Interlude - The Weight of Sin
As soon as I opened my eyes, Isis was there to greet me, her eyes rimmed red with worry. "Luan! Are you awake?"
"Sister…."
"Yes! It's me, Isis. Do you know who I am?"
"…I'm not suffering from amnesia."
"Still, you can never be too sure! Does anything hurt?"
Anyone listening would have thought I was a terminal patient. I clearly hadn't been injured before losing consciousness, yet she was acting like they'd discovered some hidden complication.
"What did the priests say?"
"They said there was nothing wrong. …The Saintess stopped by yesterday too and confirmed you were fine."
"Then there's no issue. Up we go!"
"Stay down! Don't push yourself!"
The moment I tried to sit up, Isis pressed firmly on my chest. The motion brought our faces close enough to feel each other's breath. Seeing her already flushed cheeks burn even brighter, I let out a soft chuckle and reached up to pluck the stray curl of hair clinging to the corner of her mouth.
"What are you doing walking around with this stuck to you?"
"Huh? Ah, t-this is… um…."
When I held the hair up for her to see, she grew visibly flustered. It was black, quite short, thick, and distinctly curly—not like scalp hair at all. Hair like this usually came from one of two places….
Well, it must be armpit hair.
The Isis currently fretting over me couldn't possibly have been sucking some man's cock just moments ago. Still, one thing felt off. Whether she shaved or was naturally hairless, her armpits had always been perfectly smooth. I'd confirmed it myself back in the snowy mountains when I'd asked to see her breasts. A strange, uneasy feeling settled over me.
As I stared at the hair with serious intensity, Isis snatched it away in a hurry.
"S-stop staring at that. Let's just talk."
"Talk?"
"Yes. About the note you left me."
"Ah, that one."
I had summoned Isis, scribbled a memo on my chest, and fallen asleep. The message was simple: both the Saintess and I had been overpowered by succubi in the cave, and the student council had stepped in to rescue us. It was a request to completely conceal my own role.
"Why would you ask for something like that?"
Isis clearly couldn't understand my decision.
"There are circumstances."
"Then tell me what those circumstances are. Is it something you can't even share with your sister?"
Isis, who usually let things slide, was unusually persistent this time. It showed just how serious she considered the matter. Unfortunately, I still couldn't reveal the truth to her.
"…I'm sorry."
"Does the Saintess know?"
"Huh? The Saintess?"
"Yes. Does she know?"
Why was the Saintess suddenly being brought up? Even as confusion filled me, an absurd laugh slipped out.
"No way. The Saintess lost consciousness the same as me. I only just woke up, so there wasn't any time to tell her."
"Really? Then will you tell her the next time you meet?"
"…No. I can't tell her this. Especially not the Saintess."
I violated you by force to save you. Anyone who could say that out loud would be either trash or an idiot. The kind-hearted Saintess would probably forgive me if I explained the full situation, but that would be repaying kindness with enmity. I simply didn't have the courage.
Whether my firm answer pleased her or not, Isis's lips twitched into a small smile and she nodded.
"I see. If it's that important, it can't be helped."
"By the way, what happened after I passed out? Did they catch all the Dark Church members?"
Now that they knew the bastards had infiltrated the Academy, both the Church and the Academy would surely have taken action.
At my question, Isis's expression hardened.
"I'm not sure if it was all of them, but they caught several. When they tried to interrogate them, the prisoners suddenly convulsed and transformed into monsters. We couldn't dig any deeper."
"There was a restriction placed on them."
"Exactly. They didn't even seem to know about it themselves. They were nothing but tools."
It meant they'd been treated as disposable from the start, ready to be discarded the moment they were exposed. One question lingered in my mind.
Why didn't Meloni have a seizure?
The method had been quite different, but I'd tried interrogating her with pain as well. She should have convulsed, yet she remained relatively lucid until I took direct action. I was curious about the difference.
Could it be because of the Pure Flame?
At the time, Meloni's mana rod had been completely overtaken by the Pure Flame. If that interference had prevented the restriction from activating, it would explain everything.
The Saintess might know.
I'd have to ask indirectly.
