episode_0056

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The long night was finally coming to an end.

The time had come for the morning sun to rise, piercing the distant horizon.

However, the dark clouds looming over the monastery were too thick.

Even though it was dawn, it was as dark as midnight, and nothing could be seen without light.

The large lighthouse that stood alone in the darkness had been strangely twisted in just one night.

The straight lighthouse was ominously bent, and a foul-smelling, dark red liquid was constantly flowing out of the small monastery building below.

Loud screams that drowned out the sound of the waves echoed incessantly, and the windows intermittently emitted strange, flickering lights.

A building, a ruin, with such an ominous aura that no one would dare to enter.

Who could think of this place as a monastery?

Crack.

Suddenly, with a loud cracking sound, something burst through one side of the monastery wall.

It was a huge piece of wood engulfed in strange yellow flames.

Loud screams and thick shouts erupted like a chorus from inside the monastery, and at the same time, the piece of wood that pierced the wall tore it apart and moved greatly to the side.

Dark red blood gushed out from the large crack in the wall.

The piece of wood that had broken through the wall soon disappeared as if sucked back inside.

Then, a sound like a huge cannon exploding was heard.

It was the sound of the piece of wood breaking through the ceiling of the monastery.

The sound of roof tiles falling to the floor and the sound of wooden debris collapsing.

Only after the sound subsided did the monastery finally fall into a quiet silence.

Time flowed quietly again.

Finally, the sun that had pierced the horizon rose above the clouds.

The darkness had lifted, but the monastery was still cast in a large, dark shadow created by the clouds.

After a few more bursts of flashing golden light poured through the windows and cracks, a man walked out, stepping on the collapsed monastery doors.

“Hah…”

It was Father Theodore.

The Priest wiped his face, covered in dirt and blood, roughly brushed it off, and sighed.

Then, with familiar steps, he plopped down on the bench in the monastery yard.

“Hah…”

The Priest Robe and Stole he was wearing were already a mess.

He slowly took off the Stole, placed it next to the bench, and took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

“Ah, fire…”

After rummaging around a few times, the Priest soon gave up and took his hand out of his pocket.

It was because he didn’t have a flint.

Of course, he could use the flames of Holy Power, but the Priest, who was already exhausted from consuming a huge amount of Holy Power and stamina to kill the devils, simply lowered his head in silence.

The Priest closed his eyes quietly, with a cigarette in his lips.

The sound of the waves, which had been drowned out by the terrible noise made by the devils, had begun to be heard again.

The Priest, breathing in time with the sound of the waves hitting the island’s cliffs, quietly muttered in a dissatisfied voice.

“Damn it, I’ve become too dull compared to before.”

The Priest, after sighing, quietly clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly.

As the excitement subsided a little, he could feel fatigue and pain rushing through his entire body at once.

His abdomen, pierced by the monster, churned, his torn and cut skin tingled, and his back and shoulders, which had carried the large cross, throbbed as if they were about to break.

If he lost his mind even a little, he felt like he would fall asleep like this.

However, unfortunately, the Priest did not have the luxury to rest comfortably.

The monastery had collapsed walls and roofs, and was contaminated with all sorts of dirt and blood, making it impossible for people to live there.

The devils that had inhabited Anna and Sola had also fled deep into their consciousness to avoid the Priest, but they had not yet completely left their bodies.

As humans, they had to eat something even today.

The Priest was trying to recover his energy by enveloping the inside of his body with Holy Power.

There were so many things to do, but his body was not moving satisfactorily.

The Priest’s body, which had been living relatively comfortably for the past few months, had moved excessively in a sudden battle, and eventually became completely exhausted.

If the devils took advantage of this and sent more troops again, he might be helplessly defeated.

The Priest tried to lift his head, but even the cigarette in his mouth could not be properly held and fell weakly onto his thigh.

The Priest silently stared at the cigarette that had hit his thigh and fallen to the floor.

“Hah,”

He was on the verge of laughing at the fact that he didn’t even have the strength to pick up that cigarette.

It was then.

The sound of footsteps treading on the grass slowly approached the Priest.

The owner of the footsteps that stopped in front of the Priest, who had his head down, slowly bent down and picked up the cigarette.

Small, white fingers and a tattered sleeve thanks to rough movements.

It was Lucia.

She put it on the Priest’s hand and said in a small voice.

“… I’ll light it for you.”

The Priest silently took the cigarette back to his mouth.

He didn’t ask silly questions like whether it was okay to smoke.

Since Lucia would allow it anyway, such questions were just a waste of energy.

Lucia slowly knelt down in front of the Priest and began to strike the flint against the cigarette.

Click, click,

Hearing the sound of the stone hitting, the Priest slowly inhaled the cigarette.

After a while, a small spark flew and began to burn the end of the cigarette, and cigarette smoke began to enter the Priest’s lungs.

Feeling the herbs steeped in Holy Water seep into his body, the Priest slowly exhaled.

