Interlude 3
“Ha… I never imagined things would turn out like this.”
How many days had passed since then? Wendy sighed, clutching her hopelessly flat chest.
She’d concocted several days’ worth of medicine and used it daily, but her flat chest only grew more sensitive, showing no sign of growing. Naturally, she confronted the person who taught her the recipe and those who sold her the expensive ingredients, only to be met with excuses like “results vary by individual” or “it’s the fault of other ingredients.” Some had even closed shop and left town. Even Wendy, for all her stubbornness, realized she’d been swindled. Magnus had warned her that such things were often scams, and to think he was right about this too.
Meanwhile, complaints from those she’d given medicine to and requests for drugs she couldn’t concoct kept pouring in. And, of course, her alchemy was failing spectacularly.
The workshop, once a sanctuary, had become a place of stress. Before she knew it, Wendy found herself wandering outside.
“Ha… If only I hadn’t done that…”
Sighing, Wendy roamed the town aimlessly.
Eventually, she found herself in a quiet plaza on the outskirts, nearly deserted.
“You seem awfully tired. Is something wrong?” a voice asked.
“Huh?”
Beside her stood a sister in a nun’s habit, perhaps having been preaching in the plaza. It was rare in this kingdom to see a sister giving sermons, but her youth suggested fervent zeal.
“Would you like to talk about it?” she offered.
Her pure kindness stirred Wendy’s heart.
With no one to vent to, this sister—who didn’t know her but showed genuine concern—was the perfect confidante.
“It’s a bit long, is that okay?”
“Of course.”
“Then listen… I was working under someone for a specific goal, but they showed no sign of helping me achieve it…”
Wendy began pouring out her story.
The sister listened with a solemn expression, nodding empathetically.
“I see, that sounds tough. I understand how you feel.”
“T-Thank you!”
The sister listened to Wendy, a stranger, as if her troubles were her own. The dam holding back Wendy’s emotions burst, and she found herself talking nonstop.
She glossed over details that might reveal her misdeeds or identity, but before she knew it, she’d spilled all her current woes.
“…So, I feel like everything I did was a mistake.”
“I see, that must have been hard. First, well done for getting through it.”
Most would call her situation “self-inflicted” or “deserved,” but the sister didn’t judge. That alone brought tears to Wendy’s eyes.
“You don’t think I’m to blame?”
“Of course, I won’t deny that your choices led to this. But your suffering is real.”
“Sister-san…”
Wendy was deeply moved.
Thinking back, every cleric she’d met reeked of greed. If she’d confided in them now, they’d likely have said, “Even someone like Wendy-sama can go to heaven with an indulgence!” But this sister genuinely cared.
“There are tough times, but for now, let go of everything and find peace,” she said, gently embracing Wendy.
“!?”
Startled at first, Wendy soon melted into the sister’s soft warmth. Before she knew it, she was leaning into her chest.
How long did they stay like that? When the sister finally released her, Wendy felt reluctant to let go.
“My apologies for not introducing myself. I’m Lina.”
“I-I’m… Werrin.”
After causing such a fiasco, Wendy couldn’t use her real name and blurted out a fake one.
“You seem to be suffering greatly, Werrin-san. There’s a mass at the church in Arshe this weekend. Would you like to come?”
Arshe? The mention of a frontier town sparked mild curiosity in Wendy.
“We’d love for someone like you, who’s suffering, to join us!” Lina added earnestly.
Her sincerity swept away Wendy’s doubts. After listening so empathetically, Lina must truly care. A desire to surrender everything to her grew in Wendy’s heart.
“Alright, I’ll definitely go.”
“We’ll be waiting!” Lina beamed, returning to her sermon.
“I actually came…”
That weekend, Wendy had taken a carriage all the way to Arshe’s church.
Over the past few days, the barrage of complaints had left her heart exhausted. Her alchemy skills remained elusive, and her chest showed no sign of growth. The church had become her only hope for salvation.
Entering the chapel, she found a tidy, intimate space. A few sisters and a dozen worshippers greeted her warmly.
But something was distinctly different from a typical church.
“Work’s too hard, I can’t take it anymore, Sister-san!”
“There, there, it’s okay. I’m always on your side~”
“Mama~!”
Some worshippers acted like regressed children, clinging to or being soothed by the sisters. Wendy was shocked but felt an odd sense of kinship.
Then Lina, the sister who invited her, approached.
“Thank you for coming,” she said.
“Lina-san!”
Lina greeted her with a tight hug, and Wendy instinctively buried her face in her chest.
“Everyone here has faced hardships and comes seeking the Holy Mother’s salvation,” Lina explained.
“Salvation?”
“Yes. Even the Holy Mother may not save us all directly, but She can embrace us and share our sorrows.”
“Is the Holy Mother different from God?”
“Hehe, you’ll understand if you join the mass… or rather, the Holy Mother’s Embrace Ceremony.”
The strange name caused a flicker of doubt, but Lina’s embrace had already disarmed Wendy’s suspicions.
“Y-Yes.”
“Let’s go, then.”
Soon, the sisters and worshippers descended to the church’s basement, as if avoiding prying eyes. Wendy followed, curious but unquestioning.
The basement resembled a small chapel. At the front stood a figure that made Wendy’s eyes widen. Golden hair peeked from a black veil, her skin was translucent, her features doll-like, and her slender frame bore an unexpectedly ample chest. Her beauty was breathtaking, and despite her youthful appearance, she exuded an overwhelming maternal aura.
“Merciful Holy Mother, watching over us from the heavens, embrace these pitiful children who know not true love,” she chanted in a crystalline voice.
Mana filled the air, and a dazzling light enveloped Wendy and the male worshippers.
“Oh!?” “As expected of Lestia-sama… no, Mother!” “Ah, such bliss…”
Enraptured voices echoed around her.
The light wrapped Wendy in a strange warmth, as if someone were embracing her. Lina’s hug had soothed her through empathy, but this was the comfort of a greater being’s embrace.
“Oh, this is the Holy Mother…” Wendy murmured.
“It’s alright. The Holy Mother is always with you,” Lestia’s gentle voice seeped into her mind.
After the ceremony, Lina spoke to her.
“How was it? You’ve made a big mistake, but here, you can save many lost children.”
“Really? Even someone like me?”
“Yes. For example… look.”
“Listen, my girlfriend dumped me today, calling me gross!” a man said, rushing toward Wendy.
Acting on instinct, she responded, mimicking the sisters. “Hehe, don’t worry. You did nothing wrong. She’s entirely at fault.”
“Mother!”
The man clung to Wendy as if she were his mother, despite her improvised response. It unexpectedly satisfied her need for validation.
“How about it? Here, you can always be needed,” Lina said.
“It’s true…”
But then, Wendy recalled something important.
“By the way, Lina-san, if I work hard here, could I gain a motherly chest like yours?”
Lina gave a wry smile before returning to her compassionate expression. “If you believe in the Holy Mother and give love to others, God might answer.”
“Really!?”
Normally, that’d sound dubious, but recalling the grand embrace, Wendy felt the Holy Mother might indeed respond.
By the end of the day, Wendy had become completely enthralled by the Holy Mother Church.
Post a Comment