NOVEL WEB Chapter 12
“Sorry. The only clothes I have are what I’m wearing now and my pajamas.”
“…It’s, it’s fine…”
As the sun began to set, Priscilla, the uninvited guest, had already made her way inside the church, sitting shyly like a bashful girl.
Just moments ago, she was wearing a shiny suit of armor, but due to an unfortunate timing of an accident, she had no choice but to borrow my pajamas and stay at the church until her washed armor dried.
“You said you’re Priscilla from the Shield Guild, right?”
“Yes… that’s right…”
Although the first impression was terrible, Priscilla didn’t seem to be such a dangerous person after talking to her. She was just a low-ranking member of the Shield Guild, and the reason she came here was due to the absurdities of her superiors.
“Pee-pee pants.”
“Sigh—, Iris. You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“But it’s embarrassing for a grown adult to wet their pants, right?”
“That’s true, but it’s not like she did it on purpose. You should think about how the other person feels.”
“…I’ve never done that before.”
Since that incident, Iris has been sticking to me like glue, not leaving my side for a second. Considering how peaceful the time was before that sudden event, it must have been quite shocking and embarrassing—.
“See, Levi. I told you she was suspicious.”
“……”
“Something was off from the moment I first saw her. And on top of that, she had an accident in her pants?”
“Don’t tease me…”
Priscilla’s already red face grew even hotter, and she eventually started tearing up with a pitiful expression.
She seemed to be trying her best to hide her embarrassing state, but her small efforts only served to further provoke the children, making the situation even more pitiful.
“…Ellie is sleeping in the room now, right?”
“Yeah. I saw her sleeping in the room before coming here.”
“Then Aizen, please take Iris back to the room for now.”
“Why? Can’t we stay here?”
“I have something to discuss with her. I’m also worried about Ellie being alone.”
“…If that’s the case, then I guess there’s no choice.”
Since Aizen and Iris staying in the church would make it difficult to have a proper conversation, I sent them back to the room first.
It took a bit of time to separate Iris from my side, but thanks to Aizen, the situation was resolved much more smoothly than expected.
– Thud
In the now silent church, only Priscilla and I remained.
The situation was awkward in many ways, but this moment was necessary to get a clearer understanding of the current circumstances.
“So, what exactly did you want to know about this place?”
“I, I just… wanted to find out the source of the sounds coming from here and then leave immediately…”
“It seems like you immediately assumed I was a monster from the start.”
“Honestly, a nun living in the middle of the forest with children isn’t exactly normal…”
“So do you still think I’m a monster?”
“…I don’t know. From the outside, it seems like it, but your actions suggest otherwise…”
From what I briefly heard, it seemed that even in the village of Erdelyn where Priscilla lived, there wasn’t much proper information about this church.
The request form she had hidden in her pocket only asked to uncover the source of the sounds coming from here, with no mention of me or the children.
In a way, it was fortunate, but it could also be a slightly dangerous situation. The fact that someone is starting to take an interest in this place is the worst possible scenario for me, a vampire.
“I’d like to ask you to refrain from showing interest in this church, but given the location, that’s easier said than done.”
“A-are you really the nun of this place…?”
“As you can see.”
“Then why is your skin so pale…?”
“It’s because I haven’t been in the sun for a long time. There’s no special reason.”
I gave a shameless answer to Priscilla’s question. While the children might buy it, there’s no way such a flimsy excuse would work on a grown adult like Priscilla.
But considering my current situation, I had no choice but to act shamelessly, putting on a bold face.
“…Huh?”
Priscilla’s expression turned bewildered.
“If I were really a monster, the children here would have left this world long ago. There’s no reason for me to go through the trouble of taking care of them.”
“T-that’s true, but…”
“Especially someone like you who barged in here uninvited. There’s no reason to spare you or show you mercy, right?”
“……”
“This is all possible because I’m human. Where in the world would you find a monster pretending to be a nun?”
Even though I was describing myself, I continued speaking calmly without batting an eye.
It was absurd and somewhat amusing to say such things shamelessly, but it was necessary for me and the children to live peacefully here.
This was the only way to slightly alleviate Priscilla’s suspicions.
“Then… can I ask one more thing…?”
“If that will clear your doubts, go ahead.”
“That overwhelming and strange aura you emitted when our eyes met earlier…”
“That was just your imagination because you were too scared. A normal nun like me couldn’t possibly emit such an absurd aura.”
