No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 6

EP.6 

Chapter 1

Candidate and Candidate (6)

“Um… Why can’t our saintess candidate answer?”

Despite my panic, one phrase stuck out to me.

Not in a positive way, of course. Quite the opposite—it was something I really hated.

“…Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

“I can tolerate everything else, but I’d really appreciate it if you stopped calling me the saintess candidate.”

I snapped, my voice serious for the first time today. Ria, who had been confidently teasing me, looked up at me in genuine surprise.

“Wait, you really hate being called a saintess?”

“Of course, I hate it for real. Do you think I’m joking? Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said until now?”

“So, you’re saying you actually want me to lose faith?”

“No, that’s not it. I do want you to get closer to the Church.”

“Wait, hold on.”

Ria pressed her forehead as if our conversation was giving her a headache.

“So, you’re a saintess candidate, but you don’t believe in God.”

“That’s right.”

“But you still want me to grow closer to the Church.”

“Exactly.”

I answered as I sat back down on the bed, crossing my arms.

“And to deepen my faith, the method you’ve been using is… insulting God in front of me.”

“Well, it’s been working so far.”

At least, it worked to annoy her and make her stop bothering me.

It’s like when someone has a bad relationship with their parents, but hearing someone else insult their parents in front of them will still irritate them. It’s why calling someone “parentless” works, regardless of whether they have parents or not.

Of course, it wouldn’t work on someone who genuinely doesn’t care or is emotionally rational enough to see that the person doing the insulting is just a fool.

…Not that I’m saying I’m a fool, of course. Obviously.

“Why? If you hate the church, you can just wait until you’re old enough to leave. If you’re not affiliated with the church, you’ll hear ‘saintess candidate’ much less. Considering the church paired us together, it seems like their goal aligns with yours, but if you’re planning to leave, why bother convincing me so hard?”

Ria tilted her head, puzzled.

“That’s…”

I mulled over my response, but eventually sighed deeply.

“…Alright, I’ll tell you. This is a very serious and important reality, so listen carefully. And don’t laugh.”

“…Uh, if it’s funny, I’m going to laugh.”

“Why would you think about laughing when someone’s trying to be serious?”

“I’ll decide whether it’s serious or not.”

I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.

After taking a few deep breaths, I spoke.

“Alright. Given the circumstances, there’s no other way but to negotiate directly with you.”

“You keep calling me ‘you,’ but shouldn’t you be saying ‘sister’ if you’re following the rules?”

“…Fine. Let me explain.”

Ignoring Ria’s comment, I continued. She pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.

That smug look of hers—it was infuriating.

*

“……”

By the time I finished speaking, Ria wasn’t laughing anymore. But neither was she serious. Instead, her expression was… complicated. It was as if she couldn’t decide whether I was joking, being sincere, or just playing a prank.

Determined to show I was serious, I looked at her with utmost gravity.

“I mean it.”

“So, you’re saying that there are seven people waiting to confess to you once you leave the convent, and to avoid those confessions, you’re staying here? And you’re serious about that?”

“Exactly seven people, and yes, I’m serious.”

Only then did Ria’s expression shift to something more thoughtful. She stared at me, her gaze intense. I let out a deep sigh. Ah, of course. Beautiful people understand beautiful people.

“So, here’s my proposal—”

“What proof do you have?”

“Huh?”

“What proof do you have that those seven people are waiting to confess to you?”

She cut off my proposal mid-sentence, looking at me skeptically.

“Proof?”

“Yeah, proof.”

“You don’t know?”

“‘You don’t know?’ What?”

“You can’t tell just by looking at me?”

“…If I knew, would I be asking?”

I let out a short laugh, incredulous. Ria, on the other hand, gave me that strange look again, as if she were looking at someone delusional. Well, I’m not delusional, so clearly, she’s mistaken. People’s facial expressions vary, after all.

I sighed again, closed my eyes, and raised my index fingers.

With those two fingers—

Click.

I pointed at my face.

“I mean, look at me.”

I said, opening my eyes wide, adopting a very serious tone.

“I’m beautiful.”

I said it with absolute sincerity.

“……”

Ria, who had been staring at me in stunned silence for a moment, slowly raised her hand—

And slapped her forehead.

Oh.

That gesture…

That’s the one people make when they witness something utterly ridiculous.

*

That weekend.

In this world, the concept of a “week” no longer held any deep religious significance. Sundays weren’t sacred resting days anymore, at least not in a religious sense. However, centuries of tradition weren’t something you could just toss aside in a mere couple of decades.

Besides, a considerable number of people still associate whatever higher power remains up there with the Christian God. It wasn’t the official interpretation of the Church, but neither was it something they outright denied. You can’t just abandon the billions of followers who remain connected to these beliefs. It’s more like a slow, long-term integration, keeping the door open for future possibilities.

So, Sunday services were still a thing.

Poke.

I still attended the services. More accurately, I participated in nearly all religious activities. It was… well, like participating in ancestral rites. Some people may believe their ancestors truly come to partake in the offerings, but others just go through the motions to honor tradition and family peace, without raising a fuss. Even an atheist wouldn’t skip chapel after enrolling in a Christian university, right? It’s the same principle for me. I didn’t choose this life, but since I’m here and I eat and sleep under this roof, I follow the schedule.

Poke. Poke.

“…What is it?”

I whispered to Ria, who kept poking my side while standing next to me.

My voice was barely audible, but a few of the nearby nuns glanced over at me. Up front, the priest was giving a sermon, addressing a half-filled congregation. Even with a national religion established, church attendance wasn’t mandatory. After all, weekends were still weekends. The devout came to service, but the numbers weren’t vastly different from the time before religion gained more governmental influence.

