In a world of zombie apocalypse, Jo Ha-jin had refused to become a member of the Order.
The reason was so long that he didn’t properly listen from the middle.
Perhaps it was because joining the Order might invite an attack from someone who would find it distasteful?
Anyway, he was extremely reluctant to get involved in unsafe situations, so he didn’t want to be a member.
However, after having a deep conversation with Kelaout, he suddenly changed his attitude and told me this.
“Let’s just stay here for now, and if I change my mind, I’ll join.”
He still seemed uninterested in joining, but it was an open possibility for now.
What on earth did Kelaout talk about that made him change his mind?
I was curious, but I didn’t really want to find out. They probably just had a long, boring conversation suitable for their personalities.
Anyway, to apply the reverse vampire technique in practice, it was necessary to confirm one’s own will.
Jo Ha-jin was currently staying in our Sun Cathedral, so there was no need to go far.
“Is he here?”
“Probably.”
The gym on the 2nd floor of the Sun Cathedral.
There was a man running on a treadmill in a reasonably sized corner of the gym.
His recently shaved head looked fresh.
His muscular physique was on full display since he had taken off his shirt.
Jo Ha-jin was a Returnee whose appearance suited the somewhat outdated expression “manly” perfectly.
“Wow…”
Yao exclaimed softly, staring blankly at Jo Ha-jin, who was working out hard.
Her eyes started to shine physically, her face a little flushed, and her mouth hanging open in awe.
It was obvious even at a glance. Yao’s type of guy was someone like Jo Ha-jin.
“What do you like about him?”
When I quietly asked, our newbie Holy Knight answered confidently without any embarrassment.
“His wild physique and vibe. I’m totally into that. The Pope likes pretty boys like the Hero, so I don’t know.”
“…”
It wasn’t so much that she liked handsome men; it was just that she had fallen for Liam. I still had never felt even a single flutter for any man other than my demigod husband.
If the misunderstanding that Liam had cheated was true, my sexual preference might have returned to what it used to be.
“The reason I joined the Order, actually, is that I fell for the Great Warrior’s charm when the Hero borrowed his appearance to take down Haoran.”
“…Is that so?”
“I want to meet that man too; is there any way?”
“First, he has to want to come to this world to meet him.”
Dimension travel isn’t something that can be decided lightly, like taking a stroll to the next neighborhood.
So it wasn’t something I could just tell him to come over for fun.
“Let’s talk about this later; for now, let’s just have a chat.”
Even while we were chatting, Jo Ha-jin was focused solely on his workout.
Can he not hear us at all? His concentration was impressive.
“Jo Ha-jin.”
Waiting for him to finish working out, I approached him and spoke, and finally, he looked at me.
“Pope. What brings you here?”
“I just came to have a simple chat. Is that alright?”
The Safety-Obsessed Patient silently got off the treadmill and sat on a nearby bench press.
It seemed like permission.
“Here it is.”
Soon after, Yao gathered her Mana together and formed a seat by increasing its hardness.
I sat on it, placing my hands on my knees, keeping my back straight, and smiling gently.
Pope’s special skill, polite demeanor.
When someone sits down politely like this, it naturally softens their guard.
This technique had rarely failed in my experience.
But why?
Jo Ha-jin merely looked at me with an indifferent gaze.
Moreover, even while gazing at my superior beauty, he didn’t show any signs of admiration.
Even if I were naked, I felt like he would send such a calm stare.
‘Does he have any feelings at all?’
Kim Ji-yeon also shows little change in expression, but she definitely feels emotions.
In contrast, I had no idea what Jo Ha-jin was thinking or what kind of feelings he had; it was nearly impossible to guess.
Should I really call him a survivor from a zombie apocalypse world?
It seemed he had learned how to hide his inner self during those tough times.
In a world where destruction was imminent, one had to survive like that.
So from now on, I should slowly draw out his true feelings with gentle conversation.
“Jo Ha-jin.”
As I lightly started to speak, he nodded.
“What’s up?”
“How has life been recently?”
“Not bad. The facilities here are nice, and thanks to the Hero and the Guardian Dragon, I don’t have to worry about being attacked, so I feel at ease.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
It seemed that his impression of our Order wasn’t bad.
The situation was quite favorable. At times like this, just chatting naturally was the way to go.
“If there’s anything uncomfortable, please let me know. We’ll take care of anything.”
“Actually, it’s quite timely. I’ve been meaning to make a suggestion.”
When I asked what it was, Jo Ha-jin suddenly looked at the clock on the wall.
“3 o’clock. They’ll be here soon.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Just see for yourself.”
I followed the direction of Jo Ha-jin’s finger and turned my gaze toward the entrance.
And shortly after.
“I’m hereeeee!”
The door burst open, and a pink-haired Pope, Cubica, walked in.
She spotted me and Yao and flashed a bright smile.
“Oh my! My beloved men and women are all gathered in one place!”
