The Academy’s Sashimi Sword Master

The sunlight, filtering through the curtains, fell upon the desk.

The wind stirred the fabric and also moved the blue hue, which slid like a hand across Shin Go-eun’s cheek as she lay sleeping face-down, tickling her with its warmth.

“Uh… mmm.”

Shin Go-eun rubbed her eyes.

It seemed she had dozed off for a moment.

She sat up slowly, still groggy, her vision blurred and her mind halfway between dream and wakefulness.

‘…It feels like I was dreaming about something from the past.’

That sweltering summer in Busan.

The memory of the day she escaped the world’s attention and went on vacation with Kang Geom-Ma.

A memory she had kept close, like a box of chocolates one hesitates to open.

Every time the heat returned, so did that memory.

That day, when she and Kang Geom-Ma witnessed the marine ecosystem beneath the sea.

Since then, she had visited nearly all the famous aquariums.

But honestly, none of them even came close to the “natural aquarium” he had shown her.

‘An inverted world.’

That was what she liked most—the feeling of being a stranger in nature itself.

“Stranger.”

…Why?

That three-syllable word felt rough, like sand grinding between her teeth.

After turning it over uselessly in her mind, she shook it away.

Krrrk…

She stretched hard until her shoulders cracked.

“Uh, mmm?”

Then she noticed the shadow the sunlight cast across the room.

On the sofa sat her husband, Kang Geom-Ma.

“Did you sleep well?”

“If you were here, you could’ve said something!”

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

Kang Geom-Ma smiled warmly.

“Seeing you sleep face-down reminded me of our academy days. Go-eun, you always slept like that in class, didn’t you?”

“As if you were some model student.”

“Hahaha. I slept plenty too.”

At that honest admission, Shin Go-eun couldn’t help but smile.

“I dreamed about our cadet days too.”

“And what did you dream about?”

“That’s a secret.”

Ryozo, with a mischievous look, picked up the pen again.

She had to finish her work quickly so she could go out with Kang Geom-Ma.

Scritch, scritch.

The nib danced over the paper.

Kang Geom-Ma silently watched her as she focused.

The cicadas’ song beat insistently against the windows.

A peaceful summer.

***

Joaquin’s postgrad program.

Training with comrades.

Chloe’s recovery.

The relocation of South Korea’s capital.

Could there have been a more intense semester?

On top of that, they had faced the end of the world—twice.

This year had been a whirlwind.

‘It’s starting to get exhausting.’

But what weighed heaviest on my chest, without a doubt, was the apocalypse.

Every time it seemed to fade, it came crashing back into my thoughts.

Even during these supposedly peaceful summer vacations, I couldn’t find peace.

I suffered in silence.

‘In moments like this…’

What one needs is a counselor.

And I had the saint, Yu Sein.

One random afternoon, while my comrades argued fiercely with the commander on the training field, I slipped away quietly.

I headed to the house my wives had arranged for Yu Sein.

‘She’s probably gaming again.’

But no.

“…You’ve got to be kidding.”

I froze.

It was shocking to see her surrounded by towers of documents, like a stone altar.

The gamer saint was… working!

“Ah, you’re here.”

Yu Sein didn’t even look at me, eyes fixed on her papers.

I sat at a safe distance, careful not to topple the precarious stack of pages.

“You must be really scared of the apocalypse. I didn’t think you’d be researching this hard, Yu Sein.”

“It’s not about the apocalypse. This is my main job.”

“I thought your duty was to prevent the end of the world?”

“That’s the job of heroes like you.”

“…Then what is this?”

Yu Sein put the papers down and stretched, massaging her stiff shins.

“There are many religions in this world.”

“That’s true.”

We lived in a world flooded with blessings.

Blessings were “the special power that gods grant to humans.”

Even if their origin lay with false gods, from a mortal’s perspective, they were practically divine.

And there were many—not just one or two.

With them came countless religions.

Even now, after I’d personally exterminated those false gods, the situation hadn’t changed.

‘I can’t just go around saying that since I killed all the gods, now the only true god is the God of the Sword…’

Besides—

‘Blessings still function normally.’

An ancient mystery.

I had erased the false gods, yet the blessings remained active.

There was no way they had survived—my sashimi blade erased existence itself.

I shook my head and refocused on what Yu Sein was explaining.

“You might not know this, Kang Geom-Ma, but there have always been doctrinal clashes between religions.”

“Makes sense, I guess.”

“They didn’t use to be this bad. Since there were so many gods, it was common to acknowledge them all without issue.”

“So what changed?”

When I asked, Yu Sein rubbed her furrowed brow.

“All those diverse religions have recently shrunk drastically. By about 90%.”

“That’s basically the same as disappearing.”

“Yeah. But it’s not like the believers suddenly lost faith.”

“They switched to another religion.”

Yu Sein nodded.

I added a little more to my deduction.

“So, there are religions that absorbed those believers.”

“…Yes.”

“And among them, the one that gained the most might be the Order of the Outsiders.”

“……”

“So you’re using your holy power to filter the list and check for suspicious people, is that it?”

Murmuring without much thought, I looked up.

Yu Sein was staring at me with a slightly uncomfortable expression, like she didn’t want to admit it.

I felt self-conscious.

“Did I say something dumb?”

“No. Everything you said is true.”

“Then why the face?”

“No reason.”

Yu Sein rested her cheek on her hand.

“They say spouses start to resemble each other, but it’s like you inherited Ryozo’s deductive skills.”

