The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 24

Waaaaahhh!

An ambulance wailed its siren. Residents passing by gathered around the park in clusters. Commotion came to the quiet park.

"Your legs. Can you stand up?"

"Yeah."

I helped Kim Jin-seo up by pulling her hand. Her legs trembled slightly as she stood up with difficulty. Still, it didn’t seem to hinder her standing or walking. She had good recovery ability.

"I’ll go first."

While Kim Jin-seo was brushing the dirt off her clothes, I prepared to leave.

"Go? Where?"

"I have to go home. I have school tomorrow too."

"The hospital. The holy knights will come soon too. To investigate."

As she said, holy knights would soon come rushing to this place. To investigate the incident. The appearance of a demon race in the heart of downtown was by no means a small incident. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

That’s why I was planning to leave this place.

"I’m not hurt anywhere so the hospital is fine. And I don’t want to be investigated."

"Ah..."

Kim Jin-seo sighed and looked over the ashes scattered everywhere.

"Let’s just say you defeated the demon race by yourself."

"You want me to lie?"

"Just say it like that. It’s not wrong."

Kim Jin-seo used a miracle to burn the demon race’s flesh. It wouldn’t be wrong to say she defeated the demon race.

The reason I went to such lengths was simple. I didn’t want to be investigated by the holy knights. There was nothing good about getting involved with them. As the leader of the Voodoo sect, I especially had to avoid the holy knights.

"Please. I trust you. Thank you."

Waaaaahhh!

The siren sound gradually got closer. I left those words to Kim Jin-seo and hurriedly left the park. Since there was no time to be leisurely, I kept my farewell as short and concise as possible.

I walked through the crowd and glanced back at the park. Holy knights had already poured out of the ambulance that had arrived and were asking Kim Jin-seo various questions. Kim Jin-seo was faithfully answering despite being in a confused state.

Walking almost at a run, I finally got completely away from the park. The night breeze was cold. There I recalled Baron Samedi’s advice.

"Be careful of fire."

Kim Jin-seo used a ’miracle’ to reproduce a pillar of fire. The pillar of fire burned the flesh that had stuck to me and turned it to ash. The pillar of fire only burned the demon race’s flesh without causing any harm to me.

Nevertheless, I felt intense pain as if burning in flames. It was because the image of my father being burned at the stake 7 years ago suddenly came to mind. Then I collapsed and burst into tears, resenting the ashes that scattered and disappeared.

Even though 7 years had passed, my father’s death was vivid. Even now, just seeing flames reminded me of that time and made me sad and hurt. The emotions didn’t disappear but remained inside, boiling endlessly.

[Go home quickly today and rest. You look tired.]

"Yes. I am tired."

[Right. Trauma isn’t something you can easily overcome. Oh, avoiding the investigation was very well done. You rarely do such wise things.]

"Just leave out the ’rarely’ part."

[You usually do too many foolish things. It’s rare to see you do wise things.]

We had meaningless conversation as I returned home. Various thoughts occurred to me. Go Jun-min became a demon race and died. What was the Satan worshipper’s purpose in turning him into a demon race? Kim Jin-seo was terrified and lost her fighting spirit as soon as she saw the demon race. Why was she so afraid of demon races?

[You seem very interested in the child called Kim Jin-seo.]

Legba said as if teasing me.

"I’m just curious. It’s not interest."

[Isn’t that the same thing? Well, at seventeen you’d be very interested in girls. It would be better not to get close to the child called Kim Jin-seo.]

"Why?"

Not to get close? I couldn’t understand what Legba meant. Kim Jin-seo was the daughter of Florence’s chairman. Even judging rationally while excluding personal feelings, she was one of the people it wouldn’t hurt to be close to.

[I’ll explain when you get home.]

"Ah, can’t you just tell me now?"

[No. There are people around.]

Legba was firm. Someone was walking toward us from the opposite side. I quickly passed by him and headed home. My steps naturally quickened out of curiosity.

* * *

"All the CCTVs around there were destroyed, so we had to rely on eyewitness testimony. I’m really sorry for keeping you so late."

"No, it’s fine. Is the investigation over?"

"Yes, go home now. Thank you so much for responding faithfully."

Kim Jin-seo finished the investigation and left the holy knight order. She had no energy at all.

The one who became a demon race was a student named Go Jun-min, and he was a Florence classmate. While having a private conversation after meeting to talk, Go Jun-min suddenly transformed into a demon race. During the battle, she performed a ’miracle’ to summon a pillar of fire and defeated the demon race with it. Kim Jin-seo told the holy knights this entire sequence of events in detail.

However, she didn’t mention anything about Do Seon-woo. She didn’t want to lie to the holy knights. But she also couldn’t ignore Do Seon-woo’s request.

