Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint - Chapter 547



Is Faith First or Ability First?

The monastery coughed us out, the returner and me. The children, unaware that we had nearly died, were still playing in the fields. Aji was rolling around, tightly wrapped in Rem’s hair. Rem let out a mournful cry as her fur got tangled.

“Meh-eh-. Who brought this dog here! If you brought it, take responsibility!”

—

“Bark bark! I, the sheep! Sheep, I will take responsibility!”

“Biting is not my responsibility! Let go!”

The king of sheep, Remm. The king of the sheep that follow the shepherd.

In truth, sheep are timid and foolish. That’s why, since ancient times, humans have herded hundreds of sheep with just a wooden staff and a dog. As long as the sheep could find a pasture full of food, they didn’t care whether it was the human guiding them or the dog herding them.

Perhaps that foolishness appealed to the clergy, for the sheep became the beast that is always mentioned in the sacrament.

It’s fine to ignore it, but if we’ve crossed paths, we should at least exchange greetings. It’s not like I have a distant relationship with the sheep.

“Sheep. What are you doing here?”

“Can’t you tell? I’m being tormented by a dog, human! Hurry and get this dog off me! Before my fur gets all messed up!”

“Snore.”

“Wake up! My fur is tangled because of your drool!”

Despite tossing and turning, Remm couldn’t shake off the little dog that clung to its fur.

The wolf is the natural enemy of the sheep, while the dog is its guide. Their roles are completely opposite, yet they share a common trait: both send the sheep to places it doesn’t want to go. The relationship between the sheep and the dog is one of complete hierarchy.

Having removed the dog, I asked Remm.

“No. Why did you come to the monastery? There aren’t many sheep living here.”

“I came to receive service!”

Remm said, struggling to free itself from where the dog had licked.

“I am a sheep. I have soft and fluffy fur! But when the wind blows, or I get wet, or dirt gets on me, my fur gets matted and uncomfortable!”

Remm fiddled with its own fur. No matter how much of a king of beasts it was, it couldn’t groom its own fur. With its small hands, Remm could barely touch the thick, white hair that fell below its knees.

“So I’m looking for someone. A human to groom my fur!”

“You came here to find a human to groom your fur?”

“Meeh! That’s right! The little humans here have small, weak hands, so they can groom my fur without hurting me!”

“You could be groomed just fine elsewhere.”

“It’s not about skill. What matters is the heart that supports me! Other humans just shove the comb in and try to shear me, and I don’t like that!”

“Why? Just shear it.”

“I can’t be sheared! Humans try to pull my fur out!”

The fur of the king of sheep is soft yet tough. As a beast with a special kind of fur among the kings of beasts, it cannot be sheared in the usual way. If one tried to cut it with scissors, they would only end up chewing the fur.

At that moment, the returner stepped forward and suggested.

“Shall I cut it for you?”

“Meeh? You?”

“Yes. If it’s my little friend, I think I could cut your fur.”

“Not a chance! You can’t cut my fur with human tools! I am a sheep. I don’t want to feel pain!”

Remm firmly rejected the returner’s proposal. But then, the children, while brushing, gathered the fallen fur and eagerly presented it to the returner.

“This is the fur left by the young sheep’s apostle.”

“If you cut this, we’ll acknowledge you!”

“It won’t be easy, you know? We sometimes use this for cat’s cradle, and once it gets tangled, we can’t untangle it at all! That’s why we gather a lot of it in one corner of the dormitory!”

The innocent children approached the returner, unaware of the fear. It was a moment proving that fear is something learned. If they had instinctively known, they wouldn’t have approached that fearsome returner.

Despite the intimidating appearance, the returner didn’t particularly dislike the pure-hearted children. After making the two kids tug on the wool, the returner lightly pressed the thread. Ting! Remm’s tuft of fur was cut with a very thin sound.

“Wow! It got cut!”

“Awesome! It didn’t break even when we used scissors and a saw!”

“Great! We’ll give you the chance to shear the young sheep’s apostle!”

As the children chattered, Remm responded with suspicion.

“Meh-eh? Is it really okay? Alright then, I’ll give you the chance to cut my fur. But it’s only one chance! If you pull it, I’ll ram you!”

Remm wobbled and held out her head to the returner. Even in front of the enormous amount of fur that could easily hide a person, the returner remained calm.

Feeling unnecessarily anxious, I asked, “Shei, can you really cut it?”

“Of course. Didn’t you see earlier? With the thread, I can cut even the wool of the sheep king.”

“No, not that. Can you cut Shei’s hair? You seem to lack dexterity.”

“What are you saying? How do you think I keep my hair trimmed while traveling? I cut my own hair, you know?”

