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A sinner has been executed.

The charges were simple. Although he did not believe in the gods, he became a clergyman for personal gain. He dared to use faith for his own benefit. Thus, he was killed.

However, there were two who wept sorrowfully over the death of such a heinous sinner.

It was said that they were children whom the sinner had raised like daughters.

When I heard that, I felt no interest. It’s always the case that foolish humans prioritize their petty emotions over the sacred will of the gods. While it was somewhat disheartening to see them weep for the sinner’s death, I had no intention of punishing them for it.

But.

The continued explanation piqued my interest a bit.

It was said that one of the two girls raised like a daughter had informed on the sinner she had lived with as a father.

It was said that the reason for that betrayal was that she, too, was a sinner who falsely posed as a believer without genuine faith.

Furthermore, it was said that despite not possessing true faith, that girl desperately prayed daily in the prayer room.

And when I heard about the content of those prayers, the angel Seraph felt a deep interest in the girl who was crying in the distance.

“Was it Mi-rae?”

Despite the angel’s call just a stone’s throw away, Mi-rae did not lift her head.

The sorrow of losing Kim Jae-hyuk, along with the guilt of having led him to his death, overwhelmed her.

Shin Mi-rae, weeping over those two emotions, had no spare capacity to respond to the angel approaching her.

Although the angel had killed Jae-hyuk, she did not feel a surge of vengeance. Even with the Apostle of the God standing before her, fear did not arise.

All those emotions were a luxury for her at that moment. Shin Mi-rae was consumed with the weight of the great sin she had committed, drowning in sorrow and guilt.

However.

“I have heard about your request. You prayed to the gods asking for genuine faith, so you wouldn’t have to fear them.”

At those following words, Mi-rae had no choice but to raise her head.

“Child, how could you make such a prayer? Faith is not something given by others; it wells up from your own heart. It is right to pray when your faith is already established, not to seek faith through prayer.”

But why did she make such a prayer?

Why, while not believing in the gods, did she fear them?

What was the reason for asking for true faith despite having no respect for the divine?

“Were you that afraid of the gods?”

Mi-rae did not answer, but the angel already saw through her thoughts.

“Were you truly that afraid of divine punishment? Were you truly that terrified of judgment after death? Were you so scared of the eternal flames of hell, the deep darkness of the abyss, the consuming madness of interminable loneliness and despair?”

Fear is a great ingredient for faith. If someone believes in the gods out of fear, the angel would obviously welcome it with open arms.

However, Mi-rae was different. She did not seek faith because of fear; instead, she had previously asked the gods for faith to forget that very fear.

How incredibly audacious.

Yet, it was also quite fascinating due to its rarity.

Moreover, the angel was in a good mood, having only recently descended into the human realm.

“You asked for faith.”

Thus, the angel decided to show special kindness to the insolent little lamb before her.

“If I were to grant you the faith you so desired right here, would you accept it?”

“……What?”

Shin Mi-rae was responding to the angel’s question for the first time. At the same time, those around her, who had been holding their breath and watching, began to murmur.

“The genuine, blissful faith that you pray for every day, one where you wouldn’t have to fear the gods. I could etch it into your mind.”

At that, Mi-rae’s eyes began to shake.

If she nodded here, she’d no longer need to fear divine punishment, judgment, or death.

Moreover, she could also forget the guilt of having driven Kim Jae-hyuk to his death, along with the sorrow over his demise. If her mind were filled with praises and worship of the gods, she’d forget all those painful matters entirely.

“Mi-rae…!”

Just as she instinctively wanted to nod, Park Yoo-jin grabbed her hand.

Turning her head, she saw Yoo-jin looking at her with urgent eyes. While she couldn’t stop her with spoken words in front of the angel, it was clear what her intention was.

They had fallen out due to the betrayal regarding Kim Jae-hyuk, but he was still a precious friend and family. In such a crucial situation, she couldn’t simply look away.

However.

“……Are you really going to listen to my prayer?”

Unfortunately, Shin Mi-rae had no emotional reserve to be moved by Yoo-jin’s actions.

She was exhausted.

Of sorrow, of fear, of guilt.

She no longer wanted to feel any of those things.

So, knowing that the offer before her was not right, Shin Mi-rae reached out toward the Apostle of the God, not Park Yoo-jin.

“Yes, of course.”

– Scrape!

The angel, answering Mi-rae’s question, slashed her wrist with a luminescent dagger. Blood began to pour out from the split.

“Drink my blood. My power is bestowed through my blood. If you can endure it after drinking my blood, you can become an apostle of the same god as I.”

“……What if I can’t endure it?”

“You’d die. Mortals rarely survive it. If there are ten thousand, maybe one could endure it? But don’t worry. To die while drinking my blood with the intention of becoming an apostle is proof of your faith and a martyrdom. I shall personally take your soul and guide you to heaven.”

If she succeeds in enduring the blood, she can forget her fears by becoming an apostle. Even if she doesn’t endure it, she can still go to heaven, so there’s no need to fear anymore.

