Chapter 14: Fire and Judgment

Her footsteps echoed down the stark white corridor, urgent yet never reckless.
The woman, dressed in pale blue garments, came to a halt only when she reached the massive door.

The burly man standing guard before it looked down at her.

“Hm….”

She steadied her slightly ragged breathing and adjusted her clothes.
Closing her eyes tightly for a moment, she opened them again and nodded.
The doorkeeper grasped the rounded handle and knocked—tap, tap.

After signaling her arrival, the door that had been firmly shut soon opened.
As the large, heavy, arched door was pushed inward, a lavishly decorated interior was revealed.

“Sacred Scripture Eun has arrived, Missionary.”

With the doorkeeper’s resonant announcement, Seong Gyeong-eun stepped inside.

Clatter.

The man set down his cutlery and lightly wiped his mouth with a napkin.
His gaze, which had been fixed on a slab of meat soaked in blood, lifted forward.

From far away, Seong Gyeong-eun bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.
As the man lifted his glass and rinsed his mouth with a sip of water, he gestured.
The dishes laid out before him were swiftly cleared away.

Once the attendants finished tidying up and exited with their carts, Seong Gyeong-eun—now alone—finally raised the head she had kept lowered.

The man rose from his seat, ran a hand through his neatly slicked-back hair, and began to walk slowly.
Her eyes followed his movement, then dropped downward.
After a beat, she followed behind him.

Click, click—the sound of heels came to a stop.

“I will deliver my report, New Lord.”

Seong Gyeong-eun opened her lips to fulfill the task entrusted to her.

“Today’s dawn service at the New Temple was attended by a total of 3,743 people.
Online participation increased by three percent compared to the previous day.”

All matters concerning Saemaeul—and by extension, Saecheonmyeong—had to be reported to him.
Among them, Seong Gyeong-eun was the one responsible for internal affairs and domestic reports.

Though it was a daily routine she should have grown accustomed to, meeting him alone always made her tense.
Even more so on days like today, when the report was of particular importance.

She parted her tightly pressed lips and continued carefully.

“And at dawn, the shipment of apples to Prosecutor Shin Tae-woo was completed.”

Apples, a regional specialty of Eunjung-gun, were one of the crops harvested in enormous quantities even here in Saemaeul.
Though apples were now available year-round, the real reason they had been delivered out of season was something else entirely.

More precisely, it wasn’t the apples.

Though the shipment passed through local government inspection, what lay inside was laundered cash.
The apple boxes were sent to Prosecutor Shin as compensation for securing a non-indictment in last month’s investigation.

The man, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

“How much was sent?”

“Two boxes.”

Each box contained six hundred million won—1.2 billion won in total, paid in exchange for non-prosecution.
Yet his expression suggested dissatisfaction.
Reading his face quickly, Seong Gyeong-eun asked,

“Would that be… insufficient?”

After a moment of thought, a slick smile spread across his lips.

“Considering it was the price for letting Lee Young-se walk free, doesn’t that seem a bit too small?”

Seong Gyeong-eun pressed her lips together.

She agreed deeply with that sentiment.
No one could dare assign a monetary value to him.

The one and only god reincarnated upon this land.
The image of the Heavenly Father who had come to save the world, having established the Saemaeul community in Deokhye-ri, Eunjung-gun—the land of grace.

He was the founder of Saecheonmyeong.

Every word that left his mouth was law, an absolute command that had to be obeyed.
Seong Gyeong-eun bent deeply at the waist, accepting his will.

“We will prepare an additional shipment promptly, ensuring there is no shortage.”

“Make sure no one complains.
Feed apples to those above him as well.
And if there are any loose-lipped types around them, be especially thorough.”

“Yes, understood, New Lord.”

The man leaned comfortably back on the sofa and crossed his legs atop the table.
Casting a lazy glance around, he spoke in a gentle tone.

“More importantly…”

He drew out the end of his sentence as his gaze dropped downward.
When his eyes settled on her, Seong Gyeong-eun swallowed dryly.
Tilting his head slightly, Lee Young-se posed a question.

“How are the prodigals being dealt with?”

She brought forward the documents she was holding, stepping closer and offering him the papers she had received from outside.

Lee Young-se took them and pulled out the contents.
His eyes remained emotionless as he examined photographs that captured scenes of sheer horror.
Seong Gyeong-eun spoke while he reviewed them.

“As you can see, Jo In-ho’s case has been closed by the police as a suicide.”

Jo In-ho had been one of the most active members of the Coalition of Former Saecheonmyeong Believers in filing charges.
Only after seeing Jo In-ho’s corpse did Lee Young-se allow a satisfied smile to surface.

“The next prodigal designated by the New Lord, Im Jin-seok, will be handled as an accidental fall during a hiking group outing in three days.”

At that, the smile faded.
He dropped the leg he had been resting up and straightened, locking eyes with her.

“Dealing with them one by one like that will take far too long.”

It could take years to achieve his ultimate goal that way.
Lost in thought, he soon called out to her.

“Missionary Seong?”

“Yes, New Lord.”

“How do you think we should deal with prodigals who have committed sin?”

Her dilated pupils shook violently.

“H-How could I possibly dare to offer my opinion to the New Lord…?”

“No.
For our faithful Missionary Seong, it’s hardly impossible.
Go on. Speak.”

A single misstep could spell disaster.

Seong Gyeong-eun squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her hands tightly.

She had to come up with something.
Her thoughts raced, and she recalled a passage from the Sacred Scripture she had memorized countless times.

Her tightly pressed lips parted, and a quiet voice emerged.

“…Those who deny the New Lord, those who do not believe, shall be punished.
Thus speaks the New Lord: O faithless prodigals, be judged by fire and blade and perish.”

At the verse she recited, one of Lee Young-se’s eyebrows twitched.

“Per… perhaps, as written in the Sacred Scripture, you might pass judgment by fire upon the prodigals…”

Lee Young-se rolled his tongue, wetting his lips with saliva, and considered her words.

“Fire, you say….”

It struck him as a rather good idea.
It would bring the scripture to life—and serve as an efficient way to end many lives at once.

“Very fitting for a missionary.”

“Th-Thank you.”

Lee Young-se stretched out his arm and picked up a booklet resting on the table.
When he saw the cover, a venomous smile spread across his lips.

[Membership List of the Coalition of Former Saecheonmyeong Believers]

Obtaining information on those who denied him was never difficult.
As the leader of Saecheonmyeong, he could have anything he desired.

Shaking the booklet lightly, he issued an order.

“Have them think of a way to gather the members as quietly as possible.
As for timing… tell them sometime after the harvest season ends.”

“Yes, New Lord.”

Thud.

Tossing the booklet aside, Lee Young-se ran a hand through his hair once more and bestowed a reward upon Seong Gyeong-eun, who had pleased him.

“And for the upcoming grand service, you prepare the sermon.”

He was granting her the opportunity to lead a service in his stead.
Even among chosen missionaries, being entrusted with a sermon was not something given lightly.

Seong Gyeong-eun stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

“M-Me… you mean me?”

“Fire and judgment upon the prodigals.
I think it’ll make for a fine sermon.”

Looking as though she had gained the entire world, Seong Gyeong-eun bent deeply at the waist.

“Yes! I—I will prepare diligently!”

Lee Young-se smiled softly and nodded.

He had never doubted her faith.
She had risen to the rank of missionary through sheer devotion alone.
Not only had she offered up her own child for the New Lord, she had personally carried out executions for the future of Saecheonmyeong.

The best way to solidify such faith was to grant opportunity—to give her hope that what she desired could, indeed, come true.