Rainy Night at the Inn
In the dim room of the rain-lashed inn, the wet sounds of flesh slapping against flesh echoed through the darkness. Beneath the single crimson lantern that illuminated the space, a woman straddled a man, riding him with abandon while he gasped and moaned in ecstasy beneath her.
Her figure, as she pinned him down and moved her hips in a rhythm that bordered on ravishment, held an almost hypnotic allure even in the lantern's glow. Her large, teardrop-shaped breasts glistened with sweat, smooth and enticing. Her slender, toned waist flexed with supple grace, milking the man beneath her for everything he had.
"Ugh!"
The man could endure her pleasure no longer. He climaxed, and at that exact moment, the heart-shaped tattoo on her lower abdomen shimmered with an eerie light.
With a dull thud, the man went limp. The woman promptly wrapped him in the black tail that had sprouted from her back, flinging his unconscious body into the corner like discarded trash. She slipped on a loose robe, licked her lips, and let her light purple hair sway gently beneath the lantern light.
Her pale, flawless skin and the alluring valley between her breasts, barely concealed by the loose garment, were striking. She crossed her arms beneath her ample chest and listened to the report with a thoughtful expression.
"So the humans have finally noticed me."
Well, that man had already been watching her, after all. Lilith recalled the priest who had thwarted her plans at every turn—from Marane all the way to Gidric—and lightly licked her lips.
His face is exactly my type, though.
Just looking at that handsome face stirred a powerful urge to claim his body at least once. But to face him head-on after he had slain Amon? She was no Satan. She lacked both the reason and the power for such a confrontation.
I thought that child wasn't an exorcist, so there would be no direct clash...
Who could have guessed they would become entangled again like this?
The woman—no, Lilith—seriously began contemplating how to escape. No matter how she considered it, the humans summoned by Pope Henri were far beyond what she could handle alone. Even facing one would require risking her life. Several of them? Why did humans insist on presenting her with such trials?
Really, now...
She let out a small sigh at the thought.
If she continued operating so openly, they would surely catch her.
"For the time being, I will lie low. Continue your surveillance from there."
"Yes, Lady Lilith."
Watching her subordinate bow deeply in response, Lilith vowed to remain quiet after this hunt. The fear of truly vanishing like Amon if she drew any more human attention had begun to take root within her as well.
It was an unusually rainy day.
In the village with the station leading to the Holy Kingdom, Jimmy, who ran the local inn, stared out the window with a bored expression.
No customers again...
The trains bound for the Holy Kingdom were rarely crowded except during certain seasons. Aside from the months between April and June, when pilgrims flocked to the holy sites, his days were usually spent in this leisurely idleness, occasionally serving the few guests who stopped by.
On this rainy day, a priest wearing a thoroughly soaked black cassock came running toward the inn at a brisk pace.
Wow... now that's one handsome priest.
Jimmy clicked his tongue inwardly at the priest's face, which inspired admiration at first glance. The world truly was unfair. Those slightly sharp green eyes, the brown hair plastered down by the rain—everything about the man looked like a painting come to life.
The moment a gentle smile touched the priest's lips, that sharp aura transformed in an instant. To think a single smile could change someone's entire presence so completely. Jimmy marveled at it even as he sensed the man would be a guest and stepped outside.
"Do you have any rooms available?"
The pleasant low timbre tickled his ears. For a fleeting moment, Jimmy thought that if he had been a woman, he surely would have fallen for this priest. He nodded.
"Ah, yes! We do. Are you heading to the Holy Kingdom, Father?"
"Yes. To reach the Holy Kingdom, I need to transfer to the train here. In any case, how much for one night?"
Normally he would have taken the money, but... for some reason, Jimmy wasn't in the mood today. The weather was gloomy and dull, and this priest who had shown up felt almost like a messenger sent by the gods.
"It's fine. Consider it an offering to you, Father. Please stay as long as you like."
"No, I couldn't possibly. How much is it?"
Even in the face of such kindness, the young priest waved his hands and asked again. Jimmy pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Then how about keeping me company for a while? I was thinking of playing some cards, but with the rain, none of my drinking buddies are showing up. Ah, would it be rude to ask a priest to play cards?"
Jimmy flinched, suddenly remembering that the Church had laws against gambling...
"That sounds good. Refusing any further would be more discourteous. Besides, light friendly gambling should be something the Goddess will mercifully overlook."
Jimmy watched as the priest dried himself with the towel he had handed over and roughly combed his hair back. He was genuinely impressed. When the difference was this stark, jealousy didn't even arise. Moreover, unlike most priests, this one didn't seem stiff or rigid. Jimmy already liked him.
