The Convent.
In Silas's eyes, this place was larger than any he had seen in the game.
Stables, dining hall, wine cellar, guest rooms... in the center, directly opposite the church, there was well-maintained greenery, with shade trees and lawns integrated with the paths.
Though the buildings were also made of stone blocks, the level of craftsmanship was far superior to the convent Rose had guarded in the game. Better in every aspect.
"Thank you for your trouble."
When Silas helped place the statue of Noe into the pre-prepared slot directly opposite the church, the lead nun bowed slightly.
"Please convey our gratitude to the Lord for his help."
"Additionally, if you need to feed your horses, we have stables here. It's already noon; if you're hungry, you can eat at the servants' dining area."
"..."
Convents have servants too?
Silas felt a bit impressed. But coming this far from the Lord's manor, the two horses were indeed a bit tired. Letting them eat some grass while he grabbed a bite sounded good.
He might even be able to squeeze in another meal when he got back.
Soon.
Silas left the horses in the convent's stables; the fodder here was quite good, seemingly freshly prepared.
There were five or six other horses scattered about, their hooves tied with red cloth bearing the emblem of the Church of Noe. Horses for a knight order?
After finishing this, he went to the servants' dining hall the nun mentioned.
A single look at these dark-skinned people with calloused hands made it clear they all performed heavy labor.
No one paid any mind to the Silas who had suddenly entered.
"Ah, you're the groom who helped set up the statue, right?"
Only the nun responsible for distributing food stared at Silas for a long time.
"You're lucky. Today is not only the rebirth day for the statues of God Noe and the Saint, but also the day the Archbishop arrives."
On the plate she handed Silas, there were two extra eggs in addition to the bread slices.
"Please enjoy your meal quietly. We will be performing prayers next."
"After that, the confessional will be open. If you have time, you can experience it."
"..."
The utility of Charisma didn't take effect every single moment.
For instance, these female laborers didn't spare Silas a second glance from beginning to end. It was as if they had little desire left for life.
In contrast, the nun giving out food and the nuns in the plaza earlier would all unconsciously steal a few glances at Silas.
"Being a groom... looking this good, what are you doing at the convent?"
"Men, they all have only those few thoughts. No matter how good-looking, they're all the same."
"..."
Fine, Silas's five senses were sharper than average after adding attribute points.
He could hear these laborers muttering. It seemed it wasn't a lack of charisma, but rather that charisma, besides attraction, could turn into jealousy once someone realized he was unattainable.
A double-edged sword?
Why are these eggs so delicious?
They're so good he wants to cry.
So this is what normal food is like.
Gulp.
Licking the crumbs from his lips and looking at the bread crusts on the plate, Silas lost his appetite.
Archbishop.
Confessional.
Although he had taken a nap after the game ended due to the anti-addiction mechanism, after his "impotence" was cured, Silas's strong sense of regret or lingering memory of the game had faded quite a bit.
This was also a convent.
This also had a confessional.
But it wasn't a place for him to have his way with the Sister. It was a small room truly meant for confessing and pouring out one's heart.
He had planned to ride back after eating.
"..."
But Silas, guided by some mysterious impulse, entered the open church hall and went to the door of the confessional. A few people were already queuing—mostly old people; Silas was the only young man.
"Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained."
A line like this was written in English at the door of the small room.
He couldn't hear what the people entering were saying to the nun inside. Those in the queue were very quiet; the only sound was the muttering of the nuns still kneeling in prayer before the crucifix in the hall.
Though there were only two people ahead of him, how long would this take?
Might as well go back. After all, he had nothing to pray about, and he didn't believe in some Saint or a God of Compassion named Noe.
"I came to confess, not to be criticized!"
Just as Silas was about to leave, he saw someone complaining as they came out of the confessional.
The confessional.
This small room had a back door. Originally, the Abbess of the convent was personally playing the role of the priest.
"Let me do it."
But the Archbishop took the opportunity and entered through the back door.
"T-this... how can we let you, who haven't rested properly, do this yourself..."
"I will do it."
"..."
With the Archbishop's calm repetition, the Abbess silently yielded her seat.
Why did the Church of Noe, or rather the Church of Compassion, still retain confession? It was merely a copycat of the Roman Church and other major churches.
Just as someone had asked at the very beginning why Noe, the God of Compassion, was male instead of female. The convenient explanation was that the God of Compassion has no gender; they are both "you" and "him." If you don't believe it, look at God Noe's face—isn't it as beautiful as a woman's?
As one of the "authors" of the fabricated story, Sia Rose had zero interest in listening to confessions.
"I was jealous that my neighbor's calf didn't die while mine did. So, I poisoned her sheep."
"..."
This person shouldn't come to prayer; they should go to the tribunal.
"But all my sheep died! She only lost two, and I apologized to her. She still wants to send me to judgment."
"..."
Rambling on... just how long are you going to confess?
Through the gap, she saw him—the man standing in the queue outside the confessional who looked exactly like... Rose had peered at him from among the nuns for a long time earlier; it was no hallucination.
"You didn't come to confess; you came seeking to escape."
"Huh? What do you mean escape? I apologized to her the next day because my conscience was uneasy!"
"Wasn't it because you saw her seek help from the knights or the Lord that you apologized?"
"W-what are you saying? What kind of nun are you! I came for confession, not to be criticized by you!"
"..."
Besides irritability, Rose detested this kind of evasion.
