episode_0021

*

“Anna, what are you doing? Stop it.”

Before I could even understand the situation, I instinctively turned my gaze away and said hastily.

At the same time, I glanced around the room, searching for Kunat.

Whatever it was, I was sure that damn devil was up to something strange again.

“Father…”

“…”

“Please… look at me.”

Anna whispered, breathing heavily.

For some reason, Anna’s small whisper cut through even the sound of the waves and stuck to me like glue.

I slowly moved my gaze towards Anna.

But the moment her smooth, bare legs still caught the corner of my eye, I immediately tilted my head back.

“Anna!”

“Hng…”

Anna flinched greatly at my shout.

I couldn’t tell if it was due to fear or simple stimulation.

I closed my eyes tightly, calmed my excitement, and said softly.

“Get up, fix your skirt.”

“Father… please, look at me.”

“Fix your clothes properly, then I’ll look at you.”

“No… I want you to see this. I want you to see clearly with your own eyes how you made me, Father.”

“Stop,”

*I* made her? Could there be anything more unfair?

I had never harbored lustful thoughts towards them, nor had I tried to seduce them clumsily.

I had never shown them my manly side before my priestly side, not even for a single moment.

Even when washing my body, I kept a time difference of more than half a day between them, and most counseling took place in the small prayer room within the Order.

I had never made the mistake of rashly praising their appearance under the guise of complimenting them.

I do take off my top while sleeping, but who would dare to imagine that these young girls would sneak a peek into this ahjussi’s room in the first place?

No matter how much I thought about it, I was confident and without shame. So, I rebuked Anna in a cold tone.

“You’re playing a mean joke, Anna.”

“A joke… you say?”

“…”

Anna’s voice trembled.

She looked as if she couldn’t understand what she had heard.

Wasn’t it a joke?

“Ah…”

I then remembered which devil she was entangled with and sent to this island.

A succubus.

The famous Dream Demon.

Could it be that Anna had already given her body to the devil like Lucia?

No, I couldn’t feel the devil’s energy from her.

If a devil had taken possession of her body, I would have already noticed.

Then, what on earth was the reason she was doing this?

Didn’t she feel ashamed of her past transgressions?

“…”

Anna slowly got up, supporting herself on the grass.

Without her needing to fix her clothes, the hem of her skirt naturally fell down due to gravity.

“… Father.”

She slowly approached the window with faltering steps.

I too slowly lowered my gaze, meeting her as she approached me.

“I’m not Sola.”

“What?”

“This isn’t some kind of joke.”

Anna was staring intently at my face.

Her face was flushed red enough to recognize even under the night sky, and her teary, dark brown eyes, reflecting even moonlight and starlight, were spread out against the backdrop of the calm night sea.

It was several times more alluring and beautiful than shamelessly spreading her legs.

At that beauty, my attitude softened involuntarily.

I asked in a low voice.

“… Why are you doing this?”

“Don’t you really know?”

Anna reached out through the window and grabbed my arm.

Even with the faint strength of the trembling woman’s fingertips pulling, my arm was helplessly dragged along.

Anna slowly took my hand and placed it against her chest.

The tips of my fingers touched her hard sternum, but the lower part of my palm crushed and mashed her soft breasts.

“Anna, this hand…”

“Can you feel it?”

“… What are you talking about?”

“Feel it.”

Anna grabbed my hand with both of hers, pulling and pressing hard as if trying to put my hand inside her chest.

I was trying to ignore the feel of her breasts, which I could feel beyond my calloused palm, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought.

Sweet.

The feeling, not the taste or scent, was so sweet.

At that moment, I began to feel something in the middle of my palm.

Thump thump thump thump,

A fast-paced vibration lightly tapping my palm.

It was Anna’s heartbeat.

It was beating so fast that it was hard to think of it as a heartbeat.

“You made me like this, Father…”

“Anna.”

“Can’t you feel it?”

Anna took one of her hands that was holding mine and slowly reached out to me.

Then, she slowly placed her hand on my chest.

“Father… aren’t you even a little excited by me?”

“…”

“Really?”

Anna’s cold fingers that touched my chest quickly heated up.

My heart was beating fast too.

