Chapter 24: The Nun Is Horny for Me - 1
The church was, quite literally, in an uproar.
After all, we had returned after curing Isabelle’s [Rose’s Punishment], which even the bishop had been unable to treat.
But that was not the only reason the nuns were stunned.
"Brother Ian, how did you find Angel’s Rest?"
As expected, what the church was interested in was Angel’s Rest.
If they went so far as to forcibly build a church out in this backwater village, that has to be the reason.
As Isabelle’s case proved, Angel’s Rest had an effect similar to an elixir—but that only applied to those unfamiliar with divine power.
For beings like nuns, who wielded miracles, it was another matter entirely.
It raises divine power, after all. Wendy, the returning hero, was able to grow quickly because of this.
Even so, Angel’s Rest was a tale spoken of only as legend within the Church of the Sun.
Its effect only appeared if one entered a particular lake within a minute of the end of the lunar eclipse, which happened only once a year.
There was a reason only Wendy, the returning hero, knew about it in the game’s setting.
How am I supposed to explain how I found it?
I pondered for a moment at Abbess Vanessa’s demand for an explanation.
Then I spotted Reina wearing a complicated expression.
Seeing her face, I answered Vanessa’s question.
"I came across some information about lunar eclipses in a book I borrowed from the library last time."
"The library? It is not somewhere one may enter freely. Whose permission did you receive?"
"Sister Reina gave me permission."
"Sister Reina... Very well. Please continue your explanation."
"Yes. I wanted to show the lunar eclipse to my beloved wife, so I climbed the mountain with her."
Vanessa voiced her doubts at my explanation.
"Why did you specifically climb the dangerous northern mountain just to see a lunar eclipse?"
"There is a beautiful lake on the northern mountain. The view there is lovely, so I thought it would be nice to see the eclipse from there."
"That seems like a rather dangerous choice."
"I believed my one talent would be enough to manage it."
Once I explained my ability as a hunter, Vanessa did not press me further.
Judging from her reaction, Vanessa must have thought I took Isabelle into the mountains to abandon her.
It was absurd from my perspective, but in this medieval world, abandoning family members one did not need was commonplace.
There was no shortage of parents who sold their children into slavery to lessen the number of mouths to feed.
In that sense, Adelia was remarkable for intending to take responsibility for Isabelle until the very end.
It would be best to clear up the misunderstanding.
Now that they had found Angel’s Rest, the church would not withdraw from Entiel Village.
They might even settle here permanently.
If I wanted to make use of the church from now on, I needed to maintain a good relationship with them.
"The moment the eclipse ended, an angel radiant with light descended from the sky to the lake."
"Do you remember how many pairs of wings the angel had?"
"Three pairs."
"Seraphim?!"
At my answer, the nuns collectively gasped in shock.
Within the Church of the Sun, Seraphim was second only to the goddess Helia.
It was practically the equivalent of the military’s chief of staff appearing in person.
Is that analogy a little strange?
I continued my explanation.
"The angel showed me a beautiful woman and a wealthy woman, then asked which of them was my wife. I answered that my wife was not among them."
The nuns held their breath as they listened.
They could not date because they were nuns, but as girls, they apparently had a great deal of curiosity about love stories.
"Finally, the angel showed me Isabelle. Only then did I answer that she was my wife."
"Aah! That’s so romantic!"
"Keep it down over there."
"I-I wish I could have a love like that too..."
I could hear the nuns whispering among themselves, however quietly.
Then they all looked at Isabelle with envious eyes.
Embarrassed by their stares, Isabelle hid behind my back.
"Then the angel praised my love, branded a mark upon my chest, and departed."
I showed the nuns the mark on my chest.
Most of them did not seem to recognize it, but Vanessa alone wore an utterly shocked expression.
"The [Mark of Love]..."
"Abbess, do you know what this mark is?"
"It is a blessing Seraphim grants to those who share true love."
Vanessa’s explanation left the nuns stunned as well.
