Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Back-to-School Season Where Chests Open #6
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Aira was hiding some fatal truth—.
The impact that sentence had on me was quite significant and complicated.
What the hell was Aira hiding?
I'd never once felt like Aira was hiding something from me or deceiving me up until now. The opposite had happened plenty of times, though.
Did that mean this status window was lying to me?
No, that couldn't be.
Even if the status window told me truths that were hard to believe, it never lied. That was the fundamental premise that made the system possible.
It was an immutable truth in and of itself.
The original novel had portrayed it that way too.
"Mmmph—."
Just then, Aira let out a strange noise and squirmed around.
I jolted in fear, wondering if she'd caught me peeking at her status.
"......"
But as if her whimpering had been a lie, Aira slipped back into deep, quiet sleep.
Thanks to that, I let out a sigh of relief, stroking my chest, and decided to figure out what I could for now.
The most pressing thing was this.
「Talent 《Tarantara》: In an ancient era of gods and fairies, a wise girl soothed the wrath of a great spider and received a blessing in return.
The owner's senses become as sharp as a spider's. The probability of detecting lies and deceptions greatly increases. Shows exceptional talent in architecture and art. Shows talent in stocks and investments.」
An impressive talent.
A massive boost to detecting lies and tricks?
Was that why Aira despised the hypocrites in the court and kept her distance from them?
That would mean even the lies I told Aira could be seen through easily.
Maybe my job as 'Actor' was veiling her eyes and ears just enough to fool her somehow.
Anyway.
Aira really was something else.
Even the villain hunter party from the novel hadn't been able to take her down directly.
What defeated Aira was the massive wave of the populace, swollen into a single embodiment of malice.
I imagined a noose around that white porcelain-like neck of hers.
In the midst of a roaring, furious crowd, Aira stood with a mocking placard around her neck reading 'Great Queen of Angmar'...
—Criminal Aira, execution—!
Perched on a chair, she dangled like a marionette puppet from the rope, kicking futilely as the lever finally engaged.
"......"
Yeah, not a sight I wanted to see.
And I wouldn't let it happen.
* * *
When I left Aira's room, I noticed cold sweat trickling down my body.
My heart pounded wildly, chills running down my spine—like a butterfly that had just escaped a spider's web.
Like I'd learned something I shouldn't have?
I hadn't really uncovered much, but that's just how I felt.
"Hoo—."
I took a deep breath to calm my inner turmoil.
Shhh—.
In an instant, the earlier chaos vanished, replaced by serene peace within me.
My talent 《Calm Thinking》. Without it, I might have panicked and died back in my slave days.
So, what now?
I thought about what to do next.
It was the evening of my first day in Gracia, the church's city.
With my luggage unpacked and the formalities sorted, I had nothing particular to do.
If Marmar had been here, I could've asked her more about status windows, the system, and the Angmar Demon Lord. What a shame.
Guess I'll just sleep.
As I mentioned before, my stamina sucked.
My mental fortitude was something I could boast about, but my body tired easily, so I made sure to rest whenever I got the chance.
Who knew when I'd get another break like this?
"Wait, a break?"
It was funny even as I thought it.
A break? The most mismatched word for my current self. Did I even have time for that? Trying to relax made me feel like a guilty criminal, anxious and on edge.
Workaholic, huh?
Still, I knew people break without rest.
In that sense, tonight I'd jerk off and crash.
Thinking back to sucking her tits earlier, I could probably go three times in a row. No... maybe even four. For some reason, it felt possible right now.
「That's a very lewd thought!
Gain job experience for 'Lothario.' +5」
Even this gave EXP. Wonder if jerking off gives more?
Whoosh—.
Just then, a breeze brushed my face.
Where'd that wind come from? I looked around and realized there was a square inner garden deeper in the great temple's cloister.
The garden's ceiling was open to the sky, moonlight spilling down beautifully onto the trees.
It looked so holy that my earlier plans to jerk off felt purified away.
"Pretty cool."
For a moment, I was struck by the realization that this was a foreign land.
If you thought about it, wasn't this like coming abroad for a trip?
Not that it felt exciting or anything.
"Lost?"
Someone called out to me from behind.
Even with my sharp half-fairy senses, I hadn't noticed a thing.
I whipped around in surprise and saw someone approaching with the click-clack of heels.
When I made out who it was, I was even more shocked.
It was the last person I expected.
"First-time visitors often get lost here. Like they can't see an inch ahead.... That's why someone has to guide them."
"Ah—."
She had a long white cloth draped over her head, just like Marmar.
Her priestess robe was white and made of luxurious fabric. A sash hung from her shoulders down to her knees and chest.
"Right?"
She shone a lantern toward me.
That let me see her more clearly, and I noticed a black band covering her eyes.
It meant one thing: she was blind.
A blind woman, pure white priestess robes, and the church's central headquarters, the great temple.
Combining those flashed one figure in my mind—the woman who held immense power in this church.
"Could you be Saintess Priga? It's an honor to meet you."
