Chapter 35 – Priming Water – 4

Okay. Have to get out

But. How?

The decision was made, but the method was not clear. I was still confined to the church and couldn’t go outside unless accompanied by at least one priest. Of course, there was no good-hearted priest who would show such kindness to a slut.

…

No, maybe there is one.

Romir. Coincidentally, I remembered the name of a priest who had been absent from the service for the same reason as me. The priest of the Ennessic Church is not feeling well. It’s nonsense that doesn’t sound like a joke. Even getting sick on the same day as me was hard to explain by chance. You’ve probably been through a similar incident. But even then, if the church did not inform the existence of Luca, it must have meant that something was found weak or threatened. Maybe that’s how Luka found out where I was and came to rescue me.

So, how far does Romir want to know? You probably don’t know exactly what kind of relationship Luca and I are. You just know that it has something to do with me. I can’t be sure, but it’s very unlikely that Luca told him anything much.

That meant that I had a lot of room to exploit.

I looked around. My body was still drenched in blood, and it was clear that I would be suspicious if I went out like this. Fortunately, my clothes in the corner were relatively clean. I poured my face on the man’s clothes, roughly wiped off the blood, and put on the clothes. And slowly opened the door.

“Whoa…”

Fortunately, there were no believers waiting outside the door. He probably had a special schedule set aside for the imperial official. I moved quickly, hoping not to run into anyone.

But there was no way such a bad thing would happen.

As soon as I turned the corner, I noticed the priests and followers filling the hallway. Soon, the priest who had been giving me a request earlier approached and started talking to me.

“…What is it? Saintess. What are you doing up to this point?”

“…”

But I didn’t even answer, I slapped him on the shoulder and walked past. There was no time to look at any man other than Luca. They didn’t dare to block my way, perhaps embarrassed by my sudden change of attitude, and I opened the door to the confessional.

And I met the eyes of a priest with a very embarrassed expression. As soon as I saw him, I called his name.

“Romir.”

“Yes yes?”

I clung to him almost like a kiss. He grabbed his hair and pulled it down and whispered in his ear.

“You. Did you meet him yesterday?”

“…!”

Even if I didn’t listen to the answer, I could know the truth just by the sound of my trembling breathing. Romir was terribly embarrassed and stuttered even his words.

“That…How could that…”

“I heard it myself. It’s disappointing. To think that a priest of the Ennessic Church fell for such threats and threatened the safety of the saintess. Very disappointing.”

“Ha… But I can’t help it…”

“Don’t make excuses. Do you want to get worse?”

Fear flickered in his eyes as I spoke menacingly. How could the priests look at me with these eyes? Until yesterday, it was unimaginable. I pressed my fingernails down on Romir’s shoulder and whispered.

“We. Shall we go out and talk? Isn’t there anything good we can talk about here?”

“I… I…”

Romir hesitantly bowed her head. But I could sense that he would soon give in. But while I was smiling and rejoicing, I heard thumping footsteps behind me.

“This damn thing really…!”

The priest who approached cleared his throat once, then gritted his teeth and said,

“Saintess, what have you been doing up to this point? Aren’t you in the middle of a confession?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why did you come out?”

“I want to get some fresh air.”

“Do you know it’s raining outside?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m leaving.”

“Under…”

He closed his eyes tight and let out a deep sigh. He raised his head a little, and before he knew it, a guard was approaching him. Soon, a threatening voice of advice was heard.

“Just go in. Don’t cause trouble for nothing.”

“Haha…”

The guard approached and reached out to my arm before I knew it. But I looked at it and smiled a little.

Then, he pulled out the sword stuck in the guard’s waist and swung it upwards.

“Aww!”

The priest’s forehead was severely torn and blood dripped. I looked at him and screamed with all my might.

“Where are you arrogantly giving orders! I am the warrior who defeated the demon king and the saintess chosen by the goddess Ennessic. Who are you to say this to me!”

“Ah… Ugh…!”

“I’ll poke that eye out if you act arrogant again.”

As the tip of his sword was pointed in front of his eyes, his high-handed attitude disappeared and fear filled his eyes. He seemed quite bewildered by what had happened so quickly. I looked at it and smiled.

“Okay. Then I’ll go out and come back, so wait for me. Romir. Of course you’ll escort me, right?”

“Yes? Ah…Yes. Of course, saintess. It’s an honor.”

“Yes. Then follow me.”

I smiled brightly and walked briskly toward the door to the chapel. Neither the believers nor the priests and guards dared to follow me until I passed the long hallway and crossed the chapel. Somehow, I felt a sense of trust in the tightly gripped knife. I opened the chapel door as hard as I could after confirming that Romir was running hurriedly behind me, holding an umbrella.

Shoot it

Fresh air filled my lungs with the refreshing sound of rain. I wanted to hit the cold raindrops directly, but I couldn’t because the umbrella was put right over my head. I walked step by step with a smile on my face.

Perhaps because of the sudden heavy rain, the streets were very quiet. Even if there was someone, no one would have been able to recognize the saintess in the rain. I sang her hum under the umbrella and suddenly turned around.

“Hey Romir. Where are you sick?”

“That…It’s a little dirty story.”

“It’s okay. Tell me.”

When I tapped the tip of my toe with my sword, he swallowed and answered.

“The… Testicles were… Bitten by a girl during the confessional. So a little…”

“You were cut by Luca. I guess so.”

