Chapter 137: White Jemin

[Translator – Aren]

The walk with the generals of the Korean-US Combined Command was relatively quiet.

The US camp in Pyeongtaek had been thrown together quite hastily, but perhaps thanks to its proximity to Osan and the extensive support it received, even the containers were neat and the barracks perfectly in order.

Far off near the barbed-wire fence, a wee-cleared field sat waiting for new buildings to be constructed, while the road the generals and Supreme Archmages walked along boasted sleek asphalt so fresh and black it seemed to gleam.

-Step, step.

Whenever the sounds of our boots overlapped, soldiers who had been strolling around with rifles slung over their shoulders turned to look. They were two American soldiers, and when they unexpectedly came face-to-face with the generals, they flinched, snapped to attention, and saluted stiffly.

Marshal McKinsey returned one to them with an arm that looked like it had spent plenty of time lifting weights, Lieutenant General Royce raised the corner of his mouth apologetically, and Brigadier General Thatcher simply ignored it, not paying much attention to them.

Brigadier General Lee Giseong and us Supreme Archmages just followed behind them.

The American soldiers who had been trembling before the first five-star American officer since World War II frowned the moment they saw the Supreme Archmages in their ponchos.

First of all, the Americans didn’t speak Korean, while our side never knew when we’d need to translate something into English, which made it difficult to take control of the conversation.

Amid that strange silence, I thought in time with the sound of my footsteps.

The American generals who were more or less governing most of South Korea in place of the vanished government, and us Supreme Archmages, the wizards least influenced by the 66 Society. What a strange relationship.

If either side were overwhelmingly stronger, they could simply force the other to comply.

We’d been friendly so far and gotten along without any particular clashes, but after the recent battle with Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes, both sides had a lot more on our minds. The macho-looking Marshal McKinsey twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers, licking his lips without ever lighting it.

All while chattering away in English.

Fortunately, we Supreme Archmages had Shin Nain. Even if Hamza spoke good English, he kept his mouth completely shut and just quietly followed after us, while Go Ryeoha fundamentally distrusted the military. The elite air Shin Nain gave off made him a much better choice than either of them.

When I glanced over, Shin Nain raised an eyebrow and said.

"He says he’s practicing smoking?”

"Why smoking?”

Isn’t quitting the best thing you can do since it’s bad for you? That was what I thought, but Shin Nain immediately interpreted the reason behind this guy’s strange actions.

"Because it’s easy to look old-fashioned.”

Apparently he had some deeper reason for it.

Shin Nain, Hamza, Go Ryeoha, Lee Sejun, the pastor, and I split into small groups and trailed along behind the American generals in our ponchos. The generals weren’t walking quickly either, while soldiers acting as bodyguards moved ahead to assess potential danger, waited around the area, keeping their distance.

Aside from that, well.

It was just a normal walk all the way around the outskirts of the camp without any particular destination.

Then Marshal McKinsey grinned and said something to Lieutenant General Royce and Brigadier General Thatcher, while Shin Nain and Brigadier General Lee Giseon quickly translated the Americans' conversation.

McKinsey: Are we properly taking care of these people’s living conditions? What about the climate here on the Korean Peninsula?

Thatcher: The heat on the Korean Peninsula is murderous. We're already seeing signs that temperatures are beginning to rise. We estimate that the humid, hot summer weather will arrive earlier than in previous years. Both power consumption and securing cooling equipment are being treated as major priorities.

Royce: One more thing. Most of our power consumption is concentrated on semiconductor production, but even if we have to impose harsher restrictions on power allocation, we need to prioritize keeping cooling systems running for the military and public facilities. With power transmission into Seoul cut off, we’ll simply have to hope that leaves us with some surplus.

McKinsey: So our brave civilians still aren't being properly looked after yet.

As Marshal McKinsey said that and slowly checked the facilities around the road, I naturally found myself craning my neck and looking around as well. The other Supreme Archmages and generals were doing the same as they examined the Pyeongtaek US camp.

The camp was still being hastily expanded to accommodate tens of thousands of troops, and there were plenty of lots where the bare sand was still exposed.

Around the outer road, beside an excavator parked next to a pile of rebar, civilians who had come to earn some MPC and US Army engineers were having a small scuffle over some blueprints.

Marshal McKinsey fiddled with the cigarette he still hadn’t lit, then started walking again.

Then he raised a hand slightly and flicked his finger at Brigadier General Lee Giseong. With beads of sweat gathering above the lashes behind his horn-rimmed glasses, Lee Giseong hurried over to receive his instructions.

