No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 2

EP.2

Chapter 1

Candidate and Candidate (2)

To explain how Lee Chae-eun ended up at the convent, we need to discuss her status as a “hero candidate.” And to properly explain the hero candidate position, we first need to clarify the distinction between heroes and hunters.

There are all sorts of legal interpretations and classifications, but I don’t have any deep knowledge in that area. I can only vaguely recall what I read in the novel. With my limited understanding, here’s a rough explanation:

Hunters are those who “hunt” the monsters that emerge from the gates. It’s a common setting in stories like this. Hunters are divided into ranks, each requiring specific licenses, and they are regarded as professionals in this world.

Heroes, on the other hand, are a step above hunters. It’s not that they’ve accomplished some heroic feat to earn the title—it’s more like the “superheroes” you’d find in American comics.

However, the title of hero within the world of the novel—and thus in this world—has been a subject of much debate. The main controversy is whether it’s reasonable for someone to stand above a first-class hunter just because they possess talent, without having proven their qualifications.

In reality, first-class hunters are not significantly different from heroes. The only difference is whether they gradually climbed up from lower ranks or were recognized for their exceptional talent from the start. There are more hunters, their classifications are more systematic, and they occupy many positions, making their influence seem quite strong. However, there are reasons why hunters haven’t completely abolished the hero system.

First, the concept of heroes emerged before hunters. When gates first appeared and monsters started pouring out into the world, the people who used their newfound powers to protect others weren’t called hunters—they were called heroes. The title stuck for historical reasons.

Second, heroes have always had a close connection with the church. Some early saints sent by the church were also heroes. Many heroes are deeply devout, and this relationship between the church and heroism still holds weight today.

Lee Chae-eun was born into this system. Her father was a hero, and her mother was a hunter. Although her relationship with her parents was generally smooth, her mother passed away when she was young, and her father, in his grief, clung ever more tightly to his faith.

Lee Chae-eun, who inherited her father’s abilities, became a hero candidate, but she resented her father for his fervent religious devotion. In the novel, her father was depicted as an overbearing, strict patriarch.

When Lee Chae-eun became an adult, tensions between them finally boiled over. During a heated argument, she lashed out, saying, “If that so-called god existed, Mom wouldn’t have died!”

Her father, enraged, sent her to a convent.

“…Huh?”

As I sorted through the events I’d read in the novel while walking, I paused for a moment, tilting my head.

Isn’t Lee Chae-eun supposed to be the same age as the saintess?

In other words, she’s my age. An adult this year. How could her father force her into a convent?

“Oh, right.”

Her birthday’s in June. That means she’s still legally a minor until then—she’s only 19 in Western age. Makes sense.

My birthday, for the record, is in February. Not that it would have made a difference—I’d still be getting kicked out of the convent whether I was legally an adult or not.

With my thoughts somewhat organized, I headed toward the room where Lee Chae-eun was waiting. It was the same consultation room where I had met with the Mother Superior. Given the circumstances that had brought her here, it made sense. After all, getting shoved into a convent just before you officially become an adult would put anyone in a foul mood.

[Aaah!]

And as if to prove my point, I heard a scream from beyond the door.

[Just wait until June! The moment I get out of this nun’s outfit, I’m going to get a boyfriend! Watch me! Just watch!]

Hmm.

I knew her personality wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, but hearing it in person was quite different from reading it in the novel.

[Sister Lee Chae-eun, please calm down. The sister I mentioned will be here soon.]

[Ugh…]

It seemed like Lee Chae-eun had just realized she wasn’t alone in the room—or perhaps she had forgotten. Either way, she was audibly grinding her teeth.

Standing in front of the consultation room door, my hand resting on the handle, I took a moment to think. As someone who had been quite a fan of the original novel, I had a fair bit of interest in meeting one of its characters, especially since she was one of the heroines.

Isn’t that why we read novels? To immerse ourselves in the protagonist’s world?

Even though she was prickly and fought with the protagonist a lot, I had grown attached to her while reading. Characters like her, the ones who slowly fall for the protagonist after all their bickering, are usually the most charming.

The issue, however, is that Lee Chae-eun and I were technically rival heroines.

