Chapter 48
I cried for no reason.
I got emotional for no reason and cried in front of Iomene.
My crying must have been quite shocking, because since then, Iomene had been constantly sticking to my side.
It was burdensome.
No.
Isn't it a bit too much to try to follow me even to the bathroom??
But what can I do?
I can't carelessly push away the future holy woman of the White Order and the current Emperor's daughter just because I don't like it.
I had no choice.
I had to live with Iomene attached to my side while teaching her various common sense things.
Emotional stability was just a fancy term; it wasn't much different from what I had been doing with her in the separate palace.
Playing with her, reading books to her, staying by her side when she slept, and eating meals together.
"Together! Together!!"
Refusing to bathe together.
"Together! Together!!"
Refusing to sleep in the same bed.
"Marriage! Marriage!"
Refusing when she insistently asked to get married when I said I couldn't do that. That was how I had to spend my time.
When I refused, she would glare at me full of dissatisfaction, but if I stroked her head, her expression would quickly soften and she would grin.
I taught her how to hold a fork and knife, how to deal with people, how to speak. Such everyday things, and things that were difficult for a man to teach, like how to bathe or keep the body clean, she learned from female priests of the White Order.
While spending time with Iomene like that.
I hurried to prepare for my escape from the order.
I received 10kg of gold bullion from His Majesty the Emperor, so the secret fund problem was now solved.
For Time Stop, I could use the unicorn necklace to supply mental power once it was completed.
Now all that was left was to find out how to avoid the miracle of tracking.
"A way to avoid the miracle of tracking, you say?"
There were always combat priests and holy knights from the White Order guarding Iomene.
And Iomene was always clinging to my side, which meant there was always a priest from the White Order attached to my surroundings.
Since they were an order that dealt with professional evil god worshippers and demon worshippers, I thought they might know this field well, so I casually asked one day.
"The miracle of tracking is cast on the soul itself, so unless you use powerful curses or black magic, it's absolutely impossible to avoid."
"Is... that so?"
It's ruined.
It can't be avoided?
"Yes. However, as powerful as its effect is, it also has many drawbacks. It consumes a lot of holy power and is greatly affected by distance. Usually, beings more than 1km away cannot be detected. Moreover, to specify a soul, the caster of the miracle must have personally seen the being they're trying to find before."
Thank goodness!
It's not ruined!
"I didn't know it had such characteristics."
"If it were omnipotent, all the evil god worshippers and demon cultists in the world would have been caught long ago. Direct sighting and distance limitation. Because of these two factors, combat priests and holy knights periodically go around rural areas where public authority or temple influence is weak, or high-crime areas where resentment supply is easy, to inspect if there are any evil god worshippers or demon cultists they've seen in the past."
"You always work hard."
"It's nothing compared to what the Saint has done."
1km distance limitation.
And rural or high-crime areas where priests from the White Order or other temples might regularly patrol.
This meant I needed to run away considering these two factors, right?
Then what did this mean…?
It meant I needed to escape to a big city.
Not rural, and not a high-crime area where public safety is well maintained.
And a place so enormously large that it would be difficult to find me even if multiple priests used miracles simultaneously.
And the kind of big city that was traditionally negative towards religion, making it difficult for holy knights or priests to visit easily.
I should go to such a place, find a suitable house, change my face, and live quietly like a dead mouse before leaving.
Let's see.
A few names of big cities that meet the conditions come to mind, but which one should I choose?
While I was pondering such thoughts.
"Saint. Erpha has come to see you."
Erpha came to see me.
Originally, she used to visit me every day.
It was stranger that she hadn't come for a few days since the evil god's fragment incident.
"I'd like to talk with her alone for a moment. Could you leave us?"
At my words, the White Order and imperial knights who were guarding Iomene carefully went out of the room.
After that, I thoughtlessly told her to come into my room, and Erpha entered my room as always and smiled at me...
...She's not smiling?
"Like! Like!!"
Iomene was clinging to my side as always.
Erpha didn't greet me affectionately or blush as usual.
She was silently looking at Iomene with an expressionless face.
"Welcome, Erpha."
I greeted her, but she still didn't answer.
Her gaze was firmly fixed on Iomene.
"I greet Your Highness the Princess."
Erpha greeted Iomene politely.
But with an attitude that seemed to draw a cold line, and then turned her gaze towards me.
"...It seems you're treating the Princess?"
A quiet and subdued voice.
I nodded.
"I'm conducting emotional treatment. They say they'll perform a procedure to restore her mind when she's stable."
"I see."
Iomene seemed to notice the gaze and turned her eyes toward Erpha.
The two women's gazes clashed in mid-air.
It felt like sparks were flying.
This...
It seems like jealousy.
"Kyaaaa…"
Did she read something from Erpha's expressionless gaze?
Iomene bared her teeth and snarled.
I quickly stroked Iomene's head to calm her down and then approached Erpha.
When I boldly got up leaving her behind, Iomene looked considerably flustered, but what could I do?
Erpha’s a woman I've known longer than you.
"The treatment will end tomorrow, they say. After that, she'll go to stay at the imperial palace. She's only by my side for treatment until then."
At my words, Erpha's expressionless face softened a little.
And she carefully approached my side.
"...I too."
"Pardon?"
"I want to be by your side too."
Iomene snarled even more at those words.
I quickly stroked her head.
And at the same time, I took Erpha's hand and sat together on the bed.
Erpha leaned her head on my shoulder with a feeling that anyone could see was jealousy.
Thanks to having four hands, she could hold my hand while simultaneously wrapping her arms around my waist and firmly grasping my arm.
