I Thought You Were A Sweet, Kind-Hearted Person! - Chapter 50

“Was it because the bed was uncomfortable yesterday? Or did those priests do something rude yesterday?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then why do you keep saying that…… huh?”

Eventually, Mishael lifted my hand and rubbed it against his cheek while sniffling.

“I never intended to come to the holy kingdom in the first place.”

He said this boldly in the chapel at the heart of the holy kingdom, dressed in his priestly robes.

“When you told me to go after I suffered from the holy fever and the holy kingdom came looking for me…… How many times do I have to say it? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even have known that what I suffered from was holy fever.”

“……Right. Now I understand that clearly.”

“Why do you keep saying that……”

Then Mishael took my hand in both of his, pressed our palms together with my fingertips buried between them, and pressed his lips to the gap between his two thumbs. The kiss traveled from his hand to my fingertips.

Although he seemed to restrain himself because we were still in the chapel with the remnants of the sacrament and he was wearing his priestly robes… The faint flame in his red eyes as he gazed at me intently was undoubtedly a clear desire, and a love beyond that. Amidst the sky dyed with sunset, like the last strength of sunlight pouring out its power, it was evident.

“The important thing is, I went to the holy kingdom then because I imagined a future with you.”

His voice was earnest with every word he emphasized.

“Of course, at that time, I didn’t know what I felt for you.”

‘How would someone like me know about love? All I know is that even if I get beaten up every day because of you, I still want to linger around you.’

“Thinking it was just my desire to remain as your faithful servant at your feet as always… Becoming a semi-noble upon receiving priestly ordination seemed like it would allow me to stay by your side more proudly, so that’s why I went to the holy kingdom.”

“Mhm.”

“I never intended to become a priest. You said to go to the holy kingdom, so I thought there must be a reason and followed you…… How many times do I have to say it?”

Mishael pouted his lips and lowered his head to touch foreheads with me.

His fervent assertion of his innocence naturally made me smile. It’s been well over half a year since Mishael gave up being a priest and left the holy kingdom, and every time I felt sorry for leading him astray, he has expressed his true feelings like this so many times that they are now too numerous to count on both hands.

Now, it seems there’s no need to ask anymore.

“Lily…… Do you still not know my heart?”

“I’ve never not known.”

As Mishael rubbed his forehead against mine, acting like a spoiled child, I secretly kissed the tip of his nose and smiled brightly.

Yes. It was a story Mishael had repeated several times, but now I knew it more clearly than ever. Mishael in his first life didn’t become a priest out of a noble heart either. He became a priest to get revenge for being oppressed by me, to become an existence that no one could ignore.

Reflecting on that fact, my heart swelled immensely.

Whether for better or worse…… The fact that I had such a huge impact on the man I love was overwhelmingly moving. That he went to the holy kingdom because of me in both lives, and that he chose different paths in his past and this life…… It was all because of me.

Above all, the fact that I, who vaguely remembered my first life through God and Mysiel’s arrangement, managed to get the first step right just as Mishael desperately hoped when he turned back time.

“I’m really happy. There’s nothing that isn’t touching.”

“Is that so? Then now……”

Perhaps because I usually calmed him down in crowded places, but I was the first to kiss him this time. Mishael got excited about changing clothes and going home right away, not understanding what I meant by my words.

“Mish, but before that.”

At my words, which took hold of his reins, Mishael visibly showed disappointment.

“I want to stop by the Room of Oracles before we go back…… Can we?”

“That place…… You need the High Priest to open it for us.”

“Can’t you go?”

At my subtly added words, Mishael stretched his lips into a long smile.

***

‘That is, Mysiel……’

The Room of Oracles, located deep within the grand temple.

As expected, we were able to enter the Room of Oracles without any trouble, without having to rely on the power of the Pope or the High Priest.

Just as Mishael had said in my dream last night.

Although he was curious why I wanted to visit this place again, Mishael asked nothing. Silently, I looked at the statues lined up along the dome-shaped ceiling. My gaze, which followed a beautiful curve, landed on the statue of Mysiel.

Like other apostles, behind him with feathered wings, there were large and small wheels floating like halos. And among them, awkwardly, was one empty space.

‘TThis is one of the wheels decorated on Mysiel’s statue among the Eleven Apostles in the Room of Oracles; about twenty-some years ago it suddenly turned black as if burnt by fire. We kept it thinking there must be a will of the Lord.’

The last memory was of Mishael giving away one wheel, and as Mishael infused it with holy power, my memory ended…… Clearly, that wheel had been used for us.

‘Herein lies Mysiel’s wisdom: given the opportunity, humans can always improve.’

With only a basic understanding of the scriptures, I couldn’t fully grasp the meaning of this teaching. However, reflecting on our experiences, I thought Mysiel might be the apostle who believed in humanity until the end among the eleven apostles. Humans often regret their insufficient actions, but given a new chance, they would make better choices…… That belief.

Unfortunately, humans often failed to meet his faith, and in the scriptures, he ultimately submitted to God, but hadn’t he turned back time for us again recently?

Since he was so loving towards humans, it’s possible he responded first to Mishael’s call.

‘This time, did we live up to your faith?’

