The Church (2)
It was him.
The ninja priest who went around hiding a blade inside his sleeve.
The moment I laid eyes on that face, my teeth ground together audibly.
The very next day after that bastard saw Tia's horns, an Inquisitor had shown up at the church.
Who had tipped him off was obvious without even looking.
"On this precious day of worship, as the Lord has permitted His Church, I ask that you join our congregation in faith."
"Um, I actually just remembered something I need to take care of—"
"Oh dear. I'll have you out of here in no time, Father. Do stay a little longer."
"······."
A painful standoff ensued.
Since I kept glaring daggers at him, he attempted an escape exactly once, got caught, and then had to stand awkwardly at the back through the entire service.
Our eyes met a few times, but he would promptly turn his head away and pretend he didn't know me at all.
"Irina, could you watch Tia for a bit after the service?"
"Hm? Why?"
"I have something to discuss with the Father for a moment······."
I let go of Tia's hand as she looked up at me, bewildered, searching my face.
Judging by how the ninja priest kept fidgeting and glancing toward the back exit, the service was finally winding down.
"······Let us pray."
And at last, the moment came when the sound announcing the end of worship rang out.
The instant everyone clasped their hands and bowed their heads, the ninja priest turned without a sound and made to bolt.
I slipped quietly out of my seat and went straight after him.
When I stepped through the door, the corridor was empty except for the ninja priest.
"Excuse me."
"······."
"Excuse me, Father!"
"······."
Chasing the priest as he strode along at a brisk, purposeful pace left me gasping for breath.
Only when I finally caught up and grabbed his shoulder did he click his tongue and come to a halt.
"I'm sorry, but I'm merely visiting this area. If you have questions, I'd direct you to the Father with the glasses over there—"
"Drop the act. Me, Tia, the Inquisitor—you're the one who ratted us out, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm talking about the night we ran into each other. I pretended not to know what kind of person you are, and this is how you repay a favor? With a knife in the back?"
"······."
The ninja priest stepped half a pace toward me and flashed the blade hidden in his sleeve.
Of course, it was a threat that didn't faze me in the slightest.
If he could have killed me, he would have done it that very night I witnessed his murder.
He couldn't, so he'd quietly swept it under the rug and sent me on my way instead.
It's always the dogs that don't bite that bark the loudest.
If you can kill me, go ahead and try.
When I stared straight up into his eyes, he looked visibly flustered.
"Is this really the conduct befitting a man of the cloth? My faith in the Church is about to take quite a tumble, you know."
"······."
Pushing too hard was a bad play.
True, he was the one who broke our unspoken agreement—but in the pecking order, I still held the weaker position.
The junior party can't back the senior party into a corner.
So offering room for a settlement was the right call here.
"People like this get to become priests? It's almost funny. What kind of place IS the Holy See, that they'll ordain men who go back on their word at the drop of a hat?"
"······What is it you want."
Besides, a man willing to sully his hands with even murder must be fairly loyal to the Church.
Such people can stomach insults to themselves, but never to the Church.
And sure enough, the ninja priest quickly tucked his tail and signaled his willingness to settle.
"I'm currently going through my citizenship review, as it happens? Just put in a word at the civil affairs office. Tell them Yulia is an exceptionally faithful, diligent, and honest person."
"That's more than one word."
"Ugh, fine, just four words then."
"I'll see to it. You have my word. I really am sorry about all this."
"Ahh. My faith in the Church is coming right back."
A deal was struck.
Thank goodness the whole incident with Tia being exposed as demonkin had wrapped up without disaster—otherwise I might have charged at him the instant I saw his face, fully prepared to kill.
And with that, my citizenship papers would arrive a little sooner.
The grudge was well and truly settled.
Our relationship may have started with a betrayal, but if he proved useful to me, I could toss dusty old feelings aside in a heartbeat.
When I beamed at him and extended my right hand, he simply stared at it, dumbfounded.
What are you looking at, you brat.
Ever heard of a handshake?
"Father Alexander, was it?"
"Yes, that's right, Yulia······."
Awkward and flustered, he took my hand clumsily and shook it slowly.
"You came from out of town, but you still haven't gone back? From what I can see, you spend all your time tiptoeing around the local priest. Isn't that uncomfortable?"
"It is. I want to leave right away, but my employer has no intention of going anywhere······."
"Your employer?"
"Yes. I mentioned before that we're searching for the Saintess. But since we know neither her face nor her name, we had to hire someone separately."
"Then why not just pack up and leave?"
"Well, you see······ that's the problem. This person is our employer, but not someone we can treat carelessly."
"Ahh."
He was being deliberately vague, trying to keep it under wraps, but I figured out who the employer was right away.
Someone who knew the Saintess's face.
And someone the Church couldn't handle lightly.
Only one person fit both descriptions: the Hero, Leopard.
So he'd been hired to help find the Saintess, and he'd been loafing around this whole time.
Now this—I could dig a little deeper here.
The ninja priest desperately wanted to leave for the next village with the Hero and continue the search for the Saintess.
And I wanted the clingy Hero to get lost.
The two of us shared exactly the same goal.
So if I sweet-talked this 'employer' into leaving this place, I'd owe the ninja priest yet another favor.
How do I bring this up?
The trouble was, making the offer would require revealing that I already knew the 'employer's' true identity.
