I’m Playing as a Nun.

TN: Patch Notes for the advance readers.

The Can is now the Helmet.

After roughly finishing the short yet long conversation with the helmet,

I returned to my seat and tried to somehow enjoy the rest of the picnic time.

Regardless of his identity, I could tell he wasn’t a dangerous person to be wary of for now.

Of course, there’s a possibility that it was an act to deceive me. Still, I can confirm that to some extent by continuing to observe.

I thought there was no need to pay much attention to it.

– Stomp, stomp

But contrary to my expectations, the helmet’s attitude was beyond my expectations.

His friendliness was also unusual, so I couldn’t leave him alone.

“Wow─!! I can see so far!”

“Mister is really tall.”

On the way back to the church.

Although the children strongly protested as we returned much earlier than originally planned, it couldn’t be helped.

After meeting the helmet, all my thoroughly made plans since yesterday afternoon turned into worthless scraps of paper.

I was looking forward to a cozy picnic with just us, but because of just one helmet, all of that became seriously distorted.

Even if I tried hard to ignore it, it bothered me, and I even felt slightly unpleasant that my place was somehow being threatened.

“Aizen, Iris. No matter how close you’ve become, it’s rude to Mr. Bel Ros to even ride on his shoulders.”

“But mister said it was okay. He said we could go to the church like this.”

“……”

Aizen and Iris sat side by side on the helmet’s shoulders.

They showed him, whom they met for the first time today, the pure side they had never shown me without hesitation.

Watching right next to them, my heart began to become unspeakably complicated.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s just two kids. What’s the big deal.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Is it only me who finds the helmet uncomfortable?

The children liked him and even revealed a strange familiarity as if they had known each other for a long time.

“Ugh… Why is this so heavy…?”

Holding the greatsword the helmet had carried on his back, Priscilla struggled.

His existence must be very interesting to her, whose job is a knight.

For that reason, I can understand Priscilla liking the helmet…

“It shouldn’t be that heavy, right?”

“What? It’s really heavy…?”

No matter how much I think about it, I can’t understand at all why even the children are showing a liking to that suspicious helmet.

If it were up to me, I would have chased him away right now.

But abandoning someone who wandered in the forest for over a week just because I don’t like him makes me feel too guilty.

“It seems you really don’t want me to follow along.”

“Of course. I only know your name.”

“I thought I told you everything I could.”

“As if.”

Although he showed childish tendencies, he’s not tactless, so the helmet also initially refused to follow us.

However, during that short time, Aizen and Iris, who became the closest to him, heard that fact and started to worry, and the situation gradually began to flow in his favor.

In the end, I had no choice but to reach a compromise of sorts by letting him stay at the church for just one day.

“……”

“What’s wrong, Ellie?”

“……”

While walking through the forest for a long time like that.

In the midst of it, I suddenly noticed Ellie, who was holding my hand and following me, staring blankly at the helmet.

To be exact, it seemed like she was looking at Aizen and Iris sitting on his shoulders, not him.

“Does Ellie want to ride too?”

“…Yes.”

I could easily tell Ellie’s true feelings without having to think deeply.

I missed the timing to talk because I grabbed Ellie’s hand first…

“Come here.”

“Yes?”

“I can give piggyback rides too.”

It’s not a particularly difficult request.

Especially for a child with a small and light body like Ellie, even more so.

“……”

At first, Ellie hesitated quite a bit, then slowly climbed onto my shoulders with a slight smile.

Ellie, who weighed nothing to the point where I could understand how the saying “light as a feather” came about.

As I slowly straightened my crouched body, Ellie immediately let out a small, timid exclamation and showed a happy expression all over her face.

“Is it okay?”

“Yes! Thank you, Sister!”

“That’s a relief.”

After checking Ellie happily enjoying the piggyback ride, I immediately turned slightly to the side and glanced at the helmet.

I didn’t want to create a confrontational structure with this, but,

I couldn’t tolerate the children I was carefully taking care of only showing interest in a worthless helmet.

I know it was childish, but nevertheless, I also had to show I’m quite capable.

“What, why?”

I had to make sure he wouldn’t recklessly lay a hand on the children.

Although I haven’t known them for long either, I’m confident that my heart for thinking about the children is second to none.

“It’s nothing. Now, let’s set off again.”

…

…

…

…

…

Late at night, when the hazy moon rises round above the dark sky.

Although the picnic was a mess and didn’t go as planned, everyone except me seemed to have a very enjoyable time.

Come to think of it now, there was no particularly dangerous incident, the meat was delicious, and we saw the lake to our heart’s content.

I don’t know about other things, but since the children fully enjoyed that moment and fell asleep, I can say it was a rather successful picnic.

– Creak

“Phew…”

After slowly putting the children to sleep, one by one, tired from playing, I came out to the convent corridor again and quietly caught my breath.

