Chapter 201: Subjugation Battle of the Church of Love, Summoning a Storm (3)

The rural accommodation was quiet in the middle of the night. Once the farmers finished their early evening meals and quieted down, the chirping of insects sprouted from the mountains, and the elegant sound of the stream tickled the ears if one listened closely. A frog puffed out its cheeks and poked its head through the gap of the unclosed sliding door, and flying insects immolated themselves in the lights that were still on.

And bubbles were boiling up from the jar next to me. I looked at the moonlight reflected on the surface of the water filled in the jar. The moonlight scattering in all directions due to the bubbles and ripples made it seem as if the water in the jar itself was radiating a silver light.

Raising my head from here, the cries of strange beasts could be heard from the forest filled with pitch-black darkness. The kitchen, which was open to the outdoors, was a place where beasts often came down with flashing eyes in search of food. Were they startled by the unfamiliar man sitting there? The stray cats only growled in vigilance and couldn't approach.

When I waved my hand, the cats shrieked and fled in all directions. The clerk who opened the door tried to scream, but wisely shut his mouth when I raised my index finger. The beasts that had gathered noisily in the forest left only their howling sounds behind as they blended into the darkness on the other side of the forest.

Looking slightly up from the forest, there was a sky shining in deep indigo as if to set the boundary of the dark forest straight. The sky was densely studded with stars as if colorful confetti had been sprinkled over it. They dazzled my eyes, twinkling their lights at different rhythms as if competing to see who was more visible to me.

The rural scenery encountered in the kitchen of the accommodation late at night was this beautiful.

"Blergh... blub... blub... pfft..."

Thinking I had enjoyed the scenery enough, I pulled the innkeeper's hair out of the jar. The innkeeper, who had tasted plenty of the clear rural water until just a moment ago, continuously wiped his soaking wet face with his palms and spoke.

"I'm s-sorry... pfft... gasp... ugh... Since you took a beastfolk as a wife... gasp... I wanted to... tease you... a little."

"Innkeeper. I understand you wanted to tease me. But you should choose your marks carefully. Fuck. If you announce 'A married couple over here!' out loud like that, strange rumors will spread. Right?"

"Yes! I'm sorry!"

"Fuck, you need to speak quietly. You'll wake up our sleeping Elsi."

I shoved the innkeeper's head back into the jar. This heinous innkeeper was being judged for the sin of intentionally shouting 'A married couple over here!' out loud just to tease me, even though I had hinted at him by speaking quietly.

Did he think it would be fine because I was a high priest? Did he think I wouldn't get mad because I said we were a married couple with my own mouth? They say running a peaceful rural accommodation sometimes stirs up a strong thirst for adventure. Did I just happen to visit at that exact time? I pulled the innkeeper's head out of the jar again. His soaking wet hair drooped limply like a mop, dripping water.

"I'm s-sorry... I'm... gasp... s-sorry..."

He was transforming from an arrogant innkeeper into a kind innkeeper. I began to quietly admonish him.

"It's true that I think of Elsi like a wife, but we aren't officially married yet, and I don't even know if a marriage with a beastfolk will be recognized. It'd be a dilemma if rumors like that spread first. Fuck. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes... yep... I understand."

I finally let go of the innkeeper's hair and dusted off my hands. The innkeeper crawled away across the floor, water dripping steadily from his nose and mouth. I grabbed a piece of fruit sitting on the kitchen table and tossed it toward the forest. A squirrel in the woods poked at the fruit, bit into it, and disappeared into the darkness. I headed back up to the room while whistling.

The accommodation was too shoddy to have sex with Elsi in. I promised myself we'd do it at the next accommodation and opened the room door. Elsi had woken up at some point and was waiting for me, sitting on the bed. Her amber eyes flashing in the darkness were a bit scary, so my shoulders shuddered.

"Elsi?"

"Cleric. I was scared because you disappeared without a word."

Elsi said that while staring blankly at me. Because the room was dark, I couldn't see her expression clearly. When I approached her to comfort her, Elsi hugged me tightly and laid me back down on the bed. I spoke.

"Elsi?"

"Cleric. We're sleeping like this today. I wanted to sleep like this too, just like the mermaid or the nun."

"We don't have to mate?"

Elsi flinched for a moment at the mention of mating, but soon shook her head and spoke.

"There's no need. Just this is good for today. Even just being next to the cleric, I feel good, as if I'm feeling the wind of the plains."

"To think you feel that good because of me, I must be an amazing person to you, Elsi."

Elsi didn't answer my words. She placed her hand on my chest and drew circles. Rather than foreplay, her slow strokes rubbing my chest felt more like a young child acting spoiled and stroking their parent's chest.

The wick of the accommodation's lamp completely burned out. As the light, which was said to burn for a considerable time, went out, the surroundings of the accommodation were engulfed in complete darkness. This was also this accommodation's own way of showing that deep night had fallen. Elsi's voice echoed in the dark. Because I had closed my eyes to sleep, I couldn't see her amber eyes either.

