The most surprised by Hailey’s words was, as expected, Hugo. And the next, naturally, was his son, Cheon Seongjae.
“Jiwoo?”
“Mom? Why are you bringing up Mom?”
He was asking why her name came up there.
But Hailey furrowed her brow.
“Hugo. Your wife is probably going to be in great danger.”
The moment those words fell, Hugo glared at Hailey.
“Jiwoo? Why?”
Hugo immediately became wary.
That was only natural.
No matter how much Hailey was favorable to Igeon and considered him her benefactor, it didn’t mean that even his constellation god would be friendly to them.
Though they were said to be on the side of humanity, in truth they were enemies trying to steal each other’s divine seats and sacred knights.
In the end, saints were people who could turn into enemies at any moment.
Just as expected.
Hugo fiercely stirred his magic power.
“Answer properly. Or else...”
That was the moment.
Right as Igeon was holding back the sharp Hugo.
Flash!
“!”
With a black light, the space they were standing in changed.
[Scorpio’s sanctuary unfolds]
[You are trapped within Scorpio’s domain]
[Scorpio sanctuary feature: Status Effect (Darkness)]
The walls and floor all turned black.
And under that force, Hugo and Kevin immediately drew their weapons. The sacred knights also alerted and activated skills.
“Hailey!”
But Hailey threw down her weapons.
It meant she had absolutely no intention of attacking.
“Sorry for the discomfort. We already had a barrier spell up, but there are many listening ears nearby.”
“......!”
It meant it didn’t hurt to be extra cautious.
But that was why they were bewildered.
In a situation where a barrier was already up, what could be so important that she had to deploy a sanctuary on top of it?
At the same time, Hailey spoke.
“Hugo, your wife is a scribe.”
“......!?”
Everyone was jolted in shock.
“What?”
“Your wife?!”
Even Kevin seemed flustered.
In the past, most of the divine seats’ subordinate gods had participated in the scribe hunt, so Kevin could not be unaware of their existence.
So Kevin couldn’t understand.
‘They should have wiped out all those with the scribe talent.’
At that time, those who awakened as scribes numbered at most around a hundred.
Moreover, the scribe talent manifested among bloodlines. Thus, the cruel subordinate gods, just in case, even eliminated unborn children, and there had been no reports of scribes appearing after that.
‘Except for that one that Igeon took.’
Only then did they realize why Hailey had spoken so cautiously.
‘If it leaks out, she’ll be targeted.’
Scribes had an ability called a double-edged sword.
As a bud that could threaten the constellation gods, and as an existence that could revive a divine seat, they were easily targeted.
At the same time, the scribe listening to this had an expression of finally understanding.
‘So that’s why my abilities never worked.’
No wonder I felt my powers didn’t work no matter how much I tried to take hostages.
Since scribes have resistance to each other’s abilities, manipulation abilities don’t work.
But while everyone else was panicked, the only one smiling was Igeon.
Just as expected.
“It would have been strange if I didn’t know.”
At Igeon’s words, everyone was surprised, and Hailey, flustered, hid behind the wall.
‘I made eye contact with Igeon...!’
Even for 3 whole seconds!
Taking deep breaths, she felt her heart would explode and kill her.
But regardless, Hugo looked at Igeon in surprise.
“You knew? How...”
Igeon smiled.
Of course, he too hadn’t fully grasped Cheon Jiwoo’s identity until after meeting the scribe...
“The aura of your powers is the same. If you can’t tell that, you’re an idiot. Idiots.”
The saints, suddenly branded idiots, were dumbfounded.
That damn genius.
“Never mind. Why didn’t you awaken her? If you had, she would’ve gotten skills and you’d have known instantly.”
At Igeon’s question, Hugo was at a loss for words.
“That...”
“You punk. Were you too lazy to awaken her?”
Hugo clicked his tongue as if absurd.
“It’s not that I didn’t, it’s that I couldn’t!”
Then Igeon, as if realizing his mistake, patted Hugo seriously.
