The Pure Priestess's Heartless Courage
That evening, Elysia was on duty for dinner.
She stood in the kitchen wearing her apron as usual.
This kind of small task was one of the things she had been insisting on since she started living here.
Of course, at first, neither Lucia nor Boris had let her do the chores.
They said they didn't want a young lady from a noble family to do rough work, but now that they've become close, it's become natural to let her do the chores without hesitation.
Today's dinner was a salad made with seasonal vegetables, a northern dish of mashed potatoes wrapped with bacon, and chicken grilled without excess fat and stew.
It wasn't a particularly difficult dish to make, but Lucia had come to help, saying she would assist.
Actually, when this kind of situation arose, Lucia was usually the one who liked to chat, but today was no exception.
“…… Well, Ria, did you hear that? Tina made a big hole in the temple's back yard without me knowing, right?”
“Hole?”
“A trap to catch wolves, I guess. What kind of stupid wolf would come down here? It was probably made just for fun and then forgotten. But that little one made the trap so cleverly that Theo slipped and fell in, covered in dirt.”
“Ah. So you were making the trap. I did warn Tina once, but I didn't think it would still be there… Did the priest Theo get hurt?”
“Don't say that. Theo is a bit slow, right? He tried to get out of the pit alone and ended up rolling bigger, I heard his ankle twisted.”
“Poor thing.”
“So now Rosa is taking care of him, and they're together. Maybe it's a good thing?”
“Rosa? Why?”
“Why, of course. They're dating.”
“Eh, really?”
“Ehehe~ You really didn't know. You have really late information. They've been dating for half a year already?”
“Um… I haven't seen the two of them talking at the temple, so I didn't know. Rosa is really mature. I can't imagine her with Theo…”
“She's too earnest, which is actually a plus. Rosa also has a bit of a unique taste.”
“Is liking serious people unusual?”
“Theo has suffered a lot because of his personality. Being too kind is also a flaw.”
Lucia watched the skilled knife work with a satisfied smile and playfully pinched Elysia's shoulder.
“And you should open your ears and live. If rumors spread like this among people working in the same temple, what will happen? There's more reason to get closer to the temple people besides me and Tina.”
“No way. I have… friends.”
“Oh my. Who? Tina?”
“……”
Elysia pouted and lowered her head.
… If I say the truth, I have imaginary friends, I would have to sit and listen to a sermon with Tina who dug the pit.
“Being delicate and elegant like a noble lady is good, but don't build too high walls. You're already noticeable in appearance and behavior, and everyone has a hard time approaching you. When you're outside, your expression is cold and your tone is sharp.”
“…… I didn't do it on purpose…”
“Then it's good. Laugh more often outside like you do at home.”
“Um… like this?”
She pulled her lips with her fingers and raised them quietly. Lucia smiled bitterly and retracted her words.
“… No good. Strange people will get hooked more. Don't laugh outside.”
Is smiling that strange…?
Elysia, a bit hurt, accelerated her knife work as a protest. At that moment, the stew in the pot started boiling and released a sweet aroma.
Lucia enjoyed the food with full breath and naturally changed the topic.
“Ehehe~ It smells delicious. It's a feast as usual. Thank you as always. I live thanks to Ria's cooking.”
“I didn't do anything special.”
“If it weren't for you, I would have suffered all kinds of illnesses before turning thirty. For your sake, please delay marriage or independence as much as possible. Of course, it's a joke.”
Independence.
It was probably a casual remark, but the moment I heard the word, it felt like a huge stone was placed on Elysia's chest.
Elysia secretly licked her lips.
Let's try to bring it up carefully. There might be a chance outside now.
“Unnie, about that……”
“Hm? Why?”
“Um… maybe……”
“Hm.”
I checked Lucia's reaction.
This is the chance now that the words are out.
Elysia had already made up her mind.
“Can I… become independent?”
***
“………… The culprit is you?”
“Eh?”
Somehow, I ended up eating dinner again today.
It was the first time in a while that I stayed at someone's house for two nights without any special business.
Originally, since I was brought here by the goddess, I had no proper base. The only place to stay was this temple, and even that was because of Lucia's consideration.
I answered Neir's gift of a key bluntly, but in my heart, I was thinking about preparing a home from tomorrow morning.
In the midst of that, I realized that Lucia was staring at me.
“The culprit? What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?”
“Oppa dug the pit and mom got angry.”
Tina cut in Lucia's answer.
Since fork eating was not going well, Tina was playing with the soft tomatoes in the stew.
“Pit?”
“It was a trap for catching wolves. I put something the wolf wouldn't like in it, and Theo oppa fell in. How stupid.”
Tina clicked her tongue. She would be scolded big time soon.
But even with Tina's confession, Lucia kept her back straight and watched me with displeasure.
I opened my mouth first, thinking there might be a misunderstanding.
“I don't know anything. I haven't dug any pits following Tina.”
“Huhu… But in some sense, it could be a trap. The wolf got caught. The thief who put Ria in the trap is probably Gray, you.”
“That's right oppa, stealing is bad!”
“Ugh! The daughter who secretly played dangerous pranks doesn't have the right to speak.”
Lucia warned Tina, “Don't make a pit in the temple carelessly, you'll be scolded again later.”
Tina pretended to be unaware and put bacon rolls in her mouth.
“Gray, you weren't that, were you?”
“I don't know.”
“Our Ria who has never gone astray until now.”
“Yes.”
“…… Suddenly, out of the blue, declared independence.”
“Independence? Elysia, you're leaving to live?”
