Chapter 15
The news arrived late at night.
After cleaning up dinner and taking a bath... just as they were about to head to bed, the shrine gate was pounded on loudly.
"A high fever? The entire Mions family?"
"Haa, haa... Yeah, Priest. It seems everyone collapsed and can't move. I'm sorry to bother you this late at night, but... could you come?"
The visitor was a familiar face from town.
Apparently, someone named Mions—also a familiar face—and their entire family had come down with a high fever and collapsed.
It was already late, but since there was a chance it could be an infectious disease, it needed to be dealt with quickly.
"...It sounds like we should go immediately. I'll get ready right away."
"Priest..."
Reina peeked out from the hallway, staring anxiously at Clael.
Dressed in her nightgown, Reina was hugging the cat plushie he had bought for her earlier.
Clael threw on a coat and patted Reina's head.
"I'm sorry, Reina. Please go ahead and rest."
"Um, I... I want to..."
"No. It's not a time for children to be walking around. Lock the door while I'm gone, and no matter what, don't open it until I return."
"...Okay."
Speaking in a tone that brooked no argument, Clael headed out into the night with the townsperson.
Reina watched his back with a troubled expression... then hugged the plushie tightly.
"...Will I get in trouble if I wait?"
He told her to sleep first.
But Reina, who had gotten used to sleeping with Clael, couldn't bring herself to do so, and sat down on one of the chairs in the chapel.
"............"
Hugging the plushie, she rubbed her sleepy eyes and waited for Clael to return.
"............Nn..."
Reina had decided to wait until Clael came back... but she was still just a ten-year-old girl.
Soon, her head began to nod, and her eyelids drooped heavily.
"Suu... suu..."
Less than an hour after Clael had left, Reina had fallen asleep.
Reina drifted off into the world of dreams... unaware of what was happening.
The keyhole of the shrine's back door, which Clael had locked tightly, began to rattle unnaturally.
There were two doors into the shrine. One was the front door to the chapel, and the other was the back door leading to the living quarters.
"Suu... suu..."
Reina, who was in the chapel, remained asleep, unaware of the disturbance at the back door.
"............"
Eventually, the door opened from outside, and three figures emerged through the back entrance.
They were men dressed in black, their faces covered with masks.
The men exchanged glances and nodded to each other, then infiltrated the shrine.
"............"
Moving noiselessly, the men opened the bedroom door, the dining room door, and the bathroom door... and, after confirming no one was there, headed toward the chapel.
One of the men in black cracked the door slightly and peeked into the chapel, spotting Reina.
"............!"
The man who saw Reina signaled to his companions.
Without making a sound, the three men in black rudely entered the chapel, which should have been a house of God.
"Munya munya... Priest..."
Reina remained unaware of the men's intrusion.
As the men reached for the sleeping girl's body...
'Nyan!'
"Tch...!?"
One of the men was punched in the face.
The cat plushie flew from Reina's arms and delivered an uppercut to his chin.
"What the...!?"
What the hell is this thing?
He probably tried to scream that... but before he could, the plushie attacked again.
'Fugya!'
"Guh...!"
"Gah...!"
"Geha...!"
Kicking off the chapel floor, the plushie moved with wind-like speed.
Though they should have been used to rough work, the men in black were each kicked in the stomach, struck on the head, and had their jaws shattered before collapsing.
It had taken only about three seconds for the plushie to fly from Reina's arms and finish them off.
"Mmm..."
'............!'
Reina stirred slightly in her sleep.
The plushie hurried back to Reina and peered into the face of the girl who was dozing while sitting.
"Suu... suu... Welcome back, Priest..."
'............'
Reina was still asleep.
She seemed to be dreaming.
The plushie, relieved, quietly nestled back into Reina's arms.
Clael once said—
A plushie is a guardian that protects children...
It had just been an excuse he made up on the spot to buy her the plushie, but Reina had believed those words.
Because Reina believed it, it had become reality.
'Reina's sleeping.'
'She's sleeping soundly.'
'I'm happy.'
'That's good.'
From within the plushie, 'they' whispered softly so Reina wouldn't hear.
'Plushie, be the guardian deity that protects Reina.'
It wasn't like Clael's wish had been granted... but within the plushie, the Holy Spirits that Reina had summoned had taken residence.
The plushie, now inhabited by multiple Holy Spirits, had become a kind of weapon, powerful enough to annihilate an entire company on its own.
"Munya munya... Priest..."
There was no one in the world who could disturb the innocent, sleeping face of a girl who unconsciously unleashed miracles in her sleep.