I Became the Childhood Friend Who Commits Sui**de

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Why do I have to be here?

Shin Woo sighed with such a question in mind.

A school trip.

One of the events that would linger in memories for a long time during school days.

However, the academy’s school trip had a slightly different aspect compared to an ordinary school.

On the surface, it was a sightseeing trip for students worn out from continuous studies.

But upon arriving at the tourist destination, that feeling was impossible to grasp.

The same was true when we visited the shrine on the second day of the trip.

It was a uniquely Japanese shrine, but it wasn’t impressive enough to elicit a gasp of awe.

Rather, it was extremely plain and dull; to put it bluntly, it was just boring.

Anyway, the Class A students were scattered about, exploring the shrine freely.

Since Shin Woo couldn’t just stand still, he moved his feet mechanically.

While wandering, he noticed a small shrine tucked away in a corner that had no sunlight.

It seemed to be neglected, with vines growing over it, creating an unexpectedly special atmosphere.

It looked as if it had been left untouched by human hands for thousands of years.

Of course, that couldn’t be true.

If it were a popular place to visit for a school trip, it would surely be well-maintained.

“······.”

It felt strange.

At that moment, just as he was going to glance at it casually and move on, a faint light seeped through the slightly opened shrine door.

As if enchanted by something, Shin Woo slowly approached it.

And just as he was about to open the shrine door, someone suddenly appeared.

A woman clad in a pure white robe with a red skirt.

She was wearing a traditional Japanese priestess outfit that looked somewhat familiar.

“You shouldn’t enter here carelessly.”

“…Ah, yes. Sorry.”

Speaking casually from the very start.

It could be seen as rude, but since he was the one who intruded first, Shin Woo meekly apologized and tried to leave.

Then, hesitating for a moment, Shin Woo spoke up.

“You can speak Korean.”

“No, I can’t.”

“…Huh?”

What kind of nonsensical statement is this?

If that’s the case, what language is coming out of her mouth right now?

Japanese?

That can’t be.

If that were the case, Shin Woo wouldn’t understand her meaning.

To begin with, Shin Woo could only speak English and Korean.

If it were a different country’s language, it would be normal to notice.

But as her words naturally entered his ears and the meaning registered in his brain, it was clear that…

“Do you think I’m speaking Korean?”

“…······.”

Shin Woo couldn’t bring himself to respond.

Ignoring the words entering his ears, he observed her lips closely and noticed that her mouth movements didn’t match the language.

In other words, she was not speaking Korean.

But…

How could that be?

Is it a special ability?

That was the only thing that came to mind.

“How is this possible?”

“This isn’t Japan.”

“Excuse me?”

The priestess calmly pointed to a certain area.

Turning his head in the direction of her finger, he saw a common torii gate in front of the shrine.

“The moment you cross that torii gate, this place isn’t human territory anymore.”

“…So, you’re saying it’s the land of the gods?”

“Exactly.”

What a ridiculous statement.

Shin Woo quickly lost interest and felt no need to continue the conversation.

“I don’t know what ability you have, but that kind of silly trick isn’t very fun.”

“A trick, huh? You don’t think there are gods?”

“…If there are gods, they wouldn’t be the kindhearted ones humans wish for. They just let this terrible world be.”

At that, the priestess nodded and said,

“I see. It seems you’ve been betrayed by your faith.”

“Think what you like. I’m leaving.”

Just as he was about to leave the shrine, the ground suddenly shook violently.

An earthquake?

He had heard that earthquakes happened often in Japan.

The priestess, who had lowered her body due to the shaking, gazed into the distance and muttered.

“An enemy.”

“…An enemy?”

“Today’s tour ends here. Everybody, hurry back to the inn.”

“If it’s a monster, we can fight too. After all, we’re academy students…”

“They’re not the kind of opponent you can take lightly. You could all die.”

Her tone was not just a simple warning but held a certainty.

How does she know that an enemy is coming?

Shin Woo, who felt nothing himself, began to question.

The priestess stiffened her expression for the first time and muttered quietly.

“…Oh no. The breach speed is too fast. At this rate, we won’t even have time to escape…”

“What’s going on? Please tell me so I can help too.”

“Evacuate everyone inside the main shrine. And absolutely do not open the door. You must not open the door.”

Bam!!

A massive booming sound echoed nearby.

Shin Woo, too, was now convinced that something unusual was happening.

“Quickly!”

At the priestess’s urging, he promptly informed the instructor and began evacuating.

