Chapter 63: Back in black (1)

Lumina Holdings Security Department, Special VIP Protection Team 2.

Team Leader Alex Sean.

The man, who had been in charge of protecting the family of a conglomerate chairman for the past twenty years, now asked again, unable to shake his suspicion.

“Are you truly saying that a place like this, no, this ‘Church,’ possesses such military strength?”

It was somewhat natural for Alex to express doubt.

After all, the story he had just heard was that absurd.

How could a mere religious group in the suburbs, not even a corporation in the city, possess power of that level?

‘Even if it’s Madam’s directive, I find it hard to believe.’

Of course, it wasn’t as if skilled individuals never emerged from the suburbs.

Occasionally, an outstanding maverick who rewrote urban legends would pop up just when you’d forgotten about them.

However, to put it differently, that was their limit.

Back-alley mercenaries literally lived life on a razor’s edge.

They fought for years with second-hand cybernetics haphazardly attached, bodies that never received proper maintenance.

There were only two possible ends for such battle-worn mercenaries.

Either they went mad with cybernetic rage, or they died a blaze of glory in a dangerous mission before that happened.

Yes, that was all.

Even renowned experts were desperate to earn enough for suppressants before they went insane.

They didn’t become part of a group that shared mission payouts with others.

This was especially true for talented individuals.

Each of them had already drastically shortened their lifespans through overmodification.

They only burned through their remaining lives spectacularly, with no instance or possibility of them banding together into a significant force.

As individuals, they were reduced to mere consumables, perfectly suited for corporations to exploit.

“…….”

Yet, for such suburban mercenaries to form a power base.

And one strong enough to momentarily silence even the head of a large corporation’s security team.

It was hard to believe.

It felt less like something far-fetched and more like an empty, outlandish bluff.

So, the man, unwittingly, replied in a slightly sharp tone.

“I apologize, but smooth security cooperation is only possible if accurate information is shared beforehand.”

“There’s no need to hide or deceive us.”

“I hope you understand that we are not enemies of the Church.”

At that, the expressionless woman standing opposite Alex merely replied softly.

“Then, would you like to meet them in person?”

=========

A quiet dawn.

Before officiating the morning mass, I sat in the cathedral office, reviewing the prayer manuscript.

The cathedral was silent in the early dawn, not a sound to be heard.

There was an atmosphere that naturally induced reverence.

Then, an alarm sound echoing from somewhere shattered the silence.

Beep-!

It was a sound leaking from the terminal in my pocket.

I took out the terminal and checked it; a notification for a deposit into the Church’s account was displayed.

I thought absentmindedly.

‘Right, it was today.’

The day the monthly wine delivery payment came in.

I habitually scanned the numbers of the deposited amount and, without realizing it, shot up from my seat.

“…..!”

It was a figure of an unfamiliar magnitude, one I had never seen before.

I rubbed my eyes involuntarily.

Wondering if something was wrong, I paced around the office, then, seeing a familiar figure entering the cathedral through the window, I hurriedly went down the stairs.

Just then, I bumped squarely into Rachel, who was opening the chapel door.

For the past week, she had been coming to the cathedral earlier than anyone else, spending the whole day with me.

“Oh my, Eve.”

“Good morning.”

“But…. is something wrong?”

Hearing her slightly more familiar greeting, I composed my flustered demeanor.

“Good morning, Rachel.”

“Yes, something strange has happened.”

“It’s about the wine payment Mr. Chairman sent….”

Stumbling over my words a little, I showed her the terminal screen displaying the deposit amount.

Rachel tilted her head.

“Did he perhaps send less than the promised amount?”

“If so, I’ll give him a good scolding.”

“No! Not at all!”

“It’s just that, too much came in….”

“Oh my….”

Rachel paused in thought for a moment, then nodded as if she had an idea.

“Ah, come to think of it….”

“Do you know something?”

“Yes.”

“Last night, during my call with my husband, we briefly talked about tithing.”

“The followers of the Church of Radiance voluntarily donate a certain portion of their income as offerings every week, don’t they?”

But even as Rachel spoke, she tilted her head as if puzzled herself.

“But considering his income, this amount is too small….?”

“Ah!”

Then, as if something suddenly occurred toher, she clapped her hands lightly.

“This isn’t income, it’s probably part of a slush fund from a borrowed-name account.”

“If a deposit in the chairman’s name moves to the suburbs, it might attract the attention of the city’s financial investigation bureau, you see.”

Of course, in Omega Detroit, the city government ‘and the like’ had absolutely no means to interfere with a major corporation chairman’s fund management, but at this current juncture where even their gaze was extremely bothersome, they had no choice but to use such careful, roundabout methods, she added by way of explanation.

She smiled playfully and added.

“Think of it less as a grand offering and more like allowance from your dad, my dear daughter.”

“I’m not your daughter.”

It seemed she hadn’t given up on that idea yet.

I slightly avoided her burdensome gaze and bowed my head.

“Thank you.”

“But I wasn’t expecting such a large reward….”

