The Cult Leader in the Clergy Academy

Chapter 310

The director woke up.

"..."

As soon as he regained his senses, he looked around anxiously. Since there was no clock in the underground prison, he couldn't tell how much time had passed.

His head hurt, and the memories he had before losing consciousness were hazy. The director kept looking around in the dark, desperately searching for Sun-Woo.

While worrying about Sun-Woo, the director was also suspicious. Since he had lost consciousness, he naturally assumed that Sun-Woo had also lost consciousness. Therefore, he was concerned that Sun-Woo's life could be in danger if he were not found quickly. However, if he was the only one who had lost consciousness, Sun-Woo might be the culprit.

After searching for Sun-Woo for a while, the director finally found him. Just like the director, Sun-Woo was also knocked out. Sun-Woo hadn’t been far away, but right next to the director with his anti-Voodoo mask broken.

The director tapped Sun-Woo's shoulder to wake him up. "Paladin Sun-Woo! Sun-Woo!"

Such incidents occasionally occurred in the underground prison, which was buried deep underground. The security system was strengthened yearly to prevent prisoners from escaping, but no additions were made to improve the guards’ working conditions. Therefore, the guards had to manage the prisoners while enduring high temperatures, making it feel like their bones were melting along with the low oxygen level. Many guards fainted, not able to withstand the conditions.

However, that only applied to rookies unfamiliar with the underground prison's conditions, and it was strange for a director to lose consciousness. The director left the unconscious Sun-Woo and looked around.

Suddenly, a strange voice came from somewhere.

"Thank you! See you again!"

The director followed the origin of that faint voice. He knew the source of the voice. Those imprisoned in the underground prison had to endure brutal torture. After being tortured, they would often be driven to madness to the point where they couldn’t speak properly. However, there was one crazy bastard who wouldn’t shut up even after enduring severe torture.

He was the most heinous criminal imprisoned in the underground prison. He hadn’t been charged with conspiracy or treason—he was simply the embodiment of evil. Not only did he conspire to commit treason, but he also caused great chaos in society by inciting rebellion.

"Thank you! See you again! Thank you! See you again!"

"..."

Jun-Hyuk. He was the Satanist Executive of Envy and Arrogance. Only his head remained, yet he was still alive. Not only was he alive, but he would casually joke with the guards and sometimes even attempt to escape by using black magic to put the guards to sleep.

"Thank you! See you again!"

"I wish he would keep his mouth shut."

"Thank you!"

The guards, inquisitors, and torture technicians would gouge out Jun-Hyuk’s eyeballs, cut off his tongue, and even tamper with his brain. Each time, Jun-Hyuk's body would regenerate with grotesque tentacles. Fire, electricity, holy water, silver bullets—they tried every torture method available but ultimately failed to shut Jun-Hyuk up.

"..."

The director speculated that he and Sun-Woo had lost consciousness because of Jun-Hyuk. The director knew that Sun-Woo and Jun-Hyuk were friends when they were at Florence Academy. However, Sun-Woo would have been under the impression that Jun-Hyuk had simply gone missing and would not have known that Jun-Hyuk was the mastermind behind the terrorist attack. In other words, Jun-Hyuk had used black magic to let his friend Sun-Woo know he was still alive.

The director heard a voice behind him.

"Director?"

The director turned his head. Sun-Woo was now awake. Seeing how he had his eyes barely opened, he seemed to have yet to regain his senses. Or maybe it was because his eyes were swollen? Whatever it was, Sun-Woo did not seem to be fully conscious.

It was rather fortunate. Nothing good would come of Sun-Woo finding out that Jun-Hyuk was alive, that he was a Satanist, and that he was imprisoned in an underground prison. Taking advantage of Sun-Woo's groggy state, the director quickly took him elsewhere.

"Did you lose consciousness?" the director casually asked Sun-Woo.

Sun-Woo nodded reluctantly. "I think so. I'm sorry, this has never happened before..."

"No, many guards lose their consciousness in the underground prison. It's generally hot here, and sometimes the prisoners cast Voodoo spells or use black magic. It is a place for imprisoned cultists, after all."

Sun-Woo nodded as if he vaguely understood. "Ah..."

"Let's continue on our way. You might collapse again if you stay here too long."

The director took Sun-Woo to former director of the Northern Crusader Order’s cell.

The former director’s appearance was gruesome. His face was swollen, making it difficult to distinguish his features and all his fingernails had been pulled out. His naked body was covered in dried blood, and his shallow breath seemed like it could stop at any moment.

Rather than observing the reaction of the director of the Northern Crusader Order, the director of the Central Paladin Order scrutinized Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo grimaced upon noticing the director of the Northern Crusader Order’s director. Seeing the brutal treatment of the director of the Northern Crusader Order seemed to upset Sun-Woo’s stomach.

