The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 76

Right after the first gateway ended, Seong Ha-yeon tore up her note and exited the illusion. The students who had been swept away by the landslide Yeo Min-seo caused and were eliminated had already left the ark early and returned to school by bus.

Because of this, the inside of the ark was quite empty. Only Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon, who hadn’t woken up yet, along with Gu Jun-hyeok and Do Seon-woo were there.

"Ugh... Ah, my head hurts. Damn."

"Oh! We really came outside? Amazing."

Soon, Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon also followed Seong Ha-yeon and woke up from the illusion. Yeo Min-seo tidied her disheveled hair, while Han Su-ryeon didn’t even brush off the dust from her head as they left the ark together.

"What? Aren’t you coming out?"

Yeo Min-seo, who was about to leave the ark, glanced back and asked. Her gaze was directed at Seong Ha-yeon. Seong Ha-yeon wasn’t leaving the ark, but was crouched beside Do Seon-woo, who was intoxicated by the illusion. She seemed to have no intention of leaving the ark at all.

"I have something to ask this person. Please go ahead."

"Ah, yes. Take your time coming out."

Yeo Min-seo answered sarcastically, mimicking Seong Ha-yeon’s way of speaking.

"Oh, what? You’re pretty good at voice imitation?"

Han Su-ryeon looked at Yeo Min-seo with surprised eyes and made a fuss. That’s how the two left the ark. Eventually, only three people remained in the quiet ark: Gu Jun-hyeok, Do Seon-woo, and Seong Ha-yeon.

Seong Ha-yeon looked with a comfortable face at Do Seon-woo’s face as he was intoxicated by the illusion, comparing it with the face of Do Seon-woo who had climbed up against the waterfall covered in blood all over his body. The atmosphere was so different that it was hard to believe they were the same person.

"..."

However, what surprised Seong Ha-yeon most was Do Seon-woo’s blessing utilization ability.

Do Seon-woo’s build could never be called large. Thanks to exercising diligently, some muscle could be glimpsed through his clothes, but he definitely didn’t look like he had tremendous enough strength to go against a waterfall with just his bare body.

Nevertheless, he had climbed the mountain against the waterfall and ultimately passed the first gateway.

Probably, Do Seon-woo had used blessings to dramatically enhance his physical abilities.

However, even thinking that way, there was something puzzling.

’...I couldn’t see the light of blessings though.’

There was no light of blessings swirling around Do Seon-woo’s body. In that case, there were two hypotheses that could be established.

First: Do Seon-woo didn’t use blessings and climbed up against the waterfall purely with his own strength.

"That doesn’t make sense."

Seong Ha-yeon shook her head back and forth and let out a hollow laugh while in the process of verifying the first hypothesis. It was impossible to go against such a fierce waterfall with just a bare body without blessings. No matter how she thought about it, it was a hypothesis with too low probability.

Then the second hypothesis: Do Seon-woo had mastered how to use ’Adonai’s Blessing.’

’Adonai’s Blessing’ was a concept created by her father Saint Judas, a method of combining and utilizing the properties of ’miracle reproduction’ and ’blessings.’

If you mastered it, it was possible to ’reproduce’ the strength of Samson, a figure recorded in the scriptures, contain it in the body in the form of a ’blessing,’ and thereby use Samson’s superhuman strength. Unlike blessings, ’Adonai’s Blessing’ didn’t cause the light of blessings to swirl around the body when used.

The second hypothesis had higher probability. Then, how had Do Seon-woo mastered ’Adonai’s Blessing’? Through what method had he become able to use such a high-level technique?

Seong Ha-yeon was curious about that.

"Excuse me, when are you going to wake up?"

Seong Ha-yeon asked while poking Do Seon-woo’s head with her fingertips. There was no answer. There was no sign of him waking up at all. Seong Ha-yeon crouched down like a puppy in that spot and waited endlessly for Do Seon-woo to wake up.

