The Heretic of Cleric Academy-Chapter 139

In the corner of the wasteland, there was a container box that seemed to have been placed as a resting area for workers. Yeom Man-geun and I sat there and had our conversation.

There was a slight earthy smell, but it was a reasonably cozy space. Above all, the fact that no one was watching us made me comfortable.

"Since there’s nothing to hide or cover up between you, Cult Leader, and me, I’ll tell you about this land..."

Yeom Man-geun spoke excitedly about the land throughout our time sitting there. He emphasized several times that the land he bought was amazingly good land, and that the fact that it had been ownerless until now was truly a miracle.

I appropriately nodded my head or gave agreeable responses while listening to his story.

"So now, how to use this land, that’s the important question..."

Yeom Man-geun finally began talking about business. He was currently running a soju factory, but he thought that mass-producing soju with intoxication sorcery engraved on it probably wouldn’t be profitable in terms of unit price.

Therefore, he was thinking of building a factory on this newly purchased land, not for mass production but to make and sell premium soju using traditional distillation methods.

In other words, he wanted to pursue premium quality and business diversification, which didn’t sound like a bad idea just from listening. However, there was one concern.

"Isn’t the possibility of failure too high? Initially, there won’t be much profit compared to investment costs. Unless it’s exceptionally delicious liquor."

"Don’t worry about that. I’ll make liquor so delicious that even those high-ranking clergy, those stubborn bastards, will drink it until they can’t recognize their own parents when they become idiots."

"Wow... You seem confident about quality."

"Of course! I started my business from picking up liquor dregs to sell, and I’ve been in the liquor business for over ten years..."

To summarize Yeom Man-geun’s words: He had mastered liquor-making through years in the business, so product quality was nothing to worry about. Moreover, if this business succeeded, he could make even high-ranking clergy prisoners of sorcery.

Yeom Man-geun was confident in his business idea. The business expansion plan itself had some crude aspects, but it wasn’t entirely unrealistic.

Above all, Yeom Man-geun was resourceful, so he would somehow make the business succeed. If luck followed.

"Well, Executive Yeom Man-geun is resourceful. I believe you’ll somehow make it successful. Having Executive Yeom Man-geun makes me feel very reassured."

"..."

Yeom Man-geun looked at me silently, blinking his eyes as if moved. His gaze was uncomfortable, so I quickly got up from my seat.

"Can I look around the area for a bit? Being only inside the container makes my breathing a bit..."

"Of course, of course. Look around for a hundred, a thousand minutes."

I left the container. In the middle of the wasteland, my uncle and Ha Pan-seok were having a conversation. Between them, Ha Su-yeong was restlessly rolling her eyes. These were unexpected faces who had been hovering near Yeom Man-geun when I first arrived.

I didn’t know why Ha Pan-seok and Ha Su-yeong from the Chungcheong congregation had come here, but I went over to them.

"So why is it you and Yeom Man-geun again? Aren’t you the group that was plotting rebellion last time?"

"My goodness, you’re suspicious just because we’re together? Can’t I be friendly with Yeom Man-geun? The Chungcheong and Jeolla congregations’ chapels are much closer to each other than other places, so naturally there’s more interaction!"

"That’s exactly why you two plotted rebellion. You have a criminal record, so I’m suspicious. If you didn’t have a record, would I have been suspicious? Am I wrong?"

Listening closely from nearby, my uncle and Ha Pan-seok were fighting. My uncle probably started the quarrel.

Why are you two together, are you conspiring to plot rebellion again, that sort of thing.

When I intervened between the two, they finally stopped fighting.

However, the hostility in their eyes as they glared at each other was still vivid. Ha Su-yeong, stamping her feet between them, was like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.

"Why are you fighting again?"

When I asked, Ha Pan-seok raised his voice as if he’d been waiting.

"Well! The thing is, Cult Leader. Executive Lee Jin-seong suddenly accused me of plotting rebellion, pushing me like that!"

"Rebellion..."

