Chapter 482
Chun Yoosung, and now even Teresa.
Judging by their appearance, it looked like both were doing short-term part-time jobs here.
‘I think I get the gist of it…’
Money aside.
For Chun Yoosung, being able to observe all kinds of cats to his heart’s content was likely a satisfying condition.
As for Teresa, it was probably under the guise of experiencing Korean culture or something similar.
From the café’s perspective, there was no reason to reject such a perfect-looking pair.
They were magnets for customers even just standing still.
“Would… you… like to… order? Customers? Or you could just stop stuffing your face and leave…”
Chun Yoosung gave a smile that was half businesslike, half murderous intent.
With a terrifying aura of hostility.
“Hey, what did you just say to a customer? I could buy out all the Churu for the cats today, you know. Call the manager. Right now!”
“Ah, what a pity. The manager happens to be away at the moment. If you have any complaints, I’m afraid you’ll have to direct them to my sword.”
Shing!
Chun Yoosung reached for the sword stored in his subspace.
This lunatic looked ready to swing his blade even in front of the cats.
“Whatever. Just give us two chocolate cakes and two Einspänners. You see this? If you draw your sword on a customer, I’ll record everything and upload it to ViewTube.”
“Then I’ll just have to kill you before you start filming.”
“I already started.”
Jinhyuk subtly showed the phone tucked in his sleeve.
Seeing the cursed evidence, Chun Yoosung’s gaze faltered.
“I’ll bring it right away. Cus. Tomer. Please enjoy and live long.”
With Chun Yoosung gone, there was finally a moment to catch their breath.
This time, Teresa turned her attention to Jinhyuk and Alice.
“Are you two on a date? You’re both dressed so nicely.”
“Yes, it’s a date! The foolish Saint is excluded. It’s just me and my contractor spending time together.”
“Oh my… I’m a bit jealous. I’ve wrapped up all my work in Korea, and it’s a rare day off… I wanted to relax a little.”
Teresa gently placed her hand over the back of Jinhyuk’s hand.
“I’ve been through so much lately. So, would it be alright if I joined you for a bit?”
“Hey! You foolish Saint!”
“I’m sorry, Teresa. This was a prior engagement…”
“Actually, I recently heard something quite interesting from Europe. They’re cutting off all contracts with major guilds and implementing a closed-border policy. Don’t you want to hear some top-secret intel about the Vatican?”
Teresa dropping that bombshell was unexpected.
Come to think of it, the Rosenberg family had long-standing ties with the Vatican.
When it came to upholding the honor of Europe’s noble families, there was no place with more authority than the Vatican.
“See? It’s more fun when everyone plays together. Better than just two.”
“Y-You… foolish contractorrr!”
Alice let out a sharp scream.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
With Teresa suddenly joining in, the atmosphere had shifted slightly.
How to describe it?
It felt like the air itself was tinged with killing intent.
Every breath was like walking on thin ice.
‘This doesn’t feel like a vacation—it’s more like raiding a boss monster.’
Gulp.
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly.
They were currently at an ice skating rink.
Couples and families gathered, fully enjoying the winter season.
“Fufufu. How do I look? I am the head of the Ataraxia household, after all.”
Alice skated with elegance.
For her first time on ice, her skills were unbelievable.
The way she naturally glided across the ice evoked images of a professional figure skater.
Meanwhile, Teresa struggled to keep her balance, falling on her butt repeatedly.
“Are you alright?”
Jinhyuk approached and offered his hand.
“Ow ow… This skating thing is harder than I thought.”
“It’s a bit tricky to balance at first, but if you fall a few times, you’ll get the hang of it.”
“Fufu. You’re always so kind, Mr. Jinhyuk. Thank you.”
Teresa smiled brightly as she took his hand and stood up.
“……”
Alice, watching from a distance, narrowed her eyes into a flat line.
Her cheeks puffed up as if her frustration had reached its limit.
Crash!
With a noisy tumble, Alice fell and flailed both arms.
“Quickly, help this queen up and blow on it. It hurts so much.”
A painfully awkward performance.
Normally, he’d have flicked her forehead without hesitation…
“You’re really hopeless sometimes.”
Jinhyuk clicked his tongue but still gently helped Alice up.
He even brushed off the ice crystals from her hair as a bonus.
“Hehehe.”
Whatever pleased her so much, Alice burst into a wide grin.
But then, at that moment—
“Kuhahaha! The Ice Kingdom! How fitting!”
“No sense of decorum at all. How vulgar. This is a public place, you know. Show some basic manners.”
Familiar voices pierced his ears.
“Master?”
No way. It couldn’t be… but that hearty laugh and the nagging tone that followed could only belong to the Dark Emperor and Chuhon Sayoung.
Jinhyuk pressed his fingers firmly to his temples after seeing the two.
Apparently, after Pudalak gave them a mountain of tribute for passing the coming-of-age trial, they used it to come outside the Tower.
‘Still, those two showing up at an ice rink feels… ominous.’
Unlike Alice or Teresa, this was a different kind of looming disaster.
“This is how you do it. Gracefully. Gliding across the ice like this… understand?”
