Chapter 149

Chapter 121 – Do Not Be Perplexed

The Sinful Stele… and the Holy City… That Nolias… The gods…

I brought my left thumb to my mouth and began to bite my nails, making a “click-clack” sound.

A myriad of thoughts surged in my mind.

Firstly, I noticed that the gods in the story didn’t seem to be as just as one might expect.

Although I was uncertain about the gods’ perspective on the world, it was clear they had a particular fondness for humans. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bestowed numerous blessings upon humans, or sent angels to assist in wars, or even directly “changed the rules of the world”… According to Teacher Morgan, I wasn’t sure what this “rule” referred to, but from then on, humans possessed the power of order, which previously belonged only to those alien races.

There must be more to this than what the teacher said.

As for the notion in the story that kneeling for days without food or water would earn the gods’ favor, such nonsense should be taken with a grain of salt.

Secondly, two elements ran through the entire story: the gods were always the “blessers” of humanity, saving them countless times from peril. And… the church was their most loyal followers, the bridge between the gods and humans.

But after finishing the story, the gods remained as elusive and unattainable as a mirage in my heart.

What exactly are they?

Beings of higher dimensions? Managers of the world?

Or perhaps… simply fictional constructs?

Do they truly exist in this world…

“…We still have a little time before the end of the lesson,” Teacher Morgan’s voice interrupted my musings. “So before we formally learn about faith, does anyone have any questions? Feel free to ask me.”

Oh, I can still ask questions… Good, then I’ll ask.

So I straightened up and raised my hand high: “Teacher Morgan!”

Seeing this, Teacher Morgan smiled and nodded at me: “Good. Then, Miss, what do you want to ask?”

“Teacher Morgan, have you ever seen the gods?”

After asking this question, I realized it might have been inappropriate to put it so bluntly…

Would asking a priest if he has seen the gods be considered blasphemy? Although I didn’t think it was a big deal, I had no idea how a clergy member would react.

Regardless, he would probably answer yes…

“No.”

Teacher Morgan’s response was contrary to what I expected.

He didn’t make any excuses or dodge the question; instead, he answered frankly: “I am merely a priest, one among countless followers of the great gods, like dust in the desert, a minuscule existence far below the level to behold their glory… That is something only the most devout believers within the church can achieve.”

“The most devout…”

“Exactly. Only the Pope, the four cardinals, Saint Margaret… such devoted followers can have the privilege of witnessing the divine presence.”

Hearing this, I frowned.

So even an archbishop like the old man in the robe doesn’t have the chance to see them?

Cardinals… I remember Carlos mentioning that they are the purple-robed bishops who manage the dioceses of various countries, second only to Angel in status, the highest-ranking bishops in the holy church, there are only four in total… One of them is named George, or maybe he is the Pope’s knight.

Anyway, I don’t know any of them, and Angel is nowhere to be found. As for the saint… I could ask Sister Teresa about it.

“Then, Teacher Morgan, how can we obtain the power of faith and receive the gods’ protection?” someone asked.

“They just need to pray.” Morgan smiled slightly, “It’s a very simple thing. All you need to do is go to the church every day and offer praises to the gods, praying for their response. As long as your heart is sincere enough, the great gods will naturally hear your voice.”

“But I don’t even know where it is…”

“Do not be confused. The gods… they are actually in everyone’s hearts.”

………….

Perhaps to give the new students some time to adapt, the schedule for these few days was not very tight.

The second day’s lesson on Order did not cover any substantial content, mostly just basic system rules that I already knew. In the afternoon, it was Herbology, which was said to be one of the most popular elective courses at the academy, but only Daisy had signed up for it from room 1504.

Her family were farmers for generations, with a reportedly large orchard in Nalnagar. I remembered that the farmers there were quite wealthy; presumably, her parents were also among the merchants. But why would she come so far to the capital city to study Herbology? Was this related to farming?

Well, maybe it was.

But more importantly, it seemed like she was seeking some sort of prestige. After all, merchants who reach a certain level often want to become nobles, but it’s not an easy task. Daisy must be making an attempt for her family… perhaps one of many.

Despite her personality, getting into the Royal Academy was an opportunity.

Sarah and Sophia disappeared at noon, so with nothing else to do, I went to the library hoping to find useful knowledge or clues from the vast collection of books. However, after going through them, I didn’t find much of value. Most were useless to me, and occasionally, even the interesting ones contained information I had already read in Schentel Castle.

I found almost no books about the Abyss, which disappointed me. It seemed that I wouldn’t find answers about what I truly was from the academy’s library.

But on the fourth day in the afternoon, there was a class on Abyssology.

To my surprise, besides myself, someone else in 1504 had also signed up for this course.

“Oh! Peylo, you actually chose to take Abyssology!”

Sarah stared at me, her eyes filled with disbelief and joy: “I thought I’d be the only one in the dormitory to sign up for this… What a pleasant surprise! Peylo, do you want to become a Knight too?”

“Heh heh,” I raised my head towards her, “Why, is it not allowed?”

“Of course it is! Actually, I knew it! Peylo, you’re really amazing, right? That boy that day…”

Throughout the way, Sarah kept chattering like a bird, her voice never fading despite my somewhat indifferent responses. It must be the joy of suddenly finding someone with similar interests or goals… it wasn’t hard to understand.

She was just a bit too noisy.

As the headmaster had mentioned, Abyssology was a niche course, so this class probably wouldn’t have many students…

With such thoughts, when I arrived at the classroom, I realized the number of people was even fewer than I had imagined… looking around casually, there were likely less than twenty people.

I couldn’t tell what kind of mood I was in as I sat down.

I recalled the passionate speech Grandma gave during the opening ceremony, which seemed to ignite everyone’s enthusiasm, but in reality…

“Pope Knights” were human heroes, figures of admiration and legends. Everyone wanted to be like them, dreaming in their sleep of one day wearing pure white cloaks and slaying monsters in a flash.

But dreams are just dreams, and once awake, life goes on.

“Mm, is everyone here?”

A familiar gentle female voice came.