Though He Was a Bit Dirty, I Didn't Mind

Luojia was a little confused.

She had only meant to persuade Ansu to turn back from the brink. How had she ended up exceeding her mission and recruiting this guy into the ranks?

Watching Luojia sink into thought, Ansu's lips curled into an imperceptible smile.

The Radiant Holy See's screening process was strict. Secular nobles who wished to join the Holy See had to be recommended and vouched for by a relevant member of the clergy.

And whose guarantee could be more convincing than that of the Reserve Saintess before him?

Most importantly, this was the reason Ansu had asked Luojia to recommend him—

No matter what he did in the future, Luojia would not be able to report him.

The oath Ansu had made Luojia swear to the Goddess while she was imprisoned had actually contained a loophole in its wording.

"After getting out, you cannot report Ansu, nor can you harm Ansu."

The key was the first half: after getting out, she could not report Ansu.

It did not specify what she was forbidden from reporting.

The complete oath without a loophole should have been, "After getting out, you cannot report Ansu for what he is doing now, at the altar."

By omitting the time and place afterward, the meaning changed completely.

Since it did not refer to anything specific—since it did not specifically refer to him sacrificing Sacrifice Esoteric Cultists—Luojia would be unable to report Ansu for anything that happened in the future.

And she could not harm Ansu, either.

This plan was pretty good.

Ansu's lips curved into an imperceptible smile.

As for what he had just told Luojia... it had all been true.

The Mother God of Life Cult was loosely organized and divided into factions. It did not even have an archbishop. Since its Goddess favored dark lifeforms, its Cultists treated one another as enemies and slaughtered each other, each wishing they could sacrifice all their fellow believers to their Goddess.

According to Ansu's memories, there were nearly ten mutually hostile cultist hideouts in this borderland alone.

Internally, they were fractured; externally, they were hunted down and suppressed by the Holy See.

Only an idiot would join that bandit organization now.

A sunny, cheerful boy like Ansu would naturally choose the authorities without hesitation. He did not know any Mother God at all.

Getting an official position in the Holy See was what mattered most!

Besides, Ansu had another purpose for joining the Radiant Holy See.

"But..." Luojia parted her lips slightly, seeming to hesitate. Her throat bobbed as she spoke somewhat timidly. "You're not suited for the Holy See's path."

This was a fact the entire Morningstar Family knew.

There were very few Holy Light Elements in Ansu's body. If he wished to study Radiant Magic, he would need to put in several times more effort than others.

Luojia had put it tactfully. The blunt version would be: We do not accept Children of Curse.

Hmph.

She was hesitating. Her heart was wavering.

Ansu studied the expression on the Girl before him and knew it was in the bag.

He instinctively clenched the prepared notes in his pocket: "Three Steps to Talking Luojia into Recruiting Me."

He had already completed the first step: reason.

Next came the second step: emotion!

"Luojia."

Ansu gazed earnestly at the Girl. His pale blue-green eyes lowered as the sunlight, filtered through the ivy, lost its scorching hue. The light took on a dark green tint, falling into the boy's pupils and flashing with a bright sorrow.

"I know I am an unblessed child. From the moment I was born, I was imprisoned in this Gray Tower. Everyone says I am a Child of Curse, that I killed my mother. But even someone like me, even one born into darkness, still longs for the light in the depths of his heart."

"Even if the road ahead is difficult, even if I was born unblessed, even if I am rejected, I still want to try leaving this Gray Tower. I still want to try walking into that sunlight."

Ansu still was not lying. Of course he longed for the benefits that came with an official post in the Radiant Holy See. Who wanted to be some gloomy little sewer rat?

Luojia, on the other hand, looked rather troubled. The Little Saintess was naturally soft-hearted and could not stand emotional appeals.

This guy was actually getting sentimental!

You're using all my moves!

She feared that if she kept listening, she would not be able to stop herself from agreeing.

After all, that person was Luojia's lifesaver.

Trading a life-saving favor for one recommendation was not excessive at all.

Ever since she had entered the estate, every scene she had seen and experienced remained vivid in her mind.

The Maid who feared Ansu, her eager avoidance; the magnificent castle and the shabby Gray Tower; and the fourteen-year-old boy sitting alone beneath the Window Lattice, reading a book...

"The master's child... he is a cursed monster."

"From the moment he was born, he killed his own mother. He came into this world covered in his mother's blood."

"You must not deceive me. You are absolutely not his friend. No child is willing to be friends with him—much less a nun of the Radiant Holy See."

Luojia gently bit her thin lips.

"And think about it,"

Ansu's final words became the straw that broke the camel's back.

"If even a Child of Curse could be redeemed, if even a Child of Curse could become a clergyman of the Holy See, wouldn't that prove the Holy See's greatness and tolerance? Wouldn't that make it the beacon of the world?"

Step three of the plan: another tale of redemption for the Holy See!

A perfect fit.

Tsk. Luojia finally nodded. "I can recommend you to the Holy See, but you'll have to pass the Radiant Holy See's entrance test yourself."

"But," her tone shifted as she stared expressionlessly at Ansu. Luojia had long seen through his level as a Novice Mage. "With your current abilities, it's simply impossible for you to pass."

According to procedure, being recommended merely granted one a fair chance to compete. Yet that single fair opportunity was enough to eliminate ninety percent of commoners and even nobles. God loved everyone equally—but He loved those who were recommended even more.

Without deep ties between one's family and the Radiant Holy See, along with enough strings being pulled, it would be difficult to secure even a single slot.

After being recommended, one could become a Reserve Believer.

But that was not the end. To become an official clergyman, one still had to undergo the entrance test afterward.

The Radiant Holy See's entrance examination was also the most difficult among Narak's seven orthodox faiths. It tested not only magical rank, but also cultural knowledge, the history of the Holy See, and one's understanding of the Holy Light. Thousands of brilliant young exam grinders competed for a single spot.

"All I lack is an opportunity," Ansu said earnestly to Luojia.

An opportunity to cheat!

"There'll be an entrance test in a month. Don't forget!"

After seeing Luojia off, Ansu returned to his reading.

Not long afterward, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

"Master."

"It's Enya. Come in," he said without looking up.

The door slowly opened. To his surprise, the visitor was the Maid who had received Luojia earlier.

A pure white skirt paired with deerskin boots, her lips as thin as early spring's thin cherry blossoms.

Enya slightly bent her knees, lifting the edge of her skirt with slender fingers as she gracefully performed a curtsy.

Earlier, she had clearly been unwilling to step inside at all, unwilling to say even a single word to Ansu.

"The nun has already left."

Enya spoke calmly to Ansu, with not a trace of disgust or fear on her face.

"Following your earlier instructions, I perfectly played the role of the 'gloomy maid who speaks ill of her master behind his back.' Do you enjoy this sort of special game? Should I now be punished for my insolence?"

"When did I become that much of a pervert?" Ansu looked up at her.

"So you're going to keep staying in this abandoned warehouse because you enjoy playing outdoors?" She tilted her head and said calmly, "Though it's a little dirty, I don't mind."

".I said I'm not a pervert."