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Chapter 93

"Paladins are treated somewhat like civil servants. The biggest advantage of being a paladin is stability. If it doesn\'t suit your aptitude, you can quit and become a teacher like me. You’ll have a wide range of choices."

"What do you mean a wide range of choices? If you quit when you want to quit, then can you really call yourself a clergyman?"

"It\'s my turn to speak right now. I would appreciate it if you don’t interrupt."

While Bok-Dong and Do-Jin were exchanging remarks back and forth, I was busy trying to calm down my chaotic mind. I never dreamed that I would end up selecting my department while having three teachers lined up as if I were participating in an audition program. I also wanted to choose a major with a simple questionnaire like everyone else.

“If I talk too long, it’ll get boring, so I’ll keep it short. Last time, I asked you to become a paladin as well. I think I explained all the reasons back then.”

"What? Trying to recruit in advance is cheating—"

"Moreover, if you enter the Department of Paladins, you can learn practical martial arts and suppression techniques. Basically, it is a perfect major for someone like you with exceptional physical abilities. Now, I will pass the initiative to Do-Jin."

Bok-Dong sat down and signaled to Do-Jin with his eyes. Do-Jin licked his lips as if he was somewhat displeased before he proceeded to draw a sword from the scabbard hanging from his waist. The silver blade shimmered coolly under the lighting.

"Sun-Woo, let me ask you a question. Do you know what the strongest martial art is in real combat?”

“Uh... Is it the Nazirite Arts?”

According to the Book of Judges, Samson was a Nazirite. The martial arts created by restoring the fighting techniques that Samson used were called the Nazirite Arts. According to legend, if one used the Nazirite Arts, one could take on a thousand armed soldiers with a single donkey’s jawbone.

"...Let\'s exclude Nazirite Arts for now. It\'s a martial art that currently cannot be learned."

However, there was currently no way of learning the Nazirite Arts. It was because the last successor did not pass down the technique and went into hiding in the mountains. Excluding the Nazirite Arts, I thought about other martial arts. At that moment, I noticed the silver sword that Do-Jin had pulled out.

"...Could it be swordsmanship?"

"No, that\'s the second strongest."

"What\'s the correct answer?"

"Marksmanship. Even big guys like Bok-Dong, who are as big as bears, would die instantly if someone fired a bullet into their temple. We teach marksmanship in the curriculum for crusaders."

What he said seemed to make sense. However, there was one thing that I was curious about.

"But then, why do you always carry a sword, Mr. Do-Jin? Where do you keep your gun?"

If marksmanship was the best martial art, why did Do-Jin carry a sword? Actually, this was something that I had been curious about since a long time ago. No matter how much I thought about it, guns seemed to be more efficient than swords. So why did crusaders insist on using swords to slay demons and demonic beasts?

"Swords are romantic."

"Ah, I see. Then maybe I should join the Department of Paladins—"

"No, no. Wait a minute. Listen to the explanation before making a decision," Do-Jin interrupted me hastily and cut off my words.

"So... Do you want to make a lot of money, by any chance?"

"Of course."

"Right. It\'s better to earn more than to earn less, right?"

It was common sense. Do-Jin sighed deeply and continued speaking.

"Paladins receive a salary from the Holy See. The same goes for crusaders. But on top of that, crusaders also have another source of income. That other source of income is through sponsorships.”

"Sponsorships?"

"It\'s money that fans send. The Trinitas Crusader Order I belong to receives about 300 million won in sponsorships every month. I don\'t get much of it myself, though."

300 million won every month.

It was an unimaginable amount, so I was rendered momentarily speechless and stared blankly at Do-Jin. He always looked like a tired, worn-out carcass of a human being, but he somehow looked cool today.

"There are three crusaders who are affiliated with Trinitas, including me. Do you think people would want to sponsor us if all three of us sat around shooting pistols and rifles? That’s why I carry around a sword. Swords are romantic, you see. And they\'re cool."

"Ah, I see..."

"Swords also cost less money. Guns, on the other hand, require silver bullets as a basic necessity, and since they\'re consumables, the cost is enormous. As long as the sword doesn\'t break, I can keep using it as much as I want to by sharpening it."

There was actually a sensible reason as to why crusaders used swords instead of guns. In terms of efficiency, guns were far superior to swords, but even I would prefer sponsoring crusaders who used swords instead of guns.

"Is there swordsmanship training in the Department of Crusaders\' education program?"

"Of course there is, because it\'s romantic."

"Romantic, you say..."

Looking at it this way, my heart was drawn to crusaders again. It wasn\'t just because it was romantic. I was already considering learning swordsmanship in order to properly use the advanced replication spell for the Executioner\'s Sword.

Honestly, it took little skill to use the Executioner\'s Sword. Just placing the blade on something was enough to cut it in half automatically. However, in order to better utilize the Executioner\'s Sword, it seemed more efficient to learn swordsmanship rather than swinging it blindly.

"Um... Just in case, I\'m just going to ask you a question. You\'re not interested in the Department of Priests, right?"

