#41
“The current temple is utterly corrupt. High-ranking priests, those with even a modicum of status, are solely preoccupied with lining their own pockets. With the wealth they amass, they purchase mansions and land, and take on mistresses to sate their desires. As far as I know, there isn’t a single priest above the rank of bishop who doesn’t have a mistress. Except for myself, of course.”
“…Is it really that bad?”
“Indeed.”
Hereis nodded without the slightest hesitation.
Jeha imagined Hereis, surrounded by corrupt priests, yet maintaining his purity and integrity in solitary defiance. It was a truly isolated and helpless position. He must have been incredibly lonely.
Yet, back then, he wasn’t truly alone, for he had God. But having turned his back on God, he was now, truly, utterly alone.
“As you might have surmised, Lord Jeha, I intend to expand my influence and seize control of the temple. However, the other archbishops and bishops are formidable opponents. I need to lower their guard until I’m adequately prepared. As you already know, I faced significant opposition recently, did I not?”
Hereis euphemistically referred to the assassination attempt, which had inflicted such terrible pain upon him, as mere “opposition.”
“I intend to show them that I can no longer resist and will descend into depravity, just like them.”
“…I understand what you mean. But why must it be me, of all people?”
Jeha sighed, the weight of Hereis’s resolve to willingly step into the mire pressing heavily upon him. Moreover, the man before him was clearly a stubborn individual who, if refused, would undoubtedly throw himself to the brink of death repeatedly just to persuade Jeha.
Upon hearing Jeha’s question, Hereis lifted his piercing blue eyes, which had been cast downwards, to meet Jeha’s gaze, and spoke.
“Because in this entire world, Lord Jeha, you are the only one I truly trust and rely upon.”
****
The room fell silent.
Jeha lowered his gaze, scratching Kkamangi’s neck as the creature playfully rubbed against his knee. Hereis occasionally moistened his lips with tea, silently awaiting an answer. There was no urging, no pleading. He simply maintained his silence, patiently anticipating Jeha’s reply.
Despite the outward calm, Jeha’s mind was a whirlwind of complex thoughts.
As he had hinted to his butler, Jeha intended to wholeheartedly support Hereis, mobilizing the full extent of House Belgarga’s power, prestige, and wealth. However, becoming his lover—or rather, making him *his* lover—was an entirely different matter.
Even if it were merely a pretense, it remained a significant hurdle.
Being lovers implied an exceptionally intimate relationship. If they were to become official lovers, they would have to meet frequently, and their lives would become inextricably intertwined, both privately and publicly. At the very least, they would be bound together, unable to separate until Hereis achieved his goals and their contract with Jeha concluded. This was a completely different outcome from his original plan of maintaining a suitable distance while assisting him and then ending their arrangement.
Of course, he could refuse.
For instance, he could search for a suitable candidate to become Hereis’s lover. Yet, Hereis had explicitly stated that he wanted Jeha, and only trusted Jeha. To claim his heart wasn’t stirred by such words would undeniably be a lie.
‘Why does this man, despite being a man, always manage to unsettle me whenever we meet?’
Jeha grumbled inwardly. He conceded that he was considerably vulnerable to Hereis. And, of course, he couldn’t deny that his heart was indeed slightly swayed by him.
Perhaps that was why his pride felt needlessly bruised.
Hereis was always ambiguous. It was impossible to tell if he was being flirtatious or simply speaking from a pure heart. The fact that Jeha’s own heart was wavering, without even grasping Hereis’s true intentions, was unacceptable.
‘Right, losing the initiative like this won’t do for my dignity. Whether it’s the dignity of a Demon King or simply a man.’
Jeha muttered to himself after a long moment of deliberation. Then, hushed footsteps, cautiously approaching from outside the room, reached his ears. Glancing sideways past the door, he caught sight of the paladins standing guard and Benato whispering in low tones. Overhearing even those whispers, Jeha pondered for a moment before hardening his resolve.
“You said you wished to be my lover, didn’t you?”
“Indeed.”
Hereis nodded, replying softly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Jeha set Kkamangi down on the floor and abruptly sprang to his feet.
*CRASH!*
The chair, violently pushed aside, toppled to the floor with a deafening clatter. The moment Jeha rose, he seized Hereis by the collar and yanked him forward. Hereis’s body, pulled by a strength that transcended human limits, involuntarily rose from his seat. Jeha, clutching Hereis’s collar with both hands as the bewildered man was drawn closer, immediately covered his lips with his own.
