IOTB Chapter 58

“Alright, do as you wish.”

 

Louise sighed in relief at Licht’s permission and gently swung their clasped hands.

 

“Then, let’s go this way.”

 

Following Louise’s lead, Licht’s steps grew increasingly heavy.

 

“Louise, is this the right way?”

 

“Yes, you’ve rarely been around this area, right, Licht?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Licht let out a vague smile. He had actually visited this place just last night.

 

The Heresy Inquisition where Aiden was imprisoned was right ahead.

 

It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to find a confessional…

 

Licht tensed, wondering if they were really headed there, but Louise, oblivious to his anxiety, chatted away.

 

“Although it’s empty now, up until about a decade ago, the screams of the criminals locked up in the Heresy Inquisition echoed outside. It was notorious as a place where once you entered, you couldn’t leave alive.”

 

Even now… it wasn’t completely empty. Licht had locked up the most vile people there—those vermin-like clergymen who had dared to expel Louise from the Holy Nation.

 

Among them was Aiden, someone Louise was close to, and another person was expected to join today. Perhaps one more… or two, or three…

 

Still, to prevent any mishap, Licht had cast a magical barrier around the building, ensuring their screams wouldn’t leak out. As long as they didn’t go inside, there was no problem.

 

“Louise, why are you luring me to such a desolate place?” Licht asked, stopping her in her tracks for a moment, though she took his words as a joke.

 

“Don’t worry. Even if some unruly mob appears, I’ll protect you, Licht.”

 

That was the biggest problem.

 

The Heresy Inquisition was now right in front of them, and the moment they stepped inside, Louise would sense something was wrong.

 

What should I do?

 

Licht’s face grew expressionless as he looked down at Louise’s round head.

 

Rather than let her step into the Inquisition…

 

Just as he was about to choose another option, Louise suddenly changed direction.

 

“We’re almost there,” she said, looking up at him.

 

Thankfully, Licht quickly masked his face with a gentle expression and, making eye contact with her, said, “I thought you were going to accuse me of heresy, but I guess not.”

 

It turned out that Louise’s destination was not the Heresy Inquisition, but a chapel building behind it that he hadn’t even known existed.

 

“There’s no way I’d do that. How could someone as devout as you, Licht, be a heretic?” Louise said, and Licht, confident in his own devoutness, smiled as brightly as the spring sun.

 

“I guess I’ll have to try harder to be a lover worthy of you, Louise.”

 

Startled, Louise quickly turned her head forward and replied, “You’re already more than enough…”

 

Even the word “lover” embarrassed her, and her face and ears turned red. Licht wondered when he would propose to her and get her used to being called his bride.

 

The entire process filled him with excitement, though he couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious and impatient.

 

“Here we are, Licht.”

 

They stopped in front of a decrepit chapel that looked as if it was a miracle it hadn’t been demolished. As Louise pushed open the wooden door, a sharp creak came from the rusty hinges.

 

“Though it’s an old building, it has everything we need.”

 

“How did you find this place?”

 

“For the Holy Knights’ entrance test. We have to find an item here in the middle of the night.”

 

“Is that really an effective way to select candidates?”

 

“Of course. Many people fail at this stage.”

 

“…?”

 

It was a test Licht couldn’t comprehend.

 

“Of course, I passed on the first try. I even set the shortest record. Even the captain, the previous record holder, was seven seconds slower than me.”

 

Licht thought it absurd that royalty from the Rugaru clan would compete with mere humans. Even with her powers sealed to human levels, her physical abilities should be at least seven times greater. Not to mention, her heightened senses were incomparable.

 

“That’s amazing. As expected, you’re the best Holy Knight, Louise.”

 

Despite the objective facts, Licht praised Louise generously. It was rare for her, with her low self-esteem, to boast about herself.

 

Her puffed cheeks, resembling a chipmunk, were so endearing that Licht wanted to bite into them. If she ended up pouting with teeth marks, even that would be cute.

 

While trying to suppress his impulses, Licht couldn’t take his eyes off her as they approached the confessional booth inside the chapel.

 

“Oh… the partition…”

 

Whether it was due to age or an accident during the Holy Knights’ test, the inside of the confessional was a mess. Louise, flustered, picked up what seemed to be a piece of the broken partition.

 

“Maybe we should have had this conversation in my quarters instead?”

 

In truth, Licht didn’t really mind. Despite memorizing church doctrine, he didn’t truly understand or sympathize with the meaning of confession.

 

After all, he himself harbored sins he could never confess to anyone, and he had no intention of repenting. No matter how many times he thought back, he was confident he would make the same choices. How could he repent?

 

Still, offering Louise the chance for confession, and choosing this place, was half for her sake.

 

She probably finds it hard to talk while looking at me.

 

Despite her instincts as a Rugaru, Louise was rather shy. He thought that not seeing his face might make her a little less embarrassed.

 

Since it’s in the form of confession, she’ll probably feel compelled to reveal her deepest thoughts before God.

 

That was the most important part.

 

Licht still had questions about what had driven her to her bold actions. A woman who had never even dated a man—what had she been thinking when she touched his body and even put her tongue on him?

 

Since Louise had already brought up the subject herself, it was the perfect opportunity for her to spill everything.

 

This place, chosen partly for her and partly for himself, was suddenly falling short of expectations.

 

“Maybe another booth is intact. I’ll check…”

 

Unsurprisingly, Louise was eager to avoid discussing that event in Licht’s room, so she quickly began checking the other booths.

 

“Ah, really… Who could’ve broken all of these?”

 

Watching her flit in and out of the booths with a distressed look was so cute that Licht delayed mentioning that he could fix it.

 

“Quick, come!”

 

The sound of a door opening and closing echoed as voices followed. Licht and Louise, who had been in the last confessional booth, froze.

 

Two people, moving without caution, were approaching.

 

Who would come to such a remote place?

 

Moreover, it seemed they were also heading toward the confessional.

 

“Why are you rushing?”

 

“We only have about 30 minutes.”

 

Apparently in a hurry, the pair clumsily bumped into things as they entered the first confessional booth.

 

“Wasn’t today your day off?”

 

“It was, but the Vice-Captain told me to go to Belkis.”

 

Their conversation continued, and their breaths became more ragged.

 

“Why Belkis?”

 

“Something about a famous dessert shop.”

 

At the man’s vague response, a wet sound of something rubbing together followed.

 

“Lift your skirt higher.”

 

“Like this? Ah… it’s deep!”

 

By this point, Licht understood why the couple had come to this remote chapel and who had broken the partitions of the confessional booths.

 

Louise, too, seemed to have grasped the situation.

 

“Juke… that guy…”

 

“Juke?”

 

“Yes, he’s the youngest member of the 7th squad of the Holy Knights. I thought he was innocent…”

 

Louise frowned and whispered softly.

 

“In a sacred chapel, how could they be so vulgar, shaking their hips like that?”

 

“Ah, Father… more, please, scold me more.”

 

The couple, overcome with excitement, began spouting obscene words. The woman seemed to be a believer, calling Juke, the Holy Knight, “Father” as they indulged in a role-playing game within the confessional.

 

“Expose your chest… and… knead it thoroughly. That is today’s penance.”

 

Penance, indeed.

 

Licht rubbed his forehead in disbelief. He wondered how he should deal with these intruders who had interrupted his time with Louise.

 

Should he make all their clothes disappear? Or call Karon Isles under the pretext of repairing the confessional, causing them to get caught?

 

Meanwhile, where was this sweet scent coming from?

 

“…?”

 

It was only then that Licht noticed Louise’s cheeks had turned bright red.