Chapter 348
“So you’re saying you got thrown out without accomplishing anything?”
“My apologies.”
Rubo lowered his head before Johan’s fury.
Because even if he had ten mouths, he had no excuse.
After barely suppressing his anger, Johan asked,
“Only nine returned? So in the end, you still couldn’t discover Chensi’s whereabouts?”
“Yes.”
“So after wasting an entire month, you failed to uncover even a single clue about the Saintess. And on top of that, all contact with Chensi has been completely lost……”
“I have no excuse.”
“Are you absolutely certain Zeon wasn’t the one who dealt with Chensi?”
“That’s not possible. I’ve been monitoring him myself.”
“And what are the chances he deceived you?”
“I observed him twenty-four hours a day with Clairvoyance.”
At those words, Rubo firmly shut his mouth.
His pride had been wounded.
No matter who it was, even Johan insulting his Clairvoyance could not help but offend him.
Johan noticed Rubo was upset.
But he had no intention of apologizing.
“Then why was contact with Chensi cut off?”
“Perhaps she discovered a clue?”
“A clue?”
“Yes. The situation may have been so urgent that she couldn’t leave any report behind.”
“That’s possible.”
Johan slowly nodded.
Dark Saints basically carried out independent missions.
Even when assigned to a shared operation, they still moved separately.
That was why if one stopped reporting in, there was no way for them to determine their whereabouts.
“Where was the last place Chensi contacted us from?”
“Near the northern boundary of Sinchon.”
“Did she say anything unusual?”
“She said she intended to focus her search around that area for a while. Then contact was lost.”
“The northern part of Sinchon……”
Johan absentmindedly stroked the cross in his hand as he fell into thought.
At present, Johan and Dongdaemun were isolated.
Within Neo Seoul, they were Chensing with every district, and the search through the slums was proving difficult as well.
Especially after rumors spread that the Saintess was an A-rank healer, the conflicts had intensified even further.
Not only the districts of Neo Seoul, but even the various organizations within the slums had become greedy.
Naturally, instead of cooperating with Dongdaemun’s operation, they constantly interfered or picked fights.
Because of that, the search for the Saintess was being delayed.
At this rate, there was a high chance another district or faction would secure the Saintess first.
They needed some kind of breakthrough.
“The causes of death for the others are clear. Only Chensi vanished without any contact whatsoever. There must be a reason.”
His instincts whispered to him.
That Chensi’s disappearance was connected to the Saintess.
Johan felt an overwhelming urge rising within him.
“Joshua!”
“Yes!”
At that instant, Joshua appeared inside the room without a sound.
“Gather all the Dark Saints and Holy Knights. I’m personally going to Sinchon.”
“If you do that, there will definitely be conflict with Zeon. Didn’t he already drive out all the Dark Saints once the month ended?”
“So should we just give up like this?”
“No.”
“We were bound to clash with him eventually anyway. Since it’s come to this, we’ll eliminate Zeon and seize Sinchon as well.”
“Understood.”
Joshua bowed his head as he answered.
Staring at the massive cross, Johan spoke.
“If Dongdaemun is to survive, we absolutely need the Saintess. No matter what sacrifices are required, we must secure her. The Saintess is definitely where Chensi disappeared.”
“Haa! Haa!”
Remura breathed heavily.
She had temporarily collapsed from overusing her mana while using her skills.
Bakum, standing nearby, looked at Remura with pity in his eyes.
But that was all he could do.
Because Heather stood beside Remura, he could neither speak nor act.
Patting Remura on the shoulder, Heather said,
“You’ve worked hard. Rest a little, then continue treating them.”
“Mom! Can’t we do the rest tomorrow?”
“What are you saying? Look at all the people waiting for you. Are you planning to ignore their hopes?”
“That’s not it… I’m just tired……”
“That’s why I’m letting you rest for a bit. If you can’t even endure this much, how will you ever accomplish great things?”
At Heather’s words, Remura lowered her head deeply.
‘I don’t want to do great things, Mom!’
But the words never left her mouth.
Under the excuse of saving the people of Crocodile Cave, Heather drove Remura mercilessly.
She lined up everyone needing treatment and forced Remura to use her skills on them.
That way, countless people were healed.
Up to this point, Remura had no complaints.
If her power could help cure suffering people, then she was willing to use it as much as needed.
The problem was that Heather was using Remura to satisfy her own greed.
She forced everyone receiving Remura’s treatment to swear loyalty.
Only those who pledged loyalty were allowed to receive the Cure skill.
In order to be healed by Remura, countless people had sworn allegiance.
There were already over a hundred of them.
And every single one was an Awakener.
The healed Awakeners had all become Remura’s personal guard.
Bakum was one of the prime examples.
Before long, Awakeners loyal to Remura surrounded her everywhere.
But the one giving orders to them was not Remura.
It was Heather.
None of the Awakeners dared defy Heather’s commands.
A massive ambition burned within Heather’s eyes as she looked at them.
‘I’ll build my own kingdom here.’
It would be impossible alone.
But with her daughter, it was entirely achievable.
Already, a hundred Awakeners followed her.
With them, conquering Crocodile Cave was no longer a dream.
‘Once we conquer all of Crocodile Cave, we’ll move to the surface. There’s no reason we should keep living in this filthy, stinking place forever.’
To achieve her ambition, Remura needed to work even harder.
There were still many people lined up waiting to receive her treatment.
Because this place was so filthy and damp, there were countless sick people.
And every one of them was another target for Heather.
Of course, the one expending power was not Heather, but her daughter.
But that did not matter.
Everything her daughter possessed also belonged to her.
“Huff! Huff!”
Remura leaned against the wall, breathing raggedly.
After being forced into nonstop work for days, all the mana within her body had been exhausted.
