To the Outskirts (3)

“It’s dangerous. Please go back.”

Terrial made a chak sound as she put on the gloves she’d taken off to go through the hole, tilting her head. The blue water bottle embroidered on her gloves glowed faintly. Judging by her blank expression, she didn’t seem to know why she should go back. I clenched my fist and coaxed her in a gentle voice.

“Huh?”

“What if you run into a Vice Priest-nim after entering the outskirts? You said you got chewed out before…. I’ll accompany you until you get out of the back alley, so don’t worry and go back.”

“B-but….”

I’ve memorized the way, so I can go back quickly. Let’s send her back. Having decided that, I used Clean magic to clean her dirty priestess robes. “Yujin-nim is a magician!” she exclaimed. Terrial twirled around, fluttering her clean priestess robes. Seeing her innocent appearance, my resolve became even firmer. It’s okay if I get ruined. But witnessing someone else get ruined was still too much for my mental state.

Those who haven’t experienced true ‘evil’ can’t even imagine how depraved humans can become. Terrial, who grew up in the temple her whole life, and whose only relationships seem to be with fellow priests or elderly believers, if she were to taste ‘true evil’…. Let’s not even think about it. I just need to stop it before that happens. Terrial, seeing me mutter with a serious face, fidgeted with a gloomy expression.

“Ugh, is it… really not possible? I haven’t even shown you everything I wanted to yet…”

“Haa….”

Ah, don’t make me weaken. Seeing her darkened face, my resolve wavered a little. I sighed deeply and nodded for her to speak. Terrial smiled brightly and nodded her head vigorously.

“…Tell me.”

“The lakeside! There’s a lakeside not far from here! It’s close enough to see if you walk fifty steps from the hole.”

“Then you’ll just look at that and go back? Yes?”

“Yes! Thank you so much!”

She giggled and grabbed my hand. I flinched at the sudden contact, but Terrial herself didn’t seem to care much. She was so nonchalant that I wondered if she would have done this even if it wasn’t me. Like, with a boy her age. Seeing her planting flags randomly without even realizing it, it was clear she would grow up to be a femme fatale someday.

I lectured her the whole way to the lakeside. Approaching nobles so freely is dangerous in many ways. If this were modern times, people might like her naivety, but in this barbaric world, purity only highlighted her weaknesses. It was obvious that nobles who were charmed by Terrial’s appearance would easily play with her with just a little temptation. Shemel wouldn’t let that happen, but… what if he was away like this time?

“Terrial. If any other noble tells you to follow them besides me, you absolutely mustn’t follow them. Especially if the other party is a m-“

“We’re here!”

“…Are you listening?”

Haa. I don’t know. Shemel will probably take care of it if I tell him. I gave up talking and turned my gaze. A lakeside of moderate size, neither too big nor too small, came into view. A normal-sized lakeside where two or three people could play comfortably. Terrial’s eyes sparkled, and she squeezed my hand so tightly that I could feel her body temperature through her gloves. It didn’t hurt. How strong could a girl’s strength be?

“Umm, Yujin-nim?”

“No.”

She put her other hand on top, saying. It was obvious what she was going to ask, so I cut her off like a knife. I’m not a child, and I’m not at an age where I’d find splashing around fun. Maybe it’s a prejudice, but that’s how I felt. I looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, casting a faint light through the blurred world. At the same time, a cool breeze blew. As Terrial said, this place was where the wind gathered. Certainly, if you hung clothes here, they would dry quickly.

Feeling strangely calm, I sat down on a nearby rock and welcomed the breeze. Anyone who has felt the mountain breeze knows that a strangely languid feeling comes over you. Is this what they call phytoncides or something? Well, it wasn’t really important. Nature itself emits an energy that stabilizes the mind and body, so it was enough for a change of pace. Terrial, seeing my face looking somewhat relaxed, took this opportunity to push forward.

