I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 133

"Should I leave this here?"

"Yes. Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Brother, we could finish quickly."

The priest wiped the sweat from his forehead with a pure white handkerchief as he extended his hand.

Grasping his hand, I also returned a smile of gratitude.

"It's only natural. Please don't worry too much about it."

"Haha! To think your heart is as beautiful as this. This must also be the guidance of Calione and God."

The priest extending his hand to me was named Johan.

He was one of the priests at Halla Cathedral in Jeju Island and also the overall person in charge of the relief supplies.

"Now that the busy work is done, why don't you rest inside? It takes quite some time to reach Jeju Island, so please rest well."

"Thank you for your consideration, Father."

The Francesco was a wide ship, often called a barge, that was the perfect size for loading cargo.

However, its downside was the limited space for people to stay, so everyone had to rest by laying out blankets or mattresses in shared spaces.

Of course, modifications could be made to create rooms, but this ship was explicitly used by religious people.

Hoping for luxury was out of the question.

"Ah, you're the Brother I saw earlier. Welcome."

"""Welcome!!"""

As I entered the resting area, other priests and sisters greeted me with bright smiles.

"I sincerely thank you for your warm welcome."

After receiving their greetings with a smile, I sat down in an empty seat and looked around.

Everyone was smiling, chatting, or praying in a peaceful manner.

But I knew.

That they were not ordinary priests and nuns.

They were the Catholic blade, tempering themselves in the hell known as Jeju Island.

Of course, not all of them were like that.

"Mister! Are you also a priest?"

"Mister, are you also going to Jeju Island? Do you have a house in Jeju Island?"

"Mister, can water wriggle in your hands too?"

Before I knew it, children dressed in nun's habits and priest uniforms approached me, bombarding me with questions.

I had heard that there were children who lost their parents in Jeju Island and now lived at Halla Cathedral. These must be those children.

"Mister? Me?"

"Yes! Mister!"

"Mister! Hehe!"

It seemed that due to the effect of the Skill [Clown Makeup], they thought of me as a middle-aged man and called me Mister.

The face I changed to avoid threats arising from the fact that I, the successor of Calione, had come to Jeju Island alone, appeared to the children as nothing more than a simple Mister.

Still, I had put effort into customizing my appearance......

As I scratched my face, unsure how to explain, I was saved by the bell.

"Everyone, you shouldn't bother the guest, okay?"

"""Yes~"""

Thanks to a quick-witted sister, I was able to escape the awkward situation.

"I'm sorry, the children are just so curious."

"It's fine. They're children, after all. It's understandable."

The sister smiled softly at my response.

"Thank you for saying that. Perhaps because they've lived in Jeju Island since they were young, they're very curious about the outside world. Of course, they now stay in Busan during weekdays for school."

"Ah......."

"You're aware of the stories about the orphans from Jeju Island, right?"

"Yes, I've heard them a few times and remember."

It was a story widely spread in Busan and the southern sea regions—a sort of superstition that those who lived in Jeju Island brought bad luck.

This rumor didn't just remain as gossip but even contributed to the increase in villain birth rates in Jeju Island.

In this world's lore, Jeju Islanders were almost regarded as symbols of misfortune.

"Because of that, the children can only barely sleep in the Busan Diocese. They have to return on weekends. Truly, it's a harsh trial for the children."

Listening to her story, I looked at the children laughing and chatting in the distance.

"......Still, they're growing up with bright smiles, aren't they? That must mean the Jeju Diocese has worked hard."

"Ah...... I didn't expect you to say that. Thank you. Oh dear, I was supposed to help you rest, but instead, I ended up bothering you."

"Not at all. It was an enjoyable conversation."

The sister smiled softly at my words and stood up from her seat.

"It will probably take about 13 hours to reach Jeju Island after we depart. Please rest well until then."

Bowing deeply, the sister disappeared somewhere.

Accepting her consideration, I lay down to relieve the fatigue of flying from Incheon to Busan and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tap.

Tap. Tap.

The repeated impact continued. Even so, there was only one reason I kept my eyes closed.

"Mister? Are you sleeping?"

The young sister from earlier was lightly tapping my body.

Pretending to sleep and trying to wait it out, I realized once again that a sister is still a sister.

Her patience was remarkable as she persistently tapped my leg.

"......What."

In the end, I gave up and spoke first.

"Ah! I knew you weren't sleeping!"

"......Could anyone sleep with you tapping like that?"

"Hehe. Sorry. But you've been sleeping for a long time, haven't you? Sister Maria said sleeping too long isn't good for your health."

"Sleeping for a long time?"

Checking the time immediately, I saw it was already 5 PM...... exactly nine hours since I fell asleep.

