Chapter 343

The aftershocks of the battle were significant and long-lasting.

In reality, the losses weren’t substantial because many of the members of the Holy War Knight Order had fled after experiencing the overwhelming might of the Cult Leader.

But that was the problem.

Although they were a hastily assembled group of mercenaries and active clergymen, the Holy War Knight Order was still a Knight Order. Therefore, they should have acted in a manner that befitted a Knight Order.

They should have bravely charged toward the leader of the Voodoo Cult, even if it meant that some of them would die. That way, their struggles would serve as a lesson for future Knight Orders, and their deaths would be a sorrowful loss under the umbrella of the Romanican Church.

And if they couldn't achieve victory, they should have at least rescued all the hostages so that they would be able to take solace in a small success and prove the resilience of the Romanican Church.

"Useless imbeciles," Yu-Hyun muttered.

Dae-Man, the Head Guardian of Diligence, had died. He died while holding the Berakah of Well. The Berakah had departed, and the departed Berakah would not return.

And the Pope's Proxy, who still held Yu-Hyun's Berakah, was still in the hands of the Voodoo Cult.

Both the battle and the hostage rescue were nothing but failures. The opponent had acted as if they knew all the Romanican Church’s strategies.

According to Simon, the leader of the special forces organized for the hostage rescue, they were keeping all the hostages in one building. The Pope's Proxy, the most important rescue target from the perspective of the Holy See, was kept separate from the other hostages.

They knew what the Holy See wanted. Thus, they created a situation that the Holy See found least desirable.

"Perhaps they aren’t useless imbeciles?" Yu-Hyun chuckled.

They had considered the existence of a traitor. Yu-Hyun already knew some individuals within the Romanican Church were colluding with the Voodoo Cult. However, he had not considered capturing the traitors before engaging in battle. He had not realized that this mistake would lead to such painful consequences.

Battles against the Voodoo Cult did not end with that single encounter. They used the opportunity to target various locations under the Pope's command.

"Yeom Man-Gun's factory has been occupied by the Voodoo Cult. It appears that Yeom Man-Gun was also a member of the Voodoo Cult..."

They primarily chose to attack places where their underground chapels were located. That way, they secured their underground chapels and followers.

Whenever there was a battle or if the Voodoo Cult took any significant action, Yu-Hyun convened the council, and they would discuss the extent of the damage from the battle along with future measures they should take.

"There are riots suspected to be caused by the Voodoo Cult in some areas under the Pope's command..."

"The Cult Leader seems to have planned this for many years. We have no problem suppressing the riots, but when the media gets involved...”

None of the cardinals felt the need to mention the term Holy War. After all, the Holy War had already begun.

Yu-Hyun quietly listened to the cardinals. There was no good news. All he heard was negative news such as, ‘the Voodoo Cult has occupied such and such region’ or ‘such and such media outlet is criticizing the Romanican Church.’

The only useful information he obtained through the cardinals was the Cult Leader's typical behavior. He exhibited behavior that was so consistent that Yu-Hyun could describe it as a habit or compulsion.

The Cult Leader participated in almost every battle. Perhaps the reason was political, and he thought about how the media would react, or perhaps he had a temperament where he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he engaged in every single battle.

In any case, that fact was important. The fact that the Cult Leader appeared in almost every battle meant that even if they lost nearly every battle, as long as they won a single fight and managed to capture the Cult Leader, they would win the war.

"It won’t be enough with just any ordinary level of determination."

Besides the Holy War Knight Order, Yu-Hyun organized many other Knight Orders and attacked the Voodoo Cult. However, Yu-Hyun himself never participated in a battle.

Additionally, after the death of the Head Guardian of Diligence, Dae-Man, Yu-Hyun did not send any other Head Guardians into battle. He was secretly afraid of losing another Berakah or having it taken by the Voodoo Cult. But now, such feeble determination was not enough.

He had to dispatch all the Head Guardians, prelates, and other prominent clergymen who could be considered the core forces of the Romanican Church. And if that was not enough, Yu-Hyun could also directly enter the battle.

Yu-Hyun was considering an all-out war. He was thinking of capturing the Cult Leader, even if it meant launching an all-out attack. That was how bad the situation was for the Romanican Church.

Suddenly, a cardinal said, "And, there is news that we have caught a traitor, Your Holiness."

Yu-Hyun's face, which had been dark all day, brightened slightly.

***

Many people attended Dae-Man’s funeral, including members of the Holy War Knight Order who had fought in battles and prelates who knew Dae-Man.

In-Ah also attended the funeral.

She no longer needed to go to Florence Academy because the academy had issued a school closure order due to the ongoing battle with the Voodoo Cult, or in other words, the Holy War.

"..."

In-Ah met Su-Ryeon at the funeral. Apparently, she had fought with Dae-Man. They had still been fighting even after Dae-Man became the director of the Holy War Knight Order and went out to battle. She couldn’t even remember why they had been fighting in the first place. However, it felt like the reason wasn’t significant.

"I didn't expect him to die like this," Su-Ryeon said in a calm voice.

She said many other things, and as she continued to speak, her expression did not change.

In the end, she concluded, "I will kill him. I will kill that bastard. I will, with my own hands..."

