episode_0019

『Month of the Cross – 20th (Evening)』

That night, after taking Muse to church, I went home and went to sleep.

There was a time when I thought a month wasn’t that long of a time, but it felt like I was sinking into a swamp with each minute and second that passed without being able to see my loved one.

“Still, even though I overdid it, giving the ring to the muse might have been a good thing… ”

Lying on the bed, I looked at the ring on my hand.

A ring studded with blue and pink gems crafted to resemble the colors of me and my muse.

In fact, the reason he participated as a mercenary in the civil war between the kingdom and the empire was none other than to make this ring.

Monsters that only appear in the empire, and rare materials that only come from those monsters.

Just for that purpose, I extended my schedule at the risk of being rude to my colleagues.

‘Well, that’s what it means… It’s my first time doing something like this… What should I say? That’s that… I’m so thankful… … Hi… ‘

The look on Muse’s face when she received this ring is truly amazing. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

So much so that if there was a painter nearby, I would have him draw that expression. Anyway, what should I do starting tomorrow? Since it was a relatively long expedition, the party plans to rest for a while.

‘Besides, Clarisse’s face doesn’t even appear at Fort Church… ‘

I’m also worried about what I said to Muse earlier, so I guess I’ll go see Alex’s party tomorrow… Thinking over the various things that happened today, I fell into a cozy sleep.

[…] … ■■ ■… ♥]

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『Month of the Cross – 21st (Morning)』

“Ha! ha… ha… ha… … ”

What, what is it? That voice just now… … ? I looked around, but there was no one.

Because I am the only one living in this house to begin with. But what is the identity of the voice I just heard?

I immediately threw off the blanket, stood up, and looked around the house. If I’m not mistaken, it’s possible that someone broke into the house.

I held on tightly to the ice window placed in one corner of the bedroom and looked around the bathroom from the living room.

“… … That’s strange. Everything is the same… ”

The house was quiet, and it was so clean that you couldn’t find any traces of the mess even if you tried hard to find it.

“I guess it’s because I’ve been tired a lot lately, so I’m nervous… ”

However, it was a woman’s voice that was too vivid to be dismissed as fatigue.

Can you say it’s a voice? Even though it seemed like he was trying to say something because his pronunciation was slurred, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

Unless there is solid evidence, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that the voice from before was really my auditory hallucination.

ha… Ever since I came back, only annoying things have happened.

“I just ruined my mood for no reason. I need to go back to sleep… ”

Just as I was about to go back to my room after gathering my upset feelings and relaxing my tense shoulders, I saw sunlight streaming in through the curtains. Ha, is it already morning…?

“Today is the worst day… ”

I have never overslept so strangely since before. Strictly speaking, rather than not sleeping in, I suddenly wake up at a certain time.

When I was a paladin, I considered this constitution a blessing as I had to move according to discipline and time.

However, after working as an adventurer, which guaranteed a certain degree of autonomy, this constitution felt like a curse.

It’s the same today. The beasts are coming, but the body does not want to sleep.

“Let’s have breakfast.”

Thanks to the strange voice I suddenly heard, I ended up greeting the day with a sour mood. I hope this worst thing will end just this once… But why? The voice was not as unpleasant as I thought.

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After eating a quick breakfast, changing into simple clothes, I went out into the street.

Originally, there was no plan set for today, but during the conversation with Muse yesterday, Alex talked about Clarice, who was mentioned, and looked gloomy. The ideal relationship between the two may not be a coincidence.

Moreover, since two people in a party of three already have suspicious circumstances, there is no guarantee that Mel will not be the same.

This is a party that I ended up teaching by chance. Rather than feeling some sense of responsibility, I was truly training them to become promising adventurers who would lead the future.

With that in mind, I headed to the inn in the western district where Alex Party lived.

Although it was on the opposite side of my lodging in the eastern section, I was able to quickly get to the inn with my legs trained as an adventurer.

A three-story accommodation with a rough and somewhat worn-out appearance. Contrary to its appearance, this lodging is affiliated with a guild, making it a popular place for novice adventurers.

“Is this this place?”

I opened the door to the dorm and went inside. There was also a restaurant on the first floor, and several people who appeared to be adventurers were eating breakfast.

Among that group, there was no member of Alex’s group. I spoke to the man behind the counter washing dishes. He is the manager of this lodging, whom we have met several times in the guild.

