Truly a Mistake: 'Church Nun Blackmail Training' (2)
Lapis started reading Church Nun Blackmail Training to warn the parishioners about its dangers. ...That had definitely been the intention at the start.
Swish─
'...Well, the historical accuracy isn't bad for a church setting.'
The depiction of the confessional's structure, the order of the mass, and even the use of holy water was surprisingly precise.
Swish─
'If it's this accurate, the author must have actually visited a church before? That makes it even more outrageous.'
Lapis nodded with a disinterested expression and flipped to the next page.
And then...
Swish─ Swish─
'....'
Swish─ Swish─ Swish─
At some point, Lapis's hand wouldn't stop turning the pages.
"Eek!!...Th-the confessional's...hole is!...N-not...f-for...th-that...purposeee!!♥"
A small scream escaped Lapis's lips.
A confessional is a sacred space where one confesses sins before the goddess and seeks forgiveness! But in the novel, the young noble used the partition hole in the confessional to...!!
'N-no...! This is...just a novel...? Don't confuse it with reality!'
Lapis shook her head wildly and turned the page.
Swish─ Swish─ Swish─!
"Wh-what...is this...?!...Th-that...like this!?...Eek...!...I...I...!!W-would never...do...something like this!!♥...Hii?!"
Lapis startled at the words that had slipped from her own mouth and clamped it shut.
'...Wh-what...did I just say...? Did I really say...‘I’...?'
Gulp─
Lapis swallowed dryly and recalled the description of Yuris once more.
A nun single-handedly supporting a poor church. A pure body that had never even masturbated. Long wavy hair and large breasts.
'....'
Well, the hair and eye colors were different... but almost everything else─ of course it was just a coincidence!! But there were way too many similarities to Lapis for it to be mere chance.
Fidget─
'Haa...!...Why...does it feel...so stuffy today?'
Her nun's habit felt unusually clingy against her skin today.
Especially the throbbing sensation in her lower abdomen made Lapis unconsciously rub her thighs together.
Squish! Twitch!
For Lapis, it was a strange heat she could only describe as an 'odd feeling.'
Unfortunately, having zero sexual experience, including masturbation...
Lapis didn't even realize she was in heat right now.
Rustle─
'...But...? Wh-what if...! If Yuris...was me...then who...is that noble...Yujin...?'
In truth, she already knew the answer.
When the scene came up in the novel where the young noble proposed a donation to the church...
For some reason, only one person popped into Lapis's mind.
Of course, he didn't act like a spoiled brat like Yujin in the novel, didn't strut around arrogantly, and though he had a playful side, he was always polite─ the youngest son of the count's family.
Rian Ludwig.
'N-no way...? Does Rian...have intentions like this...toward me!?...Kuh!?...Wh-what am I...thinking right now!!'
Shake─! Shake─!
Lapis shook her head vigorously.
It was just that Rian overlapped with the setting of a young noble donating to the church.
There was absolutely no other meaning.
Besides, while Rian's donations so far weren't small by any means, they weren't the astronomical amounts described in Church Nun Blackmail Training, right?
Moreover, Rian had started donating to the church long before this novel came out.
"Haa..."
Suddenly, she felt pathetic. Suspecting a perfectly fine person just because she read a novel. It was pure overactive imagination. The moment Lapis tried to turn her eyes back to Church Nun Blackmail Training─
"Lapis sis?"
"Hiiyaah──?!"
Lapis let out a bizarre scream at the sudden voice. Thump! Thump! Thump!
She thought her heart would drop out.
"...E-Ellie? It, it was you?"
"Yeah! But sis, that was you! You okay? You made a super weird noise."
Ellie, the girl they were caring for at the church, blinked her big eyes up at Lapis.
"Y-yeah... N-no... I just...got startled."
"But sis, your face is really red? You got a fever? A cold?"
"─N-no!! Not at all!! Not red!! It's just...um...!!"
Whoosh─!
Lapis hurriedly hid Church Nun Blackmail Training behind her back.
Fortunately, the cover looked just like a bible, so to Ellie's eyes, it probably looked like she was just reading scripture.
'M-my...f-face is...r-red...?'
She wanted to die from embarrassment. A cleric blushing while reading a book like this... The goddess would surely be disappointed if she saw.
"Ahem! ...Anyway, Ellie... why'd you come all the way here? I told you to study until dinner time, right?"
"It's dinner time now? You weren't coming, so I came looking!"
"...Dinner? No way? I just... "
Whoosh!
Lapis turned to check the clock, and sure enough, it was well past dinner time, just as Ellie said.
'...Impossible! How long was I reading so absentmindedly?!'
When she received the bible shipment, the sun was still shining brightly...
Even conservatively, that meant she'd spent at least three or four hours reading nothing but Church Nun Blackmail Training.
'G-goddess... f-forgive me!!'
Lapis bit her lip, repenting inwardly, and said to Ellie,
"...S-sorry. Sis will tidy up and come. Wait for me first?"
"Okay! But hurry! The mincho chicken soup tastes bad if it cools!"
"U-uh... Got it. Be right there."
Clack─ Clack─!
As Ellie's footsteps faded toward the dining hall...
