Ruchellini’s Black Rose (4)

In that instant, the temple doors burst open, and hundreds of people poured out.

It seemed the evening service had just ended, and the temple front was bustling with people leaving. Apprentice Priestess Terial had the role of guiding those exiting, so she naturally had to attend to the worshippers. However, she couldn’t dare turn away the three humans approaching her.

Shuriel, known as the second branch of Lushellini. And a young lady who looked like a noble at first glance. Should she usher the VIPs inside first, or guide the worshippers as she always did? Terial was caught in a dilemma.

-Hmm?

-…Something feels missing?

The worshippers, who were always greeted with a smile by the little priestess after the service, looked around, wondering where she was.

Then, everyone’s gaze converged on one spot. Three humans had arrived before the stiff, hesitant white-haired priestess. The combination was so bizarre and overwhelming that they couldn’t help but stare.

A blonde man with golden horns on his head, and a girl in a black dress, extending her leg with an elegant posture.

At first, Shuriel drew attention with the intense impression of his horns, but he wore an unpleasant expression and lightly brushed off the gathering gazes. The deflected gazes naturally turned to me.

I smiled brightly at them and turned my head. But even though I turned my head, their heads remained fixed on me. This was enchantment. The gazes, like needles, had no intention of leaving me.

Scattering black petals, a rose had arrived at the temple.

“It’s been a while, Terial.”

I gave a light bow to Terial, who was still out of it, and smiled.

“Oh, uh…?”

A voice she had vaguely heard before.

The red-haired unni who sacrificed herself to save her when she was kidnapped by the false prophet Harriet.

“…Yujin unni?”

However, her eyes were still filled with confusion. Back then, I was missing an arm, and I wasn’t wearing such a beautiful dress. Comparing my former self, a typical Western adventurer, to my current self, there was a big difference.

-Hmph.

At that moment, Shuriel snorted lightly.

“Ah, ah! The proud sword of the Count’s family, I greet you, Acting Head Shuriel Lushellini-nim!”

Only then did Terial realize who the guest before her was, and she bowed to Shuriel. Her posture was a mess, but her words were correct. Perhaps that’s why Shuriel didn’t react much, except for twisting the corners of his mouth.

I confidently opened my mouth amidst everyone’s gazes.

“I’ve come to meet the Acting Heads of Angrid and Prukaise. Weren’t there guests already?”

A woman wearing light armor and a nun’s habit, and a man with ash-gray hair. A combination as eye-catching as us.

“J-Just a moment! Please follow me this way!”

Terial, as if remembering something, straightened her back and began to walk.

“Let’s go. It seems like she’s heading to the Baptism Chamber.”

The Baptism Chamber. A small room where Vice-Priest Shemel resides. If a VIP visited, they probably wouldn’t be put there. Because no one but Shemel is there. It didn’t seem like the Acting Heads would be in a conspicuous place.

“…Just in case, if you even breathe a word about this unnecessarily, you shouldn’t even think about stretching your legs and sleeping well here.”

Shuriel muttered as he took a step. It was directed at Pani Alfenris, who was blankly tilting her head.

The words were very strong, but considering what we were about to do, it was understandable. It was called a large-scale Demon subjugation, but it was practically the same as waging war against the Demons. And if this plan were leaked before I could show any significant activity, it wouldn’t end well.

The information that the Acting Heads had gathered in one place… wouldn’t be taken too seriously. In the first place, they were all families in the East, and they couldn’t just spend the whole year killing Demons.

They were nobles. Counts, at that. Even if rumors spread, it would likely be speculated as some kind of exchange, or called a social gathering to restore relations. Angrid and Lushellini were already on bad terms.

“D-Don’t worry! I’ll take it to the grave with me!”

Pani Alfenris nodded, sweating profusely. Well, even so, she wouldn’t be hearing the Acting Heads’ plans. She would definitely be kicked out when important conversations took place.

I calmed Pani down and said.

“Shuriel. If Shemel asks where the baby went, say she gave birth without any problems, and a nanny is secretly raising her due to circumstances.”

There was less than a month left until I met Aileen. I should be able to meet her for sure when the plan is executed. However, separately from that, the empty belly could cause misunderstandings. Like abortion. Vice-Priest Shemel has a body that has been modified with holy objects. She can tell if someone is pregnant just by looking at them.

“An child whose nanny is the World Tree…”

Shuriel chuckled, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

When I think about it, his life was full of lucky chances. Meeting me, accidentally getting pregnant, and even having the World Tree take care of the child. He probably never dreamed that the woman he raped while being controlled by demonic energy was an Archmage.

…Of course, neither of us regrets it. Even if all of this is a playful fate determined by the dice god, I have no intention of reversing the current reality. Even with this much power, I wasn’t dissatisfied with living as a slave to a human.

Because I was happy as I was.

“Let’s go quickly. We’ll be late at this rate.”

* * *

“Vice-Priest-niim…!!”

Knock knock! Terial knocked on the huge door, waiting for a response.

-Creak.

The large door opened, and a huge woman, who looked to be over 2 meters tall, greeted us. Vice-Priest Shemel. She bowed with a serious face and showed us inside.

She straightened her crimson bobbed hair and said.

“Come in. I’ve been waiting. Sister Terial, you may leave now.”

“Y-Yes…!”

Terial seemed to have a lot to say, but she couldn’t stop me in front of the three Acting Heads and the Vice-Priest. She turned around with a regretful face.

