The Shepherd of an All-Women's Temple (2)
"These people are heading into the eastern forest to scout whether the thing appearing there is really the Witch — the temple requested it."
Cecile respectfully gestured toward the three figures trailing behind them.
When Cloud glanced back, the one walking at the center of the group gave him a slight nod. Contrary to their forbidding appearance, their manners were surprisingly cordial.
"Well then, I suppose I can just leave it to these folks and stop worrying."
Cloud couldn't have cared less about the Witch. He needed to get out of Valois as quickly as possible, and every other job in the city was so competitive that finding one in a single day was nearly impossible — and the pay was poor besides. Besides, three professional-looking hunters had shown up, so even if the Witch did appear, he trusted they'd dispatch her without any trouble.
When they arrived at Yolonda Temple, nestled close to the city's eastern wall, the stately grandeur of the old building filled onlookers with a sense of solemnity.
The moment they reached the entrance of the main hall, Cecile knocked lightly.
A short while later the door opened, and a gracefully aged priestess appeared.
"Priestess Monica, my name is Cecile."
"Welcome. We've been expecting you."
Then everyone departed for parts unknown, leaving Cloud — the only one who had actually come looking for work — standing alone at the entrance.
Before long, another priestess came out to find him and spoke up abruptly.
"Pardon me. Are you the one who applied for our temple's shepherd position?"
Cloud, who had been gazing off elsewhere, turned around absentmindedly — and before he knew it, his eyes had slid not to her face but straight down to her chest.
Whoa, good heavens...!
Despite the modest, solemn habit she wore, she radiated a sensual allure, her breasts straining against the fabric as if ready to burst. They were truly enormous — at least a G-cup, if not larger. Easily the biggest pair he'd ever laid eyes on. If he ended up working at this temple, he had a feeling he'd be committing sins long before he ever got around to repenting any.
"Ahem!"
When Cloud's gaze stayed glued to her chest, she cleared her throat pointedly.
Only then did Cloud snap back to his senses and meet her eyes.
"Ah, that's me. I'm the one who came about the shepherd job. Nice to meet you."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Sister Vivian Magdalena."
As she bowed her head in greeting, her ample bosom swayed and jiggled.
"I'm Cloud."
"Yes. Hello, Mr. Cloud. Priestess Monica asked me to show you around."
Contrary to a body that looked built for nothing but the pursuit of pleasure, she possessed a voice as clear and refreshing as a babbling brook. Paired with her calm, measured tone and graceful speech, it was oddly pleasant to listen to.
"Then I'll explain as we walk. Please follow me."
Thanks to the head covering called a veil, only her eyes, nose, and mouth showed as she glided out of the main hall with movements as saintly as one blessed by God herself, leading the way ahead.
"So, our temple's shepherd duties are..."
Vivian launched into her explanation as she walked, but not a word of it reached Cloud's ears.
He trailed along meekly behind her, feasting his eyes on her ass the entire way.
The habit, which looked a size too small for her voluptuous frame, squeezed her rear tight into a truly magnificent view. Much like the tights Cecile wore beneath her skirt, the fabric clung to her skin, laying bare every smooth curve of her behind.
While everyone else offered prayers to God to overcome their worldly troubles, Cloud felt as though this priestess named Vivian had saddled him with every last trouble the world had to offer.
How could a woman with a body this obscene — impossible to conceal even beneath a habit that symbolized chastity — end up as a servant of God?
Why hide such talent?
That plump rear end, wiggling left and right with every step as if deliberately seducing him, made Cloud want to bury his cock in it.
But since he couldn't, an endless mountain of worldly troubles kept piling up.
If only he could ram his cock into that ass this very moment and knead the priestess's breasts to his heart's content, he felt he'd gain an invincible courage — the kind that could carry him effortlessly through any hardship or misfortune the future held in store. All while rejoicing as though he'd received a magnificent gift from God.
"...And that concludes the explanation, so I'll take it that you're agreeing to our terms. Please sign here."
"Huh?"
When Cloud lifted his gaze, Vivian had already turned around and was holding out a contract and pen. He hadn't absorbed a single word of her explanation — just mumbled "Yeah" whenever she'd paused — and apparently the entire discussion of contract terms and benefits had wrapped up without him noticing.
"Oh, right. Got it."
Cloud shook off his daze and signed the contract first, questions later. If it meant getting to look at this priestess every day, the fine print hardly mattered.
"Here you go."
He handed the contract back, having scrawled his signature against the wall.
Vivian confirmed the signature, then looked up at Cloud again.
"With this, the contract is complete. I'll now show you where you'll be working. If anything comes to mind along the way, please feel free to ask me anything."
"I've got one right now. Can I ask?"
"Yes, of course. What is it?"
"Never mind. You'd probably get mad, so I'll drop it."
"This body has sworn itself to God in devotion to humanity's harmony and peace. As a priestess who stands between all parties and mediates every conflict, I never lose my temper."
"Really?"
"Yes. I swear it before God."
"Hmm... but I still think you'd get mad."
When Cloud kept balking at asking, Vivian offered a composed smile and tried to put him at ease.
"It's quite alright. Whatever it may be, I promise to understand, so please, speak freely. For a priestess to lie is a grave sin before God. I absolutely will not get angry."
"Then — have you ever had sex with a man?"
"I beg your pardon...?"
