Ch.249Episode 12 – The Strongest Mage in History

The inquisitor watching outside spoke.

“The heretic has entered the village outskirts. Currently making contact with two residents.”

“What are they doing?”

“Seems to be talking, Father.”

Priestess Rebecca raised her binoculars to check outside the window. After staring at something for about 4 seconds, she passed the binoculars to the inquisitor and relayed the situation to me.

“The villagers have recognized the friar and are gathering around. Quite a large number. Are you ready?”

“Almost.”

I answered while attaching the silencer to my pistol.

I twisted the silencer onto the gun with my left hand, pulled back the slide to chamber a round, then gathered two or three extra magazines. After securing the pistol in its holster and stuffing the magazines into my jacket pocket, I completed my preparations by placing a knife and amulet in my pants pocket.

Priestess Rebecca spoke.

“I see you’ve even prepared a silencer.”

“If gunshots are heard, the villagers will become suspicious. Dvoek should have silencers too—you should prepare as well, Priestess.”

“I understand, but please remember that today’s mission is not an arrest operation.”

Priestess Rebecca’s plan was to capture the friar’s divine power in the amulet.

After storing his divine power in the amulet, we would take it to the Inquisition for thorough analysis to determine who might be behind the terrorist attacks. That was today’s plan.

However.

“Things don’t always go according to plan, do they?”

“…That’s true.”

“Best to be prepared.”

Having finished my preparations, I stood at the front door. The two inquisitors and Priestess Rebecca didn’t say anything, but I could read slight concern in their eyes.

Well, I understand.

Nothing should go wrong.

Probably.

In the blizzard-swept December.

A season when the cold north wind blows.

“I’ll be going now.”

I calmly step into the bone-chilling cold.

Episode 12 – The Most Powerful Magician Ever

I left the lodging provided by the villagers and headed toward the square.

The friar who had once promised to visit the village had returned.

The middle-aged cleric appeared in the village as promised, and the residents recognized him immediately.

“Oh my, who do we have here! Father!”

“It’s good to see you, Brother Kirill. Have you been well?”

“Very well thanks to you, Father! Haha!”

One of the few remaining men in the village, relatively young among the elderly, greeted the friar with respect and enthusiastic welcome.

Next to the old man stood another elderly person, with children and women behind them.

Not just one or two.

Perhaps because he had been visiting this remote village for several months helping the residents, people flocked like clouds at the news of the friar’s arrival. The quiet rural village instantly transformed into a bustling marketplace.

Villagers of all ages warmly welcomed the friar.

“Father! Welcome!”

“You must be tired from your long journey.”

Even…

“Village chief, is that you? With your bad leg, how did you…”

“How could this old man stay put when the Father has arrived?”

“Thank you, Chief.”

Even the village chief, who had spoken informally to the government official (actually a spy), addressed the friar with respect.

Despite the obvious father-son age difference, all the elderly treated the friar with great reverence.

In response, the friar made the sign of the cross and offered a blessing.

“May the Lord’s protection be with you all.”

What a brazen heretic. Mentioning the Heavenly God without even changing expression.

Religious types, I swear.

I observed the friar while blending in with the villagers. After comparing the villagers’ reactions, his demeanor, and the intelligence I’d gathered, I was certain this friar was the person I’d been tracking for the past few days.

“……”

Just as the friar was about to move on after finishing his blessing…

“…Hmm?”

As if suddenly remembering something, he wore a puzzled expression and spoke.

“But who might that person be? I don’t recognize him.”

The friar muttered while staring at someone.

As if on cue, the villagers turned their heads following the friar’s gaze.

At the end of those gazes was me.

“……”

I had been blending in with the villagers inconspicuously when I met the friar’s eyes. I must have stood out—a young man in a suit in a village where the only males were elderly.

After maintaining silence under the shower of stares, I spoke with a nonchalant expression.

“I’m from the city welfare department.”

“A government official?”

The middle-aged friar looked at a villager as if seeking confirmation.

