Chapter 242

Chapter 242

“...”

After pacing around the archives for a long while, the bishop smacked her lips.

“...There’s nothing.”

No matter how much she searched, no materials turned up.

‘Who in the world was the being I saw at dawn that day?’

She wanted to believe it was just an ordinary dream. But she could never call it ordinary.

‘Just like when I faced our teacher who had taken root in the saintess—or no, even more than that—this strange and ominous sensation...’

The memory of that bizarre being’s language surging in like waves was still vivid. It was never some mere dream.

‘It said the moon has set.’

It was plainly a story aimed at the Moon Lady Religion.

‘And the thing held in its second hand—no matter how I think about it, it was our teacher’s form...’

The Moon the fellow brothers describe differs a little from person to person. Some said it was a round mirror, some said it was a transparent orb, and some said it was a spherical form made of countless rings layered together.

The common point was that it took the shape of a sphere. That was the only thing, but the bishop knew. What she saw that day truly was the Moon. A beautiful something, pure white and coldly shining.

‘...So then, that crimson being I saw also can’t have been mere illusion...’

There was information nowhere.

“...A being of that magnitude can’t possibly have no history.”

Divinity grows strong as destiny. The more stories are added, the greater its presence becomes. It was a mystery powerful enough to say “the moon has set” and hold the Moon in its hand.

‘But within the Moon Lady Religion, there are no records about it.’

She searched everything from traditional gods to the century’s worst evil gods. Just in case, she even searched for other mysteries beyond divinity. But there was nothing. Not even in the Moon Lady Religion’s archives, where all knowledge and wisdom gathered.

‘A head that was only half, thick golden blood, three pairs of arms... and a radiance made of broken wings...’

Even if she thought perhaps it had changed its appearance, it didn’t sit right.

‘I even inquired with the Association, but there was no answer given.’

There was only one greatest possibility.

“...”

A new evil god has come to Earth.

‘It took the Moon into its eyes.’

Beneath the surface, where civilians know nothing, hunter associations across the world pile up countless secrets. The same goes for secrets related to mysteries. That even the Association replied that it didn’t know meant a new calamity.

“...This has become troublesome...”

The confidential archive, with no one inside, was silent. Of course it was—only the bishop and the saintess could enter this place, generation after generation. She collapsed onto a nearby chair.

“What is the world coming to.”

Even as she said that, her mind was turning fiercely.

‘...That being was clearly an evil god. What is its purpose? Amusement? A scheme? Either way, it will certainly be a great threat to Earth, which is already precarious.’

Her insides were complicated.

‘Yet divinity’s footsteps always have a reason, and even if they don’t, one comes to exist someday. Why did it first hold the Moon in its hand? For pleasure? Or because there’s another plan...?’

She wished she had more materials, but it was a being she had seen only once.

‘During the war with the mermaids, there was also a case where the Sun Religion confirmed the intrusion of the evil god Sancalute. The Republic of Korea is one of the few nations on Earth that still maintains human civilization. Two great religions located in the capital of such a nation. One of them was already invaded but contained it. Could it be that wicked divinities are joining hands and weaving a scheme?’

The war with the mermaids, said to have piled up evil deeds to the point of being close to divinity. The evil god Sancalute of blood and pain who violated the Sun Religion. The red divinity that infiltrated the Moon Lady Religion. Perhaps something was happening that the religious world needed to be tense about.

‘But the mermaids’ problem was resolved well. I heard the Collection Merchant did something huge. And the Sun Religion too, considering an evil god of blood and pain like Sancalute infiltrated it... all he did at most was whisk away a single young prospective priest. I heard there was also one more case of contact before that... but even that, I heard, was overcome when the prospective priest named Cha Isol contracted with the Black Cloak.’

Then.

“...Was the being I saw behind the mermaids and Sancalute?”

It would be hasty to call it a judgment, but if it was a hypothesis, it was possible.

The war with the mermaids might have continued for several more years. Sancalute’s plot might have been even more vicious. And yet things were resolved without major trouble. The Moon Lady Religion thought the Black Cloak’s help had been great in that.

‘But there is one more thing.’

