Chapter 9

That nun was evil.

"I never should have picked you up!"

The priest she deeply respected spat those words at her. Scorn and curses flew from all around her, and a thrown stone cut a red gash across the young girl's cheek.

She had no allies. No one would protect her.

Not the orphaned children from the church she had gotten along with, nor the elderly priest she had considered family—everyone now saw the nun as an enemy.

Stunned, the young nun staggered forward, unable to endure the villagers' rebukes and insults. Alone, she made her way toward the village exit.

"Get out of here, you devil!"
"Give me back my father!"
"It's your fault, you—"

Countless stones were hurled at the girl as she stumbled away in flight.

Bearing the pain with all her might, her body covered in wounds, she was driven out. Finally, once she had left the village and their curses could no longer reach her, she collapsed to the ground.

"...Father, I... I..."

Tears welled in her eyes. Forgetting even to use healing magic, she let fat droplets spill down her cheeks.

Clenching her dirt-stained hands, the young nun slowly turned back toward the village—

And saw countless flames already rising from the place she had fled.

"Ah—"

Now that she thought about it, the curses had turned into screams. She had been too focused on escaping to notice.

The village was in chaos. Some desperately tore down houses to stop the fire from spreading, others stood frozen as they watched their homes burn, and a few knelt before the collapsing church's cross, praying frantically for rain.

Regret filled her for turning her back on the village. Quickly healing her own wounds, she ran toward a hill overlooking the destruction.

"Ah, ha—"

And then, the village was consumed.

Engulfed in crimson flames, the fire spread to the surrounding trees, growing fiercer by the second. At that point, no human effort could extinguish it.

The faces of the people twisted in despair. A woman, sobbing as her husband carried her away, abandoning their home.

From the safety of the hill, the nun looked down at the chaos—and laughed.

"Ah-ha, ha—"

That nun was evil.

The moment someone suffered was the moment she found bliss.

Wiping her gunpowder-stained hands, she trembled with pleasure. She had loved the priest who raised her, respected him from the bottom of her heart—so she had taken extra care to plant explosives in the church.

Finally, with a deafening blast, the church collapsed. The place that had taken in and raised so many orphans was reduced to smoldering ruins.

Nun Karin's hometown was no more.

"Ahahahahaha!"

She couldn't stop laughing. A shivering ecstasy ran down her spine.

Had her hands not been stained, she might have even begun comforting herself. That was how thrilling, how intoxicating this moment was.

"Ah—hahahahaha!"

With a face full of smiles, cheeks slack with pleasure—

She was, unmistakably, crying.

"That's why I'm tellin' ya. Stay away from me."

"No can do. I've made up my mind. You're gonna be the healer in my party."

And so, the nun fled her hometown.

She wandered to a distant city, becoming a solo adventurer who drifted from place to place.

"Weren't ya listenin'? How evil I am. How sinful I am."

"I heard you."

"Then back off. I'll spell it out—the only reason I pretend to be a good person is 'cause I get off on betrayin' the people who trust me.'"

After becoming an adventurer, the nun quickly grew popular.

Beautiful, lively, and bright—she offered cheap healing to the poor and treated every adventurer equally. Many were eager to recruit her into their parties, but she never joined anyone.

The nun was always alone.

"You get off on seeing people's despair, especially if they trusted you. Yeah, that's the kind of person Karin is."

"Exactly. A born devil—that's me."

"...That's stupid. Enough already. Quit hurtin' yourself, damn it."

Even now, a man kept pestering her to join his party. No matter how coldly she refused, he stubbornly persisted.

The nun grew irritated. If he was rejected, he should just back off, she fumed inwardly. She had no intention of ever teaming up with anyone. Because—

"Just 'cause you don't wanna hurt others doesn't mean you gotta stay alone forever."

If she got close to someone, she would inevitably hurt them.

"You're no devil, Karin. You're just a softhearted fool with a twisted streak."

"You—ha. What are you—"

"Even when you burned your village, it was 'cause you snapped after being falsely accused, wasn't it? That priest who didn't even hear you out was the real bastard."

"But... I dragged innocent people into it."

"Yeah, that part sucks. But hey, you made sure no one died, right?"

"That's... 'cause I don't wanna see their despair if they die. What I want ain't killin'—it's makin' people despair."