“That’s right, Father. That man is indeed a government official.”

“What brings a public servant here…”

“He came to check on the village due to distribution issues. Was it a population census? That’s why he came.”

“Ah, I see.”

The friar nodded with a warm smile.

“The Lord said that blessings would come to those who diligently work to protect His flock through His servants. May the Lord’s grace be with you, brother. Seeing that you’ve come all this way on difficult roads, you must surely be a fine person who faithfully carries out your duties. Um… did you come alone, brother?”

“No. About three others came with me.”

“Are they also government officials?”

“Yes, Father.”

“I see.”

Tap. Tap. Prodding the soft ground with his staff, the friar began walking.

The villagers parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path for him, and the friar expressed his gratitude as he slowly walked forward.

When he finally stopped in front of me, the middle-aged friar rolled up the sleeve of his brown tunic and offered his hand.

The friar addressed me in fluent pronunciation.

“Pleased to meet you, brother. May I ask your name?”

“…Vadim. Nice to meet you.”

I took the friar’s outstretched hand. The friar slowly shook my hand, and I moved mine up and down in response.

The friar kept smiling. It was a smile whose meaning I couldn’t decipher.

“Well then.”

The smiling friar turned to the villagers and said:

“Please guide me to where the sick are.”

*

A heretic friar teaching sorcery to children.

Suspected of supporting the recent mysterious murders and terrorist attacks with black magic, he got to work as soon as he entered the village.

He headed to a house in the village.

“Where are you injured?”

“I cut my hand while farming.”

“Let me see.”

When the villager extended his torn hand, a white light appeared.

A light emerged in the dusty, cold house, and as the firefly-like glow settled on the wound, it began to heal.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

“There. Do you still feel pain?”

“No, not at all.”

“You should be able to work in the fields without any problems now, brother.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much, Father!”

The old man bowed deeply, expressing gratitude for the friar’s kindness.

But instead of accepting the thanks, the friar made the sign of the cross and bowed his head.

“I have done nothing, brother. I merely prayed that the grace of the Great Father would descend upon this land.”

The friar traveled around the village healing people.

An old man who injured his hand while farming, a middle-aged woman with pneumonia, a child burning with fever, and so on.

As soon as he entered the village, the friar began knocking on doors under the guidance of the residents, without taking a moment’s rest.

The villagers let him into their homes without any suspicion.

“Welcome, Father!”

“It’s good to see you, Marian. It’s been a while.”

“I still have some pie I made recently. Would you like some?”

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m not hungry. I’m fine, but if you would allow it, I’d like you to share it with those who are weak. I heard your son was sick, is that right?”

“Don’t even mention it. He injured his leg in the mountains a few days ago. I don’t know why he went to such a dangerous place…”

“Don’t scold the child too harshly, Marian. A child’s innocence may seem reckless to adults, but sometimes it exceeds adult imagination. When else would he have such adventures?”

The friar reached out and caressed the child’s leg. The child, who had been groaning in pain with his swollen leg, quickly regained his smile and hopped off the bed.

The inquisitors said the friar was a heretic, but his skills were quite impressive. At this level, he was better than the military chaplains or ordinary priests commonly seen in churches.

One peculiar thing was the friar’s possessions—unlike military chaplains or healing priests, he didn’t heal people with his bare hands.

“Oh dear, the incense has run out.”

“Is that okay? I hope it won’t cause any problems…”

“Hmm, it won’t cause any issues for you villagers. If you don’t mind, could I borrow some fire?”

“Here you are, Father.”

The friar carried a peculiar censer in one hand. Unlike when he was outside, whenever he entered a building, he always carried a censer bound with metal wire that emitted smoke.

The censer, engraved with strange patterns, emitted smoke with a terrible smell.

Thinking back to my time as a military officer in the Order, when clerics would burn incense for ceremonial purposes, it seemed to have some religious significance, but even considering that, the smell was particularly foul. It smelled just like burning marijuana.