The deposit amount that had just appeared was undeniably enough to cover the Church’s budget for a good five years, no, easily ten years.

It was perhaps a natural reaction to be so startled upon seeing the deposit details, wondering if something had gone wrong.

However, upon hearing my words, Rachel looked rather bewildered.

“What?”

“A reward?”

“Don’t tell me you’re talking about that allowance?”

“Oh my…. our daughter is kind, good-hearted, pretty, all good things….”

“But it’s a big problem that she still knows so little about the world.”

“I’m not your daughter….”

Ignoring my protest naturally, she smiled faintly and added.

“You’d better brace yourself from now on, you know?”

“That man, once he takes a liking to someone, he truly has no restraint when it comes to money.”

“You’d be shocked if you knew what he brought me when he was courting me.”

“It was troublesome, really.”

Yet, she let out a laugh that suggested she didn’t dislike it inwardly.

She spoke with a somewhat distant expression, as if lost in memory.

“One time, my favorite band canceled their concert, and I was feeling down.”

“The next day, he gathered the band on a private jet and brought them over.”

“Really, that side of him is the same now as it was then.”

“Wow… Mr. Chairman’s love was truly amazing….”

“Not amazing, reckless.”

“Listen, sometimes, do you know what else he did….”

‘This is the fourth time I’m hearing this story…’

In fact, it was a love story I had heard to the point of exhaustion by her side over the past week.

But she spoke so happily that I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt, merely offering familiar interjections.

As the story continued, dawn had long passed, and the time one could call morning approached.

The presence of believers coming to the cathedral began to be felt, one by two.

I inwardly sighed in relief and carefully spoke to the woman who was still chatting away.

“Um… Rachel, it’s almost time for the service….”

It was right at that moment.

Breaking the quiet morning stillness, the sound of urgent footsteps approached.

A priest, who had roughly thrown open the cathedral door, knelt before us.

He panted for a moment to catch his breath, then quickly raised his head and exclaimed with an urgent expression.

“Saintess! There is news you must know…!”

=========

At the report of the priest who had rushed into the cathedral, I asked back.

“What? A terrorist attack on 1st Street?”

His face was filled with bewilderment.

“That’s correct.”

“It’s reported that more than ten people have died.”

“The entire suburb is buzzing with the story right now…!”

I asked back with a serious face.

“Has the culprit been identified?”

“Well, that…. I hear… there’s a rumor that the mastermind behind it is… our Church of Radiance…..”

I was flustered and immediately protested.

“What?! What are you talking about! That can’t be true, can it?!”

Then, suddenly, a sinister premonition struck me, and I asked again.

“Don’t tell me…. someone is impersonating us right now?”

The priest shook his head.

“That’s not the case.”

“There have been no reports of fake churches or cults newly appearing in the vicinity.”

Well, that would be so.

It was the Church that had swiftly taken control of the area by force, eliminating even the notoriously infamous mafia and gangsters.

Unless someone was incredibly bold, they wouldn’t even dream of impersonation.

If someone was deliberately trying to provoke us, their stature would have to be at least above that of the mafia.

“But who on earth…?”

My question was quickly resolved by the priest’s answer.

“Those currently claiming that the terrorist attack on 1st Street was perpetrated by the Church of Radiance are from the private security firm ‘A-Secure Corporation’.”

At the unexpected identity, I muttered in dismay.

“A private security firm…?”

In other words, corporate police.

In this city where the public police, ODPD, neglected their duties due to chronic budget shortages, the demand for security, even at a price, was enormous.

That’s why companies providing private security and guard services had emerged.

They were called corporate police and maintained public order by partially replacing the role of the ODPD.

However, the subjects they protected were limited to their employers, not the citizens.

The demand for such private security firms rose sharply in places with poor public safety, and it was needless to say in this suburban area where the reach of public authority didn’t extend at all.

Of course, most of the poor couldn’t afford such services, but the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Streets, where many citizens who worked in the high-income city center but lived in the outskirts due to exorbitant housing prices resided, subscribed to security company services and enjoyed significantly better public safety than other suburban areas.

“So, you’re saying that private security company is picking a fight with us now?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“The place attacked this time was also a shop on 1st Street displaying our holy symbol, and the shop owner who lost his life was also a believer who had recently joined our Church.”

“…..”

I closed my eyes tightly.

My heart sank coldly.

And a moment later, I asked back in a heavy voice.

“….Why on earth? What was their purpose in doing such a thing, even killing innocent people?”

The priest answered simply.

“There is only one principle behind the actions of all corporations in the world.”

“Money.”

His words hit the mark.

Private security firms, no matter how much they touted protecting someone as their mission, were essentially corporations.

And the sole reason for a corporation’s existence is profit generation.

If there are no customers to increase the company’s revenue, shouldn’t they create them?

‘Don’t tell me…’

At that moment, the scattered puzzle pieces in my mind clicked into place.

The affluent suburban areas, plagued by the risk of indiscriminate crime, had hitherto maintained public safety by paying hefty sums to private security firms.

