Outside the fog zone.
The Sister didn't shed a single tear.
She simply requested Fiona's parents, in a wooden, hollow voice, to help find someone to treat Silas.
How did they put it?
"His body is strange. Logically, with a wound where two sections of his intestines were bitten off, it's impossible for him to have walked this far, let alone spoken to you."
"This has nothing to do with willpower."
If it wasn't willpower, what was it?
He just wanted to fulfill his promise. He did it, and he returned to her side.
The fog dispersed.
It was strange; nobody knew exactly how. The story that spread was that a nun with powerful divine strength had saved everyone.
It wasn't like that.
She didn't care.
Then they said they wanted to bury Mr. Silas.
No.
He was still alive and well.
Even when they buried him, the Sister dug him up again in the middle of the night. Then, wanting to see no one, she vanished into a dark, broken shack.
The Sister bought a mirror.
She posed before it, changing into the pure white dress Silas had given her.
"It really fits perfectly..."
"Just how familiar did he get with my measurements by groping me?"
"..."
She ate her meals normally.
For breakfast, she carefully selected ingredients, haggling with the market ladies to buy supplies for 10 copper coins, and hand-stewed a meat porridge. She even added some medicinal herbs to nourish the blood.
"You always just knew how to cum inside me... the notes said that stuff is a man's essence; too much leads to malnutrition."
"You need to supplement yourself."
"..."
"Ah, I knew it... besides the dress, there were stockings in the bundle. Which woman's house did you find them in? Did you take the chance to feel her up too?"
"..."
"Do they look good? But these white stockings... I wonder how much you've came on them."
She began to feel a bit shy. "Since I can't help Mr. Silas, I'll let you use my feet..."
Even if, in the end, Silas could never get it up again, it didn't matter.
She never needed Silas to thrust inside her. She never had.
Just being leaned against him was enough to satisfy her. Normal sleep, normal chatting. Of course, she would be more satisfied if she could feel the throb at a negative distance, but it was fine without it.
She could use Silas's hand to pleasure herself.
"You... should clip your nails."
"It was so comfortable, then suddenly a scratch... I'll clip them for you."
"..."
She had stolen Silas's corpse.
Hidden it where she thought no one could find it. She lived quite contentedly.
Until.
The Sister discovered that Silas's body began to rot and dissolve in an unnatural way.
"Are you unhappy?"
"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have been so greedy. I just... wanted you so much, that's why I pestered you to use your hands all day, and even used your mouth..."
"..."
She didn't know why.
The Heavens even wanted to strip away this last, abnormal obsession of hers. She watched helplessly as he dissolved in an unnatural way no matter how tightly she held him, until her arms were empty, with not even his clothes remaining.
The Sister began to grow silent and withdrawn.
"Not buying supplements for your husband today? I know a peasant who found some very old medicinal herbs recently; they're definitely a great tonic."
"..."
"With a considerate and beautiful wife like you, your husband must be a rare, good man."
Over the past few days, the market lady she often haggled with had become quite chatty.
Right.
Why was she still coming here?
"Do you want to buy? The peasant should be coming to buy wheat flour from me in a moment."
"He's dead."
"?"
"I have no husband anymore."
The Sister spat out the words coldly and numbly. She vanished into the crowd, dazed.
Some days later.
The Sister didn't even know where she had ended up. She only knew she was in trouble for killing a man who had spoken insolently to her and then tried to get handsy.
But she wasn't taken to a cell.
"Miss Rose, long time no see."
Sitting before her, offering a cup of black tea, was Fiona. She was no longer wearing that armor, having changed into beautiful private clothes.
"..."
The Sister remained silent.
"Don't worry, the one you killed was a criminal anyway."
"..."
She hadn't been worried. She was just annoyed. The strange power in her body seemed ready for her to use.
But what was the point?
The Sister didn't care. Her wish... was merely to give birth to a healthy child for a certain someone.
"I heard you stole Mr. Silas's body."
"He is... my husband."
"I don't mean to lecture you. But Miss Rose, why don't you look in the mirror first?"
"..."
Ignoring the Sister's wishes, Fiona directly had a maid bring over a full-length bronze mirror.
In the mirror, the Sister's hair was a mess. She wore a tightly wrapped robe, but underneath was the magnificent dress—both were very dirty. Her body even emitted an indescribable scent of earth. To anyone, she looked like a pitiful vagrant woman.
"This is not the Sister who once told me she wanted to reclaim her dignity."
"I should have... lost."
"Why?"
