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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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The next day.
Lee Ha-yeon told Kwon Tae-ho about the Heavenly Maiden’s proposal from the previous day—the offer to join the Holy Knight Order. Kwon Tae-ho readily permitted it, saying it was a good opportunity.
However, as it involved infiltrating even deeper into the enemy’s camp, corresponding preparations were necessary.
“W-What is this…?”
Lee Ha-yeon was at a loss for words at the extraordinary scene unfolding before her eyes.
A large space created by pushing all the furniture in the usually messy office to one side.
Kwon Tae-ho stood Lee Ha-yeon in the center of it and began inscribing geometric magic circles around her.
Lee Ha-yeon also had some knowledge of magic. However, the magic circle she saw boasted a complexity she had never witnessed before.
A complex magic circle drawn on the dimly lit office floor. A young woman standing in the middle of it, looking bewildered and tilting her head.
“It looks exactly like a demon summoning ritual,” Yoo Seol commented on the scene. It was meant as a joke, but Lee Ha-yeon couldn’t laugh it off.
“Enforcer…?”
“If you enter the Holy Knight Order, there’s a high probability you’ll enter into a magical contract for confidentiality. To prevent internal information from being leaked outside. What use would infiltration be if that were the case? So, I’m preparing a workaround.”
“This is a workaround? What kind of magic is it?”
“Pseudo-soul creation magic.”
It was magic Lee Ha-yeon had never heard of with her limited knowledge.
-Swish. Swish.
Kwon Tae-ho, having finished drawing the magic circle, casually tossed away the magic power pen he had used and gave Lee Ha-yeon a further explanation.
“Magical contracts are usually based on the soul. Therefore, if you prepare a fake soul for contract avoidance in advance, the real one can become free from the contract.”
It was a common tactic used by con-artist magicians to swindle unsuspecting people.
“You’re quite skilled in magic. Where did you learn this? The academy didn’t teach this kind of magic…”
“The Enforcer was originally more of a magic-user than a martial artist. He learned martial arts separately after returning, and if you consider his main area, it’s magic.”
“Huh? Really?”
Since he was always throwing punches and fighting, she naturally thought he was a returnee from that type of background.
Lee Ha-yeon thought it was unexpected, but looking back, there were clues. Even with basic magic, Kwon Tae-ho nonchalantly did things that even a decent magician couldn’t do, like casting six spells simultaneously.
But even so, to think that Kwon Tae-ho was originally a magician.
“It doesn’t suit you…”
“I hear that a lot. Now, we’re going to start, so stand there in the middle and close your eyes.”
“But this magic, if it’s the magic used by fraudulent mages, isn’t it illegal?”
“It’s illegal, that’s right. But I’m legal. Because I’m an Enforcer.”
Lee Ha-yeon realized anew the greatness of the Enforcer license.
As she closed her eyes according to Kwon Tae-ho’s command, Kwon Tae-ho began to infuse magic power into the magic circle.
-Kiiiiing!
Along with the ringing unique to magic power reaction, the mana floating in the surrounding space began to condense into Lee Ha-yeon’s chest. The magic power, which had no form or property, quickly began to acquire them, and soon copied Lee Ha-yeon’s soul almost exactly.
“Ugh…?”
Lee Ha-yeon groaned at the sensation of something pushing into her chest for a moment, and finally, the magic circle drawn on the floor oxidized, and the magic activation ended.
“Okay, done.”
“I-Is it over?” -Is it over?
“Huh?” -Huh?
Lee Ha-yeon, wondering what had changed, frowned at the voice echoing in her head. Whenever she said something, that voice echoed in her head like an echo several times.
“What is this, why is it like this?” -What is this, why is it like this?
“You can hear a voice in your head, right? There are two souls, but only one output device, so the lost commands keep circling in your head. It will be a bit difficult until you get used to it.”
“You should have told me that beforehand!” -You should have told me that beforehand!
“It’s not harmful to your body, so don’t worry. It’ll be fine in about an hour.”
“An hour…….” -An hour…….
It was dizzying because the echo reverberated several times every time she said a word. Not only with speaking but also when moving her body, there was a feeling of stuttering with the feeling of duplicated commands.
