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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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Chapter 6: Reformation
"Reformation exam?"
One of the remaining candidates at the test site asked.
It wasn't because they didn't understand the term.
"It's exactly what it sounds like, a reformation exam. You must reform a criminal. These are all heinous, vicious criminals."
But why would that be part of an entrance exam?
Someone raised their hand out of curiosity.
"Are there death row inmates as well?"
"Every single one of them is a heretic."
At the examiner's indifferent reply, the candidates buzzed with unease.
Being labeled a heretic was practically a death sentence.
And now they were supposed to reform death row inmates as part of the entrance exam?
"Under the supervision of the examiners, you will attempt to reform a criminal. Candidates numbered one through ten, line up."
The exam began immediately.
"Brother Ben of the Roden Monastery. The criminal before you is a man named Gellerhan."
"What crime did he commit to be branded a heretic?"
"He murdered a child and attempted to offer the corpse to a demon, hoping to cure his wife's illness."
"Goodness..."
Brother Ben of Roden Monastery was horrified by the brutal crime but also felt pity at the story behind it.
He prayed for the salvation of the man's soul and began counseling him with earnest prayers.
It was customary for priests to engage in the reformation of criminals.
From the moment one was ordained, it was practically a duty.
Having studied diligently toward ordination, Ben conducted the reformation counseling admirably.
"...Thank you. I don't know if my sins can ever be washed away, but I will pray to Sol Invictus."
"You've made a wise decision, Brother."
Ben smiled warmly, patting the repentant criminal on the shoulder as he exited the room.
"Brother Ben."
"Ah, Examiner. You were watching, weren't you?"
Ben had heard that examiners observed from behind a magic mirror.
Confident he had performed well, Ben awaited the examiner's verdict.
"You failed. You may leave."
"...Pardon?"
The examiner coldly called the next candidate.
Most religions preach love and reformation.
Not necessarily because of moral philosophy or inherent goodness, but because they must.
Executing or severely punishing all criminals doesn't benefit society systemically.
Think about it:
Imagine you send workers to a site, but one snaps and beats up another.
Now you're left with one worker.
If you punish the remaining one too, you've lost both workers, pure loss.
Better to persuade the one remaining to continue working.
Thus, the concept of reformation arose from a surprisingly practical foundation.
"Next, Brother Ray Anderson from the village of Obello."
Ray was guided into the room containing a criminal.
First thing he checked: whether the examiners were present.
Though he couldn't see anyone but the criminal, Ray, gifted with Spiritual Sight, spotted presences beyond the wall, four individuals radiating good karma.
Beyond the visible wall, that's where the examiners were.
"A magic mirror, huh? This world's like a medieval fantasy mashup."
Ray's Spiritual Sight couldn't pierce solid walls, but it easily saw through illusions like magic mirrors.
The examiners, all priests, glowed in hues of light blue, symbols of accumulated virtue.
The criminal, however, was very different.
Red.
The color of overwhelming evil.
"What's your name?"
"Why the fuck do you care, asshole?"
True to the red aura of malice, the criminal was utterly uncooperative.
"I hear you not only raped and murdered women, but also slaughtered their families, even a nun was among your victims. Is that correct?"
"Keh keh, those bitches were sturdy and tasty. Hell, I wanted to keep a few of them around!"
"I see. Did you receive a trial?"
When Ray mentioned a trial, the criminal scowled and cursed.
"That fucking judge, didn't even listen to my side! What'd I do wrong, huh? Those bitches came onto me!"
"Hmm. I see. Did you file an appeal?"
"Appeal? What the hell's that?"
"My, you didn't know? As a free citizen, you're entitled to one appeal. You can request a retrial."
"There was such a thing?!"
Ray poured a glass of water and handed it over.
Thirsty, the criminal gulped it down without hesitation.
"By the way, were you drunk at the time of your crimes?"
"Of course! A real man's gotta stay drunk, right?"
"I see. Then you could have claimed diminished responsibility due to intoxication."
