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Chapter 359

However, one year and six months was not a long time. One and a half years was short, considering each event\'s ripple effects and influence on the Romanican Church members.

Despite the grace period to make the proclamation, the Romanican Church’s conservative faction vehemently opposed the idea. Their main argument was that the conflict with the Voodoo Cult could never end, as they believed that the Voodoo Cult would eventually attack the Romanican Church and ultimately try to seize all of its power.

Most moderate factions of the Romanican Church supported ending the conflict with the Voodoo Cult. They saw no reason to label them as heretics, especially after effectively eliminating their greatest enemy, the Satanists. However, as the opposition voices from the Romanican Church’s conservative faction persisted, Ha-Yeon called together a council.

"This is the current Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, Soo-Yeong."

Ha-Yeon invited Soo-Yeong, the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, to the council. This was shocking not only to the conservatives but also to the moderates.

There would undoubtedly be resistance, but Ha-Yeon had her reasons. Without the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, the Pope could not talk very convincingly about reconciliation and coexistence alone. The conflict with the Voodoo Cult could only subside when the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult and the Pope of the Romanican Church met, had a direct conversation, and signed a peace treaty of sorts.

“Our stance is no different from before. Leave us be, and we will leave you be as well,” Soo-Yeong said.

The stance conveyed through Soo-Yeong\'s words on behalf of the Voodoo Cult was not much different from before.

Leave us alone.

It was simple. Unless the Romanican Church showed hostility toward the Voodoo Cult first, the Voodoo Cult would not be hostile toward the Romanican Church.

"We made that decision when we declared that we would end the conflict between us. Wouldn’t you say that the Romanican Church does not have any reason to provoke the Voodoo Cult?" Ha-Yeon said.

Everyone had already seen the consequences of the Romanican Church taking a hostile stance toward the Voodoo Cult and starting the Second Holy War. With the Pope dead and the status of the Romanican Church greatly diminished after the Second Holy War, there was no reason for them to provoke the Voodoo Cult again. No, it’d be correct to say they couldn’t touch them.

"Then there\'s nothing more to discuss. With this, I declare a complete end to the conflict with the Voodoo Cult once again," Ha-Yeon said.

Some of the cardinals and archbishops who participated in the council were not pleased with Ha-Yeon’s declaration but did not show it. The faction supporting Ha-Yeon had overwhelmingly more power than the opposing faction.

At that moment, someone asked, "Out of personal curiosity, is the Loa\'s power with you, Cult Leader Soo-Yeong?"

The question was unexpected, and it captured the attention of the participating cardinals and the archbishops. Even in a situation where the conflict had ended, knowing who possessed the power of Loa was important. The Voodoo Cult primarily derived its power, firepower, authority, and prestige from the power of Loa.

"I will not answer."

However, Soo-Yeong did not answer. Ha-Yeon nodded upon hearing the response. It was a wise answer not to speak about it at the moment.

Yeon furrowed his brows slightly, but not enough for Soo-Yeong to notice. He didn’t seem convinced.

Yeon asked, "I would also like to ask about the life and death of the Third Cult Leader, Sun-Woo. Would this question also be difficult to answer? This is not a question based on personal curiosity, but one closely related to the purpose of this council."

Soo-Yeong shook her head.

"No. It is still difficult to say who possesses the power of Loa, that is, who the Prophet is. I can say that part for sure."

"Does the Voodoo Cult consider him dead? Or do you see a possibility that he is alive?"

"The Third Cult Leader, Sun-Woo, is dead. Absolutely. We are sure of it."

"Absolutely..." Yeon nodded his head, repeating Soo-Yeong\'s words.

‘Absolutely.’ It wasn’t necessary for her to emphasize that statement. However, Soo-Yeong had emphasized those words. There were various meanings behind that emphasis. Yeon thought that Soo-Yeong, the Fourth Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult, was not as easygoing as she seemed.

"If you say so, then there\'s no need to ask further."

Ha-Yeon nodded, ending the uncomfortable Q&A session.

The council continued. There were discussions about the relationship with the Voodoo Cult. However, the majority of the time was devoted to proposing enhancements for both the Holy See of the Romanican Church and the Romanican Church itself.

Ha-Yeon and Yeon presented various measures to prevent corruption, abuse, and the instrumentalization of religion for secular purposes. Among them was a decree against marriage for the Pope and some prelates. The positions of the Pope and prelates should not be hereditary but given to qualified individuals, which was the reason for the decree. While the external justification was clear, Pope Ha-Yeon’s true intentions were unknown.

