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Chapter 336

"Ah, fuck."

Yu-Hyun had underestimated Sun-Woo\'s determination. The Sun-Woo he knew was an eternally soft person. Even when facing an enemy, Sun-Woo would hesitate to kill them if he knew them. Sun-Woo wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever means and methods necessary to achieve his goals, but his ‘goals’ were for others and not himself.

He was similar to Yu-Hyun in a way, but also completely different from him. That was Sun-Woo’s personality. Therefore, Yu-Hyun could somewhat predict Sun-Woo\'s actions. At least, he thought he could predict Sun-Woo’s actions.

His assumptions had been completely wrong. Sun-Woo had killed Han Dae-Ho in cold blood, without even blinking an eye even though he had been friendly with the director during his time disguised as a Florence Academy student. Joseph also lay dead next to Han Dae-Ho. Sun-Woo had simply used Joseph as a disposable pawn.

“Your Holiness.”

Someone approached Yu-Hyun while he was muttering curses while clutching his forehead. Yu-Hyun didn’t know that person’s name, but he knew that their hierarchy within the church was that of a cardinal.

The cardinal bowed in front of Yu-Hyun and said, "Many priests, including Deputy Director Jin-Seo of the Northern Crusader Order, and Ha-Yeon from the Central Priesthood..."

They continued to report the damages that the Romanican Church had sustained. According to the cardinal, the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo. They had also taken away key personnel of the Central Priesthood and even the priest who had been conducting the inquisitor appointment ceremony.

"...”

Yu-Hyun\'s expression quickly darkened. The priest conducting the ordination was the \'Pope’s Proxy.\' He was not an ordinary priest, but a special priest authorized to use a special blessing that only the Pope could use. In a way, that priest was like the Pope’s flesh. His abduction was perhaps more devastating than the kidnapping of Jin-Seo or Ha-Yeon.

Yu-Hyun ruminated over the painful loss, and a question suddenly popped up in his mind.

"How did he know this?"

How did Sun-Woo know and come up with such a perfect plan?

Finding out about the location of the Festival of Light was reasonable. Anyone could figure that out with basic information-gathering skills. Finding out the location and time of the ceremony and launching an attack also made sense.

However, the progression of the battle did not make sense. Joseph had appeared in the cathedral and shattered the paladin’s anti-Voodoo masks so that Voodoo spells could be used more effectively and efficiently.

The events that followed were strange. Ha-Yeon had gone to the cathedral to awaken the paladins who had lost consciousness due to the Voodoo spell.

As if anticipating that such a thing would happen, Sun-Woo had already stationed his troops there to kidnap Ha-Yeon and the priests of the Central Priesthood. Sun-Woo could not have established such a plan unless he had known that Ha-Yeon would come to the Festival of Light beforehand.

In other words, Sun-Woo had known that Ha-Yeon would be attending the Festival of Light. The information that Ha-Yeon would be participating in the Festival of Light was known only to Yu-Hyun and a few select members of the priesthood responsible for the Festival of Light event.

"Ha-Yeon."

Of course, Ha-Yeon also knew that she would be participating. So, did Ha-Yeon say something to Sun-Woo? Yu-Hyun knew the reason why Sung Yu-Da had committed suicide. It was because Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da had been in a collaborative relationship before Sun-Woo’s identity had been revealed.

Since that was the case, Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo could have been in some kind of collaborative relationship. If Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo were collaborating, then it also made sense why Sun-Woo knew that kidnapping the Pope\'s Proxy would deal a fatal blow to the Romanican Church.

But were Ha-Yeon and Sun-Woo really collaborating? If so, why did Ha-Yeon create all those blessings and holy artifacts, along with weapons that could be used to fight against the Voodoo Cult? If Ha-Yeon was collaborating with the Voodoo Cult, there would be no reason for her to invent such holy artifacts or weapons.

Perhaps it wasn’t Ha-Yeon. The possibility of a spy among the clergymen responsible for organizing the Festival of Light could not be ruled out either.

"Sigh..."

Yu-Hyun’s head hurt. There were many unsettling aspects regarding this battle, such as the motive for why the Voodoo Cult kidnapped the clergymen, the possibility of there being a spy within the Romanican Church, the number of Voodoo Cult forces, and so much more.