Within the Church of the Sun, true love was one of its most important doctrines.
Was the doctrine called Agape?
It meant a sacred, unconditional, absolute love.
Thinking about it now, I wondered whether I deserved to receive this—but in any case, this mark earned me the absolute trust of the Church of the Sun.
"Brother Ian, I am sorry. I thought you meant to abandon Miss Isabelle in the mountains. I sincerely apologize for dishonoring your love with my suspicions."
"No, after thinking it over, I agree that it was certainly dangerous. I can completely understand why you were suspicious, Abbess."
"But that does not erase my wrongdoing. I wish to apologize to you, so please tell me whenever there is something you desire."
At my response, Vanessa bowed her head even more deeply as she spoke.
True to her principled nature, she dealt with her mistake according to doctrine.
"If you put it that way, there is one favor I would like to ask."
"What is it? If you need it, we shall grant you one of our miracles."
"A miracle is unnecessary for now. Instead, I would like to express my gratitude to Sister Reina."
"To Sister Reina?"
When her name came from my lips once again, Reina startled.
"It was all thanks to Sister Reina’s help that my love could come to fruition. If you do not mind, Abbess, I would like you to give Sister Reina a day off so that I can repay her."
"It is against the rules, but if that is the compensation you desire, then I shall permit it."
Vanessa smiled for the first time at my answer.
I felt that her favorability might have risen by now.
Or perhaps not quite that much?
Vanessa had been an unnamed side character in the game, so there was little information on her, making it difficult to gauge her disposition.
In any case, Vanessa was Vanessa. For now, I focused on Reina.
It should be about time for her to start getting impatient.
I was already looking forward to seeing how that lewd nun would react.
. . .
At the moment, Reina’s feelings were complicated.
She was certainly happy that Miss Isabelle had been cured, but at the same time, knowing that she could no longer have secret meetings with Ian left a lingering sense of regret in her heart.
What am I thinking? Reina, you’re a nun. A nun who must preserve her chastity! What would Goddess Helia think of you?!
Reminding herself once more that she was a nun, Reina did her best to put those lingering feelings in order.
That was when it happened.
"Sister Reina, there you are."
"B-Brother Ian?"
When Ian suddenly appeared, Reina’s emotions surged violently once more.
"I would like to repay you, Sister Reina. What day would be good for you?"
"I-it’s all right. As a nun who follows Goddess Helia, I only did what was natural."
"Thanks to that natural act, Isabelle was saved. So please, accept my repayment."
At Ian’s words of gratitude, Reina’s lips parted and closed soundlessly.
She should have been happy at his thanks, yet jealousy stirred in one corner of her heart.
I wanted to receive love like that too.
Nuns of the Church of the Sun were those who guided believers toward true love.
Yet they themselves could not receive true love.
Beings who conveyed love, yet were not loved.
That was the ironic existence of a nun of the Church of the Sun.
It would have been better if I had never learned of Brother Ian’s true love.
The regret within Reina’s heart congealed into a knot that tormented her.
I can’t be like this.
Forbidden fantasies and her twisted desires became tangled together.
"Brother Ian, i-if it’s all right with you..."
Reina hesitated until the end, but her desire was stronger than she had thought.
And so she acted on it.
"Could I see the lake you spoke of?"
"The lake?"
"Yes. As the senior nun, I would like to investigate the place where the angel descended, for the sake of the future."
It was an invitation to a date, disguised by an excuse.
Thump, thump.
At her first act of rebellion, Reina’s heart pounded fiercely.
Why... why is this so exciting? Hah...♥
Reina had already done something a nun should never do in the confessional, but that had at least been under the guarantee of anonymity.
This was the first time she was committing a sin openly, with her own face exposed.
Moreover, Ian was a man who had practiced a true love recognized by Seraphim.
At the thought of sullying that love, Reina was appalled by the desire that had been welling up inside her.
I’m a hopeless slut♥
Yet even knowing that, Reina could not restrain her desire.
Because that was her essence.
Because that was her nature.
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