Chapter 42
“What’s the point of these useless classes?”
“You heard about it just now. The class is about the mental health of the students or something?”
“I’m saying that’s ridiculous. How the hell is this different from a Wee class[1]?” Jun-Hyuk grumbled.
All classes in the morning today were replaced with an unidentified class called Landscape Viewing and Nature Observation.
They said it was for students' mental health welfare, depression prevention, etc., but I didn't listen to it properly, so I couldn't remember the exact details. If the purpose was to prevent depression, I'd rather they let us rest at home. I had no idea why they dragged us all the way to Eiden Hill and forced us to hike.
“Wow~ Seeing the trees just comforts me. It feels like seeing the suicide prevention sign on Mapo Bridge.” Jun-Hyuk said with a bright smile. His tone was openly sarcastic.
Jun-Hyuk's words went through one ear and out the other ear as I admired the landscape of Eiden Hill. When I cleared my mind and observed the scenery, it was reasonably good. I wasn’t really sure if it helped prevent depression, though.
I walked through the hill while thinking about this and that. Various children were complaining while hiking up the hill, just like us. Among them, there were also faces I had never seen before.
“Are they students from another class?” I asked while glancing at the students passing by. Since there were so many students, even if they were in the same grade, if they were from a different class, it was common not to know each other.
"Uh. He’s from the Class of Patience. That guy is from the Class of Patience too. Ah, the kid who just passed by is from the Class of Kindness.”
“Three classes are doing this together? Really?”
"Yup. Our class, Class of Patience and Class of Kindness. A grand total of three classes! Almost three hundred students are wasting their time here!” Jun-Hyuk sarcastically remarked with a raised voice as if he was dumbfounded. It seemed like he did not like this class very much.
Of course, I also had the same thoughts as Jun-Hyuk at first. However, as I walked across the hill while observing the landscape, it felt like my complicated thoughts were being sorted out. That meant that it really did have a positive effect.
While staring blankly at the stones that were rolling down the hill, Jun-Hyuk asked, “By the way, did you ask about that?”
“Ask about what?”
Jun-Hyuk often tried to express everything with a single pronoun, ‘that.’ It was the same habit as Uncle Jin-Sung. He wasn’t even that old, so why was he like this already?
“That thing from last time. You know, the thing that I said to ask Jin-Seo.”
I roughly knew what he was referring to. He seemed to be referring to that day when Jin-Seo hit Jun-Hyuk’s face until it got swollen.
“I haven’t asked yet. I haven't talked to her lately.”
It’s not that I haven’t talked to her, it’s that I haven't encountered Jin-Seo recently. Although, I didn’t really remember well in the first place.
"Really? If you ask her, the reaction will be staggering—"
“Ask what?”
A clear voice rang out from nowhere and caused Jun-Hyuk to abandon the rest of his sentence. Just like that, Jun-Hyuk became a vegetable. Countless beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The exceptionally exaggerated sound of gulping and swallowing could be heard. Jun-Hyuk eventually turned his stiff neck as if he was forcibly twisting his head and smiled brightly.
"Haha. What brings you here...”
His face was pale, and a forced smile was plastered on his mouth. It was a very bizarre expression.
“Ask what?” Jin-Seo stared at us with an empty expression on her face and repeated the same question.
Just like that, she strode straight toward us. There was no sound in her steps and no change in her expression. In that single moment, it felt like time had come to a complete stop.
“Huh? Hey! Below your feet!” Jun-Hyuk immediately pointed below Jin-Seo's feet and shouted. Jin-Seo stiffly halted on the spot.
There was nothing beneath her feet.
"Okay. Don't come any closer. Let's talk from here.”
“...So, ask what?”
It was Jun-Hyuk's ploy to widen the distance, but it seemed to only anger Jin-Seo. The wind was chilly.
“I heard that Jun-Hyuk said something about me at the training center,” I intervened before the atmosphere got any worse.
