Ch.112112. Hymn of the Lambs

“In the end, I was too late.”

After visiting Heinrich’s hideout, Amon explained the scene to the Pope.

“I suspect it might be a demon.”

No evidence remained.

All CCTV footage had been hacked, and no convincing physical evidence was left behind.

But there weren’t many beings in the world who could locate a hideout nobody knew about and hack so perfectly that no traces remained.

It was so perfect that, ironically, it revealed who the culprit might be.

“This time, it must truly be a demon of Goetia.”

The new Pope nodded at Amon’s explanation.

After the previous Pope was killed by Heinrich’s schemes, the newly appointed Pope was from the Moderates.

The Decadents were annihilated, and the Radicals were half-destroyed by Heinrich.

It was a natural progression for the Moderates to take power.

“I understand. Then for the time being, the Holy Knights will continue searching for the whereabouts of the AIs.”

[Each person shall bear their own burden.]

– Galatians

The Pope inscribed a Bible verse at the end of the papal decree.

He lifted a candlestick and dripped red wax onto the decree.

The red wax fell onto the paper, and his ring pressed firmly upon it.

The Pope rolled up the paper and handed it to Amon.

“From this moment, I appoint you as the Director of Vatican Special Operations Department 11.”

Vatican Special Operations Department 11, ‘Simon’

Symbolized by a fish and a saw.

Originally, the Vatican had a special operations department that secretly operated Holy Knights, divided into 16 sections.

Based on the 12 apostles, they took names from the Archangel unit that Sonia’s mother belonged to and from three unnamed apostles.

‘Those three…’

They were probably Amon’s seniors.

And now, Department 11 that the Pope was handing to Amon was deeply related to Amon’s specific doctrine.

‘The fish represents crossing the sea, and the saw represents judgment.’

Department 11’s mission was to eliminate heretics outside Europe.

The Pope handed Amon the paper containing this mission.

Amon carefully accepted it.

“I will spread the Lord’s love throughout the world.”

It must have been an illusion that the Pope slightly pulled back before handing over the paper.

*

Thus, Amon unofficially became a full member of the Vatican.

The reason it wasn’t official was because Amon’s activities weren’t exactly on the clean side.

Besides, what special operations department would publicly disclose the identities of its operatives?

Amon stuffed the Department 11 Director ID into his pocket and headed to his quarters.

On the way, he took a moment to organize his thoughts.

‘Originally, I wasn’t interested in positions…’

But the situation had changed.

Now, tangible threats were beginning to emerge, making it difficult to argue for freedom.

One can’t cry for freedom when the world is on fire.

Moreover, after the previous incident, the Vatican was lacking in combat power.

Many Holy Knights had died or retired, leaving them short-handed against demons.

In this situation, the world was hailing Amon as a hero who saved them from the monster Laplace.

After considering people’s expectations, the Vatican’s situation, and the undeniable threats, Amon decided to accept the position.

‘It’s definitely not because I want to hunt demons freely.’

Amon repeatedly reminded himself that he was a pacifist while checking the authority granted to him.

The first authority was extralegal power.

The Vatican would handle minor legal issues that arose while hunting—no, purifying—demons in foreign countries.

The second authority was the power of appointment.

Currently, Department 11 didn’t have many Holy Knights due to the previous incident.

Therefore, Amon was given the authority to bypass procedures and recruit on the spot.

There were other minor authorities, but these two were what Amon considered most important.

As he mentally organized his authority and potential recruits, Amon arrived at his quarters.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome back.”

Kathy, wearing a white shirt and dolphin pants, greeted Amon.

Something pink briefly showed through her white shirt, but Amon didn’t mention it.

She took his coat.

“I’ve always wanted to do this.”

Kathy, despite being a future chairperson, expressed such youthful romance.

Amon smiled gently at her and pressed his lips against hers.

When Amon pulled away, Kathy, still not used to it, blushed and turned her head.

Amon left her and headed to the kitchen.

“Hmm, smells good. What’s for dinner tonight?”

In the kitchen was Sonia, wearing an apron over her underwear.

