"Mm..."
In a luxuriously decorated room, Syl slowly opened her eyes.
Although she felt a bit groggy, the pain in her body had completely vanished.
"You're awake!"
Before Syl could turn her head to look around, she was drawn by a familiar voice.
Lying on the bed, Syl tilted her head slightly and saw Sigma sitting beside her, her eyes somewhat red and swollen.
"Sigma?" Syl blinked, realizing she was safe now, but unsure of how much time had passed. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"You've been unconscious for two days, Syl," Sigma said, looking a bit too excited, wiping away tears as she spoke. "They... Her Holiness the Pope and Archbishop Isa both came to see you. They both said you were fine, just mentally exhausted... but I was really scared..."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Feeling no discomfort in her body, Syl sat up directly, reached out to rub Sigma's head, and then opened her arms to her. "Come, a hug will make it better."
"Ah, this..." Sigma instinctively leaned forward, but quickly paused and turned her face away.
Although she looked like she didn't want to hug, her flushed cheeks completely betrayed her conflicted feelings.
"By the way, where is the Pope?" Syl stopped teasing the simple-minded Sigma and pulled back her quilt as she spoke.
Then she discovered she was wearing only an extremely thin white silk nightgown; even the ruffles and lace on the hem were slightly thicker than the nightgown itself.
Though it looked expensive, it was really too thin! How could someone wear such an embarrassing thing in front of others!
Syl silently covered herself back up with the quilt.
The question was, who helped her change... "Oh right, Her Holiness said to call her as soon as Sister Syl woke up." Sigma seemed to suddenly remember something, hurriedly stood up from the stool, and ran toward the outside of the room.
"Wait, Sigma!" Syl quickly called her to a stop, then looked at Sigma, who stood by the door with a puzzled expression, and asked in a low voice, "Uh... did you change my clothes for me?"
Hearing this question, Sigma's face turned red all the way to her ears. She lowered her head, let out a barely audible "Mm," and then feigned composure as she walked outside.
If Sigma hadn't bumped into the door and then tripped over the carpet after opening it, Syl might have almost believed she was actually calm.
If it was Sigma who helped her change, then she could feel a bit more at ease.
At least the simple Sigma wouldn't do anything inappropriate... right?
Well, she wouldn't.
Syl looked at the open door and nodded to herself.
While waiting for the Pope to arrive, Syl began to observe her surroundings out of boredom.
It looked... very much like a Western noble's room, but most of the decorations inside were related to the Church of the Goddess of Hope.
Although she already knew the Church's symbol from the Monastery and her original body's memories, Syl still felt a bit out of place every time she saw it.
It looked like two overlapping 'V's, one above the other, much like the logo of a luxury brand from her previous life.
But on second thought, it was quite similar to the religious gesture of the Church of the Goddess of Hope—arms crossed over the chest, fists clenched with the index and middle fingers extended side-by-side, resting on the left and right collarbones.
Just as Syl's thoughts were beginning to run wild, a strong surge of divine magic fluctuated nearby. A formation instantly took shape and then vanished. When Syl looked over, the Pope had already appeared by Syl's bedside.
"Saint... Saint Syl, how are you feeling now?" Sharon half-knelt by Syl's bedside, looking even more worried than Sigma.
"I'm fine. It felt like I was flung away by a gale, then fainted from the pain, and woke up here," Syl lied on the spot, then asked in return, "Where is this place? Sister Sharon."
"It's good that you're okay... it's good that you're okay..." Sharon breathed a slight sigh of relief, gave Syl a somewhat puzzled look, and then sat on the stool nearby to continue, "This is Suramar, the Church of the Goddess of Hope."
The Holy See? So this is the Church's headquarters?
Syl began to re-examine the objects around her... So this was the highest administrative body of the Church of the Goddess of Hope.
Seeing Syl's eyes light up as she surveyed her surroundings, Sharon gave a somewhat doting smile.
After all, this was the Holy See, the most sacred place in the heart of every believer besides the Goddess herself. Any little one coming here for the first time wouldn't be able to tear their eyes away.
That good friend of Saint Syl's had an even more exaggerated expression than Saint Syl does now when she first arrived.
"Alright, you'll have plenty of time to look later." After Sharon finished speaking with a smile, she coughed lightly, and her expression became somewhat serious.
"Saint Syl, the fact that you are the Saintess can no longer be hidden. I'm sorry, I failed to fulfill the Goddess's will properly..." Sharon's expression still held a hint of self-reproach.
Actually, Syl hadn't expected it to leak so quickly. It seemed the interior of the Church had long been infiltrated by some force.
"Saint Syl, does the Goddess... have any new instructions?" When Sharon said this, a flash of anticipation couldn't help but cross her eyes.
Compared to the Popes of other churches, Sharon appeared a bit too young. Her lack of experience also meant her temperament wasn't that steady. But this was much more interesting than some old geezer, wasn't it?
"Instructions..." Syl was momentarily stunned when she heard this, only reacting after a while.
What instructions? The Goddess hasn't said a single thing to me.
The previous instructions were just her own nonsense.
To avoid being seen through, Syl shook her head very honestly: "No."
"Sigh..." Sharon was clearly a bit disappointed, but she soon pulled herself together and looked at Syl seriously, saying, "Saint Syl, are you ready to open the gate of truth?"
"Uh... what? What gate?" Syl had intended to just go along with whatever Sharon said, but Sharon's wording made her suddenly perk up.
What was with this feeling that she was about to learn a skill? She felt like she was touching upon something incredible.
"Guard your heart, dispel your confusion. The gate of truth is a gift bestowed upon us by the Goddess, allowing us to climb the holy ladder in mortal bodies."
"The First Holy Ladder—lamb."
At this point, Sharon waved her hand, and an exquisite medicine bottle glowing with a faint golden light appeared out of thin air. "With the Saintess's faith, digesting the first bottle of Holy Medicine will be as easy as turning over a hand. Drink it, Saint Syl; this is your destiny and your ultimate destination."
Syl looked at the pale gold Holy Medicine before her, which radiated a sacred aura, and swallowed hard.
Damn, I don't have any faith!