Superior to You All – 2
A distant, vast night.
Beneath the sky that was both dark and radiant.
Valentin let out a groaning sound as he stretched.
The illustrious pilgrimage, held every three years.
A ritual as old as the founding of the Holy Church itself, never once skipped.
Though those who participated endured hardships beyond measure, the sense of fulfillment was equally great.
The fervor among the faithful was immense, with many voices declaring that all should participate.
**thud.**
The crackle of a bonfire.
The occasional clink of the sword at his waist.
The patrol sounds of knights from the north circling the perimeter.
“I’m truly mortified.”
A woman in her habit approached quietly and sat beside him.
Her refined appearance matched her name perfectly—Lily.
Neither Lily nor Valentin cared that their clothes might soil on the cold ground.
They simply enjoyed the warmth of the fire.
“Indeed. We undertake the pilgrimage for the sake of the people, yet those who suffer on our account…”
Valentin’s gaze turned toward the knights.
The knights wearing light armor, dispatched personally by Maria.
Lily smiled and nodded.
“It also means it’s difficult to accomplish anything with our own strength. It’s a lesson that we shouldn’t be arrogant about our abilities.”
“A lesson about arrogance. Quite right.”
We believe in the gods and receive their mercy.
Through that, we are able to wield the power of divine energy, however limited.
Yet that does not mean the gods have granted us special privileges.
If one mistakenly believes that and justifies oneself, there could be no greater horror.
Valentin mulled over the old teachings and nodded.
“I suppose I should turn in for the night. It’s time to rest.”
Our nerves would be sharper if we remained awake.
Valentin slowly stood, brushing off the ground, and Lily followed.
“Yes. Until tomorrow.”
They each stepped into their separate tents.
The tents were large and spacious, accommodating multiple people; ten people could sleep side by side with room to spare.
The men each in their own way.
The women each in their own way.
The Holy Church did not tolerate immorality, but it did not strictly enforce purity.
As a result, marriages between faithful and non-faithful were not uncommon.
The night was quiet.
Lily entered her tent quietly and slipped into the empty spot.
Her footsteps were extremely cautious so as not to wake anyone.
She removed her habit and folded it neatly, placing it beside her head.
The wide, sturdy cloth laid on the ground meant she would not roll on the dirt floor.
“Haah…”
Lily carefully pulled the blanket over herself and exhaled a warm breath.
Despite the thin clothing, she felt no cold.
Especially on such a warm night.
Valentin’s voice and scent.
The feelings she encountered daily yet always felt new.
Because of that, her body was always flushed, and without self-pleasure, her heated form would not cool.
‘Oh divine one, please forgive your sinful servant…’
**shhh!**
Lily hurriedly closed her lips and swallowed the moan.
Imagining Valentin, she placed her hand between her legs, and found that it was already soaked through.
Her entrance was slick with her own fluids, and each time she rubbed her inner walls, a wet sound escaped.
I want to devour him.
I want to fill my womb with his fresh semen.
But she had to hold back.
Today too, her thoughts strayed into a fantasy of claiming Valentin.
The memory of when he was young.
The way she had bathed him as his slightly older sister.
At the time, she had thought of nothing, just feeling his cuteness.
But now…
“**Haaah… ugh…**”
The suppressed moans occasionally slipped past her lips, but fortunately, no one was listening.
The women who looked at Valentin with desire were more than a few, and the faithful were no exception.
Whenever an opportunity arose, they tried to deepen their ties with him.
They were like a dog wagging its tail before prey.
Sometimes, the defenseless look on his face when he wiped down a sweat-dampened body.
She had no idea how much that appearance stirred the females.
She knew men and women could create life by overlapping their bodies, but she did not understand the intensity of his desire.
And yet he himself was a blank slate who had never once pleasured himself.
‘I want to devour him. I want to devour him like an animal. But I have to hold back… ahh!’
When she reached the familiar peak, Lily’s body trembled.
Soon, as the trembling subsided, the heat in her body began to fade.
The relief of having satisfied her desire.
Followed by the loneliness and emptiness of needing to resort to self-pleasure alone.
Even after passing the northern border and entering the eastern lands, it was the same.
Even in the barracks, she always pleasured herself with aching desperation.
What difference could the outside world make?
‘This can’t go on… it’s too hard to hold back.’
Lily was the high priestess, the pinnacle of the faithful, the candidate for archbishop just below her.
She had to set an example to that degree.
Yet she was consumed by the lewd desire to devour a saint like an animal and pleasured herself.
“I will escort you as best I can. Please relax.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
When one knight spoke for the others, the two archbishops bowed their heads with smiling faces.
The knights and most of the pilgrims participating in the journey were women.
Valentin was, in essence, no different from a chunk of meat thrown into the midst of a den of beasts.
One step away from being devoured like an animal.
“He really is handsome. No, pretty, I suppose.”
“They must be dying to eat that high-ranking official.”
The knights whispered among themselves as they looked at Valentin.
They had realized firsthand how exaggerated the rumors of his beauty were.
Because of that, a wicked thought crossed their minds for a moment, wondering if they should approach him—
“Exposure would mean execution.”
“Uuuuh…!”
Beatrix’s warning was both cold and terrifying.
Recalling Mia’s hellish training, she steeled her resolve.
Thanks to that, Valentin and the faithful were able to complete the tour of the eastern kingdom’s every corner.
Even when foolish bandits or figures from the underworld tried to attack.
