Ch.88. Punk City and the Human Boy

A lightweight Bible wrapped in synthetic leather, measuring 180mm wide, 205mm tall, 50mm thick, weighing 2kg.

A blunt weapon for exorcising spirits.

A Bible.

A highly efficient weapon capable of exorcising low-level ghosts and similar entities with a single strike.

As proof, Amon’s single blow exorcised countless ghosts residing within Jimmy at once.

Unfortunately, the baby ghost who had helped Amon was also exorcised in the process, making it impossible to keep his promise.

Amon made the sign of the cross, feeling sorry for not being able to perform the promised memorial service.

‘Amen’

That was the extent of his mourning for the nameless baby ghost.

Amon looked at Jimmy who lay at his feet, eyes rolled back and foaming at the mouth.

Anyone could see that Jimmy’s condition was far from normal.

He turned his gaze toward the nun who was gaping behind him.

“Jimmy doesn’t look okay. Is this really alright?”

His voice was dripping with concern.

Amon firmly believed that the nun would recognize his genuine concern for Jimmy.

Of course, that was just Amon’s delusion.

‘You’re one to talk!?’

Though inwardly shocked, the nun didn’t show it on her face.

She didn’t want to end up lying next to Jimmy herself.

She consciously moved her stiffened cheeks and reassured Amon.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a side effect of the possession being lifted…. Probably.”

The last word didn’t reach Amon’s ears.

Thanks to that, Amon could breathe a sigh of relief.

Typically, possession victims foam at the mouth from the shock of having their souls displaced, so Jimmy’s condition was a perfectly normal part of recovery.

Of course, Amon felt that his somewhat aggressive exorcism might have put a harsh strain on Jimmy’s brain, but there was no one present who could prove that.

Therefore, Amon could be considered innocent in this incident.

Shortly after, the orphanage director, awakened by Amon’s shout, arrived at the scene.

What she saw there was a somewhat refreshed-looking Amon, an unconscious Jimmy with a dented crown, and a nun pressing her eyelids.

Years of orphanage management experience meant she didn’t need an explanation to understand what had happened.

She knew exactly what needed to be done first in this situation.

“Amon, go to your room and rest. Don’t worry, you don’t have to write a reflection paper.”

***

Through the director’s mediation, Amon was acquitted.

The orphanage was told that Jimmy had escaped from isolation and was restrained by Amon.

Anyway, Jimmy, the victim, had no memory of the incident because he had been completely consumed by the vengeful ghost, and the only witnesses—the director and the nun—were on Amon’s side.

In the end, a slightly modified version of the truth was shared with everyone.

“Amazing, big brother!”

The younger children who adored Amon were busy praising him.

To children who saw the orphanage as their entire world, the possessed Jimmy had seemed like an apocalyptic demon lord.

Having defeated such a demon single-handedly, Amon’s status was comparable to that of a hero.

Hero Amon could only offer a dry laugh amid the children’s praise.

‘I can’t even tell them the truth…’

Unable to share the tale of his Bible-wielding exploits with the children, Amon packaged his fight with Jimmy with appropriate embellishments.

The story went that Amon and Jimmy had fought fiercely in the night, and the ghosts inside Jimmy, after being beaten by Amon, finally left Jimmy’s body.

In fact, physical punishment including whipping is one method of exorcising possessed individuals.

The problem is just that the person often dies before the ghost leaves.

In this case, it was concluded that Jimmy had been lucky.

“So cool…”

For some reason, Sonia had joined the children and was listening with sparkling eyes, making Amon feel like he could die of embarrassment.

While the children were praising hero Amon, there was someone who couldn’t take this incident lightly.

The director sat in her office, pondering what Amon had accomplished in this incident.

Exorcism.

This exorcism business isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Strictly speaking, ghosts are beings born of mystic power rather than magical power, making them entities that can’t be dealt with by magic or overwhelming physical force.

There’s a reason the profession of exorcist exists separately.

