Chapter 19

As I entered the central drawing room, the paladin who had been waiting turned his head.

Like a scene from a romance movie.

— Anonymous Constellation: …That’s crossing the line.

— Anonymous Constellation: At this point, they’re just openly turning this into a dating sim, right?

— Anonymous Constellation: F*ck, the long wait paid off T.T

— Anonymous Constellation: I’m selling my Kaiel stock and going all in on this guy.

— Anonymous Constellation: RE: You’re the one who bought the dad stock, aren’t you?

Whether it was because of his looks or the light reflecting off his silver plate armor, the paladin—more a young man than a grown man—was dazzlingly radiant.

His large blue eyes, like the moon, gazed directly at me.

His skin was so fair it looked as if a fine white powder would come off at a touch.

His full, crimson lips seemed as if they would release sweet nectar if pressed.

Down to the small mole just beside his lower lip, the paladin’s appearance was otherworldly.

*Did the Temple recruit him based on his looks?*

A face that could make even a demon repent. He was truly a paladin with the face of an angel.

*Is he even twenty?*

I was honestly taken aback, not expecting the paladin rumored to be the next High Priest to be this young.

I hid my inner thoughts and asked calmly.

“You were looking for me?”

He, who had been staring at me blankly, shot to his feet.

His naturally wavy blond hair shimmered.

“Ah, yes, yes! Are you Lady Astell?”

“I am.”

An innocent smile spread across the paladin’s serious face. His perfectly white, even teeth were revealed between his parted lips.

He strode over, knelt on one knee, and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.

“I am Paladin Johan Scha Nute. I have been wanting to meet you.”

As he spoke, looking up at me, Johan was so beautiful, so virtuous, so…

*I want to make him cry.*

If my weakness in this life was people who stimulated my senses, my weakness in my past life was this type of person.

The upright, the steadfast, those who are prepared to willingly sacrifice themselves for others.

I could never look away from people like this, because I never knew when or how they might die.

And because of my inherently foul nature, I sometimes felt the urge to torment them.

Like the impulse to bite a cute puppy’s paw, or to stomp all over a pristine field of snow.

*I want to raise him.*

I secretly swallowed a sigh.

“Yesterday, we received a message from the Magic Tower. It said there might be monsters remaining.”

“Is that so?”

“So we searched the entire Grand Plaza and found three more monsters. Their wounds had even regenerated.”

“…”

“If we had left them, there would have been more tragic victims. It was all thanks to your warning, Lady Astell. On behalf of the Temple, I thank you.”

Johan kissed the back of my hand again.

His soft lips pressed lightly against my skin before pulling away.

Even though he hadn’t asked for permission, I wasn’t angry.

You don’t get mad when a puppy gives you a kiss, do you?

*What am I supposed to do with a face that makes me feel kindness I don’t have?*

I naturally pulled my hand away.

“Please stand. I don’t like it when people kneel before me.”

“You are truly generous. Thank you.”

Johan stood up with a bright smile. My eye level shot up. He seemed to be about the same height as Kaiel.

*Then again, the Duke of Ruthius is also quite tall for his age. The men here are built differently.*

I gestured to the sofa.

“Have a seat. Is there any tea you enjoy?”

“I don’t know much about tea. Anything is fine.”

Zenia set out the tea.

Pretending to look elsewhere, I observed Johan carefully.

He would stare into empty space, then occasionally tilt his head in confusion.

It was a strange behavior, one that might make an uninformed observer think he wasn’t sane.

“Is something bothering you?”

“…Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

He mumbled, laughing awkwardly.

It was obvious to anyone that he was hiding something.

I held out my injured hand and smiled elegantly.

“Will you heal it for me?”

Johan bit his lip, then quickly released it. For a moment, his conflict was palpable.

“…I’m sorry. As a paladin, I was not granted the power of healing.”

“But didn’t you gain it when you became a Hunter? Most of the clergy I know did.”

It was the same in my past life.

Those with high intelligence awakened in mental-based classes, like mages or summoners.

Those who used their bodies awakened in physical classes, like warriors or archers.

And the clergy almost always gained healing abilities.

“H-how did you know?”

Johan’s eyes widened. He looked as if he’d never expected to be found out.

I, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.

*He’s admitting it this easily? Shouldn’t he at least deny it a few times?*

“Did you really think you could hide it while acting so clumsy? That’s what’s truly surprising.”

“…Was I that clumsy?”

“You were just looking at the chat window, weren’t you?”

“Ah, people usually don’t notice…”

“There isn’t a Hunter alive who wouldn’t know what that means. And if you wanted to pretend, you should have just denied it.”

“I was careless. I will reflect on my actions.”

Johan not only admitted it humbly but also looked genuinely repentant. The very model of a cleric’s attitude.

I raised the corner of my mouth into a crooked smile.

“It was a lie, so there’s no need to reflect.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re very trusting. Actually, I just guessed after seeing you fight the monster yesterday.”

“Yesterday… you say?”

In an instant, I wiped the leisurely smile from my face. The sudden chill in the atmosphere made Johan blink.

“You’re that guy from yesterday.”

“…Pardon?”

“The one who caused the carriage accident. That was you, wasn’t it?”

“…!”

Johan looked startled and swallowed hard.

I lowered my voice to a menacing tone.

“Who do you take me for? Did you think I wouldn’t recognize your voice?”

“Um… p-please, calm down.”

“You have healing powers, yet you just gave me a single potion. Why did you come here? To see if I’d recognized you?”

“N-no! I only came to ask for your forgiveness! I felt bad about only giving you one potion yesterday, so… I truly had no other intentions. Please, believe me!”

His pleading blue eyes gazed at me desperately.

This must be why good looks are so important.

*It’s a face that inspires trust automatically.*

I relaxed my body. I didn’t feel good about yelling at a kid.

“What’s the reason?”

“Pardon?”

“Why are you hiding your identity?”

“…I’m sorry.”

The flustered Johan now looked dejected.

He looked just like a puppy that had been scolded by its owner, its spirit completely broken, and my anger subsided.

To be honest, I’d already gotten over my anger yesterday.

“Tell me. If you have a good reason, I’ll let it go.”

“…If it becomes known that I am a Hunter, it will cause chaos in the Temple.”

The Temple was divided into two factions over the position of the next High Priest.

The Priest Faction and the Paladin Faction.

Johan was the candidate for High Priest backed by the paladins.

While Johan was a stronger candidate than the one from the priests’ side, his status as a paladin was a weakness.

Until now, the position of High Priest had been the exclusive domain of priests.

In this situation, if it were revealed that Johan was a Hunter, his status as a paladin would no longer be a weakness.

*Because they would think Johan had received God’s chosen blessing.*

It would give the paladins, who had been pushed back by the priests, a reason to rise up.

But for now, it was all happening beneath the surface.

After all, with the current High Priest alive and well, it was difficult to openly discuss his successor.

That’s why Johan had decided to hide the fact that he was a Hunter.

“If I were to needlessly reveal my identity, the Temple could fall into chaos. I do not wish to cause trouble for the High Priest.”

I shrugged.

“Your circumstances are unfortunate, but that’s not something you can hide forever.”

“…Are you going to tell the Temple what happened yesterday?”

“What?”

His naive reply made me burst out laughing. A clear laugh echoed through the drawing room.

Johan stared blankly at my eyes, which had curved into crescents, before hastily lowering his gaze. The paladin’s fair cheeks flushed a faint pink.