As the figure draped in a black cloak was observed, the blonde priest, Kang Seodam, thought to himself.

This event wasn’t supposed to be his responsibility.

After the original priest in charge went missing, Kang Seodam was left to oversee it. But he never imagined encountering such an unexpected figure, a god, in the middle of it.

Both the goddess of the sun he serves and this god, who blends into the crowd like a human and enjoys the festivities, are surprisingly subdued. For such an unusual situation, there is no chaos at all.

It seemed like the god had a high understanding of humans.

“…….”

Well, most gods who enjoy festivities tend to be human-friendly.

Gio had received the “certificate” from the goddess of the sun, but that was just one element of his composition. Gio had a gloomy aura, resembling a funeral.

Unless Kang Seodam approached closely or made contact, there was no way for him to know what kind of divine nature Gio possessed. He made rough guesses while looking around.

“…Hmm…”

It would be pointless to try to engage with a god enjoying festivities—it would only annoy them.

Perhaps the god is someone with a low profile or someone who seeks a select few followers, planning to find disciples during this event. Although rare on a global scale, such things do happen in the religious world behind the scenes.

“…This group is lucky.”

The god in the black cloak could be personally choosing disciples, or even if not, the goddess of the sun has already cast her gaze on this place. The attention of other gods would rise, increasing the chances of the candidate priests being chosen.

“……”

Suddenly, Kang Seodam realized that the figure in the black cloak was staring directly at him.

For a moment, his mind went blank.

“……”

Once he recognized the situation, Kang Seodam immediately averted his gaze.

Even though the god was likely lowering their rank to blend in with the humans, the essence of the being was still divine. Kang Seodam, who was particularly sensitive to the hierarchy and divinity of beings, might faint if he met the god’s gaze directly.

“……”

“……”

The black cloak seemed to understand this and withdrew its gaze.

It was a relief that the god seemed to know that humans were frail beings.

Most gods who enjoy festivities, unaware of this, often harm humans without malicious intent.

“……”

Kang Seodam quietly breathed a sigh of relief and checked the time.

“…One minute from now, all the candidate priests should finish their goodbyes with their families and gather in front of me. I will guide you to the dormitory where we will learn the formal rituals.”

Whether the being was a god or not, Kang Seodam’s duty as a priest was clear—he would fulfill it.

“I guess it’s time for me to go.”

At Chaisol’s words, Chaara nodded solemnly.

“Yeah, if it’s too hard, just run away.”

“You just don’t want to say anything proper, do you?”

“Well, why, you could live like the village head and farm.”

“Are you trying to make me give up before I even start? Are you trying to crush a child’s spirit?”

“Isn’t it better to do what you’re good at than hold onto something that won’t work?”

“That’s true.”

Cha Eunhyuk also nodded.

“If you really feel like this isn’t it, you can just leave.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that! But I’m going to become a top priest and head of the Cha family, so I’ll work hard!”

“I’m the head.”

“I’ll be the pillar of this family!”

“I’m the pillar.”

“See you tomorrow!”

With a smile without a trace of bitterness, Chaisol turned his gaze to the other guests.

“I’m going.”

“Ah, yeah, I think Chaisol will do fine, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you!”

Having earned praise and encouragement from the white-haired hunter, Chaisol turned his shining eyes to the black cloak.

“Hyung!”

“……”

“I’ll do well, right?”

“I think so too.”

“Hehe.”

Chaisol had successfully gotten the black cloak’s encouragement.

“If I’m chosen by the sun god, will I have a smell like you?”

“Do I have a smell?”

“I don’t know exactly, but you smell like blankets dried in the sun.”

To describe it a bit more, it felt like “freshly folded blankets that were just put in the closet.” When he smelled the scent, it felt like hiding in a dark cave with blankets that had been aired out in the yard.

It was dark, warm, and cozy.

“……”

Chaisol, who had been staring up at the black cloak, suddenly demanded boldly.

“Give me a hug!”

“Please, Chaisol.”

This troublesome kid.

Cha Eunhyuk was horrified by his younger brother’s disastrous charm, but Gio didn’t mind at all.

“If that’s what you want, I can hug you.”

“Wow!”

“Come here.”

The black cloak spread its arms.

Maybe it was because the light was above, but the inside of the cloak was filled with nothing but black shadows. It was as dark as the night sky and as cozy as a closet. Chaisol quickly stepped into the black cloak’s embrace.

And unexpectedly, his body temperature was cool. He had expected warmth but was surprised by the cold.

“It’s been a while since I’ve hugged a child like you.”

The calm voice falling from above sounded like a lullaby.

“That child was also small like you, Chaisol.”

“I’m not small.”

“Smaller than me, though. But you’ll soon become a great adult.”

“Hehe…”

“May the sun shine upon you.”

“……”

Chaisol lifted his head and saw the face under the black cloth, a face only he could see.

