I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

11 – Counting the Stars

“By the way, why were you alone in such a place, Your Grace?” I asked, curious now that the situation had been sorted out.

Her Grace smiled gracefully and replied, “Well, I had finished my duties and returned to the monastery, but I spotted a strange creature in the backyard… When I approached, it ran away, so I chased it and ended up here.”

“I see. What kind of creature piqued your curiosity enough to follow it?” I inquired, intrigued by her sudden interest.

“It had black scales and wings,” she responded.

Black scales and wings…

Driven by curiosity, I continued, “How big was it? Was it large?”

“No, it wasn’t that big, just about the size of a hefty man’s forearm,” Her Grace gestured towards the arm of a fallen man.

The muscular limb resembled an unchopped log.

If it was that size…

“It looked like a creature from a fairy tale, like a dragon, with beautiful wings resembling those of a lizard,” she explained, her eyes alight with wonder.

…Huh?

Wait, this sounds exactly like the story of Silly and me?

Realizing the identity of the creature Her Grace had been pursuing, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of revelation.

It seems Silly must have crossed paths with Her Grace while wandering, with his wings resembling those of a lizard and being a hefty fellow, but unable to hide well, making him quite a pitiful creature.

“It’s fascinating that such creatures exist. Anyway, let’s go back to the monastery now.”

“Oh, Priest Ivan…”

Trying to brush off the matter and return, I felt the holy maiden grabbing onto the hem of my robe.

“Why are you doing this, Holy Maiden?”

Caught off guard by her hold, I asked, and she blushed as if embarrassed.

“Well… there was a place I always wanted to visit when I come out at this time.”

“A place you wanted to visit? There wouldn’t be many places worth going at this hour…”

“There is. A place where the night breeze is cool, and the stars are well visible.”

“Is that so? But considering the time…”

“Please, Priest Ivan. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to go as the chosen holy maiden.”

In her eyes that met mine, a strong desire was reflected.

Well, what can I do? The holy maiden holds a position much higher than mine within the cathedral hierarchy.

If the superiors find out, they’ll scold me…

“Sigh… Alright, let’s go together then. It wouldn’t be good if you face such situations alone again.”

“Thank you, Priest Ivan!”

The holy maiden extended her hand to me as if asking me to take it.

Hesitating for a moment, I let her grab my hand, and together, we ran through the nocturnal streets.

The streets at night are beautiful.

Yellow street lamps illuminate the darkness and guide us.

The smile that met my eyes from Amelia was beautiful.

How delicately beautiful is that faint, smiling expression.

Originally, thoughts of returning to the monastery to relieve today’s fatigue filled her mind. However, gazing at her smile, it seemed alright for this day to be a little longer.

***

The place the saint brought me to was a lookout tower in the middle of the monastery.

Taller than any other building, yet obscured by others, it was a forgotten gem.

“Do you see, Priest? That star there symbolizes the Earth Deity.”

“The green one?”

“Yes. And the silver one there represents the Sky Deity.”

I examined each star she pointed at.

As if vying for who shines the brightest in the sky, each star, blindingly bright, filled this night with starlight.

Amelia explained to me the meanings of each star as if telling an enjoyable story while counting the starlights.

“Look at that, [Name]. That yellow star signifies pure love.”

Her eyes, shining purely, overlapped with someone in my memories, making me recall past connections.

She was purer than anyone, a peculiar person in every way, etched into my memory.

“Priest, are you listening?”

“Oh, of course.”

My mind briefly wandered elsewhere.

Past connections are just events of the past; why reminisce about something so nostalgic?

“Well then, can you tell me what the meaning of that yellow star is? I just explained it.”

The saint pointed at a yellow star with precision.

It seems evident that I gave away my lack of attention while she earnestly shared her story.

But can such coincidences really be just mere chance?

Coincidentally, that star happened to be the only one I truly understood the significance of.

“Pure love… right?”

“…Yes. hehehe, you were listening well.”

She laughed like a fool.

I, too, foolishly smiled back at her.

“It seems the saint really likes stars. Wanting to see them from the observatory late at night.”

