OO…
Ah, my head hurts.
Looking around, I realized this is my lodging room.
The last thing I remembered made me sigh automatically.
‘In the end, I ended up in their arms and came here.’
The drunkenness happened so quickly, there was nothing I could do about it.
I kicked the blanket a bit in my bed to shake off the bad memories, got up, drank some cold water, went to the bathroom, and washed my face.
“Ugh, my stomach.”
Come to think of it, I had tried to heal myself with divine power when I was drunk but failed.
I moved my divine power again, hoping to try once more.
“Wow, I should have done this earlier.”
The hangover disappeared so cleanly that I couldn’t help but regret it.
After all, it’s about detoxifying the alcohol in my body, so there’s no way divine power wouldn’t work.
I had never used divine power while drunk, so I didn’t know.
‘It was like when I was practicing with divine power as a child.’
Now, using divine power is as natural as breathing, but when I practiced as a child, it was nothing like that.
“Let’s go pray.”
I went outside and entered the prayer room, where Sister Melody was.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yes. What about you, Sister?”
“Well, I didn’t drink, so I was fine. How about you, are you okay with the hangover?”
“I healed myself with divine power. I think I was rude to you yesterday because I was drunk. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“You even carried me and brought me to my room. Was I heavy?”
Even though I’m strong, being held like that by a woman was an awkward experience.
“It wasn’t heavy. That much is nothing. I lift much heavier things when I train.”
“Ah… is that so?”
I guess it would have been better to remain silent about this matter.
The more I talked, the more I lost.
“Are you going to eat after the prayer?”
“Yes.”
“How about a spicy fish soup? I’m not sure if you like spicy food.”
“I’ll try it.”
After finishing the prayer and eating with Sister Melody, we went into the treatment room.
I greeted the priests who had already started working, but…
“Priest! Is it true that you came back last night after being carried by a woman?”
“…You’re making my heart race with those words from the morning.”
I didn’t expect anyone to have seen that, especially since it was late at night.
“Oh my, I guess it’s true. Are you two dating now?”
“Of course not. It’s not like that.”
The priest said it would be more of a problem if it wasn’t true.
“If it’s not true, you need to clarify it. The rumor is spreading rapidly.”
“Why is it even spreading like this?”
It hasn’t even been a full day, just a few hours.
Yet, it’s spreading so quickly, it’s absurd.
“Well, it’s because it’s you, Priest Arthur. Isn’t that just how it goes?”
“It’s because of me? What did I do?”
I felt wronged.
I’ve just been running the temple diligently…
“I’m not saying it badly. You’re just so well-respected. When someone like you has their first incident, how can people not be curious? Moreover, there are always people eager to know about your matters at our temple.”
“Me??”
Are you talking about me?
“When did I become so well-respected?”
The priest said this with a look of disbelief.
“Aren’t you too unaware of yourself? Our temple wouldn’t have grown this far if it weren’t for Priest Arthur. Everyone knows that. How can you not know?!”
“…No one told me.”
“It’s not just that! You’re skilled too. Whenever there’s a patient that others can’t treat, you always take care of it. And if anyone doesn’t understand something, you kindly teach them. After all that, you’re telling me you’re not well-respected?”
“Ah, why are you doing this from the morning?”
It was already embarrassing enough because of my drunken behavior last night, but now I was completely confused by these words.
“Hmm.”
Sister Melody, who had been watching from a distance, gave me a strange look.
“…Anyway, it seems the important thing right now is the rumor. Could you tell me what’s going on? I’m not sure what the situation is.”
“To put it simply, the rumor inside the temple is that you two are having an affair.”
“That was because I was drunk, and Sister carried me back.”
I came back to the room late at night, being held by her.
I had expected rumors to spread about us being involved.
And sure enough, the rumors that I expected didn’t disappoint.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk…”
“Ah… Actually, I had a feeling. You two didn’t seem like you were involved in that way.”
“Sister, you were just doing your job as my escort, and now these rumors are making you uncomfortable. Would it be possible for the priests to help calm the rumors down?”
“Ah, of course. I’ll spread your explanation as much as I can.”
“Thank you.”
I don’t know how many times I’ll have to say that it’s not true, but I decided to work hard to clarify things so that there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.
Instead of focusing on work all day, it seemed I spent most of my time clearing up the rumors.
