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Chapter 331

"Sorry. I have nowhere else to stay."

However, things went much differently than what Simon had anticipated. The homeless man bowed his head toward Simon and tried to leave. Simon lowered his hand from the blade handle and watched the man pick up his scattered belongings on the ground.

Unlike before, the man now looked weak and pitiful—just like any other homeless person. Simon\'s hostility toward the man soon turned into pity.

"If you would like, I can guide you to the East Paladin Order. There are free soup kitchens and places for the elderly to stay,” Simon offered.

The East Paladin Order had recently built buildings to provide separate shelters for homeless people or lost elderly individuals. If this man were handed over to the East Paladin Order, he would be able to live in a more comfortable space than the damp and dirty streets.

However, the man shook his head. "No, it’s okay. I have no intention of returning there. There are faces that I\'d rather not see."

Simon nodded in understanding. "I understand.”

Although the East Paladin Order had a temporary shelter for the homeless, some people were reluctant to use it. This was due to the \'self-reliance support program\' for homeless people in the temporary shelters.

Some of the homeless felt uncomfortable with the program because it semi-coercively pushed people out into society, even those who weren’t emotionally ready or willing to stand on their own yet. Simon empathized with them, so he didn\'t push further. The man packed his belongings and left.

Jin-Seo approached Simon soon after she saw the homeless man leave. "What\'s going on?"

Simon shook his head as if it was nothing. "He was just a homeless person. I offered to guide him to the Eastern Paladin Order, but he refused, so I just let him go."

"Just a homeless person? Are you sure? Why would a homeless person be here?" Jin-Seo asked.

Homeless people usually settled in places like the front or back of subway stations or deserted parks. Unlike those places, the venue for the Festival of Light was bright and had high traffic, which was not a suitable space for homeless people to stay. Jin-Seo was suspicious that a homeless person would stay in such a place.

"Homeless people don’t choose where they stay. Don\'t they just lie down when they find a spot?"

"That\'s true."

Only after Simon’s comment did Jin-Seo feel convinced. However, she couldn’t shake off the strange sense of unease. Jin-Seo continued to watch the man walk away with unsteady steps. Somehow, his gait felt strangely familiar to her.

***

Finally, it was the day of the Light Festival. The three people from the Northern Crusader Order, Jin-Seo, Simon, and Han Sol, had worked diligently until the next morning. They searched around the building for any suspicious individuals or items. As expected, they couldn’t find anything out of the blue. The Eastern Paladin Order hadn’t found anything out of place or dangerous either. And so, the Festival of Lights started as scheduled.

Street vendors set up their stalls, and people strolled around with the street food they had bought in their hands. Clergymen also came to attend the prayer meeting and the inquisitor appointment ceremony. Most of the attendees were families who had come just to enjoy the lively atmosphere or catch a glimpse of the famous prelates.

Jin-Seo, Simon, and Han Sol, dressed in Northern Crusader Order attire, patrolled the streets to perform their event security duties. But with no enemies in sight and very few people causing disturbances, they had almost nothing to do. Initially tense and looking around nervously, they eventually embraced and started to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Simon pointed to one of the street vendors and said, "Looks like Sol wants a taste of that."

"O-oh, no, I\'m fine!" Han Sol stammered.

Han Sol quickly shook her head, but her gaze was still fixated on the vendor selling ice cream and fruit drinks. Considering the hot weather and their formal attire, it was natural for her to be drawn to the refreshing drinks.

Jin-Seo glanced briefly at the vendor and said, "If you want to eat, go ahead. Should I buy it for you?"

"I\'m really okay!" Han Sol replied.

"It doesn’t seem like it," Jin-Seo said.

Despite insisting she was okay, Han Sol sweated profusely, and her face was flushed. She looked like she overheated easily.

Jin-Seo stared at Han Sol momentarily, then went over to the vendor. She bought one drink for herself and a refreshing drink that she thought Han Sol would enjoy.

Jin-Seo handed the drink she bought to Han Sol. "Here, have it."

Han Sol hesitantly took it. After that, she glanced back and forth between the drink and Jin-Seo with an anxious look. "Ah, shouldn’t we... avoid eating during the mission?"

"Better than collapsing from the heat," Jin-Seo replied.

Refraining from eating and drinking was preferred because they were on a security mission for the event. If something happened while they were eating or drinking, their reaction time could be delayed. However, as Jin-Seo suggested, it was better to have something to drink rather than to suffer from the heat.

Han Sol hesitated for a moment and took a sip of the drink. Her expression noticeably brightened. Jin-Seo chuckled when she saw Sol’s face light up.

"But why did you buy two drinks? Are you planning to give me one?" Simon interjected smoothly.

Jin-Seo furrowed her brows as if displeased. "What are you talking about? You should buy your own."

