I used way too much Sacred Power doing the rounds for the injured.
Even more than when the Goddess blessed the sunglasses to create the sacred artifact, Haemaki.
I was in the worst physical condition, right before Sacred Power exhaustion set in.
At least for a week, I had to soothe my mind and body with the verses from the scriptures and hymns.
So, I thought I’d hurry back, flop onto my bed, and enjoy some ice cream…
But just before heading out, another situation arose.
“Holy Father. Here you are.”
I ran into Kelaout while gathering all the unconscious Returnees and exiting the Void.
Han Hee-jun, Wip, and a man I had never seen before were with him.
I blinked in confusion, taken aback by the strange combination of an old Archbishop, a high school Returnee, a random monster, and a stranger.
Then Kelaout continued, “For now, follow me. There’s something you must see. Something has happened that will completely overturn your perspectives and knowledge.”
“…”
The one speaking to me was quite serious. What could it be?
Since Kelaout wasn’t someone to make a fuss for no reason, I decided to follow him, even though I was exhausted.
Soon, I found myself in an alley between a tall building and another.
“That’s it.”
Kelaout bowed respectfully and stepped back. It was a gesture indicating he was giving me time to think.
I was already lost in complicated thoughts without him needing to do that.
It was a message that couldn’t be ignored.
[I’m not the Black Sun, but honestly, isn’t that Pope guy a bit of a boomer?]
“…”
It sounded like a post written by a malicious user stirring trouble on some anonymous community site.
Having frequented various sites related to [Apolis Tales] before reincarnation, the writing on the wall felt strangely familiar.
In fact, it was so familiar that I could read the implications captured in those short messages entirely.
That was why I was so puzzled.
“…The Black Sun. Doesn’t that sound too silly to be left behind by that Evil God?”
“I think so too.”
Writing anonymously and then blatantly revealing one’s identity was something common in anonymous communities.
From my experience, this divided into two possibilities.
It could either be the Black Sun himself or some third party wanting to slander him.
I leaned more towards the latter.
“When I saw this for the first time, I thought it was the work of someone who had a grudge against the Black Sun, not the Evil God himself. So, I asked this individual to share all the information gained during the Void investigation.”
At that, the young man who had stood frozen raised his posture. His expression wasn’t tense, but he was sweating, perhaps from nerves.
Just then, Hainha stepped forward to introduce the young man.
“This is my junior and also a member of the National Intelligence Service, Go Jeong-soo. He’s now in charge of the Returnees.”
“I see.”
Who he was didn’t matter much, so I brushed over that and turned to the Archbishop and asked, “Please continue. Did you find any useful information?”
“Yes. Several suspicious phrases were discovered, all captured with a device called ‘camera.’ Please check for yourself.”
As Kelaout finished speaking, Hainha’s junior, Go Jeong-soo, handed me a smartphone. The screen displayed a list of photo albums.
All were photos taken in the urban center, with the same peculiar phrases written in the center of every image.
[If the Black Sun is the most beautiful Evil God, thumbs up! LOL]
[I feel like the world is ending.]
[The Void is so annoying.]
They were nothing more than playful lines, identical to the first message I’d seen on the wall.
However, the last one was different.
Though the font was the same, it was smaller and the color darker, giving it a more serious vibe.
[Let’s meet soon.]
“…Let’s meet soon?”
Those four words were steeped in significance. Who was sending this to whom? The content was clear.
And that was what left me confused.
How on earth was I supposed to interpret this? I couldn’t figure it out at all, so I decided to consult Kelaout.
“Archbishop. This last phrase was a message sent by the Black Sun to me, right?”
“I agree.”
“If that’s the case, then the other phrases were written by the Black Sun too.”
“That is likely, albeit confusing.”
It was the first time I’d seen Kelaout speak so uncertainly. It was a sign of the complexity of the situation.
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I spoke up.
“…Why has the Black Sun become so frivolous?”
Originally, the Black Sun was a saint who experienced terrible misfortune and despair, harboring hatred as immense as a celestial body in her heart.
She wasn’t content with her own suffering and had gone around destroying other worlds—a living disaster and an end.
The utmost target that could never coexist with a bright and clear world.
To put it simply, the Black Sun was a dangerous Evil God who wanted to drag everyone happier than herself down to her level.
And yet… such an Evil God had scribbled childish pranks like notes from an anonymous community on the wall.
She even gave off the vibe of someone who hung around the community every day.
What on earth could be her intention? Did she really spend her time writing meaningless posts on the internet lately?
My head began to throb as I grappled with an utterly incomprehensible situation.
“Oh Sun, please grant me some good advice…”
I gathered all the writings to see if I had missed anything during my analysis.
