Chapter 305

"Meeting?" I repeated Legba's words.

He had mentioned that the Loa had a long meeting amongst themselves, which was why he hadn't spoken to me for a while.

Honestly, I didn't quite understand. What exactly did the Loa have to discuss? Furthermore, should I, the Prophet, have participated as well in the meeting?

I felt a little left out when I thought about it like that.

[Yes, it was a meeting,] Legba said.

For some reason, his usual flat tone didn't sit well with me.

"I also want to participate in the meeting. I am the Prophet, after all."

[It was a meeting you couldn’t participate in.]

"What kind of meeting was it that I couldn’t be a part of?" I asked.

Legba went silent for a moment. He then cleared his throat and said, [It was a meeting about the Prophet... In other words, a meeting regarding you.]

“...”

[Not all the Loa are in agreement with you. Some are against you. More precisely, they are against some of the thoughts and beliefs you hold.]

"What thoughts and beliefs are you referring to?"

[Indeed. When faced with the choice between war and peace, didn’t you choose peace?]

I nodded and said, "That's right."

To be precise, I had not fully chosen peace yet. I simply hoped there would be no war and wanted to maintain a peaceful daily life if possible. The peace I was enjoying right now was not something that I had chosen to have. It was continuing by chance or luck, and I was just satisfied with it.

[There are some Loa who are dissatisfied with that aspect.]

"That's ridiculous. So, are they saying that they want to break the peace we are enjoying at the moment and start a war?"

[That's not it. They seem to be worried that their usefulness will disappear. If we continue to submit to the Romanican Church and settle for peace, the decline of the Voodoo Cult is inevitable. They are wary that the value of the Loa will also decline along with the Voodoo Cult.]

"The Voodoo Cult may decline, but it will not disappear. I have even decided on a successor after all."

I had chosen Soo-Yeong as my successor. Granted, Soo-Yeong lacked in many areas. She wasn't better at handling Voodoo spells than me, and most importantly, she didn't have the mental strength to withstand the constant voices of the Loa.

But I wasn't perfect from the beginning either. Even though she was an imperfect successor, once she became the Cult Leader and the Prophet, Soo-Yeong would do well on her own.

As I listened to Legba's words, I could not understand the Loa's claims against me.

"Who is opposing me? Can you tell me their names?"

[Well, there are several Loa. But it's a bit tricky for me to mention their names directly. Each Loa has their own circumstances...]

"It seems like Ogun is leading the opposing faction. Am I right?"

Legba didn't answer my question. I easily understood that the silence meant affirmation.

It was indeed Ogun. He was the Loa of Iron, and also the Loa of War. Obviously, he would not be pleased with me, who was content with peace.

"Ogun, come out and let's talk face to face."

Ogun responded aggressively to my call without any hesitation.

[Yes, I am the one who led the opposing faction. What’s wrong with that?]

I sighed and said, "This is not a matter of right or wrong. What are you so dissatisfied with? Even without engaging in war, sacrifices will still be made in rituals, and in the process, you will still receive offerings. The need for Loa may decrease, but I will not neglect the Loa."

[How can you not neglect us when our usefulness decreases? You have talent as a Prophet, and we need you. That's why we respect you. But if you no longer need us, can you still respect us? Can you genuinely say that?]

"So are you telling me to start a war right now?"

[I'm not telling you to start a war. I’m saying we shouldn’t stand by and watch the Voodoo Cult decline while being under the Romanican Church.]

"What are you going to do if I just stand by and watch? After all, there's nothing you can do, right?" I said in frustration.

The only way the Loa could exert their power was through me, the Prophet. That was why the Loa respected me as the Prophet, and I had to respect the Loa in return.

Ogun remained silent for a moment. The silence was deep.

Soon, Ogun answered me. His voice was sharp and menacing, like the sound of iron.

[Some of the Loa, including me, will no longer lend you their power from now on.]

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"..."

I was speechless and closed my mouth.

Ogun continued, [Is the peace that you are enjoying right now true peace? It is not the peace that you, the leader of the Voodoo Cult, can enjoy, but a false peace, only available to you as a student of Florence Academy, which is a false identity. It is a false peace obtained through falsehood.]

"Is that wrong? To settle for a false peace."

[It is wrong. You indulged in false peace, hesitated in fear of breaking that peace, and did not strive to obtain true peace. In other words, you abandoned your freedom and became a dog that settled for false peace.]

"That’s a ridiculous argument. What are the names of the Loa who agree with you? Even if it's a pain, I won't use the power of those Loa."

[Me, Sobo, Dan Wedo, Bade...]

There were quite a few. Including Ogun, there was the uncontrollable trio and the names of other violent Loa who didn’t really want peace. The names of the Loa came out of Ogun's mouth one after the other.

Surprisingly, more Loa sympathized with Ogun than I had thought, but I didn't care. If the peace we had today continued, there would be no need to use their power in the future.

