Chapter 1: The Most Radiant Moment

I fell in love at first sight.

It was a phrase I never agreed with.

I believed that anyone who said such things was either a liar or had never truly been in love.

They were merely captivated by outward appearances, unable to love with their hearts.

I used to criticize them as people led by instinct, incapable of conveying their true feelings.

Especially as a clergyman, I often heard such stories during confession.

And each time, I would scold them rather than comfort their feelings.

That was, until I met a certain woman.

***

As the battle with the monsters on the front lines intensified, I was naturally dispatched to the front to heal people.

Among them were elves sent from the sacred forest, each so strikingly beautiful that they captivated the eyes of my comrades.

I thought I was different from them.

But I soon had to change my mind.

When I first met her, she was wearing a white hood decorated with gold embroidery, and what sealed my fate was the glimpse of her platinum-blonde hair peeking through it.

‘What incredibly beautiful hair.’

Just as I thought that and tried to refocus on my task, she raised a hand and pushed back her hood.

I genuinely had no idea that this would be the moment I fell in love.

I had been taught to look at a person’s inner self, that the outside was merely a deceptive shell.

But her appearance was such that I would have genuinely believed it was the devil’s trick if her inner self wasn’t beautiful—

Call it blasphemy if you will, no, if one calls it that, then the one questioning it is the true blasphemer.

Her face was as if He had sculpted it himself, without a single flaw.

Even though she had pointed ears, unlike humans, I didn’t find them strange.

But her neatly tied-up golden hair, her long eyelashes shimmering in the sunlight, and the straight bridge of her nose.

The red hills of her lips that opened and closed whenever she murmured words made me forget what I was doing, completely losing my mind to her.

Then, when her golden eyes met mine, I didn’t know what to do and was about to duck my head and flee the scene, but—

“My, my. It’s rude to stare so intently at someone’s face and then try to flee without a word, human man.”

With my wrist caught, I found myself under her gaze, and my mind instantly froze, leaving me at a loss for words.

I was so mesmerized by those brightly burning golden eyes that my legs even gave out from under me—

“Oh, wait a moment, Priest? Priest!”

That incident spread like wildfire and became a running joke for my brothers and sisters to tease me about.

At first, it was just my comrades teasing me.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Brother Gideon stare at someone so intently, isn’t it?”

“I suppose no one, man or woman, can resist the beauty of an elf—”

“Of course, even I would fall for Lady Thea.”

However, as I focused on my work and healed more people, my fame grew.

At the same time, the mischievous teasing from my comrades evolved to the point where I would hear the words “elf” and “Thea” from the mouths of the patients I had treated.

It was truly strange.

Because it wasn’t unpleasant.

I didn’t even feel the desire to deny it.

Because every time I recalled that face I had met, I even felt a tightening pain in my chest.

My face would flush for no reason, and I once startled a patient by unconsciously gripping too tightly while wrapping a bandage on their wound.

“Is it because of that elf, Priest? I mean, she is really pretty.”

But it was always face, face, face.

They only talked about her appearance; not a single one told me who she was.

Even worse,

“I heard that elf who surprised Priest Gideon has a pretty nice body.”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s not just ‘pretty nice.’ It’s incredible. A beauty bestowed by the Lord himself.”

They sounded like praises for her, but in reality, they were shameless expressions of dark and gloomy desires.

It was enough to make me scowl and grind my teeth.

Wasn’t it proper to treat such a woman with respect?

If she is beautiful, if her appearance stands out, then it is right to speak of that itself.

Why must they inject their own desires into their words?

Therefore, whenever I heard such unsavory talk nearby,

I would clear my throat to stop it from continuing.

Because I believed it was the right thing to do.

As the days went by, I found myself unable to shake the thoughts of that elf.

While settling down quietly in my room for dawn prayers, praying for success in my duties—

“…please help me connect with the woman in my heart—?!”

Before I knew it, I was talking about the elf.

Even though I hadn’t intended to say such things.

Her face would flash before my eyes every time I tried to pray again with a reverent heart.

Shimmering, white-blonde hair that could be called silver.

Her soft, curved eyes and her light, yet glossy lips.

…I shouldn’t be having these feelings.

It was becoming harder and harder to deny it.

*

After wiping away the blood and pus of the sick, I sat on a hill to get some fresh air, staring blankly at the sky.

In the end, I had completed a full prayer for her today.

I almost misplaced a vial while moving it.

And for some reason, I even ran into her in the hallway as she walked quickly by herself, heading somewhere.

…Is this wrong?

The moment I wiped my face and leaned against a tree.

“Oh my, to think we’d meet again here?”

She lightly sat down beside me and lowered her hood.

