**#250. Gathering (1)**
—
Ray was momentarily stunned.
The saintess, having removed her veil, had flaming red hair.
“Veronica?”
“Veronica? You mean that friend you mentioned earlier?”
At Ray’s unconscious murmur, Pieta responded.
“I think I know who you’re talking about. The girl who was standing next to you at the cathedral entrance, right? Her body had a very warm flow of mana—I remember it.”
“…”
Ray, staring fixedly at the red hair, soon shook his head internally.
*‘No, not at all.’*
Red hair was considered rare, like his own white hair.
That vivid color had startled him for a moment, but on closer look, it was clearly different from Veronica’s red hair.
*‘Pieta’s hair is lighter.’*
Though similar at a glance, Ray, who was extremely sensitive to color and had spent a long time with Veronica, could easily distinguish the difference.
He subtly shifted his gaze and focused on Pieta’s face.
Her eyes were closed.
A sharp nose, pale skin, long eyelashes.
From conventional standards of beauty, she could be called attractive.
Still—
*‘She’s not as beautiful as Veronica.’*
He didn’t realize it, but his judgment was tinged with personal sentiment.
*
*
*
**Buaaaang──!**
Through the windshield, a small silhouette appeared in the outskirts of Sector 28.
As the scenery gradually grew larger, Ray turned his gaze toward the side window.
─────!
At the center of the convoy of dozens of vehicles was a black limousine, heavily guarded.
Inside it rode the saintess.
*‘Pieta.’*
The girl from the orphanage fully understood her situation.
Not only that she was a false saintess, but also the unsettling atmosphere between the bishops and priests.
Given her wit and intuition, it made sense she had survived even from the lowest rung of society within the sector.
Despite her critical physical vulnerability.
But Pieta quickly grasped reality with that sharp instinct and surrendered to it.
*“I know. The Church people didn’t bring me here out of kindness. Once I get to headquarters, what’s going to happen to me? Will they keep experimenting on me? Lock me away somewhere for the rest of my life?”*
Despite the grave implications, Pieta’s voice was calm.
The emotion Ray had read from her through the basin was resignation.
*“It doesn’t feel good, but there’s nothing I can do. What can a blind girl like me do on her own? I’m just glad… that the orphanage director’s condition improved.”*
*“I’m a little sad, though. After sensing those mana paintings you made, I had this desire for the first time—to actually see the world. The copied images were already so pretty, I couldn’t help but wonder how beautiful the real world must be.”*
And with that, Pieta let out a cheerful laugh, as if something had amused her.
At the corner of her eye, so faint it could be missed if one didn’t look closely, a small tear welled up.
The transparent droplet ran down her pale cheek—
*Plop!*
“…”
Ray was pulled from his thoughts by a small raindrop hitting the window.
From the driver’s seat, Solite spoke.
“It seems rain is coming. Perhaps it’s just me, but it feels like the frequency of black rain has been increasing lately.”
The sky, shrouded in dark clouds, was dim and overcast.
Ray suddenly felt like it had been a very long time since he’d looked up at a clear sky on the floating island.
*‘Even then, the sunlight was so weak, it didn’t feel blue at all.’*
The only blue sky Ray had seen was the one in Blue’s memory of the beginning.
A sky where a rainbow descended and colored the world in light.
*‘If that lost rainbow returns…’*
Perhaps the sky could regain its lost blue.
Ray felt certain of it.
And when that time came, he would need to be able to recognize the returned rainbow.
*‘Will it return in its original form as a being of light? Or in the form of another race? Maybe as a plant or an animal?’*
The method of identifying the returned rainbow was stored in the memories he absorbed from the lake on the island.
But the amount of memory was vast—too overwhelming to access easily.
Like trying to pull out a single book only to risk collapsing an entire shelf.
**Rumble—**
The transport convoy, having entered the sector, slowed to a crawl.
The main road had been cleared under the control of what appeared to be headquarters’ priests.
—*The saintess has arrived!*
—*The sun to our sky!*
Massive crowds had gathered along both sides of the road, waving and cheering.
“I’ve never seen so many people gathered before. Isn’t that everyone in Sector 28…?”
Veronica said in a dazed voice as she looked at the crowd.
Ray was just as surprised.
Excitement, hope, anticipation, joy,
Gratitude, expectation, awe, satisfaction, and more…
An overwhelming storm of emotions surged from every direction, impossible to quantify.
In total, it was the most intense emotional wave he had ever witnessed.
Solite spoke.
“Establishing the artificial sun is that historic an event. If we can secure a quality light source, human civilization will advance beyond anything we’ve seen. That’s why many major corporations have long supported the Church.”
Sure enough, banners and flags bearing corporate logos fluttered among the crowd.
With light, humanity could expand beyond the confines of the sectors.
The opportunity for business expansion would naturally follow.
The vehicles from headquarters appeared and guided the convoy.