“Ah, so since she’s my fan, her faith was bottomed out. Sorry for asking so tactlessly.”
“I said no!!”
Well, actually, half of it was true.
Still huffing, Hugo furrowed his brow.
Actually, 20 years ago.
Right after their marriage, he tried to bring his wife into the Sagittarius sacred knights, but unfortunately, she didn’t match the disposition of the Jagyeolsa constellation god.
‘In the first place, her body couldn’t withstand the strong energy of the 12 constellation gods.’
It happened occasionally.
Strange people who couldn’t endure the holy power of the constellation gods, perhaps because the gods’ power was too strong.
In fact, Cheon Jiwoo would also run a high fever whenever she came into contact with a constellation god’s aura.
That’s why Hugo would suppress his power as much as possible when he was with his wife.
‘Well, it’s still unexplained why she’s incompatible with all 12 constellation gods.’
In any case, in such a situation, a sacred knight contract—which requires receiving the constellation god’s magic power—meaning baptism and awakening, was unimaginable.
Of course, all these problems were usually covered if one’s faith was high enough.
But.
‘Jiwoo’s faith was incredibly low.’
Just like my son.
Anyway, that’s how it was.
“I wanted to make Jiwoo a sacred knight, but I couldn’t!”
Well, if she was a scribe, it was understandable that she had a rejection reaction to the 12 constellation gods’ power.
Other scribes had suffered like that, so it might have been instinct. Or there could be another reason.
And then it was.
Hailey, finally having caught her breath, spoke while trying not to meet Igeon’s eyes.
“Anyway, Hugo. You know how weak an unawakened ordinary person is, right? Libra especially covets scribes. If you don’t take quick action...”
Hugo scoffed.
“It’s fine. Jiwoo is being guarded by our kids even now...”
But right then.
Boom!!!
“?!”
A tremendous explosion rang out. The startled people looked out the window.
At the same time, Hugo’s expression twisted.
The smoke was rising from the hospital room right below. It was none other than his wife’s private room.
Even more, it was high-level sacred knight magic.
Thanks to that, the color drained from Hugo’s face.
The place was empty except for Cheon Jiwoo at the moment, but that power just now.
Wasn’t it enough to leave not even bones of an ordinary human?
“Jiwoo!”
In the end, as Hugo’s heart sank and he was about to jump out the window.
“Jiwoo!”
“Yes? You called?”
“?!”
Hugo nearly tumbled down while trying to jump.
In the window of the upper floor, a beauty was sticking her neck out.
It was Cheon Jiwoo.
Cheon Jiwoo looked at her husband as if asking why he called.
“Why are you so startled?”
Hugo was dumbfounded.
“No, why are you there?”
“Ah, Igeon-nim called me, saying he had something to say.”
Hugo looked at Igeon, dumbfounded.
“Then what about the one on the lower floor? Our kids were definitely guarding it...”
“That was this fellow’s clone.”
Igeon picked up the slime that stretched out long and thin.
“I applied that crab bastard’s splitting skill.”
“......!”
It seemed Igeon had sensed that Hugo’s wife would be targeted.
Already, awakeners were starting to flock to this hospital because of Seongjae.
“It’ll be good to move soon. A non-awakener would make a good hostage.”
For some reason, Kevin agreed as well.
“Since it’s your wife, I’ll specially lend you the Virgo sanctuary. Our subordinate gods’ escort abilities are excellent.”
Hugo raged like crazy.
“Subordinate gods? You’re practically holding a funeral rite! There’s no way the subordinate gods would leave a scribe alone!”
“Then what are you going to do? You said you can’t awaken her!”
“Then just do it.”
It was Igeon who spoke.
At that, both Hugo and Kevin were startled.
“Do it... Hey! You don’t mean–!”
Igeon smiled a sly, infuriating grin.
He seemed to have aimed for this from the start.
“Why not? Our sacred knight seats are spacious. Pretending not to see a rare 100% faith... no, no, for your sake, I’ll awaken her in an instant.”
