Chapter 191

"What are you doing right now?"

She heard a voice. The voice was so low and threatening that it didn't sound like a human voice at first. Ye-Jin let go of the frame. She was too shocked to even scream. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot. In the darkness, Ye-Jin saw a figure approaching her.

"Um, well..."

The figure suddenly appeared right in front of Ye-Jin and said, "I asked what you were doing."

It was Ji Hye-Sung. There was no gentle smile when he spoke. Due to the darkness, his expression was unclear, but Ji Hye-Sung's face was definitely twisted in a grotesque and eerie manner.

"Are you not going to answer?" Ji Hye-Sung said while reaching out to Ye-Jin with his hand.

His hand was a demonic beast's hand. Ye-Jin felt powerless in front of the approaching demonic beast. The hand, painted dark by the darkness, slowly approached Ye-Jin's cheek.

Tap.

At that moment, the figure, which had been one, split into two, and the outstretched hand stopped.

Joseph approached unnoticed and grabbed Ji Hye-Sung's wrist before saying smoothly, "Oh my, my friend seems to have made a big mistake."

"..."

Ji Hye-Sung stared blankly at Joseph's face without saying a word.

Joseph continued, "That painting also left a deep impression on me. Isn't that a scene of Adonai descending from the burning bush? The depiction of the flames is so vivid that it makes you believe that it's real fire."

"Joseph, you..."

"Yes, I also got scolded by you last time when I tried to touch that artwork. When I see that painting, I have an impulse to touch it."

"That never happened. You've never shown interest in things like sacred artworks."

"Even though I know that I won’t get burned, I can’t help but place my hand on the flames and hope that I get burned. It’s almost like I’m a moth. Isn't that right, Priest Ye-Jin?" Joseph said before shifting his gaze to her.

Even within the darkness, Joseph's gaze was shining. It was a shine that radiated out from within his inner madness. Ye-Jin stood up and nodded.

"Yes, I ended up touching it without even realizing it...”

"I understand, but still, isn't it someone else's painting? You shouldn't have touched it."

"I'm sorry."

"..."

Ji Hye-Sung alternated his gaze between the two people conversing. Joseph lightly tapped Ji Hye-Sung's shoulder and said, "We shall go now. Isn’t there a saying that ‘Those who know too much make themselves miserable?' Anyway, I'll take your advice to heart. It was very helpful. Now, Priest Ye-Jin, let's go quickly."

After saying his piece, Joseph quickly left Ji Hye-Sung's house after a brief farewell. Joseph remained silent for a while after leaving the house. Ye-Jin was the same. The two of them walked away from Ji Hye-Sung's house as if running away.

"Did you smell something?"

"..."

In response to Joseph's question, Ye-Jin slightly nodded. Joseph also nodded in agreement.

"That’s a shame. It would have been better if you had seen decisive evidence.”

"But it is clear that he is suspicious. There are too many suspicious aspects, like the smell and his manner of speech."

"So I'm thinking of conducting a follow-up investigation on that friend," Joseph said without changing his expression. "It would be better for you to stay out of the follow-up investigation."

"...What?" Ye-Jin asked, wondering if she had misheard him.

She had helped him with the investigation for three long days without even getting any proper sleep, and now that they were narrowing down the suspects, it felt like she was being discarded.

Joseph lowered his gaze to the ground. "The follow-up investigation is going to be extremely dangerous. This is not some simple operation where all we have to do is neutralize a demon or demonic beast suddenly appearing in the middle of the city. It’s an operation where we have to enter a location where demons and demonic beasts originate. The lion’s den, so to speak.”

"But I don't want to be left out. No matter how dangerous it is, I—"

"If we manage to catch the Satanist through this case, I will make sure you are recognized for your achievements. You don’t have to worry about that part. Do you still want to participate in the operation?”

Upon hearing that, Ye-Jin hesitated for a moment. Obtaining a reward for dealing with a Satanist was good, but obtaining a reward for dealing with a Satanist without actually entering a dangerous situation was even better.

"...I knew from the beginning that this would be a dangerous job. Even if you try to scare me now, I won't back out."

"Then come to my house this Sunday. I'm talking about the ruined cathedral we went to last time."

"Okay."

