[Leilu Modern AU] Scarlet World

At eleven o'clock in the morning, at a corner one street away from St. Bernard's Church, inside an unremarkable Ford car.

Louie had been silent since getting in the car, his index knuckles pressed against his lips, his eyes drooping.It means he is thinking.Lester was not driving.

"How was the talk?" This silence lasted for a long time, but the blond man decided to break the silence first.

The man in the next seat glanced at him and pulled a voice recorder from his pocket.

Lester stared at the tape recorder.

"I don't feel right," Louis said, meeting Lester's eyes and shaking the recorder. "It seems normal, but I just don't feel right."

"Did your gut tell you that?"

"Yes, intuition."

"Put it away," Lester started the car. "We'll talk when we get back."

……

Louie hits the stop button again during the play to "Things Should Be Moving Ahead."This made Lester have to wonder what the content of the next short paragraph was, and the voiceprint track was clearly displayed on the computer.

"What do you think?" Louis didn't notice the doubt in Lester's eyes.

Lester came back to his senses: "Tell me what you think first."

"I find it odd."

"What's weird?"

"I'll try to analyze it."

"it is good."

"It sounds like there is nothing wrong with his words, especially some objective facts. For example, he didn't know that he was a member of the Pudula family before Vanner died, or that Vanner passed by almost every day, no matter the wind or rain. "

"Ah."

"But did you notice? He kept telling me that Vanner is guilty, everyone is guilty, and Vanner thinks he is a sinner. But when I said that Vanner is kind, generous, selfless, and not a sinner, he made it clear Accepted. This kind of inconsistency makes me wonder if he really believes that the world is all sinful? What is his position? Also, what crime does Vanner think he is guilty of? He emphasized that Vanner rarely asks him to confess. If Faner thinks he is a sinner, shouldn't he confess to the priest and ask for forgiveness? Taking a step back, even if it is less, wouldn't he not say a word when he confessed to him? But he didn't say anything. I bet even if I asked , he will also find a way to bypass my question."

"continue."

"Also, no matter what I asked him, as long as there were doubts and difficult answers, he would push them all to the Lord. Vanner suddenly became fanatical about religion, and he said it was the Lord's revelation; He ran there unhindered, he said it was the will of the Lord; Vanner refused us to build a church, he said only the Lord could understand..."

"Sounds like a priest's words."

"Yes, it's too similar, it fits too well, but it makes me feel...he's shirking responsibility."

"Why do you say that?"

"As you once told me, Lester. When a man who has never had any religion suddenly becomes a fanatic, of course people look for inner motives, but when a man of faith suddenly deepens his faith, people feel There seems to be no problem."

"Ah."

"It's okay for a priest to believe that all things have God's will. But he pushes all things, even things that sound very unreasonable, to God. He doesn't even guess the possibility of things, almost He said it was instructed by God without even thinking about it. This makes me wonder, does he have no understanding of the basic logic of human behavior? Even if it is pushed to God, it is unreasonable. Doesn’t the Lord care about faith itself? Why should He care? Which church did his believers attend Mass? And gave the so-called will? This is obviously a man-made choice, and it is an unreasonable choice."

"Any more?"

"One more thing, I don't know if I'm thinking too much. He showed excessive curiosity about your identity. Didn't I tell him before that you are my friend? Before leaving, he asked..."

Louis' words suddenly stopped.

"what?"

"...He asked again." Louis didn't tell the truth, "Then he told me that the past is over and we have to look forward. I don't know if I'm thinking too much, but I always feel that instead of caring about my living conditions, His tone is more like he doesn't want me to continue to explore Vanner's past."

"It's like a very subtle psychological hint."

"Yes, that's it... It's more like a psychological suggestion." Louis nodded in agreement, "...I'll go get some water."

"Help me get a bottle too." Lester looked at Louis's back and raised his voice.

When the dark-haired man gradually walked away, he returned his gaze to the computer screen.

"This... Father Comron..." Lester muttered softly, took out his phone, and sent a message.

[Look up for me Father Charlie Combrun of St. Bernard's Church in York. 】

Almost instantly again, the other party replied again—Lester didn't even know whether the instant reply of the other party should be said to be a good quality or a bad quality.