“Oh, so that’s why your hair is like that.”

“Should I shave it all off for you?”

“Go ahead. Remm is waiting.”

The grumbling returner compressed the thread and heated it. The thread, emitting a haze, gently glided over Remm’s wool.

Swish, swish. Grabbing the fur with the thread, it was cut at an angle. Remm’s tufts of fur fell in clumps. Each clump seemed to be more than what an average person would have, yet even after dozens of cuts, Remm’s fur showed no signs of ending.

The pure white hair, falling like snow, had something captivating about it. I, Aji, and the other children watched the scene in a daze.

Meanwhile, Remm, receiving the service, seemed unaware of the gratitude and kept her mouth shut. She moved her body this way and that, saying, “Meh-eh. I’m bored. You all, bring me some grass to chew.”

Her attitude was as if she had become a master. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who thought she was being arrogant; Aji, who was watching, suddenly barked at Remm.

“Woof! Stop!”

“Meh-eh!”

“Don’t move! You’ll get hurt! You and the humans too!”

“Meh, meeeh… It’s not too bad to just graze a bit, right…?”

With a slight tremor of fear, Remu quietly clasped her hands, glancing around. Thanks to Aji, the task of cutting her fur had become much easier. After nearly an hour of shearing, the time-reversed one curled the ends of Remu’s hair with a heated cloth and then dusted off their hands.

“Hmm. How’s that? Pretty well done, right?”

To say otherwise would be a lie; the skill of the time-reversed one was quite impressive. Not only was it neatly cut, but the impromptu curling of her hair at the end was something only possible with a sense of style and aesthetic sensibility.

Buried in messy fur, Remu had transformed into a beautiful girl with long hair. The children marveled at Remu’s completely changed appearance.

“Wow! You’re so pretty!”

“The Apostle of the Lamb looks so much cleaner and prettier now!”

“Fluffy as the Apostle of the Lamb is nice, but this looks so much more comfortable!”

In truth, Remu was watching Aji with little emotional response. One couldn’t expect an aesthetic sense from a sheep. Perhaps she felt a bit less stifled, at least.

The time-reversed one spoke confidently as they brushed off the remaining fur.

“Is that enough?”

“When did you learn such a skill?”

“I told you. I used to cut my hair while traveling alone.”

‘I struggled to look somewhat human and cut my hair for that reason. Thanks to the Seven-Colored Eye, I could even see the back of my head.’

She thought they didn’t care about such things at all… No, that wasn’t true. Looking at the likes of Manhan Jeonseok or Rene’s pockets, they were quite good at taking care of their bodies and environment. Well, it’s better to take care of oneself if one can.

“And. Thanks to the Saint’s blessing, it was easier.”

“Pardon? The Saint’s blessing? What does that have to do with this?”

“Huh? You don’t know? It’s the Saint’s blessing.”

“What kind of effect does the Saint’s blessing have? I don’t feel any special power.”

“Hmph. You don’t know everything, do you? Well, when have you ever received a blessing?”

Perhaps it was because they had successfully sheared the wool. The time-reversed one spoke in a slightly boastful tone.

“The Saint’s blessing varies depending on the powers one possesses. The Steel Saint grants the strength to realize one’s will, the Saint of Causality provides knowledge to uncover what one desires. The Sun Saint illuminates the path ahead. And the Sky Saint… grants luck.”

“Luck?”

“Yeah. Whatever you do, it goes well, and even if there are obstacles in front of you, a way to overcome them appears easily. Opportunities fall into your lap without you even realizing it. While the blessings of the other saints are certain but somewhat limited, the blessing from the Sky Saint is much more vague and broad. Like a goddess of fortune.”

Luck? What kind of luck? There is such a thing as luck, but it’s just probability at best.

“Look today. It’s trivial, but there’s hardly any fluff left on the King of Sheep’s wool. I learned it by watching over someone’s shoulder, so my skill isn’t that great. That it turned out this well is thanks to that blessing.”

“That can’t be true… Cutting hair is just a personal ability.”

“Oh, come on, it’s a compliment.”

“It’s not a compliment; it’s strange that Mr. Shay believes in the Saint’s blessing. It’s not some cult. Do you really think what you did with your own hands is the Saint’s blessing?”

One cannot say that the Saint’s blessing has no power. They indeed possess the ability to see the future. But attributing the results of one’s own actions to the blessing is even stranger.

“Then think about it again. If blessings are so great, why are we only helping to shear Rem’s fur? That’s just a trivial task, isn’t it?”

“Who knows? There might come a time when we need the neatly cut wool of the Lamb.”

