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Chapter 344

He only belatedly began to feel the built-up pain and fatigue after he finally managed to return to the Romanican Church camp with the hostages safely contained within the Baal’s Maw. In the end, he lost consciousness.

When Simon regained consciousness, the doctor told him that he had minor cuts and bruises, as well as fractures. While escaping the mountain, Simon had stumbled and fallen several times because the rain made the path slippery, which must have contributed to those injuries.

"..."

Simon lay in the hospital room and listened to news involving the war. He heard the news about how so-and-so clergymen from so-and-so clergy had passed away, and updates on certain regions the Voodoo Cult had occupied in the current battle zones. He also learned about the orders the Holy See issued, how the clergy responded to them, and other things like that.

Simon wanted to be discharged as soon as possible so that he could rush back to the battlefield. It felt awful to be lying around in bed when his comrades were dying in battle.

At the same time, he felt afraid. The images of the Voodoo Cult’s powerhouses, such as Sun-Woo and Yuk Eun-Hyung came to mind, making Simon feel fear and unconsciously have nightmares.

“Deputy Director...”

Two people came to visit him when there was only one day left until his discharge. It was Jin-Seo and apprentice crusader Han Sol. They had been with Simon during the Festival of Light, an incident now known as the Assault of the Festival of Light.

Simon tried to get up from the bed to greet the two people.

"Don’t move," Jin-Seo told Simon.

"Oh, alright."

Simon was about to get up but ended up lying back down on the bed. Jin-Seo and Han Sol pulled chairs over and sat next to the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Jin-Seo asked.

"It feels stuffy ‘cause I’m just lying down all day. I snuck out to do some exercise, but I got caught by the healing priests, and now they’re watching me,” Simon said with a wry smile.

Jin-Seo also smiled and nodded.

Simon glanced at Han Sol and tilted his head in confusion. "Why is Han Sol here? Isn\'t it during school hours?"

"School\'s closed because of the war," Jin-Seo answered.

"Ah."

Simon felt awkward and scratched the back of his head.

"So that’s why I\'m just going to the Northern Crusader Order right now. There\'s nothing else to do..." Han Sol said with a nonchalant smile.

"What do you mean there’s nothing to do? Take your family and evacuate," Simon replied sternly.

Han Sol was an apprentice crusader. Since she was not a regular member of the Crusader Order, she was no longer obligated to report to the Crusader Order. She had no duty to participate in the war. Taking her family to a safe place as soon as possible was all she could do.

Although the Voodoo Cult had not yet attacked any towns and had not targeted any civilians, they may or may not continue to do so in the future. Furthermore, since Han Sol was an apprentice crusader, she could easily become a target of the Voodoo Cult.

Han Sol smiled awkwardly and said, "I don’t have any family..."

"Ah.” Simon felt like he wanted to hide in a mouse hole. "I... I\'m sorry. I honestly didn\'t know."

"It\'s okay! It\'s nothing to be embarrassed about," Han Sol replied cheerfully.

"Yeah... you’re right," Simon said with a nod.

Jin-Seo just quietly listened to them talk. Soon, the three of them started to talk about trivial things. In reality, the things they talked about were related to the war, so they weren’t exactly trivial.

However, they talked about the war as if they were discussing truly trivial matters.

It was understandable. The conflict with the Voodoo Cult had started in early summer, but now, even though cold winds were blowing and leaves were falling, the conflict was still ongoing.

After chatting for a while, Han Sol left because it was getting late. Only Simon and Jin-Seo remained in the hospital room. There was nothing more to say after Han Sol left. Silence filled the room.

Jin-Seo broke the silence.

"I heard that the Holy See is preparing for a full-scale battle. There might be a big battle in winter."

Simon listened to her and nodded. Typically, engaging in battle during winter was not a wise decision. However, winter was not a bad season to engage in battle against the Voodoo Cult.

The rain would turn into snow, plants would wither and die, and even the seeds deep within the ground would be frozen solid, unable to sprout. It was a season where they would be able to somewhat suppress the power of rain and plants that the Cult Leader controlled. Winter was the perfect time if they were preparing to commit to an all-out war.

"Are you planning to participate in the battle, Deputy Director?" Simon asked as he quietly pondered something.

Jin-Seo tilted her head slightly. She directed her gaze downward, indicating that she, too, was contemplating something.

"I have to. It\'s not a situation where I can refuse just because I don\'t want to," Jin-Seo replied.

She was a key member of the Crusader Order and also held a unique symbolic significance. Whether she liked it or not, she was in a position where she had to participate in the battle.

Simon nodded and said, "Yes, indeed. It must be difficult for you, Deputy Director..."

"Well, it’s not particularly difficult—"

Simon interrupted Jin-Seo. "Deputy Director."

Jin-Seo glanced at Simon, and Simon stared at Jin-Seo. His usual playful demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a serious gaze. It seemed like he had something to say. Simon gulped, closed his eyes tightly, and then opened them.

"Deputy Director, you were with the Cult Leader... Sun-Woo in Florence Academy, right?"