【You've been going crazy lately, Lester. 】

[I'm not crazy. 】

【Why are you checking on a priest?You are not religious, and you have no work recently. 】

[I am useful. 】

【What's the use? 】

[I won't tell you. 】

【! ! ! ! ! ! 】

【? 】

[Are you in a relationship? 】

【What are you talking nonsense about? 】

【Your temperament has changed drastically, Lester, haven't you noticed it yourself? 】

【What the hell? 】

[You used to have a clear purpose. 】

【…】

[But you’ve been going crazy lately, the last time you asked me an idiot question about which hamburger is delicious, and you called it an ‘emergency’, and the last time you asked me what young people think about age differences, this time you again Ask me to look up inexplicable people. 】

The other party crackled and sent a large text, which made Lester's head hurt.He didn't know how to explain it, when a video invitation popped up in the lower right corner of the computer.

Lester clicked off almost without thinking.As a result, it popped up again in the next second, and at the same time his mobile phone received a new message:

[Turn it off again and play with yourself. 】

Lester was so angry that he clicked on the video invitation, approached the camera, lowered his voice, and said, "Claudia, are you crazy!"

The woman on the other end of the video froze for a moment, and then burst out laughing. She laughed and said, "Isn't she next to you?...Wait! Lester, did I read it wrong? I saw it and I gave it to you." The wall clock you bought! Are you at Baby Bear's House? You got people there? Except Ms. Tahitian?"

"Shut up!"

Claudia's laughter was so loud that it resounded throughout the empty living room. Lester frantically adjusted the volume of the computer, but it was too late——

"Who's laughing, Lester?" Louie's voice came from the kitchen. "Looks like a woman."

"I..." Lester was about to say that he was watching a variety show or some comedy or something, but he immediately realized that this was definitely a worse idea than letting Louie know that he was video calling this crazy woman— —They were seriously analyzing the matter of Louis' brother just now, and in just a few minutes, he was in the mood to watch a funny variety show?

Just when Lester was squeaking, Louis had already returned.

"It turned out to be 'he'!" Claudia's voice came from the computer's speakers again.

Lester looked away painfully.

Louis sat down next to Lester, and his face appeared on the thumbnail of his video in the lower right corner of the computer screen following the movement.When he showed his full face and looked at the computer screen curiously, the woman on the other end of the computer was also looking at him curiously——

"Hi, handsome guy." She raised her eyebrows.

"Hello..." Louis looked at the beautiful woman on the screen, for a moment he didn't know whether he should call her Miss, Ms. or Mrs., and finally said, "Ms."

"Turn up the volume, Lester, or this handsome guy won't be able to hear me."

"I hope he doesn't hear it." Lester moved the mouse and turned the volume back to normal while talking. "Okay, it's set, you can say it, say whatever you want!"

"what's your name?"

"Louis, ma'am."

The woman waved her hand: "Just call me Claudia."

Louis observed Ms. Claudia with more polite eyes.She is very beautiful, with long blond hair, a round face, delicate and beautiful makeup, about 35 years old, full of mature charm, very charming.

"Okay," Louis replied.

"Are you dating?" Claudia's eyes sparkled. "He never let people come up. Except for the maid Tahiti."

"Uh, uh... we're now—"

"Stop! It's fine, don't explain," Claudia showed a knowing look, "I understand, young man..."

"Then I'm curious about what you understand?" Lester suddenly leaned over and asked.

"It's not good to be exposed in person, Lester," Claudia said. "You don't want to try."

"Oh, don't you think you've been exposed?"

"Go aside, Lester, I want to talk to Louie."

"Leave her alone. Louie. This woman is a madman."

"And you live in a house designed by this lunatic," Claudia snapped his nails and blew, "Did he tell you that I designed this house?"

"Yes, he mentioned that the designer was a woman."

"But he certainly won't tell you that the house has a name."

"Claudia, shut up—" Lester woke up again from the half-dead state of leaning over to watch their chatter, and this time, however, it was too late.

"It's called Baby Bear House."

"Why?" Louis showed that surprised and funny look.

"Don't you think this guy looks like a golden baby bear with his disheveled hair?"

TBC.