Priestess Reeve waited lightly for the class to begin.
‘Who would have thought a day would come when I’d look forward to a lecture?’
She hadn’t exactly been a model student during her school days.
In fact, she spent most nights gaming until dawn, and ended up mostly sleeping during class.
So, she didn’t really prefer instruction, but this time was different.
A class conducted by the Archbishop, who served the ‘Sun Goddess.’
If this were a university, this interesting course would have had her lighting up with excitement to sign up.
‘I need to get in, no matter what.’
What kind of thoughts and beliefs did priests from another world hold?
What are the doctrines and faiths of the order she would soon join?
Attending this class might just clear up all the questions that had been nagging at her.
For Reeve, who loved analyzing the differences in various faiths, this special lecture was an invaluable opportunity she absolutely could not miss.
“For those watching until the end, various benefits will be provided, so don’t miss out!”
Finally, the class began with Eluke’s words to the viewers.
“Hello everyone!”
The rich voice of the Archbishop echoed smoothly through the auditorium via the speakers.
“I am Kelaout, the Archbishop of the Nuset Order. It’s our second meeting, isn’t it? It’s truly an honor to see you all again. I hope warmth from the sunlight will fill your hearts.”
An old man showing great respect even to viewers much younger than himself. It was a wonderfully neat greeting that could induce admiration.
As expected, that Archbishop was an elder every priest should aspire to be.
Though he looked fierce, his manners could rival any priest, even the Pope, Eluke.
With that, her anticipation grew.
What kind of teachings would he impart?
“Today’s topic is character and virtue development. I’ve heard that in today’s world, knowledge and character are considered not very important. Instead, success is measured by how much money one can make and how great one is perceived to be.”
The moment Reeve heard that, she realized something was going wrong.
‘…Why am I already feeling sleepy?’
Clearly, the class had just begun, yet her eyelids were threatening to droop.
Shaking her head to rouse herself, Reeve refocused on the Archbishop’s teachings.
“Money being the measure of all value is something to lament. Sure, having more money may allow you a bit of comfort and stability. It’s undeniably the quickest way to a lavish life. But this is clearly wrong. Money should be a tool we use, not a purpose we chase.”
As she unconsciously started to drift off, Reeve jolted and looked around.
“……”
On her left, the Dark Elf, Wip, was perked up listening intently to the Archbishop, while on her right, the Robot, Kim Ji-yeon, nodded along, paying attention to the class.
This left Reeve feeling confused.
‘Am I the only one bored…?’
Could it really be that among the thirty or so people gathered, she was the only one falling asleep?
Feeling perplexed, Reeve shifted her gaze to the front row where Eluke was sitting, only to feel relieved when she saw the elegant Pope slightly nodding forward, as if straining against sleep.
Thank heavens.
Reeve whispered to herself in genuine relief.
“I want to leave.”
As she cracked open her mouth, the Dark Elf, Wip, widened his eyes in surprise.
“Already?”
“Yes. I can’t be the only one feeling this way.”
Reeve glanced back towards the auditorium’s rear.
Most of the attendees had gathered towards the front under Eluke’s guidance, but a few sat in the back.
Just then, an amusing idea struck Reeve and she pulled a purple gem-studded earring from her ankle and slipped it on.
This prompted Kim Ji-yeon to display a puzzled ‘?ㅁ?’ expression on her charm.
“What’s that? Interesting. Mysterious energy. Flowing out.”
“This is a sacred item that reads thoughts.”
“……?”
As Kim Ji-yeon paused as if powered down, Wip asked, bewildered.
“Why put that on all of a sudden?”
“I’m curious about what those people are thinking right now.”
“…But you won’t listen to me, right?”
The kind-hearted Dark Elf bore a worried expression but couldn’t bring himself to stop her. It was virtually a permission granted.
Reeve lightly touched Wip’s arm, as if to reassure him, then focused her hearing.
Suddenly, the private thoughts of those sitting in the back began to come through.
– I brought them all here, and now you want me to sit through the whole class? Lying old fool!
A woman’s voice filled with rage. That must be Guardian Dragon Hekatrith.
Next, a relatively calm voice followed.
– If I cover my face with a listening expression, they won’t notice.
This was the thought of a man using his wits. Probably Eluke’s husband, the former hero.
– Damn….
That was the foul-mouthed Han Hee-jun. No need to even guess to know who it was.
While reading these rebellious thoughts, suddenly—
– ■■ ■■.
A sudden burst of static mixed with voices made it difficult to understand.
Someone had created a mental barrier, making it impossible to read their thoughts.
Who could it be that has such a robust defense against mental intrusion?
Curious, Reeve turned towards the direction from which the thoughts were coming and locked eyes with a girl.