In a harem story, catfights between the heroines are inevitable. It’s the same as how multiple male leads fight over one female lead in a romance novel. That’s part of the fantasy. In real life, it would be a headache, but this is fiction, after all.

“…”

But should I even be worrying about that?

The only reason Lee Chae-eun and the saintess (myself) were at odds in the first place was because of the protagonist they both loved. Whether she ends up with the protagonist or fights with the other heroines isn’t my concern. I’m certainly not going to fall for him.

With that decision made, I opened the door.

“Sister Anna.”

The Mother Superior stood up quickly as soon as our eyes met. She always addressed me as Sister Anna, despite insisting that my status as a saintess candidate wasn’t entirely gone. Yet, since my rights had been revoked, I was no more than an ordinary nun now.

Her haste to stand up wasn’t out of respect for my former position—it was because she wanted to offload her troublesome charge onto me as soon as possible.

Of course. I may be a nominal saintess candidate, but the person sitting across from me was a real hero candidate, complete with all the associated rights.

The red-haired woman, who had been leaning her elbows on the table with her head in her hands, turned to look at me. Her expression was sharp enough to cut through steel.

It was a little uncomfortable to have that anger directed at me. After all, it wasn’t my fault that Lee Chae-eun was here.

“This is Sister Lee Chae-eun, who will be staying with you from today onwards. Sister Lee Chae-eun, this is Sister Anna, who will be sharing your room at the convent.”

“…”

Lee Chae-eun stood up and glanced back and forth between me and the Mother Superior. The murderous intent quickly drained from her face, replaced by bewilderment.

Well, that was understandable. Among all the other nuns in this convent, I was the one with the most distinctive fashion sense. To put it bluntly, I was the only one who dressed like this.

Right in front of me, Lee Chae-eun was wearing a veil that made it hard to distinguish her original hairstyle. If I hadn’t read the original story, I wouldn’t even have known her hair was a short, bright red.

In contrast, I had styled my hair with a noticeable highlight of color, throwing a veil on top haphazardly, which left my inner hairstyle fully visible. Plus, I even had piercings in my ears.

“V.”

I flashed a peace sign at Lee Chae-eun.

See? This is what a saintess candidate looks like.

Thoroughly fallen from grace… Ah, maybe that’s too dramatic.

Honestly, I had considered dyeing all my hair bright red, but the Mother Superior had given me a look that made me think she might shave my head if I did, so I settled for the highlights instead. When I later mentioned this to her, she had been genuinely shocked, shouting, “I would never let you do that!”

“Uh…”

Lee Chae-eun pointed a finger at me and looked back at the Mother Superior.

“…Please don’t let her influence you too much.”

Why, it’s clear they assigned her to me because she’s already quite rebellious towards the convent. It’s like a form of mirror therapy.

Considering the Mother Superior’s personality, she probably thought she could kill two birds with one stone by assigning this troublemaker to me and hoping I’d learn something in the process.

Well, fine. As long as I could buy myself a little time, I’d be fine. I could just hold out until the end of the year to figure something out.

“Shall we head to the room, then?”

I said this while grabbing the handle of my suitcase by the door.

“Oh.”

Lee Chae-eun seemed momentarily at a loss for words. Perhaps she was so shocked that her linguistic skills had taken a hit.

Just a moment ago, she had been venting her frustrations about her father, and now she could only stare at the Mother Superior in silence.

“May the Lord be with you all.”

“Good night.”

I replied, giving a slight bow in response to the prayer-like farewell and opened the consultation room door, stepping outside.

“Uh, wait.”

Lee Chae-eun followed me out, looking a bit flustered.

“I can carry the suitcase.”

“I can’t have you doing all the work from the get-go when you’re going to be living with me for a while.”

That was probably the plan of both the Mother Superior and Lee Chae-eun’s father, to convince her to feel comfortable at the church.

And if that’s the case, I could absolutely manage it.

After all, I had already had several roommates who had run away in shock after living with me, searching for a god to believe in.

In this high-faith society, where the existence of God had become common knowledge, living with me would be nearly equivalent to living with someone who believes the Earth is flat while being aware that it is round.

…

Not that I was equating myself with flat-Earthers or anything like that.