Inha was on a business trip to the local area.
He was on his way to a hospital in Gyeongsang-do.
It wasn’t just any ordinary hospital; it was the place where four Korean Returnees were located.
“No wonder it felt strange…”
There were people who returned even before Eluke, and they were under the control of demons. This was enough to turn Korea upside down.
The government was in chaos thanks to the report Inha had submitted.
Even the elderly president was said to have jumped up in surprise, only to sprain his back!
It was classified information and hadn’t been revealed to the general public yet, but once it was officially announced, the media would surely be in an uproar for a while.
Most likely with negative articles and news.
“They’ll just complain about incompetence or something like that.”
Inha had failed to protect all the Returnees except for Elure. It was a valid reason for public criticism.
However, this was beyond control.
How could anyone have known that a being like a Great Demon was lurking in the shadows? There wasn’t even a single Returnee affiliated with the government.
It was truly unfortunate, but as a mere agent, Hainha had no choice but to remain silent.
And since the deed was already done, there was still a chance to make up for it from now on… or so his superior said this morning.
That was a veiled pressure.
“If I can’t make up for it, I suppose I should be prepared?”
Coming from a wealthy family, Inha was motivated by a burning patriotism more than his paycheck.
That’s why he had no choice but to risk everything for this matter. A minor mistake could lead him to become a “former agent.”
“Senior.”
At that moment, the voice calling him pulled Inha out of his thoughts as he calmed his mind and turned his head sideways.
The junior sitting in the driver’s seat pointed to the navigation.
“We’re almost there.”
“Indeed.”
“But is this really the right place? What kind of hospital doesn’t even show up on the navigation?”
“…I was just thinking that.”
Right now, Inha and his junior had been traveling on a dirt road for an hour.
They were gradually entering a desolate area, and it had been a long time since they had seen anyone pass by.
Moreover, the address provided by the Pope was simply in the middle of the road according to the navigation.
Could it be that there was a misunderstanding in communication?
Having that thought, he even called a Returnee who had information about the hospital, but the address was accurate.
“Let’s just check it out. Surely, he wouldn’t be messing with us.”
Despite Inha’s encouragement, the junior continued to frown but then suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered.
“Well, the Pope wouldn’t really play a silly prank on us. That Dark Elf Returnee appeared on the Pope’s broadcast, and he seemed very righteous and solid in character.”
“…Really? I didn’t know that.”
“Senior, you must find time to watch it later! No matter how uninterested you are in online broadcasts, how can you not watch the broadcast of a Returnee you’re responsible for?”
“……”
He had already watched it and was the one running the show.
Such words lingered only in Inha’s mind as he was busy doing what is referred to as ‘dual life’.
While the demon wandering around the Tribe was throwing money at the [Apollis Tales] series, in reality, he wanted to appear as a hardworking ant focused on work.
To quickly change the subject, he was desperately looking for other topics of conversation when, just then, a building appeared outside the car window.
It was a small, shabby, abandoned building that looked like it was about to collapse any moment.
“…Is that place it?”
“…The navigation is directing us right there?”
It looked like the setting of a horror game or movie for a hospital.
A sudden doubt arose, but there was no way to turn back now.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The two agents parked their car near the hospital and approached the building.
Creeeak.
With a sound that echoed like a ghostly chorus, the door opened, revealing the inside of the hospital.
“…Huh?”
At that moment, Inha’s thoughts came to a brief halt.
His junior was also staring with wide eyes, mouth agape in shock.
The two stood frozen for a moment, examining the visible scene before simultaneously glancing at each other.
Though the words that came out were slightly different, the emotion within them was the same.
Dumbfoundedness.
“Why is it like this here?”
“This isn’t a hospital…?”
Inside the abandoned building was an entirely different world unfolding before them.
*
Today was the day I was set to visit the Returnees to heal them as requested by Wip.
Though it was a hospital in Gyeongsang-do, it wasn’t a big deal since I could use a Sacred Spell to teleport.
However, I was in a rush to provide treatment as soon as possible, so I busied myself early in the morning to finish my preparations and made my way to the rooftop.
“Holy Pope, are you ready?”
The Archbishop, who had already arrived, asked solemnly as usual.
I was about to nod absentmindedly but then caught a hint of hidden meaning in Kelaout’s left glance.
“A bit of dissatisfaction. You find it lacking still.”
Having worked together for so long, I could tell what he was thinking just by looking into his eyes.
It was mutual; escaping his rigorous lectures was nearly impossible, but fortunately, this was a rare exception.
It was ambiguous to state it outright, but he didn’t want to just let it slide; he hoped I’d realize it myself.
“Please wait a moment.”
Yao cleverly created a full-length mirror in front of me using her disguise ability.
I flashed a bright smile at the novice Holy Knight before checking my outfit.
First off, my hair was styled into an elegant braid tied back. Not a single strand was out of place, making me look even more graceful.
Next was my face.
As always, my beautiful features greeted me. Thanks to the subtle makeup I had applied, I looked even more elegant than usual.
Up to here, everything was perfect. I then checked my body.
The attire was the pure white robes of the Holy Pope. Thanks to the adjustment by Sacred Power, it was spotless and clean.
I checked every nook and cranny just to be sure, but there weren’t any wrinkled spots.
So far, so perfect. But where could the problem lie?
As I raised my hands to check, I frowned.
‘What’s this graffiti?’
