After spending some time studying it together, Leticia and Stano had come up with a definition for the strange, mirror-like space that appeared at night.

It seemed to be an extra ability that had emerged after the two of them formed that connection. During the day, Stano Bansen could borrow Leticia’s body to a certain extent. At night, the connection would break—but once they were both asleep, they could enter this strange space...

And exchange information.

Thanks to Stano’s persistence, his “toy” had finally agreed to let him borrow her body and see different places, as long as the conditions were reasonable. And thanks to Leticia’s persistence, her “ancestor” had agreed not to go too far or treat her like a toy...

And so, three months went by.

Autumn was just around the corner.

August, 426 of the Theocratic Calendar

For the five children who had once visited the church, this was an important day.

You could even say it would change the course of some of their lives.

Because the results of the Path of Veneration were finally about to be announced.

“I just didn’t expect the wait to take three whole months...”

Even after growing for another three months, Leticia hadn’t changed much. She seemed to be severely malnourished. While some of the other children were already showing the first signs of growth, she remained just as steady and composed as ever, without the slightest reaction.

Like a dead pig that couldn’t care less about boiling water.

“Hmph. Commoner, you don’t seem very excited about this.”

Stano’s voice suddenly rang in her mind. This was another strange discovery they’d made over the past three months: they couldn’t read each other’s thoughts, but they could use their connection to talk.

For some reason, once they got familiar with each other, Stano started calling her things like “commoner,” “Bamboo Pole,” and “little maid.”

But she could tell he didn’t mean any harm. He just liked calling her those names, so after trying to correct him a few times, Leticia let him say whatever he wanted.

“Ah... I am excited. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Leticia rolled her eyes at the empty space in front of her. Knowing Stano would understand what she meant, she replied in her mind, “This is the Path of Veneration! It could change my fate, for all I know. Why wouldn’t I be excited?”

“...Then why can’t I hear even a hint of excitement in your voice?”

After a brief pause, Stano’s voice took on a strangely ball-aching edge. “If anything, you sound like you’re hoping they won’t pick you.”

“Hehehehe, you must’ve heard wrong.”

Leticia cut him off without hesitation. “I really am excited. Really, really excited!”

If only she could do something about that completely expressionless face of hers, she might’ve been more convincing.

As Leticia walked to the church, she spotted the other four children who’d visited it before. They were walking together in the distance, chatting excitedly about something.

“What are you looking at... those kids? Were they chosen by the priest too?”

Stano smacked his lips as he watched what Leticia could see. “Looks like they’ve formed a little group. Seems like you’ve been left out, Commoner.”

“That’s normal.”

Leticia didn’t think much of it. “Kids from our village are like that. If I hadn’t run into you, you disaster, I might’ve been playing with them right now.”

“Hey, Pole! Watch what you’re saying!”

Stano immediately bristled. “What do you mean, ‘disaster’? Knowing me is an honor! Besides, you think I wanted to meet you? Hmph!”

“Oh, really? Then let’s end our friendship. Get out of my body, and we’ll never speak again. How about that?”

After two months of figuring out what made the kid tick, Leticia wasn’t intimidated in the least. She answered with a sneer, “I’d be more than happy to. So, what do you say, little noble lord?”

Just as Stano teased her, Leticia wasn’t about to back down. If she wanted to, she could probably have talked this foreign noble boy, born and bred, into shutting himself away from the world by now.

“Ahem. Where were we?”

Stano cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment. Then, all of a sudden, his tone changed. He spoke quickly. “Uh-oh, someone’s here. I’ll talk to you later, Commoner. Take care of yourself for now...”

Before he could finish, Stano’s voice went silent.

“That bit of consciousness has left...”

Leticia thought it over, then murmured to herself, “Looks like life in a noble family isn’t all that easygoing...”

From what she could tell, Stano Bansen, a descendant of a military commander from the Mosenrui Kingdom, probably had a busy daily life. She was already a little surprised that he could find so much time to watch the life of a “commoner” like her.

Still, it wasn’t hard to understand.