“Well, that’s one reason… When I was young, I believed that coming to the highest point in the empire would allow me to meet the deity in the sky.”

Amelia gazed at the sky for a moment in silence.

Her eyes, fixed on the stars, revealed a warmth yet an endless sadness somewhere within.

Who doesn’t have a story?

She, too, undoubtedly gazes at that star with some tale in her heart.

I followed her gaze towards the sky.

In that hazy sky, I pondered my past connections and closed my eyes.

“Ah… Father Ivan…”

Amelia, who was watching the stars with me, suddenly clutched her knee.

“Saint! Are you okay?”

The saint, seated on the floor as if moaning in agony, caught my concern.

She raised her eyes, moist with tears, towards me.

“It hurts, Father… the curse… it hurts so much…”

“…….I will treat it, so please wait.”

Even though the pain after curing the curse still lingered vividly,

I felt uneasy seeing her disheveled appearance with tears streaming down.

“W-Well then, please…”

The saint cautiously lifted the hem of her robe.

And she spread her thighs… huh?

Why is she spreading her thighs?

As the saint opened her own thighs, an astonishing sight unfolded before my eyes.

‘Oh, my goodness! This is outrageous!’

Clear markings of the curse were inscribed in a sensitive area.

Um… the exact location is right next to the thighs… and there are two of them…

I covered my flushed face with my hand and peered through my fingers at those things.

“Father Ivan… you’re not going to treat it…?”

“Well, you see… Saint? Why did the traces of the curse slightly… no, quite extensively rise? And the marks are even divided into two…?”

Certainly, just a few days ago when I treated her, it was mostly higher up on the knee.

Why is it so difficult to treat, and why are they side by side like that…

“I don’t know… please, just treat it…”

Since you requested treatment, it’s only natural that I provide it.

I approached the saint slowly.

And, squatting in front of her awkwardly crossed legs…

“I offer this body and soul to my deity, the mother of the earth. Please revive the lamb once more…”

I held the saint’s shoulders and performed the treatment.

“Uh… What are you doing?”

“I treated you, didn’t I?”

“Yes…? You didn’t touch the curse, but it’s healed…?”

“Oh, yes. The effectiveness might be diminished, but the treatment is definitely done.”

Such a statement was written in the description of the skill Absolute Healing.

The closer the hand is to the injured area, the greater the effect of Absolute Healing.

In other words, even if the hand is far from the injured area, the treatment is still done.

Despite having the title of a priest, I am still just a male.

It’s an exciting situation when an enchanting opposite s*x is in such a state in front of me, but touching… that part is a bit…

No matter how professional I am as a healer, I don’t think I can maintain the restraint of the opposite s*x, so I treated it in a different way.

“Isn’t it bad if the treatment effect diminishes?”

“Well… I haven’t felt much of a difference until now, but would you like to check? I’m a bit uncomfortable, though…”

The saint looked down at her own thighs.

“It really worked…”

Fortunately, the treatment was a success.

Then, there’s one remaining question.

‘Why doesn’t it hurt at all?’

Just like before, treating the saintess and not feeling the same pain as her was perplexing.

“Sigh… My head hurts. I shouldn’t have worried about it.”

Thinking it was for the best, I reached out to the fallen saintess.

“Can you stand up?”

The saintess hesitated to take my hand.

“Why?”

“Oh, it’s just… My legs are weak, so I can’t get up.”

“Maybe… Can Brother Ivan carry me?”

Before she could get permission, she reached out her arms for me to lift her.

Well, there’s no better option, so I have to carry her.

Silently, I lifted the saintess onto my back.

I thought about offering to carry her like a princess, but being naturally frail, Brother Ivan wouldn’t be able to bear even the lightest weight, so I carried her on my back.

I felt a soft sensation against my back and the saintess’s skin, but I recited a prayer and carried the saintess back to the monastery.

At the monastery’s entrance, the saintess got off my back.

“It looks odd if the two of us go in together.”

Though she still seemed tired, I didn’t want anyone to misunderstand, so I watched her enter the monastery first.

“See you next time, Brother Ivan.”

She smiled and bid farewell.

“Yes. Rest well.”

I returned the greeting with a smile.