Chapter 20: Punk City, The Boy and The Girl (6)

Amon finally decided to trust the Priest.

Such a clear common interest was reason enough to trust.

The Priest, only after realizing he had earned Amon's trust, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Follow me. I'll guide you to your siblings.”

The Priest wiped his glasses and called a taxi.

His own car had already departed to be with the Lord.

Amon offered a brief silent prayer towards where the Priest’s car had been and got into the taxi.

***

Fortunately, the Nun and the siblings were safe.

Thanks to the Holy Knights, they were being protected within the Cathedral.

“The Hickzen Group won’t be able to easily intrude here.”

Even though a virtuous Cathedral doesn't have robust defenses or perfect barriers like a corporation, they have the shield of religion.

This shield was, in fact, far stronger than some mediocre defense system.

Even if religion's authority isn't what it used to be, spitting in the Vatican's face would easily get you labeled a heretic.

Of course, one might wonder if a Company ruthless enough to attack an Orphanage would care about such things, but that was only possible because the Orphanage was powerless.

From the Hickzen Group’s perspective, a simple Orphanage raid could be perfectly concealed with a little effort.

But not at this Cathedral.

Because this Cathedral was an Archdiocese.

In the Goddess Religion hierarchy, it held a position right below the Vatican, making it difficult to touch.

If the Hickzen Group were to touch this place, concealment would, of course, be impossible, and they'd have to prepare for a direct confrontation with the Vatican.

Therefore, the Priest could be certain that everyone inside was safe.

“So, please rest easy and recover from your journey today.”

The Priest handed bedding and other necessities to Amon and Sonia.

The two bowed to the Priest and immediately ran to their siblings and the Nun.

‘Even though they aren't blood-related…’

The Priest smiled warmly, watching the two.

After sending them off, the Priest turned away.

He climbed the stairs and entered the room with his nameplate.

[Gregory]

Entering the room, he sat on the sofa, yawned, and rubbed his face.

The Priest enjoyed the silence of the room alone.

He had nothing to do even if he went home, and since he had promised to protect the orphans, he planned to be on duty tonight.

He brought two blankets to cover his upper and lower body and threw them on the sofa.

He took off his cumbersome priestly vestments and changed into casual clothes.

Without much phone use or web surfing, he sat at his desk and read the Bible. A few hours later, he closed it and sat on the sofa.

The Priest rubbed his tired eyelids.

He bent down and untied his boots.

He neatly placed the boots aside and began to press his soles with his fingers.

Then, after sniffing his fingers, he grimaced in disgust.

If anyone who knew him saw him, they would be dumbfounded by his down-to-earth behavior.

But since there was no one else in the room besides the Priest, he felt no hesitation in acting this way.

“My, what a down-to-earth sight.”

…He should have been alone in the room.

The Priest momentarily wondered if it was a ghost and turned around.

But what met his eyes was not a ghost, but a perfectly normal person.

And of all people, someone who knew the Priest.

“Fu—ck!!!!”

Whether it was surprise at Amon's sudden appearance,

Or surprise that someone who knew him saw his embarrassing behavior,

Or both.

The Priest rolled off the sofa, dramatically expressing his feelings.

Thud!

“Ouch, my back…”

Fortunately, he wasn't hurt.

His tailbone ached, but not enough to be considered an injury.

The Priest patted his back and managed to get up.

Instead of getting angry at Amon for startling him, he asked...

“What brings you here?”

...with a bright, gentle smile.

Should this be called professionalism, or was the Priest's nature simply too kind?

Amon pondered and decided to ask what he was curious about first.

“Did you just swear, Father?”

Twitch.

The Priest's eyebrow twitched.

Of course, swearing wasn't strictly forbidden for priests by doctrine.

Even saints used curses like "son of Satan" or "son of a whore" when necessary, so there was no reason a priest couldn't.

But there was the matter of image.

It wasn't a good look for a priest, who was supposed to preach kind words, to have a foul mouth.

It's like a chef smoking,

Even if they wash their hands, customers might feel uneasy. Cursing was like that for a priest.

The Priest twitched his eyebrow and racked his brain.

But since he couldn't come up with a decent excuse, he chose to change the subject.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Well, answering a question with a question…”

“What. Brings. You. Here?”

Feeling awkward, Amon played along with the blatant subject change.

“I came to discuss the Hickzen Group.”

As soon as those words left Amon's mouth, the Priest walked to his desk.

He reached his hand under the desk.

Click.

A very faint clicking sound, so quiet that it would have been impossible to hear during a conversation, was heard.

Amon looked around.

But he couldn't sense any change.

“You won’t feel it. It’s a soundproofing barrier designed for that purpose. You can speak freely now.”

Amon looked around curiously, then trusted the Priest and brought up the main topic.

“Share the information you have on the Hickzen Group.”

“Don’t you already know through your Precognition ability?”

“I know the big stuff, like the Secret Garden and their beliefs. But I don't know the details, like their security systems or employee profiles.”

That kind of information can’t be learned through background settings, you know.

Swallowing those words, Amon looked directly at the Priest.

The Priest understood the implications of Amon’s request.

Security systems, employee profiles, work schedules, and so on.

Within the Vatican, only certain groups usually requested such information.

‘Inquisitors…’

In other words, the Vatican’s secret swords.