The director smiled and lightly patted Sun-Woo's shoulder.

"The underground prison tortures prisoners as needed. Of course, this is a top-secret matter that should never be revealed to the outside world."

"..."

"Because he hasn’t been here for long, he’s one of the inmates with the best condition among all the prisoners here," the director said.

Sun-Woo continued to stare at the director of the Northern Crusader Order. After enduring long torture, the Northern Crusader Order’s director was mentally and physically weakened. He was unable to lift his head, and the only thing he could do was tremble and drool. He couldn't even speak properly.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything," he repeatedly muttered in a barely audible voice.

"Do you think it's inhumane?" the director asked.

Sun-Woo looked at the Northern Crusader Order leader. Then he smirked and shook his head. "No."

"Then?"

"They are not human. So treating them as humans would be unfitting, no?" Sun-Woo replied.

The director nodded in response.

"I guess you could think about it that way. But why were you surprised earlier?"

Sun-Woo was surprised when he first saw the Northern Crusader Order leader. He was kind of humane, and he thought it was fine to treat inhumane people inhumanely.

Sun-Woo did not answer the director's question immediately. Instead, he gritted his teeth. He twitched, and his jaw muscles tensed visibly. Sun-Woo opened his mouth, staring at the Northern Crusader Order director as if he wanted to kill him.

"It’s because he’s in a better condition than I expected."

"..."

Sun-Woo's eyes were filled with rage as he said, "I think bastards like him should die. No, they must."

Not an inkling of mercy, fear, or guilt was present in Sun-Woo’s eyes.

The director nodded in satisfaction. "You're right."

And that concluded their meeting with the director of the Northern Crusader Order in the underground prison.

They then left the underground prison.

"Thank you! See you again! Thank you! See you again!" Jun-Hyuk's voice bounced off the walls of the underground prison.

*

After Sun-Woo left, the director returned to the underground prison to check if any inmates had escaped while he and Sun-Woo were unconscious. The director walked around the underground prison, accompanied by another clergyman. The stench still lingered in the underground prison, and the feeble moans of the inmates echoed.

"Thank you! See you again!" Jun-Hyuk exclaimed.

The director searched every corner of the underground prison. However, none of the inmates had escaped. Everyone was where they should be. Some inmates seemed to have succumbed to torture and the harsh conditions of the underground prison, but that was not the director's concern.

After confirming everything was in order, the director emerged from the underground prison and had a brief conversation with the clergyman who accompanied him.

The clergyman asked the director, "How was the meeting? A young lad like him must have been quite shocked.”

The 'young lad’ the clergyman was referring to was Sun-Woo.

The director shook his head. "Shocked? He was unfazed. Besides, he seemed to be very well-educated. Are all kids like that these days?"

"Isn't that lad an anomaly? When I was his age, I couldn't even catch bugs, let alone demons.”

"Really? Well, he is a bit peculiar indeed," the director agreed with a nod.

***

Jin-Sung, Ji-Ah, and Anna left Soo-Yeong to sleep in the underground chapel and went grocery shopping outside. They bought a lot to prepare Sun-Woo's return to the underground chapel: food ingredients, necessary supplies, and even a cake.

Sun-Woo was already there when the three returned to the underground chapel with their hands full of shopping baskets. Soo-Yeong was awake, too. A large man lay on the floor of the underground chapel, and Soo-Yeong held onto him, tears streaming down her face.

Sun-Woo gestured to the man lying on the floor. "He'll be awake soon.”

Soo-Yeong nodded tearfully.

Jin-Sung, Ji-Ah, and Anna approached Sun-Woo. Sun-Woo looked at their faces one by one. Jin-Sung stared at Sun-Woo's face intently. Sun-Woo's face had no trace of a smile.

"Where is your mother?" Jin-Sung asked.

It was a pointless question. Jin-Sung looked at Sun-Woo's expression and already understood what had happened. Yet, he had asked. He had to ask.

"She's dead," Sun-Woo said calmly, his face still expressionless.

"She was already dead," Sun-Woo repeated calmly.

Anna dropped the basket she was holding and burst into silent tears. Ji-Ah stared at Sun-Woo expressionlessly, then quietly dropped her gaze to the floor. Jin-Sung gritted his teeth. The blood vessels in his eyes bulged, and his neck tensed.

"I’m going to rest," Sun-Woo said, entering his room.

That day, the underground chapel was filled with the cries of Anna and Soo-Yeong and Jin-Sung’s wails.

Ji-Ah looked at Jin-Sung, who had lost his composure to grief. He had to vent his anger somehow, even if it meant causing a scene. All he could do was thrash about to relieve his anger.

Ji-Ah looked at Anna and Soo-Yeong. The two did nothing but cry, and did so in muffled sobs.

Finally, Ji-Ah looked at Sun-Woo's tightly closed door. No sound came from inside.