6. Proof of Existence (26)
Waves of population roll under the clear blue sky.
As in any city, the market was the blood vessel through which gold and silver flowed. This was the reason why various facilities were located around this large number of people.
But where there is light, there must also be darkness.
This dense human forest was also casting a shadow of that scale.
As the saying goes, if you want to hide a tree, hide it in the forest, so those who wanted to hide their traces also used the market. Wearing a hood and hiding one’s face was commonplace.
It was the same with the saintess and me today.
The two of us were following a certain group pretending nothing was wrong. Of course, in order not to show off, I pretended to look around.
Then I asked as if I had suddenly remembered.
“Did I mention we’re coming to town today?”
“Of course I did. How much would you worry about in an orphanage? Rumors would have spread.”
In other words, if you weren’t paying attention, your identity could be discovered quickly.
A soft moan came out of my mouth. As I was trying to take a closer look at Lia’s appearance, the saintess threw a reproachful glance at me and said,
“Stop, stop! They already care about us from over there.”
As soon as I heard that, my body stopped. Then, naturally, I had to turn my gaze to the saintess and start pretending to be a pair of lovers having a conversation.
Even though the content they were whispering to each other was quite different from love slang.
“So what? A two-member group wearing hoodies in the first place is so unique.”
“It’s okay in the Holy Land. Pilgrims often wear hoods. Ashamed of their own sins, they set out to make atonement for the Lord.”
Even so, the other side is suspicious of us.
It must be because their behavior is different from that of ordinary pilgrims. I had to ask the saintess again.
“Don’t you ever go on a pilgrimage just the two of you? It looks like we’re awkward… … .”
Unlike before, the saintess was hesitant and could not give a straight answer.
As I put on a puzzled look on my face, the merchant who was watching the sheep we were having a secret conversation burst out laughing.
“Are you newlyweds? Going on a pilgrimage to celebrate a wedding is rare these days… Blessings to the young couple. Emmanuel!”
At the same time, he secretly presented a silver-plated cross necklace. It seemed that a merchant was indeed a merchant.
Embarrassed, I almost denied the merchant’s reasoning. But before that, the saintess’ hand quickly caught mine. My body froze for a moment at the soft touch that I felt out of nowhere.
In the meantime, the saintess smiled and nailed the hypothesis to the truth.
“I want to thank the Lord for arranging for us to meet. Also, it also means that we want to make a new start as a couple, just as we are born again in the arms of the Lord.”
“Hey, what a passionate love… How are you, husband? How about giving your beloved wife a small gift?”
‘Newlyweds’.
He hesitated for a moment, but looking back, that was the only relationship the two of them could go on a pilgrimage to. Even unlike me, the saintess couldn’t hide her curves as a woman even with a thick hood. It was impossible to hide the fact that a man and a woman were traveling alone.
And also because the strength is being transmitted from the hand of the saintess holding my hand.
I said with a wry smile.
“It’s done.”
The moment the saintess merchant’s expression was about to become strange, my words were quickly added.
“Are there crosses made of pure silver other than gilded ones? It’s a gift for my wife, so of course I have to give her something nice.”
Then, the saintess and the merchant’s faces brightened at the same time.
In the end, it was only after choosing a rosary that looked great in our own way that the saintess and I were freed from the merchant. At the same time, the suspicious gaze of Lia and Perry’s party was also withdrawn.
I just had a hunch. The fact that there is only one way to achieve one’s goals, avoiding suspicion.
The saintess smiled meaningfully, lifted her tiptoe and whispered in my ear.
“Then shall we go, sir?”
any amount.
While muttering to myself, the saintess and I resumed our pursuit.
I felt an eye somewhere.
**
After that, I was able to have a surprisingly enjoyable time.
Leah and Perry’s group showed signs of wary of us from time to time. However, since the lines overlapped so much, there was nothing I could do to stand out.
Every time that happened, we had to make a fuss at a place a little far away.
For example, ‘Play on a Stick’.
It was a game where each person bites both ends of a snack bar and bets on how much more they can eat. Naturally, it was popular among young men and women who had just become lovers.
Pretending not to know and attacking the lips was the perfect way to advance.
The saintess was especially reluctant to play this game. Strictly speaking, ‘I was ashamed’ would have been an appropriate expression.
“Uh, how can you behave in front of others… … !”
The trembling voice revealed the saintess’ bewilderment. In the midst of already sharing dense physical contact with each other, what else are you embarrassed about? It was the moment when I had this thought.
There was one question that popped into my head.
‘I’m not a saint, what am I?’
Was it
Feeling strangely inspired, I looked at the saintess. Her figure, blushing and averting her gaze, was no different from the women you see everywhere.
It just has such a beautiful appearance.
