A Monster That Cannot Pray

“By the way… Is this church so unkind that it doesn’t even offer a cup of tea to its guests?”

The tense atmosphere in the chapel changed abruptly with a single sentence from the man called the Inquisitor.

“Hey, Mr. Nameless Inquisitor. Right now, you should be thinking about how to get out of here alive rather than having tea.”

“Senior!”

…Not in a good direction, but in the worst possible way.

“That’s quite a harsh statement for a clergyman who just led a mass.”

“If you’ve heard about me, you should know. Even if His Holiness the Pope himself came, I wouldn’t tolerate threatening a child in front of me.”

“Senior, please!”

Bernard spoke coldly, with an intensity as if he would kill the man in front of him at any moment.

Thinking that Bernard might really kill the man called the Inquisitor at this rate, I.

Squeeze―.

“…Frey?”

Shake shake.

Carefully… but to make sure I wouldn’t let go. I tightly gripped Bernard’s sleeve with all four arms and shook my head.

“No… Old man.”

Even if something were to happen to me here and now.

It shouldn’t cause harm to Bernard, Alice… and the townspeople because of it.

“I don’t… want that.”

I don’t want to lose the family I’ve just gained. I said that while trying to steady my body that was trembling with fear.

“Hmm. I think it might be easier to talk to the monster on that side, then.”

“You bastard, I’ve had enough…!”

“Senior. Please calm down!”

“Let’s sit down first.”

Finally, Bernard sat down, barely restrained by Alice and me.

“…Haa.”

He glanced at me, who was wrapping all four arms around his right arm, and sighed lightly.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t have any tea to serve you. Just get to the point quickly and get out.”

He opened his mouth in a tired voice, rubbing his eyes with his left arm, which was still free.

“Well… I’m sorry too, but this isn’t something I can talk about briefly and leave.”

“Oh, really…!”

So, as Bernard’s face scrunched up again as if he was about to explode.

When Alice and I made eye contact and hurriedly prepared to cling to Bernard.

“However, since you insist, I should get to the point.”

Quietly looking at me.

“If you truly want to protect, reveal without hiding.”

In a gentle voice, unlike before.

“―Leave. And thus, prove.”

He raised his right hand and extended it towards me as if in prayer, drawing a circle in front of his chest.

It was the gesture Bernard had shown me before― called the sign of the cross.

“Now, do you feel like offering a cup of tea? ‘Extinguished Ash’?”

“…Alice. Let me ask you a favor.”

“Understood, senior.”

Honestly, I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all… but judging from Bernard’s suddenly calmed demeanor, it seemed that at least nothing would happen right away.

“…Would it kill you to speak more plainly, really.”

“Ahem.”

I sighed quietly in relief and expressed my dissatisfaction to the Inquisitor in front of me.

Making people nervous by unnecessarily creating an atmosphere, how annoying.

So, a little while later.

In front of us was the tea… or something similar… that Alice had brought.

“Alice. Is it that hard to boil water with tea leaves?”

“…What’s wrong with my tea, senior?”

“Tea? Does this look like tea to you?”

There was supposed to be an important conversation, but because of the sticky brown something in the cup… we faced another crisis.

“…Such blatant attempted poisoning…”

See? Even the Inquisitor’s expression has become serious again.

“F-Frey… Frey is on my side, right…?”

Right after, Alice’s desperate voice was directed at me, as if a bomb had dropped on my head.

“…No, this is a bit…”

I shook my head, avoiding the tentacle-like thing that was reaching out to me with bizarrely wriggling movements in the cup.

“Frey. I’m sorry, but… No. I’ll just go make a proper brew.”

Finally, as he was about to get up to brew proper tea, patting my head.

“Just in case, stay close to Alice.”

Bernard left for the kitchen, almost as if escaping from Alice who was looking at him with fiery eyes.

“……”

So, after briefly looking at the Inquisitor who was subtly turning his head away.

“Uh, um…”

With an extremely uncomfortable feeling, I turned my head creakily.

“I never thought even Frey would betray me.”

Alice was looking at me with her lips pursed, her face looking thoroughly upset.

Judging that I definitely wouldn’t be able to enjoy Alice’s chest for a while at this rate, I was racking my brain on how to break through this situation when.

Bubble bubble.

The unidentified something that was now wriggling and boiling as if about to jump out of the cup caught my eye sharply.

…Surely, I won’t die from eating it, right?

“Frey…?”

Here, I must act like a man…!

Gulp.

That was my last memory of that day.

* * *

“Aaaargh―!”

When I came to my senses, I was on the bed in my room on the second floor of the church.

“…Are you awake?”

“Ah, old man…?”

B-but I was just surrounded by sticky tentacle monsters and slimes tickling my whole body…?

