The Priest’s Fall Into Lustful Heat - Chapter 58

‘Don’t you dare badmouth Father Payne!’

Despite claiming she had someone she liked, Sue’s infatuation was obvious to anyone who wasn’t deliberately ignoring the signs. During the days Duvalkan shadowed Sue, he pondered whether she was truly worth investigating.

‘Is she really someone suspicious, or am I wasting my time?’

Sue seemed to exist solely for Payne. She had entered the temple for him, worked for him, and lived for him.

Based on this, Duvalkan began to form a hypothesis about her true identity. Payne, known as the Iron-wall Priest and Forbidden Priest, was famous among young maidens for his resolute and melancholic appearance.

It was plausible that a noblewoman, infatuated with him, had concealed her identity to become a maid at Medialle.

“She probably bribed someone inside the temple to get this job.”

As absurd as it sounded, this was the most plausible explanation for her actions. There wasn’t any other logical background to support her erratic behavior. Duvalkan intended to relay this theory to Payne, but then Payne provided a critical clue.

‘Sir, I believe an evil spirit has latched onto me.’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘A succubus, a dream demon, appeared in my dreams.’

The mention of a demon, a succubus, caused Duvalkan’s eyes to harden. He recalled how he started investigating Sue in the first place, tracing back to a few weeks prior when Payne’s symptoms first appeared.

‘…Are you Sir Duvalkan?’

‘Yes, that’s me. What’s this about?’

‘I need to speak with you privately.’

‘Very well, let’s talk.’

Payne, his complexion pale, privately explained his symptoms to Duvalkan. He experienced irregular bouts of fever and arousal. He suspected a curse or poison and sought Duvalkan’s protection.

Duvalkan had a good idea why Payne approached him.

“Similar to the maids’ reasons.”

Payne probably thought Duvalkan would handle it discreetly. Payne’s reluctance to seek official help within Medialle suggested he felt shame over his symptoms called an ‘e–ction’.

‘…Poor guy, I might as well help him.’

Having sworn lifelong service to Katzel, Duvalkan found little excitement in his long life. Flirting with maids was the most entertainment he had, so he figured he could take on this case for a change.

While inspecting Payne’s surroundings, Duvalkan eventually focused on Sue, suspecting her to be the prime culprit. However, the mention of a demon added a new layer to the investigation.

‘Could Sue be a demon?’

The answer seemed to be ‘no’. What succubus would infiltrate Katzel Medialle, a place saturated with divine power, just to target Payne? It was highly improbable that a lone succubus would venture here without any weaponry.

“No, that’s not possible.”

Of course, Sue might have smuggled in some weapons. She could have secretly stockpiled them inside the temple.

Acting on this suspicion, Duvalkan subtly suggested to his superiors to tighten the security measures. As soon as they did, Sue’s reactions were telling. He planned to analyze her belongings later in his room.

“…Ugh.”

It’s worth noting that Duvalkan was a proud, arrogant man who enjoyed flirting with women, but this didn’t mean he had a history of romantic relationships.

At twenty-seven years old, Duvalkan had never dated a woman.

This meant he was still ‘pure’ in the eyes of Katzel. Consequently, the sight of this large, obscene, and unfamiliar self-pleasure device was entirely new to him.

“What… is this…”

Covering his face with a large hand,

Duvalkan felt conflicted. He knew what a di-do was, but he couldn’t bring himself to inspect it closely or handle it. The mere thought of this purple monstrosity being used by Sue made his ears burn red with embarrassment.

“This isn’t a weapon or anything dangerous!”

He thoroughly searched the basket, finding only a few aprons and a delicious-looking sandwich. Frustrated, he realized he would have to return it to her.

* * *

At that time, Ashtel was wandering near the training grounds, seething with frustration as she couldn’t find Duvalkan.

‘Did he see it?’

She resolved to give him a piece of her mind whether he had seen it or not. Why wasn’t he here as promised?

“Ugh…”

She wondered if he had sensed the magic and was discussing it with the cardinals. Imagining him suddenly appearing and condemning her as an ‘evil demon’ while unleashing divine power made her uneasy.

“What are you doing here?”

A sinister voice suddenly broke her thoughts, making Ashtel jump.