“Are you crazy! Why would my Jiwoo become your sacred knight–!”
“Oh my. Oh my goodness, Igeon-nim’s sacred knight! Is that really okay?”
“Darling!!!!”
At her girlish delight, Hugo huffed and puffed.
He meant he didn’t need Igeon’s help.
“Forget it! Jiwoo can just be protected in our Sagittarius sanctuary!!”
Igeon scoffed.
“Huh. Sagittarius sanctuary? That’s as secure as someone’s living room. What a joke.”
“What the heck!!!”
“Why? Wasn’t it breached by Virgo 10 years ago anyway? At that point, isn’t it a public sanctuary?”
“Hey!!”
“Anyway, choose carefully. I guarantee, if you awaken her, your wife will be at least at Holy Order Commander level.”
“Hey... you!”
“Of course, let’s negotiate for her as a lay believer.”
At those words, Hugo flinched.
“What? Lay believer?”
Igeon smiled as if this was the point.
“Right. Sacred knights are divided into ordinary believers and clerical believers.”
“!”
Indeed.
Ordinary believers and clerical believers.
To put it simply, clergy and lay believers.
Clerical believers referred to all the awakened ones seen so far, like Cheon Seongjae, Cheon Yoo-ha, and Gote. It meant they were professionally affiliated with a holy order.
In a way, they were physically bound to the constellation god.
But ordinary believers were different.
In simple terms, they were like regular churchgoers who went to church on weekends.
So Hugo understood. Sagittarius also had quite a few lay believers.
“Well, a lay believer level is fine, but...”
Since as a lay believer, changing divine seats wouldn’t be difficult, and they wouldn’t directly receive the constellation god’s interference.
But.
“A lay believer... Then the chance of getting combat skills is almost non-existent...”
At that, Igeon grinned.
“That doesn’t matter at all. From now on, she’ll learn abilities from our scribe.”
“?!”
The one surprised was the scribe, who was suddenly singled out.
He was aghast—was the kidnapping not enough, now they were going to make him teach?
But regardless, Igeon’s eyes glinted.
From here was his real objective.
“Jiwoo-ssi, even though you’re Ophiuchus, I’ll have you work as the Sagittarius scribe. A kind of dispatch.”
“!”
At that, both Hugo and Kevin looked utterly baffled.
They had no idea what scheme this proposal was for.
“Are you joking? Which constellation god would allow that?”
They weren’t the kind of constellation gods who would allow their own sacred knight to work for another divine seat.
“Especially since it’s nurturing another divine seat.”
“It’s fine. I permit it.”
“Your permission is useless!!”
Cheon Seongjae clicked his tongue.
“Ah, I’m telling you, Uncle is a constellation god. He says it’s fine.”
“Son, you shut up!!”
“Oh my, then can I write about Igeon-nim in the Sagittarius Bible?”
“Darling!!!”
“Something like ‘Hugo, having received help this time, was so happy he wanted to call Igeon-nim his hyung-nim’...”
At his wife’s bright smile, Hugo was horrified.
“That absolutely can’t happen! Then we’ll become a subordinate divine seat to that bastard!”
“Oh my. That’s not bad either. Igeon-nim would be protecting us, right?”
“Darling!!!!”
Well, anyway.
Hugo glared at Igeon as if about to grab him by the collar.
“You, be honest. You offered Jiwoo as a scribe to do this, didn’t you!”
Igeon smiled sinisterly.
‘With this, I can subdue the Sagittarius constellation god.’
But Igeon smiled without showing it.
“Honestly, isn’t it about time you escaped last place among the divine seats? Then you need the buff called a scribe.”
He already didn’t like that Sagittarius was last because of Libra.
Though no one told him, it seemed they had suffered an unjust stigma because of Libra.
‘I heard they fell victim to media play.’
“Anyway, with a scribe, even if you have few sacred knights, you can reach the top.”
Then Hugo looked troubled.
“Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine...”
