Chapter 20 – 20. False

“Chief! Chief!”

The adjutant, who ran out of the forest with his soldiers, immediately called the village chief. Hearing the adjutant’s shrill voice, the village chief made a fuss and immediately appeared in front of them.

“What are you doing!?”
“There are wounded. I will requisition herbs and bandages. Bring everything you have.”
“Uh, what is that…… Our village is not that big…….”
“You mean you will disobey the order of the church now?”
“Oh no! I will bring it soon!”

The village chief, while spitting curse words inwardly, went around the village and brought herbs and bandages. Even with that, he couldn’t heal all the injured soldiers, so he used the items the top had.

While treating the soldiers’ injuries, the merchant realized that the paladin who was supposed to command this unit was nowhere to be seen, and asked in a slightly trembling voice.

“…… Well, where is Sir Elesis-?”
“Sir Elesis lost his life saving us.”
“What, what! If Sir Elesis died, how would I…….”
“Since you were defeated by a monster, not a witch, your charges will be cleared. Your life may be saved.”

At that, the merchant was relieved and frustrated at the same time. He said he could save his life, but it was obvious that he would be exploited for all the connections he had built up.

It was a top tier that had really risked its life to grow. Even if you ask me to come back and make it again, I can’t make it exactly the same…….

“Yes… All right….”

However, I couldn’t express my dissatisfaction in front of a unit with spears and knives. If I did, I could have lost even the life I barely saved.

And——after talking with the merchant, the adjutant looked at the village chief and frowned.

“You guys said that the hunter lives alone in there.”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
“It was a lie.”
“Yes? What is that……”
“There is no way I can live alone in a forest full of monsters. If such a thing is possible, it must be a witch. Then this village must be a witch follower village?”

It was a tone that sounded like he was going to kill all the villagers. The village chief, who has a good political sense, realized why the deputy was suddenly threatening.

While the paladin died due to a strategic miscalculation, he didn’t want to leave behind the fact that he was in debt by requisitioning herbs and bandages from the village. Even if the paladin died, it would have been a huge loss, but if you left a line there, it would fly up to his neck…….

So, I used the method that other priests mainly use. Claiming to be a witch follower and confiscating their property and life.

If Elesis had not been a pious and naive paladin, he would have done so right away. The reason he’s acting like that now must be because Elesis disappeared and he became the commander of this unit.

“Aigo-! No! Save my life, save my life…… !”
“I want to, but I can’t because I’m afraid you guys will take revenge.”
“You came to the village all of a sudden and called us witch followers? What a pity!”
“It’s quick and nice.”

In the end, the village chief was able to send them out of the village only after stabbing them with the deputy’s pocket money. Seeing the troops leaving with money, medicines, and all kinds of by-products, the village chief and villagers gnashed their teeth.

‘Shit…… How did you get the money…….’

However, in this village where the only soldiers were the two young men who carried wooden sticks, it was impossible to wriggle.

Just as they extorted something from the weaker than them, they were only extorted because they were relatively weak.

* * *

“Eh, my name is Elesis. Well, thank you…….”
“—Who said to ask nicely?”

While Master said that, she gladed at the hand that was extended to her. Feeling that gaze, Elesis retrieved her sweaty hand and faced Master.

It was said that it looked like a 2-meter cockroach flapping its wings right in front of it.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, no matter how concentrated he was to keep his facial expression unchanged. Considering that she didn’t show any reaction even after being on her knees for over ten hours, it meant that she was wasting a lot of energy.

“John.”
“Yes. Master.”
“What is he like?”
“The paladin I told you about yesterday…….”
“That’s not what I was talking about—I was asking why such a whore is in my house.”
“Tea, whore…….”

Elesis, hearing the insult of being a prostitute despite being a priest, lowered her head while holding back tears. If I had heard such insults from others, I would have punished them so that they would never say such things again…… The other party was a witch.

A monster that could blow her head off with a gesture. It wasn’t an insult, it was a person who had to laugh and move on even if he heard death threats.

But.

“…… Hey, Master?”
“Why?”
“What can I say, but…… It’s kind of hard to talk like that…….”

As I said that, I pointed out Master’s attire. Master looked at Elesis and said she looked like a whore, but that was just to insult her.

To be honest, Master’s side was more whore. The breastbone, wasn’t it wearing a short dress that exposed most of the thighs? Even though it was a house, it was not the clothes to be seen by outsiders.

“…… Did you just call me a prostitute?”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that…….”
“Right. Right? Did you call me a prostitute?”
“That’s it…….”
“After a while, come to my room.”
“…… Yes. All right.”

For some reason, I nodded to Master’s seemingly excited words, then quietly retreated. I was the only one who got angry when I tried to help.

Fortunately, the Master did not blindly criticize Elesis, perhaps because he had regained his reason.

“Did you say Elesis? Are you a paladin?”
“Yes that’s right.”
“How can we trust that the paladin will not betray us?”
“…… There is no choice but to ask for your trust.”
“No-. I’m sorry, but we burn you guys so much. I just can’t believe the words.”

As Master said that, she took out a necklace from within her breastbone and held it up. It was an expensive-looking item with a large purple gem embedded in it.

It looked even bigger than the necklace I received as a gift, and it seemed to be greedy to the point of being slightly greedy.

She held out the necklace to Elesis and spoke.