This was not something that could be fixed with just an hour or two of rest.
She needed at least several days to properly recover.
But Heather refused to give her that time.
“You’ve rested enough. Hurry and continue treating the others. Look how many people are still waiting for your help.”
Heather pointed at the people lined up in waiting.
“Mom, can’t I rest just a little longer?”
“And what if they die while you’re resting? You can rest after you finish healing them all.”
“But……”
“Listen to your mother. That’s what makes you a good daughter.”
“Yes……”
In the end, Remura forced herself to stand.
Because she did not want to disappoint her mother.
Heather brought the first patient over to Remura.
“This person is an E-rank magic-type Awakener. He can use the rare power of ice magic, so make sure to treat him with special care.”
“Yes!”
The first patient’s lungs were completely ruined.
He had lost proper lung function in childhood, and even after Awakening, he had never been able to fully use his abilities.
Normally, once someone Awakens, ordinary illnesses and injuries heal almost instantly.
But diseases born from the terrible environment of Crocodile Cave often remained even after Awakening.
That was why there were so many sick Awakeners here.
And every single one of them was a target for Heather’s recruitment.
Remura gathered her strength and activated her Cure skill.
Fwoooosh!
A brilliant light erupted, and the first patient was healed.
“Ahh!”
The man burst into tears.
The pain that had tormented his lungs his entire life had completely vanished.
Grabbing both of Remura’s hands, he said,
“Thank you. I’ll repay this kindness with my life.”
“Ah… yes!”
Remura could not hide her flustered expression as he held her hands.
At that moment—
“Haa! So this is where you were. To heal someone in such a terrible condition instantly… you truly are the Saintess.”
A woman’s voice came from the entrance.
“Who are you?”
Bakum stepped in front of Remura and shouted.
“There’s no need to be so wary, brother. I’m not an enemy. I came to escort the Saintess.”
The one approaching with a smile on her lips was Chensi.
Her face was overflowing with joy as she looked at Remura.
She had arrived here five minutes earlier after following Remura’s traces.
And so she had witnessed it.
Remura healing an Awakener.
Watching someone who had been on the verge of death instantly regain color and recover completely left her utterly shocked.
No healer on the surface could instantly cure a patient suffering from such a severe illness.
At that level, calling her a Saintess within the Order would not be an exaggeration at all.
If they brought Remura to Dongdaemun, the Order’s influence would explode in growth.
“Haa! Haa!”
She was so overwhelmed with joy that she could barely breathe.
At that moment, Heather stepped forward.
“What do you mean by that? Saintess?”
“Our Order received a divine revelation. We were commanded to find and escort the Saintess.”
“So you’re saying the revelation was about finding my daughter Remura?”
“That is correct. God personally gave the command to Sir Johan.”
“Hoho! I knew it. My daughter Remura isn’t an ordinary Awakener. She’s a child chosen by God.”
Heather burst into laughter.
Chensi quietly observed her.
Instinctively, she realized Heather was the one controlling Remura.
Chensi spoke to Heather.
“Please come with me. If you become Dongdaemun’s Saintess, you may even rule Neo Seoul.”
“Why would I?”
“What?”
“I asked why I should join Dongdaemun. If my daughter is the Saintess, then naturally Johan should come under me.”
“What……”
A baffled expression appeared on Chensi’s face.
Overwhelmed by Heather’s forceful presence, Remura could not say a word.
That alone revealed who was master and who was subordinate.
It was obvious that the mother, Heather, mentally dominated her daughter Remura.
Normally, in situations like this, it was better to negotiate with the mother.
But if she did that, she would clearly be dragged around endlessly by Heather.
‘What should I do?’
Even while Chensi considered it, Heather kept talking.
“We will build our kingdom here. Johan will come to my kingdom and kiss my feet.”
Heather’s excessive words became the trigger.
Chensi made her decision.
At that instant, a chilling light flashed in her eyes.
Her gaze landed on the man standing behind Heather.
The E-rank magic-type Awakener who had just been healed by Remura.
The moment their eyes met, the focus vanished from the Awakener’s eyes.
—Eliminate the demon corrupting the Saintess with evil.
A secret whisper echoed into the E-rank Awakener’s ears.
In that moment, the Awakener saw an illusion.
To his eyes, Heather looked like a gigantic serpent.
But the Awakener did not even realize what he was seeing was an illusion.
“Demon, return to hell.”
He unleashed ice magic toward Heather.
Boom!
“Aaagh!”
With a scream, Heather collapsed forward.
A massive hole had been blasted through her back.
“M-Mom!”
Remura cried out in shock and tried to rush toward Heather.
But Chensi embraced her first and shouted,
“Ah! The Saintess is in danger! Protect her, everyone!”
At Chensi’s cry, the Awakeners immediately surrounded Remura.
Meanwhile, Bakum attacked the E-rank Awakener who had assaulted Heather.
“How dare you repay kindness with betrayal!”
“No, I……”
The E-rank Awakener regained his senses and looked horrified at what he had done.
Because his memory of the moment had completely vanished.
That was one of Chensi’s abilities.
Mental domination through hypnosis.
Controlling the mind of a rookie like this E-rank Awakener, who had only just recovered after suffering illness for years, was not difficult for Chensi at all.
Smash!
Before the E-rank Awakener could even explain himself, Bakum’s attack struck him.
One of his arms shattered, blood spraying everywhere, though he barely managed to survive.
“Anyone who targets the Saintess will not be forgiven!”
Bakum raised his blood-covered fist and roared.
The other Awakeners immediately responded in unison.
“Protect the Saintess!”
“Uoooooh!”
It was at that exact moment that Levin, Jetoya, and the others arrived.
Sensing the madness filling the atmosphere, Levin muttered,
“Tch! I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”