I'm Playing as a Nun.

Ten years from now.

The world faced a sudden upheaval due to a single being, and the overwhelming power wielded by the demon race was greatly diminished.

The identity of this being was none other than a vampire - a race the demons had so thoroughly despised and ignored.

With her appearance alone, the demons' powerful and unwavering system began to shake.

Her influence spread rapidly in unexpected directions.

Eventually, it became an enormous power that even the current Demon Lord couldn't easily ignore.

Fortunately, among the misfortunes, she had never once set foot in Necrosis, the land of demons.

She remained only in an abandoned church building deep within the Elm Forest─

The Demon Lord pondered.

Why hadn't she, who had far surpassed the limitations of vampires, entered Necrosis, and why did she remain only there?

Why did she ruthlessly hunt only demons while never touching humans...

After all, thousands of years of accumulated history, magic, and military might could never be toppled by a single being.

Then,

Jermondy Nadine, who had been secretly disrupting human society, returned to Necrosis and reported various information he had discovered to the Demon Lord.

Only then did the Demon Lord realize the children she kept weren't food.

It was certain she was plotting something using the children, and he could sense that it would become a major threat to demonkind in the future.

"It seems she hasn't yet gained enough power to face me. Gather the executives now and head to Elm Forest."

The Demon Lord found his answer in Nadine's report, which was that she was raising children to use as her own power.

Judging that her power wasn't yet complete, the Demon Lord finally gathered all his executives and subordinates to head toward Elm Forest.

However, the Demon Lord's complacent judgment became the worst move that would flip the world order.

It became the decisive moment that caused Levi, who had been a mere Vampire, to evolve into a progenitor.

"──."

Despite mobilizing the largest military force in demon history, Nadine was the only demon who returned alive from Elm Forest.

He had been deliberately spared by Levi and used as a messenger to deliver her final warning to the Demon Lord.

《That was quite troublesome this time. But I hope this won't happen again. After all, it should be the children, not me, who subjugate the Demon Lord.》

Levi's words to the Demon Lord were both a warning and a notice.

But among her incredibly arrogant words,

What irritated the Demon Lord most was the part about the children she raised having to play that role.

The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes momentarily upon hearing those words.

The statement that children must subjugate the Demon Lord was completely incomprehensible to him.

He couldn't accept a concept that deviated from the laws and order of the world he had ruled until now.

The idea that children, and worthless humans at that, would try to surpass him was a notion that scratched at his pride and threatened his authority.

"..."

However, the Demon Lord's power was greatly diminished after this incident. He couldn't exert the same powerful pressure for a while.

Anxiety spread even among the demons under his rule, and those who cast suspicious glances at his orders gradually increased.

The moment it was revealed that the Demon Lord's existence was no longer absolute as before, his influence slowly eroded, and followers of Levi began to appear one by one.

Ten years passed in such an unstable climate...

***

-Rustle

The power diminished by the Demon Lord's extreme reign of terror spread once again, and the world faced another change.

But despite all that, my daily life doesn't particularly change.

I never had much interest in the Demon Lord from the start, and I didn't have any strong ambitions to draw a line somewhere.

Now that the children have grown to some extent, there's nothing left for me to worry about.

-Shuffle, shuffle

I'm having a peaceful time with a small table under the World Tree.

As sunlight gently settles down, the wind passing through the tree leaves sounds like music.

"Phew─."

News of the children's great success as adventurers is frequently reported in the newspapers.

The children's names have become so famous that there's probably no one who doesn't know them, and their achievements seem to be widely circulated among many people.

"Hehe... All that hard work wasn't for nothing."

In a way, this fate was predetermined when the children I raised were chosen as Messiahs.

But I can't help feeling proud.

Just because they were chosen as Messiahs didn't mean their personalities would suddenly mature.

That's why I collect and keep newspaper articles about the children whenever they appear.

"It's really moving... Do you know how much I struggled to level these kids up..."

I remember the days I brought nearly dead monsters or demons for them to deliver the final blow to raise their levels.

The World Tree responded to my thoughtless muttering by dropping a branch to the ground.

"When I first saw them, they were just little snot-nosed kids who couldn't do anything, but now they've grown so much..."

"Levi, what are you doing here?"

Just as I was reminiscing about the past and feeling quite pleased with myself.

