Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Habitual Worship (3)
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I've finally made my decision, so I gave them my answer.
"The first one to receive baptism will be... Esty."
At those words, Yoanna's face stiffened.
Esty, meanwhile, remained expressionless as always, though she seemed to give the tiniest nod.
The girl started to protest something, but in the end, she just hung her head.
Seeing her so dejected made me feel unexpectedly sorry for her, so I added an explanation, as if soothing a child.
"I know full well how hard Yoanna worked to build this church. Thank you again, truly. But Esty has been handling all sorts of dirty work for me without complaint. And not once has she ever asked for anything in return. So this time... I think it's only right to give her the first chance."
Yoanna pursed her lips and whipped her head away.
Her gaze avoided mine. Her cheeks puffed out. She looked every bit the sulky child.
I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the sight. Careful not to upset her further, I tried coaxing the pouting girl.
"I'm sorry, Yoanna. But just because you're not first doesn't mean you're not important. So if there's... anything else you'd like as a reward for all this, I'll grant it, whatever it is."
"Really?!"
Maybe that was a mistake.
Just like that, Yoanna spun back around with a beaming smile, as if she'd never been upset at all.
"For real? You promised, Lady Eve?!"
The girl shoved her face right up to mine, demanding confirmation. Her voice pitched higher. Those green eyes locking onto me sparkled with such intense anticipation it was almost overwhelming.
Her over-the-top excitement honestly scared me a bit.
'Did I just... mess up?'
Could I really handle whatever came next? But it was too late to take back my words.
As the saying goes, you can't spit in a smiling face. I could only return her grin with an awkward one of my own.
Something told me—strongly, very strongly—that my relationship with this unpredictable girl was going to be exhausting from here on out.
==========
Once preparations were complete, Esty straightened her posture and stood before the marble baptismal font.
Just as we'd rehearsed, she knelt on one knee with her head bowed reverently, waiting.
I picked up the crystal vessel filled with clear water and held it above her crown.
Then, quietly, I recited the short prayer we'd prepared together.
"May all darkness dwelling in your soul be washed away, and may the guidance of Merciful Radiance light your path ahead."
With the prayer, I slowly tilted the vessel over her head.
The stream of water soaked Esty's hair as it cascaded down.
Her usually neatly tied black locks gradually grew wet, taking on a seductive sheen like a panther in the jungle.
Droplets traced her forehead and sharp jawline before plopping into the font below, pooling there.
It was right then.
"......?"
The stream of water from my hand began to glow, little by little.
It was just plain water, but the liquid gathering in the font sparkled like purified oil with a transparent golden hue.
And it even emitted its own crystalline light.
As I found myself entranced by that mystical glow—
".....!"
For an instant, something thudded deep in my chest.
It was an indescribable sensation, one I'd never felt before in my life.
Like a strange lock near my heart unlocking.
Or a parched seed cracking its shell to sprout—something oddly like that.
It was so alien I couldn't even find a proper comparison.
'What was that just now?'
Even recalling it, it felt like an illusion—something that had flashed by in a split second.
As I drifted into thought, I realized the glass vessel over Esty's head had emptied.
The mysteriously glowing water had settled harmlessly at the bottom of the font.
"......."
A bit flustered, I decided to finish what I'd started.
So I took a clean white cloth and gently dried Esty's wet hair while reciting the words we'd set in advance.
"I hereby declare that you are now a believer under the name of Merciful Radiance, sworn to follow Its word."
With the declaration complete, Esty quietly lifted her head to meet my gaze.
Her eyes were as calm and composed as ever, but the emotion within them seemed somehow different from usual.
After holding my eyes for a moment, Esty slowly rose to her feet.
She bowed deeply once more in respect, bringing the first baptism to a close.
"My turn now, Lady Eve!"
Yoanna, who had been watching breathlessly from the side, eagerly wheeled forward to the dais.
The girl looked up at me with eager anticipation.
But my mind was filled with questions about the bizarre phenomenon I'd just witnessed.
The water glowing over Esty's head, and that inexplicable unease I'd felt in my chest for a moment.
Wondering if the girl had rigged some special device, I asked before starting the second rite.
"Yoanna, did you put lights under the font on purpose? What does the glowing water mean?"
But she just tilted her head with wide eyes.
"Huh? There's no such feature. It's just a plain marble basin."