“Ah…”

“Why did you lie? Did you think you could?”

“That’s not it…!”

He stuttered his words as the knife was thrust into his throat, making his excuses.

“He… Was so instructed by him. He actually came with a girl…”

“…You said you came with a girl?”

Suddenly, I felt my blood run cold. I looked at him with narrow eyes.

“Yes. Why… You came with a little girl. You cheated on a father-daughter relationship.”

“Ah. It’s a little girl.”

“Yes…”

Be a child Well, maybe. I shrugged and tapped my neck with my sword.

“So? Did you tell me where you were going? Of course you know, right?”

“No! That…He didn’t tell me that. He just told me to wait. I don’t know anything, saintess. Really.”

“…I don’t know anything.”

He spoke as if he was proud of it. Like a stupid child. I thought for a bit, then suddenly smiled and asked.

“Hey, but why did you cut off your balls? Luca wouldn’t have done that for no reason. After all, he’s really nice like an angel. Obviously, you did something wrong in the first place, right?”

“No. I…”

“Look me in the eye and tell me. Did you really do nothing?”

I grabbed his collar and brought his head closer. Beads of sweat trickled down his cheeks, clearly running down his throat. Romir pondered for a moment before spewing out the truth.

“Actually… I tried to lay her hand on that little girl. But you know! That was because she didn’t know, and if she knew she was related to the saintess, she would never have done that…”

“I see.”

I cut off his words and slowly lowered my sword. For a moment, I could see hope streaming down his face. Looking at Romir’s face like that, I smiled.

“You too. You have committed a sin.”

“Yes?”

“Then shouldn’t you be punished?”

“Jeon…!”

I swung the sword as hard as I could before Romir finished speaking. His arm, which he had wielded with magic for the first time in a long time, easily cut the neck of an ordinary priest. Soon, blood spurted through the umbrella and a dirty head of his tumbled through the mud.

Degururr

Took.

…

Shoot it

“Under…”

I let out a little breath. Perhaps it was because he had been using magic for so long, blue smoke mixed with his breath. I looked at it with pleasure and raised my head to the sky.

Cold raindrops hit my face. Rather, I smiled at the feeling of being mercilessly slapped on my face. Rain on my skin for the first time in nearly five years reminded me of a sense of being alive. Really, I felt like bursting out laughing.

But that wasn’t the case. Because i’m a sinner I stepped over and lifted the head of another sinner. This will be a gift to Luca in the sense of reflecting on the sins he has committed today.

“Ha… Ha…”

When I raised my head, a world that was so big came into my eyes. If it was me before, I would have felt helpless not knowing where to find Luca, but it was different now. I felt like I could do anything for now. Just as our love eventually came true after all those years, I felt like fate would guide me this time too.

I prayed to the sky You are the Ennesian Goddess. Give me clear eyes, who gave my whole body for you. Give me the strength to find him.

Unlike the prayers of the past, which were dotted with hypocrisy, today’s prayer was sincere. I prayed with all my heart.

Then, like a lie, a certain smell in the air penetrated my nostrils.

As I raised my head to take a closer look, I involuntarily frowned. It was a strangely strong, even unpleasant smell. But somehow it smelled like something I had smelled before.

“This…”

At first I didn’t know what it was. But I followed the scent as if possessed, and the smell grew thicker as I approached the depths of the city. Could this be Luca’s smell? For that reason, it felt strangely repulsive. But for some reason, I had a strong hunch that if I followed the smell, I would be able to meet Luca. I opened my mouth to find out if it was true or not.

“If you follow this smell, you can meet Luca.”

Absolutely, it was the truth. I gave a prayer of thanks to the goddess Ennesic and started running.

Sweat, rain, and the blood gushing from the neck she held clung to her face. Her heart pounded, her body temperature rose, and her breath rose to her chin. I suddenly remembered the day I went to school for the first time with high expectations. The time when I expected that I could finally be loved by people. The time when I was holding hands with Luca and running. Just when everything was pure.

Now I might be running back in time.

“Kyaaaaah

Are we really going back to the past? The voices of children echoed in my ears. It sounded like a scream, but this ear-piercing sound sounded like a cry of joy to me. I smiled and ran to them.

“Stop!”

But then someone’s voice broke the air. I gasped and slowed down my steps.

“Haha…”

“…Fuck.”

Covered by the pouring rain, the other party, whose shape was unclear, spat out curses. And with all my might, I cried out someone’s name.

“Miss Luca!”

Luca.

Luca.

Luca.

The name resonated in my head like an echo. Could it be that the one in front of me right now is an angel who has come to guide me towards him? Soon, with a bang, someone jumped out from the other side. As soon as I saw it, my arms felt weak.

And the moment I met his eyes, Romir’s head slipped out of my arm.

Degur

Took.

The gift I prepared touched his toes. He stared at the head for a moment, then raised his head in my direction. He breathed deeply, his chest rising slightly, and he slowly called my name.

“…Sera.”

Shoot it

The sound of the rain wiped away all the thoughts left in my head. I clasped my hands together like a young bride and very slowly approached him. A raindrop that was jealous of me fell into my eye and ran down my cheek, but I didn’t pay any attention.

I finally saw his face through the raging rain. I called his name in a trembling voice, barely suppressing my overflowing emotions.

“Luka.”