The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 285

Meeting Ha-Yeon here was truly unexpected and coincidental.

She usually stayed in the dorms and she didn’t visit her house often due to her strained relationship with Sung Yu-Da.

That was why I was taken aback when I met Ha-Yeon. I couldn't understand why she was here.

It was only when I saw the several recommendation letters in Ha-Yeon's hand that I realized that she was here to get various documents from Sung Yu-Da in preparation for the upcoming entrance exam.

I also had visited Sung Yu-Da's house for a similar reason, so that was why I quickly understood.

"W-why are you here? Are you a thief? Are you here to steal something?"

Ha-Yeon, however, still seemed to be unable to figure out why I was here. She glared at me with a contemplative expression on her face as she continuously stepped backward.

I could clearly sense her wariness from her facial expression and gestures. I revealed my open palms in an attempt to reassure her as I slowly approached her.

"A thief? What would I possibly steal? I just had some business to attend to—"

"Don't come any closer! If you come closer, I'll call the police!" Ha-Yeon shouted without properly listening to my desperate explanation.

She wasn’t properly listening to me.

"Oh, damn it. Seriously..." I sighed deeply out of frustration.

I couldn't figure out how to explain myself, nor could I tell her the truth. I had come here to obtain Sung Yu-Da's advice and receive help for the upcoming Central Paladin Order entrance exam, as well as the research data from my late father that I wasn’t able to get my hands on last time.

If Ha-Yeon had started asking why I was seeking Sung Yu-Da's help for the Central Paladin Order entrance exam, I wouldn’t have been able to come up with a proper explanation.

I just kept my mouth shut since I couldn't even provide a plausible explanation to Ha-Yeon, who was continuing to shout loudly. It was then that I heard a frantic series of footsteps from behind me.

When I turned my head, I saw Sung Yu-Da hurrying toward me. For a moment, he opened his mouth widely as if he was surprised that Ha-Yeon and I were together.

"..."

Then there was a moment of silence. Sung Yu-Da also seemed unsure of what to say. Since I didn’t know how to handle the situation, I just looked back and forth between Ha-Yeon and Sung Yu-Da.

It seemed like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave Sung Yu-Da to deal with the aftermath. I had already obtained all the documents, recommendation letters, and information needed for the entrance exam.

“Um, I'll take my leave now," I said as I bowed my head toward Sung Yu-Da.

"..."

Then I left the mansion.

It felt a bit irresponsible, but there was no other method to deal with the situation. I had to comply with Sung Yu-Da's request not to communicate with Ha-Yeon.

***

After Sun-Woo left, Sung Yu-Da and Ha-Yeon sat facing each other across a table.

There were two cups of fragrant tea placed on the table, but neither of them touched the tea. The two remained silent as they stared blankly at the steam rising from the teacups.

Sung Yu-Da was the first to speak.

“Ha-Yeon,” he said.

He was still not touching his tea, and he had a sullen and bitter expression on his face. Ha-Yeon did not respond to Sung Yu-Da. Instead, she took a sip of tea.

She could hardly taste anything. She wasn’t sipping the tea to savor the flavor, but simply to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Why was Sun-Woo here?" Ha-Yeon asked as she set down her teacup.

Sung Yu-Da clenched his jaw and hesitated to answer. His tense jaw muscles were clearly visible. The situation was awkward. He quickly tried to come up with an excuse, but while there were many excuses he could think of, he couldn't bring himself to lie to Ha-Yeon.

"I called him over because he said he wanted some help on the entrance exam for the Central Paladin Order."

"Why are you helping with that? Or rather, why did Sun-Woo ask for your help in the first place?"

"That's because... I’m helping him because I had the ability to help him. There was no other reason."

"You told me not to get close to Sun-Woo before, didn't you?" Ha-Yeon asked as if she was probing for something.

She didn’t understand the situation.

Sung Yu-Da had clearly told her to keep her distance from Sun-Woo, while Sun-Woo had told her that Joseph was manipulating him, so that was why Sung Yu-Da disliked him.

If everything she knew was true, Sung Yu-Da had no reason to help Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo also had no reason to ask for help from Sung Yu-Da.

"What is the real reason Sun-Woo came over?"

What exactly happened between them? Ha-Yeon felt that something was amiss with the relationship between Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da.

