I Became a Tentacle Monster Blooming in the Academy Garden 205

## Chapter 205 – Cradle of Talent (4)

A tall figure, almost as tall as Yui, with short, black hair that gave off a somewhat delicate impression.

Amidst this, her eyes, with their jewel-like dark yellow hue, created a unique atmosphere.

Her smile, etched on a face that seemed both youthful and mature, radiated an undeniable benevolence that seemed to warm the air.

And although her slender figure was concealed by a tightly fitted black and white habit, which seemed to have little practical effect, it was embroidered with gold thread.

‘A nun… a Priestess… perhaps…?’

In her first encounter with this woman, who exuded a truly sacred aura, Carla heard these words:

“Do you know the Way?”

“No… I’m not buying anything…”

As Carla gently closed the door, the sound of knocking began again.

“We’re not suspicious people, sister?
I’ve only come to share some good words.
I understand the unfortunate state of affairs that prevents open hospitality…
But could you spare a moment to listen to a good story?”

“I’ll… I’ll call the police…!!”

“That’s a bit harsh!! Do you even know who this is?!
We came all this way to say hello. Let’s go, Your Holiness.”

It seemed there was someone else outside the door, as another voice chimed in.

In the end, Carla, who had only heard about the dreaded “Do you know the Way?” was now facing it head-on, her expression turning as white as a sheet.

“Don’t be like that, Roxanne.
Everyone harbors fear within them.
To overcome it, one must awaken to the Way and become a saint.
To that end, we must always pray to control our hearts.
Speaking of which… I didn’t see you at mass this morning, Roxanne?”

“Th… that’s because… I was fighting the demon of sleep…
But I ultimately emerged victorious, Your Holiness!!”

Roxanne, the woman who had seemed flustered for a moment, now spoke with an air of confidence.

But the voice of Yeriel, who had been chuckling benevolently, suddenly took a sharp turn.

“You impious wretch!! Get down and give me push-ups!!
Divine punishment…!! Divine punishment…!! Divine punishment…!!
Aren’t you going to bang your head on the ground…!!”

“Hieek!! Y… yeeek… Your Holinesaaaack……!!”

What on earth was happening outside?

‘I only came to school today…!!’

Carla, crouching in front of the door and trembling, unconsciously began to pray in her heart, wishing someone would come to her rescue.

But before that, the door suddenly shook violently, and in that very moment, Carla flinched.

Along with a thudding sound, the door shattered in the middle.

Unfortunately for Carla, a sword blade that had burst through the door, scattering blue energy, was right next to her head.

“Sister…!! Sister…!!
Let’s clear up this misunderstanding…!!
Let’s talk face to face…!!
Here’s Johnny!!”

“Hiiiiek!!”

Carla, startled by the nun’s face peering at her through the broken door with wide eyes, began to tear up.

But soon the face disappeared, and the door slowly began to open.

What greeted the terrified Carla was, unexpectedly, Yui, who had been on the second floor.

“Carla? What are you doing here?”

“Y… Yuiii… hic…!!
There are strange people outsideee……!!”

“Strange people?
Ah… this door…”

Yui, seeing the door shattered in the middle, let out a small sigh, then opened the door and gently tugged on the woman’s ear.

“Really… stop joking around, Your Holiness.
Say hello, Carla.
This is Yeriel Sistina, Your Holiness, from the Sistina Theocracy.
She tends to be a bit of a prankster…
Haaa… Carla is faint of heart, so please don’t do that too much, okay?”

“Ouch…!! Ufufut… I’m… I’m sorry.
You seemed like a young lady who would be fun to tease.
I couldn’t help myself… I guess…?”

Why was it that everyone seemed so eager to tease her whenever they saw her?

As she clutched her unfair feelings, Carla’s eyes scanned Yeriel.

She certainly looked like an ordinary, kind-hearted religious person on the surface.

‘Was all that just now a joke…?
But… she broke the door too……’

“She’ll probably fix the door soon.
Really… I can never stop her…”

“Ah… you know each other……?”

Carla, feeling even stranger at Yui’s seemingly nonchalant reaction, asked Yui a question, but only received a normal response.

Seeing Yui and Yeriel exchanging words that only they understood, Carla’s expression became dumbfounded once again.

“Well… she visited Chao Xing briefly a while ago…
She was small back then, but now she’s grown so much.”

“You too, Kazunomiya.
You’ve become a wonderful beauty.
If you get married soon, should I officiate?”

“Ah… haha… I don’t think that will happen for a while…”

At that moment, the conversation was briefly interrupted by Roxanne, the new face beside them, who was holding out something.

