The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 225

"...I don't understand why you're asking me that."

I was right. The Paladin Order had called me because they suspected there might be a spy from the Satanists or Voodoo Cult among us. If that were the case, all I had to prove was that I wasn't a spy—or so I thought. But Joseph's question had caught me off guard.

He was asking my opinion on who the spy might be. I pondered why Joseph would ask such a question. He wouldn't have asked questions like this if he really wanted my cooperation in the investigation. He was trying to gain clues from my reaction because he suspected me.

Suspected me? But I’d never left any clues that would expose my true identity to Joseph. Was he just going off of a hunch?

If that were the case, knowing what he suspected me for would be essential. Did he suspect me as a spy for the Voodoo Cult or a spy for the Satanists? Joseph had met and tried to use Jin-Seo by lying that I had a Satanist among my relatives. If he had suspected me to be a spy for the Satanists, he wouldn't have resorted to such lies.

He wouldn't have asked questions like this if he had suspected me of being a Voodoo Cult spy, either. Instead, he would have cleverly interrogated me to reveal ‘facts that only Voodoo Cult members knew.’

No, it could be the opposite. He might have asked this question because he suspected me of being a Voodoo Cult spy...

"You helped me before. I highly value your insight and information. I want to ask for your help," Joseph said with a smile.

I stared at him. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

I lowered my head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help this time. I don't know much either."

“Not much, meaning that you know something. Can you tell me even a little? We're in dire need of help, and any bit of information would be great."

He was really trying to get me to speak. I always felt it, but Joseph was such a bothersome guy.

"...Did you have a meeting like this with Su-Ryeon as well?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose that information due to regulations."

"Then I have nothing to say either."

Joseph nodded slowly. "I’ll talk. Su-Ryeon and Ha-Yeon were here before you."

"Then you might have already heard this. An old man with a cane hit Su-Ryeon on the way out of the museum as if he was playing a joke on her."

"I see. So, are you saying that Su-Ryeon and the Voodoo Cult are related?"

"...It is a possibility, but I can't say for sure. It could also be that the Voodoo Cult did such actions to make us doubt Su-Ryeon."

I took care in taking the most neutral position. If I had it my way, I would’ve said that Su-Ryeon seemed to be a Voodoo Cultist and divert Joseph's suspicion to her instead. But doing so would be no different than revealing that I was a Voodoo Cultist. Joseph nodded as he listened to my words.

His eyes were trained on me. "That's something to consider. I understand. By the way, speaking of that old man... You said you saw an old man with a staff."

"Yes."

Joseph asked another question. "Who do you think that old man is?"

I pretended to ponder and closed my mouth. It would be strange if I didn’t hesitate here. On the contrary, it would be even stranger to hastily say, ‘That old man must be the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult.’ It might seem like I was trying to avoid the question with a suitable answer.

"....Although many people think that he is the Voodoo Cult Leader, I have a slightly different opinion."

"Is that so? Interesting."

"The Crossroads appeared after Director Han Dae-Ho requested a rescue using the Burning Bush Twig. However, the Voodoo Cult operates predominantly within South Korea. It is unlikely that the leader of the Voodoo Cult, who is in Korea, would appear in Saudi Arabia upon hearing the rescue request from Director Han Dae-Ho. "

"Then, could we say that the old man is someone that the Voodoo Cult had already planted in Saudi Arabia?"

"That could be a possibility, but... for that to be true, the Voodoo Cult would have had to have known that the Satanists were going to attack the museum. In this case, we could also consider the possibility that the Satanists and Voodoo Cult collaborated to stage an altercation."

"I see. However, the likelihood of that happening is low since the Satanists and Voodoo Cult don't have a good relationship."

"Then, in the end, it is highly likely that it was simply a coincidence that the Cult Leader, or a high figure of the Voodoo Cult equivalent to the Cult Leader, had appeared in that place. The Voodoo Cult Cult Leader seemingly went to Saudi Arabia with a certain purpose and coincidentally ended up participating in the battle due to the emergence of the Satanists."

"Hm. A coincidence. Anyway, you’re saying there’s a high possibility that the old man who appeared was not the Cult Leader?"

"Yes. My guess is... the Cult Leader had a Burning Bush Twig connected to the Romanican Church, and the old man was just a hallucination from the Cult Leader.”

I wasn’t in a situation where I could hold back on my words. Joseph probably thought the same thing anyway. If I showed any hesitation in saying, ‘the Cult Leader might have infiltrated the Romanican Church,’ then it would only increase his suspicion toward me.

"In that case, do you have any speculations about the Cult Leader’s purpose?"

