Chapter 50

While Ria was changing her clothes, I kept sorting out my thoughts.

Of course, unrelated to the story, my decision not to become a Saintess was also a matter of my beliefs. It was a kind of pride battle. It wasn’t about anything more important than a life, but still, from my perspective as the one who pointed it out first, it’s not something I can easily back down from.

…Saying this feels very prideful, but maybe it’s similar to how religious people can’t bend their beliefs. I can already imagine the atheists pulling their hair out over this.

It’s true that I think my childhood friend should become the heroine.

I don’t want my existence to come between them. Regardless of whether reality and story are the same or not, I genuinely hope that Lee Si-yoon and Han Yu-ri will end up well together. I felt this even after seeing it for myself.

And—

Yeah, I thought the character of the Saintess was ultimately at the center of the chaos.

That power. The Saint Power, which means divine power, that I use.

It’s not really important how the atheists in this world think. Just like how flat-earth theorists can’t overturn mainstream academic research, the atheists of this world can’t overturn the premise that ‘God exists’ that people believe in.

What’s important is the beings beyond the Gate.

They believe in that God, but their interpretation of God is completely different from the church in this world.

…The reason I can’t bring myself to believe that existence beyond this world is a god, despite knowing about it.

Click.

The shower room door opened, and Ria stepped out.

Her hair was still damp from not drying fully. Although she had washed her body and put on her nun’s outfit, the color couldn’t be completely hidden.

In fact, without a veil on her head, the nun’s outfit was showing its effect in reverse.

“…Huh?”

Ria came out, pressing her towel against her head, blinking as she caught me staring at her.

“What’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

In the original, Ria was the Saintess’ knight. The Saintess kept saying she was going to serve and ended up meeting Lee Si-yoon repeatedly, and Ria consistently followed along to see him.

Well, in the novel, her name isn’t specifically Ria. That name is just a variation I whimsically made from Lee Chae-eun’s baptismal name.

…The Ria in this world hasn’t tried to approach Lee Si-yoon that much yet. Since I’m the only one who has changed in this world, it’s obviously my influence.

“Huh?”

As I turned my gaze out the window, Ria marched over to me and grabbed my cheeks with both hands.

“Pff!?”

This time, my scream turned into a vague sound that slipped out instead.

Ria’s strength is formidable. She probably has that unique ‘fantasy’ enhancement, making her much stronger than girls back home who workout.

As she gently lifts my face, I can’t help but look at Ria.

“What’s wrong? What’s bothering you now?”

“It’s nothing.”

“That’s not a nothing expression!”

“….”

It was quite embarrassing to look directly at Ria, whose wet hair was clinging to her forehead. There was a towel over it, but it didn’t exactly serve as a veil. The red hair underneath was just too obvious.

Goodness, how embarrassing. I held back a sigh.

What kind of pubescent boy am I, getting flustered just by looking at a girl’s hair?

I rolled my eyes around and said, “…I was just thinking about the battle that happened today.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Ria let go of my cheeks.

“Don’t think too deeply. We don’t feel guilty when we eat meat, right? It’s the cycle of nature. If we don’t stop it, we’ll be the ones attacked.”

Ria continued squeezing her hair with the towel as she spoke.

“By that logic, carnivores would all be considered pathetic creatures.”

“That’s true, but…”

I let out a light sigh.

It’s not really the kind of concern I’m having.

It’s not like this would happen if humans never crossed into the gate—still, the influence the gates have on human life is undeniable.

I’m a person too.

And most people want to survive and hope their time alive is comfortable.

Controlling the gates and taking the best advantages from beyond them isn’t that different from what human civilization did in the first place.

…

In the end, feeling guilty about being on the front line might just be the ultimate hypocrisy.

If I can swat away mosquitoes but feel that way seeing bigger monsters die, what does that make me?

I flopped back onto my bed.

“So, what’s next? Should I tell Sister Warden?”

“Can I skip out?”

“You’re a Saint Candidate now, right? It would be stranger if you weren’t doing the same work as the other nuns.”

I briefly closed my eyes and let out a long exhale.

Then, I sat up from my spot.

“Are you okay after using your Saint Power?”

“…I didn’t collapse, so I’m fine.”

I nodded and left the room.

*

Though the original wasn’t an academy story, they seemed to want it to feel like one, as there were classes held within the association.

In a way, it was closer to school or training for newcomers, but at least we were attending classes in a place that resembled a classroom.

It wasn’t so bad having a study session after a long time. I might even say it was better than when I was doing nothing at all.

Everyone in the association was friendly as well.

As the atmosphere started to mirror the original more, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation that I couldn’t quite express in words, but oh well.

And in between those classes, we were assigned light missions to enter the gate for some practical experience.

The Gate managed by the Hunter Association ‘Horizon’ was a place that was broadly understood. It was centered around places with proper bases, and the surroundings were thoroughly protected by Hunters.

“Hmm.”

After going on a deployment twice, during our third deployment, Kim Hyun-gang fell into deep thought.

“Is something wrong?”

When Ria asked, the guy fell into contemplation for a bit before speaking.

“No, it just seems like unidentified monsters have appeared until now.”

“Unidentified?”

The area beyond the gate is mostly not much different from the Earth. No one knows if it’s because the earth had to be similar for the gate to appear, or if it’s someone else’s plot.

This hasn’t been revealed in the original, either.

So, it is generally assumed that the area beyond the gate has a similar size to Earth.

It wouldn’t be odd if new beings suddenly appeared.

“The mages say it’s not a substantial being, but… well, that makes me a bit hesitant to send you guys this time.”

“…….”

“You can gauge the size of the magic power, but—”

“If that’s the case, could you trust me with it?”

It was Glaria who said that to Kim Hyun-gang, who was still pondering.

“I was a capable mage where I lived. I’ve stopped hordes of monsters several times, following my father.”

“Hmm…”

With Glaria stepping up, Kim Hyun-gang’s expression turned even more complicated.

It’s true Glaria is a powerful mage. She has provided helpful advice related to magic in the association, and she has shown off her skill while hanging out with us.

The problem is that Glaria is a ‘Princess.’ Kim Hyun-gang probably knows that fact.

Thinking along the lines of Glaria’s words, while she could likely handle most emerging monsters, it wouldn’t be without risk—

“…Alright. We’ll need to learn how to face new monsters as well. We need to learn to strategize or escape.”

If the opponent were a living being, I wouldn’t have given such an answer. If they’re non-magical beings, their might is easily noticeable.

We can never fully gauge the dangers of a monster either, but as Hunters, we need to know how to confront the risks.

“……”

When I notice the eyes directed at Glaria and me, it seems the biggest hurdle in this scenario is our important identities.

“I’m sorry.”

As I apologized,

“Oh, no, no, I never thought that! Please raise your heads!”

Kim Hyun-gang shouted in surprise as he waved his hands.

“But—”

“It’s true. I was only briefly thinking about how to select a position. You all need to see the monsters after all.”

Ah.

So that’s how it is.

It could be that the new monsters might be dangerous, so while we can’t approach too closely, at the same time, if we don’t face them, we might miss this chance entirely.

A new but not overly strong monster, good enough to approach.

…Thinking like that, I have a bit of a grasp on the feeling.

“Alright, then we’ll proceed a bit more cautiously this time.”

Kim Hyun-gang said that.

“This time, rather than wandering freely, please follow the instructions closely.”

With his serious expression, we nodded a bit more nervously than usual.