"I trust you."

Do Seon-woo’s voice lingered in her ears. The reason Kim Jin-seo listened to Do Seon-woo’s request, even lying to the holy knights, was all because of those words.

’Why did he have to say something like that?’

Kim Jin-seo grumbled inwardly. Do Seon-woo would probably never know how difficult those words made things for her. It was quite vexing. Still, she didn’t feel like she disliked it. She just felt curious.

’Is he afraid of holy knights?’

Do Seon-woo seemed to fear holy knights. Unless you’re a criminal, there’s no reason to fear holy knights. Then why would Do Seon-woo fear holy knights? Could he be a criminal? Or an ex-convict? The possibility was low. Ex-convicts can’t enroll in Florence.

Only questions abounded. Kim Jin-seo had arrived home before she knew it. It was a large, spacious, luxurious house like a palace. Even after living there for years, she hadn’t gotten used to it.

"You’re back, dear."

When Kim Jin-seo greeted him sourly, her father and Florence chairman Kim Chang-won came running out.

"You’re back! Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?"

"Yeah, I’m fine."

"I was so worried about what happened to you, really... I was so surprised when I got the call. Are you really okay?"

Kim Chang-won wiped away tears. He was an affectionate and tender-hearted person.

"I’m really fine. It wasn’t a big deal."

"Well, that’s a relief but... You must have been very scared, so go inside and rest quickly. I tear up more as I get older, sorry about that."

"It’s okay." Kim Jin-seo smiled slightly.

Go Jun-min stalking and secretly filming her. Him becoming a demon race and trying to kill her. Being completely drained from the investigation. Kim Jin-seo summarized all of this as ’not a big deal.’ She knew how to pretend to be okay even when she wasn’t.

Kim Jin-seo, who was about to enter her room, suddenly stopped.

"Um, father."

It was still awkward to call him dad. She didn’t know when it would become natural.

"Yes?"

"The kid who received the commendation with me this time. His name was, Do Seon-woo I think."

Kim Jin-seo clearly remembered Do Seon-woo’s three-character name but pretended to be uncertain.

"Were there any special circumstances or anything like that when he enrolled?"

During the practical, he couldn’t even do basic healing properly, yet he casually reattached her finger then. Even after absorbing the pain of 30 people, he never once showed that it hurt. While she was unconscious, he defeated Go Jun-min who had become a demon race.

There were too many strange things about Do Seon-woo. He seemed like he was hiding his real abilities. His inner thoughts were also unknowable.

"Do Seon-woo. Do Seon-woo."

Kim Chang-won stroked his chin. His thoughts seemed vague, as if he almost remembered. Eventually Kim Chang-won’s eyes widened.

"Ah! That student. He entered through special admission."

"Special admission?"

"He entered through the special screening for children of martyred clergy. His mother passed away in the holy war."

"Ah..."

Kim Jin-seo sighed. She felt dizzy as if hit on the head with a hammer.

"I was worried because his entrance scores were poor. I wondered if he might feel discouraged. But seeing him receive a commendation this time put my mind at ease."

Kim Jin-seo nodded slightly.

"But why are you suddenly asking about that student? Did he do something to you?"

"No, no. I was just curious."

"You can ask if you have any other questions. Even trivial ones."

Kim Chang-won seemed to want to talk a bit more.

"It’s fine. I’ll go in now."

However, Kim Jin-seo ended the conversation and went into her room. Her head was complicated, and above all, it was awkward. She was still clumsy at having conversations with her father.

Kim Jin-seo threw herself on the bed and suddenly looked at the bracelet on her left wrist. The crude bracelet woven with pale yellow string looked ready to break at any moment. It was something she received from her birth mother, whose face she could no longer remember.

’So that’s why.’

Do Seon-woo’s mother died as a martyr in the holy war. Now she seemed to understand why Do Seon-woo feared holy knights so much. Hiding his real abilities at school was probably for the same reason.

"You’re having a hard time living too."

She muttered to herself vaguely. There was no one listening.

* * *

[That’s a 12-year-old article. The related one next to it is from 5 years ago. These days just moving your fingers brings up information. How convenient.]

Legba, who had returned home with me, showed me two articles. One about Kim Chang-won and his wife adopting a girl 12 years ago, and another about a housewife being killed by a demon race 5 years ago.

[The child Kim Chang-won and his wife adopted 12 years ago is Kim Jin-seo. The housewife killed by the demon race is Kim Jin-seo’s mother. Not her birth mother, but still.]

It was a somewhat shocking story.

"When did you look this up?"

[Baron Samedi told me. That guy collects all kinds of useless information too.]

"Why does he keep investigating people’s backgrounds?"

[I don’t know. I can’t understand it either. He’s a sleazy and gloomy fellow.]