But this wasn’t because of affection, but because I was very shocked and surprised by her actions.

Frankly, I couldn’t even imagine it.

I had never once thought that she would harbor such feelings.

Anna slowly moved her fingertips, caressing my bare chest as if stimulating it.

“… Haa,”

I sighed, took her hand off my chest, and stepped back.

Both the hand that touched my chest and the hand that was grinding my hand into her chest,

Both of Anna’s hands fluttered their fingertips, regretfully seeing my hand off.

I slowly closed the window and said.

“Wait.”

*

I put on my clothes and went outside the Monastery.

Anna was really standing blankly outside my room window, waiting for me.

I took Anna and slowly headed towards the cliff.

People often say that seeing the sea calms the mind.

I thought I should talk to her in a calm state against the backdrop of this vast sea.

“Sit down.”

Arriving at the cliff, I sat Anna down on a small bench made by roughly cutting a tree, and slowly sat next to her.

Then, I silently watched the night sea.

I hoped that the crashing waves would calm my confusion and her excitement even a little.

Anna also didn’t say anything for a long time.

Anna, who had been so bold when there was a window between us, was now shyly looking down, now that all the barriers had disappeared.

Perhaps the salty air of the sea breeze brushed against her head, breaking her excitement and passing by.

Did Anna realize what she had done, even belatedly?

“… An,”

“Father…”

Just as I was about to start the conversation, Anna opened her mouth at the same time.

I closed my mouth again and waited for her to continue.

“Are you… bothered by it?”

“… What are you talking about?”

“…”

Anna grabbed the hem of her skirt with her fingertips and said.

“There’s still nothing under my skirt, you know.”

“…”

She wasn’t shy after all.

I sighed and replied.

“No.”

“… You’re too much.”

Anna murmured in a despondent voice, as if truly heartbroken.

“First, there’s one thing I want to ask you for sure.”

“Yes.”

“Is it the work of a devil?”

“… Yes?”

“You doing this. I’m asking if it’s because the devil… Kunat did something to you.”

“… Father.”

“It’s okay to say it honestly, that devil can’t harm you in any way. As long as I’m here, it will never happen. So, it’s okay to speak your mind without worry.”

I said in a serious and firm tone.

It was obvious.

I wouldn’t let any evil being, not just Kunat, touch the girls I was protecting.

Lucia had already fallen into the devil’s clutches.

Of course, she had approached the devil on her own, so I couldn’t stop her in time, but I couldn’t say that I had no responsibility.

I have a responsibility to protect them.

“Father…”

“Yes, tell me.”

“Are you stupid?”

“…. What?”

Anna sighed and said.

“The devil didn’t do anything. It’s all your doing, Father.”

“… I’m sorry, but I can’t understand.”

“Father.”

Anna turned her head towards me.

But even though I noticed it, I didn’t meet her gaze and just stared intently at the breaking waves.

For some reason, I couldn’t look at her.

If I looked at her, I felt like I would fall into her eyes, as wet and deep as the sea, and drown.

“My heart beats when I see you, Father.”

“…”

“No, I’ll be honest.”

Anna smiled self-deprecatingly and opened her mouth again.

“I get wet. When I see you, Father.”

“Anna, a woman shouldn’t say such things…”

“I get wet. I want it.”

“…”

“I want you to touch me, Father, and I want to hold you. I desperately want your hard hands to caress my skin and penetrate me at the same time.”

“Anna…”

Anna began to spill out her vulgar desires.

I was surprised that she could utter such words while sober, but perhaps because of her calm and somehow desperate voice, it didn’t feel obscene.

Rather, it felt closer to a confession, calmly revealing her sins.

“Are you disgusted? Are you repulsed?”

“…”

“I guess so. I’m a sinner, after all. I know best why I’m trapped on this island.”

I had had such conversations with her before.

No, to be honest, it wasn’t just once or twice.

She was ashamed of her nature, which had even caught the eye of the devil.

But that’s why I couldn’t understand even more.

Why did she succumb to desire again and commit such a rash act, so easily swept away by impulse?

“Is it my fault?”

“If not, then whose is it?”

