Chapter 11. Order of the Golden Bull (3)
Clap, clap—clap, clap!
She was being given a grand welcome, but Sia felt sick to her stomach.
These are the faces of people welcoming someone?
The expressions of the people seated on either side of the main hall were completely different.
Those on the left were either expressionless or looked exhausted and miserable.
Meanwhile, most of the people on the right wore bright smiles, laughing so widely that the insides of their mouths were visible.
And yet, despite all that, not a single sound could be heard inside the chapel except for the applause.
Something's wrong with this place. Should I run away right now? Ugh.
Unable to endure the nausea brought on by the bizarre sight, Sia gagged.
“Haha, everyone is like that at first. You'll get used to it.”
The believer who said that was also smiling brightly like the people on the right as he patted Sia on the back.
After wiping her mouth, Sia raised a hand to stop him.
“I think I was just overwhelmed. I'm fine now. Where should I sit?”
“Why don't you take one of the empty seats on the left for now?”
As Sia headed toward the seat he pointed out, she noticed something strange.
The monastery chapel was shaped like a cross, similar to a basilica.
The problem was—
An inverted cross...?
The entire structure formed an upside-down cross.
And there was only one thing an inverted cross made Sia think of.
Demons.
Perhaps the moment she stepped into this place, she had already been surrounded.
Even without counting the abbot, there must be around fifty people here. No, if I count the people outside too, there are way too many.
Thinking that every one of them might have something to do with demons made her feel hopeless.
She had no idea how many actual demons were among them, but fighting even one was already difficult enough for her.
There was no way she could handle fifty people alone.
And she had no way to call for help from the outside.
She was completely trapped.
“Nice to meet you. Hehe. What do you want to change about yourself?”
A believer with hollow eyes sitting beside her suddenly leaned close.
She looked like a woman in her thirties.
Seeing the woman drooling while wearing an unpleasant grin almost made Sia's heart stop.
“Ch-change?”
Sia barely managed to calm herself and played along.
“Huh? You came here without knowing? Everyone here came because they wanted to change. I accidentally hit someone, you see.”
The believer rubbed her sleeve roughly against her mouth to wipe away the drool, then grinned as she recalled the past.
“I hit someone with my car. It wasn't intentional. No... maybe it was? Hehe.”
What's wrong with this woman? She doesn't seem possessed by a demon, but she definitely seems insane.
What had begun as a conversation between two people gradually turned into the believer muttering to herself.
“Ah, after that, I lived with guilt every single day, so I ran away. Ah... Ahhh... Sob. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hit you with the car back then.”
The believer suddenly burst into tears and began blaming herself.
“I should've made sure you suffered less before you died. I should've hidden the body. Then I wouldn't have needed to run away. I'm sorry.”
None of it sounded remotely like an apology.
She clawed at her own hair before suddenly snapping her head toward Sia.
“Hehe, but it's okay. Because if I stay here, I can change. Right now, I'm a believer of Tragedy, but...”
She looked toward the seats on the right.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation like a child waiting to go to an amusement park.
“Once I change, I can become a happy believer of Comedy like the people over there. Then I won't have to run away anymore.”
Sia naturally followed her gaze toward the believers of Comedy on the right.
Unlike the believers of Tragedy sitting on the left, they did nothing but smile as though they were high on drugs.
Every single one of them was completely focused on the abbot's sermon.
That's supposed to be happiness?
Everyone had their own definition of happiness, but from Sia's perspective, there was nothing normal about the happiness of the people inside this chapel.
Huh? Could that be Father Park?
While looking over the people sitting on the right, Sia spotted someone familiar.
He was a priest who had recently been sent away on an assignment by the Exorcism Association.
I heard he'd been classified as missing after they lost contact with him for a while...
A missing priest was inside a den of heretics?
Several possibilities immediately crossed Sia's mind.
Betrayal? No. Father Park was an extremely devout man.
The Father Park that Sia knew never skipped his daily prayers and was always one of the first to step forward during exorcisms.
Someone like him had betrayed them and converted?
There's no way. Then... was he brainwashed?
That seemed like the most likely possibility.
They captured priests and brainwashed them?
If that was true...
Then I'm in danger too.
If the monastery had already captured priests, there was a chance they had known Sia's true identity from the moment they allowed her inside.
For now, she had to escape, inform headquarters, return with reinforcements, and conduct a proper investigation.
“Therefore, everyone, let us pray! To the Father and the Golden Bull, who have once again given us a chance to improve ourselves today!”
As the abbot finished his sermon, every believer closed their eyes, brought their hands together, and began praying.
While everyone was distracted by prayer, Sia checked the entrance.
However, the believer who had brought her inside was standing guard there.
No matter how much she looked around, she couldn't see another exit.
Tap, tap.
Perhaps because of the rustling sound she made while turning her head, the believer beside her tapped Sia's leg with her knee.
“What are you doing? This is a sacred time for prayer. You should be praying. Hurry.”
Their eyes met.
Sia went pale from shock and timidly brought her hands together.
“Y-yes. Of course. I should pray.”
Sia closed her eyes and concentrated on finding a way to escape.
Will they really let me leave safely once the service ends? No. There's a much higher chance I'll get caught.
Should I say I need to use the bathroom? There's no way they'd open the main entrance just for that.
Then... Mikael?
Considering the strength Mikael had shown yesterday, he might actually be capable of destroying this entire place by himself.
I don't even know where he is. How am I supposed to ask him for help? No, I don't even want to ask him for help in the first place.
Even if she had a way to contact him, there was no guarantee that selfish man would come to save her.
Clap, clap!
At that moment, applause rang out, signaling the end of the prayer.
“Now! Everyone, I've prepared an entertaining event for today.”
The abbot immediately drew everyone's attention toward himself.
“You all remember them, don't you? The people who arrogantly came here a few days ago and condemned us.”
“We remember!”
The believers responded loudly to the abbot.
“They attempted to intimidate us with force, but they were no match for our brothers who had received the blessing of the Golden Bull.”
“Waaaaaah!”
Cheers erupted throughout the chapel at the news of their victory.
