Chapter 40 : Saint (2)

The execution priest, Kiril, felt a chill settle in his chest.

A woman, who he hadn’t seen before, was holding a photo of the saint and smiling brightly.

‘…Who is she?’

No one knew when or how the woman had appeared and seated herself among them.

Kiril felt a chill run down his spine at the thought that if no one had spoken to her first, they would never have noticed.

Not notice?

Them?

They were professional ‘cleaners’ trained in special operations.

The shadows of the Orthodox Church, specialized in kidnapping and eliminating people.

For them not to notice—

Even at that very moment, Kiril couldn’t believe it.

The innocent-looking woman with a sweet smile didn’t fit the space at all.

It felt like seeing a ‘ghost.’

“Do you know why you’re targeting Jeanne?”

“That is……”

Kiril trailed off, exchanging glances with the other execution priests.

“The reason we’re targeting the saint is……”

Thwack!

Kiril suddenly lunged at the woman.

The other execution priests also launched themselves in unison.

At that same moment—

Swoosh—

A red line appeared, and a head flew through the air.

After finishing a pleasant day with Eun-gong and heading back to the shop,

Vanessa realized they were being watched.

Noticing the presence of others was second nature to Vanessa.

Stealth, darkness.

These were the traits of the awakening abilities Vanessa had mastered, and she was a natural-born assassin, handling them since birth.

Vanessa, who had stepped out under the guise of a walk, immediately followed the watcher.

At first, she intended only to observe.

She didn’t know their intentions in approaching Eun-gong.

But the moment she realized they were targeting Jeanne, her stance shifted from observing to eliminating.

It was unacceptable for her that they were targeting Jeanne, who had saved her, and Eun-gong.

Any threat had to be eliminated from the start.

She clearly remembered what the East End people had suffered from the British government for failing to do so.

She first needed to identify the people behind them.

“Where are you from?”

“I… I can’t say…”

Swoosh—

The priest’s head was neatly severed as he spoke.

The head rolled across the floor.

“Where are you from?”

Holding golden scissors dripping with blood, Vanessa asked the next priest.

“Ugh… I-I can’t say…”

Swoosh—

Vanessa politely asked each priest about the people behind them.

If they didn’t answer, she eliminated them.

There was only one question, but there were many mouths that could answer it.

However, there were now very few mouths left.

Swoosh—

Vanessa severed the neck of the priest who refused to answer, then turned around.

“You’re the last one.”

Vanessa smiled brightly at the frozen priest.

“Where are you from?”

“…….”

Kiril couldn’t believe it.

All eight execution priests who had come with him were dead.

Only he remained alive.

Even he knew his life was not guaranteed unless he answered the woman’s question.

The woman literally ‘cut’ people.

Kiril couldn’t fathom how someone could be ‘cut’ like that.

Such a technique was something Kiril, who had kidnapped and eliminated many, had never seen before.

He had never heard of anyone using ‘scissors’ as a weapon.

But more than anything, it was the woman’s expression that terrified him the most.

Her face, like a farmer harvesting crops, showed no change.

She smiled kindly, but there were no emotions behind it.

Even as she killed.

“Why were you targeting Jeanne?”

His legs wobbled.

The woman made even Kiril, who was accustomed to killing, fear her.

‘…A monster.’

Unconsciously taking a step back, Kiril eventually turned and fled.

“Ugh, Aaaaah!”

He screamed louder than ever before in his life.

“……”

Vanessa didn’t chase after the fleeing Kiril.

She had already planted her magic inside him.

Vanessa’s subtle magic was hard to detect and maintained for a long time.

As long as the magic remained, she could always know the other’s location.

Kiril would guide her to the people behind the plot against Jeanne.

As she returned to the pawnshop, Vanessa felt like she understood why she had ended up with Eun-gong.

In a world where such people roamed, it would certainly be more dangerous than the East End.

“Did you enjoy your walk?”

“Yes, thanks to Eun-gong, I had a great time.”

Vanessa smiled warmly at Choi Jeosun, who had kindly greeted her.

She thought to herself:

I’ll make sure no one touches him.

The next day after bowling, showering, and resting,

He received a message from Kim Hayun saying she had found a house.

[Hello, Jeosun!]

[I’ve found the house you mentioned before! I’ll send you a list, so take your time and choose.]

[Thank you.]

[You’re welcome! Now that you’re one of our guild members, it’s only natural to find a house for you.]

(Hamster jumping rope emoticon)

[The magic stone payment was sent to your bank account, so if the amount is wrong, let me know!]

(Hamster smiling emoticon)

‘She uses a lot of emoticons.’

It was convenient to have a guild after all.

