Imperial Calendar, Year 16.
The name of Saint Sia Rose resounded throughout the entire Ignis Empire. It was even more prominent than the names of past Popes. After all, she was the first woman to reach the pinnacle of power.
The Sister did not choose to continue her faith in the original Lord. The Roman Church she once served had no position for a Saint, and there was no seat for a woman in high office.
To her, the "Lord" was something that could be replaced at will. She had long ceased to believe in gods.
Therefore, combining the doctrines written by her sister, she created a new local god... Noe. And she was the reincarnation of Noe, the spokesperson for the divine.
Perhaps it was the alignment of time, place, and people.
At that time, the former Duchy was plagued by rebellion and external threats. Due to the incident in the fog zone, the defense of the Royal Capital was insufficient, exacerbating the dire situation... ultimately leading to widespread war.
As the spokesperson of God, the Saint who was willing to distribute wealth to help the poor, the Sister won many followers.
People were willing to believe that a "God of Compassion, Noe" truly existed.
Of course, many were dissatisfied with a female-led church. The Roman Church sent a knight order to personally "rectify" the church she created, but without exception, they failed. The high-ranking generals who arrived either went mad or vanished before the battle even began.
Everyone who had been to the Sister's territory spread rumors... of seeing terrifying monsters and true deities. It was said that those who disrespected the God of Compassion would be dragged into the fog and disappear.
Years later.
The rebellion ended, and the Sister personally met the acting King of the new regime. Outsiders did not know what agreement her church had with the Empire; they only knew that the next day, the Empire recognized the existence of "Noe," though they did not acknowledge a female Pope. Instead, they directly declared the Sister as the Saint.
And now.
Nearly a hundred years later.
The Sister's appearance remained unchanged. This was not unique to her; her sister was the same. Upon reaching about twenty years of age, their bodies stopped developing. They remained forever twenty.
The female knight was the same.
It seemed to be a privilege shared by those who had emerged from the original fog zone.
It was now the Year 93 of the Ignis Imperial Calendar. The throne had remained vacant, but the acting Duke had been replaced by the Imperial Princess. Simultaneously, the Church of Noe announced two major pieces of news.
The long-vacant position of Pope was finally filled... by Sia Elena.
Additionally, it was announced that the Saint had passed away peacefully, and a grand funeral would be held. For a time, crowds gathered; many commoners and nobles who truly believed in the "God of Compassion" spontaneously offered gifts. Princes and nobles vied to perform their grief.
Only in the innermost meeting room of the church was it very quiet.
"Why is Sister Fiona unwilling to be the Knight Commander? She wants to go out on an adventure."
Elena, now mature with breasts only slightly smaller than the Sister's, twirled a quill in her hand and couldn't help but sigh.
"Now that you've abdicated, Sister Rose, and given the hard-won Papacy to me... but I originally wanted to be a merchant, you know?"
"I don't feel at ease leaving it to Leah."
The Sister sat with her legs crossed, clad in black silk stockings.
"But it's so strange! Leah said she wanted to be a knight, but now she's run off to be a merchant. Yet I'm stuck here, handling chores every day."
"Power must be concentrated. There are still many people who haven't been executed yet."
"I know... I'm just complaining. Hmph, Leah became a merchant, and you had to fake your death because your age and appearance don't change. Is this a curse or a blessing?"
"Elena, if you're really not interested, you can leave the seat vacant... and go live a normal life."
"I'm not interested in men. I don't want to end up like you, Sister—changing into this kind of outfit the moment you stop being a Saint. Did Big Brother really like stockings that much? If he were still alive and interested in the current me, I might consider it."
Elena naturally shifted the topic.
"..."
The Sister lowered her head and took a sip of tea. She glanced to her side.
For so many years, she still conversed with a "soul" that didn't exist. Even knowing it was fake, she was willing to talk to herself.
"Let's talk business."
"Sigh, it's the same business. The current Acting Queen. I don't know what's gotten into her, but she's sending out ambiguous signals regarding our church. Lately, some nobles have started picking sides."
"She refuses to meet?"
"No reply, she just ignores us. But there are reports she went to a border town... that one."
Elena looked at the Sister, hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "The town where Big Brother was with us. It's now under the jurisdiction of Count Flores."
"Then I will go find her personally."
"...Is that okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be? Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I went home. Maybe I can find some old things."
"It must have changed. Once Count Flores knows the Royal Family is coming, he'll surely renovate many places. He's a fence-sitter, wanting to offend neither the Church nor the Crown."
"I'll go. I met the Princess when she was a child. If I don't settle this, I can't focus on hunting down the remaining survivors for execution."
"...Sister Rose."
Watching the Sister stand up, Elena called out to her.
"..."
"Actually, Sister... you're the one who really needs a rest. If you just became an ordinary priestess, Big Brother would be happy."
"Yes, I know."
The Sister didn't stop and walked out.
"Sigh."
Only Elena remained, twirling her quill and resting her cheek on her hand.
"If souls really exist, I really hope Big Brother reincarnates soon. Stop watching over Sister."
"God Noe bless him. May Big Brother's new life... be a happy one. And if he could come see us..."
Speaking of this, Elena herself was speechless.
Gods and such. They were lies. It was a story the Sister proposed and she wrote. Everything was driven by humans.
