Of course, whether in appearance or talent, Noah was far from being comparable to the young mistress; they were worlds apart.
The reason Sophia had initially felt that the two of them looked somewhat alike was probably because both were driven by circumstances.
Wherever the young mistress went, chaos followed, and so it was with Noah, for this child's Destiny Pattern was truly special; she had the Destiny Pattern of a "Reformer."
Those with this Destiny Pattern are born destined for greatness, inherently carrying the Heavenly Mandate to bring change to this world.
And to the Pure White Angel, holders of such a Destiny Pattern were also the best experimental subjects.
Thus, Sophia took Noah in and even taught her the philosophies from "Genesis," eagerly anticipating that this disciple might bring her some surprises.
"So, I'm just a test subject for you, teacher?"
Hearing this response, Noah lowered her head, finding it somewhat hard to accept for a moment.
But she wasn't too surprised, after all, she wasn't foolish, and had long noticed that her Angel teacher was always rather aloof, mostly secluded within the Central Cathedral, rarely interacting with others.
How to put it, it was as if the teacher feared making connections with others, proactively isolating herself to achieve a transcendent state of detachment.
Yet her existence was the sole exception; she was the only mortal her teacher made contact with and instructed.
It was precisely because of her unique status that Noah harbored that bit of undue fantasy, wishing she could be special in the heart of her extraordinary and otherworldly Deity teacher.
But now, the fantasy had ultimately shattered. The teacher's differential treatment was not due to any special affection towards her but was merely a game played by a deity.
Moreover, the teacher had just admitted that there was someone very important in her heart, someone for whom "Genesis" was written, but regrettably, that person was not Noah; at best, she was a mere substitute for that person...
emmmm... perhaps not even a substitute.
Damn it, thinking this way just seemed to make her feel even more pathetic.
At this moment, the Young Girl Pope truly felt dejected and sad, feeling a profound emptiness inside her.
Although the now fully knight-transformed her actually had no heart in her chest.
Seeing her suddenly disheartened disciple, and hearing her questioning, Sophia too fell silent.
In that moment, even she, who wielded the Power of Fate, suddenly experienced the wheel of reincarnation.
After all, she had once been merely a substitute for the young mistress in the teacher's heart, and now...
No one understood better than her the reluctance and dejection that came with the realization of being someone else's substitute.
In empathy, Sophia reached out once more, gently touching the head of the disciple before her.
"Silly child, don't overthink it. You want to be that person's substitute? That's quite a tall order. In my heart, you are really just Noah."
The Pure White Angel was once again brutally honest.
Indeed, who in this world could possibly qualify as a substitute for the young mistress, who could replace that almost monstrously talented monster?
However, the truth can sometimes be the most hurtful, and upon hearing these words, the already dejected Noah immediately burst into tears.
Of course, as she cried, the Young Girl Pope laughed again.
"I see, as long as I'm not a substitute, that's good."
She lifted her head and again looked earnestly at the teacher before her, feeling relieved as she said this.
And then it was Sophia's turn to be silent.
Just as Noah had perceived, over the past five hundred years, Sophia had rarely interacted with these mortals of the outside world, always keeping herself closed off.
The purpose of doing so was simple; she feared being soft-hearted.
After all, in her plans, she was destined to personally destroy this world, and when that day of destruction came, the vast majority of mortals would perish.
To interact with people doomed to die could result in forming attachments, and she truly worried that she might hesitate when the end came.
Moreover, all of this was just a dream, a dream called Witch's Night; getting entangled with characters from a dream would likely be the most foolish thing of all.
After all, dreams will always be dreams, no matter how real they seem, they must eventually come to an end, and when awakened, everything here would vanish like smoke.
Yet, as much as she said this, truly treating everything as tools and pawns, devoid of love or affection, was not easy.
For example, Sophia ultimately could not bring herself to treat this impromptu disciple before her merely as an experiment.
Alas, in the end, she was still of half-hearted competence, lacking the ruthlessness her Incarnation Ruthfiel exhibited when dismissing people with a laugh.
The young mistress once said she was a weak person, strong on the outside but frail on the inside, a rather accurate assessment.
Thinking of this, Sophia's feelings were mixed.
"Okay, teacher, now please watch over me. Witness my efforts, for I will create a world as beautiful as a dream. 'Genesis' will be fulfilled by me, not that person."