TFWSDW 29

Chapter 29

After a short while, all the guardians had put on their bracelets.

I secretly held back a laugh when I saw that Usher had put his on perfectly.

‘At least that’s a relief.’

Because of the bracelet, his power must have dropped below half.

Professor Stein even gave us time to use the bathroom, as if to show the Church’s “kindness.”

It was obviously because I had interrupted earlier, saying I wanted to go to the bathroom.

But in truth, I had only said that to save that boy next to me.

‘Losing your qualification as a candidate? That would lead to unimaginable consequences for a child.’

Having tried all kinds of things before, I knew it was a route I could never recommend.

And if a candidate was stripped of their qualification, the guardian was often discarded as well…

‘No, I shouldn’t think that far.’

“Is everyone ready? Then… we’ll begin the test!”

Professor Stein was holding a black orb.

He dropped it to the floor.

A massive hole opened up, and at the same time, Professor Stein stepped back.

“Hoho, good luck!”

Who wishes people good luck for a test?!

I shut my eyes tightly.

“It’ll be okay.”

That blunt voice came from Dad as he held me.

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

‘I have to make sure it’s okay.’

When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw a dazzlingly white space.

There was nothing there except…

“A statue?”

A pure white angel statue.

The one who muttered “statue” was a guardian of another Pope Candidate.

It was a familiar face: the woman priest who was the guardian of the boy I’d helped earlier.

There was also the short-haired girl who had asked Professor Stein about the monster, along with her knight guardian.

And lastly…

“It looks like there’s nothing here but the statue…”

“Really? I can’t see, you know.”

A boy wearing glasses, and behind him, a priest with bandages wrapped around his eyes.

[Faction: Royal Spies]

‘Ugh.’

Of all the groups to end up with, it had to be the Royal Spy pair?

I hated this.

‘Stay away from them.’

I tugged on Dad’s arm and quietly pulled us farther from the boy with glasses, trying not to draw attention.

Everyone except Dad and me moved closer to the angel statue.

Tch. I wished nothing would happen, but…

‘It’s already doomed.’

That nervous, heavy feeling before a disaster churned in my chest.

The boy, who looked relieved that there were no monsters, stepped forward.

“Mom, what do you think this is?”

“Kael, don’t touch it recklessly…!”

The moment the boy reached a certain distance, the angel statue stood up.

Crack. The plaster covering the statue crumbled away like an eggshell.

-Has the test subject arrived?

A golden-haired angel appeared.

Huge wings, marble-white skin.

But the angel’s eyes had no pupils. Only the whites.

‘Oh, you’ve arrived, egg ghost…’

I looked up at the angel from the very back with an unimpressed expression.

The pupil-less eyes seemed to look at the two closest children—the boy and the girl standing next to him.

-Choose the subject. Who will step forward first?

The two kids froze.

But maybe because they had already passed earlier tests, they were good at assessing the situation.

Dad whispered quietly while holding me.

“Should I step in?”

“Mm-mm.”

I shook my head.

“That one… isn’t dangerous.”

“…Not dangerous?”

“Yeah, just watch and you’ll see.”

The two children’s guardians each stood in front of their child protectively.

‘They don’t need to do that. Not yet.’

If there was no answer for 30 seconds, the angel statue would choose a subject on its own.

Sure enough…

The first child chosen was the girl who had been standing a little farther away.

A circle formed on the floor around her, trapping her inside.

-I will now… interrogate.

“Wh-what?”

-Prove yourself.

The girl gulped nervously.

“A mother who committed robbery because her child would starve to death tomorrow…
and someone who stole another’s bread out of boredom—who is more guilty?”

“Um, um… what?”

The girl stammered. She looked around ten or eleven years old.

At that age, she could make value judgments.

And that’s exactly what this angel statue was: a monster that judged values.

Game Category [Post][Guide]

[Monster Encyclopedia 24]
Paranormal Edition

“Angel’s Interview”
◆ Rank: Safe
◆ A giant angel statue judges the values of the person it interrogates.

Any answer is fine since it’s a matter of values, so it’s considered safe.

But… there’s a random chance it will deliver “punishment.” Don’t joke around unnecessarily; just answer carefully.

The biggest problem is… it’s best to run away when you see it.

But it’s probably too late for that.

The word the angel left out was “good or evil.”

The statue only judged the answerer’s values. Nothing more.

Sometimes it punished someone who gave an evil answer, but even then, it was just a matter of choosing words carefully.

‘So those two sweet kids won’t have a problem…’

Destroying it would be the test. It was actually incredibly easy…

“Dad.”

I glanced at the spy team, who were also just watching from afar, and whispered.

“Get ready.”

Then I held my breath.

-Wait.

Even when I faced the fanatics in the underground base, I wasn’t this nervous.

“We’re going to move again.”

Dad silently hugged me tighter.

I remembered the rest of the guide post.

Game Category [Post][Guide]

[Monster Encyclopedia 24]

◆ The strategy for “Angel’s Interview” is very simple:
Ask the angel a “certain question,” and it will disappear.

But… if even one fanatic is in the “Angel’s Interview” space…

RIP, beginners.

The difficulty will change.

A new paranormal phenomenon will occur.

This is why the first test is so hard.

If even one fanatic enters this test, it’s completely ruined.

‘That damn Usher bastard!’

But every run had at least one fanatic.

Because among the ten recommended guardians from the Church, there was always at least one fanatic.

In the end, it was a trap.

A trap you couldn’t avoid.

-Who dares enter?

Boom, boom.

The angel stomped its feet.

-Filthy one! Do not defile my space!

The angel’s eyes wept tears of blood.

At the same time—

CRACK.

The pure white space began to collapse.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Lin!”

“Kael, hold onto me!”

Amid the screaming chaos, I squeezed my eyes shut.

I wanted to hear Dad’s voice again, telling me it would be fine.

‘Damn this luck!’

Just like how the 20 people had been split apart when facing the angel statue…

The next space did the same.

It ripped people apart randomly and regrouped them elsewhere.

When I opened my eyes, Dad was nowhere to be seen.

Unlike the bright white space with the angel, I was now in a pitch-black place.

Darkness. The only light came from glowing blue stones scattered around like torches.

I took a breath and looked at the ground.

‘It’s fine. I can summon Dad anytime.’

Unless the distance was incredibly far, it should be possible.

Then I looked up.

‘No way. My luck can’t be this bad…’

But I immediately felt the curse of “Again-Usher” strike again.

“Oh my.”

I saw a familiar person in the same space.

Usher waved cheerfully.

“Hello, Candidate?”

He really looked happy to see me, his eyes curving like crescents.

“You’re alone?”