This Wasn’t an Erotic Game?

Chapter 36 - It's Okay

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Iomene woke up from her sleep.

Without bothering to fix her messy hair, she went to the mirror and washed her face like a cat. She flinched when she saw that the countless self-harm scars on her arms had disappeared.

Yesterday.

After that strange man in priest's robes touched her head, her arms and legs felt itchy, and when she checked, they were like this.

It was a sight that surprised her every time she saw it.

How?

Just by touching her head?

She had only ever seen people who feared her.

But he wasn't afraid of her at all, entering without a protective suit, touching her body with his bare hands...

That encounter yesterday was the most shocking event in her nineteen years of life.

Was he a good person?

Iomene pondered for a moment.

She didn't know yet.

There was still a possibility that he was dangerous.

The people who came every seven days to tie her up and inflict pain...

Today was the day.

Today was the day she would suffer.

Iomene purred with fear and anxiety.

She reflexively tried to scratch her skin, but realizing that smooth skin, not the usual bumpy scars, greeted her touch, she stopped.

He was a strange man.

The feeling of smooth skin was incredibly pleasant.

How should she perceive him?

A thought crossed Iomene's mind as she pondered.

Today...

She would see if he would protect her from those strangely dressed people who came to inflict pain on her.

If...

If he was the same as those who hurt her...

If he was helping them...

She would scratch him.

She would attack him with all her might.

It would be much easier to hurt him since he came in without a protective suit.

Never.

Never let her guard down.

Never completely relax her vigilance.

It would hurt again if she did.

Iomene growled lowly, making that promise to herself.

── 𓆩♱𓆪 ──

Princess Iomene was devouring the snacks I had brought.

I watched the scene with a warm smile.

"Your Highness, please eat slowly. There's still plenty left."

Whether she heard me or not, Princess Iomene was focused on stuffing her mouth with cookies and bread.

I heard she had only ever eaten a survival diet of nutritional supplements and sedatives, rather than snacks or sweets.

It seemed like this was her first time having such treats.

"Here, try this too. This is also delicious. It's peaches preserved in honey."

I opened the jar and offered her a peach. As if smelling it, the princess cautiously approached me.

I picked up a peach with the fork I had brought and offered it to her.

She sniffed it, then took a bite.

And her eyes widened.

Apparently finding it delicious, she snatched the jar and fork from my hand and started devouring the peaches.

It was an act devoid of any manners or etiquette...

Like a wild animal.

But it didn't matter.

How lovely and delightful it was to see her eat so well.

"Eat a lot. I brought other things as well."

The best way to get close to an animal is through food, after all.

As I was watching the princess with a warm smile, thinking that...

A grandfather clock somewhere in the palace chimed twice.

The princess, who had been engrossed in eating snacks, suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.

And then she looked towards something.

She was looking at the main entrance of the palace.

She stopped eating and started panting.

I looked at her with pity.

—Saint, we always conducted divine magic treatment every Tuesday at 2 p.m. And that's today. Since you have come, we will no longer be conducting the treatment... but Princess Iomene will become very sensitive when it's 2 p.m. today. You should be aware of that.

Before entering the detached palace today...

The mage who had tried to give me the protective suit said those words.

As expected, she was staring at the main entrance of the palace with a terrified expression, on high alert.

"Kyaaaaa!... "

She raised her voice, holding a fork in her hand as if ready to attack at any moment.

I watched her for a while, then slowly stood up.

"They won't come. The people who hurt you won't come today."

But no matter what I said, the princess continued to be anxious.

Then, unable to bear it any longer, she raised her hand high, as if to stab herself with the fork.

Seeing her attempt to self-harm, I quickly rushed over and stopped her.

"Kyaaa!!"

The fork dug into my forearm.

Fuck, it hurts!!

What's with all this since yesterday!!

It hurts!!

It hurts, but...

The princess in front of me was more pitiful.

"No! It's okay! They won't come! You won't be hurt today!"

"Kyaaaaa!"

But the princess didn't stop.

Seeing me interfering, she started to vent her anger at me.

She began to stab me with the fork relentlessly.

Blood splattered, and I almost screamed in pain.

But I endured it.

I desperately held back my screams and approached the princess.

The moment she plunged the fork into my shoulder...

I hugged her tightly.

"Shh... It's okay. It's okay."

Tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

Wow, this really...

This really fucking hurts.

But I could endure it.

"It's okay. It's okay."

I patted the princess's back and repeated those words.

Perhaps calmed by my touch, the princess, who had been growling and trying to bite me with the fork stuck in my shoulder, began to quiet down.

Tears streamed down my face from the pain, but my mouth continued to comfort her.

Yes.

What does it matter if I get stabbed a few times?

I can heal myself anyway.

The pain you've endured for sixteen years must be far greater.

Isn't it?

Cold sweat dripped down my back, but when I finally felt the princess stop growling and snuggle into my arms, I thought I had made the right choice to endure it.