Suddenly, a large shadow fell behind me, and a mature yet familiar voice unexpectedly reached my ears.

"Haven't you left yet?"

"Nope. Decided to just rest today."

"Why?"

"We've been running around a lot lately. Solved many requests, too."

"The world still needs you all. This isn't the time to be leisurely resting."

"What's wrong with that? It's not like the world will end just because we take a few days off."

"..."

It's good that they've grown up to be proud, but for some reason, the children haven't become independent and are still staying at the church.

By now, they should have settled in the royal capital away from the church.

It was strange that despite gaining such fame and honor, they still stayed with me.

"Isn't it inconvenient to keep coming and going like this?"

"Hm? No, it's actually nice to have a place to return to."

"You could get a much better house in the royal capital than this place."

Aizen, who used to be much smaller and weaker than me, had grown like a storm.

He's already much taller than me, and his body is well-built, looking like he'd be popular wherever he goes...

"But you're not there, Levi."

"Aizen, that's not something a 20-year-old adult man should say."

"?"

Strangely, his inner self hasn't grown at all.

However, I hear he shows quite mature aspects elsewhere.

To my eyes, he's still the same 10-year-old Aizen.

"Sister─!!"

Following that, Ellie's bright voice rings out.

After heaving a deep sigh at Aizen, I slowly turned my head toward the sound with a sullen expression─.

"How about this─?!"

"I'm not wearing that."

Ellie thrusts at me some clothes that look inappropriate even at a glance.

Ellie, who became a Saint praised by everyone, had grown exactly as I had worried.

Ellie strongly disliked the image of a calm and modest Saint.

Especially in the Saint's robes she's wearing now, Ellie's stubborn personality shows through...

"Ellie, I told you to refrain from wearing such revealing clothes."

"What?"

"What will people think?"

"But I prefer dressing like this. The Saint's robes wrap up the whole body and are uncomfortable to move in."

"Even so, that's..."

"Would you like to try it on too, Sister? Wearing the same clothes all the time must get boring."

Ellie, who used to be my little shadow, has grown explosively like Aizen.

Her cute childhood appearance is completely gone.

Now she boasts a perfect figure that would look good in any clothes.

"I bought so many clothes from the royal capital, but it's a bit disappointing that you won't wear any of them."

"That's because all the clothes Ellie brings are torn and slashed up."

"They're designed that way from the start..."

"I absolutely won't wear such clothes."

Although it's slightly regrettable that the children's pure old selves have disappeared.

Still, I'm somewhat satisfied since they've become a proper hero party.

"Stop forcing your taste on Levi. Simple clothes suit Levi best."

"How would you know that? Sister would definitely look good in any clothes."

"Honestly, who else but you would look for and wear such clothes? They're all completely outrageous."

"What's wrong with them?! They all look pretty to me!!"

"That's why people say you've got a screw loose. Where in the world is there a Saint like this?"

"Where did someone with such low intelligence learn to say such mean things? You who only ever go to the blacksmith..."

Naturally ignoring the children's endless argument, I calmly moved my steps to leave the World Tree's shade without any particular concern.

In the afternoon, when the sun shines brightly.

I stand normally in the warm sunlight without any shade, completely exposed.

I somehow evolved from a vampire to a progenitor a few years ago.

Now, I don't feel any of the previous pain, even when exposed to sunlight.

"Where are Iris and Rune?"

"...Ah, they should be in the kitchen right now."

Progenitor.

A term that feels suffocating just looking at the letters.

Although several years have passed since that term became mine, I'm still not used to that fact.

Everything changed from when I was a vampire, and those changes couldn't necessarily all be called good.

Things I couldn't have dared imagine before became natural.

Strange sensations I had never felt before seeped into my body.

"It's fine to bicker as usual, but try not to go too far."

An undying body, strengthened physique, instincts beyond mere senses.

An overwhelming existence that can't even be compared to ordinary vampires.

Because of this, the children have grown increasingly suspicious of me in subtle ways.

Though they don't show it, their thoughts and actions are vaguely visible nonetheless.

Especially since I haven't aged at all in the past 10 years, maintaining my previous appearance.

It must seem suspicious to the children, except for Rune.

I'd prefer it if the children never learned this truth until the end.

They're no longer at an age to be easily fooled by simple wordplay, so I think I should start preparing myself mentally to some extent.

"You're all grown up now─"