"Shit, you're more of a lawyer than a priest!"
"Haha, if I were, I'd be building evil karma instead of good."
"Evil karma?"
The next moment, Ray grabbed the criminal's face.
Before the man could even gasp out a confused noise, crack, a sharp snap.
Still holding the man's face, Ray twisted his neck backward, killing him instantly.
Thundering footsteps approached, bang! The door burst open.
It was the examiner.
"Ah, Examiner."
The examiner rushed to check the criminal, neck snapped, clearly dead.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Why, I simply administered the proper punishment to an irredeemable criminal."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"This man was beyond reform. Sol Invictus does not demand the reformation of such creatures; he demands justice."
"...Sigh. Follow me."
The examiner led Ray through the door, into the observation room.
Waiting for them were three middle-aged men and one elderly figure.
"Welcome, Brother Ray. I am Archbishop Dunwell, head of the Eclipse Inquisition."
The head of the Inquisition, a heavyweight, far bigger than Ray had expected.
"Your Excellency."
An Archbishop outranks priests, deacons, and even bishops, often overseeing entire dioceses or provinces.
"Now, tell me plainly. Why did you kill the criminal?"
"Because he was a heretic."
"We informed you beforehand that all the prisoners were heretics. We said to reform them."
"I simply followed my faith and Sol Invictus's truth."
"What exactly do you mean?"
Archbishop Dunwell's gaze turned sharp.
But Ray Anderson, inheritor of Pastor Kim's past life's experiences fighting evil spirits, didn't flinch.
"You shall follow only justice. Stand firm before injustice, and never hesitate to strike down evil. Sol Invictus commands us to compromise with evil never."
That was why Ray had killed him.
Of course, his decision was based not only on doctrine but also on what he had seen, the man's red aura, the sign of extreme evil.
Even common murderers only had pale crimson auras.
A red aura meant a person whose humanity had been consumed entirely by wickedness.
Strictly following correctional ideology, even such people were technically candidates for reformation.
Pastor Kim, in his previous life, had participated in reform prayers even for death row inmates.
Death row prisoners often turned to religion, knowing they would rot away in prison.
The Church sought to guide even such souls toward faith.
According to doctrine, sincere repentance could save their souls.
'What crocodile tears.'
These were people sentenced to death, the worst of the worst.
Could they really be reformed?
Human nature isn't so easily rewritten.
Even if it were possible...
What meaning was there in reforming such an irredeemable monster?
The victims had already shed tears of blood.
It's because of things like this that lunatics appear, those who think they can kill an entire family and simply repent afterward.
"But Brother Ray, perhaps you have abandoned a soul that could have been saved."
"A soul, huh..."
Of course, Ray had immediately torn the prisoner's soul apart.
After absorbing the prisoner's sins and memories through spiritual communion, Ray's conclusion became even more resolute.
"Is the salvation of their souls truly that important?"
At Ray's words, the priests serving as examiners stirred uneasily.
The salvation of souls was the truth of the Scripture, how could this young deacon dare to question it?
"Evil is simply evil. If saving their souls requires betraying the doctrine, then my choice is clear."
Ray's declaration left no room for compromise.
He would choose nothing but the eradication of evil.
The examiners exchanged murmurs, a brief moment of deliberation passing among them.
Soon, the results were announced.
The Entrance Exam was never truly about rehabilitating criminals.
Armed organisations often had to battle heretics and villains.
In such moments, how could one hope to survive while sympathizing with evil?
The real purpose of the "rehabilitation" exam was to filter out those who were too saintly to walk the path of arms.
However, today, the results of Ray Anderson's trial in Testing Grounds No. 3 sparked widespread debate.
"He's far too merciless. Even against heretics, that kind of ruthless decisiveness..."
Priests of the Solar Theocracy prided themselves on their clerical duties.
Receiving divine authority through the Sun God's blessing was the ultimate proof of a true priest.
