READ NOVEL ONLINE 45. Ripples (4)
Upon spotting Han Cha-hyun, the man prostrated himself on the ground, begging for forgiveness.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I was told not to be seen, but I thought no one would be here at this hour.”
Han Cha-hyun, who had been contemplating how to handle the situation, let out a sigh of relief.
Whatever the reason, it seems this person shouldn’t be here at this hour either. He looks quite flustered, so a vague explanation should suffice.
“No need for apologies. I’m neither a priest nor anyone of importance.”
“You’re not a priest?”
“I’m just an ordinary believer. I’m staying here to help with temple duties during the festival week, that’s all.”
“Ah, so you’re here for service work.”
The man’s expression brightened considerably. After gauging Han Cha-hyun’s reaction, he asked in a hushed voice.
“So, brother, what brings you here at this hour…?”
“I couldn’t sleep due to my troubled mind. I thought offering a prayer might ease my heart. Though the sun has set, Helium always watches over us.”
“Praying at such an hour… Helium will surely recognize your devotion.”
The man looked at Han Cha-hyun with eyes full of admiration, deeply moved by his hastily concocted excuse. Han Cha-hyun had a gut feeling that he shouldn’t let this man go just yet.
Feigning kindness, Han Cha-hyun smiled gently and asked, “What brings you here, brother?”
“Ah, well. You see…”
The man hesitated, chewing on his words. His face showed a desire to speak, yet also a need to keep something hidden.
Judging it worth prying into, Han Cha-hyun helped the man to his feet and consoled him. Instead of pressing him, Han Cha-hyun played on the man’s psychology, his desire to confide in someone.
“If it’s difficult to speak about, I won’t pry further.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“I have no intention of troubling you, brother.”
Seemingly emboldened by Han Cha-hyun’s earnest appearance and gentle tone, the man began to speak.
“You must keep this absolutely secret.”
“Isn’t faith the highest virtue in Helium’s eyes?”
Hearing Han Cha-hyun’s words, the man smiled faintly and removed the hood he’d been wearing. Then he rolled up his sleeve, showing Han Cha-hyun his arm.
The entire right side of the man’s face was covered in burn scars. His right eye was reduced to a pinhole-sized trace due to the melted skin, the sight alone enough to convey pain. His arm was even worse. Pus oozed from the arm, where no trace of its original skin color remained.
Han Cha-hyun was shocked but managed to maintain his composure. Observing him, the man burst into laughter. Then he began to explain the history of his injuries.
He used to run a small fabric shop in an alley corner. And recently, a fire broke out in his shop.
“Of all times, I had stepped out for a moment. My son was minding the store instead…”
Unaware that his son had already escaped, the man rushed into the burning shop to save him, resulting in severe burns. Unable to afford proper treatment, he had to compensate the nearby shops affected by the fire.
“I thought this might be the end for me. I’d always been careful about fire hazards, so I felt resentful towards the heavens. But as they say, there’s always a way to survive, and Helium came to my aid.”
“Pardon? You mean…”
“The priests promised me a miracle.”
“A miracle?”
“They said they would heal me with a miracle on the last day of the Dandelion Festival!”
Han Cha-hyun ran his finger along the frame of his glasses. How interesting. His smile deepened at the man’s next words.
Finally, things were starting to fall into place.
◆◇◆◇◆
“How did the once-modest Helium sect gain the power to perform miracles impressive enough to captivate the masses?”
That’s where Han Cha-hyun’s suspicions began.
In a world where divine power exists, questioning the source of miracles might seem foolish at first glance.
But the more ordinary something appears, the more it should be questioned. Moreover, there were too many strange points to simply accept it as natural.
Helium. Media. Yupeta. Sea people. Black magic. Miracles.
After meeting the burned man, a vague blueprint began to form in Han Cha-hyun’s mind.
It felt like just one more piece would complete the picture.
“Come to think of it, he said he still hasn’t found that spiral staircase.”
After parting with the man in front of the statue, Han Cha-hyun waited for a long time, but Lee Kang-to didn’t emerge.