“You worked hard until late.”

Then, the helmet’s low voice suddenly comes from behind my back.

I was startled for a moment by the sudden appearance but soon quickly regained my composure and calmly opened my mouth.

“Yes. The children have had a hard time falling asleep at night recently due to several bad things happening.”

“…What happened?”

“It’s difficult for me to tell you that much.”

At my resolute answer, he shut his mouth for a moment.

“Is there a problem?”

Feeling a strange discomfort in the momentary silence, I slowly tilted my head to the side.

Then, the helmet slowly shakes his head as if it’s nothing.

“I don’t know what happened, but it must have been quite a serious incident if they can’t even sleep at night.”

“Well, I guess so.”

“Even in such a difficult situation, diligently taking care of the children… Is it because someone is paying you money?”

“It’s not particularly diligent, nor is anyone paying me money.”

“Then what kind of relationship do you have with those children you’re secretly taking care of in a forest like this, not even a village?”

For some reason, I felt a thorn in the helmet’s words.

As the conversation continued, I had a strange feeling that simple curiosity was gradually turning into an interrogation.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Because it’s not easy to do this kind of thing without any compensation.”

“Isn’t that quite the rude remark?”

The air that was normal until just now instantly turned cold and settled heavily.

“Is it perhaps related to this church?”

He ignored my question and continued to ask questions he wanted.

I definitely felt the atmosphere getting stranger, but for now, I slowly shook my head and calmly opened my mouth.

“There’s no way. This church is just something I discovered by chance and borrowed temporarily.”

“I see.”

No matter how much I think about it, it’s a strange situation where I have no idea what’s going on.

I have no idea what the helmet is thinking and why he’s interrogating me like this.

It’s not like I did anything to raise suspicion…

– Clank

Finally, feeling a strange discomfort in the flowing silence, I only kept blinking.

Then, making a loud noise of metal clashing against metal, the helmet suddenly raised his index finger straight toward somewhere.

There was nothing particularly special about the window he pointed at.

“What about the window?”

“You don’t seem to feel the strangeness. Take a closer look.”

At this point, I’m getting confused about what I’m even doing here.

“What are you trying to say?”

I still have no idea what’s going on.

For now, I turned my gaze back to the window, slightly furrowing one eyebrow.

There must be a reason he’s doing this.

“……”

It’s not clean but seems sufficient to see the outside scenery.

The old wooden frame looked like it would creak at the slightest shake, but it didn’t need immediate repair.

The glass is also spotless without a single crack, so what on earth is strange?

“There’s nothing particularly strange…”

At that moment, the helmet’s figure began to be reflected more and more clearly in the faded window.

Not only that, but the desolate scenery of the corridor and the shadows vaguely draped around it also came into my view clearly, slowly making me flicker as I stared at it.

“……”

No matter how much I moved my eyes, I didn’t see myself.

I, who should clearly be reflected together with the helmet, I, who should definitely be standing there, am not visible.

My figure is not reflected in the window.

“I didn’t particularly want to know, but I happened to see that your figure wasn’t reflected in the lake I looked at by chance.”

“…Then you knew since the lake…?”

“Yeah.”

His short reply, which comes out indifferently, somehow pierces like a dagger, making my hazy mind even more distant.

I had no idea until now that my figure wasn’t reflected in glass or water.

“For now, it’s certain that you’re not human. But it’s still quite strange.”

“……”

“As far as I know, vampires are already extinct…”

“……”

I never dreamed that my identity would be revealed in such an absurd way.

Maybe that’s why hollow laughter keeps leaking out listlessly like a deflating balloon.

“Ha, haha… Your eye for detail is unexpectedly good.”

“Huh?”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

The worst situation where I’m driven to a steep cliff in no time.

It’s no use denying it now.

Before giving up on everything, I can only gradually prepare my mind, just in case…

“…What should I do?”

Contrary to me, who was preparing myself silently,

The helmet suddenly scratched the smooth top of his head displeasedly, and he opened his mouth in puzzlement.

“What?”

“I’m just saying. If you want to get along well with the kids in the future, be more careful. I have no other intention than that.”

The cold air that had settled heavily began to dissipate.

The serious atmosphere is nowhere to be seen until now, and only the strange air that has suddenly become as light as dust is spreading throughout the convent corridor.

“I thought you were going to fight…?”

“Ah, well… I’m sure you have your own reasons for doing this. Is there a need to fight over something like this?”

“…That, that’s true, but…”

“When you live long, there are things like this and that. Although the situations are clearly different, I fully understand as someone in the same position.”

I was momentarily at a loss for words at the helmet’s strangely mature words.

But that was only for a moment…

“Wait, the same position?”

Suddenly realizing that a suspicious word was naturally hidden in the helmet’s words, my eyes flickered toward him.