Chapter 497: Silent Night, Holy Night (9)
Chapter 497: Silent Night, Holy Night (9)
I stood there, momentarily entranced by the Saintess’s presence.
Human senses are surprisingly easy to fatigue. No matter how much one tries to deny it, there is no helping the fact that we grow accustomed to repeated stimuli.
The sense of smell is a prime example.
Even a pungent stench becomes hard to notice after a few minutes. Unless you consciously focus on it, you might not even realize the odor is there.
While the degree of desensitization varies between the five senses, there are no exceptions. Even the sense of touch grows duller in response to repeated contact.
Vision is no different.
The Saintess’s beauty was undoubtedly the finest on the entire Continent. As if to prove her title as the ‘Heavenly God’s most beloved virgin,’ she looked less like a product of chance and more like a meticulously crafted work of art.
Not once had I looked at her without being struck by admiration.
And yet, after seeing her time and again, one eventually adapts even to that divine appearance.
I only realized that natural truth today.
Standing before the Saintess in her unfamiliar attire.
It was a garment that exuded a much stronger sense of divinity than her usual clothes. It was subtly revealing, making it difficult to know where to look, but the visual impact of her beauty was even more overwhelming.
For a long while, I could do nothing but stare at her, lost for words.
All sorts of praises bloomed in my mind only to wither away. No words could fully convey what I was feeling right now.
As the silence stretched, it was the Saintess who grew anxious.
Her pale pink eyes flickered down to scan her own body. With a slight flush creeping onto her face, she asked me cautiously.
“……How do I look?”
“You’re beautiful.”
The answer came as a reflex.
Anyone would have said the same. Not when such a beautiful woman was looking at you with such uncertainty, searching for your reaction.
Thanks to that, I was able to voice my most primal and pure impression. Before she could even question me, I hurriedly added a few more words.
“So much so that… I was momentarily speechless.”
The Saintess didn’t respond immediately.
She wore a dazed expression for a split second, then quickly averted her gaze. Then, with a small cough, she straightened her shoulders as if it were only natural.
She scolded me, feigning indifference.
“Your flattery has improved, Ian.”
“I’m being sincere.”
The Saintess tried her best to act composed, but she couldn't hide the corners of her mouth twitching upward into a grin.
It was obvious from the way she turned this way and that, checking her outfit. She clearly liked the fact that I had praised her clothes.
“This is ceremonial attire prepared by the Holy Kingdom. If my previous priestess robes were the vestments of a ‘Saintess,’ then this is the attire of a ‘Saint.’”
“Then should I call you ‘Saint Lucia’ from now on?”
My joke seemed to please her, as she let out a soft giggle.
“I like the sound of that. But, you are the exception.”
Wading through the pond, the Saintess came to stand right in front of me. Water dripped from her soaked clothes.
The fabric was thin to begin with.
Now that it was wet and clinging to her, it perfectly traced the curves of her sinful body. It almost created the illusion that I could see right through it.
I doubted a Saint’s vestments would be so scandalous.
But then again, who knew? The Saintess surprisingly enjoyed teasing me.
Perhaps she had made a special modification to her ceremonial dress just for today.
It was then that a soft warmth tickled my skin.
“For you, and only you… just call me ‘Lucia.’”
Before I knew it, her face was right before mine. We were at a distance where our breaths mingled, and her pale pink pupils reflected my face like a mirror.
My gaze instinctively drifted toward her lips.
Should I just take her right here?
Barely suppressing my male instincts, I let out a dry, stifled laugh.
“……So I don’t even need to use honorifics anymore?”
“Of course. Not between us.”
What exactly was ‘between us’?
Were we the kind of pair whose love story had spread across the Continent, with romantic plays about us being performed every day?
It was ambiguous. After all, those were just the evaluations of others, not ourselves.
I felt a fated intuition that today might be the day that finally defined our relationship.
“I thought you were busy. How did you make it to the Academy…?”
“Because I wanted to spend the Holy Night Festival with you.”
She was no longer hiding her true feelings.
The destructive power of a direct Saintess was immense. I was momentarily lost for words again, and only then did she pull back with a satisfied smile.
“Do I need a reason to see my man?”
With that, she turned around and splashed back toward the center of the pond.
Framed by curtains of moonlight, the goddess stood in the middle of the water.
Facing me once more, the Saintess smiled gently and opened her arms.
“Now, come in.”
What was she planning?
I couldn't shake the feeling that I was standing at a major crossroads. In the past, I would have jumped into the pond following her words, but a strange premonition held me back.
After hesitating for a long while, a timid excuse escaped my lips.
“My clothes will get wet……”
“Hurry.”
Of course, my resistance was swiftly crushed by her firm voice.
In the end, I sighed and stepped into the pond. The season had shifted from summer to autumn, and the water was icy, matching the cool night air.
It felt as though groundwater was bubbling up from somewhere.
The pond wasn't large. I had only taken a few steps before I was standing right in front of her.
The Saintess was in the middle of a prayer, her hands clasped together.
Eventually, she reached out, and I silently placed my hands over hers.
The moon was exceptionally bright tonight.
“Lord, before You today, another pair of lovers seeks to promise their unchanging love… Since Your eyes are so bright and the calm surface of the water reflects our forms, we swear that all standing here will answer Your questions without a single lie.”
The sight of the Saintess raising her voice with her eyes closed was unrealistically beautiful.