How could I make the proposal without arousing suspicion?
Maybe I could pretend to guess on a hunch—ask if this 'employer' happened to be that freeloader rumored to be backed by House Dragonia?
BANG······!
Just as I was turning the problem over, a door behind us crashed open.
"Gahk."
And out of it strode none other than the freeloader with the eyepatch.
The Hero, Leopard.
Talk of the tiger, and the tiger appears—so the saying goes.
It gave me chills.
Leopard's face was twisted up as though in a fury as he came toward us.
"Alexander. What do you think you're doing?"
"I was having a word with a member of the congregation. Ah—this is the employer I mentioned just now. Yulia, meet Leopard."
"Yuliaaaa?"
Leopard's face grew several shades darker.
And yet somehow he still managed to look handsome, which was frankly absurd.
So that's what they call a protagonist's appearance buff.
"Oh my. What a coincidence. He's a regular at our shop."
"I've only been there once—"
"You'll be coming often, won't you? Isn't that right, Leopard?"
"······I suppose."
"Oh. So the two of you have already met."
"Of course. It's hard to forget a man who shares a name with the Hero himself. Oh—here's an idea. Why don't I have a talk with Mr. Leopard? Persuade him that he'd like to leave this village and resume the search for the Saintess."
"Oh. I would be endlessly grateful if you did."
Done.
Thanks to Leopard's conveniently timed entrance, the deal was sealed.
Now, what should I demand as my fee this time?
Being a low-ranking priest stuck doing all the dirty work, he wouldn't be able to offer anything too grand, I supposed.
Maybe I'd have him play matchmaker—open a door or two into noble society.
What a delightful dilemma to have.
Except Leopard, who had been watching our exchange from the side the whole time, looked increasingly, alarmingly displeased.
Just as I was wondering if he'd stepped in something on his way here, he seized my wrist without warning.
"Yulia. We're leaving."
"Huh? Wait, what? Right now? Where?"
"Just come."
"Fa-Father! It was lovely meeting you!"
"Yes. Likewise······."
And so I was dragged off in Leopard's wake.
The violent brute.
Did he think I was his property?
I was starting to get sick of being handled like an object.
Once we'd walked a long way and reached a stretch deserted of people, I wrenched my hand free.
Massaging my tingling wrist, I glared at him, but he made no attempt whatsoever to hide his sour mood.
As if I were the annoying one here.
"Why are you skulking around the church? I warned you, didn't I? The Church is hunting the Saintess. If you get caught, it won't end prettily! And then the Saintess walks right into the tiger's den like she owns the place? Are you an idiot?"
"You're the idiot, you bastard. You claim to be searching for the Saintess while you prowl around like a stray—sooner or later the Church is going to notice she's in this village, no? Besides, someone who's never once set foot in a church her whole life looks far more suspicious."
The dimwit.
The moment I fired back, Leopard clammed up like a mute who'd been fed honey.
But the sullen expression stayed plastered on his face.
"Don't talk to that priest again. Don't even cross paths with him. He's a two-faced, sneaky bastard."
"Don't care. Not if he's useful to me. A man who barges into someone else's place of business, throws a fit, and won't let go is a lot less useful to me than that priest, as far as I can tell."
"Are you insane? Has your gallbladder migrated outside your body? That man is an assassin dispatched by the Holy See to hunt YOU down, and you're not even scared?"
"My life's already ruined—what's left to be scared of? Anyway, you heard what I said back there, right? Pretend I talked you into it and leave this village. I'd really appreciate it. I made a deal with that priest."
"I'm not leaving."
"Fine. I'll be your lover again. Now will you leave?"
"······."
Leopard's mouth fell slightly open.
This is what men are.
Fools who lose all reason the moment a woman they like so much as sways her tail.
My cheeks did burn a little, but since I'd become a woman anyway, I decided to put it to active use.
"It'd be pointless, wouldn't it? What's the good of being lovers if we can't even see each other?"
"We'll meet again later. When the Church gives up its search for the Saintess—and when I've made something decent of my life. How about then?"
A lie, of course.
As soon as I had money set aside, I planned to vanish somewhere Leopard could never find me.
Leopard had probably considered that possibility too.
But when a woman he loved was agreeing to date him, there was no room left in his head for such complicated thoughts.
Men are simply made that way.
Sure enough, Leopard's pupils were darting restlessly as he looked down at me.
It was the gaze of a dog desperate to relieve itself.
He's just about ready to cave.
"Well? You don't actually want me caught by the Church either. Sooo, come on—mmph?!"
In that instant, arms clamped around my waist and I was crushed against him.
Startled by the sudden embrace, I thrashed to break free, but he was so absurdly strong I couldn't budge an inch.
Then his voice reached my ears, and every ounce of strength drained out of my body. I stopped resisting.
"I won't leave. I will never leave. I won't let you leave, either. Never. I'm not leaving you alone again. Never again. Never. Ariel. Ariel. Ariel······."
"······."
Leopard was on the verge of tears, like a little girl.
It was the voice of a man whose soul had left him.
Feeling that trembling heart pounding against me inside his quaking arms, a pang of pity rose up, and before I knew it, my own arms had lifted.
What am I even doing right now······.
I held Leopard for a while and patted his back.
Without having the faintest idea why.
Such a slight back, for a man, isn't it?
Out of nowhere, that was the thought that came to me.