episode_0003

After leaving the Information Guild, the place I headed straight to was the Church.

If I, a first-time visitor to the Empire, asked how I would know the location of the church without any information, it was simple.

‘There’s no way you wouldn’t know this when you have the most faith.’

The fact that we must be aware of is that I am not human.

He may have been a human, but after becoming a celestial being, he became not a human being, but a being that could be seen as a kind of god.

Therefore, faith toward the goddess could be felt everywhere.

‘And the place where faith is most united.’

In fact, the denomination is the center of faith.

It was the place where most faiths gathered, so I was able to easily find my denomination.

As I approached the church, the priest who was waiting at the church entrance approached me.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to pray to the goddess.”

“There is no room for prayers that can be offered directly within the denomination because so many people use them.

A religious order is an organization that serves the goddess and is said to be her representative.

So, there must have been many people within the denomination looking to pray.

‘Should I go to church?’

Anyway, as long as there was a prayer room, it didn’t matter where.

“Could you tell me the location of a nearby church?”

“Of course I have to tell you. It’s not that far from here, so you’ll be able to find it without difficulty.”

After saying that, the priest immediately explained the location of the church.

As the priest said, the church was not far away, so I bowed my head in gratitude and walked on.

Passing through the crowds of people on the way to the church.

A loud noise that had never been heard in heaven was heard.

The sounds of many people talking.

They all mixed together and struck my ears.

I just laughed.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

When I was alive.

Even back then, I sometimes walked along these crowded streets.

The street where I chatted and laughed with my colleagues, just like the people I see now.

The current scene that reminds me of that time is more like a memory.

I accepted them not as noise, but as memories.

‘In those memories, there was no kid stealing things.’

I grabbed the back of the kid who took the item from my arms.

At the same time, I went into a deserted place to avoid attracting people’s attention.

It must have been a scary situation for a young child.

The little boy showed no such sign at all.

Instead, he looked at me as if asking me what to do.

“Little boy.”

“What.”

“Why don’t you give me what you took?”

“What do you think I took?”

A guy who openly pretends not to know.

A bit of curiosity arose as to what on earth they believed in and did this.

‘If you look at what he’s doing, it’s not just once or twice. And from what you say, it seems like you know very well what kind of condition you are in.’

I couldn’t possibly guess where that confidence came from.

The eyes are surprisingly cold, considering they are the eyes of a child who doesn’t know anything about the world.

‘If you look at his behavior… ‘Is this a child who grew up in an orphanage?’

Their behavior is so neat that it can be said that there is no one to raise them.

However, it was also ambiguous to say that he received intensive care.

In that case, there is no other place than an orphanage.

I couldn’t even understand his actions.

‘It’s not like you trust the orphanage to protect you.’

The more I think about it, the more questions I have.

First, I decided to talk to the little boy.

It’s something you can get back at any time, so put it aside.

“Are you sure you don’t think I’m going to hurt you?”

“I think it could hurt you.”

“But why did you commit such theft?”

“I have never stolen?”

Are you still planning on getting out of the way?

I took out the pendant hidden in the child’s arms.

Only then did the little boy look a little embarrassed.

“Then how do you explain this?”

“… I don’t know. How do I know that?”

“It looks like a child who grew up in an orphanage. Don’t you know that you can report this to the daycare center and file a legitimate complaint? If you really want to, file a formal complaint with the orphanage.”

No matter how mature you are, a child is still a child.

The fact that great damage could be done to the orphanage that raised you is bound to make you anxious.

Of course, I really had no intention of filing a complaint against the daycare center.

I just wanted to teach you a lesson.

“… Well, I’ll take any punishment… That much… ”

As expected, the child said that with a bit of trembling.

It was a little strange that he became servile so easily, but I just ignored it.

“Can you tell me why you stole?”

“… ”

The child closed his mouth tightly, as if he could not say this much.

That moment when I wondered if this might be a good thing.

“Wait a minute!”

Someone wearing a white robe approached me, shouting urgently.

White hair was glimpsed between the shaking robes.