As the long pilgrimage drew to a close, the knights joined the pilgrims in marching toward the capital.
The sight of countless people lining the road resembled a grand procession.
Perhaps because of the rumors that a saint had arrived in the capital.
The people, especially the women, crowded the roads, making them bustling with life.
The beauty that was said to be worth traveling the kingdom for was here; it was unbearable.
At the very least, they wanted to see his face.
“Waaaaah!”
As if bringing news of victory, the people all opened their mouths in cheers.
It was impossible not to cheer for Valentin’s face personally.
Without the knights scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, he would have been swarmed from all sides.
While pushing through the chaotic crowd.
Valentin and the faithful caught sight of a colossal fortress ahead.
The fortress had walls that were entirely black and as smooth as silk.
“The eastern fortress is also magnificent.”
“Yes. It lives up to its reputation as the Blackwood Castle.”
The southern golden fortress was the most ornate.
The western weapon fortress was the most formidable.
The northern nature fortress was the most beautiful.
And the eastern Blackwood Castle was the cleanest and most solid of all.
“Valentin. Once again, I will ask you to represent us.”
Upon reaching the palace, the two elderly archbishops yielded their position to Valentin once more.
They had grown tired of greeting high-ranking figures and were essentially arranging private matters.
Valentin knew their scheme but nodded as if he did not.
He had done it three times already, so he would do it one last time.
Though the title of saint was a heavy burden, it was not lacking as a nameplate.
Lily followed behind, determined to protect Valentin.
Assisting the saint was something many faithful wished for.
Thus, the competition was fierce.
If she had not been the one to take care of him since childhood…
Someone else would have been guarding his side.
“I will guide you.”
Guiding them all the way to the audience hall was none other than Mia.
She claimed the role of guide as soon as the faithful arrived at the palace.
Though shaken by the saint’s appearance, she quickly composed herself.
It was because she had grown used to the otherworldly beauty after seeing Albert’s face.
The other knights were in the same boat.
“May I ask if the knights have been rude in any way? If so, I will sincerely apologize on behalf of the palace.”
“Apologize? Not at all. Thanks to your efforts on our behalf, we suffered no harm.”
As Mia walked the corridor questioning the knights, Valentin shook his head with an awkward expression.
The sight of the saint genuinely concerned for their well-being was rather endearing.
‘They say the saint has reached adulthood… why does he give off such a youthful impression?’
When beauty is exceptional, does a boyish quality remain?
Mia tilted her head at the sudden thought, but continued walking without hesitation.
“Your Highness. The saint requests an audience.”
Finally reaching the doors of the audience hall, the maid guarding the entrance called out in a loud voice.
Enter.
With the king’s permission granted, the maid carefully opened the massive doors.
Only the queen and the saint were in the vast audience hall.
Valentin and Lily approached the throne, and Beatrix, who had been quietly seated, spoke.
Naturally, Albert was also standing guard beside the queen.
“You have suffered much. I have prepared gifts; they will be sent along your way.”
“We are deeply honored.”
When undertaking the pilgrimage, each ruler presented gifts depicting the gods.
Statues, paintings, engravings—each unique.
Albert remained silent, listening to the conversation between the queen and the faithful.
‘With that kind of beauty, even an ordinary man would turn gay.’
He realized anew that the rumors of his beauty were no exaggeration.
With that level of appeal, even other men would fall for him without issue.
Valentin was a man, yet he possessed a beauty that ignored gender.
‘But who does he resemble…?’
Whose face is that?
While Albert tilted his head in confusion, Beatrix finished her remarks.
She had planned to keep it brief from the start, so she did not waste time.
Albert offered thanks, though it was extremely short.
“Rest now. The servants will show you to your rooms.”
“No, Your Highness. I apologize, but we cannot impose…”
“Do not make me repeat myself. Rest.”
Beatrix’s cold dismissal left Valentin no choice but to bow his head.
“Yes. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“The other faithful who came with you will also be well cared for.”
At least the other pilgrims would be treated, and Valentin’s face brightened.
As the two left the audience hall, Beatrix’s gaze turned to Albert.
Throughout it all, Albert had been staring at the backs of the two men.
“Why? Something on your mind? I could send them away right now—”
“Eh? Ah, it’s nothing like that. It’s fine. We cannot treat those who have suffered with coldness.”
Albert waved his hands frantically, and she dropped the idea.
“Really? Got it.”
Well then.
Beatrix nodded as if she understood everything.
The audience hall was private, with only herself and Albert present—perfect for intimate conversation.
This time, Albert met Beatrix’s eyes and asked.
“Why the sudden question?”
“Because your eyes were fixed on their backs. I wondered if something was bothering you.”
“Ah… I see. But there was nothing like that. I was simply surprised by what I saw directly.”
Someone,
and especially the protagonist of a game, could not be said to resemble him in the slightest.
“True.”
Meanwhile, Beatrix, with a suspicious look in her eyes, recalled the backs of the two men as they departed.
The way she enveloped the saint while supporting him.
His gaze.
Especially the gaze.
The more she saw it, the more it felt familiar.
**tap tap.**
She lightly tapped the throne armrest while pondering.
A lightning bolt flashed through Beatrix’s mind.
Because the face of someone suddenly brought to mind had answered her question.
Kristia, Maria, Wilhelmina.
Half-mad and deeply lewd.
The same eyes they had shown toward Albert.
OBSERVATION
Valentin was the perfect prize for a tyrant queen who refused to stop obsessing over the modern orphan who had become their shared consort.