The Staff of Reversal, or the poteau mitan. But I couldn’t say that. I needed to say something that wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

"...Among the people at the museum, there might have been someone the Voodoo Cult deemed irreplaceable and couldn't afford to lose. That would explain why the Cult Leader eliminated the men in black." I added, “And there's another reason why I think the old man isn’t the Cult Leader."

"Right, go ahead."

"His age doesn't fit. The current Cult Leader is known to be in his late teens to mid-twenties... At least, that’s what's known to the general public. So, there's almost no possibility that the old man is the Cult Leader."

Joseph nodded and muttered, "Hallucinations caused by spells... I guess that's a possibility. As you said, his age doesn't fit either..."

"Actually, we've learned quite a lot about the Voodoo Cult through investigation over the past few years. We’ve even determined that the Cult Leader of the Voodoo Cult is, contrary to rumors, an old man. Now, what do you think?"

"..."

...This fucker. Now, he was feeling me out. He didn’t even try to hide it. He openly revealed that he was suspecting me and observing my reaction.

"My opinion remains unchanged. Above all else... I don't know if your words about the Cult Leader being an old man are true."

"You don’t think I’m telling the truth? Do you mean to say you don’t believe in me?"

"...That’s correct."

"And why is that?"

"If it's true that we know the Cult Leader's age, then it means we have identified him. In that case, the Holy See should have issued a headhunt. However, they haven't done so, which is why I think you are wrong."

Joseph nodded. "...I see."

If I really were the Cult Leader, it would have been unthinkable for me to openly express disbelief in Joseph's words. This may not completely dispel his suspicion toward me, but at least it wouldn’t make it worse.

Joseph tapped the desk with his finger a couple of times. "It seems like I’ve taken up too much of your time. I apologize. You must have had plans... It's the weekend. Don't you have anything to do?"

"Ah... a dongsaeng [1] of mine who lives in the countryside is visiting me so that I might hang out with her somewhere near here."

There was a possibility that Joseph might tail me after I left. I informed him about Soo-Yeong in advance, just in case. I would have run into a big problem if I hadn’t left Soo-Yeong at the café and brought her here to the Paladin Order instead.

Now that I was under suspicion, Soo-Yeong would also naturally be suspected because she was around me. Joseph could discover the fact that Soo-Yeong was part of the Voodoo Cult with just a few questions.

Joseph nodded. "Alright, I understand. Let's meet again next time if we get the chance. You are excused."

"Understood. I will contact you."

I said my goodbyes and left the office. After leaving the Paladin Order, I took a deep breath of fresh air. My shoulders were tense, perhaps due to nervousness. My body let out a strange sound as I stretched.

I glanced briefly toward the eastern side of the Paladin Order, then turned toward the café where Soo-Yeong was supposed to be.

Moon Joseph.

His suspicion toward me was greater than I had initially thought. He must have had some certainty that something was up with me since he was openly probing me like this. According to Ji-Ah's investigation, he had a daughter. It would be great if I could use his daughter to restrict his actions. But if I couldn’t... in the worst-case scenario, I would have to dispose of him.

* * *

"...Is what I know."

Sun-Woo had left, and Jin-Seo came in.

Jin-Seo answered the questions with sincerity. However, they gained nothing as what she said did not stand out compared to what Ha-Yeon, Su-Ryeon, and Sun-Woo had said.

Joseph stared at Jin-Seo and turned to look at the paladin next to him.

"It seems like you delivered what I asked for to Sun-Woo. Thank you."

Jin-Seo nodded uncomfortably, lowering her gaze.

"...Yes, I delivered it as you instructed."

Joseph smiled as if satisfied.

"Right, sounds good. You may leave now."

"..."

Jin-Seo stood up from her seat, bowed, and left the Paladin Order. Her expression was not good. After finishing Jin-Seo’s interrogation, Joseph came out with the paladin to take a smoke break.

Joseph exhaled smoke. "What do you think? Do you think there might be a Voodoo or Satanist follower among those kids?"

Smoke trickled out from the paladin’s mouth. "....I'm not sure, sir.”

"So far, none of them stick out. But Sun-Woo..."

"Do you also think that one is a bit unique?"

"...Rather than unique, I think he's just smart. Did you say that he had good grades?"

"His grades are on the better side. Although he does fluctuate a little."

Joseph recalled the grades he had seen while investigating Sun-Woo.

Sun-Woo had gotten first place in the evaluations conducted right after admission but around sixtieth place in the regular written exams. Considering the overall academic level of Florence Academy, his grades were quite good even though they fluctuated a bit.

"...It seemed like you were aggressively asking Sun-Woo questions earlier," the paladin said, exhaling smoke.

Joseph scratched his temple with his index finger. "Did it seem that way?"

"Are you suspecting him?"