“Can’t we just do it one more time? It’s always been my wish to come play with someone. I-it’ll definitely be fun!”

“……”

Anyway, Shemel is stuck in the outskirts for four days, and there are still two days left before I leave for the Holy See… As I pondered, my languid body became even more languid.

“Yujin-nim?”

Umm…

Okay.

It’s not like anything changes by being coercive…. For me, who has transcended, impatience was an emotion that could be easily shaken off. My mind changed. I didn’t come here to take a forest bath, but since she wants it so much, it wouldn’t be bad to hang out with her once. Teolssok. I got off the rock and stretched lightly. Terrial calmly waited for me to loosen up without saying a word. After a few seconds, I cracked my stiff neck and finished stretching.

“Okay.”

I answered.

Terrial’s face was filled with joy. It was so cute how she was desperately trying to hold back the corners of her mouth from going up, as if she was so happy to play with me. I took off the cape around my neck and put it on the rock, and said.

“Should I take off my clothes? Or should I leave them on?”

“I usually just wear my underwear… What do you prefer, Yujin-nim?”

“Do as you like. There’s no one watching anyway.”

I gestured vaguely and started undressing. When I untied the ribbon-shaped string on my chest, my cleavage was revealed through the loosened clothes. I lifted my top and turned it inside out. The red hair that had been tied up brushed against the clothes and came loose. I frowned and took off the rest of my clothes.

“Wow…! Your skin is so fair!”

Terrial was busy praising my white skin. I wasn’t embarrassed. Humans are slaves to hormones, they say. I didn’t get excited by a woman’s body just because I used to be a man. Including my own body and other women’s bodies. Separately, seeing that I haven’t been reacting to men’s bodies lately, something must be broken.

Terrial, who had been watching me undress, realized something and started taking off her own clothes. I thought the priestess robes were one-piece, but they weren’t. A top that fit snugly and came down to her thighs was covered with a skirt, and then tied with a string to fix her waist. The clothes looked a bit big, so that was why. When she pulled the string on her waist, the wide skirt slid down. Then, a long top like a dress barely covered her underwear.

When we finished undressing, we neatly folded our clothes and put them on the rock. And at the same time, we turned our eyes to the lakeside.

“Kkyahut!”

“Eut….”

Entry.

The water wasn’t as cold as I thought, it was lukewarm. Terrial splashed around with a happy face. What do you have to do to be satisfied with temple work with such an active personality? Maybe she enjoys dangerous situations like me. An ominous thought came to mind, but I shook it off. Terrial being a pervert like me… I don’t even want to imagine it.

The outskirts’ entrance, where only Terrial comes and goes. I didn’t think there would be anyone, but just in case, I put up a barrier around the area. It’s nothing great, just a simple formula that sends me a signal if someone enters the range.

“Hehe. How is it? Fun, right?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

She splashed water at me and smiled like an idiot.

…What am I doing, really. I felt a sense of reality hitting me as I splashed around with a young girl. Still, it feels good to see her smiling.

“Can I call you ‘Unnie’?”

“…Do as you please.”

When she joked around, I played along and responded appropriately. But… when she stuck to me calling me ‘Unnie, Unnie,’ I freaked out and pushed her away. Even if we’re the same gender, how can you stick to someone wearing only underwear? Doesn’t this bitch know something? She was so aggressive that I had such suspicions.

After playing with her for 30 minutes straight.

“Just a moment.”

“Yes?”

A signal came.

I roughly shook off the water and ordered Terrial.

“Hide behind the rock. Don’t say anything, and never come out.”

The signal was being updated quickly. That meant they were running. It was highly likely that they were an outskirts resident. I made a string and tied my bothersome hair together. The red ponytail that had absorbed water drooped and added weight.

“Huu….”

I only played for 30 minutes and a signal came right away, how has she been walking around without getting caught until now? The fact that Terrial hasn’t met anyone so far can only be called a miracle of God. Is it because the visiting times are different, or is there something about me?