I hurriedly bowed my head.
Did bowing to a blind nun even mean anything? But my body reacted on instinct, moving before I could think.
"Lift your head. I haven't even introduced myself yet. As expected of the one called the Lewd Monk."
She laughed softly, her voice gentle and warm. Hoo hoo hoo—.
I was surprised too.
How did she know I was Theo Gospel without me saying?
The title 'Lewd Monk' referred only to me.
She reached out a slender hand and patted my face and shoulders. Pat pat—.
What was this?
Sexual harassment? Nah, didn't feel like it.
"But—. You're smaller and slimmer than I imagined. No beard at all. I pictured a tall, muscular man...."
"Rumors about me must have reached even this far from Angmar."
Since she was touching me, I figured I could check her out too. I scanned her quickly from head to toe.
Half-fairy eyes were sharper than a normal person's. You could call it fairy sight—Fairy Eyes.
—Huh?
Using my fairy eyes on her, I was startled by her overwhelming presence, even more than expected.
Her long, beautiful pink hair was mostly covered by the white cloth—.
Her pale white skin and face hidden by the black blindfold—.
Her voluptuous, curvaceous feminine figure concealed by priestess garb.
Even so, her aura of beauty hit me inescapably.
Like her whole body was screaming 'I am beautiful.'
It was a kind of charisma. No wonder she was rumored to rival Aira in beauty.
This was Saintess Priga.
The one who'd become the final raid boss for the villain hunter party later on....
Looking at her now, I couldn't imagine her turning monstrous.
The saintess spoke.
"You're not what I pictured—quite the surprise. Are you a nymph? Though I don't recall male nymphs."
"I'm a half-nymph. Half right, yeah."
"Then the other half?"
"Human, obviously...."
"Hee hee, rumors really can't be trusted."
She laughed lightly and withdrew her hand from me. Saintess Priga.
"The Lewd Rogue Monk, Mad Ascetic—. With nicknames like that, I had some expectations. Legs like sticks, cock a meter long... oh, pardon me—."
"......"
Her blunt words made me sweat a bit.
Was it okay to spew gossip like that in front of someone?
She had thick skin.
No surprise—she wouldn't be at the top of a sprawling church without it.
"Sir Gospel, won't you ask me anything?"
The saintess questioned me.
"Ask? I heard you're in marathon all-night prayer with no time to spare. What brings you here?"
"Playing hooky. Humans break if they don't rest, you know. That's how we're made."
"Ah.... Break, huh...."
Coming from the future raid boss, it carried weight.
But hooky? She had more human charm than expected.
From what I remembered of the original story, the saintess was a genuinely good person.
Her fall to raid boss status had made for a huge impact in the plot.
She jingled her bell-adorned lantern, snapping me back to attention.
"By the way, this lantern's so we don't bump into each other. I'm used to the dark since I can't see, but most people aren't. Curious, right?"
"I see. Truly wise, beyond the rumors. A lantern for the church."
She covered her lips with slender fingers and laughed softly. Hee hee—. She laughed a lot.
"You're skilled at flattery with women, Sir Gospel. It means nothing to me, but I still like it. In return, let me guide you to your room."
"That would be a great honor."
And so I ended up walking with the saintess, however awkwardly and briefly.
For some reason, I felt like I should keep my distance from her.
Even though she was blind.
It was weirdly like those black eyes could see right through everything—piercing me.
Just to check, I raised my hand in front of her and waved it side to side.
Swish swish—.
No reaction from the saintess.
She really couldn't see.
I was tense for nothing.
But how did she know who I was?
That I was a half-nymph?
Did she sense mana or chakra or something?
Or did she have a talent for detecting presence, like Aira?
She moved through the great temple without hesitation, like sight meant nothing.
"Here we are. This must be your room. Bishop Gregory used to stay here. Great for meditation. Very, very quiet and serene."
"A quiet, serene room indeed."
"No screams escape even if someone dies in there."
"......"
"What a grim joke. No violence allowed in the temple, after all."
What kind of joke was that?
All I could manage was, "I see. Thank you for the guidance."
"Then good night. And keep my hooky day a secret."
"Got it."
With that, she turned with a click-clack of heels and headed down the cloister.
I narrowed my eyes at her retreating back.
The moment I tried to activate my talent 《Far Sight》 on her—
She stopped dead.
And turned to look at me.
"Oh, Sir Gospel. There are things in this world you shouldn't see. In my case, I can't anymore, even if I wanted to—."
Her face was shadowed in the dark. But somehow, I felt two sharp eyes glaring at me from behind the black blindfold. Goosebumps.
"......"
Unable to reply, she continued.
"I meant don't go rummaging through Bishop Gregory's personal items in there. Good night."
With that, she was gone.
Like a gust of wind had swept past.
Saintess Priga.
A woman as inscrutable as Aira, but in a different way—.
Best to avoid tangling with her if possible.
I didn't want another uncontrollable variable.
Aira and Elga were enough to handle already.