Now that I think about it, Elysia had been quiet since earlier, eating rice with a spoon awkwardly, her lips moving as she lowered her head.
Her ears peeking through her hair were bright red and stiff.
Her hands trembling made it seem like she might drop the utensils at any moment.
For some reason, it seemed difficult for her to look at me properly.
“…… Ah… um…… That is…”
Elysia nodded with a mosquito-sized voice.
“…… I've been a burden to unnie for a long time… Now that I'm old enough to be independent… I can't receive help forever…”
“No, Ria. You shouldn't think impulsively. There are still 10 years! No, 20 years more, you know?”
“Even so, leaving the parish is a bit… burdensome… As a priest of Astasia, I want to learn from unnie or the parish head…”
“That's right. There's nothing but wolves outside. It's too scary for a world like this for someone as pure as you to be independent.”
“I know my situation like unnie says. There might be more people who will cling to me like a supervisor 'Elysia'. When that time comes, I might not be able to do it alone… I know it's shameless…”
Lucia tried hard to change Elysia's mind from the side, but Elysia was leaning towards me.
There was definitely something she wanted to say to me, not Lucia.
Twitch, twitch….
“Um… Priest Neir said… um… gift…”
“Ah, that? I went there because I had time before dinner, and it seemed decent.”
“So… for me… Theo… gift… so… um… so……”
“Hm.”
“Haa… Calm down, calm down. Inhale… inhale… inhale…”
Elysia struggled to breathe in with her trembling breath.
She inhaled only three times. Now exhale.
“Gray!”
“Eh…? Eh…”
“Um, if what I'm saying now… if you don't like it, you can refuse anytime.”
“I know.”
“Truly, if it's a little strange, burdensome, or I look weird or pitiful, you have to refuse immediately.”
“What are you talking about…? I won't. Tell me.”
“Really. Accept it without thinking. Um… lightly…”
“I know. I'll think lightly.”
Even after saying that, Elysia kept her mouth shut for a long time.
“The house that Priest Neir gave as a gift…”
“Hm.”
“Um……”
“……………”
“……… Me too.”
“Hm.”
“………… Can we… go together?”
“Hm. If you want.”
I nodded without much thought.
There were a couple of rooms.
I also received a free room, so sharing one with Elysia wasn't difficult.
It should have been.
It must have been.
Elysia was strangely quiet, so I looked up and saw her staring at me with a dumbfounded face.
Her mouth opened in a triangle was probably proof that she hadn't understood my words yet.
Puff!
Her face turned redder than the tomato stew.
Her lips trembled while suppressing a smile mixed with embarrassment and joy, and her gaze was spinning wildly.
I was worried she might collapse, but before that, Elysia stood up from her seat.
“Eh, ehehehe… unnie!! Is it okay to bring back the temple food?!”
“Absolutely not.”
“Together… together… with Gray… ehehehe”
“Ria? If you laugh like that, it looks bad. It's not confirmed yet. Moreover, this unnie can't permit…”
“…… From now on… living with Gray…… Calm down, Elysia. It's not a dream… Aah! It hurts… It's not a dream! A dream… When I wake up in the morning, Gray is there, when I eat lunch, Gray is there, even when I lie down at night, Gray is… Gray… Gray… ehehehe… Haa…”
“……… Already, broken.”
“It’s okay, Astasia-nim. Lagnea-nim. Thank you very much. My ten years wasn't a bit wasted.”
“Ria? I'm not Astasia-nim. Why are you like that, snap out of it.”
“…… Snap?”
“Yes, snap!”
“………… Now…… from now on… so…… A prayer has been fulfilled. It's okay, it's okay.”
“………….”
“…… Unnie. My head suddenly hurts.”
“………….”
“……… I'll go get some fresh air…”
The voice with a strange tone and a bit of hiccup was loose like drunk.
Elysia walked out with unsteady steps.
If she shows such emotional expressions even when dealing with others outside, it would be good.
Lucia sighed and drank water.
“Elysia, did she eat something wrong? Why is she like that?”
“…… What are you saying? It's nothing.”
“Is it nothing? What are you talking about.”
“Living with Ria. Is it serious?!”
“Eh? I have my own room, so of course it's possible.”
“…… Are kids these days really this cool? No, even so…”
Lucia was looking at me with a confused face. At that moment, Tina tilted her head and said.
“Ria unnie, what about the treasures? Are they going to be left behind?”
Treasures?
I quietly pondered Tina's somewhat out-of-place words and belatedly recalled hiding under her bed for half a day because of Neir's gift.
It was true that I had a lot to think about because of Neir's gift for half a day, but my memory wasn't bad enough to forget what happened yesterday.
Only then did I realize my mistake.
Living with Elysia.
Living together? Meaning living together? Yes.
Since it's a house.
“………….”
Huh?
House?
Wait a minute. What's strange?
“Priestess Lucia.”
“Um.”
“It's about a man and woman living in the same house.”
“……… What?”
“That’s different from using adjacent rooms in the same hotel or inn, right…?”
“……… What kind of talk is this?”
“No, no, um…”
“………”
“I’ve never settled anywhere until now… so the concept of ‘house’… isn’t there… so it’s similar to that…”
I was fumbling for excuses.
Living together. So. If it's a house. It's a completely different issue from using a room next to a hotel.
Elysia is a priest.
A priest of the goddess Astasia who protects purity and nobility.
Wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
So, what was Elysia thinking when she made such a proposal…?
“……… Cool!”
……… What am I doing right now?
No, how do I fix this?