Chapter 5 Hypocrisy
“Rachel, you mean… help this young lady?”
Leaf spoke up to Rachel as she began to care for the unconscious Martina.
“Yes, that’s right… Because I can’t princess carry her…I guess I can only carry her on my back…”
While Martina’s body was slightly smaller than Rachel’s, Rachel, being a noblewoman, simply didn’t have the strength to carry a woman as a man would carry a woman.
“Do you get it? Rachel, that girl tried to kill you by casting a spell on you.”
Leaf recounted the events from when Rachel fell unconscious, revealing the circumstances to Rachel.
“I see, so that’s why she’s clutching the knife tightly with both hands… But it’s convenient, her head won’t slip out of this arm loop… However, the knife will be dangerous if left as is so I need to do something about it.”
Rachel then took out a handkerchief, wrapped it around the blade of the knife, and tied it securely, ensuring it wouldn’t pose a danger even if touched during transport.
“Rachel, are you fine with it?”
Leaf asked for a final confirmation, but Rachel, with Martina’s arm over her head, maneuvered her body under Martina’s and lifted her onto her back.
“In the end, I’m unharmed, and this young lady hasn’t committed a crime worthy of spending her life in a state of unconsciousness. Besides…”
Rachel shifted her gaze to Leaf.
“There’s an old saying, ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner.'”
Rachel smiled at Leaf’s question, then, struggling slightly with the unfamiliar burden, made her way to the classroom’s exit.
“I understand, Rachel… So, where do you plan to take her?”
Leaf couldn’t fully agree with Rachel’s words but sought clarification.
Rachel attempted to push the door open with her shoulder, but it wouldn’t budge. She adjusted Martina on her back, grabbed the door handle with one hand, and pulled it open.
“Let me see… Perhaps to the church or temple… A sacred place… I believe there’s a chapel somewhere in the academy. Shall we head there?”
Rachel answered as she stepped through the door and into the hallway.
“The chapel? Why not the infirmary? Why a chapel?”
“There was a similar incident before, and taking them to a sacred place resolved it,”
Rachel replied, focusing on carrying Martina.
“A similar incident? When was that? I’ve never heard of such an event since I’ve known you, Rachel.”
She realized her slip of tongue upon Leaf’s words and bit her lip.
“In the first place, why did you seem to know about that ‘humanoid’? Where and when did you know about it?”
Leaf asked from the side of Rachel’s face, expressing doubt and concern.
For Rachel, she was not only the most trustworthy but also the only true friend she had. Therefore, she had confided some secrets to her, one of which was the “certain story” that had led them to the classroom at this hour. She had described it to Leaf as something she had seen in a premonition dream.
However, Rachel had never spoken about her past life in a completely different world, nor had she thought to mention the humanoid because she had considered it something from her previous existence, which she had believed to be finished.
To Rachel, Leaf was the one person she could truly trust, and she knew she always had her best interests at heart. That’s why she had kept silent about her experiences in a different world, even from Leaf.
“Hey… Rachel…”
Upon Leaf’s words, Rachel, lost in thought and unable to respond, found Leaf speaking again.
“Rachel… You’re really Rachel, right?”
The impact of Leaf’s words made Rachel involuntarily stop and stand still. Her heart pounded, and her hands grew sweaty.
“You’re not being possessed by that ‘humanoid,’ right? You’re still Rachel, right!?”
Closing her eyes at Leaf’s words, Rachel took a deep breath to compose herself, pretending to brush it off. Then, with a slight smile to reassure Leaf, she turned to face her.
“Leaf… I’m still me.”
At Rachel’s smile and words, Leaf sighed in relief.
“But let’s talk about the rest later. We need to hurry now…”
Rachel immediately turned forward and hastened her steps compared to before. In the corner of Rachel’s vision, she could see Leaf nodding slightly, as if understanding. Rachel’s chest twinged with pain.
Afterward, Rachel and Leaf left the main building and stepped outside onto the covered walkway leading to the chapel. Unlike the dark interior, the outdoors were illuminated by moonlight and nearby city lights, making it easy to see and walk. Crossing the covered walkway, they reached the door to the chapel.
Rachel once again tried to push the door open with her shoulder, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Rachel…”
“I-I know, I just have to pull it, right?”
Rachel blushed slightly as she readjusted Martina on her back and grabbed the handle, putting her weight into pulling it.
Clunk
However, the door didn’t open. Thinking there might be a lock or bolt, Rachel tried twisting and pushing the handle, and the door swung open easily.
“……”
Leaf seemed to want to say something, but Rachel ignored it and proceeded into the chapel.
Inside the chapel, although it was as dark as the school building after school hours, the high ceiling and windows on both sides allowed moonlight to filter in, casting a bluish-white glow. Particularly in the area with the altar and pulpit at the far end, where multiple shafts of moonlight pierced through, creating a sacred and fantastical atmosphere as if illuminated by spotlights.
Rachel was drawn toward the back of the chapel as if invited, walking through the center. Looking up at the moonlit altar, she saw stained glass windows depicting various myths, each casting its colored light. However, all the different hues converged on the focal point of the altar, bathing it in a pale light.
Before she knew it, Rachel had reached the front of the chapel, and when she lowered her gaze, she saw nine statues of gods worshiped in this world placed on the altar, with one on the left covered with cloth.
Feeling a desire to explore this solemn and fantastical scene, Rachel remembered her original purpose due to the weight on her back. She carefully set Martina down on the front row pew in front of the pulpit, removed Martina’s arm from around her neck, and laid it on the pew.
And just as Rachel finished her task and let out a sigh of relief, she noticed something.
“Is someone there?”
Suddenly, a male voice echoed from behind the door next to the altar.
“Leaf! Let’s get out of here!”
Without bothering to confirm the source of the voice, Rachel immediately turned on her heel and dashed away.
“Huh!? What!? Are we just leaving that girl there?”
“It’s fine! Someone here will take care of her!”
With that, Rachel rushed out of the chapel.
