Chapter 99: The Confessional

Litt and Tos’s words left Red even more confused.

He racked his brains, trying to recall his past and consider all the possible changes in himself.

After thinking for three seconds, he placed his hand on Tos’s shoulder, his expression grave.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten any longer, have I?”

“Who asked you about that kind of change! And don’t ask me, I don’t know, and I don’t want to know either!”

Tos almost slammed the lid of his lunchbox onto Red’s face.

“So what exactly has changed about me? I don’t feel anything at all.”

Maybe it’s that those involved are lost while bystanders see clearly.

It’s always hard for people to see their own changes.

And perhaps for Red right now, it was just the same.

So Litt spoke up.

“Red, when I first met you, even though you looked calm, your face seemed so sad and lost.”

“That’s right,” Tos chimed in, “Back then you kept saying everything was fine, but you don’t know—Brian and I spent all day worrying you’d do something stupid.”

“Was it really that bad…?”

Red thought back to when he had just left Dawnblade.

Indeed, at that time, he had truly felt a bit lost and dejected.

But it wasn’t as bad as Litt and Tos described, was it?

“Not exaggerated at all,” Tos held up his index finger and wagged it lightly, “Think about it, Red, when you were with Dawnblade, did you ever smile from the heart like you do now?”

“Back then, it seemed like you never finished all the work from sunrise to sunset, and you always wore a stiff face. Compared to now, it’s like night and day. I’m telling the truth—if you don’t believe me, go ask Brian and the others.”

Red pondered for a moment, then finally spoke.

“So, you’re saying I’ve changed for the better?”

“On that point, let me remain silent,” Tos quietly raised his hand, blocking between himself and Red.

“If I really had to answer… I’d say, on the road to becoming a god, you’re already walking farther and farther.”

There was no way Red couldn’t tell what Tos really meant.

“Are you picking a fight?”

“Think carefully about your own actions! Take out your heart, lungs, and intestines and air them out!”

As the two wrestled again, Litt just watched them with a beaming smile and didn’t say anything further.

After their meal, Litt began cleaning up the dishes, while Red and Tos started dividing up the chores.

While working, Red’s curiosity got the better of him, and he asked Rit.

“How’s your performance coming along?”

“Uh…”

Litt paused awkwardly, then acted nonchalant, “The preparations are pretty thorough… I guess.”

The truth was, she hadn’t prepared at all—not even rehearsed once.

She was, at heart, a lazy fish, and asking a lazy fish to perform was honestly a bit too much.

“Are you nervous, Litt?”

Her hesitant behavior was naturally misunderstood by Red as nerves before performing on stage.

He thought for a moment, then gave her an encouraging smile.

“It’s alright. I’m sure your performance will go perfectly, Litt.”

There was no denying that Red was a bit good-looking to begin with, and with words like that, if it were any other girl, they might truly be moved.

Unfortunately… the one facing him was not an ordinary girl.

“Mm! Thank you!”

Litt nodded as if greatly encouraged, but inside, she had already switched to dead-fish eyes.

Ah… what a pain!

Why didn’t they just take down the bandit den already?

Then she wouldn’t have to go on stage as bait, and wouldn’t have to perform anything.

In the end, Litt couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Thankfully, she was, after all, a well-trained battle priestess, so singing a little scripture or something wouldn’t be a problem.

***

Two days passed in a flash.

Perhaps the White Sun Dawnbreak Festival was indeed effective, because on the very first day of the open house, the White Church’s Monastery was flooded with people.

Thanks to invitations from Otto and Litt, Red naturally came as well.

But he wasn’t alone; three others walked with him.

Needless to say, the three were Tos, Brian, and Mason.

“Hey… I won’t even mention Tos the unemployed vagrant, but you two are Adventurers—are you really okay not going to the dungeon!?”

“Hahaha!!”

Brian let out a hearty laugh, “We haven’t even spent all our money yet, why would we go down to the dungeon already?”

“Right,” Mason nodded in agreement, pushing up his glasses with a mysterious expression, “What’s the most painful thing in life? That’s dying before you’ve spent all your money.”

Spending all the money of a prince…

Well, that’s not exactly realistic.

Red let out a sigh.

