Ch.323Awakening (3)

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I had anticipated Kate coming to find me even before the release. People with vague knowledge are usually the most dangerous, and Kate’s sexual knowledge was exactly that.

She would read volume 24.5, be shocked, consult with Luminus, and then come to me. I planned to remain completely calm and hand the confused Kate over to the women.

That was my original plan. The women also knew about Kate’s disastrous sexual knowledge, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to teach her properly.

How important such acts are as a human being, what the purity taught by the church truly means, and whether it’s acceptable to use one’s body carelessly even if it’s for me and Luminus.

I thought if I explained these things to her now, perhaps Kate would see me differently.

Maybe it could even diminish Kate’s characteristic fanaticism and further improve our relationship.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Lord Issac. I have a request.”

“Yes. Please tell me.”

“Please spend the first night with me today.”

“Alright… What?”

Until she made her request with an uncharacteristically flushed face. I think this is where the expression “no backing out” applies.

While everyone around us was bewildered, she placed her hand on her chest, closed her eyes, and spoke in a voice that seemed to be calming her excitement.

“Actually, after reading the newly released scripture, I developed lust for Issac. I felt guilty about my lustful feelings toward Lord Issac and pleaded with Lord Luminus. But Lord Luminus said it was fine, that I had simply discovered it late. Finally, he told me that what I felt for Lord Issac was ‘love.'”

“…”

“Thanks to that, I realized. I felt love for Lord Issac, which is why I also felt lust, and that what was described in the scripture was an act of sharing love. That when sharing love, I could experience greater pleasure than when I comforted myself. That just by receiving the seed, I could gain so much.”

Then she opened her eyes and looked directly at me. There was madness and desire in her gaze, but strangely, it wasn’t slimy or dirty.

Rather, it was pure. But it was pure only because it was completely dyed in “color”—she had already fallen in a different sense.

What kind of conversation could have happened to transform the innocent Kate like this? I’m extremely bewildered.

It’s hard to say she’s become a different person, as Kate’s characteristic purity remains. It’s just that her purity has been dyed a different color.

“So I ask you, Lord Issac. Please spend the first night with me. I need to learn early to receive your seed more easily in the future.”

“…Is that really your only purpose?”

I’m suspicious of this colored Kate, not the normal Kate. Before, I might have thought she was just a bit naive and let it go.

But now she knows the “method” too. Moreover, she only knows the method itself, not what it symbolizes or what it means.

In other words, the problem isn’t with common sense but with “concepts.” Think about how frightening fanatics can be.

They are monsters who believe anything is permissible for the sake of their god.

Fortunately, Kate isn’t like that, but still…

“Yes. And Lord Issac can feel pleasure too. Lord Luminus told me that pleasure is acceptable when it comes to a man you love.”

“Oh my…”

She’s just lacking. I held my head, feeling dizzy.

Kate wasn’t wrong. The pleasure that comes from sexual relations between loving partners—this isn’t strange but a natural sensation.

Luminus probably meant it in that sense, but the problem is that it’s Kate. From the beginning, she considers receiving my seed a sacred act.

Moreover, Kate has lived an ascetic life as a Cardinal managed by the church.

They say late-blooming passion is the most dangerous, and she’s exactly that case.

Add her characteristic devotion to this, and an unpredictable person has been created.

Having realized that her feelings for me are love, she’s now charging forward like a runaway train.

“…Wait a moment. Cardinal Kate. Shall we talk?”

Finally, Marie, unable to stand by any longer, called out to Kate. Kate’s gaze turned to Marie.

Marie sighed at Kate’s face, which seemed innocent yet was dyed in color. It was a sigh filled with complex emotions.

Then, after pondering how to explain, she quietly began.

“Cardinal Kate, have you now learned how children are made?”

“I learned through the scripture.”

“Didn’t you feel embarrassed or shameless while reading it?”

As Marie suggested, even the most open-minded person would feel some embarrassment. This is a basic human emotion.

