The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 271

Sung Yu-Da glimpsed into Do Myung-Jun’s memories through the spell.

It was a memory from right after completing Noah's Ark. It was around the time that he lost contact with Sung Yu-Da and bad rumors about the Voodoo Cult started spreading.

Do Myung-Jun was doing nothing. He simply performed a few religious services and dedicated the rest of his time to spell research and his duties as the Cult Leader. He did not engage in any activities that could be associated with the rumors of eating human flesh or performing human sacrifices.

Even when some extreme factions within the Voodoo Cult expressed dissatisfaction over the discrimination that they were facing, Do Myung-Jun urged them to stop their extreme and violent actions.

The division within the Voodoo Cult began at that time. Do Myung-Jun was greatly distressed by how the Voodoo Cult split into a radical faction calling for revenge, and a moderate faction continued to follow him.

The ones who had kidnapped Ha-Yeon were not part of the Voodoo Cult. They had already been expelled from the Voodoo Cult due to their repeated extreme actions. These individuals had no connection to the Voodoo Cult that Do Myung-Jun and Lee Seh-Hwa belonged to. Do Myung-Jun tried to inform Sung Yu-Da of this fact, but he couldn't reach him and failed to deliver the message.

It was just like how Sung Yu-Da couldn't reach Do Myung-Jun even when he tried to contact him.

“...”

Do Myung-Jun knew that this was the Holy See’s scheme to use Sung Yu-Da to deal with Do Myung-Jun by blocking the communication between them and using the enraged Sung Yu-Da as a tool for the Holy War.

Do Myung-Jun attempted to contact Sung Yu-Da several times, but failed each time. It was because of the Holy See’s scheme and because the wrathful Sung Yu-Da did not want to listen to Do Myung-Jun.

Sung Yu-Da had mercilessly killed the Voodoo Cult members in the Holy War because he believed that he had almost lost his daughter because of the Voodoo Cult. The executives of Voodoo Cult fled during the Holy War, and when the division escalated, it reached a point where having a conversation was impossible. That was when Do Myung-Jun gave up on resisting and instead devoted himself to researching spells.

"I hope I can pass on this memory to a friend."

He researched a spell that would also work on Sung Yu-Da, a member of the purification clan. He wanted a spell that would allow him to convey his memories to him, believing that was the only way to resolve this misunderstanding.

Those driven by a desire for revenge would never be happy even after achieving their revenge. Instead, only a bitter sense of emptiness would remain at the end. Do Myung-Jun did not want his friend, Sung Yu-Da, to live such a meaningless and empty life.

Sung Yu-Da had killed countless members of the Voodoo Cult and was the main culprit in bringing down the Voodoo Cult during the Holy War. Nevertheless, Do Myung-Jun still considered him a friend.

"And, my son too."

With a meaningful statement, Do Myung-Jun's memories came to an end. Sung Yu-Da regained consciousness.

Do Myung-Jun, who had been looking at Sung Yu-Da until the final moments of his death, was nowhere to be seen. He was now just a pile of ashes on top of the gallows.

A gentle breeze blew. The ashes fluttered in the wind.

At that moment, a clergyman watching the situation from behind rushed over to him.

"Sir Cardinal, are you okay?"

Sung Yu-Da nodded to indicate that he was okay. He lowered his head and silently looked at his sleeve which had been charred black by the flames.

***

Sung Yu-Da relinquished his position as a cardinal within the church hierarchy. He also stepped down from his role as an inquisitor. He was now practically no longer a Romanican clergyman.

The clergymen speculated about why the hero who led the Holy War to victory suddenly resigned from all his positions.

Some believed that he was satisfied with his achievement of leading the Romanicans to victory in the Holy War and wanted to spend his remaining years in peace. Others believed that, due to dedicating his life to work and not paying attention to family, he was trying to belatedly care for his family. Others believed that he felt guilty about killing all those people during the war and that the idea of being a clergyman disillusioned him.

There were various speculations, but no one could be certain. It was because Sung Yu-Da had suddenly quit being a clergyman without saying a word.

The Pope summoned Sung Yu-Da to the Holy See.

He chuckled and said, "You’ve done well, Cardinal Sung Yu-Da. No, you are no longer a cardinal. Would it be alright to call you a hero?"

"..."

However, Sung Yu-Da did not laugh at the Pope's joke at all. He just bowed his head and stood there with a stern face.

Behind the Pope, the Pope’s Seven Guardians solemnly looked down at Sung Yu-Da.

"With this, my... the Romanican Church’s era has arrived. What will you do now?" the Pope asked.

Sung Yu-Da remained silent for a while and then said, "I want to rest."

"Alright. It would have been great if I could continue to lead the Romanican Church with you, but it can’t be helped. I know how hard you have worked up until now."

"..."

"You need to meet your family and friends you haven't been able to see because of work."

Sung Yu-Da just listened quietly to the Pope. He couldn’t find the words to reply with. He had become a key figure in the Holy War and an influential person within the clan of purification.

Many of his clan members admired him, but he had no family members with whom he could speak openly. The same was true for his friends. He had plenty of acquaintances among his colleagues, but there was no one he could truly call a friend. Well, he did have one. It was just that Sung Yu-Da had killed that friend with his own hands.

"This is my gift to you. Go back home and open it."

The Pope handed Sung Yu-Da a box with something inside. After accepting it, he left the Holy See and headed back home.

There was no one he could trust within the vast yet lonely mansion. There were only employees hired to do household chores.

