Karen, awakened out of nowhere, spoke with a face marked by shallower dark circles but stained with tears.
āJonah. You really should become a priest.ā
āI donāt want to.ā
Evangelism. Troublesome.
My refusal came without hesitation, just like when I cursed the One Who Devours the Twilight.
Karenās faith-filled gaze wavered.
āPlease reconsider. Iām not saying you should become an inquisitor like me.ā
āI still donāt want to. Itās bothersome to live by complex doctrines, and Iām not kind enough to live helping others. And, above all, to start now as an apprentice priestā¦ Absolutely not. I have things I need to do with that time.ā
The epitome of an immature response, yet entirely sincere. People of the Pan Continent, who lived as if the existence of God and religion were a given, might not understandā¦
But to me, coming from a non-religious background on Earth, priesthood was hardly an appealing profession.
Above all, I did not want a job closely associated with the Goddess of Love. Regardless of my fondness for her, the truth was that it felt unsettling.
Imagine this: one day, you write a novel, and one of the characters grabs you by the hair and drags you into the book.
How terrifying and horrific that would be. Itās as if writers werenāt already prone to balding. Well, of course, I had a full head of hair!
After hearing my explanation, Karen nodded, then tightly grasped my hand.
She clung to me earnestly, in the same posture she had while devoutly praying, making me waver for a moment.
As I blankly looked down at her, Karen continued in a confident voice.
āThe doctrine is essentially a guide to understanding the teachings bestowed by the Goddess. Itās an unnecessary formality for someone like Jonah, who already understands and practices the will of the Goddess.ā
āEh.ā
āThereās no need to go out of your way to help others or to live a good life. Compassion is a form of love, but itās not the only form of love. You must know this well since youāve received distributions. Itās always those same people at the distribution. Itās because only those who are committed to compassion get involved in the distribution at the temple.ā
āIt wasnāt because they were demotedā¦?ā
āThereās no need to start over as an apprentice priest either. With my recommendation letter, you can become an official priest after just the basic training. I donāt know what you plan to do, but having the title of a priest wonāt be a disadvantage.ā
āBeing a priest isnāt some kind of certificationā¦.ā
Itās not a certification, but she had a point. In this world, being a priest was a sort of guarantee that the person had passed the basic test of character and had received some form of education.
Yet, despite all those merits, I still didnāt want to get involved with the goddess.
Maybe later, but not yet. It wasnāt the right time.
So, once again, I sent a plea for help with my eyes to Ellie and Lydia. Since she was holding my hands, it wasnāt possible to hide behind someone like before.
āā¦Uh.ā
Ellie, frozen by the sudden change in situation, finally snapped back to reality. On the other hand, Lydia wasā¦
āNobilityā¦Revengeā¦One Who Devours the Twilightā¦Twisted emotions. Goddessā¦But despite all that, in the endā¦.ā
It was hard to urge her because she was muttering something seriously to herself.
Why was she acting like that all of a sudden? I donāt know why, but Lydia seems to have broken down, too.
While I sighed inwardly, Ellie quickly approached and grabbed Karenās hand, pulling it away.
āStop it. Jonah said he doesnāt like it.ā
āBut didnāt you just see? This person must walk the path of a priest!ā
āAll I see is a grown woman forcing a young boy against his will.ā
āOhā¦.ā
Only then did Karen, seemingly a bit calmer, let go of my hand. I immediately hid behind Ellie, peeking just my head out.
āThank you for the offer, but I have things I must do.ā
āā¦Is that so? May I ask what they are?ā
āOf course. First, I owe something to Ellie and Miss Lydia, so I need to repay that.ā
āIf itās money, I can pay it off for you.ā
āNo. Itās important that I repay it myself. In Ellieās case, itās the kind of debt that canāt be repaid with money.ā
āWhat kind of debt is it that you speak of?ā
Karen was puzzled. Ellie, too, initially tilted her head in confusion but soon straightened her ears and tail as if she had understood.
ā¦Iām not sure what sheās thinking, but that seemingly significant reaction was helpful. I should make use of it.
Karenās eyes could only see emotion. So, itās more important to harbor the right emotions than to tell a clever lie.
I subtly lowered my eyes and set my emotions. What came to mind were the jokes we often shared between us. And then, a bit of sincerity.
