Chapter 136

“Anyway, after that last incident, I figured moving around too much would only escalate misunderstandings, so I’ve just been hopping between the Church and the Association ever since.”

Honestly, it was a bit stifling. If I hadn’t met Ria and had just continued living in the Church, things might have turned out differently. But once Ria started living with me, she took me around everywhere and showed me just how fun the outside world could be.

At this point, I wasn’t just a temporary nun; I was actually treated like a nun in the religious sense, so as long as I wasn’t bringing any Church business outside, it wasn’t a big deal to roam around.

It’s not really about when you can do those things, but more like you’re slowly loosening up one thing at a time. I doubt anyone was still nitpicking while I was walking around in a white nun’s habit.

Buying a smartphone or stepping out for a snack shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

However, I could only imagine how inconvenient it would be to wander around in this situation, and how many people would get my number if I bought a smartphone. Just thinking about it made me dizzy, so I decided against it.

Ria did bring over a smartphone a bit late, but it seemed like she usually just turned it off.

Honestly, it wasn’t bad. I contemplated gettin’ it on someday, but I didn’t have a girlfriend at the moment, so there was no reason to get all worked up over abstinence. Plus, in a way, it kept those clingy guys at bay, so I felt relaxed about it.

After about two weeks, I waited for the world to calm down a bit.

I kept receiving updates from the lab. They still hadn’t fully completed the magic project. They managed to create a tiny hole, but it had become a watery mess inside due to an incorrect coordinate or something. They said readjusting would take quite a while, so I decided to leave it as is for now.

As long as I didn’t have anything specific to handle for the Church—

“…Exorcism?”

“Yes, that’s definitely what I heard.”

And finally, someone was requesting something from the Church.

It was quite an absurd request.

Ria and I exchanged blank stares while gripping wooden daggers in our hands.

Then we looked back at the Sister Warden.

Of course, the Sister Warden didn’t seem to believe it either.

If this had been before the emergence of this cult, the believers might have taken exorcisms seriously.

If spirits truly exist in the world, wouldn’t there be at least one that couldn’t enter a human body? If not that, one might think of creatures trapped in the wrong bodies or some kind of spiritual beings…

However, ironically, after this world turned into ‘fantasy,’ such stories seemed to have faded away.

It makes sense; things that used to exist merely in imagination made their way into reality. And that also meant rules came into existence within that fantasy.

Though if you asked whether everyone believed in such things, that would be a different story.

At the very least, this cult doesn’t believe in such things.

“Could it be that some monster is interfering with their minds?”

I asked, recalling the events from the Dwarf Kingdom.

Even if it couldn’t control people, it could draw them into a sort of mental realm. Back in the Dwarf Kingdom, not just me but many others had been pulled in.

“That….”

The Sister Warden pondered how to explain it before letting out a deep sigh.

“It’s said to be folk faith.”

“Folk faith…? Is it possibly about humans?”

“Exactly.”

The Sister Warden replied with a rather complicated expression.

Ria and I looked at each other again.

“So, there’s a high chance that other religions are already established?”

For now, the Gnomes did share some commonalities with our cult. Since neither of us were describing how that higher being came into existence, it was easy enough to think of them as similar beings.

The Dwarves believed something entirely different, but because of what I had shown them last time, it couldn’t be dismissed either.

But in both cases, it’s just good luck. There are definitely those who would refuse to accept it due to sheer differences in perspective.

“Hmm, that is…”

The Sister Warden hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s called faith, but it doesn’t seem to be a religion with a clear structure.”

“Ah, I see.”

That’s probably why our cult decided to dig into it. After all, we could just claim that the best god among them is the being above.

“It seems they’ve been trying to spread their faith for quite some time.”

The Sister Warden nodded at my comment.

So ultimately, this was another story related to the expansion of the Church.

They could just believe among themselves if they wanted to.

……

Well, maybe they believe it’s salvation for their people.

And, painfully, I too thought I should help if those people are suffering.

*

“Ria, what do you think?”

When I asked while looking at Ria, she blinked at me.

“Huh?”

“I told you. If my life is at stake in what I’m about to do, I’d want to get your permission.”

Ria just blinked at me.

“Uh, so you meant that seriously?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

Of course, if the moment really called for it, I might act impulsively.

For instance, if Ria herself was hurt badly and already lying down, I would jump in no matter if my life was in danger for her.

What would happen as a result was uncertain, but still, a nun who knows how to handle Saint Power and shoot a gun couldn’t possibly not be of help.

“You’re saying that one word from me could shape the rest of our lives? Then I should really discuss it with Ria.”

“The rest of our lives?”

Ria muttered as if it was ridiculous, then burst into a laugh.

“Hey, isn’t there anyone who asks for permission from a knight protecting them?”

“Oh, really?”

But isn’t it quite common for bodyguards to say, “Don’t do this or that,” especially when going outside? Or maybe that’s just a different situation for Ria and me.

“…….”

Ria stared at me in silence. As I tilted my head, Ria reached out and placed her hand on top of my head.

And then she started ruffling my hair.

“Ria?”

“Honestly, it’s kind of impressive sometimes.”

Even though Ria is younger than me, I should be a bit offended by her words, but oddly enough, I felt fine. The sensation of her petting me was pleasantly soothing.

No, maybe that’s a bit too puppy-like to say.

…Still, I doubt many would dislike being petted by someone like Ria. Hmm, not sure.

Maybe I should just be happy that I could still touch her like this. After all, moving closer from here on out might be tough again.

“If it’s what you want to do, then just go ahead.”

Ria said this, taking a deep breath.

Then, as she let it out, she slightly lowered her head in my direction.

“Ria!?”

I got scared, but Ria kept her head down as she spoke.

“Sorry. I’ve underestimated you. You’ve done so much up until now.”

“……”

Oh dear. Is it too embarrassing to hear her say that all of a sudden?

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with running to save someone. Since you’re connected to that being above, you surely see much more than I do.”

“No, um, Ria, that’s not really—”

“I guess I was scared that you might just shatter if you went off like that.”

Finally looking up, Ria gazed at me, and her expression somehow seemed sad.

“Right. Making sure that doesn’t happen is what I should be doing.”

“……”

“So, don’t worry too much. I can’t promise not to get mad or anything. I’m just being me. And it might be hard to get better from here on out. If you fall again or get hurt, I might get furious.”

“Uh, well….”

I felt my face heating up more and more.

I tried to cover my face with both hands to say something, but every time I opened my mouth, weird sounds came out, so I ended up choosing to just stay quiet.

“So, let’s each promise one thing.”

Ria reached out her hand toward me.

There was determination in her eyes.

“At least, let’s promise not to intentionally die. No matter the situation, we’ll do our best to survive.”

“……”

I understood why Ria was saying that.

Because her mother had passed away like that.

What would Ria’s reaction be if she knew how I died in my past life?

…No, if she found out my previous self wasn’t this beautiful woman, she might lose interest completely.

As I was pondering this, I suddenly realized that light was shining above us.

It was strangely uplifting, as if it wanted me to take her hand.

I felt a bit dumbfounded.

No, even if you tell me not to, I’d still want to grab it.

I placed my hand over Ria’s hand as I contemplated.

Ria smiled at me.

It was the kind of smile reminiscent of the usual Ria.

In other words, it was an expression I could believe in at any time.