NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 21
The moon hung high in the dawn.
A black figure swiftly climbed over the high wall.
Having leisurely cleared the sharp bars, he landed silently on the ground and quickly hurried away from the moonlight.
In the dark shadow, only his pupil shine and the bloodstained sleeves emitted light.
Carefully opening the creaking door and stepping in, he pulled out a flashing cross from inside his clothing to hang around his neck and put on his glasses.
At that moment, he transformed into an ordinary priest.
The priest checked the blood-stained part of his sleeve, clenched his hand tightly to conceal it.
“Hello, Father. Are you on your way back?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Father, I think you forgot to turn off the lights in your room.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
With confident strides, the priest crossed the chapel, accepting greetings from the priests and nuns as he headed toward his room.
At the end of the corridor.
Bright light was leaking through the cracks of the old door.
“……”
As he recalled, he had definitely turned off the light before leaving.
The priest tried to listen to any signs from inside, being cautious of the sounds of his footsteps, but he couldn’t sense anyone’s presence.
He quietly inserted the key into the door handle.
Just as the priest wedged the blade from inside his sleeve between his fingers, he swung the door wide open.
“Did you enjoy the hunt?”
“……”
When a calm voice flowed from inside, the priest felt weak.
A person clad in all black, complete with a hood, was lounging comfortably on the bed.
He was someone the priest knew well from the same industry.
The priest cast a quick glance around the corridor to ensure no one was watching, entered the room, and closed the door.
“You have a knack for startling people.”
“Were you surprised? That wasn’t my intention.”
That was to be expected.
If he had intended to startle him, he would have probably left the lights off and silently lurked in the shadows, stabbing him the moment the door opened.
The priest pulled an apple from a sack placed in one corner of the room and tossed it onto the bed.
The man caught the apple with a thud, biting into it while his green short hair shuffled beneath the hood.
“When exactly did you arrive? It would have been much better if you had knocked on the main gate.”
“I followed you.”
“I am just an ordinary priest.”
“Sure. An ordinary priest, really. Traipsing around with blood on your clothes like that.”
“……”
Acknowledging that he was dealing with someone he couldn’t possibly conceal anything from, the priest relaxed his tightly clenched sleeves.
As his bloodstained clothing was revealed, a curve formed at the corner of the man’s mouth as he chewed on the apple.
“What is it that you want?”
“Answer my question first.”
“A question?”
“I asked if the hunt was enjoyable.”
“Ah……”
Hunting.
For this case, it was rather inappropriate wording.
It was a simple task of quietly stabbing a frail old man who could die at any moment.
“You hunted quite the trophy. Were you commissioned by someone?”
“……”
“Did you determine that it was personally a hindrance?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
However, this prey was the leader of a rather large group.
The aftermath of the hunt would likely be significant.
Perhaps the Grim Reaper before him was the very aftermath itself.
The priest felt a surge of tension and stepped back.
If it came to a fight, there would be no chance of winning.
But he could at least attempt something.
“Don’t worry. I’m not here to catch you.”
“……”
“No, wait. Don’t let your guard down. It’s a double-edged sword, boy.”
“What?”
“You’ve tightened the noose around your own neck. I’m only here to deliver this message: I have no intention of meddling in your affairs, so don’t come looking for my help.”
“……”
He hadn’t intended to ask for help.
The priest stretched and looked at the black figure rising from the bed with a look of disbelief.
Just then, a loud knock echoed through the door.
When the priest glanced towards the door and then back, the black figure had already vanished from the bed.
Only the window, which had been firmly shut moments ago, stood open, letting in a cold breeze.
The priest sighed, closed the window, and opened the door.
He was always the type to disappear without a sound.
“Father, it seems it’s about time for you to sleep, so I came to tidy up your quilt.”
“Thank you. Please come in.”
After letting the young nun into the room, the priest pulled out a chair and sat down, momentarily deep in thought.
I tighten the noose around my own neck?
That couldn’t be true.
Everything was under my control.
Everything was part of a flawless plan to prevent the creeping disaster.
The priest repeated this to himself mentally before clicking his tongue.
“Damn it. Was it a mistake?”
He was frustrated.
The encounter just now was with someone who rarely showed themselves, maybe once in ten years.
An opponent referred to as the world’s top assassin, known for having severed the necks of numerous corrupt officials.
If that person went out of their way to warn him and then vanished, it clearly meant that his plan had not just gone awry, but that he had also stirred a wasp’s nest.
As he fiddled with the bloodstained sleeves, the priest searched for a way to relieve this unpleasant feeling.
His gaze drifted to the nun, who was diligently trying to smooth out the bedcovers.
“Sister.”
“Yes?”
“Tell the Heretic Examiner that there’s a woman among the staff at Ruiba Tavern who’s hiding a demon child.”
“W-what? A demon?”
“Yes. She might be harboring some dangerous ideas.”
“That’s a serious matter! I’ll inform the Heretic Examiners right away!”
With a huff and a rush of determination, the nun dashed out of the room.
This ought to be enough for my frustrations.
The priest smiled contentedly and lay down on the bed.
The once neat covers crumpled in an instant.
.
.
.
“Ah! That ninja priest!!!”
What a hassle to pretend we didn’t see each other.
Damn it.
I was already tired, and my aching head was feeling even worse.
