Chapter 948. Trial (7)
How was I supposed to interpret that expression? If I had no idea what Kim Hyun-Sung was thinking, I would have been confused. It was kind of blunt, but I had to say something as soon as possible.
“You’re not allowed to kill him.”
‘I’m sure he won’t kill him right away. Don’t cut off his limbs.’
I couldn't help but think that he had become a cold-blooded person.
Was he still under Doom Hyun-Sung's influence, or had he truly gone crazy because of stress? I trembled at the scary thought that Kim Hyun-Sung had finally gone crazy. I had no idea why, but I was suddenly reminded of the time when he stabbed me in the stomach.
‘Shit. That was really painful...’
However, I couldn’t express that because I was glaring at him with an uncompromising and determined look. No words were necessary from me, as I knew he had already deduced my thoughts.
‘Don’t break him out of prison and then send him to Goddess Benigoa afterward. You can’t kill him, man.’
The clean-up would be really hard if he were to do that.
'You understand, right? I know how you feel, but this conversation is over. As long as you break him out of prison, it’ll be like Gen had never even existed in the first place.'
“I want you to break him out of prison unharmed,” I requested.
“...”
“Please do it discreetly,” I added.
“Mr. Ki-Young, he—”
“Yes, you’re right, Mr. Hyun-Sung. However, he’s been suffering as well. I'm crossing the line here, but I can’t just let him die like this. As you said, he did hurt me, but...” I trailed off.
'You hurt me, too. You stabbed me.'
“...”
“...”
“Would you like to come in for a moment?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.
“No, it’s already late. Also...” I declined.
“...”
“I know what you’re thinking and what you want to tell me, but it won’t be enough to convince me. I've already made a decision, so I beg you,” I said.
“...”
“As I mentioned earlier, you must not kill him...” I repeated.
“...”
“I’ll assume that you've accepted my request,” I said.
“...”
“Also...” I paused.
“...”
“Thank you as always, Mr. Hyun-Sung,” I told him.
'Let’s smile a little because it’ll be effective here.'
Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t answer, but I believe he’d make the right choice. There were probably many things that he disliked about the idea, but there was no way he would refuse my request.
After all, it was a request from a friend who had sacrificed his life for him.
Anyway, he just had to accept my request, and he'd be able to get rid of Templar Gen somewhere I couldn't see, and our bond would return as well.
Under normal circumstances, if one wanted to obtain something, then one had to sacrifice something in exchange for it. I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung was aware that he needed to focus and make a choice.
Rather than wasting his time on meaningless revenge, he probably thought he needed to take care of and protect his friend. Obviously, I preferred a trade with no losses, but there was no way Kim Hyun-Sung would reject me.
‘Even if he doesn’t like it, he’ll do it no matter what. He’ll do it even if he doesn’t want to do it.’ The most important thing in the world for Kim Hyun-Sung was our lost bond. 'In addition, it would be strange for him to refuse the idea, but he does have a record of causing a mess and threatening to kill others.’
Anyway, the next thing I had to handle was Gen.
‘The trial isn’t as important anymore. I was never really interested in the trial.’
I started comforting myself, saying that the result would have been different if I had given my all during the trial. I wasn’t interested in competing with Jin Cheong in the first place, so I simply decided to look for a more reasonable way to deal with the matter.
What was actually good for the continent?
At this point, what was really important?
I had to go back to the beginning and think about it. I had no choice but to keep thinking about the answer to that question. Was that trial really that important to me? Was the trial actually meaningful?
The battle of our petty pride wouldn't do me any good in the future.
‘I’m different from that bastard who only knows how to play games.’
I was a saint who'd always prioritize the interests of the multitude rather than my personal greed.
‘There’s a reason I’m the Saint of Light.’
The petty fight about whether Templar Gen was innocent or not and the jurors’ decisions weren’t important.
The extermination of the group known as the Templars, clearing the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary, stopping the anomalies happening throughout the continent, and dedicating myself to the job of ensuring that the multitude would live a peaceful and happier life...
These were the tasks I had to do as the Saint of Light, the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican, the Manager of the Continent, and lastly, as a human being.
‘I’m built different—the essence of my existence is different from him.’
There was a massive difference between Demon Summoner Jin Cheong and the Saint of Light.
'Let’s place a location-tracking artifact and a spy camera artifact on Goddess Benigoa’s statue, as there's only one place Templar Gen will go upon escaping. There’s a chance he might go elsewhere, but his priority is to save the weak Saint of Light.'
It was only natural for him to know that he needed the power of a group rather than the power of an individual. There was no other group he could turn to except for them, and it was all because he didn’t have any connections.
I nodded and quietly called out, “Mr. Gen.”
“Mr... Lee Ki-Young?” Gen asked.
“Yes, Mr. Gen. It’s me,” I replied.
“What brings you here... when it's already so late?” Gen asked.
“I’ll get straight to the point since I don’t have a lot of time,” I told him.
“What?”
“I-I think I can help you get out of this place,” I said.
“Excuse me?” Gen asked, looking confused.
“I decided to get help,” I informed him.
“What? What do you...”
“I can’t say more, but—”
“What are you talking about, Mr. Lee Ki-Young?!” Gen interrupted.
He sure was loud for someone who was dying, but it was understandable.
