The Priest Wants to Retire

EP.103 Those Who Could Not Become Saints (3)

Despite always suffering from chronic sleep deprivation due to her double burden of hard work and her inability to fall deeply asleep, Beltein felt it particularly worse today.

The reasons were complex.

First, she was worried about the increasingly unstable mental state of the Saint, who had matured significantly lately.

Second, there was the anxiety stemming from Regis, who seemed unable to handle the Saint any longer and might quit his position at any moment.

The incident that drove this worry home was the wedding fiasco that had occurred just two days ago.

The Saint’s unauthorized outing without permission from the Vatican. Property damage. Civilian casualties. Even the violation of the Saint’s dignity.

Any one of those offenses could easily lead to the severe punishment for Regis, who was responsible for the Saint’s safety, as well as for herself.

With that in mind, Beltein had to split her already limited sleep time again to frantically deal with the aftermath.

The fact that all memories of the incident had vanished from the guests at the scene was a stroke of luck in her misfortune.

If it hadn’t been for that, at such a busy time filled with preparations and management for the blessing ceremony, she surely wouldn’t have even had a moment to doze off.

“No matter how you look at it, I slept way too long… I still have a mountain of things to deal with…”

Just a few minutes of closing her eyes was enough for her to scold herself, as Beltein was currently in a physically and mentally drained state.

All of this stemmed from that audacious line thrown out by the Saint.

“Sister.” That bewitching title made her lose her composure, a mistake that she felt deeply aware of.

The last time she heard that sweet, ethereal voice felt like the enchanting harp music played by a winged infant angel, beautiful enough not to be second-guessed.

The sight of the Saint swaying her body gently while holding onto Beltein’s skirt was so lovely that it reminded her of a fairy flapping its wings, radiating grace.

At least, Beltein truly thought so.

Therefore, this time, her rational judgement was not working smoothly.

There had been moments when she could have prevented that unprecedented situation, yet every time the Saint called her “Sister,” Beltein missed the golden opportunity right from her own hands.

It felt like she was endlessly sinking into a bottomless swamp of regret.

But that wasn’t the end.

A heavy thought weighing down on her body submerged in that gooey swamp did not grant her a shred of mercy.

“It’s wrong to recklessly take away someone else’s freedom just to pursue one’s own objectives.”

Guilt. And self-loathing.

Cold, sharp, heavy, and cumbersome feelings that she could never let go of nor should let go.

The expression on his face when she uttered those words was still vivid in her memory.

He must have been appalled. He must have been disillusioned.

Perhaps that such vile words could come so casually from her had only made her look foolish.

If there were an answer sheet that could unveil the human heart, Beltein would pay a billion gold coins just to verify the truth.

No, in fact, she didn’t want to verify it.

“Hoo…”

Finally, as the humid fatigue seeped into her breath, Beltein was about to rise from her seat to fetch some coffee to chase away her drowsiness.

“Eh?”

Her eyes flickered like a candle flame as she spotted something wriggling in the darkness beyond the candlelight.

Like a scared child confirming the existence of a monster under the bed, Beltein held a candle in one hand, her other hand brushing against objects around her. As she tried to unveil the source of her sudden unease and move deeper into the dark abyss, that was exactly when it happened.

“Hello♪”

Crash!

A chill ran down her spine like a cold droplet hitting her back, and a cheerful voice crashed into Beltein from behind.

“─!?”

Beltein startled so badly she couldn’t even finish her scream and began to squirm.

But the nameless thug who had grabbed her from behind found her frightened movements amusing and just smiled brightly, showing no intention of harming her.

“Buahahaha! You’re still as timid as ever! Wow, it’s great to see my scaredy-cat again after so long!”

Taking a moment to straighten her clothes, Beltein carefully peered ahead.

She glanced at the suspicious woman who had intruded in a place strictly off-limits to anyone but authorized personnel, acting like they were old acquaintances.

Her bronzed skin resembled freshly set caramel, and although it seemed all areas were covered, there were indecent gaps in her attire on her shoulders, side breasts, and hips.

With her hair split unnaturally in black and white, she gave off an impression of someone desperate to stand out.

Had she met someone with such a striking personality in the past, her remarkable memory would never have let her forget.

After quickly confirming her suspicion, Beltein took a breath and spoke in a resolute tone.

“W-Who are you…?”

“Huh? Who am I? It’s me! Me!”

