A place of clean, white-walled architecture. A space that serves as both an orphanage and a guiding light for the devout.
A distinct dry scent fills the air of the convent. It’s the scent of people who have hidden away all personal desires and wants beneath their habits, living lives solely devoted to the word of their faith.
Inside the chapel, with tall windows stretching upward, I sat face-to-face with a nun. In a corner of the room, a candle stood tall, its flame quietly flickering.
“…Confession?”
“Yes.”
“…Are you saying you broke in just to confess?”
The nun I had just met stared at me with suspicion. Mally, that’s what she introduced herself as. But her expression felt a little too sharp and sullied to fit the role of a nun.
The fact that she’d seen me playing with the children might’ve kept her from suspecting too much, but only just that.
…Hmm.
It’s natural to be wary of an intruder.
“You don’t have to believe me. But my intention truly is to make a confession. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“…Let’s go with that, then. But this isn’t the time for confessions. You should’ve known that.”
A rejection. But it wasn’t really because of timing. More likely, she just wanted me gone quickly. And to be fair, it was already quite late.
I subtly wet my lips. I wasn’t sure what to say, but I vaguely remembered how similar events unfolded.
“But, Sister… what am I to do with this feeling that swells within me… this love I was never meant to carry?”
“…Huh? L-Love?”
Judging by her appearance, the nun in front of me looked about eighteen.
At that age, living such a chaste life in a convent. It’s only natural she’d be curious about love.
So I gently prodded the topic, and sure enough, a spark of interest flickered across her face, impossible to hide.
But pushing it any further would be a mistake.
I couldn’t predict how she’d react, and I wasn’t exactly confident I could spin a convincing tale about romance.
“…I admit it. My real purpose here isn’t confession.”
“Then…?”
“I came here today to face my true feelings. In other words… to confess. That’s why I waited until after the service…”
“……!”
I didn’t wait. I came right after class.
“A-And this confession… who is it for…?”
“…For someone with a name similar to Sister Mally’s… Sally.”
“…!!!”
Like I thought. She’s here.
I was certain from the look on her face. Sally White is here in this convent.
“Sally is no longer a nun…”
“But she used to be one, right? Isn’t the reason this place is so large thanks to her?”
“…You.”
The nun’s eyes narrowed.
“Leave. Sally can’t meet anyone.”
I shrugged.
“I understand what you’re worried about. But whatever she has… it doesn’t work on me.”
“…You know far too much to be just someone with a crush.”
“Is that so?”
Sally White. Her backstory clearly states she’s an orphan raised here.
Her unique trait, Innocent Purity, has the power to make people believe what they want to believe.
To those who came for confession, that trait gave them the feeling their sins had been cleansed.
That’s why this small convent became so large. Thanks to donations from people who had poured their sins out to Sally.
“So, was what you said about confessing… true?”
“Of course not. It was a lie.”
“…You.”
“I’m her comrade. I’m just here to take her with me.”
But the world is full of people who lean too heavily on others. Naturally, more and more people came to demand Sally’s gift. Eventually, some even wanted to possess her.
That burden piled up… and finally, an incident occurred. One that hurt her deeply.
That’s why Sally White left the convent.
“…A comrade… In that case, wait here. I’ll at least pass on the message.”
***
I’d come this far quickly. Now it was time to finish it.
I reviewed the rough strategy I’d put together.
Based on what the coachman said earlier, the demon clinging to her is likely the Demon of Justice and Execution. A target I’d already been keeping an eye on.
A demon that destroys people over even the smallest verbal slip.
Originally, it should’ve already been eliminated by the headmaster.
I’ll have to investigate why things didn’t go according to the original timeline, but for now, the important thing is figuring out how to fight that thing.
I recalled the headmaster’s battle scene with the demon. The performance was overwhelming. I can’t replicate it now, but…
At the very least, I remember the key piece of information that became the starting point of the strategy.
The demon has a major contradiction.
Since it was created by demon worshippers, its very existence contains a critical flaw.
Though its goal is punishing sin, it selectively chooses its targets. It won’t attack other demons or demon worshippers.
Even if a murder happens right before its eyes…. if the perpetrator is a demon worshipper, this pseudo-demon won’t move.
Based on that, here’s my plan:
I call Sally into the confessional booth and falsely confess to a grave sin.
If she’s really possessed by the Demon of Justice, she’ll try to attack me at that moment.
The instant she breaks through the confessional door to strike, I’ll shift into demonic form.
If Sally then stops the attack, that’s my proof.
It means she’s infected with a demon parasite.
If she’s still herself and not possessed, she won’t attack at all and I won’t need to reveal my demonic form.
“…Preparations are complete. You may enter, dear follower.”
With a slight bow, I opened the confessional door.
Creeeak…
“……”
I sat on the small wooden bench.
On the other side of this sturdy wooden wall…
Sally is there.
Slide—
Beneath the warm glow of a candle, a small window opened.
What came into view was hair the color of a soft peach, reflecting a faint light and lips of a similar hue.
The lower face of a beautiful woman.
“Confess your sins and repent, dear follower.”
“……”
I didn’t think the voice would suit Sally at all, but surprisingly, she sounded just right. It even gave off a reverent atmosphere.
I took a small breath. I lowered my voice as much as possible and straightened my shoulders, trying to make it impossible to identify my build.
“Sister, I’ve committed a grave sin.”
“All that matters is that you reveal your sins and truly repent.”
