Long ago, the Central Cathedral in the Town of Beginnings was managed by a somber, serious pastor. Unmarried and childless, he always prayed alone in silence within the cathedral.
One day, the middle-aged pastor adopted a girl, raising her as the cathedral's heir. He provided her with food, shelter, knowledge, and a subtle, hard-to-detect affection. The girl grew into a nun, strictly following the pastor's teachings, managing the cathedral meticulously, and maintaining a pure, simple nature, never breaking the rules.
Until the day she came of age, a marksman accidentally entered the cathedral, unlocking her tightly sealed heart. After various events, a month after they met, the nun understood what love was and soon confessed her feelings to the marksman.
The two fell in love, hiding from the stern, old-fashioned pastor—sometimes outside the cathedral, sometimes in the confessional, even behind the pastor's back… They secretly held hands, savoring the sweet and bitter moments of love.
Sadly, like all beautiful stories that end tragically, the pastor caught them holding hands behind his back, doing things unbecoming of clergy. In a rage, he not only expelled the marksman from the cathedral but also forbade him from ever meeting the nun again. He threatened her that if she didn't end things with the marksman, she'd be banished from the cathedral, severing their bond completely.
The nun deeply respected the pastor and didn't want him to suffer or be alone, so she reluctantly accepted confinement as punishment. She waited day and night in the cathedral for the day she could reunite with the marksman. At their parting, he had promised, "I'll definitely come back for you."
The nun believed, waited, and hoped, even after the pastor passed away and she slowly aged. She continued praying to the Creator Goddess Stacia, hoping the marksman would return and fulfill his promise. Her pure love never wavered, until an old letter reached her—addressed to Nun Martha of the Central Cathedral.
Twenty years ago, the marksman had ventured into the labyrinth area to prove his strength but was tragically overwhelmed by monsters and died. He left only this letter, miraculously returned to the Town of Beginnings. From that day, the nun's heart bore an unhealable wound. Regret for the past, confessions to the pastor, longing for the marksman, and unwillingness toward herself… That empty heart became a tangible curse. Healing potions and antidote crystals couldn't save a nun who wasn't sick but whose heart kept bleeding.
Unable to let go of this heartbreak, at not even fifty years old, she looked like an eighty- or ninety-year-old woman, withered and frail, one step from death. The nun had long given up. Though she learned a way to heal herself from Goddess Stacia, she never tried it. She simply let herself hasten toward death, to reunite with the two people she loved most in life.
"I think this isn't so bad."
Nun Martha gazed at the clear, starless night sky, smiling faintly with nostalgia and sadness. "What's the point of living alone this long? Praying endlessly, being disappointed endlessly—look, even a night sky this beautiful can only be enjoyed alone."
A relieved sigh fell to the ground, stirring no dust.
"If this is what love is, then dying for it might be the best and happiest ending for a nun, don't you think?"
Supporting her cold, weightless body, the two stood in silence. After a long pause, Asuna spoke with a trembling voice. "But you clearly haven't given up…"
Her relief was a lie. If the nun had truly given up, why would she share this story with two adventurers she'd just met?
Rolling her cloudy eyes to Asuna's reddened ones, Nun Martha smiled gently.
"Yes, though I'm not afraid of death and eagerly await the day I reunite with that grumpy old father and that fool in the underworld, I still want to keep living, to see with my own eyes…"
As if recalling a cherished memory, the nun couldn't help but squint, her expression softer than the streetlights illuminating the path.
"What he wrote in his letter—a flower holding all happiness and love, one that would soften even the sternest heart and grant blessings for our love—the Beloved Flower."
"And according to the Goddess's guidance, that flower can also restore my health, dispelling the curse born from losing love."
As Nun Martha finished, the golden-yellow question mark above her head jumped, turning into an exclamation mark signaling the mission's start. A window appeared:
[Do you accept the scenario mission: Search for the Beloved Flower?]
[YES/NO]
"As expected…" Yuu thought. "Though her intelligence is surprising, this nun is ultimately a system-created NPC. That was all just the process to start the mission…"
He studied the mission window carefully. His gamer instincts rationally analyzed all the nun's words, cautiously considering whether to accept. But before he finished, Asuna, driven more by emotion than logic, slapped her chest firmly, tears of emotion in her eyes, and said confidently to Nun Martha:
"Don't worry, we'll help you find that flower!"
The moment her words landed…
*DING-DONG!*
The mission window vanished, and a party bar appeared on the left, showing both their names and HP. This meant, though Yuu hadn't said a word, the system decided Asuna accepted the mission for him, automatically putting them in party mode to start the mission.
"Good grief…"
Yuu couldn't help but rub his forehead. Though he'd expected Asuna to do this, he still wanted to complain.
Hearing his sigh, Asuna turned, her brows slightly furrowed, her small lips pursing cutely. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't want to save Grandma Martha? You ran back to her so fast earlier."
"It's not that I don't want to save her. You accepted the mission without even asking for details. Aren't you afraid it's something we can't handle?"
Time, location, what monsters—games require considering all that before accepting missions. Unfortunately, the hint window that just appeared gave minimal information, leaving the rest to be explored… Accepting so rashly could only be called reckless.
(But she's a new player, right?)
Yuu could only respond simply, hoping she'd at least consider his feelings. But Asuna said innocently, "It's a mission, so it's within our ability to complete, right? And I believe Grandma Martha wouldn't deliberately make it hard for us."
"It's just picking a flower. It can't take ten days and nights, can it?"
Yuu pressed his temples. "…Fine, I'm the one who said I'd team up with you. As long as you're happy."
"Hmm… Your tone makes it sound like I'm burdening you. If you've got something to say, just say it. It's not like I won't listen!"
Annoyed by his indirect, hiding, and sarcastic attitude, Asuna puffed her cheeks, staring into his eyes. Yuu casually looked away. "I just mean, I hope you don't regret it."
"What do you…"
As they spoke, the mission process continued. Nun Martha tugged Asuna's sleeve, pulling a box from her pocket and gesturing for her to hold out her hand.
"To obtain the Beloved Flower, you must go to a special area called the Land of Love—but since you're neither lovers nor married, in theory, you won't even find the entrance to the Land of Love."
"So, wear these, enter the Land of Love within fourteen days, obtain the Beloved Flower, and return to me."
Speaking weakly, Nun Martha closed her eyes slightly, panting to rest.
"Fourteen days left…" Asuna sighed in relief, shifting her gaze to the box labeled Mission Item in her hand, then clicked to open it.
Inside were a pair of rings, along with an equipment description.
[Item: Beloved Rings (Pair).]
[Attributes: Special / Mission / Accessory.]
[Bonus: None.]
[Description: Rings are often seen as proof of love, engraved with eternal love.]
[When a man and woman wear these rings, they will forcibly become ]
[Cannot be removed after equipped, bound to character—Women's Ring: Asuna/Men's Ring: Yuu.]
[Hint: If the two wearing these rings truly love each other, something extraordinary might happen…?]
Asuna: "…"
Reading the text line by line with Yuu, her face froze, and she stayed silent for a long time. Then, she buried her head between her knees, letting out an embarrassed scream that echoed through Aincrad's night sky.
"What are these weird things…!!!"