Chapter 66
Anyway, a few months ago, he had become aware for the first time that Roarna was a ‘woman.’
Not just a human of a different gender, but someone with whom he could engage in things like kissing or s*x, and that those acts could be quite stimulating.
Since realizing that, he kept having the same thought.
‘It would have been better not to know.’
Once he thought of Roarna as a woman, everything became a mess.
Being in the same space, the act of overlapping their intimate parts—every action he had allowed himself under the pretext of the curse suddenly had meaning.
He wanted to catch even a little more of the sweet scent that came from Roarna, and he worried whether someone might have made improper advances toward her during the time he was stuck in the monastery.
Once that happened, facing Roarna became much more difficult.
“…Difficult is not the right word. ‘Painful’ is closer.”
Celesto muttered quietly.
His voice was now laced with an unmistakable heat.
Still, he didn’t stop walking. He had to somehow return to the village and catch a carriage to the capital.
If he couldn’t avoid meeting Roarna, he at least wanted to see her somewhere safe.
Before long, Celesto arrived at the village. Although his pace was slower than usual, his legs, several spans longer than most, allowed him to reach his destination without being late.
A priest was waiting at the village entrance.
He was the priest in charge of the parish, and he was excessively moved by the fact that a Holy Knight from the Temple Knights had accepted a subjugation request for such a small town.
“…Thank you, Sir Castanor. Thanks to you…”
Mumbling.
The priest seemed to be saying something. Probably words of blessing or gratitude.
But right now, nothing he said registered in Celesto’s mind.
There was only one thing Celesto could do. Desperately hide the prominent outline of the shaft between his legs.
Fortunately, the priest, drunk on emotion, didn’t notice anything strange about the man who gave him no answers.
Soon, the priest took out a tablet. It was to issue a certificate proving that Celesto had faithfully carried out a holy mission called ‘Exorcism.’
Celesto answered the priest’s questions mechanically. It was something he had done dozens of times since leaving the Temple Knights’ warfront, so it wasn’t particularly difficult.
After being cursed, Celesto had moved from monastery to monastery using holy missions as an excuse.
He had been careful enough that no one would notice he was actually avoiding returning to the warfront.
He only chose places that were short-handed.
It was a tip Leocel had taught him long ago.
‘The more skilled you are in areas that many people need, the easier it is to go where you want. Even an ordinary priest with no special abilities has places where he’s needed, but still.’
Leocel’s confident voice echoed in his head.
His brother was right.
This method of staying where he wanted, despite being a clergyman for whom restraint was practically a duty, was quite useful.
There were so many places in the world that sought a Holy Knight who could wield holy power.
And those who sought him didn’t have the leeway to ask, ‘Why isn’t a Holy Knight of the Temple Knights returning to the warfront?’
They simply assigned him another mission instead.
The place he was staying now wasn’t much different.
After deciding to receive help from Roarna, Celesto chose the knight order in the capital that was most desperate for people and sought refuge there.
It was a place so desperate for people that they entrusted monster subjugation even to a Holy Knight staying as a pilgrim.
There were many downsides. The quarters of the knight order, run on donations, were crude, and needlessly dark and quiet, which only helped him think of Roarna every night.
But the advantage—that there was no enforced curfew—outweighed all those problems.
Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t an advantage. It meant that tasks often occurred outside normal working hours.
But for Celesto, who needed to hold secret not-so-secret meetings with a scholar affiliated with the academy, there was no better condition.
‘…Though there is the downside of having to endure excessive workload.’
While the priest was completing the holy mission procedures, Celesto stood quietly, gripping his thigh.
Soon, the priest handed him a piece of paper that glowed faintly white. It was the certificate of mission completion.
Celesto moved as his body remembered. He took the document, which was hardly any reward at all, and headed toward the opposite side of the village.
Unlike usual, he didn’t walk all the way to the gate. Instead, he headed to the village stop where the public carriage waited.
Before boarding the carriage, Celesto pulled up his hood.
Typically, clergymen, especially well-built Holy Knights, would travel on foot as part of their ascetic practice.
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