Seeing Yu-Hyun curse under his breath, then mutter to himself, and then finally sigh with a troubled expression, the cardinal interrupted him.

"Your Holiness?"

Yu-Hyun finally regained his composure. There was much to think about, making his mind dizzy and giving him a headache. But he couldn’t show such an appearance in front of others.

Yu-Hyun was losing support due to Sun-Woo\'s appearance. Showing weakness would only further decrease his already precarious support rate. He swiftly changed his expression and revealed a casual smile.

"It\'s nothing. Are there any additional damages or noteworthy occurrences in the ongoing situation?"

"This summarizes all the damages that we have sustained from the Festival of Light. However, regarding the plan to merge the mercenary corps...”

Yu-Hyun had initiated a plan to eliminate or integrate all the domestic mercenary corps under the Holy See of the Romanican Church. The mercenary corps were tribes that lacked any faith or belief and acted solely for their own benefit. It was necessary to deal with them before the war with the Voodoo Cult.

During the war, if the mercenary corps rebelled by taking advantage of the weakened military might of the Romanican Church, it would cause trouble.

However, according to the cardinal, even that was not progressing smoothly. Some mercenary corps were successfully brought under the Romanican Church’s control, but many others raised objections, and some even declared their allegiance to the Voodoo Cult.

Mercenary corps tended to attach themselves to the winning side because doing so would be advantageous for their survival. Thus, it was bad news that some of the mercenary corps were declaring that they would side with the Voodoo Cult instead of the Romanican Church.

In conclusion, the Romanican Church did not appear to be as strong as the Voodoo Cult in the eyes of the public, including the mercenary corps.

"It would be better to deal with this quickly," Yu-Hyun muttered.

The Voodoo Cult had always been dangerous, but now it was even more dangerous, and it would become even more dangerous in the future. They would diligently expand their influence, and if left unchecked, they would eventually become a religion that could threaten the Romanican Church.

The Satanists were strong, but they lacked doctrinal cohesion. The Voodoo Cult of the past had cohesion but lacked power. However, the current Voodoo Cult had both power and cohesion. If their power grew to a certain extent, perhaps the Romananican Church would get overthrown by the Voodoo Cult. He had to stop them before that happened.

"Summon the other cardinals. We will convene the council and continue to discuss the matter of the Holy War there.”

Soon, the other cardinals appeared in front of Yu-Hyun. He stood before the cardinals and said, "Let\'s mobilize the Holy Army and prepare for a preemptive strike against the Voodoo Cult. We will bring back our clergymen that the Voodoo Cult has taken."

The cardinals did not respond. Some of the cardinals held opposing views on the Holy War. However, in this situation, statements opposing the Holy War could be perceived as supporting the Voodoo Cult. Therefore, all the cardinals could only nod in agreement with Yu-Hyun\'s statement which effectively paved the way for the Holy War.

“Let’s prioritize the rescue of Jung Ha-Yeon, a member of the Purification Clan.”

If Ha-Yeon had a cooperative relationship with the Voodoo Cult, then the Romanican Church was in danger. No matter what anyone said, the Purification Clan was one of the pillars of the Romanican Church.

They knew too much. They knew about the dark secrets of the Holy See that they didn’t want to be exposed. Even if she wasn\'t collaborating with Sun-Woo, since the Voodoo Cult had kidnapped Ha-Yeon, there was a risk that the information Ha-Yeon knew could be leaked to the Voodoo Cult, either through torture or other methods.

Regardless of the situation, Ha-Yeon had to be rescued. Therefore, the top priority for rescue was Ha-Yeon.

"The second priority is the priest who had acted as my representative in the Festival of Light. Next is Jin-Seo of the Northern Crusader Order."

The second priority was the Pope’s Proxy, and the third priority was Jin-Seo. Recently, Jin-Seo was revered as a hero by the clergymen. The Voodoo Cult had kidnapped her, and if the Romanican Church did not rescue her, the morale of the clergymen and the authority of the Holy See could plummet.

"However, the most urgent task is the assassination of the Cult Leader and the eradication of the Voodoo Cult. Summon the Holy Army and proceed with a \'just and sacred war\' as the focus."

