This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 17
There’s Something Under the Ground
『 Translator – Divinity 』

The 213th regular academic conference came to an end.

Despite the incident where the witch Erpa was taken away as an Abomination, the conference, which had been safely resumed, concluded as it always did, presenting the outstanding advancements in magic technology and the direction of a new technological revolution.

Although all the presenters’ papers were excellent, none could surpass the Three Primary Colors research in terms of public attention and completeness.

The presenters of the representative papers were seated in the front row of the audience, and all of them were staring at the witch Erpa with surprised expressions.

She still had four arms, but she was no longer wearing a mask.

Thanks to that, her radiant beauty was on full display for everyone to see.

Even when she used to cover her face, she received countless love confessions from mages just with her exposed right side.

Now that her left side was also perfect, her beauty functioned as a charm spell in itself, without needing any other magic.

“This concludes the regular academic conference! We have prepared a small reception, so please enjoy yourselves!”

The academic conference was over.

As expected of mages, with a wave of their wands, the conference hall was instantly tidied up, and tables with snacks, alcohol, and drinks appeared. The people gathered together and began to chat while enjoying the refreshments.

Naturally, the center of attention was Erpa.

Before the conference resumed…

The priests of the White Church had taken the stage and declared that Erpa was no longer an Abomination and had been completely restored to a human by the miracle of the Healing Saint.

A researcher who produced a groundbreaking study like the Three Primary Colors Research, and who had even experienced a miracle.

It would be strange not to be curious.

“Lady Erpa, I have a question.”

“Did you really experience a miracle? As a mage, what are your thoughts on miracles?”

“Were you really an Abomination? Why was your left side like that?”

“Would it be alright if our company used the Three Primary Colors Research? The issue of magic optimization is very important to us as a car company…”

Surrounded by countless people, Erpa was bombarded with endless questions.

She answered each and every question calmly with a smile.

Due to her upbringing and past experiences, she was a very shy person.

Even when she had to appear on a big stage like this, it was her routine to simply present her paper and quickly leave, so she didn’t have many opportunities to show her face to those outside the Magic Tower.

But in a very dramatic way, her face became firmly imprinted in everyone’s minds.

As a living testament to the Saint’s healing and a genius rarely seen in the history of the Magic Tower.

“Haha! I never knew you were such a delightful person! Humble yet confident! Very impressive! Here’s my business card! I’d love to keep in touch!”

Erpa’s pockets bulged with countless business cards. Just then, Tower Master Oergen carefully made his way through the crowd.

“I have a small announcement. Could I have your attention, please?”

After tapping a teaspoon against his wine glass to gather everyone’s attention, Tower Master Oergen stepped forward with a smile.

“The witch Erpa here has lived in the Magic Tower for nearly ten years. She is an exceptional witch and has never caused any problems in terms of character or personality. She used to hide her left side, but as you can see… she has experienced a truly great miracle and returned to her original form.”

Tower Master Oergen looked at Erpa with a proud expression.

And at the same time, with an apologetic one.

“When she was taken away after being accused by the White Church, I couldn’t do anything. Erpa could have resented us all. But after experiencing the miracle, she said those were all things of the past. She declared that she wanted to continue her career.”

Oergen looked at Erpa and bowed slightly in apology.

“Her character, her goals, and her outstanding talent were enough to move me. She is far more mature and impressive than I, who couldn’t do anything even when my own witch was being taken away. Such a person… shouldn’t she be my successor? That’s what I thought.”

Everyone had surprised expressions.

Oergen was declaring that he would appoint Erpa as the next Tower Master of the Mars branch.

“I will be stepping down soon. My body is old, and my mind no longer works as quickly as it used to. I’ve become obsolete.”

He said it with a chuckle, as if it were a joke, but everyone here knew.

Oergen was far too powerful a mage to be called obsolete.

He was one of the few who had received the title of Archmage directly from the Emperor.

And such a person was declaring someone in front of them to be greater than himself.

“Erpa will succeed me and lead the Magic Tower. So, even if one day I disappear and you can’t find me, please don’t be surprised. Now!! Let’s raise a toast to the bright future of this great witch!”

Oergen raised his wine glass and shouted.

Everyone gathered there burst into laughter and raised their glasses together.

“To the witch Erpa!”

“Cheers!”

Cheers.

Applause.

Gazes of admiration and respect directed at her.

These were the things Erpa had always dreamed of.

But now, none of that mattered anymore.

It was truly ironic.

When she had yearned for all of this, a constant anxiety lingered, as if everything could shatter like a bubble at any moment. But once she let go of it all, her dream was realized in a complete form that would never break again.

‘Master Amael.’

Erpa recalled a name in her heart.

It was all thanks to him.

Her life.

All this glory.

All thanks to the grace of that man.

Now, her career, all her efforts, and her glory were for Amael.

Thinking that, Erpa raised her glass.

“Cheers!!”

Amidst the laughter and applause, Erpa was acknowledged as the next Tower Master.

