I'm Playing as a Nun.

## Chapter 2: The Great Elder's Sin

At my fiery words, the Great Elder immediately prostrated on the ground, trembling like an aspen tree.

Tossing aside even the cane he cherished like his own body, he struggled to catch his breath, looking as wretched as an old, exhausted deer.

He barely managed to raise his head to look at me, but it seemed he couldn't hide the fear and bewilderment filling his eyes.

"It... it's just a guess at best...!! Although I am the Great Elder, I do not know the personal affairs of the village in detail..."

The moment the Great Elder's cracked voice flowed out between his trembling lips,

I frowned even more, twisting my expression coldly.

Since I could roughly guess what kind of treatment Rune had received growing up in this village,

I listened to the Great Elder's words with my heart as cold as possible, but

The more I heard, the more it seemed like my blood was boiling in reverse at the realization that even worse things than I had imagined had been inflicted on Rune.

"Then are you saying Rune was never a member of this village in the first place...?"

"The truth about that would only be known to Levande, the elder of this village... But based on my guess, that's probably the case..."

They say that when the World Tree started turning its back, the elves gradually fell into meritocracy, yearning for much stronger talents than the current generation.

Their ultimate goal was complete independence from the bosom of the World Tree and to seek a new path to regain their former glory.

However, the elders' choice returned as severe pressure on the elf residents living under the World Tree.

They began to thoroughly ignore and ostracize children without talent, thinking of them not as children but merely as seeds for their glorious future.

"These disgusting elven bastards..."

Rune was the victim of that abhorrent policy.

Abandoned by her parents for the mere reason of lacking talent, she was handed over to Levande, the elder of this village.

They raised Rune not as an elf but as a sacrifice to be offered to the tentacle woman, intending to use her as they pleased.

"Pl-please... forgive me..."

Rune had struggled harder than anyone to somehow blend in and live with the villagers.

Nevertheless, it was too sickening that not only the elder but also the villagers never saw Rune as a fellow elf from the beginning.

"Do you really think it makes sense that a so-called Great Elder didn't know about such a thing...?"

"It... it's not a lie...!! Especially Levande..."

"I thought there was something since you were alive, unlike the others... In the end, you were the same kind of bastard."

"Pardon...?"

There's no way the elves didn't know about the disgusting things happening in this village.

Even more so for the Great Elder.

And yet, the fact that the Great Elder wasn't purged along with Levande...

- Stab

"Kuh... kuhek..."

Perhaps the World Tree entrusted me with the final judgment.

The corruption and depravity of this village that even the World Tree had no choice but to turn its back on.

"Wh-why..."

"You probably won't die easily. I deliberately avoided the vital points."

"I... I answered everything... Why..."

"You thought you could get absolution just by answering a few questions?"

"But I..."

"And this isn't passing judgment. It's due to my personal grudge."

I don't know exactly what kind of judgment the World Tree hoped for by entrusting this matter to me.

No, to be honest, I question whether the World Tree really thought this far when entrusting the task.

Because even if it's a tree that emits sacred energy, in the end, it's just a tree that can't say anything.

"I despise incompetent leaders like you the most."

So, rather than moving according to the World Tree's intentions, I decided to act on my personal emotions, at least in this moment.

It's not like I wanted to receive the World Tree's power in the first place, anyway.

"Gr-Great Elder...?!!"

Rune's panicked voice urgently rang out from behind me.

Even seeing the Great Elder sprawled powerlessly on the ground, slowly bleeding out right in front of her, she didn't seem to understand the current situation at all.

"What in the world is going..."

The children who had gathered in front of the World Tree also flocked to my side and began to grasp the situation belatedly.

"Le-Levi...?"

Aizen's expression had turned quite serious.

Ellie and Iris also looked at each other with bewildered expressions, not knowing what to do.

Iris tried to open her mouth several times, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.

Both seemed to be trying hard to understand the meaning hidden in my expression.

"No matter how I think about it, this village is not a place suitable for Rune."

At my resolute words, Rune began to tremble her eyelids even more anxiously.

"Huh...?"

Rune looked at me and timidly asked back as if frightened.

But I maintained an expressionless face until the end and indifferently opened my mouth once more.

