Chapter 84 - Free At Last

“…Then you intend on hiding everything? What do you stand to gain from this, Sister?”

“I don’t think that’s something a priest should say. Isn’t it a recommended virtue for a religious person to not announce their sacrifice to others or something?” I laughed despite myself as August questioned me in disbelief.

The priest shook his head gravely. “It is a sin to take sacrifice for granted.”

I didn’t give an inch of ground and also shook my head. “I’m not taking it for granted. I merely think it’s better to keep this matter a secret.”

Mayer seemed plenty grateful to me already. I didn’t know how much it would help by making him feel more indebted, hence why I felt it necessary to keep the secret. The captain was concerned enough about my safety as it was. After all, I was a necessary “part” to defeat the demon lord. He already flared up if I got the slightest injury; if the man found out he had hurt me himself… With him being rather sensitive and low in self-esteem, I couldn’t imagine what he’d think and do in that case.

In the end, it would only bring trouble. Mayer Knox couldn’t be told of what I did, and nor did he need to. And August hadn’t needed to know anything about this either. “Anyway… The captain mustn’t know. Do you understand, Reverend?” I told him firmly.

“However…” he hesitated.

“The same with the secret about the captain’s mana. I would like for you to keep mum about today’s conversation to him, and everyone else, of course.”

August fixed his gray eyes on me and silence fell around us. After a long moment, he sighed and nodded, seeing that I wasn’t backing down in the least. “I understand.”

I smiled. “Thank you. I’ll trust you on that then.”

It was a relief that I managed to solve this emergency. I didn’t know what I was doing because of Mayer Knox, and I couldn’t help but shake my head. Still, I comforted myself with the thought that being useful was better than being of no help at all.

Act 6: Memorial Service

There was merit to August finding out what was going on: I could get immediate treatment without having to think up any more excuses. After expanding Mayer’s mana circuit, I didn’t head straight to my bedroom. Instead, I barely managed to drag my battered body over to a dark corner near the monastery. “Oh, you were here already.”

“…It will not do to keep a patient waiting, after all.” August cast a disapproving look at me, but he healed me without saying much. His holy power passed through my body, virtually returning me to the healthy state I was in before going to Mayer. I swung my arms around, feeling amazed. They were painless and fine. “I’ll be sleeping soundly thanks to you.”

“Glad to hear.”

“Haaahm… Then I’ll be getting some sleep. See you later.”

“Rest well.”

Before, I had always groaned in my sleep on days I met Mayer, but now I could sleep no different than usual. That alone felt like a good start to my day and my footsteps grew lighter by themselves. This was why sleep quality had such importance in life. But it wasn’t all good things. Like how August noticed me going in and out of Mayer’s bedroom, it was impossible to hide my secret meetings with the priest. Somebody must have found out as rumors began to spread of August and me secretly meeting each other.

“Now it’s Reverend August after His Excellency? What part of her attracted them…? Unbelievable!”

“Word around is that someone saw it with their own eyes. They were holding a rendezvous in a secret part in the garden at dawn or something.”

“Really?”

I didn’t expect our meeting place to be the typical rendezvous spot near the garden for couples. And they say if you’re unlucky, you’d break your nose falling backward… I softly clicked my tongue. Priests weren’t obligated to be chaste or anything in this world, but that didn’t mean that being part of such gossip was a good thing. It didn’t take long for the rumors to reach the ears of the person in question. August looked dismayed at hearing about it. “So, this is how rumors spread.”

“How do you feel after experiencing it?”

“Not very good.”

“Right?” I shrugged with a giggle. “Cheer up. Axion says they’ll go away if you ignore them, but in my experience, it’s like a mark that’s hard to get rid of. That alone will fuel the rumors.”

“How can you be so calm, Sister?”

“Is that how I look? No, this is me having given up. Resigned.”