Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: 8. The Lord is Watching Everything. (1)
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“Ugh...”
‘Where... am I...’
The pure white grid-patterned ceiling tiles came into view. I stared up at them blankly for a while before a wave of headache hit me, drawing out a groan.
‘I definitely...’
I remembered getting caught by that green-haired guy. And then Bishop Lisa fired a holy arrow to save me... But everything after that was foggy, like a mist had been stuffed into my head.
Did I pass out from the tension releasing all at once?
Questions piled up one after another, and just as I was about to sit up to find some answers...
“Kuh...!”
A faint pain coursed through my entire body. The muscle soreness from yesterday clamped down fiercely, pulling me back down.
“Priest Isaiah... please don’t get up.”
Unable to stop there, I tried to rise again, and a familiar voice whispered gently into my ear as if she’d been waiting. Doubting my ears, I turned my head slightly. Sure enough, Bishop Lisa was peering at me with a worried look.
“B-Bishop...”
The moment I saw her, my voice instinctively shrank. She wasn’t scolding me or anything, but my body reacted as if the ingrained fear had awakened... It was pure instinct.
“You pushed yourself too hard. Don’t think about doing anything today—just lie there and rest.”
“A-Ah... yes...”
She pressed down on my chest to force me back, then straightened the rumpled blanket. Staring in bewilderment, I widened my narrow field of view and realized this was none other than Bishop Lisa’s private on-duty room.
“The healing’s all done. You won’t be able to move much until tomorrow. If you need anything, call one of the parishioners. Got it?”
“Yes... Bishop...”
What was this? Her unusually gentle demeanor clashed with her normal self, sending chills creeping over my skin.
Normally, she’d snap at me for not being able to handle something this simple and use it as an excuse to fuck me over. But not only was she not angry—she was looking at me with a genuinely concerned expression I’d never seen before. How could I not be flustered?
‘It must be because of that incident.’
Well, yeah. I’d sent the kid on an errand, and he came back a total wreck. Covered in wounds from head to toe, and she witnessed him getting nabbed by thugs with her own eyes. No matter how much she hated me, any normal person would worry.
“Bishop...”
“Yes?”
“I can’t remember what happened yesterday...”
“You passed out.”
“Ah...”
“You collapsed the moment you saw me. You must’ve been exhausted.”
She answered before I could even finish. She seemed to have already read my mind completely.
Swoosh—
“Hmmm...”
A brief silence fell. Then, letting out a soft sigh toward the floor, Bishop Lisa gently grasped both my hands resting on the blanket. Bowing my head like a criminal, I continued in a subdued voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“P-Pardon?!”
Did I hear that right? Question marks exploded over my head as I doubted my own ears. Bishop Lisa apologizing to me? That was impossible unless she’d eaten something bad.
“If I’d known it’d turn out like this, I wouldn’t have sent you alone.”
“...”
“I should’ve at least sent a parishioner with you... I was foolish.”
She kept bowing her head, begging for forgiveness.
She hadn’t really done anything wrong, but she seemed to feel guilty for sending a guy like me out alone.
Honestly, even she must’ve found it absurd. It wasn’t like I’d been kidnapped in the dead of night—I got nabbed in broad daylight. She probably thought it was like a bolt from the blue.
“I-It’s fine. More importantly, Bishop... did you wait for me all night?”
“Huh? Oh... Actually, you were so late I went to check the market. But I couldn’t find you anywhere... And on the way back, right on time... that happened...”
“I-I see...”
I’d wondered how she appeared out of nowhere so suddenly. When I didn’t show up even after sunset, she must’ve gotten worried and gone looking herself. But since I was already captured, she couldn’t have known where I was. She must’ve witnessed it purely by chance on her way back.
‘Whoa... Talk about surviving by sheer luck...’
I was totally done for, getting dragged away like that. There was no explaining it other than heavenly intervention.
“That must’ve been scary.”
“Y-Yeah... a bit...”
She looked at me pitifully and lifted her hand to gently stroke my head. Was it my imagination, or did her kindness feel oppressively heavy? I flinched reflexively as her soft skin touched my hair.
“Bishop... What happened to those guys...?”
“Those guys...? Oh... those fucking bastards.”
I’d passed out midway, so I had no idea how it ended. The fact that I was alive meant either she captured them or killed them all. I hoped they were alive to face proper punishment.
“Bishop?”
She hesitated, glancing away. With a deep sigh from the depths of her lungs, she slowly spoke.
“I sent them to Saintess Amaness’s side.”
“Ah...”
She was trying to soften it, but nothing could be more direct. Given Bishop Lisa’s personality, she couldn’t have let trash like that live anyway.
Honestly, those bastards were no different from walking beasts. They probably did that shit every day like it was mealtime. Letting them live would’ve been a blight on society.
“So don’t worry too much. You won’t have to deal with scum like that ever again...”
“...”
She said it like she was different from them, but to me, kidnapping and raping someone or drugging and raping them was all the same. Still, I didn’t want to say something stupid and fuck things up, so I just silently nodded along as Bishop Lisa tended to me.
“And that Isabel or whatever went to tell the Guild Master... So don’t think about anything—just focus on recovering now. Okay?”
Bishop Lisa flashed a bright smile.
Come to think of it, in all the chaos, I’d forgotten about Isabel. She’d risked her life to save a near-stranger like me... I should visit her once I recovered to at least say thanks.
Anyway...
“So... you’ve heard everything, then.”
She nodded at my question. She seemed to have a rough idea from Isabel’s perspective. But to avoid any misunderstandings, I decided to add a bit more.
“Bishop... Just in case you’re mistaken, I didn’t do anything. Those guys suddenly jumped me...”
I started from the beginning of the incident and explained step by step. She might think I’d gotten into this mess messing around again, so I needed to clear it up properly.
That I hadn’t been caught whoring around—that I’d truly been kidnapped.
How long did I ramble on? Bishop Lisa, who’d been listening quietly, suddenly covered my mouth.
“I know. I know... I know you’re not the type, so stop talking and rest. Okay?”
She forced my half-risen body back down.
Ugh... How shitty must my usual behavior have been for me to need to explain myself like this?
No matter that the status window made me do it—even I thought I looked pathetic right now.
Knock knock—
As we exchanged words, a sudden knock echoed from the door. Our eyes naturally turned that way. After a brief pause, a woman’s calm, clear voice followed from outside.
"Bishop, the Cardinal will arrive soon. You should come out now." Cardinal? A forgotten memory flashed through my mind.
‘Right... He’s coming today...’
With so much happening all at once, it had slipped my mind completely. Normally, I’d go out and help, but in this state, even getting up was tough. Looked like I’d have to hole up here quietly.
“Yes, understood. I’ll be right out.”
She replied toward the door and hurriedly got up. Glancing at me, she scratched her head with a troubled, worried expression.
“Priest Isaiah, I’ll head out now. Like I said, if anything happens, you must call the parishioners.”
“Yes, got it.”
I smiled reassuringly, but Bishop Lisa still couldn’t tear her eyes away. Even as she left, she emphasized one last time to call if anything happened, finally stepping out with visible reluctance.
Bang—