Chapter 260

“I looked at the circumstances that led to Sun-Woo becoming the Holy Name of Charity, and I discovered that the members of the purification clan intervened in the selection process.”

“...”

Joseph tried hypothesizing. Firstly, it was a fact that the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Yoon-Ah.

However, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult wanted to return Yoon-Ah to her family for some ‘unknown reason.’ Joseph speculated that the ‘unknown reason' was likely related to In-Ah. In other words, the Cult Leader had unknowingly kidnapped Yoon-Ah and was raising her, but after entering Florence Academy, he met In-Ah and began to feel guilty about his actions.

Therefore, the Cult Leader devised a plan. He staged a play and left Yoon-Ah in an abandoned building.

If he left Yoon-Ah in an abandoned building and then found her, he would naturally be able to return her to her family and would simultaneously be able to build up his reputation as a paladin.

Some believed that the woman they encountered during the search for Yoon-Ah was the Cult Leader because she had used powers and spells.

However, Sun-Woo was also present at the scene. Sun-Woo could have secretly used his power and spells to help the woman escape. No, the probability that he had done so was extremely high.

"In addition, Sun-Woo has connections with the purification clan in various ways... You said that you were only acquaintances, but the results of my investigation indicate otherwise. It really is quite perplexing.”

Furthermore, today, Joseph saw Sun-Woo throwing a spear. Do-Jin had said that the Voodoo Cult Leader was a paladin or crusader who specialized in throwing spears. He also mentioned that the person had most likely engaged in a duel with him before.

If Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader, everything added up.

Besides this, there were plenty of reasons to suspect that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader. He had battled Jun-Hyuk, who was a Satanist, and survived. Voodoo spells and powers were often used in places where Sun-Woo was located.

There were plenty of reasons to doubt him. It was to the extent that Joseph began to wonder why he had never suspected he was the Cult Leader up until now.

“You just have to tell me honestly. Are you really just acquaintances?"

However, the reason he still couldn't be certain was because of Sun-Woo’s connection with members of the purification clan.

Although the exact nature of the relationship was unknown, he could still infer based on the fact that the members of the purification clan had intervened in the re-election test for the Holy Name of Charity, and from the communication records between Sun-Woo and Ha-Yeon.

However, if Sun-Woo really was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, there was no way he could be close to the members of the purification clan.

If Sun-Woo was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, there was no way that Sung Yu-Da did not know. The leader of the Voodoo Cult was the son of the Second Cult Leader. Since Sung Yu-Da had a close relationship with the Voodoo Cult’s Second Cult Leader, he would have known what the son of the Second Cult Leader looked like.

Moreover, even among the members of the purification clan, Sung Yu-Da particularly loathed the Voodoo Cult.

Fueled by hatred and resentment towards the Voodoo Cult, Sung Yu-Da betrayed his long-time friend, the Voodoo Cult’s Second Cult Leader, and started the Holy War. After doing so, he led the Holy Army and killed numerous followers of the Voodoo Cult.

It was unlikely for such a person would suddenly collude with the leader of the Voodoo Cult. Upon learning that Sun-Woo was the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Sung Yu-Da would have either killed him or reported him to the Holy See.

"Please tell me, senior."

"..."

Even after hearing Joseph’s question, Sung Yu-Da did not open his mouth. He just stared off into space. Joseph waited quietly for his answer.

Eventually, Sung Yu-Da raised his head and looked at Joseph. However, his pupils were still blank. His gaze was directed toward Joseph, but it was impossible to know where he was really looking.

"Inquisitor Joseph."

"Yes, senior."

"I understand what you are thinking, but it's all a misunderstanding."

Joseph stared daggers at Sung Yu-Da. His face was expressionless, and there was not even a slight tremor in his voice. It was impossible to know if he was lying or telling the truth.

Sung Yu-Da sighed and continued, "I only know Sun-Woo as an acquaintance. If what you have investigated is different, then the information gathered must be incorrect."

"..."

"So please do not ask any further. I have nothing more to say," Sung Yu-Da said and then tried to turn away.

At that moment, Joseph grabbed Sung Yu-Da's shoulder.

"Wait, senior. I... ugh!"

Joseph was unable to continue his sentence as he let out a scream. Sung Yu-Da had twisted his wrist, causing Joseph to cry out in pain. Sung Yu-Da had long given up his position as a cardinal and had become an ordinary person, but he still maintained his physical strength.

Sung Yu-Da glared menacingly at Joseph and said, "I told you not to ask any more questions."

"..."

