I meant, if I thought about it, the priest was also trapped within this entire ploy. I wondered if he was alright? Regardless, there was no way I could freely discuss my job inside the carriage. As such, I opted to sit quietly.

The priest was silently swayed by the carriage for a while. Somehow, I could feel his line of sight, and I felt uncomfortable. After all, being stared at was weird.

“…”

“…”

When I pretended to be unaware, the priest spoke to me.

“…By the way, I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Luka de LaRove. The red-haired man I spoke to earlier is the knight captain, Darren Ronheim. The magician twins are Faril and Will. While they are still thirteen-year-old boys, they’re within the five best magicians in the kingdom. Although the sum number of knights is less than twenty, the journey itself is safe. It’s such that three people would suffice.”

“Oh, is that so…”

Despite his loathing towards the saint, I wondered if he’d protect me. Listening to that explanation didn’t resolve that concern. After I had deemed it useless to ask him any questions, I decided to remain silent.

He’d protect me to the extent that I wouldn’t die. Besides, since we were about to visit the churches of the country, there should be no danger.

I didn’t have the right to comment anyway, so I should stay quiet. I was fed up with the carriage, so I decided to vaguely stared out of the window. The skies were blue.

Because of that, my eyes were unfocused. The priest, who realized I had escaped reality, spoke to me again.

“How strange. It’s unusual for one to be so calm under such circumstances. Yet, you haven’t ask anything. You don’t even look at me.”

“…Well, I’m just doing my job. Even if I were to complain, I’ve already decided to accept it, so it’s useless. I’m still unaccustomed to everything. I’m not competent enough socially to just casually enjoy a conversation with a priest who isn’t even a friend of mine. You don’t have to concern yourself with me. Just think of me as a roadside pebble.”

“…This is the first time a woman has ever told me not to talk her. As my female believers converse with me incessantly, I have come to believe that women are sexually explicit creatures.”

“Well, everyone’s different.”

“What do you think when you look at my face?”

For some reason, the priest refused to end the conversation.

I wasn’t good at talking. Was such a conversation necessary?

Hm? But what if it’s also part of the job? How do I answer, then?

I meant, if he were to ask me what did I think when I saw his face…

…Let’s see,

“Your skin looks shiny and healthy. Your teeth are well aligned. Your eyes and nose are almost symmetrical. I think you’re of a good lineage. You’re tall and have long limbs. You look well-fed, and seem to have been so from an early age. I envy you because you’re the result of perfection. I’m short because I didn’t have enough nutrition when I was a child. That’s also a reason why there aren’t many tall people in my village, really.”

If I had better nourishment, I should have been able to grow a little more. I wondered if my feelings of resentment had oozed out, because I realized I had talked about unnecessary things.

Perhaps finding it unexpected, the priest burst into laughter.

I might be prejudiced, but when people with such a good-looking face burst into laughter, they looked a little crazy…

…Honestly, I was scared.

“Hahaha! So you find me ‘healthy’, is it?! Women seem to be fond of my face. When they first meet me, they’ll always praise my facial features. This is the first time anyone has ever told me that my facial features are ‘symmetrical’! But, is there a relationship between bloodline and the symmetry of a face?”

“There may be some misconceptions when it comes to bloodlines. But, children who are well-nourished have a good physical balance. Their limbs are of the same length, and their backs aren’t contorted. They are symmetrical. It’s healthy proof, if I do say so myself—

“—and, considering that healthy children are born by inheriting their parents’ good characteristics, isn’t that the reason why women prefer men with good, symmetrical, looks?

“—in my village, even if five children are born, half of them usually die before the age of five. I think it’s only natural for women to want to have healthy and strong children.”

I was talking while looking back on my past. Although I presently had six siblings, there must had been more.

…Even though he was laughing, why was I angry? Maybe it was because of the way he spoke about it.

The mouth was the source of disaster.

Afterwards, I decided to reply whatever he said with ‘Okay,’ and ‘I see,’ without bringing up the bad anymore.

---

***T/N: …As I thought, I don’t like the priest…

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