Noah’s voice was icily cold. It was the voice of someone blaming her for having lewd thoughts during what was supposed to be a medical treatment. Rudis squeezed her eyes shut and positioned herself according to Noah’s instructions.

Right. This is just treatment. I shouldn’t be embarrassed. But still…

She could feel Noah’s gaze fixed intently on her private parts and the unfamiliar sensation of something without body heat spreading her l*bia wide open. Her eyelashes trembled as she kept her eyes tightly closed.

“Ugh.”

Something cold and hard touched her exposed entrance. Rudis’s tense body quivered.

“Hah…”

Her entrance twitched at the hot breath she exhaled deeply. Her hands gripped her thighs so tightly they dug into her flesh. Even in this situation, the wetness between her legs felt strangely excessive.

“This isn’t perfect yet, so there may be side effects, but you’ll have to endure them.”

Suddenly, the cold rod parted her entrance and pushed inside. Rudis gasped at the foreign object that carried no body heat.

Noah rotated the transparent rod, stimulating various spots along her inner walls. As it repeatedly brushed past familiar sensitive areas, Rudis twisted her body. Though she knew it was shameful, she couldn’t help herself.

She wanted to feel more, even if it meant moving her body like this. If she wasn’t in heat as Noah had said, this behavior would be incomprehensible.

She bit her lip, desperately trying not to moan amid the obscene squelching sounds that filled the room.

While the ice-cold rod stirred inside her, her body grew increasingly hot. When the rod was abruptly withdrawn, she even felt a sense of disappointment.

“…Is it over?”

“This is problematic. You’re dripping so much fluid even in this situation. You’re expelling all the medicine I’ve carefully inserted.”

At the sound of Noah clicking his tongue, Rudis’s face burned with embarrassment. She had already noticed how her flowing juices had soaked through the cloth wrapped around her body after trickling down her b*ttocks.

“Haah… I have no choice.”

The gaze that had been observing her private parts while probing with the rod moved away, and the inserted object was withdrawn. Is it over now? Rudis cautiously opened her eyes to look around.

Noah, still wearing gloves, was rolling up his sleeves. Though she had thought him slender, his lean body was well-muscled in all the right places. Every movement exuded an upright, sacred aura. Meanwhile, she…

The thin cloth wrapped around her was worse than nothing at all, as her private parts were completely exposed. Her hands gripped her spread legs more tightly.

“I’ll continue the treatment. Focus on not leaking. And keep your legs spread wide—it’s getting in the way.”

“…Yes.”

Rudis strengthened her grip on her knees. Noah coated the rod with the droplets gathered at its tip and began thrusting it in with greater force. Following his instructions, Rudis kept her mouth firmly shut and concentrated with all her might.

But the more she focused, the more clearly she could hear the obscene squelching sounds and the priest’s barely audible sighs.

“Ungh.”

Heat built to its limit inside her belly, and Rudis’s entire body jerked upward. From her toes to the crown of her head, she trembled as though struck by lightning.

Finally, the silver-haired priest who had been bending deeply over her raised his face.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Noah, with dry eyes, completely withdrew the rod that had been probing her.

I must be going crazy.

Even while thinking this was wrong, Rudis’s body twisted with desire. Then something suddenly occurred to her: the restoration of the sacred relic. She hadn’t imagined it before, but Noah met the conditions.

Especially his handsome face—there was no doubt about that. So she needed to sleep with Noah. There was no other way. Rudis’s mind was spinning. She grabbed the edge of Noah’s sleeve.

“Um…”

“No.”

But he rejected her before she could even speak, clearly anticipating her request.

“Why not?”

Rudis’s eyes drooped with disappointment. She looked so upset that she might cry at any moment, like a child who had candy taken away before she could even taste it.

“I have no interest in mating like beasts.”

His words cut like a knife.

“Wash up and change into these clothes.”

Rudis glumly looked at the clothes Noah indicated. They were white like what Noah wore, though not exactly the same.

“And these.”

His gaze shifted to the cloth Rudis had used to cover herself, apparently including the cloth spread on the altar.

“Burn them.”

“I can wash them thoroughly!”

Even at a glance, they were clearly fine fabrics—pure white with a subtle sheen.

“No. You must burn them. They’re defiled.”

They’re not that defiled…

With a twinge of guilt, Rudis glanced at Noah. At the same time, she heard his stern urging.

“You’d better move quickly. The sun will set soon. Given your current state, I assume you’re not planning to do anything after dark?”

“I understand.”

His words stung, but they were true. Rudis gathered up the cloths.

“Your room is over there. Once you enter, you cannot leave until sunrise. Go in after you’ve finished cleaning up. Wake-up time is 6 AM. When you wake up here, please clean as you always have. And…”

I can’t leave? As she looked at him with startled eyes,

“Refrain from impure acts while alone. I’ll be watching you at all times.”

With that final warning, delivered with particular emphasis, Noah disappeared. Rudis stared blankly into the empty space before coming to her senses. Though she felt somewhat hurt, considering how she had been checking between Noah’s legs even during treatment, the warning seemed necessary. Rudis headed to the bathroom, determined to wash with the coldest water possible.

* * *

I must be insane.

As the sun rose, Rudis pulled at her pink hair in frustration. Remembering what happened last night made her want to die of embarrassment. To think she had considered seducing a holy priest!

This must all be because of the beast-person transformation.

Even as she tried to convince herself, the embarrassment wouldn’t easily subside. Rudis recalled Noah’s words again—that Iska had fed her mushrooms to turn her into a beast-person.

Why would he do that?

She wanted to find Iska immediately and ask him. But Noah had made it clear: she couldn’t leave this place until the treatment was complete.

Come to think of it, I didn’t even tell Iska…

Did Iska know where she was now? Rudis worried that he might be concerned about her. Yet she lacked the courage to ask Noah to relay a message. Noah’s expression had been not just cold but glacial.

She was certain she’d only receive scorn for bringing it up. In truth, even she found it hard to understand why she was worried about Iska in this situation.

Right. I’ll talk to him once the treatment is finished and I return.

Rudis steeled herself and began to move. The morning sunlight felt unfamiliar after so long. She looked out the window where colorful leaves swayed in the breeze. The world had already transitioned into autumn.

She sighed deeply. The entire summer had vanished. There were numerous expired quests and she needed to start the autumn farming too. So much to do. But all of it would have to wait until after her treatment was complete.

But does the treatment really have to be done that way?

Recalling the somewhat embarrassing treatment process, Rudis suddenly felt wet below. Fortunately, Noah wasn’t nearby.

I should clean up.

Rudis noticed that, unlike usual, many doors were unlocked. To distract herself, she started cleaning from the topmost floor. But this was Noah’s home, a place maintained with near-obsessive cleanliness. Most spaces in this neat and simple dwelling barely had a speck of dust. Even with more areas to clean, the work wasn’t difficult—just opening windows, sweeping and wiping, then closing them again.

Eventually, she reached Noah’s workspace and office.

Books, herbs, and documents were stacked in disarray. Ancient texts and papers formed towers, while shelves held dried herbs. In one corner, a small laboratory bench was neatly arranged with glass bottles, syringes, and faintly fragrant medicinal ingredients. Charts with dense writing and papers containing complex calculations were organized in binders.

Just this room left and I’m done.

Rudis gripped her feather duster more firmly. As the space with the most items in the tower, she always cleaned it with extra care.

Then a familiar object caught her eye—a stack of papers sitting alone on the desk.