A Humble, Scary-Looking Mid-Rank Adventurer Is Offered Their Bodies by Every Member of a Rising All-Female Party, Begging: ‘You Can Do Whatever You Want With Me, Just Please Spare My Companions.’ - 8

Chapter 8: The Fantasizing Priestess

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Fana was a priestess. She was a cleric who worshiped the Goddess of Light, also called the Mother of All, and received divine protection by offering prayers to her. Because of this, from a young age she spent her days in training at a monastery deep in the mountains, far removed from human settlements, alongside other girls who likewise sought to devote themselves to the path of prayer.

She met Sierra after completing her coming-of-age rite, when she left the monastery and visited a church in town. Having lived apart from the secular world, she did not know right from left and was at a loss, and it was Sierra who helped her then.

From that time on, Fana spent time with Sierra whenever she could. When she later heard that Sierra’s talent with the sword had been discovered by Nerva and that she intended to become an adventurer, Fana decided almost as a matter of course that she would go along as well.

“ ‘O light of compassion, ease this person’s pain and erase the poison that gnaws at the body.’ ”

“Thank you, Fana. I feel better now.”

As Fana held out her hand and poured her prayer into it, the swelling in Sierra’s calf rapidly subsided. A priest’s prayer granted the goddess’s blessing, driving away wounds, illness, and poison. Because of that, a priest often held the fate of a party in their hands, and a user of holy magic as skilled as Fana would normally be in great demand. Even so, she had chosen to stay with the Aurora Blade.

“If you try to tear a mud leech off by force, it’ll gouge the flesh, and it’s poisonous too. But if you can heal it right away like this, you don’t have to worry about aftereffects.”

Watching Sierra put her boots back on, Balg crossed his arms and nodded in admiration. The group, having begun their afternoon training, eventually stepped into a breeding ground of Mud Leeches. Of course, they were not normal leeches. Mud Leech was a huge, grotesque, leech-shaped monster. Following Balg’s advice, they had taken countermeasures using medicinal herbs with insect-repellent properties, but those measures were not perfect.

A leech as large as a human head latched onto Sierra’s calf, throwing the scene into momentary chaos. There, however, Balg calmly used the juice of an irritating plant to drive the leech off, and Fana dealt with the poisoned bite using holy magic.

“Having a priest with us really is reassuring.”

“Th-thank you very much…”

When Balg, with his bear-like appearance, looked at her, Fana felt an intense sense of pressure. Having had almost no contact with men since childhood, she still did not know how to interact with the opposite sex like Balg. What was more, though she had never wanted it, her chest had grown indecently large. It inevitably aroused men and drew their lustful gazes. Being looked at with undisguised lust, it was only natural that she would develop an aversion toward men in general.

And besides, this man has just been with Nerva…

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing at all!”

Balg peered into the absentminded Fana’s face. With his bearded face suddenly so close, Fana jumped back in surprise.

“Alright, Fana. I’m looking forward to tonight.”

Balg deepened his grin as he looked at Fana. A fear that made her feel as though she might tremble from her feet upward washed over her. What on earth was he planning to do tonight? Perhaps because they were in front of everyone, Balg did not elaborate. Instead, he left her with a suggestive look and started walking again.

“Ugh… Men are all beasts… Men are all beasts…”

Back at the monastery, the head matron had repeated it to the point of annoyance. No matter how good a man’s appearance was, no matter how kindly he behaved, peel back one layer and he hid the true nature of a filthy beast. In fact, this man was the same. He had violently thrust into Nerva, attacking her so fiercely it was painful to watch.

Even now he wore a kindly expression, but that savage face betrayed his true nature. It was tragic that Nerva had fallen prey to him, but at the very least, she had to protect Sierra.

“Sierra! Be careful, okay!”

“Huh? Y-yeah. I reapplied the insect repellent, so I think I’ll be fine for a while.”

At Fana’s clenched-fist warning, Sierra tilted her head but nodded. Even if holy magic made leeches less frightening, that did not mean she wanted to be bitten on purpose. And it felt wrong to keep making Fana use holy magic over something like this and interrupt the party’s progress.

“This way. Watch your step.”

Standing at the front, Balg called out to the girl.

Sierra nodded with an innocent look and once again began pushing her way through the pathless, tree-choked terrain. Somehow, it felt like her distance from Balg was closer than it had been up until yesterday. She was kind and did not know how to doubt people. That was probably why she was letting her guard down around him as well.

“Don’t, Sierra…!”

Fana bit her lip as she watched the leader stride forward lightly.

That man is a beast. If he has attacked Nerva, then he probably likes breasts. Even Sierra, modest as she is, still has a definite fullness. There is no guarantee she won’t be devoured at any moment.

“Hah!”

Reaching that thought, Fana was struck with horror.

That man liked breasts. And the largest bust in the Aurora Sword was none other than her own. Her chest, strongly asserting itself beneath the thick, dark-navy priest’s robes, was the source of her troubles. If she sized the garment to her chest, the sleeves and legs were too long. If she sized it to her limbs, her chest felt cramped and suffocating. This robe, too, had been painstakingly hand-sewn. Even so, it could not hide her ample bust and instead emphasized its silhouette even further.

That man must have seen this chest countless times already. Surely he was secretly licking his lips and waiting for an opportunity to devour her whole. If she showed even a moment’s opening, she would be attacked and violated.

Those words from earlier—“look forward to it.” Was that what he meant?

“What’s wrong, Fana?”

“N-nothing.”

As she sank deeper into gloomy thoughts, Patema, another member of the rear guard, peered at her with a puzzled expression. Fana hurriedly shook her head to brush it off. She couldn’t consult Nerva. After all, Nerva had already been ensnared by that man.

“Sex slave… That’s it, that’s what it is!”

Back in the monastery days, one of her roommates had hidden a secular book under her pillow. What was depicted there were vivid sexual scenes: a man kidnapped a noblewoman, locked her in a cage, tamed her, and tormented her as his possession. After everyone had fallen asleep, Fana secretly stole the book and read it by the faint light of a candle. Thinking back, that had been the textbook of her life—the bible—that taught her how terrifying a man’s true nature was.

“Hey, Patema.”

“What is it?”

“…Balg-san doesn’t have things like handcuffs or leg shackles, right?”

“What are you talking about? Even that man wouldn’t be carrying something like that.”

Summoning her courage and asking with a racing heartbeat, Fana was met with Patema’s hearty laughter. Seeing her companion like that, Fana realized that her thoughts had gone a bit too far. Of course. Even a beast-like man like him wouldn’t be carrying such ominous items. If he did have them, that would be definitive proof that he was guilty and that the hulking man had approached the Aurora Sword under the guise of being an instructor, all to lecherously prey on their bodies.

“Alright, this should be good. Wait here for a moment.”

Suddenly, Balg stopped the four of them. As Sierra and the others tilted their heads in confusion, he alone stepped into a nearby thicket. And then…

“Good, good. Caught one.”

“Hiiih!?”

He emerged holding a sturdy leather belt and iron shackles in his hands. They were restraints and they were definitely vicious tools meant to bind a person and torment them. That settled it. He really was a despicable man. The instant she accepted that, Fana let out a scream. Her vision darkened, and she lost her sense of balance. As she felt the world tilt and her consciousness fade, she heard Patema and the others shouting in panic.

“Fana!? Hey, stay with us!”

“S-sorry. I thought it might be good for a midnight snack, so I’d set a trap…”

As Fana fainted and began to fall, Nerva caught her before she could collapse into the mud. Looking down apologetically at her, Balg held a small Swamp Boar dangling from his hand.

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