"And with that, I conclude this council."

Ha-Yeon\'s final words marked the end of the council. It took some time for the clergymen to disperse, as there were many of them, and they showed interest in Soo-Yeong, the Fourth Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.

Ha-Yeon pushed through the crowd and made her exit. The crowd made her feel uneasy. Stepping outside and feeling the cool breeze, she felt a sense of relief. She looked up and saw the pale winter sky regaining its color. Spring was on its way.

"He\'s dead, absolutely..." Ha-Yeon repeated what Soo-Yeong had said earlier.

Soo-Yeong had asserted that Sun-Woo was dead despite lacking evidence to confirm his death. The truth could not be known.

If they said he was dead, then he was dead. Even if he had been alive, he wouldn\'t have been able to act conspicuously in the eyes of people once Soo-Yeong officially declared him dead. He would have had to continue hiding his identity and living quietly in a secluded place.

Perhaps that was the method of repentance that Sun-Woo devised for himself. In any case, Sun-Woo would no longer be a threat to the Romanican Church. That much was certain.

"..."

Ha-Yeon thought that Sun-Woo was still alive. There was no evidence to confirm his survival, just as there was no evidence to prove his death. However, she decided just to think that way. It seemed better that way.

***

The Romanican Church clergymen still existed, but a few changes were made during the council meeting.

The positions of prelates associated with the Romanican Church conservative faction were demoted by several levels, and some personnel adjustments were made. With the end of the conflict with the Voodoo Cult, some universal codes of conduct for the clergy were modified.

However, apart from the unique position of the prelates associated with the Romanican Church conservative faction, there were no significant changes. The clergymen who participated in the Holy War did not receive any benefits, which was natural given that they had lost. However, they did not suffer any disadvantages, at least for the clergymen who did not raise objections to the current Holy See.

It was not different for Su-Ryeon after participating in the Holy War. She did not receive any benefits or disadvantages. And just like before the Holy War, she reported to the Crusader Order for duty. There wasn\'t much to do. The Voodoo Cult was no longer a threat. Of course, demons and demonic beasts still existed, and there were still Satanists, but they didn\'t have the same notoriety as before.

Su-Ryeon commuted to work on weekdays and took weekends off. Occasionally, she visited Dae-Man\'s family. And very occasionally, she met Min-Seo.

"How have you been lately?" Su-Ryeon asked.

Min-Seo was still in the holy artifact business.

"Not bad. Business is a bit slow now, but better than before. Making a lot of money during the Holy War helped," Min-Seo said.

According to Min-Seo, sales peaked during the Second Holy War with the Voodoo Cult. There had been a decline since then, but it was still better than before the Holy War. Nowadays, she not only sold battle holy artifacts but also versatile holy artifacts with various functions, so fortunately, the business was sailing smoothly.

Su-Ryeon listened to Min-Seo even though she didn’t fully understand. It seemed like things were going well, and she was glad.

"How about your sibling?" Su-Ryeon asked.

Min-Seo hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "He\'s doing well. He moved out."

"Really? What about your other family members? Do you keep in touch?"

"Sometimes my so-called father tries to contact me. I used to ignore him, but now I just... send him some living expenses."

"That\'s good."

It was indeed fortunate. Min-Seo forced a bitter smile. She always seemed to have a twisted smile, but now she seemed to know how to smile properly, even if it was bitter.

"When I was young, I wanted to kill that person, but these days, I don\'t feel that way anymore. Maybe I have forgiven him,” Min-Seo said.

Su-Ryeon smiled. After taking a sip of coffee, Min-Seo glanced at Su-Ryeon and asked, "How about you?"

"Me? I, well... I can’t say for sure right now," Su-Ryeon said, deliberately smiling brightly.

They parted ways. Min-Seo couldn\'t meet often because of work. Even though they only talked about each other\'s current situations after meeting for a long time, it was enjoyable and satisfying.

When Su-Ryeon returned home, she drank beer. It had been a while since she had touched alcohol, but she suddenly craved it. She was just sipping beer and not paying a lot of attention to the movie playing on her TV when she received a text message. Su-Ryeon checked the message. She thought it was from Min-Seo, but it wasn\'t.

"..."

It was a deposit message. Su-Ryeon received a tremendous deposit into her account—a level of cash that she couldn\'t even touch in her lifetime working as a crusader. The amount was so overwhelming that it scared her and made her wonder if it was some kind of scam.

