Pr: k
For dessert, plum sherbet was served.
After giving a stern lecture, Jaegyeom was teasing sherbet with a teaspoon. Yoon Taehee, who had a spoon in his mouth, leaned back comfortably on the back of the seat and opened his mouth.
“So… Then, listen while you eat.”
Jaegyeom opened his mouth and raised his eyes. Yoon Taehee raised one hand and spread it out so that his palm could be seen. After bringing out dessert, the staff would not disturb them for a while. Taking advantage of that opportunity, Yoon Taehee calmly began his one-on-one orientation.
“Naryecheong’s departments are comprised of a total of five departments.”
Yoon Taehee folded his fingers one by one as he explained. Purification Department, Ceremonial Instruments Department, Talisman Department, Undercover Department, and lastly, the Exorcism Department. Jaegyeom nodded his head as if he understood.
“First of all, the purification department. The Purification Department is the department in charge of purifying objects or places containing uncleanness. It is also a place where injured exorcists are treated.”
The Purification Department also managed the herbarium, which was the source for rare and precious medicinal ingredients. It could be said that all matters related to healing, treatment, and purification were handled by the Purification Department. The most peaceful and quiet department in the main office was this department.
“Next is the Ceremonial Instruments Department. They invent and develop various weapons and tools. You can say that almost all of the amazing items used in Naryecheong are made there.”
At the mention of the Ceremonial Instruments Department came up, Jaegyeom immediately rolled his eyes.
“Hey. Are those bastards still alive now?”
“Yes… Well, that’s how it went…”
Yoon Taehee touched the end of his eyebrows and expressed regret. Due to the Mesani incident, Jaegyeom harboured vivid ill feelings toward Ceremonial Instruments Department’s exorcists. In particular, Lee Youngshin would have to be careful at night.
“If I meet them, I will really kill them.” Jaegyeom gritted his teeth. Yoon Taehee, who looked dumbfounded for a moment, changed the subject naturally before it could escalate, “And the Undercover Department…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The key was to pick up on clues and not just ignore the superstitions or rumours floating around. By analogy, if the Ceremonial Instruments Department was the hands and feet of Naryecheong, then the Undercover Department could be said to be the eyes and ears of Naryecheong. If there were police in sunny areas, there were the Undercover Department’s exorcists in the shadows. Of course, there were many people who actually worked as police officers. During the Chorani period, searching for gwijaes was also the job of the Undercover Department.
Yoon Taehee continued to explain calmly to the youngest member of the team.
“And the Exorcism Department is the department that is at the forefront of all incidents and accidents. The role is to go to the scene and solve the case. Usually, most of our work deals with vengeful spirits, but any other case that might be life-threatening can be transferred to the Exorcism Department.”
The Exorcism Department that faced head-on with ghosts was the core of Naryecheong, for they most directly practised the word ‘Narye’, which meant a ritual to chase away evil spirits. The traditional mask, which was given only to the exorcist of this department, declared the will of Bangsangsi.
Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that the core power of Naryecheong laid in the Exorcism Department. There was often a joke going around that other departments were there to support the work of the Exorcism Department. There was a good reason why Yoon Taehee’s name value was high.
“And finally, the Talisman Department. As the name implies, it is where talismans are used and spells are practised. For anything other than talismans for basic purposes, you must submit a separate application. They only issue amulets after approval, since spells are a dangerous and powerful area.”
Even for civilians, one could easily obtain talismans through a fortune teller. However, those obtained from outside were often fake, and even if they were proper talismans, they were mostly used for trivial purposes such as bringing good luck in passing exams or wealth.
On the other hand, Naryecheong’s talismans could exert various magic depending on their purpose. Therefore, it was easy for an exorcist to possess a simple one, but otherwise, one must go through strict procedures. This was to block the possibility of careless use of resources or abuse of power.
Yoon Taehee raised the corner of his mouth and added.
“That’s why the Talisman Department is the place with the most influence after the Exorcism Department. It is also called the hidden power of Naryecheong. If you get into their bad books, they might not give the talismans. Even if you just get one that is good, you will have a lot less trouble, so everyone grovels to them.”
“This is an annoying department.”