"Cleric."

"Yes."

"I was happy when you called me your wife earlier."

"You are practically my wife. I love you, we mate, and we exchange gifts."

"But I heard it's very difficult to say that out loud in a cleric's position. I really like the fact that you pushed through that difficulty for me."

"I like you too, Elsi."

I started to feel sleepy. Since I did a good deed for the first time in a while, it felt like I could sleep with a refreshed mind. Elsi's voice echoed like a lullaby. Beyond my drowsy mind, Elsi's voice sounded very slow and faint. She said.

"I like the cleric too."

The next morning. We confirmed the innkeeper's very polite attitude and departed again for the Lord of Eastern Aberdeen. Elsi seemed to be bothered by the innkeeper's slightly changed attitude overnight. She looked back several times even after leaving the accommodation, but there was no way for her to resolve her questions.

The road to the Aberdeen Territory after that was very comfortable. The lords didn't pick useless quarrels, and the accommodations also provided me with rooms very politely. There wasn't a single lord who argued that Elsi couldn't enter a room because she was a beastfolk, or demanded that I hand over a slave trade deed to them.

When night fell, we made love in various places. Like a beastfolk daughter raised in the wild, Elsi smilingly accepted me no matter where we had sex. We rolled around in the water while bathing by the stream bank, and we even had intense sex while holding our breath and getting pricked by straw in a secluded accommodation made of straw bales.

Just thinking of how she covered her mouth with her cat paws and desperately tried to hold back her moans when I told her she couldn't make a sound, strength surged to my lower body.

We drove the carriage toward the Eastern Plains Region, sharing both sex and romance. During the trip, I discovered various habits of Elsi that I hadn't known before. Elsi would slightly stick her tongue out when she felt good during sex, and her nipples were sensitive. Her tail was strong enough to give me a handjob, and she made cute sounds when I poked her asshole during sex.

This sex trip continued until we arrived at the Aberdeen Territory. I carefully drove the horses so as not to wake Elsi, who was sleeping with her head leaning heavily against me. In the distance, a welcoming party had already gathered in the Aberdeen Territory to greet Elsi and me.

At the forefront was Lord Aberdeen. He stood at the front, still showing off his bursting muscles. As we entered the territory border, the people were about to shout loudly as if to welcome us, but they started murmuring in confusion when they saw that I was driving the horses. A flustered expression was clearly evident on Lord Aberdeen's face as well. He approached the carriage and asked me.

"High Priest Peta Lucius. It has been a while."

"It's been a while, Lord Aberdeen. Has everything been well with you?"

"For me, the situation these days is a mess. With the knights clashing with the beastfolk in the Eastern Plains Region, there are plenty of problems."

I shook Elsi awake and looked around. The soldiers were looking at Elsi with curious eyes. Elsi twitched her ears and looked around before asking me.

"Cleric. Are we already here?"

"Yes. We've arrived."

Lord Aberdeen was staring at Elsi. Elsi stared back at Lord Aberdeen and then waved her hand.

"It's been a while. Have you been well?"

"Yeah."

Lord Aberdeen replied shortly. His expression was full of discomfort, but since he knew my mission and purpose, he didn't ask useless questions like why I had brought Elsi. Skipping the details, he guided us to our accommodation first. He told us that because Lord Aberdeen's mansion was very far from the current mission area, they had booked an accommodation in a nearby village.

"It's not an accommodation befitting the formality of hosting a high priest, but we prepared one in a nearby area considering convenience for carrying out your duties."

"Thank you for your consideration. Practicality is always better than luxury, after all."

"Also, there are frequent battles with beastfolk near the border region right now, so there's a lot of ill will toward them. Um, what was your name again?"

"It's Elsi."

Lord Aberdeen stopped explaining the situation midway to ask Elsi's name. Elsi, too, was a bit surprised by Lord Aberdeen's insensitivity and answered with her eyes wide open. Still, they had worked together for several months before I took Elsi away, so it was somewhat amazing that he had forgotten her name. The lord nodded his head and started talking to me again.

"If Elsi wanders around alone and runs into knights or soldiers, it could cause problems, so please make sure to accompany her at all times."

"Yes. I understand."

It was an obvious thing. I listened to Lord Aberdeen explain the other surrounding situations. He said that the Commander of the Royal Knight Order, Albus Lionel, was currently stationed at the Beastfolk Border Frontline Region with his son, James Lionel, and that the Aberdeen Territory was acting as the supply route for this frontline region, providing materials.

"You just need to go see Lord Albus Lionel."

"Did Miss Bellix Karin not come?"

"If you are talking about Miss Bellix Karin of the Royal Knight Order, she did not come. As far as I know, because Miss Bellix Karin is affiliated with the Public Security Department, she is not involved in external investigation duties like this."

"Tsk."

What a shame.