Chapter 544

However, just because a countermeasure has been developed doesn’t mean it has become useless.

For assassination purposes, it was still quite viable, and in regions where people could carry weapons like guns, it was a rather useful magic.

‘I’ve seen it often in America before my return….’

Before his return, he had frequently witnessed individuals using the Magic of the Arrow in America.

And that was precisely why Jinseong found himself intrigued by the Magic of the Arrow.

Jinseong was well-versed in this magic.

No, not only in the Magic of the Arrow but also in the magic to defend against it.

Therefore, he wasn’t particularly fascinated by the magic itself.

What truly piqued his interest was the fact that the head of a human rights organization was knowledgeable about the Magic of the Arrow.

‘Hmm. How did the author come to know that magic?’

Magic is a special ability that can be used if you know the precise method.

Thus, as long as knowledge is passed down, as long as records exist, using it isn’t a particularly difficult task.

It wasn’t a strange story at all.

So why did it pique his curiosity?

Why did the fact that the head of the human rights organization knew that magic weigh on his mind so much?

Jinseong’s intuition whispered to him.

That the author coming to know that magic is not a typical case of learning magic passed down through generations or accidentally discovering a record. There must be elements that would surely capture Jinseong’s interest.

Jinseong lifted his head slightly at the whisper of his intuition.

But even though he raised his head to look at the sky, the stars did not offer him a guiding path.

There were no whispers, no guiding lights whatsoever.

The reason was that it lay in things created by humans.

The artificial satellites floating in the sky blocked the stars, disturbed them, and obstructed them.

The satellites blocked the whispers of the stars, making it impossible for them to connect with humanity.

They wouldn’t allow the stars to be read, nor would they permit any predictions based on them.

However, despite not discovering the answer through the sky, Jinseong was not deeply disappointed.

After all, wasn’t it a well-known fact that artificial satellites disrupting astrology floated in the sky?

Moreover, even if there were no satellites to obstruct his view, he wouldn’t have been able to predict accurately while gazing at the sky, so there was no reason to feel disappointed in the first place.

So why did he look up at the sky?

It was simply a habit.

“Hmm.”

Jinseong smiled brightly and turned his head.

Then, he turned his back to the wall, which was half-crumbling and exposing the view outside, and moved his feet.

Thud.

Thud.

With each step he took, sounds echoed.

The remnants of buildings that had crumbled and turned to sand stuck to his feet and fell away, creating a noise, while the smoothed ground scraped loudly, producing irritating sounds. Debris the size of gravel struck his feet, while larger stones rolled away or bounced off.

Thus, with each step he took, sounds emerged.

Just as a living person naturally would.

As a person moves, footsteps naturally accompany them.

And so, Jinseong walked, making noise as he approached something buried within the rubble of the buildings.

Finally, he arrived at a place where the remains of a person lay.

The clothes draped over it were in tatters, hardly fit even to be rags, and the once clean white bones were covered in a thick layer of dust. The bones were scattered, assembled to form a human shape, but were broken or cracked.

And the half-crushed skull flickered with a faint blue light as if it had swallowed a small blue glow.

[ Oh, Houngan. You’ve come—? ]

The skull moved its jaw with a cracking sound.

From the effortfully opened jaw, a voice flowed out, resembling that of Ghede.

Of course, it couldn’t help but resemble it.

For this skull was indeed Ghede.

[ Oh. You can tell just by looking at me, can’t you? I have truly been dealt a terrible hand. Ha, who would have thought a man would end up like this rather than a woman? Doesn’t it look like the state of a worn-out bride? Of course, if the counterpart were a woman, I could accept it humbly, but ha— for a man to do this to me, a man… it really doesn’t feel good. And, not just that, but I can’t even move a finger— ha—ha—ha! ]

Ghede threw a self-deprecating joke at Jinseong, who approached him without asking.

As before, he added a crude joke.

[ You know, Houngan? I was a pirate when I was alive. Oh, I wasn’t searching for treasure or anything. I was a regular fisherman— um. One day, out of the blue, a ship docked at the harbor, and suddenly people stormed off and started dragging the men of the village away? They claimed it was conscription into the navy, a lawful procedure, and that it was a legal draft. And I was one of those conscripted. ]

Ghede, moving the blue lights that replaced his eyes, looked at Jinseong.

[ But how happy could a place be to be forcibly taken? It was indeed a horrific place, and the only way I could survive there was to endure. But one day, pirates appeared—and I became one of them. Ha, and the pirates were— um. Quite to my liking. Well, at least better than the navy! ]

Ghede rambled on about his past, unsolicited.

