Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: 7. Priest, We've Met Again. (8)
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“Fuck! Where is he?! Hurry up and find him?”
“You dog-like bastards, just wait till I catch you.”
“Damn it…. If this gets reported, we're totally screwed, right?”
“That's why I'm telling you to find him quick!”
A gang of green-haired thugs baring their teeth at each other in the dead of night, screaming obscenities.
With eyes bulging wide, they scoured every inch of the surroundings. After spitting out another round of curses, they seemed convinced that Isabel and I weren't here anymore. They abruptly changed course and bolted off in the opposite direction.
“Phew….”
Hiding behind the wall and waiting for them to disappear from sight, I confirmed they were completely gone. I let out a sigh of relief and collapsed right onto the bare ground.
I'd come that close to dying. If Isabel hadn't grabbed me at the last second, I couldn't even bear to imagine the horrific future awaiting me.
“Looks like they passed by.”
Isabel, who had been peeking out the window to check outside, crouched down and spoke to me. I was so exhausted I didn't even have the strength to reply, but I couldn't ignore the woman who'd saved me from hell. I managed a weak smile to express my gratitude.
‘Anyway... she really is the heroine...’
Just like in the game, she was a monster in her own right. She was fast, sure, but when she hoisted a full-grown man like me onto her shoulder and scaled a two-story wall in one leap, my jaw dropped on its own.
And even after all that sprinting, she wasn't the least bit winded—not even catching her breath. She was heroine material through and through.
“Priest, are you all right?”
“Ah, yeah…. Thanks to you, I survived. Thank you.”
As the tension drained away, she huffed through pursed lips. Her eyes scanned my naked body up and down, and when she saw me shivering from the cold, she immediately shrugged off her outer coat and draped it over me.
“You must be freezing.”
“N-no, I'm fine. This is nothing... ach... achoo!”
Damn it….
I wiped the snot dripping from my nose with my hand. Honestly, I was freezing and exhausted. Sure, it was summer, but the predawn air was colder than ever.
Still, showing any sign of weakness here would just worry her, so I put on a brave front and pretended I was okay.
“Sigh…. Here, at least wear this too.”
“Sniff… thank you….”
“Don't mention it. You must've had it rough. So, what happened?”
“Uh… well….”
I had no idea where to even begin. The whole ordeal felt so absurd and bewildering that I needed some time to sort through it all.
I just kept opening and closing my mouth without saying a word.
Realizing she'd asked something she shouldn't have, Isabel spoke first.
“Never mind. That was insensitive of me. Can you stand?”
“Yes, of course… ngh….”
The moment I tried to get up, a sharp pain shot through my toes. Looking down, I saw the soles of my feet were scraped raw all the way to the flesh.
I hadn't noticed while fleeing for my life, but now that I'd calmed down, the pain started creeping in—from a faint sting to full-blown agony.
‘Tsk…. It'll take at least three or four days to heal...’
I could use recovery magic to make it look fine on the surface, but there were side effects to that. Minor wounds healed on the spot, but injuries like this all over the body were different. I'd still be bedridden for days from the aftereffects.
“Ugh…!”
Even so, I stood up as she suggested, but walking like this was out of the question. If I'd had shoes, I might've managed, but barefoot? No way.
“Ah…. You can't walk like that. Let me carry you.”
“Ah, yes….”
Even Isabel could see it wasn't workable. She turned around and nodded for me to climb on her back. Crawling on all fours, I finally made it onto her back and carefully looped my arms around her neck, expressing my heartfelt thanks.
“You're so light.”
“R-really?”
“To the church, right?”
“Yes, please.”
With enemies possibly still lurking, we slipped back out the way we'd come—carefully over the window to avoid making any noise.
“Keep an eye out for anyone around. They might try to ambush us….”
“Y-yeah, got it.”
The street was thick with silence. Piggybacked on her, I lifted my head like a meerkat and scanned our surroundings. It was dark, so visibility was low, but the quiet suggested they weren't here anymore.
