4.1

The warm smell of freshly baked bread woke Isaac from his heavy sleep. As he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar scene and a foggy mind, he wondered if he was dreaming.  

“Did you sleep well?”  

Helena’s gentle voice and kind smile convinced him that it must be a dream. After all, there was no way he could be sharing the same space with her unless it was a dream. Helena placed bread and stew on the table before approaching him to inspect his minor wounds.  

“You seem to be feeling better now…”  

As he felt Helena’s tender touch, Isaac recalled what High Priest Francis had said to him not long ago.  

‘Growing up to lead an ordinary life and build a family—that, too, is the will of the Goddess, don’t you think?’  

He couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it would feel like to build an ordinary family with her. Though he couldn’t tell if, in this dream, he had left the priesthood, the simple fact that he was with her made his heart flutter.  

Unable to resist, Isaac reached out to her, pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her. It was a feeling he couldn’t endure otherwise. Helena froze for a moment, startled by the sudden kiss, but soon she naturally accepted his lips.  

“Ha…”  

When Isaac pulled away, he showered her forehead, nose, and cheeks with kisses.  

“Isaac, wait—”  

She seemed to be trying to say something to stop him, but Isaac felt as though no amount of kisses could ever be enough.  

Knock, knock—  

“Dr. Helena! It’s Johann!”  

The familiar voice snapped Isaac back to his senses. Realizing this wasn’t a dream but reality, he felt utterly crushed. But regardless of his feelings, the thought that he had done something terrible to Helena overwhelmed him. He opened his mouth to offer an excuse.  

“Well, I, uh… I thought I was dreaming… I….”  

Before he could even apologize, Helena, who somehow looked angry, pushed him away and turned her back to head toward the door. All Isaac could do was watch in despair as Helena opened the door.  

“Come in.”  

“Excuse me… Oh! Isaac, you’re finally awake! Do you know how worried I was when you were unconscious for more than a full day? But wait… Dr. Helena, why does his face look like that?”  

“I’m not sure.”  

Helena glanced at Isaac’s face, which was filled with despair, and felt conflicted. Just moments ago, her heart had leapt at the thought that he might confess his love to her. But now, seeing him so distraught, she felt disgusted. It was as if she had been the one swayed by him, when it should have been the other way around.  

‘What is a Goddess I can’t even see, anyway?’  

“His body seems to have recovered well, and his mind should clear up soon. You can take him with you now.”  

Helena’s voice had suddenly turned cold, causing Johann to tilt his head in confusion before nodding.  

“Yes, yes. That’s for the best. A man shouldn’t stay in a woman’s home alone, even if he’s a priest. After all, a man is still a man.”  

With his usual good-natured smile, Johann waved a hand in front of Isaac’s face, which was still frozen in shock. Isaac’s pale green eyes didn’t even flinch at the gesture.  

“Isaac?”  

“Oh, yes. I’m fine…”  

Finally snapping out of it, Isaac got down from the bed and bowed deeply to Helena. Now that Johann had come to take him, there were only two things he could say to her.  

“Thank you, Dr. Helena. And… I’m sorry.”  

Isaac hurriedly left Helena’s house, still not fully dressed after just waking up. Helena watched his retreating figure with a bewildered expression. Johann, who had brought Isaac’s priestly robes, was just as flustered.  

“Ah, Isaac! Oh, dear. Dr. Helena, we’ll be on our way now! See you later!”  

Johann quickly followed Isaac outside, leaving Helena suddenly alone. Blinking a few times, she turned her gaze to the table where freshly baked bread and warm stew still sat. She scooped a spoonful of the now-cold stew and tasted it.  

“…I still can’t tell what it tastes like.”  

No matter how hard she tried to recall the taste she had long forgotten, all she could remember was the warmth. The food, now abandoned by its intended recipient, was tossed into the trash with the plate. If only she could throw away her feelings as easily as she discarded the food.  

As Helena thought of Isaac, who was shaken and struggling to face reality, she unknowingly clenched the corner of the table tightly.  

Crack—  

The wooden table crumbled like dry clay, scattering into powder.  

‘…This isn’t love.’  

This filthy feeling couldn’t possibly be love. 

Helena muttered to herself, as if reciting an incantation, and prepared for another day of medical volunteering.  

