Staff Reduction (4)
I groaned softly. Ugh, my head is killing me.
When I looked around to figure out where I was, I realized I was in my own bedroom. Recalling the last thing I remembered made a sigh escape me involuntarily.
So I really did get carried all the way here.
It had happened so quickly after I got drunk that there was nothing I could do about it. I kicked my legs a few times under the blanket to vent my dark history, then got up, drank some cold water, and headed to the bathroom to wash my face.
“Ugh, my stomach…”
Come to think of it, I had tried to heal my drunken state with divine power last night and failed. I moved my divine power again to give it another shot.
“Wow, I should’ve done this from the start.”
The hangover disappeared so cleanly that I felt nothing but regret. Well, it was just detoxifying the alcohol left in my body, so of course divine power would work. I had never tried using divine power while drunk before, so I hadn’t known.
It felt just like when I was practicing divine power as a kid.
These days I used divine power as naturally as breathing, but back then it had been nothing like that.
“Time to go pray.”
I left the room and entered the prayer room, only to find Sister Melody already there.
“Did you sleep well?”
“…Yes. And you, Sister?”
“I’m fine. I didn’t drink, after all. How’s your hangover?”
“I treated it with divine power. I think I behaved disgracefully while drunk last night. I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing.”
“You even carried me all the way to my room. Wasn’t I heavy?”
No matter how strong she was, being carried like that by a woman was an embarrassing experience.
“Not at all. That much is nothing. What I usually lift during training is much heavier.”
“Ah… I see.”
I probably shouldn’t have brought it up at all. The more I said, the more damage I seemed to be doing to myself.
“Will you eat after prayers?”
“Yes.”
“How about spicy fish soup? I’m not sure if you like spicy food.”
“I’ll try it.”
After finishing prayers and eating with Sister Melody, I headed into the infirmary. I greeted the priests who had already arrived for work, but…
“Father Arthur! Is it true you came in being carried by a woman yesterday?”
“…You’re making my heart race first thing in the morning with that question.”
It had been the middle of the night, yet apparently someone had seen it.
“Oh my, it must be true. Are you two really dating now?”
“Of course not. It’s nothing like that.”
One of the priests said that if it wasn’t, then I absolutely had to clear things up.
“If it’s not, you need to explain properly. That rumor is spreading like wildfire right now.”
“Why on earth is this turning into a rumor?”
It hadn’t even been a full day—just a few hours. The fact that it was spreading so rapidly left me dumbfounded.
“Because it’s you, Father Arthur. It can’t be helped, can it?”
“What do you mean it can’t be helped because it’s me? What did I even do?”
I felt wronged. All I had done was work hard running the temple…
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You have such high reputation, after all. People can’t help but be interested in something like your first romance. Besides, when it comes to anything involving you, Father Arthur, there are plenty of people in this temple who jump on it like hawks.”
“Huh? Me?”
Was she really talking about me right now?
“When did I ever have such a high reputation?”
The priest looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“Aren’t you paying too little attention to yourself? The reason our temple didn’t collapse and grew to this size is entirely thanks to you, Father Arthur. Everyone knows that—how could you not know?!”
“…No one ever told me.”
“That’s not even the end of it! Your skills are excellent, so you always take on the patients others find difficult to treat. If anyone has questions, you kindly teach them everything. And you’re saying your reputation isn’t high?”
“Ah, why are you doing this to me first thing in the morning?”
I was already embarrassed enough from drunkenly acting out last night, and now hearing all this left my mind completely blank.
“Hmm.”
Sister Melody, who had been watching the situation from a short distance away, looked at me with a strange expression.
“…Anyway, the important thing right now seems to be this rumor. Could you tell me more about it? I have no idea how bad the situation has gotten.”
“To put it simply, the rumor that the two of you have become romantically involved has spread throughout the entire temple.”
“That was just me getting drunk and her bringing me back.”
I had been carried into my quarters late at night. I had expected some subtle rumors linking the two of us might arise. And sure enough, the rumor that emerged was exactly what I had predicted.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk…”
“Ah… Honestly, I did think there might be some other reason. The two of you didn’t give off that kind of vibe at all.”
“Sister, you were just doing your job as my bodyguard, yet this kind of rumor must be so unpleasant for you. Could you help spread the word to clear things up?”
“Of course I can. I’ll do my best to spread your explanation.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t know how many times I would have to say it wasn’t true today, but I resolved to explain myself as diligently as possible to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings.
* * *
It felt like I had spent the entire day pouring all my energy into clearing up the rumor instead of focusing on work. Thanks to that, by dinnertime the rumor had died down considerably, and no one was looking at us with suspicious eyes anymore.
