Chapter 169 – Friends (4)
20. Friends (4)
Cestia’s movement, which seemed to run to the inn where our party was staying at any moment, was slower than expected. To be precise, he only sped up until he got out of the monastery, and after he got out, he walked leisurely as if he had never done that before. Rather, it seemed to move more slowly than usual.
“Cestia?”
“After coming out, thinking about it, it’s not that far from the inn, right? There is no where to run away. Yes?”
“That… Right?”
“I haven’t seen you for over a month, so you can walk slowly. Yes?”
“Yes… ?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to talk to Hendrick-sama after we arrive at the inn, but it’s okay to walk slowly now. Yes?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
I felt deja vu. There was something irresistible in Sestia’s grinning words. Eventually, she stuck right next to me. She felt that if it hadn’t been for the eyes she would have crossed her arms for some reason.
“Tell me more about what happened. I’m curious.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the total period was spent in the wagon and tent, and the rest wasn’t very pleasant, so I don’t have anything to tell you.”
“Is that so? Still. Even if it’s small, it’s good. Please tell me something, Mr. Hendrick.”
“Um…”
It didn’t seem like he was talking about Kaya’s circumstances, so there was really nothing to talk about except for that. Including Kaya’s hometown, which sucked, and La Ella’s momentary use of divine power to silence her bandits. In the end, all I said to Cestia was really good small talk.
“Wow…”
“Really? So what? How did it go?”
“I wonder. Are you concerned?”
However, Sestia showed a rich reaction whenever I said something. It was to the point that I wondered if she was overdoing it for a moment, but she wasn’t the type to do that. She was really enjoying herself. At first, she had a bigger smile than usual, and she still does, and she decided that she had more fun meeting me after a long time after something fun happened.
So, time passed quickly and she soon arrived at the inn. I was surprised at myself feeling a little regret.
“Time is plentiful, but it is never infinite, it always flows the same, but not all moments have the same density. The past month has felt infinitely long to me, but there is nothing left of it, but the time I spent with you from the monastery to here was more intense than ever. Whoops. It feels like my happiness has doubled.”
“Uh, uh. If that’s the case, I’m glad.”
Sestia said something rather unfamiliar to me as if she had noticed my feelings.
‘They hit the hook and come in.’
I was shy and fiddled with the door for nothing. I could clearly feel a deep affinity for me. I felt like I was floating on a cloud, but I shook my head.
Smart-
‘Ah. I was still sleeping… ?’
It was embarrassing. It was only later that I realized that my colleagues were sleeping soundly. In particular, Shay and Illumina searched the slums late into the night, not to mention Ar. Come to think of it, it’s only been about an hour since I left the note.
“I don’t think I woke up yet because of what happened yesterday.”
“Oh. If I had known it would be like this, I would have stayed longer in my office.”
Cestia spoke as if she was sorry. Contrary to what she said, however, she didn’t seem to really regret it. She seemed satisfied with the meeting with me.
‘Um, is that too self-confident?’
Anyway, I closed the door again and was about to leave, but I heard a rustling sound.
“Hendrick… ?”
It was ar
She rubbed her eyes and tried to get up, only to realize that she was being held tightly by Shay, and with a grunt, freed Shay’s limbs. After a long 30-second desperate fight, Ar, who escaped from Shay’s clutches, stumbled closer and finally found Sestia next to her.
Staring at Sestia, blinking at her tired eyes, she looked stupid, cute, and nervous. She turned her head. Cestia was also staring at Ar.
‘Ah… I never said how to respond.’
It seems that she was in too much of a hurry with the idea of how to protect Ar. Judging from Cestia’s attitude, no matter what I did, in the end she would have recognized Ar directly, but from Ar’s point of view, it could have been a lightning strike in the dry sky.
Unlike the time of Kaya, Ar was not doing his sudden action, but he didn’t know it again. I gave strength to my body so as not to show off. I moved the position so that I could intervene between the two at any time.
‘We’re not having a snowball fight, how long?’
The confrontation between Cestia and Ar… It’s hard to say, and that kind of situation lasted for over 3 minutes. I decided to intervene because I thought it wouldn’t be good to go on longer than this. But just before that, Sestia moved.
“It must have been very difficult.”
“…”
“Can I hug you for a moment?”
“…”
Ars subtly nodded her head. Then Sestia approached Ar and she hugged her tightly. She patted Ar’s head with her left hand and his back with her right hand. Ar stood there without any resistance. No, she rather even dug in a little bit.
‘No, Arga?’
In another way, it was embarrassing. I know how many people like skinship when they first met, but Ar was the most wary of us. Since he was a sensitive guy, he would have realized right away that Sestia was an unusual person from the first meeting. Even Sestia is at the same level as her walking mass of holy power, so it wouldn’t be a joke for her body to reject it…
“Poor man.”
“…”
“Whether you believe or disbelieve Hendrick-sama, seeing for yourself is the most accurate way to determine a person. In that sense, you can tell at a glance. That I have never harmed anyone. I didn’t want to harm you, so I lived without a single shame on my conscience.”
“… Who are you?”
