Chapter 26
How am I feeling right now??
I'm dying.
Can you not bother me?
I want to be alone, okay?
But my wish wasn't granted.
"Saint. Saint."
"Ahhh! Saint of Healing!! Incarnation of Grace!!"
"Apostle of Lilia! Look upon us!! Lead us sinful and foolish ones!!"
As soon as the heresy inquisition ended, all the people of the Lilia Order rushed to my side, surrounded me, knelt down, and kept bowing to me.
High Priest Yodel was even shedding tears while kissing the back of my hand, and then he started kissing my feet.
Damn it.
I'm just tired of everything.
You damn bastards.
Because of you, the probability of me dying from divine punishment from the Goddess is increasing in real-time right now!!
What the hell am I supposed to do?
What the hell am I supposed to do??
I mean, even the fact that I'm a reincarnator was revealed!
I'm a person from another world!
I said with my own mouth that I'm not a saint!
I said it repeatedly!
Ah.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
"We greet the first Saint of Healing."
Because the Lilia Order drew all the attention while shedding tears like that, it seemed that many people gathered at the Pantheon started to notice me.
One by one.
People who clearly looked like high-ranking members of society came to me, held my hand, and greeted me.
I was in a state of mental weakness, so I exchanged greetings with all of them with a hollow smile born of bewilderment, not even knowing who was shaking my hand.
And after a while.
After everyone disappeared from the Pantheon, all that was left in front of me were those same old tiresome faces I always saw.
Jonathan Karma's family and the people of the Lilia Order.
And when only the nuclear bomb four-armed witch remained.
"Saint. For the past two months, I've tried my best to make the order wealthy according to your will, but… it's still far from enough. Blame me. Though inadequate, I will guide you to your temple," Jonathan Karma's family approached me and said that respectfully.
At those words, I snapped to attention.
Right!!
The century's most useless businessman who ruined his doll factory!!
You were still here!!
Look at that ashamed expression!!
He must have messed something up for sure!!
Right!
There's still a way to survive!!
"Let's go."
Let's go!
Let's see how he messed up the business!!
And if I spill the beans that all the messed-up business is my responsibility, even High Priest Yodel will surely come to hate me!!
Jonathan Karma!
Thank you so much!!
Thanks to you, a way to survive has opened up!!
"Saint. I'm ashamed. Please forgive us for not having a temple befitting your achievements."
Jonathan Karma!
What is this!?
What on earth is this!?
Why is a Magic Tower being built on the abandoned factory site?!
Why!!
***
Jonathan Karma was certainly a capable person.
On the condition of providing all the elixir needed for future research to the Mars branch of the Magic Tower free of charge, he asked them to build a super-high-rise Magic Tower on the factory site as the Saint had said.
Unlike other general buildings, Magic Towers were structures that had to be made only with magic.
Moreover, because an enormous amount of elixir was needed for construction, it was usually a process that took at least 5 years, but the Lilia Order's new Magic Tower temple was a place where elixir, which was both the material needed for construction and the large-scale mana needed for construction, was self-supplied from underground.
Thanks to this, the construction speed was so fast that it would be recorded in construction history.
In this way, in less than two months, a second Magic Tower had risen in the capital, boasting an incredible presence with over 100 floors.
Of course, it wasn't completed yet and there were many things to be fixed here and there, but at the words that it would be completed within 3 months at the latest, the Saint of Healing began to shed tears of joy.
"I need to rest. Please prepare a place for me to sleep."
After saying that, the Saint went straight to bed and cried for a long time before falling asleep.
It seemed that his heart, which had been suffering during the heresy inquisition, was comforted by seeing the magnificent Magic Tower-shaped temple.
Erpha looked at the Saint so lovingly for a long time before returning to the Mars branch of the Magic Tower.
He was truly like a child.
He cried when he was happy and cried when he was sad.
Hadn't he hugged her with tears when he comforted and healed her too?
Thinking that the words of the Book of Grace saying he was the purest person were truly right, Erpha returned to her research lab with a contented smile.
But because of the witches and mages gathered in the lobby, she couldn't go in any further.
Tower Master Yorgen was shouting at them with a fierce expression, "I thought you had just accepted the White Order's request and voted. But that wasn't it, was it? You cooperated with Tudel's evil scheme, didn't you?"
