Priestess and the Church Basement (2)
Priest and the Church Basement (2)
#
"Reni, let's go over there for a moment..."
“I did it! I found it!”
Reni beamed brightly.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue.
"Huh?"
Reni's eyes widened and she tilted her head. Right. None of this was your fault...
"Cough, cough. No, it's nothing. Ahem. Hm..."
"Are you cold? You were running a fever this morning, too..."
Reni's face filled with worry again.
...Here I was, in heat and trying to pull some lewd crap, and Reni worried about me like this every time. My conscience was killing me... My dick died... So looking at an angel really did kill my dick...
"Yoo-jin?"
"Nah, I'm fine. So where is it?"
"It's below, but..."
Reni looked at the floor, her expression troubled.
Underground?
I didn't see anything. The Church was, literally, a wreck. We'd gone through the chapel and what looked like a storehouse, but we couldn't find a door leading underground. No matter how much we searched, nothing was visible, and Reni's face crumpled again.
"Uh, what should we do... I must have found the wrong..."
"No, no. Don't worry."
Reni seemed a little short on self-esteem. Ever since we first met, she'd always apologized for things that weren't her fault. I kept telling her it wasn't her fault.
That aside, there was definitely a hidden door here, but I just couldn't find the entrance.
“...Wait. I think I know.”
I should have thought of this from the start. First, I switched the minimap to 3D mode.... I scrolled down and set it one level lower like this... I rotated it every which way...
"Found it. This way."
...
The floor of the outbuilding. The entrance was somewhere around here.
-Tap tap. Tap tap. Ting ting.
Found it. As I tapped at the floor here and there, it made that distinctive hollow sound when there was empty space beneath. Good. And the handle... it was here.
"Wow. You really are amazing...!"
"It's nothing, really."
It got embarrassing when she was so awed every time. I wasn't amazing; the system was.
"Ngh... it's heavy..."
"L-Let me help too."
The two of us barely managed to wrench the rusted door open, revealing a staircase descending underground. At the bottom of the stairs was a narrow corridor, and at its end, a single door came into view. The Holy Sword had to be beyond it.
Good. No traps in the corridor... no monsters... It was time to go.
-Creeeak.
I opened the door at the end of the corridor, but there was nothing to see. In the city's inns, they had things like automatic lamps powered by magic stones. Apparently, there was no such device here.
"Reni. Light, please."
"Ah, okay."
[Skill: Holy Light]
[Type: Active]
[Effect: Creates a sphere of light. Its brightness can be adjusted according to the caster’s Divine Power.]
"Oh."
The room was packed with weapons and armor. This was just like...
‘It looked like an armory from The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit.’
"Wow..."
Reni let out a gasp of admiration, too.
"There's a church emblem here."
Had the Church managed this place directly? I hadn't expected to find anything like it. I'd only come to pick up a weapon, yet I'd stumbled across something curious. But...
"Why would they build an armory like this under a church?"
At my muttering, Reni furrowed her brow, looking thoughtful. She'd get wrinkles doing that...
"Ah, um... now that I think of it, there's a passage like this in the scriptures. It says the Church has a duty to monitor dungeons."
"Really? But what for?"
The dungeons scattered through the mountain range were weak. But that wasn't the reason people left them alone. A dungeon was, after all, a monster habitat. Common sense said you destroyed them when you had the chance. Yet there was a reason they didn't.
“I-I'm not sure... In practice, it's basically an obsolete rule. But they must have observed it strictly in the past if they built an armory like this...”
I see... but...
I picked up an iron plate that looked like a shield.
“Can't use any of this in this condition.”
The shield was thick with rust, and the leather on the handle had rotted and crumbled. What a waste. If these had been intact, I could've recovered them all and made a killing. But if the state of the arms was this bad, wasn't the Holy Sword ruined, too? That was unsettling...
"What do we do now...?"
Reni looked just as troubled. I hadn't expected this, either. Still, I had to at least check. We'd come all this way; nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"Reni. You're still using Detect Divine Power, right?"
"Huh? Ah, yes."
Reni closed her eyes briefly, then led me to a corner.
“I can sense it from this direction. I'm fairly certain this is it.”
Where she guided me, a single sword stood thrust into a pedestal.
"..."
This one didn't look to be in very good condition either. It was definitely the right object. What should I do?
According to the novel's description, the sword the priest companion had picked up had gleamed brightly, like new. But they hadn't taken it to a smithy for repairs; they'd simply found a spare moment while resting at the Church and picked it up. There had to be some kind of mechanism at work here.
