“Children, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Pastor Marshall was still wearing his somewhat worn clerical robes. His expression was kind, yet there was still a particular solemnity about him.

Could this be what prayer was?

After quietly forming a guess, Leticia stepped out of the shadows and stood before Pastor Marshall with the other children.

Throughout it all, she’d been watching Pastor Marshall’s movements and expression.

She’d noticed the faint weariness on his face when he first came out. When he saw the other children making a racket, the muscles in his face had twitched ever so slightly. And now, even though he’d forced himself to look calm, his expression still seemed unnatural.

Still, Leticia was relieved that Layla had listened to her. She’d played around with her friends, but hadn’t gone too far.

She’d been reborn without any little friends of her own. She wasn’t even a rich, beautiful heiress. But at least Heaven had given her one skill: her eyes.

Leticia had discovered that her eyesight was exceptionally good—so good that she didn’t even dare let it show.

And she had to admit, standing in the shadows really did make it easier to observe things in the light.

If she didn’t have this skill, Leticia would probably have reported that damn god for deliberately targeting her by saddling her with “Ultra-Extreme-Hellish-Terrifying-18+-HARD” difficulty.

“Pastor.”

The children had quieted down and greeted him one after another. Their voices overlapped in a bit of a jumble, and Leticia’s blended in with them—neither so loud that it stood out, nor so soft that Pastor Marshall wouldn’t hear.

“There’s no need for that.”

A warm smile rested on Pastor Marshall’s aged face. He was like spring on two legs, making people feel a sense of peace deep in their hearts.

“Children, I’ve called you here today for one reason.”

Pastor Marshall smiled as he spoke, as if the children’s earlier racket hadn’t bothered him at all. “I imagine some of you have already heard a little about it from your parents. What I’m about to tell you is related to that.”

“On June 21, 426 of the Heavenly Calendar—that is, three days ago—I received word from the Kingdom’s central Church.”

Pastor Marshall paused at just the right moment. Looking at the quiet children, he continued, “This year, in accordance with the Lord’s will, the Church will grant its blessing and open the Path of Veneration.”

The Path of Veneration? What was that? Could this world really have a hidden, magical side to it?

“What’s more, this time I’ve secured two recommendations from the main cathedral.”

Pastor Marshall looked kindly at each child standing before him. “Children, I think you know what that means.”

Well... Thinking of all the things Layla had explained to her on the way here, Leticia was starting to understand what was going on.

It was basically like a university taking students through a recommendation program. Those who earned a teacher’s—or in this case, a pastor’s—favor and nomination could qualify for a place and head to that sacred destination. And this time, they’d secured two recommendation spots.

Wouldn’t that normally mean less competition? Why did all these kids look so fired up?

Leticia grumbled to herself, then decided to keep listening to the pastor.

If these kids wanted to get excited, let them. How could she not savor the quest intel while the NPC was laying it out?

“Pastor, we all understand what this means. Please, make your decision.”

The speaker was one of the boys who’d been playing around earlier. As for his looks... he was the sort you’d forget the moment he disappeared into a crowd. But he sure knew how to say the right things. “We’ve all grown up under the Lord’s care. Even if we can’t take another step along the path to behold the Lord’s radiance, none of us will complain.”

Leticia almost wanted to applaud him. One look at Pastor Marshall’s expression told her that flattery had hit its mark.

“Mm. Well said.”

Pastor Marshall nodded. “As the Lord’s followers, we all share this conviction. I’ll be frank with you: of all the children I’ve seen over the many years of my life, you are the ones with the best chance of successfully setting out on the Path of Veneration.”

Got it. There was an entrance exam for the recommendation, right? Could she drop out now?

Leticia rubbed her chin. As a complete novice in this world, it was probably best to lie low and be patient for now. Drawing too much attention could easily bring the wrong kind of notice.

She wasn’t some master strategist, nor was she a genius with godlike cunning. She was just an ordinary person who knew a few little tricks.

Wouldn’t any normal person want to get familiar with a place this terrifying first?

“However, children, as you can see, there are far more of you here than the two places allow. So some kind of test is unavoidable.”

Pastor Marshall spoke slowly. “Don’t worry. The test is simple. All you have to do is answer one question. I look forward to seeing who stands out and takes another step along the path to seek the Lord’s radiance.”

A test with just one question?

Leticia felt a headache coming on. Open-ended questions like this were the hardest to judge.

If she gave too complete an answer, she’d give herself away. If she said something insightful, she might stand out from the other children. But if she answered too poorly, it wouldn’t fit the impression she’d already made on Pastor Marshall...

