Chapter 16: Fake Church (5)

The sound of gasping breaths cut through the air of the dark, damp alley.

“Huff, huff…. Hack….!”

Like hunted prey, the two men had burst out of the hideout without looking back.

Danny and Donnie finally leaned against a wall, catching their breath only after running for a good while longer.

Hearts pounded as if trying to break free from their ribs, and cold sweat soaked their backs.

For a time, nothing but harsh panting could be heard.

Having finally regained their breath, the two men looked at each other’s faces as if by prior agreement.

“……”

“………”

Surprise, shock, questions about something utterly incomprehensible, and even a hint of fear.

A complex mix of emotions mirrored perfectly on both faces, as if printed by a copy machine.

They couldn’t discern whether what they had just witnessed was reality or some waking dream.

The older brother, Danny, spoke first, his voice still trembling between ragged breaths as he asked his younger brother.

“Hey…. you… did you see it too?”

Donnie swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.

Silence fell again after those words.

In their minds, the scene they had secretly peeked at through the slightly open door replayed.

The radiance that burst forth before the desperately bowing mother and daughter.

When the light, unlike anything they’d ever seen, subsided, and the girl’s refocused eyes turned to her mother beside her… the ensuing sobs and tears of joy made it abundantly clear what had occurred, needing no further explanation.

All of it, truly, was a sight that could be called nothing short of a ‘miracle’.

“…….”

Because of this, the two were still so dumbfounded they couldn’t even speak properly.

They stared blankly at each other’s faces again with vacant expressions.

Suddenly, the slogans they themselves had been shouting persistently here and there for the past few days came to mind.

[“Lady Radiance will heal all your pain and suffering through an amazing miracle!”]

[“Confirm it yourself right now! Witness the astounding miracle of Lady Radiance opening the eyes of the blind and making the lame walk!”]

‘Don’t tell me… all of that was actually true….?’

Neither of them was particularly smart to begin with, but now they felt even more foolish than usual.

Completely clueless about what was happening, they just stared at each other, stunned, for a while.

After a long pause, the younger brother, Donnie, unable to hide a hint of excitement, spoke up in a somewhat thrilled voice.

“Brother, we can’t just stand here…. We need to tell the others quickly….!”

“No!!!”

Suddenly, Danny cut his brother off with a voice bordering on a scream.

Startled, Donnie looked at his brother, only to see him sweating profusely, his face etched with fear as he whispered.

“Never…. Never run your mouth carelessly about seeing something like that….!”

“What? Huh? No, why….. The guys worked their throats raw proselytizing these past few days. They deserve to know too.”

Donnie questioned back, sounding confused or perhaps slightly wronged, but Danny shook his head vehemently, lowering his voice further in urgency.

“No! I said no! We’ll all die if you do!”

“Whaaat?!”

“We should have bolted the moment we saw it…. We spaced out there for too long. I made eye contact with that woman at the end!”

“That woman? Who…?”

“Those bright yellow eyes! She definitely saw me! She knew we were peeking through the door crack the whole time!”

Fear was palpable on Danny’s face. He seemed to shudder, recalling the recent memory.

“Remember this, Donnie. If even a sliver of nonsense leaks out from here, there’s no telling what’ll happen to both of us. Got it?”

Whether she let the eavesdropping pair go because she didn’t want to interrupt the ‘miracle’ or for some other reason, he didn’t know… but that look was definitely a warning.

A clear warning that if they needlessly ran their mouths, they absolutely wouldn’t die a pleasant death.

“So for now…. just shut up and stay put. Please.”

At his brother’s desperate plea and the terror etched on his face, Donnie’s expression also hardened.

Come to think of it, at the last moment, it seemed the gaze of the ‘new boss’ standing next to the woman who performed the miracle had also turned towards them.

A chill ran down their spines, and the two men naturally fell silent.

But their minds were still in turmoil.

Because they had experienced something truly hard to believe, something utterly inexplicable by common sense.

Then, suddenly, Donnie muttered in a very small voice, almost to himself.

“Brother…. But….. Do you think God… really exists in this world?”

It was a rather foolish question that would normally have drawn sharp ridicule.

However, after what they had just experienced, the weight of that question felt entirely different.

Danny couldn’t readily answer his brother’s question.

Instead, he just ruffled his hair nervously and spat out bluntly.

“….I don’t know either, dammit.”

==============

For now, ‘proselytizing activities’ are temporarily suspended.

That was the conclusion we reached.

It was something done to quell the rumors about the miracle, but if people like Karen and Sophia kept coming, it would become unmanageable.

We were intending to step back for a bit and observe the situation.

“Hoho, hello there.”

An unexpected visitor had arrived at the ‘Church of Radiance’.

“……..”

The man sitting before me was distinctly different from those who had visited before.

He didn’t look like a weak person desperate for salvation.

Rather, he seemed the opposite.

A portly, fat build.

A greasy face with jowls folding over his jawline.

A greedy smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.

Above all, the black clerical robe stretched tightly over his protruding belly, looking ready to burst, was jarring to the eye.

His appearance, far removed from priestly piety, was the very picture of a ‘genuine cultist’ to anyone looking.

The man scanned the inside of the hideout with an arrogant demeanor, then patted his belly once and spoke.

“I am Elder Meyer, affiliated with the ‘One Heart Association’. I am in charge of the parish around this 13th Street.”

“…….”

….Honestly, I’d never even heard the name.

In the first place, even if you combined all the cult forces existing in this city, they were small-scale groups incomparable even to a mid-sized corporation.

Hearing them talk up their parishes and elders was just laughable.

Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Meyer took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his glistening forehead, and continued.