Lapis pulled out Church Nun Blackmail Training from behind her back.
"Th-this...blasphemous...book!!...I-I'm...throwing it...out...right now!!"
Thud─! Thud─! Thud─!
Lapis stomped angrily toward the trash can.
Slide─
She approached right up to the trash can, lifted Church Nun Blackmail Training high...
But─ Freeze!
'Wait!...But...the cover looks just like...a bible?'
If she threw it in the trash, some parishioner might mistake it for a discarded bible and pick it up to check!
"Th-that...won't do. Then maybe burn it..."
Lapis glanced toward the candle, but quickly shook her head.
This cover was still a bible.
If someone saw her burning what looked like a bible?
Rumors of the church nun burning scripture would spread like wildfire!
For the same reason, tearing it up was impossible too.
"...Ugh. Really... n-no choice."
Lapis sighed, truly left with no option, and decided to 'seal' Church Nun Blackmail Training away in her room.
She really had no choice! Because the cover was a bible, and as a cleric, Lapis couldn't throw it away, burn it, or tear it... so taking it to her room and 'sealing' it was the only way, right?
'...Right! It's a s-seal! Sealed! I won't read it again!'
Hustle─!
Lapis hurried to the dining hall to eat dinner quickly and 'seal' it away.
A few days later, in the study of Rian's mansion.
'Hmm...'
I rested my chin on my hand and looked down at the ledger.
Following Raping My Childhood Friend, Church Nun Blackmail Training had also been a massive hit, so I had some breathing room now.
Slide─
Was this what they meant by 'generosity from a full barn'? Looking at the amounts in the ledger, Yuribellin Church kept nagging at my mind.
'Hmm... We've had a mutually beneficial relationship for quite a while...'
Before I started writing erotica, Yuribellin Church had been Ludwig Publishing House's biggest client. They got bibles at below-market prices, and for the publishing house with few other clients, it was a stable revenue source.
'Publishing is business too, so some things are unavoidable...'
Still, sorry was sorry.
'...And Lapis sis has been on my mind too.'
Even before going independent from the Ludwig count family, I'd received help from Lapis several times.
When first getting this mansion with Topaz, it was Lapis who gave info on the area, and she always listened well to my personal troubles...
'Honestly, without Lapis sis, it would've been tougher.'
So cutting off trade with someone I owed so much to? Of course I felt bad.
"Topaz."
"Yes."
Topaz, who was cleaning the study, turned her head.
"I'm heading to the church after a long time."
Topaz tilted her head.
"It's really been a while, huh?"
"Yeah, made some money. Thinking of making a donation."
The donation amount I had in mind was enough to cover printing bibles elsewhere, plus a chunk of the erotica sales profits.
I still couldn't print bibles directly due to Ludwig Publishing's 'exclusive rights'...
But this much should keep the church afloat for a good while.
"Understood. I'll prepare the carriage."
Slide─
Topaz nodded and started to leave, but glanced back slightly.
"But, Master Rian."
"Yeah?"
"Sister Lapis... she's pretty, right?"
"...Out of nowhere?"
"Why? Just asking. Answer me."
Topaz said it with a completely straight face, like it was no big deal.
"She is. You've seen her too."
"What did I say? I just asked if you think she's pretty."
"...Topaz, I'm going to donate to the church."
"Yes, yes, got it. I'll prep the carriage."
"...."
Clop─ Clop─
A little later, I arrived at Yuribellin Church by carriage.
Slide─
It had been a while, but it was still meticulously maintained.
'Lapis sis is impressive... managing all this alone?'
Step─ Step─
Going around to the back door of the church, I saw Lapis hanging laundry in the yard.
"Lapis sis."
Slide─
At the sound of her name, Lapis set down the laundry basket and turned.
"...Huh? Rian?"
I could see her face light up brightly upon recognizing me. But...
It was only for a moment.
Soon, as if remembering something, Lapis's eyes changed.
Zing─
"...Oh? Isn't it Rian Ludwig~? To what do I owe the pleasure? The publishing house owner who rejected our bibles to sell weird books!"
Lapis crossed her arms and pouted as she spoke.
'Yup, she's pissed.'
It was the reaction I'd expected.
"No, actually, that's why I came... How's the church been?"
"Hmph! Same as always~! Haa..."
Lapis sighed, picked up the laundry again, and replied.
"Well! If there's! A problem! It's where to get bibles now! We got dumped by our usual supplier, and everywhere else jacked up prices...!"
Smack─! Smack─! Whirr─!
Lapis shook the laundry extra hard and glared at me again.
"...Ahem."
With nothing to say, I turned my head and cleared my throat─
Slump─
Suddenly, Lapis's shoulders drooped.
"Haaa... Sorry, Rian. I know I shouldn't act like this... I was just a bit upset... I'm grateful for everything you've done so far... Sorry for snapping."
Lapis fiddled with her habit and spoke softly.
"No, I was in the wrong for cutting off suddenly too... So, about that..."
Slide─
I pulled a folded envelope from my pocket and handed it to Lapis.
"I wanted to make a 'donation' this time."
"......Hic?♥"
Lapis froze, mouth half-open.