Since I'd never heard the term in my past life, I asked, "The Dark Church has a position called the Young Dark Pope?"
"It's as shrouded in mystery as the Dark Pope himself, but its existence is confirmed," Junian explained.
"So, you're certain Evan is the Young Dark Pope?"
"The Dark Pope is an inviolable figure in the Dark Church. No priest would dare lie about it—doing so would be no different from impersonating a god."
That much was true, yet something still felt off.
"If Evan is the Young Dark Pope, does that mean his father, Sir Dodds Helvin, is the Dark Pope?"
"I don't know Hero Disciple Evan's origins, but that's irrelevant right now. What matters is that the Dark Church's sorcery defies all common understanding," she replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you heard of the term 'atavism?'"
"No."
"Simply put, it's when ancestral traits resurface after skipping several generations. Your father is a prime example."
The Iron-Blooded Lord?
"Compared to his brothers, the family head's black fairy traits are especially pronounced, aren't they?"
Now that she mentioned it, they were.
"The Dark Pope is an ancient monster who has lived for centuries, and no one knows their true identity. Who could've guessed that a seed planted by such a monster centuries ago would bloom now?"
Was she suggesting that the Dark Pope had concealed their identity centuries ago and formed a relationship with one of Evan's ancestors?
I couldn't help but laugh. "The Great Families would drop dead if they heard this."
"They'd bury the truth, but everyone's already considered the possibility," she remarked.
I briefly paused before asking, "Are you planning to kill Evan?"
Junian looked at me. Her half-closed eyes made it impossible to discern her thoughts.
"The ritual will fail without the Young Dark Pope. If it does, we won't need to lift a finger—the priest will be torn apart. Eliminating Evan is the only way to end this chaos," she said matter-of-factly.
"What if Evan isn't the Young Dark Pope?" I countered.
"Are you defending him?"
I fell silent.
"No, that's not it. You didn't seem surprised when I told you. You've had your own suspicions about Evan, haven't you?"
It was a fair point. Interrogation was one of an inquisitor's primary duties. In other words, they weren't just demon hunters but masters of psychological warfare.
"Regardless, I'll take full responsibility. The reason I'm telling you this isn't to ask for permission. It's just a simple confirmation," she stated.
"Even so, killing him outright is too rash."
Junian tilted her head. "Tell me, how many blessings did you receive?"
"One."
Junian hummed, her expression unreadable. "You just said it's rash, right? That's not necessarily the case, especially for you."
What kind of nonsense was that?
The next moment, I felt something warm dripping from my nose. I instinctively wiped it with my hand. It was blood.
"Uh—"
Then, dizziness struck. I nearly collapsed but managed to brace myself against the wall.
"Looks like the reaction's starting to set in. Honestly, holding out this long with just one blessing is impressive," she remarked.
"What are you... talking about?"
"By the fourth stage, the demon king's miasma will saturate the area. Those with low resistance—weak demonic immunity—will be the first affected."
"Demonic immunity?"
"It's tied to blessings."
Junian stared at me. "From now on, those with fewer blessings will die first. With only one, you're at the front of the line."
She exhaled another puff of smoke. "Think simply. If you don't kill him, you die. Not so hard, is it?"
Was it really that simple?
A sense of resistance stirred within me—not out of defiance, but a nagging feeling that we were overlooking something.
I waited for the dizziness to fade before steadying myself. "How long do I have left?"
Junian studied me, her face unreadable, though I caught a flicker of hesitation. "Hard to say. It varies, but since you're already bleeding from the nose—five, maybe six hours."
Half a day, then. I met her gaze. Only baptized church members can claim absolute purity...
Regardless, this woman had shared a lot with me to convince me. The least I could do was show some sincerity in return. "Luke Badniker has infiltrated the training camp."
"The Iron-Blooded Knight Commander?" she exclaimed.
"Yes."
"He infiltrated the training camp? How would you even know that?"
"I heard it directly from Assad."
Skepticism laced her gaze. Reluctantly, I raised my middle finger, showing the ring.
"You're not about to swear at me, are you?" she asked.
"Of course not. Look at the ring. It is a magic tool I got from the family head."
"A ring..." Junian squinted. "It does seem unusual."
"Right?"
"Now that you mention it, someone else did stand out."
Someone else?
"One of the knight instructors seemed off. I kept observing him, trying to gauge his level, but couldn't," she explained.
"Who is it?"
"It was a knight named Kelu."
"Kelu..."
Rearrange the letters, and you get Luke. That's the dumbest alias imaginable!
"He's not dead, is he?" I asked.
"You saw it in the crystal. The knights left on patrol before everything went wrong. The priest claimed he killed them, but perhaps not all."
"What if Captain Luke is alive and joins the fight?" I asked.
Junian fell into uncharacteristically deep thought before answering, "Even Instructor Tanko couldn't react to the demon king's punishment and died from a single blow. But if it's the Iron-Blooded Knight Commander, he might hold his own. If another group attacked the priest simultaneously, our odds would double. No, triple."
Junian stared at me. "But it's still slim. Killing Evan Helvin is far easier."
"Take the easy path, and you might get burned," I retorted. "Besides, you're not even sure Evan is the Young Dark Pope, are you?"
Junian's gaze weighed me. She seemed to be deciding whether to dismiss me or keep arguing.
"Six hours," she said abruptly.
"What?"
