* * *

“Josh! We saved some food for you. Hurry over!”

“Haha, no need to bother.”

“Come on, we wanted to!”

Laughter echoed during the meal.

Paul’s movements were slow as he handled his utensils.

The food, prepared by the assistant priests assigned to cooking duty, rivaled the quality of any inn’s menu.

‘This is delicious.’

In the guise of assistant priest Paul, Seo Woohyun savored his meal with a relaxed demeanor he hadn’t experienced in years.

Despite the food being modest compared to the extravagant meals he’d had alone in the Palace of Silence, he was genuinely satisfied.

In this group, only two people knew Paul’s true identity as the Holy One: Finn, who had been forewarned by High Priest Shiero, and the knight commander Raullet, disguised as Knight “Rai.”

To everyone else, Seo Woohyun was merely an assistant priest.

The casual, distant interactions that came from not being revered as a Holy One made Seo Woohyun feel at ease. For someone shy and uncomfortable with the title, this atmosphere suited him perfectly.

“Um… Paul?”

“Hmm?”

While eating a pie filled with minced meat and vegetables, Seo Woohyun noticed a green-haired man timidly approaching.

It was Fin, who had once served as an attendant at the Great Temple and had accompanied Seo Woohyun and Erdian on their first journey.

“Did Josh Tenet say anything offensive while I wasn’t around?”

“Offensive? Like what?”

Finn hesitated, rolling his eyes as if gathering courage.

Though he wanted to ask outright if Josh had insulted him or used foul language, he couldn’t bring himself to be specific.

“No, nothing like that. Oh, by the way, Finn.”

“Yes?”

“Congratulations on becoming an assistant priest. I think I forgot to say it earlier. It’s worth celebrating, isn’t it?”

Seo Woohyun leaned in slightly and whispered to Fin, who hesitated for a moment before smiling softly.

Despite wearing a necklace enchanted to prevent people from recognizing his face, Fin could almost see Seo Woohyun’s warm expression.

Finn liked Seo Woohyun. The Holy One’s humble, kind demeanor—far from arrogant—had earned Finn’s admiration.

Seo Woohyun had shown compassion even to a hatchling thief, a would-be carriage robber, and a prince fleeing an assassin.

Though casting them aside would have been effortless, Seo Woohyun had chosen to travel with them instead.

“…Thank you. I owe it all to Lord Erdian’s blessing.”

High Priest Shiero had theorized that Fin, having served the divine Erdian for so long, had developed a faint sense of divine power.

To Finn, it felt like nothing short of a miracle.

However, to Seo Woohyun, who was unaware of Finn’s detailed history, the remark carried an odd nuance.

He knew Fin wasn’t naturally attuned to divine power but found it peculiar that he’d suddenly acquired it as an assistant priest.

‘To gain divine power, you’d need a kiss from Lord Erdian. Wait, could Finn’s “blessing” mean… that?’

A divine kiss, a rare and holy blessing from the god Erdian, was an extraordinary honor.

Erdian’s rare appearances made such an event almost mythical.

‘No way… Is Erdian some kind of frivolous deity going around kissing people?’

Seo Woohyun’s brow twitched.

Since Erdian wouldn’t answer even if asked directly, there was only one option—question Fin.

Setting down his utensils, Seo Woohyun gestured for Fin to come closer.

When Fin leaned in, expecting something important, what he heard was completely unexpected.

“Finn, did he… kiss you?”

“Pardon?”

Finn shot up from his seat, startled.

A kiss from Erdian?

Such a thing had never happened and wasn’t even conceivable.

“What are you talking about? That’s absurd! I would never dare think of such a thing! I swear on Lord Erdian that if I’m lying, I’ll die here and now!”

Finn’s loud denial drew everyone’s attention.

The usually quiet young man suddenly swearing his loyalty to Erdian was bound to attract stares.

“…Alright, calm down. You’re being too loud.”

Seo Woohyun waved his hands to placate the agitated Fin, realizing he had completely misread the situation.

“I swear it’s not true! This is all just because I’ve been traveling with him…”

“I get it. I understand what you’re trying to say. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Please, believe me.”

