The Priest Wants to Retire

EP.110 Winter (1)

Maybe it was because of Sister Marianne’s urgent voice constantly tapping my back.

Despite not being in the best condition, my steps began to quicken on their own.

It was unexpected that Dawna, in nurse attire, had joined me in this situation by accident.

However, due to the shocking information I heard from Sister Marianne, I had no time to worry about such trivial matters.

“Oh my·····.”

Just after I perceived the scene from a distance, my body, which had been heated by intense movement, suddenly turned cold.

At the door of the Meeting Room, which should have been impeccably clean without a single speck of dust, sharp frost had emerged, bristling like wild animals guarding against intruders.

Moreover, the area of freezing had been gradually expanding from within the Meeting Room door.

There was no doubt about it. Something had definitely happened to the Saint.

“Is it true that the sister is still inside?”

“H, hwaah!”

As soon as I said that, Sister Marianne, who sat helplessly on the floor, vigorously nodded her head, her expression flooded with deep despair.

“Row, Lowville·····. What is going on·····?”

Next came Dawna’s bewildered voice.

Even I, who could roughly guess the situation, was taken aback by it, so it was clear that Dawna, who had no prior information, was feeling immense confusion.

But now was not the time for a lengthy explanation regarding this series of events.

“Dawna. There’s fire over there and over here.”

“Eh? What do you mean·····? If my memory serves me right, this is definitely the Meeting Room·····.”

“·····”

“·····! Ah, I got it!”

Dawna’s eyes widened at my ridiculous suggestion, and despite her hesitations, she quickly drew her staff from her thigh as if it were a reflex.

“Everyone, step back!”

“Sister Marianne. Please hide behind me for a moment.”

“Uh? Uh-oh? Priest? Who is this?”

Just then.

Before Sister Marianne could finish her weak words, a vicious crimson flame erupted from the tip of Dawna’s staff, instantly engulfing the frostbitten corridor.

Boom!

The flames had the temperature to completely melt the ice rooted at the Meeting Room door while minimizing damage to sensitive surroundings like glass and walls.

The dazzling flicker began to subside just as a horrified remark escaped Sister Marianne’s lips.

“·····!”

In the thick of the fierce flames, two figures suddenly collapsed onto the corridor floor.

From their attire, it wasn’t hard to guess that they were the maids responsible for cleaning this area and the guards that kept watch here.

“Dawna!”

“I got it!”

With my commanding shout leading the way, Dawna swung her staff again.

Then, as if pulled by an invisible thread, the two unfamiliar figures were drawn towards us.

I quickly checked their condition, which had been trapped in the cold ice moments ago.

“Wh-what·····? How could this happen·····?”

I decided to put aside Sister Marianne, who was mumbling pale questions like a stunned fish.

Rescuing lives was the priority now.

“How are they?”

“Both are thankfully still alive. The cold has seeped to their bones, causing necrosis in various parts, but this level can be healed right away.”

“Ugh·····. Thank goodness·····.”

“O Divine One·····.”

I firmly held the rosary around my neck and swiftly began my prayer.

Dawna, who cautiously put her staff back on her thigh, turned to me.

“By the way, Lowville, your observational skills are truly astonishing. To notice that survivors were buried in such a messy space this quickly. I felt a presence too but much later, and only one person at that.”

“I was just lucky. And if you weren’t here, I probably wouldn’t have found them anyway. Thanks to you, they survived.”

Sister Marianne began switching her gaze back and forth between me and Dawna, her eyes widening in shock at the revelation that this seemingly ordinary nurse was a well-known hero within the system.

“Help me·····. Please, help me·····.”

“Ugh, mommy·····. Ah, daddy·····.”

“It’s okay. I’m currently praying. You’ll get better quickly. Can you hear my voice? You don’t have to answer. If you can, just keep following my voice. Do you see it? The necrosis in your limbs has already healed. It’s almost done.”

Gathering Divine Power in both hands, I tenderly reassured their dying words as best I could.

How long had it been?

The moment I fully healed their wounds, the tension binding me snapped all at once.

“Whew·····. This should be enough·····.”

“You still insist on adding unnecessary remarks in between prayers·····? Focusing solely on prayer would be far more efficient·····.”

“As I always say, think about the one being healed too. When someone feels like they’re about to die and their consciousness is fading, a stranger suddenly shows up and starts touching them without hesitation! I would be anxious to death.”

Prayer is supposed to be whispered with utmost sincerity and compassion.

At least that’s what I was taught.

A prayer woven solely out of pity for the unfortunate is just words filled with Divine Power.

I want to help someone in need.

Such a mediocre motivation, one that a clumsy child might come up with, is what a clergy should truly possess.

I don’t remember who taught me that, but the essence of those words has rooted deeply within me even now.

“Saint·····.”

A sudden sigh of discouragement slipped from my lips as I tried to suppress the gloomy breath.

“S-Saint? Did you just say Saint? You·····?”

After I mentioned the Saint’s name, Dawna turned to me, observing my expression, which was lost in melancholic thought.

“Could it be that all of this is the Saint’s doing·····?”

Just as Dawna received the answer to her question, Sister Marianne slowly nodded in silence, her expression quickly twisting with horror.

“Dawna. I’ll leave this to you.”

“Wha? W-wait!”

I cautiously placed my hand on the firmly shut Meeting Room door and resolutely pushed it open.

◈◈◈

I desperately wanted to deny it.

My experiences to date, her personality, the past incident, and the testimonies of witnesses.

All the circumstantial evidence pointed to her as the culprit, but until the very last moment of reaching the Meeting Room, I fervently wished that this whole situation was just a misunderstanding stemming from my careless judgment.

“Saint·····.”

Whoosh.

Inside the Meeting Room, where it seemed like a pile of snow had been heaped up, a fierce winter was raging.

A bone-chilling wind obscured my vision as if flesh was falling off.

But amidst the storm, a horrifying spectacle lay starkly before me.

The Saint sitting on the cold floor, gazing softly at me.

And at her feet, something that was helplessly collapsing, gradually being buried by the merciless snow.

No, someone.

“Oh. Brother!”

I couldn’t face that bright smile calling me cheerfully.

Even as I struggled to move towards her, all my focus was on the sky-blue-haired woman, now slowly stiffening like a mannequin.

“Brother! Sister! Sister! Now! Uh, uh-oh?”

Ignoring the Saint, who rushed toward me to hug me like always.

Was my action so unbelievable to her?

“Oh, brother·····?”

Suddenly, the Saint cautiously called out to me, but my gaze, as cold as the temperature in the Meeting Room, didn’t even glance at her and resolutely fixated on the sister lying lifeless on the floor.

“L-Lay, Rayjit, P, Priest·····.”

“It’s okay, Sister. I’ll heal you right away.”

With a gentle hand placed on Sister’s cold body, I began to recite my prayer.

Fortunately, one of the blessings the Saint had given me earlier remained, so I had enough power to heal the Sister.

“Oh, brother! Th-there! We-Welna is here!”

“I’ll bring her right outside shortly. Please hang in there, Sister.”

“Uh? Oh, brother·····?”

“I don’t have a blanket right now. So I’ll lend you my clothes to cover you for now.”

“Oh, brother! We-We-Welna is here! Can’t you see Welna?”

I couldn’t hear her.

As I lifted the unconscious Sister into my arms and hurriedly stepped out of the Meeting Room, the sorrowful voice that brushed past my ear, attempting to cling to my back, didn’t reach my ears at all.

“Oh, brother! There! We-Welna is·····!”

“Don’t come near, Saint.”

“Uh-oh·····?”

I decided not to listen.