Chapter 140
"Don’t tell me...?! Was the news report referring to you? All that stuff about Florence Academy, Satanists, miracles, and a person coming back to life even after a hole was punched through their gut?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know about that all this time? Isn’t it obvious that it’s me?”
“How was I supposed to know when your face didn’t show up? And they didn’t reveal the real name either. Also, I don’t pay attention to news articles that are biased toward the Romanican Church.”
"Why not?"
"Because I feel like I would throw up if I did... Ah, but that’s not important. More importantly, does that mean you almost died?”
I nodded and said, “I basically died and came back to life.”
Soo-Yeong nodded and looked at me with a frown. It was a face that seemed to indicate that she had no idea what was going on inside my head, which was understandable.
"...You crazy bastard."
"Watch your language. You’ve become far more unhinged just because we haven’t seen each other for a few months.”
"It’s not like I said anything wrong, right? What would have happened to the Voodoo Cult if you really died?"
"Do I look like a dead person to you? I’m still alive, you know.”
“Argh, you...! I’m talking about the possibility. If you die, then no one would be able to use the power of the Loa, and the Voodoo Cult would just perish!”
Soo-Yeong's words were absolutely correct. Seven years ago, when my father, who was the Second Cult Leader, died, and my mother, who was the Prophet, was captured, the Voodoo Cult quickly collapsed as a result. If I, the Cult Leader who succeeded my father, had quickly reorganized the cult, then the situation might have turned out far better.
However, I took one year trying to deal with the voices of various Loa. I had been partially mentally insane during that time. The impact that the sudden death of a leader had on a religion was quite significant. According to my uncle, if my identity was exposed while trying to free my mother and Ha Pan-Seok’s son, who were imprisoned in the underground prison, then a second Holy War would break out, and I would certainly die.
Of course, I had no intention of dying so easily. For now, I had to find a method to rescue my mother without starting another Holy War. If I still wasn’t able to find a method to save my mother without starting a Holy War, I would still save my mother regardless. Then all I had to do was do everything in my power to win the Holy War.
However, death was something that came in unexpected moments. No matter how determined I was, when the time came, I would die. I had to prepare for that. I had to ensure that my death would not result in the Voodoo Cult's death.
I summoned a candle of consciousness with a replication spell and placed it on the floor. Then I called for Legba, who had been silent during my time in the hospital.
"Legba, how about letting me hear your voice after such a long time?”
In response to my summons, Legba responded with a low hum.
[...I’ve rested for a long time. You haven’t forgotten my voice, have you?]
It felt good to hear Legba's voice after a long time. I summoned two more candles and lined them up in front of Soo-Yeong. As the number of candles increased, Legba's voice grew louder. The connection between Legba and me became stronger through the candles.
[So, what's the matter? You didn't call me just to hear my voice, did you?]
"I want to assess the suitability for succession."
[The suitability for succession, huh... The first thing you ask me after such a long time seems to be quite a hassle. You didn’t even ask how I was doing,] Legba grumbled.
Soo-Yeong stared at me with a blank expression. It was a natural reaction. From her perspective, it must have seemed like I had suddenly started talking to myself. While Legba was choosing the language and words to use for the ritual, Soo-Yeong belatedly regained her senses and asked, "Are you talking to the Loa right now? Or are you talking to yourself?"
"Obviously, I’m not talking to myself. Do I look crazy to you?"
"...Then what do you mean by suitability for succession?"
"I'm testing whether you can become a Cult Leader or not."
"What are you going to do after finding that out? You’re the Cult Leader right now, aren’t you?"
I summoned two more candles and placed them on the floor. The small flames on the end of the candle wicks flickered toward Soo-Yeong. There was no wind blowing at the moment. I thought about adding more candles, but five seemed sufficient.
With this, all the preparations for the ritual were complete. I finally answered Soo-Yeong's question.
"It’s because if I die, then you might be the one to take my place." Follow current novels on novelb((in).(com)
Excluding me, Soo-Yeong's Voodoo sorcery skills were unparalleled. She even knew how to cast spells on animals, so in some areas, it was safe to say that she handled spells better than me. Although there were times when she acted foolish, she didn’t seem to be stupid.
I was thinking of appointing her as the next Cult Leader. Before that, I needed to confirm her suitability as a Prophet in order to figure out whether she would be able to accept the Loa.
"...You’ll die?" Soo-Yeong murmured softly as if pondering the meaning of my words.
~
After the incident, I lost consciousness for a few weeks. Normally, one would have no memories when unconscious, but strangely, I could vividly remember everything that occurred while I was unconscious. It was because although my body lay in the hospital, my mind was at the Crossroads.
