The Serpent at the Altar
The damp air clung to her lungs like a shadow. Beneath the dark sky, Sister Sua pulled the collar of her habit tighter as she stared at the steady drizzle of rain.
The scenery felt utterly foreign. Streets paved entirely with bricks rather than asphalt, rows of stone houses clearly worn by centuries of time, all packed tightly together. And on the hill overlooking them stood the small church where she was staying.
“Sua.”
Sua recalled the endlessly gentle face of Sister Agnes, who had called to her with such warmth. The nun had practically raised her from the day she was abandoned beneath a utility pole and brought to the orphanage run by the sisters.
Even as the other children at the orphanage began dreaming their own dreams, Sua stubbornly clung only to the thought of becoming a nun. There was only one reason: Sister Agnes, who had cared for her like a mother. Whether she was sick or happy, the nun had always been by her side. Naturally, Sister Agnes became an object of admiration for Sua. Someday, she had thought, she wanted to become a nun just like her.
There had been no need to think twice. As if it were her destiny, her natural path, Sua had entered the convent right after graduating high school. After completing her postulancy and novitiate, right at the end of her period of temporary vows, it was Sister Agnes who stopped her from applying for final vows.
“Before you take your final vows, how about going abroad for some volunteer work? I think it wouldn’t be too late for you to make your choice after experiencing more of the world.”
Sister Agnes had handed her some spending money along with an address. She said it was a place she had stayed briefly after completing her own final vows. There was no way Sua could refuse. Especially since it was a place where Sister Agnes had once lived. After all, she was going to become a nun anyway. Delaying her final vows made little difference. As Sister Agnes suggested, she would simply complete her volunteer service and then take her final vows to become a proper nun.
“...Though I never imagined the volunteer location would be a small church in Italy.”
It had already been over three months since Sua arrived here. Since she had promised to stay for a year, she still had nine months left. Fortunately, she had learned Italian as a child at Sister Agnes’s suggestion, so she didn’t have much trouble. Still, whenever the loneliness of being a stranger in an unfamiliar land crept over her, she couldn’t help but sink into melancholy. Especially on rainy, gloomy days like today.
Sua turned and headed back inside the church. Even though spring had arrived, the constant rain over the past several days left the empty interior heavy with a clammy chill. She calmly scanned the church’s interior before moving forward.
There was one elderly priest with eyebrows as white as snow and another younger priest who assisted him. In a small church with only two priests, there was plenty for Sua to do. Locking the church doors every evening at nine had become her responsibility since she arrived.
She had no complaints. In fact, locking the doors was her favorite time of day. It gave her the chance to sit before the old yet elegant central altar, clasp her hands, and pray while gazing at the crucifix. There was nothing better.
She sat in the very front pew, neatly folding her hands and lowering her eyes. An indescribable solemnity settled over her shoulders. In the silence that felt like sinking alone into deep water, just as Sua was about to focus on her prayer—
Creak.
The old, heavy church door groaned open. In the three months she had been here, no one had ever opened the door at this hour. Sua rose reflexively and turned her head.
“The church is closing right n—”
The Italian that had flowed so naturally from her lips suddenly cut off.
“Fucking hell. Never thought the famous snake of the Pavard family would show up in person.”
The man spat the curse in a slovenly posture, his face obscured. It was probably because of the beret pulled low over his eyes.
“He wouldn’t come all the way here, would he?”
The man muttered in Italian as he lifted his head. The sunken sockets visible beneath the beret looked dark and hollow. The moment their eyes met, Sua instinctively recoiled. The man smirked with a twisted smile and reached into his pocket, pulling out something long and oval-shaped.
Click. With a single flick through the air, a sharp, pointed blade sprang from the object in his hand. She never thought she would see a MacGyver knife from the movies in real life. The man twirled the knife deftly in his grip.
“A nun who’s an Asian girl? Well, doesn’t matter. Since you’ve seen my face, you’ll have to die.”