“… Why,”

“You know, I was holding up well until you came, Father. I was enduring well, no… I was gradually becoming like a normal person.”

“… That’s,”

“Ha. It’s not your fault, Father. That’s right. It’s all my fault… I know, I’m a dirty person.”

I shook my head.

Seeing her self-deprecating figure, I felt like it was my fault even more, just as Anna had said.

Anna is a diligent person.

Perhaps thanks to her experience working at the Blacksmith, she was someone who moved more than rested, and she took care of both Sola and Lucia while handling various tasks at the Monastery at the same time.

But no matter how diligent and capable she was, she was still just a young woman in her early twenties.

She couldn’t help but feel stressed.

But I couldn’t help her much.

Before the world was destroyed, I was quite busy just preparing for Mass and managing the Monastery’s finances, and now that the world was destroyed, I was busy searching outside the island.

Rather, as the number of mouths to feed increased by one, Anna’s work only increased.

I could understand the statement that I made her like this.

“Don’t hurt yourself like that, the Anna I know is a diligent and responsible person.”

“…”

“Don’t you think I know how much effort you put into supporting this Monastery?”

“… Yes?”

“I’m sorry. I’m incompetent, and I may have given you too much stress. As you said, I made you like that.”

“… That’s not what I meant.”

“Hahaha, then what, are you saying that you really have romantic feelings for me and are drawn to me, Anna?”

Anna slowly raised her arm and placed her hand on my leg.

Then, she quietly whispered.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“… What?”

“I’m drawn to you, Father. I’ve been saying that since earlier. Why can’t you understand?”

“That’s… strange, isn’t it.”

“What is?”

“I’m a Priest.”

“So? I’m a Nun on paper.”

“Priests can’t marry.”

“Do they castrate you when you become a Priest?”

“… No, that’s not it.”

“Then…”

Anna slowly brought her face closer and whispered in my ear.

To think that a person could utter such an obscene sentence with their mouth!

I was startled and turned my face away.

And then I finally faced Anna’s face.

Anna’s face was very different from what I knew.

An expression I had never seen before, lips panting with breaths I had never seen before, and inside, sticky and clear saliva covered her tongue.

Her eyes were like a pack of hungry wolves, and as I feared, her dark brown eyes were too deep and watery, reflecting me.

As if facing the monster in the legend that turns people to stone, I froze.

“I’m an ahjussi. My age is almost twice that of Lucia… or a little less.”

“Yes, I know. I’m a virgin.”

I’m crazy.

I still don’t understand.

I have never received a pass from the opposite sex.

Rather, most women, as well as men, were afraid of me and avoided me.

Does Anna have a unique taste?

Is it because she worked at the Blacksmith, which had many rough people?

If so, it wouldn’t be strange if she had already married one of the Blacksmith’s workers,

“… My face isn’t attractive to women, I know that much. Don’t tease me too much.”

“Hahahahaha,”

Anna burst into laughter, as if something was so funny.

“Father, do you know what?”

Anna slowly moved her hand, which she had placed on my thigh, forward.

The tips of her fingers gradually approached between my legs.

“You’re so sexy, Father.”

“What?”

“Your strong face, your firm body… your thick… fingers, and… hng, what you take off when you sleep… when you’re… haat, pro, protecting us, when you fight fiercely… everything…”

“… Anna,”

“Father…”

Anna slowly got up and sat right on my lap.

She climbed on top of me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and looked down at my face.

Anna untied the hair tie she had tightly tied up.

In an instant, thin silk-like hairs rustled, brushing against her shoulders and falling down like a curtain.

It was as if her hair was trapping me and her face.

In the middle of the dark night, with her on top of me looking down, and her hair even covering us, of course I couldn’t see anything.

Anna, who has normal human eyes, not devil’s eyes, would not be able to see anything either.

Anna’s voice was heard in the dark darkness where there was no difference whether I closed or opened my eyes.

Her voice was so close that it gave me goosebumps.

“Can you… hold me like this?”

“… No.”

“Why?”

“I’m a Priest, and you’re…”

“Those things don’t mean anything anyway. There’s no one to say anything anymore.”

“… Anna.”

“Are you going to protect us for the rest of our lives? Then, are you going to let us grow old and die as virgins?”

