Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 348

“So you’re telling me… you were kicked out with nothing to show for it?”

“I’m sorry.”

Lubo bowed his head under Johan’s fury.

He had no excuse—ten mouths wouldn’t be enough to explain.

Johan, managing to suppress his anger, asked,

“Only nine returned? You never did find out what happened to Chen Xi?”

“No.”

“So we wasted a whole month and didn’t uncover a single clue about the Saint. And now even Chen Xi is completely out of contact…”

“I have no excuse.”

“Are we absolutely sure it wasn’t Zeon who did something to Chen Xi?”

“It wasn’t him. I’ve been monitoring him personally.”

“What’s the chance he deceived you?”

“I’ve been watching with Clairvoyance twenty-four hours a day.”

With those words, Lubo clamped his lips shut.

His pride had been wounded.

Clairvoyance was everything to him.

No matter how high Johan stood, questioning Clairvoyance was bound to offend him.

Johan realized Lubo was upset—but he had no intention of apologizing.

“Then why did we lose contact with Chen Xi?”

“Maybe… she found a lead?”

“A lead?”

“Yes. Things might’ve been so urgent that she didn’t have time to report back.”

“That’s possible.”

Johan nodded slightly.

Dark Saints typically worked alone.

Even when assigned to a joint mission, they moved independently.

If someone decided to act without reporting in, there was no way for the church to track them.

“Where was Chen Xi when she last made contact?”

“The northern edge of Sinchon.”

“Did she say anything specific?”

“She said she’d be focusing her investigation in that area for a while, then… nothing.”

“Northern Sinchon…”

Johan gently stroked the cross in his hand, falling into thought.

Right now, Johan and Dongdaemun were isolated.

Across Neo Seoul, they were clashing with each district. Even in the slums, search efforts were met with resistance.

Especially after rumors spread that the Saint was actually a high-tier healer, the tension escalated further. Every district and slum faction wanted her for themselves.

Of course, that meant no one was cooperating with Dongdaemun—most were interfering or outright hostile.

As a result, the search for the Saint had stalled.

At this rate, someone else would find her first.

He needed a breakthrough.

“The other casualties were all clear—only Chen Xi vanished without a trace. There’s got to be a reason.”

His instincts whispered it to him.

Chen Xi’s disappearance was connected to the Saint.

A powerful, undeniable impulse surged within Johan.

“Joshua!”

“Yes!”

Without a sound, Joshua appeared inside the chamber.

“Gather all the Dark Saints and paladins. I’m going to Sinchon myself.”

“That will almost certainly lead to a direct confrontation with Zeon. Didn’t he already expel the Dark Saints as soon as the month ended?”

“So what? Are we just going to give up?”

“No, sir.”

“We were going to clash eventually anyway. Might as well take this chance to eliminate Zeon and seize Sinchon.”

“Understood.”

Joshua bowed his head.

Johan looked up at the enormous cross and spoke.

“For Dongdaemun to survive, we must have the Saint. No matter the cost, we will secure her. She must be where Chen Xi disappeared.”

* * *

“Huff… Huff…”

Remura gasped for breath.

She had overexerted her mana using her skill, and was now in a temporary state of exhaustion.

Bakum, standing nearby, looked at her with pity—but did nothing.

With Heather present, he couldn’t speak or act freely.

Heather patted Remura’s shoulder and said,

“Good job. Rest for a bit, then we’ll start healing again.”

“Mom… can’t I do it tomorrow?”

“What are you saying? Look at all those people waiting for you—are you going to ignore their hopes?”

“It’s just that I’m tired…”

“That’s why I’m letting you rest a little. If you can’t endure even this, how will you ever do something great?”

At Heather’s words, Remura lowered her head.

‘I don’t want to do anything great, Mom…’

The words only echoed inside her mouth, never spoken.

Heather justified her harsh treatment by claiming she was helping the people of the Croc Hole.

She lined up those who needed healing and had Remura use her skill on them.

She had healed countless people this way.

Remura had no complaints about that part.

If her power could ease the pain of the sick, she was willing to use it.

The problem was that Heather was using her to satisfy her own ambitions.

Heather made every person who received healing swear loyalty. Only those who pledged allegiance were allowed access to Remura’s Cure skill.

People began to swear loyalty in droves. There were already more than a hundred of them.

All of them Awakened.

They had become Remura’s private guard.

Bakum was the most prominent example.

Soon, Remura was surrounded by Awakened who had sworn loyalty. But it was Heather who issued commands—not Remura.

No one dared defy Heather’s orders.

In Heather’s eyes gleamed a grand ambition.

‘I will build a kingdom here.’

It would have been impossible alone—but with her daughter, it could be done.

A hundred Awakened already followed her.

With this army, conquering the Croc Hole was within reach.

‘Once I rule here, we’ll rise to the surface. Why should we rot in this stinking hole forever?’

To achieve her dream, Remura had to work harder.

There were still many people waiting to be healed.

In this foul, damp place, illness was rampant. Those ill souls were all potential recruits.

Of course, Remura did the actual work.

But Heather didn’t care.

Everything her daughter had was hers, after all.

