The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Jin-Seo's gaze bore into me. She had just said that she believed in me. If this were to have happened in the past, I would have felt happy about it, as it meant that I had successfully hidden my true identity as the Cult Leader of Voodoo Cult and blended in as a Romanican.

But I didn’t feel at ease.

"Just tell me this," Jin-Seo said, pulling my finger. "Is it true that there is a Satanist among your relatives? Did you know?"

I didn't answer her question. I was unaware of what Joseph was thinking and to what extent he had been using Jin-Seo.

Joseph's claim that there was a Satanist among my relatives was clearly a lie used to lure Jin-Seo in. My only relative was my uncle, and my fake identity didn’t come with any relatives who were Satanists.

Depending on how I reacted here, it would change the extent to which Joseph suspected me. I chose my answer carefully.

"No, Inquisitor Joseph lied."

"...He lied?"

"There aren’t any Satanists in my family. But..."

I deliberately hardened my expression like I was deep in contemplation. I remained silent for a moment, a calculated pause.

Then I sighed and continued, "It's a bit complicated. It’s about my family, so it’s a little hard for me to explain."

"Ah..."

I felt guilty for deceiving her, but for now, this was the best thing to do: correct Joseph's lie but make it seem like there were other circumstances. This way, I could avoid falling into Joseph's trap, and I didn't have to explain why Joseph was monitoring me.

"I'll tell you later. Now is not the time," I said with a smile as I looked at Jin-Seo.

Jin-Seo nodded. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you..."

"It's okay. I understand," I replied, taking a step toward the accommodation.

I used to lie without batting an eye, but now it was hard to control my expressions. I wanted to leave this place as quickly as possible, but Jin-Seo followed me.

"Are you heading in?" Jin-Seo asked.

"It’s about time. I'm tired and want to rest."

"There's a party at your place. You think you can rest?"

I realized that Jin-Seo was right. Everyone except Jin-Seo and I had gathered in the accommodation to drink. The noise coming from the living room would be bothersome to rest comfortably.

Even if I hid under the covers in the room, I wouldn’t be able to block out the noise completely. Moreover, I had sensitive hearing, and even the slightest sound would wake me up.

"...I'll endure it, I guess. It’s not like I can complain to Director Han Dae-Ho."

"Do you want to come to our place?" Jin-Seo casually said, looking up at the elevator floor numbers.

I was taken aback. Of course, our accommodation would be a mess by now, and if I wanted to rest, the girls' accommodation would be the better option. But I didn't think I could rest easily if I went alone with Jin-Seo to the girls' accommodation.

"...I’ll pass."

"Why? Our place would be better if you just wanted to rest."

"Still, that's a bit..." I said hesitantly, without being able to give a reason.

It wasn't easy to say honestly that I felt uncomfortable being alone in the same room as her. Jin-Seo might take it badly if I were to say that.

She looked up and glanced at my face.

Then Jin-Seo smiled. "Why, are you embarrassed? Are you having indecent thoughts?"

"...No, I just suddenly feel like hanging out with the others."

"But earlier, you said you were tired."

"I'm not tired enough not to have fun," I mumbled with a vague excuse.

Jin-Seo turned her head abruptly and stuck out her tongue.

"Hard to get...."

"What did you say?"

Jin-Seo just shook her head and mumbled, "Nothing."

Meanwhile, the elevator had arrived. I pressed the button to get to my hotel floor. The women's accommodation was one floor above ours, but Jin-Seo stood still without pressing the button for her floor.

"Why haven’t you pressed your button? Are you going to take the stairs?" I asked.

"No."

"Then?"

"I want to go to your place as well. I want to hang out with everyone."

"What? Earlier, you said—"

"What?" Jin-Seo retorted.

Realizing there was no reason for me to stop her, I decided to let it go. After all, she probably had nothing to do alone in her room. Perhaps she just wanted to try drinking some alcohol.

Ding!

The elevator arrived. We got off and went straight to my room.

It was quiet in the hallway, but we would occasionally hear lively voices from somewhere. The voices were familiar. I was sure that the sound was coming from my room. Dae-Man's voice was so loud that even the hotel's soundproofing wasn’t enough to block it.

"...Is that sound coming from your room?" Jin-Seo asked.

"Seems like it."

I opened the hotel room with the key card.

The faint conversation of the others now amplified so loudly that it was bustling even from the entrance. At this rate, it would be too overwhelming to even go inside the room to rest, let alone have a conversation with Damballa.

"Hey, you're here! We were just talking about you. Come—huh? Jin-Seo is here too?"