“Manager. I have one question to ask.”

“Lacey Gliss? Why did you, a high-level adventurer, come to this squalid place?”

“Alex Reyes, Clarisse Siete, Mel Grande. This is the name of the adventurer staying at this inn. Have they shown any strange behavior in the past month?”

After further explaining their appearance, the manager thought deeply and, as if remembering something, put down the dishes he was cleaning and said.

“Those fledgling adventurers left just now. It was so urgent that even when I tried to talk to him, he ignored me and just left. And these guys are well-known around here. These are the guys who diligently completed the guild’s requests without a single break during the month you mentioned.”

“Without a break for a month?”

One month is a longer time than you think. Even though our party is known in the public as first-class adventurers, we do not skip rest.

But they are barely mid-level adventurers, and they are carrying out missions without resting?

In that case, it is understandable that Clarice has not been able to come to church for a whole month, and Alex’s gloomy expression is also understandable.

Since I rolled my body that much, of course I had no choice but to do that.

“What’s even more amazing is that we succeeded in all of those missions and returned safely. At first, I thought they wouldn’t last long. By the way, do you have something to do with them?”

“I will tell you that they are my juniors. Thank you for the story. I guess I’ll just go.”

Alex and his group said they had just left the dorm. I’m probably going to the guild today to receive a request, so if I chase after him right away, I’ll be able to meet him.

After saying hello to the manager, I left the dorm and headed to the guild.

The distance between the dorm and the guild was not that far. Even though it was early in the morning, there were a lot of passers-by.

Merchants who tirelessly promote their products, adventurers walking towards their respective destinations.

And in the alley… … … … … There’s nothing going on in the alley.

However, there was no sign of Alex Party among them. Could it be that they have already arrived at the guild? It’s faster than I thought.

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“”… … Up, rock, beam!””

As I approached the guild, male and female voices rang in my ears. The owners of those voices are two people I know well.

It was Myrit and Elizabeth. Obviously, the idea of taking a break for a while was something the two of them said first.

Myrit was holding steel gauntlets and Elizabeth was holding a gun, so each of them were holding their own weapons.

“What are you two doing here?”

“I won! … huh? oh! Is it Lacey? It’s been a while.”

“Ahh!!! I lost again? Are you using some kind of magic? How many times has this happened!!!!”

At the sound of Elizabeth’s screams, not only the adventurers around the guild but also the people who were walking by were paying attention to this place.

In fact, the two main characters seemed to have steel on their faces and were just showing their feelings through their facial expressions.

To calm the commotion, I spoke to the two people and warned them.

“Both of you are rude. Didn’t they at least pay a lease here? ”

“Sorry, sorry~ I won the bet and got a little upset. On the other hand, our Liza will be very upset after losing the bet~”

“No! This is the 5th time in a row! Why does this only happen to me?”

“Well, a game is a game. Now, let’s say goodbye to this gauntlet~”

Elizabeth didn’t pay any attention to what I said and burst out in anger, roughly putting Myrit’s gauntlet on one shoulder and leaving the place with a huff.

I am amazed at these two people who are so self-indulgent. I put aside the chaotic atmosphere and approached Myrit, who was still smiling, and spoke to her.

“Didn’t you say with your own mouth that today is a rest day? But they’re making such a fuss in front of the guild… Is something going on?”

“Oh, was it because of that? I was just making a light bet with Lisa. The reason I was at the guild was because I had to see Herry early in the morning.”

“Bet?”

“I was going to go check weapons, but Lisa and I get our weapons checked at the same place anyway. So the two made a bet, and the loser decided to take all the weapons and have them inspected at once. I just happened to win there!”

If it’s a talent to attract people’s attention for just that little reason, it can be said to be a talent…

“Wait a minute… So you’re saying you’ve been here since early in the morning until now?”

“Huh? Well, that’s right. Mr. Herry said it was really urgent and sent his familiar in the morning. The reason I called… There are so many people watching and listening here, can I talk somewhere else?”

“Then let me ask you one thing before that. Alex here… Have the boy and his group you met yesterday ever come?”

“Huh? As for that boy, not a single hair has ever been seen here. By the way, there were rumors going around in the guild about that boy. They said it was a supernova with a 100% success rate for intermediate quests~”

After leaving behind Myrit’s words, I fell into thought again.

