The Priest of Complete Dispel ~ Every Time I Save a Cursed Beautiful Girl with My Status Abnormal Cure Skill, For Some Reason Her Dependence on Me Maxes Out ~

Chapter 38.1: A Moment at the Inn ※

After leaving the Strauden Trading Company, we headed toward the inn Glen had recommended, “Nagi no Kiritei.”

“Wh-what the heck is that—!?”

But as we entered the central district and passed by the city hall and the adventurer’s guild, I couldn’t help stopping in my tracks.

A massive building filled my entire field of vision. Its white-and-blue exterior walls gave off a pure, cleansing feel, and the towering structure looked exactly like a castle. Far larger than the city hall, it didn’t feel like an ordinary building at all.

“That is—Saint Patricia Grand Cathedral.”

“Grand Cathedral…”

Iris narrowed her eyes and began to explain.

“Patricia is the name of an ancient missionary from the Misia Church. This cathedral bears her name and is said to be the largest among the churches she is credited with founding.”

Indeed, it was incomparable to the small churches we had seen while wandering around town. In my previous life, I never had the chance to travel abroad and see a real cathedral in person. But I recalled what I knew from books.

Tall walls studded with numerous windows. Beneath the enormous rose window, rows of tall, arch-topped windows lined up, exuding a solemn atmosphere even from the outside.

—No doubt about it. Those are stained-glass windows.

If light shone through them from inside, it must create a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

“Wow… so there’s one in the royal capital too, right?”

“Yes. The cathedral in the capital is even larger than this one and built in a different style. The current saint, Haramaria, resides there permanently.”

“Bigger than this…? Then Bulldog shows up at places like that too?”

“Of course. Clerics of his rank almost never appear at small churches. Their main places of activity are grand cathedrals or temples.”

I nodded at Iris’s explanation.

But one question floated up in my mind.

“…What’s the difference between a grand cathedral and a temple?”

“Churches and grand cathedrals are places to offer prayers and also serve as treatment facilities. Temples, on the other hand—are locations specifically for conducting ceremonies.”

“Ceremonies… like what, for example?”

“They cover a very wide range. Requiems for the dead, weddings… and the ceremony when I was recognized as a saint candidate was also held in a temple.”

“Huh… so you went through one of those too, Iris.”

“Yes…!”

Little by little, the structure of the church organization was becoming clearer. Still, even in villages there were small churches that held weddings, and in my previous life’s Japan, plenty of people had ceremonies in churches too. …So maybe the roles were similar, but they were distinguished by scale and formality.

“Since the grand cathedral is nearby, I’ll go ahead and use <Mirage>, just in case.”

“I-I’ll activate <Stealth> too…”

To avoid being spotted by acquaintances, Iris used recognition-obscuring magic, and Medina activated her skill.

“…………Wait, seriously, it looks like I’m walking alone. You guys are here, right!?”

“Fuu…”

“Hyah!? …Hey, Iris, you better remember this…!”

“Ufufufu…”

A sudden puff of breath against my ear made my heart jump. I could hear her voice, but she was invisible—<Mirage> really only fooled the eyes. Meanwhile, Medina had even erased her footsteps. …<Stealth> was way too powerful.

Finally, we arrived…

It took a full hour to walk from the south district to the north district in this enormous city.

When we opened the door to “Nagi no Kiritei,” a spacious lobby appeared before us. Warm wooden tones, soft lighting, and a perfect blend of elegance and comfort—it felt like a luxury hotel.

“Welcome. Are you here to stay with us?”

“Yeah, we were sent by Glen of the Silver Blade.”

“You must be Shu-sama. Glen-sama has already informed us. He said you saved him from a dire situation. Because of his recommendation, we will offer you special consideration.”

The concierge in a suit bowed politely and guided us to our rooms. Apparently Glen had already made arrangements. I was given a single room, while Iris and Medina would share a double.

We were also told the inn had separate large public baths for men and women. Not hot springs, just regular hot water, but even so, being able to soak in a tub was a real treat.

After dropping off our luggage in the rooms, we ate a warm meal in the first-floor dining hall. Then we soaked slowly in the large baths, finally washing away the fatigue of our long journey.

Tomorrow, we’d probably hear updates from Glen and the others. But for now, all I needed was to sink into the bed. Wrapped in fluffy down, the exhaustion from the trip melted away all at once.

And with that, I fell into a comfortable sleep.

◇◇◇

Mmm…

Every time I rolled over, a strangely warm sensation clung to me.

The comforter here was incomparably softer and more enveloping than the cheap ones in village inns. That’s why tonight I decided to sleep with just my underwear on.

Normally I wore something like an undershirt to bed, but the bed was so comfortable that I ended up lying down half-naked.

I thought I was sleeping deeply—but something felt off. I wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly. It was just that my lower body felt strangely itchy and restless.

My consciousness was still hazy, and I wanted to sink back into the dream if possible. But from down below—I heard a faint, wet, slippery sound, like water being stirred. Along with it came a squelching sensation of something moving.

Soft, warm. And a faint sweet scent drifted up.

“Nn… nn…”

I forced my heavy eyelids open and quietly peeked under the comforter.

“…Good evening, Shu-sama.”

At the edge of my vision was Iris’s smile.

And then I realized—I wasn’t even wearing my underwear anymore.

“You were wearing such lovely underwear… but I took it off.”

“Yeah…”

She was probably referring to my boxer briefs.

She stated it calmly. But even in my drowsy state, I couldn’t help catching my breath at her outfit.

“That underwear…”

“Hehe. Do you like it? I bought it at the Strauden Trading Company. It has no defensive effects whatsoever… but I thought Shu-sama would probably like this kind of thing.”

“Yeah… I love it.”

The wine-red, glossy lingerie looked stunning against Iris’s white skin.