–Buseureok.

Terrial held her breath and crouched down, startled by the suddenly changed atmosphere. Soon, the sound of grass came from beyond. I narrowed my eyes and shot my gaze at the existence beyond.

“Heoeuk… Keuek….”

The one who appeared through the bushes was a sturdy man. But his condition wasn’t good. The man, wearing leather armor that was almost torn and had lost its shape, was bleeding profusely from his head. In addition, he was armed. Seeing him holding a blood-stained dagger and a loaded crossbow, it seemed like he had just come from a big fight somewhere.

Strangely, I was more interested than alarmed. The reason of a magician who interprets everything with curiosity raised its head. I came out of the water and ordered the man.

“Lower your weapons and identify yourself. I am Y-“

―Pwyuk!

Without question.

Before I could even finish speaking, an arrow flew. I didn’t think he would listen to my order, but I didn’t expect him to shoot an arrow right away. I clicked my tongue inwardly and accelerated my mind. In an instant, the world slowed down. Watching the slowly approaching arrow, I pondered. Should I get hit by it, avoid it, or block it? I lengthened the time, which was less than 1 second, to 5 minutes, and came to a conclusion after sufficient deliberation.

Let’s just get hit.

“Kkaheuk?!”

Instead, let’s get hit in a part that doesn’t really matter. I gave up my left shoulder. The bolt tore through my skin and popped out on the other side. I bit my teeth tightly and held back a laugh at the ‘real pain’ I was feeling for the first time in a long time.

“Hikkeuk.”

A terrified hiccup leaked out from behind the rock. My body collapsed from the impact. The scent of blood spread. Blood spread across the water like drawing with red paint.

I barely got up by grabbing the ground and pulled out the arrow stuck in my left shoulder. There’s nothing more stupid than pulling out a stuck arrow right away, but that didn’t really matter to me. As the bleeding accelerated, a venomous look appeared in my eyes.

“Are you, those guys?”

The man only muttered incomprehensible words. I grabbed my left shoulder and looked at the man. He weakly loaded a bolt. He had a detached expression for someone who shot a crossbow without question. I don’t know if it’s because he’s exhausted, or if there’s some other reason. What is his purpose? He didn’t react to my underwear, so it wasn’t lust.

The man rolled his eyes and looked at the clothes folded on the rock. Still with his hand on the trigger, he slowly took in the clothes.

“……!”

His face turned ugly when he discovered Terrial’s clothes. A pure white priestess robe with blue water bottles embroidered all over it. The man’s face twisted like a demon.

At that time. A large number of signals were updated from behind, and a shout from someone presumed to be a woman was heard.

―I’ll kill you if you don’t stop!

“Keuk!”

The man reacted. It was the reaction of someone who was clearly being chased. He ran quickly and grabbed my neck.

“Ke, Keheuk!”

“Stay still if you don’t want to die.”

He put a knife to my neck and slowly backed away. As I tensed my body, blood gushed out of the hole in my left shoulder. I roughly grasped how the situation was unfolding and obediently gave up my neck.

“Target found!”

“Eliminate him!”

Three female priests… or so it seemed, popped out from beyond. The reason I hesitated to judge was because their priestess robes were black. In addition, the details of their outfits were very different from Terrial’s priestess robes. The water bottle, the symbol of the Holy Stream Society, was embroidered on them, but the color of the flowing water was not blue but red. It was as if they were shedding blood instead of water. Besides. Looking at the weapons they were holding, I couldn’t possibly think of them as priests. A chain scythe, a morning star… one of them was even wearing plate armor. Who would think of those savage outfits as priests?

“S-stop!”

The female priest who was spinning the chain scythe and trying to throw it was greatly embarrassed when she saw me being held up half-naked.

“He’s a hostage! Everyone cease your attack!”

Perhaps, was this what volunteer work was like?

…I’m going crazy.