The Half-Puny Priest Hopes To Retire

185 – Smile

I almost died.

Physically, mentally and socially.

No matter how inseparably life and death are, there is that degree.

I think the death that has been weighing on my life is much harsher than that of others.

It was a time these days when I couldn’t easily shake off such reasonable doubts.

”I’m sorry…”

Apis apologized to me in a rare, timid tone.

For a person who had almost cut off another person’s bond forever just a little while ago, he didn’t seem a bit bold.

Seeing Apis, who had such strong pride that he could walk while looking at the sky even when he fell down, was so hesitant, the anger I was about to get out of him went away.

”Are you okay. Apis. It was a situation that could have been misunderstood by anyone…”

”No, I’m really sorry…”

Did I feel something uneasy about my blank gaze looking somewhere far away, not here?

The embarrassment oozed from Apis’ words and actions became even more evident than before.

”It’s really okay. Torn clothes are a rare occurrence even when adventuring, and now it’s no big deal. So, you don’t have to take it to heart too much.”

”Well, still…”

It was sincerity without any impurities.

A fire spirit inadvertently summoned by Apis, who had a severe misunderstanding from the suspicious conversation between me and the hero.

The fire of anger that completely destroyed all of my clothes had to be seen as some kind of accident.

Of course, it was a very bitter memory to see my body caught up in an unexpected explosion, thrown out the window, and briefly displayed in the street as passers-by passed by.

There is nothing more unproductive than arguing about things that have already passed, so if you wanted to live, you had to overcome this pain and move forward.

What? Why are there tears?

”Turn it off!”

”!?”

As I hurriedly stopped the crying that suddenly rose up, Apis’ eyes, which were looking at me, suddenly became confused.

Fortunately, the tragedy of my naked body being exposed to the street for a long time was prevented thanks to the warrior quickly finding a blanket to cover my body.

However, the fact that a priest who was supposed to pursue chastity showed himself to the crowd as he was born was more than enough to send deep despair into my thoughts.

I can still see their cold gaze towards me.

When I hurriedly covered the child’s shining eyes with curiosity and looked at the face of an unknown mother who was looking at me like I was a bug on the street, I inadvertently cursed the world.

”Hold on to your worries! Father! I had the faces of all the passers-by there in my head! If you want, do it right now! I will personally erase their memories!”

”Uh, really? Is that possible?”

”Sure! Apis! A new technology developed to prevent something like this from happening! Hero chook! With this secret, you can erase specific memories as you wish, no matter who the opponent is!”

”What’s the principle of that…”

”Beat the target with a sharp sword until they lose their head!”

”·····”

”I’ve tested it several times with Big Team, so it’s definitely effective!”

Apis suddenly turned away from the hero, as if he had heard something not even worth responding to.

I just didn’t have time to express my thoughts in words, and my intentions were not much different from Apis’s.

”Would you like to walk around the city naked right now!? That’s what you do! How about it!”

”No, you don’t need to do that… I’m really okay… I’m fine…”

”Then go, do you want to touch my breasts? I’ve heard that human men quickly get angry when they touch a woman’s breasts!”

”What! Is that really true! Apis! Father! That role! Please leave it to me! Just to add, I’m about twice as big as Apis! I’m sure because I compared them all together in the bathroom the other day!”

”Ah! Warrior! You look a little salty!”

I must have looked quite pitiful as I covered my face with my hands and shook my shoulders like a girl lost in love.

There was no end in sight to Apis’ comforting words.

However, I was reluctant to take out my anger on Apis, as it would have been a mistake for a long time even if the street address was wrong.

The person who deserves to be condemned for that crime here and now is not Apis, who made a severe misunderstanding, but someone else who provided a situation that allowed for such a misunderstanding.

”Let’s talk once we arrive at the accommodation. We…”

”Ah, okay…”

”Huh! That means! Are you saying you plan to touch me calmly at your accommodation? All right! We’ll get it ready soon!”

I listened to the warrior’s stern remarks, which would only increase my fatigue if I responded carelessly, and brushed them aside, briefly adjusting the old sword he was holding tightly in his hand.

”Tsk, tsk, what’s going on with young people these days…”

Leaving behind the sighing words occasionally muttered by passers-by who were watching our dizzying conversation from afar.

◈◈◈

”Hmph!”

Come on!

The first person to welcome me when I arrived at the accommodation was the saint.

As soon as my heavy steps entered the dormitory door, the agile figure that quickly kicked open the door and rushed towards me reminded me of a cat that had captured its prey.

It was a good thing that I stopped by a clothing store along the way and changed into proper clothes.

The sight of an adult man embracing a beautiful woman, covering himself with only an old mat, must have been an uncomfortable picture in many ways.

”Huh!”

”I’m sorry. Wellna. Oppa, you’re really late…?”

Boom!

As soon as her words left her mouth, she stamped her foot.

Seeing how he expresses his emotions to me through actions instead of words, it looks like he’s a little sulky.

However, the feeling coming from the slender arm his tightly wrapped around my waist seemed to be a little more of relief than resentment.

”Are you hurt anywhere?”

”·····”

Nod.

I patted her head gently and checked on her well-being for a moment.

This time too, all I got back was a faint nod digging into my abdomen, but really, that was enough for now.

For me, who had always been reminded of the image of the saintess trying to protect her child who was caught in a fierce slash, I was just glad to see that she was safe and without any injuries.

”Hey, are you by any chance one of his companions ”

”·····?”

It was right then.

An elderly woman holding a small child in her arms suddenly narrowed the distance towards us.

”Excuse me, but who are you…”

”Oh, I’m not a suspicious person. I just want to say thank you for saving my child’s life…”

”Yes?”

My eyes suddenly opened wide.

It was shocking enough that the saint, who was no one else, was able to communicate properly with anyone else than me and her nun.

What shocked me the most was the absurd story the woman told me.

”I wondered what would happen if lightning suddenly struck here. She saved a day thanks to him treating all the wounded in her quarters. I don’t know what would have happened to my child if it weren’t for his help her her her. ”

I was momentarily dumbfounded by the series of unbelievable realities.

Even though I saw it clearly with my own two eyes, the sight that made me doubt my eyes and memory for a while was indeed not in vain.

The saintess who always wanted to fight with me tried to protect her stranger’s child, even to the point of throwing herself away from her.

She even treated her wounded her out of her own volition, without my asking her her.

An independence that is unimaginable from the mechanical behavior we have seen so far.

When I came to my senses, my mouth was already wide open due to the strong shock.

”Huh?”

”Well done! Well done! Wellna!”

”─!?”

I lifted the saintly woman who was in my arms and held her in her arms.

It was because she couldn’t think of any other way to control the overwhelming emotion welling up in her heart.

I didn’t even care what kind of repercussions my actions would cause.

I was only moved by a strong urge to praise the saint for being the first to do a good deed worthy of praise from others.

”Haha! Anything today! I’ll do anything you ask me to do! Wellna! Just say the word!”

”Really!?”

The car lifted the saintess’s petite body high into the sky and spun around like her merry-go-round.

A fact that had been temporarily put aside in a corner of my consciousness suddenly passed through my mind.

A slight chill that makes your skin tingle.

The eyes that followed the movement suddenly stopped standing tall.

”·····”

The image of the warrior watching the saintly woman who was embraced by me was clearly visible in her eyes.

”Heh.”

·····Why are you smiling?