The first one to greet us was Yu-Hyun. He seemed pretty drunk already. His face was flushed, and his voice was louder than usual.

The others, who were gathered around snacks and alcohol, were in no better state. Their faces were flushed, and they were slumped over, swaying back and forth with unfocused eyes. There were already four empty bottles of alcohol rolling around on the floor.

Dae-Man was sitting there with his arms crossed, barely holding onto his senses. He stood up abruptly when he saw me.

"I can’t believe it! Sun-Woo is here!" h

Then, he opened his arms wide and greeted me with an awkward smile. I pushed him away as he tried to hug me. The smell of alcohol on his breath stung my nose.

"...Just how much did you guys drink?" I asked.

"I didn't drink much! I’m just in a good mood!"

Dae-Man's voice was so loud that it felt like my eardrums would burst.

I tapped his shoulder, signaling for him to sit down. Then I looked around at the scattered bottles.

Fortunately, it seemed they hadn’t opened Yeom Man-Gun's bottle yet. I was a bit worried because some of the drinks looked like they were high in alcohol content, but... it was none of my business. I had no intention of drinking anyway.

I walked into the room where Damballa was.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Yu-Hyun tried to hang on to me, but I declined with a firm shake of my head.

"I’m going to rest. I’m not drinking." It would be exhausting for me to force myself into an environment with drunk people, and I might end up in a difficult situation if I were to get drunk and say something I would regret.

It would be better not to join in the first place.

Just as I was about to enter the room, Sung Ha-Yeon stopped me.

"Then, can't you just sit here with us?" There was a slight blush on Ha-Yeon's usually pale face. Her fair skin seemed to highlight the red in her cheeks. It appeared that she had also consumed a little alcohol.

Drunk people often slipped up. That was why I didn't want to drink.

I looked at Ha-Yeon quietly and shook my head. "...I couldn’t unpack earlier, so I'll join you guys later."

I went inside my room after making up a suitable excuse.

The living room turned quiet for a moment but soon became noisy again. I could hear Yu-Hyun trying to lighten the mood, Min-Seo sounding angry no matter what she said, Dae-Man's overly serious voice, and Su-Ryeon's giggles.

I could occasionally make out Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo's voices, but they were too soft for me to understand what they were saying.

Click.

I took advantage of the commotion in the living room and locked the door.

"Damballa," I called out.

Ssssk!

Damballa immediately responded to my call and slithered out from under the bed. Her scales, which had been glistening, had become dry and rough. Although snakes didn’t have expressions, her gaze toward me seemed desolate and tired.

[You’re finally here. Where were you and what were you doing, little one...?]

"I had something to take care of."

The living room was noisy, so I raised my voice a bit, and when it wasn't, I whispered so that the sound wouldn't leak outside.

Damballa flicked her tongue and shook her head.

[The living room is filled with the dirty stench of alcohol and the sound of vulgar laughter.]

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be like this."

[It's okay. It's not your fault,] Damballa said as she climbed onto my arm, making her way onto my shoulder. [However, I can't stand that disgusting and noisy atmosphere. Especially that big one with the loud voice. I would like to eat him. Would you be okay with that?]

The only person who fit the description of a big guy with a loud voice was Dae-Man.

I shook my head. "That's not possible. Please bear with me a little longer."

[Those Romanicans... They don't hesitate to drink while they yap about chastity and temperance. It's ridiculous,] Damballa said.

Her tone of voice was still sticky, sweet, and formal, but I could feel a strong sense of wrath in her voice. She seemed enraged.

Damballa slowly wrapped around my neck and whispered in my ear, [I want to take a breath of fresh air. When can I leave this place?]

"I will take you out tomorrow," I replied, gently stroking her wrapped neck with my fingertips. "We are scheduled to go to the museum. I need your help to steal the Staff of Reversal there."

"Are you talking about the poteau mitan?"

"...Yes, it’s also known by that name."

[Legba will be pleased. Of course, I am happy too.]

It was good news for both Legba and Damballa.

Damballa began to wrap herself more tightly around my neck.

[Alright. What am I supposed to do tomorrow?]

First, we needed to go to the museum and deliver the letter written by Yun Chang-Su from the Gangwon Branch to the museum staff. Then, with their help, we would temporarily disable the museum's security system.

After that, we would need a diversion. We needed to ensure that other museum visitors, Han Dae-Ho, and the F.A. students could not see me while I stole the Staff of Reversal.

"You just need to cause a commotion when I give you the signal.”

It would be Damballa's job to divert attention.

* * *

Min-Seo poked Yu-Hyun's wrist. "Hey, Yu-Hyun. Are you wearing that watch to show off? Take it off now that you're inside." She was drunk, and her tone was a bit more aggressive than usual.

