Chapter 118 : Chapter 118
Chapter 118: Queen of the Night (2)
It seemed I wasn't the only one who heard the priestess's murmur, as Lily's head also naturally turned in the direction the voice came from.
However, the gazes of the others were still focused on us.
Perhaps for that reason, most of them seemed to have missed the murmur.
“A consultation? …Ah, I see—"
The priestess who came out to greet us was the same.
I didn't know how she interpreted the meaning of my words, but she soon nodded with a benevolent smile, as if she understood.
“Please rest assured. People often visit, so we are used to it.”
She said, with her hands clasped neatly as if to pray for us.
“Those who share a forbidden love with a cleric who must maintain their purity, and come seeking a sanctuary from the judgmental eyes of the world. Almost all of them have been bards.”
It's a bit of a tangent, but what on earth have you all been up to, my fellow bards?
“Lord Arhat always blesses those who share passionate love.”
“…Ye, yes?”
“Rest assured, sister of the Church of Sistina, who has finally opened your eyes to the beauty of love. Here, you may share love to your heart's content, and no one will criticize you.”
“…?! Wh-What on earth…!? Love? We're not like that…!”
As Lily, who finally understood the meaning of her words, frantically waved her hands in strong denial, the priestess tilted her head, still in a prayerful posture.
“You're not…?”
“We're not…!”
After making a face that said, ‘Then why on earth did you come here?’, for a moment, the priestess once again showed a look of sudden realization, “Ah!”.
This time, as if there was no way she could be wrong, she wore a smile that felt somewhat confident.
“Then, a beautiful bard has guided a young flower petal, who was lost and wandering in the wrong teachings that seek to suppress one's true nature, to this Garden of Beauty!”
Her eyes even held a hint of being moved, but of course, this time too, she was completely off the mark.
“As expected, serving an uptight god like Sistina is a difficult thing for succubi like us. You've come to the right place.”
In other words, she understood that they had come to convert.
At that.
“──Absolutely not!”
Suddenly, Lily shouted in a stern voice I had never heard before.
At that spirited cry, not only the priestess who had spoken but also the surrounding priestesses who had been whispering, all flinched.
“Lady Sistina is also, absolutely not someone who should be called that! Please apologize to Lady Sistina at once!”
As the priestesses stood there dumbfounded, Lily shouted once more, as if urging them on.
“At once!”
“Oh… I-I'm sorry….”
Eventually, the priestess, overwhelmed by her spirit, expressed her apology with a slightly frightened look, and Lily's stern expression gradually softened back to its usual gentleness.
“Ah…”
Then, perhaps realizing she had also overreacted, she eventually gave a deep bow.
“I-I also apologize for suddenly raising my voice….”
Wondering if it was a mood where I, who believed in no god, could intervene, I watched quietly for a moment, and a strange standoff similar to the one from the beginning continued.
But it was not for long.
“Then, what kind of consultation did you wish to have with us…?”
The priestess asked, with a look that suggested she couldn't think of any suitable reason no matter how much she thought.
“A consultation that a beautiful bard would have, bringing along such a devout nun of the Church of Sistina… we can't quite imagine…”
“We've come to find her blood relative.”
“…Pardon? A blood relative?”
***
The priestesses seemed flustered by the completely unexpected reason, but they guided us to the ‘inner’ part of the temple nonetheless.
Actually, to get this far, one would normally have to offer some kind of tribute, be it an offering or something else, but they said they would just welcome us.
Something about adding beauty to this Garden of Beauty.
They said that Lord Arhat would surely be angry if they didn't welcome such beautiful beings into his hall, even if they didn't serve a god or served a different one.
The ‘inner’ part we were guided to, truly had a garden.
In the center of the small garden where flowers of various colors bloomed, stood a stone statue of Arhat, as if it were the flower among flowers, and below it was a small pond with flower petals floating on it.
And surrounding that pond, were the followers.
Whether on the grass, on the marble, or on blankets, without any distinction of place, they were entangled in intense acts of affection, without regard to gender or number.
They were in a state that seemed to not care about the gazes of others, but rather to show off.
However, for some reason, the first impression I got from seeing that scene, which would be nothing but decadent if explained only with words, was actually ‘purity’.
Perhaps it was because of the background of a bright garden with the ceiling open to the sunlight, or perhaps because on closer inspection, the level of intimacy was limited to hugging and napping together or feeding each other fruit, but how should I put it… it just felt like I was appreciating a religious painting.
〈The Garden of the God of Beauty〉, something like that.
However, that was only from my perspective… for Lily, it must have been no different from a highly stimulating erotic painting.
Therefore, Lily, who had been malfunctioning since the moment she stepped into the garden, was walking with small steps, her head bowed low as if to avoid the gazes focused on her, a colorless being mixed into the polychromatic garden.
This was the same even after she sat at a table set up under a pavilion.
As if she didn't have the courage to look around, Lily just kept looking down at the floor, fidgeting with her demurely clasped hands.
Before long, a priest brought out various fruits on a silver platter, “Welcome to the Garden of Beauty.”
And until the greeting that followed was heard.
