The Den of the Crimson Cult

‘Ha….’

The memory hit me so hard that tears suddenly welled up. I didn’t want to cry in front of Baek Hee-do, but despite gritting my teeth, the emotions from that day flooded back, and tears began to track down my chin.

Baek Hee-do watched me in silence for a moment before picking up a water bottle and pouring it directly over my head. A few people at nearby tables stared at the bizarre display, but for me, I was actually grateful; the shock was enough to snap me out of the trauma of the past.

Regaining my composure, I wiped my face with a long napkin.

Then came the words I couldn’t believe.

“Fine, Exorcist. I’ll take you to the Citadel of Prophecy.”

I whipped the napkin away from my face, forgetful of my embarrassment. Baek Hee-do met my gaze with a straight face.

“On one condition: we go after I get my hands on the Thunder Spirit Sword. To carry a dead weight like you into that place, I need to be at a much higher rank than I am now.”

“What? But the Thunder Spirit Sword is a total fake—”

“No, it exists. The leader of a pseudo-religious cult called the Fire Spirit Cult has it.”

I shot him a skeptical look, but Baek Hee-do looked certain, as if he knew something I didn’t.

“So, I’m going to infiltrate the heart of their sect—the Fire Spirit Temple—and steal it. If I succeed, you and I go to the Citadel of Prophecy. If I fail, well… I’ll be running for my life.”

“That’s insane….”

I wanted to talk him out of it, but Baek Hee-do just cracked his neck from side to side, radiating unearned confidence.

“Did a lowly C-rank just call my plan insane?”

“I know about the Fire Spirit Cult! They have over 300 party members. You’re talking about robbing a place like that—of course it’s insane!”

The Fire Spirit Cult was the largest Awakened party in the country, but they were a strange, pseudo-religious organization where members showed fanatical loyalty to their leader.

The party leader, ‘Lee Hong,’ referred to his followers as ‘Hwa-gyo-in’ and engaged in proselytizing. Because they were shrouded in mystery and forbade members from returning to ‘this’ world once they joined, most people viewed them with deep suspicion.

Regardless of the dirty looks from other Awakened, the Fire Spirit Cult had built a magnificent fortress in ‘that’ world, naming it the ‘Fire Spirit Temple,’ and had begun addressing Lee Hong as ‘His Highness.’

Because their numbers were so vast—and because Lee Hong and his younger brother, ‘Lee Hye,’ were R-rank and S-rank powerhouses respectively—people only called them a cult behind their backs. No one dared to say it to their faces.

‘He’s planning to rob the treasure of an organization like that?’

I would bet my right hand that in my previous life, this bastard Baek Hee-do died doing exactly this kind of thing.

“You’ll die if you go. I’m not joking.”

I was dead serious, but Baek Hee-do just leaned back, interlacing his fingers behind his head nonchalantly.

“Was that a bit of concern? I don’t need it.”

“……Dammit. I have no other way if it’s not you! You expect me to just sit back and watch you go off to your death?”

Baek Hee-do’s eyes widened for a moment at my words, then he burst into a fit of laughter.

“Right, right. That’s why I’m saying I’ll steal the Thunder Spirit Sword for you.”

“Crazy bastard….”

The curse I’d been holding inside finally slipped out. Baek Hee-do didn’t seem to mind; he just stood up from his seat.

Then, he suddenly reached out and brushed his fingers against the corners of my eyes—a lingering, uncomfortable touch. I slapped his hand away.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

Baek Hee-do glanced at the back of his hand where I’d struck him, then looked back at my face. He uttered another cryptic remark.

“Exorcist. Don’t cry in front of others again.”

“What?”

“The way you cry… it’s a bit much.”

“What does that even—!”

“Eat well, okay?”

With that, Baek Hee-do paid the bill and vanished as if it were nothing. I was left there, feeling completely hollow.

‘Lee Hong, the leader of the Fire Spirit Cult, must be a mental-type Awakened.’

That would explain why his party members served him with such religious zeal. Such loyalty was impossible otherwise.

Furthermore, his brother, Lee Hye, was known as the cult’s vanguard—a notoriously powerful warrior.

