I was ten times more shocked than when I first read the words on the paper. The cramped room seemed to shrink around me, its air heavier, almost suffocating. I fought the urge to walk out on the spot.

I snapped my half-open mouth shut and studied Verita's smile. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts.

The chance of this being a trap... isn't high.

She had called each of us into a small room for one-on-one talks. It was an effective way to identify church members, but the method carried one fatal flaw: an imbalance of information. Out of ten people, only one—the nun—could monopolize everything she learned. That would have worked if she were completely trustworthy. If not, the situation could become dangerous.

Or maybe this is all part of the test.

The Hero Society was the Dark Church's nemesis. Even the Iron-Blooded Lord had refined his methods of rooting out church members by studying them, which showed just how deeply the Hero Society understood the church's ways. That meant this could be more than interrogation. It could be training drawn from real scenarios. The task could not only involve uncovering church members but also proving one's innocence if accused. Under normal circumstances, this interpretation made perfect sense.

Yet two details unsettled me. Her words carried things I couldn't dismiss. First, why identify herself as a Colorless believer among the six factions? Second, why address me specifically as a priest rather than simply a church member?

A priest stood at the core of the church, shrouded in secrecy. I remembered how my status at home had changed after I defeated just one priest. Overnight, I was promised the role of future family head, surpassing Heero and Nero, who had built steady reputations as heroes. Even the Hero Society, despite clashing with the church more than anyone, rarely encountered priests.

For that reason, being mistaken for one was almost unheard of, which made me doubt whether this could be part of any training scenario.

"Have you sorted out your thoughts?" Verita asked in a relaxed tone, her smile unwavering. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

How much time had passed? About a minute passed, maybe longer. I had been lost in thought for a while, yet she simply watched me in silence.

Only then did I take a good look at Verita. She looked about twenty. Her hair and eyes were a pale peach, and her features were striking. Her clothes, her expression, and the way she carried herself left no doubt she was a nun.

A Colorless believer. My investigation had shown they were the Dark Church's most mysterious faction. They had not caused any major incidents in the last century. Although I had met church members countless times, I had never met anyone from the Colorless faction. Still, as long as they remained part of the church, they were enemies of the empire.

I could feel the pressure to speak building up.

Deny it or play dumb... Before I could react I realized something. The moment our eyes met, I knew her conclusion would not change. No matter what I said, her certainty would hold.

That made it stranger. How could she sense the Dark Qi in me when so many strong people had missed it?

"Why do you think I am a priest?" I asked.

I left a small safety net, but I half-admitted the truth. That signaled my willingness to cooperate if this were an interrogation.

Fortunately, Verita did not change expression and cry out, "Aha! You're caught, heretic!"

She maintained her wide, signature smile and covered one eye with her palm. "I follow the Colorless faction. I am a Guardian. There is no way I would not recognize our priest."

"It is too abstract. You don't mean to say that you guessed it, right?" I retorted.

Verita let out a low laugh. Her eyes shifted from the pale hue of her hair to a brilliant gold. "My eyes are somewhat special. I can identify my brethren with precision, and my range is broad. Because of that, I have known about you since you first entered the city."

My arms bristled with goosebumps. This woman could locate me anywhere in the city if she wanted.

"What is your purpose?" I demanded.

Verita wiped the smile from her face and adopted a nun's demeanor again. "What does the purpose of someone as insignificant as me matter? What matters is what you desire."

She clasped her hands in prayer and intoned, "O savior, who has appeared after centuries, the one unique being who can commune with the Judge. Give me a command, and I will carry it out without question, even at the cost of this insignificant body."

"So you mean you will obey my orders?" I asked.

"That is my duty."

Her smile felt suspicious.

"What if I tell you to keep quiet about my identity?" I asked.

"I will keep it hidden until I die."

"Even if another Colorless believer asks?" I pressed.

"I will never answer."

I raised an eyebrow. "What if the Dark Pope asks directly?"

"It is the same. The one I serve is not the Dark Pope," she replied without hesitation.

I couldn't believe her, so I asked one last time, "What if I order you to die here?"

There was silence at this time.

Then Verita slightly lowered her gaze and said, "If it is for the church, I will gladly sacrifice this life."

The reason I mentioned her willingness to die was simple. One of my strange talents allowed me to discern the truth in answers concerning life or death. Ridiculously, Verita's response seemed sincere. She would actually give up her life if I ordered it.

How could someone I had met less than an hour ago hold such resolve toward me?

I masked my confusion and asked, "You said you already found the church member. Who is it?"

"The knight and the old man," she replied.

As expected, it wasn't just one person. They were exactly the two I had singled out without much thought. The twist was that there was no twist.

"Should I consider you a church member as well? I mean, does the Hero Society know your true identity?"

"No, that isn't the case. Priest, you are the only one here who knows who I am."

Verita wasn't a spy the Hero Society had sent. She had come to advance her rank like me but had become entangled in something unexpected. That meant she was in just as much danger as I was. If either of us were exposed, we would be executed immediately.

"Three minutes have passed," Verita said. "Lastly, may I ask your purpose?"

It wasn't something to hide, so I answered honestly, "To achieve B-class."

