While listening to Trevor's story, they arrived at a secret room in the deepest part of the Temple Hall.
It was painted completely in white, just like the other structures in the Holy Kingdom. Candlesticks were brightly lit and spaced at equal intervals along the wall. On closer inspection, one could noticed a shallow spring in the middle of the room, large enough to fit a single person.
It's a space that exuded a reverent atmosphere.
'Here...'
You can hear the voices of the Gods.
Vera recalled those words. He suddenly felt something stir up his mind.
It was not yet clear how they would communicate, but if it was two-way, there's a question he desired an answer to if he was allowed to do so by the surrounding people.
'Why me?'
Why did you choose me? Why bestow the stigma on me? Is it your will to bring her back? If so, why send me back?
He vaguely speculated that the Gods had made him regress to save the Saint, but it was a hypothesis that raised more questions than answers.
Vera gazed upon the spring.
It had no patterns or decorations. Instead, it looked to be a simple dug-out pocket filled with water.
While Vera stared at it for a long time, Trevor's words continued.
"I guess we were the first ones to arrive."
"I suppose so."
"Well... They will arrive soon enough."
Trevor remarked with his arms crossed. The moment after, Trevor said that to Vera.
Creak-.
The door opened.
"I'm here."
"I'm here, as well."
They were the twins.
Vera and Trevor's eyes turned towards the twins, who spoke their greeting in a loud voice that echoed throughout.
The twins caught the gaze of the two and muttered with a somewhat gloomy tone.
"Someone else came first… ."
"We weren't the first one… ."
"…You're here."
Vera greeted the twins at the door, let out a brief sigh, then turned his gaze elsewhere.
His thoughts... drifted away because the way they spoke immediately soured his mood.
Over the past week, while repairing the cabin together, they got closer to some extent, but their tone wasn't something Vera could get accustomed to this early.
"Congratulations Vera for your revelation."
"Congratulations to you as well."
"… Thank you."
Vera, who wanted to keep the conversation brief, bit his lips.
Soon after, there was silence and a long awkward atmosphere. Trevor, who had been smiling, asked the twins a question.
"Thank you for coming. How's your training going along?"
"I've kept training. I've done my best. But it’s really hot."
"I've kept training as well. But I sweat a lot."
"Haha, it's going to be rather hot. You should stick to the shade."
"That's not going to happen. We must keep the gates guarded."
"I've decided to work hard as well."
Vera wanted to plug his ears upon hearing the subsequent chatter. Was there something in common with these monsters? But unfortunately, the conversation showed no sign of slowing down.
Naturally, Vera's brows furrowed, and the moment he hoped for someone to come quickly, the door swung right open.
When Vera turned his gaze towards the sound of ‘creak,’ he spotted a middle-aged man in a white robe at the end of his gaze.
It was the first time he had seen him, but Vera immediately knew who the person was.
It was obvious. Among those who decided to come here today, there was only one person whose face he did not know.
'The Apostle of Guidance.'
It's probably him.
As Vera lay his eyes on him, his first impression was that of sloppiness. His faded blonde hair was sparsely grown, and his beard wasn't groomed and spiraled outwards. Moreover, his staggering gait while yawning made him look like a drunkard.
Vera scrutinized him and nodded at a glance.
'As expected, he's not normal either.'
'Norn's reaction was roughly what I expected, but it's no different from mine. My perception of him wasn't good at all.'
It reminded him of regular customers in the gambling den he used to run in his previous life rather than someone in charge of the revelation proceedings.
"Oh my gosh, why are you all so diligent? I'm sorry for the tardiness of this old man."
"Oh, you’re here?"
"How have you been?"
"I have been the same as always. Oh, Vera. This is the one who will preside over today's revelation... ."
"The name’s Rohan."
The words he let out interrupted Trevor mid-sentence. Rohan, the Apostle of Guidance, spoke and approached Vera with a smile.
"Is this gloomy young man the Apostle of Oath? Oh my gosh, how old are you?"
"...Fourteen. It's Vera, by the way."