“Once I get you to the church, I'll go report what just happened to the Guild Master.”
“Ah… I don't even know how to thank you…. Really, thank you.”
Damn… she was an angel. Not only did she save a stranger, but she was even handling the fallout herself. It made me feel guilty about my past self jerking off in front of someone like her.
“No need. This is what I do.”
“...But Isabel, are you sure you're okay with this?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, I don't want this hurting your reputation at the guild because of me….”
“…”
She pondered my words for a moment. Then, with a deep sigh drawn from the bottom of her lungs, she continued.
“Well, then it's all for the best. I'm human too—I don't want to work under scum like that. Anyway, don't worry too much. I'll protect you, Priest.”
What… fuck…. For a split second, my heart ached like mad. I'd never imagined a woman saying something like that to me, and my face burned while my heart pounded like it might burst.
“Uh… thank you.”
Unable to lift my head, I pressed my face against her back and leaned in. The soft, warm sensation enveloped me, melting away the ice in my heart.
“By the way… how did you remember me, Priest?”
“Huh?”
“We only met briefly last time—how'd you recognize me right away?”
“Ah….”
How could I forget? I'd seen her in at least twenty hentai scenes. There was no forgetting that. I'd memorized every single mole on her body ages ago—even a photo of her finger would let me ID her instantly.
But saying that straight would get me labeled a total creep, so I gave an awkward smile and mixed in a decent lie.
“I have a good memory for faces. Once I see someone, I don't forget easily.”
“Ah…. I see.”
“So how did you remember me, Isabel?”
“Huh? Uh…. Well…. How do I put it…. You have one of those unforgettable faces. Yeah….”
“Ah….”
Is that so? Well, I did have a pretty unique look. Androgynous features that weren't quite male or female, plus a height like a kid's—I probably wouldn't forget someone like that either. And with me walking around in those eye-catching priest robes every day…. Yeah, impossible to forget. Absolutely impossible….
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After some light chit-chat that wasn't all that meaningful, the church came into view before long. Seeing the place where I lived eased the last of my tension, and fatigue washed over me.
But I couldn't afford to pass out yet. I quickly shook my head to snap myself awake.
Either way, first things first—Bishop Lisa. It was late, so she had to be worried sick. No matter how prickly she was with me normally, she cherished her subordinates fiercely.
Her way of showing it was a bit odd, sure, but until those thugs were caught, she was my one and only safe haven.
“Straight into the church like this?”
“Yeah, the Bishop's probably in there.”
Clinging to Isabel's back like a koala, I guided her as navigator. With our destination in sight, all I wanted was to get home ASAP and rest.
One step, two steps…. Entrusting myself fully to Isabel, we pressed forward….
“Isabel?”
At some point, she'd frozen stiff in the middle of the road like a statue.
“Sigh…. Guess they were waiting from the start.”
“Huh?”
Rustle—rustle—
The moment I voiced my confusion, figures emerged from the bushes. Moonlight illuminated their faces one by one.
“Whoa…. This guy's got good instincts….”
What…? We hadn't shaken them? The green-haired leader and her gang appeared, each gripping a weapon. The shock hit so hard my heart nearly stopped.
I thought we'd barely escaped….
But of course—they weren't the type to let us go easily.
I was running for my life, but so were they. If word got out, they'd be done for too.
‘What do we do now….’
I racked my brain desperately, but there was nothing I could do. Weak as I was—below average in strength and size—what could I possibly contribute? To survive, I had no choice but to leave my fate in Isabel's hands.
If she ditched me and ran without mercy…. I'd have to accept it….
“Sigh…. This might take a little while. Mind waiting here a sec?”
“Huh?”
With those ominous words, Isabel set me down on the ground. As if there was no more delaying it, her hand went to her waist and drew something. Two machetes, hidden beneath her clothes, now gleamed in her hands.