What if that red evil god stood behind those evil things?

‘What if, for something bigger, it only stirred Earth into chaos for a brief time?’

It was a simple hypothesis. It wasn’t certain.

‘Still, I clearly remember the fellow brothers who were dispatched saying that.’

That the mermaids often showed words and actions as if they were wary of the Black Cloak and trying to steal away his child. It was clear that the mermaids and the Black Cloak had confronted each other. And if those mermaids, Sancalute, and the red evil god were on the same side?

‘The impatient evil god Sancalute ended his intrusion into the Sun Religion with nothing more than stealing a prospective priest. We have to see it as him being forced by someone. And if the one who forced him was the red evil god I saw, the situation becomes even more complicated.’

Once it reached this point, the question rose again.

‘What is the purpose?’

Why did it show itself to me?

“...”

Then, belatedly, she realized and felt ashamed.

‘...Did it think I would become our teacher’s traitor?’

On the day she saw the Moon in the red evil god’s grasp, the bishop felt bewilderment rather than rage. And beyond that bewilderment, she secretly felt relief.

‘Because I wondered if, if the Moon truly set entirely, that child might be able to live as a human...’

She had never imagined a world where the Moon had set. But after seeing that sight, she couldn’t help thinking of the saintess. The image of her suffering, caught between the path of human and the path of mystery, was still vivid.

‘...Because I, because I had such an impious thought... was I chosen, of all things?’

It felt horrific.

No matter how she looked, there was no one else who said they had met the red evil god besides her. There were no records about it on Earth either. Among so many people, only she had seen that being.

Divinity might not have held much meaning for that being, but for humans, it meant selection.

‘For me, a bishop of a traditional god, to be chosen by an evil god. And worse, for me—who could not even become a saint’s vessel and had sent off so many Moons; who was always the one left behind in this temple every time... to be chosen by an evil god...’

But then, another thought came again.

“...”

That perhaps this was for the best.

‘...If I betray our teacher like this and erase the Moon from Earth—no, the Moon Lady Religion.’

Then perhaps...

“...I’ve let my thoughts run too long.”

It seemed that because she had overexerted herself these past few days, odd thoughts were coming to her.

With a gesture, the bishop returned the archive materials to their original places. So that even if the saintess entered, she would not notice anything strange. The fact that she had heard the evil god’s voice had to be kept as a grave secret.

‘Since we don’t know what will happen, I should pass word to those close to me.’

Whether that red evil god truly wanted a bishop who would betray the Moon, she couldn’t know. But the Moon Lady Religion was still needed on Earth. To pass down a far better world to descendants of as near an era as possible.

So even if the bishop went mad with affection and attachment, she would need manpower—so that someone could subdue her. With that thought, the bishop finished tidying the archives and went outside.

She walked down the long corridor for quite a while.

“...”

“B-Bishop...?!”

Then she ran into the saintess, holding some kind of basket.

“...Saintess? For what reason are you out in the hallway?”

When she stepped closer, the fellow brothers who had gathered parted to make way.

“And what is this crowd?”

“Th-that is. I, uh, it wasn’t anything. It really wasn’t supposed to become something like this...!”

“You seem quite flustered, so please calm yourself.”

At the bishop’s gaze, she saw the smiling saint, Seo Gio.

“Hunter Seo Gio seems to know about this matter?”

“Since it’s something I brought upon myself, I couldn’t possibly not know.”

“Ah, I see. What on earth happened...?”

“I baked a batch of cookies in the kitchen.”

“Cookies?”

Now that she looked, everything in the saintess’s basket was cookies too.

“...I knew you sometimes came out after making food or snacks.”

Everyone knew Hunter Seo Gio was serious about food. Unlike the Moon Lady Religion priests, who would often skip meals if it wasn’t a research problem. He also often went in and out of the empty kitchen.

“Even if we set Hunter Seo Gio aside, why the saintess?”

“Because she cooked with me.”

“Ah...”

A slightly unfamiliar emotion arose.

“I never thought you would have interest in such things.”

“Rather than interest... it was closer to studying...”

