I'm Playing as a Nun.

"Sip..."

"Gulp..."

Rune, who is now sitting across from me, leisurely drinking tea.

Judging from the atmosphere and his rather shabby appearance, it doesn't seem like she approached me with any ulterior motive.

"...Um, Rune? Can you tell me the reason you came looking for me now?"

"Of course! Certainly."

A purity that is fully evident in her every action.

She looks too naive and young to be scheming something behind the scenes.

But since she's an elf, I have to be careful not to be deceived by her outward appearance.

She could be 100 years old for all I know.

"The elder said that a quite extraordinary vampire has recently appeared in this Elm Forest."

"Hmm, was I being watched?"

"We know almost everything that happens in the forest. That's because we are elves."

"...Anyway, so?"

"We elves are currently maintaining neutrality, but since we manage the giant world tree called Roen, there is a lot of pressure from here and there."

"I see─."

Come to think of it...

While passing by to head to the village across the river, I suddenly remember seeing a giant tree from afar that was on a completely different scale from other trees.

Even though it was quite far from where I was.

Was the tree showing off its magnificent appearance like a hazy mist, possibly the world tree?

"So the elder thought! For the bright future of the elves, a strong ally is absolutely necessary!"

"Hmm."

"While searching for an ally who would share the same vision as the elves everywhere, he accidentally discovered a vampire exerting dominance in this Elm Forest!"

"Dominance...?"

"I heard you single-handedly defeated a total of three demons recently?!"

"...Just how much do you know?"

"Everything!"

I'm grateful that she's answering frankly without hiding anything.

But since the topic is what it is, I can't help but frown more the more I hear.

Not only does she know quite a bit about me, but she even knows that I took care of three demons.

"When it comes to matters of the forest, there's nothing we don't know! That's the race called elves!"

In short, she came to find me because the elves, who are maintaining neutrality, need an ally who will share their vision and fight together.

If you listen without thinking, it might sound like an ordinary story with nothing particularly strange, but if you think about it a little more deeply, there are more than just one or two odd points.

"But why me, of all people? I'm also a demon, you know?"

No matter how detailed their knowledge about me is, the fact that I'm a demon with a human heart is not something they can easily know.

If they thought that way just by seeing that I'm caring for children, it seems the elves of this world can't be considered very smart.

"Well, because you're taking care of children!"

"......"

A very absurd moment where the thought I had just in case immediately became reality.

When I heard Rune's answer, my mind instantly went blank.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! Since the elder said so, that must be right!"

"Still, to be so trusting of a demon whose motives are unknown..."

"That's why I came. Originally, an adult should have come, but since the vampire living in this forest seems to really like children, they said it's best for me, who is relatively good at talking among peers, to go."

"W-Wait a minute... just because you're a child?"

"Yes!"

I had no choice but to doubt my ears.

To think I was being treated that way by the elves just because I was taking care of children─

Of course, it's not that I dislike them.

But just because they're children doesn't mean I like them all.

"There seems to be some misunderstanding... I don't like all children just because they're young..."

"What?"

"The children I'm taking care of now, I met by chance, but we built up feelings by spending a lot of time together. That's why I cherish them. It's absolutely not because I like them for simply being children."

"Th-That can't be... The elder clearly said things would go smoothly if I just came..."

"Well, I can't fault the delusional."

It was very uncomfortable and unpleasant to be treated that way by elves, I don't know.

But I couldn't vent all those feelings on Rune, so I tried to open my mouth calmly as if nothing was wrong.

Then, Rune's expression, which had a smile all over her face until just now, gradually began to grow gloomy.

"Oh no... This is a mission I really have to fulfill somehow..."

"It can't be helped. That's the truth."

"Still... Can't you at least briefly visit our forest...?"

Even at Rune's earnest question, I shook my head calmly.

She probably already knows, but.

There's no reason to intentionally reveal my weakness, and I didn't feel the need to cross the river at all.

"No way... This is... impossible..."

Rune, who had turned completely pale before I knew it.

The confident appearance from earlier was nowhere to be seen, and only a dried fish with its whole body drooping remained in front of me.

"By the way, how did you come here with such a small body?"

"...What?"

"It might be fine here since there are few monsters now, but there must still be various monsters across the river..."