“…Why did you drink something that was clearly dangerous?”

Tap, tap.

With a touch full of concern, he gently patted my head.

“I don’t know if you’ll be able to sleep, but sleep more. It’s still dawn.”

“Dawn…?”

Bernard covered me again with the blanket that had slipped down.

“Are you feeling strange anywhere?”

“Yeah. My mouth still feels sticky…”

“I put water next to you, drink if you need it.”

…Did he watch over me until I woke up?

“Alice was watching you until just now, and we switched, so don’t worry unnecessarily.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Very.”

So, looking at Bernard who was somehow trying to avoid my eyes.

“Um… Old man.”

“Yes.”

“The, Inquisitor…?”

I asked what conversation had taken place while I was unconscious.

“……”

Then, unlike usual, Bernard flinched and turned over the book he was quietly reading.

“Frey.”

“Yeah.”

Soon, after a long pause, making eye contact with me with eyes full of concern.

“For a moment… yes, just a moment. If I said you need to leave this city and go on a journey, could you do it? Of course, with me and Alice.”

Bernard carefully asked me that.

“Leave the… city? For how long?”

“…About a year.”

Leaving this city. That meant… having to wander again while hiding my body.

“……”

I’m scared. I’m afraid. I don’t even want to imagine it.

Although it was a short time, not even two weeks… I had come to know again. The warmth of people.

Even if Bernard and Alice were with me, it didn’t mean I would be free from people’s gazes.

“…Yeah. I can do it.”

But still, I nodded.

Because I could see Bernard in front of me, biting his lip as if more upset than me.

“Frey. Come here.”

So, feeling Bernard’s touch as he carefully pulled me into his arms and patted my back.

“…The church has noticed your existence.”

I listened to Bernard’s words.

“I didn’t want to tell you about these dirty parts, but it seems you’ll get caught up in the church’s factional fights.”

You don’t need to know the details, but… there are three factions broadly divided into radical, moderate, and neutral factions, and the radical faction has suddenly started to move.

“The radical faction… they’re the ones who define everything as evil if there’s even a slight difference from ordinary humans, not just the monsters we know, but also people like Mia or Wigo.”

Until now, all the monsters that had appeared were truly disposable targets that couldn’t engage in proper dialogue, like the one we saw last time… so people with deformities like Miss Mia or Uncle Wigo could escape persecution by proving their own humanity, but.

“…It seems they’ve made plans to execute even innocent people, using your existence as a reason.”

At this rate, not only me, but also some people in this city and those living in hiding with deformities would all be killed.

“So, it seems the moderate and neutral factions have made some moves.”

Bernard told me in a bitter voice.

“In a year… a trial will be held in a year.”

A trial to determine whether I’m a monster or a human will be held in a place called the Holy City, where the church’s headquarters is located.

“Probably… no, almost certainly, you won’t be recognized as human.”

“……”

If I were to be recognized as human in that trial… it could remain as a case of a monster with human nature, which could lead to delayed responses to monsters in the future and cause great damage.

“The reason they’ve given us a year is probably to find another way during that time. Except for a very small part of the moderate faction like the Inquisitor who came earlier, they won’t even try to see you as human.”

Bernard hugged me tightly with a resentful voice, saying it was a situation where we couldn’t even try to bet on the slimmest possibility.

“So… during the year given to us. We must make as many allies as possible. Allies who will testify with us that you are human, no matter what anyone says.”

The faint trembling I felt in Bernard’s arms as he hugged me. Surely, even he must not be certain.

“Frey. If, really if… if you say you don’t want to, if you want to spend the remaining year peacefully… I and Alice are thinking of doing whatever it takes to make it the best year for you.”

So, with a trembling voice.

“But it’s sad…! I’ve just learned how to live normally, and it’s only a year…! This is too cruel…!”

And, with a voice full of resentment.

“I absolutely can’t accept this! You’ve been through so much! You’ve been hurt! So, you should be rewarded. You should be happy!”

Bernard, getting angry for me even more than I was.

“So, let’s live. Let’s try living…! Let’s struggle until the end and stand up proudly…! That’s what it means to be human…!”

I don’t know what happened to Bernard in the past. So, I don’t know why Bernard is doing this much for me.

But… I’m not so foolish as to not understand the sincerity in Bernard’s words.

“…Yeah. I’ll go.”

So, even if it’s to repay Bernard who took me in like this.

“I, too… I want to live for a long time. I want to try living happily like others. I want to live proudly without hiding.”

And, even if it’s to fulfill my dream from my previous life of wanting to live a normal life as a human.

“…Let’s go. Let’s go and prove it.”

I will move forward without running away.

“I can do it. Because I am human.”

The pilgrim’s path laid out before me.