"Why am I still here?"
At the Crossroads was Legba. While limping on one foot, he approached me, and he answered my question in a deep voice as if he were tired.
"I wonder. To think that a person who isn’t dead yet is able to arrive at the Crossroads. This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.”
“A person that isn’t dead yet?”
"The dead must pass through the Crossroads. You need to go through the crossroads in order to reach the unseen world."
"Ah, I see."
"However, you're not dead, and yet you're here. It's strange. Baron Samedi might know the reason why, but he's not exactly reliable..." Legba said while taking out the pipe he had shoved in his front pocket. He put the pipe in his mouth, and after a few puffs, smoke began to flow out.
The smoke rose up to the sky, obscuring the red moon and covering the ground as it drifted toward me.
"Can you put out the cigarette?" I asked while coughing.
Legba chuckled.
"It’s ridiculous if I can’t even smoke a cigarette after reaching this age. Just bear with it."
"How old are you?"
"Two years older than Baron Samedi."
"How old is Baron Samedi?"
"Two years younger than me."
It was a meaningless exchange. I let out a sigh, and I sat down before observing the scenery of the Crossroads. The boundaries between paths and non-paths were blurred at the Crossroads, and it was difficult to feel the passage of time. It was a place where space and time intertwined. Legba stopped smoking and took out a sandglass. He then placed the sandglass in front of me. It was a very large sandglass.
"Let’s have a chat about the things we weren’t able to discuss. You were too busy in the past few months after all.”
"That's true."
"If you have any questions, ask them here," Legba said before flipping the sandglass that was in front of me.
The sand started flowing from top to bottom. While sensing the flow of the sand, I asked, "What is this sandglass?"
"It's a device that allows us to feel the passage of time. If you don't feel time, it doesn't flow."
"I see."
Although it wasn’t completely clear, I vaguely understood. I nodded an appropriate amount of times before moving on to the next question.
"Do all dead people pass through the Crossroads?"
"Yes. Some of the dead are aware of the Crossroads, while others are not."
"Did my mother pass through here before?"
In response to my question, Legba fell silent for a moment.
"She’s been here before. However, I don’t think she has ‘passed through’ here, as far as I know.”
"That means that my mother is still alive."
"Interpret it as you wish."
"...Legba."
The trembling stopped the moment she heard his name.
Legba. He was the ruler of all Loa and the owner of the Crossroads. If you were a believer in the Voodoo Cult, it was impossible to be unaware of that name. To think that she would be able to talk with that Legba, she couldn’t help but feel both bewildered and overwhelmed.
Before she could let her emotions fully sink in, Legba’s voice continued, [There seems to be no need for an introduction. Let’s immediately proceed in assessing your suitability.]
Gulp.
Soo-Yeong unconsciously swallowed her saliva. It felt like she was trembling a thousand times harder than when taking an exam at school. She couldn’t help but glance at Sun-Woo. His unwavering gaze and his firm grip gave her an odd sense of relief.
[Now, answer my question.]
"Y-yes."
[What is seven times eight?]
"Huh?" Soo-Yeong responded with a puzzled expression.
She expected a question about the Voodoo Cult or at least a question about religion. But to think that multiplication had suddenly popped up... It wasn’t just random—it was completely out of the blue.
That said, she couldn’t just stay silent, so she hastily answered, “Fif-fifty-six!"
[Correct. Now, what is eleven times thirteen?]
"Uh... one-hundred and forty-three?"
[Oh, you're quite good. Now, what is 142 times 1987?]
"Ah, wait. How am I supposed to solve that in my head?"
[You can't even do this sort of simple arithmetic... The correct answer is 282,154. Unfortunately, you're eliminated.]
"Ha!" Soo-Yeong was so surprised that she laughed out loud.
Legba didn't miss that, and with a serious tone that was devoid of any playfulness, he said, [You’re laughing... Seems like you don't take the Loa seriously at all.]
"Huh? No, it's not like that."
[It's not like that?]
"It’s not like that at all, sir Legba..." Soo-Yeong mumbled.
She acted like she didn’t know what to do as she looked at Sun-Woo with trembling eyes. According to what she had heard, Legba was usually a mischievous and kind Loa, but once he got angry, he was the scariest out of all the Loa. Since she had angered such a frightening Loa, she wondered whether she would immediately receive divine retribution.
Sun-Woo just chuckled mischievously. She couldn’t tell whether Sun-Woo understood her feelings or not. She felt that his laughter was mocking her, and she wanted to shout back at him in retaliation, but she could not do so because of Legba’s presence.
"Legba."
Sun-Woo looked at Soo-Yeong, who was too scared to do anything while laughing.