And when she caught Pastor Marshall glancing at her—almost casually—as he said “question,” Leticia wanted to slap herself twice.

Why’d she had to run her mouth? She’d only made trouble for herself!

It looked like all she could do was give an answer that was as unremarkable as possible while still sounding reasonable. Hopefully the other kids would surprise her...

That was what Leticia hoped for. It was what old Pastor Marshall hoped for, too.

Jemray Marshall had devoted his entire life to the sacred and to the Church. His faith was steadfast, and he was glad to see the Lord’s radiance spread farther and wider across the world.

He might spend his whole life as nothing more than an ordinary pastor, but thanks to his years of service, Marshall had also learned many things that few people knew.

For instance, the existence of holy power.

That power was what had led him, in his youth, to walk steadfastly beneath the Lord’s radiance. It had baptized and uplifted his soul. As a pastor, he’d once witnessed the Church’s powerful elite guard knights, bathed in holy light, charging at the very front of the crusade with blades wreathed in pure white flames.

It wasn’t that he didn’t yearn for such power and status. It was simply that Pastor Marshall kept his heart in the right place. He knew how to be content.

A long time passed—so long that Pastor Marshall began to think his faith had reached the highest point it ever could—when the innocent words of an ordinary village girl shook him to his core.

Hearing words from a child who couldn’t read and had never received any education—words purer than those in the holy scriptures, yet so natural—made Pastor Marshall feel as if his soul had undergone a whole new baptism.

Ah, this was the Lord’s blessing. He hadn’t forgotten his followers!

Longing for more “divine revelations,” Pastor Marshall passed the words “God is in the heart” on to the Church headquarters, and soon received a response and a reward.

Naturally, he didn’t say those words had come from a village girl who wasn’t even an adult yet.

His devotion remained unchanged. Yet somewhere beyond Pastor Marshall’s notice, fine threads of gray had long since been woven into place.

And now, he, too, was hoping to hear words that would bring him joy.

“All right, children. Let’s not waste any time.”

Pastor Marshall clapped his hands, drawing all the village children—whose reactions varied—from their thoughts and back to the present. He smiled and said, “My question is very simple. What is the Lord, in your hearts?”

The question was unexpectedly short and simple, but Leticia cursed under her breath.

This was... the worst possible situation.

What was the Lord?

It was a question that went beyond philosophy and into theology, and it had no single right answer. Every flower held a world; every tree, its own enlightenment. Three thousand leaves, three thousand worlds. Each person would give a different answer.

Even the philosophical questions “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?” could keep great thinkers arguing for centuries. And that was before you even got to a world where gods might actually exist!

It would’ve been fine if the question had been more specific. But it was so broad. Even though she’d learned a little beforehand, and had gained plenty of insight from talking with that old woman earlier, there were still landmines everywhere!

She’d really run into the worst possible situation!

For now, the only thing Leticia could think of was to put off her answer for as long as possible and see what the other children thought first.

Kids said the darnedest things. Surely they couldn’t all manage to offend the Lord one by one, right?

“I-I think...”

The first to speak was a chubby little boy named Lamb. His family was fairly well-off by village standards, and he’d had a decent education. But when it came to his personality... he was a real coward. Whenever someone spoke to him, he’d startle, then freeze for ages before answering.

She hadn’t expected him to be the first to speak today.

“I think the Lord is light—the light that guides us...”

After saying that, he glanced around timidly, then cautiously looked toward Pastor Marshall.

“Mm. Not bad.”

Pastor Marshall’s nod let little Lamb breathe a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had lifted from his heart.

Truthfully, Pastor Marshall wasn’t very satisfied. The chubby boy’s answer was too ordinary, full of words you could find in any holy scripture. There wasn’t an ounce of originality in it.

The pastor knew what Lamb’s family was like, and he also knew Lamb had probably had access to a few books on the subject. So his answer didn’t surprise him.

By the time it was Leticia’s turn, four children had already answered, each in their own way. One had said the Lord was light. Another said the Lord could give them all the bread they could eat. Layla thought the Lord was a gemstone—probably because she lived near the underground mining area, so stones and gems were what came to mind.

The answer from the handsome-talking boy who’d spoken first was pretty good, too. He thought the Lord was the sky—a grand, imposing answer. Pastor Marshall had read similar teachings in the holy scriptures before, but he still couldn’t help a glimmer of admiration when he heard it.

At last, it was Leticia’s turn.

“And what’s your answer, Leticia?”

Everyone’s eyes were on her. Leticia met Pastor Marshall’s encouraging gaze, lowered her head to think for a moment, then spoke slowly:

“I think... the Lord is...”

“Air.”