Softly flowing golden threads and a radiant smile approached me all at once.

“Uh, uh—”

Honestly, I had constantly wondered how I would speak to her the next time we met.

I had endlessly pondered how to continue the conversation if we happened to meet by chance…

But now that she was right in front of me, I couldn’t dare to say a word.

My brain was commanding my mouth, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you again. I would like to apologize for my rudeness before.’

It ordered the muscles in my face to form a gentle smile, but—

My body had completely forgotten its duties and just sat there, dazed.

And for good reason, as her bright hair shining in the sunlight and her radiant smile washed away all my worries, anxieties, and even the fatigue from my hard work.

“Was your name Evan?”

Even though she was just asking for my name, I was fidgeting, not knowing what to do.

My mind had become a blank white canvas, carefully sketching only her face.

Even though I needed to speak.

To me, she just smiled as if she found it interesting and moved closer.

“Why that expression? Do I look strange?”

“N-No!”

…Why does this body of mine become so clumsy in front of her?

It was a body that moved so smoothly when treating patients.

But now, I couldn’t even stop stuttering, trapped in a state of panic.

Just as despair was about to set in.

“Pfft, puhuhu, ahaha—”

The saying that eyes can smile.

In front of me, who used to say that a mouth can smile, but how could eyes possibly smile,

her beautifully curved eyes fluttered.

“You’re an interesting person.”

What’s so interesting,

I wanted to ask if I had been rude in any way.

I hated to admit it, but I also wanted to express my gratitude for her initiating this long-awaited meeting.

But to me, who couldn’t do any of that properly,

to me, who could only mumble incomprehensible words with a frozen tongue,

Thea just showed me a merciful smile.

“What a foolish face.”

Tap, her slender finger poked my nose.

That sharp, tingling sensation I felt at its tip.

In that one moment, I felt everything crumbling down.

My heart, which I had tried so hard to deny,

I, who had said there was no such thing, that falling in love at first sight was impossible, had no choice but to let everything go.

For someone like me to refuse her, she was far too charming a woman.

****

The sight of her taking bites of fresh fruit showed she was an open person, enough to slowly loosen up even my stiff demeanor.

And she was a righteous person, no, a righteous elf.

She was not without restraint, but she wasn’t stuffy either.

She had no limits in finding value, and no hesitation in acting if she believed it was the right way.

As we traveled together and saved many lives, I got to see her more often and learn more about her.

Her favorite fruit was peaches, and her least favorite task was treating bone fractures.

She had the courage to remain composed in places splattered with blood and flesh,

but she shuddered at wriggling, amorphous creatures, letting curses fly from her pretty mouth.

For some reason, I found myself drawn more and more to that undeniable charm.

Finally, covered in the black blood and dust of wicked heretics, on the very day we were returning to our quarters under the rising sun,

a mess, without even considering her exhaustion, I just rushed at her.

I, who dared to take her delicate hands in both of mine and confess my love to her.

Embarrassingly, I don’t remember exactly what I said to her.

Something vague like, ‘I’ve come to love you unbearably,’ or,

‘I’ve been bewitched by you, who possesses a kind heart on top of beauty granted by God’…

I begged her to accept my love with such words.

There was no familiarity in the first love of my life, so it was an incredibly shameful and embarrassing affair.

I waited for her answer, staring straight into her eyes under the brightening dawn for a long time.

Just at the moment I was contemplating whether I should let go of her hands, worried that the sweat popping up like geysers in my palms would bother her,

she parted her firmly closed lips.

“…In my long life, I have never once experienced love.”

“And I am even more worried if that first love is to be with one of the short-lived.”

As soon as I heard her stiff voice, I felt my chest tighten.

Being rejected should not exist. It was not something I could easily accept.

So I was about to tell her it didn’t matter if I was short-lived,

that although the memories I could gift her would be fleeting moments, they would stay with her forever even after I’m gone,

that although I have nothing to boast of but my faith,

the love I could give her would be as strong as my fervent faith—

What stopped me from spewing out those frantic, hastily concocted words was her bright red face.

“But… yes. The faith you show me seems stronger than anyone else’s.”

“Perhaps I was a little drawn to you, who is strong not only on the outside but on the inside as well.”

“So… please take good care of me?”

Hearing those words, I felt saved.

In one phrase, I had seen hell, and I had seen paradise.

I carefully took her offered hand, knelt down on the spot, and,

“Oh God, thank you, thank you…!!”

“Really, is it something to be that happy about?”

Drawn by the sight of her smiling and shyly covering her mouth with her hand, I hugged her once.

And at the entrance to the plaza where my feet stood, I expressed my joy with my whole body.

Meeting her was the most radiant moment of my life.