Chapter 471: Ripple Effects
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 471: Ripple Effects
The place I headed was none other than Matilda’s room.
If Leia was over there, it meant Matilda hadn’t gone out.
There was no way Matilda would have gone outside by herself.
“Matilda, I’m coming in.”
So, I entered the room the moment I knocked.
And what do you know. Matilda was once again half-naked, in the middle of changing her clothes.
She must have been tired after returning from the dungeon yesterday, as she had been wearing a relatively simple outfit this morning.
I could understand why. Those Cardinal’s robes, with all their dangling decorations, looked like a pain to put on compared to a normal priestess’s robe.
I had to respect her for venturing into the dungeon dressed like that.
“Aah! You again?! I told you, when you knock, you’re supposed to wait for an answer before coming in! What’s the point of knocking otherwise?!”
“…To pretend I have manners?”
“Don’t just pretend, actually be mannerly! At this rate, you’re not even pretending successfully… So why do you keep coming in?!”
“Why, you ask? …It’s for the same reason as before.”
“Don’t just trail off! Say it properly! And the answer is no!”
“What? You’re not going to break the curse? Don’t tell me you’re afraid your feelings for me will disappear if the curse is lifted, so you’ve decided not to break it at all…”
“N-No, that’s not it! What are you talking about?! Of course not! Countless people, including myself, are suffering because of this curse right now!”
“Ah, right. You’re right. Sorry. That was a bit harsh.”
“Haa… Honestly. Is something wrong with you? You’re always strange, but you’re being exceptionally weird today.”
Sorry. The truth is, I’m a little upset because of Elder Sister Rachel, so I’m forcing myself to act cheerful… There was no way I could say that.
“Sorry. I’m just bored. Play with me for a bit.”
“How old are you, a child…? Haa. Not right now.”
“Come to think of it, you said you wouldn’t do the curse-breaking thing. And you’re changing. Are you going out somewhere alone?”
“Of course not. I was planning to go to the temple with Leia-ssi.”
It seemed my initial guess, which I’d assumed was wrong since Leia was with Sara and Diana, had been spot on.
“…With Leia?”
“Yes. Is something wrong?”
…Hmm. It looked like Leia hadn’t expected her confession about her pussyual preferences to Sara and Diana to take very long.
She probably thought she’d confess, get ready quickly, and then head to the temple with Matilda.
Leia wasn’t the type to take promises to others lightly.
But seeing Sara and Diana earlier, I didn’t think they’d let Leia go so easily.
They looked like they’d cling to her all day unless they could somehow extract some non-existent secret technique from her.
Alright. In that case, as Leia’s man, I should step in and handle my woman’s business for her.
Well, there was also the fact that if even Matilda wasn’t available, I’d really have to spend the day alone.
“No. It just looks like something suddenly came up for Leia.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Yeah. So I’ll go with you instead. I wanted to hear about the video anyway.”
“I see. Alright. Then…”
“Yep. Hurry up and get ready.”
“……”
Having finished our conversation, I waited, feeling pleased with myself for helping Leia out. But Matilda just kept staring at me, showing no intention of getting dressed.
I glanced at her face just in case, but she wasn’t giving me that rosy-eyed stare.
“What are you doing? Get dressed.”
“…Could you please leave?”
“That outfit looks hard to put on. Want some help?”
“Get. Out! Seriously! Don’t tell me you’re deliberately timing your visits for when I’m changing, are you?”
“What if I am?”
As Matilda glared at me, her eyes narrowed coyly, I stepped toward her with confidence.
If it had been any of the other girls, I would have denied it vehemently, but there was no need for that with Matilda.
In fact, denying it would only make things more complicated.
“W-Wha-? What did you say?”
“Yes. What if I came because I wanted to see your beautiful body? Do you hate it?”
“I-I don’t… I don’t hate it…”
“So it’s okay if I stay here?”
“Yeees…”
See? This way is much faster.
Besides, except for the part about deliberately timing my entrance, it wasn’t even a lie.
It was true that I was here because I wanted to see Matilda’s beautiful body.
That’s why I wasn’t leaving, and was instead calmly observing her as she got dressed.
But damn, her body was incredible every time I saw it.
She didn’t have any single standout feature compared to the other girls, but that’s because her figure was so perfectly balanced.
It felt like a sin to hide a body like this under those baggy Cardinal’s robes.
Well, even so, I didn’t have the guts to suggest she modify her Cardinal’s robes.
“…You know. Could you please stop using my curse to your advantage?”
A good while after we’d gotten into the carriage heading for the temple, Matilda, finally free from her rosy-hued state, clutched her head as if in pain and spoke.
“Huh? What are you talking about? I’ve never used it.”
“Are you playing dumb?! That’s just too shameless, even for you! It just happened! Just now!”
“No. I really haven’t ever used it. The curse, that is.”
“The curse? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, think about it. You said you like me even without the curse. Am I wrong?”
Right. That’s why I acted that way.
Even I wasn’t such a scumbag that I’d use Matilda’s curse just to see her naked.
But if Matilda liked me, that was a different story.
I didn’t use Matilda’s curse; I used Matilda’s feelings for me!
…Saying it like that makes me sound like an even bigger scumbag.
No. That’s not it. That’s not what I meant.
What I mean is, if Matilda really likes me, then I probably, at that moment, also…
For the sake of my loyalty to my girls, I planned to avoid getting into that kind of relationship with other women unless absolutely necessary. But with Silvia and Matilda, we’d already crossed that line, so I figured it couldn’t be helped.
So, what I’m saying is, in that case, it’s okay to see her naked, right? That’s what I meant.
