episode_0075

*

I helped Anna prepare breakfast with Lucia.

The main dish was a stew made with the leftover parts of the wild boar we caught the day before.

I was worried that eating such a greasy stew in the morning might upset our stomachs,

but I chose it because I wanted to make sure Elena, who was leaving after breakfast, had a hearty meal.

I kept glancing at Lucia and Anna the whole time I was preparing the meal.

I was worried that Anna might notice the awkward tension between Lucia and me.

Sure enough, Lucia blushed and gave me a faint smile every time our eyes met.

But thankfully, Anna was too busy moving her hands around to pay attention to us.

After about an hour of busy work, when we were almost done preparing the meal, Sola appeared, scratching her stomach with half-closed eyes.

Sola saw us busily moving around and, sensing the situation, brought the dishes to the table.

Anna clapped her hands and praised Sola, who became shy and ended up breaking a plate.

I sighed, calmed the tearful Sola and the angry Anna, and cleaned up the broken pieces of the plate.

After spending some time waiting for the stew to boil, Elena finally made her appearance.

She looked at me and said,

“You were here?”

“Ah, Elena. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Father, good morning, Sisters. I was wondering what was going on since you didn’t come to morning Mass today, but you were helping with the meal preparation.”

“Oh, now that you mention it…”

“And you skipped the evening Mass yesterday too…”

There was an old Cathedral in the village.

I usually spent most of my time there on days when I wasn’t out exploring.

Perhaps it was because I was a Devil, but Kunat was reluctant to enter the Cathedral, so it was the most comfortable place for me to rest.

Well, considering that Kunat had been living in the Monastery all this time, she could probably enter whenever she wanted to.

Elena had been taking care of the Cathedral for me while I was bedridden.

I belatedly remembered that she had said once before leaving the village that she wished we could attend Mass together.

“Were you… waiting for me at the Cathedral?”

“Of course. I thought it would be nice to remember that I used to be a Priest.”

My heart felt heavy.

Like her, I also needed time to reaffirm my faith.

What almost happened last night with Lucia was surely because my faith had become dull.

I rubbed my forehead and said,

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything beforehand. I made you wait for nothing.”

“It’s okay. According to the doctrine, Mass can be done alone. But…”

Elena smiled brightly and said,

“It’s unlike the Father to forget Mass, you’re being a bad boy.”

I immediately retorted.

“I used to hold Mass every day when I was on the island, but I haven’t done so since moving here… As you know, I’ve been too busy.”

“Hehe, I understand. You must have been busy maintaining such a wonderful village.”

“I appreciate you understanding.”

“… Sometimes, actions are more necessary than a hundred prayers.”

Elena nodded slowly, then looked around the table and asked,

“So, what’s all this? You usually eat a simple breakfast, but today the number of dishes is quite extravagant.”

“You said you’re leaving this afternoon. You need to have a full stomach to give you strength on your journey, so we all prepared it together.”

“Oh, really?”

Sola was subtly watching my reaction.

I looked at Sola and nodded slowly.

“Yes… we ‘all’ prepared it.”

“Hehe, I’m going to miss you.”

Elena smiled and slowly sat down at the table.

As Elena took her seat, Lucia and Sola also slowly pulled out their chairs and sat down in their places.

Anna brought a large pot of simmering stew and placed it on the table.

“We’ve prepared plenty, so feel free to eat as much as you want.”

Anna said, ladling the stew into everyone’s plates with a ladle.

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a man hobbled in, dragging his feet.

“Elena, you bitch, if you leave first, what am I supposed to do…”

“…”

“What, everyone’s here.”

It was Paolo, who had been rescued along with Elena.

He had walked all the way here on his own, but he was still wearing bandages made of torn blankets on his arms and legs, so he didn’t seem to have fully recovered.

The Sisters all froze at his sudden outburst of vulgar language.

Elena broke the awkward silence by clapping her hands and speaking nonchalantly.

“Oh, that reminds me,”

Elena quickly got up, supported Paolo, brought him to the table, and sat him down.

I naturally grabbed another plate and placed it in front of Paolo.

Elena introduced him to the Sisters.

“Father, Sisters, this is Paolo. This is the first time you’re seeing him since the day we rescued him, right? He’s recovered enough to walk around since this morning. Paolo, this is Father Theodore, and Sisters Anna, Lucia, and Sola.”

Paolo pursed his lips with a disgruntled expression, then bowed his head and said.

“I’m Paolo. Thank you for saving me, though it’s late.”

*

After a satisfying meal, Elena excused herself.

She was planning to leave within an hour, so she was checking her luggage one last time.

The Sisters followed Elena outside.

They wanted to see if there was anything they could give her as a parting gift.

Only Paolo and I were left sitting at the table.

I slowly got up and began clearing the plates that everyone had emptied, and opened my mouth.

“Did you enjoy the meal?”

“Ah… yes. It was delicious. Father.”

Paolo stammered in reply.

A strangely uncomfortable atmosphere began to linger on the table, which had been so amiable just a moment ago.

It was a kind of tension that arose in the process of two men sizing each other up.

“You don’t seem to have fully recovered yet.”

“Well, yeah. It’s a miracle I’m even alive, nowadays you just die if you get hurt.”

