Chapter 1

For now, there's no comedy in this prologue. Please understand.

Feeling as if someone had called her, Koko looked up at the sky.

She gazed at the sky for a while, but the blue sky with a few clouds floating in it hadn't changed much. Looking around, there was nothing that caught her attention.

(No one's here...)

She was on guard, but it seemed to be just her imagination.

After getting out of the ditch where she had been washing her body, Koko wiped herself with the only set of clothes she had. The dress she had washed was still damp, but it was much better to wipe off the water with it than to wait for it to dry naturally.

She put on the wrung-out clothes while they were still wet and lay down in a sunny spot with good ventilation.

It's been almost two years since Koko lost her home and family.

Since she had been living a life where she wasn't sure if she could eat twice a day, she didn't feel particularly depressed when she started living on the streets after her parents didn't come back. Having seen unreliable parents since she was a child, she thought, "It's finally happened."

A senior homeless child she knew once said, "You're pretty cold, aren't you?" Is that what it is?

She learned how to steal food from street vendors by imitating others and secured a territory at garbage dumps where leftovers and discarded food were thrown away, competing with other street children. By the time she was six, Koko was already a veteran among street children.

"I want to eat something that fills my stomach..."

The sun was still high. If she searched the trash cans now, there wouldn't be any leftovers today. She had to go to the market and steal.

Koko had washed her whole body to blend in at the market. If she went there without washing for days, she would be caught and thrown out in no time. She had to look somewhat clean to avoid being recognized as a homeless child in the crowded market.

"...Come to think of it, it's been a while since I ate a pirogi."

The best thing about starting street life was meeting heavenly food. Although she had only managed to steal it three times, she really wanted to eat it every day.

No good. Now that pirogi is on my mind, I'm even hungrier...

Thinking about that taste made her restless.

Koko jumped up and leaped down from the roof of the shack barefoot. It was the busiest time of the day, just before noon, which was the perfect time to target popular shops.

Koko, determined to secure a pirogi, started running toward the market.

◆

...Something feels off.

As soon as Koko arrived at the bustling market, she sensed an unpleasant atmosphere. It was as if the air was tingling... Even though it didn't look much different from usual, there was a sense of tension in the air.

Feeling an unusual and dangerous vibe she had never experienced before, Koko wanted to run away immediately, but she wasn't sure if she would have the strength to steal and run away tomorrow if she didn't eat today.

After a moment's hesitation, Koko decided to give up on the pirogi and aim for a regular round bread instead. There were more shops selling them, and the security was lax, so she could probably steal it without being caught.

Just as she was about to make her move... she heard a shop owner pointing at her and shouting from the corner of her eye.

"That's her! That's the little girl with gray hair, sir!"

In an instant, the atmosphere around her became hostile. Voices searching for a target followed, and soldiers suddenly appeared from all directions. By the time they did, Koko was already running.

"What's going on today!?"

Koko ran through the back of the stalls, exasperated by the persistent pursuers.

Koko was a well-known thief in the market, and she had been targeted by shop owners and vigilantes many times before.

But this was different. They were chasing her relentlessly. There were pursuers everywhere. They were moving through the gaps and searching every possible hiding spot.

"What's with these guys... There must be a hundred of them!?"

It was too strange. There were far too many of them.

Usually, even if the vigilantes gathered, there would only be about ten of them, but today they were closing in on her in a tight formation. They even brought out nets and spears with hooks, determined to catch her.

A flash of insight flashed through her mind, and her pores opened wide.

Trusting her instincts that warned of the greatest danger, Koko pushed off the wall of the building she was clinging to and leaped into the air.

Moments later, two blue-white lights, about the size of an adult's fist, hit the wall where Koko had been. They weren't large, but they looked painful.

"You dodged that!?"

"That kid has a good sense of danger!"

While dancing through the air like a leaf, Koko searched the ground, guided by the astonished shouts from below... and saw several men in black dresses with their arms pointed at her among the pursuers.

That outfit... I've seen it before... I think.

"Damn, they're the monster hunters from the church! I'm not an orc or a goblin!"