I looked up at the statue of Mishael and smiled slightly. Reflecting the setting that he grants humans chances again and again, it seemed as if the cheeks of the statue with its hands extended towards the altar slightly twitched.

“I was curious so I came to see where you slept.”

“Even though I came reluctantly…… I still followed all the procedures. I want to finish today beautifully and flawlessly, so that I can stand proudly in front of you.”

Mishael grumbled as if he was upset that I didn’t understand his feelings. My use of ‘slept’ actually referred to his demise in his first life, not last night’s sleep…… But Mishael couldn’t know that, so it was natural.

“We sat here on a blanket. Kneeling.”

He rolled his foot pointing to our feet. This place a few steps below the altar was exactly where Mishael had laid my body down and blindly emitted holy power to call upon the apostles.

“It must have been cold.”

“It’s okay. We laid down a blanket and wrapped ourselves in holy power so it wasn’t too cold, and more than anything……”

Mishael leaned in and whispered in my ear.

“Because I thought of you.”

Oh dear, really. My devout heart crumbled at one remark so characteristic of my Mishael. Chuckling, I playfully punched his chest, and it seemed as if the lips of the statue of Mishael also tightened slightly grimly.

―……Is that what humans call love?

A question posed by an apostle who loved humanity more than anyone to my lover at the end of his first life flashed through my mind.

Mishael had vowed to love me no matter how many times life turned back. No matter how we met or what kind of relationship we formed, he would definitely love me. Indeed, even when he returned to our house as a child subject to my abuse in a previous life, unlike before when I mistreated him, he still ended up loving me.

Even without going through the process of my contempt and disgust for him turning into guilt, I fell in love again.

So, to answer for Mishael, who said he didn’t know love.

‘Yes. It’s love for me.’

I thought that the mouth of God’s statue seemed to be flowing asymmetrically as I embraced Mishael’s waist.

“Mish.”

“Yes.”

When I finally faced him after only looking around the Room of Oracles without making eye contact, Mishael greeted me with open arms, embracing me back.

“If I were to die… leaving you behind.”

“…There wouldn’t be such a thing. Didn’t I tell you? I use holy power better than anyone. You’re going to live long and healthy, and the moment you die, I’ll die too.”

I laughed softly at his serious rebuttal to my hypothetical joke, and felt a slight surge of emotion knowing he’s the man who would keep that promise. In our first life, he who once couldn’t bear not tormenting me eventually couldn’t stand seeing me in even the slightest pain, and ended his life when I died.

Suppressing a lump in my throat, I slightly changed my question.

“Then… if I died and you followed after me, but there was a misunderstanding left between us. Thinking that the other didn’t like each other.”

“Hmm.”

“And suddenly, God offers a chance.”

“…A chance?”

“A chance to turn back time.”

Seemingly trying to gauge my intention behind these words, Mishael raised an eyebrow while staring intently at me. I continued with as innocent a face as possible to not reveal any intentions.

“Just imagine it. Of course, there are tales of Mysiel giving humans a chance by turning back time, but that’s just a symbolic story in the scriptures, right?”

“…Right.”

“If we just turn back time as in that tale, nothing would change… so I prayed to go back with memories. But God said only one of us could remember. Both can’t.”

“Hmm.”

“So… who would you leave the memories with?”

Me, or you? As if asking that, I looked up at Mishael with wide eyes. Mishael relaxed his embrace and leaned back slightly to look directly at me.

There was no hesitation in his next words.

“…Of course, it would be you.”

“Really?”

“You have so much in that little head of yours, if I don’t pre-load it with stuff about me, I might get ranked down or pushed back, right?”

“Not at all…”

“But it is.”

Mishael twisted one eye mischievously, full of playfulness.

“But if we were to meet again… My world would definitely be only you.”

“…”

“No matter what form we are born into, I will definitely love you.”

After saying so, Mishael’s smile stretched long and was beyond splendid. That look was… not that of the solemn-faced cardinal from our first life, nor the irritable face that couldn’t bear but to resent and oppress me when were alone, nor the noble statue-like face praised by everyone as the son of God, nor the face of my Mishael trying to express affection by any means necessary.

No, it was the face of a man who would love me in any life, anywhere, combining all those expressions.

True to his promise, even without remembering anything, his faithful smile showed he had indeed fallen in love with me again.

Unable to contain the overwhelming affection that arose from it, I stared blankly at him and then…

“…I love you.”

At my blunt words, joy bubbled up on his face like ripples from a stone thrown into water. His eyes narrowed beautifully and his smile lifted enough to dimple one cheek.

“It feels like I haven’t heard that in a while.”

“Really?”

…I too felt like it had been a very long time since I’d said it. Unlike us in our dreams, we didn’t need to hold back our affection and we usually whispered love to each other at least once a day in passing.

Having wandered through more than a year of our previous life since then, it indeed had been a long time.

“Then, I should say it again right away.”

Lifting myself on tiptoes to embrace his neck, Mishael leaned down in response.

“I love you, Mish.”

“…Me too.”

The moment I whispered in his ear, he turned his head to press his lips against my cheek. That kiss moved slightly from place to place – to the bridge of my nose, the tip of my nose, the corner of my mouth, and finally to the very center of both lips…

“I love you too.”

<I Thought You Were A Sweet, Kind-Hearted Person!> Side Story COMPLETE