She shed tears. Although she was shedding tears, her expression showed no sign of sadness or wrath. Her expression was as calm and indifferent as usual, but tears flowed from her eyes. Su-Ryeon seemed half-crazed.

"You..." Su-Ryeon said.

In-Ah could not immediately understand the meaning of her words. In-Ah was just a little scared. She was scared of Su-Ryeon, who was expressionlessly shedding tears, scared of the fact that Dae-Man, with whom she had been laughing and chatting not long ago, was dead, and she was scared that Sun-Woo had killed him.

"Whose side are you on?" Su-Ryeon asked.

In-Ah couldn't answer. If asked whose side she was on, she was obviously on the side of the Romanican Church. Her affiliation was, in any case, with the Romanican Church. Despite the school closure order, she was still a teacher at Florence Academy.

"I am..."

However, just because her affiliation was with the Romanican Church, could she really be on the side of the Romanican Church? She couldn’t tell whether being affiliated with or being on the same side were the same thing or if they were different. Therefore, she was unable to come up with an answer. She was just scared.

Looking back, she had always been scared—when her younger sister Yoon-Ah went missing, and when she coincidentally faced off against Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk.

Therefore, she chose to become a teacher rather than a priest. In-Ah finally left the funeral site without responding to Su-Ryeon’s question. On her way out, she came across some familiar faces like some Florence Academy colleagues, and Min-Seo. However, she did not greet anyone.

“...”

After Dae-Man's funeral, she rested at home for a while. She didn't want to do anything, and she could not do anything. In-Ah hoped that this awful fight would end, but the only way to end the fight was to fight to the end.

Buzz—!

In-Ah received a phone call, and she heard the news that Yoon-Ah had been arrested on suspicion of colluding with the Voodoo Cult.

***

After the battle against the Holy War Knight Order in the Gyeongsang Branch, where the hostages had been at stake, the Voodoo Cult maintained their momentum. They regained control of Yeom Man-Gun's factory in the Jeolla Branch, before returning to the Gangwon Branch headquarters.

They returned with the spoils of war obtained from the battle, such as the Romanican Church’s guns and tanks. The Voodoo Cult members staying at the headquarters also welcomed them.

The successful battle against the Holy War Knight Order, as well as recapturing the Jeolla and Chungcheong Branches, made them heroes of the Voodoo Cult. The one who received the most cheers was, of course, the Cult Leader, Sun-Woo.

While other Voodoo Cult members were being welcomed, Sun-Woo went to Jin-Sung's room.

Upon seeing Sun-Woo enter the room, Jin-Sung mockingly said,"It seems like a very esteemed guest has arrived."

Sun-Woo smiled. "Your face has aged a bit, Uncle."

"Hey, when you reach my age... No, never mind."

Jin-Sung was about to say something but stopped himself. "Why have you come?"

"Why have I come? I just returned home after the battle."

"No, why have you come to my room?" Jin-Sung asked bluntly.

He was sitting in the room, drinking tea and reading a book. Sun-Woo dragged a chair across and sat down before he snatched the tea Jin-Sung was drinking and sipped it.

Sun-Woo furrowed his brows. "What kind of tea is this?"

"Chamomile. I've been having insomnia lately and can't sleep."

"Is chamomile good for insomnia?"

"I heard it is, but I'm not sure about the effects."

"That's too bad," Sun-Woo said.

He didn't seem particularly sincere. Jin-Sung closed his book and looked at Sun-Woo. Jin-Sung had a sharp and cold gaze in his eyes as he stared at Sun-Woo. However, beyond those cold eyes, Sun-Woo could also sense a hint of pity and compassion.

Sun-Woo read the emotions in his uncle’s eyes and smiled ruefully.

"I took the Romanican Church's tanks and guns. They could be useful in the next battle," Sun-Woo said.

Jin-Sung furrowed his brows. He had never asked Sun-Woo about such things.

"Well, that's good. So, how many people have died so far?"

"I can't count them all. However, our damages relative to the Romanican Church are small."

"Relative to the Romanican Church..." Jin-Sung slowly nodded as he repeated Sun-Woo's words.

"So, how many people do you think will die from now on?" Jin-Sung asked.

Sun-Woo did not answer. He knew the intention behind Jin-Sung's question.

"It seems like your mind hasn't changed yet. I thought that if we won a few battles and came back, you would support me a little."

"My thoughts are not something that can be changed."

Sun-Woo nodded and stood up from his seat.

"Yeah... Well then, I'm going to go."

"Did you come here just to ask if my thoughts have changed or not?" Jin-Sung asked.

Sun-Woo lowered his head.

"I didn't come to ask. I just came to confirm it. I'm glad your thoughts haven't changed."

"..."

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. That's why I came."

Sun-Woo was smiling.

"Can you at least stop now?" Jin-Sung asked.

Jin-Sung knew that it was too late to stop everything. On the contrary, if they stopped now, an even greater tragedy could occur. However, if they continued the fight like this, Sun-Woo would definitely lose his life. That was why Jin-Sung wanted to stop Sun-Woo at least once more.

But Sun-Woo shook his head. "That seems like it’ll be difficult."