Chapter 267: Chapter 267

Chapter 267: Settlement (1)

After sleeping and waking up, his body felt lighter than air.

The afternoon sunlight seeping through the gap in the window lazily warmed the hospital room.

Kim Minwoo turned his stiff neck to look beside the bed.

Rejecting the guardian cot, she sat on an uncomfortable chair, leaning her head on the edge of the bed as she napped.

Pitch-black hair, contrasting with her pale skin, flowed down, half-covering her face.

Her shoulders, rising and falling rhythmically, revealed the depth of her slumber.

'You've been through a lot.'

Just as Kim Minwoo tried to adjust the blanket for her.

Her eyes snapped open at the slightest movement.

Clear, sharp pupils, utterly devoid of sleepiness, turned toward Kim Minwoo.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it’s fine. Are you thirsty? Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable?"

Han Siah hurriedly rose and grabbed a wet towel.

Her touch was delicate, and her gaze held a mix of relief and worry.

After drinking a sip of the water she offered, Kim Minwoo spoke in a rasping voice.

"It seems you've been nursing me constantly. Thank you, Ms. Siah. Thanks to you, my body has recovered."

"I only did what was natural. If you are safe, that is enough for me."

She bowed her head and answered in a low voice.

It was not simple modesty.

It sounded as resolute as absolute doctrine.

Kim Minwoo watched her for a moment before bringing up the main topic.

"My body is fine now, and I intend to move immediately after being discharged. So... may I ask you for a favor, Ms. Siah?"

At that moment, Han Siah's hand, which was organizing the wet towels, stopped abruptly.

She slowly raised her head.

The face of the devoted nurse from just moments ago was nowhere to be found.

In its place, the chillingly serious face of a believer had emerged.

"I am your Saintess. But, a favor?"

Han Siah kept a straight face and shook her head.

"Requests are exchanged between equals. I am the one who received your salvation. Kim Minwoo's believer and Saintess. I am merely a tool enacting your will. So..."

Her pupils rippled with a bizarre heat.

"Command me. Whatever it is."

Unconsciously, Kim Minwoo swallowed dryly.

Blind loyalty that went beyond burdensome to heavy.

However, what he needed right now was exactly this 'madness'.

Kim Minwoo cleared his throat and adjusted his posture.

"Ahem, then... I shall command you."

"By any chance, do you know of the Death Cult?"

It was a fan club and self-proclaimed religious group created by Kim Minwoo’s fans on internet communities as a joke not long ago.

Only after Han Siah awakened as a Saintess did it transform into a genuine religious group, causing an information window to appear.

As soon as she heard the name, Han Siah's brow furrowed slightly.

"If it's that cafe... I know of it."

"Are you perhaps a member?"

"I apologize. But... that place does not meet my standards."

"They consume you too lightly. Saying things like 'meme' or 'our Cult Leader', chattering as if it were a joke. You are not someone to be treated like that. That is not worship; it is blasphemy."

Displeasure stained Han Siah's voice.

To her, Kim Minwoo was not a simple star, but the God who saved her life.

Seeing that reaction, the corners of Kim Minwoo's mouth rose slightly.

As expected, she's the right person.

"That cafe, please take charge of it, Ms. Siah."

Kim Minwoo's eyes shone.

"I also didn't like the playful atmosphere. If it's you, Ms. Siah... I think you can change that place into one with genuine 'faith'. What do you think?"

Kim Minwoo had also realized the structure of faith.

The conclusion was very simple.

A structure where a single fanatic like Han Siah supplies more overwhelming faith than a hundred, thousand, or ten thousand ordinary believers.

Of course, it was fine even if they weren't necessarily fanatics.

Ultimately, it was a structure where deeper faith crushed shallow faith.

'Han Siah's madness. I need it.'

Liang Xiaojun is good and all, but he lacked madness.

If he takes charge of the cafe, he might be able to expand the exterior quickly, but the depth would inevitably be infinitely shallow.

'I should tell them to establish cafe ranks.'

[Legion Commander ― The 4 including the greatest and most beautiful 'Merhen'.]

[Diocese Head ― The one who serves 'Him' closest.]

[11 Apostles — 'His' Royal Guards.]

[Supreme Believer — Cafe members who have sincerely proven their 'faithfulness'.]

[High Believer — Those who have proven their 'faithfulness' in their own way...]

[Intermediate Believer ―]

Recalling the positions of the Death Cult, he inserted one more position above the Diocese Head.

Looking at Han Siah, Kim Minwoo spoke seriously.

"There is only you, Ms. Siah. The only person I trust who can take on this crucial mission. Merhen and Liang Xiaojun will help a lot too. So please, will you help me?"

Han Siah's eyes widened.

It meant he was giving her the authority to manage the sanctuary bearing his name.

Soon, a flush full of delight bloomed on her face.

"...If that, is your will."

Han Siah clasped her hands together and whispered like a saintess who had received a revelation.

"I will make that place the most reverent and perfect temple."

Her gaze was no longer that of a simple fan cafe manager.

It was the moment a new Pope for the fanatics was born.

The hospital room where Kim Minwoo had briefly stepped out.

A cool chill rippled through the space filled with silence.