“If this kid had been born in the modern world, he’d probably be glued to his phone and computer all day...”

“Ah, I should watch my tone when I talk to him. A village girl wouldn’t speak like this...”

Letting her guard down just because they’d gotten familiar was a major mistake. She had to be more careful from now on and make sure she acted more like an unrefined commoner.

As for all those guesses she’d made about what Stano was dealing with...

The truth was, Leticia hadn’t guessed entirely right.

“My precious eldest boy!”

Someone suddenly scooped Stano up from behind. He didn’t even need to look before shouting, “Mother, what are you doing? Put me down!”

“Wah, I’m heartbroken! My son doesn’t want to kiss me anymore! He used to call me ‘Mommy’ every other word...”

Stano turned around and saw Mrs. Bansen’s puckered lips and feigned sorrowful expression.

She might no longer have been in the bloom of youth, but her natural, youthful energy made it easy to forget her age—and the fact that she was already a mother of three.

“Mo...ther...”

“I’m right here, I’m right here, my precious eldest boy! You can tell Mommy anything!”

A vein twitched at Stano’s temple. “Just put me down already!”

It looked like Stano and Mrs. Bansen would need a little time to sort out their deep mother-son bond, so let’s go see how things are going with Leticia instead.

Without Stano’s “death glare” on her, Leticia immediately felt much more relaxed. Even her steps grew lighter.

“Oh, Leticia!”

Layla spotted her walking toward them and called out happily, “You came too!”

“Of course.”

Leticia smiled. “You all came too, didn’t you?”

What she was actually thinking was, “Obviously. Pastor Marshall summoned us. Who’d dare not show up?”

“After all, the priest asked us to come today.”

Layla’s smile was bright—maybe a little too carefree. Being chosen by the priest clearly hadn’t made her any more mature. Not even a little.

“All right, let’s not waste too much time chatting.”

After some time apart, Diego had started to look like the leader of the group. “Let’s hurry to the church.”

It was clear that the other children were happy to listen to him.

They hardly saw any adults along the way. Autumn was nearly here, and the people who made their living through farming were busier than ever. Even the older children were helping out.

It gave Leticia the strange feeling that she was skipping class...

She didn’t know if the other children felt the same way, but one thing was certain: every one of them cared deeply about the results.

Most of them hoped to enter the Path of Veneration. A small handful—just Leticia—hoped to be rejected.

The church was still filled with its usual interplay of light and shadow. Every time Leticia came here, she felt her heart grow quieter, as if some special force really did linger in the place, bringing people peace.

“You’re here, children.”

This time, Pastor Marshall wasn’t praying. He stood between the pews, smiling at each person who arrived.

“Pastor.”

The five children all bowed to the respected old man, then waited quietly for him to speak.

“I imagine you’ve all been looking forward to the results for a long time. Has anyone been losing sleep over it?”

In a rare moment, Pastor Marshall made a little joke. “Though I suppose that wouldn’t be surprising. We’ve had children lose sleep over this before. The chance to walk the Path of Veneration is something everyone dreams of.”

What a pointless thing to say. Why keep us on tenterhooks? Are you giving us a sales pitch or preaching religion...

Leticia looked down at the floor and desperately wanted to complain.

The other children’s reactions were fairly subdued. Layla was the only one who laughed at the pastor’s words.

Everyone else was nervous, while Layla was the only one with nerves of steel...

“All right, let’s not say any more than we have to.”

Pastor Marshall took an envelope from his clerical robes. “The letter in my hand was sent by the Church. It contains the names of the children who’ve been accepted into the Path of Veneration this time. Heh, I haven’t even opened it yet. I called you all here first.”

The envelope’s red wax seal was still intact, so Leticia knew the pastor was telling the truth.

Pastor Marshall took out a small letter opener. Even though it was only a letter from the Church, he treated it with utmost solemnity and care.

The mood in the church grew tense and solemn along with him.

Pastor Marshall carefully took the pale yellow sheet of paper from the envelope. He looked at the children standing before him, then turned his gaze to the letter.

“The children who’ve entered the Path of Veneration this time are...”