258 – Apostle of Grace -3-

Ragged breathing could be heard.

-Heave… Heave…

The breaths of the climbing executives and Shartia’s breaths were audible halfway up the mountain.

“It’s too dark.”

The streaks of light that had been clearing the sky were now creating a crimson sunset. The warm air that had been causing sweat on foreheads was now emitting a chill that brought shivers.

Hanna muttered to herself as she watched the setting sun.

“…I think we should head back.”

If the carriage road hadn’t collapsed, there would have been plenty of time even after arrival. Hanna, despite having left early, was now arriving late and felt skeptical about the situation.

‘…Something’s off.’

Hanna didn’t keep this feeling to herself and shared it with Shartia. Even vague information should be shared to avoid the worst-case scenario. Suddenly, an idea crossed Hanna’s mind, and she said,

“Hey, it seems too late. Maybe we should head down from here. It might be better to start again at dawn tomorrow.”

At Hanna’s words, Shartia nodded and looked up at the sky.

“…That might be best.”

It was dark.

And it felt ominous.

Being in the mountains, night seemed to approach even faster.

Muttering to herself, Chartia looked up to speak to Rohan, the leader at the forefront. Searching for the missing was important, but safety had to be secured first.

“Everyone…!”

“Actually, this is better!”

Rohan, the assertive head of the guidance department, cut off Chartia’s words with his sharp voice. The academy students wouldn’t be fazed by such threats.

“The students of the Swordsmanship Department are trained in stealth, so we have good night vision. It’s dark for them as well as for us, so this works out well.”

Rohan, a member of the Swordsmanship Department, stood tall and proud. Emphasizing that swordsmen were superior to mages who were vulnerable to surprise attacks, he put more strength into his steps as he climbed the mountain.

Chartia stopped in her tracks and called out to the advancing Rohan.

“Just wait, Rohan.”

Without looking back, Rohan replied to Chartia.

“We need to go up before it gets darker. Student Council President.”

“I know that, so let’s just wait a bit. Let’s catch our breath, gather everyone’s opinions, and then decide.”

“I know the way.”

“I get it. Just wait.”

Ignoring Chartia’s hesitation, Rohan pressed on with his climb, thinking this was an opportunity to restore the tarnished honor of the guidance department beyond recovery.

“I saw it.”

As he climbed, Rohan spoke of what he had seen with his own eyes.

“Just a bit further up there’s a clearing, and in it, a small church… no, a cabin that I saw clearly.”

“A church?”

At the mention of a church, Chartia glared at Rohan, spitting out her doubt. That wasn’t what she had heard from him.

“What are you talking about? You told me it was a cabin. A cabin that barely fits 30 people, you said it yourself.”

“…”

“Hey. Rohan.”

“Since we’re doing this, wouldn’t it be better to catch them for sure and restore our honor?”

“That’s what you call a plan…”

Rohan’s expression hardened, and he moved forward. The members of the guidance department following him chattered away, eager to finish quickly and grab a drink.

-Click.

Chartia bit her nails.

“Just wait. I’ll deal with the punishment later, so for now, listen to me…”

Rohan interrupted Shartia’s words and spoke to the disciplinary committee member.

“Disciplinary committee. Follow me.”

“Wait.”

“…”

Rohan was acting stranger than usual.

From the moment he climbed the mountain, he became silent and stubborn as if possessed by something. Like someone certain of success, Rohan began to trudge forward as if he had seen a future where he was victorious.

Hanna tilted her head, glaring at Rohan. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her expression screaming that she’d behead him at the slightest provocation, waiting for the right moment.

“Student council president.”

-Click..

“Should we just leave him behind?”

-Click…

“Student council president?”

Hanna hesitated, then grabbed Shartia’s shoulder. Shartia had been acting strange ever since they started climbing the mountain.

Normally not one to bite her nails, she seemed shaken by the smallest variable, more emotional than logical.

Startled by Hanna’s approaching touch, Shartia looked back in alarm.

“Huh?”

“Why are you acting like this too, president?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Hanna, watching Rohan lead the way, said,

“It’s definitely strange, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Doesn’t he seem like someone bewitched?”

“…Exactly.”

“He wasn’t like this before. He was stubborn, but he used to listen to you, president. He believed in maintaining order.”

“…Right.”

“It’s weird… Should we just leave him? Following someone who won’t listen will only lead to trouble.”

Hanna murmured softly while looking at Rohan’s back.

“And he’s a heretic, after all. The church in the mountains is undeniable.”

-Click.

Shartia shook her head at Hanna, insisting that they couldn’t just abandon a student.

“Let’s just follow for now. If something happens, we can run away then.”

“What if we can’t escape?”

“Then we use this.”

Shartia reassured Hanna by showing the ring in her hand. The ring, adorned with a red gem, was an artifact used to summon the royal knights.

“If the student council president says so, I understand. Sigh…”

“Just hang in there.”

“Understood.”

Hanna tilted her head, glancing around, wondering if someone was following them. She sharpened her senses and followed Rohan.

And so, the officers walked for a while.

Even though the time to reach the mountain’s summit had passed, the officers were still halfway up the mountain, walking.

“Why aren’t we making any progress, even though we’re not going in circles…” Hanna looked up at the exhausted faces of the officers.

“Sigh… where are we.”

“Are we even going the right way?”

“Damn it… I said I wouldn’t follow, why did I get dragged along.”

Hanna voiced her suspicion loud enough for Rohan to hear.

“…Everyone, just stay still for a moment.”

“…”

“Stay still, I said!”

“…”

“Doesn’t this all seem strange?”

