In the end, for the material rewards, Leticia chose some seeds for crops and a few things to improve her living conditions. Pastor Marshall promised they’d be delivered to Leticia and John soon.

“This outcome is reassuring, but it also leaves me a little uneasy...”

As she left the church, Leticia looked up at the sun and squinted. “Honestly, all these things just came out of nowhere...”

To sum up what had happened in the church: Lamb, whose family was well-off, and Layla, whose home was near the mining district, had successfully entered the Path of Veneration. Modi, who’d compared the Lord to “food,” and Diego had been selected by Pastor Marshall for the church in Innsmouth Village. They might well become assistant priests or take on similar roles in the future.

As for Leticia, it wasn’t as if she’d come away empty-handed. Aside from receiving some material goods, more importantly, she’d be spending some time learning this world’s writing from the pastor.

“Sigh... Suddenly, being illiterate feels like such a good thing...”

Leticia sighed. If she could read... No, wait. She did have some memories stored in this body. If she could read, she wouldn’t need to learn at all...

Aaargh! Why did she have to be illiterate?

As she lamented to herself, Stano Bansen’s voice rang out in her mind once more.

“It’s over already?!”

He sounded deeply disappointed, as if he regretted not getting to see Leticia go to the church.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Hmph. Nothing. I’m fine. There’s no need for a commoner like you to worry about me.”

Stano huffed. He’d finally managed to get away from his mother’s “clinginess” and found a nice place to hang out. But when he got there, everything was already over!

“So, how did it go?”

Stano asked.

Leticia hesitated for a moment, then answered in a tone that was slightly heavy but also relieved. “I wasn’t chosen, but I can study writing with the pastor.”

“Huh—you’re illiterate?”

Stano drew out the words, dripping with mockery. “Well, why didn’t you say so earlier? I can read.”

“Oh, you can? But would you teach me?”

From his tone alone, Leticia could tell she couldn’t trust this guy.

“Well, that’s true...”

Stano gave a wicked little laugh. “Depends on my mood. If you beanpole would get down on your knees and beg me with tears in your eyes, I might agree to teach you.”

“I’ll pass.”

Leticia’s eye twitched slightly. She turned him down without hesitation. “I can study with the pastor now, so I don’t need you~”

“Hey, what a nasty temper!”

Stano clicked his tongue. “I’ve never met anyone who dared talk to me like that. Aren’t you afraid I’ll cause trouble while you’re studying?”

That was exactly why Stano liked this particular “toy” so much. Leticia never bored him. Her wild streak reminded him of the fierce birds and beasts he’d encountered when he went hunting with his father. They wouldn’t submit—and that thrilled him!

“You won’t.”

In response to Stano’s half-joking, half-threatening words, Leticia simply said, “You won’t.” That was all.

That nearly left Stano speechless.

As if Stano could observe Leticia, but Leticia couldn’t observe him in return.

Besides, she’d lived several years longer than this little brat. She was definitely better at reading people than he was!

“...Heh. All right, I wouldn’t actually do that. It’d be beneath my character.”

Stano smiled. “But I’m really unhappy that I didn’t get to see you make a fool of yourself in the church. How are you going to make it up to me?”

“Tch. Why are you acting like some country bumpkin who’s never seen the world?”

Leticia was about ready to lose her mind over the obnoxious brat. “Don’t you always go on about how noble your background is? How have you never even been through the Path of Veneration?”

Why wouldn’t he leave her alone?!

“Tch. Who do you think I am? Stano, the peerlessly brilliant young noble! How could I have missed the Church’s selection ceremony? I nearly became a member of the choir at the church, you know. I just wasn’t interested, so I begged my father to let me come home...”

The truth was, he hadn’t liked the atmosphere and had run away on his own. He’d been beaten for it and grounded for a full six months, but Stano had gotten what he wanted: he never had to go back to the church.

“The Path of Veneration is a pretty good route, sure. But for people like us, it’s nothing special!” Stano said proudly.

Why did she get the feeling this kid had no reverence for the Church at all?

Leticia stared at him, speechless. But some of what Stano had said still bothered her. “What do you mean?”

“Ask me nicely, and I’ll tell you.”

Stano sounded unbearably smug.

“Tch...”

Leticia was beyond annoyed. Not only was her body under someone else’s control, but even getting information meant throwing away her dignity and self-respect. This life was certainly... unforgettable!

“Fine. Please, I’m begging you—could you explain it in more detail?”

Leticia asked through gritted teeth.

“Mm-hmm, that’s more like it. Well, since you’ve begged me so nicely, I suppose I can tell you.”

Stano gave a couple of snickers, then continued seriously. “The so-called Path of Veneration is just another way for the Church to recruit talent. In a way, it really is a good opportunity for people from the lower classes like you. But...”

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Listening to Stano’s explanation, punctuated by laughter, Leticia began to understand. Once you stripped away the sacred glow surrounding the Path of Veneration, what remained was a purely mechanical system—and its purpose.

Just as a restaurant needs people to sweep and clean up...

The church needs people too.

Those who entered through this path would be assigned to churches in various places. Those with a little “potential” might make it into a more important church, but they’d still be outsiders. They wouldn’t be anyone important.

They’d have enough to eat and wear, but it wasn’t as grand as the rumors made it sound. They couldn’t lift their whole family up with them; at most, they could secure their own future.

The real path to advancement had nothing to do with the so-called Path of Veneration. It had already been decided at a much higher level.

Those who entered through the Path of Veneration were expected to keep their heads down. If they were devout, they might earn the title of assistant priest. But if they weren’t happy with that, the Church wouldn’t let them simply walk out the door.

“At first, they say, the Path of Veneration was considered especially sacred and powerful. It was established by decree of a highly respected old pope, to help promising people among the faithful stand out and strengthen the Church. And back then, there really were geniuses who rose through the ranks by this route, entered the church, and eventually even got the chance to compete for the title of Saint.”

Stano recalled something his father had once told him. “But later, they discovered that one of those guys was actually a Fallen One, and he’d hidden it incredibly well. Apparently, he was a planted seed sent by the demons of Hell themselves. They nearly fell for it. The Church was shaken, wiped him out with everything it had, and executed him in public. After that, they changed the Path of Veneration.”

“From then on, the Path of Veneration was no longer purely about selecting talent. It became more about supplying people to serve the Church.”

Stano spoke with a hint of mockery. “Still, for people like you, it’s about as good a path as you could hope for, isn’t it?”

He had a point...

Leticia didn’t answer him in her thoughts. Some of what the kid said sounded harsh and strongly tinged with class prejudice. Someone with a shorter fuse might’ve picked a fight with him over it.

But Leticia wasn’t that quick-tempered. She knew this was simply how a boy raised among the nobility naturally spoke. After spending all this time with him, she’d more or less gotten used to it, even if it still annoyed her.

Besides, she thought there was some truth to what Stano had said.