How A Mythical Holy Knight Lives As A Villain (Novel) - Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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“Here’s some red bean tea.”
“It’s been a while. Thank you, Pastor.”
“Haha, well then, enjoy your conversation.”
Park Do-young personally brought tea for Shin Soo-kyung and Go Johan, who were sitting in a corner of the church’s chapel.
Everyone else was hiding somewhere, holding their breath, but the awkwardness would have been unbearable, so Park Do-young stepped in.
“…….”
Go Johan silently looked away, uncomfortable.
‘What should I even say?’
Should he start by asking how she found him here?
He had told Go Min-ji, but she had vehemently denied being the one who revealed his location.
“How did you…?”
“Since you were little, the places you’d go were obvious.”
He barely opened his mouth, and the answer came.
“School, and this church. Even if you occasionally did strange things, these were the places you spent the most time.”
Shin Soo-kyung sipped the red bean tea as she spoke.
Though she was nearing sixty, as a powerful Player, she looked like a dignified woman in her early forties.
“Are you eating…? Your health…?”
In Go Johan’s eyes—
Tremble.
—he noticed her hands shaking.
“…….”
How much had she agonized?
How much had her heart ached?
Truthfully, aside from his childhood, his memories with Shin Soo-kyung weren’t plentiful.
But even that was enough.
“I don’t know… where to even start.”
How much she loved him, and how careful she was around him.
“Mom. It’s okay. Today.”
Go Johan spoke softly.
“Anything is okay. So just… relax.”
“…Thank…”
Shin Soo-kyung quickly turned her head away.
“…Here.”
Park Do-young, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, handed her an obviously expensive handkerchief.
Watching him scurry away again, Go Johan chuckled and let go of some tension.
“They’re kind people.”
“Yes. Especially to me.”
“…….”
Silence again.
It was awkward.
Unbearably so.
“I knew… I shouldn’t have come.”
Shin Soo-kyung was the first to break the silence.
“I know why you keep your distance from the divine, why… you can’t even comfortably come home.”
Before being his mother, she was a Player—and the vice guild leader of the divine.
As far as Go Johan knew, Shin Soo-kyung hadn’t become vice guild leader just because she was Go Jae-han’s wife.
“You were always such a warm child. Even as a little boy, you were… special.”
Shin Soo-kyung smiled faintly.
“And… it broke my heart.”
Go Johan looked at her.
“Because of what happened at the Incheon villa?”
“No… Well, maybe that’s part of it.”
Shin Soo-kyung wiped her tears and met his gaze.
“You were special even before that, but that was when I truly realized just how special you were.”
“……?”
He didn’t understand.
Was it special to her that a child could endure such trauma without breaking?
Or was it because of the extraordinary things Go Johan had done after the incident at the Incheon villa?
“Johan. My son.”
Shin Soo-kyung cupped his cheek.
“Mom… Mom…”
He could feel her heart pounding fiercely through her fingertips.
Her pulse, her face—
It looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“I knew you saved me.”
At that moment—
“…Mom?”
Go Johan’s heart nearly stopped.
—
His mother, injured by assassins.
The mother who had thrown herself in harm’s way to protect her young son—if she had been left untreated, or if they had waited for Lee Jae-kyung to arrive, she would have died.
‘I thought she was unconscious.’
Back then, Go Johan had still been lacking.
No matter how great his past life as a paladin was, he was only six years old.
Six years wasn’t enough to fully regain all his senses and power.
That oversight had been his mistake.
And because of the overwhelming rage he had felt—something he had rarely experienced across all his lives—he had missed one crucial detail.
While healing his mother, her consciousness had been faintly present.
“What do you…?”
“My son.”
Tremble.
Her hands still shook as she held his, as if trying to hide it.
“I knew my son healed me, and… that he took care of the bad people.”
Even though he had declared a holy war and spoken of destruction, Shin Soo-kyung chose her words carefully, as if he were still a child.
“…Why? If you knew, why…?”
“Because your ‘specialness’ wasn’t ordinary. I thought you’d tell me when you were ready.”
“……!”
“If you didn’t, there must have been a reason. And I didn’t want my foolish excitement to overshadow your brilliance.”
It was a genuine shock.
“And… I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that little boy was carrying on his shoulders.”
-Son, should we have chicken?
-Son.
-Son. I love you.
All of it—
“You knew… and yet…”
—had been sincere acts of love.
