episode_0205

***

“…….”

Looking at the coffee remaining in the cup, the saint was lost in thought.

Although it has not been proven, there is such a thing as a feeling. That impulse keeps urging the saint.

wealthy church,

A meal with a saint,

Handouts about the saint delivered to each diocese;

The village representative, who for some reason could not come to meet the saint on the day of his visit.

The large box brought by the village representative and the paladin who took care of it,

Dinner hosted by the village head,

The nobles who attended the dinner,

A sack with strings carried by a paladin,

Beggars are seething near the church,

The group of people who drove out the beggar,

Things I had overlooked without notice came back to my mind.

It was when I returned to the church from Madini that the meaningless pieces of memory turned into puzzle pieces that popped out.

After giving Mary instructions about Antonio, the saint went into the room to relieve his fatigue.

After Maria returned to her room after serving the coffee, the saint was still working on the puzzle while looking at the already cooled coffee cup.

“It’s late.”

Looking at the dark night scenery, the saint said.

It was a very cloudy night. The moon, which always gave off a soft light, was obscured by clouds, making its presence known only in a very faint light.

“…I only have time today.”

The official schedule starts the next day.

The saint poured the cooled coffee into his mouth and opened the closet.

He took out an extra black priest’s uniform from a corner of a closet filled with white clothes.

The saint tore the hem of his long priestly robe.

The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the room.

After putting on his priestly clothes, the saint tried to move his body.

This was to check if there were any obstructions.

And then I wrapped the torn cloth around my head.

A cloth covered the mouth and head.

The saint turned off the light in the room.

Everyone would have thought that the saint, exhausted from the arduous journey, had fallen asleep early.

The saint observed the situation outside the window for a moment. A few paladins were seen moving around the area periodically.

We measure the time when they disappear and reappear.

Eventually, the Holy Knights reappeared and passed the designated patrol area, and the Saint slightly opened the window.

The wind came into the room.

A night when even the moon did not show its face. The saint put his feet on the window frame and jumped up.

Just as I felt the unpleasant sensation of falling, my outstretched hand grabbed a tree branch.

The tree moved once, but no one came after hearing the sound.

The saint took advantage of blind spots by moving into the bushes and sometimes behind the statue.

Moving from shadow to shadow, he crossed Solarumea.

The place we arrived was where the carriage was parked.

The saint checked the carriages he rode on his way to Madini village and checked their luggage compartments.

I could see the sacks that the Holy Knights had loaded onto their wagons.

A sack tied tightly with blue string. The saint touched the outside of the sack with his fingertip.

The hard, bumpy sack seemed to be filled with something of the same shape.

At that time, footsteps were heard from afar, and the saint went under the carriage without hesitation.

The saint lifted himself up by holding on to the protruding part of the bottom of the chariot. Thanks to this, my body stuck to the floor.

Along with the sound of footsteps, the sound of clanking armor was also heard.

“Here it is.”

I heard someone’s voice.

“I think that’s right.”

There seemed to be two people who came by carriage.

The saint gave his arms more strength.

“It’s quite heavy.”

“No problem. It’s truly an offering.”

As if buying something at the market, everyday conversation takes place.

“The representative of Madini Village seems to be a person with very strong religious beliefs.”

The sack fell to the ground and made a heavy sound. The saint’s heart beat rapidly.

“But is there a difference between what’s in the box and what’s in the bag?”

Perhaps because they were not used to this kind of thing, one side continued to ask questions.

The man with a deep voice who asked the question mechanically answered the curiosity.

“What you receive in the box is the offering officially used by the denomination, and since it is a purpose-built offering, it is managed directly by the Holy Father.”

“Aha, since the administration is different, you will have to make different donations.”

As soon as all the sacks have been unloaded, the carriage rises slightly.

“Wow, it’s heavy.”

The sounds made by the people carrying the sacks recede.

The saint clung to the bottom of the carriage and counted another ten minutes.

Eventually, after confirming that no one was returning, he crawled out of the carriage.

“…….”

It was the moment when the puzzle that had been scattered around my head came together.

***

“Saint…?”

Maria, who could not sleep, came to the saint’s room again, using the excuse of running an errand.

When there was no answer to her knock, Maria carefully opened the door.

A room with all the lights off.

Maria entered that quiet room.

I wondered if my pounding heart would calm down if I could at least see the face of the saint who was sleeping deeply.

But there was nothing on the bed where the saint should have been.

There is only a white robe that the saint took off.

Mary lifted the robe.

And then he held it to his face.

The saint’s body odor spread through the nose and throughout the body.

“Huh… Ha….”

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Maria let out a pleasant moan.

Maria, who had been frantically sniffing clothes for a while, asked a fundamental question.

“Where have you been?”

Did you go for a walk at night? It was time for Maria to leave the room to look around.

As soon as a rustling sound was heard from the window, the saint came in.

“Ugh… It’s hard with this body.”

A saint with a body covered in fallen leaves tumbled through the window, and Mary stood still in place.

“…….”

“…….”

Their eyes met, and neither of them said anything for a while.

“Clothes… can you put them down first?”

The saint said with a shy face.