Chapter 69 – The Girl Looking for Them. The Girl Who Came to Visit Her – 1

The strong aroma of coffee drifted in my mouth. While the bitter taste unique to coffee stimulated the tip of the tongue, the sweetness of the sugar dissolved in it appropriately penetrated the gap, and I felt a fairly deep taste. For some reason, thinking that I had to leave a comment, I put down my coffee cup and opened my mouth.

“The taste is so bad that it’s really admirable to say that it’s a guest. Did you do this on purpose? Or did you have poor manual dexterity?”

“I’m so sorry. The ingredients aren’t that good, and I’ve never brewed coffee. It’s common to chew coffee beans whole when I’m out in the field.”

“Rather than that, I think you just don’t have a talent for cooking.”

“Haha, damn it. If I had known it would be like this, I would have spit on it.”

She sighed and sat down on her chair. The moment she wondered if the chair might break, she flinched in vain worry, but that didn’t happen. Even though it was autumn in full swing, she slowly opened her mouth as she fanned her hand fan while sweating from her body.

“So? Are you here for adoption?”

“Yes. But lately, I’ve been needing at least one child to take care of.”

“If that’s the case, it’s welcome. There aren’t a couple of kids I want to throw away right now.”

“There must be a lot of troublemakers.”

“It’s annoying because there are so many of them. Especially Jake and Bell… No, what the hell am I talking about.”

A sigh escaped her mouth again. It was a sigh soaked in her fatigue, but its weight was light. The awkwardly comfortable sound of her breathing was like a lullaby for her, making her feel as if she would fall asleep.

“Well, anyway, if the kids want to see something, go and take a look. But don’t get too close.

“Somehow, you don’t seem to be actively recommending adoption.”

“Because you’re not here for adoption.”

But unlike her comfortable breathing, her eyes were still sharp. I shut her mouth at her keen gaze.

“If you really intend to adopt, you would have come with her husband.

“You have a good eye for people.”

“When you’re out in the night, you’re bound to see all sorts of people. That naturally gave me a little insight. I once saw a knight who fell in love with slime…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, but please don’t talk about it. I don’t like to talk about the military.”

“It didn’t look like it. I must have looked at the wrong person.”

She shrugged her shoulders and slightly crossed her legs. I smiled as I watched her leg slide gently over one of her legs.

“You have beautiful legs. Priest Vanessa.”

“Is it sexual harassment? And I’m no longer a priest. I hit you a long time ago.”

“Oh, is that so? If that’s the case, that would be a little difficult. I’m visiting Vanessa’s ‘priest’ today.”

“Hmm. I’ve never thought of myself as a person with high reputation as a priest.”

At that, I smiled again. But that smile soon faded. In the first place, I wasn’t the one who deserved to laugh that long.

“So? What business are you here for? I can’t baptize you now.”

“I don’t need to be baptized. I’m here for confession today.”

“It would be more convenient to do that in the church. At least there are no corrupt priests like me there.”

“It’s something you can’t talk about in church.”

“Why?”

“Because I killed a man.”

I thought it was a shocking confession, but Vanessa looked at me without looking surprised. Is it because he has experience crossing the line of fire on the battlefield? Rather, she opened her mouth in a very calm voice.

“Then you can’t speak in the church.”

“Yes.”

“When did you kill him?”

“It’s quite recent. Let’s just say that.”

“Is it so.”

Her eyes ran all over my body. Looking for bloodstains or hidden weapons? The wandering gaze eventually turned to my pupils.

“Was he worthy of death?”

“Yes. At least for me.”

“Do you regret killing me?”

“I’m not sure about that yet.”

“It must have been really recent. Well, we’ll figure it out.”

It was a remarkably calm tone, as if he were tending to the wounds of a fall. After staring at me for a while, she took a deep breath and asked.

“Do you have any other stories you want to confess?”

“You don’t ask why I killed you.”

“They said he was a person worth dying for. That’s enough.”

