Ch.1919. Punk City and the Boy and Girl

The pile of scrap metal crossed the city.

The nun driving that pile of scrap metal, with 11 months of installments remaining, parked the car in front of the orphanage.

Screech

“We’ve… arrived…”

There was no need to open the door.

Amon and Sonia immediately got out of the car.

There was no luggage to unload from the trunk.

That’s because they had scattered everything across the highway.

The two who had left the orphanage with arms full of belongings returned as paupers.

“Sigh…”

Amon let out a sigh as soon as he stepped over the threshold of the orphanage.

“How do we explain this…”

We returned broke because we were being chased by ninjas after getting marked by the Higgjen Group?

If they said that, the nuns would certainly believe them.

But that would put the nuns in danger.

In this world, there are cases where it’s better not to know.

Amon knew this fact very well, so he decided not to inform the nuns.

Sonia also agreed with Amon’s approach.

But regardless of that, Sonia’s heart was heavy.

“They’ll be worried, won’t they?”

“Can’t be helped.”

Like Sonia, Amon’s heart was heavy too.

With the car in this state, hiding it completely would be impossible.

The nuns would probably be genuinely worried about them.

But the two had to prevent them from getting close to the truth.

They could rebel like teenagers, saying it was none of their business.

Or they could dismiss it by saying they were adults now and could handle their own affairs.

Either way, it wouldn’t feel good.

The two discussed excuses to explain the situation to the nuns as they headed inside the orphanage.

But when they opened the entrance and went inside, a serious atmosphere greeted them.

Windows were broken, the corridor was in disarray, and there were bloodstains and bullet marks on the walls.

“?!”

Without hesitation, both of them rushed into the orphanage, calling for the nuns and their younger siblings.

Tommy, Kaylee, Luna, and others.

They called out the names of their siblings as they came to mind.

As the two were about to collapse from the lack of response, a priest approached them.

“I think you can rest assured. As soon as the attack happened, the Holy Knights moved first, anticipating this. Your siblings and the nuns are being protected by the Holy Knights.”

At the priest’s words, the two sat down with sighs of relief.

Amon even immediately began to pray on the spot.

“Thank you, Lord. Truly thank you…”

After that heart-stopping experience ended and Amon regained his senses, he asked the priest about the question he had postponed.

“I’m truly grateful. But separately, I must ask this. Why is the Vatican treating us so well?”

He could understand being sent to the Blue Moon Resort.

From the Vatican’s perspective, giving the two a 1-night, 2-day trip to build a good relationship was a profitable deal.

But not only dispatching Holy Knights to protect Amon and Sonia, but also including the orphanage in the protection range was clearly not economically viable.

No matter how precious two Divine Power holders might be, this was too much kindness.

According to the absolute law of cyberpunk, the law of equivalent exchange, Amon couldn’t help but suspect their intentions.

“What does the Vatican want from us?”

What on earth had the Vatican put on the scale to value the two of them so highly?

Amon felt that unless he understood this fact, he could never trust the priests before him, nor the Holy Knights who had been protecting them.

Amon’s straightforward gaze met the priest’s narrowed eyes.

A silent battle of wills passed between the two.

Eventually, the priest gave up with a deep sigh.

“Somehow, Amon, you lack the cuteness appropriate for your age.”

“So, what is the Vatican’s purpose?”

As Amon tried to get to the point, ignoring the priest’s banter, the priest once again grumbled about Amon’s lack of cuteness before starting.

“How much do you know about the Higgjen Group, Amon?”

For a moment, Amon almost mentioned “Project Artificial Saint,” but he quickly closed his mouth.

Instead, he responded to the priest’s question with a question.

“I know their ultimate goal. What about the Vatican?”

“We know the same.”

It seemed that the Holy Nation already knew what Amon had deduced.

Only Sonia was unable to follow the conversation topic.

“What is it? What are you two talking about?”

Looking at her flustered appearance with fondness, Amon revealed the truth to her.

***

The words from Amon’s mouth were shocking.

The plan to compress Divine Power holders into one body to create a Divine Power bestower, that is, a saint from history, was unbelievable.

If these words hadn’t come from Amon’s mouth, and if the priest hadn’t been nodding beside him, Sonia wouldn’t have believed it.

When Amon’s explanation ended, the priest looked surprised.

“How did you know that?”

To the priest’s question, Amon replied with a bitter smile.

“Thanks to God’s grace.”

This was a jargon used by priests in the Vatican’s prophecy department when they were being vague about predictions using Divine Power.

This expression, born because a single word could change the future they had seen, was known only to a select few within the Vatican who could directly receive prophecies.

Those select few included the Pope, Cardinals, top-tier Exorcists, and high-ranking Inquisitors.

The fact that this jargon came from Amon’s mouth meant one thing.