At that moment, Bade interrupted Ogun and said, [Oh, I will continue to lend my power! It's just that I agree with Ogun!]

Subsequently, the other Loa chimed in.

[I do not agree with Ogun. I think it’s fine as it is right now. The Prophet should also be able to enjoy a normal life, shouldn’t he?] Granbwa said.

[I stood on Ogun's side because Granbwa sided with the Prophet! It's because I dislike Granbwa. Haha!] Sobo said.

[Bossou respects the Prophet's intentions. The truth is, Bossou wants to take a break these days. Bossou has been used too much lately,] Bossou said.

[I am also in a position where I respect your choice no matter what you choose,] Legba said.

[Kid, I feel the same way. Your fear of shattering this peace is quite cute,] Damballa said.

Both Legba and Damballa were slightly more neutral than the other Loa. They respected my choice of peace, but if I chose war, they would have also been fine with that. Their answers suited their personalities.

I continued to hear the voices of the Loa. Marinette, Dan Wedo, and the other Loa who usually didn’t speak much were also swept up by the atmosphere and said their piece.

[But Sobo, what do you mean when you said you dislike me?]

[I mean it quite literally. Granbwa, you subtly criticize others while pretending to be kind! I never liked that about you from the beginning!]

[I’m fine... with whatever... but war...]

[Bossou thinks Ogun is too stubborn! You are a Loa who does not respect the Prophet.]

[No, Bossou, you are just too foolish and spineless. You just blindly follow whatever the Prophet says.]

They argued among themselves and started to fight. Amidst the cacophony of voices from the Loa, I did not hear one voice.

Baron Samedi.

He remained silent, not getting involved in the fight between the Loa.

At that moment, Baron Samedi's voice overwhelmed all the other Loa.

[It's noisy. What a mess, what a mess.]

Compared to the other Loa, Baron Samedi's voice sounded particularly loud. It was because he was in front of me.

He had entered the dormitory and was puffing out purple smoke while smoking a pipe. His glowing red eyes were visible beneath his tightly wrapped silk hat.

Baron Samedi had been silent so far, so I was curious about his perspective.

"Baron Samedi, what’s your position?" I asked.

Baron Samedi stopped smoking his cigar and smiled slyly.

[You mean between peace and war, which do I prefer?] he said.

"Yes," I said with a nod.

Baron Samedi pressed his silk hat deeper and said, [You have never chosen peace. Nor have you ever chosen war. The current peace did not come to you by your choice.]

"..."

Baron Samedi looked at me with narrowed eyes and said, [So, speaking my opinion right now is meaningless. When you finally choose of your own will, then you can hear my opinion.]

[The day will come when you must make a choice.]

***

The news of the Pope's death, which had only been a rumor, had now become an official fact because Holy See issued a statement. The Pope of the Romanican Church had passed away due to illness, and a conclave would soon take place.

Therefore, there was a nationwide event to mourn the death of the Pope. As a paladin of the Central Paladin Order, I had to participate in the event out of obligation. I monitored the gathered people to ensure they did not engage in any unexpected behavior for the memorial and also maintained order during the memorial service.

There, I encountered Yu-Hyun. However, he seemed not to notice me.

The memorial service for the Pope was extremely long, and I was very busy throughout that period. Since I was good at my job, I was almost always called upon, and there were days when I would go to work in the morning and not leave until late at night.

"It's tough, right?"

I occasionally met Jin-Seo. She, too, was in charge of maintaining order at the memorial as a crusader of the Northern Crusader Order and was tasked with guarding against any potential demons and demonic beasts that might appear.

She seemed to be in a similar situation as me, and it was good to have someone like that.

"I can endure it," I answered.

Even though I was so busy, it was peaceful for me. It wasn't something I had to consciously endure, but something I could naturally endure. I could easily endure it, and I was even happy to endure it.

Days like that continued. Even the remaining winter cold disappeared completely, and it was finally a season where one could truly call it spring. The repercussions of the Pope's death gradually faded, and people's attention turned to the conclave and the next Pope. Yu-Hyun's name was frequently mentioned, and scholars and professors who appeared on debate programs often said that the possibility of Yu-Hyun becoming the Pope was very high.

After the official announcement of the Pope's death, Yu-Hyun no longer appeared at Florence Academy. There were rumors that he took a leave of absence and that he dropped out altogether, but nothing was certain.

Around that time, Sung Yu-Da called me to his research lab.

"The time has come."

As soon as I arrived at the research lab, Sung Yu-Da stood up abruptly from his seat and said, "X will be imprisoned in an underground dungeon. He will probably be captured within a month or two, and the conclave will take place around the same time."

“...”

"There is no better opportunity than this. It's as if the heavens are helping us," Sung Yu-Da said excitedly.

I listened to him with an anxious heart.

"Let's get ready to rescue your mother, Lee Seh-Hwa."