Sisters of Sun and Light
Sisters of Sun and Light
Kate and I were in a relationship.
She was my woman, and we'd already seen everything there was to see — nothing left to hide from each other.
Deep down, I wanted to tell Father Franz that.
But given the practical issues, I couldn't be honest.
Because if the congregation found out an incubus and a nun were dating, the one who'd suffer most would be Kate.
To keep my lover from being branded as a woman bewitched by an incubus, I had to lie about our relationship.
"It's a one-sided crush on my part. Kate is too kind to reject me outright, so she can't bring herself to tell me off. I've been pestering her, hanging around the church like some stalker."
"Ah, Horned Mage. So you're saying you have a crush on Miss Kate?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
I figured that would be enough.
A relationship between an incubus and a nun was something common sense would never accept.
Even if I had to deceive others, as long as we could still love each other in private, I was satisfied.
But Kate, who was actually dating me, couldn't accept it.
"N-No, that's not true—!"
Kate, who had been clinging to my side, suddenly shouted.
She yelled loud enough to shake the chapel corridor, and Father Franz and I both stopped in our tracks, startled.
Kate clenched her delicate hands into fists and stared at the two of us.
"Hey, how could you say something like that!"
"If it's not true, it just isn't! Mongma-nim, having a one-sided crush on me? Pestering me like that? That's ridiculous!"
"But what about your life as a nun? If we're honest with the congregation, it'll be a disaster."
When I tried to reason with her, Kate tore the veil off her head and flung it into the corridor.
Ignoring the pitch-black nun's veil rolling on the floor, Kate said,
"Then I'll quit being a nun! What's the point of my life if I can't even date properly! Ugh, I'm so frustrated I can't stand it. I've been frustrated ever since that paladin was grilling us about our relationship earlier!"
The words Kate had kept bottled up inside came pouring out like a waterfall.
Now that things had come to this, it was effectively the same as having the congregation find out we were dating.
Father Franz.
In Kate's words, the man standing beside us was the boss of the church.
Our secret relationship had been exposed, and there was no doubt that Kate's life as a nun was going to get complicated.
"Oh, so you two are dating, Kate?"
"Yes! There's a nun right here who's dating an incubus, Father! What are you going to do? Excommunicate me?"
"Excommunication? How absurd. Heheh."
I was certain I'd get a bad reaction, but surprisingly, it wasn't like that.
Father Franz looked at Kate, who was still tightly holding my hand, and let out a hearty laugh.
"A nun dating an incubus isn't impossible. If two young people love each other, what does race matter? Most incubi are said to be wicked, but among them there are also a rare few who walk a righteous path without succumbing to evil. The mage here seems to be one of the good ones."
I'm good?
How do you know that?
I wondered silently, but Father Franz continued as if he'd read my mind and cleared up my doubt.
"This is a man who risked his life in a duel with a paladin to protect the woman he loves. On top of that, he used magic to protect church members who had nothing to do with him. We can't treat such a benefactor poorly just because he has horns on his head."
"F-Father! Then you're saying you'll accept that Mongma-nim and I are dating?"
Kate stared at Father Franz, her eyes quivering as if an earthquake had shaken her very pupils.
It seemed even Kate herself hadn't expected a positive answer. She'd just blurted it out in the heat of the moment.
"Of course I'll accept it. You're free to date your lover as you please."
"B-Baldur, oh my God."
As soon as she got permission, Kate swiftly put the veil she'd thrown to the floor like trash back on her head.
Kate grabbed my hand and started making a huge fuss.
"Kyyaaahoooo! Mongma-nim, this is amazing, amazing! I think we just decided where we're having our wedding!!"
"Where's the wedding venue?"
"At the church!! It'd be perfect if Father Franz could officiate! I've always wanted a church wedding, like a proper nun!!"
Kate's mood had skyrocketed in an instant, and she was completely giddy.
But getting married in a church? As an incubus, I'd never even imagined something like that.
Getting married with the blessings of many church members would definitely be deeply moving.
"Nice. Very nice."
"Right?! Puhuhuhu."
While we were talking, we'd arrived at the room Father Franz had guided us to.
The head priest's office.
A small room at the very top of the chapel, where Father Franz usually lived and handled church affairs.
"Only the mage should come in. Kate, you wait outside."
"Understood!"
Leaving Kate in the hallway, Father Franz and I entered the head priest's office.
Father Franz seated me at a table, brought out tea, and for a moment we sat in silence, sipping.
It was black tea.
Even I, who knew little about tea, could tell it was a high-quality black tea that clung pleasantly to the palate.
I savored the smooth, sweet black tea as I talked with Father Franz.
"So, what did you want to tell me?"
"It's nothing big. I simply wanted to ask you to take good care of Miss Kate, whom you're dating."
Father Franz bowed his head and asked me to take good care of Kate.
His attitude was like that of a grandfather giving away his granddaughter in marriage. As the priest overseeing the church, he seemed to think of the nuns as his own children.
"You don't have to ask that. She's my woman, so I'll take care of her with everything I've got."
"Are you really sure you can manage on your own?"
