I Became a Fake Priest the Saintess Is Obsessed With

37 – Betrayal

The Saint, seemingly frightened by Lesia’s chilly tone, hid behind me to my left.

I want to say something, but even someone like me would find it intimidating when a woman, meeting for the first time, approaches with a cold expression and icy words. I understand.

Here, it’s appropriate for Lesia and me, a spherical being, to step forward.

“Our Saint wanted to explore the palace. Concerned for her safety, I accompanied her.”

“I see. Please don’t get lost in the complexity of the palace.”

Resia, who appeared dignified, withdrew with just a few words.

Isn’t it obvious from the start?

Resia is also an outsider; she probably can’t stop us from wandering around the palace.

Resia may seem cold, but she has an eccentric side.

Perhaps she just asked out of curiosity about what we are up to.

Resia smoothly passed by the intersection of the corridor, where the Saint and I stood, and stopped.

And

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“…”

She just alternately looked at the two paths ahead.

…Surely, she didn’t lose her way, did she?

“Um… Are you planning to go somewhere?”

“I’m going to the lobby. That’s it.”

Resia said she’s heading to the lobby and proceeded towards the path leading to the garden.

Ah, she really did lose her way.

She has always been bad with directions, and it seems she still struggles to find her way.

“Wait!”

I called out loudly, stopping Resia before she could go any further.

“Why are you doing this?”

“We happen to be going to the lobby as well. It would be good to go together, don’t you think, Saint?”

“Ah, yes…”

The two of us were wandering aimlessly without any destination in mind.

We were leisurely sightseeing when we stumbled upon a lost person. It seemed only right to offer help.

But if I were to offer help, Lecia would probably turn it around, saying she was receiving undeserved favor and creating an awkward situation.

Lecia looked back and forth between me and the saint with a puzzled expression.

“Well then, please follow me.”

“No! It’s better for you to follow me since I know the way to the lobby.”

“…Understood. I will follow you.”

Lecia obediently followed my lead, sticking close to my right side.

Before I knew it, I found myself sandwiched between two beauties, Saint Amelia and Lecia.

Hmm… walking like this makes me feel like a troublemaking playboy from a wealthy household.

Some might envy this situation, but as a commoner, it feels a bit uncomfortable for me.

‘…By the way, why does it feel so chilly between the two of them.’

Being sandwiched between Lecia and Saint Amelia, I could sense an unfamiliar coldness.

It’s not the actual temperature dropping, but rather the atmosphere turning icy…

As always, Lecia seemed indifferent.

The saint remained silent, huddled up.

I shouldn’t have casually mentioned my relationship with Lecia to the saint yesterday. It seems to have made Lecia uneasy.

‘It’s not like it’s a big deal, but I guess it’s on her mind.’

In this icy atmosphere, even my footsteps felt frozen.

I decided to quicken my pace as much as possible to get to the lobby.

“Phew… we’re here, everyone.”

Moving as fast as I could, I soon reached the lobby.

“Thank you for guiding us. I wonder how I can repay this favor…”

“Since our destination was the same from the start, it doesn’t matter.”

As expected, Lecia spoke of some favor and told a prepared lie.

Lecia seemed speechless after saying this much.

“Saintess!!!”

At that moment, Dorothy’s voice could be heard from far away.

Dorothy ran at full speed and stopped in front of Lecia.

“Heh… heh… Saintess!”

Dorothy seemed out of breath, probably from running a long distance.

“Why are you doing this, Dorothy?”

“Because the Saintess is so admirable…! It’s the first time you’ve found your way on time for our appointment!”

Oh, I always had to wait for this directionally challenged girl…

I empathized with the girl who had been waiting for Lecia all this time.

“Dorothy, these people helped us find a quick way here.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and this person is the Ivan priest I mentioned.”

“Really?!”

Dorothy’s eyes widened as she looked at me.

“Nice to meet you, Father Ivan! I am Dorothy, the secretary of the senior priest and saint!”

…Senior priest?

This young girl is a senior priest?

A mere child like her is a senior priest?

“Nice to meet you. I am… Father Ivan, a junior… priest…”

The young girl seemed intimidated by the fact that she held the title of senior priest.

I, too, have been promoted quickly, but to think that a child like her holds a higher title than me…

An indescribable sense of inferiority washed over me.