His speech was laced with rough behavior and impolite words.

It meant that he hadn’t led a very normal life even before the world ended.

I pondered for a moment.

Was it the right thing to accept this man?

I had already heard from Elena that he was a member of a gang of thieves and a rapist.

What would happen if he harmed the Sisters?

“I’m really sorry to hear about the passing of your companions.”

“Ah, well, it’s okay. It’s a miracle that I even survived, so.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah, well, they were all bastards anyway.”

He was subtly letting his guard down and gauging my reaction.

He was letting his words loose little by little, in a way that made it difficult to object, but soon he would start speaking impolitely to me outright.

This was one of the petty tricks that thugs used to gain the upper hand.

Paolo paused to observe my reaction, then shrugged and continued, talking loosely.

“Wow, I honestly didn’t believe it, but it seems like the Goddess really exists. I was the one who took the best care of Elena, so I guess I was rewarded. The other guys were just trying to stick their dicks in her, they didn’t try to take care of her like I did… you know.”

“Oh really? You took care of Elena? How so?”

“Well… you know, things like following her when she went to take a dump, keeping watch for her, and listening to her whine about being scared, you know? I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

He nodded towards the outside.

It was a clear gesture referring to the Sisters.

I quietly clenched my fists.

I couldn’t read people’s minds, so I didn’t know how much he cared about Elena.

But it was clear that I didn’t like the way he treated Elena.

What if that attitude was extended to my Sisters?

An unpleasant feeling welled up inside me, but I continued speaking without expressing it outwardly.

“I see.”

“…”

“Elena said she’s leaving today, what are your plans?”

Paolo leaned back in his chair and nodded his head.

“It’s impossible for me to follow her in this condition, and it’s suicide for me to go out alone even after I’m healed… I’d like to stay here if possible…”

“…”

He trailed off, glancing sideways at me.

He seemed to want to hear me say that he could stay here.

As he said, he would have to stay in this village if he wanted to survive.

In other words, he was in a position where he had to beg me not to kick him out.

But what was with that attitude?

Was he a moron who didn’t understand his situation?

No, this might be a struggle to solidify his hierarchy.

He didn’t want to be crushed by my hierarchy while living here.

If he had been a thug since before the world ended, he would have lived his whole life in a world where he was crushed the moment he was looked down upon, so I could understand his insolent attitude.

He probably didn’t know how to build relationships other than trampling on others or groveling beneath them.

If someone were gullible, they would put up with such insolence and then find themselves being treated casually at some point.

But I didn’t intend to let that happen.

I could have seen through Paolo’s shallow tricks even if I had no eyes.

Not only were they much easier to understand than the tricks that Devils played, but also, I had spent my childhood in such back alley thug worlds.

“Paolo.”

“…”

I called his name in a relaxed voice.

“I heard from Elena what kind of person you are and how you survived.”

“Ah… shit,”

“Well, you don’t seem to have much intention of hiding it. You wouldn’t have shown such a harsh attitude if you did.”

“…”

Paolo swallowed and began to look straight at me.

Not avoiding my eyes was probably his last struggle to avoid being crushed.

But his pupils were inevitably trembling little by little.

“Don’t worry. I won’t judge you.”

“…”

“I won’t kick you out either. I built the village to accept people. So that people who are dying outside can come and rest or live comfortably.”

“… So, you’re saying I can stay here?”

“That’s right.”

I slowly put my hands together, clasped them, and continued speaking.

“I want to create a world where people can live in peace again, starting from this village. The purpose of religion is to soothe people’s hearts and bring peace to their souls,”

“… Ah, yeah, well… do as you wish.”

“So.”

I slowly began to lower my voice.

“I’ll say it again, I don’t care how you’ve lived. The Goddess’s mercy is open to everyone, and everyone should be given a chance to live a new life.”

“…”

“But, if you’re going to live here, you must not forget that you’re living with us.”

“…”

“Just as Elena has adjusted to you, you must also adjust to us.”

“Ugh…”

The sound of Paolo swallowing echoed loudly in the room.

Of course, unlike Elena, who knew what kind of person I was, he didn’t know me at all.

But at least he would be able to remember.

That the man in front of him was the one who jumped off the cliff and then drew and shot the crossbow with his bare hands.

“Don’t worry. We’re rational and religious people.”

“So, you’re saying I have to follow the teachings of that religion…”

“No, well, not really.”

I smiled and shook my head.

“Common sense. Just act according to my common sense, not yours.”

“…”

“If you do anything that goes against my common sense, I will definitely know.”

I slowly picked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen and said.

“We have a lot of work to do. A lot. So, I’ll ask again after your body has fully recovered. Whether you’ll stay here or leave.”

“… I’ll do that.”

Paolo slowly straightened his posture and began to refine his attitude a little more politely.

I put the dishes in a wooden bucket, slowly passed the table where Paolo was sitting, and opened the door.

I was about to leave, but I stopped for a moment and slowly turned back to look at Paolo.

Paolo was now definitely avoiding my gaze.

I left one last word for him in a low voice.

“Let me say one thing in advance.”

“… Yes,”

“Be polite to the Sisters.”

I left those words as my last and left the room, leaving him behind. .