Jun-Hyuk's and Jin-Seo's faces hardened at the same time. However, the way they hardened was different. Jun-Hyuk’s face felt like it had hardened due to fear and a feeling of betrayal. And as for Jin-Seo... Her expression was difficult to pinpoint and explain.
“Did Jun-Hyuk really do that?” I asked.
"Yes. He said that if you asked, the reaction would be fun,” she said.
"Is that right?" I responded.
Jin-Seo glanced at Jun-Hyuk. Jun-Hyuk’s shoulders trembled.
“Are you coming to the training center today?” she asked.
"No? Starting from yesterday, I decided to go somewhere else,” Jun-Hyuk answered.
“That’s a shame, ” she laughed. Jun-Hyuk also laughed along, but it was somewhat of an uneasy laugh.
Somehow my intervention seemed to make the situation more complicated.
Jun-Hyuk rushed over to me and hurriedly whispered, “You crazy bastard...! You have to ask her when I'm not here...!”
"Why? This is more fun.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I called you a friend...!”
For Jun-Hyuk's safety, it was right to ask in his absence. But I thought it would be much more fun to just ask here. The reality was that it really did create a more interesting situation. I was satisfied with this.
Behind Jun-Hyuk, who was frantically complaining with his eyes wide open, Jin-Seo was staring intently at me. When I looked at her, she quickly turned her head to avoid eye contact.
“So, what exactly did you say?”
I had no idea what he must have said for her to react like this. In the end, I wasn’t able to find out what Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo had talked about. Even when I asked again, Jun-Hyuk just pretended to be ignorant, and Jin-Seo just avoided catching my eyes.
* * *
Splash.
The waterfall drowned out all sounds. There was no chirping of mountain birds or the cries of branches blowing in the wind. Only the sound of the waterfall could be heard.
The Holy Name of Kindness, Min-Seo, activated a blessing array while accompanied by the sound of the waterfall. First, it was one. Then it became two, and then three. The blessing arrays that were stacked on top of each other united and became a fusion blessing array. The sound of the waterfall, which was loud enough to deafen ears, faded and disappeared. In such a state of complete concentration, Min-Seo quietly drew the blessing array. Just like that, she put together a total of eight blessing arrays to form a fusion array.
───!
However, before long, the air unstably vibrated, and an explosion occurred. A collision phenomenon had occurred between the blessing arrays.
She had failed again because of the damned collision phenomenon.
“——! ───!!!”
Pissed off by this, Min-Seo kicked and spat out swear words that were so heinous that they couldn’t be revealed to the world. The branches, leaves, and stones trodden by her feet crumbled with a mournful sound.
According to the rumors, Ha-Yeon was able to cast a fusion blessing by herself. However, Min-Seo was not able to do so. That made her so angry. She wanted to destroy everything in sight, and in fact, she really did destroy everything that was in sight. It was fury that approached madness.
“...”
The anger soon subsided. Min-Seo let out a deep sigh, sat down, closed her eyes, and began meditating. If she leveraged her inferiority, it could boost her willpower and her desire to improve. On the other hand, if she let her inferiority overwhelm her, then she would fall into despair and depression. It wasn’t just inferiority. All emotions could have a beneficial effect when used properly, but if one were to get swayed by the emotions, the emotions would become poison. As a result, Min-Seo often meditated to avoid being swayed by her emotions. Beyond the darkness, the sound of the waterfall gradually faded.
Silence.
She saw nothing and heard nothing. In the void, Min-Seo felt peaceful.
She then opened her eyes.
“──?”
There was something in front of her eyes. It had wings and a beak. It was a bird, but at the same time, it was not a bird. It was too big to be called a bird.
Its fur was pitch black, its eyes pure white, and its beak was as sharp as a blade.
A demonic beast.
And they were giant demonic beasts that were comparable to ‘Baphomet Two’ at that.
“──. ───!!”
