The massive oak doors of the cathedral creaked open, instantly swallowing the bustling sounds of the 7th District and replacing them with a heavy, echo-filled silence. The air inside smelled strongly of aged myrrh, beeswax candles, and damp stone.
As we slipped into the back of the nave, I counted exactly ten devout followers gathered around the central aisle. Positioned squarely in the middle of the room was a large, intricately carved marble basin filled with pristine, shimmering water… an obvious indicator that a holy baptism was currently underway.
Before I could even guide us toward a row of seats, the boy's crimson eyes locked onto the massive stone crucifix hanging above the altar. His jaw dropped, and he let out a loud, echoing exclamation that shattered the reverent silence of the chamber.
"Woah! There's literal Christianity in this world?! Is this a historical cross-over event?!"
His voice bounced off the vaulted gothic ceilings like a physical blow. Several of the robed followers turned their heads, their expressions tightening with immediate disapproval at the blatant disrespect.
Reacting with S-rank vanguard speed, my single right hand shot upward, my fingers clamping tightly over his mouth to muffle his voice before he could utter another digital syllable. As I dragged him backward toward the shadows, my missing tongue caused my throat to emit another sharp, guttural click-hiss… a terrifying, animalistic warning sound that vibrated deep within my chest.
The boy went completely rigid, his eyes wide with sudden terror as the monstrous sound vibrated right against his cheek. I glared down at him from beneath the pitch-black void of my hood until he slowly raised his hands in surrender.
"Mmph… chill, Eirene, chill! I'm not doing anything else, I swear! Your audio cues are terrifying."
Keeping a firm, warning grip on his shoulder, I guided him toward the nearest row of empty wooden pews at the back of the cathedral. We slid into the seats, blending seamlessly into the dim light of the back rows. The boy finally shut his mouth, rubbing his sore jaw as his crimson eyes remained glued to the front of the room.
Up at the marble basin, Father Columbia stood dressed in formal, gold-embroidered white vestments. His face was a mask of absolute, serene solemnity as he chanted an ancient scripture, his hands gracefully scooping the holy water to pour over a kneeling initiate's head.
I sat perfectly still, my right hand resting on my knee. The newly forged rings… the level 6 magic enhancement, level 5 healing, and level 8 mana pool… warmed my skin, fully synchronized with my demonic core. My purse was down to 40 silver pieces, but my contract with Nautilus was being executed flawlessly. We would sit here in the shadows, watching the divine ritual unfold until Father Columbia was finished.
The heavy marble doors finally groaned closed as the ten followers filed out of the nave, their soft footsteps fading into the grand plazas of the 7th District. The massive cathedral fell into a profound, sacred silence, leaving only the boy, Father Columbia, and myself standing under the towering stone crucifix.
Father Columbia turned away from the baptismal basin, wiping his hands on a white cloth. His sharp, knowing eyes pierced through the gloom, locking directly onto my hooded silhouette.
"Sister Eirene, you're back, snd it seems my soul tracking was entirely correct. The resonance is undeniable." Father Columbia said, a serene but intense smile breaking across his weathered face.
Before I could anticipate the movement, the priest lifted a small silver hyssop and lightly sprayed a fine mist of holy water over both of us as a traditional blessing. The moment the consecrated droplets penetrated the fabric of my crimson trench coat and touched my skin, a violent, agonizing chemical reaction triggered across my flesh. Because of my sixth-evolution demonic biology, holy water was a literal, skin-melting toxin. My skin let out a faint, sizzling hiss, but I forced my muscles into absolute stillness, refusing to let a single twitch betray my monstrous nature.
Beside me, the brunette boy was completely oblivious to my internal agony. He raised a casual hand, entirely lacking any reverence.
"Sup, priest."
Father Columbia didn't take offense. He stepped down from the altar, extending his hand with absolute warmth.
"Brother, what is your name? Your true, Earth name? Sister Eirene here was known as Roxanne Albatross back in Manila, Philippines."
The boy froze, his crimson eyes snapping toward me in sheer shock.
"Eirene... wait, I didn't know you were a Filipino! Manila?! That's crazy!"
He shook Father Columbia's hand, then puffed out his chest to introduce himself to the priest.
"Well, I guess I'll introduce myself properly. My name is Xx_proga…"
SLAP.
Before the cringe-inducing digital username could completely leave his mouth, my single right hand shot forward like a whip, delivering a swift, stinging slap right across his cheek. The sound echoed loudly through the hollow cathedral.
"Ow! Hey, Eirene! What was that for?! Fine, fine... anyways, my real Earth name is Na Tae-man. I'm a Korean, and I used to live in Seoul, South Korea."
A cold flash of understanding crossed my mind beneath my mask. Na Tae-man. As expected, he was Korean. Given the massive, hyper-competitive gaming culture centered in Seoul, it was completely believable that he had spent his entire previous life locked inside a PC bang, completely detached from reality until he was violently dragged into Andromeda.
Father Columbia looked between the two of us, his expression softening into a deep, comforting solemnity. He folded his hands within his gold-embroidered vestments.
