Su-ho stared blankly at the man.
Why was that person here?
...No.
Was it just someone who looked similar?
There was no way.
After all, Su-ho possessed the Library of Memory.
‘But right now, I...’
All of his powers...
His stats and skills were almost completely sealed.
He did not even possess his original body anymore.
Just as he was about to dismiss it as a mistake—
“You should greet him properly. This is Bishop Iskel from the Central Church.”
“...!”
Iskel.
There was no doubt.
Forty-four years old.
A high-ranking priest.
He had once discovered a young charcoal burner’s child scribbling on the temple wall and stoned the child to death for blasphemy.
The large mole beneath his eye had left such a strong impression that Su-ho remembered him clearly even without the Library of Memory.
‘So that bastard was from Bell’s world.’
From everything he had heard so far, the Pantheon resembled a sanctuary like Valhalla.
However, Quai was a god who existed across multiple worlds and timelines.
He was usually called the Chief God, and the religion that served him was generally called the Church of the Chief God, though its name varied slightly depending on the world.
Which meant it was possible to encounter the same people again after meeting them in the Pantheon.
And thanks to that, Su-ho became certain.
Certain of why Bell had ended up with such absurd beliefs.
If trash like that existed as a high-ranking priest within the order’s headquarters from the start, then how could the churches of this world possibly function properly?
For now, Su-ho quietly observed their actions.
“We will now begin the Sunday service.”
Sunday service.
That was the reason Sundays—the only day of rest during the week—were allowed.
Though calling it a service was somewhat misleading.
There were no particularly special religious activities.
Instead, because it was the weekend, the sisters allowed the children to rest comfortably, and while not especially sweet, cookies and milk were provided as snacks.
The meals were better as well, including cheese and ham unlike the usual food.
But while all the children rejoiced, Su-ho felt none of that happiness.
Because Su-ho was not actually a child.
Instead, he sharpened all of his senses toward the bishops constantly observing them.
‘What’s their objective?’
He had expected them to deliver some lengthy sermon about the Chief God’s teachings.
Instead, the bishops from the Central Church slowly wandered among the playing children with smiling faces, as though strolling through a zoo.
Some of the bishops occasionally gave personal instructions to specific children, asking them to read scripture aloud or stand up and turn around.
Then—
“Hello there. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
One of the bishops, a man with a gentle-looking face, approached Su-ho.
His name was Conrad.
Su-ho knew because he had heard the sisters introduce {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the bishops earlier.
The moment the bishop approached Su-ho, one of the nearby sisters hurried over and explained.
“This child is Bell. Eleven years old, and she has been at Demez since she was very young.”
“Really? Then why has no one noticed this child before?”
“Do you find her suitable?”
“She’s promising.”
At Conrad’s words, the sister immediately took out a scripture and handed it over.
Conrad accepted it, opened the pages, and held it out toward Su-ho.
“Would you read this for me?”
At the request to read a passage from the scripture, Su-ho’s eyes widened slightly.
Because he remembered what the other bishops had been making certain children do.
These requests had not been directed toward every child.
Only a select few.
Which was why Su-ho immediately realized what their behavior signified.
‘A test.’
Bell had not given him any hints about this, but anyone with half a brain could tell.
This was a small examination meant to search for special children.
Which was why Su-ho deliberately focused and began reading the scripture clearly and carefully.
Fortunately, the scripture was written in Korean suited to Su-ho’s understanding.
“...Remain fully alert and vigilant. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.”
Clear and precise.
A perfectly flat tone without rises or falls.
As Su-ho continued reading, life gradually entered Conrad’s eyes.
“This time, read this one.”
“...I leave peace with you; my peace I give to you. The peace I give is not like the peace the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
“Now this one.”
“...Ask, and you shall receive. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and the door shall be opened to you.”
The more Su-ho recited, the higher Conrad’s lips curled upward.
Before long, even Iskel had approached.
His gaze swept over Su-ho from head to toe.
Like a merchant appraising livestock.
Then he quietly whispered something to Conrad.
“A fine child.”
“Indeed. Strange that no one noticed such an excellent child until now.”
“What matters is that we found one now.”
Several more recitations followed before Conrad finally spoke.
“That’s enough. You’ve done well.”
“Yes, Bishop.”
“You said your name was Bell?”
“Yes, Bishop.”
“You read scripture very well. In that case, I’d like to reward you with some cookies. Do you like cookies?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then here, take one.”
A single cookie.