"Don't try to find out more about Sun-Woo and the members of the purification clan."

Sung Yu-Da let go of Joseph's hand. Joseph looked at the red marks left on his wrist.

"It's better to listen to me," Sung Yu-Da said to Joseph.

He then left without looking back. Joseph stared blankly at Sung Yu-Da’s retreating figure. Sung Yu-Da had always been calm and composed with no change in expression, but this was Joseph’s first time seeing such an intense reaction from him. Joseph recalled the emotions contained in Sung Yu-Da's eyes when he had stared at him.

He had seen wrath, animosity, and fear in his eyes. What kind of person was Sun-Woo that made Sung Yu-Da, a hero not only to paladins but also to clergymen, tremble in fear like this?

Was he really the leader of the Voodoo Cult? Or was he an even greater being? The more he thought about it, the more his curiosity about Sun-Woo and the relationship between Sun-Woo and the clan members of the purification grew.

* * *

Not even a week after the incident at the Han River, Ha-Yeon contacted me.

It was the weekend, and I had no plans to go to the Paladin Order for dispatch training, so I was planning to take care of the flower and relax alone in the dormitory. However, Ha-Yeon asked me to come out to the front of the dormitory.

Honestly, I didn't really want to go out, but I still decided to go.

Whenever I needed Ha-Yeon, I would call her without hesitation, and she would come out to meet me without any complaints.

However, whenever she called me, I would always make various excuses and wouldn’t go out. I ran out of excuses because I did this too often.

"Oh, you came out quickly."

Ha-Yeon was looking at her phone when I arrived. As soon as she saw me, she put her phone in her pocket.

Following her out of the dormitory complex, a car was waiting for us at the entrance. The driver opened the door, and Ha-Yeon naturally got into the car. I didn't get in the car and just stared at Ha-Yeon hesitantly.

"What are you doing? Aren't you getting in?" Ha-Yeon said.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To my house. I thought it would be the most convenient," Ha-Yeon said.

I carefully examined her expression. It didn’t seem like she was lying or hiding some other intention. Still, I didn’t easily let down my guard.

I had met Sung Yu-Da when the demon appeared on the Han River. I couldn’t tell what instructions Sung Yu-Da had given to Ha-Yeon upon seeing me.

Ha-Yeon might have been ordered to lure me to her house, and there might be some sort of trap to subdue or interrogate me.

Although I would probably be able to escape any crisis by using the power of the Loa and Voodoo spells, I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Sung Yu-Da was the one who had devised the anti-Voodoo mask. He might have also invented a device that could completely neutralize the power of the Loa and all of my Voodoo spells.

"Is your father at home?"

"He's not at home right now," Ha-Yeon replied.

Once again, I scrutinized her facial expression. It didn't seem like she was lying.

After completing her sentence, she gasped in realization and said, "Um... if you feel uncomfortable, we can just go somewhere else. I just assumed going to our house would be the most convenient...”

I contemplated for a moment. When I usually went to meet Ha-Yeon, we would go to places like cafes.

However, the cafes were always crowded, making it uncomfortable to have conversations, and Joseph could be following us to eavesdrop. It was more convenient to go to her house to have a conversation.

Moreover, her house was where Sung Yu-Da's study and library were located. If I played my cards right, I might be able to find my father’s research records that Sung Yu-Da had taken.

The possibility of meeting Sung Yu-Da was a variable, but it wasn't particularly a scary variable. In fact, I needed to meet Sung Yu-Da right now because I needed to ask him something. More precisely, there was something I needed to request.

"Let's go to your house," I said as I got into the car.

Ha-Yeon nodded with a smile. The car started moving.

The road was unusually comfortable, and upon closer inspection, I noticed that other cars were avoiding Ha-Yeon's car. Ha-Yeon stared outside the car window in the silence and I rolled down my window to feel the breeze. The scent of autumn was in the air.

"Um, could you please close the window?"

It was Ha-Yeon who broke the silence. I turned my head to look at her.

She was constantly running her hand through her hair to tidy it up, as the wind coming through the open window kept messing it up. I closed the window.

"Sorry, I didn't realize the wind was blowing in your direction."

"It's okay... you closed it, so it’s fine. But..." Ha-Yeon's voice trailed off.

"But?" I asked.

She looked out the window, then turned her gaze towards me and said, "Last time, at the Han River... you met Jin-Seo, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"You seemed close. I was curious how you two became friends."

I turned my head to study her expression. She was looking at me, but when I turned my head to look in her direction, she seemed embarrassed and shifted her gaze to stare outside the car window. I couldn't understand why she was asking me this.

