Chapter 126

EP.126 Torture

The moonlight squeezed through the window cracks, illuminating the dark room, yet that gracious light couldn’t completely clear the dark clouds hanging over my heart.

“Priest! Your complexion doesn’t look good! Are you feeling uncomfortable at all?”

Was it my furrowed brow that worried her?

The source of my discomfort spoke with concern.

All this is because of someone.

I wanted to scold her, but seeing her innocent face, devoid of malice, made those bad thoughts evaporate completely.

“It’s nothing… Hero…”

“I see! Nothing at all! I’m relieved!”

I envy that insensitivity.

It had only been a few hours since I had been misunderstood by the headstrong entourage of Ranobel, who had barged into my office. Meanwhile, the Hero, smiling brightly, seemed oblivious to it all.

‘Recklessly incorrigible.’

The fleeting image of Ranobel disappearing like a breeze, accompanied by a teasing laugh, lingered in my mind.

After calming the raucous engagement group, who were all blushing and squealing, he turned his back to me and raised his thumb silently, which oddly felt meaningful.

Given that the Hero’s recent behavior had caused many to question the nature of our relationship within the Monastery, this incident had surely poured fuel on those doubts.

No substance is quite as volatile as scandalous rumors between men and women. Especially if the subject is someone everyone admires.

I anticipated the flames of gossip to ignite and spread throughout the city by tomorrow.

“Well then, Hero. I’m going to head in now.”

“Okay! Thank you for your hard work today, Priest!”

It was only late at night when the stars opened their eyes that the Hero finally liberated me.

Usually, I would have switched with Bigtim around lunchtime, but due to Bigtim‘s unexpected tardiness, time ended up dragging on painfully.

Zing.

“….”

“….”

My resentful glare shot towards Bigtim, but as soon as our eyes met, he quickly turned his head, preventing our gazes from locking.

I suspected the circumstances, and while I wasn’t that angry, I felt the urge to have a sincere conversation with him soon.

“Priest!”

It happened then.

A clear echo resonated through the quiet corridor.

Startled by that familiar voice, my body leaned lightly.

“Hero?”

Suddenly, the Hero dove into my arms, hiding her expression against my chest without a word.

She was someone who normally shared her thoughts candidly, so seeing her keep quiet while nestling in me felt unfamiliar.

Bigtim looked equally taken aback, sweating profusely as he alternately glanced at us.

“Priest, as you know, I plan to resume my abstinence training starting tomorrow.”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Right…”

She hasn’t given up on that yet.

I appreciated her determination, but having witnessed her recent behavior firsthand, I had no confidence she could achieve that goal.

The Hero is pure in both good and bad ways.

She struggles even to deceive others, so I couldn’t picture her successfully deceiving herself.

“So, Priest… could you please give me some courage… ?”

“C-courage…?”

I acted oblivious, but just from her anxious voice, I could tell what the Hero wanted from me.

Gasp!

With her eyes shut tight, the Hero stood on her tiptoes, leaning in towards me, which prompted Bigtim to hastily cover his eyes with both hands.

Hmmm…

A cough slipped out unintentionally.

The tension was palpable on the girl’s face.

Her delicately shut pink lips quivered continuously.

At that moment, I envied the dense protagonists of Japanese light novels so much.

They could easily brush off this awkward situation as if it was nothing.

It would be unacceptable to push the Hero away now.

Given her current state—desperately suppressing her desires, much like a person about to start a strict diet—making excuses to let her go carelessly would surely sow the seeds of disaster for my future.

Phew…

I steadied my breathing, trying to clear my disarrayed consciousness.

Regardless of whether this was reality or a dream, it seemed amusing that I found myself freaking out over such trivial physical contact after everything we’d done so far.

‘I’m going for it.’

How could the women around me be so oblivious and lacking in propriety?

Using the regret creeping in as fuel, I finally resolved to act.

Smack.

I carefully brushed aside her blonde hair covering her forehead and made a deliberate sound as I kissed her there.

“…!”

Startled by the unexpected sensation at her forehead, the Hero flinched momentarily.

As the sound of the kiss echoed down the silent corridor and faded, her face noticeably reddened, looking like a kettle about to boil.

“How was that? Are you satisfied?”

Cuddle.

In response, she didn’t reply, instead letting her face flop weakly against my neck.

The heat radiating from her scalp felt like it could produce steam at any moment.

In that moment, she was radiating fierce resolve and embarrassment all at once.

“A, I need two… No, three, no, wait, four more…”

The Hero, rarely stammering, grasped my clothing while urging me for more kisses, unable to bear the embarrassment of her own face.

Meanwhile, Bigtim, who had squatted in the corner of my view, was squirming in pain as if a bug had crawled into his head.

“Gah, aaah…!!”

Normally, he would feel pity seeing his sister close to another man, but perhaps due to the resentment he had harbored moments before, he ended up feeling unexpectedly relieved.

Taste this, buddy.

Peck.

“Ugh…!!”

The innocent skinship initiated by the Hero continued until her pleading turned into Bigtim‘s pained moans, transforming into a goblin’s scream pierced through the heart.

◈◈◈

“Bigtim. How are you? Are you feeling better now?”

“Ugh, urgh…”

Bigtim couldn’t even muster a response to my concerned question, looking improbably pale.

His face alternated between red, blue, and yellow.

After marveling momentarily at the range of colors a person’s face could display, I realized he was about to froth at the mouth, so I hurried to provide emergency care.

Did I go too far?

It’s true that I had put Bigtim through quite a bit, wanting to connect him with my sister all this time.

But that had only been done with the hope of familial happiness.

This sort of payback was undoubtedly a bit excessive.

When the Hero, after receiving a kiss from me, bounced away like a rabbit with a shy smile, Bigtim was suffering on the floor like a fly caught in insect spray.

The old saying that revenge begets nothing truly rings true.

“I’ll go get some water from the communal kitchen. Please wait in my room for a bit. Understood? You can’t throw up on the bed again, okay?”

“Uhg…”

“If it’s too hard to answer, just nod your head.”

Nod.

With Bigtim struggling to nod while covering his mouth with one hand, I quietly opened the door.

Click.

Just then…

An unexpected visitor barged suddenly into my room.

“Regis Priest!”