Chapter 1

The girl, who had no idea when she had started being there, had grown accustomed to living in this old church. Outside the church was a square for training, surrounded by a towering wall. The only entrance to the outside world was a grand, heavy gate, where armed guards always kept a watchful eye. The state of the world was drilled into her during the "education" process, but she had never seen it for herself. Perhaps she had seen it, but at least in her memory, there were no images of the outside world. She could only feel the outside world when she looked up at the large, round object in the sky—the sun, which shone like a burning flame. That was why she loved sunny days. Through the warm sunlight, she felt connected to the outside world. She felt as if the warm rays were always watching over her. More than anything, the sun had the same color as her hair. That was why she hated rainy days. The sound of the rain made her feel as if her existence was being erased. The beloved sunlight that illuminated her was blocked by dark, black clouds. Yes, she hated the rain—especially the rainy nights were the worst.

"Number 8, Number 13, step forward."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Following the teacher's command, she gripped the wooden sword and stood up.

"Begin."

With the emotionless signal, the practical training began. The children in the church had no names; they were called by numbers assigned by the teachers. The teacher had said that they would be given names by "His Majesty" when they were ready. When she asked if she could choose her own name, she was scolded, so she never asked again. She understood that names were special. After a few exchanges, the girl swung her sword with all her might, grazing the head of the red-haired boy, Number 8. Seizing the opportunity, Number 8 kicked her and knocked her down. The training was halted when the sword was at her throat.

"Number 8, well done."

"Thank you."

"Compared to you, Number 13, you are truly hopeless. Your memory is poor, and your movements are slow. The word 'dull' was made for you. You are a failure."

"I'm sorry."

"Remember, the only reason you are still alive is due to His Majesty's benevolence. You should have been disposed of long ago."

"Yes, I understand."

The men in white coats, called teachers, provided "education" and "training" to the children in the church. Their methods were ruthless, and several children had disappeared in unfortunate accidents. The girl hated the teachers. There were many of them, and she couldn't tell them apart. Some seemed to be more important, but she couldn't tell. They all looked the same, so it was impossible to remember. She had no desire to remember them, as they hit, kicked, and insulted her. She couldn't possibly like them.

What she found most exhausting was listening to the teachers' "valuable words." After "education" and "training," they always repeated the same things.

"Show the greatest respect and heartfelt gratitude to the great Emperor Behnum."

"Pledge absolute loyalty to the homeland."

"Never defy the Sun Flag."

"Those who defy the Horsheed Empire must die. We must be the sword and shield for this purpose."

What did she have to be grateful for? Why did she have to pledge loyalty? She had never received any favor that required her to dedicate her life. Therefore, she didn't want to be a sword or a shield. She had no reason to do so, so she asked the teacher honestly.

"His Majesty Behnum, who carries the blood of the founder, Emperor Belgis, is the most revered person in this world. Because of His Majesty, we can enjoy happiness and peace. Therefore, we must pledge absolute loyalty to His Majesty and repay his favor with all our might."

The girl didn't think her current life was happy, so she still didn't understand. Her honest expression made the teacher's tone harsh.

"Listen, Number 13. Questioning His Majesty and the great empire is absolutely forbidden. You should revere His Majesty as your father and think of Horsheed as your mother. Remember this well in your limited mind!"

She didn't understand this either, but she nodded to avoid being scolded. She even asked if she could call His Majesty "father." If he was her father, it was natural to call him that. However, the teacher turned red with anger, shouting, "Don't speak disrespectfully!" and hit her. He kicked her repeatedly, yelling, "You failure!" This made her hate "His Majesty" even more. She couldn't understand why she should revere someone who made her suffer like this. She also couldn't understand why she should not defy the Sun Flag. The flag didn't look like the sun at all. It was smaller and had unnecessary decorations. It was a complete fake, not the sun. She strongly felt that their flag was more of a failure than she was.

When she told this to Number 8, he warned her, "You'll get in trouble again, so it's better not to say that to the teacher." Number 8, who had red hair like her, seemed to think differently. When she asked him if the flag really looked like the sun to him, he said,

"Yes, it looks like a grand sun to me. See, those lines represent the sunlight. They capture the features well, don't you think?"

She thought everyone had different perspectives.

The boring days in the church continued. Every day, she and children of similar ages went through "education" and "training." It went on and on, whether it was sunny, rainy, or snowy, morning, noon, or night. She was thoroughly drilled in reading, writing, and difficult words. She was also taught how to salute, behave, and speak to superiors. The teachers, acting as superiors, would give physical punishment under the guise of "guidance" if she made a mistake. After these, they added military science and combat training to destroy those who defied His Majesty and the empire. When she asked what the purpose of this was, she was hit and told,

"When you are ready, you will serve His Majesty. You must do your best to repay the favor of being raised. ... Well, I don't think you will survive the 'test.'"