When she encountered Sun-Woo and Sung Yu-Da in the hallway earlier, they seemed a little strange. Sung Yu-Da seemed to be struggling to help Sun-Woo, and Sun-Woo seemed to display a strangely confident and composed demeanor even when facing Sung Yu-Da.

Sun-Woo seemed to be more wary and cautious of Ha-Yeon than Sung Yu-Da.

"Lately, Sun-Woo has been avoiding me at school. Does that have anything to do with what happened today?”

That strange sense that something was amiss, the weird way that Sung Yu-Da and Sun-Woo interacted, combined with Sun-Woo's attitude of avoiding Ha-Yeon lately... She believed that there was some connection among all these things.

In response to her question, Sung Yu-Da remained silent for a while. Instead, he tapped the table with his slender fingers. A dry and crisp sound echoed rhythmically in the quiet room.

"...I have nothing to say. Please don't ask me about this matter anymore," Sung Yu-Da said firmly.

Ha-Yeon momentarily tensed her shoulders at Sung Yu-Da's sharp and cynical tone. It was a habit she had formed over the years of interacting with him. Whenever Sung Yu-Da started speaking in that manner, Ha-Yeon couldn't help but involuntarily shrink back.

However, Ha-Yeon didn't give up and said, "I can’t do that."

Her hand holding the teacup trembled, but her eyes steadily gazed atwhich were looking at Sung Yu-Da.

"Aren't the members of the purification clan not supposed to keep secrets from each other? At the very least, issues directly related to the clan should not be hidden."

It was a rule within the purification clan. It was a rule that was created so that, while members could argue or compete against each other over personal matters when faced with matters relating to the clan, they would unite and help the clan advance.

Ha-Yeon said, "I am also a member of the purification clan. I have the authority to know what is going—"

“No, I still can’t tell you,” Sung Yu-Da said.

“Why?!”

“Because this has nothing to do with the purification clan!” Sung Yu-Da shouted as he hit the table with his fist.

Ha-Yeon flinched in surprise.

With his fist clenched tightly, Sung Yu-Da trembled and took a deep breath. His face was flushed red, and the veins in his sclera bulged.

Sung Yu-Da breathed in and out roughly a few times before he finally managed to calm his anger.

"This is something you shouldn't be curious about. So... please, don't ask anything," he said.

“...”

Ha-Yeon didn't respond to his words and abruptly stood up from her seat. Then she went back to her room.

She quietly thought about why Sun-Woo suddenly avoided her, why Sung Yu-Da avoided mentioning Sun-Woo, and why Sung Yu-Da got upset when she asked about Sun-Woo.

Asking Sung Yu-Da or Sun-Woo wouldn't lead to any answers. Ha-Yeon had to figure out the reason on her own.

Ha-Yeon recalled the scenery she saw just before entering the house. From outside, all the rooms of the mansion were dark except for the research lab.

This meant that Sung Yu-Da and Sun-Woo were in the research lab until Ha-Yeon returned home.

If that was the case, the answer must be in Sung Yu-Da's study.

***

For a while, I only focused on getting a good score on the Central Paladin Order entrance exam. This was because this was the first checkpoint that had to be passed in order to enter the underground prison.

With Sung Yu-Da's help, I would be able to achieve a decent score on the entrance exam without much effort, but that didn’t mean that I could neglect putting effort into preparation.

I openly practiced available techniques regardless of the time and place. This included techniques utilizing divine power, such as the blessing arrays, and combat skills.

I also did not neglect practicing Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa in preparation for any potential 'variables.’

Since not all the Satanists had been exterminated yet, and especially because Jun-Hyuk was still alive, I could not exclude the possibility of variables.

However, Voodoo spells and the power of Loa were not appropiate in all situations. There were limitations to using them outside, but I also had limitations when using them in the underground chapel. Therefore, I decided to utilize Noah's Ark.

The Ark was a place where I could freely use Voodoo spells and it could also accommodate a large number of people.

I called upon Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps and practiced Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa against them. I believed that it would be better to have opponents rather than practicing alone.

It was a two-birds-with-one-stone situation as I could simultaneously enhance the combat capabilities of Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps.

Yuk Eun-Hyung finally seemed exhausted as he sat down and quietly muttered, "...We lost, Cult Leader."

The mercenaries fighting alongside Yuk Eun-Hyung also collapsed one by one in a similar manner. I approached Yuk Eun-Hyung.

"How was today's training session? Do you feel like I improved compared to before?" I asked.

