Chapter 78: Bath and Purify (3)

Chapter 78: Bath and Purify
(3)

As
Balkan raised himself for the blessing check, his body was revealed
to be clinging to a bathrobe soaked in holy water.

“⋯hhh.”

A
small intake of breath rang out.

It
came from Serif.

As
a devout follower of the Earth Mother, Serif was supposed to remain a
virgin for the rest of her life.

Before
she was a devout believer, Serif was a female who instinctively
craved a male.

Her
gaze instinctively travels down to his abs.

Balkan
spontaneously turned his back to Serif and sat down in the tub.

The
reason for Balkan’s back was clear.

To
feel blessings and curses, the priest’s body needed to be closest to
the heart.

“Is
this how it’s done?”

Balkan
asked Serif.

“⋯Neh.”

Serif
swallowed hard, pushing aside the regret that was creeping up on her.

-Gulp.

She
swallowed hard but didn’t make eye contact.

Serif
gently touched Balkan’s back, feeling slightly less tense than
before.

As
she placed her divine hand on the viciously cracked muscles of
Balkan’s back, she was immediately met with the sound of a wildly
beating heart.

-Thump-thump-thump.

Serif
closed her eyes, concentrating on the sound of Balkan’s heart.

‘Honestly⋯⋯’

In
the back of his mind, she remembered Balkan’s words.

Serif
realized that her consciousness had been sucked somewhere else.

And
she looked up at [something] in the sky somewhere.

Something
so distant, [something].

It
was the same view she’d seen before, when she’d confirmed the Balkan
Blessing.

The
[something] had been staring at her from somewhere in the distance.

She
didn’t think Balkan has noticed it yet, but if the day comes when he
does.

Will
he be able to withstand this gaze?

Of
course, one day he will.

Balkan
has come a long way in less than half a year since they first met.

But
what about the months and years ahead?

Serif
was half sure that in the not-too-distant future, he would be a force
to be reckoned with in the Labyrinth City.

That
was all. He would be a bright light in a world tainted by evil, as
the Mother Earth Goddess had revealed.

But
after a moment’s consideration, Serif shook her head.

It
was too soon, not yet.

[■■■
■
looks at Serif Adeline who invaded ■■.]

[She
is banished.]

***

I
felt the warmth of Serif’s hand on my back.

A
few minutes before I feel the warmth of an unfamiliar hand and the
holiness radiating from it, running through every inch of my body.

“Blessing
confirmed, it’s done.”

Serif’s
voice sounded calmer, and I turned my head slightly in response.

Serif,
who was breaking out in a light sweat, as she had during the previous
blessing check, immediately pulled a wand out of thin air and swung
it around.

Then,
out of nowhere, paper and a pen flew in front of her.

The
pen began to move of its own accord and scribble on the paper.

Serif
soon snatched the paper out of thin air.

“In
addition to this blessing, you’ve gained another in the meantime.
Congratulations, Balkan. As you promised, you’ve grown a little
stronger.”

During
our second meeting, when I confirmed the blessing, Serif asked me for
a favor.

To
keep heading into the Labyrinth, to be stronger than you are now.

“I
tried.”

I
hadn’t set out to become stronger, but entering the Labyrinth made me
naturally seek it.

Serif
laughed at my short answer, her tail flicking.

I
stared at Serif for a moment, then looked at the paper she handed me.

Blessing
of the Battle, with the Blessing of Radiance.

[◆
Blessing of the Hour of Judgment]

–
Once a day, you have a moment of judgment.

–
If there is a danger to your life that you don’t recognize, it will
appear unconsciously.

The
contents of this new blessing were also written.

–
Wisdom +3, +10 if all prerequisites are met.

There
were also additional stats in the status window that were more
powerful than the Temple’s appraisal.

Overall,
I was happy with the blessing.

It
gave me a small boost in wisdom that I lacked.

‘Most
of all, I like the blessing itself.’

The
uncanny focus I used to have unconsciously when I felt my life was in
danger.

This
blessing allows me to deal with it consciously.

It
was a tremendous benefit. It would give me a lot more leeway in
future battles.

“This
is an interesting blessing. I’ve only ever seen one of these before.”

It
was such an unusual blessing that even Serif looked at it curiously.

I
was dealt an unusual hand but that was it.

“Serif.”

“What?”

“Is
this really all I have to show for my blessing?”

The
piece of paper Serif handed me had only three blessings on it.

There
was no question mark blessing.

“⋯⋯”

Serif’s
face tightened slightly as I sounded convinced there was another
blessing.

“⋯⋯”

“⋯⋯”

An
odd silence hovered.

The
humid, warm air of the purification chamber made Serif’s face break
out into a slight sweat.

“⋯Did
you know?”

It
was a meaningful question, but I realized it was about the question
mark blessing.

It
was a de facto confession, a confession that she had checked the
blessing, but hadn’t been honest with me.

“I
have a guess, but I don’t know for sure.”

I
knew from the status window that I had a Blessing, but I didn’t know
what it did or how it functioned.

Serif
purses her lips as if considering my words, then raises her hand as
if swearing an oath.

