EP.183 Hate the Sin, Not the Sinner
Didn’t they say to hate the sin, but not the sinner?
It’s a phrase I’d hear time and again while walking the path of the clergy, but personally, I was never fond of it.
The saying that revenge is futile has become outdated nowadays.
Recent studies have revealed that a clean revenge, with no lingering aftertaste, has excellent effects on skin beauty and appetite enhancement.
Some even argue that we should actively encourage revenge among the weak-minded youths of this generation.
Especially when the target is a criminal who deserves to die.
Bzzz!
“Ahhhh! Noooo! Noooo─!”
Each time I spun the chain wrapped around the hilt of my sword, a woman’s piercing scream directly invaded my mind.
Mixed within every scream was a desperate plea for mercy, but I decided to ignore it.
She was the perpetrator who harmed those I cherished more than my own life. She was a sinner who deserved divine punishment.
Just the fact that she tried to seize the Hero’s body filled me with rage.
And she even dared to attempt to harm the Saintess using that very body.
It was a blessing that her hiding place was a Holy Sword. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t hesitate to toss it into the furnace right now.
“Priest! I don’t know why you’re suddenly spinning that old sword, but if you want to increase the centrifugal force! Using your whole arm would be much more effective than just your wrists!”
“Oh, like this?”
“What! Wait a sec──!!!”
As I adjusted my stance following the Hero’s advice to swing the chain, the already loud screams began to pierce my eardrums.
But I had absolutely no intention of stopping the punishment at this point.
Even if my arms were to fall off, I was determined to make her pay for touching the Hero and the Saintess.
I planned to keep doing this for at least tonight.
“D-do you know who I am?! Normally, just breathing the same air as someone like you would be a tremendous honor! Agh─!”
What a noisy one.
While she was spinning like a centrifuge, her boisterous spirit could very well be worthy of praise. Yet, every time she made such reckless statements, my anger only intensified.
“Huh? Did I just hear a voice…”
“It’s just your imagination.”
“Oh, I see! Just my imagination!”
I hurriedly stopped the Hero, who seemed to be getting suspicious all of a sudden.
Unlike me, who could hear that annoying voice far too clearly, the Hero seemed to barely grasp her presence.
I couldn’t tell if it was because I was holding the Holy Sword or if there was another reason entirely.
But right now, I wanted to avoid any situation where the Hero would have another encounter with her.
After all, the Hero was in a rather unstable state both physically and mentally, so it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
“Wait a minute, how did I end up in this secluded place with you…”
“We’re just taking a walk.”
“Oh, I see! It was a walk!”
The Hero, who accepted my flimsy excuse without a hint of doubt, clapped her hands innocently.
Currently, the Hero’s memory was riddled with gaps.
While she recalled every single horrific act I committed to restore her to her original form, she completely forgot how she ended up in this situation.
My embarrassing actions being etched in her memory was quite painful, but the fact that she forgot we spent the night together was an unexpected blessing.
Hmm, perhaps this turn of events was for the best.
My disasters, which would leave me writhing in shame for months to come, were nothing compared to the perilous situation that the Sister might face at any moment.
It was uncomfortable, but I made up my mind to accept it.
“Ah, speaking of which, Hero. You still have these various marks… uh, scars I’ve left on your neck. Cough! I’ll erase those for you…”
Slash!
Just then, the Hero suddenly struck a firm pose, like a superhero facing a monster.
“H-Hero…?”
Silence.
Just as I took a step closer, the Hero stepped back two steps away from me.
Her stiff demeanor reminded me of a cornered puppy, and an ominous premonition crossed my mind.
No way…
“Hero… come here…”
“No!”
“Hero… if you don’t get rid of those marks… no, scars quickly, they’ll become ugly…”
“Then just let them be ugly!”
The Hero wrapped her arms around her neck.
My head was spinning.
I could easily guess the intention behind the Hero’s bizarre behavior from her past actions.
“The marks you gave me will be preserved on my body for eternity! Forever!”
Who decided that!
I nearly let my frustrations slip out.
I regretted nothing about the marks I etched onto her body to awaken her consciousness.
But there was absolutely no way I would allow a girl, who wasn’t even married yet, to walk around with kiss marks and bite marks on her neck.
It was as shocking as a precious child raised with care suddenly insisting on getting a tattoo.
Perhaps I didn’t qualify to say this as the one who had marked her, but I absolutely could not permit those lewd marks on the Hero’s body, even if I had to go underground.
“Hero!”
“No matter how much the Priest begs, this time I absolutely won’t let you erase them! These are the precious scars that you first etched on me! I’ve even given them names!”
“Eh…?”
“This little bite mark on my collarbone is Tommy! The cute kiss mark below is Verdandi! And the big mark on the back of my neck is Kate! And…”
As she fully exposed her neck, pointing at the various marks with her fingers as if hosting an unexpected lecture, a wave of dizziness hit me.
I knew all too well how cruel it was to give someone something and then take it back.
But no matter what, her behavior of naming each mark and wanting to preserve them could only be explained as madness.
“I can always re-etch those in a less visible place later! Just erase the current ones for now! Please!”
“No! The past ten minutes I’ve spent with these marks have become a precious memory that I wouldn’t trade for anything! But if you want to etch more, I’d be happy to accept!”
Puhuh…
I briefly swept my face with my hand.
Convincing the Hero with such eyes was practically impossible.
Considering the Hero’s physical abilities, the scars would likely heal naturally, but if they festered due to inadequate treatment, it would be a serious issue.
It couldn’t be helped.
If it had come to this…
Bang!
“Hero, are you going to get angry?”
“Uggh─!?”
“Ugh!”
I slammed the Holy Sword roughly into the ground, delivering a fierce warning to the Hero.
Though I didn’t want to resort to such violent means, there was nothing I could compromise on when it came to the Hero’s health.
Right after I slammed the sword into the ground, I thought I heard a woman’s moan, as if hit in the solar plexus, but I decided to ignore it.
“No, no way! Absolutely not!”
“Oh for heaven’s sake! I told you, it needs to be erased!”
The Hero bore a frightened expression, as if she was gripped by my rare display of anger.
If I left her be like this, she might burst into tears at any moment.
But it seemed that even in the midst of that, she had no intention of breaking her stubbornness, as she completely shielded her neck with both hands and had established a perfect defensive stance.
This was a disaster.
Even if I could erase the healed scars with the divine power borrowed from the Saintess, it was ultimately impossible to heal them if I couldn’t touch the wound directly.
I had a method to heal her while she slept, but that was practically impossible against a Hero who was currently on high alert.
“Hero! Please!”
“You’re being too much! Asking me to erase the result of our love is really too much!”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by her statement, which would surely lead others to misunderstand if heard by anyone else, I failed to notice the approaching presence behind me.
“You, you guys…!?”
Apis’ horrified voice pierces my consciousness like a needle.
It was only then that I finally registered the strict items surrounding me.
The shredded remains of the Hero’s upper garment.
The marks clinging to her exposed collarbone.
The suspicious conversation filled with raging anger.
It was painfully obvious how such a scene would be perceived through the eyes of others.
If I made a single wrong move, I might die.
I realized that fact the moment I witnessed Apis’ arrow aimed directly at my vital organ.
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