The Freed Slaves Are Obsessed-Chapter 189: The Shepherd Girl

As usual, Elise was tending to her duties as a nun when Mother Matilda approached her.

"Sister Elise?"

"Yes, Mother Superior. What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak with you privately. If you’re not too busy, could you put aside what you’re doing and follow me?"

"...? Of course."

Normally, any announcements or discussions were made during assemblies. For Matilda to call Elise for a private conversation was unusual.

Was she somehow becoming the favorite of the abbess?

The other nuns already weren’t particularly fond of Elise, and this would only add fuel to the fire. Unkind gazes followed her as she walked away, but Elise, as always, paid no mind.

She merely smirked at the other nuns with a condescending air.

"Why, that little...!"

Ignoring the murmurs behind her, Elise stepped into the abbess’s office.

The only recent interaction she’d had with Matilda was when she asked about Roman. She couldn’t think of another reason for a private meeting.

Could she be suspicious of me?

That would make sense, but...

"There’s no need to look so grave. I didn’t call you here to scold you," Matilda reassured her.

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"My apologies. What did you want to discuss?"

"It’s simple, really. Cardinal Marcenus of the Doctrine and Faith Congregation has requested a nun to serve as his aide. I recommended you for the position."

"Excuse me? Why me...?"

Elise had taken on more tasks at the convent over time, but they were typical for any nun. Serving as the cardinal’s aide, however, was an entirely different matter.

This was the kind of promotion people dreamed of.

If the other nuns found out about this...

Just imagining it was exhausting.

Whether or not Matilda was aware of her inner thoughts, she smiled warmly.

"Watching you work, I could see /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ that you’re an exceptionally capable individual. I believe you would be more than qualified to serve as the cardinal’s aide."

"But..."

"I’ve already informed the cardinal of my recommendation. Please don’t embarrass me by declining."

With her characteristic kindly smile, Matilda made her request sound more like a gentle order.

Elise had no choice but to accept.

Haaa...

Walking down the main road, Elise found herself sighing repeatedly.

She couldn’t make sense of her situation.

As if it weren’t enough to be working as a nun in the Holy Kingdom she so despised, she was now promoted to an aide to the cardinal—a meteoric rise in rank.

It felt as though the world was playing some kind of trick on her.

And all of this...

"You there! Have you considered joining the Church of the Reaper? Becoming a follower will rid you of all your fatigue!"

...was because of that man.

She had assumed Karami would be holed up in the inn all day, but it seemed he was out proselytizing—in the middle of the Holy Kingdom, no less.

"What? Are you some kind of heretic?"

"I’ve never done taekwondo, so I wouldn’t know."

"What the hell are you talking about? Get lost before I call the guards!"

Karami raised a finger with exaggerated politeness.

"Join now, and you’ll receive one gold coin free."

"What?"

"Wow... I was joking, but is your faith really worth just a single gold coin?"

"Screw off, you bastard!"

"Ahka."

"What the hell did you just say?"

"Nothing."

As the man lunged toward him, Karami quickly retreated. The man spat in disgust before storming off.

"Such a shame. I almost had him."

"Almost had him? Based on what, exactly?"

"Oh, Sister Elise! Fancy meeting you here. What a coincidence," Karami said with exaggerated cheer.

Their dynamic as master and servant was a secret between them. In public, Karami referred to her as Sister Elise and maintained a polite demeanor.

Elise couldn’t help but chuckle dryly at his shameless attitude.

"Coincidence, my foot. What are you doing? It looks like you’re recruiting for the church."

"Precisely."

Having little else to do before the next incident, Karami figured he might as well grow the church. Unlocking new church abilities required surpassing ten thousand followers.

It might even come in handy for progressing the story, he thought.

"...Are you out of your mind?"

From an outsider’s perspective, it was nothing short of madness.

The Church of Order and Balance didn’t force its doctrines on others, so proselytizing in the Holy Kingdom was practically asking for trouble.

Atheists, worshippers of other gods, elves revering the World Tree, and dwarves venerating the Heart of Magmar—all of these could be understood and respected.

But proselytizing openly in the Holy Kingdom? That was bound to provoke hostility.

Look at those guards. Even now, their sharp eyes followed Karami, clearly displeased by his antics.

"If you keep causing trouble, you’ll get yourself expelled from the Holy Kingdom. If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you. Just make sure you release me before you leave."

"I wish to stay with Sister Elise for a long time, so I’ll stop here," Karami said with exaggerated politeness.

"Tch."

A bat-like person.

Not that Elise was one to talk.

"So, Sister Elise, is something the matter? You were sighing heavily as you walked over."

"This isn’t a conversation for the streets. Let’s walk."

Elise gave a light nod of acknowledgment to the guards, signaling that she would keep Karami under control.

The two began walking toward the outskirts, where fewer people roamed.

"Something must have happened."

"Yes, something significant. I’ve been selected as the cardinal’s aide. The abbess herself recommended me."