Climbing the hill toward the chapel, she steeled her resolve. To win the bet, she absolutely wouldn’t fall in love with him.  

But the moment she stepped into the treatment room, her irritation flared up again.  

“…Where is Priest Isaac?”  

The treatment room was bustling with the village’s young men, and Isaac’s presence had been noticeable earlier, but now he was nowhere to be seen. Johann, who was applying herbs to a young man’s arm, answered her question.  

“Oh? He was here just a moment ago…”  

Focusing her senses, Helena quickly located Isaac, who was hurrying away from the treatment room.  

‘Is he avoiding me?’  

She couldn’t understand his behavior. She could accept that he was startled after kissing her, mixing up dreams and reality, but she hadn’t expected him to blatantly avoid her.  

Yet, Isaac’s game of hide-and-seek, which she attributed to his confusion and embarrassment, continued for several days—right up until the day his wounds were due to be fully healed and the stitches removed.  

* * *  

“Running away again today, is he?”  

“Haha. Please don’t be too hard on him.”  

At Helena’s disgruntled remark, Johann chuckled, as if he found the situation amusing.  

“Why would I hate Priest Isaac?”  

“He came here injured, didn’t he? That boy promised you and me that he’d return safely.”  

“Well, that’s…”  

She hadn’t realized he might have been thinking about that promise.  

“Still, it’s a relief that Isaac’s injuries weren’t worse. According to Mr. Nielson, he stabbed the monster in the eye. Isn’t that incredible?”  

It was so incredible that it almost brought tears to her eyes. Even so, if he was injured, he should at least stay put and get proper treatment. Helena sighed deeply. It was absurd how much she worried about his condition.  

The first few times, she had followed his trail, but every time she approached him, he would flinch in shock and wear a dark expression, making her feel like her efforts were counterproductive. So, she had stopped chasing him.  

But she couldn’t leave his stitched wounds unattended forever. Johann had been disinfecting them on her behalf, but he had told her that he couldn’t handle removing the stitches.  

‘Today, I’ll use his wounds as an excuse to catch him. I can’t let this go on any longer.’  

As Helena entered the chapel with her resolve firm, Isaac, who seemed to be lingering near the treatment room, searching for her, caught her hazel-green eyes.  

“Isaac!”  

“Yes? Yes! The-the Goddess’s hi-hic! b-blessings—”  

“Forget the Goddess’s blessings for now. Just come inside.”  

Startled by Helena’s sudden appearance, Isaac hiccupped nervously. Watching him, Helena grabbed his wrist without hesitation and dragged him into the treatment room. The village youths had already been treated, and today Johann and Fred were on cleaning duty in the prayer room. Since morning prayers had just ended, it was the perfect time for the two of them to be alone.  

“Hic! P-please let me go.”  

“If I let you go, you’ll just run away again.”  

Isaac tried to free himself from Helena’s grip, but despite her slender frame, she was surprisingly strong, and he couldn’t overpower her. In the end, he found himself reluctantly pulled to the empty treatment room and stood awkwardly until she scolded him.  

“What are you doing, just standing there? Sit down.”  

“Oh! Yes, yes…”  

Startled by her sharp tone, Isaac quickly sat down on the bed, his hiccups suddenly gone. He had been avoiding Helena ever since the kiss, unable to apologize and consumed by guilt and shame. Facing her now made him feel unbearably awkward.  

“Take it off.”  

“W-what… excuse me?”  

Isaac stammered, blinking in confusion. Was he having another inappropriate dream? He felt disoriented, unsure if this was reality. But unlike last time, he wasn’t about to make another mistake by acting impulsively. He nervously glanced at Helena for any hint of her intentions.  

“Are you not going to let me treat your wounds? Hurry up and take it off.”  

“Oh… oh! Yes…!”  

Realizing his misunderstanding, Isaac’s face turned bright red as he began to remove his priestly robes. Feeling her gaze fixed on him, he grew flustered, and his trembling hands struggled to unfasten the buttons.  

“Should I help you?”  

“N-no, I can do it myself…!”  

Her words were completely devoid of any inappropriate tone, but Isaac’s heart raced wildly as her image overlapped with the Helena from his dream. It took him quite a while to finally remove his robes.