Naturally, it meant they were full of faith and goodness.
To such priests, Ray's merciless killings and the philosophy he espoused were a profound shock.
"Evil is simply evil..."
"Archbishop Dunwell?"
The examiners turned to the elderly Archbishop Dunwell, unaware of the faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"Brother Ray Anderson aligns perfectly with the true purpose of our exams. He simply lacked any hesitation."
"But still..."
"Which is precisely why Brother Anderson is more suited for the Armed Organisation than an ordinary parish."
What the Eclipse Inquisition needed right now was an uncompromising judge like Ray Anderson.
Archbishop Dunwell, recalling Ray's words, smiled with satisfaction.
"Evil is simply evil."
Was there any standard more clear?
He would be an inquisitor the Theocracy would surely favor.
"Haha! I passed, Brother Ray!"
"Good for you."
At an inn in the Solar Theocracy, Henry was practically bouncing with excitement after receiving notification that he had passed the first round of exams from the Vatican.
It had only been a week since the test.
"When you passed so quickly, I thought I was a goner, but turns out it was just a delay!"
"You seemed awfully anxious. What were you so worried about?"
During that week, Henry had been a bundle of nerves, worried about failing.
Ray, having comforted him through it, had naturally grown closer to him.
"Uh... I kind of beat up the prisoner I was supposed to rehabilitate."
"Huh?"
"I mean, the guy wasn't just any criminal, he was bragging about the monstrous things he'd done like it was some badge of honor!"
"You did well."
"Huh?"
Henry tilted his head in confusion.
"But that's completely against the purpose of the test, isn't it?"
"Solving the test is important, but what matters more is understanding the examiner's true intent."
"The examiner's intent...?"
Ray took a moment to explain the greater premise behind the test.
"We're trying to join the Armed Organisation, the Holy Knight Orders, the Inquisition, that kind of thing."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Think about it. In those places, do you really think 'rehabilitating heretics' is a thing? They'll be executed or dragged to trial the moment they're spotted."
"Ahh...!"
Ray had already guessed the real point of the 'rehabilitation' test.
The agencies they were aiming to join were akin to the medieval Catholic Inquisition:
Inquisitors famed for their ruthlessness and unwavering faith.
In a test for such an agency, being told to 'rehabilitate' criminals?
Of course, the real test was to see how decisive you could be.
So Ray had simply done exactly what would please those above.
You're a heretic?
Then die!
Wasn't that the basic principle of the Inquisition?
"Beating the prisoner was actually bonus points, huh? Did you beat yours up too, Brother Ray?"
"...Something like that."
Ray had killed him on the spot.
Partly to cleanse the sins, but also as a kind of self-promotion.
Judging from the prisoner's memories, he was human trash, no one would lament his death, certainly not those judging him.
"By the way, Brother Ray, did you hear about the second exam? It's supposed to happen tonight!"
"Yeah. Rumor has it it's called the 'Test of Faith.'"
"The Test of Faith?"
The name alone gave nothing away.
Faith was inherently subjective, how could it be tested without digging deep into a person's heart?
"Well, even an Armed Organisation draws its powers from faith, so I guess it makes sense."
'Man, this could be rough.'
Despite having powers, Ray's actual faith was relatively weak.
After all, he only entered the path of priesthood to escape being haunted by ghosts.
Both Father Anderson and Pastor Kim had... less than pure motives.
Another week passed.
The day of the second exam arrived.
The location? A secluded cathedral high in the mountains of the Theocracy.
It was a place reserved solely for the priest's prayer meetings, ordinary believers weren't even allowed in.
The rugged climb proved it.
"Whew... this mountain's brutal."
"Didn't you say you had the 'Sun's Blessing'?"
Seeing Henry struggling during their hike, Ray tilted his head.
They had naturally learned each other's blessings during introductions: both bore the "Sun's Blessing."
If Henry truly had it, this climb shouldn't have been that hard.
"What are you talking about, Brother Ray? The sun's not even out! How could I receive the blessing now?"
