Chapter 65
"Kukukuku... For the one week until Priest Clael and the Saint return! This shrine belongs to me!"
The town of Eggbell. At the shrine managed by Clael.
In the center of the chapel, Gieville, acting as substitute priest, raised both hands and shouted.
The rightful master of this shrine, Clael... and the Saint Reina, had gone on a one-week trip.
During that time, Gieville was the only one in the shrine.
In other words, he could do whatever he wanted without anyone to scold him.
"Kuhahahahaha! First, I shall clean the chapel! Prepare yourselves, you worthless trash!"
Gieville began cleaning the shrine.
He carefully swept the floor with a broom, then wiped it with a mop.
He wiped the windows thoroughly with a cloth, not allowing even the slightest stain.
"In the shrine where the Saint resides, I will not allow trash like you to exist! You shall be annihilated!"
His cleaning was surprisingly meticulous and delicate. He was quite a stickler for neatness.
"Ugh..."
"Hey, Mom..."
"No, don't look!"
However, the people who had come to the chapel to pray were giving Gieville cold stares.
They had heard from Clael in advance that a substitute would be coming... but they hadn't heard it would be such a suspicious man.
"Perish! Trash must disappear!"
He was saying disturbing things... but all he was doing was cleaning, so technically he wasn't doing anything wrong.
As suspicious as he seemed, he truly wasn't doing anything wrong.
"Now then, the cleaning is done! If there are any injured, I shall tend to them!"
Next, he moved on to treating the injured and sick.
The townspeople who had been waiting grimaced.
"U-um... I've been feeling sick since yesterday and have some dizziness... no, never mind!"
A young man looked at Gieville and hurriedly ran away.
He had come to the shrine hoping to be treated by Reina, even though he wasn't seriously ill.
Seeing that Reina was absent and a suspicious man was in charge, he tried to flee.
"Wait! You're not getting away!"
"Hiiie!?"
However, Gieville cut off his escape.
Gieville wiggled his fingers and breathed heavily, "Haa, haa."
"Any illness will only get worse if left untreated. It's best to act early... Now, come. I shall heal you!"
"Eeeeeeeeeek! Stop, don't touch meeeeeeeee!"
The man let out a scream like a maiden and was forcibly subjected to healing magic by Gieville.
"Kukuku... It really doesn't seem serious, so I'll spare you the donation. Stay warm tonight and rest up!"
"Th-thank you..."
The man left looking inexplicably drained.
If anything, he looked even paler than before the treatment.
"Hmm... This town's shrine doesn't get many injured visitors. This must be the Saint's divine protection!"
Or maybe it was because of this suspicious man... Normally, townspeople would show up even with minor injuries or illnesses, but not a single one came that day.
"Hmm, since I have some free time, I shall clean the back rooms too!"
Gieville decided to also clean the back areas of the shrine... the kitchen, dining room, bedroom, and bathroom.
First was the kitchen. Just like the chapel, he swept the floors, wiped the windows... and even cleaned the soot from the stove.
"Hmm-hmm, it's surprisingly well-maintained. Priest Clael seems to be a meticulous person."
The stove had been cleaned regularly, so there wasn't much soot buildup.
Gieville nodded in admiration and finished cleaning in much less time than expected.
He cleaned the dining room in the same way... then headed for the bathroom.
"Now then... Next is the bathroom!"
Gieville snorted excitedly as he headed to the bathroom.
It was the bathroom Reina always used. He wouldn't mind licking it clean if it meant cleaning it.
If he was lucky, he might even find a single strand of her hair.
"Yes, Saint. No touching... but hair is fair game!"
Gieville's eyes were bloodshot as he opened the bathroom door.
"Huh...?"
However, what he found was a bathtub polished to look brand new.
The walls and floor were spotless like a newly built room, and not a single hair could be found in the drain.
"W-who cleaned this place...?"
Could it be that Priest Clael cleaned it before leaving?
Or perhaps the water used to cleanse the Saint's body had purifying power?
In any case, the bathroom was so clean that Gieville had no reason to touch it.
"...It can't be helped."
Since it wasn't dirty, there was no helping it.
He gave up on cleaning the bathroom... and decided to clean the next place, the bedroom.
"Th-this is the Saint's bedroom."
In front of the bedroom door labeled 'Reina', Gieville snorted excitedly.
He definitely wasn't planning to do anything bad.
What he was about to do was clean the bedroom. He had no intention of stealing personal items or rummaging through her underwear.
He was just going to clean, that's all.
(Yes... I'm not doing anything wrong! I'm just going to enter the room where the Saint always sleeps and sniff the scent of her sweat!)
"Now, let's go!"
Gieville reached for the doorknob and turned it.
Carelessly, it wasn't locked.
He opened the door and was about to step into the enchanting space...
'Bear!'
"Gwah...!"
He was struck hard on the back of the neck by someone, and lost consciousness.
How long had he been out?
When Gieville awoke, he was lying on the bed in the guest room.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window, and he could hear the chirping of birds outside.
"Hmm... Did I fall asleep?"
Gieville tilted his head.
When exactly had he fallen asleep?
He was even in pajamas, so he must have gotten into bed of his own will... but he had no memory of it.
He brought his arm close to his nose and sniffed—there was a nice soapy scent.
It seemed he had even taken a bath.
"Oh no, it's time for the morning prayer!"
He had questions... but that was that.
Gieville hurriedly changed out of his pajamas and left the guest room.