"Why are you teasing her?" Sun-Woo asked.
[Her reaction is quite amusing. Unlike you,] Legba said while laughing out loud.
Soo-Yeong failed to fully comprehend what Sun-Woo and Legba were saying. She looked back and forth between Sun-Woo and the sky like a broken toy before belatedly understanding the situation and narrowing her eyes.
"...You fooled me!"
[Yes, I fooled you. Do you have any complaints?]
Soo-Yeong hastily responded, "No, um... I don't."
"Are you trying to tease her again? Anyway, isn’t this enough?" Sun-Woo asked Legba while laughing at Soo-Yeong.
Legba chuckled softly and replied, [Yeah, this should be enough.]
"Well, that's a relief," Sun-Woo said before letting go of Soo-Yeong's hand.
Suddenly, there was a snapping sound inside her mind, as if something had been severed. For a moment, she felt a headache, and she felt dizzy. Beyond her blurry vision, another unfamiliar landscape appeared. A red moon and a path with unclear boundaries. Like a fleeting moment, the scenery quickly disappeared, and her vision returned to normal. After regaining her senses, her headache completely vanished. She could no longer hear Legba's voice.
The events that had just occurred felt hazy, as if they were all a dream or an illusion.
"...Wh-what just happened? Is this the end?"
"Yeah, it's the end. Good job," Sun-Woo said before nodding as if it wasn’t a big deal.
She couldn't understand what exactly had come to an end. Soo-Yeong frowned and subtly glared at Sun-Woo. It was because she didn't have the confidence to openly glare at him.
"Didn’t you say it was some sort of suitability review? What happened to that?"
Legba clearly told her that she had been eliminated. This clearly meant that she was unsuitable to be the Prophet or Cult Leader. Soo-Yeong already knew this fact, but she still asked anyway. It was because she didn't want to show her disappointment.
"You’re suitable."
"...Huh?"
However, Sun-Woo's response was unexpected.
"What nonsense. Legba... didn't Legba say I was eliminated?"
"Of course, that was a joke. Just being able to hear Legba's voice makes you suitable."
"Don't lie to me."
"Why would I lie about something like this?" Sun-Woo said.
Sun-Woo’s gaze was fixated on the ground as if he was counting the number of ants crawling on the floor. Come to think of it, that was true. He had no reason to lie about this. So, in other words, it meant that she possessed a body that was suitable to be a Prophet. This also meant that after Sun-Woo's death, she would become the fourth Cult Leader.
"...That's true," Soo-Yeong muttered while slowly nodding.
Although she was glad to be acknowledged, she wasn't as happy as she had thought she would be. Becoming a Cult Leader was only possible after Sun-Woo's death. That fact made her feel uneasy.
Soo-Yeong shook her head and dismissed her stray thoughts. This was all just going to be in the distant future, she thought as she looked at Sun-Woo. He was still shirtless.
In an intentionally mocking tone, Soo-Yeong asked, "Excuse me, Cult Leader. Why are you still not wearing clothes?"
"There's a reason for that."
"Do you really want to show off your body that’s not even all that great?"
"...It’s because I haven't been able to exercise lately since I've been stuck at the hospital."
It was a joke, but Sun-Woo had responded with a serious face.
To be honest, his physique wasn't all that bad. It was at a level where anyone could tell he exercised diligently, so it would be fine to say he looked good. However, Soo-Yeong was bothered by the scars on his abdomen. She felt pain in her own stomach whenever she looked at that scar. If he wasn’t going to wear clothes, she at least wanted him to cover them up.
However, Sun-Woo completely ignored her words, and he continued to stare at the ground.
"What are you doing? Just put on some clothes already!"
"Ah, if you don't want to see it, then leave... No, actually, it will probably be easier to show it to you."
Sun-Woo muttered something incomprehensible before casting a spell. It was the replication spell, Dawn’s Blade.
Sun-Woo turned the dagger he summoned using the spell back and forth as if examining its condition. Then, he glanced up and down an old dying tree in the corner of the wasteland.
As always, she couldn't help but feel that Sun-Woo's spells were of very high quality. She wondered if she would ever reach his level.
However, there was no time for admiration. Sun-Woo held the dagger and inserted it directly into his palm. Just from a rough glance, it seemed like he had stabbed it in quite deeply. Blood dripped from the palm of his hand. Soo-Yeong's hands and feet grew cold at the sight.
"Wh-what are you doing? What are you doing, you lunatic!"
"Just keep watching from there. You might need to use it later as well,” Sun-Woo replied indifferently as if it didn't hurt much.
He then dipped his finger into his own blood and started drawing a picture on the floor.