Chapter 71

〈 Chapter 71 〉 Full of Vitality

*

I often thought she resembled a golden retriever that is super affectionate towards people.

Like how she never loses her innocent smile, no matter when or where.

Or her loud voice, as if she swallowed a train whistle.

And her clumsiness, occasionally causing unintended mishaps, unaware of her own strength.

If a golden retriever were to eat garlic and turn into a person, she would talk and act just like this.

That silly remark didn’t feel entirely silly because the harmony between the golden retriever and her truly showed perfect synergy.

Angel Dog.

A heartbreakingly sweet nickname given to a breed that might have the kindest disposition in the world.

However, there’s one thing that novice guardians, distracted by such harmless titles, tend to forget.

A golden retriever is also a sizable dog, a beast with the instinct to bite and tear at its prey.

”Huff····. Uh····. Hah····.”

From her rosy lips, tightly pressed against my collarbone, warm breaths escaped intermittently.

That sinister heat, directly transmitted to my skin, vividly depicted the presence of a predator, ready to feast.

Due to the hero burying his face in my neck, it seemed difficult to check her expression.

Soon, though, I would consider that a fortunate circumstance.

There was no way I could face the sight of her smiling face, which always resembled a sunflower, now twisted with unprecedented sensual thoughts.

”Hero···· sir···. No····.”

Desperately swallowing the occasional muffled moan, I could only flutter my dry lips a couple of times in a plea.

”Just a little····. J, just a little more····. Sigh····. Hah····.”

”Ugh, ugh····.”

Her stringent breaths suggested she was trying to dig out something buried in my body.

I thought I could count how many times she inhaled and exhaled, or how many times she swallowed.

It wasn’t that something was directly contacting my skin.

Of course, her soft skin, clinging tightly to my body, had me completely restrained.

But that was aimed solely at binding my physical freedom, and I felt no intention of doing anything to me.

Therefore, in this moment, the only parts of her body with a subjective will were fundamentally just her cute nose, tightly pressed on my collarbone, sniffing me.

I couldn’t quite tell if a bit of rationality remained or if my muffled pleas reached her heart, but I could vaguely sense she was desperately suppressing her own desires through those cautious movements.

But did she know?

That the painful tension was driving me crazy.

Occasionally, warm droplets fell onto my collarbone.

The sensual voice brushing against the bed sheet.

The alluring scent that only a woman’s body could emit, wrapped in that thrilling aroma.

The clash of reason and instinct truly defined this situation.

How long had it been?

Just when I was barely hanging by a thread of rationality, she finally liberated me.

”I-I’m so sorry····. Priest····.”

”Huff····.”

It was obvious that the slight distance created by the hero’s movements was still saturated with lingering regrets.

”Hero····. Are you feeling better now····?”

After rubbing the spasms from all over my body due to being utterly pinned down, I cautiously murmured while observing her expression.

In the past two weeks, the hero physically showing affection to me was an uncommon occurrence.

It was true that I wanted to fulfill her wishes as much as possible, but my compliance mostly involved light physical contact, like petting her head or laying on my lap, which felt suitable for even familial relationships.

Moreover, unlike the saintess, who would throw tantrums if her demands weren’t met, the hero had respected the limits I set.

Thus, the hero’s behavior, imposing her desires on me, was indeed quite startling.

‘So that’s it! Kissing is off the table! I’ll keep that in mind!’

Why hadn’t I realized back then that my response carried a hint of disappointment?

The reason I set limitations on physical contact with her was rather clear.

While I had decided to no longer ignore my responsibilities towards the hero, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a proper adult to straightforwardly accept her affections.

After all, love takes various forms, and distinguishing them would surely be a challenging task for the hero at this stage.

Until the hero could clearly recognize her feelings toward me, I intended to strictly prohibit such intense physical interactions.

”I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Priest! Are you angry····?”

The hero’s timid demeanor was reminiscent of a scared puppy caught in its own wrongdoing.

