episode_0111

*

The next day, I set out on a search for Paolo with Lucia.

Considering Kunat’s reaction the previous night, I was almost certain Paolo was dead, and I was reluctant to put Lucia through the pointless effort.

But, surprisingly, Lucia was the one who suggested the search first.

I expected the nuns wouldn’t be very proactive in finding Paolo, but I guess I was wrong.

Lucia, rarely, showed a firm attitude, insisting we had to go out and search.

“Priest, we need to find at least his body and give him a proper funeral… If a funeral is difficult, we should at least burn his body… That way, his soul can be properly saved… And, we can also prevent the monsters from increasing…”

Lucia said that to me, and I couldn’t help but agree with her.

Lucia’s opinion that we should prevent monsters from increasing was too valid,

And Lucia’s concern for the salvation of a human she disliked seemed to show that she still retained a good side even after surrendering her body to the Devil and becoming sexually corrupted, which greatly moved me.

I was greatly pleased and, after finishing breakfast, immediately set out on a search with Lucia.

Since I couldn’t find Paolo’s footprints or other traces yesterday, I judged that there was a high possibility he had fallen into the sea.

Lucia and I started searching along the coastal cliffs, not the path leading to the forest outside the village.

While looking around and moving, I asked Lucia in a low voice.

“How is it, Lucia? Do you feel his scent or any traces…?”

“No, as I said yesterday… the smell of the sea is too strong… Besides, winter seems to be slowly coming to an end. As the cold decreases, the fishy smell is getting stronger and stronger.”

“I see.”

“I might feel it a little if his body gets closer, but I don’t know yet…”

“…”

“I’m sorry. I’m not being of much help…”

Lucia murmured softly with a sullen expression.

If she had animal ears like a puppy or a wolf, they would definitely be drooping, that was the impression of her expression.

I shook my head and said.

“No, what are you talking about, Lucia? Actually, I’m very happy.”

“… Yes?”

“Thanks to you… I feel like I’ve realized something.”

Lucia looked up at me with a puzzled expression.

“Realized… what are you talking about?”

“Lately, I’ve felt like everything about me was collapsing.”

“… Yes?”

I looked at Lucia.

That youthful face of hers, which still looked like an innocent and cute girl, even after going through all that.

Not just Lucia.

Anna and Sola too.

I’m in a position to teach and lead them, but at this moment, I felt like I learned a lot from her instead.

“I was wavering for a while about what good is, what faith is… I was a delinquent priest who confronted devils with violence rather than prayer from the start, so maybe it’s natural.”

“…”

Yes, even if I’m corrupted, even if I broke my vows, even if my belief in good and religion wavers.

No matter how slow and slow it is, if we don’t stop walking towards good, if we don’t take our eyes off good even if we falter, we can become better.

Like Lucia looks now, no matter how much you hate others, even if you don’t sympathize with or care about their end,

Still moving for his salvation, moving for the world to get better.

Trying to keep even the smallest and minimal amount of good.

If we can still look at the hope and goodness that shine brightly like stars even in the midst of the struggle for desires, pleasures, survival, and selfishness, we won’t get lost even in this rough wave of destruction.

From Lucia’s appearance walking beside me, I felt such a realization.

“Thank you, Lucia. I learned a lot from you.”

“…”

“Well, then, let’s keep going.”

“Uh, Priest…”

“What’s wrong?”

Lucia looked at me with a slightly reluctant expression.

Did she think I was overinterpreting things all by myself?

Maybe so.

But, even if it’s a trivial action for Lucia herself, if I can learn something from that action, how can that be a shameful thing?

“That, Priest, you know.”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“Please… don’t think like that.”

“Uh…?”

Lucia smiled slightly, as if she was in trouble.

“Because Priest might get hurt.”

“… What do you mean?”

“As you know… I’m not good.”

Lucia said in a low voice, but with a strange power.

“As you know, no, more than Priest knows. I’m a bad person.”

“… Why do you think so?”

“That’s…”

“…”

Lucia couldn’t continue her words.

In fact, even if she didn’t say it, I knew too well why she thought of herself as an evil person.

She gave her body to the devil, loved a priest in the position of a nun, and willingly violated Priest’s chastity and her own chastity.

In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that Lucia was committing the biggest sin among the three nuns.

But, how dare I say that it is entirely her sin?

“Don’t blame yourself. Lucia.”

I gently brought my hand to Lucia’s cheek.

Then, I stroked her cheek very slowly and comforted her in the softest voice possible.

“The reason you gave your body to the devil is because you suffered from your uncomfortably broken body for a long time. The reason you crossed the line is because you worried and struggled for a long time with your affection for me.”

“…”

“As you know, I’m the one who broke your body, and I’m the person you loved. So I’m the one who ruined you, and I’m the one who will share your sin.”

“Priest…”

Lucia’s eyes turned red.

Her face, which looked like she would burst into tears right away with just a touch, looked fresh and beautiful like a fruit full of juice.

I smiled slightly and continued speaking.

“I know very well that you are still good. I also know that there is a purity in you that no one can defile,”

“No, Priest… that’s not true.”