Whether I could manage on my own? That was a strange question.
Whether I do well or not, I still have to try.
After all, I'm the only one who can take responsibility for my woman.
"Miss Kate is a nun belonging to our church organization. The deeper your relationship with her becomes, the more you'll inevitably run into church people. If conflict arises each time, it'll be hard on you both."
"I'll try to avoid conflict. Or I'll just discreetly hide whenever church members show up."
"Is there really a need to hide? Another way is for you to become a member of the Luminous Church yourself."
"W-What?"
Father Franz had proposed a rather novel idea.
At first, I couldn't tell if it was a joke or serious.
"Mage. What's your name?"
"L-Luke."
"Alright, Luke. Starting today, be baptized and become the first incubus to be a church member. Don't hide; become a member and proudly declare that you're dating Miss Kate."
"Uh, are you being serious right now? You're not drunk, are you?"
"I'm perfectly sober."
I never thought there'd be a clergyman who'd ask an incubus to join the church.
Even Kate had never tried to convert me.
Of course, Father Franz wasn't suggesting I become a member out of pure goodwill.
"Across the continent, incubi are treated as evil beings among church members. I've heard that countless clergy have attempted to reform them, but most have failed. But what if, at our Yoen-su branch, an incubus were baptized, reformed, and became a church member?"
I looked Father Franz in the eye as he spoke at length.
As the priest looked at me, a flicker of something like greed passed through his eyes before vanishing. I knew exactly what that greed was.
A desire for missionary work.
As the head priest overseeing the Yoen-su branch, he had a desire to spread the doctrine to other races. That desire had manifested in the act of trying to convert me into a church member.
An incubus no one had ever managed to convert would become the first member at the Yoen-su church. Then the one who'd attract attention would undoubtedly be Father Franz.
'This works out for both of us. Good for me, good for Father Franz.'
Me becoming a member was a win-win for both sides.
Honestly, sneaking around with Kate in front of church members was a pain.
I could freely date my girlfriend, and attending Sunday services was a small price to pay.
"Alright. I'll get baptized and believe in Baldur. He did deal the final blow for me; it's not like I can't believe in him."
"There will be a baptism ceremony at the church this Sunday. Just come by briefly, get baptized, and that's it. It'd be even better if you said a few words praising Baldur's greatness."
"Deal."
"Deal?"
"It means 'good.' You one-eyed priest."
With that, my conversation with Father Franz ended.
Somehow, I ended up getting baptized this Sunday, but I wasn't too bothered.
In the army training camp, I had the experience of switching religions every week. Believing in a new god was easy.
"I'll see you on Sunday."
"Then safe travels back."
I exchanged farewells with Father Franz and stepped out of the head priest's office.
Kate was waiting in the hallway, and as soon as I emerged, she asked with a curious expression.
"What did you talk about with the priest?"
"He told me to become a church member. Said to come to church this Sunday and get baptized. Seems like he wants me to become a member so we can date openly."
I explained to Kate why Father Franz had made that offer.
It seemed like he wanted to build a reputation as a clergyman by converting an incubus.
Upon hearing that, Kate nodded as if it made sense.
"Father Franz is like that. For priests, converting other races is the greatest accomplishment. Some have even gone directly to barbarians to spread the doctrine. Father Franz is ambitious about missionary work, so it makes sense he'd ask you to become a member."
"Anyway, it worked out well. If I become a member, I can freely come into the church. I could come visit you anytime while you're working."
"Heheh. You want to see me that badly? Can't stand a single day without seeing me?"
"Yeah. I could bring food to my girlfriend at work."
"Oh dear. Outside food isn't allowed here, though—"
"Then should I come empty-handed?"
"No! Secretly bring it in! I like sandwiches."
I wanted to take Kate and leave the church right away, but I couldn't.
Today was Baldur's birthday, so the nuns were extremely busy.
They had to clean up the church grounds that had been wrecked because of my duel with the paladin, and deal with the corpse of the paladin who'd rampaged alone and died.
In the end, it wasn't until late evening that I could leave the church with Kate.
Kate, who'd been busy working late, stretched out her arms as if relieved once we were in the city.
"Ahhhwhoo! Hoo... So, Mongma-nim, why did you come to the church today? To set up a date with me?"
Come to think of it, so much had happened that I hadn't told Kate the important thing.
That I'd come to the church to bring her to the celebration party tonight.
I told Kate why I'd come to find her.
"Tonight we're having a celebration party on the inn's rooftop. All the fixed party members are gathering. It's been three months since we formed the party, and we haven't had a get-together like this."
"Fixed party members? Then is Rebecca sis coming too? I'm a little uneasy with her at the moment."
I swallowed hard and nodded.
"Yeah. Rebecca's waiting for you on the rooftop. She said to come."
"To the rooftop! I have a feeling I'm going to end up fighting with her."
Gulp.
Did I mess up?
The rooftop setting did feel a bit like an arena.
"Hoo-hah! Rebecca sis, are you good at fighting?"
Kate, taking my words the wrong way, had clenched her fists and assumed a boxing pose.