Ciel's acquaintance with Kensei Kanase came about because of Kanon Kanase.
If Ciel had not adopted Kanon one step ahead of him, then the person who eventually adopted her might have been Kensei.
Back then, with Ciel and Natsuki's help, the children at the abbey had been adopted one after another by good families.
Kensei, who heard the news, also came to the abbey with the goal of adopting his younger sister's child—Kanon Kanase.
Kensei had once been a Court Sorcerous Engineer of the Kingdom of Aldegia, and he had come to Itogami Island for his younger sister's sake.
He probably did love Kanon... his younger sister's child, and he was even willing to cherish her as if she were his own.
He wanted Kanon to obtain true happiness.
This world contained far too many unreasonable existences—Primogenitors, Beast Vassals, demons, witches, Devas, artificial lifeforms.
Compared to them, humanity was far too small and far too fragile. It would be perfectly normal for humans to get caught up in something and die at any time. That was why Kensei hoped Kanon could become a higher-dimensional concept that no monster could harm—in other words, an angel.
Kensei believed that the human world was filled with suffering, and that humans could only obtain true happiness by ascending dimensions, becoming angels, and reaching the Lord's side.
At that time, Ciel would also stay at the abbey and pray to the Lord as a nun and member of the clergy.
When Kensei first met Ciel, he told her part of his thoughts, believing that, as a nun, she would understand his philosophy.
For a member of the clergy, becoming an angel and reaching the Lord's side to serve Him should have been the greatest happiness, should it not?
Of course, Kensei was not foolish enough to tell Ciel the method of angelization. He merely stated that he hoped Kanon could obtain true happiness, and that he hoped Kanon could become an angel and go to the Lord's side.
It was only a "hope." Most people who heard him would not imagine that he was already preparing to "put it into practice."
"I do believe you love Kanon. But... I want her to decide for herself who her future family will be."
Ciel brought Kensei before Kanon.
She pointed at Kensei and asked Kanon... whether she was willing to become this person's adopted daughter.
During that period, Kanon had already watched one friend after another leave the abbey, watched them gain homes they could return to. Although she felt a little lonely, more than anything, she was happy for them.
At the same time, even her still-innocent little head could understand... that this day would soon come for her as well.
Although she was reluctant to part with it... reluctant to part with the abbey where she had lived since childhood, reluctant to part with Ciel-oneesama, the nun who had appeared like a hero in a time of danger.
But she did not want her own selfishness to cause trouble for the people around her.
Because she cared too much about how others saw her, she could not fully express her own wishes.
Even if something happened that did not go the way she wanted, she could surely endure it and get through it. As long as the other person was satisfied, that would be enough... That was how the girl had always lived.
"Kanon, are you willing to let this gentleman become your father? I want to hear your true thoughts."
At that time, Ciel looked at her with encouraging eyes, but that care only made it even harder for the girl to say anything selfish.
There was nothing wrong with agreeing, was there? The other party was her mother's older brother. As an adopter, he seemed to be the most suitable person...
"He hopes that, in the future, you will follow the Lord's call, go to that supreme existence's side, become an angel, and obtain true happiness."
For a member of the clergy, becoming an angel to serve the Lord was undoubtedly the greatest honor, the Lord's reward and recognition.
Kanon, who had grown up in an abbey and dreamed of becoming an excellent nun like Ciel, naturally felt a tiny trace of longing for the future Ciel described.
Immediately afterward, Ciel spoke again, as if refusing to give Kanon the chance to nod in agreement.
"In order to make you a true angel, he will perform physical modifications on you and several other innocent humans, making you kill and devour one another, seize the spiritual centers of others, and merge them into your own body. Through a method like a gu-breeding ritual, he will give you the possibility of spiritual evolution, turning you into a species closer to a god than a human—that is, turning you into an angel."
"!!!"
Kanon showed a frightened expression, and Kensei, who had remained silent behind Ciel, also changed color drastically.