Surprisingly, the instructors followed the priestess’s words without any questions or objections.

Perhaps she was more than just an ordinary shrine priestess.

For now, there was no way to know the answers, despite his curiosity.

Inside the shrine where the students had evacuated, talismans had somehow been stuck all over the door.

Had they been there from the beginning? Remembering her advice to never open the door, Shin Woo firmly shut it.

Valentina approached him, looking worried.

“Shin Woo, what’s happening all of a sudden?”

“…I don’t know exactly, but someone has invaded the shrine.”

“The shrine? Who would do that and why?”

“Well, not sure.”

He could come up with two possibilities.

Either they weren’t after the shrine but were targeting themselves as tourists.

Or there was some objective regarding the shrine itself.

*

The Blue Shark stood with her arms crossed, grumbling.

“Isn’t this overdoing it? If we go in and there’s no Holy Grail, I feel like I might just rage.”

“You’re just standing there watching, yet you have a lot to say.”

The Gold Lion, who had smashed all the highly designed barriers around the shrine, casually spoke while stretching.

“By the way, I don’t know who made this, but they created quite the impressive barrier. A barrier only effective against monsters? Not bad, huh?”

“Well, in front of my fist, they’re nothing but soap bubbles.”

“How clever.”

Then she spoke to the girl quietly following behind her.

“White Lamb, just watch from behind; we’ll take care of it, alright?”

“Yes, Shark.”

“No need for the newbie to step up. There are only rookies inside the shrine.”

The strength of the Apostles boasts an overwhelming level beyond ordinary dimensions.

The number of S-Class heroes who can match them doesn’t exceed ten.

In other words, there’s virtually no one who can stop the Apostles.

Let alone inexperienced rookies and teachers who only teach in the back rooms, how could they defeat the Apostles?

Thinking logically, it was nearly impossible to fail a mission when two or more Apostles are gathered.

Therefore, they might have been rather complacent.

The three passed through the torii gate in the deserted shrine.

At that moment.

The two in front immediately sensed the change occurring in their bodies.

As the Gold Lion and Blue Shark panicked, the priestess stepped forward and spoke.

“Foolish sinners. In this land of the gods, you must all be naked and feel shame.”

“…What are you doing to us?”

“I merely took back the unjust power you acquired. At least here, you are ordinary humans.”

In other words, the power gained through mana stones.

Was the power they had as Apostles temporarily taken from them?

The Gold Lion, opening and closing her fist to estimate the power she still had, smiled leisurely.

“Is that so? This sensation is a bit nostalgic. Not bad at all.”

Then, her expression quickly changed, revealing an unrestrained thirst for blood.

“Still, how rude. How dare you take away my blessing?”

“Foolish lion. Be quiet.”

As the priestess shook the bell in her hand, waves emerged and shot toward the enemies.

The Gold Lion took her stance without panicking and struck the air with her fist.

Boom!!

The resulting strong shockwave soon shattered the wave mercilessly.

“Hey, woman. Where’s the Holy Grail?”

“All I can give you is death.”

“Seriously?”

Adapting to the lost power, the Blue Shark immediately activated her ability.

Certainly, her water was much smaller in scale compared to before, but it remained threatening nonetheless.

Sharp waves surged toward the priestess.

Instantly pulling out a hand mirror, the priestess reflected the waves.

On the Apostles’ side, they took advantage of their teamwork and launched relentless attacks without giving her a moment’s respite.

The priestess’s skills were undoubtedly exceptional. If both of them had been able to use their full power, she would have been utterly defeated, but at least against the weakened Apostles, she was holding her ground.

Even so, the Gold Lion’s punches were brutally strong.

And the Blue Shark’s shield was incredibly solid.

Trying desperately to hang on, as time passed, the pendulum of victory began to tilt more and more.

“Reveal the location of the Holy Grail.”

“…It’s not here.”

“Do you think holding out here will do anything? Already, the Apostles have moved to all places that could possibly hold the Holy Grail apart from here. No matter how much you struggle, the Holy Grail will end up in our hands.”

“You think I’d hand over the Holy Grail to you…?”

The Gold Lion frowned at her unwavering stubbornness.

“Tch. Guess there’s no helping it. Hey, newbie.”

“Yes, Lion.”

“While we hold her off, go find the Holy Grail.”

“Understood.”

At that moment, the White Lamb, who had been quietly staying in the back, started to move, shocking the priestess.

“That light…