"Yes, for about a year and a half."

"Did you know Sun-Woo from Florence Academy?"

"I knew him. We were both members of the student council."

Jin-Seo deliberately gave a vague answer. She couldn\'t bring herself to say that she was close with Sun-Woo. She couldn\'t accurately and honestly describe their relationship. Jin-Seo had to treat the time and memories spent with Sun-Woo at Florence Academy as if they had never existed, and she really hated that fact. She hated it, but she didn\'t show it. She couldn\'t show it.

"I see," Simon said.

"Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

"Oh, it just... it suddenly crossed my mind. I was thinking, what if I had also been acquaintances with Sun-Woo, just like you?"

"You must be really bored."

Simon chuckled. "Yes. They didn’t even let me exercise. I could only pass the time by thinking about things like this."

He turned his head to gaze outside the window. As winter approached, the world was becoming subtly paler.

"So, what was the conclusion?" Jin-Seo asked.

"If I had been friendly with Sun-Woo, I might hesitate to cut him down. On the other hand, due to feeling betrayed, I might be able to attack him with more conviction..."

"..."

"And then... Well, it’s not like I was really on good terms with him. It seemed funny to seriously consider it, so I just stopped thinking about it."

It was a lackluster conversation. However, Jin-Seo found the conversation exceedingly uncomfortable. To Simon, it was a trivial matter that did not require serious consideration, but to Jin-Seo, it was reality.

"Seeing how you think about such pointless things, you must have completely recovered,” Jin-Seo commented.

"Of course. Even if I were to be deployed into battle right now, I would do better than most."

"Alright, I\'m going. Take care," Jin-Seo said as she got up from her seat.

She then left the hospital room. As soon as she exited the hospital, she instinctively reached for a cigarette to put in her mouth, but there was no lighter. She had left it in Simon\'s room.

"Tsk."

Jin-Seo clicked her tongue, crushed the cigarette pack, and threw it into a nearby trash can. She didn\'t really feel like smoking a cigarette, and it felt like she would feel the same way in the future too.

Jin-Seo just decided to quit smoking of her own accord. No one had ever forced her to quit. It wasn’t like someone would grant her wish if she quit smoking. Regardless, she threw away all the cigarettes she had because she wanted to do so.

***

In-Ah was investigated. Her younger sister, Yoon-Ah, had been arrested on suspicion of collusion with the Voodoo Cult. Consequently, since In-Ah was part of her family, she naturally came under suspicion as well. The inquisitors and paladins made a complete mess in her house, and the inquisitors pried into all of In-Ah\'s relationships.

Not only did she have to show all her work emails of her time working as a teacher at Florence Academy, but she also had to reveal all personal interactions she had exchanged with others to the inquisitors in order to prove her innocence. Ultimately, In-Ah was cleared of all charges. She had no contact with the Voodoo Cult. However, Yoon-Ah failed to prove her innocence.

Colluding with an enemy during a wartime situation was not a crime that could simply be labeled as ‘colluding with a cult.’ She was also charged with insurrection and mass slaughter. In the best scenario, she would end up in the underground prison. Given the circumstances, she might even face the death penalty.

"What should we do? How did this happen? There must have been a mistake. Yoon-Ah wouldn’t have done something like that, right? In-Ah, In-Ah. How about you go and explain to them? Yoon-Ah wouldn’t have done that, right?" Yoon-Ah’s mother sobbed, refusing to accept reality.

She believed that everything was a mistake due to a misunderstanding. Perhaps reality would be too unbearable for her if she didn’t believe that it was a misunderstanding. On the other hand, In-Ah did not know if it was because her father had resigned himself to it or because he had gone half-mad, but he just sat there and stared blankly into space.

In-Ah\'s parents were clergymen. They tried contacting the Holy See and related departments several times to prove Yoon-Ah\'s innocence. However, they were rejected.

Later, they even tried to request a meeting, but all their requests were rejected. Despite using every method possible, they were unable to even have a meeting, let alone prove Yoon-Ah\'s innocence.

Her mother was now asking In-Ah to request a meeting. In-Ah was a former priest and had some influence. She believed that if In-Ah requested it, the Holy See might listen to some extent.

"Yes, I’ll try. I’ll do whatever I can, Mom," In-Ah said.

In-Ah had already attempted several times but failed. However, she didn\'t feel the need to inform her mother about that. To her mother, In-Ah was the last hope to save Yoon-Ah. Her mother would lose her mind if she found out that even that final ray of hope was gone.

In-Ah stepped outside. She wanted to feel the wind. She couldn\'t breathe inside her house. At least she was able to breathe a little outside. But things didn\'t go as planned, because her stomach churned.

It was the same as back then. Back when Yoon-Ah had gone missing, In-Ah had been completely powerless, just like now.

She felt the same sense of helplessness that she had felt in the past, with nothing to rely on. She didn\'t belong anywhere, nor was she on anyone\'s side. She wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to run.

In-Ah crouched on the street and muttered, "Help me..."

She simply wished for someone to save her.