episode_0058

*The Church for the Poorest.* When we knocked on its door, an old priest, looking incredibly gentle, came out to greet us. He greeted me and the members of the Black Serpent who were with me.

“I came to talk.” I said to the old priest in an emotionless voice, intending to push through by force if outright rejected.

But what I feared did not happen.

“I don’t know what you wish to discuss, but this is a house that serves the Goddess-nim. Please, don’t hesitate to come in.” Saying so, the old priest welcomed us with a particularly unreserved smile. At his natural demeanor, I blinked for a moment, wondering if I had come to the right place. At the very least, his appearance seemed somewhat distant from that of a criminal organization engaged in human trafficking.

Nevertheless, I knew. That what you see isn’t everything in this world. It was the same no matter which world you went to.

Thus, we silently followed him into the church. Though it looked shabby, the space was quite large, and even now, a considerable number of people were gathered in the chapel, offering prayers. It seemed a bit too open to be merely used as a secluded hideout for a human trafficking organization.

“…How peculiar.” As if she felt the same impression as I did, Aria, her eyes covered by a black bandage, whispered in a meaningful voice.

“What is it?”

“If it were a simple human trafficking organization, they would naturally carry a more fitting aura of villains.”

“So it’s not?”

“We will have to observe a little longer.” Aria, as always, spoke in a cautious voice, surveying the world around her, unbothered by the bandages covering her eyes. She peered into horizons beyond what ordinary humans could see with their eyes.

It was at that moment.

“You said you came to… talk, didn’t you?” The old priest asked, his back to us. I nodded silently.

“Petro, could you serve these guests some tea?” “Yes, Father Salvador-nim.”

The old priest then spoke in a gentle tone to a young child who appeared to be an altar boy. I observed the child’s complexion. There was no particular sign of fear, just the appearance of an ordinary child raised by the church.

“As you can see, this is a shabby church, so please forgive us for not having a proper table to serve our guests.”

“……”

“So, what is your purpose in coming here?”

“Compradicos.” I spoke after a moment of silence. At that name, the priest’s expression subtly stiffened. It seemed I hadn’t hit a wrong spot after all.

“I heard that this place is responsible for kidnapping children and raising them as the ‘Army of Revolution’.”

“W-who told you such a thing…?”

“Is there a need to answer?” I said in a cold voice. The old priest then replied in a slightly trembling voice.

“Well, it is true that this place was once used as a base for a human trafficking group in the past.”

“Heh heh heh.” At that, the smiling man, who had been silent beside us, began to laugh again, grotesquely bending and twisting his neatly suited body at strange angles.

I continued speaking, unperturbed by his laughter.

“So, not anymore?”

“However, such ethically immoral acts were long ago eradicated after ‘The One’ intervened.”

“Then what about the children raised as the Army of Revolution?”

“…Since you came here knowing the name Compradicos, you must certainly know about them as well.”

“Them?”

“…The Vampire Hunters, that is.”

I nodded.

“Basically, it’s the same as with them. They have freedom of choice.”

“Freedom of choice, you say. So, there’s no forced kidnapping of children?”

“That’s right. On the contrary, we despise such evil more than anyone, and those who were once called ‘Compradicos’ here are no exception.” The old priest replied.

“They are all dead. I inherited that role and am transforming it into a more righteous form.”

“……”

“Because ‘The One’ despises actions brought about by coercion or pressure from power and authority, and by unjust systems and authority.”

I felt a slight interest at the repeated mention of ‘The One’. At the same time, I could somewhat understand what Aria meant by there being no aura of villains.

“Who is ‘The One’?”

“They are someone who despises all evil… that arises from the old and unjust systems and customs of this kingdom.” The old priest replied with a smile. In his voice, there was not a trace of wavering or hesitation.

“They are also the master of this entire revolution.”

“Master of the revolution, you say.” Hearing those words, I involuntarily let out a snort.

“Leader-nim.” “Rain.” It was at that very moment.

Aria and Scarlet simultaneously whispered to me in light voices. I, too, understood their meaning. So I signaled them with my eyes to wait.

“I don’t know why you’ve come all this way to doubt the revolution, but I can tell you one thing for certain,” said the old priest sitting there.

“This is justice, without any wavering or doubt.”

“……”

“If you are on the side of the righteous, you may rest assured.” As the old priest spoke, boys and girls with expressionless faces had gathered around him. Furthermore, the people who had been praying in the chapel were also looking this way with emotionless eyes.

“What am I supposed to be assured of?”

