Chapter 548: For the Descent of the Goddess
Chapter 548: For the Descent of the Goddess
Leia had once told me something.
To become a High Priestess, one had to offer a prayer to the Goddess in the presence of at least two other High Priestesses.
The same applied to becoming a Holy Knight; praying before two Holy Knights would trigger the class change.
However, it seemed the observers didn't strictly have to be Holy Knights. Praying in front of two High Priestesses, who held an equivalent rank, would also suffice.
After all, the Holy Knight job class was inherently rarer than that of a High Priestess. Unless the ceremony was held at a place like the Holy See, most aspirants would undergo their class change before two High Priestesses.
In any case, that was why Matilda had gone to High Priestess Sofia to make such a request.
With Leia and High Priestess Sofia present, she could perform the ritual for her class change.
"The priest class line has some pretty tricky requirements for advancement."
Of course, to advance one step further from High Priestess or Holy Knight, it seemed one could achieve the next class change by praying alone, without needing anyone else present.
That made sense. Third-tier job classes weren't exactly common.
Even Matilda, a Cardinal, had been stuck at the High Priestess stage.
I wondered if even the Holy See had two or more people who had completed their third class change.
Thinking of Diana made it even more apparent.
Even Diana, hailed as the world's greatest mage, had completed her third class change only to be blocked by the level 500 cap, unable to progress any further.
And so, while Leia, Matilda, and High Priestess Sofia were away for the ritual, Silvia and I were left to wait quietly for it to end.
"Are the class changes for knights this complicated, too?"
"Hieeek! N-No, they aren't!"
I rested my chin on Silvia's head as I held her in my arms. She answered desperately, on the verge of tears.
Truth be told, I was in the middle of enjoying some 'Silviatherapy'.
Haaa. The feeling of this gentle, skin-friendly vibration seeping into my body was incredible.
No massage device in the world could boast the same performance as my Silvia.
"Oh? Then how do you become a knight?"
"A k-knight, you ask? A knight must attain a certain level of skill and then swear a knight's oath to the one they wish to serve as their lord..."
"Wait a minute. A knight's oath? Does that mean you've sworn that oath to someone, Silvia?"
"I... I swore it to Felicia..."
My voice turned a little serious, and Silvia replied, trembling with a frightened expression.
I see. Felicia. Well, that makes sense. She might be like this, but she's still a member of the Royal Guard. And she and Felicia are childhood friends. Yes, I could understand it.
Of course, understanding it didn't mean I wasn't jealous.
My Silvia is mine.
"B-But unlike in the past, the knight's oath has no binding power these days! It's more like a formality for the class change! It's common for close friends to swear the oath to each other...!"
Seeing my slightly sullen expression, Silvia looked up at me with an anxious face, then began to explain herself frantically.
Friends swearing it to each other, huh. If that was the case, it seemed they weren't too strict about the whole 'lord' thing.
"Still, I'm jealous. Silvia is mine."
"Heehee..."
But even after hearing her explanation, I stated it firmly.
In response, Silvia could only open and close her mouth, unsure how to react.
She felt she had to somehow soothe my jealousy, but at the same time, the corners of her mouth were turning up as if she was happy I was jealous, and she was also embarrassed.
To be able to express all these emotions on one face... in a way, this was a talent.
Was it really true that she was expressionless before she met me?
I mean, I saw it with my own eyes when we first met, but seeing her like this, it was hard to believe.
Well, it didn't matter. Silvia is cute. That's enough.
"At this rate, I think I'll have to carve some definitive proof that Silvia is mine."
"P-P-P-Proof?! You mean, proof?!"
I brought my lips to her ear and whispered in a soft voice. Silvia's body shuddered violently as if she'd been electrocuted as she asked me back.
Just from me saying that, she already looked like she was about to ascend to heaven.
"Yes. That's right. Proof. What do you think would be good, Silvia?"
Still holding my lips close to her ear, I whispered again before carefully moving my mouth to place a light kiss on her cheek.
"Hieuuut! Th-That is, well! That!"
The more I did, the more intense Silvia's vibrations became.
It was now far beyond what could be called a massage; the chair she was sitting on was starting to rattle.
Watching her, I moved my head sideways, repeatedly pressing and releasing my lips from her cheek as if stamping a seal.
Yes. Straight towards Silvia's lips.
If I kissed her now, Silvia would lose her mind again.
The thought did cross my mind, but having just performed the Apostle Appointment on Matilda had made me a little impatient.
Maybe it would be better to get her used to this, even if it's a bit forceful.
It was a method that had failed once before, but back then, I had only pushed hard once, not applied continuous stimulation.
If I kept increasing the physical contact, maybe she'd get used to it someday.
At least to the point where an Apostle Appointment would be possible.
"You know, Silvia."
"Ye-Yehep! Ahh...!"
Right in front of her lips.
I brought my own lips less than a centimeter away and spoke. Silvia was so flustered that she bit her tongue as she answered.
Seeing her eyes spinning, it looked like she was struggling to stay conscious.
"I think something like the Apostle's Seal would be nice. Proof that you're mine."
As I spoke, I stuck out my tongue and lightly licked her lips.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaa..."
Silvia let out a high-pitched, indescribable sound.