She originally wanted to wear just the apron, but compromised with underwear since it might be considered blasphemy inside the Vatican.

As Amon approached her from behind, Sonia leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Potato salad, stew, and ripieni.”

“Squid sausage?”

“I remember you said that’s what they call it in Joseon? You liked it last time, so I made it again.”

“Must have been a lot of work.”

“It wasn’t that difficult.”

*kiss*

“Go wash up quickly. Dad will be here soon.”

Amon nodded and headed to the shower.

As he came out of the shower, shaking water from his hair,

He saw his two lovers who had changed clothes and a squinty-eyed priest who looked oddly disgruntled.

“Please, have a seat.”

The squinty-eyed priest pulled out Amon’s chair with a voice full of discontent.

Surely it was a sign of resentment for Amon having two lovers, including his daughter.

But since the priest couldn’t be too harsh with Amon, he limited his protests to occasional grumbling.

And so began their last dinner at the Vatican.

“I finished my Department 11 appointment today.”

Amon said, piercing a squid sausage(?) with his fork.

Kathy, about to bring salad to her mouth, paused to ask a question.

“Have you thought about our next destination?”

“I think we’ll return to America after a long time.”

Amon put the sausage in his mouth.

Every time he thought about it, it was amazing how they could recreate squid texture using insects,

And equally amazing that consumers consistently ate it.

While Amon was thinking this, Sonia joined the conversation.

“What about the Mausoleum trial?”

Sonia reminded him of their original purpose for coming to the Vatican.

Amon’s response was…

“I’m not strong enough yet.”

The First Protagonist’s mausoleum had become a dungeon, used as a training ground to strengthen Holy Knights.

But so far, no one had even managed to defeat the mid-boss, let alone the final boss.

“I went there once, but the Holy Knight Commander said he’d be finished at the mid-boss level.”

According to the Knight Commander, while Amon was stronger than the Commander, the mid-boss was even stronger.

Amon thought he might win with luck or a surprise attack, but the mid-boss seemed completely unbeatable.

“So I’m going to postpone the conquest for now.”

As he said this, Amon’s expression was full of excitement.

The fact that there was still room to grow, and that he had means of growth set aside, thrilled him.

The two women, reading his expression, shook their heads as if to say “hopeless.”

At that moment, the squinty-eyed priest, who had been quietly listening, joined the conversation.

“If you don’t have other plans, would you like to join me on an exorcism mission?”

“An exorcism mission?”

“Yes. The Hunt Legion season is approaching.”

“Hunt Legion?”

Amon tilted his head at the unfamiliar term.

“What is that?”

“Me! Me! I know!”

Sonia suddenly raised her hand energetically.

“It’s the Wild Hunt, right? When ghosts pour out everywhere!”

“Wrong. It’s not that, Sonia.”

The squinty-eyed priest tapped his glass lightly, declaring her answer incorrect.

“Although socially the terms are similar, exorcist priests strictly distinguish between the two.”

The priest looked around at the group.

He was checking if anyone knew about it.

But even Kathy seemed unfamiliar with the concept.

Only then did the squinty-eyed priest begin to explain.

“The Wild Hunt occurs regardless of nationality. In the West it’s called the Wild Hunt, in America the Night Procession, at sea the Flying Dutchman, and in the East, Baekgui-yahaeng…”

“Do you mean Baekgui-yahaeng?”

“…Have you been to the East, Amon? Your pronunciation is perfect.”

Amon brushed it off, mentioning YouTube, Japanese culture, and Joseon pop.

The squinty-eyed priest accepted this reluctantly and continued.

“These phenomena usually appear on summer and winter nights in areas where resentment has accumulated for a long time. Ghosts form a procession and wander through the area.”

It commonly occurred in slums, red-light districts, or dictatorships where many people died.

This could be prevented by periodically purifying the area, and it wasn’t originally within the scope of exorcist priests’ duties.

“In contrast, the Hunt Legion has nothing to do with vengeful spirits. Of course, ghosts pour out, form a procession, and harm those who see them, but the outcome is different.”

