I Told You to Tell Me If You're Having a Hard Time
I was so dumbfounded that I lost my words for a moment.
"How can you just show up so naturally?! And... how on earth did you avoid the Priestess's ether detection?"
【Did you try to pull some trick to get around my restriction? Hmph! Do you really think mere mortals could sense my presence if this venerable one decided to hide it?】
"Sigh..."
I felt a headache coming on.
I had thought the evil creature clinging to my body had been destroyed, but it seemed I was gravely mistaken.
No matter how powerful of a monster she used to be, she had successfully evaded the detection of Priestess Isabel, a practitioner of the 2nd Boundary.
【Don't bother trying to pull another stunt to expose my identity. It's all a waste of effort.】
"Hmph. If I visit the Church headquarters and just stand there, will you still be saying that?"
【What? Are you from some church or something?】
"...I'm not, but I believe in the doctrine. I'll take you with me to the Asteros Church."
【Bringing up some church I've never even heard of... Hmm? Asteros...? As... Aste... Asteria? Don't tell me that bitch Asteria is the chief deity there?!】
Her feminine, relaxed voice grew increasingly sharp.
How dare this monster...?
"That is blasphemy! You demonic bitch, who do you think you are to speak the Goddess's name so casually? I'll go get you purified this very day!"
【So that bitch finally... You foolish brat. As a practitioner, surely you know this much? We are so closely bound that if you try to forcibly tear my soul away, your own soul will rip apart with it.】
I fell silent for a moment.
Honestly, she had a point.
As long as this creature was parasitizing me, purification techniques wouldn't be of much use since they couldn't precisely target and isolate her.
In the end, extracting the soul was the most definitive method. The problem was that if even a tiny fragment of my own soul was torn away in the process, it would likely lead to mental collapse. This was especially true for a practitioner like me who was only at the entry level of the 1st Boundary.
This was an issue that would occur regardless of how precise the caster's soul-extraction technique was. But still...
"If it's to destroy a demon like you, I wouldn't hesitate to give my life."
"..."
I answered resolutely.
...Or so I said, but once the words left my mouth, I honestly felt a bit reluctant to die. My conscience pricked me slightly, but I couldn't let myself lose the battle of wills.
Perhaps my words had struck a nerve.
After a brief silence, the monster suddenly flipped her attitude and began to throw a fit.
【You—you...! You motherfucker!!! What did I ever do to you?! Let's be real here, all I did was tell you to make some lewd wishes. Did I, like, harm you? Or did I try to force you to do anything?! The only thing I did was place a single restriction on you so you wouldn't talk! Isn't that right?!】
"D-Don't just start swearing all of a sudden...!"
I stammered, caught completely off guard.
What... what was with this creature? She was acting as if I was the one in the wrong.
【You son of a bitch!! And what did you say before? If you love logic so much, let's sit down and have a real talk.】
Before I knew it, I was completely swept up in the rampaging monster's pace.
And so... in the dead of night, an untimely debate began with a monster whose identity I didn't even know.
【...So what I'm saying is, pleasure is a human instinct. You keep calling it dirty, but what exactly is dirty about it? In the first place, sex is the sacred act of creating a child. Are you saying your own birth was dirty? And what about that priestess you mentioned earlier?】
"That act... is not dirty."
【Great. Then the illusions I showed you back then were just acting on instinct, so there shouldn't be anything weird about them, right?】
I shut my mouth and thought quietly.
"...You might be partially right. But the acts in the illusions you showed me were clearly exaggerated. Besides, the act of making a child should be conducted in a much more reverent and devout atmosphere. You're just artificially depicting women as lewd to corrupt me."
【What do you mean, exaggerated? And how do you know how those women feel to say something like that?】
"That's..."
【Stop trying to pin a sin on the act itself. In the end, the only problem is the meaning you choose to project onto it. What's the point of projecting meaning onto something you haven't even experienced? That's why you keep whining about corruption this, corruption that. Am I wrong?】
"That's... Hold on, let me think..."
I desperately racked my brain to find a counterargument.
Besides, speaking of projecting meaning onto the act...
I recalled how, when I had waved my hands in protest, claiming that the Priestess helping me was sacrilegious, she had gently scolded me, saying the root of the act lay in a noble, therapeutic purpose.
Meanwhile, the monster's voice grew increasingly coaxing.
【Listen to me, baby... There are no weird constraints on the acts between a man and a woman. Feeling good freely, expressing yourself... What could possibly be bad about loving each other like that? If anything, this is being true to your instincts and honest with your feelings.】
"That's not love."
【Oh? Then what exactly is love? In what kind of atmosphere does a sex filled with love take place?】
"Well, that's... First, the atmosphere is softer, and, and after kissing each other..."
【..............................Sighhhhh.】
"..."
She let out a long, heavy sigh, as if utterly exasperated.
I shrank back at her reaction and shut my mouth.
Damn it, did I really have to lose a logical argument to a monster just because I lacked experience?
【Look, as I said earlier, I just want to slowly recover my body using the slightly lewd energy generated from your sexual acts. When the time is right, I'll leave on my own. Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but since we're having such a heartfelt conversation, try to trust me a little.】
【If you put in just a little effort, I can give you plenty of power and abilities. I don't even have the energy to play tricks on you. And once you receive them, you'll see that my abilities are yours to use however you want.】
"...Out of curiosity, what kind of abilities?"