“Where would we use fur that isn’t even going to be made into cloth right away? The command given by the heavenly saint is to defeat the ancient evil, right? No matter how precious that fur is, I don’t see it stopping any ancient evil. Who are you planning to gift it to?”

“There’s no harm in keeping it. And there might be an occasion to give it as a gift.”

“Really? What kind of gift can you make with the abundance of Rem’s fur in this monastery?”

This place is even a land of savagery where civilization has not reached. Even if we tried to sell it, there would be no one to buy. Are we going to barter with the savages? Well, if you put it that way, it might have some use, but they wouldn’t have anything to give in return.

It was then.

“Hello! Is there a nun here?”

A booming voice echoed. It was so loud that even the sheep, the children, and Rem were startled.

In the civilized world, making a ruckus in someone else’s home is considered an invasion. But in this savage world, it’s different. A barking dog doesn’t bite, and threats always approach without a sound. Making one’s presence known is, in fact, a sign of goodwill.

“It’s a Toin tribe member.”

From noble mtl dot com

Yegcheria, once again donning her veil, stepped out to greet the large figure with brown skin.

“Under the heavens, all beings are children of the celestial deity, but not all children are deeply filial. I’ve heard that the Toin brothers do not serve the celestial deity but worship the earth goddess instead. As a servant of the celestial deity, I welcome all visitors, but may I continue this meeting with you?”

The Toin tribe. An immortal race that has absorbed the essence of clay, giving their bodies properties similar to earth. They were also the indigenous people of many lands, following a slightly altered belief in the earth goddess.

That’s why there is only one monastery in this vast land of savagery. In a land teeming with life, there are weeds that cannot be uprooted even by the winds of the celestial deity.

However, that Toin tribe member seemed a bit more enlightened and showed respect to the nun.

“Indeed! I came here specifically to meet you, Sister!”

Yegcheria opened her arms wide to welcome the immortal.

“Welcome! Even in this distant land of savagery and heresy, the seeds of faith that have flown on the winds are bound to take root! I, Yegcheria, sincerely welcome your repentance, brother!”

“Haha. I have no intention of believing in the celestial deity!”

“Of course, that’s perfectly fine! Just coming here is already a very hopeful thing! How about reading the Bible first?”

“No, really, no. I just came to… what was it? The sacrament? I just want to receive that!”

“The sacrament, you say?”

“Yes. The marriage sacrament. I’ve heard that in the upper lands, one receives the blessing of a priest when getting married? I’ve come from afar, and I’d like to follow your customs if possible!”

The immortal laughed heartily as he explained his situation. He had brought a woman from a distant land to marry, but the customs of the village were so different that it was causing some conflict. He wanted to receive the sacrament at the ‘Blood Monastery’ to avoid any misunderstandings.

Though he intended to use the sacred sacrament as a means, Yegcheria didn’t mind such trivial motives. Instead, she seemed even more delighted, clasping her hands together in joy.

“Ah…! This must be true repentance through love! I have yet to meet your sister, but she must be a truly faithful person! I understand. I will be ready to bless this sacred union at any time!”

“Hmm. I ask of you! I’ve brought some leather and meat, so, what was it? A donation!”

“I will gratefully accept the offering!”

“And I’m a bit sorry to ask, but could you give me a token that promises the sacrament at this monastery? It would be a bit awkward to return empty-handed.”

“Of course. Just in time….”

Yegcheria looked over with a beaming smile. Just then, the children who were neatly arranging Rem’s hair caught the nun’s gaze.

“I’ve found some wool that would make a good token.”

And in that moment, I felt a chill run through me.

Discomfort, perhaps. A feeling of gambling on a meticulously crafted board. It felt as if the cards I would draw, and the cards that would come out, were already predetermined, and I was merely dancing in the midst of it.

The world is strangely interlocked. In the realm of savagery, wool and leather are necessities and wealth. They are invaluable items that cannot be compared to anything else. If it’s the wool of the King of Sheep, there’s no need for comparison. Just carrying that would earn you the respect of nobility.

Such a good opportunity has come right to me? Almost as if to boast?

No way, it must be a coincidence….

…or so I wanted to say.

“Huuz.”

“You noticed too, Ms. Shea?”

“Yeah. I know. That immortal….”

The regressor, like me, recognized the identity of that immortal and was swept up in a strange sentiment. It felt odd to dismiss it as mere coincidence, yet it was too unfathomable to attribute it to the saint’s blessing….

“Hey? Teacher. And the boy! It’s been a while! What a coincidence to meet here, what a strange turn of events!”

Rash, the immortal I met in Tantalos, waved enthusiastically upon recognizing me and the regressor.