A moment later, Brigadier General Lee Giseong approached us Supreme Archmages, who had been quietly following behind, and whispered.

"Since the Marshal is taking a great deal of interest in improving your living conditions, he says that although you’re staying in container barracks, they’ll make sure there are no problems with the plumbing, power supply, or cooling systems. A-and especially the air conditioners… He says he’ll have people come install them today.”

"Today?”

"May the grace of the Lord our God be with the generals. Amen!”

Lee Sejun, who had been looking pretty bored, straightened up at the mention of getting actual air conditioning instead of a fan. Pastor Park Yohan also cheerfully recited a short prayer.

But I, Baek Jemin, had seen far too many people who were all talk but never actually delivered.

As I narrowed my eyes and watched the generals, wondering whether these Americans were really any different, Shin Nain gestured toward Brigadier General Thatcher with his chin.

"Looks like he’s proving it with actions right in front of us.”

"Hm."

Sure enough, Brigadier General Thatcher already had his smartphone out and was tapping the screen. Judging by how fast his thumb was tapping away, he was probably passing the orders along right away.

There might be people who hated America and the US military, but not many would complain about getting free air conditioning installed in the place they slept in. On top of that, they were explaining the situation on the Korean Peninsula while making a point of showing that even now, they were willing to improve our living conditions.

I could already feel my misguided prejudice and stubbornness toward non-wizards melting away.

The pain I’d carried around without showing it had made my heart bitter, and I realized the problem was my own narrow-minded way of thinking. A mindset I’d arrogantly refused to acknowledge even though I knew it was wrong.

Go Ryeoha stared at my face, then made a disgusted expression and pretended to gag.

"Hubae-nim, your expression suddenly looks incredibly generous and benevolent.”

"Master. I’ve been thinking. Since the start of the year, all sorts of hideous monsters have appeared. Seoul, the pride of Korea, has been sealed off, 10 million innocent citizens have tragically lost their lives, and the military and government, who are supposed to protect the people, have been forced to make decisions like this. Of course the citizens would be shaken. Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes and the Seoul wizards were also just citizens who wanted to survive, yet at some point I decided they were enemies and started looking down on people who couldn’t use magic. I’m greatly ashamed of that.”

As I humbly accepted that my sense of superiority toward citizens who simply hadn’t awakened magic yet was the problem, Hamza stared at me with an uncomfortable expression and spoke up.

"Jemin-ssi. You can be honest. You’re only saying this because they’re giving us air conditioning, right?”

"Baek Jemin, weren’t you always going on about non-wizards this, non-wizards that?”

Even the pastor, who had been awkwardly watching my mood this whole time, quietly joined in.

Non-wizards.

What a narrow-minded, arrogant expression it had been.

Feeling a faint sense of shame, I answered in a humble, polite tone.

"I was wrong to let my petty mindset convince me that a person’s worth was determined by magic. Magic is incredibly important and absolutely a fundamental standard, yes, but you can’t define someone’s entire life as a failure because of it. I simply realized that rather than calling them non-wizards or non-humans, I should call them citizens who haven’t learned magic.”

"I wonder if there’s anyone else as transparent and utterly consistent inside and out as you, Jemin-ssi. To think we can tell exactly what you hold in your heart without Ears-branch Holy Battle Arts. You really are surprisingly honest, huh?”

"Jemin-ssi. How about learning from me and figuring out how to hide what you’re thinking?”

Shin Nain added that with one eyelid twitching.

Lee Sejun, meanwhile, offered what he apparently thought was advice, half pitying and half contemptuous.

I ignored Lee Sejun’s suggestion.

The American generals seemed to have figured out what we were talking about from Brigadier General Lee Giseong’s enthusiastic interpretation.

Marshal McKinsey blinked a few times, slipped the cigarette back into its pack, and burst into hearty laughter. Lieutenant General Royce covered his mouth as if trying to hold it in, only to turn his head when a snicker escaped anyway, while Brigadier General Thatcher uselessly rubbed at the corner of his mouth for no reason and cleared his throat several times.

Marshal McKinsey stuffed the cigarette pack into his breast pocket, then kept laughing as he looked at me.

"Good. At least he's got a price."

Once that brief chat was over, we resumed our walk along the road.

The awkward, uncomfortable silence from before was gone, replaced by the easy kind of silence you got when strangers walked past one another in a park without caring about each other. The American generals and us Supreme Archmages made a full round around the sprawling outskirts of the Pyeongtaek camp like that.