Simon looked at Jin-Seo with hurt eyes. "Oh.”

He trudged to the same vendor and bought his drink.

The three of them walked around the street, sipping on their chilled fruit drinks. Han Sol diligently drank her drink while constantly scanning the surroundings, faithfully carrying out her job of securing the event. However, she didn\'t notice any suspicious individuals or sense anything ominous.

Jin-Seo felt the same way. No suspicious individuals were in sight, and there were no signs of anything out of place. The street was bustling with paladins from the Eastern Paladin Order there for event security, and many prelates came to attend the inquisitor appointment ceremony.

"What is he thinking?" Jin-Seo muttered.

Although the Romanican Church would suffer some damage if a battle broke out in a place like this, the Voodoo Cult would most likely suffer more significant losses. The paladins and crusaders gathered there were all fully armed to ensure the event ended safely. They wouldn\'t just stand by if the Voodoo Cult attacked. So, what was Sun-Woo thinking?

Jin-Seo remembered the cold touch of iron when she touched Sun-Woo’s body. He had lied to her. So, was his statement about \'a battle happening soon\' also a lie? Jin-Seo wished that was the case. She hoped his other words had been true and that his statement had been a lie.

Right then, Simon called Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and came back to her senses. Jin-Seo looked around. Han Sol was sucking on a drink with a straw, and Simon was looking at Jin-Seo with a puzzled look on his face.

"What were you thinking about?"

"I just... zoned out," Jin-Seo said, not wanting to dive into it.

"You have times when you zone out? That\'s interesting,” Simon said.

Jin-Seo didn\'t respond. The three of them walked, observing the faces of people passing by and looking around. But still, they didn’t see anyone fishy or dangerous.

***

Meeting Ha-Yeon was indeed a coincidence. The three of them were heading to the cathedral where the inquisitor appointment ceremony was scheduled. There was a massive crowd in front of the cathedral, and Jin-Seo thought a line of people was trying to enter it.

But she had been mistaken. Among the center of the crowd was none other than Ha-Yeon. A diverse cluster of people surrounded Ha-Yeon: journalists, priests who admired Ha-Yeon, blessing researchers, and prelates interested in Ha-Yeon\'s research.

"Ha-Yeon?"

Jin-Seo spotted Ha-Yeon among the crowd.

Her appearance still stood out. Her all-white hair and pale skin made her visible from far away, no matter how crowded the area was.

"Seong Ha-Yeon? Where?" Simon asked, looking around.

Han Sol also looked around. Ha-Yeon was a name that every Romanican Church clergyman knew. The two people looked around for a while and finally spotted Ha-Yeon. They admired Ha-Yeon, as she was surrounded by a crowd.

"Wow, she is incredibly pale. I thought she was retired?" Simon questioned.

"Not retired. I remember she said she was just taking a break and would return," Han Sol said.

At that moment, they suddenly felt uneasy. For some reason, the crowd seemed to be slowly moving in their direction.

“H-huh, what...” Simon stammered.

"Is it just me, or are they coming this way?” Ha Sol said.

Ha-Yeon was leading the crowd toward them. Simon and Han Sol hesitated and took a few steps back, but Jin-Seo didn\'t move from her spot. Ha-Yeon was approaching Jin-Seo. Before they knew it, the crowd had formed around Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo.

Ha-Yeon was the first to speak.

"Long time no see."

As always, she spoke in a formal tone. Jin-Seo pondered whether to use formal language with Ha-Yeon or speak comfortably. Even at Florence Academy, she had an awkward relationship with Ha-Yeon, and they hadn\'t contacted each other since graduation. They weren\'t complete strangers, but their relationship was an ambiguous one.

"Yeah, long time no see," Jin-Seo replied informally.

Although they weren’t close, they knew each other to the point where there was no need to be too formal.

Ha-Yeon smiled at Jin-Seo. "Are you here for the event security?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I\'m here for similar reasons. I am meeting someone here as well."

Jin-Seo nodded. With that, the conversation between the two came to an end. There was nothing more to say. Jin-Seo didn\'t even understand why Ha-Yeon had come to her in the first place.

Silence ensued. The crowd surrounding the two also naturally quieted down.

Ha-Yeon suddenly embraced Jin-Seo and said, “It\'s nice to see you. I didn\'t expect to see you here.”

It happened so suddenly. Jin-Seo couldn\'t help but be surprised. Jin-Seo and Ha-Yeon were not close enough to embrace. Even if they were close, Ha-Yeon was not the type to hug someone.

Taking advantage of the closeness created by the hug, Ha-Yeon brought her lips close to Jin-Seo\'s ear and whispered, "Be careful.”

Then she slipped something into Jin-Seo\'s pocket.