# 5
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“Sh… free?”
My entire legs, which were under the bright white light, began to feel refreshingly cool and comfortable.
“Magic?! This is the power of God! It is holy power!”
The girl shouted, pursing her lips in response to my words.
Holy power.
The divine power that exists in this world.
It was not an ordinary power, but rather a strange power that only sincere believers or those who were born with the blessing of God could use.
Since the number of people who possess sacred power is very small, just like wizards who use magic, anyone who possesses it receives exceptional treatment from the state and the temple.
Just like when the Duke's family learned that I had mana, they came to the orphanage to adopt me.
This was the first time I truly saw the holy power before my eyes.
When the girl took her hand off my leg, the light disappeared.
"How do you feel? Are your legs moving?"
I moved my legs in response to her words, and I felt that my trembling leg muscles became active, as if I had received a relaxing massage.
Not only that, but I felt that my body, which had been lethargic and without strength, had also revived.
“Woah, I think I'm fine!”
Only moments ago I didn't have the strength to move,
But the energy returned to my body.
For such a quick result to appear in less than five minutes, I now understood why priests who used holy power were respected in this world.
I got up and the girl smiled broadly.
“Hehe, thank God. I almost got scolded by the envoy.”
'Envoy?'
At the moment I wanted to ask her about his identity.
rumbling.
As my body suddenly regained vitality, my stomach began to scream louder for food.
It seemed that the holy power could not fill the hungry stomach.
rumbling.
When the girl heard the repeated sound of my stomach, she opened her eyes in surprise and asked me:
“Are you… hungry?”
naturally. Basically, my legs couldn't support me because of hunger.
When I nodded, the girl seemed to realize something important.
"Ah! If you haven't had breakfast yet, you're naturally hungry! Right. I didn't… know that?"
The girl muttered to herself, then looked at me as if she had made a decision.
"Wait here! I'll get the food and come over!"
food? No, I just want to go back to my room...? But before I could call the girl, she had started running towards the end of the corridor.
“Quick….”
Only a few seconds passed, until it began to move away and get smaller until it became a dot at the end of the corridor and disappeared.
“Is this because of holy power?”
I muttered to myself and was left alone again in the empty corridor.
Since my body had recovered, I could have gone back to the room, but I hesitated and stood still because the girl said, ‘Wait here.’
At that moment, a noise was heard from nearby.
Judging by the heavy footsteps, there were many people coming here.
I stood in the corridor in shock because the girl's words were echoing in my mind, and at that time these people got very close.
“Are the preparations for the novice priests to join?”
“Yes, everyone is waiting in the hall.”
“Make sure to examine them carefully so that the excrement does not mix with the oil.”
People dressed as priests appeared from around the corner.
They were carrying stacks of papers and talking as if they were very busy, and my eyes met the man who was at the front of that group.
The priestly clothes he wore were more precise and luxurious than the rest of the priests who followed him.
Perhaps his rank was higher than the others.
When our gazes met, his slanting eyes suddenly widened.
“Oh! Why is this little girl here?”
Upon hearing the man's words, the eyes of everyone standing turned to me at once.
At that moment, their faces completely froze.
What? Did I do something wrong?
While I was trying to understand what was happening, a dark-haired man standing next to the thin man started yelling at me.
“You girl! The bell rang, why are you standing here in amazement!”
But I didn't know why, so I had no choice but to stand in amazement.
What should I do? The man's face turned red at my reaction.
“I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Mr. Timio!”
While the dark-haired man was repeatedly apologizing to the thin man, he clenched his fists and approached me with heavy steps, then roughly grabbed my shoulders and pulled me.
“Come on, go to the hall immediately.”
Because of him pushing me, I found myself unwillingly joining the line of noisy priests.
"Oh? Just one moment, please!"
That girl asked me to wait for her a while ago...!
But before I could say anything, the man hit my head hard.
At that moment, I felt dizzy and saw stars before my eyes.
"brother!"
A tumor must have appeared.
While I was stroking my aching head, the man said annoyed:
“Walk quickly! What in God’s name are you doing here! Don’t you know that there is an entrance exam today?”
Join test? What is this?
Amidst the words I did not understand, I was being led somewhere.
Wiping my aching head, I arrived at a hall with a high ceiling made of white marble.
There were some priests with children my age standing in a row.
Unlike the children with the chubby cheeks I saw talking about breakfast a moment ago, these children were all very thin.
Just like the children who were in the orphanage.
“Is the sorting process finished?”
The thin man asked a priest with thick hair who was standing next to the children.
“May the greatness of God be with you!”
The priest with thick hair was astonished and bowed to the thin man with respect, then straightened up and continued his words:
“Yes, Mr. Timio! These are the children who were carefully confirmed after four tests.”
