The Sacred Mark
Elisha of Eden. 142
After finishing that brief, barely educational session, I stood before the baptismal rite required to become a nun. Dressed in white ceremonial robes with a headband that left my forehead fully exposed, I knelt at the center of the goddess’s emblem drawn on the floor of the dimly lit room, candlelight flickering around me, and listened to the nuns’ prayers.
The prayers, woven from praises to the goddess and doctrinal verses, sounded almost like a song because of the nuns’ varied voices. I found myself humming along to the rhythm when the closed door opened and Ekaterina entered, resplendent in her ornate priestess robes. She approached me with a benevolent smile, stopped in front of where I knelt, and spoke.
“Today a new sister is born. May the grace of Lady Erutina be with us.”
“May the goddess’s grace be with us,” the surrounding nuns echoed.
Once their voices faded, Ekaterina continued. “Elisha Dryvyq, do you accept in the depths of your heart to serve the goddess as her servant?”
“Yes, I accept.”
“I bestow upon you the mark that proves you are now the goddess’s servant. May her blessing accompany it.”
A nun standing beside her offered a silver rod. Ekaterina took it and extended the tip forward. The other nuns placed their hands together. The end of the rod was gold, engraved with an intricate circle inside a downward-pointing triangle. Holy power flowed from the nuns’ joined hands, and the golden tip began to glow white-hot.
When it was heated enough to send up thin wisps of smoke, they withdrew their hands. Ekaterina spoke again. “I inscribe the goddess’s holy scar as your mark.”
At the same moment, several nuns seized my body and head to hold me still. The glowing tip of the rod touched the center of my forehead.
Chiiik!
“Nngh!”
A groan escaped me at the searing pain, but I forced myself to endure it. I had never imagined the baptism would be like this. The unexpected method left me flustered. I endured the burning agony on my forehead until, at last, the rod lifted away. One of the nuns brought a mirror so I could see the result for myself.
A clear, golden, downward-pointing triangle now marked the center of my pale forehead. When I touched it, I felt a thin layer of gold coating the scar tissue. My artificial skin possessed strong regenerative abilities, further enhanced by vital energy, yet the holy scar—burned in and simultaneously healed by divine power while being coated in gold—would never fade naturally.
“A veil to cover the holy scar of our newly baptized sister.”
“Yes.”
One nun brought a veil and placed it over my head. It was smaller and simpler than Ekaterina’s heavy veil, which completely concealed her hair and restricted neck movement.
“Associate nuns are not strictly required to keep their holy scars covered at all times, but I ask that you do so whenever possible.”
“Yes.”
“You may cover it with something other than the veil if you prefer.”
After a few more instructions, Ekaterina declared the baptism complete. Once the other nuns had left and only the two of us remained, we could speak more freely.
“The branding of the holy scar is quite painful, yet you bore it well.”
“I was startled because no one told me what the baptism actually involved.”
“For associate nuns the purpose of the rite is to confirm faith, so we keep the details secret on purpose. Enduring the pain proves your resolve to become the goddess’s servant.”
“I see.”
Tracing the raised lines of the scar beneath the veil, I understood the intent behind it.
“Would you like to speak with Ruya, who completed her baptism earlier?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Following Ekaterina’s guidance, we went to a room on the second floor of the temple. Ruya, Gwangnam, and Charlotte were already seated and chatting. Ruya had changed clothes and now wore a small veil identical to mine. Once we joined them, Gwangnam spoke first.
“Whoa~ Enduring a burn like that? You two are tough. Seriously tough.”
“Hohoho. Both of you have remarkable perseverance.”
“Ugh, I could never do that, meow.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
Gwangnam and Charlotte both grimaced and shook their heads. Ruya touched her own forehead and said, “But why do we have to keep the holy scar covered?”
“I was wondering the same thing.”
“Well, the holy scar was originally a slave brand. It became the mark of Erutina’s nuns because the goddess’s first nun was a slave who died giving birth to her child.”
Ah. So the goddess’s first nun had been a slave, and that was why the mark came to symbolize nunhood.
“This used to be a slave brand? It’s made of gold and looks so ornate that I thought it was just a divine symbol.”
“That’s why nuns in the distant past always wore veils to hide their foreheads. Later they replaced iron with gold and refined the design, so it no longer resembles a slave brand, but the religious tradition remains.”
That explained why she had said “whenever possible” rather than “always.” Unlike associate nuns, full nuns almost never removed their veils.
“But why isn’t this story written in the scriptures?”
“Here on Earth it might only be seen as a holy scar, but in my home dimension the class system still exists, so it’s better to keep it secret.”
Because nuns never removed their veils in front of others, very few people knew the holy scar resembled a slave brand.
“More importantly, that scripture you gave us is basically just a sex-education manual.”
“Hohoho. It’s a customized scripture for associate nuns. Full nuns receive education from a different text.”
“I knew it. I thought something felt off.”
Now that I understood the reason, the state of the scripture made sense. I voiced the question that had been on my mind.
“What exactly is the difference between a full nun and an associate nun?”
Ekaterina explained the distinction. Full nuns lived under strict rules: they were expected to remain in the temple as much as possible and to satisfy the sexual desires of the faithful. Originally this took the form of prostitution, but on Earth accepting cash for sexual services outside of licensed brothels was illegal, so they substituted other forms of assistance instead.
Unlike full nuns, who lived under rigorous discipline as servants of the goddess, associate nuns held a kind of honorary position. They had almost no obligations, but in return they could not receive divine oracles and their names were not entered in the temple registry. They could still receive holy power according to their faith, yet both the quality and quantity were inferior to that of full nuns who devoted themselves entirely to religious life.
Perhaps because we had chosen to become nuns despite being only associate members, Ekaterina’s gaze and voice grew noticeably warmer as she explained everything with gentle enthusiasm.
