The Stigmata Begins to Fade
“·········Yes. I, I want it···so badly···”
By now, this had to mean he wanted me to spread myself open like the vulgar creature I was.
I decided to do as he wished. When I gripped my hips with both hands and pulled them apart to either side, my pussy spread wide open, and I could feel the semen he'd left inside me trickling out.
“Please fuck me deeper with your cock, Father.”
“Where?”
“In, in Serina's pussy·····Aahh!”
This time his cock, far harder than before, drove deep inside in a single thrust.
I had already been held in this man's arms for three hours, and the pain had melted away almost the moment it came.
“Does it feel good?”
“Ahh, yes! Hah, hah, it feels so good!”
This was a large part of why I had decided to become an obedient saintess.
When I resisted them fiercely, they raped me. They coveted nothing but the holes my body came with, violating me — forcing apart my flesh, wounding me, humiliating me. But when I yielded, they did not try to harm me at all. The ones who liked my face sought an ordinary union between man and woman through conversation with me, and the ones who wanted my body took care that I not be broken.
And then—
“I am relieved to see that you seem to be reclaiming yourself, Saintess. At this rate, the day will soon come when you can serve as a proper member of the Order. You must be looking forward to it, no?”
“Hah, ah, yes! Looking, forward to it!”
Unlike Lean, who had given me nothing but despair, this man tried to give me hope. Lean, who had wanted to monopolize me, had cast his spell to make me feel affection for him — dozens, hundreds of times a day he would tell me he loved me, trying to break my mind first.
Now I could say it with certainty. This was better than my time with the Hero. Because these men did not love me. They had simply wanted to fuck the saintess.
And the most important point: they were far bigger than Lean, who had been nothing but overflowing lust. None of the things that had torn through my insides had ever come up short. It was simply that things as excessive as this priest and the cardinal existed — a gathering of monsters, every last one of them above the standard size.
“How are you feeling right now?”
“Aah, it, it feels so good! Nngh!”
So how could my body — one that had fallen even to the likes of Lean — possibly endure this? Absolutely not.
“Then rest well. I shall see you tomorrow, Saintess.”
“Hahh·····Yes.”
Still, there was one thing that comforted me. Perhaps it meant that the one resolve to endure had not crumbled. I could smile now — because a conviction had been welling up in me that if things went on like this, I could bear it for years to come. Hope was filling me that if I held out steadfastly, the day I met Lartel again would surely come.
Of course, I realized immediately that I was mistaken. The woman sitting before the mirror was a vulgar woman who would spread her legs for any man. If the people who had known me saw me as I was now, they would be unable to hide their disappointment — and he, who had met me all of once, would hardly welcome me, would he? I would count myself lucky if he spared me a single word.
And yet I missed him so much that I could no longer suppress the feeling.
“Ah·····Aah·····”
I had sworn never to cry again, and yet here I was, carelessly spilling tears all over again. If this went on, the longing would return and I would not sleep a wink — I knew that perfectly well, and still there I was, unable to erase the thought. It was plainly an absurd notion, and yet I could not let go of the hope that if by some chance I met Lartel again, he might treat me as warmly as he had back then. Failing that, I wanted at least a passing greeting, or a brief exchange of words.
Lartel — no. Anyone would do. What I needed was the gaze of an ordinary person, not eyes brimming with lust. And yet the only one who came to mind was that knight, probably because everyone I could have leaned on had vanished in a single moment. Aside from Lartel, the only one left to me was Sister Michelle. And her, above all, I could never allow to set foot in this cathedral. So in the end I had no choice but to fill my head with Lartel. I was so lonely that I had come to miss him.
In the end, I did not sleep at all.
Having lain awake the whole night until morning thinking of Lartel, I had to receive Ervan with bleary eyes when he came to my room.
“I'm sorry — who did you say came to see me?”
“Yes. Someone you know as well, Saintess.”
Perhaps because my mind was still half asleep, at first I thought I must have misheard. But I hadn't. Someone I know?Could it be·····Lartel?
I held my breath, if only for an instant. That was far from enough to drive out the tension, but it was at least a serviceable way to recover some calm in front of this priest. Taking a long, deep breath, I pressed my neatly folded hands firmly against the top of my chest. Before long the trembling in my fingers eased, and composure returned.