In the end, Lee Ha-yeon tightly closed her mouth and lay down on the sofa. Kwon Tae-ho moved the furniture back to its original position with Yoo Seol.
“By the way, it’s unexpected. To think they would recognize the newbie’s power first and offer her to join the Holy Knight Order.”
“It’s a good thing for us, but somehow it feels too good to be true, so I’m anxious.”
“Could it be that we were found out? Newbie, what do you think?”
At Kwon Tae-ho’s question, Lee Ha-yeon looked at him with a resentful expression, knowing how painful it was for her to answer right now.
“They didn’t seem to notice anything. The Heavenly Maiden was also more friendly than I thought. I think it’ll be okay for now.”
“Is that so? Then do well.”
Kwon Tae-ho nodded at Lee Ha-yeon’s words.
On the other hand, Yoo Seol was looking intently at Lee Ha-yeon as if something was bothering her. Regardless, Lee Ha-yeon concentrated on meditating with a blank mind to calm the echoes ringing in her head.
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Several hours later. The evening after the sun had set.
Lee Ha-yeon, her head cleared, headed straight to the cult headquarters. She had already contacted the senior priest acting as the point of contact beforehand, saying she would join the Holy Knight Order.
When she arrived at the headquarters, as expected, the priest brought a magician and signed confidentiality contract. Fortunately, the magician completed the contract without even dreaming of the existence of the pseudo-soul within Lee Ha-yeon.
“Then, let me briefly explain more about our Holy Knight Order.”
Aside from the additional explanation, there was nothing particularly special.
The name Holy Knight Order was grand, but it was basically like a small group within a religious organization. Therefore, it wasn’t so demanding that it would restrict daily life.
Basically, they were dispatched for tasks requiring force within the cult, but the number of times was at most once or twice a month.
Other than that, they could use various facilities belonging to the cult for free, or there were tax benefits using the official clergy status belonging to the cult. Unexpectedly secular stories were exchanged, which was a series of surprises for Lee Ha-yeon.
“Then let’s stop the explanation here. Shall we go see the other members? There are dormitories for the members at the headquarters, and coincidentally, some of them are staying there right now.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
The Holy Knight Order dormitory was located in the center of the cult building, which was built in a square shape. In the central building, there were not only the Holy Knight Order but also the Heavenly Maiden’s own residence.
-Tap. Tap. Tap.
While moving to the central building, Lee Ha-yeon heard familiar footsteps from the other side of the hallway.
“Ah. Heavenly Maiden…?”
Approaching from afar was a woman with a pair of wings and a halo.
Come to think of it, I ran into her near here before~ Lee Ha-yeon thought, and at that moment, the priest standing beside her said in a low voice.
“Why are you here? I know you’re not supposed to be here at this hour.”
“Can’t I move around the headquarters as I please?”
“You can’t. Rules are rules. Please return immediately.”
At the priest’s words, the woman hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded as if resigned. Lee Ha-yeon felt a sense of incongruity watching that.
Wasn’t the Heavenly Maiden practically the highest-ranking person in the Truth Church? For such a Heavenly Maiden not to be able to decide her own movements. Wasn’t that strange?
Moreover, although the priest’s tone was polite, it felt subtly like he was treating the Heavenly Maiden condescendingly.
So, Lee Ha-yeon had doubts, but before she had a chance to resolve them, the woman walked away sadly down the hallway, leaving the two behind.
“Then, shall we go again?”
“Ah, yes.”
The priest resumed moving as if he wouldn’t allow Lee Ha-yeon to ask questions.
The central building was shaped like a small replica of a huge cathedral.
It had a total of two floors, but the height was taller than an average five-story building. The first floor had dormitories for the Holy Knight Order members and offices for high-ranking cult officials, and the second floor had the audience chamber where the throne of Dion, the god of the Truth Church, was placed, and the Heavenly Maiden’s living quarters.
The two who entered the first floor headed straight inside. The Holy Knight Order dormitory felt like a dormitory, with a large common space like a living room in the center, and men’s and women’s dormitories lined up one after another.
“Since it’s not time for them to be asleep yet, they’ll all be here,” the priest said, opening the door leading to the living room.
Then.
“Ugh?”
The moment the door opened, a sweet scent wafted out.
