An old church that I came to unexpectedly, following my grandmother.
When I found myself in a place I had no plans to be, I could only keep my mouth shut like a fish out of water and glance around nervously.
“Thank you for your help, but why did you bring me all the way here…?”
“Huh? You’re not thinking of leaving this village already, are you?”
“Excuse me?”
“As you can see, there are hardly any women in this village. There’s so much to do, but the atmosphere is so bleak that even if they come, they leave quickly.”
“What does that have to do with me…?”
“You were dispatched here at my request, weren’t you?”
“…?”
“I don’t know why you were planning to go to the guild first instead of the church, but now that you’ve finally come to the right place, there’s no problem.”
I was left speechless for a moment.
I thought she had a plausible reason to pull me out of my predicament, but it seemed that was not the case.
“No… It seems there’s a misunderstanding; I’m not a nun affiliated with the convent.”
“Huh? Then did you come from the diocese?”
“No, no… I didn’t come here on a mission; I just stopped by for personal reasons.”
“…Personal reasons?”
Nodding silently at my grandmother, who frowned slightly in confusion, the previously normal atmosphere quickly turned chilly, and an awkward tension began to flow.
“So you were going to go to the guild…?”
“Yes, a few years ago, my children were indebted to this village.”
“Children…?”
As soon as the grandmother heard my answer, she suddenly fell into deep thought, closing her mouth naturally.
The quiet silence echoed within the church, making me feel like I was struggling to breathe for some reason.
“Is there a problem…?”
“If the children you’re talking about are the ones who were active in this village a few years ago, there are only those kids.”
“Those kids?”
“I heard they’re doing quite well in the royal capital now.”
Unexpected information came out softly in the solemn atmosphere.
Hearing that, my eyes sparkled involuntarily, and the corners of my mouth rose in a bright smile.
“Are you perhaps talking about Aizen, Ellie, Iris, and Rune?!”
“Ah, yes, that’s right. I must be getting old; my memory is fading.”
Hearing about the children in such an unexpected place filled me with a strange sense of elation, making my heart pound wildly.
“Hmm, so you must be the nun the children always talked about.”
“Did the children mention me?”
“Yes. Not just one of them, but all the kids bragged about you like they were singing every day.”
“What did they brag about?!”
Without realizing it, I began to urge the grandmother excitedly.
I had no intention of using the children as a trophy or boasting about myself.
I was simply curious about how they spoke about me outside of the church.
“…Well, I think they said you were like a goddess, incomparable to anyone else.”
The grandmother’s sincere answer made me slowly turn into stone.
That remark strangely spread inside me, making my whole body feel like it was freezing.
“They also said that you shine in any situation, and that shining is something no one can dare imitate.”
“That’s, that’s very direct yet abstract…”
“Well, most of the people who heard that story were men, so the direction of the conversation couldn’t be helped.”
Considering that the children were 15 and 13 years old at the time, I thought it wasn’t that strange of a story.
Although it was quite exaggerated, their feelings and respect at that age might have been strong.
However, after hearing that, a strange mix of complicated emotions began to swirl within me.
Should I like this or dislike it…
“I never imagined they would introduce me that way…”
To be honest, I had hoped they would highlight my skills rather than just my appearance.
I thought my ability to fight as a nun would be a bigger point of pride for the kids.
“Don’t be too discouraged. You might not know it now, but the kids were young back then. Isn’t that what we call pure?”
“I, is that so?”
“You’re somewhat aware of that fact, so you’re hiding your face to avoid unnecessary fuss.”
“Yes? Oh, no… I’m just…”
“That’s fine. I’m not saying this to scold you. Rather, I want to praise you.”
The flow of the conversation was quite perplexing.
I had never thought of myself in that way.
I had never been particularly concerned about my appearance and had only focused on improving my skills and helping the children.
Perhaps that’s why the grandmother’s words felt very awkward and even burdensome.
“Doesn’t that mean you’re serious about your job as a nun? What’s more, you even take care of lost little lambs…”
“Th-thank you for the compliment…”
“I now understand why the kids boasted so much about you around town.”
“Ahaha…”
All I could think was that I wanted to leave this place quickly.