Lucia carefully grabbed the Priest’s chin and cheeks and slowly lifted his head.

“What’s wrong…”

“…”

The two looked into each other’s eyes in silence.

Large teardrops welled up under Lucia’s eyes.

The Priest smiled weakly at Lucia.

“It was a really long night,”

It was a word that contained so many meanings.

Lucia nodded and replied.

“It was long… yes…”

“How’s Anna?”

“She hasn’t woken up yet… Priest… how are you… is your body… okay?”

The Priest slowly opened and closed his eyes and said.

“How are you? It must have been hard to stop the monsters,”

“… I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

The Priest was rather worried about Lucia’s condition, and rather forced a smile so that she wouldn’t worry.

Lucia was still kneeling in front of the Priest.

Under the still dark sky, only the cigarette fire that the Priest was burning was shining like a firefly.

Lucia was completely captivated by the fire and the Priest’s tired face that was slightly illuminated by the fire.

“… Priest.”

“What’s wrong.”

“…”

It was a strange feeling.

She had always had affection for the Priest, but the feeling she felt now had a completely different shape and light than before.

It was a slightly stronger color and a slightly more turbid light.

It was definitely an affection that had developed from a pure favor towards her benefactor until yesterday.

It was a commendable affection that was jealous of Anna, who had kissed him, but on the other hand, sincerely hoped for his happiness, so she waited for his choice without resentment, but it was not the case now.

It didn’t matter what he did.

It didn’t matter who he loved.

She no longer cared about the expectation that the Priest would love her.

“It’s nothing… never mind.”

Lucia was still kneeling on the floor.

She didn’t have any experience, so she couldn’t understand it well herself, but for some reason, she couldn’t dare to sit next to the Priest.

‘This place, is comfortable… under the Priest’s feet, this place feels like my place.’

The moment the Priest appeared with Holy Power all over his body.

Lucia felt more fear than longing or relief.

That feeling was felt not by Lucia, but by the Ebony Wolf within her soul.

The beast of hell.

The devil, who prioritizes instinct over intelligence, recognized Father Theodore as a more fearsome being than the King of Hell at that moment.

The Wolf, who had been quietly sleeping inside Lucia because he had been afraid of the Priest from the beginning, completely lowered its tail to the Priest at that moment.

And that feeling was directly conveyed to Lucia as well.

Intense fear became awe, and the affection that she had already held was combined with respect beyond love, and in the end, the destination of that complex emotion was obedience.

Lucia felt that the Priest’s face, which she looked up at while kneeling, was so cool.

Her heart seemed to be beating so fast at the rough face that was only lit by the cigarette fire in the darkness.

At the same time, she felt like her soul was sinking into an inescapable darkness, but she couldn’t shake off this feeling.

Lucia quietly caught the cigarette ash that he dropped with her fingertips, without the Priest noticing.

Then, she tightly twisted the ashes and pressed them onto her hand.

Whether he knew Lucia’s heart or not, the Priest opened his mouth in a low voice, exhaling smoke into the sky above her.

“Lucia, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“…”

“Anna and Sola are still alive… It’s a mess, but it seems like it worked out somehow.”

“Yes, Priest… thanks to you.”

“No, thank you for protecting everyone while I was passed out.”

“I… couldn’t protect them.”

“What… what do you mean.”

Lucia shook her head and replied softly.

“Anna and Sola… eventually to the devil…”

“It’s not your fault. You know that.”

“… But.”

The Priest shook his head.

“I’ll take care of the devil somehow, it’s not something you need to worry about.”

“Priest…”

“…”

Lucia knelt down and slowly approached the Priest.

Then, she carefully laid her head on the Priest’s thigh.

The Priest struggled to raise his hand and stroked her head.

Cloudy cigarette smoke scattered and disappeared under the clouds that filled the sky.

Lucia quietly asked.

“Can I… stay like this for a while…”

The Priest, who had completely tilted his head back on the bench, exhaled cigarette smoke and replied.

“It’s okay to stay like that forever.”

“… Ah.”

Lucia hugged his leg even tighter.

The Priest wanted to tell her to sit on the bench, but for some reason, he was sure that she wouldn’t listen.

He put out the cigarette and looked down at Lucia again.

It was already dark, and he was obscured by the Priest’s shadow, so he couldn’t see what kind of expression Lucia was making at all.

The Priest slowly closed his eyes and said.

“If you stay like that, when the sun rises… can you wake me up a little.”

“Will you… definitely wake up this time?”

“I’m not going to die. Don’t worry.”

“… Yes. I will. Sleep well. Priest.”

The Priest breathed evenly.

In time with the sound of the waves and Lucia’s breathing, the weight on his eyelids gradually became heavier.

He slowly fell asleep.

“Hah… Priest.”

Lucia couldn’t fall asleep.

The Priest’s thigh was beyond warm and hot.

Her face was also flushed all over, making it impossible for her to fall asleep.