The Priest Wants to Retire

EP.115 Aang!

“If there’s a hole, I want to hide!”

Among the words I’ve heard in my life, this felt the most like mine.

The Hero, who had sworn to never step outside until completely shedding his lust, ultimately succumbed to temptation and dragged himself outside, feeling quite embarrassed.

As a clergy member who vowed purity before the gods, I was also tormented by a similar shame for trying to seduce a woman who was my niece.

“No matter how seductive and sweet the Priest’s proposal was, like a raindrop fallen from the heavenly realm to me! How could a so-called Hero prioritize his lust and pitifully repeat a word he had once blurted out?! This is unacceptable! It should never happen!”

Caught in a moment of solemnity, the Hero was seen pounding his fist on the ground, deeply regretting.

If left alone, he might just bury his head in the ground.

The Hero, who was exceptionally strict with himself but endlessly gentle with others, didn’t often act like this.

Normally, I would have left him alone until he regained his composure.

But there were others present, so that wouldn’t do.

“Hero. Please raise your head. Others are watching…”

I quietly approached the Hero, sitting on the ground, and whispered carefully in her ear.

In this vast monastery, only members of the Hero Party were permitted in the Private Guest Room.

It was torture for someone sensitive to others’ gazes, like me, to leave the Hero alone in this suffocating space while loudly causing a scene.

“I’m so, so sorry! Priest! I didn’t mean to… to…”

As she slowly turned to look at me, having regained some consciousness thanks to my earnest voice, her expression froze in an instant.

“Hero?”

That brilliant blue gaze, reminiscent of the purest sapphire, swept over the blurred glasses on my face and my disheveled neck, before soon shutting tight.

Hack!

“Y-Your Highness!?”

Immediately after, the Hero, clutching her chest tightly, let out a moan of pain and hunched down again.

To an outsider, her reaction would definitely suggest symptoms of heart disease.

But as I slowly realized why she was reacting this way, my concern for her physical condition was overtaken by the dread of the awkward situation we faced.

“That was… dangerous. To stare at the Priest’s sensual outfit without taking a deep breath! I could have nearly stopped my heart!”

If what she said now were mere teasing about my appearance, I could have easily laughed it off, but since it was pure sincerity from her, it felt even crueler than typical mockery.

My face flushed, and my eyes, trembling with shame, were busy checking the surrounding gazes without anyone having to prompt me.

“Y-Hero… I’ve told you repeatedly to be careful about making those remarks in front of others…”

Huff! I’m so, so sorry!

The moment she heard my words, the Hero quickly covered her mouth with both hands. While clever, it was far too late to take back what she had already blurted out.

Huff, huff!

Soon, a cough from someone nearby broke the palpable tension, and a suppressed laugh began to ripple in the air.

Since that day when the Hero and I ended up in a tangled dream, I had gotten used to the feeling of her gaze on me becoming more intense than before.

We had already decided to ignore that incident, believing that the ensuing awkwardness would fade with time.

However, having the Hero continuously shower me with embarrassing compliments was painfully awkward.

Unbeknownst to her, as she praised my less-than-remarkable looks by comparing them to divine works of art, she had no idea how much attention her words drew.

The servants maintaining their poker faces while stifling their laughter were ironically even more annoying to me.

Honestly, I’d have preferred it if they had just burst into laughter at this point.

“Ahem, Hero. Aren’t you hungry? The sun is already high. Shall we have our meal first? I’m starving.”

Huff! Come to think of it!

The change of topic I’d thrown in landed perfectly, and I let out a small sigh of relief mentally.

I couldn’t deny that, after that day, my perception of the Hero had changed to some degree.

No matter how much I tried to look away, I was still aware that everything that happened was merely a fantasy.

As a man, it was impossible to fully erase the vision of confronting skin with a woman.

There was even a fleeting thought of taking responsibility for it all.

Yet, for someone who had always been avoiding confronting issues head-on, it was a tall order to arrive at such a significant decision in such a short time.

I needed time.

At least to alleviate the lingering discomfort in my throat.

Creek.

Right then.

A strange noise echoed from directly in front of me, momentarily disrupting my thoughts, and I was soon shocked to recognize the source of the unease.

“Uh, Hero…?”

“What’s wrong, Priest?”

“Excuse me, but what are you doing right now?”

“I was preparing our meal!”

“……….?”

The Hero, who had pulled her chair up so close that our knees touched, grinned at me while holding a plate.

I briefly questioned why we had to eat in such an uncomfortable manner when there was a perfectly good table, but as she offered me the plate with sparkling eyes filled with excitement, all those doubts disappeared.

“Ah…”

Glimpse.

The rarely tight-lipped Hero quietly gathered her hands on her lap, stealing glances at me.

Her fidgeting fingers resembled a child eagerly waiting for a birthday present.

Ahem!

Finally, a dainty cough escaped her lips.

The notable circumstances were more than enough to transform the vague suspicion hanging in my mind into a solid conviction.

I had forgotten for a moment in my busy life, but the Hero and I had made a little promise.

If she stepped outside, she would make an Aang~ sound while eating breakfast.

The meticulousness of the Hero reminding me of this story, which I wanted to leave vague, left me speechless.

If only she could show half this cleverness in usual matters…

An indescribable mix of affection and annoyance wrapped around my thoughts.

“………”

I shifted my gaze to the servants.

When they had initially stared at us like mannequins, now they turned toward the wall, as if they sensed something from our closeness, which I appreciated greatly.

But could they please just leave instead?

That was the resentment I couldn’t speak out loud.

“Alright… A promise is a promise…”

“Thank you!”

As I finished my sentence, I handed her a piece of food from the plate, which she had eagerly opened her mouth for like a round pink ball.

“Just this once…”

“Yes! That’s all I need! If I received food from the Priest more than three or four times! In that case! My heart would surely not survive!”

Watching her shake her tightly clenched fist up and down while bouncing in place clearly showed just how excited she was right now.

I will never feed you again. Just remember that.

Due to confronting a process so inherently familiar in a drastically different light, an inexplicable wave of unease rushed over me.

“Hinhuh?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

The Hero, noticing my sudden freeze while holding the fork, suddenly called me out, but I shook my head gently and replied casually.

Huff! Priest! If it’s not too much trouble! When you do the Aang, could you shout a rallying cry as well!

“Eh?”

“Please, I’m begging you!”

“Ah, okay! I got it! Just don’t suddenly grab my shoulder! I’ll spill the food!”

Huff! Yes! Understood! And! Thank you!

An unexpected added option.

Where did the Hero, who had just been agonizing over her wrongdoings, go?

Having witnessed her transform quickly from the Hero to a cute girl who saved the world, my lips broke into a happy smile.

“Ahem! Here I go! A-Aang~”

“Aang─!!!”

It was just a blessing that no one was watching our shameful display as a couple, which could only be described as cringe-worthy.