If Alex wasn’t here, where would he have been? If you didn’t come to the guild… Isn’t their purpose not to receive orders?

What woke me up from my thoughts was Myrit’s hand tapping my shoulder.

“You seem to be quite lost in thought. Let me just say, I think you are overprotecting that boy. Of course, if you’ve heard rumors, you’ll know about that boy named Alex. They say he takes on missions from the guild without taking a single day off.”

“Yes, that’s why I came to the guild. Judging from the circumstances so far, I thought he was definitely going to the guild to seek a request.”

“I think it’s natural for a teacher to be worried about that, but no matter how much you care about your students, interfering with their work every now and then can be an interference rather than a worry.”

Myrit stopped laughing from before and spoke to me with a serious expression.

I also know the intention of Myrit’s words. However, perhaps as a reaction to having forced out what I had been denying in my heart, I just made excuses that were not excuses.

“But I felt that there was some connection between their strange behavior and their actions over the past month. As a leader, I couldn’t ignore them, so I set out to find them. There is no other reason.”

What I’m doing now may be, as Myrit said, underestimating Alex and the others too much and putting restrictions on their actions.

No matter how much I think they are still young adventurers, they are still full-fledged adventurers.

I have no right to intervene in their actions. However, I was still too weak to ignore them just for that reason.

“Phew… Since you seem to be worried as well, I have also developed a little connection with that boy named Alex, so I’ll help you out a little. Instead, you too, do me a favor… As the leader of the party, you should also do me a favor.”

As if to calm me down while I was still wandering, Myrit changed the subject and spoke to me again.

It was still difficult to empathize with his words, but there was nothing more to say about the party that was no longer here.

“You have a point, but we should at least talk to them. However, it is ridiculous to talk about people who are not here and between outsiders. So, let’s hear the reason why I can’t talk about it here.”

“Yes! I finally feel like talking! Okay, then… Let’s see. That alley over there… … … … No, let’s go to the teahouse and talk.”

There was a small teahouse where Myrit pointed. It was a shabby teahouse with very few people coming and going.

“That place seems to be the most deserted.”

“Is it important enough to talk about it there?”

“What… You will know when you hear it.”

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Guided by Myrit, we entered the teahouse and sat down.

In the quiet tea shop, there were no customers except for us and the elderly owner who was just washing glasses.

While drinking the tea provided by the owner, Myrit started talking.

” I can’t stand this stifling atmosphere, so I’ll speak quickly and end it. Actually, Herry, the reason the guild master called us this morning was because of the black market. He asked me to investigate the location of the black market.”

“Black market?”

“They said that when we were dispatched to a war between the kingdom and the empire, there was evidence of slave trading on the black market. Until now, the lord had tacitly allowed the black market, but now that such evidence has emerged in this place where slave trading is prohibited, it is said that the lord himself has ordered it.”

“But you shouldn’t hire an adventurer in the first place, you can just leave it to your direct guards, so why are you even reaching out to us?”

As far as I know, I heard that the territory has an excellent security force. From what I heard, there was a rumor that one of them, the captain of the guard, could fly.

“Black market guys. He decided to start selling slaves from now on, so he disappeared. So you hid so much that Herry couldn’t find you? Even a wizard can’t find it, so it’s highly unlikely that just strong guards can. So, Mr. Herry applied for a request exclusively to our party.”

If we are alone, does this mean that the guild master independently entrusted the request to us without the lord’s knowledge?

She seems to be getting impatient too. In fact, the lord himself took out his sword, but the person who claimed to be the guild master was not getting any results. Is it worth it?

“The story ends here. Isn’t it a very simple and easy request?”

“… … This story is less nutritious than I thought. Find out about the location of the black market. Is that all it is? Are there not even any clues?”

“Unfortunately, we have to start from 0. I don’t understand why there isn’t even one common clue?”

After that, I heard some information from Myrit about the black market shared between the guild and the lord’s guard, and was about to leave.

As I was about to push the chair and leave the store, Myrit seemed to remember something and spoke to me again.

“Ah! Now that you think about it, did you deliver the ring well? To that fiancé.”

“Ah, thanks to you, they really liked it. If there was a painter nearby, it was an expression that I would want to keep in a painting.”

“He brought up a story about his fiancé. The icy expression on his face melts in an instant. It’s not wrong to say that love changes people.”

