Chapter 77
Meanwhile, at that time.
At Clael's shrine in Eggbell.
"Phew! Another perfect day for prayer!"
Gieville, the acting priest of the shrine, smiled radiantly with a broom in hand.
It had been three days since he began serving at this shrine in place of the traveling Clael.
Gieville was keenly aware of how inexplicably refreshed and energized his body felt.
"As expected of the Saint's shrine! Just staying here seems to cleanse every impurity from my body!"
Gieville, sparkling with sweat, was cleaning the shrine's entrance.
His expression was one of complete contentment, and he even appeared to have become younger in just a short time.
"Ah, Priest Gieville. Hello."
"Gieville, working hard again today, I see."
Townspeople passing by the shrine greeted Gieville.
It wasn't just politeness. Their greetings were genuinely warm.
"Oh, good day to you. Has your back gotten better, Yamara?"
"Yes, yes. Thanks to your treatment, Gieville, I'm completely fine now. Thank you again for yesterday."
"That's wonderful to hear. If anything troubles you, don't hesitate to let me know."
It had only been three days since Gieville arrived, yet he had already blended in with the townspeople.
After all, Gieville was fundamentally a kind-hearted human.
He was kind, diligent in his duties, and deeply devoted to god. While his admiration for the Saint might be a bit excessive... even that could be seen as one of Gieville's virtues.
In terms of devotion, he might surpass Clael, who became a priest simply to earn enough to live comfortably and take it easy.
He sincerely treated the injured, helped troubled townsfolk, rescued a drowning child in the river... and before long, even those who had initially found him creepy began to accept him.
"Phew... not a speck of dirt left. It's all clean now!"
Finishing his cleaning, Gieville beamed with satisfaction.
With Reina's blessing, the shrine literally sparkled.
"Polishing the shrine feels like cleansing the soul. When the heart is light, the body feels light too!"
A light body... it wasn't just in his head.
By carefully maintaining the shrine imbued with blessings, Gieville was also receiving its benefits, which buffed his body.
Gieville's body had become far more robust and youthful, and the lifestyle diseases he had developed from his indulgent life at the Grand Shrine had been cured.
"Now, time to clean the inside. I'll wipe down the hallway."
Even though he had cleaned yesterday and the day before, Gieville continued scrubbing without hesitation.
Each time he cleaned the shrine, he felt his heart being purified, and it was so pleasant he couldn't stop.
"Hmm...?"
Gieville was wiping the hallway with a cloth... when he approached the door to Reina's room.
A room left vacant by its owner. Staring at the door to the room where Reina's bed and a dresser likely containing her clothes and underwear were kept... he let out a small chuckle.
"A maiden's room is off-limits."
In the past, Gieville had tried to come up with excuses to enter Reina's room... but now, such impure thoughts had completely vanished.
Staying in this shrine had purified his heart, and the desire to sniff the Saint's sweaty scent had been eradicated.
"Such disrespect toward Saint Reina is unthinkable. This Gieville is a faithful servant of god and the Saint."
As he said this... Gieville kissed the hallway floor in front of Reina's room.
"So please... if I am reborn, I wish to become your doormat. Just being stepped on by the Saint and cleaning the dirt off her sacred feet would make me happy."
Gieville had become completely pure... but purity or not, creepy things are still creepy.
"Kumaa..."
Seeing Gieville rubbing his cheek blissfully against the floor, the plushie guards were at a loss for what to do.