“What? You there! What’s your name?”
It seemed they heard my scream.
The Heretic Examiners were already approaching me menacingly, pointing fingers.
Things were starting to get messy.
“Ahahaha. This child is just a bit mentally ill.”
“What do you mean by that, innkeeper?”
“Silently escape through the back door……”
The innkeeper blocked my way and whispered quietly.
It seemed he was trying to buy time for me.
To be honest, I was more offended by being treated like a madman, but considering the circumstances, I decided to let it go.
I hurried towards the back door with Tia, who had just woken up and was groggily looking around.
“Ah……”
Just then, the back door swung open, revealing men in similar leather clothing.
I felt overwhelmed by their bulk, having to lower my head to step in.
More Heretic Examiners……
I had cut off my escape route.
“You. What’s your name?”
“……”
“I asked what your name is.”
Before I knew it, the Heretic Examiners had encircled me, threateningly.
The innkeeper, Irina, and Sasha looked on with worried expressions from behind.
I sighed deeply and slowly scanned the faces of the Heretic Examiners.
Upon closer inspection, they all sported youthful faces.
I had thought they were elite individuals who had studied theology for a long time, but they looked more like a ragtag neighborhood watch.
It seemed the author of this story held a rather poor prejudice against Heretic Examiners.
I set Tia down and clasped my hands together.
“What do you want?”
“I already told you. We received a report that a woman named Julia is hiding a demon child. So hurry up and reveal your name, whore.”
“Whore……”
This guy was subtly getting on my nerves.
I was a writer, not a whore.
If I had the chance, I would have loved to yank the troublesome red-haired freckled girl’s hair, but I still held onto enough reason to restrain myself.
And more than anything, I was aware that if this situation didn’t resolve quickly, it would become a trouble for the store.
“I am Julia.”
“……!”
Since there were countless ways for them to find out my name anyway, I decided to just reveal it.
If I delayed any longer, I felt like I might lose my mind due to lack of sleep and end up giving the freckled girl a nasty surprise.
“Then who is this child?”
“A demon. What of it?”
“Huh?”
As I swiftly yanked Tia’s hat off, her black horns came into view.
I figured resisting would just lead to the hat being forcibly removed anyway.
So it seemed better for me to do it myself.
Tia, startled, tried to cover her horns with her own hands.
It seemed she remembered to never let anyone see her horns.
I grabbed Tia’s hands, pulling them away.
“Is that a horn?”
“Tia was a demon? What does that mean……?”
Murmurs filled the room around us.
The eyes that had just moments ago shot concerned looks my way were now filled with shock and fear.
This alone was enough to help me gauge what kind of existence demons were.
The war had ended fifty years ago, yet the scars they left were still vivid.
Indeed, to most people, demons truly seemed like creatures deserving of hatred.
“Ha. You’ve hidden it well. Now hand it over.”
“Why should I?”
“Demon creatures cannot be trusted. Therefore, we will conduct a heretic examination. If you do not hand her over willingly, you will be taken as well, so keep that in mind.”
“……”
Their pompous attitude……
It was ridiculous.
How impressive could heresy examinations conducted by such kids possibly be?
If they only conducted witch trials where they force people to walk on heated metal plates, judging them innocent if they died and guilty if they survived, I would consider myself lucky.
“Talking about heresy examinations. How can such a young child possibly be a heretic?”
“That’s something we cannot know. I’ve heard that some demons can use illusions. So it’s impossible to determine if she’s truly just a child.”
“It seems you’re set on framing this regardless. As far as I know, demons are entitled to human rights as well. Can you just drag her off like this?”
“If you want to have human rights acknowledged here, show your citizenship card.”
“……”
My mouth shut in an instant.
That damn citizenship card.
Whether in fiction or reality, the prejudice against Gypsies was just so sickening.
“You’re not officially recognized Heretic Examiners by the Church, are you?”
“That’s right, so stop talking nonsense, whore.”
“……”
The freckled girl, who looked like she could fit perfectly into a two-patty burger, pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket.
I had to force myself not to laugh at the strangely out-of-place luxurious decorations and formal Hangul written in a cursive font.
I couldn’t read the entire document, but just by recognizing the words Papal Office, Heretic Examination, and Qualifications, my focus was lost.
My eyes felt so strained it seemed they might just pop out.
“Is further explanation necessary?”
“……”
The freckled girl reached out her hand as if demanding an item from me.
That hand was clearly aimed at my hand, which was securely holding onto Tia.
Though they were undoubtedly a group of thugs, the problem was that these thugs were wielding the church’s power as a club.
I was truly at a dead end now.
Sweat dampened my hand that was clasped with Tia’s.
“What the hell is this……”
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow I had planned to borrow money from Irina to leave once I got my salary.
Why did it have to come to this today of all days?
I bit my lip as I looked down at Tia.
Her eyes darting around in confusion between me and the Heretic Examiners reflected fear.
She might not have understood anything about heresy or the authority of the church, but it seemed she instinctively sensed that something was going wrong.
I locked eyes with Tia and gently patted her head.
Among her tousled hair, I felt a hard and sharp sensation.
It seemed to have grown even bigger since yesterday.
Noting her anxious expression, Tia’s face began to pale.
She shook her head back and forth, tears welling up.
But I remained silent, continuing to stroke her hair.
I had made my decision.