Ch.55The Heretic and the Apostate – 4

“That was a close call.

I placed my hand on Christine’s head and let out a sigh of relief internally. It was thanks to Charlotte fulfilling her role.

If the timing had been even slightly later, Serena would have been harmed too, and if it had been a bit earlier, Christine would have dodged. It was truly perfect timing.

To use teleportation between Serena and Christine, one preliminary step was necessary: focusing all of Charlotte’s consciousness on me.

The very act of thinking about teleporting me to block Christine would be subject to mana nullification, so this was an absolutely essential step beforehand.

Watching the distance between them, Charlotte had to focus her consciousness precisely when Christine was about to lunge at Serena—an incredibly difficult task.

But because it was me she was focusing on, Charlotte managed to succeed in one attempt.

And I, who tried to physically block that fight, ended up in this sorry state.

Even though the holy power disappeared just before contact, the moment her fist connected, half of my upper body literally exploded.

Rather than saying it pierced through, it would be more accurate to say it shattered me. It’s telling that I’m thinking I only lost half my upper body rather than that I lost as much as half.

This was truly an attack meant to kill Serena.

Judging by the power of that punch, if Serena had collided head-on with Christine with her wings spread, she would have struggled to remain standing.

Even now, I can see her shoulder skin is slightly reddened.

Fortunately, despite my condition, my spine wasn’t completely shattered, so I could somehow manage to stand.

If my spine had been broken, I would have collapsed pathetically on the ground like a puddle, and seeing that, an enraged Serena would have tried to kill Christine somehow.

But even Serena would struggle to face Christine with her holy power activated without mana.

I don’t think Serena would lose, but I also don’t think she would win unscathed. It would probably be a victory filled with wounds.

With these thoughts, I stroked Christine’s head three or four times, and her eyes, which had been filled with confusion, gradually returned to normal.

Rather, her eyes began to droop slightly at the corners, suggesting she was starting to get excited in a different way, beyond just calming down.

My body began to squirm as it started to regenerate. The blood, flesh, and organ fragments splattered everywhere gathered back into my hollow upper body.

As the chunks of flesh regained human form, Christine’s arm, which had been pushed outward, hung limply.

I brushed off my clothes roughly and removed my hand from her head.

Christine briefly showed a disappointed expression, but soon filled her face with joy, kneeling on the ground and hastily bowing her head.

Serena approached me, looking at Christine as if she were looking at an insect.

“Are you alright, my lord?”

“I’m always fine, that’s the problem. And that seems like something I should be asking. Are you okay, Serena?”

“I am fine as well. Thank you for your concern.”

Though she said that, Serena didn’t look fine at all.

The skin where the fist had grazed was flushed red, and particularly her shoulder, which had been in contact with Christine’s back, had visible swelling on the exposed skin where her clothes had burned away.

It was Christine’s direct holy power, after all.

An ordinary person would have melted just by approaching such power, so the pain must have been considerable from direct exposure, yet Serena showed no sign of it.

“You don’t look fine at all.”

I reached out and lightly touched Serena’s shoulder. She winced slightly with an “ugh” and quickly tried to compose herself, but it was too late. As my gaze turned questioning, she meekly lowered her head.

“See? I knew it.”

“I apologize, my lord…”

“Don’t apologize. I told you to always tell me when something hurts. I also told you not to hide it.”

“Yes…”

“So why did you?”

“…”

There was no answer, but I stopped there, sensing that any further scolding might make her want to slit her own throat right then and there. Instead, I gently caressed the wounded area.

She flinched slightly each time my fingers touched her, suggesting the pain was quite severe.

I could feel the scorching heat from her reddened, swollen skin at my fingertips.

Having been exposed to holy power, the muscles underneath were probably half-cooked, yet in this condition, she was not only enduring the pain but was even thinking of wielding her sword.

“Charlotte, cast a healing spell on Serena.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

My head snapped toward Charlotte at her unexpected refusal. She responded as if it were obvious.

“The one receiving it hates it, and I hate giving it, so why should I do such a troublesome thing? If you don’t believe me, ask the woman in front of you directly.”

At those words, I turned back to Serena, who carefully avoided my gaze. Why is this actually true?

Under my increasingly intense stare, Serena fidgeted uncomfortably, watching my reaction. She seemed to know that her behavior was nothing more than childish stubbornness.

“Serena.”

“…Yes, my lord.”

“Answer honestly. Do you really need to be like this even in this situation?”

“Yes. I would rather stay like this than receive healing magic from that woman.”

“…Well, I appreciate your honesty.”

I lightly flicked Serena’s forehead for bluntly refusing treatment right to my face when I told her to be honest.

Even if I punched with all my might, it wouldn’t even tickle Serena, so a light flick was just an expression of affection.

Serena, the recipient, carefully blushed, while Charlotte, standing at a distance, looked at me as if wondering why she didn’t get the same treatment—confirming it was indeed an expression of affection.

“But you’re not going to stay in that condition, are you?”

“I’ll wrap it with bandages later. I’m sorry for causing you concern, my lord.”

“If you know you’re causing me concern, why not just quietly accept the healing magic?”

“I refuse.”

“…”

Leaving Serena with her firm refusal, I knelt on one knee in front of Christine, who was prostrating herself on the ground with her head bowed deeply.

Even from above, I could see her chest pressed against the floor, bulging out on both sides.

Her arms positioned beside her head partially obscured the view, but that only fueled the imagination further.

Due to her posture, her white stockings and thighs were compressed to the bursting point, with the flesh of her thighs pushing up around the garter belt.

Her plump buttocks quivered on either side of the cloth that barely covered the essential parts.

“Christine.”

“Speak, my god.”

“First, raise your head.”

At my words, Christine promptly lifted her head to face me.

As she raised her head, her breasts, wrapped in the black nun’s habit, bounced dramatically up and down, asserting their presence. Her eyes, directed at me, overflowed with all kinds of positive emotions mixed together.

“You said you had something to tell me when you came.”

“That you still remember the words of this mere lamb brings me incomparable honor.”

“But why start fighting as soon as you arrive, hmm?”

I pinched one of Christine’s cheeks and pulled it.

Her next words would surely be about driving away the heretics and unbelievers, Serena and Charlotte, so I wanted to divert her attention completely to me to prevent another confrontation.

“It is my mission to remove the heretics who irreverently occupy positions beside God. Therefore—oooh.”

I pulled her cheek harder as she gave exactly the answer I expected. Her head followed in the direction I pulled.

Even with her face all scrunched up, her eyes remained bright—Christine was clearly enjoying this too.

“And did I tell you to stop, or not?”

“Y-you did.”

“Then why didn’t you listen?”

“Please, please forgive me. Haah…”

If I had been standing while saying this, Christine would have been terrified, banging her head on the ground and begging for forgiveness with tears, but with me holding her cheek, she seemed to have no room for such thoughts.

She was letting out occasional sensual moans, entrusting her head entirely to me.

“Enough small talk.”

“Kheuk.”

When I let go, her head fell to the ground with a strange sound. As I stood up, Christine promptly approached on her knees and licked the dust off my clothes with her tongue.

I could almost hear Serena and Charlotte glaring daggers from behind, but I deliberately ignored it.

After thoroughly licking my knees and the surrounding clothes, Christine purified her tongue with holy power and knelt again.

Using that pure holy power just to clean her tongue—what would other priests say?

“So, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

I stopped Christine as she was about to put her hands together in prayer and asked my question first. Christine’s eyes settled calmly at my question.

Christine smiled coldly and began to speak.

“I have discovered the black-blooded monster that you, my god, spoke of, and thus I have dared to come before you.””