Chapter 65

“People use the word ‘pure’ in many different ways.”

When referring to a very young child, it’s often meant as praise, but if the subject is an adult, the story changes, Chaeun thought.

That was the kind of feeling Chaeun had when she first met Anna.

Pure.

Though Chaeun had just recently become an adult herself, she felt she knew just a little bit about the world.

She had been trained by her father and had followed him around enough to get a glimpse of how society works.

Since the Gate Incident, the world had changed. At a glance, it seemed to be running the same, but the social structure had been reshaped in various ways by the new forces of Hunters, heroes, and the Church.

If she were to live as an ordinary member of that society, she might not have realized it, but having gone through a kind of early education, Chaeun could see a bit of what was happening.

When she first met Anna, she thought that Anna was being used by the Church.

She knew Anna possessed Saint Power and that rumors about it were circulating among Hunters. However, it seemed like Anna knew too little about the world.

Though Anna seemed to be struggling to break free from the church, that was, in the end, a pure tale.

The Church needs a Saintess. Naturally, the more candidates there are, the better.

Since the person who could almost be said to have founded the denomination appeared over a decade ago, many heroes have been born, and Hunters who could rival those heroes have come forth, yet the Church has failed to produce a single true Saintess. Having that many beings in such a position gives them a justification by itself.

This is somewhat expected. The position of ‘Saintess’ was defined by the Pope, who insisted it must exist within the denomination.

…The reason a Saint or Saintess is called such is similar to why a hero is called a hero. By saving countless people and educating many, the term stuck over time.

The difference is that heroes established those conditions early on, primarily under the government’s leadership and as representatives of government forces.

Hunters followed behind them.

The government organization originally existed systematically, while the Hunter Association follows the form of a ‘company’ or ‘foundation’.

In contrast, the Church, which followed the existing religious model, actually had to build anew from the start.

The most naturally accepted existence by people was that of the denomination.

Thus, the denomination had to occupy various parts of society to survive. It acted accordingly, and the form produced through decades of struggle became the current denomination.

There are still many people who consider the denomination a thorn in their side.

That was when Anna appeared.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been glancing at me for a while now. Did you want to say something?”

“Uh….”

Those clear eyes looked straight at Chaeun.

Though Anna thought she sounded bold, Chaeun saw none of that in her demeanor.

Rather, Anna seemed like someone who didn’t know such things at all, like she was awkwardly mimicking what she saw on the outside.

…It was proof that even while rebelling, she still kept to the most basic norms and didn’t cross the line.

Before seeing Anna use her Saint Power for real, Chaeun thought that Anna was trying to use the Church. Her perception of Anna outside the Church was that she held a title but didn’t want to take responsibility.

However, after seeing Anna directly, she thought the opposite—that the Church was using Anna.

She thought of her as just someone who was getting used. Anna was so pure that she could draw out greater powers than others.

How pure could she be if she didn’t even trade with the Church like other Saint Candidates? That magical power wasn’t special; it was merely because she willingly treated others that rumors spread among Hunters.

The fact that there were people trying to drag Anna out into the public eye likely fueled that idea. They probably thought she was that easy to deal with.

Perhaps that’s why, at first, thought such a thing as, “Should I help just a bit?” It felt like looking down from above.

“?”

Anna tilted her head to the side, looking like she genuinely didn’t understand why Chaeun was avoiding her gaze.

…Wouldn’t it be natural not to know?

After realizing Anna could wield such power—no, she began to think that Anna was likely more outstanding than any priest she had encountered before.

It became a little embarrassing to look straight into those eyes.

Anna, who exists purely as someone who saves people without a shred of doubt.

Anna, who believes that her powers aren’t truly hers, but rather a gift from someone else.

…

Perhaps she thought that simply observing someone doing the right thing meant she was ‘pure.’

Seeing the upright person and calling them pure—so in a way, she was thinking they were naive.

To call a saint ‘pure’ can sometimes be just another way of saying ‘foolish.’

“Huh.”

Seeing Chaeun avert her gaze made Anna laugh.