Without Ariadne’s Thread, he couldn’t recklessly go in to fetch him. Judging by Lee Kang-to’s message about searching until he found it, he’d likely wander the corridors all night.
Suddenly remembering something, Han Cha-hyun headed back to the prayer room area. After confirming no one was around, he unhesitatingly entered behind the hidden door.
Ding!
Han Cha-hyun’s destination was the basement where Berben was kept. He clearly remembered the way here, so he could return without any items.
“Berben, I apologize for the late hour.”
“Oh, is it late now? I can’t gauge time at all down here.”
“Yes, it’s quite dark outside.”
Berben was still sprawled weakly on the floor, but his complexion looked much better than before. The floor, once soaked with his blood when first discovered, now only bore dried bloodstains.
“I came because I have something to ask you.”
“Me?”
“I saw the priests coming and going from here. Why do they inflict harm on you?”
Berben hesitated at the unexpected question. He too didn’t know the exact reason.
The priests always silently collected his blood. His memories of their visits were often hazy due to the lightheadedness from blood loss.
“I’m not sure either. They seem to need my blood. Ever since I came here, they’ve been taking about this much blood in a container.”
“They need the blood, you say.”
“I vaguely recall hearing something about maintaining something… I’m sorry. I don’t remember clearly.”
“No, that’s fine. How long have you been imprisoned here?”
“I’m not certain, but… it hasn’t been more than 30 years.”
They need a sea person’s blood? Why would Helium’s priests, who stand opposite to Media, need such a thing? Han Cha-hyun carefully filed away the questions in his mind.
After pondering for a while, Berben casually remarked.
“This is just my guess, but…”
“Please, speak freely.”
“There seemed to be a pattern to the blood collection. I can’t pinpoint the exact interval since I can’t tell day from night here… But they’d come very frequently to take blood, then suddenly stop for a long while, and then gradually increase the frequency again.”
“It felt like there was a specific reference point.”
Han Cha-hyun curled his lips at Berben’s added comment.
“How has it been recently?”
“They were coming very frequently, but it seems to have tapered off a bit.”
“Thank you. That’s been very helpful.”
Though still a hypothesis, he felt he had uncovered the nature of the miracles. Now he just needed to find evidence to turn this into certainty.
While waiting for Lee Kang-to in front of the statue, Han Cha-hyun organized the points he needed to investigate further.
“First, I need to look into the past miracles, and also that fabric shop fire incident.”
“Hu-Hunter Cha Cha-hyun? Why are you here?”
“I was waiting.”
“For me?”
A dumbfounded Lee Kang-to was dragged by Han Cha-hyun to a secluded tree, where they climbed up.
“I think I’ve uncovered the secret of Helium’s temple.”
“Really?”
“It’s not certain yet. That’s why I need your help in gathering concrete evidence.”
“What can I do?”
“I’ll need to borrow your inventory.”
Lee Kang-to blinked in surprise. His inventory, practically a hunter’s lifeline?
Feeling uneasy, Lee Kang-to rolled his eyes, avoiding a direct answer.
“If you help with this, I’ll overlook your actions behind my back.”
“Really? You mean it?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Lee Kang-to’s face began to light up. Clearing his throat a couple of times, Han Cha-hyun listed the names of several items.
“Do you have these items?”
“I-I do, but what are you planning to use them for?”
Replica stickers, video recording items, a hypnosis pendulum, and even a mask with anti-facial recognition magic. What could he be planning with all that?
Lee Kang-to’s face fell at the subsequent instructions.
“Also, Lee Kang-to-ssi, I need you to stop your volunteer disguise and conduct an investigation outside. Nothing too grand. Just look into a fire incident.”
“Suddenly a fire incident? Just what kind of secret is this…?”
“Well, you see…”
“See what?”
“It seems this temple is a cult. And a malicious one at that, stealing from others.”
Han Cha-hyun whispered something into Lee Kang-to’s ear. Lee Kang-to, who had been hanging upside down, shot up in surprise. Han Cha-hyun grinned mischievously.
“Gaho-ssi will be pleased to hear this, don’t you think?”