Was it smoke that caused hallucinations? Perhaps. The smoke was strong enough to mask the musty smell of mold and the body odor of the villagers.

The villagers seemed fine, so it probably wasn’t something with potent effects, but I deliberately observed the friar from outside rather than inside the buildings to avoid inhaling even a little of the smoke.

Holding the censer, the friar walked ahead, tapping the ground with his staff, and the villagers followed him closely, watching as he healed patients.

“Oh…!”

“Look at that. Isn’t it amazing every time?”

“He’s truly remarkable. Like a saint.”

To villagers with barely any television, a priest exercising divine power was a rare spectacle.

Even I, who had watched military chaplains and Lucia heal people daily, found it fascinating—how often would priests visit such a remote mountain village? The friar, healing patients and teaching children, had already become more than just a religious figure to the villagers.

Of course, inquisitors would be appalled to hear this, and inquisitors were already in the village, but I decided to ignore the villagers comparing the friar to saints.

“……”

The friar led the crowd of villagers, knocking on doors where patients were located.

Leading people around like a swarm of bees, he resembled the scenes of Kim Jong-un’s on-site guidance that regularly appeared on Chosun Central Television.

There had been no reports of heretical doctrines spreading in the village, and indeed none had been confirmed yet. The villagers were simply following the friar out of curiosity.

But I wonder if the high-ranking officials of the Inquisition would leave the village alone after receiving reports of this.

I squeezed through the crowd of villagers.

“Excuse me.”

I decided to monitor the friar by joining the villagers.

According to Priestess Rebecca, there was no one in the village who could handle divine power, and the only person using divine power near me was this friar, so now was the perfect time to collect divine power.

Thanks to the villagers eagerly following the friar, monitoring him was quite easy. I just had to linger among the villagers.

Of course, I wasn’t just there to look at the friar’s face.

As expected, the amulet reacted every time the friar used divine power.

Whenever he healed a patient, the amulet collected the divine power scattered in the air and stored it, and I covered my pocket with my coat and jacket to prevent any light from leaking out.

Just then, Priestess Rebecca’s voice came through the earpiece connected to my radio.

-‘Is it going well?’

“Yes. Better than expected.”

-‘Good.’

Whatever I said would be drowned out by the surrounding noise, so there was little chance the friar would notice anything suspicious.

I slightly adjusted the volume dial on the radio from Dvoek, covering the earpiece with my jacket.

“How much do I need to store?”

-‘The more, the better. The more you collect, the more concentrated it becomes.’

“Understood. Your company’s employees are watching nearby, right?”

-‘They’re keeping their distance since the heretic might sense them if they get too close. But they’re positioned to respond immediately if any problems arise.’

From the moment the friar arrived in the village, Priestess Rebecca had mobilized the inquisitors.

Taking advantage of the chaotic atmosphere, two inquisitors disguised as government officials began monitoring the friar along with me, and inquisitors waiting on the outskirts gathered their equipment and approached the village.

They were positioned to intervene in the village at any time if something happened.

We wouldn’t arrest the friar today, but you never know. I fingered the knife in my pocket and blended back into the crowd.

The heretic friar traveled throughout the village healing residents—from those with serious illnesses to those with minor ailments. The targets varied.

It’s natural for clerics to heal people, but the villagers seemed to think differently.

They repeatedly expressed their gratitude to the friar who had come to this remote place at his own risk to help them, offering crops and herbs gathered from mountains, fields, and farms.

“Thank you for helping us again. We’re truly grateful, Father. How can we ever repay this kindness…”

“I’ve only done my duty. Please direct your gratitude not to me, but to the One who sent me here.”

“Yes! Of course! You must be tired—please rest for today, Father. We’ll provide you with the best house in the village!”

The last remark came from the village chief.

He invited the heretic friar to what he proudly claimed was the best house in the village.

Even under the National Security Act, providing shelter, goods, or funds to spies is punishable, so I wondered if the villagers who helped the heretic would be safe in a place with even stricter laws than the global community.

