I'm Playing as a Nun.

Something unbelievable happened.

I never even dreamed that the concept of a portal existed in this world.

The shock doubled, instantly making my mind go blank.

"Wahaha! This is really the best! It's not a dream!!"

"No way... How can this be...?"

"Is this magic too?"

The children's reactions weren't much different from mine.

As soon as a portal appeared that could directly take us from the Roen Forest to the church where we lived, everyone made an ambiguous expression mixed with bewilderment and surprise.

But then, following my lead, they carefully took a step into the portal and gradually began to erase the anxiety in their hearts.

"......"

The children were most delighted that they had comfortably returned home.

Otherwise, they would have had to arduously travel a distance that normally takes half a day.

"Thank goodness, Levi. You were scared of crossing the river."

"Y-yeah... I was secretly worried about it..."

I responded with an awkward smile at Aizen's words, stammering absentmindedly.

Indeed, I consider that it's right that I should be happier about this situation than the children.

Because vampires can't cross rivers.

I had vaguely thought it would somehow work out if I held Rune's hand while crossing like when we came.

But that method probably had too many possibilities for unforeseen variables.

If the World Tree knew that in advance and opened the portal for us...

"...Hmm, I don't know."

In any case, thanks to the portal the World Tree opened, we could come to the church comfortably.

I thought we should start by being grateful for that first.

Because thinking hard about it now won't solve anything satisfactorily anyway.

"Is this the church where you live, Sister Levi?"

"Yes, that's right. It's not a very spacious place for a church, but it's enough for us to live in."

"Wow... The forest is nearby, and there's such a huge tree in the garden..."

"......"

A single tree suddenly towered in the middle of the garden, where there should have been nothing but lush weeds.

It's infinitely smaller than the World Tree, but still, we could easily cross from the Roen Forest to the church through this tree.

"This tree is probably connected to the World Tree... It wasn't originally here."

"What? This tree?"

"Perhaps the World Tree thoughtfully provided it for Rune, who might miss her hometown..."

"Oh!"

I persuaded Rune with some plausible words, but I'm not sure if this is true either.

I'd rather the spirit of the World Tree appear like a fairy and explain it clearly...

"Sister Levi, will this tree stay here without disappearing?"

Ellie, who had come close to my side at some point, was clinging to me like a cicada.

Unlike Aizen and Iris, who were simply delighted by the current situation, Ellie was quite flustered like me and didn't know what to do.

"I'm not sure. But probably, yes."

"I feel kind of strange... This spot is where Iris, Aizen, and I always sat and played every day..."

"No need to be so anxious. I'm a bit surprised, too, since it's bigger than I thought, but there's still a lot of space left, you know."

"Still..."

"Besides, thanks to this tree, I can also come out to the garden during the day now, so wouldn't it be more beneficial in many ways?"

"...Oh! Now that I look closely, you're right?! There's shade now, so Sister Levi can come here too!"

"That's right. If this tree stays here for us."

I gently stroked Ellie, who was still tightly holding my leg, showing a slight smile.

Relieved at last, Ellie gradually moved and naturally entered my arms, gently burying her face.

"......"

Then, as Rune watched that scene up close, her expression gradually changed strangely.

With a face as if deeply pondering something, Rune fidgeted a bit, then carefully approached Ellie, who hugged me and embraced her.

Startled by the sudden back hug, Ellie looked around hastily with a shocked expression.

"Eek! Wh-what...?!"

At Ellie's unexpectedly intense reaction, Rune immediately made a frightened expression and hurriedly stepped back.

"Oh, ah... I'm sorry... It just looked nice, so..."

It was a truly heartbreaking scene for me, knowing Rune's inner circumstances.

Because Rune had never received any love from anyone since birth and was even severely ostracized by children her age.

I just felt sorry for her, not knowing how to get along with adults, let alone children of similar ages.

"Rune didn't mean any harm..."

Just as I was about to open my mouth as calmly as possible to mediate the rapidly awkward atmosphere between the two,

"Sister Levi's arms are mine, so you come next to me."

Contrary to expectations, Ellie spoke to Rune first, who was fidgeting nervously, calmly resolving the awkward mood.

Moreover, she even gave up the spot next to her, guiding Rune to naturally come between us.

"You're part of our family now, too, so you have to remember these rules."

"Huh...?"

"Sister Levi's arms are always mine."

"......"

"No cutting in line. Got it?"

"Y-yes..."

"And stop speaking so formally now. Talk comfortably to Iris and Aizen, too."

"...Is that okay?"

"If Aizen says anything about it, tell me. I'll take care of it."

"Oh..."

Even though I hadn't explained anything yet, the children seemed to have already noticed to some extent.

The fact that I would accept Rune as family.