How great it would be if Big Brother were still alive. Then... perhaps the four of them would be sitting around a table having an ordinary dinner, laughing and talking.
Flores City.
It took five or six days for the Sister to reach this border town.
The scenery was entirely different from what she remembered; this was her only return in decades.
The once-disconnected, poor countryside—the place where her broken convent used to be—had long since merged with the large town where the survivors stayed, forming a large-scale city. The streets were no longer muddy paths but paved with gravel. Perhaps having heard some rumors, the Count in charge here had painstakingly spent money to repave them. Every building with windows facing the main street had been renovated. They looked brand new.
The Sister had no interest in these vanity projects.
Finding that the old convent no longer existed, her mood was actually quite irritable.
She went straight to the new convent; it was no longer just her alone.
"Are you... the Archbishop mentioned in the letter?"
"Noe be praised. It is an honor to meet you."
Nuns were everywhere, wearing uniform black habits. Some stared intently at the black silk stockings wrapping the Sister's legs, whispering among themselves.
"Why is she wearing those... strange stockings? She doesn't feel like a nun. Too flashy, too beautiful..."
"Quiet! Don't you know? She is a titled Archbishop. Every titled Archbishop must dress like the chosen kin of God Noe they represent. Don't be so rude."
"..."
The concept of a "Lord" was very convenient for the Sister.
And a god she had invented herself, along with its kin, was even more convenient.
"I am only staying here for a few days for some official business."
"Don't be stiff. Go to your morning prayers."
The Sister felt guilty toward her sisters. She knew clearly that both of them were willing to become a merchant for intelligence and an aide for troublesome matters because of her. Step by step, they had taken control of the church on her behalf.
When irritable... there was only one solution. Masturbation.
Although it was embarrassing when her sister caught her with the small head of the statue she had stolen, for the statue of Silas—built according to her nitpicking standards—the Sister felt it could calm her more than her own hand.
After she finished speaking, she noticed the nuns present still hadn't left.
"Is there something else?"
"Ah."
The questioned nun quickly lowered her head. "The Archbishop might not know, but today is the day for the unveiling of the new statues for the Saint and God Noe. Count Flores spent a fortune to remake them. By tradition, all monastics must welcome them here and hold a complete prayer ceremony."
"Is that so? Will Count Flores be here personally?"
That would save the Sister the trouble of looking for him.
"Uh, the Count intended to come. But it seems he has a distinguished guest at his manor and cannot make it. He has already expressed his apologies, hoping the church will not take offense."
"Since he spent money on the statues, it shows his support for the church. Why would we take offense? Wait here. When the statues arrive, I will participate in the prayer."
"That's wonderful! With your presence, Archbishop, perhaps the number of believers will increase significantly."
"..."
Rose felt increasingly irritable. She entered the inner part of the convent; since everyone was outside, it was empty. There was only a guest log on a low table.
The identity of a nun seems peaceful, but the interior is equally full of squabbles and trivia. Flipping through the log, she could see at a glance who was snitching on whom for misconduct, who secretly eloped and came back, who was keeping a cat privately, or who wore luxury items under their habits for competition.
She had no interest in the log.
She only saw the small window of the confessional closed, the candlelight burning in the small room even during the day, the low table, the familiar narrowness—it was nostalgic.
"You liked bullying me in the confessional the most, didn't you?"
She stared at the side, at the "Silas" who always wore a smile.
"How about... I masturbate right here for you to see?"
She would never get an answer.
But it didn't matter.
The Sister slid off the stockings covering her buttocks, lying on the low table just like before.
Briefly pressing her thighs together, she soon opened them voluntarily. The area was already somewhat muddy.
"It's been so long since you've been inside."
"Even now... you still don't want to come in?"
The illusory figure just stood there, motionless.
She could only grind with her slender fingers. The engorged areas became even more flushed. Closing her eyes, she thought only of the scenes from long ago, of how Silas had released himself inside her. Unfortunately, without actual rubbing, the "inner pellets" couldn't pop out so smoothly.
"..."
Ten minutes later.
The Sister silently looked at the water stains on the low table and wiped them clean.
"I'm... still so useless. Right?"
Looking to the side, talking to herself.
She thought it was about time to go out and lead the nuns in prayer. An increase in believers was a good thing. That newly ascended Queen, her foundations weren't yet stable, yet she wanted to cut ties with the firmly established church... a bit green. She would go meet her and see what she really wanted to do.
Outside, the nuns had already lined up. The carriage drove in. Many women worked together to unload the statue of the Saint.
This process required the other nuns to pray continuously.
The Saint's statue was fine; since the ropes could be secured around the chest area, a large number of people could successfully place and stand it up.
But the male statue of "God Noe" was difficult to secure. The only part that could be gripped for stabilization... first, the nuns who had little contact with men were embarrassed, and second, they were afraid of breaking it.
"I..."
Just as the Sister intended to help personally.
A man jumped down from the carriage compartment and spoke first: "I can't touch the Saint's statue, but there should be no problem if I handle the male statue of God Noe, right?"
Eh?
This person...
Why does he look exactly like Mr. Silas?
"No need for thanks. I'm just a hardworking and motivated groom."
Said he was... a groom.
"Hehe, the groom lad is quite funny."
He was even making the other nuns, who were supposed to be praying solemnly, laugh.