The Priest Wants to Retire

EP.105 Those Who Could Not Become Saintess (5)

Not a moment could be taken away from my eyes.

The sight of the Hero swinging his sword like a dancer, with only a thin blanket barely covering his silhouette, was indeed shocking.

But the unbelievable spectacle of a mysterious figure calmly reattaching his severed neck while matching blows with the Hero was enough to make my tired eyes widen with disbelief.

Of course, it couldn’t be said that they were truly on equal footing.

Despite the countless exchanges, the Hero remained unscathed, while the figure sustained cuts and bruises every time they clashed.

Yet, thanks to the figure’s supernatural regeneration, what might appear to be an unbalanced confrontation continued for some time.

“Ah, it hurts… It’s agonizing… But if this pain is the will of the Lord! A trial bestowed upon me! I will gladly endure it!”

“….!”

The figure, covered in blood yet smiling innocently, was a chilling sight as the Hero dodged an insane attack by the narrowest of margins, countering with equal ferocity.

Moreover, the faint anxiety that began to take root in the bloodshed was sensed not only by me but also by Bigtim.

The difference in power between the two was evident.

With the Hero showing no signs of fatigue and allowing not even a single hit to land, the figure could be seen slowing down as his regeneration faltered, occasionally bleeding from his eyes or mouth, revealing his limits.

If this continued into a prolonged battle—which I could safely predict, even if they just stood by—the figure would eventually self-destruct.

To make matters worse, the very force wielded by the figure was hastening her demise.

Those countless chains extracted from her body; the source of that power was something a priest should never overlook.

Yes. It was an unshaped armor meant to grant power to a Hero facing the Demon King.

A key to unlocking the forbidden door, allowing a human body to wield the omnipotent power of a god in even the slightest way.

The power of the Saint.

I couldn’t fathom how he had acquired it, but it was undeniable that the figure was using the Saint’s abilities.

Bestowing godlike powers to those qualified, while carelessly using such powers like a poisoned chalice to the unworthy.

For someone like me, who had experienced that power firsthand, it was a chilling sight.

Yet, the Hero’s attacks revealed his impatience.

Even my blurry vision could clearly see that the Hero was rushing the battle.

“Cough, cough!”

“Priest!”

As blood spilled from my mouth, the Hero’s urgent voice echoed.

The fact that black blood surged from my throat was proof that the curse, barely contained by divine power, had reached an uncontrollable level.

“Ah! This is also a once-in-a-lifetime chance presented to me by the heavens!”

“Huh!”

Chwa-reul-leug! Boom!

After joyfully ringing his own neck with his hands gathered, countless chains spewed forth behind him, crashing upon us like a tidal wave.

“Ugh…!”

“Bigtim!”

Despite my vision blurring from the pain, Bigtim managed to protect himself even as he was pierced by countless chains.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of the Hero, who had been hastily trying to leap towards me, now caught by the figure’s chains.

“Cough, cough! Ah, yes! Finally! Finally! God has rewarded my dedication!”

“Priest! Priest! Ugh, ugh!?”

Even as the chains tightened around him with the force to crush his insides, I couldn’t help but shut my eyes tightly at the sight of the Hero desperately struggling to reach me.

If only I could, I wanted to scream out curses.

What is even happening right now?

Why, when he should be protecting himself, is he getting hurt trying to protect a nobody like me?

The most significant reason why the balance of power, which should have tilted strongly in favor of the Hero, remained tensioned for so long, eventually swaying towards the figure, was undoubtedly me.

Bigtim, who was trying to rush me to another priest, was now injured when he shouldn’t need to be.

The fact that the Hero was captured by a figure far below him in capability was also entirely due to me holding them back.

What I had feared the most had come to pass.

“Oh, Lord… I will offer my humble life along with this precious life in my grasp…! Cough! Please! Bless our future! Your holy mercy! A peaceful life!”

Even as he bled from every pore and his body swayed dangerously, the figure, holding his hands together in prayer as if he were a nun finishing her meal prayer, cast an ominous glance at the bound Hero.

“Sis!”

“Bigtim! I’m fine! Quickly take the Priest and escape from here! Hurry!”

Clang!

The sword tightly gripped in the Hero’s hand fell listlessly to the ground, and despair filled Bigtim’s eyes as he gazed solely at his sister while his body had holes all over.

Move.

My body had become so immobilized that I could hardly move a finger now. The anguished echoes resonating within spoke of a scream.

“Please, stop the pointless struggles… Oh, pitiful lamb… All I wish to gather is your gracious life. The suffering you endure in the process is not what I desire…”

“Ugh! Gah!”

Move.

If I were a youthful manga protagonist, it wouldn’t be weird if I awakened some strange power at this point.

But as the gray darkness of the curse suffocated all my efforts, I could only remain stuck on the cold floor, reflecting on my helplessness.

“May God smile upon you…”

Just as the figure brandished a razor-sharp chain toward the Hero’s neck while leaving me behind like a wriggling caterpillar.

“Hello, Regis Priest!”

With my eyes closed tightly, a memory from the depths of oblivion flashed like lightning from the face of the figure who had his hands firmly clasped.

“Ra… Ija… Sister…?”

A weak moan, faint enough for anyone to recognize as the voice of someone on the brink of death, escaped my parched lips.

Immediately after, a heavy silence settled over everything as if time had frozen.

“What… did you just say?”

The figure, who had been focused on the target, suddenly turned his frantic gaze to me.

With lips trembling incessantly, he let go of the hands and reached out into the air, as if searching for light in the darkness.

“Say, one more time… Just once more…! What did you just say!?”

“It’s an opportunity─!”

“!?”

At that moment.

The figure mumbling incoherently caused the chains enveloping her to vanish like a candle in the wind, and the Hero seized that precious moment without hesitation.

“Hero Punch──!!!”

With a crude force packed to the brim, the indomitable fist struck.

The figure, unable to even scream before being slammed against the wall, could only produce a chilling symphony of flesh and bone being crushed.

Boom!

“Cough, cough!”

Once again, crimson blood spurted from the figure’s mouth.

The injuries no longer healed.

It was clear that her regeneration ability had reached its limit.

“Not yet! You’re still alive!”

Just like drawing with a yellow crayon on black paper, the Hero desperately scooped up the fallen sword, ready to end the figure’s life, who had lost all means of resistance.

“Good! Up to there!”

The playful voice of someone forcibly relaxing the tense atmosphere spread over everyone present.

“Sorry! I have a busy schedule! I’ll just leave it at this for today!”

“!?”

Right after, a strange woman, looking similar to the figure, suddenly sprinkled light while winking cheerfully.

By the time my eyes adjusted to that bizarre flash, the suspicious duo had already vanished like a mirage in the desert.

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