The Unraveling Trial

“Order! Order, I say!”

The white-bearded archbishop, having concluded the brief meeting, bellowed. His voice carried a subtle divine power. At the loud sound echoing in their ears, the nobles gradually ceased their commotion. One by one, they fell silent and turned their gaze to the archbishop. He took a breath and spoke in a solemn tone.

“After deliberation among the three archbishops, it appears that Inquisitor Casto, for personal gain, falsely accused the Marchioness Scarlet. Of course, to confirm this, we will thoroughly interrogate Inquisitor Casto and three other witnesses. Until the results are out, the Marchioness Scarlet will be safely protected in the Great Temple.”

“This lady has already been falsely accused by an inquisitor once. I do not believe she will be safe even under the Great Temple’s protection.”

A young noble rose from his seat and spoke. The older nobles glared at him as if his remark was excessive, but the spirited young nobles all nodded in agreement.

“The Marchioness Scarlet should be protected by us nobles, not the temple.”

The young noble spoke again. Everyone nodded at that.

This was not merely about protecting a noblewoman. It was about protecting the honor of the nobility. In other words, the nobles here no longer trusted the temple.

“If I may!”

A woman cried out and stood. The crowd’s attention turned to her. The red-haired woman was none other than the Countess Delfard.

“If I may, I will shelter the Marchioness Scarlet at my estate. As fellow widows, I believe we can find comfort in each other.”

Hearing that, the nobles all nodded. Both the Marchioness Scarlet and Countess Delfard were young widows, so it seemed quite appropriate.

The three archbishops exchanged glances. Hereis muttered something softly, audible only to them. The other two archbishops nodded upon hearing it. Soon, the white-bearded archbishop spoke.

“Instead, we will have holy knights guard the estate.”

This was to prevent the Marchioness Scarlet from fleeing.

“That would be reassuring for me as well.”

Instead of getting upset, Countess Delfard smiled faintly and nodded.

At last, the trial ended. The witnesses walked in on their own but were led out by holy knights. Inquisitor Casto was in the same situation.

Jeha, leaving the courtroom mingled with other nobles, briefly met Hereis’s gaze. For a fleeting moment, laughter flickered in both their eyes. Jeha then straightened his head and headed out of the Great Temple. In the front yard, waiting for the carriage, he looked up at the sky. It was very sunny.

****

Chapter 8

The day after the sensational religious trial.

Jeha purposely woke up at dawn and attended the morning Mass held at the Great Temple.

The large Mass hall always had no empty seats left. But today was different. Even a quick look showed less than half the seats were filled. Those who did attend were nobles deeply connected to the temple, such as the pope’s mistress, Miss Fanucci, and her mother.

The archbishop leading the Mass tried not to show it, but his stiffening face gave him away. Preaching before countless empty seats must have felt humiliating to him. Jeha pretended to listen intently but couldn’t hide his inner smile.

Since the trial date was set, the temple had heavily promoted this morning’s Mass. As planned, the archbishop was supposed to give a lengthy sermon today about the Marchioness Scarlet’s conviction. All nobles of Enkarosha were to attend, prove their faith, and pray that they wouldn’t be the next target. But the situation had completely reversed.

Such a collective absence of nobles from the grand Mass was no small matter. It meant the nobles no longer trusted the temple and were willing to turn their backs if necessary.

Wounding the solid relationship between nobles and the temple. That was exactly what Jeha and Hereis had intended in planning this matter.

The emperor must have been greatly disappointed with the outcome. But as the head of the nobles, he had no choice but to stand with them. No matter his inner feelings, the emperor was also forced to draw a line with the temple. Otherwise, the resentment of all nobles, including the high-ranking ones, could extend to him.

The Mass, which had likely been planned to last quite long, ended quickly. The nobles who had attended out of caution seemed to change their minds upon seeing the empty seats. Instead of lingering in the temple, they all chose to leave quickly.

Jeha went straight to Hereis. Having finished his morning prayers, Hereis was working in his office. When Jeha was ushered in, Hereis’s face lit up with undisguised delight.

As the door closed behind them, Jeha and Hereis immediately shared a light morning kiss.

Naturally, the kiss deepened quickly. They showered each other with wet kisses, caressing each other’s bodies.

Hereis’s hand, which had been stroking Jeha’s waist and spine, slipped under his shirt. Jeha’s eyelashes fluttered at the touch on his bare skin. Even though only his skin was being touched, it felt as if his entire body was being caressed.

Jeha, too, burned with the desire to touch Hereis’s bare skin. But the priest’s robes were very difficult to remove. Instead, Jeha soothed his longing by stroking Hereis’s nape.

“Ah… My Jeha.”

Hereis breathed hotly into Jeha’s ear. His voice was full of longing and desire. Jeha’s breath also grew hot. How long would they have to stroke each other’s bodies and suppress this desire? Even when they touched like this, they always wanted a little more.

“Only these brief moments of touching you are my salvation.”

Hereis whispered, biting Jeha’s earlobe. Jeha struggled not to moan. If he let out a moan soaked with desire, he felt they would end up tangled on the floor.

“Do you not desire me, Jeha?”

Hereis asked, meeting his eyes. His eyes burned with unfulfilled desire. Knowing that he wanted him so much made Jeha’s heart race.

“I do. But…”

Jeha pushed against Hereis’s chest to stop him from covering his mouth immediately upon hearing ‘I do.’ His blue eyes blazed intensely, as if ready to push Jeha to the floor. Jeha, too, desperately wanted to cling to Hereis. But on the other hand, he hesitated due to the burden of penetration.

His mouth went dry with burning desire. Jeha steadied his hot breath and spoke slowly.

“If we… go all the way, Hereis.”

At the words ‘all the way,’ Hereis, as if unable to bear it, took Jeha’s hand and showered his palm with lewd kisses. The sensation of lips and tongue on his sensitive palm made Jeha’s shoulders draw back involuntarily.

“Then your thing… would enter my body…”

At the explicit words, fire truly ignited in Hereis’s eyes. Staring into those blazing blue eyes, Jeha continued hesitantly, his face full of embarrassment.

“If it’s yours, filled with divine power… it might forcibly break the seal in my body.”

“Is that the only reason?”

Hereis asked, pulling Jeha’s waist close to his body. Through their touching bodies, Jeha could feel Hereis’s fully excited member. It twitched occasionally, as if unable to bear even this contact.

Far from finding his body, so contrasting with his ascetic and pure face, repulsive, Jeha was delighted that he wanted him this much.

“That’s one reason, and going all the way is… I’m not ready yet.”

Jeha spoke honestly, throwing away the pride of a Demon King or a man.

Hereis was no longer just a contractor with whom he had a fling. He was Jeha’s lover. He had heard that honesty is most important between lovers.

Hereis pulled Jeha into a tight embrace. Holding him close, he slowly steadied his breath. He seemed to be trying to calm his excitement.

“I can wait as long as you need, Jeha. I will endure and wait until the day you fully want me.”

Hereis whispered, suppressing his desire. But perhaps unable to fully give up, his breath on Jeha’s nape was hot, and his member felt fully aroused through their bodies.

Jeha, too, struggled to calm his excitement while Hereis alone tried to control his desire. Because Jeha also wanted to roll around with Hereis right away, even though he hesitated to go all the way.

“…Then, wouldn’t it be fine as long as we don’t go all the way?”

Hereis whispered, his voice slightly hoarse from suppressing lust. Jeha hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. Hereis, as if waiting, slipped his hand back under Jeha’s top.

The hand inside his clothes slid up along his side. Jeha gripped Hereis’s firm forearm, trying to stifle his moans.