I was ten times more shocked than when I first read the words on the paper. The cramped room seemed to shrink around me, its air heavier, almost suffocating. I fought the urge to walk out on the spot.0

I snapped my half-open mouth shut and studied Verita's smile. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts.0

The chance of this being a trap... isn't high.0

She had called each of us into a small room for one-on-one talks. It was an effective way to identify church members, but the method carried one fatal flaw: an imbalance of information. Out of ten people, only one—the nun—could monopolize everything she learned. That would have worked if she were completely trustworthy. If not, the situation could become dangerous.0

Or maybe this is all part of the test.0

The Hero Society was the Dark Church's nemesis. Even the Iron-Blooded Lord had refined his methods of rooting out church members by studying them, which showed just how deeply the Hero Society understood the church's ways. That meant this could be more than interrogation. It could be training drawn from real scenarios. The task could not only involve uncovering church members but also proving one's innocence if accused. Under normal circumstances, this interpretation...0