“……I’m sorry, Yoo-jin.”

Just before making a decision, Shin Mi-rae glanced back at her only remaining family.

“I just want to be at peace now.”

“Mi-rae…”

“……..I’ll drink it.”

“Alright.”

The angel reached forth and let her blood drip onto Mi-rae’s head. As Mi-rae quietly opened her mouth, the red blood flowed down her throat.

Then.

– Thump!

“Ugh?!”

The angel’s blood that flowed into Mi-rae spread throughout her body.

“Ahhh!!!”

Right afterward, she felt a burning pain as if molten metal was being poured into her veins. As Mi-rae screamed in anguish, Park Yoo-jin urgently grabbed her, shouting.

“Mi-rae?! Are you okay? Mi-rae?!”

“Let her go. Now that she has entered the process, there’s no way for you to help her.”

“What? What’s happening?!”

“Changes are beginning.”

– Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!!

Mi-rae’s bones and organs twisted, repeatedly undergoing destruction and regeneration.

The blood of angels is fundamentally special. Among them, Seraph’s blood is even more special.

Her blood, the “First Spear” of the totality of Dion, was a crystallization of divine power concentrated to the utmost. Just one drop could miraculously heal all wounds.

However, too much medicine can also turn into poison. The human body can usually not withstand the massive amount of divine power contained in Seraph’s blood. Only those with the utmost aptitude, as she said, about one out of ten thousand, could endure it.

Then, does Shin Mi-rae have that aptitude?

“Ahh, ahhhh!!”

At that moment, the appearance of Shin Mi-rae writhing in pain slowly began to change.

Her once black hair transformed into a sky-like clear blue, and from her temples sprouted a pair of wings that were not human.

Her irises turned a blood-red color, and the blemishes and scars on her skin began to vanish in an instant.

“Aahhh…!!”

Transcendents are born with the abilities suited to live in that world.

If Kim Jae-hyuk had the talent for martial arts, Shin Mi-rae had an overwhelming aptitude for divine power.

…Originally, that aptitude should have been utterly useless.

Divine power fundamentally originates from faith. Therefore, a Shin Mi-rae without faith could never handle a large amount of divine power. Even if she became an official clergyman and received baptism, the divine power she could handle would barely be a grain of sand.

But at this moment.

The overwhelming amount of divine power forcibly awakened her talent, which should have never woken up.

– Paaaa!!

Light spread. A brilliant light burst forth from Shin Mi-rae, illuminating the entire world.

– Suuuu…

As the light eventually faded, Shin Mi-rae was no longer there.

Instead, where she stood was a naked woman with blue hair. The woman covered her form with long hair that flowed down to her feet and a pair of wings attached at her waist.

When she looked up, a much smaller pair of wings drooped like her hair, and a golden halo glowed softly above her head.

“Oh, ohhh…”

“O gods…”

Witnessing that scene, the onlookers couldn’t help but shed tears of joy and reverence.

“The gods have redeemed the heretic…”

“Oh, O gods! Dion!”

“Father Dion!”

From every direction, prayers erupted.

In the midst of that, the angel Seraph smiled as she looked at the newly reborn angel before her.

“That’s unexpected. I never thought it would actually succeed.”

At those words, the new angel quietly lifted her head. While her features were similar to how they had been when she was Shin Mi-rae, her expression and aura were entirely different.

“Now that you are my sister, you will need a new name. Hmmm, then… Rozelia. Let us call you Rozelia.”

“Roze…lia.”

As she pondered that name, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the new angel, Rozelia. Park Yoo-jin, watching her, called out to her in despair.

“Mi-rae…”

However, that name was no longer a term used to call her.

In the face of an empty call, Rozelia briefly turned her gaze to Park Yoo-jin. In Rozelia’s eyes that looked at Yoo-jin was filled with tenderness.

“Yoo-jin.”

And that voice. The way she called her name with warmth hadn’t changed at all. Park Yoo-jin realized that this being still held her dear.

But.

‘Ah.’

In that face, there was no sign of the fear, sorrow, or guilt that she had held until just a moment ago, no matter how much she looked.

And so, Park Yoo-jin finally came to a realization.

This being before her was no longer the Shin Mi-rae she once knew.

“You said you were always on my side, right?”

Yet even so, the angel who had once been Shin Mi-rae still yearned for Yoo-jin’s affection. At that question, Park Yoo-jin’s face twisted in pain.

Kim Jae-hyuk’s death, Shin Mi-rae’s corruption.

Before those two incidents, there was nothing she could do.

What good is it to know the scriptures well and study in college? In the crucial moment, she could do nothing and just stand by watching.

“Yoo-jin…?”

But regretting that fact now wouldn’t suddenly make her able to do something.

Park Yoo-jin remained powerless. And so she could do nothing but respond to the former Shin Mi-rae’s question.

“……Yes, of course.”

I will always be on your side. No matter what path you take, I will be with you until the end.

Because that’s about all I could do.