There were crooked drawings of sunflowers and knights on the back of my hands, alongside cute lettering that read “Love you.”
Judging by the style, it seemed to be Erina’s handiwork; she must have drawn them while I was asleep.
“Oh no. I’ll erase this right away.”
Just as I was about to use Sacred Power to remove the doodles, Kelaout stroked his beard and stopped me.
“You needn’t do that. It was drawn with good intentions; please don’t erase it.”
“…Is that really okay?”
“Indeed. Honestly, I think it’s fine, but I wanted to show you.”
If that was the case, why not just tell me directly? Why bother glancing at me?
While I grumbled inwardly, I straightened my posture again.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes. But before we go, I would appreciate some words of encouragement.”
It seemed he wanted to properly observe the formalities as part of his official duties.
It was a bit uncomfortable since I had been moving freely for a while, but I didn’t feel inclined to refuse. If I had disliked it, I would have quit being Pope over ten years ago.
“Very well.”
Finally, I turned to take in the sight of my companions.
Aside from the Archbishop and the top Holy Knight, who naturally had to follow, there were two others.
One was Wip, the Dark Elf who had requested my healing and was also serving as our guide.
The other was Han Hee-jun, a high school student who began attending “Archbishop’s Character Lessons” just yesterday.
Han Hee-jun was making a face like he just bit into something sour, but awkwardly smiled when he made eye contact with Kelaout.
‘Looks like he’s having a bit of a hard time.’
Given the comments I heard through reports regarding his unpleasant words and poor temperament, he was likely to have a tough time ahead.
Personally, I welcomed this event. Because if Kelaout focused on him, I’d have fewer sermons to sit through.
I smiled affectionately at the seemingly diligent Han Hee-jun.
“Hee-jun. I hear you wish to observe my activities.”
“…Yes.”
“I hope that this time will allow warm sunlight to settle in your heart.”
Upon my words, the Archbishop nodded contently beside me. It appeared he was pleased with my encouragement.
Having given a brief word of encouragement before setting off, Kelaout suddenly approached and whispered in a voice only I could hear.
“But aren’t you taking Liam with you?”
“……”
I was currently in a cold war with Liam.
Thus, I wouldn’t engage in a conversation unless he spoke to me.
If I were to say it straight, I’d be subjected to a lengthy lecture about the importance of marital harmony.
I fabricated an excuse that had just come to mind.
“Liam has been feeling his shortcomings lately and has focused on training. He hasn’t been out and about much, you see. That’s why.”
“Aha. No wonder I haven’t seen him around lately.”
By spinning a decent lie based on fact, even the Archbishop didn’t catch on.
Thank goodness. I let out a silent sigh of relief.
“Understood. Then let us proceed.”
With that, Kelaout gathered Sacred Power and spread it around us.
The pink-hued Sacred Power swirled around like a whirlwind, suddenly engulfing everyone present.
Sacred Spell, Sun Leap.
After a brief moment of blurring and flickering before my eyes,
We had already jumped across dimensions and found ourselves standing in front of an abandoned building.
“Whoa, that’s crazy.”
Han Hee-jun, likely stunned from his first experience with spatial movement, let out a curse. He immediately covered his mouth, but it was already too late.
“Hey Hee-jun. Didn’t I tell you to use proper language?”
The Archbishop’s lecture began right away, and Han Hee-jun’s face turned pale.
“It’s hard to be careful with one’s words and actions in front of an Archbishop.”
Yao muttered in a distressed tone as I asked Wip for guidance.
Wip slightly bowed his head and gestured toward the shabby building with his whole hand.
“That’s the hospital I mentioned before. It’s quite rundown, right? We had no choice but to avoid the demons’ gaze.”
Upon hearing that, I focused a bit more on the hospital and sensed a faint flow emanating from inside.
It was the same energy that flowed through Wip.
“What kind of scheme did you employ?”
“I used my ‘Void Power’ to connect the inside to the outskirts of the Void.”
“…Isn’t that too dangerous?”
I’d never been to the Void before, but I had a rough idea of what it was based on theoretical knowledge.
In simple terms, the Void was like a dumpster for a world.
A kind of self-purifying action to prevent the world from veering off its normal course.
A place where the world disposed of all sorts of negative and wicked energies to prevent an apocalypse.
“If anything goes wrong, you might not be able to escape forever, right?”
“That’s true, but there was no other choice. The only place a demon would hesitate to go is the Void.”
That means it was a place that even demons wished to avoid.
There were many things to say, but for now, it seemed best to just observe. It was a decision made after careful consideration on his part.
“Then, please guide me.”
“Of course.”
Leaving Kelaout, who was still busy lecturing, and Han Hee-jun with a bewildered expression, we opened the door to the hospital first.
Creeeak, with a sound that pierced the ears, the interior unfolded, and surprisingly, it felt strangely familiar at first.
“This is just an urban center.”
Just as Yao said, the Void appearing before us looked like an ordinary urban center.
However, a peculiar and eerie atmosphere loomed both in the air and beneath the ground. It felt like invisible hands were brushing across my body from all directions.
“…This is interesting.”
It was indeed a place more bizarre than I had expected.
Given that, I couldn’t simply walk around casually. I wrapped my body in Sacred Power and commanded.
“Yao, start filming.”
Even though I came here for official duties, I couldn’t resist capturing the ‘First Void Exploration’ video for iTube.
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