After all, it was rare for the four brothers to hang out together, but to avoid trouble—

He still had to remind them, “Just remember to behave yourselves here. This isn’t Succubus Street, got it?”

“Don’t worry,” Tos replied with a look of pure sincerity, just like a devout believer, “All my life, I’ve loved mature nun big sisters the most. How could I ever do something to sully my image?”

“Just a few days ago you said you liked little succubi the most…”

Red muttered under his breath, and Brian couldn’t help but ask, “So what new thing drew you here this time?”

“Honestly, it’s a little embarrassing…”

Tos straightened up, his face solemn, “I just want the nuns to pray in front of me…”

“Hey, Heretic Tribunal? We’ve got a perv here!”

The three spoke in unison, causing Tos to break character immediately.

“I’m saying I want them to pray! Pray, not…! You filthy-minded lot!”

Obviously, his good brothers weren’t about to believe Tos’s excuse.

But no one really minded, and the group entered the White Church’s Monastery.

“I’ve never been inside a place like this before.”

A monastery was different from a chapel.

A chapel’s main function was for believers to gather for worship, sacraments, and community events, and was usually open to outsiders.

A monastery, however, was where monks or nuns lived, prayed, studied, and worked, focusing on spiritual cultivation and isolation, and generally not open to outsiders.

Inside, there might be a small chapel reserved for members.

So when Red and his friends saw so many beautiful girls in white nun habits and garter stockings, they couldn’t help but feel a bit parched.

“I gotta say, why does this feel even more stimulating than walking down Succubus Street?”

Tos had already started pondering the meaning of life.

“Maybe it’s because the holier they are, the more people want to defile them?”

Mason offered a rather reasonable explanation.

“The combination of white stockings and nun habits is just too eye-catching.”

Red stayed loyal as always to his own desires.

“Or maybe you’re just all perverts?”

Brian hit the nail on the head.

The four chatted as they entered the depths of the Monastery.

At the entrance, a nun welcomed them and began introducing the place with great patience and gentleness.

“Welcome, honored guests, to the Sacred Heart Monastery of the White Church.”

Her voice was gentle and pleasant, like clear spring water.

“You are now in the historic Sancta Maria Chapel. This monastery was personally founded by a great bishop, and has basked in the holy light for nearly a century, making it an important spiritual heritage of the White Church.”

She bowed slightly, her bearing graceful and dignified.

“We are honored to show you this sacred place, and hope you will find peace and insight here.”

At the end, the nameless White Church nun gave them a gentle smile.

“Of course, we kindly ask you to cherish this sacred tranquility during your visit. Please do not litter or smoke.”

Though her smile was a bit less stunning than Litt’s, it was enough to make Tos and the others’ hearts race.

After all, she was quite… well-endowed.

“So nice…”

Tos grinned foolishly after they parted with the reception nun, “The White Church is probably the most reputable church, right? Wouldn’t it be great to marry a nun from here?”

The other three almost replied in unison.

“You may be ugly, but your dreams sure are pretty.”

“Hey, hey, hey! That’s too much!”

Tos snapped out of his dream instantly, clutching his chest with a wounded look.

“What’s wrong with dreaming? It’s not a crime! The White Church doesn’t forbid nuns from marrying, does it? You have to have dreams, or else what’s the point of living?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Alright, alright, got it…”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say…”

Red, Mason, and Brian all waved their hands in sync, their movements so uniform they looked as if they’d rehearsed it a thousand times.

At times like these, the brothers’ tacit understanding was at its peak.

Although today was a rare open house, the overall atmosphere inside the Monastery still retained its unique solemnity and gravity.

The tall vaulted ceilings cast tranquil light and shadow, the air was scented with a faint trace of incense and old paper, and as the four wandered through, even their breathing became unconsciously softer.

Still, to accommodate visitors, the Monastery cleverly made use of some side halls and corridors.

There were neat little stalls selling church-themed snacks and drinks.

There were even experience zones where visitors could try out daily activities of White Church members.

As the four wandered aimlessly, a wooden sign hung above a room’s door, written in archaic script, suddenly caught all their attention like a magnet.

…Confession Chamber.

This place, which appeared in countless books, caused all four of them to stop in their tracks at the same time.