Judging from what she heard, she seemed to belong to the same group, and her appearance, wearing armor emblazoned with a sacred emblem, resembled that of a soldier.

Unfortunately, her forehead was visibly red as if something had been pressed against it, but Carla somehow felt like she knew the reason and didn’t want to confirm it.

“Anyway, this person is Yeriel Sistina, Your Holiness, a second-year student in the Sacred Arts Department.
And I am Roxanne Stronova, a second-year student in the Sacred Arts Department who assists Her Holiness.
I received the rank of Holy Knight in my home country, and I mainly study in the Swordsmanship Department at the academy, but…
My affiliation with the Sacred Arts Department remains unchanged.”

Roxanne, who had neat, short hair like Yeriel, bowed her head and raised the bundle high.

“Anyway, we’ve moved into the 3rd floor.
Worship services will be held frequently on the 3rd floor, so we would like to ask for your understanding regarding hymns and such…
This gift is meant to express our goodwill in many ways.”

“Oh, it’s refreshments? That’s perfect.
Would you like to have some tea together?”

Carla was simply losing her mind at the sight of Yui accepting the bundle that Roxanne was offering with a welcoming expression.

.
.
.

“Ah… so that’s what happened…?
Modern education, Sistina is changing too…
Welcome, Your Holiness. Let’s get along as neighbors.”

The Sistina Theocracy.

The only city-state influenced by religion, located on the northeastern outskirts of the Kingdom of Groden.

The Pope also serves as the head of state, demonstrating a union of church and state, and all members of the theocracy unite under one state religion, making it a solid nation in some ways.

Originally, Sistina was said to have a rather closed social structure.

It was strange to meet the nun here.

But Your Holiness was a term used to address the Pope, wasn’t it?

“Yeriel… are… you… the… Pope…?
But… the black hair… are you perhaps from Chao Xing?”

“No? I’m just a nun in training.
The Pope is still in the Vatican.
And while everyone from Chao Xing has black hair…
Black hair isn’t exclusive to Chao Xing.
Like my father, I was born with this hair.
But the color of my eyes is different, right?”

In fact, having black hair alone was enough to create the common perception that she was from Chao Xing, but perhaps she had received this misunderstanding often.

Yeriel, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, smiled with her eyes, curving her bright yellow pupils like crescent moons.

Yui, instead of Carla, who was flustered by the sight, solved Carla’s curiosity.

“Your Holiness… well…
Yeriel-nim holds the position of ‘Holy Maiden.’
To put it in terms we understand… um…
It’s similar to a ‘Saintess’ or a ‘Priestess’…?
So, in terms of hierarchy, she’s on the same level as the Pope.
Is that right? Someone who communes with God…”

“You know a lot, Kazunomiya.
I’m just an inexperienced nun.
I’m just a lamb trying to always maintain a faithful heart.
However, Sistina is also changing.”

“Waaa…!!
So that’s what it was……
I’m sorry for misunderstanding……
I didn’t know……”

Originally, Sistina was rumored to be a place where all sorts of members would spend all day praying in their rooms, so they wouldn’t even know who was in the next room.

The new Pope thought that such a sight was not desirable, so he dispatched various talented people to various countries for practical learning and exchange.

In a sense, it was only natural that Yeriel, who could be called the forefront and greatest force of such exchanges, would come to St. Francina Academy, located in the center of the continent.

Perhaps this was one way for a small theocracy, about the size of a city, to live in the modern era.

A mysterious concept was a strategy that only worked to a certain extent.

“Anyone can misunderstand?
I can’t deny that my prank was a bit much.
But we can understand each other through conversation, so isn’t that enough?
As a connection we made today, may happiness fill Sterben-yang’s path…
Ah, now that this has happened, wouldn’t you like to experience Sistina’s training and worship?
It will surely be an enjoyable and new experience?”

Yeriel smiled kindly and offered a prayer for Carla, then asked Carla a question as if something had occurred to her.

Sistina’s secret training was a big news item that could immediately create enough snacks for a night of drinking.

“I’ll do it!! I’ll do it!!
Sistina’s official training…!!
I’ve been so curious…!!”

Unlike Carla, who was jumping up and down with excitement, Yui’s facial muscles were twitching slightly.

“I… I… Oh, right……
I left my experiment halfway through……
I’ll get up first…?”

“Eee… Yui, aren’t you going to do it……?”

“That’s too bad, Kazunomiya.
But the doors of the church are always open?
Please visit whenever you think of it… Hehe…”

Yui, hesitatingly getting up from her seat and gently heading towards the door.

Staggering as if she was guilty of something, she opened the door, then turned around and looked at herself, and Carla noticed it and began to look at her.

