I Will Not Fall For the Villain’s Flirtations - Chapter 3 Part 2

Once again, I became resentful towards myself. Then a warm touch was felt on my shoulder.

“Life in the temple must still be unfamiliar to you. It must be tough, but endure a little more.”

“…….”

Hello, are you an angel?

If only you weren’t the male lead, I would have tried to impress you somehow.

I noticed earlier that Prim’s personality didn’t seem very good, but, Sir Knight, are you sure that child was the best choice?

“T-Thank you.”

I was holding back the tears of emotion, trying to restrain my overwhelmed heart. Unfortunately, the scent of his perfume passed through my nose, stirring up my calmness.

“Ugh.”

“…….”

That wretched nausea came back again.

In my confusion, I hastily blocked my mouth, and Peidos’s surprised face caught my eye.

Since it’s embarrassing, can you please stop looking at me like that?

My insides were roaring like a sea amidst a typhoon. In front of Sir Knight, I held onto the belief that I couldn’t pour it out as much as I could.

“Ugh.”

Once again, when I was in a critical situation, a palm suddenly pushed against my face.

“…….”

Wait a minute, Sir Knight. Are you offering your hand now?

Perhaps it was an unconscious action, but Sir Peidos’s eyes were also wide, not inferior to mine.

“Please…take it back.”

“What?”

“Your hand! The scent….”

As I spoke, the nausea became unbearable, and I ended up covering my mouth with both hands.

No, this man is really… What if I vomit there!

Besides, because the perfume was applied to the inside of the wrists, the scent was forcibly entering. Usually, it would have been a pleasant perfume-like scent that I could have accepted, but now, in my disturbed state, I could keenly perceive even the slightest smell.

“I-I’m sorry.”

After mentioning the perfume, his face noticeably paled. He seemed so startled that he even stumbled on his words.

Ah, Sir Knight, I didn’t mean to hurt you like this.

I wanted to say that I didn’t mean it, but I feared that I might show a sight that he shouldn’t see as soon as I pulled my hand away. While covered in cold sweat, I pondered how to overcome this crisis, and then Sir Peidos opened his mouth.

“There’s a room nearby. Go and bring something back…”

As he turned his back, I moved as far away from him as possible, terrified. And then, while praying, I did my best to calm my inner turmoil.

Fortunately, it worked. I was hoping that it would end like this, but as the restless waves gradually subsided, the calmness returned.

And thanks to that, when Sir Peidos reappeared, I could meet him with a considerable amount of composure.

“Here.”

Upon seeing the wooden basket he was offering, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that my condition had finally improved.

If I had fallen, I wouldn’t have been able to see the priest’s face forever.

Smiling, I looked up at him.

“Thank you. I’m better now.”

“Really? That’s good.”

Even his neatly combed silver hair looked disheveled. I felt a pang in my chest, truly appreciating his hard work.

“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

“No, there have been others like you before.”

His words sounded reassuring. It seemed that there were always groups of people who would rebel every year.

“Just in case, I’ll leave it here. Use it if you need to.”

After placing the basket on a flat area of the statue’s pedestal, he said. I nodded in response, suppressing my complicated feelings.

Why is he so kind-hearted? This man.

“Very well, then.”

“Please take care.”

Watching him leave, I pondered.

It’s really frustrating not that I’m not the protagonist.

* * *

The temple was turned upside down.

Although it had only been a month since I started working here as a novitiate, I had always thought of the temple as a solemn and quiet place. I felt the same way, even when I entered the temple as a simple believer.

Sometimes it was so quiet that it became truly boring. Apart from training sessions, there was no need to make loud noises and to preserve our dignity as a priest, running was very rare.

That’s how it used to be.

“Father! Father!”

“Sir Rota!”

“Have you met His Holiness?”

Now both the novitiates and the high-ranking priests were running around, shouting without distinction. It was a scene reminiscent of a war or something.

It was surely quiet during the mass, and now there’s this commotion as soon as it’s over.

While watching the people bustle around with the Bible in my arms, a familiar redhead caught my eye. I waved my hand and called her over as she emerged from the chapel.

“Leila!”

Today was a day of morning prayers. Leila stayed out overnight, so we couldn’t meet before this.

“Du!”

Leila recognized me and hastened her steps. When she got closer, I immediately asked, as if I had been waiting.

“What’s all this about? Have you heard anything?”

“Oh, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

She also didn’t know anything. With a disappointed feeling, she scratched her nose, and someone suddenly pushed their face.

“I know.”

“Oh, damn it, you scared me!”

Leila exclaimed angrily and jumped back. The man who intervened in our conversation looked at her and stuck out his tongue.

“Uh-huh, what’s with your way of speaking, priest.”

“Oh, come on, Father, you scared her.”

With a mischievous smile, Johan chuckled at Leila’s surprised reaction.

I became acquainted with Johan when we participated in a volunteer activity some time ago. It was about distributing free food to the poor, and he took on the role of leading our trainees there.