Why? Why does this nun know about my plan?
Clearly, he had not yet put it into practice. Clearly, he had not yet explained his thoughts to anyone...
"Even then, would you have no complaints? Would you still be willing to become his child? Do you truly think such a future is what you hope for?"
People said the eyes were windows to the soul. Ciel looked straight into Kanon's eyes, using her gaze to encourage Kanon to speak her true thoughts.
"..."
The girl was still hesitating.
Someone had once said that when you were torn between two choices, your heart had actually already begun leaning toward the second option... because if the first option truly satisfied you, the second option would never have arisen.
"My philosophy is correct. This is the only way for Kanon to obtain happiness."
Even after being exposed, Kensei felt no guilt, nor did he waver in the slightest.
"Did you ask Kanon what she thinks? Did she ever say this was the happiness she wanted? Goodwill forced onto others while indulging in self-satisfaction is more suffocating than malice."
Ciel stared at Kensei and questioned him sharply.
"Would I ever harm Kanon? Why are you denying my philosophy? Evolving into an angel and going to the Lord's side—shouldn't that be the greatest happiness for you clergy?"
"The human body and human life should be gifts from the Lord. All that man is comes only from the one God. Therefore, man is not the owner of his own life. Your life, mine, and the lives of all beings are bestowed by the Lord and should be taken by the Lord. Any act that deprives someone of life and the right to live is evil, and should be regarded as an affront to the Lord's majesty."
In the Church's teachings, all things were created by God, even demons. No one possessed the right to kill, which was why Church members who killed demons were called Executors. In the Lord's name, they served as God's agents to destroy heresy, unbound by doctrine.
Precisely because of that, Executors possessed extremely high freedom. During missions, even a cardinal of the Church had no right to interfere with their actions, issue orders to them, or execute them.
And the Burial Agency was a department that gathered the strongest among the Executors. Although it formally belonged to the Holy Church, in reality it was closer to an independent organization, possessing authority that exceeded that of the ordinary Church. For instance, if the Pope became a Dead Apostle, they had the authority to execute the Pope on the spot.
"To take others' lives, to devour others' flesh... That is sin. The end of that path is absolutely not becoming an angel, but becoming a monster—a demon that feeds on blood and flesh. I believe that even if you truly reached the Lord's throne by such means in the end, you would not receive the Lord's reward."
Ciel spoke those words with righteous conviction.
Then she stopped looking at Kensei and turned instead to Kanon.
"This is what I truly think. But the only person who can make the decision is you yourself... What kind of person do you intend to become, and what kind of future do you want? Or rather... are you willing to walk the path this man has arranged for you?"
The girl asked her own heart. Could she accept such a future?
Killing others, committing sins, then going to a faraway place where no one else was.
Just as Ciel-oneesama had said, could an existence achieved in that way truly be a holy angel? Was that kind of result truly happiness?
Kanon did not know... No, rather, she did not want to admit that such a thing was happiness.
"Kanon will be sublimated into eternal life. Even if everything on this earth is destroyed by those monsters' reckless actions, she will exist forever and never suffer the slightest harm. If that is not happiness, then what is happiness?!"
Kensei panicked, because he had realized something from Kanon's reaction.
He foresaw that Kanon's heart was leaning toward Ciel, but he still insisted on his own thoughts.
He was a Court Sorcerous Engineer of the Kingdom of Aldegia, so he knew that there were far too many terrifying monsters in this world that surpassed human understanding.
The achievements countless human geniuses left to later generations after death, accomplishments reached only through cooperation and collaboration across time itself, were things some monsters possessed from birth.
Humans had researched many methods to utilize the magical power within dragon veins, while monsters known as Primogenitors were born with powerful magical power rivaling dragon veins.
Civilization itself was like a fragile toy made of building blocks to monsters on that level. With the slightest force, they could knock it down.