Hanna glared at the frozen lead members, saying that the undeniable reality was now before their eyes.

“Why is everyone just following along?”

Hanna shook her head and let out a deep breath.

“It’s so strange.”

“…”

“Don’t you think?”

“…Let’s just move forward.”

“Just shut up and be quiet for a moment.”

At Hanna’s words, everyone fell silent. One could argue that the night sky, lit by the moon, looked beautifully normal.

The executives, who had been silent, began to feel goosebumps on their skin.

-…

“Do you hear it?”

-…

“I can’t hear anything right now.”

Hanna, looking into the fog-drenched forest, spoke with an annoyed tone.

“The fog is so thick I can’t see ahead, and not a single animal sound can be heard…! Not even the insects are making noise, it’s completely silent.”

Hanna’s outcry echoed hollowly through the deep woods. “It’s strange,” the echo seemed to say. “It’s been wrong from the start, let’s turn back now,” it spread through the dark forest.

“…”

The leading student council executives finally realized something was amiss, glancing around nervously and resting their hands on the hilts of their swords.

Only Rohan kept walking silently forward, not responding to anyone’s questions, just advancing towards what lay ahead.

“Don’t be scared.”

“President?”

“Don’t be scared, keep moving forward.”

“Why are you like this, President?”

“Go.”

A chill ran up the spine of one of the council members as he grabbed Rohan’s shoulder.

And then.

“aaahhh!!!”

Feeling the cold sweat soaking Rohan’s hand, the council member turned pale and fell to the ground.

“Pre… President…? What’s wrong with you!”

“Go…”

Rohan was frozen.

He continued to walk forward, his face pale as if looking at nothing but the path ahead. Trembling like a leaf, Rohan kept saying,

“Move forward!”

As if his mouth wasn’t moving of its own accord.

“Move forward, I said!”

His body shook as he shouted.

“What’s going on…”

Hanna couldn’t grasp the unfolding situation. In the fog where one couldn’t see an inch ahead, the only thing to rely on was the people visible right before her eyes.

“…Damn it.”

The moment Hanna realized they had been led astray, she swiftly drew her sword at her waist and gathered the aura around it. With the thought of dispelling the fog before her eyes,

she raised her sword high.

And at that moment.

“…Ah.”

The dense fog lifted, revealing a small church in front of her.

Yes, the church Rohan had spoken of.

The eerie place revealed itself.

A vast courtyard.

A building with a bell tower.

A church with lights on every floor.

An ominous wind began to blow.

-Oh God!!!!

From inside the church, the prayers of many could be heard. The volume was so loud that it was unbelievable they hadn’t heard it until now, the sound carrying an eerie current as it emanated from within.

“…Isn’t that our junior’s voice?”

A familiar voice cried out amidst the shouting, and the memory of that voice brought forth a question in response.

-Oh my God… forgive this sinner… forgive this sinner’s incompetence!

A thunderous prayer boomed once more, eerily resounding. In the church windows, the shadows of those with hands clasped in prayer could be seen, and those watching were sweating coldly.

The reason was unknown.

Just an inexplicable eeriness pressing down on each other’s shoulders.

“Damn… this.”

Hanna, realizing sooner than anyone that the situation had gone awry, quickly turned around and shouted.

“Everyone, snap out of it…!”

-…

Hanna, who had turned around, let her grimaced expression fall into emptiness. The executives were all frozen in place, unable to move.

“…“

They couldn’t move.

Mikhail. Hanna. Yulia, except for them, no one else could turn their heads to look at the church.

The intense fear, along with trembling legs, made their pupils flicker, and the roughening breath preheated the impending terror.

Unable to move from the intense fear, Chartia gazed up at the towering spire and swallowed hard.

“Something’s wrong.”

It was chilling.

The faint light leaking from the top of the spire looked ominously foreboding.

The shadows flickering in the round window, as if a small lantern was lit, seemed to lean on the window frame, gazing back at me.

“…I have to run.”

Beneath the trembling whisper, Chartia’s instincts began to dance.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My fingers wouldn’t move.

I needed to activate the artifact on my finger, but fear had seized them, rendering them motionless.

Had my pounding heart throbbed about ten times?

-Click.

The lights of the spire began to go out.

One. Two. Three.

The figure that had been watching from above was extinguishing the lights and gradually descending to the ground. I shouldn’t be able to hear that.

-Tock.

It made no sense to hear footsteps from this distance.

-Tock.

The sound of steps descending the stairs was all too vivid in Chartia’s ears.

Chartia squeezed her eyes shut and cried out.

“Please…”

Move, I begged.

After an eternity soaked in cold sweat, as the last light on the first floor went out, the church doors began to open with a grotesque noise.

-Creeeeak…!!!

I couldn’t see an inch in front of me.

Not a sliver of light entered through the open door, only the numerous shadows of the youths sitting in the church were visible.

The interior was out of sight.

-Tock.

“Gulp…”

-Tock…

“…Please.”

-Click…

Beyond the church doors, the silhouette of an elderly woman began to emerge. A middle-aged woman in a white habit appeared slowly, very slowly, from the church.

“Ah… New believers have arrived.”

The woman said with a bright smile.

“What to do. I haven’t prepared dinner yet.”

A woman, who appeared to be in her forties, looked straight into Mikhail’s eyes and said,

“Why don’t you come inside for now? There are many good words to be shared.”

She spoke cruelly, holding a black bible.

“Don’t you think so, Mr. Mikhail?”

She opened her mouth, invoking someone’s nightmare.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, ‘Jung’ believer.”