Well, three years had passed.

And after three years, the newly appointed head priest gave Raphael the same response.

No matter how perfectly Raphael fit into the way of thinking of the Church, no matter how the whole ordeal to enter it almost seemed fate ordained, apparently it all amounted to less than whatever could move the head priests to utter a few words.

Of course, three years weren't a short enough span of time that could simply be wasted without anything happening.

Raphael had slowly grown his gang and had even gained unofficial possession of a couple of taverns around town, but in the end it was all a sharpening of one's tool without having anything to use it on.

Even if by some metrics he had been before, Raphael certainly wasn't stupid now after understanding the way of men on the streets.

That's why he tried to find another way, another angle from which to approach the matter of his change of profession.

But nothing.

It all always led back to be liked enough by a superior who, exactly because of their own high position, would be dismissive of him.

He always thought his path would be unhindered, even before anyone else approved of his fitting personality, hell, even before he started believing God himself supported him from the shadows.

The reason was simple.

Like any human being, he believed first hand experience more than external advice, and first hand experience told him that the Church would be his throne from atop which to lord over the world.

But right now, getting the same rejection for the umpteenth time, first hand experience was telling him that an extra step was needed if he wanted to fullfill his self-foretold prophecy, a step that could almost only be achieved at birth, that of being at least a noble.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Rules are made by men For men.

The clear path ahead of him suddenly broke off, the light at the end of it getting away, further and further.

That's right , if he wanted to get to the light he needed to take some risks, to walk into the darkness beyond the cut off road.

He needed to stop playing by the rules and...

"Hey, what are you staring at?"

----------------------------------------

After three years, the young noble Noah had grown into a fledgling.

Extensive power plays and skirting around the nobles' rules had built in him a sense of superiority and a disregard for the strictness of the rules themselves.

It was exactly with this kind of arrogance that he approached the only other kid that properly entered with an official position the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Marina with him years ago, a true rarity among the common people.

"Hey, what are you staring at?"

His shout seemed to awaken the slack faced boy.

Noah suddenly realized he still didn't know his name, but right now wouldn't be the best of times to ask something like it.

"I know three years ago I kind of have you the cold shoulder when you asked for help with the head priest, but you have to understand I still didn't make a solid foundation here.

You know, for all I said about nobles being in a completely different class from commoners, even nobles themselves have to struggle here. After all, it's the fucking Church we are talking about!"

Raphael understood his role and listened to the whole tirade from beginning to end, just like in that wooden carriage years ago.

The only difference was that now Noah had learned to hide his bragging.

Or maybe that time he didn't need to hide at all.

In the end, it didn't matter as the objective this time wasn't to find the useful bits of information but to use the person himself.

Interjecting here and there to steer the conversation where he wanted, Raphael found the first chance to ask about his problem in the most natural and neutral way possible to not anger this noble child.

"Hmh. You don't need to worry about the head priest, and you don't need the position either. I can just arrange to give you the lessons directly!"

"Eh. But isn't that against the rules?"

Noah looked at him with a self fulfilled smirk like he waited for exactly this moment from the start of their conversation.

"Hahahaha. Rules are made from men By men after all. You don't need to worry about the details."

Raphael was dumbfounded only for a moment.

The road ahed wasn't cut off anymore, but something inside of him had changed nonetheless.