Far more delicious-looking than the snacks distributed earlier.
At that moment, Su-ho’s eyes met those of a nearby child.
The nameless child could not take their eyes off the cookie Su-ho had received.
Seeing that, Su-ho asked Conrad,
“Bishop.”
“Yes?”
“Am I the only one allowed to eat this?”
At the question, Conrad narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I want to share it with my friend.”
At Su-ho’s answer, Conrad’s smile widened even further.
“But this is a cookie you earned by reading scripture well, isn’t it? And from what I understand, cookies are something you only get once a week.”
“But the Chief God taught us to share what we have with our neighbors. So I want to share it.”
“Ha!”
The one who reacted with admiration was Iskel.
Unlike Conrad, the corners of his mouth had twisted upward so far they almost looked ready to split apart.
Conrad spoke warmly.
“Then go ahead.”
“Thank you, Bishop.”
After bowing politely, Su-ho broke the cookie in half and handed one piece to the child who had been staring at it.
The child accepted it without even saying thank you and hurriedly devoured it.
For a moment, disgust flickered in Iskel’s gaze as he watched the child.
But when he looked back at Su-ho, warmth returned to his expression.
After whispering something to Conrad again, Conrad nodded.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
Afterward, evening came and the bishops departed.
But they did not take Su-ho with them.
Why?
Judging from their reactions, it had seemed as though they were about to take him away immediately.
Yet the next day passed.
And the day after that.
The bishops never appeared again.
Only ordinary days continued as usual.
Then, two days before the next Sunday—
Before the afternoon duties began, the sisters gathered all the children into the prayer hall.
Then they distributed test papers.
“A surprise test. Solve it to the best of your abilities.”
At the word test, the children’s eyes sparkled.
There was only one reason.
Children who received high scores were rewarded with snacks.
Su-ho neither knew nor cared.
Ever since his body had transcended mortality, his interest in food had sharply diminished.
The only things occupying his mind were Conrad and Iskel.
‘Why didn’t they take me?’
Thinking that, he simply waited for the test period to end.
Naturally, he did not openly slack off.
The caretaking sisters were notorious for their nagging, and even if the results were poor, they valued the effort itself.
So Su-ho merely pretended to focus on the test paper—
When suddenly, he felt several gazes fixed upon him.
Especially the head caretaker sister, who was watching him intently.
‘Why me?’
This was not ordinary supervision.
Several of the sisters were observing him as though studying him.
And at that moment, Su-ho understood.
The bishops’ test was not over yet.
‘So that’s what this is.’
He did not know the details of Bell’s past.
But considering Iskel’s presence here and the bishops’ behavior during Sunday service, Su-ho became convinced that the Church of the Chief God in this world was utterly corrupt.
Which led him to suspect that Bell had not truly been chosen as a Saintess—
But manufactured into one.
‘Considering her indoctrinated way of thinking and the puppet-like life she lived, that possibility is extremely high.’
Especially after the bishops’ visit, the head caretaker sister—who had never cared about him before—had begun watching him constantly.
That alone convinced him completely.
‘Then I need to show them exactly what they want to see.’
He needed to meet their expectations.
Only then could he become the image of a saint they desired.
Which made this little written test important.
It was a problem.
No matter how simple the questions were for children, Su-ho barely knew the scriptures and therefore had no idea what the answers were.
Just as he hesitated with the pen in hand—
Suddenly, his eyes stung painfully.
The dry burning sensation made him unconsciously frown.
And then something astonishing happened.
For every multiple-choice question on the test paper, one answer choice began glowing faintly with golden light.
‘What the...?’
Was he hallucinating?
Or had some of his original powers returned?
But the status window still did not appear.
And even if the glow was faint, there was no way such light in this wide-open room could only be visible to Su-ho.
Especially with the head caretaker sister staring so intensely.
There was no way she would fail to notice it.
No.
This light was visible only to Su-ho.
‘Could it be...?’
At that moment, Bell’s face came to mind.
Perhaps Bell herself was helping him.
‘It might actually be Bell.’
She had asked Su-ho for guidance.
And in order for that guidance to truly mean something, Su-ho himself needed to rise into the position of a saint, just as Bell once had.
Thinking that, Su-ho answered the questions exactly as the glowing choices guided him.
And after submitting the test paper and waiting for some time—
“A perfect score.”
Conrad’s lips stretched into a broad grin as he received Su-ho’s test paper from the head caretaker sister.
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