"Brothers, sisters... we are currently standing inside the sanctuary of God, while we are within these walls, we must speak English and use our true Earth names to honor who we once were. Tae-man, I am Bishop Carnaby. In my previous life, I lived and served within the Vatican City. And the elite bounty hunter standing beside you, she is Roxanne, from Manila. We are truly, deeply glad to meet you here in this world." Father Columbia spoke, his voice shifting into smooth, fluent English as he addressed us by our true origins.
The pieces of the cosmic puzzle were finally aligning. Standing inside the quiet chapel, three souls from Earth… a Filipino appraiser turned demonic hunter, a Korean gamer turned street-rat, and a Vatican bishop… were looking at each other.
Tae-man rubbed the back of his neck, his face flushing with a bit of embarrassment as he looked up at the towering bishop.
"Sorry, Bishop... I barely know English. Mind if I stick to Alatist?"
Father Columbia nodded warmly, his gentle smile unfazed.
"Of course, Tae-man. Speak whichever tongue comforts your soul. But since we are gathering here, what are the other languages you both know? In my previous life, mine were English, Alatist, and ancient Latin."
"Well, mine is just a little bit of English, fluent Hangul, and Alatist."
Then, both of them turned their eyes toward my hooded silhouette, waiting for my response. Remaining perfectly mute, I pulled a fresh sheet from my notepad, my pencil scratching rapidly across the paper before I held it up for them to read:
English, Tagalog, a little bit of Japanese, Alatist, Dalon, and Carianese.
Tae-man's jaw practically hit the marble floor, and even Father Columbia let out a soft, pitying sigh.
"Wait… you're a professional appraiser?! Talk about some absolute bad luck. You actually had to learn all three of those nightmare languages?!" Tae-man stammered, staring at the text.
Father Columbia closed his eyes briefly, utilizing his own high-tier identification abilities to glance over my spiritual profile.
"An appraiser indeed, a path of immense cognitive burden in this world, Tae-man. But God guides her hands."
Turning his focus back to the teenage gamer, Father Columbia's expression grew deeply serious.
"Well, Tae-man, our sacred mission here is to track down and secure other reincarnated beings like ourselves scattered across Andromeda. We must provide them a safe sanctuary from this cruel, evolutionary world, and we desperately need your help to expand our reach. By the mechanics of my specialized soul-tracking miracle, I require a small sample of your blood to synchronize my matrix and locate the others."
Tae-man instantly took a step back, his crimson eyes flashing with sudden panic.
"Blood?! Wait, hold on, I can't just… "
Before his adolescent panic could escalate and waste my precious operational time, I moved. My single right hand shot forward, my fingers brushing against the skin of his forearm. Instantly channeling a precise, localized thread of my advanced Pain Manipulation, I intercepted his neural pathways, creating a perfect, absolute block of temporary anesthesia throughout his hand.
The boy blinked, staring down at his arm in utter bewilderment.
"Wait... it's completely numb. I can't feel anything. Thanks, Roxanne."
Taking advantage of the total numbness, I retrieved a clean, silver-gilded ritual knife from the church's side altar. Moving with clinical precision, I made a small, clean cut across his palm, gathering a small, concentrated portion of his crimson blood along the flat edge of the steel.
I handed the bloodstained knife directly to Father Columbia. The priest took the blade without hesitation, raising it to his lips. He consumed the essence, absorbing the foreign soul signature directly into his own spiritual matrix to activate the divine tracking miracle.
A brilliant, ethereal aura briefly flared around Father Columbia's vestments, his eyes clouding over with a blinding white light as the magical calculation finalized.
"Well, because I have now consumed the spiritual essence of two distinct reincarnated souls… yours and Roxanne's… my tracking ability has evolved. I can now perceive their exact identities, their current clothing, and their biological races, whether they are humans, demi-humans, or demons. Roxanne, you have done more than enough for our sanctuary today. Tae-man, you are a registered adventurer, correct?" the priest breathed, his voice echoing with dual resonance as his eyes snapped back to normal.
Tae-man nodded vigorously, the numbness in his hand slowly fading as I retracted my mana thread.
"Yeah. I'll do it, Bishop. Roxanne, you can leave the tracking handoffs to me. I'm basically strong. Even if this trash world doesn't give me exp, and even if my only unique human skill is a defense reduction… a literal Armor Shattering skill… I still have years of real street-grinding and combat experience. I can handle myself."
Father Columbia smiled, stepping back to look at the two of us, the divine light of the cathedral washing over our contrasting silhouettes.
"Excellent, from this moment forward, us three will form a covert, unified team. Tae-man, because of your human origin and adventurer status, you will handle the retrieval of all reincarnated humans. And you, Roxanne... with your immense S-rank capabilities, you will handle the dangerous tracking of the demi-humans and demons."
The administrative contract with Nautilus was officially fulfilled, the team was formed, and the boy was securely positioned where he belonged. I glanced down at the three newly forged rings on my fingers… Level 8 Mana Pool, Level 6 Magic Enhancement, and Level 5 Healing… all pulsing with absolute readiness. With my purse sitting at 40 silver pieces and my inventory perfectly weighted, the afternoon was over.