#2-8 Runaway Saintess Sharon (Sharon - The Saintess Trapped in a Trap♥) (1)
The next day, a minor commotion stirred in the church. It was none other than the major incident of a saintess fleeing the church.
The runaway saintess was none other than the Second Saintess, Sharon. Having received orders from the council of elders to remain on constant standby within the church, she had vanished by morning, leaving behind only a single note:
[Don't Look for Me]
That was all anyone knew.
A saintess fleeing the church? And at a time when Doom Cultists were popping up everywhere, hiding and appearing unpredictably, making the world more dangerous than ever. Sure, a saintess wouldn't go down easily, but if she ran into trouble wandering alone, the church would turn upside down that very day.
"...That's quite the problem... That girl really can't stay put, can she?"
Even from the Prayer Room deep in the church's heart, a voice leaked out sounding genuinely troubled. This was a private chamber that permitted no intruders. Inside it, shrouded in fabric that revealed only her silhouette, the woman bitterly smiled as she pictured the righteous, hot-blooded Second Saintess.
—Nothing for it but to leave the rest to Him.
She murmured softly to herself, then knelt once more to resume her prayers.
I screwed up.
Saintess Sharon stood alone in a back alley of the capital. Having fled the church in the dead of night, she had wandered the streets aimlessly, unsure where to go, until she ended up here in this alley. She could feel wary eyes from deeper in the shadows, sizing up the unfamiliar intruder.
The capital was dazzling and refined on the surface, but its alleys and outskirts still harbored people like these. The impoverished underclass, homeless and scraping by day to day.
Their stares made Sharon uncomfortable, so she pulled her hood deeper over her face and slipped into another alley. She had to avoid leaving any impression on them. Though it might already be too late.
I rushed out without a plan... At this rate, I'll get caught and dragged back in no time.
Thinking back, she'd been chosen as a saintess in childhood and raised entirely within the church walls. She knew little of the outside world. No connections beyond the church, either. The only face that came to mind was that patron of hers, but she doubted he'd personally help a saintess who'd ditched the church on her own whim. She didn't even know how to contact him.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the holy knights found her. She could take them down easily enough, but if any got hurt in the process, it'd be putting the cart before the horse.
"...The First Saintess... Honestly."
Sharon had rarely even seen the First Saintess. She always stayed secluded in the Prayer Room, offering prayers every day, which kept her from any public activities.
Sharon knew little about her. Just that she came from noble blood. Because of that, the elders seemed to think she was the most reasonable of the saintesses. It was thanks to her that they could throw their weight around so freely. If all three saintesses rebelled against them, the elders clearly wouldn't get their way so easily.
Most of the time, the First Saintess stayed neutral, offering no opinion, or occasionally siding with the elders. And despite rarely showing her face outside, she had plenty of followers. Probably because she'd been a saintess the longest and her noble lineage.
With her in the picture, no matter how much Sharon objected, her voice would be ignored. She'd end up under "standby"—house arrest, basically—helplessly watching soldiers and civilians get slaughtered by that murderer.
That's why she'd snuck out... but like this, she'd just get recaptured soon enough. She needed a hideout somewhere. A trustworthy inn that could conceal her identity would be ideal, but she didn't know any...
"Whoa, you actually exist. Your fortunes are spot-on, huh?"
"?!"
A sudden voice made Sharon duck her head hurriedly. She peeked through her hood toward the sound. Please don't be talking to me, she hoped, but the figure approached without hesitation.
"Saintess Sharon, right? Remember me? What're you doing out here?"
"Uh... Patron?"
She'd first thought it was someone from the church, but no. It was that man she'd just been thinking of. The night patrol sponsor. Owner of Mera Laundry. His name was—
"Gaon... sir."
"That's right. You remembered perfectly."
He clapped lightly in praise. Beside him stood another hooded figure, just like Sharon. She couldn't see her face clearly under the hood, but she seemed embarrassed somehow. And a chain peeked out from her clothes—Gaon held it in his hand.