A child wearing a black hat and a dress.
She was the girl called ‘Icle,’ staring directly at Reeve, as if she sensed her mind was being read.
‘How did she know?’
Just as she stood dazed, Icle’s thoughts came through clearly this time.
– Hey, can I make a suggestion?
A suggestion, huh.
As she contemplated how to respond to this sudden remark, the girl suddenly furrowed her brow.
The reason quickly became clear.
– If you give me a sacred item to safely slip away from here, I’ll connect you with your goddesses. I don’t know how yet, but you can find out.
“…….”
It sounded like a subtle temptation, but in reality, it was just a whiny request to get out of here.
‘What a ridiculous atmosphere.’
Reeve decided to ignore it.
*
The Archbishop continued to lecture ceaselessly, showing no signs of fatigue.
“Let me stress once more, accumulate wealth but do not be obsessed. Do not dedicate your entire life to money; pursue your own happiness. Interacting with pets, reading, exercising—anything is fine. Living life without even a little bit of leisure is nothing but torturing yourself.”
After about an hour had gone by, he was still talking about money, just as he had started.
Amazingly, he wasn’t repeating the same story but mentioning various examples and proverbs.
How could he recall such lengthy content without needing a script?
At this point, it felt less like a class and more like a speech.
‘Oh sun… don’t I ask for some patience? Why won’t you grant it?’
Grumbling to herself, she checked the chatroom on her smartphone for a moment, and then couldn’t help but chuckle.
– Pope, you messed up! Pope, you messed up! Pope, you messed up! Pope, you messed up! Pope, you messed up!
– I’m dizzy.
– Viewers keep dropping, lol.
– I’ll behave from now on! I’ll behave from now on! I’ll behave from now on! I’ll behave from now on!
– Is today the day for ant extermination…?
It was pure chaos.
It was the reaction I had hoped for, and I felt quite pleased. The viewer count was gradually declining as expected.
[Viewer count: 7,389]
There were surely over 15,000 viewers when it started, but now more than half had vanished.
Honestly, it was surprising. There were still that many left?
What joy could people be finding in watching a bearded old man ramble on without rest?
[(☆) P.O.P.E: You are amazing, everyone.]
I expressed my respect to the remaining viewers and confessed my conscience.
[(☆) P.O.P.E: But actually, there are no benefits :)]
[(☆) P.O.P.E: Just keep watching.]
[(☆) P.O.P.E: I have to endure until the end, too…].
Despite laying all the facts bare, there was no significant backlash from the audience. All attention remained on the Archbishop.
– Why on earth is this content…?
– LOLLLL.
– (sleeping face emoticon)
– Were you threatened by the Archbishop?
– Can we get a break?
As an utterly unprecedented response unfolded, the tranquil donation stream, muted for the lecture, exploded.
[havant donated 100,000 won, as pure as a sunflower!!!]
– The Pope deceived me! The Pope deceived me! The Pope deceived me! The Pope deceived me! The Pope deceived me!
I couldn’t help but reply to Hainha’s feeling of betrayal.
[(☆) P.O.P.E: (Fact) When I asked if you’d attend the Archbishop’s class, you willingly agreed.]
Calmly confronting the situation with the truth, Hainha’s donations ceased to flow.
However, other donations poured in intermittently, most lamenting dizziness and a surge of sleepiness.
Then, one viewer presented an excellent idea.
[ksy11 donated 1,000 won!]
– Please upload the full video on iTube.
It was a decent idea, so I decided to adopt it right away.
[(☆) P.O.P.E: That’s a fantastic idea.]
I cherished my iTube channel, but a change of pace like this might not be bad at all.
Sometimes you must taste the rough to truly enjoy the delicious content when it finally comes.
By the way, even while having fun with the viewers, Kelaout’s long monologue continued without end.
“We’ll now get into the actual class.”
…It seemed until now had been mere warm-up exercises.
The chatroom erupted in shock with this unexpected news.
– ????
– Did I mishear that?
– What has been happening until now…?
– ??
– I’ll come back next time.
Meanwhile, the telepathy chat room was in a frenzy.
→[Highest Holy Knight]: Save me….
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve dozed off and woken up….
→[Manager]: I’m sorry. I just dozed off a little beside the stage.
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: You traitor!!!
→[Highest Holy Knight]: I’m deeply disappointed.
→[Icle]: I was wrong. Please let me out. I promise I’ll listen to the Pope from now on.
In the chaos where no one could voice themselves except Kelaout, I couldn’t bring myself to reveal the painful truth for everyone’s mental health.
‘…This is at least a 12-hour lecture.’
There were still more than ten hours remaining until the class concluded.
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