On the hill behind Saikai Academy, inside a small park surrounded by green trees, there stood a special building.
It was a convent, known as Adelard's Abbey.
The one who had originally built this convent was the former king of the Kingdom of Aldegia, Galliard Rihavein. Nowadays, however, the convent belonged to Ciel.
The caduceus entwined by twin serpents had also been removed. Strictly speaking, this convent no longer belonged to either the Kingdom of Aldegia or the West European Church, but to the Holy Church.
After school, Ciel did not go straight home. Instead, she walked alone into the hill behind the school and came to this convent.
Natsuki Minamiya did not follow her. Working two jobs at once as both an Attack Mage and a teacher, she did not have much free time... Ciel truly could not understand why Natsuki, who already had so little free time, could stand outside the classroom for an entire period just to supervise her. What meaning was there in that?
All right. She would set those complaints aside for now. She had already reached her destination.
At the end of the dirt road stood the convent beneath the sunlight... This place had probably been much livelier in the past.
Not with nuns, but with children.
This convent had once taken in many, many children.
An uninvited guest had once attacked this convent. However, because Ciel had been present at the time, the attacker did not succeed, and no one died because of it.
The attacker's name was Kou Amatsuka. His purpose in attacking the convent had been the Wiseman's Blood inside... Ciel could not understand why the former king of the Kingdom of Aldegia had placed something as dangerous as the Wiseman's Blood here when he built the convent. Was he not afraid something might happen? His illegitimate daughter was even here...
Perhaps the original novel had mentioned the reason. In any case, Ciel could not remember. She only remembered that there had been such an attack, and that many people had died, which was why she had been able to make preparations in advance and prevent that tragedy from happening.
Thanks to the efforts Ciel and Natsuki had made over the years, the children who had lived here had basically all found good families willing to adopt them.
Only one...
Ciel could not feel at ease letting anyone else adopt her, so she had Natsuki adopt the girl in name.
Ciel placed a hand on the building's door and applied a little force, pushing the wooden door open.
Inside the empty convent, a girl had her back to the entrance and was praying devoutly.
She had silver hair that called to mind a snowfield, and she was wearing the uniform of a certain school.
Light passed through the windows and draped over the girl's head and shoulders like gauze. With her otherworldly air, she was like an angel who had descended on a beam of light into the mortal world.
Ciel did not open the door quietly, and the sound immediately drew the angelic girl back from her meditation.
The instant she saw Ciel, a smile blossomed on the girl's face, bright enough to make even the sun lose its shine.
"Big Sister, you're here."
"Mm! I'm here. Were you bored waiting, Kanon? Sorry. Saitou-sensei, who was in charge of the last class today, suddenly had something come up and wanted to switch classes with me..."
"It's all right. You have your own work to do too, Big Sister. I'm already very happy that you came here to pick me up. Besides, I don't get bored here. This is where I used to live, after all, and you taught me many things about being a nun. When I'm alone, I can pray and meditate here, so I don't find it boring at all."
The girl's eyes curved like crescent moons, revealing a pure smile—one that could even be called holy.
The girl's name was Kanon Kanase. She was the illegitimate daughter of the former king of the Kingdom of Aldegia mentioned earlier, and also the younger sister of Aldegia's current queen.
However, she herself did not seem to understand just how noble her identity was. At present, she lived together with Ciel, Natsuki, and the others.
Occasionally, she would come to this convent where she had once lived and, imitating Ciel and the older nuns she had known before, meditate and pray inside.
"My dream is to become an excellent nun like Sister Ciel."
Kanon, who was still in elementary school, would answer with a gentle smile whenever her teacher or someone else brought up topics like the future or dreams.
Ciel was actually rather embarrassed. Could she, whom Kanon admired so much, truly be called an excellent nun?
Even she herself did not know.
"Kanon graduates from elementary school next year, right? Have you decided which middle school you want to attend?"
"Yes. After I graduate from elementary school, I hope to attend Saikai Academy."
"Saikai? I thought you would stay at Tensou Academy. Quite a few of your classmates should be choosing to stay, right? After all, if they can, most people prefer to remain somewhere more familiar. For example, the middle school students at our Saikai Academy usually go straight on to the high school division of the same school unless something unexpected happens."
