episode_0250

One month has passed since then. Instead of skill, it was physical training. Erina, during these three months of worship, trained in an extreme pleasure hell. She trained her body, struggling day by day with the never-ending pleasure that never grew familiar. The chapel, where holy light shone, was filled with lewdness and obscenity; even after ventilation, the air remained thick with pheromones.

A chapel solely for mating, a service filled only with moans, sweat, and heat. A sermon delivered through the body, prayers offered through groans—worship for the Goddess.

After only one month, she was finally able to move her waist on her own, though her brain would melt, and she’d become a beast that forgot how to think; still, she was adapting.

After the service and bath, it was usually lunchtime, so she would unleash an appetite equal to her quenched libido, devouring delicious dishes as they came to hand. She felt guilty about overeating to the point of gaining weight, but thankfully, she burned a similar amount through movement, and the remaining fat mostly went to her breasts and hips.

“Whew. I ate my fill. It feels like my lifestyle is crumbling… but… it can’t be helped. If I didn’t eat this much…”

Erina carried all the empty dishes and finished the washing up. Moving her body, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

“I should digest my food now.”

She thought that, but her body wouldn’t cooperate.

“If I move right away, my stomach will hurt…. Ugh. Let me get some fresh air outside for a bit.”

Erina went out to the courtyard and sat on a rough-hewn chair. A cool breeze blew pleasantly, ruffling her hair. She smiled inwardly, watching the parishioners sweating from exercise and training.

If only this peace could last forever. No. Making it last is what I must do. I need to keep my wits about me.

“Erina-nim!! Erina-nim!!!”

As if to mock that thought, a priest in a hurried voice, wearing a Fried Order vestment, rushed from afar.

Erina rose from her seat and went to meet the messenger.

“What is it?”

“Re-report. Haa, haa.”

“It’s alright, take a deep breath first. Yes, and exhale… good. So, what is it?”

Everyone outside turned their attention. They didn’t hide anything about the church’s business or operations. They embraced both crisis and opportunity; that was the aim of the Pai Sect. Even now, with its considerable growth, nothing was kept secret.

“It’s… about the demon statue…”

“…!! Was it a success?!?”

The Fried Order had borrowed a goddess statue to counter the demon statue’s power. Only now, a month later, were they able to receive the report. Since the demon statue’s existence had only recently been recognized, finding it was no mean feat. They had to search the entire continent, and the enemies were also trying to retrieve the demon statue, so a month was actually quite fast.

Besides the demon statue, they also had to prepare for demons and monsters; even the largest order lacked manpower. The shortage of priests made the manpower shortage even more dire. Though the Pai Sect was flourishing, they hadn’t undergone formal training, so their priest training relied on the Fried Order’s support, making it difficult to provide assistance.

“It’s… complicated… The effect was certainly there, but…”

“But…?”

Her expression was not bright.

“This.”

What she received was a crumpled piece of paper. She carefully unfolded it; a rather illegible letter was written on it.

“…….”

The short letter contained only bad news.

“They took hostages? The Fried Order members are precious colleagues, but why send it to me instead of Ms. Julia?”

“Th-their words… they say the leader is Erina-nim…. Of course, we told our head priestess. But she’s incredibly busy.”

“Right. If it were Ms. Julia, she’d probably say something like, ‘That woman can handle it herself.’”

“……That’s about right.”

Erina forced a smile in response.

“You’ve worked hard. Go and rest.”

“No. I’m rather sorry to have passed the burden onto you.”

The Fried Order messenger said that and turned back. His retreating steps were hurried, and Erina’s heart quickened as she watched.

“What should I do…? What should I do? Those people… how can I help them? If I go unprepared…”

She still lacked confidence. If only her solution-finding ability had been working properly at this time.

But there was no time to hesitate. The letter stated that she must arrive at the designated location within two days. Two days was barely enough time to rush there; further preparation was unrealistic. Despite her continuous training through sexual intercourse, she still felt powerless.

