"Yes!"

Qiaoqiao jumped up and down on the spot, spun around excitedly, and gave a dazed Anjerite a hard slap on the back.

Anjerite winced, brows furrowing as she opened her mouth to complain—but Qiaoqiao cut her off before she could speak.

"Hey, little Anjerite! I think I’m basically a walking jinx! Whatever I say, the opposite happens. Like if I say, *‘Captain Carlo’s standing steady on that platform,’* he’ll probably—"

*Thud!*

A crash sounded behind them.

Voices carried from the front:

"Captain Carlo tripped over his own feet and fell off the platform..."

"—fall..." Qiaoqiao finished the last word.

She clapped a hand over her mouth instantly, whispering to Anjerite, "That’s not my fault, right? I was just joking... He couldn’t have fallen because of me..."

"...Yeah, sure," Anjerite nodded absently.

*Not your fault? You literal jinx. Think about it—it always happens. Like earlier, when you said, ‘We’ll never be on the same team.’*

*And yet here we are. One-in-a-million odds, and we got stuck together.*

*Qiaoqiao must have some weird power.*

Anjerite’s gaze lingered on Qiaoqiao a beat too long, making her squirm.

Qiaoqiao frowned slightly and shot Anjerite a glare. "What’re you staring at? Just so you know—I don’t mind dating, but I don’t date girls!"

"...Relax. I like someone else anyway," Anjerite shot back, rolling her eyes before turning away.

*No way she has powers. Just... coincidence. Yeah. Total coincidence.*

Captain Carlo pushed himself up, rubbing his head. He couldn’t fathom how he’d fallen. Even if he *had* tripped over his own feet, his Holy Knight reflexes should’ve saved him.

*What just happened?*

The poor, unwitting captain had no idea he’d been struck by a rookie priestess’s uncanny curse. He blamed it on clumsiness.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat loudly. "Next: faction assignments and training groups. Teams 1 through 3—follow Lieutenant Francis. He’ll brief you on drills. Move out to the west gate now!"

Several Temple Knights and priests peeled off toward the west entrance.

After a pause, Carlo barked: "Teams 4 to 6—Lieutenant Lagrange is your lead. Head to the sand pits south!"

A few more shuffled away.

"Teams 7 to 9—east gate, rope course start point. Lieutenant Brian’s waiting!"

The last stragglers left.

Only five remained: Anjerite, Qiaoqiao, and three strangers. They exchanged glances.

*We’re Team 10. But why are we alone?* Anjerite frowned. *All other groups had three teams each...*

Carlo caught her questioning look. He’d been impressed by this promising recruit—her scores, her faith, her discipline.

"The rest of you!" he announced. "You’re Team 10!"

"You’re the luckiest! The most honored! You five are the finest rookies this year—" His eyes snagged on Qiaoqiao.

*Her test report... barely passed. Why’s she here?*

He coughed loudly to cover his pause.

"—the *most exceptional* rookie team!" *Smooth save*, he congratulated himself.

"Be proud! You’re the strongest! Every lieutenant fought to claim you!"

All five puffed their chests out—except Carlo’s glare landed on Qiaoqiao, who was whooping loudest. *I’d kick her out if I could.*

*But... anyone in the Temple Knight Order isn’t a fool. Let her be proud.*

"Your duty is heavier than others’!" Carlo thundered. "You must train harder! Push further! Only relentless effort wins the Goddess’s favor! Understood?!"

"YES, SIR!"

Carlo nodded, scanning four faces—skipping Qiaoqiao entirely.

"Your drills won’t be rookie-level. They’ll match full knights. Brutal. Unforgiving. Can you handle it?!"

"YES!"

"Good! From today, Team 10 joins *my* unit! Your ‘rookie phase’ ends in 24 hours. Tomorrow, you train like veterans. In a week, you drill alongside them. No whining. No quitting. Got it, little brats?!"

"Only those who stop seeing themselves as human make real progress!"

"Now! Declare your secondary Virtues! I’ll tailor your training!"

He jabbed a finger at a male knight. "Name and Virtues!"

"Solomon Redbull! Virtues: Courage and Compassion!"

"You!"

"Murray Psyduck! Courage and Honor!"

"You!"

"Ah... I’m a priestess..."

"...*Name*."

"Lena Tobia..."

"YOU!"

"Qiao Qiao! Call me Qiaoqiao—or just Qiao! But I prefer Qiaoqiao! Oh, and my class is—"

"Shut it, priestess! No one asked for your life story!" Carlo snapped. Qiaoqiao shrank back, pouting.

Finally, Carlo turned to Anjerite—his star recruit. But why was her face so red? Why was she trembling?

"Your name and Virtues."

Anjerite stood rigid, cheeks burning. "A-Anjerite... Virtues: Courage and..."

"And...?"

"And..."

*And what? Is she mocking me?* Carlo’s brow darkened. *Top recruits get arrogant so fast—*

Before he could scold her, she blurted:

"...Love."

Dead silence fell. Qiaoqiao, Carlo, and the three teammates all froze.

Qiaoqiao patted Anjerite’s stiff shoulder, her voice dripping with meaning:

"Little Anjerite... this is the Sanctuary. The Goddess’s house. She teaches honesty. Confidence. Truth..." She leaned in. "You *know* that, right?"