Chapter 780: The Last (13)

‘Yes, fuck. Thank you. We’re best friends. I didn’t forget you.’

I felt gratitude towards Cho Hyejin’s reaction. I knew that she enjoyed spending time with me, but I didn’t know she was thinking about me to this extent.

‘She’s my best friend.’

But I couldn’t smile. Apart from the pleasant reaction of Cho Hyejin, it was because I was in cold sweat too.

I was even more nervous than them.

‘Why are you doing that when even Hayan isn’t moving?’

Even Jung Hayan was silent in that situation. Contrary to my expectations that she would claim to be my soul mate, she maintained a very calm appearance.

I gave the oracle when Park Deokgu and Jung Hayan were there, so she knew it wasn’t meant for them, but if it was the usual her, wouldn’t she act stubbornly even for a moment?

The way she acted at that moment told me how mature she had grown.

‘Try to be like Hayan…’

She actually seemed to be a little interested in it, but she completely turned off her attention after it was revealed that the person the oracle referred to was Kim Hyunsung.

She must’ve been somewhat convinced that Kim Hyunsung was my soulmate. I didn’t expect the others to make more fuss than her.

“Gosh, what should I…”

They kept waiting, but when nothing changed, Cho Hyejin looked around with an uneasy face, while Kim Hyunsung, who was looking up at the statue with his eyes opened, was still convinced.

‘Fuck…’

I could see that Cho Hyejin quietly walked little by little. She had probably thought that if she got close to the statue, it might react.

Cho Hyejin didn’t have the courage to openly approach Kim Hyunsung and say, ‘I don’t think it’s you.’

No, it wouldn’t have been easy for anyone to do that.

It didn’t make sense to do something unexpected at a very solemn religious event.

I didn’t want to betray Kim Hyunsung’s expectations, believing that he was my soulmate.

When there was no response from the statue, the believers started to send more fervent prayers. The hymns got louder and louder, and the festival awaiting for the advent began to come to life once again.

The sky was changing color because the sun was slowly setting, but it seemed that they thought that I would reveal myself before the sunset completely disappeared.

They were convinced that I would certainly appear before the sun could go down.

“I can’t go. Really…”

The atmosphere started to change a little after a few more minutes, and when there was no reaction, I could hear a little murmur of disappointment from the crowds.

Some people were sad, and the priests dispatched from the Church were talking amongst themselves with serious faces. While I could see that the Blue Guild members were still in a row, only Cho Hyejin came out to the front and stuck to the statue.

Kim Hyunsung, that bastard, still had a face that didn’t seem to have any doubts. He seemed to think there was no way I wouldn’t show up.

-Kiyoung… If you can hear my voice…

‘Yes, I can hear your voice.’

-Could you answer me?

‘It’s a bit hard to answer.’

Once again, he held the rosary tightly and prayed.

The prayers mixed with various complex emotions were made so enthusiastically that they pushed behind the prayers of the crowds gathered there and stood in the front row.

-I have something to say. Please…

After a while, the priesthood was openly holding a countermeasure meeting. Since they made things bigger than they should be, they were probably be sharing opinions on what to do afterward.

It was then that Cho Hyejin got up from her seat and walked toward the priesthood.

-Maybe, the soulmate, which the oracle refers to, isn’t the Sunset Swordsman. What should we do…

-Did you bring the news to the Pope?

-Yes. He only told me that he would surely reveal himself… It seemed that his faith was firm. I do not deny what the Pope said, but shouldn’t we prepare a backup plan just in case? We have to find a way to appease the disappointed believers. In my opinion, the soulmate that the oracle means is not the Sunset Swordsman too…

-It is probably him, considering his points were strong. There may be something else. It’s not common for gods to come down day after day… he may need a little more time. Or maybe he needs a tribute. It’s not a common example, but the elves say they offer tribute to Elune.

-Lee Kyoung was a person without greed. A tribute? To talk about tributes to someone who hasn’t had lust in this world? Be careful with what you say, Priest Verinom! You will awaken his wrath. He must be angry! A tribute to Benignore’s son! A tribute!

-I-I apologize. I think I shouldn’t have said that…

It was then that Cho Hyejin approached the priesthood and spoke to them.

-I don’t think you’re totally wrong.

-That means…

-Of course, I’m not saying that the Vice Guild Master was greedy. Although he enjoyed helping others rather than taking care of himself… in my memory, the Vice Guild Master had a small hobby of collecting bags. He collected the same bag each time, enough to have a separate cabinet.

-Haha… Such a thing…

-I remember that the Guild Master always gave gifts because he knew about it too. Perhaps…

-We… It seems that we didn’t know him that well. Ha… haha…

-…

- Maybe he wanted to put something in there. He probably wanted to preserve the faith and love of humans. I think it’s a really simple hobby. I might sound a little weird. Still, he was a human too… Think about it. He still is, in a way. Wasn’t he the one who defended the continent alone and carried all his luggage? He would have needed something to relieve the great pressure in his mind and heart. That… is only a bag collection… I want to cry, Priest Verinom.