I was slightly concerned but shook my head to dismiss the thought. This wasn’t something I could decide.

“I appreciate the invitation, Chief. But please keep your gifts. Your hearts are enough for me.”

The friar returned the gifts offered by the villagers with plausible words.

The villagers insisted he shouldn’t refuse, but the friar firmly declined their kindness.

“But these are gifts we prepared for you. Please accept them.”

“Moderation is a virtue of a monk, so I must decline. However…”

With a smiling face, the friar quietly moved his head.

His gaze touched each villager’s face. Sending a gentle look as if deeply empathizing with the villagers’ pain, he suggested in a calm voice:

“If you don’t mind, brother, I would like to have a conversation with that brother.”

The friar said this while looking at me.

Quietly blending in with the villagers, I gave an embarrassed smile at the sudden attention.

“Ah…”

“Do you have a moment, brother? If it’s alright with you, I’d like to talk about the village.”

“Well, sure.”

I put my hand in my pocket.

I could clearly feel the handle of the knife wrapped in thin cloth.

“If that’s what you want, let’s do that.”

*

Posing as a local government official, I entered the village to gather intelligence on the friar.

If that failed, we would continue long-term surveillance by disguising inquisitors as traveling doctors or peddlers based on the collected intelligence.

A long-term operation based on preliminary reconnaissance.

Our plan was plausible.

Collect intelligence on the friar suspected of supplying black magic for terrorist attacks, and compare the divine power left at the murder scenes with his to reveal his identity.

Although there was no direct link between the terrorist attacks and the murders, a successful operation could yield many results.

At minimum, we could arrest a heretic; at maximum, we could find clues about who was behind the terrorist attacks. With luck, we might even solve the murder cases at once.

However, what I hadn’t predicted was:

The suspected heretic friar requesting a conversation with me.

“…You want to talk?”

“More like a petition than a conversation. It might even seem like a solicitation.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Would it be alright if we talked while walking?”

“Sure, why not.”

Saying he knew a good place, the friar led the way, tapping the ground with his staff. Judging by the direction, we were heading toward a hill overlooking the village.

Though remote, it wasn’t far from the village, and the hill wasn’t so high that it couldn’t be seen clearly from below. If any problems arose, the inquisitors could arrive in time. I removed my earpiece while the friar wasn’t looking back. All our conversation would be transmitted to Priestess Rebecca through the radio.

The friar maintained silence as he steadily walked forward.

The censer he always carried when entering houses was already extinguished, but its terrible smell still lingered.

Whether the smell had permeated him or not, a foul odor emanated from the friar, and I walked behind him, standing in the direction of the wind to avoid the smell as much as possible.

After walking for some time, the friar stopped at a gentle hill.

“Here we are.”

“……”

“It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”

The hill offered quite a splendid view. The entire village was visible at a glance.

The middle-aged friar, who had climbed the hill using his staff, sat down on a rock without losing his benevolent smile, letting out a grunt.

I looked around to confirm the positions of the inquisitors, then turned to face the friar.

“It’s problematic for you to make requests to a government official, Friar.”

The friar smiled gently.

“As one who has become a servant of Him, I cannot turn away from the pain of those who suffer. You cannot persecute me under human laws.”

According to Priestess Rebecca, the amulet cannot be detected regardless of how close it is unless directly observed with the eyes. This is because the divine power it contains is so faint.

Of course, the same applies to a cleric’s divine power, but someone with developed spiritual sensitivity can sense it. Like a military dog tracking infiltrating special forces by scent.

But that’s only possible at close range. In a situation like this with some distance, an ordinary person wouldn’t notice the presence of inquisitors unless they were an arch-magician.

I covered the pocket containing the amulet with my coat and quietly spoke.

“…Let’s hear it.”

With an attitude of “go ahead and say whatever you want,” I began, and the friar leaned his staff against the rock and spoke.

“You said you’re a government official? I heard you arrived in the village today. What are your impressions after looking around?”

“It’s quite poor.”