“Anyway, the important ceremonies are finished. Shall we have a drink?”
“Let’s drink, meow!”
“Don’t overdo it. You two turn into disasters when you’re drunk.”
“I’m a feline beastkin, meow! Not a dog, meow!”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“My lord? Tonight is our wedding night, so please drink in moderation. We have a passionate evening ahead.”
“Uh… got it. I’ll drink moderately.”
Gwangnam, who had been carrying in boxes of alcohol, froze at Ekaterina’s words and answered in a flustered tone. While we prepared the drinking area, Ekaterina brought simple snacks from the temple kitchen. The party that followed was warm and lively.
“Alcohol is best as soju-beer mix!”
“I hate soju, meow. It’s just alcohol dissolved in water, meow. Chemical junk.”
“Now, now, Second Wife. Trust your husband and try it at least once.”
“Meow… I’ll make a special exception and drink it, meow.”
While I watched him mixing beer and soju, I overheard Ruya speaking to Ekaterina.
“Don’t you have any wine?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have anything that would suit your taste, Lady Ruya.”
“Then never mind. Beer is better than mediocre wine anyway.”
Ruya poured a full glass of beer and drained it in one go.
“Kah~ Refreshing and delicious. By the way, this veil is a little uncomfortable. Can I take it off?”
“Huhu. Among close companions it’s perfectly fine to show your face.”
“Hup.”
Ruya removed her veil at once. The same golden holy scar gleamed on her forehead. Against her brown skin the golden mark possessed a strange allure. Still unused to the sensation, she touched the scar and murmured, “Now that I have the holy scar, I understand why Ekaterina always looks so serene. I can’t furrow my brow or raise my eyebrows anymore.”
“It is the price one must pay for receiving the holy scar.”
“Ugh. They say gaining holy power is a path of asceticism.”
I hadn’t noticed because I could no longer make expressions anyway, but there was such a side effect. Since it had originally been a slave brand, it probably also served to control a slave’s facial expressions.
I should tell Elisa about this.
“Come on! Elisha, drink too!”
“Ah, thank you.”
I accepted the beer mug Gwangnam offered and took a long sip. Honestly, the soju-beer mix he was so proud of didn’t taste any better than plain beer.
“How is it? My special soju-beer technique.”
“Honestly, it tastes worse than regular beer.”
“You’ll get used to it. The advantage is that it gets you drunk faster than beer.”
“Mm… I can’t get drunk.”
My full-body prosthesis broke down alcohol before any of its byproducts could reach my brain. The biological brain inside the mostly mechanical body was protected by multiple layers of filters in the cranial casing and artificial blood vessels, so harmful substances were automatically filtered out.
“You can’t get drunk even if you drink? That full-body prosthesis sounds inconvenient.”
‘I can make you feel drunk if you want.’
‘Oh? When did you come out?’
‘An alarm went off in the prosthesis when they branded the holy scar.’
‘Right, because the artificial skin got burned.’
‘How dare they scar and mark my doll without her owner’s permission? I only held back because holy power is useful. I’m furious, you know?’
‘Sorry. I was wrong.’
It was understandable that she would be angry; they had modified her property without permission. I spent a while listening to Elisa’s scolding and reflecting on my mistake.
‘Young lady is my doll. Any act that alters her body requires my permission as her owner.’
‘Understood.’
‘Even though you possess free will, always remember that you are a doll and act accordingly.’
Reconciling free will with the existence of a doll was truly difficult. A doll was an extremely passive being; free will was the opposite—an active one. Explaining how the two could coexist was hard even when it applied to myself. Unlike a simple doll that only followed its programming, I was a doll with free will, which was why I kept causing trouble and getting scolded.
After Elisa’s lecture ended, we discussed the holy scar.
‘Will this holy scar cause errors in my expression program?’
‘It probably will. Some facial muscles are now restricted. I’ll fix it later.’
‘Since I received the holy scar and became a nun—even an associate one—does that mean I’ll gain holy power every time I have sex?’
‘I’d like to analyze holy power if you obtain it. It’s an interesting force that heals wounds simply by being received, without any special processing.’
‘So if I want to gain holy power, I’ll need to have a lot of sex, right?’
‘Hmm… You’ve been successfully modified into a doll, even if not to the originally planned level, so you won’t fall for just any man anymore. I’ll lift the sex restriction. You only need to report afterward.’
‘Thank you.’
I had finally obtained permission to have sex freely. Until now, Elisa had forbidden it except with partners she designated.
Even after Elisa returned to her work, the party continued. Before long, a thoroughly drunk Gwangnam was having sex with an equally intoxicated Charlotte.
“Honestly. Now they don’t even care that we’re here.”
“Hohoho. What about you, Lady Ruya? You’re always welcome.”
“Ehh, I’m not really in the mood for Gwangnam. Besides, I can’t have sex whenever I want. I need my master’s permission.”
“Oh, right. Lady Ruya is Lady Elisha’s slave. What do you think, Lady Elisha?”
Ekaterina turned her gaze toward me and asked. Watching Gwangnam’s thick shaft slide in and out of Charlotte’s tight entrance, I answered.
“I’ll still ask for confirmation each time, but I have no intention of stopping Ruya from having sex with whoever she desires.”
“You’re a merciful master.”
“But if the person she wants is someone who falls below my standards, I’ll object.”
“Aw, I don’t like bad guys either.”
Ruya was a clever elf, unlike the simple doll I was, so she would handle things well on her own. She didn’t share my masochistic, twisted preferences, and being both dominant and sadistic, she wouldn’t be easily swayed by her partners.
“Nyaang!”
“Kugh! I’m coming!”
With Gwangnam’s cry, his balls tightened visibly as he pumped his seed deep inside Charlotte.