Seon-woo first."

"Aha."

Gu Jun-hyeok nodded. He didn’t seem to understand her words, just pretending to understand roughly.

"Also, the leader is that one, over there."

Yeo Min-seo pointed her finger high up at the sky at something. In the pitch-black sky, whitish eyes were looking down at us. Eyes that seemed to be observing us.

"That guy is constantly observing us. It seems like that guy also decides the priority order. That guy also gives the attack signal by emitting light."

"Emitting light? A magical beast?"

"I’ve been watching since earlier and the light seems to come from that guy’s eyes. I don’t know the principle but anyway, that’s how it is. It seems to have considerable intelligence too."

Yeo Min-seo continued her explanation. Gu Jun-hyeok kept tilting his head as if he didn’t understand throughout. Kim Jin-seo, who had been watching the magical beasts’ movements for a while, opened her mouth in a small voice as if muttering.

"...The altitude has lowered."

I glanced up at the sky. The magical beasts were gradually lowering their flight altitude and approaching us. Yeo Min-seo slowly nodded and opened her mouth.

"If they come down to ground level like that, they’ll probably kill us all then... Something like that."

"Why bother? Why?"

"There must be some greater purpose. Or they’re just playing with us. Looking at what they’re doing, they seem like ’Baphomet III.’"

Yeo Min-seo said. ’Baphomet’ was a term referring to the danger level of magical beasts. The higher the number, the more dangerous, and ’Baphomet III’ referred to magical beasts with intelligence comparable to humans.

Magical beasts with that level of intelligence sometimes played with humans as toys.

"We can’t just wait around for rescue."

I said while looking at the magical beasts gradually approaching.

"Right. We don’t know when rescue will come."

Yeo Min-seo nodded.

I fell into thought for a moment.

Stone throwing using Bosu’s divine power was impossible. The magical beasts’ attack would come before I could even take a stance.

That said, I couldn’t use Granboa’s divine power either. The magical beasts were flying in the sky, and Granboa’s divine power wasn’t suitable for dealing with flying enemies.

[The weather is perfect for this, so that guy would be most suitable. But being on a mountain makes it ambiguous.]

Legba’s voice quietly echoed in my head.

I too had thought of ’that person.’ There was no one better for dealing with magical beasts flying in the air. The weather was perfect too. The sky covered with dark clouds.

However, this place was a mountain.

If I used that person’s divine power wrongly, we could end up in an even greater crisis than now. And most importantly, I wasn’t confident in controlling that person’s divine power.

"Then what should we do? We can’t move. We can’t counterattack. But we can’t just stay still either? Damn it."

While I was pondering if there were other methods, Gu Jun-hyeok grumbled beside me. Yeo Min-seo was touching her chin while blankly staring into space. She had a face as if thinking deeply about something.

Eventually, she smiled wickedly and opened her mouth. Her smile always had creepy aspects.

"It seems better for one person to die rather than all four dying. How about it?"

The beginning was ominous. Yeo Min-seo recited her plan with that creepy smile. During that time, our faces gradually hardened.

* * *

"Oh, by the way, I won’t do it. You three decide among yourselves."

"What? How can that be..."

"I’m the one who made the plan."

Yeo Min-seo spoke without batting an eye. Her tone suggested it was natural.

Gu Jun-hyeok let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous. But since there wasn’t anything else to say, he just stayed quiet.

Kim Jin-seo looked up at the sky. The magical beasts were getting closer and closer. The wind created by their wingbeats was touching her forehead.

The remaining time was probably about 5 minutes.

If they didn’t make a decision by then, all four people here would die.

"What should we do?" she asked while looking around. Gu Jun-hyeok seemed displeased with Yeo Min-seo’s attitude, muttering something with a deeply wrinkled face.

Do Seon-woo also just looked up at the sky with a blank face, not listening to her words.

"..."

Kim Jin-seo hung her head low and recalled Yeo Min-seo’s plan.

’Whether throwing stones or running around like crazy while screaming, one person becomes bait to draw the magical beasts’ attention. Meanwhile, the rest can escape. Simple, right?’

Following Yeo Min-seo’s plan, three people could escape from this place with high probability. According to the rule that ’magical beasts primarily attack targets that counterattack,’ the magical beasts’ attacks would be concentrated on the bait.

However, the bait would almost certainly die.

’That’s why I said it’s better for one person to die than for all four to die.’

A cruel and cold plan without even a speck of humanity to be found. However, as Yeo Min-seo said, it was better for only one person to die than for all four to die.

Cruel, but rationally speaking, there was no plan more reasonable than this.

The problem was ’who’ would be the bait.

"Still haven’t decided what are you doing? One person should courageously step forward."

That problem wasn’t solved for quite a while.

In the silent forest, Yeo Min-seo spoke shamelessly. At this, Gu Jun-hyeok’s lips twisted violently.

"Then you do it. This bitch has been just running her mouth from behind the whole time?"

"I can’t do it. If I die, it would be a big loss for Florence."

"What, so then it’s okay for me to die?"

"Even if you die alone, well... No. Anyway, decide among yourselves quickly."

Gu Jun-hyeok grabbed the back of his neck.