"Of course, it’s true that I once had such impious thoughts. But didn’t I clearly promise loyalty to you, Cult Leader, at the last executive meeting? Not knowing that, he’s pushing me unreasonably, so I got angry and couldn’t stand it."

Ha Pan-seok pounded his chest as if frustrated while expressing his grievances.

I slowly examined Ha Pan-seok’s expression and nodded slowly.

"I actually had something to say about rebellion-related matters."

"Yes? What..."

"Um, shall we go behind the container?"

It wasn’t a conversation to have with Ha Su-yeong present. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

When I asked about why he hadn’t offered tributes last month, if Ha Pan-seok tried to deflect appropriately or showed signs of panic, I intended to consider that Ha Pan-seok was preparing rebellion and deliver appropriate punishment.

Ha Su-yeong looked at me with frightened eyes, but I ignored her and took Ha Pan-seok to a secluded place. And without delay, I directly asked the question.

"You didn’t send tributes last month."

"Ah..."

"I’m not trying to say Executive Ha Pan-seok is preparing rebellion or anything. But with no contact and this happening, I’m also confused, so I’m asking."

Upon hearing my words, Ha Pan-seok showed obvious bewilderment on his face.

If it were a misunderstanding, he could have simply said so clearly, but Ha Pan-seok didn’t even make that excuse. Was he really trying to betray me after all... Unfortunately, there was no choice now.

Just as I was about to emit Voodoo magic power, Ha Pan-seok hesitantly opened his mouth.

"...Actually, our financial situation is very bad. Not just congregation operations, but even making a living is tight."

As if it was so difficult and embarrassing to say those words, Ha Pan-seok hung his head low.

I stopped trying to cast sorcery and examined the expression of the head-bowed Ha Pan-seok. He didn’t seem to be trying to lie.

"Didn’t I distribute some funds to you at the executive meeting? It should have been a considerable amount."

"Well... there were too many places to spend money..."

"Everywhere, exactly where?"

"My daughter insisted on attending academy, so... sigh..."

Academy?

While I was puzzled, Ha Pan-seok sighed deeply as if the ground would cave in and continued.

"These days, academies aren’t just for studying, but places where you make friends and such. She said she felt left out alone at school... But that academy tuition is not cheap."

"Ah. But the money I gave you should be enough for academy fees with money left over."

"Yes, that’s actually correct. To be honest, I’m preparing for remarriage, so some money went to that."

It was truly shocking news, but Ha Pan-seok’s expression was calm. Although Voodoo doctrine doesn’t prohibit remarriage, it was still shocking. I asked in surprise.

"Remarriage? What?"

"Please listen without misunderstanding. It’s not that I’ve forgotten my dead wife or anything. It’s just that, in human affairs, you never know what might happen in life..."

"Does Su-yeong know too?"

"I told her, but we fought a bit over it. Oh dear, what kind of story am I telling..."

Ha Pan-seok glanced at Ha Su-yeong, who was talking with my uncle in the distance, and continued.

So Ha Pan-seok was preparing for remarriage and had fought with Ha Su-yeong over it. With a frustrated heart, he came to have a drink with Yeom Man-geun, but Ha Su-yeong thought her father was secretly meeting a lover and followed him.

Ha Pan-seok’s remarriage partner was a fairly famous businesswoman. He had succeeded in recruiting her to Voodoo, but since she was a successful businesswoman with expensive tastes, he also ended up spending that much money.

"Interesting."

Knowing that Ha Pan-seok wasn’t trying to betray me finally put my mind at ease. Honestly, I wasn’t very curious about love stories, but listening to it was quite interesting.

Ha Pan-seok sighed deeply and opened his mouth.

"For me, it’s not a very interesting story, that’s the problem..."

"Haha... I understand. Anyway, you weren’t trying to betray me."

"Of course not. My son, though he was taken to prison, is definitely alive. He’s not so weak as to die just in prison. Until I see that boy’s face again, I will absolutely never betray you, Cult Leader."