A saintess cannot even make love free.
Even if I had love, I couldn’t reveal it. It was because the status itself was no different from a religious symbol.
A woman who gave up her name.
The meaning pressed heavily on my chest. Wasn’t she a woman who lived by suppressing her emotions and adjusting to the framework of her thoughts?
Even whispering love on the street would be embarrassing and fearful.
So I deliberately decided to be stubborn.
“I want to.”
“this… No, honey!”
Surprised, the saintess who was about to call me by my first name hurriedly changed it.
It was an obvious handshake.
The reactions of the passers-by watching the two of us immediately heated up. Playful cheers flew from here and there.
“Are you a new wife? You still seem very shy!”
“Is there anything to be ashamed of between a couple? Do it, do it!”
When the atmosphere was so heated, it was impossible to get rid of it.
The saintess approached me hesitantly, her face blushing red.
“I will never forget this debt… … .”
“It’s okay because you’ve already paid off your debt.”
The saintess closed her eyes tightly at my clever answer. And then, the sweet lollipop game that started ended with the saintess’ victory unexpectedly.
It was because I couldn’t properly respond to the saintess’s momentum to close the distance at once. Uh, while I was doing it, my lips collided, and I felt a soft, moist texture.
The tip of the tongue touched and then fell off. I was startled and tried to pull myself away, but the saintess fell away from me first.
hahahaha.
A solid silver line fell from the tip of the saintess’s tongue as she let out a rough breath. It was a scene that was only fleeting, but I thought the saintess’ appearance was very bewitching.
The saintess blushed and looked away.
“Really, it’s because I’m a pervert… … .”
Anyone who sees it will know what I did.
Of course, my unfair feelings did not become language. It was because it felt like the saintess’ face would explode if she teased her a little more.
Seeing the unexpectedly aggressive figure of the saintess, the onlookers applauded and liked it. Cheers poured down to the deafening extent.
Among them, Lia and Perry’s party were also mixed.
They were just watching me and the saintess with a pleasant laugh. There were young men and women gathered, so there was no doubt that they were not interested in dating.
The eyes staring at me and the saintess were getting stronger and stronger.
My eyes sank after glancing over the group of Leah and Perry.
Doubt grows deeper and deeper.
**
“… … Why did we come here?”
It was a question raised by the saintess who suddenly came to her senses. As I walked silently, the surrounding scenery formed on my retinas.
It was a back alley. Even though the sunset hadn’t set yet, the gloomy atmosphere was a place that created subtle anxiety.
Today was a fun day.
I laughed a lot, and I was able to capture a lot of the saintess’s cute appearance. Perhaps this was not my own impression, but the saintess also had reached this place before she knew it as she was walking around excitedly.
I asked in a calm voice.
“It seems like you are taking a precious person to a humble place.”
“Hey, are you kidding?”
The saintess shook her head with a haughty smile as if she was absurd.
“Where’s the shabby place for an orphan? Rather, when I was young, I used to shoot around the back alleys a lot. The orphanage at the time was too small.”
It was as it was said.
The saintess did not seem to be particularly inspired by the stained walls here and there. If you are restrained by a noble status, you will instinctively express your displeasure.
While I was away, I decided to listen to the saintess’s childhood.
“Wasn’t it dangerous? No city, no matter how prosperous, is kind to orphans.”
“Right, it was.”
It was a refreshingly clean admission.
It also meant that the relationship between me and the saintess had become closer. It was because the saintess wanted to hide her origin to the point of giving up her name as an orphan.
Before we knew it, our relationship had become so deep.
“When I went out into the city, I was deliberately smeared with charcoal soot. Not only me, but also Yuren. A child with even the slightest prettier face often went missing.”
“Seongguk was also a place where people lived.”
At my reply, the saintess let out a shallow laugh.
It seemed to bring back memories from long ago. Although it was painful, it was a time before the bridle of being a ‘saint’.
A rather lighthearted confession followed.
“It’s like that everywhere, right? In fact, I didn’t even expect anything at the time.”
“The Heavenly God must have been sad.”
“Yes, it might be. And yet, I prayed incessantly, that my children would go to a good place… or, by extension, that all suffering children would be saved.”
At this point, I raised my hands in surrender.
It was a story so deep that I couldn’t handle it. At my gesture, the saintess burst into laughter.
“Of course, that would only be a small struggle. More than that…”
It was then.
My hand naturally went to her waist. And, in the gap where the saintess put on a proud expression, silvery straight lines poured out.
Right after that, bright red sparks flew.
Red petals wet the patter, walls and floors. The saintess, who had been engrossed until then, said nothing.
So I had to raise my voice and cry out.
“Get down!”
Faceless monsters were climbing over the wall.
As expected.