The Mad Priest of the Slums

Someone might be cursing me inwardly, thinking that I’m shaking the long-standing foundations of District 12. No—it’s certain that they are.

However, that is a grave misunderstanding.

Breaking the skulls of a few restaurant owners wasn’t about shaking up District 12. Rather, it was about faithfully enforcing the law of the strong, which applies to all slums at their very core.

The ingredients they used for cooking were in terrible condition.

They didn’t have the skills to make up for it.

And the taste? So bad even their own parents wouldn’t eat it.

If at least the prices were reasonable, I might have let it slide.

But their shameless greed led them to charge absurd prices.

Leaving that unchecked—now that would be behavior unfit for the slums. At least, that’s how I see it.

“Haa… Let’s head back.”

Maybe because I had exerted myself as much as I had eaten, my digestion felt smooth. I turned my steps toward the building that had belonged to me since yesterday—one that I hadn’t even named yet.

“Vita.”

“Yes?”

Was it from the moment I smashed the second shop owner’s head?

Since then, the sharp glint in her eyes had dulled into something heavier, and her attitude had become noticeably more respectful.

“Do you think my actions were too extreme?”

“Not at all. If anything, it was refreshing.”

It was a question I had asked purely out of curiosity, wanting to hear her honest thoughts. Her answer, however, piqued my interest.

“Why?”

“They were serving garbage so awful that even the mother who birthed them would slap them for it. And the prices? So outrageously greedy, even their father would have shaken his head in disbelief.”

She didn’t seem to be choosing her words carefully.

It appeared that she simply had a naturally rough way of speaking.

“You did those pieces of trash a favor by ensuring their parents wouldn’t have to forsake their own blood. They should be grateful to you.”

“That’s amusing.”

If she saw it as praise, then it could be considered as such.

But really, it was nothing more than her honest thoughts.

“What about you, John? What do you think?”

“I… I think the same.”

John, our bodyguard, who likely wouldn’t be around much longer, was neither particularly competent as a guard nor interesting as a person.

After I ordered him to release the man we had abducted along with Vita, he had grown more cautious. But from walking around with him, I noticed that he got distracted far too often.

He might not have realized it himself, but it was obvious that somewhere deep in his subconscious, he thought that since I was a Priest, he could afford to let his guard down a little.

‘Honestly, Vita is the better one here.’

Perhaps it was an essential survival instinct for slum dwellers who weren’t part of an organization.

Even with me beside her, Vita constantly darted her eyes left and right, staying alert to her surroundings.

Compared to a certain someone who was currently staring blankly at a woman across the street, her clothes little more than tattered rags—Vita was a far better example.

**

Back at the building, I headed to the second floor instead of the third.

“John, stand by the entrance and don’t let anyone in.”

“Understood.”

Since I had a feeling we wouldn’t be seeing each other for long, I sent John outside.

He, too, seemed more comfortable being alone outside than staying with me, as he quickly disappeared downstairs.

‘I meant for him to stand in front of the second-floor door, though.’

It’s not like this place lacks windows—anyone with the intent could easily sneak in through one.

Yet John left his supposed charge in such a vulnerable spot and simply went straight to the first floor.

“Make yourself comfortable.”

“Ah, yes…”

Vita and I sat across from each other on the sofas.

“I have a few questions for you. They’re necessary for your treatment, so I’d appreciate honest answers.”

“Understood.”

It wouldn’t trouble me even if she lied.

It would only prolong the treatment and make things harder on her.

Before asking, I pulled out a notebook where I had roughly jotted down my schedule and took out the fountain pen tucked in my front pocket.

“Vita, do you have a dream?”

“A… dream?”

“Yes.”

“…….”

Until now, she had answered every question readily.

But now, just like when she first faced me after being kidnapped, her expression grew serious, and a deep wrinkle formed between her brows.

“Not a dream, but… I think I have a goal.”

After a long deliberation, she seemed to have come to a conclusion. She lifted her head, met my gaze, and spoke.

“To take revenge on those bastards who drugged me.”

“Be more specific.”

