Devero doesn't realize that Koumyou's aware he's playing with his hair-- which is a good thing, because he'd probably stop if that was the case. And he does pause to listen when the other man speaks, his hands both settling into his lap and he gives the priest his full attention.

What he describes sounds awful to Devero, but he keeps that thought to himself. What he says instead is, "I imagine it has to be an extreme place, given the extreme nature of the task you were training for."