A Monster That Cannot Pray

Mass.

To be honest, I still don’t really understand it, since I wasn’t particularly interested in religion to begin with.

Bernard and Alice told me to think of it as just a light celebration…

“Alright. Did you wash your hands?”

“Yeah.”

“Go-od. Don’t be too nervous, you just need to help Alice by her side.”

So, I quietly looked at Bernard as he patted my shoulder with a slight smile.

Unlike usual, his beard was neatly trimmed and his hair was slicked back with oil.

Additionally, he wore a red sash called a stole around his neck, draped over both shoulders.

His priest’s robe, which was usually wrinkled here and there from lounging around, was impeccably neat and wrinkle-free just for today.

Above all… instead of the usual smell of alcohol, there was even a faint floral scent wafting around him, as if he had sprayed perfume.

“What, are you surprised by how handsome I look?”

As I kept blinking at Bernard’s appearance, so different from the one I knew, he met my eyes as if showing off with his hand on his chin.

“…Yeah. This is how you should look, old man.”

“What did you say, brat?”

I quietly nodded, thinking that I liked this stupid appearance because it was familiar, then passed by Bernard, who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, and headed towards Alice.

“Frey? Your face is a bit red… Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“Huh!? Ah, no… It’s not that…”

“Ah― You were surprised because senior’s appearance is unfamiliar, right? Hehe.”

So, as I stood next to Alice who was standing in the corner of the chapel.

“Come to think of it, how long have you known the old man, Alice?”

I quietly asked while scanning the townspeople who were coming in and taking their seats one by one.

“Let’s see… It’s been about 10 years, I think.”

“10 years…”

“Yes. It was around the time I had just become an executioner.”

At that time, Bernard was truly an excellent executioner who could be a role model for others, she said.

“Even now, he’s probably stronger than most active executioners.”

While seeming regretful that Bernard had retired, as if there were some circumstances… Alice nodded with a face of understanding, saying it couldn’t be helped.

“Then, do you know how the old man ended up retiring and coming here?”

I asked the question I had been curious about all this time but found difficult to ask him directly.

“I do know, but that’s not something I can tell you about. You understand, right?”

“…Yeah.”

So, thinking I had asked an unnecessary question, I covered my mouth with my two lower hands.

“―In the name of our holy Lord, who always stays by our side with warm flames.”

I started to focus on Bernard’s voice, which seemed to penetrate my ears along with the solemn atmosphere.

“―I pray for the peace and well-being of all of you.”

Bernard, who was leading the mass while capturing people’s attention with skilled gestures.

“Now, let us pray.”

Soon, he looked at me and clasped his hands together.

…No, what am I supposed to do?

“Frey, take this.”

“Alice…?”

Right after, a small stick was placed in my hand through Alice.

…It was the acupressure stick that Bernard occasionally rolled in his hand.

“He said to try holding this with both hands, even if you get a reaction, it’s okay to let go right away.”

So, after nodding as I made eye contact with Alice, who smiled gently at me.

I carefully raised my two upper arms… tightly grasping the acupressure stick in my right hand as if wrapping around it, and tightly grasping my left hand over my right hand.

Squeeze. Squeeze.

Ah, it feels good… No, that’s not it.

Tingle…!

Anyway, this much seems to be really safe. There’s a slight tingling sensation, but nothing caught on fire or anything.

Fortunately, without anyone discovering the fact that I couldn’t pray, I managed to stay in my place until the successful conclusion of the mass.

“Munch munch.”

So, after the mass ended.

“Frey. The bread isn’t going to run away, so eat slowly.”

While Bernard was cleaning up… I was hugging a basket full of leftover bread that hadn’t been distributed to people, constantly picking up and eating bread.

“Munch, but it was running away.”

“…Pardon?”

In response to Alice’s scolding to eat slowly because bread doesn’t have legs, I raised my head and retorted.

“Ah, it’s not that the bread itself runs away… Anyway, if there’s no one to stand guard, it gets taken away quickly.”

I know from my year of living as a vagrant that food should be eaten when it’s right in front of you.

“……”

Then, Alice, who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression and her mouth wide open, suddenly covered her mouth with both hands.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I didn’t, sniff, know that…!”

I don’t know exactly what she was thinking, but anyway, this was my chance while Bernard wasn’t here.

Growl….

When my stomach sends signals like this, I had to keep eating something until this feeling disappeared.

