Ch.135135. Ways of Mourning

A fierce week had passed.

It was a tiring week that began with ghosts and ended with rebellion.

The very next day after that week ended.

The main characters of this incident were snoring away, enjoying a rare rest in the VIP room of the Gyeongseong Royal University Hospital.

How long had it been since they could rest without worrying about enemy attacks?

“Snooore… pffft…”

Sonia snored lazily with her belly exposed.

“Mmnya.”

Kathy enjoying a comfortable sleep in a bed after a long time.

Rustle.

“Ah, dawn prayer.”

And even in the midst of all this, Amon did not miss his dawn prayer.

Amon got up and checked the time.

4:30 AM.

Thirty minutes was enough time to finish getting ready.

After briefly preparing himself, Amon headed to the chapel located in the basement of the hospital.

As always, when he finished the dawn service at 5:30, it was still dark outside.

Since the sun had not risen and even the moon had set beyond the horizon, it was the darkest time of day.

Sniff.

Amon sniffled in the dawn breeze as he returned to his room.

Then he noticed light seeping through the crack of Sunhwa’s hospital room door.

‘Is she not sleeping?’

With mild curiosity turning into concern, he put his ear to the door.

Though he knew it was rude, he couldn’t help but worry given how serious her injuries had been the day before.

And the moment he put his ear to the door, a hoarse, low female voice came from inside.

“Come in. It’s open.”

Amon jumped in surprise and pulled his hand away from the door.

Only after calming his startled heart did he proceed toward Sunhwa who was waiting inside.

“How did you know?”

When Amon opened the hospital room door, she was leaning against the window just like when they first met.

Instead of embracing her sword like before, she had her hwando resting on her knee.

Her clean left eye, uncovered by hair and without scars, met Amon’s gaze.

“The cricket sounds in the hallway changed.”

“You can tell that?”

“If you don’t want to be assassinated by your colleagues, you need to know such things.”

“The Sword Circle sounds tough.”

“It was the Master who taught us how to survive.”

Saying that, she drew the hwando that the Master had left her from its scabbard.

The blade reflected light under the hospital room lighting.

The hwando that hadn’t lost its sharpness even through that fierce battle.

Amon sensed something different about the sword.

“That…”

“Yes. It’s a Yodo. Both this and my taedo.”

Amon recalled the other sword she had been wielding.

The taedo was nowhere to be seen.

But when he concentrated his eyes, he could see the translucent taedo at her waist along with her soul.

Yet Amon didn’t react with shock or surprise at seeing this.

‘That’s not a Yodo?’

Unlike when she was possessed before, the sword wasn’t burrowing into or eroding her body.

Instead, the sword and her soul were simply connected by a thread.

Amon was familiar with this phenomenon.

‘Soul-binding.’

It was something he often saw with Sonia’s bracelet.

While Amon was questioning the essence, as if to confirm his suspicions, Sunhwa summoned the taedo and rested it against her shoulder like an embrace.

Seeing her summon it freely just like Sonia’s bracelet, Amon was certain.

‘It’s been infused with an essence.’

He couldn’t understand the principle.

Normally, essences that should be dropped don’t just absorb like this.

And having it manifest in not just one but two swords was even more unheard of.

But Amon wasn’t a scholar, so rather than analyzing the cause of the situation, he focused on the practical results.

“So. What ability does it have?”

“You’re not surprised.”

“Because it’s not a Yodo.”

“You’re saying this isn’t a Yodo?”

“Have you heard of essences?”

“So this is…?”

Amon nodded.

Having never been to a dungeon, this was something she couldn’t even begin to guess.

“That’s interesting. I had thoughts about how to use these swords, is that the power of the essence?”

Amon nodded and lightly kicked the air twice.

“It’s always been like that for me too.”

“Then this too…?”

Seeing this, she pushed the scabbard with her fingertip, slightly revealing the blade.

The shyly revealed blade was imbued with a blue light.

“The taedo accumulates.”

And when she fully drew the hwando on her knee, it began to emit a red light.

“The hwando releases.”

According to her, the taedo accumulated power as it defended against enemy attacks, and the hwando could release that energy.

‘So that’s why they were a set.’

Amon expressed genuine admiration for the unique combination.

After finishing her explanation, she recalled the hwando and embraced the taedo preciously as she spoke.

“That’s a relief.”

“Were you worried it might be a Yodo?”

“Yes. I was worried that black wriggling thing had entered me. If that was the case… I was going to ask you to cut me down while I was still sane.”

“Is asking someone to cut you down in a hospital a proper request?”

“Better than a ghost being born in a hospital, right?”

“Don’t worry about that. Even if that happened, I would save you like before.”

“You… never mind. You don’t seem to know.”

“?”

While Amon tilted his head in confusion, she loosened her grip on the preciously embraced taedo and, seeming to regain her composure, pulled out a pipe from her bosom.