Min-Seo cursed and took a couple of steps back. The demonic beast tilted its head or trimmed its wings with its beak and looked at Min-Seo. The demonic beast's hazy eyes were out of focus.
───!
The demonic beast flapped its wings. It seemed to be preparing for an attack. Min-Seo immediately deployed a blessing array, but she didn't draw as well as she had hoped. The demonic beast flapped its huge wings and rushed toward Min-Seo. Death was right around the corner.
‘This was not the death that I had planned.’ While thinking so, Min-Seo twisted her body. The blade-like beak grazed her clothes. Even though the beak had only brushed past her, the hem of her dress was completely ripped. If she hadn't dodged it, her head would have been ripped off, not her clothes.
“──.”
Min-Seo spat out curses in a low voice. Even a glancing blow would cause a fatal wound, no, instant death. Soon the demonic beast spread its wings and prepared for the next attack.
Left arm? No, right leg. It also looked like it might be aiming directly for the head. She couldn’t read the attack.
She was able to somehow luckily dodge the first attack. But this time, she may not be able to avoid it. If she failed to dodge, she would die. Min-Seo focused her consciousness on the movements of the demonic beast. She might not be able to avoid it, but she would definitely fail to avoid it if she just stood still. Now was the time to make a gamble that would decide life and death.
“Caaaw...”
Min-Seo devoted her sight and hearing to the demonic beast. The loud sound of the waterfall gradually faded away.
What remained was silence and stillness.
Flash.
Suddenly, something flashed in front of her eyes. A flash of light that was similar to a lightning strike. Min-Seo grimaced. Her concentration was broken, and the sound of the waterfall once again crept back in. In that instant, the demonic beast charged.
However, the demonic beast wasn’t aiming for Min-Seo. The demonic beast passed by Min-Seo and disappeared somewhere.
“...?”
Min-Seo looked up into the sky in befuddlement. The demonic beast flapped its huge wings and used the wind to fly off into the distance. Min-Seo stepped toward the direction where the demonic beast had flown as if she was possessed.
* * *
Jin-Seo was following us from a couple of paces behind. It seemed like she was monitoring Jun-Hyuk in order to prevent him from spouting nonsense.
“By the way, do you know about that? Ghosts sometimes appear here.”
Jun-Hyuk glanced back at Jin-Seo to check the situation and then suddenly started talking about ghosts out of the blue.
A ghost at Florence Academy? This was the first time I heard about something like that. In the first place, did it make any sense for ghosts to appear in a clergy academy? Still, since I was bored, I decided to listen to his story. It seemed like it could be fun to listen to.
“The students who study late at night sometimes come here to test their courage, and they say that a devil with horns wanders around. That devil is eight feet tall, and you can see its head above the trees.”
“How tall is eight feet?”
“Since one foot is approximately 30.4 centimeters, it is around 2.4 meters?”
“Wow. Maybe it was just Dae-Man?”
From what I could tell, Dae-Man was a little over two meters tall. It was not improbable for people to mistake him for a devil.
Jun-Hyuk shook his head. “No, they say that it had horns. And there is a theory that it is a devil.”
“So you’re saying that a devil is wandering around in the middle of a clergy academy?”
“Ah... You’re right. Are devils part of the Romanican doctrine?”
As is often the case with ghost stories, if one started thinking about it logically, they were implausible. But that was also why they were fun.
“Well, in any case, whether it’s a ghost or a devil, they say that if you look at that thing, your grades will go up. There is also another anecdote related to this.”
"Go on."
“The three kids did the test of courage to see the devil after a late-night study session that ended at 10 p.m.” Jun-Hyuk lowered his head and made an eerie expression to set the mood. “You usually can’t see even after nine o’clock because it’s so dark, right? They say it’s a hill, but it’s more or less in the mountains.”
"Right."
“You can’t see anything ahead, and strange noises can be heard everywhere. So the three stuck together and talked to each other because they were scared. They talked about funny things, and they also talked about who they liked.”