Seong Ha-yeon endured for a full 3 hours, dozing or fiddling with Do Seon-woo’s hair. She was the type who extremely disliked contact with other people, but strangely, she felt that Do Seon-woo was okay.

The reason was probably because Do Seon-woo was someone born with the same ’blood of purification’ as herself. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Eventually, someone let out a groan and got up from their position.

"...Ah, I feel like shit. Damn..."

The one who got up wasn’t Do Seon-woo but Gu Jun-hyeok. Gu Jun-hyeok cursed and immediately left the ark without even glancing at Seong Ha-yeon. He looked somewhat angry.

"..."

What was happening inside the ark?

Though she felt inwardly puzzled, what was important right now wasn’t that. Since Gu Jun-hyeok had also woken up, Do Seon-woo would wake up soon too. Optimistically thinking this, Seong Ha-yeon silently endured.

Soon Do Seon-woo woke up. He sat in place looking around or staring into distant space in a daze. He had a foolish face as if not in his right mind.

Tap tap.

"I have a proposal."

Seong Ha-yeon tapped Do Seon-woo’s shoulder and asked. Do Seon-woo was startled and looked back, but upon confirming that it was Seong Ha-yeon who had called him, he scrunched up his face. Then without even answering, he left the ark with angry steps.

She was momentarily stunned by that sight, blankly staring at Do Seon-woo’s retreating figure before urgently following him.

"Wait, proposal. Haa, ha, hoo, um. I just want to make one proposal. Don’t ignore me."

Seong Ha-yeon panted as she chased him. Do Seon-woo looked at her as if extremely displeased.

Those eyes were empty and cold. When Do Seon-woo looked at her, he always had such cold and chilly eyes.

Though Do Seon-woo’s attitude toward her was somewhat unpleasant, Seong Ha-yeon swallowed her pride one last time and continued speaking.

"Don’t you want to become a high-ranking cleric?"

"...What?"

"How about joining the ’International Theological Society’?"

The purpose of the proposal was twofold.

First: The technique Do Seon-woo had used, ’Adonai’s Blessing.’ It was a technique that even Seong Ha-yeon, who was acknowledged as a genius in divine power, hadn’t mastered. Seong Ha-yeon couldn’t accept the fact that a mere Do Seon-woo was using a technique at a higher level than herself. Therefore, she planned to bring him into the theological society and steal his technique.

Second: Seong Ha-yeon was already a member of the International Theological Society and held a fairly high position. Moreover, the president of the International Theological Society was her father, Saint Judas.

Seong Ha-yeon was already in a position where she had to become close to Do Seon-woo. It was because of her father’s command. If she had to become close anyway, it was better to become close in a relationship with clear hierarchy rather than an equal relationship... If she got Do Seon-woo to join the theological society, she could form a relationship where Do Seon-woo was absolutely ’lower’ and she was ’higher.’ In other words, getting Do Seon-woo to join the theological society would kill two birds with one stone.

"How about it?"

Seong Ha-yeon asked again with a very confident smile. Do Seon-woo tilted his head sideways and stared blankly into space.

It was a contemplating face, but Seong Ha-yeon wasn’t impatient at all. She knew that Do Seon-woo wouldn’t be able to refuse the proposal.

The ’International Theological Society’ was a place that boasted unparalleled status among theological societies. Joining the International Theological Society meant gaining one incomparably high-level credential. There was no fool who would kick away the opportunity to join the International Theological Society during their student years.

Eventually, Do Seon-woo, who had been contemplating, slowly opened his mouth.

"No. Now move aside. Let me pass."

"Then I’ll take that as you joining... Pardon? You said no?"

"Yes."

Do Seon-woo said nonchalantly and tried to pass by Seong Ha-yeon. Seong Ha-yeon momentarily lost her wits and stared blankly at Do Seon-woo, then came to her senses and hurriedly blocked his path. Do Seon-woo’s face crumpled when his path was blocked by Seong Ha-yeon.

"Why again?"

"Why, why are you in such a hurry. You can at least listen to the conditions. Really good conditions..."