Besides, it’s not like there’s anything left we haven’t seen of each other.
“Th-That is… Yees… I do like you…”
…I was trying to persuade her with logic, but Matilda had once again entered her rosy-hued state all on her own.
Well, I guess she understood, so that’s fine.
“Then I will go speak with the Pope. You’ll be with High Priestess Sophia, correct?”
After arriving at the temple, Matilda seemed to want to speak with the Pope right away and started to head off on her own.
“Yeah. But are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“It’s fine. The room with the communication magic circle is in the deepest part of the temple. There won’t be any other men there. Ah, but the Pope might want to see you…”
“Then I’ll wait where High Priestess Sophia is.”
I hastily parted ways with Matilda as if I were fleeing.
No, it wasn’t that I disliked the Pope. In fact, I thought she was a good person.
Though I’d only seen her once over the communication magic, she seemed quite warm, and the fact that she approved the video meant she was open-minded.
It’s just that, given her position, I couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
You might ask what I’m talking about, since I treat Diana, the world’s greatest mage, and Felicia, a princess, so casually, but this was a completely different situation.
I mean, she looked like a complete grandmother.
She was the first person I’d seen in this world who was high-level and actually looked old.
Perhaps because of that, I felt a strange sense of pressure that came from her experience.
On top of that, she had even acknowledged me as a messenger of the Goddess.
Having a conversation with the Pope from that kind of position made me feel like I’d become some high-ranking official in the church, which made me fidgety.
No, I guess I technically was a high-ranking official.
As Matilda had said before, I had a tendency to act without fully realizing my own position.
And honestly, even now, it didn’t feel real when people said I was such an important figure.
Maybe one day I’ll have to act in a way befitting that position or take on its responsibilities, but for now, I was a little unprepared mentally.
Anyway, for those reasons, I parted with Matilda and headed straight for High Priestess Sophia… but then I stopped.
I was planning to ask High Priestess Sophia for her assessment of the video, as I’d mentioned, but what if I checked out the atmosphere on the ground first?
With that thought, I turned around and decided to head toward the chapel.
From my previous experience, I knew the believers attended the service first before heading to the educational hall.
The moment I entered the corridor leading to the chapel, I naturally realized just how much of an impact the video was having.
The reason was simple: there was an incredible number of believers who had come for the service.
The temple was always busy, but today was on another level.
The corridor itself was packed, a flowing wave of people that reminded me of a rush-hour subway. Peeking on my tiptoes, I could see that the vast chapel was filled to the brim, with not an inch of space to spare.
Thanks to that, the moment I stepped into the corridor, I was swept away by the human tide.
“E-Excuse me… A-Are you… the Saint?”
As I was getting weary of the endlessly surging crowd, a man who was being swept along beside me struck up a conversation.
He probably had a rough idea of my appearance from descriptions, but since I was wearing plain cloth clothes, he couldn’t be sure.
“Yes. I am.”
In the past, I would have denied it, but today, I decided to admit it.
I was curious to see what he would say.
“I-It’s the Saaaint!”
In that instant, a two-meter radius of space cleared out around me.
The men who had been surrounding me were now standing on their tiptoes, desperately pressing their backs against the people behind them to get even a little farther away from me.
It was probably only two meters because of how packed it was; otherwise, they would have backed off a good ten meters.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Thanks to you, Saint, last night for the first time, my wife…! Thank you so much!”
The men, having distanced themselves as much as possible, bowed their heads and desperately conveyed their gratitude.
It seemed that aside from wanting to get away so they wouldn’t be compared to me, they were genuinely grateful.
“No, I’m just glad I could be of help. Haha. And you should be thanking the Goddess. I am merely using the power she has given me.”
Seeing these people thank me from a distance gave me an incredibly strange feeling, but I raised my hand like a politician and accepted their thanks.
This is the right thing to say, isn’t it? I tried to say something befitting the title of Saint, but it felt as awkward as wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
I’m really not cut out for this stuff.
…Well, anyway, I’ve confirmed the video’s effect. Time to go see High Priestess Sophia.
With a fake smile plastered on my face, I slowly began to walk back the way I came.
And with every step I took, the densely packed wave of people parted before me.
It was truly the miracle of Moses… no, the miracle of Guwon.
If I’d had a staff in my hand, I would have been tempted to strike the ground and shout, “Part!”
Well, it was probably for the best that I didn’t, since it would have ruined the saintly image I’d just managed to create.
Even after I left the corridor to the chapel and entered the area where the priests stayed, the gazes directed at me showed no signs of disappearing.
Of course, there were far fewer stares than before, but there were still a lot.
Everywhere I went, priests would look at me and whisper amongst themselves.
“Kyaaaaah!”
When I turned my gaze toward a group of whispering priests, a shrill scream erupted from one of them who had met my eyes.
Her reaction was exactly like that of a fan who’d made eye contact with her favorite male celebrity.
It seemed the video was popular among the priests as well.
Well, that made sense. If it was being shown in the educational hall, that meant the priests were watching it too.
The stares weren’t unpleasant.
In fact, on a normal day, they would have made me feel proud.
Especially since there were many beautiful priests here.
However, the timing was bad.
My heart was already aching because of Elder Sister Rachel, and now, to think that so many women were sending me looks of favor…
I had to get to High Priestess Sophia quickly.
“High Priestess Sophia. I’m here… Whoa.”
“S-Sorry!”
As I knocked on the door, a priestess burst out from inside, bowed her head curtly, and scurried away.
…What was that about?
“Oh my. Welcome, Saint.”
From inside, High Priestess Sophia greeted me with a warm smile.
It was a smile that was a world away from the strict impression she’d given me when we first met.