Legba badmouthed Baron Samedi. The two seemed to have a good relationship yet not good at the same time.

"Well, that aside, what are you telling me to do about it?"

Combining the article content and Legba’s words, there were two pieces of information I could obtain. That Kim Jin-seo grew up in an orphanage, and that her adoptive mother was killed by a demon race.

I could understand why Kim Jin-seo feared demon races. But no matter how I thought about it, there was no reason I shouldn’t get close to Kim Jin-seo.

"You’re not telling me not to get close to her because she’s an orphan, are you?"

[That’s also correct. However, it’s not just because of that.]

"I’m an orphan too, though it’s awkward to say."

[That’s why I said it’s not just because of that.]

"Yes, tell me."

Legba cleared his throat unhappily for a moment and opened his mouth.

[Look at the article from 6 years ago, right below that.]

I examined the article as Legba instructed. It was an article from 1 year before Kim Jin-seo’s adoptive mother died in an accident. It was about an 11-year-old elementary student performing a ’miracle’ to defeat magical beasts. Everyone praised the child’s talent and courage. The child’s name was Kim Jin-seo.

[Then 1 year later, Satan worshippers who feared the child’s talent attacked the child’s home. But the child wasn’t home. In the end, the adoptive mother died in the child’s place.]

That was how Kim Jin-seo’s adoptive mother came to die.

"She’s a genius. Using a ’miracle’ at age 11."

[Tremendous talent.]

’Miracles’ are the highest difficulty among methods of using divine power. Some people first use ’miracles’ at age 30, and some never use ’miracles’ in their entire lives.

Kim Jin-seo used it at age 11. It was talent that even calling it tremendous wouldn’t be enough. Truly God-given talent.

[But as a result, that talent became poison instead.]

However, Kim Jin-seo’s adoptive mother died because of that talent too. If she hadn’t had talent, Satan worshippers wouldn’t have coveted Kim Jin-seo, and her adoptive mother wouldn’t have died.

But thinking about it, there were quite a few strange points.

"...But why didn’t she use miracles then?"

She used a miracle to defeat magical beasts at age 11. That means she still knows how to use miracles now. Her skills might have improved even more since then.

However, when all the dogs in the livestock barn turned into magical beasts, she didn’t use miracles. If she had used miracles to quickly resolve the situation, I wouldn’t have fainted from using Granboa’s power.

[That’s why I told you not to get close to her. The child called Kim Jin-seo seems to be hiding her real abilities.]

"Her real abilities? But why?"

[She probably judged that if her talent became known to the world, her family would be in danger.]

"Ah."

Kim Jin-seo used a miracle to drive away magical beasts at age 11. At 17 now, she used a miracle again to defeat a demon race. Truly overwhelming talent. If such facts reached Satan worshippers’ ears, they would again lead demon races to try to kill Kim Jin-seo. Because Kim Jin-seo’s talent is brilliant enough to threaten the entire Satan worship sect in the future.

If that happened, not only Kim Jin-seo but also Kim Chang-won, her adoptive father, would be in danger. That seemed to be why Kim Jin-seo was hiding her real abilities.

[The child called Kim Jin-seo hides too much. Even if you get close, she’ll hide, conceal, and try to deceive you. She’ll never reveal her true feelings.]

"So that’s why you’re telling me not to get close?"

[Right. If possible, don’t even get involved with her at all.]

Legba spoke firmly. Don’t even get involved.

"There’s no need to go that far."

[There’s no need to get close either. If you hang around with someone who has a shady background, you’ll inevitably get caught up in troublesome matters.]

"Still, I don’t think I need to avoid her."

Kim Jin-seo would never reveal her real abilities. Even if we got close, she would hide her true feelings, and might even try to deceive me. To protect herself and her family.

However, I also have many things to hide. I’m also hiding the fact that I’m the leader of the Voodoo sect and that I can handle Voodoo magic power.

[You can’t turn back after getting close. Don’t get close in the first place, and don’t get involved either. That’s best.]

"Come on, still."

[What’s your reason for helping that child while ignoring my advice? Is it simply because she’s pretty? Don’t be bewitched by appearance. It’s foolish.]

Legba poured out harsh words without rest. It’s true that Kim Jin-seo is pretty. But that doesn’t mean I was bewitched by her appearance. I don’t help someone for such simple reasons in the first place.

"It’s not because of her appearance."

[Then?]

"Just... she seems to be living a really hard life too."

Sympathy? Should I call it pity? It was a complex and vague emotion, so it was hard to express exactly in words.

[It would be more accurate to see it as a sense of kinship.]

"Oh, that seems right too."

[Do as you please. It’s not me but you who’ll get into trouble.]

Legba’s tone was blunt. He seemed slightly sulky.