No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 29

EP.29

Chapter 3

Faith and Status (3)

No, no, no.

This was seriously awkward. My reaction was practically that of a granddaughter waving at her grandfather. I called him “Cardinal,” but who in the world calls a Cardinal so casually?

Besides, now that I thought about it, this was technically my first time meeting the Cardinal. Sure, we had exchanged a few words via letters, but it was more like each of us just saying what we wanted without any real conversation. I’d only seen his face on the TV in the dining hall…

“Grandpa!”

But before I could even think of an excuse, someone called out to the Cardinal with an even more familiar term than I had used. It was the young nun I had been talking to just moments ago.

“Oh, sisters, are you all out here?”

The Cardinal’s expression softened immediately upon hearing her voice, shifting to a warm, kindly smile.

The young nuns swarmed toward him, and the Cardinal leaned down slightly, keeping a respectful distance, to address them with a gentle gaze.

“Seeing you all out here, I guess Bible study is over for today.”

“Yes!”

The children answered in unison, their faces as bright and carefree as clear skies.

“It’s wonderful that your studies finished early today. But be mindful; we’re expecting many visitors from outside the Church today. In fact, I believe the Mother Superior has been looking for you. Wouldn’t it be wise to head back now?”

“Outsiders!”

“We want to see them too!”

“Is that Saintess Candidate an outsider too?”

One of the children asked, pointing in my direction.

At that, the Cardinal let out a slightly bitter smile.

“Does it seem that way?”

“Her veil is strange, and her hair color is strange.”

“Her nun habit looks a bit different too…”

“Hmm.”

The Cardinal glanced at me, looking a bit lost.

And as for me? I was… well, at a loss for words.

You know how in high school, there’s always that group who’ll shorten their uniforms as much as possible, dye their hair a bold color, and sleep through class no matter what the teachers say? I mean, I did pay attention in class, but still… I hadn’t studied much of the Church’s sacred texts, which were a big deal here.

“Now, now. You’d best get back now. The Mother Superior has baked chocolate cookies, and if you’re too late, there might not be any left for you.”

“Chocolate cookies!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

The Cardinal seemed to give up on explanations and instead used cookies as bait to lure the kids back inside. The little nuns dashed off in a huddle toward the other end of the church. Everyone who saw them passing by looked on fondly.

“…”

Ria, Sophie, her bodyguard, and I all watched as the children’s figures receded into the distance.

Once they were gone, the Cardinal turned back toward me. His face had returned to a neutral expression—the kind of serious, businesslike look that suited someone in a high position.

“Ah…”

As we made eye contact, I hesitated, wondering what I should say.

I wasn’t exactly accustomed to situations like this. In this life and even in my previous one, I’d never actually met someone of truly high rank.

Even if I had the chance to meet someone of high status, it would probably be a situation where I recognized them while passing by, rather than meeting them in an official setting.

As thoughts of “procedures” and “protocol” flashed through my mind—

“Sister Sophie.”

The Cardinal spoke first.

As he spoke, he bowed his head slightly in a polite manner, and Sophie did the same. He didn’t call out the name of the knight beside her, but they exchanged polite greetings as well.

“…And Sister Anna.”

The Cardinal did the same towards me. I bowed my head just like Sophie had, though it felt much more awkward for me.

Ria seemed to recognize the Cardinal, but he only gave her a light nod, similar to what he did with the knight.

Was he assessing each of our ranks? Even though I’d lost my privileges, my status hadn’t technically been demoted.

“Shall we proceed to the meeting room? We are a bit early compared to the scheduled time.”

He asked.

“Yes, that’s fine with me.”

Sophie answered and glanced at me.

“I-I’m fine too…”

I answered, feeling like I wanted to grab my head in frustration.

If only I hadn’t greeted the Cardinal so awkwardly, this situation might have been less embarrassing. I wanted to go back three minutes and give myself a good smack on the back of the head.

The other clergy members who had followed the Cardinal quietly trailed behind us.

“Hey, hey, don’t be so nervous.”

Ria nudged my side with her elbow.

“The Cardinal’s not as particular about formalities as you’d think.”

That didn’t really put my mind at ease.