"Ah..."
Right.
Ray realized he was the only one receiving the blessing even under the moonlight,
Because he believed moonlight was simply another form of sunlight.
"You're really tough, Brother Ray."
"Just used to climbing mountains, that's all."
Ray couldn't exactly explain that his 'faith' allowed him to bend the blessing's effects, so he played it off casually.
While climbing, he noticed another particularly composed figure.
"That brother looks pretty relaxed too."
A young man with striking golden hair.
Ray was considered handsome back in his village, but this youth, ascending without even breaking a sweat, had 'noble' written all over him.
"That's Brother Aaron, the rumored son of a Cardinal!"
"Ah, a trust-fund kid, huh."
"Trust-fund kid?"
Henry cocked his head at the unfamiliar term, and Ray waved it off.
"Just a saying."
"Anyway, he's the son of Lady Amanda, the 'Mighty Knight.'"
"The Mighty Knight Amanda?"
Henry, realizing Ray was a bit of a country bumpkin, explained.
"The Sun's Blessing boosts strength and regeneration based on your natural physical prowess. The stronger you already are, the more you benefit."
That's why clerics like Henry worked hard on physical training.
"But Lady Amanda was legendary for her superhuman strength, even though she's a woman."
Aaron, her son, naturally inherited her monstrous stamina and strength.
'A genius by bloodline, huh?'
In a world with knights wielding aura and warlocks making pacts with demons, superhuman abilities passing down through bloodlines wasn't that strange.
"We're here!"
At the summit, the prayer hall awaited.
From there, the city lights of the Solar Theocracy spread out like a sea of stars.
"Wow... even at night, so many lights... Solar Theocracy really isn't any less grand than a royal capital."
Unlike modern Earth, the medieval era had little in the way of streetlights.
Gas lamps, early streetlights, existed, but were expensive to maintain and usually reserved for major cities.
The sheer number of lights below was proof of Solar Theocracy's immense wealth.
'Yeah... medieval religion was loaded.'
Throughout history, no institution hoarded wealth better than organized religion.
Before global conglomerates and multinational banks, religious organizations were the original billionaires.
Endless tithes, no taxes, emperors who dared not defy them, and even running banks under the guise of 'trust', of course they were rich.
In this world, the Solar Theocracy's power rivaled, or even surpassed, that of medieval Catholicism.
Their financial clout would be unimaginable.
Anyway, upon entering the prayer hall, they were greeted by a sea of light.
"This is... all candles...?"
"Yeah, pillar candles."
The hall was filled with massive, luxurious pillar candles made from real beeswax, hundreds of them.
"I heard the Theocracy was wealthy, but..."
"This is incredible."
The candidates from all across the continent marveled at the overwhelming display of wealth.
"You don't seem that surprised, Brother Ray."
"Well... isn't faith the real focus here?"
"Whoa... so wise!"
Henry was awestruck.
Ray, remembering the conveniences of modern Earth, was simply moderately impressed.
"We will now announce the content of the second exam."
The proctor this time was an elderly nun, Abbess Ivella, head of the Central Diocese Convent.
Though old, she was also the leader of Solar Theocracy's famed choir, known for performing miracles through prayer.
Abbess Ivella spoke gently.
"This exam is about prayer."
"Prayer?"
Someone asked for clarification, and she kindly explained.
"Yes. Here, you will be tested on the depth of your faith."
The rules were simple.
[You must pray.
You may not repeat prayers.
You must not lose focus, nor open your eyes.]
Just pray.
Whoever faltered first would be eliminated.
An unlimited prayer marathon.
Deceptively simple, yet profoundly difficult.
"This... won't be easy, Brother Ray."
"......"
Ray muttered as he digested the trial's structure:
'This... is my specialty.'
After all, he was a professional,
A megachurch celebrity pastor from Seoul's Gangnam District in his past life.
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[Translator - Pot ]
[Proofreader - Kawaii ]
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