“…It happened not long ago. It was a night when I drank heavily with my companions…”
“…Continue.”
“After a fun evening, everyone was completely drunk. I saw them all off… then secretly made my way to a woman’s room.”
“……”
“Under normal circumstances, I would’ve never done such a thing. But that night, my judgment was clouded, and I even used magic to unlock the door and go in… I…”
“…Speak.”
“Nothing actually happened. I did approach her with those intentions… but somehow, she was perfectly fine. I thought she was drunk, but…”
“……”
Still no reaction. But what about what comes next?
“…She must’ve shaken off her drunkenness once she realized it was me who entered… and I hated that realization. It filled me with resentment…”
“…Repent.”
“No, I’m not finished yet. What came after was the real problem. The next day, I publicly accused her of being a fraud, slandering her in front of everyone.”
It wasn’t really the next day, and it wasn’t exactly in front of everyone.
But just then, her lips visible through the small window of the confessional parted slightly, then closed again.
I tensed up. Which is it? Black or white…?
“My petty revenge didn’t stop there. I started making things up, tormenting her. I became the main culprit of persistent, malicious bullying… And then, one day, before I realized it, she had disappeared.”
“……”
“It’s already been quite some time since she went missing. They say a suicide note was found in her home… It’s no different than if I had killed her. Yes. The truth is, I knew. She wasn’t a fraud. Everyone already knew she was innocent… pure…”
“……!!!”
That was the moment.
Bang—!!!
The door on the other side flew open with force.
“Damn it.”
Crackle—
◆ [Shape Transformation] Trait activated.
◆ [Adel Bliss] → [Adel Bliss (Rage Demon)]
Immediately, the door beside me burst open.
At the now-open door stood Sally in a nun’s habit, staring at me. The hem of her habit had been hastily pulled up to her thighs, revealing a belt strapped around her leg with a dagger attached to it.
And in her right hand, another small dagger.
The moment I registered that, the blade came slashing toward my neck—
Shwik.
Fast.
Crack…!
But at the same time, my demonic transformation was complete.
“……”
At that instant, Sally’s eyes met mine—
And she froze in place, still in her striking posture.
“Were you going to stab me?”
“……”
Sally stepped back.
“…Sally White.”
There’s no doubt. She was about to kill me but then stopped. I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
“So it’s you. You’re the one who became a host.”
──S-Sally? What’s going on?
The voice of another nun waiting outside for the confession to end.
As if that voice pulled the trigger, Sally who had been standing still suddenly turned and bolted.
Running? …I see!
Clack!
In an instant, I dispelled my demonic form and gave chase.
If she’s fleeing after recognizing someone she knows, that means she’s aware of her condition! Then she hasn’t been fully taken over yet. It’s not too late!
If there’s still time, then I can bring her back.
Bang! Bang!!!
Several doors slammed open with such force it sounded like they’d break. I sprinted down the convent’s hallway.
Damn it…!
She’s too fast. I forced a surge of mana into my lower body and a burning pain shot through me.
Thump, thump, thump…
The mana waves trapped inside me tore through muscle as they concentrated in my legs.
But in return—
“Sally──!!!”
I could match her explosive leg power just for a moment.
Following her as she leapt cleanly over the wall, I vaulted out of the convent after her.
Outside, dusk was beginning to fall, the world slowly swallowed by shadows. To keep from losing her, I had to maintain this distance.
I won’t last long at this pace! Even if it kills me, I have to catch her!
Grinding my teeth against the feeling of my calves tearing apart, I pushed forward.
***
Sally ran.
Her expression was completely devoid of reason.
She was running with only one thought in her heart. That something terrible had happened.
Sally White.
An orphan from the convent’s affiliated orphanage.
But her childhood hadn’t been unhappy. At least, that’s how she saw it.
From a young age, she’d been loved. Surrounded by affection, she’d lived a comfortable life. It was the same when she became a nun, following in the footsteps of the sisters who had raised her.
Without thinking much of it, she had simply accepted the love that poured onto her.
“…Why… in the form of a demon again…?”
Until the moment she realized that all that love had been because of a power she didn’t understand.
It started after she began working in the confession booth.
Day after day, meeting countless people and listening to their sins, offering words she didn’t mean.
Then one day—
“…Why, why… Sir Adel. Why…!”
She still sees that day in her dreams.
—Your power is special. To manipulate affection and perception, no less.
The day she realized everything had been a lie. The moment she understood it was all because of her own ability.
Sally White’s obsession with “pure and genuine relationships” began on that very day.
“Why did it happen again…”
Of course, it’s something she couldn’t have known, but the obsession that took root in her should have long since disappeared.
The day Camilla killed her own brother Adel with her own hands. The day his head fell.
From that moment on, Sally White should have realized that things like “genuine relationships” were nothing but illusions and let go of her attachment to them.
Yes. It was a problem she should have already overcome.
—If only Adel hadn’t changed.
If not for the “miracle” that happened after Camilla and Adel shared their true feelings that day.
“……”
Sally ran with everything she had.
She was in such emotional turmoil that she didn’t even realize Adel was chasing after her.
All she wanted was to prevent a precious bond from turning into a demon.
“…Camilla, I need to bring Camilla…”
If Camilla, Adel’s older sister, is there, maybe…just maybe that “miracle” will happen again.
Completely unaware of what she’s being suspected of.
With only that hope in her heart, Sally White went for Tane.
Leave a Reply