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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Silverriver
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“Ugh, eugh…….”
When Lee Ha-yeon opened her eyes, she found herself in a small, confined space, walled in on all sides with bricks, devoid of even a single window.
She didn’t know how many hours, or perhaps even days, had passed. In her hazy state of mind, Ha-yeon stared blankly at the floor.
-Clank.
As she belatedly came to her senses and tried to move, the shackles binding her arms and legs rattled. Judging by the way her body felt unusually weak, these seemed to be no ordinary shackles.
Ha-yeon looked towards the source of the voice and saw the Heavenly Maiden sitting on a single chair tucked away in a corner. She had been reading a thick hardcover book, which she closed with a faint smile.
“None whatsoever,” Ha-yeon replied.
It was a lie. Not entirely, but a lie nonetheless. The moment she saw the Heavenly Maiden, a creeping sense of loyalty, a desire to submit, began to fester within Ha-yeon’s heart, gnawing at her resolve.
But it was manageable. The Heavenly Maiden tilted her head, observing Ha-yeon’s response, delivered with maintained composure.
The Heavenly Maiden’s point was something Ha-yeon herself found puzzling.
Previously, even a diluted dose of holy water, pale in comparison to the Heavenly Maiden’s blood, had nearly triggered her addiction. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, despite having ingested the Heavenly Maiden’s blood, her mind remained relatively clear.
She didn’t know why. But if the brainwashing wasn’t working, it was a good thing. Ha-yeon seized the opportunity to bluff.
“Unfortunately for you, that kind of brainwashing doesn’t work on me.”
Of course, the Heavenly Maiden wasn’t one to be fooled by such a shallow bluff.
She knew. Even though Ha-yeon was maintaining a relatively clear mind, her situation was far from comfortable.
“……”
So saying, the Heavenly Maiden walked purposefully towards Ha-yeon.
She then pulled out the knife she had used to cut her wrist from her bosom. Brandishing the knife before Ha-yeon’s eyes, the Heavenly Maiden smiled sweetly and said,
As the Heavenly Maiden laid out the reality of the situation point by point, fear began to creep up Ha-yeon’s spine. The Heavenly Maiden took a chilling pleasure in observing the ever-changing expressions on Ha-yeon’s face.
“…Just like you did?”
That serpent-like, seductive voice tickled the fear blossoming within Ha-yeon’s chest.
She was afraid.
She feared the torture and brainwashing. But what she truly feared was not the process, but the result. She was terrified of losing herself, like the other devotees, and becoming a blindly obedient doll. She was terrified of forgetting that she even harbored such fear.
“……”
But Ha-yeon steeled her resolve.
She would never surrender to the enemy. An Enforcer could not turn a blind eye to injustice, nor could they succumb to evil.
Even as a trainee, having chosen the path of an Enforcer, her core beliefs were firmly rooted.
Reading such resolve in Ha-yeon’s eyes, the Heavenly Maiden muttered, sounding almost disappointed.
At those words, Ha-yeon’s eyes momentarily flickered. While she might endure her own suffering, the threat to her comrade’s safety undeniably shook her.
But in the next moment, Ha-yeon managed a slight smile and declared confidently.
“Such a shallow trick won’t work on the Enforcer.”
“A few days is all it takes to know.”
Ha-yeon had learned about Kwon Tae-ho through their two shared incidents.
He was different.
While all Executors were exceptional individuals, Kwon Tae-ho was in a league of his own. It wasn’t simply a matter of superior strength.
By observing him closely and carrying out missions alongside him, it became naturally apparent.
Kwon Tae-ho was someone who could overcome any adversity head-on.
Observing Ha-yeon’s face, now devoid of fear, the Heavenly Maiden scoffed.
-Slice.
With that question, the Heavenly Maiden sliced her wrist. Sweet blood trickled down her pale wrist.
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Meanwhile, at that time. Kwon Tae-ho’s office.
Kwon Tae-ho, having arrived at work that morning, frowned as he stared at his smartphone screen.
“Where’s Ha-yeon today?” Yoo-seol asked.
Although Lee Ha-yeon had recently been on an undercover mission infiltrating the Truth Church, she usually came to the office in the mornings. However, it was past 10 a.m., and she was nowhere to be seen.
In response to Yoo-seol’s question, Kwon Tae-ho showed her the text message displayed on his phone.
“She says she has a terrible hangover from drinking too much at the Knights’ initiation ceremony last night. She’s resting at the cult’s headquarters’ dormitory and apparently feels awful. She asked if she could take the day off.”
“Ha-yeon? That’s surprising. She seemed to hold her liquor pretty well when she was drinking with you the other day.”
“I guess she felt pressured to drink everything offered, to avoid suspicion while undercover. I told her to rest up and come back tomorrow. It’s not like there’s anything urgent going on.”
“I see…” Yoo-seol murmured doubtfully.
As Kwon Tae-ho looked at her, Yoo-seol spoke cautiously.
“It’s just… I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Why?”
“The holy water Ha-yeon brought. You said it had a brainwashing effect, right?”
