The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the corridor. My feet had felt so heavy that by the time I finally turned toward Big Sister Therese's room, those shadows had already stretched quite far.
Standing before her door, I took a deep breath.
"—Big Sister Therese? May I come in?"
"Come in."
The answer came immediately. Pushing the door open, I found Big Sister Therese sitting in a chair reading a book, her room bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. She looked up, saw me, and tilted her head slightly.
"How rare for Rein to visit his big sister's room."
"…I have something to talk to you about."
When I added that I wanted to speak with her alone, Big Sister Therese closed her book and signaled to her attending nun with her eyes. Once the nun bowed and closed the door, the room fell into a heavy silence.
◇◇◇
"A request arrived from House Ahrens."
"Ahrens... You mean Lady Clarissa?"
Big Sister Therese seemed to understand immediately.
"—The lady for whom I previously abandoned treatment. She was trying so hard, but..."
A cold, resigned emotion colored her voice.
"I’ve decided to accept it."
"…I see. Wait, what?"
After a short nod, Big Sister Therese stared at me.
"…Why you, Rein?"
"My recovery magic... I can regenerate skin. I found a way to do it."
"Even with old scars?"
"Yeah. I shave a thin layer of my own skin and apply it to the old scar. Then, by pouring in a massive amount of mana, I can create a trigger for recovery magic to treat the old scar—as if it were a fresh wound."
"…Shave?"
"You're saying you've been slicing off pieces of your own body!?"
"Yeah… I call it Transplant Magic."
"Why? Why would you do such a thing!?"
I explained that Lina had been a slave covered in burns, and that in the process of healing her, I had come up with the magic to transplant my own body.
After Big Sister Therese heard that, she began to weep uncontrollably.
"That's horrible! There was no reason for you to do that, Rein!"
"—I felt it was necessary."
"Then at least… at least… if only I could have taken your place."
"I couldn't let you."
"If Big Sister Therese were to get hurt, it would make me sad. Besides, look, I have a high tolerance for pain…"
"—!"
Acting on impulse, Big Sister Therese pulled me into a tight embrace.
"—O God! Why do You give such trials to such a good child! Why!?"
I stood there like that until Big Sister Therese calmed down.
Strangely, I didn't feel any embarrassment.
◇◇◇
"…Does House Ahrens know that Rein will be hurt during the treatment?"
After a while, having finally composed herself, Big Sister Therese spoke.
However, she didn't let go, keeping me held in her arms.
"Yeah. I think the inspector told them. But it sounds like they feel guilty about it, too—!?"
What was that? A sudden, terrible chill ran down my spine, even though Big Sister Therese's body was so warm.
"(…Oh? Using a child like Rein as a sacrifice? Even though you couldn't even endure my treatment?…Human trash.)"
The words she whispered were too quiet for me to hear clearly.
"Rein, there is absolutely no need for you to accept such a request! To harm your body—the body of an Angel—is a terrifying thought."
"But I want to heal her. That's why I trained my recovery magic, after all."
"You really are something…!"
Big Sister Therese hugged me even tighter. I pushed on with my request.
"But… if things stay like this, other nobles will find out and the requests will never stop. So…"
"…I will make it look like I was the one who performed the healing."
"I won't let you keep doing this to yourself, Rein. I'll make sure this is the last time!"
"……What about the notification to the Church?"
"The notification for a house call?"
"Yes."
"—I will go at my own discretion. I am permitted to travel nearby for house calls. The distance to House Ahrens should be well within the acceptable range."
Big Sister Therese spoke quietly, as if convincing herself.
"I'll report to the Church later. That will be sufficient."
"……Thank you."
"No need for thanks. Helping you is my duty as your big sister."
Big Sister Therese slowly released her embrace and looked into my eyes.
"However."
"……Yeah?"
"Don't push yourself anymore."
"At least tell me exactly what you are going to do."
Looking at her pleading face, I nodded.
◇◇◇
"I apologize to Lord Rein, but to maintain the cover, Lord Rein and Lina will be dressed as Big Sister Therese's attending nuns."
Mira explained as she prepared the clothes. Lina and Big Sister Therese were also in the room for the preparations.
"A nun…?"
"It's normal for a Saint to be accompanied by several nuns as attendants," Mira said.
"If you cover your hair with a wimple, Lord Rein's hair and Lina's long ears won't be visible from the outside. Lord Rein's silver hair is too distinctive, and Lina's elven features would leave a lasting impression. This is to hide both."
"What about my odd-eyes?"
"I've chosen a wimple with a brim. If you walk normally, no one will be able to see your eyes clearly. Furthermore, please keep one eye closed whenever you're in public, just to be safe."
When she put the wimple on me, the cloth was wrapped tightly along the contours of my face, covering everything from my neck to under my chin. Looking at myself in the mirror—well, I couldn't tell if it suited me, but it didn't feel out of place at all.
As for Lina, her long ears fit neatly inside her wimple, making her look like a normal human girl. Her blonde hair was completely hidden. When the veil was pulled forward slightly to partially cover her eyes, every trace of her being an elf vanished.
"I'm worried you're both a bit too beautiful…"
"Yeah. Big sister thinks so too…"
"Setting me aside, I think Mira and Big Sister Therese are beautiful too…"
Mira and Big Sister Therese turned a bit red. For some reason, they looked at each other and sighed.
◇◇◇
Before dawn, a medium-sized box carriage painted dark brown was parked beside the back gate. There was no family crest on the doors or the roof.
On the driver's seat sat a knight I recognized, dressed as a coachman and holding the reins. Beside the carriage were Anton and three other guards. They were all mounted and wearing practical leather armor, looking like common mercenaries.
—Guards hired by the Saint for urgent business. That was the official story Mira had prepared.
Father and Mother stood by the back gate.
One look at their eyes told me that neither of them had slept much.
"Be absolutely sure your identities aren't discovered."
"Take care of yourself…"
"I will, Father. Mother."
I bowed deeply to them.
Father looked at Big Sister Therese and gave a single nod.
"Lady Therese. I am truly grateful to you for… granting this difficult request."
"Think nothing of it. It is for Rein's sake," Big Sister Therese answered shortly.
The carriage door closed quietly, and we began to move.
Before morning broke, we left the estate behind.