That’s right. There was still a long time until the entrance ceremony.
I had fallen into a point in time before the main story of the novel even started.
The fact that a nun does not go to school meant that I had to continue living in the convent, which meant I had to do all the same chores as the other nuns.
On top of that, I had been designated as a special case from day one.
“I have never seen someone with holy power at your level in my entire life. If you hone it further, there may come a day when you join the ranks of great saints. For that, you must not receive the same level of education as others.”
These were the words of the priest.
If we put that into simpler terms, it basically meant, “You’re screwed.”
I had to take an elite course in addition to the regular classes that nuns usually attend, and after class, I would have to open a thick tome of theology that looked like it belonged in a theological university and continue studying until midnight, then pray for two hours to thank Goddess Ariel for granting me such great abilities, only to collapse into bed around two in the morning.
Originally, holy power became stronger the more devout one was, and to preserve this great holy power of mine and, hopefully, develop it further, they had started mandatory faith indoctrination training.
And every time I prayed, the priest and the Mother Superior would marvel at the holy power swirling around my hands. And each time, I was jolted by the fact that such a place exists that twists people like this.
Honestly, praying was just me clasping my hands together and staring into space.
If there’s anyone who can have serious faith in a god they made up themselves, that would be quite impressive. At least if it were a serious religion, it might be different, but to me, Ariel was just one of many original characters. There was no way I could pray sincerely to her.
So, it wasn’t weird for me to think that instead of concentrating during prayer, I’d rather go take a nap.
Thinking back, one of my precious settings about holy power was that “while the individual’s magic is important to draw out holy power, the intense belief that the god is watching over you is even more crucial.” In that sense, my holy power wasn’t necessarily a wrong statement.
After all, I had even had a direct conversation with Ariel when I crossed over, and she openly told me she would have my back, so, yeah.
Not being able to sleep until two in the morning and constantly having to do something was a tremendous drain on my physical strength, but it was also mentally exhausting. The theology in this world was genuinely fantasy, quite different from the theology where I lived, and given that the foundation of these fantastical settings was based on my own, I felt like every time I opened and read that theological text, someone had taken parts of my secret notes and interpreted them logically.
Every time they pointed out contradictions, I thought, perhaps it would be more comforting to just faint right there.
Having rolled around until two in the morning, I hadn’t had a proper conversation with the other nuns, and even when I tried to strike up a chat during lunch breaks, they didn’t look favorably upon me since I had already secured a super sweet spot in the academy even before the exams. Besides, given that most of them had grown up in the convent since very young, forming relationships had already ended for them, so if I tried to intrude, it often turned awkward.
Not being able to properly converse in a convent filled with beautiful nuns was close to mental torture. I wasn’t expecting to find a lover but just wanted to have at least one female friend…
On top of that, my schedule was different from the other nuns, so I had a separate room too.
When you think about it, this whole situation was totally a conspiracy by the church, turning me into a complete outcast! It pissed me off.
The only fortunate point about this was that since I was a special case, and considering I’d have to be going in and out of the convent frequently for academy commutes, I had the opportunity to participate in important events before the entrance ceremony. I had also received a personal smartphone – although it was limited in use and quite outdated, given it was a model from years ago.
Especially on occasions when I went outside related to such events, I could keep the phone full-time just in case something happened and could always be contacted. As long as I didn’t use it outright, I could at least squander some time on the internet.
Writing all this out, some unpleasant memories resurfaced.
Every time I returned, I had to leave my smartphone behind and couldn’t go out freely…
This was totally bullsh—
*
Anyway, getting back to what I was saying, one of the events was to honor and console the heroes who had died fighting demons, witches, and fiends.
When the demons and fiends were rampant in the world centuries ago, countless people had died, and it was so commonly accepted that the church didn’t send high-ranking individuals to console anyone. But times had changed, and with fewer battles against such beings, and the strength of the people’s union having sufficiently grown, the number of sacrificing heroes had decreased significantly.
For civilians living in safe zones, the battlefield where heroes fought felt too far removed, and the news that reached them was hard to feel in their bones.
