TWRM 03

Chapter 3

“…Just this once. If you act on your own again without my permission, even if you’re my uncle, I won’t let it slide.”
“Alright, alright. I understand.”
At her cute threat, Fraymon chuckled quietly.
“Oh, and when you register for classes, make sure to choose a theology course. For affiliation, pick ‘Temple of the Moon.’”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll be entering under my recommendation — naturally, you must belong to the Temple of the Moon, right? I’ve already informed the Academy, but I’ll remind them again.”
Talking about classes already? It had been over eleven years since Selina last studied seriously.
Feeling suffocated by the thought of her near future, Selina let out a long sigh.

After finishing their meal, Fraymon had to leave again without even a moment for tea.
“I really wish I could stay to help you prepare for enrollment, but I’m too busy.”
“I’ll handle it myself. Everything I need is written in the admission letter anyway.”
“Still… Ah! I should ask Baon to help you.”
“…No. That’s fine.”
At once, she imagined Baon’s face — dark circles under his eyes, looking perpetually exhausted.
The idea of going shopping with that tired, indifferent man was horrifying.
Shivering at the thought, Selina began pushing Fraymon toward the door.
“You said you’re busy. Hurry and go.”
“I’ll visit again before you start school! Take care of yourself, alright?”
Even as he descended the stairs, Fraymon waved back, reluctant to part.
Only after watching him leave did Selina step back inside.
The warmth that had filled the house because of one person slowly faded away.
Still, it was a feeling she was well accustomed to — she tidied the table without much thought.
After washing the dishes, she picked up the admission letter that had fallen to the floor.
Seeing her name boldly written across it made her sigh again.
“Ha… What am I supposed to do with this?”
She trudged to the old sofa in front of the fireplace and plopped down.

Meow~
Luna jumped lightly onto the sofa, batting at the letter in Selina’s hands with her soft black paw.
Staring at her, Selina narrowed her eyes.
“This is your doing, isn’t it?”
Meow~
Luna tilted her head, her big golden eyes blinking slowly.
“Stop pretending to be a cat, will you? What’s the point of acting cute now?”
“Meow~ Such harsh words for such a cute kitty, don’t you think?”
Though there was no one else around, a smooth, melodic voice echoed in the air.
The owner of that voice was none other than the black cat, Luna.
To anyone else, it would’ve been a terrifying, impossible scene — but Selina simply glared, as if it were normal.
“A so-called god inhabiting an animal’s body… what a waste of divine power.”
“What’s wrong with being a cat? Cats are the best! And you like cats, don’t you?”
Selina’s eyebrow twitched. He wasn’t wrong — she loved animals, especially cats.
Knowing this, Luna had chosen a cat’s body precisely to exploit her weakness.
But despite the cute appearance, the being inside was anything but adorable.
“Stop changing the subject and answer me properly. This—this is your doing, isn’t it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about~”
“You mentioned the ‘original story.’ You interfered to drag me into it, didn’t you, Lunios?”

Lunios.
The name Fraymon invoked in his prayer before meals.
The being possessing Luna’s body was the Moon God himself — Lunios.
Meeting Selina’s sharp violet gaze, Lunios smiled softly.
“If you’d just listened to me, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I told you, didn’t I? I have no intention of becoming a sacrifice for your amusement, or getting tangled in annoying affairs.”
“Oh, don’t say that. Think again — it’s a chance to be the main character of a story!”
Even against her cold reply, Lunios was unfazed, smiling boldly in his usual shameless manner.
Not once had Selina ever truly communicated with this so-called god.
Knowing arguing with him was useless, she simply shook her head.

The original story.
It was something she’d heard countless times since she gained the ability to converse with a god.
This world she lived in — it was the world inside a novel.
And Selina remembered her previous life.

She hadn’t remembered it from birth.
Her past life memories came back when she was five — after something struck her head, leaving her unconscious for three days.
Through a vivid dream, she recalled everything.
In her past life, she had been Cha Soyul, a 24-year-old woman who had just started working — an ordinary person.
But her ordinary life ended abruptly in an accident.
Her memories of that moment were faint, just the blinding headlights of an oncoming car.