She wanted to say, "I don't want to be raised, so let me go outside now," but she held back. She didn't want to be put in the reflection room again. In the dark room, she had to chant, "I will serve His Majesty," all day long, which was exhausting and made her voice hoarse. She hated it.

As she repeated this life, she came to hate "His Majesty" with all her heart. She even wanted to kill him. The only enjoyment in her miserable life was eating. The other children felt the same, and they smiled gently during meals. She laughed and enjoyed eating with the other children.

However, one day, the meals became unappetizing. The teacher told them to drink a black liquid, which was supposed to make their bodies very strong, but it looked like muddy water to her. The other children obediently started drinking it, but she couldn't bear it. It looked and smelled terrible, and it tasted like rusted iron.

When she shook her head to refuse, the teacher hit her face and forced the liquid down her throat. She felt suffocated and was hit by a violent urge to vomit. Her chest burned, and warm, sticky substances overflowed from her throat.

"Her rejection is too quick. Did you dilute it to the limit as instructed?"

"Yes, without a doubt. It's the same as for the other children, a diluted version for acclimatization."

"... I expected some individual differences, but this is abnormal."

"What, is there something special about her? After all, she's a shocking failure. ... It doesn't seem like she will survive, so should we dispose of her?"

"No, treat her for now. She won't last until the test, but she can be a reference for the next 'Dawn Plan.' We must not waste materials, even if they are failures."

"Understood. I will isolate her and continue to observe her."

The girl hovered between life and death for three days but miraculously survived. Since then, she no longer vomited large amounts of blood when she drank the black liquid. However, she lost most of her vision as a result. She was given the title of "First Failure" in addition to being a "failure."

She couldn't recognize faces unless they were very close, but she could mostly tell by their voices, so it wasn't a big problem. Number 8 helped her a lot, so she could live without much inconvenience.

The hardest part was that she couldn't see her beloved sun clearly anymore. She could feel the warm sunlight, but the burning brilliance was only a blur. In return, the sound of rain became even clearer. She was disappointed.

The boring life in the church continued for many more years. The children who had been there from the beginning gradually decreased, and new children kept coming in. The number of her initial companions, who had been over a hundred, was reduced by half, and the same number of new children were added. Before she knew it, the numbers had increased to 200.

The new children already had their own names, but they were not allowed to use them in the church. Those who disobeyed were put in the reflection room, which the girl hated.

For a while, the crying at night never stopped. Listening to it made the girl a little sad. The new children, who were initially depressed, gradually opened up. The crying at night stopped, and laughter began to be heard. The girl was happy about this.

They knew a lot about the outside world. Their stories were fascinating, and the girl listened intently, trying to remember them. Among them, Number 123 was the most knowledgeable and had the most interesting stories, making him the most popular. When the teachers weren't around, he would excitedly talk about how wonderful the outside world was. Through these stories, the girl felt a lot about the outside world. She remembered that Number 123 was a lively boy who smiled like the sun, even though she couldn't recognize his face clearly.

Number 123 died six months later, his body rotting and falling apart as he moaned in pain until the end. She could no longer hear his enjoyable stories and was disappointed.

The girl who became her roommates, Number 150, was her best friend. She always had a sad look on her face, and her voice trembled sadly, but there was one time when her voice was very bright. It was when she read a picture book she had brought from the outside world before bedtime.

The picture book was about a strange cat named Noel, who left the village and traveled the world. The girl couldn't read the text in the book, so Number 150 read it out loud every night until they both fell asleep in her bed.

The picture book was very interesting, but there was one thing that puzzled her. Even though it was only one book, the story was different every time. The people and animals she met and the places she visited changed every day. Sometimes there were stories about defeating a scary red demon. The book didn't seem very thick when she touched it.

The only common point in all the stories was that they always ended with "They lived happily ever after." This made the girl feel safe and secure as she listened to the stories. Sad stories were boring, after all.

The story that captivated her the most was about Noel's crow friend flying towards the sun. Just before reaching it, the crow was enveloped in flames and burned to death. The burned crow became a shining star in the sky. The girl envied the crow deeply. Even if its body was gone, it could stay by the warm sun forever. The crow must have been happy. When she said this, Number 150 looked puzzled, saying that people usually didn't think that way.

One night, the girl, who was curious, asked, "Why does the story change every time, even though it's just one book?"

"... It's a magical book. It creates different stories every time you read it. Isn't that amazing?"

Number 150 smiled, but her voice sounded sad. The girl praised it as a wonderful treasure, but she couldn't tell why Number 150's voice sounded sad, as she couldn't see her face clearly.

Every time she listened to the picture book, the girl began to dream. She wanted to be happy like the cat Noel. When she asked Number 150 how to be happy,

"I don't really know. But if we can survive and get out of here, let's search for it together."

Number 150 hugged her with her emaciated body, and the girl nodded strongly. "It's a promise," Number 150 said with a thin, sad smile.

The next day, Number