“I know a lot about the saint from listening to her stories! I’m also her benefactor!”

“A benefactor… That’s a bit exaggerated…”

“No! Considering all the troubles the saint has caused and you’ve resolved, you can be called a benefactor!”

“Dorothy.”

“Oops!”

Lecia, who was behind her, gave Dorothy a warning look.

“Ahem…! Anyway, I really admire you, Father!”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“Yes! I’ve admired you even before becoming a priest, just by hearing about your reputation!”

The girl’s eyes sparkled.

“Thank you for your kindness. But… what kind of reputation have you heard about me…”

I heard rumors that it might be about my time working in the frontline village.

I’ve solved many incidents here too, but I don’t boast around like I used to in the old days, so the rumors haven’t spread yet.

But… my rumors from the frontline days were so diverse that I don’t know what this young lady might have heard.

They’re all good rumors, but there are also many greatly exaggerated ones…

“I’ve heard various stories about the priest, but I particularly like the one about treating the chief inspector!”

Wait, the chief inspector…? That’s the most exaggerated story that spread the most!

“The explosion, smoke, and screams echoing in the frontline. When there were numerous soldiers’ corpses and casualties there, the priest calmly appeared on the battlefield to treat them. And while treating the chief inspector who had collapsed, the priest said, ‘It’s just a natural thing I did according to my mother’s teachings…'”

“Stop!!! Stop it!!!”

“hahahaha! The novel that depicted the romance between a man and a woman and the devastation of war was so touching!”

“I said stop it!!!”

“Oh, yes?”

I just couldn’t listen to Dorothy’s words pouring down like a torrent.

It’s cringeworthy.

It’s just too cringeworthy…!

If it were an ordinary story, it would sound like just another heroic tale, but thinking that I’m the protagonist of that story, I just can’t bear it.

And what’s with this novel thing?

Which crazy author exaggerated and wrote my story like that…!

“You’re amazing, Priest…! You did such a thing…!”

“Truly amazing! Every time I hear the priest’s story, how much my heart swells with admiration!”

“Stop it…”

“Please stop, Dorothy. The priest seems very embarrassed.”

“W-Really? It seems embarrassing to hear your own story from someone else…”

Fortunately, Dorothy stopped revealing dreadful stories under Lesia’s sanctions.

“Anyway, after hearing the priest’s story, I wanted to join the Earth Mother Church! But the Archdeacon strongly recommended the Celestial Church, so…”

“No need to be disappointed, Dorothy. In terms of welfare, the Celestial Church is much better than the Earth Mother Church…”

[The goddess is giving you a disapproving look]

“…Ahem! It’s because the Archdeacon has a great plan that he sent Dorothy to the Celestial Church.”

Due to the goddess giving real-time hints, Dorothy couldn’t be informed about the reality of the Earth Mother Church.

In fact, since she was already a high-ranking priestess in the Celestial Church, Dorothy couldn’t come to the Earth Mother Church.

Meanwhile, explaining the shortcomings of the Earth Mother Church would only be like cursing our company, so let’s stop.

“That’s right, isn’t it…? Oh, right! The meeting just ended! The Archdeacon said that Vlad Pierre Gong has something important to say, so everyone, let’s gather in the lobby!”

After saying that, Dorothy rushed to the lobby.

We followed her.

As Dorothy said, the meeting seemed to be over, and all the high-ranking officials who participated were gathered in the lobby.

While most of the religious people were in their respective places, only the clowns were standing in the center of the lobby.

“hehehe! Everyone’s gathered with this!”

The clown with the most glamorous clothes among them looked at us and smiled.

“Nice to meet you! I am Niad’s first clown, Vlad Pierre!”

“The reason I gathered you all today is not only for a big announcement but also to show you a show!”

“Curious, aren’t you?! Very curious, right?! hehehehe! Then, shall we proceed with the announcement without further ado?”

Pierre heated up the atmosphere among the audience with exaggerated speech and absurd behavior.

Perhaps he did it to set the mood for the upcoming presentation.

His subsequent words were truly shocking.

“Our Nia’s jesters have formally withdrawn from all seven religions and pledged allegiance to the Demon Lord’s army! Shall we begin the show?”

As Pierre finished speaking, black smoke rose, obscuring everyone’s view.

Amidst the confusion, laughter from the jesters echoed from various places.