In the case of the Wild Hunt, those who witness the procession have their souls extracted and join the procession.

But the Hunt Legion…

“Results in possession.”

The ghost at the front of the procession possesses the witness.

At this time, the ghosts try to take the lead position to obtain a body, even if it means tripping each other.

Therefore, unlike the orderly Wild Hunt procession, the Hunt Legion is extremely chaotic.

“Because of this, unlike the Wild Hunt, its movement speed is relatively slow.”

There is no way to prevent this phenomenon.

Since it occurs without vengeful spirits, periodic purification rituals are meaningless.

However, it can be predicted.

“On Walpurgis Night, ghosts pour out somewhere in the world. Starting a week before that time, possession incidents increase more than tenfold in a specific country. When this phenomenon is detected, exorcist priests from around the world move to that area.”

“They gather from all over the world?”

“Ghosts that escape without being exorcised during this period account for 90% of worldwide possessions throughout the year.”

Amon nodded in understanding.

The priest made his proposal.

“So, we found the predicted location yesterday. Would you like to come along?”

Amon briefly checked his schedule.

Soul fragments to eat? None.

Places to go? None.

Appointments? None.

It was April 30th, when his schedule was most open.

Still, Amon pondered if he might have forgotten something.

Interpreting this hesitation somehow, the priest spoke in an almost pleading tone.

“After the recent incident, we’re short on exorcist priests too. If we fail, ghosts could be released worldwide.”

“What happens if things go wrong?”

“Well, I suppose people possessed by spirits would appear everywhere, like in biblical times.”

Hearing this, Amon’s internal scale tipped toward going.

When he made eye contact with Sonia and Kathy, they returned approving looks.

Having obtained their consent, it was decided.

But Amon didn’t nod immediately.

‘This is fun.’

He just wanted to tease the squinty-eyed priest.

His reactions were amusing, making it fun to tease him.

(There was the minor issue of him being his father-in-law, but that wasn’t particularly important.)

So Amon asked probingly.

“Where are we going?”

“To Joseon! This Hunt Legion will take place there. It’s an important region for the Vatican, so we must stop it somehow.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing “Joseon,” Amon’s heart began to race with excitement.

“Then… what do I get if I go with you?”

At that question, the squinty-eyed priest briefly recalled Amon’s past.

The meat Amon had contracted for when transferring Higgjen Group’s inheritance, even giving up part of the premium.

A strategy for dealing with Amon assembled in the priest’s mind, and he spoke.

“I’ll feed you Joseon cuisine until your stomach bursts.”

“Let’s go right away.”

The answer came immediately.

Amon smiled triumphantly, as if his plan had succeeded.

‘Sorry about your wallet, Father…’

No matter how rich you are, food bought with someone else’s money always tastes best.

But the squinty-eyed priest was one step ahead of Amon.

‘Heh. Think what you want. But guess what? I’m going to charge it all to Department 11’s activity budget.’

The reason he wanted to bring Amon along.

It was because he needed Amon’s authority.

As mentioned before, exorcist priests often struggle financially.

Staying in motels instead of hotels, eating instant food instead of local traditional cuisine is commonplace.

During the Hunt Legion especially, they invest in equipment to survive, often ending up cooking gruel in tents.

‘I used to return physically broken after just a year.’

That’s why he needed Amon.

Since Amon was Department 11 itself, his presence meant they could claim expenses.

The priest planned to enjoy luxury hotels and high-end Joseon cuisine with the spillover benefits.

In the process, he would pretend to treat Amon to delicious food while actually having the Vatican foot the bill.

‘Even I think it’s a perfect plan.’

The priest mentally apologized to Amon while rubbing his hands together wickedly.

And above the squinty-eyed priest was Kathy.

‘Poor Father…’

She could see through the red thread.

[Again…! Why did you do this…!]

She didn’t know what Amon would do in Joseon.

But through that future, she could tell one thing:

The cleanup would be entirely the priest’s responsibility,

And in the process, the priest would start taking stomach medication.

‘Well, Father chose this himself.’

Kathy decided not to mention that future.