Tower Master Yorgen had a dejected expression.
He had wanted to meet the Saint at least once since he heard about him from Erpha.
But not like this.
The Saint had proven himself too perfectly, and Yorgen and the mages and witches under him had exposed their shame so publicly that it seemed impossible to be more humiliated.
Yorgen was so ashamed of it.
To the point where it was hard to raise his head.
Unlike what the world thought, the Tower Master of a Magic Tower wasn't a person with that much authority.
Most important decisions in the Magic Tower were made through voting, and the Tower Master didn't have the authority to interfere with individual researchers and determine their research directions or steal their research.
The budget was strictly based on merit, with research funds allocated mainly to mages and witches who had produced outstanding peer-reviewed papers or research.
In a gathering of mages who could research freely, it was a position with a name that only served as a figurehead function for the mage with the most outstanding skills.
That was what a Tower Master was.
But even though it was such a wishy-washy position like a soup.
There was a reason why none of the Magic Tower's mages disrespected the Tower Master.
The position of Tower Master itself meant that they were the most outstanding mage in the Magic Tower, and above all.
"You are all expelled!! I will drive you out of this Magic Tower!!"
The Tower Master had the authority to forcibly expel affiliated mages or witches who greatly damaged the Magic Tower's reputation or caused internal confusion.
"T-Tower Master!!"
The mages and witches who had chosen to expel Erpha during the vote shouted in panic. Nevertheless, Yorgen shouted as if he couldn't accept it, "All of you pack your things and leave!! I don't need the likes of you!! Even if I have to fill your positions with new mages and witches, I don't want to keep you here!! Disappear!!"
The expressions of the mages and witches were miserable. Of course, the Magic Tower was based on meritocracy.
If they had good skills and excellent research performance, they could enter another Magic Tower and continue their research.
But they would have to live with the label of having tried to slander another witch for the rest of their lives.
Even if they entered a new Magic Tower. It would be difficult to form proper human relationships.
The world of mages was wide in some ways and narrow in others.
Once a bad rumor spread, it was obvious that they would gradually be pushed out of the industry.
Some were even crying because of this.
But what could they do?
Because the Saint of Healing had cast a miracle on Tudel at the Pantheon and revealed their evil deeds so nakedly, they had nothing to say even if they were treated like this.
Erpha carefully watched the scene and then stepped forward.
"You vile bastards! How can you call yourselves seekers of knowledge!! How can you walk the path of magic... Erpha!!"
"Tower Master Yorgen."
Everyone was surprised at Erpha's appearance.
The witches and mages couldn't even meet her eyes properly and bowed their heads.
But the next moment.
Everyone was surprised by the words that came out of Erpha's mouth.
"Please let them stay in the Mars branch of the Magic Tower. I want to forgive them."
"What... What are you saying?"
"If they are driven out of the Magic Tower like this, it will leave a big scar on their careers. It will be a big task to find a new Magic Tower that will accept them, and even if they do get in. There's a high possibility they won't be able to adapt properly there."
It was a cold reality.
The mages and witches bowed their heads without even being able to ask for forgiveness.
Erpha quietly looked at them.
"So please don't drive them out. Please help them stay here in the Mars branch of the Magic Tower."
"But Erpha. These are people who agreed to drive you out. People who openly tried to destroy you by cooperating with Tudel's plot."
"I know. But you said it before, didn't you? That to become a Tower Master, I need to embrace even people like this. That it's the role of a Tower Master. I want to fulfill that role. I've lived my whole life being abandoned because of my hideous left face and four arms. I know well how great that pain and sorrow is. I don't want to leave such wounds on them."
The mages and witches looked at Erpha with surprised faces.
Erpha looked at them too.
Her calm and gentle face was like that of a saint.
"...Are you serious?"
"I am serious. Moreover, if this many researchers suddenly disappear, the Magic Tower's joint research projects will collapse, and it won't be good for the Magic Tower either, right? As they say, old hands are the best. Please let them stay. I beg you."
Tower Master Yorgen was silent for a long time at her words, then nodded.
"If that's your opinion, I'll follow it. But!!"
He looked at the mages and witches with a scary face.
