This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

Late at night.

I lay tossing and turning in my private chamber within the Mage Tower Temple, a space High Priest Yodel had excitedly prepared for me, declaring it was finally possible to create a space fit for a saint.

The bed was wide and luxurious, soft to the touch, but I couldn’t manage to sleep properly.

It was terrifying.

At any moment, the goddess might strike me down with lightning.

What should I do?

All sorts of thoughts ran through my head.

Should I issue a decree not to look for me and just disappear?

High Priest Yodel would comply, wouldn’t he? He always does what I say.

No.

No matter how much I think about it, that’s impossible.

The common folk would throw a fit like children if I disappeared.

And the members of the Lilia Church would say they need me.

Even Yodel, compliant as he is, wouldn’t be able to ignore the overwhelming demands of the entire Lilia Church and all the commoners and would inevitably end up looking for me.

Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

What should I really do?

How can I survive this?@@novelbin@@

Is it even logical for a man without faith to have risen to this position?

Including the booming Karma Company and this magnificent Mage Tower Temple.

Everything I touch seems to turn to gold.

It looks like I might really end up living as the saint of the goddess, forever afraid of when divine punishment might strike.

Is this how I’m going to live?

I can’t sleep.

Especially tonight, sleep eludes me more than ever.

Maybe a walk would help.

I left my room.

Carefully, I decided to take a walk around the slum, observing the changes that had transformed it during my time here.

The muddy roads, once filled with filth and garbage, were now being cleanly paved with beautiful bricks.

There were no longer people sleeping on the streets.

As jobs had increased, everyone had managed to secure at least a small room in an inn to rest.

They were excited about the thought of tearing down their homes for money and moving into the new houses that would be built in their place.

The air no longer stank but was crisp and fresh with the scent of dawn.

Standing dumbly on the road, looking around, a sudden thought struck me.

Having impersonated a saint for almost half a year without faith, could it be that the goddess hasn't struck me down with divine punishment because I’ve been doing my job too well?

Logically, I discovered an elixir source under an abandoned factory that no one knew about and purified the slum, making people happy.

Thanks to that, the majority of the slum's residents have become followers of Lilia.

At this point, I seriously wonder if the goddess knows everything and just leaves me be.

Even if I'm a guy without faith, might she be turning a blind eye because I'm doing such a good job?

No.

Seriously.

Isn’t this the right thought?

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Damn my stupid head.

Have I been scared for nothing all this time?

All the efforts I made to escape from the church seem utterly foolish now.

“Can’t sleep, can you?”

Lost in my absurd chuckles, a familiar voice came from behind.

Erfa, waving her four characteristic arms, approached me.

It's almost 3 AM, why are you still awake?

“I was just taking a walk... the streets have changed so much, I was just looking around.”

At my words, Erfa smiled and came closer.

“It’s all thanks to you, Saint. Without you, this place would still be a filthy and ugly slum.”

“I haven’t done anything, honestly. I’m just puzzled about how things have gotten this far.”

Really, I don’t understand.

How can a nobody like me,

with nothing but the most depraved of skills from an adult game, have risen this high?

Erfa moved cautiously closer to me.

There was a scent.

Was it perfume, or did it naturally emanate from her body?

A pleasantly fresh fragrance tickled my nose.

“May I hold your hand?”

I nodded.

The witch gently took my hand.

Then, she quietly kissed the back of my hand.

“You have the ability to move people’s hearts. It’s not just because you heal incurable diseases and look after the poor that people call you a saint.”

Moving people’s hearts, huh.

Ha.

Would they scoff if they knew the real me?

How selfish and foolish I am.

“I’m not that great.”

“I used to want to destroy the world.”

That stung.

I glanced at her, almost casually.

Honestly, she’s still a nuclear bomb.

She just changed her mind. The power to destroy the world still resides within her.

Like snuffing out a wick on a bomb that’s about to go off.

The elements that could fuel an explosion are still there inside her.

Despite my anxiety, Erfa’s expression was profoundly serene.

“I hated everyone. I hated the world that wouldn’t acknowledge me, the colleagues who mocked me, and more than anything else... I hated myself. Why was I born with such a repulsive appearance? When people threw filth at me, I just wanted to burn down the entire empire with my research and the magic within me.”

I know.

In the late night hours, I found myself recreating the scene I had seen in my dream.

"When the Saint kissed my disfigured, filthy left face, everything changed. All the resentment and hatred inside me just disappeared. How could I hate myself when someone like you could love me? It might have been the first time I truly loved myself."

Erfa laughed, her laughter refreshingly sweet.