"Join me, and we’ll move together. For now, rest and take it easy."

The two dispersed from that spot. Ye-Jin's face was filled with tension and fear, while Joseph's face showed a strange sadness and dread.

***

Click.

I placed a watch on Yu-Hyun's wrist and finished untying the knot binding his feet and neck.

Yu-Hyun stretched and enjoyed the freedom that he had regained after a long time. Then, while looking at the watch on his wrist, he said, "What is this? Is it a tracking device?"

"It's a tracking device and a bug."

I casually stated the truth. I believed it would be more effective in restricting his actions if I informed Yu-Hyun instead of hiding the truth from him. Yu-Hyun chuckled as if he had expected this.

"I understand why you need the tracking device, but a bug as well? What are you planning to do by eavesdropping?"

"I need to observe if you're saying unnecessary things."

"The watch is an expensive one, so I like it, but... if I take it off or break it, wouldn't it be meaningless?"

"Go ahead and try."

"What?" Yu-Hyun asked, bewildered.

While I confined Yu-Hyun in the underground chapel, I conducted various experiments on him. It was an experiment to see how well spells would work on him. The spells that worked on him were the curse of fainting and the curse of nightmares. However, spells like memory annihilation and intoxication did not work at all. When I cast these spells, an unknown force that I couldn’t understand would attack me.

I pointed to the watch on Yu-Hyun's wrist and said, "If you're curious, go ahead. Undo the watch, break it, whatever."

I engraved the curse of fainting, curse of nightmares, and memory annihilation spells onto his watch. If the watch were undone, destroyed, or if the button on the receiver I received from Joseph was pressed, the spells would activate.

First, the curse of fainting and the curse of nightmares would put Yu-Hyun to sleep and make him fall into a state of nightmares. Second, the memory annihilation spell would erase the memories of the people around Yu-Hyun.

If he said anything strange, or if he went to suspicious places, I would immediately press the button to put Yu-Hyun to sleep. By using the tracking device, I would be able to find and kill him. That way, I could completely control Yu-Hyun.

"...There’s no need for me to go out of my way and try it out. It’s fine. It's meaningless anyway. So, are you letting me go now? I guess I'll finally get to see the sunlight for a change."

"Yeah," I replied and drew a spell array.

Yu-Hyun saw the spell array and exclaimed in surprise, "You said you were sending me away! Hey, you bastard, that's not what you said earlier!"

"If I send you away while you're conscious, our underground chapel's location could be exposed."

"Hey, wait a minute. Can't you trust me? I haven't told anyone. How many times do I have to say it—"

While he was talking, I completed the spell array. The mist flowing from the spell array enveloped Yu-Hyun. He belatedly tried to cover his nose and mouth to block the mist, but it was futile. Voodoo mist could not be easily blocked.

"When you open your eyes and wake up, you'll be outside."

Thud.

He quickly lost consciousness. Other spells wouldn’t work, but the curse of fainting spell worked incredibly well. I shoved him into Baal's Maw. I had been inside the underground chapel the entire time, so I didn't know if it was day or night, but when I came out, it was night.

I left him in front of Florence Academy Dormitory A, which was where the female students stayed. If someone else found him before Yu-Hyun regained consciousness, he would be in a very difficult situation.

Of course, that wasn’t my problem.

***

Ye-Jin skipped Sunday mass and went to Joseph's house, as they had agreed. However, even after the agreed-upon time had passed, Joseph didn't show up. He didn't answer the phone either.

'Could it be that he told me to come to his house when, in fact, he had gone alone for the follow-up investigation?'

Just as she was starting to feel like she had been betrayed, Joseph arrived at the meeting place. He was holding a bouquet of flowers in his left hand.

"Sorry for being late. I went to the award ceremony in the morning, and the event took longer than I thought."

"Ah... now that you mention it, today was the award ceremony."

Ye-Jin could easily understand the situation. Joseph predicted the locations where demons and demonic beasts would appear and placed the clergymen he had selected there.

Thanks to that, they were able to subdue the demons and demonic beasts without much damage, and he received a certificate of appreciation for his work. However, for some reason, he didn't have the certificate in his hand, and he only had a bouquet of flowers.

"But where is the certificate? Why do you only have a bouquet of flowers?"

