Pure and Upright (3)

Rosaria sat next to Reed.

She stared at them with a different expression than when she looks at Phoebe and Dolores, completely absorbed.

“You sisters are so pretty.”

“Thank you, young sister.”

“Sister?”

“The believers of the Order call each other brothers and sisters.”

“Even if you’re not really family?”

“Everyone embraced by Althea is considered family.”

As Isel spoke kindly, Rosaria tilted her head.

“That’s strange.”

Hmm.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold at Rosaria’s words.

Isel and Rachel froze in place, and Reed, who had been watching, felt a chill run down his spine.

Reed gently pulled Rosaria’s shoulder towards him and spoke cautiously.

“Don’t say it’s strange so blatantly.”

“But it is strange! It’s strange to have so many families.”

“It means that everyone is treated like family, not that they are actually family.”

“Is that so? Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?”

Rosaria nodded in understanding.

Reed apologized to Isel and Rachel.

“I’m sorry. My daughter still can’t help but speak bluntly…”

“It’s alright. If we get angry at her ignorance, we cannot call ourselves clerics of the Althea religion.”

Isel smiled lightly and turned her head to Rachel.

“How can there be such a pure soul? Don’t you think so, Rachel?”

“…”

At first, it was a shock, but as Rosaria didn’t know any better, Isel gradually became excited.

Rachel nodded lightly in agreement.

Her fierce eyes softened strangely.

“I can’t help but give this to Sister Rosaria.”

As Isel put her hand into her pocket, Rosaria stared curiously at where she was reaching.

What Isel pulled out was a small stick with a round sphere hanging on the end.

It was a lollipop.

“Would you like a candy? It’s strawberry flavored.”

“Thank you!”

Not knowing how to refuse, Rosaria gratefully took the lollipop that Isel offered.

She tore off the paper wrapper and popped it into her mouth in one go.

Reed felt a sense of discomfort watching Isel’s actions.

‘It feels like I’ve seen this in real life before.’

As he was thinking that, Isel smiled brightly and spoke to Rosaria.

“Our Althea Order, you see, is a religion that bestows mercy and tolerance in the name of light. We believe in making everyone happy.”

“I want everyone to be happy too.”

“Right? It would be so nice if everyone was happy. A world without war, only peace. How wonderful would that be?”

“It would be really fantastic!”

Isel chuckled, and Rosaria replied while sucking on her candy.

As expected, it was a candy meant for proselytizing.

It was meant to capture the attention of children and then teach them the faith.

‘What should I do…’

It would be better to stop them, but he was curious about what Rosaria would think, so he decided to leave it as is.

“But my dad says not everyone in the world can be happy.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah. So, my dad wants to make something that can make everyone happy!”

Embarrassing.

* * *

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Reed felt heat rising in his face as if he had drunk alcohol.

Isel smiled and looked up, and Rachel also turned her gaze to Reed.

Reed turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

“That’s great. It’s truly a pleasure to know that the Master of the Silence Tower understands the will of Althea.”

Isel laughed.

“Everyone has Althea’s light within them, just like that. However, some people don’t believe in their own light. Those people are easily tainted by darkness.”

“What happens when they’re tainted by darkness?”

“They fall into corruption. Just like humans becoming demons, they get consumed by darkness and cause harm.”

“Demons are bad. Dolores unni was hurt because of demons, too.”

Ever since she found out that Dolores had been hurt by demons, Rosaria always furrowed her brow and showed her resentment whenever she heard the word ‘demon.’

Isel and Rachel’s faces brightened more and more.

Hating demons and being pure.

For them, she was a rare, hard-to-find new believer.

“So, how about taking an interest in our Althea religion?”

“I like peace too. But my dad is a magician, so he can’t have a religion.”

“For our sister Rosaria, joining the church is entirely possible. You’re not yet old enough to be part of the Silence Tower. If joining feels burdensome, would you like to learn a little bit just to get a taste?”

“My teacher is Dolores Unni! Magicians can’t have too many teachers.”

Isel, who had thought everything was going smoothly, encountered a problem.

She had discovered the purity they desired, but even the wall she faced was pure.

However, Isel was not an easy opponent either.

“If you join now, you’ll get five candies for free!”

“Really?”

Knowing that candies work, she offered many of them.

Showing five candies in both hands, Rosaria’s eyes sparkled.

The colorful mix of candies, not just the red one in her mouth, was perfect for captivating children.

“Yes, not just strawberry, but five different flavors.”

“Wow…”

Rosaria, who was still sucking on her candy with her mouth wide open, stretched out her left hand toward Isel’s candies, while her other hand pulled it back, resisting the temptation.

“But… um… I can’t…”

“Now, now, if our Sister Rosaria becomes a little believer, we can give you one more!”

“Six!”

Seven rainbow-colored candies.

Rosaria’s face, who loved eating tasty things, contorted in agony.

“After eating the strawberry flavor, I can eat lemon, and after lemon, I can eat apple…”

“Haha, I think it’s perfectly fine. You’ll just study the scriptures together and receive candies.”

“Ugh…”

To eat or to refuse, that was the question.

Rosaria’s mind was no different from a scene in Hamlet.

‘Is she really a saint?’

Reed was disgusted by Isel’s proselytizing method.

Her pretty face made her look innocent, but her actions felt like a sinister man trying to kidnap an unsuspecting girl.

Reed was about to intervene when Rachel, who had been quietly watching, moved and snatched all the candies Isel was holding.

Crunch!

“What?”