The Satanists.

Unlike the Romanicans who worshiped their one true god Adonai and went against Satan, the Satanists worshiped Satan and opposed Adonai. They were the main reason why the world was infested with demons and monsters.

Their purpose was simple: bring Satan forth to this earth, use him to destroy the planet, and rule the broken world as kings. Their intentions and focus were enough to entitle them as the dark masterminds behind the scenes.

[I think they’re hiding their scent inside the school. I have no idea how they are so good at hiding it, though.]

“So you don’t know who it is, right?”

[I could only detect the smell for a moment. I couldn’t identify who it was coming from.]

The Voodooists were similar to the Satanists in that they both were cults. However, no one treated the Voodooists and Satanists as equal threats. That was because Satanists strove to bring forth ultimate and empirical evil. They performed acts of plundering, murdering, and raping others on the regular and believed that their actions were ‘benevolent.’

[They are crazy sons of bitches.]

Legba was totally correct. They were crazy sons of bitches.

And now, one of those crazy sons of bitches had snuck their way into F.A., which meant that at any moment, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a monster appearing and ripping a student into pieces.

[Of course, maybe they just wanted to go to school, like you. There is no need to be so hostile yet.] Legba made it sound easier than it was. I had no idea why they had infiltrated F.A., and so I had to be on the lookout for them.

However, I didn’t even know who the Satanist was and had no leads either. There was no point in pondering about the Satanist’s identity without any evidence. I pushed my anxious feelings to the back of my mind as I walked toward the location of our training session: Aiden Hill.

***

“Nice to meet you all. My name is So Do-Jin. Today we’ll have a combined practice session between three classes; the Class of Charity, Chastity, and Patience.” He had dark circles that came down to his cheeks, blank eyes, bushy hair, a crooked neck, and a face so pretty that he could have been mistaken for a girl. He introduced himself as So Do-Jin and added no explanation. Maybe it was more appropriate to say he didn’t need additional explanations.

“So Do-Jin? The So Do-Jin?”

“Wow, he looks even better in person.” Some students recognized So Do-Jin and began to whisper among themselves. Even a few female students blushed from the excitement of seeing him.

So Do-Jin. He was a member of the famous Order of Trinitas. They boasted popularity that rivaled that of an idol group. He spent his time in the mornings teaching and the night hunting demons.

Since he only slept three hours a day, he always looked tired and worn out. However, because he had the looks, his haggardness worked to his advantage, giving him an almost decadent vibe.

“Silence. In today’s session, we will practice eradicating artificial monsters and demons. We call it ‘demon extermination practice’ for short. Based on your scores, we’ll split you into teams of three. I will not take any objections.”

So Do-Jin’s words were sharp, seemingly due to his lack of sleep.

“When I call you, get together with your group. Okay, the first group….”

So Do-Jin started calling out the groups. The people participating in this exterminating demon practice class were combined between the classes of Charity, Chastity, and Patience. This meant that there were at least three hundred students currently at Aiden Hill, making the group calling process take as long as ten minutes.

“Lastly, for group 100, we have Kim Jin-Seo and Ko Jun-Min.” Finally, the last group was called up. The groups that So Do-Jin picked were all conversing within themselves. I stood in the middle, dumbfounded among the three hundred students chattering about. So Do-Jin had assigned everyone to a group except for me. He didn’t even call my name even till the very end.

“Excuse me, sir?” I raised my hand, and So Do-Jin glared at me with his blank eyes.

“What is it?”

“I think you missed my name. Could I ask what group I am in?” Even though I tried to be as polite as possible, So Do-Jin stared daggers at me. It was the first time I realized that someone could swear without saying anything.

“Are you Do Sun-Woo?”

“Huh? Yes, sir.”

“Ah, I purposefully didn't call out your name because I had something to ask.” So Do-Jin lifted his water bottle up to drink. “You handed in your cover letter when you enrolled, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“It seems you didn’t write what department you wanted to be a part of. Is there a particular reason?”

There were three different departments at F.A.: the Departments of Priests, Department of Paladins, and Department of Crusaders. In a cover letter, it was customary to indicate which department a student was interested in applying to. However, I had not done so. I only had my eyes on becoming a prelate. I couldn’t decide what path to take yet.

“I have yet to choose a department.” I told him the truth.

So Do-Jin smirked. “Yeah? Do you even want to graduate?”

“Huh? Of course, sir.”

“That’s not what I see,” So Do-Jin said as if to mock me. “If you haven’t decided on what department you want to apply for, that shows me how little you think in your everyday life. You think getting a good mark on your evaluations is everything?”

“I don’t under–”

“Choose your department soon if you don’t want to fall behind during the department selections happening in one month. Ah, and Do Sun-Woo? You’re in group number 100. Find your group members and join them accordingly.”

So Do-Jin said all he wanted to say without listening to what I had to say. He was the prime example of someone who was uptight and overbearing.

Before I could address my frustration, So Do-Jin began shouting at the three hundred students.

“Alright, listen up. I’ll explain the purpose and the rules of this practice session. I’ll repeat this only once, so listen carefully.”

***

Aiden Hill, a hill located behind the F.A. campus, was surprisingly huge considering it had the word hill in its name. In addition, there were rivers, lakes, and waterfalls dotted all around the area.

It was bizarre that such a place existed within Seoul, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

“So, who wants to be the attacker?” In the middle of Aiden Hill, below a thick canopy of trees, group 100 was discussing tactics. Kim Jin-Seo was the one that had spoken first.

She had a tall nose and a slender jawline. Her large, sharp eyes gave her a cool but sharp demeanor. Her pitch-black hair hung just below her shoulders. Although she was objectively beautiful, it was hard to see her that way because she was too intimidating. Additionally, she was one of the seven freshmen representatives and the one bestowed with the Holy Name of Patience.