“Uh, hmm…”

She furrowed her brows again.

“I’ll track down every single one of them. If it’s a man, I’ll shoot him in the ass. If it’s a woman, then right between the legs—”

“Men would probably find that more painful, too.”

“Uh, well, I heard that guys consider getting it up the ass more humiliating.”

Her utterly unfiltered response made me chuckle silently.

The people I had met so far were from the slums, yet none of them really felt like slum dwellers.

But the woman sitting before me—she carried the scent of the slums.

And I liked that.

“Have you ever thought about what comes after?”

“Not really…”

“Because it feels unrealistic?”

“…….”

Looking slightly sheepish, Vita nodded.

“It’s important to be aware of your own limitations and accept reality. It’s not a bad mindset.”

Chasing meaningless ideals was a waste.

It was better to be a realist like her, who only considered feasible goals.

“But this is just a hypothetical. Try imagining a life after your revenge. I’ll give you plenty of time.”

“Hmm…”

I waited patiently.

Her treatment length depended on what kind of future she envisioned.

“After pulling off one big job… I’d like to leave this place and live a quiet life in a rural town.”

“A quiet life. Like what, for example?”

“I’d like to grow a small orchard as a hobby.”

“Do you have any thoughts on romance or marriage?”

“Not particularly. But… if I met someone I liked, who knows?”

I jotted down her words quickly, adding my own interpretations.

“By the way, for someone who’s addicted, you don’t seem to be in particularly bad shape.”

“Compared to other addicts, I probably look that way. I only take just enough to avoid withdrawal symptoms.”

Vita extended her hands toward me.

Though faint, they were trembling nonstop.

“I keep my mind intact, but I always have to deal with this.”

“But if you take a full dose, the symptoms vanish?”

“Yes. But my mind deteriorates rapidly.”

“That’s vicious.”

“…I’d rather deal with rapists in heat. Drug dealers? They should all be fed to the monsters.”

As she clenched her hands, the veins on the back of them bulged.

Even that was probably a controlled display of her anger.

Scratch, scratch.

She fell silent as I took notes, leaving only the sound of my pen scratching against the paper.

‘This should be enough.’

I had structured a reasonable story.

The missing pieces would be filled in by the dreamer’s own memories.

“Please close your eyes for a moment.”

“Alright.”

For the past hour, she had sat still like a stone.

Now, she covered her face with both hands.

I withdrew money from the Benefits Bank and converted it into Vishua’s contract.

“You can open your eyes now.”

I moved my pen across the contract, preparing to seal the deal.

The content was simple.

==

Priest Baek Jin-hyuk shall be referred to as “Party A,” and the contractor as “Party B.”

Party B will experience a dream created by Party A.

The duration of the dream shall not exceed one month.

Party B will not recognize the dream as a dream.

Party B will forget everything about Party A while dreaming.

Party A is free to observe Party B’s dream to monitor their condition.

If Party B’s body is freed from addiction, they will immediately wake up from the dream.

==

I handed her the second contract, overseen by Verdia.

“If there are no modifications needed, please sign here.”

I extended the fountain pen, and she carefully read through the contract before taking it with cautious hands. Without any further questions, she signed her name at the bottom.

The contract, now bearing both Baek Jin-hyuk’s and Vita’s names, dissolved into a strange-colored mist and disappeared.

Now, there was only one thing left for her to do.

Lie down on a comfortable bed and fall asleep.

That was all.

“Please come this way.”

I led her to the bedroom, noticing she was more tense than before.

“Would you like some sleepwear?”

“N-no. No, thank you. I’m fine.”

She rejected the offer so firmly that she repeated her refusal three times.

“Since you don’t need it, we’ll skip that. Now, please lie down.”

Hesitating for a moment, Vita finally climbed onto the bed, lying down stiffly like an old, gnarled tree.

I sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed my hand on her forehead as she lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“It’s best if you fall asleep naturally, but since that might take some time, I’ll assist you.”

“Please….”

She closed her eyes, and I covered them with the hand resting on her forehead.

“Sleep well, Miss Vita.”