"Ah, no."

"I see... I asked, just in case. In any case, the kids who were likely to join have already joined," Ye-Jin explained.

Apparently, a whopping three out of the Seven Holy Names chose the Department of Priests as their major. Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon chose to major as priests, with crusaders as their minor. Ha-Yeon also chose to major as a priest, but she didn’t select a minor.

Additionally, Jin-Seo and Min-Seo chose to major as crusaders, with priests as their minors. So, except for Dae-Man, all the Holy Names chose the Department of Priests as their major or their minor. I also heard that In-Ah chose the Department of Priests.

"...What about Dae-Man?"

"Ah, Dae-Man chose to major as a paladin, and he didn\'t choose a minor."

In other words, Dae-Man was the only student among the Seven Holy Names who chose paladin as their major. Bok-Dong smacked the table with a loud bang.

"Tha-that’s right! The Department of Paladins is a blue ocean. If you surpass Dae-Man, you’ll more or less be in first place."

Do-Jin had a mocking smirk on his face.

"Is the head of a snake better than the tail of a dragon?"

"Yes, that\'s right. Ah, no. I’m not saying that paladins are snakes—"

"Sun-Woo. Why should you become the head of a snake when you can become the head of a dragon? I believe you have the potential to be the head of a dragon. Besides, dragons are more romantic than snakes." Do-Jin interrupted Bok-Dong.

Bok-Dong hurriedly countered, "In terms of romance, paladins can\'t be defeated. Crusaders don\'t feel a sense of duty in saving people."

"Crusaders save people as well. Indirectly. After all, the main force that battles demonic beasts are crusaders."

Clap!

Ye-Jin clapped as the argument between Do-Jin and Bok-Dong showed no signs of ending. It was only then that Do-Jin and Bok-Dong closed their mouths. Ye-Jin smiled brightly and handed me a questionnaire.

"Let\'s have him decide now. I think we’ve done enough self-promotion."

After receiving the questionnaire, I contemplated for a moment. Considering what I had heard so far, my heart was leaning toward the Department of Crusaders because it seemed attractive to become a crusader. Even though it didn\'t seem like a big deal, having attraction was a huge advantage.

However... Both the Department of Crusaders and the Department of Paladins had no merits that particularly stood out to me. When I was fiddling around with the pen in the air indecisively, Bok-Dong said, "Sun-Woo. Just one last word."

He then quickly got up from his seat and approached me. His massive body slowly approached closer.

"You know the Seoul Paladin Order Eastern Branch Director Han Dae-Ho, right?”

“Yes.”

“That guy is my friend. We were fellow students at Florence Academy at the time, you see. So anyway, I something heard from him...”

Bok-Dong whispered something into my ear.

"...What the?"

"It\'s something Han Dae-Ho said to me directly. You might not believe it, but it’ll be good if you believe it. Regardless, this is all the truth."

What Bok-Dong just said was a fantastic benefit. It wasn’t just beneficial for me as a student of Florence Academy, but it was also beneficial for me as the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

Without hesitation, I chose the Department of Paladins as my major and the Department of Crusaders as my minor and handed the questionnaire to Ye-Jin. Upon seeing this, Do-Jin\'s face twisted into an expression of astonishment.

"Bok-Dong, you bastard, what did you say to him...?!"

"I just subtly suggested something that paladins have but crusaders don\'t. Hahaha!" Bok-Dong\'s boisterous laughter echoed throughout the conference room. Do-Jin slowly sheathed the blade that he had pulled out and then glared at me.

"Sun-Woo... Let\'s meet during the minor class. I’ll make sure to educate you with sincerity and dedication."

"Haha... I\'m sorry."

"That’s no good. Paladins don\'t bow their heads to crusaders, so there’s no need to apologize."

Bok-Dong patted my shoulder with a lot of strength as if he were proud. He seemed exceedingly pleased that I chose paladin as my major. My shoulder hurt a little.

***

The weekend had arrived. The May sunshine was refreshing. Ha-Yeon would usually be studying or killing time by reading in the dormitory, but she was out on the street today. The crowd split in half as she walked down the street.

She casually brushed off the numerous gazes directed towards her as if she was accustomed to it and continued walking. Her destination was the cafe. Kim Ra-Hee, who had arrived earlier, waved her hand and greeted her.

"Hey, why did you come so late... What\'s that? A book?"

"Exams are coming up. Whenever I have free time, I study."

"Of course you do... Oh, they\'re here too. Hey! Over here!"

Ra-Hee waved her hand energetically while looking toward the entrance. The two female students who arrived late joined Ha-Yeon\'s table with delighted expressions on their faces.

The four of them were classmates who always stuck together during middle school. They had made a promise to meet again confidently wearing their Florence Academy school uniforms, but unfortunately, only Ha-Yeon and Ra-Hee had been accepted into Florence Academy. Of course, even after the school split, the four of them continued to stay in touch and would occasionally meet up. The frequency of their meetings had decreased compared to before, but their friendship remained unchanged.