"Not suspecting, but just curious. The student seems to be hiding more than what meets the eye. I still don't know what he's hiding."

"He's just a kid who is a little quicker in assessing situations than others, in my opinion. Kids like that usually don't reveal their true feelings, so maybe that's why he appears that way."

Joseph shook his head. "No, it's not that simple."

Firstly, Joseph had received help from Sun-Woo before. When Sun-Woo had said, ‘Please check if there are any suspicious individuals in Central,’ Joseph hesitantly started an investigation and prepared for the attack from the Satanists.

As a result, they managed to repel the attacks from the demon and demonic beasts without any sacrifices, and they also captured Ji Hye-Sung, a Satanist who had infiltrated the Central Paladin Order.

There was also a time when they suspected that something was off with Sun-Woo and tried to investigate him using Jin-Seo. As part of this investigation, they secretly attached a small holy artifact device to Sun-Woo's phone. With this device attached, they would have been able to track Sun-Woo's location and even intercept his calls and messages.

Joseph had looked at Jin-Seo and said, ‘...delivered what I asked for to Sun-Woo.’

Jin-Seo replied that she had ‘delivered it as instructed.’

However, there was no device attached to Sun-Woo's phone. In other words, Jin-Seo had lied, all for the sake of protecting Sun-Woo.

"If it's not something to think about so simply... how should we go about it?"

"We should think about it in a complex manner."

There were two possibilities. The first possibility was that Jin-Seo had secretly attached the device, but Sun-Woo had noticed and removed it. The second possibility was that Jin-Seo hadn’t attached the device but instead handed it over to Sun-Woo.

Either way, something was fishy about her. If the first case held true, then Sun-Woo was overly cautious about the people around him. The device that Joseph had given to Jin-Seo was made through the exact same procedures as a holy artifact. It could not be detected with the naked eye, nor could it be detected with metal detectors or anything along those lines. Unless one was already suspicious and cautious of the people around them, there was no way to realize that the device had been attached to their phone.

Would an ordinary, unremarkable student be so cautious of the people around them?

"Think about it in a complex manner..."

"Yes, in a very complex way. We need to consider various possibilities.”

In the latter case, maybe Jin-Seo's trust in Sun-Woo was exceedingly strong. In order to deceive Jin-Seo, Joseph even lied that there was a Satanist among Sun-Woo's relatives. Nevertheless, Jin-Seo still handed the device to Sun-Woo. Jin-Seo might have revealed the fact that Joseph was the one who had given the order to attach the device secretly.

In that case, Sun-Woo should have immediately attached the device to his phone in order to avoid suspicion. However, he had not attached the device yet. It was probably not because being under surveillance was uncomfortable. It was because it would take time to set up a ‘situation where it would be okay to be under surveillance.’ He was postponing attaching the device until he could arrange the perfect situation to be spied on.

"As you said, he might just be a slightly smarter student than others. No, there is an eighty percent chance of that.”

"What about the remaining twenty percent...?"

"That’s the possibility of him being an unusual, special, or dangerous person."

Joseph flicked his cigarette to the ground and continued, "If that's the case... he’s probably related to the Voodoo Cult."

"May I ask why you think so?"

"The Cult Leader saved the eight people present, in other words, the seven Holy Names and Han Dae-Ho. That means either one of the seven Holy Names or Han Dae-Ho held significance to the Cult Leader, or they themselves were the Cult Leader. At least one of them would be associated with the Voodoo Cult.”

“So, you’re saying that the person associated with the Voodoo Cult is Sun-Woo..."

"That's what I’m thinking."

He didn’t know exactly how everything was interconnected. Honestly, it was not very likely that there was a solid connection to the Voodoo Cult but rather more likely that Sun-Woo was being used or manipulated by the Voodoo Cult, or even more likely, that he was just an ordinary student.

The possibility of Sun-Woo willingly helping cults like the Voodoo Cult or Satanists was only about five percent at best. However, if it wasn't zero percent, then it was worth investigating.

Joseph was hyper-fixated on Sun-Woo because he felt that they could utilize whatever Sun-Woo was hiding in further investigations.

"...But the problem is that nothing has progressed beyond a thought."

However, Sun-Woo never gave any openings. Based on his words, it didn't seem like he was Voodooist or a Satanist. But Sun-Woo’s ability to read Joseph's intentions perfectly and respond accordingly made him even more doubtful of him.

He was too perfect, which made him more suspicious. Therefore, Joseph's suspicion was practically baseless. It was merely an intuition, a hunch.

‘If only there were one decisive opening... then I could be certain.’

He just needed to find that one decisive flaw.

Just one.

1. a word you use to refer to a younger male or female, doesn’t necessarily have to be family ☜