“Well. You’re a frightening person.”

The narrow-eyed priest understood immediately.

He didn’t press further, which made Amon sigh in relief.

‘Divine Power really is the best.’

Most supernatural phenomena unexplained by magic or science can usually be attributed to Divine Power or Mystic Power.

Thanks to its versatility, which was almost like a cheat key, Amon wasn’t particularly suspected.

Anyway, the Higgjen Group’s conspiracy was revealed through Amon’s mouth.

Sonia, now knowing the truth, rubbed her arms at the creepy sensation.

“Then that field trip too…”

“What you’re thinking is probably right.”

Sonia shuddered again, recalling that kind and warm voice.

The malice behind that voice was not pleasant at all.

The fact that she had almost had her Divine Power sucked out continued to trouble Sonia.

Amon embraced her and comforted her with gentle pats.

After some time, when Sonia had calmed down, the priest brought the topic back.

“Let’s return to our discussion. If Amon already knows the Higgjen Group’s secret wish, this will be quicker.”

The priest’s explanation began.

“The Higgjen Group has been pursuing one goal since its founding. A secret wish they are determined to achieve, no matter how much it costs.”

Usually, all Megacorps have one secret wish each.

This is because one cannot reach the level of a Megacorp with simple greed for money.

To become a Megacorp, one needs an obsession bordering on madness that ordinary people find difficult to understand.

The Higgjen Group was one such entity, and this obsession had made them a Megacorp.

“They want to sell everything that exists in this world. That target… daringly includes Divine Power.”

Their mad obsession to sell everything eventually made them one of the world’s most notable general stores.

From various groceries to home appliances, medicine to guns.

The idea of providing whatever a customer seeks, even if it means running underground factories, was not something one would think of without such obsession.

But there was one thing the Higgjen Group still couldn’t sell in their stores: Divine Power.

In a world where magic and science had advanced, no company or government had found a substitute for Divine Power.

The miracles created by Divine Power relied solely on the individual possessing it.

For the Higgjen Group, which wanted to sell all items anywhere, this limitation was not to their liking.

So they planned.

To artificially create a saint.

The Vatican’s reaction to this intelligence was dramatic.

If, by any chance, the Higgjen Group succeeded, the Vatican could lose its reason for existence.

“First, the Pope’s authority would hit rock bottom.”

The first Pope was the first of the 12 apostles chosen by the saint, who was the only child of the Goddess who descended to the world.

And successive Popes were clergy who carried on the first’s will.

But if the Higgjen Group succeeded in artificially creating a saint, and furthermore, made anyone an apostle, what would the Pope become?

From that moment, the Vatican and the Higgjen Group became entities that could never coexist under the same sky.

“It had been a long time since priests, who were divided into factions and engaged in intrigue against each other, united like that.”

Since their lifeline was at stake, no priest sided with the Higgjen Group.

The Vatican moved as one body, almost unprecedented.

Inquisitors went everywhere gathering information, Cardinals shared all the information they had, and the Holy Knights moved swiftly without any objection to the Cardinals’ orders.

To prevent the Higgjen Group’s conspiracy, no one hindered others.

All priests were sincerely united as one.

“Thus, the Higgjen Group was declared heretical, and the Vatican has been hostile to them for a long time.”

But even if the Higgjen Group was labeled heretical, this world was not the Middle Ages.

The power of religion had weakened immensely, and what judged someone was not law or ethics, but pure power.

Therefore, apart from declaring the Higgjen Group heretical and preventing them from gathering Divine Power holders, the Vatican’s options were limited.

Despite these hindrances, the Higgjen Group continued the project, taking Divine Power holders.

And now, just one step away from the completion of their plan.

The Vatican interfered with the Higgjen Group more actively than ever.

“And that’s when you appeared.”

Two Divine Power holders appeared in an orphanage in Colorado, where the Higgjen Group’s headquarters was located.

For the Higgjen Group, which was desperate for even one, orphans without any protection were irresistibly tempting prey.

The fortunate thing for the Vatican was that they discovered the two first.

Afterwards, the Vatican spared no investment in the orphanage.

They carried out various operations to prevent the Higgjen Group from noticing the two.

They concealed information, created diversions, and after being discovered, they openly provided protection.

“And that led to this situation.”

This was why the Vatican spared no support for Amon and Sonia.

Sending them to the resort was to keep them away from the corporation as much as possible, and protecting the orphanage was to prevent the nuns and siblings from being taken hostage.

All of this was done because the Vatican needed them.

The priest’s explanation ended.

Only then could Amon trust the Vatican’s goodwill.

He could understand, through the logic of equivalent exchange, why the Vatican was so desperate to protect the two.

“Will you trust our Vatican now?”

Amon nodded gently to the priest’s question.