Yet Amon had accomplished it.

With just a Bible.

In Amon’s words, the Bible was classified as a physical-type weapon.

Unfortunately, it didn’t provide additional divine damage.

This meant the cause of the exorcism lay not with the Bible but with Amon himself.

Amon knew this fact well, as did the director.

And the exorcist priest who arrived late also knew this fact well.

“What an interesting child.”

Behind the priest’s glasses, blue eyes barely visible through narrow slits, focused on Amon’s photo.

He was the priest the director had called as soon as Jimmy became possessed.

Due to nationwide possession incidents following Thanksgiving, the priest had been delayed in coming to the orphanage.

By the time he arrived at the orphanage, the incident had already been resolved, making his trip futile.

Therefore, the director apologetically offered him tea.

The atmosphere was pleasant at first.

They exchanged pleasantries about how good and cute the children were, how well the orphanage was running these days, and so on.

Then suddenly, the priest began to mention Amon.

“That child named Amon. Was he the one who exorcised the vengeful ghosts?”

The director sighed deeply and answered.

“Since when did you know?”

“In my line of work, I can see which person a ghost’s grudge has attached to.”

“Is Amon perhaps…”

“Ah, don’t worry. It’s just a fragment of thought. Comparable to a ghost’s bloodstain on a person. It will naturally disappear if left alone.”

“Phew.”

The director breathed a sigh of relief.

But the priest’s pursuit didn’t end there.

“But you know, I sensed divine power from another child besides him. The name was… Sonia, wasn’t it?”

Thud.

The director froze.

She raised her gaze to meet the priest’s eyes.

Narrow eyes reminiscent of a snake.

Despite knowing the priest for quite some time, she could never get used to those eyes.

The director turned away from those snake-like eyes and remained silent.

But that series of actions gave the priest confidence.

Nodding leisurely, the priest shared what he had discovered here.

“That child Sonia. Divine power is leaking from her. Perhaps it’s because she’s storing divine power without using it, causing the excess to overflow. It won’t cause health problems, but it’s beyond what can be concealed now. Anyone with slightly sensitive perception will notice immediately.”

The director’s fingertips trembled.

She put down the teacup she was holding onto the desk.

In contrast, the priest peacefully lifted his teacup to savor the aroma, and then began to broach the main topic.

“Until when do you plan to hide the divine power from those concerned?”

“I won’t tell them until they graduate.”

“You know this could be overprotective, right?”

“In this harsh world, there’s no such thing as excessive protection.”

“That’s also true.”

The gazes of the Mother Superior and the priest clashed in mid-air.

The winner of this battle of wills was the director.

Since love was the strongest stubbornness in the world, it was natural for the priest to lose.

The time for persuasion and coaxing was over.

Now was the time for threats.

The priest calmly stated the reality.

“There are no eternal secrets in this world. Especially when that secret is a brilliant jewel. No matter how dark and dirty the place, a jewel remains a jewel. Don’t you know that?”

The director remained silent.

As the priest said, keeping the secret would become increasingly difficult.

Sonia’s divine power leaks out a little during normal times.

Amon emits divine power strongly enough for the whole neighborhood to notice whenever he gets slightly excited.

Moreover, Sonia is now a celebrity known as the Gun Saint.

The rumor that she shoots without recoil could raise suspicion in anyone with even a slight knowledge of divine power.

Combining these factors, it wouldn’t be difficult to notice they were divine power holders with just a little interest in the orphanage.

The director knew this fact well.

Still, she wanted to hide it as much as possible.

They were particularly precious to her, so she was desperate.

Even knowing it was futile, she wanted to keep them safe at least until they graduated.

However, the director’s feelings were all the better for the priest.

With his glasses glinting, he simply announced calmly.

“In two years, I’ll come to take the children.”

The director’s eyebrows trembled.

She knew well the power the priest before her possessed.

She also knew well that he had the ability to carry out this announcement.