“Is that so? Well, maybe I’m wrong, but one thing is for sure.”

“…”

“No matter what happens, I will be with you. No matter what sins you commit, no matter what hardships you go through, even if you go to Hell, I will be by your side. I will protect you, all of you, forever. I promise.”

Lucia slowly showed a relieved smile.

At the same time, sweet tears rolled down from her eyes.

Her jewel-like tears came up onto my fingers that were cupping her cheeks and flowed down the back of my hand.

“… Can I believe you?”

“Yeah.”

“No matter what sins I commit, will you stay by my side?”

“Of course. You know that.”

Lucia hugged me tightly.

“… Please keep that promise,”

*

A lot of time passed.

We departed early in the morning, but the sun was already passing over our heads.

Familiar scenery appeared before us as we continued searching along the coastline.

“This is…”

A cabin standing on a cliff on the coast.

Before I crossed the line with Anna, to be exact, the period when Anna was only engaging in oral sex to tempt me, but not doing sex.

It was that cabin where I came with Lucia when I was mentally distressed by Anna’s aggressive seduction.

Looking back now, it was a futile pain.

After all, I could never have overcome Anna’s temptation.

I felt foolish thinking about myself at that time, desperately trying to overcome what I couldn’t overcome.

On that day, Lucia, who came with me to this cabin, rarely showed jealousy.

However, we didn’t have sex in this cabin that day.

We just hugged and kissed each other, enjoying a little foreplay.

Lucia was that kind of child.

A girl who never forces me, who always thinks of me first, no matter how great her desires and affections are.

This was one of the reasons why I still thought Lucia was good.

Besides, a tender flower-like girl like Lucia is bound to give great happiness and satisfaction just by holding her.

Still, the faint sweet smell emanating from her flushed bare skin is vivid.

I smiled faintly, recalling the memories of that day.

Seeing Lucia’s flushed cheeks, it was clear that she was also recalling the same memories.

She rubbed her slightly flushed cheeks as if to hide them and said.

“Priest, would you like to take a break for a moment?”

“Lucia, we’re now…”

“I know… but we came all the way here… and seeing that there’s still no smell…”

“…”

“Anyway… that person…”

“Yeah.”

I wouldn’t be able to find Paolo.

In fact, from the beginning, I hardly thought I would be able to find his body.

Whether Paolo went out of the village and died to a monster, lost his footing and fell into the sea before being swept away by the current, or Kunat and the devils played some trick,

Finding him was almost impossible from the beginning, and it was only getting more and more difficult as time went on.

Besides, the nuns’ opinion that it was better that he wasn’t there wasn’t entirely wrong.

Recently, he had hardly been doing anything in the village, and had only been causing conflict and incidents.

I was just grateful and proud of Lucia’s goodness in making at least a minimum effort.

“… Okay, let’s rest a bit.”

“That’s great… Hehe,”

“Lucia? What are you smiling so happily about?”

Lucia blushed as if embarrassed and said.

“Ah… actually, last time… after that day with Priest… I came here from time to time and… did some cleaning…”

“…”

“In case we might come again… that’s why.”

Lucia twisted her body and fidgeted with her fingers.

“… I was kind of expecting it too.”

“O-Oh. I see.”

I somehow felt embarrassed by Lucia’s very embarrassed attitude.

I slowly opened the door of the cabin and entered.

Certainly, at the same time as opening the door, I could feel a very different impression from last time.

The room was neatly organized, and the musty bed was also cleanly laundered.

All the dust and cobwebs that filled the room had disappeared, and I couldn’t feel any of the unpleasant smell of stale dust either.

Rather, I felt a pleasant sweet smell that seemed to take my mind away…

… Wait a minute. This scent.

“This is…”

“…”

“This is, the scent of a Succubus…”

I instinctively took a step back.

However, something blocked my back.

Lucia’s arms, which had turned pitch black, were pushing me forward.

“Go in, Priest.”

“… Lucia?”

It was then.

Anna’s voice was heard from inside the room.

“Come in, Priest.”

“Anna? Why are you here…”

“The questions can wait… Isn’t it okay to do them after you come in?”

Anna, who I didn’t know when she had been there, had large wings and horns on her forehead.

In her hand, she held a large scented candle.

“Lilith told me… last time, the Succubus scent had almost no effect on Priest…”

Anna slowly pulled my arm and continued speaking.

“Now that you’ve lost your virginity, it will be different.”

“W-Wait, what are you two doing…”

Lucia pushed my back even harder and said.

“Priest… I’m sorry, to be honest, I don’t really care what happens to Paolo… I wasn’t trying to find him today either.”

“… What?”

“I told you. I’m not good.”

“…!”

Lucia slowly hugged my back.

I heard the sound of the cabin door closing behind me.

Lucia whispered, blowing hot breath into my ear.

“That word you said earlier… Please keep it,”

“…”

“You said you’d be by our side no matter what sins we commit.”

Anna slowly brought the incense under my nose and caressed my chest.

“Priest… we’re going to commit some sins today.”

“Don’t worry…”

“Priest will like it…”