“…Frey. Who said you could eat like that?”

“Urk…!”

Oh no, damn it. I’ve been caught. Just one more in this moment…!

“Stop right there.”

However, unfortunately, my body had now reached the point where it reflexively stopped when Bernard clenched his fist.

I had actually only been flicked on the forehead two or three times at most since meeting Bernard, but… it was inhumanly painful.

“…I’m against violence!”

So, I hurriedly backed away, crossing all four of my arms to form an X.

“Wow― You ate this much already? Look at that protruding belly.”

Bernard pointed at my belly, which was sticking out like a tadpole, laughing as if in disbelief.

“Ugh…!”

Aish, damn it. I should have covered my belly, not my head.

“Hey, Alice. Couldn’t you have stopped this instead of just watching?”

“B-but… Senior… I couldn’t stop her because she looked so pitiful…!”

“Sigh… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

In the end, waving the now empty bread basket.

“Frey. If you’re hungry, just say so.”

Bernard quietly stroked my head, avoiding Alice’s gaze as she hung her head beside us.

Only then did my constantly growling stomach calm down and I regained some sense.

“…Sorry, old man.”

I hung my head low, rubbing my protruding belly with all four arms.

I don’t know why it’s been so hard to endure hunger lately. I used to be able to endure it just fine.

“That’s fine. So, can you eat dinner?”

“…Yeah.”

“Alright. Next time, tell me when you get the signal.”

So, turning my head away from Alice, who was looking at Bernard and me with curious eyes.

As Bernard stroked my head again, I felt a ticklish sensation in my chest for some reason.

“Yeah… Thank you.”

I put two hands on my chest, which was tightening, and then used the other two hands to pull my veil down to cover my belly.

How should I put it… Lately, I’ve been disliking showing unsightly appearances to Bernard.

“Hehe. It’s nice to see, senior.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, it’s not like that?”

“Well, we’ll see about that.”

So, after inserting myself between the two who were already talking among themselves, leaving me out.

“So, is that all for the mass earlier?”

I asked Bernard while lifting Alice’s chest with my head as she quietly hugged me to her.

“Yeah. Simple, isn’t it?”

Then, as if he couldn’t put his hand under Alice’s chest, Bernard reached out and pinched my cheek.

“……”

Squish squish.

But… Why does he keep pulling it?

“Old ma…?”

As Bernard’s behavior of now pulling both my cheeks with both hands seemed somewhat unusual, I called out to him with a slurred pronunciation, but.

“Hmm… Hooh…”

Bernard just kept stretching my cheeks as if he had no interest in my call.

“Ah… Stop it…!”

Finally, after I wrapped all four arms tightly around my cheeks to prevent him from pulling them, Bernard removed his hands with a regretful look.

“…Ahem.”

“Was it that good, senior?”

“You should try it sometime too. It’s amazing.”

“These are my cheeks!?”

Touching someone else’s cheeks as he pleases, and then telling others to try it later… My cheeks aren’t public property.

Knock, knock.

So, as I was running away from Alice who was reaching out her hand to target my cheeks.

“A visitor?”

“I’ll go check, senior.”

“Alright.”

Along with the sound of knocking on the chapel door, which wasn’t even locked, I started to feel an ominous premonition for some reason.

“No, why are you here…”

As expected, Alice’s voice sounded surprised.

Step. Step.

Along with the unpleasant sound of hard shoe heels hitting the wooden floor of the chapel.

“No, I’m telling you― You need to get permission from the mayor first!”

Similarly, pushing aside the guard who was shouting in a panicked voice… a man entered the chapel.

Step. Step.

As if this was fate. When the shoe sound that was piercing my ears stopped in front of me.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to proceed any further.”

I saw the figure of a man confronting Bernard, who stood in front of me as if to protect me.

He looked to be in his mid-40s, with a face that was starting to show faint wrinkles. Tired gray-blue eyes and faded blonde hair.

“Why don’t you say something, Inquisitor?”

And… a blood-red flame pattern embroidered on his gray priest’s robe.

“…’Extinguished Ash’, is it? You’ve been living quite well, it seems.”

The man glanced at Bernard, who was blocking him, for a moment.

“Yes. Is it you?”

Looking at me hiding behind Bernard.

“―A monster that disgustingly pretends to be human and deceives people.”

In a solemn voice, he announced that the end had come to this short but happy daily life.