Perhaps because she had stirred up the usually quiet Moon Lady Religion, the saintess’s face was red. It was easy to see her embarrassment. After forcing herself to regain composure, the saintess continued her explanation.

“Ahem. After last time, when I nearly turned into divinity without any preparation, I realized—late as it may be—that I still lack much learning. All I could claim to know was a few miscellaneous theories.”

“That is not knowledge you should belittle as ‘miscellaneous.’”

“Of course, I too take pride in the knowledge and wisdom I have accumulated. But in order to teach the Moon more... I thought I might need practical knowledge about things I haven’t done until now...”

“So you cooked yourself.”

“Yes. Teacher said he would help, so we went to the kitchen together.”

“So that’s why it’s been bustling inside the order lately.”

Between her weary feelings, a small laugh slipped out.

“So this is what you’ve been doing.”

Perhaps because her mind and body had been fatigued more than usual, it was a laugh that came from feeling proud and finding it cute, without even realizing it.

“I also heard that you newly arranged a flowerbed in the bedroom where sunlight comes in. I also heard you made Gyeongbokgung Palace out of origami. This cookie-sharing is also part of building experience, I presume?”

“You’ve seemed very busy lately, so I’m sorry for making you pay attention, Bishop...”

“It only looks good.”

It felt as if her heart had grown light for the first time in a while.

“And thank you as well, Hunter Seo Gio. As you know, our fellow brothers only know how to study, and we have no experience in activities like these. Without you, the saintess likely wouldn’t even have thought to learn knowledge in this direction.”

“I only helped with sharing some cookies.”

At that, one of the fellow brothers who had been watching said,

“Only? It’s a golden opportunity to obtain cookies made by two saints.”

“In such a warm situation, is that truly the only thing you can say out loud, brother? As a grown human receiving cookies personally made by the saintess with those tiny little hands, is that truly all you can say?”

“The cookies you handed out will be well studied by us as samples...!”

“Study, samples—if you aren’t putting them into your stomach, then hand them back.”

At that, another priest asked,

“If we eat them, can we still study them?”

“Just hand them over.”

“N-no...! My precious research samples...!!”

“Ugh, gross.”

As the bishop watched the squabbling adults, the saintess approached her.

“Um, Bishop.”

“...”

“Bishop...?”

“Ah, yes. It was such a rare sight that my eyes were stolen for a moment. What is it?”

“This is a snack we made for you, Bishop.”

A slightly bumpy rabbit-shaped cookie, wrapped in transparent plastic.

“It seems you’ve been staying shut in lately, as if you found some interesting research. It’s not much, but I made sweet cookies so you can eat comfortably. Th-that is... it would be even better if... you didn’t skip meals...”

As she spoke, the saintess’s face was red.

“...”

The face of a child who had been deprived of the chance to grow.

“...Thank you. From now on, I will try to take better care to eat.”

“! If you do that, I’ll want for nothing.”

“To think the saintess who once refused even a spoonful of porridge is giving advice like this—this priest is deeply moved.”

“Th-th-th, that was...! Back then, I had many shortcomings...!”

“No.”

She tried to brush back that bleached-white hair, but her hand twitched and trembled, stopping short. Hidden by the sleeve of her loose priest robe, her hand clenched so tightly it looked as if it might bleed.

“The saintess has done nothing wrong at all.”

“I was too stubborn...”

“That can’t be.”

This child’s first priority was not her own fear.

“I will gratefully accept the gift.”

All her research that had been nothing but failure.

‘A star beside the Moon.’

If aided by divinity, might it be possible...?

* * *

Argio said,

“No, even though I told her like that, she still didn’t come to her senses.”

Giovanni said,

“How easy could it be for a frog trapped in a well to imagine the world outside it?”

“Still, even so—does it make any sense for there to be so little progress to the point of that? My friend.”

“That child is doing her best. Since she is diligently shaking as Argio is pushing her, we should rather think it admirable. At this level, she’s following far better than expected.”

“If we shake her a little more, it does seem like she’ll go down the proper path...”

Seo Gio said,

“Then can we go eat now?”

“Let’s.”

“Let’s.”

And so, “Gio” decided to lead the bishop and the saintess to go eat.

(To be continued in the next part)