The Pleasure Before the Storm! (2)
“My, my... you’re even greedier than you look, Sister Klea. Do you crave the saintess position that badly?”
In the church building where we’d be offering our ascetic prayers, Sister Clarice called out to me just as I was entering. What a brazen bitch... She knows exactly what she did, yet she has the gall to act like this... Birds of a feather flock together, huh? No surprise coming from a filthy thug slut like her.
“Yes. I just can’t stomach the thought of some shameless someone becoming saintess. I’d rather die.”
“...You’ve changed quite a bit. Not long ago, you were just hiding behind Bishop Baul.”
Ha. Baul? Sure. I’ve changed since then. But that weakling human has nothing to do with it. The reason I’ve changed is simply because I met that man... my master, that superior male.
“Yes. I’ve formed a truly precious bond. For him, I’d do anything.”
“...? I don’t know what you mean, but... heh. Fine. Give it your all.”
When we reached the spots where each candidate would offer their prayers, Clarice gave me a strange smile, muttered some insincere words, and walked away. That smile nagged at me... but with her backer exposed as a criminal, she can’t pull any more stupid stunts. Even if she tried, the kingdom—strict on criminals—would have her head in an instant.
After that, we saintess candidates, myself included, entered our individual prayer rooms. Narrow personal chambers barely big enough for one person to lie down, with a statue of the goddess enshrined within. As the quiet stillness enveloped me, I knelt before the goddess statue and... gently stroked the condoms tied to my panties, filled with... Master’s seed.
I will definitely become saintess and return. Master... Goddess. Please watch over him during this week of my prayers, keep him safe from harm...
With Master in my thoughts, I began praying to the goddess for his safety.
It had been six days since Klea started her ascetic prayers. So far, everything had been peaceful.
Mornings began with picking up simple subjugation quests near the royal capital, then spending the day on quests, practicing skills against monsters. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t learned any new skills. I felt like I was on the verge of grasping something, but nothing clicked. Why?
Lizbet had said that once I got the feel for using a skill once, my high stats would let me try all sorts of them. The skills shown on adventurer cards are the ones fully ingrained in the body, usable with just a thought. Other skills could be used as long as you met the stat requirements, understood the method, and mimicked it—efficiency aside.
So why couldn’t I pull off this seemingly simple Crushing Strike? “Amplify power by channeling inner strength into the weapon”? The description’s straightforward. The name reads like Hanja, giving it a martial arts vibe, so I figured, “Just feel the power inside me, right!?” and picked it... But I only got this vague, almost-there sensation, and no skill activated. Starting to lose steam here.
How do I capture that soccer kick feeling? Soccer Kick fires off with just a thought, so it’s not helping much.
“How’s it going, Master? No more monsters around. Shall we go deeper?”
Lizbet, who’d been herding monsters toward me, swayed her hips as she approached. She’d received my pervy gift of high heels and, surprisingly, wore them everywhere. I thought unpaved roads outside the city would be tough, but she balanced with Esser Kinesis, keeping the heels from slipping off. A sexy walk bordering on acrobatics—probably only Lizbet could pull it off.
Thanks to that, combined with Lianna’s sexy outfit, every step was eye candy. Seeing Lizbet always lifted my mood.
“Quest’s done ages ago. Let’s head back. Gonna take a while to get the hang of it.”
“Yeah. Everyone struggles at first. You’ll get it soon, Master.”
“Oof. Another dropout.”
And on the final day, wondering if anything might happen, I checked the building where Klea was taking her exam. A haggard-faced nun was stumbling out.
First dropout on day three, four more by yesterday. Now five... Shame for that nun. Exam ends at sunset, so half a day more and she’d have passed. But like her, the dropouts didn’t look too disappointed. Aside from the 3-4 gunning for saintess like Klea and Clarice, most were just here to promote their branches. Probably her too.
Looks like it’ll come down to Klea vs. Clarice. Wonder how it’ll play out...
“Greetings, Sema. Miss Mage. So you were here.”
A sudden voice made me turn. Marte—the hero so strong he creeped me out—was lightly dressed, sword at his side, bowing to me.
“Ah, hello, Hero Marte. What’s up?”
“Yes. Actually, I was looking for you two with a request.”
“Huh? A request for us?”
A hero asking me and Lizbet for help? What could we even do for him?
“Yes. I’ve been tracking Bivora, the Viper’s Fang guild master. After days of pursuit, yesterday I found what I suspect is his hideout.”
“Ah, I see. But why me...?”
“We’re about to raid it, but the knights lack detection specialists. I’m worried he’ll slip away again like before, since he’s a former thief. You two know his face, so I’d like your help.”
Thief origin, huh... More importantly, I suck at detection too.
“Uh, we’re not good at detection either... Plus, I can barely use skills, so I’d just be dead weight. Why not hire an adventurer with detection skills?”
“...I’ll guarantee your safety. There are... various reasons.”
What’s with that? His expression looks off. Something up? Hmm. To help or not? Baul bragged all heroes are good guys, but I don’t buy it. Even if he really needs help, do I wanna risk a dangerous spot?
“...I’ll pay generously. It’s hard to get help from others...”
Marte’s face screamed anxiety—something’s definitely wrong. Hm... Might as well build connections with kingdom heroes now? Knowing powerhouses like Marte helps me avoid their women later.
“...Will it be quick?”
“Yes. It’s nearby in the capital, so it won’t take long... probably... done before dinner.”
“Then just I’ll come? My guildmate has stuff to do.”
“...Ah, yes. That works.”
“Sure. Gimme a sec to talk.”
I grabbed Lizbet’s shoulder, pulled her into the empty church, and spoke low.
“Liz. Just in case. You wait near the knights for Klea. If I’m too late, tell the church. Baul’ll handle it.”
“If it’s like that, I’ll—”
“No. Marte’s kingdom-affiliated, probably won’t pull shit, but just in case. Alone, I can bolt without looking back.”
Marte’s expression felt off, but not malicious. Could be acting... but it was too subtle. A powerhouse like him isn’t being threatened. He looked kinda pitiful, so maybe go and play it safe.
“...If it seems too sketchy, I’ll bail. Can’t rampage openly in a crowded capital.”
“......Still...”
“Liz getting hurt would be worse. I’ll be careful.”
“...Okay. Run if anything happens?”
“Yeah. You too—use the knights as shields if shit hits the fan. Got it?”
Always seems like I’m plotting escapes, but safety first. I patted Lizbet’s worried face, nodded to the inscrutable Marte.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes... Thank you, Sema. Truly... thank you.”
After Marte’s repeated bows of gratitude, I waved to the anxious Lizbet seeing me off and left the church. Thus, with the oddly unsettling Marte, I headed to Bivora’s suspected hideout.