Chapter 29 – Sin – 2
As soon as the next morning came we headed for the cathedral. Vanessa couldn’t go inside due to her position, but she got into the carriage with us to show us the way. By the time the sun had risen over the ridge and was in a blinding position, the carriage began to move slowly.
As if to prove that spring has already passed, the hot sunlight spread over his forehead. But strangely, not a drop of sweat flowed from the skin that touched the sky. Perhaps it was because the empty side was too empty.
I habitually put my hand on my waist, but when I couldn’t catch anything in my rough palm, I felt empty. It was a feeling I never got used to, even though I had lost so much, and yet something that was always there was missing.
“You seem empty.”
Vanessa, perhaps noticing my appearance, threw a simple word. I clenched my fists with empty hands and leaned against the carriage wall.
“More than expected.”
“You must have been holding the sword for quite a long time. The first and last time I saw you was 7 years ago.
“Were you in the capital then?”
“Yes. I came to receive the Medal of Honor after giving it to a knight whose leg had been cut off at the border. Thanks to that, I was able to watch the procession of warriors from the front.”
She spit out her bitter memories with the acrid smoke of her cigarette.
“People’s eyes were focused on Leo and Sera, the genius sorcerer, who walked proudly from the front, but I was a little different. Rather, I was looking at the two boys and girls who seemed to have just jumped out of the country. As you may know, some people at that time thought you were the brave. I thought it was her body.”
“I guess so.”
It was also true to some extent. At that time, I was incomparably inferior to Leo, and Ellie was still hiding her skills, so she was treated almost like a lump of baggage. I spat out a word somewhat lonely.
“How many of you remember I was at that party?”
“Even if there were, no one would care anymore. Unlike me, who doesn’t forget the smallest memories because I don’t have much, people in the world have so many things to remember.”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to bother with too much anymore.”
“Is that so?”
She brushed off her cigarette ash and met my eyes. Deep blue eyes reflected my figure every time I looked.
“You still look like a young man from a rural village where mint flowers bloom. Just like the hero in the prophecy.”
“…I heard that not many people believe in that prophecy.”
“It’s because he wandered around the battlefield so many times. Even the wisest knight in the world believes in any false hope when he reaches the threshold of death. Even those who fight against humans who are not demons sometimes call the hero’s name.”
“It’s a futile wish.”
“That’s something we don’t know yet.”
“Even if you believe in a dream without reality, you will only get disappointment.”
“It was my job to believe.”
The pessimistic priest still believed in the light of the world. Even if the degree is different, they would have struggled through the battlefield and struggled in the swamp of despair. The way she and I treated the world were so different.
I, who had only despair in my eyes even with my eyes open, and she, who caught hope with just one glance, looked at each other for a long time. Just as our eyes crossed each other, I suddenly heard a weak voice.
“…I roughly guessed it, but there was a story like that. By the way, Luka-san.”
“Why.”
“Am I really going like this?”
Me and Vanessa looked down at Rachel at the same time. Soon, Vanessa did what I had to say.
“That’s right, detective lady. You should have had a lot of money.”
“Ha…”
As she let out a sigh, her carriage slowly stopped. Instead of gripping the handle of the sword, I snapped my knuckles and looked away.
The appearance of the pure white cathedral filled the field of vision. A place where the inside is more rotten than a shanty town in a slum, even though it claims its purity with all its body.
There’s a Barbie somewhere, and there she is.
As soon as we entered the chapel, we were searched under the guise of greetings. I didn’t have any hidden weapons, so I passed the priests’ hypocritical smiles and took a seat in a suitable corner and looked around. Nearly hundreds of worshipers were walking around the huge chapel, along with a few armed guards like the ones we saw at the city gates yesterday.
Unlike the huge size, the number of guards was not so great. At most, two or three at each entrance. Overall, there were about 10 guards in sight.
However, due to the small number, it was impossible to break through recklessly. If even one corpse is found, the inside of the church will turn upside down. Unlike the last time, I couldn’t do anything reckless when Bobby’s location was unclear.
And above all, there were so many things to say between Sarah and me.
“I think I’m going to start.”
I raised my gaze following Rachel’s voice. Then a neatly dressed priest came forward to the podium, closed his eyes and put his hands together.
“Hello everyone. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the brothers and sisters who came to confess their sins. There is nothing shameful about sin. However, it is certainly shameful to commit a sin and not ask for forgiveness.”
He paused, cleared his throat, and opened his mouth again.
“Then today, before starting the worship service, I will pray to Goddess Ennesic. Today, too, I will offer a prayer of thanks with a heart of gratitude to the one who cares for the world and looks at us with benevolent eyes. Everyone bow their heads. Please bow down.”
With a constant noise, many people lowered their heads and closed their eyes. I slowly closed my eyes following the people around me. But I didn’t bow my head completely like they did. I had no reason to bow my head to Ennesic.
And the hot aura that spread throughout her body from a while ago was telling me that she was approaching.