"Congratulations. That’s quite the meteoric rise."

"This isn’t a promotion, and you know it. They’re doing this on purpose."

Karami chuckled but quickly adopted a more serious tone.

"That’s certainly no ordinary development. No matter how capable you are, being assigned as the cardinal’s aide suggests there’s more at play."

"Maybe the abbess is in on it too. She might have realized I disrupted their experiments and devised this scheme."

While Roman might have been running the project, it was likely under orders from higher-ups. Recruiting novice nuns for experiments had to involve senior figures.

The abbess was a prime suspect, and sending Elise to the cardinal could very well be a trap. The odds were overwhelmingly in favor of this being a setup.

"That’s a reasonable assumption."

"I don’t know what you’re hoping to accomplish, Master, but can’t we just leave the Holy Kingdom? If we stay, we’ll both die."

"It’s fine. I’ve played this game before."

"This isn’t a game!"

Elise tried earnestly to argue her case, but Karami paid no attention. If he refused to leave, she had no choice but to remain trapped in this place.

"I’m warning you now. Don’t blame me later when things go wrong."

"I never would. If a slave makes a mistake, the master is responsible—that’s my burden to bear," Karami declared confidently, lifting his chin.

Elise didn’t believe him for a second.

She’d be lucky if he didn’t abandon her and run off on his own.

*****

"I don’t know what to do. I can’t make sense of it," a young believer confessed.

Elise, now serving as the cardinal’s aide, conducted her last confessional duties for the day.

As always, she offered answers to the lost sheep seeking guidance, pointing them toward the "right" path in the name of God.

Yet, she found no satisfaction in it.

For someone like her, who couldn’t even hear the voice of God, it felt no different from a scam.

A lie devoid of goodwill.

A shepherd boy’s prank on the flock.

But the believers wept with gratitude, convinced they had been saved by her words.

What, then, was God?

What was she?

What was salvation?

The echoes of her questions never returned with answers.

So, who would save her, and where would she find her own answers?

There was her so-called master, but Elise would rather die than consult him. Whatever she said in earnest would undoubtedly be met with a joke.

Finishing her final confession, Elise exited the cathedral and began walking back to the convent. On the way, an elderly man caught her attention.

He was hunched over, leaning heavily on a worn wooden cane, each step a struggle.

A vagrant?

Where there is light, there must also be shadows to maintain balance. Even in Kassilon, the heart of the Holy Kingdom, not everyone could live in peace and harmony.

An elderly man wandering alone at this late hour was likely a homeless drifter.

His frail movements suggested he might collapse at any moment. During the day, pious believers performing their "good deeds" might assist him, but at this hour, there was no one around.

This wasn’t Elise’s style.

But she couldn’t just ignore him. Sighing inwardly, she approached the old man.

His shabby clothing and weathered appearance were accentuated by his pale, lifeless hair and beard. His face was marked with liver spots, his skin rough and deeply lined, resembling the bark of an ancient tree.

Yet, the cross around his neck gleamed brightly, as though defying his disheveled state. His deeply wrinkled face bore a certain gentle kindness.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Oh, Sister," the old man replied, his voice gravelly but warm.

"Where are you headed? I can escort you."

"Haha, where would an old man like me have to go? I’m just wandering wherever my feet take me."

Normally, Elise would have considered her duty done and walked away. But something about his words struck a chord in her.

She saw a reflection of herself in him—someone who belonged nowhere.

Moved by a rare sense of kinship, she decided to make an exception this time and offered her assistance.

"If you truly have nowhere to go, I can take you to a shelter run by our convent."

"Such a kindhearted Sister you are, as beautiful in soul as in appearance. But I’ll have to decline the shelter."

"Why is that?"

"The food’s terrible."

"...Excuse me?"

"People need to eat something tasty and stimulating once in a while, but those uptight clerics don’t understand that. It’s all part of the harmony of balance, you know. Eh, tsk tsk."

Elise couldn’t help but laugh dryly in disbelief.

A man who looked like he might keel over from hunger was being picky about his meals. His audacity reminded her of someone else.

The old man and that man would get along famously.

Ah...

A lightbulb went off in Elise’s mind.

This was the perfect opportunity to not only help the old man but also get a little revenge on Karami for all the pranks he had played on her.

Elise’s lips curved into a flawless, innocent smile.

"Sir, in that case, I’ll take you somewhere much better~"

***

"Hohoho, such a fine inn. I hope my presence here isn’t an intrusion," the old man said as he stepped inside.

"Not at all. Helping those in need is the duty of the faithful. You can rest comfortably here and enjoy some delicious meals."

Karami, who had just been about to turn in for the night, froze when he saw Elise walk in with the old man.

"To think you’re staying in such a luxurious room at your young age. You must be an exceptional and honorable person," the old man said, approaching Karami with a warm smile.

Karami stared at him, unblinking.

Why is this man here?

He knew who the old man was.

The former pope of Kassilon, Antonius.