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"What? No! That’s nonsense! Who would be jealous of whom? Just because we've been meeting more often lately, you jump to conclusions..."

"Don't worry."

I interrupted Ha-Yeon because it was obvious that she would continue to ramble on about pointless stuff if she continued speaking. I looked at Ha-Yeon and chuckled at her for blushing and retorting in a fierce manner.

"There is no one who can replace you. You don’t need to be jealous of anyone," I said.

"No, it's not jealousy. Why do you keep making assumptions by yourself? And stop laughing!"

I didn't respond, because there was no need for me to. A moment of silence passed. I turned my head back to look out the car window.

Judging by the scenery of the street, it seemed like we would arrive at Ha-Yeon's house in about ten minutes. Ha-Yeon, with her head bowed, seemed lost in thought, then looked at me with a slightly melancholic face and said, "I-Instead of replace, can't you use a different word?"

"A different word?"

"If you use the word replace, doesn’t it sound like I’m a spare part for a machine?"

"Really? Then I’ll think of a word to replace 'replace' instead."

As if satisfied with my response, Ha-Yeon smiled without saying anything. I closed my eyes for a moment and reconsidered her words.

Her words about her feeling like a spare part for a machine when I mentioned the word ‘replace’ stuck in my memory. Come to think of it, I had never thought of her as anything more than a tool. She was a tool to meet Sung Yu-Da or a tool to push Joseph away.

Because I had thought of her as nothing more than a cogwheel or a tool, I had unconsciously used the word 'replace' towards her.

From now on, when meeting Ha-Yeon, I felt that I should be more careful with my words. She had a keener eye for reading hidden meanings behind words and expressions than I initially thought.

"We have arrived," the driver said and opened the car door.

"Yes, thank you for your hard work," Ha-Yeon said.

We arrived at her house. Both Ha-Yeon and I got out and walked toward the mansion. On the way to the mansion, there was a garden, and I saw a gardener trimming the trees.

No matter how many times I saw them, the garden and the mansion were truly magnificent. Ha-Yeon led me to the reception room. Then, she instructed someone who looked like a servant or a housekeeper to bring the car.

"Is Joseph still bothering you? Asking you to investigate our clan?" she asked when the car arrived.

I neither nodded nor shook my head. Every time I asked her about Joseph, I realized that I was deceiving her. In the past, I didn't feel any guilt or sadness when deceiving her. I always felt it was okay to deceive her. I felt that at the very least, it was alright to deceive Ha-Yeon.

But today, I felt a little uncomfortable. I smiled and said, "It’s better than before. Thanks to you."

"That's good to hear. Have they not completely given up yet?"

"It doesn't seem like they have given up. Rather, it seems like they are planning to investigate more persistently than before.”

Joseph was still investigating me. When I met him at the Han River, he had said a couple of meaningful words to me.

He was quiet for now, but someday he would come back and bother me again. I just hoped that the members of the purification clan would render Joseph completely powerless before that happened.

Ha-Yeon slowly nodded as she listened to me.

"He is quite persistent. Looks like I have to speak to the members of the Theological Association again—"

Creak.

"..."

A heavy silence filled the reception room. The one who entered through the door was none other than Sung Yu-Da.

Sung Yu-Da glanced between Ha-Yeon and me. Beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

Sung Yu-Da looked at me with eyes filled with clearer and deeper fear than when we had met at the Han River. Come to think of it, he seemed even more afraid of me when I was alone with Ha-Yeon or in a situation where I could immediately harm her.

I began to suspect that the reason Sung Yu-Da wasn’t trying to kill or report me was because of Ha-Yeon.

"...Ha-Yeon, step out for a moment," Sung Yu-Da said.

Ha-Yeon obediently started to walk out of the reception room, but suddenly stopped and hesitated.

She fidgeted with her fingers, pursed her lips in contemplation, and then seemed to make up her mind as she raised her head and said, "Father, I had something to say—"

"Get out."

“..."

Ha-Yeon glanced at me. I smiled and nodded. Ha-Yeon bit her lip as if she felt uncomfortable, then glanced at Sung Yu-Da as she left the room.

Only Sung Yu-Da and I were left in the room.

"You're not wearing the ring today," Sung Yu-Da remarked, looking at my hand.

I hadn't worn the ring today, because I believed that I wouldn't need it. I nodded.

“About that ring, who did you get it—"

I felt like I knew what Sung Yu-Da wanted to say. I interrupted him and said, "Yes, I received it from my father."

Then, I continued, "I am the third Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult."