LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 4
On a warm sunny afternoon.
In the small garden in front of the church, three children are huddled together, chattering away.
“……”
It’s been exactly two weeks since that incident.
Surprisingly, the children have quickly adapted to life at the church.
They’ve even taken on chores without being asked, slowly finding stability.
Still, I can faintly sense that they’re pushing themselves too hard, though they’re trying not to show it.
Thanks to them, I no longer feel lonely, and my life has become much brighter. But with more responsibilities, I’ve had to move busier than ever.
“So peaceful…”
I mutter softly, sitting dazedly on the steps at the church entrance.
Looking at it this way, it’s an ideal life.
No troublesome kids, a peaceful environment, and enough food to go around.
Recently, we cleaned up the shabby nun’s building next to the church.
It had been neglected for so long that it took days of hard work to tidy up, but at least we don’t have to sleep uncomfortably on hard wooden benches anymore.
Truly, our own little paradise on earth.
But─.
“Levi! It’s almost time for worship.”
“…Already?”
“It’s almost 3 o’clock.”
Unlike the children who often attended church in the village to pray, I have no such experience.
I don’t even believe in the concept of a deity, let alone attend church.
“The one blessed by Faelia shall come to this land, and wherever their footsteps touch, new life shall sprout…”
This is already the fourth worship service today.
One at dawn, one at 9 a.m., one at noon, and now one at 3 p.m…
The children say it’s rare for someone to hold worship so rigorously.
Usually, twice a day—morning and evening—is enough, but─.
Since we are guided by the goddess Faelia, they insist on maintaining this schedule to show our devotion.
“Amen.”
“Amen.”
“Amen.”
The children seem to be trying hard not to forget the goddess’s grace with each worship.
Of course, I can understand their feelings.
Every time I make an excuse, the name of the goddess Faelia automatically slips out of my mouth.
Maybe this was the inevitable outcome.
“Levi’s worship services are so soothing to listen to.”
“Yeah, I used to fall asleep in the old church.”
“Your voice is so gentle.”
Well, I guess you reap what you sow.
From the moment I decided to play the role of a nun, I had somewhat prepared for this.
“…Levi, what’s wrong?”
“Sister, are you feeling unwell…?”
“You look tired.”
However, as a vampire who is primarily active at night, this kind of diligent lifestyle is pure hell.
Although the children bring back snacks and necessary supplies during the day, the amount brought by 10-year-olds is far from enough to sustain our current lifestyle.
“Uh, is that so…?”
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“No… I’m just a bit tired.”
In short, in the two weeks since the children arrived at the church, I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep and have been running on full throttle 24/7.
I don’t regret my decision to take care of the children, but even as a vampire, this kind of forced march is exhausting.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this busy in my previous world…
“Now that I think about it, Sister, you’ve been going out a lot at dawn lately…”
Ellie’s cautious remark hits me right in the ear, and I instinctively flinch, my expression stiffening awkwardly.
“Me…?”
“Ah, I think I’ve heard that too.”
“Me too.”
I was almost touched, thinking they were worried about me, but it turns out they were subtly cornering me to drop the bomb.
These ungrateful brats.
“…Actually, there’s something important I haven’t told you all.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been going to a special place at dawn to pray to Faelia separately.”
I say this with a straight face, looking quite haggard.
If I weren’t a vampire, I wouldn’t have to go through this much trouble.
The longer I spend with the children, the more lies I seem to tell.
“Really?!”
“Wow… How many times a day do you pray…?”
“Sister, you’re amazing.”
At this rate, I feel like I’m losing weight every day, but since I boldly declared I’d take responsibility for these kids, I can’t show any signs of discomfort now.
Moreover, something I never expected has suddenly happened without warning, leaving me in a desperate situation.
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【Aizen】- Messiah
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【Ellie】- Messiah
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【Iris】- Messiah
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Even after two weeks, the word “Messiah” is still boldly written next to the children’s names.
When I first saw this, I was quite startled and confused.
At the time, I had no idea what “Messiah” meant.