Perhaps because of that, when the word "family" naturally came out of Ellie's mouth,

I unconsciously opened my mouth wide in surprise.

────────────

[Rune] - Messiah

 [Race] Elf

 [Job] Archer

 [Level] 10

 [Passive Skill] World Tree's Affection

────────────

Just as I was blinking repeatedly with a dumbfounded feeling,

This time, Rune's status window suddenly popped up in front of my eyes, and information that had been unknown until now began to fill my vision.

"Huh?"

It seemed I could only check the status window of people closely related to me.

But that wasn't what was important right now.

"......"

For some reason, Rune also had the title of Messiah, and her job was listed as Archer, which was quite puzzling.

Rune clearly said she couldn't even properly pull a bowstring...

"I felt it before, too, but... Sister Levi's arms are cold yet cozy..."

A confusing situation where I had no idea what was going on.

Moreover, as written below, Rune's level and passive skill made me even dizzier.

[Passive Skill: World Tree's Affection]

Looking at the skill name, one could tell at a glance that it was quite an extraordinary skill.

When did the World Tree even grant this skill to Rune...?

And why is Rune's level 10...?

────────────

[Party has been disbanded.]

 - Rune

 - Levinia Fallen Grace

────────────

When I questioned Rune's level, a notification window appeared as if it understood my words.

I then realized that a party creation notification had appeared when I crossed the river with Rune, and my eyes gradually began to sparkle.

"Ah."

It's just a guess, but perhaps if this party system is what I think it is,

Could it be that Rune leveled up by sharing the experience I gained when I purged the bad elves?

But what's questionable is that she only reached level 10 despite that.

Even if it was shared, I purged quite a lot of elves, but she only reached level 10...

"......"

Contrary to expectations, I could only think that the elves' levels were incredibly low.

At this rate, most of them were probably around level 10...

- Thud

Meanwhile, a sudden mysterious sound came from near the tree.

It sounded like something had fallen with a thud.

"...Something fell from the tree."

As I slowly turned my head towards where Rune was pointing with her finger, a bow was lying alone on the weeds.

"A bow...?"

That bow didn't look ordinary at all, no matter how I looked at it.

It was in too pristine condition to be called an abandoned bow, and even the string tied intricately at the ends looked very sturdy.

"A-a bow! A bow fell from the tree!!"

Now, I feel sorry for just calling the World Tree a tree.

Could it be a gift from the World Tree to Rune, who is leaving the Roen Forest and making a new start...?

"Wow... It's so shiny and pretty..."

Rune rejoiced greatly, showing a smile she had never shown before.

Until now, she had acted as if she had completely given up, saying she had no talent for archery.

But seeing her rejoicing more than anyone else as soon as she discovered the bow was impressive.

I gradually began to understand why Rune's job was an Archer.

"That bow is probably a gift from the World Tree to Rune."

"Th-the World Tree?!"

"Yes. It must mean an elf acknowledged by the World Tree."

"Ooh... But I didn't do anything for the World Tree...?"

"That's not true, Rune. That's not the kind of acknowledgment I meant."

With those words, I briefly detached Ellie, who was still clinging to me like a cicada, and slowly approached Rune.

Then, I bent my knees, meeting Rune's gaze as she sat docilely before the tree.

"The World Tree recognized a flower that bloomed in the wasteland at a glance."

"A flower...?"

"Yes. Unlike the surrounding weeds and blooms, that flower gives off a special fragrance."

Rune looked at me with a contemplative expression.

"That is Rune's sincerity and heart. Even if you didn't directly do something, your pure heart had already reached the World Tree."

With those words, I gently stroked Rune's head and showed a slight smile.

The World Tree's acknowledgment is tens of thousands of times more valuable than the recognition of those pathetic elves.

With that, Rune can have pride and self-confidence as an elf.

Because it proves that all her efforts so far have not been in vain.

"Now, let's go inside the church. We need to have dinner..."

Just as I got up from my seat, concluding things on a heartwarming note,

Something suddenly fell on my head with a rustling sound.

"...?"

"Oh? It's a leaf crown."

At Rune's soft words, I slowly raised my hand to the top of my head with a puzzled expression.

"That must be a gift from the World Tree to you, Sister Levi."

"Wh-why is it giving this to me...?"

"I'm not sure about that, but it suits you really well."

It's in the form of a flower crown, but no flowers can be seen anywhere, and it's intricately made of only leaves and stems.

I understand it giving a bow to Rune, but why is it giving me this kind of gift...?

Could it mean to take good care of Rune from now on?

- Pitter-patter!!

As soon as I had that thought, some fruits fell around me, greatly flustering me.

"Wh-what...? Why is this happening all of a sudden...?"

Translator's Corner

We got budget now.

-Ruminas