Her straightforward answer left me dumbfounded.
'Then what was that glow...?'
=============
I pondered that phenomenon for days afterward but couldn't make any sense of it.
I checked every suspicious angle, but there were no notable changes in my physical condition or abilities compared to before.
In the end, I chalked it up as an inexplicable event for now and moved on.
More importantly, what was consuming all my attention right then was the business of our newly launched church.
Thanks to the chain of events so far, all the major organizations in the surrounding districts had vanished.
Gangs, drug cartels, even the fake church—all swept clean in one go, leaving a massive vacuum.
That let us seize their enormous slush funds, businesses, and various assets.
The next goal was to use those assets to win over the local populace and solidify the church's influence.
To do that, we first needed to consolidate and systematically manage everything we'd acquired.
Yoanna handled most of that administrative work.
She made good use of the One Heart Society devotees she'd gathered who had practical experience. Having folks who'd actually run a church made handling the complicated tasks much smoother.
But in the process, I ended up crossing paths again with someone I never expected.
"What? Who?"
To my question, Yoanna pointed with a mischievous smile at the skeletal-thin man standing beside her.
"Pastor Myer. You've met him before, Lady Eve, remember?"
"Huh?!"
I hadn't recognized him at first. His appearance had changed so drastically.
Only after hearing his name did the memory click. The fat, greasy fake pastor who'd barged in during the Karen and Sophia incident and picked a fight with us.
But the man before me now... his extreme obesity from back then was gone. In just a few weeks, he'd somehow withered away to a gaunt, skeletal husk.
"H-Hello there..."
He forced the words out with effort.
I glanced at Yoanna, still not recognizing him fully, but she continued unfazed.
"Pastor Myer was a bit greedy back in the day, but he was really good at managing money. Outstanding with accounting too. Sure, he did some unholy things in the past, but what if we give him a chance to repent?"
Apparently, the fake pastor who'd slipped away amid the chaos at that church hadn't escaped someone's grasp after all.
The moment Yoanna finished, Myer bowed almost to the floor and cried out.
"Just give me the chance! I'll serve the new church with all my heart and soul, body and all!"
I eyed him suspiciously and asked Yoanna.
"Can we trust him? Given his background, I'm worried."
But she looked utterly confident.
"Don't worry, Lady Eve. I helped him purge the greed and false desires from his corrupted soul with plenty of 'penance' time. He won't pull any more stupid stunts like before. Right, Pastor Myer?"
"Hrrk!!"
Whatever memory the word 'penance' triggered, Myer's legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees right there. Staring blankly at the floor with unfocused eyes, he began muttering incoherently.
"I'm sorry... I'll repent... It was all my fault... I'm sorry... I'll repent..."
Yoanna watched casually and added as if it were nothing.
"Oh, if he bothers you even a little, Lady Eve, I'll just toss him out."
"Eek! I was wrong, so wrong, wrong...!"
Myer freaked out at her words, crawling on all fours now, trembling in a fit. He looked utterly terrified, rationality shattered—pitiful beyond sympathy, downright wretched.
How did she break a man down to that state in mere weeks?
The girl's methods often exceeded my wildest guesses.
'At least she's got him firmly leashed.'
With a brief sigh, I gave in and let her have her way.
We were in the early days of establishing the church, swamped with work. We needed every hand we could get, and that state of Myer's didn't seem like he'd dare entertain any funny ideas.
"Thank you! Now, time to work, Pastor~"
"Y-Yes!!!"
Even after they left, my duties weren't over.
I had to handle one headache after another, receive reports, and hold meetings on various matters.
Honestly, I might've underestimated it a bit.
I never imagined starting a religious group would involve so much complexity.
But the deed was done; no turning back.
After hours, the piled-up issues were finally sorted, more or less. Tension eased, and fatigue crashed over me.
I leaned deep into the chair and let out a long breath.
"Haa..."
After nonstop talking, my mouth felt parched.
Without thinking, I grabbed a glass from the nearby table.
As I gulped down the liquid inside, something felt off.
'Huh...? Did the cup change?'
Or was I so tired my taste buds were messed up?
This was definitely the glass that had held clean water just moments ago.
But the flavor in my mouth now was totally different.
A sweet tang at the tip of my tongue, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Could this be...
'...Grape juice?'