This was low-level information I had gathered by paying an info brokerage. I had even managed to track down the location of the Fire Spirit Temple in ‘that’ world. Although I had a month of vacation, I crossed over to the other side immediately.

‘That idiot has incredible initiative, so if something happens, I have to be there to help him.’

In other words, since we were in the same boat, I couldn’t let Baek Hee-do die, no matter how reckless his plan was.

So, I emptied my entire bank account to prepare for a stealth infiltration of the Fire Spirit Temple and soon arrived at a village nearby.

Upon arrival, the sight of the village—with every building painted a garish, blood-red—made me shrink back. It felt as though the entire town had already been swallowed by the cult.

“Welcome!”

“……Yes.”

I had worn red clothes myself just in case, so I didn’t stand out too much, but since this wasn’t a place that saw many outsiders, quite a few people stole glances at me. I secured a room for the night and stayed holed up inside.

‘It hasn’t started already, has it?’

I figured he wouldn’t move during the broad daylight, but my worries were in vain; the Fire Spirit Temple remained quiet.

Just as I was feeling relieved that Baek Hee-do wasn’t charging in blindly, I sensed a commotion and crept down the stairs of the inn.

“Bring more wine! Wine!”

“L-Lord Lee Hye…. If Lord Lee Hong finds out, he’ll be furious with you again.”

“When has my brother ever been truly furious with me? It’s you lot who get punished.”

“…….”

“I said bring more wine! Hey, are you deaf?”

A voice, clearly already deep in its cups, echoed through the room. Despite the attempts of those around him to stop him, the man called Lee Hye refused to back down.

‘Lee Hye? …Wait, the Lee Hye of the Fire Spirit Cult?’

I stepped quietly down the stairs, peeking at the rowdy drinking party. There, sitting in the center, was a young man acting with total insolence.

‘So that’s Lee Hye….’

The first thing that caught my eye was his striking red hair. It was braided long, and he wore large earrings that looked like artifacts. He was a remarkably handsome man.

However, I frowned as I watched him. Even with a face flushed bright red from intoxication, he was still gulping down alcohol.

‘Is he an alcoholic?’

“More! Bring more!”

The people around him finally gave in and brought more wine. Lee Hye drank it like water and began forcing the others to join him.

He looked to be in his late twenties, but….

‘He’s a total young tyrant.’

“Hey! Why aren’t you guys drinking?”

“W-we’re alright, sir….”

Even though they were party members, the hierarchy within the cult seemed absolute.

Watching the older men tremble before Lee Hye, I momentarily wondered what the deal was with religious organizations.

“Are you going to sit down or not? Seriously?”

“W-we are so sorry. We heard Lord Lee Hong is arriving soon….”

“So my brother’s word is law, but mine is trash?”

“No, sir! It’s not like that….”

‘Oho, so the party leader, Lee Hong, is coming too. That’s a good catch.’

Hearing that Lee Hong was on his way, I moved up another flight of stairs to hide in a corner.

I looked back down at the floor below, and….

“Ugh!”

I witnessed a shocking scene. Lee Hye, completely wasted, suddenly grabbed a massive, burly man with a thick beard and began kissing him!

‘He’s… he’s insane….’

So that was why no one wanted to sit next to him. His drinking habit was that.

I saw the others tightly shutting their eyes as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t have, and I had to suppress my own urge to gag. What an absolute disgrace.

But then, it happened.

“Lord Lee Hong!”

“Lord Lee Hong has arrived.”

“Lord Lee Hong….”

The area suddenly went deathly silent as Lee Hong’s name was whispered from all sides. Simultaneously, a man dressed in incredibly lavish robes appeared.

His attire was just as flamboyant as Baek Hee-do’s, and he shared the same vibrant red hair as the drunken Lee Hye. Their faces were similar, too—though their auras were worlds apart.

“Oh? Brother….”

Lee Hye, who had just pulled his lips away from the bearded man, gave a lopsided grin and opened his arms wide.

I wondered how Lee Hong would react to his brother’s disgraceful behavior. But Lee Hong spoke to his brother in a voice that was disturbingly gentle.

“You’ve held out well these past few days. You must have felt very suffocated, Hye.”