But what worried her more was what would happen next.

‘Will I continue this type of education with Father in the future……’

Last time, she had unintentionally exposed parts of her body to the priest and had her most shameful places invaded, but that was for treatment, and Ludwig had acted as if nothing had happened, so she was able to forget it soon.

But if such education continued every week, she might die of embarrassment.

‘Should I tell him I want to stop the education……?’

Florencia thought this, but immediately shook her head.

……I don’t want to stop.

But it’s so embarrassing……

Honestly, it didn’t feel bad, and actually, a little……

……it felt good……

After worrying for a long time with unsettled feelings, Florencia fell asleep and woke up to the sound of birds outside the window. The sky, which had been giving the refreshing sound of rain until last night, had completely cleared by morning, as if sprinkled with pastel-colored paint.

* * *

Since the day was clear as if it had never rained, there was no cancellation of the education.

“Hiiing……”

It was already the third lap. Florencia had been circling the high walls of the vast Lebleia Temple. The small shadow had peeked several times at the entrance of the shortcut through the garden.

‘I don’t think I can look Father directly in the face……’

She felt a rough sensation through her flat shoes that exposed her insteps. Having fallen while walking lost in thought, her knee ached with every step, perhaps from an injury.

Time flew by as quickly as the ground dried up after absorbing the rain. Finally, when the clear bell sound announcing the hour rang for the second time from the temple’s high bell tower, Florencia’s face fell.

“What should I do……”

Ludwig waited patiently. He could faintly sense Florencia’s energy, like a beautiful wildflower mixed with his holy energy, pacing outside the wall. There were also a few spoonfuls of hesitation mixed in.

It was rather a pleasant wait. She must be having trouble coming in easily because of what happened last time. Imagining her cute appearance, like a dejected rabbit with drooping eyes, struggling alone, a smile spread across his composed lips.

The food he had prepared to feed her upon arrival was getting cold on the table. However, that was just a trivial matter. Compared to the pleasure of watching her eat deliciously with her small mouth, he could endure the trouble of preparing the meal again any number of times.

He sensed her presence gradually approaching, stopping and coming closer repeatedly. Keenly detecting this, Ludwig finally managed his expression and prepared to greet her.

* * *

“Well, shall we end the lesson here?”

He quietly closed the thick theology book without making a sound.

“Um, Father……”

“What is it?”

“Is today’s lesson really over with this?”

They had barely turned a few pages of the book. Of course, her inability to fully concentrate on the lesson was partly to blame for the slow progress. It pricked her conscience that she hadn’t listened attentively when he was interpreting the theology book, instead staring entranced at his handsome lips from which the pleasant baritone flowed. Florencia hesitated, neither closing her book nor putting down her pen.

“Since you didn’t keep the time promise, what can we do? Because I had to spend time waiting for you, I’ll have to handle accumulated work until dawn without going to bed.”

“I-I’m sorry……”

“And what happened to your leg? Are you hurt?”

“I fell on the way here……”

He noticed immediately as if he had X-ray vision, even though she had only touched her knee once casually.

“Let me see.”

Ludwig sighed briefly, lifted her skirt to the side, and frowned even though the wound wasn’t severe.

“Where did this happen?”

“……In the park behind Lebleia Square.”

He created holy light from his fingertips and made the wound on her knee disappear without a trace. Though he didn’t say any words of reproach, Florencia somehow felt dejected.

Throughout lunch and studying the theology book, while Florencia was conscious of Ludwig, he treated her as if nothing had happened. It seemed that it was just one method of education and not a significant matter to him. But perhaps because she hadn’t kept the time promise, or because he noticed she couldn’t concentrate on the lesson, today he showed a peculiarly cold demeanor as if drawing a line.

She had been worrying about what to say if the priest attempted the same education as last time, but Ludwig didn’t even bring it up, and instead, his cold attitude bothered her so much that her other thoughts had long since flown away.

“Aren’t you getting up?”

Ludwig glanced at her with a somewhat imperious tone as she couldn’t bring herself to stand up and looked like she might cry.