Lee Ha-yeon, who momentarily frowned, immediately recognized what the scent was.
‘This is… Could it be… holy water?’
The scent of holy water was so strong that it filled the space. The inside of the living room was hazy with what looked like smoke floating around because of how strong the scent was. Because of this, the overall scenery of the room was not visible.
“There they are,” the priest said, pointing to a place. Several men and women were sitting on the sofa in the center of the living room, indulging in pleasure.
The men’s and women’s attire was so thin that it was almost like underwear. Among them, there was even a woman wearing only a semi-transparent negligee, blatantly exposing her chest.
Various kinds of alcohol were scattered on the table as if it were natural, and several people were puffing on cigarettes despite the indoor temperature.
‘No, are those even cigarettes? The scent is completely different. Could it be marijuana or something like that…?’
The men and women, intoxicated in their own world, showed no particular reaction to Lee Ha-yeon’s appearance. Only when the priest took Lee Ha-yeon closer did one woman finally discover Lee Ha-yeon and rise from her seat.
“Oh, is this the newbie you mentioned earlier?”
“That’s correct,” the priest replied.
The woman who asked the priest was the woman in the negligee mentioned earlier.
The woman, dressed in a way that even a bar hostess wouldn’t dress so carelessly, strode towards Lee Ha-yeon and blew the smoke from the cigarette she was smoking with a “whoosh.” The sticky and acrid smell was definitely not that of a cigarette.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Hye-sol. 26 years old. And you?”
“I’m… Lee Ha-yeon. I’m 26 years old too.”
“Oh, we’re the same age? That’s great! There aren’t many people my age here, so there’s no one I can really talk to.”
“Hye-sol! Why do you talk like that just because there’s a few years’ difference! I’m still young too!”
“Heh! Once you’re in your thirties, you’re an old man, why are you trying to hang out with young people?” Hye-sol retorted to a man behind her and picked up a glass from the table, offering it to Lee Ha-yeon.
“Here, let’s have a drink to celebrate meeting a friend of the same age. Chug it down.”
“W-Well, I….”
“Even if it’s our first meeting, you should be polite. It’s rude to refuse when a friend offers you a drink.”
Due to a strange sense of pressure, Lee Ha-yeon reluctantly received the glass. Judging by the looks of it, it seemed to be alcohol, but one glass wouldn’t affect Lee Ha-yeon at all.
-Glug.
“Haa?!”
However, the moment she swallowed the liquid, Lee Ha-yeon realized it was not alcohol.
A wave of intense pleasure swept through her entire body.
Lee Ha-yeon, grabbing her trembling shoulders, bent her knees. Then, Hye-sol laughed loudly and pointed at Lee Ha-yeon.
“Hahahahaha. She’s a complete newbie? It’s okay, it’s okay. You’ll get used to it soon after drinking it a few times.”
“T-This is… holy water…?”
“Yeah. The Holy Knight Order can drink holy water as much as they want. And at a very high concentration too. If you drink it a lot and get used to it, you can enjoy only the pleasure without the hallucinations. If you go further than that, this kind of thing becomes possible.”
-Whooosh.
Hye-sol, seeing Lee Ha-yeon dizzy from the effects of the holy water, spread out her palm. A small sphere shining with golden light floated above her palm.
“Divine power. Isn’t it amazing? The more you drink the holy water, the stronger your connection with the Heavenly Maiden becomes, and you become able to use the power bestowed by Lord Dion. It’s a power that the country hasn’t even noticed the existence of yet. Isn’t it amazing?”
“……”
Amazing my foot. In short, it was illegal ability. Showing such a thing right in front of an Enforcer, Lee Ha-yeon barely steadied herself and smiled brightly.
“That’s amazing. Do all the Holy Knight Order members have such abilities?”
Saying that, Lee Ha-yeon secretly turned on the recorder she had put in her pocket. Oblivious to this, Hye-sol boasted to Lee Ha-yeon as if showing off.
“Not all of them, only those with aptitude. Everyone here can use it. Now, don’t just stand there, sit here. You can go now.”
“Yes, then I’ll be going. May Lord Dion’s grace be with you.”
“Yeah. May it be with you too. Come on, Ha-yeon. Come over here.”
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our little ha-yeon ….