"Ah... I already knew there were a few monsters here from the elder. So adults accompanied me until I crossed the river..."

I was curious about it for a while.

Putting aside ordinary clothes, no weapons were seen anywhere on Rune's body, even though she said she had crossed the monster-filled forest.

There wasn't even a common dagger.

It must have taken quite a bit to get here, so it was very suspicious that she didn't even have a backpack with food.

"......"

Thinking like that, all of Rune's words that I heard earlier began to seem more and more suspicious.

I couldn't understand how the elves, who have covert and outstanding information-gathering abilities to the point that even I couldn't notice, weren't being cautious of me just because I was taking care of children.

"...Rune, can you tell me more about the mission you received from that elder?"

"Why all of a sudden...?"

"I'm just curious."

Rune, whose expression grew even gloomier at my question.

She seemed to hesitate momentarily but soon let out a small sigh and slowly began to blink.

"Originally, it's a secret, so I shouldn't say it carelessly... But since you still seem to suspect me..."

"I won't tell anyone, so speak comfortably."

"...Promise. You can't say I told you..."

"Okay."

And so, just as the silent Rune barely gathered her courage and was about to carefully open her mouth.

"Levi!! I gathered them all!!"

Along with Aizen's loud voice that noisily resonated through the entire forest, Ellie and Iris's footsteps followed one after another.

"Sister! I'm first!!"

"I picked them all too."

Fantastic timing, as if it was planned.

It was a golden opportunity to solve the question lingering in my mind, but for this to suddenly happen…

"Has it already been an hour?"

"I don't know! I just roughly guessed and came back?"

"...You did well."

A bitter smile that unintentionally forms on its own.

I'm getting an inexplicably dubious feeling.

"Huh...? But who's that?"

Ellie tilted her head in wonder while staring somewhere with both hands full of medicinal herbs.

Standing right next to her, Iris also tilted her head along with her.

"Ah, let me introduce. This child is Rune..."

The moment I was about to naturally introduce Rune to the curious children.

I saw Rune, who had already left her spot and was hiding in a bush.

"Rune?"

"......"

Rune suddenly became extremely wary and shrank back as soon as she saw the children.

Her eyebrows and body trembling like an aspen tree, began to turn even paler than me as if she had seen some unknown horror.

"I-I'm sorry... Actually, I... I've never met any race other than elves before..."

"What are you suddenly talking about? You were chatting with me just fine."

"T-That's... because you gave off a warm and cozy impression..."

Rune's sudden extreme shyness was more surprising to see than not.

Amidst that, her words that I was fine made me tilt my head even more.

"I did prepare myself before coming here... But it's still not easy after all..."

"......"

No matter how long I waited, Rune wouldn't come out of the bush.

She was just subtly twitching like a stray cat.

"Phew... Then do you want to sit next to me?"

"What?"

"Just stay next to me until the introduction is over. You'll feel much more at ease."

There was nothing else I could do.

Now that the children have seen Rune, I have to introduce her first, no matter the situation.

But the one I had to introduce was hiding and not–

"R-Really, is that okay?"

"Of course. Come here."

At my trivial persuasion, Rune's eyes immediately widened and she shyly hesitated with a different vibe from before.

Then he carefully came out of the bushes and approached me closely with quick steps.

"Thank you..."

"It's nothing."

Everyone waited quietly, holding their breath, for Rune to sit down.

But contrary to my expectations, the situation became even more subtle because she suddenly sat on my lap instead of beside me.

"Excuse me for a moment..."

"Huh?"

On top of that, Rune put both arms around my waist and even snuggled into my arms.

"Wh-What the─?!! Levi, who the heck is that?!!"

"Hey, you!! Who are you to casually hug Sister!! Get out quickly!! I haven't even done that yet!!"

"I-I'm jealous..."

Despite the children's spiteful shouts, Rune didn't pay any attention and instead leaned her body even more comfortably.

With an infinitely peaceful expression, as if lying alone in a flower garden─.

"It's cold but cozy..."

After a few seconds of silence, Rune's soft murmur was heard.

It was a shocking remark that made me and the children there dumbfounded once again.

"......"

Due to Rune's sudden action, the atmosphere around us instantly turned desolate.

And the children's gazes towards Rune became extremely cold.