Relief towards the first trustworthy person I met in this world. The kindness I received when I was at my lowest. With all these feelings of gratitude, I opened my mouth.
āActuallyā¦when I was having a tough time, I received a lot of help from Ellie. Even now, Iām living in Ellieās house for cheap, getting meals, enjoying various conveniences, and she even put in a request to Miss Lydia to train me as an adventurerā¦.ā
āLydia?! You told that to Jonah?ā
āTempleā¦conflictā¦knightā¦oath is absoluteā¦even voluntaryā¦.ā
Of course, Lydia was still out of it, so she couldnāt hear Ellieās voice.
Karen glanced over the two and nodded.
āSheās a good person.ā
āRight. So, I gave it a lot of thought. How could I repay this kindness? And you know what Ellie saidā¦?ā
I trailed off, looking at Ellie as if to check if it was really okay to say it.
Of course, Ellie, who hadnāt received any hint, just stared blankly back at us.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I whispered as if sharing a secret.
āShe said not to worry because she would make me repay with my body when I grow up. I also thought that seemed fine, so I said okay.ā
āā¦Pardon?ā
āI said thatā¦?ā
Karenās head was tilted as if she couldnāt understand what she had just heard, and Ellie seemed genuinely flustered.
Before Ellie could explain, I quickly added,
āIām sorry. I already belong to Ellie, so I cannot return to the embrace of the goddess.ā
āā¦ā¦!ā
Karenās eyes widened as if struck by lightning. Then, she slowly turned to look at Ellie.
āWhat, what! Itās not like that! Hey, Jonah! Why are you suddenly saying weird things?! Youāre causing a misunderstanding!ā
Her yellow eyes wavered aimlessly, and her tail drooped.
Though I donāt possess holy abilities like Karen, I could still understand what Ellie was feeling right now.
Panic. And anxiety.
The typical reaction of someone caught doing something wrong.
Karenās expression twisted in various ways before she glanced at me and sighed.
āā¦I understand for now. You have a great debt on your mind and wish to focus on that, right?ā
āYes!ā
āThen, I will step back for nowā¦but remember, my offer always stands.ā
Karen nodded her head and pulled out a small heart-shaped ornament from her bosom. Seeing how the silver was so shiny, it looked quite expensive.
āCarry this with you, and if you mention my name at the temple, you will receive the treatment you rightfully deserve.ā
āThank you! Iām not sure if Iāll use it, but Iāll cherish it!ā
āā¦Thatās enough.ā
With a troubled expression, Karen called to Ian, who was clutching his head, trying to understand the current situation.
āIan. The mission is over, so weāll be returning. We canāt afford any more delays, especially with so much to do.ā
āBut, butā¦ā
āNo buts. Letās go.ā
āā¦Yes, maāam.ā
Reluctantly following Karen, Ian turned around once more and then bowed his head.
As I waved to them lightly, it wasnāt long before they disappeared into the crowd.
Yes. Even though Ellie suddenly became trash who leashed up a pretty-faced orphan and raised them with gaslighting!
Even though I became a pitiful victim who was tricked and fell for Ellie!
Anyway, I succeeded in warding off what would have been seriously persistent evangelism.
I guess they saw something similar to the qualities of a priest in the way I faced the worldā¦
But it wasnāt like matters of the world could be resolved with talent alone. Effort was required for results to emerge.
In the case of a priest, that was faith. And faith, after all, came from sincerity.
Whether itās about qualities or whatever, I had to have stepped back because I felt I couldnāt sincerely accept the goddess yet.
Of course, she probably hadnāt completely given up. I donāt know what sort of enlightenment she gained, but Karen suddenly awakened something, hadnāt she?
Having experienced something directly and having seen something, she might cling quite persistently.
For exampleā¦ instead of changing the route and directly taking me to the temple, she might try to recruit me by gradually winning over my heart.
Well. Even if thatās the case, that would be a matter for later! Right now, I should just enjoy the freedom from escaping such annoying matters!
āGreat for you, Ellie! Itās a relief that you donāt have to send me away to the temple, right?ā
āā¦Considering that Iāve sacrificed my social reputation, I donāt really feel like Iāve gained anything.ā
āHey! How can you say you gained nothing? You got me, Jonah, didnāt you? Thatās definitely a profitable deal!ā
āIt was forced onto meā¦!ā
Ellie sobbed slightly.