"That doesn't mean your wrongdoings disappear. Erpha is the next Tower Master!! If you don't show proper respect and apology to her, no matter what Erpha says! I will drive you out!! You snake-like creatures who don't compete with skills but plot vilely behind backs!! Only sincere apologies will save you!!"
After saying that, Yorgen disappeared from the lobby through spatial movement.
Only the mages and witches.
And Erpha remained in the lobby.
Slowly.
A young witch approached Erpha.
Her face was full of curiosity rather than apology.
"Why? Why us...?"
Was curiosity first even in this situation?
It felt very mage-like.
Erpha smirked.
"Because that's what the Saint would have wanted."
Erpha looked at everyone.
"I'll forgive all of you. Because every human has times when they make mistakes. But that doesn't mean I'll forget what you did to me. If I find you treating the weak carelessly, harming people out of jealousy, or acting unethically and immorally again in the future. I'll use all my power to make you pay the price."
It was a smiling face, but an enormous pressure dominated the room.
The mages and witches swallowed dryly and bowed their heads towards Erpha.
"Thank you, Erpha."
"Thank you for giving us another chance."
"We will never... never forget this."
Erpha accepted all those apologies with a relaxed expression.
"Go back and continue your research."
She was about to turn around and go up, but the mages and witches didn't move a single step.
"Erpha... no, Miss Erpha. We have a request."
"What is it?"
"As a sign of apology, we'd like to go to the newly established Magic Tower in the slums and do research there. Since it's close anyway, we'll be able to do new research there without giving up our existing research."
"We heard that you're producing elixir through a technology alliance with the Magic Tower. Wouldn't it be much better if we go directly and transfer the technology rather than just a technology alliance?"
Erpha's eyes widened.
The mages and witches looked ashamed.
"We want to be of some help to the Saint of Healing who opened our eyes. And we thought that might make you a little happy too. That might be a way to show our sincerity a little. That's what we thought."
"There are many witches and mages here who were researching elixir refining technology and utilization technology. As a sign of apology, we'd like to provide some of our research results to the Lilia Order at a very low royalty. In return, we'll be able to use the gushing elixir indefinitely, so we think that might be better for research."
"That's right. Every time we research, elixir is used on a large scale, and if we don't have to spend research funds on buying it every time, we'll be able to research much more efficiently."
"We want to show our hearts like this… Miss Erpha."
Looking at them apologizing sincerely while bowing their heads, Erpha felt happiness welling up from deep inside her heart.
The Saint of Healing.
Saint Amael.
Beyond healing her body, he made her recognized in society and even moved these stubborn and obstinate mages.
If this wasn't a miracle.
What else could it be?
— Truly, truly I say to you. When the saint comes to you, you will know it is him.
A verse from the Book of Grace that she had recently started reading came to her mind.
Isn't it truly right?
"Do as you wish. The distance isn't far, so moving your labs shouldn't be too difficult."
"Thank you, Miss Erpha. We will never. Never forget today's events."
After saying that, the mages and witches disappeared.
Erpha remained alone in the empty lobby and quietly placed her hand on her chest.
Saint Amael.
The one who saved her.
The one whose thought made her heart beat wildly every time.
My body, my heart, my mind, my talent. They're all his.
Erpha realized.
The fact that she couldn't live without him anymore.
***
"Mr. Jonathan Karma? We'll let you use our research results at a cheap price. If you just let us use elixir for free while we research here. It will be much better than producing through a technology alliance."
"My goodness!! I needed people with elixir refining technology and utilization technology!! Come! Come!! I'll let you use as much elixir as you want!!"
"Thank you. We came to repay the debt we owe to Miss Erpha. Also, we'd like to thank the Saint of Healing. We're grateful that he made us reflect on our mistakes and become better people."
You damn bastards!!
Why is business going well!!
Don't come!!
But regardless of my inner screams.
Dozens of mages from the Magic Tower became resident researchers at the newly constructed temple-shaped Magic Tower as researchers of Karma Company.
Wow.
At this point, it's like a contract killing.
It's like the world is pushing me to die struck by lightning.
Why…
Why!!
Why is everything going so well, dammit!?
I'm telling you, I'm not a saint!!