The empty air split as if tearing, and a girl with long flowing hair revealed herself.

She sniffed as if checking for Kim Minwoo's warmth left on the bed, then abruptly turned her head toward Han Siah standing by the window.

Her blue pupils narrowed.

It was like a cat bristling its fur upon having its territory invaded.

―I heard from Minwoo. You said you wanted to talk to me separately?

"That is correct, Lady Merhen."

At those words, Merhen snorted.

Floating in the air, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

―Hmph. I heard Minwoo entrusted you with managing that cult or whatever, the fan club? Is it because of that?

There were clear thorns in Merhen's voice.

It was not simple wariness.

It was a childish yet savage jealousy toward a competitor who shared the master's favor.

―You, don't be mistaken. It's troublesome if you think you've snatched the spot next to Minwoo just because you became a Saintess. Minwoo's summon is me. The strongest and most useful one is me. Han Siah, you are at best just the second!

A sharp, snapping tone.

It was an attitude that would have flustered or offended an ordinary person.

However, Han Siah's reaction completely missed Merhen's expectation.

Han Siah bowed her waist deeply at 90 degrees without hesitation.

"How could I dare to do such a thing."

Merhen blinked her eyes as if flustered by the unexpected low posture.

With her head bowed, Han Siah continued in an incomparably calm and polite voice.

"You are the power He trusts most, and an existence that shares His soul. It is not a position I dare to covet."

It was not a worldly wisdom strategy.

It was a natural response.

To Han Siah, Kim Minwoo was a God, and Merhen was the Messenger serving that God.

Paying respect to God's Messenger was a natural duty as a believer.

Above all, she was clever.

She had lived reading others' moods since she was young.

There was no one as skilled as Han Siah in grasping others' feelings and attitudes.

'One must distinguish between public and private matters.'

Making an enemy of the strongest summon helpful to Him was an act against the doctrine and something that wouldn't help at all.

"I am merely a servant who wipes the dust off His feet and prepares the path. So, Lady Merhen."

Han Siah slowly raised her head.

Her pupils glistened with the cool heat unique to a fanatic.

"There is nothing to worry about. God's favor will remain with Lady Merhen, the Messenger, forever. What I want... is solely to follow His command."

"Yes. I simply need your power to spread His majesty to the world, not for selfish desires. So please, will you help this humble believer?"

A way of speaking that lowered herself while uplifting Merhen's authority to the fullest.

At that tone, the corners of Merhen's mouth twitched.

She said she needed her for Minwoo, and acknowledged her this much; there was no way she could feel bad.

―Well... if you ask that earnestly. There is no reason for me not to help. You, you're a kinder kid than I thought?

After finishing her words, Merhen cleared her throat and glanced away slightly.

Her hand fiddling with her hair tips had become noticeably softer.

―Fine. Since it's for Minwoo, I'll help you especially. I also hate seeing idiots run wild.

A faint smile spread on Han Siah's lips.

It was the moment she secured the strongest ally to run the cafe 'well' in the future.

―So, what's the favor?

"It seems a person named Liang Xiaojun manages the structure of the cafe."

―Right, that idiot. He does all the annoying stuff.

"I think I need to quietly meet that non-believer..."

―Aha, you want to go to China secretly?

The moment Merhen snapped her fingers.

The figures of the two floated up gently.

―We'll be back quickly. There's less than six hours left until Black Chef airs.

"You don't need to worry. The correction won't take that long."

Han Siah smiled brightly.

Han Siah and Merhen disappeared.

They probably went to handle the business together.

With their combined power, there would be no one on Earth who could match them, except perhaps the High Priest Persen.

Kim Minwoo examined his skills.

'The skeletons learned a lot this time.'

They received the knowledge of none other than dragons.

He wondered if it would work since time was tight, but fortunately, they were able to acquire it just in time.

'It was a good decision to save mana and only summon Merhen, Cedric, and Dolsoe.'

He didn't even call the other summons.

If he wanted to call them, he could summon up to his maximum mana capacity, but doing so would have cancelled the summon of the skeletons who were receiving education to learn the skills.

Besides, against a monster like the Dragon Lord, anything below a Legion Commander would struggle to even leave a scratch.

'He was that much of a monster.'

A Primordial Dragon over fifty thousand years old, a crazy monster utilizing the power of an Outer God freely.

An Apostle-level monster was still close to a disaster he couldn't handle yet.

As a result of encouraging learning until the very last moment...

[Skeleton Intermediate Summon (D)+9]

[Consumes 10 Mana to summon 2 (1+1) desired Skeleton Intermediate of LV 252.]

[* In a state of having received Dragon Techniques.]

[Dwarven Crafting Method (C) has changed to Dragon Crafting Method (C)!]

[Elven Alchemy (C) has changed to Dragon Alchemy (C)...]

[Rune Crafting (C) has changed to Dragon Rune Crafting (C)...]

[Tattoo Art (C) has changed to Dragon Tattoo Art (C)...]

[* New Job Classes have been added!]

[Skeleton Intermediate Architect]

[Skeleton Intermediate Assassin]

The skills utilizable in the Intermediate Summon list had changed tremendously.

As if it were a cataclysm.

'Just how outstanding are Dragon Techniques?'

It was time to check that once.