It came out of nowhere. For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze; she blinked rapidly with startled eyes, then abruptly made the sign of the cross, wearing the expression of someone who had just heard something so utterly, unspeakably vile that she wanted to scrub her ears out.
"Wh-what on earth could you possibly want to know? What a shameless man you are! Why would you ask a woman ab-about something like that!"
"See? You are getting mad."
"Of course I'm angry! I welcomed you gladly and showed you around with the utmost care because you wished to apply for the shepherd position, and not only do you insist on speaking down to me, your conduct is disgraceful — leering at my chest and my backside like some lecher — I truly never imagined you would be such a vile, unpleasant man!"
"Wow, so you did notice me sneaking those peeks, miss?"
Being called "miss" flustered her even more, and she raised her voice.
"I-I am a priestess! Not 'miss' — address me as Priestess!"
"Yeah."
"Answer me politely!"
"Yes, yes."
Cloud played the meek lamb, acting as though he'd suddenly begun listening to and understanding every word she said.
"You've already contracted with our temple, so I have no choice but to continue the tour. But rest assured, every one of those monstrous remarks — too filthy to even repeat — will be reported to the High Priestess in full detail. So be prepared. And do not look at me with those lecherous eyes again!"
Vivian delivered this in a tone brimming with fury, then spun on her heel and marched ahead.
"Keep up, please!"
A short while later, the two of them were walking through a garden behind the temple. In one corner stood a shed built of wooden planks, and Vivian pointed to it.
"That is the storage shed where we keep the equipment used for herding the sheep. If you have questions, I ask that you weigh them carefully — what should and should not be said — so that we do not upset one another with unpleasant words as we did earlier."
Cloud nodded solemnly at that, then asked:
"So from now on, you and I will be going inside that shed to engage in lewd acts together?"
"Absolutely not!"
Perhaps concluding that Cloud was beyond all salvation, Vivian didn't even bother to scold him this time — she simply turned her back on him with a look of distaste.
Face still set in anger, she pressed on with the tour.
"Our temple has restricted areas."
Vivian pointed to a building enclosed by a low fence. Wet habits hung drying on a clothesline, suggesting it was the living quarters for the priestesses who served here.
"That is the private quarters of all the priestesses. Entry is absolutely forbidden, at any hour, day or night."
"Is that because it's where you priestesses secretly masturbate?"
"We do not do any such thing!"
"Then however do you endure your carnal desires?"
"How can you possibly be like this!"
Vivian flared up and raised her voice, though she didn't erupt quite as spectacularly as before. She was, after all, a warm-hearted priestess devoted to God. Barely managing to smother the explosion, she pressed one hand against her heaving chest and fixed Cloud with a stare.
"As I have no wish to hear any more vile words, I will be taking no further questions. And one word of advice: from now on, as you come and go from this temple, purify that impure heart of yours through daily prayer. It appears to be the only path left for you."
He'd well and truly earned her contempt. Unwilling to leave a bad impression on a beautiful woman, Cloud decided it was time to smooth things over.
"Prayer, you say? Then might you help me with it, Priestess Vivian? I've never believed in God, so I hardly know how to pray. If you were beside me guiding me, I would devote myself to praying to God every single day to cleanse this impure heart of mine. Passionately, of course."
Cloud made his request with the utmost courtesy. Vivian was silent for a long moment, but Cloud didn't rush her. She kept her eyes lowered, chin resting in her hand, deep in thought — apparently weighing whether there was any sincerity in his words.
Then, quite suddenly, she placed a hand over her chest and spoke. It was the gentlest expression he'd seen on her all day. She was quicker to forgive than he'd expected.
"Very well. If you truly mean to, I will assist you myself."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course. Before God, we are no more than dust. Even one whose heart is wicked, if he reflects upon his past wrongs and repents, shall be granted salvation. That is, indeed, the very reason our temple exists. So that you may cultivate a virtuous heart, come to the chapel every day from now on, and we shall pray together."
"Thank you, Priestess. Why, it'll feel just like we're going on a date every day."
"Wh-what foolish nonsense are you spouting! Anyway! We're moving on to the next place. Hurry up and follow me!"
Perhaps the word "date" embarrassed her — Vivian's face flushed crimson, and she mumbled some vague deflection before hurrying them along to the next stop.
The next place was a yard where the temple kept chickens, rabbits, and the like penned behind wire mesh. There, a dog with black-and-white patched fur was tied up — a Border Collie, a breed commonly used for herding. The fellow looked clever enough, but the moment it laid eyes on Cloud it began barking up a storm.
"This child's name is Bark. As a dog raised by the temple, it seems to have received a blessing, for it was born with the gift of discerning those of wicked heart. Whenever it sees such a person, it barks loudly like this."
Vivian said this with the corners of her mouth curling upward, practically sneering.
"Isn't it just a mutt, then?"
"It. Is. Not!"
As she bit out each syllable through clenched teeth, Cloud rummaged through his pants pocket.
Perhaps it had found its way there by accident at the tavern last night — a strip of dried squid, a bar snack, turned up in his hand.
He pulled it out and tossed it to Bark.
The loudly barking beast caught sight of the dried squid on the ground, dribbled a puddle of piss, and scrambled to gobble it up.
Then, clearly angling for more, it fixed Cloud with big sparkling eyes and wagged its tail for all it was worth.
"Well, since it's not barking at me, I must be a person of pure heart after all."
As Cloud said this with a shrug, Vivian's brow creased slightly into a sulky scowl.
"On to the next location!"