"Sister. Has the Saintess woken up yet?"
"…Yes. Why, are you worried?"
"A little. Should I go see her?"
Strike while the iron is hot. I sat up, kicked off the blanket, and swung my legs off the bed. Isis immediately put on a sulky face, lifted my feet back onto the mattress, covered me again, and gently pushed me back down.
"You can't overdo it. Stay put."
"But I'm really fine."
"No. …Instead, I'll call the Saintess. She came by yesterday and asked me to summon her the moment you woke up."
"Oh, really? Then please do."
If that was the case, she should have mentioned it sooner. I smiled at the welcome news and made my request. Isis added one small condition.
"…That's not enough. Say it with aegyo."
"What?"
"Quickly. Do it."
Was I the type older women fell for? Both Meloni and Isis seemed eager to hear me act cute. What was so appealing about a grown man acting spoiled…? I decided to fulfill my own ulterior motives under the guise of aegyo.
I pulled Isis close, wrapping my arms fully around her petite frame and breathing in her sweet scent.
"Eek! L-L-Luan?"
I whispered into her ear.
"Noona."
"Y-yes?"
"Please. I only have you, noona. You know that, right?"
"Eek…!"
It seemed the aegyo had worked perfectly. Her ears and neck flushed bright red, and the skin touching mine burned hot. After savoring the feel of her body for a moment, I released her. Isis practically tumbled off the bed in her haste.
"I-I-I'll go call the Saintess. Wait here. Understood?"
"Yes. Take your time."
I waved goodbye. About five minutes later, the door opened and the Saintess stepped inside.
"Lord Luan! You're awake!"
"Yes. Good to see you. How are you, Saintess? Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm perfectly fine! There was a tiiiny little problem, but nothing serious!"
Come to think of it, I knew the womb tattoo on her lower belly hadn't disappeared.
She's going to have a hard time.
Since I knew exactly what had happened to her, it didn't bother me. But any normal man who saw that tattoo would immediately assume the worst. After all, only women who'd fallen to rock bottom usually got them. I smiled bitterly.
"Well, that's a relief."
"More importantly, Lord Luan! About that promise we made last time—"
"Promise?"
"Yes. The brea— Mmph! Mmmph?"
This woman was trying to get me killed! I quickly clamped my hand over her mouth before she could say "breasts."
"Shh! Keep your voice down!"
My eyes were fixed behind her. Isis was watching us with a razor-sharp gaze. Her lips parted.
"Luan? What promise?"
"Ah, it's just that when she helped with this incident, I asked her to grant me one wish! You never know when I might need the Saintess's assistance again!"
"Is that so? But I could have sworn I heard you say 'breasts' just now."
"Not at all. Breasts? I must have been talking about the promise we made in front of the humidifier. Right, Saintess?"
When I shot her a deadly look, the Saintess finally caught on and nodded obediently. Even so, Isis's eyes remained sharp.
"Really? It's not something like 'if you help this time, I'll let you touch my breasts,' is it?"
"Of course not. No matter what, how could I touch the Saintess's breasts? I have no desire to be dragged away by the inquisitors."
"…I see. If you say so, it must have been my mistake. Continue your conversation."
If she wanted us to keep talking, she could at least leave the room. My mouth itched to say it, but doing so would only revive the suspicions I'd barely managed to dispel. I obediently followed her suggestion.
The Saintess and I changed the subject and began exchanging meaningless small talk.
*
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Saintess!"
Another person left, and silence settled over the confessional once more. The Saintess stood and stretched with a groan.
"Uuuuugh…! My body's been so stiff lately. Maybe I need more exercise?"
Yet she hadn't gained any weight. If anything, she'd simply missed a few days of her daily martial arts training. Tilting her head, she sat back down, pulled a martial arts manual from the drawer behind her, and resumed reading.
"Hmm… Is it like this?"
From her seated position, she mimicked the forms shown in the book with only her hands. She analyzed the hidden principles within and made them her own. If Luan saw it, he would be unable to contain his admiration. Beautiful appearance, enormous breasts, the Saintess, and top-tier talent in martial arts—she had received every blessing the world had to offer.