“You talk too complicated.”

“What I mean is—it’s creepy to see someone who only swung a sword suddenly using their brain. Haven’t you heard? When someone does something they’ve never done before, it means they’re dying.”

…Is this seriously a saint?

“It’s not a curse. I just mean what you said was so accurate, it scared me. It was a compliment.”

“If you said it like a saint, I’d appreciate it more.”

“That’s enough.”

Yu Sein returned to the topic with reluctance.

“You’re right, but what worries me isn’t just the increase in believers. Actually, in times like these, an increase benefits us.”

“How so?”

“You know His Holiness the Pope is very ill.”

“I’d heard. I even thought about visiting him someday.”

The Pope of the Order of the Outsiders had once been my guide.

When I was wandering aimlessly, he showed me a glimpse of truth and helped me find direction.

As an outsider myself, I had many mentors, and he was one of them.

Yu Sein spoke.

“Because of his age, of course. And maybe that’s why lately there are those who want to take advantage of his weakness to take his place.”

“It’s always like that when humans gather.”

“An organization is still an organization. And while the Order may seem gentle now, in the past it was an extremely radical institution.”

True.

In the old days, they branded skin with stigmas.

It hadn’t been long since they’d become a “reasonable” religion.

“His Holiness has always been one of the moderates.”

“And now the radicals in the Order have started to raise their voices.”

“Damn it, Kang Geom-Ma, couldn’t you have stuck to just using your sword? Seeing you like this is weird!”

“What, swordsmen don’t have brains?”

“It’s like there are two Ryozos.”

Twice as good.

“…Anyway. As you said, lately the radicals have grown very strong in the Order.”

“And what is it they want?”

Yu Sein pressed her forehead against the cold windowpane.

“They want to conduct an ideological verification of new believers.”

“What kind?”

“Brand them. Literally.”

Are they insane?

“In the 21st century?”

“Don’t compare it to the world we used to live in. Just this year alone there’ve been countless incidents.”

“That’s true…”

It wasn’t surprising there was anxiety.

Something new exploded every day, and society was in turmoil.

In chaotic times, people tend to extremes.

‘Radicals will have an easier time attracting followers because people confuse their severity with leadership.’

‘No wonder Yu Sein is worried.’

And it wasn’t just happening in the Order—likely many organizations were the same.

I set those thoughts aside and asked.

“Within the Order, what’s the ratio of moderates to radicals?”

“Roughly three to seven. Radicals are seven.”

“That many? Didn’t you say the Pope is a moderate?”

“Yes, but his support base was very solid. In fact, the radicals have always been the core of the Order.”

Sounded familiar.

‘Like the elders at Joaquin Academy.’

They always blocked Media and even tried to sabotage me, a mere cadet, just to protect their interests.

That’s how I developed my distrust of humans.

My throat burned.

It wasn’t my problem, but I wanted to get involved.

And even if the radicals weren’t corrupt like those elders, the idea of branding defecting believers didn’t sound sane.

I made a firm decision.

I looked at Yu Sein seriously.

“Where is His Holiness now?”

“Are you thinking of requesting an audience?”

“I owe him a favor from the past. I want to use this chance to repay it.”

“Hmm.”

Yu Sein sighed, crossing her arms with annoyance.

“I’ll say this—if you respect the Pope, don’t even think of pulling out your sashimi blade to scare the radicals. Neither he nor I refrained from acting because we couldn’t. Solving internal problems in the Order with violence would only lead to endless disaster.”

“……”

“If you understand, answer me.”

“So… this is the feeling you were talking about.”

Yu Sein tilted her head.

“What feeling all of a sudden?”

“…You said earlier that seeing me like this was strange. Well, same here. Because right now you really seem like a saint, and it gave me chills.”

“……”

A meeting where we left only scars on each other.

Yu Sein then called Priest Welter.

After hearing the situation, he hesitated slightly.

That I, an outsider, would get involved in the Order worried him.

“Please don’t misunderstand, Heavenly Sword. Even His Holiness would gladly accept your influence in the Order. But the gaze of the radicals upon you will be dangerous…”

“I’m used to being hated.”

Sad but true.

“Please allow me to see the Pope.”

“If that is the will of the Heavenly Sword.”

Welter placed his hand on his chest.

“I will inform His Holiness.”

***

The Order of the Outsiders was keeping the Pope hospitalized in Geneva, Switzerland.

Switzerland… hearing that made me think of someone: Abel.

This time I decided to travel with her.

Training had been intense lately, and I wanted her to relax with a few days away.

When I asked the commander for permission, he granted it immediately.

And gave everyone a break too, as a reward.

Ryozo used the time to catch up on sleep, and Rachel and Leon also rested.

“It’s been a while since we were alone, Geom-Ma.”

“But on even-numbered days, we do…”

“You think that’s the same?”

“Sorry.”

So, unexpectedly, we had a sweet vacation.

Abel and I flew to Geneva, riding on Sköll and Hati, heading toward the hospital Welter had told us about.

As soon as we passed through the entrance, the atmosphere changed.

The lobby was filled with people wearing grim expressions.

They wore cloaks marked with stigmas.

“Looks like they’re from the Order.”

Abel whispered to me.

We wore caps and masks, so we moved discreetly through the blind spots.

That let us hear their murmurs.

“Is the Pope… at death’s door?”

And then, a voice answered.

“According to the doctor… he has two hours left.”

A chill ran down both my spine and Abel’s at the same time.