The Sword and The Dress - V3C5 PART4

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Translator: iveyra | Editor: Ms. Sheepnn
I nodded unconsciously. Come to think of it, what she said makes sense. The other person will like you more if you show your good side. Wait, did I ever show Captain Jullius my good side? Uh…… I don’t think I ever did…… I forced him to lend me his sword; I asked for his food; I extorted some weapons from him; I troubled Ortzen because of our engagement; I made him cry; I bit his neck; and recently, I also forewarned him that I might kidnap and confine him. Now, because of my situation, he is staying up all night in an uncomfortable carriage out there. Whoa… No matter how hard I think about it, I don’t think Captain Jullius will ever love me. This is difficult.

“So… If you love someone, you can’t do something like kidnapping and confining him?”

“Of course not. Even if you don’t love that person, you shouldn’t do that.”

Damn it. I also thought I shouldn’t do it. If only the High Priest hadn’t incited me, I wouldn’t have forewarned Captain Jullius of the kidnapping and the like. What should I do? Should I take my words back?

“… Love is pretty complicated.”

That being said, I thought it would be all right if we stay like this, but I’m getting less and less confident. It looks like everyone else is falling in love except for me. Interesting.

I was trying to stop worrying too much about things I couldn’t answer easily, and was about to sleep, but then I asked one last question.

“Have you ever confessed?”

“Yeah.”

So you have done it! Even though I wasn’t the one who confessed, I swallowed dry saliva unconsciously.

“What… was his answer?”

“Don’t you already know?”

“Yes?”

“The answer that Sir Roel had given many times.”

Her words reminded me of the trivial things in the past that I had forgotten. Obviously, I’d received confessions and turned them down plenty of times by giving a very simple excuse.

“… I can’t because I’m part of a clergy.”

“Yes. The same answer you gave to everyone.”

That’s… I guess so? Because a member of the clergy can’t get married. It was a very reasonable answer that I gave so many times whenever I turned down a confession, but for some reason, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t even know what else to say, so in the end I just lay down without saying anything. Soon after, the lights went out and it became dark. I closed my eyes in the dark, but unlike usual, I couldn’t fall sleep easily.

***

“Sir Roel~”

I felt somewhat bitter as I looked at the High Priest, who came as soon as dawn broke. This was because I couldn’t help but be bothered by last night’s conversation. Actually, people who have unrequited love for the High Priest can be found everywhere, but now, maybe I’m paying attention to them because I’m trying to fall in love. Does this mean I’ve added another problem to my list?

“It’s still early. What’s the matter?”

I glanced at the bathroom where Iner had gone to wash up and the way I spoke was a bit stiff, unlike my usual self. I feel sorry for the High Priest, but it might be better to keep a little distance from now on. After all, I’m not a holy knight anymore, right?

“I have a gift for Sir Roel.”

Despite my chilliness, the High Priest was still smiling as he rummaged through his sleeve. A gift he said. I feel a bit burdened now.

“Ta-da, look at this.”

It was none other than a pure white dagger that the High Priest proudly took out. The simple yet luxurious looking dagger, had a familiar energy in it. I definitely have felt this energy somewhere… Ah!

“It feels exactly like the holy sword Altaria.”

Though, it’s a much smaller dagger and in a completely different shape. At my words, the High Priest smiled as if he was bashful.

“That’s right.”

“… Pardon?”

“I stole a fragment of the broken holy sword.”

“But, are you allowed to do that?!”

Even if he’s the High Priest, isn’t he not allowed to do that? It’s not some random thing: he siphoned off a fragment of the holy sword!

“It’s okay~”

“I don’t think you can do this!”

“It’s all right. The trace of the holy sword’s fragment isn’t that noticeable.”n
No, I mean, I don’t think that’s the problem… The High Priest gave me the dagger that was made of a fragment of the holy sword.

“It’s something that even the Goddess has permitted.”

“… Really?”

“Of course.”

He’s not just anyone, but he’s someone who is not going to lie about the Goddess….. Since he said he had gotten the permission, I accepted the dagger even though I felt uncomfortable inside for now. It’s inferior to the original long sword, but it’s still part of the holy sword. If I have it, it’ll be reassuring, but I wonder if it’s really okay.

“Keep it a secret from others.”

“……. Yes.”

I don’t really trust others anyway. I put the dagger inside my luggage and then I looked at the High Priest. I don’t know if I can ask something like this, but……

“High Priest, have you ever had someone you loved by any chance?”

“For me, the Goddess is my companion.”

“I’m talking about a person, is there no one?”

“There can’t be anyone.”

“How so? Of course I know a priest can’t get married, but still. Even though you can’t get married or date anyone, you can still love someone.”

A person’s heart doesn’t work the way you want it to be. The High Priest tilted his head slightly at my words.

“Umm, that’s right. It’s just like what Sir Roel says. Just because you’re a priest doesn’t mean you don’t have a heart. But I can’t.”

He continued to speak with a kind smile.

“The ostensible reason why a priest can’t marry is because he has devoted everything to the Goddess. But the real reason is different. Because, like Sir Roel said, people have a heart. When you get married and have children, you will inevitably love your own flesh and blood more. The possibility that they will use the power bestowed by the Goddess for personal use is higher.”

“You mean the holy power?”

“Yes. Holy power can be used for good things, but it can also be used for bad things. For that reason, we prevent leakage of the method to use the holy power. Since we can’t force someone to become a priest just because he possesses holy power, we supervise those who are not a priest so that they cannot use holy power properly.”

Certainly, if a priest, especially a high-ranking priest, used his holy power to pursue self-interest, the damage would be greater than that of ordinary people. Although the holy knights use the holy power to make their body stronger, there are some dangerous types of holy spells sometimes.

“Then… doesn’t that mean I can’t leave like this?”

Since Sieg’s holy power is weak, his leaving was no problem, but I’m different. At my words, the High Priest shook his head with a smile on his face.

“It’s okay. Of course, it would be better not to be discovered, but it’s okay. Because you have me.”

“The High Priest?”

“Yes. The same goes for other priests too besides Sir Roel. No matter how high-ranking that priest is, I can stop them. But, it’s just that I’m not eligible to have any relationships. Not me. Sir Roel.”

The High Priest, with both of his hands, wrapped and squeezed my hand.

“When Sir Roel’s corpse returned, I was really sad. If Sir Roel were my own daughter or granddaughter, I would have been sad beyond words and loosed my anger. However, even if I felt that way, I can’t do anything about it. Because there’s no one who can stop me.”

“……”

“That’s why I wasn’t even given a name. Ah, of course I used to have one in the past. Before I became the High Priest.”

… I had never really thought about the High Priest’s name. It was weird, but was it because everyone regarded it as a matter of course?

“… Still, are you fine with that?”

“It’s okay~ since the Goddess is with me. For that reason, the Goddess, who can barely exert her power on earth, speaks directly to the High Priest. It’s okay to devote my whole heart to the Goddess. Therefore, don’t worry, Sir Roel.”

The High Priest patted the back of my hand and then took a step back.

“Sir Roel, please just make sure you return safely.”

“… Don’t worry. This time, everything is going to be fine.”n
The opponent is the Demon King who has lost his mana, meanwhile our force is strong beyond description. This time I will definitely be able to return safely.n
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