Chapter 58
As I woke from the dream, I felt cold sweat soaking my entire body.
But I wasn't scared or terrified.
I just felt complicated.
I gripped the blanket tightly.
Now all the puzzle pieces fell into place.
What it meant to die at the hands of those I loved.
What it meant to die at the happiest moment.
What it meant that grace would catch me even after I died and send me to a place fitting my actions.
And...
What it meant that grace spread its will to the world through him.
Now I understood everything.
Asmodeus of Lust, huh?
Well.
It was strange from the beginning.
No mana required.
No divine power required.
Yet Time Stop, Body Modification, 3000x sensitivity, and Absolute Hypnosis.
I really wondered where these ridiculous cheat abilities came from.
To think they were the Demon King's abilities.
Suddenly feeling choked up, I went under the blanket and cried for a long time again.
Why am I so unlucky?
Why am I so unhappy?
Harem king.
Is it that difficult?
I really don't want to leave.
I wanted to live happily with Iomene, Almene, and Erpha for a long, long time.
But I had to leave for their sake.
Because if I stayed with them out of my own greed, I didn't know what would happen to them when the Demon King's power awakened.
I didn't do any activities that day.
"Saint?"
Grandpa Yodel came looking for me worriedly, and so did the holy knights. And the priests, too.
And the slum people who came to see me every day were also worried about me.
But I didn't meet anyone and just cried in my room.
And it seemed that news reached the ears of the princesses and Erpha as well.
In the evening.
When I was just crying in bed without even eating.
Three women came to see me.
"Amael."
"Saint."
"We're here."
At the worried expressions and voices of the three women, I got up groggily from my seat.
I smiled at them.
"Come here and sit down."
Even if others didn't, these women deserved to hear my story.
The three women approached and sat by my side, worriedly.
I looked at each of them one by one and then opened my mouth with a trembling voice.
"I have to leave. As soon as the psychic amplifier I left with Tower Master Yorgen is completed. I'm going to leave."
The expressions of the three women turned pale, but I clenched my fist tightly and continued speaking, "I won't come back. We might never see each other's faces again. You can't come with me. I have to leave alone. So... don't look for me."
As I spoke, tears came again.
Only the sound of my sobbing started to fill the room.
None of the three people.
Opened their mouths.
Then.
After a while, I felt Iomene and Almene embracing me in their arms.
"This relationship. It was a relationship we forced to start first. Remember? Saint?" Almene said with a trembling voice.
"We started it forcefully, didn't we? We never thought the Saint would stay by our side for long. Because the Saint has a lot to do. We were thinking you'd have to leave someday."
Four arms gently lifted my face.
As I raised my head, I saw Erpha forcing a smile while sobbing.
"It was all our insistence. Because we forced it to be that way... don't feel burdened and leave. When it's hard and painful. I just hope the memories of being with us will support the Saint even a little."
At the words of the three women, my heart broke even more.
I hugged them tightly.
"I'm sorry. Really... I'm so sorry for leaving without responsibility even after doing this... I'm sorry."
At my words, they smiled and hugged me back.
Why is it?
That their smiling faces look even sadder.
"We were grateful that you listened to our insistence."
"Thank you for forgiving us even though we tried to force you."
"Thank you for accepting us... for making us happy even for a moment, Saint. Don't worry about us. We'll continue to cultivate this place more wonderfully following your will. So leave with peace of mind."
In the end, tears burst out.
The four of us hugged each other tightly and cried and cried for a long time.
Now when I returned to Korea, I probably wouldn't see these women ever again.
The start was certainly not good, but still...
They were the women I decided to love.
It was so sad to have to leave like this.
But what could I do?
When the power inside me was ugly and base.
It was right to leave.
Even for the sake of these three people.
Even for the sake of this world, it was right for me to leave.
The crying continued for a long time.
Until late at night.
The very next day.
News came that Tower Master Yorgen had finished tuning the psychic amplifier.
***
"Here it is, Saint. The completed tuned psychic amplifier. You could call it my masterpiece."
Not knowing my feelings, Tower Master Yorgen excitedly continued his explanation, "Interestingly, a unicorn's horn has a separate neural circuit distinct from the brain. That neural circuit acts as the psychic amplifier. The usage is very simple! You just need to open the lid of this locket!"