I don’t know if it was because of that, but she was very soft-spoken, despite her sharp looks.

“Wo-wouldn’t it be the best if you attacked?” A student named Ko Jun-Min answered Kim Jin-Seo. He had thick glasses, a hunched back, and a turtle neck. He had a very gloomy impression and seemed to have a habit of stuttering. Luckily it wasn’t so bad to the extent that one couldn’t understand him.

I nodded my head slightly to show that I agreed with Ko Jun-Min’s opinion.

“Hm… You’re not wrong.” Kim Jin-Seo didn’t finish her sentence, and it felt like she wasn’t too sure.

There were two goals in today’s training session. The first goal was to defeat the monsters and demons hiding on Aiden Hill and extract the cores located within their hearts.

The second goal was to tote these extracted cores using a wagon and cross the finish line as soon as possible. When the wagon crossed the finish line, it had to be intact, and any detrimental damage done to the wagon would disqualify the respective team. The greater the number of cores in the wagon, the more bonus points a team would obtain.

In other words, a team needed to defeat demons, obtain cores, and defend their wagons at the same time. A team could only get a high score if they could attack and defend well.

Therefore, we were debating on who should take on the role of an attacker, someone who could defeat demons while also keeping other teams in check.

“Do you think you guys will be okay? If I go out as an attacker, that means that you guys have to defend the wagon by yourselves. I’m not saying I don’t believe in you guys, but….” Kim Jin-Seo looked at us reluctantly.

I didn’t blame her. In front of her, she had a delinquent being scrutinized by So Do-Jin, and an iffy person like Ko Jun-Min with no clear strengths.

“It’ll-It’ll be okay! I can do a good job! Believe in me!” Ko Jun-Min raised his voice as if to protest Kim Jin-Seo’s doubt. I felt bad for Ko Jun-Min—he even clenched his fist to display his commitment because he wasn’t very convincing.

“...Okay! I’m convinced!” Kim Jin-Seo forcefully raised the corners of her mouth. She still had a face that seemed to say that she didn’t have faith in us. She said what she said out of courtesy. However, Ko Jun-Min was oblivious to Kim Jin-seo’s real feelings. He simply smiled ear to ear after hearing Kim Jin-Seo’s response.

Fweeeeet—!

A sharp sound coming from the wagons sliced through the air. It signaled the start of the training session.

“I’m going to come back soon, so sit tight, okay?” With that simple request, she took off. Her movements seemed sharp yet so free. It was like watching a cat in action.

Kim Jin-Seo had left. So, it was up to Ko-Jun Min and me to slowly move the wagon toward the finish line while also defending it.

“I’m-I’m from the Cla-Class of Patience. Same as Jin-Seo. What-what about you?” We exchanged small talk as we pushed the wagon together.

“I’m part of the Class of Charity.”

“Ah, I see, the class that Bae Sung-Hyun is in.”

I kept up the conversation as I pulled the wagon forward. Although there was nothing in the wagon, it was incredibly heavy. In just five minutes, my body was coated with sweat.

As they say, an empty wagon makes the most noise. Wait. Maybe that isn’t the right saying to use in this situation. Urgh, my mind isn’t working straight from the physical strain.

“Did-did you see how J-J-Jin-Seo smiled at me?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah.”

“Don’t you think she likes me? I think she’s so pretty whenever I see her.” Ko Jun-Min continued to praise Kim Jin-Seo as we trudged the cart along.

Kim Jin-Seo was the only one who had the right to become a clergywoman. She was an angel sent from the heavens. Ko Jun-Min narrated stories along these lines. The praises were so extreme that even the recipient of these praises would have felt queasy and uncomfortable listening to them.

He used his hands, feet, and face to shower Kim Jin-Seo with praise. While he was busy doing that, it was up to me to move the whole wagon. Carrying the full weight of the wagon was enough to stir up newfound annoyance, but I kept my emotions to myself. There could be no good in fighting with my group mate, so I deemed it better to hold in my annoyance.

Paaak!

As we walked on, we heard the sound of a broken branch. Looking at the time, it couldn’t possibly be Kim Jin-Seo. Therefore, there was a high possibility that the sound was coming from the attackers with the purpose of vandalizing our wagon.

“Ko Jun-Min, it looks like attackers are here. You remember what we said earlier?” I calmly briefed him with the current situation and reiterated our plan.

If we ever ran into an attacker from another group, the relatively weak Ko Jun-Min would act as bait and buy time. During that time, I would use the power of Bossou and run away with the wagon. It was the most optimal plan we could come up with, considering that we lacked combat strength.

“...” However, Ko Jun-Min didn’t reply. To be more precise, he couldn’t reply. He was lying in the dirt, dead asleep. He seemed so deeply asleep to the point that he wouldn’t notice if someone came and dragged him away. Logically, it made no sense for him to fall asleep so suddenly during a training session unless he suffered from narcolepsy.

“Sweet dreams~” Before I could calm my nerves, I heard a voice beyond the bushes. Two people stood there. One was Sung Ha-Yeon, and the other was an unknown girl with gray hair.

An unfamiliar blessing array was suspended in front of the gray-haired girl. It was not a lesser-level array since it had a core. Nor was it a moderate-level array since it was too big and complicated.

[It’s the array for the greater blessing of tranquility.] Legba revealed the identity of the array. Like it said in the name, the blessing of tranquility was a blessing that instilled peace within the hearts of the blessed. However, once the blessing was used at a greater level, it not only instilled tranquility but it also put the recipient to sleep.

As soon as I realized this, a wave of severe drowsiness washed over me. My eyelids felt as if they had turned to lead. I couldn’t bear to resist the sleepiness.

Finally, I closed my eyes.