They knew about the brainwashing effect because Lee Ha-yeon had tested the holy water herself. Fortunately, as a Returner, she had a resistance to it and wasn’t completely brainwashed, but she wouldn’t be entirely immune to its influence.
“Yesterday, Ha-yeon referred to the Heavenly Maiden of the Truth Religion as ‘Maiden-nim.’ I didn’t think much of it at the time, but after thinking about it at home, I started to get worried.”
“You think she’s being subtly brainwashed by the holy water unconsciously?”
“Yes. That’s why I was going to caution her when she came in today…”
At her words, Kwon Tae-ho wore a thoughtful expression, then proceeded to call Lee Ha-yeon.
Ring… Ring… Ring…
Despite the prolonged ringing, there was no sign of her answering. Watching Kwon Tae-ho hang up, Yoo-seol asked anxiously,
“Could she have been caught by the enemy because her identity as an Enforcer was exposed due to the brainwashing?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. She might just be sleeping soundly because of her hangover and can’t answer.”
“On the other hand, she could already be brainwashed and have become a loyal follower of the Truth Religion.”
Kwon Tae-ho offered an optimistic prediction, while Yoo-seol offered a pessimistic one. Both acknowledged the validity of the other’s point, but due to the nature of the Enforcer office’s work, they couldn’t help but lean towards the worst-case scenario.
“Well, even if the Truth Church discovered the new recruit’s identity and captured her, that’s likely all it is. At least for now, we can be assured about brainwashing or betrayal.”
“Why do you think so?”
“The results of the forensic examination I personally requested arrived this morning.”
Kwon Tae-ho called Yoo-seol over and showed her the email displayed on his computer screen.
“It’s still a preliminary analysis, so we’ll need more thorough testing, but so far, there’s nothing unusual about the scientific composition of the holy water itself. It’s mostly water with very slightly diluted proteins and other human body components. In other words, it’s not a physically acting narcotic.”
“So that means…”
“In other words, the pleasurable and brainwashing effects of the holy water are caused by magic or some other supernatural ability. If that’s the case, the insurance I put in place will be effective.”
“Insurance?”
“I attached a pseudo-soul to the new recruit, remember?”
Pseudo-souls are used to circumvent magically enforced contracts, but they also serve to share the burden and negative effects inflicted on the target’s mind or soul.
“That means the pseudo-soul acts as a resistance to most mental manipulations, including brainwashing. Even if they try to seriously brainwash the new recruit, she won’t easily succumb.”
“But we can’t be completely sure, can we?”
“No. So let’s just observe the situation for a bit. If there’s no contact from her through the communicator by this evening, we’ll raid the headquarters immediately.”
She’d wake up by the evening, even with a hangover.
Yoo-seol seemed somewhat reassured by Kwon Tae-ho’s words, but she still had concerns.
“What about justification? We don’t have the full forensic report on the holy water yet, so we can’t just launch an investigation without cause. We could be accused of illegal investigation and end up in a worse position.”
“Who said anything about an investigation? There’s no law against me believing in a religion, is there?” Kwon Tae-ho replied cheekily. Yoo-seol frowned and asked,
“They’ll definitely be on guard.”
“That’s even better. We’ll be able to glean something from their reaction. And while I’m distracting them, you, Assistant, can investigate the inside of the headquarters.”
“I’m an office administration specialist, and you’re always trying to make me do this kind of work.”
“So you’re not going to do it?”
“What choice do I have? I’ll do it.”
Despite her words, she was worried about Lee Ha-yeon and willing to do anything she could. Kwon Tae-ho was well aware of Yoo-seol’s true feelings.
“I hope it’s nothing serious. I shouldn’t have rashly sent her undercover like that.”
“You did it because you trusted Ha-yeon.”
“I still trust her. I’m just worried she’ll get hurt.”
-Ring ring ring ring!
Just then, Kwon Tae-ho’s phone started ringing. Yoo-seol reflexively asked,
“Is it Ha-yeon?”
“No, it’s Choi Jin-seo.”
It was a weekday, during school hours. Why would she be contacting him?
Thinking this, Kwon Tae-ho answered the call.
“Enforcer Kwon Tae-ho speaking.”
After a brief exchange with Choi Jin-seo, Kwon Tae-ho quickly ended the call. When Yoo-seol asked what was going on, Kwon Tae-ho sighed and said,
“She says she has something urgent to discuss about Lee Ha-yeon and wants to meet in person. Just the two of us.”
“Just the two of you?”
That was suspicious. If she had something urgent to say, she could do it over the phone. Why insist on meeting in person? And alone, at that? Why?
“Where does she want to meet?”
“At a cafe in front of her school. Since she didn’t suggest some remote church or something, it doesn’t seem like a trap set by the Truth Religion. Right?”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Considering the possibility that Ha-yeon has been brainwashed, Choi Jin-seo could also be.”
“We’ll deal with that if it happens. Let’s meet her first and see. However…”
Kwon Tae-ho clenched his fist.
“We need to be prepared for anything.”
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