"Who is Jin-Sung?"

The depositor\'s name was Jin-Sung. Shortly after, Dae-Man\'s parents contacted her. They also received money and thought that Su-Ryeon had sent it. Su-Ryeon explained that she had also received money herself.

The person who gave them the money, as well as Jin-Sung, remained unknown.

***

"And study hard during the vacation. You know that right now is the most important time for you all, right?" In-Ah said.

The students were just waiting for In-Ah to finish. Their eyes twinkled brightly. Although she found it reprehensible that their dead eyes, staring into space, were all lit up, In-Ah understood. She felt the same way when she attended Florence Academy too.

"Anyway, have a good vacation, everyone. Don\'t go to strange places and get hurt. Dismissed!"

With those words from In-Ah, Florence Academy began its vacation. The students happily rushed out of the classroom and went home.

In-Ah was still a teacher. Florence Academy still stood where it had been. Due to the Holy War, there were many changes, and Florence Academy naturally had to change.

In-Ah had changed a bit, too. First, she became a homeroom teacher and also led the teaching of blessings in the Department of Priests. Students used to tease her due to her impulsive nature and many mistakes, but she felt more relaxed now, thanks to adapting to the life of a teacher. It was a significant change.

After the vacation ceremony, In-Ah went to the teacher\'s office. There was still work to be done.

"So, have you reflected on your actions?" In-Ah said to the student standing in the teacher\'s office.

He was a student from the Class of Charity, where In-Ah was the homeroom teacher. The student excelled in academics and practical skills. One of his parents was a prelate, so he also had a deep faith. He had also consulted about his future career path, aspiring to join the Department of Priests. In many ways, he was a student with high expectations.

"...”

"You still haven\'t come to your senses."

Such an outstanding student was in the teacher\'s office on a day like this, of all days, because of school violence. Florence Academy was still an academy for Romanican Church clergymen under Her Holiness. Therefore, students had to know how to use divine power and at least have some faith in the Romanican Church.

However, unlike in the past, the presence of a Voodooist in a student\'s family no longer resulted in admission rejection. The Voodooists were no longer considered heretics after all. But the student standing in front of In-Ah had been continuously hurling insults like \'heretic\' and \'spawn of evil\' at another student in a Voodooist family.

"The Voodooists are no longer considered heretical. They aren’t heretics. They are just from a different religion," In-Ah said.

The student bowed their head deeply and fell silent. In-Ah waited for the student to respond. The student raised their head and looked at In-Ah. Their eyes were red, and tears welled up.

"That\'s just what the Holy See decided," the student said boldly, looking In-Ah straight in the eye.

Much had changed, but some things remained the same. Just as the clergy academy, Florence Academy, still existed, some considered the Voodooists as heretical, criticized them, and bullied students in the family who were part of the Voodooists.

Despite the official proclamation by the Holy See that the \'Voodooists were not heretical,\' such people still existed on Earth.

"Who decided that they were heretics? Did you decide that?"

However, things were better than they were for the Holy See, In-Ah, and Florence Academy. Now, anyone could enter Florence Academy even if they had relatives in the Voodoo Church or even if their siblings and parents were Voodooists. Anyone was welcome to attend Florence Academy if they had the qualifications and sincerely desired to become a Romanican Church clergyman.

"The only reason we won’t escalate further is because the wronged student showed mercy. You should be thankful."

"Yes, ma’am."

After giving the student a proper scolding, In-Ah instructed them to go home. Even though she had held back, she had detained the student for thirty minutes, so the student must have realized something.

After seeing the student off, In-Ah let out a deep sigh. Some groups still rejected the Voodooists, but on the other hand, some groups embraced and supported them. In-Ah thought that both the world and the students would gradually change for the better in the future. It would be nice if it were so.

"Um, Teacher."

While finishing up urgent matters and preparing to leave work, a student she had never seen approached In-Ah. No, they were one of those students she recognized by face but didn\'t know their name because they lacked characteristics.

"Yes. What is it?"

"Someone asked me to give this to you earlier..."

The student handed a letter to her and then left.

In-Ah stared at the letter the student had given her in silence. She felt strange about it. There were a few cases where people conveyed their thoughts through letters.

Was it a lucky letter or something like that? In-Ah felt uneasy and hesitantly took out the letter and unfolded it.

Her eyes widened the moment she read the first sentence.

To Unnie.