"Wow, I feel like I’m going to die from high blood pressure? Should we all just die together? Huh?"

"Not bad. I don’t mind either way."

Yeo Min-seo spoke confidently. She regarded not only others’ lives but even her own life lightly.

At that shameless attitude, Gu Jun-hyeok seemed speechless, making choking sounds as if about to faint. He was almost on the verge of collapse.

Various arguments continued after that, but no one readily stepped forward.

It was natural. Life isn’t something that can be easily thrown away.

"I just need to draw their attention?"

Then, her voice quieted the commotion. For a moment, silence fell over the forest.

Gu Jun-hyeok blinked and stared blankly at Kim Jin-seo. Yeo Min-seo chuckled and nodded.

"I wondered when you’d come out. Right. You just need to draw their attention briefly. About 5 seconds?"

Her tone suggested she had known from the beginning that Kim Jin-seo would volunteer to be the bait.

Gu Jun-hyeok grotesquely twisted his eyebrows as if he couldn’t understand and opened his mouth.

"What, what, really? No, why?"

"She has the highest chance of survival even if she becomes bait. As expected of Kim Jin-seo. Smart."

Yeo Min-seo sarcastically answered instead.

Kim Jin-seo could read the magical beasts’ movements to some extent. Do Seon-woo, Gu Jun-hyeok, and Yeo Min-seo would die 100% if they became bait. However, if Kim Jin-seo became bait, that probability could be lowered to about 80%. At least there was a possibility of survival.

"No, isn’t it usually the rule that the person who brought up such things does it? Yeo Min-seo should be the bait."

Gu Jun-hyeok still had a face that didn’t understand, but Kim Jin-seo had already made up her mind. No matter what Gu Jun-hyeok said, he couldn’t shake her resolve.

"Okay. Then when the bait gives the signal, we all run away together. Got it?"

"No, what is this. This is completely crazy...!"

"Ah~ Right. Let’s give applause for the courage of Miss Kim Jin-seo who volunteered to be bait!"

Gu Jun-hyeok, who was about to unleash a torrent of curses, stopped talking and stared blankly at Yeo Min-seo.

Yeo Min-seo was smiling brightly like a child even in this situation.

It was chilling. There seemed to be no concepts like human dignity or respect for life in her head.

"It’s okay. I won’t die."

Kim Jin-seo showed a transparent smile and spoke. It was a face resigned as if prepared for death.

She asked herself a question.

Could a life obtained at the cost of another’s life truly be happy?

Her current life too had been obtained at the cost of her adoptive mother’s life. Misfortune had struck her life like a storm, and it always took away the precious people around her.

Only ruins remained where the storm had passed. She had been wandering through the ruins since 5 years ago. A lonely and desolate place where no one lived.

She imagined a life obtained by sacrificing the life of either Do Seon-woo or Gu Jun-hyeok.

That wasn’t life. It was death disguised as life, or life more harsh than death.

"..."

Kim Jin-seo looked up at the sky again. The approaching dark clouds had completely swallowed the sun and covered the entire sky. In the pitch-black darkness, the sound of the magical beasts’ wingbeats was echoing ominously.

Somehow, that sound seemed closer than before.

When she briefly looked at Do Seon-woo, he was still blankly staring at the sky. His face was indifferent as if it wasn’t his concern whether she became bait or not.

Kim Jin-seo felt her heart becoming complicated for no reason. However, that wasn’t enough to shake her resolve.

In the darkness, she felt the texture of the bracelet clutched in her left hand. Broken from the impact of the fall, it was no longer a bracelet. It was just crudely woven string.

Realizing this made her feel a little more at ease.

Kim Jin-seo stepped forward.

"No."

Then, a voice from the darkness. With a firm tone as if giving an order or scolding, Kim Jin-seo unconsciously stopped walking.

And silence fell.

Nothing could be seen and nothing could be heard. Everything was distantly far and blurry.

For a moment it felt like time had stopped.

Flash.

At that moment, a striking flash drove away the darkness.

In that instant, Kim Jin-seo saw him. She saw his back as he confidently stepped forward.

But the darkness that came again blocked her vision, and his back disappeared.

Crack!!

The darkness didn’t last long.

Lightning split the sky in half and drove away the darkness. Thunder rang loudly in her ears. Simultaneously, one magical beast turned to ash and fell powerlessly to the ground.

Crack!! Crack!!!

The lightning continued without cease, cutting the darkness hanging in the sky into dozens of pieces. Darkness and light crossed before their eyes dozens and hundreds of times.

The fragmented sky spat thunder as if screaming. Several magical beasts fell like rain. It was truly a scene like a raging storm.

At the center of the storm, his silhouette could be seen backlit.

"...."

He half-turned his head to look at her and said something. His voice couldn’t be heard over the thunder. Only a faint echo barely reached her.

...’Please’?

Kim Jin-seo tried to understand the meaning through lip reading, but it was insufficient to guess the meaning from lip movements alone.

Meanwhile, the storm mixed with lightning and thunder was still raging in the sky. The corpses of magical beasts piled up layer upon layer, and her hair fluttered in the belated wind.

This continued for quite a while. Eventually, the storm stopped.

The place where the storm had passed. Ruins where nothing remained.

There, he remained.