"Why don't you wash up first? I'll prepare some snacks and drinks in the meantime."
"Thank you for your consideration."
The priest, soaked to the bone, accepted the kindness graciously and headed toward the bathroom in the corner. Watching him go, Jimmy went into the kitchen and began preparing simple appetizers. He grilled sausages until they were nicely browned and boiled potatoes that had been properly mashed. Still, since a priest had arrived, that didn't feel sufficient, so he slaughtered a chicken on the spot and roasted it until golden.
By the time the priest came down, now in clean clothes, the food was ready. Instead of the black cassock, he now wore a simple white shirt and leather pants. The look suited him perfectly. Jimmy found himself briefly fantasizing about what the world would be like if he had a face like that. Would the village's greatest beauty, who always treated him coldly, or the widow Yona next door react differently?
Thinking about it made him a little depressed.
"To offer such splendid food... I can only express my gratitude."
When the priest lightly made the sign of the cross, Jimmy felt a strange sense of holiness and set the prepared dishes on the table.
"Well then, let's have a light game. Rick should wake up soon. We can start properly once he arrives. You can drink beer, right?"
"Priests are generally heavy drinkers. Don't worry."
Jimmy burst into loud laughter at the priest's cheeky response.
"Kahaha! You're quite something, Father. Oh, I haven't caught your name yet. I'm Jimmy. And you are?"
The priest, who had been gnawing on a chicken leg, finished chewing the meat in his mouth before answering.
"My name is Jenkinson Beckett. Brother Jimmy."
It was good that I had gotten off the train that arrived in Jiren, but the rain was completely unexpected. Waiting at the station for an hour in this downpour for the Holy Kingdom-bound train was out of the question. So I decided to stay at the inn until the rain let up and hurried toward the building I could see ahead.
The train could wait until tomorrow. For today, I planned to rest thoroughly while I was already soaked.
By the time my drenched cassock began to feel heavy, I finally reached the inn and breathed a sigh of relief.
The innkeeper I met there, Jimmy, was a good-natured man. He stubbornly refused any payment for the room, saying the only compensation he wanted was for me to keep him company playing cards through the night.
Of course, Goddess Yuno does not tolerate gambling. But I doubt she would forbid light enjoyment like this among friends. At most, it was casual betting barely enough to cover the cost of drinks. It was more accurate to call it play rather than gambling.
"Damn. My hand's terrible today."
As Jimmy had said, the man named Rick who eventually shuffled out was a slightly built, ordinary middle-aged fellow. The two were brothers—Jimmy handled the day shift, while Rick seemed to take care of the night.
Unlike his older brother Jimmy, Rick quickly dropped formalities with me.
"Looks like Jenkinson here's got a good hand, eh?"
His sociability was truly impressive. Most commoners found it extremely difficult to speak so casually to a priest.
"It seems the Goddess is smiling upon her servant."
"You're really something, Father. But is it truly alright for us to speak so informally?"
Jimmy still seemed a bit wary, but since they were brothers, that didn't last long.
"Kahaha! I win this round. Straight. See? That's skill for you. Looks like the Goddess Yuno is smiling on me more than Jenkinson today!"
I smiled as I watched Jimmy laugh and sweep up the pot. My plan had been to play moderately and lose anyway. I was staying for free and essentially receiving free meals. Taking their money on top of that would have been far too shameless.
"By the way, things still not working out with Yona?"
When Rick asked while dealing the cards, Jimmy's face flushed with anger.
"As if!"
Yona? Who was that? I wondered, but simply took a sip of beer. The taste was average, but since Jimmy's cooking was exceptionally good, it didn't matter much.
"Kekeke! When it comes to women, this is the best. Right? Just lay 'em down once and—"
Watching Rick make a vulgar gesture with his hips, I replied with a straight face.
"Speaking from the perspective of a clergyman, I must remind you that non-consensual intercourse is strictly forbidden."
Though I said that, neither the one speaking nor the one giving the warning took the words seriously. They were just drunken ramblings, the kind that would evaporate like alcohol fumes with no real meaning.
"Just saying, you know. Just saying. So, Father, you must have quite a bit of experience yourself?"
Faced with the simple curiosity in the question, I thought for a moment.
Let's see...
"I haven't really counted."
It wasn't as if I had abstained after her death, so if I tried to count, there were probably too many to tally.
"Kahaha! You really live up to that face of yours!"
Rick laughed heartily at my answer, and Jimmy joined in. The night at the inn grew deeper.
I took a bite of the freshly roasted potatoes Jimmy had prepared, grateful for this new connection the rain had brought me. I believed this, too, was part of the Goddess's arrangement.