### Chapter 15: The Invitation
I fell silent, reaching out to gently pat Aili’s back.
Considering her young age and not-so-nutritious diet, the girl was thin and frail, making me feel like I might break her with just a little push. I could clearly feel her protruding spine, sensing her small body tremble with confusion from the devastating blow her worldview had taken. At that moment, I felt utterly lost.
“I suppose Sister Teresa had to be killed by you in the end, right?” Aili raised her head after a while.
I paused for a moment before giving a subtle nod.
“Yeah.”
“…Oh.”
She murmured in response, her slightly reddened eyes staring blankly at the ornate wall sculptures in the central hall.
“Lucas is gone, and so are many others. Sister, I saw Sister Teresa without hesitation chop off their heads and dump the bl**d in a pool. I don’t understand why she did that, but I’m not stupid. I know she must be a bad person, just like the robbers who killed my parents. No, even worse—she’s the worst kind. If it weren’t for you, I would have been killed too.”
Aili just poured out everything she had seen that day, and her true thoughts. But with so many kids around, some casting curious glances our way, her voice was barely above a whisper.
Only Aili and another little boy witnessed everything and survived; the other kids were probably clueless about the truth. Maybe someone saw me fight Sister Teresa that night, but it was dark and chaotic—how could innocent little heads possibly make sense of it all?
For them, knowing nothing was the best outcome; otherwise, they might end up like Aili… or worse.
“Cataloma was destroyed, and the bell tower fell. The next day, the Saint came with a lot of nuns. They took us to this church and let us stay here, gave us food, and talked with us. My room is right behind the church, it’s so warm! I’ve never slept on such a comfy bed before. I get to eat until I’m full every day, and the sisters are so gentle, they really take care of us. But… they say Teresa is a hero.”
At this point, Aili fell into a brief silence.
I looked at her profile and noticed her sparse brows knit together, her head slightly tilted, eyes reddening. Below the hem of her nun’s robe, her legs were tightly intertwined, and her toes were touching and separating gently, as if silently expressing the deep confusion and uncertainty inside her.
“They say Sister Teresa is a hero, just like you, big sister. Even the Pope told us the same. He later told me there are special reasons for it—it’s not as simple as I saw; it’s very complicated. I’m still young and don’t understand anything, so he specially told me not to speak carelessly, or I’d trouble everyone… Sister, is Sister Teresa really a hero?”
After a brief pause, the girl continued.
“If she’s a hero, why did she have to k*ll Lucas? Why did she k*ll everyone? Are we the bad people? Did we do something wrong—”
I turned slightly and gently pulled her fragile body into my embrace.
“Aili… no one did anything wrong. It all happened because of Sister Teresa. She’s not a good person; she’s the worst of the worst. Aili, you mustn’t deny yourself…”
Suddenly, I felt a heavy sadness settle in my chest.
I held her a bit tighter, gently patting her little head buried in my chest.
“You and Lucas, Abe, and everyone from Cataloma are all good kids. Sister Teresa is definitely not a hero; a hero is someone who protects everyone and wouldn’t do such things.”
After a moment, Aili grabbed the back of my shirt and shyly asked, “Really?”
“Really.”
I nodded seriously.
“But they all say Sister Teresa is a hero…”
“That’s because if they didn’t say that, many people would end up feeling like you—suffering. They might do very extreme things.”
“Hmm…”
Aili hesitated, seeming to ponder my words, then lightly shook her head in my arms, mumbling, “Sister, I’m really dumb; what you said is too complicated for me to understand. But I don’t want others to feel like me; it’s really hard. I haven’t been able to sleep lately. When I do sleep, I have nightmares, always thinking about that night, about Sister Teresa, about seeing Lucas again… I just don’t know what to do. But talking to you makes me feel a lot better!”
She suddenly looked worried. “Sister, did I bring you trouble?”
“Not at all.” I playfully tugged her soft hair, finding it amusing. “Aili, you can tell me anything you want to say.”
I was starting to really like this strong and considerate child.
“Thank you, Sister Peilo~” Aili nuzzled against me, then said shyly, “Sister, I’m not sad anymore; you can let go of me now… too many people are looking.”
I looked up to find more curious eyes sneaking glances at us. When I turned my gaze their way, they quickly averted their eyes and pretended to be caught up in their cleaning tasks.
They were just innocent little kids, so adorably clueless.
I loosened my hold, and Aili quickly got up, her little face flushed, mirroring a cute bunny. She blinked at me and broke into a smile.
“Sister, you smell so nice.” She raised her hand to her nose, sniffing her sleeve. “Now I smell nice too; it’s really pleasant!”
I felt my cheeks heat up, realizing I had definitely rubbed my sweat onto her.
Then I saw her cover her forehead, her eyes roaming, smiling like a clever little fox.
“But, Sister, your spot… is really hard, feels almost like mine.”
I felt a dark cloud descend on my face.
“No way!”
I raised my hand as if to pat her head.
“Not at all!” Aili cried out hastily, closing her eyes and protecting her head, but she wouldn’t let it go, “You hugged me so tight, I was scared to move! My forehead turned red… you don’t believe me?”
I stared at her forehead and noticed a portion indeed seemed a bit darker than the rest.
…This is infuriating.
“That’s… a matter of position.”
Aili must have been perfectly positioned right on my chest, but I hadn’t noticed until now.
“Are you really that concerned about it?”
“Not at all.” I immediately denied it, then shifted the topic. “By the way, we can’t go back to Cataloma for a while. Is there something you want to do lately?”
“Hmm… I’ve been thinking about that.” The little girl nodded at me. “But I’m not sure what I should do.”
My heart sank a little.
“Do you still want to become a Saint?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure…”
Looking at her increasingly confused expression, I realized that despite Aili’s strength, this incident had left an unpredictable mark on her. I tilted my head and thought for a moment.
“Aili.”
“I’m listening.”
“Would you like to come to my place?”
Aili appeared somewhat puzzled. “Your place?”
“Yeah. I live at Longdoll Street, number 3. Usually, it’s just me.” I spoke carefully, trying to organize my words, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. “But it’s a big house, and being alone is kind of boring. If you want, you can come over sometimes and keep me company, chat a bit. I have a garden, but I don’t know how to take care of it; your heart is so delicate, maybe you could teach me? I’ll make you delicious food!”
A spark of interest lit up Aili’s eyes.
But she thought for a moment and then shook her head.
“I wouldn’t want to trouble you.”
“You won’t! I really hope you could come.”
“Well…”
The little girl propped her head on her hand, as I nervously watched her. After a moment, she lifted her head.
“Sister, can you let me think about it? I’m not sure how I can help you, and if you don’t mind—”
“I don’t mind!” I quickly grabbed her hand. “I’ll be going back to the academy soon, and on my rest days, I’ll mostly be there. You have to come!”
“Okay!”
Not long after, I bid farewell to Aili and left the church.
