This Isn’t an E*otic Game?

I shouldn’t have cried.

I let my emotions get the better of me and ended up crying in front of Iomene.

That must have shocked her deeply, because ever since that moment, she hadn’t left my side.

It was suffocating.

No—

Trying to follow me to the bathroom was too much, wasn’t it?!

But what could I do?

I couldn’t exactly push away the future Saintess of the White Order and the daughter of the reigning Emperor just because I found it inconvenient.

I had no choice in the matter.

So, I spent my days with Iomene, teaching her basic knowledge while she clung to me.

The so-called emotional stabilization process was nothing more than a continuation of what I had already been doing at the Secluded Palace.

Playing with her, reading her books, staying with her while she slept, sharing meals—@@novelbin@@

“Together! Together!!”

Refusing her demands to bathe together.

“Together! Together!!”

Refusing her attempts to sleep in the same bed.

“Marriage! Marriage!”

And rejecting her relentless marriage proposals every time she brought it up.

Whenever I refused, she would sulk and glare at me, but the moment I stroked her head, her expression would instantly soften, and she’d start giggling again.

I taught her how to hold a fork and knife, how to interact with people, how to speak properly.

For things that were difficult for a man to teach—like bathing and personal hygiene—I had the female priests of the White Order handle them.

While spending time with Iomene, I also focused on preparing for my escape.

With the Emperor’s gift of ten kilograms of gold bars, my emergency funds were secured.

Once the unicorn-horn pendant was complete, I’d be able to supplement my mental energy for time-stopping magic.

Now, the only thing left was figuring out how to evade the Miracle of Pursuit.

“Evading the Miracle of Pursuit, you say?”

Iomene was always surrounded by combat priests and holy knights from the White Order.

And since she clung to me at all times, that meant I always had White Order priests nearby as well.

Since their Order specialized in dealing with worshippers of the Evil God and demon cultists, I figured they might have some knowledge on the matter.

So one day, I casually asked.

“The Miracle of Pursuit is inscribed directly onto the soul, making it impossible to avoid unless you use extremely powerful curses or black magic.”

“…Is that so?”

Shit.

Did that mean there was no way to avoid it?

“Yes. However, for all its power, it has significant drawbacks. It consumes an enormous amount of divine energy and is highly dependent on distance. Normally, anything farther than a kilometer away cannot be detected. Furthermore, in order to mark a soul, the caster must have seen the target with their own eyes.”

Thank God.

I wasn’t completely screwed after all!

“I didn’t realize it had those limitations.”

“If it were omnipotent, every single worshipper of the Evil God and demon cultist in the world would have been captured long ago. Because of the requirements of direct sight and distance restrictions, our combat priests and holy knights periodically patrol rural areas beyond the reach of state or church authority, as well as crime-ridden districts where malevolent energy is abundant, in order to track down previously sighted heretics.”

“You have my respect for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done, Saint.”

A one-kilometer distance restriction.

And the fact that priests and holy knights only patrolled certain rural and crime-infested areas on a regular basis.

That meant I had to take those two factors into account when making my escape.

Which, in turn, meant—

I had to flee to a major city.

Not the countryside, not a crime-ridden slum—

A city with strict law enforcement, a massive population, and a sheer size so overwhelming that even multiple priests casting the Miracle of Pursuit simultaneously wouldn’t be able to find me easily.

And most importantly—