After all, if he had to leave his wife with another divine seat, Igeon was better.
That moment.
“Then it’s settled.”
“Ah, no!”
Before the words finished, Igeon activated a skill.
[Cheon Jiwoo: A+]
[Current target’s faith is 300%]
[Condition fulfilled. Target can be proselytized.]
An enormous light poured down.
* * *
Meanwhile, around that time.
‘What? A scribe?’
There was one person who was horrified by their conversation.
He was none other than the son of the Libra saint, and the one who, 10 years ago,
summoned the toad that devoured Cheon Jiwoo and Lee Jaewon—Yun Siu.
And following his brother’s orders, Yun Siwoo had chased after Yi Geon. His objective was to retrieve the corpse of the toad monster that Yi Geon had taken. That matter was tied to the affairs of the Libra Seat, after all.
But then.
“Damn it, what’s going on? Why is my brother missing, and Cheon Seongjae is perfectly fine?”
What had happened in the meantime?
Having left his cell phone behind due to the risk of being tracked, Yun Siwoo was in turmoil.
Yet what bewildered him even more was the existence of the Recorder.
“I sensed something was off when I found a Scorpio Saint here.”
He had even raised a barrier, so Yun Siwoo had barely managed to enter it by paying the price of his subordinate’s life.
But perhaps because it was the power of a Saint, despite receiving his mother’s protection, he had sustained considerable internal injuries.
Still, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“The wife of the Sagittarius Seat is a Recorder.”
Just moments ago, she was the one who caused an explosion and attacked Cheon Jiwoo’s hospital room.
It was all to cover up the evidence and witnesses from the incident ten years ago. Their own deeds were entangled with the Libra Seat, making the situation far more severe.
However.
“I need to inform Mother immediately.”
It was something the Libra Saint, his mother, desperately coveted.
But then, he thought,
‘Wait, no. This is the perfect chance to score points with Mother.’
After all, the Recorder attached to Yi Geon was at least S-class. Not only was it difficult to poach, but there was also the risk of this side suffering harm.
But wasn’t Hugo’s wife a fledgling who hadn’t even awakened yet?
Even a child knows which one is easier to poach.
“In other words, I must steal her before she awakens.”
A smirk spread across Yun Siwoo’s lips.
Of course, he had no intention of foolishly staging a hostage crisis in a place where four Saints were present.
“I’ll just summon something capable of kidnapping Cheon Jiwoo. That’s all there is to it.”
The Libra Seat, a divine seat that can achieve anything if the scales balance.
He summons a monster capable of perfectly deceiving those Saints and kidnapping Cheon Jiwoo.
“Humans are out of the question. No human can defeat a Saint.”
Thus, at least a Red-class!
No, a monster above Black Zone would suffice!
“It doesn’t matter anyway since this isn’t Mother’s sanctuary.”
As if on cue, the deliberating Yun Siwoo pulled out an object and activated his skill.
[Equivalent Exchange]
Simultaneously, a voice emanated from Yun Siwoo’s insignia.
[Offering the price.]
[Price satisfied. Equivalent Exchange skill activated.]
[Condition: Calamity-class monster.]
And right at that moment.
Boom!
With a dazzling yellow light, the magic circle of the Libra Seat materialized before Yun Siwoo.
It was none other than a summoning circle!
Rumble!
At the immense magical power exuding from the summoning circle, Yun Siwoo’s lips curled upward.
‘It’s here. A monstrous one at that!’
In that instant, light burst forth. Someone emerged from the summoning circle.
“What’s this, a summons?”
At the voice reverberating from within the light, Yun Siwoo shouted.
“Yes, I am the summoner who called you. Go and capture the Sagittarius Seat’s wi—!”
But.
“The hell is this brat?”
“Geon-a? Where did Geon-a go! And why has he suddenly vanished too!”
As the monster’s form was revealed, the look on Yun Siwoo’s face was one for the books.
Goddamn it, this is messed up.
(To be continued in the next chapter)