Watching her cute reaction, I gently pressed my lips against hers.
Honestly, I thought she might try to run, so I was tense and ready to grab her, but surprisingly, Silvia accepted my kiss without any resistance.
However, she didn't respond to my kiss at all. Far from responding, she was completely motionless.
At first, I thought her body had just frozen so stiffly that she couldn't even run away, but for her to be this unresponsive felt strange.
No, more than that... it's one thing for her lips not to move, but doesn't it seem like she's not breathing?
"S-Silvia? Silvia! Silviaaa!"
I gently pulled my lips away and looked at her face. Silvia was already gone.
No, not in the figurative sense of being out of it, but literally, her consciousness had completely vanished.
Th-This girl! She died standing... no. She's not dead! She's not breathing, but she's not dead yet! She just fainted!
I hurriedly laid Silvia down on the floor and pressed my mouth to her soft lips again to perform artificial respiration.
"Gasp! Cough! Hieuuut! Haah, haah!"
After a few breaths, Silvia finally started breathing again.
Whew. Thank goodness. I was seriously considering whether I needed to have sex with her right here to activate Healing Sex.
Even for me, doing something like that in the office of High Priestess Sofia, whom I considered practically my mother-in-law, was something I'd hesitate to do.
Of course, if Silvia were in real danger, I wouldn't care about any of that.
In any case, Silvia, now breathing again, took a few ragged breaths and slowly opened her eyes.
"Haaah... haah... a d-dream...? Haaa... it was a dream after all..."
The moment she opened her eyes, my Silvia started muttering nonsense to herself.
She's not doing this on purpose, hoping I'll call her out on it, is she?
"It wasn't a dream."
"Aht! ...H-Hyaaaaaa! G-Guwo, Guwon-niiim?!"
As I thought that, I gave her a light flick on the forehead. Silvia, unable to grasp the situation, clutched her forehead with both hands and stared at me blankly before screaming, flailing her arms and legs to scramble away from me in an instant.
"A d-d-d-drea! It wasn't a dream...!"
"At this rate, how are you ever going to receive the Apostle Appointment?"
"A-Apostleeee..."
"So stop fainting over every little thing! I told you this before!"
"Ye-Yehet! B-But for you to say it directly...!"
Silvia had been on the verge of fainting again at the mention of the Apostle Appointment, but she flinched when I scolded her lightly and snapped out of it.
No, wait. Judging by her slightly defiant, almost resentful tone at the end, maybe she wasn't fully conscious after all.
"But you understood that's what I meant, didn't you?"
"Augh... th-that's... B-But, Apostle... hehe... Apostle Appointmeeeent..."
Hey. I don't care if you talk back, get embarrassed, or act happy, but could you please just pick one?
I mean, her goofy grin is cute, but still.
"You're really something else... Well, at this rate, the Apostle Appointment will be impossible for you forever."
As I muttered that, Silvia, who had been grinning foolishly just a moment ago, stared at me with a shocked expression, as if she'd been hit over the head.
Hey. Don't look at me like that. It makes me look like I'm bullying you.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you confident you won't die when I perform the Apostle Appointment? For your information, all my girls writhed in pleasure with the happiest expressions on their faces during their appointments. It'll feel a hundred, a thousand times better than kissing me."
"B-Better than a kiss... a hundred, a thousand times better..."
As if imagining it, Silvia's body began to tremble where she leaned against the wall.
"Right. Well, if you're confident you won't die, then anytime..."
"I'm not!"
Was that something to declare so forcefully, you silly girl?
"But you still want it, right?"
"Ooh... y-yes..."
"Then you'll have to practice so you don't die when you receive the Apostle Appointment, won't you?"
I smiled as I said that, and Silvia shivered once, as if she had a premonition of her impending future.
But despite that, wanting the Apostle Appointment, Silvia had no choice but to slowly approach me again at my beckoning.
And as for what happened after that...
"I'm back. I've safely become a Holy Knight again... What have you been doing?"
Matilda, having successfully completed her ritual, strode energetically into the room before stopping short, staring at me with a dumbfounded look.
"Ah, welcome back. What have I been doing?"
"Don't play dumb. I'm talking about Silvia-ssi."
As she spoke, Matilda pointed a finger at Silvia, who was smiling peacefully in my arms.
"I was just holding her."
"Y-You mean, this whole time?"
Matilda's face turned slightly pale as she glanced at the clock in the room to check the time.
"It's fine. She's not dead..."
"That's not the issue!"
"Guwon-ssi."
"Yes, my angel."
Then Leia, who had entered the room after Matilda, saw us and called my name in a quiet voice.
"If you tease Silvia-ssi too much..."
Ah, this is bad. Is my angel a little genuinely angry?
Did all the times she's pointed this out, which I've ignored, finally cause her to snap?
"I-It's fine, I tell you. This is all to help Silvia achieve her goal, she asked me for my cooperation... r-right, Silvia? Ah, she's fainted."
Well, Silvia was just smiling peacefully in my arms.
There was no way she was awake.
"Guuwoooon-ssiii...?"
No, I'm really not teasing her?!
Hey, Silvia! Wake up! Hey! Don't just sleep there, explain things to my angel