Chapter 2 - This, too, must be the Goddess's will (2)
This, too, must be the Goddess's will (2)
Translator : Elizabeth
Dim moonlight seeps gently through the hole in the ceiling.
Standing alone beneath it, I feel as if I am under a spotlight.
"But those eyes..."
The unfamiliar woman's quiet murmur made my breath catch for a moment.
"A demon?"
She looked at me with eyes full of suspicion.
"......."
...Ah, it seems I've been caught.
I hurriedly opened my mouth to offer a belated explanation. But for some reason, all that came out of my parted lips was a dry breath.
Is denying the truth here really the right choice?
Even if I clear up the misunderstanding, considering the situation that would follow, I can't help but doubt whether that choice is truly correct. No matter what I choose, the fact that the situation is flowing in a direction unfavorable to me remains unchanged.
"I-I am a nun..."
Since my face has already been revealed, rather than coming up with a belated excuse now, I decided that using the words the woman just murmured would be the wiser choice. If I make a mistake, I'll end up in a more miserable state than I am now—a fugitive.
"A nun, you say?"
Hearing my answer, the woman covered her mouth with both hands and widened her eyes in surprise for some reason.
It was as if she had finally met someone she had admired for a long time. A strange, inexplicable joy flowed from the woman's face as it gradually brightened.
"W-well... even if it's an abandoned church, there's no way a demon would be hiding in a place like this."
At the woman's subsequent words, my body flinched for a moment.
Just as I was struck dumb, keeping my mouth shut tight and only rolling my eyes left and right...
"What's going on—?!!"
The man who had been keeping watch outside suddenly burst into the abandoned church.
"Gasp!!"
As soon as he saw me, his eyes flashed wide, and he quickly readied his stance. The quiet atmosphere became chaotic in the blink of an eye.
"Wait, Chloe!! I'll save you right away!!"
He swiftly drew the rusty iron sword at his waist and aimed it at me without a shred of hesitation.
"M-Mr. Daren?!!"
"Where on earth did this thing come from?!"
The woman's complexion turned pale in an instant. She seemed quite flustered by the sudden turn of events. She tried to stop the man urgently by waving her hands and shaking her head at the same time. Sadly, the man, who had already finished preparing for battle, seemed unable to see anything else.
"Don't worry!! We've done well so far!!"
"No, that's not it...! This person is, you see..."
"Let go of Chloe!! You filthy demon!!"
The man's thunderous shout echoed in all directions along the desolate church walls.
An awkward silence followed.
His determination was palpable. Because it carried a resolve as strong as the sharpness of the iron sword aimed at me, I didn't feel particularly offended by his calling me a demon.
"...Daren!!!"
After a brief silence.
The woman, coming to her senses late, suddenly frowned deeply and shouted at the man.
"What kind of absurd thing are you saying to the Sister!!"
The woman's voice, filled with inexplicable anger, filled the silent abandoned church. The atmosphere then heightened strangely, and a distinct tension began to hang in the air.
"...What?"
"This person is a Sister!! Can't you tell by looking at the clothes she's wearing?!"
At the woman's firm rebuke, which was like a lion's roar, the man finally lowered the iron sword he had been aiming at me.
"S-Sister...?"
"Not just 'Sister,' but 'Sister-nim'!! Why are you being so rude?!"
"That makes no sense... This isn't a land where people can live anymore..."
"She is living right here before your eyes."
"No, I mean..."
Even though I didn't intend it, the situation is flowing surprisingly well. Well, that doesn't mean the current situation is entirely good. Just having a chance to escape like this gives me a little breathing room.
"It's not too late, so beg for the Sister's forgiveness quickly, Daren."
"Huh?"
"Because the merciful Sister will extend a hand of forgiveness without asking about any faults to those who repent their sins."
"I was just trying to protect you..."
Despite the woman's earnest persuasion, the man still didn't wipe the suspicious look from his face. Then, the woman who had been kneeling in front of me suddenly gathered her hands together and bowed her head deeply.
"I apologize, Sister. I will beg for forgiveness on Daren's behalf..."
The woman's earnest prayer began to ring out quietly, cutting through the cool air of the abandoned church.
"Please look upon the rudeness of this ignorant lamb and grant your benevolent forgiveness with your broad embrace. We were just temporarily blinded by exhaustion from our long journey..."