When she saw him appear at the convent as a groom, her first thought was also to escape. She was afraid it was another "hallucination" like the ones that had troubled her sisters for so many years. Perhaps, once it involved him, her mind would become abnormal.
Slowly.
She calmed down again. So what? If it's a hallucination, pierce it. Don't escape. Indulging in hallucinations wouldn't just make her sisters sad; Mr. Silas would be sad too.
"I made a mistake. I just confessed to the person I love."
"But just now, I fell in love with a groom. I don't understand it either."
"..."
"He's right behind me in the queue. I'm so nervous."
Crk!
The Sister sat on the low stool, unconsciously gripping it until it cracked.
"Sister?"
"It's nothing. Please continue."
"I... I don't know why I did it. I'm already engaged. But I actually unconsciously used my ass to rub against him on purpose..."
CRACK!
"Sister?! Just now, there's been a strange sound."
"...There isn't."
"But he's really so handsome. I've never felt this way before."
"He is a woman."
"...Eh?"
"This is a revelation from God Noe and a trial for you. If you betray your fiancé, you will become unfortunate."
"But he looks like a man in every way, and when my ass touched his..."
"Do you want to die?"
"Eh? Sister... can you say such things? Why are you scolding me! Waaah, I already said I don't know why!"
"..."
Rose was tired.
Inside the dim confessional, she couldn't see outside.
She didn't know if the man who looked like Silas was still there. She began to feel anxious.
"Uh, do nuns really scold people?"
But immediately, she heard a somewhat familiar voice.
"..."
She, who had been weary, instantly sat up straight. Her thighs also unconsciously pressed together. Peering through the gap in the small window of the confessional, she could see the man sitting opposite her. He was sizing up the internal structure of the confessional.
"Sister, are you still there?"
"...Y-yes!"
"Why do you sound so nervous?"
"..."
"Actually, I don't have much to confess. Just curious. I was in the queue thinking it would be slow, but it was my turn just as I was about to leave."
"...Is that so?"
"Yeah. Curiosity satisfied, so I'll be going. I'll leave the seat for someone who needs it. Sorry for the intrusion."
"Wait!"
"?"
"..."
The Sister's heart jumped into her throat. But following it was a massive wave of disappointment.
The voice hadn't changed. If it were him, she should be able to tell. But until now, there had been no reaction.
"Since you've come, it is a destiny granted by God Noe. Everyone has things they are unwilling to say, but here, you may confess freely."
"Hmm..."
Seeing him hesitate outside, he sat back down. "If I have to say something... I suppose I do."
"I clearly know that a maid I work with seems to be hinting at something, but I'm playing dumb. That must be quite hurtful."
"..."
Why is it a romantic entanglement with a maid?
"But it's probably for the best. She's married; she likely only lusts after my body. I have no interest in her. Instead of rejecting her directly, being ambiguous avoids a falling out."
"..."
Is that so?
Just a groom who looks like him.
The more she peered through the gap in the window, the more she wanted to destroy that face. If there are always faces that look the same in this world, one will always harbor undue expectations. Perhaps the rest of her life should be spent continuing to hunt down those culprits who escaped death back then, and then throwing everything aside to simply watch her sisters live the lives they wanted. That was also... what she first told Mr. Silas... her wish.
"However, I don't know if it's appropriate to say some things here."
"...Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained."
Thus, Rose had lost interest in the groom. She became professional. She only wanted to finish this one confession and then leave.
"I had a dream. In the dream, I liked a nun."
"..."
"She was very beautiful. At the time, because of certain things, I thought she was disgusting, but thinking back now, it was actually quite precious... she was a woman of action. She didn't just say she wanted to protect her sisters; she actually raised them alone for many years and was willing to bet her life for them."
Eh?
Rose's plump thighs unconsciously pressed together again. The slimy pantyhose wrapped between her legs was still there.
"Excuse me."
"..."
"What is the Church of Noe's view on a nun marrying a man?"
"...After abandoning faith, unless one once again lays down everything and wholeheartedly dedicates everything to God, one cannot rejoin the church."
"So, for a nun, abandoning the Lord she has believed in for over ten years to believe in a man—is that a sin?"
"..."
The Sister's lips parted, but no sound came out.
Her throat felt as if it had been cut by a knife; it was very painful. Her chest grew tighter.
She peered through the gap in the window and could see an expression of relief on the man's face. It was a look of increasing calm.
"If she truly exists. I hope she lives well, and that her two sisters successfully become the merchant and knight of their dreams."
"Sorry for making you listen to my sleep-talk, Sister. It really was just a dream, all blurry. But even if it's a dream, leading a nun who should be piously believing in the Lord to fall in the dream... I must be a sinner."
"..."
Not at all.
There couldn't be such a coincidence.
Coincidentally also a nun, coincidentally also two sisters. And coincidentally, the wishes were also a merchant and a knight. That... was a secret known to no one except herself, Fiona, and the two sisters.
"Sorry for the trouble. I should get back to the Lord's manor."
Rose could see through the gap that in the dimness outside, the man had already stood up and turned his back to leave.
Bang.
She no longer hesitated and instantly threw open the front door.
"?"
"..."
Meeting Silas's gaze face-to-face. This person indeed still had the lingering scent of fodder and the stables.
But it was precisely because there was such a pungent, clear, and existing scent that the Sister could know better—what she heard and what she saw before her eyes was no hallucination.