Chapter 12. Honor and Sacrifice (8)

There are several advantages to having a strong friend.

One of those advantages is being able to go places that others don’t usually think of going.

…Thinking about it again, it wasn’t something a strong friend could do. It’s also not something a woman my age can do.

After being dragged by Ria and having a part of my secret revealed in front of her father without being able to do anything, I didn’t speak to Ria until dinner time.

Actually, after calming down for about 30 minutes, I felt like it wasn’t something to get that angry about.

As Ria said, I was someone who had already revealed multiple times in front of others that I thought the concept of God was flawed.

I was someone who had repeatedly said that the being people thought of as God in this world was not God, and Ria’s father would have heard some of those rumors.

But still- it’s a bit much.

The thumbs-up he gave me at the end felt very awkward. It felt like he had a huge misunderstanding in a completely different direction.

With such complex feelings, half for the reason of organizing my thoughts, and half for the desire to reconcile but not knowing how, I spent the time anxiously until dinner time and came outside-

“Eek!?”

Suddenly, my vision flipped upside down.

The feeling of my feet leaving the ground isn’t exactly pleasant. Especially if it’s not because I’m riding a ride, but because someone is lifting me up from behind, the unique instability makes it even more so.

But before I could even struggle and resist, Ria casually draped me over her right shoulder. As a result, I was firmly held by Ria in a posture that felt like I was being kidnapped.

For a very brief moment, I saw Ria’s backside very close to my vision. Well, considering the height difference, it didn’t come right up to my nose-

“Ria- AAAAAAAAK!?”

However, before I had time to admire those curves, Ria leaped upwards.

That’s right. Ria has the skill to easily jump over the church’s massive wall and secretly receive fried chicken. No, at this point, I question if it can even be called ‘skill’. It was very far from my common sense in my past life.

Regardless of what I thought, Ria took me and went up onto the roof of the convent.

The nuns below looked up at us with their mouths agape, but Ria didn’t seem to care at all.

“What are you doing!?”

“I thought you’d talk to me if I did this.”

“Are you like a middle school boy with a crush!?”

It’s not like she’s tormenting me because she likes me.

It would have been better if it were like that. If Ria was doing it out of those feelings, I felt like I could accept it.

“Whoa, calm down. You’ll fall if you’re not careful?”

“Who-“

But I couldn’t even get angry and retort, and in the end, I had no choice but to firmly grasp the hand Ria offered.

The church where we live was originally a Catholic cathedral. Of course, there were several modifications when it officially became an administrative institution.

In terms of location, it was a neighborhood quite close to major Seoul facilities, making it easy to access, but the problem is that this neighborhood is not far from the mountains.

Because it’s modern society, the surroundings are all densely packed with small buildings, making it look like just a neighborhood with many hills, but I wouldn’t find it strange if it was all mountains back in the Joseon Dynasty.

Although a light rail was built a few years ago, this church is located right in the middle of two stations, so it takes more than 10 minutes to get to either side. It’s quite far from convenient transportation.

“Hmm. The view isn’t that great even when you come up here.”

Moreover, an elevated highway is quite close, blocking a significant portion of the view. The original cathedral was built on a rather steep hill that was cut and flattened, and the convent was built as an extension on the hill behind the cathedral, so it was higher up, but for that reason, the view isn’t always good.

Still, the sky, dyed red, was beautiful.

“Well, it’s okay.”

“Uh, uh…”

Ria lay down on the roof, holding my hand. The roof was tiled, so honestly, it wasn’t comfortable to just lie down.

But what could I do? Ria was lying down. Besides, she didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go of my hand.

Ah, damn it. My heart is softening again because Ria is holding my hand. Why does this kid have this appearance? If she were a little more fierce, I wouldn’t have my heart softened by tension.

…

No, that’s probably not it. My feelings aren’t determined by appearance alone, because we’ve spent too long together and had too many conversations.

Inevitably, I lay down next to Ria. Well… even so, I can lie down if I adjust my posture. Though I won’t be able to sleep.

“Still, the sky is visible.”

Ria said, looking at the sky slowly turning black.

“…”

Probably, stars will start to appear soon.

There are stars that shine through the light pollution of big cities. Especially on a dark night sky with not a single cloud.

“…My dad seems to have misunderstood you completely. Sorry.”

Ria said that frankly.

Deliberately choosing a romantic place, deliberately making it so we have no choice but to be close, and deliberately saying such things is indeed a bit of a cheat.

But unfortunately, even though I knew it was a cheat, I couldn’t completely refuse it. Because… it was Ria.

“Well… if it’s absurd, it is absurd.”

I let out a deep sigh.

“As expected, he probably thinks I’m acting?”

“…Even if you’re a church official, you don’t know everything that happens within the church.”

Ria replied.

Her father could postpone the matter of his daughter becoming a hero and inheriting the family business for a while. After all, if she has the skill, she can do it anytime.

The reason he sent Ria here in the first place wasn’t for her to become a knight, but for character education.

Because of Ria’s words about honor and such when talking about me, her father probably had a big misunderstanding.

So, he probably saw me as doing my best to persuade and help Ria enter the path of a hero. While he did hear me say that I don’t believe in God, he probably thought it wasn’t complete apostasy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept Ria by my side.

“…Will it be okay?”

“Well, for now. If I’m still stuck here in ten years, it’ll be a different story.”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

“Huh?”

“About staying by your side and protecting you. I’m serious. And about thinking that’s my honor. At first, I just stuck around because I was worried about you, but now, well, it’s like that.”

Ria said, turning her head towards me.

“What about you? You called me your knight, are you serious about that?”

“…Yes, I’m serious, of course.”

But there were many parts I didn’t say.

I knew that Ria would eventually fall in love with someone sincerely. Yet, I tried to separate Ria from that person for impure reasons.

Whether that actually worked or not, Ria didn’t end up loving Lee Si-yoon. At best, she’s a close colleague, and in reality, they hardly have any personal conversations.

And… I felt a strange joy in that.

Could this also be considered sacrificing Ria? For the development that I… might have desired?

For the sake of keeping someone who might have developed feelings for me by my side-

“Then it’s fine.”

Ria smiled.

A truly pure, innocent smile without a single flaw.

…It was the kind of smile that someone like me, a mere Saint candidate, could never achieve.

“As long as you allow it, I’ll stay by your side. Well, even if you don’t allow it, I plan to stay anyway.”

“…You’re just saying you’ll stay, aren’t you?”

As I replied with disbelief, Ria chuckled and let out a small laugh.

We lay there side-by-side for a while, looking up at the sky.

Until the sun completely set, it became dark, and the stars began to peek out one by one.

Just like there was no conversation after dinner time a little while ago, there was no conversation now either.

But it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence.

It was just that we didn’t need to speak to each other.

The air had become a little chilly, but Ria’s hand, which she held tightly as if I might fall, was warm.

We were like that-

“Hey, you sisters! Come down now!”

-We just lay there looking at the sky until the Nun Superior yelled at us from below.

The sparkling stars were very beautiful.

Although there was someone more beautiful than the stars right next to me-

Even so, I felt a little shy to look beside me.