Chuhon Sayoung skated with refined footwork.
Not only did she land a triple axel on her first attempt, but she followed it up with a string of advanced techniques.
This kind of graceful discipline was Chuhon Sayoung’s domain.
However—
“What’s with all that flailing? Like a diseased swan. No thrill at all. Let me show you how we do winter games at the main school.”
[Black Sky Demon Emperor Technique: Crimson Wind].
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
A massive blizzard erupted.
A crimson vortex spun on a single axis, evaporating everything in its path.
“Gyaaaaa!”
“W-What is this?!”
“R-Run away!”
A flaming pillar in the middle of Seoul.
This place was hell—or at least something very close to it.
“Catch them!”
Security guards came rushing over, blowing their whistles.
“Let’s get out of here and take a break. There’s something I want to talk about.”
“Mm, alright!”
“S-Sure.”
Alice and Teresa answered at the same time.
It was clear that if they acted too familiar, they’d all get arrested together.
So they moved to a restaurant beside the skating rink.
On the table: steaming, spicy ramen with chewy noodles, tuna kimbap, and rose tteokbokki loaded with cheese.
Having moved around a lot in the cold, both Alice and Teresa devoured the food, cheeks puffed out like white hamsters.
They were stockpiling their winter rations, munching away.
“Is it good?”
“Mmh, totally!”
“Korean food is just so addictive. Especially when it’s cold like this, it tastes even better.”
Once they finished the main course, the two of them latched onto a bowl of snowflake bingsu.
Alright. Looks like they were full enough now…
“Ms. Teresa.”
Jinhyuk finally brought up the real topic.
“Yes?”
“What’s going on with the Vatican?”
“Well… I only heard about this recently too. There are rumors that several cardinals and holy knights affiliated with the Vatican have been disappearing.”
“Disappearing?”
“Cardinal Trochia, Cardinal Reitman, Knight Commander Alfonso, and Class 1 Priestess Kassan—they’ve all vanished from public appearances. Many other key figures are also nowhere to be seen.”
All four were central figures in the Vatican.
It wasn’t plausible that they had simply lost a power struggle and vanished.
It was more likely that, for some reason, they were in a situation where they couldn’t afford to be seen by the outside world.
“And this might sound crazy… but last time I was at the Vatican, I heard this strange bug-like sound between the statues in the hallway. It wasn’t just some tiny flying insect—I’d never heard a sound like it in my life… My father said I was being ridiculous, but I definitely heard it.”
Bug sounds…?
‘No way. Could she have stumbled onto a clue about that book?’
That was impossible.
Uncovering that kind of high-level intel in the Vatican was beyond unlikely.
Jinhyuk’s gaze narrowed.
What was certain was that things had gotten a lot more interesting.
“Alright. Then we’ll all be boarding a plane tonight. Ms. Teresa, you can use a diplomatic jet, right?”
Their sudden trip to Europe was decided just like that.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
It was about twelve hours later when they arrived in the Vatican.
‘I wanted to visit Europe someday, but not like this.’
Just like during the last outbreak, and again this time…
It felt like every time he came here, it was to resolve some world-ending catastrophe—not to sightsee.
“Contractor.”
Alice’s voice was low.
She sensed that the mist drifting along the wall was not normal.
“Yeah. I know. It’s a barrier.”
“A barrier…?” Teresa asked.
“It’s a devouring-type barrier. It gradually consumes the outside terrain and reshapes it into a third domain. It’s a very rare kind… I didn’t expect to see one here.”
To be precise, it was the [Edge of the Horizon].
A 12-star class barrier.
If the Zodiac was the grand barrier symbolizing light through its constellation of stars, then the Edge of the Horizon was one of twelve primordial barriers that symbolized the ancient world.
He knew that someone was moving on the 50th floor to obtain the Necronomicon, but he didn’t expect them to be using the Vatican for it.
“Let’s head inside for now.”
“Are you sure about this? If things are this suspicious, wouldn’t it be better to request support from another large guild—”
“If the Vatican has truly committed to this scheme, they’ll ignore all outside interference. And even if we did manage to form a strike force by force, it would be useless inside.”
Jinhyuk stepped forward.
At first glance, it looked reckless beyond belief, but no one objected.
Because they all knew—if they just followed what Jinhyuk said, things would always work out for the best.
“Mr. Jinhyuk must already have a plan.”
“Right. The contractor may be a bit wicked, but he never leaves loose ends.”
He appreciated their confidence, but honestly, this part ahead would need a bit of luck.
Tap.
Jinhyuk was the first to climb over the wall.
Swooooosh…
A damp, unpleasant mist immediately clung to his skin.
The [Eye of Gluttony] scanned the fog.
[Curse of the Horizon]
Description: Due to the influence of an ancient barrier, this area is undergoing consumption. Just like when the Tower of Trials first appeared, the powerful mana is transforming the surrounding terrain and objects. Multiple cases of sacred relic transformation are occurring. You may select one item from among those affected.
(Personal Sacred Relic Selection: 0/1)
Yes, selecting one item from among the many within the entire Vatican.
That would be the key to uncovering a clue about the Necronomicon.
