In front of outsiders, Elise had always maintained the image of a saintess. Only before those close to her, such as Est, would she reveal her true nature.
Likewise, Elise could not keep up any pretense in front of Metatron.
The feeling was almost as though she were facing a member of her own family... However, Elise would absolutely never admit that she had a daughter!
It was a matter of principle!
In any case, Elise found Metatron unexpectedly familiar. She was extremely similar to Elise herself!
Could it be...?!
Was that why Metatron had turned into such a little troublemaker?
Seen from that perspective, it really did seem to be her own fault...
"Metatron, I have something I need you to do now."
Elise's expression became serious, and Metatron clearly noticed the change as well. After all, what child would fail to recognize a shift in her own mother's mood?
"Just tell me what it is. I'll definitely accomplish it, my Lord!"
Looking at Metatron now, Elise smiled helplessly. She truly resembled a child eager to prove herself before her parents.
"You should be able to sense this power, shouldn't you, Metatron?"
Elise extended her palm, and a translucent energy gradually appeared within it.
"Oh, I remember! This is the power of faith mentioned in my memories, right? I never expected it to manifest like this."
Metatron stared at the power of faith in Elise's hand with an intensely curious expression.
Of course, perhaps that was simply because she had only just been born and was interested in everything.
"What you need to do next is help me gather the power of faith from devout believers. As for the method..."
Elise paused briefly and looked at Metatron before her.
"Now that I think about it, all of that should already have been implanted in your mind."
"Ohhh! As expected of my Lord, you're amazing!" Metatron clapped like a child.
"However, there is one thing you must pay attention to!"
Elise's sudden shift in tone immediately brought Metatron back to attention.
"What is it, my Lord?"
Gathering the power of faith?
Just as the Lord said, there is knowledge about it in my mind. It seems that by praying to the Lord, people transmit a special and powerful energy?
Easy enough!
Isn't that an extremely simple task?
As long as I order the people of the Church to do it in my capacity as an angel, they'll definitely obey!
At least, that was what Metatron thought.
"The power of faith must come sincerely from the heart. The more devout the believer, the stronger it will be. If someone is forced, the faith they produce will be flawed."
"If I absorb that kind of faith, problems will arise within me as well, so you must handle this matter with caution."
"Is that so?"
Metatron tilted her head. Her knowledge repository did not contain comprehensive information on the matter, only a general outline. She had not expected there to be such a drawback.
"Then I understand, my Lord. Leave everything to me without worry!"
Afterward, Metatron departed full of energy. However, as Elise watched her receding figure, she could not shake the feeling that something might go wrong. Would she really be all right?
"I should still observe her personally!"
Over the next few days, Metatron did exactly as Elise had instructed. She guided the souls of Church members here to pray, generating vast quantities of faith.
Of course, only truly devout believers could come here. Otherwise, the faith they gathered would not be enough to satisfy Elise at all.
Elise certainly wanted more. This amount of faith was nowhere near enough!
During this time, however, Elise truly witnessed Metatron's other side—the side of her that was an angel.
Even Elise had to admit that Metatron was doing an excellent job!
Whether in etiquette, bearing, or expression, she was nearly flawless—a genuinely pure and benevolent angel!
It seemed the knowledge of proper conduct Elise had passed on to her had not gone to waste!
Elise had given Metatron a portion of her own knowledge so that she could better understand this world.
Naturally, this only included the knowledge Elise wanted Metatron to learn. Anything involving certain sensitive matters had been withheld.
For instance, Elise had not given her all the detailed information regarding the power of faith. After all...
Sometimes, knowing too much was not necessarily a good thing. Knowledge could invite calamity as well.
However, after carefully observing Metatron, Elise still discovered one problem...
This girl seemed incapable of settling down.
Elise could clearly sense that Metatron's hands were trembling slightly at all times. Naturally, it could not have been due to fear or a similar emotion.
That left only one obvious answer—excitement!
Although she possessed the inherited knowledge Elise had given her, she was still using her own methods to understand this unknown world!
Moreover, she was learning at an astonishing pace!
"I never expected her to be so talented."
Even Elise found it shocking. Although she had been the one to finish Metatron, most of the work on her had still been done by the God of the Bible!
So...
Was she some kind of contingency plan?
Elise was not entirely certain, but it would be wise to remain vigilant.
After confirming that Metatron had no issues gathering faith or dealing with believers, Elise stopped paying attention to her and refocused on merging with the crystallized faith.
This time, absolutely nothing would go wrong!
Elise was determined to succeed!
...
As time passed, Metatron met many believers from the Church. She treated every follower of the Lord with the utmost courtesy, hoping to obtain the finest faith possible to offer to Him.
However...
They had already selected the most devout believers, and now those believers had received a summons from the Lord's messenger. How could any of them possibly refuse?
Thus, they all offered their prayers, contributing their strength to Elise's transformation.
"All right, time to find the next target!"
Metatron stretched, fully displaying her exceptionally prominent figure. Had any man been present, he would undoubtedly have stared at her in stunned disbelief.
Although no one else knew it yet, Metatron had indeed surpassed Gabriel to become the most beautiful woman in Heaven! Those were Kashino-class assets!
Those two magnificent fruits alone could practically steal a person's soul. Truly, she was an angel who guided humanity!
Of course, Elise was the Lord, so she was not included in the rankings...
"Hmm? What's this?"
Metatron soon discovered her next target. She appeared to be a young nun, yet the faith emanating from her far surpassed that of an ordinary person.
Metatron examined her carefully. Perhaps it was not merely the girl's devout attitude, but also whatever was hidden within her body... Could that be a Sacred Gear?
"Then it's decided. I choose you, Asia!"