But I couldn’t figure anything out in the end, and with a sigh, I said, “Let’s just go back and take a rest.”
Now I was at a loss. Bring it on if it’s coming.
It was a sense of resignation induced by overwork.
*
“Ugh…”
I lay on a soft and luxurious mattress, feeling its comforting touch.
This room was originally the top-tier dormitory within the Sun Cathedral used by Hwang In-goo, the head of the Burning Association Korean Branch.
The condition of the items in this suite was exceptionally high-quality, far superior to other places.
Naturally, the bed was an extremely plush product, allowing me to rest comfortably.
“I really need to do nothing and just play.”
Before returning from the Void, I agreed with Kelaout to rest until tomorrow and then start working hard the day after that.
By then, I expected all the unconscious Returnees to come to, and I had planned to hold interviews then.
Until that time, I was going to focus only on relaxation. I’d sip green tea all day peacefully and enjoy the nice scenery.
For that, I first needed to sleep well to recover my energy.
However, unfortunately, there was something I had to do before sleeping.
A mandatory task that comes with being a mother.
“Mom, mom! Do you know what I saw today?”
“Mommy! Yongyong’s scenery is amazing!”
Erina and Ibailla, who were clinging to my sides while I lay in bed, started chattering excitedly.
At five years old, it’s already hard to understand a single child’s speech, let alone when they’re both talking at once—my head was spinning.
Still, I had no intention of showing my fatigue and telling them to go away. After all, putting up with this much was a qualification for being called a mother.
Fortunately, Rohan was asleep, so I only had to take care of the two daughters. That was a piece of cake for me.
“The birds flew around me just now! Chirping!”
“The birds must have wanted to play with our Erina!”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
I engaged with the vibrantly energetic Erina while focusing on empathic communication.
“Yongyong showed the desert today. There was only sand there.”
“What was it like?”
“It was super fascinating…”
I asked Ibailla, who was less expressive but quite deep, for her impressions, and their faces brightened noticeably. Smiles also appeared on their faces.
Simultaneously communicating with the twins and satisfying them with my attentiveness—that was the refined skill of a mother with three kids.
“Hehe, mommy loves you so much.”
“Me too!”
“I love Erina and Ibailla more than anyone else.”
I pulled both my daughters into an embrace.
In moments like this, the fatigue I had built up in both mind and body melted away.
Why would anyone take energy drinks when spending joyful and harmonious moments with my kids could recharge me?
Feeling good, I planted a kiss on my daughters’ cheeks.
At that, both Erina and Ibailla also kissed my cheek and turned to snuggle closer.
Just then…
“Then what about me?”
A playful male voice suddenly drifted in from outside the window.
I hadn’t heard that relaxed and leisurely voice for days. I couldn’t help but smile brightly at that moment.
Outside the window, the man, Liam, was smirking as he tapped on the glass.
“Baby, did you miss talking to me?”
“…”
I quickly pulled myself together and wiped the smile off my face.
Just this morning, I had resolved to approach him first and mend things, yet my mind had changed.
After all, at that time, I hadn’t expected our former troublemaker to approach me first.
Since this unexpected occurrence where Liam stepped forward, I needed to change my strategy.
“I’ve got to keep my pride intact when reconciling.”
I decided to express that lingering hurt through my expression and body language. That way, Liam would feel remorseful.
Based on this renewed strategy, I opened my mouth nonchalantly.
“Erina, Ibailla. Who is that person?”
Feigning a sullen demeanor, I patted my daughters’ backs.
My adorable twins exchanged glances, trying not to laugh, and then chimed in their teasing voices.
“I don’t know!”
“Looks like a passing uncle!”
Well done, my daughters.
With this tactic, I knew Liam would feel uneasy and would eventually apologize, at least saying he was sorry.
As I continued to fix my gaze on Erina and Ibailla, the former hero spoke again.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t an apology.
“Baby, do you all want to go see the stars together?”
The mention of “stars” instantly brightened Erina and Ibailla’s expressions.
Moreover, they looked at me with sparkling, eager eyes. They appeared really keen to go see them.
With the kids so excited, I simply couldn’t refuse the situation, and I stood up, now embracing my daughters.
Yet, in a bid to maintain my last shred of pride, I managed to keep a stern face as I said, “If you plan to say something that’ll disappoint me, you better say it now. If you say it later, I’ll drop you from the sky.”
It was a serious threat, but Liam nodded eagerly.
Then, he quickly opened the window, came over, embraced all three of us, and whispered to me.
“Disappoint you? I’m planning to impress you from now on.”
“…”
Undeniably, it was a heart-fluttering whisper.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