“…”
So, she was saying that Jo Ha-jin, Yao, and I were all her ideal types.
Her promiscuous nature knew no bounds. Even Liam during his wild days would have had to concede to such a wanton woman. It was because of the Succubus’ brainwashing that she had turned out like this.
“Nice to see you all!”
Soon after, Cubica walked toward us delicately.
At that moment, Jo Ha-jin stood up and grumbled.
“That woman keeps following me. I wish something could be done about it.”
“…Did you feel a sense of crisis again?”
“Yeah. If I keep hanging out with a woman like that, I might end up dead of backfire one day. I can’t say that it’s impossible.”
It certainly wasn’t a wrong thing to say…
But I had never seen a man who was afraid of dying from backfire while avoiding women he liked. What an overwhelmingly intense safety obsession.
“I’m leaving; you take care of her.”
“Jo Ha-jin, I still have something to say…”
“That can wait.”
Without even looking my way, Jo Ha-jin quickly left the gym.
Cubica, about to follow right after, left me no choice but to speak.
“…Cubica.”
“Yessss?”
Reluctantly calling her, Cubica turned her cheerful face toward me.
“Do you have something to say, Pope Eluke?”
“I just wanted to have a chat.”
Though I didn’t want to, Jo Ha-jin had left, so I decided to talk to Cubica. I still had things to discuss with her.
“How is it?”
“Good!”
Cubica readily accepted and rushed over to sit on my lap.
“…What are you doing?”
“Ah, this isn’t your thing! I’m sorryyyyy!”
Apologizing, Cubica hurriedly got down on all fours on the floor. Then for some reason, she started tapping her back.
“Please sit here!”
“…”
In that moment, I nearly lost my sanity, but Yao tightly grabbed my wrist as if to calm me down, and I barely managed to endure it.
I let out a deep sigh and earnestly pleaded.
“Please, just sit in front of me.”
“Okay!”
Cubica immediately got up and sat on the bench where Jo Ha-jin had just been. It was a relief that she listened well.
Then the scandalous Pope looked at me with sparkling eyes and said.
“Now, where shall we start? First experience story?”
“Let’s not….”
“I had a 4P for my first experience! It was forced! But I ended up meeting one of them again later to do it again!”
That was certainly information I hadn’t wanted to know.
“How about you, Pope? Was the Hero your first experience?”
“That’s true.”
“Wow! Your first love is your husband!”
Was she surprised by our pure love, which was different from hers?
“So, you’ve never gotten intimate with anyone other than the Hero? Our Pope Eluke, how adorable!”
“…”
Cubica began to send me sticky and meaningful glances.
And at that moment, I made a decision. It was time to wrap up this conversation.
“It was a pleasant chat.”
“Are you leaving already? Stay a bit more.”
“No can do. Now that I think about it, I have something urgent to attend to.”
As I prepared to leave, Cubica looked disappointed and turned to Yao with her still clingy gaze.
“Well, at least the highest-ranked Holy Knight should stay.”
“No way!”
Brushing off Cubica’s touch mercilessly, we exchanged glances for a moment before holding hands.
“We barely survived…”
“That was really scary…”
“If it weren’t for Yao, I might have been devoured by Cubica.”
“Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
It was just then, after Kelaout’s training session, that the bond between the Pope and the highest-ranked Holy Knight grew stronger.
-Ding ding♪
Suddenly, my smartphone rang, and when I checked, Witness was peeking its face from the corner of the screen.
“Did you call for me?”
-Yes. It’s not something too important, but it might be good for you to know.
Witness then pulled something from below and displayed it on the screen. It was a short document prepared in the same format as the data I had seen earlier.
[Cubica Psycheless/Pope (presumed)/Lv.17]
→Always presents lewd behavior in daily life, but possesses power beyond imagination.
→An urgent recruitment case for Returnee Kim Ji-yeon!
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by the shocking content.
“…Level 17, isn’t that on par with Wip?”
That Cubica is as strong as Wip? She’s just a Returnee from a fantasy game world!
As I repeatedly read the document in astonishment, Witness added an explanation.
-Cubica reincarnated from the creation entitled [Aigis]; it’s not merely a game about lewd acts. Character growth, monster hunting, and boss battling are also significant parts of the game.
Thinking back, there were indeed those types of lewd games.
-Establishing that, it seems Cubica was brainwashed by a Succubus during her less powerful days. After that, she must have continually grown stronger.
“So, what’s her potential like?”
-If we consider growth potential alone, she’s the strongest among Korean Returnees.
I had no idea she was such a remarkable talent.
With that, I had to change my plans.
“Yao.”
“Why are you calling me anxiously at this timing?”
“Let’s go back in.”
“Ah….”
I had intended to hand over the scandalous Pope to the government, but that couldn’t happen now.
“First, let’s quickly make a plan to bring Cubica into our Order.”
I felt bad for Hainha, but we were planning to claim Cubica for ourselves.
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