Her brain, which had been paralyzed by shock, finally sounded the alarm. Run. Now. Sua spun around. The primal instinct to survive lashed at her feet.
“Ah!”
A short scream tore from her lips before she could get far. The man’s brutal hand had seized the pure white veil covering her head.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Sua was hurled to the floor. The man looked down at her and grinned unpleasantly.
“Hmm… Now that I get a closer look, it’d be a waste to kill you right away.”
Her habit had ridden up when she was thrown, exposing her pale legs. The man’s gaze lingered on them with a lecherous gleam before traveling upward.
“Want to play with me before you die?”
“I hear Asian girls have tight little holes. Not like those whores whose cunts get all loose and sloppy. Bet yours would feel nice and springy.”
His eyes stripped her bare, finally settling on her face.
“Do nuns even wear makeup? You look more like you spread your legs for the priests behind closed doors than a real sister.”
It was one of the misunderstandings Sua had heard often since childhood. People assumed she wore makeup because of her unusually fair skin, red-tinged eyes, and vivid red lips. She had long since stopped resenting the face she was born with. But she never imagined this misunderstanding would end up insulting the priests as well. Once again, Sua cursed her own appearance.
The man hurriedly yanked down his pants. With a lewd smile, he approached her. His underwear came down with them, revealing a cock that looked like a rotten sweet potato. The tip glistened wetly with precum from his arousal.
“First, suck it.”
“No… no, please…”
Her face drained of color as she kicked her feet at the man drawing closer.
Thud.
With a dull sound, the man’s head was suddenly yanked out of her line of sight.
“Gurgh…”
As if God Himself had come to protect her, a crucifix was embedded in the man’s right temple. His body convulsed violently.
The sight of him writhing in agony sent chills racing across her skin. If this was God punishing a sinner, it was far too cruel a method. Just then, a hand wearing a black leather glove rested on the crucifix embedded in the man’s temple. Even through the glove, it was obvious—the hand was long, elegant, and unmistakably masculine.
“You must have seen something filthy, Sister.”
At the low voice that seemed to sink to the floor, her trembling body slowly lifted her gaze.
Crack!
It happened in an instant. The gloved hand gripped the man’s head and slammed the side with the crucifix straight into the floor. There was a sickening crunch, and the convulsing body went completely limp.
“Sorry for borrowing the crucifix in a hurry.”
She had thought the crucifix looked familiar. The iron cross embedded in the man’s skull was the holy water font decoration that stood near the church entrance.
“I’ll make sure to compensate you properly for its use, Sister.”
Only then did Sua truly see the man standing before her.
He was entirely black. The man wore a black suit with a black shirt beneath it. His hair, which might have been brown, looked black as well, soaked through with rain. Amid all that darkness, only one thing stood out brilliantly: his pure white face and the jewel-like eyes embedded within it. Those golden irises reminded her of a tiger glowing in the dark.
“You must be very startled.”
After committing such a brutal act without hesitation, he spoke in a tone that almost sounded concerned. It made Sua think of the serpent from the Bible offering the forbidden fruit. Cold and cruel, yet seductive and cunning. The way his lips curved lazily upward only reinforced that impression.
“I-I… I’m fine, so…”
Even though he had saved her, he could hardly be considered normal. She tried to tell him to call the police and leave quickly, but a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
“S-so…”
He watched quietly as she stammered through her tears, then spoke.
“You cry beautifully. How lovely.”
What a pitiful little nun. Now he understood why that piece of trash had given in to lust in such a desperate moment.
“Filthy bastard who doesn’t know his place.”
Could an Asian’s skin really be this pale? Her reddened eyes looked like a rabbit’s. And those red lips that didn’t seem to have any lipstick on them kept drawing his gaze. For a chaste nun, her face was enough to stir even his own desires.
“It seems I’ve frightened our dear Sister.”
Our dear Sister? Sua froze. Before she could speak, he whispered gently. At the same time, a hiccup burst from her lips.
“So, dear Sister,”
“Hic.”
“What is your name?”
The question was completely out of place given the situation.