As expected, they’re treating me like a saintess again…
Ciel had anticipated that the individuals from the Church of the Savior Goddess could perceive her emotions and detect the truth in her words, but did they really never question anything beyond that?
They couldn’t even discern whether what she was saying corresponded to events that had occurred within this timeline.
And judging from what the white-robed figure had just said…
“You’re just going to leave this place alone? Moments ago, thousands of people died in the plaza in front of the Clock Tower Church,” Ciel couldn’t hold back her question. “The person performing the Reconstitution Ritual might still be in the Clock Tower District!”
More importantly, there was still no cure for dehydration syndrome. The infection that had taken hold of Ciel in reality remained unresolved. If this issue wasn’t dealt with, the simulation would lose all meaning.
“The deaths of the congregation are an established fact. The church will now initiate the next contingency plan. My sole task was to prevent the outbreak of infection. Now that the outbreak has already occurred, I have no reason to stay here and continue investigating. I must return to the Holy See to report.” The white-robed figure’s tone was icy, devoid of even a shred of human warmth.
Hearing such indifferent words made Ciel’s eyelid twitch. Whatever positive impression she’d had of the Church of the Savior Goddess had taken a significant hit.
No need to investigate further?
But for Ciel, the need was very real.
Even if the outbreak had already occurred, even if everyone had already died, as long as Ciel could uncover the truth, she could return to reality and prevent all of this from happening.
Ciel steadied herself, her mind racing as she formulated a response. “I’ll go to the Holy See with you, but I have one condition.”
“Please state it.” The white-robed figure leaned slightly forward, assuming an attentive posture.
“Uncover the truth of what happened here and find the culprit behind it. Otherwise, I won’t leave.” Ciel’s voice was calm. “This is necessary for me to complete my Reconstitution Ritual.”
Since everyone in the Church of the Savior Goddess seemed determined to mistake her for a saintess, she might as well lean into the deception and use her false identity to make demands.
As Ciel had predicted, the tactic worked.
After a momentary pause, the white-robed figure straightened their posture. A voice, holy and serene, resonated in Ciel’s mind:
“Of course, Miss Ciel.”
“But if the investigation concludes that the individual is no longer here, I must insist that you accompany me to the Holy See.”
To ensure Ciel’s cooperation in returning to the church, the white-robed bishop compromised.
Hearing this, Ciel exhaled slightly in relief.
She had no idea if the transcendent spreading the infection was still in the Clock Tower District, but with the white-robed bishop as her bodyguard, the situation was entirely in her favor.
“Agreed. Let’s go,” Ciel nodded. After all, she could only remain in the simulation for 24 hours—there was no chance of her actually going to the Holy See.
The white-robed figure stepped aside, creating space for Ciel to exit the room. They then followed closely behind her, ensuring her safety.
“What should I call you?” Ciel asked as they walked toward the Clock Tower Church.
“You may call me Hugh,” the white-robed figure’s voice echoed in her mind.
Hugh? That sounded like a woman’s name, though there was no way to infer gender from her voice or physique.
In the hierarchy of the Church of the Savior Goddess, the first tier was “Ascetic,” the second tier—Uris’s rank—was “Missionary,” and this white-robed bishop was clearly a level above. Judging by her ability to suppress the whispers in Ciel’s mind, her powers likely far surpassed anything Ciel could imagine.
As they made their way toward the Clock Tower Church, Ciel asked several questions. To her surprise, Hugh answered every one of them, even those about her own rank.
Hugh was a third-tier “Radiance Bishop.” The Reconstitution Ritual for “Radiance Bishop” was exceedingly complex and abstract.
It required becoming a “symbol of God.”
Nearly all “Radiance Bishops” wore identical robes, adhered to the same behavioral logic, and exhibited little variation in their speech, movements, and actions.
The ritual essentially stripped away their humanity, reducing all “Radiance Bishops” to a singular, indistinguishable “symbol.”
This meant that even if Ciel hadn’t encountered Hugh specifically, any other Radiance Bishop would likely have responded to her in the exact same way.
Day after day, they maintained this persona, playing the role of a “symbol” until their potion was fully digested. Throughout this process, they also had to resist the whispers in their minds…
The mental strain on these “Radiance Bishops” was unimaginable.
One other matter weighed heavily on Ciel’s mind.
Why had the version of herself in the simulation gone insane after initiating deep-level simulation for a second time, producing characters that didn’t exist in this world?
Even the brief glimpse she’d had of those symbols had left her profoundly affected, exposing her to fragmented visions and allowing the maddening whispers to invade her mind.
“Radiance Bishop Hugh, one more question. Earlier, when I saw certain symbols, I also saw strange scenes, filled with light…” Ciel began to ask, but her thoughts were interrupted by a deafening, bell-like clang in her mind. The sound stabbed at her eardrums, forcing her to stop mid-sentence.
“Please refrain from describing the visions of the Other Side to me, Miss Ciel,” Hugh stopped in her tracks. For the first time, her voice in Ciel’s mind carried a note of urgency. “Not everyone is like you, capable of retaining their sanity after seeing or hearing such things.”
“What is the Other Side?” Ciel asked.
“The term ‘Other Side’ is merely a placeholder. I do not know its true name. I’ve only heard fragmented accounts from the Saintess,” Hugh’s voice returned to its usual monotone as she continued, “It is a place where one can communicate with the messengers of the Goddess.”
In the simulation, her other self entered deep simulation and glimpsed the Other Side?
Is that why the notebook described her descent into madness?
As the Clock Tower Church came into view, Ciel saw the plaza littered with dried-up corpses locked in the throes of their final, desperate struggles. A thin fog had spread across the entire church grounds.
The scene triggered a series of blurry images in Ciel’s mind.
One of these images slowly aligned with the reality before her. Each beam of light in the image corresponded to a corpse. As the layers of light—representing the corpses—peeled away, they revealed a deep, black-and-green circular disc beneath, resembling a massive, unblinking eye…
“Hah…” Ciel stopped in her tracks, clutching her head as her body curled in on itself. The reemerging vision felt like a hammer blow to her mind, leaving her spirit drained and fragile.
“Underground…” Ciel leaned on her shadow for support, staggering back to her feet. Gasping for breath, she said, “There’s… something underground…”