A Monster That Cannot Pray

While I spent time with Mia, neglecting Bernard’s errand.

“……”

As I was returning to the church with Mia, who had finished her work around dusk.

I kept recalling the man I saw during the day, looking around and standing next to Mia as if protecting her, but.

“What’s wrong, Frey?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Even until we were right in front of the church, I couldn’t find even a shadow of the man I saw during the day, let alone the man himself.

‘It felt somewhat familiar too…’

With the feeling that it must have been my imagination after all—I was heading towards the church again, taking the lead.

“Huh?”

“What is it this time?”

“There shouldn’t be lights on in the church like that today…”

Under the sky gradually turning dark, I saw the church brightly lit unlike usual.

“Pfft. A guest must have come while Frey was away. Let’s hurry!”

“Eh, eeh…?”

I was surprised as Mia suddenly put her hands under my upper armpits and lifted me up.

“W-wait… I can walk on my own… Mia!?”

Even though I said I would walk on my own feet, I shouted towards Mia who suddenly started running.

“Ahaha… Sorry, Frey! Actually, we’re already late!”

Mia just kept running while holding me tightly in her arms, saying incomprehensible things like we were already quite late.

“Huff, huff… Frey, huff… you’re heavier than I thought….”

“…That’s why I said I’d walk on my own.”

So, arriving in front of the church with Mia panting heavily, having ignored the weight of the extra pair of arms attached to my body as a service.

“Is it towards the dining room…?”

Listening to the noisy sounds that had been coming from the church since we got close, I headed towards the direction of the sound—the dining room, tiptoeing quietly.

“What on earth is this old man up to this time….”

It was the moment I was trying to peek inside the dining room carefully from outside the window.

Rattle.

“What are you doing here?”

Suddenly the window opened, and Bernard leaned out, asking me in a bored voice.

“Ah, old man….”

“Everyone’s stomachs are already sticking to their backs from waiting, hey.”

“Fufu. Let’s go in quickly, Frey.”

Before I could ask what he meant by everyone waiting, I was dragged along by Mia’s hand.

“Now then— I’ll introduce today’s main character.”

“…?”

Led by Bernard’s hand, who was wearing a party hat that didn’t suit him at all, which he had taken out from somewhere.

I stood in front of several people including the fruit store auntie I met this morning, the inn owner next door, and the young couple from the tavern.

“Well, everyone here already knows, but this is Novice Nun Frey, who has newly become a citizen of Yulentina!”

Feeling Bernard and Mia’s hands patting my back and waist as if to reassure me, I blankly bowed my head.

“It’s late, but welcome to Yulentina again, Frey.”

So, amidst the various welcoming greetings and cheers directed at me, that one sentence from Mia that particularly pierced my heart.

“Uh, uh….”

I was so overwhelmed with emotion that.

“Th-thank… sniff, you… uh, thank you…!”

Standing blankly, just shedding big tears.

“Uh, uh… I know, hic, I shouldn’t cry…!”

I should be smiling when I’m this happy, but I couldn’t understand myself for just shedding tears like a fool.

I really couldn’t understand myself for crying like a child at every little thing, even though it had only been a little over a year since I became this body.

I just raised all four arms and covered my face like that.

Hug.

Then, I felt Mia’s touch as she quietly approached from behind and pulled me tightly into her embrace without a word.

“Frey. Who told you not to cry?”

“Old… man…?”

At the same time, as I slightly lowered the hands covering my face at the voice I heard.

I saw Bernard crouched in front of me, stroking my head with his hand, looking at me with his blue eyes that were usually not so visible, gently curved.

“The Lord said: Share love together, crying and laughing.”

Unlike his usual casual way of speaking.

“Frey. The people here are ready to be your family anytime.”

Like a parent soothing a child, like a teacher teaching a student.

“From what I’ve seen over the past week, you’re too good at enduring.”

That softly whispered words.

“If there’s something you want to do, want to eat, want to have, you can always say so. Of course, we can’t do everything… but that’s why I brought you here.”