“You’re seeing me for the first time today. But do you trust me that much?”

“Because it was my job to believe.”

It’s your job to believe. She denied that she was a priest with her own words, and in the end, she was more sincere and sincere than any other priest I’ve ever known. Maybe, she’s the goddess she believed in. She is more than himself.

“That’s something to be thankful for.”

“I’m just wondering why she came to the confessional. After all, her decision to tell this story means that she has some guilt left in her heart.”

“I don’t know if I feel guilty… I don’t think I feel guilty. I killed that man with great pain, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I don’t have any feelings of guilt or hesitation…”

“But why did you come here?”

“Iknow, right.”

Eventually, the question returned to its place. Why did you come here I thought for a bit, then picked up the tasteless coffee again. It was a drink that no matter how many times I drank, I couldn’t understand why I was drinking it. It’s bitter, hot, and smells bad. At least, it was a little sweeter with sugar, but it seemed that I would never understand the hearts of people who find it every morning.

Could it be that the sweetness that comes after the bitter taste fascinated so many people?

I do not know.

“I don’t know how I feel either. Maybe I’ve come to feel guilty without even realizing it.”

As I said that, I met Vanessa’s eyes. Her eyes were shining the most beautiful blue color ever.

“…Or maybe he just wants to see you.”

At my words, Vanessa gave me an unexpected expression. However, after that, the way she scratched her chin in embarrassment was even more unexpected to me. On a peaceful weekend afternoon, the image of him brushing off his emotions hidden in a trivial story remained strong in my heart.

“Uh…That’s a bit scary. Among the guests who have come to see me recently, none of them came with good feelings.”

“Really? The priest seems to be a really nice person. Are there people who come to you with bad feelings?”

“Um…First of all, I’m not a nice person. And secondly, the world isn’t good, so there are a lot of people who come in with bad intentions for no reason, such as the person who will soon kick in the door.”

Bang!

“Miss Vanessa!”

Just then, someone violently broke through the door. I looked at Vanessa, admiring the wonderfully precise timing.

“Oh. You’re right.”

“There are times when the feelings of a retired soldier are sharper than those of active duty.”

“Miss Vanessa! Talk to me!”

When I turned my gaze toward the door, I saw a girl dressed in a clergyman’s uniform, looking at me vigorously. Vanessa gave a slightly annoyed look and waved her hand.

“I’m sorry, but I have a guest right now. I hope you can come later.”

“Then I have to say I’m sorry to that guest, because it’s really, really important!”

“This person also came with a very, very important matter. Do it in moderation and go away.”

“Uh…I’m fine.”

I timidly tried to express my opinion, but the two still faced each other with sharp edges. The girl standing at the door took one look at me and then crossed her arms and said.

“Okay! Then I’ll tell you in the audience room. Vanessa. You haven’t submitted your donations this month yet. Is there a reason?”

“I didn’t pay last month, but you didn’t say anything. So I thought it was okay.”

“That’s because I wrote it roughly! It’s been like that every month, and it’s been like that every month! But I just can’t get over this month. Get the expense report right away!”

“No, I don’t write anything except for kids, so I’m submitting something. Please decorate it appropriately this month too. Snacks or picnics. Something like this.”

“What are you writing to the kids!”

The girl came stomping toward me, and swung open the desk drawer next to the chair Vanessa was sitting on. She then pulled out a smoking pipe that seemed expensive to look at.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know that you were secretly stealing donations and spending them in crappy places? Oh my God, where is this from? Could it be that the elves made this?”

“Don’t touch it. It’s an expensive item that the priest’s salary can’t afford.”

“Does it make sense that the head of an orphanage is holding something like that?”

“Well…The director of the orphanage is so damn cool. The director of the orphanage, a former veteran who rides a high-end black horse from Beimletter and smokes delicious elven cigarettes. This is life. Isn’t it?”

“Sister!”