The American generals must have exercised quite a lot on a regular basis, because the only people who looked tired were Hamza and Brigadier General Lee Giseong.

Not even the sort of minor incident that usually happened occurred.

The Pyeongtaek camp housed tens of thousands of American and Korean troops together. At the moment, it was practically the hardest foreign country to enter anywhere on the Korean Peninsula. It was a key base for dealing with the monsters beyond the blockade line, but strangely enough, it was also a place of rest far removed from the front.

With nothing but stable people under tight surveillance, people armed with proven loyalty and professionalism, there were no sudden terrorist attempts or accidents beyond the occasional minor mistakes.

Though it was obvious the American generals were conscious of me and Go Ryeoha.

Even when they looked like they were walking without a thought in their heads, even when they seemed to be making idle conversation, I could occasionally feel their eyes on us. Whenever Go Ryeoha exchanged even a few words with the other Supreme Archmages, Brigadier General Thatcher would somehow end up glancing our way, and whenever I so much as yawned, Brigadier General Lee Giseong, who was acting as an interpreter, would flinch.

It was the first time in my life I’d had people important enough to wear stars on their uniforms obsess over every little thing I said and did.

That was how serious this matter was.

Serious enough for them to drag things out this long.

Eventually, we arrived in front of a staircase leading underground. It was a kind of bunker built around a communications section covered in antennas and radar equipment, about two blocks away from the command building.

Captain Kim Howoon was waiting in front of it, standing stiffly.

Brigadier General Lee Giseong hurried over to Captain Kim Howoon like a man who’d just been saved and started rattling off one thing after another.

"Captain Kim. My handover still isn’t properly finished, so there’s a lot I still need to learn. You handle escorting the generals. I’ll do the meeting with Aphorism separately. The stress is giving me stomach cramps, and right now my gut is killing me. Okay?”

"Brigadier General…”

"I’m counting on you, Captain Kim. Yeah!”

Despite Captain Kim Howoon staring at him resentfully, Brigadier General Lee Giseong paid it no mind.

After he fled, Captain Kim Howoon suddenly found himself bearing the combined attention of the American generals and us Supreme Archmages. His face went beyond pale to pretty much white as he sighed and followed behind us.

The soldiers guarding the bunker opened the door, and I followed the American generals inside without thinking much of it.

But among the thick cables running across the floor and walls in a tangled mess, I noticed unusual things hanging from the heavy brackets and bundled sections of cable. Rosaries bearing crosses and strings of Buddhist prayer beads dangled everywhere, while golden candlesticks had been carefully placed beneath the cables.

There was even a six-pointed star drawn neatly near one of the ceiling lights, while talismans covered in red writing had been plastered all over the surrounding walls.

A bunker that looked like it had originally been meant for communications was now packed full of every kind of occult or religious object.

Marshal McKinsey personally took the lead and followed a painted red cable. With the Marshal taking the lead, the rest of us simply followed. What waited at the end of that cable was another door built into the bunker. When Marshal McKinsey pulled the handle, a heavy scraping sound rang out, followed by the low humming of ventilation fans.

Marshal McKinsey turned toward us, stared at Go Ryeoha, and gave her a kind smile.

"Ladies first."

"Thank you…?”

Go Ryeoha raised an eyebrow, then stepped through the open door anyway.

For a second I wondered if they’d opened the room to isolate Go Ryeoha, but that suspicion completely vanished when the American generals followed her inside. In the end, the rest of us Supreme Archmages, myself included, cautiously filed into the room as well.

This room beneath the underground bunker looked perfect for holding a confidential meeting.

The ceiling, walls, and floor were packed with talismans, rosaries, Buddhist prayer beads, candlesticks, and even phrases written in Arabic, making the bizarre sight impossible to ignore no matter where you looked. Laptops and stacks of documents had already been placed on the table.

The moment Captain Kim Howoon entered last and closed the door, the American generals and all of us Supreme Archmages quietly took our seats.

Captain Kim Howoon looked like he was headed for his own funeral but still stood beside the American generals and checked his wristwatch.

"May 26th, 2028, 3:13 PM."

-Smack, smack.

While Pastor Park Yohan wet his dry lips, Captain Kim Howoon spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

"We will now begin Aphorims’s meeting concerning Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes and the Gangnam group, the 66 Society behind them, and the remains, knowledge, and national treasures recovered.”