When one’s private parts are accidentally exposed, or when one is unexpectedly exposed to that kind of atmosphere, and so on.

Would Kate have such feelings?

“Why should I be embarrassed? Lord Luminus said it was natural.”

She doesn’t! I slapped my forehead, now certain.

Let me say it again: Kate hasn’t changed at all. She’s just been dyed in color.

She’s a clergy who would fulfill any order for Luminus and give her life for me.

Only the new desire of “lust” has been added to this large sheet of paper, but the root itself remains intact.

“…Then, Cardinal Kate, do you have such feelings for men other than Issac?”

This question came from Cecilly, not Marie. It was filled with doubt, as she actually has many similarities to Kate.

She considers me both the savior of the demon race and a blessing bestowed by the gods.

Though she treats me as a man now, everyone knows she still thinks that way deep down.

I’ve accepted those feelings despite finding them burdensome. At least she doesn’t openly worship me like Kate.

“Your words are excessive, Princess Cecilly. My body is permitted only to Lord Luminus and Lord Issac. It will never be defiled by anyone else.”

“I understand Luminus, but why Issac?”

“Because he is the one who will spread light to this world, a saint blessed not only by Luminus but by all the gods.”

Kate answered with a deeply furrowed brow, as if she found the question deeply offensive. Her expression suggested she couldn’t even imagine such a thing.

Come to think of it, didn’t I let her caress my cheek with her hand when I revealed my identity? Kate’s expression then suggested something dirty was being washed away.

Cecilly pondered Kate’s answer briefly, then nodded and asked her next question.

“Then, if by some chance, another saint with achievements similar to Issac’s appeared, what would you do? Surely not…”

“When does Princess Cecilly think another saint like Lord Issac will appear?”

“…”

Unusually, Kate presented a compelling argument. With that single point, Cecilly’s mouth closed like a clam.

Indeed, my achievements have transformed the entire world and made it safe from the dangers of the demon war.

Kate glared at her coldly once, then shifted her gaze back to me.

As soon as our eyes met, her cold expression vanished. Only her flushed face remained, like a bride awaiting her wedding night.

Then, placing her hand on her chest, with an expression half expectant and half excited, she declared:

“I swear to Lord Issac. My body belongs entirely to you.”

“…”

“You don’t have to give me your seed right away. I can wait. But since I believe we should engage in the act to receive the seed more easily, I request it once more.”

“Sigh…”

How did a person end up like this? I rubbed my face wearily.

It’s quite like Kate to suddenly show up with such a request. She hasn’t changed at all.

The problem is that she’s opened her eyes too late. For now, I plan to refuse.

“…I’m sorry, Kate. Not yet.”

“When you say ‘not yet’…”

“There are others besides you…”

This was embarrassing to say, but with Kate, it’s necessary. Rather than various excuses, telling her to wait her “turn” is the right answer.

Hearing my response, Kate nods in understanding, though she looks disappointed.

“I see. If only I had known earlier… That’s quite unfortunate.”

If you had known earlier, I would have already withered away. I felt a chill at that thought.

Come to think of it, Kate is a Cardinal. Moreover, she’s currently the most powerful clergy member and enjoys Luminus’s favor.

She’s had exceptional holy power since birth—what would happen if I were to have relations with such a person?

No joke, it would be like being with someone who has both Cecilly’s demon cycle strength and Adelia’s stamina combined.

And with her immense holy power, her recovery ability is also strong…

‘…I’m really screwed, aren’t I?’

I glanced at Kate while pondering this serious concern. She was still waiting for my words with a flushed face.

In erotic novels and thin books, holy maidens often fall quickly. Afterward, all traces of the holy maiden disappear, and they are reborn as succubi.

Could Kate be such a case? Moreover, it’s not forced—she desires it herself.

‘But how was she taught to become so unhinged like this?’

So I asked Luminus directly. What exactly did you teach her to make Kate become a holy maiden in a different sense?

I had Kate stay at the mansion briefly while I visited the temple alone.

‘Lord Luminus.’