"Funny, isn't it? After that, everything went the way I wanted. The position of the next Tower Master, the recognition from my peers, even the downfall of the witch who hated and despised me—it all happened so naturally, as if it were meant to be. Things I couldn't have even when I desperately wanted them fell easily into my hands."

"I'm glad for you, Erfa."

"I could have fixed my face myself, you know. My research into primary colors was for that—to handle more powerful magic to fix my face. If I had just a couple more months, I would have succeeded. But even if I had fixed it... I wonder if I could have become like I am now. It seems impossible."

Erfa placed her hand on her chest.

"You changed my heart. That's something magic can't do. Only you could have done it, Saint. You say you're not special, but that's not true. You are a remarkable person."

I suddenly realized I had never had such a deep conversation with the nuclear bomb witch.

As we talked, the fear and anxiety I had about her slowly dissolved.

Thinking about it, it was almost funny to worry that a woman blushing so openly in front of me could suddenly go on a rampage again.

Just before, I felt stupid for fearing a divine punishment that would never come, and now I felt stupid for fearing that this woman who liked me could lash out again.

I'm really...

Why am I such a fool?

"I am not a great person. I know myself very well. But still..."

I looked at Erfa and smiled.

"I'm glad that I can make many people happy."

It wasn't a lie.

The streets of the slums were clean.

Children who used to sell matches with disfigured faces in back alleys are now wearing nice clothes and going to school.

The nuclear bomb witch has been recognized as the next Tower Master and stands happily by my side.

Jonathan Karma's family was also smiling happily, and everyone, including High Priest Yodel, seemed to be gaining vitality from me.

It's all based on misunderstandings and misconceptions.

But what if it's a lie?

Isn't it more important that I made them happy?

No.

Seriously.

Maybe the goddess is just watching all this?

At this point?

Then there's no need to run away fearing divine punishment.

I might not have faith, but faith is just believing in the goddess from now on.

Then I don't have to worry anymore, and I don't need to have any concerns.

If everyone calls me a saint, maybe I should just change my thinking and become one?

That thought crosses my mind.

"The night is cold. I should head back inside..."

"Saint."

Erfa holds my hand and won't let go.

"Just one thing... I want to ask you. Please be honest."

"Yes, ask anything. I'll answer anything I can, openly."

"When you saved me, you said I was beautiful."

Yes.

I did.

I ripped that line right off from a famous quote by Miyazaki.

"In that 'beautiful'... could there possibly be, even just a little bit, that I'm beautiful as a woman?"

Erfa's face is red.

I had always looked at her with anxiety and fear, but now that those feelings had disappeared, her inherently enchanting face struck me.

I've been a heavy user of sad and tearful internet sites and comics.

But I realized today that no internet image is as impressive as a real woman.

The smell.

The touch.

The appearance.

Everything about her was perfect.

"It did include that. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I'm shy because you are so close. I've never seen someone so beautiful up close."

An enchanting face equipped with charm magic!

Incredible!

My mouth blurted out that line without me knowing.

But think about it.

The feel of a woman's skin on your hands.

The rich scent coming off her.

And a pretty woman blushing up close!

Can you handle that?

Can you really handle it?

The last time I was this close to a woman was once in college.

I confessed to a junior I liked, but got rejected because she said I was too nice for her. Later, at a convenience store job, I saw her coming out of a motel with a tall, handsome guy.

Damn it!

Why do I have to remember such a crappy memory now?

Memory...

Oh...

Erfa’s upper arms wrap around the back of my head.

I see her standing on tiptoes.

Her enchanting face quickly closes the distance.

Then I felt a soft, moist touch on my lips.

Her lower hand holding mine trembles with tension and fear.

It's obviously her first time from the look of it, almost clumsy.

More of a peck than a kiss.

She cautiously pulls away from me.

"Did that make you uncomfortable?"

If that makes me uncomfortable, I must be gay.

How could that make me uncomfortable?

"It was my first time kissing. I might have been too clumsy..."

I stare blankly at her.

I knew she had feelings for me.

But to go this far so openly.

"It was my first time too."

The first time in Korea and the Arkal Empire.

At my words, Erfa smiles.

"I'm happy!"

She kisses me again.

As I receive the kiss, feeling her refreshing scent tickle my nose, I think.

Maybe I can just live as a saint?

At this rate?

It seems like even the goddess would condone it.

I'll just live as a saint. Me.

I've found a woman who likes me.

Maybe I can finally...

Enjoy some happiness in this otherworldly life.

I hesitated, then wrapped my arm around Erfa's waist.

Carefully, I pulled her towards me.

The scent I smelled was intoxicating.

Around 3 AM.

On an empty street.

That’s how we stood for a long time, kissing.