Yu-Hyun held up the watch and smiled. "This? I can’t take it off. It's a restraint that’s keeping my powers sealed."

"What, is it holding in the Black Flame Dragon or something? [1]"

"I’m not even joking... Something worse might be unleashed."

"Bullshit," Min-Seo said, laughing sarcastically.

She drank the alcohol in her paper cup, downing it in one gulp. Min-Seo then immediately grabbed a bottle and poured more alcohol. When the cup was about half full, the bottle was empty. Min-Seo shook the bottle, but there was no swishing sound.

"We’re out. Is there no more alcohol?" Min-Seo asked.

"You finished it already? Ah... Hey, did you finish all the drinks by yourself? Do you know how much that costs?" Yu-Hyun said playfully while looking at Min-Seo.

However, Min-Seo didn't seem to take the joke and frowned. "I didn't drink that much. How much was it, you fucker? Do you want me to buy you another one? Huh?"

"That’d be very nice of you. That bottle was—"

Min-Seo's mouth dropped from the sheer shock of the price that Yu-Hyun mentioned.

"...W-what! You bought it for all of us to drink. Did I do something wrong by drinking it?"

"No one is calling you out. You just said you would buy it for me."

"Fuck, what kind of alcohol is this expensive?"

"It's not that expensive compared to others. It's the cheapest among what we've drunk tonight."

"..."

Min-Seo was shocked by Yu-Hyun's words. If this wasn't considered expensive, how expensive were the other bottles? She couldn't fathom the total cost of the alcohol she had consumed. It felt like she had eaten something that wasn’t well suited for her and didn't sit well with her stomach.

"It looks like I’m strong," Dae-Man suddenly said.

He crossed his arms and flexed his muscles.

Su-Ryeon, who was sitting next to him, chuckled. "Wow, Dae-Man, you look so cool~ You’re the best~."

"I drank all this alcohol, but I’m perfectly fine. In fact, my mind feels crystal clear."

"Is that so? Can you drink more?" Yu-Hyun asked.

Dae-Man nodded. "Of course. We’re just getting started!"

"Yeah? Then we have no choice but to bring out the secret weapon..." Yu-Hyun said, getting up from his seat and glancing toward Sun-Woo's room.

He pressed his ear against the door and listened to the sound coming from inside. Then, with exaggerated gestures, he nodded and opened his suitcase. From there, he took out a bottle of alcohol.

"Behold, the secret weapon. Dae-Man, you’re gone-zo."

"Huh? Isn't that one of the new ones?"

"What? Su-Ryeon, how do you know about this?"

"Hm? Oh, it’s just because it's so famous..."

"Ah, I see. You're pretending to be innocent but secretly drinking behind our backs. You're a delinquent."

"...Hey! You’re one to talk," Su-Ryeon retorted with a raised voice.

Yu-Hyun chuckled softly.

He sat back down and placed the bottle of alcohol on the floor, attempting to open the cap. However, whether he was drunk or just weak, all he could do was twist the cap without opening the bottle.

"Ah, damn it. Why won't this open?"

"I'll open it. Give it to me."

"Hey, it’ll break if you try to open it. This is the most expensive one—Ah."

As Yu-Hyun was trying to stop Dae-Man from taking the bottle, his gaze fell on Jin-Seo.

Among the people present, Jin-Seo seemed the least drunk. She was delicate but strong, so she should be able to open the bottle.

Yu-Hyun put on a friendly smile and handed the bottle to Jin-Seo.

"Jin-Seo, could you open this for me? You're not drunk, right? Ah, right. You haven’t drunk at all, right?"

"What? You haven’t drunk at all? What's up with that? Jin-Seo, you should have some too! You know, since you're here."

"..."

Jin-Seo didn't respond to Yu-Hyun and Su-Ryeon. She just silently took the bottle that Yu-Hyun handed her.

Crack!

She opened the bottle with a calm expression, and the fixed ring under the cap snapped off.

Jin-Seo furrowed her brows at the stench of alcohol that immediately wafted out when she opened the bottle. Along with the smell of alcohol, a unique fragrance filled the air. It was somewhat cloying yet captivating. The scent was so strong that she felt drunk just by smelling it.

"...Huh?"

No, she really was getting drunk. Although she had only smelled the drink, her vision was already blurry, and her head spun. She also felt a strange tingling sensation in her body.

Jin-Seo closed her eyes.

"Hey, hey! What’s going on?"

Thud.

All Jin-Seo saw when she opened her eyes was the ceiling.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1SxXB87v4Y ☜

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