But when the Church of Radiance appeared, the gangs and violent organizations threatening public order vanished, and peace arrived.

Furthermore, we protected the shops for an absurdly small offering and never threatened or attacked anyone.

As the public safety of the suburbs naturally improved, the security companies lost that many customers.

They had suffered enormous losses.

Therefore, did they feel the need to forcibly create ‘demand for security’?

They orchestrate a terrorist attack on 1st Street, the wealthiest part of the suburbs.

And they slander and incite fear by pointing to their new competitor, the ‘Church of Radiance,’ as the main culprit.

It was an act solely for profit, completely disregarding whether innocent victims emerged in the process.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Something bitter boiled up in my chest.

“…..”

Come to think of it, it’s a rather familiar name.

A-Secure Corporation.

‘Yes, I had an old debt with them.’

Not long after I fell into this city.

I was caught in a shootout between a gang and soldiers belonging to a security company in the middle of the street, and for the first time in my life, I almost died.

Whatever shady business they were involved in at the time, they tried to kill all witnesses.

Even those who were innocently caught up in it….

One of them was me.

And the name of the company that unhesitatingly perpetrated such acts was none other than the current ‘A-Secure Corporation.’

Even now, the memory of that day vividly resurfaced.

[“Leave no witnesses.”]

The moment that black muzzle approached my eyes, the emotionless voice that brushed past my ear.

[“Bad luck. My condolences.”]

The moment I first realized what kind of place this city was, how thoroughly a powerless individual could be trampled in this world.

If ST hadn’t appeared just then, I wouldn’t be here now.

“…….”

I have no regrets for the soldier who tried to kill me with an emotionless face.

He had become desensitized by repeatedly committing similar acts under his company’s orders, turning into a machine that no longer even thought about what was right or wrong.

I don’t feel anger towards such a machine.

It’s just that the ones who are still ordering those terrible deeds, perpetrating them without any guilt…

The fact that they are still committing the same acts, unchanged…

It was simply disgusting.

My fists clenched unconsciously.

‘Back then, I couldn’t do anything.’

‘Because I was powerless.’

But now, I am different.

No, we are different.

“….”

As I opened the cathedral door and went out, I saw numerous individuals who had been waiting in advance.

They were ‘The Saved Ones’ spread throughout the diocese.

They had been summoned immediately after the incident occurred, and the number gathered in one place was-

Exactly two hundred and seventy-six.

All of them were once top-tier mercenaries whose names alone were renowned.

“……”

“……..”

The face of each person I made eye contact with was familiar to me.

Because I had personally restored their lives when they were pushed to the brink.

They looked at me, and I looked back at them.

In that silence, I calmly opened my mouth.

“I’m sorry, but there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

I didn’t say ‘order.’

Because we weren’t in that kind of relationship.

An order is coercion.

An act of pushing the back of someone who doesn’t understand what needs to be done.

Therefore, it can sometimes be harsher than anything else.

But everyone here was someone who had wanted to belong to the Church of their own free will.

Every single one of them understood their role and the mission they had to fulfill.

Just like the moment they were saved by selfless goodwill.

Not ignoring those dying innocently, living like human beings.

Therefore, I knew they would join me even if I didn’t command them.

“It might be dangerous, but would it be alright to ask?”

As my words ended, one person from the crowd stepped forward.

A man with a familiar face.

Once a top-tier mercenary called the Rising Star, then a drug dealer’s s*ave, and now a man who had sworn to live a life without shame.

As if representing everyone, he answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Please do not hesitate to use us.”

“The Saintess’s will is now our life.”

As soon as his words ended, all the people filling the surroundings knelt on one knee as if by promise.

It was an attitude devoid of any hesitation.

“….Thank you always. Everyone.”

=========

On the way back from the cathedral, Rachel muttered with a worried face.

“Really…. will it be okay not to contact him?”

She had asked the girl beside her several times, but the only answer she received was ‘it’s okay.’

Nevertheless, her anxiety about the unusual incident she had just overheard did not subside.

At her restless voice, the head of security, Alex, who was walking with them, spoke reassuringly.

“Madam, you don’t need to worry at all.”

“As I explained, their help will probably be completely unnecessary for them.”

“Still…. it’s too dangerous.”

“For now, let’s just watch how the situation unfolds for half a day.”

While comforting his employer like that, Alex was thinking inwardly.

‘The reason corporations were objects of fear in this city was clear.’

‘Capital, influence, and force, all consolidated under the name of a group.’

‘All of it was controlled and wielded by a single will.’

‘No matter how strong an individual was, they could not surpass the power of a group.’

‘Therefore, in this era where the only bond that could unite people was no longer ideals or ideologies, but solely ‘capital,’ it was a natural order for corporations, capable of wielding concentrated power, to stand tall as the rulers of the world.’

‘However, if it was a force gathered to that extent-’

‘It’s not a corporation in name only, but in reality….’

Alex unconsciously swallowed dryly.