The letter didn’t specify to come alone or mention anyone else, so taking a few people wouldn’t be a problem. However, there was no guarantee that a large number would be enough to handle the situation. She wanted to take on the risk alone as much as possible.

She thought of the faces of her closest colleagues who have always been helping her. They are always a great help, but this is too dangerous.

‘It’s dangerous for me as well….’

Her lips tightened. She’d decided not to hesitate to ask for help, but after experiencing its power firsthand, this was a different level of danger.

“Erina-nim.”

“Head Priestess.”

“Savior.”

Seeing her worried expression, the parishioners, sensing something was wrong, approached.

“Ah, it’s alright. I just have something to think about…”

“Really…?”

“Hee hee. Thank you for your concern, everyone. I’m really okay.”

“You mustn’t overwork yourself and collapse again…”

Erina could only respond with a bright, forced smile.

“Erina.”

“Oh, Kira-san.”

A woman with short, pale pink, cherry blossom-colored hair, Kira. Kira waited for the other parishioners to leave before speaking quietly.

She originally belonged to a different religion, a shrine maiden who valued merging with nature rather than worshipping a god. Of course, she didn’t deny the existence of gods, so she wasn’t a heretic but possibly pagan, so they didn’t interfere greatly. Erina didn’t touch on her beliefs, so while she had her beliefs as a shrine maiden, she had pledged allegiance to the sect, creating an ambiguous situation.

Perhaps because of this, she went out of her way to cause trouble, and Erina had no choice but to impose the only restriction on her behavior within the church. Naturally, it was only to prevent major accidents, she could still engage in regular shrine maiden activities.

“Those guys, right?”

“…Yes.”

The incident with her was deeply etched in Erina’s memory, and she never even considered seeking Kira’s help. The thought occurred to her–if it was a separate technique, neither divine power, magic, or sorcery, it could be a different approach to assist.

“…Do you remember around the time we first met?”

“Of course.”

“And what I was researching?”

“……Monsters.”

Thanks to Kira, it became possible to cope with corruption, the phenomenon of divine power being transformed into magical energy, so her efforts had borne fruit.

“That’s right. I’m still working on it now, with help from Aries and others.”

“Are there any results?”

“Results, that’s not what I’m trying to talk about. Of course, there is some progress.”

Kira smiled slyly. It was the expression she made when she had a mischievous idea. It also made her feel a little uneasy, but she will not cause any significant problems since she limited the woman’s actions.

“The person… people who helped. It’s a little ambiguous to call them people. And… surprisingly, you helped too.”

“…The succubus?”

The half-confined succubus. Her recent training was established with her support.

“Yes. How about taking her with you?”

“What? You’re joking…. I can barely move because of my breasts…?”

Her breasts had grown excessively large, making it difficult for her to move. Now, thanks to her innate physical abilities, she had adapted, but it was noticeable to the eyes, how difficult movement had become.

“Hee hee hee. I guess using demons isn’t a problem for you?”

“…That’s a separate problem, of course.”

“The ones you’ll be facing now are human beings. You won’t have to worry about fratricide.”

“Kira-san always brings that up.”

Erina shook her head.

“Those guys serve demons, right? Then, if she were to fall to demons…?”

“……You are truly a formidable person.”

Such an idea was something Erina could not even attempt, a means beyond her nature to conceive. Kira spoke of such a method with a smile; however, it was hard to dispute its effectiveness.

“There is no way those demons will help us that much. …They might even side with them.”

“The decision is yours. I have nothing more to say. Should I give you some protective amulets?”

“I’d gratefully receive them. But… I’ll reconsider that method.”

“I’ll leave them in your room, so pick them up.”

Erina nodded in gratitude. While her abilities were undeniable, her way of thinking was definitely twisted, creating a certain distance between them on a human level. Erina tried to be impartial, but as a human being, she could not help it.

Kira left.

Erina quietly watched Kira’s back, lost in thought.