"Is this what you're looking for, Yoo-jin? But this is..."
"...We came all this way. Shall we just try taking it, for now?"
...
"What the. Why won't it come out?"
-Ding.
[Sealed Holy Sword 「Esplender」]
[Inject Divine Power to release the seal.]
[Current Dispel Rate: 0%]
Aha. No wonder the original story had emphasized that the companion was a priest. So this was the reason.
Divine Power injection, huh? That was perfect. I decided to try it.
"...?"
Reni watched what I was doing, a question mark practically floating over her head.
-Sex Warrior Punch! Sex Warrior Punch!
[Current Dispel Rate: 0%]
"Yoo-jin?"
-Sex Warrior Normal Kick! Sex Warrior Serious Dropkick!
[Current Dispel Rate: 0%]
No dice... Then why the hell did they give me a holy attribute? Did the attribute not even apply when I was smacking undead?
Reni's expression turned a little strange as she watched me punching and kicking the sword. I knew it was weird, so I wished she wouldn't look at me like that...
"Reni. Your turn."
"Huh?"
"It says it's a sealed sword. Looks like we can draw it by injecting Divine Power."
"What?!"
"Can you inject Divine Power into this?"
"Ngh... yes..."
Reni’s expression grew uneasy as she reached toward the sword with a trembling hand. Why was she so frightened? It wasn't going to eat her.
Before long,
"Hahh... hahh..."
[Current Dispel Rate: 5%]
"Ughh... nghh...."
[Current Dispel Rate: 12%]
"Reni? If it's hard, take a break for a mo—"
"I can do it!"
....She looked genuinely desperate. What sort of delusion was she having now....
"Ughh...."
Don't make such lewd moans. You're going to turn me on!
[Current Dispel Rate: 20%]
"Nghh......"
Reni staggered and fell away from the sword. From the way she was gasping for breath, this looked to be her limit. It couldn't be helped. In that case...
"This isn't going to work. Reni? Just a moment."
“Ab—”
"Hm?"
“Please don't abandon me...”
Huh?
Reni slumped to the ground and immediately wrapped her arms around my leg. Her eyes, looking up at me, were brimming with tears.
"Please...."
What the hell, where had this sudden outburst come from?
# # #
"P-Please... don't abandon me..."
What, why, why was she suddenly like this. I had no idea what was going on. She'd abruptly stopped trying to dispel the seal and was begging me not to abandon her. Had I ever said I'd abandon her? I hadn't...
"...."
My silence, as I tried to search my memory, seemed to have triggered yet another misunderstanding in Reni.
"I-I-I-I c-can do everything you tell me to! La-Laundry, I can do laundry, and food! I'm good at cooking, too! And I barely eat very much!"
She was practically screaming. It was cute, but her face was drained of color.
"No, no, no... what on earth are you talking about."
She had fallen into a complete panic, and her confusion was starting to spread to me. Why was she talking about something I had never even said?
"I-If I'm abandoned by you, Yoo-jin... it's all over for me... Please, please...."
They said delusions caused abrupt emotional swings, but this was truly the most extreme outburst I'd ever seen.
"No, Reni,"
"D-Don't say no... please... uwehh..."
Now she couldn't even speak! Hoo... First, a deep breath. What was the point if I got flustered, too. I crouched down and met Reni's eyes.
"Reni. I will absolutely never abandon you. Got it?"
"Huh... huh?"
"Calm down. What's gotten into you? There's absolutely no chance I'll abandon you."
"Hic... uwehh..."
"What's wrong? It's okay. Calm down."
I pulled Reni into my arms. Reni buried her face in my chest, her body trembling. Her arms wrapped around me tightly, as if she would never let go.
Just why was she acting like this?
…
The trembling in Reni's body gradually subsided.
"You okay? Calmed down?"
"Y-Yes...."
"Why on earth were you acting like that?"
"..."
At last, Reni began to tell her story. It was hard to follow because she rambled all over the place, but I managed to catch a few things.
Ever since she was little, her Divine Power had been weak; everyone else had graduated, but she hadn't; she was an orphan with no home to return to; without Divine Power, she was useless; if she disappointed me, I might abandon her, and then it would be all over for her...
Her broken voice could have made anyone cry.
...I'd actually been pleased that Reni's Divine Power was weak, because I could use it as a pretext for lewd acts, but to Reni, it had been an immensely serious problem.
-Ding!
