Saint's Prison - Chapter 90

TLN : LETSGOOO BACK TO MAIN ARC!!!

The Awaited One Arrives

Sending off shadows in the twilight sky.

Twirling, twirling, they start to dance.

The curtain of night has fully descended.

Where, oh where is your shadow?

The answer lies in the pitch-black darkness.

What on earth could be beyond?

***

The scent of green leaves tickled my nose, pulling my consciousness to wakefulness.

I rubbed my eyes several times and lifted my head.

The room was dim, the setting sun streaming in through the window.

As I tried to stand up, I realized I was holding someone’s hand.

Silky, light brown hair flowed through my fingers. Long eyelashes, a straight nose, and though her figure was slender, there was a certain allure to her features.

“…Sophia-san.”

She did not stir, a look of utter peace on her face as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

“――I see. I must have fallen asleep while keeping Sophia-san company.”

I looked at our joined hands. Sophia-san had been staring at something, terrified.

In a delirious state, she had been terribly distraught, and I had taken her hand to calm her.

Gently unwinding her fingers, I let out a small sigh.

I had been having a long dream. It was a dream about when I first arrived at Stonehearst. Thanks to that, my memories were slowly returning.

“…Peregrinus. And, Caerulum Stonehearst.”

Words that were pushed to the back of my memory due to being preoccupied with my own affairs when I first arrived at Stonehearst, and had eventually faded away.

――Peregrinus.

That’s what Father Benedict initially called me. And Amal had translated that word as “foreigner.”

Furthermore, there was the figure of Caerulum Stonehearst, the founder of this Stonehearst. The name of the Stonehearst Monastery must have been derived from him. And he, too, was a peregrinus… a foreigner.

It is undeniable that Caerulum is deeply entwined with the secrets of Stonehearst Monastery.

And I, too, being called a peregrinus just like him, must consider that I have some role to play here at Stonehearst.

If the word peregrinus is used purely in the sense of a foreigner, then pilgrims like Sophia-san would also qualify.

However, there is no record of Sophia-san being called a peregrinus, and unlike me, the priests call her by her real name.

Yes, there is a clear difference between her and me.

This implies, in essence, that there are certain conditions to being considered a peregrinus.

Above all, the most important thing is what the existence of a peregrinus means to Stonehearst.

Perhaps that’s why I am able to speak with, touch, and love Amal, the taboo existence, and why such actions are tacitly permitted.

(…Damn it, I’ve been wrong from the start.)

Until now, I had unconsciously placed myself outside the net.

I should have first discarded the preconceived notion that the events at the monastery were strictly theirs.

From the moment I visited, I had been in touch with the abyss of Stonehearst.

***

After watching over Sophia-san for a while, I had returned to my private room in the monastery.

Upon opening the door and entering, the setting sun cast a twilight glow on the walls.

And there was Amal, standing stock-still, gazing out the window.

“Amal… I’m back.”

I called out to her. She slowly turned around, her hair dancing in the air, her face silhouetted against the backlight, rendering her expression invisible.

“Welcome back, Andy-sama,” she greeted me, her voice almost mechanical.

“…You’re quite late, aren’t you?”

“Sorry. There were… various things.”

“Is that so?”

Amal nodded slightly. Then, she approached me and gently hugged me.

“To come back with the scent of another woman on you… What exactly have you been doing?”

She tightened her grip on me, a clear sign she had no intention of letting me go.

It was so tight that I took a shallow breath.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I swear, it’s not what you’re thinking. I was just tending to Sophia-san.”

With those words, I gently stroked Amal’s back. She trembled slightly, struggling to find her words.

“You said you would come back soon,” she stammered.

“…Sorry about that. But there’s nothing between Sophia-san and me.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, really. Trust me.”

I affirmed.

I whispered sweetly, wanting her trust, showing her through my actions that she was the only one for me. Amal was always starving. Amal was always anxious.

――Because Amal only has me.

Although Amal might cling to me crying, or kneel before me begging for love, she never denies my way of life. Surely, it’s because she fears my departure more than anything else.

“I believe you… because this time, you came back properly.”

She unwound her arms from around my back and tugged strongly at the bottom of my shirt. It was her usual silent prompt.

I quickly bent down and brought my face closer to Amal.

Then, I was immediately kissed and bitten.

It seemed like it reflected Amal’s heart, which longed for my love.