Iomene's snarling reached its peak.
Iomene raised her nails to attack Erpha's hands, but I carefully blocked her attack.
I was going to disappear soon.
I was going to leave the order, stop pretending to be a saint, and live quietly like a dead mouse.
So before that, it seemed necessary to create as many good memories as possible for Erpha.
But Iomene, who couldn't know my inner circumstances, looked at me with wide eyes as if resentful.
Please understand, Princess.
Erpha will have to live without me for the rest of her life after I disappear soon.
I need to make her as happy as possible before I leave.
"You told me to love myself more than you not long ago, didn't you?"
"Yes. I did say that."
"When you were fighting with the fragment of the evil god. I remembered those words and didn't go to save you. I believed in you. The fact that you would return to my side safely."
Erpha fidgeted with her fingers.
She pressed even closer to my arm.
A good fragrance wafted over.
"I'm glad I listened to your words. You came back to my side as I believed."
I'm sorry.
Actually, it should have ended without me coming back from there.
It was strange even thinking about it again.
It was a fragment of an evil god.
Not just any ordinary fragment, but a fragment of an evil god.
But why had it entered my body and suddenly screamed…?
It was something I had never heard of even when studying about fragments at the White Order.
I had read stories about renowned heroes, holy women, and saints suffering and dying from fragments of evil gods, or eventually going mad and falling, but I had never heard of a story where it suddenly died after entering the body.
What's the real reason for this?
I wanted to ask the order people, but I couldn't do that either.
It was obvious they would just praise me as a saint.
For now, it was best to cool down the attention towards me as much as possible.
Just thinking about it made me angry, so I stopped thinking about it.
"I don't doubt anymore. Even if you leave me for a while. Because I know now that you'll come back to my side," Erpha answered with a happy smile.
Hearing those words made me even more depressed.
She had four arms, but to think I had to leave soon when there was a woman who liked and loved me so much right next to me.
Deep in my heart, a sense of unfairness welled up.
I didn't want to stop at just holding hands.
I didn't want to end with just a kiss.
Beyond that.
I wanted to do much better things with her too.
But I couldn't.
If I went that far, I might not be able to control my emotions anymore.
Yeah, damn it.
To be honest, I think I like Erpha.
No, isn't it natural to be like this when there's a woman who comes to visit every day with such infatuated eyes and blushing face for a virgin like me?!
In my imagination, I had already lived a married life with Erpha and had even seen grandchildren.
But for her sake, I had to leave.
Goddess Lilia, really...
I really dislike you.
Why are you doing this to me?
Why.
"I'm just a cane. A cane that's used briefly for your stability and then discarded."
I stroked Erpha's head as I did for Iomene.
"Don't be obsessed with me. When we're together, be happy together, and even if I disappear, live healthily and splendidly while caring for yourself. Understand?"
Erpha nodded.
She held my face and then pulled me towards her.
A kiss.
A soft and shy kiss continued.
Happiness came along with unhappiness.
It was sad.
It was really sad.
Why couldn't we choose to be together when I liked her and she liked me?
I should stop at just kissing.
If I go any further, really...
I think it'll be too hard when I leave.
Erpha's kiss was long and lingering.
I could feel Iomene watching the scene, frozen stiff as if shocked.
After about a 30-second kiss.
Erpha separated from me with a melted expression.
"Saint..."
"...Erpha."
"Maybe… maybe that...
She fumbled around, touching her pocket with one hand.
What is it?
Do you have a condom in there?
Are there even condoms in this era?
If it weren't for the Goddess, I would have suggested it first, but in my current position, I shouldn't cross that final line with her.
I clenched my fist.
I shouldn't progress any further than this.
I'm not Sim Young-do, and all my limbs are fine, and I even modified that part to be no worse than the protagonists appearing in top-tier pornwhas...
To think I have to act like such a frustrating impotent person.
"I'm sorry, but please go back for today, Miss Erpha."
"What? B-but......"
"Princess Iomene's treatment isn't over yet."
At my words, Erpha made a disappointed expression.
It felt like my heart was being torn apart.
I'm not impotent.
I want to do it too.
But I can't.
If I do, you will surely become unhappy because of my choice.
I don't want that.
Erpha deserved to be happier after all she had been through.
It was right to push her away now.
Erpha hung her head with an expression full of shame and embarrassment, then stood up.
Erpha left the room quietly without saying goodbye.
After she left, I hung my head in regret and depression.
But before I could dwell on those emotions, Iomene grabbed my head.
When I turned my head towards her, Iomene's face was full of anger.
"Kiss."
She demanded firmly.
As if ordering.
"Me too. Kiss."
She tried to pull my head towards her.
I hurriedly blocked her.
"Iomene. Don't do this."
"Kiss!! Me too!!"
She rarely shouted.
At her behavior that was almost at the level of pouncing on me, I had to quickly push her away.
"Y-you're still sick! Your mind is sick! You can't do it when you're in a sick state!!"
At my desperate words, she stopped trying to pull my head.
"If not sick?"
Her eyes were very serious.
"If not sick!! Kiss?"
I smiled awkwardly at those words.
Right.
I'll give you a kiss on the forehead, Iomene.
"Okay. I'll do it."
"Promise."
Iomene panted.
"Promise."
Anyway, the moment her mind recovered, she would live as a princess.
As a holy woman of the White Order.
I'd completely disappear, so she probably wouldn't have a chance to meet me.
So before I left, I could give her a kiss on the forehead as a sort of farewell greeting.
You too, Iomene.
You have to live hard without me.