“But I definitely felt it… At that moment, if I had moved even a step wrong, my head would have been gone in an instant…”
Honestly, I had no response. It was true that I had emitted a murderous intent, and the scene I had shown was too menacing to simply deny.
If it had been night instead of day, I might have shown an even more terrifying side.
“……”
At this point, beyond being confused, my head started to ache. How should I navigate this situation to resolve it smoothly? No matter how much I thought about it, no suitable solution came to mind.
“Then what should I do…”
– Knock knock
Just as I stopped thinking and muttered in despair, a clear knocking sound came from the firmly closed church door.
“…?”
Priscilla and I simultaneously turned our heads toward the church entrance.
“Didn’t you say you came here alone?”
“I definitely came alone… Could it be the children?”
“…No. They wouldn’t act without permission.”
As soon as I confirmed that the person knocking wasn’t Priscilla’s companion, I slowly narrowed my eyes and slightly furrowed my brows.
For some reason, a strange aura was emanating from behind the firmly closed door.
“Priscilla.”
“Yes…?”
“Stand behind me.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the closed door began to creak open slowly, revealing an unknown figure.
“Excuse me.”
The figure was a man I had never seen before.
A deep voice. A tall stature. A neat suit. And small, round glasses that reflected the light, making them shine particularly brightly.
Priscilla momentarily wore a bewildered expression, but sensing the seriousness of the situation, she immediately grabbed her sword leaning against the wooden bench.
“W-who are you…?!”
Priscilla cautiously opened her mouth, her body tense.
However, the man ignored Priscilla, who was pointing her sword at him, and naturally met my gaze, raising the corner of his mouth in a strange smile.
“I apologize for visiting so late without notice.”
“……”
“I would have preferred to visit during the day when the sun is up, but there was something slightly unsatisfying about that.”
A strange smell stung my nose. A familiar, unpleasant scent.
For some reason, an ominous feeling crept up my back.
“Would you kindly stop illegally occupying this forest, vampire?”
Difficult situations always come suddenly and all at once. Of all times, a demon had to show up now—.
“V-vampire…?”
“Don’t be fooled, Priscilla. The man in front of you is a demon.”
At my calm words, Priscilla’s expression grew even more confused.
“W-what… Why would a demon be in such a remote forest…”
“Ah, this is troublesome. To think a demon would call me, a human, a demon…”
My brows furrowed deeply at that moment.
What was his goal? Not only did he suddenly claim to be human, but he also naturally shifted the blame onto me, calling me a demon. With his sly words, Priscilla’s body trembled even more, and she began to look at me suspiciously.
“What are you doing right now?”
“That’s what I should be asking. What exactly are you doing here?”
The round glasses reflecting the light obscured his eyes, making it hard to see what expression he was making as he looked at me. However, despite that, his sly tongue made his emotions vaguely perceptible.
“I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, but it would be best for you to stay away from that demon.”
“T-the nun is a demon…?”
“Deceiving people is a demon’s specialty. Even someone as inexperienced as you should know that, right?”
“……”
“Moreover, that demon has illegally occupied this forest, hunting and driving out the creatures that live here peacefully.”
His sly tongue moved incessantly, as if he was trying to use the clueless Priscilla to deal with me.
“I apologize for coming here so suddenly and saying such things, but I can’t help but feel sorry for your life.”
“Huh…?”
“If things continue like this, you will undoubtedly be brutally killed by that demon.”
Priscilla’s body began to tremble even more violently. In this state of confusion, it was clear that no matter what I said, it wouldn’t reach her ears.
“Where in the world would you find a human with skin like that?”
To think he would use such an annoying and infuriating method to instantly push me into the abyss. Truly a demon—.
“If you understand, then please turn that sword you’re pointing at me the other way. The enemy you should be aiming at is not me, but…”
– Thud
With a light chop to the back of her neck, Priscilla’s body went limp and collapsed to the ground. Knowing her abilities, it was clear that having her conscious would only be a hindrance.
To avoid further complications, it was necessary to knock her out and sort out the situation first.
“You’re making things quite troublesome. Did you think I’d be shaken by that?”
Seeing Priscilla’s body slumped on the ground, the man momentarily seemed at a loss for words. But regardless, I continued speaking calmly with a composed expression.
“As you can see, I’m not very good at verbal arguments. I’d rather move my body than my mouth.”
With those words, I immediately created a rough, crude spear by cutting my palm.