124 – Little Bride

At first glance, it seems like a mess, but it took me a long time to look through the list of priests neatly organized by year and rank.

The more I turned the page, the more my eyes naturally widened at the bewilderment that inflated the size like a snowball.

”This is…”

”Well? Why? Father?”

The warrior’s clear voice that came up from my waist was frightened enough to make me feel faint.

From new priests who have just walked the path of the priesthood to the highest-ranking priests whose names are listed in textbooks.

The name and face of all the priests under the Holy See were filled in without omission, and the X marks that sternly traversed such information were gilded.

Who the hell would be punished like this?

Even if this list is a manuscript with a separate original edition.

To play such a vile prank on a sacred document that records the history of the Holy See.

It was unknown at this time who the ringleader was, but it was clear that he would be in trouble if he got caught in the hands of Sister Beltane.

It was because she was the person who used the office the most, where even entry was taboo for priests of any level.

He’s a good talker and he’s the person he uses the most. In fact, it was safe to say that this was Sister Beltane’s private room.

”Hmm!?”

It was then.

As I was passing through the pile of papers with an absurd sigh, the warrior-nim, who rang in amazement, suddenly snatched something from my grasp.

”Father! Excuse me for a minute!”

”Yo, hero!?”

The piece of paper that the hero snatched from my hand was my list, which had been mixed up in countless piles of documents.

Of the thousands of profiles, I couldn’t stop admiring the warrior’s torso vision for accurately picking out the documents on which my face was posted.

It was only for a very brief moment that I was able to immerse myself in such thoughts because of a certain factual relationship that popped into my head belatedly.

”This, this!”

”Warrior! wait a minute! Wait!”

My whole body trembled, the warrior staring at me with the momentum to pierce the thin paper in my hand.

I was able to evade my urgent attack to take the paper back with only upper body movements while sitting on the floor, and I was deeply moved by the appearance of my face touching the paper to the point where my nose touched it.

”This, this! ever! only in dreams! The fantastic treasure that I’ve only drawn in my dreams!”

The warrior’s reaction made a fuss as if he had found some kind of treasure chest, and his face instantly became hot.

Even without looking in the mirror, I could easily tell that my face was blushing.

What the hero is looking at right now are the various photos I submitted to the Vatican for proof of identity.

Among them, it was a picture of my boyhood, which was especially worn out.

I had no grand dreams, and I was immature when I couldn’t even recall the memories of my previous life.

At the Maseok Photo Studio, where he was dragged in without knowing why he was playing with his classmates from the orphanage, the sight of him blinking with the momentum to burst into tears at any moment was a sure-nosed sight.

An embarrassing past that cannot be easily shown unless it is a companion who promised a future or a benefactor who owes his life.

Since such a painful private matter was revealed to that hero, not to anyone else, it was nothing special for my thoughts to fluctuate like a sailboat in a storm.

”Warrior! those papers! Hey, hey! please come here! Quickly!”

”Oh no! This treasure is mine I found! this kid! This cunningly cute child is my child! This little priest is my child!”

”What…”

The hero, who made sophistry to the point of doubting whether he spoke through his brain, hurriedly crouched down on the floor to avoid my reprimand.

It looked very cute when it curled up like an armadillo facing its natural enemy, but now wasn’t the time to be thinking about such useless thoughts, so I made up my mind again.

”Warrior! Stop kidding and give me those papers!”

”There’s nothing you’re looking for here! The priest misunderstood!”

It’s still clumsy to lie.

It was something to be delighted with that the warrior, who had been altruistic to the point of being somewhat excessive in everything, has recently become very honest about his own desires.

It was proof that her ego, suppressed by her title as a hero, was slowly returning.

But in this way, on several occasions, I come to realize that the target of that desire is only fixed on me.

Rather than a happy feeling, I had no choice but to wriggle ahead.

”like. Then wait! It only takes a little while! Show me the papers! Then, the picture that the hero wanted. I’ll just give it to the hero.”