Am I saying that your expression has relaxed? If so, that also means that my love for Muse is great. Because my love for Muse will never change.

–bang!!

“Find… Okay… Everything!!”

Then, the store door opened violently and a purple flash passed before my eyes.

Immediately after, a dull sound of metal colliding was heard, and for a moment, traces of a dragon’s wings were seen so quickly that it reminded me of them.

When I looked back and followed the purple afterimage, I saw a familiar woman standing on the remains of a table that had been shattered by a thrown gauntlet.

“Lisa!? It came pretty, pretty quickly… ! How did you know I was here? Ahaha… ”

“Ha… ha… I’ve been following your scent. By the way, I was carrying all this heavy equipment by myself and getting it serviced, and you are just relaxing here drinking tea?”

“Oh, no, that’s a fair bet… And I was here to talk about something important man to man with Lacey… ”

“Quiet… You’re putting my weak self through such hard work. Would you like to have a serious talk with me today?”

“Les, please help Lacey for a moment… !”

I quietly left the store, leaving behind the death of Myrit, who was tightly held by Elizabeth.

In any case, her target was not me, but Myrit, who was drinking tea while neglecting her wife. Wouldn’t the ideal marital relationship be to go together even if you lose the bet?

I told myself that the next time something like this happens to me, I won’t act like Myrit.

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『Month of the Cross – 21st (Evening)』

After my conversation with Myrit, I headed home.

In the end, there was no income for Alex’s party. I thought about going back to the accommodation where Alex was staying, just in case, but Myrit’s words came to mind.

I felt like I was being held captive by them in the name of overprotection. The sun was still just barely up in the sky.

As I was passing by, I could see the full view of the church.

Okay, let’s pick up Muse this evening. I needed a sanctuary like her to calm my agitated mind.

After returning home, I stayed until evening and left the house just in time for the church to close.

The tightly closed door of the church was opened as if it were yesterday. What was under the bright lights was my pink-haired love, praying reverently under the statue of the goddess.

The Muse felt attracted and turned around, and as soon as she saw my face, her beautiful face became even brighter.

“You! What happened today? I was just about to clean up and leave the church.”

“I came here accordingly. To bring you my love.”

“What, what!? That ball comes out too fast, isn’t it? Tell me to turn things around a bit… ”

When Muse heard my words, her face instantly turned red and she stuttered.

Because of this reaction, I never get tired of whispering love to my muse. And just as Muse said, there was no one in the church except me and Muse.

Perhaps the Muse was about to come out after praying for the last time.

“Well, then please wait a moment. I have to turn off the lights in the church and put up a lock… !”

Muse urgently organized the church. The lights on the candlesticks and magic lights on the ceiling were turned off, and locks were placed on doors throughout the church.

Unlike the usually serious Muse, she was a little clumsy and walked around the church busily. When I saw that I almost fell on the way, I couldn’t help but smile happily.

“Okay, it’s over. Then shall we go out?”

“Sure.”

I held Muse’s hand and left the church. After attaching a lock that looked heavy at first glance to the doorknob of the church, Muse hugged me tightly.

Perhaps because I had been inside the church all day, the scent of fragrant oil mixed with the scent of candlelight tickled my nose.

“So, are you driving me home today?”

“Ah… Maybe a muse… Won’t you come to my house?”

“Uh, huh!? Ugh!!?”

I was momentarily embarrassed by Muse’s reaction, which seemed more embarrassed than necessary.

To say that my words have subversive intentions… No, no. Spilled water is difficult to clean up…

shit… I don’t know what to say…

“Muse… That’s just what I tried. So, I hope you’ll forget what I just said… ”

“Le, if you like Lacey… I like it too… ”

However, the words that came out of Muse’s mouth were the complete opposite of what I expected.

I’ve had relationships with Muse a few times before.

She didn’t seem to mind the idea of chastity before marriage, and since I also wanted a relationship with my muse in my heart, the relationship went smoothly.

The only difference between our previous relationship and the current situation is that I gave Muse a wedding ring last night.

Muse was holding my sleeve and trembling.

Normally, Muse would have been pounding her chest with a confident voice, but perhaps because she remembered what had happened yesterday, not only her face but also her ears turned bright red and she just hit her head on the floor.

“Phew… ”

I took a deep breath, held Muse’s hand, and headed toward my house.

No matter how many people were on the street or how loud the noise was, it was nothing to me right now.

