I’m Playing as a Nun.

– Crackle, crackle

Around the brightly burning bonfire, there are still several skewers stuck in the ground.

They look extremely primitive and seem very difficult for the children to eat.

“They’re done. Try eating one.”

“Thank you.”

Ellie takes the skewer the helmet handed her without any suspicion.

Watching that scene with displeasure, I immediately got up from my seat and approached Ellie’s side without hesitation.

“You can’t do that, Ellie. You shouldn’t just take things from strangers.”

“Huh?”

“Besides, this skewer is too big and will be very inconvenient for you to eat.”

“But Sister Levi, I’m hungry.”

“Put that skewer down for now and eat the meat I grilled. It will be easier to eat and tastier.”

Without considering the small mouths of children and just stupidly sticking chunks of meat on skewers cannot be called a meal for children.

Eating and chewing is more comfortable if you slice the meat thinly like I do.

Children’s teeth are still weak, so they may have difficulty swallowing if the meat is too big.

“How is it? It’s delicious, right?”

“Yes! It’s even more delicious because Sister Levi grilled it!”

Seeing Ellie’s satisfied expression, a deep sense of pride wells up from the bottom of my heart.

It’s clear that children need my kind and considerate touch rather than the rough and brutish touch of the helmet.

“It seems you have no desire to raise the children to be strong.”

“What?”

“By the looks of it, they seem to be children you’re taking care of at some church.”

“So what?”

“Children like these need to be raised even stronger.”

“Is feeding them brutishly grilled meat a way to strengthen them?”

“That’s not it. They need to experience various things. Children need to chew on this kind of meat once to develop the ability to not succumb to any difficult situation and solve problems on their own. Through that process, they learn patience.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

Not because I somewhat agreed with what the helmet said.

But because it was so absurd that it nonchalantly spouted nonsense about developing problem-solving skills and learning patience just by eating a single roasted meat.

“You’re saying all that grandiose stuff just for eating a single piece of meat?”

“Small things accumulate and eventually lead to a greater cause.”

“Don’t exaggerate. I’ll prepare what the children will eat, so you stop worrying about it and quietly eat the meat you grilled.”

I can’t quite figure out what kind of person it is.

Even though I expressed this much discomfort, they stayed without showing any discomfort and engaged in cheerful conversation.

Are they tactless?

Or are they deliberately ignoring me?

“I appreciate the words, but I’ll pass on the meat.”

“What? Then who is supposed to eat these grilled skewers?”

“Calm down, pale friend. It would be a waste to throw away, so take my word for it and try feeding it to the children once. I’m sure it will be a good experience.”

“Why am I your friend? And that’s kind of irresponsible…”

While frowning at the absurdity, Ellie, sitting quietly beside me, suddenly carefully pulled on my clothes.

“Sister Levi, I want to try that skewer once.”

“…But Ellie, that skewer might get stuck in your throat and be dangerous if you don’t chew it properly.”

“I’ll eat it carefully. So can’t you let me…?”

Ellie’s eyes suddenly turned sparkling.

Her clear and pitiful eyes I can’t refuse at all quickly weaken my heart.

“Just let them eat, Sister Levi. Kids these days chew on rocks too.”

Meanwhile, Priscilla opens her mouth quietly with a bright expression.

In her hands were well-done skewers, each with a bite taken out of them.

“It must be delicious, huh?”

“Yes! It’s very delicious. It’ll get cold soon also.”

Every time I look at Priscilla, I always worry first.

Not only is she short-sighted, but I’m sincerely worried that her reckless lack of consideration for the future will eventually drive her to the edge.

“Levi… Can’t I just eat this skewer?”

Aizen’s careful words follow.

I finally flickered my hazy eyes and slowly started looking around at the surroundings I had been trying to avoid.

“……”

The children were watching my reaction.

Even though there was grilled meat right before their eyes, they couldn’t eat it despite being hungry because I fussed over nothing.

This wasn’t the atmosphere I wanted.

“… I’m sorry. I was being too sensitive. I was just worried.”

“No, Levi. It’s not like you did it on purpose. We know your heart better than anyone.”

“Thank you for saying that. Now eat to your heart’s content without minding me. But be careful because you’ll get indigestion if you eat quickly.”

“Okay! Levi, let’s eat together.”

“I’m fine.”

With those words, I put down the plate of meat on the floor and slowly got up from my seat.

“Where are you going?”

This time again, Ellie grabbed my clothes and asked quietly.

“I’m just going to look at the lake.”

“Sister Levi, are you perhaps upset…?”

“No, not at all.”

“Can I go with you?”

“There’s still a lot of meat left. Priscilla unnie will help you with this and that, so finish eating and then come.”

