The Saintess's Symbolic Pilgrimage
In preparation for Serena's visit to Tierin Cathedral as part of her symbolic pilgrimage, Bishop Talia of Tierin Cathedral had made every arrangement imaginable—including her living quarters.
The spacious bedroom prepared for the saintess wasn't adorned with flashy decorations or noble trinkets, but the quality of the furniture was exceptionally high-end. The bedsheets on a bed far too large for one person. The finest silk duvet that looked impossibly soft at a glance. Bed curtains artfully draped from three sides. The bed, dominating one wall of the room, was the crowning touch, offering a glimpse into the lavish treatment its occupant received.
One morning, Serena rose from a bed fit for a princess, sitting dazed for a moment to gather her wits. She let out a wry smile at the sight of her extravagant sleeping arrangements.
They really didn't need to go this far... Should I issue an official notice for more modest preparations starting next pilgrimage? ...But more than that, imagining myself in a bed like this with Ivan someday... What kind of irresponsible thoughts am I having first thing in the morning?!
As the fantasy took hold, Serena fidgeted endlessly with the soft silk duvet under her fingers, then cutely buried her face in it as if embarrassed by her own reaction.
After a short while, she changed from her undergarments into her saintess robes, neatly combed her hair, and prepared for her morning routine. Yesterday's relief and healing efforts in the slums had kept her busy, so today offered a freer schedule. She planned to tour the cathedral, observe the priests' training sessions, and spend the time with Ivan by her side.
If this were a date itinerary, it'd seem pretty lame... but we can keep the conversation flowing without awkward pauses, so it's not so bad.
She calmly arranged her beautiful dark sapphire black hair, then gently brushed the hair near her ear inward to create a subtle curve, adding a hint of allure. It might seem oddly intentional for a saintess—perhaps even suspicious—but it wasn't. For Serena, who was experiencing the fresh thrill of first love in her thirties, this was the height of indulgence as a woman.
This is...?!
Straightening her posture in front of the mirror, Serena suddenly jolted upright at the overwhelming presence she sensed, scanning the room.
She moved to the center of the room, head swiveling to locate it—
-Rustle!
"Eek!"
Someone ambushed her from behind, throwing off her balance in an instant.
"Mmmph! My little cutie~♥!!"
"Ma, Maribi Goddess?!!"
Serena stammered in surprise as she was hugged from behind. The familiar voice, the heavy weight of large breasts pressing against her back, and the glimpse of light brown curly hair beside her own—it was indeed Maribi embracing her.
"Hehe. You froze up from the shock. How've you been, sweetie?"
"Y-Yes. I've been fine under your divine grace. Oh, during this pilgrimage, even more devotees have joined the faith..."
Still held from behind, Serena quickly regained her composure and began detailing her recent activities, just as asked. Unlike with other priests, her demeanor was remarkably casual.
"Mmm, skip the stiff reports~ I can feel the prayers increasing every year, so I get the gist. Oh! And you've grown your breasts even more. I told you there's nothing to be ashamed of... Here, there!"
Squish squish.
"Ah. Hnng! Um, to avoid prying eyes, this seemed like the best spot... Ah. P-Please stop touching them."
As Maribi said, Serena wore a sports bra-like garment to compress her chest. A regular bra would make her massive breasts impossible to hide under her saintess robes, drawing even the most devout believers' gazes. For a role where purity was paramount, reducing their apparent size to around a D-cup was only natural.
Maribi's breasts were quite large too, but with the pressure released...
"Hehe. Alright, alright~ ...Gotcha!"
"Kyaa?!!"
Maribi toyed with her for a bit. Though Maribi was the epitome of debauchery, reveling in messy lesbian orgies with fellow goddesses, her touches now were more playful teasing than outright lewdness. Her eyes sparkled with the delight of doting on an adorable pet.
For a long time, Serena had captured Maribi's affections with her intellectual, refined demeanor. Over the years, she'd gradually inherited bits of Maribi's divine power, accumulating an immense amount by now.
To Maribi, Serena was like a pampered pet fish—adorable and cherished. The skinship looked intense, but Maribi never crossed into corrupting her. Considering the church's leniency toward homosexuality, the fact that Serena hadn't strayed was proof of how precious she was held.
And monopolizing Maribi's favor had earned her the fervent support of the Pure White Faithful Society's devotees... which explained why, even in her thirties, she remained unmarried and devoted solely to her saintess duties.
As Maribi grinned and fawned over her, Serena asked cautiously, mindful not to offend.
"Goddess, what brings you here today?"
"Whyy? Can't I visit personally when I have no business? It kinda hurts my feelings..."
"N-No, of course you can! It would be an honor beyond my station. I'm sorry...!"
"Hng. Just kidding. Don't take it so seriously. Truth is, I came to relay something to you. A request, sort of."