“That’s right. Very poor indeed.”

The friar nodded and continued in a calm tone.

“When I first came here, the small village was overflowing with patients. Some were facing death. The situation has improved now, but there are still many in the village who need help.”

The friar’s gaze turned toward the village from his seat on the rock. From the gentle hill, the village looked small and quaint.

“There were people starving. Children were on the brink of death, unable to even eat gruel. Babies were no exception. How can a newborn grow healthy when there’s no breast milk?”

“……”

“For those with abundant granaries, skipping a meal might be a matter of choice, but for the people here, eating is not optional. If they don’t eat today, they might die tomorrow.”

The friar, who had been quietly reciting on the hill overlooking the village, paused for a moment.

Then he looked at me and smiled gently.

“Is it wrong to ask for help for these people?”

I shrugged.

“Do you know what ‘public servant’ means?”

In Chinese characters, ‘public service’ is 公務. ‘Public’ and ‘serve.’

That is, a public servant means someone who serves fairly.

Therefore, public servants should perform their duties kindly and fairly, and fulfill their responsibilities transparently and justly. Of course, reality is always a sewer.

“I understand your intention, Friar, but while I can accommodate the convenience of the residents here, I cannot exclusively care for this village’s residents. There must be people living in difficult circumstances elsewhere too.”

“Hmm… that’s true as well.”

The friar seemed to accept this quite calmly. He gave the impression that while he had raised the point, he hadn’t really expected it to be accepted.

I couldn’t understand why he had brought this up. The inquisitors said he was a heretic, but was he not a cult leader seeking personal gain, just someone who didn’t believe in the doctrine?

The inscrutable friar spoke in a calm voice.

“Then there’s nothing to be done. However, I simply wish for the villagers to be healthy and for the children to grow up in a good environment.”

“……”

“How long do you plan to stay in the village?”

“I’ll be leaving soon. I have many things to do.”

That’s not a lie.

After returning, I need to organize materials on the murder cases and terrorism, and submit a report to Leonie. Priestess Rebecca will also be busy for a while. She’ll need to examine the friar’s divine power stored in the amulet and monitor the village.

I should also help Lucia and Francesca. Francesca helped me by intervening in the black market issue. Of course, she probably accepted the proposal to help investigate the terrorist incidents while making some profit, but she’ll definitely struggle without my help.

And I need to look after the troublemaker Camilla. Actually, she worries me the most. Always bouncing around like a rubber ball causing incidents.

The friar, who had been examining my face, nodded as if understanding.

“You must be very busy. Still, I hope you’ll remember to visit the village again.”

“I will.”

The friar gathered his staff that he had leaned against the rock and stood up, dusting himself off. The middle-aged friar, who slowly rose from the snowy ground, extended his rough hand with a benevolent smile.

Despite the headache from the lingering stench that hadn’t dissipated even after considerable time, I habitually put on a smile and grasped his outstretched hand.

“This must be fate too. May blessings be upon your path, brother.”

“Thank you. May the Lord’s grace also be abundant in your future, Friar.”

“……”

In response to the greeting commonly given to clerics of the Order, the friar merely smiled without any particular reply.

I gently shook the friar’s hand. The handshake continued for a long time.

A long, very long time.

“……”

Ten seconds passed, then thirty seconds. Even after more than a minute, the friar showed no sign of releasing my hand.

It was an uncomfortable moment.

Despite the cold wind, the stench still hadn’t dissipated, and the friar continued shaking hands with a smile. I felt there was something strange about him, but this went beyond strange to bizarre.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I snapped at him in an irritated tone.

“When are you going to let go of my hand?”

“……”

“Friar?”

The friar didn’t answer.

Instead of answering, he posed a question.

“May I ask just one thing, brother?”

The friar’s mouth opened.

Simultaneously, an indescribable stench began to pierce my nostrils.

“Since we first met, there’s been one question I couldn’t hold back.”

“No, what’s this suddenly—”

“What exactly do you have in your pocket right now?”