Sung Yu-Da entered his research lab, which had become dusty since he hadn’t been there for a long time. The research materials that Do Myung-Jun handed to him after the completion of Noah’s Ark were scattered in a disorganized manner.

He placed the box from the Pope on top of the mess. Upon opening the box, a gun appeared. A bullet with the Latin word 'revenge' engraved on it was also enclosed in the corner of the box.

“...”

Upon seeing the bullet, Sung Yu-Da realized what Pope expected from him. He loaded the bullet into the gun and placed it on the dusty desk in the research lab. He then went to the bedroom in an attempt to sleep. However, he was unable to fall asleep, so he swallowed a bunch of pills all at once. Still, sleep did not come.

After Do Myung-Jun’s death, and after the end of the war was declared, several more incidents occurred.

There was a massacre known as The Starless Night where a large number of Voodoo Cult members were killed. And the execution of the Voodoo Cult Prophet, Lee Seh-Hwa, was carried out in private.

After hearing the news, Sung Yu-Da came to the lab. He picked up the gun that was on the desk, put it in his mouth, and pulled the safety.

A click echoed in his head. He placed his finger on the trigger. Tears streamed from his bloodshot eyes.

"What are you doing?"

At that moment, someone entered the lab. A young child peeked through the door and looked at Sung Yu-Da. It was Ha-Yeon.

Sung Yu-Da quickly took the gun out of his mouth. The gun, covered in saliva and tears, slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Bang—!

A gunshot rang out, and an echo reverberated in the research lab. Smoke rose from the gun which had fallen on the floor.

A small dent appeared on the lab floor, caused by the stray bullet. Sung Yu-Da looked at Ha-Yeon, who was hesitating after the loud noise startled her.

‘And, my son too.’

The words Do Myung-Jun had muttered lingered in Sung Yu-Da's mind. If Do Myung-Jun's son was still alive and if he managed to survive in the Holy War and The Starless Night, that child would be around the same age as Ha-Yeon.

Right now, that child might be lost in grief over losing his parents or shedding tears while vowing revenge. Even if he succeeded in his revenge in the future, there would be nothing left in that child's life, just like Sung Yu-Da.

Sung Yu-Da looked at the hesitating Ha-Yeon and said, "I'm sorry, Ha-Yeon. Truly...."

He hoped that at least this child would not live a life as empty and miserable as his own.

***

I opened my eyes. I was in Noah's Ark. Sung Yu-Da’s memories, which had come flooding in with the sound of Noah snapping his fingers, were still vivid in my mind.

I blew away the traces of those memories by closing my eyes tightly and then opening them again. And then I glanced around to grasp my surroundings. First and foremost, I saw Noah, who had shown me Sung Yu-Da’s memories.

And then I saw Sung Yu-Da, the owner of those memories. He stared into the empty space with vacant eyes, endlessly shedding tears like someone who had lost their mind.

"..."

I finally realized why he had not reported me to the Holy See and why he had tried to help me. He regretted everything. He regretted inciting a Holy War under the Pope's command, and he regretted massacring countless Voodoo Cult members.

And he saw me and Ha-Yeon as the only means of repentance.

Honestly, there were many parts that I still couldn't understand. Why start a Holy War if he was going to regret it? Why did he never once suspect that the Holy See had manipulated rumors about the Voodoo Cult and my father?

However, Sung Yu-Da was a faithful believer of the Romanican Church that even considered doubting a sin. When I thought about it that way, I could somewhat understand how he had moved like a fool according to the Pope's will.

Nevertheless, regardless of personal circumstances, my desire for revenge against him did not disappear. Whatever happened in the past, and whatever the reason for the massacre was, the fact that he was the one who initiated the Holy War and massacred members of the Voodoo Cult remained unchanged.

At that moment, Noah approached me and said, "Please feel free to come back anytime. Life spent within the Ark is boring and lonely."

After saying that, he snapped his fingers.

Snap.

Everything in front of my eyes went dark. When I came back to my senses, I was in a forest instead of Noah's Ark. Sung Yu-Da, who had been shedding tears after losing his mind, also came back to his senses and looked around in confusion. He and I locked eyes.

"..."

After seeing me, he lowered his head and avoided my gaze.

"I have performed a sin that cannot be washed away," Sung Yu-Da said with a complicated expression. I hope that this chain of revenge can come to an end, but I cannot tell you not to seek revenge."

"..."

"Because all the tragedies began because of my foolishness."

Sung Yu-Da had succumbed to the Pope's persuasion, started the Holy War, and killed my father. The reason he had done all this was because of the mistaken belief that the Voodoo Cult almost caused him to lose Ha-Yeon and his burning desire for revenge, which stemmed from his foolishness.

I once wanted to seek revenge against him. At one point, the words ‘Second Holy War’ came too easily to my lips. My desire for revenge and my hatred toward him still lingered. However, I no longer thought of seeking revenge by starting a Holy War or killing Sung Yu-Da. I knew the weight of the sacrifices that would come if I started a Holy War, and I understood that actions driven solely by revenge would leave nothing behind. Above all, my father did not wish for it, as I had seen in Sung Yu-Da's memories.

"My mother is still alive," I said, recalling why I had tried to join Florence Academy.

I needed to use Sung Yu-Da to find a way to rescue my mother in the underground prison.

That was how I could take revenge on the Romanican Church, and that was how Sung Yu-Da would be able to repent to me and my father.