Carefully...

I removed the fork from my shoulder, healed myself with Body Modification, and continued to pat the princess's back.

"It's okay. It's okay. You won't be hurt anymore. You don't have to go through that painful thing every week anymore. Calm down. It's okay."

As I continued to soothe her like a child, the princess looked up.

She was crying.

With tear-filled eyes, she trembled as she looked towards the main entrance.

"It's okay. It's okay."

I lifted her into my arms.

And carefully walked to her room.

Her bedroom, with a luxurious bed.

But it was empty, devoid of any presence.

I lay down on the bed with her.

"Sleep. No one will hurt you today, okay? Just calm down and sleep."

Perhaps finally calming down, the princess's rigid body relaxed.

And she snuggled closer to me.

I embraced Iomene.

I patted her back and sang the children's songs, pop songs, and anime songs that I knew, not very well, but in a funny way. Hours passed like that.

It wasn't until late in the evening that Princess Iomene's body finally relaxed completely.

I looked down to see her sleeping soundly, breathing evenly.

I wiped away the tear stains on her face.

I was doing this for selfish reasons, to get cursed and escape back to Korea, but she was truly, truly pitiful.

Was it really the right choice for the Emperor and Empress to save Iomene?

Even I couldn't help but think about it countless times during this short period.

Iomene was pitiful,

And so were the Emperor and Empress, and Princess Almene.

So the pain I endured today was nothing.

What did it matter if I was injured?

As long as she was sleeping peacefully like this, it was fine.

I carefully tucked her in, cleaned up the snacks she had eaten, and left the detached palace.

My pure white priest's robes were stained red with the blood from the fork stabbings, but this much hardship was nothing compared to avoiding hell.

I could endure anything.

"Saint!"

"Oh my! Blood!!... What happened?"

It was no wonder they reacted that way, seeing my priest's robes riddled with holes from the fork and stained with blood.

I waved to the priests and mages who were always on standby outside the detached palace, just in case, and reassured them.

"Don't worry too much. It was nothing. I'll come again tomorrow. Please be prepared."

Being stabbed by a fork does hurt.

But burning in hell would hurt even more.

If I just endured this for a little while, I could skip hell.

It was a worthwhile trade.

"Saint..."

Some of the priests and mages were so moved that their eyes reddened.

"Thank you. For preventing us from having to do this."

"Every Tuesday, I thought it would be better to just die."

"I couldn't even sleep properly because of the child's screams. Truly... thank you."

Some were even sobbing with guilt.

I understood.

They wouldn't have enjoyed torturing the young princess either.

"Thank you for your hard work all this time."

I said to them.

Yes.

You've all worked hard.

And I've worked hard too.

Playing the role of a saint that didn't suit me, I even ended up with a ticket to hell.

That goddamn Goddess.

Let's hurry up and escape to Korea.

Now I want to...

Stop living in fear.

── 𓆩♱𓆪 ──

A dark room.

Except for a faint candle on the table, it was pitch black, with no light entering.

Several people, their silhouettes barely visible, were conversing.

"There's been a change of plans. The Saint has gotten involved."

Murmurs rippled through the room.

"The Healing Saint, Amael."

"The one recognized by the Pantheon."

"The one who found our brother hidden within the Sun Church."

"How? I still don't understand."

"The miracle was perfect. The Miracle of Concealment bestowed upon us by the Evil God was flawless."

"No divine magic, no miracle, no sorcery, no human effort could find us."

"But the Saint found us."

"Are you going to ruin it again?"

The flurry of words abruptly stopped.

After a long silence, one of the silhouettes spoke with a hint of anxiety.

"He won't recognize the Evil God's chosen one who is with the princess, will he?"

Murmurs spread through the room.

"The One with a Thousand Faces' disguise is perfect! He can deceive everyone but himself!"

"Never. He will never be found out. Even the Emperor and Empress, despite their desperate search, couldn't find him."

"He is favored by the Evil God. He will never be exposed."

But their voices couldn't hide their anxiety.

After all, the brother who had infiltrated the Sun Church also had a perfect disguise.

He was one of the most skilled users of the Miracle of Concealment.

The Evil God was also known as the Deceiver, the Blood Drinker.

The Evil God's miracles could even deceive the eyes of the gods.

He had been safely hidden within the Church for over ten years, and the Saint had found him with an unknown miracle.

The problem was that they couldn't figure out how he had been found.

It wasn't a typical miracle, nor was it divine magic or sorcery.

He just found him.

That was what made the people gathered here so uneasy.

"It seems we need to strengthen the Miracle of Concealment on the chosen one. The Saint is too close to him. Contact the Collector. Tell him to gather more human resentment and send it to the chosen one."

"I will relay the message."

With that, the meeting ended.

Starting with one silhouette rising from their seat, everyone stood up.

"As the Blood Drinker wills."

They all said in unison, and then...

The candle was extinguished.

The silhouettes vanished along with it.