Especially since Vanessa had arrived, and a new house had become urgent.

The pawnshop had expanded, but it would be better to have a separate house.

You never know, people might gather more in the future.

He summoned Jeanne and Vanessa to ask for their opinions.

“Which house do you think would be good?”

“I think the current house is fine. If it’s because of us that you’re looking for a house, there’s no need for that.”

“I was already planning to move, so please don’t feel burdened.”

“Well, then I think you should pick the one you like, Jeosun.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Jeanne seemed satisfied with her current life.

She was the type of person who wouldn’t complain even if she had to live in a tiny attic room.

She’s just too kind.

That’s why I want to treat her even better.

“How about you, Vanessa?”

“What do you think of this place?”

Vanessa pointed to a spot.

It was a quiet residential area with an open view.

“I chose it because it seemed like there wouldn’t be many people around.”

Vanessa smiled brightly.

She seemed to care more about the external environment than the interior of the residence.

‘Looks like she prefers quiet places.’

Well, there’s nothing good about a noisy area anyway.

Just as we were checking out the house Vanessa had chosen—

“Eungong.”

“Yes.”

“Could you summon me again tonight?”

“It’s not difficult, but is there a reason?”

“I want to explore this new world.”

“Understood.”

Without much hesitation, I nodded at Vanessa’s request.

Jeanne also used to wander around alone when she first arrived.

Since she had come all the way to this distant land, I wanted her to have as much freedom as possible.

Anyway, I accepted Vanessa’s opinion and chose a quiet yet spacious house.

One close to the store.

But then…

‘Huh, it’s a bit expensive.’

The lease alone was 3.2 billion won.

Meanwhile, my savings, including the money from selling Anwi’s sword, amounted to about 3.6 billion won.

I hesitated for a moment, but seeing the magnificent 80-pyeong house changed my mind.

‘Let’s just go for it.’

You need a house to make money, after all.

I stood up.

“Let’s go earn some money.”

“Huh?”

“The Gate. I think I need to make some cash.”

From today, I had to hustle.

[B-1 Gate Entry]

I felt a bit nervous since I had only been dealing with C-rank gates until now.

From B-rank onward, they were considered true high-tier gates.

‘By the way, I could use an extra slot.’

[Summon: 4/4]

All my slots were currently full.

If I wanted to acquire a new transcendent being or artifact, I needed more slots.

However, the only way to strengthen my abilities was by consuming essence or earning rewards from the gate.

But then—
[You have entered a high-tier gate.]

Clearing five high-tier gates or completing certain quests could grant a slot with a certain probability.

‘Now this seems doable.’

The message wiped away my uncertainty, and I felt a surge of motivation.

“Let’s go.”

As I saw the green giants emerging from the forest, I stepped forward with confidence.

‘The best way to hunt ogres is to lure them out one by one.’

I was mentally reviewing the strategy for dealing with the ogres’ massive size when—

Swish!

Vanessa dashed forward.

And then—

Slice—

The ogre’s ankle was cleanly severed.

“Grrraaagh!”

Thud.

The ogre, unable to keep its balance, collapsed. A quick stab to the heart finished it off.

“?”

I was momentarily speechless at how effortless the hunt was.

Flutter, flutter.

“Grrraaargh!”

One ogre, which had been charging confidently, suddenly covered its face and fell to its knees, blinded by the radiant divine power.

It was like a vampire exposed to sunlight.

Skkkkt.

Before it could even struggle, Vanessa, moving like a ghost, swiftly cut its throat.

‘Is this really a B-rank gate?’

Why does it seem even easier than a C-rank gate?

“GRAAAHHH!”

The ‘Ogre King,’ in a frenzy after watching its kin fall, suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Then, as if nothing had happened, it turned around and walked back into the forest.

Its U-turn was so natural that I almost thought it was just out for a stroll.

‘Is that thing running away?’

I aimed my Napoleon rifle at its thick calf and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The magic-infused bullet pierced its skin, causing it to rip open.

Through the wound, Jeanne’s divine power seeped in, making the injury spread rapidly.

Then Vanessa dashed in and—swish—finished it off.

[B-1 Gate Cleared.]

[Completion Rank: SSS]

“……”

It seemed like I wasn’t even needed for B-rank gates.

‘I should probably start thinking about how to utilize my fountain pen ability.’

That night, after returning from the gate raid—

Vanessa stood by the dimly lit window.

The magic she had planted in the priest the day before was now moving somewhere else.

Seeing that the magic kept circling in one spot, Vanessa turned toward Choi Jeosun’s room.

Sensing that he was asleep, she quietly slipped out of the store.

Tonight’s stroll… was going to be a long one.