"Do I have to listen to conditions when I’m not going to join anyway?"

Seong Ha-yeon’s head tilted at his utterly incomprehensible attitude. As a cleric, having the opportunity to join the International Theological Society was incredible good fortune. Nevertheless, Do Seon-woo was kicking away that good fortune with his own feet.

Why on earth?

"...Aha."

Soon the puzzle was solved. Seong Ha-yeon nodded as if she finally understood Do Seon-woo’s meaning.

He wants to negotiate.

He was clearly demonstrating that he wouldn’t join with mediocre conditions from the start. She had thought he was a fool kicking away opportunity with his own feet, but he had more cunning aspects than she thought. Seong Ha-yeon inwardly admired Do Seon-woo’s wit in thinking of negotiating even in this situation and opened her mouth.

"I’ll waive the membership fee and society dues, and even if you don’t participate in activities, I’ll usually make it so you can’t withdraw..."

"Hey."

"...Yes, yes?"

Do Seon-woo cut off Seong Ha-yeon’s words as she was about to elaborate. Seong Ha-yeon took a step back at the creeping eeriness down her spine. Do Seon-woo’s eyes looking at her were cold and empty as always. Every time she saw that expression, Seong Ha-yeon felt like a mouse before a cat.

Do Seon-woo continued staring blankly at Seong Ha-yeon and opened his mouth as if growling.

"Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I said no. Just get lost."

"Ah..."

"Tsk."

Do Seon-woo looked at Seong Ha-yeon with contemptuous eyes, clicked his tongue once, and quickly walked away. After returning his receipt to the teacher, he boarded the bus.

Gone was her usual sharp demeanor, and Seong Ha-yeon stared blankly at Do Seon-woo’s departing figure with shaking eyes. She couldn’t quite understand how the situation was unfolding.

Was he really saying no and not negotiating? No, could that also be acting for negotiation? That can’t be. But why did he click his tongue at the end? How annoying. Does he have something to rely on?

These were questions that flashed through Seong Ha-yeon’s mind in just a few seconds. No matter how much she thought, no conclusion was reached. The questions just floated around in her head as questions.

Then suddenly, Seong Ha-yeon realized one new fact.

"..."

Eyes, tone, attitude. Combining all those clues, Do Seon-woo seemed to dislike her. No, he definitely disliked her. Even saying he disliked her was insufficient. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to express it as hatred.

Seong Ha-yeon had only realized this now.

...But why does he dislike me?

However, no matter how much she thought, she couldn’t figure out the reason. Seong Ha-yeon felt displeasure and puzzlement simultaneously as she walked listlessly toward the bus.

* * *

"The results will be discussed and then announced at the upcoming Charity Holy Name appointment ceremony..."

After getting off the bus, the teacher who had collected the receipts said. Most of the students who had been waiting for us didn’t listen to the teacher’s words until the end, just walked home with blank, lifeless faces. Some students even showed tears.

The reason was simple. All students except me and Gu Jun-hyeok had been eliminated during the first gateway. Students who couldn’t even pass the first gateway couldn’t possibly be selected for the Charity Holy Name.

"...That concludes the announcement. All examinees, thank you for your hard work taking the exam."

By the time the teacher finished the announcement, the students had already returned home. Only me, Gu Jun-hyeok, and Seong Ha-yeon remained.

Seong Ha-yeon had a somewhat dejected face. She seemed to have received quite a shock from my rejection of her proposal.

When Seong Ha-yeon made her proposal, I honestly considered it seriously. Joining the International Theological Society would significantly increase the possibility of becoming a high-ranking cleric.

However, no matter how much I wanted to become a high-ranking cleric, I didn’t want to receive Seong Ha-yeon’s help. That would completely destroy all my aspirations up to now.

Leaving behind Seong Ha-yeon, who stood blankly in place staring into space, I walked toward home.

"Hey!"

The one who called me in the alley on the way home was Gu Jun-hyeok. He approached with a bright smile and began walking alongside me. He looked very happy. Since Gu Jun-hyeok was the winner of the second gateway and ultimately this exam, it was natural.