"..."

"There must be spies from the Voodoo Cult within the Romanican Church. Especially among the clergymen involved in celebrating the Festival of Light."

Yu-Hyun stared into the eyes of the cardinals one by one. No one reacted differently to the word \'spy.\'

"Investigate with the inquisitors and the Central Paladin Order as the core," Yu-Hyun said.

"Understood, your Holiness," the cardinals said before withdrawing.

"... "

Once Yu-Hyun was left alone, he stared blankly at the ceiling. The ceiling was decorated with elaborate paintings with numerous people within them. Yu-Hyun gazed at the paintings as if they were about to pour down and cover him at any moment.

***

Sun-Woo was reading a book inside the temporary tent constructed in the Gyeongsang Branch\'s underground chapel.

He had a habit of reading books when he was alone. He was reading a book he had read several times before but didn’t have any specific goal in mind. It was more like a ritual to forget about any distractions, such as guilt, old friendships, or past love.

"Hey, Cult Leader."

Someone had come to find Sun-Woo. He closed the book and turned his head.

"Oh, Soo-Yeong. What\'s up?"

"You\'re reading that book again. How many times have you read it?"

"I haven\'t read this one much. Only about thirteen times."

"Urgh."

Soo-Yeong furrowed her brows as if she couldn\'t understand at all. Sun-Woo stood up from his seat with his staff.

Ever since he couldn\'t use his right arm, he had trouble maintaining his balance, so he used a staff when getting up or walking. Not having the staff didn\'t mean he couldn\'t move freely, but he found it more comfortable to use the staff.

Soo-Yeong glanced briefly at Sun-Woo\'s staff and said, "The priest we caught this time. The white-haired woman."

"Ha-Yeon?"

"Yes. That person."

Soo-Yeong sighed as if she was fed up and continued, "She doesn\'t answer no matter what I ask. She just keeps saying to call Sun-Woo. What am I supposed to do with her? Spells don’t work on her either."

"Did she really say nothing?" Sun-Woo asked as if he found that hard to believe.

Soo-Yeong wasn’t sure if he was doubting her or Ha-Yeon. She frowned slightly as if she felt a little upset.

"She didn\'t say anything! Torture, no, we haven’t exactly tortured her, but still, I questioned her quite forcefully."

"I think I told you not to torture her."

"I didn\'t torture her. I just didn\'t give her water," Soo-Yeong said indignantly.

Soo-Yeong had been assigned the role of interrogating Ha-Yeon this time, but under Sun-Woo\'s orders, she was not supposed to torture her. Not only Ha-Yeon, but also Jin-Seo and all the other priests of the Central Priesthood were not supposed to be subjected to torture. Those were Sun-Woo\'s commands.

"I\'ll do it myself. You take a break."

"Really? I was actually hoping for a break."

"Yeah, take a break.”

He then gripped up his staff and walked away. He made his way to the makeshift barracks where Ha-Yeon and the Romanican Church hostages were being held.

Ha-Yeon was alone, tied up by Granbwa’s plant stems in a corner of the barracks. Ha-Yeon stared into the void with unfocused eyes. When Sun-Woo appeared, her gaze finally shifted to him.

Sun-Woo called her name. "Sung Ha-Yeon."

Ha-Yeon raised her head and stared at Sun-Woo. There was a hint of betrayal in her eyes.

"Why did you tie me up? I don’t have any strength to escape. Even if I run away, I can\'t go far. Besides, I thought our conversation was over back then."

"If I give you special treatment, the other priests will suspect you," Sun-Woo replied dryly.

Ha-Yeon glared sharply at Sun-Woo and clicked her tongue. Then she said, "Then release me now. I can\'t breathe because it\'s suffocating."

"Fine."

Sun-Woo raised his staff. As he did, the plant stems restraining Ha-Yeon withered away instantly.

Ha-Yeon escaped from the corner of the barracks and stretched her body. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled.

"In this battle, I relied on the information you provided, just as you wished," Sun-Woo said.

"It seems so. There were a few parts that I didn\'t like, though."

Sun-Woo ignored Ha-Yeon\'s words. He stepped toward her and said, "Now tell me about the method to destroy the Romanican Church."