When I answered indifferently with a faint smile, Ellie finally nodded with a bright expression as if relieved.

“Huh? It’s just eating meat. What is there to help with?”

“Watch the children well so they don’t eat in a hurry. Since you’ve been playing with them until now, you should be able to do that much.”

“Well, it’s not that I can’t…”

“I’ll leave the children to you for a bit.”

“…Yes, have a good time…”

I roughly organized the situation and immediately headed toward the lake.

“Uh, huh?”

Not alone, but with the helmet.

This guy was also very annoying, as he was still calmly grilling meat even though the atmosphere had become quite desolate.

I couldn’t understand understand this guy at all.

Just what kind of guy is he to mix in so naturally like this?

The more I think about it, the more absurd he is.

“Looks like not all nuns are gentle.”

“Then quickly reveal your identity?”

“Hm? At this point?”

“I couldn’t ask earlier because I couldn’t find the chance.”

Asking the identity of the helmet as far away from the children as possible.

At first glance, he looks like an adventurer who happened to pass by, but if you look closely, there are more than a couple of suspicious things.

“I just lost my way. I’m not a particularly suspicious guy.”

“Ordinary people don’t mingle like this. You’re clearly suspicious.”

“No, I just happened to see you while passing by and thought it would be fun…”

“Just what kind of explanation did you give that the children were hanging out with you without a doubt?”

At my sharp question, the helmet showed a slightly flustered look.

“I said the same thing I just told you.”

“What? No, you’re saying the kids dispelled their doubts with just that explanation?”

“They were so excited from the beginning that they didn’t even ask about me first, let alone have doubts.”

“…Ha, really.”

That’s a lie.

There’s no way our kids would do that.

They should be even more wary than usual because of the demons who visited twice in the past few days.

“The children seem to trust you a lot. They seemed to think it was okay because you were there no matter what happened.”

“Even so, that’s too careless. Do you think I’ll believe such a flimsy excuse at face value?”

“I didn’t lie.”

“As their guardian, I’m always on high alert wherever I am. If you think you can fool me the same way as Miss Priscilla over there, I’d like to tell you that you’re greatly mistaken.”

I can’t tell his expression because of the helmet covering his face.

Nevertheless, I could vaguely sense that this helmet was even more flustered than before.

“Phew… It’s true that I lost my way, and it’s also true that the children didn’t suspect me. No matter how many times you ask, I can only give you the same answer.”

“You’re quite persistent.”

“What can I do if it’s the truth?”

“Then what were you doing when you lost your way?”

“I was heading to the destination with an intermediate-level on a mission, but suddenly they disappeared, and I was left here alone.”

“…Mission?”

“But I don’t really know what that mission is either.”

The more I hear, the more absurd it is beyond suspicion.

I understand that the mission the helmet is talking about roughly means a request, but I can’t understand why he doesn’t know its contents.

“Does it make sense to not know the request details at all…?”

“It’s not a request. It’s a mission. And whenever something happens, they drag me along without explanation, so I can do nothing about it.”

“Sigh… Then where is that destination?”

“I don’t know. I was just following behind.”

I don’t want to do this.

I’d like to resolve it as smoothly as possible.

Every single word that comes out of this helmet’s mouth stimulates my nerves, making heat gradually rise above my head.

Why did they bring him along in the first place if they were going to abandon him…

“Did you perhaps hit your head in the forest?”

“I know what you’re thinking to say such a thing, but I’d still like you to believe me. I’m only telling the truth.”

“Don’t know the request details, don’t know the destination… No, what do you want me to do?”

“Let’s start with introducing ourselves first. My name is Bel Ros. The kids call me mister, but I haven’t lived that long yet.”

“Suddenly introducing yourself at this point…?”

“What’s good is good. I thought this way I could at least lessen the suspicion towards me a bit.”

I can’t keep up with this helmet’s thought process at all.

Is this really right…?

“… I’m Levinia Fallen Grace. I take care of the children at a nearby church.”

“That’s quite a long name. I heard that kid call you Levi earlier. Can I call you that, too?”

“No. Call me Levinia.”

“How firm.”

It feels like we talked about a lot, but for some reason, nothing remains in my head.

Far from revealing his identity, the suspicion only deepened, and I only learned the name I didn’t particularly want to know.

“Anyway, I understand your head hurts slightly from getting lost in the forest. Then do you know roughly how many hours have passed since you got lost here?”

At my question, the helmet remained silent for a moment, looking like he was thinking deeply.

Then he raised his slightly lowered head and answered nonchalantly.

“I think it’s been well over a week.”

At his completely unexpected answer, I became dumbfounded once again.

“Come to think of it, I’ve been wandering in this forest for quite a long time.”

“Excuse me, are you an idiot by any chance?”