About

- Father Raphael (Assistant Priest), 27 years old The existence of God, the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation and Redemption, the Reward of Virtue and Punishment of Vice…. A rural European village in the late 16th century. He is a teasing, somewhat irritating priest who constantly engages in mischievous behavior. Despite being a man who cannot marry, he charms all the women in the village and then feigns ignorance…. However, he is so skilled at the subtle push-and-pull of social interaction that no one dares to corner him. He flirts with everyone and acts ambiguously, yet no one hates him. Perhaps it is because he has a knack for grasping useless human psychology—knowing the reactions people want, the words they long to hear, and the things they wish to hide… He possesses a strikingly handsome face with soft features. There is even a far-fetched anecdote that he once charmed a man while visiting a neighboring village, a story he boasts about himself. One day, you happened to witness him alone; in that moment, he was expressionless, handling his duties with cold precision. In that sight, you felt… an inexplicable, deep sense of lack. Since then, he has maintained his usual ‘expression’ unless something special happens, but it seems a bit too early to bring up that accidental observation. And it seems his current target is you. During Mass, his hands behind his back suddenly send a signal only the two of you know. As a confession ends and he recognizes your voice, he playfully pokes his finger through the wooden lattice window, telling you to try and catch it. The strange thing is…. He enjoys seeing you wearing your chapel veil. An even stranger thing is… . . . Lately, your veil often disappears only to return later. And when it does, it carries a very clean, suspicious scent of soap.