Carla stared blankly at Yui, who was mouthing something diligently, for a moment.

Eventually, when it seemed that Carla couldn’t understand the words, Yui grabbed her forehead and forced a smile.

Yui, clenching her fist as if to say fighting, Carla smiled and repeated the words that Yui had just mouthed.

“O… maa…?
Do… maga……
Do… manga……?”

Until then, Carla didn’t know.

That she would be able to bang her head on the ground in a perfect posture, just like Roxanne.

“You mustn’t run away! Because you are full of love!!
I hope you endure the trials given by God!!
Come on!! Come on!! Don’t be afraid!!!
Let’s entrust everything to God’s hands, Carla!”

“Uwaaaaah!! It… it hurts……!!”

“You can do it, Carla!!
God is watching you!!
Let’s sublimate all original sin to heaven together…!!”

“Oooooh!! God is looking down!!
This is the perfect head-banging I offer to my God…!!”

“Heuaaaang!! This is weirddd…!!”

The difficult screams echoed through the 3rd floor chapel, but thanks to the amazing soundproofing, the sound did not leak to anyone.

With the guidance of the Yeriel, filled with madness, Carla, who was crying, was gradually able to feel herself becoming more faithful.

In that way, Carla’s first Sistina Orthodox worship experience was flowing under shock and fear.

“I want to go back…!!
Save me, Yuiemoooong!!”

“You’re breaking my concentration, Carla!!
Hurry up and bang your head!!”

“Uwaaaang!!”

In the end, when Yui and Hyeryeong came to rescue her later, only Carla’s miserable figure remained, muttering “Amen…” with her mind gone…

In many ways, it was a day for Carla to realize the horror of religion.

.
.
.

Of course, people meeting for the first time are bound to have some misunderstandings.

Declaring that even today’s asceticism was a joke, Yeriel said with a ufufu laugh, and Carla’s face was exhausted.

Of course, there are those who try to reach the “Way” of God through asceticism, but at least they don’t do such things.

How many times are they going to make her do the initiation ceremony?

More than that, why was she teasing herself when she was the one who rolled in?

“We, His creations, have continued that service from the cradle of the beginning…
God loves you more than anyone else.
He is always watching over you from somewhere you don’t know.
May His love bless the path of Sister Carla.”

This time, Yeriel knelt down normally and offered a prayer, blessing Carla right next to her.

Carla, still puffing out her cheeks and watching with suspicious eyes, finally let the air out of her cheeks and let out a small sigh.

Except for the fact that she was mischievous, Yeriel was at least a great nun on the surface.

Unfortunately, her soft voice was also an element that gave a lot of trust, but she was using it for pranks that pretended to be serious.

Carla, who had been properly deceived, had no choice but to forgive Yeriel, who didn’t seem to have any bad intentions.

“I’m glad Kazunomiya made a good friend.
Hehe… I’m really sorry, Carla-yang…
Like I said before, you’re too cute.
It’s not much of a substitute, but should I show you something good…”

Yeriel, slowly putting her hands together in front of her chest, narrowed her eyes and asked Carla a question.

“Does Carla have someone precious to her?”

“Eh… why are you asking that……?”

“Come on, won’t you tell me?”

“I… I do……”

Yeriel, hearing Carla’s answer, smiled meaningfully, then closed her eyes for a while and prayed quietly.

Then, opening her eyes again and gazing at Carla with loving eyes, she moved her soft lips and left a quiet word for Carla.

“Before today ends, Carla will see your precious person.”

“What does that mean……?”

“Hehe……”

Yeriel, not answering anything more and just smiling.

Feeling a strange sense of incongruity in the atmosphere that had changed strangely, Carla had no choice but to get up from her seat.

Those bright yellow eyes were just looking at herself.

Those eyes, which had been full of mischief until just now, had just become a little calmer.

Why did that sight feel so creepy?

An eerie shiver that spread intensely throughout her body.

Feeling as if goosebumps were rising all over her body, Carla stared blankly at Yeriel for a long time, unable to take her eyes off her.

Was this the pressure that people experience after hearing the secrets of heaven, which they had only heard about?

“Th… thank you……
It was… a fun time…!!
Then I’ll see you next time…!! Goodbye!!”

Carla, barely regaining her mind, ran to the center of the chapel, fearing to be in this place, and opened the large door with a groan.

As the thudding sound of the door closing echoed through the chapel, Yeriel’s eyes, which had been smiling quietly, slowly began to close.

“That… is the will of God…
I will ask that you do so…
The lamb will only rejoice and worship…”

Unlike the content of the faithful murmur, the coldly sunken voice spread into the air of the chapel and disappeared.

.
.
.