"Yes, especially in close combat using Bossou's power... I felt like I was getting completely overwhelmed,"Yuk Eun-Hyung said.

"How about the other powers of the Loa?"

"I don’t know if it’s appropriate for me to evaluate, but it feels like there's more temperance than before. It also feels like only the necessary amount of power is being used at the right moment," Yuk Eun-Hyung said as he gasped for breath.

He wasn't just saying empty compliments and being considerate of my mood.

In reality, I was practicing a method that used a minimal amount of the Loa’s power with maximal efficiency. It was because engaging in combat while spilling blood in each battle was not sustainable forever.

In any case, fortunately there were results. I extended my hand to Yuk Eun-Hyung who was sitting on the ground.

While grabbing my hand and standing up, he said, "How was our mercenary corps? I was worried that we were just being helplessly attacked..."

"No, I concentrated on targeting Executive Yuk Eun-Hyung with the power of the Loa, but you managed to approach me while avoiding all of my attacks. I was surprised."

"There's nothing we can't do if we make use of the terrain features. Perhaps because the power of the Loa has a predictable feeling to it... After being hit a few times, I started to get a sense of how to deal with it."

I recalled Yuk Eun-Hyung's appearance during the battle training session.

He successfully managed to approach me by avoiding Bade's wind, Sobo's lightning, and Granbwa's living tree roots. Even considering that I wasn’t using my powers seriously and that the terrain was set in favor of Yuk Eun-Hyung's mercenary corps, it was a remarkable feat.

Yuk Eun-Hyung had exceptional natural combat sense, and as the training sessions continued, that combat sense expanded even further.

"Anyway, it’s impressive. Utilizing the terrain, huh... I should take that into consideration," I replied with a small smile to Yuk Eun-Hyung.

Yuk Eun-Hyung utilized the terrain to evade or minimize the impact of my power. Romanican clergymen and Satanists could also potentially evade my power in the same way. This was the only drawback of the power of the Loa, which was difficult to control precisely.

I needed to gradually work on this through future training sessions.

I sighed, releasing the fatigue that had accumulated from consecutively using the power of the Loa and looked around. An illusion of a meadow, which was created using Noah's Ark, spread out before me.

The meadow was vast and beautiful, with a grandeur that made one marvel even if they knew that it was an illusion.

Yuk Eun-Hyung looked around at the scenery, let out a short sigh, then turned toward me. "Setting aside whether there is anyone who can approach the Cult Leader... You would be able to subdue most clergymen with Bossou’s power alone, right? Is there anyone who can rival that power?"

"...Not many. As far as I know, there is only one person," I replied, recalling Joseph.

There was a time when I sparred with him using Bossou's power. Since it was just a spar, I wasn’t able to fully assess his combat power, and I hadn't used all my strength either. Nevertheless, Joseph and I had been evenly matched.

If both of us went all out, the outcome would be uncertain. The fact that there was even one person on the Romanican Church side that I wasn’t completely sure I could beat was a big threat to me.

To prepare for that, I couldn't neglect practicing Voodoo spells and the power of the Loa.

I had to possess the power to suppress all the Romanicans and Satanists that I encountered in any place and time, and in any situation. After all, it was difficult to predict what would happen to the Voodoo Cult in the future.

I looked around at the mercenary corps members lying collapsed on the ground. "Let's end today's training session here. It seems like everyone is tired..."

Physical injuries suffered in the illusion created by Noah's Ark would soon recover once they left the Ark, but the mental fatigue they suffered would not.

Considering how much the mercenary corps members had suffered after fighting me for hours, stop the training session seemed appropriate.

I pulled out the staff that I had stuck in the ground. Seeing this, Yuk Eun-Hyung asked in confusion, "Come to think of it, you didn’t use the staff during the training sessions, did you?"

"No, I don't use this during training sessions since it’s not necessary,” I firmly replied.

The training sessions at Noah's Ark were not only for practicing spells and the power of Loa.

The sessions were also aimed at enhancing Yuk Eun-Hyung and the mercenary corps’ combat capabilities. However, if I used the staff, it would be impossible to do so.

There would be such an overwhelming gap in strength between us that it would become inaccurate to describe it as a 'training session.'

Thus, I dedicated myself to training sessions, practice, and studying for several days. The busy days repeated to the point where I lost track of time.

And before I knew it, the entrance exam for the Central Paladin Order was just around the corner.