He looked like he couldn’t understand what I was saying, even though I simply told him that I was going to get him out of here. The public's opinion had already turned against him, and I was sure he was aware of the fact that winning this trial was hopeless.
His reaction was understandable, and he definitely assumed that I made some kind of deal. He definitely thought that way, but he couldn’t figure out what kind of deal I had to make.
I could have sold my freedom, or it could have been a political deal. Even worse, it could have been some kind of cruel deal that I couldn’t tell him.
In reality, I was just going to hang out with Kim Hyun-Sung more often than usual, but Gen's wild imagination was advantageous for me right now. I took advantage of that and revealed a weak smile, showing him that I had long gotten used to sacrificing myself and that I was okay with it.
“You don’t need to sacrifice yourself. All of this... is solely my—”
“I’m fine, Mr. Gen,” I interrupted him.
“I’m not fine, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. For someone as worthless as me...” Gen paused.
“No, you’re not worthless. You showed me a bigger world and what the continent truly looks like. You broadened my worldview, and you even gave me several gifts,” I said.
“...”
“...”
“Honestly, all of this was because I was selfish. You probably think that it's all your fault, but that’s not the case at all.
"I’ve always been dreaming of it. Perhaps I've always wanted to go out and see the beautiful world out there. I know that it was wrong, and I know that the ending was going to be horrible, but I ignored it because... I was happy,” I explained.
“...”
“I clung to the joy of being able to see a different sky every day and my precious daily life was just too precious for me to just let it go. Of course, perhaps I also ignored it because I was worried that something bad might happen to you,” I said.
“You did nothing wrong, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. This is my fault. I’m the one who ignored everything that happened afterward. I told you that I'd show you a new world, but perhaps my desire to become free was even greater than your desire to see the world.
"I did it all for myself, not for you...” Gen confessed.
“You’re a kind person,” I commented.
'Idiot.'
“I’m not as kind as you think! I’m... a disgraceful man! This is all because I'm selfish!” Gen exclaimed.
“...”
“I didn’t do it... for you,” Gen added.
I couldn’t tell whether he was lying or not. I knew that he was projecting himself onto me, but I was convinced that he was lying to me right now. He definitely didn't do all that out of selfishness.
However, it was undeniable that he was having mixed emotions right now. I didn't really mind it, as I believed that he'd start thinking about me a lot from today onward
“None of that matters, Mr. Gen. I simply did what I thought was right,” I said.
An always steadfast honorary cardinal. A saint of unshakable faith. Sending Gen out was just the beginning, and the battle was bound to be tough and long. It would be a tough, drawn-out fight against the hidden evil of the continent, and it was going to start from the faction war within the Vatican.
“Leave and go to a place where no one can find you, Mr. Gen,” I instructed him.
“What...”
“Father Basel will soon declare a holy war on the Templars,” I revealed.
'It's me. I'm going to declare it.'
“I’d like to stop it if possible,” I said.
It was already impossible to stop it, as the faction war within the Vatican had gone on for too long to be stopped. Moreover, I was just one person; there was no way I could stop an entire war by myself.
It was like a pus that had been festering for a long time had finally popped up.
It’d basically be a purge.
“Many will die, and there will be a lot of bloodshed,” I told him.
“...”
The only thing I could do was try to prevent it. Actually, I knew I couldn’t stop it and that my efforts would be nothing more than a futile struggle. However, I wouldn’t be the Saint of Light if I didn't lend my hand to those who needed a helping hand.
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young, you don't have to...” Gen trailed off.
'No, you know the truth as well. My power as the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican was necessary to minimize the damage of what was about to happen.'
It felt like a twist of fate. This was the epic story of the Honorary Cardinal of the Vatican fighting against a greater power for the sake of the continent, the Sacred Democratic Country, and in the end, for the sake of a pious believer named Gen.
“Run away as far as possible,” I told him.
‘Don’t leave; just crawl back into your home, man. Go back to where your Templar friends are right now.’
“You must forget everything about the Sacred Democratic Country and the Vatican,” I added.
‘Don’t forget. You must not forget what the Vatican had done to you.’
“You must also forget about me,” I told him.
‘Don’t you dare forget about me, damn it. Have a debate or something with the remaining Templars out there.’
“Don’t look for me again,” I said.
‘I’ll probably look for you myself.’
“T-This is my last gift,” I stuttered as I extended a small necklace toward him.
It was the best gift ever, featuring a location-tracking artifact, a spy camera, and a bug[1]. Of course, I was confident that he wouldn't notice those features.
The necklace had an engraved gem depicting Goddess Benigoa, and it was my final gift to him as Lee Ki-Young, so I was sure he’d treasure it.
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young! Mr. Lee Ki-Young!” Gen shouted.
“...”
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young!” Gen yelled.
“...”
'Don’t look back. I've gotten used to break ups, but I might still end up crying if I look back.'
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young... please... please!” Gen begged.
I have to keep walking for a while, and then I'll stop for a moment to look back at him.
“...”
I came to an abrupt halt and looked back at him, saying, "It was fun."
“...”
“AAAAHHHH!”
“...”
“AAAAHHH!!”
The next morning, I heard a loud and obnoxious alarm.
— LEE KI-YOOOUNG!! You bastard! You crazy fool! You piece of trash! You disgraceful and nauseating fool!
1. A bug is a concealed or disguised microphone to overhear conversation ☜