When I returned to the Pyeongtaek camp and was asked to submit a report, I’d organized the key points as concisely as possible before handing it in.

Even though I’d been busy with getting examined and everything else, I figured the citizens who hadn’t learned magic still needed to know the important information. Aside from that thing I didn’t want to call a god and the truth about eternity, it was safe to say I’d passed along most of what I’d discovered.

Why the 66 Society had specifically chosen Korea, the magic Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes had used, my speculation on how he’d carried out his long-range curses, the still-unexplained relationship between Father Kang Peter and Go Ryeoha, the unrecovered nuclear warhead…

However, the most important part was still just one thing.

Father Kang Peter.

For the first time, someone had appeared before us who clearly was a member of the 66 Society, the group that was either responsible for this entire monster disaster or knew more of the truth about it than anyone else. It couldn’t be helped that most of my report was filled with material about Father Kang Peter.

He had been that overwhelming and dangerous…

And that captivating a teacher.

As someone who wanted to possess every piece of the almighty power called magic, I had a feeling it would be hard to find another teacher or senior as willing to hand over knowledge as generously as Father Kang Peter.

The American generals apparently agreed, because they brought up Father Kang Peter before any of the other points of discussion.

Acting as interpreter, Captain Kim Hoowon tried to convey everything as clearly as possible so that we wouldn’t get confused. Thanks to him, despite being someone who spoke zero other languages, I could still hold a conversation with these important people.

"The Marshal says they were able to identify him with the assistance from the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and the Vatican.”

Captain Kim Howoon’s voice wavered at the end of his interpretation, but he was still easier to understand than Brigadier General Lee Giseong had been.

McKinsey: The Vatican is extremely concerned that this incident could damage trust in the Catholic Church as a whole. Korea has strict standards for ordaining priests, but even so, there’s turmoil within the Vatican over the fact that those standards still weren't enough. Records on Father Kang Peter have been confirmed within the archdiocese, so we’ll let you review them as well.

Thatcher: Naturally, this must not be disclosed elsewhere. Humanity is already undergoing shock and division because of this unprecedented crisis. Please understand that this is a necessary measure to eliminate dangerous variables.

Of course, the pastor and Shin Nain crossed their arms and grumbled, their faces twisted into the deep scowls of vicious demons.

"That’s how it is with people who serve the Antichrist."

"True faith is born from exclusivity. There is only one truth, one salvation, and one God. Amen, amen.”

In the middle of all that, we each took a set of documents and started reading.

Go Ryeoha, sitting at the far end, must have been curious too, because she stretched out her arm and snatched a page from the stack. When everyone looked her way, she gave an awkward smile.

"Father never told me anything about his past.”

And finally we were able to check his personal information.

Father Kang Peter.

Real name: Kang Jeongan.

Born in 1976. Ordained as a priest by the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul in 2004 and served until he was reported internally in 2025. Following a report by a nun from his parish, the archdiocese conducted an internal investigation and reached the following conclusion.

-Rustle.

I turned the page and found the document containing the results of that internal investigation included as well.

[There isn’t sufficient evidence yet to conclusively establish that the priest proclaimed views contrary to Church doctrine. However, it has been confirmed that he used conduct based on improper beliefs as a means of personal spiritual discernment. Due to serious concerns regarding the integrity of his faith, his ability to carry out priestly duties, his soundness of judgement, and the potential spiritual danger posed to the faithful, he is prohibited from parish duties, preaching, hearing confessions, providing spiritual direction, and publicly celebrating Mass.]

I blinked as I read on, then posed a question to the people in this room.

"I’ve got a question. If you ban a Catholic priest from all of that, what does he even do?”

"What else? He’s just unemployed.”

What came back was the pastor’s prickly answer.

On the other hand, Shin Nain, the other member of the fanatic zealot duo, narrowed his eyes and focused on one particular detail.

"2025."

"If he’d already been like this since 2025, doesn’t that mean he was always that kind of person? Maybe after 20 years as a priest, he hit a wall and decided he wanted to quit.”

Lee Sejun shrugged as though it weren’t that big a deal.

But once Shin Nain pointed out that year, my attention was also drawn to it. The conversation I’d had with Father Kang Peter began to hazily surface in my mind.

And when I lowered my gaze to the bottom of the page, I found something quite noteworthy.