It was a brilliant and glorious moment, but for someone, it was also a scene of heart-wrenching jealousy.

There was a witch watching Erpa from afar.

Thüdel.

She glared at Erpa, her fists clenched so tightly that they were bleeding.

After watching Erpa smile amidst the cheers and blessings for a long time, Thüdel turned and walked away.

“It’s not over yet.”

With a face contorted in anger and disgust, she muttered with a demonic smile.

“A miracle? A saint? There’s no way such things exist.”

The word “saint” had become another name for a fraud these days.

Thüdel believed that there were no true saints or true miracles.

If she could expose the Healing Saint as a fake.

If she could reveal that he wasn’t a true saint but an elaborate fraud.

If that happened, Erpa’s position, saved by the miracle of that fraudulent saint, would naturally be shaken.

The White Church might even arrest her again as an Abomination.

“Just you wait, Healing Saint. I will expose you. I will reveal that you are a fraud.”

Thüdel smiled.

It wasn’t over yet.

There was still a chance for Erpa’s downfall.

***

Large trucks and various heavy equipment entered the cleared factory site.

“Remember!! It’s a massive high-rise building! The foundation must be solid! Start digging!”

Jonathan Karma, with a practiced air, commanded the workers and continued the construction of the high-rise building.

And most of the people who volunteered to work were the poor from the slums.

“Here! Receive your wages for the day! It is the will of the Goddess of Grace! You will be paid 1 Saled for a day’s work!”

And the Lilia Church was suffering a tremendous financial hemorrhage to hire and employ all of them.

I was watching the whole scene with satisfaction.

Yes!

Good job, you idiots!

The amount of money being spent must be astronomical.

Thanks to my orders, they’re even paying wages to the paladins of the Sun Church.

They’ve entrusted a large sum of money to Jonathan Karma, a failed businessman who ruined his factory.

They’re paying ridiculously high wages to the poor, and even providing meals, so money must be disappearing at an unbelievable rate.

Even though High Priest Yodel has a pious and faithful expression now, as time passes and the money melts away astronomically, if he sees that I’m continuing to spend money and live a life of debauchery, he’ll probably leave in disgust.

My plan was steadily coming to fruition.

I set up a shabby clinic near the construction site and continued to heal the endless stream of poor people, praying for the Lilia Church to go bankrupt as soon as possible.

“Saint.”

As I continued healing all day long…

Jonathan Karma cautiously approached me and spoke.

“We’ve hit a huge boulder while digging the foundation, and the work is being delayed. The rock is so hard that we can’t break through it with the excavator we’re currently using.”

My ears perked up.

“Then what should we do?”

“We need to rent more expensive, advanced equipment. For that… it seems like it will cost quite a bit of money.”

“Proceed.”

The heavens are helping me!

The heavens are helping!!

Spend a lot of money!

Spend it all!

Spend it all until the Lilia Church goes bankrupt!! Quickly!!

“Master Yodel, please rent the advanced equipment that Mr. Jonathan is requesting right now…”

“Saint!”

Oh shit.

Shit!

Shit, no!!

Four-armed witch! You again?

“Witch! You’ve arrived just in time!”

As expected, before I could stop her, the witch heard the situation from Jonathan, smiled, and took out her wand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it!”

Troll!!

There’s no troll like this troll!!

Stop interfering with my plan and get out of here!!

I need to bankrupt the Lilia Church, do you know how much money you’re saving them because of this?

Please just!!

…That was all in my head, of course.

How could a coward like me yell at a super powerful nuclear bomb that could wipe out the entire Empire?

I could only watch as the witch approached the construction site with her wand.

“Huh? Is that a mana absorption stone? Why is it so big?”

The witch’s surprised voice reached my ears for a moment, and then…

The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.

Turning my head, I saw the witch trying to pull out a black boulder firmly embedded in the center of the construction site with her wand.

“It’s absorbing mana, so it’s hard to pull it out with magic alone! I need a little help! We need to work together to pull it out!”

“We will!”

The workers from the slums rushed in and started to pull at the huge boulder with all their might.

“Alright! Put some strength into it! One, two!”

With a cracking sound, the huge black boulder was lifted high into the air.

This is annoying.

Just by its size, it looks incredibly hard and heavy. If I had made them use equipment to pull it out, I could have made them spend a lot more money.

But let’s find some solace.

Building a high-rise on this useless, trashy land is already a ridiculous waste of money.

If things continue like this, the Lilia Church will surely go bankrupt…

“Something is gushing out from under the ground! Witch!!”

With a refreshing whoosh, I heard something gushing out.

Turning my gaze back, I saw the workers stepping back in confusion.

Water, with a translucent blue hue, was endlessly gushing out from the hole where the giant boulder had been pulled out.

The witch, holding her wand, approached the water with a surprised expression.

After carefully touching the blue water, the four-armed witch shouted in shock.

“Elixir… It’s an elixir spring!”

Eli… what?

Elixir?

Why is that coming out from there?

Why is that really coming out from there?!