[Name: Reni Liberit]
[Traits: ▼]
[Delusion (B): Perceives the world distortedly due to an unhappy past, trauma, a sense of inferiority, complexes, etc. Emotional changes occur abruptly.]
...To the point that she'd developed delusions like this.
But why? Why was Reni's Divine Power so weak? She was supposed to have the powerful Divine Power trait 「Saintess's Awakening」.
-Ding!
[Name: Reni Liberit]
[Traits: ▼]
[Saintess's Trial (SS)]
[Special abilities require a suitable fate.]
[Most Divine Power is sealed. It will be released if she overcomes psychological shock.]
[Dispel Rate: 0%]
...So that was it. The Reni I knew had never possessed a trait like this. I'd seen 「Saintess's Awakening」 and wondered what exactly had awakened, but apparently she needed to overcome this trial first.
Come to think of it, in Reni's past a year from now, there'd been a brief mention of the village she'd lived in taking damage and people dying.
But it wasn't something that could be dismissed with a quick remark.
Even if, from a third party's perspective, it was an event that stirred no emotion, not even worth remembering, when it actually unfolded right before your own eyes...
I could easily call it 'trauma,' but it wasn't that simple, was it. And Reni was terrified just of going into a dungeon, so if people died right in front of her....
Hm...
...If I didn't get rid of this goddamn trait, no matter how many buffs Reni received, she'd keep living in this state of despair.
But what could I possibly...
…
"Calmed down now?"
"Ngh... yes..."
Her emotions changed quickly, and she regained her composure sooner than I'd expected. Good. Now we could have a serious conversation.
"Reni. Look at me for a second?"
"...Yes?"
I met her eyes.
“Reni, when I spoke with Kate, I only asked you to travel with me as far as West Keep. This was supposed to be a temporary journey together.”
"..."
"But I want to keep being with you even after that, Reni."
"Ah...."
"How about it?"
At my implied suggestion, joy briefly lit Reni’s face before giving way to embarrassment. Her cheeks turned bright red.
"......I... I'd like that..."
"Good."
Again, a brief embrace.
"Calmed down now?"
"Y-Yes... I-I'm sorry... it's so embarrassing... ngh...."
Reni avoided my gaze, her face burning red. I felt sorry for her.
"...Right."
...
A little while later. Time to do what needed doing. It was time to retrieve this goddamn Holy Sword or whatever and head back. I'd made Reni cry this much; if we returned empty-handed, her tears would have been meaningless. You piece of junk, I was going to claim you, no matter what. First, I took a deep breath.
"Reni. Would you wait outside for a moment?"
"Huh?"
Reni's face went white in an instant. It wasn't what you were thinking.
"No, no. That's not it. I'm absolutely not abandoning you. I've just got something I need to think about. I need to concentrate. It's because of this Holy Sword."
"Ah... okay..."
"I need to concentrate, so don't peek inside. Got it? Absolutely? You absolutely can't look?"
"Huh? Yes..."
Tch. If it weren't for this goddamn Holy Sword... Reni shuffled unsteadily out the door.
Good. I'd sent her out.
So now,
"Let's see who wins, you goddamn lump of scrap metal."
I pulled down my pants.
# # #
[Masturbation can earn points...]
[Vital Essence: 540 / 550]
[Current Dispel Rate: 25%]
'I knew it would work...'
I felt utterly deflated. Yes, I should have known. From the moment the description said I had been granted a Holy attribute, I had suspected this might happen. My semen had a Holy attribute. Of course it did; I was a Sex Warrior. I had tried not to think about it, but here we were. I was too tired even to curse...
Again...
[Vital Essence: 530 / 550]
[Current Dispel Rate: 31%]
...
[Vital Essence: 520 / 550]
[Current Dispel Rate: 35%]
...
"Screw this!"
At this rate, when would it ever end?! Was I supposed to stand here jerking off all day?! Or come back tomorrow and jerk off again?!
-Knock knock.
"Y-Yoo-jin?"
"Ah! No! Wait! Not yet!"
I cracked the door open and reassured Reni.
"Just wait a little longer. I think something's working. Got it?"
"Okay..."
Reni looked a bit tired.
I went back to masturbating...
…
No. Hold on. There was a way.
…
..
.
[Specialized Skill Proposal Form]
[Under Review...]
[The skill meets the conditions.]
[Registering...]
[Would you like to purchase the 「Premature Ejaculation」 skill?]
[▶Yes / No]
...And so, I created the Premature Ejaculation skill. By my own will.
...Reni didn't see that, did she?