Gentle eyes, resembling the sea, came into view.

“…Wow.”

The eyes were,

So big.

So warm.

“…Hyung, you’re really handsome!”

“I hear that often.”

“Awesome.”

“Is that so?”

The face under the cloak, hidden from everyone, was smiling with a caring light.

“Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ah….”

Chaisol let out a regretful sigh.

He was reluctant to part ways, but more than that, he was saddened by the scene of his platinum hair and clear eyes turning dark, like the light of a light bulb going out.

He had just looked so cool.

But Chaisol didn’t push it further.

“Well, I’m really going now!”

The other candidate priests had already gathered around the real priest. The blonde priest was checking the number, names, and faces of the gathered children while telling them something.

As Chaisol moved closer, he could hear what the blonde priest was saying.

“Chaisol?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Chaisol, you will be partnered with Eunha.”

“Partner?”

“I’ll explain in detail once all the students are gathered, but for now, please pair up with Eunha and join the line. The student with blue hair over there is Eunha.”

“Okay!”

Chaisol moved toward the student the priest had indicated.

The student the priest called Eunha had warm, teal-colored hair. When Chaisol approached, the boy gave him a gentle, caring smile.

“You’re Chaisol, right?”

“Yeah, you’re Eunha, right? We’re partners.”

“I think it’s because priests work in pairs.”

“So, two people are a team?”

“Yeah.”

Eunha’s pearl-colored eyes narrowed, resembling the kind, serene smile of a priest.

“After the main ceremony, we might get new partners, but it’s common for partners from the initiation ceremony to stay together. So, we might stay together, so… nice to meet you.”

“Wow, that’s awesome.”

“Really?”

Eunha let out a small laugh, and Chaisol felt a sense of déjà vu.

Chaisol instinctively felt the difference between Seojio and Giovanni.

It wasn’t just a matter of appearance, like his hair or eye color changing. He realized there were fundamental changes in his personality and character.

And Eunha’s smile strangely resembled that of Giovanni.

Of course, Chaisol didn’t know that Gio’s full name was Giovanni, but at least he recognized that Eunha resembled him quite closely.

“You laugh so coolly!”

Chaisol concluded simply.

“The hyung I know laughs just like you.”

“…I laugh like that?”

“Yeah!”

“There aren’t many people like that.”

Eunha rolled his eyes and muttered.

“Interesting.”

“…Yeah…”

Chaisol felt something odd.

Eunha’s smile was very similar to Giovanni’s, but unlike Gio, whose warmth was felt without even seeing it, Eunha’s smile felt oddly cold. It was the temperature of something like a snake or a stone by the river.

Chaisol, who didn’t understand Eunha’s murmurs, widened his eyes, but Eunha didn’t bring up Gio again. Instead, he asked about Chaisol’s family.

“Then those black-haired people next to the black cloak… are they your family?”

“Yeah, they look like me, right?”

“Really similar. I can tell they’re your family at a glance.”

Eunha smiled faintly.

“I’m also very similar to my older sister.”

“Really? Then she must be super pretty.”

“She’s as beautiful as a princess.”

“Huh? Oh… okay?”

Does anyone normally call their sister “as beautiful as a princess”?

Chaisol, having picked up on Chaara’s way of speaking, concluded that Eunha was a “well-educated” person. Something about his smile and the tone of his voice was reminiscent of Gio hyung.

And that was good.

“Let’s be friends!”

“…Should we?”

“You can take your time.”

Eunha seemed like someone who didn’t trust people easily, so Chaisol decided to be considerate.

“I’ll wait.”

Chaisol was a quick-witted kid.

The mermaid princess always wanted to understand humans.

What kind of life did they lead on the water surface where sunlight flickered like a net?

How could they throw themselves into the sea when they couldn’t even breathe underwater? Why did they rot like that?

What did they think about, what did they eat, and how did they laugh, cry, and get angry?

The mermaid went up.

She kept going up.

And she saw the prince.

“……”

Warm.

The warmth spreading on the surface of the water symbolized sunlight.

Platinum hair, carrying the sunlight like a net from the deep sea, flowed like a wave, glistening like silver on the surface. The warm blue eyes, which mirrored the color of the sea, radiated warmth.

The mermaid princess, who ruled the sea, was curious about humans.

She was curious about the limits of humans.

“……”

Would a human who resembled that sunlight be warm even in the sea?

So, she reached out her hand, and…

“……”

Splash.

“……”

Fell into the water.

“…Ah…”

She seemed to have fallen.

Her pearl-like eyes blinked drowsily.

The blurry focus soon became clear, and her red lips curved into a languid smile. She had awoken from sleep.

“This…”

The beautiful princess, dressed in a doctor’s gown, spoke.

“I had a nice dream.”

Right, Giovanni?

The mermaid princess, sprawled on the surface of the water, smiled.