"Oh my! It's the prime season of youth! I like you. May I introduce you to a certain place? I couldn't go there when I was your age. You might be able to if this old man covers for you. Why don’t you come along after this?"
Rohan's finger was thrust against Vera, followed by his thumb sticking out between his fist's index and middle fingers as if it’s wedged between the two.*
Vera realized what that meant at once. He frowned and replied.
"...No, it's fine."
"Huh? Aww, that's not fun."
The way he spoke with a grin on his face was so disgusting. Vera instinctively felt his fists clenching and grit his teeth.
Rohan put a sly smile on his face, then moved on and spoke to the twins.
"Or will the twins come along instead?"
"I am ashamed. That is bad."
"I am eager. I am good at it."
"Oh my gosh, yes! My brother Krek, that's the spirit! Huh? And you, Marek! I am the Apostle of Guidance, the Apostle of Guidance, I say! All~ the girls are over there to send you straight to heaven, so what's wrong with that!?"
Upon hearing their ensuing conversation, Vera stared at them in disgust.
Rohan smiled cheerfully upon seeing Krek blushing and Marek with a sullen expression. Trevor looked at them and smiled softly as well.
They were all dangerous people who only thought about themselves.
Again, the thought that the Saint should never be near them again began to rise in Vera.
Aren’t I right? She was such a good-natured woman, yet her behavior was so bizarre. There was no other cause except these monsters.
As Vera continued his thoughts, he shook his head at that realization.
His already mounting responsibilities were even more dire than he thought.
****
Vargo arrived in the secret room while Rohan's speech was in full swing.
"The old man...Oh, you're here?"
"Well, well. When do you intend to grow up?"
"Uh-huh…"
Vargo clicked his tongue at the sight as Rohan began to grovel in a flattering tone.
The twin's faces stiffened at the presence. While Trevor went and hid behind the twins' backs.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
As soon as Vargo appeared, Vera burst into laughter at the meekness of those monsters, and then he bowed toward him.
"You're here."
"Well, you must have worked hard, stuffing your face in. Your face has become ever so plumper."
Words that sound like sarcasm were directed at him at first glance. With that, Vera's fists were clenched ever more tightly.
"...Yes, thanks to you, I'm no longer starving."
There was a slight trace of displeasure in his voice, but Vera held it back.
It was because of Vargo. He was the one who managed all of the food and equipment that he had.
He didn't like the old man, but he had to be on his toes around him.
Wouldn't it be a problem if the old man decided to suddenly reduce the distribution to nothing at the time when he had to raise his weight class?
As his thoughts continued, Vargo, looking at Vera with his head bowed, smiled and nodded his head.
"Eat well and try your best to pay back for your meals."
"…Yes."
Vera bowed his head deeply once more.
Immediately after the conversation with Vera, Vargo turned his head toward Rohan and spoke.
"Are you ready for the ceremony?"
"Well..."
Rohan was slightly flabbergasted
"Well... I was glad to see my brothers after a long time that I had forgotten all about it..."
"Tch, you poor imbecile,"
"Uh-huh…"
Rohan's groveling became even more unpleasant.
"Alright, I'll do it right away!"
"Do it quickly. My back hurts, and standing for a long duration is hard."
"Yep!"
…Was he not prepared for the ceremony?
I wonder where that sort of confidence comes from? A slight smirk appeared on Vera's lips.
"Yeah, I heard you were working hard in that small cottage. How's it going?"
Vargo's questioning continued.
When Vera realized his question was about him practicing his divine art, he looked straight in his eyes and answered.
"Yes, form and righteousness. I've got it all."
A smile appeared on Vera's lips.
Of course, he did it in anticipation of the surprise on Vargo's face.
"You must have done very well."
What came back instead was a burst of sarcastic laughter.
Once again, anger rose inside of Vera.
"… I'm sure it's clearly captured. It isn't the form of a sword, but it was formed by processing through divine law and engraving the power in space instead. Also, it contains the will to overcome one's own weaknesses. I raised the level of completeness to what is considered practical as well."