But the trembling was momentary; she steeled herself and determination filled her eyes.

“I’ll let those children decide their own lives.”

“Director. You should distinguish between what is good and what you like. You know well that the Vatican is the safest place for those children, don’t you?”

“The Vatican? The safest?”

With a hint of anger, she lifted her nun’s habit.

A leg made of steel instead of bone and flesh was revealed.

At her action, for the first time, the priest’s mouth closed.

Silence fell between them.

The silence was broken by the priest who somehow managed to squeeze out words.

“The Vatican… won’t neglect those children.”

In response to the priest’s words, the director shot back.

“I’m sure you won’t. As long as the children turn a blind eye to corruption.”

“Director. You know. That’s a necessary evil. Besides, if that’s the condition, you know as well as I do that there are no other options…”

“…”

The priest’s voice became subdued while the director remained silent.

As the priest said, the Vatican was the safest and most reasonable choice for divine power holders.

They might not earn as much as corporations, but they still earned decently.

They might not have as much power as the government, but they still had considerable authority.

Moreover, when it came to corruption, the Vatican was the best among the three.

It was like the pot calling the kettle black, but compared to corporations or the government, the darkness was shallower.

Under the condition of turning a blind eye to corruption, at least the Vatican could guarantee one’s life.

Other places often endangered not only one’s life but also those around them.

However, the director couldn’t bear to send those children there.

Knowing how beautiful lotus flowers they were, she didn’t want to send them into such filth.

But she also knew too well that there were no other options, which made her heart heavy.

Biting her lip, lamenting the absurd reality for a moment.

In the end, she didn’t choose.

Though she knew intellectually what was best for the children, she gave the choice entirely to them.

‘I’m such a coward after all.’

Self-deprecatingly, she made her position clear to the priest.

“Let the children choose their own future.”

The gazes of the priest and the director clashed once more in mid-air.

The priest looked at the director with meaningful eyes, then sighed deeply.

And raising both hands—

“Alright. I concede.”

He declared his surrender.

At the priest’s surrender, the director slumped her shoulders as if deflated.

Seeing this, the priest gave a bitter smile and offered her a new proposal.

“You said you want the children to make their own choices? Then I’ll help you.”

The priest said that as things stood, it would be difficult to completely deceive outside eyes.

His proposal was to help Amon and Sonia hide their divine power.

“I’ll block the divine power leaking from their bodies with special anklets, and I’ll use my modest connections to prevent rumors about Sonia’s shooting skills from spreading further.”

“What’s your ulterior motive?”

“This isn’t an ulterior motive. Information is most valuable when monopolized. I’m just not sparing any trouble to maintain the value of the information I hold.”

“…Fine. I accept. But I have a condition.”

“Please state it.”

“Even with this favor, I won’t interfere with the children’s choices two years from now.”

“Understood. Then I’ll have to build up goodwill until then. You won’t stop this, will you?”

Nod.

The director nodded.

The priest slowly nodded and rose from his seat.

Saying that speed was of the essence in such matters and that he would take immediate action, he placed two anklets on the desk for the two to wear.

Even though the priest had risen, the director did not stand.

It meant she wouldn’t see him off,

At the same time, it was a silent protest against the priest and an expression of her disappointment.

The priest looked down at the director, who was sulking at him, with sorrowful eyes.

Yet with a somewhat detached attitude, he said:

“I understand your intentions. But let me advise you. You will regret this.”

“I know.”

“You know you can’t keep this up forever, right?”

“I know very well.”

Hearing the director’s words, the priest put on his coat that he had hung on the coat rack and donned his hat.

And before leaving the reception room, he said to the director:

“Then I’ll be going now. Glory be to the Vatican.”

“May the love of the Mother be abundant.”

They exchanged greetings and parted.

The director didn’t leave the reception room immediately but sat in her seat, stroking her prosthetic leg.

For a long time, over and over again.

With the faces of the two children constantly appearing in a corner of her mind.