His past as a living person before becoming a Loa.

[ Living on the ship was truly dreadful. It was crawling with insects and rife with mold, with ship’s biscuits that were harder than bricks— even used as hammers, and rotten water, and seafood that had become so foul smelling it was repulsive to even sniff! Oh, and let’s not forget the scurvy that had me bleeding from my gums and losing teeth! And I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of a woman! ]

He resembled someone sharing their tales just before dying to their comrades.

[ But there was freedom there. In that place, they didn’t discriminate based on skin color, nor did they discriminate based on one’s place of origin. Whatever religion one believed in was free, and even if a man liked another man, they respected that! And that freedom was not bad at all. Um, yes. What I mean to say is— I never faced such a fate back in those days! ]

Ghede’s and Jinseong’s eyes met.

[ Hey, nameless Houngan. ]

Ghede, devoid of his usual crude humor, asked with a serious tone.

[ What do you plan to do with me? ]

To which Jinseong replied with a bright smile.

“Ah, oh great Loa. How could I dare to do anything to you?”

[ …Houngan. ]

Jinseong looked surprised, his eyes wide.

But Ghede wasn’t deceived by that reaction.

[ This building is a graveyard, and a graveyard is full of death. ]

“That’s the natural order of things. A graveyard is where the dead find their rest.”

[ Exactly. But you see, at the same time, a graveyard is also a place that does not tolerate emptiness. A pit dug in a graveyard demands a coffin, a corpse. That empty space must be filled, and that will is akin to that of death….]

Ghede said that far and stopped talking for a moment.

[ But you see. That will is pointing at me. It insists that the emptiness must be filled….]

“Ah, such a blasphemous will. How dare you select such an impudent resting place for the dead.”

Jinseong did not erase his smile.

In fact, he smiled even wider.

His mouth stretched wide.

“Ah, Saint Thomas Aquinas stated that both good angels and evil angels possess the power to transform flesh! Their power surpasses all physical might! Oh, great Loa, rise from the grave and tear asunder this graveyard! Rebuke this insolent being that seeks to bestow rest upon one who should work!”

His smile deepened.

The corners of his mouth stretched wide.

And, indeed, it truly split open.

“As the pillar soars upright, it originates from the earth. To dwell on the earth, one endeavors to create towering structures to dare to encroach upon the sky—what an abominable act is this! It is merely a way for something from the heavens to descend. It is different from humans, it is a being wielding authority. Oh, do not fear! Do not fear! Truly, you will not be frightened!”

The split mouth quivered and crumbled.

Those fragments fell to the ground, and began to move with a rustling sound.

They were neither pieces of flesh nor artificially made.

They were insects, and harmful kinds at that.

The insects that fell to the ground began to cluster and form a shape.

That shape resembled a mask made of intertwined substances, and it bore a striking resemblance to the rotted skin of a deceased person’s face.

It moved its mouth and spoke.

“One day, a believer asked a pious priest. It is said that when a person dies, their soul becomes a spirit embraced by Him. But in ancient tales, the world of the dead was supposed to be underground, so does that mean that the dead spirit settles in the sky? Or in the ground?”

And with that voice rising from the earth, Jinseong spoke.

“There exists a paradise among the spirits known as Guinen. It is where those who have died and transformed into spirits depart to, indeed, there is paradise— truly paradise. Yet, the path is complicated and extremely perilous, thus it is not easy for someone from the human world to reach there! To return to the world of humans requires a special method! Come hither by the pillars, the connecting axis, and Poteau mitan!”

Thud.

Thud.

Insects dropped from Jinseong’s body.

The fallen insects transformed into the shape of a mask, forming a mouth.

And then began to chatter.

“There is a strict separation between the dead and the living, divided into three. Then what is it, if there is no flesh and only spirit and soul remain?”

“When an angel descends, it exists in a different form than humans possess. It possesses an intangible body, so could it be said that angels are the dead? If spirit and soul alone signify spirits and ghosts, then can the existence without flesh truly be referred to as an angel? If it can be called so, then what distinguishes it from a ghost?”

“It did not flap its wings and crawled up from the ground. So how is it any different from a dead soul emerging from purgatory or a devil surrounded by burning sulfur? Please answer this sincere question to maintain faith.”

The mask posed its questions.

Jinseong praised the Loa and exhibited strange actions and speech.

It resembled a ritual being performed not by a person.

[ You called me here to use me as a sacrifice. ]

Ghede had no choice but to accept his fate in resignation.

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