Prayer, Confession

Ellie watched Falk enter the church, then saw through the window which prayer room he went into.

Although it was called a prayer room, its actual function was to confess one’s sins to the gods.

Calling it a confessional would be more accurate.

But in essence, it was a place of catharsis.

Like the cheapest, simplest kind of therapist — when your heart is under pressure, coming to the church to mutter a few words is never a wrong choice.

Perhaps the priests could not offer much concrete help.

But as listeners, they were polite enough.

And they possessed sufficient professional ethics — they would never spread your secrets.

Unless—

You truly committed something unforgivable.

If Eric back then had told the priest that he intended to kill his own father, kill his own brother, seize the throne, and slaughter everyone he disliked, then that priest would definitely have reported every word to His Majesty.

But he never said those things.

Such secrets were better buried forever in one’s own heart.

No — not entirely buried.

Sometimes, he would mutter them to the assassins of the Nightingale House around him.

He especially liked saying these things to Scarlet Crow.

Compared to the other eccentric, half-mad members, Scarlet Crow’s emotions were the most stable.

No matter whether it was good words, bad words, or incoherent nonsense, Scarlet Crow would simply stand there in silence and listen.

That was true listening.

Doing nothing at all — just listening — was enough.

And this time, she was going to seek out Falk.

In the past, when she spoke with Falk, their conversations could almost be called political debate.

Some of their views aligned, some did not.

But when disagreements arose, neither of them would continue the discussion.

They both knew that pressing on would serve no real purpose.

Even if they held a full debate and reached some conclusion, it would offer no practical help.

So later on, the two of them stopped talking about such things.

When they met, Falk was always concerned with affairs of state.

And Eric had no desire to discuss those matters.

Now, however, Ellie had come to find Falk for a different reason.

She would not talk about those things anymore.

Political debate was truly troublesome…

And the Falk of this world likely no longer cared about such matters anyway.

Knock knock knock.

After confirming which confessional Falk had entered, Ellie knocked on the door not long after.

“Please come in.”

There were no other visitors inside at the moment, so Falk responded quickly.

Through the wooden door, his voice could be clearly heard.

Entering the confessional — known as the prayer room — Ellie turned around and closed the second inner door.

The outer door was not soundproof.

It merely allowed one to hear the priest’s response, as just now.

But once the inner door was closed, the room was sufficiently soundproof, allowing the believer inside to speak freely from the heart.

“Please have a seat. If there’s anything troubling you, feel free to tell me. I will do my best to help.”

Inside the prayer room, the space was divided into small chambers by a wooden partition.

Several holes were carved into the upper part of the board, so that voices could pass through without the two parties seeing each other.

After Ellie went in and sat down, Falk on the other side opened a small wooden window around arm height.

He passed a cross into Ellie’s hands, then respectfully closed the small window again.

Holding a cross in one’s hand — an old tradition.

They said that holding this cross represented one’s devotion, allowing the gods to hear one’s voice.

But in reality, it was simply because having nothing in one’s hands, and nothing around, made people tense.

They could not relax.

They could not express what was truly in their hearts.

They could not follow the priest’s guidance to ease their emotions.

So priests would usually hand over a cross, giving the believer something to fidget with, helping them relax and divert their nervous attention.

“……”

Ellie had not held a cross like this for a very long time.

Because she knew that if her sins were truly heard by the gods, a bolt of lightning would probably strike her on the spot.

But—

Forget it.

When it was time to believe in gods, believe in them.

For example, the fact that she had inexplicably been reborn in such a strange world — perhaps that was divine will.

And when it was time not to believe — do not believe.

For example — there probably wouldn’t be a lightning strike.

If there were, she likely wouldn’t even have been able to step through the church doors.

“Sometimes… I miss my mother.”

After a moment of silence, Ellie began her so-called confession and prayer.

“When we were young, we were very happy together. My father and my mother treated me extremely well… I also had an adoptive brother, who was quite good to me.”

“But later, due to all kinds of changes, I lost my mother.

Although it was a long time ago, it happened during an era of chaos and war. My mother lost her life so easily…

I keep thinking — who was it that hurt my mother?

This question has always haunted me… forcing me to think about it every night.

And now, as the anniversary of my mother’s death draws closer, the nightmares have returned.

In my dreams, my mother seems to keep asking me who killed her.

And as her child, what should I do…

Seek revenge?

Inherit her ideals?

Or… is there some other path for me?”

Ellie spoke the story she had prepared long ago.

The characters within were half real, half false.

Some parts were truly her past.

Others were embellishments.

To stir Falk’s emotions, Ellie deliberately used a pitiful-sounding voice.

It even carried a trembling hint of tears.

As she spoke, she began to sob softly, only to make herself appear more pitiable.

“Sir Priest, I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced something like this.

You probably haven’t… As a priest, you must live a rather happy life, right?

After all… the gods protect people like you, don’t they?

You may not understand just how painful it is for a young person like me to lose their parents…

I truly don’t know what to do…

How should I face those who harmed my family…”

Hearing Falk hesitate on the other side, Ellie deepened her emotional tone even further.

And within this sorrow, she quietly threw out a question—

—Are your family still alive?

And…

…Have you ever thought about revenge?