If Holy Knights were knights who punished heretics openly and fairly, Inquisitors were assassins operating in the shadows.

But now, a request that they would typically make was coming from Amon’s mouth.

The Priest couldn't help but ask cautiously,

“Are you… planning on getting your hands dirty?”

Amon quietly nodded.

The Priest could only rub his forehead.

He understood how Amon felt.

With the attacks on himself, Sonia, and the Orphanage, Amon's patience must have reached its limit.

Especially since Amon and Sonia were eventually going to leave for the Vatican.

They couldn’t protect this Orphanage forever.

So, for the best defense, he must have chosen to go on the offensive.

However, ideals and reality are different.

Amon, in reality, was a novice who couldn't even properly kill one of the Hickzen Group's elite Ninjas.

If he went to the Company, he wouldn't be assassinating anyone; he'd be captured and turned into a lab rat.

‘I don’t think Amon would be unaware of that…’

The problem was that the Amon the Priest knew wasn't that reckless.

While he didn't know Amon completely, he knew well that he wasn't the type to rush in recklessly just because he was angry.

Rather, the Amon he knew would keep his burning heart in check and coldly search for a way to take revenge.

Therefore, instead of rejecting Amon's request, the Priest decided to accept it conditionally.

“Tell me your plan. If I deem it reasonable, I’ll give you all the information I have.”

Amon seemed momentarily flustered by the Priest’s condition.

Then he made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. But I need your guarantee that you’ll cooperate with the plan I tell you.”

The Priest accepted Amon's condition without much thought.

But after hearing the specific plan from Amon’s mouth, he couldn’t help but regret his decision.

“How do you know that?”

Amon’s plan contained information he absolutely shouldn’t know.

The Priest couldn’t be certain since he didn’t know it himself, but he was sure it wasn’t false.

“How do you know about that erased history?”

There are things you learn whether you like it or not when you grapple with demons.

One of those things is the contradiction of history.

Most veteran Exorcists are aware that there are several inconsistencies in the history recorded in the Bible.

Not only Exorcists, but also Holy Knights and Priests of similar rank know this.

Nevertheless, they didn't bother to reveal the contradictions.

They simply labeled these inconsistencies as “erased history” and kept quiet about them.

The Priest knew of the existence of erased history, but didn’t know the specifics.

But he never expected that erased history would suddenly come out of Amon’s mouth.

If the history Amon spoke of was true, most of the contradictions fit perfectly, so it couldn’t be called a lie.

“Who are you…”

The Priest couldn’t help but think seriously.

Just who was this person before him?

Was he an enemy or an ally?

Was it right to leave him be?

Wouldn’t it be right to report him to the Vatican?

As if sensing the Priest’s troubled mind, Amon spoke with a wry smile.

“Is that important right now? I don't know what the erased history means to the Vatican, but don't worry, I have no intention of fighting the authority of the Holy See.”

Hearing Amon’s words, the Priest began to weigh his options.

The stability of the Vatican versus his loyalty to Amon.

Normally, the Priest would have chosen stability.

But for some reason, he wanted to keep his loyalty to Amon.

Amon trusted him and revealed his secrets; what would become of Amon if he reported it?

Above all, this was no different from Confession.

The moment he revealed the confessor's confession to the Vatican, the Priest would lose his qualifications as a priest.

Therefore, the Priest decided to keep this matter under the seal of confession.

“Alright. I’ll keep my promise.”

The Priest stood up and handed Amon a USB drive.

Amon tossed the USB into his coat pocket and thanked the Priest.

“Thank you.”

“Good luck.”

Having finished his business, Amon left the office.

Through the window, just like he came in.

Only then did the Priest realize how Amon had snuck in.

Amon threw himself out the window and disappeared into the darkness.

The Priest looked in the direction Amon had disappeared and recalled the plan Amon had told him.

‘If you just look at the feasibility… it’s entirely possible.’

According to Amon’s plan, even with Amon’s physical abilities, it was entirely possible to finish off the Hickzen Group.

No, it was precisely because it was Amon that he could finish off the Hickzen Group.

But feasibility aside, the plan itself was incredibly reckless.

‘Is Amon not afraid of death?’

The Priest couldn’t help but automatically recall

The look in the eyes of a fanatic who believed without a doubt that God would protect him from death.

A plan predicated on death, a plan that only such a person could conceive.

The Priest smiled bitterly and spread out his bedding.

Devising a plan to keep Sonia at the Cathedral, as Amon requested.

*

And the next day.

“Sonia?”

“…”

“Sonia? Will you please talk to me?”

“…You knew?”

At Sonia’s sharp accusation, the Priest couldn't help but blurt out the truth.

“If you’re asking if I knew… I did know.”

“Then why didn't you stop him?”

“Haha… well…”

The Priest couldn’t bring himself to say it was necessary.

Because Amon’s plan was still in progress, and if he made a mistake here, Amon could be in danger.

But if he didn’t explain the current situation right now, Amon would be in danger in a different way.

‘But why did he leave the explaining to me!!’

The Priest looked into Sonia’s eyes.

The light had vanished, and if things went south, she looked like she might start searching for a kitchen knife or an axe.

Next, the Priest lowered his gaze to the screen Sonia was showing him on her phone.

On that screen was...

Amon walking arm in arm with a madam in a Brothel.

‘Hey! Why are you doing this to me!’

Today, too, the Priest suffers.