Between Lies and Truth
Waiting around here powerlessly wouldn't change a thing, caught between lies and truth.
“Sigh~” I took a deep breath and stretched, getting up from my seat.
“Already getting up?”
“I want to go see the nuns first.”
“Rest a bit more...”
Leaving Marie, who looked at me worriedly, I got out of bed. Glancing down at myself, I noticed I wasn't in my usual nun's habit but in loose patient-like pajamas made of clean white cloth—something unfamiliar.
Come to think of it... who changed my clothes?
As I tilted my head in suspicion, Marie spoke up first from beside me.
“I changed your clothes.”
“You did?”
“Yeah... they were a total mess. Sorry...”
Marie’s face flushed red in an instant.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Well... I didn't mean to look on purpose, but while changing you, I... I saw you naked. And I touched your body a bit. If it bothers you... I'm sorry.”
It wasn't like she'd peeked with bad intentions. You can't change clothes without that happening.
“Why apologize for something like that? It's not like I'm upset that you—a girl like me—saw me.”
“...What about me?”
Marie's voice grew a little quieter.
Hmm...
I thought we'd gotten closer, but getting awkward over a little skin contact felt off.
“Touching my body was the same. How could you change my clothes without touching me at all? And...”
I stepped closer to her, playfully leaning in to sniff her scent.
“!?”
She smelled like sun-warmed fabric, warm and comforting, mixed with a subtle sweetness like fresh cream milk. At the same time, a pure, fresh, uniquely Marie-like fragrance tickled my nose.
“You smell nice...”
This time, I gently lifted her hand. I felt her flinch in surprise through my fingertips.
“Teresa!?”
“Your hands are soft, and touching them makes me want to keep holding on—like puppy jelly. Far from upset, it actually felt good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Are you feeling bad right now?”
Marie shook her head vigorously side to side.
“No way! I... I also... f-felt g-good.”
“See? Same here. You weren't touching me with bad intentions. You were just helping me out and had no choice. Why would I get upset over that, right?”
“...Y-yeah...”
Her face had turned as red as a ripe apple by now, steam practically rising from her ears. Marie's eyes shook without focus.
Is she embarrassed right now?
What's there to be shy about between girls...
But this is fun. I should tease her more sometimes.
That was when—
Bang— The door flew open, and a nun entered the room.
“Oh, you're awake. I was just about to wake you. Perfect timing. The abbess and the elders want you brought to them. I'll wait outside, so get ready and come out.”
“...Okay.”
The nun left, and I turned to Marie.
“So, where are my clothes?”
“Huh? Oh, your clothes... the nuns took them.”
“They took my clothes?”
That didn't sound good.
“...Wait... when they took them, they left new ones.”
Marie fumbled around hurriedly and pulled out a neatly folded new nun's habit, handing it to me.
“Here...”
She glanced at me awkwardly, then quickly looked away.
“Thanks.”
I changed and left the room.
...
..
.
Following the nun to the abbess's office, I replayed the situation in my mind.
Marco and his gang were definitely lying. James... who knows, but he'd betrayed me once anyway. I couldn't fully trust him.
If they'd all committed to lying, there was no guarantee the adults would believe me.
Well, up to this point... it was just kids fighting. Not a huge deal.
Even if I was in the wrong...
The worst would be some punishment, or getting kicked out in the absolute worst case.
So the real issue now was...
How I was perfectly fine.
If they'd seen those clothes... no one could ignore that I hadn't been injured.
If they found out I was cursed, or that I'd contracted with a demon...
Who knows what punishment I'd face then.
“We're here.”
Before I knew it, we'd arrived at the abbess's office.
Standing before the door, the scent of incense leaking through and the heavy air made my shoulders tense involuntarily.
“Go on in.”
“Yes.”
The door opened, and cold, heavy air rushed in.
“...”
Candles flickered quietly on the long table. Ahead of them sat the abbess and the elders in black habits, all staring at me in a row.
Surprisingly, Vanessa was there too...
Come to think of it, Sister Vanessa is an elite, right?
Their gazes fixed on me all at once, and I felt suffocated for a moment.
Gulp—
In the center of the room stood a single small chair, like a defendant's seat at trial, beckoning me lonely and isolated. I hesitated but eventually approached and sat.
The wooden chair creaked coldly, echoing through the room.
“You're here.”
In the silence, cold sweat trickled down my back. Their stares pressed down heavily, my throat parched like it was burning.
Ugh...
As I hesitated over what to say first, the abbess spoke.
“Teresa, tell us honestly what happened yesterday.”
I nodded carefully.
Then, without a single lie, I recounted everything from yesterday straightforwardly.
Some elders scribbled notes on papers in their hands; others tilted their heads, exchanging glances. I couldn't hear their whispers, but it felt like my fate hung between those looks, chilling my spine.
“I see.”
After a moment, the elders spoke.
“We also got a confession from James that Marco threatened him into luring you to a secluded spot in the woods.”
“Tsk tsk... A girl shouldn't follow boys so easily! Especially to a shady place without suspicion!”
“You almost had a real disaster. Be more careful next time.”
Public opinion surprisingly wasn't too negative toward me. But of course, some disagreed.
“But Marco's group was badly hurt... Did you do that to them alone?”
The question came from an elderly nun with a wrinkled face and sharp features. Her bony fingers interlaced, she glared at me prickly, like an inquisitor judging a sinner.
“Probably.”
“Hmm... That's strange. No matter how you look at it, it's hard to believe a little girl like you took down three boys three years older than you by yourself.”
She started pressing me suspiciously.
“Come to think of it... You're the one who exercises in the courtyard every morning.”
They knew...
“But even with that training, you're no professionally trained knight or fighter. You couldn't overcome that numerical disadvantage and size difference.”
“That's...”
“Answer me. How did you beat them?”
The nun's voice sharpened, and the other elders' gazes bound me tight. As my breath grew short...
“Sister Eida.”
Someone quietly stood from their chair, answering in my place.
“That's... because I buffed her.”
“A buff? You personally buffed her?”
It was Vanessa.
“Yes. Before leaving the monastery, I gave her a few buffs.”
“Hmm... That makes it even more suspicious.”
But her eyes dodged Vanessa, stabbing at me like needles.
“Did you know in advance they were luring you into a trap... get buffs from Sister Vanessa, and turn the tables on them?”
“No.”
“How can you prove that?”
A nauseating tremor rose from deep in my chest. Indignation and fear choked me.
And then Vanessa defended me again.
“Sigh... Sister Eida, no. She only asked me for Restia's Blessing, and the rest I added on my own whim. Pure coincidence.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I guarantee she had no such intentions.”
“If you say so... Hm, alright.”
Only then did the room's tension ease.
The abbess and elders exchanged looks, then nodded as if reaching a conclusion.
“Teresa, in this incident, you seem to be just the victim.”
“Then...?”
“No punishment needed for you.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Teresa.”
But before I could relax fully, the abbess called me again.
“Yes?”
“We have a few questions for you.”
On the desk her hand touched, my ruined nun's habit from yesterday lay spread out.
Here it comes.