I wasn’t used to compliments, and considering the content, it felt exaggerated, making the awkwardness and discomfort unbearable.
However, the grandmother continued to weave her stories, seemingly lost in memories.
“I often heard about you through Ellie. There were many fascinating stories.”
“Ellie came here often, I suppose…”
“Of course. Not just Ellie, but all the kids visited the church at least once a day.”
Thus began the grandmother’s stories from the past again.
Even after it had been quite a while since I entered the church, it seemed she still had a treasure trove of stories to share.
“Especially, I was so happy that Ellie helped me so often…”
“……”
“I thought her character was very nice and that she had been well-raised.”
Stories of the children were always welcomed.
That was the reason I planned this trip—to see and hear about them.
But right now, the situation and the timing were not good.
Since it was about the kids, I wanted to hear the stories to the end, but as soon as I started listening properly, I felt that a whole day would be gone too easily.
“…I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to tend to some matters and arrange for my lodging before the sun sets…”
So, I had no choice but to interrupt the grandmother’s story in the middle.
If I stayed like this, not only would the sun set, but I felt I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of my planned tasks.
Seeing how things were not starting off smoothly, a foreboding sense that my upcoming journey might unexpectedly become complicated crept in.
“Is it okay if I hear the rest of the story later?”
I added as gently as possible.
Then the grandmother paused with a slightly dazed expression, nodded slowly, and smiled warmly.
“Sure. If you want to hear the children’s stories, feel free to visit anytime.”
Noticing my intention, the grandmother readily let me go.
I nodded and gave a light bow.
“Ah, was the reason people outside were making a fuss about seeing me because of that nonsense spread by the kids?”
“No, I don’t think that’s it. It’s just nice to see a woman. Besides, with a beauty like you, you can imagine how the energetic young men would react.”
“……”
I thought they were keeping an eye on me because they judged me to be from the demon tribe, but it turned out I was just imagining things.
Well, since I had concealed myself so thoroughly, it would be unreasonable for people to notice.
I felt like I had unnecessarily tensed up.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave…”
“May the goddess shine upon you, and may her blessings fill your journey─.”
Just as I finished the simple farewell and was about to leave the church.
Suddenly, I heard the grandmother’s quiet prayer murmuring behind me.
I paused for a moment but then hurriedly clasped my hands together and bowed my head towards the grandmother, reciting the prayer as naturally as I could.
“May the goddess shine upon you…, and may your path be filled with blessings─.”
But I bowed.
The prayer unexpectedly sprang out at an unforeseen moment, causing my mind to go blank for an instant.
Even though I had acted as a nun before the kids for a whole decade, I had never been in such a traditional situation and found it quite unfamiliar and perplexing.
After hastily finishing the prayer, just as I was about to dash out of the church.
– Clunk─!!
“Sister!! We have a patient─!!”
The closed door of the church burst open noisily, and a man rushed in anxiously.
His face was tense, and another man limping in behind him made the atmosphere suddenly urgent.
“Damn it… I let my guard down without realizing it…”
A man covered in dirt all over.
It seemed he had been injured due to a moment of carelessness while on a hunt.
“I’ll pay any amount… Please… Heal… please…”
“I-I also got seriously injured in my arm while helping this guy…”
Seeing their pained expressions, it seemed a serious incident had occurred.
However, this was not my place to intervene; it was the grandmother, the nun of this church, who should handle the situation.
So I naturally took a step back to let them approach the grandmother.
Then─.
“Please, nun…”
“Please heal us with your holy power…”
For some reason, they bowed respectfully and directly asked me instead of the grandmother.
The owner of this church, the grandmother, seemed completely out of their thoughts.
“Excuse me?”
“The pain is getting worse… I’m in so much agony…”
A bewildering situation.
Looking closely, these guys were indeed covered in dirt, but not a drop of sweat clung to their faces.
Their armor looked quite intact, and upon a second look, the leg that was supposed to be injured didn’t appear to be that serious.
“…I’m not the nun of this church.”
“What?”
“And I don’t help just anyone. Don’t speak to me carelessly.”
With that final word, I walked out of the church without hesitation.
I didn’t want to expend unnecessary energy on such matters, so I didn’t pay any attention to the sounds coming from behind me and quietly made my way toward the guild.