“Hmm?”

The woman wearing a robe repeatedly bowed her head to me.

“I don’t know what the child did wrong, but please forgive me!”

Because she lowered her head so much, the robe she was wearing came off.

Then, the face of a pretty and beautiful woman was revealed, and her hair as white as snow fluttered.

Her hair, sprinkling a brilliant shine, harmonized with her beautiful face and gave a mysterious feeling.

“Oh!”

The woman looked troubled at having her appearance revealed.

Looking at that woman, I immediately knew who she was.

‘Saint.’

This means that the person in front of you is a saint.

As for how I knew, I could say I knew by looking at her appearance.

‘Because the goddess herself said it.’

He himself once said that the saint of this generation looked particularly similar to him, almost like a twin.

At the time, I thought it was okay, but after seeing it in person, I realized why they made such a fuss.

‘They look very similar.’

It’s not just a resemblance.

Although it is momentary, the resemblance is enough to make one think that the Goddess of Light from heaven has descended on Hage, even if just for a moment.

‘It also resembles innocence.’

Embarrassment about having one’s true self revealed.

However, the conflict of having to save the child in my hands was clearly visible on my face.

How can a person be so pure?

As I looked at the saint, I couldn’t stop laughing at the image of a goddess in heaven that came to mind.

I released the child and spoke to the saint.

“I had no intention of doing anything in particular. It’s just that my child stole something from me and I just wanted to ask him why.”

“… ”

The saintess’ gaze turned to the child.

The child quietly avoided the saint’s gaze.

“I just… My sister seems to be feeling low these days… ”

The child looked like he was about to burst into tears.

It seemed that the saint had been in a bad mood recently and had stolen an ornament such as a pendant to free him.

‘It’s unique, though.’

The problem was that it was stolen and given to others.

If it had been caught by a really bad person instead of me, I would have been in big trouble.

“Ha… Anyway, what do you do if you steal something from someone else? What would you do if you were caught by a bad person?”

“Sorry… ”

The saint comforted the sniffling child by hugging her once, then turned her gaze back to me.

Then he lowered his head once again.

“It won’t be an excuse, but the child did it without knowing. I’ll give you whatever reward you want. Ah, the stolen goods!”

“I have it.”

I showed the pendant along with my words to her as she cried out urgently, perhaps because I thought she might not have received the item back yet.

Only then does the saint show signs of relief.

“I’m glad. I was worried that it might not have been returned yet… I will scold you harshly so you never do something like this again.”

The saintess looks quite angry.

But I knew that it was anger that came from feelings of worry.

“You don’t have to do that. And no compensation is needed either. All I hope is that through this incident, the child realizes how dangerous his actions are. If this time, it was caught by someone with a bad personality instead of me, it wouldn’t have ended well.”

“Ah… Is it barely enough?”

The saint asked me with a slightly dazed look.

I smiled slightly at him.

“Everyone makes mistakes in life. Even though a child who hasn’t fully grown up said that his methods were wrong, he had no intention of criticizing what he did for someone else. Moreover, since I have something like this in my hands, I just hope that I can use this opportunity to realize it.”

We have experienced countless experiences throughout our human lives.

Among them, there were also ugly, dirty, and selfish creatures.

For someone like me.

Even though it was the wrong method, it was rather admirable to see a child taking a risk and putting the action into action.

‘Because your heart is right.’

I approached the child who was holding the saint’s hand tightly.

Unlike before, the guy was looking at me with a bit of fear.

I knelt down on one knee in front of the child and carefully reached out my hand and brushed the little boy’s hair.

Although I was trembling with fear at first, the trembling gradually lessened.

“Your actions this time may not be right, but your heart is right, so keep it in mind. Stepping up for someone is something not everyone can do. Anyone can do whatever they want. But executing it is another story. Even though it wasn’t the right method this time, from now on, be the person who can implement it. Got it?”

The child nodded slightly.

I smiled and got up.

“I have work to do, so I’ll go. Okay then. ”

I left behind the saintly woman who was somehow dazed.

I headed to church.