As she diligently studied the text, the Saintess suddenly thought of Luan. The day after he regained consciousness, she'd visited again. When they were alone, she'd tried to fulfill their promise, but after all his teasing about it being "just a taste," he'd avoided her the moment the time actually came. Worried he might be ill, she'd examined him, but found nothing wrong. In the end, she'd decided to grant him one wish and treat the original promise as if it had never existed.
"How strange…."
What could have caused such a sudden change of heart? The guilt that had lingered in his eyes was suspicious too. But no matter how much she pondered, no answer would come. She had never been good at reasoning, and there simply weren't enough clues.
Deciding to give up, she was about to refocus on the book when a new visitor arrived.
Clack. The door opened and closed. Silence followed.
The Saintess, waiting for the visitor to speak, cautiously broke the quiet.
"Brother or sister? Are you there?"
"……."
"Hello?"
No answer came no matter how many times she called. It seemed they'd simply opened the door and left. Such people appeared from time to time—they'd summon the courage to knock, only to lose their nerve at the last second and flee.
Assuming this was another such case, the Saintess pouted.
"Tsk! Coming all the way here just to run away. It's not like I hear confessions every day. You've missed your chance!"
"…Saintess."
"You'll regret it for the rest of— Eh? Eek!? Y-you were still there?"
Startled by the voice coming from across the partition, the Saintess quickly changed the subject with an awkward laugh.
"W-what brings you here today? If you have sins, confess them all!"
"……Not long ago, I committed a grave sin against my benefactor."
"Against your benefactor?"
"Yes. I did something that should never be done."
The voice was deadly serious. The speaker clearly understood the weight of their crime and was reflecting deeply. It was exactly the kind of visitor the Saintess had hoped for when she first began hearing confessions. She smiled warmly.
"Why did you sin against your benefactor?"
"…It was a situation where I had no choice."
"No choice but to sin?"
"Yes. My benefactor's life was in danger. To save him, I had to commit the sin."
The Saintess looked puzzled. The visitor was extremely reluctant to name the specific sin. Without knowing the exact crime, she couldn't infer the situation, so she could only offer a standard response.
"Then why not tell your benefactor the truth? If you're reflecting this deeply, I'm sure they'll forgive you."
"…They probably would. My benefactor is too kind. They'd forgive me easily. But I cannot forgive myself."
"You can't forgive yourself?"
"I've never considered that before. But… yes. I can't forgive myself. Because I'll have to keep committing sins in the future."
It was a truly difficult problem. The visitor was clearly someone who would continue to commit crimes. She wondered whether she should arrest them immediately.
As she pondered, the Saintess suddenly realized the voice was familiar.
I've heard this voice before.
It hadn't come to mind right away, so it couldn't have been a frequent encounter. Yet the single meeting must have left a strong impression. Calmly searching her memory, she soon realized the visitor's identity.
"You!"
It was definitely the voice of the Thigh Villain! The molester she had failed to catch had returned to her confessional.
She sprang up and rushed outside, grabbing the doorknob on the visitor's side. When she felt no movement at all, she froze.
"…Why aren't you running?"
"Should I run?"
"Aren't you the molester from that time?"
"……."
The silence was all the confirmation she needed.
"I don't understand you. Why did you come back?"
"…To confess my sins."
"Is that all?"
"Yes. If I don't let it out like this, I won't be able to move forward. I cannot stop. I must keep running endlessly."
Self-loathing and a fierce hatred toward someone radiated from his voice. Faced with that, the Saintess couldn't bring herself to press him on his crime. She released the doorknob and returned to her seat.
"I won't arrest you."
"Is that alright?"
"Yes. You're already living in endless suffering. You're paying for your sins. There's no need to capture you."
"…As expected, Saintess, you really are too kind."
"Hmph! Flattery won't work. Now leave. And don't come back!"
"Understood. Thank you."
After expressing his gratitude, the visitor departed. Left alone, the Saintess clutched the rosario on her chest with both hands and offered a prayer for him.
"Goddess, please watch over this young lamb."
May he not fall into despair.