“Stop it, stop it.”

“Father, look at reality. I’m a woman. You’re such a… healthy man. What’s the problem?”

Anna’s waist twitched, gradually getting closer to my abdomen.

I couldn’t bear it any longer and pushed her away, grabbing her.

“Stop!”

“Fath, er…”

Anna had a shocked look on her face.

She had been rejected even after a woman had been so bold, so it was hard to imagine how great her shame would be.

Especially since it was done by an old man like me, the shock must have been even greater.

I lifted her up, sat her on the bench, and stood up.

“I’ll think of it as a mistake and move on.”

“… Father.”

“I have to leave early tomorrow, so I’m going to sleep. I won’t remember this, so don’t keep it in mind either.”

“… Am I that unattractive?”

“I’ve never thought about what’s attractive to the opposite sex. You’ve come to the wrong place to ask.”

“… You have no intention of holding me? Why? Is it because I’m dirty after all?”

I answered without breathing.

“Because I have to protect you.”

Anna also immediately pressed on.

“If you really care about me, then that seed inside me…”

“No, that won’t happen.”

“Father…”

“There are still people who survived outside, even if the devil’s words are all true, there are still 10 percent of humanity alive.”

“…”

“I’m going to see you find a good person and get married. Don’t worry. So, don’t make a mistake that you’ll regret in a moment of impulse.”

“… Father.”

Only then did Anna drop her head and calm her excitement.

I quietly approached and gently stroked Anna’s head.

“As I said before, anyone can make mistakes, anyone’s heart can waver. So, you may be mistaken that you like an ahjussi like me.”

“Father, I’m not like that…”

“To be honest, right now… I was a little shaken too. I almost touched you.”

“… You, Father? You, me…?”

“Yes, even if I was like that, how much more would you be? So, don’t blame yourself too much. All the boiling impulses are not sins, and even if they are, it’s not your fault. This is just an impulse that will subside when you wake up.”

Anna smiled miserably and said.

“… Do you know how many days I’ve been feeling like this and say that?”

“Then you should sleep a lot. That’s right. You need to rest a little. You’re working too hard for us, so you had no choice but to vent like this. I’ll tell Sola to not just play around and help you.”

“Father…”

“I will never criticize you. I don’t think it’s your fault, and only God can judge people’s sins, but I also believe you are innocent. You’re just… you know a little more than Sola or Lucia.”

I gently stopped stroking her head and just kept it there.

She had bravely revealed her desires and sins, so I had a duty as a Priest to embrace that confession.

“Father Theodore has heard your confession. In the name of the Goddess of Mercy, I forgive the sins of the parishioner.”

“You’re being unfair… you’re doing this… saying those words… and telling me not to like you.”

Anna murmured in a teary voice, lowering her head.

I stroked Anna’s head again and said.

“Anna… you should say ‘Thank you for the Goddess’ mercy’. I need to increase the prayer time.”

“… Haa, Father.”

“I’m going to sleep. You should sleep too. Get up.”

Anna slowly got up.

I supported Anna as she got up and gently grabbed her hand.

Anna didn’t let go of my hand even after she stood up.

I didn’t shake off her hand either.

“… Father.”

“I’ll allow this much.”

“…”

Anna slowly took the hand she was holding and carefully grabbed my fingers, putting her fingers between my fingers.

It was what is commonly called holding hands.

“… This much?”

“Confess again later.”

“… Hahaha, I will.”

I slowly went back to the Monastery with her.

I had experienced something I couldn’t even imagine, but I could understand.

Isn’t she an adult woman?

Anna is twenty-two years old, an age where it wouldn’t be awkward to have two children.

So, it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand that she wanted to date because she was lonely.

Otherwise, why would she have chosen a rough ahjussi like me?

The good thing was that she listened to me well, and at least there was no one else who would show affection to me besides her.

Surely Sola or Lucia wouldn’t like an ahjussi like me?

Fortunately, that was something I really didn’t need to worry about at all.

When I returned to my room, Kunat sneered.

He asked if I had enjoyed my date, so I simply put on a ring made by melting down a Holy Relic, beat him up, crushed the top of his head, and went back to sleep.