The girl finally couldn’t hold back her anger and screamed. But again, a smile was drawn on my lips.

“If you keep doing this, I will officially report it to the church!”

“It’s really noisy. Whether you watch it or not. I’ve already saved up a lot of money, so I have nothing to regret. Only the children feel sorry for me. If I leave, the orphanage will disintegrate, but who will look after the poor children who have nowhere to go?”

“They’d be better off without a sister.”

“Banet. That’s why you don’t have a boyfriend. What are you doing if only her face is fine? She’s a bad-tempered old virgin who comes to her sister one day and whines and gets angry.”

“Sa… Where does the priest have a boyfriend! Does she have a sister like that?”

“Oh, Barnette. This older sister has only children. When she thinks of her lovely children, she has no desire for men…”

Woodangtang

“Ahh! Priest! Bella and Kate are harassing me again!”

“…I feel like I’m going to stretch now. They’re like beggars.”

Looking at the children running through the open door just in time, Vanessa let out a deep sigh. The boy, who had been crying, ran into Barnett’s arms, and the two girls who were chasing him proudly spread their breasts and screamed.

“We are a child pirates! Give us the treasure, the chief embezzlement of public funds!”

“Yes! Offer the treasure to this Captain Bella right away!”

“What? Why are you the captain Bella!”

“Because I’m uglier!”

“That’s right, but the captain’s seat is mine, you slut!”

“What? A rag? The rag must be you!”

“I’m going crazy. Sister, what the hell are you teaching the kids?”

“Sure. I’ll have to light a briquette in the kids’ room tomorrow. Who knows if they’ll all die within a day if they’re lucky.”

“Under…”

Vanessa and Vannet sighed at the same time and fell into despair, and the children made a loud noise whether they knew or not about their agony. There is no trace of the stillness that lingered in the room, and the emotion of a peaceful weekend afternoon has disappeared, but strangely, I felt at peace.

However, I thought that I shouldn’t interfere anymore in their day. I got up from my seat and bowed slightly to Vanessa.

“I guess I should go now.”

“…Did you hear it, Barnette? I need to see the guests off, so take care of the kids.”

“What? Are you leaving it to me again? Wait!”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Sister!!!”

Bang!

Vanessa hurriedly took me outside. Barnette’s cute scream echoed through the closed door, and I opened my mouth while glancing at it.

“You’re a cute priest.”

“You say it’s cute? It’s cute when you see something that’s less than a fistful keep climbing. When I was in the military, I was a master at shooting mistakes. I don’t know if he knows that.”

There was a hint of warmth in his sharp tone, as always. She shook her head and looked at me.

“Anyway, goodbye. I feel uncomfortable because I only showed you a bad image.”

“No. It was fun. By the way, Priest Vanessa. There’s one more thing I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“By any chance, do you know about a priest named Bobby?”

I looked at Vanessa’s expression as I said the name. But she uttered it without a hint of agitation.

“Ah, that rubbish. I’ve only heard about it. They say that he raped all the girls in his church or something. He tried to do the same thing here and was found out by the archbishop and hanged himself a long time ago. But why?”

…

“Okay.”

I nodded slowly. Apparently, there is no need to kill people anymore in Myler.

“It’s nothing. Then I’ll go, Vanessa. It was a pleasure to talk to you.”

“Well, yes. Let’s say I had fun too. Goodbye, um… Come to think of it, I didn’t ask for your name. How should I call you?”

“Me.”

At that, I just smiled and stared at Vanessa’s face. Two blue eyes were shining flawlessly above the narrow creases. The more I looked at it, the more I felt a warm feeling in my heart.

“Miss Vanessa.”

“Yes?”

“As expected, I think Vanessa looks the prettiest when she smiles.”

I turned around the last time I said that. Vanessa looked at my back as I left and was about to say something, then shrugged his shoulders and jumped into everyday matters. Into those trivial matters, full of annoying little brothers and annoying kids at best.