Like a scene from a movie, the sight of the woman reciting her earnest prayer while bathed in the moonlight was strangely holy.
Whether overwhelmed by her sincerity or perhaps truly feeling some holy energy... even the man watching the situation awkwardly bowed his head and reluctantly closed his mouth.
"......."
For some reason, I felt like I was driving a wedge between these two. The man, still unable to properly understand the situation, frowned slightly with a bewildered expression. The woman, immersed even deeper in prayer, endlessly murmured her desperate pleas.
"P-please raise your head..."
Swallowing a sigh, I spoke as solemnly as possible.
The atmosphere had become quite heavy somehow, but it was okay. I don't know exactly how a nun speaks and acts. But I have no doubt that if I just set the mood and speak solemnly, it will work out somehow.
"I am fine... Rather, I am grateful that you think of my existence seriously."
Thus began my act as a nun.
Continuing to think of plausible words in my head, I focused all my attention on matching my tone and the atmosphere. I stuttered a bit because I was quite tense. Fortunately, that didn't become a major problem, and thanks to that human touch, the atmosphere seemed to relax a little.
"It is no wonder that you suspect me."
"Pardon?"
"After all, this is a land where people can no longer live."
As soon as I finished speaking, the surrounding air became heavy once again. It felt as if time had stopped, as if everything inside the church had frozen for a moment. However, despite that, I maintained my composure to the end and continued speaking calmly.
"You couldn't help but be wary."
I gently placed a hand on my chest and closed my eyes slowly. It was a desperate measure to hide my demon-specific eyes. But in the woman's eyes, even that action seemed to appear as the deep contemplation of a cleric.
"Ah... as expected. You were walking a path of hardship alone to soothe the souls of this abandoned land, Sister."
The woman's voice now sounded close to worship, beyond just conviction.
Feeling the cold sweat running down my back, I opened my closed eyes just a tiny slit. And I gently shifted my gaze to the man who was still glancing at me suspiciously.
"I know that the sword was aimed at me not out of fear, but out of the courage to protect someone precious."
A physique of a child barely ten years old, clothes no different from rags, and a shabby nun's veil. Anyone could see it was an alien appearance completely unsuited to this place. But thanks to that alien nature, the holy atmosphere was actually deepening.
"So please do not mind it too much."
My small and frail voice echoed calmly inside the abandoned church with the open ceiling. The man flinched for a moment, then slowly relaxed his grip on the sword handle.
"Are you really not a demon? Those eyes are definitely a demon's..."
"Daren! Are you still saying such rude things!"
The woman's sharp rebuke followed immediately. The man opened and closed his mouth as if he were wrongly accused.
"It is natural that my appearance looks strange in your eyes."
I closed my narrowed eyes completely once again and let out a deep sigh, as if I were shouldering all the burdens of the world alone.
"This land is already cursed, and that curse slowly eats away at everything that stays here."
A tone so heavy it was hard to believe it came from the mouth of a child barely ten years old. I slowly shook my head. And I gave a weak, bitter smile like a saint calmly accepting her own decline.
"It seems I could not avoid that weathering either."
"O-Oh my..."
My voice was incredibly calm and reverent, even to my own ears.
"But appearance is nothing more than a vessel for the soul."
Thanks to the resonance spreading along the walls of the empty church, the words coming from my humble frame felt grand, like a revelation descending from the heavens.
"Just as the heart with which you tried to protect, Brother, is noble and true, I am merely a small lamp offering prayers to the Goddess in this place."
With those words, an even heavier silence settled inside the abandoned church.
That silence was not the sharp confrontation of before. It was closer to awe, or the instinctive sense of being overwhelmed when facing something one dares not approach.
With this, the suspicion about me must have cleared to some extent. I should slowly prepare to run away...
"...I apologize."
Just as I was letting out a quiet sigh of relief inside and trying to sneak a step backward.
"I never dreamed that you would be bearing the curse of this land alone with that small body, praying with your whole being."
A confession mixed with repentance suddenly burst from the man's mouth. The sharp momentum from before had vanished without a trace. He bowed his head deeply like a sinner, with his sword completely sheathed.
"Please forgive me, Sister..."
Speaking quietly, the man slowly knelt on one knee.