Therefore, the state and the church, the only recognized religion in that state, felt the need to continually remind people that such events were still happening in reality.
Attending the funerals of heroes who died in battle to offer condolences to their families and express gratitude for their sacrifices was part of that initiative.
And I was going to attend one of those funerals.
“Since this is your first time in such a place, Sister, you may not be familiar with it.”
An old man with a face full of wrinkles spoke to me while dressed in a dazzling outfit. Though he looked like a grandpa, he stood quite upright and had broad shoulders, making me feel he could easily bash a demon’s head in with a Bible if one showed up before him.
“A funeral is a very important event that guides a person’s soul to the gods. Please do not act recklessly. I understand that you’re excited to be outside the convent for the first time…”
And I recognized this old man.
It was Cardinal Kwon In-Soo. His baptismal name was Barchenko.
As I mentioned before, there’s no concept of borders in this world, but that didn’t mean there were no regional distinctions. The largest regions were numbered from 1 to 23, and Kwon In-Soo was the cardinal of the 21st District.
And he was an extremely authoritarian old geezer.
This was because he was the disposable character I had created to be punched by the main character right from the start.
You might wonder why someone like a cardinal would be a one-off character.
To be honest, I didn’t realize how high-ranking a cardinal was back then.
Well.
Why.
Anyway, I was in a state where I didn’t even realize I was tuning him out, and this old man kept nagging me about how whatever is done in the name of God is perfectly fine, and heroes dying is merely a return to the side of the gods, so there was no need to be sad.
If you listen to him, it sounds like something a normal religious person might say, but what makes this guy a jerk is that he says this in front of people who are grieving the loss of their family members.
In front of mourners, with a smug expression, he would confidently say, “Why are you crying? You’ve sent your family to God, so you should be happy, right? Stop crying and smile. Are you a heretic?” The only reason he doesn’t get hit for this is that he’s a cardinal and no one dares speak out against him.
And the reason he remains in that role is due to the holy power he wields because of his fanatical beliefs. His holy power is the strongest among all clergy throughout history, so it’s understandable he’d be proud of that.
The issue is that ultimately his holy power is still lower than a munchkin protagonist’s mana from the novel, and one day, once he gets slapped down for his bravado, reality will hit him.
Ah, just imagining it is refreshing.
“Sister, are you listening?”
As I suppressed the urge to laugh thinking about the cardinal getting crushed by the protagonist, he spoke to me with a puzzled expression.
*
In the car heading to the funeral, the cardinal fell silent after realizing I was ignoring him, maintaining a distance and refusing to look at me once we got out of the vehicle.
So what?
If he was thinking of calling in the Inquisition just because I didn’t listen to him, he could go ahead. As it is, the only conclusion would be that I’m not a heretic, regardless of what happens. The Inquisition I had set up was surprisingly normal aside from getting totally riled up from seeing demons. They wouldn’t fail to recognize someone genuinely connected to God just because they looked scary.
You might wonder why he would call in the Inquisition for simply not listening to him, but this jerk has so much misplaced pride in the holy power he possesses that he thinks his will is equivalent to God’s will.
He might not openly say it, but I know because I created that character.
If I’m right, the funeral we were heading to was for the sister of the main heroine.
At that funeral, a tsundere heroine with a hot-headed but righteous personality would eventually snap after seeing the cardinal spouting nonsense to her mother, leading her to call in the Inquisition for contradicting her.
Naturally, she wasn’t a heretic, and once released, she began to distrust the church, a distrust that lingers even after entering the academy, causing her to frequently clash with the nun characters.
Of course, this is merely the background setting, and the actual story was abandoned before the nun character even appeared, so I never depicted that. Still, at least the scene of the cardinal getting hit did make the cut.
The priest accompanying me had a very anxious expression, glancing back and forth between the cardinal and me, but I ignored him and continued walking into the funeral hall.
“Sister, please wait over there.”
The spot the cardinal pointed to was a corner of the funeral hall. What a jerk.
