Satan worship.
Unlike Romanica, which worships the one god 'Adonai' and opposes Satan, this is a group that opposes Adonai and worships Satan. The proliferation of demon races and magical beasts in the world is all because of them.
Their purpose is simple. To summon Satan to this earth, have him destroy the world, and then reign as king of the destroyed world.
Both their actions and purpose are fitting to be called the mastermind behind everything.
[At school, they seem to be hiding the scent. I don't know what method they're using to hide the smell so precisely.]
"You don't know who it is?"
[The smell was only there very briefly. I have no idea who it could be.]
Voodoo is also a heresy like Satan worship in that regard. However, no one puts Voodoo and Satan worship on the same level.
This is because Satan worship pursues ultimate and absolute evil. They engage in plunder, murder, and rape, and believe these to be righteous acts.
[They're insane.]
Legba's words are absolutely right. They are insane.
And now, one of those lunatics has infiltrated Florence. It means magical beasts could appear at any moment to bite students to death.
[Well, maybe they just wanted to attend school. Like you. There's no need to feel hostility already.]
Legba said that, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded. With nothing revealed about what purpose they infiltrated Florence for, I had no choice but to be wary of them.
However, for now there were no clues about who the Satan worshipper was.
Without clues, speculation was meaningless. I pushed aside my uneasy feelings and headed to the practical training location, 'Eden Hill.'
* * *
"Nice to meet you. I'm So Do-jin. Today is a joint practical training for three classes: Charity, Purity, and Patience."
Dark circles extending down to his cheeks, vacant eyes, disheveled hair, hunched neck, and a face so beautifully handsome you'd believe he was a woman.
He introduced himself as So Do-jin. There was no other supplementary explanation. Perhaps "there was no need" would be more accurate.
"So Do-jin? That So Do-jin?"
"Wow, he's even more handsome in person."
Students who recognized So Do-jin stirred. There were even female students openly blushing and showing excitement.
So Do-jin.
He was a member of the Holy Knight Order 'Trinitas Holy Knight Order,' which was as popular as idols among the public. He hunted demon races at night and worked as a Florence teacher during the day.
Because his average sleep time was less than 3 hours per day, his face was always tired and haggard. However, thanks to his handsome appearance, even that looked like decadent beauty.
"Quiet. Today's practical training is 'Mock Magical Beast and Demon Race Extermination Training,' shortened to 'Demon Race Extermination Training.' First I'll form teams. Teams will be 3 people each, evenly distributed according to grades. I won't accept complaints."
So Do-jin's tone was always sharp. It seemed to be because of lack of sleep.
"When I call your name, gather with your team members. Now, Team 1..."
So Do-jin called out the teams. This demon race extermination training was a joint practical training of three classes: Charity, Patience, and Purity. This meant over 300 people had gathered at Eden Hill. Therefore, it took over ten minutes just to call out the teams.
"Finally, Team 100. Kim Jin-seo, Go Jun-min."
Eventually the last team was called. While students gathered in their assigned teams and chatted in small groups, I just stood there blankly in the center of the noise created by 300 people.
In a situation where everyone had teams, I alone had no team. So Do-jin hadn't called my name until the very end.
"Excuse me, teacher."
When I raised my hand, So Do-jin glanced at me with vacant eyes.
"What?"
"I don't think my name was called. If it's not rude, may I ask which team I'm on?"
Even though I asked as politely as possible, So Do-jin glared at me with sharp eyes.
People can curse with their eyes, not just their mouths.
I learned that for the first time.
"Are you by any chance Do Seon-woo?"
"Yes? Yes, that's correct."
"Ah, then I deliberately didn't call your name. I have something to ask you."
So Do-jin continued speaking while drinking water from a water bottle.
"You submitted a personal statement when you enrolled, right?"
"Yes."
"You didn't write down which department you wanted to major in. Is there a reason?"
Florence has three departments.
Priest Department, Holy Knight Department, Holy Warrior Department.
Students usually write down their desired department in their personal statement, but I didn't write one.
This was because I only had the vague goal of becoming a high-ranking cleric, but hadn't decided which department to choose yet.
"I haven't decided on a department I want to major in yet."
When I spoke honestly, So Do-jin snickered.
"Really? Do you have any intention of graduating?"
"Yes? Of course."
"Is that so. To me, it doesn't look like you do."
So Do-jin spoke mockingly.
"You haven't decided on a major department yet. I can see how little you think in your daily life. Do you think doing well on the diagnostic evaluation is everything?"
"What do you mean by that..."
"Decide on your major department as soon as possible. If you don't want to be eliminated in the department selection in a month. Oh, by the way, Do Seon-woo. You're Team 100. Go join them yourself."
So Do-jin didn't listen to what I had to say and only said what he wanted to say. He was the epitome of a high-handed and narrow-minded person.
Without even having time to soothe my frustrated heart, So Do-jin began shouting at the 300 students.
"From now on, I'll explain the purpose and rules of the practical training. I'll only explain once, so listen carefully."
* * *
Eden Hill.
A mountain behind Florence campus. Despite being called a hill, it's quite large and expansive. There are occasional rivers, lakes, and even waterfalls flowing through it.
It's so alien that you can't believe it's in the heart of downtown Seoul, and at the same time it's that beautiful.
"Who wants to attack?"
In the center of Eden Hill, in a forest thick with trees, our Team 100 was having a strategy meeting. Kim Jin-seo was the first to speak.
She had a high nose bridge and a slender face line. Her large eyes were long and stretched to the sides, giving off a refreshing yet sharp atmosphere. Her shoulder-length hair that swayed was deeply black.