“I am Belin, who holds the position of High Priest.”
As the elf man who introduced himself as Belin approached the table with a polite greeting, Lily, who had stood up from her seat to respond, finally raised her head.
Of course, upon seeing his attire, with his upper body exposed just like the other male priests, she was immediately startled and turned her head away again.
Belin's body was, not just a metaphor, but truly like a sculpture.
It felt as if there was a will to pursue the beauty of the body to its extreme.
Perhaps for that reason, just like before, it felt like I was looking at a Renaissance sculpture, but Lily, as if she couldn't bear to look, hurriedly bowed her head again as soon as she finished her greeting.
“It must certainly be a difficult sight for a nun of the Church of Sistina.”
Seeing this, Belin said with a bitter smile.
“Please understand. It is our duty to show the most beautiful appearance possible to Lord Arhat.”
At that, Lily slowly nodded her head.
“I-I understand…”
As if she, being a cleric herself, knew well that she had no right to comment on the way they served their god.
Of course, that didn't mean her embarrassment disappeared, and her gaze was still lowered.
At this, Belin, with a faint smile, then turned to me and said.
“…By the way, I have already heard the story from the others, but seeing you in person, you truly are a beautiful person. It is as if Lord Arhat himself has descended.”
“It is an honor to hear such words from someone who serves the God of Beauty.”
“Your name is…”
“It is Yubin.”
“Lord Yubin, are you truly unrelated to Lord Arhat…?”
He still seemed to suspect that I was something like Arhat's ‘Chosen One’.
“I have only heard stories, this is the first time I have come to a place that serves him.”
Unfortunately for them, there was truly no connection.
My beauty was entirely my own.
At that, Belin showed a somewhat disappointed expression, but he soon wiped away that disappointment and said with a smile again.
“I heard you came looking for the nun's blood relative.”
“Yes.”
I said, picking a grape from the platter and popping it into my mouth.
“There are many succubi here, so I was hoping to get some kind of clue.”
“As you say, there are many sisters in this temple who have inherited the blood of a succubus.”
As if it were nothing to hide or be ashamed of, Belin said calmly.
“And although it is a rare case, there have certainly been sisters who have received the blessing of conceiving a new life.”
“…Is it a rare case?”
At that, Lily, who had slightly raised her eyes, asked in a cautious tone.
“Yes. It is known that the probability of a succubus, especially a half-succubus, becoming pregnant is extremely low. In our temple, from what I have observed, there has been about one every 10 years.”
“One, every 10 years…”
Considering the lifestyle of the priests in this temple, it would be safe to say that it was a very, very low probability.
“However…”
Just then, Belin, who was about to add something, glanced at Lily and seemed to hesitate, as if he found it difficult to continue.
When Lily looked at him questioningly, Belin continued as if he had no choice.
“…The children born to our sisters with the blessing of Lord Arhat are all raised together here, or if they wish, we help them to leave the priesthood and start a family.”
Therefore, it was inevitable that they would know about all the children born here, Belin said.
“And as far as I know, among those who left the temple, none have converted to the Church of Sistina, or engaged in work related to the Church of Sistina… not a single one.”
In other words, he had no idea about Lily's ‘blood relative’ either.
“It is possible that we may have missed it… but other than in cases of pregnancy, no one has left the priesthood so far….”
And he also knew of no one who had left the temple without knowing they were pregnant.
“I see….”
At those words, Lily showed a hint of disappointment.
Even though she probably didn't have high expectations at first, it seemed she was still disappointed to hear it directly.
However, it was still too early to show such a reaction.
“A little while ago.”
In the first place, the reason I brought Lily here was not because Belin had the answer.
“Before we entered the garden, there was someone who reacted as if they knew something about Lily.”
“…!”
Lily, who heard my words, also belatedly recalled the priestess's reaction and let out a small "Ah," placing a hand over her mouth.
Then she nodded her head as if to say I was right.
“Could we perhaps hear that person's story?”
At that, Belin said of course and asked us for the priestess's description, and before long, he brought the person in question before us.
Finding that priestess was not difficult at all.
She, too, was a succubus with horns and a tail, but unlike most of the others, she was not a half-demon.
In other words, she was a demon who had converted(?) and defected to the human world.
“Hello, Sister.”
So she couldn't help but stand out.
“……!”
Upon seeing Lily up close, she showed the same reaction as before, no, an even more surprised reaction than then.
“What is it, sister?”
When Belin, who found this reaction strange, asked, the priestess hesitated, "No, it's just…".
“Do you know something about the nun of the Church of Sistina who is here?”
“Ah, it's not that I know her… it's just, she looks very similar, to someone I know…”
“I-Is that true?!”
At those words, Lily shot up from her seat.
Then, as if she had forgotten all about being shy and avoiding gazes just a moment ago, she looked the priestess straight in the eye and asked.
“Who, who is she?!”
“Who, you ask…”
At Lily's gaze, it was the priestess who seemed to find it difficult to meet her eyes, and she turned her head and said hesitantly.
“Sh-She is, our Queen… Your Highness…”
“…Pardon?”
“The ‘Succubus Queen’… Lady Lilith….”