It was precisely because he had witnessed that despair-inducing gap with his own eyes that Kensei hoped Kanon could leave this dangerous human world behind and go to a true, eternal heaven.
...But that was wrong.
"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle."
Kanon spoke softly, her echoing voice as clear as a silver bell.
The girl wanted to respect the wishes of everyone around her. For that, she was even willing to wrong herself.
But this time was different.
For her own sake, and also for the sake of the relative before her who truly loved her.
She had to express her true thoughts here and clear up this misunderstanding.
"You actually don't need to work so hard to win happiness for me, because... I have always been happy."
A bright, radiant smile bloomed on the girl's face, so dazzling it made one subconsciously want to narrow their eyes.
Although she was still a child, and the length of her life was far too short compared to others... she could still say those words.
Although she had encountered many regrets in the past... she had never once resented her fate.
Even though she had never met her biological father, and her mother had passed away early from illness, the girl named Kanon Kanase had never once thought of herself as unfortunate.
Because she had her friends at the abbey, because she had Ciel-oneesama, who took care of them, and the nuns of that abbey.
Moreover, today, she had met her mother's older brother, a relative truly connected to her by blood, and he did indeed love her. That love from a relative made her feel overwhelmed by favor.
So Kanon could say with confidence that she was happy.
As if she had come into this world under the world's special favor.
So...
"Even without becoming an angel, I will be happy."
Seeing that smile, the conviction in Kensei's heart finally developed the slightest crack of doubt.
Was I truly wrong...?
He began to doubt himself.
Kensei, who had fallen into self-doubt, no longer brought up adopting Kanon.
Seeing this, inspiration flashed through Ciel's mind, and an idea suddenly came to her.
"Kanon, why don't you come to our house?"
"Huh?"
Kanon froze slightly and let out an adorable little cry.
"If you don't want to, you can refuse."
"No... It's not that I don't want to..."
The girl's face flushed red from nervousness. As she murmured softly, she lowered her head and began poking her fingers together.
Later, Ciel also asked Natsuki what she thought.
Kanon was a very obedient child, far less troublesome than the other children, and Ciel had also told Natsuki in advance about the girl's special identity, making Natsuki understand how easily others would covet this child's bloodline.
The Kingdom of Aldegia was located in Northern Europe. Not only did it possess world-class anti-demon armaments and technology, the women of its royal family had also been outstanding spirit mediums for generations. The bloodline and combat ability of the royal women were particularly important, and it was therefore also known as the Kingdom of the Valkyries.
Therefore, as the illegitimate daughter of the former king of the Kingdom of Aldegia, Kanon was likewise an extremely outstanding spirit medium, and one not protected by the Kingdom of Aldegia.
Even Natsuki could not help frowning after learning this information, understanding what kind of hot potato this was.
However, this "potato" was not hot enough to burn Natsuki's hands.
"Fine. I have no objections. If you can't stop worrying about her, then let her come to our house. Our place is large enough anyway. Even with one more mouth to feed, we can afford it. It's just another bowl and pair of chopsticks."
As an honorable people's teacher, it was within Ciel's expectations that Natsuki would feel compassion after hearing what Kanon had gone through.
"But! During the adoption process, remember to fill in my identity as older sister. I don't want to gain an adopted daughter while I'm still this young. I can barely accept being sisters."
"I wasn't planning to have you take her as your daughter in the first place. You're only twenty, Natsuki-oneechan. You're only twelve years older than Kanon... I'm different. At my age, I'm old enough to be her ancestor."
"I'm your older sister, so of course you should be Kanon's older sister too."
"That doesn't conflict. Worst case, we each use our own forms of address. Kanon and I call you oneechan, and Kanon calls me... Uh... Never mind, she should call me oneesama too. Oneesama sounds quite nice, and Kanon has already been calling me that for so long."
And so, Kanon Kanase was adopted by Ciel and Natsuki, becoming their younger sister.
The three of them had lived together under those identities for four years.