The woman cheerfully poked her own cheeks with her index finger, but the more upbeat she got, the darker Beltein’s expression became as she faced the bizarre behavior of this unknown intruder.

“Hey, what’s this? Did I hurt your feelings by teasing you after so long? Come on! I’m sorry~ I’ll ask for permission properly next time!”

“I told you I don’t know someone like you. I don’t know how you got in here, but leave immediately. If you don’t, I’ll call for someone right now.”

“N-No way! Really? For real? You really forgot me!? Huh! Huhuh!”

The woman cupped her face with both hands, pretending to cry, as Beltein raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the absurd sight.

It wasn’t merely due to the woman’s annoying attitude.

Despite her wild outflows of various emotions and lively movements, there was not a hint of what one would call genuine feelings emanating from her.

It felt unpleasant.

It was like looking at something that vaguely resembled a human.

It was as if she was facing a non-human imitating a human.

Holding onto her aloof demeanor while inching toward the exit to escape, Beltein instinctively sensed nothing good would come from this eerie situation.

“How about this?”

“Ugh!”

Boom!

It was then.

In an instant, the woman’s demeanor changed as she pushed Beltein against the wall.

With her eyes concealed by a black mask, it was impossible to glean any emotion from her gaze.

But from the powerful grip on her wrist, she could distinctly feel her overwhelming rage.

Swipe.

Then, the woman ignored Beltein’s will and brought her grasped hand towards her own belly.

“W-What are you doing!?”

Beltein’s complexion paled as she strained to push her away, but the woman’s raw strength rendered her efforts futile.

“What do you think…?”

“·····!!!”

The thin cloth covering the woman’s abdomen began rolling upwards, revealing a shocking sight that left Beltein stunned for a moment.

“Saint… Signal…!”

On the woman’s navel and groin, a divine pattern filled the space between them.

It was the holy mark that both the Saint and Beltein—who once wished to become one—naturally received when a handful of sincere girls were baptized to become Saints.

“You can’t possibly be…!”

“Ahaha, lucky me! You may not remember me, but I’m glad you remember that I existed! I wonder why? Could it be because we were baptized together? But hey, who cares!”

“N-No way, this… this is absurd…”

Shock and elation.

How long did the uncomfortable silence stretch as the two opposing notions clashed violently?

What shattered the silence was a cautious knock at the office door.

Knock knock.

“Beltein Sister. Is there something going on?”

It was Marianne, the sister who assisted Beltein in everything.

Late at night, the mysterious noises oozing from the office had surely summoned her keen ears.

“Nothing at all. Just a mouse that knocked something over. It’s nothing big, so go back to your post quickly.”

“Huh? B-But…”

Even though a potential ally had appeared to save her from the plight, Beltein remained calm as she was determined to keep Marianne away from the scene.

It was unavoidable.

With someone pressing against her body, groping her curvy shape all over, the meaningful smiles the intruder occasionally flashed warned her that a tragic event would unfold the moment Marianne entered the room.

“Ah, right. If it’s not a bother, could you bring me a cup of hot milk? Sister Marianne? I did a lot of thinking and am craving something sweet.”

As the woman pawed up her thighs, caressed her belly, and rubbed her face against Beltein’s chest, the latter’s composure hadn’t faltered.

“Ah, yes, yes! Understood! Beltein Sister!”

Tap tap tap.

Hearing the footsteps gradually fading away down the corridor, Beltein let out a sigh of relief.

But the woman, daringly resting her chin on Beltein’s ample breasts, appeared disappointed that her intrusion had not yet been discovered.

“Ahh, how boring. I’ve fiddled around so much yet you didn’t moan even once. What’s this? Is my scaredy-cat just numb? Hah… If only you’d screamed for help or let out a moan, it could have been so much more fun! What a shame… so unfortunate… And why only one cup of milk? I wanted milk too! I may have barged in without notice, but you should’ve at least asked if I wanted something to drink!”

“·····”

While the woman whined as she tried to wed her chin into her bosom, Beltein’s gaze was fixed firmly elsewhere.

From behind the woman, black chains slithered out, occasionally wriggling like living creatures.

The sharp edges attached to each of them were congregating around the office door, where the knocking had just been heard.

Gulp.

After swallowing hard, Beltein murmured to herself.

There was no doubt. That was definitely…

“But wow, our scaredy-cat has really grown, hasn’t she? Wow! Just how many cups are those? Your chest is as big as my face! Goodness! The guy who’s gonna be buried here in the future is gonna be so lucky~”

“·····”

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