But once something like this started, there was no telling when it might flare up again if the right opportunity arose.
“I don’t mind, so you don’t have to work so hard.”
Sister Melody must have found my anxious fidgeting unpleasant to watch, because she finally told me it was fine and I could stop.
“We need to pull this out by the roots right now. We have to make sure this kind of thinking never happens again.”
“If you’re worried about your reputation, I’ll step forward myself and resolve the situation.”
I wasn’t an idiot—what was she even saying?
“What use would reputation be to a mere priest? What I’m worried about is you, Sister. Don’t inquisitors get excommunicated or removed from their duties if they become personally entangled with someone?”
“…How did you know that?”
“Who else? It was my master, of course.”
Those who had to fight heretics could not afford to create weaknesses. From ancient times, the Evil God had always loved to dig into people’s vulnerabilities. And the weakness that came from building personal relationships could ruin the work they were supposed to do.
“I don’t want to part with Sister Melody over something like this.”
I had finally gotten her accustomed to our temple and she had built decent relationships with the other priests. Most importantly, she thought positively of me.
The sewer heretic corpse cleanup was huge.
Thanks to that terrible ordeal, our relationship had improved noticeably. And now I was supposed to get close to another inquisitor all over again?
Of course, something like this could be brushed off as a funny incident. But these things need to be uprooted completely while they’re still just sprouts.
That way I could prevent any unforeseen situations. That was why I had spent the whole day desperately explaining myself everywhere.
“I didn’t mention that I knew because I thought it might make you uncomfortable.”
“Yes, but this much isn’t a big problem. So you don’t need to look so lost.”
“Alright. I’ll tone it down.”
Too much denial could actually raise suspicions, so it was probably time to ease off. Everyone seemed to believe my explanations anyway.
Just when it seemed like the matter was settling more lightly than I had thought…
“Father Arthur!”
“Hmm?”
“I… I like you.”
I ended up receiving a confession… completely out of nowhere.
* * *
“There was that rumor going around that you were seeing someone else.”
“Yes.”
“That’s when I realized. That I had feelings for you, Father.”
I never imagined that incident would lead to something like this.
“I’m not expecting you to accept my feelings. I know my place.”
“Why would you say something like that? You’re more than lovable enough to be loved.”
“But that love won’t come from you, Father Arthur.”
“……”
I felt ashamed. Sadly, I had never once seen her as a woman.
I’ve been calling them chicks in my head. How could I date something like that?
I had no choice but to reject her feelings, but that didn’t mean she was lacking in any way.
“I have many shortcomings. That’s why I can’t accept your heart, so please don’t blame yourself. You’ll definitely meet someone much better than me. I’m sure you’ll form a connection with someone far superior to me.”
“I’m not so sure. Could there really be someone better than you, Father?”
“Of course there is. If you just open your eyes and look around a little, you’ll find plenty of people better than me.”
“Tsk.”
Unfortunately, my words didn’t seem to be getting through to her at all. Still, I stubbornly continued trying to comfort her.
“Do you know? The harder you try to comfort me like this, the harder it becomes for me to let go of my feelings.”
“Ah…”
I had only been trying to console her out of guilt because I had no choice but to reject her, but it seemed my kindness was acting like poison to her right now.
“Then… what should I do?”
Now that even the one thing I could do was being rejected, I had no idea what to do.
She must have found my flustered state amusing, because she burst into bright laughter.
“I was sad about being rejected just a moment ago, but thanks to you, Father, I don’t think I can stay sad forever.”
If this had been the old me, I would have immediately bowed and gratefully accepted. But now I couldn’t make a lover.
There were things I needed to focus on far more than that.
I have to enter the Labyrinth. Where would I find the time to date?
At least until Princess Canaby woke up, overcame her curse, and returned to normal, I couldn’t afford to be distracted by anything else.
“Actually, I was expecting to be rejected, so it’s not that big of a wound. I already knew what kind of look you give me, Father.”
“…Have I been looking at all of you strangely?”
“Not strange, exactly… more like you were looking at young lambs that needed to be taken care of?”
Whether lambs or chicks, they were similar in that they were both raised. It seemed her feelings for me weren’t a lie.
“Did that make you uncomfortable?”
“Rather than uncomfortable, it made my heart flutter. Enough that I thought I wanted to be your little lamb for the rest of my life.”
Oh no! That was another landmine.
I had to keep sweating and struggling while she enjoyed my flustered state for quite a while, until she finally said she was really okay now and left. I spent the whole time breaking out in cold sweat.