Thanks to that, by dinner time, the rumors had mostly settled, and no one was looking at us with suspicion anymore.
But once something starts, it’s hard to know when they’ll try to connect us again if they get the chance.
“I don’t mind, so you don’t need to go to such lengths.”
I guess my anxious appearance wasn’t pleasant to watch, so Sister Melody, unable to stand it any longer, said it was okay and I could stop.
“I have to pull out the root now. I have to make sure such thoughts never cross my mind again.”
“If you’re worried about your reputation, I’ll step forward and handle the situation.”
What are they saying? I’m no fool.
“What use is reputation to a mere priest? What I’m worried about is you, Sister. If the Inquisition gets personally involved with someone, they’ll be excommunicated or removed from their mission, right?”
“…How do you know that?”
“Who else could it be? Of course, it’s the Master.”
Those who must fight heretics should not create any weaknesses.
The Evil God has always liked to exploit people’s weak points.
And the weakness that comes from building personal relationships ruins the work they are supposed to do.
“I don’t want to separate from you, Sister Melody, just for something like this.”
I had just helped her adjust to our temple, and I had built a decent relationship with the other priests.
The biggest thing is that she thinks positively of me.
‘It’s all thanks to cleaning up the heretic corpses in the sewers.’
That awful experience had clearly improved our relationship.
But now, am I supposed to become close with another inquisitor?
‘Of course, this could be brushed off as an incident. But such things must be nipped in the bud when they first appear.’
That’s how you prevent any unforeseen situations.
That’s why I spent all day desperately clearing things up.
“I didn’t want to mention that I know, because I thought it might make you uncomfortable.”
“Yes, but this isn’t a big issue. So you don’t have to be so troubled.”
“Yes, I’ll keep it moderate.”
Too much of a rebuttal could lead to suspicion, so it was about time to stop overreacting.
Everyone seemed to believe my explanation well enough, anyway.
Just when I thought it had died down…
“Priest Arthur!”
“Hm?”
“I… I like you.”
I was caught off guard by the confession.
“There was a rumor that you’re seeing someone else.”
“Yes.”
“That’s when I realized… I have feelings for you.”
I hadn’t expected that this incident would lead to such a situation.
“I don’t expect you to accept my feelings. I know my place.”
“Why are you saying that? You’re more than deserving of love. You’re such a lovely person.”
“But I don’t think you’ll give me that love, Priest Arthur.”
I feel guilty.
Sadly, I’ve never thought of her as a woman.
‘In my mind, I’ve always called her a chick, how could I date someone like that?’
I had no choice but to reject her feelings, but that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.
“I have many shortcomings. That’s why I can’t accept your feelings, so please don’t blame yourself and find someone better than me. I’m sure you’ll meet someone much better than me.”
“I’m not so sure. Is there someone better than you?”
“Of course. If you open your eyes and look around, there are many people much better than me.”
“Tch.”
Sadly, it seems my words weren’t getting through.
Still, I tried my best to calm her down.
“Did you know? The more you try to console me, the harder it gets for me to let go of my feelings.”
“Ah…”
I was only trying to comfort her with my apology, but my kindness seemed to have the opposite effect.
“Then what should I do?”
Having been rejected for the things I could do, I had no idea what to do next.
Maybe she found it amusing to see me acting so clumsy, as she let out a giggle.
“I was sad for just being rejected, but now I can’t keep being sad because of you, Priest.”
If this were the old me, I would have immediately accepted it and thanked her.
But now, I couldn’t make a romantic connection.
There were more important things to focus on than her.
‘I need to enter the labyrinth; when would I have time for a relationship?’
At least until Princess Kanabi wakes up, breaks the curse, and returns to normal, I couldn’t afford to be distracted.
“Actually, I expected to be rejected, so it’s not such a big wound. I already knew how you looked at me.”
“…Did I look at you in a strange way?”
“Not strange, more like… I saw you like a little lamb that needs care.”
Lambs or chicks, they’re both similar in that they need to be cared for.
She really did like me, it wasn’t a lie.
“Did I make you uncomfortable?”
“Not uncomfortable, more like… I felt excited. I even thought I would want to be your little lamb for the rest of my life.”
Oh no! This was another landmine.
I had to work hard, sweating bullets, trying to keep things in check until she finally said she was okay and was going to leave.