You Didn't Tell Me the Start of My Transmigration Was a Gate

Chapter 23 Part 1: Scarlett Family

“A saint?”

“I thought it was just a legend made up by these lunatics…… Are you saying there are real saints out there?”

What Kim Ki-Taek said was right. As we continue to stay inside this dubious seminary, we all agreed that all their doctrine was bullsh*t.

It wasn’t normal to torture children who hadn’t reached adulthood while saying things like, “You’re a「God’s Fragment」, you’re a vessel.”

A space, so cut off from the outside world, added validity to our suspicion. The children are taught that there are ‘saints’ out there who have succeeded in these human experiments, but no one has ever seen one in person.

“It must be real. I was burning trash and found a piece of a letter envelope.”

Hye-won pulled it out of her pocket. Only it was a piece of burnt paper. It was not made of ordinary paper, but a high-grade paper with a special treatment. It was smooth, the writing wouldn’t smudge.

“This end is burnt, so you can’t see it very well, but… Here, I can clearly see the word ‘Saint’ written on it.”

‘Saint, Katrina….was the name I was tired of hearing in class.’

“How did you know that she’s coming in a month?”

“Because the new schedule came out today. I used to take the kids once every two or three days, but now it’s been cut down to… once a day, for exactly one month.”

“It sounds like we will be able to produce results within that time frame.”

Sun Ha-Rang nodded slightly and agreed. Kim Ki-taek looked like he was trying to hold in his vomit.

This simply meant that he would see more of those horrible sights.

“Once the saintess arrives, all eyes will be focused on her. It’s a golden opportunity. When the guards are drawn to one side to escort her. If we hit them at the back, we can get the children outside without too much damage.”

Hyewon-Unnie declared in the darkness.

“We’ll prepare thoroughly for two weeks, and on that day we’ll all get out safely, that’s the best plan.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

❖

“Ritch.”

A name that had become quite familiar to her was suddenly called out. It was Dahlia.

“What?”

“I need to ask you something.”

She was rarely serious.

“We’re all here to be vessels in order to receive a 「God’s Fragments」, aren’t we?”

“Umm… Right.”

“Do you remember what Sister Chloé said the other day, that it’s our destiny to leave behind our families, our status, and our srudies… and be reborn anew?”

“Mmm.”

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❖

I remember hearing those words and thinking that they were disgusting, and how I shuddered when I realized the horrific reality of what happened right after that.

“… I don’t know what you’re thinking these days.”

“Why are you crying, Dahlia? Why are you crying?”

When I saw the tears in her round eyes, I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I felt like I’ve done something wrong to make the angelic Dahlia cry.

What have I done wrong?

Falling asleep during the early morning prayers, not paying attention in class, sneaking off to send and receive secret messages, making Dahlia search for me? When I thought about it, there were so many things I had done wrong.

“We promised that we’re going to capture a piece of「God’s Fragments」 together, that’s what we said, that’s what we did, that’s what we came here for.”

“……. But Ritch doesn’t seem like the Ritch I know these days.”

That’s because the Ritch you know isn’t really the real Ritch anymore!

I wanted to say that but I can’t. But it’s an issue that needed to be clarified. I’ve seen people get so immersed in their role at the stage gate, or spend so much time there, that they forget who they are and lose their minds. However, I’m not Ritch but Han Seo-Ha.

“Are you regretting it?”

Regret? What regret?

Apparently, there was more to the story between Ritch and Dahlia.

“Do you miss… Your family, your home, and everything you had?”

I couldn’t follow the conversation. But it didn’t seem to be going in a good direction, so I denied it.

“It’s not like that.”

“If you regret it, then leave this seminary.”

What? I can formally leave this cult? There’s a healthy way to do that?

“Secretly contact the Scarlett family. If it’s your family. It might be possible to get someone out of this place.”

The owner of this body is from the Scarlett Family, and they’re quite powerful?

This seminary doesn’t teach any outside knowledge, so it’s hard to tell how powerful the Scarlett Family is at.

“It’s not like that, Dahlia, really.”

I blurted out, trying to salvage the situation for now.

“Then?”

“I saw it all.”

Dahlia’s green eyes were colored with determination.

“I’ve seen you sneak out every night.”

She saw that?

I stiffened in response.

This was a different story. What should I do? Should I kill her?

It’s a pain in the ass to have your plans leaked. It could lead to a gate failure.

I slowly fumbled with the karambit I had hidden inside my clothes.

“But I pretended not to know! I thought you’re just wandering off for a while, and you’ll be back in good standing in no time. God will look out for us! That’s what I thought.”

Dahlia seemed to be getting a little agitated. She pulled out the pendant she had hidden inside her clothes and cried out.

“If you regret it now… I won’t blame you. It will be my fault for wanting too much. You better leave this place quietly.”

After saying that, Dahlia turned around and looked away.

The moment I saw the pendant. I remembered the pendant that had been hanging around my neck ever since I came here. It was the same pendant that Dahlia was wearing!

Seeing the same pendant and the way she was talking, it’s clear that the two of them have a deep connection.

「Alert: You have found a hint for ‘Ritch’s Memory’」

「Would you like to view ‘Ritch’s Memory’」

After I selected,「Yes.」

My surroundings immediately changed.

There was a spacious mansion, with ornate decorations, and a family that seemed to have great power. In the midst of it all, I saw a young Ritch, who looked just like me as a child.

She looks exactly like her, but she’s not me, that’s Ritch Scarlett. The reason she looks exactly like me is probably because that’s the role I was assigned inside this gate. If Sun Ha-Rang had played this role, Sun Harang’s face would be used instead. Ritch was dressed like a princess, she was studying political science.

She looks like she’s only six or seven years old, and her class hours were hectic. She’s taking it all in, but I don’t think she’s happy about it.

“So the Eighth King, Luclion, cared about his people… Boring stuff,” she said indifferently. Little Ritch had the same dead, and dull eyes. A life no different from the dead. She was in the position of an observer, but she could tell. Young Ritch Scarlett was bored with all of this, and it was only by chance that her life changed.