A
white glow of holy power enveloped his hand.

“Faithful
servant of the Mother Earth Goddess, Serif Adeline, High Priestess,
prays here now.”

A
white powder descended upon Serif’s head, dissolving instantly.

“From
now on, I swear to the divine that I will never speak a false word
against you, Balkan, for the rest of my life.”

An
oath to the divine.

Serif
had enforced a rule upon herself that she would never break.

From
this moment forward, Serif would not tell me a single falsehood for
the rest of her life.

“No,
what the…”

I
opened my mouth, dumbfounded by the sudden declaration of oath.

“Even
if I didn’t mean to, I ended up deceiving you, and I felt it was the
least I could do to make you trust me in the future.”

Serif
smiled bitterly.

“I
do apologize for not being clearer about the blessing you have,
Balkan, but.”

There
was sincerity in her red eyes.

It
was, perhaps, the most sincere and honest look I’d ever seen from
Serif.

“I
just want you to know one thing. The reason I didn’t mention the
blessing was because I thought it would be more beneficial to you
now, Balkan.”

“⋯Is
that true?”

“Yes.
I can affirm it on faith.”

Not
knowing the content of the blessing would be more helpful?

It
was completely contrary to conventional wisdom.

Get
the blessing, and then increase my mastery of it, that’s the fastest
way to get stronger.

[◆
The Blessing of ???]

–
???

–
Stamina+10 Strength+10 Agility+10

‘What
kind of blessing is this?’

Serif’s
mind kept trying to wander off, but the eyes of the man in front of
her drove it away.

That
other person was a level 50 powerhouse, one of the top powers in the
Labyrinth City of Valerus, and was treated with special treatment by
the Temple.

Such
a being had asked me to trust her, even swearing an oath of divinity.

There
had to be a good reason.

‘No,
rather, isn’t this an opportunity?’

Serif
can’t lie to me now.

If
I force her to tell me the details of the Question Mark Blessing,
she’ll reluctantly open her mouth.

‘⋯No,
that’s not possible.’

That
would undermine Serif’s trust right out of the gate.

The
question mark blessing is a nagging mystery, but not knowing right
away won’t kill me.

However
it was clear that Saint Serif’s unconditional favor would be of great
benefit, both now and far into the future.

In
the end, the mental scales tipped in her favor.

“If
you’re willing to go to such lengths, there must be a reason.”

Serif’s
tail, which had been twitching nervously, stood on end.

“⋯!
Mi, do you believe me?!”

“Why
wouldn’t I? Last time you performed a miracle yourself, and this time
you even swore an oath to prove your words.”

Actually,
the oath was a bit too much this time.

How
could I not believe her when she said that?

“Thanks
to the miracle you granted me then, I was saved from a great danger
in this labyrinth. Thank you.”

It’s
true that Serif’s miracle did save the day.

As
I bowed my head in gratitude, I saw Serif clasp her hands together as
if in prayer.

“I,
for one, thank you for believing in me, even when I forsook my duties
as a priest. One day, I will tell you of your blessing, Balkan, with
my own words.”

“Someday”
implies that there is something lacking in my current knowledge of
the blessing.

And
that lack is most likely powerlessness.

So
I have no choice but to be strong.

“I
see.”

Serif
looked up at me and replied, her tail wagging gently.

Her
expression brightened, as if a great worry had been relieved.

“So,
are we done with the bathing?”

“Ah,
yes! You may come out now⋯”

I
lifted myself out of the tub before Serif had finished speaking.

My
body was quite hot and I was even feeling a little dizzy from the
constant soaking in the hot holy water.

My
bathrobe, soaked with holy water and clinging tightly to my body,
sagged.

“⋯Waaaah!”

I
heard an exclamation from behind me.

Serif,
who was kneeling, had her gaze set right on the inside of my thigh.

“Ugh-“

The
cat’s tail, which had been flicking gently, moved swiftly to cover
Serif’s mouth.

The
fur on the white tail bristled as her white ears twitched
frantically, and her white face turned apple red.

Our
eyes met through the helmet and Serif quickly averted her gaze.

“What
is wrong with you all of a sudden?”

I
asked, puzzled by the sudden change, and Serif, still tucking her
tail and squeezing his eyes shut, muttered.

“Earth
Mother⋯teach
me⋯!”

“⋯yeah?”

I
couldn’t understand what he was saying because her pronunciation was
slurred.

Suddenly,
as I turned to leave the bath, leaving behind the praying Serif, I
realized where her gaze had been.

Between
my thighs.

‘⋯She’s
a holy woman of the temple.’

A
saint in a group that is so sensitive about sexual matters that they
blush, even saying that sleeping together is unclean.

‘She
almost said, Look at that dickhead⋯’

Suddenly,
I realized that the oath Serif swore was an oath to be truthful.

“⋯”

Just
in case, I turned my head to look at Serif again.

“Aaaaahhh!”

Suddenly,
I heard a scream and the voice was familiar.

My
perceptions immediately expanded to the men’s cleansing room on the
first floor.

There
the screams of Hope, a priest of the Gellan party, rang out.

⋯It
wasn’t a long scream.