Episode 8
Episode 8
Though it was my second life, I thought it was just as valuable as my previous one.
A kind and harmonious family.
Friends with whom I could always be together and share everything.
A teacher who pretended to dislike me but taught me everything.
A small but warm village that bound all of that together.
'Was I getting too complacent?'
I did everything I could within my means.
A girl of barely ten years old.
An adult might manage more, but there's a limit to what a young girl can do.
That's why I did everything possible within the village.
It just unfolded differently from the information I knew.
'For Magical Beasts to come... twice...'
It might be because of fate.
My instincts settled on that intuitive conclusion.
Perhaps it meant that since I had entered the world of "Black Nightmare," there were certain developments that absolutely had to unfold.
Thinking that made me feel powerless.
Maybe accepting things as they are and doing nothing is also a way.
"Mia! Mia!"
Just as I was sinking into a sticky, viscous self-loathing, a voice called out to me.
My last hope, Ivy.
At the sound of her sorrowful voice, I slowly opened my eyes.
"Ivy... my head hurts..."
As I sat up, my head throbbed as if it would split open.
Probably from the jolting, I also felt a bit nauseous.
"Just lie down. You hit your head when you fell off the man's back. The priest-nim treated you, so you'll be fine after some rest."
I entrusted my body to Ivy's touch and lay back down.
Resting my head on her lap with my eyes closed, I muttered.
"...The village?"
An awkward and heavy silence lingered for a moment.
A trembling voice answered.
"All... deceased... they said..."
As if groping through memories, Ivy continued.
"By the time the Holy Knights arrived, everyone in the village was already dead... The women who were violated were also already broken by the Magi... Only the two of us... survived..."
Her voice gradually grew moist.
Simultaneously, drops of water fell onto my face.
"Only we survived... Everyone died... Only us..."
As if blaming herself, Ivy repeated it.
That only we had survived.
At her voice, I quietly reached out and stroked Ivy's head.
That was the best I could do.
*
Following the Holy Knights who came from the Church, we were transferred to the city and handed over to an orphanage affiliated with the Church.
The orphanage was quite large, as befitted a major city.
'I've gotten used to life here by now.'
Nearly half a year had already passed since then.
An orphanage entirely managed and operated by the Church.
It's a place only briefly mentioned in Black Nightmare 2, so I had almost no information about it.
'I think Ivy was selected to be the Hero from here.'
I was anxious at first, but after half a year here, my conclusion is that the Church is cleaner than I thought.
From meals to basic living, there's no shortage.
The priests managing this place generally feel like civil servants.
The kind of people who just efficiently handle their duties.
I thought living here might be happier than living ambiguously as a commoner.
'The Church is just a slightly closed-off and conservative group, that's all.'
That's the conclusion I, a veteran of the orphanage, have reached.
They don't generally abuse the children severely, nor do they withhold meals.
On the contrary, they provide three warm meals a day and even make us study.
Lying in bed with such thoughts, Ivy's voice reached me.
"Mia, let's go quickly! We have to go to Morning Prayer."
Ivy, dressed in a nun's habit for young girls, pulled my hand.
I nodded and finished getting dressed.
A black skirt covering the whole body, long sleeves, and a thin cloth flowing down over the head, covering about half the face.
The reason is that women must not make eye contact with other men before receiving God's baptism.
"Is it already time for Morning Prayer?"
"There's still plenty of time? But if we go early, we can sit in the front row! So let's go quickly."
"...We could go leisurely."
I don't know what's so great about boring Morning Prayer.
They repeat similar stories every day, but Ivy particularly loved prayer.
Maybe being together with everyone makes her feel less gloomy?
I don't really understand children's emotions.
Anyway, I followed Ivy, who was pulling my hand, and walked to the chapel.
"Mia, you came to Morning Prayer today."
A nun with a benevolent smile spoke in a mid-low voice.
"Ah, Sister Sophia-nim."
Sister Sophia.
One of the nuns who has worked at this orphanage the longest, and she is also the nun in charge of the girls.
She's the one who has taken a particular interest in me since the day I first arrived.
It's no exaggeration to say she's my dedicated nun.
"If I don't come to Morning Prayer, you'll make me do the cleaning and lunch prep again... Doing that every day is really tough."
"If you know that, then you should just come to Morning Prayer. Ivy comes every morning without fail."
"But you need to sleep soundly to grow tall."
Sophia let out a deep sigh and said.
"I understand you want to grow taller, Mia, but that means going to bed early, not waking up late."
"But... I want to grow more."
If I want to keep up with Ivy, who will become the Hero, it'll be difficult in my current state.
By female standards, my growth should be finished, but I'm about a handspan shorter than average women, and my strength is proportionally weaker.
