Chapter 283

EP.283 Oracle

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A cool breeze brushed past her face.

Silvia, waking up from sleep, sat up.

Normally, she should feel groggy just after waking up, but she didn’t feel that way at all.

Her body and mind were crystal clear.

‘What’s going on…?’

She was stunned by the sight of the lush green meadow before her.

What on earth is happening? She was sure she had been sleeping in her bed…

This was definitely a dream. And she was clearly aware that she was dreaming.

So, this is a lucid dream…

As Silvia turned around to survey her surroundings, she tilted her head in confusion upon seeing a ridge covered with reeds.

It was a place that hadn’t been there just a moment ago.

But suddenly, it appeared. And so naturally.

Normally, she would have been on guard, but the place felt so comfortable that she didn’t feel the need.

Looking at the top of the ridge, she saw someone there.

It was too far to make out clearly, but it looked like a human figure.

The moment she recognized the figure, Silvia felt her body warm up and the tension in her eyes ease.

Whoosh-!

Soon, a golden light began to radiate from the figure, reaching up to the sky.

The sky turned a bright yellow, as if the sun had been brought right next to her.

It felt familiar yet comfortable, but also slightly unsettling.

This… feels like divine power. And an incredibly strong one at that.

“Adeline…? Is that you, Adeline!?”

She called out loudly to the mysterious figure, but there was no response.

As Silvia gazed at the golden sky and let out a sigh, she was about to step towards the ridge when,

– Silvia Reeves. Daughter with a strong heart.

A voice echoed in her mind.

It was a gentle and beautiful voice.

At that moment,

“Ah!”

Silvia let out a short scream and sat up abruptly.

When she opened her eyes, all she saw was a dark room.

She had woken up from the dream.

Silvia, calming her pounding heart, placed a hand on her forehead.

“Haah…”

Once in the dream, and now once more…

Waking up twice with a clear mind felt really strange.

But what was that voice?

An indescribable power struck her mind, and she immediately woke up from the dream.

She clearly remembered the words.

It had called her by her full name and referred to her as a ‘daughter’ with a strong heart.

And… it had a tone as if a higher being was looking down on a subordinate.

Immense divine power, a majestic and mysterious voice, a feeling of being close yet distant, and a presence that felt familiar even though she couldn’t see it…

Could it be…

‘Rosario…?’

Could Rosario have manifested before her?

No, let’s not overinterpret it.

It was just a dream. Yes, just a strange dream.

Let’s go exercise. Let’s clear my mind.

After washing her face in the bathroom, Silvia checked the time.

6 AM, very early.

Adeline had come home late last night.

She must have had an intense time with Jihyuk, so she’s probably still knocked out.

Silvia, roughly throwing on a jumper, ran excitedly in the park and then spent time at the gym as soon as it opened.

Even after exercising so hard, the mysterious voice etched in her mind didn’t fade at all.

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“Adeline.”

“Uung… why…”

“Wake up, it’s already lunchtime. Let’s eat together.”

“I wanna sleep more…”

“Shall I tickle your toes?”

“I don’t know…”

Adeline, half-asleep, frowned as her toes itched terribly.

She curled her toes and tucked them under the blanket, grumbling.

“Ahh…! I wanna sleep more…! I don’t wanna eat…!”

“Come on, let’s eat together. I made your favorite spaghetti. Two kinds.”

At Silvia’s words, Adeline’s ears perked up and she turned her head slightly.

“Two kinds…?”

“Yeah. Carbonara and rose pasta.”

“Uum…!”

Adeline was seriously torn between her desire to sleep and her appetite.

Eventually, she blew away most of her sleepiness and sat up.

Stretching, Adeline yawned.

“Haah…! When did you wake up, unnie…?”

“I woke up early and went to exercise.”

“Really…? You should’ve woken me up. I wanted to go with you…”

“You were snoring just now. You wouldn’t have woken up even if I tried.”

Was she snoring?

No wonder her mouth and nose felt stuffy.

She must have been really tired from that… embarrassing thing with Jihyuk yesterday.

Adeline, still groggy, got out of bed and reached out a hand.

Silvia chuckled and took Adeline’s hand, leading her out of the room.

On the dining table, steam rose from the spaghetti.

Adeline quickly sat down, grabbed a fork, and took a bite of the carbonara, her expression melting.

“It’s delicious…”

Silvia, sitting across from her, asked.

“Don’t you want to say a prayer before eating?”

“A prayer? I never really did that before… why?”

“You haven’t been praying much lately… I just asked out of concern.”

“Unnie, you’re so… worrying about the strangest things. But I’m glad. Unnie, you’re so devoted to Rosario…”

Adeline tilted her head.

She felt a strange sense of dissonance.

It was hard to explain, but something felt fundamentally wrong.

“Why did you stop talking?”

At the concerned question, Adeline snapped back to attention.

“Ah, no… I’m just glad unnie is so faithful to the Rosario Church.”

“I’m trying my best to have faith. Thanks for saying that.”

“Unnie, you definitely have what it takes to be a great believer.”

Silvia, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched her head.

She waited until Adeline finished her spaghetti and then handed her a glass of water.

“Hey… Adeline.”

“Yeah?”

“You received an oracle from Rosario, right?”

“Right.”

“Then you must have heard His voice?”

Adeline narrowed her eyes and asked.

“Why are you asking that?”

“Well… reading the scriptures makes me really want to see Rosario. I want to become a proper believer now… I’m curious about everything about Him.”

Adeline clapped her hands in delight.

She was so happy that her unnie, who she thought would never believe in religion, had changed so much.

All of this was thanks to Rosario… no, Jihyuk’s grace.