“I wear this all the time. At church, at the shower, anytime.”
“…… Why?”
“After wearing it like that, if you do something that will harm us at church, hold onto the jewel and pray. If you do, I will trust you.”

It was a very difficult yet simple request, so after thinking about it for a while, Elesis grabbed the necklace. He seemed to have decided that if he refused this request anyway, he would not be able to get out of this cabin.

As she snatched the necklace, Master spoke with a smile on her face as if she was satisfied.

“Okay! I’ll believe you now John? Come and escort me to the village.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“As soon as the escort is over, come straight to my room. Shouldn’t it leak the other way?”
“…… Yes, I will come right away.”

Seeing Master licking his lips, I swallowed my tension and got up from my seat. After that happened, I took Elesis and left the cabin.

She didn’t say a word until we left the cabin, and then started leaning against me out of breath.

“Huh! Huh-! Ha ha… !”
“…… It’s ok?”
“You, you- how the hell are you so fine?”
“Yes, it is Master’s disciple.”
“…… That’s great. It is admirable.”

That strong paladin reacted like this, so I was a little curious about how the master looked to others.

However, I never thought to experience it. Wasn’t it only a few days ago that I told Master that I liked her and that even her face was pretty?

If I felt disgust after seeing Master’s face and showed it off—— Master might not overcome his frustration and commit suicide. If a person the size of an archwitch went crazy trying to die, he had no idea how many sacrifices would be involved.

“Okay, let’s go to town.”
“…… Yes, I want to leave quickly.”
“By the way, I have a question.”
“What?”
“You, in the village, you acted like a girl from a foster family, so why are you talking so hard right now?”

Ever since she woke up, I’ve been curious. I just couldn’t ask because I didn’t have the right situation to ask.

When asked why, Elesis tilted her head as if it were natural.

“It was acting. Because a merchant can’t use a hard tone.”
“…… Are you good at acting? Why don’t you use that tone in the future?”
“It can’t be. I’m not a merchant, I’m a paladin. I can’t use such a frivolous tone. However…….”

After taking a break for a while, she spoke with a smile on her face, which she thought was only stiff.

“If you wish, I will.”
“…… Uh.”

For a moment, my heart pounded.
…… This fact should be kept a secret from Master.
Holding on to my beating heart, I guided her to the village.

* * *

“You’re alive, what is this…….”

Upon realizing that Elesis was alive, the village headman, who was shocked for a moment, soon treated her with utmost hospitality.

Although he knew that she was a paladin, it was an extremely generous treatment.

I soon found out why.

“The, the adjutant commandeered something from the village, but he forgot to write an IOU and didn’t write it…….”

“…… I get it. I will write it down.”

Elesis, who wrote an IOU for the items that the adjutant claimed to have taken, even borrowed a horse and left the village.

It was an old and ugly horse, but I had to be satisfied with the fact that there was a horse in a village like this.

On her way back to the city on horseback, Elesis was able to run into the soldiers ahead of her.

“Aide!”
“…… Sir Elesis? Are you alive!?”

The adjutant who led the unit on her behalf smiled brightly at her face. It must have been because he had become an aide-de-camp and would not be stigmatized for running away leaving her to die, who was no different from his superior.

Elesis, who had joined the troops, was able to reach the city safely, albeit slower than before. Arriving in the city, Elesis left all the clean-up to her men and headed to the church.

Arriving at the building used by the Paladins, Elesis went straight to the leader. The paladins who returned from their mission were able to meet with the captain without an appointment.

“Sir Elesis. Did you have a good time?”
“Yes that’s right.”
“Let’s write the report later…… How was it?”

Upon receiving the question, Elesis swallowed the tension rising up in her throat. I had to lie from now on. Fooling the leader, fooling the subordinates, fooling the church—and furthermore, fooling God and himself.

Elysis, believing that there was no way she would go undetected, but that the gods would not care too much about her lies her, Elesis reported what had happened in the village except for what had happened in the cabin.

“The village had nothing to do with witches. However, there were many monsters. A lot of it too…….”

“Monsters are not under our control…… I’ll make a report to the Kingdom Army separately. Anything else special?”

“There is not.”

“Okay, let’s go back. I’ll arrange for you to rest well until tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Saying that, Elesis left the leader’s office. Perhaps it was because I lied to someone I never thought would lie, but my heart was still pounding.

‘This must be the right thing…….’

Grace is not forgotten.
However, the grace of saving his life her this time was tantamount to repaying him. If the church dispatches her once again…….

‘Then it’s an enemy.’

Recalling John’s appearance of her, Elesis headed to her lodging her.
And I despaired of the tasteless meal and the hard bed.

* * *

“—So, who is like a prostitute?”
“…… S, Master.”
“Hey, that’s right.”

Evangeline looked down at John while saying that. It tasted like death. I was worried that I might have offended her with this incident.

Just because he had the constitution to nullify curses, just because he could look at her lovingly, he didn’t mean that he could act without line. Maybe this time he crossed the line…….

“Where.”
“Yes?”
“How can you be a prostitute?”

However, Evangeline did not move as John thought.
Evangeline, who stretched out one leg and lifted the chin of Yohan, who knelt in front of her, spoke to Yohan with the most seductive expression she knew.

“Where did you see Master that made you feel like a slut—and where did you see that you were so hot, can you tell me about each one?”

Gulp-.
John involuntarily swallowed.