Dawn was breaking.
The previously chaotic refuge had been cleaned up significantly by Sister Rose through her overnight efforts.
Most of the foul odors had dissipated.
Her two young sisters had long since leaned against her, unable to resist their exhaustion, and had fallen into a deep sleep on her lap.
Only she remained unable to sleep.
Children could ask her, "When is big brother coming back?"
But Sister Rose had no one to ask.
She could only pretend over and over to have absolute confidence, spinning lies about knowing what Silas intended to do and how important his task was.
But the reality?
Silas shared fewer things with her than he did with her sisters. He would drop his pants within ten seconds of seeing her and never had the mood to say a word to her afterward.
He was... just that annoying, wasn't he?
Should she go out and look for him?
The thought crossed her mind many times, only to be rejected by herself. She was terrified that Silas really had important business and that her running out would only cause trouble and make him hate her.
But what if he encountered something even he couldn't solve?
He never showed weakness. She, who once had the chance to be someone who could ease his stress, had now become so untrustworthy.
Tap.
A footstep sounded.
Sister Rose snapped her head up.
The wooden door was indeed pushed open, but it wasn't Silas.
It was a strange woman. Her hair was a mess, and her face was covered in unknown filth.
"Are you... are you... a normal person?"
The other woman was clearly startled.
"...I am normal."
As Sister Rose said this, her hands instinctively moved to cover her chest.
She felt a sense of inferiority.
This was a lie, wasn't it? The crest near her navel suggested she was anything but normal.
"It seems true, thank God. If more walking dead came now, it would be the end."
"...What's the deal with these two kids and this nun? I haven't seen them before."
"Did they see how well-protected this place is and come to squat?"
"..."
More and more women entered. Every one of them looked wretched and filthy. The tear stains on some of their faces hadn't even dried yet.
Ten minutes later.
After Sister Rose introduced herself.
The survivors who had just escaped death looked at her with amazement.
They stared unabashedly at her swollen breasts and her firm buttocks pressed against her heels as she knelt on the floor.
"No wonder he wasn't interested in us; it makes sense now with a woman like this."
"What on earth did she grow up eating? And she's a nun..."
"Hey, when you're with a man, don't you feel like you're violating the commandments, Sister?"
"..."
Sister Rose tried her best to ignore the piercing words, looking at them anxiously. "Excuse me... where is Mr. Silas?"
"..."
The survivors fell silent.
"He went to save Fiona, didn't he?"
"Yeah, it made a huge commotion. You could see the fire from far away. Because of the noise he made, most of the walking dead were lured away, giving us the chance to run back."
"Is it just us... eleven left?"
"...That bitch Fiona!"
"Don't say that. We voted on it together. She saved my life; I don't blame her."
"But we could have stayed here! She insisted on going out! She doesn't have Lord Silas's strength!"
"..."
After the argument, the survivors fell into a brief silence.
"Excuse me... did Mr. Silas... not come back?"
Sister Rose couldn't bear the scene and spoke again.
"Enough. Stop asking."
"I don't know if he or Fiona can survive. I'm tired; I want to sleep."
"...Sister, don't think too much. Just live day by day; this might just be our fate."
"..."
For some reason.
Watching this group of survivors collapse dejectedly onto the grass she had just cleaned. Sister Rose felt a sudden surge of anger.
"Weren't you saved by Mr. Silas?!"
"How can you... just act like this?"
"..."
"Then what should we do? Who wouldn't want someone like Lord Silas here?"
"Are you blind? Can't you see what state we're in? Do you know how many people were originally here?"
Someone began to sob.
Someone else sat up, glaring at the nun.
"...You cleaned this place up, didn't you?"
"Sorry, people running for their lives aren't exactly fond of cleanliness. So, can you stop talking?"
Others showed expressions of resignation, covering their ears and closing their eyes.
"..."
Sister Rose looked at their indifference.
She knew.
The only one who could do anything was her.
Without a second thought, she moved her sisters off her lap. She went to the corner and picked up a wooden stick.
How could it be like this?
The cleaned clothes—she had thought about how to compensate him once he asked her to wear them. How could he die before she even began to repay him?
"..."
No one stopped her.
"Sister?"
Only her two sisters, awakened by the noise, rubbed their sleepy eyes and looked confusedly at the nun who had already reached the door.
"..."
Sister Rose stood blankly at the door.
She didn't move forward.
It wasn't a sudden fear or a retreat. It was because she saw the figure she wanted to see.
"Sister Rose? What are you doing with that stick?"
"That... n-nothing."
Sister Rose hurriedly leaned the stick against the door, staring blankly as Silas entered.
Besides him, there were two other women.
One hung her head, holding a short sword. The other was clinging tightly to Silas's arm, her breasts—perhaps only slightly smaller than Rose's—pressing against him without reservation. The latter, upon seeing the nun, looked shocked for a moment and quietly loosened her grip on Silas's arm.
"Oh, Lord Silas and Fiona are both back?!"
"Thank God!"
"..."
The women who had previously said to live day by day were suddenly energized. Even Sister Rose's sisters became happy.
Only Sister Rose felt a complex mix of emotions.
But why should she be sad?
He was bound to be a savior to others. It wasn't strange for him to be the savior of such a glamorous woman.
Not everyone would be like her, distrusting a man so much that they'd deceive themselves just to find evidence against him.
She should be happy.
He came back safely. He was trusted and loved by so many people.
"How did Lord Silas deal with that terrifying thing?"
One of the survivors asked Silas curiously.
"Simple. That thing has no resistance to fire. It'll throw itself in and burn uncontrollably. Just light a house and wait."
Silas answered very calmly.
"Lord Silas makes it sound too simple. He... personally lured the monster away so I could live, and risked his life to set the fire."
Fiona bit her lip, still hugging her arms, feeling a lingering fear.
"Ho ho, has Fiona fallen in love with Lord Silas? Don't forget, you have a fiancé."
"I don't want to mention that scum. He died on the first day of the disaster in the womb of a woman gone mad. I never acknowledged that engagement."
Fiona lowered her head. "Now is not the time for such things. Everyone... including us, are there only fourteen left? I'm sorry..."
"Right, right, right. Fiona clearly isn't interested in men. She doesn't know how to serve a man; just leave that to me."
A seductive woman wound herself around Silas's arm again. "Not to embarrass myself before Lord Silas, but hiding alone in that place, I already pissed my pants. When I saw Lord Silas... my heart almost jumped out; I was afraid it was a hallucination."
"How do you know I'm not interested? To a true knight..."
Fiona stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks flushing slightly.
"Fiona can actually blush?"
"..."
Sister Rose sat in the corner, behind the female survivors she didn't know.
She felt completely out of place.
Fundamentally, they were all people saved by Silas, yet they were entirely different. Specifically, she was an inferior debt-payer.
"Sister Rose and big brother liked each other first!"
"..."
Originally, she felt staying in the corner was fine.
But her young sister Elena just had to jump out to defend her status.
As that childish voice echoed, everyone looked at the nun.
"N-no, it's not like that!"
Sister Rose's toes curled in embarrassment as she explained frantically, "I-I am just... Mr. Silas's sex toy."