* * *
It's a beautiful day.
The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming.
On such a gracious day, it is the rightful duty of a skilled indoor man to laze about in the cozy confines of his home, and to tackle the books that have been piling up unread.
Why am I forced to wander like a dead man in the open air, forced to perform heavy labor that I have no desire to perform.
I have a strong urge to write in the first chapter of the Gospel of Sloth that my present miserable life, in which I am not allowed to retire or take a leave of absence, is no better than living in a world without light and salt.
''Let's see----. Surely, it must be around here----.''
With one hand propping up a tower of drums, stacked on top of each other, blocking my view, I struggled to read the words on the tiny slip of paper clutched in the palm of my other hand.
Normally, this time of day, just after the congregation's morning service, is one of the few times I can catch my breath, a precious, precious time when I'm exploited by the saintess for most of the day, and one of the few times I can catch up on the sleep I've been lacking.
Just yesterday, under mysterious circumstances that I cannot even begin to fathom, Sister, who oversees all the affairs of this monastery, was suddenly taken ill.
The sisters, realizing that even her daily workload is too much for her to handle, have asked for your help. I could not turn away from their tearful plea that if you had a spare hand, you could help out, even if only a little.
The loss of just one person is enough to paralyze an entire organization.
It's a world of difference to someone like me, who has plenty of people to replace her.
I knew she was a severe workaholic, but to see the extent of her condition firsthand made me feel an indescribable mixture of awe and shame as my ego, whose motto was to live a life of seclusion and modesty, began to stir.
I wonder how long I've been walking.
Finally, I reached my destination.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
He dropped the drums on his shoulders to the ground one after the other, and spoke with a forced arc to the corners of his mouth, which were curling unpleasantly at the unannounced labor.
''Four barrels of wine, as ordered. I've come to deliver them.''
''Oh!''
Immediately afterward, a friendly-looking woman in an apron came running out of the back door to greet me.
The job I was asked to do by the sisters was to deliver wine, one of the monastery's main sources of income.
It was a bit nerve-wracking to think that the high and mighty, who would be outraged if there was a single hair in their food, would be gulping down grape juice that the chaste and pretty nuns had crushed with their bare feet.
I realize that some people in high places are able to get through their hard days thanks to this noble pastime, so I've come to accept it for now.
However, every now and then, wine is tested for quality, and inspectors equipped with tools carved from unicorn horns come to test the virginity of winemaking nuns.
It took me a while to get used to the surrealism of seeing the phrase "virginity assured!" in all caps on the label of a certified fine wine.
Even now, I still get a chill down my spine when I see it.
''My goodness, did you lift and carry all this heavy stuff all by yourself, priest bachelor? You must have a surprisingly deep backbone for such a slender figure! Your future mate will have a hard time with you tonight, hahaha!''
''Haha----.''
After counting the drums I had carried, the lady, who seemed to be quite surprised that I didn't have a group behind me, continued to gush.
It was hard work, sure, but it was nothing compared to being caught in the middle of my coworkers' training, and I couldn't think of anything to say in response, so I just smiled wryly.
The torture of carrying a man-sized egg on my back, being chased by a beast, and running up and down a mountain with a slope only slightly less than a right angle was not something I would ever do again.
I'm told that the semi-forced mountain climbing by my bosses kept me safe.
My strength and dexterity have improved by leaps and bounds, but those paltry byproducts are a small price to pay for the horrific trauma I endured that day, or at least I think so.
''Higo, look at your face! Come on, get a drink of water! You're sweating profusely, and yet you're sitting there wrapped up in your clothes! No wonder you're so hot! Why don't you at least put your arms up? It's getting a bit stuffy from this side of the room!''
''Oh, no, I'm fine!''
I hastily pulled myself back to avoid the lady who was trying to roll up my sleeves.
The inside completely covered my neck. A tight black priest's robe with all the buttons closed.
I know it was done out of consideration for me, but unfortunately, my neck and arms are covered with things that are not meant to be seen, and I shouldn't be showing my skin on the main street of a town like this.
And my blush isn't from the heat.
''Anyway, thank you, strong priest bachelor, see you around!''
''Aye. May the gods smile upon you.''
With these rather formal-sounding greetings from the priests, I quickly walked towards my next destination.
This outing wouldn't count against her excursion permit.
Now that I had completed all of Sogi's duties, this golden freedom I had been granted was a reasonable reward for my labor. It was a loss if I didn't enjoy it.
''Let's buy a book.''
With that light-hearted thought, I headed to the bookstore.
I wonder why I did that.
◈◈◈◈
The security around here isn't too bad.
Yeah, so far, so good. Not bad.
This means that evil deeds are committed with a frequency that is not infrequent, but not rare either, and that there are at least as many evil people as there are evil deeds.
''You scumbag!''
''Ugh! Ugh!''
The sound of a human kicking a human is not as loud as you might think.
It's dwarfed by the popping sound a feral cat makes when it accidentally drops a flowerpot, and it's dwarfed by the howl a puppy makes when it's wary of a stranger.
In the hustle and bustle of a city, it's easy to miss them if you're not paying attention.
And yet, it has an attraction, a certain magic.
At least, enough to grab hold of my consciousness, to shake it to its core, as I was giddy with childlike excitement at the prospect of a new book in the bookstore.
At my old job, the leader was the embodiment of justice, a man who would never forgive such an evil deed, so my role at the time was more of a "passerby 1" who watched from a distance as the leader reformed the villain.
But.
In the absence of an incarnation of justice to edify the wicked, there were far too many distractions here for me to remain as carefree and immersed in the role of 'Passerby 1' as I had been in the past.
''Die, die, die, you piece of shit!''
''Ugh, ugh, sin, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, ugh!''
The gruesome sight of a man being bludgeoned to death by another man in a corner alley, out of the public eye. A rare but not so rare sight.
In the past, I would have just ignored him. Something that has nothing to do with me.
That I've become an annoying human being who can't see past such a quality Sessa who can only do me harm.
I'm sure the effects of the past days spent with that leader and his people will be great.
''There----. Can you leave it at that----?''
''Whoa, whoa, whoa----. What are you----?''
Immediately after hearing my voice, the man suddenly looked in my direction.
It was like looking at an unleashed animal, as if he hadn't gotten his breathing back to normal, even though the kicking was over.
A sturdy physique. Fierce tattoos stretched from his bare shoulders down to the backs of his hands. His appearance, as if he was impatient to show that he was engaged in a harsh life, was already filled with regret.
''Look, I'm not sure what's driving you to do this, but I'd like to remind you that violence is----.''
''I won't say it twice. If you don't want to die, get lost.''
''Haha---. I'm sorry---. Still, I'm a priest as you can see, so I can't pretend I didn't see this---.''
''Hah---. Shit---. This is the problem with assholes---.''
It was just then.
The man slowly started to close the distance towards me, his irritation evident even at a glance.
''Yeah, if you want to be beaten up like that, you'll have to fulfill your wishes, right, Priest?''
''Hah, hah---.''
When the distance between him and me was close enough for his shadow to cover my body, he asked me a question.
''What are you, what kind of confidence do you have in yourself, eh? Are you confident? Are you confident?''
''Yue, I'm as confident as----.''
''Kahaha!''
For your information, I hate fighting. I can't do it. I'm not confident.
So, please, please, please do me a favor.
Don't break anything.
* * *