【Oh, all sorts of things. The classic Lust Amplification, or maybe a Lewd Crest, and of course, Hypnotism is a must. And then there's the technique containing my very essence, which allows you to check various lewd information about the opposite sex...】
"In the end, aren't they all just lewd abilities?"
What did she mean by checking lewd information about the opposite sex? What a bizarre ability.
【...Aren't you tired of this conversation yet? What did I tell you before? I said you could bring all the women in the world to their knees, not that you had to. Besides, it's not like you're forcing them. If a woman does it because she loves you, there's no problem at all, right?】
"The word 'love' isn't something... you can just use toward multiple women like that."
【Why not? Even the high-ranking practitioners of this world seduce several women at once if they have the ability. Did those women ever tell you they hated it?】
"That's... everyone has their own way of living."
【Then what if all the girls say they like you and are fine with doing it together? Wouldn't everyone be happy, making it a happy ending?】
"Alright, stop...! Stop! I've heard enough, so just be quiet now."
Talking to her gave me a headache.
I hated that I was slowly losing the argument, to the point where I caught myself thinking, Is she actually right to some extent...?
But the problem was that she still couldn't be trusted. That was the core issue. What should I do?
As I imagined the terrifying prospect of my soul tearing apart during her extraction, I even began to think that maybe, if I just left things as they were, a solution would present itself eventually.
【Well, I'm getting tired, so I'll head back inside. Think carefully about what I said.】
"...I will find a way to solve this eventually."
【Sure, sure. Work hard. Oh, and if you ever feel like speaking casually, you can call me Eve.】
With those words, the presence of the monster... no, Eve, vanished.
I let out a soft sigh.
It left a bad taste in my mouth, but it was at least better than before. At the very least, she didn't feel hostile yet.
I wasn't going to let my guard down, but I felt something instinctively.
The fact that she was trying to resolve things through conversation pointed to it, too...
I'll just have to look for a solution whenever I get the chance.
With that thought, I closed my eyes to catch a bit more sleep.
Morning.
I swallowed hard several times at the embarrassing sight before my eyes.
The moment I woke up, I saw the fabric of my pants stretched taut.
My cock had pitched a tall tent, looking as if it would tear through my pajamas at any second.
Having experienced so many firsts starting yesterday, I was deeply flustered.
...Maybe it's fine if I don't do it for a little bit? My ether energy hasn't even become unstable yet...
Although the Priestess had told me she would help me anytime, I didn't have the courage to ask her to help me discharge the moment I woke up in the morning.
In the end, I waited quietly in my room for about ten minutes until my erection subsided.
"Rowen, wait just a moment, okay? I'll make you something delicious."
Ugh...!
...But despite my efforts, I was placed in a cruel situation.
The Priestess was preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
And as usual, I sat at the dining table where she was in plain view, waiting quietly.
It was a familiar scene, but the Priestess's light clothing felt completely different to me now.
With a dazed expression, I stared at her sensual figure as if possessed.
No, wait. It wasn't my imagination.
Today, she... wasn't she wearing something even more comfortable than usual...?
She wore a thin, cream-colored silk robe with a hemline that fell around her knees.
Had she come out wearing the exact same outfit she slept in?
When I caught a glimpse earlier, the front was deeply cut, and the waist was loosely tied with a sash.
The fabric was also strangely thin, allowing her underwear to faintly show through.
Above all, those voluptuous hips gently swaying in front of me...
Since we weren't in a bathroom like yesterday, I didn't even need to steal glances.
The cock I had barely managed to calm down was now springing back to life like crazy.
Damn it, what am I supposed to do...?
"Rowen? Are you sure you're alright?"
"...Yes?! Ah... Of course I'm fine! Y-You don't need to worry about me..."
Did she find it strange that I was sitting quietly with my shoulders hunched?
Tilting her head, the Priestess set down her cooking utensils and slowly walked over.
Flustered, I tried to press down on my shaft to hide it, but there was no way such a massive silhouette could be concealed.
"Ah..."
"Um, you see..."
In the end, her eyes locked onto the long outline stretching the fabric taut.
A few seconds of silence followed.
The Priestess's cheeks flushed slightly, and she slowly turned back toward the kitchen.
Sigh, you beastly bastard...
We were just about to have breakfast.
I felt guilty for creating such an awkward atmosphere.
Besides, since we had only started this yesterday, it was only natural to feel uncomfortable...
As I was thinking that, I saw the Priestess cut off the ether power to turn off the stove.
She covered the steaming pot and turned over the plates she had set out.
"Honestly... I told you to tell me if you're having a hard time..."
Priestess Isabel slowly walked back toward me.
Her soft, gentle light-brown eyes overflowed with compassion and affection.
And then...
"Now, please don't hold back... I will purify all of Rowen's turbid ether, so rest assured and pour it all out into me, okay...?"
Kneeling politely beside me with her hands folded, the Priestess smiled warmly through her thick eyelashes and looked up at me beautifully.