“I am Cestia, the foolish daughter of Raella-sama, who once faced fear with Hendrick-sama, and is walking her path of tolerance. How about you?”
“… Beautiful.”
What kind of unexpected development is this?
‘Is it a hidden camera? Is that so?’
Oh, of course it’s best to end things amicably rather than cause trouble.
‘Then, should Sestia pretend she doesn’t know and come up with a way for her to stay safe?’
As she was concocting her next plan, Arga muttered as she escaped from Sestia’s arms.
“However… Aren’t you having a hard time?”
“Yes?”
“Your body seems to have changed.”
“… Yes?”
“You are not alone.”
“Ar, what do you mean?”
“Hendrick!”
“This woman looks pregnant. I felt two heartbeats.”
“… What do you mean now?”
“… Sister Cestia?”
“Ah…”
“… Weren’t you supposed to tell me?”
Shay, who had been looking at us for a while as if she had woken up because of Ar, and Kaya, who had been standing still behind us when she came back. Cestia is showing the typical reaction of a person who gets caught doing something she doesn’t want to be found out about. Ar, who shrank from the sudden fight, and Illumina, who is still sleeping in the middle of this.
No matter how much Iljin today is expected to exceed expectations, what kind of major event is this again?
Pregnancy?
Cestia is pregnant?
My mind was confused.
**
Cestia’s Ar Verification suddenly turned into Cestia’s pregnancy hearing. She felt sorry for Ar, but her group’s attention was diverted from her to Sestia.
“Is what Arga said true, Sister Cestia?”
“That…”
“When? How old is it?”
“Therefore…”
“Umm~ Is there a doctrine that the Church of Raella shouldn’t get pregnant?”
“There is no doctrine that forbids marriage and pregnancy.”
“But why is the atmosphere like this, something, arguing…”
“Illumina.”
“Huh?”
Illumina, who woke up late and was fussing about having a good night’s sleep, raised questions about the suddenly tense atmosphere, but I tapped Illumina’s tail to tell her to shut up. Then she noticed right away, and the Illumina glared at her, then cleared her throat and went to her corner, pretending to groom her vape.
‘Fuck, I want to be crushed too.’
Pregnancy.
The problem was that Sestia, who was exposed because of Ar, kept hesitant about her words, but did not deny her.
I can’t lie, but that doesn’t mean I’m affirming in front of my lovers.
At least, if she had been an ordinary person rather than a nun, if she had been a heroine, my colleagues would not have created this atmosphere. I might have doubts, but I didn’t care who I had sex with or who I was pregnant with.
But was she pregnant by a faithful nun like Cestia?
The ship was still intact, so I couldn’t notice it at all when I saw it with the naked eye, but judging from the timing, it was clear that the child in that belly was mine. To deny that, she has to be the woman Cestia abuses her body… No one here thought so.
In other words, Kaya and Shay were already close to confirming the answer and questioning Sestia.
I’d say go ahead and affirm it.
“… Sister Cestia. Why do you hold back on her words? Was my question rude?”
“That’s right. If she did, she’s just saying she did, right?”
Sestia, who had been silent for a long time with her head bowed down, finally raised her head. In her moment, her eyes met hers. She smiled bitterly.
“This is why I didn’t want to reveal it…”
“… Sorry.”
“Are you okay. Hmmm, maybe this is fate too. That’s right.”
Accepting Ar’s apology, Sestia put her hands on her stomach and smiled.
“I am pregnant. Hendrick’s child.”
“…”
“…”
“It is the product of coincidence, luck, my greed and miracles. She never intended to despise and deceive her sisters. Originally, she had intended to leave Salem before she was full.”
“Yes? What did you say now? Will she step down as chief abbess?”
“What?! Are you leaving Salem?”
“I don’t even have an official lover, but a pregnant nun… No matter how generous our church is in love, the church’s face will undoubtedly be lost. Besides, if he knew that I was pregnant, Hendrick-nim might feel pressure or responsibility, and he felt apologetic towards his sisters, so he tried to disappear quietly.”
When Sestia calmly admitted the truth and said that she even tried to leave Salem by resigning as chief abbess, we were at a loss for words.
“Now that it turns out, I will tell you. She doesn’t mean to flaunt that this child is being born. She has no intention of putting shackles on Hendrick. Unlike her first child, who just gave her name and nothing else, she wants to raise her with full motherly love.”
“Isn’t that cruel both to her child and to Sister Cestia? I wonder if she doesn’t know if the person to be her father dies… Aren’t you alive right in front of her eyes?”
“Because I don’t want to become a stumbling block for you guys. The very presence of me and her child can get on your nerves and distract her. Especially for those of you who are walking the arduous path more than anyone else, it can be a deadly dagger. She has already hurt the sisters’ hearts, but she can’t be greedy any more. There is also a practical problem that I mentioned earlier.”
Cestia, who smiled differently than when she was alone with me, got up from her seat.
“At least as long as I am the abbess, Ar, there will be no nuns investigating you. It won’t be for a few months, but you’d better find another way before then. And Sister Kaya, Crusader Shay. Sorry again. I have work to do, so I’ll go back.”
Kiik-
Silence came in the room.
