Eyes formed in the emptiness.

"Good. You can still see me clearly."

Ears formed next.

"Are you asleep?"

"..."

"You're doing very well."

A brain formed.

"It's very warm today. They say this room gets particularly good sunlight, even here in the Moon Cult. I hadn't seen any windows except by the entrance, so I thought everything would be closed off... Perhaps they prepared this room for you."

I felt a soft weight.

"I wonder if the blanket is too warm."

Ah, so this was a blanket. He had covered me with a blanket. He? Ah, yes. Judging by the low voice, the other person seemed to be an adult man. What I heard was someone else's voice. Alongside it, I listened to my own heartbeat.

"Come to think of it, I only taught you how to fall asleep."

"..."

"There, good girl."

Something large and soft settled over my eyes.

"Wake up now."

"... Ah..."

Reluctant to let that hand leave, I opened my eyes.

"..."

"A good morning, isn't it?"

"... Good morning."

One day, with spring in full bloom, the Moon Cult's saintess finally awoke.

* * *

In the meantime, Jio had grown close to the Moon Cult's priests.

"Ah, holy saint."

"I'm not."

"I heard the saintess has awakened."

"Was I just ignored?"

"I imagine she came through safely thanks to your staying with her, holy saint."

"What is it with you Moon Cult people?"

Quite a bit too close.

"I think we could do with a little less trust and friendship."

"Erasing our memories would be quicker. But I know you would never do that, holy saint."

"Yes, we've definitely grown too close. Shall we try being a little less friendly?"

He felt somewhere between pleased and annoyed.

'They don't listen to a word I say.'

When there had still been some distance between them, they had at least pretended to listen. Now that they were a little closer, their true natures were beginning to show. Moon Cult people had the fatal charm of saying only what they wanted to say and hearing only what they wanted to hear.

"Just know that if word spreads across this little country of ours that I'm a saint, it will be entirely your fault."

"Hasn't it already?"

"True enough."

But officially acknowledging it was another matter. The Moon Cult priest nodded, apparently understanding.

"We're not quite that thoughtless."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Are you on your way to the saintess?"

"Yes. I've made her some light rice gruel."

"You really are devoted."

"Has it occurred to you that perhaps you're all just indifferent?"

After spending a little over a month with the Moon Cult, Jio had learned something: the people here were indifferent to others without any malice. At first, he had even wondered whether the saintess had been ostracized. But that thought soon vanished completely.

They were brothers in discipleship in name only; they simply paid one another no heed. When research arose, like-minded people would gather, then disperse. Even if they grabbed one another by the collar as though ready to kill, they went their separate ways again once the work was done.

'What a frightening world.'

So little warmth.

"I knew modern society could be harsh, but your individualism is extreme in an entirely different way. You don't happen to see your fellow disciples as rocks, do you?"

"They would be softer and warmer than that."

"Ha ha."

Was that supposed to be an answer?

'Then again, perhaps simply asking after the saintess counts as tremendous concern.'

These were priests who generally wouldn't bat an eye even if people were dying. Coming to understand the Moon Cult's charms, Giovanni nodded.

"Then I'll be on my way."

"If a strand of your hair falls out later, could I have just one..."

"Pick it up yourself."

"Thank you."

"A bunch of stalkers, the lot of you."

Jio walked on, carrying the rice gruel on a tray. It was very quiet, perhaps because the Moon Cult's priests so often focused solely on their own work. They all seemed to be introverts like Seo Jio, which gave him a sense of kinship. Soon, he reached the saintess's room.

"Aram."

"Ah..."

The girl looked up from her book and blinked.

"... Hunter Seo Jio."

"You were reading."

"I wanted to see if there were any new theories."

"Very diligent of you."

"I'm not lazy, at least."

The saintess, Aram, was recovering faster than he had imagined.

'Mentally, too.'

And like the Moon Cult's priests, Aram was hardly wary of Jio at all. She seemed to have accepted that the bishop must have good reason to approve of him. There was also the fact that he had treated her.

After a brief hesitation, Aram asked, "... Is that food?"

"Rice gruel."

"I'd rather like the right to refuse."

"You always have the right to choose."

"Then I don't want to eat."

"Is that so?"

Jio set his tray on the table and approached Aram, who was sitting in bed. He pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"I'm curious why. Would you tell me?"

"I can't taste anything."

"That's quite a problem."

"It's been this way for two years."

"Ah."

That was when the saintess's "madness" had reportedly worsened.

"But your stomach has been empty for a very long time."

"Didn't you say I had a choice?"

"Choosing is your part. Informing you is mine."

"That's unfair."

"I do tend to be."

"..."

Had he made it himself? The girl stole a glance at him, then reached out.

"... Give it here. I can manage rice gruel."

"I'm sorry if I've pressured you, but I'm even happier that you've been so considerate."

"You say rather embarrassing things quite often, Hunter Seo Jio..."

"Once you're used to it, you won't think much of it."

Just like Ju-hyeon and Yu Seongun.

"Here you are."

"Thank y—"

Aram blinked.

"... I can smell it."

"It's rice gruel, so there shouldn't be much of a smell."

"No, that's not what I..."

"..."

"..."

Using the lightweight spoon, Aram put some gruel in her mouth and worked her lips.