*A soft press.*
The warm sensation of lips met his. Instead of leisurely savoring the feeling, Jeha impatiently bit at Hereis’s lips and unhesitatingly thrust his tongue inside. The countless kissing scenes he’d witnessed in movies proved helpful. Once his tongue was in, his body moved instinctively.
Just as he was somewhat roughly sucking and licking Hereis’s lips, the door burst open, exactly as he had anticipated.
“What in the world— *Gasp!*”
Standing beyond the wide-open door were Benato, the attending priests, and the paladins. Without releasing Hereis’s collar, Jeha shot an annoyed glare at the sudden intruders.
“To barge in without permission—what insolence is this?”
Jeha retorted with a sharpness and arrogance he hadn’t displayed before. The faces of those who had been aghast at the scene in the room twisted uncontrollably.
“I am in the midst of an important conversation with His Eminence, the Archbishop, so all of you, withdraw. Or… do you intend to stand there and continue watching?”
As he spoke, Jeha meaningfully stroked Hereis’s lips, which were glistening with his own saliva.
“Th-th-that…! How could such… such disrespect towards His Eminence, the Archbishop…!”
Benato clutched at his chest, pointing an accusing finger at Jeha. His face looked as if he were on the verge of a heart attack.
“Am I, by any chance, committing a grave offense against His Eminence, the Archbishop, Hereis?”
Jeha asked Hereis in a voice as sweet as melting honey. Hereis, who had been silent until now, responded with a dazzling smile, tenderly caressing Jeha’s cheek.
“Of course not.”
Hereis, having whispered his reply in a voice like a gentle breeze, then gestured towards the pale-faced onlookers.
“Our important business with His Excellency is not yet concluded, so all of you, leave and wait outside.”
The expressions on the people’s faces were a kaleidoscope of emotions: deep disappointment and helplessness, anger and embarrassment, disgust and contempt, all swirling within them. As if to deliberately provoke them, Jeha passionately kissed Hereis again. Hereis, in turn, matched his rhythm, beginning to explore Jeha’s lips. Though their kiss was clumsy, the passionate sucking, licking, and intertwining produced distinctly lewd sounds that echoed through the room.
Who had closed the door remained a mystery. In truth, whether it was closed or not was of no concern to them.
Before they knew it, they were lost in a frenzy of kissing, and their once clumsy and awkward kisses had become remarkably intense. Jeha felt his mind half-depart from his body amidst this profound and passionate contact with another person, an experience entirely new to him.
People, and all sorts of media, raved about kissing, and now he understood why. Simply pressing lips, intertwining tongues, and exchanging saliva was maddeningly good. His mind reeled, and his entire body tingled. A fervent passion, one he hadn’t known he possessed, ignited within him.
*THUD!*
His body collapsed somewhere. Opening eyes he hadn’t realized were closed, he saw Hereis’s flushed face. Beyond his face was the ceiling of a bed. They were lying on the bed, one atop the other.
As his senses slowly returned, Jeha gently pushed against Hereis’s chest, which was pressing down on him. Their tightly sealed lips parted, drawing a shimmering silver thread of saliva between them, whose origin Jeha couldn’t discern. Feeling his face grow hot, Jeha wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Then, he furtively glanced towards the door.
The door was indeed closed. In fact, he couldn’t even recall when it had been shut.
He had only intended to put on a proper show for a moment…
Jeha couldn’t help but question his own sexual identity and self-control. Yet, at the same time, he had no choice but to admit it: the kiss with Hereis had been maddeningly pleasurable.
“Well, the rumors are certainly going to spread. Rumors that Archbishop Hereis has succumbed to sexual depravity.”
Jeha spoke playfully, attempting to break the awkward atmosphere. He didn’t want to reveal that his mind had half-departed during their recent kiss.
“It’s still not enough.”
Hereis whispered, his face flushed, as he remained lying atop Jeha.
“W-what do you mean?”
Jeha, fearing another kiss, pushed against Hereis’s chest with both hands for support as he asked. Hereis’s eyes curved into a graceful smile as he replied.
“Wouldn’t a mere kiss be insufficient? From the looks of it, neither this bed nor the inn’s floor seems particularly sturdy. I believe a little noise might be required.”
Jeha understood Hereis’s meaning, and his face felt as if it would explode. Hereis was suggesting they needed to make the sounds of s*x.