"Do you mean you’ll betray me after seeing his face?"

"Then, having no regrets even if I die, I’ll offer this life to you, Cult Leader."

Ha Pan-seok’s loyalty had been forged even more firmly while I wasn’t watching. It seemed he had decided to pledge loyalty to me for the sake of his son in the underground prison.

Come to think of it, Ha Pan-seok also had the strongest loyalty toward my father, the 2nd Cult Leader. Once he decided to follow someone, he was a person who never changed his mind.

"If you can’t send tributes, at least send a letter. Briefly. Honestly, not sending tributes doesn’t matter much."

"I’ll do that. Recently I’ve been so out of it that I couldn’t think of it."

Honestly, whether he sends tributes or not is none of my business. If Yoon Chang-su or Yuk Eun-hyeong hadn’t sent tributes, I would have thought ’they must have been too busy to send them’ and passed it off lightly.

Also, originally he shouldn’t have used funds privately, but since he was trying to draw a bigger picture through remarriage, I didn’t bother to make an issue of that part either.

The problem was that it was Ha Pan-seok who didn’t send tributes. He had a history of plotting rebellion before. I had no choice but to be suspicious.

But now it seemed there was no longer any need to suspect Ha Pan-seok. The same went for Yeom Man-geun.

Until recently, they were people who had plotted rebellion and even tried to kill me, but now they recognized me as the cult leader and were respecting me.

Just a little, but I felt that both I and Voodoo were gradually finding our place.

I gave Ha Pan-seok some money from headquarters through my uncle. It was much less money compared to what I had distributed at the last executive meeting, but Ha Pan-seok was very pleased and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me.

"Tsk... that bastard, seeing him smile makes me feel bad."

And my uncle showed his displeasure very blatantly, despite it being much less money than what was distributed at the last executive meeting.

* * *

"Sleep?"

"Yeah, if I drive now, there’ll definitely be an accident. Let me rest my eyes for about 30 minutes. There’s a container here too."

We were about to return after finishing our business, but my uncle was too tired to drive anymore. Eventually, we had no choice but to stay here a little longer.

Since my phone battery was almost dead and I had nothing to do, I decided to look around.

This place was really good land as Yeom Man-geun had said. There were no private houses nearby, and there was a moderately sized river close by, so it would be convenient to obtain industrial water. It was harsh land for people to live on, but very suitable for running a factory.

And it was also a good place to try using Loa powers. I already had several things I wanted to try regarding Loa powers.

First was Loa prayers, second was the utilization of vèvè, the Loa symbols.

Since I had just offered tributes before coming, now was the most appropriate time to experiment.

However, Loa prayers and vèvè utilization were too powerful to experiment with lightly. Since I was going to do it anyway, I thought I should do it properly, so I took off my shirt. She, who had been stealthily following me, finally revealed her presence.

"Kyaa, kyaaaah!"

Ha Su-yeong screamed while covering her mouth. Her lost eyes were shaking left and right.

I approached her with my removed clothes roughly draped over my arm. Ha Su-yeong stepped back hesitantly.

"Don’t, don’t come. You crazy bastard!"

"What do you mean don’t come? You’re the one who followed me."

"Hey, ahhh! You crazy bastard, if you’re going to come, put your clothes on first...!"

Ha Su-yeong’s gaze, which had been frightened, stopped at a certain point. It was the hole in my stomach. More precisely, it was the scar left where the hole had been.

Seeing that, Ha Su-yeong stopped backing away and approached me, blinking her eyes as if puzzled. Then she examined the scar pattern as if trying to analyze it.

"What’s this... Why is there a hole in your stomach? A burn? Is it a burn mark?"

"I was stabbed with a knife."

"What? Why? No, when... When did this scar form?"

"Not long ago. About two months ago?"

"Two months?"

Ha Su-yeong repeated my words with furrowed brows as if she couldn’t understand. Then she raised her eyes as if realizing something.