“Father, it’s not that……”

“I believe I told you before that the habit of trailing off your sentences isn’t good. Aren’t you an adult now?”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I, today…… that education you mentioned last time…… I was wondering if you weren’t going to do it……”

Ludwig looked at her with emerald eyes whose depth and inner thoughts were completely unfathomable.

“Actually, I’m thinking about that.”

“W-what about it?”

Furrowing his straight brow, he appeared to be contemplating something.

“Florencia, have you felt anything different, even slightly, since our first education?”

“……”

“For example, feeling that your faith has deepened compared to before, or that God’s power feels closer.”

There was none, not at all.

She had only continuously recalled their kiss while eating the sweet pudding served for dessert……

“Um, I don’t think so……”

Ludwig made an expression as if he had expected this and said bitterly,

“That’s unfortunate. So I was concerned that perhaps this path isn’t the right fit for you, like an ill-fitting garment…… Regrettably, I wondered if we should stop our education here and take on a different disciple.”

Florencia’s face turned deathly pale.

“B-but Father……! I’ve only received education once so far.”

He shook his head firmly.

“If you approach the education without opening your heart as you did last time, the result will be the same even if we do it dozens of times.”

“……Without opening my heart?”

“Didn’t I tell you? To understand God’s power, intimate physical contact with someone who possesses that power is necessary. But how were you? Didn’t you cry like a child, reluctant even to let me see your body?”

“Th-that’s……”

She couldn’t give up becoming a saintess like this. Florencia forgot all the words she had been worrying about before coming here and pleaded desperately.

“Father Ludwig, I’m sorry……”

“In my opinion, you don’t seem ready yet, Florencia.”

“No! I’ll really try hard now. Please let me receive your education again, yes?”

He looked at Florencia with a slightly softer expression than before.

“Do you truly mean those words?”

“Yes, yes!”

The small hand still holding the pen was trembling. Ludwig kindly took her wrist and gently removed it with a smooth motion.

“Very well, if Laura insists so much……”

The gentle smile that appeared on his lips was reassuring. Ludwig slowly rose from his seat and approached behind the backless chair where Florencia was sitting. His low voice whispered in her ear as if to reassure her.

“Don’t cry saying you’re scared again, understand?”

Today Florencia was wearing a bright, refreshing summer dress in a primary color. The design with a large, round white collar below the neck was actually quite out of fashion, but it suited the cute girl very well. On the back, buttons of the same color as the dress continued down to the waist. Ludwig reached out and unfastened them one by one.

Pop, pop…… Each time a small button was undone, her soft nape shrank slightly. The silver hair, slightly twisted and tied into a ponytail, swayed and tickled the back of his hand. He gently placed his lips near her neck in line with her earlobe and kindly ordered,

“Raise your arms, Laura.”

“Yes……”

When he pulled down her outer garment to her waist, her expression revealed undisguisable tension. Seeing this, he lightly stroked her fluffy cheeks, then gave her a gentle kiss. As his breath, like a low sigh, brushed against her sensitive area, Florencia turned pink all over—her cheeks, small ears, slender neck, and shoulders. Though still hidden by underwear, the unseen parts would surely be the same color.

Due to the temperature that had risen sharply after the rain stopped, Florencia was wearing a light summer chemise and bustier. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the peaks of her adorably protruding br*asts becoming slightly pointed. Ludwig deliberately removed them very slowly. He firmly pressed her arms down to prevent her from covering herself, taking a position as if embracing her from behind. When his soft lips pressed down firmly on her shoulders and back like a branding iron, those areas became as hot as if they were on fire.

“Yesterday, Jack and his wife who live at the foot of Mount Lebleia brought a basket of cheese made from goat’s milk and late-harvested raspberries. They said it was in return for the small help I gave when a plague swept through the village.”

Since Ludwig had his face on her shoulder, his breath with its refreshing scent brushed against her every time he spoke. Her soft br*asts were already held in his large hands. Today, he wasn’t just touching her but leisurely observing her clearly exposed body.

Could it be his thoughtful consideration that he was embracing her from behind rather than facing her and making eye contact? Florencia couldn’t help but be grateful even for that.