“Because there is no injustice here as you perceive it, and your sacrifice here is merely an unavoidable part of justice for the revolution.” The old priest was still speaking with a gentle and mild smile. But hidden behind that smile was a blind adherence to justice, akin to faith.

“These children, without any coercion or pressure from any system, volunteered to become the vanguard of the revolution of their own free will.” He said, gesturing to the boys and girls beside him who seemed devoid of emotion.

“Before you die, knowing this fact—that there is no evil or injustice here—will be our own kind of salvation that we can offer you.”

Along with that, without any preamble, the blades held in each of the children’s hands gleamed menacingly. Just by looking at how they gripped their hilts, one could guess that they were by no means ordinary boys and girls.

“I have no interest in your ‘justice’ or ‘revolution’ or whatever.” Yet, nothing would change. He probably couldn’t even imagine.

“I am only interested in the chaos that your actions will bring upon this country.”

“……”

“Our conversation ends here.” The fact that I was the one who became the catalyst for the revolution in this country, the one who brought those operating in the shadows into the light of this nation. Whether they knew it or not, as the mastermind of this affair, I needed to observe everything unfold as if on the palm of my hand.

Until a hero appears—to save these irreversibly chaotic and turbulent times.

“If you don’t want to see unnecessary blood, step aside.”

“…Ah. Ahh. Ahhh…” Hearing those words, the old priest finally blinked his eyes.

“I should have known when I heard the news that ‘Jinjo’ had returned to Bathory County—.”

As if putting together puzzle pieces based on their own information gathering ability.

“The Black Serpent.” The old priest uttered that name. At his words, for the first time, fragments of emotion were glimpsed from those around them who had seemed emotionless.

“‘The One’ praised this entire revolution as an undertaking only possible because of your presence.” The old priest bowed his head before us, as if deeply honored.

“And just moments ago, you tried to kill us to silence us.”

“Oh, that couldn’t be.” The old priest said with a laugh at my scoff.

“Who in this world would dare to obstruct the path of the great Black Serpent?”

“Do you think you can gather spilled water with such excuses now [an idiom about trying to fix something irreversible]?”

“Gather spilled water, what do you mean?” He asked back at my words.

As soon as he asked back—one of the children re-gripped their hilt and charged forward.

Slice!

Even knowing that action was utterly meaningless. When I realized it, Aria’s black sword revealed itself after a long time, gleaming menacingly. The body of the boy who had charged forward, gripping his hilt, was cut in half.

“Heh heh heh…!” At that sight, the smiling man, Gwyn, began to laugh again, spasmodically twisting his body.

The member who had spoken of protecting children, of protecting their smiles. Turning away from the boy who pointlessly lost his life before his eyes, his upper body separated.

“Gwyn.” Yet, there was not a trace of wavering in Aria’s voice.

“I respect the benevolence you show.” She said, with the utmost respect she could show.

“However, for any reason, no matter who it is, no one who points a sword at Leader-nim can survive. You understand, don’t you?”

“Heh, heh, heh.” At those words, the smiling man burst into laughter again. But from a certain point, that laughter began to sound like sobbing cries.

“Regardless of the respect ‘The One’ sends for your achievements… we all know.” The old priest said amidst the sobbing cries.

“The undeniable ‘evil’ that stands before us right now.”

Shedding his benevolent face like a mask, and casting off his old and decrepit body like a shell, revealing yet another hidden form within.

Crackle, crackle!

“We also know, of course, that we cannot contend with you and survive.”

Before long, the old man’s diminutive body grotesquely twisted and swelled, transforming into an absurdly alien, muscular giant. The word ‘muscular’ didn’t even suit it. It was a bizarre form, like a slime creature made of clumps of muscle.

“But true justice…” Even amidst such grotesque contortions, his voice remained calm and gentle.

“It originates from unwavering righteousness that never weakens or yields before any evil.”

Those words, strangely familiar, were ones I had heard to the point of exhaustion.

“If we pretend not to see the greatest evil in this world, then that is tantamount to denying all the justice our revolution pursues.”

It was, truly, utterly tiresome foolishness.

“Children, remember that we willingly fight and die for the justice of the revolution.”

“Yes, Father-nim.”

“For death for the revolution is the most noble of all.”

“I want to die for the revolution!” “Me too, me too!”

It sounded like innocent children’s conversation, but the content was not. Moreover, there was no emotional wavering in their voices.

I frowned, turning away from that grotesque sight. Gwyn’s sobbing grew louder.

“Hey, Leader.” Alice, who had been silently watching the scene, innocently asked back.

“Can I eat them?”

“……” I did not answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment.

At least one of his statements was correct.

The fact that we, standing before him now, were the greatest evil in this world.