Objectively, she was an extremely pretty female student, but before being pretty, she seemed too strong-willed and scary.
Also, she was a student who received the holy name of 'Patience' among the seven freshman representatives.
Maybe that's why, despite her sharp appearance, her tone was very gentle.
"Th-the attack should be done by you, wouldn't that be best? Right?"
The one who answered Kim Jin-seo's question was a student named Go Jun-min. A somewhat gloomy-looking male student with thick glasses, hunched back, and turtle neck. He seemed to have a habit of stuttering. Fortunately, it wasn't severe, so there was no difficulty understanding his words.
I nodded slightly to show I agreed with Go Jun-min's words.
"Hmm... That's true, but."
Kim Jin-seo trailed off as if uncertain.
The goals of this practical training were two things.
First, hunt down demon races and magical beasts hiding throughout Eden Hill and bring back the 'cores' embedded in their hearts.
Second, load the 'cores' onto a cart and pass through the finish line as quickly as possible.
At this time, the cart carrying the cores must be in perfect condition. If critical defects are found in the cart, it's disqualification.
The more cores you load onto the cart, the more bonus points you get.
In short, you had to hunt demon races to get cores while also protecting your cart. It was a practical training where you had to handle both offense and defense to get high scores.
Therefore, we were now discussing who would take the role of 'attacker' to hunt demon races and check other teams' carts.
"Will it be okay? If I go to attack, you two will have to defend by yourselves. It's not that I don't trust you, but..."
Kim Jin-seo looked us over with a reluctant face.
I was a problem student marked by So Do-jin. Go Jun-min was an ambiguous student without notable strengths.
From her perspective, we might seem unreliable.
"It's, it's fine. We can do well! Trust us!"
Go Jun-min raised his voice as if trying to deny Kim Jin-seo's doubts. Go Jun-min clenched his fists to show his determination.
Sorry to him, but he didn't seem particularly trustworthy.
"...Yes! I feel confident!"
Kim Jin-seo forced her lips up into a smile. She still had a face that didn't trust us. She was just saying that out of courtesy.
However, Go Jun-min seemed completely unaware of Kim Jin-seo's feelings. He seemed happy just to get an answer from Kim Jin-seo and beamed with joy.
Piiiiiek...!
Eventually a sharp sound rang out from the cart. It meant the practical training had begun.
"I'll be back soon, so guard it well. Got it?"
Kim Jin-seo left us with simple words of instruction and departed. Her movements were very agile and at the same time free. It was like watching a cat's movements.
So Kim Jin-seo left and only Go Jun-min and I remained. Our role was to slowly move the cart toward the finish line until Kim Jin-seo returned. At the same time, protect the cart.
"I'm in, in the Patience class. Same class as Jin-seo. What about you?"
We had various conversations while moving the cart.
"I'm in the Charity class."
"Ah, I, I see. The class with Bae Seong-hyeon."
I appropriately went along with his words while pulling the cart.
Although the cart contained nothing, it was very heavy just from its own weight. After pulling the cart for just 5 minutes, my whole body was drenched in sweat.
An empty cart makes the most noise.
Ah, is this the right saying to use here? My head doesn't work well when I'm tired.
"Earlier, did you see Jin-seo smile at me?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah."
"Maybe she likes me? She's really pretty. No matter how much I look at her."
Go Jun-min praised Kim Jin-seo while pulling the cart.
Only Kim Jin-seo was qualified to become a cleric, Kim Jin-seo was an angel descended from heaven. Those kinds of stories.
It was excessive praise that would be awkward even for the person herself to hear.
He used hand gestures, foot movements, and even facial expressions to praise Kim Jin-seo. During that time, I pulled the cart alone.
Pulling this heavy cart by myself made me feel irritated when I wasn't before. Still, I didn't show it.
Since fighting among team members wouldn't do any good, it was better for me to endure a little.
Crack!
During this time, there was a sound of tree branches breaking nearby.
Based on timing, it definitely wasn't Kim Jin-seo. Then it was highly likely to be an 'attacker' from another team targeting our cart.
"Go Jun-min, I think an attacker from another team is coming. Do you remember what we talked about earlier?"
I calmly explained the situation and reminded him of the strategy.
If an attacker from another team came to attack our cart, the relatively weak Go Jun-min would become bait to buy time. Meanwhile, I would carry the cart with Bosu's power and run away.
This was the best strategy we could devise with virtually no combat ability.
"..."
However, Go Jun-min didn't answer my words.
It would be more accurate to say he couldn't answer.
He was lying on the dirt ground sleeping. It was such deep sleep that he wouldn't know if someone carried him away.
Normally, falling asleep so suddenly during practical training doesn't make sense. Unless he had narcolepsy or something.
"Sleep well~"
Before I could collect my confused thoughts, a voice came from beyond the bushes.
Beyond there were two people. One was Seong Ha-yeon, and the other was an unknown female student with gray hair.
In front of the gray-haired female student, a blessing circle of unfamiliar form was floating.
It wasn't basic level. Because there was a core at the center of the blessing circle. But it wasn't intermediate either. It was too large and complex to be called intermediate.
[It's an advanced blessing circle of tranquility.]
Legba revealed its identity.
The blessing of tranquility literally makes others' minds tranquil. However, when it reaches advanced level, the mind goes beyond becoming tranquil to becoming lax, and eventually falls asleep.
The moment I recognized this, an irresistibly strong drowsiness came over me that I couldn't endure with willpower alone. My eyelids were as heavy as lead.
I had no way to resist that sleep demon.
Eventually, my eyes closed.