Later, I checked an old Bible and found that “Messiah” means savior—the one who brings salvation to the world.
“Alright! From today on, I’m going to follow Levi and pray at dawn too!”
“I… I want to do it too…”
“Me too.”
“That’s not the direction Faelia wants…”
What started as simple sympathy has suddenly grown into something overwhelming.
Before, I could only check my own status window, but since that day, I’ve been able to see the children’s status windows as well.
“Gasp, can Levi actually talk to Faelia?”
“Well, it’s not exactly talking… It’s more like I can vaguely sense her feelings.”
“Wow… Sister, you’re truly loved by Faelia…”
“Amazing.”
This is just a lie I tell the kids.
I can see the word “Messiah” in their status windows, but beyond that, there’s no direct communication with Faelia.
In fact, I’m not even sure if the goddess Faelia truly exists.
Even if she does, how could a vampire like me possibly communicate with her?
“Alright, everyone… You have free time until the next worship service… Don’t worry about me and go play to your heart’s content…”
“…You were already pale, but today you look even paler.”
“Your dark circles are darker too…”
“You’ve gotten thinner.”
I can’t tell if they’re genuinely worried or subtly mocking me─.
Their words keep pouring in from both sides, and I can’t figure out their intentions.
It’s already been 30 minutes since worship ended, and I just want to rest properly until the next service at 6 p.m.
“…Ah.”
“What’s wrong, Levi?”
“Now that I think about it, Faelia said we’re holding too many worship services.”
“Huh? But you said you can’t talk to her.”
“I can’t have a natural conversation, but I can somewhat understand her intentions.”
A sudden thought crosses my mind.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of this earlier.
Using the goddess Faelia could easily solve this problem.
“She says it’s too burdensome to do this many, so just twice a day—morning and evening—is enough.”
The children’s expressions change ambiguously for a moment, but they soon nod in agreement and start showing positive attitudes.
“Well, that makes sense.”
“If that’s the goddess’s will, there’s nothing we can do…”
“I can accept that.”
“Then today’s worship is over, so feel free to play until dinner time.”
The amount of free time has suddenly increased.
If I had done this earlier, I wouldn’t have been so exhausted.
“Levi, come play with us. You always just watch us play.”
“Huh? No. No no no… I’m really tired right now…”
“Oh right. That’s true.”
A cold sweat runs down my back.
If I hadn’t mentioned being tired earlier, we would’ve argued about this for a while.
“Have fun playing…”
“Yeah! We’ll stay in the garden, so don’t worry.”
“Thanks, Aizen. Take care of Ellie and Iris for me.”
“Yeah! Just trust me!”
Although they’re not real siblings, since that incident, Aizen has naturally taken on the role of an older brother, diligently caring for Ellie and Iris.
With his exceptional initiative and situational judgment beyond his years, it’s a real blessing for someone as busy as me.
What a remarkable kid─.
I’ll have to secretly give him a bit more dinner later.
.
.
.
A few hours later.
After entrusting Ellie and Iris to the reliable Aizen, I was deeply immersed in a sweet sleep in my room at the nun’s building.
As always, I thought today would pass uneventfully.
But that was my mistake.
“Le, Levi… Sister Levinia─!!”
Ellie bursts into my room, slamming the door open and starts crying loudly.
Startled by the sudden commotion, I jump up from my bed, looking around in a daze.
“Wh, wh, what?! What’s wrong?!”
“Waaah…!! Sister…!! Aizen and Iris…”
Ellie is wailing, and Aizen and Iris are nowhere to be seen.
Still half-asleep, I can vaguely grasp the situation.
“They said… they’d be back soon… but…”
It’s already dark outside, and Ellie’s crying shows no sign of stopping.
This has never happened before. Why would Aizen and Iris…
“Waaah…!!”
“What on earth is going on…”
The two kids who seemed the least likely to cause trouble are the first to get into an accident.
I don’t think it’s anything too serious, but…
I guess I’ll have to cancel my plan to secretly give Aizen more dinner.