Jaegyeom nodded, scraping the sherbet with a spoon. This concluded the rough summary of each department. After finishing the briefing, Yoon Taehee crossed his arms across the table while looking at Jaegyeom eating sherbet. He paused for a moment and then spoke quietly.
“And the department in charge of the registry room is the annoying Talisman Department.”
Jaegyeom stopped and raised his eyes at the serious voice.
The moment the words ‘registry room’ came out, Jaegyeom knew that this meeting had turned into a place to plot treason. This was the real purpose of this conversation disguised as an orientation.
Returning ‘Yoon Taehee’ to Yoon Taehee.
Jaegyeom glanced at the closed sliding door. The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense. His expression, which had been absent-minded the whole time as he was carefreely nibbling the sherbet, changed to an alert look.
As expected…
Yoon Taehee smiled quietly with satisfaction.
“So, when am I supposed to turn in that wooden plaque?”
Jaegyeom asked, putting down the spoon from his hand.
“You don’t turn it in when you’re a probationary exorcist. You’ll turn it in when you’re officially one after 3 months. Instead, during the probationary period, the main office will keep a close eye on you.”
Probationary exorcists did not sign separate contracts because they were in an unstable position and could be kicked out at any time. In addition, as apprentices were often unstable in strength and poor at handling spiritual energy, it was also a measure to ease the burden of accidentally using spiritual energy against fellow exorcists, as it often occurred. And Yoon Taehee inserted a monstrous successor into that gap.
“But that wooden tablet, why don’t you steal it yourself?”
Jaegyeom straightened his back and stared clearly at Yoon Taehee across the table. Stealing a wooden plaque with ‘Yoon Taehee’ written on it from the registry room, was what Yoon Taehee said was the first step of the plan. And he said It’s something only Jaegyeom could do, no one else.
“If you touch the wooden plaque with your name on it, the spell will be activated.”
“Spell? What spell?”
“It’s a spell that sets your plaque on fire.”
If one touched the wooden tablet with their name written on it, it goes up in flames? That means… Jaegyeom, who was lost in thought for a moment while mulling over the explanation, suddenly opened his mouth.
“That wooden tablet, it must be connected to the body.”
At the words spoken in a nonchalant tone, Yoon Taehee stopped and looked at Jaegyeom.
“… Why are you looking at me like that?”
Jaegyeom looked puzzled, and Yoon Taehee opened his mouth with a strange expression.
“I didn’t say anything, so how did you know?”
Jaegyeom answered with a sour face.
“I can infer.”
Jaegyeom was indeed sharp and intelligent. When he showed his clumsy and erratic side in modern life, he literally looked like a young boy, but every time he showed such an astute and sparkling side, one would suddenly feel the boy’s age. Yoon Taehee, who was staring at the boy, smiled.
“That’s right.”
As the polite compliment came, Jaegyeom fiddled with his bangs for no reason.
It was just as Jaegyeom had guessed. A part of the body, or an object through which blood passed, was a kind of another self. For example, a straw doll was made to replace the person for the purpose of cursing or wards, and that was why it was made to have the person’s fingernails or hair. It was about creating a physical connection.
If the name had been engraved in blood and a spell had been cast, the effect on the actual person would have been even more so great. Therefore, the registry room where wooden plaques were stored was one of the places within the headquarters that was strictly controlled. It was dangerous to carelessly expose the wooden tablets, which was directly related to the safety of the exorcists.
“That’s why the room is off-limits to anyone without permission, no matter how high your rank is. In principle, the only person who can enter the room is the registry room secretary.”
Making a blood contract with a wooden tablet was also part of the realm of spells and therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the Talisman Department. Accordingly, the registry room where the wooden tablets were stored was also managed exclusively by the Talisman Department, and the secretary of the registry room had not changed even once since Naryecheong was rebuilt.
The secretary of the list office was an old woman approaching 80 years old and a former member of the Talisman Department, called Jeon Okrye. Among the exorcists, she was called ‘Okrye-ssi.’ When one submitted their name in blood on a wooden plaque, she would personally put a spell on it and keep it in the register.
“The registry room is in the basement of the main building. In the past, security personnel were assigned separately and people were directly guarding the front of the room, but after the accident, no one is there to guard it.”
Jaegyeom raised his head.
“Accident? What accident?”
Aww Jaegyeom is so adorable fiddling with his bangs and all ☹❤