Tensou Academy, which Ciel mentioned, was the top young ladies' school in the Demon Sanctuary. Unlike Saikai Academy, which was divided into a middle school and high school division, Tensou Academy provided integrated elementary, middle, and high school education, allowing students to complete nine years of schooling in one school. Supposedly, even the children of noble-class vampires and high-ranking beast men attended the school, while the other students all came from good families or had excellent grades.
As Natsuki's adopted younger sister, even setting aside her identity as the former Aldegian king's daughter, Kanon had a distinguished background and was fully qualified to attend Tensou Academy.
Incidentally, because Tensou Academy also had the children of vampire nobles, the one who always attended Kanon's parent-teacher meetings was Natsuki. No matter how busy she was, she would make time, because she feared Ciel might go mad one day and slaughter every vampire in the school.
Could Ciel be blamed for that? Surely not. It was not as though she could control it.
"Attending Saikai Academy would be good too. The convent is right behind the school. If you want to come back here again, you won't need to travel so far, or make Natsuki-oneechan specially come along for you."
Ciel wore a gentle, encouraging smile, her blue eyes rippling with tenderness like water.
Kanon shook her head, because Ciel had not touched on the real point.
"The reason I want to attend Saikai Academy is because you and Natsuki-oneechan are both there... I want to be with my big sisters. Even during school hours, I'd be able to see you."
Kanon lowered her head and clasped both hands in front of her stomach, her fingers rubbing together constantly. With a shy smile, she spoke the true thoughts in her heart.
It made Ciel feel deeply gratified.
"Mm-hmm, I see... Still, I should warn you. Being Natsuki-oneechan's student is very hard. She's stricter than every other teacher at school. Students often complain to me about it... Ah, but don't tell Natsuki-oneechan I said that, all right? This is our little secret."
Ciel raised a finger in front of her lips and playfully winked her right eye.
Kanon nodded very understandingly.
"Mm, I understand. I won't tell Natsuki-oneechan... But I don't think being her student would be hard. She has always been a very gentle person. I'm grateful to her, and to you too, Sister Ciel. Thank you for being willing to become my family."
"Uwaaah! Kanon really is too cute. How can there be such an adorable, well-behaved child in this world? My heart is about to melt. I want to spoil you all the way up to heaven. I want to hug you tight and shower you with affection..."
"Up to heaven... I don't understand how that would be done, but if it's you, Sister Ciel, you can hug me anytime."
Kanon opened her arms, and Ciel did not stand on ceremony either, pulling Kanon into her embrace.
With such an adorable girl, surely anyone would instinctively want to hold her in their arms and thoroughly ravage—ah, no, thoroughly cherish her, right?
She was merely putting into action an ordinary thought that everyone possessed.
"Should we head back now? Or do you want to stay and pray a little longer?"
"Since you've already come to pick me up, Big Sister, I'll end today's prayers here... It would be nice if the Lord in heaven could hear my prayers."
"He definitely can. A child as cute and well-behaved as Kanon is sure to be loved dearly by the Lord... Oh, right. On the way back, would you be willing to take a little detour with me to a bakery? Last time, I saw a bakery that had released a new curry bread. The flavor and texture were truly excellent!"
Ciel spoke with a bright smile.
She was beyond saving. Her love for curry had already surpassed every other food. She was practically the Curry King.
"Ah, of course, I won't force you to order the same bread as me. If there's anything you like, Kanon, feel free to tell me. I'm in a very good mood today, so I'll buy you anything you take a fancy to. It doesn't even have to be bread. We'll definitely pass convenience stores, clothing stores, and so on along the way. There's no need to worry about money. If it can be solved with money, then it isn't a problem."
In front of Kanon, Ciel made a statement only a rich spendthrift would make.
The blazing sunlight shone directly on the ground, and not even the breeze carried the slightest coolness autumn ought to have. Instead, it was a sweltering heat that made people lose their appetite.
Ciel and Kanon found a place with a parasol and sat down.
In weather this hot, Ciel could only suppress the urge to share and enjoy the oval-shaped bread in the paper bag by herself.
