Claudia's Guilty Peep
Claudia's desires stem from a lack within her, so do not be ashamed to fill them. Lust is but one branch of love. How could a lust that can be mastered be a sin?
A blissfully peaceful afternoon. I was in the infirmary, reading the scriptures inscribed with the Goddess's teachings.
I'd often leaf through this holy book during idle moments in the past, but lately, my feelings were a bit different.
The reason was obvious—the new duty I'd been assigned. Had I already shared physical intimacy with two apprentice saintesses? Passages I'd once skimmed over now seemed laced with double meanings.
No... I'm just reading too much into them.
The Goddess ruled over love, after all. Love, abundance, fertility. It was only natural for her doctrines to touch on harmony between man and woman.
But some lines felt too explicit. For example...
Seeds must be sown in fertile fields.
The seed of your beloved is as precious as love itself.
Cherish it within you and give thanks.
This was blatantly hinting at creampieing, wasn't it, Goddess?
Suddenly, Lucia's words from yesterday flashed through my mind.
"Th-thank you... Teacher Theo... For giving me... so much of your love... for my sake..."
She'd said it with her lower belly full of my ejaculated seed, expressing her gratitude. In an incredibly lewd voice...
Ah, no. This is work time. Snap out of it.
Ahem, ahem.
I cleared my throat needlessly in the empty infirmary and closed the scriptures.
No matter what the Goddess had tasked me with, I couldn't neglect my duty to care for the apprentice saintesses.
...First, I should fetch the washed bedsheets.
It had been a hassle laundering them away from prying eyes. I'd hung them in a corner of the garden; they should be dry by now. Time to retrieve them.
I tried my best not to dwell on why the sheets had gotten dirty in the first place.
The sun blazed fiercely overhead as I gathered the thoroughly dried bedsheets and headed back to the infirmary. As I walked the cathedral's corridors with the sheets in one hand, I spotted someone standing in front of the infirmary door.
Huh. That's...
Claudia?
It was Claudia, standing before the closed door with an anxious expression, lost in her own thoughts. She hadn't noticed me even as I approached right beside her.
Should I call out carefully?
"Um... Claudia?"
"Eek—!"
She jolted back in terror, then sighed in relief upon seeing my face.
"Phew... It was you, Teacher Theo... You scared me..."
"Why are you waiting here? The door's unlocked. Are you feeling unwell?"
I never lock the infirmary door when leaving it empty, so anyone can enter. Her hesitation meant there was some other reason for her reluctance.
"N-no, I'm not hurt or anything... But you told me before... to come see you..."
"Right, I did."
This was why people should focus on one thing at a time. I kept forgetting.
"Then, may I come in and talk?"
"......"
It wasn't a suspicious suggestion, but Claudia's reaction was lukewarm. She glanced at me furtively, lips trembling as she hesitated to speak.
"Claudia?"
"Y-yes! B-but first... I have something to tell you..."
"To me? Sure... go ahead."
Her demeanor might frustrate some, but it was familiar to me. She wasn't doing it on purpose. If anything, Claudia was incredibly selfless. She hated inconveniencing others, so I always gave her plenty of time.
"...N-not here... Somewhere else..."
Somewhere else? The infirmary was quiet and private.
But there was no reason to refuse. She must have her reasons.
"Of course, that's fine. Lead the way."
"Th-thank you for understanding..."
And so, I left the bedsheets in the infirmary and followed her. I didn't know the destination, but it had to be somewhere in the Saintess Training Institute. What could go wrong?
"Th-this way... please..."
We passed corridors, climbed stairs, and arrived. I knew exactly where we were, though I'd never used it before.
"Isn't this... the confessional?"
"...Y-yes."
The confessional. A secluded, solemn space for the sacrament of penance. One person confesses their sins from one divided room, while the other grants absolution from the adjacent one.
But why here? Was she offering me a chance to confess?
"Claudia..."
Before I could finish, she darted into one room and slammed the door shut. The door to the remaining room stood wide open, as if inviting me in.
What... was this?
For now... I guess I should go in.
With no choice, I entered the room assigned to me and closed the door. Inside was a single chair and a curtain separating me from the other side. Not that it mattered much now—we both knew who was there.
"A-are you sitting...?"
Claudia's voice came from beyond the curtain.
"Y-yes. I'm seated, Claudia."
"...Any conversation shared here... must remain absolutely secret. You know that... right?"
"Of course."
She wanted assurance I'd keep her secrets so she could confess freely. That made sense.
But my assumption was completely—utterly, perfectly—wrong.
"G-good... Then, from now on... you'll act as the Goddess's proxy... and hear my s-sins... forgiving them... All in strictest confidence..."
"Me?"
I blurted it out in shock, without time to think.
"Sorry. Please... continue."
Normally, wasn't it a saintess who heard confessions and granted forgiveness? I'd never done this before. Listening was one thing, but absolution?
Before my bewildered mind could prepare, Claudia began her confession.
The Goddess commands: One must never spy upon another.
Especially if it ties to love.
"......"
That's when a sinister outline began to form.
Still, I hoped against hope it wasn't what I thought.
"If one unintentionally spies... forget it. If you cannot forget... confess your mistake honestly... and beg forgiveness... Is that right...?"
"Yes."
Had she found out? No way. Please, no.
"Y-yesterday... I saw... you, Teacher Theo... and L-L-Lucia..."
Oh.
"M-making love...! I saw you sharing love... so intensely...!"
"No, that's not— Claudia, let me explain first..."
This was bad. Not just caught, but wildly misunderstood.