"I see."
"The mana efficiency is also excellent. It works sufficiently with the mana in the air. Originally, psychic amplification isn't a field that requires a lot of mana, but rather competes on the precision of the circuit."
"..."
"It can be used not only to stop time but also for various other purposes... Are you alright?"
I looked at the rocket-shaped—a type of necklace—psychic amplifier in Tower Master Yorgen's hand with a complicated expression.
If only that hadn't been completed.
I could have stayed.
I kept feeling regret.
I really didn't want to leave.
Even while thinking that, my hand was reaching out towards Tower Master Yorgen.
"May I take it?"
"Yes, of course. Is something wrong?"
I didn't answer.
I just smiled bitterly.
Seeing me put the necklace around my neck, Tower Master Yorgen carefully asked, "May I visit the temple today as well to observe your miracles? I'm working on a new research based on what I saw last time, and I'd like to go see again today if possible."
At those words, I shook my head.
"Even if you come, you won't be able to meet me."
"What?"
"Thank you for everything until now, Tower Master. May you be at peace in the future."
"No, wait..."
Seeing me bow politely, the Tower Master seemed flustered, but seeing my expression that looked like I was about to cry, he soon sighed and bowed his head.
"It seems you've received some revelation again. That's how saints always were. Thank you for saving the empire. May you be at peace wherever you are and may all you do go well."
"Thank you."
As Tower Master Yorgen bowed his head towards me, I also bowed my head politely towards him.
With that farewell, I withdrew from the Tower Master's room.
After returning to the tower's lobby dejectedly, I returned to the temple and called Grand Priest Yodel and Jonathan Karma's family to my room.
"Please don't stop treating the sick and taking care of the poor and ill in the future."
"Of course, Saint. What's going on? You haven't been looking well lately."
I just smiled at Yodel.
And looked at Jonathan Karma's family.
"Money is good. But I hope you don't become people consumed by that money. Please create a world where we can live well together and be wealthy together. Mr. Jonathan, you are more than capable of doing that."
"Of course, Saint. Why... are you saying such things? Suddenly?"
"Are you sick somewhere?"
While Jonathan and his wife Oliviera speak to me worriedly.
Their daughter Cecilia, who has incredibly sharp intuition, looked at me anxiously.
"Do you have to leave somewhere?"
At those words, everyone else stopped talking.
Grandpa Yodel looked at me hurriedly with a shocked expression.
"Do you have to leave, Saint?"
I didn't answer the question.
"Don't look for me. Ever."
I just said this.
"Saint! Please don't leave!!"
Grandpa Yodel shed tears unbecoming of his age.
"There are still many sick people and people you need to heal!! Everyone in the order needs you too! Please continue to lead us!!"
In Grandpa Yodel's tears, I saw danger.
To think that even the Grand Priest would be like this.
Then what about other people?
Wouldn't their sincere faith ultimately amplify my power and eventually resurrect the Demon King, turning the world into that terrible scene I saw?
So I couldn't listen to those words.
"I have to leave, Mr. Yodel. It's for everyone's sake. So please. Don't look for me."
At my words, Grandpa Yodel shed tears.
But soon he hung his head.
"I'll try... I'll try my best to stop them. But I'm not sure if all the priests under me and all the believers will follow the Saint's words."
I know.
There's no way there won't be priests or holy knights or believers who act impulsively.
Especially the people from the slums won't stay still.
It's clear that people who will try to find me somehow will appear.
People who will desperately try to find me even though I told them not to look for me will come out.
That's why I found a way to improve the efficiency of Time Stop and block the miracle of tracking, isn't it?
I've already thought of where to run away to.
The 10kg of gold I received from the Emperor was also well stored in a very small subspace pocket in my pocket.
Now I just needed to leave.
"I'm sorry. I have no doubt that you will continue to lead this place well, even without me."
At my words, Grandpa Yodel nodded while wiping his tears.
"We will continue to carry on the Saint's will. I swear."
My will, huh?
As if a con artist like me ever had any will.
"Leave without hesitation, Saint. We will continue to grow Karma Company following your will. We will never forget that you saved our family, Saint."