Maribi released her from the hug and sat side by side on the edge of the bed, getting to the point.
"Serena, you've probably sensed it too... That blond boy staying at the nunnery. You know what I mean, right?"
"Raoul... Yes, I know of him. I still haven't found clues about the divine power within him... If possible, I plan to take him back to the capital and teach him myself. Ah, do you know who he is, Goddess?"
"Raoul is a boy who enjoys Luis's special favor. Hehe, kind of like you and me."
"Ah, Goddess Luis... I see."
Maribi didn't specify his status as a representative, but Serena nodded in understanding, a piece of the puzzle falling into place.
"But that's caused some trouble... Recently, a nasty demon god tried to mess with Luis by cursing Raoul."
"A curse... you say?"
"Yeah. It drains his life force bit by bit until he dies... A pretty vicious one. He's probably aware of it vaguely. I hear he's been training hard with the paladins lately? He thinks it's just his own weakness... He looks fine on the surface, but he's nearing his limit now."
"I see... I thought it odd how obsessively he was pushing his swordsmanship. Poor thing, and he's still so young..."
Serena had recently received a separate report from Paladin MacKellin: Raoul was grinding swordsmanship and stamina training with gritted teeth, beyond what was normal for his age.
A child caught in the gods' power struggles, pushing himself to overcome it... Hearing the full story tugged at Serena's heartstrings.
Wait... Come to think of it, when we first met, he asked to learn how to handle divine power... Was that a desperate struggle to survive? Ugh...! Stupid Serena, how could you miss something like this with your head in the clouds?!
She blamed herself inwardly, shaking her head at her dulled senses from her blooming romance.
"Luis is searching for a way to lift the curse, but it'll take time. She can't look after him herself right now. So I need your help—think you can manage it?"
"Whatever it is, just tell me, Goddess. I'll take full responsibility. What should I do?"
"To extend his life, he needs to drink holy water infused with divine power regularly."
"Holy water infused with divine power...? I can supply regular holy water easily enough... So that's why you came to me. But Goddess... I can infuse high-purity divine power into water no problem, but how do I transfer the divine power itself? Artificially imbuing intangible divine power into an object... Can I even do that?"
"Mmm, it'll be fine. Nothing artificial about it... And it won't even be intangible. Mind if I borrow your ear for a sec?"
"Ah, y-yes... Sure..."
Maribi leaned close to Serena's ear and whispered something. Serena's face paled by the second.
"Ah............ Um................ Er........................"
Her lips flapped wordlessly, her whole body stiffening like a statue. As Maribi nodded affirmatively to her questioning eyes, Serena tensed and focused on the rest... though her head still spun.
The conversation between the saintess and the goddess continued after that.
…………………
…………………
With most of the Tierin Cathedral staff off today...
It felt awkward to chase after them begging for training. MacKellin and the other paladins had been pulled for the saintess's slum escort yesterday, so they'd want a break. Word was the charity went late into the night. Did she spam area heals all day or something?
So I asked the red-haired combat nun, Karami, for a sparring session first thing in the morning. Lately, she'd become my top rival at the nunnery.
I'd already lost to her over a dozen times. Her swordsmanship rivaled an apprentice paladin's, and perhaps fearing I'd never challenge her again if I won, she always went all out to crush me.
And... not that I'm making excuses, but my condition's been off lately. My strength just doesn't come like it used to.
...For real! Was I hitting a slump already? Ridiculous.
After wrapping up with Karami, she blushed and said, "Um, you sweated a lot... Wanna bathe together...?♥" while wriggling seductively in front of me, like a maid coquettishly teasing her master.
She kept a polite distance this time—no shoving her body against mine like before—just swaying with subtle charm, afraid I'd refuse.
I nodded okay, and her face lit up visibly. Karami shook her enticing hips as she led me to the dorm baths.
Lately, even the passive nuns had amped up their flirtations—must've been Bereani's orders. Karami wasn't the type to flaunt her sexiness so openly before.
Maybe they got special training on "How to Act Sluttily in Everyday Life."
After a few ejaculations and some fun sex in the baths with Karami, I returned to my room.
Yeah, something's definitely wrong with my body. Power surges during sex, but training feels... listless. Maybe backlash from breaking old debauched habits.
Worked out pretty hard—maybe a nap...
I rolled my sore shoulders and went to lie down, but a sudden presence beside me made me jump.
I whipped my head around to see...
"Hi~"
Light brown long curly hair, deep cleavage from her off-shoulder top, and hips curving lewdly. Our shocking first meeting made her face unforgettable.
"Goddess Maribi..."
"Oh? You remember me? I thought you'd totally forgotten."
Her mask-like smile brought back the day I'd asked Luis for help conquering the nunnery—specifically, ignoring Maribi's territory and summoning Kasia instead for a divine message.