One two three four five six. I listened to the low, ringing sound of the heartbeat. Every time it rang, I heard the same sound over and over again from far away, and the sound got louder as my heartbeat got stronger. A heartbeat in the right ear. The sound of footsteps ringing softly in my left ear. I opened my eyes the moment the two sounds died down at the same time.
Then, from afar, I watched my old friend walk by.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the white veil and blended into Sarah’s red hair. At first glance, her hair, which glistened red, was like sunlight shining on the sea.
Her face, staring straight ahead with a solemn expression under her beautiful hair, was not the stupid girl I knew. Her eyes, which were always playful like a child, were mixed with the eyes of a chaste woman, and her features, which had become clear due to the loss of flab, calmly exuded the charm of a saint. In addition, she was wearing earrings with the church’s crest, and she even felt her maturity. If it wasn’t for this situation, I might have thought that she was quite pretty when I saw her.
However, the current situation where we can never share a warm story and her clothes that expose her body in a vulgar way unlike her face made my heart feel cold.
Her nipples were clearly visible through the thin nun’s uniform. It seems that she tried to cover it up to some extent with the color of the black nun’s uniform, but because of that, it looked even more lewd. Besides, the skirt was so short that all of her bare legs were exposed from the bottom of her thighs, so if you turned around, you would probably be able to see the bottom of her buttocks.
She didn’t show any signs of it, but all eyes of the devotees were on her body. Surely some of them are meant to blend her body with her, not her prayers.
Observing the gazes licking her body, one by one, her curiosity suddenly came to mind. How are you accepting this situation right now? What do you think of the life of a prostitute who accepted the lives of Ellie and me as a price?
No matter how much I stared at her hardened expression, I couldn’t penetrate her heart. To know her answer, I had to face her face to face.
“I will pray.”
Sera’s dry voice resonated throughout the chapel. I closed my eyes and faced the darkness that came back. There was no need to pray. The one who has to offer something today isn’t me, it’s the goddess.
“Come quickly.”
“…I’m going crazy, really.”
After the service, I went to the confessional with Rachel. She kept trying to pull down her short skirt too much and followed me often.
“Hey… Are you really going to save me in the middle? Nothing else, because a virgin is my last possession. I really meant to sell it at the very last moment…”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Rachel kept her mouth shut even as she wept. I approached the priest in front of the sacrament room with the darkest expression on my face.
“Hello. Priest.”
“Your brother. What sin did you come to confess?”
The priest looked at my chest instead of my eyes. It’s probably waiting for you to take the money out of your inside pocket. But instead of handing him the money, I stepped aside.
“Not me. I’m here to confess my daughter’s sins.”
“Ah…Ceeeee…”
Rachel straightened her posture, spitting out her curse in her ears. Then she was seen in the priest’s eyes, dressed up like a child, but boldly exposing her bare skin. His eyes quickly moved from her shapely shoulders down to her chubby thighs, and a smile soon appeared on his lips.
“Oh…Kuhmm. Yes. That’s right.”
“I’ve heard that in order to wash away sins, you have to come in contact with the holy bodies of the priests. That means that only the gentle guidance of the priest will wash away this young thing’s sins.”
“Ah, yes, of course, brother. Not only the brothers, but also the sisters must do so in order to be cleansed of their sins.”
“But I heard that a small donation is required for the confessional. I’m sorry, but I don’t have money on hand right now…”
“No…No! It’s okay brother. Donations are important. A willingness to confess sins is important.”
He hurriedly waved her hand and looked at Rachel fondly once more. I guessed that all the Ennesian cultists would have similar tastes to Barbie. Apparently, there was no mistake.
“Then…Go inside, sister. You’ll have to wait a bit.”
“No. I want to be with you too. As a father, my daughter’s sins are mine. If you’re not rude… I want to see her pay for her sins.”
“Ah.”
He once again exclaimed in exclamation. It wasn’t meant to be negative. Rather, it was the opposite.
“Of course. Of course you should. Come on, follow me.”
“And pervert bastard…”
“What is it, sister?”
“…I’m sorry for committing a crime.”
Rachel pulled down her skirt once more and followed him. Soon, the door to the sacrament room opened, revealing another huge space.
Inside, several rooms lined both sides of the corridor. Dark lights, priests going in and out of the aisles with women. If it weren’t for their clothes, it would have been a brothel. Rachel kept looking around with anxious eyes, but I just kept looking at his back.
“You can go inside.”
He opened the door, pointing to one of the rooms without hiding a smile. I shoved Rachel, who was still pointlessly resisting, and stepped inside.
Thud.
He closed the door behind him, leaving only the light from inside to illuminate the room. Placed in the windowless room were candlesticks, bottles containing strange liquids, and birth control devices. I naturally went to the end of the wall and knelt down on her knees, and the man approached Rachel with a satisfied expression on his face.
“Now then, sister. What crime did you commit?”
“Yes? Uh…That’s…”
She kept looking at me. But I didn’t move and looked at the structure in the room.