Jonathan bowed politely and kisses the back of my hand.
Oliviera.
And Cecilia did the same.
I looked at all of them sorrowfully and then turned my back.
After leaving the room, I trudged down to the first floor lobby of the temple.
"Saint!"
"It's the Saint!!"
"Saint!"
Everyone greeted me politely.
I could see a few people from the slums, too.
Maybe it was because they were wearing good clothes and eating well, but their skin was glowing.
Seeing that, a smile escaped me.
Yeah.
It's right to leave now.
I shouldn't let them worship me any more than this.
Then they will all surely become unhappy.
"May you all continue to be at peace in the future."
I looked at everyone and slowly bowed my head.
And I opened the lid of the locket hanging around my neck.
I felt the psychic amplifier activating with a whirring sound.
And I used Time Stop.
Time stopped in the whole world.
And in that situation, I slowly took a step.
It felt like switching from driving a very difficult manual car to the latest electric car.
"Haha. It works well and releases well."
With this, it seemed possible to cross the continent while using Time Stop.
Finally, the chronic problem of Time Stop’s efficiency had been solved.
But I wasn't happy at all.
"It works damn well. Shit..."
I probably wouldn't be able to come back here again.
Not Erpha, not Iomene, not Almene.
Not Grandpa Yodel.
Not Jonathan Karma.
Not the many unfortunate people from the slums I had become familiar with here.
I wouldn't see any of them.
That was too sad.
I wiped my tears and stood up.
Let's hurry.
There's no more time to be immersed in emotions.
I walked slowly through the stopped time, walking far, far away.
In the meantime, I changed my face with body modification and changed into clothes I had put in the subspace pocket.
After moving to the outskirts of the capital in that state, I released the Time Stop there.
Even though I carefully walked out from the back alley, no one recognized me.
Feeling relief inside, I headed towards the train station.
When I tried to buy a train ticket, naturally the employee working at the station asked for my destination.
"Where are you going?"
Where should I go?
A place with little influence from the order.
Yet a big city where priests wouldn't come down regularly to use the miracle of tracking.
Far away from the capital.
I thought about it in many ways, but still.
There was only one place I could go.
"I'd like to go to Scrap Yard."
"That will be 400 leon (40,000 won)."
After taking money out of my pocket and handing it to the employee, I received the train ticket and boarded the car.
Not long after, I heard the characteristic sound of the magic engine spewing out power, and the car slowly started moving.
I closed the lid of the locket hanging around my neck and slumped in my seat.
In the end, it was back to square one.
I'd go to Scrap Yard, find a suitable house, and then live quietly while refraining from going out as much as possible.
While living quietly, I'd try to find information about black mages or demon worshipers. Then I'd hope for my soul to be destroyed by their hands.
Hoping that I'd be able to live happily after returning to Korea.
The train started running, cutting through the air refreshingly.
My new dwelling place.
Scrap Yard was not far away.
***
"Chosen One. We have confirmed the news that the Saint of Healing has disappeared."
At those words, a smile formed on the lips of the Evil God's Chosen One.
"The Evil God has indeed acted as he said. Now that he's out of the influence of the Pantheon and the order, it's become even easier to eliminate him. The blood drinker indeed fulfills his will."
While the Chosen One smiled, the pool of blood received on the altar started to bubble.
At that sight, the Chosen One immediately approached the altar.
"The Evil God is giving a revelation!!"
The Chosen One looked at the pool of blood with an excited expression.
Letters started to appear above the bubbling pool.
The Chosen One stared intently at those letters and soon giggled and moved away from the altar.
"The Saint of Healing will die soon."
"Did the Evil God speak of his plan to eliminate him?"
"Yes. The Saint has left for Scrap Yard."
"You mean that den of atheists who blindly believe in mines, machines, and steam?"
"Yes. It's like he walked into hell on his own feet."
Using the Saint to start a fight between the Pantheon and hell.
Thinking with that purpose, there was no place more perfect than Scrap Yard.
That was because.
"The followers of Mammon, the Lord of Greed, are there."
It was because that place had been occupied by one of the Demon Kings for a long time already.
It was no exaggeration to say that the collision between the Pantheon and hell was set.