But the interior that was revealed was very different from what they had expected of a principal's office.

  Inside was an enormous circur lecture hall, like a rge uy auditorium.

  Looking at the map, si was built above the school stadium, its scale was unbelievably rge.

  Moreover, with the numerous sacred relics dispyed around the lecture hall's desding steps, this pce seemed quite sacred in its own way.

  The children all started examining the sacred relics that clearly looked precious.

  As Rumi looked around at the sacred relics, there were masks, books, Y-shaped holy objects, and premium holy water bottles sealed behind gss walls.

  But there she saw a radio on dispy that looked exactly like Bertin's radio.

  "..."

  Seeing that reminded her of Bertin's belongings that were fiscated in bulk when Rumi and Niel first ehe town.

  They had taken evein's gsses back then...

  Rumi wondered if those items might be dispyed here and started frantically searg around the principal's office.

  But besides the radio, none of Bertin's belongings seemed to be visible.

  "Did you sleep well?"

  Just then Raoul smoothly appeared beside Rumi who was rushing around.

  Raoul's hair was somewhat disheveled.

  "Yeah... slept well. Raoul, why did you skip m mass?"

  "Ah... overslept."

  "Really?"

  Rumi didn't think Raoul seemed like the type to oversleep, but looking at his current appearance, maybe he was.

  Just then the principal appeared wearing white priest's robes.

  "...!"

  The offistantly fell silent.

  And the students found their seats with careful awareness.

  "Mass ran a bit te so css is deyed.

  But sih the mass and first css are my css anyway, that's not so bad, right?"

  The first words of the first css were ominous.

  "This css is a special lecture I've specially prepared to vey basiowledge about the Angse Scripture.

  Though you've all grown up with the scripture, I judged there was a o lecture on the basic does of Angse for the first time this year, because surprisingly, especially st year's students were all idiots."

  "Before we begin, would someone here like to expin what the Angse doe is?"

  The office froze at the suddeion.

  And at that moment, every student in the offistinctively khey would experience a css close to death if they didn't answer ave wrong answers.

  In that situation, Rumi tried to think up an answer, but she knew nothing about the Angse church's doe.

  At best, she only had fragments of information that couldn't be expined in oence.

  "Are you saying no one here knows about the core doe of the Angse Church?"

  Silence fell and the children started looking at each other nervously.

  "My! Perhaps this year's students might be even bigger fools than st year's.

  At least st year's students tried to answer... Ah, how unfortunate, in this case I'll have to double the lecture period..."

  'Someone please answer!'

  Rumi screamed internally.

  Raoul or even Eve would be fine, please someone!!

  Just then a student raised their hand.

  The person who raised their hand was her than Medina sitting in front of Rumi.

  "..."

  All the children in the office tensed.

  "The core doe of the Angse Church is to deh and affirm life, freedom, and joy in oration of the God of Life Angelica's teags and sacrifice."

  Medina answered very clearly and precisely.

  Even to Rumi who knew nothing, it sounded like a perfeswer.

  "!"

  Some students cpped in admiration.

  "... ..."

  Principal Pierre showed a surprisingly taken aback expression. This was the first time seeing such a look.

  "That's... correct... Fortunately, it seems we got some proper students this year."

  The principal relutly aowledged while lifting his head.

  Rumi thought she could see a ing victory smile on the baedina's head.

  Perhaps because she had been marked by the principal more than anyone, she made a final struggle and it was successful.

  It was truly a win for humanity

  But at that moment Rumi witnessed a strange se.

  In Medina's hand er densely covered in writing,

  Aween her legs en bag with a doll visible inside.

  "...?"

  "Ahem... still, since I'm giving the lecture, I should expin in more detail.

  First, the scripture is divided into Parts 1 and 2. Part 1 deals with a story from very long ago, while Part 2 covers events from about 2000 years ago.

  The Part 1 doe is this: 'Life is more important than anything, and that importanes from joy.'

  The Part 2 doe is: 'The temptation of death is too sweet, and that sweetness es from nothingness.'"

  "I will duct this special lecture over one month, with two weeks each for Parts 1 and 2.

  So today's css will look at the outline of Part 1's tent, and from tomorrow we'll examihe detailed flow of the story while reading the scripture directly."

