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It wasn’t a decision driven by a sudden surge of faith.

Although this Church did save my life, the person who did it was Sirien.

This Church was merely a tool for Sirien. Just as one doesn’t thank the surgical scalpel for a successful surgery, I didn’t feel much gratitude towards Hibras.

So, my decision to join this Church was purely my own.

If this Church reveres Sirien as a saint, then this Church is our strength as well.

I’ll take what I can get.

After all, the original Razen wasn’t a devout believer either.

My personality isn’t great, but the original Razen’s personality was even worse.

He wasn’t someone who would serve a god with sincerity.

What mattered to me was the power I could receive from Hibras.

Since Sirien became the saint of this Church, I won’t pretend not to know.

I am serious about protecting the saint, so Hibras will grant me powers as well.

Our interests align. The gods in this world were quite businesslike.

“With this, you are now a follower of the God of Rest. There used to be a custom of giving baptismal names. It was quite a long time ago, though. If you wish, I can give you one.”

“No, thank you. I like my name as it is.”

“A wise choice. I’m told I’m not very good at naming things.”

“I thought so.”

The baptism wasn’t particularly difficult.

Whether due to the author’s lack of imagination or not, it still involved the use of water.

A dark room where all light was blocked out. Being submerged in holy water three times under the light of a lamp was all there was to it.

I wondered if, like the protagonist, the god would directly convey something to me, but the baptism ended without incident from start to finish.

It seems Hibras isn’t so frivolous.

The God of Light had said quite a few vague things while reincarnating the female lead.

The person who conducted my baptism was the green-haired man from before.

According to Sirien, he is the guardian of this place, the sanctuary of Hibras. From the boundary we entered, everything inside is considered a sanctuary.

Now that my status has changed from ‘outsider’ or ‘uninvited guest’ to a follower, his attitude had softened considerably.

“Encourage the saintess before she enters the ritual. It’s not dangerous, but it’s not easy either. It will be arduous and challenging.”

“Yes. Thank you for your words.”

However, his taciturn nature hadn’t changed.

While I dried myself with a towel, he was already preparing to leave.

I didn’t know what kept him so busy in this small place, but if I let him go now, it would be hard to meet him again in the future.

“As you said, I’ll take good care of the saintess, so how about you spar with me from now on?”

“Why should I?”

“Isn’t it my job to succeed you as the guardian?”

“I haven’t said anything about passing on the role. I’m not weak enough to need a successor yet.”

The man smirked.

It was a condescending smile.

But I looked him straight in the eye.

In the original story, Razen did serve as a guardian in the Hibras Church.

I never heard of any friction between him and this green-haired man during that process.

In the first place, this man was a mysterious figure never even mentioned in the original.

“Are you just a jerk by nature, or are you testing me? You can’t even leave this place, can you?”

“Who told you that?”

“I didn’t hear it from anyone; it’s obvious. There’s no reason for a Church with a Sword Master like you to be holed up in a place like this. Do you know how well Church with Sword Masters as guardians thrive?”

“Hmm. You’re not entirely stupid, at least.”

His eyes scrutinized me.

“Come to think of it, you didn’t let go of your sword until the very end. Impressive.”

“Against the giant?”

“Yes. It was a pity you closed your eyes, but it was enough to pass.”

His gaze mostly lingered on my right hand.

The hand I used to grip my sword.

“So, you’ve managed to wield sword energy. Have you gained confidence? Think you can beat me?”

“I’m challenging you because I don’t think I can win. If I thought I could, why would I bother? It’d be a waste of time.”

“Good. I like your attitude. I’ll check your sword skills later.”

I cheered inwardly.

I was about to stand up when the man reached out to stop me.

“But not today. There’s still poison in your body. Let’s meet again in two days at noon.”

“Is that a promise?”

“I don’t break my promises. I just have other matters to attend to.”

* * *

Even after I returned from the baptism, Sirien didn’t come back for a long time.

I considered going to find her, but then remembered her strict instruction to stay in the room until she returned.

If we missed each other, I’d have to listen to her complaints all day.

“I’ve got a task to do, anyway.”

I held a thick book in my hand.

It was the holy scripture detailing the doctrines of Hibras. I was told I must memorize it if I aimed to become the guardian.

To think I’d have to study the doctrines of a god I had no interest in.

I hated the idea, but it wasn’t wrong.