I listened quietly without answering. As I turned my head to glance at Jin-Seo, her body trembled. It seemed like Jin-Seo was listening to Jun-Hyuk's story while pretending not to be interested.
“But then suddenly, the three voices became four.”
Flash.
At that time, light filled my vision. It was as if lighting had landed right in front of us and released a flash of light. The flash seemed to work as a directing technique as part of Jun-Hyuk's play. That’s how perfect the timing was. A short scream came from behind.
“So one of them said, ‘Hey, who just said that?’ And then there was no answer.”
"Holy... That’s scary!"
“Right? They were also suddenly scared too, so they all just ran towards the school. But the voice they heard from behind kept screaming and chasing after them. Do you know what the voice said?”
"Come play with me!"
"Huh? Have you heard this story before? Hey man, then you should have told me. I’ve wasted my breath for nothing.”
It was the first time I had heard of this story.
Jun-Hyuk had been talking excitedly when his face suddenly hardened. “...Who just said that?”
He looked around nervously. At first, I thought it was Jin-Seo, but no matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t match her tone.
Jin-Seo, like me, was looking around her as if something was odd. There was a little fear in her eyes.
Jun-Hyuk was fiddling with his arm as if he was getting goosebumps, and he opened his mouth with a hearty laugh.
"Ha ha ha. You’re pulling a prank, right? I just got goosebumps–”
"Come play with me!"
A voice could be heard. It was a voice that was as innocent as that of a child. The faint smile that remained on Jun-Hyuk's lips completely disappeared.
Let's play, let's play, let's play...
The voice echoed and filled the area. The sound was coming from above.
I slowly raised my head up.
Two birds were sitting on top of a branch.
One was a parrot. It was a parrot only in appearance, but in terms of size, it was no different from an eagle. Its beak was sharp like a blade. It seemed like the sound was from the parrot.
The other was a finch. It was also the size of an eagle. No, it seemed bigger than an eagle. The beak was stubby and pointed and was stained red with blood.
Both had black feathers and pure white eyes. The birds looked at us and tilted their heads for a while, then spread out their huge wings as they wanted to show them off. Then, it sharpened its beak and launched itself us.
Swoosh–!
Its sharp, pointy beak rushed at Jin-Seo and Jun-Hyuk in an instant. There was no time to resist or escape. The birds were too fast. It was to the extent that it was difficult to follow with the eyes.
Snatch.
“Ohhhh?!”
"Oh."
The birds that were rushing forward landed softly in front of them and bit their collars like tigers carrying their young. Just like that, the birds kidnapped Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo and lifted them into the sky.
"Ah."
They were getting further and further away as the birds’ beaks held them up by their clothes. All I could do was watch as I let out a stupefied sigh.
It didn’t feel real. It felt like the sight in front of my eyes was all a dream. It would be more appropriate to say that I wished it was a dream.
The appearance of giant bird-type demonic beasts.
The kidnapping of Jun-Hyuk and Jin-Seo.
All of this happened so suddenly, basically in an instant.
The dark clouds that were starting to form were half-obscuring the sun, causing darkness to permeate the forest. The darkness was piling up everywhere.
"Hey!"
Then, through the darkness, a sharp, gruff voice leaked out. Someone was running this way. I couldn't see who it was because they were covered in darkness.
To be precise, I couldn't tell who it was because my consciousness was hazy. I still hadn't come to my senses yet.
[Are you just going to watch? If you don't do anything now, it will be difficult later.] Legba said calmly. His tone was so dry and stark that I couldn't feel any emotion. It felt like he was speaking not because he was worried about me but rather it was like he was just reciting his feelings in a third-person perspective.
It woke up my mind. It didn't matter who was running towards me or what the weather was like. All I had to do was find the best choice to make in this situation.
There were many choices, but there was only one correct answer.
“Bossou.”
1. Refers to some sort of mental health counseling program in Korea: https://www.wee.go.kr/eng/cms/cmsCont.do?cntnts_sn=123.
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