“Haa… haa…”

Remura sat slumped against a wall, gasping for breath.

Days of nonstop effort had drained her mana completely.

A one- or two-hour break wouldn’t be enough.

She needed days of rest—but Heather didn’t allow it.

“If you’re done resting, let’s continue. Look how many people are still waiting.”

Heather pointed at the queue.

“Mom… can’t I just rest a bit more?”

“What if someone dies while you’re resting? There’s time for rest after you’ve healed them all.”

“But…”

“Listen to your mother. That’s what a good daughter does.”

“…Yes.”

Remura finally stood back up, summoning her last strength.

She didn’t want to disappoint her mother.

Heather introduced the next patient.

“This one is an E-rank magic-type Awakened. He can use rare ice magic, so make sure to treat him with extra care.”

“Yes.”

The man’s lungs were completely ruined.

He had lost lung function in childhood, and even after Awakening, he had never fully used his power.

Normally, Awakening healed most injuries and diseases immediately. But those born of the Croc Hole’s horrid conditions often lingered.

That’s why so many Awakened here needed healing.

And all of them were Heather’s targets.

Remura summoned her strength and activated her Cure skill.

Fwoooosh!

With a bright light, the man was healed.

“Ahhh!”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes.

The pain that had tormented him all his life had disappeared.

Grasping Remura’s hands, he said,

“Thank you. I will repay this debt with my life.”

“Uh… okay.”

Remura looked flustered at his touch.

Then—

“Ah! So this is where you were. To heal someone that sick in an instant… you really are the Saint.”

A woman’s voice called out from the entrance.

“Who are you?”

Bakum stepped in front of Remura, barking at her.

“No need to be so wary, brother! I’m not your enemy. I’ve come to escort the Saint.”

It was Chen Xi, approaching with a smile on her lips.

Her eyes lit up in reverence as she gazed at Remura.

Chen Xi had arrived at the location five minutes ago after tracking Remura’s trail.

She had seen it.

The moment Remura healed the E-rank Awakened.

A man on the brink of death restored instantly to health—Chen Xi was stunned.

No healer on the surface could heal such a grave condition in an instant.

At this level, even the title of Saint wasn’t an exaggeration.

If she brought Remura to Dongdaemun, their influence would explode.

“Haa… haa…”

She was so thrilled it made her breathless.

Then Heather stepped forward.

“What do you mean by that? Saint?”

“Our order received a divine revelation—to find the Saint and escort her.”

“You’re saying the message was about my daughter, Remura?”

“Yes. God Himself commanded it through Sir Johan.”

“Heh! I knew it. My Remura is no ordinary Awakened. She is God’s chosen.”

Heather laughed joyfully.

Chen Xi calmly studied her.

She instantly sensed that Heather was controlling Remura.

She said to Heather,

“Come with me. As the mother of the Saint, you could rule Neo Seoul.”

“Why would I?”

“…Pardon?”

“I said, why should I go to Dongdaemun? If my daughter is the Saint, Johan should kneel before me.”

“What…?”

Chen Xi stared, stunned.

Remura said nothing—silenced by her mother’s presence.

That alone showed who was the master, and who was the subordinate.

Heather clearly had a psychological grip on her daughter.

Usually, in such cases, it was best to negotiate with the mother. But Chen Xi knew—any compromise would only pull her deeper into Heather’s schemes.

‘What to do…’

As she hesitated, Heather continued.

“We will build a kingdom here. Johan will come to my feet and kiss them.”

Heather’s overreach pulled the trigger.

Chen Xi made her decision.

Her eyes turned cold.

She glanced at the man behind Heather—the one Remura had just healed. The E-rank magic-type Awakened.

The moment their eyes met, his gaze turned glassy.

‘A demon seeks to corrupt the Saint—slay her.’

A whisper echoed in his ears.

Suddenly, the man saw an illusion.

To him, Heather appeared as a massive serpent.

But he didn’t even realize he was hallucinating.

“Return to hell, demon.”

He cast his ice magic toward Heather.

Boom!

“Aaaagh!”

With a scream, Heather collapsed forward.

A massive hole had opened in her back.

“M-Mom!”

Remura cried out and tried to run to her mother—but Chen Xi embraced her first and shouted,

“Oh no! The Saint is in danger! Protect her, everyone!”

At her cry, Awakened rushed to surround Remura.

Meanwhile, Bakum attacked the E-rank who had cast the spell.

“How dare you repay kindness with betrayal?”

“I… I didn’t…”

The E-rank Awakened panicked, realizing what he’d done.

He had blacked out completely.

It was one of Chen Xi’s abilities—hypnotic mind control.

Controlling the mind of a weak, freshly healed Awakened was child’s play for her.

Thud!

Before the man could explain, Bakum’s blow landed.

His arm was broken, blood spilled—but he lived.

“Anyone who threatens the Saint will not be forgiven!”

Bakum shouted, raising his bloodied fist.

The other Awakened roared in agreement.

“Protect the Saint!”

“Uoooooh!”

That was the moment Levin, Zetoya, and the others arrived.

Sensing the frenzy in the air, Levin muttered,

“Tch… Looks like we’re seriously screwed.”