The Muse was just walking, guided by me, without saying a word, and I also walked quickly, remaining silent, blaming myself for the gravity of what I had just said.

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–thud!

We were already in my house. Inside the dark and silent house, an awkward atmosphere strangled me even though it was where I usually stayed.

“I’ll wash up and come out… You prepare for that too… Today is the first time in a long time… ”

“Yeah, right… I’m also looking forward to it… ”

Muse and I took turns washing up and went into my bedroom. As I entered the bedroom, I felt an even warmer energy surround my body.

How can it be so painful to be with someone you love? It’s just deplorable.

“You… Lacey. Are you going to be kind to me?”

Muse left me standing firmly behind me and sat down on the bed. Transparent, highly decorated underwear that does not suit the profession of a priest.

When I thought about wearing something like this under my thick priest’s uniform, I felt my penis getting harder.

–Ugh…

Muse sat on the bed and gently stroked my penis, which was piled up behind my underwear, with her hand. That was a signal, and my patience reached its critical point.

“Aaaah!”

“Muse… I’ll put it in… ”

“… I love you, Lacey♡”

I threw the muse behind the bed, and I was overcome with uncontrollable lust, as if I had been possessed by the incarnation of sexual desire.

The scene of a sticky affair that is completely different from the previous relationship.

We lightly bit each other’s shoulders, ravenously devoured breasts, genitals, stomachs, and all other parts of the body, and Muse and I never separated for a moment.

Okay, this is it. It was a moment when the love between me and Muse was proven by God again.

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『Month of the Cross – 22nd (Evening)』

There was a woman. A woman without any clothes on who looks a head taller than me.

That body seemed to have been trained without missing a day, with clear muscles in the abdomen, black hair, crimson eyes, and violent chest and buttocks that could not even be described as voluptuous.

and… A woman with a penis that looks thicker than one of my arms. There shouldn’t be anything like that in a woman… … ?

But the woman didn’t care about my gaze and walked towards me.

Perhaps it is strange to say that I walked. Because I wasn’t here, I guess it’s only right for me to watch the woman wander around the space, bouncing her pelvis as if she’s trying to seduce the opposite sex.

Soon the woman opened her mouth, and from her mouth came the voice I had heard the previous morning, blown by the sweet wind and irritating my ears. Immediately after that, I… I felt it was time to wake up from my dream.

[Hehe, precious child who will become my apostle in the future]

[Soon my other children will visit you]

[Don’t wait. My child♥]

“Ugh, ugh… !?”

Did you fall asleep? ? It felt like I was dreaming, but I couldn’t think of anything. I just felt refreshed for the first time in a long time.

“I… Evening?”

I remember having sex with my muse and falling asleep in the same bed, but it’s already evening?

Of course, Muse was not in the house, and a piece of paper caught my eye on the dresser.

“This is my first time seeing you oversleep. He always wakes up earlier than me. This morning, no matter how much I tried to wake him up, he didn’t wake up, so I thought something had happened. Since it’s late, I’ll go first. ah! I borrowed a bathroom!”

I overslept… ? When I saw the piece of paper that seemed to have been written by the Muse, I quickly got up and looked out the window, the sun had already set and the moon was high in the sky.

“How did you sleep this long? This might be the first time.”

–smart… … Thump, thump, thump, thump!!

As I was staring helplessly at the window, I heard a strong knock on the door.

“Lacey Gliss. Advanced adventurer! Are you inside?”

“What… At this time?”

The knocking on the door outside got louder, as if it didn’t care whether I was inside or not.

It is evening now. The person who slams the door from the outside is probably also doing this despite risking causing injustice at this time, right?

–Squeak…

“I wonder what time it is… ”

“Sorry for the delay. Lacey. Since the matter is serious, I will accept the scolding later.”

When I opened the door, what I saw in front of me was a figure wearing a hood. The hood had the emblem of a wolf and chains, the symbol of the lord, engraved on it.

Why is someone like this here at this time?

As soon as I saw that sentence, I was curious about his purpose for coming here, before asking about the rude behavior of urgently knocking on the door late in the evening.

“What brings you here?”

“I am Francis Wing. I am the guard captain of the territory.”

The person who identified himself as such opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“Whoo, whoo… This is an emergency. We will provide an explanation of the situation while we accompany you. Please follow me.”

“Emergency, situation?”

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