We walked in silence for quite a while like that. It was silence so deep that it was too much to attribute to Jeong In-ah’s absence, continuing endlessly.

"Hey, but I’m sorry about that earlier."

Breaking the silence was Gu Jun-hyeok’s unexpected apology.

"What are you sorry about? What’s ’that’?"

"No, that thing, honestly it felt a bit like betrayal at the end, you know? It felt a bit like stabbing you in the back, didn’t it?"

Gu Jun-hyeok scratched the back of his neck as if embarrassed. He had a habit of scratching the back of his neck whenever awkward situations arose.

I silently raised my head. The night sky was visible. The waxing moon hidden by clouds was emitting ominous moonlight. There were quite a few stars visible tonight.

"It’s an exam anyway, so whatever. And it’s not like you’ve betrayed me just once or twice."

"Huh? This bastard is talking strangely. When did I ever betray you?"

"You always run away trying to save yourself whenever something happens."

Gu Jun-hyeok shut his mouth for a moment as if hit where it hurt. Wrinkles formed on his forehead above his frowning eyes.

"...Hey man, that’s not betrayal. How should I put it, yeah. Rational judgment. You should see it that way."

"Isn’t that betrayal based on rational judgment?"

"Hey, if I hadn’t gone to call Teacher So Do-jin then, we all would have died. Instead of being grateful, you’re treating me like a traitor."

Various conversations went back and forth. As night deepened, streetlights throughout the alley turned on. Looking up at the sky, there were no more stars. The starlight had been obscured by the streetlights.

"Well, anyway, I’ll end up becoming the Charity Holy Name in the end. Sorry about that."

"What are you talking about? Don’t you know that usual conduct is also included in the evaluation?"

"Eh. But exam content is more important."

Gu Jun-hyeok said as if it was obvious.

It wasn’t something I could completely deny. In reality, Florence valued ability over character. Just looking at exam content, the probability of me becoming the Charity Holy Name was very slim.

The only variables were that the evaluation process considered students’ usual conduct, and that I had fulfilled the undisclosed condition in the first gateway. Right now, hoping these two variables would cause an upset was the best I could do.

"Sigh... But honestly, I’m not confident either. Since the results aren’t out yet."

Gu Jun-hyeok put his clasped hands behind his head and vaguely looked up at the sky. Complaints flowed from his mouth. His face lit by the streetlight was quite dark. It seemed Gu Jun-hyeok was as uncertain as I was.

"I absolutely have to get the Charity Holy Name. If I can’t even get this, it’ll be completely over."

Gu Jun-hyeok muttered to himself. I nodded. We felt the same way.

* * *

The day after the re-election exam, after finishing the daily schedule, after school hours. Teachers gathered in the conference room. As usual, the principal and chairman were absent, and the vice-principal conducted the meeting. There was one agenda item: the Charity Holy Name re-election.

"First, the candidates are narrowed down to two. Charity class students Do Seon-woo and Gu Jun-hyeok."

The vice-principal held documents sent by Noah. The documents contained the times Do Seon-woo and Gu Jun-hyeok passed the gateways and special circumstances at the time of passing. Other students had all been eliminated early in the first gateway, so they weren’t worth considering.

The vice-principal distributed copies of the documents to the teachers. The teachers who checked the documents all tilted their heads as if puzzled.

"It’s a bit difficult to judge just from the records..."

"Just looking at simple records, Gu Jun-hyeok seems to have the advantage."

"I heard that illusions occurring inside the ark can also be filmed. Isn’t there any footage that Noah sent?"

Teachers expressing their various opinions. Bustling noise flowed around the round table they sat around. The vice-principal lightly tapped the desk twice as if to end that noise. The noise quickly subsided.

"It’s certainly difficult to judge just from records. Noah did send footage from that time..."

The vice-principal hesitated and sighed.

"Well, anyway, it would be better to watch and judge. But it won’t be much help."