For a moment, her fluffy ears and tail appeared as if they had sprouted from her head and behind.

”I’m not angry. I was just a bit surprised. So please, lift your head. Just promise me you won’t do this again next time.”

”U-Ugh····.”

There it was again. Her ears and tail were clearly visible.

I could even discern their color and breed.

This was serious.

”I’m so sorry····. Priest····. Lately····. Lately, I’ve been feeling strange····. Just the other day, when I heard from Apis that you and the saintess might have been intimate in the meeting room, I started feeling these odd emotions swelling in my heart····.”

”Ah····.”

It wasn’t hard to guess what feelings were disturbing the hero’s mind right now.

Jealousy. The emotion felt when one’s love, perceived as their own, is threatened by a rival.

It was entirely expected that the hero would feel jealousy towards the saintess. It was already a fait accompli.

The real problem was the origin of this jealousy and what thoughts had given rise to it.

If it were a desire to monopolize her one and only protector, there would certainly be a way to address it.

But if the emotion the hero held now was on the opposite extreme of that peaceful domesticity, then I had no means to deal with it.

”When I regain my composure, my gaze keeps drifting towards your thick hands and collarbone. Sometimes, the temptation to bury myself in your embrace and smell you all day causes me to skip meals. And your lovely earlobes. I’ve been dying to know what it would feel like to touch or nibble them, keeping me awake at night. I’ve even had days when the impulse to shove my hand inside your thick priest’s robe hindered my focus during practice. And just yesterday, when I caught a glimpse of your back as you rushed off somewhere, I had the unholy thought of wanting to grab your a-a-ass!”

”Oh.”

Honesty was the hero’s strong suit, but in this moment, her candor felt a bit resented.

Puduk.

”Ugh!”

”H-Hero!”

It happened in an instant.

Suddenly, the hero, with her eyes tightly shut, bit her lower lip.

From the vivid drops of blood pooling at her mouth, I could easily gauge the force applied to her underlip.

That reckless act made it seem as if she were punishing herself.

”Oh, my God!”

Just when I was about to reflexively murmur a prayer, the hero’s unexpected shout stopped me in my tracks.

”Now! Priest! While I’m blocking my sight and senses! Please, get out of this room as fast as you can!”

”No, what the heck are you talking about! First, get treated calmly!”

”No! I have no right to receive your kindness, especially when I can’t even manage my own troubled mind!”

An unyielding skirmish ensued.

As a few drops of blood fell from the hero’s mouth, gradually spreading across the bed sheet, I stated, ”Hero! It’s completely normal for someone your age to be curious about the opposite sex!”

”But I neglected your will and sought only to satisfy my own desires! That is something I absolutely must not do, as a person before being a hero! Isn’t that an act of beastly nature!?”

Momentarily speechless from that unexpected reasoning.

If I had a recorder right there, I would have loved to record what she just said and play it back to the saintess.

”I shall accept my punishment gracefully. For the crime I’ve committed! For tarnishing my honor! Surely, I don’t deserve to call myself a hero! I will confess! And I will chew on this sin for the rest of my life! I will live in atonement!”

”Hero!?”

If left unattended, I felt she would go and commit seppuku right in this sunny spot.

”Ugh, really!”

Gripping the hero’s shoulders with both hands was an unconscious reaction.

All I could think of was the burning mission to calm her rampage for the sake of peace in this world.

In that moment, I didn’t have the slightest pause to evaluate the probability or coherence of the ridiculous alternatives flashing through my mind.

”Divide all my accumulated wealth into four! Priest will receive 20%, Bigtim 10%, and the rest should be donated to orphanages around the systems!”

Swish.

Carefully, I lifted the hero’s hand, which was raised as she passionately declared with her eyes tightly shut.

”Huh.”

After taking a deep breath, I slowly brought her pristine hand closer to my lips.

Chok.

”Oh?”

Only then did the hero’s wide eyes go round, her shock comparable to that of a thunder clap, causing her to finally lose her words.

*