I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Suicide

Chapter 89

A fleeting chance created by the breach in the barrier.

Hong Yeonhwa’s entrance into the cathedral momentarily shattered the divine domain, restoring it to reality.

The old man frowned and hastily attempted to restore the barrier, but before he could finish, a searing inferno surged toward him. Yeonhwa quickly assessed the situation and spoke.

“Hey, old geezer. What do you think you’re doing without my permission?”

“You insolent little arsonist…!”

For a moment, the tide of the situation seemed to have turned entirely, but the barrier wouldn’t take long to recover.

Meanwhile, Hana glanced at the fallen apostles nearby, conflicted. After a brief but intense deliberation, she made her decision.

Closing her eyes, she clasped her hands together in prayer. Instantly, golden light emanated from the floor of the cathedral, radiating from where Hana stood and forming a massive magic circle.

Everyone within the light’s radius, except for the old man, became enveloped in its brilliance.

Realizing her intent, the old man cried out in desperation.

“No! Longinus! Stop her!”

“…”

But the girl did not respond to his commands. Longinus only gazed at Hana with a complicated expression as the light consumed her.

Just before the barrier could fully recover, her prayer was answered, and a miracle occurred.

“Ugh.”

As his surroundings abruptly changed, Si woo looked around in confusion. He didn’t know where they were, but it was clear that Hana had used her ability to evacuate them.

“Thank goodness… That was really close.”

The tension finally left his body, and a wave of relief washed over him.

Suddenly, he heard a thud beside him. Someone had collapsed onto the ground.

“Hana!”

Seeing Hana unconscious, Si woo rushed to her side to check on her condition.

Fortunately, she was still breathing. Was this a side effect of using her ability? Si woo hoped that was all it was.

Unwilling to take any chances, he attempted to heal her using the power of the Grail. However, she didn’t wake immediately, and it was hard to tell if the healing was successful.

He realized he needed to find a place where she could rest. But first, he had to figure out exactly where they were.

While Si woo didn’t doubt Hana, the chaos of the moment might have caused her to focus solely on escaping the cathedral.

He glanced at the others who had come with them. Si-hyun and Yeonhwa appeared dazed as they slowly regained their composure.

“Are you two okay?”

“Probably.”

“What the hell just happened?”

“It’s been a while, Yeonhwa,” Si woo said. “I didn’t expect you to show up in a situation like that.”

He was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t imagined that someone so unexpected would appear at such a critical moment.

Whatever the case, their successful escape was entirely thanks to her. Had Yeonhwa not arrived when she did, the old man’s plans would likely have proceeded unchecked.

“What about these people?” Si-hyun asked, glancing at the fallen apostles on the ground.

They were motionless, bleeding heavily from gunshot wounds. Judging by the precise placement of the shots, survival seemed impossible.

“Can’t the Grail bring them back?” Si-hyun asked.

“No,” Si woo replied firmly, shaking his head. “I already tried. On the way to the cathedral, I attempted to revive a dead student. The Grail can’t bring back the dead.”

“They’re not dead yet.”

“…What?”

The unexpected voice made Si woo instinctively respond. Realizing who had spoken, his expression darkened.

“You… You’re here too?”

“Is there a problem? This is our domain,” the black goat replied matter-of-factly.

“Our domain?” Si woo asked incredulously. “Then this place is…”

“The apostles’ sanctum.”

Though the black goat looked as stoic as ever, it was clear from his battered state that he wasn’t in peak condition.

“What do you mean they’re not dead?” Si woo pressed.

“Exactly that. They’re alive, albeit barely.”

“How is that possible?”

One of the apostles had been shot squarely in the heart, while the others had taken bullets to the head. By all accounts, they should have been dead.

“The most vital organ for a demon is the magic core that supplies their energy. It resides in the heart. A damaged head is of little consequence,” the black goat explained.

“…And what about her?” Si woo asked, pointing to the woman who had been shot in the heart.

“The heart was destroyed, but the magic core embedded within remains intact. However, without the flow of magic to her body, she’ll die eventually. But for now, she’s alive.”

While this defied conventional understanding, Si woo had no grounds to refute the black goat’s explanation. As the leader of the demons, his words carried weight.

If the apostles were truly alive, the Grail could likely heal them. But why should Si woo bother?

He looked at the black goat and the fallen apostles. These were people who had tried to exploit Hana, villains through and through.

Si woo had barely any personal connection to them, apart from briefly traveling together. Their relationship was far from amicable—in fact, they were closer to mortal enemies.

“Why should I save you? I gain nothing from doing so.”

“Do you think White Sheep would feel the same way?”

“She’s not White Sheep. She’s Yoo Hana.”

“Did she ever tell you that herself?”

“…”

Strictly speaking, no. After regaining her memories, Hana hadn’t explicitly stated who she intended to be. Her actions—saving the apostles and returning to the black goat—suggested she might have chosen the life of White Sheep.

Perhaps life as an apostle had brought her more happiness than her days at the academy.

Si woo stared silently at Hana, still unconscious on the ground.

“Hey, Kim Si woo. You’re not seriously thinking of saving them, are you? They’re apostles, for God’s sake!” Yeonhwa shouted, clearly agitated.

Si woo said nothing. Instead, he reached out and began using the Grail to heal the apostles one by one.

“Unbelievable. This guy’s crazy…” Yeonhwa muttered.

“Yeonhwa, why did you return to the academy?” Si-hyun asked, trying to distract her.

“Huh? Because I found out that mangy mutt was wreaking havoc there. Someone had to give her a proper lesson.”

“That’s so you,” Si-hyun replied with a wry smile.

Meanwhile, Si woo silently continued to heal the apostles.

When only the black goat remained, Si woo approached him. Their gazes met, but neither spoke at first.

Finally, Si woo broke the silence.

“Promise me.”

The black goat tilted his head slightly, urging him to continue.

“Make Hana—your disciple, who calls you her teacher—happy. I don’t care about anything else. That’s all I ask.”

“…Understood. I will.”

The black goat’s immediate response carried no hesitation. Whether his words held genuine sincerity or were a hollow promise, Si woo couldn’t be certain.

He chose to trust in Hana’s decision.

Having restored the black goat to full health, Si woo watched warily as he tested his body.

Maintaining his distance, Si woo asked, “So, what now?”

“The objective has been achieved, but I must return to the academy.”

“You’re going back there? To risk the same disaster again?”

Even the black goat was no more than a mortal in the divine domain.

“I only failed because it was my first time. There are ways to counter it,” he replied nonchalantly.

“What’s so important that you’d take that risk?”

“The first reason was to help White Sheep regain her memories and fully awaken her abilities.”

“That’s… already done.”

Hearing that it had been the black goat’s goal all along made Si woo uncomfortable. The outcome wasn’t due to the black goat’s actions but Si woo’s own resolve.

“And the second?”

“To obtain the mind of God.”

“The mind of God…?”

“I should explain our plan. We have but one goal,” the black goat said, looking toward the heavens.

“To bring God down to earth.”