It seemed like I had slept deeply, probably for the first time with this different face. Considering my usual sleep schedule, it was indeed a long rest.

However.

"Is that why you woke me up?"

"N-no, of course not! It's just...... um...... I was curious about Seoul."

"What?"

"Actually, we've never been anywhere other than Busan. There's no TV in Jeju Island, and even the cathedral we stay at during weekdays doesn't have one. The kids at school say there are heroes who protect us, but we don't know much."

Saying that, the young sister tilted her head and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"Could you tell us about the outside world......?"

"Ha......."

Hearing such a reason, who could refuse?

Feeling refreshed after a good rest, and noticing preparations for dinner on one side of the ship, I got up and spoke.

"Let's go. Where are the other kids?"

"Outside! They're all waiting for you, Mister!"

"Outside?"

Following the small hand leading me, I arrived at the external deck packed with goods.

"Over there. Over there!"

The young sister pointed to a pile of boxes of food supplies, where the children were squatting and chatting.

"Oh? Jeanne really brought Mister here!"

"Jeanne is amazing!"

"Jeanne is brave!"

The young sister, or rather the child called Jeanne, scratched her head shyly at the flood of compliments from the other children.

"Hehe, you're all embarrassing me. Now, since our guest Mister is here, shall we all quiet down?"

Saying that, Sister Jeanne sat among the children and looked at me blankly.

"Ah."

They had asked me to talk about the outside world.

It seemed the other children were also looking at me with expectant eyes.

"There's nothing particularly grand to tell......."

Still, I couldn't bear to disappoint the children.

Alright, I'll tell you a story!

But, it wasn't about the Academy.

Perhaps a story no one else would know.

I decided to weave together tales of my adventures as Saber Cloud.

"This is about the things I experienced while traveling—uh, playing a game."

Should I try to stick to believable stories for now?

* * *

"No way, how can you kill a dragon with chopsticks?"

"Mister, you're such a liar!"

"Liar!"

"You don't believe me. If you look at a dragon's chest, there's a place called the reverse scale. If you stab through there to the heart...."

Of course, you'd need to max out all related skills and stats for stabbing, but it's not a lie.

"Even a dragon would die. I'd love to show you myself, but since there aren't any dragons nearby... that's unfortunate."

It's not like I have the stats to demonstrate with chopsticks right now anyway.

So instead, at the moment I decided to show them something else.

"Everyone, gather around! We're almost there!"

"""Yes~!"""

At the Sister's voice, the children responded in unison and got up one by one with a cheerful "Heave-ho!"

"Still, it was fun, Mister!"

"I want to see a dragon!"

"Please tell us more stories at the cathedral!"

With a promise for next time, the children ran toward the Sister's direction.

"Ah, were you with the children again?"

And at the end of it, there was the Sister, walking with the children, wearing an awkward smile as if apologizing for something.

"No, not at all. The children were playing with me. By the way, you said we're almost there?"

"Yes, the sea fog is starting to roll in. You should prepare as well."

"Prepare... you say?"

After confirming that the children had completely gone inside the ship, the Sister nodded and pulled something out from under the skirt of her nun's habit.

It was a small pistol engraved with a cross.

"It's always the busiest time when we dock at the port."

"Ah, I've heard about this."

The reason I was accompanying them this time was due to circumstances involving Jeju Island.

Specifically, to deal with demons, villains, and monsters who targeted the ship's cargo and the children.

"They swarm in like waves as soon as the ship docks at the port?"

"Yes. Since it's the only chance to obtain proper daily necessities that come to Jeju Island once a week, it has been strangely worse lately... It's been so precarious that it's a miracle no one has been injured so far."

The Sister, as if to calm her mind, made the sign of the cross with a puzzled expression.

Watching her, I nodded slightly. Given the incidents occurring during this period, her reaction was understandable.

"I will do my best to help."

"It's reassuring to have the Calione Hitman helping us. Then, we'll prepare to unload the cargo."

With a bow, the Sister disappeared.

It seemed that other Sisters and priests were also preparing to unload the cargo or keeping watch around the area.

"Looks like we're getting closer to Jeju Island."

As the sea fog grew thicker, gradually narrowing the surrounding view, even the signal on the phone in my pocket stopped working.

───────Baaaang

A heavy and grand ship horn echoed through the mist, shaking the entire ship.

A signal to let others know their ship was nearby.

"Are there other ships besides ours using this port?"

Thinking it was nothing, I decided to help with moving the cargo. At that moment.

Thud!!

The ship shook violently, followed by a loud explosion.

And in front of me.

"Ah. Ahhh......."

I could see the pale face of Sister Maria.

"Sister Maria?"

"Pirates, it's pirates!"

Pirates?