Chapter 167: Hehehe~ sir, you are very kind
The next day, with the sound of morning prayers, Kael slowly opened his eyes lazily.
He calmly sat up, took a medium-sized bowl, and left the room. These facilities were free, and as such lacked advanced amenities: there were no private bathrooms or reserved luxuries. Everyone had to go to the central courtyard to fill their water, sharing the same resources.
"Good morning, may the blessing of the Ancient Sun God be with you."
"Good morning, brother, may you be blessed by the warm rays of our God."
As he descended toward the courtyard, Kael was greeted again and again by believers who crossed his path. Their words were respectful, full of sincere devotion, as if each greeting were also a prayer.
Without stopping, he nodded silently. He showed neither disdain nor enthusiasm.
He arrived at the courtyard, an open space where a small stream ran through the area like a thread of crystal clear water. Many people gathered around it. Some filled jugs and containers, while others washed their priestly robes, patiently scrubbing the fabric that had become blackened by dust and sweat.
Kael leaned over the creek and washed his face. The water was cold, sharp, and the sensation brought clarity back to his mind. Then, calmly, he took his toothbrush and brushed his teeth. He didn’t rush the process; he took exactly the time he considered sufficient: two full minutes, no more, no less.
Then he filled his bowl with water. With it in his hands, he went to the area designated for bodily cleansing. There he found the other believers, washing away the dirt of the day, letting the water purify their bodies before returning to their work. Kael joined in the routine without showing any difference.
After cleaning himself and changing his tunic, Kael returned to the residence. His breakfast was waiting for him there: a piece of stale bread accompanied by watered-down oatmeal.
He sat down without haste and began to eat calmly. When he dipped the bread in the oatmeal, it softened enough to chew without effort. The taste was bland, almost tasteless, but he showed no discomfort.
As he swallowed each bite, he kept his mind clear. He knew what was coming next: after breakfast came the mandatory community service.
...
After half an hour, Kael was in the room finishing repairing his core using the original parts he had taken from his clan’s vault before its destruction.
Knock, knock, knock.
The soft sound of knocks on the door caught his attention. It was a restrained, polite rhythm, without the urgency of an emergency. Kael slowly rose from his seat, crossed the room, and opened the door.
There was the same blue-eyed nun who had attended to him the day before, the one who had given him the keys to his room. Her countenance was serene, and her smile conveyed kindness.
"Oh, good morning, young Rasen. I’ve come to tell you that you’ll be assigned to where you’ll be working, where today," said the nun in a clear voice.
"I see. Can you show me the place?" asked Kael, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Of course, young Rasen. Follow me and I will show you the way," she replied, bowing her head slightly before turning away. With a simple gesture of her hand, she motioned for him to accompany her.
Kael watched her silently for a moment, then followed her out. He walked calmly behind her, but didn’t say a word. He had no intention of striking up a conversation with this woman, at least not yet.
They left the residence and walked along the wide streets paved with white stones. The sun’s rays sparkled off the stones, but the shadow of the enormous cross projected from above stretched out over them.
After walking for several minutes, they arrived in front of a two-story house, also painted white, whose facade seemed to reflect purity and solemnity. Sounds escaped from inside that contrasted with the quietness of the street: children’s laughter, cheerful voices, and religious songs.
They entered the place. As soon as they crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed. The smell of incense and burnt wax permeated the air. Inside, a group of children sat on the floor in perfect silence, their eyes fixed on the figure of a nun. The woman had simple black hair and dark brown eyes.
Her voice, firm but warm, enveloped the little ones:
"And when our Lord, the Ancient Sun God, arrived with his sacred light, he eliminated all darkness. He guided us and defeated all the demons that, at that time, kept us as slaves. If it weren’t for him freeing us from their clutches, we would still be chained today. All this freedom we now enjoy... we owe it solely to him."
A child raised his hand to ask a question, and the nun motioned for him to speak.
"If the Lord always protects us... Why were my mother and father killed by bandits?" His voice trembled, but his eyes looked with innocent determination. "Where was the Ancient Sun God to protect them?"
Silence fell immediately.
"..." The nun stood motionless, not knowing how to respond. The weight of those words pierced her heart like a spear. The other children’s eyes were fixed on her, waiting for an answer she did not have.
Then she sensed it. A different presence, two presences approaching. The nun raised her face with a slight start, and in an instant suppressed all hesitation.
She turned back to the children with a warm smile, as if nothing had happened, hiding the trembling inside her. Meanwhile, she diverted her steps and headed toward the newcomers who had just entered.
"Mily, this is young Rasen, who will be assisting you today. Please be kind to him; he arrived in town yesterday and doesn’t know much," said the blue-eyed nun as she hurriedly took her leave. Her voice was gentle, but her footsteps showed urgency: she couldn’t leave her post for too long.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Sister Mily, and I’m in charge of this place," said the woman with black hair and dark brown eyes. Her smile radiated warmth, the kind of simple gesture that could reassure even a fearful orphan.
"Same here. My name is Rasen," Kael replied, offering a warm smile that hid his inner indifference. He knew how to project a friendly facade, ignoring the curious glances of the children watching him from behind.
"Nice to meet you, Rasen. Follow me, I’ll introduce you to the children," continued Sister Mily, stepping away from the door to return to the group of children who remained seated in orderly fashion.
She stood in front of them, with the naturalness of someone who was already accustomed to leading them. She pointed to the young man standing beside her.
"Children, this young man is Rasen. He will be helping us today, so please be kind to him."
"Hello, Rasen!" the children shouted in unison, greeting him with beaming smiles, as if in their innocence there was no room for suspicion or fear.
Kael returned the gesture. His smile seemed friendly, almost identical to the one his mother used to give him in the past.
After smiling at them, Kael took a step back and looked at Sister Mily. He had heard the question the boy had asked him, and since they had just arrived, she had approached them because she didn’t know how to answer that question, which is very common even on Earth.
Why doesn’t God help the weak?
If He is truly good, why does He allow evil to rule so many lives?
If He is merciful, why didn’t He extend His hand in the midst of ruin?
If He is omnipresent, why are there so many helpless people who have never heard an answer?
If it is egalitarian, why are there poor and rich, strong and weak, masters and slaves?
There is no single answer to these questions. Perhaps they are true, perhaps they are false. In the end, what is God? Does God really exist, or is God merely a creation of the human imagination, a reflection of our need for meaning?
What we call God is, in essence, an ambiguous and mysterious concept. He is merciful and vengeful, creator and destroyer, light and shadow. He is the source of hope and, at the same time, the justification for countless tragedies.
In truth, there is no specific concept that can define it absolutely. God is, at the same time, all contradictions: good and evil, just and unjust, close and distant.
Perhaps its nature is not measured by what we believe about it, but by what human beings project onto that unfathomable void we call God.
Even Kael didn’t have an answer to this; it was too complex, because he could give an answer, and that answer could be a contradiction. Although the child’s question was innocent, it was extremely complex, and he understood why the nun decided not to answer.
After that, Kael helped Sister Mily with the children, telling them stories and helping them study. What he was doing was nothing out of the ordinary.
One of the children approached him timidly and said, "Sir, you are very intelligent. I could understand everything easily. It’s not like the others who didn’t know anything."
Kael gently ruffled the boy’s hair. "It’s not that, it’s just that you paid attention, so you were able to understand."
"Hehehe~ sir, you are very kind," said the boy, laughing and enjoying Kael’s caresses.
If only the child knew that the person caressing him had caused so many deaths that he had lost count, perhaps he wouldn’t be laughing like that, or perhaps he would... because in the end, he’s just a child.