Of course, I silently went to the corner and stood there. Whatever, it didn’t matter to me. You know, he was going to pay for this later anyway. No need to act awkwardly now.
The priest had a lot he wanted to say, but being in the cardinal’s service, he ultimately shot me an anxious glance before following behind the cardinal.
The funeral proceeded in a somber atmosphere.
Ellisa Lowell.
In the photograph, she had a lively smile, and her strikingly bright red hair was unforgettable.
I probably thought for a moment, Did I give her that name? It was likely because I’d created her setting but forgotten all about it. The last name, Lowell, belonged to the heroine, and since the heroine also had red hair, this lady had to be who I thought she was.
She was a promising hero who had great relationships with everyone and was beloved by all.
Ordinarily, a funeral setting should be bustling with people. Many had been helped by Ellisa Lowell, and everyone would want to be there to see her off. In the narrative, the heroine often received help from these people, and they would apologize for not being able to attend the funeral.
But that didn’t happen.
The reason was simply the cardinal.
Back then, I had only vaguely known of the cardinal’s high position and assumed he was ‘somewhat important’, so I included the setting of him blocking people from entering because of ‘safety issues’, which made him look like a real jerk.
But given how high-ranking he truly was, that setting seemed a bit diminished now.
Lost in such musings, while scanning the funeral hall, I finally spotted a girl.
A teenage girl with her red hair braided into two pigtails, just like her sister.
It was a hairstyle that seemed a bit too grown-up for her age, but instead, it seemed to suit her quite well.
Well… it was only natural for a fantasy novel’s main heroine to be pretty.
Wow… she looked just like I had described her. With a petite figure and slightly upturned eyes, she gave off a cute vibe.
Being the first character I had encountered here (besides the Goddess), I found myself staring at her a little longer than I intended. As if she sensed my gaze, the girl looked my way. A bit awkward from the sudden eye contact, I slightly lowered my head and then turned my gaze elsewhere. Perfectly natural.
To where I turned my gaze, another red-haired woman was deep in conversation with the cardinal. Noticing the armband on her arm marking her as the family’s representative, it seemed she was the mother of the deceased, Ellisa Lowell.
Setting on the fact that her husband had also died in the line of duty, I remembered how she had opposed the heroine entering the academy, a conflict that would eventually be resolved through the protagonist’s efforts.
I mean, I would have also opposed it. If I had lost two family members for the same reason, I wouldn’t want to lose my last remaining child either.
Seeing her with her head bowed low, exuding a sorrowful aura, I began to feel a bit gloomy myself when I heard the cardinal’s voice. The funeral hall was rather empty, making it easy to hear what he said from here.
“…So please, do not grieve. That would go against the goddess’s will. If you cannot celebrate the souls that have returned to the goddess, how can you cry? Going against the goddess’s will is akin to succumbing to the devil’s whispers and becoming a servant of the witch.”
I thought how boldly he spouted such nonsense. “That’s the goddess’s will,” he said.
Sure, if I had heard something like that in reality, I would’ve immediately been bombarded with insults, but things were a bit different here.
After all, this was a place where many gods, including Ariel, actually existed, and demons were well-known for thriving off of people’s negative emotions. So, it was famous for not killing people outright.
And those demons and gods were in opposing relationships, with the deities living in their temples. Indeed, the souls of those who achieved great deeds would meet the gods and be honored. That was the established setting.
So even if it wasn’t entirely correct, there were parts that were…
“Would you like to become a servant? If you hear the devil’s whispers, we can help you right away. We can call the Inquisition in no time.”
“Yes…?”
Correct…
“That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Demons exist everywhere, and those with weak faith may falter. But we are here. We are here to strengthen your will. If you need help, do not hesitate to ask. That is what the church is meant to do.”
Correct…
“Even if the family of the heroes has succumbed to the devil’s whispers, we will treat them fairly.”
“Shut your mouth! You jerk!”
I ultimately couldn’t hold back, leaped up, stomped on a few servings of spicy beef soup, and soared, delivering a drop kick right into that jerk’s face.
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