CHAPTER 513: CHAPTER 513 - THE ROOT OF ALL HASSLES

After Clarence woke up and I heard him ask such a default question, I couldn’t help but chuckle instead of answering him. He looked confused due to not remembering how he got here and why he was laying in someone else’s living room. He was about to ask another question when Arthur’s modulated voice echoed from the kitchen, "Dinner’s ready! Let’s eat!"

Hearing another man’s voice, Clarence’s attention seemed to have been shaken back to reality as he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. His eyes then trailed towards Arthur who was coming out of the kitchen carrying with him a tray of steaming dishes.

I turned my head and greeted Arthur with a smile then stood up from where I was seated. I started making my way to the dining table. I beckoned Clarence to follow me for a meal first.

It was mild to say that the meal was awkward, at least for the priest who was suddenly pulled into an unfamiliar place. Arthur and I talked and ate as usual. Clarence who must have been taught to be polite from a young age, ate as he was told but only a little bit. He stayed quiet the whole time too since nobody talked to him directly or called for his name.

The meal lasted barely for half an hour before everyone was done. I stood up and asked Clarence to follow me to my study. I thanked Arthur for the meal and he continued with cleaning up the table and the dishes.

Once inside the office, I sat on my chair while he sat on one of the soft cushions a little far from where I was. He looked nervous for some reason which is quite the opposite of how aggressive he was in following me around during the first three weeks of the academe term.

I stayed silent for a bit, letting the uncomfortable silence linger a little more before I spoke. I asked him a very direct question, "What exactly did you tell the others about me that resulted to this situation?"

Hearing me suddenly speak, his head snapped back up in attention as he looked at my face. He stared blankly at me for a few seconds before the questions I just asked finally registered to his mind. I saw that exact moment when his eyes seemed to have reached a point of clarity in them.

Realizing that he has been staring for too long without responding, he coughed and looked away abruptly. It must have been his way to forcibly calm himself down.

With a voice still a bit shaky from nervousness he replied, "I was too excited after I met you that I went back to the main temple and went straight to the pope. You must have already known my blood relationship with him. I totally forgot that he was obsessed with the idea of the goddess descending on this world. Before I realized what I have just done, he has already called for the elders of the council and started sending people out to get more information about you, specifically, where you are currently at and your affiliations."

I simply stared at him listening to him relay the events of what happened after he went back to the main temple of the Lumienere faith. I nodded my head once to tell him to continue his story and so he did.

He added that everything that happened afterwards was a blur and he was even kicked out of the Pope’s chambers after the council of elders arrives so he did not exactly know what they talked about. He said that it only took a few days for all the needed information to be presented to the pope. After that series of steps taken by the higher ups, a long list of instructions was then announced to the priests.

He continued his story about a list of 40 people being pre-chosen by the elders to be sent on a mission outside the mother temple which surprisingly included him. He admitted that he was surprised since he is the only high priest in the list of newly ordained priests.

He finally said that the most shocking was the mission content itself which simply said to "seduce the goddess" in whichever way possible. He then went further to explain that it simply meant to do everything they can to get my attention and hopefully a blessing. He then smiled and did not say anything further as if assuming that I already know what everything meant by now.

After our short conversation, we went out of the office and just when I opened the door, I saw Arthur standing right outside. I looked at him with one of my eyebrows raised as if asking what he is doing outside. He the answered nonchalantly that he is waiting for further instruction but if there is none, he would go ahead and sleep.

Yeah, right. I don’t remember him ever waiting for instructions before going to sleep. He usually just knocks and tells me he’s going to his room for the night. He will never wait outside a door like an obedient puppy or something. He is totally waiting or maybe even trying to eavesdrop in our conversation for sure.

I simply gave Arthur a knowing smile and left him instructions to wait for me in the living room for now. As for the priest that I kind of "kidnapped" in the middle of a crowd, I think I at least have to send him back properly so that his people know that I did not do anything evil to him during the almost two hours that he was inside my villa.

We went out of the villa and walked side by side in silence. I already told him earlier that I will send him right at his door because I believe that it was the proper thing to do. He simply nodded and guided me to whichever room he lived in the annex.

As we were walking through the area and then up the stairs, I have that constant feeling of being watched which means most of the priests are awake and observing us. We went up the stairs in a leisurely pace. It was good that I am no longer human or else, I would have already been cussing, having to go up this many flight of stairs. There were a total of eight since there were two every time you go up one floor.

It turns out, he lived on the top most floor of this annex building and on the first room right after getting off of the stairwell. He said he shared the room with 3 other priests. I simply nodded since I already know there were four people per room.

I made sure to take him till the front of his room. He stared at me for a few seconds as if waiting for something but I just stared back at him blankly.

Realizing that I don’t have any plans besides sending him back, I heard him sigh and then saw a helpless smile from his lips. He then murmured a soft, "Good night".

As he turned around to open his bedroom door, I took one huge step forward towards him then stole a brief kiss from his cheek. He has already opened the door at that time so the other three of priests inside saw that exact moment that I kissed his cheek.

I saw his shoulders flinch as his hand right slowly reached for the area of his cheek where my lips landed earlier. I also saw the shocked faces of the three priests inside the room.

I chuckled at their adorable reactions but at the same time, I took a huge step back away from Clarence. As I knew that he was about to turn around to ask questions about what I just did, I teleported away from that area and back on the place in front of my villa door.

I opened the main door, intending to go straightt to that someone who was living there for me. I did not have any intention to hide the fact that I was home so he clearly heard me. He hurried toward the door and opened it for me.

I saw him panting from suddenly exerting the effort and I could not help but shake my head helplessly, a smile blooming from my lips. I quickly went inside my villa and hugged Arthur as I closed the door from behind me.

The sudden contact froze Arthur on his tracks. Though looking absent minded, his body immediately responded as his arms lifted up to hug me back.

We stayed hugging for a few minutes as if he was scared that I would suddenly disappear. I whispered to him, "What has gotten into you?"

He shook his head that was currently pressed on to my shoulder. He answered with an almost inaudible voice, "Nothing. I am just glad you came back."

I tapped the guy’s back and told him that I will come back since I know he was waiting for me. I felt his arms clung on to me tighter as if my bones are about to be crushed.