The man named “Timio” looked at the children contentedly.
“Hmm, it seems that there are many who have received God’s blessing this year.”
As soon as Timio's gaze fell on them, the twenty children lowered their heads simultaneously.
"Anyway, take good care of the children! I found a child standing in amazement in the corridor despite the sound of the bell, so I brought her in. Don't you teach them the rules of the temple well?"
Timio muttered softly as he pointed at me.
When the priest saw me, he looked very confused and started bowing to Timio again and again.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Timio. I'm so sorry.”
Seeing this, the dark-haired man sneered and pushed me towards where the children were standing.
“Go stand there.”
I stood hesitantly at the end of the line of children after being pushed like this.
“Then, let's begin the final test.”
At Timio's words, the bushy-haired priest nodded to another person who was standing at the wall.
Then, one of the priests standing at the wall approached, carrying a white glass crystal, and sat on his knees next to Timo.
“You're the one in front. Come here.”
Timo called out to the little boy who was at the front of the class.
The child hesitantly turned to Timo and placed his hand on the crystal that the priest was holding.
As soon as the child's hand touched it, the crystal began to shine with a bright light.
“Oh, the blessing of God fills you.”
Timo smiled and patted the child on the head.
When the child raised his hand with a bright face, the light from the crystal immediately disappeared.
“Okay, next.”
The next child approached Timo, shaking violently.
“Put your hand down.”
The trembling child closed his eyes tightly and placed his hand on top of the crystal.
Suddenly, a light appeared in the crystal and then disappeared, and this happened several times.
Upon seeing this, Timio's face froze frighteningly.
“Hmm...it's confusing.”
Timo murmured softly, stroking his sparse beard.
When the child heard this, he opened his eyes wide and begged Timo.
“M… again! Please let me one more time! I was… I was just nervous!”
Despite the child's tragic plea, Timio continued to stroke his beard while tilting his head.
“My son, this is the Tirena Temple where only those with holy power live. As for the fools who do not have any power, they should return home.”
The child panicked and knelt down. He began to beg Timo with tears streaming from his eyes.
“Please... Master Priest, give me one more chance!”
As he began to plead insistently with his hands, a slight smile appeared on Timio's face.
“Hmm, okay, I’ll take pity on you and give you another chance.”
The child's face lit up and he put his hand on the crystal again.
A bright light appeared from the crystal that was flashing a moment ago.
Then Timo smiled at the child and said:
“successful”
As soon as he heard that, a wide smile spread on the child's face.
“N… successful! I succeeded!”
The child began wiping his flowing tears, feeling extremely happy.
What...what is this? His reaction was as if he had passed a fateful test.
I patted the shoulder of the boy who was standing in front of me and anxiously waiting his turn.
“Excuse me...”
"What do you want."
The boy turned around in annoyance, but when our eyes met, he became a little confused.
“W-what’s going on?”
Am I imagining, or has the boy's way of speaking become strangely gentle?
“That kid over there. Why is he so happy?”
When I pointed to the child who was jumping for joy, the boy tilted his head and replied:
“Don’t you know? He became a priest in the temple of Tirena.”
“A priest in the Temple of Tirena…?”
“Yes, once this Holy Strength Proof Test is over, he will become a priest. He will not have to starve all his life, and he will work with those in high places, so how could he not be happy?”
Hearing the boy's answer, I remembered something I learned in the orphanage.
The Tyrrhenian religion is the most widespread religion on the continent, and it is the official religion of the empire.
Priests with strong sacred power constituted its core strength, under the massive support of the imperial family and noble families.
As much as it was the richest religion on the continent, those without sacred power were strictly forbidden from living in the temple.
An ordinary person who does not have sacred power cannot live in the temple, except in cases of worship or visiting for the purpose of treatment.
Unlike other religions that care for poor neighbors or homeless orphans.
But what about me? Since I am a homeless orphan, I do not have money to donate or pay for treatment.
And holy power...? It is impossible for me to have holy power.
This body in which I incarnated is the body of the evil one who will become a great witch.
She even summoned demons from the Demon Realm that did not exist in this world, and drowned the continent in a sea of blood.
There is no way that there is a holy power inside this evil woman's body.
However, the Temple of Tyrena is a place that cannot be entered or lived in by anyone who does not have money, influence, or sacred power.
Did the villainess have a holy power without me, the reader, knowing?
While I was immersed in my questions, all the children in front of me passed the test, and it was my turn.
“Hey, it's you. We'll start the test.”
Timo's gaze turned to me.
Let whatever happens happen. Since they treated me here for three months, there must be even a small shred of holy power.
Hesitantly, I walked towards the crystal and placed my hand on it.