"Thank you for the food! Mm... Mm... I see. This crust is baked to just the right crispness, and the bread is coated in oil, giving it a faint sweetness. Most important of all, of course, is the generous curry filling inside... Uwaaah! So satisfying. This must be the highest and most luxurious pleasure there is, right? Coming all the way here was absolutely the right choice!"
Ciel showed a happy smile.
Across the table from her, Kanon sat opposite her. By simply raising her head, she could see the blissful smile on Ciel's face.
What Kanon was eating was the ice cream Ciel had bought for her. Even though Ciel knew very well that, with Kanon's kind personality, if she asked the girl to eat curry bread with her, Kanon would definitely not refuse, she did not do so.
In this hot weather, no normal person could stomach a food as spicy and hot as curry bread. Not to mention that Kanon's constitution was weaker than the average child her age to begin with, making it easy for her to get heatstroke.
But Ciel was different. Her body was extremely sturdy. Even flames of over a thousand degrees could not harm her, so she could fool around however she liked. She would not die from it anyway.
"Kanon, don't just stare at me. The ice cream in your hand is about to melt."
"Ah, this... The ice cream portion is a little too big. I might not be able to finish it before it melts, so... Could I ask you to help me take care of part of it, Big Sister?"
By the time Ciel realized what was happening, Kanon had already stretched out her arm and brought the ice cream to her mouth.
Would it be a bit late to politely refuse now?
"I see... All right, then. I'll just have one bite."
Ciel unconsciously tucked her hair behind her ear, then opened her mouth and bit off a piece of the ice cream.
"Mm... It tastes good. Pretty sweet. We can come here again next time."
"Mm, I think it's very tasty too..."
A reserved smile surfaced on Kanon's face. Then, like a little kitten, she continued sticking out her tongue and slowly finishing the ice cream in her hand...
Right where Ciel had just bitten it.
Four curry breads, each about the size of a palm, were finished by Ciel in no time.
With nothing else to do, Ciel began looking around.
"There's even a bank across the street. How nice. If we don't have enough money while shopping, we can go to the bank and withdraw some... Speaking of which, why is that bank closed in broad daylight?"
It was clearly the middle of the day with the sun blazing overhead, yet the bank had its shutters pulled down, making it impossible to see anything inside from outside.
That was abnormal, wasn't it?
BOOM!
While Ciel was still thinking, the shutter door was destroyed by an explosion's firelight and shock wave.
Was this...
A bank robbery?
"Uwaaah!"
Kanon was startled by the loud explosion and hurriedly covered her ears.
"Are you all right? Did that scare you?"
The moment she heard Ciel's voice, more than half the fear in Kanon's heart vanished. She smiled and shook her head at Ciel, who was worried about her.
"Mm... I'm fine. It's just..."
With a hint of regret in her smile, Kanon looked at the ground.
The ice cream that had just been in her hand had fallen to the ground because Kanon had been startled.
Rumble!
Inside the bank, which was billowing with smoke, a second explosion suddenly rang out.
Immediately afterward, several masked people rushed out of the smoke. They fled in panic as if something were chasing them, carrying bulging black bags in their hands.
Ciel's expression remained careless, until her gaze caught sight of the Demon Registration Bracelets on those people's wrists. Her eyes instantly sharpened.
"Hurry! Get in the car!"
One of the masked people urged the others on while getting into the driver's seat. His four accomplices also moved quickly and climbed into the car.
He stomped hard on the gas pedal, nearly flooring it. The small car carrying five people and a great deal of money lurched forward from a bouncing start—then, after charging less than ten meters, came to a sudden stop. The robbers inside all hit their heads from the abrupt inertia.
"What's going on?!"
The other four looked neatly toward their accomplice in the driver's seat. Yet he was just as full of questions as they were. No matter how hard he pressed the accelerator, the car refused to move.
At that moment, the space inside the car suddenly tilted, and all five people tumbled forward. Instinctively, they looked behind them.
At some point, Ciel had appeared behind the car. One hand was in her pants pocket, while the other gripped the rear of the car and lifted it up.
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T/N: its sister because nun stuff yeah i always have reasons for either choosing sister or oneechan