-…

-I heard that collecting bags was the only way to comfort the pain Lee Kiyoung felt in this world… To think that such a simple hobby was the only way out to appease him… How can I hold back my tears?

‘Priests are really scary. Wow…’

I didn’t know how they came to the idea of ??me collecting bags to store human beliefs and love.

‘I have to be careful with my words and actions. Fuck.’

An answer came just by looking at these problems stemming from the remarks about a soulmate.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In fact, the appearance of the priests offering sincere prayers while shedding tears was a spectacle, and I thought I could see what Cho Hyejin was aiming for in the midst of it.

-I remember that the Guild Master recently acquired the same type of bag.

‘Fuck, you bought another one again? Kim Hyunsung, are you out of mind?’

-Ah! I can tell him that.

-Yes. I wanted to ask if you could tell him.

-Of course, I have to tell him. Of course.

-I will tell the Guild Master myself.

-You do that, Cho Hyejin.

“I’m going crazy, fuck.”

I was really going crazy with those bastards. Fuck.

Cho Hyejin didn’t seem to have the courage to say that she was my soulmate.

In the end, the method she chose was to pretend to deliver a tribute and wander next to Kim Hyunsung, and it seemed that she thought I would react if she slightly touched the statue.

‘I will go crazy, really.’

It wasn’t a bad plan, but I didn’t want to be a god who took bags as tributes.

Cho Hyejin also covered the tribute with a white cloth to show she wasn’t disrespectful, and Kim Hyunsung brightened as he saw her approaching slowly.

He seemed to realize what was lacking, wondering why he forgot that.

‘Did I really give that impression?’

-I have something for Kiyoung.

‘Don’t give… fuck, don’t give that to me.’

I couldn’t come out in the first place, but I wouldn’t come out to receive that even if I could.

It seemed that the Blue Guild, those bastards, organized a strategy to screw me as a group.

Cho Hyejin, who walked as if she was carrying a very sacred object and then watching the people, murmured that it would be a gift of gratitude to the god.

Any smart god wouldn’t want to appear at this time.

If there was a problem that I wasn’t expecting…

It was that Han Sora’s body was trembling.

‘Gosh… Hayan… Fuck… Ah…’

It was Jung Hayan who foreshadowed that Kim Hyunsung might not be the soulmate.

‘Ah… no. Ah…’

It wasn’t her, or Park Deokgu, or Kim Hyunsung. If so, she seemed to be thinking about who was the soulmate I was talking about.

Did she think that there were third parties she wasn’t aware of? Maybe she was thinking about the second Park Mijin incident. I could see that her face was hardening.

Han Sora, sensing danger, became paler and paler. She looked like if I let the situation continue, she would explode.

In the meantime, Cho Hyejin handed over the tribute to Kim Hyunsung, and both were looking at the statue with expectations.

Cho Hyejin believed that I would appear now because she came, and Kim Hyunsung believed that I would appear because of the tribute.

Kim Hyunsung lifted the tribute high into the sky like a monkey lifting a baby lion, and Jung Hayan started to grind her teeth when I didn’t show up.

The hymn that resonated throughout the temple. The sun was setting slowly. The three siblings Park, Gi, Lee were applauding with the believers screaming cheers, and the priesthood started to ask for them to applaud louder.

They were the worst. I didn’t know why Elena was crying. I didn’t even come. Why the hell was she crying? Fuck.

Everything seemed to be driving me into a corner. I guaranteed this situation was even more unbearable now than the last battle.

As I looked next to me, I saw Benignore’s face smiling, as if she found it fun.

‘When did this one come again?’

It was certainly an expression mixed with ridicule.

‘Fuck…’

“I told you. Managing the continent is not an easy task, Junior Lee Kiyoung. That’s why you should be careful with what you say… Gosh… I don’t often talk because I’m afraid I will make a mistake. Don’t be too disappointed… Most of the new recruits do that.”

‘…’

“O-Of course, I thought that you would be a little different, but I guess you’re a freshman after all. You’re still a child. Pfff… Puhihi. I guess I have to teach you a lot of lessons and lead you down the right path. What’s with that serious face? They say we learn by making mistakes, don’t we?”

I had no retort.

As I bowed my head, the situation underneath became direr and direr until I didn’t think I had a choice anymore.

In the end, I bit my lips tightly.

-It’s Lee Kiyoung…

-Lee Kiyoung has come!

-He really came!

-Whooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

-It’s Benignore’s son!

-God, always look upon us.

-Oh, God! To you, who gave your life for the peace of the continent… I will pray for you all my life.

-I will never forget your sacrifice.

“…”

-Kiyoung?

“…”

-Kiyoung…

He was shedding tears.

I began to worry about what to say to recover from this damage.