Koko, who didn't realize how bad she was, spat out and landed on a stall's canopy to cushion her fall, then bounced down to the ground.

"Ah, I should have waited until tomorrow to try!"

While running again, Koko muttered.

◆

The cart carrying Koko passed through the grand stone gate.

From inside the cage on the cart, Koko grabbed the iron bars and looked up. Large buildings made of stone and brick towered, almost blocking the sky.

"Where is this...?"

After being chased by a huge number of soldiers for half a day, she was brought to a part of the city she had never seen before.

The part of the city Koko knew was just a small section of the lower town. She had never been to the center of the capital. It was only after she became one of them that she learned this place was the headquarters of the Gortland Church, which boasted the largest number of followers on the continent, the Gortland Cathedral.

Being brought to such a place, Koko had no idea what was happening to her.

She had heard that if you steal too much, you would be hanged from a high place, but was this grand and imposing place where it would happen?

"I thought it would be when I'm older... but it seems the market guys really hated me."

If that was the case, there was nothing she could do. She was aware that she had stolen a lot of food. But if she could wish for something...

Koko took out her entire fortune, two copper coins.

"I'll pay, can you give me something to eat before I die?"

She thought, but there didn't seem to be any shops selling food in this place.

After passing through several towering gates, Koko was brought to a secluded area where even she, who was known for her ability to slip away, would give up on escaping. There, she was met by dozens of men and old men in luxurious dresses (which she later learned were called cassocks) that she had never seen in the lower town.

Seeing Koko arrive, they started whispering to each other.

"Is this really the girl mentioned in the divine revelation?"

"Isn't she too young? How old is she?"

"She looks more like a pauper than a commoner..."

Koko could hear their almost direct insults, which made her irritated, but more importantly, she wanted to know why these people had brought her here. It didn't seem like they were going to punish her for stealing.

Not knowing what to say, Koko remained silent. Seizing the moment when everyone fell silent, the most important-looking old man stepped forward.

"Are you Koko, who lives in the market near the West Gate?"

Koko nodded, realizing she was being addressed directly. She didn't know where the West Gate was, but she did live around the market.

The old man with a rich white beard exchanged a few words with those around him and then looked at Koko again.

"I am Pope Chaos the Seventh, who speaks on behalf of the omnipotent and omniscient goddess Lila in the Gortland Church."

Koko only understood that he was important. Judging by his expensive-looking clothes, he might be even more important than the guild master of the market.

Not really understanding, she nodded vaguely. It didn't seem like they were expecting a response, and a table and a paper with something written on it were brought in front of Koko.

"Place your hand on this oath."

It wasn't much effort, so Koko placed her hand on it, thinking (If I do as they say, maybe they'll treat me to a meal).

"Hmm?"

The paper... something was happening.

The color of the words on the paper changed.

From the bottom where her hand was placed, the black letters turned into a vivid blue.

Then, as the letters began to shimmer, the paper suddenly seemed to catch fire, and a blue-white flame-like light shot up toward the ceiling. However, Koko's hand on the table remained cool.

Not understanding the mechanism but finding it interesting, Koko noticed that the people around her were also surprised and started to murmur.

"Oh!?"

"What... What is the size of this!"

It seemed to be an unusual sight. Among them, only the pope and those around him were talking calmly.

"An incredible amount of holy heart power."

"Perhaps the divine revelation was different from the norm because of such an exceptional talent."

"Despite her humble origins, in terms of talent, she is unparalleled even among the previous holy maidens. The divine revelation was indeed correct."

It seemed that the elders had reached a consensus, and the pope, who was at the center, turned to Koko again.

"Koko, my child."

The pope raised his hand and made a gesture as if sprinkling something over Koko's head. Koko would later learn that this was a hand sign to bless with the grace of God in the Gortland Church.

"I hereby recognize you as the forty-third holy maiden, as decreed by the goddess Lila."

Koko probably received some kind of important message from the old man, but...

(I'd rather... tell me where I can buy bread instead of treating me to a meal.)

Koko, who hadn't heard, was thinking about nothing but her hunger.