Chapter 78
He felt as though he could lose consciousness and fall asleep where he sat.
But if he did, it would count as staying out overnight.
Unless they had received prior permission, members of the clergy were required to return to their quarters before midnight.
Since becoming a holy knight, Felix had never broken curfew even once.
And it wasn’t just curfew. To avoid giving anyone the slightest reason to find fault with him, Felix had always observed every rule expected of a member of the clergy.
So this time as well, he had to do the same.
There was still plenty of time before midnight.
He would just rest for a little while.
With no one watching, Felix stretched out comfortably on the ground and reached out lazily for his flask.
His body felt so heavy that even opening the flask took effort, but after draining it dry, he finally felt as though he could breathe again.
Looking up at the night sky, densely strewn with glittering stars, Felix steeled himself once more.
Had he not discovered the fingernails wrapped in an unfamiliar handkerchief while packing his belongings, he probably would have accepted his place and quietly stepped back.
But the moment Felix found those fingernails, brimming with the overwhelming divine power he had experienced firsthand during the prayer assembly, he found himself running to Abel’s quarters before he even realized it.
He really wasn’t in his right mind. The man had probably never suffered a day of hardship in his life. He had spent his entire life being protected, so noble that he had likely never lifted anything heavier than the Temple’s treasure vault.
And yet he had torn out his own fingernails?
Felix had broken and lost fingernails more than once before.
He knew all too well that no matter how many times one experienced it, it was a pain that never became familiar.
So he hurried toward Abel’s bedroom.
And there, Felix realized once again that Abel wasn’t merely extraordinary.
He was utterly bizarre.
He wasn’t normal. Not in a good way, but in the worst possible sense.
And yet, perhaps because of that, despite Abel being the Herald of God, Felix found himself able to press a kiss to his fingernails.
His confession was a mess.
He claimed to like Felix, yet did whatever he pleased.
He had terrible taste in gifts.
He was so painfully honest that he practically invited trouble with every word he spoke.
But perhaps that was exactly why he liked someone like Felix.
Perhaps that was why he looked at him with those dazed eyes, as though someone like Felix was enough.
Watching Abel’s mysterious eyes, softer even than when they kissed, Felix decided he would allow himself to be carried away for just a little longer.
He would never come to love that strange man.
Nor would he ever truly understand him, or see the day when Abel completely understood him.
Even so…
This would be the first and the last time in his life that he could reveal himself so honestly, lose his temper, and reject someone so freely.
Besides, no matter how hard he tried to push him away, Abel was not the sort of person who would be driven off.
The aftermath of Abel’s confession swept through Felix’s life once again, shaking everything apart.
Yet whenever he looked at Abel, who would naturally step in front of him and let the storm pass as though it were nothing, it felt like everything would somehow be all right.
If it were Abel, he would calmly resolve whatever problem stood before them, then look at Felix and say:
‘Simple, wasn’t it?’
So, while remaining on guard against assassins or intruders who might break into his room, Felix found himself having a day that was not altogether unpleasant.
If things truly became dangerous, he could simply do as Abel had suggested and stay in his bedroom.
It was obvious what kind of rumors would spread afterward.
Even so, he had no intention of making it easy for anyone to dispose of him. As he always had, he would struggle on and survive.
However, the moment Felix reported for duty, he sensed the unrest surrounding the annex.
Everyone was trying to keep it quiet, but something had clearly happened. Those he questioned only answered with grim expressions that he would understand once he saw it for himself. Felix simply nodded.
The instant he stepped into Abel’s room, he understood exactly what had happened.
“Leave us.”
Felix stared blankly as Abel dismissed the priest standing beside him.
“Felix, you’re here?”
He really wasn’t normal.
“I’m sure I said I didn’t want you cutting your hair for me.”
The long white hair that had once reached his waist had been cut short to just below his ears.
Lightly brushing a hand through his newly shortened hair, Abel answered with the same calm expression he always wore.
“I didn’t cut it because of you.”
Was he serious? When Felix looked at him with undisguised disbelief, Abel pointed to the bundle of hair resting on one corner of the table.
“But it’s true that I gathered it to give to you.”
What is he talking about?
Felix stared at Abel as though he were looking at a madman.
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