For the past few days, Anna had been this way. Up until now, Chaeun had teased Anna, and a few times they’d repeated an endless back-and-forth, but recently, Anna had gained a weakness against Chaeun.

Anna hopped off her bed and dashed over to Chaeun’s bed.

Then, she leaned in close, her golden hair like spun gold cascading beside her face. Unlike Chaeun’s neatly cut bob, Anna’s hair was quite long.

That hair tickled Chaeun’s nose.

Before Chaeun could sneeze, she gently held Anna’s cheeks with both hands.

“Pff,”

Having her cheeks held like that caught Anna off guard, causing her to let out a funny sound.

Soft and smooth. It felt like she hadn’t put on any cosmetics at all. Yet, with such a look—

Is this what people mean when they say God has bestowed something? Chaeun felt a little jealous.

“Let me go!”

As Anna said that and squirmed, Chaeun released her grip.

Still, it was effective; Anna took a small step back.

“Every time like this, you just grab my face.”

Seeing Anna glower at her made Chaeun pause.

Well, the sound Anna made every time she was grabbed was similar to that of capturing a small animal.

…Thinking about it, the height difference wasn’t that significant, so Anna wouldn’t be called a ‘small animal’. It was just Chaeun who felt that way.

She still looked somewhat pure. Reflecting on what happened a few days ago, it was clear that when she thought she needed to do something, she had the ability to resolve it definitively, but even that was because there wasn’t anyone else who could do it.

The ‘purity’ Chaeun felt when looking at Anna wasn’t of that kind.

Rather, it was a concern about a different type of purity.

“Remember that holy artifact you gave me?”

“…That name feels a bit embarrassing, though.”

“Besides that, there’s no other way to describe it.”

Chaeun’s words made Anna refrain from arguing further.

Chaeun’s chocolate could be considered a holy artifact too, if one were to argue. For Church people, they probably wouldn’t know what to do if you gave them that.

Of course, there would always be those seeking ‘profit’ within any faction.

And such individuals might think of using Anna—

“Anyway, I heard that important item lost its power because of that holy artifact.”

“Ah, right.”

Anna shrugged, then plopped down on her bed.

“That’s not a problem. It’s the stone itself that’s important, not the magic power housed there.”

“…Really?”

Up until now, it made sense that no one would dare use that magic stone carelessly.

And that holy artifact too.

“We can make a pair of holy artifacts, right? Then wouldn’t that satisfy you too? If they didn’t even think something like this would happen, it sounds like the research might not have progressed much.”

“……”

Chaeun pondered for a moment before speaking.

“It’s said that Saint Power can pass through walls, so that’s why this happened, right? People thought it was enough to just block the visible light.”

“That’s true.”

“Wasn’t it just that your power was strong enough to break through?”

“Huh?”

Anna’s eyes went wide at Chaeun’s words.

“So, until now, the reason your powers were blocked was simply that they were weak?”

“Huh?”

“No, think about it. Sunglasses have grades. Some block almost all sunlight, while others don’t do much. Your powers were just strong enough to overwhelm whatever was blocking them, right?”

“……”

At those words, Anna’s expression looked a bit dazed.

“Ah… no way?”

“Why, didn’t you receive any revelations about that?”

“……”

Silence indicated she couldn’t answer back, suggesting it seemed quite likely.

And with that response from Anna, Chaeun narrowed her eyes slightly.

Is that how it is?

Anna is pure. So pure that she thinks she should help others just because she can.

If someone were to try to use Anna, Chaeun, who was nearby, could stop it. For now, there was that justification and the strength to do so.

But what if.

If the being above, as Anna said, was using Anna.

Even while denying it to be God, if Anna is ultimately following the guidance of that being, how would she respond if that guidance meant sacrificing herself?

If so, to prevent some terrible event—

Thinking in that way felt strange.

A complicated, indescribable feeling.

Chaeun thought that perhaps she genuinely liked Anna.

So much so that if Anna suddenly disappeared, she might feel an emptiness.

That thought felt a little odd.

This feeling was one Chaeun had only experienced once before.

“?”

Seeing Chaeun gaze at her seriously, Anna tilted her head.

In the face of those clear eyes, once again, Chaeun turned her gaze away.