What would people say if a guardian didn’t know his Church’s doctrines?

I might not need to spout persuasive words like the priests who proselytize, but I should at least be able to recite the contents.

The problem was the itchiness that came with studying after such a long time.

“There’s nothing particularly problematic if I read through it.”

The God of Rest.

Or the God of Death, Hibras.

Hibras preferred to refer to his divinity as rest rather than death.

This was because his duty didn’t end with bringing death to life but with ensuring that wandering souls found rest.

Thus, the symbol of the Church wasn’t a sickle representing harvest but a lantern guiding souls.

A lantern in the dark night. This was the true significance of the Hibras Church, leading lost souls.

Most of the doctrines reflected this.

No matter how sinful a soul was, it had the right to rest after death. All sins committed in life are cleansed by death.

And...

“Humans, and all living beings, possess both soul and body, but Hibras only respects the soul.”

The reason a follower of Hibras should respect the living is that they possess a soul.

Guiding the dead is also because every soul deserves rest.

Therefore, a body without a soul... like a corpse, doesn’t need to be respected.

Although this wasn’t explicitly written, it was a plausible interpretation based on the doctrine.

No, it wasn’t just a matter of ‘it could be interpreted that way.’

When Hibras became known as an evil god in the original story, Sirien didn’t hesitate to raise an army of the dead.

Up until now, she hesitated because of the external perception. But without such constraints, she could do it anytime.

There were also several other sinister powers beyond just raising corpses.

‘No wonder he’s called an evil god in the future.’

Not that other gods didn’t have their own issues.

The God of Light, the God of War, the God of Faith, the God of Compassion—all had aspects that were difficult to understand by modern standards.

These were often explained as humans being unable to fully grasp the will of the gods.

Eventually, I couldn’t finish the scripture and closed it.

My head felt like it was pounding.

I lay down on the bed, and not long after, Sirien returned.

“I’m back! What were you doing?”

“I was reading a bit and then just lay down. Did you take a bath? You smell like flowers.”

“Yeah. I can do it every day now. If you tell them in advance, they’ll even warm the water for you and sprinkle flower petals.”

The petals had a familiar scent, but I couldn’t identify the flower because I knew nothing about flowers.

In the castle, we lived so lavishly that they might have mixed several types.

Anyway, the scent was quite different from what I used to. Since my natural body odor was faint, the new scent quickly permeated.

“That’s great. You always loved bathing.”

“Once I got in the water, I felt my whole body relax. It’s a bit cramped and old-fashioned, but it’s okay.”

“It can’t compare to what you used in the castle.”

Her white face beamed with a smile.

She looked even more radiant after a pleasant bath, with her skin appearing smoother.

Considering she had been through a lot recently, it seemed she was naturally resilient.

“What’s that in your hand?”

“Some fruits I got for us to eat together. There are strawberries too. Try them.”

As soon as Sirien put down the basket, she picked up some fruit with her fingers.

Her hand moved directly towards my mouth.

Her fingers brushed against my lips momentarily before pulling away. The warmth lingered longer than the brief touch.

“Mm.”

“How is it? Sweet? I think the fruits here are tastier than those we had in the castle.”

“Wow, you’re right. They are delicious. Maybe I’ll ask for some fruits tomorrow too.”

“Let’s do that. Want another one?”

“I’ll get it myself.”

The basket Sirien brought had apples, grapes, and strawberries in small quantities.

We sat on the bed, eating the fruit piece by piece.

“I heard today that the ritual preparations will take about three days.”

“What will you do until then?”

“Tomorrow, I want to walk around with you. I’ll introduce you to some people. I got quite close with them while you were asleep for a week. Since this building is used only by you and me, there might be some people you haven’t met.”

“The room next to mine is yours?”

“Yeah. Want to come in? It’s nothing special.”

“...Your room? No, thanks.”

Even in Rehaim, I had never been inside Sirien’s room.

Aside from when we were babies, even Grand Duke Eilencia never set foot in there.

There was no way I could have.

And frankly, I didn’t feel like entering now either. For some reason, I felt a strange sense of guilt.

Sirien’s eyebrows twitched in displeasure.

“Then feed me those grapes.”

“Eat them yourself.”

“Feed me! I fed you earlier!”

“Why are you acting like a child all of a sudden?”

“I don’t care! Feed meee!”

Unable to withstand her whining, I fed her.

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