"You have six hours to prove Evan's innocence. Fail, and your opinion won't matter. I'll kill him anyway."
She'd made plenty of concessions for me.
I nodded. "Fine. Then let's regroup with Captain Luke first."
"Yes. According to the communication crystal, he was heading to Area A-3. We'll go there."
"Understood."
Just as I was about to leave, thinking our conversation was over, Junian's voice stopped me. "Luan Badniker—ever considered becoming an inquisitor?"
"Where did that come from?"
"You stood before me for class selection last time. Wasn't that because you were interested?"
Now that she mentioned it, there had been that incident. She remembered?
"I'm not uninterested, but why bring it up now?" I asked.
"We're always short on manpower. Someone like you would be welcomed with open arms."
"Someone like me?"
For a moment, I preened, assuming she held me in high regard—until she twirled her index finger around her temple. "I mean the crazy ones."
Like hell I'd join.
***
Junian said she had preparations to make, so I went downstairs alone.
The moment I reached the first floor, every eye turned toward me. Given their awkward silence, it seemed none of them had spoken a word the entire time.
Hector spoke first. "You're back. What did you discuss?"
"Just some plans for what to do next."
"Was that something you couldn't talk about here?" he questioned.
Fair point. He is sharp.
As I hesitated, Seren smoothly shifted the subject. "So, did you decide anything?"
"We might be able to find an ally, so we're heading that way first," I replied.
"An ally? Who?" she pressed.
"Luke Badniker."
Hector jolted in surprise. "The captain is here? Are you sure?"
"I don't know. I just heard it from someone else."
"From who?"
"The theology instructor."
Of course, I was the one who knew Luke's whereabouts, but Junian and I had already agreed on this story.
"Why go through all that trouble?" Junian had asked.
"Because an instructor's word carries more weight than mine," I had reasoned.
"Fair enough."
Fortunately, she'd accepted the excuse—and as expected, the others didn't question it either.
"If Captain Luke joins us, the priest won't stand a chance." For the first time in a while, Hector's expression brightened, and the others mirrored his relief.
The Iron-Blooded Knight Commander's reputation was even greater than I'd thought.
At that moment, my gaze drifted to Evan. I'd been observing him since we met, but honestly, I still couldn't tell—was he truly uninvolved with the Dark Church, or was he just that skilled at hiding it?
"Evan, how are you holding up?"
"Not bad." Evan smiled weakly. "Not great, either."
"I see." I said with a smile, "Just don't push yourself. Your face has become thinner."
"Thank you."
Just then, I caught someone staring. Charon's eyes were fixed on me.
"What?" I mouthed, and he slightly turned his head.
What's his deal?
***
Shortly after the theology instructor descended, we set out for Area A-3.
According to the map, it lay close to the clearing. But with the forest teeming with demons, what should have been a ten-minute walk took nearly an hour.
Meanwhile, I could feel my condition deteriorating by the minute. Ever since learning the First Fire Technique, my physical state had been tied to the sun's condition—now, I felt as though I'd been trapped in a lightless cave for a week.
"Your face is pale." Even the usually prickly Seren looked concerned, which meant my complexion looked truly awful.
"I know. Maybe I ate something bad."
"That energy bar was definitely filthy and tasteless," she whined.
Though weak, I could still walk, so I kept pace without falling behind.
We were finally able to reach Area A-3.
"This is..."
When we finally reached Area A-3, the first thing we saw was a knight's corpse. The body bore no severe mutilation—only a single hole, identical to Tanko's wound.
"We should search the area. There don't seem to be any demons nearby, so let's split up." At Junian's instruction, we scattered to begin our search.
I headed northwest and soon found another corpse. Like the first, this knight had died from a single puncture—this time, clean through the forehead.
I frowned, examining the wound. Could I block it?
Even the Badniker knight and Tanko hadn't managed to react in time.
I knew this was the demon king's punishment. Understanding the threat was one thing; surviving it was another. I needed to devise my own countermeasure. The price of failure was death, so I had to be cautious.
I'd need to see it in person to be sure.
The communication crystal's recording hadn't been clear enough.
Further on, I discovered more corpses, but none offered useful clues. Instead, my unease deepened.
Don't tell me Luke's already dead. It couldn't be— I cut the thought short and glanced back. "What is it?"
Seren emerged from the brush, crushing dead grass underfoot. Her appearance surprised me—she'd gone the opposite direction—and suspicion prickled at my mind.
"I want to ask you something," she said.
"What?"
"Are you close friends with Evan Helvin?"
"Huh?"
What kind of random question was that?
When I scowled, she continued, "Charon told me."
"Told you what?"
"About your conversation with the theology instructor upstairs."
"That bastard eavesdropped?" I hadn't sensed a thing.
"Charon said that he has the Blessing of the Bat."
The Blessing of the... Bat?
Bats were known for their incredible hearing, but I hadn't realized there was an actual blessing for that.
I studied Seren's expression while replying, "What's your point?"
"Evan is the Young Dark Pope. I'm almost certain."
"'Almost certain' means nothing," I rebuked.
"This isn't the time to for jokes." Seren's face remained impassive. "When it comes to hunting demons, we have to follow the inquisitor's lead. Even if that weren't the case, I agree that Evan Helvin should be killed. So... if you're against it, you don't have to get involved."
Her eyes turned icy. "I can do it alone."