"... I can taste it."

"I'm glad."

"And it's delicious."

"I'm glad of that, too."

Soon, tears began rolling down Aram's cheeks as she held the spoon in her mouth.

"Well?" Jio leaned against the bed, resting his chin on his hand with a smile. "Is it worth eating?"

"... Yes."

After that, the saintess grew quite attached to Jio. There really was no easier way to win someone over than delicious food.

* * *

The saintess, Aram, had a strong thirst for discovery. A child of the slums, she had been able to enter the Moon Cult thanks to the current bishop, who had recognized her potential. Even having Awakened as a priest, it was a rare opportunity that did not come easily.

"I'm always grateful to the bishop."

"She was saddened by your illness."

"She... cares a great deal about me."

The bishop was brusque and cold, but Aram was no less detached herself. Indeed, taking her in and guiding her despite that temperament could be called a tremendous show of affection.

"She even gave me my name."

Originally, she had had no name.

"Aram."

"It's a good name."

"It means fruit that has fully ripened on the tree."

Within the Moon Cult, no name could have expressed greater hope for her future. It was a fellowship of disciples that sought knowledge and wisdom. A name meaning fruit, symbolizing achievement, was the greatest affection the brusque bishop could offer.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to repay that affection and those expectations. But more than that, I had so many questions. There was so much in the world I didn't know."

"And now?"

"It's not enough."

She felt she could grasp so much more knowledge.

"There's so much to delve into when it comes to mystery, in particular. Earth still only has a basic understanding of the new world. We don't know its composition or structure in any greater detail. I want to know those things."

"And what would you do with that?"

"Knowing is what matters. It makes me a more perfect being."

"Moon Cult people are fond of the word 'perfect.'"

"Of course we are. Everyone came here wanting to become something better. We might not achieve perfection in life, but in that case, we want to achieve it even in death."

Kneading the blanket, Aram glanced at him.

"Does that bother you?"

"Not particularly."

"That's a relief."

She offered an explanation. "I don't talk this way to just anyone. The other brothers in discipleship act like the priests people expect when they go outside, too. This is simply an unusual home full of unusual people... We let ourselves relax, at least while we're at home."

Then she smiled. "When I go outside, I become a graceful saintess, too."

"That must be tiring."

"..."

Her smile faltered.

"... It is, actually."

"You don't seem the type to enjoy extravagance and showing off."

"It's not that I dislike them. I like being admired, and I like wearing pretty, soft clothes. But more than that, I want to reach perfection sooner... My desires simply have different priorities."

"I see."

"Thank you for not saying it bothers you."

"People have the right to follow whatever path they wish, so long as they don't cross the line."

"Not everyone in the world thinks that way."

The truth of the Moon Cult was not something people would welcome. It was far removed from conventional morals and ethics. That was why, outside, they presented themselves as devout priests rather than scholars.

And that made the Moon Cult's culture all the more insular. There were so few people who would understand them. The fact that a saint with a great vessel had helped them without condemning them was nothing short of a miracle.

"I'm, um..."

"Call me whatever you feel comfortable with."

"I'm glad you don't think badly of us, Teacher."

Everyone in this home was Aram's family.

"You being this sort of person must be why the bishop so readily made you a benefactor. She's an excellent judge of character."

"Yes. That's why she brought you here, too, isn't it?"

"Um... Yes, of course. I'm very clever, you know."

"Good for you."

"..."

Aram hesitated before asking, "... How long will you be staying here?"

"Until you're all better."

"I'm feeling much better physically."

"You really can't tell a lie, can you?"

Jio smiled. "Then why not ask?"

"... Would that be all right?"

"You called me your teacher."

He looked pleased.

"Shall I stay by your side?"

"Yes, but..."

She didn't want to be alone.

"... Can't you stay?"

"I said I would."

"I know you're a busy man."

"You asked even though you were certain I'd leave."

"I'd regret it more if I didn't at least try to keep you here."

Jio heaved a theatrical sigh. "Children grow up far too soon these days..."

"Doesn't that make you sound like an old man?"

"Compared to you, I am an old man."

"How old are you?"

"Hmm, twenty-nine?"

"Oh..."

He was older than she had thought.

"... I thought you were in your early to mid-twenties."

"You're the first person to think that."

"Why? You don't look old."

"I believe they said I had a grave air about me?"

"Ah, I think I know what they mean."

She felt a little happier.

"People say that about me, too."

It was a persistent problem for those who held mystery within human bodies. People looked up to them even when they did nothing. It was no different for her, petite as she was, her growth having stopped at fourteen.

"Isn't it a little tiring? It let me present myself to the world as a mature, graceful saintess, but it feels a little strange, too. Honestly, sometimes I wondered whether the world was playing a trick on me."

"I went through a long spell of that myself. People were so frightened of me when I had hardly done anything."

"You don't look particularly frightening..."

"I used to look much sterner."

"Wow, I can't even imagine it."

She laughed.

'... Right. They said he was a saint, too.'

Jio denied it whenever the subject came up, but the Moon Cult priests refused to listen. Their influence had reached Aram in full. The servants who changed her bedding and helped her change clothes had told her about it.

That story had resonated deeply with her.

'He's just like me...'

An equal. Someone so very precious.

(To be continued)