Forcing people to attend would cause an uproar, no doubt.

“Is one of the people you mentioned here?”

“…Yeah, why?”

“Who?”

“…That skinny guy in the third row, wearing the suit.”

Ria lifted her head to confirm the location. He turned his head briefly, making eye contact with us before quickly looking back at the front. After a moment, Ria murmured.

“We’ll talk to him after the service.”

“What do you mean, talk to him after?”

She didn’t answer.

Since the priest’s sermon was more like a lecture, the nuns still in training were expected to attend. We sat in separate sections from the regular congregation, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any male worshippers within view, and some of the nuns would chat or giggle quietly. The Mother Superior didn’t tolerate it, of course, and was busy casting stern glances at anyone who dared act up—

Uh-oh.

She shot a look our way, and I quickly lowered my head. As much as I detested lectures, I didn’t want to catch any unnecessary trouble. I’ve already fought enough battles over more significant matters, but I draw the line at needless scolding. I’d had more than enough of that in the last 15 years.

Luckily, Ria refrained from bothering me further.

At least until the sermon was over.

“Wait, hold on!?”

As soon as the lecture ended, Ria grabbed my wrist and shot up from her seat. Seeing me being dragged towards the area where the congregation was sitting, a few of the nuns gasped in surprise.

“Sister!”

And the Mother Superior was horrified.

Even the priest who was about to leave widened his eyes and looked over at us.

I tried to slap Ria’s hand away, but her well-trained strength was far too much for me to resist.

“No, wait a minute, this is against the rules—”

“Why? You haven’t followed the rules at all until now!”

Still, there has to be a limit!

Before I could protest any further, I found myself standing in front of a skinny middle-aged man.

Two young nuns—one of whom was the famous hero’s daughter—stood before him, and the man blinked in surprise.

It wasn’t just that she was famous; both of them were notorious troublemakers in the convent.

As I shook my hand vigorously, Ria finally let go of my wrist.

“Excuse me.”

In stark contrast to how roughly she had dragged me here, Ria greeted the man in a relatively polite tone.

“Oh, yes, Sister. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The man responded much more courteously than I expected.

“I have one question I’d like to ask.”

“Oh, sure.”

The man looked at us in confusion. I felt the blood drain from my face.

Why is she doing this?

Was she like this in the original story?

In the original, she was quite a rebellious character, often challenging the church’s doctrines and irritating the saintess. That was part of why her father kept her from leaving the church.

But this is too much—

“I noticed you keep glancing over at this sister. I was wondering if you had something you wanted to say, brother. What’s on your mind?”

“……”

I opened my mouth, trying to come up with an excuse, but all that came out was a gaping silence.

What could I possibly say in a situation like this!?

“Oh, um…”

The man, visibly nervous under the attention from those around him, began glancing around. I could already see some congregants whispering to each other.

No way—

He reached into his jacket pocket.

Please, no—!

And pulled out—

A wallet.

From the wallet, he retrieved a business card and politely handed it to me with both hands.

Caught off guard, I took the card and read its contents.

[Hunter Association ‘Cheongsan’

Recruitment Team Leader Kang Sang-cheol]

The elegant business card displayed that name prominently, with the association’s address, Kang Sang-cheol’s email, and phone number printed in smaller text below it.

“Um, I didn’t expect to speak to you like this… but you’re Sister Anna, right? The one being considered for sainthood?”

“…Uh, yes.”

I was so flustered that I couldn’t immediately deny being a candidate for sainthood, and that’s how I replied.

“But from what I’ve heard, it seems you’ll be leaving the convent soon.”

I had no idea where this information leaked from, but he seemed to have heard about it.

After all, this convent was modern, and it housed not only orphans like me but also daughters from quite prominent families.

Even if I had tried to keep my name hidden, there were plenty of people like Ria who already knew all about me.

These nuns, even if they didn’t make phone calls, met their families at least once a month and kept in touch through letters.

That information probably mixed in with everything else.

Slowly, the blood that had drained from my face began to return.

However, this time, it felt like it was rushing back a bit too quickly.

To anyone watching, I was probably turning bright red.

Ria was grinning at me.

“I’ve heard stories about you, Sister, even if you don’t ascend to sainthood. You’ve treated injured and sick people multiple times. If you plan to start working right after your return, I’d like to invite you to our association. We’ll provide all the necessary facilities and equipment free of charge, and of course, the salary—”

“Hey, that’s not fair!”

Before the recruiter could finish, another man jumped up from across the room.

“We agreed to give her the business card after her return!”

The man who shouted was a bit older than the skinny guy in front of me, and I could see his belly protruding slightly beneath his suit coat.

He rushed over, forcing his way through the crowd of congregants with a briefcase in one hand.

Poke. Poke.

Ria poked my side again. I didn’t need to see her face to know what she was thinking.

“Is this guy the stalker you mentioned?”

Her voice was already playing in my head.

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, the man turned polite as he approached me and handed me his business card.

[Hunter Association ‘Paik & Park’]

Whether it was Cheongsan or Paik & Park, both were quite famous private hunter associations.

While they were a bit less stable than organizations registered directly with the government, they were closer to a “corporate” entity, and if you had the skills, you could probably work there without getting fired for a long time.

“……”

However, I couldn’t respond properly to either of them.

Even after that, five more people rushed toward me, but by then, the Mother Superior had come out and was dragging Ria and me away.

As I heard the whispers around me, I thought,

Ah, what am I going to do now? Even if I don’t have many friends, there are still plenty of familiar faces around.

What will I do starting tomorrow?

……

Should I just throw it all away and return to the secular world?