At the vice-principal’s signal, a waiting teacher played a video on a laptop. The video was connected to a beam projector and transmitted through a large screen.

The first video was filmed during the second gateway. However, its content was too poor. After the scene of Do Seon-woo climbing the tower, it was immediately followed by a scene of him coming down the tower, and by then construction had already stopped. There was no information about ’how’ Do Seon-woo had stopped construction.

Right after, Do Seon-woo was killed by Gu Jun-hyeok’s surprise attack and eliminated. Just looking at the second gateway, it seemed without question that Gu Jun-hyeok should be selected as the Charity Holy Name.

"Um, but why is the second gateway video first instead of the first gateway..."

After the video ended, a teacher who suddenly felt puzzled raised his hand and asked. He was a Divine Dynamics subject teacher who taught classes to four classes including the Charity class.

"Noah specifically said to ’definitely’ play the second gateway video first, then the first gateway video. I don’t know the reason either. Anyway, let’s move to the next video."

The vice-principal concluded the question with that and immediately played the next video. The second video was the first gateway. First, Gu Jun-hyeok entering the ark, then Do Seon-woo entering the ark.

However, unlike Gu Jun-hyeok, Do Seon-woo was covered in blood all over his body and entered the ark carrying some female student on his back. The moment he entered the ark, an unidentifiable voice saying he had fulfilled the undisclosed condition was heard.

However, Gu Jun-hyeok’s record was 1:02:32.72. In contrast, Do Seon-woo’s record was 1:09:12.67. Just looking at records, Gu Jun-hyeok was ahead by 7 minutes.

"Gu Jun-hyeok is faster in both first and second gateways."

"Yes, according to the exam results, it would be appropriate to select Gu Jun-hyeok..."

"But in terms of conduct, isn’t Do Seon-woo better?"

"Actually, Do Seon-woo isn’t exactly a model student either. There needs to be some discussion about that part..."

Teachers’ opinions were divided. Some said Gu Jun-hyeok, others said Do Seon-woo. However, just looking at results, it was true that Gu Jun-hyeok had performed better on the exam, so the side advocating for Gu Jun-hyeok’s selection as Charity Holy Name was dominant.

"...But what’s the undisclosed condition?"

Then, one teacher cut through the commotion and asked a question.

That innocent question was asked by a Scripture Understanding subject teacher who had just been appointed this year. Other teachers seemed to have the same question inwardly, as the conference room instantly became quiet.

"Didn’t Teacher So Do-jin do that before too?"

In the ensuing silence, Ha Ye-jin asked So Do-jin. So Do-jin frowned as if searching his memory, then immediately raised his eyebrows as if remembering and nodded.

"Oh, when I was entering the Holy Warrior Corps, they tested my skills once... climbing the mountain and entering the ark."

So Do-jin was about to speak casually but belatedly realized it was during a meeting and corrected his speech.

The ark made by Saint Judas was frequently used not only for student exams but also for entrance exams for Holy Warriors and Holy Knights. So Do-jin had also taken an ark exam when entering the Trinity Holy Warrior Corps.

"The undisclosed condition was probably entering the ark together as a male-female pair, something like that. They said it was to test understanding of scripture and, what, camaraderie? Companionship?"

"Isn’t there any effect on records when conditions are fulfilled?"

Ha Ye-jin asked So Do-jin. So Do-jin tilted his head sideways.

"Um... sorry, I don’t remember well. Isn’t there anything written in the special circumstances?"

"Special circumstances. Nothing particularly special is written..."

The vice-principal’s expression suddenly hardened as he looked through the documents again. He seemed to have seen something. This was the first time seeing the vice-principal show such a disturbed appearance.

The vice-principal remained with his expression distorted like that for a while, then belatedly regained composure, managed his expression, and opened his mouth.

"About the special circumstances Noah wrote... I think it would be appropriate to mention that first, then discuss afterwards. In my opinion."

What exactly was written that made the vice-principal so flustered? The teachers’ attention focused on the vice-principal with puzzlement.