As Kass stepped through the city gates, the atmosphere changed. The air was noticeably warmer, with the scent of freshly baked bread, flowers along the paths, and incense from the houses on the side of the road replaced the phantom smell of ash and smoke from before.
The streets were bustling with activity—vendors shouting their wares, carts transporting goods, and people of various races walking around. The beastmen who looked like animals standing on two legs, the dwarves that were short and had stubby beards, and humans that… were humans.
The towering spire of the church, visible everywhere in the city when looking up, was a structure made of marble with white vines growing everywhere, as if the vines were the real support pillar of the church. For a while, Kass's gaze fell on the church that was still standing and glorious.
"…"
'They must be waiting by the fountain by now.' he thought to himself, and quickened his pace.
As Kass approached the fountain, He spotted them immediately.
Tanya, who was sitting on the edge of the fountain, her fingers playing with the water, Leonard, who was sitting nearby, chewing on a piece of bread that who knows where he got it from, and Jade, who was sitting a distance away, her eyes looking at the people around her, happened to look at him.
"You're finally here," Tanya called out, her voice breaking through the crowd. "I thought you were invited for tea if you come this late."
Kass shrugged. He walked over to them calmly. "I did nothing wrong," he said calmly.
Tanya smiled and teased him. "Figured. No matter how bored the guards are, they're probably not bored enough to interrogate the boring you."
Kass's mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything else. He turned to Jade, who was looking at him. "Did these two troublemakers cause any trouble while I was gone?"
"No." Jade said softly, turning to look at Tanya, who was snatching Leonard's bread. "Although I thought you'd take a little longer."
"As I said, I didn't do anything wrong." Kass said to them calmly. "We should probably get going now."
With Kass leading the group, his gaze scanning the surroundings. And without looking back, he said, "Be careful not to get carried away. Although the name of the city is Dawn, it's not that bright." He, who was a member of the Thief Association in his previous life, knew very well how terrible the underground network of this city was.
Tanya, who was walking beside him, grumbled, "Do you have to ruin the mood all the time?"
Kass didn't reply because he knew that even though it seemed like this, the others were more cautious than the children of this age.
As they were walking towards the church, Kass, who was walking in front, felt a pair of eyes staring at his group from the rooftops of the buildings along the way. So he slowed down and glanced at the eyes that were gazing at him. A black crow that was arranging its feathers glanced at him. When it noticed Kass's gaze, it seemed surprised that he was looking at it, then it quickly flew away.
"What's wrong?" Leonard, who was following him, asked him curiously, noticing Kass's sudden stop.
"Nothing." Kass glanced back. He replied in a calm tone. Even though his heart was not as calm as on the outside, 'That crow, why did she send it to look at us, when our group didn't seem to have anything out of the ordinary?'
Jade noticed that he was looking at something, but when she followed his gaze, she didn't see anything. "What are you looking at?"
"I'm just looking at birds," he replied softly, and continued walking as if nothing had happened.
Leonard, who saw this strange conversation, turned to look at Tanya to ask her to lighten the mood.
Tanya, who noticed Leonard's gaze, shrugged and continued walking. "It's just Kass doing Kass's things."
Leonard, who was behind, looked at the backs of the others walking in front and slowly followed them, without anyone having the chance to see his faint smile.
Eventually, after walking from the city square for a while, Kass and the others arrived at their destination, a large white church located in the center of the city. The towering spire was even higher than the city walls. The sound of bells rang faintly. The area outside the church was filled with many people who wanted to enter.
Tanya craned her neck up to see the entire church. "Wow, it's really big. Is there anything to do before entering the church? Like a secret code or something like that."
"We can enter now." Jade said with a certainty and a respectful tone. "The church is for everyone and all time."
"We should go in now," Kass said in a calm voice as he walked into the church immediately.
Within, the air was cold and heavy. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting patterns of light across the smooth stone floor. The vast hall is filled with the solemn prayers of the faithful believers.
A young acolyte approached the group, her green robes rustling as she walked to them. She stopped in front of Jade and bowed slightly. "Welcome to the Church of Dawn. Are you here to receive a blessing?"
Jade inclined her head to reply calmly. "Yes, we are here to receive a blessing for advancement."
The acolyte's gaze flicked over the group, landing on Kass and his sword, then Tanya and her bow. Her gaze softened when it landed on Leonard, who was fidgeting nervously.
"Normally, you are prohibited from bringing weapons in during your blessing, but Novices are exempt. Follow me," the acolyte explained, gesturing toward the side hallway. "We'll start by registering so we can issue you identification cards at the same time."
The acolyte led them to a small room off the main hall. It was lined with carvings of various folktales about trees, and was illuminated by a single stained-glass window depicting the Tree of Entis. At the far end of the room were rows of chairs next to a stone door, and a long table was set up where an old priest would record the names of the Novices receiving the blessing and hand them their cards.
Leonard hesitated after seeing the strange arrangement of the room. "W… do we receive the blessing here, or—"
"They'll take our names and wait for us to receive our classes before making our identification cards," Jade spoke to clear up the confusion. Her tone was gentle and soothing. "Just go through the stone door next to it to receive the blessing inside." There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Unless you're not blessed," Tanya added with a smile.
Leonard turned pale after hearing Tanya's words. "Can we not be blessed?"
"It's not like that" Jade quickly said, as if she was rolling her eyes at Tanya, even though she didn't know if she was really being rolled her eyes. "Those who fulfilled the Tree of Entis' growth requirements were able to get blessed. There's no way they wouldn't be."
Tanya shrugged and jokingly said. "I was just joking. Isn't it interesting to have someone in our group make history by being denied?"
Kass stepped in to interrupt the conversation. "Enough. Go and register."