“I hear that a new establishment called the ‘Church of Radiance’ recently began activities in our parish without so much as an introduction. Hoho, you young folks certainly have guts.”

The purpose of his visit was clear from his attitude and tone, subtly laced with threat.

He undoubtedly came to warn us, something along the lines of this area being their ‘territory’ and not to operate carelessly.

“Hmm-, yes. More importantly, about that mother and daughter you met recently. The ones with the blind daughter. Karen, was it? Those two were originally lost sheep… no, prey, that our One Heart Association had been diligently working on.”

The moment I heard that, a realization struck me, and I briefly held my breath.

‘No wonder it felt strange.’

I had thought it was somewhat unnatural for someone, no matter how desperate, to show up merely hearing a rumor about a ‘miracle’, offering their entire life savings and begging like that.

The reason was simple.

Other cult members had already been ‘working on’ the mother and daughter beforehand.

The method involves approaching those in desperate situations in any way possible, building trust, becoming part of their circle, and then slowly manipulating their psyche.

Those mentally isolated and brainwashed in this way become susceptible even to the absurd doctrines of a cult.

Karen and Sophia had also been targeted like this, slowly becoming prey for the ‘One Heart Association’.

But then, a strange new group suddenly appeared and snatched their target away entirely, so it was understandable why the other party would be displeased.

Meyer openly displayed that displeasure and expressed his annoyance.

“We invested so much effort into that mother and daughter for so long…. Is it right for you newcomers to just snatch them away like that? Even if you’re a new player in this field, there’s such a thing as industry etiquette. Isn’t that right? Tsk tsk….”

But hearing those words was simply nauseating.

Parasites sucking the lifeblood of the desperate.

They are the epitome of trash… who don’t see people as people.

Whether he knew my inner thoughts or not, the opponent was now shamelessly revealing his true colors.

“Now, about that…. Since you folks snatched the case our believers worked on day and night, shouldn’t you pay a fitting price? We’ve invested time and effort here, we can’t just let it slide, can we?”

“So, what do you want?”

Meyer flinched momentarily at the emotionless tone.

“Hoho, sister, perhaps you haven’t grasped the situation properly yet?”

He gestured, and the two large men standing behind him like folding screens took a step forward.

Though initially introduced as ‘church deacons’, their bulging biceps and fierce appearances clearly marked them as professional enforcers.

The atmosphere became overtly intimidating with such thugs present.

“You may not know, but our One Heart Association has over three hundred registered members. A small-time church like yours? With just one word from me, I could wipe you out overnight. Understand?”

Meyer tapped the table with his fat finger and continued arrogantly.

“However…. well, we’re not entirely heartless people, you see. If we talk nicely, we might be able to make a ‘deal’ amicably without getting red in the face. Perhaps… the compensation doesn’t necessarily have to be in money. Uhuhuh.”

With that, he cast a lewd and blatant gaze towards me.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe.

The way his gaze lingered on certain parts was particularly chilling.

The smile on his greasy face was instilling disgust itself.

“How about it? Didn’t God tell us to love thy neighbor?”

Although he didn’t use direct words, what he demanded as compensation for the deal was obvious.

Suppressing the rising disgust within me, I tried to calmly formulate a reply.

But someone’s fist was faster.

WHACK-!!!

A sickening crunch, like flesh and bone shattering, erupted.

“Kuuuwek!”

Meyer’s scream was short.

The massive body, which had been sitting arrogantly with legs spread just moments ago, briefly floated in the air like a toy before flying backward.

The heavy body rolled on the floor like a ball several times before finally stopping, crumpled in a corner.

The impact must have been significant, as he couldn’t move for a moment.

Dark red blood gushed like a fountain from his crushed nose, and broken tooth fragments flowed out with blood from his mouth.

His face, instantly bloodied, began to swell frighteningly.

The greasy smile from before was nowhere to be seen.

Staring blankly at the gruesome sight, I suddenly turned my head to look beside me.

Unsure when she moved, ST was now standing between me and Meyer, as if shielding me.

She casually flicked her blood-stained fist, glaring at the opponent.

“S-ST….?”

At my call, she turned her head slightly.

“Forgive me for acting without permission, Lady Eve.”

Her tone was calm and polite, as always.

“Please, I hope you did not dirty your ears with such worthless nonsense.”

Her expressionless face remained unchanged.

Her voice tone was no different from usual.

But… why? I sensed a subtle anger from her, different from before.

Dealing with back-alley thugs and troublemakers until now, I had already experienced sexual harassment and insults of that level several times.

Each time, ST waited until I was directly threatened or gave explicit instructions.

She had never once acted so unilaterally, let alone so violently, before I could even react.

‘Is she angry….?’

It was the first time I had seen her display this much emotion.

Did something about her state of mind really change after yesterday’s events?

I was watching ST’s actions, bewildered.

“Kuagh…. Th…. Th…. Bi….!”

Meyer, groaning in the corner, belatedly pushed himself up.

He clutched his broken nose, drooling blood and saliva, glaring this way like a beast.

His bloodshot eyes were completely overturned with rage and pain.

“H-h-how dare….! You bitches dare do this to me?! I’ll kill you!”

He lost his reason and screamed at the top of his lungs.

“You lot, what are you doing?! Grab those bitches right now and beat them to a pulp!”

At Meyer’s roar, the two large ‘deacons’ who had been observing the situation finally began to move.

Seeing the thugs approach with menacing steps and fierce faces, ST glanced back at me slightly.

“Perhaps…. was my action presumptuous, Lady Eve?”

It felt as if she was seeking approval after having already acted.

If I found that sight slightly cute… was it just my imagination?

I smiled faintly and replied.

“No.”

And added.

“If there’s trash lying in front of you, someone has to clean it up, right?”