Anyway, by the time she was five, she remembered her entire past life — and though trapped in a child’s body, she had the mind of an adult.
But whether from the head injury or the strain of remembering another life, her memories were fragmented.
At first, she struggled to function normally, but over time, her memories settled into place.
And thus, Cha Soyul began her second life as Selina.

It wasn’t a bad life — she had a sometimes mischievous but loving mother, Stella, and a kind family friend, Fraymon, who was like family.
Thanks to their love, she grew up peacefully.
Even when false rumors about her and Stella caused trouble, it wasn’t enough to break her happiness.

But just like every life comes with its troubles, Selina had one big problem:
This world was the same one from a novel in her previous life, and someone was persistently trying to tie her fate to that story.
That someone was — Lunios.

The Moon God, a being no human should ever meet.
Yet, he appeared to her the very moment she regained her past-life memories.

[Oho! How fascinating you are, little one!]
‘Huh? Who’s there?’
[Hahaha! To think a person from another world has arrived here — what fortune!]

Back then, confused by her memories, Selina had heard his voice echoing in her mind.
Lunios was oddly excited and delighted by her existence.

[This is an opportunity!]

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, she had screamed.
Stella and Fraymon rushed to calm her, but she couldn’t stop trembling.

“Selina, it’s alright. You’re safe now.”
“I—I can hear a voice! A strange voice!”
“Was the blow to her head that bad?”
“We should’ve handled that bastard differently…”

Panicking at the strange voice, Selina had to be magically put to sleep by Fraymon’s divine power.
When she drifted into sleep again, she met Lunios in her dream.
He had jumped around joyfully at the sight of her and introduced himself, babbling nonstop.

[Ahem! My apologies, I got a bit too excited.]
‘Who… who are you? Why are you in my head?’
[I am Lunios! You humans call me the Moon God.]
‘The… Moon God?’

When she realized what he meant, her face went pale.
Fraymon, a high priest, served the Temple of the Moon — and his god was this very being.
Now, that god was standing before her.
He smiled warmly, unaware of her shock.
With long, silver hair glowing like moonlight and deep navy eyes that shimmered like starlight, his androgynous beauty was almost unreal.

[Sorry if I startled you. I was just too happy to contain myself.]

Seeing his soft tone and gentle demeanor, Selina lowered her guard slightly.

‘You’re… the Moon God? My uncle serves you at the Temple.’
[Ah, that boy? Yes, he’s a devoted priest. It’s rare to find such sincerity in this age.]

He spoke of Fraymon fondly, like one would of a beloved child.

‘But why are you talking to me?’

Because of her jumbled memories — Selina spoke like a child one moment, an adult the next.
The god didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, he smiled brightly.

[Because you possess memories from another world.]
‘Another… world? You mean Earth?’
[Earth, yes! That was its name, wasn’t it?]

He crossed his arms, pondering, before beaming again.

[Anyway, thanks to you, I’ve found a new breakthrough for a rather troublesome situation! Thank you!]
‘Uh… sure.’

[You please me, little one. With you, the flow of this story can be changed.]
‘Story?’
[This world is another realm — but in your world, Earth, it’s known as a novel.]
‘A novel…? You mean this world is inside a book?’
[Exactly! In human terms, this world contains the story called “I Shall Become a Saintess.”]

A beat too late, Selina understood — and her mouth fell open in shock.
The god laughed cheerfully at her reaction.

Once she regained her senses, she listened as the god explained.
Strictly speaking, this world wasn’t inside a novel — it was an independent world.
But someone had written down the lives of its people and published it as a story on Earth.
That story was known as a novel.

[So, the novel exists within this world, in a sense.]
‘Sounds like a web novel plot…’

Reincarnating only to find yourself inside a novel — such a cliché.
As Cha Soyul, she had read many stories like that.
She’d always thought it was just fiction — never imagining it would happen to her.
Still, there was one key difference from those familiar tropes:

She had never read the novel “I Shall Become a Saintess.”