"Is that so? Then I will serve you wholeheartedly."

For now, I reached a temporary conclusion: I had to maintain the current state until I devised a solution. Silencing Verita by killing her was a radical option, but I would wait and observe.

I hadn't decided whether she was worth killing. Even if I did, I would become a madman who killed a member of the Seventy-Two Churches without proof of her affiliation.

The third—and most fundamental—reason was that I had no idea how strong this woman really was.

***

All eyes turned to me when I opened the door. Naturally, it was because I was last in line and emerged with Verita. I took a seat while Verita strode to the front of the group.

The scholar asked, "How did it go?"

"Fortunately, I was able to locate the church member, thanks to everyone's cooperation," Verita replied.

The reaction around me was mixed—stunned silence edged with doubt. Most people seemed unwilling to believe it. It made sense. These were all heroes of the Hero Society. I knew better than anyone that finding a church member in just a few dozen minutes was no small feat.

Verita ignored the skeptical gazes and continued, "We don't have much time, so I will announce the church members immediately. Sir Peron, a free knight, and Mr. Erudi, a B-class hero. They are the church members I have identified."

Naturally, all eyes shifted to the knight and the elderly man.

Both glared at her with terrifying intensity, but the knight spoke first. "This is the first time I've heard such an insult. I am a knight, and I know only one way to respond to insults. Still, I will ask one thing before drawing my sword. As a member of the Seventy-Two Churches, you must have a valid reason for this accusation, correct?"

"Of course! The gods I serve declared that humanity's true nature only emerges in the face of death," Verita proclaimed.

"What does that—"

"Starting now, I will kill Sir Peron and Mr. Erudi. I will execute both of you in the name of the gods. Ah, don't worry too much. If you confess your true identities, I will follow the gods' mercy and spare you," Verita declared with a smile.

Peron, the knight, returned her smile, while Erudi let out a hollow laugh.

"That's enough. Even if you are a nun of the Seventy-Two Churches, this kind of insult is—"

"Let's begin."

In the next moment, Verita extended her arm to the side. Her hand vanished as if shrouded by an invisible veil, then reappeared gripping a vicious blunt weapon. It was a morning star, similar to Junian's, yet far more menacing in appearance.

A divine blessing? The thought barely crossed my mind before Verita vanished. Even I, tense and alert, missed her movement.

A loud bang echoed. Erudi's right shoulder crumpled under the impact just as he was halfway through drawing his sword. He gasped in pain.

"Still alive? Next time, it'll be your neck."

"C-crazy woman!" Peron gritted his teeth, unsheathed his sword in an instant, and swung at Verita.

Without looking back, she raised her right arm.

Is she trying to block the blade with her bare hands? I stared in disbelief while focusing as much internal energy on my eyes as I could. I had to see how she would respond.

The source of the power was Verita's brain. It was unbelievable, yet undeniable. It felt as though lightning was striking inside her skull. In the blink of an eye, the mana surged all the way to her fingertips.

It didn't flow through the meridians like ordinary mana; it seemed to teleport. I had never witnessed energy move this fast within a human body. The mana concentrated at her fingertips was astonishingly dense.

How refined was her control to condense such immense power in an instant? It was as if she had erected a wall dozens of meters high in a blink.

Of course, no wall could be destroyed by a single blade. The blade wrapped in Sword Qi shattered against it in vain.

Peron groaned in frustration.

Verita snatched a fragment of the broken blade and hurled it like a dagger, striking Peron's left eye. He clutched his face, screaming.

Verita tilted her head. "That was a bit shallow."

Then Erudi drew his sword with his still-intact left hand.

Erudi's B-class rank was my current target and the backbone of the Hero Society. According to Chain Scythe Lorcan, he was strong enough to secure a branch manager position without effort.

The sword in Erudi's grip radiated lethal intent. He swung it with the clear purpose of killing Verita. Considering his shoulder was horribly crushed, such a deadly strike was no surprise.

Yet Erudi's sword never reached her. Verita retrieved the morning star and angled the handle precisely. A round ornament at the end caught the sword, and with perfect leverage, the weapon slid off harmlessly.

Erudi let out a hollow sound. The moment his lethal strike was deflected, the burning fighting spirit fueled by his injury instantly drained. Moments later, his body flew like a cannonball, smashing through several chairs before slamming into the wall.

Coughing up blood, he stammered, "You... You aren't a nun. You are an inquisitor..."

"Aren't you ignorant about the church? These roles can coexist." Verita smiled, surveying the bloodied Erudi, Peron, and the wrecked room. She spread her fingers and said, "I'll give you three seconds. If you don't admit to being church members, I will kill you. Three... two..."

"I will admit it." Erudi spoke first. "I am a church member."

Verita's smile deepened at his confession. She then glanced at Peron, who bit his lip before nodding slightly.

Verita made a satisfied hum and traced a graceful sign of the cross. "As my gods say, confession is one of the bravest acts! I offer my sincere respect to the courage of both of you."

She clapped enthusiastically to herself before turning to the rest of us. "Now, this clearly identifies the two church members, right?"

Naturally, everyone went silent, myself included.

The quietly observing scholar muttered under her breath, "Crazy woman."