Chapter 20

Amon finally decided to trust the Priest.

Given such clear mutual interests, there was enough reason to believe.

The Priest, knowing he had gained Amon’s trust, let out a sigh of relief.

“Please follow me. I’ll guide you to your siblings.”

The Priest wiped his glasses and called a taxi.

His car had already departed to the Lord’s side.

Amon offered a brief moment of silence toward the Priest’s car and got into the taxi.

***

Fortunately, the Nun and the siblings were unharmed.

Thanks to the Holy Knights, they were safely protected in the Church.

“Here, even the Hixen Group won’t easily dare to invade.”

Though the humble Church lacked the robust defenses or perfect barriers of a corporation, they had the shield of religion.

In fact, this shield was far stronger than any half-baked defense system.

Even if the influence of religion wasn’t what it used to be, spitting in the face of the Vatican would still earn you the label of a heretic.

Of course, a company that would attack an orphanage might not care, but that was only possible because the orphanage had no power.

From the Hixen Group’s perspective, a simple orphanage raid could be perfectly covered up with a little effort.

But not in this Church.

Because this Church belonged to a major diocese.

In the hierarchy of the Goddess’s religion, it was just below the Vatican, making it untouchable.

If the Hixen Group ever dared to touch this place, not only would covering it up be impossible, but they’d also have to prepare for a direct confrontation with the Vatican.

That’s why the Priest was confident they were safe as long as they stayed inside.

“So, rest assured and take it easy today.”

The Priest handed bedding to Amon and Sonia.

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

‘They’re not even blood-related…’

The Priest smiled warmly at the sight of the two.

After seeing them off, the Priest turned away from his seat.

He climbed the stairs and entered a room with his nameplate on it.

[Gregory]

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

The Priest enjoyed the silence of the room alone.

After all, he had nothing to do at home, and since he promised to protect the orphanage children, he planned to take duty today.

He grabbed two blankets to cover his upper and lower body and tossed them onto the sofa.

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

Without bothering with his phone or web surfing, he sat at his desk, read the Bible, and a few hours later, closed it and sat on the sofa.

The Priest rubbed his tired eyelids.

He bent over and untied his boot laces.

After neatly removing his boots, he began pressing his soles with his fingers.

Then he sniffed his fingers and grimaced in disgust.

If anyone who knew him saw this, they’d be shocked by his down-to-earth behavior.

But since no one else was in the room, he had no reservations about acting this way.

“Quite the down-to-earth sight, huh?”

…He was supposed to be alone in the room.

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

But what met his eyes wasn’t a ghost but a perfectly normal person.

And of all people, it was someone who knew the Priest.

“Fu—ck!!!!”

Whether it was the shock of Amon suddenly appearing,

or the embarrassment of someone who knew him seeing him in such a state,

or both.

The Priest actively expressed his feelings, even rolling off the sofa.

Thud!

“Ouch, my back…”

Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt.

Though his tailbone ached, it wasn’t enough to call it an injury.

The Priest patted his back and managed to get up.

Instead of getting angry at Amon for startling him,

“What brings you here?”

He greeted Amon with a bright smile.

Was this professionalism, or was the Priest just too kind by nature?

Amon hesitated but decided to ask what was on his mind.

“Do Priests swear too?”

Twitch.

The Priest’s eyebrow twitched.

Of course, doctrinally, it wasn’t entirely forbidden for a Priest to swear.

Even saints would use curses like “son of Satan” or “son of a harlot” when necessary, so there was no reason a Priest couldn’t.

But there’s such a thing as image.

A Priest who spreads the good word shouldn’t have a foul mouth.

It’s like a chef smoking a cigarette—

they might wash their hands, but customers might still feel uneasy. Swearing was like that for a Priest.

The Priest twitched his eyebrow and racked his brain.

But unable to come up with a good excuse, he chose to change the subject.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Answering a question with a question…”

“What. Brings. You. Here?”

Amon, feeling awkward, obliged the blatant subject change.

“I came to discuss the Hixen Group.”

As those words left Amon’s mouth, the Priest walked to his desk.

He reached under the desk.

Click.

A very small, almost inaudible click of a button was heard.

Amon looked around.

But he couldn’t sense any changes.

“You won’t feel it. It’s a soundproof barrier I had installed. Now you can speak freely.”

Amon, looking around curiously, trusted the Priest and got to the point.

“Please share what you know about the Hixen Group.”

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

“I know the big stuff like their origins and beliefs. But not the detailed info like security systems or employee profiles.”

That kind of thing can’t be known through past settings.

Swallowing those words, Amon looked straight at the Priest.

The Priest understood what Amon was asking for.

Security systems, employee profiles, duty rosters, etc.

Usually, only a select few within the Vatican would request such information.