"If it were you who won, he wouldn't be dead."
"But it's precisely because Mr. Silas lit that great fire that I was barely able to crawl out. The only one Mr. Silas liked was you. I never even caught his eye. He told me himself... my tits were too small."
"I caused his death."
"No, I know about this. I also saw the roasted rabbit Mr. Silas brought back at the end. That thing is called a 'Multi-Rabbit'; their reproductive capacity is insane. If not for Mr. Silas, not just the fog zone, but this entire land might have fallen. I wouldn't have escaped either."
"I never wanted him to be a hero."
The Sister raised her face, meeting Fiona's frowning and then relaxing expression.
"Isn't that right? If it were me, I'd want my man to be a hero. That's why I said you are the most suitable person for Mr. Silas."
"I want to leave."
"It's about time you saw your sisters, isn't it? I almost thought I was still in the fog zone."
Fiona put down her teacup and rolled up her sleeve, revealing several deep, tiny bite marks.
"..."
"I won't agree to look after them for you again. I also know comforting you is useless. What I want to say isn't comfort. I've learned some inside information. It seems to involve both the Church and the Royal Capital. Does Sister Rose want to know?"
"..."
The Sister did not stay because of this.
She returned to the mansion she had bought for her sisters. Neither sister was there; she saw a missing person notice with her portrait drawn on it on a low table.
She wanted to take a bath.
But she found that the bathroom door, though it could close, wouldn't seal tightly.
Bang.
Try again.
Bang!
Twice.
Click-clack... Thump!
Finally, after slamming it harder and harder several times, the door wouldn't close at all; it was broken.
The Sister lifted the bucket of water, pouring it from head to toe.
She curled up in the corner of the bathroom, hugging her knees. Her body finally began to tremble. The tears flowing from her eyes slid down along with the water droplets.
"I... don't have him anymore."
What was she to do in the future?
All her property was given to him. Her body, her heart, too. Why was only this useless ring left on her hand?
This wasn't what she wanted at all. If she had known, she would have continued to act spoiled, continued to be indulged... even being hated would be better than him dying.
Why did she have to summon so-called courage?
Why couldn't she have realized sooner that perhaps she could have helped?
"Sister?"
Elena returned first and was the first to notice the abnormality.
Saying nothing, she used her small body to cradle the back of the Sister's head, pressing her wet face against her small chest.
"Your... big brother, Mr. Silas... ugh..."
"Mm. Elena knows. Big brother must have gone to a place as good as Mommy and Daddy."
"..."
It was a silent, or rather, a tiny and suppressed sob.
"..."
The other sister entered shortly after, having also become very sensible. Likewise, she said nothing, embracing the Sister along with Elena.
A few days later.
Having rearranged her attire, no longer smelling of anything, the cold and stern Sister Rose found Fiona.
"Speak. What is the inside information?"
"Before I say it, I must warn you. If you truly want to do this, Sister Rose, you will have to return to the Church you hate. With Sister Rose's current fame for saving the fog zone and being able to respond to the Lord, it should be easy to see those Archbishops. But once you do, there's no turning back."
"My husband is dead. They aren't. I want to send them all to hell."
"Tsk, Miss Rose has transformed again. It's my first time seeing a person transform twice in a row."
"..."
Tentacles grew from the hem of the Sister's clothes, resting on Fiona's shoulder.
"W-wait! This is my office! I was just joking! You want to make me wet my pants here... Eeeh?! I'll talk right now!"
"..."
The Sister didn't know if what she was doing went against that man's wishes.
If it were him, he would probably say... just live an ordinary life with the money.
But, as a wife. If her husband dies and she knows where the culprits who caused it might be, and she doesn't find them... she wouldn't even have the mood to masturbate.
"Once this is finished. I'll go farm, plant some flowers, and some vegetables. What do you think?"
"...Miss Rose, are you talking to me?"
"I'm talking to my husband."
"He's already..."
"Even in death, there is a soul. His soul is beside me."
"..."
Fiona watched the Sister's retreating back and sighed.
She had no heart to look at the knight order's documents, wringing the hem of her pants between her legs, which were wet enough to squeeze water from.
If there really is a soul, seeing the Sister become like this... would you be happy or sad?
If this continues, wetting my pants whenever I see tentacles will become an instinctive reaction.
However.
She felt that Miss Rose seemed even more charming instead... what a melancholy thought.
With such heavy feelings, what chance did I ever have to win? I was overestimating myself. Don't worry, the debt I owe you will be repaid through the Sister and her sisters.