“Pani, I’m sorry. Could you wait somewhere else for a moment?”

Pani was the same.

“Yes! I’ll wait quietly!”

She followed Terial and moved inside the main building. After all unnecessary personnel had left, Shuriel and I turned our heads inside.

There was a small table, and two Acting Heads sitting on small chairs on either side of it.

“You came quickly. Did you think we were sitting here twiddling our thumbs because we have nothing better to do?”

Lael Prukaise said. He yawned widely and sneered. It was annoying, but we had nothing to say on our side. We were late because we were having sex. Like animals, without distinguishing between inside and out, for hours.

Shuriel apologized without a word, just nodding his head.

“…There was a lot of work. I apologize. Yujin, come in.”

I greeted them politely and replied.

“I’m so sorry. I apologize. To be so late, leaving the benefactors who wrote the letters of recommendation…”

Just as there’s no one who spits on a smiling face, there were few people who would flip off someone who sincerely apologized. There are some, but at least Lael Prukaise wasn’t that kind of person.

He said with an awkward face.

“What were you doing-“

He was about to scold me, but he trailed off when he saw the exposed areas above the black dress. His gaze was especially drawn to the large breasts.

“…Were you late because of that?”

He stared at me with his mouth wide open. The cross earrings trembled. The outfit was noticeably different from when he first saw me. Alfenris’ masterpiece was now visible to the two Acting Heads.

“…Lael.”

At that moment, Pawin Angrid narrowed her eyes. She had been watching Lael every time he looked at me. This time was no exception. As Lael stared at me with his eyes about to pop out, she warned him in a gentle voice.

“…God is watching us. We must always be careful of our actions and words.”

“That bastard who was late because he was playing around with a woman is okay, but I’m getting scolded for looking at this little girl? Really? And does looking make it wear out?!”

Lael seemed resentful that she was only scolding him. Shuriel said to Lael.

“It wears out. Turn your eyes away.”

“Crazy bastard. It’s too dirty to look. Ah, I don’t really mean you’re dirty. Don’t get hurt, okay?”

Haa. We should just endure it since we were late. I wasn’t so narrow-minded as to get annoyed even in this situation.

I said to Shemel, who was silently pouring tea.

“Shemel, could you get me some tea? The one I had last time.”

“I was going to do that anyway. Please wait a moment.”

“Thank you, Shemel.”

“But it seems like tea for pregnant women won’t be necessary. I’ll bring out a different tea.”

“…The child is growing well, so don’t worry.”

I sat down with a bitter smile.

“…”

“…”

Silence.

Like the calm before the storm, the Acting Heads, who didn’t understand Shemel’s words, fell silent for a few seconds. But if they fully understood the meaning, it was obvious what kind of reaction would come out.

“…Acting Head Shuriel.”

“You crazy bastard…”

Pawin and Lael opened their mouths in unison. Shuriel avoided their gazes, pretending not to hear. Frankly speaking, they didn’t care if I fucked or had a child. But even I couldn’t ignore this silence without shame. To tell the truth, we wouldn’t have been late if I hadn’t been panting like a dog.

“…When a man and a woman mix their bodies and have a child, it is a natural law set by God and a sacred thing. But, a love with a gap can only be swayed by one side’s judgment.”

“But isn’t she too young? No, she doesn’t look young, but, you know? You know what I mean, right?”

The more I kept my mouth shut, the more their delusion circuits spun endlessly. I thought Shuriel would become an utterly depraved human being at this rate, so I opened my tightly closed mouth.

“…I’m twenty years old.”

I request a correction. I’m often mistaken for a child because I’m short, but I’m an adult by both Earth and Empire standards. For reference, the adult age in the Empire is seventeen. I don’t know my actual physical age because I’ve been doing too much reconstruction… but it didn’t seem necessary to say it.

Lael looked me up and down, doubting his ears. As he said, I didn’t look young, but I had a visual that made him feel guilty to touch me.

He stared at Shuriel for a while, then sighed deeply.

“No, that. Ah, ha. Never mind. We didn’t gather to talk about this.”

“…Lael. We need to clarify this issue and move on-“

“It’ll be dawn at this rate, huh?”

-Tak.

Shemel brought out the tea at a good time. She covered her mouth with her right hand and made a gesture of slitting her throat with her left hand. A vow of silence not to reveal anything that was said here. It meant we could talk comfortably.

Lael hurriedly drank the tea and changed the subject.

“Alright, alright.”

It was impossible to reverse the changed atmosphere and object. Pawin buried this incident and silently listened to Lael’s words.

He glared at Shuriel and said.

“…To be honest, I don’t like this plan. If we run around saying we’re going to catch Demons, we’ll just be treated like crazy people, right? We’ll just provoke Barpheugos, who’s quietly sitting still, and get hit with a boulder.”

“Didn’t I say? That’s why we need Yujin.”

“Yes! The famous Red Witch! The amazing magician who lifts the ground and drops meteors! Did you say? Even if hundreds or thousands of imperial magicians gathered, they couldn’t beat that one red-haired girl.”

He made exaggerated gestures and joked. Then he turned his gaze back and said to me.

“But, but. I just can’t believe it. Those twin Demons. The ones we were desperately chasing. The guys and girls that Pawin and I were desperately chasing. But you… submerged them in the sea with long-distance teleportation?”