Silvia felt guilty for liking Jihyuk, and that led her to religion.

And through their struggles, their bond and love deepened.

So it’s all thanks to Jihyuk!

Thinking roughly along those lines, Adeline cleared her throat.

“Ahem…! Alright. Since it’s you, unnie, I’ll tell you. Rosario’s voice is mysterious. It’s merciful, sometimes like a girl’s… sometimes like a gentle lady. He has a voice of a thousand tones.”

Though she was being verbose, it all boiled down to it being mysterious.

Silvia’s heart sank.

The dream she had today… might not have been just an ordinary dream.

As she thought in the early morning, it was highly possible that Rosario had manifested.

She felt more joy than surprise.

Why? Because He had called her His daughter.

This could mean that she was officially recognized as a believer.

But why did Rosario manifest in her dream?

She was just a trash who turned to faith to ease her guilt and sense of betrayal, while Adeline, the saint and proxy, was right there.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure it out.

“Unnie? What are you thinking about?”

Silvia, sitting blankly, shook her head several times, trying to understand the divine will.

“Ah, I was just imagining Rosario’s voice and His holy presence.”

“No matter what you imagine, He transcends all categories. If you keep praying diligently, unnie, He might give you a good word someday. By the way, ordinary believers have never met Rosario.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. Even among high-ranking clergy, it’s rare. I’ve only met Him three times. Once when I was entrusted to the temple, once when I was chosen as a saint, and once when I received the oracle.”

If even high-ranking believers rarely see Him, why did He reveal His voice to her?

Though it was just one word, she felt there must be some meaning behind it.

She had to find out. No matter what.

And one thing was clear.

She couldn’t tell Adeline about this.

Even though Adeline was a saint, she had only met Rosario three times. If she found out that Rosario had manifested to Silvia, she might freak out.

“I see…”

“But why aren’t you eating? Don’t you have an appetite?”

“Ah, yeah… it doesn’t taste that good?”

“It’s delicious though…?”

Adeline, smacking her lips, still seemed hungry.

Silvia chuckled and asked.

“Should I make more?”

“Uum…! I can’t wait…”

“Really…? Then do you want to eat this?”

Silvia slid her plate over.

Adeline smiled brightly and said.

“Since it’s unnie’s request, I’ll specially eat it for you.”

“Okay, eat a lot.”

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She tried to take a nap several times, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Her body just ached. The result of overtraining to clear her mind in the morning.

Feeling frustrated, Silvia ignored Adeline’s whining to go out and played with her phone on the bed.

Strong heart, daughter of God, oracle, revelation…

She searched all sorts of words, but to no avail.

She couldn’t find what she was looking for.

Of course, it was natural. Expecting to find something with those words was just greedy.

Should I consult Jihyuk?

He wants to become a believer of the Rosario Church too… maybe he’ll listen to my worries well.

Silvia, about to call Jihyuk, shook her head.

‘Let’s not.’

Jihyuk might tell Adeline about this.

Even if I beg him to keep it a secret, he might agree… but it would just make things awkward.

Then what should I do? Just sleep at night?

Would I be able to meet Him again then?

Or should I go to a church or temple?

Those are places where all sorts of believers gather.

Since they’re sacred and solemn places, maybe I can meet Him there.

‘That seems like a good idea…’

Let’s try something.

After searching for a fairly large nearby cathedral, Silvia jumped up, put on her coat, and went to the living room.

Adeline was asleep on the couch, facing away from the TV.

Eat and sleep… she lives so comfortably. That’s why she’s even cuter.

Adeline tends to sleep deeply once she’s out.

Still feeling uneasy, Silvia turned up the TV volume and opened the front door.

Then, as quietly as possible, she closed the door and took the elevator.

Clunk!

At that moment, Jihyuk’s front door opened, and he appeared.

Startled, Silvia asked.

“J-Jihyuk… what are you doing here?”

Jihyuk looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“What… are you talking like an uninvited guest just showed up? Why are you so flustered?”

“It’s… just surprising to run into you like this… are you going somewhere?”

“To the lab. The suit is almost done, so I’m going to finish it up.”

“Ah…”

“And you?”

“I’m… feeling cooped up at home, so I thought I’d take a walk around the neighborhood…”

Jihyuk slowly nodded and got into the elevator with Silvia.

Pressing the basement button, he said.

“Where are you going for your walk? The office apartment park?”

“I’ll go there and maybe somewhere else… just wandering around.”

“You’re not the type to move around without a plan. Do you have something on your mind?”

His gaze was soft, but there was a sharpness hidden within.

It felt like her lie was about to be exposed. Like her whole body was being stripped bare.

“Nothing like that.”

“Really?”

Jihyuk stroked his chin and stared intently at Silvia.

Feeling guilty, she averted her gaze.

“What…? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have a problem?”

“No. You just seem a bit cold today…”

Thud!

Silvia lightly kicked Jihyuk’s butt.

It was an attempt to act nonchalant.

“Cold, my foot… how much is the suit done?”

“I told you. It’s in the final stages.”

“I’m asking for specifics. Why is your comprehension so bad? Are you stupid?”

“Huh… it should be done by today or tomorrow. Call me, and I’ll put it in the device for you.”

“Got it.”

Ding!

While they were talking, the elevator reached the first floor.

Silvia gave Jihyuk a quick kiss on the lips and said.

“Take care.”

“I will.”

Silvia waved at Jihyuk until the elevator doors closed, and when the indicator stopped at the basement level, she let out a sigh of relief.

Turning on her phone’s map, she soon started walking.

The cathedral she was heading to was always open for believers to pray freely.

Let’s go and pray first.

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