"More importantly, what are you doing here? Hiding your face like that. Undercover investigation?"
"S-something like that. So please, just pretend you didn't see me..."
Sharon glanced up suddenly. A faint clink of armor echoed from the far end of the alley. Had the knights tracked her here already? If so, she needed to move fast.
She started to bow and hurry off, but Gaon grabbed her.
"You look like you're in a bind. Want some help?"
"...Ah."
"Let me assist you, please. Whether it's undercover work or running away, I want to help however I can."
The armor clanks were definitely closing in. She'd get nabbed by the holy knights at this rate. Sharon hesitated. But no matter how she thought about it, with her own strength, she could only picture herself getting captured and dragged back.
What do I do...?
Feeling the holy knights' presence drawing nearer by the second, Sharon bit her lip in anguish.
In the end, Sharon accepted Gaon's offer. And she quickly realized it wasn't a mistake.
"Here we are, safe and sound."
"...Th-thank you."
In front of Mera Laundry, Sharon finally exhaled in relief, shaking off her tension.
On the way here, she'd spotted several knights searching for her. Each time, she'd thought it was over—but Gaon had evaded them like magic.
To be precise, it wasn't Gaon's doing, but the woman at his side. She'd predicted the knights' appearances and departures with eerie accuracy, like she could see the future.
They moved only when the knights weren't looking or had just left. If they seemed about to appear, they'd hide or wait them out. Somehow, they'd made it without being spotted.
"You don't have anywhere to hide right now, right? Stay here for a while."
"I-is that okay? What if it causes you trouble...?"
"I'm your patron, after all. I want to support whatever you do."
His words eased Sharon's mind further. In a world with no one she could trust, she'd finally found someone reliable.
With that, Sharon entered the Mera couple's laundry. They passed the first floor, where Mrs. Mera and a new employee were working, and headed up to the second floor. Only then did Sharon remove her hood, revealing her face. It had gotten stuffy wearing it so long.
"Thank you again, Hil—er, Sir Gaon. If there's anything I can do to repay you..."
For some reason, "Hilton" lingered in her mind, but Sharon tilted her head and corrected herself. Gaon waved off her talk of repayment with a smile.
"And you—Sion, was it? Thank you too. Thanks to you, we got here without—"
She stopped mid-sentence, freezing solid.
It was because Sion had removed her hood right in front of her—and parted her clothes to the sides.
Beneath, Sion wore nothing at all. Her feminine curves were fully exposed, along with a bright red collar around her neck. The chain leash attached to it was in Gaon's hand.
"Wh...at."
Had she been walking around like this the whole time? Traversing the streets in that state? Why?
"Saintess Sharon."
As Sharon stared in shock and confusion at Sion's state, Gaon called her name softly.
"Welcome again to my home."
He smiled as he said it. But his eyes were already glowing red.
......
Gaon had initially been disappointed in Sion's prophecies, but he soon realized otherwise.
Apparently, the prophecies she provided as a [Visitor] were separate from her personal abilities as Sion herself.
The [Visitor] prophecies were completely random, like oracles from her god—heavy, unavoidable events. In game terms, like advance notice of upcoming events.
Independently, her own powers as a Hero Unit[Fortune Teller] let her foresee near-future events to some degree.
Sharon's escape today, pinpointing her location, and finding a safe route evading the pursuing holy knights—all thanks to Sion's abilities.
"You're more useful than I thought. Got myself a good pet."
"Ah, hee...♡ Glad I could... help...♡"
Naked Sion answered happily as Gaon pinched and tugged her nipples. Her dog collar remained around her neck—the only "clothing" permitted to her as a pet in this house. Though it wasn't clothes.
Standing right before the pair was an equally naked Sharon.
"Hah... Heh... Hic..."
Just like Sion, fingering her own pussy in masturbation. It didn't take long for Sharon to climax, trembling and twitching in front of Gaon...