The oath continued like a song. A silver mist of light drifted around us like fog, creating a divine atmosphere.
With a flicker, the glowing halo above her head blinked once.
“Ian Percus, before the moon and the water, I ask you.”
My mind worked sluggishly, as if I were intoxicated.
Those words sounded familiar.
But the Saintess gave me no time to think.
“Do you love me?”
Her sorrowful, pale pink eyes were fixed solely on me.
That gaze alone made my heart feel like it was dropping into my stomach.
Startled, a reflexive answer spilled from my lips.
“Yes, I love you.”
At that, the Saintess wore a faint smile.
As if those were the words she had been dying to hear.
A question filled with delicate happiness followed.
“Can you love me forever?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Life is long, and human emotions are cowardly. Before a burning heart, a cunning tongue often tells lies… Even so, can you swear it?”
“I swear it.”
I was barely in my right mind.
With every answer I gave, the affection in her eyes deepened. I felt as though I would do anything if it meant making the woman before me happy.
And so, I promised once more.
“That I will love you without wavering… I can swear it.”
“Haa…” The Saintess let out a wistful sigh.
She stood there for a while with her head bowed in silence.
As if she wanted to cherish the lingering resonance of my oath for as long as possible.
When she finally looked up again, her eyes were shimmering with a light moisture.
It likely wasn't from sadness.
“I, too, swear. Lucia will continue to love Ian Percus unchangingly from this day forward… A covenant of eternal love has been formed here today. In the name of our Lord, the Heavenly God Arus, I declare the supreme and immutable union of these two people.”
It was right after that.
Through my hazy mind, I felt a faint spark of reason ignite.
Wait, I’ve heard that declaration somewhere before?
Once awakened, my thoughts began to accelerate on their own. Before long, a certain piece of knowledge surfaced in my mind.
It was the Sacrament of Matrimony.
One of the seven sacraments permitted to priests by the Heavenly God—the act of proclaiming the irreversible union of lovers before God. In other words, it was no different from a religious marriage registration.
Just as I regained my senses and tried to protest.
“No, wait……!”
A soft sensation pressed against my skin.
Lips.
The Saintess’s hand was already pulling my chin toward her. The time it took for our lips to meet was less than the blink of an eye.
Yes, lips crashed against lips.
Soon, a soft piece of flesh pushed past them. A moist, sensitive tongue brushed against mine, which had frozen stiff, and as I began to entwine my tongue with hers, they melted together in a soft, fluid dance.
A thrilling, sweet sensation.
The tickling feeling near my waist, the sweet scent of her skin, her clumsy but affection-filled touch.
It all dissolved any words I had left.
Eventually, a silver thread of saliva connected us as we pulled apart, and the Saintess wore a dazed smile.
“……Immanuel.”
That was the end.
In the moonlit night, golden motes of light danced like fireflies.
It was a sign that the Heavenly God acknowledged this ceremony.
I was now a husband to the Saintess. Though unofficial, it was before a witness more terrifying than anyone else.
To think my father-in-law was the Heavenly God.
Who could have ever imagined such a thing?
The Saintess stared at me silently, as if she would let me retract the oath even now if I wanted to.
But I didn't have the confidence to do that.
“……You must be cold.”
I gave a bitter smile as I stroked her shoulder.
The Saintess flinched the moment my hand touched her. The night breeze, having already passed the peak of summer, was chilly, and her clothes were soaking wet, so it was a natural concern.
“Let’s head back and wash up. You’ve worked hard today……”
“Then, I want to go with you.”
That one sentence left me completely speechless.
My dumbfounded gaze met hers. Lucia swallowed hard, but her face was already set with determination.
“Tonight, I want to be with you.”
Because it was the ‘Holy Night Festival.’
No further reason was needed.
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Saintess’s palace.
My dormitory didn't feel right, and while the Saintess was away on business in the Holy Kingdom, only a minimal staff remained at ‘Sun’s Rest.’
In other words, it was the perfect place for a secret tryst.
After washing up first, I stood there stiffly, taking deep breaths. No matter how dense I was, there was no way I could miss what was happening.
I knew exactly how the following events would unfold.
As if to prove it, the bathroom door opened cautiously, and a shy newlywed revealed herself.
Her skin, wrapped in a pure white towel, emitted a soft glow. The curves she tried so hard to hide with the towel only served to stimulate a man’s desire.
The Saintess spoke, trying her best to act coy.
“I told you, didn’t I? That later, we should be alone in a place where no one can disturb us……”
A string of excuses followed.
Of course, not a single word reached my ears. I was too busy being mesmerized by her form.
She was so beautiful.
And this was also an opportunity to correct the Saintess’s crucial misunderstanding.
Without thinking, I stood up and began to walk toward her. Taking advantage of her confusion, I pushed her back against the wall.
Unprepared for this turn of events, the Saintess’s voice rose instinctively.
“W-What are you doing……!”
“Take it off.”
No more words were needed.
The Saintess’s eyes went wide, and she asked me in a bewildered voice.
“P-Pardon……?”
Haa, haa.
The woman’s feverish breathing tickled my ear. Her pale pink eyes, filled with anticipation, looked up at me.
I knew it.
Confident in my answer, my attitude became even more assertive.
“I said, take it off.”
That was it.
With an unbelievably submissive attitude, the Saintess let out a sweet sound.
“Y-Yes……!”
Sshhh. The towel that had been covering her body fell to the floor.
It was the beginning of a holy night.