  When the principal pressed some button, bckout curtains desded over the bright office windows and the room instantly darkened.

  And a s came down projeg illustrations drawn on cellophane.

  Soon images worthy of a fairy tale appeared on the s, with the first picture showing a faint face against a dark background.

  "In the beginning, there was the God of Death.

  In the world ruled by the God of Death, everyone was subjugated to death without freedom. But because of that, everyone was happy.

  One day, the God of Life appeared and created life.

  The God of Life created all living things and humans. And taught humans songs and dances.

  Humans danced joyfully to the god's songs.

  Among the dang humans, the God of Life had six special disciples and gave each of them a name.

  White, Bck, Red, Blue, Green, Purple.

  The God of Life taught humans new joys through the six disciples, and everyone seemed happy.

  But this world where humans lived was still ruled by the God of Death, and being alive could not be tolerated.

  So when dark night came, humans had to pretend to be dead.

  At first, humans were grateful to the God of Life and enjoyed being alive even while pretending to be dead,

  But over time, they began to feel the pain of living pretending to be dead.

  No, they began to feel pain from being alive at all.

  Humans would drown, fight each other, feel pain from illness, and sometimes be lonely by themselves.

  They began feeling pain they wouldn't have felt if they were dead.

  Moreover, humans tired of pretending to be dead every night began yearning to end their endless life instead.

  And the living humans wahe six disciples to represent them in expressing their pints.

  Why give us life in a world ruled by the God of Death, they said, let us return to death.

  Five disciples early pleaded with the God of Life. They could no longer feel joy in being alive, they could no longer feel freedom in living.

  To this, the God of Life answered with song and dance.

  And humans who could not uand such a God of Life and begaing the god who had breathed life into them.

  More time passed, and humans began to hate the God of Life.

  Then one day, five of the God of Life's disciples found a way to kill the God of Life and themselves.

  It was to keep dang thh the night until the God of Death awakened.

  Oeful day, the five disciples tiheir dahat started in daytime into the night, revealing the existence of life to the God of Death.

  The God of Death was e the existence of life and questiohe humans.

  Then five of the six disciples pced all bme on the God of Life.

  They betrayed the god who had freed them from death and taught them the songs and dances of life.

  Thus the God of Life was betrayed by the humans they had created and received the curse of eternal life.

  Yet because the God of Life loved the life she had created, she accepted all bme and willingly took the curse alone.

  And so the God of Life sacrificed herself to returh to humans while receiving eerrible suffering, uo die eternally.

  But the God of Death's judgment did here.

  The God of Death puhe betraying humans too, making them receive curses during their briefly living time, experience imperfect life, and ultimately return to death.

  And all six of the god's disciples received extreme curses, being reborn as witches and warlocks.

  In the end, we are all humans who betrayed god, and because of this the God of Life still suffers alone in the nd of death.

  Therefore we must always be grateful to the God of Life and live iven lives joyfully."

  "..."

  Rumi learned for the first time that such a story existed at the beginning of the scripture.

  Rumi now somewhat uood why the God of Life Angelica was the god of the Angse Church.

  A god who created life was betrayed by their owions and suffers eternally.

  In the end, a god who saved humans...

  Rumi thought something seemed strange for a moment.

  It was because humans in this world seemed to suffer quite badly from heavy curses too.

  They seemed to be under even worse curses than what the God of Life received...

  "Now we must examine what joy meant acc to the God of Life. In fact, the joy spoken of by the God of Life be seen as very different from the word joy."

  The principal tihe css by expining iail what he had just talked about.

  After the first css ended, all the children looked dazed as if drained.

  Not only was the css long, but there was a lot of homework too, painting a picture of hard times ahead.

  But personally, Rumi found the css iing.

  It was because the principal expined about history rather than stating his opinions, so it felt like listening to an old fable.

  As Rumi rawled out waiting for the css, the principal suddenly approached her dire.

  "...?"

  Actually, the principal hadn't e for Rumi but for Medina sitting in front of her.

  "Miss Medina? Good aoday. I'm pleased we got a smart student after so long. Would you like to have tea together? I have something to show you."

  "Ah... yes..."

  Medina nodded while f a smile.

  She seemed unsure whether to be happy or disgusted.

  Mediered the principal's private offiside the main office.