“Want a smoke?”

Amon shook his head.

Sunhwa chuckled and lit her pipe.

Amon thought about pointing out that the hospital room was a non-smoking area, but decided to turn a blind eye for the hero who had saved the country.

Puff.

Smoke escaped between her lips.

Her eyes sank deeper as she watched the smoke.

‘Wait, is that not tobacco but something like marijuana? But there’s no marijuana smell.’

While Amon was thinking this, her lips moved.

“The Sword Circle will be disbanded now.”

“…”

“Now ‘we’ truly have nowhere to go.”

It might be unfair for the Sword Circle members who had been possessed by ghosts only to regain consciousness and find themselves unemployed, but it couldn’t be helped.

When the Master had pointed a sword at the Crown Prince, one couldn’t expect the organization to remain intact.

Thanks to Sunwoo and Sunhwa’s efforts, they had avoided execution, but disbandment was an inevitable outcome.

Of course, Sunhwa was already in a state where she couldn’t return to the Sword Circle.

But though she didn’t show it, her heart seemed to be there.

“Maybe I really am some kind of disaster god.”

First her family, and now the Sword Circle.

With a self-deprecating smile, she turned her gaze out the window.

Amon silently looked at her profile before making the proposal he had been thinking about.

“Great Monster and Demon Unit. Simon’s Saw and Rope.”

“What?”

“As Amon Perfumerose, director of the Vatican Special Operations Department, Section 11, I propose that you join our cause.”

She was taken aback by Amon’s formal proposal.

First surprised by the name of an organization she had never heard of coming from Amon’s mouth,

then surprised again because while the name sounded like a joke, it was Amon who said it,

and finally surprised once more because she couldn’t understand why Amon wanted to recruit her to such a place.

After barely recovering from her bewilderment, she asked the reason.

“Why me of all people?”

“Because there’s no reason why not?”

“I don’t particularly attend church though?”

“But you’re not a heretic either, are you?”

“It seems like an important position in the Vatican, is it okay if I don’t have faith? Can you just… recruit people like this?”

Seeing her stumble over her words in confusion, Amon smiled gently.

“Haven’t you already proven yourself through your actions?”

Amon presented her elimination of the Outer as evidence.

For her, it was something she did by going with the flow, but for Amon, it was more than enough.

“Faith is something you can learn from now on.”

Well, you don’t necessarily need to come to dawn prayers.

Ignoring Amon’s last joke, she pondered.

A question and answer flashed through her mind.

– “Is he a lord worthy of serving, as I’ve repeatedly said?”

Those words the Master had emphasized repeatedly when she was in the Sword Circle.

In the end, because they were swords, they needed to find a master who would wield them and keep them in their scabbard.

Until just a day ago, she had disagreed with those words.

How could a warrior who reveres the sword and martial arts seek someone to serve?

She was a warrior with a strong sense of independence, and she didn’t particularly look for someone to dedicate her sword to.

If she had wanted to pledge her loyalty, she would have joined the government army rather than becoming part of the Sword Circle.

That’s why when she met the Master again, she answered his question like this:

– “I’m not sure. At least so far, it seems like a scabbard where I can stay for a while.”

While she might temporarily be part of an organization, she ultimately had no intention of serving anyone.

To begin with, the Master who said such things didn’t particularly serve anyone either.

But at this moment, she could vaguely understand what he had been trying to say.

A sword that has been out of its scabbard for too long eventually becomes a monster.

A sword must always have someone holding its reins.

If not a person, then by discipline, or if not that, then by belief.

Because the Sword Circle had neither proper discipline nor anything else, the Master had emphasized that fact.

Without discipline or belief, she had to cling to vengeance, and perhaps it was a warning from her last remaining humanity as she felt herself gradually turning into a monster in the midst of that vengeance.

Thinking about it that way, she could naturally compare Amon and the Master.

Amon wielded his sword within an unwavering faith.

That’s why he could avoid becoming a monster like the Master.

‘There’s no need to specifically find a lord.’

But shouldn’t there be at least one principle or discipline by which to wield one’s sword?

In that sense, Amon’s proposal wasn’t bad at all.

After contemplation, she nodded with a shy smile.

“Alright. But would Sunwoo be eligible too?”

Amon nodded.

“Of course.”

“Then right here…”

Hop.

She jumped down from the windowsill to kneel before Amon.

But when she remembered that the soles of her feet were in tatters, her feet were already about to touch the ground.

‘Ah. This is going to hurt a lot.’

As she thought this, just before her soles met the marble floor, Amon reached out to her.

And just as he had done in battle the day before, he caught her in a princess carry and carefully set her down on the ground.

“You should be careful. You’re still a patient.”

For Amon, it was not a big deal.

But that small gesture seemed to affect her differently.

“You… should turn on your blinkers before entering.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. I look forward to working with you.”

With a gentle smile, she presented her sword to Amon.