“I believe you, okay?”

Fin gently caressed his pale face repeatedly, steadying his breath.

“It’s a good thing I asked… I almost misunderstood Lord Erdian as someone frivolous.”

It seemed like he needed to add a new rule to his list of travel protocols: if in doubt, always ask.

“Anyway, sorry for misunderstanding. Let’s keep working hard on our volunteer duties moving forward.”

“…Yes.”

Fin nodded, deliberately ignoring the sharp glare of Josh Tenet.

He was acting all high and mighty about an upcoming sponsorship from some distant noble who could hardly be called family.

That kind of arrogance seemed bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

---

“Is our dear assistant priest Paul writing things down so often because he’s lost all his memories? Makes me wonder if you can even memorize prayers properly at this rate,” Josh Tenet quipped at Seo Woohyun during mealtimes, his tone hovering between mockery and feigned concern.

The reason Josh held such disdain for the unremarkable commoner-turned-assistant priest, whose appearance barely left an impression, was simple:
Assistant Priest Paul didn’t pander to him.

Josh’s earlier mention of his impending noble sponsorship wasn’t just to flaunt his status—it was also to evaluate which of the assistant priests accompanying the volunteer mission might be worth aligning with.

At the same time, he wanted to establish a pecking Temple.

Though he had struggled to become an assistant priest, it was merely the starting line of a new race.

Josh Tenet believed that succeeding in the clergy meant either becoming someone others saw as promising or maintaining close ties with such a person.

But Paul and Fin, both affiliated with the High Temple, were different.
Fin, a former attendant, likely had connections thanks to his history of serving important figures.

Paul, however, didn’t fawn over Josh or even attempt small talk.

“Does staring at that notebook all the time actually change anything?”

Annoyed by Paul’s aloofness—always jotting things down or whispering with Fin—Josh made a pointed comment.

Paul merely offered a smirk, unsettling in its calmness, as he responded nonchalantly.

“Oh, it’s just a habit of mine to write things down since I lost my memories. It’s actually quite helpful.”

‘Helpful, my ass.’

Josh sneered internally, convinced Paul’s high fever must have fried his brain.

Even so, he gave a curt nod, though his expression betrayed his disdain.

Paul, far from being hurt, found Josh’s petty barbs almost thrilling.

“Is he this transparent because he’s young? That’s adorable.”

Compared to the verbal abuse he’d endured from superiors at ‘Pyogang Industries’, Josh’s insults were child’s play.

“I shouldn’t be feeling proud about this, should I?”

Still, Seo Woohyun couldn’t help but marvel at how his thick skin—hardened in a toxic, disorganized company—was coming in handy here.

Who would’ve thought that hellhole of a job would serve any purpose?

Josh’s passive-aggressive remarks continued until Raullet, unable to bear it any longer, cornered Seo Woohyun in private to propose a solution.

“If you wish, I can ensure that assistant priest from Miraton leaves this journey prematurely.”

“Oh, no need for that. I’m too old to get mad over some 20-year-old playing status games.”

“But—”

“Really, it’s fine. His words don’t even sting.”

Raullet’s eyes widened at Seo Woohyun’s magnanimity.

After all, if the saint himself was willing to forgive, what could Raullet say?

However, even the ever-gracious saint had his limits.

‘This little bastard… is he seriously messing with my food?’

Seo Woohyun eyed the meal prepared by Josh Tenet, who had taken on cooking duty.

The slightly burnt appearance was forgivable, but the portion was absurdly smaller compared to what the twin priests had received.

Even though he was posing as Paul, an assistant priest raised in the High Temple, Seo Woohyun was, deep down, a Korean at heart.

He often pined for warm gukbap* or spicy kimchi stew before bed.

‘I was going to let it slide because it was almost endearing, but messing with my meal? That’s crossing the line.’

Just as he prepared to speak up, Raullet—having assessed the situation—reached for his sword hilt.

“Oh no, not again. I have to stop him!”

Before Seo Woohyun could intervene, Fin exploded.

“Seriously, knock it off already!”

* * *