[I’m sorry.]

‘Is an apology enough for this?’

After hearing the whole story, I had to question her. If she was going to teach, she should have done it properly—I don’t understand why she made things even stranger.

Of course, Luminus has some legitimate grievances too. The direct cause of Kate’s condition was the church.

If the church had taught her a bit more thoroughly, if they had moderated her devotion a little, her concepts wouldn’t have been so distorted.

‘Let’s say I loaded the bullet… no, I drew the bowstring. At the very least, you should have adjusted it to hit the target accurately.’

[That’s true.]

‘But the arrow flew astray, and you even passed the bow to me?’

[…]

Luminus couldn’t answer my grievances as I listed them point by point. Honestly, I could accept the arrow flying to the wrong place.

The act of passing the bow to me—that is, handing over Kate who was already colored—that’s the main issue.

If she had at least taught what not to do, it might have been different, but she passed her on because she found it troublesome to explain everything.

That’s why I’m angry. But since I also bear some responsibility, and Luminus has her grievances too, I only questioned her—otherwise, I would have been much angrier.

‘Sigh… Lord Luminus.’

[Speak.]

‘Honestly, if Kate and I were to be together, it would benefit you too, right?’

[I can’t deny that.]

A child born between Kate and me would grow up to be an excellent clergy member. Becoming a Cardinal would be the minimum expectation.

As the number of clergy increases and their quality improves, it has a significant impact on the deity. And the deity can grant them greater holy power.

It’s essentially a virtuous cycle. That’s why Kate asked for my seed so directly from the beginning.

I sighed deeply, then rubbed my face and quietly spoke.

‘…Since it’s already come to this, I won’t say much. But I could literally wither away, so I’d appreciate if you could provide plenty of holy power.’

[Speaking of that…]

‘What? You’re not saying you can’t provide it, are you?’

Then I’d really die. Not just Kate, but Leona and Arwen are also scheduled.

Especially Leona—she’s a beastkin with naturally robust hardware, and if her heat cycle overlaps…

[It’s the opposite. I can give you much more holy power than before. This applies not only to me but also to Mora.]

‘Why?’

To my question, Luminus answered with a voice filled with inexplicable satisfaction.

[It’s thanks to your book. The population is expected to increase more in the future. It means there will be more children for us to bless.]

‘…Was it real? I wondered.’

[Of course. Just by following it, satisfaction increases, and naturally, the bond between lovers and spouses improves. You don’t have to look far—it’s probably around you.]

‘…No way.’

At the mention of it being around me, two people come to mind. The ones who were burning with passion when Marie and I had our first night.

[You might even see another sibling if things go well. I won’t say specifically.]

“Oh my…”

I could only sigh sincerely. No wonder father looked more tired—so this was why.

And so, after my conversation with Luminus ended and I returned to the mansion:

“So the confirmed people so far are me, Cecilly, Sister Adelia, Lady Arwen, and Kate. That makes 5 people?”

“What about Leona?”

“She’s not fully confirmed yet. Let’s include her as a possibility. Then…”

“Add Cherry too. So the remaining people are Leona, Rina, and Cherry—these three.”

“Even if we do it once a day, the cycle is too long. We can’t even do it once a week?”

The women, excluding Kate, were huddled together making what seemed like a plan.

Apparently, they were scheduling my nighttime activities, and they even included people who weren’t confirmed yet.

“This won’t work. Let me be excluded. I’m the legal wife, so I can do as I please, right?”

“Wow… Now you claim to be the legal wife. Isn’t that too much?”

“If you’re jealous, you should have confessed to Issac first.”

“Tch.”

“Um… Aren’t you going to ask for my opinion?”

When I timidly asked:

“The sinful public property should stay out of this. You just focus on exercising hard. If you don’t want to wither away.”

“Yes.”

I only got a counterattack from Marie.

This is sad.

“Don’t pretend to be sad. You brought this on yourself, didn’t you?”

It truly is my own doing, so I have nothing to say.