[The priest is presumed to have abandoned his clerical duties and absconded after failing to comply with an order to appear before Church authorities. Upon discovery, he is to be immediately barred from exercising clerical ministry and subjected to theological and medical evaluation, after which disciplinary measures and his clerical status are to be determined.]

You could sum it up easily enough by saying he’d been bad news from the very beginning.

But Father Kang Peter’s explanation of Inverted Alteration-type magic remained unusually vivid in my mind.

The price of Inverted Eyes-branch magic was one’s own beliefs. To deceive the world, you had to deny what you yourself believed.

Especially in South Korea, where CCTV cameras were everywhere, vanishing without a trace would be impossible without extraordinary determination and preparation.

Now that we already knew magic was real, was it really too much of a stretch to suspect magic had been involved?

Go Ryeoha raised her eyes slightly as well, then fidgeted with her fingers, as though she didn’t know what to say.

The pastor, the brains of our Supreme Archmages, and SHin Nain, who basically radiated elite energy, seemed to have already realized what these records implied.

The pastor and Shin Nain exchanged glances, then one rubbed his chin while the other let out a sigh.

"At the very least, that means the 66 Society was already active back then.”

"I wonder if they had specific criteria for whom they tried to recruit.”

It was then that the American generals, Lieutenant General Royce with his kind eyes in particular, turned their attention to Go Ryeoha. 

Lieutenant General Royce conveyed his thoughts through Captain Howoon.

"He says thank you for being honest in your report.”

Looking at Go Ryeoha, Lieutenant General Royce conveyed what he meant gently but firmly.

Royce: As a survivor of Seoul, you chose to cooperate despite your deep-rooted distrust of the military, and for that, I am deeply grateful. I also thank you for your contributions to military operations and to preventing casualties. However, because we are clearly at an informational disadvantage, we may have no choice but to put pressure on you.

I could see Go Ryeoha’s face turn pale, but I let it be.

From here on, this was about defining the relationship between the military and Go Ryeoha.

Royce: In your report, you wrote that Father Kang Peter is an Inverted Alteartion-type LISA user and a field-commander-like figure within the 66 Society- You also wrote that he is the member most favorably disposed toward civilians and the military. Is that why you entrusted him with requests to kill ordinary civilians?

"What do you mean, requests to kill people? I never did that!”

Go Ryeoha shouted in protest.

Her reaction was so intense and seemed so genuine that every one of us Supreme Archmages who’d been treating her like a lunatic fell silent. Only Hamza, who had kept his mouth shut and his eyes darting around until now, whispered beside me.

"She’s juuuust a bit dangerous.”

"Hamza, what’s going on with her?”

"Human reason is a fragile thing, you know?”

While Hamza and I whispered, the interview between Go Ryeoha and Lieutenant General Royce continued.

He had pressured her to provoke a reaction from the start. When he glanced sideways, Brigadier General Thatcher began studying the visibly shaken Go Ryeoha with a sharp gaze while tapping away at his laptop.

The interpretation continued.

Royce: Have you ever seen Kang Peter make contact with another member of the Society?

"No, never. Father said the 66 Society absolutely hates having its members operate publicly.”

Royce: Did Kang Peter help teach you your LISA and magical knowledge?

"...Yes."

Royce: Do you believe that passing on LISA and magical knowledge, along with supplying materials, is how the 66 Society exerts control?

"Yes. Cooperating with the 66 Society was a condition."

Royce: You stated that the Society’s most essential knowledge concerning LISA is Tongue-branch magic. Through this report, have you shared with the military, with 100% certainty, everything the Society taught you about Tongue-branch magic?

"Yes..."

Royce: The knowledge required to use Tongue-branch magic correctly originates with the Society. Unlike the other four forms of magic, Tongue-branch magic is difficult to access and difficult to interpret, and without someone to guide the user, misuse can easily lead to severe injury or lasting aftereffects. Therefore, the Society’s knowledge is indispensable, and the judgement of someone within the Society must be reconciled with the individual’s own will before they are taught either Upright or Inverted Alteration-type magic knowledge. Is that correct?

Go Ryeoha, now thoroughly intimidated, glanced around before cautiously opening her mouth.

"Yes."

At that moment, both Lieutenant General Royce and Brigadier General Thatcher turned their eyes toward me.

What?

While I blinked at them in confusion, Lieutenant General Royce said something in English.

After listening to the whole thing, Captain Kim Howoon relayed it to him, sweat pouring down his face.

"He’s asking how you, Baek Jemin, member of the Supreme Archmages, are able to use Tongue-branch magic.”