LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 5
“Aizen─. Iris─.”
After calming down Ellie, who was throwing a tantrum, I stepped alone into the quiet forest to find the two missing children.
Since I had sprinkled my blood around the church building as before, I was less worried about Ellie, but after hearing the details, I realized that what I thought was nothing serious was actually a big deal.
“Aizen─. Iris─.”
Aizen and Iris didn’t go into the forest on their own.
According to Ellie, a strange woman suddenly showed up at the church where we live and lured Iris, who was unusually interested in books, into the forest.
Aizen, who happened to witness the scene, secretly followed them but didn’t return even by nightfall.
It’s a typical kidnapping method, and while it’s absurd, the fact that it happened while I was asleep leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
Thud, thud.
Who could the kidnapper who lured Iris into the forest be? Coming all the way to this remote forest where people rarely visit, and kidnapping the two children I’m taking care of—if the culprit is just some petty thief, I won’t let them off easily.
“Aizen─. Iri…”
“Over here.”
While wandering through the quiet forest, a soft voice of a woman came from somewhere nearby.
“You’re quite late.”
It felt like she already knew me. As I instinctively turned my head toward the sound, there stood a woman dressed in rather unusual attire.
“Who are you?”
“How strange. I didn’t expect a real nun to show up.”
“Are you the kidnapper who took Aizen and Iris?”
“If you’re talking about those kids, then yes. I lured them into the forest. Though one of them wasn’t part of the plan.”
Her face looked no older than early twenties, but the aura she gave off was far from ordinary, making me uneasy.
“Are you the only adult in that church?”
“Yes, I’m the only one taking care of the children.”
“Strange. I felt like there was definitely something more.”
The woman, who didn’t seem willing to reveal her identity, kept throwing cryptic questions at me, testing me.
“Where are Aizen and Iris now?”
Unable to wait any longer, I cautiously brought up the children. The woman made an ambiguous expression and slowly opened her mouth.
“No need to rush. They’re still safe.”
“Still?”
“Yeah, actually, I’m more interested in something hidden in the church than those kids.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you saying I’m hiding something?”
“Recently, all the monsters around the church have started disappearing one by one. As someone managing this place, it’s quite troublesome.”
“…Managing?”
“Just a month ago, that church was nothing but an eyesore, but after I left for a while, not only is someone living there, but it’s also emitting a strange energy.”
The more she spoke, the more uncomfortable and annoyed I became. She kept spouting bizarre claims, like managing the forest and sensing strange energy from the church—things no ordinary person would say.
“But I never thought the source of that strange energy would be a nun who looks downright unpleasant.”
“…What are you?”
“And what are you? On the outside, you’re clearly a demon, but inside, you’re just like a human.”
“As you can see, I’m a human and a nun. I don’t know why you’re suspicious of me, but if I’m your target, let the children go.”
At my calm words, the woman slowly furrowed her brow. Then, as if finding it ridiculous, she let out a hollow laugh and pulled Aizen and Iris out from the dense bushes.
“……”
“Ugh…!”
For some reason, Iris was peacefully asleep, while Aizen was tied up with something unknown, struggling desperately. His mouth was covered, and only muffled sounds escaped.
“Fine, I’ll let them go.”
Surprisingly, the woman released Aizen and Iris without resistance. Though it seemed she still had something up her sleeve, seeing Aizen and Iris unharmed, I inwardly sighed in relief.
“Le, Levi…!!”
As soon as he was free, Aizen immediately picked up the sleeping Iris and rushed toward me.
His face was a mess of sweat and tears. It seemed like he was reminded of what happened two weeks ago, trembling like a leaf in fear.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t think it would turn out like this… I just wanted to bring Iris back…”
“It’s okay, Aizen. I’m here now, so you don’t have to be so scared.”
“But… but she’s not human… she’s…”
Overwhelmed by uncontrollable fear, Aizen rambled incoherently. I gently placed my hand on his head, and he stopped talking, looking at me with a bewildered expression. I smiled faintly and spoke calmly.
“What Aizen needs to do now is take Iris back to the church safely. Brave Aizen can do that, right?”
“Le, Levi…?”
“Don’t worry about me. Take care of Iris and Ellie for me. Everything will be fine.”
I didn’t need to hear the rest of what Aizen wanted to say. It was clear that the woman in front of us wasn’t human.
Yet, she appeared fully human, so I guessed her true identity wasn’t a monster but a demon.
“D-don’t do this… Levi, you can’t handle someone like her…”
“Like I said, what Aizen needs to worry about now is Iris and Ellie, not me.”
“How can I not worry about you in this situation…? Even though this happened because of me…”
“If you keep insisting, I’ll get angry.”
Aizen was still trembling violently. Knowing the woman’s true identity, the idea of leaving me behind and running was unbearable for him.
But from my perspective, having Aizen stay here any longer was even more uncomfortable.
“I… I really…”
Whoosh─!!
Just as Aizen struggled to speak, something shot past my left cheek from behind.
“How long are you going to keep this up?”
Dark red blood slowly began to flow from the wound. Seeing this, Aizen’s expression hardened even more.
“It seems her patience has reached its limit. Aizen, go now.”
“Hng… Le, Levi…”
After hesitating for a while, Aizen finally bit his lower lip hard and reluctantly turned his back.
“I’ll bring help─!! So you have to stay alive─!! Got it?!!”
With that one intense remark, Aizen quickly disappeared from sight. I wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but given the situation, the words didn’t come out easily.
“Now, can we talk?”
“…Sorry for making you wait. You’re quite understanding for a demon.”
“I thought playing hide-and-seek with those kids later might be fun.”
“Ah, so that’s why you let Aizen and Iris go?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Despite suspecting my identity, she spoke with confidence, assuming she would win. Truly, her arrogance was sky-high, fitting for a demon.
“Then, how about you tell me your true identity now?”
“Like I said, I’m a nun at the church.”
“There are too many suspicious things about you to just let it slide. I’ve never seen anyone emitting such strange energy before.”
“I’m a special person blessed by the goddess Faelia.”
“…I guess you’re not planning to tell me. Then let me ask you one last question.”
With those words, several grotesque tentacles began to sprout from the woman’s back.
Having only dealt with monsters in this world so far, this was quite shocking. But on the other hand, I felt a strange excitement at the thought of facing something stronger than a monster.
“Are you a demon disguised as a human, or a human disguised as a demon?”
“Neither.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I answered her question directly. For some reason, her expression twisted even more.
“After showing you mercy, you dare try to mess with me like this?”
The woman’s grotesque tentacles writhed threateningly behind her. Though her stance was aggressive, I remained calm and spoke quietly.
“Something about your words feels off. You weren’t the one who showed mercy.”
“…What?”
“Earlier, you said you manage this forest─.”
Ignoring the woman’s furious glare, I wiped the dark red blood from my left cheek with my thumb and continued.
“I don’t know who you are or where you’re from, but suddenly saying something like that is troubling.”
The dark red blood I wiped off transformed into a long, sharp spear. Crude and rough, the spear’s tip looked as if it had been made that way from the start, with no trace of artistic refinement.
A chilling spear, seemingly created solely for stabbing and slashing. It was the perfect tool for a conversation in a situation like this.
“This is already my territory.”