The Saintess and I, Alone in a Room (2)
The moment I realized I’d fallen into a trap, I whipped my head toward the door. I still had time to escape. If anyone asked later why I left, I could just say I’d forgotten something in my lodgings or that an urgent matter had suddenly come to mind. Never mind the excuses—right now, the only thought filling my head was that I had to get out of here.
After all, this was Freya Badanis. A massive pervert who enjoyed self-harm by recklessly using healing magic that took parts of her own body as the price, all while basking in the pitying stares of others. On top of that, she was a hedonist who would do absolutely anything in pursuit of even stronger pleasure. Just being in the same room as her made my skin crawl.
But then—
Bang! The door slammed shut. The guide who had led me here had closed it with firm finality. Now it felt awkward to leave.
“…”
“…”
Thanks to that, the two of us were left alone in this space. The silence was unbearably uncomfortable. As I floundered, unsure what to say, Freya was the first to speak.
“Sure.”
At her gesture, I sat down politely in the chair across from her. Freya clapped her hands together and asked,
“Yes, thanks to you I was able to go back with an easy mind.”
“Really? That’s wonderful. Let me say it again—I’m truly sorry about what happened back then. I feel so ashamed.”
“Hahaha, it’s fine.”
“Is it? If it wasn’t fine, I was thinking I should receive some punishment from you, Lord Sieg. What a shame. For example… maybe you could spank my bottom?”
“Excuse me?”
What the hell did I just hear?
“I’m joking. Hehe~?”
Freya winked and made a playful face. But it didn’t feel like a joke at all. Knowing the perverted saintess I was dealing with, she was more than capable of meaning it. Spanking a woman’s ass as punishment… it didn’t sound like a bad experience. Still, making even the slightest contact with Freya for the sake of momentary pleasure was something I absolutely refused to do. After today, we’d never see each other again anyway.
After exchanging a few more simple greetings, Freya finally got to the main point.
She explained why this interview had been added. The recent incident with High Priest Gray during the exam had caused a massive scandal that shook the entire One God Church. A high-ranking priest responsible for an entire city had been caught distributing demonic items—an absolutely unforgivable offense. That was why they had added this extra step to the healer selection process.
Of course, the interviews for appointing priests were supposedly much stricter, but this one was relatively simple by comparison.
“Of course~.”
Yeah, sure, I understood. From what I’d heard, storming out of here would get my healer license revoked. If they said jump, I had to jump. Once I finished this one last step, got my license, and disappeared without a word, all I needed was a little patience.
“A favor? What is it?”
“It’s a personal request. Hehe.”
A personal request…? An ominous chill ran down my spine, but I slowly nodded.
“Go ahead and tell me.”
“Of course! Heal—huh?”
My spine reflexively almost cast the spell. The moment I started to raise my arm and chant, my mind cooled down and one question rose to the surface.
Why would Freya Badanis, the Saintess of the Church, ask me to use healing magic on her? Was this truly a pure request? Or was there some sinister ulterior motive? And most importantly—was Freya actually in a condition that required healing right now?
Thanks to those doubts, I was able to ask calmly.
When Freya used healing magic, she offered parts of her own body as the price. Because of that, she was careful with it, but her magic was far stronger and more advanced than anyone else in the Church, so there were times when such sacrifices were necessary. That was why the Church regularly had high priests and priests heal her so she could use her magic whenever needed. Therefore, during external activities like this, her body should already be in perfect condition.
Freya tilted her head with a disappointed expression. Honestly, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I was the kind of guy who used healing magic whenever it was needed. I never held back. Normally, that is.
Freya wiggled her hips right in front of me as she begged. My hand twitched. My mouth opened.
I bet it would. I admit it. Fuck, how am I supposed to hold back against this?
But I had to. Unlike with Akasha, my instincts were screaming at me. Absolutely do not do it. If I did, I’d be crossing a river with no way back. I didn’t know what kind of river, but still—no! Damn it! The table’s set, so why can’t I eat?
“Yes. You are making me uncomfortable.”
I answered honestly. I figured if I put it this bluntly, even Freya wouldn’t push any further.
“Huh?”
What the hell was she saying? Freya wasn’t a normal woman. She was a complete perverted lunatic.
She wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, her face flushed red. This was clear proof that my decision not to use magic had been correct.
Her breathing grew rougher and rougher. I sensed that things were getting dangerous.
God? Any god of the One God Church, please help me!
In an emergency, wanting to rely on someone was only human instinct. I had been an atheist from my previous life until now, but I prayed for any god to save me.
Maybe the prayer worked, because at that exact moment—
Knock knock knock.
—Saintess, the meeting with the high priests will begin shortly. Please conclude the interview before it gets too late.
It was the voice of the guide who had brought me here. Salvation had arrived.
—Understood, Saintess.
In an instant, Freya returned to her pure and elegant demeanor as if nothing had happened. She straightened her disheveled clothes and became the noble Saintess once more.
“Hahaha. Of course.”
I nodded vigorously in agreement. Denying it now would be the same as acknowledging everything she had shown earlier.
That was genuinely good news. Freya stood up from her seat. Then, with a gentle smile, she asked,
“No. As soon as I receive my license, I plan to head to the Goshura Great Forest.”
“The Goshura Great Forest? Isn’t that the old territory of the beastmen? Why would you go there?”
“It’s a personal reason, so it’s a bit hard to explain. Hahaha.”
I couldn’t tell her I was going to keep my promise to Akasha, so I couldn’t give a detailed explanation. Fortunately, Freya didn’t press any further.
Freya rattled off information I hadn’t even asked for. So this was what they called TMI. I nodded with a smile.
With those cryptic words, Freya gave a small bow and left the room.
She had just said she was heading to the imperial capital at the royal family’s summons. Not to the Goshura Great Forest. It didn’t make sense.
Still, there was one thing I now knew for certain.
Gods might actually exist. Because my desperate prayer for salvation from Freya’s threat had been answered.
*
After receiving my license, I immediately went to meet Soho. The meeting place was a famous restaurant in Marleryung—a place renowned for its exquisite meat dishes. Although the prices were no joke, it was the least I could do for Soho, who had contributed greatly to my passing the exam. And more than anything, I needed to get closer to her.
Soho was the younger sister of my favorite, Daeho. Now that the exam was over, I wanted to set up a meeting with him for the future.
Soho laughed after taking a refreshing swig. Seeing her genuinely happy for me made me smile too.
“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Soho. Without you, I would never have passed the written exam.”
Soho turned her head away, her face flushed red.
“Well, thanks to you I get to enjoy this delicious food, so that’s nice.”
Soho picked up the chicken dish in front of her. With every bite, a smile spread across her lips.
“Now that I think about it, you really like chicken, don’t you, Lady Soho?”
Come to think of it, I remembered. The first time I met her, the street food she had been staring at so longingly was chicken skewers. Thinking back on how she could only watch because she didn’t have money, she really was an amusing person.
“For someone who wasn’t interested, you sure ate them well.”
We continued our meal while chatting about trivial things. When the food was mostly finished, Soho asked me,
“I’m heading to the Goshura Great Forest.”
Soho’s mouth fell open in shock. It was understandable. The place had a strong image of danger since it was the beastmen’s territory. Most people would never go near it. But that wasn’t why she was surprised.
“Huh?”
Her words left me stunned. And then it hit me—why Freya had said we would meet again soon.