”·····Is that true?”

Right after that, the golden armadillo, which hadn’t even flinched, flinched for a moment.

It was the moment when the first crack appeared in the warrior’s defense, which seemed unlikely to collapse even if the sky split.

It was thanks to the saintess.

Thanks to the past days spent with the saintess, it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to learn how to calm a woman who complains.

To be honest, the hero was much easier to deal with than the saintess.

”Appointment! You promised!”

”Yeah. I’ll cross my fingers and promise you.”

It was only after confirming the promise we had made earlier by gently intertwining each other’s little fingers that I was able to safely rescue my documents that had almost been buried in the arms of the warrior.

They held it so dearly that the entire paper was slightly warmed.

”I believe! Father!”

I looked at the documents for a while, leaving behind the hero who constantly shot me with eyes of trust that would never tolerate betrayal while I was on my knees.

I knew it.

Suddenly, the area around the brow became stiff.

new priest. medium-sized priest. The satiated and rude X-marks that were dotted with high-ranking priests.

However, out of all the numerous materials, only this document, this list where my profile was published, was free from the beast.

Where is that?

The paper in my hand was clearly engraved with notations that were completely opposite to those mentioned above.

A large drawn circle.

And a few familiar handwriting scribbled right below it.

It must have been. It was Sister Beltane’s handwriting.

”Finally found…?”

The sentences I read as if possessed were full of unfamiliar concepts and information that I had never heard of before.

It was written by Sister Beltane, not by anyone else.

I could only guess that this wasn’t a story so absurd that it could be dismissed as mere daydreaming or scribbles.

But that kind of belief was rather aggravating my confusion.

If everything written here is true, then there was no way that Sister Beltane, who was meticulous in everything, would leave such an important document so carelessly neglected.

No matter how much this is a space where only people with special positions like me and the warrior are allowed to enter, the fact that she carelessly throws such important information on a desk that can be seen even from the door, not a safe, would never be the woman I knew. It was something I wouldn’t do.

yeah, it’s like

”Please take a look at this. It looks like someone is advertising me…”

Could it be Sister Beltane herself? Is it someone else I don’t know?

I couldn’t jump to conclusions, but it was clear that someone’s intentions were involved in the situation I was in now.

how long has it been like that

With my hand on my chin, I was lost in thought for a long time, but the warrior gave me clear words.

”Father! Have you finished all your business!”

”Oh, sorry, sorry. warrior. Yes. The ball is all over. Take this.”

”Yes-!!!”

wait! Like a puppy commanded to do so, the warrior, who wriggled here and there the whole time I was in agony and endured my desires, as soon as I handed over the photo, smiled so brightly that the smiles I had seen all day could be regarded as gloomy.

I still didn’t like it, but a promise was a promise.

What’s more, seeing the warrior who was as happy as the picture of my embarrassing childhood.

The shame that had risen like a haze in the corner of my mind had subsided to some extent.

”thank you! Father! This little priest whom the priest bowed to me! my hope! Think of it as a secret wish! I will definitely protect it even at the cost of my life!”

”Ah yes·····.”

After gently inserting the photo I received from me into the pocket located on his abdomen, the warrior carefully folded his hands over it and expressed his strong gratitude to me once again.

The appearance of constantly chewing on emotion with tears forming around the eyes made the surrounding atmosphere feel embarrassed for a moment, but no one is watching anyway. It wasn’t something to worry about so much.

”Ah, I can feel it…! In this…! The little priest is alive and breathing inside this…!”

”Hey, hero… It’s up to you what you do with the received photo, but can you refrain from petting it while looking at it with such gracious eyes? Anyone who sees it may misunderstand…”

Clink.

”Le, Rage’s priest…!”

My head twisted toward the door at the noise that hit my ears out of nowhere.

It was right after that that Priest La Novel and his fiancée with a shocked expression filled my field of vision.

Oh, it’s that kid again.