A warm sunlight subtly seeps through the gap in the drawn curtains at midday.
The room is still dim, but the sun is already high in the sky.
“Levi, do we really not have to do the service today?”
Aizen, looking disheveled and half-asleep, asked me.
“Yes, this isn’t a church, after all. It can’t be helped.”
I spoke with a similar disheveled look, struggling to open my mouth.
I must have gone through a day much like usual and slept soundly.
Yet for some reason, I woke up later than Aizen, who should have been the last to rise.
“Wouldn’t it be better to do at least a brief one?”
“…It’s fine. Not doing it for a day or two won’t bring down any divine punishment. Lady Paelia isn’t that narrow-minded.”
Aizen gave a slightly uncomfortable expression to my flat response but soon started scratching his head and zoning out.
“Is that so?”
“Of course. So let’s enjoy some free time today without any thoughts.”
To be honest, I wonder if there’s any reason to faithfully hold a service outside of a church.
In a church, various circumstances compel us to hold services daily, but in other places, there’s no particular motivation.
For someone like me, who still doesn’t hold much faith in religion, the service is just one of the duties I perform.
“Um, everyone….”
Giving in to the calm atmosphere that returned, I was blankly flickering my eyelids.
Despite having gone to bed the latest, Rune, who woke up the earliest among us, suddenly spoke up.
“By any chance, what time should we start the village tour…?”
She looked as neat as ever, showing no signs of fatigue as she stood absentmindedly in the middle of the room.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll just rest here until night.”
“Levi never goes out during the day, no matter where she is.”
“Please think of it as a sunshine allergy….”
“Then can I go around the village with the kids?”
“Sure. Since it’s a rare opportunity, you might as well enjoy seeing the World Tree….”
“Yay!”
It’s a place where I can’t let my guard down for various reasons, but I believe these kids can have fun without me.
“Rune, I’ll leave the kids to you.”
“Huh? Me…?”
“You don’t need to feel burdened. Just guide them like you did yesterday.”
“Ah…!”
Moreover, Rune is the type of child who always gives her best at everything.
There’s no way anything concerning would happen that I’d have to worry about─.
“Let’s go quickly. I’m curious about the World Tree.”
Iris, having finished all her preparations and standing confidently by the door.
Just a moment ago, she was definitely wandering around in bed, lost in dreams.
I wonder when she started listening to our conversation and got ready.
“I want to stay with the nun… I’m too tired….”
“No, Ellie. Since we’ve come this far, you HAVE to see the World Tree.”
“Ugh… But it’s just a tree in the end….”
Ellie, who started whining like a spoiled child, nestled into my arms as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Normally, I would have to elaborate about the World Tree to pique Ellie’s interest, but sadly, I couldn’t refute her statement that it was just a tree.
Because I, too, thought the same.
“Oh, no…! The World Tree isn’t just an ordinary tree….”
Replacing my words, Rune quickly rebutted Ellie’s comment.
“The World Tree is a tree that emanates a sacred aura. It is divine to us elves….”
“Is it just a bigger tree then?”
“Of course not! It’s fundamentally different.”
True to being an elf, Rune seemed to genuinely care about the World Tree.
Her firm belief in the World Tree as a sacred being was palpable.
“Have fun, Ellie. You can play with me anytime, but there aren’t many chances to see the World Tree right in front of you.”
“Ugh… It’s such a bother….”
Thanks to my last comment, Ellie finally squirmed out of my arms, complaining as she prepared to go outside.
“…….”
I didn’t send the kids out just because I wanted alone time.
I remembered hearing that if you see and experience a lot from a young age, you’ll understand the world better as you grow up and know yourself properly.
It’s all to nurture the children’s proper values.
Even if it seems trivial, each of these small things all become part of their growth.
“What are you going to do alone here, Levi? Won’t you be bored?”
“I’ll be resting.”
I answered Aizen’s question without a hint of hesitation.
Aizen responded with an awkward smile that conveyed an indescribable expression.
“Oh, I see….”
“Since it’s a rare trip, enjoy it. I’ll be waiting here.”
“Okay… Rest well.”
I wasn’t lying.
I never had the shameless thought of wanting to savor my alone time and leisure in this hard-earned travel destination in the name of the goddess Paelia.
“I’m not going to say anything if you’re a little late today, so take your time and have fun.”
With that one remark, I wore the softest smile on my face.