‘Inquisitors…’

Also known as the Vatican’s hidden blade.

If Holy Knights were the ones who openly punished heretics, Inquisitors were the assassins who operated in the shadows.

But such a request came from Amon’s mouth.

The Priest had no choice but to cautiously ask.

“Are you… planning to get your hands dirty?”

Amon calmly nodded.

The Priest could only hold his forehead.

He understood the sentiment.

His patience must have reached its limit after not only himself but Sonia and the orphanage were attacked.

Especially since Amon and Sonia were destined to leave for the Vatican someday.

They couldn’t protect the orphanage forever.

So, he must have thought of taking the offensive as the best defense.

But ideals and reality are different.

In reality, Amon was a rookie who couldn’t even properly kill one of the Hixen Group’s elite ninjas.

If he went to the company, he’d end up captured and turned into a lab rat rather than assassinating anyone.

‘Amon wouldn’t be unaware of that…’

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

He didn’t know Amon completely, but he knew well that Amon wasn’t the type to charge in recklessly, even with blood rushing to his head.

Rather, the Amon he knew would keep his boiling heart in check and coldly seek a way to exact revenge.

Therefore, instead of refusing Amon’s request, the Priest decided to accept it conditionally.

“Tell me your plan. If I find it reasonable, I’ll share all the information I have.”

Amon looked momentarily flustered at the Priest’s condition.

But soon, he steeled his resolve and spoke.

“Alright. I’ll tell you. But you have to promise to cooperate with the plan I share.”

The Priest absentmindedly accepted Amon’s condition.

But as he listened to the specifics of Amon’s plan, he couldn’t help but regret that choice.

“How do you know that?”

The plan Amon shared contained information he should never have known.

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

“How do you know about that erased history?”

When you wrestle with ghosts, you inevitably learn certain things.

One of them is the contradictions in history.

Most veteran exorcists know there are contradictions in the history recorded in the Bible.

Not just exorcists, but Holy Knights and priests in similar positions know this too.

Yet, they never tried to expose these contradictions.

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

The Priest knew of the existence of erased history but hadn’t grasped the specifics.

But he never expected Amon to suddenly bring it up.

If what he said was true, most contradictions would neatly fit, so it couldn’t be called a lie.

“Just who are you…?”

The Priest couldn’t help but seriously ponder.

Just who is this person before me?

Is he an enemy or an ally?

Is it right to leave him as he is?

Shouldn’t I report this to the Vatican?

As if sensing the Priest’s troubled thoughts, Amon smiled bitterly and said,

“Is that important now? I don’t know what erased history means to the Vatican, but I have no intention of fighting the Church’s authority, so don’t worry.”

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

The Vatican’s stability versus his loyalty to Amon.

Under normal circumstances, the Priest would have chosen stability.

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

Amon had trusted him with a secret, and if he reported it, what would that make Amon?

Moreover, this was akin to a confession.

The moment he reported the confessor’s words to the Vatican, the Priest would lose his qualifications as a Priest.

Therefore, the Priest decided to let this matter rest.

“Alright. I’ll keep my promise.”

The Priest stood up and handed Amon a USB.

Amon tossed the USB into his coat pocket and bowed to the Priest.

“Thank you.”

“Good luck.”

With his business concluded, Amon left the office.

Through the window, just as he had entered.

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

Amon leaped into the darkness and disappeared.

The Priest watched the direction Amon had gone, recalling the plan Amon had shared.

‘In terms of feasibility… it’s entirely possible.’

If Amon’s plan worked, his physical abilities alone would be enough to take down the Hixen Group.

No, in fact, it was precisely because it was Amon that he could destroy the Hixen Group.

But regardless of feasibility, the plan itself was recklessly bold.

‘Is Amon not afraid of death?’

The Priest couldn’t help but think.

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

A plan premised on death that only such a person could devise.

The Priest smiled bitterly and unfolded his bedding.

Planning to keep Sonia at the Church as Amon had requested.

***

And the next day.

“Miss Sonia?”

“…”

“Miss Sonia? Can you say something?”

“…Did you know?”

Under Sonia’s sharp interrogation, the Priest couldn’t help but spill the truth.

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

“Then why didn’t you stop him?”

“Well… that’s…”

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

Because Amon’s plan was still in progress, and any misstep here could put Amon in danger.

But if he didn’t explain the situation now, Amon would be in danger for a different reason.

‘Why did he leave the explaining to me?!’

The Priest looked into Sonia’s eyes.

The light was gone, and if she took the wrong path, she might start looking for a knife or an axe.

The Priest then looked down at the screen Sonia was showing him on her phone.

On that screen was Amon, walking arm-in-arm with a madam in a brothel.

‘Why are you doing this to me?!’

Once again, the Priest suffered.