Unless I learn Aura, I'll just end up as a slightly strong woman.
Sister Sophia-nim stroked my head and said.
"Mia, what do I always say?"
"You said everything is according to God's will."
"Then there must be a reason God gave you that height and body. So you must learn to accept and love yourself."
I quietly bowed my head and replied.
"Yes, I understand."
I actually don't understand at all, but I have to answer like this.
Going against God's will.
That is behavior one must not show in the Church.
Normally I'm the type to not listen until the end, but Sister Sophia-nim speaks so kindly that I can't be rude, so I answer properly.
'Some real trash bastards even hit us.'
Most don't care much, but some conservative priests hit us right away.
You're still poorly educated.
You insulted God.
Girls must be made modest from a young age.
Using reasons like that, they hit our calves with a switch until they're raw.
'It's not like only girls get hit, but the corporal punishment is too severe, that's the downside...'
The gender equality here is a bit ambiguous, making it hard for me to understand in some aspects.
For example, for the same mischief, girls get hit more.
They say it's because we should be modest but aren't.
But then, if a boy can't do something—whether it's studying, sports, or memorization—he gets hit terribly.
They scold him, asking how he could be worse than a girl.
Girls, on the other hand, are treated leniently in this regard.
Even if we weren't great at memorizing doctrine, being quiet and feminine was enough.
Sophia smiled gently at my answer and lightly stroked my head.
"Good, then Morning Prayer will start soon, so get ready."
"Yes, I understand."
After Sophia left, Ivy whispered beside me.
"Mia, why don't you believe in God-nim? God-nim is truly with us."
"It's not that I don't believe..."
In Black Nightmare, there is a goddess.
Not just in myths or old tales, but a real goddess who exists even now.
That's why there's a Hero, oracles, and she even appears in the main story.
'But that goddess isn't actually the one the Church believes in...'
This is revealed after the Hero kills the Demon King.
That the goddess the Church believes in is not the one who gave power to the Hero.
Players naturally speculated that the Saintess received power from the Church's goddess, while the Hero received power from a different goddess.
Thinking about it now, it was a game without precise settings.
Thanks to that, players probably had more to enjoy.
Adding flesh to missing settings or stories and enjoying them through inference is also a way.
While lost in trivial thoughts, Morning Prayer began.
Everyone stood up from their seats and clasped their hands.
""We give thanks to God for granting us life and happiness today.""
It begins with the usual mantra.
The words that follow are similar.
Thanks for giving us delicious food,
Thanks for giving us healthy bodies,
Thanks for giving us a happy day.
While such words are repeated over and over, the sun rises.
After finishing morning service and leaving the chapel, a cool air swept over us.
I rubbed my arms with my hands to generate some heat.
"Ugh... It's cold."
"Let's go eat quickly. The nuns probably made warm soup again today."
"Yeah, let's go eat quickly. If we hurry, the bread will still be warm."
Holding Ivy's hand, I walked toward the dining hall when some boys approached.
The boys' uniforms were roughly similar.
The difference is that they wear pants instead of a dress and don't cover their faces.
The boy leading the pack pointed at Ivy abruptly.
"I heard everything! They say you're the Saintess!"
"Me?"
Ivy looked at the boy, seemingly flustered by the sudden statement, and he continued triumphantly.
"You have all the symbols of the pure white that represents the Saintess-nim. So the priests said you must be the Saintess!"
Ivy is the Saintess?
That can't be.
Clearly, Ivy is destined to become the Hero and defeat the Demon King.
'Or is Ivy the Saintess in Black Nightmare 2?'
Actually, for a package game, that might be more popular.
An adventure where the player becomes the Hero and journeys with Saintess Ivy to subjugate the Demon King.
After pondering for a moment, I took Ivy's hand and pulled her away.
"Just ignore them. They're saying that because Ivy is so pretty. They should just be honest. How unmanly."
"Is that so? Hehe..."
We passed the shouting boys and arrived at the dining hall.
After getting our food and sitting in a corner with Ivy, I immediately said.
"Ivy, you will definitely become the Hero."
"Mia, you've always said that since we were little. Did you see the future or something?"
"Not exactly... but I can tell instinctively. A woman's intuition, perhaps?"
An absurd talent for handling weapons.
An altruism that can't stand by and watch others' misfortune.
Plus the information from the original.
Although there were many differences from the information I knew, this was enough to believe Ivy was the Hero.
"What's that supposed to mean."
Ivy giggled as if amused.
"But since Mia said it, I'll believe you. I always believe in Mia."
And then Mia subtly moved closer and hugged me.
Lately, she had been increasing the physical contact.