I mean, I had sent a rather offensive letter to the Cardinal, after all. Not that I had asked if he had parents or anything, but still.

Ria seemed to find my nervous face amusing, as she kept glancing at me on our way to the meeting room. I kept my mouth shut, trying to suppress my embarrassment, as we entered the meeting room.

*

Although it was a church, the atmosphere inside wasn’t completely religious. Sure, there were church symbols here and there, but the conference room itself had a simple, everyday meeting room feel.

This room looked more like a presentation room than a meeting room, but I could understand the seating arrangement if there were a large crowd. Round tables can be overwhelming when they’re too large… but wait, there’s going to be a crowd?

I’d assumed this meeting would be casual, like a regular work meeting, given the Cardinal’s earlier demeanor. This wasn’t supposed to be a discussion about my position as a Saintess, just a review on whether or not my rights as a candidate would be restored.

If it were just about that, the Cardinal’s authority would suffice. After all, it was the Cardinal who had stripped me of my rights in the first place, so a simple word from him should be enough.

“Well then.”

But my thoughts were interrupted—

“As proposed by Sister Sophie and two other Saintess Candidates, we will now proceed with the verification of Sister Anna’s qualifications as a Saintess—”

“What!?”

I couldn’t help but let out a startled cry and quickly covered my mouth with both hands.

Everyone in the room was looking at me.

“Sister Anna, do you have something to say?”

The middle-aged nun who was presenting asked. She wore a nun’s habit, but her glasses and slightly stern demeanor made her seem like someone in a high corporate position. Very businesslike.

Ah, come to think of it, I remember reading online about a famous nun who once followed a certain Pope around. I didn’t know what she looked like, but the story popped into my mind.

“Um, well, the thing is…”

I began hesitantly.

Honestly, I didn’t feel the need to speak, but considering the formality of this gathering, there was one thing I felt I had to address.

“So, this meeting… I never expected it would be about… my qualifications as a Saintess…”

“Didn’t the pastor inform you?”

The nun asked politely but very formally. If I added up my age from my past life, I might be older than her, but in this world, I had just reached adulthood.

Even though globalization has progressed, this is still South Korea. Honestly, despite living this life, I’ve been more influenced by Confucianism than by the church. So, being addressed with such extreme politeness by someone older felt a little… unsettling.

“I thought this was only to discuss my rights as a Saintess Candidate…”

I trailed off, silencing myself mid-sentence.

Right. Knowing him, maybe the priest didn’t tell me on purpose.

The reason was simple. The moment I realized I had become a Saintess Candidate, I had sent a letter to the Cardinal, making a blasphemous statement that there was no God. If he had said something like, “You’re going to become a Saintess,” I might have just jumped over the wall and run away that day.

As I tried to suppress the urge to grab my head, the nun spoke.

“It seems you already know why he might not have told you.”

“…”

“Shall we continue?”

For a moment, I considered getting up and running away, but when I looked around and saw Ria’s face, which looked like she was about to burst into laughter, I gave up.

Even if I ran, I’d be caught.

Becoming a Saintess Candidate and becoming a Saintess are very different. If a spokesperson for God runs away, the church would chase after them.

However—

“I don’t think the position of Saintess is something one can ascend to so easily…”

I timidly added.

Yes, that’s right.

The church isn’t just in Korea. There’s a higher organization that spans the globe. There’s even the Pope. It’s not like a Cardinal can just recommend someone and they immediately become a Saintess. I didn’t think it was something that could be decided with a single presentation in an ordinary meeting room.

“Of course.”

The nun nodded at my words.

“This meeting won’t decide everything. There are several steps in the process. In fact, this meeting was arranged because some people insisted on making a decision as quickly as possible.”

“…”

I quickly looked at Sophie.

Sophie smiled as if to say it was her. There were other nuns sitting nearby who also seemed to understand.

And near them—

Lee Si-yoon?

And there were hunters next to him. They were all dressed in suits.

It seemed they had arrived before us and were waiting.

After taking it all in, I shut my eyes tightly.

“Shall we continue the meeting?”

Even though I didn’t nod, the discussion continued naturally.