"By the way, that person you said you would contact last time—"

"Ah! I actually watched a movie with them yesterday, but they ended up hogging all the popcorn to themselves."

"Ah... That\'s a bit..."

Meaningless conversations like this went back and forth. Ha-Yeon listened to the conversations with one ear and let the conversations flow out of her other ear as she opened her book and focused on studying. Exams were just around the corner. Since she screwed up her practical grades, she had to go all out in the written exams in order to meet her father\'s expectations.

"You... contact... lately..."

"...Busy... with studying, so..."

As she focused on studying, the voices of her friends could be heard sporadically. It meant that she was focusing really well. If she continued like this, sometimes there were times when all the noise in the world would disappear, as if she was completely alone within the vast universe. Ha-Yeon liked to call this state the ‘Absolute Concentration State!’

"..."

"..."

Like that, in the fleeting moment when she was reaching closer to the Absolute Concentration State—

"...Sun-Woo..."

She flinched.

The name that abruptly popped up in the conversation hit her ears. The noise that filled the cafe started to buzz. It meant that her concentration was broken. Once her concentration was broken, it would take quite a long time to regain it. Ha-Yeon decided to take a short break and put down her pen.

"...Um, by any chance, what are you talking about?"

She had only planned on taking a break, but she felt like she had to ask. If she just let it go, then she felt she would feel uncomfortable after she arrived back home.

"Our school, you know, has the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun. We were talking about the re-election. I guess the rumors have spread to other schools."

"Ah... the re-election."

"That\'s right! Ha-Yeon, aren\'t you the Holy Name of Chastity? They said that the person that was re-elected this time was Sun-Woo. Is that true?"

A friend suddenly asked as if she suddenly remembered something. Ha-Yeon’s concentration was interrupted just as she was about to start focusing again. Every time she heard the name Sun-Woo, it felt strangely suffocating. It was because he had the blood of purification and also because she recently realized that he despised her to the point of madness.

"Yes, Sun-Woo... was elected as the Holy Name of Charity. Recently." As Ha-Yeon answered her friend’s question while nodding vaguely, a fleeting doubt passed through her mind.

“...But, do you know Sun-Woo?” Ha-Yeon asked.

With the exception of Re-Hee, the other two students were not students from Florence Academy. But the fact that they knew Sun-Woo’s name was strange. The friend who had asked Ha-Yeon the question looked at her as if she were a strange person and said, "We went to the same middle school."

"Oh, he was a classmate... huh? Then, did he go to the same middle school as me?"

"Why are you asking such an obvious thing? Don\'t you remember? We were close with Sun-Woo."

"Hey, what... we weren\'t that close. Do you even have a conscience?"

I went to the same middle school as Sun-Woo? What is this...

Ha-Yeon\'s mind was filled with confusion. Moreover, they said that they were close. Ha-Yeon couldn\'t understand what her friends were talking about at all. Ha-Yeon saw Sun-Woo for the first time after he entered Florence Academy. She had no memory of seeing him in middle school.

"Oh, now that you mention Sun-Woo, I remember too. What did Ha-Yeon say about him? Something about not wanting him to even get closer to her?"

"No, she said that she didn\'t even want to breathe the same air as him. Anyway, it was something like that. How did that happen again?"

“No idea. It must have happened because he did something to deserve it.”

With the exception of Ra-Hee, the two students chatted as if they were reminiscing about the past. It may have been a memory for them, but to Sun-Woo, it might have been a terrible memory that he didn\'t want to recall. While the two friends were talking, Ra-Hee remained silent. Ra-Hee, like Ha-Yeon, had no idea that Sun-Woo was a middle school classmate.

Ha-Yeon\'s face hardened as she listened to the story.

"Excuse me? You’re saying I did that? I don\'t remember. I don’t remember saying something so ridiculous..."

"Ah~ pretending not to remember again."

"It looks like she really doesn’t remember, though. Normally, the person who gets hit remembers it for a lifetime, but the person who hits forgets quickly."

"Isn\'t it the opposite? The person who hits forgets quickly, but the person who gets hit remembers for a lifetime.”

"What does the order matter? As long as the meaning gets across."

"Because the meaning changes, you fool."

Ha-Yeon\'s pupils shook as she heard her friends\' words. According to her friends, Ha-Yeon had also said various other insults to Sun-Woo.

The person who hits forgets quickly, but the person who gets hit remembers for a lifetime...

The words echoed in her ears. She couldn\'t even remember all the insults she had said to Sun-Woo. However, Sun-Woo would have kept those insults in his heart and remembered them. That was why Sun-Woo disliked her. She had believed that Sun-Woo hated her for no particular reason, but that wasn’t the case. The insults and hatred she had directed at Sun-Woo in the past were coming back at her in full force.

"..."

She held her pen, but she couldn\'t concentrate on studying. It was because she kept remembering the scene of Sun-Woo looking at her with a contemptuous gaze while touching his forehead as if just looking at her gave him a headache.