Cecilia fervently prayed nine times a day: once when she wakes up, once before breakfast, once after breakfast, once before lunch, once after lunch, once in the afternoon, once before dinner, once after dinner, then once again before she sleeps.

It would’ve otherwise been boring, if Minimine weren’t one to reply.

She was just finishing her afternoon prayer, kneeling on the padded kneeler of the pew in front of her, when Minimine said a curious thing.

“See you.”

She almost wrote it off.

“I am grateful for thee and thy—w-wait, you’re coming here?!”

That’s when the seven crystals around the resurrection table started to glow, and the space itself between them warped. Cecilia scrambled to her feet, ignoring the ache in her knees, and ran to the aisle, stopping just one hop away from the boundary of the prismatic distortion covering the area around the resurrection table.

Soundlessly, the distortion collapsed. Fractals broke into clear snowflakes, bending the light around them. The shimmering was an eerie beauty, enough that Cecilia’s faith strengthened itself in that moment.

… But between the falling snow was the visage of a monster in human skin, a possessed glow beaming out of its eye sockets.

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Any Priestess worth their salt would not hesitate against the undead. She threw an explosive ball at it. The monster replied with a “Cecilia! You dunce!”

Strange. The undead usually did not care. It was saying some other things, too.

The snow cleared, and the monster in human skin came into clearer view. It was, indeed, a monster in human skin, but one typically unleashed on other monsters, and for some reason continued to wear the vestments of the Priesthood of Minimine.

“Tak, you imbecile! You scared me!”

Jyn stepped forward, leading the way with Kalender and the others in tow. On her shoulders sat Minimine, who was holding onto Jyn’s neck.

“Cecilia. Hello.”

Cecilia looked on with curiosity at the child. She spoke just like Minimine… Could it be?

“Cecilia! You dunce!” Tak fumed. “I said that’s our goddess!”

“Huh?”

She looked to Tak, then back to Minimine. The child waved. She looked down to Jyn. “But why is she on—” She Appraised her for a bit. “—a Knight?” No, certainly, a goddess could sit on a Knight any time they so pleased—but why?

The longer Cecilia stared at Minimine, the brighter the halo behind her glowed. She dropped to her knees.

“Cecilia! You absolute moron!” Tak stomped ever closer. “Every actual word exchanged between you and our goddess also counts as prayer!”

“W-woah, you’re right!” She quickly got up and patted down her garments. “M-my goddess, great be my thanks to thee and so shall I live my life—”

“Mm. No problem.”

I’m acknowledged?! Cecilia broke down.

“Amelia, Rushes,” Tak ordered, “you know what to do.”

“Tak,” Minimine called.

The Priestess bowed to her. “Yes, goddess?”

“Will she be okay?” If this was going to happen every time she drops by a temple…

“Worry not, my goddess. We have already developed countermeasures, and we will soon complete the Best Goddess Interaction Manual for worldwide distribution.”

“Wow, that’s fast…” Kalender muttered. The day hasn’t even ended yet.