“It’s the same now. I saw what you announced. Only now do I feel like I’m starting to understand even a little.”
“…….”
“That’s why I thought I shouldn’t come. I didn’t want to burden you.”
“Mom.”
“But still, but still…”
Shin Soo-kyung buried her face in his shoulder.
Though her aging had slowed because she was a Player—
Crack.
—his mother had grown thin.
And older.
“I was worried… that you’d disappear somewhere and I’d never see you again.”
Go Johan closed his eyes.
He couldn’t even name the emotion he was feeling.
“Mom is… grateful… and sorry…”
What even was—
“Mom…”
—this feeling?
It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t pain.
His chest felt like it was tearing apart—no, like he wanted to tear it apart himself.
“Son. My son, Johan.”
“…….”
“Don’t carry it all alone. Okay?”
Shin Soo-kyung lifted her head, holding back tears.
“The divine are stronger than you think. Your father, your sister, your brothers… Only Mom is weak.”
“You’re… strong too.”
“Really?”
She smiled faintly.
“Yes. I’m strong too.”
Then, slowly, her true self emerged.
Not as Go Johan’s mother, not as the divine’s matriarch—but as Shin Soo-kyung, the Player, the vice guild leader of the divine.
The indomitable warrior.
“So I won’t let you carry everything. The divine will grow stronger, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“I’m afraid… of the scorn you and our family will face because of me.”
His honest feelings.
“I’m afraid of the ruin our family will suffer because of me.”
“Son.”
Her voice was firm.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“……?”
“You didn’t choose to be born as our child, but we chose to have you, to love you, and to take responsibility for you.”
“……!”
“Your brothers, your sister—they feel the same. Your father too.”
Go Jae-han.
“We’ll bear it all. If anyone points fingers, we’ll endure it. If anyone tries to harm you—”
A ripple of intensity.
“—they’re the divine’s enemies. That’s what family is. You can push us away as much as you want. You can run as far as you need.”
Shin Soo-kyung spoke with conviction.
“Mom, our family, the divine—we will never abandon you. Just like you never abandoned us.”
There was no stopping her.
This was all so unfamiliar, so strange.
But he had to admit it.
‘I was… arrogant.’
He had misjudged what family truly meant.
—
After Shin Soo-kyung’s declaration—mirroring Go Johan’s own proclamation—the heavy conversation came to an end.
“Are you eating well? I’m sure everyone here takes good care of you, but…”
Shin Soo-kyung reverted to being just a mother, making small talk.
“They treat me very well.”
“You’re so strong and extraordinary that you might unintentionally trouble others. Always be mindful, okay?”
“I will.”
“I won’t call you until you call me first. I won’t visit until you come home.”
She spoke softly.
“But you have to promise to call, to come back. Don’t forget you have a home.”
For a moment, he wished her words had been driven by greed for his power and influence—it would have been easier to handle.
But her selfless voice and expression only made it harder.
“…I understand.”
“Good. I’ve already taken too much of your time. I should go now.”
The believers’ hushed activity could be felt around them.
-Code Red lifted.
-Confirm no threats along the return route.
-Prepare a discreet security detail to avoid inconveniencing her.
-The vehicle repairs are complete. We’ve also added protective items for emergencies.
I’m the one inconvenienced, Go Johan wanted to say.
But he was grateful.
“Did you have a good talk?”
Park Do-young waited by the door.
“Yes. Thanks to your consideration. If Johan allows it someday, I’d like to help here too. Especially since there are children.”
“Just the thought is appreciated.”
“Is Director Lee Jae-kyung doing well?”
“Of course.”
They walked toward the parking lot, chatting.
“Everyone here owes their lives to your son. And the number of lives he’s saved beyond that… is beyond counting.”
“…….”
“There’s so much more I’d like to say, but I don’t want to overstep. But… you’ve truly raised an extraordinary son.”
The praise was relentless.
Scratch.
Fortunately, Park Do-young stepped back after that.
“Please, get in safely.”
“Alright…”
Shin Soo-kyung hesitated, her hand lingering on the car door.
Then—
“…Dad.”
A small head peeked out from behind the parking lot wall.
“Huh?”
Startled at being spotted, the child—a seven-year-old girl, adorable as a kitten turned human—stepped out shyly.
“…Daddy.”
“…Johan, is this yours?”
Pride, Ju In-kyung, had just caused a major misunderstanding.
“Mom! It’s not like that!”
“…Harmony…”
“No!”