"Everywhere I go, all I hear 'bout you is good stuff. 'Goddess of Mercy,' 'Untouchable Flower,' 'Mother of Adventurers.' In all these years, you haven't made a single person despair, have you, Karin? ...If anythin', you're too damn kind."

And so, into her heart—parched from loneliness—this man barged in without hesitation.

"'I wanna see the despair of those who trust me'—yeah, that's messed up. But I like you. I like that heart of yours, kinder than anyone else's. So I'm gonna trust you."

Those were the words the nun had craved more than anything. For the first time in her life, someone understood her true nature—something even she hadn't fully grasped.

"If I'm good enough for ya, then go ahead—drag me into despair all you want. But in return, you gotta join my party."

The man grinned confidently and held out his hand to the nun.

"I'm Rex. The strongest man in this world. It'll take more than a little effort to break me, y'know?"

And on that day, a certain nun was saved by Rex.

And so, it came to this.

Nun Karin, who usually observed events with calm detachment, harbored complicated feelings toward Rex deep down.

When a seemingly "dim-witted, easygoing swordswoman" suddenly tried to snatch Rex away, Karin—despite her composed demeanor—was far more flustered than she appeared.

Her feelings for Rex were closer to familial affection than romantic love. Gratitude for being understood, comfort in their shared time, admiration for Rex’s larger-than-life spirit—it resembled the kind of devotion a father-complex daughter might feel.

At first, she had been wary of Mei, the black mage, who clearly had a crush on Rex. But sensing that Rex had no such interest, Karin settled into maintaining the status quo.

She was aware of her own affection for Rex. But since it might not be romantic, she kept an eye on Mei while peacefully continuing their three-member party.

Then—out of nowhere—along came their third companion, Flatche, and Rex seemed genuinely smitten.

To Karin, Flatche was an idiot. A weak swordswoman who fell for every taunt and ended up flat on her back within seconds. Yet when crossing blades with her, Rex was more animated than Karin had ever seen.

When Karin tried belittling Flatche out of jealousy, Rex immediately jumped to her defense—only irritating Karin further.

According to Mei, Flatche had once encouraged Rex when he was grieving a friend’s death. Karin, who would’ve grinned in excitement at the sight of Rex in despair, couldn’t bring herself to comfort him face-to-face.

She cursed her own twisted nature. But it was too late. To any outside observer, Rex was clearly starting to fall for Flatche.

The one saving grace? Flatche didn’t seem the least bit interested in Rex that way.

To her, Rex was less a romantic prospect and more a swordsmanship goal. But that very fact made it dangerous—when would her "goal" shift from his blade to his heart?

Karin agonized. All while smiling cheerfully, betraying none of her turmoil, playing her usual role.

Then one night, the devil whispered to her:

"What if you stole Flatche for yourself? Just imagine Rex’s face when the girl he likes is taken by another woman."

Her cursed desires slithered into her ear.

"Didn’t he say it himself? You’re free to drown him in despair."

She was torn. Karin had no interest in women. Yet the devil’s proposal felt horrifyingly logical.

It might drive Flatche and Rex apart. She might see Rex’s despair. Her vision spun, thoughts churning—

Until finally...

"God, you’re just too cute, Flatche."

...This happened.

"Hwah…?"
"Hehehe, what a lewd sound. You’re hopeless, aren’t you?"

In the throes of confusion, Karin had somehow ended up sneaking into Flatche’s bed at night.

The dim-witted swordswoman was just as bewildered as Karin. A tragic situation where both the seducer and the seduced were lost in chaos. But the last shred of rationality in Karin’s mind deemed this an opportunity.

"Alright, that’s enough. Let’s have some fun, Flatche—"

Flatche might’ve been slow, but she was earnest and principled. If she regained her senses, a loooong lecture awaited.

Karin had to strike now—before Flatche snapped out of it. She had to go all the way.

And then—

"…You’re really okay with this?"
"Huh?"

—Karin realized.

The woman who was supposed to be the prey was starting to get aroused.

Because Flatche, as it turned out, was a lesbian.

In a flash, the swordswoman flipped their positions, pinning Karin down with heated breaths and a gaze brimming with unmistakable lust.

"E-E-E-EK?! WAIT—!"
"…Huh?!"

Karin, the first to regain her senses, screamed upon processing the situation.

As for the chaos that followed—Rex and Mei rushing in to find two naked women tangled together—well, that’s another story entirely.