Chapter 21: Before the Mass
Inside the carriage, Rolls closed his eyes and leaned against the carriage wall, contemplating the upcoming Moon Mass.
The Mass he was attending today was the most dangerous move he had made since transmigrating—it was almost an overt provocation. He was testing whether the Goddess was aware of his soul's arrival, and if she was, what her attitude toward him might be.
For Rolls, he naturally hoped the Goddess was aware of him, and ideally, that she would provide some form of response during the upcoming ceremony. This would give him the certainty that at least one True God stood behind him; only then would he have a chance to survive and move forward.
In such a dangerous and mad world, it was difficult to survive until the end without the protection of a True God.
Even Klein Moretti was no exception. Although he possessed "Sefirah Castle" as a "trading platform," it was only because the Goddess utilized the Uniqueness of Antigonus to indirectly influence "Sefirah Castle," "tampering" with the corresponding location of the Beyonder characteristics that accompanied Klein's birth, redirecting them to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
Otherwise, Klein—who could have potentially been born directly as an Angel—would never have been able to suppress the awakening of "The Celestial Worthy" within his body without having experienced so many major events. Even after Klein eventually became a half-"Great Old One," he still had to enter a deep slumber to suppress the Worthy's awakening will.
Rolls surmised that this likely had something to do with Klein's rapid growth. To go from an ordinary person to a half-"Great Old One" in just three years—even with the apocalypse approaching and the barrier formed by the "Original One's" residual power fading, making advancement easier—that timeframe was still far too short.
My own pathway is better, Rolls thought. The hope of reaching godhood is quite high, and the only Outer Deity capable of interfering with my pathway, the 'Son of Chaos,' seems to have vanished. According to the theories of many "Curly-Haired Baboons" in his previous life, the Son of Chaos had likely been so badly screwed over by "The Celestial Worthy" that most of him was sealed within the Magic Lamp of Wishes. Rolls wondered if he would ever get a chance to see it.
He wasn't sure if the residual "Indefinable Mist" of that Outer Deity had managed to infiltrate the real world yet. There were mentions in side stories, but the timeline wasn't far from the present—only about three years. It was highly likely that Furner, the archaeologist from East Chester County, was already in West Viarose County. Compared to the unlucky "Genie of the Lamp," the danger posed by the "Indefinable Mist" was much greater for Rolls.
The second possibility was that the Goddess knew of his transmigration but chose not to respond. Rolls could live with that; he would just follow his own plans and proceed with extreme caution.
The worst-case scenario was that the Goddess was completely unaware and he was actually a hidden trump card for some other deity. That would be awkward. Whether the entity behind him could successfully pull off their scheme was one thing, but if they were trying to plot against someone like the Goddess—who had essentially followed a "Maid's Counterattack" protagonist script—Rolls would be in deep trouble.
As the carriage rolled through the streets, Rolls lifted the curtain and looked outside. He realized they had entered the North District. Since his transmigration, he hadn't visited this area.
Although the North District housed Saint Samuel Cathedral, it was far less bustling than the West District, which was also overseen by the Nighthawks.
The three major Churches divided their management quite logically:
· Empress Borough: Primarily the residence of nobles, overseen by the "Punishers" of the Lord of Storms, the mainstream faith of the royalty and aristocracy.
· West District: Where the top wealthy merchants lived, overseen by the "Nighthawks" of the Evernight Church.
· Hillston District: The economic center of Backlund, overseen by the "Machinery Hivemind" of the Church of Steam.
By pairing these with other similar districts, the influence of the three Churches remained balanced. Rolls suspected this balance might be influenced by a "Balancer" (Sequence 2 of the Arbiter pathway), especially since the Loen Royal Family possessed Sequence 1 and Sequence 2 of that pathway.
Watching the occasional pedestrian pass by, Rolls suddenly frowned. He realized he had forgotten to change his clothes. It wasn't that he was still in his sailor's disguise, but his current trench coat and hat did not fit the "rules" for attending a Mass.
In truth, what one wore to Mass didn't matter much to the Church—as long as you weren't dressed too provocatively or half-naked, the clergy wouldn't kick you out. However, for the social class Rolls occupied, failing to wear appropriate attire for certain occasions was a sign of extreme disrespect.
As Audrey Hall's personal maid once said, a dress cannot be worn twice to formal occasions. While the Adrian family hadn't reached that level of luxury, attending a solemn gathering like a Mass in a trench coat and a soft felt hat did not suit Rolls's status.
Soft felt hats were mostly worn by writers and painters in daily life, and a trench coat—especially the high-collared one Rolls was wearing—was even less appropriate. He had dressed this way to visit the Dock District without drawing suspicion; he hadn't known today was the Evernight Church's Moon Mass, and attending it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
"Fitch, find a ready-to-wear clothing shop nearby first."
Rolls didn't want to bother going back to fetch clothes; he would just buy a new set.
"Yes, sir," Fitch replied, lightly pulling the reins to slow the carriage.
In the shop, Rolls selected a double-breasted frock coat, paired it with a light-colored waistcoat and a silk top hat, and changed immediately.
Looking at himself in the full-length mirror—short black hair, brown eyes, and a handsome face—Rolls felt a brief sense of vertigo. It felt as if he were still his old self, simply engaging in a high-effort cosplay.
Leaving the shop with a somewhat heavy heart, he looked up to see the sky darkening, with the crimson full moon faintly appearing. He boarded the carriage and arrived at Pesfield Street in the North District.
Standing there was a pure black cathedral with twin bell towers on either side, presenting a symmetrical beauty. This was the headquarters of the Diocese of Backlund for the Church of the Evernight Goddess: Saint Samuel Cathedral.
Stepping off the carriage, he told Fitch to go grab dinner and wait for him afterward. He didn't know what would happen tonight or how long he would stay.
Crossing the square, Rolls stood outside the cathedral but didn't enter yet. He had agreed to meet Belin and Delia outside. Standing there, he occasionally nodded to familiar faces arriving for the Moon Mass.
"Hurry, hurry!"
Belin began urging Delia, who was still strolling leisurely, as soon as they stepped off the public carriage. They had encountered a picky client right before finishing work. Originally scheduled to leave at five, they were delayed until nearly six, then had to rush home to change before racing over.
"Belin, it's only seven o'clock. The Mass hasn't even started!"
"Don't forget we have an appointment with Mr. Adrian. It's not good to be late."
"Fine, fine, fine."
"Look, Mr. Adrian is over there!"
Belin looked in the direction Delia was pointing and saw Rolls standing in front of the cathedral, waiting.