Gradually—it started to make me a real resident of this world.

“So, today you can just enjoy yourself freely. Ah, but still no alcohol.”

So, looking at that hand reaching out to me.

“……”

I blankly stretched out all four arms and grabbed Bernard’s arm.

“Oop—.”

Right after, I let my body be carried by Bernard’s touch as he gently lifted me up like a princess with a gentle smile.

“Ahaha. Still, she follows Father Bernard the best after all.”

“I guess the rumors were just rumors… Would he really have done such bad things when she follows him like that?”

“There must have been some misunderstanding, I think.”

Only after noticing the people looking at me with the most affectionate eyes did I realize what kind of state I was in, being held in Bernard’s arms.

“Uh, uwaaaaah—!?”

“Oh my, you startled me.”

After belatedly screaming and jumping out of Bernard’s arms.

“Wh-why are you suddenly hugging me, you pervert priest!”

“What— You’re the one who stretched out your arms asking to be hugged, what are you saying?”

“Ugh, th-that’s…! Y-you reached out your hand first…!”

I shouted at Bernard who was teasing me with an extremely annoying face, unlike before.

“Ah— I see— So Frey has a habit of begging to be hugged when you stretch out your hands— I didn’t know—.”

“Eek—!”

I couldn’t win against Bernard who was laughing haha while speaking in a flat tone as if reading a textbook.

“Now, now. Both of you, that’s enough. People are about to faint from hunger.”

In the end, the situation was resolved with Mia, who couldn’t stand watching anymore, intervening between me and Bernard.

So, among the people enjoying food while laughing haha hoho.

‘I’m not a child, I’m not a child…!’

I tried hard to keep my face from relaxing into a smile at the touch of people who kept coming to pat my head and find me cute.

“…What?”

During the noisy welcome party, I listened to a familiar voice suddenly coming from a corner.

“…No, suddenly?”

“Well… The Mayor said it’s something that absolutely requires you, Father…”

Just as I was wondering why I couldn’t see Bernard for a while, I slightly poked my head out towards the voice coming from the entrance.

“Can’t you see the situation? Not today. Tell him I’ll go tomorrow.”

For some reason, I could see one of the guards who had visited the church during the day asking Bernard for something.

“…This isn’t confirmed yet, but…”

Right after, as if sharing some secret talk, the guard whispered something into Bernard’s ear.

“…What? Is that true?”

“As I said, it’s still at the speculation stage… but judging from the Mayor’s mood, you can probably consider it almost certain.”

“Nngh….”

Bernard, who was tapping his foot with his arms crossed and a serious face.

“Frey.”

“Hyak!?”

As if he had eyes on his back, he suddenly called my name while still looking at the guard.

“I’m sorry. It seems I’ll have to leave for a while tonight due to a sudden matter.”

Then, patting my head again saying he was sorry for leaving during my welcome party.

“There probably won’t be any problems… but just in case, don’t leave the church tonight no matter what. Understood?”

He said not to leave the church no matter what happens.

“U-um, okay.”

“If others ask for me, tell them I had to leave due to an urgent matter and they’ll understand.”

With a serious face I had never seen before.

“Well then, let’s go.”

“Yes. Thank you, Father.”

He left instantly, as if disappearing outside.

After that… well, as Bernard said there was an urgent matter, people comforted me with sympathetic faces, and my welcome party concluded with us finishing most of the food in the dining room.

“Well then… We’ve cleaned up roughly, so shall we go to bed?”

“You didn’t have to stay….”

On the way to the room with Mia, who said she would stay with me tonight since Bernard was gone for once and everyone else had left.

“Hmm. What’s this, Frey. You’re not going to say something scary like telling your big sister to go home alone at this late hour, are you?”

“…Ugh. N-no, that’s not it.”

I regretted what I had said earlier, wondering what I was thinking.

“Then, good night.”

“Good night to you too, Frey.”

Forcibly dressed in the frilly, fluttering pale yellow pajamas Mia had prepared—I had to obediently become Mia’s hugging pillow.