To show the artificial sun procession to the public, they deliberately took a full circuit of the sector.
As a result, it took the convoy an hour to reach Church headquarters.
“It’s huge…!”
Veronica gasped in admiration.
The headquarters grounds were truly vast.
The religiously styled buildings scattered about resembled a small village.
At the center, a cathedral tens of meters tall shone under the sunlight.
“That over there is the training hall. Still the same as it used to be. And that’s the library that stores all the scriptures used in headquarters. And that over there…”
Solite introduced the places with a nostalgic look.
The Church headquarters was where all faith within the organization was born and nurtured. Including trainees and servants, the resident population exceeded a thousand.
Solite whispered to Ray, who was staring at the training hall.
“What do you think?”
“…Most are first-circle mages. I don’t see anyone with a hybrid circle.”
“That’s a relief. It seems the Dawn Society hasn’t extended its reach to the training hall yet. The problem lies with the ordained priests.”
To become an ordained priest, one had to reach the second circle and pass several exams.
Essentially, they were the Church’s strongest force, and unless assigned special duties, they usually spent their days inside the cathedral.
“To my knowledge, headquarters maintains about two hundred ordained priests. Roughly the same number as the transport convoy, which is about ninety percent compromised. The real question is, how many of those headquarters priests have defected?”
Just then, a group of priests emerged from the cathedral entrance and approached.
“Those with two stripes on their shoulders—those are ordained priests.”
“Four out of eight.”
“A fifty percent ratio. Not the worst, but not great either. We won’t know for sure until we get inside.”
The saintess disembarked from the limousine and entered the cathedral under tight guard from the priests.
The bishops and priests from the convoy followed to pay respects to the Pope.
Before leaving, Solite whispered:
“The enthronement ceremony of the artificial sun will take place two weeks from now. The Dawn Society likely won’t act today. For now, I’ll investigate the atmosphere inside.”
Ray nodded in agreement.
After that, they were guided by staff to the guest quarters, where they could unpack.
“Veronica, can you walk around the headquarters grounds and observe the mood? Try not to stand out too much as an outsider.”
“Got it!”
After parting with Veronica in front of the quarters, Ray activated a concealment spell.
He wrapped wind around his feet and moved in a running stride.
The cathedral drew near in an instant.
*Tap—!*
He passed by it without hesitation.
*‘There’s something I need to do first. Infiltrating the cathedral comes next.’*
Ray recalled the contents of a letter he carried in his coat.
*“Receiving this invitation means you have sufficiently proven your qualification to join the Dawn Society. Congratulations on taking part in the great mission to bring about His resurrection and drench the world in indigo.”*
It was originally an invitation meant for Binjin from an emissary of the Azure Dawn Society.
Ray remembered the next line:
*“On the date specified below, there will be an initial assembly for new members. It will be a significant occasion to see each other’s faces and receive the Society’s first grand directive. Do not miss it and suffer disadvantage.”*
An assembly for new members.
And the specified time and place was—
*‘Today, in a designated building on the southern outskirts of Sector 28.’*
The meeting began precisely at 2 p.m.
Exactly 30 minutes from now.
Luckily, the convoy arrived at Sector 28 on schedule, just barely giving him time to make it.
To uncover the enemy’s plan, nothing was more effective than infiltrating their ranks.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
Ray quickly exited the Church grounds, used a transmutation spell to change his hair and eyes black, then released the concealment spell and hailed a taxi.
As he got in, the driver looked at him in the rearview mirror, then activated the wipers and spoke.
“It’s starting to drizzle. But once the new sun rises, we won’t see this black rain anymore. It’s a joyous time. So, where to, young master?”
“Southern outskirts of the sector, Street 82-3.”
“Street 82-3? Hmm, if I recall correctly, that’s just an abandoned factory district.”
A ten-thousand shilling silver coin clinked into the coin dish beside the front seat.
*Clink!*
Startled by the amount, the driver gaped for a moment, then pulled the gear lever without hesitation.
“Hmph. It’s the duty of a model taxi driver to take his passengers wherever they desire, no questions asked.”
Ten thousand shillings.
It was what one might earn from driving all day.
The taxi began weaving through the city.
But the crowd was so massive that they couldn’t gain speed.
“Can’t you go faster?”
“Well, the Church’s parade just ended. People are still caught up in the excitement and not clearing the streets easily. Still, it’s a fine day, sir. Perhaps you could take this time to relax a bit—”
*Clink!*
“Some patience for pedestrians—”
*Clink!*
“Patience—”
*Clink! Clink…*
“…….”
The taxi driver, who was staring at the many silver coins in the bowl, honked his horn.
Paaaa …
He opened the window and shouted with a devil-like face.
“What are you doing─! Everyone, get out of the way─! You want to die─! If the march is over, why don’t you just go home instead of staying here and doing something─!”
After that, the taxi started to race furiously along the empty road.
In the distance, an abandoned factory complex came into view.
—