“I…Stole that thing. From the market stall. It shouldn’t be like that, right? I’m really reflecting on it.”
“Yes, that’s right. I understand. Shall we start by praying then?”
“That’s it. You have to pray. Yes. That’s right.”
The walls were thick and the door was firmly shut. Looking at the fact that not a single groan came out when I walked through the hallway earlier, it seemed that the soundproofing was well done.
“Now…Wait a minute. Why are the clothes…”
“To reveal our sins, we have to throw off all the unnecessary shells. Come on, sister, take them off too.”
“Ah…Ahaha…”
The door was locked from the inside. Seeing that the man did not inform anyone else as he entered, it seemed that there was no reason for anyone else to come in.
“Hey! Actually, I’ve done enough repentance, right? I’m going home with Dad now. I have to do my homework…”
“You must first solve the task God has given you.
“Ah…Dad? Dad, I want to go home. Dad!”
The priest pulled down his pants without hesitation. Soon, his hideous object was exposed. I looked at the door again and stood up.
And quickly grabbed his leg and knocked him over.
“Uhhhhh!”
“Shh.”
I crushed him as quietly as I could, then grabbed the balls sticking out from underneath. There was no need to shut his mouth. The moment he gets caught, he knows what’s going on.
“Huh…Huh…”
“Where is the saintess?”
“That…”
When he hesitated to answer, I ripped out my balls and covered his mouth. A ghastly scream rang out from under the palm of his mouth.
“…!!!!”
“Help with this.”
“Ahhhhh”
I tore off the priest’s underwear and handed it to Rachel. While she hurriedly pressed down, I looked at his enlarged eyes and said,
“I’m a priest of the Ennessic Church, so I won’t die from this. Even if you return it in its entirety, I’ll be able to attach it back. Don’t shout and answer me. Where is the saintess?”
When I let go of his hand, he let out a terrified breath. And in a trembling voice, he barely uttered it.
“That…Aaaaa…Inmost rooms…Go along this road and go to the left.”
“Is there a guard?”
“There are a few… Guards roaming the halls…But it won’t matter if you come with me. So…So…”
“No.”
I tossed one of my balls towards Rachel. And without looking back, he said.
“Rachel. Take it and run away.”
“If I ask why, you won’t answer.”
“Go.”
She sighed and quickly left the room. I put the other side in his hand and said.
“When I open the door and go out, scream after a while. And when the guards come, don’t talk about me, but tell them that the girl who ran away hurt you. I just want to meet the saintess. So don’t do anything stupid. Then tomorrow. , I’ll give you the other one back, okay?”
“Ahhh…”
“Answer me.”
“Yes…Yes I understand…”
He nodded his head through tears. I glared at him fiercely, put on the clergyman’s robe he had thrown away in the corner, and walked out the door.
“Guards! Guards!”
He screamed as I demanded. Soon, the guards in the hallway passed by me in amazement. Without wavering, I climbed their waves and headed into the hallway.
Follow the corridor and go to the deepest part on the left. As I followed his words, I saw people in fancy clothes and accessories hesitating in front of a door from far away. Intuitively, I knew that the room was what I was looking for. As I approached, one of the people standing in front of me hurriedly ran up and asked.
“Wh…What’s going on? Maybe something big…”
“I have to check the safety of the saintess. Everyone should go away for today.”
“That…! Ah…That…Yes…I see.”
The man in front of her was about to say something, but as soon as she met her eyes with me, she seemed to be frightened and ran away from her. I waited until their footsteps rounded the corner and disappeared into the distance before taking a step towards the door.
“…”
Slowly, as I reached out my hand for the doorknob, I suddenly realized that my hand was shaking. What makes my hands tremble? Her sense of accomplishment at finally meeting her? Or, the anger that her hardened mouth couldn’t vent?
I don’t know which one, but my heart was amazingly calm. When I pressed my wrist with my other hand, the trembling stopped, leaving a clear mark.
I pulled up my collar a little to cover my face as much as possible. Even after all those years, as soon as I saw her Sera, I recognized her at first sight. Indeed, how long will it take for Sera to realize that the one in front of her is me. My heart started pounding again and the beating sound started ringing in my ears.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The regular beating of the heart brought out the memory of the day and brought it right in front of my eyes. I, hardened like a stone, stretch out my hand. Bobby snapped her fingers, crushing that wish miserably. And under it, shed tears and looked at me endlessly. Her gaze.
When that line of sight blurred and her body and mind were horribly crushed, Sera spit out the one truth she had been hiding in her heart. Her truth, hard to swallow even in her throat, tore Ellie’s heart apart, and that day Ellie and I lost the only friend we’d known we’d be able to live with for the rest of our lives.
…
Indeed she Shall I tell the truth while listening to my beating heart? Or will you lie
In the end, everything about her was an unknown fact unless you faced her. I gripped the cold handle in one hand. Then, very slowly, he turned the doorknob sideways.