And one thing was certain. Yes. That's right. It has to be. If not Lartel, who would ever come to see me? Even Michelle didn't know I was here.
“Ah — just a moment.”
“Mm. There is truly no need, but as you wish.”
“A few minutes — no, just give me five.”
Ervan scratched his head once, then gave a small nod. “Call for me at the door when you are ready. I shall withdraw so that you may prepare in comfort.”
“Thank you.”
“If it is what the Saintess wishes, then this much I must do·····” His words trailed off, and he looked at me with a helpless expression. “Does the arrival of a guest please you so very much?”
“Huh···?”
“You are smiling so brightly that I find it rather a burden. I will give you ample time, so make yourself as presentable as you like before coming out. I will be waiting.”
Apparently I really had been smiling like a fool. But there was nothing to be done about it. The mere thought that I might laugh and chatter like I had back then set my heart pounding. If heaven's luck truly piled upon fortune, perhaps I could even escape this place. That was the hope I had allowed myself to cherish.
“··············Ah··············”
It was not.
“It has been a while, hasn't it, Saintess?”
The man waiting for me in the parlor was not Lartel. It was the Hero, Lean.
Merely meeting Lean's face made my skin react. Gooseflesh broke out across my whole body, and my breath caught in my throat. No matter how hard I pressed a hand to my chest, my madly trembling fingers could not calm me. In the end I stumbled backward — and was blocked by Ervan, whose hand had caught my back. He wound one arm around my waist and pressed my body flush against his.
“Wh····why····” My mouth, moving belatedly, began to spill out questions. “Why on earth is he — that man — here·····Mmph!”
“Saintess. I would like you to hear me out for just a moment.” Without removing the hand covering my mouth, Ervan took my chin in his other hand and turned my face aside. I glared up at him with fierce, wide eyes, but he shifted his gaze away from me — toward the Hero.
“Why don't you rest a little longer as well, Hero.”
“···It only takes a few minutes.”
“Well, you see, the Saintess needs to understand just how the present situation is unfolding. If you were to cooperate, Hero, we might be able to hasten your reunion.”
“Suit yourself.”
Lean put on a dissatisfied look and returned to the chair at the far end of the room. The moment I confirmed that his attention had been severed from us entirely, I at last regained the freedom of my jaw.
“Hah!”
“Oh, did I startle you? I was only trying to help you relax.” Ervan's hand, which had been clutching my breast, began to move more gently. It was sheer luck that, for once, I had come out wearing both my upper garments and my underclothes. Even with my body frozen stiff, I had to flinch away from the pressure felt through the fabric. If I had truly felt anything in this situation, I would have collapsed then and there.
“Let us step over there first. There is something I must tell you in private.” Only after he had led me into a corner did Ervan take the hand from my mouth. I wanted to spit out the curse that had risen all the way up my throat, but for the moment I decided to swallow it. From the way things were turning, it looked as though I would be “reuniting” with that fucking bastard in a matter of minutes.
“········Father. This — what is this, exactly?” The only thought circling my head was that I had to stay close to this priest, no matter what.
“Hm. Saintess. You have hardly looked over your own body of late, have you?”
“My···body?”
“Yes. I was told that from two weeks ago, you bathed yourself cleanly each time before embracing the faithful. Did you perhaps fail to notice anything strange at the time?”
I searched my memory carefully, but nothing in particular surfaced. I shook my head shortly. “No. Nothing.”
“Is that so. Well, it is hardly something one would see unless one paid it mind, so I suppose that is possible. And yet.” He placed one hand against the nape of my neck. “I would have you understand that from the Order's standpoint, there is nothing so important as this.”
“Nngh.” Soon his hand, half-closing around my throat, tightened, and breathing slowly became an effort. Reflexively I seized his arm and tried to drag it down, clinging to it — but it was futile. Even now, my feeble strength could not shake him off.
“Wh, why are you suddenly·····”
“What am I to do with you, if you did not even notice that your stigmata has begun to fade?”
The word stigmata was as good as a gag over my mouth.