Chapter 2: The Church II (Climbing with Determination)
“Haah, can’t you understand something so simple?”
Ryuguin shrugged his shoulders with an air of exasperation.
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. It seems a bit too difficult for the ignorant folk of this other world.”
He let out a dramatic sigh, clearly relishing the moment.
“What I mean to say is, ‘My one hour is worth over a hundred million yen.'”
Leaning on the armrest, he wore an exaggerated smug expression, clasping his hands in front of him. His empty gestures and words stirred a bitter feeling within Siesta’s heart, a sudden wave of regret and confusion.
She kept her composure, suppressing her emotions as she calmly stated what needed to be said.
“I fully understand that your time is precious, Hero-sama. However, it would be inappropriate for me to dismiss them since I called for them—”
A vase whizzed past Siesta’s face, shattering with a loud crash. Ryuguin’s face flushed with rage, an alarming shade of red.
“Don’t make me repeat myself, you fool!!”
He shouted, his voice rising in fury.
“Let me leave this instant!!”
He plopped back down into his chair, then suddenly paused, saying, “Wait a moment.”
“Right, let’s see. Fine, keep them waiting. It doesn’t matter how long they wait. In fact, let them wait. If they are loyal, they should be more than happy to wait indefinitely. So first, clean up that vase. Replace the wet carpet with a new one.”
Siesta thought it was absurd that she alone had to deal with such ridiculous tasks for this selfish man.
Thus, she simply replied, “Understood,” and began to clean up the large shards of broken pottery by herself. Ryuguin watched her with a pleased expression, enjoying her compliance.
Yes, yes, this is how it should be. This is it. Everyone should obey my commands! Ah, ah, oh! This is wonderful! Truly wonderful!!
Once again, he felt the rush of euphoria flooding his brain. At that moment, his gaze fell upon Siesta’s voluptuous form as she bent down to clean.
Siesta, was it? Her plain attire had made her easy to overlook, but upon closer inspection, even the glimpse of her features peeking from beneath her wimple was enough to reveal that she was far more exquisite than any noble lady.
And what a sensual figure she had! Even through that frumpy Sister’s outfit, her curves were unmistakably accentuated.
He swallowed hard, a primal urge awakening within him.
“Siesta. Stop what you’re doing and come here.”
He felt his previously heavy body suddenly lighten.
As she stood and approached him in response to his command, he reached out and yanked her wimple off, tossing it aside as if it were trash. Siesta was a beautiful woman with delicate golden hair, distinct from the Saintess. He ran his fingers through her hair, savoring the silky strands, then traced his finger roughly along her plump lips.
“You’re quite something.”
Though he had never practiced restraint since arriving in this world, he felt a brazen urge to declare, “I can’t hold back any longer.”
“Really, you’re something else.”
Siesta emptied her mind of all thoughts. The insensitivity of his hands brushing against her skin and hair ignited a thrill within her, and she struggled to suppress her ragged breaths. She resolved to cast aside the sweetness and fleeting memories that lingered in her heart regarding his crude actions, words, and the entirety of his being.
“There’s a much better place suited for you. A wonderful place! Let’s go! Ah, yes! From now on, you’ll be mine! There’s no greater honor than being owned by me, the Hero!!”
He reached out once more to her hair, bringing a lock close to his nose and inhaling deeply. Ryuguin wore an ecstatic expression, lost in a state of bliss.
“Ah, yes! This is nice! So nice! Ah, ah, ah, ah, ahhh!”
As he repeated incoherent words, he grabbed her arm, attempting to pull her out of the room.
“Excuse me, Hero-sama, if I may interject.”
It was Siesta, her voice devoid of emotion. She halted, waiting for Ryuguin to respond, but continued without his reply. Her icy demeanor bewildered him.
“I was sent here in place of Saintess Mika. My role is to attend to your needs and—protect you.”
“Protect?”
“Exactly. Saintess Mika maintained a robust Barrier around you at all times to ensure you were not threatened by anyone. This has been corroborated by the Cardinal as well. Therefore, rather than enjoying a rendezvous with you, I wish to dedicate myself to the mission of ‘protecting the Hero’ that Saintess Mika has upheld for so long.”
“That can be done while maintaining the Barrier, right? It’s a simple matter.”
Whether he intended to do it or not was irrelevant; it was far from simple. Did he truly believe it was easy, or was he merely speaking out of ignorance? After spending enough time with Siesta, she no longer needed to ponder that.
“That’s not all. While I appreciate your sentiments, I cannot act upon them.”
“We both agreed to this! It shouldn’t matter!”
Though she thought to herself, We never agreed, Siesta kept that to herself.
“I believe we have discussed this multiple times, but if I may reiterate, please calm your heart and listen. As clergy, we dedicate not only our hearts but our very beings to God. Therefore, the moment we engage in the actions you expect of us, we would be stripped of all blessings and abilities from the God we serve.”
Ryuguin grunted, “Ugh!!” His expression clearly showed the struggle between pleasure and his own safety. It was evident that such a choice should never have been on the table. Siesta frowned internally, wondering if she needed to press the point further.
“My abilities may not match those of Saintess Mika, but they are second only to hers. It would be unwise to disregard this, especially considering the increasingly perilous labyrinth explorations ahead. If, by any chance, you were to lose Saintess Mika, it would be prudent to preserve me as a backup.”
Ryuguin clicked his tongue, roughly shoving Siesta aside. She stumbled and fell to the floor, cutting her palm on a shard of broken pottery.
“You must not be popular with the men, huh?”
Not popular? Not maintained? Not liked? Not loved?
Siesta couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.
“You’re quite the eloquent woman. A woman who is truly popular, even if capable, knows how to elevate the men around her without flaunting it.”
His tone was calm, but in an instant, his expression morphed into that of a raging demon.
“Ah! You remind me of something unpleasant!! Now that I think about it, that foolish woman was the same! Always interrupting with her self-important attitude, unable to read the room!!”
He suddenly erupted in anger, breathing heavily as Siesta regarded him with a cold gaze. Eventually, he—
“What’s that? Are you trying to show off your capabilities? Ridiculous! A woman who actively pushes herself into a man’s space is not my type.”
Ryuguin’s face turned crimson as he proclaimed, “How does that feel? Frustrating, isn’t it?”
“Therefore, you are disqualified.”
Ah, so that’s what it meant to be not popular. Siesta felt her heart grow colder still. Ryuguin waved her away dismissively, trying to shoo her out of the room—just then,
“Excuse me!!”
A gruff, middle-aged voice called from beyond the door. The owner of the voice rudely opened the door without waiting for a response.