The kids’ looks changed in a strangely complex manner upon seeing my expression, but I waved my right hand sturdily at them, not paying it much mind.
.
.
.
– Click
As soon as all the kids went outside, the room quickly filled with a quiet emptiness.
Since I’ve spent quite a while with the children, just being without them for a moment made me feel a restless unease, preventing me from sitting still.
“Ugh….”
It was only an hour since the kids left to play.
Now that I’m alone, the little habits I had forgotten began to surface one by one.
Sitting cross-legged in front of a small round table, stretching my arms and carelessly pushing my hair aside.
During this time, I had always been trying to maintain an upright posture to present a nun-like demeanor to the kids.
Once I loosened the rules that had tightly bound me for a while, I felt physically lighter.
I never knew the small freedoms of daily life would seep into my heart like this….
“Today, the tea seems particularly delicious….”
Sometimes, I think that these small freedoms in daily life are worth savoring deeply.
– Thud
Just as I was thoroughly enjoying my leisurely moment,
Unexpectedly, the door that was closed burst open, and one by one, the kids came back inside.
“Sigh….”
As soon as I heard their sighs, I hurriedly stretched my legs and straightened my back.
However, since it was so sudden, my balance collapsed, and I ended up kicking the table and falling helplessly to the floor.
– Crash!!
“Ugh─!!”
The crash of the cup and table combined into a tremendous noise.
I tried to get up, but the rising embarrassment deeply restrained my actions.
“…Levi? What are you doing with your butt up over there?”
Aizen’s bewildered voice followed after.
His comment only heightened my embarrassment.
“…….”
Managing to gather my composure, I rose slowly, trying to act as natural as possible.
I could feel my face was as red as an apple, but despite that, I offered a faint smile to the kids who came into the room as if nothing was wrong.
“Why, why did you come back so early…?”
“…Ah, we just thought it didn’t seem like a good atmosphere to look around.”
Noticing my discomfort, Aizen calmly and quietly responded, choosing not to pursue the matter further.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Nun…, something feels off here….”
“Everyone feels strange….”
Then Ellie and Iris rushed into my arms, speaking in a teary tone.
But since I had caused such a ruckus, I couldn’t properly hug Ellie and Iris who had jumped into my arms.
“They’re looking at us strangely….”
“Something feels weird….”
Their vague explanations only complicated my thoughts further.
What on earth happened outside that made the children tremble in fear like this?
“Well, you could say they were looking at us with pitying eyes… I don’t really know either. I don’t understand why the village elves looked at us like that….”
“Pitying eyes?”
“Yeah… At first, I thought they were just looking at me, but then I noticed they looked at all of us like that….”
As Rune continued explaining, my eyes widened in surprise.
Could it be that this rumor about me bringing the children as food is going around?
Is that why the elves looked at the kids with pity?
“…….”
As I watched the children, unsure of what to do, my expression stiffened unconsciously.
I hadn’t thought it through to that extent.
Had I known this would happen, I wouldn’t have let the kids go out by themselves.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you mixed up in a ridiculous rumor.”
“Huh? Why are you apologizing, nun?”
“…I’m just sorry.”
Unable to explain the situation in detail, I could only silently stroke the children who were still in my arms.
“I was curious about the World Tree….”
Iris murmured quietly, burying her face deeper into my embrace.
“When night falls, we’ll all go see the World Tree together. There’s still plenty of time.”
“But Rune said the World Tree looks prettier during the day….”
“Yeah?”
“The sacred aura of the World Tree only comes out during the day…. At night, it’s just an ordinary tree….”
Iris’s comment took me aback for a moment.
Why does the World Tree only emanate a sacred aura during the day and catch me off guard like this?
“Even though I know you dislike the sunlight…. Can’t you just go and see it just this once…?”
“…Ah.”
“Please, nun…. I really want to see the World Tree’s sacred aura….”
Warm sweat quickly trickled down my back.
The sun is still shining brightly outside.
“Do you really want to see it that much…?”
“You said it yourself…. That chances to see the World Tree are rare….”
I never imagined the careless words I threw out would come back to me like this.
I know it takes quite a while to get to the World Tree from here….
If I’m not careful, I might melt away in the intense sunlight like a slime.
“Nun….”
As I was slowly losing focus, stuck between a rock and a hard place—
“Oh, I see… You weren’t aware of it.”
Rune’s soft voice came like a whisper.
“Shall I bring something to use as shade outside…?”