Johan, with his amiable facial features, was skilled at making playful jokes. This greatly helped the novitiates, who had been distant from each other, become close.

Thanks to that, my number of friends increased somewhat. Including Johan.

“So, what’s the reason for this commotion?”

Ahem. Johan unnecessarily cleared his throat and coughed. After making an exaggerated look around, he lowered his head towards us and whispered.

“The holy relic has disappeared.”

“…What?”

“More precisely, it was stolen.”

“Wow.”

Both Leila and I’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

The holy relic was no ordinary treasure. It was nothing less than the foundation that protected the Holy Kingdom.

If we were to mention the biggest contribution the Holy Kingdom made to influencing the entire continent, it would undoubtedly be the barrier.

The barrier, created by holy power, boasted perfect defensive power, making it impossible for enemy forces to invade recklessly. This element also provided the Holy Kingdom with an overwhelmingly advantageous position in times of war.

And what maintained that barrier was none other than the relic. The Sacred Kingdom possessed a total of ten relics, and even one was enough to sustain the barrier, but the fewer the number, the weaker the intensity became.

And now, one of those important relics is missing.

“Could it be the Magic Tower?”

“Perhaps that’s the case.”

Shortly after they declared war on the Magic Tower, the Holy Kingdom lost three relics to them. Since then, their intrusions became more frequent, and attacks on the territories loyal to the Pope also occurred from time to time.

There was a high probability that Magic Tower was involved in this recent theft as well.

“Haa, damn them. They’re quite impressive. How did they manage to take even what was in the Grand Temple?”

“That’s what I’m saying. We thought it was the safest place.”

Originally, the holy relics were stored in different dioceses. However, when the second one was stolen by the Magic Tower, the Pope ordered that more than half of the relics be kept in the Grand Temple, which has the highest level of security.

As I listened to Leila and Johan’s conversation, I involuntarily lowered my head.

There was only one person who occupied my mind since the word Magic Tower was mentioned.

[Um… Who are you?]

[I came because I have some business.]

…Keene, were you really a spy for Magic Tower?

* * *

It was originally time for a homily, but I skipped it.

The topic for today’s homily was given to a regular priest, not a Stella, so I wasn’t particularly interested in it. This is why I confidently decided not to attend.

The reason I made an unexpected move before the ordination examination was to find Keene.

Looking back, the last time I saw him was two days ago.

[Du, do you remember confessing to me when you were drunk?]

[If you keep lying, your nose will grow longer.]

Occasionally, he would come and tickle my ears with nonsense. As a result, I developed the skill of half-listening and responding insincerely.

What’s unfair is that while he just suddenly appears when it’s convenient for him, I have no means of finding him. I have no idea where to start searching.

“Could he be in here?”

If I recall correctly, he used teleportation when going to the restaurant. In other words, he could freely enter and exit the temple. I don’t know how he managed it.

“Teleportation is forbidden in the temple.”

Certainly, he couldn’t have used it from the beginning.

Considering that on the day I first met him, I saw him using the magic circle with me, there was no doubt that he must have done something suspicious since coming here.

“Which makes him more likely to be the culprit.”

I was originally already suspicious, but various circumstances were pointing to him.

Quietly coming alone, and effortlessly executing advanced magic that is impossible to operate without a superior.

It was too obvious to deny any longer, especially since the holy relic had been stolen. He was truly a bad and dangerous guy.

“…It’s not much different from my previous assumptions, though.”

Despite planting something strange in me and threatening me, I secretly wanted to believe in him. He may be annoying, but he is not someone who would cause harm.

I was the one who brought him into the temple unintentionally, so maybe I’m just trying to think that way to ease my guilt.

Should I… report him?

If I used to overlook things with a clouded view, now was the time to face the truth. If I continue to shield him, I am no different from an accomplice.

I lack faith, patriotism, or any other virtue, but handling a matter of this scale was overwhelming.

But what worries me is…

“After I speak, I won’t suddenly die, right?”

What has he planted in my ear?

I pondered for a long time, fiddling with the culprit, whom I couldn’t casually confront. Unconsciously, I found myself heading towards the Pope’s office.

Johan is the one who showed me the location of the Pope’s office. After assisting the deacon a couple of times, I found out that the office was on the second floor of the secretary’s building.

“But even if I speak…”

Will I truly be forgiven?

In a way, I have been hiding him for an entire month. Nobody knows that I brought him in, so I wonder if I’m just making a nuisance of myself.

Maybe I would even be expelled from the temple.

No, it’s fortunate enough. If it had been deemed a culpable act, nobody could anticipate what kind of punishment would be imposed. It could have resulted not just in disgrace but possibly in digging my own grave.

My already tense body started trembling even more.

“Ah, this doesn’t feel right.”

At that moment, the face of the knight suddenly came to mind. He may be blunt, but he is an unexpectedly kind person.

[Life in the temple must still be unfamiliar to you. It must be tough, but endure a little more.]

The warmth that I felt on my shoulder was still vivid in my mind.

If it’s him, would he understand me?