"Let's go back to the church."

A confusing situation where nothing was explained to the children.

At this point, everyone began to look at each other and grow flustered.

However, I still couldn't easily give any explanation.

Because Rune was still too young to hear the ugly truth of this village.

"Wait, Levi... I really don't understand... Why..."

"All of this happened because of the Great Elder's incompetence."

"What?"

"He said the elder of this village, Levande, was the biggest rotten root, but in my view, they were all the same."

With those words, I slowly swallowed my breath.

The atmosphere instantly became still, and the air hung heavy.

"...Does that mean the Great Elder was also a bad elf in the end?"

In the rapidly darkened mood, Rune's soft words were quietly heard.

"...?"

I never thought Rune would be the first to break this awkward silence.

I thought she wouldn't be able to speak for a while due to the sudden shock.

For some reason, Rune showed an increasingly indifferent attitude as time passed and calmly opened her mouth.

"It was the Great Elder who said everyone would acknowledge me if I worked hard..."

As soon as I heard Rune's monologue, a cold emotion suddenly brushed past a corner of my heart.

"Well, Great Elder?"

"...It is as you heard."

As if to prove he had nothing to do with this incident, the Great Elder had been smoothly giving explanations from a third-party perspective until now.

He lied to me and played dumb until the very last moment.

He said all of this happened without his knowledge, as Levande's independent action...

- Clap!!

"Now, everyone. I know this situation is confusing for you, too. But we can't stay here forever, you know."

A change of mood.

I loudly clapped my palms together, forcibly waking up the children, who were in a daze.

"Let's go back to the church for now. I'll explain when we get there."

Since the explanation of this situation wasn't properly given to the children, the atmosphere didn't immediately lighten up as usual.

Still, the children began to nod one by one without doubting me much.

"I don't know what happened, but anyway, this Great Elder elf was also a bad guy, right?"

"I see... So that's why he showed up last."

"Bad elf."

I was worried the children might be reluctant and hesitate, thinking less of me.

Fortunately, perhaps thanks to my usual actions, I was able to easily get past the situation without any major issues.

"...I think it would be good if Rune came with us too."

Now, Rune was the only one left.

There's no way staying in this elven village would ever be good for Rune.

I'd prefer if she came across the river with us, but I couldn't forcibly take her, so

I had no choice but to bring it up quite passively, unlike earlier.

But then...

"If I go there, can I eat meat every day?"

Contrary to my worries, Rune began to sparkle her eyes, showing a very positive attitude.

It was really good news for me, who had been full of all sorts of concerns.

But I had no idea why the topic of meat suddenly came up here.

"Th-that's right...?"

"I want to go. I want to go with you."

An unwavering answer without a moment's hesitation.

At the words that she could eat meat every day, Rune immediately nodded and gently held my hand.

"But why meat all of a sudden...?"

"Iris told me. She said eating meat and playing at the church every day is work."

"...?"

"I'm good at cleaning. I'm good at dishwashing, too."

It seemed she had quite a lot of conversations with Iris during the time she was briefly away from me.

It wasn't wrong, so I nodded for now, but I was a bit bewildered that the situation was resolved much more easily than I thought.

"Well then, shall we return to the church...?"

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

"Okay."

"Yes!"

Just like that, as I was about to leave the elven village with the children, showing a slight, awkward smile,

- Rustle...

A strange, spine-chilling sound suddenly came from the direction of the World Tree.

At the same time, a mysterious notification window popped up in front of my eyes.

────────────

【A portal has been created.】

────────────

As soon as I saw that notification window, my brows furrowed in puzzlement. Then, I naturally turned my steps towards the World Tree as if enchanted by something.

"Levi? Where are you going all of a sudden?"

"Just a moment..."

Finally, arriving in front of the World Tree.

The World Tree, towering so enormously that it couldn't fit in my field of vision, was still flaunting its grandeur as it was.

"......"

But for some reason, the center of the World Tree's trunk was split exactly in half, as if creating an entrance to something.

When I carefully peeked inside, an all too familiar scenery unfolded right before my eyes.

"Huh...?"

Without a shadow of a doubt, it was the church across the river where the children and I lived.