"I asked them to send the certificate and other miscellaneous things to the office. It seemed like they would be a hindrance to the investigation."

"But it seems like the bouquet would be more of a hindrance."

After listening to Ye-Jin's words, Joseph looked at the bouquet in his hand.

"You're right. It does seem that way. Should I just throw it away?"

"...No, now that I think about it, it's a shame to throw away something you received."

"I suppose you're right. Well, now is not the time for idle chatter. Let's hurry." Joseph quickened his pace toward their destination.

Ye-Jin followed him without a word. Their destination was the cathedral. It was a place where Ji Hye-Sung served as an honorary priest and held mass every Sunday. They waited until the mass was over and after people started to leave the cathedral. Then, they secretly entered inside. They hid behind the abandoned confessional in a corner of the cathedral.

Their plan was to stalk Ji Hye-Sung.

"But do we really have to stalk him on a Sunday?" Ye-Jin whispered.

While observing Ji Hye-Sung tidying up the cathedral near the stage, Joseph said, "If there's a gathering of Satanists, it would be on a Sunday. That's when the clergymen are most vulnerable."

"..."

In the end, that meant that Joseph also wasn't entirely sure. Ye-Jin anxiously watched Ji Hye-Sung's movements with a slightly uneasy heart. She worried about what would happen if they just kept watching without producing any significant results for another day. Above all, it felt like peeping at someone while hiding behind a confessional booth was sinful.

Ji Hye-Sung continued to wander aimlessly on the stage for several minutes. He would occasionally open up the Holy Book and read, and he also seemed to be preparing to pray. Then, suddenly, he looked at a sacred statue placed behind the cathedral. He glanced around to check if anyone was watching him, then opened a door in the corner of the cathedral and went inside.

"Where is he going?"

"I don't know either. Let's just wait and see."

After whispering to each other, they patiently waited for Ji Hye-Sung to reappear.

However, Ji Hye-Sung did not show up even after several minutes. It was strange. According to Joseph's investigation, after attending the usual mass, Ji Hye-Sung would either directly return home or go somewhere else if he had prior arrangements.

It was also strange if there was a lounge that was behind the door and that he was just taking a nap inside there. Ji Hye-Sung suffered from insomnia, and he couldn't even sleep properly at night.

"Let's go in."

"What? Go in where?"

"Go in through that door."

Joseph pointed with his finger at the door that Ji Hye-Sung had entered. Ye-Jin hesitated and couldn’t easily respond to his words. Because she didn't know what was beyond the door, she thought it would be dangerous to hastily enter.

"Let's go..." she said.

However, it was precisely because it was a situation where they didn't know what was beyond the door that they had to enter. The two of them headed toward the door with silent footsteps.

Joseph skillfully opened the door without making a sound. Beyond the door, there was a staircase leading underground. The pair went down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, there was another door that was firmly locked and wouldn't open.

"It's locked. What should we do?"

"If there is a will, there is a way."

Joseph took out a wire from his pocket, skillfully bent it, and inserted it into the keyhole. The locked door opened so easily that she was dumbfounded.

"..."

If someone saw him, they would think that he was not an inquisitor but a sinister thief. Once the locked door was opened, a cave appeared. It was so dark that they couldn't properly see even a step ahead. They could barely see a faint glimmer of light in the distance. The light was so far away that it looked like a dot at first glance.

The duo silently followed the light. The light got closer. And before they knew it, when the light was right in front of them, they both simultaneously stopped walking as if frozen.

"AUM SHRIM MAHA LAKSHMIYEI SWAHA AH-UU-MM──"

At the end of the cave, there was a massive open cavern. It was like a plaza that was made by digging up the ground. In the center of the plaza, a massive flame flickered.

Around the flame, a black line was drawn in a circular shape. Thirteen women, dressed in unfamiliar attire, and Ji Hye-Sung were spinning and dancing along the line, chanting incomprehensible and eerie spells.

"Urgh...!"

Ye-Jin covered her mouth and nose and suppressed her urge to vomit. The intensely dreadful smell of black magic was emanating from that place.

The thirteen women, led by Ji Hye-Sung, were dancing in sync with the flames. The overlapping chants created a bizarre noise.

It was a Satanic gathering.