"What does that have to do with a sword to protect? Who told you to practice divine arts? How on earth did you twist my words when I told you not to use the sword like that?"
Twitch-
Vera's body trembled at the harsh words delivered his way. His face was beginning to show signs of panic.
Looking back... on his words.
Form and Intent were Vargo's words of advice when nitpicking my sword, which was drunk on hatred and violence.
The conversation using divinity...
'… I never needed to use it.'
Upon realizing it, Vera's face lit up with bewilderment.
His eyes naturally scorned Trevor.
It was apparent now. Wasn't he the one who explained this?
When Vera glanced at Trevor hiding behind the twins. He was scratching the back of his head while his head tilted sideways.
He was taken aback, in addition, while looking perplexed.
Vera was able to realize several discernible facts through that appearance.
Despite being unfamiliar with the topic, Trevor spoke like an expert to him. Vera fell for it and trained while suffering until, he couldn't eat properly all week.
....In conclusion, he had learned a new way to use divinity. It was indeed a valuable lesson.
However, he couldn't help but feel deceived.
Vera stared at Trevor, who had tears welled up in the corner of his eyes, and uttered a curse in his mind.
'This bastard!'
Was he a swindler pretending to be a madman?Vera's heart boiled in rage as his eyes darted at Trevor.
"Tch, this is nothing worth boasting about."
Vargo's taunting continued.
Crack-
Vera's fist was clenched so tightly that one could see the protruding veins.
****
"I'm ready!"
Rohan's voice finally shattered the atmosphere that had been miserable all around.
Vera raised his head and observed the spring behind Rohan.
There were no tributes or other objects placed there.
However, it felt different from before.
'Magic circle'
Above the spring, an indigo-colored divinity was laid down using a spell.
It was a magic circle made using divine arts.
Perhaps the circle itself was needed to communicate with their world. While Vera's gaze was fixed on it, Rohan's voice continued.
"Shall I begin, then?"
"Okay, let's get started."
"Alright! Come here, little one."
Vera nodded at his call and walked towards the spring.
"What should I do?"
"Just sit still. When I invoke the incantation, the revelation will rise above the spring. You just have to read it out loud."
Is that how it works?
Vera realized that it wasn’t two-way communication, rather it was one-sided, and he felt slightly disappointed.
It seemed impossible to ask the Gods questions as expected.
As Vera's expression slightly darkened, Rohan began chanting, and the circle which rose above the spring began glowing.
The circle, which used to have all kinds of elaborate geometric patterns, changes its shape.
Platonic solids that were unlikely to be interlocked began to mesh by shifting their positions and then into the gap created by overlapping with the shapes in the circle's center.
'… Letters.'
Letters had begun to be inscribed.
Indigo-colored letters.
The letters, which were blurry like ink, dissolved in the water, gradually forming distinct shapes and finally settled into something identifiable.
The words that will appear here will show the ordeal that I need to overcome, and thus, it will determine the course of my future.
Vera looked at it with nervousness.
'…?'
He narrowed his brows toward the finished text.
However, the words that came out of his mouth–
"...I have a question."
"Huh? What is it? Tell me. I'm getting tired."
"Is there a time when it comes out like this?"
Vera pointed his finger to the letters above the spring.
"What is it?"
Rohan, who was in the midst of moving the circle, stood up.
"… Eh?"
After confirming the words in the spring, Rohan had an absurd expression with his mouth agape.
Rohan, unable to keep his mouth shut, turned to Vargo and continued.
"That, Your Holiness?"
"What is it?"
Rohan's eyes then turned to Vera again.
Then, looking at the text that rose above the spring, Rohan turned his head again toward Vargo, scratching the back of his head and uttering the words.
"It’s showing a pass?"
Vargo's expression froze.
Watching the ensuing conversation unfold, Vera took pleasure at that moment, seeing panic appear on the old man's face rather than his unknown situation.
The text above showed a word.
The characters that rose above the spring.
『 Pass 』
A single word.